Chapter Text
Another first day of school. Big whoop. So excited. Ecstatic. This should totally be a national holiday.
Levi Ackerman showed as much enthusiasm as he cared to spare for his first day of senior year in college. Which was about as much as a freeze-dried then crushed-to-powder green pea. Even that may have been a little too much enthusiasm, in his opinion, as he made his way past over-excited crowds of ugly freshmen who think they're adults towards the administrations office where he works as part of his work-study program. Since leaving his Uncle Kenny's house, he'd been working as many jobs as he can to support himself, but this year was going to be the first year he was going to have a bit of free time for himself. He was nearly done with all his required courses, so his class schedule wasn't as taxing as it was the past three years, either.
"Levi!!!" The moment he opened the door to the offices, what initially looked like a hairy brown furred monster came bounding down past the cubicles toward him. Levi kicked Hanji away from him as he sidestepped around her stampede.
"Fucking shitty glasses."
"Levi! How could you? I'm a dainty lady with boobs and a vagina!" She feigned hurt, looking at Levi remorsefully.
"You're a fucking germ with glasses, that's what you are," Levi dropped his bag on his chair in his assistant cubicle, pulling off his cardigan. It was September, but it was still pretty damn warm. He only really wore the cardigan to hide his tattoos. When he took over duty at the front counter to deal with students trying to enroll in extra classes or drop, he wasn't supposed to show his tattoo to look professional.
"Wait, don't take it off, you have something to do," Hanji straightened up, holding up a sheet of paper. Levi put back on his cardigan, stepping out of his cubicle to grab the paper.
"What the hell is this?"
"There's a new freshman, a late enrollment, who needs help finding his classes. The printers were malfunctioning earlier, so I just wrote down today's class for him, and said i'll leave a full printout in his mailbox later. He didn't even come to orientation, so he has no idea how the buildings in our school work yet. Just explain some things for him along the way to his first class, okay?"
"Why don't you do it?" Levi hated stupid things like this. One would think that with all the confusion students have with even trying to understand their school map, they'd find someone to make a better map or do something about restructuring the school buildings. But no, Pixis is more fixated on trying to get more donors and students with rich parents. Scholarship students like Levi barely get any attention if they don't achieve something news-worthy like that one girl a few years ago who got Pixis taking pictures with her at ever major school event because she published a shitty novel that was getting turned into a movie.
"I need to fix the printer."
Of course. Levi bet that Hanji was the one who broke it in the first place. Probably thought she can try printing on a plastic bag or something irrational again.
"Where is he then?"
"Right outside the door. Just take him to his first class and explain the buildings along the way, and he should be fine."
"Got it," And Levi was out the door.
There were several people lounging around on the sofas in front of the administrations office, but only one of them looked like he was on the verge of puking from nerves.
"You Eren?" Levi approached the brown haired boy with wide green eyes, internally groaning.
"Yes! I'm Eren! It's me!"
"Yeah, I got it. I'm Levi, your schedule for today's right here. I'll take you to class, come on."
Eren hopped up from the sofa, and Levi noted with disapproval that the fucker was taller than him.
"Okay. So your first class is..."
Levi looked down at the class number, a little confused. Eren was already 30 minutes late, but that wasn't why.
'History of Medieval Art, Monday 9:00AM room 104, Instructor: Grant'
All their class numbers were supposed to be 4 digits, and the only ones with three digits were the classes in the old building. Except, Levi was under the impression that the old building was either not being used or being made into studios for the art department. Maybe the art department were also holding some classes there.
Since the building was in the complete opposite end of campus from the offices, Levi was able to point out most of the buildings and how to remember them. Eren nodded eagerly, holding onto his backpack straps as he looked around like a fucking tourist in New York. Levi scoffed a bit, but didn't say anything about it. Fucking freshmen, ugh.
"That building over there is the old building. Officially, it's called the Theodore Anderson building, but if you say 'the old building', everyone knows it's this one. It's almost never used now, but you apparently got the luck of the draw with a class in there. It should be pretty easy to find your class, so get going. Good luck with the rest of your year."
Levi turn on the spot and went a few steps back up the pathway when a hand grabbed his arm.
"Um, could you walk with me to the classroom, at least? I... Uh, I was hoping, um..." Eren's cheeks flushed pink as his fingers twitched nervously and he ran his other hand through his unruly mop of hair. Levi knew what this was. Fucking fresh-out-of-highschool dickwad crushing on a mature looking older student showing him a little bit of kindness, that's what this shit was.
"I'm not your fucking mom."
"I know, I just... The building looks a little creepy, too, and I just didn't want to go alone, and..." God.
"Fine," Levi relented, pulling his arm out of Eren's grip. It's his first day, he doesn't know what the fuck he's doing and where the fuck he's going, and he's crushing on the administrations assistant helping him out because it's his fucking job. Poor freshman dinkerhead deserves a tiny break, Levi supposed, walking up to the old building's front doors.
Truthfully, Levi himself had never had classes here, and had never even been here before, unless he counted that one time he was fucking wasted and apparently came here in the middle of the night on a dare. There was a rumor about it being haunted, but then again, every old building in the fucking country's rumored to be haunted, right?
The doorknob was fucking disgusting, but Levi put up a brave front against the germs and pulled open the rusty doors. If he can handle Germ Hanji, he can handle rust. The hallway was lit by very old fluorescent lighting structures on the ceiling, and the stark white walls were littered with posters and junk of all sorts. Being a nearly unused building, apparently the janitor also never came by here because there was a film of dust on the floor that Levi can see.
"Wow," was all Eren said. Levi grunted, stepping in with his nose scrunched up.
"Have you... Have you ever had classes here?" Eren asked as they passed room 101. It was empty, and the lights were off. The door was left open, so Levi can see that there were several rows of seats facing the podium, but dark enough that he couldn't really see much else other than the dark shadows of the empty classroom.
"No. I didn't even know this building was still being used."
"Oh," Eren mumbled, and even Levi had to admit that he himself felt a little uneasy being in this building thinking about that. They passed room 102, also left open and unused. This room seemed to have had the chairs taken out, apparently, noting that it was nearly empty besides the podium. Fucking freaky, Levi thought to himself as he continued down the hallway, glancing in disgust at some of the posters on the walls.
"Pretty sure they're planning on letting the art department take this building, though," Levi mentioned as a way to ease the nervous air around them, "The art department in our school got really famous after Hanji- She's a fucking crazy friend of mine, also works at the offices- after she held a solo exhibition with some famous art gallery in New York, Pixis gave the art department a shitload of money to vamp up their game and attract more students to our school."
They passed room 103, which was closed. Thank fucking god, Levi internally prayed. This building was fucking creepy, and he was going to get out of here as soon as Eren made it to his classroom.
"She sounds... Er, nice." Levi snorted.
"If walking around the school in a bikini as a protest to school dress codes in the middle of winter is 'nice' then yeah, I suppose."
"What dress code was she protesting?"
"Males not being allowed to wear dresses."
"Oh. Did she win her case?"
"She got arrested."
"Bummer."
"Mostly because she was caught with weed stuffed in her bikini top."
They arrived at room 104, and the door was slightly ajar. Levi can hear the instructor in the middle
of a very passionate explanation about something art related that Levi didn't care for. "Well, get going."
"Thanks Levi, for helping out today."
Eren smiled nervously, fidgeting again, before extending his hand to Levi. Ugh, leave it to the freshmen to put on way too many chain and leather bracelets to look like the badass rebel thug they couldn't be in high school. Levi shook his hand anyways, though, because even assistant administrators get periodic surveys done about their service to the community.
"If you ever need any sort of administrative help, you can stop by the office again for assistance."
Levi gave a nod as a way of ending the conversation because, frankly, Levi was pretty done interacting with disgusting freshmen by now. But as he turned to leave and Eren walked in to his classroom, Levi felt the sleeve of his cardigan snag at one of those shitty plastic metal shit on Eren's wrists.
"Oh fuck," Eren muttered, quickly pulling Levi inside with him with an apologetic smile to the instructor before sitting in the two available seats in the back. The instructor promptly ignored them in favor of continuing on his explanation and writing down notes on the board behind him.
"I'm so sorry," Eren mumbled quietly, pulling off his bracelet and picking at the pulled out threads of Levi's cardigan. It was a cheap cardigan, so Levi didn't really care to much about the cardigan itself, but it was such a drag to have to deal with fucking stretched out t-shirts and loose threads in general. It made him feel like when he was still in high school and living with Uncle Kenny who didn't give him anything nice to wear. Thank the fucking shitheads running the country for allowing 16 year olds to have part time jobs because the only thing Levi bought with his first ever paycheck was some decent fucking clothes.
"It's fine, brat," Levi whispered back, seeing Eren's fingers fumbling in a panic.
None of the students cared to glance at them, and the instructor barely even looked in their general direction, which sort of unsettled Levi. Since when did freshmen students act so well behaved? Since never, Levi knew for a fact. Every fucking year he had to deal with a fucker who thought they can bribe him to change their grades or drop a class without it showing on their transcript two weeks before the end of the semester. When he was the dorm RA, there were freshmen idiots who thought it was cool to sneak into the girls' dorm in the middle of the night, and Levi made sure they never walked around with their dicks hanging out again.
Eren was still fumbling with the threads when the bell rang and students went rushing out the door.
"Oh my god," Eren panicked, and Levi sighed, before just ripping the bracelet off. "Oh my god, I'm sorry Levi, I'll buy you a new jacket for this."
"It's nothing, brat. Just get going to your next class before you're late like this again." Levi got up and left the room, hearing Eren follow after him silently for a moment. "Hey, Levi?"
"What?"
"Where are all the students?"
"What do you mean, they must have run for their lives out of this shithole." "But the floor..."
Levi looked down at the floor. He could see Eren and his foot prints as they walked in stepping on that undisturbed film of dust, his boots and Eren's sneakers. And behind them, there were another set of footprints, both of theirs, walking back out of room 104. That was all.
Nope. No. Levi was not going to talk about this. He was just going to get out of this shitty building and never think about this again. He quickened his pace and rushed past the other classrooms without another glance until he pushed his way through the double doors and out to the evening view of the campus-
"Fuck no."
"Levi, wasn't it morn-"
"No."
"But-"
"Nope."
Levi was in denial. No fucking way. He was in that fucking building for a whole day? No. Fucking. Way.
"Levi! I was looking all over for you! At first I thought you were just shagging the new boy behind a building, but then your phone was off, and-"
Hanji came running over to him, looking like she was really worried out of her mind. Levi took out his phone from his pocket and looked at it. It said 7PM. Oh, hell no.
"What were you two doing all day, anyways? Eren, I got your schedule, and-"
"I want to change classes, I don't want class in the old building, please," Eren pleaded to Hanji desperately, eyes completely blown wide.
"What are you talking about, no one has classes in the old building. It's set to be demolished. Your class should be in room 2212."
Oh fucking hell no. Levi sighed, tapping his foot. It was literally the only way he can get his jittery nerves to let off some steam without screaming. Eren was actually screaming, face turning red and pale at the same time.
"But... There were kids in there, we just-"
"What?" Hanji looked really confused now, "The building's locked. I checked when I was going around looking for you guys. See?"
Hanji headed over the the front doors that Levi and Eren had just walked out of, pulling on it as hard as she can. It didn't even budge.
"Levi," Eren whined, looking completely freaked out of his mind.
"Fuck no, I am not doing this!" Levi stomped away from the building, with Eren rushing over to clutch tightly onto his cardigan sleeve.
"I'm scared, Levi," Eren whined. Nope. No way. Levi was not going to tell anyone he was scared, especially not a fucking freshman clinging onto his arm like a lifeline. No, Levi was going to move on with his life.
"Woah, ditching class all day for a date? You casanova Levi, dragging a clueless boy into an abandoned building for some-"
"NO. WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS SHIT. NOT NOW, NOT TOMORROW, NOT EVER!!!" Levi practically roared into Hanji's face, literally feeling the strain of his veins in his eyeballs as he glared at Hanji, his nerves on the verge of popping out of his skin to scream and run away from this fucking school. At this moment, Levi felt like the craziest person in the crowd, and Hanji was standing right there. No way, he was not going to talk about this, he was not going to think about this, he was not going to even imagine this could have ever happened. This day did not fucking happen.
"...Can I sleep over, Levi?" Eren asked pathetically, gripping hard on Levi's ripped and now stretched out cardigan sleeve.