An AU where peopleâs hair changes color based on their emotions. Or at least⊠itâs supposed toâŠ
Because dealing with emotions wasnât challenging enough already.
For the lovely nachoheichou - canât wait to beta the upcoming chapter!
The first time Eren saw him, he almost knocked the book-cart over.
And it was a good thing he didnât, for if he had, he wouldâve drawn all sorts of attention to the fact that his hair was turning very, very pink.
Sure, it happened to everyone at least once, but still. How embarrassing.
He settled for studying the dark-haired boy through the shelves, two rows back, awed by the way all those hard lines and taut curves could merge to become someone so beautiful. And those eyes⊠Eren was sure even Armin couldnât find a book with words perfect enough to describe the color.
And if Mikasa caught him with pink in his roots, he could blame it on re-shelving the romance section.
The second time Eren saw him, he was ready.
Heâd had Armin find him the biggest dictionary in the entire library, and heâd spent a good two hours skimming its pages for the longest, driest, most boring words he could find and writing them on his hands â so he could spell them out if he felt a blush coming on.
Thus armed, he grabbed a pile of books from the shelving room and made a beeline towards the third floor, where he was sure to find the dark-haired boy.
And there he was, browsing the action novels, head angled to the side to better read the titles of the books as he passed. Every now and again, heâd kneel down carefully, making sure never to miss the books near the bottom.
âF-l-o-c-c-i-n-aâŠâ Eren muttered under his breath. Donât turn pink, donât you dare turn pinkâŠ
âWoah!â Eren jumped, startled by the unexpected voice. Books went flying â Eren went sideways.
A strong hand grabbed him by the elbow, pulling him up at the last second, and Eren stared at the other boy in mute horror as he gathered himself and stood. His hair wasnât pink, sure, but this was so much worse.
He could the brilliant color burning scarlet on his skin.
âPneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, huh?â the other boy asked, catching hold of Erenâs hand and reading it, the word rolling easily off his tongue. âPrepping for med-school â
âAh⊠no,â Eren muttered, carding his fingers through the hair he knew for sure would be bright red. âCreative writing, at Rose Community College. You?â
âNothing at the moment,â the boy answered, turning away to pick up the books scattered on the floor, pausing now and again to read the back covers if something caught his eye. âYou could say Iâm taking a break year.â
âMust be nice,â Eren replied.
The boy looked at him with an unfathomable expression. âI suppose it has its perks,â he said finally, setting the books on the shelf with a shrug.
Say something, you idiot, Eren chided, feeling the blush crawl back across his cheeks. His mouth refused.
âA libraryâs a good place to be, for a writer,â the boy muttered, plucking a book from the stack and walking away. âAnyways. See you aroundâŠâ
âEren,â Eren supplied weakly.
The boy nodded. âLevi. Right. See you around, Eren.â
When Levi had gone, Eren heaved a sigh of relief, sinking back against the shelves as his knees buckled beneath him. How had he done it? Eren was sure he had turned more colors than a crayon box in a matter of moments, yet LeviâŠ
Black as the night sky, the whole damn time.
Levi liked espionage. He was in the âSpy/Mysteryâ section almost every week â sometimes every day â eyes trailing across the spines of the glossily-bound books with a longing that sent Erenâs heart to his throat. Eren fondly scoured the titles Levi returned, wondering at the adventures caught within the pages â wondering if Levi had chosen them for that, like Eren mightâve.
And if Eren trawled the databases, finding new novels to recommend and sticking the titles in the wrong places on the shelves, nobody said anything.
They always caught Leviâs eye.
âIf you read them so quickly,â Eren finally got the courage to ask, âwhy not check out a few at a time?â
Levi frowned, looking away. âI just like the library,â he muttered.
When he thought Levi wasnât looking, Eren copped a glance.
Still black. Eren was starting to think heâd never see it any other color.
It had been a long day. Too long. Erenâs aches ran bone-deep from being on his feet since 9AM that morning, and his shift wouldnât end until 5PM⊠and then heâd be hitting the books again, studying for the finals that crouched dangerously in the weeks to come.
He sank wearily into one of the seats in one of the third-floor reading nooks. Five minutes couldnât hurt. His eyes slipped closed.
âSleeping on the job, Eren?â
Eren jolted, looking around for his boss, finding Levi instead, standing over him with a book in his hand and a smirk on his face, hair dark as pitch. As usual.
âYouâd be sleeping too,â Eren scowled, flinging an arm over his face. Not now. I canât deal with Mr. I-Feel-Nothing-As-I-Take-You-Apart right now. Please.
But he stayed. âI think I sleep enough as it is,â he said wryly, marking the page and closing the book.
âWish I could spend a year to myself,â Eren grumbled. âMust be nice.â
ââŠIt could be better.â
âOh come on,â Eren teased, flinging his hands back to stare at the other boy. âYou lay around and read all day â thatâs the life! What else do you do with all that free time?â
A peculiar look flashed across Leviâs face. âIâm at the hospital across the street,â Levi finally muttered.
Erenâs eyes widened as alarm colored his hair a pale, corn-silk yellow.
âOut-patient therapy for this.â
With a single, graceful move, Levi scooped down to catch the leg of his pants, lifting the hemâŠ
âŠexposing the smooth metal pylon, attached to a plain, prosthetic socket just below the knee. The ankle was carbon. The foot was plastic.
Erenâs stomach hit the floor.
âBone cancer,â Levi said evenly, tapping his ankle twice before letting the hem fall back to the floor. âIn my ankle. Wasnât responding well to treatment so they lopped it right off.â
Eren wondered if your hair changed color when you couldnât breathe.
âI donât need your pity,â Levi grumbled, sourly eying the crown of Erenâs head. Eren caught a few strands in his fingers. Pale blue. âI just finished my last round of chemo today. Iâm cancer-free.â< p>
âThatâs so great, Levi,â Eren breathed. âIâm really happy for you. Are you going to go and celebrate?â
Levi nodded. Swallowed. Ran his fingers through the black locks at his temple. âThatâs what Iâm here for.â
âIn a library?â Eren chuckled. âGoing to check out two books this time?â
Levi almost scowled, but he caught his lip with his teeth instead. His fingers pulled harder through his hair. ââŠI came to see you, actually. I was hoping you would⊠celebrate with me.â
Eren swore his heart froze over.
And Levi laughed â actually laughed â the shock quickly erased by the smile that rose on his face like the sun. Eren caught sight of his reflection in a metal bookend.
âIs that a yes?â Levi chuckled, reaching out to brush pale strands from Erenâs brow with a tender look in his eyes.
âBut⊠but, you didnât â y-you neverâŠâ
âI did,â Levi murmured, glancing shyly back at Eren.
He raised a hand to his hairline, tugging gently, and the black locks slid forward, the wig slipping into his fingers like black feathers from the sky, revealing the pale pink peach fuzz underneath.
âPink just wasnât my color.â
Now on my AO3 with the rest of my drabbles, because this nonsense is getting out of hand.