Attack on Titan x Reader [Oneshots]

Duet [AU] [Pianist!Levi x Flutist!Reader]

"Keep to the tempo, for god sake!"

Levi sighed heavily, fingers coming to a halt over the black and white keys as he glared at [Name].

"The score says expressivo," She deadpanned, hunching in the chair beside the large grand piano, a flute in hand. "I'm just trying to bring out the melody!"

"Well, your melody is slowing us down."

"Alright, alright... I'll try to stick to the tempo..."

Starting from the top again, she listened to Levi play the introduction, bringing the silver flute up to her lips when her part was coming up. Taking a breath, she came in after the pickup, a sweet sound escaping the instrument as she played.

Halfway through the piece, Levi suddenly stopped again.

Close to ripping out her hair, [Name] snapped her head towards him. "What now, Levi?"

"Why did you add your own crescendo there? You're throwing off the balance."

"Can't you just accommodate it a little?"

"I've been trying to accommodate you this entire time!" He growled out, slamming his palm against the keys loudly. "You're just so insistent on 'expressing the music', you neglect every single aspect of technicality!"

"What about you, huh? Your music has no originality at all, and you're just playing off the scores. What's the point of being a child prodigy if this is as far as your talent goes?"

The disarray of notes echoed off in the music room, and [Name] nearly cringed when she saw Levi's jaw clench as he shot her a deadly stare. "Since that's what you think about me, maybe we really shouldn't be paired up for this competition."

Grabbing his sheet music, he slung his bag over his shoulder and stormed out of the room.

~~

[Name] hesitated as she neared the music room. After all that had happened the day before, she didn't know if she should turn up for practice or not. Perhaps she shouldn't have said what she did. After reflecting on her words when she went home, she realized that what she said was really harsh. Even for Levi.

Levi Ackerman was well known in school for being a genius at playing the piano. She couldn't deny that he had amazing skills. He was good. Really good, but he wasn't perfect. Amazing as his techniques were, [Name] soon found out that he merely played exactly what the sheet music shows, putting in no extra effort whatsoever to express the music.

That completely clashed with her ideals, and when the music teacher told them they were selected to play a duet for a competition, all hell broke loose. Choosing the piece itself was a huge headache, and even as they were practicing, there were so many problems that arose.

'Still... I probably shouldn't have gone that far...'

Reaching out to push open the door of the music room, a small frown grew on her features when she heard muffled voices from inside.

"... Levi, [Name] is the best flutist in the school. Why can't each of you just take a step back and make a compromise?"

"Every single one of our practices ends up in an argument, and I can't take it anymore. She doesn't even bother telling me when she decides to change things up. If there isn't anyone else to replace her, I'm fine with playing a solo piece too."

Fists clenched, [Name] pushed open the door, walking up to where Levi and Taki-Sensei were standing. "Sensei, I can't work with this guy either. I'm all up for changing partners."

The music teacher sighed out in exasperation, his patience wearing thin.

"Look. You both know that this is the biggest music competition of the year. Our school has always managed to place in the top three positions, and somehow or another, we need to uphold that reputation. A mere solo isn't going to cut it. We need a solid duet that will blow the judges off their feet. Currently, the two of you are the best musicians we have, so having you two paired up is the best option.

"Furthermore, a lot of representatives from music colleges all around the country are going to be present. I'm sure both of you are aiming for a spot in the top schools, and if you want to get scouted, this is your best bet. So take a pick. Either you play together, or you don't play at all."

"I'll play." The two students mumbled together.

"See? The two of you can agree on something after all. " A smug smile appeared on Taki-Sensei's face and he leaned against the side of the grand piano.

"Now, tell me what is the problem, and we'll work together from there."

After a long pep talk about musicality and freedom of expression, the music teacher finally left the room, leaving Levi and [Name] alone again.

"I think..." [Name] said as she opened her instrument case, "we were both too headstrong with our views. Let's do our best?"

"Yeah... Let's win first place together."

~~

They had intense practice sessions the following weeks, going through every bar and phrase together after school.

And the result of all that- was an excellent duet.

Fingers running across the keys, the piano let out a soft flowing melody as Levi started the piece. The sound was soon melded with the graceful tone the flute emitted, every note pitch perfect as the piece proceeded. The two instruments were in perfect harmony with each other, like voices singing conversations to each other.

Letting the last note resonate softly in the air, [Name] smiled brightly at Levi. "We did it! That was perfect!"

"Don't be too complacent yet. The competition is in a week's time." Despite his harsh words, his lips were curved up just a slightest.

"Raining on peoples' parade as usual, " she mused.

~~

She could feel her fingers quiver in nervousness as she held on to her flute, the cold air in the auditorium making her tense up even more.

They were up next, and peeking out from behind the curtain, the sheer number of people in the audience made her head spin.

"Oi," Levi came up beside her, "Are you scared?"

"T-that would somewhat of an understatement..."

Piercing grey eyes bore into her features for a moment before he sighed softly, stepping closer to her. "We're more than ready for this. Be confident in our music and don't let anything get to you. This is the duet we worked so hard on."

The clapping of the audience vaguely registered in the back of her head as she stared into his hypnotizing eyes.

"Our duet..."

Holding out a hand to her, Levi faced the stage. "Come on, we're up."

Nodding once, she took his hand, her heartbeat picking up as their fingers twined together. Whether it was because of the warmth from his palm or the nervousness she felt, she didn't know.

She took a deep breath, glancing at her partner.

And together, they stepped out into the spotlight.