The Ereri Project (#2)

Illegal (Teacher/Student)

"See you later mom," Levi calls as he leaves the house.

"Wait a minute," she replies.

Levi stops with his hand on the doorknob. He looks back at her, standing in the entrance to the hallway. "Yeah?"

He can't read her expression which puts him a little on edge. "Why don't you stay here tonight instead?"

"Mom, I already told you, I'm–"

"Petra told me you haven't been with any of them out of school for months." Levi feels himself go cold and rigid.

"Where have you been going?" He stares at his white grip on the doorknob.

"Levi?" He wants to cry from the frustration of not really being able to tell her. Or anyone, for that matter. "H-have you been doing something illegal?"

He looks back at her with his hand still on the door. "It's not what you think, Mom."

The panic on her face is immediate. "So you have been doing something illegal?"

He puts his hands up defensively. "Only technically and–" he sighs. "Can you sit down? I feel like you're trying to jump down my throat."

"Only if you'll sit with me."

Hesitantly, he drops his overnight bag beside the door while she sits down. As he walks by her to sit down as well, he doesn't have time to react when he grabs the end of his scarf.

"Why don't you take this off, it's too warm in here for–"

He knows she sees it when her voice trails off. The marks Eren left on him. The scarf is forgotten on the floor when Levi's eyes meet his mother's. "Have you been prostituting yourself?"

Levi frowns at her angrily. "Do you honestly think I'm that stupid?"

"I don't know what to believe! You don't tell me any–"

"I've been seeing someone!"

She freezes and stares at him. "What? Who?"

Levi runs a frustrated hand through his hair. "I can't tell yo–"

"Why not?!"

"Yelling at me isn't helping!"

She takes a deep breath and tries to speak calmly. "Alright, talk."

Levi sits down. "I need you to stay calm, okay? No freaking out and jumping to call someone, alright?"

"I'm calling the cops if I have to."

"Will you just let me talk? Jeez, it's not I'm out killing people."

She watches Levi closely as he fiddles with the hem on his shirt. "The person I've been seeing," she mutters. "He's older than me."

"How much older?"

"He just turned twenty-six this past March."

She nods. "I can live with that, what else?"

Levi's ears go a little warm. "He's really sweet and kind of a huge nerd and eats buttloads and overly sugary cereal and he has these stupid dimples that I just–"

"But?"

"What?"

"I'm wait for a "but", you said you were doing something "technically" illegal."

Levi stares at his lap. "Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Can I... wait a few weeks to tell you what's going on?"

"No."

"Please? Right after graduation I'll tell you everything, I just need until then."

She stares at him, waiting for him to meet her eyes. "Only if you let me meet him when you do."

"Perfect."

Levi gets up and picks up his scarf. "Levi?"

He looks at his mother while putting his scarf back on. "Yes?"

Now it's her looking down at her lap. "Just... be careful. You're the smartest person I've ever known and I know everyone makes bad decisions sometimes but I just don't want you to ruin your entire future over it."

He picks his bag back up and nods slowly. "Alright." He pauses with his hand on the door. "You, you can't meet him yet, but if I call you later would you want to talk to him?"

She looks up at him. Then a small smile perks up her cheeks. "I'd love to."