I Don't Believe In Love Songs (Ereri/Riren AU) (COMPLETED) [#Wattys2018]

Chapter 2

Levi

"Levi, are you sure this whole competition thing is a good idea?" Erwin, the band's manager asked curiously, "I don't know if I can trust your judgement, seeing as how you've been drinking ever since the... incident."

I gulped down more of the bottle, eyeing Erwin unfavorably, "Mind your own, Eyebrows. I know what the fuck I'm doing. We can't use any of those songs from the upcoming album anymore, so we get a free songwriter to help replace all of those tracks. It's genius, really."

"The only one who can't perform those songs is you, Levi. After the incident, you haven't been able to even sing any of your older songs either," Erwin explained brutally, "Just suck it up. What can some unheard songwriter do for the band?"

I grabbed a new bottle, uncorking it, "Weren't you saying that we needed younger people working with me on the lyrics so that we could 'better target today's youth?' Well, this can help with that. Plus, I won't sing any songs that bitch worked on. Hange won't either."

Erwin groaned, "Petra was the young writer we needed. You can't just replace her because you let feelings develop and she left you."

I glared daggers at Erwin. He was in manager mode instead of friend mode, the mode that actually mattered at the moment. He sighed and bowed his head, realizing what he had just said to me.

"I'm sorry Levi. I'll support you. This is probably the best choice anyways. Petra may try and sue us if we use any of the songs that she co-wrote the lyrics for. We should've kept her as a backup and got someone new from the get go."

I threw the bottles in the recycling and started cleaning up the room, "I hope we get an angsty song. I feel like a fucking teenager right now, so a song like that would be fitting."

"You are the judge," Erwin mused, "You can pick the most teeny bopper song you want."

"Shut up, Eyebrows. You know I'm not going for Katy Perry sounding garbage. I'm just in the mood for an emo album. Fuck off," I cleaned the counter one more time for good measure and went to my hotel room.

I plopped down on my bed and put in my headphones, looking for some music to listen to. Contrary to popular belief, musicians don't sit around listening to their own music, not even me. I went to SoundCloud and found my favorite artist, Titan, letting the music take me away. Now that was real music. My band could never emulate anything like it. I could always tell what the song was about, even without lyrics. It was magical. He was a genius. I saw him play one time and I wanted to see him again, but I was always touring. I hated it. I loved the rockstar life, but I sometimes wanted an escape. Titan probably didn't have to deal with that as they wore makeup to make them into a "titan" when they performed. If I had done that, I'd be able to go to the bathroom without someone asking for my damn autograph.

I went to bed, still smelling Petra. I would have to change hotel rooms and burn my sheets on the tour bus. I fell asleep to that thought.

I woke up and looked at the clock. It was six thirty pm. I must've went to sleep pretty early. Hange busted through my door, jumping up and down.

"Oi, what is it, Shitty Glasses? What have I told you about picking locks?" I asked.

"TITAN IS PERFORMING AT A GAY BAR NOT TOO FAR AWAY FROM HERE. CAN WE GO?" Hange asked.

My eyes widened, "Y-Yes. How can we go without getting noticed? The singer and bass player of the Survey Corps can't show up at a gay bar without anyone noticing."

They smiled before showing me a bag, "We do what Titan does and disguise ourselves."

——

I looked around the bar. I had never been in a place like it. Hange gave me a thumbs up. They had blue contacts in and their hair in a low ponytail instead of their usual high one. I, on the other hand had brown contacts in and a gray beanie to cover up my undercut. Not that many people had my haircut. What could I say, I'm fucking special.

My eyes darted over to where I saw two guys leave someone with long brown hair behind. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that there was ugly makeup on them. They looked just like Titan.

I walked over there, nervous. Is this how people feel coming up to me? It's fucking horrifying! I exhaled sharply and opened my mouth, surprised at how much of a fanboy I sounded, "You're Titan right? Like the Titan?"

I sat by him and the bartender slid me a drink. I was careful to catch it, not wanting to make a fool of myself, "I only came here because I saw a rumor that you were performing. I'm not gay, but I'm a pretty big fan of you on SoundCloud. I saw you perform a while ago, but I was in a crowd of people, so you probably wouldn't remember me."

"I'm not gay either," he replied, "I just play for whoever is willing to listen. I won't turn anyplace down just because it's something that I'm not."

He's so cool. His voice modifier makes him sound like some type of demon. He's not a bigot either. I wanna perform at a gay bar to show that I support them even though I'm not gay myself.

I tried not to sound like a fanboy, "That's cool. Your voice thingy is... different. Did you always have one?"

He paused for a bit to think, "When was the last time you saw me perform?"

"Maybe about two years ago?" I replied. I wish I had seen you more.

"I didn't have it then," he explained, "I got it a little while ago. I needed a voice to match my look."

I tried to remember what his actual voice sounded like, unsuccessful, "You've changed a lot since then. I can't wait to see you perform."

God, I sound like I'm obsessed.

He stood up, taking his drink with him, "I've got to do a sound check. I hope you stay for the performance and I don't let you down."

"Can I have your autograph?" I asked. Why did I do that?

"Sure, what's your name?" he asked, accepting the pen and paper that the bartender gave him, "I've never done this before, so don't be disappointed."

How could I be disappointed? I'm getting the Titan's signature! Wait, should I tell him my name? It should be fine, right? I go by Heichou on stage. Even if he knew my real name, it's not like no one else in the world has it... I swallowed and replied, "Levi."

"Okay, Levi, here's your illegible autograph," he replied, probably irritated that another fan was bothering him, although it didn't show, "Enjoy the show."

I traced the letters as he left. It was messy, but not too bad. I sighed and put the paper in my pocket, waiting for him to perform and like last time, it was breathtaking.

A/N: I'm actually kinda sorta excited about this. I love punk rock a lot and I like making references. Agh! I hope you guys are enjoying it and don't forget to blow up my feed with comments. 😉

-Ari