Million Dollar Model

Chapter 3 - Hazelnut Macchiato

The sweet, savory aroma of food tickled Eren's senses making him drool. Paparazzi snooped around looking for exclusive shots and gossip, rich snobs exchanged conversation and his mother seemed to blend in rather nicely with the high-class crowd. Petra's home was beautiful. Classy and elegant, decorated simply for the event. Her home was large and modern; obviously expensive. Eren swore if he broke anything, heck, if he made so much as a speckle of dirt on the floor he'd owe an arm, leg, and an internal organ.

Her home was much better than living upstairs in the café.

Long live the rich. Eren thought sarcastically. Eren tucked his hand away in his pants pocket and fished out his phone.

No messages.

No missed calls.

No voicemails.

He missed Armin. Even though Carla's having a good time, Eren wished Armin was at his side making side remarks and funny jokes. He needed something to lighten his day.

He sighed and poured himself a glass of wine before heading out to balcony. To his surprise Levi already beat him there. Eren stood for a moment taking in Levi from behind. (Please don't think wrong.) His suit clung to his body, showing off Levi's built stature. His hair look somewhat messy but not a hair looked out-of-place. He leaned over the balcony, enjoying the night air and soft winds.

"Oi brat, what the hell are you doing?" He mumbled.

Eren took a few steps closer. "I could ask the same to you."

The man took a sip of red wine before responding, allowing the sweet taste delight his taste buds. "I can do whatever the hell I feel like, and I felt like escaping those media whore pigs called paparazzi inside. Does that answer your question?"

Eren shrugged, leaning over the balcony. He stared at the red drink. "I guess so..."

"Why aren't you in there?"

"I feel a little homesick, that's all. I'm not used to all this. Usually by now I'd be upstairs studying or something."

"Ahh," Levi breathed. "That reminds me," He dug in his pocket and pulled out a sleek black checkbook. "How much is your tuition?"

Eren forgot. He actually forgot about his deal because of all the sudden turn of events in his life. "You know, it's not a big deal right now."

"I'm not begging. We made a deal and I'm keeping my end."

"Currently, I'm not sure what the cost of my tuition is." Eren lied.

"Stop fucking shitting me, I had to deal with enough bullshit tonight."

A soft knock came from the balcony door. "We're about to make the announcement." Petra said. Without a word Levi swallowed the rest of his wine and stormed into the home. Petra sighed defeated before turning on her heels and walking inside.

It was official. Eren missed Armin and there is no question about it.

~•~

The clicking off glass and the large room quieted down within a matter of seconds. Eren walked into the home with his glass still in hand, full.

Petra stood with a growing smile on her face. "I'd like to thank everybody for taking time out of their busy schedules to make it here tonight. I'd like to thank the Recon Talent Agency for many oppertunites and I'd like to thank Erwin."

The crowd cheered before she continued. "I'd also like to thank Levi for agreeing to be in the photo shoot. But my heart goes out to one special person tonight," her eyes locked with Eren's for and she motioned him on stage. He looked around slightly confuses before finding the willpower to walk next to the ginger haired woman. "I'd like to thank Eren for bringing the look to the photo. Many photographers have done a dark mix with light contrast in photos but Eren really stood out along side Levi. So without further ado,"

She took a few steps back and smiled. "This is the official release for my new fall clothing line, Hazelnut Macchiato"

~•~

The party finally came to an end and only close affiliations to Petra were allowed to stay for dinner. Meaning no paparazzi, no obnoxious people, just close friends and family.

"Hazelnut Macchiato?" Eren mumbled to Petra. She giggled. "Hey, what can I say? It grew on me." She sat down to the dinning room table along with Hanji, Carla, Erwin, Mikasa, Levi, and her current boyfriend Auruo.

"I thank you all for coming."

"It was a pleasure to invite us." Carla ate her sweet potato, enjoying the taste. "Its rare for Eren and I to have such foods. We don't have a lot of money to spend. With owning the shop and paying bills and Eren's education, money is a burden."

Levi glanced at Eren hearing the words "Eren's Education" and "Money is a burden." which made Eren shift uncomfortable in his seat, picking away at his food.

"If money's a struggle, It wouldn't be too much to have Eren model in the future, would it?" Erwin asked. Carla remained silent and looked at Eren who made a face. "I think that's up to Eren," Carla said. "Right?"

Eren nodded his head. " it's not a big chance I will."

The blonde man nodded his head understanding Eren's answer. "I heard you're a college student, what are you studying?"

"Marine Biology."

"So..." Auruo interrupted slowly. It was obvious he had something to say. His eyes kept glancing at Petra and his foot tapped uneasy under the table. "I believe there's a reason we invited them all here..."

Petra nodded slowly, swallowing the last bit of food. "You're right..." She along with Auruo stood. She clasped her hands together tightly and began. "A few nights ago, Auruo has done something very... special." Levi noticed she spoke slow and chose her words careful which threw him off a bit.

"I'd like to announce Petra and I's engagement." Aurou smiled. A few claps, an over excited Hanji, and an pissed Levi. Eren noticed Levi's frustration, but before he could say anything Mikasa kicked him lightly with her foot. "Don't say anything." She mumbled.

"Why?"

The sound of a chair moving across the floor followed by his jacket shuffling and folding. Levi cleared his throat awkwardly. "Thank you for the meal and hospitality. Also congrats on your release party and... en-engagment... but I think I should head home, it's getting late and I have work I need to finish up."

The room fell dreadfully silent when the model left. Petra shook her head disapprovingly before she faked a happy voice. "Well, let's finish our meal, shall we?"

Mikasa signaled Eren by tapping his foot and whispered, "There's a tough tension between Levi, Petra and Auruo."

'Why is that?" The woman didn't respond. Instead she turned back to her meal ignoring Eren's question.

"Um... I'm going to the bathroom." Eren dismissed quickly. As he left the room, he cursed himself mentally for using such a stupid lie. He looked around the big home before noticing the front door unlocked.

With soft steps, he walked over and exited.

Eren shut the door quietly behind him. The barista looked around the entrance and saw a short figure waiting by the front gate. "Levi.." he called, he paced quickly to the shorter male who rolled his eyes as soon as he heard Eren's voice. "Are you alright?"

"Shut the fuck up."

"...You were upset just about the entire night."

"Well thank you Mr. It's so fucking obvious, I couldn't tell."

Eren rolled his eyes and sat down besides the gate. "You're going to ruin your suit like that."

Eren looked up and shrugged off his words. "It's no big deal. I'll try to pay my mother back the money."

There was a small silence before Eren broke it. "Why did you bail like that?"

The man ran his hands through his locks, pushing them out of his face. He sat besides Eren and said lowly, "I have my reasons, shitty brat."

"...It's Petra and Auruo, right?"

"How much did Mikasa tell you?"

"Not a lot, just a tension between you three." Levi's eyebrow rose and fell. "It's none of your fucking business. You're just as fucking bad as paparazzi."

"If there's a tension between you and Petra, why did you agree to do the photo shoot?"

"Because I'm not going to sabotage Petra and I's career over some petty bullshit argument. It's childish to let something like that come between something that gives us the necessities to live," Levi stood and dusted himself off. "I'm heading home."

"Can I come with?"

Levi glanced back. "Won't your mother be worried?"

"...No, I'll call her and say I wasn't feeling well so I headed home."

Levi scoffed. "I'll look like a pedophile if I take a child home. How old are you? Thirteen? Fourteen? I can't take a minor with me."

Levi smirked a little, somewhat pleased with Eren's reaction. "I'm nineteen. Which way are you headed."

"SinaDonna Lakes, way off from Rose Capitol."

"Then when we have to split, I'll head home." Levi rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his pocket. "Sure, bring your stubborn little ass. But if a cop pulls us over and asks what I'm doing with an eleven year old girl, you better have an excuse."

August 23, 2013

11:12 AM

It's been a day since Petra's clothing line, Hazelnut Macchiato been released. It's been two days since the release party and engagement and his small encounter with his one in a life time modeling partner. He could faintly remember the small talk of mature, dark humor from the man while Eren tried to talk about the café and living style.

The man was... strangely comforting. He was really down to earth which Eren enjoyed. But the vulgar, bitter conversations through him off. "You seem happy today," Marco walked in the door and walked behind the counter. "How did the photoshoot go?"

"Hm? It was fine. Do I really seem happy? I don't feel like it..."

Marco shrugged, tieing his apron around his neck and waist before standing next to Eren. "You're becoming a trending topic,"

Eren looked up. "What?"

Marco nodded his head scrolling through his Twitter feed. "Look, your name is a trending topic on media sites, I thought that's why you seem so happy."

Eren shook his head. "No... can I see your phone?"

The freckled brunette nodded. Eren scanned the screen and saw #Erin under trending topic. "This isn't me, My name's spelled with another "e" not "i"

Marco nodded his head. "I know that but I was curious and when I clicked it photos of you showed up."

Without second thought, he clicked the hash tag.

Over a hundred fake Eren accounts, all consisting of incorrect spelling of his first or last name showed up under results.

Last time Eren checked his name wasn't Erin or Eryn. And his surname definitely wasn't Mchottie or GorgeousEyes and his username most certinally wouldn't be

OhmaigodErinorErynishotnosexymybodyisreadyIWantYourBodyIWantYourChildren16...

Interesting...

As he scrolled down the results, he saw some... unique usernames but it wasn't until he saw a fan account titled ErinAndLeviAckerman.

The sweet, savory aroma of food tickled Eren's senses making him drool. Paparazzi snooped around looking for exclusive shots and gossip, rich snobs exchanged conversation and his mother seemed to blend in rather nicely with the high-class crowd. Petra's home was beautiful. Classy and elegant, decorated simply for the event. Her home was large and modern; obviously expensive. Eren swore if he broke anything, heck, if he made so much as a speckle of dirt on the floor he'd owe an arm, leg, and an internal organ.

Her home was much better than living upstairs in the café.

Long live the rich. Eren thought sarcastcally. Eren tucked his hand away in his pants pocket and fished out his phone.

No messages.

No missed calls.

No voicemails.

He missed Armin. Even though Carla's having a good time, Eren wished Armin was at his side making side remarks and funny jokes. He needed something to lighten his day.

He sighed and poured himself a glass of wine before heading out to balcony. To his surprise Levi already beat him there. Eren stood for a moment taking in Levi from behind. (Please don't think wrong.) His suit clung to his body, showing off Levi's built stature. His hair look somewhat messy but not a hair looked out-of-place. He leaned over the balcony, enjoying the night air and soft winds.

"Oi brat, what the hell are you doing?" He mumbled.

Eren took a few steps closer. "I could ask the same to you."

The man took a sip of red wine before responding, allowing the sweet taste delight his taste buds. "I can do whatever the hell I feel like, and I felt like escaping those media whore pigs called paparazzi inside. Does that answer your question?"

Eren shrugged, leaning over the balcony. He stared at the red drink. "I guess so..."

"Why aren't you in there?"

"I feel a little homesick, that's all. I'm not used to all this. Usually by now I'd be upstairs studying or something."

"Ahh," Levi breathed. "That reminds me," He dug in his pocket and pulled out a sleek black checkbook. "How much is your tuition?"

Eren forgot. He actually forgot about his deal because of all the sudden turn of events in his life. "You know, it's not a big deal right now."

"I'm not begging. We made a deal and I'm keeping my end."

"Currently, I'm not sure what the cost of my tuition is." Eren lied.

"Stop fucking shitting me, I had to deal with enough bullshit tonight."

A soft knock came from the balcony door. "We're about to make the announcement." Petra said. Without a word Levi swallowed the rest of his wine and stormed into the home. Petra sighed defeated before turning on her heels and walking inside.

It was official. Eren missed Armin and there is no question about it.

~•~

The clicking off glass and the large room quieted down within a matter of seconds. Eren walked into the home with his glass still in hand, full.

Petra stood with a growing smile on her face. "I'd like to thank everybody for taking time out of their busy schedules to make it here tonight. I'd like to thank the Recon Talent Agency for many oppertunites and I'd like to thank Erwin."

The crowd cheered before she continued. "I'd also like to thank Levi for agreeing to be in the photo shoot. But my heart goes out to one special person tonight," her eyes locked with Eren's for and she motioned him on stage. He looked around slightly confuses before finding the willpower to walk next to the ginger haired woman. "I'd like to thank Eren for bringing the look to the photo. Many photographers have done a dark mix with light contrast in photos but Eren really stood out along side Levi. So without further ado,"

She took a few steps back and smiled. "This is the official release for my new fall clothing line, Hazelnut Macchiato"

~•~

The party finally came to an end and only close affiliations to Petra were allowed to stay for dinner. Meaning no paparazzi, no obnoxious people, just close friends and family.

"Hazelnut Macchiato?" Eren mumbled to Petra. She giggled. "Hey, what can I say? It grew on me." She sat down to the dinning room table along with Hanji, Carla, Erwin, Mikasa, Levi, and her current boyfriend Auruo.

"I thank you all for coming."

"It was a pleasure to invite us." Carla ate her sweet potato, enjoying the taste. "Its rare for Eren and I to have such foods. We don't have a lot of money to spend. With owning the shop and paying bills and Eren's education, money is a burden."

Levi glanced at Eren hearing the words "Eren's Education" and "Money is a burden." which made Eren shift uncomfortable in his seat, picking away at his food.

"If money's a struggle, It wouldn't be too much to have Eren model in the future, would it?" Erwin asked. Carla remained silent and looked at Eren who made a face. "I think that's up to Eren," Carla said. "Right?"

Eren nodded his head. " it's not a big chance I will."

The blonde man nodded his head understanding Eren's answer. "I heard you're a college student, what are you studying?"

"Marine Biology."

"So..." Auruo interrupted slowly. It was obvious he had something to say. His eyes kept glancing at Petra and his foot tapped uneasy under the table. "I believe there's a reason we invited them all here..."

Petra nodded slowly, swallowing the last bit of food. "You're right..." She along with Auruo stood. She clasped her hands together tightly and began. "A few nights ago, Auruo has done something very... special." Levi noticed she spoke slow and chose her words careful which threw him off a bit.

"I'd like to announce Petra and I's engagement." Aurou smiled. A few claps, an over excited Hanji, and an pissed Levi. Eren noticed Levi's frustration, but before he could say anything Mikasa kicked him lightly with her foot. "Don't say anything." She mumbled.

"Why?"

The sound of a chair moving across the floor followed by his jacket shuffling and folding. Levi cleared his throat awkwardly. "Thank you for the meal and hospitality. Also congrats on your release party and... en-engagment... but I think I should head home, it's getting late and I have work I need to finish up."

The room fell dreadfully silent when the model left. Petra shook her head disapprovingly before she faked a happy voice. "Well, let's finish our meal, shall we?"

Mikasa signaled Eren by tapping his foot and whispered, "There's a tough tension between Levi, Petra and Auruo."

'Why is that?" The woman didn't respond. Instead she turned back to her meal ignoring Eren's question.

"Um... I'm going to the bathroom." Eren dismissed quickly. As he left the room, he cursed himself mentally for using such a stupid lie. He looked around the big home before noticing the front door unlocked.

With soft steps, he walked over and exited.

Eren shut the door quietly behind him. The barista looked around the entrance and saw a short figure waiting by the front gate. "Levi.." he called, he paced quickly to the shorter male who rolled his eyes as soon as he heard Eren's voice. "Are you alright?"

"Shut the fuck up."

"...You were upset just about the entire night."

"Well thank you Mr. It's so fucking obvious, I couldn't tell."

Eren rolled his eyes and sat down besides the gate. "You're going to ruin your suit like that."

Eren looked up and shrugged off his words. "It's no big deal. I'll try to pay my mother back the money."

There was a small silence before Eren broke it. "Why did you bail like that?"

The man ran his hands through his locks, pushing them out of his face. He sat besides Eren and said lowly, "I have my reasons, shitty brat."

"...It's Petra and Auruo, right?"

"How much did Mikasa tell you?"

"Not a lot, just a tension between you three." Levi's eyebrow rose and fell. "It's none of your fucking business. You're just as fucking bad as paparazzi."

"If there's a tension between you and Petra, why did you agree to do the photo shoot?"

"Because I'm not going to sabotage Petra and I's career over some petty bullshit argument. It's childish to let something like that come between something that gives us the necessities to live," Levi stood and dusted himself off. "I'm heading home."

"Can I come with?"

Levi glanced back. "Won't your mother be worried?"

"...No, I'll call her and say I wasn't feeling well so I headed home."

Levi scoffed. "I'll look like a pedophile if I take a child home. How old are you? Thirteen? Fourteen? I can't take a minor with me."

Levi smirked a little, somewhat pleased with Eren's reaction. "I'm nineteen. Which way are you headed."

"SinaDonna Lakes, way off from Rose Capitol."

"Then when we have to split, I'll head home." Levi rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his pocket. "Sure, bring your stubborn little ass. But if a cop pulls us over and asks what I'm doing with an eleven year old girl, you better have an excuse."

August 23, 2013

11:12 AM

It's been a day since Petra's clothing line, Hazelnut Macchiato been released. It's been two days since the release party and engagement and his small encounter with his one in a life time modeling partner. He could faintly remember the small talk of mature, dark humor from the man while Eren tried to talk about the café and living style.

The man was... strangely comforting. He was really down to earth which Eren enjoyed. But the vulgar, bitter conversations through him off. "You seem happy today," Marco walked in the door and walked behind the counter. "How did the photoshoot go?"

"Hm? It was fine. Do I really seem happy? I don't feel like it..."

Marco shrugged, tieing his apron around his neck and waist before standing next to Eren. "You're becoming a trending topic,"

Eren looked up. "What?"

Marco nodded his head scrolling through his Twitter feed. "Look, your name is a trending topic on media sites, I thought that's why you seem so happy."

Eren shook his head. "No... can I see your phone?"

The freckled brunette nodded. Eren scanned the screen and saw #Erin under trending topic. "This isn't me, My name's spelled with another "e" not "i"

Marco nodded his head. "I know that but I was curious and when I clicked it photos of you showed up."

Without second thought, he clicked the hash tag.

Over a hundred fake Eren accounts, all consisting of incorrect spelling of his first or last name showed up under results.

Last time Eren checked his name wasn't Erin or Eryn. And his surname definitely wasn't Mchottie or GorgeousEyes and his username most certinally wouldn't be

OhmaigodErinorErynishotnosexymybodyisreadyIWantYourBodyIWantYourChildren16...

Interesting...

As he scrolled down the results, he saw some... unique usernames but it wasn't until he saw a fan account titled ErinAndLeviAckerman

Ackerman?

That was Levi's last name? Unless they thought Eren's surname was Ackerman. But didn't Mikasa say her last name was Ackerman? He wouldn't dare click on the link, but he couldn't help but notice the thousands of retweets. And the retweeting was growing bigger by the second.

A chime, followed by the door slamming open and an angry midget marching inside.

"Levi? What's got your panties in a tw-"

"You better shut the hell up Jeager. I will not fucking hesitate to drop kick your sorry ass into your grave!" Levi shot a look at Marco and growled, "If I were you, I'd take my freckled ass somewhere else."

"Y-y-y-es sir..." Once Marco cleared the room, Levi began.

"Are you fucking stupid? Don't you realize how this could jeopardize my career?!"

"What are you talking about?" The short man took a deep breath and sat down a stool trying his hardest to calm himself down before he died of a heart attack. And he wasn't looking forward to dying before his thirties.

"Have you seen the gossip? This bullshit is spreading around like wildfire." He mumbled.

"Do you want something to drink?" The man looked up. If looks could kill, Eren's sorry ass would be burning in Hell. Eren took an uneasy step in case the man was thinking reaching over and choking him. He rubbed the back of his neck and muttered a soft "Sorry..."

"Does your shitty ass have any idea what's going around in media right now?"

Eren shook his head making Levi groan. He locked eyes with Eren; a serious, deadly glare in his steel eyes yet completely unreadable. Levi could say anything and it would catch Eren off guard. "The bastards think we have a "secret affair" going on."

...

"Haha, very funny Levi! You almost got me there! Hahaha...ha...ha...why...why aren't..you laugh...ing?"

"I'm so fucking serious about this, shitstain. Why the fuck would I joke about something like that?"

Jesus Christ Eren. Way to make the conversation more fucking awkward than it needs to be. Eren bit his bottom lip and gripped the counter trying to search for the right words to say. "Why do they think that?"

"Because of your dumbass," Levi added too much emphasis on your before he continued. "If you stayed with everybody else at dinner, they wouldn't believe this crap."

"How is this my fault?!"

"You should've stayed behind; if you stayed with everyone else, paparazzi wouldn't be on our ass to get this."

Levi took out his phone quickly typing on his pass code and held the phone out. Blood rushed to Eren's cheek as he realized what the photo was. A blurred image of a cameraman hiding in nearby bushes snapping a quick shot of Levi standing on his tip toes as if... kissing..him...

It made sense now. That's why he was so popular online. That's why people kept making fake accounts. Why ErinandLeviAckerman existed.

"T-this is fake! We didn't-"

"I know," Levi said annoyed. "We didn't kiss, yeah yeah yeah but that's not the point. Only we know what actually happened and I didn't come here to waste my time arguing with you."

"Then what do you want?"

Eren watched Levi slowly drift away in thought, obvious trying to choose his words wisely so he wouldn't throw Eren off. "I want you to go out with me."

"What?! I'm not going out with you!"

"We're not actually dating, dumbass. Hanji checked social sites earlier and saw you're becoming popular with the brainless brats online. Since you're such a fan favorite, I... I decided to get more publicity for the Recon Agency, you and I, we should give the shits what they want." Levi explained.

Eren's eyes narrowed. This is a stupid, reckless idea. Even for someone like him. Again, the battle between logical and outcome came to mind. If he did this, who knows what kind of money he could get for him and his family. A modern home, maybe a car, they'd be set for life... he could be the man his father never was...

"What do you want? Money?" Levi pulled out his wallet and waited for Eren's request. "I don't want your money. You can't buy your way through life, ya know." The man slid his wallet back into his pocket along with his phone. "I'm aware of that. I'm not buying my way through life. I'm buying you."

"You make me sound like a prostitute." Levi tsked and wrinkled his nose. "I wouldn't know you if you were a prostitute. I don't settle on women who have no respect or themselves. I don't sleep with prostitutes. I don't pay for them, I don't speak to them, hell, I feel filthy looking at them."

"...So you respect me?"

Levi shrugged. "I guess you can that. So what do you say brat? A few weeks living in the shoes of a celebrity. Plus if you land more modeling jobs you'll get a well-paying paycheck. Especially since you're in high demand from higher agencies."

"How long do I have to do this?"

"Until you and I are out of the pigs' mouthes."

"What if that's in a week."

"Then we'll pretend to be a couple for a week."

"Then I'll continue on with my normal life? As if nothing happened?"

"Not exactly. You'll live a normal life but people will still recognize you."

Eren nodded his head slowly, coming to a conclusion. "Alright then. I'll do it."

~•~

11:34 AM

"It's simple, you brat. We give them what they want." Eren and his "boyfriend" Levi sat in a booth trying to escape the blistering heat.

"Do we hold hands and stuff?" The brunette mixed around ice in his strawberry sweet tea attempting to defuse the awkward tension he was feeling. How could he not feel weird? He's "dating" a rich model for a week because an altered and blurred image surfaced the internet and sparked positive controversy from many fans of Eren and Levi basically forcing them together for more fame.

Way to sum up the current situation at hand... how the hell is he supposed to tell his mom this?!

Hey mom, I'm dating this hot model just to please the fan girls. Aren't you so fucking proud of me?

Wait a second...hot...? Levi hot? Shut up Eren, turn off your brain, just shut it down.

"Are you listening to me?"

"...Hmn? Oh...Oh.. yeah, mhn..."

"What did I just say?"

"..."

Levi rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples. "We only hold hands when necessary. Other than that, no."

"Okay..."

"Also, you should also visit me. It'd look off if we're not around each other often."

"Isn't that too pushy?"

"It's not like you're trespassing."

"I see..." Eren drank his drink slowly. "Is that it?"

"For now, yes." Levi said. "Questions? Ask 'em now because I have a meeting soon."

"Can I have your number?"

The man arched a slim brow. Without a word, he reached across the table and took Eren's phone, punching in his number. "Don't give anybody my number. Bad enough I have to keep you as an acqantiance, I don't want your shit friends begging for my autograph too."

"I thought I was your boyfriend." Eren said with an amused expression and a teasing voice. Levi smirked lightly. "Don't piss yourself," he gathered his belongs and walked to the exit.

"And if anything, you're my girlfriend."

*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*

THIS STORY DOES NOT BELONGS TO ME