-

And you were right. Levi was inside. After he nearly finished that entire bottle of wine, he decided to find another way to unwind and attempt to go to bed.

He left his office and headed for his room and take a shower. He'd rushed into his room and headed straight for the bathroom.

He stripped himself of his clothes and turned on the water, waiting a couple seconds until it warmed up. That's what he needed. To physically wash away his troubles that are still clawing on him.

Just a hot shower to come to one clear conclusion and stick to that. And that's where Levi was now. Its been about 10 minutes or so and he was still standing below the shower head and letting water fall down on him. On his face, his hair, his body. It was definitely letting him relax for a change. He couldn't bring himself to step out yet.

Levi kept his head tilted back with his eyes closed as he felt the water that was down his face and running through his onyx hair that he slicked back. That water then down the grooves of his pale skin and muscles in his back, his chest and his abdomen up until they fell down onto the shower floor, not to mention his toned and built arms, Levi had stripped of every part of his clothes except for the silver chain with the emerald green pendant that he still wears around his neck but always keeps hidden in his clothes.

He could feel the cold metal of the pendant resting against his chest and it served as a reminder of what he needed to do now. He straightened his head again and then raised both of his hands to run them back through his hair again.

After that, he stood there looking blankly at the shower wall, contrasting what was really going on inside his head. He knew exactly what he needed to do. He's not going to let this distract him from what he really cared about.

It didn't mean that what he was still trying to figure out just wafted up into the air, but he just really needed a true reality check. He needed to settle on one thing and stick with it.

He got into this entire agreement with you because he needs his powers until he gets them back, not to catch feelings. It wasn't the point of this entire thing.

One thing he knew for sure is that he needed to focus on what was important. There's nothing wrong with him, he knew that now, and he also wouldn't let this deter his goals.

He knew for sure this was just a side effect from losing his powers. That everything that's happened is a side effect that he couldn't escape. That was very clear and he knew that now.

He just had to find a way to work around that and not let that convince him that it should go anywhere. But even if his brain had decided on that, once again, just at the thought of a relationship with you was making the beating of his heart that more noticeable.

He looked down at his chest and once again, raised a hand to put it over his skin where his heart is. Damn it, why were you doing this to him? "Fuck," He cursed under his breath, feeling the tips of his ears burn up as well. He's getting too carried away. He cannot let this happen for anything.

As for you, you had already began to make your way along the spiral halls of the building, casually looking at the paintings and artifacts on the wall. As you did, you were continuing to think about what exactly you were going to tell Levi once you see him.

"If he asks why I'm here..." You mused to yourself quietly out loud, continuing to navigate around the building trying to find Levi's office. "Maybe I can just say that I'm still shaken up from the thugs from before," You said to yourself, convincing yourself that could be a good cover up before you ask him the real questions. If you even get to.

That could be a good cover since the two of you were just as shaken up from the fight, at least that what it seemed like. But you were sure you can think of something better. You needed to think of something better. You were showing up unannounced late at night and he was bound to ask questions.

Unfortunately, you let your mind go down a different path. A less realistic one. Would he have settled down by now? If he does like you too, would he be happy to see you? You know that you needed to be realistic too. You know deep down you are too far gone in this, whether you liked it or not.

If he doesn't, he'll just be annoyed you showed up out of nowhere. You're prepared for that too. You hope he wouldn't be too upset. You hoped the two of you were at a point that the annoyance would subside and he would be willing to hear you out.

This wouldn't take too long, at least you thought that what you had to say won't take long. You hoped that you'd be able to read him well enough, knowing that Levi isn't always the easiest person to read and know what he's thinking. You'd keep that in mind too.

But as you continued to make your way across the halls of the building, trying to spot any path that could lead to Levi's office, your feet slowly came to a stop when you caught something in the corner of your eye.

You turned your head to the side to see a big painting that spanned a big part of the wall. Your eyes darted all around it and its details to figure out what the piece is about. It definitely looked intense, though.

The faces weren't very clear since they seemed to be a little smudged but there were multiple people in the painting that seemed to have these contraptions on their hips and they seemed to be in the middle of a fight.

The most obvious part of the painting was what seemed to be a woman that was captured slightly closer in perspective than the others.

It seemed to be more of a rough sketch rather than a painting and that it was done haphazardly so the face of the woman wasn't as clear either. You turned your attention to the name of the painting that was on a small plate on the edge of it.

You leaned forward and read out the name; "Battle of Heaven and Earth" You read out in your head. You straightened up and nodded slowly. Huh... you thought to yourself as you started looking over the painting again, and then once again, your attention was redirected back to the same woman.

Your eyes were locked onto her. Why did the mere act of just looking at her send chills down your spine? Your body felt like it was running cold. You felt so drawn to it for some reason. Why did it feel so familiar? Like you've seen it before? You've never seen this painting before in your life. Who is she?

But before you could continue letting yourself get carried away by the painting, you suddenly felt the hairs on the back of your head stand up. There was someone behind you.

You stiffened and you tried to glance at who may be behind you by trying to get a glimpse in the corner of your eye but you couldn't. By instinct, you decided to grip your purse tighter and discreetly start to reach into it, grabbing your taser.

You looked up and saw the blurry reflection of the person on the glass in front of the painting, but you still couldn't tell who it was, you could only see that they were getting closer.

You took a deep breath and prepared yourself to turn around. And with one swift movement, you spun around and held up your taser with both hands, but when you turned around, you were met with a sword just inches away from your face.

Your shoulders sank a little and you looked back and forth between the person in front of you and the sword they were holding. It was a girl, that looked to be around your age. It was Petra.

She had short tawny hair that reached below her chin, hazel eyes and she seemed to be just slightly shorter than you, but that didn't account for the hard glare she was regarding you with that could definitely kill. But you didn't let that scare you.

There was silence between the two of you as you held up your taser high and she held up her sword. Neither of you were willing to break eye contact either. But what you were willing to do was be the first one to speak, as nervous as you were.

"Who are you?" You asked, watching as Petra's lips twitched with a smirk and then an incredulous look crossed her face. For some reason, she was looking at you as if she was analyzing you and knows who you are. "Me? I should be asking you that. I've never seen you around here before," She said, and to be honest, she did have a point there.

She looks like she knows this place by heart and this is your first time here after all. So, if that was the case, and she was defensive about seeing a new face for the first time, you'd try your best to clear up your intentions.

"Well, It is my first time here. I was just looking for someone. I don't want any trouble," You said truthfully, but Petra's eyes narrowed at you as she looked you up and down, which made you do the same.

She had a black, long sleeved top that was criss-crossed and tied at the back along with a black, long, flowy skirt that reached the ground and moved with even her smallest of movements.

You watched as Petra chuckled and then her eyes landed on your taser. "Well, that isn't what it looks like to me," She said gesturing to your self-defense device, your eyes trailed down to your taser and you were quick to put it away. But then you looked at her sword and you smiled.

"I guess we're both being cautious then, hm?" You said, gesturing with your head to the sword she was still holding up at you. Petra then remembered she was still holding it up and sighed, slowly lowering it down to her side.

Your body relaxed a little bit more once she did that, but as you crossed your arms over your chest awkwardly, not knowing what to say next, her eyes narrowed as she quickly made the connection in her head about who it is that she's talking to right now. At last she's seeing you in person.

"Wait," She started, and at her words, you looked up at her and your eyebrows furrowed once you caught the suspicion on her face. "Are you y/n?" She asked, and you were very taken aback by her knowing your name. You've never met her before in your life.

"How do you know my name?" You asked skeptically, starting to wonder how it is that she could have heard of you. Does she know Levi? That's the only explanation you can think of, because otherwise, you were very confused on how she knows who you are.

A shocked expression along with a smile of disbelief crossed Petra's face. "I'm Petra. I've just heard a lot about you," She said and you simply blinked, once again, not ever recalling seeing her before in your life. She said as if it it should be obvious that you know who she is, but you're blanking.

"Oh. I thought for a second I might have met you before," You said, completely serious, not recalling ever meeting someone with that name before in your life. You've truly never seen her before, but she still seemed to be pretty shocked by that.

"Well, I'm a pretty big deal around here. Just thought you should know," Petra said and you raised your eyebrows in surprise, nodding along. You should probably look into what she does then, but it would have to wait until later.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," You said, but Petra didn't seem that convinced over your words. She's finally seeing you in person. You're the woman that Levi is spending so much time with and its only natural she try to talk to you a little more.

You're the woman Levi and Onyankopon have been keeping her in the dark about. She doesn't know what's coming over her, feeling as defensive as she is.

"Either way, I think you should go now. Visitors aren't allowed in here after closing hours," She said, and you sighed. That seemed reasonable, but from the tone that she said it in, it seems like there is a certain animosity behind it that made you question why she really approached you. You weren't entirely sure it was her just trying to talk.

You tightened your arms over your chest and looked at her sincerely. "I'll leave soon, trust me, I'm not planning to stay for long. And I'm not an outsider. I just have to go talk to someone and i'll head out," You said truthfully, referring to Levi's job as your bodyguard as your 'special relationship', not wanting her to think you were some sort of intruder. The security at the entrance said it wasn't a problem that you came into the building.

Petra scoffed and put a hand on her hip, already having a feeling of who you might be talking about. Of course, how couldn't she see that? Why else would you show up here in the middle of the night?

"Who? Levi?" She asked knowingly, and you nodded slowly and cautiously, not knowing how she'll react just based on the way she said that. "Yeah. You know him?" You asked, even though the answer to that is pretty clear by now. She definitely knows him.

"You could say that," She said as she briefly looked off to the side and a fond smile crossed her face. Now it was your turn to observe her carefully when you caught that. Is there something you're missing here? You had no idea. You felt like you were.

But you were wasting time standing here instead of going to Levi, not being too sure if you've lost your courage to talk to him now. But at the very least, you'll stay here and do what you came to do. You inhaled deeply and smiled.

"Then you probably understand why I need to see him. It won't take long, I promise" You said, pressing your lips together in a smile and then turned on your heel, continuing to make your way down the hall and leaving Petra behind.

The redhead watched you walk away with calculating eyes, especially since you were heading over to see Levi. She took halted steps forward, not wanting to let you go that easily. How could she possibly sit still without wondering what that was about? After this long, it's finally her chance.

Eventually, you continued wandering the halls, trying to ignore your encounter with Petra. She must be pretty close with Levi and have a close connection to this place if she reacted like that when she found out who you were and what were doing here.

You hoped you hadn't started off on the wrong foot with her. Either way, all of that was suddenly washed away when you turned a corner, walked a couple steps across the hallway you stumbled upon and then spotted a door.

Pretty big glass double doors. The glass was blurry so you couldn't see who was inside. You hoped he was inside, though.

This might be it. You walked to stop just outside, and sure enough, a plaque next to the door read: 'Executive Director Levi Ackerman'. You smiled and your shoulders sank in relief. You found it. But suddenly, a mix of dread and nerves took over you.

Levi was inside this room, wasn't he? You were ready, right? You came here this late at night to get your answers and you didn't want to doubt yourself now. You inhaled deeply. That's right. You were already here, weren't you? "I can do this..." You mumbled to yourself, deciding to just go for it before you start to truly regret it and chickened out.

You raised your hand in a fist and lightly knocked on the glass a couple times. You waited a beat to see if you could hear someone respond, but nobody did. You took a chance and moved your hand to wrap around the handle, trying to see if the door was locked or not.

The lights were on inside so you assumed Levi was either inside his office or somewhere in the building. You tried to push it open, and to your surprise, it opened. You hesitantly opened it and peeked your head inside.

You started to look around and your mouth lightly dropped in awe at Levi's office. But you also noticed, that just as you thought, Levi was nowhere to be seen.

"Levi?" You called, but after a few seconds, there was no response. A weird feeling started to settle in your stomach and you started to wonder. Was this weird? Were you way over your head?

You were sure the two of you were at a point where he wouldn't mind if you waited for him to come back.Unless you have that wrong too. You decided shove aside any nerves you had and took apprehensive steps inside his office, closing the door behind you as silently as you can.

As you walked across the office, around the seating area in the middle, you looked around in awe. There was a bar area on your right, ceiling to floor windows on your left and his desk was on the far wall, on the far right wall there was a huge bookcase that also spanned from the floor to ceiling.

The more you looked around, the more it became clear. The office was perfectly designed to Levi's taste and it spoke for itself.

You were in awe. As you walked past the bar, you noticed that there was an opened bottle of wine and a wine glass sitting on the counter. Once again, the feeling of walking around here without Levi in the room was starting to feel really weird.

"Where is he?" You muttered, continuing to look around, wrapping your arms around yourself, really hoping Levi showed up soon. You hoped that Levi trusts you enough that even if he's surprised to find you here, he won't be upset.

You've brought him around to every part of your life, your office and work, your apartment, everywhere you go, since he's your bodyguard. You really hoped he didn't mind you being here.

You continued to take slow steps, past the bar up until the point that you were standing right in front of the huge floor to ceiling bookcase. You were floored by how many books there were right in front of you. This was an absolute dream.

You should get a bigger one too. You have a bookcase for your collection in your bedroom, but it didn't compete with this. Whenever you're not working, you like to read when you can.

Lately, you haven't exactly found the time, but seeing this giant bookcase, it's reminding you to get back into that habit all over again. You really miss it.

"Didn't know he liked to read so much..." You said, as a small smile came onto your lips. It's yet another thing to add to the list that you like about him, something the two of you have in common now.

You stopped walking and stared at the rows upon rows of books that he has. Has he read all of this? It's very likely given he's been alive for two centuries. Maybe he has some good recommendations for you.

You looked away from the bookcase and continued to explore a little more, heading towards the far back of the room since something caught your eye.

You took careful steps towards the end of the room, noticing that the wall was...opened? You got closer, walking around his desk and your mouth dropped open. You stopped right in the middle of opened wall. What exactly were you looking at right now?

It was just a whole different, not to mention absurdly large, room and in front of you there was a path that was surrounded by water on each side and there were columns upon columns everywhere with clocks covering them from top to bottom.

There were so many of the columns that you could see stairs at the far end of the room that spiraled around them. Why does Levi have this? "Is he a vintage clock collector or something...?" You asked yourself, wide eyed as your eyes moved around the room but not moving to step inside.

You continued to observe from the comfort of where you were standing because you did move, that would be stepping into a boundary that you knew was far out of the bounds you felt were acceptable to cross. Not to mention that just looking at this room sent an eerie feeling up and down your body.

The clocks all looked the same, they all had different times set on them, and they were all ticking on different rhythms as well. You let out a huff and shook your head. This was definitely a part of Levi's business that you did not need to be involved with.

It was none of your business, but he definitely wasn't ordinary. Even if you were one step away from learning more about him, you were willing to wait as long as it took until he told you himself. You'd freak yourself out if you went inside that room and tried to comprehend something you clearly won't be able to understand.

You turned around, leaving that room behind and pretend its not there, and when you did, something else managed to catch your attention. In the bookcase.

You squinted your eyes lightly and saw that there was a book, very different than the others, on one of the higher shelves. There was some sort of green stone on the spine of book itself, and you couldn't help but feel drawn to it for something.

You started to make your way back to the bookcase, and when you got to the bookshelf and stood in front of it, looking up at the book, you kept trying to stand on your tippy toes to see if you could catch a glimpse of it. But no luck. You fell back on your heels with a huff and ran a hand back through your hair in defeat.

You decided to give it another shot. You got up on your tippy toes once again and this time, you extended your hand up and since the book was nudged top of two other thick books, you tried to use your hand to tried to nudge those thicker books so that the one you had your sights would be easier to grab.

You lightly grunted as it proved that trying to get to it was harder than you thought, and maybe that was a sign that you should give up, but another part of you thought it was just another harmless book you wanted to get to and you just wanted to take a closer look.

But just as you continued to try and nudge the book out of place, you were so caught up in doing that you yelped when a hand suddenly slammed on the book you were trying to move. You fell back on your feet and when you turned your head and saw Levi, your face drained of color and your eyes went wide.

This isn't how you hoped he'd find you and you didn't plan on snooping per se, but he really caught you by surprise. Jesus, your heart was racing and it didn't help that Levi was staring daggers down at you.

You quickly straightened up in front of him and tried your best to hold eye contact with him, but as you expected, he did not look happy. This was not helping your case. You should've sat somewhere and waited.

"Why are you going through my stuff?" He asked, and you were just stunned. For a moment you thought that his tone would be a lot harsher after he caught you, but it was surprisingly...gentle. Soft. You liked it. Though, nerves still took up every part of your body as you gulped, knowing you had no defense for yourself right now.

You were in fact snooping. You opened your mouth to say something but nothing was coming out. You sighed and closed your eyes for a second, looking away.

This was so embarrassing. As for Levi, he wasn't as mad as you thought he was, because when you looked away, his face acted before him and his eyes softened in amusement at you.

He was definitely surprised to see you here unannounced, considering Levi thought he needed some time before he could ever face you again, but he hoped you'd make this quick. He was already confused enough as it is.

And he wouldn't admit it but a teeny, tiny part of him was glad you were here. There was already some restrained irritation but as much as he wanted to hide it, he couldn't help but let his eyes soften just looking at you.

He was able to vanquish it in a second, though, the minute that you opened your eyes up again to look at him as his eyes hardened again and his glare returned. You looked at him and tried your best to explain yourself and apologize too. Because you couldn't defend what you did just now whatsoever. You could try to salvage it.

"I'm really sorry, I really didn't expect you to find me like this," You said genuinely, flicking your eyes between Levi and the book. He still had his hand raised, palm resting against the bookshelf, right where he'd slammed the book back into place, scaring the living daylights out of you.

You wanted to somehow to alleviate the tension. You looked back up at the book and chuckled teasingly, but not in a mocking way. "But what is that? Is it a diary? Don't worry there's no shame. Girls love that," You jokee, letting out a little laugh after, but it died down and you shut yourself up when you met Levi's eyes again.

"It's not a diary," He said sternly, and you raised your hands up in the defense. "I promise, I'm not judg...ing" Your words faltered as something else caught your attention. The pendant resting on Levi's chest—a silver chain with an emerald green stone.

Simple, but it was...oddly familiar. You squinted, and an inexplicable pull formed in your chest. The same kind of feeling you got looking at that painting before.

You focused harder to get a better look at the details, but then, Levi shifted a little and you snapped back into reality, suddenly becoming very aware of what was in front of you. And Levi clearly noticed too.

Levi looked down at what you were looking or what he thought you were looking at, and then looked back up at you with a scowl on his face. "Way to be subtle," He said, and your head snapped back up to look at him with wide eyes. Why would he say that?

But then it hit you. You looked down again and you felt your face heat up to what felt like a billion degrees and your heart dropped to your stomach. Levi had been standing in front of you nearly shirtless with just an open, unbuttoned shirt.

You snapped your head back up and whipped your head away from him, avoiding eye contact with him, looking elsewhere but you still couldn't take the image out of your head.

How is this man so fit? It was just layers upon layers of packed muscle and abs. He's so toned that you could barely believe your eyes. God, you really wished you hadn't seen that. Why did you have to see that? Now you knew what hid beneath what he wore every day and you could've gone on your whole life without having this image in your head.

You already see him differently and this is not helping. At all. And now he thinks you were just shamelessly staring at him. You were staring at his necklace. His necklace. Is your face red? You feel like it is. It feels like its burning hot. Why does he have to be nearly shirtless right now? Damn him.

Levi watched your reaction, and honestly, he knew you were looking at his pendant. He just wanted to get a reaction out of you, and he got one.

His lips twitched when he saw you turn your body around so that your back was facing him, but the way your shoulders were tensing was giving you away. Payback for going through his stuff.

In his defense, he just came out of the shower and he didn't expect any company. It was worth it anyway to see how panicked you were. Especially you. But something turned Levi away from his amusement. He moved his eyes away from you when something else caught his attention.

Just behind the glass door, even if it was blurry glass, Levi rolled his eyes when he saw clear as day who was practically leaning their ear against the door.

He stepped away from you and when Levi walked around you and started heading towards the door, you quickly left behind your embarrassment and straightened up when you noticed the figure behind the glass that you quickly recognized as well. Petra.

She wasn't that discreet. But at the very least, now that Levi stepped away from you, it gave you a chance to breathe.

You watched as Levi got to the door and opened one of the two double doors without hesitation, catching Petra redhanded. She was slightly leaning down so when Levi opened the door, looked up bashfully and saw that he was looking at her blankly, she stood back up, straightened her clothes and her hair.

She let out a few nervous laughs and tried to seem as nonchalant as she possibly can, as if she wasn't eavesdropping.

But then those laughs died down when she took notice of what Levi was wearing, and her eyebrows furrowed. It was very questionable considering she knew you were in there with him. "Why are you half-naked?" She asked, wanting yet another explanation as to why he's finding Levi like this and knowing you're in there too.

You heard Petra's voice from across the room and you crossed your arms, taking closer steps to the bar and then sitting yourself down on one of the stools. You needed to focus on what you wanted to tell Levi, so you'd wait until he finished talking to Petra for that.

Levi kept a hand on the edge of the door handle as he looked at Petra with suspicion in his eyes. "You should be rehearsing right now, not eavesdropping," Levi accused, and just as Petra was about to answer, she paused when she saw you sitting by the bar and the two of you made eye contact.

You were the first one to break it as you looked away awkwardly, not wanting a repeat of the hallway. But Petra had a something a little different in mind. A smirk came across her lips and she stepped further into the room.

You watched as she moved in front of Levi with mischievous look in her eye and a certain sway in her movements. Petra proceeded to suddenly grab each hem of Levi's unopened shirt, bringing him closer as he watched her blankly, knowing what kind of stunt she was about to pull. And did you imagine it or did she pull him closer just now? What was she trying to do here?

"Levi, I don't think it's wise to expose yourself in front of other people like this," Petra said, in a voice that was so obviously to get a dig at you. Sweet, flirty, dragging out his name with a very clear tone in her voice of what she was trying to do, glancing at you a couple times.

Hearing that Levi himself turned his head to look at you instead from afar, but when he did, you looked away, crossing your arms even more tightly around your body and looked away. Can this be over now? This is not what I came here for. You thought to yourself, still feeling Levi's eyes burning into you as Petra continued whatever it is she's trying to do.

Seeing you look away and shift uncomfortably, Levi rolled his eyes and moved Petra's hands away from him, and the movement cut off any words she was about to say. There was a silence in the room that quickly took over and it really made you wish you weren't here.

You know exactly what Petra was trying to do, considering what happened out in the hallway before and how she reacted when she found out you were here to see Levi. Not to mention the eavesdropping. At this point, you just wanted to talk to Levi and get it over with. You turned your head again and saw her still not letting up.

Your face twisted in confusion when you suddenly heard her bring up the tone in her voice even more, to a more lovey-dovey and clearly flirtatious sort of voice. "You know, If you keep doing this, there's no telling how many women will keep clinging to you no matter how cold you are," She said, practicaññy fluttering her lashes in a painfully obvious way, and you suddenly felt the need to scoff.

Levi on the other hand, he moved her hands away from him again and then stepped away from her, starting to walk over to one of the couches in the sitting area of his office as he started to button up his shirt. Finally.

"Cut it out. You should be in the auditorium right now. Practicing," Levi said as he sat himself down on the couch and continued to button up his shirt while you continued to stay silent. You thought Petra would end it there, but apparently she was okay with continuing to double down.

"I can't help it, Levi. It's so boring without you there," She said, in a fawning tone and you openly cringed at her words.

How far was she willing to go with this? To get under your skin. If she was trying to make you as uncomfortable as she can, she was certainly being successful right now. Part of you was really starting to regret coming here at all, for many reasons.

When Levi didn't say anything in reply to that, at last, she felt like that was finally the time to take her leave. You looked over at Levi and saw him just staring ahead, neither at you or Petra.

"Anyway, you should come down to the auditorium later to see how the performance in coming along. I want you to see a few new additions to the choreography" Petra said as she turned her body towards the door, and just as she wrapped her hand around the handle of the door, she paused and turned around to look at Levi again.

Even if she was continuing to direct her words at Levi, you turned to look at her too. She had an accomplished and satisfied smile on her face.

"Oh, and by the way. Levi, just a word of advice, you really shouldn't let people see this side of you. People will talk, you know?" She said and you huffed quietly as your face remained neutral, because you didn't want to give her words any chance to affect you, finally watching her turn around, open the door and step out of the room once and for all.

Once she left and silence took over the room yet again, you turned your attention to Levi and you saw the way he was looking down at the ground and he hasn't said anything. But you realized it was your time to finally talk.

You adjusted yourself in your seat and turned yourself fully to face Levi, all of a sudden feeling your heart start to pick up its pace knowing you were finally going to do what you came here for.

You smiled softly and gripped your purse tightly. "She's pleasant-" You said lightheartedly to hopefully lighten the tension in the room. But you didn't get very far with your attempt because it got completely shattered the moment Levi cut you off.

"What did you come here for?" Levi muttered coldly, not turning to look at you just yet either, and crumbling down to the ground any attempt you made to make small talk first before getting into what you want to say.

Your breath got caught up in your throat and you swallowed, starting to fiddle with your fingers. You needed to find a way to get the words out, but first, you figured you'd try another attempt at brightening up the atmosphere in this room.

"I-I met her before coming in here. It was pretty intense," You said, chuckling lightly as you remembered having her sword being just inches away from your face. But It didn't seem that Levi was very fond of you avoiding his question.

He turned to look at you and you felt goosebumps run up and down your body from the way he was looking at you. His eyes were so hardened, sharp and nearly venomous.

"I asked you a question. Did you plan on showing up at this hour to pry into my life?" He snapped, and your eyes widened. Okay, so not a great start. Not going as well as you thought. Small talk, bad idea.

Your breath got caught up in your throat and you simply stared at him, not knowing what to say next. You opened your mouth but nothing came out.

You were starting to think you should've waited until tomorrow to talk to him, but would you have had the same surge of courage that made you end up here in the first place? After a few seconds of trying hold Levi's glare, you somehow managed to find your voice again.

"N-No. That's not what I came here for. I just...I was worried about you after you took off like that earlier. You didn't even want to look at me," You started, finally started to explain part of the reason you came here, and now that you have the trains running, you know that there's no turning back.

But Levi didn't have an immediate response after that like you thought he would. Instead, he looked away from you and didn't say anything. At least not right away. There was a certain shift in his expression you were able to catch but not able to decipher.

But nothing could have prepared you for what he said next. He turned to look at you again and you felt all the air being sucked out of your body when he looked at you in a way you've never seen him regard you with. It made your heart twinge.

Levi's lips pressed into a thin line. For a moment, it looked like he had nothing else to say or had anything else to follow your words But then he met your eyes and you could only see one thing.

Coldness and detachment. You could only assume his next words would be more loaded and....hurtful. "Don't you think there's a reason for that? It's not that hard to figure out. I just didn't want to be near you," He said coldly, turning away from you and your eyes widened at his words.

Your mind went blank, you didn't know what to say to that, even if you thought you came in here prepared for the worst. And the worst part, is that you thought he was done, but Levi put the final nail on the coffin.

"And you know what irks me the most? That you're still here. Wasting my time and bothering me again," His expression remained the same but it only made his words sharpen the daggers even more that were hitting you over and over with every word he says. His eyes were so icy and sharp that it pained you.

You got his message loud and clear, but you didn't know why, you still wanted to see if there was a chance. Any chance. You couldn't get your body to move. You came all this way, you were so sure of what you felt. You exhaled slowly and tried to continue.

"Why-Why are you saying that? Did I do something wrong? Did I say something to upset you?" You continued futilely, hoping that he wasn't saying all of this just because you did something you weren't aware of that's making him react this way. Even he's been annoyed and irritated at you before, he's never said something like that to you. And especially not in that tone.

Though, the more rational part of your brain told you that maybe it wasn't anything you said or did, and he just doesn't like you. At least not in the same way you thought he did.

Levi just shook his head and his eyes remained as neutral as ever, uncaring, unfeeling. He simply shrugged and shook his head. "No," He said, and you nodded silently, not being able to prevent the pained downturn in your eyes. You get it now.

So it really wasn't anything you did. This was all just you and your fantasies you'd somehow let yourself believe had any possibility of becoming a reality.

Levi wasn't giving you any chance to process the words he's said before either. "Our deal didn't include me having to be nice to you. Don't delude yourself," He said, deadly and chillingly calm. Wow, you truly want to laugh at yourself. This is ridiculous. How could you be so stupid?

You suppose that's that, then. You wanted to know his answer behind everything that's happened; since the closet, the alley, every look, hold, and touch, along with every moment that you thought might have meant something before suddenly shattered to pieces.

It had been all in your head, hadn't it? You wanted clarification and that's as clear as it gets, doesn't it? You allowed yourself to get fooled to think that anything that happened had any meaning. You couldn't believe you let yourself think you felt anything for him. Once again, you'd let yourself get carried away.

You felt heat gather behind your eyes and you wanted to cry, you really did but you can't. You were prepared to hear the worst too, and you just did. You inhaled deeply and let out a shaky breath.

You can go on that blind date now knowing that there's nothing between you and Levi, and all you can do know is shove whatever you thought you were feeling deep down and go along with your original plan. You came here to know to know if there was a shred of possibility that what you felt for him was reciprocated, and to see if he was okay.

And you got your answer to both. He seems the same as he's always been and he clearly doesn't feel the same. You know you should be satisfied by knowing that, but all you felt was embarrassment.

You pursed your lips and look down at your lap, wanting to leave but not finding the strength to stand up just yet. "Is there anything else you want? Or are we done here?" He muttered and you simply stared at Levi, expression dead and blank, ignoring every voice in your head that was trying to get you to cry, but you refused.

You weren't mad at him, his feelings were valid, he didn't feel the same way and its not his fault. There's nothing you can do about it But you still wouldn't let him see you cry. You wouldn't embarrass yourself any more than you already have.

You shouldn't have been surprised because this is who he is. The two of you will remain as you've always been. He'll remain your bodyguard and you will be the vessel for his powers. That's it. You grabbed your purse and nodded at his question, refusing to stay here any longer.

"Yeah. We're done here. And I'm sorry. I was clearly mistaken," You said, voice empty and dry. You finally stood up from your chair and started heading towards the door, missing the way Levi's face lightly twitched as he heard your words.

Just as you reached the door, you paused, but didn't turn around."And...I'm sorry for bothering you. I really am. Have a good night," You said, trying to hide the borderlining pain in your vocie, inhaling shakily and finally wrapping your hand around the handle and pushed the door open, making your way out of his office once and for all.

Tomorrow, you'd fight every fiber of your being so that you can go on working with him as if this didn't happen.

The moment you stepped out of his office, and you rushed as far away from his offic as possible to a secluded hall in the building and knowing you were alone, you allowed yourself to finally let the waterworks flow. You sniffled and wiped away those rogue tears you fought so hard to contain. Guess you felt a lot more strongly about him than you thought.

But, you'd move past this, and you will never allow yourself to delude yourself like this ever again, just like he said. You inhaled deeply and you'd exactly what Levi told you to do. Go and find someone to marry that's not him.

You don't ever want to be as wrong about something as you were about this. In a way, the only good thing that came out of this is that you got the reality check you needed. You had bigger things to worry about.

When Levi was left alone, he wasn't sure if he fucked up more than he already had, gotten himself deeper into this with you, or did himself a favor by doing what he knows is right when it comes to his goal.

He didn't know how empty his office would feel once you stepped out, but the void only grew as he continued to hear his head scream at him the things that a resurfacing part of his brain was starting to feel get stronger.

The things he wanted to say to you instead. Don't go. You're not bothering me. Thank you for worrying about me. I do want to be with you. But it's too late now. He's made things clear in a way that he thinks will be best for the both of you. And now, there's only one thing that's left that he can do now.

He reached into the pocket of his sweatpants and reached into his phone. He'd somehow managed to find it on the way back to finding the car in the alley, and he still needed to get the screen fixed, but at the very least, he was glad he still had it so he can do what he wants to do now.

He unlocked it and went to his contacts, and once he found the one he was looking for, he tapped the screen to call and put his phone up to his ear. He heard the dial tone for a few seconds and eventually, he heard the other line pick up. Levi braced himself for a second to talk and then finally did.

"Onyankopon. Y/n is on her way out of the building right now. Please, make sure she gets home safe," He started but paused, cursing at himself inwardly, but continued anyway. "But don't tell her I told you," Levi concluded, and and when he heard his assistant agree immediately, Levi didn't say anything else in response and simply lowered his phone away from his ear, hanging up.

He set his phone down next to him, and then propped his elbow on his thighs, lowering his head onto his hands. "Idiot..." He muttered to himself, not even sure if he meant you or himself. Though it was probably the latter. He let out a loud sigh and then ran his hands back through his hair in frustration. What the hell is he doing? His only comfort is that he can focus now.....Right?

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Hello! I had to go back and forth on a lot of parts in this chapter, but as i've said before, I do hope you guys trust me when I say that there will be development lmao-

There were many parts that I had to go back and forth on, but I hope you guys enjoyed it nonetheless! It took a lot of editing, starting over many times, until I decided to publish this version :,)

Anyway, I do hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! Thank you to everyone's who's reading this and all of you who has been supporting my fic until now! It truly means a lot! There's so much planned and I am so excited to show you guys!

Anyways, I don't have a whole lot to say right now but I'll see you guys this Sunday with the next chapter! Things are finally starting to get somewhere! I love you all so much and thank you for reading! :,) Have a good start to your week! XO
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