-

You and Levi were on the road once more, and once you looked at the time on your phone, you realized it was almost time for your blind date.

But you still have time to run a couple errands before that, thankfully. The car ride itself was silent and awkward, like most car rides have been with Levi lately.

But, you kept to yourself, doing things like aimlessly scrolling on your phone, looking out the window. You avoided making conversation. You didn't want to breach any lines with him, did you?

As the car ride continued and Levi was heading to the first address you told him that you had to stop by first, he truly couldn't stand the silence.

He didn't know what he was thinking when he spoke to you before, but he certainly didn't mean for things to turn out like this.

He tried his very best to stay focused on the road but every so often, he would glance at you through the rearview mirrors and he couldn't help but let his gaze falter a bit and breath hitch every time he did that, then forcing himself to look back at the road again. It was getting harder and harder to pretend.

And he did that a couple times, and he could've sworn that he was being discreet, but he was caught off guard and he steeled himself again in his seat when you spoke up. "What is it?" You asked, and he glanced at you again, seeing that you were looking down at your phone as you said that.

"What?" Levi asked faking cluelessness, as if he wasn't just shamelessly staring at you multiple times. You still didn't look up, but turned to look at the window again to see the cars go by, keeping the conversation going.

"You were staring at me just now," You said plainly, trying to keep this as civil as possible and not make a big deal about it...like before. "No, I wasn't," Levi denied, quietly swallowing that guilty lump in his throat as he cleared his voice.

He heard you chuckled and glanced at you through the rearview mirror again. You had a lazy smile on your face as you chuckled, tilting your head back against the headrest. "Not sure if you know this about us humans, but we can feel when someone is staring at us," You pointed out, straightening up and crossing one leg over the other.

"You're delusional," He muttered, but it was loud enough for you to hear. You froze, and for the first time in the conversation, you inhaled deeply and looked up at him. Did he mean now...or in general?

Either way you felt your heart wrench at his words. Is he having the nerve to still say you're delusional when you're giving him exactly what he asked for? You weren't going to delude yourself anymore, you swore yourself that. Is he angry? Is he frustrated?

What reason would he have to be any of those things? What else did he want from you? What did you have to do to get even? You were tired. You exhaled through your nose and shook your head, looking out the window again. 

You truly wanted to make this work and he was making it so much harder. You weren't going to take it anymore. If he didn't catch on already, you'd make it more than clear for him to understand right here in this car. You were tired of this guessing game.

"Look, I'm tired of this, alright? I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I've been doing exactly what you wanted. I'm not 'deluding' myself anymore. I don't care about anything you do anymore. Do anything you want for all I care because, like you said, it's not any of my business. Look at me, don't look at me, I don't care because I'm not prying, I'm not overstepping, and I'm going to be nothing but professional. Isn't that what you wanted? I'm keeping my distance. I will not read into anything either. Hope that's good enough for you. If not, go find something else to sulk about," You said sternly and directly, hoping he finally gets the message. It wasn't your issue to solve anymore, it was his. You've come to terms with it. He has to too.

If he didn't figure it out by now, you weren't going to say it again and just continue about your day. You were fed up and either you told it to him straight now or you'd never move forward like you wanted.

He had no right speaking to Erwin the way he did before, because for whatever reason that might have been, at the end of the day, he's just your bodyguard, right? If he told you not to pry into his personal life, then he had no right to do that to yours either.

It's a two way street. All he had to do was protect you and you let him use his powers. That was it. You didn't know what that quip at Erwin was but you didn't know if you wanted to know either.

It was a rabbit hole you were on the verge of falling into and that you were fighting to stay out of. He needed to make up his mind or you'd lose yours.

You couldn't ignore it anymore or let it slide, because it would only get worse if you didn't say something. You were standing up for yourself, once and for all.

And Levi? He was silent after that. He didn't have anything to say. You were right and he also quite literally no defense for that either. All he could do was curse mentally, but all he could actually say out loud was; "That's good," He said, and you nodded, glancing up at him once from your phone and then looking back down. But in reality, it wasn't good. It wasn't good at all.

What he was saying now was nowhere near what he was really thinking because he wanted none of this, but couldn't figure himself out to save his life.

Why does he keep digging himself a deeper hole where you're only resenting him more and more? What can he do at this point to make it better? This is eating him alive every day.

And it didn't help that your rebuttal was; "It is," You said simply, as if none of this mattered to you at all and it only frustrated Levi even more. He continued to look ahead as his grip on the steering wheel tightened. What is he getting himself into?

He couldn't even turn to a mirror anymore and recognize himself. He stayed quiet the rest of the way to the first place you wanted to go to, and after that, you mentioned your blind date was today.

God, he didn't even have the brain capacity to think about that either. He'd have to sit through you being on a date with another guy. Every day he continued to reconsider why he accepted this job in the first place, especially in these circumstances.

Eventually, after the car ride finally came to an end, you and Levi had finally made it to your first stop. It was an attorney's office that you knew used to work with Grisha all the time before he passed away so you knew this was a good first stop head to.

Right now, you were sitting face to face in the attorney's office while Levi stood in the back of the room, leaning against the wall and looking out the window.

You and the attorney, which you remember his name was Hannes from the few times Grisha had mentioned him, and you weren't sitting at his desk but rather the pair of lounge chairs in his office with a coffee table in the middle.

You'd handed him the documents that Erwin had given you, sliding them across the coffee table until the stack was right in front of him. He immediately started surveying through them and you observed his reaction as he got to the part about the fraud that Erwin told you about.

You watched as Hannes hummed and his eyebrows furrowed together as he rubbed his chin with suspicion. "Yeah, something's definitely wrong here," He said and you perked up. You wanted to get right down to business if there was any chance of tackling this.

"Is there a possibility to bring criminal charges to this? To whoever was in charge of accepting this purchase into the company," You said, lightly feeling your feet start to bounce up and down.

You know this was risky and it wouldn't be easy, but you had to try. This was just one way into resolving this whole issue. Filing a fraud case was the best option right now. Hannes looked back up at you from the documents he was still filing through, but hesitance crossed through his features as he leaned back in his chair.

"It's not that simple, Ms. Y/n. To file a fraud case, you need more solid evidence than this. Going after someone like this will cost you," He said, gesturing to the stack of papers in front of him and you lightly deflated.

You supposed you should've seen it coming. Whoever agreed to the purchase must have been someone with higher ranking to have been able to cover it up when it went south.

And they wouldn't be easy to fight in court. In this case, no lawyer will want to take up a case like this against Eldia Group. "Circumstantial evidence won't be enough," He said and you nodded slowly, already feeling defeat take over you.

You sighed and smiled shakily. "Thank you for your time," You said, earning a nod of understanding from Hannes, rising from your chair and looking back at Levi.

You gestured with your head to the door, because it was time to go, and Levi was quick to lean away from the wall and start following after you as the two of you left the attorney's office.

As the two of you headed back to the car in silence, you looked at the time and realized there was still more time to do one last errand before your blind date, so that's where you're headed next.

But you were just met with the same disappointment. You and Levi headed straight for the police station, the one Nile and Pixis are stationed in. You wanted to see if there was any progress at all with the case to find the psycho that's after you.

But when you got there, and you and Levi were both sitting in front of Nile's desk in the two chairs that were in front of it. Pixis was standing just behind Nile as they began to explain the current situation to you. And it wasn't very good.

They handed you a clipboard and on it, there was a police drawing on how they suspect the guy looks like based on what Levi told them a while ago.

You stared down at the drawing blankly, feeling your stomach start to churn just at the sight of it. It was so dark that night that you could barely make out what that guy looked like, especially since he had a cap. But as you looked at it, trying to see if maybe you've seen this person before, you realized that nothing rings a bell.

You handed the clipboard to Levi and he looked down at it too, analyzing it. "We tried to look into the motorcycle he was riding the night of the acid attack, but unfortunately it was undocumented and untraceable," Nile said and you sighed, closing your eyes briefly as you ran a hand down your face.

Another dead end. They'd looked into the security footage of that street you were attacked to see if they caught a glimpse of the bike's license plate, and they did, but it lead to this.

"And in regards to the sketch, it didn't have a single match on our database either," Pixis added from behind Nile and you let out a breath of disbelief as you stared at both detectives. What were you supposed to say to that?

You were hitting snags everywhere today. That wasn't very encouraging. Nile noticed your dejection was quick to jump in. "We're not making a lot of progress on the case. I'm sorry," He said and you nodded, looking away, but not knowing where to turn or where to look.

You were desperate at this point for this to end. You'd do anything to bring this person in once and for all. And then it occurred to you.

You didn't know if it was the disappointment or desperation talking, but you said it anyway. "What if I acted as bait? What if that's the only way he comes in on his own?" You suggestes numbly, and Levi's head snapped to look at you.

No way in hell are you doing that. He looked at you and saw the way you were just looking dead ahead, determined, eyes empty, voice empty. Nile shook his head and looked up at Pixis, who had the same look of surprise.

"Don't say things like that. It doesn't have to come to that. Look, I understand your concern but we promise that we're doing everything that we can so that you can go back to your old life, safe, as soon as possible. We'll speed things up," Pixis said from behind Nile, and as he nodded in agreement.

But you weren't convinced. Every day that passed made you worry that there was an even bigger attack in store for you that you wouldn't be ready for and that would be the end of it. Either way, you forced a smile and thanked the detectives, who looked at each other with concern and then nodded in response.

You and Levi stood up from your chairs and started to head towards the exit. Levi noticed you were walking a little bit faster, eager to get out, and he picked up his pace too to catch up with you.

He wanted to know what you meant by what you said just now. Would you really put yourself in danger just to catch that killer? Where did that idea even come from?

Once the two of you were finally outside, Levi caught up with you and was quick to voice what he was thinking out loud. "What did you mean just now by acting as bait? You don't mean that do you?" Levi asked, showing more of his inner concern than he expected.

You didn't mind that. You just continued walking ahead as he kept up the pace next to you, answering his question. "Well, it would make sense that he has to show up to harm me. Wouldn't that be a good chance to find a clue? Or even better, finally catch him?" You said, but Levi was quick to shake his head. That was insane.

You don't know if that's how it's going to turn out. What if he does something to you and it'll be for nothing because he gets away? Or the police manage to catch him but its already too late because they got to you? It would've been for nothing.

Levi was running all of this possibilities frantically in his head and all of them ended badly. You would only manage to do this over his dead body. Is there any way that he can start to talk you out of it? In any way? He can't let you do it.

"You're really more reckless than I thought. Playing with your life like that," He said continuing to walk ahead while you halted in your steps. You inhaled sharply as you watched his figure walk further away. Does he not realize the position you're in?

You don't know where you're safe anymore, and you wanted this to be over already. Though at some point you weren't sure if by 'over' you meant the whole killer issue or working with Levi.

The line was a little blurred to you. "I'm desperate, Levi," You said, loudly enough for him to hear and to make him stop walking altogether and turn to look at you with disbelief in his eyes.

As he stared at you, trying to figure out what as going through your head, there were a couple more seconds of silence before you finally decided to say something. You were willing to go that far because you didn't want to live like this anymore.

And you know that he's not a fan of the situation you're both in right now. The sooner you catch the killer, the sooner it meant that he didn't have to hang around you anymore. And as much as that stung to realize, not having him around, you were doing this for him too.

"And I can't believe you're making me say this, but..." You started, looking away for a second as you paused and Levi raised an eyebrow. "You're an amazing bodyguard," You said, getting your feet to move again and walking past him, leaving a stunned Levi behind who was trying to process what he just heard you say. You've never complimented him before, and it felt...really good.

He turned his head to look at you walking towards the car and with no fault of his own, a smile, an actual smile crawled onto his lips. But he was quick enough to shut it down.

He came back to his senses and his smile dropped, quickly starting to make his way over to the car too. But as he followed after you, something came over him as a wave of pride washed over him.

He suddenly became hyper-aware about his job, and his surroundings and started to look around every direction with caution to keep you as safe as possible. After all, you did say he was an amazing bodyguard, right? He'd hold you onto that for as long as he can.

-

And then came the moment that Levi had been dreading and that you just wanted to get over with. The blind date. You made it just in time and even if all of those errands went nowhere, you at least got them out of the way so you can give your date your full attention.

The moment you arrived at the date location, you immediately felt a sense of deja vu wash over you. Did your date pick it?

It was the very same building and top-floor restaurant where you met Levi the first time thinking he was your blind date. And now you were back here, in the elevator, heading up to meet another guy. It was ironic, wasn't it? At least to you. How were you back here already?

The entire way up, you prepared yourself mentally and in silence for the person you were about to meet. This is the guy Grisha had picked out for you and with how desperate you've expressed you are, you'd rather not go on any more of these dates.

Part of you just wants to finish this date and arrange the wedding with this one to have the title on paper and you can get the company as soon as possible.

You weren't going to let Zeke hold onto it for too long, and this date would be your ticket to that. Who knows? Maybe Grisha had a good eye for a guy who's actually really compatible with you and this might go better than you think. He might surprise you.

Levi observed your behavior the entire elevator ride as well. He could see how fidgety you are, how you were shuffling on your feet, refusing to look anywhere but ahead with this 'deer in headlights' look in your eye.

This was a little weird for him too. Who knew that the two of you were coming back to the place you first met thinking that you'd never see each other again and then be back here in the position you're both in.

The higher the elevator climbed, the more something inside him twisted. He bit back a curse as the realization hit him like a sucker punch. He didn't want you on this date. His fingers curled into fists behind his back, tension settling into his jaw.

Why did it have to happen now, when he was still figuring what the hell he felt? Worse, what he could he even say? That this guy wasn't good enough for you? That would make him a hypocrite.

He wasn't even looking to marry you either. But watching you step out of the elevator, taking that hesitant first step forward, made him feel like he was about to make a mistake he couldn't undo, no matter how hard he tried. He'd look like an idiot if he said that out loud to you.

Standing by his belief didn't mean this wasn't bothering him on every aspect. He couldn't even say that he was only concerned about this because he wanted to keep his tattoo safe. He'd still keep an eye out for this guy during this date.

You've made it clear to Levi that you would marry anyone at this point, and that sent concern all over Levi's senses. He'd watch out for you.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, he watched you take a deep breath as you took a hesitant step forward, pausing for a few seconds before finally stepping out of the elevator when you felt a sudden surge of confidence come over you.

Levi was following after you, as always. You turned a familiar corner that you took not that long ago, and headed straight towards the dining area just across the room. You forgot how big this restaurant was. The classical music in the background was also a nice touch. It was instantly soothing. It was exactly what you needed to get through this.

As you walked further into the restaurant, your eyes darted around for someone who looks like picture that you remember Grisha showed you of your actually blind date weeks ago.

You still have a vivid image of him in your head. You looked around the room until you finally spotted the guy on a table near the corner of the room and close to the floor-to ceiling windows. He was sitting there, waiting patiently, with an empty seat in front of him, that you assumed was for saved for you.

When you got closer to the table and the sound of heels against the marble floor alerted your presence, your date's head shot up and his eyes widened when he saw you approaching, recognizing you immediately.

He rose up from his chair as you got closer and walk towards you to greet you. You stopped right in front of him, with Levi standing right behind you, and took in your date's appearance.

You couldn't hide the way your face lightly twitched with confusion. He certainly looked like the picture Grisha showed you...but he looked just a little bit older in person that's for sure.

This guy a lot taller than you as well. He has curly brown hair styled in an undercut, like Levi styles his hair, but not the same whatsoever at the same time.

His face has more pronounced wrinkles around his eyes and his eyes themselves are a lighter shade of brown. He's not so bad. He was probably a great person too, and you'll get to know him right now. He did look around your age, though. More or less.

You'll give him a fair shot. You exhaled through your nose and put on your best smile as you extended your hand out to him politely.

"Ms. Y/n?" He asked, and you nodded. He smiled too as he extended his hand out to you too, taking your hand in his in a firm shake, but you tried your best to ignore the feeling of how clammy they felt.

"Nice to meet you," You said, and before you could try and pull them away, your eyes went wide when all of a sudden, he moved to secure the handshake by adding his other free hand to it, holding onto your hand with both of his. You tried your best not to react to it, but Levi went a different way.

The moment that he saw this man hold onto your hand with not one, but two of his hands, his eyes nearly bugged out of his head as his steel gaze zeroed in at the sight. This guy sure was touchy, wasn't he? "It's an honor to meet you at last," He heard the guy said, and Levi moved his glare up to stare and burn holes onto the guy's head.

You smiled nervously at him and then proceeded to tug your hand away as you tried to quickly and discreetly wipe it off on your clothes. Okay, so not such a good start. But you'd look past that. You were sure he had wonderful qualities. Right?

"My name is Prosecutor Oluo Bozado, pleasure to meet you too," He said and your eyes widened in recognition. He was a prosecutor? This was even better than you thought it would be. This is so lucky.

He could be exactly the kind of asset you're looking for. You were feeling more motivated now to make sure this works out. Oluo took a step back and gestured to the table. "Let's have a seat," He said, and you nodded, turning your body towards the empty chair next to you.

But before you could sit down on it, Levi was faster. Just as you were about to sit down, he moved to stand behind the chair, and pulled it back for you, all while he continue to glare at this Oluo guy.

You raised an eyebrow at Levi's sudden gesture, not having expected that, but you appreciated it anyway and proceeded to sit down.

As soon as you did, Levi pushed you into the table and then proceeded to take his position, standing right next to you, never taking his eyes off of your date and eyed him carefully.

You looked up at Levi with confusion, but then tried to ignore it. He was acting weird all of a sudden. He'd never done that for you before.

Once you and Oluo were sitting down, you straightened up, put your hands on your lap and put your full attention on your date and giving him a warm smile.

But Oluo was focused on something else. Levi wasn't exactly being discreet about the way he was glaring daggers into your date, and Oluo himself was quick to notice.

He looked up and saw the raven-haired man that looked like statue next you, unmoving, but could definitely kill him with his glares if he could. So, Oluo braved to ask.

"Can I ask? Who is this?" Oluo asked, using his hand to gesture to Levi, you followed to where he was pointing and briefly looked up at Levi and then back at your date. "Oh, he's my bodyguard. I hope you can understand," You said, and Oluo then nodded understandingly.

But he couldn't shake off Levi's unwavering stares. It made him want to shrink in on himself by the way Levi didn't even seem to be blinking for that matter.

"I suppose having bodyguard's is just a common practice for the upper class, am I right?" He said, and you shrugged lightly as you nodded, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear.

You're not really sure what to say to that, so you'll just try to change the subject. "Listen, I wanted to start this off by saying how sorry I am about last time. I really didn't mean to stand you up," You said apologetically, but you were surprised to see that Oluo simply shrugged as he leaned one elbow on the table and waved his hand around.

"It's okay, it was for the best," He said and your face twisted with confusion at what he meant by that. Did he think it was better that the two of you met now than before? "What do you mean?" You asked, while Levi's eyes narrowed further as a warning that this guy picked his next few words very carefully.

He chuckled as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, but he proceeded to explain anyway. "Your value peaked from then to now," He said, and you blinked at him. Did you hear him say that correctly?

It took you a couple seconds to come up with a response for that, but you eventually did. and Levi crossed his arms as his suspicions about this guy exceeded his expectations.

He was completely right about him. Talking about you as if you're nothing but a chip for him to social climb. It was disgusting. "I'm sorry? My value?" You said, not being too sure if you're imagining this. Oluo leaned forward and cupped his mouth to whisper.

"I hear you're going to be chairwoman, aren't you?" He whispered and you laughed awkwardly. Levi heard his words loud and clear and he was already starting to get fed up with this guy. Why were you giving him the time of day at all?

"Oh...yes. That's the plan, at least," You said uncomfortably. You didn't think this is what you'd be discussing, so you hoped that if there was a change of subject, now was the time to do it, right?

Even if this guy was already a red flag from the moment you exchange the first sentence with him.

And you were just about to do that, but Oluo beat you to it. "By the way, I ordered for you," He said, and you were taken by surprise. You were hoping to get at least get a good meal out of this.

Maybe he had something nice in mind. You wouldn't let this deter you, but it was hard to ignore how badly this was already going just by hearing Levi scoff behind you. You'd push through this.

"Oh, you did?" You smiled nervously, and Oluo nodded. But once again, before you could say anything, he cut you off.

"You like steak and wine, don't you?" He asked bluntly and you were stunned. You shrugged with a polite smile. He wasn't exactly a conversationalist, was he? "Yeah, I guess I do-" You said, but it seems like all this guy does is cut you off because he did it yet again and you fought the urge to say something you'll regret.

You were losing your patience. "And you like me too, don't you? Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked, letting out a short and chortled laugh after, making you look at him with wide eyes and surprise. You looked off to the side awkwardly and raised a hand to run it back through your hair.

But you didn't want to drag on the awkwardness so you just chuckled uncomfortably yet again as every part of your brain was screaming at you to walk out in that instant.

Levi wasn't any better. He had to look away and survey his surroundings to see if this was reality. Was this guy serious? It was unbelievable.

You needed a desperate change of subject, so you'll bring up the only reason left as to why you're still sitting here. "So, I hear you're a prosecutor," You ask, hoping that he could be helpful at least in that area. But you shouldn't have expected so much from him.

"Yes, I am. But be careful, or I'll indict you...for stealing my heart," He said, completely and dead serious, but you can tell that's part of the joke too.

The table was dead silent after that, clearly because he was giving you time to laugh but then he started to laugh by himself and you just stared at him. You were forced to look away and purse your lips. As for Levi, he was truly starting to wonder if this was some sort of simulation.

"Where did he learn those cheesy-ass lines?" He muttered to himself, not being able to believe that this is the guy you're choosing to marry after this date is over.

He knew this would go bad, but not this badly. Could you honestly tell Levi truthfully that this is the guy you were willing to marry? He'll never understand.

Why does he have to stand here and listen to this guy try to use cheap pick-up lines to try and sway you? He gets that you're desperate, but are you this desperate? What point are you trying to prove?

Before anybody could say anything else, the sound of footsteps and the sound a wheels rolling, all three of you turned your heads to see a couple of waiters bringing over various plates of food over to the table in a rolling table.

Oluo's face lit up in recognition as he turned to look at the waiters and then to you. "We should eat first, right? I hope it's not a problem that I told them to bring all of the food at once," He said and your breath got caught up in your throat at the overwhelming amount of plates that were being put on the table. It seemed never ending. You thought that by 'steak and wine' he meant something simple.

As the last platter was put on the table, which just happened to be a fairly large lobster, and the waiters started to file out, you were at a loss for words.

This was way too much food, and this was a pricey restaurant, right? The lobster alone must be one of the more pricier foods too. 

And before you could even comment on it, you turned your head to see a waitress coming over to the table holding onto a bottle of wine in her grasp.

"Would you like to taste it first?" She asked, and just as you were about to agree, Oluo beat you to it yet again. "Sure, we'd love to," He said, speaking on your behalf, looking away from the waitress and turning to you, winking. 

You couldn't even hide the cringe on your face as you looked away. Oluo was still completely oblivious to your reaction as he watched the woman pop open the bottle of wine as she started to pour it onto both of your glasses.

Levi couldn't hide his disgust on his face for the man you're sitting with the more this date went on. He didn't think he could get any worse than this, but he was wrong.

As soon as the waitress poured the wine on both of your glasses and then left, Oluo grabbed his wine glass, actually started sniffing the wine, swirled the liquid around the glass as he observed it carefully as if it was some sort of unknown substance, and then finally took a sip.

All while he made direct eye contact with you that made you wish that the Earth swallowed you whole in that very moment. You tried to give him a chance, you really did. But as much as you hate it, right now, he's your only option. You had to keep going.

The moment that Oluo started swishing the wine around in his mouth like mouthwash, your stomach turned. Oh, God. He was a nightmare. You had to look away as your mouth dropped open in disgust and you raised a hand to cover it.

In what world does anyone in their right mind drink wine like that? Levi visibly stiffened beside you, exhaling sharply through his nose. His patience was hanging by a thread.

One more stupid word from this guy and it would be his last straw. He was so closed to just grabbing you and walking out of here, and tell you to keep looking. But he knows that's not what you want.

When he was finally done and swallowed it at last, all he could say was; "It's good," And you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. Oluo noticed you still hadn't drank any of your wine yet.

"Are you going to have some?" He asked, and it was a hard no. Not after what you saw him do with his wine. But you wanted to be nice about it.

"I don't drink during the day. I'm sorry," You said with a gentle smile. You weren't even sure for how much longer you can pretend and keep up appearances. You were starting to be really glad you ran into Levi instead that day and not Oluo.

Oluo clicked his tongue and tilted his head to the head in disappointment. "Oh, that's too bad. Then, how about next time we meet after sunset," He said, sending you a finger gun as he winked at you. Again. And, oh, great. There's going to be a next time.

All you've done this entire date is just laugh awkwardly because you just don't know what else to do. At the mere suggestion that there is going to be a repeat of this made Levi's blood start to boil.

It was physically starting to become harder to restrain himself, but he thought about the bigger picture. Even though the picture sucked in every possible sense.

"I ordered the lobster because it's restaurant's specialty. They recommend it the most. Let's see if it holds up to it's reputation, shall we?" Oluo explain and you nodded silently, not having it in you to make the mistake of trying to say something again knowing he'll interrupt you. Most likely.

You watched as he started to lean forward toward the lobster. If he sniffs it, you're going to walk out. That poor creature doesn't deserve that. It's been through enough, hasn't it? "Food should receive the same treatment as the wine," He said, and your eyes widened. Oh, no. He's actually going to sniff the poor lobster?

You looked away, you didn't want to witness that. But Levi was a little different than you. He's had enough. He couldn't watch this anymore. His glare darkened as he watched Oluo get closer to the lobster and an idea suddenly popped up in his head.

He continued to watch him go on and on about the lobsters aroma or whatever. Neither you nor Levi could believe what you were seeing—Oluo actually stood up, leaning over the table to sniff the lobster.

You watched with horror while Levi felt like he had to do something now or else this would never end. He'd be doing both you and him a favor.

In second, before you could object, Levi stood closer to you, leaned down to grab your wrist with his tattoo on it and activated his powers in a second.

A second later, the lobster seemed to regain muscle memory, snapping it's claw around Oluo's lips in an instant. You gasped as Oluo shot up with a scream, with the lobster still holding to his face.

People around the restaurant started to take notice and watched as Olou desperately tried to get the crustacean off of his face because the grip of the claw was on his lips was only tightening and it was becoming more and more painful.

And the only reason that the lobster wasn't letting go, is because Levi was still holding onto your wrist tightly and not letting go until he decides its been enough. He was watching with nothing but satisfaction in his eyes as his eyes sharpened and his gaze darkened. He was enjoying the sight in front of him very much. It was totally worth it.

When you finally connected the dots about what was happening, you looked back and forth between your wrist and Levi, and you started tugging it away, but Levi's grip only tightened.

"Levi, let go of me," You warned sternly, looking up and seeing him stare dead ahead at Oluo who was still fighting to pry off the lobster off of his face, ignoring the multiple sets of eyes on him. With one hard tug, Levi finally let go and crossed his arms in front of him.

But the look of satisfaction wasn't gone yet, because the crustacean was still on Oluo's face and holding on tightly. The one thing that was gone at the very least was the tension that the claw had been putting on your date's face, which Levi's doing entirely.

As silence took over, which felt like crickets after the scene Oluo put on, he cleared his throat the best he could and looked at you. You could only look at him with concern.

The grip on the lobster had on his face was painful. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back," He said, sounding a little muffled, turning on his heel and heading towards the nearest waiter station in the back or bathroom to get help to get the animal off of his face.

As soon as he was gone, you turned to Levi and looked up at him with shock and surprise. "What was that for? Why would you do that to him?" You asked, and Levi scoffed as he kept his arms crossed over himself as he looked down at you.

Are you seriously asking him that? Did you not see that train-wreck of a man? "Come on. You can't tell me didn't want him to shut up as much as I did. I did us a favor. You're welcome," He said and you stared at him in disbelief. Since when did he want to be involved? This is your business and he's just here because he's your bodyguard. Nothing more.

Yes, this man was very unpleasant but you were giving him a shot. Levi had no reason to interfere like that. Did he not listen to any word you said in the card before? Did it mean anything to him.

This is your business, and you could handle it on your own. What if all of this chases Oluo away now and you're stuck having to spend more time looking for someone else? This was personal.

He interfered not because it was his job, but because he wanted to. Because he felt like it. Because he let his emotions get in the way. And that's exactly what he warned you not to do—get involved where you don't belong. He keeps breaking his own rule and you're tired of it. He has to stop.

But somehow, when it's him, it doesn't count and it's okay? What does 'not caring' even mean to him? Because it sure as hell isn't this. You exhaled and stared at Levi dead in the eye.

"Levi. Stay out of this. I didn't ask for your help," You said sternly, not wanting to dance around this anymore. He knows where he stands, so why can't he just stay there? Isn't he the one who didn't want to get too involved? He's so confusing, you don't understand him at all. If he doesn't care like he claims, then why does he keep interfering like that?

"You got it anyway. I couldn't stand him anymore," He grumbled and you felt yourself running out patience with him. He needs to pick one of the two; either he's involved, or he's not.

There's no in between and you don't know how much clearer you can make it. "I'm not in the mood for your jokes. So, please, keep your distance. I can handle myself," You said, emphasizing on keeping your distance, reminding Levi yet again that this is not something you're going to handle lightly. You saw him turn away as he scoffed.

Just how many hits of this can he take? He keeps going back on everything he's said while you're staying true to what he told you he wanted.

This isn't right. None of this is right. He couldn't control himself just seeing that guy not only make moves at you, but horrible moves at that.

He doesn't know what came over him but it was worth it when he felt the satisfaction of seeing that guy in that situation. He's not in control of anything these days and he'a reaching his breaking point.

He hates it because he makes decisions like this and you only end up being more mad at him. He's losing his mind over you and he doesn't know what to do. He messed up. Again.

You both turned your heads when you heard footsteps approaching and saw that it was Oluo coming back to the table with a lobster no longer holding onto him as he held onto the spot where he got pinched, covering it up.

Levi rolled his eyes when he came back and you straightened up as he sat back down on his chair. "I'm very sorry about that," He said, and you nodded. But you could still see him wincing whenever he moved his face too much.

"Are you okay? That looked like it hurt," You said as you watched him carefully as he scooted himself closer to the table. He raised a hand and waved it around, shaking off any concerns you might have about him.

"It did, but I'm fine now," He said, taking his hand off his mouth at last but the sight..was not pretty. Your hand flew to your mouth in shock as your eyebrows knit together. Lips lips were red, swollen, bloody. Had he even looked in the mirror first before coming back?

"Oh..." You mumbled, and Levi smirked as he looked away, feeling pretty damn good about himself. Oluo noticed your reaction but pretty quickly tried to make up for it so maybe his very obvious injury wasn't a focus.

"The lobster here sure is fresh, isn't it?" He joked, trying to make light of the situation and pretend his face isn't as swollen as it is. You could only look at him with worry but realized it was time to wrap this up, while also bring up one last thing you've been debating this entire date. 

You didn't want to second guess yourself any longer, and this is something you were sure of, at least you think you are. You realized it was the right thing to do. You didn't have time to think about it twice, and it was for the best. You were trusting your gut.

"Hey, what are you doing later?" You blurted, and Levi looked down at you at your sudden question, raising and eyebrow. Why were you asking Oluo that? His brows were then knit together in confusion a he awaited to know where you were going with this.

Oluo looked at you in surprise and considered your question as he reviewed his schedule for the day mentally. "I need to go to a trial later. But other than that, nothing. Why do you ask?" He asks.

You nodded taking a breath. You knew there was no turning back, and you weren't going to regret this. You couldn't afford to regret this. You were sure of it.

You cleared your throat, straightened up and just decided to come out with it. "I think we should register our marriage today. Don't you think?" You said, smiling gently. and hearing this, Levi stiffened, his grip tightening into fists behind his back.

His heart started to slam against his ribs as he snapped his gaze to you, eyes widening in disbelief. Did he just hear that right? Are you crazy? He's known all day that you're desperate, that you want to move ahead with this whole ordeal, but today?

Get registered and get married in what, a week? How soon? You're insane. How could you move forward with this? What's going on through your head right now?

How could you possibly consider this guy at all? Levi doesn't get it. He really doesn't. And as you've made clear, as much as he wants to tell you that this is a terrible, terrible idea, he has no say anymore in your personal life. And it's killing him.

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Hii! These last two couple of chapters might have been a little messy, but I did enjoy writing them a lot! As I promise, I finally did double updates and i'll do my best to do the same for next week's updates!

I really hope you guys enjoyed it! I gotta say that next week's chapters are about to be my favorite so far, so I hope you guys are excited as I am about it!

I'd also love to know but what are your guy's thoughts so far? I'd love to hear your , theories, opinions, anything! I'd love to hear them! I want to hear your thoughts on how the story is progressing, etc! Reading them and replying genuinely makes me so happy!

Anyways, as always, I hope to see you guys next Sunday with the double updates again! As always, I love you all so much and thank you for reading! Have a good start to your week everyone! XO
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