-

Everything after that felt like a blur to Levi. The blind date got wrapped up, and instead of going your separate ways, Oluo offered to walk down with you to the lobby and bid you goodbye there.

Levi wasn't a fan. The entire way down the elevator or even just heading out the restaurant while you walked side by side with Oluo and Levi was forced to walk and trail behind the two of you was not any better. He felt like he was forced to remain as a fly in the wall, just as you'd told him to do. Do not interfere.

But every part of Levi's body was telling him to not go through with this, to not jump into marriage with this guy just because you feel like you're running out of time. How could you be so willing to just casually go and register your marriage the same day?

He's been wondering to himself all day when exactly he's started to care as much as he has. Weeks ago, he'd been itching for a month to go by so he could get his powers back, but now it seems like that was the last thought in his mind. He hated that.

He's losing sight of what mattered and now felt himself caring about your decisions in a way he didn't think he ever would. You were making a mistake, and Levi felt like restraint was becoming harder to come by.

When all three of you reached the lobby, you and Oluo were still talking while Levi remained at a distance from the two of you, not even bothering to hide his glare at Oluo, staring at the back of his head with sharp and disapproving eyes.

He knew there was nothing he could do to change your mind, especially when he had no say in something that he forced himself.

You're focusing on your goals, not bringing emotions into this agreement anymore, and that's what Levi should be doing too but he can't and he feels like an idiot. A hypocritical idiot who can't follow through.

He thought all of this would be best for the two of you, for him, but now it's messing everything up and he can't go back and do things differently. He had to do something. Before he loses his mind.

And he thought you didn't notice. but you did. You kept taking glances back at him and observed the way he wasn't hiding his disdain from Oluo anymore.

For someone who supposedly doesn't care, Levi was sure making it clear to you that he had a problem with Oluo from the get-go. But why?

As you walked side by side with Oluo, heading towards the revolving doors of the building, you suddenly heard his voice. "Okay," He started, and you paused in your steps, turning to look at him.

You fought the grimace sneaking up on you, seeing that the swelling on his face wasn't getting any better, but your face remained neutral. Ready to hear him out.

"So, what do you say we will meet at the district office after the trial?" He said, extending out his hand to you again, like he did before when the two of you first greeted each other earlier.

You looked down at his hand and smiled politely, extending your hand out too and putting your hand in his. He immediately closed his hand around yours and shook it.

Just at the mere handshake, Levi's eyes trailed down at your hands and looked at them blankly. He fought the urge to scoff. He couldn't believe you were doing this, and that he had to just sit back and watch it happen.

You nodded in agreement, keeping your smile firm. "I'll see you later, then," You said, and Oluo once again, took it a step forward.

Just like before, taking advantage of the fact that he already had one of your hands in your hold, he raised his other hand and yet again, put it over the one he was already holding, tightening his hold and securing it.

Your eyes widened and you looked down at your trapped hand in surprise. He really liked doing that, huh? This is the second time already. You don't mind. At least you don't think so. You can look past the touchiness.

Levi genuinely couldn't believe his eyes. Was this guy really pulling that move again? He's unbelievable. Did he have any self awareness to tell that him being so touchy like that was making you uncomfortable? 

He just met you today and was already making advances like that. Levi's eyes burned into the handshake. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to look away before he did something he'd regret and mess things up even more with you. 

His fists curled at his sides, but he forced his fingers to loosen as he tried to calm down, but just watching you stand there, hand wrapped in Oluo's, made something start to simmer under his skin.

He exhaled, slow and measured, pretending he wasn't fighting the urge to rip your hand away from his. But it didn't last long when he heard Oluo speak up again.

Levi turned his head around again and then directed his scowl just hearing the nonsense coming out Oluo's mouth. He wished he could just tune it out.

"You know, this is crazy. I can't believe we'll be married in just a couple of hours," He said to you, and Levi's jaw clenched tightly as he bit the inside of his cheek and begged any force in the universe to make this interaction stop. To make any of this stop.

Your smile became a little bit more nervous but you acknowledged his words nonetheless. "Yeah...it's crasy," You said with uncertainty, not believing your own words, and even if deep down inside you weren't that excited to marry this guy, at all. But it had to be done.

In your head, you convinced yourself to push through because not only was this a guy that was eager to marry you in a day and that's exactly what you needed for what you had going on right now, but he was also a prosecutor. It was perfect. It was this or nothing. 

Despite all of those major red flags he showed before, you were going to do this. You didn't have to be in love with him, or like him for that matter. You just needed proof of marriage on paper and that would be enough. 

And based on his clear attempt to social climb through this marriage, you were sure he wouldn't mind if this 'marriage' remained as a words on a paper. You just chuckled and pulled your hand away awkwardly from his grasp, keeping it at your side again, and taking your eyes away from Oluo, looking elsewhere. And your bodyguard caught that.

Levi watched you pull your hand away and observed your body language carefully. Silence filled the space between you and Oluo as you shifted from side to side and avoided eye contact with the guy.

He watched as you took a deep breath, turned on your heel and started to walk towards the exit. Levi's foot nearly shifted forward before he caught himself. His nails continued to dig into his palms, behind his back, a silent and frustrated reminder to stand down. He couldn't act on this.

No right. No reason to interfere. But damn it, that didn't stop him from wanting to. Watching you pull your hand away made his chest feel tight. He can tell that deep down you didn't want this but you felt obligated to do it.

Levi watched you walk away with conflict in his eyes, but either way, he got his feet to move too. He couldn't wait to get out of here. Though, he was forced to stop in his tracks when he heard light laughing coming from his right side.

Levi stopped walking and turned his head to see Oluo just standing there with an awkward and blank smile that creeped Levi out on every level. He scoffed and turned his head forward again to continue following after you.

This guy? Really? What the hell were you thinking? What was going through your head? You were smarter than that, right? He continued to follow after you, and seeing you were already outside waiting for the valet to bring the car over, he walked over to stand next to you.

He wanted to say everything he was thinking so badly but it would cross a line. Though, at this point, his thoughts were so consuming that he didn't care if the conversation went sideways.

He couldn't stand a second of you throwing yourself into marriage with that guy. The reasons behind it were clear, but it was just a matter of Levi coming to terms with it. But he hasn't yet, so as he stopped to stand next to you, he decided to speak up.

"Don't tell me you're really going to marry that idiot. He's a sleaze bag," He muttered, not bothering to hide how bad of an idea he thought this was through his tone.

You closed your eyes briefly and exhaled through your nose. You should have expected Levi to finally speak his mind about this once the two of you were alone again. Even if you don't owe him any explanations, you'd make it clear for him.

You crossed your arms in front of you and watched as a familiar car came around the corner. "I am. He's willing to marry me, no questions asked, and he's a prosecutor. That's exactly what we need. I don't need to look for anyone else. It's too late to look for anyone else," You said simply, watching as Levi's car being driven by the valet stopped right in front of the two of you. Levi turned his head to look at you with indignation in his eyes.

"Like I said, he's an idiot. Keep looking," He said, and a hollow laugh escaped your lips as you watched the valet leave the car and walk over to you, handing you the keys to the car.

"Is he an idiot or you just don't like him?" You asked, turning to look at Levi with a knowing expression. He's been like this all day long, and he has the audacity to tell you not to marry Oluo? What's his deal? Why did he care so much about this all of a sudden?

 Although, there was a voice inside your head telling you exactly why he's doing this, but you shoved it far down. You ignored it, even if in the back of your head you already knew. "Both," He said shamelessly, and you extended your hand out, with the car keys in the palm of your hand. He looked down at it and grabbed the keys swiftly.

"Well, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that he can help us find whoever was after Grisha before he died. Besides, It's not like a marriage is real anyway," You said, letting out a sigh of acceptance. You know what you're getting yourself into, what was going into this, the terms, what you wanted from it and you wouldn't stray from that. you thought Levi did too. Why is he having such a big problem with this? You don't get it. 

Levi looked at you like you had two heads. "You can't marry someone like him," He countered before he could stop himself and you froze. You slowly turned your head to look at him as your eyes narrowed as you looked him up and down. Ah, there it is. You realized what this was all about just from that. 

He'd made it clear that he didn't like you the same way you did and whatever you were feeling was all in your head, right? You got over that, but now, he was so up in arms about keeping things professional and all of a sudden he had an opinion on this?

You purse your lips and move your body face him fully. He had no right. You wouldn't let him jerk you around like this, changing his mind every chance it benefits him. You were tired of it.

Your gaze turned cold and calculated as you stared at him down. "Why? Do you care now?" You spat, voice sharp as a blade as you walked past him and head straight towards the car, leaving Levi to close his eyes in frustration as he bit back a groan.

He watched as you got into the car and closed the door next to you. He was left to stand there stewing in his own regrets because, yes. He does care.

He cares way too much. More than he should, and it's eating him alive. He didn't know what to do anymore. This is consuming him painfully and he keeps contradicting himself with you over and over.

He started to make his way around the car and to the driver's seat, and when he got to it, he opened the door and got inside. He didn't say a word. He got the message loud and clear.

He wasn't going to come in between your plans anymore just like you weren't going to come in between his goals. He just doesn't know what the matter is with him these days and he wished he could find a way to make it end quicker.

He wants his old life back, where he could live without these complicated and confusing feelings he doesn't know how to navigate, where his human memories weren't coming back to haunt him every night, and where he had his powers back.

He just wants all of it back. He wants a life where he doesn't have to worry about hurting you or walking on eggshells around you. But he just doesn't know how easy it will be to get that. All he knows is that he feels it's only getting further and further away.

Once the two of you were out on the road again, heading back to drop you off at your apartment, Levi remained silent as he drove, but he was forced to hear you speak to Hang on the phone about the preparations for the wedding.

He kept his gaze on the road, his jaw locked tight as your conversation with Hange filled the car. With every mention of the wedding, his grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles beginning to turn white. His pulse was drumming in his ears.

You were doing this on purpose, weren't you? Letting him hear every detail. Or maybe you weren't. Maybe it was just him, strung too tight, unraveling by the second. Reaching his limit.

You looked out the window as you kept your phone pressed to your ear and spoke to your assistant. "Could you also prepare a press release? The wedding will be tomorrow so I want to get that out of the way," You said, earning confirmation from Hange on the other line, and you chuckled at how eager they sounded at the chance to be able to plan your wedding. Even if it was just for the public. They wouldn't miss this opportunity for the world.

"You and Levi can be my witnesses," You said, briefly glancing at Levi and then back out the window. But you could feel Levi's eyes burning into you through the rearview mirror as soon as you said that.

He scoffed quietly and focused on the road again. Were you doing this on purpose? Making him part of the wedding now? Was this fun for you? It sure sounds like it is. Is there any way he can avoid this? Probably not. He's already dreading every part of it.

"Oh, and Hange, could you please pick out a wedding dress for me too? I don't have time between today and tomorrow to go pick one myself. You have great taste. I trust you with it," You said smiling softly, putting all of your trust in them to make a good choice.

"It has to be something...sophisticated and my style. Something that will look good on camera," You said, wanting to make this as believable as you possibly could, and you had to look the part. It truly had to look like the most special day of your life. 

The perfect dress was a big part of that. Change could definitely do that. As for Levi, the more he heard the conversation the more refrained from cursing at himself.

He didn't want to be here for this conversation anymore. You were treating this like some sort of business deal. It made something coil in his chest.

And then there was one last thing that you needed to take into account, right? "Now, for the ring..." You started, your face fell a little when the realization dawned on you. There was a beat of silence as you gathered what you wanted to say next.

You still had the rings Grisha left behind for you. The one you'd originally offered to Levi when you proposed to him, but as of now, it was no owner.

But now maybe it will. The feeling of the cold metal resting on your ring and pointer fingers suddenly amplified and you cleared your throat a bit. Finding a ring shouldn't be a problem. You could check off that box.

"Never mind. I have the ones Grisha left me," You said, but your voice faltered slightly, as if saying it out loud made it feel more real. This is the last thing you have of him and you are giving it to Oluo tomorrow.

The thought of it made a void form in your chest. You heard Hange on the other line quickly hum in understanding while you felt yourself drowning yourself in your own doubts.

Though, as soon as you said it, Levi glanced at you again through the rearview mirror again. The way your voice wavered—why did it sound like you were forcing the words out? This was your decision, wasn't it?

Then why did you look like you were about to shatter? He's been able to tell all day that you were forcing yourself into this for the sake of the bigger picture, but now that you were actually planning the wedding, he can tell it was hitting you harder than before.

You shouldn't lose sight of what was important. Why were you putting yourself through this? You were clearly having doubts. You're forcing yourself to do this just as Levi was fighting to stay out of it and not try to talk you out of it.

With a soft sigh, you bid Hange goodbye and then hung up the phone, dropping it onto your lap face down. But as soon as you did, your eyes landed on the rings on your fingers.

Why did they suddenly feel so much tighter on your skin? The cold metal bit into your skin, a stark reminder of who you were supposed to give one of them to. Your face felt the moment you realized that and your stomach twisted.

You moved your other hand to start fiddling with your ring as your mind started to race and contemplate. You know you're rushing into this but what other choice do you have?

What would Grisha think? What would he do? What would he tell you if he was here? What would he think of you? Is this what he would have wanted?

You tipped your head back against the headrest and closed your eyes, closing your hands together into fists, willing yourself to pull it together. Levi noticed. Your face was unreadable, but your body language told a different story.

It was as if you were worrying that the ring between your fingers like you could undo the past just by touching it. Levi tightened his grip on the wheel. He was done watching you suffer in silence like this. "You're a sorry sight," He muttered, and you scoffed.

You let out a humorless laugh. "Thanks," You said, opening your eyes and looking out the window. You weren't in the mood for Levi's commentary right now. You already know what he's going to say.

Or at least you thought you did. Levi's eyes flicked to you and he shook his head. "You can marry, divorce, or date anyone you want. I don't care. But don't expect me to stay silent when you look like you're being dragged to your own execution," He said, voice flat. But just from his tone, you can tell that there was something else behind it.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Your eyes snapped to him and your eyebrows furrowed together. Levi swallowed and looked off to the side before focusing on the road again.

"If you're so sure about this, don't make those faces in front of me," He said and your lips parted slightly in disbelief, but no words came out. Is he being serious? He wasn't looking at you anymore either.

He's able to read you like a book, and he doesn't need to look at you to know he's already seen everything needs to. But that only made you even more angry at him.

You let out a dry, bitter, laugh, sinking yourself deeper into your seat as you crossed your arms. "Are we seriously doing this again? That's rich coming from the one who refuses to acknowledge feeling any human emotion. Who are you to tell me what faces I can and can't make? And for the record, I do know what choice I'm making," You said, even if your confidence was dwindling and Levi could probably tell you were lying through your teeth.

He could see right through you and you hated it. Even when you wanted to keep your distance, he could see that you were still doubting every bit of this decision. You didn't want to do it. But you felt like you had to.

You don't know what he's trying to do here, you don't know what's going through his head and you don't know what he wants. He's just picking at straws at this point for anything, picking at you and it was driving you crazy.

"It's simple. Just don't look at me, as much as you've been struggling with that all day," You said, reminding him that he hasn't been discreet about the times he's glanced at you, at random points in the day, with no explanation from him.

Refusing to acknowledge it. This was such a stupid and trivial thing to be arguing about, but it had an undertone behind it.

Both of you wanted to prove to each other just how much you can pretend you can distance yourselves from each other. But it wasn't working. Not one bit. You two needed one another and neither of you have realized that trying to keep things professional wouldn't last long.

Levi can pretend he doesn't care all he wants and you can continue deflecting for ages too but it's only a matter of time before both of you reach your limits. And it looks like Levi finally reached his.

He let out a sharp breath, something between a laugh and a scoff, but there was nothing amusing or funny behind it. It was actually the opposite. His hands flexed against the steering wheel, as if to resist the urge to say something that's 10 times worse.

But eventually, his expression smooths over into something eerily blank and expressionless as he gets his thoughts in order, and since he's started this conversation, he'd end it. He didn't know what he was thinking.

"You know what? You're absolutely right," He started, his voice quiet but cutting enough. He paused, letting his words reach you for long enough to sting. And they did.

His jaw clenched and he continued. "I won't look at you. Figure your own shit out," He concluded, and this time, he didn't wait for a response either because he wanted to finish this conversation right then and there.

He was leaving no room for argument, no opening for a response. He couldn't do this anymore. It wasn't doing either of you any good and you were only getting more frustrated with each other.

But as soon as that thought settled in, Levi felt something shift inside of him. His eyes widened just slightly in realization. He was going to put an end to this. To all of this. He would speed things up.

The agreement, the contract, and everything that ties him to you. He'd spent the entire day trying to find a way to end this arrangement as quickly as possible, but before that, he thought could hold out and tolerate being your bodyguard despite everything that was changing between the two of you.

But, he couldn't. He thought he could put it aside and focus on what was important but Levi knows that as long as he's by your side, nothing will ever be the same. And as much as he was willing to wait a month to get his powers back, he doesn't think he can take any of this any longer.

He can't be around you anymore without breaking apart internally every time you fight, or feel himself start to swell in inexplicable ways just from being by your side.

He thought he could tolerate this, he thought he could let you go without a second thought, but every second he spent near you, every argument, every glance that lasted too long—it was consuming him, unraveling him thread by thread. 

Everything got more screwed up the moment he said all of those things to you the night before when you came to visit you and he thought that was the solution but it wasn't. Being around you just felt hostile now and suffocating.

He thought he could keep his distance, to fulfill both of your goals, to get this over with so he never has to see you again. That was the plan from the beginning, wasn't it?

Before he went into this too deeply with a point of no return, he thought he could part easily with you once both of your sides of the agreement were completed. He thought he could keep a distance, play his role, finish the job and part ways, never looking back.

That was the plan. He wasn't even sure he could walk away as easily anymore. He was used to having you around in his life, and no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, it wasn't simple anymore. But maybe it wasn't too late.

He should've realized that when he realized he couldn't stand the thought of you even suggesting the idea of you being bait to draw in the psycho, when his heart nearly leaped out of his chest when he thought you were in true and real danger back at the office but it was only Onyankopon, when he realized you were throwing yourself into marriage with the first person you met up with, and worst of all, when he realized he truly felt something strong and unfathomable towards you.

He should've put an end to it right then and there. Putting distance between the two of you wasn't enough. This is what was necessary.

He hasn't been able to pinpoint what has been the matter with him, with these feelings, when they started, but he didn't want to know.

He didn't want to entertain those thoughts any longer. Hell, just hearing you say 'wedding' made his stomach twist like a knife that had been plunged into it.

He can't bring himself to even be in the same room as you anymore or it will drive him insane because he can't do anything about it.

The only way to get this to be over and done with once and for all is to do it his way. There was only one thing left to do that he could think of and he was going to take that chance.

His thoughts were a jumbled mess, driven by urgency and frustration, but one thing was clear—he needed this to end. He needed to get away before it was too late.

He needed to make all of this stop so that he can part ways with you once and for all, and even if it'll take a while to get used to a life without you, he knows he's at an early point and he hasn't reached a point where if he parted with you even after he got his powers back, he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about you at all.

He needed to get out of this while he was ahead. It's what made sense. It's what would put an end to his misery, that he knows he threw himself into. He cares too much and it's tearing him apart.

Levi wasn't exactly sure if the idea he just came up with will make things worse than before and he was just driven by the desire to not have to spend more time with you and make whatever he's feeling towards you continue to spread like wildfire, but whatever it was, before he could think it through, knowing he had to make this stop it all suddenly compelled him to pull over to the side of the road spontaneously and step on the breaks of the car bluntly making you lightly jerk forward in surprise as your breath got caught up in your throat. The seatbelt you were wearing locked behind you.

You were still getting your bearings from Levi stopping so abruptly, but then your head snapped up when you heard the sound of Levi taking off his seatbelt. You could barely register that, much less Levi twisting in his seat, his seatbelt snapping free.

In one swift movement, he turned around, his hand closed around your wrist, the ink of his tattoo dark against your skin. His face was too close, inches away, his stare too sharp. Your pulse is hammered.

Your breath hitched and you were looking at him with wide eyes as he stared at you with an intensity that was too much to bear at such a close proximity. Your eyes were darting back and forth in surprise.

"What are you doing? Let go," You told him, but he remained stone cold. He didn't budge. He was looking into your eyes with something you've never seen in them before and it made your mouth go dry.

"I realized something," He said and you raised your eyebrows in surprise. "Is it something you had to stop in the middle of the road for?" You quipped, and you could tell by his face that he didn't find your words amusing. Instead, his features hardened and you felt your stomach twist.

"Once we catch that guy, we're done. No more of this, right?" He said, gesturing between the two of you and your face fell. It hit you like a punch in the gut.

He was finding an opportunity to not have to be around you anymore, any chance to find the psycho that was after you quicker so he didn't have to be tied to you anymore. You swallowed hard and looked at him dead in the eye. You don't get it.

He's been doing everything possible all day to put a wall between the two of you, and it was all because he can't stand to be around you for another second?

He said he didn't feel the same, you got that, you thought you could at least keep a professional relationship, but now? Are you nothing but a burden to him that he's just itching to get rid of? Is that what this was all about? He just can't wait for the moment to cut ties. 

The way he said it—so final, so determined—made it clear. He wasn't just trying to end this arrangement; he was trying to risk it all to get rid of you. You were aware he didn't like you like that, but to this extent.

He's desperate to sever any ties to you and that realization crashed down on you painfully. You're nothing but an obstacle for what he really wants, aren't you? You didn't know what to say.

All you could muster out was; "...Right," You muttered, and unaware of pain brewing behind your eyes. Levi nodded decisively, settled on his decision.

"I'm saying we will end this. Now," He said, voice razor-sharp and your eyes widened. Now? He wanted to do that now? Was he really that eager to speed this whole thing up?

You know the two of you haven't been on the best terms lately but even if you were trying to get married quickly, it wasn't so you could part from Levi faster. Did he think that's what you were trying to do and now he was doing the same thing?

You really hoped you didn't give him that impression. You felt a lump form in your throat as you sighed, defeated, not looking away from him, pretending his words weren't hurting as much as they were.

What was he planning? The look in his eye worried you. You don't know if you should be intrigued, concerned, or hurt. Maybe all of the above.

-

Marlowe was having a downright miserable time. He and the rest of the gang had basically been put out of commission for the last few days after the fight in the alley where they all got beat up single handedly by you and Levi.

Marlowe, Hitch, and the others were holed up in their usual hideout. The same underground room in a bar in the city that nobody could trace them to, and hopefully not Levi. That's what they hoped.

He used abilities that they were still trying to comprehend even since their first encounter at that restaurant weeks before. How do you fight someone like that?

Marlowe felt especially defeated because once again, he failed to defeat Levi and avenge his boss like he had been killing himself day after day, spending more and more of his energy trying to get it done and get rid of Levi. But now, his discouragement was settling in as he realized he failed yet again.

He had Levi right in front of him that night and let him get away. Again. He kept beating himself about it, digging himself deeper into a hole, sending him into a spiral. It was driving him insane.

Now, he and the rest of the gang were slumped against the couches in the room, with Marlowe sitting on the couch at the head of the room, while everyone else was slumped on the couches beside him.

Every gang member, including Marlowe, was covered in casts, bandages, or slings, their bodies a patchwork of bruises and injuries.

None of them were spared for the damage that was done and even days later after the fight, they all still groaned in pain if they made the slightest of movements. They were glued to the couches and none of them made any efforts to move either.

The room had been filled with silence for what felt like hours, given that everyone was too tired to talk or say anything that would set off Marlowe even more.

But, that silence was suddenly broken when Hitch decided to be brave to speak out. She's been watching Marlowe continue debasing himself over this and she needed to say something. He's been driving himself crazy over trying to find Levi and he's losing sight of himself.

She slowly sat up and turned to look at Marlowe, letting out a sigh of exasperation. "Can I just say something?" She started, and multiple nervous eyes from her comrades suddenly darted back and forth between her and Marlowe.

Nobody wanted to say anything because nobody knew how Marlowe would react, but Hitch could be one person who he won't snap at if she says something. And they were right.

Marlowe had been leaning back on the couch with his head tipped back and eyes closed, but hearing Hitch's voice, his eyes opened and turned his head to look at her skeptically.

"Depends," He uttered, with clearly the last shred of interest that he has left. Hitch heard his response, and just from how worn out, tired, and careless he sounded, she realized that she had to say this or it would never snap Marlowe out of the bubble that he created around himself. It was destroying him.

Hitch scooted closer to the edge of the couch, being careful of the injury in her leg. She looked at Marlowe dead in the eye, sharp and serious and spoke. Even he ended up losing his shit right then and there.

"Don't you think it's time we realize this guy might be more than we can handle?" She said sincerely, and Marlowe's head immediately snapped up, even when he felt he could've sworn he felt something snap in his neck. Did he hear that right?

Hitch just wanted to stop this before it went any further because who knows how far Levi was willing to go next time they ran into him.

They were already injured enough and there was no reason to go back out there and Marlowe wasn't thinking clearly about this. It was insane to even think of continuing going after Levi now, at least not right away.

Apparently Hitch's words inspired a lot of the other gang members to start speaking out too. They were not ready to go out and to try and find Levi again, much less fight him again, but they knew that's what Marlowe wanted.

"Yeah, Marlowe. It's a miracle we made it out alive," Another member said, and Marlowe whipped his head around to look at him too in shock.

How could they even be suggesting something like this? Have they all forgotten what Levi did to their boss or do they need a reminder?

The chiming in didn't stop and many others continued to voice out their opinions of this, and the more they did so, the more Marlowe's anger began to boil over and their comments filled his brain.

The more the room started to fill with voices, the closer he was to snapping. And all it took was just one more comment. Just one more person backing up Hitch and adding to the suffocation in the room.

"Who knows what'll happen the next time we run into him-" Another started to add to the conversation, but that was all Marlowe needed before taking a breath, closing his eyes briefly, clenching his jaw as his muscles tensed before shooting up to his feet.

"Okay, enough!" He yelled, immediately silencing everyone in the room as all the gang members froze as the volume that Marlowe shook the room with.

Awkward silence bit at the room as Marlowe stared down every person in the hideout with intense eyes, forcing the gang members to look away in fear. Every gang member except for Hitch. She wasn't afraid of him in any way, but her partner wasn't in his right mind anymore.

After a couple more moments of the gang members wishing they were sucked into the Earth out of fear went by before Marlowe's voice resonated through the room again.

"What are you trying to say? You're all weaker than I thought. You're giving up now? We've all been through worse, and seeing all of you, I'm sure our boss is just turning in his grave in anger," He scolded and while Hitch scoffed quietly and looked away, the others kept their heads down and nodded quickly, not being able to make eye contact.

To Hitch, and most likely everyone else, Marlowe has lost all perspective. He's unhinged and consumed by revenge and wanting to find Levi so desperately that not even his own comrades want to go along with something so insane anymore.

She's been watching him over the last few weeks and it was like a crack in a dam that's about to burst. She feels like she's the only person in the room willing to call him out on how unreasonable he's being.

She's watching him slowly self-destruct from the inside. At least she's not the only person anymore thinking rationally. The others are too. Is Marlowe not considering his own comrades' fear and calling them weak instead?

The others were quick to reply to Marlowe, to see if they could make up for being out of line. "Sorry, sir!" They all said at once, and Marlowe's shoulders sank as he tipped his head back and ran a hand through his face in frustration.

He needed to be alone right now. He needed to get his head straight and he couldn't do that with them here. He straightened up his head and put his hands on his hips.

"You know what? I can't look at any of you. Get out of my sight," He said, and the gang members all started to look at each other awkwardly and slowly started to stand up to head towards the door.

As Marlowe watched them file out, including Hitch, his glare never wavered. He watched them until the last one went out the door, and once the door closed, and stared at the door for a couple seconds, he finally let himself go.

"Bunch of weaklings," He mumbled, falling back onto the couch and ignoring the slight sting he got on his shoulder as the sling holding up his arm shifted a little. But at the very least, he was finally alone now and could get some peace and quiet.

He wasn't going to give up. Not in the slightest, and if he wasn't going to get his comrades help, he'd do it alone. He'd be willing to do whatever it takes to make sure his boss didn't die in vain.

Marlowe reached for the bottle of whisky in the side table next to the couch he was sitting on, brought it over to his lips to take a big gulp. He groaned when he immediately felt the burn go down his throat and he coughed, setting the bottle back on the table again.

That did not help at all. He closed his eyes again and exhaled, keeping his head tipped back. But just as he was about to relax with him. He heard the door open again and footsteps rush inside. He nearly groaned but held it back. He couldn't have one second of peace, could he? It was impossible around here.

"Didn't I tell you to get lost?" He started, eyes still closed, expecting to have his gang members in front of him, but his words trailed off when he opened his eyes and saw the two last people he wanted to see at that very moment.

Marlowe froze and his brain started to short circuit. Is this a figment of his imagination? Is he that enraged at Levi and you that his mind somehow spawned the two of you here in front of him?

Either way, while he tried to process it, you were still wondering how you ended up here in the first place. It felt like you blinked, and while Levi was still holding onto your wrist with his tattoo on it, he somehow managed to teleport both you and him, and the car, to just outside this bar that you've never seen before in your life.

He didn't even give you a time to react then, telling you to get out of the car and follow after him, and when you did, he grabbed your wrist again and then started to drag you inside the bar while your mind continued to reel with confusion as Levi dragged you around the place.

With way he navigated with so much certainty and stride across the dims halls, through the tables of the bar filled with people, towards the back of the room and ignoring the calls of the bartender to not go where Levi was going, you thought that maybe he finally he cracked the code of where the killer might be and he might have been able to picture his face clearly to take you both to his exact location.

When you came to that conclusion on your own, not even knowing if you were correct or not, your heart started to race painfully against your chest, even more so when Levi led the two of you down stairs below the bar and you began to panic even more, and your breathing picked up too.

The whole time he kept a firm grip on your wrist and wouldn't let go. You asked where he was taking the two of you for what had felt like the thousandth time and he refused to answer and continued to look ahead. Is the killer here?

Is he dragging you without preparation to the location of that man? If he knew the location, why didn't he just tell Nile and Pixis? But if that wasn't the case, what was the urgency of taking you to this place? Why won't he say anything?

Why was he keeping you in the dark this way? You've tried to ignore the hurt you felt for him wanting to wrap this up as desperately as he said he wanted, but now your mind was just clouded with fear of where this was going.

You could barely keep up with any of this and while Levi clearly had an idea in his head and that's where he was leading you, he's been incapable of telling you anything.

You're being dragged into the unknown with absolutely no explanation behind it and you just wanted to be let into his head for once and what he was thinking. You didn't feel good about this. About any of this.

And the moment he turned a corner, after walking down this long dim hallway, you could tell he'd been searching for a specific one and when he found it, he didn't hesitate to wrap his hand around the handle, opened the door and then brought you inside with him.

As Levi stopped right in front of a long coffee table, you began to look around the room to digest where you were and eventually your eyes did not land on the person you thought would be here. It's the guy from that night. The guy who was after Levi and hit him with a bat.

You turned your head to look at Levi and saw that he was staring down this man with menacing and threatening eyes that would kill Marlowe if it was possible. It made your blood run cold.

It was taken aback by how intense he looked; his eyes were narrowed, his chest was rising and falling and you could see his muscles move through his suit. You looked back and forth between your bodyguard and Marlowe, trying to figure out what this was about.

You were working purely off of context clues here and your mind was so scrambled and twisted right now to piece it all together.

As Marlowe realized that this was reality and he wasn't just imagining that the two people he despised more in that moment were standing right in front of him, his face slowly drained of color and he rose to his feet as his eyes darted back and forth between you and Levi.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Marlowe asked, not being able to fake his own surprise and be angry at the same time. He's truly wondering if he's lost his mind now. At least that's what it feels like. None of this felt real to him at all.

You were honestly wondering the same thing. What were the two of you doing here and what did Levi want with him? You genuinely thought that when he said he wanted to go after the killer right at that moment, and that's where he was planning to take the two of you, but you were growing more and more confused by the second.

You were going to get answers, because you didn't let Levi drag you here just so he continues to hide things from you even if he's promised not to. All you keep wondering these days is if you should continue to follow him blindly.

"Levi, I thought you said you wanted to go after the killer. What are we doing here? What does he have to do with this?" You asked, and he didn't look at you. Not even a glance. He continued to stare down Marlowe and his grip only tightened around your wrist and you felt it a lot more.

You looked down at your wrist and then back up at him with alarm in your eyes. You tried to tug your hand away but he made it impossible. Your pulse pounded beneath his hold, but whether it was the fear, adrenaline or anger, you couldn't really tell the difference between the two anymore. And then it hit you. If he hadn't let go, he was planning to use his powers on Marlowe.

As you came to that realization, really hoping you were wrong about this, Levi turned his head to look at you and any words that you wanted to say to him vanished in your throat as you nearly gulped just from the way he was looking at you.

"I thought you told me that it takes one scumbag to deal with another. That's what I'm doing," He said, turning away and you closed your eyes as you exhaled through your nose.

You did say that, didn't you? He was going to use his powers, wasn't he? Why else would he still be holding onto your wrist and bring that up?

After that, Levi deliberately raised his hand in the air as you and Marlowe watched as flames started to appear in thin air and in a second, a paper was materialized in Levi's hand.

You leaned forward and saw that the paper was the police sketch of the killer that was after you. Your face twisted in disbelief even more.

When did he even get that? You thought you'd given it back to Nile and Pixis back at the precinct. To Levi, Marlowe may not be the killer, but he's still going to prove to be very useful.

Marlowe could barely believe his own eyes. He thought he's seen more than enough supernatural and inexplicable things done by Levi already, but just watching him materialize things out of thin air was yet another thing to add to the list of things he can't believe he witnessed from Levi.

His mouth went agape as he lightly leaned his head forward and squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look at the sketch in front of him. Who was that supposed to be? He had no clue what was real and what wasn't.

"This right here," Levi started as he held up the police sketch a little higher, all while Marlowe seemed to have a perpetual look of shock on his face from the moment the two of you came into the room. "You're going to bring this bastard to me," Levi threatened and you exhaled as everything clicked in your head.

He's just here to threaten Marlowe to get him and the rest of the gang to look for the killer instead of leaving the investigation to you, or to the police.

This is what Levi meant when he said he wanted to speed this up, so he didn't have to spend another second with you. You didn't want to keep fixating on that but you can't help it. it hurt you a lot more than you thought it would. You can't stop thinking about it.

Marlowe's anger flared and his entire face twisted with anger at what Levi was asking of him. Who does he think is turning the tables on him like this? Him and his gang have been after him for weeks now, so what makes him think they'll drop everything just to help him? It was ridiculous.

"Do you think we're some kind of joke? Did what happened a few nights ago teach you nothing? My gang and I are not going to do shit for you!" He yelled, grabbing the nearest bottle of alcohol with his good hand and hurled towards you and Levi faster than you could begin to register it.

You gasped and raised both of your hands to cover your head, while Levi still held onto your wrist and Levi remained still in place, not moving a muscle as the bottle whizzed by him and crashed into the wall behind the two of you.

Your breathing was starting to get heavier out of pure horror of what was unfolding in front of you. You slowly dropped your hands at your sides and started to look around with dread at how fast this was escalating.

After Marlowe refused, Levi stayed silent. Way too silent. You knew he's never been the most talkative but his silence now felt unusual and very unsettling. You turned to look at Levi and saw that he was staring ahead at Marlowe, holding his glare, and if anything, it was only darkening.

You swallowed a lump in your throat watching as Levi's head hung low for a couple seconds before he finally said something and you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding this whole time. But you shouldn't have.

"That's fine," Levi started, lifting his head and you suddenly felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up by the way he said it. It sounded empty, detached, indifferent and distant. His voice was low, almost too calm for a situation like this, like a blade pressed to your skin.

After Marlowe said that, you thought he'd react differently. He tilted his head to the side and cracked his neck lightly. "But you're going to wish you did," He said, and your eyes went wide. What did he mean by that? You were about to ask him just that, but then something else caught your attention in the corner of your eye.

Your heart plummeted to your stomach. Just in front of you and Levi, one of the glass cups that was on the coffee table was floating upwards, it rose smoothly, until it hung motionlessly in the air, perfectly in level with your eyes.

Across the room, Marlowe's face paled and tried to get a closer look to see if there was really a cup floating in mid-air just a few feet away from him. This was just a trick of the light. Or a dream. Yeah, it had to be that, right?

But Marlowe looked back at the cup and saw past the floating object to see Levi's eyes looking straight at him. There was a sharp, deadly glint that flickered in his irises, like the edge of a blade touching the light.

They were eyes that spoke of a thousand threats, each more terrifying than the last and they were all towards Marlowe. He stared—blinking, detached, hollow, calculating—and Marlowe's skin crawled as if Levi was studying his prey.

And just as Marlowe didn't think that he could tear his eyes away from Levi's, in a second, Levi activated his powers again and made the glass cup shoot towards Marlowe at a nearly undodgeable speed, but thankfully the gang leader moved out of the way just in time as the glass crashed on the wall behind Marlowe. You gasped and your mouth dropped when you saw this happen, and your head whipped to look at Levi with dread deep in your eyes.

"Levi," You warned, but your words were falling on deaf ears as Levi continued to stare ahead with a gaze darker than you've ever seen on him. But you're wrong. You've seen that look in his eyes before.

Back in the hospital when he was so desperate to get a deal that he made a deal at that poor woman's expense, and now he was doing it.

Except this time it wasn't for a deal, though it seems like that same desperation was crawling back and blinding him so much that matter what you say, he's not going to do anything different.

You tried to tug your hand away again, knowing where this was going, but he only tightened his grip and you began to feel distress build up in your body painfully.

"You got lucky," Levi said as he watched Marlowe stand up and laugh cockily at having been able to dodge the cup, but Levi wasn't amused. He wasn't going to be laughing when he was done with him. He'd make sure of it.

"Let's try your luck again," He glowered, but as Marlowe continued to laugh, it eventually died down when Levi's powers got to work again and thus, a fork was slowly starting to rise from the coffee table.

Marlowe's face dropped and your breathing became more shallow and short at what you were seeing. Your head darted back and forth between Levi and the fork he was controlling, aiming straight at Marlowe again. And Levi was a lot quicker this time. You could barely register what was happening in front of you right now.

He sent the fork hurling towards Marlowe again, and this time, the gang leader couldn't dodge it fast. It whizzed right by him and nicked him on the cheek.

You felt your throat clam up and your body began to shake. He was actually hurting him, and from a distance you could see Marlowe's cheek began to bleed.

This wasn't a part of the agreement and now you were being complicit and taking part in hurting Marlowe. If Levi wanted to get rid of you so badly, this didn't have to be the way to do it. He didn't have to go this far.

"Levi! What the fuck!? Stop, that's enough! What are you doing?" You cried out, but Levi's jaw clenched and he turned sharply to look at you, and you flinched. His stare cut straight through you, peeling back the layer of the wall you built up the moment this started to escalate and you couldn't even pretend how afraid you were.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm getting him back for what he did to me," Levi said, clearly very upset, and your eyebrows furrowed. What did he mean by that? Did he not come here to get Marlowe to find the killer?

If you were wrong and the situation was making Levi let out truths he wasn't ever planning on letting out, then you know Marlowe's been chasing Levi all this time but did that warrant doing all of this and threatening him this way.

One of the many reasons you didn't want to be involved with him is because he said that as long as the two of you are in this agreement, that he wasn't supposed to use his powers this way. He was throwing that all out the window.

You looked away from Levi and moved your eyes to look ahead again, but you immediately began to shake your head as you darted back and forth at Levi at the new object Levi was lifting. He really wasn't done. It was a knife. A fucking steak knife.

It was levitating in mid air, completely still, aiming straight at Marlowe while Levi felt like every thought in his head was consuming and he can only think of one thing. Torment. Agony. Revenge. Cold-blooded revenge.

Marlowe gulped and he stumbled back as he held his cheek, watching carefully the knife that was pointing straight at him, with terror filling every part of his body. Levi's chest tightened as his emotions started to surface faster than he could control them.

"This is all because of you. It all started with you. I've been a fucking mess ever since you hit me in the head with that bat! You ruined me!" He snapped, as if forgetting you were hearing every single word he was saying. But as soon as he did, you froze and thought about what he just said. You struggled to process it in your head.

This wasn't about the killer anymore, was it? It didn't sound like it. After that night when he got hit in the head is when everything changed between the two of you; it's when he began to distance himself from you, when he started being colder and detached, when he refused to speak to you unless it was necessary.

Every single bottled-up emotion he was trying to suppress was spilling out right in front of him in the worst possible way. He can't control himself.

The dynamic the two of you had going completely changed, and he was right, it happened that night that he got hit in the head with a bat and after that he couldn't even look you in the eye for more than a second.

This is personal, and Levi wasn't even trying to hide it anymore at this point. He was being consumed with every emotion that has been creeping up on him lately and eating him alive, that he hasn't been able to comprehend.

And just as Marlowe was recovering from the sting on his cheek, he didn't even get to recover because Levi didn't waste another second to have his powers do their thing and the utensil flung straight at Marlow and cut the side of his neck, making the gang leader scream out loudly in pain as he put a hand on his neck.

You immediately reacted and started to tug your hand away from Levi even more insistently than before. "Levi! You're going to kill him!" You exclaimed to Levi with terror laced in your voice as your voice cracked a little.

You didn't want to be a part of this anymore. Your body was quivering and you could barely breathe, while Levi looked like he was enjoying this. The glint in his eyes said so, and so did the more than noticeable smirk on his lips.

Marlowe wasn't exactly sure if what he was about to say is if because he truly believed it or if it was solely because he feared for his life, but in his head, it was the only thing that could give him a chance to get out of this alive.

He swallowed hard and in between choked breaths he said; "Okay, I'm sorry. I really am, okay?" He said, with hopelessness clear in his voice as his eyes became desperate. But Levi's gaze remained hard and stoic, unconvinced.

"I'll help you. I'll do as you say, I promise" Marlowe rambled, trying to smile and nod along the best way he knew how in that moment to look even more convincing but Levi shook his head.

Your bodyguard put his free hand on his jacket pocket and he clicked his tongue. "It's a little late for that. We both know you're lying," He said, and Marlowe's face fell in an instant. Why were you being forced to watch this? Why were you being forced to be a part of it?

You were about to continue trying to get through to Levi, but then your words got caught up in your throat when you turned your head and your heart started to hammer against your chest at what you were seeing. It wasn't just a cup this time, it wasn't a fork, it wasn't a knife, it was all of the above.

Everything that was on the coffee table started to lift in mid air including bottles of alcohol, plates, steak knives, forks, and everything on that table that could possibly kill someone on the spot rose to levitate and remained in the air until Levi decided to shoot all of them out at Marlowe. At the same time. It would be lethal.

This would be inexcusable and indefensible murder. While Marlowe watched with horror the way all of this objects were pointed at him, that he was sure he wasn't going to be able to dodge this time, his face morphed into one of pure terror and fright and he started to call out to Levi to get him to stop, trying to convince him that he'll help him, beginning to tremble on the spot as he still held onto his bleeding neck.

You turned to look at Levi again and continued to tug your wrist as hard as you could because this was downright terrifying. You should've known this is how far he'd be willing to go. You shouldn't be surprised, but you'd be damned if you didn't do something about it.

"Please, stop! Not this again! I told you I wouldn't be a part of this!" You cried out again to Levi, but at this point, anything you say was either going right over his head or he just chose to continue nonetheless. This is the one thing you made it clear to Levi when he agreed to be your bodyguard. You didn't want to be tied to this.

Levi was off the rails and there was absolutely nothing you can do about it. But that didn't mean you wouldn't stop trying to stop this. You wouldn't allow it for anything and it didn't matter if Levi was mad at you, at himself, at Marlowe or anyone. It didn't excuse what he was about to do just because he wasn't thinking straight.

And in a second, Levi finally let those objects start hurling straight towards Marlowe and the gang leader yelled out in utter fear as he used his fear to shield his face.

Just before all of those deadly objects reached him, you found enough strength to rip your wrist away from Levi's hold and took several steps back, making everything headed Marlowe stop in mid air just inches away from his face. Everything and everyone in the room went quiet after that. You could hear a pin drop.

Nobody said anything, and the only thing that could be heard was Marlowe's whimpers of fear as he kept his arm over him as a shield and it hadn't hit him yet that the attack never reached him.

It took him a couple seconds to finally let his guard down and lower his arm, only to see the items inches away from his face. The items suddenly crashed and clattered to the ground and Marlowe finally felt like he could breathe. He could've died right then and there.

But while Marlowe felt like the ability to breathe had come back to him, to you, it felt like it had been stripped away from you.

You were standing in the back of the room, clutching your chest and breathing heavily as everything that could have happened suddenly dawned on you and you felt like your throat was closing in on you. You needed to get out of here. This was too much.

Meanwhile, as Levi realized that you weren't holding onto him anymore and you'd ripped your wrist away, he looked down at his empty hand with your wrist no longer in it and tightened it into a fist as he tried to gain back his composure.

He closed his eyes briefly, took a breath before turning around on his heel to head towards you and feeling his presence getting closer, you straightened up and mustered up all your strength left to stand up to him.

Looking at him dead in the eye made you realize this wasn't who you've grown to know over the last few weeks. It was someone you didn't recognize.

"Give me your wrist," He said, too calmly for your taste. He also wasn't asking. You crossed your arms over your body and shook your head, hiding your wrist away from him.

He didn't break eye contact as he took a couple, slow and controlled, steps closer to you, but you didn't break, even if you were feeling your heart hammer against your chest and you could hear your pulse in your ears.

"What? After what you did just now? No way," You denied, hating how your voice wavered slightly and clearly shaken up. Levi rolled his eyes, and put both of his hands on his hips. His body was tense, rigid.

You noticed that. As if he was trying to hold himself back in the best way he possibly could. He was failing at it. He was taking deep breaths and letting his head hang low, trying to reign himself in.

"Will you stop getting in my way?" He said, voice rough and strained, trying to reach for your wrist again, but when he tried to, you turned your body and specifically your wrist further away from him.

But your sudden and swift movement caught Levi off guard and as he just stared at you to figure out if you were serious or not, you stared right back at him with just as much intensity, certainty, sureness and conviction. "I said no," You repeated firmly, refusing to give into any of this.

As his fingers twitched at his sides, his eyes darted all over your face, studying you, analyzing you, trying to get a glimpse into your thoughts, but there was something so guarded behind them he couldn't see past.

It seems like all he does nowadays is continue to try and figure you out but failing every time he tries. He wasn't as in control as he thought was.

With you and Levi in your own world, Marlowe took notice of this and quickly took advantage of this opportunity to finally leave the room and make a run for it.

His breathing was erratic, chest rising and falling in quick, shallow bursts, but the moment he realized neither you nor Levi were paying attention, he moved. Quick. Unsteady. Stumbling over his feet.

As you and Levi remained, silent staring each other down, all the two of you could hear was the hurried footsteps of Marlowe making his way around the room still pressing a hand against the wound on his necl, avoiding you and Levi like the plague, and then finally making his way out of the room with his boots scraping against the floor and closing the door behind him loudly, leaving the two of you alone at last.

The loud slam of the door barely registered between the two of you. The air between you and Levi had grown impossibly thick, dense, and incredibly suffocating. Even more than before.

You felt it in the way your lungs began to strain and the weight of his presence in front of you made your pulse hammer even harder inside you.

He stood just a few feet, away, his shoulders tense, his fingers curling and uncurling at his sides as if he was physically restraining himself from moving, or rather from reaching for you, for something.

Levi ran a hand back through his hair and exhaled deeply. "I'm not going to say it again. He's going to get away and he could've helped us," He said, his voice even, but the quiet steel and firmness in it sent an unsettling chill down your spine.

How did he sound so calm? Anyway, you think you've made it pretty clear that you didn't want to be a part of this from the start. Being an adjacent for causing someone pain and agony for no reason like Levi just did, so mercilessly.

He could do that all he wanted the moment the agreement was over and the two of you went your separate ways, but not during. Not while the two of you were bound to this agreement.

You still both need each other. He was so blinded by whatever the hell this was that he disregarded your wishes entirely, without hesitation, without a second thought. And you haven't even gotten to the worst part. He didn't even look like he cared.

Not a single ounce of remorse. Not a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. He's just upset he told on himself because he let himself get carried away and spoke as if you weren't right next to him.

He walked into this place and brought you here under the guise of finding the killer, but at some point, it shifted.

You can't believe he dragged you into a situation like this all over again and was so blinded by what he wanted that he disregarded your wishes so easily.

It warped into something personal, something that had nothing to do with what you two had been actually after. But then again, maybe he knew exactly what he wanted from the beginning.

Maybe he just chose not to tell you. Like always. Your jaw clenched and you pulled your arms tighter over your body, grounding yourself as you met his gaze with an unshakeable resolve.

You weren't going to stand down now. If he'd rather destroy what you two have instead of admit he's afraid of losing it, then that's his problem. Why is he taking it out on you?

"Well, then you're not getting my wrist," Your voice was firm, cutting through the charged air between the two of you. I'm not going after Marlowe. He's not important to our plans, but apparently he is to yours," You said and Levi looked away as he bit the inside of his cheek. But you still weren't done.

Not even close. You still had a lot to say. You know exactly what he wanted from this. He made it more than clear before and you were tired of pretending it didn't faze you.

"He could've helped us? Or he could've helped you. Don't pretend you care about the killer all of a sudden," You stepped forward, your voice unwavering. "That's not why you brought me here. Maybe at first you did, but not after we got here," You continued and Levi's fingers continue to twitch a his sides, barely noticeable, but you noticed.

You've grown to notice things like that. "There's something else you wanted him for. To settle some sort of vendetta you have against him from that night," You stated, emphasizing your words, and your words struck Levi deep. He had nothing to say, and all he could do was stay quiet.

You were bringing back what he said about Marlowe 'messing up his head' when he hit him with that bat. This explained everything. This had everything to do with you. It had everything to do with the way he's been treating you lately.

The moment he claims that everything started to change for worst. Levi could pretend this wasn't bothering him all he wants but hands twitching at his sides betrayed him. All rationality left his body.

You saw it in the sharp rise and fall of his chest, in the way his shoulders tensed, in the way his head tilted slightly—like he was listening, but he really didn't want to.

And even after all of that, all Levi could say was; "Why are you being so difficult?" He said, trying to pretend like you hadn't just read him like a book. You scoffed and a humorless laugh left your lips.

"And why are you so upset?" You shot back. You hated the way your voice began to waver as the conversation intensified, betraying just how shaken you really were, deep, deep down inside. You forced yourself to hold your hold your head up high, to keep your stare steady.

Even if you followed everything he said down to a T, you were still not doing enough apparently. "You've been acting weird all day, and ever since last night, and you can't tell me what your problem is. I've been nothing but truthful and sincere with you but you keep pushing me away because you don't know what you want. Can't you pull yourself together and make up your mind?" You said firmly as your voice started to rise in decibels and Levi's lips parted slightly, like he was genuinely caught off guard by your words and  everything he wanted to say vanished from his head.

He's been silent this entire time but just as quickly as he showed how taken aback he was, his expression changed and hardened. His jaw flexed, and he let out a hollow scoff as he dragged a hand down his face.

His fingers lingered at his temple, pressing in as if the tension in his head was growing to become more and more unbearable. He still hadn't said anything.

Until now at least. A few seconds of him not saying anything passed, but the color in your face drained involuntarily when you heard him speak again. "You really want to know what my problem is?" He said, voice low and controlled, but it sent chills down your spine nonetheless and you had no choice but to nod quietly and say the only thing that came to mind.

"That would be nice," You said, just above a whisper, feeling your confidence suddenly dwindle to nearly nothing in a second.

Levi's hand dropped back to his side, and then, slowly and agonizingly, it curled into a fist of utter frustration that made it start to turn white. "You," He scowled and you froze.

Your breath hitched as you felt every part of your body come to a halt and your face started to feel hot. "What? Me?" You said as you somehow managed to find your voice, but you sounded weak. Defeated. Speechless.

"Yeah. You," His voice was low, rough, weighted with something you couldn't name on the spot even if you tried. His head tilted slightly as his eyes dragged all over your face and your reaction. Searching.

"I'm saying you're my problem. And you have been this entire time," He said and instantly, something twisted in your chest and everything that you had been saying before and wanted to say left your mind.

It was the kind of deep, gut-wrenching twist that left you momentarily breathless and unable to form any words because you felt your insides closing in on you agonizingly just from those few simple words he said to you.

"What the hell did I do?" You asked meekly, and already hated how small your voice became. All of that confidence you had before dwindled to nothing because in some sick way, you still felt something for him and he's making it more than clear now, and that night too, that he felt like you were nothing but dead weight to him that he's been counting down the days to get rid of. Why can't you get it through your head once and for all. That's all you were to him and you still didn't get it.

Levi scoffed again, but this time, there was no real bite to it. The only thing behind it was exhaustion. Frustration. Exasperation. Something deeper that you don't think you'll ever comprehend. You truly thought had been doing everything right.

He took a step closer and closing the distance between the two of you, just enough to make your breath catch. Your faces were just inches away from each other now. "You still don't get it, do you?" His tone dropped, quieter now—yet dangerous in how soft he sounded. His brows furrowed, a sharp and conflicted crease forming between them as his throat bobbed.

"Don't you see everything was good in my life until you came into it? It's been nothing but a fucking mess now ever since I met you. That's my problem," He said, like a fact. Like it was an undeniable truth that everybody but you knew. Every word he spewed out in front of you only shattered your heart more.

Reinforcing that you were living in your own delusions about what this was. Your breathing began to quicken and your nails dug into your arms where they were crossed tightly over your chest, your grip anchoring you in place.

At this point, you thought that after a lot of mental convincing that you could move past whatever it is you were feeling for him wasn't real, but his words stung a lot more than you thought they would and it was making your heart clench painfully in your chest.

Your hands began to tremble lightly and you braved to try and say something. "Look-" You started, swallowing hard and beginning to shift from side to side, but you didn't even get a chance to get a word in. It looks like Levi was on a roll.

"If it weren't for you, none of this would be happening to me," He continued, his voice unraveling into something more desperate, straining between gritted teeth. "Nothing would be as complicated and messy as it is now. I wouldn't feel like my head is being torn apart. I'd be doing just fine," He continued and from that, there was only thing that repeated over and over in your head.

Fine. Fine. He'd be just fine without you. The word rang in your ears. A dull, hollow, echo against the tight walls of your ribs. You stared at him—at his clenched jaw, the stiffness in his stance, the way his hands trembled so faintly at his sides, like he was gripping onto something unseen.

But you could see it now. So clearly.The weight of something unsaid that he's been waiting to say for who knows how long, pressing into his bones, eating away at him every single day and you were his only obstacle. Levi keeps pushing you away before you were evn given the chance to figure it out.

And still, despite all of that, despite everything else, he would rather push you further away than admit to whatever the hell this all was that you had been so convinced he felt too. After everything that two of you had been been through, every glance, every touch, every word, and every feeling.

But fine. Fine. If that's what he truly wanted. You would give it to him if that's what he truly wanted. You do without him, you could have done that all this time, but you thought this was something you get through together. But if he didn't want this, neither did you.

You inhaled sharply and straightened your shoulders. You could do this. When you spoke again, your voice was quiet, steady, resigned. "Alright," You said, your own breathing still shaky, but your tone was filled with defeat and yielding.

At your words, Levi's body went completely and utterly still. His brows twitched slightly, as if he hadn't expected that response. He had been expecting something entirely different. "Alright?" He repeated, yet a lot more slowly and full of uncertainty.

"How about this?" You lifted your chin, fingers uncurling from your arms as you let them fall to your sides, letting them go limp. "Want me to make it easier for you?" You started, and you watched as he continued to study your face as you spoke, trying to anticipate what you were about to say. His throat bobbed again and his irises shifted a bit. You were about to give him the solution for all of his problems.

You couldn't even help it, but heat started to gather behind your eyes and tears were starting to brim your waterline. You knew you were prepared to say the next few words but just actually saying them made it so much more real.

You took a hard swallow and your face hardened. "If I'm such a burden to you—If I'm the root of all your problems—then go. Go away," Your voice cracked audibly as a lump formed in your throat the more you went on.

"I'm letting you go. You're not my bodyguard anymore. I'm not your problem anymore either. If you're so unhappy, If I make you so unhappy, then go. I can do this on my own," You finalized securely, ignoring your throat was starting to close up and it very much reflected in your tone and when you said those words, something flickered across Levi's face.

It was so fast that you almost missed it. It vanished just as quickly, and he was quick to say something right back at you. "Good," He said, with his voice coming out quieter than before, but it cut into you like before just as deeply.

It was harder to keep tears at bay at this point. You gave him exactly what he wanted, but hearing him actually accept your words was accelerating the rate your tears wanted to fall.

"I was looking for a reason to stop this crap anyway," He said, but he wasn't exactly looking at you when he said it. He turned his head, gaze flickering to the floor for half a second before snapping back up and feeling his entire body go rigid again when he saw the tears creating a barrier over your eyes, the way you were pursing your lips and fighting to continue keeping eye contact with him.

He knew that if he let himself look at you for too long, it would mean something to you. He can't have that. So, with that, he decided there was only one thing left to do now.

You watched as he began to reach into one of the inner pockets of his jacket, once again, refusing to look at you as he did so. A second later, he pulled out his bodyguard earpiece, held it up for you to see and then let it drop and clatter right in front of you, with the sound reverberate in the room.

Without another word, he walked past you, straight towards the door, opened it and walked out. Leaving you all alone. And once that set in, that you were standing alone in the room, that must have been the cue for your body to finally let itself go as reality crashed into you.

Your lips started to tremble and you hung your head low and your hair fell on either side of you as a curtain. You pursed your lips trying to get the incoming sobs to stop trying surface, but it was too hard.

Once the first couple of tears left your eyes and how hot your face felt was becoming impossible to ignore, you just started crying silently in the room as your cries started to echo in the room and you made no effort to clean up up your tears. You were alone now. Truly alone.

You let Levi go like he wanted, and you did what would be the best for the two of you because neither of you could go on the way you were, but as you sobbed, you wondered; why did it hurt like hell?

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Hi! This one was a little more angsty, and I can say right now that the next one won't be an exception lol A part of me wanted to divide this chapter into two but I decided to leave this as one because I didn't want to split it and take away from what was happening, so I hope you guys enjoyed a longer chapter!

I'm so excited for what's coming for next week's chapter and I hope you guys are too! Its definitely a turning point for the story and I've been thinking about how I wanted to write it for a while! I went back and forth on this chapter specifically and I debated just scrapping it and starting over, but I do hope that it worked out in the end! I hope this makes up for not updating last week :,) What were your thoughts on it? <3

Anywayss, as always, I hope to see you guys next Sunday with the double updates! 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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