Underdogs

TWENTY-SEVEN

"It's nothing, just a scratch. Some bastards pissed me off," she cut him off, still refusing to face him. "Geez, you can't even take a stroll without having idiots pestering you. Humanity really is fucked up; makes one wonder if there's anything worth saving."

His eyes widened. 

"Oi, oi, what the hell are you saying?"

Finally turning around, Galene pursed her lips in thought and locked her brown eyes on his furrowed features. She shrugged and ran a hand through her messy hair before pulling it up into a ponytail. "It's been a long day. I don't even know what I'm on about," she muttered, yet her voice wavered. It was enough for Levi to know that she was trying to deceive him from the truth, which only made his wariness grow. "Join me for a drink, will you?"

Taken aback by her sudden, casual question, Levi blinked and temporarily forgot about her odd behaviour. Following her towards the dining room, the man was ㅡ not for the first time ㅡ caught by her complex personality; he liked to believe he knew her better than anyone else, yet he had a feeling there was still so much about her that remained out of his grasp and comprehension.

"Kenny the Riper," she voiced some minutes later, when they were sitting at a table in an empty room. "What can you tell me about him?"

His hand had stopped mid-action, leaving a glass of whiskey touching his lips lightly. With wide eyes, Levi glanced at her. But she wasn't looking at him; her eyes were closed, arms crossed over her chest as she frowned, deep in thought.

"Not much," he replied. Placing the glass back on the table, he inwardly sighed. "He raised me in the underground when my mother died. That's all. I never really knew him."

Humming, Galene surprised him by looking completely calm and at ease; as if the fact that he had been living with a serial killer was ordinary.

"Is there a reason as to why you're asking, or are you just wasting my time again?" the man asked in a bored tone.

Her eyes narrowed, before she clicked her tongue and relaxed. "He's the man that took me back to those bastards when I was nine, the reason I spent years in that shithole surrounded by rats andㅡ" She cut herself off, gritted her teeth and shook her head. "He's trash, chases power and finds joy in destroying the dreams of others. With him around, is there really a point in planning for a future?"

Levi observed her as her words sank in, and he wondered what had brought it all up. There was something off in the way she was acting; her voice was too calm for someone with such amount of anger and frustration.

"Was that the only time you've run into him?"

For a fleeting moment, he swore her façade dropped. However, before he could press on the matter, the door opened. Jack stood there, fidgeting on his feet and looking incredibly out of place.

"Can we talk, Galene?"

"What the fuck does he want now?" Levi muttered, ready to tell him off.

A hand grasped his forearm, and he glanced at Galene. Her eyes bore into his, and his skin seemed to burn under her touch. Very slowly, her fingers retracted. "It's fine. If more bullshit comes from his mouth, I'll make sure he won't be able to use it again."

His eyebrow rose, and his lips twitched as her familiar, sadistic attitude came back to life in the form of a smirk. Levi scoffed and stood up.

"Come over already, jackass," Galene called.

"His face looks like it's leaking shit."

She rolled her eyes and gave him a look. "I can see why you're not popular with girls."

Levi tilted his head to glance at her, before his eyes lowered to clash with her dark ones. "Why would I give a damn about that?"

"You could have any girl you want and get laid," she commented lightly, smirk still in place. "Maybe that'd get rid of your grumpy mood."

He took a step to loom over her, his hair fell over his eyes and darkened his features. As his hands lay on the table to support his weight, Levi leaned down as Galene tilted her head to meet his intense gaze. Her emotions were easier to read in moments like that; her smirk wavered ㅡ surprise ㅡ, her eyes darkened ㅡ lust ㅡ, and goosebumps formed along her skin when his hand grazed hers ㅡ pleasure.

"By the looks of it, I'm popular with the only woman I want," he murmured, a breath from touching her lips. As her eyes widened and a look of surprise crossed her face, Levi straightened and turned away to walk out. "Maybe she can help with that."

ㅡ

The door closed with a soft click, and minutes went by with Galene staring at the wooden surface, frozen in place. She wasn't daft, yet it wouldn't take an idiot to understand what Levi had implied; he wanted her, and only her. While his actions had been self-explanatory more than once, he had never been one to express his feelings aloud; a confession wasn't something she had been expecting.

Someone cleared their throat, eventually bringing her attention to the reason she was still in the dining room. Her eyes had yet to return to their normal size, traces of a battle of emotions hid beneath a layer of shock and confusion.

"Bad timing, uh?"

Recovering quickly, Galene sent Jack an annoyed look. Who knew what would've happened if that idiot hadn't shown up? The mere thought sent a pleasant chill down her spine.

"He wants you so bad it's a fucking miracle you're still fully-clothed," he went on.

"And instead, I'm here with you because you want to talk. Make it quick." Jack seemed to tense up as her harsh tone chilled the air, and the woman could only roll her eyes. "What's with you, jackass? Don't tell me you're here to thank me for saving your sorry ass."

"Well... Iㅡ"

"Geez, I want to puke."

Jack narrowed his blue eyes and clenched his hands. "Stop mocking me, for crying out loud! And start calling me by my name. You're making me regret coming here in the first place."

Quirking an eyebrow, Galene crossed her arms over her chest and smirked in evident amusement; she loved being a sadist.

"It's not my fault your face makes me want to throw up," she said in a flat voice. "Tell you what. If you give me a good enough reason not to break your legs, I'll do my best to remember your name."

Much to her surprise, Jack seemed to accept her conditions and nodded stiffly. Thus she let him speak his mind, explain his actions and reveal his new intentions with her. By the time he was done talking, her face had lost its wary expression and she seemed to be mulling everything over.

"Your name?"

"Jack Leonhart."

A shadow crossed her eyes, before Galene blinked and stood up to leave the room. Her eyes closed for a moment as his last name echoed in her memories.

"How did you find out about my real identity, Jack?"

The man gave her a long stare. "I received a letter some time ago. But I had to make sure you were worth my trust."

"Who was it from?"

"It was anonymous," he admitted. 

She said nothing, but then nodded. "I'll consider your offer, but expect no special treatment."