A/N: I know I said I would stick to ao3, but there's a few people reading here, so I figured an update here wouldn't hurt. Hope you guys like it :)
You and Levi leave the office building at 8:30 am the next morning. You stiffen getting into Levi's car, remembering what happened yesterday, but Levi seems keen on pretending it never happened, so you do the same.
"It's an hour drive," Levi says as he pulls out of the parking lot. "Bring up the reports. May as well go over them while we drive."
You've been put in charge of keeping track of the reports, Levi's presentation speech, and a giant array of figures and graphs. The presentation itself is, generally, a request for more funding. Funding for office supplies, funding for new staff. Encompassed in his presentation are their budgetary requirements, the team's earnings over the past few years, and several graphs of price matching with other large supply companies. It's huge, but if anyone can handle it, Levi can.
So you run through it with him for the start of your drive, trying to think of questions that the other staff members might ask. Levi answers everything in his same monotone voice, but he answers without hesitation and covers every base so that there's no area where you can think of a follow up question. He's good- you're sure this presentation will go well.
"You know anything about the other branches?" Levi asks after you're done going through everything you can dig up.
You shrug. "Bits and pieces, just in passing."
"There's two others," he says, holding up two fingers. "We're headed to the Garrison. They're the building on the edge of the city. Whole lot of idiots who think they're all better than us. Then there's the main processors. That's where most of the higher ups and executives are. Erwin has meetings there at least once a week. We just call 'em MPs."
"MPs," you echo. "What do they call us?"
"Corps."
"Why's that?"
"No idea." Levi leans the wheel left and switches lanes. "But just know they're all entitled morons and they look down on us."
You nod slowly, looking back at the road.
"And we're picking up Armin and Eren on the way back," Levi adds. "They're both visiting clients in the area."
"How're they getting down there?"
"Bus."
"You didn't want to drive them?"
"No, I didn't." Levi switches lanes again and shoots you an annoyed look. "If we had taken them, they'd be almost an hour early, and they both have enough to do already."
You nod again, focusing your eyes on the road.
The rest of the drive is in silence. You manage to relax, but you're still reeling from the events of yesterday. Levi had checked you out and he hadn't exactly been shy about it, and then he'd leaned in. So had you, for that matter. He was going to kiss you, and you'd wanted him to, more badly than you've ever wanted anything in your life.
And now it was back to being coworkers.
You wish you were a telepath. You could look into Levi's mind and try and see what the hell is going on in that head of his.
When you arrive, the first thing you notice is how huge the building is compared to where you work. Your building back home has four floors; here, there's at least ten. You gape at the sheer size of the building, stumbling after Levi with your briefcase in hand. So this is the Garrison.
"You're letting in flies," he remarks, and you snap your jaw shut.
You both head into the lobby, which is much larger than the lobby in your own building. The woman behind the desk perks up. You read her name tag: Maria. "Mr. Ackerman!" she greets. "Eighth floor. They're waiting for you."
"Are we late?" you ask Levi as you head towards the elevator.
He shakes his head. "No. They're just hellishly early." There's a ding, and the elevator doors open. You step in and press the button for the eighth floor; Levi follows and stands on your other side. "They might ask you questions," he adds, eyes trained on the glowing red number above the door. "Nothing difficult, just how you like the job. Otherwise, I need you to take notes of the important points that the Garrison bring up in their presentation. It'll probably be Hannes- he's Pixis's second in command."
"Pixis?" you ask.
"He's in charge. Like Erwin, but for the Garrison."
"So Hannes is your equivalent."
Levi wrinkles his nose. "Don't put that filthy alcoholic as my equal." He glances at you, his sharp grey eyes locked on yours. "If you ever have any questions, say them. You're not just an intern, you're part of the team."
You blink. That's a lot of trust for an intern who's only been around for a month and a half. You swallow hard and nod. Levi nods in return, satisfied, and turns back to the door.
The elevator dings. Levi steps out and you follow, the briefcase heavy in your grip. The first thing you notice is the lack of secretary. The second thing you notice is the desk arrangement. Back with the Corps, the desks were arranged in pods of three, which made for quick communication. Here, every desk is on its own, but there's still a lot of chatter of people calling to each other or those with their chairs turned around to talk to someone else. If you squint, you think you can make out some man playing solitaire. The third thing you notice is that the office is predominantly male, which makes you wrinkle your nose.
"Ah! Levi," someone calls, and you see a bald man with a mustache approaching. He sticks his hand out, and Levi shakes. "Good to see you."
"Pixis," he greets casually, but you can see the tension in his shoulders. "Staying?"
"Not today," he says, and you remember Levi saying Pixis was in charge of the Garrison. He holds his hand out to you. "I see you brought your intern."
You give him your name and shake. "Nice to meet you."
"You as well. Try not to fall asleep, these budget meetings can get lengthy." He smiles wryly and walks by you.
"Conference room," Levi says, and you follow him to a large room in the back of the office. Several people at the desks stare at you and whisper amongst each other. You're not sure what they're saying, but it's probably not good.
Levi knocks and opens the conference room door. Inside is a large round table with three people sitting around it: a blond man hunched over his papers, a larger man with wide eyes, and a man with combed dark hair. There's a girl in one of the chairs next to the door, and she looks about your age. When you lock eyes with her, she smiles.
"Levi," the larger man says, rising from his seat. "Welcome." He turns to you next. "He mentioned he was bringing his intern. I'm Rod Reiss, CEO. You can call me Rod."
You offer a small wave. "Nice to meet you."
Rod smiles, but it's nowhere near pleasant. "This is Hannes, assistant manager of this branch." The blond man flicks his hand up in a wave. "And this would be Nile, head manager of our other branch." The MPs, you remind yourself. "This is his intern, Hitch."
The woman waves at you, and you wave back, trying to set yourself at ease. "Let's get into this, shall we?" Nile says, gesturing to Levi. "Hannes has offered to start, unless you have any objections to that."
Levi shrugs casually and takes the seat next to Nile. Hitch is sitting by the door, not at the table, so you take a seat with her. "So you're the poor soul stuck with Levi, huh?" she whispers as soon as you sit down.
"Is his reputation that bad?" you whisper back, allowing yourself to smile.
Hitch grins. "Everyone talks about him like he's the scariest man alive. I thought he'd be taller."
You raise a hand to your mouth to hide your laugh. "How do you like it so far?" you ask as Hannes starts setting up with the projector at the front of the room.
She shrugs. "It's a job. It puts money in the pocket. Hopefully it leads to something. You?"
"It's good," you murmur. "Levi's not that bad."
Hitch giggles. "He seems pretty mean."
You glance at Levi. He's got an elbow propped up on the table and he's facing the projector screen, so his back is to you, but you can tell he's glaring daggers at Hannes. You laugh to yourself and shrug in reply to her statement. You can't really argue with that; he is sort of nasty when he wants to be.
Pixis was right: the budget presentations are definitely enough to bore you to death. Both you and Hitch take notes throughout Hannes's presentation, but he's boring, and there's no visual appeal to his slideshow. You'd gone through the Garrison's budget reports: consistent efforts in sales, and a consistently increasing budget. Compared to the Corps, at least, their budget is superb; your branch has gotten very minimal funding in comparison.
Levi goes, and you try your best not to stare. You know this presentation like the back of your hand, and you smile happily when you see that it looks good up on screen. Despite his consistently neutral tone, Levi is much more engaging than Hannes, and he does a better job communicating what he wants.
"Must be nice, having a hot boss," Hitch mutters.
Your eyes scan over Levi again: white collared shirt, black pants and jacket, every inch of him poised and sharp. Hitch is right; he's hot as hell. "I guess," you murmur in return.
"Mine's married with two kids," she replies quietly, jerking her chin at Nile. "That's no fun."
No fun. Like she's implying that part of the job excitement is flirting with your boss. The worst part is, you can't even argue. You've savored every moment with Levi, every touch, every word of praise that you can get. For lack of a better term, you're smitten.
Nile goes after Levi, and his presentation is significantly cleaner than Hannes. It's quite formal and outlines everything well. He finishes, and then there's a debate.
Well, 'debate' is putting it loosely. It's mostly Levi at everyone's throats. But in his defense, it feels like everyone is against him. From listening, you manage to gather that the Corps have never received a great budget, always getting the short end of the stick. Rod assures him that it's just a measure of resources and not performance, but Levi quickly refutes him with several tables of calculations of the Garrisons' capacity versus profit and your own, then crosses it with the work that Nile's branch has done. It's clear he's done this before.
Maybe two, two and a half hours have gone by when Rod finally says, "alright. Hannes, your office. Levi, you as well. Nile, you're good to go."
"It was nice meeting you," Hitch says formally, winking at you. "Hopefully I'll see you again soon."
"Likewise," you reply, smiling at her.
You move to stand, but Levi's hand clamps by on your shoulder as he passes. "Stay," he says gruffly, making you feel an awful lot like a dog. "I'll call you if we need you. This isn't going to be pleasant."
You nod. "Got it."
"And call Arlert. See when he's wrapping up."
"Okay."
He releases you, and you drop into your seat like a puppet cut from its strings. Nile nods to you as he passes, and Hitch waves one last time. Hannes, Rod, and Levi disappear into one of the offices, the door shutting behind them.
Well, he never said you had to stay in the conference room. You step around to the front of the office area and sit in one of the comfier chairs. No one seems to pay you any mind. You pull out your phone and find the picture you took of the employee contact list, then dial Armin's number.
He picks up after the second ring. "Hello! Armin Arlert speaking!"
"Hi," you reply, glancing around the office to make sure you haven't disturbed anyone, but it's noisy and no one seems to notice one more voice added to the chatter. "It's-"
"Oh! Hi! Levi said to expect your call. Yes, we closed the deal. We're just grabbing lunch now."
You grin. "Great."
"How much longer will you be?"
"Well, Levi just went with the CEO and the assistant manager of the Garrison into his office," you say, cocking your head so you can see through one of the windows. You glimpse Hannes at his desk, clicking through something on his computer, and Rod seems to be locked in a heated debate with Levi. "Doesn't look like it'll be wrapping up anything soon."
Armin laughs on the other end. "That just means more time for lunch. Thanks!"
"I'll call you when we're out."
"Got it. Good luck!"
Armin hangs up, and you tuck your phone back into your pocket and lean back in the chair. Your eyes drift across the Garrison's office. One of Hannes's arguments had been that they produce more results than the Corps, but that might just be because of the sheer size of the department. This floor alone has twenty-five people while yours has seventeen- and apparently your floor is the largest. And to think this is the eighth floor of the Garrison building. How many others are on the other floors?
You glance at one man's computer and scowl to yourself. "Is he seriously playing chess?" you mutter. Wasn't Hannes praising everyone for their productivity? "At least be more discrete," you add to yourself. The worker doesn't look like he's hiding it. You squint at his nametag on his desk: Lobov.
Frankly, you're no chess player, but it's more entertaining than doing nothing. You watch him make a move, then wait. What's he waiting for? There's a long pause, then one of the opponent's pieces moves. The man- Lobov- shifts closer to his screen, clicking for his next move.
Any computer would've made their move much faster. He must be playing a real person.
You wonder if he's playing someone in the office. You glance around, trying to see anyone else's screen. Fruitless, you return your gaze to the first man's screen, right as he checkmates his opponent.
You look back into the main office just in time to see Hannes slam a fist quietly into his desk, muttering something. You see Levi and Rod look up, and Hannes brushes it off. Levi and Rod return to their discussion.
"No way," you whisper to yourself. Is the assistant manager playing fucking chess in the middle of their meeting?
Lobov starts a new game, and your gaze shifts between him and Hannes in his office. Sure enough, when Hannes is studying his screen, Lobov isn't paying much attention, and when Lobov is making a move, Hannes is leaning into Rod and Levi's conversation. You're convinced- they're playing chess. The fucking audacity, to claim to be more productive than pull something like this.
After another fifteen minutes or so, the door to the office opens, and the CEO pokes his head out. "You, intern," he says, gesturing to you. "Come here for a second."
You blink in surprise, then stand, leaving your briefcase on the seat. When you enter the office, Rod shuts the door behind you and resumes his seat. "What can I do for you?" you ask politely.
"Just hoping for an outside opinion on a debate of ours," he says casually.
You exchange a glance with Levi. His glare screams don't fuck this up. "Happy to help, sir."
"Good, good. I've seen you- you've been observing the workplace," Rod says, glancing back to Hannes. Hannes is watching you and not his screen; it must not be his move. "You've spent the last month or so working with the Corps. What can you say to their productivity style? Anything at all. Meetings, desk layout, morale, personalities. Compared to what you've seen in the past while here, in the Garrison."
"She's only been here for three hours," Hannes says bluntly, and you feel your temper rise.
"Well, everyone back at the Corps has been nothing but welcoming and made me feel like one of the team," you say slowly. Levi rolls his eyes, almost as if to say too cheesy. "And I love their workstyle. I love the pods of three. It makes for easy communication, especially when I have questions, and it makes everyone feel like more of a team. It feels like everyone has known each other for years, and even though I've only just arrived, they all treat me like family."
Rod smiles wearily. "Even this one?" he jokes, nudging Levi with his elbow. "I'm told he's a tough nut to crack." Levi scowls.
You smile innocently. "You just need to know what kind of tea he likes, sir."
Levi's eyebrows rise. The CEO laughs. "And what you've seen of the Garrison so far?"
"It's a big office," you say, wondering how best to word what you've been observing for the last half hour. "And everyone seems to get along just fine. But because of the singular desks, people often have to either shout or travel to someone else's area to ask questions or get information. It makes the area sort of... well, chaotic."
Rod nods thoughtfully, and even Levi looks somewhat pleased. You try not to smile too much, thrilled that your input is valued.
At least, until Hannes mutters, "well, her opinion is obviously biased. C'mon, Rod, she's obviously too scared to talk about her workplace in front of her boss."
There are several rude things that you could say, many of which would probably get you fired, so you settle on, "my apologies, Mr. Hannes. Don't let me interrupt your chess game."
Silence ensues.
The look in Hannes's eyes is priceless, and you know your hunch is correct. "His what, sorry?" Rod asks, eyebrows furrowing.
"Oh, he's been playing an online chess game with one of his coworkers during this entire meeting," you say pleasantly, shooting Hannes the most sickeningly sweet smile you can muster. "I believe his name is Lobov? Best not leave him waiting too long, otherwise he'll become preoccupied by his phone."
"Hannes?" Rod says slowly.
Hannes moves fast, but Levi is faster. He tugs the monitor and twists it around. It's a spreadsheet with numbers, and for a second you think you might be wrong, but Levi takes Hannes's mouse from him and clicks on a separate internet tab. A game of chess pops up.
"Well then," Levi says, and he sounds awfully smug.
"Hannes," Rod says with a sigh of disappointment.
"If you wanted my opinion on productivity in the workplace, sir," you say. You swallow hard, willing your resolve to stay strong for just a bit longer. "We've just had two of our sales team close a huge deal downtown in the past twenty minutes that you've been in here. Yet the most productive thing I've seen your team do so far," you say firmly, looking to the blond man, "is manage to put you in checkmate in a game of online chess."
Another beat of silence. The CEO looks torn between disappointment and embarrassment.
"Yes, Hannes, I believe that answers your question," Levi says, voice carefully neutral. He's watching you out of the corner of his eye. "You really think she's scared of me?"
Hannes's mouth opens, then closes.
"I think that's enough for today," Rod says tiredly. "Levi, you're free to go. And take your intern with you."
Levi gives him a curt nod, and you follow him out the door, grabbing the briefcase on the way. He seemed fairly smug during the meeting, but you're wondering if he'll reprimand you now that you're not in front of the CEO. The two of you stop in front of the elevator and Levi presses the button to go down.
"You caused quite the scene," he muses.
You bristle slightly. The elevator doors open, and you both step in. "It was just an observation," you mutter, grip tightening on your case. "That's all."
Levi turns to face you as the doors close. "Anything to say for yourself?"
"I'm not going to apologize," you say flatly. "I don't regret a word I said. But- well- maybe I could've handled it better," you admit, eyes still glued on the elevator doors. "So I'll accept any sort of punishment you deem fit. And, well, if you want to fire me, I'll understand."
You tack the last bit on as an afterthought. Judging by Levi's reaction to the situation, he's not going to fire you, but it's worth putting up in the air anyways.
Finally, the silence is too much to bear. You turn and look at Levi and stiffen up immediately. He's surveying you, watching your expressions and your body language.
Then, you notice: he's got the same hunger in his eyes that he did yesterday in the parking lot. You wonder if he can see the same burning desire in your eyes that you've been trying to squash since day one, which has only gotten worse since your incident in the car yesterday. His eyes remain locked on you; it almost looks like he's weighing out his options.
Levi bites his lip, mumbles something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like "fuck it" and surges forwards.
Your lips collide almost painfully, but it's such a relief that you have to stifle your groan as you respond to him. The briefcase clatters to the ground, forgotten, and you throw your arms around Levi's neck and kiss him back with the same amount of enthusiasm.
One of his hands circles your hip, and the other wraps around your back and slides down to your ass. Levi squeezes and you moan into the kiss, lips parting. With the opening, Levi's tongue presses into your mouth, and you push your tongue out to meet him.
Your shoulders hit the elevator wall, but Levi tugs your waist forward, pulling your hips flush with his. You thread your hands up into that unbelievably soft hair that you've been dying to touch again, lacing it between your fingers and twisting. Levi palms your ass through your pants again and you sink your teeth into his upper lip.
The animal inside you roars with satisfaction. It feels even better than your hookup a month and a half ago; somehow, the pining and the overall inappropriateness of the situation make it so much hotter. Levi's hand slides from your butt to your thigh and he lifts. You let him hoist your leg up as he pushes you harder into the elevator wall, your back digging into the railing.
The elevator dings.
Levi shoots back like lightning, and you have to grab onto the side railing of the elevator to keep yourself upright. You gape at Levi, lungs screaming for the oxygen he stole from you. It was only for a few seconds, but it feels like the world just tilted off of its axis.
His eyes linger on you for a second more before the doors slide open and he strides out like nothing happened.
After a dizzying second of collecting yourself, you mutter, "what the hell" and snatch your briefcase up from the ground, stumbling after your boss.