A/N: alright, fuck it. if they take it down, they take it down. I'll post everything I've got here and keep updating it here as I update ao3, so if you've been reading this on ao3, don't worry- you're not missing anything.
NSFW folks. Enjoy.
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As soon as you're out of the building, Levi has you call Armin. You call him and get a location on where they're having lunch, and Levi starts to drive, informing you that it's only five minutes away.
He doesn't talk about what happened in the elevator.
You can still feel the pressure on your lips, his hand on your thigh, his hair between your fingers. Your body feels hypersensitive. If you shut your eyes, you can still picture Levi's fiery gaze on you, stripping you down with his eyes, before he finally decided to let go of whatever qualms he had about making a move.
His lips had been so, so soft...
You blink as Levi says, "we're here," and he pulls the car over the side of the street. You dial Armin's number again on your phone.
He picks up and says, "we can see your car, we'll be there in a second. Eren's just in the bathroom."
"Tell him if Jaeger doesn't hurry up, we're leaving without him," Levi says.
"If Eren doesn't hurry up, Levi's threatened to leave without him," you relay, pressing the phone tighter to your ear.
There's the sound of fumbling on the other end before Armin chuckles. "Alright, he's out, we're coming."
You hang up and glance at Levi. "You wouldn't actually leave them, would you?"
"I would," he replies, eyes still trained forward at the car parked in front of you.
He won't even look at you.
For the second time that day, you wish you could pry his brain open and see what the hell's going on inside. Does he regret it? Wish it never happened? Does he want to do it again?
The door to the back seat opens, and Armin slides in. He grins at you. "Hey! How'd it go?"
"I'm not sure," you say, glancing at Levi. He's still not looking at you. "I-"
"Hey!" Eren greets, sliding in next to Armin and shoving the blond over into the next seat. "Didn't get bored to death? I remember the one time I went, I fell asleep in the middle of it!"
"Yet somehow, we didn't fire you," Levi grumbles. As soon as Eren closes the door, Levi pulls away from the sidewalk and sets out on the road.
Armin seems to sense the tension- you hate how sharp he is. "Did something happen?" he asks, frowning.
Eren slumps down. "We're not getting our budget again, are we?"
Again. It sounds like they're used to disappointment. You glance at Levi again, then force your eyes back onto the road in front of you. "I'm not the person to ask," you say, brushing off the questions. "That was my first meeting, I'm not sure what the usual is." Whatever the usual is, you bet it's not having the intern rat out the Garrison for playing chess.
"Captain?" Armin asks tentatively.
Levi clicks his tongue. "I think we've got a good chance of getting what we want this year."
All three of you straighten up. "Really?" Eren says excitedly. "Does this mean we could get new chairs? God, my chair is so worn down-"
"Because you keep having races with Jean," Armin interrupts. "What went different this time?"
"Greenie here," Levi says, and you resist the urge to sink down into your seat, "called out Hannes for playing computer games in the middle of our meeting with one of the other workers. He'd been trying to argue that the Garrison produces better results and makes better use of their time, and that little blunder completely undermined his presentation. She did her damage and we left immediately after that."
"Don't say it like that," you mutter, crossing your arms.
He raises an eyebrow. "Would you rather me fire you?"
"Oh my god!" Eren yells next to your ear, and you nearly flinch. "You did not! You actually caught them playing games?"
"They've just been getting bolder and bolder," Armin says excitedly. "Wow! The look on his face must've been good."
You can't help but grin. "It was," you agree.
"Wow, wait until the higher ups hear about this," Eren continues enthusiastically. "You think old Hannes is gonna try and cover it up? He probably will. Did you get proof? Or something?"
"We don't need to wait for the higher ups to hear," Levi replies, stopping at a red light. "Rod was there."
"The CEO was there?" Armin cries.
"Oh, hell yeah!" Eren says.
You groan, burying your face in your hands.
The rest of the car ride is composed of Eren and Armin's chatter (you're pretty sure Eren has texted half the office about this incident by now) and occasionally you join in. Levi is dead silent the entire time, and you're grateful for the presence of the men in the back seat; any awkward silence from what you're dubbing the Elevator Incident is avoided.
When the four of you head back into the office, you're met with a round of applause. "Dear lord," you mutter.
"Called 'em out!" Ymir hoots from her desk. "That's our girl!"
"Nice going, Greenie!" Connie calls. He and Sasha are giving you a standing ovation. "Bravo!"
"Did you tell everyone?" you mutter to Eren.
He rubs the back of his head with his hand sheepishly. "I told Mikasa and Jean. And then Jean told Marco and Ymir, and Ymir probably told Historia, and Historia's too nice to keep something secret."
"Sorry," Historia says with a sheepish smile.
"Quiet down," Levi snaps. "You've all got better things to do."
'Better things to do' lasts all of ten seconds until Levi's office door closes and everyone breaks into chatter again, wanting the full story. The attention, albeit a bit uncomfortable at first, drives you to tell the story as best you can: noticing Lobov playing chess, seeing how his moves lined up with Hannes's computer activity in his office, then bringing it up when Hannes tried to belittle your contributions to the discussion.
Jean laughs. "Damn, I wish I was there. Sounds hilarious."
"And you said Rod Reiss was there?" Reiner says, and you nod. He chuckles. "Damn. Sounds perfect."
"I would've been scared to death," Bertolt says with a worried grin.
"Did Levi yell at you?" Historia asks.
Well... not exactly. "No, not really," you say, trying to keep the Elevator Incident at the back of your mind.
"What'd he do?" Mikasa asks.
You can't exactly say that the situation turned him on and he made out with you in an elevator. "Well, he seemed sort of smug," you say. "And Mr. Reiss just seemed so disappointed."
There's a collective laugh. "Serves them right," Eren says confidently. "They've been taking a huge chunk of our budget every year."
"Maybe we'll be able to get new phones," Marco says, smiling.
"New computers," Ymir adds. "These stupid ones keep crashing." With that, you can definitely agree.
"Or a new printer," Annie murmurs, glancing at the two printers located behind her desk.
"Maybe we can splurge on some equipment!" Hange says excitedly, spinning in their chair. They'd wheeled out of their small office space to join the conversation. "Mike mentioned some new things down for the warehouse!"
The door to the office opens, and everyone looks up to see Erwin striding in. He notices everyone staring at him and raises a bushy eyebrow. "Did I miss something?"
Hange's the first to speak up. "Greenie knocked the Garrison down a couple levels!"
"Absolutely decimated them," Ymir adds unhelpfully.
"We might be getting our funding for once," Sasha says excitedly. "Could we get a new vending machine?"
Erwin's eyes land on you, and you shrug sheepishly. "I see," he says, and he smiles. "So the meeting went well, I assume?" You nod, but shrug again. "Well. I'll have to reconvene once Levi is free. Tell him I'll be in my office." His eyes flash- he's excited. "Well done," Erwin adds.
"Thank you, sir," you say.
As soon as Erwin's office door is closed, Connie claps you on the back. "Look at you!" he says with a laugh.
"We should go out for food," Historia suggests with a large smile. "To celebrate!"
"Isn't that a bit premature?" you ask.
Hange's arm loops around your shoulders. "Nothing wrong with drinks with your coworkers! C'mon, I bet I can get Mike to come out this time. We can bring the warehouse crew!"
"Scouts?" Sasha asks excitedly.
Everyone stares at you, like they're waiting for your say-so. You're literally the newest member of the team, barely a month and a half of working, and you're not even a permanent position. Technically, you've only got another two months and a bit until you're done. Yet they treat you like one of them. They don't act differently; they don't treat you like an intern at all.
You grin. "Scouts."
Everyone cheers. Hange squeezes your shoulders. You glance back at Levi's office, but the door is closed. Despite all the excitement, you still can't let yourself be completely happy when you're still reeling from the events of earlier.
You exhale and go back to grinning with the rest of the team. One thing at a time.
.
Levi calls you into his office later, just a few minutes before everyone will start wrapping up for the night. You're still jittery, shifting from foot to foot, fiddling with your fingers. You've got a nagging feeling in your stomach that feels anything but good.
"Leave the door open," Levi says, and something falls in your chest.
You nod and let your hand drop from the doorknob. "Yes?" you ask.
He sighs, and after what seems like a bit of an internal debate, Levi says, "good work today. I have no intention of punishing you for something I wish I could've done ages ago."
The praise makes your heart flutter. You force a smile, but you're still too tense to completely appreciate the compliment. "Thank you, sir."
"That being said," he continues, leaning forward on his desk, "I- I should..." Levi bites his tongue, and you're so stressed that it feels physically painful at this point. "I should apologize," he says flatly, "for what came afterwards."
Your head spins. The Elevator Incident. "Oh?" you manage.
He nods, more like he's trying to assure himself than you. "It was inappropriate," he says. "It shouldn't have happened."
Disappointment clouds your head. You open your mouth to speak, but you can't even think of what you should say. Levi's words are telling you one thing, but his face is telling you something else. His eyes are trained downwards, avoiding your gaze; his jaw is clenched. Eventually, when you don't come up with a response, he looks up, and you can see the frustration in his eyes.
"In all fairness, sir," you say carefully, "I'm getting mixed signals."
He's telling you it shouldn't have happened while simultaneously looking like he just wants to get up from his desk and press you up against the wall. This marks another time where you wish you could see what's going on in his head. By your guess, he knows it's inappropriate and is hoping to just avoid the situation entirely. But if you're reading this right, then he wants you as badly as you want him.
"And it's alright," you add before he can say anything else. You swallow hard. "I didn't mind."
Levi's eyes are cold and guarded. "Alright," he says slowly. "Have a good weekend."
Alright. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Does he plan on pursuing this any further? You've just told him you didn't mind the kiss, the heat and passion in the elevator- and his response is fucking alright?
You frown, frustrated with whatever stupid situation you and Levi are in. "Have a good weekend," you repeat bitterly.
You wait a second longer, to see if he'll say anything else.
He doesn't.
You turn and stride out of his office and back to your chair, refusing to look back and see his glare burning holes in your skull.
.
Levi doesn't show up for drinks with the group that night. You pretend to not be disappointed.
.
The next week at work is entirely uneventful. There's no days where you have to work late, no moments where you're left alone with Levi. Even if you were going to say something about last Friday, there's no opportunity to. Levi takes his tea from you every morning, hands you a file in return, and sends you on your way without so much as a "good morning".
Friday hits, and it feels like it's been the longest week of your life. You've been waiting to see if Levi would do anything, but most exciting thing that's happened is Levi telling you "the tea isn't totally shit" when you brought it to him this morning.
Hell, Halloween is next week. You're almost two months in.
And if something doesn't happen between you and Levi soon, you're going to combust. There's only so much longer you can go before you're going to say something you regret.
At 4 pm on Friday, Levi calls you into his office. No, it's not anything unusual. Sometimes he's demanding updates on your progress, other times he's handing you more to work on, or occasionally he asks for more tea.
Except this time, he says "shut the door" and your interest is immediately piqued.
"What's up?" you ask, pushing the door shut behind you.
Levi gestures to you to come to his side of the desk. "Email from Rod," he says casually. "Results of that meeting last week."
You gasp in surprise and move around to him, leaning down to read the email. It's addressed to Levi, Erwin, Nile (whom you remember from the meeting), Hannes, Pixis, and a few other names that you don't recognize. Ah, Hange's on the list too. You let your eyes skip down and read the email.
'Please see the attached forms concerning our division of the budget this year between the branches. It is quite different from past years, and for further discussion, please feel free to arrange a meeting with me.'
"So?" you ask, turning to Levi. You back up a bit to give him space; he's only a few inches away from you. "Did we get it?"
"For the first time in five years," Levi says, his lips twitching into some sort of smirk, "we not only hit the numbers we asked for, but we went above it."
Your jaw slips open. "You mean-"
"We got part of the Garrison's funding," he finishes.
"You did it," you whisper, grinning.
Levi turns back to his screen and clicks on another email. "Read this one."
You lean down again. This one's also from Rod, but addressed just to Levi.
'Levi,
Your presentation was well done; thank you for bringing to my attention the neglect I've had for your branch in recent years. It's nice to receive reminder that you are, in fact, a smaller branch, so it is to be expected that your profits are not as high as the others. However, your work should be complimented, as you've accomplished many things in the past year.
I hope this budget for your next year will assist in boosting your production and allow for further success. As recent events have come to light-'
"Does he mean that chess game?" you ask, looking back at Levi.
He nods. "Keep reading."
'-it would not be unwise of me to show that these numbers cannot be taken for granted. I hope, following this announcement, that the other branches realize that although their consistency is valued, there is more work that could be done.
Please extend my thanks to your intern. I can see why you spoke highly of her. She is a great addition to your team and I hope she can continue to be of assistance in her remaining time here at Eldian Enterprises.'
You turn to Levi, smiling. "You spoke highly of me?"
He snorts. "The CEO is licking your boots and that's what you're focused on?"
You pause, thinking. "Well, if I may, sir, your opinion means more to me than the CEOs," you say carefully.
Levi is close, with you leaning on his desk to look at the computer and him in his chair next to you. "Does it?" he muses to himself, turning his head up to look at you.
You keep yourself still. "It does. You could've emailed me these," you add.
"I could've," he agrees.
But if he had, you wouldn't be here. You wouldn't be only inches away from Levi, staring at him, wondering if he's really thinking of doing something now while everyone else is only a wall away. You lean down a bit lower on the desk, bringing yourself to the same level he's at.
Levi leans in, slowly, but not to kiss you: to bring his lips next to your ear.
"Do you know," he whispers, his voice sending chills down your spine, "what I want to do to you right now?"
Oh, you think you do.
"Show me," you whisper in return.
It's daring. It's also Levi's job on the line, potentially, if anyone found out. His body is tense beside you, and you will yourself not to move, to give him time to think. Because worst case scenario for you is that you lose your internship. He's got a lot more on the line.
His breath is hot on your neck. Your legs feel weak, like you might just collapse against the desk right then and there. But he's not moving. You squeeze your eyes shut, waiting.
Levi's lips ghost against your skin, the soft spot between your jaw and your ear, and you shudder. The touch is so tiny, so light, so miniscule. Your arms feel like they're shaking.
Then, the touch leaves. "No," Levi mutters.
Your head is still spinning, but you manage to straighten yourself up, trying to compose yourself. You stifle your disappointment. "Okay," you force out.
"Not..." Levi sighs, pressing a hand into his forehead. The confliction is evident in his tone and in his expression. "Not now."
"Then when?" you ask.
Levi doesn't reply.
Does he know? Does he know how crazy he makes you, how he keeps you up at night, how you can't even imagine laying with another man because you're just going to keep comparing them to him?
You're compelled with the urge to tell him, to make him understand. "You're driving me insane," you whisper. "You know that, right?"
Levi leans back in his chair, his eyes still locked on you. "I'm your boss," he says.
He says it in a way that indicates that you should be the one scared by the situation, not him. Like you're the one with something to lose. It's ludicrous, really; you've weighed this out several times in your head throughout the last week, and every time you've come out with the same conclusion. You're willing to take the risk.
He's got a lot more to consider. It should be him making the decision if he wants to go through with this, but frankly, Levi's mixed signals are pissing you off.
You set your jaw. "And?"
"That doesn't scare you?"
A laugh bubbles up from your chest. "Oh, it does," you agree, but you recognize that the moment is broken, and you head towards the door. "But I'm not the one with the most to lose," you say, hand resting lightly on the doorknob.
Levi rests an elbow on the desk and settles his chin in his palm. "Is that so?"
"You don't scare me, Levi," you say, using his name for the first time since your work term started- you'd stuck with 'sir' or 'boss' the entire time. You don't miss how Levi's spine goes rigid. "Your position might, but not enough for me to back down. You have the most to lose, so this is up to you. Just know that I'm not opposed."
He doesn't reply, instead choosing to eye you warily.
You smile politely. "Thank you for the praise, sir," you say quietly. "I'll be at my desk if you need me."
You open door and head out without looking back, then shut it firmly behind you. You exhale shakily and squeeze your eyes shut. You did it- you put the ball in his court, for lack of a better metaphor. You're done chasing him- he's got to come to you.
You bring your hand up to your neck. It's like you can still feel his breath there.
"Oi, Greenie!" Connie calls. "What's up?"
You wonder if you can spill the good news. Before you can think of anything to say, Erwin steps out of his office, and heads swivel to look at him. He sees you and smiles. "I assume Levi's informed you."
"Yes, sir," you reply, grinning.
"Then feel free to share."
Everyone's staring at you now, but you can't afford to hold it in any longer. "We got the budget," you say excitedly, and everyone perks up. "Our goal, and then a chunk of the Garrison's."
The office bursts into cheers and chatter. Hange and Mike both come out of their separate office area to celebrate with the rest of the group. You smile, heading back to your desk as Sasha and Connie already start to make plans for drinks tonight, and glance back at Levi's office. He's the only one not out here, celebrating with the group. He should be.
Erwin seems to read your mind. He walks around the office perimeter, striding behind your desk, and knocks on Levi's door. "Levi," he calls, "you should be out here."
The door swings open. "I don't need to be out here," he snaps, "I can hear those noisy idiots even with the door closed."
"Then you understand that we're celebrating," Erwin says, undeterred by Levi's attitude. "You're required to join us."
Levi scowls. He's glaring at Erwin. "Scouts again?"
"Scouts!" several of your coworkers echo.
"This is thanks to you," the blond reminds him gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's hardly a celebration if the man you're celebrating isn't there."
Levi jerks his chin at you, still keeping eye contact with Erwin. "She's got as much of a hand in this as I do."
"And she's joining us," Erwin says, glancing at you with a strong gaze that reads you'd better be coming with us. You nod quickly, and the manager smiles pleasantly. "There. So we'll see you there?"
"Fine, but someone's buying me my first drink."
The door shuts. Erwin blinks in surprise, then turns back to the rest of you. "That didn't take nearly as much convincing as I expected. He's in a good mood."
"I call not buying Levi's drink!" Hange shouts, shooting a hand in the air. "I got it last time!"
"I'll get Greenie a drink," Ymir calls, winking at you. "She deserves one too."
"I won't say no to that," you say with a grin.
Erwin, as a treat, lets the office go half an hour early. You get piled into a car with Connie and Sasha (which is far more chaotic that you anticipated) and after two near traffic incidents, you make it to Scouts. Sure enough, Ymir buys you a drink, and there's a quick order for hot wings. This time, you try some.
You catch Levi staring at you frequently, eyes kept low but alight with some sort of deeper yearning. His turn, you remind yourself, thinking of your outburst in his office. You told him you weren't scared, and it was clear he wanted you. And that you wanted him. You left it up to him, put him in charge. It's much more dangerous for him, anyways: at worst, you lose a four month internship that you're already almost halfway done. For him, he could lose his job. Levi doesn't seem overly concerned about the consequences when you're in private, though.
All you need now is for him to have an opportunity, which isn't going to be here at the table at Scouts surrounded by your coworkers.
You take an idle sip of your drink. Soon, you think to yourself.
Soon, very soon, Levi's going to cave, and you're looking forward to when he does.
.
Levi goes home from Scouts more frustrated than he's ever been in his whole life.
He collapses on his couch, jacket tossed aside, and groans up to the ceiling. God fucking damn you and every single thing that led to you being his intern.
You'd told him you weren't afraid. Why fucking not?
He's your boss- your fucking boss. Why wouldn't that scare you? It's something that he could hold against you, something that could backfire in one hundred different ways, each ending in one- or both- of you being fired.
Levi's fingers float down to his belt buckle and he undoes it subconsciously. Sure, it's just an internship. There'll be more. But getting fired midway for sleeping with your boss ought to put a dent in future job opportunities. You're talented, he knows it, but getting fired is never a good thing on a resume.
You're fucking intoxicating is the problem. Levi bites his lip as his fingers start undoing the buttons of his pants. Calling out the Garrison- even fucking Rod, who was always too dumb to see reason, acknowledged you and your value.
And you'd hadn't even cared about the CEO. You'd just wanted his approval.
Levi doesn't realize what he's doing until his fingers are wrapped around his cock and he groans. Damn you. Damn how attractive you are, how witty you are- damn how fucking desirable you are. "Fuck," Levi groans, low and quiet as he starts shifting his hand, jerking himself off in quick pulls.
He'd tried. He really did. He tried to forget what happened between you two on that night in early September. But seeing you every day in the office, seeing you handle everything he threw at you and assert yourself- fuck if you weren't even bit as alluring as you were in the bar on that first night.
His grip tightens on his cock. After that kiss in the Garrison building, when he'd caved and shoved you up against the wall of the elevator- it was clear he had an issue.
Hell, it wasn't even that he missed just having sex. That night, while the rest of the company was at Scouts, he'd went back to the bar and grabbed the first woman that threw herself at him. She'd been more than eager to suck him off, but he'd ended up stopping her not even thirty seconds in, because he couldn't go a second without comparing her to you; she was too sloppy, too much at the wrong times. You'd seemed to dig out all of his sensitive spots without batting an eye.
It was you. He missed sex, but he only missed it with you- you were the best fuck he'd ever had, and having you sit a few meters away and knowing that you're right fucking there but he can't- no, not that he can't, he shouldn't- do anything... but you'd kissed him back, you'd said you wanted to, you told him in his office today-
Levi thinks of your lips around his dick, your hollowed cheeks, your silky hair as he'd pulled it. "God dammit, Red," he mutters, pressing his free hand to his forehead.
What exactly had you said? That he's driving you insane? If you're insane, then what does that make him?
Your lips, your ass, your fucking mouth and your heat and your tongue-
Levi comes hard with a groan, his entire body vibrating in released tension. He pants, coming down from his high, and glances down at the mess he made.
He sighs and tips his head back against the couch.
Yeah. He's fucked.