Author's note: hello everyone! Phantoms and Angels part 3 will be after this oneshot, for those who are waiting for that. Just an FYI.
This oneshot also is AU and will probably be quite long and it's Part one of maybe two or three.
Edit: Feb 2019. I understand that I wrote Rivialle or whatever and Levi is two different names. 4 YRS later, I get that it's not but I'm not gonna fix it. Soooo, lol can we not make more comments on it.
Part One
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11:42pm.
You were nearing six hours of overtime and it didn't look like you would be done with your third design proposal for a while. You were the last person in your office and had been for nearly four hours. At the moment, you were staring blankly at one of the eleven open tabs you had on the internet, scouring for some inspiration. In your hands you were absently twirling your pen around your fingers, hardly concentrating on the task and more concerned with how tired you felt.
"I need coffee..." you said suddenly to yourself. You glanced at your small stack of magazines for interior design and sighed. Rubbing your eyes, you stood up to head to the break room.
It had been only six months since you transferred into the company and this was your first major assignment. Prior to now, you had been mostly support for the other designers, between taking care of the budgeting to offering opinions on furniture choices and placement to even drawing up an occasional proposal when needed but this was the first job you've been given where you had full reign. This was the make or break assignment; if you messed this one up, you'd be the joke of the office and maybe even let go. Scout Design was one of the best interior design companies in the country; many hospitality industries, businesses, and wealthy home owners sought out Scout Design for renovations and new interiors.
The client was a new hotel, looking to Scout Design to come up with the entire interior for guests. This included the lobby, the multi-purpose rooms, and the hotel rooms themselves. The project was enormous in scale and you, therefore, had the support of your boss, who was the top designer in the company.
You blinked to clear out some haze in your eyes and waited for the coffee to brew while your thoughts wandered to your boss.
Mr. Ackerman was basically the office "asshole." However, that fact didn't negate that he was also ridiculously good at his job. You'd even venture to say he was married to it. He was tough on his designers, expecting nothing less than perfection and had no issue being outright cruel with his words with every single one of you. If he wasn't snapping at one person, he was laying into another. For good reason though; Mr. Ackerman has received quite a few prestigious awards for his designs.
It was well known in the office that the harder he was on an employee meant that he felt that person had skill.
And to your misfortune, he was extremely hard on you from the day you stepped into that office. Within five minutes of arriving, he had quizzed you intensely on various topics, ranging anything from budgeting to your degree. You were tough, but even you had to hold back some tears as he ripped into you that morning. It had been a humiliating experience, since it was in front of the entire staff and several questions you did not know the answers to. However, you were consoled by your coworkers later that you held your own quite well compared to others.
The fact that Mr. Ackerman assigned you this large scale assignment only six months in gave you hope though. It meant he found merit in your work and now was testing you. You were anxious, of course, especially since your more seasoned coworkers all wanted this job. That aside, your boss was your supporting help for the project, and you knew in the long haul, that was good for you so that you wouldn't miss any of the finer details.
Still, working as closely as you have been with Mr. Ackerman did drain you to some degree. He never let up on his scathing remarks but you've learned to take it in stride; that was just his way of showing his employees he expected excellence. Not many people in the office were ever paired up with him, as he preferred to do his jobs solo. You had the assumption that he would rather deal with everything on his own than to expect anyone to live up to any of his expectations. He commanded your respect though; he did his job extremely well and you knew you could learn a lot from him. You had to make the most of the time you had with him as your support designer.
Presently, you poured your coffee and added cream and sugar. You took a sip of it, breathing in heavily, before you trudged back to your desk.
"All nighter, here I come..." you mumbled. You had to have three proposals for the theme of the hotel done for tomorrow by 11:30am. That was when you and Mr. Ackerman would be meeting at a local coffee shop with the owner of the hotel. The theme didn't require in-depth descriptions of the hotel rooms or the multi-purpose rooms but you needed three vastly different themes done. Erwin Smith had hardly any input for what he wanted the hotel to look like; to him, it was only about money.
When given little direction, designers had free reign and that was both positive and negative for you. You were hoping the owner would have at least given some type opinion but he didn't care as long as his hotel looked good. This meant you needed three vastly different designs to cover different feels for the hotel. Your first design was more of an upscale, extravagant comfort. No flashy colors, modern furniture, and luxury to offset the near plain design. Business travelers would appreciate the simple yet practicality of the hotel. The second design was a colorful, perfect mess of fun and opulence. Between the dark colors of the walls and floors, highly modern, if not unique, furniture design, and the bright colors of everything in between created a sort of lavish club-like environment great for younger travelers.
However, your last design had been difficult for you. You were aiming for family oriented hotel, one that could feel welcoming to kids and adults alike. The owner had money to spare and preferred the hotel to be upscale, so trying to find the balance of luxury and comfort was difficult. You wanted to give it a "welcome home" feel, but with less of the homey.
There were footsteps coming from outside the office as you quietly sipped on your coffee. You assumed it was a security guard making his rounds and continued to flick through a magazine idly in your lap. You put up your feet in your desk to let some blood flow through your knees, praying for some godsend of information.
The first two designs received high regards from your boss, though he didn't outright say that. You only knew he liked them by how little he commented on them. If he did not like a proposal, he usually ripped it to shreds with his words, pointing out impracticalities and flaws. He also made a scene while doing so, usually humiliating the designer in the process.
However, you were sure your third one would fall flat. It just wasn't as striking or creative as the first two. It was done, for the most part, but every time you looked at it, you felt that it lacked something. Just what that "something" was, you weren't sure.
The door opened behind you and you jumped slightly at the noise. Glancing back, you found your boss walking in with his usual stoic expression. He had been taking off his tie when he saw you, pausing mid-stride.
"Welcome back, sir," you said automatically, removing your feet from the desk quickly. You wondered if he just got back from a longer than expected meeting with one of his clients. You only had this one assignment, but you knew your boss had at least four under his belt, not including the support he was giving you.
Busy as ever, you mused, eyes still on him.
"Still here, (l/n)?" asked Mr. Ackerman, walking past you and to his desk. He set his briefcase and small dinner bag down and began to spread his enormous stack of files across his desk. You eyed him for a moment before answering. He usually never looked less than perfect so it was strange to see him take off his suit jacket and tie or see his hair a little unkept. You assumed he must be overworked today, but not necessarily overwhelmed. You wondered if that was even possible for him anyways.
"I'm not finished with my last proposal," you replied, glancing at your hand drawn design beside you. "It's been slow going."
Mr. Ackerman glanced up at you once he sat down roughly in his chair. "Cutting it kind of close, aren't you?"
The normal acidity in his tone was nonexistent and you knew he must be exhausted if he didn't even have the energy to snap an insult at you for being slightly behind. Although, many employees have stayed up all night finishing proposals and you were positive that even Mr. Ackerman has done it himself from time to time. He definitely overworked himself today though.
"I suppose," was your innocent answer before you stood up. You made your way back to the break room, pouring yourself a second cup of coffee and a separate one for your boss.
You set the mug down beside his arm once you were back in the office and he turned his expressionless gaze up at you. With a weary smile, you sipped on yours.
"Three sugars, two cream," you assured him confidently. "You like your coffee really sweet."
Your boss raised an eyebrow and you could see he was surprised you paid attention to irrelevant things like the way he liked his coffee. Little did you know, he was making a mental note that you were aware to small details, no matter how insignificant.
"Thanks," he replied, warily taking a sip. You waited for his reaction and upon finding him silently satisfied, you internally celebrated your success.
"You look tired," you said. Because he wasn't in his usual foul mood, and there were no other employees here, you thought you could act slightly more friendly towards him. "And knowing you, you're probably not leaving any time soon."
Mr. Ackerman let the slightest smirk play across his lips. You turned back toward your desk, feeling strangely satisfied with yourself, when he tarried you.
"Did you eat anything?"
With a pause, you faced him again. "I haven't had the time," you admitted. "Honestly, I didn't even think about it until now."
"Tch." Mr. Ackerman reached for the bag he had and pulled out a styrofoam box. "Here. It tastes better warm so heat it up."
This was a surprise to you; you never thought your boss would honestly care enough about any of his employees to offer up his food. Now that he had pointed out your lack of dinner, you realized you were starving.
"Are...are you sure?" You were hesitant.
He snorted, throwing you a half-hearted glare. "I wouldn't have offered you food unless I was sure, dumbass," he snapped. You successfully held down your indignant snort at the name. "And show me your proposal when you're finished eating."
You took the box and thanked him. It appeared to be a gourmet sandwich of some kind. You eagerly went to heat it up in the microwave, glad to be able to take a much needed break.
You didn't waste any time and nearly inhaled the sandwich once you were at your desk again. Unbeknownst to you, your boss was watching you. He was somewhat amused by the way you were staring at your monitor screen intensely while you chewed. Clearly, you hadn't eaten in hours by the way you devoured the partial sandwich; half the time you hadn't even swallowed yet before you took another bite.
His computer pinged, signifying an email and he opened it promptly. Upon finding the sender was you, he snorted.
"You're lazy as hell, (l/n)," he said, clicking on your file and scanning your mostly finished proposal. "You couldn't walk your ass over here?"
"I'd say lazy people are efficient people," you joked with a chuckle. "We find ways to make the work we have less work."
Your boss rolled his eyes but you could see he was smiling just barely. In reality, you weren't lazy at all and he knew that. You were probably one of the hardest workers he had, seeing you were trying to prove you deserved the place you had on the design team. Mr. Ackerman had high hopes for your career in interior design, though he would never tell you this openly. He saw your raw talent and potential and had every intention of honing your skills under his direction.
He waved you over and you obediently went to stand behind him. Mr. Ackerman pointed at a small part of your proposal with a pen.
"You're trying to accommodate a family, aren't you?" he asked in deadpan. You said you were, internally cringing in anticipation. "...Overall, it's not horrendous. I'd use a darker hue of blue though for the base color. Maybe a federal blue or a navy blue. The bleu de France shade is a little too childish."
You nodded in agreement, trying not to let your personal feelings get injured. Mr. Ackerman paused, staring at your proposal for a moment longer than you anticipated.
"Luxury and family are two things that don't necessarily go together so I am not surprised you're struggling," he carried on, leaning back in his chair. He put a hand over his lips in thought. "Though, based off your first two designs, this one isn't quite as striking. With some adjustments, I think you could make it more unique to a typical three star hotel."
Ouch. You definitely weren't expecting that comment but again, you pushed aside your pride. You listened intently to all the advice he gave you with a vast amount of awe. He certainly was a brilliant designer. Not that you would tell him, but you appreciated the way he was helping you without ripping you a new one like usual. Maybe that was just his office persona or maybe he was just tired.
"So, if you adjust the height of the front desk, change the wood here to something darker and possibly more rustic, the light fixtures to something more like this, raise the lobby ceiling to about here," he was saying, pointing out more of his suggested changes in your proposal and jotting them down for you. "That should bring out more of a classy, elegance to a family oriented hotel."
You nodded gratefully. Your boss may have saved you at least two hours worth of work in under ten minutes. "Okay, I'll send you an email when I'm finished. Thank you sir."
He made a noise of acknowledgement before he rubbed his eyes for a moment; he really did look worn today. Automatically, you picked up his empty coffee mug to refill it for him.
"I wouldn't worry too much about perfection at this stage, by the way. I can tell you think it's necessary," said your boss as you came back with his coffee. "Thanks...your first two proposals were near flawless so this last one is merely a formality. But that doesn't mean you can slack on it either."
Flawless...?
Internally, you were screaming for joy at those words. He never complimented anyone, not even Mikasa Ackerman, the office prodigy. Her designs also have received awards and even she never heard such words from the boss. On a side note, now that you were thinking of her, you wondered if those two were somehow related because the surname Ackerman wasn't very popular.
"Of course, Mr. Ackerman," you said, beaming. "I won't. And thank you."
"...Rivaille."
You stopped mid-stride and looked at him curiously. "Sir?"
He was staring at his screen, typing away. "Office hours ended a while ago. You can call me Rivaille or Levi, whatever one works. Formalities aren't necessary this late at night," he explained in a distracted voice.
"You call everyone by last name regardless of time, Levi," you replied with a certain amount of teasing.
Levi paused in his typing to turn his gaze to you. He did not say anything for a moment, a strange expression on his face.
"Force of habit, (f/n)."
You chuckled briefly and went back to work.
**********************************************
"I understand your point.... Of course not, sir... Yes," you were saying on your cell phone, walking briskly down the busy city street. You had seven minutes to get to your destination or you'd be late.
Six months have passed since your first major assignment has gone into its flesh phase. The hotel had been erected in that time and now the interiors were underway. You have been checking up on the progress of the site every week as well as keeping track of certain furniture items and wood and the overall budget.
"Sir, I need a thousand units done by the date we already discussed," you interjected firmly, rounding a corner. Your patience was wearing thin. "I understand that but unfortunately, I can't budge on the date. You've already pushed it out to the last day before the hotel opens.... I'm sorry but if you can't comply with that, I have to take our business elsewhere."
In the past six months, you've learned a lot from Levi. Between leadership skills to design tricks, he had been your personal interior design Bible. He constantly was checking on your progress, offering advice on how to handle stiff suppliers and so on. On occasion, he would go with you to the site to make sure that you knew how to handle the pressure of directing others to flesh out your vision for the hotel. You found this to be extremely helpful, always have had a hard time leading others. Three months in, Levi had asked a construction manager, and a long time friend of his, to portray himself as stubborn and prideful in order to teach you how to take control of your design. You had proved yourself even more hardheaded, to which Levi quietly found impressive; most of his employees had always had trouble putting their foot down with this particular construction manager.
On another note, Levi also tacked on another smaller scaled job for you, renovating a private home, so you've been as busy as ever trying to work things out. Scheduling meetings, site visitations, and design proposals have kept you up late at night for weeks on end. The only thing that kept you positive was the fact that you loved your job and wouldn't trade it for anything, no matter how little sleep you've been getting.
Even your relationship with your boss was noticeably more amiable compared to the rest of the office. It was clear he respected your abilities, although it had already created some office drama for you. Not that any of your coworkers outright said anything, but you were aware of the growing rumor that you and Mr. Ackerman were intimate. You thought the claim was ridiculous; did they not see the way you two bickered constantly when at the office? However, you did nothing to disprove it; it wasn't worth the effort nor did you have the time or mental capacity to worry over it. Besides, the office rumors about you and Levi were more than likely started by some friviolous minded women. It was a well known yet unspoken fact that Levi was attractive, physically speaking, but so were a lot of the other male employees too. The only reason women didn't approach Levi because one: he was their boss, and two: he was downright terrifying sometimes. Because of that, the women of the office would rather pursue the other males than risk Levi biting their heads off.
After more debate, you hung up just as you entered the Italian restaurant you were meeting Levi at for an informal business discussion. The both of your schedules were busy from the moment you stepped into the office, so you often found yourself sharing dinner with your boss to kill two birds with one stone. You figured this might be where the rumors were stemming from. Several of your nosy coworkers, such as Jean Kirschtein, Petra Ral, Sasha Blause, Connie Springer, Eren Jaeger, and even the company owner and Levi's boss, Hanji Zoe, have inquired about your frequent dinner business meetings. Sasha was more concerned about the food you were able to eat with Levi though, whereas Connie and Jean usually just teased you about "having the hots" for your boss.
"You're late," said the familiar deadpan voice when you sat down at the table.
You half glared at him though he was still scanning his menu. "By three minutes!" you protested after you thanked the hostess for showing you your seat. "I was on the phone with a manufacturer."
Levi had yet to look at you even while replying, "...and?"
You huffed, annoyed. "They're trying to push out the dates again but I threatened to find another company who would comply with our time frame and the guy stopped bitching."
Levi finally glanced at you. "Good work," he said, closing the menu. You eyed him suspiciously.
"This isn't another one of your tests, is it?" you asked.
He smirked at you. "What about Smith? You mentioned he was giving you issues as well." He completely ignored your question.
At this, you rolled your eyes. "He just wants to push for a week earlier than scheduled to open," you paused, holding up the glass of red wine Levi had ordered for you. "Cabernet Sauvignon?"
Levi shook his head. "No, tonight is Sangiovese. It pairs better with Italian food. The Cabernet pairs with red meat best," he replied, sipping his own. "Although I know how much you like Cabernet."
You grinned, not minding that he changed it up on you and took a sip. You never questioned your boss' judgement on wine. With a positive acknowledgement on the wine, you pressed on. "Anyways, I told Erwin it wasn't possible to open earlier based off what we had agreed on months ago. He was understanding, for the most part."
"Hm..." said Levi, disinterested. "Oh, I already ordered for you."
"Eh?" You had just opened your menu, though not entirely shocked that he had already picked out your meal. He has done this few times recently and you wondered if it is because he felt comfortable enough around you now to do so. "Then why are you still looking at the menu?"
"In the unlikely event that I change my mind. I ordered bruschetta for the appetizer and your main dish is shrimp scampi, to which you will be sharing-"
You furrowed your eyebrows. "Why the hell do I have to share with you!?" you whined.
Levi threw a sharp look. "Because I'm paying for it, that's why."
"You don't have to pay, you know."
He raised his own brow. "We have already discussed this several times. There is no sense in arguing with me about it."
With a shake of your head, you did not reply. Levi was right, of course. The last time you brought it up seriously, you ended up in a very heated argument at a bar. Granted, the both of you had a bit of alcohol in your systems, since it was a small celebratory get together to congraulate you on your first important and accepted proposal. It wasn't common for someone with only six months of experience to do well on a design job this large scale. You've yet to be able to pay for an entire meal in the last four months; if you did pay, it was only for yourself because he refused to let you pay his share.
Well, that wasn't entirely true.
You did manage once to sneak off to pay the entire bill, feigning that you were going to use the restroom. The argument that followed after that was enormous and Levi made your life a living hell for the next four days. He had picked on you incessantly about anything and everything, and even yelled at you in front of the entire staff for something you couldn't even remember. If he wasn't shouting at your "imcompetance," he had been giving you the cold shoulder. Any time you had asked him a question, he gave you the silent treatment. It was all very childish, but you swallowed your pride and apologized first before agreeing never to pull that kind of stunt again. There wasn't much explanation given to you as to why he did not appreciate that you paid for him, but you guessed it had something to do with his male ego or the like.
"Well, what did you get? Wait, lemme guess," you said, putting on a thoughtful expression. "Fettucini alfredo...with chicken and probably a small caesar salad."
He smirked slightly. "At least you pay attention to the little things."
"We have dinner at least twice a week." You chuckled briefly just as your waiter came by to drop off your bruschetta. "It'd be rude if I didn't at least pay attention to your taste in food since you pay for my meals all the time."
"Consider it encouragement for all the hard work you put in," he replied.
You chewed, savoring the taste of the appetizer. With a heavy swallow, you eyed him curiously. Levi was very difficult to understand and anaylze. Being as closed off and emotionless as he was always made you wonder what even went on in his brain, but you noticed he did show he cared about others in very strange yet subtle ways. Not that any of the others at the office would agree, but you knew by the types of phrases he chose, even if cruel on the surface, were clear indications if he respected that particular individual or not. In his case, if he respected anyone, he also believed in their talents and drive as a designer.
"Thank you, sir.... Although, you chose a really ritzy place tonight. I figured we would hit our usual bar."
He nodded. "That's because today is a bit of a special occasion."
You were very confused now. You racked your brain and couldn't come up with any reason why today's dinner would be any different than any other time. "I don't understand," you admitted finally. "What are you talking about?"
Levi snorted as he sipped his wine. "Today is the year mark of Hanji hiring you into Scout Design, dumbass," he said. He shook his head in disappointment. "And here I thought you had attention to detail."
Your eyes widened. It was the year anniversary of you joining the design team. Normally things like this would have never slipped your mind, but you have been so busy lately that you honestly didn't have the brain capacity to store that kind of information. You wouldn't admit to it, but you found it incredibly endearing that Levi remembered it; you could even say the thought made your heart seize just slightly.
"So it is." With a smile, you held up your glass of wine. "Cheers."
The crystal rang pleasantly when you two clinked them together and you sipped on your wine.
You and Levi carried on with dinner as usual, discussing scheduling for the hotel opening, suppliers, and going over plans for the renovation for your other project. Levi brought up some of his own jobs, asking for your opinions on certain fabric choices or ideas on various things. You never realized until recently, since the change came about so slowly, but Levi never use to ask for anyone's opinion, not even his own boss'. You found it strange that he valued your ideas over anyone else's but you also were very appreciative that he acknowledged your skill.
Two and a half hours later, your dessert plates had just been taken away; you and Levi had several glasses of wine, probably more than necessary; you yourself had two more than he did, at his pestering. Thankfully, it was a Saturday tomorrow and you both were not required in the office, though undoubtedly you'd bet Levi would be there.
Once the bill was paid for, a price that you saw at a glance and felt guilty for, the both of you stood up to leave. By now, all the business talk had ceased and you two had reverted back to the playful banter that always replaced anything related to your job. Especially you, who had more than your usual to drink. Your head was spinning slightly and all your prior reservations around your boss had been left with reckless abandon. Whatever you thought came out of your mouth without any hesitation and everything became incredibly hysterical to you. Words aside, your phsycial abilities were starting to waver; walking straight in pumps was growing difficult.
"Oi, can you not walk like an idiot?" grumbled Levi, taking a hold of your upper arm to guide you out of the restaurant. You replied with a long and giddy "yes" but Levi did not look convinced and you ended up laughing very hard at this. Even in the state that you were in, you were aware of how gentle yet firm his grip was. It was almost as if he was being protective over you.
"Jeeze, I'll hail you a cab. Stay put."
"Such a gentleman!" you giggled. Levi released your arm with a heavy sigh and started waving down the nearest passing taxi cab just outside the restaurant. It was a fairly easy task, seeing that it was Friday night and plenty of people would be drinking. However, he was unaware of the fact that you were stepping out into the street in your intoxicated haze as he had been talking to the taxi cab driver.
"Hey!!" Levi shouted, just after a horn blared at you. He yanked you back by the sleeve and into his arms. "The hell are you doing? Are you insane!?"
"Pfft," you laughed, leaning into his arms without hesitation. The scent of his cologne wafted over you and you inhaled dramatically. "I thought we were going home and celebrating more."
Again, he sighed in defeat and pushed you towards the cab. "Jeezus you're drunk," he said, though he couldn't help but chuckle very briefly at your out of character behavior. "Just get into the damn car. I'll take you home myself."
"Oh!!" you exclaimed as you got into the car. "Like to your house? I don't think that's very professional, Mr. Ackerman."
"Well, where else am I going to take you? Do you even know where you live?" he snapped, shutting the door behind him. He gave directions to the driver before reaching over to strap you in. Although you were holding your alcohol fairly well, Levi knew enough that you drank more than you should of. That was his fault; he kept ordering more wine for you and you had been downing them so quick that he hardly noticed how many you had.
You made a strange gesture in front of you with your hand. "Arouuuund."
Levi shook his head, smirk still at his lips. He has never seen you act like this before; you've never been comfortable enough to let your guard down to drink as much as you did. It was strangely endearing though. You were such a strong, independent person who took care of herself but now you were almost a needy, overy friendly child with no sense of boundaries. Your critical thinking and desicion making were shot but you had an incredibly cute grin on your face the entire time, one that even Levi couldn't ignore.
He gazed out the window, listening to you blather on about who knew what. His thoughts were conflicted; Levi had been harboring a slow growing affection for you and had every intention to be clear about them. Subtle signs such as treating you to dinner were just the start. However, this was not the situation he had planned on being in, let alone telling you his feelings.
Levi wasn't precisely sure when or what situation came about but the day he realized he liked you more than just as an employee was a strange day. Women were not particularly fascinating to him and his focus was always on work but your dedication to your job was attractive and strangely captivating. Not only that, your company was enjoyable; you weren't afraid of him and you spoke your mind against him whenever you thought it necessary, but always with the level of respect he deserved. Conversations with you slowly became something he looked forward to, even if it just was thanking you for getting his morning coffee.
"I'm so tired," you sighed. Without warning, your practically fell in his lap, your head resting on his leg. Levi froze and looked down to find you gazing up at him with a broad smile.
"What are you doing? Get up."
You shook your head vehemently. "Nooo," you whined playfully. "Don't be my boss for a second and be my friend. Pfft my friend taking care of a drunk friend. Because I'm drunk!"
Levi pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. "You're really making this difficult for me, (f/n)," he muttered under his breath. "I'm not one of your girl friends that you can just hang on like this. I am, in fact, still your boss."
You reached up to touch his face, ignoring his comments, and he reflexively stiffened. "You know for such a scary boss," you said, absently stroking his cheek, "you're actually really nice. Pfft! Sometimes."
Levi promptly took your hand off his skin and held it in his to keep it still. "Just stop talking."
"Hey hey," you said poking his chest with another suppressed giggle. "Have you heard about all the office rumors about us?"
Levi raised an eyebrow at you, his usual expressionless gaze forming into that of great interest. "No. Do tell."
You put your hands to your lips, as if hiding a secret. "Everyone thinks we're boning."
He let out the loudest snort yet. "Boning..."
"Yeah, you know, like having sex-"
"I know what boning is!" Levi interjected quickly. "False claims, obviously."
"Oooobviously," you laughed, shifting to turn your head away from him. You moved your body to get more comfortable. "The office thinks that's how I got the hotel job on such little experience."
"I didn't hand you that job because of favoritism. I gave you the job because I saw merit in your abilities as a designer. You deserve the recognition," snapped your boss, growing annoyed with such asinine accusations. He didn't care if anyone thought you and him were sexually involved. However, to assume it was for your own advantage or that he was weak enough to fall prey to that kind of advancement was what caused his blood to boil. That was incredibly disrespectful to you and he would not have that.
"I know!" was your peppy reply. You fell silent and Levi continued to keep his aggravation with his other employees in check. "Would you ever though?"
"Would I ever what?"
Levi was not prepared to how quickly you sat up and turned your intense, yet hazy stare at him. "Have sex with me? Just out of curiosity."
Your brazen question caught him off guard and he averted his eyes away from yours. In trying to find something else to look at, his eyes landed on the rear view mirror and he could see the taxi driver trying to suppress his laugh.
"I'm sure you hear shit like this all the time, huh?" said Levi.
The driver finally chuckled. "Every weekend," he replied, glancing back at Levi. "Not tryna be rude to her, but she is pretty cute."
"Aww thanks, sir!" You leaned over towards the driver. "You're so sweet. Would you have sex with me if-?"
"Okay, time to shut up now," Levi growled, pulling you back into your seat. "I'm never letting you drink this much again."
You pouted. "You're no fun."
Some fifteen minutes later, you found yourself being carried on your boss's back. He had just stepped out of the elevator in his apartment building and was struggling to get his keys out from his pocket. You were still talking about all the office rumors going around, to which Levi ignored. How he managed to find himself in this situation baffled him.
"Do you have any wine?" you asked once you were in the apartment. "Let's keep celebrating!"
"You're not drinking anymore, you fucking idiot," huffed Levi, ungracefully dropping you on his couch. "You're hammered."
"Not even!!" You stood up triumphantly, hands on your hips. "I can totally do the drunk test the cops give."
Levi dropped his keys and briefcase on the kitchen counter and turned to you with a wide smirk. "Oh yeah? Show me," he challenged, crossing his arms. "Stand on one foot."
You attempted to do so very slowly. And failed miserably.
"That's what I thought," Levi chuckled. "Now sit your ass down like a good girl and I'll get you some water."
"You are sooooo lame."
Obediently, you collapsed on the couch. Looking around in your haze, you realized Levi's house was immaculately clean and sparsely decorated. However, it for his personality to a tee.
Levi sat down next to you with two glasses of water. As you sipped on yours, you watched him loosen his tie and run a hand through his hair.
"Quit staring."
You smiled and set the water down, perhaps a little harder than you meant.
"You never answered me," you said with a very abrupt turn of tone. Your voice was dripping with invitation and you held a seductive gaze. Levi did his best to remain as stoic as ever.
"Don't tease me, (f/n)," he warned. "Keep talking and your life will be a living hell on Monday. I guarantee it."
You were not the slightest bit perturbed by his threat.
"I just want to know if you would though. If I wasn't your employee..." you pressed. "Would you sleep with me?"
"I am not about to tell you what I would do with you if you were not my employee..."
You took that as a veiled "yes" and smiled slyly at him. You leaned in to kiss him but Levi's hands shot out, holding you back by your shoulders. "(F/n)," groaned Levi, "you horny little shit. Jeezus..."
"You brought me here for a reason, right...?" you asked, running a hand over his thigh.
Levi glared at you, though not out of contempt. "I brought you here because you don't know where you fucking live because you're drunk off your ass!!"
His hold on you was limp and you, in all your intoxicated motivation, moved to straddle his lap. Levi realized quickly he was in a losing battle of wills, not if you were going to make it this difficult for him.
You kissed him with a rough, unhindered passion fueled by the alcohol in your veins. Levi responded in kind, his hands roaming over your legs and up your torso. He let you explore the recesses of his mouth as he occupied himself with tearing off your business jacket, enjoying the way your tongue caressed his. You were eager with the way you were cupping his face and pressing your body against his completely and your hot breath kept fanning over his skin.
He was surprised with how you had his head spinning, though displeased he was letting himself be dominated in such little ways. Levi wouldn't have it and picked you up, lips still connected, and moved you so that you were now laying on the couch and he was hovering over you.
The two of you continued to kiss, your fingertips dragging across his back. Levi pulled away for a bit of air but you took a hold of his tie and pulled him back to you. You could feel him smirk in his kissing, and you found that to be quite a surprising turn on. You nipped gently at his bottom lip, tugging on it and he let out a soft, yet animalistic moan. Levi moved in closer, grinding against you and kissing your neck. There was no hesitation or walls you held and you let out a soft moan of your own into his ear and ran your hands through his raven colored hair.
His hands kept moving on their own, gliding over the bare skin at your chest and leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake. The way you softly moaned his name in his ear was driving him crazy with arousal and the longer he kept kissing you, the harder it was for him to regain his self control. You were bolder than he could have ever imagined; the way you would grip his hips to grind on you between your legs made him want you so much more. Every little blissful noise that escaped you made his blood overheat. It was like you fit perfectly in his arms and your delicate lips on his skin created a burning ache of desire in his bones.
Time seemed to slow, and neither of you keeping track of how long it had been since you first started in your passionate kissing and grinding. Heated breaths and mixed moans kept slipping from both pairs of lips.
You reached for his belt."I want you..." you whispered against his shoulder.
You began to undo the fastener when Levi abruptly pulled away, the distance enough to where he wasn't touching you. You froze, unsure of what to do or say. There was a pained sort of look on his features and you stared back in confusion. The silence was unbearable but you couldn't find your words.
"That's enough..." he said finally, running a hand over his face to clear his mind. "I respect you far too much to do allow myself to take advantage of you. I'm sorry."
He stood up and you sat up as well. "I started it...so it wouldn't be taking-"
"You're drunk," interrupted Levi firmly. "It'd be different if you weren't."
He paused, taking off his tie and looking visibly frustrated. "And if you felt the same as I do."
You tilted your head, bewildered. Despite the alcohol, you would have not understood regardless as to what he meant by that.
"What?"
Levi waved you off dismissively. "It's nothing. Anyways, I'll sleep on the couch. You can take my bed for the night. Just let me clear my head first."
He disappeared into the back room and you heard the sound of the sink running from the bathroom, leaving you stunned and confused beyond imagination.