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I'm so happy I was able to update on Sunday again! We're back on schedule! Enjoy this chapter everyone! It's another long one for you guys :,) Things are starting to pick up so strap in!
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Levi was still continuing to hold up your wrist, while the tattoo continued to glow, and you realized that while there were no cars around on this street at that moment, he used his powers to keep the stoplight in red. He had not taken his eyes off you for a second and you hadn't been able to look away either.

He had such a sincere look in his eyes that made you wonder if your mind was making it up yet again to confuse you and make you think there was some other intent behind what he just did.

Though, behind that sincerity behind his eyes, you could still see a twinge of pain behind his expression that made your face twist in concern for him. Whatever that substance was that clearly burned through his clothes and his skin as well, it was causing him incredible pain that you could tell he was trying to mask, whether it was for your sake or his own pride.

Your faces were still so close to each other that you reminded yourself to move your face farther from his when his breath brushed against your face, making those butterflies and goosebumps erupt all over your body.

He let out a breath and looked down to the ground for a moment, and by the way his features showed some sort of inner struggle, you knew that there was something he had to say.

As you watched him trying to find the words, it became even more apparent to you the inner debate you were having whether you should still feel some sort of resentment towards him or have some compassion. He was clearly hurt and despite you snapping at him before, swearing you didn't want to see him ever again, he kept crashing into your life on purpose and it was confusing you to no end.

Though, you turned your head to look back at Levi and saw that he had brought his head back up and he had let out a few choked words, that made your eyebrows furrowed, trying to decipher what he was trying to say.

"I didn't explain it the way I should have from the beginning. You have something precious to me and you're out here being reckless, putting yourself in danger. You have to be more responsible with your own life," Levi scolded, but it didn't feel like a scolding at all.

He said it in a tone that was also soft at the same time that didn't make you feel like he was mad at you, but rather that in his own bizarre way, he was finding a way to slowly tell you what all of this is about, like you'd begged for him to tell you before. And now he was.

You were still having a hard time processing all of this, having gone from one hectic moment to the other, and his words hadn't quite sunk in yet.

But what you did notice was that there was still the sound of faint sizzling, but you couldn't quite see where it was coming from. You heard it when Levi stepped in front of you and he took the hit, and now you were continuing to hear it.

You looked around, searching for the sound, but when you finally looked down to the arm that Levi still had around your waist, and that for some reason you hadn't pried off of you yet, you saw that there were holes in his clothes to the point where you could see his skin as well suffering from the effects.

But when you quickly started recalling the immediate effects of the substance, what it did, how far it penetrated, and the sound it caused, it suddenly clicked and you gasped; It was acid. That maniac in that motorcycle wanted to throw acid on you.

Not only did you not get to know who it was because it all happened so fast, but the person was wearing a helmet. You wished you could've gotten a license plate as they drove off but you lost your chance to do that. But one thing it all circled back to, was the psycho after you and trying to kill you. Though, right now, your mind decided to focus on one thing.

When you noticed the gravity of his injury, and realized that if it was this bad on his arm, you didn't even know if you wanted to know what his back looked like since that's the place where most of the acid landed. You raised your free hand up to your mouth, and then looked back up at Levi with wide eyes as you looked at him with disbelief.

How was he not yelling in agony? Sure, his face was filled with discomfort, but judging by how far the acid went through the fabric of his clothes, you would've expected his reaction right now to be a whole lot bigger.

"Levi- Are you- I mean- We have to get you to a hospital!" You said as your voice became hurried and panicked, trying to move away from his grasp, but your body froze in place when his hold around your waist tightened, and so did the grip he had on your wrist.

He hadn't taken his eyes off of you as he held onto you tighter, and he watched as you turned your head to look at the tattoo, after feeling his grip on your wrist tighten, and you saw the way the glow on his tattoo got brighter with him just simply holding onto you and not breaking contact.

After that, you turned your head to look at him and saw the way he closed his eyes and tilted his head back in relief, which made your face twist in confusion yet again, making you wonder how he looked so calm when he clearly looked uncomfortable and in pain seconds before. But when you looked away from his face and then back down to his arm, your eyes nearly bugged out of your head.

His clothes were going back to normal by themselves, his injuries were healing on their own, and each injury and hole in his clothes were being repaired and healed, magically vanishing in small clouds of dust.

Soon enough, Levi was completely back to normal and your mouth had dropped open at what you just witnessed. You could see the same thing happening just over his back, seeing small specks of dust just fly off into the air while you were struggling to find the words to describe what you were feeling.

Your mouth moved but no sound was coming out. You turned your head to the side again to see his glowing tattoo, still not dimming. Then suddenly everything that happened whenever his tattoo lit up became rushing back towards you like a waterfall.

When his tattoo lit up the night before just before the two of you fell into the water, when the stop lights all turned green for Levi, when his tattoo lit up when he killed that man, and now seeing it light up once more and seeing all of his injuries just magically disappear was making your head hurt.

None of it had ever been a figment of your imagination like you thought, or a result of sleep deprivation, hallucinations, the effect of alcohol  or anything of the sort. It was all real and unfolding before your eyes.

You looked back up at Levi as your eyes pleaded at him for an explanation, even though everything pretty much just clicked in your head.

This is why he wanted to get it back so badly, this is why he tricked you, this is why he was so adamant on sticking to you like glue to make sure you didn't do anything to it or harm yourself that could cost him getting back the abilities you just witnessed.

The realization came at you all at once, and it was making your head spin painfully. "So I really haven't been seeing things, have I? I thought my mind was making it all up. All those times those inexplicable things happened when I was around you weren't just coincidences, were they?" You rambled to him, as your voice and your eyes dripped with desperation for him to confirm your thoughts.

When he stayed silent, your eyes darted back and forth all over his face as your breathing became more panicked, yet tired, at realizations you were suddenly hitting you like a truck. You realized you might sound crazy for what you were about to say, but you knew that what you were thinking had to be the truth.

There was just no other way all of this had been happening because you've never seen anything like you've witnessed in Levi before in your life. You don't think anybody ever has. What you've seen Levi be capable of doing wasn't normal at all and you had been trying to convince yourself it was all coincidences, but it was much deeper than that, right?

You breathed out a soft sigh and looked at him dead in the eye, "What are you? You're not human at all, are you?" You questioned, with your words coming out as a mutter, recalling everything that's happened over the last two days.

Back at the hospital, you thought he was crazy because he said his tattoo had somehow 'transferred' to you, and you didn't believe it then, but you certainly could now. Levi himself couldn't believe that he was about to tell you what he truly was, but you've already seen too much in his attempts to try and get his tattoo back, and he's already told you too much as well.

There was just no other way to go about this, and he realized he couldn't get his tattoo back without being honest with you and continuing to keep you in the dark. As much as he hated to admit it, this was going to go on for the long run and he had to tell you at some point, and it had to be now.

You'd only drive yourself crazy even more trying to figure out how it is that he's capable of doing all of these things and how his tattoo was the source of it all. He didn't go about it right the first time, but he knew what he had to do now, and once you knew what he truly was and he had you on his side, he was certain that his chances of everything going back to how it used to be could rise again.

Levi's shoulders rose and fell, and he looked at you with so much sincerity and truthfulness behind his eyes that you knew that after everything he did, he was finally going to tell you the truth.

"I'm..." He started, and you could see how he bit back his words, not knowing the right words to put his confession in but your eyes softened with understanding, and gave him a nod, urging him to say it in the best way he knew how. He swallowed hard, closed his eyes to gain some courage, opened them back up and looked directly into your eyes, attempting to be as genuine as he could be.

"I'm...a demon," He said, and your eyes flew open. Your mouth fell agape and you froze on the spot at what he just told you, though you tried to give him a much better reaction knowing that having had to reveal that must not have been easy, so you steeled your gaze and you let out a shaky breath as you nodded, allowing him to continue.

"Okay," You said as you gulped involuntarily. You knew he was watching and studying your reaction to his revelation, so you tried your best to remain as understanding as you possibly could, not wanting to offend him. But either way, as soon as he said that, it's like every suspicion you had before just fell into place. It all just clicked in a second.

"That's quite the revelation, I kind of get now why you didn't tell me," You said, quickly realizing Levi's been holding onto you for far too long, so you lowered your right hand, seeing as he was still holding onto your wrist, and you quickly tugged and detached it from his hold.

You also put a hand on top of his arm on your other side since he still had a hand on your side. It seems Levi had also lost track of how long he had been holding onto you because he quickly stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest, clearing his throat and looking away for a second before turning his focus back to you.

After that, you also realized that now that you had let go of Levi's hold, the stop lights went back to normal and it would be a matter of time before cars started to pass through this intersection again.

"Why don't we get off the street first?" You said as you walked past him, and Levi quickly nodded, following after you and catching up to you shortly after as the two of you reached the curb, Once the two of you were out of the way in the street and were on the sidewalk, you turned to face him again, and you were about to say something but he was quick enough to beat you to it.

"Well, now that you know the truth, at least you know that this is what I wanted to tell you all along, but I couldn't. Would you have believed me if I told you the truth before? You would've thought I was crazy, like back at the hospital," Levi said as he crossed his arms in front of him again, looking at you with a look that said that he knew he was right.

This is just a game of back and forth between the two of you of who was in the wrong and who was in the right, and the two of you still failed to see eye to eye. He gave you a pointed look and you looked away, knowing he had a point, but that didn't mean he had string you along like he did and then shove you into the water.

You huffed and looked at him defiantly, but still willing to give him a pass for some points he made. "Well, you're right. I wouldn't have believed you, because hearing someone say that they are some supernatural being is not something you hear every day," You started, looking away from him.

"Still, I just wish you could've gone about it a different way, talked me through it, maybe showing me things like what you did just now with your strange healing powers, instead of pushing me in the river like you did," You countered, making Levi stare at you, even if you knew that he knew very well that he got too carried away and he could have tried to get it back any other way. It would take a while for you to forget it. Your resentment towards him wouldn't just vanish just like that.

But probably by his judgement that he's known you for 48 hours, he thought he couldn't trust you with his identity, not to mention his annoyance and pettiness from back at the hospital held him back from putting his pride aside.

He put his hands on his hips and once again, avoided eye-contact. "I was...desperate," He said, and you pursed your lips and tilted your head to the side lightly. He was stating the obvious, but you were glad that he was at the very least showing you a more self-aware side to him.

"Yeah, no kidding," You muttered, and he turned his head to glare at you when you said that not so discreetly. But as the conversation seemed to wrap up, you realized that you couldn't go home just yet. You had to stop brushing off these attacks and hope that with the only information you and Levi gave Nile and Pixis that it would be enough to catch that man, that you were certain was on that bike.

You weren't going to stall this any longer than you needed to and decided to start taking further steps so that man is caught. You couldn't live like this anymore, whether that killer was working alone or there was someone making him do it, you wanted to settle it as soon as possible.

You let out a breath to release all the remaining tension from your body and turned to look at Levi, who you were surprised was still there. You would have assumed that he would be gone by now. But in any case, you were going to give him a choice now.

"Well, I guess there's only one thing left to do now. I'm going to the police station and report this. You're free to come with me if you want, or I can go by myself. It's your call, but just know you're off the hook if you want to be, I'm not going to drag you into this anymore," You said, point-blank, swiftly turning around on your heel, starting to walk away, and pulled out your phone from your purse to check the distance between where you're at now and the address that Nile gave you earlier that day to the precinct where they work.

You needed to see if it was walking distance or you'd have to call another cab. You knew that Levi was still deeply concerned about his tattoo, but this issue with that killer was directed at you, not him. He didn't have to get involved if he didn't want to, so you're letting him choose. This was your battle after all.

Levi kept his feet planted on the ground as he watched you walk away. He pursed his lips into a thin line and groaned when he couldn't get his feet to move.

A part of his brain told him that he should go with you to go and report that man on the motorcycle so that he can be caught once and for all, but the other one told him that he should trust you in handling yourself, though, recent events told him that you were an active target right now and attacks were unpredictable.

He kept telling himself that this wasn't about him anymore and that this was all premeditated towards you, an attack directed just at you, and he had just happened to step in front of you to prevent you from getting hurt, and his tattoo with it.

And besides, that incident that night before, had nothing to do with him and he just happened to get caught up in it because he decided to help you. But still, there was yet another part of him that was screaming at Levi to let him know that he needed to make sure you didn't accidentally get yourself killed on the way there. And that's what he listened to.

Levi cursed under his breath but it was enough to get his feet to move and start following after you, and you heard his footsteps getting closer and patting against the ground to catch up to you, making you smirk softly to yourself.

To Levi, the only comfort of going after you is to make sure nothing happens to you or his tattoo on the way there, and because he wants to see that nuisance of a psycho caught once and for all.

That man was already enough of an inconvenience and Levi found comfort in knowing that the man was being looked for and that he would hopefully be behind bars soon enough.

He started this whole thing. He kept repeating in his head like a mantra over and over that if he went with you, it was just to look over his tattoo and his powers from dying with you. That was all. He wouldn't be at peace if he just went home now and wondered all night if you had gotten into trouble again or not.

-

After realizing that the precinct where Nile and Pixis were stationed wasn't as close as you thought after you looked at a map on your phone, you realized that you'd have to call a cab once again for you and Levi to take you and get there quicker.

But, after you mentioned you'd call a cab, Levi stopped walking and made you halt in your steps too, pointing out that it wouldn't be necessary because his car was just around the corner from the crosswalk where the incident happened, and you two hadn't been walking very far until he decided to point that out.

So, after that, you quickly agreed to take his car to the police precinct, and you gave him the address. You and Levi didn't have a whole lot to talk about on the way there as he drove and you remained still and silent in the passenger seat, looking out the window.

You knew very well that from the way he struggled to admit everything before, it had been hard enough for him to tell you his identity, and even if you were still trying to fathom that the man next to you was a demon, it would be a while before he would be willing to share anything else with you that quickly and you knew small talk wasn't his thing, as he's actively proved in the past.

So you were content with a silent car ride, and when you briefly took a look at Levi, and saw how he was driving so calmly as he looked forward out into the road. You preferred to keep it this way.

But, that car ride ended a lot quicker than you thought, because the two of you arrived at the precinct, and before you knew it, you were sitting in a small room in silence waiting for Pixis to come back after he told you that him and a couple of other detectives were going to go investigate the scene while it was still recent.

He thought that maybe remnants of the acid were still on the ground they could or anything the killer on the bike could have left behind. You were still kicking yourself for not having taken a glance at the license plate of the motorcycle, because that would've been a big help.

Things evolved pretty quickly when you and Levi made it to the station. You'd arrived with him in the lobby of the precinct and you immediately found the two detectives you'd been searching for as soon as the two of you walked in.

When you told them you had more information about the case and that there was another attack, they didn't hesitate to quickly guide you into one of the rooms that they had in the station for a quick questioning to ask you what you could remember from the attack.

You ended up being alone in the room because as soon as you'd told Pixis and Nile what you were there for, they separated you and Levi. They told Levi to go and make himself comfortable, sitting in one of the chairs in front of Nile's desk while you were about to be questioned by Pixis inside the small room you were currently in.

While Pixis was gone, all you could now was be left alone with your thoughts, which has proven to be something incredibly dangerous for you to do. Your leg was bouncing up and down and you were spaced out as your eyes were locked onto the far wall.

It was so silent in the room that you could only hear the commotion and conversations on the other side of the wall, just faintly, and the only other sound you could hear was a soft ringing in your ears.

You had half of your forearms propped up on the edge of the table and as your mind ran rampant, subconsciously, you moved your left hand slowly to straight tracing Levi's tattoo on your wrist unknowingly with the pad of your pointer finger. Just knowing it was under your fingertips made you get lost in thought.

You moved your eyes from looking at the wall to look down at your wrist and continued to trace shapes around your skin, looking down at it with some sense of melancholy that was settling inside you.

You should have known that reporting that killer just once wouldn't be enough, and you knew it would somehow get worse from here, but you were scared for your life taking a turn for the worst you didn't even know if you could handle. But now, you need to find a way to be prepared and feel safe.

You also didn't know if you should continue to be upset at Levi. Sure, he saved you, but you knew that he only stepped in front of you in fear that his tattoo would disappear with you if you died, but he still took the hit and that was more than enough for you to feel incredibly grateful for, even if he did it for his own benefit.

But should you still be upset that he deceived you in such a way before? Should you try to be a little more understanding? Knowing that if he takes such lengths for this tattoo, then it must be a lot more important to him than you'll ever know.

You didn't know what to think, how to act, what to do, or know what to do next. You were stuck on how to feel about Levi, who could possibly have such resentment towards you that they've sent, not one, but two attacks your way in less than two days. When did it all get so messed up that your life could end in the blink of an eye if you weren't careful?

Though, before your mind could start going down a darker path, you perked up and straightened up in your seat when you heard the door open and saw Pixis come into the room with a clipboard, and then closed the door behind him.

"Hello, Ms. Y/n," Pixis said, and you nodded in acknowledgement, moving your hands from being on the desk to putting them under the table and letting them fall onto your lap, fidgeting a bit. "Me, Nile and other detectives went back to the scene in the address you gave us, and we analyzed the liquid on the ground. Thankfully, there were still some remains," Pixis pointed out as he sat down in the chair in front of you, putting his clipboard on the table.

"Well, what was it?" You asked tentatively as you slightly leaned forward, even if you already had a hunch on what it could have been. Just from what it did to Levi's clothes and his skin before, even if you didn't know then how he withstood it, you knew for a fact that it was some sort of acid. Though, Pixis' next few words confirmed your thoughts.

"Well, turns out that it was sulfuric acid," He said as he slid his clipboard over to you so that you could see the results, watching your reaction and while he felt concern creep inside him when he saw the way you freeze in place, taking a few seconds to hesitantly reach over and grab the clipboard.

Sure, you had your suspicions about what it was but you didn't know how it would feel to actually hear it out loud from another person. The confirmation that someone used acid to try to kill you made this all the more real.

Pixis noticed the way you were looking down at the results on the clipboard with a look on your face he couldn't quite place. It was blank, numb, yet, he knew you were becoming how serious this situation had become. To try to ease your tension, he decided to clear his throat slightly and explain their findings into more detail.

"If Levi hadn't stepped in front of you when he did and not taken the hit.." Pixis paused as he struggled to find a way to put into words what he wanted to say. He didn't want you to be more out of sorts than you already are, but also knew he couldn't sugarcoat it.

"If it splashed your face in the concentration and in the amount that had been thrown to you, it certainly could have been fatal," He said and your breath hitched while your hands began to shake slightly while hearing this, so you put the clipboard back down at the table, hiding your trembling and fidgeting hands under the table.

For whatever reason that he might have done it, Levi saved your life, more than once, and the more Pixis explained the situation and what they found, the more you began to try and see a different perspective on all of this, because you had to. You couldn't remain in the same mindset as you were before because that clearly wasn't working.

Things needed to change and starting to try to understand Levi and get through to him was the very first step. You didn't care if it was to save his tattoo or his powers, but if it wasn't for him, tonight would have turned out very differently and you wouldn't be sitting in this room but in a hospital bed.

Your mind quickly starts to backtrack a little, forcing you to try and see Levi in a different light than the one he's shown you tonight in the same way that you'd been trying to do before when you offered to help him. If you were able to do that then, you were certain you could do it now as well.

"I'm sure you're aware of this, and I hate to be the one to break it to you, but two attacks in a row are not a coincidence. It's highly possible that you're being targeted and it doesn't seem like they'll give up that easily. Their goal seems pretty clear," Pixis said, and your eyes wavered as you looked up, only for your gaze to land on him with uncertainty and weakness that was becoming harder and harder to hide.

You weren't just thinking about the attacks done towards you, but also in relation to Grisha and his company. That guy that was found hanging in one of the public bathroom's in Grisha's branch building? You were sure it had something to do with this. It wasn't a suicide, you were sure of it.

Pixis crossed his fingers together in front of him on the table and leaned forward slightly, watching as you slid the clipboard with the report back to him. He grabbed it and put it under his intertwined hands. You could tell he had something else to say by the way he wanted to open his mouth but he still looked like he was thinking something over.

"Since these attacks seem to be directed towards you, is there anyone you would suspect that would be responsible for this? That you think would go to these lengths to harm you the way they've attempted to?" Pixis said and that made your eyes look elsewhere in the room as you began to recall everything you've lived through, not just from the past two days but also from interactions with anyone else you know that you might now have ruled out as suspicious then, but now would be a good time to look into it.

As much as you tried to rack your brain for anyone or anything that you think should be looked into, you hated your mind for not giving you an answer when you needed it.

You couldn't think of anything that could be enough for someone to go to the lengths that they've had. But then, there was one thing that has refused to leave your brain since you saw it and it was as if it was ingrained in your head, so you took that as a sign that you shouldn't forget it and that it was important.

That phone call that you got the day before, from Keith Shadis, where he told you all of those strange things that immediately made you want to hang up thinking it was a spam call to mess with you. You didn't think anything of it at the time, but now, it's like your mind wants you to relive it over and over.

'My name is Keith Shadis. I'm the head of Eldia Group's financial team, working for Grisha,' His voice rang over and over in your head and you couldn't get rid of it, even if you were beginning to see that the words you thought were useless before were becoming the opposite more and more by the second.

'I'm making this call to share an important piece of information, but you must not share it with anyone' He'd said. But after his words repeated like a mantra in your brain nonstop, suddenly the image of the crime scene where he passed flashed in your mind. What if he had been trying to share something valuable and you'd dismissed it like you had? What if it was a warning for all of this? You wished you'd listened but it's all backfiring on you now.

Pixis voice was quick to bring you back down to Earth, though. Everything around you had become muffled as your mind was riddled with possibilities that were slowly bringing you to insanity, but then hearing the voice of the detective made you blink back into reality.

"I'm sorry, what?" You asked, making Pixis sent you a pitiful smile briefly before his face became stern and hardened. "I asked if anything or anyone came to mind? Any piece of information or detail can bring us closer to solving this case," He asked, and it took you a couple seconds but you sent him a dazed nod.

It was then when you realized you had no real evidence or suspicions against anyone right now. You had been attempted to be warned before, but trying to keep your peace lead you to this moment of not being able to think of anyone that would be trying to actively end your life, whether the person in that motorcycle was the one who had some vendetta against you that you weren't aware of or they were just the puppet doing someone else's dirty work. You had nothing to move this operation along.

You purse your lips and shake your head in denial at his question. "I...can't think of anyone right now. I'm sorry, I know that's not what you were hoping to hear but, right now, I really can't think of a person on the top of my head that could resent me so much to try and do something like this," You admitted, hanging your head down slightly in shame.

You wished you were more useful at the moment but you'd have to think this more thoroughly to give them a sure answer. You couldn't just go ahead and accuse someone and name names because you had an interaction with them that might be suspicious. This was something that you had to really dig deep into.

Meanwhile, just outside the room you were in with Pixis as he continued to brief you along the situation and what could be done next, Levi was still sitting in one of the chairs in front of Nile's desk as he waited for you. He wouldn't admit it yet, even if you already knew just from the fact that Levi came all the way here with you, that he clearly wanted to know what Pixis was telling you in that room.

He just wanted to get this night over with. He was definitely curious and he wanted to know how he could make this situation go away as fast as possible. Nile himself wasn't at his desk at the moment, having to step out for a second.

He said he'd be back as soon as he could but in the meantime, Levi was just sitting, looking ahead blankly as he kept his arms crossed in front of him, leaning back in the chair. His eyes were as sharp and calculated as they ever were.

But Levi wasn't alone as he waited for Nile to come back. Next to him, a clearly drunk man was sitting at him who was looking at Levi with a dazed expression, swaying from side to side. Levi tried his best to pay no attention to him and continued to look forward, but this man next to him was making it incredibly hard for him to keep his composure.

It was late at night, he just wanted to know what had been found about the attack and here he was, dealing with people who were pushing his buttons. Feeling that the man was swaying and leaning closer to him, Levi closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. His patience was really testing him in numerous ways today.

Though, when he opened his eyes and in the corner of his peripheral he could see the man start to tip closer and closer to him, clearly on the verge of passing out, Levi clicked his tongue, raised his hand, put it on top of the man's head, and without sparing him a single glance, Levi shoved him away and the man fell out of his seat onto the ground with a thud while Levi reached into his pocket, pulled out tissues he had, and wiped his hand. After that, Levi crossed his arms again and adjusted himself in his seat as he kept his gaze forward, without his glare wavering for a second.

He didn't even notice that the moment the man fell to the ground, he fell unconscious, which Levi knew he'd do anyway. He just sped up the process.

"How long do I have to put up with this?" He muttered to himself as he looked around in hopes Nile would show up soon with good news. He wanted to know he wasn't wasting his time here.

But when he heard the front door of the precinct open, he wanted to celebrate in his head that Nile was back but when he briefly turned his head back, he rolled his eyes in disappointment when it was just police officers bringing in a row of criminals. How long was this going to take? Neither you, Nile or Pixis were anywhere in sight.

Though, Levi almost did let out a breath of relief when he saw that an officer walked over to the man that was passed out on the floor, that Levi had shoved to the floor, watching as the cop grabbed the man, which made him instantly wake up with a groan, even if he was still a little woozy.

The cop brought the drunken man over to the row of criminals that had been brought in, placing him on the start of the line of convicts. Levi remained seated, knowing that whatever was happening behind him was none of his business. That man that was being brought over must be one of the first ones they caught until they found the others, who were the ones being brought in just now.

"Hurry up! Everyone stand in a straight line," One of the officers of the precinct, Rico Brzenska, said as she waved her hand back and forth in a gesture for all of the criminals to come into the room and stand in line, helping her colleagues align the convicts all side by side and made sure none of them tried to get away in the process.

Soon enough, after all of them came through the door and were standing in a line, officers stood on either side of the line of criminals for extra security on them as they were questioned.

Knowing that all of them were situated, Rico took a couple steps back to look over the file line, counting them over in her head to make sure they were all there. One of her fellow police officers, and one of her superiors, Hannes, moved to stand next to her and looked over at the men who either had their heads down or avoided eye contact.

Though, as they were looking over them, Hannes' made a double take when he saw that in between the row of men, there was a woman. She had ashy, blonde hair, her face was mostly covered since she had her head down and was hunched over, and she was wearing a cap.

Her clothes didn't look like they were in the best state either. He didn't notice her when they made the bust of these criminals. Someone else must have brought her in. At least that's what Hannes assumed. It seemed logical enough.

Hannes looked over the file line of men, and women, and clicked his tongue. "There must have been a lot of business in this gambling house, huh?" Hannes said to Rico, earning a nod from her. These were a lot of people to be caught in just one place and they both agreed on that. Hannes then turned her head to look at the woman in between the men and his eyes zeroed in on her before nudging Rico with his elbow.

Rico looked up at his superior, and then followed his gaze to see what he was looking at. Her eyes landed on the woman, who had briefly been identified by another officer as a homeless woman who had been identified when the bust was made.

"Are homeless people common in these gambling houses? She must have gotten caught up in the arrest," Rico said as she looked up at Hannes again, trying to keep her voice down. Hannes nodded and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Yeah. It's just good business to let them in. Still, we need her as a witness," He said, and Rico nodded along. It made sense. Technically, she didn't do anything wrong, but they still needed her to confirm the events of what was happening in this alleged crime ring.

But at last, just as Nile finally came in through the doors with documents under his arm and a cup of coffee on his other hand, his eyes scanned around the scene that definitely wasn't there when he left.

Though, as he was coming in through the doors, his eyes widened, and so did everyone else's when they all saw the woman try to step out of the line unnoticed. "Hey, hey hey! Where do you think you're going?" Nile said, as he caught the back of the woman's jacket just in time, and turned her back around.

At the sound of Nile's voice as he spoke to the woman, Levi recognized it and perked up a bit in his seat, without turning around. But he still let his shoulders sink a little knowing that because Nile had arrived, this would go a lot quicker. Hopefully.

Meanwhile, Nile was still holding the woman in place and she started to resist his hold. "Let me go! I didn't even do anything," She said, and Nile looked at her and then looked up at Hannes, sending his colleague a 'help me with this, please' sort of look, and Hannes nodded.

Nile redirected his attention back to the woman who was still squirming and moving around in his hold. He sighed and then handed her off to Hannes, who put a hand on her shoulder and began to lead her over to his desk.

"That's true, but we still need you to testify and be a witness. Besides, you were also staying illegally in that gambling house. Since you're so eager to leave, we'll question you first" Nile said as he watched Hannes walk her over to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

Nile heard a groan in response from her and he sighed in response, watching briefly as Rico and a couple of other officers each led a convict to their desks to question all of them. The room was filled with the sound of soft chatter, keyboards clacking, footsteps, and chairs scraping against the ground.

Nile then turned his head to look over to his desk and saw Levi's familiar figure still sitting in front of his desk. His shoulders sank in relief, because by now, because of first impressions just earlier that day, he thought Levi would've left by now but Nile was glad he was still sitting down and waiting for his arrival.

Nile started walking back to his desk as all the officers began to question the convicts, and how he could ask Levi what he remembers on his end of the situation to know what else can be added to the case.

When Nile reached Levi, he walked around his desk but not before stopping beside Levi to put a hot cup of black coffee in front of him. "You can drink this while you wait for Ms. Y/n. She should be out soon," Nile said as he finally made his way around his desk and sat down, directing his attention to his computer so he could turn it on.

But as he did so, he caught something in the corner of his eye. He turned his eyes to look at Levi, and his eyebrows pinched in confusion when he saw that Levi was glaring down at the cup.

"Is there a problem?" Nile asked, reaching over towards his computer to press the button to turn it on and start recording Levi's testimony. Levi looked up at Nile when he spoke, and he simply put one foot over the other as his glare still didn't waver.

Levi raised an eyebrow and gestured with his chin and his eyes to the cup of coffee in front of him. "Plain black coffee? What kind of person do you take me for? I'm not drinking this filth," Levi said as his glare at Nile persisted, but Nile wasn't fazed at all by it.

Nile simply nodded and pressed his lips in a thin life. He shouldn't be surprised by his attitude, judging by their first meeting at the hospital earlier that day. "Alright, then...suit yourself. What would you like then?" Nile said as he turned back to look at his computer and watched as it restarted and it quickly loaded the homepage. He heard Levi shuffle a bit in his seat as he adjusted in place, keeping full eye contact with Nile.

"I prefer Earl Grey tea. But don't bother. You'd mess it up anyway," Levi said and looked away from Nile tightening his crossed arms against him. Nile blinked at him a couple times and this shook his head as an unsurprised smile tugged in his mouth. He shouldn't be surprised about the person he's dealing with here, should he? "Still as chipper as ever, Mr. Ackerman," Nile said, making Levi roll his eyes, but not saying another word.

But as Nile started to type away in his computer, searching for the file that he had started for your case, Levi settled in his seat once more and waited patiently looking off into the far side of the room as his leg began to bounce slightly on the floor. After a while, he turned his head back to look at the closed door of the room you were in and he pressed his tongue on the inside of his cheek. What was taking you so long?

He thought you and him would be out of here by now. He continued to look back at the door and his eyebrows pinched together. His attention was completely away from Nile's desk, so he didn't notice that the woman from before had slipped away from the chair in front of Hannes' desk and had made her way across the office unnoticed.

She had crouched all along the office and was now on the edge of Nile's desk and neither him or Levi had noticed her presence. It was only when she started to rise from her spot on the ground, lifting her head above the desk while she kept her eyes directly on the cup of coffee, that Levi turned his head back around and saw her.

"Oh-! Fucking hell!" Levi yelled as his eyes widened and he jumped in place, having felt like his heart almost leaped out of his chest at the sudden appearance from the strange woman.

Levi's yell alerted Nile on his desk, so he turned to look around his monitor to see the woman from before, piecing together that she sneaked out of her chair to avoid Hannes' questioning and just didn't want to cooperate. "Hey! What are you doing here?" Nile said, making Levi go from looking at Nile and then back to the woman with a disturbed look on his face.

Nile was quick to raise his hand in the air, alerting Hannes from across the room, so when he got his colleagues' attention, Nile pointed down at the woman kneeling down next to his desk and in front of Levi and gesturing to come get her quick and to not let her out of his sight again.

Hannes was quick to nod and start heading over to get her back in her chair. Sensing how on edge Levi was already, this woman casually coming up to talk to him was probably the last thing he needed.

The woman raised a hand over the desk, just slightly, and used her pointer finger to gesture at the cup of coffee."Hey. Would you mind if I took this? I'm probably going to be here for a while," The woman said, and Levi's eyes had gone from being wide and frightened, to annoyed and dismissive.

He knew that she was probably harmless and he shouldn't waste his energy on anyone else anymore that he didn't need to.

"Knock yourself out..." Levi muttered as he leaned back in his chair again, crossing his arms and turning his head away from her. He heard the sound of soft slurps coming from her, along with sighs of content as well. She was enjoying that coffee a lot more than he ever would.

But just the thought that he could ignore her, she immediately proved him wrong. Her next words made his entire body freeze on the spot, and even if he was looking away from her, his eyes still widened the smallest fraction and his breath got cut short.

"You're just hanging by a thread now, aren't you? Anything can throw you over the edge at this point," She said, nonchalantly proceeding to take another sip of the coffee. Levi slowly turned his face around to look at her again as his eyes were filled with suspicion and horror.

How did she know that? In his head, it must be some crazy lady who doesn't know what she's talking about and thinks she's clairvoyant, but in the tone she said it in and the way she said those words, it made him stop to think.

Maybe she was just that good at reading people and Levi was psyching himself out over someone voicing his thoughts out loud. His thoughts about her trying to make a fool of him were even more apparent when he heard her let out a taunting laugh that made his eyes narrow. She didn't know him or anything about him either.

"You just might actually die. Sooner than you think. In...the worst and most insignificant way possible," She mockingly said as she continued to let out taunting and unbothered chuckles, continuing to sip her coffee, paying no mind to the way that Levi was sending a stare worth a thousand daggers her way. She didn't know what she was talking about.

She was crazy, wasn't she? He has never met her before in his life, and maybe she just has a knack for being able to mess with random people and somehow being right on the money in Levi's case. But even if she was somehow right and she was reminding him of what was at stake, Levi didn't let it show to her that she was getting through to his thoughts.

And just as he thought he would have to take another second of this, he heard a door open behind him. Levi turned his head back and his face fell a bit from his glare when he saw you walk out of the questioning room with Pixis right behind you.

Not wasting another second, Levi stood up and began to walk towards you with brisk and sure steps, leaving the woman behind him as far away as he could. As he walked towards you, Levi brushed past Hannes as the officer walked past him to go and get the woman again.

Walking across the room, Levi finally reached your vicinity and when you noticed him approaching, you had been exchanging a couple words with Pixis but then you turned your head to look at Levi up until he was standing right next to you.

"You're finally done. I thought I would have to start camping out here," Levi said, and you deadpanned at him, almost letting a smile tug at your lips at his words. He was so dramatic, but after the news you heard in that room, you needed something to boost your mood a little, even if it was Levi's sarcasm that ended up making you smile again.

You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and you crossed your arms in front of him, looking at him with a barely concealed smile. "You're exaggerating, I didn't even take that long," You said, turning your body away from him for a moment. You were touched that he stayed for as long as he did.

It was well into the night, and you thought he would've gotten fed up and left, so even if you knew he stayed with end of looking over his tattoo and for updates, at the very least you were glad you weren't entirely alone in this.

"Great, then let's get out of here," He said, taking a few steps towards the exit and expecting you to follow, but just as you were about to start walking as well to leave with him, both of you stopped in your tracks and turned around when you heard Pixis' voice.

"You stayed here all this time waiting for her? That's very nice of you, Levi" Pixis said as he looked back and forth between the two of you with a certain fondness to his expression that confused you a little. What was he implying?

You looked to the side to look at Levi and you noticed he looked at Pixis with just as much puzzlement as you. Pixis' eyes landed on you and you straightened up, sensing that he was about to say something to you.

"You're very lucky. It must be very reassuring to have him during these tough times, Ms. Y/n," He said wholeheartedly, and you opened your mouth to try to counter but nothing came out. You wanted to neither deny it, because it wasn't true you weren't glad Levi was there, but also it was a bit awkward to confirm it when Levi was right next to you and the two of you are still doing through a bit of an awkward and uncertain stage whether neither of you seemed to be completely fond, trusting or have accepted each other just yet.

So you settled for a quick toothless smile, a hum and a quick nod, avoiding eye contact with Levi as you started to feel that his heavy gaze fell on you when you did that.

You needed to desperately change the subject. You hoped Pixis wasn't thinking anything was happening in between the two of you or anything, but his tone certainly implied it.

There was absolutely nothing like that at all, and you wanted to move past this as quickly as possible. "This investigation has become a lot more serious, so please keep me updated if anything comes up," You said, wanting the focus of this visit to be on the case and nothing more.

Pixis' expression went from a fond one to a sure and determined one as he nodded assertively. "Of course, Ms. Y/n. Have a safe trip back home," Pixis said, and you sent him a grateful nod with a gentle smile. After that, you were quick to turn on your heel and start heading towards the exit, and Levi was quick to follow after you.

As the two of you made it out the door and Pixis was left standing on his own as he watched the two of you leave the building, Nile noticed this and with curiosity, he walked up to stand next to his partner, looking back and forth between Pixis and what he was looking at towards the door.

Pixis noticed the presence of his partner standing next to him and sighed fondly, not taking his eyes off the door that you and Levi just walked out of. It turns out, you were right and Pixis had been insinuating something with his words before. Let's just say he had a hunch of sorts.

"Do you think those two will ever get together? Hell, maybe even get married," Pixis said, making Nile exhale and pressed a hand to the bridge of his nose. Pixis hadn't dropped that topic ever since he and Nile left the hospital and had watched yours and Levi's interaction, but Nile should have expected to have to hear it again. Pixis was a bit of a hopeless romantic, and thought he had some sort of 6th sense when it came to love.

Nile let out a breath and prepared to turn around, but not before patting his partner's shoulders a couple times. "Pixis, come on, we have work to do. Come back down to Earth, please," Nile said, fully turning around on his heel but not before he was met face to face with the woman from before standing in front of him face-to-face.

Nile yelped in surprise and stumbled back a little, and Pixis followed suit when he noticed the presence of the woman behind them. Both of them turned around fully, looking at the woman indignantly and with concern. Why did he just sneak up on them like that? And why did she continue to do it? She sneaked up on Levi before too.

"What the hell are you doing?" Pixis muttered as he composed himself, brushing off his clothes, feeling very uncomfortable. Him and Nile just watched as she laughed in that same mocking chuckle from before. Nile looked at her with wide and disturbed eyes.

"Hannes! How did you lose her again?" Nile said as he yelled out across the room, getting Hannes' attention, prompting him to yell back and quickly apologizing for letting the woman out of his sight again.

"My bad!" He replied back, making Nile sigh with exasperation and put his hands on his hips, trying to remain composed. Nile and Pixis both looked at each other and realized that they had a long night ahead of them trying to contain this woman. Even the criminals from before had complied.

-

After leaving the police station, Levi said he would drop you off at home, which you were shocked to hear when he first offered, but you accepted it nonetheless gratefully.

Though, once again, you knew he was doing this to make sure you didn't get in trouble if you happened to get in a cab and never made it home because that psycho ended up finding you somehow, and he lost his tattoo and his powers in the process.

He really wasn't taking any chances, was he? You weren't complaining, though. You wouldn't deny a car ride back home, and you wouldn't have to be alert all the time if you were in a cab alone, because the man next to you was already doing all the worrying for you.

But even if Levi offered to take you back home, as he drove on the highway and you sat in the passenger seat, the ride back to your apartment was as silent as you expected it to be. But it didn't make it any less uncomfortable.

You were looking out the window and awkwardly tapping with your finger on the window, drawing circles on the glass. You watched cars pass by, but just as you assumed that Levi wouldn't want to talk and wanted to keep the car ride silent, you perked up when you heard him say your name.

You turned your head away from the window and leaned back in your seat fully as you looked at him expectantly. "How come you keep getting into trouble so easily? You've had I don't know how many near deaths in the last 48 hours-" Levi started and you looked at him incredulously, so you were quick to cut him off as you deadpanned at him, not wanting him to forget a very important detail.

"Might I add that one of them was because of you?" You pointed out, and you watched the way he kept his eyes on the road and paused the next thing he wanted to say. You looked at him smugly as he looked off to the side, obviously guilty, and swallowed awkwardly.

It took a couple more seconds for him to actually say something back."That's besides the point," He said, making you fight the urge to scoff, but still let him continue. "But what would have happened if I didn't make it there in time for that acid to land on you? Is it that hard for you to keep yourself safe?" He said, keeping his eyes on the road, not having turned to look at you once as he began to lecture you. You huffed and turned your head to look forward and out into the road, just as he was.

"My tattoo would have burned off with you, you get that right?" He said as he continued to look out into the road, and neither of you looked at each other. You didn't answer his question but it did make you remember the purpose of his tattoo and why he wanted to protect it so badly, along with the fact that he was some supernatural being.

When he revealed it, there wasn't really time to ask any questions but now your mind was swimming with doubts you still had. You figured that if the car was either going to be filled with awkward silence, lecturing, or maybe a time for you to finally make your questions, you'd choose the last option by a landslide.

Once the car entered into silence again, you started to find ways in your head to bring up the topic, but after going back and forth, you settled on a simple question that would hopefully lead to him agreeing to answer your questions. "So..you're a demon," You stated simply, and it wasn't so much of a question but more of a statement since you knew that to be a fact. You just hoped Levi would want to elaborate a little more.

And it seemed to work because even if it took him a couple seconds, you heard him exhale and then finally give you an answer. "Yes, I think we've established that, haven't we?" He said, and you nodded. You wanted to go one by one on the questions that had been in the back of your mind ever since he told you his identity, so you'd start that.

"So what is it that you do as a demon? Do you just lurk around humans unnoticed and that's it?" You asked, hoping he could confirm to you if what he was trying to do the night before when he asked you to make a deal with him, not to mention when he appeared on an empty highway out of nowhere, was part of his job. You hadn't questioned it then, for obvious reasons, but you'd ask him now.

"Well, after everything that happened, I'm sure you can piece it together by now. My goal is to make deals with humans," He said, and you nodded, slowly piecing everything together that's happened the last two days ever since you met him. Though, you still had one doubt.

Why did he want to make a deal with you last night when he appeared out of nowhere? What kind of deal did he want to make with you? You just agreed on impulse so he'd help, but you never knew what it was about. You didn't exactly have the luxury back then to ask him for a play by play of the deal.

"Okay, but what kind of deals do you make? How do you even get people to agree? I mean, I agreed because I needed help and we'd already met, but what do you when you ask a complete stranger? Are you that convincing?" You ask, and you saw the way Levi closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled through his nose. You knew that he was realizing you had more than just the one question, and that now that you knew about his identity, you wouldn't exactly put a brake on the questions just yet.

"If you really want to know, knowing you're not going to drop it any time soon, in simpler terms; I grant human's wishes," He said, but as he kept his focus on the road, he didn't know the way a smirk came onto your lips when he said that.

You knew what he meant by that, since last night, to him your wish was for his help and he did it, so you were able to piece that together. But this was also a chance to harmlessly tease him and get under his skin, knowing how seriously he took this job.

Your smirk got wider and you crossed your arms in front of you. "Ah, got it. So, you're like a genie," You said, and you watched in the corner of your eye as Levi took one hand away from the wheel and pressed it to the bridge of his nose as he briefly closed his eyes and let out a tired breath. He opened his eyes, put his hands back on the wheel and looked out into the road again. Seeing his reaction only made your smirk grow.

"How did I not know putting it like that would bite me in the ass?" He muttered, and you purse your lips as you looked out to the window, but continued to listen since you could tell that he still had a lot to say.

"You've seen first-hand what I'm capable of, I told you I'm a demon, and you know I am. You're just trying to get under my skin," He said, and you turned your head away from the window to look at him and then focus back out into the road. From his tone, you knew he wasn't that ticked off and you were just teasing him, and in a way, you knew he was well aware of it too.

"I am, doesn't mean I'll stop doing it," You said and your smirk was still tugging at your lips, albeit, a little less than before. But It seems that Levi just kept giving you the perfect opportunities to pick on him, because he wasn't making it any easier.

You saw the way he took one hand away from the wheel, but his elbow against the window, and leaned his head on it. "Fine, think whatever you want, then," He grumbled, and you had to resist the urge to laugh when you shrugged, followed by a nod.

You purse your lips and briefly take a look at him. "Alright, then to me, you're a genie-" You said, but then your words were cut off by a groan from Levi, and you turned your head to look at him completely.

"Except for that," He said sternly, and you nodded as you looked forward again, seeing that the two of you were still in the highway and it would be a whole while until the two of you made it to your apartment building. You knew Levi realized that too and that he'd have to answer all of your questions and continue to put up with you. It was all for his tattoo and his powers, he told himself.

"If I'm being honest, It doesn't really matter to me if you're a demon, an angel, or anything like that," You started, looking at him while he didn't bother to glance you back, even if you were certain that he knew you were looking at him. Though, you did see the way his eyes narrow a fraction and his face twisted slightly with confusion. "Where are you going with this?" He muttered, but you heard him loud and clear.

"My point is that I'm trying to see if I'm understanding everything right. You posses powers I don't think I've ever witnessed before in my life. And now, I have your tattoo, which was hard enough to fathom in the first place, the source of it all," You laid out the facts that you've managed to piece together since the last two days passed, Levi telling you who he really was, and why he was so adamant on getting the tattoo back. It all seemed pretty surreal, but even after seeing it in person, you were still trying to come to terms with it. Though, you had to admit that it was becoming easier.

He scoffed and then finally took one brief glance at you before looking out into the road again. "Thanks for rubbing it in," He said, with irritation clear in his voice. It seems that everyone wants to remind him of the situation that he's in. The one thing he hasn't told you is what happens to him if he doesn't get his powers back, but it was late at night and Levi didn't think he could take another round of your questions.

"That's not what I'm doing. This isn't something that can be that easy to comprehend, for anyone. You have to know that, don't you?" You said, still looking at him, but he still wasn't looking at you. You sighed and moved your head to look forward again. You were looking ahead again so you didn't notice the way Levi shook his head in disbelief.

"I cannot believe you're still doubting me, you've seen more than enough," He said, and you decided to prop up your elbow on the window and lean your head against your hand. He had to realize what you've witnessed wasn't that easy to process.

You shrugged and let your shoulders sink as you sighed. "Well, you've given me plenty of reasons to doubt you. A couple of magic tricks won't change that so easily," You said, not missing the way that he turned his head to glare at you.

He didn't even have the energy to retort back to that, and it would be pointless if he did. He'd have to do a lot more to prove to you that his tattoo was worth protecting, and it wouldn't be done during this car ride. You were so stubborn and it was driving him crazy.

But just as the car fell silent again, everything the two of you talked about suddenly made you feel a lightbulb go off in your head and your eyes widened, followed by a small gasp as your mouth fell slightly agape. The idea that was swirling around in your mind could be the solutions to both of your worries right now and it was perfect.

It could help and benefit the both of you, but that was if only Levi could see it the same way you did. Damn it, you really shouldn't have annoyed him before thinking of mentioning your idea to him. Now it would be harder to convince him. You had to put on the best acting you possibly can and sound as sure and convincing as you could.

Your face suddenly morphed into the sweetest smile you could muster, and your voice suddenly rose to a couple octaves where it sounded sickly-sweet, and like you clearly wanted something.

You let out a dramatic sigh and tried to appeal to Levi as best as you could, even if you knew he'd be able to see right through it. "Though, I won't deny that losing your powers like that must have been really hard, right?" You said pitifully, making Levi's eyebrows furrow instantly in confusion at your switch-up. What were you doing and what did you want? It's like you flipped a switch in seconds.

Levi stayed silent, but you knew he was listening to you, so that was your cue to continue. "It's clear to me now that you've been trying to find ways to stay close to me just so you can use your powers. Back when you killed that guy, to heal yourself from the acid, and to try to transfer your tattoo back to your wrist when you shoved me in the river," You said, reminding Levi of all the times that he didn't care to hide that he needed to grab your wrist at some point during the night. He sighed and looked away.

"You're really not letting that go are you?" He said, dropping his elbow from the window and putting both of his hands back on the wheel. He turned his head to look at you, and with a pursed lip smile, you shook your head at him. That wasn't something that you would just forget only because he saved you from that acid attack. He was crazy if he thought that stepping in front of you, and especially because it was for his tattoo not you, would just undo that. You were still very annoyed about that.

You continued to talk, using that tone in your voice that was knowing and persuasive, which gave Levi the impression that you were doing all this rambling just to get to a point; which is that you wanted something from him, but he was waiting for you to finish to see if he could piece it together on his own.

Even if whatever you wanted to propose at the end of your words, he'd refuse, despite knowing that if he did that then he would have to put up with you trying to convince him. He was ready for that, at least he thought he was. He needed to listen to the rest.

"Not for a while, no. But what I'm getting at is that it seems to me that you have no excuse to justify to anyone else why you're hanging around me like that, do you? People are going to ask questions. I mean, we're not family, we're not friends, you're not my ex, and much less my boyfriend," You pointed out, but Levi was still struggling to know where you were going with this. You were saying things he already knew, but that you were able to deduce just from what he's revealed to you and what's happened that night. Levi took his focus away from the road for a second and glanced at you.

"I'm not following. What do you want?" He said, point-blank, not wanting to play around and just wanted you to come out with it instead of dancing around what you wanted. That's why you were going on and on before getting to it, right?

Because you wanted something from him and thought that trying to act all nice all of a sudden would persuade him. But you were wrong. That wasn't going to work on him and he didn't even know what you were thinking. He just already knew he'd say no.

You raised your hands up in defense and looked at him with offense. "I don't want anything, honest. I'm just saying, If I'm not wrong here, and this is just a shot in the dark, that what you need right now is the perfect title or excuse that would allow you stay close to me all the time and you can use your powers whenever you want," You said, and Levi was still struggling to follow, but there was a part in his brain that could start to see where you were going with this and he already hated it.

"Can you just spit it out?" He said, clearly irritated, and you shrugged as you leaned back into your seat. You were really hoping he'd be able to see what you were thinking of right now and could see how great it would be for the both of you.

"I just think that we're practically in the same boat right now, and whether we like it or not, we need each other. That's what I'm trying to say," You stated at last, and that's when Levi made a face of recognition. The two of you were in danger, albeit in very different ways.

The kind of danger that you were in had been made pretty obvious to Levi, but the kind of danger that he was in, well, he hasn't disclosed with you yet, all you know is that he wants his powers back and that's it. Levi was starting to slowly catch on to what you were trying to say, but he wanted to hear you say it.

He needed to be around you to have access to his powers, and you needed to be around him for protection. Your idea would help the both of you until the issues the two of you had going on were resolved.

"There's a way for the both of us to get what we want, and it'll be mutual. Neither one gets more than the other and everyone wins," You said, trying to make Levi see that your idea would not be unfair to either of you, and that this would be the perfect temporary solution until that killer is caught and he finds a way to get his powers back.

"And that is...?" Levi asked, preparing himself to hear what you had to say. He was already prepared to refuse because he wasn't that close to you yet to be making agreements like the one you were hinting at. And just as he expected, his eyebrows shot up in surprise when he heard what you had been edging towards and he was immediately at a loss for words.

"I want you to be my bodyguard," You said assertively, but when Levi heard you say that, it brought him back down to Earth and he felt the urge to scoff at your proposal. He couldn't even fathom going from making deals with humans almost on the daily to suddenly being a protector that follows you around 24/7.

"Your bodyguard? Are you serious?" He said incredulously, but you crossed your arms and looked at him indignantly. You knew he wouldn't agree right away, but you didn't think it was that unreasonable of an option, was it?

"What part of what I said makes this sound like a joke? I'm completely serious," You countered, not knowing what part of what you said made him think this wasn't serious. Besides, in the situation you were in, you couldn't afford to make jokes about this. You needed to find a way to convince him and make him know that this proposal is real and that it really could help both of you.

"Couldn't you have come up with something better?" He snarked and you fell back into your seat as you looked at him with offense. Now he was just being petty, and you knew that he was aware of the irony of this. What you're asking of him is exactly what he'd been doing already.

He says you were stubborn but he was so prideful and wasn't willing to let that aside. Your eyes narrowed at him and you looked at him expectantly. "Well, do you have a better idea? I don't see you coming up with anything," You pointed out, letting your annoyance through, even if you knew that would push him further away from agreeing.

"I'm a demon. That's my job. I make deals, that's what I do. Are you telling me I have to go from doing that to just following you around every day and protecting you?" He said, and you had to fight the urge to roll your eyes. You were sure he was aware that as the words left his mouth, he realized he was in the wrong.

Your eyes went wide in disbelief and your arms remained crossed together, but even so, you weren't giving up so easily. "Well, you were doing that anyway, finding ways to be around me to be close to your tattoo. Do you realize how ironic that sounds? At least now you'd have a name for it," You pointed out, but you tried not to groan in frustration when you saw him shake his head.

"The answer is no," He said sternly, and you sighed trying to rack your head to think of what you could possibly say to him to agree on this. What else could help the two of you right now? Your paths were heading in the same direction and he was too prideful to admit it. You thought of more ways in your head to get him to agree, even if it was just picking at straws to see what worked best for him.

"You don't have to put a name on it then. You could just tell yourself that you're protecting your tattoo and your powers, not me. You can keep that part yourself. Would you agree then?" You asked tentatively, slightly leaning forward in your seat to see if you could catch a full glimpse of his answer.

"I said no," He repeated, just as sternly as before, but with growing hints of irritation. Your shoulders slumped and you fell back against your seat again. You were losing all of your dignity trying to get him to agree to this, weren't you? But who were you kidding? You had nothing to lose, your dignity was long gone.

"Then you don't have to call it protecting me if that's not your thing. Maybe you can just use it as an excuse to fight, right? Whether it's that psycho or anyone you've made a deal with like you did with that guy from before," You added, but it seems like he wasn't on board with that either, so from his reaction to that, you knew you were only taking steps back and it was humiliating. "If you're asking me to fight on your behalf, I'm not doing that either," He said, and you couldn't help but tip your head back against your seat, closing your eyes.

You let out a breath of defeat. "Then, we're at a loss, aren't we? You know you're screwed if something happens to me and you're not around. W-What if I died and your tattoo disappeared with me. What would you do then?" You said, turning your head to face him and then tipping your head back again.

After that, you didn't hear anything else from him, and you didn't see the way his gaze changed the slightest bit when you said that. The car was filled with silence once more after that and neither of you said anything else.

You knew you couldn't change his opinion at all right now, but you still had one more thing to say before you dropped it, for now at least and hope that what you were about to say eventually was mulled over in his head.

"Look, I know we're not that fond of each other right now. But you know very well that my life is in danger. I don't know who's after me or why they want to kill me, but I do know that someone's out there and that they could strike at any moment if i'm not careful," You started, and while Levi still refused to look at you, you hoped that from your voice, your tone, and your words, that somehow any part of what you said managed to penetrate through his tough exterior. You took his silence as you spoke as a sign that he was listening and that was enough.

"It's this simple, there's not much to it. You need your tattoo, and I need your powers for protection. That's it. This is the only way for the both of us to get what we want until both of our problems are solved, but if you have a better idea, I'm willing to listen," You concluded, letting out a defeated sigh and turned your body away and decided to look out the window again until the two of you arrived back at your building. You wouldn't get through to him now, you knew that much, so you'd rather put a pause on it until he thought it over a little more.

But as you looked away and decided to put an end to the conversation, Levi's thoughts had come to a halt. He'd heard what you tried to propose to him, and even though it made sense, he just couldn't bring himself to agree to it.

There were just so many things holding him back and couldn't admit that after so many failed attempts, this was the last possible solution open to him that he could take until his powers came back to him, and he didn't know when that would be either. This was all so unpredictable that he couldn't afford to be calculated and think through his options, because he had no other options.

He took his focus away from the road and discreetly glanced down at your wrist, and since your wrist had ridden up a little, his tattoo was on full display, as if it was mocking him. It would take a lot more for him to admit that he needed to resort to sticking to you like glue, waiting for the day that his powers came back, and he didn't know when that would be.

You were right. He'd be screwed if you died and your tattoo with him, but he was also screwing himself over if he didn't go along with this knowing he had a time limit. He's doing it to himself. Ever since you came into his life, you've done nothing but complicate it. He knew he was out of options, and unfortunately, you're the best he's got.

Eventually, after a long and silent rest of the car ride, it was a matter of time before Levi was driving down the ramp that led to the underground parking lot of your building. As he drove across it, you told him that your designated parking lot was up ahead, so when it came into view, you raised your hand and pointed at it. "It's over there," You said simply, and Levi nodded, being able to quickly spot it too.

He could tell that from the tone of your voice, differing completely from the defying and assertive one you had before, that you were exhausted and just wanted to get the day over with. He could agree with you on that at the very least. He just wanted to drop you off and go on with his night.

You watched as Levi pulled the car around, and backed up into the parking space effortlessly. You knew the parking space was empty because Hange must have your car so you didn't think too much of it. When he securely backed up the car enough, he swiftly switched gears and turned off the car. Both of you swiftly took off your seatbelts, but didn't move to get out of the car just yet.

A little silence followed after that so you decided to try one last time, and see if any of the words you said had some sort of effect on him and maybe he had a change of heart. Even him saying that he would think about it would be progress for you.

You slumped against your chair and turned your head to look at him with hopeful eyes, even if he was still looking forward. "So, will you be my bodyguard?" You asked tentatively as you leaned forward a bit to see his reaction. Though, you were disappointed to see it stony as ever. 

"Can you stop? I said no," He said and you deadpanned at him. You tried at least. But as you fell back into your seat, you continued to face him directly and then when you realized he wasn't budging, you looked away dejectedly.

"Worth a shot.." You muttered, but as you started to gather your things and turned your body to face the door. A thought occurred to you and you quickly whipped around to look at him, and he held back a groan when he saw you do this, knowing you still had a lot to say, so he prepared himself.

Holding onto your purse, you looked at him accusingly. You didn't want to just let it go because he was hiding the reason why he didn't want to do it, or maybe he just doesn't have a reason, but he could say that at least.

"Do you at least have a better idea? I don't see you rejecting my idea just because you have a better one," You countered. As soon as you pointed that out, you watched as he, not-so-discreetly, started avoiding eye-contact with you even more.

You raised your eyebrows and your eyes widened the slightest bit more in surprise. You knew it. It's so clear in his behavior that he had a reason and just refused to tell you. You wish you didn't have to be so insistent but this was practically life and death, and both of you were deeply aware of that.

A couple more seconds passed as you waited for his answer, but he just settled on denial once again. "I don't know, stop asking me. I won't be your bodyguard," He said, and without another word, he turned his body to the side, opened the door, and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Your eyes widened seeing him step out of the car. You quickly rushed to do the same, turning your body and opening the door, stepping out, and closing the door behind you. You made your way around the car and started following after him. Your eyebrows pinched in confusion when you saw the way his eyes were trailing around the parking lot.

"What are you doing? I thought you were just going to drop me off," You said as you started speed walking to catch up with him. You knew why you were going to get out of the car, because you live here, but why was he getting out? You thought he'd park, you'd enter your apartment building, he'd leave and that would be it. His behavior was driving you insane, he was so confusing.

"What else? What if that creep tries his luck with you again? I'll walk you to your door," He said blankly and continued walking towards the parking lot elevators, and you halted in your steps when he said that as your mouth hung open.

Is he even hearing himself right now? It was ridiculous how he refused to do exactly what he's been doing for the entire day and it drove you insane. You quickly got your feet to start moving again and you started lightly jogging to get to him.

"Don't you see that's exactly what a bodyguard does? There's literally nothing to it but that," You said as you finally caught up to him and you stopped in place, when he did and he turned around to look at you. "You just won't drop it, will you? I told you I'd never be your bodyguard, get that through your head," He said, and your shoulder sank as you looked him in the eye. You bit the inside of your cheek in frustration, not knowing how to get him to realize what he's doing.

He wasn't helping his case either. He dragged his glare away from you and went back to taking a look around the place as he made his way around you, so you were in front of him.

"Now," He started, and you raised an eyebrow. "Get in front of me. I'll watch your back while you walk in. How good is the security in this place?" You heard him ask, and your mouth dropped open as you fought the urge to look back at him with your eyes full of disbelief. He couldn't see your face right now, but he did, he'd see how ironic this whole situation was.

"You really aren't hearing yourself right now, are you?" You muttered to yourself, rolling your eyes and starting to walk towards the elevators. Levi had been so caught up in looking around in the surroundings of the parking lot that he then quickly rushed to catch up to you when he heard your footsteps getting farther away.

He'd asked how good the security was, and he saw it when he caught up to you. He watched as you stopped a touchpad right in front of sliding doors that led to the elevators, and he silently watched you put a code in.

When you finished putting in the code, it was followed by a quick beep of confirmation and the sliding doors opened shortly after. Knowing Levi was right behind you, you walked past the sliding doors and got to the elevators, with the man who refused to be your bodyguard but was doing everything a bodyguard does, following behind you. You knew that no matter how much you told him how much he was contradicting himself, he wouldn't listen, so you dropped it.

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