#Janitor Levi | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dreamingon-forever · 2 years ago

Text

Black Tea is Fine Ch.8

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44651227/chapters/113144785

Preview: Furlan and Isabel stood rooted in front of the stove, taking in the grossly comfortable interactions between the two work colleagues with a frown on their faces. "I take it back, they're perfectly made for each other." Furlan mumbled as Hange took another offered bit of toast from the man's plate, having already finished her own. Their own plates still left untouched as they watched the two unsuspecting individuals with intrigue from across the room.

11:47pm the light emitting from the screen of his phone read.

The gentle rustle of leaves on swaying tree branches surrounding them, and the occasional passing car driving down the street on a lazy Thursday night becoming welcoming atmospheric hums and background music for the two as they sat in silence at a random park they've wandered across.

A bitter wind blew at them, causing Levi to stifling a shiver as best as he could in an attempt to not shake awake the resting woman laying on his shoulder. His arm reaching over and unconsciously wrapping the black blazer tighter against her body to shield her from the bitter bursts of wind as she slept away unaware of the frosty winds or the man's mannerism.

"I'll borrow your shoulder for just five minutes..." She had told him as she rested her head on him a while back, a silent tear making its way down her cheek- her messy bangs obscuring her face and creating a barrier between her and the outside world. Her eyes glazed over as she looked down at the play sand beneath them in an attempt at hiding it from him- in what he guessed had been her feeble attempt at trying to keep the man from feeling uncomfortable knowing well he was not the best at comforting others.

But he noticed. He noticed every single one that had fallen during the night, each new one painfully more than the last. He was aware of them despite his silence on the matter.

Emotions were a foreign concept to him, and he'd always opted to turning away from them if possible. They were uncomfortable and only complicated things more than needed. He'd learned that the hard way with the way his mother had fallen ill after his father had left them when he was young enough to not remember his face at all, with the the way Kenny had abandoned him and his sick mother when Levi started to finally trust him and see him as a father figure, from the way he'd been constantly ostracized by his peers throughout his life for not having enough, with the way that the world seemed to turn a blind eye to those who suffered in their life but turned against them the moment they tried to survive, and specially with the way his mother distanced herself from him to keep him from seeing how much worse she was faring with life. He'd accumulated enough scars from his lifetime to know to keep his heart locked up, to be disconcerted and disconnected from others, and seeing things in an objective matter if he wanted to keep afloat in this shitty world. The one useful thing his shithead of an uncle had told him was that nothing came free in life- emotions being one of them, and that'd been his life motto ever since. He'd learned to turn off all emotions and any want to get personal with others because he knew that expectations only brought the pains of reality and disappointment. But seeing the eccentric woman who was always smiling and joyously parading with endless energy and radiating the essence of the word 'life' itself all of a sudden sullen and disheartened, it rendered him completely helpless as he stood unmoving at her side. Emotions be damned and all, but at least he wasn't a heartless monster. If anything, life had only made him more prone to a sympathetic life.

The night seemed to have taken a toll on her, and he just didn't have the heart to bring her back to reality just yet, seeing the peaceful look that had settled on her face. A much preferred and natural look on her face than the downcast one she wore earlier that evening. If all she needed was his shoulder for some comfort for just a while, who was he to deny it from her?

With a sigh, he rubbed at his tired eyes. Why was it the only night his body actually wanted to shut down at human like hours was tonight of all nights? In the middle of a random playground sitting on a swing set under the freezing February night chill, next to Hange of all people?

Only until midnight. Levi muttered to himself. He opted on giving her until midnight to rest... Only thirteen minutes. Although he'd been saying that since 40 minutes ago, with various time intervals of fifteen minutes that kept shifting over time. And before he'd known it, the brunette's initial five minutes had turned to 15, which turned to 30, and now here they were waiting on midnight. Well, she seemed to need the extra sleep anyways with the dark under eyes she sported on a daily basis and the endless amount of caffeine she constantly consumed to survive. Which according to Moblit, had to do with the constant research she did on the sidelines alongside other experts on the field. And she definitely seemed to need those shitty braincells of hers alive if she wanted to continue doing so without embarrassing herself in front of her smart assed peers. Or at least those were the reasons he tried to justify for letting the mess of a woman engage in elongated and extended amounts of physical contact with him.

Feeling the woman grumble in discomfort and shuffling around relentlessly, causing the swing set to shift unevenly beneath them, he turned to look at her from his peripheral. Noticing her glasses digging onto her hooked nose, he slowly took off the frames that were pressed up against her face and pocket them neatly in his dress shirt pocket, letting Hange rest more comfortably against him. A small content smile falling on her lips.

Where a line of drool was making its way down her chin and onto his shoulder. He let out a tired sigh, but otherwise let it be. He was too tired to actually care at this moment.

Feeling his eyes slowly droop into the unfamiliar realm of sleep, he exhaled in exasperation. Just 12 more minutes. 12 minutes more and he could shake awake the bespectacled woman who'd dragged him out to this disasterous night out that had ended with them sitting on a piece of plastic bound to be infested in endless amounts of gems and snot, and head home for a well deserved warm shower and sleep. Desperately needing something to keep him awake, he looked around for something that was more interesting to look than the sand beneath his feet. His gaze eventually turned to the sleeping brunette he was sharing the swing-seat with, taking the chance to study her closer without her questioning look while trying to fight off the fatigue. Under the soft light of the streetlamp glowing over them, it washed the brunette in a golden glow, basking her messy hair in a fiery red hue that made her locks seem like wisps of fire, her tanned skin more enriched, exasperating the valley of freckles dotting her nose- resembling the bright and everlasting stars flecked on a clear night sky. He could probably make up his own constellations from them, just like the woman had told him from one of her countless rants about how ancient Greeks did to tell tales of their Gods and Goddesses. And with that hooked nose Hange sported, her broad shoulders and tall height, endless knowledge and inquisitiveness, as well with her golden skin, he could see her as one herself.

She was absolutely gorgeous as they depicted their goddesses to be.

At the thought, he snapped his eyes open, aghast and disturbed by his own thinking, shaking his head to try and push those intrusive thoughts out of his head. Maybe it was a trick from his sleepy state, but whatever it was, it did the trick in keeping him awake. Lucky for him, the vibration from his phone informed him that his allocated time till midnight had ended, not giving him enough time to ponder over his thoughts.

Levi's never felt so relieved at hearing an alarm in his life.

"Oi, Shitty-glasses... wake up... It's been more than five minutes." He prodded at the sleeping woman, who only grunted in retaliation as a response, swatting his hand away from her. Sighing and tired of being kept out longer than he had signed up for (not to mention his mental state being tested from his hyperfixation on the woman just a few minutes ago), he grabbed onto the sleeping woman's hair, turning to face her directly so she had no way to escape his piecing gaze. Except the movement had been a bit more aggressive and more steadfast than intended, causing the woman to lose her sitting position and almost topple over backwards on the swing seat. Only his quick reflexes managed to stop her from falling over and possibly cracking her skull as he deftly wrapped his arm tightly around her waist and pressed her flush against his chest to steady her against him- his other hand still intervened on the locks of her hair. His heart beating at an alarmingly fast pace at the near miss of a disaster.

But despite all the commotion, the woman still slept peacefully, snoring and drooling away, completely unfazed by her near concussion or unaware of the fright she'd almost given her companion. For the lack of sleep the brunette got on a daily, she sure was a heavy sleeper, seeing as the last time she'd slept through a blaring fire alarm as well. Levi concluded at that moment that the woman would make a terrible soldier.

Instead of waking up from the chaos, Hange unconsciously ended up snuggling and pressing closer to Levi, relishing in his warmth and protective arm still wrapped tightly around her. Her cheek pressed right against his erratic heart. The hum of satisfaction and comfortability from the brunette causing the raven-haired man to freeze in surprise at the unexpected closeness. And all of a sudden he no longer felt the bitter cold nipping at his skin, instead his whole body felt as if it was been grazed by the sun.

A sun named Hange Zoe.

"Hey... four-eyes." He tried again, gulping back his surprise. Only to get another mumble of grunts back from the brunette. "Oi... it's time to wake up. It's midnight. My balls are freezing and you're hogging all the warmth." He tried again, trying to insert his usual hostility into his words. But he couldn't tear his gaze away from the lashes that framed her face, or the way her nose curved perfectly to fit against his chest. He couldn't stop thinking of how perfect she felt in his embrace. And part of him didn't want her to wake up at all, or to break the illusion of comfort that lay between them at the moment. But the rational part of him knew he had to separate and find a way out of this mess before it completely consumed him.

"Hange...Oi" He breathed out, unconsciously using her name as he watched the soft flutter of her lashes beneath him. For a brief moment, her eyes slowly and groggily opened, looking up at him with the softness of an innocent child as she tried to make out the blurry world before her. "Levi?" She mumbled as she squinted up at him, her hand briefly tracing the edges of his face with the tip of her fingers to make sure it was him. Her touch making him shiver more than the wind ever could.

Hange never failed to amaze him and render him completely helpless. She just seemed to have that effect on him. And at that moment he realized why people worshiped deities.

"Hey Levi... please don't take me home...It's lonely there..." She softly requested in the form of a mumble against his shoulder as she laid back down on him, her hand still softly pressed against his cheek. "Don't... don't let me be lonely..." Levi watched the woman slowly fall into a slumber once again, her breathe evening out again and softly brushing against his exposed neck, causing his already warm body to heat up even further at their newfound proximity. Her breath pressing right at the pulse point on his neck, the motion clouding his mind and making him think of indecent thoughts that had never crossed his mind before. What was happening to him? What was this woman doing to him?

The silence that followed leaving the man to ponder over the words she'd left him with as he simultaneously tried fighting off the newfound surging train of indecent thoughts he had of the woman. With a sigh and slight hesitation after making sure she was really out of it, Levi gently brushed away the bang that fell onto the woman's face. "You're really not making this easy for me, shitty-glasses." He mumbled. But despite his complains, he found himself doing anything for her.

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After lots of pondering and weighing the consequences of his choices, he begrudgingly decided he couldn't just leave the woman on her own at the park, nor bring her to her house as she'd begged him not to do. He did contemplate on calling Erwin, Mike, Moblit, or even Nanaba to come pick her up. But at the thought of having to explain to Mike or Nanaba why he was calling from Hange's phone in the middle of the night since he hadn't bothered acquainting with them enough to get their number made him rather eat his shoe than do just that. He would've called Erwin, but the thought of his smug face at seeing the two together was somewhat even worse of an outcome than calling the sniffling Buffon. This left him with maybe calling Moblit, but honestly he already felt bad enough for the poor guy having to care for his boss as it was that he didn't have the heart to even ponder on the thought longer than a second.

As he inserted his housekeys into the keyhole, he closed his eyes and hoped to whatever God was out there that his roommates were asleep, or at the very least didn't bombard him with endless questions the moment he stepped into the house hauling the passed out bespectacled woman over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He'd already earned enough questioning glances as he Uber them both and carried her through the building lobby. For some unknown reason, all his neighbours and ones he'd never even seen in his life had all somehow collectively decided they all would go on a night stroll on that precise night. At 1am on a Friday morning of all days. He didn't need to add his friends' onslaught of questions to the list.

Unfortunately for him though, luck was simply not on his side.

"Big brother! You're finally back!" Isabel's happy voice flew over to him as he wiggled the door open for him to get through. And as expected, her eyes traveled from her friend's face to the behind of the brunette that Levi was shouldering.

"Not a word." He said in an annoyed tone as he closed the door behind him, taking off the woman's coats and shoes carefully alongside his own before carrying her to the couch, where he unceremoniously dropped her. With a sigh, he leaned against the other end of the couch, closing his eyes briefly as he massaged his tired eyes. "What a woman." He muttered under his breathe in exasperation.

At the sound of another door opening and sensing his two lifelong companions staring at him, he exhaled and finally turned to them. A look of challenge on his tired face, daring them to ask the pressing question that was practically readable on their faces. Isabel being the fearless one of the two finally spoke up. "What is the nice candy lady doing here again? Are you two actually dating? Where you on a date together? Why is she passed out? Will she live with us now? Does she have more candy?" The red-head asked without a pause. Levi already felt another headache coming over him. He just couldn't catch a break tonight.

With a sigh, he put up a hand to stop her from blabbering on further. "Isabel, I'll answer everything once I get some sleep okay? I'm tired and would actually like to fucking get some rest right now. Babysitting shitty-glasses had been enough of an ordeal to deal with." He muttered. A sigh from the red-head made it known that she begrudgingly agreed to his terms. "So what are you going to do with her? Are you going to share your bed with her?" She asked as she took in the drooling woman, a hint of disgust mixed with astonishment reflecting on her big eyes.

"Fuck no. She can easily sleep on the couch." Levi said without thought. But despite his rude and crass words, the three of them knew he would never allow a woman sleep on the sofa. He was just chivalrous like that.

With a heavy sigh, he shook the woman's legs that laid over his thighs. "Oi, shitty-glasses. Get your ass up. You need to take a bath before I let you lay a finger on my bed." As a sound of retaliation left her mouth and started kicking his hands away from her, the raven-haired man let out an annoyed tch as he got up and hovered over the woman, pinching her cheeks with one hand as he tried to get some sense into her. Which the brunette fought against as she pinched the man's own cheeks with her hands, a semi groggy laugh leaving her mouth at the muderous look the man gave her.

Furlan and Isabel exchanged a look with each other as the two continued their bickering. Despite knowing their longtime friend for years and having gotten accustomed to his rude mannerisms, they'd never seen him so touchy or comfortable at interacting in physical touch with anyone else before. Could it possibly be their stoic friend had finally found his match?

"That's it, you're showering now. You stink, shitty-eyes, and no way in Hell will I let you stay in my home unless you get rid of that layer of grime off you. You don't even know how much mucus was wiped off on that stupid playground we stayed over." He said with finality as he threw the woman over his shoulder once more, carrying her to the bathroom, leaving his bewildered friends staring after them.

"So... do you think... both of them? Like... he likes he?" Furlan finally broke the static silence between the two of them, both their gazes still fixated on the semi open door to their bathroom, where two voices fought against each other.

Isabel slowly shook her head as she continued taking in the voices of the other pair. "I don't think she's brother's type."

Furlan raised a brow and turned to his female companion in confusion. "How do you know? Levi's never had a crush on anyone before. For all we knew I thought he just wasn't interesting in anyone at all."

Isabel simply shrug her shoulders. "She's messy and unkept. Plus she's loud and drags brother to hang out despite him being a homebody. Besides, she's taller and much more outspoken than he could possibly tolerate. Not to mention that when they talk it's 90% poop jokes and bickering. Brother seems the type to go for someone calm and clean, and definitely someone that doesn't tower over him since it's been an insecurity of his, so Hange definitely not his type at all." She said as she watched Levi grumble in annoyance as he left the bathroom momentarily to get something from his bedroom.

Furlan slowly nodded in agreement at his friend's words, both their attentions falling back on the raven-haired man that came back out of his room, carrying a neatly folded outfit change for their guest as he entered the bathroom once more, where once more their bickering voices filled the apartment.

"But... I think that ideal types don't matter in the end. Not when you start developing feelings for someone regardless." Isabel finished with a small smile as she heard Hange let out a happy laugh as Levi muttered a curse after her.

---------------------

His eyes drooping heavily at the long night he'd had, Levi finally allowed himself to crash over his couch after taking a much deserved warm bath, letting sleep finally take over him. It still boggled him despite his semi-awake state how his body was actually accepting sleep for once. He couldn't even count the amount of times on the fingers of a hand how many times he'd actually slept well without insomnia the last 3 months. Maybe it had something to do with the anger he'd let out earlier that evening at Hange's parents after being berated and looked down upon. Or maybe it had something to do with aimlessly walking for hours next to Hange in some way to comfort her. But whatever it was, it had left him with a warm feeling of safety and satisfaction in his chest, which somehow transitioned into a want to sleep. As he started letting sleep take over him, he suddenly felt the side of the couch dip beneath him. Opening his eyes tiredly, he managed to make out the outline of an individual draped over with a comforter over their head, their arms braced over the couch next to his hand as they rested their head over their crossed arms.

"Four-eyes?" He called out tiredly, rubbing at his dark under eyes. His companion only let out a quiet hum in response, not shifting from their position despite how uncomfortable it looked. "Why aren't you in bed? Is it not to your liking?" He asked her, exhaustion evidently lacing his words as they came out more of a slur of incoherent words than anything else. "Don't tell me you're regretting begging me to not carry you home? Cause it's been a shitty last few hours trying to haul you and get you cleaned, four-eyes." For a second he didn't get a reply, making him think that she'd already fallen asleep, his own eyes threatening to close on him.

"It's lonely." She finally muttered softly. Her voice barely above a whisper.

Levi felt himself chuckle slightly in his delirious state. "Lonely? Can you really be lonely in an apartment with three other people?" He muttered quietly, turning slightly to glance at the woman laying next to him.

Hange only turned to look up at him at his words, the moonlight that managed to filter through the curtains of their window outlining the woman's curiously somber state. Her brown orbs somewhat dimmed yet still reflective with their natural brightness looking up at him. "Lonely and quiet... It's so quiet that I can't stop thinking." She confided in him. "When you left tonight... I finally said what I've been holding back from mom a long time ago. I thought it would be relieving, but now I'm just thinking she might be right... Maybe I've been the one thinking wrong and I've just been blinded by my long-held grudge... the silence is making me feel suffocated." And I can't stop wondering if this is what the rest of my life will be like, all alone. It's sad and scary. She thought to herself, but bit back from speaking out loud. She sighed as she fiddled with corner of the comforter, avoiding looking into the questioning eyes of the male. She wasn't sure what had compelled her to seek Levi's ear out when she'd always done a decent job at keeping her thoughts to herself her whole life.

"If you've been holding onto a grudge for so long there had to be a valid reason for it, no? Being so insistent on your view means part of you knew she was wrong and you were driven with the desire to prove her wrong. I don't see you being in the wrong for thinking that way. At the least you confronted your mother. I bet it must have been relieving, the look on her face I would've paid my annual income to see again." At his words, Hange let out a soft giggle, punching the man slightly at his sides. "Besides, you're you shitty-glasses. Drowning in self-pity and holding that constipated look on your face doesn't seem like your kind of thing. You don't seem to be the type of person to stay out of action and follow someone else's rules." Levi said as he let out a yawn, his eyes fluttering closed.

Hange's eyes softened at the janitor's words, his words planting a new seed of hope within her. "You know... you're not so bad at talking when you're half asleep, Ackerman. Maybe I should invest in sleeping pills when I need life advise from you." She teased, to which the man snorted at, flickering the woman on the forehead with an eye open.

"Now that you're back to your annoying self, get to bed, four-eyes. We still have to go to school you know?"

Hange pouted at his words but sighed in agreement. "Fine, goodnight, shorty." She said before laying down on the floor next to him, resting her head on her arms as pillows.

Sensing her presence still next to him, he wearingly opened his eyes. "Oi, what do you think you're doing down there?" Levi asked, shifting so he had a better view of the woman wrapped in his comforter laying on the wooden floors.

Hange blinked up at him in confusion as she shuffled closer to him so that she was right under his gaze. "Sleeping?" She asked in reply. With a heavy sigh and a shake of his head, the man kicked off his blanket and picked up the woman, throwing her once again over his shoulder. Eliciting a gasp of shock from the woman as she flailed against his hold on her. "Levi, what do you think you're doing?!" She asked as she lightly punched him on the back.

"Stop moving, shitty-glasses. I'm taking you to bed. I don't want to hear you complain at work over a stiff shoulder or a broken neck." He said as he swung open the door to his bedroom and deposited the woman on his bed in an unceremonious manner, eliciting a squeal from the woman as her back his the soft mattress. With a satisfied smirk, the man turned to leave the room when he felt someone grab onto his arm.

"Stay with me." Hange quietly asked him, her grip tightening on his arm as she felt his slightly try to pull away.

"There's only one bed here, four-eyes. Use that big brain of yours. I'll just be outside if you need me." He said as he tried prying away the woman's grip off him. But she shook her head, wrapping another hand over his to stop him. "Please? We can share, there's enough room for both of us."

Levi wearily looked over his bed. Sure there was enough space for two people. That was, for two people who were close enough to share a bed together. Before he could retaliate back, Hange pulled him towards the bed, making room as she shuffled to the corner of the bed pressed against the wall, leaving him enough room on the other side of the bed. "If you feel uncomfortable, we can sleep on opposite ends. Besides... I'd feel terrible making you sleep on the couch of your own home." She said.

Normally he would have brushed off the idea completely and ignored her. But the fatigue was wearing him thin and he didn't have any fight left in him. So with a heavy sigh, he laid down on his side of the bed, his feet pointing opposite the woman's. "Fine. You win this one. Now go sleep, four-eyes. Dealing with brats isn't going to get any easier on less sleep." He muttered as Hange pulled the blankets over the both of them. "Night." He muttered before closing his eyes, finally letting the sleep win over him completely, blanketing him in a welcoming warm embrace.

"Goodnight, Levi."

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The sounds of muffled giggles and the smell of breakfast wafting through the apartment woke him up. With a groan and a rub of his eyes, he looked around his room in confusion. As memories of the previous night made their way into his mind, his eyes glanced over at the other half of his bed, where a lack of a specific bespectacled brunette met his sight. Sitting up and stretching in an attempt to drive away the soreness obtained from the previous night, the man sighed before following his usual morning routine of making his bed and carefully setting his pillows in a pristine manner. When satisfied, he finally opened the door of his room and was immediately met with the happy laughs of his two best friends and their visitor as they hovered over the kitchen stove.

As his tired gaze hovered over them, he couldn't help his gaze from stopping on the tall brunette's figure. Where she sported his oversized black hoodie and a pair of white shorts that were slightly too short on her long tanned legs. He gulped. The sight of Hange wearing his clothes somehow eliciting some sort of excitement and warmth out of him. And he couldn't help but think that it was just as it ought to be, that the sight of her wearing his clothes was just right.

"Brother! You're finally up!" Isabel's happy voice tore him from his thoughts, causing him to tear away his gaze from the brunette. Furlan's knowing look looking back at him at having noticed the raven-haired man's focused and awestruck look on Hange a while back. Levi threw a scowl at him, but a faint blush had made its way to his cheeks, making it hard to seem unbothered by his friend's knowing look.

"What's everyone up to so early in the morning?" He muttered in a tone he hopped was as cynic as usual.

"Hange was helping up make you some breakfast!" Isabel replied as she happily showed the stack of French toasts on four different platters on the counter. Levi raised an eye at the the bespectacled woman, who was patiently and eagerly waiting for his reaction. "You made this, four-eyes? I didn't know you could cook. From the state of your kitchen and the volume of takeout boxes I expected you to have burned the house down." He said as he slightly nodded at the plated breakfast. They seemed decently made and even had nice decorations of strawberry and powdered sugar over them.

"Rude, shorty. That's not how you treat someone who woke up early to make breakfast as a thank you." Hange grumbled, punching the man slightly to show she was joking. "But yeah, Isabel and Furlan were the ones who flipped and cooked. I was only here to help put the ingredients together." She admitted as she ruffled Isabel's hair in adoration, gaining a happy giggle in return from the younger girl.

"Hange's the best! She told us a bunch of stories about the experiments she does at school and taught us about the science behind candy making! And ooh, ooh! Did you know that the front part of your tongue is the one that has taste buds that pick up on sweet tastes?" She excitedly rambled on, her eyes bursting with excitement as she jumped around as she retold what she'd learned. The other three looked over her in amusement. Despite how easily excitable Isabel was on a regular, early mornings were usually reserved for grumpiness as she adjusted to the dreaded mornings. Seeing her bursting with energy at such early hours was something new to both Levi and Furlan who'd known her close to 10 years now.

"Oi, shitty-glasses, what did you feed her?" He asked the bespectacled woman who chuckled at Isabel taking in a deep breathe after retelling everything she remembered. "Nothing, I thought this was how she was normally." She said as she started putting the plates over the dining table. "Oh, by the way! I made you some green tea as well. I thought it was a nice and subtle wake up tea that would go well with the sweet breakfast." She said as she handed him a perfectly warm cup of tea. Noticing the familiarity between the two and Hange's knowledge over Levi's preferences, Isabel and Furlan exchanged a look with each other. So they were close close, close.

"I'm guessing you opted for that caffeinated death drink of yours?" Levi asked the brunette as they settled next to each other on the table, completely forgetting about their companions as they engaged in talks with each other. "You know it! Say, I couldn't find any of my preferred brown sugar here but I hope you don't mind me borrowing some of the cubed white sugar you have?" She asked as she accepted a bite of French toast from the man.

"I'll remember to stock up on brown sugar then. And yeah, you're free to use it as long as you don't go having sugar rushes. I don't want to clean after your mess if you accidentally pour erosive material down the pipes again." He said as he wiped away at the woman's mouth with a paper tower when syrup and powdered sugar started covering her face. "Why? Not willing to wear old Billy's janitor uniform again? I thought you looked adorable in it. Like a little kid trying to wear his dad's clothes!" She teased to which she got a smack on the head from the man in front of her in retaliation, causing her to giggle louder at his expression.

Furlan and Isabel stood rooted in front of the stove, taking in the grossly comfortable interactions between the two work colleagues with a frown on their faces. "I take it back, they're perfectly made for each other." Furlan mumbled as Hange took another offered bit of toast from the man's plate, having already finished her own. Their own plates still left untouched as they watched the two unsuspecting individuals with intrigue from across the room.

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There goes another stupid song gram. Levi thought bitterly as he watched a group of students surround a young short blonde girl. A taller, tanned, and freckled girl with black hair slowly closing the distance between the two of them before handing the girl a giant bouquet of roses and a heart box. All which concluded with the two kissing and making out in the middle of the hallways, where hollers and hoots of encouragement rained down on them. It would have been cute, if it weren't the 21st one he'd been subjected to suffer through that day.

And then came the the part he dreaded the most. The stupid confetti that every damn song gram called for after they were finished with their singing. He gave the happy couple a good twenty seconds to rejoice and celebrate before he shoo'd them away with his broom, telling them off for messing up his clean floors.

"Boy, you sure seem to be in a loving mood." A familiar bored toned called to him as he grumbled after noticing another stupid group huddling just at the end of the hallway. Mikasa watched her cousin from under her bangs as he threw the confetti into a nearby trashcan with a bit more force than needed. "Well, you don't seem to be that much different from your usual brooding mood either." He grumbled in response, already making his way to the next couple.

"I'm actually in a great mood, thank you very much." She retaliated as she followed after her cousin, The man raised an brow at his cousin, looking down and taking note of the roses in her hands. "Jaeger finally pulled up his big boy pants and confessed?" He asked as they stopped just a few feet away from the now celebrating couple.

"Jean actually." The girl replied nonchalantly as she studied the flowers in her hands. A surprised look washing the man's face. "Jean... Kirstein? The tall kid with a horse face?" He asked incredulously. At his words Mikasa threw him a dirty look. "Yes, him. I decided to give him chocolates this year as well." She said as Levi scared away the new crowd and started picking up the colourful pieces of paper again.

"What happened to Jaeger? I thought you always gave him chocolates?" He asked as he plucked at an annoying piece of paper that was clinging to his shirt. Mikasa shrugged, pensively looking out the window. "I do...I did. But he's been acting so distant lately ever since his brother moved back into town. He made it clear to me a few days ago that he didn't want to receive anything from me for Valentines. I pondered over it for a bit and was thinking of just giving him some anyways but... I started noticing the way Jean's been treating me with more respect lately, and thought maybe it's time to let my crush on Eren rest and give Jean a chance. Or at least try to see if there's other people out there for me, you know?" She voiced out as she bent down to help her cousin out. Levi studied his cousin's face carefully, trying to see if there was anything that would imply him needing to beat some sense into the Jaeger boy. But he was both surprised and reassured as he saw a slight blush cover the apple of Mikasa's cheeks as she glanced once more at the roses in her hands.

"Let this Kirsten boy know that my broom is always ready at my disposal if he ever dares do anything to you." He said as he continued with his task, silently letting his cousin know he approved of the boy. Mikasa trying to hide a smile from appearing on her face cleared her throat instead. "What about you, midget? Got any Valentine chocolates from anyone?" She poked at him as she threw her bundle of confetti into the trash after her cousin's. Levi scoffed. "Why would I? Valentine's just an excuse for companies to rob people off their money in the name of a stupid holiday. You brats raging in endless hormones just find the day as a way to justify pinning after your crushes in an open manner." He muttered as he picked up discarded chocolate boxes and wrapping off the ground. "For fuck's sake, would it kill people to throw away their shitty garbage properly?!" Levi protested as they made their way up the third floor.

Mikasa looked at him in a pitiful manner. "Is that why you're so pissed off today? Cause you don't have the balls to go after Ms. Zoe despite you pinning for her? Or is it because she hadn't given you any chocolates at all, and seeing us brats enjoy the holiday by having our crushes reciprocate our feelings is making you jealous?" She asked her cousin with a shit eating smirk. Levi stopped on the top stairs as he turned to look at his cousin, a murderous look in his eyes. "Oi, you emotionless cursed rag doll, I think your parents forgot to teach you to respect your elders. Come here, I think it's time to intro-" But his words caught in his throat as the girl before him straightened up all of a sudden, her smug smile slipping from her lips as her eyes locked on someone standing behind the man.

And without even turning around, he could tell the topic of their conversation was staring at the two of them.

"Hi Ms. Zoe!" MIkasa greeted her teacher, bowing deep into a bow to show her respect. Hange's melodious laugh filled the empty staircase as she took in the reprimanding look Levi wore as he pointed his broom at his cousin. "Hi Mikasa, Shorty." She greeted the duo, obviously interested and amused by what she was seeing. "What did you do this time to rile up this short-tempered man?" She asked as she descended the stairs so she stood eye level with Levi, a smile gracing her lips as she looked into his eyes.

Clearing his throat, he teared his eyes away from the woman's inquisitive brown ones as he lowered his pointed broom, suddenly self-aware of how unprofessional the ordeal would have looked to her. "Nothing worth your attention, four-eyes." He muttered in response, trying hard to ignore the snicker that came out of his cousin's lips. She was lucky that Hange had shown up, otherwise she could count the days she'd been looking forward to getting to know that horse-face on a personal level long gone.

"Well, I have to run to meet up with Sasha and the others. I'll see you two later. Happy Valentines Ms. Zoe!" Mikasa called out to them as she dashed back down the stairs, but not before throwing her cousin a kissy face which only he could see, causing a vein to visibly appear on his forehead. Brat. He thought bitterly.

Hange was the first to break their silence as she stood against the stair railings and looked at the man pointedly. "Were those roses Mikasa was holding?" She asked.

"Yeah, Kirstein got them for her." He responded with a sigh as he put down his broom down and leaded against the wall to face the brunette. Whatever he had expected in response was definitely not the bright and ecstatic look the bespectacled woman gave him. "Really?! Jean finally confessed and she accepted?! I kneeeew it! Mike owes me lunch tomorrow!" She happily whooped as Levi threw her an incredulous look. "Seriously? You two were better on students?" He asked in disbelief, to which the brunette simply shrugged at with a smile. "It's an unwritten rule for teachers. We take notice of which students have a crush on who and decide who has a chance to actually become a couple. We simply try to help them by coupling them up here and there and expect a thank you invitation to their wedding once they marry each other." She said with a laugh.

Before he could reply to her, the loud and obnoxious starting key for another Valentine serenade carried over to them from downstairs. Closing his eyes and letting out a tired sigh, Levi pushed himself off the wall. "Guess that's my calling." He muttered as he mentally started counting down the seconds leading to the stupid confetti poppers. Hange sent him a compassionate look. "Sorry, I can only guess how much extra work this holiday brings to you." She said, pushing herself off the railings as well, coming to stand next to the man as they both made their way down the stairs, their steps matching in time with each other's.

"As long as you keep your lab clean today and don't give me extra work to do then I should be able to handle this dreaded holiday." He said, turning to the brunette, whom only gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I've planned on making my students take a pop quiz today instead of experiments. Someone needs to tone down the dopamine levels before they get too out of hand, you know? So don't worry shorty, you won't be hearing any explosions from my side of the school today."

Levi's lips involuntarily turned upright at the thought. And in his mind, he couldn't help but picture Mikasa running into a pop quiz she probably hadn't prepared for as she'd preoccupied herself with making sweets for her lover boy. "Maybe your brain isn't as shitty as I thought it was, four-eyes." Hange grinned at him and threw him a wink before dropping him off at the second floor. "Aww... that might be the nicest thing you've said to me yet, shorty. Maybe becoming that evil genius chemistry teacher is befitting of me after all if you keep throwing me compliments like that." She teased as the bell rang, the brunette already turning around to head back up to her room.

Levi felt himself roll his eyes in response. But in reality he already felt his mood uplift from the small minutes he got to spend with Hange. His gaze followed after her as she walked back up the stairs, but before she was completely out of sight, she turned once more to the man, a hesitant and nervous look on her face. "And Levi? We're still on for tea later, right?" She asked unsure.

He raised an eyebrow in confusion, not understanding why she would ask this out of nowhere, knowing it was a day-to-day arrangement to meet up in the afternoons to share a cup of tea. "I mean... you don't have any plans or reservations tonight... right?" She continued frantically, a nervous chuckle escaping her as she awaited his response. Before she could mutter something else, Levi interrupted her. "I'll be there, four eyes. Just make sure the room is clean." He reminded her before he went to pick up his new pile of confetti, a smile grazing his lips.

---------------------

He was completely exhausted by the time afternoon rolled by. His arms and back sore from all the sweeping he'd done that day. Stupid confetti and stupid brats that fell for the stupid holiday trap. He found bitterly to himself as he opened the familiar chemistry classroom door, where he immediately found himself surrounded by the sweet smell of a new fragrance of tea. Taking a quick look around, he was surprised and relieved to see that the four-eyes had kept her word and left the room spotless.

"Levi! There you are!" The familiar voice called out to him in greeting. With a small nod in acknowledgement, he took a seat at their usual spot in front of the window.

"Well, you've looked better." The woman joked as she took the seat next to his, handing him a freshly brewed cup of tea. "I've felt better too." He mumbled in response as he took a much needed sip from the cup. A surprised look taking over his features as he frowned, swirling the contents in his cup before taking another sip. The woman watching him with curiosity and slight restlessness as she tapped her nails against the table in anticipation of his verdict.

"Hmm... red tea?" He asked as he took another sip, a small nod of approval appearing on his face. "It's good" the man concluded. Which the woman took as a good sign before letting out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. A smile gracing her lips at seeing the content look on the janitor's face. "Yeah, red tea infused with roses." She said, finally taking a sip of her own cup.

At her words, Levi let out a chuckle. "I didn't see you as the type to fall for the Valentine propaganda as well, shitty-eyes." He said as he raised an eyebrow at her. His words causing a blush to creep up the brunette's neck as she turned away from his piercing grey eyes in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Clearing her throat, she fiddled with the handle of her cup. "It's not like that... I just thought it would be a hilarious coincidence to drink it today." She muttered as she focused her gaze out the window, refusing to let the man see her flustered face.

Levi snorted at her response but didn't push further with his teasing. The two fell into a comfortable silence as they watched over the panoramic view out the window, occasionally taking sips of their cups and pointing out random things they spotted out the window. As they continued watching, two figures seemed to have made their way to the dimming field, where they stopped by a bench and sat down next to each other, unaware of being watched by the two staff members.

"Seems like the Valentine spirit is still going strong." Hange found herself musing as they continued following the two figures that were now chasing after each other across the field, giggles and laughter filling the still air and reaching them on the third floor in the form of an echo. The female throwing a glance over at her companion from time to time to gauge his reaction. But all he expressed was a stoic expression as he followed the pair with a tired expression on his face.

Having teared her gaze away from the field, Hange started shuffling for something in he bag absentmindedly while Levi had finally concluded he'd had enough of this stupid holiday as he watched the two students tackle each other to the ground and start kissing. Something about the two engaging so easily with intimacy not sitting right with him.

Hange's fiddling came to a halt as her fingers tightened on the item she'd been searching for. With a small gulp and hesitancy, she turned towards the raven-haired man. "Hey, Levi-" But she never got to finish her sentence as the man let out an exasperated sigh at that exact moment.

"It's so fucking stupid...Who makes a holiday to celebrate love on a specific day? Pushing at the idea that idiots have to confess their feelings through the form of chocolate and flowers? It's all a stupid ruse for commercialism to take advantage of idiots. It practically means nothing if everyone is pushed into the idea of confessing on a specific day." Levi muttered in distaste as he sipped the last of his tea in one final gulp.

At his words, the woman froze, her gaze turning downcast as her grip tightened within her bag.

"Don't you agree, shitty-glasses?" He asked, finally turning towards his companion after having noted the elongated period of silence that fell after his words. A frown and sudden concern enveloping him as he noticed the solemn look on the brunette's face. "Shitty-glasses?" He repeated louder this time as he leaned closer to her, hesitantly shaking the woman by her shoulders. His touch finally breaking the woman out of her stupor. With a quick set of blinks and her eyes widening in realization that she'd dazed off, she let out a tight and forced laugh, shoving back down the item deeper into her bag. "Right, it's a stupid holiday." She suddenly stood up, almost knocking off her semi-full cup as she got up in a haste. "I um... I suddenly remembered I had promised to meet up with someone today. Do you mind closing the classroom for me?" She asked Levi before hurrying to the door, not daring to turn around or wait on a response as she quickly left the classroom.

Levi was suddenly left all alone as he stared at the doorframe in silence. A sudden pang of disappointment and sadness washing over him as he stood up and walked towards the item had the woman had dropped in her haste to get out of the classroom. A familiar red heart box of chocolates staring mockingly up at him.

"I um... I suddenly remembered I had promised to meet up with someone today." Hange had said before speeding out of the room. Was she perhaps meeting up with a date? Were these her chocolates for them? His heart painfully constricted in his chest at the thought of Hange spending her night with someone else.

"It really is a stupid holiday after all..." He mumbled to himself as he brushed a wistful hand over the box before he carefully set them on her desk.

---------------------

He was silent as he got home, completely ignoring Isabel and Furlan's welcoming wishes as he walked into their shared apartment.

But despite his clear indication at not wanting to be bothered, Isabel gravitated towards him, an excited and anticipatory look on her face. "So? How was your Valentine's day? Had any fun?" She asked with a giddy laugh as she bounced around him, blocking his way to his bedroom. Levi sighed in annoyance when she blocked his way for the fifth time.

"No, I had a terrible day so can you please let me get to my room?" He asked her, his tone a bit harsher than he wanted it to come across, but at the moment he didn't really care. His mind was still reeling back to that stupid box of chocolate and who could possibly be Shitty-glasses' stupid Valentine.

Isabel's excitement dwindles as a confused and downcast look washed over her features. "But... but I thought you would have a great Valentine this year." She whispered solemnly, all her previous excitement gone as she looked at the ground beneath her. Levi rolled his eyes at the innocence in the red-head's voice. "You know how I dislike the holiday, Isabel. What made you think that it would suddenly change this year?" He asked tiredly as he leaned against the arm of the sofa.

"Because of the chocolates..." She mumbled sadly as she joined her brother on the couch. Levi threw her a confused look at her words. "Chocolates? What chocolates?" He asked confused. But Isabel seemed to have taken his mood worse than him as she pulled her legs up against her chest, hiding her face between them and opting out of answering his question.

"The chocolates that she helped Hange make over the weekend for Valentines." Furlan answered for her instead, taking a seat on the armchair facing them. At his words the ugly knot formed itself again in his chest. "Ah... the chocolates she was supposed to give her date." He muttered darkly as he leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes in an attempt to loosen the tight feeling in his chest.

Furlan frowned at his friend's words. "Date? No... the chocolates Isabel helped Hange make for Valentines... for you." Furlan corrected slowly. His words not registering in the raven-haired man's mind until a beat later.

"WHAT?!" He cried out, springing up from his seat. "ME?!" He cried out in confusion.

Isabel shifted behind him and slowly looked up. "Yeah... she said she wanted to thank you for all the help and support you've given her. She said it would be a nice way of asking for forgiveness for dragging you along to her parents' dinner. But she said she was bad at making sweets so she asked me to come over and help her out instead."

Levi's mind short circuited at her words, hope and relief flooding him before being overtaken by dread and regret as he recalled the way he'd dismissed the idea of the holiday in front of her.

"Shit." He muttered in defeat as he fell back against the couch.

"Levi?" Furlan asked concerned, getting up to check on his friend. "You okay? Did something happen?" He asked. Levi in response let out a grunt. "I messed up. I told her the holiday and the concept of it was stupid. I might have made her run out on me before she got the chance to present the chocolates to me." Disbelief washed over the trio at the older one's words.

"You really are stupid, big brother." Isabel deadpanned to him as she shook her head at him.

"Well... there's still time till midnight, maybe you can try talking to her before the holiday is done?" Furlan suggested, to which Isabel jumped up at, excitement filling her once more. "Yeah! There's still time, big brother! Get her some pretty flowers and she'll forgive you!" Levi winced at her excitement, but he couldn't help but also feel the hope that his two friends were sending him. "Fine, let's do this, but I'm going to need to make a few stops first."

---------------------

Levi sighed as he brushed a desperate hand across his neatly styled hair. He'd been standing in front of the woman's door for the past half an hour trying to muster up enough confidence to knock on her door. But every time he attempted to, he would freeze out and back out like a coward. Heck, he bet Kenny would get a laugh at his desperate attempts.

Glancing at his watch once more, he sighed. He only had fifteen minutes left till midnight and he knew he couldn't stall any longer. Before he could hype himself up once more, the door of apartment swung open, an unamused four-eyes staring at him as she leaned against her doorframe.

"It's been half an hour, shorty. Were you going to ever knock or not?" She asked annoyed, a twinge of amusement subliming her words. It was barely perceptible, but it was enough to give the man the courage to clear his throat and hand the woman the bouquet of flowers in his hands, determination plastered on his face.

Hange raised an eyebrow in surprise at the flowers. "These... are for me" She asked unsure, carefully looking over the bouquet predominantly composed of white flowers. "You know, normally people get red roses for Valentines." She teased but finally left the doorframe to let the man follow after her. Levi let out a relieved sigh as he followed after the woman, closing the door behind him.

"So I've been told by the florist. Trust me, she gave me the most exasperated look when I refused to buy from one of the premade set she had at hand." He said, gaining a chuckle from the woman as she filled up a vase and placed the new bouquet on her dining table. "But Isabel told me how each flower hold specific meaning, and it's shitty to just buy a meaningless pile of flowers." He said. But what he intended to add was: "I wanted to convey to you properly what I think of you and how grateful I actually am that you're part of my life" But like always, he didn't seem to need to put his thoughts to words as Hange read him with ease.

"White lilies for redemption, Star of Bethlehem for reconciliation, and pink roses for gratitude." Hange softly recited to him as she took a whiff of the flowers in front of her, an amused smile gracing her face. "Not bad for a man who seems to hate the holidays." She teased.

Levi let out a grunt in response, but felt his own smile appear on his face. "It's stupid because the meaning of the holiday is preset to only be looked at one specific way." He said.

"Which is a romantic sense." Hange finished for him as she patted the seat next to her for the man to sit on. Levi nodded in agreement as he sat down.

"But people seem to forget that the holidays are also there to appreciate the love that comes from family and friendship too." Hange added. A slight frown dawning over her face, her previous smile erased as she looked solemnly at her flowers. "I'm sorry Levi, I was supposed to give you a friendship gift too, but I think I might have dropped it somewhere." She mumbled in embarrassment, suddenly recalling the way she'd darted out of the room before giving Levi time to explain his reasoning behind hating the holiday.

Levi scoffed at her before pulling out a familiar red hearted package out of hi bag and sliding it over the table towards the astonished brunette.

"Next time you want to gift me something, just do it shitty-glasses. I can't read your mind all the time." He said teasingly, watching as a happy smile filled the bespectacled woman's face, her eyes catching the magic as well and glowing that special brown he'd come to love.

"Happy Valentine's, Levi." She said as she carefully handed the box over to the raven-haired man.

"Happy Valentine's, Hange."

#levihan #levi x hange #levi x hanji #levi ackerman #hange zoe #professor hange #janitor levi #aot au #AOT.#high school setting #valentine

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chaotic-on-main · 1 year ago

Note

Summer Event! 💕

Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream,

Kitchen Sink option but make it a surprise!

Thank you for being so understanding & sweet, I get really anxious if you can't tell haha. You're a dear💕✨

Order up!! One matcha green tea cone with everything but the kitchen sink for Eri!!

Sky's Summer and 250 Follower Event!

☾ Pairings ➼ janitor!Levi Ackerman x fem!people-pleaser!Reader

☾ Content/Warnings ➼ modernAU, meet-cute(kinda?), familial trauma, hurt/comfort, fluff, accidental therapy (for me), corporate ick

☾ Author's Note ➼ Hi Eri!! Thank you so much for sending this request in. I was a little worried with the whole "make it a surprise" because I struggle with lack of structure BUT I'm so proud of how this came out. I couldn't stop writing, as you can see. This might be a little self-indulgent and I hope I got the emotions right since I struggle with them. I just want Levi to call me out on my shit, okay?? Anyways, I hope you enjoy!! love you k bye *smooches*

☾ Word Count ➼ ~7.6k (oops)

“Hi, you’re the new hire right? It’s nice to meet you, I’m Carol from a few rows down. Listen, I hate to do this to you since you’re so new but you’re the only one I can ask. Would you be able to do the data entry on the Sina job? I can’t stay past closing tonight due to my set plans and unfortunately it’s due tomorrow morning. Could you help me out? I’ll pay you back!”

The voice of your overly excited brunette coworker reverberates through your skull as you type away at your desk, the bright light of your monitor biting at your eyes just like the migraine you feel in the back of your head. You had a feeling that this is not the first time the people in the office have picked on the newcomers, and you bet it wouldn’t be the last. You chalk it up the fact that you were still in the office past seven in the evening doing someone else’s work because they dropped the stack of papers on your desk before you could say anything back, but you knew better. Damn your pathological people pleasing tendencies.

Your chair squeaks as you lean back in it, closing your eyes and pinching the bridge of your nose as you sigh heavily. It’s a handful of days into your first week and you’re already daydreaming about your next vacation. An office job was not your first go to, but as all struggling artists do, you needed this job to supplement your income until your art took off – if that ever happened.

Thoughts of how much longer you’d have to be here swirl through your mind when you’re interrupted by a loud thunk a few cubicles down. It startles you so much that you jump up as your eyes shoot open, hand over your heart in an attempt to calm it. You weren’t aware of anyone else in the building so you can’t help but think there might be a mass murderer just feet away from you. Steeling your resolve, you push yourself up from your chair and carefully peek over the half wall to see what had made that noise.

At first you don’t see anything as your eyes adjust from seeing nothing to the semi-lit office floor from the setting sun and dimmed overheads. Down the row, you see the back of a man in what you assume to be a gray janitor’s suit. An undercut peeks between short raven locks, neck lines sharp giving away to a clean cut. It doesn’t seem like he notices you’re there as his attention is focused on the waste basket in front of him.

You sit back down slowly, heaving a heavy sigh from relief that it was indeed not a mass murderer – well, that you know of. He didn’t seem threatening from far away at least. Your hands hover on the keyboard as you do your best to blink away the tired. Only a few more pages now, you reassure yourself.

An hour later, miraculously you find yourself down to the last page. The miscellaneous words and numbers swim off the page as you force yourself to focus. With the promise of a late night treat, you finally make it down to the last line. Just as you’re about to hit ‘enter’, something kicks the back of your chair causing you to yelp loudly and slam down on the keys harder than you meant.

“What are you still doing here?” A deep voice grumbles from behind you, making your ears twitch at the sudden volume difference. You twist around in your chair to see who the voice belongs to and you’re surprised to see it coming from the janitor you saw earlier. What’s even more surprising is how young he looks, and handsome to boot - despite the look he’s giving you. Stark gray-blue lidded eyes stare down at you as he scowls, eyebrows pinched together. He doesn’t look pleased.

“I-I’m sorry. I’m working on some…” Your voice falters when his expression turns into annoyance.

“You’re in my way.” He simply states as he leans against a vacuum you only now notice sitting under his arm. Was your focus so strong that you completely missed the sounds of him cleaning around you?

“Oh, uh. Yeah, let me get out of your way then.” You say timidly, pushing yourself out of the chair. You’re face to face with him at standing height, even in your work heels. This was a very intimidating man despite his short stature.

“I’m not going to clean with you breathing down my neck.” He grumbles, eyes narrowing at you like you asked him the most offensive question known to man. Your lips part as you struggle to find your words, but nothing comes out as you find yourself low-key panicking.

“I c-can just-”

“Just finish what you’re working on, I’ll just come back.” He rolls his eyes before walking away, leaving you and the vacuum illuminated by your computer screen. You ball your hands in fists to keep them from shaking.

Exhaling a weak breath, you sit back down and force yourself to focus on the last line of data instead of the glowering expression of your office’s janitor.

You slam your forehead into the vinyl coating of your desk, not hard enough to leave a bruise but enough to hear the echoes of contact through the whole floor. It’s nearing seven at night again and you’re still in office catching up on yet another coworker’s workload.

When they asked what plans you had tonight, you didn’t think that saying you were going home to watch TV would bite you in the ass. If you were completely honest, you had quietly hoped they might be asking if you wanted to go out for drinks with them. After all, they were the only ones that had really talked to you in the past few weeks but you’re starting to wonder if they were just trying to butter you up to get you to say yes to their requests.

Who were you kidding though, you would have said yes anyways because the word ‘no’ didn’t exist in your vocabulary. You wish you weren’t so aware of that fact because not only are you stressed out, you’re full of self loathing. A groan escapes your lips.

“Still doing other people’s work?” You hear a familiar voice grumble from behind.

After lifting your head up from the cool desk, you swivel around in your chair to see the janitor – this time in dark blue. A white handkerchief wraps around his face, covering his mouth and nose so that all you see are his tired eyes. A same-colored bandana adorns his head with some of his bangs falling into his eyes. You bite your tongue to keep yourself from asking what the point of the bandana was if it didn’t keep his hair out of his face.

It takes you a moment to find your voice, partly from not using it for so long but also because of the steady unfriendly feeling radiating off him. He raises an eyebrow at you as you stare up at him almost dumbfounded.

“I- who said I was doing other people’s work?” You finally make out, voice trembling.

“You’re new, right? The office goons do that to every newbie that comes in.” He folds his arms over his chest and you see that his sleeves are rolled up to show his toned forearms, muscles popping up from the position they’re in. Your eyes flicker back up to his, blinking slowly.

“I’m sure but they needed the help, so...”

“Because they would rather slack off than do any work. They’re taking advantage of you and you’re falling for it? You’re an adult, right?” There isn’t malice in his words but they still sting.

“Of course I am! I work here, don’t I?” Your eyes widen in emphasis, sweeping your hands around you.

“Tch, that doesn’t make you an adult. I’ve been here for years and I’ve seen my fair share of children.” His scowl reappears at those words. You’ve never met someone so grumpy.

You close your mouth at that, not sure what else to say. He clicks his tongue and flips a small towel over his shoulder. Turning on his heel, he sets off down the aisle without another word, the sounds of his heavy boots getting quieter.

You don’t get done until 10:30 that night. On your way out, you pass by the janitor who was currently on the inside of the board meeting glass walls, wiping them down with what you suppose is glass cleaner. His eyes meet yours as you walk by and you offer a small wave and smile even though his short words still sting. You think he’s going to ignore you but instead, he gives you a curt nod.

The janitor’s words swim through your mind the next time you’re asked to stay behind to help out. You spent the last couple of weeks doing your best practicing in the shower on setting boundaries with your coworkers but when the person who came to you next was your supervisor, how could you say no.

You were in the middle of packing your bag while lost in thought of your weekend plans when she came to you. You’re thinking you might stop by the evening market by the river before heading home with some food from the local vendors when a finger taps on your shoulder followed by your name coming out in a honey-laced voice.

“Hey, I just wanted to stop by and commend you on being such a team player in the last month. It’s something we find rare in someone as young as you and of course we’re grateful.” Your red-haired boss beams down at you while she talks. The feeling of ice pricks in your veins at what you know was coming next.

“I’m really sorry to come to you so last minute and on a Friday no less, but because of your wonderful work ethic, you’re the only one I can trust to complete The Warrior Project. It’s been extremely slow going and we need it done by Monday. Do you think you can stay behind and help us out?” She offers you an apologetic smile, eyes boring into yours with sincerity.

You wished you could have said no but the words died before they made it out of your mouth, instead agreeing meekly with a fake smile.

So now here you sit at your desk with the dying rays of light rising higher against the back walls as the sun sets, fingers flying across the keyboard. You suppose you’ll have to stop by the late night convenience store on the way home for some dinner; your face scrunches up at the thought of your very limited choices.

“If you type any harder, you’ll break it.” You don’t bother to turn around at the voice, knowing damn well who it was.

“I’m sure they’ll get me another one. They need me to finish this, after all.” You mutter the last part under your breath. The smell of something sweet and tangy hits your nose and on contact, your stomach rumbles loudly.

Swiveling in your chair, you’re met with the janitor who’s simultaneously holding a feather duster as well as a bag of what looks like Chinese take-out. Your eyes widen at the sight, bouncing back and forth between the objects in his hand.

“Are you here to eat or dust?” You ask, finally looking up to his face. There’s no expression on his pretty face. You still haven’t gotten over how stunning he was, with his pointed nose and pouty bottom lip. Today he has his janitor uniform half on, the sleeves of the suit tied around his waist so that it’s only pants. Tucked in is a black t-shirt that shows more of his muscular arms. He’s not ripped by any means but it’s very obvious he exercises on his time off.

“I’m here to dust. This is for you to eat.” He says dryly, shoving the bag in your direction. Once again, you find your words stolen as you stare at the brown paper bag that sits curled in his pale fingers. Your eyes shift back and forth between his face and the food.

“F-for me? Why?”

“Whenever I see you here late, you never eat. You need to take better care of yourself.”

“I eat when I get home.” You retort back softly. A late night meal for you consists of a single serving bag of chips and whatever looked edible at the convenience store – but you wouldn’t tell him that.

“Just eat it.” He pushes it forward to you again, the warm smells of food wafting past your nose. It smelled like heaven.

“I- no. I can’t take that, it’s yours!” You wave your hands in front of your chest in a dismissive manner. A dark eyebrow shoots up his face.

“So she can say no.” He reaches over you and places the paper bag down on your desk. Along with the smells of delicious food, the scent of clean laundry and musky pine tickles your nose. It’s a very pleasant combination, and one you were not expecting. “Eat it, throw it away, I don’t care.” He says casually before turning around and walking off. Your hand reaches out in an attempt to stop him, but he’s long gone.

Twisting your chair around, you eye the paper bag for a moment before finally caving. Your stomach is about to eat itself and he had paid for it, so you don’t want to waste it. Why he would care enough about you to order food is a mystery, though.

Upon opening the contents, you’re greeted with a small foil dish with a plastic covering holding what you believe is orange chicken. A little white box off to the side contains sticky rice and in the little plastic package next to it holds some spring rolls – all still steaming hot and smelling wonderful.

You spend the next half hour scarfing down your dinner while thinking about how you’d pay the janitor back. The flush that started creeping up your cheeks at the end of your encounter with him stays even when you go to bed late that night.

The week after, you intentionally slow down on your daily work so that you had a reason to stay late and finish it. But much to your dismay, you don’t see the janitor anywhere. You’d leave each night a little embarrassed at yourself for being so excited for someone you’ve talked to a handful of times, but to your benefit you had a reason for your madness.

Finally, you gather enough courage to peep your head over your half-wall and grab your coworker’s attention – whose attention was on a mobile game in his hands and not on the spreadsheets in front of his face.

“Ryan?” You whisper-shout down. Your brunette coworker’s eyes shoot up to yours, almost in a panic.

“What? Is the boss lady making her rounds?” He asks back. You sweep your eyes around the office floor and finally find your supervisor who was currently in a meeting with other board members.

“She’s busy, you’re fine. I actually had a question?” You didn’t realize how soft you were speaking until he stood up to meet you, towering a good foot above you with his ear down to you.

“What’s up?”

“I was wondering if you knew when the janitor might be back? I haven’t seen him in a few days.” You subconsciously start picking at your nails – a nervous habit.

Ryan stares at you as he processes your words before throwing his head back in bellowing laughter. You’re quick to shush him and duck your head down from the glares aimed your way at such a loud disturbance.

“Not so loud!!” You whisper-shout again.

“I’m sorry, I’m just curious why you want to know? He doesn’t like anyone, and no one likes him.” He shrugs his shoulders. You so badly want to tell him to shut up and that you like him, but instead you settle on trying to get him to answer your question.

“Well, what’s his schedule?” You narrow your eyes in hopes of getting the message across that you were serious.

“Well, that’s the thing, he’s always working. Sometimes even on the weekends. From what I heard, his cleaning routes are the same every week. He doesn’t get to our floor until late in the week. He has a thing for cleaning, so I heard, and that’s why there’s only one janitor contracted. He’s so weird.” Ryan rolls his eyes as he rests his chin against the top of the wall.

“What’s his name?”

“Why do you care so much about the janitor?” It’s Ryan’s turn to narrow his eyes to you. You’re asking too many questions and he’s getting far too nosy about your business. It’s best to retreat for now.

“Uh, it’s nothing. Thank you.” You squeak before plopping yourself down at your chair and pretending to click around on your word documents until you no longer feel the pierce of your coworker’s stare.

So he’s always here, you think. You’re just missing him on your way down. You bite back a smile as you glance down to the clock at the bottom corner of your screen. The time reads 4:37pm and it’s a Thursday which meant that he would be around your floor this evening. Perfect. Your eyes sweep over to your bag in your excitement.

In the time it takes for you to wait for the gray-blue eyed janitor, you’ve finished half of the next day’s work. A part of you starts to wonder if he isn’t coming tonight, that it may be tomorrow instead, and weirdly you find yourself hoping one of your coworkers would ask you to help them out again so that you had a reason to stay.

“That’s so stupid.” You say out loud as you stir sugar into the black tea you had spent the last 5 minutes steeping. You’re standing in the office break room, lost in thought.

“I’m sure the mug doesn’t feel that way.” That voice makes your heart flutter, and you bite back the smile that threatens to curve into your face. Instead, you pinch your lips together and turn around.

The janitor is there alright, uniform zipped up tight as he holds a spray bottle and a rag. He’s leaning against the doorframe of the break room, arms folded across his chest. His black hair falls into his face, almost kissing the corners of his heavy-lidded eyes as they watch you intently.

“Ah, there you are!” You exclaim, pointing your spoon at him.

“Here I am.”

“I have something to give you as payback for dinner last week.” You muse, grinning at him. His eyes widened briefly before going back to normal.

“And why would you do that?”

“Because I’m grateful for it, dummy.” Carefully, you place your spoon next to your mug and walk towards him until you’re face to face. It takes him a moment to realize you were waiting for him to move, and carefully he backs away so that you have room to escape.

“Stay here, I’ll be right back.” You order before dashing off to your cubicle.

When you come back with the gift in hand, you see that the janitor hadn’t moved an inch. His intimidating eyes follow you as you stop in front of him, slightly breathless from speed walking back. An eyebrow raises at you as he waits for you to catch your breath.

“I-ah. Okay. So. I made these for you. I ended up having to make a fresh batch because I didn’t see you for a bit and I didn’t want to feed you stale cookies so. Anyways, here. Thank you for feeding me last week.” You beam up at him as you hold your hands out to show him your gift.

It’s a small plastic bag wrapped with a pastel bow. The contents of the bag include bite sized cookies that you spent all last night remaking in hopes you would see him again. They’re pale yellow in color, dusted with a light coat of cane sugar. His eyes widen again at your gesture, this time staying big as they stare at the bag in your hand like its gold.

“You… made these for me?” His voice is low.

“I did! I don’t know if you like sweets but these are my mother’s recipe and her cookies were never that sweet. Pretty much the sweetness comes from the sugar on top. The rest are just buttery goodness.” You gush as you stare off in thought, the happy memories of your mom making these cookies for you flooding your brain.

When your eyes fall back to the raven-haired man, you’re almost tempted to run away in embarrassment. His neutral expression stares back at you and you take a small step back.

“I’m sorry, this is probably weird. You don’t have to take them actually. In fact, I’ll just le-“

“No, you’re fine. I uh, I appreciate it.” He quickly reaches out and grabs the bag, the sound of crinkling plastic taking up space in the nearly empty mess room. You offer him a small smile, grateful that he accepted the gift. His eyes trail past you and onto the kitchen counter behind you. He purses his lips as he thinks but finally opens his mouth to speak.

“Pour that disgusting excuse for a tea out and follow me. Bring the mug.” He says tersely before turning on his heels and out the door. You blink hard a few times as your brain processes his words but quickly you find yourself dumping out the tea and chasing after him down the cubicle aisles.

Soon, you’re sitting on the ground with the janitor as he pours steaming amber liquid from the thermos he pulled out of his cleaning cart just mere moments ago. It splashes into the bottom of your mug and fills it quickly, then he hands it over to you as he starts speaking.

“So are you a workaholic or…” He gives you a side eye.

“I should be asking you that. I’ve been told you work practically every day, even on weekends.” You hold the mug by the handle as you stare down into the cup. “Is this…?”

“It’s tea and no I didn’t poison it.”

“What was wrong with the tea I had?”

“Stale tea leaves don’t make for a good cup of tea.” He states like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “No, I’m not a workaholic. I like to clean, and I get paid for it. Plus, I’m left alone. Usually.” He grumbles the last part, but you don’t detect any hostility in his voice.

“Well, I’m not either. A-a workaholic, I mean.”

“No, I suppose not. Just a people pleaser then?” His statement makes you splutter on the tea you had just sipped on. Despite it going almost everywhere, the bitter taste of the dark leaves bite at your taste buds. It’s unsweetened and you can’t keep the slight look of distaste off your face. Luckily, it’s covered up by the glare you shoot his way.

You don’t say anything back at that, knowing any denial would have been a lie but you didn’t want to confirm it either. However, you can’t hold back the annoyance that simmers in your chest at such a presumptuous statement, from someone you hardly know, no less.

“Beats being disliked by everyone.” You mutter finally, setting your mug on the floor next to you. Your eyes drift to the floor-to-ceiling window you were both sitting in front of. The last dreg of golden sunlight warms your face as you stare out into the bustling city as they prepare for the evening.

“You say that like it should bother me.”

“Shouldn’t it though?”

“Why would it?”

“Don’t you want people to like you?” You whisper softly, dragging your gaze over to his face. There’s no readable expression on his face as he sips his tea out of the top of his thermos lid. He’s holding it in a way you’ve never seen before – long fingers gripping the metal from the top rim and tilting it back into his mouth.

“I don’t give a shit if they like me or not.” He says finally as he gives you a side eye.

You’re not sure if your surprise at his callous attitude is warranted or not. Your interactions with him have been few and far in between but that night he got you dinner, you thought maybe he was a little more caring than that.

“Why do you care if people like you anyway?” He leans back on a hand, his other cradling his cup.

“I just- well. I don’t know.” You say simply. You do know.

“I read this thing about people-pleasers. It said that they’re great manipulators. They bend and break just so that others tolerate and like them, pretending to be something they’re not. Are you trying to get something out of it?”

Your eyes snap to his, feeling the heat behind your stare at his insinuation. Where did he get off calling you a manipulator? A pretender? Despite the subtle rage dancing in your eyes, you give him a smile and push yourself off the ground, grabbing your mug on your way up.

“Thank you for the tea. I really must be going now.” You say politely, voice coming out higher than you meant.

“Tch.” Is all you get back.

With that, you turn on your heel and head back to the break room to pour your tea out and rinse the mug, leaving it out on the rack to dry. You’re quick to gather your things before practically running down the aisles to the elevator, down to the front door, and towards home. A lump in your throat stays even after your shower and still when you lie down for the night.

After your last encounter with the janitor, you find that you’re rushing home as soon as you can. You aren’t necessarily mad at him for telling you a hard truth, but the rumination of having someone being annoyed at you doesn’t go away.

Your evasive tactics work for a while. Your office was in between projects and jobs so no one had come to you for help for anything. But of course that didn’t stay that way for long and your luck would run out as it always had as the quarter was about to close. Your supervisor came to you early on a rainy Tuesday morning to tell you that some freak accident had happened to the last reports which made the data you spent days organizing completely disappear.

You don’t know what was more frustrating: the fact that your hard work from the last week had completely vanished or the fact that no one in the office offered to give a helping hand when you needed it the most.

Your supervisor apologized and said the entries needed to be done by the next morning so they could be submitted in time for the quarter review. With a forced smile and false-positive voice, you agreed and got started on it right away.

This was about 12 hours ago.

The only thing that brings you solace is the knowledge that the janitor was not due for your floor for a couple days so at least you could work on it without worrying about running into him. And thankfully for you since you were semi-prepared for being held back, you ordered pizza for dinner before the front doors locked for the evening.

For some reason, you find yourself sitting on the floor in the same spot you had shared bitter tea with the janitor. You’re lying on your back with your phone hovering as you scroll on it mindlessly, a more than half filled pizza box next to you with the lid propped open slightly. There’s a vacation photo that pops up from one of your acquaintances that makes your chest tighten from envy.

“You’re in my way, brat.” A voice from above rings out. It startles you so much that your fingers loosen on your phone, and it comes smacking into your face with a loud slap. Your eyes scrunch shut from the stinging pain radiating from your nose as you groan softly.

You sit up from your position, making sure to grab your phone before it falls on the ground, and turn to narrow your eyes at the perpetually scowling janitor. You hear a subtle pop in your back as you do.

“What are you doing here?” Your voice comes out more accusatory than you meant, and you end up clearing your throat before giving him a forced smile.

“I’m working. That’s more than I can say for you.”

“You’re not supposed to be on this floor today.”

“Says who?” An eyebrow quirks at your statement.

The words die on your tongue because even you knew that one person’s word was not enough to be reliable. You reach over to close the pizza box and gather your things to leave. He doesn’t say anything and only stares while you push yourself up onto your feet.

“I’ll just get out of your way, then.” You mumble, bending down to grab the pizza box in one hand and your empty cup in the other. As you brush past him, you can’t help but wonder if he’s still mad at you, though you can’t logically find a reason why he would be mad in the first place. And if he was, then what did you do? These thoughts are jarred as a vibration in your back pocket alerts you to a notification. Upon more buzzes and the start of your soft ringtone, you realize it’s a phone call.

Stepping over to the nearest desk, you set your stuff down and pull out your phone. On the screen is the caller ID for your mom, her faux-happy face staring straight at you as the lights around it pulse. You don’t fight the grimace that etches into your features. Hitting the green button, you regret it immediately.

“Hi mom!” You exclaim, forcing another smile on your lips.

“There you are! I really thought you had died on us.”

“Of course, I’m not dead. Just busy!” You state happily, turning around to face the windows again. A relieved sigh escapes when you notice the janitor is no longer standing where he was.

“You should call us more. You know I was talking to our neighbor about you recently! Remember Donna and her kids? Apparently her youngest just got engaged. And it got me thinking…” Your mother’s words trail off as your eyes glaze over. Your pulse is steadily picking up speed with every word, and you grip the edge of the desk tightly to keep yourself grounded.

“Anyways, both of your sisters are coming to visit with their little families. When are you planning to come by? It would be nice to have everyone home again. Maybe this time with a man on your arm?”

“Oh, I don’t know, mom. I just started here, so getting the time off will be a little hard to do right away. But I will ask my supervisor, and see? I want to see everyone too.” Your voice wavers a little as the muscles in your face start to hurt from your smile.

“Your grandmother is asking about you, you know. I had to come up with some excuse about why you’re so far away, and single no less.”

“I’m working on it. I’ll give her a call soon.” Tears prick in the corners of your eyes.

“Well, I’m sure you are, honey. Oh, your little sister is calling, I need to go. Please call us more!” And just like that, the line goes silent as she hangs up.

“I’ll call tomorrow, I guess.” You whisper down at the blank screen. Setting your phone down, you press the heels of your palms into your eyes to get rid of the wetness that threatens to overflow. You practically feel your heart beating right out of your chest as your mom’s words float around your head.

“I see where it comes from now.” The janitor’s deep voice comes from the right of you. When you pull your hands away to look at him, he’s holding out a steaming mug to you. Hesitantly, you take it. The color of the liquid is lighter in color and smells slightly floral. A mile’s difference from the last thing he shared with you.

“Where what comes from?” You mutter before bringing the cup to your lips. It’s hot but not unbearably so. The taste is gentle and has a touch of sweetness to it. It’s pleasant, and not something you were expecting.

“Your people-pleasing tendencies.” He leans against the half wall next to him as he eyes you.

“Please do enlighten me, as I’m not sure what you’re getting at.” You reply back in a monotone voice. You were tired in more ways than one. Slaving away at this project that you were only 80% done with. Staying late, lack of sleep, and now your mother calling. You were tired and you can’t mask anymore.

“Let me guess.” He raises his hand and taps a finger against his chin in thought. “Middle child. Your parents always apologized for what you lacked. Always felt like you had to put in extra effort to be seen and walking on eggshells so that when you are seen, no one pulls away. You’re starving for real, positive attention.” Again, none of his words come out malicious but they really sting. This man hardly knows you and yet he’s spreading your entire childhood out like it was nothing.

You’re tired.

“Yeah. Exactly that. And it’s infuriating. Not to drag on my sisters because they’re doing their best and they have the same parents I have but it’s like…” You take another sip of the honey liquid before continuing, feeling the heat of not only the tea but also anger burning in your chest. Your eyes drift back to the front window.

“I can’t stop myself from doing above and beyond on the off chance I might be liked and appreciated. I’m putting in all this hard work and still it doesn’t matter. I’m just so tired.”

The sun is all but gone and is replaced by the city lights that illuminate the indigo sky above. The janitor stays quiet through all of this as he takes in your words. You’ve never told anyone any of this before, and part of you feels liberated. The other part feels guilty for putting something so heavy on someone who probably doesn’t even care.

“So, what if it doesn’t matter? Why are you putting so many expectations on yourself? You’re just one person.” He stands up from the wall and walks around it so that he’s face to face with you. His arms are folded across his chest again as he eyes you warily before continuing.

“I spend everyday cleaning after you shits and no one sees that. And yet, what I do matters because otherwise this place would be a shithole. You do not have to bend over backwards so people can see your accomplishments, they still exist whether they see it or not. But, say they approve of your help, then what?”

“What do-” Your fingers grip tight on the handle of your mug.

“They say thank you for doing what they asked you to do, then what? Do you keep up with their demands?”

“If I have to.”

“And what do you gain from that outside of exhaustion?”

You want to lie so bad. You want to say that you get a lot of enjoyment from making others happy. That you gain happiness for making others smile because you did what they ask of you. But you realize that putting yourself out there for the sake of others is wearing you down. And you aren’t actually happy.

“I don’t.” Your voice cracks and when you blink next, your sight is blurry.

“That’s what I’m saying. You bend and you bend for these short bursts of attention but you don’t need it. The only thing that should matter to you is your wellbeing. The rest comes after.” His voice retains the same dryness as it had before, but there’s an unmistaken lilt of tenderness.

You look away from his gaze and wipe the corners of your eyes with the back of your hand as you take a shaky breath.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but why do you care so much about me?” You offer him a small smile to hopefully deter any ill will that statement could bring up.

“Tch, don’t get me wrong, you’re still annoying. But, I can’t stand watching people tear themselves down for the sake of others. You’re here to live for yourself, not for them.” His steely eyes roll to the ceiling before landing back on you.

“Right. Well. I’ll keep that in mind.” You smile at him, a genuine one that squeezes your eyes closed. “Thank you for taking the time to talk to me, even if your words are a little rough.” He huffs at that then nods curtly, tapping his foot on the ground.

“On that note, I need to-“

“Will you stay with me?” Your words come out faster than you can stop yourself. A sudden burst of warmth blooms into your face. “I-I mean, if you want. I just have this pizza left and-“

“Do you want me to stay?” He stares hard at you as he reads your reaction. You have a feeling he’s testing you.

Do you want that?

Yes, you do.

“Please stay?”

He considers you for a moment before relaxing, his arms falling to his sides.

“Okay.”

Once again, you find yourself on the floor with the janitor, knees tucked into your chest as you’re lost in thought. He sits a few feet away, slowly chewing on a just heated up piece of pizza while he stares out into the night. Your eyes never leave his face, watching the way his long eyelashes tickle his cheekbones and the way his hair falls in his face. You notice the dark circles that bruise the underside of his eyes.

“Do you ever take time off?” You ask softly.

“I never needed to.”

“You look really tired.”

“That’s just my face.” You laugh at that and he gives you a side eye. He wasn’t expecting that from you.

“Where would you go if you ever took time off?” You ask despite the fact he might ignore you as he didn’t seem the type to indulge such stupid questions, but he surprises you.

“Home.” He says without skipping a beat.

“Home? Really? Are you not home that often that you miss it more or something?”

“It’s quiet and all of my things are there. Where else would I go?” He stares at you with a perturbed expression. His dry voice adds to his comment and you find it very endearing. You think you see his lip twitch, but it might have been your imagination.

“What about you?”

Leaning back on your hands, you stretch your legs out with a soft groan and stare out the window. By this time, it’s well into 9pm and you still have work to do. But with the janitor staring at you, you find yourself pushing the thought of work away for now.

“Don’t laugh. But I really want to experience a day in that park off of Centennial. I heard it’s really nice in the afternoon because of the trees and little river that cuts through it. I would love to just sit out on a blanket and draw for a bit.” You say wistfully. You can already feel the heat of the sun against your skin.

“You’re an artist?”

“Yeah, struggling and starving as most are. But I draw when I can.”

He hums softly. “That sounds like a good day.” He says, wiping his hands on the towel that was tied to his utility belt around his waist.

You beam over to him at that. You again think to yourself of why people don’t like him. He was blunt and a little tactless, but he was caring and empathetic. Something you wouldn’t see from the outside. You liked him for just being himself with you.

Realization dawns on you at what his words meant earlier. Just being you was enough. You matter.

“Thank you.” You say simply, a toothy grin pointed his way.

A month passes and you find yourself steadily settling more into your job. You haven’t seen the janitor much since that one night. When you got home after that conversation, you made a promise you would only do things that you wanted to do for the sake of yourself and not others. The next time your coworker came to you for help, you were able to put your foot down and tell them no. Your voice and hands shook the whole time, but since then you haven’t been bothered. Unfortunately, you helped your supervisor when asked but you are proud of the progress that you made with your boundaries.

And now, here you are on a blanket in Centennial Park on a Thursday, lying on your stomach with your sketchbook propped open in front as you pop grapes into your mouth. There’s dark charcoal smudged along the side of your hands but you can’t find yourself caring as you finish a hooded eye with a flourish. It’s a nice day with a light breeze that helps keep you cool and soft music flows through your ears from your earphones, quiet enough so that you can be aware of your surroundings.

You’ve been at the park for so long that you’re almost done with your drawing and you’re thinking you should have brought a book to read when something kicks your foot. It makes you jump and your head twists behind you to see who or what it was. You assume it’s a child that kicked their ball too far as that happened earlier, but instead you scrunch your eyes to make sense of the figure in front of you.

Your eyes trail up to find it's a man dressed in dark jeans and a t-shirt, with a pair of oversized headphones circling his neck and sunglasses covering his eyes. The shades are dark but you can only assume he’s staring down at you. In his hands are two hot to-go cups.

“Can I help you?” You ask up to the mystery man, not hiding the annoyance in your tone.

“So she does take a day off. It’s nice to see you away from the computer screen.” The voice is familiar and you find yourself scrambling up to your feet, staring at him hard. He’s the same height as you and you notice his lips are all too familiar. They’re the same ones belonging to the drawing you just finished.

“You’re the janitor! What are you doing here?” Your annoyance quickly changes into surprise.

“Took the day off and I’m meeting a friend.” He raises one of the cups which you assume must be his friend’s. “And you can just call me Levi, by the way.” He grumbles the last bit. You only now realize you never asked for his name in any of the interactions you’ve had with him. Your face flares in embarrassment.

“I- yeah. I’m sorry, that’s so rude of me to have never asked.” You tell him your name as well but he just nods.

“I know who you are, and it’s fine.” He shrugs, tone dry as ever.

“You know my name? But how?” You don’t remember telling him your name. Nor has he ever been around to hear it be said. You raise an eyebrow at him.

“You have a plaque on your desk.”

“Oh. Yeah, that’s fair.” You run a hand through your hair as you laugh at that. You don’t notice the way his eyes flicker from your sweet face to the sketch behind you on the ground. He huffs softly at that.

“Well, I can’t keep them waiting so. I guess I’ll see you when I see you.” He murmurs before turning on his heel in the opposite direction.

“Wait, Levi!” You yell, taking a few steps towards him. His head tilts back in your direction so that you see his blue-gray eyes side-eying you from behind his sunglasses.

“What?”

“Would you like to get some tea with me sometime?” You ask quickly. Your voice wavers slightly with anxiety as you shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

“Are you sure you don’t have other people’s work to complete first?” You laugh at that.

“No. I don’t think that will be a problem.” The sides of his mouth twitches.

“Then sure. Only if you bring your mom’s cookies again.” He raises his cup at you before turning his back to you and walking down the hill.

You sit back down with a grin, staring down at your finished sketch of Levi leaning against the doorframe of the break room.

Doing things for yourself has never felt so good.

I'm adding my taglist to this bc I'm actually quite proud of this one?

-> taglist: @averysmolbear @humanitys-strongest-bamf @youre-ackermine @notgoodforlife @roseofdarknessblog @missamity @levis-squishy-cheeks @icansmellsouls @dkbktk420 @elnyrae @romantichomicide95 @sckerman @secretmoneybearvoid @apolloshaiku @sujiroses @jadam724 @kamyru @highgoon69 @missyasma @nube55 @svftackerman

The link to my taglist is in my pinned post on my blog!!

#sky's summer event #levi ackerman #levi ackerman x reader #levi x reader #x reader #attack on titan #aot #shingeki no kyojin #snk #modern au #asks #answered #cw parental trauma #janitor!levi ackerman #janitor!levi #hurt/comfort #fluff #eri.moots

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