Don't Chase Me [Cheater!Levi Ackerman|Mod!Au] - Chapter 21: Chapter 21

"I'm reckless and selfish
I'm feeling defenseless
Even at my best
I'm still feeling like a mess
I'm not proud of who I've been
I know I've gotta grow"
Cigarette smoke hung heavily in the humid air, a shot of whiskey burned as it ran down his esophagus. Levi had lost count of how many he'd already downed. Not that it bothered him; he'd just have sex with a prostitute or two to burn it off, and then make his way home. In the morning, his headache would be minimal and he'd drag himself into work with some bullshit excuse as to his moodiness. Mostly just the fact that he had to work on a Saturday (but it was his Saturday to work).
Tonight would be just like any other night.
Behind him, he could hear a woman – Lexi was her name – talking to a drunk man about going upstairs to the brothel. He tched into his shot glass as he raised a full one to his lips. Tossing it back, Levi barely took in the fact that this was one of the grimiest places he'd ever been in. He knew that he couldn't look too closely at anything, or else he'd be too disgusted to ever return.
Where would he go then to drown out the shit hole that was his life?
Levi barely noticed as a group of people, about seven women with only three men among them, waltzed into the grungy bar. Even though they were quite loud, adding to the buzzing in the back of his mind from the previously present bar patrons. The group were in casual, but nice, outfits; most of the women in skirts or dresses, while the guys wore button ups and relaxed jeans with nice loafers.
They definitely weren't from that part of town.
Among this group was a woman with [H/C] hair and [E/C] eyes. Her name was [Name], she wore a nice [F/C] dress that flattered her shape. Her hair was done different than its usual style and her feet were adorned with a new pair of pumps to match the cloth that licked at her knees.
[Name] and two of the others broke off to claim tables for the group. [Name] already knew, though, that she would not be greatly joining in the festivities. Why had she even agreed to come? – Probably because her friend had guilted her into coming.
[Name] hated drinking, and she hated bars. Especially since her first job was in a bar. It was not exactly her favourite place in the world. The fog of smoke was smothering, giving her a headache; while the sight of the drunken, touchy men made her flinch.
She was going to sit the night out.
The friend who was the occasion was for, Topaz, flitted over to the bar, where she flirted with the bar tender and a few minutes later received a large order of drinks. As much as [Name] tried to get out of a drink, Topaz thrust one into her hand before leaving her on her own at the table. The girl sat quietly at the table, staring intently with slumped shoulders at the amber liquid.
What even was in the glass?
She shook her head; it was going to be a long night.
Levi stood, leaned against the bar, his eyes scanning the women that crowded the place. He saw most of them on a nightly basis, they were regulars – like him. He growled in annoyance at the crowd of people drunkenly cheering around a dartboard. Honestly, couldn't they just calmly enjoy a drink?
A bit later, the Friday night DJ showed up and set up shop on the squat 'stage.' It was more like an unsteady wooden platform, which seemed like it would give any second. Levi hated Friday nights because of this. Women would sway up to him and slur out a request to dance. Then they'd, either, get snotty, violent or burst into large tears at his rejection to the invitation.
The short man shuffled closer to the counter, moving out of the way of the hoard of people quickly making for the space in front of the stage. Where they could dance away their night until their legs wouldn't hold them anymore. Soon, the scent of sweat began to mix with the alcohol and smokes.
Levi scrunched his nose, annoyance ticking in his brain as he watched people swaying. It was like they were marring his eyes, their movements were sandpaper on the organs. His eyes skimmed across the familiar place once more, seeing if there was any relief to this.
And that's when he caught the sight – stillness.
In all of the chaos of the Friday night dancers, there at the center table with her head bowed, was a woman he'd never seen before. She was still as a statue, one hand supporting her head and the other wrapped around a glass (filled with something that looked like Scotch). His eyes wandered over her form, lingering some on the bare skin of her legs and arms. Why was this woman here? The dress was far too nice for a gritty place like this. Her nails were painted, he noticed then, to match her dress.
But why did this little detail matter?
And why was his heart thudding painfully against his rib cage?
"[Name]!" blurted a voice. The woman he'd been staring at straightened her back in surprise, rotating her body toward him and whipping her head around to look at the person. A woman with dirty blonde hair, who appeared to be drunk off her ass, staggered over and leaned on the back of the woman's chair. "C'mon! It's my birthday, you gotta dance or somethin'! You can't just sit here all night!"
The woman, [Name], responded quietly, a pleading look on her delicate face. Her voice, which Levi found he wanted desperately to hear, getting swept away by the roar of people and music. Levi didn't know why he wanted to hear the woman's voice, or why the shade of fabric against her skin caused heat in his cheeks. He cocked his head to the side, his tongue sliding lightly over his bottom lip as he watched her cross her legs.
What was it about this woman that got to him?
[Name] stared at after Topaz as she left a minute later; she really didn't want her friend trying to pull her into the crowd of drunks. With a sigh, the [H/C] began to turn back to her table. In an effort to see something other than the wooden table, [Name] dragged her eyes along the throng of people in the bar. However, she froze as she stared straight ahead into the dangerous silver irises of a stranger.
Those eyes, they were cold but alight with something she couldn't read. Heat rushed up from her toes, blossoming in her bosom to warm her neck and face. [Name]'s heart fluttered at the sight of this stranger. She wanted to see the face that those irises belonged to, but her eyes stuck to theirs like magnets, two poles connecting together. The person had black hair, she noted, she could tell because part of one of the silver hues was covered by it.
[Name] swallowed hard, trying to fight back the blush and gain her self-control again. Finally, she was able to look away from those intense eyes and returned to her original position, taking a swig of the mysterious alcohol. She couldn't place the taste, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
[Name] then returned to her stillness, allowing life to continue around her.
Before he'd even realized he'd moved, Levi found himself half way to the table where the woman sat. He stopped there, in the middle of the bar aisle, letting people brush past him. Looking at [Name] closer, Levi found the name suited her. He also found her very beautiful. He scrunched his nose slightly at his inner dialogue.
Since when did he find any woman truly beautiful?
Still, Levi wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through that [H/C] hair of hers. He was never one much for the colour, but the way it looked against her skin made it seem like the most amazing shade in the world. His legs carried him the rest of the way to her, his mind scraping crazily for what to say.
"I – er –" started Levi, [Name] obviously hadn't realized he was there because she didn't look up at him. With a heavy sigh, Levi slid in the seat across from her.
This the woman did look up at.
Levi's heart nearly skittered to a halt in his chest when he saw those irises up close. He could see the other little flecks of colour in her eyes now. Levi could even see the high lights in her hair that were brought out by the dim bar lights.
[Name] was just as captivated, now gazing at the porcelain pale face that those steel buttons were set in. His raven hair was a startling contrast to it. He was incredibly attractive, she found, if not tired looking. He was a stoic kind of handsome.
"So," he started, awkwardly; [Name] was surprised by how deep his voice was. "What's a thing like you doing in a shitty place this like?"
[Name]'s eyes widened some, but then one side of her mouth twitched a bit while a giggle escaped her lips; heat swept over her features. Softly, she asked, "So, people actually go for that?"
Her voice startled Levi, it was melodious. Like soft music in a loud world of white noise. Levi's heart beat impossibly fast, as though it was ready to rip out of his chest. He cleared his throat, "That depends on how damn drunk they are."
The side of [Name]'s mouth raised into a crooked smile as she laughed again, that was the straw that broke the camel's back for Levi. He stared at her lips; how could such a simple action have such a large impact on him?
Why did he want to try and kiss away that smile?
Why did he want to always hear her voice?
Why was there nervousness bubbling in the pit of his stomach?
[Name] raised her glass to her lips, taking a long swig of it. Levi watched, infatuated, as she leaned her head back. Observing as her throat pulsed with each swallow. Levi bit the inside of his cheek, trying to bring himself back.
What the hell was wrong with him?!
Every little thing she did within the thirty seconds of him sitting before her, captivated him.
With the drink past her lips, [Name] could now focus on the stranger across from her. She felt small under those intense steel pools, they seemed to burn her. She held out her hand to him, "I'm [Name]."
His eyes flickered briefly between her hand and her face. Normally shaking hands with people who came into the bar wasn't his thing, but she seemed clean. Gently taking her hand, he said, "Levi."
His hand was surprising soft around hers, but his touch – it felt like electricity licking her skin. It sent shock waves up her arm, jolting her heart. [Name] smiled gently and retracted her hand, grateful that they were no longer touching. The two sat staring at each other for a minute, each scraping in every detail of the other.
Every shadow. Every highlight.
"You never did answer my question," state Levi abruptly.
[Name] quirked an eyebrow at him, leaning back and crossing her arms. "Oh?"
Levi held her gaze evenly, despite the strange pounding within his ribcage, "What're you doing in this shitty place?"
"Ah," breathed [Name], a small smile forming as she tore her eyes away from his. "I could ask you the same thing. But, if you must know, Levi, it's my friend's birthday."
"And of all the places in town, she chose this one," he deadpanned, a pinching in his bosom from the way her lips said 'Levi.'
[Name] giggled, nodding. He was a blatant man of few words, but Levi was interesting if nothing else. The pair sat, exchanging small pleasant conversation for a bit. Levi sat long enough to gain the attention of regulars. Never had he ever sat and chatted with someone, much less for as long as he sat talking with [Name] (who Levi had discovered blushed quite easily).
The short man could feel eyes on him, and tried to send them away with a glare but they always returned. Finally, a slow song came on and Levi, looking for a way out, stood. "Care to dance?"
[Name] sent him a heart stopping smile and nodded as she stood. "Alright, Levi."
With a firm gentle hand, Levi gripped the woman's arm and hauled her out to scuffed, peeling vinyl dance floor. Like teenagers at homecoming, [Name] put her hands on Levi's shoulders while his went to her waist. Like when they shook hands, every place he touched felt on fire!
Unease was firmly settled in the woman's stomach, but – at the same time – there was exhilaration. Never had a man had this effect on her. Maybe it was just the alcohol talking, but part of her hoped it wasn't.
The pair didn't say anything, avoiding eye contact, as they danced. Levi glared at everyone who was gawking, feeling a surge of possessiveness causing him to subconsciously pull the woman closer. While [Name] hoped none of her friends saw them together (although she knew that that was a lie). However – towards the end of the song – the two finally looked at each other and locked eyes. Both of their hearts began to pound, the air taking on its own static charge.
Before they knew it, their faces had drifted closer until their noses touched – and then their lips. A light brush at first, but it was enough. Levi then firm latched his lips onto [Name]'s. The feeling was unreal; burning and singeing each of their skins. [Name] found herself hurriedly kissing back, hoping to try to extinguish the heat. The pair stopped dancing; Levi gently cupping the back [Name]'s neck in one hand and looping a firm arm around her waist to pull her flush to him. [Name] tightened her arms around Levi's neck.
She'd scold herself for kissing a stranger in the morning.
They only pulled away when the song finally ended. Even then, they were both winded and felt about ready to pop. The two stared into each other's eyes trying to figure everything out. What the hell was that feeling? Why?
Finally, [Name] sighed, "I – I should be going. Thank you for the dance, Levi."
Levi hesitated before nodding and slowly releasing his hold her. When he did, she moved to go to the table but Levi grabbed her arm. When she looked back, Levi even seemed surprised at himself. "I want to see you again – outside of this shit hole. Can I have your number?"
[Name] blinked a few times, but then smiled and nodded. The pair exchanged numbers back at the table, and then the woman bid farewell to Levi and her friends. When she left the building even thing seemed to go dark again. Levi found she'd brightened the place, and everything else, up – he couldn't believe he'd been living in the dark for so long.
"I live with a temper
That never gets better
It's ripping me to shreds
It's still burning in my head
I'm not proud of who I've been
I know I've gotta grow"