Chapter Text
“Let me get this straight,” Levi stated, eyes narrowed at your body slouched over the worn wood that was your standard university-issued desk.
It was midnight on a Thursday, and instead of being holed up in his apartment taking care of work he decided to swing by your dorm to spend some time with his girlfriend. If he knew what he was going to be walking into, he definitely would’ve changed his mind.
“Hm?” was your only reply, looking up at your grumpy boyfriend that was clearly less than amused at the current condition you were in.
Though he stood a few feet away, you could easily make out the displeasure on his face. Seeing his furrowed brow and scrunched up nose was just so cute to you, especially when he wasn’t the type to express his emotions so freely. Making sure to turn your body to more properly face him, you waited for Levi to elaborate.
“Instead of studying for the two back-to-back exams you have tomorrow,” he started, gesturing to the pile of textbooks and notes that looked like they hadn’t been touched all day, “You decided that it would be a good idea to make cocktails and get drunk instead?”
As he extended a single finger, your eyes followed to take in the sight of an overturned jar of juice, a half-empty bottle of liquor, and nearly overflowing glass of whatever it was that you had concocted. You squinted at the mess and pursed your lips, reaching over slightly to return the jar to a more proper position and. Finishing the small task, you smiled at yourself for straightening up a bit of the mess and turned back around to face your companion that was less than amused by your antics.
“Baby~” you cooed, giggling at how he grimaced at your choice of a pet-name.
You were aware of how much he hated that particular nickname as he had told you numerous times that he was not an infant and should not be referred to as one, but at the very moment, you just wanted to mess with him a bit in revenge. You had been enjoying the feeling of the alcohol making its way through your system when Levi had arrived at your dorm, and now it was like he had rained on your mini festivities.
“For your information,” you started, sticking out your own finger and wagging it in his direction, “I didn’t decide to ‘get drunk’”.
You threw his previous words back at him with some air quotes for spice. He rolled his eyes at your sass but stayed silent, crossing his arms in front of his chest and raising an eyebrow as if to prompt you to keep going as you were inevitably going to end up digging your own grave.
“I just happened to get a little buzzed from drinking, that’s all,” you explained with a nod, giving your beloved boyfriend a cheeky grin accompanied by a sloppy wink.
Levi kept his silence as his eyes traveled up and down your intoxicated form. Eventually he let out a defeated sigh, as if there was no use of talking any sense into you in this state.
“I don’t even know why you’re so worried,” you voiced, grabbing your drink and taking another sip of the fruity drink.
From over the rim of your glass, you caught the way that his slate-grey eyes narrowed once more at your words. Unable to help yourself, your gaze trailed up and down his lean frame. Seeing him in more comfortable and casual clothing was always something you found attractive, and at the moment you were debating on if you could entice him into spending the night with you. His gaze narrowed more at your visible attempt of trying to undress him, and you concluded that at this point, the only thing you’d be able to get from him would be a verbal beating.
“You’re the TA and the professor never does his own grading so it all works out!”
Silence. Levi blinked at you once. And then blinked once more. You watched as his face fell back into that dead-panned expression that he was infamously known for, and you unintentionally gulped at the intimidating aura that flared up around your boyfriend. Feeling the change in the air of your small dorm room, you quietly placed your glass back on your desk and you felt compelled to say something to ease the atmosphere.
“A-ah, Levi, I’m sorry,” you apologized, leaning over as you tried to take his hands into yours, “It was just a joke; I would never ask you to abuse your position as TA.”
He leaned away from your touch and you felt the sting of rejection. Levi was not the type of boyfriend to hold your hand and coddle you. This you knew from the very beginning when the two of you started dating during your sophomore year, and the older man becoming a TA did nothing to change this. If anything, you felt like the added responsibility and authority inadvertently made him urge you to push yourself and be even better. The last thing either of you wanted was for accusations of favoritism to start getting thrown around, especially since both of you belonged to the same department at the university.
You stirred in your shame and regret for a few moments before you sensed any movement from your significant other. Looking up hesitantly, you expected to be scolded for your words or reprimanded in whatever way he thought would be most appropriate. He didn’t look too upset, but the mischievous glint in his eyes told you to be wary.
“L-Levi…” you timidly called out, cursing yourself for getting caught drinking and cursing your tongue specifically for being so loose with its words.
If you didn’t know him so well, you would’ve missed the slight smirk that made its way onto his otherwise frozen features.
“I’m grading you harder than all the other brats.”