Work Text:
It doesn’t go unnoticed how forlorn Eren has gotten over the course of weeks, ever since he was rejected by their boss, Levi Ackerman. It’s as if a dark cloud has been constantly following Eren around, drowning him with an unyielding, unending, inundating downpour.
If Levi noticed the grumpy brunet brooding around, dampening the mood in the office, he chose to ignore it. Well… that was until Valentine’s Day when Eren’s table was completely filled with flowers, chocolates, and gifts. Levi’s note for the upcoming meeting he had left was thrown haphazardly close to the bin, and Levi’s eye twitched with unhinged spite.
Suspiciously, Eren was made to work extra hours after; sometimes he spent the night in the office, only to be woken with a soft, warm blanket placed over his shoulder and a small note stuck to his monitor with a thumbs up and a smiley. Eren wondered if it was one of the girls that had tried to score a date with him.
The following week, he was given two more projects to work on. He stayed the night, and while he made a beeline for the toilet, a brimming cup of piping hot coffee was placed on his table, along with sandwiches and the same note stuck to the coffee mug this time.
Eren slid inside his cubicle and started at the food and cute note. He looked around the empty office; no one was around, nada, and yet someone was taking the time out of their day every time he stayed behind to work extra hours to encourage him and take note of his feeble, fever-inducing body, going by his constant fever and sneezing when winter showers them with snow, by placing a warm blanket on him. This person must know or at least watch him closely to get coffee from his favourite café.
So, when Armin suggests that someone who knows his working hours closely must be the one leaving him notes, Eren spent the day thinking about the people who knew his schedules, well... Apart from his friend Armin, his team, and his boss, no one else, or anyone sane enough, would constantly keep tabs on his work life.
The next time he asked to work late, it was already evening, and his team had already left. Ackerman was the only one who was in the meeting room when the file was provided to Eren to be addressed and get sorted.
Eren sneaked out of the cubicle to watch from afar, but before he could catch the culprit, conveniently, he was asked to join a client meeting along with his boss in their conference room, and then... it wasn’t his crush... It was too good to be true. Levi wouldn’t bother with him.
Why would he? When Eren gave him his heart, that raven iceberg took it and threw it out of the window, leaving him empty and broken.
“Nice save, Levi,” Mike remarked when he came back from placing yet another snack and beverage on their subordinate’s table. “You do remember I’m not your butler, right?”
Levi rolled his eyes and watched through the glass wall separating him from Eren. The mop of hazelnut mane slid past his shoulder, as he had his head hung low, he was deep in his thoughts, eyebrows scrunched up, concentrating harder, and the light from the screen was making his eyes twinkle.
Levi swallowed and looked away, Mike was sporting a smug visage that made the raven swat him with his marker. Mike’s loud peel of laughter ran through their conference room.
Eren, unaware of his surroundings, yawned and rubbed his tired, bloodshot eyes; he was half asleep, the letters on the computer screen distorted and blurry.
“Rest.” Said the deep voice beside him, it was a command laced with worry and care, Eren mumbled incoherently, eyes falling shut, heavy eyelids dragging him deeper within the dream realm.
On Eren’s birthday, the table was full again. Levi growled, pacing inside his room. Both Mike and Hange, turned their heads from left to right, feeling heady with the constant movement. “Eren’s good-looking,” Hange commented, which earned them a glare.
“You rejected him.” Mike reminded him, and that earned him a nasty scowl. Levi’s countenance a sour moue, made the duo sigh in exasperation.
Eren cleared the table, his cheeks burning from the attention. He looked around, his gaze locked with his boss’ threatening, dark, stormy eyes. He ducked down and placed the gifts and rest inside his locker, arranging the flowers in a glass cup filled with water.
When Levi sends him an IM to work on yet another project, Armin protests, “It’s your birthday, shouldn’t he be more considerate?”
Eren shrugged, he loved his work, and besides, he wasn’t an outgoing person. “We can have my cake cutting during the weekend.” Armin pouted and nodded.
“I will ask your sister to join us,” Armin said, packing his bag.
“Mikasa dislikes him enough already, she is going to be livid now.” Eren shook his head. It was no secret, his sister hated Levi.
That evening, when the office emptied, Eren rolled his shoulders and rested his head on the table.
Assuming he was sleeping, Levi slid inside his cubicle with a rose in his hand. When he went to grab the glass jar to spill the contents, Eren’s hand caught his wrist. He opened his eyes and stared right into his rainy grey eyes, “What are you planning to do with the roses in the jar?”
“Throw them in the bin.” Levi pointed it out as if it were an obvious and normal thing to do.
“Why would you do that, Mr Ackerman? It was given to me out of love.” Eren was awake now, forest green eyes wide and glimmering, Levi had to inhale deeply and force himself not to get lost in them.
“I thought you liked me?” Levi avoided the question.
“I want to try to like someone who likes me back,” Eren was still holding his hand; the skin beneath his palm was blazing and tingling.
“Then I’m doing the right thing by throwing them away and replacing them with my rose.” Levi spat. He tried to pry his hand away. Eren tightened his grip, and as his stare deepened, an intense heat behind it drew Levi in like a moth to a flame.
“Are you implying what I think you’re implying, boss?” Eren quirked a brow.
His ears burning, Levi dropped the rose and grabbed Eren by the shirt collar, and their lips collided painfully, teeth knocking as they kissed messily, repressed lust and carnal hunger unfurled and consumed them.
Eren gasped and moaned, parting his lips for Levi, Levi hummed in approval.
The following morning, Eren was sporting a bruised lip, suspiciously similar to Levi’s; not to mention a single red rose was in the jar, and every day that followed, a fresh new rose was placed in it, with a blushing Eren reading tiny notes and saving them inside a box, cherishing them.