Chapter Text
If Juli was being honest with herself, Trost wasn’t the city of her dreams, but it was a city that probably could accommodate dreams, if she ever found the courage to chase one. Not that she’d ever act on her silly dreams and grandiose ambitions that flickered through her brain like fireflies. Still, she preferred those silly daydreams to whatever life she was currently living.
It’s been three months since she moved to Trost and her new job was no more exciting than it was 90 days ago when she first started. At the very least, it was relatively consistent. Unlike her sleeping patterns, so it seemed. Which is why she was running late that morning.
She sped walk in the uncomfortable shoes she forced herself into daily as she tried to get a better grasp on her purse, laptop, water, and copies of the latest reports. What mattered more than her being late was her getting everyone’s morning coffee. Because when her team found out their favorite coffee spot was on Juli’s way to the office, she’d been made the designated coffee runner ever since.
Juli doesn’t even drink coffee.
As she stepped through the door and heard the ever-familiar jingle of the bell overhead, she sighed. The line was longer than usual which was unhelpful on a day like today. Still, she’d take the consequence of being late over the consequence of showing up empty handed.
She was still a newbie on her team, after all. As much of a drag her job was, she was still determined to work her way up and make a name for herself. It was the only logical next step in her career. And that begins with these daily coffee runs.
She was running on autopilot as the line shuffled forward and she finally got to order.
As she was handed her usual, overcomplicated order, she ran a mental checklist in her head.
Hand out revenue report to the marketing team.
File expense report for the operations department's recent trip.
Don’t forget the 2pm meeting.
Keep it together. It’s almost Friday.
She turned and made a beeline for the door when, as if in slow motion, two of the four drinks in the drink holder suddenly lurched up and out from a sudden impact.
Juli froze in shock, not quite processing what had happened. Just a moment ago, she was standing on her own two feet and she had a clear shot to the front door. And now her drinks were spilled on the floor and she was on the ground right next to them?
(If she hadn’t been in her autopilot state, she would’ve noticed the man that impatiently stepped out of line in an attempt to cut his way to the front. If she’d been on her a-game, this would’ve never happened in the first place.)
She clutched the drink tray close to her, as though to protect the remaining dlitrinks from similar fates.
Her breath was still caught in her chest as she simply stared at the mess before her.
Of course, she thought glumly, of course this had to happen to me. It got on my shoes too.
Before her annoyance could spiral into shame and embarrassment, a hand appeared in her peripheral vision and a voice spoke, low and rough.
“You’re alright.”
It wasn’t posed as a question and that alone had Juli’s head snapping up to the voice’s owner.
There was a man crouched down in front of her and it wasn’t the one who bumped into her. The look he gave her was weighted. It wasn’t filed with judgement or impatience. He just seemed to be…assessing her in some way with the sharpest, yet most beautiful grey eyes she’d ever seen.
She didn’t know what he was looking for, but despite it, he still offered her a hand. So Juli just swallowed hard and pushed the tight feeling of embarrassment down.
“I’m fine,” she blurted automatically, “Really, it’s fine.”
The stranger didn’t move though. He just waited patiently, like he had all the time in the world to await whatever action Juli decided on next. She didn’t waste much more time before letting out a small, awkward and exhausted laugh and finally accepting the offered hand.
His hands were big and rough, firm yet careful as he helped her upright.
“Thanks,” she mumbled, ducking her head as the shame began to catch up to her.
He nodded once and strode to the counter where the barista behind it was already waving sheepishly to offer up the replacement drinks. He tossed a few bills onto the counter and came back with a new drink carrier with fresh drinks perfectly balanced in one hand.
Juli blinked up at him as she continued to wipe up what she could with the napkins she had on hand.
“You-You didn’t have to-”
“You would’ve been late,” he said simply.
And that was it. The way he said it and acted so matter-of-fact unsettled her in a way nothing else had that week.
Soon after, they made their way outside where Juli noted how heavy the clouds hung above her, threatening another downpour.
The man adjusted the tray in her hands to set it in a more secure position before unceremoniously stepping back.
“Get moving kid,” he said dryly, and for some reason, the edge of gruffness to it made her want to smile.
“Yeah,” she shuffled, suddenly full of nervous energy, “Thanks.”
She then hesitated because a part of her wanted to stay in his presence, ask him name, understand what the hell just happened and what that interaction just was, but her phone buzzed angrily in her pocket which only served as a reminder of the life awaiting her just down the block.
She gave one final glance over her shoulder, only to find that he was already long gone.
Levi wasn’t in the business of being that generous to strangers, especially considering his line of work, but he couldn’t stop himself this time.
He tried clearing his head, prepping for the job he was headed to instead of letting his mind linger on the short interaction that he had initiated.
He moved quickly through the streets, dodging slow pedestrians, avoiding eye contact and not slowing down for a second. Erwin had given him an easy one today, just a few blocks south. He only had to meet the contact, get intel, and get out.
Something so simple and routine, yet he couldn’t focus on it due to the interruption he had caused in his own routine.
His mind kept flashing back to the pair of beautifully expressive, yet tired eyes. The subtle way the eye’s owner fidgeted under pressure.
It wasn’t obvious. Not the flailing panic he was used to dealing with. No scene was made. She just held herself together. Barely, but with the little shifts of weight in her feet, finger tapping on the surface nearest to her, legs bouncing in a rhythm too subtle for people to notice.
Levi noticed. He always noticed. It was his job to notice.
He blew out a sharp breath into the cold air.
Stupid.
He shouldn’t have stepped in. He shouldn’t have drawn attention to himself like that. He should’ve kept walking, like he normally does. But something about the sight of her, so small and flustered, sparked something within him that he hadn’t felt in a while.
Something that he didn’t necessarily like, but he couldn’t quite kill. Not yet.
He scowled at nothing as he turned sharply into an alley to cut through the block.
Being soft wasn’t safe. Being soft got you killed. Being soft got people like Petra a one way trip to being buried six feet under cold dirt.
And yet, when he’d crouched beside her, when she had blinked up at him, wide-eyed and trying her damndest to keep her composure, it had taken everything in him to not reach out and try to fix it all for her. Not just the coffee, but the exhaustion, tinged with bits of misery, etched into her face.
Never in his life had he felt such a profound desire to shoulder something like that for another person. He’d come close once or twice and those instances ended in nothing but disaster and grief.
That only made this instance that much more dangerous.
If he didn’t know better, he’d have called it love at first sight. But he did know better and so he knew that was ridiculous. Especially for the Levi Ackerman. He didn’t do love.
As he turned another corner, he rolled his shoulders, forcing his mind back into operational mode. No more stupid distractions or feelings.
He had a job to do.
Despite that, he couldn’t just snuff out the feeling of hope that had wormed its way into him. It was miniscule and probably wouldn’t stay afloat for long. But it was there.