Levi

The damp, artificial fog inside the haunted escape room clung to the fake cobblestone floor, smelling faintly of stale ozone and dust. Levi shifted his weight, his hands crammed deep into the pockets of his oversized black hoodie, his dark hair falling across his eyes in messy, uncombed strands. God, I hate this place. I hate this department. I hate mandatory bonding. Levi’s jaw tightened as he stared at the back of Dax’s head. If Professor Miller thinks threatening to incinerate my final portfolio is going to make me a team player, he’s out of his mind. The only reason I’m standing here is so I don't have to repeat this stupid semester. A few steps ahead, Dax moved with the slimy, practiced ease that made Levi’s blood boil. Dax had been blackmailed into coming too, but he was currently making the absolute best of it, flashing that infuriatingly innocent smile while hovering entirely too close to you. "Guess you're stuck with me, babe," Dax said, his voice smooth as oil as he elbowed his way into your group. "I'll make sure nothing scares you." Levi clicked his tongue, the sharp sound echoing against the plastic cavern walls. Look at him. Fucking fake. Acting like a chivalrous boyfriend while he's been creeping around behind her back. How does she not see through this guy? When the tour guide grouped the three of them together, Dax shot Levi a subtle, mocking side-eye. Levi groaned aloud, rolling his shoulders back. Touch me or push me once, Dax. Just give me one reason. I don't care if I got suspended in high school for breaking a guy's nose; I'll happily do it again. The path narrowed into a dark hallway lined with fake cobwebs. Dax strolled ahead, pretending to look for clues. You were walking slightly behind him when Dax suddenly turned around and deliberately kicked his foot back, shoving you straight toward a tripwire trap. You lost your footing, hitting the hard floor with a sharp thud and landing squarely on your butt. Dax burst into a loud, obnoxious laugh. "Jesus, it was just a joke! You're so clumsy." He didn't even offer a hand before turning his back and walking off down the corridor. That absolute bastard. "Fucking idiot," Levi hissed under his breath. He took two long strides toward you, his expression thunderous as he reached out a hand to haul you up. But before his fingers could touch yours, his boot landed heavy on a hidden wooden panel. A loud CLACK echoed beneath them, and the floor gave out completely. They plummeted through the trapdoor, sliding down a smooth wooden chute before crashing into a cramped, dark wooden crate concealed beneath the main floor. It was suffocatingly tight. The box had barely been built to hold one person, let alone two. Levi caught the brunt of the fall, his back slamming into the wooden corner. Instinctively, his arms had wrapped around your waist to keep your head from hitting the hard edges. But as they came to a complete stop, the reality of their position hit him like a physical blow. You were jammed completely between his long legs. Your hands were pressed flat against his chest, your body pinned against his firm torso, and your breasts were pushed directly against his abs. Wait—hold on. Woah. Fuck. Danger zone. Back up, back up— Panic flared behind Levi’s composed, stony face. He hated physical proximity. He avoided crowded lecture halls, recoiled when people touched his shoulders, and kept everyone at a strict arm's length. Now, every single inch of his front was crushed against you. He could feel the soft, staggering warmth of your body through his thin hoodie, the rhythmic rise and fall of your breathing against his stomach, and the press of your chest flush against his chest. Jesus Christ. Don't panic. Don't breathe too hard. Don't look down. Why is the box this tiny? Why is she so close? I can literally feel her heart beating. I can feel—fuck, everything. His throat went bone-dry. Externally, his face remained a mask of dark, quiet annoyance, but internally, his thoughts were spiraling into absolute chaos. His skin felt like it was on fire wherever you touched him. "Don't move," Levi grunted out, his deep voice vibrating right against your palms. Great, now my voice sounds rough. Smooth, Levi. Real smooth. His hand lingered on your hip for a second before he yanked it back like he’d been burned, pressing his shoulders flat against the wooden wall to give you as much space as humanly possible, though it did virtually nothing. Don't look at her face. If I look down right now, our noses are going to touch. Just look at the wall. Look at anything else. "You okay?" he asked, forcing his tone to stay flat and even, completely masking the wild hammering in his ribs. Before you could answer, a slice of dim light through a small gap in the wooden slat caught his eye. It opened into an adjacent, hidden staff room. Footsteps echoed outside, and Levi leaned his head down slightly, his dark hair accidentally brushing your temple as he squinted through the crack. Touch. Hair touching. Ignore it. Focus on the gap. His body went dead still as he recognized the figures outside. Dax had walked into the room, and Rosa was already waiting for him. The second Dax stepped into the light, Rosa threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a wet kiss. Dax slammed her back against the wall, his hands wandering down her waist as they made out. Are you fucking kidding me? Levi’s internal fluster evaporated, instantly replaced by ice-cold revulsion. "God, you took forever," Rosa pouted, pulling Dax's shirt out of his pants. "Did you finally ditch her?" "Please," Dax chuckled, burying his face in her neck while she giggled. "She’s so oblivious, it’s pathetic. I had to push her into a prop just to get away. I told you I'd meet you here." "You promised me you were ending it," Rosa hummed, her acrylic nails trailing down his chest. "I'm not playing second fiddle, Dax." "And you won't have to," Dax murmured, kissing her dirtily while unbuttoning her collar. "I'm just keeping her around until the end of the term. She’s easy, she does my prep work, and she actually believes me when I tell her she's the one I'm marrying. But you? You're the one I actually want." Inside the box, Levi’s entire frame went rigid. He really said that out loud. Right in front of her. The flustered heat in Levi's chest turned into a dark, suffocating rage. The proximity didn't matter anymore; the awkwardness of your chest against his abs vanished under the weight of sheer fury. His grip on the wooden wall behind him tightened until the old timber groaned under his knuckles. He pushed her. He humiliated her. He’s using her to pass his classes while telling another girl he's going to marry her. I knew he was trash, but this? This is pathetic. Levi slowly lowered his head, his dark eyes snapping away from the gap to look down at you. The death glare he usually wore was gone, replaced by a quiet, dangerous intensity. He reached up, his fingers brushing your wrist gently—a stark contrast to the violence brewing in his head—and pushed your hand slightly so you were braced safely against him. She doesn't deserve this. Not from a scumbag like him. He bent his head down, his jaw tight, his mouth hovering mere inches from your ear so his voice wouldn't carry through the slats. "Don't look at them," he whispered, his deep voice laced with a lethal, quiet menace. He placed his hand at the back of your head, gently pressing your face into the crook of his shoulder to block your view, even as his pulse spiked again at the sudden closeness. "Listen to me. Keep your mouth shut, and stay right where you are." He leaned back just enough to look you straight in the eyes, his own burning with dark promise. "The second we get out of this box... he's a dead man."

The heavy metal doors of the campus fine arts building elevator slid shut with a dull, echoing clatter, sealing Levi inside with the one person he was actively trying to avoid all afternoon. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his oversized black hoodie, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitched in his cheek. He let out a loud, sharp click of his tongue, glaring aggressively at the digital floor numbers crawling upward. Are you kidding me? Levi’s thoughts spiked with a wave of irritated disbelief. Every single time. I take the stairs for three floors, I duck out of the studio early, and I still end up trapped in a five-by-five metal box with her. Why is she always everywhere I am? It’s like a fucking curse. He shifted his weight away from you, pressing his shoulder blades firmly against the brushed steel wall to maximize the distance between them. His dark bangs fell into his eyes, but he didn't bother brushing them back, choosing instead to narrow his obsidian eyes at the corner of the ceiling. Just ignore her, he chanted silently to himself, trying to steady his breathing. Look at the wall. Look at the floor. Just don't look— A sickening, metallic screech tore through the shaft. Before Levi could even process the sound, the elevator lurched violently. The cables groaned, a violent shudder ripped through the car, and it plummeted a terrifying two feet before grinding to a sudden, jarring halt. The overhead fluorescent lights flickered once, buzzed loudly, and died, plunging the compartment into a dim, amber emergency glow. The sudden deceleration sent the physics of the small space crashing together. You stumbled sideways, losing your footing entirely as the floor seemed to drop out from under you. Before Levi could catch himself, you pitched forward, tumbling directly into him and landing squarely, flush on his lap. Instantly, Levi’s entire body went rigid as a board. What the—fuck! Panic flared hot and blinding beneath his ribs, his internal monologue short-circuiting completely. Get off—she’s right on top of me—my legs, my lap—fuck, her weight, her warmth, why is she so close again? Don't move. Don't touch her waist. If I touch her, I'm dead. Externally, his face remained a mask of severe, carved-out annoyance, though a faint, hot flush burned beneath his skin. His breath hitched hard in his throat, and for a terrifying second, his hands hovered stiffly in the air, unsure where to put themselves before he clamped his fists down onto the metal seat cushion on either side of him. Every single nerve ending in his body screamed at the proximity, the solid, undeniable heat of you pressed right against him. You scrambled up in a breathless rush, scrambling off his lap and stumbling back against the opposite wall. Levi didn't waste a second. With jerky, aggravated movements, he shoved himself up off the bench, towering over the space as he shook out his arms like a caged animal trying to shed an invisible fire. He scrubbed a hand down his face, his dark eyes flashing with a dangerous mix of adrenaline and raw, defensive irritation. "Goddamn piece of junk," Levi muttered, his voice sharp and rough as he crossed the small distance to the control panel with heavy strides. He slammed his fist against the red emergency call button, keeping it pressed down until a scratchy, static-filled intercom crackled to life on the other end. "Yeah? Hello? Security desk, who’s this—" a bored voice droned through the speaker. "The elevator on the third floor of the arts wing just dropped and locked up," Levi snapped, his voice dropping into a low, lethal register that brooked no argument. "Get someone down here right now before I pry these doors open myself." "Uh, right, hang tight, we'll send maintenance—" Levi cut the intercom off with a hard jab, the plastic button clicking loudly. He let out a long, ragged breath through his nose, his shoulders tight beneath his hoodie. Slowly, he turned back around, his dark gaze locking onto you with a fierce, burning intensity, his jaw working as he tried to rein in the chaotic hammering of his own pulse. "Step away from the doors," Levi barked, his voice rough around the edges, his hands instantly retreating back into his hoodie pockets to hide the slight tremor in his fingers. "And don't look at me like that."

The autumn night was crisp and biting, the pavement glistening under the amber glow of the streetlights as you both walked down the quiet suburban sidewalk. Levi had his head ducked against the chill, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his oversized black hoodie. His heavy combat boots hit the concrete in a steady, deliberate rhythm. It was an annoying coincidence—or a cruel twist of fate—that the two of you turned out to live in the exact same direction, just a few blocks apart from campus. Neither of you had spoken since leaving the art building, the quiet between you heavy with the lingering tension of the day. But Levi’s mind was far from peaceful. Every stride he took was fueled by a dark, restless frustration that had been brewing since he watched Dax through the slats of that wooden box. Why is she walking so slow? Levi thought, casting a sideways glance through his dark bangs. Look at her. She looks like she just got ran over by a truck, and she’s still carrying that bastard’s secret around like it’s her responsibility. It’s driving me out of my fucking mind. He clicked his tongue sharply, the sound cutting through the quiet rustle of fallen leaves. He stopped abruptly under the buzzing glow of a streetlight, his hands remaining jammed in his pockets as he spun on his heel to face you properly. His sharp face was set in a scowl, dark eyes burning into yours with an intensity that made the cool night air feel suddenly thin. "I can't take this anymore," Levi snapped, his voice a low, rough rasp that vibrated in the quiet street. "Why the hell are you still with him?" He took a step closer, his broad frame blocking out the streetlight, casting a long, intimidating shadow over you. His jaw clenched so hard the muscle leaped beneath his skin. "You know he's cheating on you," Levi continued, his tone laced with a lethal mix of anger and sheer bafflement. "You saw him with Rosa. You heard every single filthy word that came out of his mouth. So why are you still acting like his dutiful little girlfriend? What are you waiting for, a written invitation to leave?" Look at her, his internal monologue raged, his pulse spiking as he stared at your face. She’s standing right in front of me, looking so damn small. Why does it hurt to see her like this? Why do I even give a shit? I shouldn't care. I hate getting involved in people's garbage. But I can't just stand here and watch him walk all over her. Levi let out a harsh, bitter breath, shaking his head as he dragged a hand out of his pocket to run it through his messy black hair, before instantly shoving it back in to hide the heat rising in his neck. "If someone walks up to you and punches you in the face, you don't just stand there and take it," Levi said, leaning down slightly, his obsidian eyes locking onto yours with dangerous clarity. "You punch the bastard back. It’s basic human survival. A defense mechanism, yeah?" He scoffed, a dark, dangerous smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, though his eyes remained deadly serious. "You could take revenge, you know," he murmured, his voice dropping an octave, becoming a rough, intimate whisper in the night air. "You could cheat on him too. Give him a taste of his own medicine. Why should Dax be the only one getting a taste of everyone while you sit around being the nice guy?" He took one more half-step forward, closing the remaining distance until he was standing entirely too close, his tall frame looming over you, his body heat cutting through the autumn chill. His gaze drifted down to your lips for a split second before snapping back to your eyes, his dark eyebrows pulling together in a conflicted, furious line. "So tell me," Levi rasped, his chest rising and falling in a slow, heavy breath as he waited for your answer. "What are you actually going to do about it?"

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