The loud ringing of Levi's alarm clock filled his ears at exactly 6:32 Wednesday morning, eliciting a stunned gasp from the aforementioned man. He sprung out of bed, sweat rolling in beads down his back as he groaned deeply. Levi blinked his eyes sleepily, scratching the back of his neck.
"What the hell?" he muttered, pressing his palm flat against the side of his face and letting it slide down to his collarbone. He breathed deeply, attempting to calm his rapid breathing.
Levi's nightmares were nothing new. He never remembered exactly what they were about, the premise of his fears entirely lost to him. He'd been to see an array of specialists specifically for this, unsure as to how it would affect his already shitty sleeping habits. He already got less than six hours of sleep every night; with his nightmares awaking him every now and then, recently he'd been rarely getting above three. Unfortunately, however, the specialists could reveal nothing abnormal about his dreams.
Levi stumbled out of bed, sleep deprived and in dire need of caffeine. He quickly made his bed, stacking the extra blanket he'd used the night before neatly at the foot of his green bed before pulling on a pair of black slacks. He didn't even bother with a shirt; it was his own apartment, what was the point?
Levi groggily dragged himself into the kitchen, sliding his sock-clad feet (he wore them to bed) over the immaculate hardwood floors and in the general direction of the stove. Resting there at the ready was his stainless-steel kettle, his water filter sitting right beside it on the counter.
After filling the kettle with water and gently setting it on the stove, Levi ambled over to the cupboard, dragging it open in one fluid motion. He grabbed the small metal canister where he kept his Blueberry Rooibos tea, opening the drawer just below it to pull out a spoon. He set them both on the counter beside his simple white tea cup, leaning against the doorframe as he waited for the kettle to shriek.
Levi's whole body tensed and he jumped as the kettle finally began whistling and he tched, standing from his lean and uncrossing his crossed arms. He walked back over to the counter and picked up the spoon, dropping a spoonful of tea and two teaspoons of sugar into the moderately sized tea-cup. Turning, he grabbed the kettle of the stove and poured the boiling water immediately into the tea cup, replacing it on the stove directly after.
Picking up his tea, Levi walked over to his dining room table and placed the cup at his seat, grabbing his phone off the coffee table before sitting down. He then slouched over his tea, laying his arms on the table around his cup as he waited for his phone to turn on.
Levi, an engaging young entrepreneur destined for greatness, worked as a lawyer for a popular law firm in San Fransisco, California. He didn't particularly like the job; the criminals he dealt with on a regular basis usually hadn't accrued horrible jail time and had usually only committed small day-to-day crimes. So, in other words, nothing interesting.
At least to him.
Levi's ability to read people had gained him a legendary reputation, making his quite a household name in San Fransisco. He didn't care, however. All Levi cared about was the small business he'd started on the side; a gear manufacturing company working to create the most useful climbing/flying gear imaginable.
Levi usually didn't remember his dreams; however, he'd been blessed once with remembering one thing from his dream.
Levi didn't know what it was called, or more accurately, what he would call it, but in his dream, the gear had had incredible maneuverability, and its airspeed was outstanding. It consisted of ropes, a gas tank, and (surprisingly) a pair of twin swords. Levi omitted the swords from his blueprint, however; for obvious reasons.
Didn't want someone being able to fly AND carry a weapon at the same time. He didn't want to create maneuver gear that powerful.
Levi spent most of his daylight hours doing paperwork and dealing with the criminals he'd been forced to protect, making long calls to his boss and to his secretary, Armin. The boy had been working for him for four years, almost. He and his brother, who Levi had heard mentioned but never actually had the pleasure of meeting, were in college and worked part time. Levi didn't much care; he'd only hired Armin because his mushroom-shaped hair reminded him of someone.
Though who, Levi had no idea.
After finishing his tea, Levi stood, carrying his dishes to the sink and washing them immediately. He hated the clutter that it caused in the sink when he didn't wash them, the smell of uneaten food permeating through the house and resting on all of the nice furniture in his living room.
Sighing deeply, Levi glanced around, remarking upon how much homier this place would be if he had someone to live with. Of course, the person would have to be nice, polite, enjoy (or at least tolerate) cleaning their stuff, and be not allergic to animals.
Okay, so that last one wasn't technically necessary. He would probably still share the apartment with them if they had asthma, but they would have to be a really nice person. And they would have to stay out of his room.
Mika rarely left there anyways.
Oh, and one other thing. They had to respect his personal privacy. That should be a given; however, he'd definitely had problems with it before, and certainly didn't want to have it happen again.
Ever.
Levi coughed gently into him palm, clearing his throat. He slid down the hallway, scuffing his socks on the floor as he slowly opened the door to his room. Levi allowed a small grin onto his face, spotting his small black cat on the window sill facing the main street.
"Good morning, Mika," Levi greeted, walking in and picking up the small cat. He'd named her Mikata, or ally in Japanese, because she was the only ally he had in this godforsaken world. He called her Mika for short, feeling it easier than adding the extra syllable. Plus, it was a pretty name, in his mind. A pretty name for a pretty cat.
Mika started licking the back of her right arm, settling in Levi's lap calmly. She wasn't the most social cat, per say, but when she loved someone, she LOVED them. Levi doubted he would ever be able to get rid of her, for while his attachment to her was strong, hers was rock-solid. She would probably just try to come back. She was also only about a year and a half old, barely a kitten. They still had a long time together, something that helped raise his spirits a little. He usually based who he became friends with on Mika's reaction to them, for she was a fairly good judge of character for a cat.
Not that Levi had any friends. He'd only ever brought two people over, both of them failing Mika's test within an instance. In fact, both of them ended up doing shitty things and serving jail time.
Levi sometimes wondered what kind of person Mika had been in a past life. She had probably been pretty overprotective, and Levi momentarily wondered if he'd have liked her if she were human.
Honestly, Levi suspected she'd have been quite the bitch.
When originally buying a cat, Levi had been hesitant. It wasn't something that he'd ever thought of doing until his secretary, Armin, suggested it to him as a way of getting over his 'loneliness'. Levi had told him to shove it up his ass, hating the fact that the young man could read him so easily, but he had to admit; buying Mika had been one of the better decisions he'd made in the past two years. The other was saving up enough money to start up his company and hire a few people to work for him, giving him more time to relax at home.
Checking his watch, Levi stood, letting the cat fall of his lap. With a small yelp, Mika jumped down, giving Levi a look of disdain before sitting down on the floor and resuming her grooming.
Stretching, Levi shuffled over to his closet and pulled out a black suit. The lapels were a light silver color, giving the suit a cool effect when he wore it in the court room. However, Levi didn't wear a traditional tie. Instead, he replaced it with a white cravat, the white object giving him an air of dignity above all other lawyers in the court room. It made him more... intimidating. Not that he wasn't already; it was one of the stranger things about him, given his smaller stature.
After dressing himself, flipping the cravat smoothly as he put it on, Levi slipped out the door, sure to leave it open a crack for Mika to wander about if she liked. He walked quietly into the kitchen, putting away his drying dishes and gathering his phone and housekeys before walking silently to the door and slipping on his shoes.
His briefcase, which sat propped against the bookshelf neatly, was the last thing he grabbed before walking out the door, double and triple checking the locks on the door. He then walked down the lengthy hall of his condominium building, taking the stairs at the end of the hall in favor of the elevator, despite the fact that he was already in excellent shape.
Swiping his card and waving to the attendant by the door, Levi exited onto the main street, walking up the avenue towards his office. He walked briskly; he wasn't in any particular rush, but something told him that he should be a little bit faster today.
It being nearly 7:30 by the time Levi started heading to work, the streets were filled with people, cars nowhere to be seen. Levi liked it this way; the less vehicles there were, the less noxious fumes they were releasing into the atmosphere the cleaner the air would be.
And Levi quite liked clean.
Suddenly, the crowd thickened, and Levi grumbled to himself, shoving his way through people. He didn't even look at the people around him, instead just focusing on getting to work and not suffocating.
Levi plans went out the window in a second, however.
As Levi stumbled through the crowd, he happened to look up at just the right moment to catch the eyes of a beautiful brunette, locking eyes with him. He felt the breath leave him, his eyes going wide as he was forced on through the crowd.
The young, green-eyed brunette wore a black hoodie, the sleeves falling over his hand as he gripped his big blue back pack, which was slung over one of his shoulders. His long lashes swept gently over his tanned cheeks, his eyes shining with a light Levi felt like he'd seen before. He was obviously a college student, based on his outfit, and with what Levi assumed to be a science major. The boy wasn't extremely tall; about 5'6'' if Levi guessed correctly, but he was well built; surprisingly so. Levi immediately wanted to know the man, something about him attracting Levi like a bee to honey.
Recognition flared in the man's eyes as they made eye contact and he frowned, deep in thought. Levi understood what he was thinking, for he was thinking it as well.
Why do I feel like I know him?
Suddenly, Levi was shoved forward, hard. He nearly fell over, stepping forwards a few steps and reaching his arms out to brace himself. As soon as Levi was sure he wasn't going to fall, he let out a deep breath. Then his eyes went wide and he turned around, scrambling backwards, but the college student was nowhere to be seen.
He'd just...
Disappeared.