Upload date - 9th June 2018 (Original date - 23rd May 2018)

Word count - 1,608

full resume:

after years of studying and no job, levy mcgarden is ready to give up. one day an opportunity opens up for her - work for illegal organization, get the money she needs and gain experience to fulfill her childhood dream.

and somehow this kurogane person seems adamant to turn her life around. he's driving her crazy - his arrogant smile, the flicker of excitement in his eyes, the promise in his rough voice.

he's danger and she knows it.

why can't she stop thinking about him? why can't she drive him out of her mind?

why is she letting him steal her heart?

chapter resume:

levy strikes up a deal. how safe is it to sell your talent to the devil when the price might be more than you're ready to pay?

Bracelets. Two bracelets.

"You're giving me… accessories?" Levy asked, unable to understand.

The three of them – she, Cana and Kurogane, as the man had introduced himself – had been sitting there in the last few hours, talking and arguing. Levy was bored and tired from all of this. Being looked at as if she was some sort of exotic animal made her feel weird, too. She knew she looked unusual to this sort of places - put together, plain and simple good little girl, like a small rabbit in the middle of the wild jungle. But that wasn't an excuse for him to watch her like that. It send shivers down her spine. And she wasn't sure which kind of shivers it was.

"Not just accessories" he explained with a lazy smirk. "Identification bracelets."

Levy gave him a flat look. On the spot next to her, Cana broke into a loud laugher, apparently finding the situation amusing. Kurogane simply sighed, leaning back into his chair with disappointment written all over his stupidly handsome face.

"And... what's the meaning of those... identification bracelets?"

"Don't you want to know." Levy watched as he gently picked her left wrist and tied the two plain pieces of leather. "It's simple, really. You're supposed to be a smart girl - tell me, what does a red cross on white mean?"

The first bracelet was a simple white band, with a small red cross on the side.

"... is that just a stupid way to make it obvious that I'm a medic?" she asked, daring to raise her head and meet his gaze. "Or you're not really creative?"

"Maybe someday you'll know." His smirk sent a wave of heat straight to her belly. "And the black one simply shows your position here, as one of us."

She certainly wasn't one of them, but Levy bit her tongue and didn't correct him. There seemed to be a big sense of belonging to this bunch and although she had made this mess all by herself, she knew she was smarter than do dig herself further. Instead of answering, she moved her wrist and observed the second lie. It was leather, like the first, but thinner and in a dark brown, almost black color. Cana had worn the same one since they've meet and upon a look she saw Kurogane had one as well.

"Is the chain here of any importance?" she asked instead, touching the delicate chain that decorated her black bracelet. "Or it's just to give a more aesthetic view to it? I notice neither of you have any."

"It indicates your current state of inviolability." His fingers ghosted over the delicate skin of her wrist, causing goosebumps to raise all over. "No one here is allowed to touch you in any way without permission."

"Mine or yours?" Levy whispered. Their eyes met again and she found herself drowning in the deep brown-red. His man screamed danger.

The only answer Kurogane gave her was a wolfish grin. He pressed a light kiss to her knuckles, then finally lowered her hand down. The smugness was only the front, though - she saw deeper interest flicker in his eyes. It scared her. She didn't want his interest. She didn't want him to... to...

"That's a pretty low blow, Boss" Cana complained with the slightest hint of tease in her voice. "Keeping baby blue all for yourself... So cruel of you..."

Levy was thankful of the distraction Cana's comment provided - her train of thoughts was going to very dangerous places - but it didn't make her feel any less uncomfortable. Heat rushed up her neck, spreading all over her face. They couldn't mean it in that way, right? And why was still this way of speaking as if she wasn't present?!

"Such is life" Kurogane said with a shrug. "Better get used to it, Alberona."

"I thought we were supposed to share in here" Cana reminded him, although she appeared greatly amused to by him events were turning out.

"I don't share." A smirk curled the corner of his mouth. "Especially something as precious as young Miss McGarden here."

"Miss McGarden is still pretty much present."

Heat flared to her face yet again when his impossibly deep eyes ran over her – it felt as if his hands were caressing her, not his gaze. Something flickered to life deep in the pit of her belly, sweat gathered at the nape of her neck. The longer they stared at each other, the harder it became to look away.

"And she's not a something" Levy continued with a trembling voice that sounded like someone else's. "I'm not a thing, Mister Kurogane. I'm a person."

"I am well aware of that, Miss McGarden." His voice was soft like velvet, dark like a starless night. "What makes you think otherwise?"

"Nothing at all, Sir." Levy brought over her best innocent look. She dared battling her lashes at him.

"Of course. Alberona, please, could you leave me and Miss McGarden for a second? I need to speak with her in private." He didn't look away from her even for a second. "You don't mind doing that, do you?"

"Course not" Cana said with a smirk and pulled herself from the leather chair. "I'll go check what's going on around. Give me a call whenever little blue is ready to go."

Kurogane nodded and waved her off as if she was a fly. He showed no reaction at the slam of the door which made Levy jump in her seat, or at the loud echoing laugher ringing outside.

Finally released from the unearthly magnetism of his brown-red gaze, Levy relaxed into the strangely comfortable leather chair and closed her eyes. The silence felt like… Like calm before the storm, she figured out. Worries settled in her chest and clouded her mind.

"What's on your mind?"

Levy jumped and almost fell from the chair, a warm hand on her arm the only thing holding her grounded. The closeness of his voice surprised her, but the feel of his touch knocked her off her ground. Gooseflesh prickled her skin and she watched as his fingers trailed down the length of her arm, down her wrist, before finally slipping at the tip of her nails. The spell over, she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Did I scare you?" The smirk in his smile was audible and when Levy turned her head to face him, her assumption was confirmed. She noticed traces of amusement and curiosity on his face, but he seemed to be someone well-versed in holding himself together. "Do I scare you?"

"No." Yes. I don't know. Feeling sweat break upon her palms, she licked her suddenly dry lips. "Why? Are you trying to scare me?"

"On the contrary." Before Levy could react, she was pushed into the desk. All the air in her chest left her, along with it whatever courage she could muster. She was all alone, in the middle of nowhere with no friends and no one to her… and his monster person, in all his tall glory, managing to hold her still only with his beautiful eyes. "What makes you think I'm trying to scare you?"

"Your obvious disrespect of my personal space, for example?" Levy gulped down. His warm breath caressed her skin, his eyes were studying her. "All those insulting comments? Those completely perverted looks you were giving me?"

Instead of answering her, Kurogane laughed. It was a rough, deep sound, from the deep of his chest. Almost like a dog's bark. For her dismay, Levy realized she liked it. The spark in her belly caught fire, spreading pleasant warmth all over her body, down to the tips of her toes. She hated it.

She hated him.

"You can always leave" Kurogane reminded her, amusement crinkling in his eyes. "I'm not gonna stop you."

He wasn't holding her, Levy realized. He was leaning over her, he was playing with her, teasing her, driving her crazy with words and caresses, but he wasn't…

"Not gonna hurt you."

"You're not?" She could push him away easily if she wanted. But she didn't. "Promise?"

"I don't do promises." Kurogane's voice was a soft whisper against her lips, like a lover's confess. "But I don't lie, either."

Levy stayed silent during the car ride back to her apartment, staring at the blur of the city outside the window. She knew Cana was sitting next to her and singing to whatever song was on the radio, but she couldn't hear her. Her head felt as if filled with cotton. Her mind was a mess.

A rough shake on her shoulder broke her train of thoughts and Levy jumped in surprise, hitting her head on the car's low roof. A line of curses came from the seat next to her and soon a water bottle was pressed to the bruised spot.

"What's the matter, blue?" Cana asked once they were out of the car. "You've been kinda off since I picked you from Boss."

With a shrug Levy dug into her poked for keys. Cana took them from her and unlocked the building's front door, then the two headed up the stairs. The silence that fell was unusual – it was rarely quiet with Cana around, but for once she seemed to understand.

"You sure you're alright?" she asked. The two were once again in the safety of the small, book-cluttered apartment. "I can make you tea or one of those fancy bubble baths you like."

Levy smiled at the offer and put down the water bottle.

"That would be really nice."

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question on the chapter: what do you think happened after the line break?