I
Monday's Fucking Suck
Quiet days were his favorite. No one spoke to him, therefore, no one bothered him. The quiet sounds of his feet walking on polished wooden floors were a comfort to his ears. Sunlight peered through the half-open blinds of the window while he boiled a kettle of water for his favorite flavor of tea. The flatscreen in the modest living room was turned low to the news.
Once the tea was ready he grabbed his favorite porcelain cup, intricately designed. A small tink on the cup's edge as he finished stirring in a single sugar cube. More than one would ruin the tea's natural flavor.
It was perfect.
Ding.
What? The fuck.
Ding.
Another one.
The perfect morning, officially ruined. Who could possibly be bothering him this early in the morning? The man turned his phone on silent and ignored the messages completely.
He settled back into his couch and turned his attention back to the news. Not much happening today. The new school year was starting, but that had nothing to do with him. The old gas station on the other side of town got robbed. No casualties. That also had nothing to do with him. A new law was passed that they don't know how to exactly elaborate on. That, surprisingly, also had nothing to do with him.
What sort of apathetic life does he live? The world around him has nothing to do with him.
Buzz - buzz - buzz
He put the tea in hand down in a small saucer on his coffee table and picked up his phone beside it.
"Forgot to turn the vibrate off. Annoying." He recognizes the name spelled out on his screen. It's not one he's heard of in a long time. And despite it having nothing to do with him, he reluctantly answers it.
"Hello?"
"Boss! Oh thank god you answered!" the voice on the other line sounded shaky and picked. It was a foreign sound with this particular voice.
"Hm?"
"Boss, listen! We nee-"
"I'm not your boss anymore, plus you ruined my morning. Leave me alone." he hung up and took the vibrate off of his phone.
That had nothing to do with him anymore.
Levi Ackerman. He was a man of few words, but many actions. He was very calm and distant, and enjoyed it. Anything that didn't have to do with him, he didn't put on his radar. It simply had nothing to do with him. He kept his emotions mute and he liked it that way. Anything that threatened this constant annoyed him.
Levi had set up the perfect morning for himself. No interruptions. No obnoxious noise. Just leisure. Today was Monday. His only real day off. And an old friend he hadn't spoken to in almost ten years had to ruin it.
"Boss!"
The word rang through his head. It was a word he long forgotten the feeling of. Truth be told he was very thankful he did. All the word did was stress him out. At the time he was too young to be called anyone's boss. He was too dumb naive to be anyone's boss. Not theirs anyway. He wanted nothing to do with that word.
Nothing to do with that life.
He was happier where he was now. Warm, successful and normal.
He didn't want anything to threaten that.
Levi had paused in real time for a moment to pinch his nose and breathe. The voice that called him brought up too many memories he'd rather forget. He moved on and didn't want to deal with it anymore.
When he came back to reality he resumed his routine. Thankfully his tea still had warmth. Not quite the amount he would have liked, but it would have to make do. The herbal smell of the tea surrounded his nose once more, relaxing his nerves. It was a new combination Levi had decided to try for the morning, and thankfully it wasn't a bad one.
Every Monday Levi had off to himself and whatever he wanted to do for that day. He didn't do much besides check business numbers and try new combinations of teas. Every now and then he would go for a run if he missed a day during his week.
It just so happened to be one of those Monday's.
Having already decided that this day was a disaster to start, he would take it a step further and make an appearance at his tea house to check out if it had been cleaned properly the evening before. A bit unprofessional if you asked him. What business owner shows up to their own shop on a closed business day sweaty wearing old workout clothes? This was Levi being impulsive.
He cared so much for appearances. Everything had to match the title and event down to the period and casing. It was very superficial of him, but today he couldn't help it. He would do it. He would run to his small shop, make a closed visit, and then jog back home. He would be reckless for the moment.
The day was a bit cooler than normal. A sign that fall may be coming soon. Another sign that his business may be picking up soon.
He wore earbuds to put a wall between himself and anybody who he ran passed. The route he took didn't occupy many people usually, but that still didn't stop any others from stepping outside during the day. Unfortunately nothing was constant once Levi left his apartment.
The run wasn't too long. He only lived about fifteen minutes away from his shop on foot if he jogged. Before Levi knew it he had arrived. Earthy, herbal and fruity smells filled the air around him. The shop itself wasn't that big. It was located on the back end on one of the busier streets of town. It didn't get that loud around his shop which was perfect for Levi. the upstairs was an open second floor with a small outdoor patio attached to it.
It was nice and homey in Levi's shop. In a way he felt as if it was his second home. Nice and warm. The creak of the wooden floor beneath him brought a sense of calm over him. The natural scents allowed his mind to focus on the tasks at hand properly.
Levi had checked every corner of the shop to check for dust and leftover debris. He wasn't a fan of dirt and hated the way dust made him sneeze. He wanted the countertops to be smooth and clean. The kind of clean where you wouldn't mind taking a nap on it.
It was a bit over the top, really. He knew that. But it kept up with his appearances.
A knock was heard on the shop's door. A strange woman with eyes full of curiosity peered in from the glass door. She wore glasses and had unkempt hair kept in a high ponytail. As if this morning couldn't get any worse for Levi. a bad phone call, a makeup day for his workout schedule, and now he had to address a customer in gym attire as the owner of the small business on a busy street.
"Great, just great," he thought.
Levi opened the door just enough to show his whole body, but not let anyone else in, "Yes, how may I help you?"
"Yes! Is this place by any chance open? I don't see a sign posted anywhere!"
One word came to Levi's mind: Loud.
Whoever this strange woman was, she was very loud and it bothered him. Levi didn't think a voice could bother him so much, but it did.
But then he remembered what he was wearing. Shit. Gotta keep up appearances.
"No, we're not. I'm the owner of this shop and was just checking to make sure everything was looking okay."
The woman's face fell a bit. "Oh, that's a shame. I was hoping for a good cup of coffee. My friends recommended this place to me the other day."
Coffee? Jesus christ this woman is a goddamn trainwreck.
"Sorry. We open tomorrow at 10am. Close at 9."
"Okay!" she piqued back up. "I'll be here, then! I hope I get to see you around then, Mr. Owner!"
And with that she walked away. "10am!" she shouted as she got further down the street.
"How the fuck can someone be so loud this early in the goddamn day?" Levi thought aloud. But then he remembered one thing she said. Shit.
Levi had taken the chalkboard sign that hung in the window to rewrite the business hours in fine calligraphy like he always did, but he had forgotten to put it back up.
Today was not his day, and it only made him feel one thing: annoyed.
Levi pinched the bridge of his nose again that day and focused on his breathing. Pausing for the second time that day.
Goddammit.
The city of Maria wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. A bit of a more traditional city with buildings made out of stone and old wood. Modernization happened at a moderate pace - a lot of the newer installments happened on top of older buildings, or directly over older buildings that had gotten demolished.
The city was mostly renovated for the growing college population of Paradise University. The city board directly stated that in order to keep and improve city prosperity and reputation we must build a city that young and old populations could reside in comfortably.
This also meant petty crimes would start to skyrocket because of a younger population also. Crimes either committed by young people doing dumb things, or old people too comfortable in their hometown. Regardless, this always kept the Maria Police Force busy.
As for the residents it was obviously a bother. Recently self-defense classes have been in high-demand, but the problem was that most of the people that could teach it were full time students at Paradise University and had extra-curriculars in athletics. Despite being an older city, Maria didn't have a very big martial arts population. Soccer was the city's main money-maker.
Of course the Maria Police Force had their own personal trainers and courses for the field. Some of the people at the top now are some real monsters, and learned very quickly. Some of the public say that this generation of police have done more for their city than the last one. The last group of lieutenants and chiefs were quickly voted out of the department by public complaints.
Although… the new guys weren't exactly completely right in the head. The new forensic department was by far the oddest of the bunch. Every public conference and interview they had always seemed so disorganized and chaotic.
And unnecessarily loud.
Today was yet another day of analyzing crime evidence from the depths. It happened so quickly: in the last month crime rates spiked and it left police scrambling trying to figure out what the hell was going on. To be fair and honest, it was mostly the investigation department who were trying to figure things out. The patrol units really only called them into the crime scenes, and then usually left.
This was an unusual case, though. One far more violent and thought-out than any of the other petty crimes the citizens of this city usually committed. For a college city it was incredibly inconvenient.
They only had one lead: a bullet with a foreign issue left behind on the floor of a warehouse along with dried blood. Unable to collect a sample.
That's it!
It wasn't very compelling evidence, but it was a start. Armed robberies were one thing, but hearing gunshots was an entirely different thing. The culprits were careful. They knew to dispose or hide any evidence that could incriminate or expose them.
"Except someone missed their shot and had to run"
Or at least I hope that's what happened.
A disheveled woman who had skin with olive undertones sighed at her desk as she reviewed the single piece of evidence. The woman could only come up with a few theories as to who to investigate, but the search was so wide that it may take too long and the case could go cold.
Truly inconvenient.
"Ms. Hange. Can you please go home and get some sleep?"
"Ah! Mike~~~~! But things are just starting to get good!" the woman whined while simultaneously stretching her arms over her head.
"Ms. Hange, It's almost noon. Please. Go home."
The woman, Hange, knew she was tired. She knew she didn't smell the best right now, and was awfully hungry. She was so hyper focused on her work she forgot that time existed in her realm of existence. The fact her assistant pulled her from that focus inconvenienced her greatly.
"Fine. but even if I do go home I'll probably stay up and keep working regardless."
"As long as you're home the chances of you falling into bed are significantly higher than here."
"I'm leaving. Now."
She hated it when Mike made a sound argument. The complete opposite of her chaotic methods.
/
Zoë Hange is the chief of the forensics division of the Maria Police. Often running on her own intuition and curiosity. She both lives for and to experience danger. As someone as smart as her you'd think she would be a bit more cautious of her choices, but alas: she is a moth drawn to a flame.
Hange hadn't slept in at least thirty-six hours. It wasn't something to marvel at. She would often spend sleepless days and night researching cases and piercing together theories for either her job or the internet's unsolved situations and what their outcomes might b e was the most important thing to Hange. Nothing made her more excited about getting to the next day. It was a shame Mike had to pull her from her favorite thing.
God.
She looked like a mess.
To be honest, though. She didn't really care. She was comfortable like this. It showed her for who she was. Kept all the weirdos away.
Sounds of the city surrounded her. Loud, idle chatter and bodies in close proximity to each other. Buildings tower over her in the new city square. New, clean, exciting. It would be so easy to get swallowed up. Every morning on the way to work Hange would pass by a large department store with a giant screen projecting ads and world events.
Everyone was anonymous in the city. There was always someone who dressed a bit eccentric or uh, not at all. The beautiful thing about life was that no one was the same, but we were all alike. That's where the city marries itself. She fit right in.
Monday, huh. Panic.
"HOLY SHIT I'VE GOTTA GET THIS REPORT READY FOR TOMORROW!"
In the middle of the giant city, in the busy streets on the crosswalk Hange remembered. Sleep could no longer be an option.
Though Hange was incredibly smart and made fast progress on her work and hobbies, she also had trouble prioritizing the other half of her job. Another sleepless three-day work period.
Coffee.
She needs coffee. Or some sort of stimulus.
Unfortunately the small little teahouse her coworkers recommended was closed. That was a real shame. She was really looking forward to a nice handmade cup o' joe. Thankfully there was a corner store by her home so she stock up on the essentials. Essentials being lots of energy drinks and triple shot coffees. Got her through her roughest times. Got her through college. Currently getting her through her thirties.
She lived in a ground-floor home that had the smell of coffee permanently burning through the air. It wasn't the cleanest of abodes, but to Hange it resembles all of her hard work. Mountains of books and paperwork with old and new smells of graphite and ink. Papers aged yellow from years of exposure and wear. A nice worn aesthetic filled the house from every corner, covering every square inch of her living and dining room floors.
Hange didn't mind the mess. She didn't have much company over as it was, and when she did it was her fellow research colleagues, so she felt they could understand and maybe even appreciate the disheveled library she had.
Tomorrow was a big day for Hange. Well, kinda. As chief of the research division it was her job to assist on any major court cases. First of all, it required her to dress up super formally. Usually she just wore business casual everywhere else - that she was fine with. Second of all, she had to watch her volume. Often times Hange would get overly excited when she stumbled across information and couldn't control her range of emotions when presenting. It's part of the reason why she decided to step down from her position in the country's capital.
If there's one thing Hange was despite appearances: it's that she was incredibly self aware. She knew exactly how she sounded, looked, and reacted to situations. She put up a good façade when it came to being aloof. In no way was she a master manipulator, but she was a master of putting together counterarguments on the fly.
Tomorrow's case wasn't even that big of a deal.
Sleepy.
"A clavicle fracture? You gotta be kidding me!"
"Unfortunately yes, Mr. Jaeger. I'm going to need you to take it easy this off-season. You still have a few months before winter training begins. And with your health and activity levels you should heal in no time."
Soccer was this city's bread and butter - and Eren Jeager was Paradise University's star player with scouts and coaches eyeing him for the national team. You can't really say it wasn't unwanted attention. Eren worked very hard for his position on the team and often got bad injuries while growing up from playing so hard. In fact you could almost say Eren was a masochist of his own merit. He wouldn't mind half of his body getting severed if it meant he got a leg up on somebody.
A true madman.
There was nothing you could do to stop him once he had his mind set on a goal, though. His best friends have been trying their whole lives to make sure he didn't tear the damn city down to its original foundation.
"Oh, bite it, Armin! It's not that funny! Now I have to stop practicing until preseason."
A smaller boy with blond hair and fair skin sat across from Eren at a hospital café quietly laughing at his friend's injury news while hiding behind a cup of iced coffee. Well, it was more cream than coffee, really.
In comparison to his friends, Eren was a lot more brash and vulgar about his feelings. More often than not speaking before thinking about the things that came to his mind. It was much worse when they were kids. Always getting into fights - most of them ending by external intervention.
"I'm sorry, Eren. but now you'll be forced to settle down. The complete opposite of how you act."
Eren huffed, "yeah, well.. How the hell do I tell Mikasa that I can't join her for our nightly gym runs? She'll never let me hear the end of 'how well i should take care of myself.'"
"Hmmm. well theoretically speaking…. No. She wouldn't." Armin smiled. "However, if you do manage to take care of yourself, like actually, then yes, she would."
"Huh"
Armin leaned forward a bit with that same smile on his face, "Show her you can take care of yourself, and she won't bother you about it all the time, idiot." he deflated in to the back of his chair, "or did the two of us growing up with her not teach you anything about her at all?"
Eren didn't know how to respond to his friend aside from sighing in defeat.
Armin was right. He usually always was.
The two of them would be roommates again this semester at Paradise University. It was fun, honestly. They both knew each other for such a long time. It was like living at home with family all the same. Although the two of them couldn't be more than complete opposites, they got along and deviated schemes all the same.
They sat in silence for a while, letting the sounds of shoes squeaking on polished tiled floors surrounded them. Idle chatter rose and fell as it died and picked back up again. An occasional alarm that signaled someone's break was over went off, barely disturbing the noisy peace.
Eren spoke first. "We'll be meeting Mikasa for dinner later tonight. I'm gonna go back to our dorm and finish unpacking and take a nap."
Eren got up and started walking away, "Later, Armin."
"Later, Eren."
Sometimes the strings of fate get tangled. In a world full of strangers, there's always someone you know that is an acquaintance with someone you don't. By that logic we are always connected. It may not make sense to some people who live a simple life, it may not make sense to people who live an extraordinary life.
The entanglement of these strings can cause serious harm and trouble for some. The entanglement of these strings may cause great hope and opportunity for others. But to sever the strong entirely was impossible.
Levi knew that very well. He knew that too well.
The restaurant is dimly lit. The interior walls were a nice dark green and the floors a wood paneling with a dark brown finish. It was a very nice restaurant with decent traffic. It's customers mostly upper-middle class and the rich. Only the most quality of plates were presented at this establishment. Compared to most of the customers, the restaurant and staff itself were very modest and not as flashy as it's patrons. Other than that it was a very low-energy environment, and the people didn't get rowdy.
Levi's cousin knew how he was. That's why he brought him here and not somewhere else. This was important, and he can't go ruining their relationship now.
"It's been a while, Jim. How's your family?" Levi tried to make small talk. It wasn't something he was necessarily good at, but when it came to people he felt bonded with in a way he did at least try to make an effort.
Levi hadn't seen his cousin in a long time. He was the only real family he knew. He was about ten years older than Levi, but he treated him like he was his younger brother. His mother died when he was young and he never knew his dad. There was an estranged uncle out there somewhere, but neither one of them knew a damn thing about him.
"They're good. Mikasa is twenty now. She didn't want to go to college, but she's making a good career out of martial arts."
"That's good. Not everyone has to go to school to make a life for themselves."
Levi had only seen Mikasa once. He was thirteen when she was born. After that Jim became a full time dad, and Levi grew apart from him.
"Levi, " his cousin commanded his attention.
Levi looked up and started at his cousin straight in the eyes.
Why.
"Why am I here, Jim?"
It took the older Ackerman a few moments to figure out what to say. He knew Levi wasn't one to be taken for a fool. He knew he shouldn't beat around the bush with this. This was important.
"Did Oluo call you today?"
"Why." He didn't like this.
"Things are happe-"
"Why could Oluo calling be that goddamn important to bring up!"
Yeah, Levi had a short temper. He was trying his best to control it in the low-energy environment around him and his relative. He didn't like where this was going.
"Excuse me, gentlemen. Your orders are here." the waiter interrupted them. For a moment it brought Levi back to reality. Clearing his head of the growing situation. The waiters left as quickly as they approached, thankfully not to hear another word that came out of Levi's mouth.
"What does Oluo have to do with this? And why did you want to talk to me?" Levi was calm.
"I'm trying to explain it to you."
"You're taking too long."
Sigh. "Fine. things are happening, and they've got our name as the mark."
"What do you mean?"
"Someone's after us. I don't know who. They're smart. My men haven't been able to get a lead on them."
"And what do you want me to do about it?"
Jim paused. This was the hardest thing he ever had to ask his little cousin. "Come back."
Levi scoffed. "You've lost your goddamn mind. I'm going home. Nice seeing you again."
Jim quickly got up and grabbed hold of the shorter man's arm, "then get the hell out of here."
Levi scowled at his older cousin as he pulled his arm out of his grip.
The night air was chilly against Levi's face. He wore a nice button up shirt with nice dress pants. He ditched the blazer and tie because of the week's weather, but now he wished he at least brought a jacket.
He was on edge. It hasn't even been 24 hours, and everything came flying at him at once. First the morning with Oluo. Second with the random encounter at his teahouse with that loud bulldozer of a woman. He couldn't even take a thirty minute nap! Now this.
There was a walkbridge nearby that stretched across the river to the other side of the city. Subconsciously Levi made his way there and leaned against the railing.
It was a clear night. The river was clean and alive with the look of city lights reflecting on its surface.
It was a still night. Nothing but the waves seemed to be moving. No life moved behind him and his thoughts failed to come to his mind.
Levi pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily.
Once.
"Come back."
Twice.
"Then get the hell out of here."
Again.
This has nothing to do with me.
He rubbed his eyebrows and forehead.
"Monday's fucking suck."
A lost gaze over the river.
Tired eyes staring at the stars through the window.
Cheers and clinks of glasses over a warm, hearty dinner shared with old friends.
Injured knuckles exposed to crisp air in an empty gym.
A night spent wandering a city they've never been to.
Everyone anyone comes into contact with will have these moments, but never at the same time. The world is too chaotic for that.
A/N:
Hey, there! I had no clue that this was all posted in code when I moved it over here to fanfiction. So here is a reupload. I hope everyone who viewed this will give it another go. I have a few ideas of where I would like to take this story. that being said: I want to make this Levihan centric. I want to include the other characters to help the plot. Durarara is a huge inspiration for this. I absolutely love the way the story is told. So in a way, this is sort of like having two stories coming together, and I want to make it as lengthy as I can without ruining the storytelling. That's a personal challenge for me lol. There will be obvious fillers to the main plot. I just kind of want to put my hand in that avenue of writing.
That being said, if you don't like the way I write this story, that's okay. Thank you for the view and checking it out regardless. I do have another story that is much more focused in the way I write, I would appreciate it if you guys could check that one out. It is a Soul Eater KiMa fic. It's the first story I've ever written seriously and published on here. It is my baby.
Have a good day/night/evening!
CB/
