Levi adjusted his cravat as he swiped his card at the door to his work, breathing deeply. Excitement (but ultimately loss) sent uncontrollable shivers up his spine, and Levi's glare only hardened as he swept into the building and headed straight for his private office. His feet moved quickly, resolutely, as the man speed-walked through the halls and up the stairs. Upon reaching the third floor, Levi turned left and walked briskly down the hall, sliding his card once again at the door to his workroom and opening it quickly.

As Levi closed the door behind him, he pulled off his coat, revealing a frilled white shirt and black suspenders that crossed opposite his navel in the back. He snapped them on his shoulders, running his hands through his hair before hanging his coat up and walking over to his desk. He plopped himself down, sighing deeply as he rested his elbows on the deep mahogany table and closed his eyes.

Lowering his chin into his hands, Levi pondered upon his meeting with the college boy from before. Who was he? Where did he go to school? And, most importantly, why did Levi feel like he knew him?

Levi lifted his head, pinching the bridge of his nose and groaning at his sudden obsession. The likelihood of them ever meeting again was slim, and Levi felt that an unhealthy fixation on this boy's identity would do nothing but affect his mood and work negatively. Pushing the strange feelings of familiarity and frustration aside, Levi reached across his immaculately organized desk and wrapped his hands around a large stack of papers, letting out a breath as he dropped the heavy stack onto the desk in front of him.

Levi, distracted as he was, barely noticed the few papers that slipped out of the pile and fluttered around his desk, giving it a cluttered appearance, and he exhaled deeply once again. He then rifled through the stack, cupping his cheek with his hand as he felt his eyes struggle to remain open.

"Dear Lord. I really wish I'd gotten more sleep last night." Levi yawned, stretching before returning his body to the same position it was in before. He tched, rolling his eyes lightly and banging his head against the desk.

"Sir?" A highly feminine voice rang through the room, and Levi slowly lifted his head. He glared at his secretary, his hair messily clinging to his forehead. Armin steeled his nerves, leaning against the doorframe and closing his eyes. He released a deep breath as Levi stared at him soullessly.

"Dr. Ackerman, I just figured I would inform you of your meeting with Mr. Tschüss today." Levi sighed, looking down before sitting up in his chair.

"Of course. What time is it at?" Armin glanced to the side, nervous, and fiddled with his fingers.

"Armin, how long do I have to get there? When does it start?" Levi asked, hiding the discomfort from his secretary. Armin bit his lip.

"Uhh... you see sir..." Armin sighed, his head drooping.

"It started ten minutes ago."

Levi couldn't speak, nor move his body, for some strange reason. It was as though he was unable to control his own limbs, and for some strange reason, that scared him more than he thought it would.

Suddenly, Levi shot out of his chair, grabbing a stack of papers off his desk and hopping the corner of his desk as he ran from the room screaming "SHIIIIIIIIITT!" into the air. Armin scurried out of his way as the short man rushed around the corner and towards the meeting office, sweat beading on the back of his neck as he sped through the hall.

'You can't be late to any more meetings! You take like twice as much vacation time as anyone else, and it's not like you'll tell us the reason!'

'Be on time, Levi. You're an adult. You just need to act like it.'

'What is it that you DO to make you late? It's probably stupid and useless. Make sure you make it to meetings!'

Levi heard his boss' past lectures and he felt the air around him drop a few degrees. Something wasn't right, and he knew it.

Bursting into the room, Levi ran to his seat and sat down, panting up a storm. Everyone turned to face him and, embarrassed (though not showing it), Levi sat forwards in his seat and laced his fingers on his desk.

"I apologize for my tardiness. I did not sleep well last night and my secretary did not inform me of its occurrence." Tschüss sighed deeply, facepalming slowly.

"Levi... I don't even know what to say," he said, looking up at Levi disappointedly. Levi sighed, closing his eyes before opening them resolutely.

"I can do four extra hours of work today to make up for my insolence. Please, allow me to take this punishment and continue with the meeting," Levi offered, his face remaining unchanged. Tschüss looked at him sadly before shaking his head.

"Levi... I-I'm sorry. I don't want to fire you..." Levi's heart rate increased, and he struggled to maintain his stoic façade.

"Then don't." Tschüss laughed humorlessly, sighing.

"I wish it worked like that. Please forgive me, but... we're going to have to let you go." Levi looked at him and sneered.

"Please tell me you're joking. Your best lawyer? You're just going to fire me?" Levi snickered. He then stood, gathering his papers and laughing heartlessly.

"Sayonara, butadomo ga," Levi said, smirking at his former bosses. They looked at him curiously, unsure as to what he'd said.

"To translate for you uncultured swine, it means, 'Goodbye, pigs.'" Levi watched the looks on his bosses' faces change from confusion to anger, and he laughed again, walking towards the door.

"For your information, this isn't the end. You will someday realize what a stupid mistake you've made in firing me. Tschüss, Tschüss." Levi didn't even bother translating the last part before walking out the door, relishing the sound it made as it slammed shut in his wake. The fact that he was now out of a job had hit him like a freight train before, but he figured if he were to leave with his head held high, he'd be less likely to hate himself for being late to that meeting in the future.

As Levi gathered his stuff from his office, he couldn't help the feeling of dread that was spreading through his body. The thought that he wouldn't be able to support his business was high up on his list of fears, and he wasn't entirely sure what to do.

Levi carried his few belongings out the door, sticking one of his headphones in his right ear as he made his way out. As he kicked it open, Levi started up a song on his IPhone. The music swam through his ears, and Levi walked towards his house calmly, closing his eyes and singing along to the music.

"Dakara hayaku, isshin furan, oborete goran. Kairaku e to, yami e to, rasen kaidan-"

"HEEEYYYY!" A loud voice penetrated Levi's music and he growled subconsciously, turning to glare at the man beside him. He was handsome, with dishwater-blonde hair and piercing gray eyes. The look he gave Levi was regretful, as if he wished him and the red-headed girl beside him hadn't broken in on his thoughts.

"Hi, I'm so sorry for intruding in on your thoughts. My name is Fa-" He paused, as though forgetting what his name was.

"Finn. This is my girlfriend, Ilyse." The girl smiled happily as she was introduced, extending a hand towards Levi. Levi grimaced, gripping his box of things tighter without even attempting a smile. The woman seemed unfazed however, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend's waist and smiling at Levi excitedly.

"So we heard you singing, and from the way you're carrying that box, we'd like to—well, not like to, but..." He groaned.

"Anyways! We figured that you just got fired... uhhg this sounds bad..." Levi rolled his eyes.

"Yes, they fired me. What do you want?" Levi asked, stopping in his tracks and sighing angrily when Ilyse bumped into his back distractedly. He turned to face them, an expectant look on his face.

"Well," Finn said, resolution filling his facial features.

"We'd like to offer you a... a very particular job," Finn said, naming the job flippantly.

Levi's hands went slack, the box slipping from his hands and hitting the ground with a loud crash.