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Levi's day hadn't been going particularly smoothly, nor had his week, for that matter. He'd had a pretty serious concussion for the better part of it, ever since the unfortunate blow to the head he'd suffered in the cave in as Domeykite. It had kept him off his feet for two days before he'd stubbornly gone back to work. Now it was a mild to severe headache and an aversion to light, along with grumpiness - not that it was anything new for him.

To top it off, his superior had made a curious inquiry about Jade's latest video and a certain organization it supported. He'd managed to bluff his way through the conversation convincingly enough, considering he hadn't even seen it. It was a kick in the a** to be reminded how much he was falling behind in the things that really mattered to him.

After the night they'd spent together, he'd had precious little time between work and recovering from a near death experience. There had been texts and a few calls, business with a side of sweet nothings, but he really hadn't wanted the next time they actually met to be about serious business. There was no avoiding this - or at least questioning it. He wasn't even sure if he could even be mad about it. His loyalty to the Negaverse demanded that he not stop it, no matter the cost of his personal life.

The man sighed and leaned his head back into his chair, raising a hand and pinching the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. ********. Everthing. His head hurt so badly that he didn't even want to think, let alone try to pretend to be Jade's superior. The stress did no favors for the pounding inside of his skull. Nothing did, really.

She was going to be in any time and he still couldn't sit up straight without feeling like he was going to pass out on his desk. All he really wanted was to lay his head down. He leaned forward and slumped over the edge of his desk, propping his forehead on his hand as his elbow planted in the desktop. He really did hate everything today.

Hey I -

Damn, he must have looked miserable if she'd cut herself off so quickly. There was an irritated sigh as Levi raised his head just enough to stare at her through a crack in his fingers, but only with one eye. The light was too bright for him to stare long, but she was as stunning as ever - and he found some peace in watching her long legs work as they crossed the floor to leave her standing next to him. He knew there was no strength in him for indulgences and mentally cursed, not for the first time, his General for sending him into the cave. This meeting could have gone very differently.

"No, it's okay. I've lost too much time already." As her fingers ran along his back, he sat up in an attempt to not look as pathetic as he felt, letting his hand drop from his face to grab the coffee she'd brought him. He raised it to his mouth casually, but paused the moment his lip touched the plastic. The smell of coffee wafting up from the open lid was nauseatingly strong and his nose wrinkled in immediate repulsion. He didn't want her to think he didn't appreciate the effort but he also didn't like the way his stomach churned, though he was glad for the soft stroke of her fingers. That was pleasantly calming. The cup was quickly abandoned on a nearby coaster and his head turned to look at her instead, bringing his slightly squinted eyes to hers.

"And it kind of is a big deal," he was irritable with having to use his brain and decided to just jump right into the business side of things instead of beating around the bush over nonsense. He reached for the mouse on his desk and shook it, so that the monitor flared to life and washed them both in a pale light that he immediately regretted. The screen showed her video, the one supporting the Negaverse, and his eyes raised back to hers.

"You've got to talk to me about this kind of thing before you do it, Jade. This is a big deal and I don't know if the casual inquiry I got today was a good sign." As he spoke, his head tilted and the words died to a small grimace. One hand raised to his head and gingerly touched the stitched wound just above his ear, where it was concealed beneath a thick layer of green locks The way his head was swimming made him want to say ******** it all and go back to sleep, but he couldn't afford to slack off now.

"I'm not being pissy."

The words were stern and, in fact, quite pissy. His hand dropped from where it was touching the tender spot of his head and landed with a smack on the desk, emphasizing his words though he was certain the sound was echoing dully inside of his skull. His lips pursed as a wave of nausea overcame him, though he held it back with grit teeth and total stubbornness.

"I don't want to fight over it either - what I'm asking is to be included in this decision, not for you to ask permission." The words were pieced together very carefully but the color seemed to return to his face the longer he sat very, very still. His eyes remained squinted but dropped from her face to her hand, almost as an afterthought. "And yes, please turn off that damn light."

They saved her life. Whatever. They were ruining his.

The squinted eyes finally just closed and he sighed, trying his damnedest to relax into his chair. From a business perspective, taking a stance on this war was not in their best interests. They were dialing in on a very selective group of people, limiting their market. Even if she managed to convert a few people to the cause, so what? Was it worth the risk of his business?

Yes. It wasn't the answer he wanted to give himself, but it was the one his place as Domeykite demanded. Even if it eventually destroyed her career and his goals, if they converted even a fraction of the population into supporters it would have been worth it. That was the answer he knew he was supposed to give. In that moment, he chose to put his Negaverse duty before his life as Levi. He hated every ******** second of doing it, but he did.

"I don't care if you want to do these. You don't have to sell me on this Negaverse s**t at all," he sighed and slumped a little in his office chair, cradling the back of his head on the top of the seat. Why did it have to be her, though? He brought his hand to the bridge of his nose again and held it, pinching lightly against the cartilage between his still-closed eyes. "I just need to at least see it first, okay? I mean.. ideally I'd like to have input on how you deliver it but I at least need to know what to say."

Though he had no ******** idea how he'd even begin to explain this to Labyrinthite if he saw it. There was no doubt he'd have questions - at least the Universe had only left him unprepared for one of his bosses and not both.

The bright green eyes had opened to blissful darkness as she began to speak but she was already closer than he'd expected, with her palms flat on his desk. He almost didn't register the way she had picked up on his words suddenly. In fact, it actually took a moment for Levi to understand the way all the gears had clicked into place inside of Jade's head.

She was around the desk and in his lap before she told him why she'd changed her behavior - pointing out that one, crucial word. Frantically he tried to recall the video and her exact words, his eyes only widened slightly with fear when he realized he couldn't remember what she might have said. The attempt to recount it was met with nothing but the dull ache and fuzzy blackness - even the strain of trying to remember something made his headache worse. One hand fell to her waist automatically, for comfort, though her palm in his chest and fingers at his chin were almost.. threatening.

What the ******** was he supposed to say?

"Nothing you need to know," he said gently, kinder than he wanted to be. He wasn't sure if she wanted to be near him or if her position was manipulative, but he didn't care. Despite realizing how much danger she was in being this close to him, in being already wrapped up in the Negaverse by means of a hero story she was ready to tell the world about, he wanted to steal one small moment of comfort from her. Even if she was trying to drag some truth she wasn't prepared for past his lips. Hell, she might even succeed if she pushed his buttons right.

A wave of nausea returned, though this time it was because he realized he could lose her with the wrong move. Levi had always prided himself on his analytical brains, in knowing what his next play was. With his brain blurred by the injury he'd sustained, he felt little better than a limp noodle.

If she was supporting the Negaverse, was it still against the rules to show her?

"Why are you so ******** nosy, Jade."

It was a curse, spoken on a sigh, but his arm tightened around her waist as he.. shifted. The decision was split second, his least favorite kind, but in the easiest defeat in the history of Levi - Domeykite was beneath her. He didn't know if it was the right decision but he couldn't ruin everything. Not all at once. He had always been selfish.

Metallia.

The word passed her lips so calmly and Domeykite found his chest immediately constricting around a word that she shouldn't have known. It was at odds with how happy she seemed and his brain, sluggish and hazy as it was, fought to comprehend the situation. Then her lips were on his and he lost his train of thought entirely, until a light bop on his forehead made him pull back to look at the difference he could just see.

Not just see, but feel.

The energy around her was more obvious than the shift in her outfit to him and he felt his constricted chest fade to a shallow fear. He didn't wish the life he was forced to live on anyone and least of all someone he actually liked. It was that worry that made him realize, suddenly, that there was more than just a simple attraction seizing him. Something more that he could act on, now, selfishly. If she was already in this war then he had nothing left to fear. Sure, it was pretty close to his worst fear realized, but he'd had nothing to do with her contract. He managed a small smile as her hands smoothed down his face and trailed over the puffy collar.

"I don't know if excited is the word I'd use. I'm not happy to see you in a uniform," but the words could have been spoken more sullenly, instead he sounded rather content, "but it means I don't have to keep you at a distance that makes this harder. That I can't be mad about."

Though he didn't pick his head up from the chair, his hands slid around her waist and pulled her closer to him, using the easy strength of Domeykite to his advantage. Any exertion seemed to exacerbate his condition but he couldn't just let her crawl into his lap and not make some attempt at using it to his advantage. The smile that pulled at his lips was at odds with the weariness in his eyes, but he fought to hold it all the same.

"I have a concussion, from the cave collapse," he anchored his arms around her waist and leaned up very slowly, holding himself to her so that he could press a gentle kiss against the line of her neck. His head leaned down to rest lightly against her shoulder, though he was wary of making sure it didn't cause the pressure to increase. "Otherwise, I'd love to celebrate with you."

There was a small laugh on his lips as he saw her push the hat and heard the subsequent tumble of thumps against the office floor. It finally rolled to a stop, somewhere beneath his desk if he had to wager a guess, and her gloves went with it. As he felt her bare fingers brushing gingerly through his dark locks, a little of the tension in his body released and he relaxed against her. He rolled his head until he could press his forehead against her neck. It had been a long time since he had felt so comforted by someone, though he knew that was no one's fault but his own.

Even Jade, eventually, would have been pushed to a distance if he'd really started to care. The thought made his arms tense around her again, a hold that was almost possessive as he realized how unsettling that image was. He'd said goodbye to too many people already and remembered the last time he had seen all of them: Lumiere driving away, his cousin closing the door behind him, the disappointment from his fans when he'd had to give up on streaming to balance his life out. But Jade, she had just blown into his life like a dream and forced his heart with such little effort. He maintained that he was a little starstruck but, too, maybe he was just young and foolish.

"I want to say yes, selfishly," he laughed, burying his face against the crook of her neck, "but I can't."

There was no denying how enamored he'd become in such a short amount of time but he didn't have to fear the result, not really, not anymore. It was enough to quell the irritation inherent in his condition and he blew out a long, relieved sigh as he relaxed.

"I'm willing to make a deal." His head lifted at last from its perch on her shoulder so that he could look in her eyes, even offering a weak smile just for her benefit. The pressure inside his skull was still pounding but Metallia, he just wanted to be near her right at that moment. "I'm glad you came in today and that we.. figured this out. It's hard to keep making excuses for being a shitty manager right now."

It was a joke at his own expense, but he was smiling as his head leaned back into the support of his office chair.

"It's Domeykite, by the way."

Marcasite.

The name rolled over in his head as he repeated it to himself. Never in a million years had he ever expected to put Jade's name to a soldier's, to have to match them up together in his thoughts. He had been worried not just because her outspoken nature was putting his business at risk but also because he had a lot of negative experiences with the Negaverse and the way they operated. If it had just been Jade, a rescue one day could have led to her death the next. There were no loyalty toward civilians.

Knowing Marcasite, now? He was still worried, but for different reasons..

And he wasn't even sure he could express them to her, because he had no idea who she might be more loyal to. He wasn't foolish enough to think the comfort they found in each other could outweigh a loyalty to someone that outranked him. Knowing was easier and harder, in a way, but maybe that was just because he was a shitty lieutenant with a lot of opinions.

"You're my only appointment today," he skimmed over the part about being worried, not wanting to discuss it because he didn't want to lie, nor did he want to tell her his actual thoughts. "To be honest I've just been sitting here slumped over my desk.

It annoyed him, not being able to work, but he recognized when he was being more useless than he needed to be. Slowly, the gears in his hazy mind turned, trying to find some way he could be near to her while also being useful toward his goals.

"Are you busy today? We can go to my place and figure out this ally stuff if you really want to pursue it. That's at least some kind of work." A compromise that he was making with himself. Relaxing, at home, with a pretty girl that he liked.

A hand had slid up from her waist to trail along her back as her lips remained pressed against his neck, hiding her gaze from him but letting him feel the pleased shift of her mouth against his skin. It left him smiling until she pulled away to finally look down at him and he was glad, at last, to see Jade again.

Domeykite dissipated and left only weak, broken Levi there beneath her. Weak, broken, and suddenly a little pleased too. He was her entire plan? A breathy laugh fell between them, unable to stop himself from imagining how different there day could have gone if he'd been able to work himself up to any amount of physical strength.

"Light cuddling sounds a little like heaven right now."

His long, pale hand found hers and he let her help him up to his feet without any complaint or injured pride. There was a stronger grip as he found his head swimming from the difference in positions, now being on his feet and suddenly a few feet higher in the air. The injury made him aware of its existence at every small motion, or he would have pushed his luck as far as he could have since she was clearly in such a good mood. Instead he only leaned down to scoop up the strap of his bag. It settled easily across his shoulders and then his arm was around her own, pulling her close to his side at the same time that he used her to displace a bit of his weight.

The tall man leaned down and brushed his lips very gently against her own with more tenderness than he had shown in the club, the last time they were entwined with one another. Then his arm fell and his face steeled, the face of a man about to pretend he didn't have a serious head injury or an inappropriate relationship with his client.

"After you."