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As soon as he felt her steady, his arms slid beneath her legs and hooked them into place around his waist. The stand was slow and easy, so she didn't get loopy and let go of his neck in a moment of weakness. He didn't want to have to take her to the hospital for a concussion - that would be terrible for her image.

All it took was a quick press of the button again and the doors of the stationary elevator slid open, letting him carry her across the metallic threshold on his back.

"Don't get sappy on me," he said with a smile she couldn't see, his eyes busy studying the numbered panel of the elevator doors. He jabbed a finger at the number 3 and waited for the chime. The doors shut and the mechanism began to move, shooting them up to the third floor. Elevators always left an odd feeling in his gut - one he certainly hoped Jade wouldn't suffer from while she was leaned into the back of his neck.The motion sent a shiver down the length of his spine and the smile grew wider, more smug.

"But I like you too, little drunk siren. You probably won't remember any of this, though." A breathy laugh left his lips as the elevator came to a stand still and chimed once more. As the doors opened, he stepped out and turned to the left, counting in his head as he passed each door.

3, 4.. 5.

"Do you have your key on you?" The tall, moss-haired man knelt just a little, so that she could climb down off of his back.

The tall man stood slowly and put a hand against the small of her back as she wobbled to and fro on her own feet. He was sure the boots didn't help, but what did he know? He had no idea what it was like to walk on anything but flats.

Despite himself, an amused, adoring smile pulled his lips wide. It wasn't normal for him to be so open with feelings but she was so incredibly drunk that there was some comfort there in knowing that she wasn't really in her right mind to judge him. Besides, she was so damn happy over finding that key that there was no way not to smile down at her in return.

The hand in her back pulled her into his side lightly, both to hold her steady and because he liked the feel of her there, pressed into the long line of his body. He plucked the key from her fingers and turned it until it fit into the lock cleanly, sliding in and twisting the knob. It came open easily and he pushed the front door with his foot, letting it swing open on a dark, empty apartment. With his arms securely around her and pulling her with him, he stepped forward and began searching along the entry wall for any light that might show him where the hell he was going. He kicked the door shut lightly behind them, then turned his gaze down on her.

Now he had to get her to bed - which meant that she was probably going to turn into angry toddler mode. Drunk girls always did hate being tucked in and told to stay. His hand finally flipped on a switch that illuminated her living room but his eyes didn't linger, instead simply falling to her.

"Hey," it was gentle, beseeching. With the key still tucked into his palm, his forefingers lifted her chin up so he could look down at her ocean-blue eyes. "I think we should get you into bed."

The taller man let her pull him down into a hunch without resistance, laughing as his bright, acid eyes leveled on her hazy, dark pools. There wasn't much she could do without him allowing it to happen, at this point, but he knew there was no reason in upsetting her by resisting. He didn't know if she was the type to throw tantrums or not when she blacked out.

He managed to ease her along down the hallway despite his awkward positioning, until he could push the bedroom door open onto the dark room beyond it. The light switch was located with only minimal fumbling and he looked down at her face again as the ceiling fan began to come to life - a necessity in the heat already beginning to accumulate during the daylight hours. This summer was going to be a record-breaker.

"Okay," he tugged her toward the best and stopped beside it, reaching to gather both of her hands in his. He held them loosely between them and tugged just a bit so she'd keep her attention on his face, where he stood bent down to nearly eye-level still. Both of his thumbs traced lazy circles in her palms, slow and comforting. "I'll get in bed with you and stay until I'm sure you're alright, is that a deal?"

Because despite her drunken flirts, he was a good man, at least where this was concerned. He didn't know how awkward it would be to have her wake up with a hangover and no idea what had happened between them and he wasn't sure it the greatest first impression to make on her, despite the fact that she had begun hitting on him well before she was truly inebriated.

This was a phase he recognized.

The tall man allowed himself to be pulled toward the bed with little effort on her part. She was starting to feel the first downswing of her buzz and if he didn't get her into bed soon, she would get sick before she could fall asleep. There was a small chance if he could get her tucked in and keep her there that she might sleep until morning and at least have that under her belt, even if she suffered from a horrible hangover.

With only a small frown at his lips, he sat down next to her.

"Alright, alright, Jade," the frown turned into a light smile and he reached out, drawing a gentle hand down the side of her face to soothe her, "I promise I'll stay if you crawl into bed and go to sleep. I'll stay right here next to you the whole time."

The opposite hand patted the bed behind them for emphasis before he reached and pulled her comforter free, exposing the sheets beneath it to her sight. He wasn't the sort to make and break promises - he would stay, at least until she woke up in the morning and realized how awkward their night had gotten. The had on her face paused it's gentle stroke, cupping her cheek and letting his thumb trace the outer line of her lips instead.

"Please?" He echoed her word back at her, gently.

While she was busy shedding her shoes, he worked his coat off and pulled her closet door open so he could drape it over the edge. The whole while he kept a close eye on her and her attempt at balance until she finally let both boots fall with a thud and proceed to crawl up into the bed.

"Only a little," he said with a soft laugh, amused at her concern of him. He used the toes of his feet to pull off the heel of his shoes, walking out of them with the practiced ease of a man that had been doing it his entire life. Then he pulled the neck of his shirt up and over his head, so that it revealed the flat of his stomach and the bare outline of abs born more of his lack of body fat than any actual attempt to look ripped. The shirt eased over his shoulders as he hunched and pulled it off at last then draped it over his jacket where it hung.

Levi crawled up the bed and settled next to her slowly, doing his best not to jostle her as he moved, then pulled the covers up over them as he settled in. One arm slid around her and tucked her close against his body - they might get too warm this way but he knew it would help her sleep. Otherwise she would fidget and reach out for him, try to touch bare skin she'd never felt. Girls were predictable drunks. His other arm slipped beneath her pillows so he could lay comfortably on his side.

"Now go to sleep, little drunk." His lips grazed her cheek softly, affectionate from his own lingering buzz but more eager to see how calm she'd finally look once she was asleep. With a smile, he added a last whisper, "And let me know if you're going to get sick."

Jade behaved exactly as he expected her to and it made him smile as she curled into his body and nuzzled her face into the side of his neck. The ends of her hair brushed his exposed flesh and sent a shiver crawling along his exposed back, but he managed not to twitch or reach out to brush the feeling away. He didn't want to jostle her.

"You're welcome," the words were soft as he pulled her closer, holding her against him. He could feel the thud of her heart against his chest and heard the way her breathing was mellowing out. For now she was contented, happy and drunk, and he was simply willing to sacrifice his own small comforts for that. It felt more complicated, somehow, to commit to taking care of her than it would have to simply take advantage of her. Levi had never been the type to treat women poorly though and there was the pesky need to maintain a good relationship with her - not just because she was his client, but because he did seem to genuinely like her.

His eyes swung out across the room for a moment before they settled on her curled body, outlined beneath the blankets. For a moment he felt that all knowing fear of who he really was, the feeling always lingering just at the back of his mind, telling him this was as much a mistake as Lumi would have been. Good girls didn't deserve to be wrapped up in his mistakes, not when he knew he was being watched by at least two Generals.

A soft sigh fluttered past his lips and he let his head relax into his pillow, more content than he should have been at having Jade curled in his arms. He couldn't lose her as a client and he wasn't sure, now, if he could put her back on the 'strictly business' ship.

Defiant, he shut his eyes and forced his mind to blankness. The promises he'd made to himself about women could wait, at least until the morning.