'I WILL RIP YOUR TONGUE OUT THROUGH YOUR TEETH IF YOU DON’T PICK UP. I WILL GIVE YOU A REAL REASON NOT TO OWN A PHONE’
'WHERE ARE YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH?!'
He’d been neglecting his phone and let its battery run until it died for four consecutive days due to his work. The look on Levi’s face (not that it was any different) the moment he had it active on his hand and got himself harassed. There were more or less thirteen inches of distance between Levi's ear and the phone. Barely made a difference.
The screaming was that type of voice that could pierce one's eardrums regardless the octave of choice.
Guess he should've waited until he got inside his place.
“Personal space, Hanji.” he said tiredly, having his palm flat on Hanji’s entire face, preventing her from coming closer and shoved her back behind the door before she could say anything else.
Sixth sense was hardly necessary to know that Hanji was having a one way conversation with his back. Whenever weariness took him, the default setting of his brain was set to completely dismiss Hanji's voice regardless the importance of the subject. His gaze also had quickly zoomed out on a glimpse of her reflection, smudging her form into the blurry background as he absent-mindedly tapping on the untouchable droplets of rain by the other side of the cold glass window.
She continued to chatter even when they finally reached Levi's building. He could've sworn the security people in the lobby far below managed to hear her -- despite the foul weather -- when she screamed, "See ya!" before she took off from the helipad looking all satisfied.
The change was dramatic; all the racket from being forced to endure that woman's company to the mild comfortable silence of his home, save of the echoes of his footsteps.
The leather couch he was so adamant on keeping clean became an unfortunate victim to his wet coat. The same fate almost befell the carpet to his soiled combat boots had its owner not been so dead tired to even bother with taking them off, and instead, opted to occupy the nearest seat available to simply lie down.
His thumb did the rest of the job tapping on the phone screen.
'Hey, Levi,” Marie started to speak through the voicemail. “Seems some plans have changed. I’ll be heading back a couple days early. Turns out the rumour mill was severely lacking in grist, and picking right back up on child labour…I’ll explain details later—assuming you let me in this time. Which quite frankly, I think—” An abrupt stop and a rather long pause on her end. Levi almost thought it was the end of it before he caught an unrecognizable shriek, followed by Marie who was just as loud, ‘Why am—-Why?!—This is my car! Get the fuck out!'
'What's the point of having a phone if you don't use it? Did it not occur to you these one sided conversations are extremely aggravating?! Call me back.'
'If you want to save what's left of your car, you will pick up. Right now!'
Slowly rising from his couch, Levi lazily walked to the side of the elevator. Then proceed mildly -- just barely -- to curse himself when he had it open. Gone; the damn car key. Fantastic. He would be expecting a new one. The one that would come off her paycheck.
'LEVI!' the voicemail started again.
Loud background noises again, coming from the speaker. The sound of shrieking tyres... and something else. Now Levi was putting an actual effort to hear, but he could only gather so much from a simple phone speaker as it was layered roughly by the sound of firearms being shot.
'I WILL RIP YOUR TONGUE OUT THROUGH YOUR TEETH IF YOU DON’T PICK UP. I WILL GIVE YOU A REAL REASON NOT TO OWN A PHONE’
'WHERE ARE YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH?!'
'Well your cars gone..And no. No, i'm not sorry. Perhaps pull out your phone and….—WHAT ARE YOU DOING KID?'
Had he not been so dead tired, all this shoutings and emotional outbursts could have served as his personal entertainment. One had to wonder what kind of drama she was getting herself into.
'So Levi… Is it possible to take it back?’ he heard her say. ‘You know that was impractical to toss my anger. I shouldn't. Call back please…'
He heaved a single sigh before pressing the elevator’s button. Quiet and lost in thought when Levi surprisingly heard Marie beg, 'Levi please. Levi. Shit… Shit!'
'It is now 3 in the morning according to this broken watch…I've been shot at, splattered in blood, and almost slaughtered by the child labour on a rampage…’ The elevator dinged. His movement halted as the door opened. She was on the floor, sitting with her back against the pillar, her knees brought up to her chest with her head buried in her hands. “...this call is truly wasted on you so this won't last much longer. Maybe hearing your voice is… heh...'
“Did you want to hear my voice that bad?” he broke the depressing silence, almost teasingly, stopping his steps right by the basement’s elevator door, staring down at the worn out woman. Her hair was all over the place, dirty, and covered either with mud or blood... or both.
'And here I was hoping the door… would be open.’ The voicemail still being replayed as Marie’s eyes locked with Levi’s. ‘... we'll be waiting.'
“I’m not gonna hold this elevator forever like some doorman,” he finally said to Marie. “Get the fuck inside.”
