Arc 4: The Black Sheep (Leviathan x Reader)
Children with tubes on their noses and sterilized stuffed animals sat around Maya as she read the final scene of her latest novel, book four of her series Yuki the World-Hopping Detective: The Shadow Under the Waves.
“And then,” Maya read, pushing back a streak of indigo hair behind her ear, “the detective gave the sea serpent a tight hug, it was the tightest, gut-squeezing, bubble-expelling hug the creature has ever known, and Yuki smiled as they explained, ‘I finished my job here and cleared the misunderstanding with the sea folk.’” Maya flipped the page. “Jordan the sea serpent asked, ‘Can’t you stay?’ But the detective shook their head and somberly said, ‘I can’t stay here forever. I don’t belong here.’ The sea monster frowned but the detective patted his head. ‘You’re stronger than you think you are. Have faith in yourself, even if it’s fake, so that others will have faith in you too.’ With these parting words, Yuki swam inside their Submarine, which then flashed a brilliant white before disappearing. ‘Do you think he’ll be all right?’ questioned the Sentient Submarine. Yuki shed their wetsuit and oxygen tank and changed into warmer clothes before sitting in the control room. ‘He’ll be fine,’ the detective reassured, ‘He’ll make lots of friends and no one will accuse him of eating sailors ever again!’ Yuki then opened the quantum synchronizator and prepared to hop to their next adventure.”
Maya shut the book and the children cheered and cried. Boba, now a full grown dog, barked. A little girl wearing a loose powder blue headscarf shyly approached the writer and asked, “Miss Maya, do you think the sea monster, no, will Jordan ever meet Yuki again?”
“Who knows, Akane,” Maya said, reaching over to fix the girl’s headscarf, “Our detective only looks forward. What do we always say?”
Akane and the others recited in unison, “Always appreciate the present and never dwell on the past.”
“Exactly,” Maya chuckled. She then noticed the clock and rose to her feet. “I have to go now, you kids be good.”
A nurse wearing teddy bear-printed scrubs entered and thanked Maya for visiting. “Ever since you started coming here to play and read to them, they’ve been recovering faster than ever. And thank you again for the donation, you have no idea how much you’ve helped Yuuei.”
Akane tugged on Maya’s blouse. “Miss Maya, what’s the next book gonna be about?”
Maya knelt down in front of her. “There’s a more important question here, Akane-chan: why would I spoil you?”
Some of the boys booed and Maya laughed, patting Akane’s shoulder. “I really do have to go now.”
“Of course. Please take care on your way home, we’re expecting heavy rain today.” The nurse gently led Akane away. “Come now, kids, say thank you and goodbye to Miss Maya.”
The small patients bowed their heads. “Thank you, Miss Maya! Thank you, Boba! Please take care.”
Maya waved at them, put on her mask and walked out of the pediatric floor with her dog and two bodyguards, greeting everyone she passed as she made her way to the hospital parking lot. Every single staff, from the janitor to the dean, knew who she was, not just as the remaining heir to the [Lastname] Corporation, but more from her very personal contributions to the hospital. In addition to playing with the kids here, Maya spent time with every patient who didn’t have families or visitors, and she donated half her earnings from Yuki the World-Hopper to Yuuei (the other half was for Sanctuary, her charity organization dedicated to helping victims of abuse and bullying).
“Where to, Miss?” The chauffeur asked as she buckled up in the backseat.
The Black Sheep was Maya’s first independent business after she graduated college. Her grandparents insisted she used the best materials, though, so instead of a modest brick bistro by the beach, The Black Sheep was a wood-and-glass café built on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
When she arrived, she greeted her employees and smiled at the customers. She found her favorite table, set right near the balcony. Maya closed her eyes and breathed in the salty air. She loved the smell of the sea, but the number one reason she wanted to build a shop by the beach was because Swim in the ocean was one of several things she never had the chance to do with her brother.
“Woof, woof!” barked Boba as a young man rubbed his belly.
Maya beamed and rounded the table to give her friend a hug. “Levi! Oh, I thought I kept you waiting.” Leviathan was taller than he was back in college and fitter, too.
“Please, it’s an honor to be graced by the presence of the saintess of the sanctuary.
“Stop it, you know I hate that nickname.” After years of charity work and an unfailing dedication to helping everyone she encountered, the Japanese media had branded her as the “Saintess of the Sanctuary.” If her brother were here, he’d be rolling on the floor bawling.
“Come on, sit, sit.” Maya pulled a chair for him and sat herself down. “Tell me, how was New York? I hear your gallery sold out on the first day.”
“Well, yeah…” He scratched his nape, blushing.
“Congratulations! I wish I could’ve been there to see your pieces. Maybe even buy one for the café.”
“Haha, well, don’t sweat it. They’re just paintings.”
Maya rolled her eyes. “When someone is recognized worldwide as the Next Van Gogh, he does not get to call his artwork ‘just paintings.’”
“C’mon, you know I don’t like that nickname.”
“Can you blame them?” Maya only discovered half of the ugly truth of Levi’s family the night of her brother’s death. While Maya was screaming and sobbing for a doctor, Levi did his best to perform CPR. Levi’s cousin came to the party and the guy demanded he come home because “the invitation wasn’t for him.” Everything that happened afterwards was more or less a blur. Leviathan was dragged back to his family car as the ambulance arrived. Maya’s brother was pronounced dead at the scene. Maya was in shock for at least a year. Everything she did was mechanical and pre-programmed, and even then, the only reason she moved was because her brother would’ve gotten upset with her for not taking care of herself and their grandparents. She didn’t see Levi for years, but at some point, she saw a news report about Leviathan getting disowned. It was then did she first reach out. Levi refused financial help, though, and insisted he worked for his money, mostly by having part-time jobs and taking art commissions. And the rest, as they say, is history.
“Van Gogh died,” Levi pointed out.
“Speaking of death, how’s your family?” No one associated with the Orochis died, otherwise it would’ve left a huge power vacuum. However, when Leviathan rose to fame, he refused to speak of any family members, but a month or so ago, hardcore fans and journalists dug up his past.
“Oh, well, y’know,” he mumbled, stirring his coffee, “they keep reaching out to me.”
“Yeah,” he sighed. “Dad’s facing criticism as prime minister, mom’s friends apparently talk crap about her, and my cousins have been…”
He didn’t have to finish. Maya’s been keeping an eye on Levi’s ex-family members to ensure that they didn’t do anything exceptionally stupid to her first friend.
Leviathan wasn’t only tall and good-looking, he was also a talented but humble artist. “A pretty face can enslave a whole world, kid, and people will kill each other over a beauty’s smile” - line 22, page 103 of her Big Brother Observation Diary No. 33. And Maya was here to witness the phenomenon with Levi. His supporters bashed his family members when the truth of his family life came to light. His cousins, that dirty girl and her bully brother, were currently facing fire for their harassment of Levi. It didn’t help that an… anonymous source leaked photos, videos, audio recordings and unburied testaments of their crimes of bullying less financially stable schoolmates and multiple affairs with teachers fueled the flames.
Maya sipped on her tea. “That’s a shame.”
They ordered dinner and talked more about Leviathan’s career, Maya asked if he wanted to visit the hospital with her some time (little Akane wanted to be a painter too when she grew up) and he agreed, then Levi inquired about Sanctuary. Then they discussed the spaghetti and the pizza, followed by the chef’s special dessert, a chocolate lava cake topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
“So, Levi,” Maya said, looking at him, “any romantic prospects I haven’t heard about?”
Levi choked on the ice cream. Maya laughed and pushed his water closer and motioned for a waiter to close the balcony doors as the drizzle from outside was getting blown in.
“Maya…urgh, don’t ask me that when I’m eating.”
“You’re getting up there in age, old man.”
“Please, if you’re gonna ask me that you should do it when you’re already in a relationship and free to judge us singles.”
“I’ve already told my grandparents that I’ll never get married, my work is my life, but you? I know you’re lonely.”
Levi poked at the cake. “I’m not lonely.”
“I’ve seen your paintings.” Maya put down her spoon and leaned in, leveling her eyes with Leviathan’s. “You have to let go.”
Leviathan sighed. His paintings ranged from fantastical, telling stories of fire-breathing sea dragons, to grounded images of families and children with their grandparents. However, if a viewer saw them up close, their chest would weigh with inexplicable longing.
“He died in my arms, Maya,” Levi said. “My arms and I couldn’t help him.”
“You couldn’t have known. No one did. He was as carefree as the first day I met him. Not even the doctors knew what happened.” They said that there were no signs of disease or condition or deterioration of cells, like the soul just left a perfectly healthy body.
Maya brushed the corner of her eye and Boba whimpered, rubbing against her leg. She scratched his ear and turned back to Levi. “Nii-san wouldn’t have wanted you to stay frozen like this.”
Levi said nothing in return. They finished their food in silence.
“Be careful on your way home.” Maya escorted him to his car, her bodyguard holding an umbrella for her.
“I will. Thanks for the meal.”
Maya nodded and watched Levi drive away. Lightning flashed and Boba barked from the entrance. Maya touched her chest.
“Is something wrong, Young Miss?”
“No, I… I’m fine. Let’s get back inside.”
But as she returned inside, Maya couldn’t help but look over her shoulder.
Levi’s car was a few miles away now.
He can’t believe it’s been years since he bought this thing from a second hand seller.
When his parents kicked him out, he had nothing but the clothes on his back and a bag full of art materials. He was in a mess. But at the same time he was grateful. If he had stayed in that house, who knows what would’ve happened to him. Juggling two part-time jobs and accepting art commissions kept him busy and on his feet, and when he was busy he couldn’t dwell on the memory of your last breath on his lips, or how it felt when his hands broke through your ribs but didn’t feel a single heartbeat.
He was thankful for the opportunity, and he was glad when he was recognized by the world. However, he had forgotten what it was like to be happy. He was content with his life. But he wasn’t happy even when he finally saved up enough money to buy this car or when he finally moved out of that rat-infested flat in the city and moved into a villa with his own pool. Fans asked him frequently if he played basketball or volleyball, mostly because of his height. But no, those things reminded him of you, so he taught himself to swim, the one sport you didn’t train him in.
He liked the peace of mind the water offered. The way it carried him when he grew tired. It was calming.
Leviathan rubbed his nose and switched on the radio. A guitar played an unfamiliar tune, followed by English lyrics that Levi has never heard before:
Take me down to the paradise city,
Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty.
He narrowed his eyes. “What is this song?” It wasn’t Japanese so maybe a new American song? But he’s been in New York for weeks preparing his gallery and he hadn’t heard this song.
He changed the channel, but the same song came out.
Rags to riches or so they say
Ya gotta keep pushin' for the fortune and fame
You know it's all a gamble when it's just a game
“The hell?” He hit the head unit and turned the dial, but the song just continued through the different channels.
A truck honked in front of him and Levi grabbed the wheel. “Shi—”
The car swerved sideways, barely scraping against the truck.
The other vehicle honked angrily as it drove it away and Levi leaned against the wheel. “That was close,” he breathed.
That song continued to play, uncaring of his troubles.
Oh, won't you please take me home
Levi was about to shut it off when he noticed that the fog was clearing up. The rain was reduced to a drizzle. He then glanced out the window and at the sea.
He hit the accelerator and drove down the beach, expectedly, there was not another person here.
Leviathan breathed in the salt and exhaled.
He shrugged off his shirt and pants then waded into the water. He’s never actually swam in the ocean before, but today his body was pumped with adrenaline right now and he needed to cool his nerves.
He dove into the waves, loving the brush of the waves on his skin.
“Hey, Leviathan…” He heard your voice in his head. “...the moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”
Levi kicked, his heart ached and he needed to breathe.
His arms knifed through the water and he swam upward, reaching for the surface—
“Are you okay? I told you not to mess with the time warps without a spotter,” said his sister Lilith, shaking her head as she knelt down to check up on him. She furrowed her brows as he regarded her with befuddled eyes.
He shook his head and offered a small smile. “I’m okay, just…confused. All I remember is walking up to a warp and then waking up like this.”
“You shouldn’t have been pulling mangas from these things without me or Mammon watching you.”
“I know, I know, but I finished the last issue and had to find the next one!”
Lilith giggled and her wings fluttered behind her as she flew up. “C’mon, we’re gonna be late.”
“The Devildom envoy is coming here, remember? They want to discuss a peace treaty and assist the humans in settling their wars.”
“Oh, yeah. I can’t believe they’re actually serious about that.”
Lilith gestured for him to follow her and he quickly unfolded his wings to join her, but as he neared the portal leading outside the Hall of Time, he looked over his shoulder.
“I feel like I’m forgetting something.”
“That’s how everybody feels when they pass out and wake up here. Don’t worry about it.”
Leviathan stared at the multiple time warps, each one resembled a swirling underwater vortex piercing through the ocean of spacetime. He found himself lingering on one found near an actual ocean, a full moon shining on the surface of the sea, and he held his chest.
“Levi, let’s go. Michael’s gonna be mad.”
He turned to Lilith and nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
Jeez, I thought I'd never move on from this arc, but yay, another arc done.
No, I don't know when I'll be updating and no, I don't know who's the next LI, but feel free to ask questions for any clarifications. I will answer what I can hehe.
