Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

You're no stranger to hiding from your manager to send a few texts or take a call. 

Have you gotten caught? Not enough to justify not doing it. Yelled at? Sure, once or twice. But Rico is always looking for an excuse to yell at anyone, so you never take it personally. This job isn't your life, not in the slightest- but the man on the other end of the phone is.

The mice that are rumored to live in this damn supply closet could chew completely through your shoes and you wouldn't notice. 

"I got a what?!" 

There's a heavy sigh from the other end of the line. "Is that a 'what' of disbelief, or a 'what' that says you didn't understand a word of what I just said?"

Your mouth opens, then closes. "Both? Both. Definitely both."

Erwin chuckles. "Alright. Repeat back to me."

"Okay. I got a callback?" A hum of acknowledgement. "For a big gig?" Another hum. "Like, a main character, not a side character? A job that would actually pay me something?"

"Yes and yes. But not just a callback."

Ah, yes. The kicker: what made you freak out in the first place. "A chemistry read," you breathe. "An actual table read with an actor?"

"So your ears do work."

"Erwin, are you kidding?" you whisper-shout into your phone, spinning and smacking your elbow off the metal shelf. You wince, mouthing mother fucker before you get out, "when? When is it?"

"Friday. Do you work?"

Yes. "No."

"You work, don't you?"

"I'll get it off." Your eyes flicker to the light under the door as someone walks by, casting shadows across the limited light you've got in here. "Erwin, please tell me you're not joking. Are you serious?"

"Do I ever joke?"

"No, so now would be a horrible time to start."

Another chuckle. "Come by my office when you're off your shift," he says. "I'll give you the full brief."

"Okay, I will." You frown. "How'd you know I'm at work?"

Three sharp bangs of a fist against the door make you flinch so hard that you nearly drop your phone. You hear a faint "I'll see you later" from Erwin and you jam your phone into your pocket right as the door is thrown open.

You squint, eyes assaulted by the bright light of the restaurant. "What the hell are you doing in here?" a voice demands.

Shit. Rico. You grab the nearest bottle- some sort of disinfectant. "Cleaning stuff," you say.

Your manager raises her eyebrows. "Cleaning in the closet?"

"One of my tables. Kid threw up, requires a bit more than a standard wipe down."

Rico crosses her arms. You hold your breath. "And you're doing it in the dark," she deadpans.

You shrug. "Light didn't work."

She frowns and reaches for the light switch. She flips it and the light comes on.

A beat.

"You fixed it," you suggest.

Rico groans. "Get back to your tables, we're already short-staffed. I can tell you don't give a shit, but some of us do, so hurry up."

You wait until she's gone before you let your eyes roll. You murmur a sarcastic "yes, boss," under your breath as you head back out to the dining area of the restaurant, disinfectant bottle and your excuse both abandoned in the closet.

You're practically skipping as you weave through the restaurant, checking in on all your tables. You take a few orders and nearly trip over a kid's high chair as you skip towards the back, submitting your food orders to the back of house before you head to the bar to grab a few soft drinks.

You nearly trip over Sasha, crouched in front of the fridge. She's restocking. "Hey!" you say breathlessly. "Can you pass me some of those?"

"Yep! How many?"

"Two."

Sasha passes them up to you. "You're smiley," she notes. "Did that handsome guy at table seven leave you his number?"

Oh, you wish. "Actually, uh..." you pause, setting the bottles on the counter. "Are you working Friday? Could you cover me?"

"Mm- could we switch? You're off Saturday, right? Swap?" 

"Yeah, sure." You have no idea if you're free on Saturday. Whatever. "Sasha," you whisper, unable to keep it to yourself anymore, "I got a callback."

Sasha nearly slams the fridge door on her hand as she straightens up. "You did?!"

You nod, biting the inside of your cheek. "For something big!"

"Oh my god!"

Sasha seizes your hands and for a moment, it's like the two of you aren't at work: you're jumping and squealing and Sasha's saying "that's so amazing!" and neither of you notice when your manager comes up behind you.

"Hey!"

You both stop immediately, turning around. Rico's standing there with her arms crossed, foot tapping angrily against the floor.

"Yes boss" you get out as Sasha squeaks out "sorry boss" and the two of you split up. You snag the two bottles from the counter as you slip by her, nearly smacking her in the head with one (you would never do that- on purpose, at least) and you wait until you're almost too far away to look back to Sasha.

She gives you two massive thumbs up. You grin and head back to the dining area.

.

Work is only mildly gruesome, and before you know it, you're driving to your manager's place at a speed that's likely going to warrant you a speeding ticket.

Against all odds, you make it to Erwin's office without being pulled over and therefore ticket-free (unless that red light camera decides to be mean to you), and you set your rickety car into park in the closest parking lot. You drop your car keys not once but twice as you dash across the parking lot and burst into the front door. "Hey, Eld," you call to the receptionist. "I'm here to see Erwin-"

"He's expecting you and I've already signed you in," Eld says, waving to you from his desk. "Say hi for me."

"You're the best!" you call over your shoulder as you head to the stairs.

Two flights of stairs later (you're too impatient to wait for the elevator), you're skipping down the hallway to the door that reads Erwin Smith on the front. You throw the door open, calling out, "I'm here!"

Erwin's office is large, but he's only ever in the same place: his large mahogany desk in the corner of the room. He straightens up. "Yes, please, come in."

You grin, closing the door behind you as you bound over to the chair in front of his desk. It squeaks as you sit down. "Eld says hi," you say, leaning your arms onto his desk. Tidy and orderly, as always, but your elbow nudges a stapler that Erwin has to catch. "So? Tell me everything!"

"You're later than I thought you'd be. You didn't speed?"

"I did, my car wouldn't start." Erwin hums knowingly and you tap your hand twice against the desk. "Details, please!"

"Alright. It's for One Day, Someday."

You blink, straightening up. "The book?"

"Yes. Being turned into a movie, and you're one of three possibles that they've invited for a table read against the male lead."

"Wait, slow down- what?" you exclaim, standing up. "When I put together that audition tape, you told me I was one of thousands!"

Erwin's lips twitch. "Yes."

"And now I'm one of three?"

"You're two for two."

"Oh my god," you breathe, and you push away from his desk so that you can pace. "And it's- oh my god, Erwin!" you whisper-shout, bouncing from foot to foot. "It's actually a movie! A going-into-theatres kind of movie! Right?"

Erwin holds up a hand and you pause your bouncing. "Yes," he says, "but the budget's apparently marginally smaller than your standard romance film that makes it to theatres. The director's trying to keep it small."

"But it's still going to theatres."

"It should, yes."

"Oh my god!"

"I think I should invest in earplugs," Erwin murmurs to himself.

You don't even bother sitting back down; you bounce around Erwin's office, mind racing. "Okay, okay- but it could be smaller indie theatres," you say, and your manager shrugs. "Okay. I won't get my hopes up. But- the author's involved, right? It'll be faithful to the book? I loved that book."

Erwin nods. "Should be. I'll send you the details for the chemistry read. You've got all week to prep for it."

"Okay, okay, okay. Wait- chemistry read," you say, pointing at your manager. "So they've already cast for River? I mean, the male lead?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

He smiles. "He's a big name."

Your jaw drops. "Seriously?" Someone famous as your possible costar? This could be it, this could be the big breakout role you need to finally get into the industry. Not even could- this is it. This is your chance. "Oh my god, who?"

Erwin's smile hasn't faltered. "Levi Ackerman."

Your massive grin wanes. "What?"

"What, you don't know him?"

"No, of course I do," you say, but now the excitement is shifting to concern. "Levi Ackerman, the stuntman-turned-actor?" you ask. "In almost every massive action blockbuster? Starred in Eclipse earlier this year- the biggest movie of the year so far? That Levi Ackerman?"

Erwin nods. "The very same."

You stare at him, waiting for him to laugh or say this is all some big joke.

He doesn't. Instead, his eyebrows rise. "You don't seem thrilled."

"Well, I am," you say, but you don't sound convincing, and you know it. "It's just- he's an action star. Isn't this supposed to be... like, a romantic drama?"

"You're correct."

"But he's..." you trail off. Sure, people make genre switches all the time, and there are plenty of actors doing so many versatile roles- but Levi Ackerman? You've seen some of his movies, and he's good in them- but he plays the same character every time and never shows much emotion more than rage or anger.

Erwin hums. "I don't see your issue."

You shrug. "I guess I just didn't see this as the type of movie that would attract the Levi Ackerman. God- are there stunts? Am I going to get to do stunts?"

"I'll find out, but likely not."

"Aw."

"This is good," your manager says, as if still sensing your doubt. For someone trying to be an actress, you're awful at hiding your emotions. "He's a big name. Big names attract attention. That means more eyes on you. Perhaps you don't think it's his forte, but you never know. He likely has his reasons."

He has his reasons. Erwin's right. You can't control anything else other than your own performance. There's no point in freaking out about your costar.

"So you're saying," you say slowly, just to make sure you have it right, "this is the breakout of my dreams. This could propel me forward light years in the industry. And all I have to do is- I have to have chemistry with Levi Ackerman."

Erwin shrugs slightly. "Well, when you put it like that."

"I think I'd have more chemistry with a brick wall."

"What have I told you about pessimism?"

"No place for pessimism in an industry like this," you repeat, pressing your hands to your forehead. "Erwin, I know, but..."

"But?"

He's right. There's no point in dwelling on this: it's happening. "Okay," you agree, lifting your head from your hands. "No buts. I can do this."

"You can do this," your manager agrees. "This is it."

"This is it." It settles in. "Oh my god, this could be it," you say with a grin.

Erwin smiles. "There's the enthusiasm."

Yeah. Okay. You'll make this work. You'll do better than make this work: you'll knock this role out of the park. You'll ace the screentest. It doesn't matter if the script is awful or if the director sucks or if your costar has the emotional range of a snail. You'll make this work.

Levi Ackerman has his reasons, you think to yourself. We can make this work.

.

Oh, Levi Ackerman has his reasons alright. Two of them.

One is his younger sister Isabel and her unfortunate obsession with the book One Day, Someday.

The other is his stupid, stupid manager.

"This script looks like shit," Levi complains, tossing the stack of paper to the table. "Hange, I'm not doing this."

"That's too bad, because we already said you would," Hange says with a cheeky grin, picking up the script. "Oh, come on. You're just complaining to complain. It's good!"

He scoffs. "It's shit."

"It's not shit, it's just romance."

"Yeah. Romance is shit."

"You're so negative, Levi," his manager insists, one hand on their glasses as they skim through the page he was reading. "Darling, I hate to break it to you, but this is actually a completely normal script. In fact, I'd wager that it's actually good! Which you can't say about a lot of romance films nowadays."

They try to hand it back to him; Levi knocks their hand away. "There's the issue," he says dryly. "Romance."

Hange points the script at him sternly. "Levi, we talked about this! You agreed to do this!"

He groans. "And I told you the next day that I changed my mind-"

"And I told you it was too late, I'd already told the director!"

"There was literally all of ten hours between when I told you I'd do it and when I changed my mind-"

"You should know by now that I am an excellent, first-class agent who acts immediately on my client's desires!" Hange declares, smacking Levi on the head with the rolled-up script. He just rolls his eyes. "I'm so sorry that I'm just so good."

Levi sighs. "I can still back out."

Hange holds up their phone. "I'll call Isabel!"

Oh, he hates that Hange pulled that card. That was the only reason he agreed to even listen to Hange's proposal in the first place: the movie's based on a book, and not just any book- Isabel's favorite book. Isabel, who he wouldn't dream of disappointing. Isabel, whom Hange already mentioned this possible role to, so...

He glares. "I hate you."

"Hate me all you want, but I get you jobs!"

"You get me weird jobs."

"We talked about this," Hange says again, and Levi pinches the bridge of his nose. "It's not what you usually do, and that's the point! You're already typecast as the mean, no-nonsense action star. The more of that you do, the harder it's going to be to get a role like this. Levi, this is your chance to branch out."

He sighs. "I'm fine sticking to action movies."

Hange plops themselves down in the seat across from him and points the rolled-up script at him again. "You and I both know that you're limiting yourself," they say firmly. "You're capable of so much more than what you do in action movies, Levi. Now's your chance."

Maybe. Maybe Hange's right. But action is his comfort zone; it's what he knows. This is- this is entirely out of his safety net.

"It's not confirmed yet," he says slowly. "Right?"

Hange sighs. "Close. Not signed or anything, but they don't have anyone else lined up. All that's left is chemistry reads."

"They cast the female lead yet?"

"Close. Three possibles."

"Who?"

"All no names. Would be the first big gig for all of them," Hange says, going to their phone. Levi gets a glimpse of their screen; Hange's got an email pulled up. "Author had a big hand in picking them out, apparently."

"So my costar's a no name," Levi repeats. "So that's why they want me. I'll sell the tickets."

Hange beams at him. "That you will, my darling. The ladies are going to love you."

He resists the urge to roll his eyes. "So if the chemistry read is absolute shit," he says. "When they realize I can't act in this type of shit to save my life. Then I can ditch it?"

His manager sighs dramatically. "Okay, I'm going to rebuke that. We both know you can do this."

"But if it doesn't go well," Levi repeats stubbornly.

The script smacks him in the head again. "Then maybe they'll think about looking elsewhere," Hange admits. "But it's not going to get to that! Especially when you show up and give it your A-game-"

"I'll bomb it."

"You'll do no such thing!" He's smacked again. "I'm going with you," Hange says, and he groans, "to make sure you don't mess it up! Levi, this is serious."

He knows. He's had a few roles pushed his way, but nothing that he could take seriously. All silly, goofy scripts that he could never get through. So when Hange had told him he'd gotten an ask for a romantic drama, one where a main character died in the end, he'd laughed- at least that was serious. And he wants something serious.

But this feels...

"You lose nothing from giving this an honest shot," Hange says.

Levi shoots his manager a glare. "I lose time and brain cells."

"And you'll be making Isabel really happy."

Levi glares. Hange frowns right back at him.

Ugh. "When?"

"Friday! Oh, I'm so excited! This is going to be great!"

Hange skips away. Levi squeezes his eyes shut, trying to ward off the oncoming migraine. So he has to wait until Friday to get this over with?

Friday better hurry up.

.

The date of the table read comes much faster than you'd like.

You don't think you've ever been this nervous for anything in your life. You feel jumpy, and although you're plenty capable of handling yourself, you really do wish Erwin were here- just to have a familiar face. 

A casting director had helped show you to a waiting room and gotten you a coffee, but you're pretty sure that the last thing you need is caffeine, so it sits on the nearby table, untouched. You've got your lines printed out and clutched in your hands, and your eyes keep skimming them over and over again. You read for three different scenes in your audition tape and they hadn't specified anything different for today, so you've still got all three with you. They're all memorized, yes, but you're so stressed that you still think you'll find a way to botch it.

There's only two other girls in the room with you. One's staring at the ceiling, her shoe tapping impatiently against the floor, and the other girl is glaring at her script and furiously muttering her lines. You don't want to see them as competition, but that's what they are- you have to work better with Levi Ackerman than both of these girls.

God, you still can't wrap your head around that. Levi Ackerman? Really?

Fuck, your throat feels dry. You glance at the door you came in- you'd seen a water cooler on your way in, right? You stand up, drawing the gazes of both actresses in the room, and you keep your gaze on the ground as you scurry out into the hallway.

You've spent your week preparing yourself but it still doesn't feel like you've done enough. You feel like you could recite your lines in your sleep, and you've read Historia Reiss's One Day, Someday twice in the past few days. You don't know what more you can possibly do.

You round a corner and sure enough, there's a water cooler sitting on the far side of the room. Your shoulders drop and you head a bit closer, leaving some distance for the person that's already there.

Wait- it's a blonde woman. She straightens up and you get a view of her face- you recognize her. Where have you seen her before?

Oh my god, the back page of the book you've fallen asleep holding.

"I'm sorry, are you-" god, don't gush, you're going to gush- "are you Historia Reiss?" you ask, trying to keep your voice from shaking. "I'm a huge fan."

For a moment, you're worried that you've bothered her. But the blonde woman looks to you and her eyes light up. "Hi! Yes, yes I am. Oh my goodness, you're even prettier in person- I loved your audition tape!"

It's almost too much at once. "I- yeah, wait, you saw my tape?" you stammer. "Really?"

"Of course, I picked out the finalists," Historia says brightly. Her eyes are shining and she's shifting from foot to foot- you can feel the excitement oozing off of her. "How are you? Are you more excited or nervous?"

"Yes," you say. You contemplate smacking your head off the wall before you collect yourself and say with a sheepish grin, "all of the above. It's my first big opportunity, so..."

Fuck. Should you have said that? Probably shouldn't have said that. But Historia's eyes light up. "Really? I never would've been able to tell. Your tape was fantastic! I almost sent you more scenes that I wanted you to do just because."

Your lips part. "Really?"

She laughs. "Yeah, but Dad told me not to get too excited. I can't help it! This is my baby."

"I get it," you say, and some of the nerves are gone now. At the end of the day, she's just a person, right? "You must be so excited. It's such a good book of yours to get adapted!"

"You've read it?"

"Oh my goodness, at least five times." Probably an exaggeration, but it can't hurt. "Cried like a baby at the end of it and still do every time I finish it."

Historia beams. "Thank you! I mean, I'm sorry for the emotional stress, but I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Her smile's nice. You feel a bit better. And you truly are a fan- you've read several of her books- so you add, "I would love to see an adaptation of Brutality one day, I think it's-"

Her eyes widen. "That's the one I pitched first! Maybe a bit ambitious sure, so this is a safer option, but if this goes well then I'd love to do that one next. The climax-"

"Would translate so well to the big screen!" you gush. "The rain and the-"

"Exactly!" Historia's smile rivals your own. "Oh, if you don't book this, then I'd love to have you as Macey in that one. But- honestly, I'm not supposed to be biased, and while I've got influence, I don't have the final say at the end of the day- but I'm rooting for you," she adds, and she takes your hand in hers. "I really hope your table read goes well. I'll be there."

Her hands are warm around yours. You feel like you're on cloud nine. "Thank you," you get out, heartbeat going a million miles an hour. "I hope I- I hope it goes well too."

She's about to say something back when a phone rings. Historia drops your hand and reaches into her pocket, then sighs. "Director," she says jokingly, showing you the incoming call. "Sorry. But I'll see you in a minute, good luck!"

You've barely managed to squeak out a "thank you" before Historia's headed off down the hall, phone raised to her ear. 

Pause. Did her phone screen say Dad?

Dad told me not to get too excited.

You fill a cup with water, remembering the whole reason you came on this little journey to begin with. On your way back, you pull your own phone out of your pocket, typing in a quick search. Who's the director tied to this? Who...

Ah. Rod Reiss. Reiss.

Hm. How seriously are they taking this, if her dad was the one to bring her passion project to life? He's done a few films; you scan through his directory, eyeing a few that you know made it to theatres. 

Interesting. "Nepotism," you murmur to yourself with a sigh. What you wouldn't give for a rich, famous parent.

Okay. The author just said she liked you. She liked your tape.

You don't need to compare yourself to the other girls. You just have to do the role as best as you can and hope that's enough. If you're the right fit, then they'll know it. They picked you out from thousands of audition tapes, right? 

Levi Ackerman. Levi fucking Ackerman. Fuck Levi Ackerman. You'll have chemistry with him whether he likes it or not.

I'm rooting for you, Historia had said.

Okay. "You got this," you whisper, and you march back to the audition room.

.

Levi thinks that he might not make it through three table reads. Hange seems much more likely to kill him before it's done.

It's three people, that's it. The director- Levi's already forgotten his name- tells him that he can pick the scene he wants to read, and Levi picks the scene that involves the least amount of talking from him. The whole meet-cute of the script is not really cute and more chaotic; he's supposed to get hit by a car driven by his romantic interest and they have their first conversation in the hospital. Charming.

Frankly, Levi's looking forward to getting hit by a car. Maybe he'll get lucky and it'll kill him and he won't have to do this movie.

The first girl comes in. She's nervous, Levi can tell- but she's holding herself together fairly well. They start, and Levi plays with the lines a little, changing his phrasing and not going word-for-word from the script. It throws her off immediately, and she looks to be nearly in tears by the end of the scene.

Levi watches her leave, then looks to Hange. His manager is glaring hard at him and mouths stop making this difficult and he has to look away before he feels guilty.

The second girl comes in, and she oozes confidence. Levi hasn't really read the book, but he knows from Hange's many ramblings that his romantic interest is supposed to be funny, charming, and a little bit awkward.

This girl is none of those things. She's firm and not untalented in any way, but just not... right. And judging by the look on the director's and the author's (at least, Levi thinks that's the author... Hange showed him a picture, but he can't recall faces to save a life), she's not the right fit. Levi doesn't bother changing anything; he lets it play out.

"I'm happy to do another scene," the woman says confidently, making eye contact with him.

"That'll be all, thank you," the director interrupts. "Thank you for your time, we'll be in contact with your manager shortly."

She looks mildly peeved, but she shoots him a tight-lipped smile before she murmurs, "thank you for the opportunity" and leaves the room. 

"She was so much... friendlier on her tape," the author murmurs, shaking her head.

"Maybe another shot if this last one doesn't work. Is she ready?" A lady leaves to head to the back to grab the last audition he'll have to sit through. "Levi, ready?"

He tries not to roll his eyes. "Yeah."

"This time with some gusto!" Hange whisper-shouts from the side of the room, and now, Levi does roll his eyes. Gusto isn't something his character- River- has. But he knows what Hange means: effort. Put in some effort. Levi would if this was worth putting effort into.

The door opens, and for the first time, Levi hears sneakers. One girl had worn flats, the other, heels- now, sneakers. He's not sure why he notices.

When the casting director returns, she's got you in tow. Levi looks you up and down. Your hair's tied up and you're wearing a jacket that looks like it's been through several lifetimes. You're shifting from foot to foot with your script clutched in your hands, and finally, you move to the seat across from him.

"Hi," you say brightly, and you give him your name as you stick a hand out. "Nice to meet you."

Levi stares at you for a moment. There's a nervous energy to you, like with the first actress, but it feels a lot more... channeled, he'd say. Neither of the other two bothered to introduce themselves.

He realizes he's staring. He reaches for your hand and shakes; your palm is warm. "Yeah," he says stupidly, and he can see Hange smack themselves in the forehead in his periphery.

You settle yourself into the chair across from him, adjusting yourself a few times before you settle in. You've got your script in front of you, and when no one says anything, you glance from Levi to the author. "Is there a certain scene you'd like us to read?"

The author smiles. "Well, Levi's picked the first meeting scene-"

"She can pick," Levi interrupts. He's getting bored.

"I can pick?" you repeat, and you think for a minute before you flip a few pages in your script. "The diner scene, then."

"Ooh, good choice," the author- Levi should really learn her name- murmurs.

You smile, then look to Levi. He raises his eyebrows. He doesn't exactly mind this scene, but there's a lot more talking. Flirting. Out of the three that Hange had told him were sent to hopefuls, it's the most... fun, he supposes.

"...Unless you'd prefer something else."

He looks up. You're looking at him.

You're the first one to actually talk to him, he thinks. The other two both just sat down and got right to business. "You know," you add when he doesn't say anything immediately. "If it's not- you know, your forte."

His... forte? Are you goading him?

You're a nobody. You were picked out of thousands of tapes, someone who sent in an audition on a whim and has likely never had an opportunity this big before. And you're sitting in front of him, asking him if he's got the chops for a script like this. 

Ballsy. You're... audacious. 

You raise your eyebrows, like an invitation. A challenge.

Levi leans forward slightly. "No," he says. "That's fine. If you're up for it."

Your eyes widen slightly. "Of course," you say, and you press your hands against your script to flatten it. "Whenever you're ready."

Fuck, he takes the lead in this one. Ugh.

Levi launches into his lines, and despite Hange's watchful eye, he doesn't plan to give this any more effort than he gave the last two. Well, with your attitude, he might change some lines on you and see if that kicks your smugness in the ass. He'd rather not get that involved, though.

But... one minute in, and he can't help it.

You're good. Really good, actually.

Not in the same way that the other girls were good. Both were professional and clearly had the acting classes and experience (even if the one girl panicked under pressure), but you're good in those ways and then some. He can't quite put his finger on it. What is it that you're doing?

You go back and forth for a while. You're holding eye contact fairly well- Levi wonders if you're nervous. You laugh slightly, and you raise a hand to tuck some of your hair behind your ear- Levi's not sure if that's you or you acting. "Well, I mean," you recite, and Levi thinks it's just your acting because when you make eye contact, you're not nervous at all. You're smirking slightly as you chirp, "how hard can it be?"

This is what he's been missing.

Levi started in stunts, but stuntman work still involved some acting classes. And a few years ago, when Hange plucked him from the crowd, many more classes were involved, and he's been properly acting ever since. He would've been content to stay in stunts, but the pay was much better, and he still gets to do stunt work anyway.

But the worst part of the acting is working with other people. As a stuntman, they could do whatever they wanted to him: light him on fire, throw him off a building, put him in a car and roll him over a half dozen times. And all he'd have to do was throw up a thumbs up to prove he lived, and that was it. No collaboration, no relying on other people to make a scene work. That was all him.

Every other actor he's worked with has been good, sure. They're all good. But it's a job. They do a scene, recite a few lines, then do it again because someone messed up, then do it again because the director changed his mind, then do it again because they want it from a different angle. It bores him.

You? You're not boring.

There's this charm to you, this allure that invites him to hit back. It's more than just reading lines: it's a dare. A challenge.

That's what was missing from the girls before you. They were good, but they didn't do anything to make Levi care. You're not focusing on the lines, you're focusing on him. Oh, and you picked this scene, where they're starting to bicker for the first time... you're good.

Clever and charming. This, maybe he can work with.

Levi straightens up slightly. "I'd like to see you try," he says.

That's not his line. His line is if you'd try, you'd see it's hard. He did this to the first actress and she nearly cried; Hange will definitely chew him out for this.

He'll never admit it, but a tiny trill of excitement shoots through him when you take his adlib in stride. "I mean, I could," you say, leaning forward in your chair. "But we don't need to add 'damaged ego' to your list of injuries."

Slight adjustment. You changed your lines ever so slightly to match. "I'd pay to see that."

"What, me kick your ass?"

"You embarrass yourself."

"You think so little of me," you reply, and a hint of nerves seeps into your tone as you add, "and I know that's because I hit you with my car and I'm still so, so sorry."

"It's fine," Levi replies. "You going to apologize every five minutes?"

You laugh. You're playing this perfectly, Levi thinks. The right amount of charm, nerves, and guilt. "Start a timer," you joke, which wasn't in the script, but then again, he was supposed to say few and not five. Levi's lips twitch. "But, seriously. We probably won't see each other again after this, so I'll apologize as much as I-"

"Why not?" he interrupts.

He wasn't supposed to interrupt you. He's changing things all over the place- if the director doesn't kill him, Hange will.

There's a moment where you pause. Digest. Then, "I mean, I figured you wouldn't exactly be keen to see someone who nearly ran you over more than the obligatory apology at the hospital. This is already more than I bargained for."

He's smirking now. "And if I do?" Levi challenges.

"Want to see me?" you reply.

He nods.

Neither of you are looking at your scripts. He can't remember the last time he glanced down and he can't remember the last time you glanced down either.

You're pausing too long- you've forgotten your line. "Then I say we take you back to the hospital for some unchecked brain damage," you improvise.

Levi snorts- quietly, but it's there. "Nice," he says.

Your shoulders sink and you exhale hard, grabbing your script and pressing it to your face. "Shit, I'm sorry, I botched it," you say with a sigh, dropping the script back to the table. "We just kept- we kept changing things, and I just- ugh."

There's a moment like a pop of a balloon, where the tension dissolves and a lot of chatter starts up at once. Levi hadn't realized how quiet- and tense- the room was until the two of you finished. "I prefer that to your original line," he says.

You look up at him. You're an open book; he can see every emotion on your face. The anxiety, the nerves, and maybe the slightest bit of hope. "What was my line?"

"No clue."

Your lips split into a grin. Fuck, you've got a pretty smile.

"Thank you," the director says from the corner of the room. "We'll be in touch with your manager within the next week or so."

You turn, eyes widening. "Oh. That's it? I can- I can read another scene if you want. Contrary to whatever that just was, I do have this memorized."

That makes the author smile, but the director's a bit less enthusiastic. "That'll be all."

"Ah." You stand up from your seat and Levi can see it as the anxiety sets into your expression. Are you worried you messed up? You shouldn't be- you were the best one today. "Nice meeting you," you say. "I- yeah. Thanks."

Levi wonders if he should tell you that- that you did good.

But before he can, you're already gone, the door shutting hard behind you.

The director shoots him a look, and Levi takes that as a sign to leave. "Hange," he says, and his manager nearly teleports to his side. Together, they leave the room, and Levi's barely closed the door when he hears the room break into chatter.

He and Hange start down the hall. He can feel Hange practically vibrating next to him, waiting for him to say something.

Levi doesn't bite. They make it down the hall, out the door, and all the way over to where he's parked. Levi pulls the door open and slides in; Hange hops into the passenger seat, taking two tries to close the door because they close it on their jacket the first time.

Levi turns the car on. "Oh, for fuck's sake," Hange says.

"What?"

"So? Thoughts? Feelings?"

"You're not going to yell at me?"

"I was," they say, and Levi's hand falls onto the gearshift. He doesn't take the car out of park yet. "But then that last one happened. Levi... that was- actually, I want to hear it from you. What do you think?"

Levi stares. Hange stares back.

Hm.

He shifts his gaze back to the front and puts the car in drive.

They leave the lot and get a few minutes of peace before they find themselves in the heart of LA traffic. Levi taps his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel; he despises traffic. If it hadn't been for the fact he was bringing Hange with him today, he would've taken his motorcycle.

He can feel Hange staring at him, eyes drilling into his skull. They're waiting for an answer.

He can't get your face out of his head.

"Hange," Levi says.

"Yes, my wicked little actor?"

"It's her or no one."

He glances at them. Hange's eyes meet his, and there's a silent conversation there. Hange knows: they know how much he's been on the fence about this, they know that he's nervous about this (even if he won't say it), and they just saw with their own two eyes how well that screen test went.

After a moment, they nod. "I've got you, Levi," Hange says firmly, clenching their hand into a fist. "Have I ever let you down?"

"Repeatedly."

"Mean!"

But Hange's grinning- they know he doesn't mean it. Levi lets himself smirk as he flexes his fingers against the steering wheel, not as annoyed at the traffic as he usually is.

Maybe this won't be so bad after all.