"helena?"

her name, slips out of the costumer standing across her check out counter. a raven-haired man, his height noticably a few cm taller than her, stares at her in... confusion? shock? only to close his eyes then turn his gaze away.

"um, can I help you, sir?"

"...sorry, nothing."

seconds pass. he doesn't say anything more.

that was a bit weird.

she hands him the book he's borrowing. "please don't miss to return it by the due date," she notes.

"hn." he takes the book and heads outside.

she didn't miss the moment where he stole another glance at her.

some library visitors can be strange. nevertheless, for reasons she can't quite grasp, there's something unnerving about that man.

++

that man comes again. again. then again. and again.

she was newly employed the first time she met him, had him said her name in a choked breath. he could be a frequent regular of this library since times ago. it's just how the frequency of him coming to return and borrow is very unusual compared to the other visitors.

is he a fast reader? does he really finish all the books he borrowed in the past few weeks? her withheld curiousity may have reached its peak. her heart thumping nervously, knowing that asking him directly is the only way to satiate it.

and here comes her chance out of many. him, approaching her counter with another book in hand. him, with a deadpan face he seems to always wear, as if not even the most ridiculous clown could get a sinister grin out of him. him, even with that flat stare, once again eyeing her like a hawk to his prey, evoking intimidation.

what's his deal?

he slides the book on the counter. she does her work. in between the silence, she can't stop stealing glances his way as she lists down the few questions her unsolicited curiousity has for him, until his eyes catch hers and she, flustered, keeps them down to her work.

"do you have something to say to me?"

his question comes like a thunderstrike just as she hands him the book. her heart stops for a moment right there.

"pardon, sir?"

"better make it secretive if you want to check me out from the corner of your eyes."

she's almost not sure if he has just mocked her. or teased her? his flat expression and tone make it hard to differentiate it.

"I didn't check you out."

"then what?"

his gaze at her is so unnervingly flat and yet so intimidating and demanding, she believes it could bore a hole through her head.

he waits.

she gulps. now she doesn't know if she'd still like to have her curiousity satiated.

"please excuse my rudeness, sir. my curiousity just got the better of me." she lowers her head, implying shame.

"...you're curious."

no trace of mockery in his voice, and she almost misses a subtle note of surprise in that statement.

he leans closer to the counter as his fingers land on the book. "what do you wanna know from me, helena?"

that's the second time he says her name, and this time it exudes fondness that is close to breaching her personal bubble.

this man, who goes by the name levi ackerman, he's practically a stranger to her and she doesn't feel comfortable under his unreadable gaze, as if she were about to be mauled by him or some sort.

probably sensing her discomfort, he retreats a little and says, "I'm not gonna kill you or anything just for being curious."

"w-well..." helena starts, but noticing another visitor approaching the counter with heaps of books in their arms, levi takes his book, gives helena another look before making his way outside.

her questions are left hanging in the air.

well.

he will come back again, anyway.