Chapter Text
"Fuck you (F/N)."
"Nah. I'm good thanks. You always were a terrible fucking lay."
Dramatically pressing the 'end call' button, you wished for a time gone by when technology dictated that a phone could be slammed down, receiver smashed into plastic again and again to convey your emotions. Instead, you had to make do with an unsatisfying beep and a carefully placed handset - a broken heart as well as a broken device would just about tip you over the edge right now.
Angry tears started to fall as your body shook with rage and sorrow, droplets peppering your white shirt that you wore to work; you'd not even had a chance to get changed upon returning home before your horrific conversation, one which had been admittedly on the cards. Five years. Five fucking years down the drain, all that time giving yourself to one other person fully only to have it end in a blazing row fuelled by jealousy.
Your boyfriend, sorry, ex-boyfriend, had spoken about marriage not so long ago, walked hand in hand with you down the street whilst chatting lightly on nonsense subjects, fingers twined together and arms swinging. But it had come undone, the chatty side of your personality flaring up his envious one so when he found out that a male colleague asked you for a platonic drink, your partner had turned into a green-eyed monster, forbidding you to go and actually physically restraining you on the scheduled day. He'd made you dial your friend, tell him in a scripted manner that you were a taken woman and had no intention of being such a whore.
Your ex had been overbearing at times however you loved the protective side of his nature, felt wanted and cared for - that had gradually been blown out of the water, true character revealed to end in the fiery break-up a minute ago.
So here you were, suddenly single, crying hot rivers of pain and all alone. Vowing to never get serious ever again, you strode to the kitchen as your hitched breaths squeaked through the apartment, unheard sobs echoing at what had been lost and you found the elixir of life, a bottle with your metaphorical name on it and as cheap spirits were poured, you sent a text to the recipient of the odd declination of a drink, someone closer to you than your boyfriend had realised.
'It's over.'
A swift reply followed and you managed a weak smile at the caring man on the other end of the connection.
'I'll be there in ten. Don't get drunk without me (F/N).'
'Wouldn't dream of it Jean.'
True to his word, your charismatic companion arrived at your door within nine minutes, champagne in his hand as if celebrating something.
"What the hell?"
"Well, I'm sorry but come on. That guy was a massive ass. I knew it all along of course."
"Yea course you did." Ushering the tall male inside, you flopped to the sofa and watched as a cork was dealt with, bubbly liquid poured and you were joined, glasses held high.
"To getting rid of the extra baggage, (F/N)."
"Baggage." Drinking deeply, you stifled a burp, not used to carbonated alcohol and sighed instead, ready to relive it. "Sorry for the weird call the other day."
"It's ok. No, it's not actually. Why did you put up with that prick? He practically ruled your life? And don't play dumb, I know a fake cover story for a bruise when I hear one."
"Oh Jean, it started out so good but recently he just got a bit, well…"
"Psycho?"
"Yea. That'll do." Your friend grinned, brows arched as he flashed a winning smile before responding.
"I'm surprised he didn't make you change jobs when he found out about me."
"He tried. Kept showing me vacancies in the papers and shit. Never came out and said it but the hints were there."
"Ah, we both know you could never leave me." You slapped playfully at Jean's arm, mood lifting with every second in his company. Your partner actually had nothing to worry about on two counts - firstly, you'd never considered cheating even when it got bad, hung on to the stupid belief that it was a rough patch and you'd work your way through to save the relationship. And second, the person by your side currently preening and making sure every light hair sat in perfect place was certainly not interested in women and also part of a loving couple, enraptured by his fiancé even if he'd never admit it out loud. The pair had been together for what seemed a lifetime and Jean held things close to his chest for the most part, remaining aloof as if he didn't need someone to make him happy, but you knew better.
"No I could never leave my posting, Jean. What would the old ladies do without me on pension day?"
"Come to me, their knight in shining armour. They love my cheeky flirting."
"True, but they prefer the fact I listen to their stories."
"You can keep them (F/N). I'll be in head office soon anyway." The ambition seemed to drip from his being, headstrong and aware of what he wanted for the future, an admirable trait that you didn't share, content to stay at cashier level for now. Perhaps one day you'd be a manager or something, nothing too extreme. "Right. Enough about work, it's bad enough we got to be in there tomorrow. You gonna be ok?"
"Yea." Frowning, you assessed how true that was and nodded strongly. "Yea I will. Bring it on. Give me your account queries and money transfers, world. I'm ready." Laughter spread through the apartment, a sound filled with relief as the binds of an unhealthy five years came loose, allowed sweet freedom. What now? Stay single, that was for sure, you had no desire to jump straight into another serious situation. Why not have some fun, let a previously unseen part of you out, the one who only looked for a good time.
"What're you thinking about?"
"Jean I'll be honest. I think I might go and be a little bit slutty." Brown eyes sparkled and the man nudged you gently.
"About fucking time. Just be careful."
"I said slutty, not brain dead. I'll probably spend months finding someone I like the look of and then they won't want anything to do with me."
"Who could resist those red rimmed eyes and tear stained cheeks (F/N)?"
~~~~~~
The next day at work had been busy, elderly customers flowing through in the morning and a surge of lunchtime clients come early afternoon, everyone rushing out of their respective places of employment to log cheques, make withdrawals and generally keep you on your toes. Jean had been working the room, pure salesman in force as he tried to peel people from the teller's queue, help them with any queries and hopefully sell a loan or two. Now the three o'clock slump hit and the pair of you shuffled leaflets on a stand, looking like you had stuff to do.
"We should go out. It's Friday after all."
"Yea that sounds good Jean."
"How did your ex not realise you came to clubs with me so often?"
"I lied. Said you were a girl."
"Hey! This is all man right here and don't you forget it!"
You smirked and wondered what tonight may bring; eye candy? A disappointment? Meaningless liaisons? Whatever happened, you were pretty sure the new desire to get out there would go unfulfilled, it wasn't like there was someone waiting to walk into your life and sweep you off your feet, albeit for a short spell.
Is if on cue, three figures entered the bank. One was your manager so you upped the pamphlet arranging in an official manner, no clue as to who the others were but one caught your attention - a muscular form that was evident even beneath his dark and well-tailored suit, blonde hair swept to the side in a sensible fashion and blue eyes that shone like the sky itself, kind expression adding to the air of gentlemanly pride. They paid no heed to you and Jean's finger poked at your chin, closing the mouth you hadn't realised was hanging open in awe.
"Who's that?"
"Mr Handsome? He's one of the executives. Top brass. I'll be doing his job soon."
"Yea…I'm sure you will…" Distracted, you barely registered the conversation and kept your gaze on this new arrival, observing how your boss orbited around whilst pointing, showing off the local branch like a proud parent. The tall man smiled appreciatively, nodding as he was spoken to, appearing to take it all in and your friend sloped off, attempting to get involved and cement his name with management. And then something unexpected occurred, bright cobalt meeting (e/c) and you realised your leering had been discovered, cheeks flushing and you averted your stare to the floor, sudden interest in carpeting emerging. Fuck. He just caught me drooling, you thought and shook your head, tapping a shoe at a piece of gum that had become lodged on the upholstery.
The presence by your side was painfully obvious and you swallowed back embarrassment, glancing up to be encompassed by the soft pools that had just locked onto you a minute ago and when the visitor spoke, it was commanding yet sugary, a tone that befitted a person used to addressing crowds and high level employees. But no, here he was, talking to little old you.
"Your manager speaks very highly of the staff here. One of our most successful outlets according to the numbers. Would you mind showing me around? I'd like to see where the magic happens." Holy fucking shit, I could show you plenty magic. Keeping that inside, you smiled sweetly and remained calm, heart pounding at the proximity of this guy, the way he stooped slightly to keep the conversation private, cologne drifting across in musky waves.
"S-sure, right this way!" Did I just stutter? Oh please, that's ridiculous. Grow up. Get your head out the gutter and remember, you've been single for approximately nineteen hours. Reel it in.
Rushing behind the counter, you explained all of the equipment back here, dull things like paying-in books, computers, cash counting machines…things that he knew all about, surely. He was purely humouring you, making out like this was interesting but damn, those eyes did look studious, his bent body almost humble and you wondered if this guest really was actually taking it all seriously.
"So (F/N), tell me. What happens if you get a large amount paid in? It doesn't stay here?" Your name fell from his lips like honey, deep voice silky and comforting at the same time and his piercing gaze was fixated on your badge, letters showing him the correct way to address his subordinate and you gupled visibly.
"No, no we take it out back to the safe straight away, two people at all times."
"Dual control. Excellent." How he could make two words sound so fucking sexy was beyond you, ovaries on the verge of exploding at the hidden meaning your dirty mind had dragged up - where had this person come from? This isn't me? I'm a level-headed, slightly vanilla bank worker who just got out of a long relationship, but now I'm standing here projecting hormones like a calling card onto this guy.
The shackles of unhappiness had been well and truly ripped away, leaving you with an unexpected lust and the need to go a bit wild. And why the fuck not? Isn't that what people did? It was either this or drowning in a vat of ice cream, but that helped no one, your waist line would not thank you for that kind of behaviour, so you settled for the smutty option instead, mind wandering to a well needed shopping spree to pick up some new lingerie, maybe a slip with lacy bits…
"Can I see it?"
"Huh?" Steeped in unwholesome thoughts, you missed the actual context and gaped, chest burning with what was undoubtedly a mass of red.
"The safe (F/N). May I?"
"Oh, right yea, sure. Sorry." Fuck fuck fuck fuck. "Through here, Sir."
"Erwin."
"Hmm?"
"Not 'Sir', call me Erwin."
"Thank you. Well Erwin, here she is."
"She?"
"Uh yea. I kind of give things names." Feeling decidedly foolish, you showcased the metal vault and kept your face away from Erwin, not wanting him to see how stupidly humiliated you were right now.
"Cute. What's she called?" Cute?! What is he trying to do to me?
"Agnes." A twitch of a smirk played on the man's mouth and he laughed once through his nose, large brows raised in amusement as he stood tall, looming over you deliciously.
"Ok, it's not what I expected. Who else do we have back here?" He was toying with you now, surely.
"Umm well that," you said whilst pointing to a printer. "He's Sebastian. And the scanner is Percival."
"And do Sebastian and Percival behave themselves?" Definitely taking the piss, but you couldn't help but indulge in creating lives for inanimate objects, a favourite pastime of yours during quiet shifts. Crossing your arms, you shrugged and nodded towards the machines.
"Sebastian's temperamental, keeps chewing up paper but only if you're heavy handed with him. He needs a gentle touch."
"Is that so?"
"Y-yes." Again, there was the hint of innuendo in the atmosphere and Erwin adjusted to mirror your stance, strong limbs across his chest as you continued. "No slamming the paper trays in, tell him he's done a good job, treat him right."
"It's all anyone wants really, isn't it? To be treated right?" He'd somehow gotten closer, scent captivating and you seriously thought this was it, a fantasy of sorts about to go down - random make-out session at work. Azure discs studied you, traced over your features and took them all in.
The exec felt pulled towards this new acquaintance, a woman who seemed slightly nervous but open too, confession about calling office equipment by different names coming out of nowhere and endearing him further. Stepping near, he could almost hear your breaths, see every single change in your expression and he smiled.
"(F/N), if I may be so bold, I would very much like to take you out to dinner some time." Woah. Not exactly what you were after, however you couldn't resist that chiselled face, empowered stance and his quality of etiquette. He was cool and collected, no signs outwardly of any fear at asking for a date after three minutes in one another's presence and the forward nature intrigued you no end. Raising your brows, you leant against Sebastian, elbow on top of the white plastic casing in what you hoped would seem casual, acting like this kind of thing happened every day.
"That sounds lovely, Erwin. I'd be honoured."
"Excellent." The blonde sounded excited again like when informed of the 'dual control' element of storing cash, but this instance came with a card, pristine business slip passed over from where it had been lying waiting in a pocket, one inside of the suit jacket and it felt warm in your hand, body heat imprinted on paper. "Drop me a line to confirm." It was a simple transaction, done and dusted and the large attractive man left with a wink, lighting you up and you waved awkwardly, unsure what else to do.
Standing for a moment, you turned the card over in your hands and pondered how much difference a day could make - you'd wanted to get out there and play the field for a change, try that sort of flippant personality and here it was, already beginning. In an act born from pure animal need, you lifted the rectangular item to your nose, breathing in Erwin's scent with a sigh, masculine aroma amazingly alluring. You'd be dropping that line tonight without fail.