I Don't Belong Here (Levi x reader)

The Jolt

"Goodnight, Sarah! Thanks for staying late, I would have been here past midnight if you didn't offer to help me close!" I say as I lock up the door to the little candle and crystal shop I work at. It was around 11 at night, and my coworker had offered to stay with me so I didn't have to close alone.

I normally do, but it was a particularly busy day with the equinox and what not. Lots of people had come in needing supplies for their crystal alters and candles to light their wishes and let burn into the next day. It's a beautiful shop and always has new supplies coming through, but it really bursts my bubble when a bunch of obnoxious fake hippy-dippy types come through and make remarks about the inauthenticity our products.

"Does this actually contain pink salt?" and "This just smells like wax, I don't really think it has essential oils in it." and my favorite "Uh, this is just water." When in fact, yes it is. But it's special water infused with crystals, right? That's your thing, right? If not, just leave. I'm here for money, not your stupid questions.

"It was really no problem, those last few customers really did a number on the back wall. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

We wave and depart our separate ways. As I walk to the bus station a block and a half down, I tie my hair into a knot at the top of my head and rest one prong of my glasses on the collar of my shirt. It had been a long night indeed, and my nose was sore from the pressure of the frames hugging my bone so tightly. Perhaps I wouldn't have such a headache if I was in a different line of work than customer service in my mid twenties.

There was always talk of a manager position open, but I always declined. It was never my intention to own a business. I wanted to do something more. I wanted my name out there with glistening, heart-felt eyes behind the sound of it, and for people to remember the good things I did. How I would manage that without becoming a fake celebrity that people worship, I had no idea.

The blinding lights of the city through the dirty window of the bus sweep past my peripheral vision as I take a window seat and plug in my headphones to my phone. I settle into my seat to enjoy an episode of anime on my 20 minute ride home. I don't really pay much attention to the dull, typical world around me that seems to do the same thing every night. The one light in front of the smoke shop always stops the bus. An old man is always fifty cents short, and a mother always ends up ignoring her upset baby at the front right row of the bus. 

And let's not forget me, the one who accidently gasps allowed at her phone, then hides it against her chest so no one can see her simping over a two dimensional man who missed his growth spurt.

When I get off the bus, I'm not too far from my house. I share it with two other girls. It's an old house, but sturdy. We do our part to keep up with it, and actually enjoy our time together in the common areas. The kitchen table is rarely ate at since it's always covered in grad school text books and half empty boxes of Oreos. The couch is in front of a nice TV that Alyssa brought from her old room at her dad's house. We play Mario Kart on there every Thursday night after ordering copious amounts of pizza delivery as a girl's night. We do alright for the most part.

On nights like these, however, both Alyssa and Jess are in bed by the time I jiggle the key twice in the lock before pulling the old wooden door tight, then once more as I push it open. Like I said, old house. 

I tip toe to my room, the first door going down the hall and drop my purse and coat on the back of my small desk chair, then sit on the edge of my bed to kick my ankle high boots off with a lazy effort. I lay on my back, watching the street lights flicker every time a car passes by my window, obstructing it's refection on the ceiling for the briefest of moments. I close my eyes, taking in my first real breathe since before I left for work. 

Before I knew it, I was drifting off into a mouth-open-drooling-on-the-pillow kind of sleep. I hadn't even changed out of my work clothes, I was still in my green cargo pants and white crop top. The boots, however, did manage to come off.

As I listened to the same, typical city sounds outside my window, I began to have a dream. Not really anything worth remembering, though. I was flying, but the clouds looked unreal. They looked hand painted. I must have been pulling inspiration from the episode of Attack on Titan that I watched on my way home tonight. Without the epic titan killing every 10 minutes, the artwork is beautiful. The land alone captures my heart every time I see it. 

I keep coasting through a descending sleep state, not even aware that this is about to be one of those dreams where you suddenly fall and jolt yourself awake. Those don't embrace me often, but when they do, I typically don't trust myself to fall asleep right away afterwards. 

It begins to dawn on me in the back of my head though, that I'll jolt awake soon. I can feel the weight of the air, the gravity pulling my dreaming mind down towards the unforgiving ground beneath me. The little voice in the back of me head says, "here it comes..." but... I keep falling.

I can't catch my breath or shake myself out of the dream. I become winded, and I can't move. I can feel the dropping sensation in my stomach, and my eyes begin to water at the outer corners from the pressure of my helpless drop through the air.

This is so intense, I begin to panic. Just shock me awake already! But it doesn't stop... I can't stop falling...