The Feeling's Mutual | Levi x Reader

seven - fortuna

"You excited?"

You ponder Petra's question. "Excited for a weekend of professionals and doctoral candidates talking about stuff I will never understand in my lifetime, pretending I'm a lot smarter than I am, and staying in the worst hotel the school could afford?"

She grins sheepishly. "Yep."

You shrug. "Kind of, honestly." 

"That's the spirit!"

"School spirit, rah rah rah," someone else says, and Oluo pops up between the two of you. One of his arms goes around Petra's shoulders; you don't miss how her cheeks go red. "C'mon, any excuse for some free food."

You roll your eyes. "Anything for free food, huh, Oluo?"

"You know it, girl!" Oluo grins. "You think they cater food for these things? Get some fancy shit?"

"Considering our budget for the transportation and living for the evening," you say dryly, glancing up at the bus, "I'm really hoping so."

The transportation in question is a giant yellow school bus, something that you haven't seen since your days in high school. It's going to be quite the sight: a hundred or so fourth year students, all dressed professionally in slacks and button ups for the conferences to come, nice outfits hidden by thick coats to protect from the cold late-November air, crammed into two yellow school buses. 

"Oh, fuck me," you hear someone grumble from behind you, and you turn around to see Gunther shaking his head. "I feel sick already."

"I have barf bags," Eld says without missing a beat.

"I didn't know you guys were coming too," you say, amused. You've known Petra since she was your roommate in first year, and you know Oluo, Gunther, and Eld in passing. You had a project with Oluo once, and he's not the greatest worker, but he's a decent guy.

That thought makes you sour because the last time you'd thought about that project was when Levi had brought it up. You scrunch your face up; you forgot he was coming on this trip too.

Eld chuckles. "Wow. You hate us that much?"

"What? No."

"That look on your face says otherwise," Gunther points out, raising his eyebrows at you.

Your eyes widen. "What? No, no- crap, no, I was just thinking of something else." You shrug sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Must've been something vile."

Wow. It's like thinking of him summoned him. You force yourself to smile tightly, looking over to the last person you wanted to see on this trip. "Yeah," you say dryly, glaring at Levi. "I wonder what."

He glares at you in return. "Yeah."

Gunther whistles lowly. "Now that's a look of disgust right there."

"Aren't you two partners in 461?" Eld asks, referring to your animal physiology course by the course code. "I'm not getting that wrong, am I?"

"I wish you were, Eld," you mutter, still glaring at Levi. "I wish you were."

"Hey, something we agree on," Levi returns. 

"How rare," you say, lip curling.

Oluo laughs. "Wow, and I thought my partner was bad. How the hell have you guys made it so far? What'd you get on the literature review?"

"Ninety five," you and Levi say in unison.

There's a chorus of groans. "That's what you get when you put the two smartest people together," Petra muses, nudging you with a tiny grin on her face. "Even if they both look like they want to kill each other."