𝚂𝚃𝙴𝙰𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚂𝙴𝙲𝚁𝙴𝚃𝚂

11

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, they're onto us!" Isabel shouted. Y/N's eyes widened and she looked up at Levi who was just zipping past her. They had just about been spotted when they were leaving the church and they had thought they had lost the military police that was after them, but apparently not.

"Levi? What do we do?" Y/N asked him.

"We practiced this a million times. Let's go down and up." he replied. Fuck. Y/N knew exactly what he meant, but the maneuver he was referring to... it wasn't easy. Sure, they practiced this a million times, but that didn't mean they were good at it. And it didn't mean that it would get rid of the MP that was after them.

"You think that'll get rid of them?" Farlan asked.

"They never use the ODM gear once they're MP. Of course it'll get rid of them." Levi answered. Well, at this point there was no time to debate it, because the bend in the cave systems that Levi meant was coming up. Y/N took a deep breath, quickly going through all the steps that were required for the maneuver without fully realising whether she was making a mistake or not. She didn't have that kind of luxury right now. And if she fucked it up, she would die either way.

She heard some noise and commotion behind her and for a second she was sure that she crashed into something or that either Isabel or Farlan had crashed into something, but then she opened her eyes and she was still zipping through the air and everyone else was right behind her or ahead of her. They had made it. They had absolutely made it. Y/N could barely believe it.

"Yes! We got those bastards!" Isabel cheered as they continued through the narrow tunnel. Y/N hoped they would get to their spot soon, because she was starting to feel the weight of the books on top of the supplies she was carrying on her back. It was weighing her down and she was honestly scared that the added weight would change the dynamics of the ODM gear so much that she would mess up that earlier maneuver. But it seemed like she had made it with sheer luck.

"Good job, everyone! Another five minutes and we should be fine." Levi announced, a small smile on his lips. Y/N's heart jumped in her chest. It was so rare to see him smiling, every time she saw it, it made her head spin and her heart beat so fast she thought she might just die.

"Is now the time to mention that I brought a few bottles of wine that's usually reserved for the MP officers?" Farlan asked.

"Fuck yeah!" Isabel replied, laughing wildly. She seemed absolutely delighted to hear that. Y/N couldn't say that she wasn't happy to hear it. It was difficult to get alcohol. Sure, people down here brewed their own stuff all the time and it usually did the job, sometimes with side effects, but it wasn't the same as alcohol that was actually enjoyable. Y/N already knew they were definitely going to keep that.

"We should open one when we get back. That was a pretty successful operation. How are you holding up, Y/N?" Levi wanted to know. Y/N just gave him a thumbs up, even though she felt like her back might break any second under the weight of the supplies and the books at the same time. But she had wanted this. She had signed up for this. And there was that smile on Levi's face again.

God, she wanted him so badly. She really, really wanted him. She wanted to kiss him, she wanted to fall asleep with him and wake up next to him, she wanted him to hold her, she wanted all of that. Maybe she should just go for it. Maybe she should risk it. She could try it after she had had a bit of that wine - it was always easy to blame the alcohol if things went sideways.

"We're here!" Levi announced all of a sudden and landed. Y/N maneuvered herself into a position from which it was easy to land without toppling over from the weight of all her books and supplies. It wasn't really as easy as it sounded, but thankfully Levi was there to catch her and keep her from falling.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks." she answered, blushing a little. It was kind of awkward that he had to help her out, but then again she was carrying more than anyone else. She quickly sat down on the ground, taking off the backpack that was filled with supplies. Her shoulders immediately felt much lighter than before. She took off both of her other bags as well and lay down on the rocky ground just to relax for a few seconds.

"What's up, Y/N, are you already done for the night?" she heard Farlan joking. Isabel chuckled a little.

"Oh, shut up. You know I'm not done. I just need a few seconds. I'm getting old, you know?" she answered. She was looking up at the top of the cave. The rock was twinkling in the moonlight that was shining into the cave. It looked absolutely beautiful and Y/N felt like she could easily fall asleep here.

"Come on, get up. Or you're not getting any of the wine." Levi teased. Y/N grinned and took a deep breath, before sitting up and moving closer to the rest of the group. She was taking one of the book bags with her, so she could flip through it while everyone else was getting drunk. She had to admit that she was way too curious to just not look through them. Knowing herself, she probably would have read them by the end of the month.

"Here you go." Farlan said as he handed her the bottle. Y/N grinned and took a big gulp from it. It was so good. After all this excitement she felt it go straight to her head. Well, at least then she'd be brave enough to maybe make a move on Levi. Hopefully. She really wanted to, but she was sure that he didn't really care about her that way. But if she never tried, how would she find out?

"So what did you get? Anything good?" Levi wanted to know as he pointed at the bag at her side. He usually didn't like to admit it, but he was always quite curious about what she was reading and whether she had learned anything new.

"I sure hope there's something good in there. Wanna have a look?" she replied, as she passed the bottle to him. Levi nodded, as she opened the bag and got out one of the books in it. It was the one she had grabbed last, before the MP came into the library to see if there was anyone. Survey Report for the Island of Paradis. She handed it to him and he took a long look at it.

"What the hell does any of that mean? What island? Paradis? Never heard of it." he said. Y/N shrugged.

"I don't know, it's not like I had any time to read it. Found it while hiding from two MPs, before you knocked on the door. Go on, open it up." she said to him, leaning in close to him, so she could see what was in the book as well. There seemed to be a good few maps and drawings in it, but none of them made sense. Isabel and Farlan were laughing about something next to them.

"What the hell is that place?" Levi wanted to know, looking up. His face was only inches from Y/N's and she could feel his breath on her cheek. It felt intoxicating to be so close to him. It felt so damn intoxicating. She didn't even know what to do with herself. She didn't know what to say to him.

"I don't know... Probably just some island..." she mumbled, her eyes darting to his lips. She could see his eyes following hers. He was closing the book and put it aside, on top of her bag. Y/N felt like they were staring at each other for an eternity and she almost thought that maybe she should just leave it be, when Levi leaned in a little further, their foreheads touching.

This was it. This was her chance. She leaned in closer, closing the distance between them and kissing him. His lips felt a little chapped, but not in a bad way. He tasted of wine, just the same as her, probably. She could feel that he was surprised for a second, but then she felt his hands in her hair, as he pulled her closer, deepening their kiss.