ミ★ 𝘓𝘦𝘷𝘪 𝘈𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘖𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘴 ★彡

A Sweet Escape

 The moon glowed softly on you as the cold air revealed your breaths. Beyond the beaming lanterns and loud conversations in the bar, you sat alone on the steps. Nobody kicked you out, or anything; you just needed to be alone. Or, at least, away from the crowd.

Muffled steps made their way toward you, but you didn't bother looking at who it was. Only one person could have walked so quietly. "Going somewhere, Captain?" You called out.

He sat down next to you, somehow managing to keep his grace. "Actually, I was searching for you."

"Why?" Your head swiveled in his direction, but his focus remained forward. The stars shimmered in the reflection of his silver eyes.

"You don't normally skip out on a party. You and Hange like to be around people," his gaze met yours, "or am I wrong?"

You shrugged. "People are strange. They're a touchy subject."

"No, they're a stupid subject. My point was, you shouldn't be alone," he grumbled.

You smiled and leaned your head on his shoulder. "Thanks."

"Don't get clingy now," he scoffed but didn't push you away. You looked up at the sky, but his eyes were on you. "Do you want to get a better view?"

"What?"

"The sky—do you want to see it from a better angle?"

You nodded and without hesitation, he stood, taking you with him. The two of you strolled through the empty streets of the night, a comfortable silence surrounding you. He didn't want anyone to notice, but when Levi wasn't tearing his hair out from stress, it was usually because you were near.

You and Levi stood on a wooden platform that connected to the top of the walls by strong ropes. He pulled the rope, scaling the two of you up the walls slowly. You stared down at the town underneath. Everything and everyone looked so small when you were reaching for the heavens.

Levi secured the rope and helped you step onto the ground. He followed you as you sat on the edge of the wall, his sunken eyes ever so slightly widened as your legs dangled off the wall. He sat next to you, a little further away from the edge since he had seen his fair share of soldiers fall from the walls. The only difference was that they had ODM gear equipped. You did not.

"The sky is beautiful," you commented, your expression glimmering with awe. The moon cast a gentle light on your features, one that he could only describe as something he'd see in a renaissance painting.

When you turned to him, he swiftly looked down at the titans pawing at the walls. "It is," was all he could muster out.

"Hey," you called softly, "did you know you have moons in your eyes?"

He turned to you. "Did you know you have stars in yours?" He hadn't realized what he said until the words left his chapped lips. "I'm sorry."

"For what? It's a nice compliment."

"It sounded too cheesy. Too gross."

"I love cheesy; you've seen me in the mess hall, Captain," you teased.

Levi shook his head, his baggy eyes lifting up to the sky as he balled his hands into fists on the tough pavement. He wondered if he deserved to see such a beautiful canvas, one that the heavens were sweet enough to let him enjoy. Did he do enough to make up for the lost soldiers? The people he could have saved? They called it the "Levi Curse" for a reason—every soldier working under his name would soon die, no matter what.

You placed your hand on top of his. "You think too much, Captain."

He stared at you, his expression hardening. "What else is there to do when I'm not fighting?"

"You're always fighting, I think," you murmured, "you just don't realize it. This thick skull of yours," —You flicked the side of his head— "wages civil wars against itself every day. 'Regret versus Reason', 'Loss versus Logic'. When will you ever think of anything other than your failures, Captain?"

He tsked, swatting your hand away, but the words got to him. There was something about you that always just knew. You always knew what he was thinking. You always knew what he was going to tell you before the words could manufacture in his brain. "I don't always think about my failures."

You tilted your head. "What are you thinking about right now, then,?"

He turned his entire body towards you and studied. He studied the way the breeze ran through your hair. The way your lashes fell into each other every time you blinked. The way your posture was god awful, no matter how many times he told you to fix it. The way you were looking into his eyes with a smile.

"I'm thinking about you."

The words caught you off guard, but you positioned yourself to face him. "What about me?"

"How you should've combed your hair. How you still call me 'Captain' even though we are equal. How you should fix your posture," he paused, his gaze captivated by yours. "And... how your smile is contagious. How your eyes are captivating. How your eyelashes suit you, as strange as it sounds." Before you could speak, his tired eyes flicked down to your lips, then back to your eyes. "But more than anything, I'm thinking of how much I want to kiss you."

His calloused hand cupped the side of your face and he leaned in close, his lips softly brushing up against yours. Your hand found its way to the back of his head, where the fuzzy hair of his undercut grew out. His lips tasted like tea and you nearly had to stifle a laugh—was he drinking tea in the bar?

His other hand tucked your hair behind your ear as he pulled away slowly, his thumb rubbing your bottom lip. "God," he breathed, "you have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that."