Yet another request that has been chilling in my inbox since the ice age. Don't forget to review and share with your shipping buddies! Unless you hate it, which is cool too. Enjoy! :D

Mikasa gripped the tiny box tightly in her hands, biting her lip as she stared at it nervously. She was second-guessing every decision that brought her to this moment; questioning every little thought and whim and idea that had occurred to her in the past week.

It was Boxing Day: an event typically reserved for recovering from the holidays and searching out refund policies on unwanted presents. But Christmas wasn't just Christmas to Mikasa, or to anyone in the Scouts. It was also the anniversary of something that would one day become a gift to them all.

Yes, Levi, arguably one of the least festive soldiers in the entire military, shared his birthday with the holiday itself; making it impossible for anyone to forget it and, by extension for him to get any peace on the day. Mikasa had tried her very best to get her gift to him on time, but whenever she'd found him, he was surrounded by well-wishers and friends; other higher-ups and people higher up again, eager to bestow gifts and sing him into his next year of life. They gave him ornately-wrapped presents, and of what Mikasa saw, he was now the proud owner of an expensive new cravat, several decorative daggers and a thick winter coat, to name only a few. Mikasa had looked mournfully at her own meagre present, wondering if it was a little too simple or obvious.

Eventually night had come, and Mikasa had a dinner she promised to attend – and she hadn't gotten a single chance to get Levi alone. So she hid his gift under her mattress and made a (rather flexible) promise to give it to him the following day.

It had come faster than she'd expected and now she stood several feet away from him as he moved down the hallway, paying her no mind as he flicked through paperwork. She considered using these last seconds before he noticed her to make her retreat; to back into the nearest room and not come out until Easter. After all, he'd been positively showered in the best kinds of possessions the day before – there was no way a cheaper, albeit well-meant; smaller and plainer day-late gift from a subordinate could even compare.

Yeah, it was probably best to leave the issue alone. Mikasa had almost completely made up her mind to leave; she'd turned her back to walk away; when Levi spoke.

"What are you doing here, Ackerman? Don't you have training or something this morning?"

"Uh—" Mikasa faced him again, hiding the gift behind her back. "Yeah. I was just on my way there now."

"What are you hiding?" He tucked the clipboard under his arm, looking not the least bit curious as his question would imply.

"Oh, nothing."

He didn't buy it. Mikasa didn't, or rather couldn't, seem to move as Levi walked around her and regarded the package in her hands. "It has my name on it."

Mikasa ducked her head, her hair falling around her face enough to hide the soft blush rising on her cheeks. "It was…I mean, I know you don't particularly seem to celebrate your…I just wanted to…"

She peered at Levi through her dark locks and realised by the impatient look on his face that she wasn't getting out of this one easily. So with a small sigh, she steadied her nerves and handed the package to him. "Here."

Impatience morphed into confusion as Levi took the small box from her and opened it. He wouldn't find anything amazing inside; just a trinket Mikasa had discovered in town.

It was a small teapot and cup for one, old and chipped but a kind of beautiful Mikasa couldn't walk past when she first saw it. It reminded her of him somehow. Perhaps it was because the Corporal was hardly ever seen without a teacup in his hand, or perhaps it was because he, like the antique crockery, was well-worn but serviceable, with a long, mysterious and probably incredible history.

Mikasa had felt compelled to buy the teapot, though at first, she had no idea what she'd use it for. The shopkeeper had leaned on the counter and gazed at her the whole time, and slid her a packet of black tea to go with her purchase. She'd thanked the strangely-behaved man and left the store, and as fate would have it, happened to walk past Captain Hange, who was explaining to Mike her plans to present Levi with a supply of cleaning rags for his birthday as a joke. Mikasa had looked down at the teapot she was cradling carefully in her arms and lit up, somehow just knowing exactly what she wanted to do with it. She ran home then to wrap the gift and store it under her bed.

As excited as she was then, Mikasa was a little nervous now, as Levi lifted the gift from the box. He didn't speak right away; he just stared at the teapot with a wide-eyed expression Mikasa couldn't decipher.

"So, um," she said after a full minute of silence. "I should…go."

He said nothing still, so she turned on her heel and started down the hall, rubbing her eyes. Did he really hate the gift? Or was he just confused that she'd given him one at all? Or worse, offended? Or-?

"Wait."

Levi had put the gift back in the box and was holding it in his left hand so he could reach out to Mikasa with his right, taking a hold of her arm to stop her from leaving.

Mikasa froze, looking down at his hand then turning to look at his face. If his expression was unreadable before, it was positively enigmatic now. Then something she never thought she'd witness happened – the barest hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Thank you," he said quietly, before leaning in to kiss her softly on the cheek. Mikasa didn't move, hardly even breathed, until he let her go altogether and, with a final glance, turned and walked away.

Mikasa watched him go with a pleased smile on her face, and brought a hand up to touch the tips of her fingers to where he'd kissed her.

"Happy birthday, Sir."