WARNING: Somewhat smutty? Like, no real smut but kinda close, I guess. They're teenagers ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Training both flew by and lasted forever.

Levi stayed close to her the whole day, incessantly tugging up her collar to hide the mark. Sometimes Aubrey had felt like he was even more focused on keeping her collarbone covered than he was focused on training. She couldn't say she really minded. Every time he touched her, his eyes would get that hungry look and she would feel sparks flying in her stomach. The intensity of his stares was so great that Aubrey wondered if he'd even let her eat dinner before he dragged her back to the room.

When the bell finally rang to announce dinner, Aubrey barely had time to land before she heard the thump of Levi's boots next to her. Before she could even look at him, his hand was in hers.

She turned to him, smiling.

"Dinner?"

He nodded but Aubrey didn't see the kind of hunger that desired food on his features.

She had to hold back a laugh. She couldn't believe that she'd gotten him so riled up this morning that the effects had lasted all day.

But he would have to wait. They still had dinner and tea with Erwin to get through. Their night would certainly be a test of his patience.

"Okay, let's go then."

Aubrey started toward the castle and Levi followed her easily.

They walked silently but Aubrey could feel Levi's eyes still on her. When they'd almost reached the castle, she looked at him, expecting him to avert his gaze. But he didn't. That hunger had only grown stronger.

Aubrey had an idea. Perhaps he needed just a little something to tide him over.

She pulled him into the castle with a bit more spring in her step.

Their heels clacked on the floor and Aubrey pulled them through the castle toward the Mess Hall. But about halfway there, her eyes darted to the side and she turned to Levi, a sly smile on her lips.

Levi's eyes narrowed but he didn't even have time to open his mouth before Aubrey yanked him down a dark side hallway. It was short and it didn't take her very long to round the corner and be out of sight.

She didn't waste any time.

Levi's back slammed into the wall as her hands found his hair and her lips crashed into him. She heard a low rumble in his throat and knew she didn't have a chance at resisting when he wrapped an arm around her and reversed their position.

The stone wall was cold on her back and Levi was pressing his body against her so tightly that Aubrey knew he could feel every breath, every twitch, every movement.

His hands found her head and he locked his fingers against her scalp and he pushed his lips against her even harder.

Aubrey could barely breathe. She wasn't sure they'd ever kissed so… intensely. Every time Levi's mouth met hers, his tongue explored every corner of her mouth. She'd been the one to start this encounter but he was in control now.

Levi's hands dropped from her hair but his body kept her pressed into the wall and his lips never left hers. Aubrey couldn't help the moan that escaped her when his fingers slid down her sides.

His hands stopped at her hips and he pushed her even harder against the stone. The force was almost crushing but Aubrey didn't care. It was what she wanted.

Levi kept her there for a moment and Aubrey let her hands roam all over his body. She slid them down his neck, over his chest, across his shoulders, everywhere. She couldn't seem to get enough contact.

Levi felt the same.

One of his hands left her hips and he slid it under her thigh, wrapping her leg around his back. He heard Aubrey gasp but she was quieted when his tongue went past her lips again.

His right hand went down her left leg, her last pillar of support, and he yanked.

Aubrey squealed into his mouth as she completely left the floor. Levi was supporting her completely with just the pressure of his body pinning her to the wall.

She tightened her legs around his back and she heard some kind of groan slip from him.

Her hands found his hair again and the feeling of his fingers digging into her thighs made her so crazy that she almost couldn't take it.

She started to fight back against his tongue. Levi groaned again, though it was closer to a growl this time.

Aubrey started to bite at his lip but just as she thought she was getting somewhere, she felt his hand slip under her shirt and his fingers splayed across her bare stomach.

She gasped and lost whatever ground she'd gained when Levi's tongue reentered her mouth.

His fingers dragged across the skin of her abdomen and sides and Aubrey moaned. Her head was spinning.

Suddenly, Aubrey felt his hand sliding a little too high and she started to panic. If any kind of clothing came off, she didn't know if she'd be able to stop. And they certainly couldn't do this in a hallway. She'd only intended for this to be a few seconds long. They'd already gone far beyond that.

She tried to break away to speak but Levi sensed her intentions and snapped a hand to her jaw, holding her in place.

Aubrey was stunned for a second. All he was doing was making it harder for her to find the will to break away.

But she tried again.

She pulled away successfully this time and Levi's mouth found her neck as she caught her breath. He'd left her gasping for air and hardly able to think.

It took quite a few deep breaths before she could finally speak, but even then she was still panting.

"Levi… we have… to stop."

Levi grunted and put his lips back on hers. Aubrey kissed him but broke away after just a few seconds.

"We're in a… hallway, Levi."

Aubrey felt his mouth on her collarbone but he didn't have quite the same intensity as before. She was getting through to him.

"We have dinner… and then tea… with Erwin…"

Levi went over the sensitive spot and she choked back her gasp. She reached for his face and pulled him back until she could look in his eyes.

"But then we have... all night."

Levi stared at her, his mind swirling. He didn't want to stop. But possibility after possibility flashed before his eyes and he eventually pressed his lips to hers. He could wait a little longer. It would be worth it. The things they could do in a bed were far better than what they could do in a dusty side-hall.
Levi sank to the floor and Aubrey's back slid down the wall as he fell to his knees. He lowered her all the way to the ground and Aubrey wrapped her arms around his neck as they caught their breath together.

Her mind flashed from moment to moment, processing what had just happened. At first, there was only a tug at the corner of her lips. But then the tug turned to a smile and the smile turned to a giggle.

Levi raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. Her arms were still around his neck and their faces were only a few inches apart.

"Oi, what's so funny?"

Aubrey calmed herself enough to answer him.

"Levi… did we just… make out in a hallway?"

Levi smirked at her.

"Wanna do it again?"

Aubrey's giggle bounced off the walls around them and she pulled him into a hug. She was afraid to kiss him for fear that his joke would turn into a reality.

Levi still accepted her embrace and he held her tightly as his lips found her neck again. He only stayed there for a moment and then, suddenly, Aubrey felt him lift her from the floor.

She held him to her even tighter when her feet steadied. They'd have to go back now and suddenly she was regretting making him stop.

They'd just have to get through the night quickly.

Aubrey grabbed Levi's hand, squeezed, and then moved away. Her fingers went to the seam of her shirt, tucking it back into her pants. When she looked up, she saw Levi smirking at her again but she just ignored him. She brushed stray strands of hair out of his eyes and then smoothed her own hair back. Levi tugged her shirt up over the once again exposed mark.

"Oi, when we go to town tomorrow buy a shirt that covers this shit."

Aubrey smiled as she straightened his collar and tugged his jacket down.

"Yes, sir."

Levi grunted at her response and tried to ignore the deep twang in his gut.

Finally, Aubrey thought she'd gotten them looking back to normal but she didn't have a mirror to check.

"Okay, how do I look?"

Levi stared at her for a moment. He didn't see any signs of their encounter but even if he had, his answer would have been the same.

"Beautiful."

Aubrey froze for a moment but when his arms wrapped around her, she melted into him, a giddy smile on her lips. He was getting better with words.

Aubrey found his lips and she kissed him despite her prior fears that she wouldn't be able to stop. She couldn't help herself after he'd said something so sweet.

Somehow, they managed to prevent themselves from repeating the process all over again and Aubrey moved her mouth to Levi's ear when they broke away.

"I love you."

Levi put his lips on her neck and Aubrey knew that he was saying it back.

Her grin grew even wider and she found his hand, twining their fingers.

"Let's go."

Levi kissed her neck one last time and then moved back to let her lead the way.

Aubrey tugged on his hand and in just a few seconds they rounded the corner, made their way down the short hallway, and were back on the path to the Mess Hall.

There were still soldiers trickling in as they walked and Aubrey had to stop herself from laughing. She couldn't believe what they'd been doing just around the corner as the entire regiment walked by. Aubrey glanced at him and, from the look on his face, she figured he was thinking about the same thing.

They made their way through the castle in silence and then rounded into the Mess Hall. It didn't take long for Aubrey to spot Erwin. Hange was next to him, talking rather excitedly. Aubrey thought she had a pretty good guess about what.

Levi tugged on her hand and they headed for the back of the room where he fulfilled his habit of watching her fill her plate before starting on his own. Aubrey couldn't contain her smile when he finally took her hand again and they made their way over to the table.

Erwin watched them as they walked. Very rarely had he seen Aubrey look so… content. Her eyes were glued to Levi's face as they walked and he returned the gesture. Somehow, they still seemed to be able to navigate the room while never looking away. Aubrey's mouth looked like it was stuck in a permanent smile. And it wasn't that Aubrey's smile was a rare sight, in fact it was quite the opposite, but when she looked at Levi… Erwin could see something different. A piece of her that was usually hidden and tense somehow relaxed. And it showed.

Erwin sighed as they grew closer. He'd been uneasy about Aubrey's relationship with Levi from the start. Levi was dangerous, unpredictable, and the last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt again.

But things hadn't turned out that way and now Aubrey had another person in her life to lean on. So, despite his reservations, he would be happy for her. For them both.

Aubrey finally slid into the seat beside him and she turned to look at him. All he could see was the happiness in her eyes.

"Hi."

Erwin chuckled.

"Hello. How are you?"

Aubrey took a bite of her food and then answered.

"Splendid, thank you."

Erwin smiled widely. She was in a particularly good mood as well.

"Good. Hange tells me you had an interesting day of training."

Aubrey froze for a second but quickly forced herself to keep moving. She didn't want to look suspicious. Had Hange seen what they'd done on the field?

Aubrey's eyes flicked between Erwin and Hange, searching for any sign that they were referring to her exchange with Levi. Thankfully, she found nothing and she instantly relaxed. There was only one other thing they could be talking about.

"Yes. I was teaching Levi."

Erwin nodded.

"And how did it go?"

"She's easily distracted."

Aubrey nearly choked on her potatoes.

"Really?"

Thankfully, Erwin hadn't picked up on the teasing tone in Levi's voice.

Aubrey slapped his leg under the table. If anything, he was the easily distracted one. She'd barely even touched him during their lesson and he'd lost all ability to pay attention for the rest of the day.

"I am not!"

Aubrey answered Erwin's question before Levi could say something even more promiscuous.

Erwin just laughed at her response and Aubrey shot Levi a glance that told him he'd be getting it later.

That was fine by him.

"You're going to show me again tomorrow, right?"

Hange broke the tension and Aubrey turned to her, grateful for a slight change in subject.

Aubrey shook her head.

"No, not tomorrow. Levi and I are going into town."

Hange looked instantly discouraged.

"For what?"

"She needs a new shirt."

Aubrey couldn't believe what she was hearing. She kicked Levi in the shin.

"And um, we need some groceries. We have a kitchen now."

Aubrey hurried to cover Levi's tracks before Hange could ask her why she needed a new shirt.

It worked.

"You know you're welcome to take anything from the kitchens, Aubrey."

Erwin changed the topic and Aubrey nearly sighed in relief.

She hurried to answer him.

"Thanks, but I want something a little more exciting than green beans and potatoes every night."

Erwin laughed and nodded.

"Fair enough."

Aubrey sat back, relieved that she'd managed to navigate Levi's second round of teasing. He was really going to get it.

"But you'll show me the day after, right? Before training starts?"

Hange broke in again, still anxious to know that her wish would be fulfilled.

Aubrey's brows furrowed as she thought things over. If she was really going to teach Levi, she'd have to make time for it. They didn't practice hand-to-hand combat all that often during training and when they did it usually wasn't for a very long time. The best time to teach Levi would be before training started. They probably wouldn't be needing to go to the Mess Hall much after tomorrow. They'd have their own food in their room. That meant they'd have some extra time to practice. Plus, Levi was an early riser, anyway. He probably wouldn't mind.

Aubrey glanced at him but found that he was waiting for her answer the same way Hange was. Whatever she said would go.

Aubrey smiled.

"Yes. The day after tomorrow, before training starts."

Hange practically squealed and she jumped in her seat.

Aubrey couldn't help but laugh at her excitement. If there was one thing Hange never failed to do, it was get excited.

Aubrey turned back to her food but only managed to get in one more bite before Hange spoke again.

"Aubrey, I have to know, why is your style so close? Being that near your opponent obviously puts you at risk."

Aubrey nodded and took another bite. It was a good question.

"You're right. It's very risky. But the whole idea is that you master the movements before you ever actually use the style. It takes a long time to learn and it's not very practical if you just want to figure out how to protect yourself quickly. But once you know it…" Aubrey met Hange's eyes. "It's almost impossible to beat."

Hange was so amazed that she couldn't even speak.

Aubrey felt a little grateful for that.

Erwin took advantage of the silence.

"Would you mind if I watched, also? I won't stick around for too long, I'm just… curious."

Levi scoffed.

"God, it's going to be a whole fucking circus."

Aubrey smacked him again, this time on the shoulder. When she was satisfied with an annoyed but silent look on his face, she turned back to Erwin.

"Of course, Erwin. You're welcome to watch."

Erwin just laughed at her. Levi obviously wasn't a fan of the idea but she didn't seem to care.

"Thank you."

Aubrey smiled at him, hoping that Levi's comment wouldn't deter him from actually coming. If there was anyone who should know her fighting style besides Levi, it was him.

Erwin broke the silence again as he stood from his seat and grabbed his empty tray.

"Well, I'm going to head back to my office. I'll see you later?"

Aubrey nodded.

"Yes, we'll just make the tea and then we'll be up."

Erwin smiled.

"Take your time. I'll see you in a bit."

Aubrey watched him disappear from the Mess Hall before she finally turned back to her food. This time she was actually able to get a few bites down before she was interrupted.

"Oh, Aubrey."

She looked up to see Hange staring at her, a puzzled expression on her face.

"I was thinking about that tea you were making the other day. You said it was for stress, right? But you were using anemone flower. I couldn't find any mention of it being used to treat stress."

Aubrey nearly spit out her food and she heard Levi choke. Thank god Erwin wasn't there.

Aubrey looked up at Hange and had to resist the urge to glare. Sometimes, she asked far too many questions.

Aubrey pulled herself together. If she didn't answer quickly, Hange would instantly pick up on her hesitation and know that she was lying.

"I couldn't tell you, Hange. It was my father's recipe. It's always worked for me so I've never questioned it."

At least that was partially true. It was her father's recipe.

Aubrey almost sighed when Hange nodded.

"Hm, I might look into it. Maybe your father knew something we don't."

Aubrey laughed.

"I'm sure there's a lot of things my father knows that we don't. But maybe it should stay that way."

Hange faltered. She hadn't thought about the fact that bringing up Aubrey's father might make things awkward.

Aubrey sensed the shift in the air and decided that it was her turn to ask a question.

"Tell me about your research. What's new?"

Hange's face lit up and the atmosphere shifted immediately.

Aubrey shifted her eyes to Levi as Hange began to talk and she smiled teasingly at him. She knew he didn't appreciate Hange's endless questions and explanations. She squeezed his hand beneath the table. He'd get used to it.

Hange rambled on and Aubrey hardly ever had to answer with anything more than a nod or a short "yes". At one point, Hange asked if she'd be willing to participate in an experiment again and Aubrey had agreed without even thinking about it. Oh well. She'd just go along with it.

Finally, Aubrey finished her food and she stood immediately, taking Levi's hand and pulling him from his seat.

Thankfully, Hange had finished too and there was a natural break in her story telling.

"Well, thanks for the conversation, Hange. Let me know when you want to run that experiment and we'll do it."

Hange nodded eagerly.

"Sure!"

Aubrey smiled at her.

"Goodnight, Hange."

"Goodnight."

With that, Aubrey turned and moved to discard her tray, pulling Levi along behind her. When they had gotten rid of their plates, Levi twisted toward the exit but Aubrey tugged him in an entirely different direction. She was headed for the kitchens.

"Oi. Where are we going?"

Aubrey smiled.

"We have to make tea for Erwin."

Levi grunted.

"Can't he make his own tea?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes.

"We're going to be drinking it too, idiot."

Levi stared at her. Maybe he was a bad influence on her language.

Aubrey just giggled at his reaction and pulled him faster.

Finally, they burst through the doors to the kitchen. There were a few people moving about and they all turned to look at her. She just grinned and moved on. They all knew who she was.

Aubrey pulled Levi over to the stove and lit a fire inside of it.

"Get me that kettle, please."

Levi eyed her but did as she said.

Aubrey took it from him and filled it with water before leaving it to warm up.

She quickly moved on to readying the tea leaves as well as filling a small cup with milk and another with sugar. Both her and Erwin liked their tea sweetened.

"Don't tell me you put that shit in your tea."

Aubrey glanced at him.

"I take it you like it black, then."

"You don't?"

Aubrey laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"No. I actually have a sweet tooth. Remember that for our anniversary." She winked at him and then turned back to the tea.

Levi scoffed but he felt a wave of adrenaline go through him. The idea that they could be together for a year, for longer than a year even, made his gut twist in a way he'd never experienced. If he could, he'd spend forever at her side. And he'd buy her as much candy as she wanted.

As soon as the water started to boil, Aubrey started with the tea and she was ready to go after just a few more minutes. She picked up the tray but Levi quickly took it from her, balancing it on one hand and then locking their fingers.

Aubrey smiled and kissed his cheek. He was too sweet.

Levi guided them out of the kitchen and back through the Mess Hall until they were wandering through the castle. He knew the way to Erwin's office so he was able to lead instead of having Aubrey direct him. He was starting to get used to the place.

They walked quietly but every so often Aubrey would press her lips to his shoulder. He squeezed her hand every time she did.

After just a short while, they arrived outside the familiar wooden door. Levi stepped back so that Aubrey could knock but before she raised her hand, she turned to him.

Her hand reached into his hair and she pulled his lips to hers. She didn't hold him there for long, pulling away after just a few seconds.

She looked into his eyes, smiling up at him.

"I love you."

Levi let a small smile take over and Aubrey grinned at him before turning away and knocking on the door.

It was only a second before Aubrey heard the words she needed.

"Come in."

Aubrey glanced at Levi one last time and then pushed the door open.

A/N: Okay, so, FOR SURE smut next chapter lol. I don't think I really planned for it to happen that way but… it's gonna. And it's gonna be spicy lol. Somebody commented that "they need to go to horny jail" and I just about died laughing. THEY'RE TEENAGERS, Y'ALL. You're right tho lol. But I think this is the last smut before we get back to the story, so I hope that puts you at ease. We've got a smut chapter, a fluff chapter (or two), and then we're moving on to story.

Also, guess who finished Chapter 1 of Book 2… me… I did. And it's 23 pages long lol.

I've been thinking that I might go back and edit this book slowly. I won't change anything that significantly alters the story but I feel like my writing style has changed/improved since I started and there were DEFINITELY some cringey parts at the beginning lol. Second-hand embarrassment FOR REAL.

And can we appreciate that we're at 50 CHAPTERS. I honestly never thought I would make it this far. Before I started this fic I had a horrible habit of getting about 20,000 words in and then losing motivation. But this fic is almost to 200,000! I can't even comprehend that.

Y'all know the drill with comments. LEAVE ONE. That's all I'll say for this chapter lol. I give a speech about comments in pretty much every single A/N so I think y'all get it by now.

P.S. Thank you to everyone who's been wishing me luck in school… I love you.