The feeling of her fingertips brushing softly against the stubble of his jaw was perhaps the most loveliest of all feelings which Levi could ever wish to imagine within this cold world. So lovely, he dared not allow his mind to wonder but for a brief moment of time; determined to lock every detail to memory, determined to recall every brush of skin, every breath, every sigh. Determined to stop this time with her slipping by any faster than it was already guaranteed to. Arm draped around her waist, lips slowly exploring one another as he felt her legs sneak further up into his lap.

This is heaven.

Bliss, paradise – whatever one wished to call it. It was a moment in which Levi could find himself nestled within forever. A moment of time which he would always reflect on with warmness, with astonishment at how he found himself planted here. Here, with what was surely the most heavenly face that ever existed; the kindest of eyes. Eyes which spoke of a broken heart, a desperate plea for just a little bit of mending – the kind of mending which he so desperately craved for himself.

The kind which she filled his heart with; the kind which he wished to fill in return.

"I could kiss you forever." Her warm breath tickled against his chin as she mumbled the sweetest words against his lips with a hand slowly lowering to hover upon his chest. "Will you?" She lightly giggled while looping one leg over his thigh, slowly pulling herself up until she straddled him on the sofa.

"Kiss you forever?" Levi mumbled back to her with a furious blush spread across his cheeks. Mind locked in focus to the feeling of her thighs spread wide against his very own, of the warmness from her skin slowly transferring through the thin material of his trousers. At how nervous he felt for what may come next.

She hummed, slowly nodding her head while shifting his hands up to her hips. A rush of nerves shot throughout his stomach as she leaned down to pull him into another kiss. A forever kiss. A kiss which gave Levi the clear impression that this would soon be leading towards –

"What is that?" her eyes suddenly open wide upon a loud and piercing horn screaming through the air. A mere moment before the sounds of panic and cries begin to slip in from the windows, the sound of crowds running, giant footsteps crashing against the ground.

No. His heart nearly stops upon the realization of what must be taking place outside. Not again, not again, not –

"We have to go!" Lilette grabs hold of his arm. Frantic eyes search around for his cane, mind already pulled to how impossible this will all be – how inevitable. He'll lose her. No – the words are pushed from his mind as they begin to spill out into the hallway with the rest. She's not going to survive. His fingers grip tightly as his muscles will allow onto her soft hand as he leads them forward. He can't protect her. "Levi!" she cries as the crowds begin to pull her further away from him; as he feels the last finger break free from his grasp.

He can't protect her. He can't protect her. He can't –

"Levi?"

Eyes suddenly jolt awake from the feeling of hands softly shaking his shoulders, her gentle voice filled with worry as it fills the air around him. Mind pulled back to the present, to Lilette's sweet yet concerned face as she kneels down before him on the sofa and watches as his eyes begin to process his surroundings.

"Shit." His eyes clamp shut, embarrassment seeping from nearly every pore as he curses himself for allowing such a thing to happen. Allowing her to witness the terror which lays claim so very often to his evenings, the images which slip into his mind and pull all and any chance of a peaceful sleep. Not such an unfamiliar feeling – it had been quite some time since he'd obtained what most would consider a good night's sleep.

Well, that's a lie. His brow furrows upon recalling how soundly he had slept with Lilette that one night back on Paradis. The only night he found his mind care-free enough to softly close his eyes and find himself pulled into a peaceful sleep.

"Are you okay?" she shakes his knee, pulling his attention back down to where she kneels on the floor with a look of worry consuming all of her usually delicate features. He clears his throat with a quick nod. A quiet mumble of those pesky little dreams he had once warned her about; the very ones which he had wished to never burden her with. His eyes shift down to take in the oversized shirt which hangs off one of her shoulders, the one which she had borrowed before disappearing off into his bedroom while he settled in upon his sofa.

After a long night of stollen kisses while they spoke of how the last few months had been to one another, they suddenly noticed that it was quite a few hours past midnight. Not wishing for her to travel home at such a time, he offered for her to stay the night at his place – to which she quickly accepted. Though her eyes suggested – quite a few times throughout the evening – that he should feel free to sleep within the bed, his nerves hadn't yet calmed enough to permit such a thing.

"I have them, too…" she whispers while sliding up to take a seat beside him on the sofa. Fingers lightly grazing up and down his arm while his eyes drop down to take in the breathtaking smoothness of her thighs. Mind pulled to the part of his dream which had been rather pleasant, which had been rather welcomed before the terror began.

He blinks a few times before mustering the courage to stare over at her; to take in her large pupils, her curious stare. Her lips are parted, head tilted ever so slightly off to one side. Eyes locked onto him, fingers maintaining the lightest of contact against his skin as they linger on his arm while a painful silence fills the air around them. Levi's not an idiot, though he would perhaps prefer to claim himself as one in this moment rather than admit the nerves which spill throughout his body. Rather than admit how hopelessly inadequate he feels in providing what she's looking for, what he can tell she's silently wishing that he'll do.

He wants to.

Desperately, he wants to. Late night thoughts often pull to her, to images of her plump lips with red lipstick smeared. Imagining what her sighs may sound like with teeth pressed softly against the most delicate of places upon her skin. Of course, he's thought of it all – thought of the way in which he could please her, pleasure her. Claim her.

He wants to, he wishes to. Just a little bit of worry seeps into his mind as he takes a final breath before convincing himself to reach out for her. Not from a lack of desire, more from a lack of not having done any of this before. Unfamiliar territory: most certainly not one of Levi's favorite places to be, but for her –

For her, he'll go anywhere.

An arm wraps around her waist as he leans in to taste the sweetness of her lips, to feel the softness of her hair brush against his face as he pulls her further forward. Pulls her thigh across his lap – more of a guide, as it is given oh so willingly. Fingers brush up her legs, boldly slipping underneath the hem of his shirt to grip tightly around her hips and feel the slow rock of her body as it begins to sway.

Jaw tenses, a part which has been locked away for so long instantly springs to life. A moan slips into each other's mouth as their kiss deepens, unclear who mumbled it first as warmness tingles against their tongues while a slow grind switches to something filled with so much more heat. So much more urgency.

"Levi," she gasps as he shifts back against the sofa, causing his hips to press forward and provide a little more friction against the place where she appears to wish for it so desperately. To the place where his eyes slowly slide down to rest upon, to stare at the small spec of white which peeks out between her thighs. Of white lace, leaving his throat feeling dry and more than anything, left without words. To show his love through actions this evening, truthfully something which Levi always found himself more adept at: actions, not words.

Her face in this moment is more captivating than anything which he had ever witnessed before. Cheeks flushed, eyes cloudy and raw. Tiny pleas trickle down to him with every moan, every sigh, every mewl. People have always been a bit of a mystery to him, not one to be entirely sure of someone's motives or expressions; yet everything in this one moment screams merely one message. She wants him.

"Should we –" clearing his throat, he mumbles up with a flushed face, "can I…"

"Yes, please." She whispers down to him with such warmth, such sincerity in her voice that it sends a wave of serenity throughout his body. Slowly pushing away the nerves, the self-doubt that he will pale in comparison to her previous lover – all of it cast aside. What remains is the burning desire to know what something so sweet sounds like, looks like, tastes like.

He wants her. More than anything, he needs her.

In another life, he'd scoop her up within his arms and charge off towards the bedroom; yet those days are long gone. Instead, his hand wraps strongly around hers as the two stand up, one arm slinks around her waist to pull her in for a final kiss before he leads them to his bed.

Her hands are calm and steady as she begins to unbutton his shirt, needy eyes focused heavily onto his own as he feels the material slip down his shoulders before it lands softly against the ground. "Lay down," his voice is laced with such heat, it comes out far more raspy than he's ever heard before. Taken back a little by his need to please her, he groans at the tightness within his groin as she falls back softly against the quilt on his bed before slowly lowering himself down to rest between her knees.

"Levi," she starts with a frown, yet he quickly silences her with a kiss against her thigh. Endearing that she is so concerned, yet unnecessary – it's his ankle, not his knee which is unable to hold the weight it could once manage.

In a surprising move of bravery, he loops thumbs underneath to wrap around the sides of that white lace which incessantly teased him earlier. Watching as her face changes to one of bliss as he gently pulls on the material, gently causes it to brush against her most delicate of areas when her hips flinch forward. "Can I remove these?" he mumbles into her skin, lips still placing gentle kisses against her thigh as he hears a soft and muffled cry which gives him the permission he so dearly craves.

Down the lace slowly pulls. Over her knees, her shins, her ankles before it falls onto the ground where his eyes are firmly planted. Heart beating wildly as he slowly moves his gaze back up to the place where –

Oh. His eyes widen a little as he looks up at her with a warm flush breaking through his face. She's –

"Don't stare…." She squirms in embarrassment, attempting to close her legs but he gently coaxes them back open to whisper up to her, "Lilette – you're beautiful." She blushes, nose scrunching up into a mix of self-consciousness and delight. Fingers begin to slide, kneading into skin as they make their way closer and closer to the tiny damp spot which glistens mere inches away from his face. A soft breath in, he's mesmerized by the smell of lavender soap and something unknown which can only be the smell of her.

Something which leaves him feeling dizzy in his knees, desperate and needy to surround himself in it; a smell he would bathe in, if only such a thing were possible. Thumb gently swipes and he watches as a range of emotions erupt and dance across her face. Toes pointed, stomach tensed, head thrown back as fingers dig into the bedsheets – she's alive in a way which he's not yet seen before.

Alive, awakened – he's set off a reaction to something which needs more. She needs more. Deserves more and suddenly, he finds himself free of the thoughts which feel paralyzing of how frequently she felt this with another lover before. Free of the doubts that he'll please her, free of the hesitation and the fears. A man who is able to achieve the unachievable when he puts his mind to something and this – this, is something which he so desperately wishes to succeed in. Something which he will succeed in.

His other thumb moves up to begin tracing light circles in what he has identified as the area where perhaps she'll cry if brushed just the right way and –

"Levi!" Lilette moans, hips rocking forward as he presses a bit more pressure against her while his other hand continues to smear her wetness along the place where there must be a – yes, there it is. Finger begins to press into a place which quickly leaves her mouth hanging open and eyes rolling into the back of her head. Adding another, he watches as her legs fall further open, face falls further slack as he begins to brush against a spot inside which feels warm and soft.

Her ribs twitch as heavy and short breaths spill out from her lips, fueling him to deliver a trail of kisses up one thigh until his mouth moves in to replace the thumb which brushes softly against her. The moan which fills the air is perhaps the only thing more satisfying than the taste of her smoothing up against his tongue as he licks. Guided by her legs, by her moans, by the flick of her hips as his eyes zero in on every tiny little reaction; looking for any little suggestion of what she likes, what she loves.

This – she loves.

Instantly, he can tell from the way her fingers reach out to tangle within his hair. Her cries become louder with the increase of pressure, with the precise movement of his fingers as he begins to settle into a pace which apparently leaves her unravelling. Deeply unravelling, as she is soon twitching furiously against his tongue and a new taste fills his mouth as she releases a little wetness down onto him.

"Levi – that was…" her breath sounds ravished as he pulls back to stare at the mixture of reds and pinks which flush across her face; at the fullness of her breasts which press up against the thin material of his shirt which she wears.

He needs to see that again. Feel that again. He needs more.

Sliding up the smooth skin of her sides, his fingers bunch up the shirt before it slides up and over her shoulders. Revealing something which should solely exist within a dream, it's just too lovely. "Let me do something for you," she whispers while pulling herself up to a seat, hands quickly unbuttoning his trousers and sliding them down his thighs as her soft eyes smile upwards.

"Not tonight." He whispers while stepping out of each pantleg, far more interested in bringing her bliss, this evening. Before she can argue, he bends forward to rest palms against the mattress on either side of her hair. Watching as she slowly nods, legs instantly pull up to wrap around his waist as he lets out a nerve-filled breath before lowering down to pull her in for another kiss.

Many times had Levi stood naked before another throughout his life. The life of a scout had rarely afforded him a level of privacy; even less so, the life of a poor kid in the underground. So, yes – he'd been without clothing before women throughout his life. He had also caught accidental glimpses of a few women over the years.

He had never seen anything like this. Never felt anything quite like this. The feeling of her hips bucking up. The feeling of his tip brushing up against her wetness as her mouth falls open into a perfect little circle, a gasp and a cry as she wraps her arms tightly around his neck to encourage him moving down. Moving until his chest is pressed up against her own, until he felt the pounding of her heart as she pulled her legs tighter. A groan slips out from his lips as he feels himself slide inside of her.

"Levi…" she whispers after a moment of stillness, after a moment of him attempting to focus his mind. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he pulls back a little to thrust forward and nearly misses the look of perfection which fills her face upon the overwhelming sense of pleasure which breaks out across his own body. A few more moments of hips thrusting has him feeling undone, has him feeling far too flustered and in a place where control is slowly slipping through his fingers.

"Lil –" he groans while quickly pulling away to fall down upon his back beside her.

"What's wrong?" she gasps, fingers reaching out for his arm with a look of desperation spilling out from her eyes. Desperate to know why it had suddenly ended.

"I –" he winces, eyes clamped shut as he mumbles over that this was his first time.

"Wait," she pulls up to a seat. "Why-why didn't you tell me?"

He raises an eyebrow with a sarcastic stare, causing her to softly smile in understanding. "Can I?" she whispers while crawling a leg back over his thighs. He nods, eyes locked onto the way it all feels so natural when she begins to lower back down, begins to cover him with her warmness once more. "It's been a really long time –" she sighs while beginning to rock her hips in a way which has his breathing suddenly thrown into a rather erratic rhythm. Her lips curl into a gentle smile as she leans down to whisper in his ear, "I won't last long."

His worry. She's picked it up and made it her own. Made it a non-existent one; made it theirs. She's perfect, something which he felt himself a little too tired to ever expect to fall into his life. A little too closed off and wounded to anticipate someone rather easily burrowing their way into his life like this – into his heart.

And yet, here she is.

Her breath tickles against his neck as she begins to cry his name, hips rising up to meet her as he feels a rush of ecstasy course through him. Fingers gripping tightly, teeth softly crashing into skin until he feels her thighs begin to tremble from the lessening of her high. Feels her arms fall limply down against the bedsheets as the two of them stare lazily into one another's eyes.

"I'm in love with you." She whispers as a tear slowly spills down her flushed cheek; yet not one of sadness, not one of despair.

"I'm in love with you." He croaks out, lifting a tired arm to gently cup her cheek against his palm while staring into the loveliest set of eyes ever known to man. The softest smile given in return. The look of a broken heart mended.

Of two people, a little less tired and a little more at peace having found each other.

More than any other before, he loved her.

TWO MONTHS LATER

With a furrowed brow, I take a few steps back to scrutinize for what is likely the seventh time. "It's perfect." Levi calls over from the countertop, a small smirk forming over his lips at my indecisiveness.

"I just want to make sure." I blush before deciding that he's right – it's perfect. He's perfect, this – all of it. Eyes glance around to take in the four paintings which are now placed among his teashop, all with little plaques containing names and prices underneath.

My paintings. My artwork. All surrounding the mural which still captures your eye as customers walk into this shop. So many little pieces of myself decorate this place now; so many little parts of my life neatly woven in within his own. Our life – no longer just mine. No longer clinging to old memories, returning to a lonely home at the end of a long day; yet sharing new memories with Levi in our home. A new home – one meant just for he and I.

"They look great." He whispers while hands slide around my waist. I hum, happily throwing my head back against his chest while the two of us close our eyes. Allowing ourselves a few quiet moments of bliss before the shop opens, before customers come spilling in.

"I'm really happy that I met you." I whisper with a soft smile staring up at him.

Two lovers, two whom used to be strangers – allies in pain, in heartbreak. No more lonely evenings, no more walks with raindrops disguising tears. No ropes pulling us back into our past, no talk of the military, of war. No fear. Just two lovers having a quiet moment of bliss and happiness with one another. That's all, just two people in love.

Just tea, just Levi.

Just he and I.

If you've gotten this far, thanks so much for reading! While this is technically the end of the official story, I'll be posting one-shots and random little moments of their life from now on :) There are two already written, which I'll post now and then more to come at random.

I hope you enjoyed :)