A/N: I'm so so SO sorry for the wait! This is the longest I've gone between publishing chapters (which I know a little over a week isn't very long compared to lots of fics, but still I feel bad). My week has been literal hell with the workload I just received. In fact, I really need to be working now but fuck it. For sanity's sake, I did this instead.

But! It is the longest chapter thus far, so there's that.

Anyway, this is a very fluffy and lemony chapter that seeks to flesh out just what Mikasa and Levi's relationship is becoming.

Possible Spoiler Alert: It's not really a spoiler but this chapter does reference something that isn't revealed until season 4 (manga chapter 107). Again, I don't explain anything so it doesn't really spoil much, but I felt I should give a shout in case. If you want to skip this, it's at the beginning of their pillow talk after the lemon. Skips to the words "I don't trust many people, Levi" if you want to get past it.

Disclaimer: I do not own AOT/SNK or any of the characters used in this fic.

CHAPTER 10: SETTLING DEBTS

Today was supposed to be a good day. A happy day.

Mikasa and Eren were once again free. Hange's wall cannons were successfully wiping out titans by the dozens. The Scout Regiment (if you could really call nine people a whole regiment) had been honored in front of the entire military as heroes of humanity.

So why did Mikasa feel like absolute shit?

"You two got emotional and Captain Levi did the same."

Even above the drunken din of the Scout barracks, Floch's words from earlier in the day echoed through Mikasa's mind. He was right. Armin shouldn't be alive. She knew that, but looking at his smiling face as he chatted exuberantly with Connie and Eren, she was selfishly so thankful he was.

Then there was Eren.

Or more aptly, his face when he had touched Historia's hand as she presented him with his medal earlier that day. She knew him well enough that something had happened, but he wouldn't say anything when she'd cornered him about it afterward. What had he seen?

"This is supposed to be a party. So why do you look like someone just killed your best friend?" A voice startled her out of her thoughts and a small, rigid body sat down on the bench beside her.

Levi.

On top of everything else, there was him and whatever this strange new unspoken connection was that existed between them.

She had spent the last week behind bars playing that night over and over in her mind. What did it mean? Was it a one-time thing? Sure, they had been flirting at something for weeks, but things were different now. He'd hadn't visited the stocks at all over the week. In fact, this was the first time he had spoken to her. Had he been avoiding her? Had he gotten what he wanted? What was she to him?

Endless questions swirled in Mikasa's mind and berated herself for thinking like an impetuous child. She snuck a look at him, to see if she could glean anything from his expression, but he was as infuriatingly dark and cool as ever.

"A lot of reasons that don't concern you," she lied. "Just forget about–"

He cut her off with an irritated sigh. "If this is about what Floch said, fuck him. We've been over this. What he said is a damn fact, but that doesn't make it a bad thing. I did get emotional, but it wasn't because of you. It was because I couldn't stand the thought of bringing Erwin back to this Hell on Earth. He fought so hard for so long and dammit if he didn't deserve that warrior's death. And I'll gladly take the blame for that. It was my choice, remember that, so don't you dare blame yourself for Erwin's death." Mikasa sat in stubborn silence. "So what else is eating you?"

She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. Levi was right. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration. No sense in dragging him down. Instead, she muttered, "It's nothing."

"Tch. You think I don't know you better than that? You can be such a brat sometimes," he said, shaking his head at her caginess, but Mikasa didn't miss the hint of concern in his voice. It sent a thrill of pleasure through her, followed quickly by a tremor of guilt. She hated making him worry about her, even if she was secretly glad he did.

Fortunately, she was saved from having to answer when Sasha stood on the table. "Attention, everyone! I think it is time we all played a game," she slurred giddily, though Mikasa couldn't tell if she was drunk on booze or the copious amounts of food they had been given as thanks.

"Oi!" Levi called. "Get your filthy fucking feet off the table, Braus! We eat off that. Not that I will be anymore."

"That argument isn't going to work on her. Sasha would eat right off a pile of titan vomit, Captain," Connie yelled boisterously.

"Only if it was meat!" Sasha fired back defiantly as if that helped her cause in any way. "Anyway," she stressed with a glare at Connie, "I think we should play Never Have I Ever!"

"Lame. That's a kid's game, potato girl," Jean griped.

"So? We never really had the chance to be kids. So I say that for this one night, we live the childhood we never got. With booze, of course," she giggled. "Anytime you've done something someone says they haven't, you drink?"

Even Levi couldn't disagree with her logic. Scouts had traditionally never come from easy lives, but these six had had it worse than most. They'd all had their childhood snatched away unceremoniously at a young age when Wall Maria fell.

Even if he still thought the game was stupid. "That's my cue," he said, making a move to leave."
"Where do you think you're going, Levi?" Hange materialized behind him, draping herself across his shoulders until he was forced to sit back down.

"Jesus, did you put on weight, four eyes, or is it just your head getting bigger since your promotion?"

"Ha, ha, very funny. And just for that, I am ordering you to stay here and play this game with us," Hange said triumphantly, plopping down between Jean and Connie.

"Court marshall me, then," he said, getting up again. This time, it was Mikasa who stopped him, catching his hand in a vice-like grip under the table.

"You better not make me suffer through this alone," she muttered to him. He glared at her, but snorted and sat back down, glancing around to make sure no one had noticed their moment.

"Perfect!" Sasha squealed. "I'll start. Never have I ever had a crush on everyone in the military."

Everyone, except for Sasha and Hange, groaned and raised their drinks to their lips, Levi included. For once, he was thankful his relationship with Petra hadn't been a secret. Everyone would think this drink was for her and that Mikasa's was for Eren.

Under the table, Mikasa felt Levi's hand settle on her thigh. It was warm, but she couldn't tell if that was actually his hand or the sudden rush of heat that flooded to her core. Maybe it was just the gulp of whiskey settling into her stomach…

His eyes slid seductively sideways to her as his hand slid up her thigh so slightly. Not far enough to be crude in public but enough to get his intentions across loud and clear. Nope, definitely not the whiskey.

That answered one of Mikasa's questions, anyway.

Connie went next. "Never have I ever…turned into a titan!"

"Hey, that's a cheap shot!" Armin cried. Mikasa knew he was a lightweight and would be on his lips before anyone knew it.

Next went Hange, then Jean, and Levi was next in line.

"Alright, Captain, your turn."

"Tch. Never have I ever been so disgusted by a group of soldiers under my command."

"Nope! Doesn't count," Hange declared. "Try again."

"Tch. Fine. I've never–"

"You have to say 'never have I ever'!" Hange corrected.

"Fuck off, four-eyes!" Was Mikasa ever going to pay for making him endure this banal torture with her. "Never have I ever…been a titan-obsessed weirdo who'd rather study them than chop them apart."

Hange paused. "You know, I don't know that I technically qualify as–"

"Drink, commander!" the whole table chorused. Hange shrugged and down her whole glass.

"Mikasa?"

"Never have I ever," she paused and thought for a moment, "not repaid a debt."

Everyone else looked around confused, not sure if they should drink or not, but it didn't matter. Mikasa hadn't said it for them. She had said it for the benefit of one person only, and he'd heard loud and clear, judging by how hard his fingers were now digging into her thigh. Her power to wind him up with something so simple gave her immense pleasure.

"Okay, what constitutes debt? Like are we talking money, or a promise?" Everyone broke out in chatter amongst themselves, bickering over whether they needed to drink for that or not.

Levi took their distraction as an opportunity to purr in her ear. "Ready to trade these childish games in for something more…adult?" She met his eyes briefly, but that was all it took to rouse a tidal wave of desire in Mikasa. She nodded almost imperceptibly. "Wait a bit after I leave."

Levi rose and swung his legs over the bench seat, making a beeline for the door.

"Captain Levi! Where do you think you're going?" Sasha whined.

"To get drunk in some peace and quiet," he spat and left the room.

Mikasa forced herself to stay seated through a few more rounds of the game, but she was crawling in her skin, a combination of anxious and excited to be alone with Levi again.

Finally, Mikasa decided she had waited long enough and faked a big yarn.

"Tired, Mikasa?" Armin asked, hiccuping between words.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to go to bed."

"Aw, that's no fun!" Eren piped up. At least he had finally loosened up from earlier. She was happy to see him distracted from whatever was bothering him.

"I never claimed to be the fun one," she said and made for the door. Fortunately, everyone was too drunk to either notice or put up much of a fight to keep her around, so she was able to steal quietly down the hall, not toward her room, but Levi's.

Back in his quarters, Levi paced, back and forth, back and forth, feeling like ants were swarming under his skin.

Suddenly, a quiet rap sounded on the door and Levi practically leaped across the room to open it. If it was Hange, he might truly kill her.

But it wasn't. It was Mikasa, standing shyly in the doorway with her face half-sunken into her scarf as if she was suddenly embarrassed to be there.

Levi wanted to throw himself at her, to yank her into the room and shove her onto the bed, but he restrained himself, stepping to the side and allowing Mikasa to enter of her own volition. That was a start.

But once the door clicked shut behind them, Levi found himself unable to resist her. For the last week, all he had been able to think about was her. The way her teeth dragged across his lower lip, the cool trail of her drying saliva as she traced his jawline with her tongue, the sound of her breathing as he became one with her…

Levi grabbed her hand and reeled her into him until her lips collided with his. She was tense at first, but slowly melting against him, surrendering into that which felt so dangerous and so safe all at once. Gently, she pushed her tongue into Levi's mouth, to which he gladly complied.

Suddenly, she broke away, breathing heavily. "Capta–"

"Levi," he corrected.

"Levi…Before we go any further, I wanted to ask you something. I don't mean to sound like a silly schoolgirl, but…I wanted to know…"

"What are we?" he finished for her. "You want to know what this makes us. It's not silly, but it is simple. What do you want us to be?"

"It's not just what I want that matters though," she said, evading the question.

He let out a breathy laugh. Impossible woman. "You really haven't figured out what I want yet? And here I thought you were reasonably intelligent." She blushed and tried to look away, but he caught her chin and reeled it toward him, planting a long, deliberate kiss on her lips. "Let me spell it out for you, Ackerman." His lips moved to the soft spot just below the corner of her jaw. "I like you. Far more than I should. And I like you for more than what you might think. I've tried to reason myself out of it, and I can't, so it seems the best I can do is try to be smart about how we proceed." He pulled away and looked at her dead in the eyes. "If that's what you want, anyway."

Mikasa felt like she couldn't breathe, so her words came out strangled. "It is. I…I want to be close to you, Cap–Levi. I want to be someone precious to you." The instant the words fell from her lips, she blushed at how stupid and naive they sounded.

He drew her closer. "Then that's that. Stop overcomplicating things. Everything else is goddamn complicated enough right now. But this," he whispered against her lips, "this is the simplest thing in the world."

It wasn't entirely true. He was her captain, after all, meaning there was a whole laundry list of reasons why they shouldn't be doing this. But then again, the world was entirely fucked. Moreso than he had ever imagined, as it turned out, so Levi could no longer bring himself to give much regard for what it said he should and shouldn't do.

The world saw them as a race of monsters. Might as well have some fun with the role.

Before Levi knew it, she was kissing him, knotting her hands in the fabric of his shirt to pull him closer. "Show me how simple it is." The seduction in her voice pinned to his spine, making it go rigid.

Levi shoved her against the wall and pounced, barely letting her catch her breath before hungrily devouring her with his mouth. His hands circled beneath her buttocks and, in one quick motion, lifted them so that she was sitting on his hips, pinned between him and the wall. She wrapped her legs around him and gasped at the feel of his hardness between her legs.

He wanted to feel more of her, skin on skin, and began to attack the uniform buckles keeping him from it. While Levi had had time to change into casual clothing, Mikasa was still in full uniform, which, even without the extra complication of the 3D maneuver gear, was far from easy to remove. "Damn it," Levi cursed, fumbling with the buckles across her chest.

She stilled his impatient hands. "There's no rush."

But there was, and her putting on the brakes only made him want her more. He wanted to fuck her senseless until they both couldn't stand. The leather straps across her chest finally separated and Levi yanked both them and her shirt away. His hands slid underneath her bra and cupped her perfectly hand-sized breasts. Wanting more, he boldly slid her bra up and pulled it over her head. Levi buried his face in her bare chest, breathing in the subtle scent of lemongrass and pine that clung to Mikasa's skin. He took one of her nipples between his lips, giving it a suckle, gentle at first, then more urgent as her breath hitched sharply.

Fucking hell did he want to make her do more of that.

Without taking her breast from his mouth, he pulled her away from the wall, now cradling her entire weight in his arms, and moved her to his bed. "Pants off, now," he ordered, which sent a thrill through Mikasa. Taking orders from him in battle pissed her off, but here, it just turned her on. She complied while Levi slid out of his own pants and underwear.

Once they were finally both naked, Levi slithered his body onto the bed, beginning to lay a trail of wet kisses up her body. He started at her hip crease, traveled up her soft stomach, between her breasts, all the way to her swollen, sultry lips. His body was fully pressed down on hers, allowing for maximum skin-on-skin contact that still somehow wasn't enough for either of them.

This time, Levi wasn't holding back. She had made it perfectly clear this was what she wanted. No more wasting time on reassurances.

Just as Levi went to enter her, her legs locked around his torso, twisted hard, and spun him flat on his back.

"Oi, what the hell was that?"

"Just because you're my superior out there doesn't mean you are in here," she said with a devilish smile, slowly drawing one leg over him, then the other, until she was fully straddling him.

"You bra—" The rest of Levi's words strangled in his throat when Mikasa pushed herself down onto him. One fully in, she paused, fully upright, and looked down at him. He drug his eyes up and down her body, poised so perfectly for him to see, drinking her in.

Slowly, she began to slide up and down, shooting a bolt of pleasure through Levi's body. He reached up to pull her down closer to him but she clamped her hands around his wrists and slammed them down on either side of his head. For someone who had sat starving in a cell for a month, she was still surprisingly strong.

"You're not in charge here, remember?" Her breath was hot on his ear, taunting him almost as much as her words.

She resumed her movement, pushing him deep within her until her public bone pressed hard on his. She ground her hips in a circle until a moan escaped her lips.

The sound drove Levi wild and he nipped ferociously at her bottom lip, drawing a touch of blood. Mikasa moaned against his mouth, beginning to increase the speed at which she was riding him, back and forth.

"You'll need to get off soon," he groaned apologetically. He wished he could last indefinitely, to make her cum over and over before he reached his limit, but she was so damn good he was barely going to get her there once. If he did at all. But he was NOT going to get her pregnant. If he was going to fuck up her life, it at least wouldn't be like that.

She didn't budge, continuing to rock her hip backs and forth over his, moans growls steadily louder. "Mikasa, I'm serious." Another pulse, another aching desire to give in. "Mikasa, now!" he growled.

But she had reached her climax and the second he felt her walls clench around him, he grabbed her waist and threw her off, mere seconds before he unloaded.

Once Levi's breath returned to him, he rose to grab a towel, finding his legs shook beneath his weight. He cleaned himself quickly, before diving back into bed and pulling her close.

"Fuck, I can hardly stand, you brat. Are you sure you don't have more practice than you're letting on?" he asked, cleaning his own filth from his front. Sex was so great, but why did it also have to be so disgusting?

"I told you I'd make it up to you," she quipped, as he dove quickly back into bed, pulling her into arms.

Levi trailed his hand down the soft skin of her arm until it rested on her bandaged wrist. He noticed the bandage last time, but hadn't thought much of it. "What's with the bandage? Any wound you had should have long since healed by now."

"It's nothing," she said quickly, brushing him off.

Which told him that it was most certainly not nothing.

He shifted so that he could look into her face. "Tell me."

"I…can't."

"Mikasa. Do you trust me?"

The question was simple, but Mikasa has no clue how to answer it. Of course, she trusted him. With her life. With her body. But with the one thing she had never shown anyone? She didn't know, but something in the way his eyes held hers—like they were swallowing her in a soft void of safety—made her want to tell him.

She rolled onto her back, freeing her other arm to unwrap the bandage coiled around her wrist. When it fell away, Levi could see a messy A, encased in a circle etched into her skin

"A for Ackerman?"

I don't know. My mother gave this to me when I was a child but never got the chance to explain it to me before she was killed. All she said was that I couldn't show it to anyone."

"So you've been carrying around this big secret and you have no idea what it is?" She nodded. "Just another mystery to add onto the pile," he scoffed. "Does it bother you?"

"Not really. It makes me think of my mom. Like she's still here with me. In that way, I'm glad I have it, something just for me."

Her vulnerability surprised him. In front of others, Mikasa's emotions were limited to two modes: ambivalence and rage. So to hear her talk so softly about something so personal…Levi didn't know what he'd done to earn any of it.

He wrapped his arms around her again and squeezed. "Thank you for telling me," he said softly into her hair. "I want to know things about you. Everything. And I want you to feel like you can tell me."

"I do," she said contentedly. "I don't trust many people, Levi, but I trust you completely."

They lay in silence for an indeterminable amount of time. For all Levi knew it had been either five minutes or five hours. Time was a concept that simply slithered quietly around his consciousness when he was with her. He stroked her hair, losing himself in the slight tremor each one of her heartbeats made as they reverberated against his chest.

"So what happens if people find out about us?" Mikasa asked suddenly. "I mean, it can't be that bad. Everyone knew about you and Petra."

Again, Levi couldn't help but think about how different it was with Petra though. Petra didn't make him feel impulsive and out-of-control like Mikasa did. He craved Petra when things were wrong, when he needed something soft to smooth down the rough edges of his psyche. But Mikasa…. he carved constantly. The effect she had on him was something else entirely.

Being with Petra had been like flirting with danger. Mikasa was danger itself.

And the only thing more dangerous than giving in to temptation was trying to keep himself away.

"Erwin knew about us," he said suddenly.

Mikasa bristled and looked at him sharply.

"How? When?"

"Who knows how that bastard knew half of what he did. Presumably since that night of Historia's coronation. I don't know when else it could have been."

"How do you know he knew?"

"He more or less said so on the march to Shiganshina. Asked if I knew what I was doing."

"And what'd you say?"

"That of course I fucking didn't," he said with a small smile toward her. "I don't think he would have cared. I think he was just glad I wasn't alone. And anyway. Guess we'll never know," Levi finished shortly, crushing the small well of emotion he felt bubbling in his chest. Erwin. Damn you for dying.

"What about Hange? Would she care?"

Levi took a deep inhale through his nostrils, not even wanting to think about how Hange would react if she found out. "Not in the way that a commander should, but I do think she would be insufferably nosy about private affairs." Mikasa breathed a laugh. "What about your merry band of titan turning brats? How would Eren and Armin take it?"

"I think they'd be surprised more than anything, but I don't think they'd be mad. They both respect you a lot. Eren's idolized you since we were kids."

Right. When they were kids and he was already an adult. That sentiment simply reminded Levi how much older than her he was. "You know I'm basically an old man compared to you. Wouldn't you be better off with someone your own age?"

Mikasa sat up. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked sharply.

"It means that I can't help but feel a little like I'm taking advantage of you. You're just a kid for fuck's sake."

"You and I both know that isn't true. None of us have been kids for a long time." Her voice was cold enough to send Levi's skin prickling. "You asked me to trust you but you don't even trust me to know what I want? To believe me when I say I know all that and I don't care? You're a jackass!"

He slithered up behind her and nuzzled his face into the hair falling over her neck. "We both know that's true for a lot of reasons," he breathed into her ear. With one wave of his hot breath, her anger all but evaporated and she turned to kiss him.

"This doesn't mean I forgive you." She breathed each word in between hungry kisses. Finally, she drew back, just far enough that her face was hovering an inch away from his. "But would you do me a favor and start respecting me enough to believe me when I say that I want this, too?"

"Convince me," he drawled slowly, taunting her back into a deep kiss. She nibbled at his bottom lip, capturing it fully between her teeth and running her tongue along the inside of his lip—such a simple gesture that drove Levi absolutely fucking mad.

Fighting to fucking, Levi mused. How very apt for them.

Still in each other's arms, they toppled together onto the mattress, wrestling for the top spot.

"I don't think so," Levi said, pinning her firmly beneath him. "Not this time, Ackerman. I'm your superior and you're damn well going to act like it" he said darkly. "Lay back and don't even think about moving."

"What if I disobey?"

He gave her a wolfish grin. "I'll have to punish you." Mikasa shivered, and Levi didn't fail to notice.

He picked up her scarf from its discarded resting place on the nightstand. Then he moved her hands above her head and began twisting the ratty fabric around her wrists. Not tightly, but tight enough to get his point across. Finally, he bound the end of the scarf together behind one bar of the metal headboard.

Mikasa wriggled against the cuffs, the sudden feeling of extreme vulnerability setting every one of her nerves on edge.

Levi must have noticed because he ran one hand softly down the length of her torso, all the way down until it brushed the moistness accumulating between her legs. She gasped and clamped her thighs together, Levi's hand still in there.

He leaned over her and whispered in her ear, "I do respect you, Mikasa, more than anyone. And I trust you with all I have. So I'll ask again: do you trust me?"

She hesitated, then slowly released the tension she had been holding in her body, relaxing her thighs so that Levi's fingers could move freely. "Yes. I trust you."

"Then surrender to me."

"Yes," she said again.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, sir.