Summary

Levi and Mikasa set off to Marley to retrieve Eren — but hit a bump in the road (or sea, for that matter) that takes them off the original course. Hange gives them a friendly gift. Onyankapon third-wheels, quite literally.

"Ackerman? And Captain Levi, you say?" Commander Pixis swirled the aged rum in the steel flask that any soldier in the last thirty years had seen him chug from. Being a military commander within the Walls brought many surprises, but this was something new that piqued his interest. "Hmm. Making a sudden decision, which poses risk to our entire island and people, to go back to enemy territory? And not even discuss it with us first? Commander Hange, is that correct?"

Already burdened by being the bearer of bad news, Hange tensed as she watched each swish of rum. Her brown hair nearly felt like it'd fall off of her head from the stress of awaiting Pixis' wrath.

The old man took another quick swig as Hange stuttered through apologetic explanations. He turned to stare out the operations room window. "Well then..." He noticed the skies were blue, with not a single cloud in sight. "Let's hope for smooth sailing!" He lifted his flask as if making a toast. The utter relief on Hange's face forced a guffaw of tipsy laughter from Pixis.

"Listen, Hange…" The old man leaned closer over the edge of his wooden desk. "Those two can handle it. If it were up to Premier Zackly to send anyone to bring back Eren Jaeger, it would be them anyway."

His aging eyes shifted around the room as if sharing a secret. "And if you ask me..." He whispered now, still somehow coherent despite his breath reeking of alcohol. "It's about time those two went on a date, don't ya think!" The chair squeaked he leaned back and placed his feet on the table. Crumbling bits of dried mud fell from his boots onto what seemed to be important paperwork. He took another swig before offering the flask to the flabbergasted comrade.

"E-eh?! Commander?! Mikasa and Levi?!" Hange stared at the flask with widened eyes, then the commander, then the flask again.

"Pffft..." She lowered her head. A slow, mischievous smile crept on her face before she snatched the rum with an enthusiastic grasp. "Sir?! I thought I was the only one who noticed!" Tears fell as she laughed, one hand slapped onto a knee and the other lifted the flask to take a swig before holding it in the air to join the commander's earlier toast. "Ackermans are too easy to read!"

Connie and Jean stood in confusion behind Hange as the two higher-ups continued laughing. "HUH?!" the two screamed in frantic unison.

Hange skittered up in between the two, hanging her arms around their necks. Her bolstering voice lowered to a whisper. "Don't worry, boys… I gave them a special gift before they left…" Hange bounced her eyebrows up and down at them before snickering.

A comedic tear fell from Jean's stunned eyes, and Connie held in a laugh while patting his jealous friend.

Levi didn't take long to pack. A few shirts, some trousers, his trusty pocket knife, a cravat that never left him, and a yellow manila envelope that Hange handed to him before they parted ways — all in all, not much to fill even the smallest of suitcases like his. At thirty-three years old, the military captain had no need for many belongings — especially not for travel, not that the busy soldier ever really had the free time to travel to begin with. The most downtime he ever got was the late hours of the night, often spent sacrificing sleep to brew his favorite of his tea collection.

But this wasn't down time or an easy vacation. This was a high-pressure mission to retrieve the Founding Titan, and the pressure of bringing the damn Titan brat back to their shitty little island relied on just him and Mikasa. It seemed the burden of being humanity's strongest weighed a bit heavier than normal. He let a deep sigh release his tensions.

This wasn't his plan to travel all the way back to Marley with Mikasa just one day after they had arrived at Paradis to drop off the Hange, Jean and the others. And it sure wasn't in his plan to realize he loved Mikasa Ackerman the night before she asked him to go with her.

"I want to go back to Marley, Levi. I want us to go back together."

Her words that morning rang through his busy mind, and her expression begged him to come along. Levi knew her well enough to know she wasn't bluffing this time around — last time, her words came from loneliness. But she approached him once again knowing he would come with her to Marley, and her eyes held a sureness and weight he couldn't reject.

The empowerment of Mikasa Ackerman when she simply knew she wasn't alone was a thing to behold. He didn't even spare a moment to process before he gave her his answer.

"Let's go, then."

Levi glanced at the tower clock, tapping a foot repeatedly against the wood of the port as he waited for Mikasa to show up. A leather suitcase in hand and a black fedora hat in the other, he began to grow restless at what he spontaneously signed up for. Not because he was worried about not finding Eren — he actually thought it might be relatively easy to locate him — but because it relied on somehow convincing the impulsive brat to come back with them.

On top of it all, it relied on traveling thousands of miles alone with the woman he loves.

After that night looking at the stars, Levi decided that loving Mikasa meant choosing to love her from afar. It meant protecting her and staying beside her, even when she will always be in love with someone else, because he wanted nothing more from her. It meant that, as Mikasa finally approached the Paradis port at that moment wearing that beautiful blue dress she previously bought in Marley, he couldn't tell her how breathtaking she looked.

Still, Levi almost fumbled on his words as he broke his gaze. Only three words managed to come out of Levi's nervous lips when she finally stood to greet him. "Dress is nice." He forced his eyes to look off to the hull of the boat.

Mikasa's face came alive at the compliment. The smile that flashed on her face as she twirled in her blue dress for him shocked him; he didn't realize this would be exciting for her. The frills of the fabric floated in the wind before settling down again. Levi was glad to see her smiling and refreshed again, much different than the days at sea just earlier.

"I thought it might be fitting to wear a Marleyan dress back to Marley." A sincere giggle escaped her lips, and she did a double-take at Levi. "You got that in Marley, too."

He glanced down at his clothes that matched hers, not even realizing which shirt he had pulled out of his timeless closet that morning. Levi was notably a stylish man; more stylish than anyone would expect humanity's strongest soldier to be. He wasn't flashy about it, but he still appreciated a quality tailored suit and a well-fitted shirt — all topped with his favorite cravat, of course. His navy blue collared button-up was one purchased at a Marleyan boutique which Mikasa and Armin dragged him into as the others ran about the town with Hange months ago.

"Mikasa, which color should I choose?" Armin showed his childhood friend his two options — a dark emerald green, or a deep navy blue. He didn't seem to completely love either one, but after years of just wearing military garb, Armin Arlelt was excited to wear anything new. Mikasa touched her chin and pondered both options until she finally pointed at the green. It looked better with Armin's blond hair, she thought.

She snatched the leftover blue shirt from Armin's hand and found Levi in the corner of the room. "Capta—" She stuttered, "Ah—L e v i." She practiced his name, trying to not be obvious about it. "You should try this one on." It felt strange and disrespectful dropping his ranking in public, but they'd all been adjusting as they were undercover in a different territory.

"Don't need anything. Got plenty already." Levi crossed his arms, a little embarrassed at his soldiers shopping around for him. Mikasa scoffed at him and hovered the blue shirt beside his face.

"Oh, come on, Captain," she whispered his rank before nudging him. "It matches your eyes." Mikasa tugged at his arm, her face now surprisingly close to his with a soft smile.

"Mikasa," Levi hissed through his teeth and leaned even closer, hoping the shop owner couldn't hear the way she just now mentioned his ranks. "We're leaving. Now."

The smile on Mikasa's face turned to a frown as she let go of his arm and put the garment back on the stands. Levi watched Mikasa and Armin exit the boutique before he called out to the shop owner. "...I'll take this one."

The undercover captain exited the shop with a brown paper bag in hand, same as Armin's for his purchase. The way Mikasa's irritated face completely lit up as Levi pulled the deep blue shirt out of the bag was a sight to see. "Happy now?" he sighed, pretending not to be distracted by Mikasa trotting ahead with a bounce in her step and a smile on her face.

He made note to wear it sometime soon.

Mikasa's attention shot to Onyankapon who emerged from preparations on the deck of the ship. A big smile revealed his pearly white teeth as he waved. "I didn't get the memo to wear blue!" That man was as friendly as can be, and Levi was thankful they had gained a trustworthy Marleyan ally to tag along and lead the way. And, truth be told, Levi didn't have Onyankapon's skills or knowledge to operate the boat, anyway. "The ship is ready. Miss Mikasa, Captain Levi, are you ready to go?"

The two soldiers in blue turned to each other. They shared a mutual look of nerves, uncertainty, and all too much of whatever else hovered in the air around them. In unison they turned to Onyankapon and nodded. "We're ready."

Levi stepped aside and tipped his fedora to Mikasa, welcoming the way very much like a gentleman for her to go ahead of him. "Ladies first." Their eyes connected for a gentle and warm second before Levi inched forward to follow, still gazing at the woman as she slowly passed by. Onyankapon stood a few feet away, observing the subtle interaction with raised brows as he chuckled to himself.

He caught Levi by the sleeve and leaned close. "Ah, by the way, Captain Levi." He nudged him. "Commander Hange wanted me to remind you about an envelope...? She shared that it was confidential."

"Right. Thank you."

Onyankapon headed up to the wheel as Mikasa took a seat on the end of a lone bench on deck, eager for the departure. Levi joined her on the other side and pulled out the lumpy manila envelope from his suitcase that Onyankapon had reminded him of. CONFIDENTIAL: LEVI was written in Hange's usual sloppy writing. Mikasa's gray eyes casually glanced over in curiosity, and he wondered if Hange had potentially found something that'd prove to be useful for he and Mikasa to locate Eren in the foreign land.

He lifted the opening and peeked at the pile that gathered at the bottom of the envelope…

Condoms.

Levi shot up from the bench and sped to the railing of the ship, crushing Hange's envelope as well as its contents along the way before chucking it into the sea. He watched as it plopped into the water and floated, his opaque-red face reflected back at him on the water. "SHITTY GLASSES."

"Captain? What was it?" The genuine worry on Mikasa's face was actually relieving to him for the first time, because thank the Walls she didn't see that shit.

"...Confidential." He cleared his throat before storming off to his cabin, and the boat finally departed.

The sun went down hours after their departure, and Levi and Mikasa gathered together with Onyankapon in the inner chamber of the boat to discuss the game plan. The ship wasn't the same as the larger one from earlier, but this was just small enough for their party of three, yet big enough for the long travels ahead.

Mikasa had prepared chamomile tea, which proved to be a challenging task not to spill considering the swaying of the boat. She made note not to put sugar in Levi's teacup — after more than five years of serving her captain, Mikasa had become very familiar with his exact preferences and distastes for just about everything. One thing she learned was that Levi did not like sugar; moreso, he preferred to taste the natural subtle sweetness or bitterness of whichever tea he was drinking. It was yet another small thing Mikasa found respectable of her captain.

"Captain, Miss Mikasa," Onyankapon paused to take a warm sip as soon as Mikasa handed him his tea. "I wanted to make this very clear to you both as we move forward." He seemed nervous for a moment before he continued. "With how quickly this mission came to be, I came here to man this boat." Another sip. "However, I am unable to go back to Marley with you. It will look too suspicious for me to return so soon."

Levi and Mikasa glanced at each other at the unexpected news. Levi cautiously placed his cup down onto the table. "What are you saying, Onyankapon?"

"The best possible option to ensure Marley does not suspect you when you arrive, is to go to Marley through Hizuru and their people."

"Hizuru?" Mikasa raised her voice, still trying to process. "Hizuru is too far, Onyankapon. I don't care if they think we're suspicious. Captain and I need to get to Marley as soon as we can." She was stern, and as Onyankapon glanced at Levi who held the same frustrated expression as the girl, he was suddenly aware that he was stuck with the two strongest, violent and most ruthless soldiers on record. He made note to tread carefully.

Levi placed a strong hand on Mikasa's shoulder. He didn't need to tell her to calm down, but she understood just from his gesture; a gesture she'd gotten familiar with over the years working with Levi. She sat back down and took a deep breath.

Levi leaned forward in his chair and took over the exchange. "And what happens when we get to Hizuru?"

"You will meet with Lady Kiyomi Azumabito to discuss further steps. She will be waiting for us. From my understanding, you'll have to travel with her men to Marley. It's the best way to stay undercover. I promise, it will be much safer for you despite the longer travels."

"No!" Mikasa stood abruptly. Her fists clenched and voice raised through frantic stutters. "I… We need to see Eren soon. If we don't… It'll be too late… I… I still—" She looked to Levi, holding his concerned stare for mere seconds that felt like an eternity before finally left the chamber.

If Levi and Onyankapon were confused at her excessive outburst, Mikasa was even moreso. Logically she knew it would take time to travel and see Eren again, on the slim chance that they do even find him. It was a totally reasonable plan. Still, the frustrated woman toiled around in her room. Something told her she needed to see Eren again now.

...Or else it'll be too late.

She took a seat on her bed and instinctively reached for the red scarf in her suitcase, wrapping it around her neck for the first time in weeks. She waited for the scarf to help her heartbeat to slow, for her thoughts to come to something peaceful. Instead, it just smelt of dust, and she noticed small holes that tattered through its woven structure. The surface of the fabric felt rough and scratchy on the skin, and the ends were fraying. It was supposed to be comforting; it always was. But as every day passed, that scarf began to seem more and more like any other garment.

Mikasa was already losing Eren, and her attachment to Eren weakened each day spent away from him. And that terrified her. Because who the hell was Mikasa Ackerman without her love for Eren Jaeger?

…

...

"Captain?"

Onyankapon's voice brought Levi back out of his locked daze. His steel eyes turned away from the chamber doorway that Mikasa had stormed out of. "Captain Levi? Captain, is there something I should know? Is Miss Mikasa okay?"

"I… apologize, Onyankapon. There are more layers here than it seems. You see, Mikasa is…" His voice faded a bit as he leaned forward to grab his teacup by the rim, holding it in that signature-Levi way. "That brat is in love with Eren Jaeger." A slow sip revealed the tea to be perfectly brewed, as expected of Mikasa; endearing as always, like just about everything else that woman does. He sighed and paused before repeating himself again. "She always has been. Pain in the ass."

Levi couldn't feel it, but his eyes sank with sudden sadness, and his crew mate noticed from across the table. He didn't even finish his tea when he put it back down.

"Oh? Captain, I apologize if this comes off the wrong way, but truly I thought you and Miss Mikasa were—"

Levi cleared his throat and scooted his chair back, making a sudden noise as the wood scraped behind him. He stood and tossed his jacket over his shoulder before turning to face the door. "We will go through with the new plan and route. Keep the ship set for Hizuru." Levi wished him a good night and headed out of the room.

He was used to Mikasa's sudden outbursts — her emotions made her human, he thought, and as a trained soldier he actually found those emotions to be refreshing and perhaps relieving to his hardened soul. He could always easily deal with it as a captain, but there was something about approaching the woman he was in love with in the midst of her emotional heaviness that made it less clear of an approach, and all the more frightening.

And as he stood at her door with a freshly brewed peppermint tea, he gathered the courage to finally knock. "Mikasa?"

A dim light peeked from the crack of the door, revealing itself to be slightly open already. As he knocked again, the door slowly swung open. Mikasa was nowhere in her room. Her scarf was crumpled and looked like it'd been thrown onto the floor.

He remembered the night she found him on the deck; the moment he gave his jacket to her in the cold. And as he came up to the deck again, he found just who he was looking for.

"Brat. I made you some tea."

Mikasa quickly wiped tears from her face at Levi's unexpected visit. Somehow, the sound of her captain's voice put her a bit at ease. And as she turned to see him standing there with a mug of tea made for her, her mind went blank. All she could think of was the usual warmth he seemed to always offer her these days, and that brought her back to earth. "...Thank you."

The hot beverage warmed her stiff fingertips. It seemed finding each other in the cold of the night was a routine between them at this point. Not that it was that surprising for insomniacs like them, anyway.

"Hizuru isn't that far away, Mikasa. We'll be back in Marley soon enough. Eren will be okay." He narrowed his eyes as he ran his hand through his hair. "Tch. And he fucking owes us."

A gentle laugh exited her lips before she took a quick sip of the tea that was still just a touch too hot for her palate. Levi scoffed, realizing he wasn't trying to be funny, but he reminded himself to curse more in front of Mikasa if it made her laugh — because he was convinced that Mikasa Ackerman's laughter was so damn pure, it could bring a dead soul like his back to life.

Her smile subsided. "Captain, do you really think we'll find him? What if we don't? What if we're too late? What if I never see him again?"

"One question at a time, Mikasa." He held his hands in front of him, trying to slow her down. "One. We'll find him. Two. Shitty guy will probably just be lounging around by the time we find him. And three. You'll get to be with him again." He held up his fingers to each point, then lowered his hand. "Mikasa, I'm going to make sure that we find him. But if he hurts you again, we're leaving that asshole behind for good." He playfully flicked her forehead and smirked. "And if you make us go through this shit again, you're scrubbing shit-filled stalls for a week when we get back. I'm tired of this damn boat."

Mikasa rubbed her forehead and blushed, eyebrows furrowed as she chuckled alongside him. Only Levi could use threats of literal shitty punishments to somehow cheer her up. Joking along with him was a new thing in recent years, but it was secretly one of Mikasa's favorite pastimes. There was something simply comforting and reassuring about being around him, and if she wasn't already a loyal soldier to him by now, these moments with him on the deck solidified that. She couldn't vocalize it, but Mikasa was eternally grateful that he was there with her.

With Levi, Mikasa had strong hopes of bringing back Eren. She continued to hold that hope and gratitude close to her heart.

There were three nights left before they'd reach Hizuru, and Mikasa made a promise to herself to make tea for Levi every night to thank him. As they got closer to Hizuru, so did they grow closer to each other.

AUTHOR NOTES:

Eeeek! Chapter 2! Still a lot of build up and setting up the story, but I hope you guys enjoy this one!

Levi and Mikasa thought they were heading straight to Marley but didn't know they'll be going to Hizuru first instead. What will happen as they pass through Hizuru?

This chapter, I focused a little more on Levi and Mikasa's unspoken dynamic. I want to make it clear that they're not just close because they're loyal soldiers to each other, but over time they've simply become close friends to the point where the people around them are noticing. I think we've all had those two friends who are awfully close, and everyone starts questioning things...

Even in small things like Mikasa knowing Levi's tea preferences, Levi knowing how to calm her down without saying anything, etc. I also loved the lil flashback from their first trip to Marley, and how Levi only bought the shirt because Mikasa liked it for him.

Also the way I LOL'D at Hange's gift to them HAHA. I'm sorry, Levi, I had to!