Like the night before, Levi wakes with morning sunlight in the room and Mikasa in his arms. He tries to keep very still as not to wake her.
"They left a few hours ago." Ah, so she's already awake. Just like the morning before, Levi is mystified how he could've slept through the sounds of the couple leaving.
"Have you been awake long?" He asks instead.
"Don't know."
"Why didn't you get up?"
"Didn't want to wake you." He has nothing to say to that so after not getting a response, she continues, "Besides, you've got a lot of sleep to catch up on, and I'm enjoying the novelty of waking up without any worry or task ahead. It's quite strange, but not unpleasant, to just lie in bed and have nowhere to be and nothing pressing to do."
Levi closes his eyes again and tries to relax back into his previous state. Breathe in, breathe out. He could just lie here forever if he wanted, and that would be completely fine. The thought is just as Mikasa had said, strange but not unpleasant at all. In fact, Levi couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so utterly at ease.
Mikasa shifts a little and Levi is suddenly aware of all the places they are touching; his arm locked around her waist, her back and behind pressed to his chest and hips, their legs bent and tangled. He slowly let's go of her and rolls onto his back.
"You're right. Not a bad way to start the day."
She gives a small chuckle as she sits up and moves to get off the bed, "Maybe one day it'll be the way I spend the whole day."
He can't stop the thought that he wouldn't mind that either.
Their routine is much the same with Mikasa making breakfast, he then leaves for the tea shop while she cleans up. She comes in mid-afternoon with her herbs and takes inventory of her sowing for the next day. They spend the last couple hours of the work day serving together and then head home. Mikasa makes dinner, he cleans up, and they sit outside with wine after.
"I'm going to move into the master bedroom." Mikasa tells him.
"Okay."
"If we're going to live here it's the most convenient room; it's spacious, has a closet, bigger bed, and an attached bathroom. Not to mention it's farther from the stairs so if someone is in the kitchen early the sound shouldn't carry into the bedroom." She explains.
Was it just him or was she making a point for why they should both move into the master bedroom? He must be reading too deeply into her words. So he settled on responding, "That makes sense."
She gave a nod and left. Feeling conflicted, Levi stayed out and finished his wine. When he grew tired he retired to the spare bedroom he'd been sleeping in the last few days, but couldn't find comfort nor peace and ended up tossing and turning most of the night.
Due to being awake at dawn, Levi made their breakfast and got things ready for the day. They fell into an easy routine; Levi made breakfast and after eating left for the shop. Mikasa cleaned up and after left for the garden. She'd come in mid-afternoon with her herbs and spices and take inventory while Levi told her his own opinions of what quantities were needed for the orders he's filling. They'd go home at the end of the day and Mikasa would make dinner and Levi would clean up. After dinner they'd go outside; they would sit on the bench and talk, or spar, or do solitary activities like reading or knitting, but always in the vicinity of each other.
After two weeks, Mikasa finally addresses his non-sleeping issue. He was hoping she would cave with pity first before he had to humiliate himself and ask to share her bed.
She does so on neutral ground, in the back of the shop while working. They're both looking in container stores to measure herb amounts. As they replace the containers to their proper spots she lifts her hand and cups his cheek. She slowly rubs her thumb over the deep indent under his eye, no words are needed to communicate that she is thinking about how little he sleeps.
"The war is over now. There's no need to discipline yourself."
He takes her wrist gently and removes her hand. The rough callouses sliding down his cheek not bothering him in the least.
"Do you know what you're offering?" He asks because he doesn't even know what she's offering, doesn't honestly know what he needs. Doesn't know himself.
But the extent of exactly what she thinks she's offering is never made clear, all she says is, "Of course, I wouldn't offer if I didn't want to." She pulls her wrist out of his grasp and starts to walk back towards the front of the shop. She smirks over her shoulder, "I don't just offer things to be seen as nice. You should now that about me by now, Captain." And she's gone.
"Brat." He mutters as he follows her out.
After dinner they are sitting outside with a blanket over them, Levi is reading and Mikasa is stitching. She yawns and puts her tools down. She gets up and looks down at the man who has yet to take his eyes off of his page.
He thinks she's about to say something about him joining her when apparently she decides she already addressed the issue adequately, because instead she says goodnight and leaves, the same as all the other nights.
But he's there, 30 minutes later standing over her bed in her darkened room awkwardly, as if he was a silent wraith who couldn't remember how to reap.
Finally, he pulls back the covers and gets in bed on the far side she's left empty. He's settling himself as quietly as possible when Mikasa says sleepily, "Goodnight Levi."
He tentatively says, "Is this okay?"
No time passes and she's responding, "Of course."
And he sleeps like the dead.
He wakes up again with her in his arms. Feeling well rested and care free. She's awake, as she always is before him when they wake molded together as such.
And she doesn't snuggle deeper but she doesn't pull away either.
They exhale in unison.
