It's around midnight here after a very, very long day, filled to the brim with anxietyand good things, so I'm leaving you with this chapter and nothing much to add.

Enjoy!

Casual Affair (Office!AU): The Beggining, The First Lapse, Chocolate, Devil Of A Boss, Cancelled Plans, Confessions

The Baby: Failed Attempt, Another Try, Silence, Assurances, Truth

Icarus: Found, Awake, Conversation

XV: Icarus

III: Conversation

It was raining again, and Mikasa did not think it would cease any soon. Whenever water did stop falling, the sky never cleared up, and at some point, the cycle would restart. Laundry had to be done, but there was no way that it would air dry in a weather like this. The soil of their small front and backyard was so drenched that it swallowed their feet if they ever stepped away from the stones that lined a path to the house.

She was sitting on the porch overlooking the backyard, with unflattering striped knee-length socks covering her shins from the chilly air, an oversized sweater, and the last clean pair of flannel shorts she owned. On the other side of the porch, reclined on a wood pillar, was Levi, all crossed arms and ever present frown on his face. She made him another cup of tea that day, which proved to be useful because it seemed to calm his senses down a little. Still, his posture never once relaxed, his eyes never lost their hardness, the firm line of his lips never softened, and he glanced at the bandage wrapped around his wing wistfully.

Armin and Eren were gone that day, leaving the both of them alone. It was not the ideal setting she had in mind, but now that she was on vacations from work and classes at college had not started yet, Mikasa was the only person that could stay home all day long and keep an eye on their guest. Things had become better after the little incident back in Eren's room, but still she was not the most patient person when it came to dealing with him.

She bent her legs close to her chest and rested her chin on her knees, glancing at the winged man from the corner of his eyes. The three of them stayed up until wee hours trying to figure out just what he was and where he came from. Needless to say, nothing came to their minds, though Eren was adamant that he was some kind of angel that got lost or something. Mikasa, personally, thought that he was another one that had been kicked out from heaven and would build up yet another hell, but she was not about to tell that to her friend who, quite shamelessly, admired the creature they found unconscious on the beach.

Their blonde childhood friend was the one that was, by far, the most excited. He was majoring in history, after all, and he was a little bit nuts for anything mythological. She recalled him saying that Levi reminded him of some guy that made wax wings and tried to fly. She did not remember much aside from that; she had been tired then, and was so fed up of having to listen to the both of them gushing about this man that her brain simply shut off on its own.

Mikasa did not see what was so great about this irritable shorty, and she guessed they did not think ill of him because he had not slapped a tray away from their hands. Well, at least he was useful. He was always cleaning the house, swiping rags across surfaces and crevices alike. There was not much to clean, really. Their living room was modest, the dining room was a bit small, the kitchen was tiny, but cozy, the two bedrooms were okay, there was nothing much to see in the bathroom, and the office that Armin claimed as his room was small. Armin's room was the littlest bedroom in the house, but it was crowded with shelves, books, manuscripts, and even scrolls. Levi spent the entirety of yesterday in there, cleaning each and every piece in the room to get rid of dust and dirt.

Straightening her back when his eyes landed on her, cool and pure blue, she lifted a hand and placed it at the base of her throat. "Mikasa." He pinched his eyebrows, and she pronounced her name once again, more slowly this time. Armin had asked that she try to teach him something, even if it was just how to say hello and goodbye. His lips parted and she urged him to repeat her name, looking at him with an expectant glimmer in her irises.

"Mikasa."

Her insides went cold for a split second, and then heat spread through her. Well, fuck. His voice was deep and a little rough around the edges, no doubt from spending so much time without speaking. It was the first time since he arrived that something other than growls and hums left his mouth.

Taking in a deep breath and hoping that he could not see any emotions flickering in her eyes, she tried to smile at him, but it felt like a grimace. "Good." She nodded her approval and swept her hand in his direction. "Levi."

She felt silly and embarrassed, especially after finding out that his voice was so attractive that it definitely matched his looks. Mikasa pressed her lips firmly together and decided to focus on the fact that she felt as if she were teaching a child their first words, and pushed whatever thoughts that pertained his appearance to the back of her mind. "Levi," she said once more, watching as his lips worked but no sound came out for some moments.

"Levi."

"I am Mikasa," she motioned to herself again, and then turned her palm to him. "You're Levi."

He pointed a callused finger in her direction, "Mikasa," and then at himself, "Levi."

She nodded, the tips of her hair tickling her chin. "That's right." Her smile felt a little more natural this time and it widened when she spotted the barest twitch on the corners of his mouth.

Levi seemed satisfied with what he learned and gingerly picked the bright yellow mug by the rim, lifting it up to his eye-level and looked at it quizzically. Mikasa quickly understood what he wanted to know.

"Tea." She supplied helpfully, and then added. "Black tea." His piercing blue eyes stared at the hot liquid inside as he repeated the words, tea, black tea, over and over.

Mikasa retrieved her cell phone from inside the pocket of her hoodie, unlocked the screen and browsed through her gallery of pictures, turning the device around and extending her arm in his direction. He leaned in closer to study the picture on the screen, one of the trio smiling brightly at the camera in Armin's last birthday party. He had a hat on his head written birthday boy in bold, colorful letters, and confetti stuck to Eren's hair, his green eyes hidden away under closed eyelids.

She lowered the cell phone to the wood floorboards in the space between them and brought her hands up to her head, brushing her fingers on her jaw, his eyes tracing every move. "Armin." She repeated the name and the movements, alluding to the length of his hair, and almost grinned when Levi mimicked both her actions and her words. "Eren," she said next, pointing at her eyes and closing them.

He seemed to be catching up fairly well. Levi turned to face her once more, brought his hand up to his neck and wrapped his fingers around his throat. "Mikasa."

She inhaled deeply, unconsciously fingering the red scarf she always wore, and nodded. "Rain," she said hurriedly, placing her upturned palm under the water beads that dropped from the sky, then flicked her wrist back and pointed her thumb at the door behind them. "House."

"House?"

"Yes," with a shrug, she added, "Or Home. It depends." Mikasa did not elaborate further; she did not think he would understand much from what she would say, explaining the differences between a house, an object, and home, a concept. Still, he inquired, questioning the last word with a slight pinch of his well-defined eyebrows and frowned lips. "Home is where you live," she answered regardless, "home is a place where you feel comfortable, it's a place connected to your memory and feelings."

Levi looked pensive, as if he had understood all her foreign words and they made sense to his untrained ears. Quietly, Mikasa rose to her feet and dusted the back of her shorts, lifting an eyebrow when he pointed his fingers skyward. "Oh, that's the sky–"

"Home."

She froze in place, unable to do much aside from gaping at the winged man.