Part 3: Shooting Stars

Karma took a deep breath. Mikasa was right. She was being a coward.

Put yourself out there. And don't get flustered—you're weird when you're flustered.

"So…any particular reason you wanted to partner up?" Karma said once she'd mustered enough nerve to break the silence. She noticed Captain Levi was still holding her hand and she didn't pull away.

"I enjoy your company."

Karma flipped through her brain's filing cabinets, looking for something clever to say next. But she was coming up blank.

Stop overthinking it.

"Why? I threw a shell at you," she said.

"I kind of liked it."

"So that's the secret? Violence?"

"Whatever it is, you've figured it out."

Karma smiled.

"You make me feel like a medium-ass," he added.

"The medium-ass was inside you all along."

"You bring it out of me."

"That's sweet and gross." Karma paused. "You know, I used to think you were a hard-ass."

"I know."

"Really?"

"Wasn't hard to tell when you dropped that shell and ran off with your tail between your legs."

"Well, you made me nervous," she said. "But I got over it."

"You did, huh?"

"Yeah. Whenyou came into the water to save me when I was drunk and drowning, I realized you weren't out to get me after all."

"Who says I'm not out to get you?"

Karma was too flustered to sort out the double-meaning because Levi moved closer. The ripples he made washed against her chest. His fingers unclasped from hers and glided up her arm as soft as dew drops.

Then something smacked her shoulder blade.

"Ha! Gotcha suckers. You're out!" Conny whooped and high-fived Armin.

"Finally." Levi spoke for both of them. "We're gonna call it a night. We'll see you in the morning."

"Party-poopers. Karma and Mikasa said the same thing. Everyone's dipping. Alright, goodnight." Conny pulled Armin alongside him.

"Huh… What are Eren and Mikasa up to?" Levi said once the sloshing steps had faded.

"Same thing we are."

"And what are we up to?"

His velvet tone pooled Karma's cheeks with heat. Her tongue swelled like a toasted marshmallow. She couldn't think of an answer that wouldn't embarrass her. She wanted to be brave and say "This," and pull him into a kiss.

But how could she just fling herself out there like that and risk rejection? And even if he kissed her back, what if he just realized he liked someone else more? The thought clenched her gut with pity for Jean.

It was best to cut her losses and flee.

"I don't know." She slid her arm free. "Dammit, I'm sorry. I need to go." She headed toward the faint, golden strip in the distance.

"Karma, wait." Levi trudged through the water to catch up. "You said I don't make you nervous anymore."

"Guess I lied."

Levi sighed. "This is gonna make me feel like an idiot."

Karma tilted her head. "What?"

"Look, you make me nervous too—all of you do."

"Whatever. You're way too intimidating to be worried about what we think."

"That's the problem, Karma."

"Why's that a problem? You always have the upper hand."

"At the cost of being a 'hard-ass.' I hid under that damn tree all day because I was terrified of being rejected."

"But you weren't rejected. Everyone had a blast with you."

"Only because you kept pestering me. I would've never put myself out there if you hadn't dragged me out of my shell."

"Psh. I didn't drag you, I bribed you with a weenie," Karma said.

"The weenie wasn't the bribe."

"What was then? The pleasure of my company?"

"Partially."

"Well are you glad the bribe worked?"

"I could've done without the whole cove incident, but yeah."

"Did it…make you jealous?"

"At the time, but who's the one naked in the ocean with you right now?"

"Not Jean."

"Damn right."

Karma squished wet sand between her toes. "So you're saying I should put myself out there and face my fears?"

"Now you just sound like some knock-off motivational speaker."

She snickered. "Your company's a pretty decent bribe too. Don't know what I was so worried about."

"Good," Levi said. "You freezing your ass off?"

"Get me the hell out of this ocean."

Levi and Karma splashed to the shore. They scoured the sand for their clothes and sleeping bags, but in the darkness, they only managed to find a stack of towels and Levi's riding cloak.

Karma could hear light snores around their feet. "Let's go a little farther down," she whispered. They walked until they were confidently out of ear-shot.

Karma snapped the towels clean of sand and splayed two of them side-by-side on the beach, slightly overlapping. She and Levi shared the last towel and dried off. Then Karma rolled it up and laid it down like a damp, tube-shaped pillow.

They settled on their makeshift towel-bed. The sand was cool through the fabric.

Levi draped the riding cloak over them. "I'd feel pretty lame going straight to bed after that whole speech," he said. His arm brushed against hers as lightly as a cotton ball.

Karma expected lying naked beside Captain Levi to be awkward, but it wasn't. In fact, if she were being honest, neither one of them looked very hard for their clothes.

She hoped that wouldn't be a huge problem in the morning.

"Yeah, screw sleeping. Wanna stargaze?" Karma said.

Here on the beach, away from bustling towns and bright lights and imposing walls, they had a perfect view of the black canvas sky splattered with glittering stars as endless as the ocean.

"What's that?" Levi said. Karma started to laugh then realized he was serious.

"What's what? Stargazing? You've never stargazed?"

"Sort of grew up without stars."

"Oh my God—I totally forgot you're from the Underground."

"It's not a big deal." His shoulder bumped hers as he shrugged.

"Levi. You lived the majority of your life without the freaking sun. We're definitely stargazing. Are you looking at the sky?"

"I am now. Holy shit…"

She turned to see his reaction, and could make out his profile. The swoop of his nose and curve of his chin were mesmerizing against the starry backdrop. His eyes sparkled as they darted across the expanse of the sky. She tried not to imagine that he'd studied her the same way.

"Am I doing this right?" Levi said.

"Of course. There's no wrong way to stargaze."

"Well how do you do it? I want an expert's advice."

"I'm not an expert."

"Being as beautiful as the stars makes you an expert in them."

Karma rolled her eyes to diminish the sudden burst of giddiness. "Oh, is that how it works?"

"Why do you think Jean is so good with horses?"

"Alright." She pointed up. Her hand was a shadow against the sky. "You see that really bright one? That's the North Star, Polaris. If you connect the dots like this, you get the Little Dipper. And that M shaped one over there is Cassiopeia."

"You're proving my theory."

"Well that's literally the extent of my astronomy knowledge."

"I'm impressed."

"If you think that's impressive, wait until you see a shooting star."

"A what?"

"Basically it's when little bits of space rock hit the atmosphere. It burns really bright and makes this cool, sparkly streak in the sky. If we're lucky, we might see a few."

Levi turned to her with scrunched brows. "You're making that up."

"No, it's real. And you can make wishes on them too."

"Bullshit."

"Just you wait, Ackerman."

A few awe-struck minutes passed as their eyes flitted between shimmering clusters of constellations. Then Levi bolted up, snatching the cloak with him.

"Holy shit."

Karma sat up too, the cloak pooling in her lap. A golden ribbon of light whipped across the sky. The sparkling trail in its wake illuminated the world for a few dazzling seconds like a firework.

Levi turned toward her with a huge grin. "Karma—" He whirled away. "You, uh. The cloak."

Karma stifled a squeal and hugged her chest, yanking the cloak to her chin. She was blushing from head to heart. "Did you just wish for that?"

"What? I mean, it crossed my mind, but I didn't say anything."

"Captain, you don't say wishes out loud or they won't come true. Even people in the Underground know that."

"Then I guess you'll never know if I wished for it."

"I'm like eighty percent sure you did."

"Oh, please. I don't need magic to get what I want."

"So you wanted a peek."

"Is that news to you?"

She choked down a flustered laugh. Captain Levi shifted, leaning back on an elbow.

"So what did you wish for?" he said.

"I can't tell you or it won't come true."

"You don't believe that."

"I wouldn't tell you either way. It's too embarrassing."

"You're naked under a millimeter of fabric next to the Scout Regiment Captain, who just saw your tits. I think you're immune to embarrassment."

Karma was saved from replying—another streak of glittery fire scraped the sky.

The brief light bathed his lashes and cheekbones in rich orange as he said, "I wish Karma would keep her damn wishes to herself."

Karma bumped his shoulder. "Like I said, if you say your wish out loud it won't—wait… Oh, I see. You said it out loud so it wouldn't come true. You defied the laws of wish-making to get me to reveal my wish. Sneaky."

"The term is 'black magic.'"

"You know for someone who grew up without a sky, you catch on pretty quick. I daresay you might be a stargazing expert, which makes sense."

"How so?"

"You're pretty beautiful too. Like the stars. My wish was to become as beautiful as you."

"No it wasn't."

"Alright, fine. I wished for a hundred wishes."

"Nope."

"World peace?"

He shook his head. "It's fine, Karma. I just like teasing you. You don't have to tell me."

"You could try guessing."

"You'll tell me if I'm right?"

"Maybe," Karma said. Levi thought for a moment.

"Did you wish for a glimpse of my Free Weenie?"

"No, but that would make us even."

"You wish for Eren and Mikasa to get together?"

"Nah, that can happen without divine intervention."

"So your wish requires divine intervention?"

Karma nodded. "Mhmm."

"I don't believe that."

"Why not? Most wishes do."

"Because you can get whatever you want with just a look."

"You think so?"

"Convinced me to touch a horse's asshole."

"Huh, I'll definitely be taking advantage of that power."

"What are you gonna make me do?"

"Touch Jean's asshole."

"Damn, with the right look you might be able to."

"I hope you'll put up a little bit of a challenge. I'd hate to think you wanted to be that intimate with Jean."

Levi hmphed a laugh. "Does your wish have anything to do with Jean or his anus?"

"Hell no."

"Thank God."

They shared a laugh, and when their salt-dried shoulders touched, neither felt compelled to pull away. Karma fell silent for a breath, focused on the warmth of his skin. She wondered if the same butterflies swarming her belly were swarming his.

"This beats that damn tree any day," Levi said, cheek grazing her temple.

"The stargazing?"

"The company."

Karma closed her eyes. Almost to herself, she said, "As far as wishes go, this is pretty damn close."

"We must have wished for the same thing."

"I'd be really happy if we did."

"Then you're about to be really happy."

Under the cloak, Levi laced their fingers, sticky from dried saltwater. But his touch bypassed all of the grit and salt, her skin and nails. It went straight to her veins, warming her whole body. When his touch reached her simmering heart, she was breathless.

"This what you wished for?" he said, suddenly close to her lips.

She could only manage a nod.

He kissed her once, the way one might dip a toe in the water before diving in. The brief touch of his lips was enough to melt Karma into liquid bliss. The fear of rejection, the self-consciousness, all of it was forgotten. She no longer cared about anything except this present moment with Captain Levi, who was saying something.

"What?" she said, slipping out of her daze.

"It's killing me that I can't see you," he said again.

"You still owe me a peek."

"I haven't forgotten."

Karma rubbed her thumb across his knuckles. "What would you do if you could see me?"

"Anything you asked."

"Bummer, I have a whole list."

He rested his forehead against hers. "You can still try. I might say yes."

"First things first, I want you to kiss me again."

"What kind of kiss?"

"I didn't know I had options."

"First option is—"

"Show me." She felt him smirk.

"Well, there's sweet kisses, like these."

Levi brushed soft kisses against Karma's temple, her forehead, her cheeks, the tip of her nose, her lips. Karma's smile grew with each kiss and giggles bubbled in her chest.

"Then there's sexy ones, a personal favorite."

Levi tipped her head back, exposing her throat. From the tip of her chin to the top of her sternum, he imprinted the shape of his lips. He slid the cloak off her chest and kissed from shoulder to shoulder. He could feel her heart kicking as he explored the ridges of her collarbone.

His nose grazed her earlobe and strands of stiff hair as he suckled her neck, pooling purple bruises to the surface. He ended with a deep kiss on her lips. The kind that lingered when he pulled away. She could still taste his breath and traces of seasalt.

"…And sultry kisses."

Levi guided her by the shoulder onto the make-shift bed. Her hair splayed against her back and the folded towel. The sand—a sliver of fabric away—soothed her blushing skin. Karma felt the cloak sweep off of her. She heard it slink somewhere in the sand.

"You're gonna like these." His voice was warm against her ear.

Levi's nose skimmed down her jaw to her neck to her chest. He kissed the skin just above where her bikini top would cover. He kissed down to her belly. He kissed from the jut of one hip bone to the other. Then he was at her legs, kissing the inside of her thighs, inches below the imprinted line of her swimsuit.

He was right. She liked these. They made her writhe and clench. She wanted more—she was willing to beg for it.

Levi lay beside her, an arm slung across her waist, stroking her hip with his thumb. "Well, Karma," he said. "What kind of kiss do you want?"

She scooted into him until their chests were touching. She explored his arm, his defined bicep, the crease of his elbow. She touched his neck and dragged her fingers down to his chest. Her fingers didn't glide smoothly across the toned ridges of his muscles—his skin was grippy with salt. But the stickiness helped her cling to him. It personified her reluctance to stop touching him.

"Captain," she said, "I need more than kisses now."

"What do you need?"

"Everything you can give me."

A finger brushed her cheek up to the curve of her brow and down to her chin. It swirled in this same pattern again before he said, "Then I'll give you everything."

A thousand shooting stars could've streaked the sky and she wouldn't have noticed.

He was on top of her. He was surrounding her. Her mouth was filled with his tongue and breath. His hands freely roamed her soft curves and delicate skin. Her toes curled.

The sand beneath them sifted. Karma didn't even notice the towel against her back was rubbing her raw—she was too focused on the other sensations. His warm skin that smelled like ocean and pine. His heated breathing. The words and sounds they couldn't stifle. The surging wave that rose and receded with the tide.

Then, collapsed together in an exhausted heap, Captain Levi stretched his arm and retrieved his cloak. Sand tumbled out like a tipped bottle of glitter as he shook it out then draped it over them.

It was still dark, but Karma was eager for the morning. She wanted to see Levi in the daylight. His sharp features, the sheen of his dark hair, the sculpture of his body. Their kisses and touches were perfect, yet one of the most fundamental senses had been missing. She couldn't imagine how much her desire for Levi would intensify once she could see him.

But how would he react to seeing her? Her imperfections had been shielded by the darkness. The stretch marks on her thighs. The jagged scars and burns. The stubborn blemishes. Would they be glaring and unattractive in the spotlight of the sun? Would he look past them?

Hopefully, the shock of seeing her body uncovered would be enough to distract from these insecurities. But that shock would wear off. Maybe it would be better to cover up now.

Maybe she'd just have to get used to the dark.

"Levi."

"Yeah?" She'd expected him to sound groggy, but he was alert.

"I think I'm gonna go look for my clothes."

"Why? This is nice."

"I know, but what are we gonna do in the morning?"

"Wonder why it took so long for this to finally happen."

"Psh, I was a huge chicken, that's why," Karma said.

"I was too. God, so much wasted time." Levi caressed her neck. His thumb rolled across her jaw.

"I don't think so. I mean, when the hell were we supposed to get together with all those Titans and their drama? This was perfect."

"Still wish I would've tried sooner."

"How much sooner?" Her voice was small.

She had no idea that he'd felt anything towards her until today. In her mind, Levi had always been her out-of-reach captain. She admired him from afar. That calm resolve. His strength and skill. His attractiveness, even when angry or blood-soaked.

She strove to impress him. Training to be like him. Picking up extra cleaning shifts. Trying to make him laugh or at least crack that marble facade. But she could've never imagined he had been within her grasp.

"Karma, I've loved you for a long time."

She fell silent as her brain struggled to process that sentence.

"You don't have to say anything. That was a major bomb," he added.

If Levi loved her, if that was true, then she had no reason to fear the sunlight. No reason to fear anything.

Her cheeks rose with a smile. "You know what, I don't want my clothes anymore. In fact, I think nudism might be my next venture," she said.

"Damn sun needs to hurry up."

"You got a sneak peek though. That should tie you over."

"Just made me more eager."

Karma smiled, and for some reason it dawned on her at that moment. "Levi, I think I've been denying my feelings for a long time too. I've been telling myself I don't like you because I was scared you'd never like me back."

"Good thing I'm persistent then."

"Yeah, you wouldn't stop holding my hand and dropping hints."

"I was feeling brave."

"Come on, Levi Ackerman is the bravest human being alive."

"Not when it comes to you."

"What's there to be afraid of? Haven't you figured out by now that I love you?"

"Yeah, I have. I just wanted to hear you say it."

She knew he was smirking, and God did she wish she could see it.