Why don't you come here lil' darling and rest your head, and tell me every little thing that's on your mind? I can be heartless and cold, and sometimes I'm distant, but baby you know I got that other side. And I won't change, You can't change me, don't act confused, Or play stupid; I've told you this a million times (..) And, I've been thinking about the days when I'd come by, Knocking on your door for your company. (...) Them days when I'd tell lies, Playing with your hair through the summer breeze. (..) How clever was my disguise cause you fell for me. Them days when you'd come through, Never really thought that you'd ever run from me; never really thought you'd ever run from me-
Promotion came quickly, and Zoe was only half sure the Captain was trying to get into her pants. She evaded him easily enough before he retired, walking through the streets, confined in the walls of Sina, very bored. Occasionally she was stopped by a wayward child, or a wall chauvinist, helping the former, and only the latter when she was in the mood to consider voluntary self harm.
Still, her promotion to Squad Leader came because she was smart, and reacted appropriately. And by appropriate reactions, she meant that she didn't really interrogate someone who was probably doing something illegal if they were apart of the merchant's guild. She visibly remembered being out for a late night patrol, and catching sight of the men in the torchlight, engaged in some shady deal, and she'd given them a little nod,continuing on her way.
So, it wasn't as if she was going to broadcast her current position. There wasn't any honor in it, and she wasn't looking to find any, staying with the flow of corruption, and there was a good amount of it. Central Military Police didn't answer to her Commander (Nile Dok), as she'd discovered, which seemed odd, but... She wasn't going to consider it, talk about it, just like her interaction with the merchants. Don't ask, don't tell. She was already on her way to the top, why stop only for morals?
At some point, they requested her specifically for their late night protection. First promotion there. Soon, she had her own squad, and she suited the command, surprisingly, because she'd never been entirely sure of herself, despite her ranking in the Cadet program. A month after that, she was given the detail to accompany the top brass of the Scout Regiment to the Capital. Apparently Erwin and Levi were on their way to the Capital to discuss the next expedition outside of the wall.
Mostly, it was Erwin, as he'd come up with the newest formation. Zoe set her hands behind her back, staring up at the sky as she plodded slowly over the bridge, watching a number of horses clop through the streets, a few new recruits catching the reigns when the riders dismounted. She didn't have clearance for a 3D maneuver device, so she was grounded for the time being.
She wasn't entirely sure if Levi was there, as she didn't care to be social at the increments that brought food, preferring to stay in her room. Someone usually knocked to bring her her food, and that knock came, five minutes late. Zoe stepped forward, opening the door as she stretched, eyes fluttering closed before she opened them to take in the person standing there.
Levi.
She smiled, asking, "You brought food, didn't you?"
He stepped forward, gripping her in the crook of her elbow, turning her. Levi's breath was hot over her neck, walking her forward, hands digging under her pants. The door snapped shut behind him, and she pushed against his weight, shuffling to turn in his arms, wrapping her arms tight behind his head, sliding a hand up into the black of his hair, bringing him down for a kiss.
A bit of ceremony would be nice, she thought. A hello; I haven't seen you in 4 months, are you still operating?
Something like that.
They remained that way for sometime, his hands roaming over her body, squeezing her tight against him as he did. She was on tiptoe the whole time, to get as close as he could, breath picking up even as she was robbed of it. Zoe hated how much she'd missed him, even as his nails dug into the side of her body, managing to make her feel it despite the presence of her shirt.
She bumped against the back of a table, breaking away to look at where she'd been, breath hitching again as Levi picked her up, setting her on the edge, his body moving between her legs. Zoe attempted to keep her legs together, but he pressed them apart, settling his hips between them. He gave her a brief look that said 'behave' in incredibly simple terms, before moving, his lips touching down over her neck, gentle for once. She just wanted to show some defiance, a hot coil of arousal spreading through her body when he displayed his quiet strength.
Zoe allowed him to pull her shirt off, his lips trailing down, hands almost too tight on her hips. His eyes flicked briefly up to her, watching her mouth tip open, head lolling back. She lost sight of him, hands fisted on the table, feeling his fingers hook in the edge of her loose pants, tugging down. She heard clothes hit the floor that weren't hers, and refocused on him.
He picked her up, making sure her legs were right around his waist, managing to look less slim shirtless, shoulders broad, muscles defined. Levi dropped her to the bed, pressing his body down over hers, lips deviating from hers again, touching little kisses that made her toes curl to her slight frame. Still, he hadn't said a single word to her, hands slipping up her back.
"Oh fuck, Levi," She gasped, trying to arch up under him, his lips touching over her breasts. "Fuck."
He moved lower, hands shifting to press between her legs. Two fingers pressed slowly into her, and Zoe sighed, knowing that she missed him far too much. Levi's tongue flicked over her clit, fingers disappearing, fitting his mouth to her. She jolted slightly, and Levi reached, holding her down.
She reached, winding her fingers through his hair, canting her hips up against his mouth. It took him a minute to get adjusted, remembering precisely where she liked it, her legs shifted over his shoulders. Zoe's mouth dropped, and she let a little sob shudder through her, squeezing her eyes shut. His tongue flicked over her clit, latching there, two fingers working fast in and out of her.
Zoe tried to hold back, a tad embarrassed that he could get an orgasm out of her so quickly. Her body spasmed, hand clenching in his hair hard enough to get a noise of pain, her thighs locking down around his head. She was worried afterwards that she might've actually hurt him, but he leveled his gaze with hers. He was fine; well enough to give her that petulant look he had mastered.
"Are you trying to kill me?" He asked, passing the back of his hand over his wet mouth.
She moved slow, feeling wrung out as she attempted an apology she didn't mean, "I couldn't help it, Levi, I...I'm sorry."
"Are you?"
She shook her head no, and he tipped his head in a quiet response, seeming bemused with that response. He eased back, turning her around, Zoe almost dropping to the bed beneath her, burying her head in the crook of her arm, his hands the only thing to hold her up. Zoe felt him nudge at her entrance, and he kicked her legs apart a bit more, pressing a hand down her back, arching her ass up. He surged home, bottoming out quickly inside of her, and Zoe was pushed up the bed, gasping in pain, walls stretching around him. Levi set a hard pace, and she gripped at the sheets, his name falling in pieces from her lips.
Zoe felt another orgasm tear through her, making sure she didn't cave under him, wanting to make him feel as good as she was. They never made love; maybe once or twice, but mostly, it was fucking, a harsh term that appropriately defined the sex they had. Their mutual desire led to this, Levi moving steady between her legs, making her feel overwhelmingly good.
He bent his body over hers, slowing his hips, rolling them to her, kissing over her shoulder. Zoe raised her eyes, searching for him, candles lighting her room enough to properly shed light over his form. Levi's lips twitched up into something similar to a smile, before falling back into his customary slash. She kept her eyes on his, rocked slowly forward every time he pushed, coaxing her to respond to this new rhythm.
"Yes," she sighed, letting out a slow moan.
He nodded, pressing his damp forehead to her shoulder, losing some of the aggression he'd held since he'd made his way into the door.
"Miss me?" he murmured, voice low, almost silk in the darkness.
She hummed, tilting her head to try to follow that silk, "yea, yea, I missed you."
Zoe used to fight him with apathy, but she couldn't help being drawn to him by some mistake of her own that she knew she was going to regret. So she knew she was going to throw herself back into the mess Levi presented, because she wanted him; from day one, she'd entertained fantasies of him, all false and too pretty, which disappeared after she'd gotten him. She didn't need fantasies when she was with him.
She squeezed her eyes shut again, flying away at the seems, tensing hard under him, feeling him slam once, twice, into her. He stilled, and Zoe relaxed, catching her breath slowly, feeling him soften in her, falling on her side when he drew away. Levi tossed her a nightgown, pulling up underwear, silent as he watched her tug it on, moving back towards her.
Zoe didn't know what he would do, until he dropped onto the bed next to her, resting his back against the headboard. He reached, fingers dipping into the nearby candle, gray eyes flicking to her.
"Come here, yea?"
Zoe was almost too tired to move, but she did, hand reaching out to her bedside table, the rickety thing rocking as she patted around for a hair band, worried about her looks now. Levi let her rest back against his chest, warm fingers ghosting over her cheek once, before stilling. She breathed deep, touching along his arm till she came along a new scar, frowning slightly, turning to look up at him.
His face was shrouded by shadows, and she wasn't sure if she was meeting his eyes. "How did that happen?"
"It's none of your business, Zoe," he said, reply curt.
"Levi," she tried.
"I said it wasn't your business, yea? You shouldn't care about me, or scars that much. It's silly."
She knew his dislike of the Military troops, and maybe that sentiment was transferring to her. Zoe tucked her chin to her chest, shifting off him as best as she could, curling away from him, feeling suitably rebuffed, any lasting warmth leaving her. He made a little 'tsk' noise, and sighed heavily, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders; which it very well might be, but she'd turn him a cold shoulder if he was going to be an asshole.
Zoe's eyes drooped, and the candle light vanished, preluding her own darkness. Levi was warm. And she'd missed him well enough.
"How long are you staying?"
"A week. Erwin has a long time to deliberate."
"Oh."
"What, do you not want me here?" Levi gave an amused huff. "After I ate you out, and you almost choked me?"
She quieted. "You'll be sleeping in my room?"
"Yes, if that's 'kay with you," he said, yawning around okay, finally coming off as something human as fatigue took ahold of him. "It won't happen again; I was lured here, honestly."
"I didn't dangle a broom outside, Levi, what are you talking about, lured?"
"That wouldn't work."
"Yes it would've."
He shifted, and she sat up to let him lay next to her. Levi didn't respond, and she fell asleep, waking up to the sun. He was still next to her, Zoe turning to look over her shoulder, recalling the fact she hadn't seen him sleeping. His face was relaxed, the always present frown on his face gone, stretched out on her bed, snoozing quietly, a hand on her hip limp.
LEvi cracked an eye open slowly, eyes traveling over her. He shifted, standing up from the bed, looking at her as he dressed, tugging his jacket over his slim shoulders.
"come find me in the meeting room after dinner," he said, a hand running through his hair, pushing it from his face.
She nodded, looking away from him in once second, finding him close to her when she raised her gaze. Levi dipped in, kissing her with the normal amount of desire to hurt, and she returned that bite with as much enthusiasm as she could this early in the morning. His hands sifted through her hair, cupping the back of it, nipping lightly at her lip, skin breaking slightly when he pressed. He stepped back, blue-gray eyes on her.
"What?" she asked, wondering why he had to stare at her like that, with those eyes; she couldn't seem to push beyond vagueness when describing how his looks made her feel.
Levi's lips twisted down into a frown, obviously not happy to explain,"Aren't you going to come down with me? It's breakfast, and you're the one who "
"Oh. Oh, I didn't know you wanted that."
She shifted, tugging her sleepwear off her, turning to her uniform, watching his face sour a bit as he focused on the insignia. Zoe ignored him, walking to her door, stepping out. A new recruit halted, fist on his chest, the salute making Levi shake his head, walking close alongside her. Levi stayed close to her, even when he'd got food, directing her with light touches to her back, spotting Erwin, Hanji chattering away, stopping when she saw Levi.
He plopped down, arm over the back of his chair, crossing his leg over the other. In an instant, he seemed completely disinterested in her, scanning the room instead as he chewed his food.
"Levi, you look as angry as usual," Hanji said, adjusting her glasses.
Levi looked at Hanji, blinking before a very sour expression crossed his face, "What was that, four-eyes?"
"Insults this early in the morning? You really should talk to a military doctor; I actually have a temporary license in the area, that may or may not be undergoing investigation."
"Talking to you would only make me worse."
"Okay, how about a lover then?" Hanji asked, easing her glasses further up her nose as she cut her gaze to Zoe. Zoe attempted to focus harder on her food, pushing it around her dish.
Levi's eyebrow twitched before he growled, "Your shitty help won't do shit, shitty four-eyes." She really did appreciate his underground influenced vocabulary, and how awkwardly he tried to keep it in check in this setting. She'd heard far worse; almost stunningly so.
Erwin finished the argument by throwing away his breakfast, nodding towards Levi and Hanji as a signal for them to move out. Levi increased his pace of consumption, and Hanji didn't finish, throwing it in the bin so she could leave before Levi did. Zoe watched him stand up, striding fast down the lanes between tables, hands fisted at his side.
She started her patrolling again, preferring this to playing cards with the higher ups. Zoe wondered what Levi was doing here, why he'd come into her room, her consent apparently not mattering to him. Not that she would've said no, because he absolutely had her around his finger. Except for the fact she hadn't joined his troops, or Erwin's, to be correct.
Zoe saw a brief scuffle around noon, gripping the smaller child, pulling him back. She flicked her eyes to the oncoming merchant, the fine clothes he wore marking that he was definitely supposed to be behind wall Sina, in the almost decorative town. The child tried to scramble away, but she held on tighter, waiting for the paunchy man to thump towards her.
"Thank you," He said, face red, wheezing. "The kid- stole my sodding prize fruit."
Zoe almost rolled her eyes, thinking to let the child go, the man obviously tallying up his crime far higher than necessary. Still, she handed him over, watched him get dragged away by his ear, reminding her how she wasn't proud of her position in the slightest. As the sun started to set, she glanced to the ornate clock, recognizing the fact that she was going to be late to the map room.
She was fairly unsure as to where this had all started. One moment she'd been at the top of the class, the next Erwin had shoved Levi there for about the 6 months they had left. Their relationship had been centered around competition, and the first time they'd slept together had been a quick affair. He'd saved her when a malfunctioning 3D device had stopped her progress in a field test. This had been when the training still included the test that included Titans. Still, they were the first back, and as soon as she'd caught her breath, they'd...well, she hated to sum it up with 'we jumped on each other', but, they'd jumped on each other.
Zoe had allowed him to push her up against the wall, breathing heavily as he attempted breached her clothing, breaking away to kiss her randomly, lacking finesse, teeth clacking together. She'd threaded her hands in his hair, not cut as crisply it was now, still full, and a little overlong. What could she say; he'd saved her from a near death situation, so it was a reality check that erased those 'what if' inhibitions.
She breathed in, breathed out, stretching out her limbs, hearing some of her bones click against each other. Zoe resisted a yawn, shaking her head as she walked underneath an awning, curls bouncing against her cheek. The odd appointment she and Levi had agreed upon did weigh upon her mind, so she picked up a jog, gripping the strap over her chest to hold her rifle more securely to her back. A clarification as to what was going to happen would've been nice, because if her time chart told her anything, it was that there was a meeting going on.
She'd gotten a smirk from Levi when Zoe had probed for a bit more information. Honestly, she was beginning to believe that Levi had some sort of manual he pulled his various smirks out of, and she was going to be left to find that book and start a matching game. She pushed his generally unreadable moods to the side, turning left, then right, catching sight of the Military Office, gold laced insignia glinting in the dying sunlight.
Zoe stopped by the weapons store, her rifle squared away with a simple signature on her time out card, R in 'Roth' looking rather loopy; certainly more than she'd meant it to. The clerk barely glanced at it before he slapped his hand over the card, sliding it back under the metal grate, flicking a latch that sealed over the small face, metal wired screen. She stopped in front of her reflection on her way out, flipping her curls from her collar, attempting to look more presentable, shifting to view her frame, pressing down on imagined fat, recalling that with her exercise she shouldn't be so worried. But she was so critical of herself, and she didn't feel she could shrug it, pondering that issue as she scuffled down the corridor leading to Levi.
"You're late," Levi said as she stepped into the maproom, rows and rows of books and tactical diagrams lining the walls behind him. He tracked her as she attempted to flounce through the room. "Were you crushing a child's dream?"
"Why would I be doing that?" she asked, sighing heavily, stepping up to a shelf, reaching up to run her fingers over the spine of the strategiem books, history books mixed among the thick volumes.
"I just assume that's what Military Police do with their spare time."
"Coming from the person who attempted to create the church of cleanliness."
"I still accept donations, Zoe," he said, something like a smile passing over his lips. "Are you going to come over here now, or what?"
She didn't move from her space by the shelves tugged a slim book from the shelf, easing back onto the low table set into the corner. Her legs swung from the side, toe just managing to remain on the ground below her as she cracked open the book, finger tracking under the first line of text. Zoe did actually want to read this book, and it wasn't as if she consciously made to ignore him and his little huff of annoyance as she stayed where she was. He and his passive aggressive self could stay in front of the set up 3-d map, long slim fingers tapping a steady rhythm out.
"I thought there was a meeting in here," she said, careful not to focus on him now.
He shrugged, "A bit while back, Zoe, so it's fine."
"Why can't you come to me once in awhile?"
"I have already, Zoe."
"You're not now," she said, her little observation put in the sweetest tone she could muster, glancing up from her book to bat her eyelashes at him.
Zoe had to know he wanted her, so this little game they both played was a common one. She didn't look at him again until he was in front of her, her book held away carefully between his fingers, pulling it away from hers. He tossed it to the side, book lying open on the floor, and she made a start of an instinctive effort to rescue it, a knee lifting to rest on his chest, pushing him away even as he pulled her back in.
Levi made one of his quicker moves, forearm above her head now, hand to the side of her, with one of her bent knees awkwardly stationed on his chest, other leg at his hip. His eyebrows creased his forehead, and she attempted to curl up on herself, feeling her face heat up as she brought her hands close together, allowing her fingers to run nervously over the cuffs of her jacket. She didn't know why his presence did this to her routinely, especially when he looked annoyed. Zoe just felt like she was being scolded by some sort of peer, and she didn't handle criticism well.
"you make it so hard on yourself sometimes, Zoe," he murmured, hand raising to play with her curls, distracted next with letting his fingers trail over her jaw line. "with you and your cutsie curls, hmm?"
His thumb played over her slightly chapped lips, neglected by her out of sheer stubbornness to invest in some sort of gloss; but he still kissed her, hand dropping back down the table, forearm still stationed above her head. She squirmed where she sat, regretting her earlier movements, as a knee on his chest did make it very difficult to get precisely where she wanted to be.
"Why don't you just come with me to the Scout's headquarters?" he mumbled, breaking away from her for a brief moment. "Stay there with me. Where you belong, isn't it?"
"I can't; I mean, I'd like to, but…"
"But...what if I got you out of this bullshit, then?"
"How can you pull that off?"
"I have my ways; anything to have you walking around naked in my apartment again."
She groaned, more in annoyance, giving a little sigh, "That's barely an apartment, Levi."
"They bought us townhouses, now, yea? We dropped some of those ambitious fucking outposts, and now we've been upgraded in reference to housing.," he said, eyebrow crooking, holding eye contact for her reaction
"What, you want to test out your new bed?"
"What other shit is there to do? Shit else," he murmured, catching her lips in a hard kiss, arm going tight around her waist, holding her against him.
"...you're such a male."
She rolled her eyes away from him, got a slight chuckle from him, eyes meeting hers for the briefest moment before he leaned back in, lips grazing her neck instead. He shifted enough to allow her to adjust herself, knee slipping from his chest, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as his hands slid under her button down shirt for the briefest moment before he took them away to really deal with the issue of her clothes. Zoe herself was rather focused on his own clothing situation, but he continually drew her attention back to him, a few kisses that made her smile.
"What?" he asked, patting around for her hand, grasping her wrists as she shook her head no in response. "tell me, Zoe," he attempted, setting her wrists over her head, even as she laughed at him, hoping to keep her secrets to herself. "before I tie you up, hmm?"
"It felt good, is all."
"Yea?" he said, letting her wrists go, and she let her arms fall slack around the back of his neck.
His hands were at her belt, unbuckling it before he started working her pants and underwear off, getting them halfway down her thighs before he stopped, hand clapping to the stone work beside her head. Levi seemed to be experiencing some sort of intense pain, jaw clenched. His free hand traced swirls on her upper thigh as he considered something she couldn't readily assume, even as the pain, which she now thought was just sharp annoyance, melted from his face, passing finally as he sighed heavily.
"What?"
"Next time, don't wear any clothes," he said, stepping back slightly to yank her pants off one leg.
Zoe almost followed his harsh tug, slipping halfway off the small table he had her on, clinging to him, making a low noise of annoyance. "don't be stupid."
"Don't call me stupid."
He allowed her to get comfortable very slowly, Zoe set her one unclothed leg on his hip, and he slid his hand from her ankle, to her inner thigh, fingers stalling. She glared at him, bringing her hand up fast, the move usually quick enough to slide past the quick reflexes so she could get in a hard smack. Levi caught her wrist, of course, smug grin really needling her. His fingers finally dipped to her clit, thumb pressing soft against it.
Zoe smiled, eyes closing to focus on the feel, the rough pads of his fingers so familiar. That feature always did it for her, and Zoe held in the tiniest of moans, breath coming a bit faster as his fingers slipped into her. His upper body pressed close to hers as his fingers worked in and out of her, thumb moving steady over her clit. He curled his fingers up, catching against her g-spot, and she rolled her hips to push his fingers a bit deeper.
"I'd love to stand around and watch you cum around my fingers, Zoe, but there is another meeting in here soon."
Her eyes shot open, and she looked around, a little sluggish, managing, "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"
"Didn't want to ruin the mood."
"I hate you so much."
"I know," he responded, fingers slipping out of her. "But you're still going to fuck me, aren't you?"
"Out of the kindness of my heart."
She might've gotten a laugh out of anyone else, but this was Levi, who was very much a male, focusing on his dick now that their time had been cut short.
"We've got fifteen minutes."
"What?"
"See, this wouldn't have been an issue if you'd not worn any clothes," he said, final word coming out strained as he pushed into her, a breathless chuckle escaping him. "Fuck me, you're too fucking much. You're the only reason I thought I could deal with these capital visits."
She let his words plump up her ego, wrapping her legs tighter around his waist, encouraging him deeper; and Levi always knew how hold her, situating her perfectly on the small table. Still, she hated that he was wrapping this up to quickly, that he'd allowed them so little time. Zoe felt his lips again at her neck, voice too soft to catch, warm in his arms, hands clenching tight at her lower back as he fucked her harder.
The sharp sound of skin against skin filled the library, muffled by the books and still, hot air, slight groans he emitted intensely gratifying. His nails dug into her caramel skin, and she arched away from it, pressing her too warm skin to his, expecting him to be cool as marble as she hooked her ankles together behind his back. LEvi's hips snapped forward once, pushing deep enough to hit her spot, making her shout, body racked with shudders, stars floating in her vision. She heard him chuckle, knew he loved see her fall apart under him; but they didn't have that kind of time, and he picked up his fast pace again.
Zoe needed him to be as close as possible if she was going to orgasm, sweating as she worked her hips down in tandem with his thrusts. "Harder," she requested, tucking her chin to his shoulder. "Make me cum, Levi?" the command turned into something of a question, one of her hands sliding into his soft black hair, knowing she was picking up numerous bad habits again. "Please, please," her words slid to a low moan, a thrill of pleasure making her smile against his skin.
"What, you think I'm going to pass up the chance to feel you clenching around me?" he responded, his shift to a low, smug tone only slightly annoying, "You're so sweet to me, like I'd neglect your pretty little pussy, huh?"
She moaned in response to that, breath coming faster, seizing up to allow him full control, which he took in the next moment. Zoe quivered against him as gracefully as she could, cursing his name as she came around him, heels pressing hard to his lower back, keeping him seated deep inside of her. His head fell back as he came with her, as she imagined that she allowed some of his demons to fade away.
He leaned on her as they came down from their high, biceps trembling under his effort to keep himself up, her breath coming heavily. She let him kiss her, one of her hands slipping over his abdomen, touching over his muscled skin, his breathing expanding the area only slightly. Zoe was more than happy to stay where she was, tugging him back down when he pulled away.
"Five minutes to clean up," he murmured, stepping away from her, turning to pick up his discarded jacket, buttoning up his shirt.
She made a small noise, taking her shirt from him when he offered, collecting it back over her shoulders, pushing the buttons into place slowly, feeling a bit wrung out. Zoe used his shoulder to help her stand, tugging up her pants without really hitching them in place. She'd always hated finishing their sessions quickly, especially when the very real danger of getting caught was imminent. Still; fairly hot.
"So slow," he said, pushing her along by the nape of her ass.
"What are you going to do, throw me to the Titans?" she snapped, swatting his hand away.
Zoe didn't notice him dip, only felt her feet leave the floor, swept up quickly in his arms. She wanted to protest, but she couldn't move her mouth anymore, pressing herself close, letting him navigate as be, finding her bedroom. He let her go, kicking his boots off as she struggled with hers. Zoe slumped back as soon as they were off, stretching across the mattress, flinching from him as he moved. Levi sat close, clasping his hands together, leaning forward to rest his head on them.
Zoe reached, resting her hand on his shoulder, watching his jerking response, eyes cutting to her. She wondered what would've happened if nothing had happened almost 100 years ago. If they would've found each other, if his appearance from the underground would've been the same. Her family hadn't been much, simple farmers, really, as far a she could trace back. At the moment, her brother was running a successful one in between Wall Maria and Rose. And if they...it was wishful thinking.
Levi shifted, eyes on her. "I'm sorry," he said simply.
She pushed up on her elbow. "For what?"
"I'll," he paused, dipping to sit closer to her. "I'll kill them all one day," Zoe didn't need him to assign a name, "I swear."
Zoe didn't respond, just pressed her hand into his cropped hair, pulling him down. He fell asleep with her hands running through his hair, body heavy over hers, tangled slightly with her. His hand had moved to hers a moment or so before he slept, fingers locked with her own. She felt rather safe for once in her military career, not waking once during the night.
,I think there's something for us, lying around as the world comes down. If you understand what I'm saying, you won't end up in the lost and found, nope. I don't know why but every time I see you dancing (I see you dancing), I'm tired of running tired of playing late romancing ( I don't want to), If we could be together would that make you happy?
- weeks later -
The Military Police office was surprisingly busy. And apparently, she was saddled with the boring task of signing off on squad permissions. Then with the annoying task of walking arrivals to the Inn, surprised when she saw Levi, sitting in the shadows, being his normal broody self, despite Hanji chattering away. He looked up, saw her, and stood without changing his expression, though Hanji's did, mouth open, obviously left alone to talk to herself.
Her superior attempted to catch her attention, but Levi glared, shoulders rolling back, fairly short next to the 5'11 male. But he was heralded as an incredibly gifted soldier, so the man backed down. Levi looked down to her, and his expression cleared. Zoe thought that he looked odd in his casual clothes, how he almost (almost) seemed relaxed. He only did this around his fellows in the Scout Regiment. For a small part.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, tipping his head a slight bit, jaw defined, collarbone standing out from the loose shirt he wore. No cravat, apparently.
"Merchants Association, and the Central government are organizing a celebration for the 100 years of peace marker. Well, the days leading up to it."
Levi's expression soured. "Who's participating in it? Are they shoving money down the fucking drain as usual?" His voice wasn't hushed, and a man close to them at the bar looked over, eyebrows almost disappearing into his hairline, mouth gaping. "What about spending it on the people who can hardly find enough to eat down at Wall Maria?"
"Mostly the rich here in Sina, as well as a couple others from Rose. And they're mostly performers," Zoe said, carefully avoiding the next chunk he'd said.
He eyed her for a good stretch, silent, then shrugged. "Whatever." Levi took another beat.
"Do you want to walk around? Maybe?"
Levi glanced back to Hanji, then her. "I'd rather deal with you than shitty four-eyes."
How nice.
Zoe waited for him as he talked quickly to Hanji, walking out beside him, saw Levi relax, a hand passing from the base behind his neck, ruffling the dark hair in a slow movement. She wished he'd take her hand, but she was being silly, walking through the main street, staying on the side walk. Levi stopped as she did, looking up at the sign while she carried on into the book store.
The head proprietor's son gave her a large smile, halo of blond curls moving with him as he walked out from behind the checkout counter. Levi finally walked in, just as Devon wrapped her in a large hug, making her laugh, always surprised at how similar it was to her brother's. Devon stepped back, catching a glimpse of Levi, and Zoe turned just enough to catch the sneer that crawled over his face.
"So, is my brother's almanac good enough to be sold? Or?"
Devon tipped his head, raising his hand flat and moved it, as if to say so-so. "I mean, I have to check with the Central Government, and, their expert is harsh, you know? They barely let a thing through."
Zoe gave a small hum, considering the floor, then shrugging. "Still, do you have any new arrivals?"
"We've got new biographies. One off the person who invented the 3D movement device. Angel...I'm not too sure of his last name."
"Oh, oh; that sounds interesting," she said, smiling.
"Wanna come down to the cellar with me, just because you know I don't do dark well."
She laughed, catching another annoyed look from Levi, gazing up at the ceiling as if it were going to reveal all of his questions.
"How about I do that?" Levi asked. "I know for a fact she doesn't operate in darkness well either."
"Well, I-"
"It's decided, yea? Let's go." Levi looked at her before he walked away. "Stay here."
She glared, annoyed with this, as she quite liked the cold cellar with the nice book smell; and she'd stuck Devon with her passive aggressive companion. Levi and Devon came up soon, Devon looking much less uncomfortable when he saw her again, and Levi held up a thick volume. He set it on the counter, and Devon's brow furrowed, tugging close despite his expression, eyes drifting to her again.
"You're not staying longer?"
Zoe gave him another smile,"I am, yea, of course." Devon was the closest thing to a friend she'd ever had, maybe, from when she started in the Cadet program at 17, and throughout. Mostly because he'd read as many books as she did, and gave discounts.
Devon stepped back, and rounded the counter, walking among the bookshelves with her. LEvi's eyebrows were twisted up, his lip curled from his teeth, standing next to the counter, visible from every location with the layout. For a minute, Devon disappeared from her side to greet the person who'd came in, and Levi appeared almost out of nowhere, his hand, more like his thumb, tracing down her spine.
"He likes you," Levi murmured.
"Yea, and?"
Levi was silent, then said, "he shouldn't be staring at you. It's unprofessional."
She gave a short hum, pulling her waves away from her face before she reached for a book, tugging it out of the shelf. Zoe flipped slow through the pages, while Levi hovered over her, blocking her light. When she told him this, he scoffed, but made the adjustment, leaning against the space in the wall as best he could, eventually tipping forward again, and standing next to her.
"What's it about?" he asked.
"Just fairytales, really," she murmured, glancing up to him, catching a brief flare of confusion. "Do you know any of them?"
She flipped back to the table of contents, watched his eyes trail over the page, resulting in a shake of his head. His hair tickled her forehead, close enough for her to just tip and kiss him. Zoe's gaze aligned with his, and she wondered if she should kiss him, his hand shifting up, tugging a corkscrew of a curl. He guided it next over her neck, lips twisting down.
"What happened to that necklace you had?"
Zoe was surprised he remembered it. "It's broken, and I need a new chain. And being a Military Police doesn't do much help to money situations. So, it's back in my room at the moment."
He nodded, and she smiled, glancing once around, before leaning up on her toes and kissing him. Zoe shut the book of fables when she pulled away, turning it to see the price, already knowing the biography price. Fair enough, but it'd take a large chunk out of her savings for a silk set of pajamas. But she had some otherwise, so it wouldn't matter, entirely, and books were better than silk in the end.
Levi followed after her, hand lingering on her back. Zoe waved Devon goodbye as she slipped her books into her satchel, hesitating a moment before taking off her jacket, stuffing it there as well.
"Do you mind going back to my room for a second? I'd like to change," she said, halting outside the bookstore.
Levi shrugged. "As long as it's quick."
She was quick, walking out into the warm afternoon, again in a fairly short light blue dress, arms bare. Levi's eyes dropped slowly down her frame, then reached out, and took her now empty satchel, slinging it over to his shoulder. Zoe brought him to the already bustling festival area, vendors, many of whose permit sheets she'd signed were set up in a wide ring around the large air was slightly cooler because of it, and children splashed in it, no one really seeming to have the heart to tell them off.
Zoe caught sight of dogs, and smiled, tugging Levi's attention away from the knives to point at them. "Aren't they cute? We had a lot of dogs on the farm, but none of them were that cute, and I'm pretty sure those are bred, right?"
Levi shrugged, "I'm not a fan of dogs."
She looked at him, face falling in a deadpan similar to his. "Really?"
"All the dogs who've interacted with me have been in some stage of attack."
"Okay, but these are puppies," she said, tugging him by his sleeve.
"Dogs are just overlarge rats," Levi muttered, but allowed himself to be pulled into the throng of children.
Zoe was offered a dog by the vendor, along with a huge smile, very different from the annoyed look he was giving to the children. The dog wiggled in her arms, panting, its pink tongue lolling out, very excited. It licked her face, and its tail began wagging. Levi didn't look amused in the slightest, frowning at the dog, the expression deepening when Zoe tried to get him to touch the dog.
Eventually he reached and patted the dog woodenly. Levi finally gave a sigh, and his pats turned into strokes down the black furred dog's back, the animal's mouth wide in something close to a smile.
"I bet I could train him," Levi said, a short huff expelling from his lips. "Sit, chase something. Kill."
"Levi, it's just a dog. No reason to turn it into a killer."
"And, fuck off, I'd teach him that as well."
A mother glared at him, and Levi looked away from her. Zoe set the dog back in among its littermates, standing, Levi's hand catching hers as soon as she did, pulling her like she had him over to the knife table. He ignored the vendor as the man tried to make recommendations, bring his attention to the flashy, gem studded knives, the metal a bright silver, much more appealing to the eye of the Lords and Ladies who came over.
The vendor was distracted by the rich people, and Levi looked a bit happier. He picked up an astoundingly simple knife, tapping his pinky briefly to the edge, giving a nod as he saw the little bead of blood.
"This," he said, "is good steel. So hard to find these, usually, dunno why. You'd see a Lord shitting before you did."
She rolled her eyes, and Levi set the knife back in place, catching her expression, another short huff displaying his amusement. He allowed her to steer him through, her arms wrapped around one of his, stopped once or twice by a vendor with more feminine products, appealing to her gender as they tried to get her to join the already crowded perfume booth. Then the one with soaps, who called to Levi instead, using the route of, 'buy this for your girlfriend'. Zoe actually did veer off there, as her soap was running low.
Levi opened her bag for her, and she plopped the molded bars there, offering to take it back from him, but he refused. She found an open spot at a close by restaurant, sitting first, as Levi had told her he had to go buy something himself. Zoe waited till he was gone, then went back to the knife booth, and bought the one he'd been scoping out, the price low, due to it's lack of gems and other flashy embellishments. He returned presently, slinging the satchel off his shoulder, dropping it over the chair, settling in the shade.
By the time they left, it was evening, stars out and bright, large moon providing enough light, though the torches were out, the streets a bit clearer now, and more adults were up and about. A tavern, popular among Military Police, was loud enough to hear a street over. Others were as loud as well, and she asked him if he wanted to go in. Levi shook his head no, and she fell silent, walking at his side.
His hand slipped down, fingers sliding slow through hers. He held her there, seeming to be wandering aimlessly, but he stopped suddenly, looking up. Levi pulled her after him as they walked up flights of stairs, the bell tower providing a vantage point, fairly high up, bigger than the ones placed in Maria and Rose. Her hand was suddenly empty, Levi sliding down to the ground, back against the wall, her satchel open.
He passed her a still cold drink, and Zoe sunk down next to him, legs out. Her eyes went to the stars, and she gave a small smile, letting Levi place his head again on her legs. They talked for sometime, Levi catching her up on what he'd been doing, the training as well. Levi tipped his head, reaching, tapping her chin to him, leaning up, hand sliding slow over the back of her neck as he kissed her, the action an answer to her 'are you alright?'.
"Of course. Don't worry."
But he'd changed. He wasn't as cocky anymore, a bit more reserved, even. Humble, if she said so herself.
"Okay, if you say so."
"what?"
"You seem like you've changed."
Levi remained taciturn, raising his hand to point over her shoulder, face blank as he spoke, "Look, it's a snake."
Her whole body shivered, and Zoe froze up, moving slow to look over her shoulder, eyes snapping shut, expecting to see a snake. She opened one eye slowly, cracked only slightly, squeaking in preparation as well, well prepared to hurl herself over the clock tower wall, knowing she'd be able to catch herself. Zoe had faced down her instructor during training one time, and he was far, far more terrifying than a snake, visually, and skill wise. But there was something about snakes that went further than fear of a skin injury, or pain.
but there was no snake, and he was just being Levi. "Moron," she sighed, settling back against the brick wall. "You're the worst."
"You have to stop being afraid of those things. They're not a serious threat, y'know. Our reality is so shitty..." He trailed off, pressing his cheek against her thigh again, and she let the silence remain, comfortable in it.
Levi stood when she yawned, and they walked back to her bedroom. Though he slept next to her, she didn't wake up to him, and her heart gave a jerk, walking to the satchel he'd discarded, close to the desk.
She was surprised to see her locket, restrung with a odd looking chain, Levi's scribbles on a piece of paper reading, 'I'm still poor as shit, and quite frankly, you can wait till some holiday, or your birthday for a prettier item. And I don't even think you like gold, and that's all they had there, and all the silver chains were terrible, and I know your skin reacts badly to that, and please don't tell me that this was a run on sentence if you see me. You're a bookworm, Zoe, and I hope that's an insult.' It wasn't. Not in the slightest. 'That leather isn't going to break unless you really fuck up, and it's woven, so, it's girly enough, right? Whatever shit you like, I left the name of the people I bought it from, so if you don't like it, you can at least have money off me. Also, took your story book, and the knife you bought me, because you're not remotely sneaky, just be happy you've got your looks and abilities, because there is no way you could be a successful thief.' she rolled her eyes, wondering how he could volley that many insults in the paragraph he'd written. His name was sloppily signed, like he'd been rushed. As well as a postscript that he'd return her book.
I feel the morning coming over, but if you stay you can leave with me. I'll tell you everything I know...Nowhere left to be. Rain is falling in the corner, above the boys and the moonlit mask. Just be a shoulder for my head; All I ever ask.