Both Mikasa and Levi were left dumbfounded as they watched her leave in a blink. It was totally quiet for a moment, save for the sound of the quiet crackling of half-burned candle wicks. Neither had the confidence to break the silence.

Levi slumped in his seat and sighed. He'd kissed many women in his past; he'd even done more than what he'd like to admit from his days in the Underground. But kissing Mikasa? Levi felt like a fool to be this much of a nervous wreck. Seemed like a well deserved punishment for not thinking straight, he thought. For being so easily swept away by... What... Feelings? What the hell?

He didn't dare take a second to replay the way Mikasa softly kissed him back. If he did...

Levi cleared his throat. "Hange is right. It's getting late," Levi said coolly, ignoring the fast pulse deep in his chest. The way Mikasa stared at him with a wordless expression didn't help either. He darted his eyes to the doors. "…We should probably get some shut eye."

Mikasa remained in her seat, looking off to the distance beside her. She didn't seem as nervous as him, which surprised Levi as much as it didn't; Mikasa had always done well at staying calm and collected, unless it was about Eren. She turned pensive. "Why…"

The panic began to settle in. "Look, Mikasa, I'm sorry. I got carried aw—"

"Our kiss, Captain," she spoke up as she stood to her feet. Clearly she wasn't as frazzled as Levi to acknowledge it. The look on her face revealed something was bothering her; she was processing, calculating. "Is that what it should've felt like…" Her voice shriveled, bringing a gentle finger to her lips before interlocking with her scarf. Her eyes glued to the ground.

...Oh. Levi raised a prideful brow as he quickly pieced things together. He held a smug look on his face. "…Sounds like Eren's just a bad kisser." He chuckled, thankful for the release of tension in his chest.

"I-it's not like that! Eren was… very romantic…" The tone in her voice was always easy to read through. It was clear what she'd experienced before was quite... underwhelming.

Levi rolled his eyes with a handsome grin. "Always covering up for him."

His competitive edge always did tick her off, especially when she knew she was losing. "It's not like you were any better," Mikasa sneered, nudging the captain's rib with an elbow.

"Uh-huh. Sure." Levi chuckled as he rubbed his side and stood. At this point, Levi could admit he almost believed she wasn't impressed, until he caught the bluff in her puffed up cheeks. He returned a playful nudge. "Tch, can't judge much from that, anyway."

"…Come again?"

"Oh, come on, Ackerman. That was hardly even a kiss." Somehow, talking about their intimate moment so openly and this comfortably made his head feel like it was spinning, or maybe it was the way Mikasa was pacing in a circle around him now. "Look, it was just a damn peck."

She stopped directly in front of him with a taunting look in her eyes. "Well… You were still boring compared to Eren," Mikasa quipped, unable to hide the quirk of her lips.

"Excuse me? Boring?" Levi scoffed, then stepped closer to her. Her stubbornness always amused him, especially when he knew she was lying. "What, did you expect kissing in front of Hange to be fun?"

Mikasa turned away, but Levi took a step to meet her stare.

"And from what it seems, I've already surpassed the low expectations Eren set for you, anyway. You need to raise your damn standards," he teased, jabbing at her forehead gently with a finger. "And trust me, you wouldn't be such an annoying brat about it if I had actually kissed you."

Mikasa swatted his hand away and grabbed at his wrist, challenging his space. ...He looked more handsome at this distance, she admitted. "And what would happen if you 'actually' kiss me, Captain?"

"You'd forget about your shitty first kiss entirely." Levi grabbed her wrist back with a smirk, focusing on their intense gaze. "And you'd forget Eren." Suddenly, there was static in the air.

She bridged their distance with one final step, her nose nearly touching his. The memory of how they'd tasted just moments earlier flooded their thoughts. "You sound so sure of yourself, Captain."

He studied Mikasa's dilating eyes as they fell to his lips. "Oh... I'm very sure."

Her gaze lingered like she intended him to see it. "...Prove it, then."

"Fine."

Their hands snapped at an instance, claiming their territory around each other as their lips met again, this time ignited with yearning and desire. But Levi was stronger, and this was his moment to flaunt to Mikasa; his moment to make her feel good, to leave his impression on her lips. They became fire — blazing into each other with familiarity, like they've always known they'd burned from the same flame. The heat of their lips danced together, desire searing into every corner of their body like wildfire; it was too late to stop.

Hands devoured each other, desperate fingers grasped at solid muscle and heated skin, then moved to entangle with disheveled hair. Their breaths turned to one, aching bodies moving effortlessly in sync like they'd proven on the battlefield together. Each kiss tasted sweeter than the last, venturing deeper than the last; Levi relished melting Mikasa with fervor she'd never imagined. A sigh dripped like honey from her breath as he grazed his teeth along her bottom lip to taste it, reminding her of his experience, that this was how she should've been kissed all along. Levi wanted her to learn it, memorize it, savor it again.

This was more than enough to make his point — Levi knew all along he'd succeeded. Mikasa had crumbled beneath his touch and he was ready to reel back, ready to finally laugh at her for ever doubting him, ready to gloat that he was right all along. "Do you get it now, Mikasa...?" He whispered tauntingly. Levi grazed the tip of his tongue on hers one last time with an attractive smirk, and just as he thought to pull away, he heard it: the soft, melting voice of Mikasa as she moaned sensuously against his ear. "D-don't stop…"

He never did get to pull away from her — the woman in heat wouldn't let him, and he relished the opportunity to prove himself even further. This pure elation, this arousal and burning chemistry he never knew was there with Mikasa, hypnotizing him to do more, more, more. Affectionate touches flurried over her, and as she gasped for a desperate second to breathe, he commanded the soft press of his lips to her jawline, trickling to the lobe of her ear, lowering into the top of her neck. Her shirt rode up just enough for Levi to gather her by the dip of her womanly curves. Mikasa let out an aroused groan at the new touch, echoing in the room.

"Shh, Mikasa… Keep it quiet…" Levi hissed into her neck. "It's only a peck," he teased.

But this was much more than a kiss now: this was pure, uninhibited indulgence.

A slick tongue dragged at a slow, tortuous speed along Mikasa's neck as she threw her head back, desperate to grant Levi the sensitive area to do as he pleased, trusting and anticipating his command on her. Levi knew she was too distracted to notice the rustling of her scarf unfurling, fabric falling to their intertwined feet as he kicked it away. Adrenaline pulsed through them in a way battle had never done before, drawing a crippling tension from their cores and pushing to every wanting corner of their bodies. This aching, this longing and lust and desire Mikasa must have only ever reserved for Eren, spilling over for Levi right now tasted like a delicacy to him.

Levi was an experienced and skilled man in all areas of his life, and it was clear he intended to be in a league of his very own. And he knew in the way Mikasa's body shook against him, the way she whispered her desires in his ear, that he'd earned his place even here.

Swept off of her feet, Levi laid Mikasa onto the table, his hand above her head knocked over a notebook left by Hange. Mikasa's hands trailed through his disheveled hair, caressing his signature undercut — she wondered who else may have been lucky to be touched by him this way.

Mikasa huffed, her fingers shaking with excitement as she undid some buttons of her shirt. Levi's eyes dilated at this view; the peak of her cleavage and the sweat-dripped abs beneath. He grinned through another kiss and accepted the generous invitation.

Her skin was his canvas; Levi painted the soft skin under her collarbones with his lips, then worked the top of her breasts with his tongue. Then he dived deeper, lapping into her cleavage before taking this sweet time to leave a love bite there. The sharp break of her breathless moans let him know her imagination went to the same place as his. Hands around her bare waist wandered higher, Mikasa whimpered his name as he grazed his tongue on the full bottom of her breasts like a tease, lightly nipping at each side.

As she clawed at his back, he grazed his nose over the peaks of her mounds and pressed hard kisses there, pretending there wasn't a layer of fabric as he teased her taut nipples with gentle teeth and tongue; he was heat and dampness, flicking against her and sending goosebumps of pleasure alight her skin. Levi's kisses trailed even lower, adorning her stomach with flutters of eyelash and nose before his passioned kisses fell below her navel. Levi heard her groan in into the air as he stopped at the hemline of her pants.

Mikasa was frustrated, starved, and she wanted more. Her strengthened grip on his hair begged him to draw himself lower with a push, but a disciplined man like Levi remained careful with her — he always had been. They'd drawn way outside the lines outside but there was order to be kept. Instead, Levi rose up to see her desperate for him, allowing her to witness the hunger in the dark of his eyes, in the red of his face, in his panting, open-mouthed breaths as he caressed her thighs with burning fingertips. He kept his hips at a distance as he loved on her lips again.

Suddenly, Mikasa snapped to meet his hips, stealing a breath from both of them as she grinded desperately against him, circling herself around the part of Levi that wanted her most until he let out a raspy groan into her shoulder, making him lightheaded — she always did know how to turn things around on him. "Shh, Captain," she hummed, leaving the touch-starved man cursing into the night.

Levi's hips sunk down into hers and slid against her. The way he lost himself immediately at the sensation almost infuriated him; surely he was tougher than this. He looked down at Mikasa, in shock at what was happening and that she wanted this — her gray eyes, dilated and full of desire for him, for him, for him, intensifying with every pressing, grinding movement.

It was wrong. It felt so wrong... Yet so close, so new, so intimate, and so damn good to have Mikasa stroking herself against him like this. The risk of anyone walking in made it all the more thrilling. Levi bucked in to roll harder with Mikasa, her open legs already shaking as he could feel his bulge massaging her at the right spot. Shaking gasps commanded him to pick up speed the way he knew she needed, the bite of her lip told him she liked this pace and roughness. Nothing but the friction of fabric to stop them from going further.

They were gasping into each other's open mouths; beads of sweat dripping down Levi's reddened neck as he gandered at the sight of Mikasa's pleasured face and the red mark he'd left on her chest. Mikasa was whimpering, and he went faster, pressing further against her trousers; he could almost feel himself entering her and she growled like she wanted it just as much as he did. But damn these clothes, damn this rigid table, damn everything — he wished he could see Mikasa naked on his bed, to see what she looked like from between her legs, to hear her scream out as loud as she needed to in his room, he wanted to see her pretty eyes roll back as he pleasured her in every way…

Then Mikasa's eyes did roll back, her ragged breaths matched his own and the chant of his name muffled in her throat rose an octave higher in pitch. A blissful groan escaped from them as Levi gritted himself against her at the perfect angle and speed. Brows furrowed, eyes shut tight, she threw a trembling hand to cover her mouth as she gasped sharped breaths through her nose at the pressure. He pushed his pace, feeling himself swelling, every sensation amplified making the coil of throbbing tension ready to snap at any moment. Fuck. It didn't help that this was the face he imagined Mikasa would make when…

Shit…

"M-Mikasa…!"

Is she really gonna…

"Ca…CAPTAIN!"

Mikasa snapped first, convulsing in ecstasy beneath him and failing miserably to muffle her cries. She anchored her nails to his muscles, riding the raging waves with her reddened lips open. Just the view was enough to send Levi over the edge — he surged to a crash and collapsed over her, unleashing a stormy mess in his trousers. Levi saw stars as he bit down on her shoulder to mask whatever crazed sounds that almost escaped into the night; though they had already failed to keep quiet, anyway. Mikasa and Levi rode out the last ripples of pleasure against each other, gasping through a slovenly, breathless kiss.

As the aftershocks subsided, they stared into each others' eyes, studying their faces like this as best as they could while catching breaths and reeling back their own sanity. The reality began to dawn on both of them of what had just happened. But it didn't feel scary or regretful or shameful. Maybe it was the way Mikasa looked up at him out of breath and smiled quietly, the way it made her eyes turn the shape of crescent moons as she scrunched her nose that made it comforting for the both of them.

Levi could finally put a word to it. He wanted Mikasa. He wanted her so damn much. He wanted her eyes connected to his, the soft touch of her hands, her sweet voice calling his name in the morning. And maybe he wasn't normally the type to want dates and kisses and romance, but he sure as hell wanted it now.

She was captivating, and Levi felt the need to speak again, to keep singing praises to her just as he did earlier. Instead, he kissed her softly again, innocence returning to them with the flutter of this simpler touch.

Mikasa giggled in her hand like a giddy woman. Relieved, Levi shared a chuckle as he rested his forehead against hers; they closed their eyes together as they recollected themselves. "Shit, Mikasa," he sighed as he peeled off of her, exasperated. He wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his wrist as he helped her sit up. "That was a real kiss."

"Well," Mikasa cleared her throat and buttoned up her shirt, embarrassed and still in a daze. She scooted from the edge of the table and stumbled to her feet. Her knees were still shaking. "You… um… certainly made your point, Captain."

He quirked an eyebrow at her and grinned. "And? The verdict?" He reached into his back pocket for a handkerchief to wipe more sweat off his brow; instead, the five sachets of peppermint tea dropped to his feet next to the red scarf. He bent down to pick them up. "…Better than Eren?" He pretended he didn't know the answer.

Mikasa blushed immediately and bit her lip. "...Eren, who?"

Levi tossed the garment at her face playfully and laughed. "Tch. Told you. Stubborn brat." He let his arrogant tone return and noticed Mikasa wasn't as annoyed this time. Clearly, he deserved to be a little cocky about it.

She shrugged at him and rolled her eyes with a smirk. "I'm only returning a compliment to you."

Levi couldn't help but take one last glance at the love bites on her chest before she covered it with the scarf; a wave of excitement washed over him as he imagined Mikasa concealing it from everyone during tomorrow's meeting. He turned away to the table, adjusting it and chairs to their former positions when she caught him looking. Embarrassment and redness returned to their faces as they each replayed their intimacy.

"Anyway, we've got that early briefing tomorrow. We should actually go now," he said while scratching his head. "...Or else we're not getting any rest tonight."

"C-Captain…!" Mikasa elbowed him, blushing.

They began walking side by side towards the Mess Hall doors without another word, slowly as if to savor the walk.

Just as they reached the door, Levi's hand froze on the handle and softened his grip. His tone turned serious as he spoke in her direction. "Hey. What happened here tonight…" Levi paused to calculate his words and every possible outcome. He saw far too many, and most didn't end well in the long run. Levi felt his insides squeeze as he defaulted to retreat. "...Nevermind."

In the end, this was out of the blue; a spur of the moment kind of night. A result of spontaneity and carelessness. And while he didn't regret it, something still bothered him. Once they leave these doors, once Mikasa wakes in the morning, surely, she would still be in love with Eren, and he'd still be a captain with no business to kindle things. He had a lucky night, is all. He convinced himself it was best not to push his luck. Nothing to it. "...Eren's a lucky guy. I hope you two work things out."

"Wait! Levi," Mikasa stopped him, gripping his hand as she called him by name. Levi read all the same concern painted on her face and it made his heart skip a beat. "Levi… I want to—"

"I FORGOT MY NOTEBOOK!" The door swung open from the opposite side, nearly missing Levi and Mikasa as they jumped back, clinging to each other by the arms at the frazzled entrance of Hange sporting a beige nightgown and nightcap, and slippers to match. She snatched the notebook and rejoined them by the doors.

"HANGE, what the hell?!" The two lingered in each other's arms before shuffling away from each other, creating distance which now felt oddly far.

"This, my friend, contains important research I cannot afford to lose," Hange waved the brown notebook in his face, letting messy pages flap in the air. Then, she paused, observing the two at a distance as they froze before er. She pushed her glasses snug to her nose bridge. "Oh? Did you two have tea without me after I left?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Hange yawned and pointed at his pants. "You spilled your tea! That's unlike you, Le—"

"YES." Levi barked, immediately pivoting away from the women. He saw Mikasa's widened eyes glancing down at him, barely containing her laugh. "Yes, we had tea and conversation without you, Hange, and I'm a clumsy shithead. You're right. Now go to sleep, you two." He pointed down the hallway towards the women's dorms, then headed off in his direction. "Especially you... Brat."

Hange waved and headed off; Mikasa lingered a few steps behind her. "Goodnight. Captain," is all she managed to say as they began to turn from each other.

Levi caught Mikasa's disappointed expression as she stepped away, but not before he grabbed her hand to press a silent kiss to her knuckle when Hange turned away. "...Goodnight, Mikasa." Levi released her hand and peeked over his shoulder coolly, then headed his way.

Mikasa's heart skipped a beat. She contained a smile and tiptoed away to rejoin Hange. "So, Mikasa? Do you feel better after talking to Levi about Eren?"

"…Much better. I hope we get to have tea together again."

Levi heard from afar and smiled.