Hello! Another friday, another update! Titan babysitting continues and then... well...

Note: Explicit tag is IN FORCE for this chapter. Ye be warned.

As we arrived back at the campfire after our patrol, we heard small whimperings from Hanji filtering through the trees. It would seem attempts had been made to enact the experiment – and so the Titan was awake. Big blue eyes stared into the darkness. The inane grin was slightly ajar, hollow breaths rattling in and out of its otherwise inanimate body. So still. So eerie. I gripped my blade handles for a moment, simply to remind myself they were there. Close to hand. Easily drawn. It was a seven metre, so tricky enough, but not anything beyond my abilities. It would die in moments, if it broke free. But it had pins and chains keeping it at bay. It was still.

The way the campfire danced against its skin. Something so familiar with how that light caught along the veins beneath, despite how Hanji had realised the creatures had no blood to pump. Then again, leaves looked like they had veins, didn't they? Where had I seen those patterns before? Red under that strange light tan coating, like wax. I said skin, and yet no, wax was definitely closer. Did it feel like wax? My fingers twitched in memory. Like I had touched it before. Somehow. Well no, of course I had, when slicing into it. But no, my fingers fizzed with a memory of quiet study. Why–

"Sanshi?" My captain touched my arm, his eyes attentive as always. We were sat by the campfire, capes drawn close against the rain that fell on all sides of our protective canvas. I must have zoned out.

I swallowed and nodded, having no idea why I'd been so affected by the beast. On the field I had seen dozens of them, I had killed plenty more, and yet a chill gripped my spine.

Mike offered a fresh tea. "Weird, isn't it?" He smiled softly, nodding to the Titan. "Seeing them so dormant, so close up. Took me a while to get used to it, took Gunter by surprise during his third session of babysitting. Sometimes it sneaks up on you, the unnerving nature of it."

"Y-Yeah." I took the tea and watched it ripple in my grip. "Dunno why, just got my mind whirring I guess. Did it wake up to the 'stimulus', then?"

Hanji sniffled. "Yes, my poor darling woke with a jolt and a whimper of sweet confusion!"

"Mm. Poor thing." I snorted, shaking my head as I sipped, eyes glancing back towards it and finding myself locked in its gaze again. Why had it turned towards me? I set my tea down. It watched my hand. "Uh… What's it…"

"They do that." Captain Levi muttered, bringing out the dinner rations and setting them to warm over the fire. His eyes never left the food, and I had to wonder why. Was it because the beast unnerved him? Or because he had seen it too many times to care?

I stood and it's big eyes followed. One hand up, again the gaze shifted. One leg up, a small tilt of the head. I stopped playing and shuddered.

"Indicates intelligence, right?" Hanji said, having finally dried her eyes.

I kept my eyes fixed on the beast as much as possible. "You say that without surprise…"

"Well considering the fact you haven't fainted or started screaming at the suggestion, I am assuming I can tell you more."

Mike snorted. "Of course Sanshi can handle it. Tell her, Hanji. She's been well enough trusted for a long time."

"Tell me what? The cloak and daggers lose their charm pretty quick guys…" I returned to the fire and looked at them each in turn.

Eld looked uncomfortable. Levi concentrated on the food. Mike was smirking at Hanji, and she was fizzing in her seat, getting some notes out and pushing her goggles back into place after giving them a polish. I clicked my tongue and waited impatiently.

Hanji had her notes together, and then told me a tale. At some point food was put in front of me, but I didn't touch it. Apparently, on a mission a few years ago, they had come across a Titan acting especially strange. Hanji chased it into the woods till they reached a clearing. There, it only got weirder. It guarded the body of a scout, hidden in a tree. And then weirder still, it spoke. A Titan spoke. It was madness, but I kept listening. Something about Ymir's people, but that barely mattered. What mattered was signs of culture, of mourning the dead, of intelligence enough to communicate, to preserve a body and give it respect. It had killed the Scout, but it had not eaten her.

"Then we found her notebook."

"Notebook?" I swallowed, my Captain having nudged me to eat at last. I did so, slowly. "What did the notebook say?"

"Mainly about how terrifying it had been to be left out there on the plains alone, to know a Titan could appear any second… But then it spoke of the Titan we had met. And apparently the Titan spoke to the Scout as well. It showed distress. It panicked. And then it killed her, after that panic had taken place."

I frowned. "So… There was a delay?"

Hanji nodded. "Exactly. Almost as if the Titan wanted to resist the instinct to kill."

Levi snorted. "We don't know that, don't start stretching it again, Glasses."

"Look, I'm just going by the data. Why else would it hesitate?"

"Why do they endlessly smile? No fuckin' idea, but that doesn't make them my best friends all of a sudden because of a positive attitude."

Hanji stuck out her tongue at him, then focused on me again. "Weird, right?"

"Very." I looked down at my hands, fingers tingling again with that strange memory I had. "I... I think this has something to do with Vincent's work."

"What?" They all leaned in, Hanji's eyes the brightest I had ever seen them. "What do you mean, Robyn?"

"I'm not sure. Just something so familiar… My head." I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose as the pain bubbled behind my eyes. "Something about seeing it in firelight, their weird skin. Looks like wax or something, f-feels… Feels like…"

"Like the skin of a leaf." Hanji finished and I nodded slowly, peering over my hand towards her, my heart hammering.

The basement, always so dim and gloomy, lit by that tiny window that saved my life when my home was aflame. Except when he bothered to light the lanterns. Except when it snowed and he had to light the hearth down there, simply to stop his hands freezing. I'd broken ice from a bucket outside and brought it down like he asked. So dark down there. Until he lit the fire, and then so hot, so overwhelmingly hot, and… cramped? I shook my head, the memory made no sense.

"Have any of them spoken since?" I asked, eager to drag my mind away from that basement on sheer instinct. For answers, I should have lingered, I should have forced myself to look and study every detail I could. But no. I ran away, like I was still just a scared little child.

"No, not to our knowledge." Hanji sighed and sat back. "I can appreciate you not wanting to linger on memories. But I wonder if any of your father's notes would still be around somewhere. Did he submit them anywhere?"

"Not the kind of information he shared with rats like me." I muttered into my mug. "Sorry, not much use."

"Very much of use. Tends to indicate that maybe the nobles have known more about Titan's than they let on."

Captain Levi cleared his throat. "Reaching."

"Hypothesising!" Hanji held up her hands and laughed. "I'm just saying! If Robyn's Dad was onto this all those years ago, then what if he handed it over to the nobles?"

"And what if her memory is playing tricks on her, out of a want to please one of her pestering commanding officers?" Levi quirked a brow and shook his head. "Note it down, keep it in mind, but don't start waving around accusations."

I understood the want for caution, sure. But something about my Captain's voice told me that there was more to his words than he was saying aloud. Some worry that kept him on the side of caution. And presumably, something to do with the higher ups. Fair enough. No doubt they made threats here and there, and a Captain was more likely to be clued in than a Squad Leader. Or a failed Squad Leader.

Hanji sighed and sat back. "All right, all right. But if you remember anything else, Robyn. Do let me know!"

"Of course." I smiled and nodded.

Why had that come back to me now? I suppose the firelight was something new to me, or at least, new to the present me. But why had I blocked that out from the basement? I guess a lot of my time in the basement was a fog of mutterings, clattering of medical instruments and the scrape of quills on parchment. There was no reason to remember. It brought nothing but nightmares. But what if I had lost something vital by ignoring those memories? Damn. So much for ignorance being bliss.

"Seems like we're done for the night my dears." Hanji sighed, getting up and cracking her back. "I don't suppose we'll get any other decent data now…" She rolled her eyes as we all hopped up and packed things away at top speed. "Don't actually set fire to the ground by moving too fast."

"Too damp for that." I winked and we headed back towards the HQ, the regular patrols being enough to keep an eye on the beast. If Vincent's work was out there somewhere, maybe Hanji could use it for good. But if it was anywhere, it was probably buried somewhere in that basement. In Shiganshina. So for the time being… It was just a pipe dream.

We put gear away, handed back the cooking utensils, and then made for our bunks. Though admittedly some of us were less direct than others. I meandered the long way, glad to find an empty corridor outside my Captain's quarters. Turning my back to it, I tapped with my knuckles. I waited maybe two seconds before the door opened and I was dragged backwards and then pinned to the door. A breathless laugh escaped me as the wood reminded me of our patrol, the knee and insistent lips only helping rebuild that image.

I sighed into it and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling closer, letting him hitch my leg onto his hip, and then my other one. My thighs squeezed around his middle and he groaned against my tongue, his hands slipping up, undoing my shirt buttons in mere seconds and then removing my bra. Air caressed my skin and as he kissed down my neck to lavish my exposed chest, I just leaned back against the door and focused on the sensation of his lips. Slow, lingering, kissing, sucking, licking. His hands held me easily, gripping and kneading the curve of my ass, encouraging me to grind down against his hardness.

He groaned again, licking along the column of my throat. "Before I get carried away, you okay with this?"

"Why would I have come to your room if I wasn't?"

He shrugged, kissing under my jaw. "You might've had something else in mind. I'm just making sure."

I had to wonder if he was this careful with all the people he slept with, or if he was just being extra careful with me due to Jack, and in all honesty I guess it didn't really matter. Levi was being very sweet. Or maybe just a far better standard than most.

As much as I wanted his lips to continue their travel towards my tits, to have him suck and bite till all I could do was desperately hump myself against his leg, I had to think clearly for a little longer. I cupped his face and put my forehead to his, his eyes burning with want. But I still knew the second I said 'stop' he would set me down and help me get dressed. It was unclear to me if I'd ever actually felt that from anyone else before. That kind of assurance. That safety. My Captain was a good man in many ways.

I kissed the end of his nose. "I want to start at least trying to be normal again. I don't want to forget about my team, but I also don't want to become a useless haunted shell either. Sex is hardly life affirming, but it's good. And I enjoy it. A-And… I deserve to have those things. Know my worth, right?"

"Right." He breathed, smirking. "Good to know some things actually sink into that stubborn head of yours."

I winked. "Occasionally. Now then, less fussing, and more fucking." I grinned and kissed him deeply.

His hands gripped tighter, his hips rolled harder, his voice rumbled against me as I sucked on his tongue and we picked up where we left off. Bliss. The air swathed over my back as my shirt and bra fell away, Levi moving us across the room. At first I thought he was aiming for the desk, but then a door was kicked behind me. I grinned into the kiss. That bed had looked very comfortable. Finally, I'd get to try it for myself. As we went, I tugged his cravat and shirt free, leaving them to puddle against the floor in our wake.

With a final squeeze round his middle he slowly lowered me onto the bed, and started to undo my belt as I lay there. I tried to reach for his, but he shook his head and kissed me, easing me back into the plush mattress before continuing with his work.

"Stay lying back." He muttered, lifting my hips to work my trousers and knickers off.

I did as told, arching back against the soft sheets. As he pulled the garments free, leaving me bare, I bit my lip. From the few seconds of quiet, I assumed he was just enjoying the view. Then it continued and I propped myself up to see if something was wrong.

Right the first time.

He stood, eyes glinting in the dim moonlight, drinking in every detail of me. My face heated, despite the fact he was entirely bare as well, standing to attention in every sense.

I tilted my head. "You don't have to look from so far away–"

One of his brows twitched upwards. "Patience. Lay back."

"Easier said than done, that patience thing..." I hummed, lying back, hands splayed over the soft sheets.

"Mm." He hummed, and I could hear the smirk. He was having fun. It had been a few weeks since our last… 'dalliance', so I had assumed he'd be on me like a dog in heat. But no. Apparently he liked to play with his food.

I shuddered.

Food being the important word apparently.

He bit the inside of my thigh, about halfway up. My breath caught. Oh god. Yes. My legs were guided over his shoulders. I trembled as the dots aligned and I understood. Patience became almost impossible. Closing my eyes, I gripped the sheets tight. His breath inched closer; followed by small bites and kisses up my inner thigh, small bruises no doubt being left behind. He squeezed my thighs with his strong hands, pulling them further apart, bending me slightly before I felt a warmth ghost over my core. Damn. So close.

I whimpered.

A dark chuckle rumbled against the crease between my pelvis and thigh. "So impatient."

I wriggled, back arching, hands moving to tug on my own hair for fear of damaging the fine sheets beneath.

He kissed my hip bone. "Fuck, you've no idea how alluring you are, do you?"

"Wha–" I yelped and melted into a long moan as finally his mouth made contact and sparks ran along my nerves, skittering as he gave one long lick. Then another. Every nerve ached and sung in quick succession, eager for the next swipe before the last had even ended. Then he pressed against that knot of nerves. Yes! I moaned and rolled my hips towards the contact. He chuckled again and delved into me so deeply, I couldn't hope to stop my hips rolling towards that delicious sensation. He moaned against me, vibrations sinking into me like his tongue.

"Fuck! L-Levi!" I whined, hand abandoning my own hair, to clasp at his, to tug tight and lose myself in the process.

He only responded by holding my thighs tighter, pulling them more apart, and delving deeper. It was like I was the most delicious meal he'd ever eaten. I peeked. Because of course I did. Who wouldn't? With him angling me up like that, I had a perfect view. Another moan tumbled from me as I watched him working my body with that mouth. By day they barked orders, pursed into unapproving lines or pulled into derivative smirks. By night? Those lips worked magic. And that tongue. Fuck. It was going to drown me in my own pleasure, it peaking when he reached and worked his thumb against the knot of nerves.

"Levi!" I cried, trying to keep it down, even slightly, but likely not doing that great a job. He hummed against me, giving another long lick before slowly kissing along the line where my knickers would usually be. His touch replaced his tongue, curling into me whilst he sucked on the knot of nerves and ran his tongue along my aching heat. Perfect.

"Astonishing." He panted, suckling again and then biting at my hip bone. "You're fucking impossible, totally fucking impossible."

I wanted to respond in kind, but no. My words crumbled to nothing but an incoherent moan that made my entire body convulse. My nerves tightened. My hips rolled. So close.

"That's it." He breathed against my hip. "Don't think about it, don't analyse it, just fucking feel it." He gasped, going in again and licking like a man starved.

My body sung.

My fingers tugged on his hair. My hips rolled greedily into his pulsing touch. The third finger making me feel so impossibly full, whilst his lips worked my nerves to the breaking point. Bliss. Fucking bliss drowned me and I was left gasping and writhing my way through it. Perfect. Fucking perfect.

He coaxed me through it, kissing gently along my core, his hands returning to kneading at my thighs as he slowly lowered me back onto the sheets. Amazing. Gradually, I came back down to earth, still whimpering a little as I panted. Fuck. My legs were lowered and my boneless body encouraged upright as I smiled dreamily. He smirked. No doubt he would want the favour returned, but as he scooped me up and laid me along the bed, in the more traditional sense, it seemed I was allowed a few seconds to breathe.

"That…" I swallowed hard and laughed as my nerves continued to tingle. "Fuck me, you're good with that mouth."

"Mm, glad to hear it." He rumbled, closing the door and clambering into the bed beside me, running his hands along my leg again, kissing along my shoulder.

I turned to him and kissed along his throat, making my way down his chest.

He chuckled and encouraged me back up to the pillows, where he laid me back and caressed along my cheek. "As much as I'll enjoy that being returned at some point, right now, I just want to fuck you. Is that all right?"

I frowned.

He blinked. "Unless you only wanted to–"

"No," I shook my head. "No, everything's fine, I just… I've never been with a guy that wanted to do that without assuming he was getting it in return."

He shrugged. "I'm fucking remarkable, I guess."

I grinned. "Mm, seems so."

"So, you up for round two?" He traced along my thigh, smirking as I responded by opening my legs and guiding his touch with a pull on his wrist. "I'll take that as a yes, then?"

"Like I said, Levi." I leaned into his ear and licked the shell, his shudder not lost on me. "Fuck me."

He needed no more encouragement.

Clasping hands, clashing teeth in our over-excitement to kiss, panted breaths and gasped names; this was what I had expected from the start. More. Always more. He sunk into me to the hilt. My nails raked down his back. Bloody hell. In the aftermath of his mouth's magic, my body hummed all over. I leaned back in the pillows, arching as my hips rolled against him, body adjusting to the newfound fullness. He gave a shallow thrust and I keened.

He leaned over me, encouraging me to look him in the eye. "Thank you."

I gasped as he moved again, picking up a gentle, but deep pace. I bit my lip, but gradually formed a sentence between whines and pants. "What're you… thanking… me for?"

"Listening at the campfire." He kissed under my jaw. "For coming back to my bed. For not getting lost out there in the woods, if you know what I mean?"

"Mm." I wrapped my arms around him and held on tight as he picked up the pace. "Thanks for your… p-patience!"

"You're worth waiting for." He whispered, taking a nipple into his mouth and sucking, his hand holding me down as his hips began to snap against me even harder. I tried to wriggle, to meet him halfway, and he laughed softly before moving to the other breast with his mouth, humming against my skin. "Stop trying to move, I'm fucking you remember?"

"Oh, you want a… s-silent partner in this?" I groaned and pulled him tighter against my chest, him taking the hint and giving a pleasing bite. My nerves sparked. I laughed. "Fuck! Yes!"

"Mm, I figured you could do with some pampering. Don't get used to it. Just fucking enjoy it."

I went limp against the sheets, letting my body simply flow with his movement as I smiled drunkenly and let him hear how much I was enjoying the attention. Every breath gasped, every attempt at speech simply melted into a mewl or moan of his name. Dammit, he worked me like a pro.

He went onto his knees, leaning back, pulling me up slightly, flush against his hips. I jolted, the new angle making it all seem so much deeper. I gripped the headboard and bit the pillow, doing my best not to actually wake the entire HQ.

A laugh escaped him. "Fucking beautiful."

How he came to that conclusion, when I must have been nothing short of a sweaty mess by that point, I had no idea. But I couldn't question it either as the second after he spoke, he was hammering into me. I tumbled over that blissful edge again, and as I did, he groaned alongside, presumably feeling how my walls tightened. He leaned closer, once again testing my flexibility. But I could handle it, my smile splitting with my euphoric laughter as my body fizzed. More. I just seemed to always be greedy for more with him.

"Levi… Levi!" It was like a mantra pouring out of me. Our foreheads together, his eyes closed tight, his teeth bared as he panted and sped up towards his own end. He was beautiful.

He jolted, eyes flashing open. "Robyn!"

And he kissed me desperately, suddenly pulling out and shuddering. Warmth spilled against my thigh, my own body still entirely brimming with echoes of my own release. Gradually he came back to himself, kissing along my jaw, easing me back onto the sheets and laying next to me.

I stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom and just breathed for a few moments. Heart pounding. Nerves tingling. Smile unfaltering. Yeah… I think this was a good way to jumpstart the whole "living" thing again.

He rolled closer to me and pressed a kiss to my shoulder. "Shower?"

I giggled and put my hands over my face. "Gimme a second, my body was just taken apart like an old watch."

"Mm." He kissed again. "When you're ready, go ahead. I'll quickly change the sheets."

I peeked from behind my hand. "I'm staying over?"

"If you want." He shrugged. "Feels odd making you scurry out afterwards if there's no need to. Fairly sure Mike and Hanji already know, and no doubt the first time there's a drink in either of them they'll blurt it to Erwin, who likely knows anyway. Insinuating prick that he is. So fuck it. Stay if you want." He skimmed his hand along my arm and then traced down my chest and ribs.

I turned to him and gave him a chaste kiss. "I already said it, but I'd rather repeat it when I'm not a gibbering idiot." I grinned at his confusion. "Thank you for your patience."

He huffed a small laugh and pulled me closer for a real kiss. It was slow, the push and pull so much heavier as we basked in the after glow. "Like I said, you're worth waiting for, Brat. Very few people can hold my attention without fucking infuriating me. Beyond that… I've complimented you plenty." His kisses along my jaw ended in a bite to my earlobe.

I laughed and shoved him away, getting to my feet and taking some wobbly steps towards the bathroom. "Didn't realise there was a finite amount! Got it! I'll get the shower going."

"Mm, see you in there."

I did not miss the fact he had watched me walk away, only getting up once I closed the bathroom door. Seemed that my Captain was a bit of a pervert. Then again, it wasn't like I didn't ogle him whenever given the chance. Who the hell would resist that?

And there we have it. Some story progress, more hints at the weird shit that went down in Vincent's basement and... well... ooh la la! Thanks for reading, faving, following and reviewing when you have time guys ^-^ love to hear from you! Cya next time!