#levi wants you out of your shithole apartment

[writertitan]

Heat

pairing: levi x reader

word count: 2660

themes: modern au, smut, sexual content!! mature and 18+ readers only!!

For the past two days, your radiator had been making a god-awful noise whenever it turned on. Had being the keyword, until the early hours of today when it decided it couldn’t take it anymore and died on you completely. The winter morning air was frosty and you had woken up in the middle of the night to a loud and sad sputtering noise as the radiator said its goodbye, leaving you in a bit of a conundrum when you quietly got out of bed to try and see if there was any saving it. There wasn’t, and you were internally freaking out. 

Now here you were, glancing at a phone screen that read 3:23am with the chill of winter already seeping into your little apartment. The sleet outside didn’t help either; that awful mix of snow and rain was only bound to make your apartment even colder. 

You weren’t the only one who had been startled awake either, and you frowned in dismay when you saw Levi sitting up in bed with an annoyed, still sleepy look on his face. 

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked in a husky voice, making you feel even worse. Levi was an insomniac by nature - tonight he’d been getting an okay night’s rest, only to be interrupted by your damn radiator crapping out on you. 

“It’s my stupid radiator. It broke,” you whined, voice not even above a whisper as you gave it a pathetic kick with your feet. 

You heard Levi sigh in exasperation and looked to see him pulling back the covers for you as a silent beckon to come back to bed. You didn’t need to be told twice now that goosebumps had already started flourishing on your exposed skin, and immediately snuggled up next to him to preserve warmth. 

“I’m just cuddling for a minute,” you murmured, stroking his bare torso. “I’m gonna grab us some actual pajamas and some more blankets. I doubt my fucking landlord is going to respond to a text at three in the morning to come take a look at the damn thing.” 

Levi made a grunt of disapproval and held you to him tighter, shaking his head as he nuzzled it into your neck. The motion made butterflies swirl to life in your stomach and you giggled at the ticklish feeling of his bedhead, kissing it sweetly as your arms wrapped around him. 

“It’s gonna get real cold real fast,” you warned, “and we’re hardly dressed for that.” Levi only had his boxers on and you weren’t much better off, clad in only an old shirt of his and your panties. 

“Don’t you know any basic survival skills?” he said suddenly, his voice and his eyes taunting you, finally gazing up at you from his place at your neck. “We should be shedding clothes. Helps preserve warmth better.” 

“Bullshit,” you scoffed, but the idea was already planted, and you knew exactly what Levi was getting up to when his hand strayed from your hip to caress your thigh instead. He was so warm, his skin and his touch, and it made your head spin. 

“I’m being serious, you little brat,” he mumbled, his lips grazing your neck as he spoke. “I know exactly how to keep us warm in your shithole apartment.” 

His little jab at your apartment didn’t hurt. He’d been asking you when you were moving out for months now and had been asking you to stay over at his place more often, using his, “My apartment is better than yours” excuse each time. 

You instead answered him by pressing up against him even more, hands exploring his torso and then moving up to his hair to pull his face towards yours. In an instant your lips were captured in a heated kiss, tongues and teeth clashing as Levi maneuvered to get on top. He straddled you easily, a growing erection prodding at your stomach as his hands gathered the hem of his borrowed shirt on you to pull it up over your breasts and leave the fabric bunched up above them. His lips broke from yours and you whined, trying to follow him as he sat up fully, but his hands pinned you down by your shoulders. 

A blush rouged your cheeks as you watched him scan over your body, hands slowly moving from your shoulders to cup your breasts once he was sure you wouldn’t move, and you rolled your hips up slowly to tease him. You saw that primal glint in his eye appear as you did that, his gaze finally flickering back to yours, but he shook his head.

“Don’t move,” he demanded, hands moving over your nipples that had perked up from both arousal and the cold, his eyes examining the goosebumps appearing over your body. He gently tugged his shirt off of you completely, discarding it amongst your pillows before his hands returned on their journey along your skin.

“Keep me warm,” you whispered, voice saturated with desire as you watched him. You stayed still apart from your wandering hands that found his chest, his abdomen, and then finally, the tent in his boxers. He swallowed thickly but didn’t say a word, hands moving from your breasts to your hips in one languid motion, fingertips toying with the elastic of your panties. 

“Levi,” you breathed out, “...please...” That familiar smirk ghosted at his lips and, after what felt like an eternity ,a hand slipped under the fabric of your panties. You groaned in satisfaction and rewarded him with a gentle squeeze between his legs, his own groan mixing with yours. His free hand grabbed the blankets that were curled around your waists and tugged them up so the two of you were now completely covered and shielded from the increasingly cool air in your bedroom, the confined space somehow even more erotic. It was only the two of you, nobody else existed underneath those covers, the world was all but gone, and you were grateful for your little bubble as your breathing grew heavier and your mewls got louder. 

Two of his fingers danced around your clit, sliding between your slick folds as he played with you and you played with him. Your hand had worked its way beneath the cloth of his boxers to stroke his length slowly, matching his pace with you as you stared into each other’s eyes hungrily, lips parted and chests heaving for air. 

When Levi finally pressed into your clit with both fingers, your back arched and your eyes fluttered shut, pleasure piercing through you. His lips found yours again in another passionate kiss, lips fumbling together as the two of you stroked each other, Levi growing harder in your hand as your fingers trailed from his base to his tip, thumb gently pressing against the head of his cock occasionally. Moans were stifled into the kiss as you parted your lips and allowed his tongue to find yours, each of you needy and writhing in the other’s hand. Levi broke away for air and you gasped out to fill your lungs as well, but your lips found his neck only seconds later and your legs nimbly swathed around his hips to pull him closer. The hand that wasn’t around him trailed up so your fingers could get lost in his hair, a lock of it twirled around your finger as you nipped and suck at the most sensitive spot at Levi’s neck. 

“Fuck,” he grunted, hips bucking into you when your teeth grazed along his flushed skin, the whispered curse only fueling you. 

“Off, please,” you pleaded with him against his neck, referring to the thin fabric still separating your groins. You heard him whine when your hand slipped out of his boxers to tug them down around his knees, letting him kick them off the rest of the way. You also couldn’t help the little whimper that left you when his hand did the same to you, both of you exposed to the other now. 

Levi didn’t waste any time in taking hold of his length and guiding it to your folds, earning a loud moan of pleasure from you as he slid himself along you, tip of his cock pressing teasingly to your clit. There was no need or desire to bother to stifle the needy whine of his name as he rubbed his shaft against you, the pleasure almost overwhelming you when his head ducked down to take a breast into his warm mouth. A string of curses left your lips and you barely registered his free hand moving down as well, only noticing when a finger slipped inside you with no warning. 

Again your back arched and you writhed beneath him, and the peculiar sensation of a finger in you and a cock rubbing your clit, rather than the other way around, had you seeing stars. 

“Fuck, you’re wet,” Levi mumbled against your breast, a string of saliva trailing his lips as he came up for air again. His eyes were half-lidded, clouded with lust, both of you on cloud nine. Your hands kept busy and stroked his skin, both of you showcasing a slight sheen of sweat from the intense heat you’d created in your little cocoon of blankets. There wasn’t a single coherent thought in your head as your lips crashed into his again, needy as ever as your hips squirmed and bucked. 

“Levi,” you whined against his mouth, letting him swallow his name. 

“Use your words,” he teased back, adding a second finger to pump into you while his length slipped into your folds. 

But you could barely sound out his name, let alone form a coherent sentence. He knew this was exactly the case and got off on it, leaving you to mewl and whine and writhe under him as you scrambled to get it together. 

“Want you inside of me,” you gasped out finally, bucking your hips up roughly as his fingers curled inside of you. 

Levi’s lips were at your ear in an instant, breath hot as it fanned the side of your face. “I am inside of you.”

“Your cock,” you nearly cried out, legs spread wide and heels dug into the mattress as you tried to find the balance to lift your hips into his. “Want your cock inside of me.” 

And Levi didn’t need to be told twice. His fingers left you in an instant and, before you could protest, he filled you up by slamming into you roughly, already almost to the hilt. Your legs enveloped his waist as a groan scratched out of your throat, nails digging into his upper arms as he waited and stretched you. Both of you swore loudly, hips bucking into each other, and you pressed your forehead to Levi’s and rolled your hips to let him know you wanted him to move. He knew you like the back of his hand, knew what every action meant, knew what you were telling him without having to actually tell him. Just like he knew all of that, he knew exactly what kind of rhythm to fall into, already relentlessly pounding into you once you were adjusted to him. It was slower at first, with Levi putting in the effort to almost completely pull out before pushing back in, over and over, skin slapping against skin as he did so. The erotic sounds from your throat were nonstop now, one moan melting into the next, and Levi’s own noises soon joined with yours as he picked up speed. Your hips met his effortlessly, bodies in sync with one another, the familiarity apparent in the way you just knew each other. 

Sweat slicked your forehead and matted your hair to it, Levi’s appearance mirroring yours, the heat almost unbearable if not for the knowledge of the cold and biting air that threatened to penetrate your bubble. His hips rolled into yours, entire body pressed to yours now with no room for even an inch of space between your skin; you didn’t know where you ended and he began, and you didn’t want to know. Being connected like this, you were a single being, striving for the same jaw-dropping, toe-curling goal. 

Levi gripped one of your thighs to push your knee almost to your chest, changing your position just enough for him to bury himself deeper and hit the spot that made the coil in your stomach tighten instantly. His name left your lips repeatedly, the only thing you remembered, the only thing that mattered in that moment. Levi, Levi, Levi…

He pecked your lips between the little whimpers you gave him, leaving you absolutely breathless, so close to finally reaching the edge. One of his hands forced itself between your colliding hips to give your clit attention, the touch of his fingertips catapulting you closer to your orgasm, unable to resist for much longer. 

“Fuck...Levi...close…” you panted into his mouth, hands alternating between gripping his hair, gripping his shoulders, gripping the sheets. 

“Me too,” he gasped out in a low murmur. His free hand cupped your face to pull you in for another deep kiss while his fingers worked your clit, dancing around it sometimes, and then rubbing it directly, always in those slow, tantalizing circles. He nipped at your lower lip, whispering the word you needed to hear so badly into your parted lips. 

“Come.” 

Between his needy kisses and his fingers and his throbbing cock inside of you, with Levi so unyielding and constant with everything he did, never faltering, it threw you over the edge into an intense orgasm, walls squeezing around him as you cried into his lips that were still smothered into yours. Your thighs pressed into his hips to keep him there inside you and you shuddered in delight when he came only moments later, both of his strong hands grabbing your hips and pinning them down so he could ride his high out, right into you. 

It took several more moments before the two of you could calm down, hips eventually lulling to stillness so he could rest on top of you, nearly putting his whole weight on you. But it felt good, it felt so good to feel him on you, in you, both of you catching your breath in the stuffy enclosure of your blankets. His mouth pressed a final kiss to yours before finding another favorite place to be - at the curve of your neck, to pepper short, endearing pecks to your skin. 

Levi didn’t make any moves to pull out of you so you stayed in that position, reveling in the afterglow of your orgasms, while you stroked his hair and breathed him in, head tilted so he could have full access to the expanse of your neck. 

“I guess you were right,” you whispered with a smile, eyes closed. Levi hummed in question and you giggled, a hand caressing his lower back. “We did need to shed clothes to stay warm.” 

That earned a chuckle out of Levi but he didn’t respond right away. Instead, he continued leaving kisses along your neck, slowly pulling out of you and shifting so he could be at your side instead of on top of you. 

“I’m always right,” he finally said, pulling you into his chest to snuggle, “Just like I’m right about you getting the fuck out of this shitty apartment.” His arm kept itself wrapped around your shoulders even when you swatted his chest, his other arm resting happily at your hip. You traced his chest with your fingertips, legs intertwining as sleep began to overtake you, the exhaustion of sex heavily seeping into your bodies. 

“So you would rather have me on the streets with no home to go back to,” you mumbled jokingly, sleepily, and then snickered when Levi’s scoff fills the air. 

“You’d have a home, brat.” 

You shivered as Levi adjusted the blankets to let some fresh air in, the coldness cracking through at last, but your shivers were easily abated by Levi nuzzling into your hair and pulling you closer, fingertips dancing over your back to soothe you to sleep. 

“Love you,” you mumbled, moving your head so you could press your ear against his chest to hear his steady heartbeat. You were already drifting off, warm and content and blissful, but you didn’t miss the quiet, “Love you, too.” 

[aki-mochi]

Levi x Reader: New Life

WARNING: contains language and mentions of prostitution.

This takes place in the Underground.

Being a teenager wasn't easy, especially if they lived in the Underground City where you had to fight to survive. Literally. Levi huffed as he wiped the blood off his cheek from beating another man to tried to talk shit about his late mom. As he turned down into an alleyway, a few men were seen hovering around something as they talked as he got closer, he could hear their conversation and decided to hide behind a barrel to eavesdrop.

"Think we should sell this little girl in the black market to pay for our next meal?"

"Nah, we should teach her a lesson for stealing from us" he partner said as his knuckles were cracked in the process, ready to beat the shit out of the girl they had cornered.

"You pigs didn't need all that food since you're already fat enough!" the girl yelled as she tried to stay brave.

"You little bitch!" the man yelled as he raised his fist as it made contact to her cheek.

The girl fell to the ground due to the force as she held her cheek in pain. Tears welled up in her eyes but refused to let them fall. She shakily got back up to her feet and glared at the men in front of her. "Y-You punch like an old lady! That didn't hurt at all! You're weak!"

"This kid just doesn't know when to stay down. Very well, you'll get what you asked for" the man growled as he went to punch the girl again.

She just stood there, waiting for the impact but it never came as a knife had been thrown into the man's head, killing him on the spot. His body collapsed onto the ground while his partner's throat was slit open by another blade. She watched in horror as blood splattered all over her clothes and face. Backing up to the worn down wall, her legs gave out as she slid to the ground, terrified of the bloodbath she had just witnessed. The person's shadow came closer to her shaking form before it appeared under the streetlight.

"You ok, kid?" Levi asked.

All she could respond with was a nod.

"So, you stole their food?"

"Th-they had a mountain of food on their plates....and I haven't eaten in days...." she whimpered as she held her hollow stomach.

At that, Levi finally got a good look at her form. She looked no older than ten. Her frame was all boney and sick looking, her ribs were probably showing under that oversized tattered shirt, hair all matted, dirty and probably overgrown. He looked just like he did before Kenny had found him after his mother died. He couldn't let her suffer the way he almost did, and based on her appearance, she doesn't have any parents either. With a small sigh, Levi knelt to her level on the ground and offered a hand.

"Come with me. I'll help you get your strength back but you gotta help clean and help me hunt when you do, ok?"

She stared at his hand before shakily reaching her own boney hand out to take it. Once she did, Levi helped her onto his back and started to carry her back to his place.

"You have a name?" he asked.

"(Y-Y/n)....it's just (Y/n)..." she whispered tiredly.

"(Y/n), huh? I'm Levi. Go ahead and sleep, it'll take a bit to get home."

'A home...? Sounds nice....' (Y/n) thought before she drifted to sleep.

Levi glanced back at her sleeping form before sneaking into alleys and back roads to keep out of sight, wondering what his life will be like now that he has a partner to survive with,

~Several Years Later~

Years have passed and Levi and (Y/n) have done well surviving the hell hole they live in. The constant struggles of earning money, stealing food when they couldn't afford any, kicking other thug's asses. It's hard, yes, but they have each other's backs and company when all felt wrong. Levi comes in the house and finds (Y/n) asleep on the loveseat with her legs hanging over the armrest. Lately, he's noticed how tired and sore she'll be during the day and how she would go earn money at night. One day, she went to bend over to pick up a cup that she accidently dropped but had hissed in pain while placing a hand at her lower back. Going to help and ask what was wrong, she waved at him saying she had lifted too many crates for an old man. Levi knew she saw lying since her lips always moved when she does but didn't say anything else.

Walking over to her, he shook her shoulder. "Oi. (Y/n). Wake up, lazy brat."

(E/c) eyes fluttered open as a yawn escaped her mouth. She stretched her stiff limbs before sitting up and rubbing her neck "Do you have to call me lazy everytime I take a nap?" she mumbled.

"Yes, I do. Now get up. I brought food and it's your night to cook."

"Damn it....alright alright. Just give me the bag already." she sighed as she took the bag from his hands and went to the kitchen to see what all he had brought. As She was sorting through the ingredients, Levi stood and watched in the doorway with his arms crossed before hearing her speak up while her back was turned to him.

"So....Kal s-said there's an open spot at-" she was cut off by a fist punching the wall.

"I don't want to hear it, (Y/n)! You promised that you wouldn't sell your body to disgusting men and be a prostitute!"

she turned to him "But Levi-"

"No buts! You're not doing it! I forbid you!" he seethed with a dark glare.

An audible gulp was heard and nothing else was said as she continued to figure out what she could make in silence. Sudden footsteps made their way over to the young woman before stopping right behind her as arms made their way around her waist.

"L-Levi...?"

"I know you want to help but I can't let you do it. You know about my mom and how she died. I don't want it to happen to you too." He said softly with his chin on her shoulder.

(Y/n) sighed but rested her hands on his arms, rubbing her thumb on his skin. "Alright....I won't do it."

"Good. Now, finish dinner while I get cleaned up." With that, his gave her cheek a soft kiss before letting go of her waist and leaving to clean up the non-existent dirt off of him. (Y/n)'s cheeks went ablaze as she held a hand to the cheek he had kissed. She felt happy but she knew that he will find out about her secret job soon and it would tear him apart.

~A few weeks later~

(Y/n) knew that once Levi had cleaned and put away his knife he goes straight to bed. As she watched and made sure he wasn't going to come out anytime soon, she grabbed her bag and quietly sneaked out of their house, making sure to lock it so he wouldn't get on her ass about 'forgetting to lock the door before bed'. Looking around for any stalkers, she quietly made her way down a street, unknowing of a person hiding in the shadows watching her every move.

After turning a few corners here and there, she finally arrived at her destination. She looked up at the sign and cringed in utter disgust, loathe, and regret.

Kal's Prostitute Service.

With a deep breath, (Y/n) reached for the doorknob only for it to be roughly snatched away by a hand. With a gasp, she was forcefully turned around and now staring into the fuming eyes of a very pissed Levi.

"L-Levi, I can explain-"

"You're damn fucking right you'll explain. You're coming home. Right. Now."

At that, he forcefully dragged her by the arm, ignoring her whimpers and protests of how he was hurting her wrist. He was fuming. Raging with anger. He didn't know where to start. She promised him she wouldn't do it. Why the hell would she break her promise?

When he got there, he slammed open the front door and tossed her inside. She landed on the hard floor with a gasp before turning to look up at him. She's seen him angry before, but fucking hell, he was terrifying right now. With a gulp, she sat up a bit with a small tremble of fear.

"L-Levi please let me explain..."

"Explain what?! You went behind my back and did things you promised you wouldn't do! What fucking reason do you have for going back on your word?!"

"I had to! I couldn't stay at home while you did all the work anymore! I wanted to help!"

"You knew how I felt about you doing this shit! Why did you do it?!"

"B-Because..."

"Because what?!"

"Because I did it so we could get our citizenships to live up on the surface instead of this shithole!"

Levi stopped in his tracks and just stared at her. That was her reason? To help get the both of you to the city above them? Tears watered her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she continued.

"I-I had to....I hate seeing you struggle and come home tired and dirty....I couldn't stand it anymore....s-so I took the job of being a-a prostitute.....only until we got the money to get out of this place and have a little extra to get the things we'll need....I couldn't stand being useless anymore, Levi. I-I'm so sorry...!"

She curled up on her spot on the floor and sobbed into her knees with her hands in her hair as Levi watched her, hearing her apologize over and over again through her hiccups. His anger burned out like a fire without air and carefully went over to her shaking form. When he kneeled down to her height, his arms encircled her form, making her tense as her sobs suddenly paused.

"How much...?" he asked softly.

"H-huh...?"

"How much do you have saved up?"

"M-More than enough to get us past the gate a-and to get our citizenship....I've asked around...and someone told me the prices......I saved twice as much than what we needed..." she explained.

He held her closer. "I'm sorry for getting so mad. I was just worried that I would lose you just like mom. I'm still not happy that you went behind my back....but I'm happy that you and I will get to live a better life up there."

(Y/n) blinked before she smiled through her tears and hugged him back. They both stayed like that for a small while before Levi pulled back with his signature glare. "Now, I'm all dirty."

That made (Y/n) laugh.

~Timeskip~

A few weeks had passed and Levi and (Y/n) had finally settled in their new home on the surface after buying some new furniture for it. And, of course, brooms. Levi couldn't forget the brooms. While Levi spent the days cleaning and organizing their new place, (Y/n) ran a small stand in the market. She had a big surprise for Levi. As the sun was starting to set, all the other stands were closing down, meaning (Y/n) could go home and have the day off tomorrow since her boss knew of her surprise. As she quickly packed up her stuff, she ran down the familiar street she takes everyday and soon made it home. With a smile, she went inside and placed her bag in its normal spot that Levi made just for her.

"I'm home~!"

Levi peeked his head from the kitchen and hummed before walking over to her. "You seem happy. What's the occasion?"

"You'll see tomorrow. Boss gave me the day off because of it."

"Oh? Then it must be a big surprise if you get an entire day off for it."

"Mhm! You'll love it~" she smiled.

"I enjoy everything that you give me, (Y/n)" he said as he ruffled her hair, making her whine in protest. Levi only chuckled and went back to the kitchen to finish the food he was preparing.

The next day, everything went smoothly until she had suddenly finished all her cleaning early before noon and had told Levi to get ready for his surprise. With a grunt, he got up from his spot on the couch and slipped on his boots as he waited for the woman to grab whatever she needed. Once she was back, the two headed out and began to walk. When they turned down a specific street, (Y/n) went behind him and covered his eyes, making him mumble a few curse words.

"Calm down, I'll make sure you won't fall. Just trust me." she smiled.

"Alright, fine. Hurry up, though. I don't like not seeing where I'm going." he huffed.

(Y/n) only giggled and carefully led him to a specific building before uncovering his eyes. In front of him was a small tea shop. And it wasn't no ordinary tea shop either. Inside was clearly cleaned to where it shined and several different types of tea was displayed neatly behind the counter with a good few table sets were evenly spread out enough where people can walk. He noticed that no one was here so he turned to her.

"You brought me to a tea shop with no one here?"

"Nooooooo. I brought you to your tea shop! You said you've always wanted to open one so, Ta-da~!" she grinned.

Levi was flabbergasted. The tea shop is his? He looked at her before suddenly pulling her in for a sweet kiss. (Y/n) tensed and turned a dark shade of red before slowly returning the gesture as her arms found themselves around his neck with his around her waist. The kiss lasted for a minute before Levi pulled back.

"I love it. And I love you. Thank you for everything." he smiled.

"You're welcome. And I love you too, Levi."

"I'm glad. Now, let's go see what kind of tea we have."

(Y/n) laughed at this but followed him inside as their new lives have only just begun.

[fanmoose12]

catch me if you can

Сharacters: Hange Zoe, Levi, Erwin Smith, Kenny Ackerman

Genres: Mystery / Romance

Summary: The Ackerman duo. Just the mention of this name filled Hange with so many feelings. Mostly, when she reread the files of their cases over and over, until her eyes watered, she felt pricking annoyance. Sometimes, when she stared at the dead bodies of those scarce unfortunates who stumbled upon their crimes, she was filled with hatred and a pushing need for revenge. Hange couldn’t deny, however, there were times when she marveled at the impudence of their crimes. And, when she was investigating the Ackerman’s cases and saw just how meticulously planned they all were, she couldn’t help but feel something close to fascination.No one knew who they were. No one had seen their faces, no one knew their true names. Almost everyone knew of their crimes.Hange was determined to unravel every last one of their secrets. She will put an end to their crimes and then she will get the elusive Ackermans behind bars.

Chapter 10/?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Сhapter 9

“Come with me, I’ll show it to you.”

Levi glared at the girl, feeling his eye twitch.

That girl, Ymir, he didn’t like her. She seemed cocky, overly confident and just, plain annoying. She also tried to shoot him and Hange. And she had interrupted their argument, which could have resulted in… some kind of consensus. Perhaps, even reconciliation. A revelation of some sorts. But now they were back to square one, and Hange returned to giving him long, mistrustful look.

And the fault, in Levi’s opinion, lied entirely on that irritating girl.

Levi didn’t like her, he didn’t trust her and he was adamantly against her becoming a part of their team.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t the one calling the shots. Hange was and she was very much pro Ymir becoming a part of their team. And there was nothing he could do about it, except grit his teeth and put on the fiercest of his scowls.

“Where are you taking us?” he caught up with Ymir in a few, swift strides, reaching her and shoving the door she was going to open closed. Levi now stood right beside her, breathing down her neck. Her neck was all he could reach, because, to make matters even worse, the girl was also tall as a fucking tree.

That meant that she could easily look down on him, and that’s exactly what she did, as she stopped and turned around.

“My place,” she answered flippantly.

“Your place?” Hange blinked a couple of times, her mouth slightly open. The expression was endearing, but then again, there was little Levi didn’t find endearing about Hange. Focus, he told himself, forcing his attention back on the conversation. “So this apartment…”

“Oh hell no,” Ymir cringed. “I don’t live in this shithole. I used to live there, but now I simply give that address for the rich assholes I work for. In case some of them actually have heart and decide to pay the poor girl who lives in a basement more.”

“So you use that apartment to scam people?” he couldn’t help his accusing tone. The idea was smart, yes, and Levi was the first person to agree that rich people deserved to have their money taken away, but he was also petty and looking for a reason to dislike the girl even more.

He thought, even hoped that his biting remark would shame Ymir. But all he got in response was an elbow in his side from Hange, and a vicious, “And you’re any different?”

It wasn’t precisely shame that cursed through him after Hange’s words, but it was something similar, close to remorse.

“Who are you, by the way?” her greenish eyes bored into his, as Ymir loomed over him, hands on her hips. “I don’t remember seeing your detective’s badge.”

“Because I don’t have it,” craning his head upwards to scowl at the girl was starting to aggravate his neck muscles just a bit too much, but Levi didn’t allow this little nuisance to break his focus. “As for who I am… you can call me Levi.”

“I can call you Levi? Well, thank you for your kindness.” Ymir cackled, rather loudly. Levi winced at the volume and clenched his fists at the expression of pure mockery on her face. “But I need to know your full name.”

Levi refused to back down or reveal himself so easily. Especially, since… “You didn’t tell us your full name either.”

“Ymir is all I have,” she answered, crossing arms on her chest. In an instant, all signs of mischief were gone from her expression. Now she was staring at Levi levelly, her face guarded and strict. “Orphans don’t have the pleasure of receiving a surname.”

“Oh.”

The soft, quiet sound came from Hange. Levi didn’t need to look away from Ymir to see that Hange was looking at the girl with mix of sadness and compassion. As ready as he was to loathe the insolent brat, he was feeling something similar, a painful clench of his heart that reminded him of his biggest weakness – his unreasoned kindness and desire to help the ones who need it.

Recently, his kindness led him to a fist-fight in the bar. Levi could only guess where this fault of his would bring him this time.

“I don’t need your pity,” Ymir huffed, seeing the sudden change in Levi’s eyes. “What I need is your full name.”

God, she was so tenacious, like a piranha that had latched itself on his leg. He sighed, surrendering to his fate. It seemed like he had no other choice. So keeping his eyes firmly locked on Ymir's, he said, “I’m Levi. Levi Ackerman.”

As soon as these words had left his mouth, Levi found himself pressed against the front door with Ymir once again looming over him. With movement almost too quick for him to catch, Ymir had taken a knife out of the inside pocket of her leather jacket. Now that very same knife was held tightly in her hand, and its edge was pressed threateningly to his stomach.

Hell, how many weapons she had on her?

“Ackerman?” she hissed, her green eyes shooting fire. The knife moved an inch closer to him. “The same Ackerman that had kidnapped Historia?”

It took him a moment too long to get his wits back. He wasn’t threatened with a knife every day of his life, after all. And, by the time, his composure had returned and he was ready to retaliate, Hange decided to take matters in her hands.

Quite literally.

She took Ymir’s wrist and squeezed it tightly, eliciting a pained groan from her. The hold she had on the knife loosened, and it fell down with a resounding sound, barely missing the toe of Levi’s boot.

“We don’t do violence here,” Hange said, her voice tight. “And no, he isn’t the same Ackerman. His uncle is the one who had taken Historia.”

“So you knew about this!” yanking her wrist out of Hange’s hold and cradling it protectively to her chest, Ymir shifted her gaze, turning her anger on her.

“I did,” Hange confirmed. “But Levi knows nothing about his uncle’s crimes.”

Levi stared at Hange wide-eyed, not quite believing what was happening right in front of his eyes. Hange was defending him? She had just protected him from Ymir?

He wasn’t the only who was openly gaping at her, Ymir seemed to have troubles believing Hange was serious as well.

“So you trust him? You, a police officer, trust him?”

“Maybe, trust is not quite the right word,” Hange chuckled, her serious demeanor shifting to present a bashful grin. “But I believe him,” despite the relaxed expression, her voice was filled with conviction. She did believe him, Levi realized, Hange wasn’t simply putting on a show. The revelation caught him off guard. It also made him recall their recent argument. Perhaps, not everything was lost? “We may be chasing different goals, but I believe it will lead to the same outcome.”

“And if working with me goes against all of your morals,” Levi cut in, reverting Ymir’s attention to himself. “Then we should go our separate ways. The tensions,” he chanced a glanced at Hange, surprised to find that she was actually looking back at him. “Are already high. We don’t need any more infighting.”

Ymir considered them both for a moment, her gaze switching from Levi to Hange. Worrying her lip between her teeth, she appeared deep in thought.

“Fine,” she conceded at last. “It seems like I have no choice but to work with you.”

“Want to save Historia that much, eh?” Hange wiggled her eyebrows in an obscenely ridiculous way. Levi couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. Ymir seemed to have the same reaction to her antics.

“I owe her. She's in this mess because of me,” she explained, rather gruffly. “And,” a smirk pulled on her lips, reminding Levi that Ymir was an irritating brat who had attempted to shot him, and then had the gall to threaten him with a knife. “She is also extremely cute.”

“Ah, she’s adorable like a princess!” Hange agreed with a wide smile. Despite Ymir being nothing short of nuisance just a minute ago, Hange had now her arm wrapped around the girl’s shoulders, talking with her animatedly.

The two of them walked out of the apartment together, still whispering amongst each other. They seemed to be best friends already, which left Levi feeling oddly neglected.

Gods, just how bad did he have it for Hange?

However, he wasn’t feeling abandoned for too long. As soon as they exited the apartment complex, and Ymir started leading them to the aforementioned her place, Hange left her side and fell in step with Levi.

“Hey,” she started, keeping her eyes locked on the horizon. It showed a pretty sight of the setting sun and the warm glow it emanated, but Hange didn’t seem too interested in watching the light reflected in the windows. She simply appeared determined not to meet his eyes. “During your little clash with Ymir… she didn’t hurt you or something?”

Was it his wishful thinking, or did he actually hear hints of concern in her voice? Whatever it was, it sent an exciting pulse through his heart.

“I’m fine. You intervened just in time. By the way… thanks for that.”

Levi cringed at his own awkwardness. He usually wasn’t that clumsy, clumsiness was a big no in his line of work, but Hange excelled at bringing out that part of him. She made him feel so many contrasting emotions that it was hard to navigate through all of them. Sometimes he felt like he was lost in it, blindly stumbling through the workings of his own heart.

“Well, I couldn’t allow our only way to get to Kenny Ackerman get stabbed, could I?”

Of course, Hange was thinking about the case. That was understandable, logical, expected. And whatever concern he had caught in her voice, it was probably directly related to their case.

Their case, he had to focus on it.

You’re here for Kenny, he reminded himself for the nth time. Kenny, not Hange and the weird feeling she provoked in him.

Kenny, Kenny, Kenny, he kept repeating to himself like a mantra. But with Hange still so close to him, his focus was gradually slipping.

Thankfully, Ymir provided an excellent distraction when she stopped them in front of the shadiest bar Levi had ever laid his eyes on. And, considering the fact that he had grown up in the slams and had just returned from the city, where he himself was working in a shady bar with an awful boss, that was saying a lot.

“That’s your place?” he asked in his most unimpressed voice. “You live in a bar?”

“I work at the bar. And I live right above it. And since my shift starts in less than half an hour,” Ymir shrugged. “I decided to mix business with pleasure.”

“Works for me,” Hange hummed, pushing past Levi to get to the entrance. “What floor your apartment is?”

“Third, the first one on the left.”

“Are you even allowed to work at the bar?” Levi looked critically at Ymir. “I thought you were a teenager.”

“Are you allowed to drink?” Ymir easily parried. “I thought you were a kid.”

Brats and their loud mouths, there was nothing that irritated Levi more. Listening to Ymir’s cackling, he could only grit his teeth. His scowl darkened even more, when he saw Hange high-fiving the insolent girl.

“I’m glad you’re starting to get along,” she chuckled, patting Levi and Ymir on their shoulders. “But let’s move on, there is a girl that needs to be saved.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Ymir mumbled, leading them upstairs.

___

Ymir’s apartment turned out to be a kitchen and a single room that simultaneously served as a bedroom, a study and a living room. In the center stood an old dusty couch with clothes thrown all around it, next to it was a rickety coffee table with a laptop on it, and on the opposite wall, there was…

Wow. So Ymir was that serious about finding Historia?

The wall was covered with newspapers clippings and photos. And the center of it all was the photo of Historia, with various strings attached to it.

“So…” Hange awkwardly shuffled to take a better look at it. “Care to explain all of it?”

“Sure,” Ymir nodded. “But it might take a while. Do you want something to drink?”

“Do you have tea?” Levi asked, subconsciously knowing the answer already.

“Nope, only beer.”

“I’ll have a beer, please,” Hange smiled, and then, to Levi’s horror, she took out the fucking notebook. He was getting sick of it.

Ymir returned from the kitchen, holding three bottles of beer. She handed one to Hange, then turned to Levi, looking him up and down. Levi didn’t like where this was going.

“Do you have an ID, sir?” she asked in the most mocking, annoying voice Levi had ever heard. And he thought that Kenny was the most irritating person in this world. Ymir was proving him seriously wrong.

And Hange’s delighted laugher wasn’t making him feel any better.

“Fuck off,” he snapped, snatching the bottle from her.

“Alright, let’s start,” Ymir waited for Hange to settle on a couch. Then she opened her bottle and pointed it at the photo of Historia. “So you know that Krista Lenz isn’t her real name, yes?”

“Yep,” Hange confirmed.

“And that her father,” Ymir trailed the bottle to the side, following the string to the photo of middle-aged man. “Is Rod Reiss.”

“We… recently found about it.”

“And since an Ackerman is sitting right next to you, I’m assuming you know about Kenny Ackerman as well?”

Before nodding, Hange stole a quick glance at Levi. She turned away before Levi could decipher the meaning of it.

“And you really don’t know where he is?” Ymir directed her question at Levi. “Isn’t he your uncle or something?”

“He is my uncle.” Levi stared at the wall, fixing his eyes on the place where Kenny’s photo should have been. But, apparently, Ymir couldn’t find it, so instead there was a white square with his name written on it. Still, the fact that she managed to find that much information was already an astonishing achievement. It actually made Levi curious… “Where did you get his name?”

As far as Levi was aware, Kenny was obsessively secretive. He might appear carefree and careless, but that was just a façade. He wouldn’t survive for as long as he did if he hadn’t shrouded his identity in the thick fog of secret. The only mistake of his that Levi could remember was his fuck up with Traute, and she was probably already dealt with, in one way or another. So how did a girl find out about him?

“It wasn’t all that hard,” Ymir flippantly admitted. “I was spying on Reiss, and I once saw him talk with Ackerman. It didn’t take a genius to realize everything else. By the way,” she levelled Levi with a hard look. “Thanks for killing my boss. Because of that, I had to return to working at this shitty bar.”

Levi shrugged. He could say that technically he wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger and killed that guy. But Ymir didn’t seem too interested in technicalities.

“If you know about Kenny,” Hange began, biting at her pen. “Then do you know why he had taken Historia?”

Ymir shook her head, shuttering Levi’s hope to easily find the answer to the question ‘what the fuck was Kenny doing’. “I guess he had some fallout with Reiss and decided to use Historia as a leverae. And that brings me to my next point,” the beer bottle travelled upwards, to the photo of a young woman with long black hair. “What do you know about Frieda Reiss?”

“Not much,” Hange admitted after studying the photo for a several moments. “She is Reiss’ eldest daughter, isn’t she? And she’s an aspiring artist, if the memory serves me right.”

“Well, you already know more than I expected. Yes, Frieda is Reiss’ daughter, which makes her Historia’s half-sister.”

“And that’s important how?” Levi asked, smoothly standing up in guise of taking a closer look at Ymir’s crazy wall.

He walked up to it, squinted at the various scribblings, and then moved closer to the desk that stood by the window. He leaned against it, pretending to listen to Ymir and Hange’s conversation.

“Out of all of Reiss’ family, Frieda is the only who gives a damn about Historia. If we want to find out about Historia’s whereabouts, she’s our best bet.”

“You think she knows something?” Hange moved slightly forward, in an attempt to take a closer look at the wall and Frieda’s photo on it. “You talked with her?”

Ymir scrunched her nose, making an extremely displeased face. She took a large swing from the bottle, cringing slightly at the bitter taste. “She doesn’t want to talk with me. We had an argument of sorts.”

“An argument…” Hange frowned. “About what?”

While Ymir was busy forming an adequate explanation, Levi discreetly opened the top drawer of her desk.

Once a thief, forever a thief, that was what Hange had told him? No point in going against his own nature then, Levi thought, as he flipped through the contents of the drawer. Inside there were photos, a lot of photos. A dozen, if not even more. They varied in foreshortening, angle, color palette. And yet the subject remained the same.

It was Historia.

There was a picture of Historia from across the street, enjoying a book inside the café. And a picture of Historia, sitting on a bench in the park and eating an ice-cream. There was Historia smiling, Historia frowning, Historia laughing, Historia… oh. So Ymir got that close to the girl she was supposed to be spying on?

Hiding the picture of two girls kissing, Levi closed the drawer and returned his attention to the conversation on hand.

“I already told you Frieda cares about Historia. And when she found out that I was spying on her father, and, subsequently on Historia too, well,” Ymir ran a hand through her hair. “Let’s just say she wasn’t too happy about it.”

“But?” Hange prompted, notebook clenched tightly in her hand. “You think that Frieda knows something?”

“Reiss definitely knows something, I’m sure Ackerman has contacted him with some kind of ransom note.”

“And Reiss didn’t go to the police, because he doesn’t want the world to know about his connection to Historia.”

“Exactly,” Ymir confirmed. “And if there was actually some communication between him and Ackerman, Frieda is the only who knows about it. She’s in on everything her father is doing.”

“But she’s the daughter of an influential politician and she’s a famous artist,” Hange bit at her thumb, her frown deepening. “How the heck we can get her to talk? Especially if her father doesn’t want to involve the police.”

Ymir grinned. “I’m glad you asked.”

Oh no. Levi didn’t like that smile or that tone. An awful offer was going to be made to them. Or, even worse, that would be a demand.

With his stomach sinking, he sighed and prepared for the worst.

Ymir took a step to the side, revealing the last part of puzzle. It was a clipping from a newspaper article that talked about… Levi squinted… an upcoming gala that was going to be held at the Reiss’ mansion. Great.

“Frieda is the one who organizes the gala and she is the one who will be hosting it,” Ymir explained. “Her father won’t be here, and that will give you an opportunity to get closer to her.”

“But won’t there be a security? How can we get in?” Hange asked. “And how will we convince her to share the information with us?”

“I can obtain two tickets for you. As for convincing Frieda… I don’t think she’ll need much of it. She wants to save her sister, just say you’re from police and she’ll probably share everything she knows.”

“And what if she doesn’t want to talk to us? What if she orders the guards to throw us out? Too many unknowns for this to effectively work out. I say the plan is too risky,” Levi concluded, crossing hands on his chest.

“But we don’t really lose anything,” Hange countered. “It’s a gamble.”

“It’s a waste of time.” Levi argued.

“It won’t be a waste of time with you,” Ymir said. “If you don’t succeed with talking to Frieda, then…” she wiggled her eyebrows, looking at Levi.

Hange shot up to her feet. “Oh no. No, no, no. No! I can’t allow you to break inside and snoop around. It’s Reiss’ mansion! If we get caught, I’ll get skinned alive.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Hange,” Levi rolled his eyes. Now that Ymir mentioned the idea of snooping around, he liked the plan a lot more. “We’ve already broken into someone’s apartment, and nothing bad happened.”

“We almost got shot at,” Hange reminded him through the gritted teeth.

“Then don’t get caught,” Ymir advised. “Ackermans were never caught, right? And you have Ackerman with you. I’m sure,” there it was again, that tiny, irritating smirk. “He’ll do his best to protect you.”

“Fine,” Hange ruffled her hair, looking absolutely frantic. She lifted the bottle of beer to her lips, downing half of it in one go. “Fine, fine, we’ll do it your way. But… I don’t know what to wear to this kind of event.”

“Don’t worry,” Ymir gave her a thorough once-over, going from the head to toe and focusing on Hange’s long legs, thin waist and broad shoulders. She licked her lips. “I’ll find something for you.”

“And me?” Levi asked, glaring at the girl who was ogling Hange so shamelessly. “Do you have something for me?”

“You’re a legendary thief,” Ymir scoffed, barely sparing him a glance. “Steal a suit for yourself or something.”

Fuck, how he hated the annoying brats. There was nothing worse than them.

“If we have planned everything out,” Ymir finished her beer and threw the bottle in the trashcan that, to Levi’s disgust, was already overwhelmed with bottles and empty pizza boxes. “Then I need to go. My shift starts in just few minutes. If you need something else, you can use my laptop. There is a rough blueprint of Reiss’ mansion there.”

“How did you manage to get inside?” Hange said, already taking the laptop in her hands.

Ymir winked, the insufferable smirk returning. “Let’s just say that I’m excellent at getting inside ladies' private chambers.”

The horrible innuendo was bad enough on its own, but Hange’s loud laughter made it much, much worse. Levi could only roll his eyes and scoff, apparently, he was destined to be surrounded by annoying people with terrible jokes.

Well, at least, Hange didn’t look so tense anymore. Perhaps, Ymir’s presence was a buffer between the tensions that had been rising all day. If so, Levi was glad to have the girl around, despite tasteless innuendos and all.

“There is left over pizza in the refrigerator and there is booze under the counter if you need it.”

“And you?” Hange turned to Levi. “I can’t exactly let you go home, but…”

“He can go with me,” Ymir offered. “I’ll pour him a drink, keep an eye so he won’t sneak away.”

Spend the evening with Hange or with the brat who would probably continue to mercilessly mock him, Levi knew what option he would choose, but… he wasn’t the one calling the shots.

Hange was.

“Excellent!” she gave Ymir thumbs up and a brilliant smile. “I won’t be long, I promise.”

With that Ymir grabbed him by the elbow and started dragging him downstairs. Levi could only sigh and surrender.

___

“So,” Ymir poured a shot of whiskey and handed it to him, leaning against the counter and studying his face. The unnatural dark red lighting of the bar made her look even more imposing. The irritating smirk was already in place, playing on her thin lips. “What is happening between you and detective badass?”

Color rushed to his cheeks, and Levi thanked the lighting for hiding the unfortunate reaction.

“Nothing,” he mumbled into his drink.

“Nothing? So what about that argument I’ve overheard and the two of you rolling around on the floor of my apartment? You call that nothing?”

“Eavesdropping is bad,” Levi said, but, despite the biting tone, he lowered his head even further down. That was a topic he really didn’t want to discuss. Especially, with a girl he met just an hour ago. “And we weren’t rolling around, I saved Hange from getting shot.”

“I dig up dirty secrets for a living. Eavesdropping is my job. And you could have just shoved her aside, not jump onto her, you know?”

“Shut up,” he put the glass of whiskey up to his lips, finishing it in one large gulp. The bitter, burning liquid travelled down his throat, making him shiver. He pushed the glass back to Ymir. “Another one.”

“Ah ah,” she wiggled her finger. “I won’t let you have another drink until you tell me what the heck is going between you two.”

“Why are so interested in it?”

Ymir looked around the bar. There was just a couple of customers inside, all of them slowly nursing their drinks and seemingly uninterested in ordering something else. As her eyes shifted from one corner to another, Ymir shrugged. “It’s a slow night. And I have a feeling something juicy has transpired.”

“Alright, I’ll tell,” after all, what the heck he was losing? His dignity? He bid goodbye to it a long time ago. Besides, there was something he wanted to get out of Ymir as well. “But in exchange you’ll tell me what happened between you and Historia.”

“Nothing,” was probably what Ymir wanted to exclaim. Her widened eyes and scandalized expression were definitely screaming that. But Levi raised a hand before she could even start denying his claim.

“I found the pictures inside your desk.”

If he thought that Ymir’s face showed disbelief and anger before, now there was pure rage. “Going through other people’s stuff is bad,” she hissed, her eyes narrowed into slits.

“I’m a thief,” Levi graciously accepted the drink she prepared to him. “Going through other people’s stuff is my job.”

“Has anyone told you how irritating you are?”

“Has anyone told you?”

Looming over him with hands on her hips, Ymir stared down at him. Levi stared back, putting the darkest of his glares.

Ymir was the first one to surrender, breaking the eye contact with a low chuckle. “Alright, alright, we’re both assholes.”

“That we are,” he agreed, taking another sip from his glass. He put it back down softly, the ice cubes clinking together. “So what’s the deal between you and Historia?”

Ymir took a deep sigh and grabbed the closest glass to her, starting to mindlessly clean it with a rag. The silence stretched, the sounds of tense rubbing of the glass taking over. Levi wanted to repeat his question, but then— Ymir finally gathered enough courage to start talking.

“So you already know that I was supposed to spy on Historia. Reiss had an enemy in the parliament that wanted to expose his secret daughter, and, well,” she shook her head and laughed, the sound devoid of mirth but filled with bitterness. “Whatever pays the bills, right? So I found that girl, took a few photos and then I was asked to bring a DNA sample, to make sure that she really is Reiss’ daughter and it isn’t just a rumor, created by his former maid. I broke inside her room at campus, took a hair out of the hairbrush, and I was already leaving when some clumsy idiot bumped into me and I fell down the stairs. And that how I actually met Historia. Unaware that moments ago I was looking through her things, she brought me to her room and forcefully bandaged my sprained ankle.”

“And that’s it? You literally fell for her?” the story made him chuckle. It also made him remember a similar story – a story about bumping into someone on the street, about falling in more ways than just one.

“Well, Historia made sure to call and text me every day for the entirety of three weeks, because she read somewhere that it takes three weeks for the ankle sprain to heal completely. She also personally checked up on me a couple of times, although I’m not even sure if my ankle was actually sprained. But,” Ymir rubbed the back of her neck, and, perhaps, it was the treacherous lightning, but it looked like she was blushing. “I couldn’t exactly say no to a cute girl like this, you know?”

“And? Did she find out who you actually are?”

“No. But her sister did. I don’t know if Historia knows who Frieda truly is, and I don’t know why Frieda is so obsessed with her, but she found me and threatened to use her father’s connections to throw me in jail. I grew up on a street, so there was a lot of illegal stuff I did, and… I couldn’t exactly risk it. I wanted to sneak into Historia’s dorm, you know, have, at least some kind of a goodbye… but when I got inside, she wasn’t there. The next day I found that she was kidnapped.”

Silence fell over them. What was there to say? Tell that he felt sorry for her? That he knew just how shitty she was feeling right now?

Nothing he could say would make Ymir feel better.

“What about you then? What did you do to make our fierce detective glare at you so much?”

“She was the lead detective investigating out heists. And…”

“Ohh,” Ymir sounded intrigued. “So you seduced her? To get the information out of her? But then fell for her along the way?”

“No. I just fell. Bumped into four-eyes on the street and dropped all of my groceries, so she decided to make it up for me. It kinda went up from there.”

“Oh,” the interest disappeared from her voice completely. “And what happened next?”

“And then she got really close to catching us, and I decided to run away, and then my uncle shot her, and then,” Levi spat bitterly, drowning his misery with another mouthful of whiskey. “And then her boss found out who I really am and I left before I could bid her an actual goodbye. I moved to another part of the world, found myself a job, in a bar, if you would believe me, and then Hange found me and demanded I come back to help her catch my uncle.”

“Ow, that’s rough, dude.” Ymir refilled his glass. “Did you the two of you at least bang?”

“What!” Levi was sure his face was as a tomato. He glared fiercely at the girl, desperately trying to mask his embarrassment and save at least some remnants of his dignity.

“Don’t deny that you haven’t thought about it,” she taunted, grinning wildly, victoriously, like a predator who had just stumbled upon an easy prey. Fucking piranha. “Those long legs and wide shoulders, I bet she has abs too, and have you seen that ass, I’d—”

“Shut up,” Levi growled, closing his eyes to get that image of Hange out of his head. Hange did have a very nice body, he’d have to be blind not to see that, but that’s— that wasn’t the reason why he liked her, and even if he did think about her in that way – which, of course, he absolutely didn’t – Ymir was still the last person on Earth he’d like to discuss that with. Well, maybe, Kenny was the last person he’d discuss that with, but Ymir was definitely near the bottom of that list as well. “I’ve never, ever, thought about me and Hange in that way.”

“Well, well, someone is repressed,” Ymir didn’t take mercy on him, her voice becoming even more aggravating. “It’s not heathy for a man your age, you know? You need to learn how to relax, for example, you can sit in the dark room, think long and hard about hot detectives, imagine Hange arresting you, handcuffing you and then—”

Jesus Christ. Levi didn’t think it was possible for his cheeks to feel that hot. They were just as hot as—

Fuck, even his subconscious was working against him.

Ymir was laughing openly now, doubled over the counter and heaving breathlessly. “Man, you should have seen your face, it’s so easy to mess with you.”

“You’re a nuisance, I can’t even begin to understand how your Historia could have fallen for you.”

“The same applies to you, midget. How could someone as hot as detective Hange end up with a crush on you of all people?”

“Hange is too trustworthy and open,” Levi shrugged.

“And Historia is too kind and naïve.” Ymir agreed with a smile that looked too soft on the face of the girl who just minutes ago was mocking him mercilessly. “So what, it was their shortcomings that let us meet them?”

“Or it was fate. Or just dumb luck.”

Ymir grabbed a glass from the behind her, poured whiskey in it and raised it up. “To their shortcomings then. Or fate and dumb luck.”

Levi chuckled, as he brought his glass to hers. Yeah, he could drink for that.

Their glasses clinked, and Ymir’s expression changed, ever so slightly. The grin was still there, but it wasn’t as annoying as it was before. Now, it almost looked friendly. Levi felt his own lips curl up in a smile. Brats, perhaps, they weren’t that terrible after all.

“I’ll go out for a smoke,” he told Ymir, patting his jacket for a cigarette pack. “If four-eyes shows up…”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll tell her that you just went out, don’t worry. I’m not that much of a nuisance,” she winked at him, following this gesture with another fit of boisterous laughter.

Levi rolled his eyes at the display and hurried to the exit.

He breathed a deep sigh of relief when the chill, night air greeted him. The bars usually didn’t smell all that great, and this one wasn’t an exception. The stench of brewery and the general stuffiness of these places were the main reason why Levi preferred to drink at home. He was never one for the company anyway, and his general disgust of bars only added to his alienation.

Besides, he had a long, long day after a long and tiring flight. It was the first time he was left alone ever since he had walked off the plane, and Levi decided to relish that moment, however short it may be.

He lighted up the cigarette and put it to his lips, deeply inhaling the fresh minty smoke.

Fuck… what a day. And it wasn’t even finished yet.

Levi wondered what was going to happen next, was Hange serious about keeping watch on him? If so, how was she planning to go about it? Make him stay at her apartment? The idea wasn’t exactly opposing to him, especially after seeing the mess that Kenny made of their place.

And, Kenny, what a bastard. Couldn’t he at least try to make looking for him easier? It was just one day, and Levi was positively spent. He felt like he could sleep for millennia.

And tomorrow was not going to be any better, with this whole gala shit. He’d be lucky if next evening wouldn’t end up with him sent in prison by Reiss.

However, he wasn’t going to be the only one taking that risk. Hange was going with him, and if she was caught, she could very well lose her job. If that possibility didn’t scare Hange, he wouldn’t let it scare him as well.

Still… a lot of things could go wrong tomorrow. He had to be ready to tackle at least some of them.

With another weary sigh, Levi took another drag of the cigarette, hoping the tobacco would provide a small amount of comfort. Coupled with all the whiskey he had drunk, the cigarette was doing its job fairly well until—

Until the front door of the bar had opened and Hange had walked out, her eyes immediately zooning in on him.

“Levi!”

She called him Levi, not Ackerman, and she did so with a wide, genuinely happy smile instead of an angry glare. She leaned against the wall next to him, bumping their shoulders merrily, and Levi was ready to triumph but then he caught the stench coming from Hange and saw her flushed cheeks and dilated pupils.

So she was drunk. Excellent, just what he needed to end that already horrible day.

“Hange,” he pinched the bridge of his, setting the cigarette aside. Perhaps, he just imagined it. Perhaps, Hange wasn’t actually drunk and her behavior had a completely logical explanation. “Hange, are you alright?”

“Um, sure,” she blinked sleepily, pressing closer to him. She was just a breath away of leaning fully against him. Feeling his heart pound in his chest, Levi tried to stay as still as possible, keeping the contact between them as minimal as he could. His mind decided to suddenly remind him of every stupid thing Ymir had told to him today. Levi never felt so betrayed by his own subconscious. “I’m just tired and a little hungry, and I think I had too much of the rum I found under the counter in Ymir’s apartment.”

And before Levi could react, before he could, maybe, scold Hange for this act of recklessness, she kicked the ground underneath him once again.

“Hey, can I have it?” she pointed to his cigarette, already reaching to it.

Moving the hand with cigarette away from Hange, Levi hesitated. On one hand, smoking could make her feel that much worse, on the other, she could just as well start arguing with him, and that was the last thing he needed today. So he settled on a middle ground.

“You can have one drag,” he allowed, handing her a cigarette.

But Hange didn’t take the cigarette from his hand. Instead, she slightly opened her mouth, as though in invitation.

Fucking hell. Was drunk Hange always like this?

Slowly, doing his best to ignore the trembling in his hands, he lifted the cigarette to her lips. Hange closed her mouth around it, her eyes fluttered shut as she started to inhale the smoke.

Levi watched her, completely transfixed, he never thought that someone could be that attractive while smoking, but here he was…

He was standing close to Hange, so close that he could see every individual eyelash, a small mole at the side of her cheek, the barely visible freckles on her nose, the little scar on her forehead. Her face was illuminated by the blue flickering sign with the name of the bar. The unnatural lighting made her seem even more surreal.

“Fuck!”

The illusion was broken abruptly, when Hange pushed him away and doubled down, coughing fit wracking through her body.

“Shit!” she croaked, in between the coughs. “I didn’t know that thing would be so strong, it’s so—”

“Wait.” Levi was so confused. “You’ve never smoked before?”

“No.”

God, what an insufferable person.

“Then why the hell you’ve asked for my cigarette?”

“Don’t know!” Hange straightened up, spreading her hands. The frantic motion made her stagger. Levi caught her by the elbow before she fell. “I just thought it would feel good. But it didn’t!”

“Idiot.” Levi scoffed. He winced when he realized that there was too much fondness in his tone.

“I’m just tired,” Hange sighed, dropping her shoulders and bending her knees to slide lower off the wall. “I deserve a break, don’t I? I didn’t have one in so long…”

Levi felt like he knew the answer to his question already. Yet, he still asked. “When was the last time you took a break?”

“When you left. As soon as I was discharged from the hospital, I threw myself into my work.”

Ouch. That was probably his fault.

He was contemplating what answer wouldn’t make him sound like an asshole while simultaneously keeping in secret just how much he had missed her during all the months he was gone, when he felt something warm touch his cheek.

He lifted his eyes from the grey, cracked asphalt and—

Cigarette fell from between his fingers.

Hange was closer than she was before, and her palm was resting on his cheek, absentmindedly caressing his skin.

“That thing…” with a feather light touch of her thumb, she traced the already healing cut on his cheek. “Where did you get this?”

“This…” fuck, why Hange’s proximity made it so hard for him to think? His thoughts were sluggish as ever, the neurons reacting with the pace as slow as it was humanly possible. With more effort than he was willing to admit, Levi forced himself to focus. “Would you believe it if I say that I received this thing while defending three teenagers from the local gangsters?”

Hange chuckled, the sound seemed warm enough to shield Levi even from the harshest winds of winter. “That depends… would you believe that, despite everything, a part of me is actually glad that you came back?”

Oh. Levi drew a sharp breath. Whatever he had expected Hange to say, this wasn’t it.

But Hange was drunk, he reminded himself. Hange was drunk and chances were she probably wouldn’t remember this conversation at all. He could take some of the weight off his chest and, perhaps, Hange would be none the wiser.

So he laid his hand on top of Hange’s, and said, “Only if you would believe that I wish I didn’t hurt you. That was never my intention. And I also wish we could have gone on that skating rink date you’ve promised me.”

He expected Hange to lash out. He expected her to push him away and start calling him names. He expected literally anything else but not for Hange starting to recite Shakespeare.

“Oh Romeo, Romeo!” with all the dramatics of the drunken person, she fell against him, a hand flying to her forehead. “Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name!”

“Four-eyes?”

“Sorry,” she laughed, covering her mouth with a hand. Her head laying on his shoulder, she looked up, her eyes sparkling. “It just… It kinda fits, don’t you think? You know if you weren’t Montecchi and I wasn’t Capuletti, perhaps then…”

Perhaps. And, oh, how Levi wished that ‘perhaps’ turned into ‘possibly’ and into actual truth. But— they were who they were, for the better or worse.

And entertaining what ifs would only make both of them more miserable. So before he did something stupid, like press his lips to Hange and taste that horrible rum she was drinking, Levi decided to change the course and the mood of their conversation. He playfully flicked her forehead and pushed her away from him. “I didn’t know that police officers could recite Shakespeare from the top of their head.”

“No one believes me,” Hange whispered with a naughty smile. “But I was a member of the drama club in high school.”

“Did you play Juliette?”

“No, I was Romeo, but,” she winked. “I had a very pretty Juliette.”

“Of course, you had,” Levi had no doubts about it. He did, however, have a regret that he wasn’t there to witness it. Watch lanky teenage Hange jump around the stage, shouting about her love to Juliet and hatred of Capuletti in the most melodramatic fashion possible? What was better than it? “Now, c’mon,” he gently pushed her forward, making sure she didn’t stumble and fall. “Let’s go inside, it’s getting cold.”

“Yeah, let’s—”

Levi’s hand was hovering above her shoulder, but when Hange touched the side of her face and started to slowly crane towards the ground, he had to wrap his fingers firmly around her elbow. With eyes widening in fear, he watched how Hange’s eyes rolled back into her head and she fell limply against his side.

“Hange!” he shook her, but received no answer. His blood started to rapidly turn into ice. “Hange,” he called again, more softly. She didn’t even stir.

Fuck, was she drunk enough to black out? Or did she faint because of the fatigue? Or was it the combination of the two?

Whatever was the case, but he had to, at least, bring Hange back inside the bar. Keeping his hand on her waist, Levi carefully opened the front door and stumbled inside.

All eyes were on him as soon as he walked in. And no one’s stare was as surprised as Ymir’s.

“What the fuck did you do to her?”

“Your fucking fault,” he gritted through his teeth, as he approached the bar counter and pushed Hange on one of the chairs. “She drank too much while she was working.”

“Shit. And what are you going to do now?”

He didn’t have a lot of options. He could let Hange stay with Ymir, he could let Hange crush at his place, or… he could bring her to her own apartment.

The third option was probably the one Hange would be most comfortable with, but there was a tiny problem with it – he didn’t know where she lived.

“She left her bag here while she went outside to find you,” Ymir said, producing the said bag from behind the counter. “Her phone was blowing out all this time, maybe, you should call back? Perhaps, a friend will come to pick her up?”

Levi swallowed. He had a feeling that he knew what friend was calling Hange so insistently. With dread settling in, he took the bag from Ymir’s hands and fished out the phone.

The screen lighted up, showing five missed calls from – surprise, surprise - Erwin.

Fuck, just as he had expected. Just what he was fearful of.

With his insides twisting in a knot, Levi stared at Erwin’s photo, at his relaxed and smiling face. Levi remembered him a little differently. He remembered him as cunning, ruthless and calculating. Their encounter at the precinct was still fresh in Levi’s mind. His words, spoken quietly but with so much authority, were still ringing in his ears.

Leave this city, Levi Ackerman, and don't come back. Stop toying with Hange's feelings and don’t you dare contact her ever again.

As it was evident from the photo Hange chose for him, she saw a very different version of Erwin Smith. She saw him as her caring and kind boss. Levi doubted that Erwin would show the same side of himself to him.

“Would you like to make that call?” he handed the phone to Ymir.

She pushed it back with a short laugh. “I have a feeling that her friend is cop, so, no, I’m not very eager to become his acquaintance.”

Shit. So he had to do it. Fuck, Levi didn’t want to. He really, really didn’t want to.

But he had to do it, for Hange.

That last thought gave him enough courage to unlock the phone and dial the number. He closed his eyes tightly as soon as he did, his stomach was falling lower and lower with each passing beep.

On the third one, his call was answered.

“Hange?” well, now his voice definitely didn’t sound as cold and strict as it did during their last conversation. Right now, Captain Erwin Smith sounded almost frantic. “Hange, where are you? Why didn’t you pick up? I’ve been calling you—”

“Erm,” Levi cleared his throat, shifting his weight from one foot to another. Honestly, he’d rather take on ten more gangsters from Signapore, or have his leg ripped out than continue this conversation. “It’s not Hange.”

“Ackerman.” And there it was, that cold, emotionless tone. Awesome. But now… there was more urgency to it. And much more anger. “Where is Hange? What did you do to her? If you laid even a finger—”

“Jesus, calm the fuck down. Hange is fine.” Except that she wasn’t. Her eyes were still closed as she sat slumped in a chair. “She just… tired herself out. I need you to come and take her home.”

There was a pause, a silence that lasted for a long, long moment. Erwin was probably contemplating if he should trust him or not. At last, he said, “Send me your location.”

He ended the call immediately.

A little shaken after the encounter, Levi thought about his next move, should he wait for Erwin or—

“I would advise against it,” Ymir said, unusually serious. “From what I’ve heard just now, the guy hates your guts. Don’t aggravate the situation any further and don’t make him look for you around the city. He won’t be happy when he finds you.”

Yeah, Levi thought so too.

“Pour me another glass,” he asked, his tone almost pleading. And here he was worrying about tomorrow… and now he could very well find himself sitting behind bars in the next hour.

___

Erwin arrived not even ten minutes later, walking into the bar like he owned the damn place. Last time Levi saw him, he was wearing police uniform, complete with white shirt and dark jacket. Now he was dressed in an unbuttoned coat and grey sweatpants, a combination, which would have looked ridiculous on anyone else. Somehow, Erwin still managed to look formidable.

His eyes were the same icy cold color as Levi had remembered, but, because he was watching him so closely, he could notice the hint of concern that appeared, when Erwin’s gaze landed on Hange.

He crossed the bar in a few short strides, standing protectively over her. He shook her shoulder, then, with more trepidation than Levi would have expected from him, he checked her pulse. The sigh that escaped him was filled with relief, but when Erwin turned to face Levi, none of it was reflected on his face.

“What had happened?”

His voice was quiet, controlled. Even so, the anger was slipping through. Levi suppressed a shiver. He would not let this man intimidate him.

“She exhausted herself to the point of collapsing. Someone must have pushed too much work on her.”

Perhaps, his words were unjust, after all, Levi knew how much Erwin cared about Hange. And he knew that the man did his best to protect her from the burdens of their work. But Erwin didn’t like Levi, and while it was more than understandable, the feeling was also more than mutual.

However, Erwin didn’t seem offended or outraged. He seemed to disregard Levi’s presence completely.

“How much do I have to pay?” he asked Ymir, keeping his hand on Hange’s shoulder.

“It’s on the house,” Ymir replied, almost frantically. If Levi hadn’t been mocked by this girl for the entirety of the evening, he’d say that she looked scared. Even so, it was hard to deny that she certainly was cautious.

“Thank you,” Erwin nodded, “And sorry for the troubles. I’ll take her home now. And you,” he pointed with his chin at Levi. “You’re going with me.”

Levi gulped, but didn’t try to argue. Firstly, he didn’t want to start a scene. And secondly, he wasn’t sure that whatever scene he’d cause, he’d come out of it as a winner.

“Good luck, dude,” Ymir whispered to him. She almost sounded sincere. Did it mean he looked that pathetic?

He reached out to Hange, but one freezing look from Erwin, and Levi pulled his hand back, curling it into a fist.

Fuck, he hoped Hange lived somewhere nearby. Otherwise, one hell of a drive was waiting for him.

Erwin scooped Hange into his arms, effortlessly lifting her up. Her head rolled to his shoulder, nose fitting into the crook of his neck.

In his giant arms, Hange seemed so small, almost vulnerable. As he watched Erwin carry her outside, Levi felt sudden, completely illogical pang of jealousy.

Fuck, now he was just going crazy.

Erwin led him out to the parking lot, where a black sedan was parked.

Levi wanted to help him open the door, but apparently Erwin needed only one hand to hold Hange. As the door to the back seat was opened, he placed her inside, careful not to bump her into anything.

Just before Levi could slide into the backseat beside Hange, pull her head onto his lap, maybe stroke her hair… Erwin faced him once again, his strong jaw clenched and his mouth set in a firm line. “Take the passenger seat.”

Again, Levi complied without another a single complain. The situation was already tense, after all.

As he lowered himself into a passenger seat, Levi felt like his stomach was filled with heavy rocks. As he pulled the seatbelt over his chest, he felt like it was growing tighter with every breath he took.

A moment later, Erwin sat down too, sliding into the driver’s seat and igniting the car. He rode out of the parking lot wordlessly. He continued to drive in the utter silence.

In his life, Levi had enough moments that made his throat seize with worry. He was a criminal, a thief, and their heists didn’t always go according to the plan. But never before he had felt so… on edge. He felt like was standing on the top of the skyscraper, his feet dangerously close to verge of it. A sudden gush of wind, a single uneven breath could send him flying down.

So Levi sat tight, his hands curled into fists at his lap. He stared right ahead, afraid to suddenly meet Erwin’s gaze. He was breathing as quietly as possible, not wanting to upset the fragile balance.

But the balance was ruined, destroyed completely, without a hope of salvation, when they heard a sharp gasp coming from the backseat.

Hange’s head appeared in the space between two front seats a second later. Her eyes were shifting from Levi to Erwin, the gears in her head turning so quickly, Levi could almost hear their movements.

The realization came to her way too swiftly, cruel in its suddenness.

“Fuck,” she took off her glasses, rubbing her eyes with a pained expression. “Erwin, listen, I can explain—”

“You will,” he said, meeting her eyes in the rear view mirror. “After I get you home.”

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, and if Levi thought that the silence was tense and pressing before, this one opened a whole new level. At least, now it wasn’t as quiet as before, because Hange kept shifting in her seat. Levi could practically feel her eyes bore into the back of his head. He would have snapped, would have told her to quit staring like a weirdo, if her unnaturally calm boss wasn’t sitting right next to him.

When Erwin parked the car next to the apartment complex where Hange was evidently living, Levi breathed out a loud sigh of relief. Fuck, it felt like he was holding in a dump for the entirety of the fifteen-minute trip.

Growing up without mother, having only Kenny as a guardian, Levi’s childhood was very different from the other kids. He never shared his classmates’ interests, never went to parties and football matches, preferring to stay at home and help his uncle get ready for his next heist. He never actually had the pleasure to experience the scenario of asking someone on a date. He also never knew the humiliation and shame one would feel if their date was interrupted by his crush’s father. Of course, he and Hange weren’t on a date, and Erwin wasn’t her father, but as the three of them were standing in the elevator, waiting for it to stop at the fourteenth floor, Levi was as worried and mortified as a teenager who got their date ruined.

When they exited the elevator, Hange took the lead, walking towards her apartment with her head lowered and shoulders slumped.

She reached the door and unlocked it, letting them enter first.

“I didn’t expect guests,” chuckling so awkwardly that Levi cringed, she turned the light on, basking her apartment in a faint orange light. “So sorry for the mess.”

Levi would have snort and say that he wasn’t expecting anything else, or he would have scrunch his nose at the amount of clatter that he saw on the coffee table in the living room. However, the presence of Erwin wasn’t exactly making him feel playful.

Hange was either still drunk or the exhaustion was still having its effect on her, but as she walked further into the apartment, she was slightly staggering.

“Let’s get you to bed,” Erwin said, his voice gentler than Levi had ever heard it. With a hand on the small of her back, he guided Hange towards the closed door, where, as Levi guessed, her bedroom was. “You stay here,” he told Levi.

Levi barely resisted the urge to scoff. What, Erwin thought that he was stupid or daring enough to follow? He was certainly not.

After the door after Hange and Erwin closed, Levi continued standing awkwardly in the hallway for another moment. He could faintly hear their voices coming from another room, but they were too quiet for him to understand what the conversation was about.

Ignoring the urge to come closer and eavesdrop, Levi decided to take a look around the apartment.

It was messy – just as Hange had said. Books and papers were scattered around, the coffee table had a a large stain on it, and the couch was peppered with crumbs. But that wasn’t what interested Levi. He was much more interested in learning what her apartment was hiding beyond filth and trash.

Firstly, he headed to the large bookshelf in the living room. As he had expected, there were lots of textbooks there – books on criminology, forensic science, crime prevention and even sociology. The presence of fiction books wasn’t surprising, but the amount of them certainly was. Apparently, the workaholic detective Hange Zoe was also an avid book worm. His lips curling up, he stored that small piece of trivia to the part of his mind that was dedicated to everything he found endearing about Hange.

Next to the books stood a couple of picture frames. One of them showed Hange, squished between two men – Erwin and her other blonde friend, Mike. All three of them were smiling, happy and younger than they were now.

The second photo was of Hange and two adults – her parents, Levi presumed. If the previous photo pictured Hange who was only a couple of years younger, this one showed a much, much younger version. She was barely a teenager there – clad in overalls, with skinned knee, duct-taped glasses and wearing a bright, joyful smile.

Looking at that smile, Levi couldn’t help but smile back.

His mind exhausted and overwhelmed with the events of this day, it started to wander. Levi tried to imagine what would have happened, how different his life could be if Hange had befriended him when they were kids. Would his life be different, though? Or would his upbringing and unfortunate circumstances still bring him where he was now?

There was no way to find out, and that’s why there was no reason to ponder on it.

His curiosity drove him to his next stop, kitchen. He was just about to find out what the great detective Zoe preferred to stash in her refrigerator, when the door of the bedroom opened and closed. Levi heard the sound of heavy footsteps that got closer and closer.

And just like that, his good mood was gone. Just like that, he was on the edge of the skyscraper once again.

When Levi mastered the courage to turn around, Erwin stood at the other side of the small kitchen, hands crossed on his chest. Even in sweatpants and worn-out t-shirt, he still looked as commanding as ever.

“I told you to leave, and never come back. I gave you a chance to escape. Why didn’t you take it?”

Why didn’t he take it? Didn’t Erwin already know his reason?

“I’m sure Hange has explained everything to you.”

“She has.”

And what, Erwin didn’t find her reasoning sufficient enough? Fuck, the blonde bastard pissed him off so much.

“I came because I need to find my uncle and learn what the fuck has happened while I was gone.” Levi said, his anger barely constrained. “My return to the city has nothing to do with Hange or with you.”

Technically, it wasn’t a lie, he did come to look for Kenny. The fact that his and Hange’s goals aligned was a mere coincidence.

“If you have problem with us working together, then go and talk it out with Hange, explain why exactly you don’t trust her judgement. Just don’t pour all of your bullshit on me.”

“I trust her judgement,” in the semi-darkness of the kitchen, Erwin’s eyes flashed brightly, like a lightening during a storm. “I just don’t trust you.”

His anger growing, Levi already had a vicious enough retort, ready to spill out of his mouth. But just before he started talking, Erwin continued, interrupting his tirade. “Hange told me you had helped a lot today,” he tilted his head slightly to the side, considering Levi. “She said that this case can’t be solved without you. And while, I have my doubts about it, it seems that Hange has none. I don’t know what the hell she sees in you, but she trusts you and believes in you. And as I’ve said, I trust her.”

Hange… trusted him? Trusted him enough to tell her boss about it? Did she tell him about it? Or was it Erwin’s own assumption? If so, then, surely, Erwin was mistaken, surely, he got the wrong impression. Could he, though? Could a man as cunning and smart as him misjudge his own friend?

Levi forced these thoughts away, they were pointless and confusing. Right now, he had a more pressing question.

“So now what? You’ll let the two of us continue investigation?”

“I will,” Erwin nodded. “But if you hurt Hange in any way…”

Scoffing, Levi rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I got it, you’ll hurt me.”

Erwin’s lips curled up in a smile that was devilish enough to send shivers down Levi’s spine. “In more ways than just one, Ackerman.”

But the moment passed, and the chilly expression was gone. “Hange is asleep,” Erwin said, pushing the hair back from his face. Up until this moment, Levi failed to take notice just how disheveled the other man looked. Was he that worried about Hange that he forgot to fix his less than immaculate appearance? “She told me that you can spend the night here.”

“Will you be watching over me all night then?” Levi asked, his voice still gruff, but not as biting as it was before.

“No,” shockingly, but Erwin sounded more at ease as well. “I entrust this investigation solely in Hange’s hands. She’ll be responsible for the end result and she’s responsible for you. Meanwhile, I need to catch some sleep as well.”

With that, Erwin turned around, walking out of the kitchen and heading in the direction of the front door. Reluctantly, Levi followed after him, cautiously watching him put on his boots and coat. Erwin’s hand was on the doorknob, when he twisted his face to the side, meeting Levi’s eyes.

“I’m giving you a second chance, Ackerman. Fuck this up and I’ll come for you.”

Levi nodded, expecting nothing less. From now on, he had to be more careful, he was sure that Erwin’s watchful eye would be following him everywhere. Just another complication to the already complicated case.

As soon as Erwin left, Levi walked into the living room, falling down on a couch. The couch was dusty, his clothes were filthy from rolling around on the floor in Ymir’s apartment, but he was too exhausted to go to shower, and he had no clothes he could change in, anyway.

Sleep was calling to him, more insistently with each passing moment. But before he closed his eyes and let himself succumb to the darkness completely, Levi pulled a phone out of his pocket. He came here to find Kenny, he hoped he would receive a clue about his whereabouts while searching their apartment. He found nothing there, but perhaps…

He dialed Kenny’s number.

One beep, two beeps, three, four…

Levi kept listening to the mechanic, measured sound until the call was disconnected. So, Kenny wasn’t picking up. Levi was disappointed, but not surprised.

He saw no reason in trying to call him once again and put his phone on a coffee table next to the couch. His eyes were already fluttering shut, when a loud vibration jolted him out of his semi-sleepy state.

Levi jumped a little, reaching out to his phone. He unlocked it, staring at the notifications with wide eyes.

He received three messages. From unknown number.

He hurried to open them.

Don’t go poking your nose into this wasp nest, Levi

And tell that detective of yours to quit either

Stop chasing after me. Leave before it’s not too late

With his fingers trembling so much his phone almost fell down, Levi dialed that number. The call went straight into voicemail.

“Fuck!” he threw the phone back onto the table, with more force than was necessary. Fucking Kenny and the games he was playing. Hadn’t he said that he trusted him? Evidently, he didn’t trust Levi enough to let him help with whatever shit he had involved himself.

Well, whether he wanted Levi to help him or not, it didn’t matter. Levi was coming after him. And he wouldn’t let Kenny’s lame threats stop him. Nothing would stop him, not until Levi found out what the fuck happened to his uncle.

Hold on for me, Kenny, he thought, on the verge of sleep, I’m coming for you.

[rikiflowers]

worlds in your eyes; levi

- warnings: fluff, a tiny bit of 18+

- Levi x y/n

- 1.1 k words 

In his eyes slumber some undiscovered worlds

There was something in his eyes that makes you tremble. His gaze always seems to be bored, always anywhere, but in reality. But when his eyes met yours, there was something unnamed, mysterious and yet so intimate. You know his eyes, but every damn time his eyes landed on you, they seem different. It felt like you see them for the first time. After all these years you’ve looked at him, you couldn’t explain it, your obsession with his eyes. He doesn’t understand either. How could you stare at him like that and don’t expect his rude (but always jokingly) remarks?

“Stop fucking glaring at me like that.”, he spats out and you smiled. You smiled every time, when he gets embarrassed. You need to hold your chuckle, because his ears turned red, peaking through his dark, raven hair you adore so much. He also often gripes at you that his hair gets greasy, because of your none stop touching. You couldn’t hold yourself. It was like his soft hair was made for you to touch. But if you don’t stroke through his hair, massaging his scalp, he gets pouty. “I just love your eyes.”, you tell him, like you always do. He scoffs. “I don’t understand you.”, he answered, looked away, because it made him blush and he doesn’t want you to see; But you always notice, and it makes heart flutter like crazy. 

Suddenly grasp at your neck, pulling you to him; It was cold in your apartment. The heater is acting on his own, making your flat an Antarctica. Levi always rambles about your shit of an appartement, but always finds himself in your shitty flat, with thousand blankets on your also horrible bed which is about to fall apart; Levi hated the creaks your bed made by every movement you two made. You always say sorry, feeling bad, because your living situation worsens his insomnia. But he always shrugs it off, kisses your neck, while he snuggled against you with these blankets, shielding you both off the world around you.

The young man wished nothing more, to have an own appartement to take you in; But he was broke, like you. University sucks out every penny and his roommate were always there; gaming and Levi hates it. He was in the constant state to clean after him. It was a relief that you adapted his cleanliness, so he could live around you, without making a fuss. You both looked out of the window which was relatively low, so you could watch the snow falling from the sky, painting everything white. 

You always loved the snow, while Levi hates it with a burning passion. He was summer and you were winter. Always the opposite. His hot breath tingles over your neck, you’re feeling his strong hands on your waist. “I don’t want to go outside.”, he grumbles, and you chuckle. His hatred for this weather was always over the top, but you loved it. “Then don’t go.”, you simply stated, your body adapts his warmth. “yeah, I stay in your shithole apartment.”, he returns with a deep voice.

“Secretly you like it.”, you state, and you feel his fingers squeezing around your waist, making you wince. “I only stay here, because you are here. I could stay in a dump, as long as you’re with me.”, he says. He kisses your neck, while his fingertips graze under the fabric of your shirt. You sigh. “You would prefer living in a dump? With all the filthy dirt?”, you ask, while his fingers danced over your back and he smiles to himself, as soon as he felt your goose bumps. He doesn’t answer, instead he grasps your one boob, covering it with his hand and you instantly found yourself drawn to him. He leaves a trail of sloppy kisses around the sensitive parts of your neck. 

 You moan his name, softly like a wish and you stop. His hand is now on your chest, where your heart lies beneath. It was an odd situation. He feels your heartbeat. Was he really feeling it? You weren’t sure. At once, the world around you doesn’t exist anymore. As if nothing matters you found yourself drowning in this moment. His warm body pressed against yours, while you both were quiet. You want to turn around, looking at him. You want to savour him, feel him, but you were afraid; Afraid of what exactly? You couldn’t tell.

“Look at me.”, he simply speaks, and your body moves itself. The rough hand leaves your chest, because you turn around to face him. You know your face is red, the whole heat is now in your cheeks. He looks at you like you were everything. His eyes seem to look through you, discovering the deepest worlds inside you. “Do you know that my eyes always lay on you, that’s why they’re

beautiful.”, he finally speaks, a little softness comes with his voice. You couldn’t believe the cheesy, yet cute words he actually said. Levi being romantic, without being forced. It’s a situation you never find yourself in.  “before I knew you, I always hated my eyes, because I knew they were cold, but when I look at you, they’re getting warmer- Hey why are you crying?”. He couldn’t continue, because tears are forming in your eyes, without your consent. You couldn’t help it. He was so honest with you, telling you these sweet words.

“Fuck I’m sorry okay?”, he whispers, takes your head and pressed you against him. You cry ugly tears, wetting his shirt, while he’s holding you, clearly overwhelmed with the situation. He thought he did something wrong. “Please stop crying, y/n.”, he pleads, because he hates it when you cry. It makes him weak. You snuggle yourself into his chest, not wanting to let go. Levi softly grazes over your head, stroking your hair, which got some tangles. “I’m sorry, I know you hate it when I cry, but I can’t stop.”, you sob, while your arms are wrapping around his small waist. The raven-haired man creaks a smile. His heart hammers against his chest, while he has you in his arms.

“How can you say this to me? I wasn’t prepared.”, you pout, calming down. “Do I need to tell you beforehand when I want to say something cringeworthy?”, he jokingly asked, while plastering soft kisses on your forehead. You’re nodding against his chest and he lifts your chin up, so you could look at him. He founds himself drawn in your teary, glistening eyes, which only see him, nothing else. Maybe he understands, why you’re staring at his eyes. You should see yourself in his eyes, he thinks to himself. “You cry baby.”, he softly says, while his lips merge perfectly with yours, like they always do.

[vennilavee]

as embers settle (3)

the soul of a flame masterlist

pairing: levi x reader of color

summary: you get a blast from your past. or, what happened to you in the Underground and how you got out.

warnings: alcohol, cursing, some violence, mentions of prostitution (it’s not detailed), harassment

word count: 3459

a/n: sorry for the almost 2 month delay!! enjoyy

***

Levi doesn’t come by often. But when he does, he turns heads every time. And he stays for hours whenever he has the chance to. It goes on like this for a few weeks- him arriving late at night or the early evening. And staying until past closure. Just to get a glimpse of you. A chance to talk to you. 

He never once denied himself of that reprieve. He won’t deny to himself that he likes you, that he enjoys your presence. This life within these three walls is too short to pretend and to deny himself of those small joys.

You talk about everything, and nothing. Lately, he’s taken to daydreaming about your lips when he can’t sleep. His thoughts flit to your scars, the one on your forehead and the one on your clavicle. It’s not the first time he’s wondered if you carry any other scars. 

Levi wonders if you’d ever let him see them. He wonders if he’d ever show you his own scars.

He sits at his usual table in the back, rubbing his hand over his face tiredly. Can you see how tired he is? He hopes not. Those shitty kids, the shitty titans, and even shitty Erwin will be the death of him.

If you heard him say that, you’d tease him and tell him that he’s saying that out of love. To which he would scoff.

Today, he expects to see your usual smile and the teasing glint in your dark eyes. But instead, he’s met with a frown and lines of irritation fracturing the planes of your pretty face. It looks out of place on you. In fact, you’re gripping the pitcher in your hands too tightly and even Misaki is looking at you warily. Your eyes are steely as you watch a group of men at the other end of the bar.

They’re MP’s. No wonder you look so displeased.

“Aww, come on,” One of them jeers at you, “Give us a smile, won’t ya?”

You so desperately want to turn them away. But money is money, and if there’s anything the Underground taught you… it’s to grin and bear it. Even when all you want to do is scream. Normally, you’d play along. To rake some extra coins from them. But not today. Because this one- he’s one of the MP’s you’d known quite closely in the Underground. He would roam where you lived late at night, you’d hear the commotion and the ruckus that came along with his arrival.

You’re disappointed that he’s still alive. 

His hair is greying, wrinkles around the corner of his eyes. But he’s very much alive and well. Alive enough to be throwing back your precious liquor like it’s water. 

You hate him, you hate that you’ve known him since you were nineteen, and you hate that he still has this hold on you. That you can’t just kick him out and be done with it. 

He knows it and you know it. He comes by every few months, whenever he feels like torturing you with his face. Whenever he feels like toying with you, reminding you of what you had left in the Underground. Or rather, what you had ran away from.

You hold your head high around Roz, the way you always have. Even if he smirks at you like he knows your secrets, which he does, you ignore him. The way you always have.

You’re usually much better at pushing the bitter memories to the side. But tonight, they threaten to spill out spitefully. Memories of shared sheets, sweaty skin and unkept promises. And then a face, a face you think about every day, a pretty face that makes your heart leap and ache at the same time.

The face of your friend, of your dead lover. Liya. 

When you see him, you see her. You see her stained, dead eyes, her cold skin, her lifeless arms. Her neck bleeding out in your frozen arms, your tears mixing with her blood. 

It was a long time ago. It was a long time ago that you had gotten involved with the wrong crowd- specifically, with Roz- and gotten her killed. The bitter pill of regret dies on your tongue but you push it away.

You were foolish. She had been your partner in every sense of the word. She was the one who had discovered the secret to earthwater. Earthwater was her creation, and she wasn’t even here to reap the benefits. 

The two of you had had an idea. Liya brought it to life. She had figured out how to proof alcohol and distill sugar and starch to create the perfect blend. You were thieves in the night, stealing every bit of raw material as you could to bring your dream to life.

Your makeshift brewery was in the corner of your attic in the small apartment (if you could even call it that) that you shared with Liya. It had taken about seven months of meticulous experimenting to create something that you both believed in.

It was worth it though. To see her smile so full of hope, shining in a way you’ve never seen her shine before.

“People will do anything for booze,” She said confidently, her eyes glinting, “We’ll turn over a profit in no time.”

“Even if we don’t… The memories we made along the way were worth it,” You giggle.

“Shut up, memories won’t get us out of this shithole,” Liya snorts derisively.

The version of earthwater that you both had concocted isn’t identical to what you currently brew and sell in your bar. It was a primitive version, not as tasty or flavorful. But still, it was impressive enough that it had caught the ears and eyes of your little neighborhood. And then word spread further and further. Until you and Liya had enough money to invest a little more in your little slice of magic.

Your little attic operation took off rather quickly. You had wanted to buy a nicer place to live in, but Liya had told you to look at the big picture.

To think about the sun. To think about how the sun would feel once you both saved up enough to get out.

Pretty soon, earthwater had attracted the likes of the MP’s to your corner of the Underground. You gave them free samples, just enough to entice them. And then, of course, you charged them extra for your booze. 

You were happy with what you had. Creating something with the love of your life. Scamming the shitty MP’s. Providing something fun in a place where the sun didn’t even shine. Liya wanted more though. She wanted the sun. 

Sometimes you wondered if she wanted it more than she wanted you. She reassured you though, when her head was in between your thighs, that that wasn’t the case. And you believed her. 

And then Roz came along. With his false promises that fed into your naivete so nicely, like it belonged. 

You would give Liya anything to fulfill her dream. Even if that meant giving up yourself. He had promised you money, so much money. A chance at leaving this hellhole. A chance at a full belly and a good night’s sleep. A chance of not having to be on edge all the time. A chance at a happy life with a girl that was supposed to be your soulmate. 

And then Roz was demanding more of you. Liya didn’t even know- all she knew was that you were returning home later and later at night, with tired eyes and blooming bruises. She wasn’t stupid. She had put the pieces together before you could even confess to her.

“You’ll get yourself killed!” She screams. Certainly loud enough that the windows rattle. You wince.

“I know what I’m doing!” You say stubbornly, “We almost have enough money to get out! That’s what you wanted!”

“What I wanted?!” Liya protests, voice reaching a fever pitch, “I didn’t want you to prostitute yourself to the fuckin’ MP’s so we could get out! 

“It’s just the one-”

“As if that makes it any better! How are we having this conversation!”

“It’s just Roz-”

“Just Roz! Do you know how many girls have gone missing here after meeting him? Everyone here knows Roz! God, you’re so stupid,” Liya begs, eyes filling with tears.

In the end, she was right. You had gotten yourself killed, at least a part of you. In the end, you had rebuffed Roz after that and he had retaliated by slitting Liya’s throat when you weren’t home. Like a coward. You had found her in your bedroom, the sheets dark and stained with her blood. 

Everyone in the vicinity could hear your cries and your broken, raw screams that night and for the next few nights. 

There had never been any evidence that it had been Roz. Liya was a nobody in the Underground, and so were you. But you knew it was him. And he knew that you knew.

You spent months torturing yourself by keeping all of her things in your bedroom, sleeping on her side of the bed. Until you saw Roz again and you knew that there was nothing holding you at home. You vomited the next time you saw Roz, and the feeling never quite goes away even now.

You needed to get out, and it burned like an itch. And ironically, when you pooled together your money with Liya’s, you had almost as much as you needed to buy your way out. It was only a matter of months.

Your train of thought is interrupted by Roz. Seeing him traps you back into a version of yourself that you don’t think of often. There was no point to thinking so much about it- if you dwelled on your decisions when you were younger, you would get wrapped up in this vortex of guilt. You knew that. But damn, Roz always had a way of getting under your skin.

It’s a shame. That he’s still alive, and Liya isn’t. 

His words are garbled in your ears and it takes you a few seconds to realize what he’s saying. You cast a glance over to his table and a sense of dread fills you. He’s alone now- his party has left him. Most likely because he was drunk and being irredeemably stupid. 

Goosebumps rise on your skin. Words bubble in your throat, words you’ve never had a chance to say. You want to cut him, cut him right where it hurts…

Instead nothing comes out of your mouth. He derisively laughs at you and your silence. Misaki clears her throat, about to say something when Roz’s eyes slide over to lazily take her in.

The world tilts on its axis a little bit when his mouth opens.

“Who’s this?” He sneers, light eyes flashing at Misaki, “She looks so much like her… Like your Liya-”

Your heart thumps erratically out of your chest and your face is warm. Before you realize what you’re doing, you’re on your feet and your knee connects with his chest. He falls back in his chair to the ground with a thump. Roz only looks at you with a knowing smirk and your hand latches around his neck.

You must look wild. You feel wild. You feel the pent up fire of nearly ten years burning through your veins and you finally succumb to it. 

“This feels familiar-”

“I should’ve fuckin’ killed you all those years ago,” You scream, your chest heaving and your hands shaking, “Don’t fuckin’ look at her. Keep Liya’s name out of your fuckin’ mouth-”

“Killin’ me wouldn’t have brought her back-”

“No, but it woulda been so fuckin’ sweet,” You grin with the taste of blood in your mouth.

“Not as sweet as you-” 

And then you draw your hand back and punch him. Your ears are ringing, you don’t hear Misaki screaming, you don’t feel your right hand starting to throb or feel your knuckles splitting. You only feel rage wash over you and turn into numbness. 

Tears are falling fast and heavy down your face and your eyes are blurry. Suddenly, you feel a pair of arms circle around you and yank you off of Roz. One last look at his bloody face and crooked grin does nothing to calm the sudden hysteria rising in your chest and blooming from your lips. 

“Get out! Get out!” You scream repeatedly, and you’re not sure who you’re screaming at. There’s nobody here. Nobody but you and Misaki.

And the person holding you close. You whip your head around to rip yourself out of the person’s arms to break your other fist into Roz’s face. With wide eyes, you realize that it’s Levi holding you back. You know him well enough to see lines of concern and confusion dotting his steely eyes.

“Stop,” Levi murmurs in your ear, “Relax. Stay with Misaki, I’ll get rid of him.”

Misaki steps closer to you, something unwavering in her gaze. And she holds your hand, squeezing tightly and taking you to the backroom to get you some water. And have you sit down.

You hold your head in your hands and squeeze your eyes shut. Misaki holds your hands and kneels in front of you, getting you to breathe with her. 

Levi drags the man with a broken nose out of your bar, allowing Roz’s head to hit the door frame with a soft crack on his way out. Roz groans but Levi pays him no mind. 

“I’ve met scum like you before,” Levi says lightly when he dumps him in a dark alleyway.

Roz looks up at him, eyes flashing in recognition. But Levi just scoffs at him and turns his back, heading in the direction of the Silver Sapphire.

***

“Go home Misaki,” You sigh, “I’m a mess. Stay home tomorrow, I’ll probably keep the bar closed.”

“I’m not leaving you alone,” Misaki says indignantly and gently cleans your split knuckles with a wet cloth.

You hardly even feel it. All you feel is the quiet ache of your heart from being closed off for this long. Maybe you should have handled Roz all those years ago. Would it have helped?

Levi finds you and Misaki in the supply closet. You’re sitting on a crate, your eyes dazed and Misaki is kneeling in front of you. She murmurs words of comfort to you but you’re not listening. Levi doesn’t know who that guy was or why it sent you into such a rage, but he can read in between the lines. 

“Thanks,” You mumble, finally raising your eyes to meet his stare, “For getting rid of Roz.”

“That’s his name? What a stupid name,” Levi says lightly and you snort.

“Misaki. Go home,” You urge quietly, “I’m sorry you had to see any of that.”

She looks at you and then at Levi unsurely. Her green eyes scrutinize Levi for a moment longer, trying to decide if she trusts you with him. With softened eyes, she nods and tells you to rest up before heading out with her bag.

Levi rolls his sleeves up and pulls up a crate to sit on in front of you. He gestures for you to give him your right hand. Against your brown skin, your knuckles are split a bright, brilliant red.

He gets up abruptly to wash his hands before inspecting your hand further, and to look for medicine and gauze. 

“Bottom left shelf,” You murmur.

“Where’d you learn to punch like that,” Levi muses, sitting in front of you with the cleaning solution, ointment and gauze next to him.

“The Underground,” You mutter, “Like you.”

Levi bristles wordlessly. Your words solidify an already existing suspicion of his. Levi motions for you to give him your hand and you wince as his fingers brush over your throbbing knuckles. Despite the pain, heat blooms in your chest at his sudden but soft touch. His hands are rough like yours, but still gentle. 

“This will burn. I’m cleaning it to make sure it doesn’t get infected,” Levi says.

“No shit, I know how to clean wounds,” You scoff. Levi gives you an unimpressed look that you return. 

“Congratulations,” He says dryly.

You barely react when he lightly dabs the cleaning solution on your knuckles. Levi wonders how much of this is muscle memory to you. The pads of his thumbs press into the back of your hand, almost soothing you. He’s quiet as he works, concentration folded into the creases of his handsome face. 

“You’re not going to ask me what happened?” You ask tersely.

“If you want to tell me, you will,” Levi shrugs. He’ll never press you to share more than what you are comfortable with.

An anvil sits on your chest, filled with pain that you’ve spent a long time convincing yourself was gone. If anyone can understand the pain that comes from the Underground, it’s Levi. 

“I had a friend. She was brilliant…”

And so you peel your lips open and tell him of your sinister love story cut short by your own stubbornness. You tell him about Liya, about Roz never leaving you alone, about finding Liya dead in your bed. 

You say it so swiftly, so factually that Levi wonders if you even realize what you’re saying. Your bottom lip is bitten as you look at him sadly, with guilt written in your eyes.

“You did what you thought was best at the time,” Levi murmurs, his voice quiet but firm, “Don’t taint her memory with your guilt and regret.”

“How can I not? This was her dream,” You reply, your own voice sounding far away to your ears.

“So honor her dream,” Levi says simply, “And honor yourself.”

Your eyes widen and his words immediately make you halt the spiral downward. His silver eyes are disarming, almost seeing through you as if you were transparent. But then you realize, he’s not seeing through you… He’s looking at you as if you were a mirror.

Levi pulls his eyes away from yours and gingerly continues to wrap your hand with gauze. His touches are fleeting and familiar. It makes your heart jump erratically, and how ironic that you were in the same place when he had so awkwardly cleaned your face up… All those days and weeks ago.

Something new blooms in your chest, mixing with the heat and adrenaline already pounding through your blood. It’s been a long time since you’ve been touched the way Levi is touching you. Firmly, but as if you were delicate. 

That’s not to say that you haven’t been touched in the past few years.

“What about you? Whose dream are you honoring?” You ask softly.

A breathless sort of sound falls from Levi’s lips. He doesn’t answer you, only smooths his fingers over the bandages around your hand. Silver meets your brown eyes and your pulse quickens again at the intensity of his stare.

He looks at you long and hard but still says nothing. You don’t think you’ll get an answer from him.

“Change your bandages twice a day,” Levi says lightly, “And don’t get infected or somethin’ equally as shitty.”

“Thanks, Levi,” You say with a laugh.

He squeezes your shoulder fondly, allowing for his thumb to float towards the base of your neck. A soft caress, and then another. His hand twists to cup your cheek, thumb gentle against your cheekbone. You lean into his touch, and something quietly shifts in the air between you and Levi. 

“I lost track of whose dream I’m honoring a long time ago,” Levi says softly, “It’s just my dream these days.”

As quickly as he allows for the touch, he pulls away. You find yourself missing his unexpected warmth, but you know that’s the most you’re going to get out of him.

He leaves soon after that and leaves you with the lingering heat of his fingers on your cheek. It feels like something new, something old, and something you lost but found again.

Eventually, over another night of late night tea he does tell you. Levi says it in passing, the names of his friends from the Underground. Isabel and Farlan. He says it fondly, as if he’s telling you a tale from a storybook.

You slide your hand across the table and squeeze his hand lightly. Before you can pull away, he keeps your hand tucked into his. Surprise lights up your features and then it melts into a bright smile. The candlelight illuminates your dark eyes and Levi can’t draw his eyes away.

So he doesn’t, and he lets himself fall into you. Wholeheartedly and completely.

***

tags: @simpingmaize

[julesthequirky]

It Started With A Beer

Summary: Sam and reader meet in a bar, not much to it, other than smut ensues.

Sam x Reader

WC: 1890

Warnings: smut, language and cheesy lines. XD

Beta read by @tvdspngirl314​ :)

A/N: Originally written for a challenge CarryOnCap500, I thought I’d lost this after recreating my account. So glad I found it! 

Feedback is GOLD! If you like it, reblog it! Cheers!

It started with a beer. Just one beer. In a shithole dive bar. Hotter than hell outside. He drank Bud Light, and you drank Corona. Soft classic rock played on the jukebox and he looked good in Levi’s and that grey t-shirt outlining every droolworthy muscle on his sculpted body. He wasn’t around from here, you could tell. Light stubble peppered his jaw and chin, and you were instantly interested.

He watched you across the bar.

“I see you eyein’ the Deputy’s daughter.”

Sam tore his eyes from you and turned to who had spoken. He was an older gent. Probably a patron.

“Deputy’s daughter?”

“Ayuh, boy. Could put a quarter in that girls back pocket n’ tell if its head or tails.” He drank his beer.

“Good to know.”

“You looking to knock boots with her, or sumthin’?”

Sam shook his head. He couldn’t believe the nerve of some people.

“You ain’t around from here are ya?”

“No, sir.”

“What you doin’ around here?”

“Just passing through.”

The patron grunted and turned back to drinking his beer. Sam directed his attention to where you were but had found you were now gone. He sighed and carried on drinking.

“Another one for me, Bill.”

He hadn’t noticed you move across the bar to get closer to him.

“Coming right up.”

You took up a stool beside the man with shaggy hair.

“Here ya are.” Bill said not particularly looking at you. He’d had more encounters with your daddy than anyone else and didn’t particularly want anymore.

Mmm Corona. Your favourite. Your daddy drank it when he was feeling frisky and your momma too. They’d have just the one, whilst you had four.

You looked beside you. He was drinking Bud.

“Hey.”

You watched him turn his face to you in surprise. He looked just like an adorable puppy then.

“Hey.” He answered.

He was even better looking close up. He smiled and you took a sip of your beer.

“I haven’t seen you around before, must be new.” You commented.

His lips were at the bottle top and curved into a smile before taking a sip of beer.

“No, I’m not new, I’m just passing through.”

“Aw. Shame. You got time before you run?”

He looked at you. “You like that with all the guys or-”

“Just the ones I like.” You finished.

“Oh yeah? You see anyone you like?” He had a small smile gracing his lips, his whole body turned to you resting his elbow on the bar.

“Oh honey, I’m looking right at him.”

His smile grew. You had a smirk playing on your lips and a glint in your eye. He ignored everyone around him, solely focusing on you.

It was hot as hell in the bar and he downed his beer, eyes on you the whole time.

He loved your tight t-shirt and cut-off jeans, your ass nearly hanging out.

“You got a name or am I gonna have to call you ‘Pretty Thing’ all night?” he asked.

“You haven’t called me ‘Pretty Thing’ yet.”

“Well, ‘Pretty Thing’, do you have a name?”

Your smile was lazy. “Maybe I just like you calling me’ Pretty Thing.’ You got a name?”

“Sam.”

“Sam…” His name rolled off your tongue.

The chemistry between you both was undeniable and the sexual tension you both emitted was beyond anything else.

 After finishing your beer, you laced your fingers with his and together you walked out the crowded bar. He pulled you to his old pickup. He was tall. Taller than most men and broader.

“Did you drive?” He asked.

You shook your head and got in the passenger side. He smirked and you put your hand on his jean clad thigh.

“Well, hey there, Sugar, someone’s eager.”

You began to slide you hand off his leg, but one of his big hands covered yours and bought it to his inner thigh. Heat pooled in between your legs and you felt that slow burn of desire unfurl in your gut.

“But I didn’t say I didn’t want it.”

You bit your lip.

He started the engine. Excitement and anticipation fluttered in your belly.

He drove. He drove out of the tiny town and you directed him toward an abandoned factory. It was set on a dirt road where you couldn’t be seen or heard, and no one came by. He stopped and you felt your core clench.

You hadn’t had sex in a while. Your daddy drove anyone off within a mile, and none of the locals would even dare to go near you. A one-night stand was exactly what you wanted. No strings. No attachment. Just sex. And he wasn’t a local. Jackpot.

“Out on the back of my truck, baby.”

Your toes curled and you slid open the window to the back. You crawled through and shimmied your way out. Sam stepped out and saw you already in the back. He smiled.

“You sure you want this?”

You nodded.

“Good.”

He stepped up onto the back of the pickup and sat beside you. His large hand cupped your cheek, gently pulling you to face him. His lips found yours and gave you a scorching kiss. He pulled you on him, squeezing your ass, sliding to your thighs. You moaned in the kiss, his fingers touching lightly on your inner thighs. You rocked against him ready and willing. Your sex clenched deliciously.

It was hot in the late afternoon sun, and it felt a million times hotter as your blood heated from Sam’s touch. Your hands moved under Sam’s t-shirt feeling the contours of his pecs and abs. His breathing shallowed. You wanted every inch of this man. You wanted to be on top, underneath him. You wanted to be covered with this man.

You were suddenly flipped, now underneath him. His large deft hands kneading your ass. You writhed underneath, your hands gripping his waist. You whined for more.

“Tell me your name.”

“Y/N.”

Voices

You gave in, moving your hips against his growing bulge.

His fingers trailed a hot path to your clothed sex. Your hips moved as his whole hand covered you.

You pulled at his t-shirt, pushing it up his body. His hand left you to take his t-shirt off. You sucked in a breath and took in his bronzed glory.

“Sam”. You breathed.

His chest rose and fell with every breath. You needed his hand back there.

“I know.” He murmured.

You sat up and his hands pulled your t-shirt swiftly off. He unhooked your bra leaving you bare to him. Your nipples peaked at the change. He cupped one, rolling it in his hand, fingers pinching the nipple. You bucked and moaned. He was toying with you. Making you wait.

Your hands tugged at his belt and a low rumble vibrated his chest as he gave a low chuckle.

“Little Miss Eager.”

You nodded. Yes, you were. You hadn’t had good dick in ages, thanks to your asshole of a father.

“I need-” You started.

“I know what you need.”

His hand left your breast and both hands tugged at your cut-off jeans. You helped him and he swooped them off your legs, letting them fall back. You were in your tiny G-string which barely covered you. His tongue crept to the edge of his lips and you felt yourself slicken. He trailed a thick finger down your stomach to your sex. You watched your breath in your throat. His hazel eyes blown with lust had a predatory hunger in them that left you aching for more.

He pressed you down with his hand, making you lay back on the warm hard bed of the pickup.

You heard a shuffling of material, and you realized he was shucking his jeans off. You didn’t get to take a look as he was over your body before you knew it, his hand gliding a scintillating path back down. Your stomach flipped. A big finger slid past your panty string and dragged it down your wet sex.

Jesus, fuck.

“Mmm, so damn wet for me.”

His touch felt so good. You wanted, no, needed more. Your toes curled as two fingers plunged inside. You cried out. Thank God. Involuntarily your muscles clenched around his fingers, he rested his arm above you. He pumped his fingers in and out of you steadily. You moved your hips desperate to be sated.

It didn’t take long for you to feel that familiar heat tighten in your gut. Your hands gripped the edges of the pickup as your hips writhed, triggering more sparks from your clit. His fingers curled and you cried out, your womb convulsing, had you clenching hard around him and then you were bereft of his touch.

You breathed hard.

“Damn, I was so close” You whined, deprived of your orgasm.

He smiled and licked his lips looking down at you, admiring your nakedness.

He pushed your legs apart and pushed the band to one side.

“I know.”

You felt his swollen head at your entrance.

“Tell me, Y/N, how hard do you like to get fucked?” He asked as he pushed himself inside you. He was thick. Thicker and longer than anyone else you had had, making you shudder in delight.

“Hard.” You sucked in a breath until he was pressing on your cervix. He filled you deliciously and beautifully and needless to say you wanted more.

Sam was good dick. He hadn’t even moved, and you already knew.

He sucked his lower lip and let it pop out.

“You better hold on to somethin’”

Like what?

His hands on your hips held you firmly.

He withdrew and you let out the breath you had been holding.

He slammed into you. Hard was what you wanted and hard was what you were getting. He made nerve endings inside your sex sing.

He set a bruising pace, his hands almost crushing your hips. But you didn’t care. You held onto Sam, your legs wrapping around him as your sex began to buzz. You were already slick but with each stroke you found yourself lubricating around his shaft. His pelvis slammed down on your clit and again you felt the heat coil.

Shit.

Sam shifted slightly, stroking the pebble like spot inside you, setting alight a path of destruction.

The coil inside your gut tightened. Then exploded. Your legs shook as you clenched hard around his cock, soaking him, screaming out, your back arching, hands grabbing hold of him harder.

Sam rode through your orgasm, the snap of his hips were becoming sloppier by the second. He grunted in your ear and then felt the thick ropes of cum spurt inside you, waves of bliss weakening.

He stayed, giving you little kisses on your head, letting you get your breath back as the sweat cooled

“That was something else.”

You hummed in agreement.

“To think, it all started with a beer.”

You laughed and he eased himself out, rolling onto his back. The warm sun kissed your skin.

You turned to look at him.

“How much longer you gonna be here?”

He looked at you.

“For that tight pussy of yours, as long as I wanna be.”

You both stayed there a little longer. Needless to say, Sam never left the backwater town in the middle of nowhere.

[kenzieam]

Druid - The Final Chapter

Rating: M (smut, language, violence, mature themes, potential major character death)

Genre: Drama/Angst

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Thank you, my lovelies, for your kind words and support XOXO

******************************************************************************

Okay... so it has been over a year since I updated this story....

Bad, Bad, Bad Me....

I’m sorry, my lovelies, I hope you’ll accept this offering, the final chapter of James and Levi and the Druids MC.

Since it’s been so long, catch up with the Masterlist

******************************************************************************

JAMES

When I return to our room, Sable and Nat are there. Sable sits cross-legged at Levi’s back, while Nat sits in front of her, holding Levi’s hand. Levi’s asleep and I’m met by two pairs of tear-filled eyes.

“You make him pay?” Nat asked, her voice breaking.

I nod, not willing to elaborate. Although that fuck deserved every single second of agony I gave him, I’m not the kind of twisted bastard that gets off on doing shit like that on the regular. He hurt mine and he paid, I delivered punishment tenfold back to him and now it’s done. I will kill to protect my family and die to save them. The dichotomy is not lost on me and I know the average person would look at me and condemn me as the worst of men, one that justifies murder in defense of family; kills someone’s child to save another’s. But I’m not ashamed of it. This is a hard life, and from a young age, I’ve been part of it. It’s a part of me and if the people I love are made safer by me getting my hands dirty, so be it.

I would never, for anything on this earth and beyond, hurt Levi or cause her pain. She is more important to me than anything else in my black heart.

And right now, I want nothing more than to lay beside her and let her presence bring me peace.

I stride past the bed and into the bathroom, pausing long enough to grab fresh sweats and a shirt from the dresser, shutting the door behind me. I reek of smoke and something much more organic and I scrub myself half-raw under the scalding spray.

When I leave the bathroom, Sable and Nat are still there, but they stand up quickly, hurrying to give us privacy. Both women startle me by walking up to me and pressing quick, chaste kisses to my cheek.

“Thank you.” Sable murmurs and Nat nods wordlessly in agreement, then they turn and leave silently, pulling the door closed behind them. I follow, locking it and turn back to Levi. She’s still asleep, but her face is tensed, her brow furrowed. I’m about to text Stitch to bring more painkillers when she shifts slightly and whimpers.

“James?” Her hand jerks slightly, questing, looking for me and I clamor quickly under the covers behind her, carefully pull her close to my chest.

“I’m here, baby.”

Her body goes liquid again, all tension disappearing, and she gives a soft, contented sigh.

“I love you.” I manage to choke as I bury my face in her hair, my heart breaking wide open with emotion; filled past bursting with devotion and love for this woman.

LEVI

Pain wakes me, throbbing in my shoulder, my leg, my wrists. A whimper escapes before I’ve even opened my eyes and I feel the warmth behind me shift suddenly.

“Levi?” James leans over me carefully, his beautiful eyes wide with concern. “Where does it hurt?”

I’m tempted to say everywhere, but James looks so distraught I decide not to torment him. “My wrists, my shoulder.”

A flicker of darkness passes through his gaze; fleeting, banked rage but it’s quickly gone, replaced by worry. “I’ll text Stitch.” He rolls away and my body mourns the loss of his familiar heat and security, then he’s back, tapping at the screen with one hand, the other snaking cautiously around me again. The phone buzzes back almost immediately.

“He’s on his way, he was about to wake us up anyway; he says you’re due for another shot.”

I consider refusing, asking for something milder, over-the-counter, but the throb has morphed into an outright stabbing and I decide to stop being a hero.

A knock at the door, and James gets up, gifting me with a view of his perfect ass and back, clad in low-hung grey sweats and a white tee as he walks to the door and opens it.

Stitch steps past, zeroing in on me and moving to the side of the bed. I hear James pass, and the bathroom door shut, then Stitch is asking me all kinds of questions; Rate my pain, stabbing or aching? Any heat or tightness to indicate infection? He seems satisfied by my answers and is drawing up a syringe when James reappears.

“You hungry, doll?”

I nod and Stitch agrees. “Yeah, something light though, Prez.”

James nods and kisses my forehead, glancing at Stitch, who nods in answer to his silent question. As James leaves, the medic glances down at me. “Okay, I know Prez can be a mother-hen, is your pain worse than you’re letting on?”

I can’t stop a chuckle. He’s right; big, bad Cannon knows how to cluck. “No, it’s what I said.”

Stitch nods. “That shot will help, I know you don’t want to be completely drugged out.” He jerks his chin to the bathroom. “You need to go? I’ll wait out here then check your bandages.”

His hands are gloved when I return, and I sit back on the bed quietly while Stitch becomes all business, carefully inspecting my shoulder before moving to my wrists.

“Stitch?” I ask quietly, not sure I want to know. “How was he? While I was gone?”

Stitch glances at me quickly before dropping his attention back to my wrists. “Honestly? Broken. Never seen him like that before. He was completely focused on finding you, to the detriment of his own health. He wouldn’t sleep or eat, just paced and worried. I considered ambushing and sedating him before he outright collapsed from exhaustion, but I knew he’d literally kill me when he woke back up. If we hadn’t found you...” he trails off. “It was hard to watch. I don’t want to think about what he would have done if-” He shakes his head, returning to his work. I’m stunned silent, limp and compliant as Stitch continues with my wrists; the pain numbed by whatever he shot me up with. His words continue to circle in my brain, blocking out all other thoughts; Broken, It was hard to watch.

James returns with a tray, eyes travelling over me anxiously for a beat before relaxing, as if he’s afraid to let me out of sight, convinced I’ll disappear or something and while that level of concern is heartwarming, I don’t want him to stress himself out like that.

Stitch glances at the food he brought and nods approval as he stands. “I’ll come back in a few hours to give you more pain relief. Try to sleep and if you can’t, at least take it easy.”

James shuts the door behind him then returns to the bed. He sits beside me and sets the tray gently on my lap. “Do you need my help?” He asks. “Do you want me to give you some time alone?”

I recognize the effort behind those questions. He doesn’t want to leave me alone, and he doesn’t want to sit by and watch me struggle if my wrists hurt too much. What’s more important to me right now? Stubborn independence, or letting James soothe himself by taking care of me? “No, stay please.”

I don’t miss his exhale of relief and I lay back, trying to hide my winces as I settle on the pillow. James sets the tray aside and pulls the blankets up for me, fussing like a mother hen and I find the sight of the biggest, baddest, hottest biker in the compound, maybe the entire country, fretting with my blankets and pillow absolutely adorable. Then he’s sitting beside me and stirring the oatmeal he brought, holding out a spoonful for me. I let him feed me and he visibly relaxes as the time passes, and I find myself relaxing too, settling back into the blankets and letting a feeling of peace wash over me. I’m not sure how much is the drugs and how much is James TLC, but I’ll take it. And when my eyes are getting heavy, I hear James set the tray aside and feel the bed rise then dip again as he stands and removes his shirt, then crawls back onto the bed, snuggling up beside me, tucking me carefully against his chest.

His scent surrounds me and drawing me the rest of way down and, just as I fall asleep, I hear him say, “I love you, baby.”

JAMES

I can’t bring myself to leave Levi today, but I text furiously while she sleeps against me. The edge has been taken off my anxiety and anger, for now, with Levi letting me care for her and fuss, feed her and hold her close while she sleeps. I don’t know if she realizes how much I needed it, how much my raw nerves were soothed by caring for her but, as she sleeps, I feel my rage returning.

Fucking Tracer. Fucking Preacher. They’re both going down. Preacher for bringing Henday down on my woman, and Tracer for not having a better handle on his men. Trace’s VP, Shadow, the man who will take over, better not have a problem with that, or I’ll take the whole club down too.

Nobody fucks with what’s mine and I came close enough to losing Levi forever that I think I’m permanently affected. I will always and forever be reactionary regarding her safety. There will be a new fucking line to toe around her and any visiting chapters or clubs had better have their heads on straight, or I’ll tear them apart.

I think I can say the same of my own men, I saw how they were when Levi was missing, I saw how they rallied when we had a lead, how dark and dangerous their faces were as they prepared to hunt Henday when I carried Lev from that shithole she hid in after escaping him.  

My entire club has her back, my entire club will rain down hell on anyone who hurts her.

Call up Trace. Tell him I want a meeting. I text Steve.

He knows immediately. Preacher too?

Fuck yes.

On it.

I wait for his text and gaze down at Levi. She’s so fucking beautiful and I’m the luckiest fucker in the world to call her mine. She shifts as I graze my knuckle down her cheek, but she sighs and settles right back down when I murmur soothingly to her. She rolls slightly, reaching to hold me closer and as I catch the flash of the thick, white bandages around her wrists, I feel a fresh wave of fury. My woman will have scars and while that doesn’t mean a fucking thing to me, I worry it will hurt her, that she’ll think she’s less beautiful because of them. I will kiss her scars daily, acknowledge and worship each one; I will, to my dying breath, tell her how fucking beautiful she is, how much I love her.

Tomorrow. 7 pm

Fucker’s got terms now? He’s going to tell me when we’re meeting? I don’t think so, but I’ll let him have this, if only to give him a false sense of security. Let him think I’m all easygoing and calm, just happy to have my woman back, when in reality, I’m thirsting for their blood.

Preacher coming too? I type, keeping one hand resting on Levi’s hip.

Yeah, all the officers. I told them you want to thank them for helping out.

Make sure we’re ready.

How many graves?

Just two but be prepared to dig more if necessary.

I’m sure Shadow is a reasonable man.

He better be. I want a statement. NOBODY fucks with my woman.

Understood.

I spend the rest of the day with my beautiful girl and I push the world away from us, let her be safe and warm and surrounded by my love and protection, but it’s as much for me as it is for her. I’ve never been so scared as I was when Lev was missing and its going to take me a while to come back from that. Its not PTSD or anything, but I definitely feel raw and tender, on edge and restless. I find myself waking up a few times from nightmares as I doze next to Lev, startling awake with a pounding heart, sure I’d just missed saving her, that Henday had done what he’d promised and my girl was gone, taking my heart with her. Each time I nestle closer to her, hold her tighter, draw a shuddering breath as I bury my face just a little deeper into her hair and tell myself she’s safe again.

Stitch checks up on us, gives Lev more pain relief and food is brought up. Thor and Steve duck in, bringing their women with them but for the most part my club leaves us alone and I’m grateful. Tomorrow I won’t be able to spend as much time with Lev as I want, I’ll be preparing with my men for that night so I’m getting all I can today.

Levi sleeps most of the day and I nap beside her, working through my phone when I need to. She has a few bad dreams but seems to wake from them quickly enough when I murmur to her, brush back her hair from her forehead and call her name softly.

Thor checks on us around suppertime, asking in a low voice if we want anything, but Lev woke from a nightmare a few minutes ago, trembling full-body against me and just settled back down into sleep and I’m loathed to wake her so I shake my head.

Thor nods in understanding, his gaze softening as he looks down at Levi and I see the truth in his eyes. He would burn the world to keep her safe too, just like me. “Text me,” he murmurs. “When you want something brought up.”

I nod and can’t even wait until Thor leaves before dropping my head and snuggling close again, breathing out the last of my tension.

LEVI

James is on edge today, but he won’t tell me what’s happening. The clubhouse seems busy, keyed up but I don’t have the energy yet to leave the bed, which seems to alleviate some of James’ nerves. He’s in and out today, coming back to me for tender moments but always dragging himself away again with a clenched jaw. He doesn’t want to leave me, that’s obvious, but whatever is going on is too important for him to stay away.

Stitch has appeared with some fancy new bandages, ones tailored for deep burns and other severe skin injuries and wraps my wrists with gentle movements, completely at odds with the heavy leather cut on his back.

“These bandages don’t come cheap.” He tells me conversationally. “Cannon told me to get the best and didn’t even blink when I told him the price. These are used in the major burn and trauma centers.”

“But I’ll still scar, right?”

Stitch stops his wrapping and gazes up at me, unsettling clarity and understanding in his dark eyes. “You will always be beautiful, Levi. Inside and out, and Cannon will always love you. You are his world.”

My face goes red and I suddenly feel like I’m going to cry. Stitch takes pity on me.

“Besides, bikers always have scars; it’s like a prerequisite.” I snort with laughter.

He sits with me a while longer, asking mild questions, talking about small things and I get the sense he’s probing gently, looking for injuries that are more than skin-deep. He smiles when I try to stifle a yawn and pats my knee lightly as he stands, gathering his supplies and tucking them into his medical bag.

“Get some sleep, Lev. Best thing for you right now.”

JAMES

Tracer and Preacher don’t arrive alone, not that I expected them to. With effort I left Levi a little earlier, and even though she’s asleep with more pain relief drugs, I asked Nat and Sable to watch over her. They understand something’s up too, but they’re experienced enough to not ask questions, and I know that if Lev does wake up during our ‘party’, they’ll keep her upstairs and away from the ugliness.

I watch as most of the officers of the down-state charter saunter in, they’re ready to party, voices loud and coarse laughter even louder. As per my instructions to my brothers earlier, we’re going to let them settle for a few minutes, get relaxed but not drunk before lowering the boom.

I approach Tracer and clasp his hand, embrace him with one arm, thank him again for helping with Levi. Setting my trap, weaving my web. I make the rounds, thanking and shaking the hands of all the down-state officers then sit at the head table. I would have preferred to dispose of the trash somewhere other than our clubhouse, but I can’t afford to arouse any suspicion.

A few minutes pass, and I cut my eyes to my VP and SIA, telling them with a glance that the time has come. Subtly they prepare, and the signal goes out to all my brothers.

I stand and step to the center of the room. I hold my arms wide, a beer in my left, my right ready to grab my .45 and turn in a circle.

“Brothers!” A chorus of cheers erupts, and I almost feel bad for what’s about to come, almost. I’m bringing down the house tonight, literally. “I brought you all here tonight to thank you, to show my gratitude for your help when my old lady was taken. She’s back home safe and I owe it all to you here.”

I gesture to Steve and Thor, motion them closer, bait for the trap then wave to Tracer and Preacher to join us. They do, jostling each other and laughing, slapping shoulders like this is a good old time and they’re all going to get shit-faced, loaded and laid.

The shock on their faces when I point the gun at them is comical.

No one packs in my clubhouse, a hard and fast rule, so none of the down-states have a weapon, but all my brothers do tonight and they’re ready. I see the moment Trace and Preacher realize this and it does my heart good.

“What the fuck, Cannon?” Tracer growls, holding up his hands placatingly. “This your idea of gratitude now?”

“Nobody fucks with me or my family, Trace. I thought you understood that.” I direct the statement to Tracer, but my glare is locked on Preacher. My finger itches to pull the trigger and wipe that dumbass look off his face.

“McCoy Jackson.” I state flatly. “That’s you Preacher, isn’t it?”

Tracer jolts slightly, then glances over at his Enforcer.

“Grew up with the Henday twins,” I continue. “You were friends with them, even after they split and Deimos stayed with the Knights, kept in contact.”

“What the fuck is he talking about, Preacher?” Tracer demands.

“Anything to say, Preach?” I growl.

The mask falls, and the cool, genial man I thought I knew disappears. The monster that takes his place sends a bolt of shock through me, then cold hatred and realization takes its place; this bastard knew exactly what he was doing, he knew exactly what he was going to unleash by calling Deimos. He wanted it; he wanted Levi destroyed, he wanted me destroyed and that seals his fate, making what I’m about to do that much easier. He spits contemptuously on the floor.

“Bitch deserved it.”

Tracer makes a strangled sound. “You said you wouldn’t call him,” he hisses. He turns to me, moist panic on his face. “I told him not to, it’s not my fault!” Suddenly he reminds me of a weasel, a rat bastard of a man struggling to cover his exposed ass and throwing everyone he can under the proverbial bus. Maybe Tracer didn’t understand the gravity of the situation, maybe he underestimated the level of depravity Deimos and Preacher were capable of, but he knew something would be unleashed when he turned a blind eye to his Enforcer, and he did it anyway.

Preacher fixes his president with a cynical eye. “You knew I did. Don’t bother lying, you pussy.” He turns back to me. “I ain’t gonna apologize. That cunt-“

I don’t need to hear anymore.

I pull the trigger and his body hits the floor with a heavy thud. I watch dispassionately as the corpse twitches and kicks, groaning its last breath in a wheezing, strangled gurgle then turn my sights on Tracer.

“Cannon, c’mon brother-“ His face is slick with sweat, eyes beady and I wonder how I never noticed before how much he looks like a slimy prick. He tries to take a step back, hands up in surrender, but Steve and Thor move to block him, ready to shove him back towards me.

“I’m not your brother, you lying piece of shit.” I pull the trigger a second time, aiming right between his rat eyes.

The body is still jerking and gurgling when I turn to Shadow.

I see the gears turning in the VP’s eyes, see him weighing his options.

“Did you know too?” I ask, my voice dangerously low and even.

Shadow doesn’t speak, but his head jerks slowly from one side to the other. There’s sober truth in his eyes, the look of a man who knows he’s on the razor’s edge of life or death, and all that’s left to him is the mercy of the gatekeeper.

“Are we done here? Or do you all want to die tonight?” My words hang heavy in the silent clubhouse.

“It’s done.” Shadow replies, his tone neutral. “It’s buried.” He looks towards the other members of his club, the club he now leads as their president cools on my floor. “You hear? It’s done!”

I push my gun back into my waistband and hold out my hand; if Shadow accepts it, he is bound to his word, by his honor and the sanctity of his club’s honor.

He steps forward and takes my hand.

And it’s over.

Later, I return to Levi’s side. The downstate charter cleared out after our handshake, not that I’m surprised. I have Shadow’s word and, if he breaks it, there will be war. But I saw acceptance in his eyes tonight. It would be hard to explain to an outsider, but club code and honor run deep and the men and women who live this life understand and accept that. Their brothers broke that code and that comes with a price to pay.

Tonight, it was paid.

Tonight, it was laid to rest.

Levi’s asleep when I enter the room. Sable sits on the bed near her while Nat is stretched out beside her, head propped on her elbow. Both heads swivel in my direction. The stereo on the bureau plays loud enough to soften what happened downstairs.

“Is it done?” Sable asks quietly.

I nod and they stand, stretching their limbs and smiling fondly down at Levi. I wait as they shuffle past, resting a hand on each one’s shoulder and murmuring a low ‘thank you’. Sable smiles while Nat leans up on her tiptoes to peck my cheek and then they’re gone, the door shutting with a low click.

I want to climb into bed with her right now, want to wrap my arms around her and bury my face in her hair, let her take me down with her into peaceful sleep, but I turn and enter the bathroom instead. I need to wash off, scrub away the taint and darkness of the last few hours. Levi’s too pure and good to be contaminated with that ugliness.

The shower is near scalding as I stand under the spray, my face upturned into the water, letting it sting my skin and wash away my sins. The heat purifies me and when my longing for Levi grows too strong, I turn off the shower and step out.

I pause for a beat at the doorway, lean against it and study her. Long auburn hair splays across the pillow, her creamy skin stands out against the charcoal grey pillowcase and my heart aches to touch her again. I pull on boxer-briefs and crawl under the covers, snuggling close and feeling my body instantly relax, my soul taking a deep sigh of relief.

Levi sighs, breaths something that might be my name.

“I’m here, baby.” I press a kiss to her shoulder and bury my face in her neck, letting her peacefulness take me down.

*********************************************************************

ONE YEAR LATER

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

As the guests cheer and yell, the new couple lean into each other, their lips connecting, eyes closing in ecstasy. The kiss deepens, tongues sweep against each other and the crowd’s cheers grow rowdier and louder. A metal rendition of ‘The Wedding March’ starts and the couple reluctantly pull apart, eyes still locked. He pulls her in for one more passionate kiss then they part in earnest, still clasping hands and gazing at each other as the stride down the aisle, both sides screaming with joy and celebration. The day is gorgeous, the weather perfect and beyond the clubhouse the reception is already laid out for the epic party to come.

His eyes shining, James reaches out for Levi and she takes his hand, smiling up at him as they turn and follow the new couple. James’ cut gleams on his shoulders and Levi’s Property of Cannon vest lends a tough edge to her soft, flowing dress.

Ahead of them, Thor and Sable march, the perfect golden couple, now finally joined forever.

“Three more weeks,” Levi leans over, murmurs in James’ ear. “Then it’s our turn.”

“I can’t wait.” James’ whispers, nuzzling into her ear, smiling when Levi giggles at the tickle.

“Thank you, though.” Levi adds. “For waiting.”

“Anything for you.” James replies earnestly, gazing deep into her eyes for a beat. He subtly switches direction, pulling Levi gently with him towards the gathering wedding party and the photographer trying to wave the bride and groom towards her.

“Best man!” The photographer calls to James’, waving him closer. “Maid of honor!”

Working together, Sable, Nat, Levi and the photographer manage to corral the rowdy group together long enough for some beautiful pictures, then the temptation of the party is too much and Thor picks up his bride with a flourish, roaring as he jogs towards the wooden tables set out and ready, Sable’s excited shriek musical and light. Rock music is blaring, the drinks are flowing, and nobody is slowing down until probably tomorrow.

“You coming?” Steve asks, glancing back at James. Nat pulls on his arm with a grin, eager to join the party.

“Go ahead.” Levi replies, “we’ll be right there.” Steve grins and finally lets Nat lead him away.

James turns to Levi, raising a brow. The clear sky above them makes Levi’s hair gleam and he can just imagine what she will look like, standing with him at the head of the aisle in three weeks’ time.

It’s been a long year. Levi wanted to wait, wanted the dust to settle, her scars to fade and her business take root before diving into a wedding and James was willing to do anything to keep her happy.

There had been no further fallout from the Henday incident. James, Steve, Thor and Shadow had met with the leader of The White Knights, a tall man with dead eyes named Azrael. He’d listened silently and nodded once in agreement; an old scar across his throat hinting at why his voice rasped like a corpse’s.

“Deimos knew the risks, he accepted them and paid for his foolishness.” He met the eyes of each man before him, and James felt a distinct chill at the emptiness he saw there. “It is done.”

“James?” Levi’s gentle voice breaks into his thoughts.

“Yeah, baby?” James looks down, smiling at his beloved. He reaches up and tucks a lock of hair behind Levi’s ear, trailing his fingertip along her jawline before dropping his head to kiss her. He pulls away reluctantly, wishing he could stand here and do nothing but kiss Levi all night.

“I have to tell you something.” There’s a flicker of apprehension in her voice and James’ brows draw together. “I can’t keep it to myself any longer, I know the timing sucks-“

What could she have to say to him that makes her anxious for his reaction?

“What, baby? Tell me.” James murmurs, taking her hands and raising them to his face, pressing a tender kiss to each subtly scarred wrist before cradling her face in his big hands, gentle despite their size. “What’s wrong?”

Levi sniffles, shakes her head as she blinks away tears. “Not wrong. I’m just…” she breaks off, leaning into James’ hands. She takes a deep breath and smiles up at him, eyes glistening. “I’m pregnant. You’re going to be a father.”

James inhales sharply, eyes wide and lips parted. His eyes roam hers. “Really?” He asks breathlessly, his face contorts with emotion and his voice trembles. “Really, baby? You are? I’m-?” His voice cracks.

Tears stream down Levi’s face. “Yes.”

He stares at Levi for a heartbeat, tears welling in his eyes before he throws his head back and roars with elation. Crushing her to his chest, James kisses her desperately, laughing through his tears, feeling like his chest will simply burst with elation.

When he’d first seen Levi, a nervous little girl enduring her first day in third grade at a new school, his heart had issued a decree the rest of him hadn’t quite understood yet but honored all the same. Mine. From that moment on, his heart had beat for her alone, he’d watched for her, gazed longingly at her as she’d gone about her life, unaware of his helpless attraction. He’d been too scared, too ashamed of his station to make a move, too goddamn terrified of the chance she would laugh in his face when he finally did screw up the sack to speak to her, never knowing she’d struggled with the same insecurities, that she watched for him just as desperately as he did her, that her palms went equally slick with sweat, her heart beat the same frantic tattoo when they passed in the hallways, when they shared a class.

He’d thought he’d lost her, lost her to the big city and higher education before he’d ever worked up the nerve to tell her how he’d always felt and the next decade had been strangely empty, despite his fevered efforts to fill it, with anything really, the club, parties, club girls, even Daria; but it had always come back to Levi and when she’d walked into Panhead Joe’s ten years after leaving their small town it was like no time had passed, and James’ heart had stuttered to frantic life again, helplessly drawn to her flame.

The next months, the next year had been the darkest in his life, a swirling vortex of anguish and misery he’d not been sure, hell he knew he wouldn’t have survived if not for Steve and Nat, even Thor and the desperate clinging hope that Levi would come back to him, that he’d not lost her for good this time.

But he would do it all again, endure all the want and heartache, if it meant he got to be here, right here, listening to his reason for living tell him there would soon be more joy in his life, more reasons to get up every morning and face the world.

Tears of sheer euphoria wet his cheeks and he didn’t care who saw, he didn’t care who was staring at them know, alerted by his roar of elation; right now, his world consisted of only one thing, one person and he kissed her with everything he had, every hope and dream for their future, every cell in his body that had, since that day so long ago, existed solely for her.

“I love you.” He gasped, burying his face against hers, breathing in her scent, feeling her skin shiver under his lips. “Forever.”

Levi sighed contentedly, the sheer power of James’ emotions enough to bring her to tears too. How had she gotten so lucky? She would spend the rest of her life wondering that, even while she cherished every second, every touch and lingering glance. James was hers and she was his and while the road to each other had been rocky, nearly impassable at times, they’d found their way back to each other every time.

“I love you too,” she whispered, feeling James hand drift down to caress her belly, the place where their child grew.

“Forever.”

[aboutmikasa]

Siri, RivaMika. Dulce/Sweet no importa si sea en inglés o español la canción ¿Se puede algo smut/fluff? He leído mucho angst en los últimos días, siento que necesito algo que alivie mi corazón.

Siri keeps offering me “Duele” when I ask for “Dulce”. It’s a beautiful song but not a fluffy option, so for “Sweet”, “Sweet Dreams”. 

.

Dreams 

Rivamika | 484 wc | fluff | Post-canonverse |Ask Siri Music Prompt | Sweet Dreams 

.

.

“Close your eyes.”

She took his hand and Levi rolled his eyes before did as she asked. Following her instructions wasn’t bad, and as a bonus, Mikasa smiled.

It was their fifth date; sixth if they counted the time she thought he wanted to discuss Historia’s plans for the orphanage. Seventh, including the day they traveled to Hizuru. Eighth since the day they drank that dam awful tea in the middle of a blizzard. Ninth if someone asked him because he cooked for her the day before meeting again, after two years without seeing her.

Anyone would agree that if a guy asked her to come to his house and made a whole meal for her, it was a date. Too bad Mikasa Ackerman wasn’t “anyone”. He needed a more aggressive approach, blurting a frustrated “Dammit, Mikasa, I’m asking you out… with kisses and stuff”.

Technicalities apart, it was their fifth official date and she told her friends he was her boyfriend.

Her boyfriend.

His heart jumped with stupid joy. A grown-up man shouldn’t be feeling fucking butterflies but there he was, all giggling and shitty stuff.

“I swear you, brat, you better don’t pull a prank…”

“Can’t you just wait?”  

They arrived and, well, he was not impressed. An abandoned whatever with dust and decorated with spider webs. His fingers twitched wanting to clean the shithole his girlfriend decided ninth date-worthy.

“What do you think?” She asked with the biggest smile. The sunlight caressed her hair and Levi almost forgot the rancid smell of what once was a house.

“Are you planning to murder me and abandon my body where no one will find me?”

“Stop joking!”

“I’m not joking.”

“Levi!” She punched his arm and even if she was playing, it kind of hurt and Levi rubbed the place that would end with a bruise. “Don’t you see it?”

Something so adorable sparkled in her eyes.

He looked around once again. “The mold?”

“No!, Our shop.”

Our…

Maybe she put a spell because he saw it. The counter, the baskets with satchels of premium tea, a couple of tables for the customers waiting for their freshly poured tea. The aroma coming from the garden, her garden. Mikasa smiling behind the counter with a growing belly and their last name on the front door.

“I know we have to clean,” she said, nervousness and increasing excitement all over her face. “But I thought the cleaning was an adding bonus for you.”

“Very funny, Mikasa.” Levi opened his arms and embraced her. “You’re on cleaning duty, soldier.”

“Okay, but I’m not going to clean the bathroom.”

“The spiders are yours.”

“You got yourself a deal, Captain,” she muttered her answer with her nose playing with his and as a good future merchant, Levi sealed the deal.

It wasn’t their first kiss, not if Levi counted the many times he had kissed her in his dreams.

[shinjekinootp]

The Angry Coffee Shop

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationship: Levi/Eren Yeager Tags: Platonic Hange Zoë & Levi, Based on a Tumblr Post, Drunk Sleepy cute Levi, Domestic Fluff, Mainly focused on Drunk Brootp Levihan, With some cute Ereri in the background Summary:  Eren comes back late from work to an unusual scene. Levi passed out on the floor, surrounded by empty bottles, spilled chips, and a notebook reading: Flat white: Fuck you 

*based on the Angry Coffe Shop meme from Tumblr*

You can read it here or on AO3

“Ugh, I’m so thirsty.”

Levi rolls his eyes “You’re literally in a coffee shop, just get yourself something to drink.”

“Not that kind of thirst dummy. I’m thirsty for booze. Customers have been complete assholes today. I need to get shitface. For my mental health.”

“That does sounds pretty good,” he says, giving a final sweep to the counter. “Your place or my place?” Hanji doesn’t get the chance to reply before Levi is speaking again. “Let’s go to mine. The shithole you dare to call an apartment is dirty enough when you expect me to come over.”

Forty-five minutes later, they are sitting on Levi’s couch, a glass of red wine in their hands, the coffee table crawling under various snacks.

“Sometimes I wonder how we make it through the day without murdering anyone,” Hanji begins. “How hard can it be to order a drink without being a pain in the ass? You wait in line for your turn, order something from the board, pay, and wait patiently for it to be ready.”

“Erwin doesn’t pay us nearly enough to deal with those shit head all days,” Levi agrees. He empties his glass and pours himself a new one. He makes the red liquid swirl and takes a sip of it. He savors the bitter taste, as Hanji digs into a bag of chips.

I swear to god, if I found any crumble on my floor-”

“Yea I know, you’ll make me lick it until it’s clean again,” they dismiss him, taking a handful of doritos.

“And clean it with bleach right after. Spit is gross.”

Hanji laughter fills the room. “Where’s pretty boy uh? I thought he’d be here.”

“I don’t know. Probably still at work” He looks at his phone, and sure enough there is a text from Eren informing him he’s staying overtime and not to wait for him.

“Let’s play a game!” Hanji suddenly screams.

Levi frowns “No strip poker this time. I don’t think I can take the sight of you wearing nothing but your glasses one more time. Plus I had to get rid of my rug after you dirty  butt sat on it.”

“I will let you know my butt is very clean. Petra can vouch.”

A giggle escapes Levi’s lips. Under normal circumstances he would be concerned by that. But with the alcohol running through his veins, his clouded mind doesn't care.

“So the game is simple. We both tell a story about a bitchy customer we had, and the one who has encountered the biggest prick wins.”

Levi tilts his head to the side.“Isn’t that basically complaining, though? We’re already doing it all the time. That’s hardly a game.”

Hanji is thoughtful for a moment before they clap their hand victoriously “I know! Each time one of us wins a round; they have to take a shot. That should spice things up.”

“Alright” Levi says, slumping to the ground and reaching for the bottle, a smirk on his lips “Game on then.”

Hanji laughter echoes through the room as they struggle to form words. “This- This is priceless, how come you’ve never told me about it before?”

“Didn’t want to risk Erwin hearing about it,” he downs his shot in one swift motion, barely grimacing as the liquid burn his throat.“It’s not like I’m actually the manager.”

Hanji rolls on their back, as a new fit of laughter shakes their body. “I would give anything, to see the lady’s face when you’ve spun around.”

“It was quite the sight to behold,” he refills his glass, while Hanji straightens up their glasses threatening to fall of their nose.

“Once I had this lady coming in, she kept stressing out how important it was that her drink was dairy free -and I get it, lactose intolerance is a pain in the ass- she was watching my every move like a hawk. When I handed her her drink, she freaking asked me why I didn’t put whipped cream on top of it. I had to explain her that yes, whipped cream contains dairy, but she would not believe me. I ended up putting a shit ton on top of her damn frappuccino and I hope she got diarrhea from it.”

“What a bitch” Levi snorts.

“Alright your turn, what do you have in stock?”

He hums thoughtfully, distractingly playing with a the edge of a pillow.

“They were this one time, when a girl went batchit crazy on me for drawing a heart in her latte. She screamed at me that she had a boyfriend, and that she was so fed up with men hitting on her.”

“Did you? Drew a heart in her latte I mean.”

“No, I did draw something, but it was not a heart. Not from my perspective that is.”Levi smirks amusement glinting into his eyes.

Hanji seems confused for a split second before they exclaim.“Oh my god Levi! Did you draw an ass in that girl drink?”

“I most certainly did,” he replies with a toothy grin. “It was the day when Eren came back from his family trip. All I could think about was that glorious ass of his.”

“You’re the worst.”

Levi shrugs and slides a shot towards them before pouring one for himself. “That’s a draw,” he solemnly declares.

They empty their glasses and sigh contentedly almost in perfect synchronization.

“You know what really is the worst kind of customer ?” Hanji hiccups.

He raises a thin eyebrow at them.

“Those who are unable to remember the name of the drinks. If they got their orders wrong, it’s not my problem. Learn to fucking read you moron!”

“I couldn’t remember the name of the drink when I began,” Levi giggles.“Eren had to help me study the menu. He even made cards and all that shit.”

They shake their head “You’re a lucky idiot you know that?”

Levi nods. He does know how lucky he is to have a boyfriend like him.

“In my defense,” he begins“the name of the drinks makes zero sense. Why did Erwin have to go for the fancy hipster shit name? ‘large black’ that’s easy to remember. But Americano? Frappuccino? Freaking Macchiato? It gives zero clue about what the drink actually is.”

“That’s how they’re called,” Hanji looks at him skeptically  “That’s pretty standard actually.”

“Well, the standard sucks.” Levi says, slamming his fist on the table.

“What would you call them then?” They ask, eyes glinting in amusement.

“I dunno,” Levi frowns.“Something meaningful.”

They tilt their head to the side.“Like what? It’s not like you could describe the recipe of the drink. That would be way too long.”

He reaches for the bag of chips, and munches slowly. Hanji observes him pulling his eyebrows together, creating small line between them. He’s so deep in thoughts he doesn’t notice them snatching a picture of what they consider to be an ‘Accidentally cute Levi.’

“Hangover,” he blurts out.

“We certainly will be tomorrow, but don’t worry we still have time.”

“No,” he throws the bag of chips out of his lap, spilling it on the ground.“The name of the drink, it should be Hungover.”

“Lemme guess, a strong black coffee?”

“Triple espresso of the less bitter coffee we have,” He grins.

They smile cheerfully.“What else do you have?”

“I’m Studying For My Finals. Double espresso with a dash of vanilla. Because you both need energy and comfort.”

“Why not make it a triple, though?”

Levi shakes his head.“Because when studying for their final, student drink coffee all day. With a double they can still get that energy shot multiples time a day without intoxicating themselves. Also, it’s refillable.”

“This is good!” Hanji shouts excitedly. They scramble up to their feet and run to their bag, pulling out a notebook. “Alright keeps going, we gotta keep track of this.”

“Babe?” Eren calls upon entering the apartment. Despite the late hour, he knows Levi isn’t asleep. He goes in the living room, expecting him to be sitting on the couch, tucked into a blanket, enjoying a his tea. But instead he’s met with what looks like a warzone. Two empty bottles of wine, one who has rolled up to the ground, another bottle of what looks like tequila, empty for the most part, chips, chips everywhere, on the table, on the carpet, on the couch, and finally Levi, sleeping peacefully on the ground, crumbs all over his hair.

“What the fuck,” Eren whispers to himself. He walks up to Levi and picks the notebook next to him. It reads:

Large Americano: Not A Morning Person

Tea: The Only Valid Drink

Flat White: Fuck You

Vanilla soy latte no foam extra shot: I’d Like To Speak To The Manager

Double espresso with vanilla sirup: Studying For My Final

Iced coffee: Hoe Never Gets Cold

Pumpkin spice latte: Spooky Season

Latte, extra shot: Stayed Up Too Late Looking At Memes

Peppermint latte: Basic Bitch

“Hey Eren!”

The cheery voice of Hanji interrupts his reading.

“Hey,” he tentatively greets them.“What’s going on ? And what is this?” He asks shaking the notebook in his hand.

“Just a thing for a work,” they say, wiggling their eyebrows mysteriously.

“So, you’re telling me, this was a work meeting?”

“Guess you could put it like that,” They chuckle.“I was just about to clean up. Would you take care of sleepy-head over here?” They point at Levi with their chin.

It’s Eren’s turn to laugh. “You cleaning, and Levi passing out. That’s a first.”

He bends down and gently dusts the crumbs off Levi’s hair, before carrying him to their bedroom.

“They don’t know what's awaiting them,” Levi mumbles, as he undresses him.

“Hum what was that? What’s awaiting who?”

“Karen, Margaret, Susan and all the other.”

“Alright babe,” he chuckles.“Go get them.”

He makes sure Levi is well tuck in, and not at risk at falling off bed. He makes a move to leave, but a hand on his forearm stops him.

Levi cracks a lid open “Stay.”

“Are you sure it’s safe to leave Hanji alone in the living room?”

“Hmph, what are they gonna do? It’s already a mess anyway,” he tucks on his arm, nearly yanking him off his feets.

“Alright, alright,” Eren surrenders. He quickly takes off his shoes and clothes, throwing them in a corner of the room. As soon as he lies down, Levi rolls to his sides, resting his head on his chest. He’s already drifting back to sleep, soothed by the hand gently stroking his hair.

“Good morning! What can I get you?”

“Flat white. Large. Quickly, I’m in a hurry.”

“Fuck you,” Hanji says, a shit eating grin on their face.

“Excuse you?” The woman says, outrage evident in her voice. “What did you just say to me?”

“Fuck You,” They repeat, their smile growing impossibly wide. “That’s the name of the drink you’ve order.”

A displease frown appears on the woman face. “I’d like to speak to the manager.”

“Sure thing, Coming right up!” They grab a cup. “May I have a name?” The woman stares at her, confusion written all over her face. “I bet it’s Sharon,” they say writing it down. “You look like a Sharon.”

Hanji turns around, and quickly prepares the drink. The woman said she was in a rush after all.

“Here you go! That’ll be $5 please.”

“What is this?”

“What you’ve order Ma’am. A Vanilla soy latte with  no foam and extra shot.” They answer with a mischievous smile.

“I didn’t order this,” she nearly shouts. “Are you deaf? I said that I’d like to speak to the manager!”

“Yea… that’s the name of the drink Ma’am.” They point at the board above their head.

Her face reddens as she opens her mouth, but Hanji cuts her off before she has the chance to speak.

“You better go now, Sharon. You’re holding the line.”

The woman furiously slaps a $5 bill on the counter, and stalks away.

Levi blinks, mouth hanging agape.“That was amazing,” he fights the urge to claps.

“Thank you, thank you. But you nearly deserve all the credit. You’re the one that came up with this idea.”

“How did you get Erwin’s approval?” he asks incredulity in his voice.

“Eh, well, I didn’t,” they answer, rubbing the back of their neck. “I just came in early and re-write the boards.”

Levi shakes his head, chuckling. Of course Hanji would do that without their boss permission. “Guess I’ll have a new co-worker by the end of the week then.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that short-stuff.” A devilish smile on their face Hanji takes out their phone. “See one of the ‘soccer moms’ I’ve served this morning wasn’t too happy with our new menu. So she took the whole story to twitter and even made a petition to close up the place.” They slide their phone on the counter.“And it blew up! But not in the way she expected. Everyone is loving the idea. The so-called ‘angry coffee shop’ is the new place to be! We’ve been packed with customers all day.”

“Speaking of which, some help would be much appreciated Hanji!” A panicked voice calls from behind them.

“Don’t worry Moblit. You got this!” They say waving their hand dismissively at him. They focus back on Levi and frown. “What’s wrong Levi? I thought you would be happy.”

He raises his head from his hand and whispers, eyes wide “We’re gonna have to deal with even more customers.”

[lankylevi]

Rating: E Pairing: Levi/Eren Chapter word count: 3k Tags: Modern au, Blind date, Strangers to Lovers, Policer officer Levi, Barista Eren, Fluff, Eventual Smut, Top Levi, Power Bottom Eren

Summary: Despite Eren's previous attempts at getting Mikasa on board with the fact that he’s perfectly happy being single, she still took things into her own hands and set up a blind date for him. A modern day, blind date (gone wrong) au.

Note: This is the fourth and (for now,) final chapter, a big thank you to my wonderful beta, and friend, @i-am-verybusy. Couldn’t have done this without you, babe.

Previous chapters: chapter 1, chapter 2 and chapter 3 on tumblr.

Read on AO3 or below.

It has been two weeks since their first official date and Eren, being the overanalyzing little shit that he is, paces nervously in front of the restaurant.

Twenty minutes, Levi is already twenty minutes late. No call, no text. Nothing. No warning that he’ll be running late, or something last minute came up. Is he being stood up?

No, Jaeger. Levi wouldn’t do that. Or would he? Fuck. Shit.

Biting his bottom lip, peeling the dry skin till the point he’s surely drawing blood, he decides to dial Levi’s number. Trying his best to ignore the pitiful stares he’s getting from the couples entering Il Giardino.

“Come on, come on, come on.” He taps his foot anxiously, phone cradles between his cheek and shoulder. “Pick up, Levi.”

Voicemail. “Of fucking course.”

He calls again, not giving up just yet. His heart beating faster and faster with every beep, hands trembling as he fumbles with the hem of his coat. Fingertips turning blue from the icy wind.

“Not now, Eyebrows! You fucking- Eren? Hello?”

Eren lets out a long breath, shoulders relaxing as he slumps against the wall. “Hi.”

“I’m so sorry, Eren. Eyebr- Erwin literally threw a shit pile of papers on my dask and I can’t leave this shithole.” Levi breathes heavily in the microphone, frustration clear in his voice. The rummaging of papers not going past Eren’s ears.

Eren licks his lips and sighs. Knowing he shouldn’t feel angry for what happened, but disappointment twists his stomach upside down. “Uhuh, you could’ve at least called me. I’ve been standing here in front of the restaurant for almost half an hour, Levi.”

“I know… I’m so sorry, love. Let me make it up to you. I’ll take you somewhere nice next time.”

“I don’t want a next time,” Eren spits out, slapping his hand on his forehead when he realizes how awful that just sounded. Shaking his head, he pinches the bridge of his nose. “I mean, I want to see you now. That came out wrong.”

Levi exhales sharply. “Jesus, my pen almost snapped in half. Don’t say shit like that unless you want to kill me.”

“It has been two weeks already,” Eren continues.

“Please don’t pout, I’ll drop by your place tonight. I’ll bring some wine, how does that sound?”

Eren smiles sheepishly, blush creeping onto his cheeks and hiding it under his scarf. This will be the first time Levi will see his place and his heart beats so fast he feels like a bubbly teenager all over again. “Better. You have my address?”

“Yes. I really have to go now, Eren. Eyebrows is ready to fucking riot. See you tonight, I’m really sorry.”

Rolling his eyes, he cannot help but chuckle under his breath. “Cute. See you tonight.”

Before Levi has time to argue, Eren hangs up the phone and walks back to his car, ready to drive home and make sure his apartment is spotless.

Leaning against the doorframe, blocking the way through, Eren grins, “Oh, well hello, Mister Food Inspector.”

“Brat.” Levi mutters but gives him a quick peck on his cheek.

Clamping his jaw shut, Eren barely keeps himself from gaping at him. Levi looking like a fine piece of ass in his uniform. Control yourself, Jaeger. Play it cool.

“Now, now. Is that a way to talk to your date who you stood up earlier? That’s bad customer service. I’m going to have to give you a bad review.”

Smiling subtly, Levi’s eyes narrow. “Then it won’t matter if I give you this bottle of wine either, right?”

“Fine.” Eren says and moves to the side, admitting his defeat and granting Levi access to his place. “Welcome to my humble apartment. Take your shoes o-, okay you already took your shoes off.”

Levi grins back as he hangs up his coat. “Can’t dirty your place when you’ve obviously been cleaning.”

Dumbfounded, Eren blankly stares at him. Accepting the bottle of red wine as his mouth hangs wide open, almost offended.

“It smells like cleaning products.” Levi explains as he makes his way further through the small hallway and inside the rest of the apartment. “My nose never lies. Actually, that’s Mike’s line.”

“Mike?” Eren asks and gestures Levi to sit down on the sofa in the left corner, that certain warmth he always feels when Levi is around calming his nerves. He sets the bottle on the kitchen counter and takes two wine glasses out of the cupboard.

Levi hums, “Mike is a police veteran as we call them. That nose of his is freakishly accurate. Better than a fucking dog’s.”

Eren chuckles, excitement bubbling in his stomach everytime Levi tells him more about his job. So far, he knows ‘Eyebrows’ is Erwin, Levi’s boss. Then you have Moblit, who’s always anxious except when shit goes down, who is actually dating the waitress who served them on their, accidental, date. Now Mike, a veteran who has a strange, but apparently very useful asset. “So, that Mike, please tell me he has a huge nose.”

Levi laughs, tilting his head to the side and accepts his glass of Chianti as Eren sits down next to him. “The fucking biggest you’ll ever see.”

“I’d love to meet your coworkers someday.” Eren blurts out and instantly curses himself, cheeks heating up.

Nice way to go, Jaeger. Push yourself into his damn life.

Watching Eren out of the corner of his eyes, smirking, Levi takes a sip of his wine. “We have a monthly night out with the squad.”

Eren bites his lip, avoiding the cop’s watchful gaze. “So, that means…”

Levi sighs and places a hand on Eren’s thigh, squeezing it lightly. “Do I have to spell this out for you?”

“Probably.” Eren shrugs.

Rolling his eyes, Levi takes a hold of Eren hand and looks him straight in the eye. Piercing blue meeting ocean green. “Join me next time.”

Cheeks turning crimson, Eren quickly downs his drink. The first gulp lightly burns his throat and the warmth spreads through his torso. Damn this stuff is strong.

“Easy there.” Levi laughs but adds more to Eren’s glass once it’s empty. “Tastes good?”

“Yeah.” Eren smiles sheepishly and holds the glass with two hands, afraid he’s going to stain the couch, or worse, spill his wine on Levi and dirty his uniform. Speaking of his uniform, it wasn’t exactly like he had imagined it would be. He had thought the fabric would be light blue, but it was a dark navy colour and so were his pants. It actually looked like a jumpsuit if he had to be honest, but the thought that Levi fought crime in this attire, was more than his little gay heart could take.

“Eren?”

Lost in thought, Eren shakes his head, trying to stop his sinful imagination. “Sorry, what?”

“Do you want to go minigolf next time?” Levi repeats, pronouncing every word.

Eren’s brows furrow. “I didn’t think you’d be the type of guy to enjoy minigolf.”

Levi shrugs, “I’m usually not, but Shitty Glasses wants to double date and I thought you might, uhm, enjoy it.”

Levi bites his lip and Eren is ready to combust on the spot. Was Levi actually nervous? It’s cutest thing he has ever seen. “I’d love to. It’s a date.”

Smiling contently, Levi takes out his phone and texts his friend, Eren guesses.

He drinks the rest of his wine. Seriously this stuff was delicious. Smooth, warm, leaving him all tingly; he should really write the name of the brand down. He pours himself another glass and inspects the bottle. Squinting when he can’t seem to read the label. Oh well.

“Wait a second, Eren. Don’t drink it so fast.”

Eren cocks his head to the side. “Hmm? Why not?”

Shaking his head, Levi takes Eren’s glass out of his hands and places it on the small coffee table next to the sofa. “You’ll end up drunk if you drink another glass of this. It’s pretty strong if you’re not used to drinking it regularly.”

“Oh, I see.” Eren lowers his gaze, biting his lip. Slightly embarrassed if he has to admit.

“Hey,” Levi says and cups Eren’s burning cheeks with both hands. “I wouldn’t mind if you were drunk, theoretically, but it would be a shame if I couldn’t touch you tonight.”

Eren blinks briefly, breath hitching in his throat. Did Levi really just say those words? This must be a dream.

Without any warning, he leans forward and hesitantly locks their lips together, testing the waters before he pulls away.

The kiss seemed to ignite something inside of them that had been locked up ever since they day they met as they start devouring each other. Teeth clashing and tongues colliding and desperate for control as Eren runs his hand through Levi’s hair, scraping his undercut before he entangles his fingers into his dark locks. Moaning when Levi’s hands slither under his shirt and over his naked torso, feeling like fire on his skin.

“Bedroom.” Levi orders between pants and kisses, and raises both of them off the coach. Eren’s legs firmly wrap around his waist. “Which way?”

Eren shamelessly ruts his hips against Levi’s stomach and moans when the cop grazes his teeth over his jawline and attacks his neck, sucking on his sweet spot. “Hallway. Right door.”

They stumble into the room but Levi manages to drop Eren down gently on top of the bed. Wasting no time to get rid of his own shirt as he straddles Eren’s hips and kisses his neck again. Licking a hot stripe over his pulsepoint before he nips at the sensitive skin and grinds it between his teeth.

Eren moans at the attention, hands roaming over Levi’s abs, hips jutting upwards. Creating the much-needed friction they’ve both been craving. “F- Fuck.”

Levi quickly gets rid of Eren’s shirt and jeans, leaving him in his boxers as he throws the rest on the floor. Giving Eren no time to collect himself as he runs the flat of his tongue over the defined length, fabric rough on his tongue.

“Oh my God.” Eren moans and entangles his fingers into Levi’s hair. Breath hitching at the back of his throat when Levi lowers his boxers. Taking the elastic between his teeth, pulling it down and freeing his cock from its confinement.

Levi glances at Eren, giving him the time to say ‘stop’ if he wants to, and waits for his cue.

Nodding his head, all air leaves Eren’s lungs when Levi takes him fully into his mouth. Cock hitting the back of his throat before he starts bobbing his head up and down, running his tongue over the underside of his length. Fuck he’s really good. If he keeps it up like this he’s going to come within minutes. Shit.

Levi releases him with a pop, “Uhm, Eren?”

Confused, Eren raises his head off the mattress. Heavy lidded and panting harshly. “Huh?”

“I think we have an audience.”

“What?” Eren asks before he looks at the open door. His cat wagging its tail in the doorframe. Shrieking, he quickly covers himself with his hands. “Oh my God, Titan!”

“Titan?” Levi’s eyes falter between Eren and his overly curious cat. “Please don’t tell me he likes to watch.”

Groaning, Eren pinches the bridge of nose and wiggles free from under Levi’s hold. “No, he’s just- I don’t know. I have no explanation for this.” He sighs and gets up from the bed, completely embarrassed and shoos his cat away. “Get out, you damn mood killer.”

Damned cat.

After closing the door, he turns his attention back to Levi and briefly forgets how to breathe. The cop is leaning against the bedframe, moonlight shining straight onto his abs and making Eren’s mouth water.

“Eren?”

He shakes his head, grateful Levi probably won’t be able to see him blushing uncontrollably.” Sorry, I got distracted.”

Levi lets out a puff of air and smirks. “I take that as a compliment. Now come back here.”

“It was meant as such.” Eren winks and crawls on the bed, chuckling under his breath. Lips teasingly brushing over Levi’s lips as he straddles his waist.

“Really now?” Levi purrs and latches onto Eren’s neck in response, leaving a sloppy suck under his ear and nips at his jawline. “I could’ve sworn I saw you blush like an idiot.”

Eren lets his head lull back, eyes rolling back into his skull when Levi slowly starts stroking his cock. He licks his lips, “Nope. Maybe you need to get your eyes checked. “

Chuckling lowly in Eren’s ear, Levi gives him a few quick pumps before he massages the two round globes of his ass. Fingers ghost between his cheeks.

Taking the hint, Eren leans to his side and rummages through the nightstand. Taking out a bottle of lube and a condom, and placing it on the bed.

“Eager are we?” Levi smirks smugly.

Eren grins and bites his lip. “Very. Now, get me ready.”

“Ohh, bossy bottom huh?” Levi wets his lips and pours a gentle amount of lube on his fingers. Coating them, rubbing them together to warm up the mixture and wasting no time to start teasing Eren’s hole. “I like that.”

Eren, now long past the point of feeling any shame, lets out a high-pitched moan when Levi’s slick digit breaches his entrance. Always loving that burning stretch, he pushes down and starts rolling his hips while kissing Levi, moaning and panting heavily against his mouth when he adds a second finger.

“Fucking hell, Eren. You’re fucking gorgeous,” Levi groans and keeps thrusting his fingers in and out his tight hole.

Eren smiles lazily, hands falling onto Levi’s shoulders, looking for leverage, when he pushes down onto his prostate. Abusing it to the point he can’t think straight and turns into a blabbering, whining mess. Panting Levi’s name against his lips. “Levi. More. ”

“More?” Levi teases and withdraws his fingers, leaving Eren’s hole twitching and empty.

Before Eren has time to protest, Levi slides his cock between his cheeks. Slick with lube and precome.

“Fuck.” Eren curses and snaps his head forward, eyes boring into Levi’s skull, he loses his patience. “Yes. More.”

Eyes wide and mouth hanging open, Levi watches Eren reach for the condom and rip the wrapper open with his teeth.

He reaches behind him, skillfully rolling the latex over Levi’s engorged cock and gives a few, efficient pumps.

Levi shudders and Eren loses his last piece of self-restraint when he sees the cop briefly lose himself to pleasure. So fucking hot.

Drizzling a generous amount of lube on his palm, Eren slicks up Levi’s length. Wasting no time to line Levi’s cock up with his entrance and pushing his hips down. He bites his lip to the point he’s almost breaking the skin, loving that mixture of pleasure and pain as his hole burns from adjusting to Levi’s thick length.

Levi lets out a low moan when he’s seated all the way inside. Black strands of hair plastered across his forehead, pink hue colouring his cheeks. “Going to ride me, huh?”

“I always like a challenge.” Eren grins and maneuvers his body so his nails are digging into Levi’s thighs, keeping him steady as he snaps his hips up, only to slam down again. “Shit.”

Levi sucks in a sharp breath when Eren starts rolling his hips in earnest, setting up a bruising pace that’ll leave his hole sore for days. He grips onto Eren’s hips and starts thrusting upwards. Meeting every snap of Eren’s hips, the sound of skin slapping against skin echoing through the entire room.

Despite his knees trembling, feeling as if they’re going to snap under the force of his thrusts, Eren keeps bouncing on Levi’s lap. All air leaving his body when Levi wraps his hand around his throbbing length, stroking him in unison with his unforgiving pace. Heat starting to pool in the pit of stomach, warning for his fast approaching climax. “Fuck, I’m-“

“Me too,” Levi rasps, fingers digging so hard in Eren’s thighs they’ll surely be leaving marks. “fuck, Eren.”

Suddenly, Levi’s hips stutter and his eyes roll back. He calls out Eren’s name with a sprained cry and it’s enough to push over the edge as well. His release splashing hot between them and onto the cop’s chest.

Catching his breath, Eren lets his body fall down on Levi’s torso, not caring about the mess. Levi’s softening cock slipping out of him as they lay together, panting heavily, eyes fluttering shut.

It’s dawn when Eren awakes, sun shining bright onto his face through the open curtain. He’s tucked in bed, clean, and with his boxers back on. The smell of coffee and something sweet filling up his nostrils.

It takes him a moment to recollect his thoughts, the vivid images of last night flashing before his eyes.

With a proud grin, he gets up from the bed and shuffles towards his living room, finding Levi cooking breakfast in nothing but sweatpants. Wait, were that his sweats?

“’Morning.” Levi nods and Eren cannot help but smirk when he sees the trail of purple lovebites across his neck.

Biting his lip, Eren winks. “’Morning.” He leans onto the kitchen counter, not caring about the morning wood he sports in his boxers. Quirking an eyebrow when Levi hands him a steaming cup of coffee. “Coffee? Really?”

Levi shakes his head, smirking smugly. “Just try it.”

Brows furrowing, Eren takes a sip of his cup. Eyes widening as the liquid rolls over his tongue, tickling his taste buds. “One question. How?”

“Would you believe me if I said I used to be a barista back in college?” Levi grins and leans his back against the counter, arms crossed over his chest.

“Nuhuh.” Eren stares at him with open mouth. “You’re lying. You hate coffee.”

“A policeman never lies,” Levi retorts quickly, clearly enjoying himself, “and put some clothes on, that dick is too tempting.”

Eren grins and swirls around, swaying his hips as he strolls towards his bedroom. A mischievous smirk curling on his lips when he hears Levi curse under his breath and follow his footsteps.

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Space Sapphics with Swords  - Valkyrie & Gamora // Valmora 

Cover By: @babybluepeaches

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Chapter 1

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A/N: Hey girls, gays, and nerds! My name is Michael-Michelle. I’m little nerdy 17-year-old bi wlw who loves writing. This is my first fanfiction in a while. I have also never read GOTG or Valkyrie fanfic, but trust me, I’m trying. Gamora and Valkyrie are my absolute favorite MCU characters (besides the Black Panther and Spider-Man characters).  I love them and based on the similarities between their backstories, cinematic characterization, the fact that Gamora is somewhere on the fluid-sexuality-hella-gay spectrum in my head, and Valkyrie is canonly bi,  I thought it only made sense that the two of them would date and have a beautiful connection. 

Special Thanks: @starsandsupernovae @storibambino @natashalieromanov @dramaqueenamby  (These lovely ladies either helped me with writing advice, coming up with ideas and/or  being a beta reader. Thank you so much)

Tags: @probablysapphic  @accurate-incorrect-marvel-quotes @verycorrectavengersquotes  @bannerkhov @lyricxavierlove @musicals-and-emo-music @comfysapphics @rosepetalrichie @hallowyn @hadesapphic @artemisthevalkyrie @theadultdemon @mariel-wtf  @ginger-chesire-cat @remembe-rr @beepboopblu @nebulapologist @bluearrow126 @sergio-so @wine-mom-of-nine-boys @joey8song @stripes2607 @elliesdinaa @whisky-adventures @hamushino @superswimluv @mxlti-fangirl @peter-bi-quill @hettolandija @general-geya @puggleplayer124 @belissimabitch @psychopat70 @annecraycray @spearcast @loveisevely @starsandsupernovae @rebellionrogers @higheverwave @theywontletmeusetheoneiwant @flourished-in-blotts @thenerdyjew @slythxr @widowout @sohotthateveryonedied @youshiverwhenyouhearmyname @bisexual-unicorn0 @magicalhudson @umniyah-s @vr1nda @dayzor @yuki-stark-22 @supremestoverlord @eluwutime @thanos-is-a-grape @thequeerpeer @liketotallynat @anonymousrobinhooqueer @insyndiar @levi-snk @isolemnlysweardanhasnolife @sasha-drakonov @mistycreature @your-anonymous-bitch @sliver-wolf-karma @whereiscarmensanfrancisco @too-shook @centerpointstation @trashyhipsterfangirl @huhawkeye @happywlwsuggestions @fairies-midwife @fantastic-fantasy-fanfics @daughterofavaloncosplays @shabalaarr @deathbystarlight @blackblerddev @autoboty @jellyheart

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Gamora sat quietly aboard The Milano behind Peter Quill as she observed the fireworks that were vibrantly out in space to commemorate his father, Yondu the Ravager. He sat in his captain’s chair silently sulking over the recent loss. She silently fondled with her green nails as she pondered about the fact that if he had just listened to her when she warned him about the cavern filled with skeletons on Ego’s planet, this all could’ve been avoided. Her internal dialogue was quickly interrupted. The hologram com system rang, as a call came through.

‘’What the hell..’’ Gamora overheard Peter scowl. He slowly hit the receive button, and the transmission came through, the hologram popping up and then came Irani Rael's face.  "Guardians, we need you here urgently- Oh my, what happened?" The Nova Prime asked, seeing Quill's deadened face. Quill scowled, his face hardening.  "None of your business," he shouted.

 Gamora quickly sprinted from her chair and clamped her hand over his mouth before he could finish his sentence. "Um. My Apologies, he's just lost somebody important to him, I hope you aren't offended. How urgent is this business?" She explained to Irani Rael before noticing a dazed anger across Quill’s face, the same as when he shouted at her to be happy for him since he finally found his family. Gamora removed her hands from his mouth.

Irani Rael blinked, "Oh... I'm sorry for your loss..." "No, you aren't!" Quill yelled, about to throw a punch at the hologram, his fist about to go through it, before Gamora caught his hand in midair. Peter ignored her hand before continuing his tirade, "You just want my fucking help!" She sensed it was a bad idea to pursue further and switched back to the main reason for calling. "How long will it take you to arrive here?" Rocket and Drax had just walked in as the question was asked, being led by Groot who Gamora had told to run and get them. "Maybe a couple of days at best?" Gamora explained. Ro The Nova Prime sounded confused. "Where in the universe even are you?" "In the middle of nowhere," Quill spat out bitterly. "But we're not in Knowhere, we're-" Drax blinked in confusion as Quill quickly cut him off. "He means Nowhere important ," he amended his statement, glaring at Drax. "Well, please arrive here as soon as possible, we have a situation that has to be resolved quickly," she said, glancing at the four of them, and at Quill last. "I am Groot?" the sapling asked, holding his branchy hand above a screen that was already set to Xandar. Apparently, he'd already forgotten about what had happened last time. "No!" The four all yelled, as the sapling brought his hand down on the screen and their wild ride began.

         †††                        

Scrapper 142 better known as Valkyrie leads the way down a narrow lime green hallway through a Sakaarian building with Thor and Bruce Banner following close behind her. She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and sighed. She was about to reluctantly reveal moderately intimate details about herself to the brother of the murderous goddess of death who killed her fellow Valkyries and a man she felt an odd connection with but only met minutes prior. ‘’Look, I’ve spent years in a haze, trying to forget my past. Sakaar seemed like the best place to drink and forget, and to die one day.’’

"I was thinking that you drink too much, and that probably was gonna kill you..’’ Thor replies.

They arrive at a door to their destination.‘’I don’t plan to stop drinking. But I don’t wanna forget. I can’t turn away anymore, so if I’m gonna die, well, it may as well be driving my sword through the heart of that murderous hag.’’ Valkyrie proclaims a smirk spreading across her lips. ‘’So, I’m saying that I wanna be on the team,’’ she confesses, taking Thor up on his previous offer. ‘’Has it got a name?’’ Valkyrie questions.

‘’Yeah, it’s called the Revengers.’’ Thor and Bruce mutter.

‘’Revengers?’’ Valkyrie scoffs.

‘’Because I’m getting revenge. You’re getting revenge.’’ Thor explains. Valkyrie ponders the name with a satisfied expression. ‘’Do you want revenge?’’ Thor asks Bruce. ‘’I’m undecided,’’ Bruce mutters.

‘’Also, I’ve got a peace offering,’’ Valkyrie exclaims proudly. She opens the front door to her apartment revealing - Loki. He is as restrained as anyone could be, sitting in the middle of the apartment with a dozen chains around him.

‘’Surprise’’ Loki shouts. Thor tosses a bottle. It bounces off of Loki’s head. ‘’Ow’’ Loki exclaims in pain.

‘’Just had to be sure.’’  Thor jokes dryly. Thor walks further to Valkyrie’s apartment which reveals Bruce.

‘’Hello, Bruce’’ Loki cordially greets.

‘’So, last time I saw you, you were trying to kill everybody. Where are you at these days?’’ Bruce sarcastically asks.

‘’It varies from moment to moment,’’ Loki replies. Val’s apartment is a shithole. Bottles everywhere, blood-spattered clothes in the corner, a knife in the wall, etc. Banner gives Thor a look like “she might be crazy.” Thor responds with a “No, she’s cool” gesture.

Valkyrie lays something on a table. Unwraps it to reveal an  old Asgardian sword. Thor’s eyes go wide as she sharpens it.

‘’Is that... a Dragonfang?’’ Thor asks, his eyes reminiscent of a child’s on Christmas morning.

‘’It is.’’ Valkyrie coldly answers, still trying to adjust to welcoming memories of Asgard into her conscience.

‘’My God. This is the famed sword of the Valkyrie,’’ Thor says, still fixated on the sword, gleefully balancing it on his fingers.

Valkyrie walks to the other side of her apartment, becoming annoyed with the side conversations, and decides to change the subject back to the matter at hand. "So, Sakaar and Asgard are about as far apart as any two systems. Our best bet's the wormhole right outside city limits. We can refuel in Xandar, and we should be back in Asgard in about... eighteen months?"  

"She is right. Going through the wormhole is the safest and most logical option"

“In case anyone cares what I think, that's a great idea” Loki interjects. “And you’re going to need all the help you can get. I have what you need. I’d suggest you get me out of these chains."  

Valkyrie parted her lips as a smile spreads across her face.  

†† †                                                                        

The ship finally landed in Xandar, Gamora parted her lips trying to catch her breathe, as she was clinging onto the counter. She noticed Drax stood his ground as if nothing was happening at all. ‘’Gravity is nothing, to the mighty Drax,’’ He chuckled. Gamora rolled her eyes and peered over to see Quill grunting, gagging, of exasperation as vomit almost spilled out of his mouth.

Quill tried to land without damaging anything, still feeling lightheaded and dizzy. He gritted his teeth as he looked over at Groot, "This is all your fault." Groot stared at him blankly not registering his frustration.

In that moment, the ship door was opened, Rhomann Dey stood at the door in confusion. "I thought you said you'd only be here in a couple of days." he quickly helped Mantis up, who had fallen to the floor in the passageway. All the Guardians gave each other quick glances as they realized they had all forgotten about Mantis. Quill finally landed on his feet, stumbling and shaking slightly. Almost knocking over Rocket, who held Groot firmly in his hands.  "Hey! Watch it." "I am Groot," was the last thing Quill heard before it all went pitch black. † † †

Gamora whipped her head around as soon as she saw Peter blink his eyes open slowly, gradually taking in his surroundings. He suddenly panicked as he felt cords and equipment attached to his chest and tried to the swipe off the things that were attached to him. ‘’No! Get it off me! Get it off’’

"Hey! Everything's okay, Peter," Gamora gently grabbed his hands and stroked his face. Peter blinked and looked up into Gamora's eyes. She was visibly concerned with a warm reassuring smile across her face….he had never seen that expression on her face before.

He blinked and finally took in his surroundings properly. He averted his eyes from Gamora to the white bed he was laying in, to holograms flickering on the walls. There were little wireless buttons attached to him, connected to the holograms, which were projecting a model of his body and showing his heart rate. Drax suddenly stood up from where he'd been sitting on the floor, to further investigate the model of Peter. "It appears your fragile Terran body could not handle the pressure as well as the Mighty Drax’’ Gamora glared at Drax. "They checked all of us for and only kept him in here because..." she trailed off. "Because of what, Gamora?" Quill demanded, sitting up straight. At that moment, Irani Rael walked into the room. "Oh, good, you're up. We have several questions to ask you, Peter Quill. Please come with us." She indicated that the others could come too, as the Nova Prime's assistant quickly took the things off Peter's body and switched off the holograms. Quill gave the others a confused look as he reluctantly got off the bed and they followed behind Irani Rael.

They followed the Nova Prime, Quill dragging behind slightly, as she led them into the Nova Corps' Mission Control Centre, where they had been when she'd commended their actions in the Battle of Xandar, and informed Quill that he was only half-Terran. He glanced out the windows, grimacing, as the others chose to stand inside the room, and focus on the Nova Prime, except him, who was avoiding her gaze. "Peter," Gamora snapped. "This is important, you idiot." "I don't care," he grumbled, staring out the window, down into the clean and tidy streets of Xandar. The sinking feeling within him was making him want to run back out of the room and leave Xandar never to return. "Oh, yeah, so you had something to tell us?" he quipped impatiently.

“Recently, across every single known planet, there was a great wave of destruction that swallowed up many things." She gestured to the screens where gigantic walls of blue goop suddenly bloomed up and began swallowing up civilization, the holograms projecting the sound of screams and destruction as people ran away in terror. The others, Gamora most of all, remembering the destruction of Zen-Whoberi, stared at the holograms in shocked horror, having not seen what had been actually occurring on other planets while they were on Ego, trying to stop the egotistical planet from destroying the universe. “Oh...my god..." Peter gasped felt his eyes water as he thought about what could have happened if he hadn't resisted his father, if his father hadn't mentioned his friends or family, or if his father hadn't broken his Walkman... He could remember physically feeling Ego spread himself to the other planets, seeing the destruction his father caused with his help, through the tendrils that had drained him of energy... "This happened on Xandar, as well. There were two times when its progress halted, and we were able to analyze what it was then." The Nova Prime looked down at Peter as he looked up slowly. "It was something...something we'd never seen here before. Except in you." Peter felt his heart beat erratically as he frantically stepped away from the Nova Prime, his eyes widened in horror as her words sunk in.

Peter Quill held his hands up, like a barrier between himself and Irani Rael, "In my defense, I was not responsible for anything that happened," he pointed at the screen of blue goop, then sighed. "Okay, maybe I'm somewhat responsible..." he looked down at the floor, thinking of Yondu. "But I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I didn't want it to happen! He used me against my will!" Peter looked up again, looking the Nova Prime directly in the eyes, before frowning. His frown turns into a blank stare then utter confusion.

The Nova Prime continued to further explain and ease Quill’s confusion. "The reason that we called you here, and after hearing what you said just, it does sound like you know what happened. We thought that because you are the Guardians of the Galaxy, you would know something and be the incident, even without your genetics," she nodded to Quill. Quill stared at her. "You made us come all this way just to tell you something, you could have said over a hologram call?" he huffed

"We could have but now that we have seen you in person, we realized it was important to keep an eye on you in a stable, enclosed environment after this incident. We needed to see if you were physically affected by these events."

Peter separated his lips to protest. Irani Rael continued to further clarify, "This is not jail or captivity. You will be free to go once we have determined that you haven't been physically harmed, which may take up to a couple of days to a week." Gamora stepped behind Quill and put her hand on his shoulder. “I think we should do this, just to make sure you're okay." Peter blinked a couple of times. Gamora was acting a lot more caring than usual, and it was weird.

"I think it is a good idea to have your weak Terran body checked over" Drax addressed Quill first. Quill groaned, and held his hand up to his forehead as a little voice piped out, "I am Groot!" Quill tried to ignore Drax looked at the Nova Prime again. "So, this is just temporary, right? And You just want us to give you some information" The Nova Prime nodded, and then Mantis decided to pipe up as well, "I also think it a good idea to stay here. I might be able to help, as well, and I know a lot about Ego." Irani Rael frowned. "Ego..? He actually exists? Was he the cause of all this? Xandar has heard tales...but there are many false legends floating around in the universe." Quill sighed and looked around. "Okay, we'll tell you what happened. But first... Is there anywhere to sit down?" he asked. He knew it would take a while to explain everything. Quill's short version of events which included, "I have a crazy planet as a father who wanted to take over the whole universe and I had to commit patricide to stop him," wasn't satisfactory for the Nova Prime. Drax almost made matters worse by telling the Nova Prime that they'd stolen batteries from the Sovereign after she'd asked them how they'd met Ego.

Gamora came to rescue just in time, with a bare minimum explanation. She recalled that their ship needed repairs so they'd landed, and that was when Ego had passed by and introduced himself. Groot had tried to interject some facts a couple of times, but the Nova Prime and her assistant had struggled to understand his limited vocabulary, Quill explained about agreeing to go to Ego's planet with Gamora and Drax. Mantis spoke up to vice that she'd met them, but recounted that she'd only really been in the company of Ego before, and a couple of his children, once or twice, but never for a long amount of time. "I thought something seemed off, though, about the whole thing, especially when Mantis wanted to tell Drax something, but didn't," Gamora looked over at Mantis. "And then my sister came along and we found a cave with many skeletons lying around. That was when I knew something was wrong." "Wait, what?!" Quill stared at Gamora. He knew Ego had many children... What he hadn't known was their tragic fae that ended in death...

Gamora’s facial expression fluctuated, as a confusion morphed into realization, "I never got to tell you... When we got to you, there was no time to explain." Quill shuddered and shifted in his seat. He swallowed before speaking. "Ego needed the power of two Celestials to pull his plan off, and I couldn’t go along with..." He didn't feel the need to explain what he'd almost done. That he first went along with Ego’s plan or he'd only snapped out of it when he thought about his mother and his friends. Just minor details. Nothing worth mentioning. "And then we arrived and smashed that asshole into the ground with our ship!" Rocket smashed his small fists together gleefully as if it had been his pleasure. "I am Groot!" the tree piped up to protest Rocket’s inaccuracy.  "Yeah, I know it didn't work, shut up, I was getting there," Rocket waved Groot off. "We just had to get a bomb to go off in the core of Ego's planet to destroy him," Quill interjected, pressing his hand to his forehead tiredly. He was visibly agitated and tired of talking.  "We were all in the ship by the time Ego was destroyed, except for Quill, and Yondu..." Gamora trailed off. There was a silence. A beat. "And then Yondu died saving me...," Quill mummbled. Rocket then explained that he'd accompanied them to go save Quill. The Nova Prime processed this information slowly. Yondu the Ravager.  She made a mental note of that name.

Quill pushed his chair out and stood up. "Okay, that's all we have to tell you. We'll be leaving now." He turned and headed towards the door.

"Peter! You know we can't leave yet," Gamora said sternly. "Yes, your fragile Terran body is extremely capable of breaking," Drax added in. "I'm fine!" Peter waved his hand at them. "Stop calling me 'weak' and 'Terran'?" The Nova Prime stud up to address him, "Peter Quill, Wait" she began, "Have you considered what being half-Celestial entails?" Peter blinked at her. "No way. I'm just Terran," he protested. "Ego said that I would be when he died.’’ "Did it occur to you that he was just saying that so that you wouldn't kill him?" Gamora snapped, also standing up. "Yeah, it's not like you stopped being Terran when your mother died," Rocket pointed out. "Don't bring my mom into this!" Quill shouted angrily. "The only thing that concerns her is that she was unlucky enough to fall in love with that asshole!" "I am Groot!" the trree interjected. "Groot is right, there is no way to tell whether your father was telling the truth or not." Drax chimed in.  "And we do not have enough information on Celestials to discern whether what this Ego said is true or not," the Nova Prime added. "You know what? You guys can fuck off" Quill shouted angrily. "I'm a fucking Terran and that's all!" He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him with a bang as he stomped angrily leaving the building. They're all wrong, he thought. Drax stared after him and then turned to the others. "Do you think he will ever accept it?" Rocket shrugged, "Who knows? You nothing ever goes through that thick skull of his." "I am Groot," Groot politely reminded Rocket that the same applied to him. "You can just - shut your sap hole, alright" Rocket growled. Gamora looked to Mantis, who shuffled her feet a little. She was about to speak before deciding not to as her antenna dropping slightly. The Nova Prime sighed. "After hearing what you've just told us, I fear what might happen if he doesn't accept himself... If only we had more information about half-Celestials... We didn't even know they could exist," she admitted. "We should go after him," Gamora decided. "Before he kills himself like the idiot he is," Rocket added. "It shouldn't be that hard, considering he is half-Terran," Drax pointed out. "Oh c’mon, are you still hung up over that?" Rocket asked, exasperated. "What? It's true," Drax blinked. "I give up on the both of you. It seems like I always have to be the mature one around here" Gamora scowled and headed off to find Quill.

As Gamora walked through the streets of Xandar in search of Peter Quill, for what seemed like forever, her feet and ankles began to ache with pain. It was as if the lack of sleep due to the Guardians most recent adventures from defeating Ego, to Yondu’s death, and now this unexpected trip Xandar was all catching up to her. Gamora yawned and rubbed her heavy eyelids. She stopped in the middle of her tracks as she noticed a small bar on the corner.  

"Peter can wait. I need a drink first"

†††    

‘’If we’re going with my plan, we need another ship. The wormhole will tear mine to pieces’’ Valkyrie speaks up.

‘’She’s right. We need one that can withstand the geodetic strain from the singularity.’’ Thor nods in agreement. Banner gives Thor a quizzical look.‘’And has an offline power steering system that could also function without the onboard computer.’’ Bruce proposes, looking between Thor and Valkyrie for approval.

‘’And we need one with cup holders because we’re gonna die. So, drinks!’’ Valkyrie boasts while smiling and cheerfully holding up a bottle

‘’What do you say, doctor? Uncharted metagalactic travel through a volatile cosmic gateway. Talk about an adventure.’’ Thor offers Banner before the two of them high five.

‘’We need a ship’’ Banner points out.

‘’There are one or two ships, absolute top-of-the-line models-’’ Valkyrie begins to reply.

Loki interjects the conversation while sitting a few feet away, still held captive in chains.‘’I don’t mean to impose, but the Grandmaster has a great many ships. I may even have stolen the access codes to his security system.’’

All eyes turn to Loki. Valkyrie throws her bottle at him. It smashes above his head. Loki winces.

‘’And suddenly you’re overcome with an urge to do the right thing.’’ Valkyrie raises an eyebrow, setting her hands on her hips

Loki chuckles a devious smile. ‘’Heavens, no. I’ve run out of favor with the Grandmaster. And in exchange for codes and access to a ship, I’m asking for safe passage through the wormhole’’

‘’You’re telling us you can get us access into the garage without setting off any alarms?’  Thor steps forward in Loki’s direction, intrigued by his brother’s offer.

‘’Yes, brother. I can.’’

Banner whistles drawing Thor and Valkyrie’s attention. The three of them huddle together, debating Loki’s offer.‘’Okay, can I just... A quick FYI, I was just talking to him just a couple minutes ago and he was totally ready to kill any of us.’’

‘’He did try to kill me.’’ Valkyrie concurs.

Thor huddles closer and chimes into the conversation with a horrific childhood memory.‘’Yes, me too. On many, many occasions. There was one time when we were children, He transformed himself into a snake, and he knows that I love snakes. So, I went to pick up the snake to admire it and he transformed back into himself and he was like, “Yeah, it’s me!” And he stabbed me. We were eight at the time.’’ Banner shakes head in disgust as a horrified look leaves his face. Valkyrie furrows her eyebrows and doesn’t seem the least bit impressed. Loki suppresses a smile.

‘’If we’re boosting a ship, we’re gonna need to draw some guards away from the palace,’’ Valkyrie explains in Thor’s direction

‘’Why not set the beast lose?’’ Loki mutters, his eye staring at the floor.

‘’Shut up.’’ Thor points his fingers and adverts his attention to Loki

‘’You guys have a beast?’’ Valkyrie questions, smiling excitedly from ear to ear.

‘’No, there’s no beast. He’s just being stupid. We’re going to start a revolution.’’ Thor mumbles

‘’Revolution?’’ Banner asks

‘’I’ll explain later.’’ Thor whispers, glancing at Banner

‘’Who’s this guy again?’’ Valkyrie questions, motioning to Banner

‘’I’ll explain later.’’

†††    

Korg sits with his cellmates. He’s talking to Miek. ‘’Is that some sort of protoplasm, all the stuff that’s coming out of you? Or are they eggs? Looks like eggs.’’ He asks Miek, as a purple like liquid spills out of him.

Suddenly the obedience disk of Korg and his cellmates powers down and stops glowing. As Korg stands up, another rock falls off of his body and Valkyrie appears at the door to his cell. She marches inside while holding a high-tech rifle. ‘’I’m looking for Korg.’’

‘’Who’s asking? I know you’re asking. Is anyone else asking, or is it just you?’’

Valkyrie tosses him the high-tech rifle. ‘’The Lord of Thunder sends his best.’’

Korg proudly catches the rifle, ‘’The revolution has begun…’’

-                            

Inside the Warsong ship Valkyrie is all focus, as she fires shot after shot, trying to keep the Grandmaster at bay, and flies across Asgard. Banner nervously sits shotgun. ‘’Good shot!’’ Banner compliments.

‘’Thanks.’’

-

Thor’s ship and Valkyrie’s ship now zip through the city in tandem. On the horizon, we can see the Statesman, the enlarged Grandmaster, and his Riot Control team raining down hell on the revolting prisoners.

Inside the commodore ship Thor sits in the pilot’s seat. Valkyrie comes in over the radio. ‘’Open the doors.’’ She commands. Thor looks over the console and flips a switch.

While Inside the Warsong ship, Valkyrie steers down, dropping altitude. Her whole ship spins upside down, yet her cockpit is still right-side up. Valkyrie turns to Banner and chuckles, ‘’I hope that you’re tougher than you look.’’

‘’Why?’’ Banner turns to her unaware of what’s to come.

Valkyrie maxes out the throttle. The ship accelerates. When she’s under Thor’s ship, Valkyrie presses the eject button and Banner is launched upward into the sky and out of the ship. He begins to flare his arms all around and a shrieking scream leaves his mouth.

Thor sits at the controls inside the Commodore. An incoming scream of increasing volume can be heard. “aaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH’’ Banner is shot up into the ship and has a rough landing. He struggles to stand as he grabs onto the floor and crawls into the ship.

Thor chuckles at his friend and then returns his focus back to the piloting the ship. The ship is being fired upon by another pursuit vehicle.

‘’Hey Loki’’ Bruce waves in Loki’s direction. ‘’Wait, why are still tied up -?’’ Bruce raises an eyebrow. ‘’Brother tried to kill me again while we were distracting the guards. The chains are for safe measure.’’ Thor shouts over his shoulder from the cockpit.

‘’Hi, I’m Korg and this is my friend Miek. It’s nice to meet ya. Here for the revolution.’’ Bruce turns to his right and jumps back as Korg addresses him. He gives a tight-lipped smile and a nod in Korg’s direction. Banner turns his direction to the floor as rocks fall off of Korg’s body. ‘’Thor...Who is he again?’’

‘’He’s a friend that I met in the contest of champions. I’ll explain later’’

‘’Shouldn’t we be shooting back or something?’’ Banner asks, trying to catch his breath as he’s finally able to stand upright.

‘’Yes, we should,’’ Thor confirms. He realizes they’re going to need some help to win this battle. ‘’Where are the guns on this ship?’’ he asks Valkyrie, into the radio.

‘’There aren’t any. It’s a leisure vessel.’’ Valkyrie answers back between firing shots.’’Grandmaster uses it for his good times, orgies and stuff’’

Thor and Banner look around. The ceiling has mirrors on it and the floor is covered in a Sakaarian Persian rug. ‘’Did she just say the Grandmaster uses it for orgies?’’ Banner yells from behind Thor. ‘’Yeah. Don’t touch anything.’’ Thor replies, trying to get rid of the fire from behind.

Valkyrie’s ship is hit. She rotates the cockpit to face backward and opens fire, taking out the attacking chase-ship. But now in Val’s cockpit... Sparks. Smoke. Alarms. In the distance, Valkyrie clocks the Grandmaster’s Riot Ship raining terror down on the masses. A look of determination as she pops the hatch above - her ship is now a convertible.

Warsong zooms out from under Thor’s ship, still accelerating. Valkyrie has turned her ship into a missile, and its trajectory is the Grandmaster’s riot control ship! Grandmaster is still taunting his former captives below when suddenly, Warsong slams into the Statesman, specifically the Grandmaster’s projection! Enlarged Grandmaster stumbles, struggling to maintain his balance.

Warsong explodes while the Statesman is knocked off kilter and goes down for a hard landing in the market!

Thor and Banner witness the fiery explosion of Valkyrie’s kamikaze flight path. ‘’NO’’ Thor paincks. His heart sinks and sadness falls over him for a second. And then he notices a spec coming out of the explosion. All of a sudden, Valkyrie hits the ship’s windshield and grabs hold as residual smoke wafting off of her.

Thor pilots the ship out of the city into the Wastelands as six Sakaarian fighter ships race after them information. The fight proceeds as the ships battle across the Wastelands and then out over the Sakaarian Ocean.

Valkyrie is still on the windshield. A beat and a shot of gunfire. One of the pursuing ships wings the Commodore, causing it to lurch. ‘’Get inside!’’ Thor mouths to Valkyrie, squinting his eyes to see her as he fights the Sakaaran sunlight blaring against the ship’s windows.

‘’In a minute!’’ Valkyrie yells back. She pulls herself up and then runs down the roof of the ship. Thor and Banner follow the thumping of her footsteps. In full sprint, Valkyrie leaps off and lands hard on the lead Sakaarian ship. She begins tearing into the enemy ship with her bare hands!

Thor and Banner exchange a look. A beat. Thor motions for Banner to take his place as pilot of the ship and leaps out of the chair, ‘’I should probably go and help.’’ Thor abruptly exits, leaving Banner at the ship’s controls. ‘’Here, take the wheel.’’

Banner takes a seat, but shakes his head in protest, ‘’No. I don’t know how to fly one of these.’’

‘’You’re a scientist. Use one of your PhDs.’’ Thor encourages.

‘’None of them are for flying alien spaceships!’’

-

Thor leaps into the middle of the high-speed battle. Thor and Valkyrie seem almost superhuman, as the two Asgardians begin jumping between their pursuer’s ships, taking out guns, engines, and pilots with their bare hands.

Thor rips out an engine block and uses it to crush a pilot. Valkyrie drags her blades down the entire underbelly of a ship before backflipping to another. The two of them go back and forth, passing each other mid-flight a few times. One by one the Sakaarian ships go down.

Banner is frantically steering the ship, doing his best to dodge all the incoming fire. He peels away and is followed by Topaz, who is in her own chase-ship. Banner notices a button with a little explosion icon. ‘’Okay, come on. There’s gotta be a gun on this thing. That looks like a gun.’’ He frantically mutters to himself.  Banner presses the button.

The ship’s lighting changes, like a disco effect. Weird dance music blasts over the PA, followed by Grandmaster’s voice. ‘’It’s MY BIRTHDAY! It’s MY BIRTHDAY! It’s MY BIRTHDAY.’’

Banner is so confused. Then he hears fireworks.

Massive plumes of powder paint shoot out of the ship followed by a huge colorful fireworks display. And then a rainforest’s worth of confetti is dumped from the hull. Topaz is suddenly in the middle of a party smoke screen! She tries to fly her way through all the fireworks and streamers, but ultimately she hits a hard crash landing in the ocean.

‘’Yeah!’’ Banner smiles to himself

Meanwhile, Thor and Valkyrie land together on the one remaining Sakaarian ship. Valkyrie leaks a smile to Thor. Thor yanks off the cockpit cover, Valkyrie tosses the pilot, and together they push forward on the throttle. The ship speeds forward. Just then Banner pulls the Commodore back on the scene, hovering above them. They leap up towards the Commodore’s open doors as the ship crashes and explodes behind them!

Thor and Valkyrie join Banner in the cockpit of the Commodore.

‘’Guys, we’re coming up on the Wormhole’’ Valkyrie shouts. ‘’Here we go!’’

The Commodore ship is swallowed up by the towering nightmare that is the wormhole.

The ship’s onboard computer shorts out. Darkness in the cabin. All around them the hull creaks. They’re under strain.

The Commodore heads toward the end of the wormhole. Debris flies all around. Thor, Valkyrie, Loki, Korg, and Banner are all in extreme pain, as their ship is being torn apart.

-

The ship finally landed in Xandar. The Revengers all crawled to their feet as they made a crash landing. Korg carried Miek as he went to help the other to their feet. At that moment, the ship door was opened, Rhomann Dey stood at the door in confusion. ‘’What do we have here. Another ship with a crash landing? That’s a popular theme today.’’

‘’We’re just traveling through to get to Asgard. We’re fine.’’ Valkyrie spoke, standing up from off the ground. ‘’You all seem to have landed pretty hard. Let’s get you all settled checked out’’ Rhomann Dey waved his hand, dismissing her explanation. Thor, Loki, Bruce, and Korg all followed behind as he led the way. ‘’We’re fine, really’’ Valkyrie shook her head, trying her find her balance.

‘’I need a drink actually. Do you know where a bar is? Ah, nevermind...I’ll find it.’’ Valkyrie limped off to find the nearest bar as the remaining revengers stayed behind.

†††    

Gamora practically bum-rushed her way into the bar, the hard stomp of her boots ringing through the floorboards. This current mission was a lot more stressful than she originally thought. But, right now her focus wasn’t about the mission. It was on alcohol.

The crowd parted to make way for her arrival instantly, partially because of their recollection of her work with the battle of Xandar, but also partially because of the look of utter exhaustion and irritation spread across her face. Gamora threw herself into one of the barstools with an exhale of satisfaction, alleviating the ache in the arches of her feet, before turning towards the bartender. “A beer, please.”

A slow chuckle to her right jolted her out of the thoughts racing about in her brain. “I can’t tell if you just had the best or worst job of your life.”

Gamora couldn’t help but laugh, before turning towards the other woman. “Ugh. A lot has happened in the past few days...I’ve been on some missions...and my ship crash...and now here I am.” She sighed sheepishly towards the ground, raising an eyebrow at the large beer stein in the women’s hands. “What about you. Bad day?”

“On the contrary,” Valkyrie grinned impishly, pursing her lips as she raised her glass in victory. “I had a damn good day. So I’m celebrating.”

Now Gamora was curious, turning in the squeaky barstool to face her. “Celebrating what?”

“If you must know, I successfully avoided getting sucked into a black hole in Sakaar, lead a ship full of three idiot dudes, a robot, and a talking pile of rocks safely to Xandar, and in about eighteen months I will be in Asgard just in time to stab a sword through the bloody dying guts of the ugly hag that ruined my life” Valkyrie replied with a giddy smile.

The bartender returned with Gamora’s drink, Gamora thanked him before returning her attention to the conversation.

“So, what happened on these mission of yours that made your ship crash and made you land here? And where’s the rest of your team”

“What’s with all the questions?”

“I’m a damn good judge of character. You seem like someone I can stand the company of while I’m sober. and I would like some company. That’s rare. I like that.  Plus, I don’t feel like going back to my shipmates right now and I have all night. So, spill”

“Well...My shipmate, he is from Earth and found his biological father. His father needed up being a living planet aiming for universal domination. We killed him, his death has caused destruction on Xandar, and here I am ” Gamora added. “Sometimes I think I’m the only sane member of my team. I just needed a break.”

Valkyrie did not seem the least bit surprised by Gamora’s travels. Gamora assumed by her reaction, she had experienced something similar.

Valkyrie nearly snorted into her beer mug. “I assume that there’s nothing out of the ordinary or odd about you?” She stared drunkenly into Gamora’s eyes searching for a response.

Gamora slammed down her bottle a little harder than necessary on the bar. “You don’t know me,” she warned, her eyes darkening. Valkyrie was surprised that the outburst was brought on through sobriety. Gamora had only taken a couple sips of beer.

“Relax, I didn’t mean anything by it.” Valkyrie waved a hand in her general direction as if it explained everything she was trying to convey. “And I mean, I’d like to...to get to know you”

“I’m not really the sharing type” Gamora laughed, trying to lighten the tone that was sharper she intended, though Valkyrie didn’t seem all that offended. “Neither, I am but like I said, I’ve got all night.”

Valkyrie stared down her mug for a moment, swishing it around with a flick of her wrist. She seemed almost mesmerized by the movement. Gamora inferred by the numerous finished bottles next to her that she was inebriated.

“I remember you mentioned Asgard earlier. Is that where you came from? Are you Asgardian?” Gamora asked, breaking Valkyrie’s trance. “Yeah, I hated it there. Most of them are conceited.  The whole damn history is based on family feud and ego.” Valkyrie took another generous swig. “Yeah, ‘Asgardian pride’ my ass.”

When Valkyrie seemed like she wasn’t going to elaborate, Gamora instead turned in her stool to face the rest of the bar, observing the other people around here. Some people were playing darts, and others were engrossed in conversation at the pool tables.

“And what about before Sakaar?” Gamora asked reverting her attention back to Valkyrie. “I’ve heard tales of it...but I’ve never been there.”

“I moved to Sakaar...after leaving Asgard,” Valkyrie said and continued. “I never really had a problem there. I had more freedom there, honestly. It’s just that the freedom was weird. The Grandmaster always favored me as his best scrapper. But, I could never to go long without a find or there would be consequ-”

Very suddenly, midway through her thought, a sobering look passed her face, her eyes somewhat glassy as she fixated on some random spot behind the bar. Gamora turned to see if she could tell what Valkyrie was looking at, but she was simply just staring off into space. Valkyrie starred directly at the wall into space while continuing her trai of thought, “Valkyrie. Valkyrie is my name. Well, my nickname. It’s the title I had back on Asgard. I led a battalion of women called the Valkyrie who would guide the fallen to Valhalla. And, one day, we had to battle Hela. It didn’t end well.”

“Meaning…” Gamora asked, although her mind already arrived at the most probable conclusion.

“Meaning I’m the only one left...Just like you.” She slammed her mug viciously against the counter, as beer spilled everywhere.

“You know, I’ve been around for awhile. I’ve seen a lot and heard a lot. I’ve heard about you. The ‘deadliest woman in the galaxy’, isn’t that what they call you? And didn’t you lost your family? I know a little bit of what that’s like.”

Gamora could feel her fingernails digging into her palms, though she knew Valkyrie didn’t mean any harm. That was a personal gripe with her identity that needed to be dealt with. Maybe she did have more in common with this stranger in the bar than she realized. She could tell from the way that she spoke of her past life, Valkyrie was recovering from years and years of trauma, just trying to survive, just like her. Gamora remembered that feeling before she had the Guardians. And now being apart of the Guardians had made her more comfortable, being susceptible to love, and people that genuinely care. She could tell Valkyrie would need time to get to that point herself, and people that would put in that time to help. Gamora wanted to be that person.

“It’s not something I like to relive,” Gamora murmured. “And I imagine the same goes for you.”

“I had to watch her sacrifice herself...right in front of me.” Valkyrie glanced at Gamora, “My...my girlfriend.” She then let out an unsettlingly painful laugh. “Why am I telling you this? God, I must be really fucking drunk.’’

“We don’t have to talk about all this now,” Gamora offered with a kind smile. She was admittedly incredibly curious, but it wasn’t the right time, the right place, and neither of them were in the right state of mind. Her own thoughts were feeling muddled as her brain felt buzzed.

“Good, because I don’t want to,” Valkyrie said shortly, though not unkindly. “Tell me, is there anything fun to do around here? I haven’t been in Xandar in awhile. I have already been to all the places that serve good alcohol on this planet, but what if I want to just fight? Not for my life, but just for the fun of it I love a good sparring match.”

Gamora smiled a little at this. She had never fought simply for the fun of it. Only to stay alive and see another day. The thought of it was fun. Her thoughts than lingered to how uneasy Valkyrie had seemed just moments ago. It was obviously uncomfortable and sensitive territory. She brought herself back to reality and out of her haze.

“I don’t. But, if I find any, I will be sure to let you know. You seem like the kind of person that’s good with a sword.”

“Thank you,” Valkyrie nodded. She leaned in a little, poking Gamora in the shoulder with a single finger. It was clear that if she wasn’t before, she was well on her way to being tipsy. “Y’know what, Gamora? You’re not so bad. You’ve got a real hard edge, but I could get used to someone like that.”

As Valkyrie leaned in to poke, Gamora starred closely at the woman. She had a face that was stunningly beautiful, a beautiful mischievous child-like smile, wise but warm eyes, accompanied by amazing muscles and an unforgettable confidence.

Valkyrie starred closely at Gamora and studied her as she leaned in to poke her. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with mysterious eyes, amazing bone structure, vibrant ombre hair, and an effortlessly badass aura.

“Keep in contact?” Gamora asks, bringing them both out of their respective trances. “I could use someone outside of the crew on my ship.”

“As could I,” Valkyrie says. “Especially someone as gorgeous as you.” Gamora smiles for a second.

“Thank you,” Gamora replies. “I will see you soon, Valkyrie.”  Gamora gets up from her bar stool, pays her tab, and lays a small piece of paper on the counter with her contact information inside.

The name Valkyrie had never sounded as perfect than it did coming from Gamora’s lips. Even more perfect than Valkyrie's favorite weapons.

Valkyrie let out a nervous hearty laugh, to distract from her notable flirting a couple moments ago.

“One more?”

“Sure,” Gamora replied, shortly before returning to her barstool and getting a refilled bottle, as did Valkyrie, to clink their beers.

“Cheers.”

(photo credit: @gyllent)

-

A/N: Updates will be every Wednesday. This and the next two to three chapters will all be set up for what’s to come.  I included a good chunk of Ragnarok to refresh your memory. GOTG2 takes place in 2014 but please suspended belief that it and Ragnarok both take place in 2016,  for sake of this story.  Thank you so much for reading!

[sterek-roundrobinchallenge]

Chapter 2: Forget Him (or not)

Author: @allducksloveloveloveme

Team: #3

Ship(s): Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore

Summary: Stiles hits the club with Lydia and Jackson, in search of someone-- anyone really-- and all but drops the search, until...

------------------------------

Stiles stumbles into his apartment-- as he usually does-- exhausted but satisfied after a long, long day.

It's true that he loves his job-- the hustle bustle of college life seeping into the stable coziness of Moon Bites, that place is made for him, just as he is made for it-- but occasionally (like today) his social battery runs out too soon, and the crowd thickens just enough to get just annoying enough, and it seems like Isaac goes on just a little bit too long about Cora and whoever her brother is-- and that is when Stiles just fucking wants someone to come home to.

He wants to rant his heart out about idiot, rude rude customers who think the service sector is beneath being polite to; to have tea ready-- because fuck knows he is done with coffee-- at home so that he can relax and be angry in peace. Someone to gush about to Isaac when the business is too boring.

Its this exact thought that makes him just this side of determined to find someone-- anyone really, it doesn't have to be Hottie Hale, who is turning out to be more and more Stiles's type, not that he's been cataloguing or anything, of course, but the point still stands, so now there's only one thing left to do--

You, 7:36: dark hours, @ 9???????

Lyds, 7:38: Don't type like a heathen.

Lyds, 7:39: And yes of course.

_____________________________________

Dark Hours is one of those places you expect to be a seedy, shady club smelling of booze and piss and all manner of disgusting fluids-- but then maybe because of the terribly low expectations levied on it-- which it exceeds by miles by the way, with it's plush VIP area, reasonably-priced drinks, and what appears to be a creatures of the night theme, hence the name-- its become their frequent haunt.

As soon as he steps inside, and spots her, Lydia-- who is wearing what have got to be a pair of the most impractical heels ever-- smirks, puts down her Bloody Mary, and goes, "So, Stiles. What are you wearing?"

That's it. No Hey long time! or even a simple Hi, just straight into their brand of companionship: being a bitch.

Stiles tries not to be offended-- which is hard because he looks hot, he knows he does, in fact that is exactly why Lydia asked, she just fucking wants to hear him say it, of course she does--

"Oh, wait," Jackson picks up, like the giant asshole he is, "dearest Stiles here, wants to meet someone."

Lydia snickers, honest to God, snickers, like its high school all over again, and she's the queen bee.

Stiles scowls at the pair of them. Its ridiculous how they are yet to grow out of their respective high school personas of queen bee and dumb jock, despite being close to a decade out of that shithole of stupidity.

"I'm here to have a good time with my friends, who are being assholes right now, mind you." Stiles retorts. Thats not his best one, but he's trying his best to not crumble under their combined bitchy scrutiny.

Jackson sobers up first, surprisingly, "Hey, buddy, that's just a joke, you know right?" At Stiles's over the top clutching of his chest, he rolls his eyes-- so Stiles knows it's heartfelt-- and continues, "Look, asshole, Lyds and I have been dying for you to hurry up, and meet someone. But neither of us thought you'd lower your standards enough to do so at a club."

Stiles shrugs (heartfelt honesty from Jackson still makes him uncomfortable) just as Lydia scoffs and starts, "I never said he should lower his standards, why should he?" And then she winces, which is still weird, that she can wince, and adds "But, yes, Stiles, you should start actively fucking people."

Stiles doesn't really care for her opinion. Or concern, or whatever her mission is here, which she's clearly roped Jackson into, (because say what you will about him-- he's a jackass, a fucking dunce, a rich douche-- he. Is. Enamored. With. Her.) He has no idea why he's suddenly so willing to settle for a one-night-stand-turned-nobody.

He's already had his fair share of disappointing, pointless one night stands all through college and in his early years of employment, and you know what? No thanks.

"I'm going to the bar, " He tries. It's a peace offering. It's what this friendship is built on practically, offering and accepting peace offerings.

And both of them are smart enough to take it.

Lydia rolls her eyes, though, before she says, "Get me a Banshee's Blood, and Jackson will take another one of his disgusting beers. No offense, babe."

Jackson shrugs. "They're disgusting."

Stiles has heard this exact conversation a billion times, so he mouths along with Lydia. "Then, why, pray tell, do you still drink them?"

He escapes before Jackson says something truly stupid about he likes beers because they're disgusting-- which is exactly what he's going to say, if only to rile Lydia up.

The bar is as crowded as expected at 9-ish at a club as infamous as this one. So he has to wait a substantial amount of time to order, which he spends ogling everyone around him-- hey, just because he's dropped his plans of going home with someone, doesn't mean he can't look.

And that's when he sees him.

He's big. Not tall. He's maybe got an inch or two over Stiles, but by God. He. Is. Big. His shoulders are broad and muscled through his olive green Henley, and Stiles-- he can't wait to see them without it.

And as if, he saw Stiles, he starts to strut closer, and as Stiles stares it becomes very clear that he's strutting towards Stiles. Oh God.

He makes out big, hazel eyes and a light stubble, and oh God, oh God, oh God. He is here.

He's gorgeous. Even through the dim lights and foggy atmosphere of the club, its obvious. He's practically made of gorgeous; star stuff, or whatever. Look, Stiles isn't a poet, but he is in love, it seems.

"Hi," Hazel Eyes starts. Stiles is in love with his voice, it's insane, but it is what it is. "Can I buy you a drink?"

Chapter 1: There’s Nothing Better Than This

Written for @sterek-roundrobinchallenge.

Author: @fanfics-fix.

Team: #3

Ship(s): Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Isaac Lahey/Cora Hale

Tags: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops, Alternate Universe - Human, Professor Derek Hale

Warning(s): none for this piece, i think

Summary:

Stiles owns a Coffeeshop in the campus of Berkeley. Derek is a new Professor in the said University. 

And Isaac knows both of them.

Keep reading