Since their day had been so long, she had foolishly believed that sleep would come easily that night. She was, of course, wrong. Her mind was occupied with worries regarding Lewis, the unnerving eyes of Eren Jaeger, and the fleeting memories of her days spent in the interior. The absence of Erwin didn't do much for her nerves, surprisingly, as the only other person she didn't have to pretend around was now avoiding her. Sighing, she rolled out of bed, the chilly air seeping through her thin nightgown. She threw a blanket around her shoulders hastily, tiptoeing across the hallway. Light was escaping from underneath Levi's door.

She opened the door as slowly and as quietly as she could. The captain was still fully dressed, sitting in the desk chair with his legs crossed. He held a book in one hand, a teacup in the other, and didn't even bother to address her when she entered.

"Hey," she said gently, "What're you reading?"

He looked up at her, his expression blank, and closed the novel. He pushed the book across the desk, a gesture she wasn't expecting, and waited for her to take it.

"There's no title," she realized, turning it over in her hands. "What's it about?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "I've read it nearly ten times, but I've never been able to understand it."

"Why keep reading it then? You don't strike me as the type to care for literary analysis."

He shrugged, taking another sip of his tea.

"Why are you here?" he finally asked.

"I couldn't sleep. I saw the candlelight through the crack in your door. I thought we might be in the same situation, but I'm starting to suspect that you haven't even tried to shut your eyes yet."

He huffed, glancing over at the untouched bed she'd made for him.

"I never asked you to do that."

"A 'thank you' would suffice."

"How long do you plan on staying?"

"Until I get tired, I guess."

"Did you ever consider that I might not want you in here?"

"I figured that was the case, yes."

He didn't reply, instead picking up a quill and opening up a folder that had been resting on the corner of the table.

"What's that?" she asked, sitting down on the desk. He scrunched up his nose.

"Can you not? We just cleaned this."

"There aren't any other chairs. Besides, I love being close to you."

Sighing, he dipped the quill in ink, writing carefully on a blank sheet of paper. She was admittedly entranced by the way he shaped the characters, how beautifully he connected each line. He almost appeared to be painting, as how delicately he moved his hand reminded her of a brushstroke.

"You have the most gorgeous handwriting I've ever seen in my entire life," she blurted, her eyes moving from the paper to the captain's face.

His mouth was open a little, the parting of his lips barely noticeable under the dim candlelight. His eyes were wide, she noted, and she was almost sure he was blushing.

"Whatever," he said quietly, clearing his throat and turning back to his work. "It's a report on everything Eren did today."

"He didn't do anything interesting."

"The interior asshats would disagree. Everything has to be documented."

"That's stupid."

"It's tedious," he sighed, jotting down what the boy had eaten for dinner.

They sat like that for some time. She skimmed through the book he'd been reading as he journaled the events of the day. Finally, he put the quill down and cracked the bones in his hand, seemingly shaking out a cramp.

"Wanna fight?" she asked him, placing the book back on the desk.

"Excuse me?"

"We can go outside and fight. Maybe it'll make you sleepier."

He made a face, though he appeared to be considering it.

"I need to watch Eren," he argued.

"If you were anyone else, you'd be asleep right now anyway. Besides, I don't think he's much of a threat if he's chained up in the basement."

The captain pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling rather loudly, and gave her a stern look.

"If you try any funny shit—"

"Slitting your throat isn't going to help me get my brother back if the rest of your squad would just hunt me down before I could even get to the city."

"Fine," he muttered, spitting the word at her like it was a curse.

She shot him a toothy grin as he stood from his chair. Wordlessly, he led them outside. Dew was starting to form on the grass, she noted, the droplets glistening beneath the stars. The moonlight seemed to have a similar effect on Levi's skin, the luster of which was even brighter under the lunar gleam.

"You're really pale," she noted, cringing as soon as the words left her mouth. She hadn't meant to say it like that.

Fortunately, the captain didn't even acknowledge her. Once he found a spot he liked, they stopped walking, neither of them uttering a word. She watched as he rolled up his sleeves.

"I already don't want to wrestle you in your nightgown. You are wearing undergarments, aren't you?" he asked her, combing a hand through his hair.

"You think I'd come visit you in your quarters if I wasn't? How scandalous."

She took her stance, eyeing him cautiously. He mirrored her.

"Seems like the type of weird shit you'd do."

"Pardon me if my memory is failing, but weren't you the one sighing my name earlier?"

He moved like lightning. She'd expected him to kick her again, so she sidestepped him. He seemed to anticipate that, though, as he attacked with his fists instead. She barely dodged the first hit in time, the second flying at her with impossible speed. The instant she tried to move to the offensive, however, he was ready, gripping her wrist like a vice and throwing her to the ground, twisting her arm behind her back. He leaned against her, using his body weight to keep her pinned, and shoved his elbow into her spine.

"Your memory does seem to be failing, actually, since you forgot about how I kicked your ass. How are you an assassin, Varga? You're disgustingly predictable."

"Most of the people I target aren't like you, Levi," she replied calmly, craning her neck to look at him over her shoulder.

"What, a soldier?"

"Fearless," she corrected, "You're not scared of anything, are you? Sometimes, I swear you're not even human."

As expected, he tensed at that, and she used this momentary reaction to shove him off of her. She only had a split second to roll out of the way before he retaliated, and she wasn't surprised to find that her hands had been pinned above her head. He stared down at her, his gaze piercing and cold, and scanned her face.

"Or maybe you're just scared of everything. Is that why you're so guarded? Because you're surrounded by agonizing terror?"

He looked at her for another brief moment, cocking his head.

"So, that's how you do it," he mused, his breath fanning across her face.

"Your lips are getting awfully close to mine, Captain. Something you wanna tell me?" 

"You're a dick," he admitted, "But I guess that's just how you fight. You attack with fists and words. That's a lethal combination—until you fight someone smarter. That's why Erwin corralled you so easily."

"You sure talk about him a lot," she told him, "But you're right—not all of us can be incredibly strong, Captain. I think I have a decent amount of muscle, but against someone like you or your beloved commander, it hardly matters. So, for what I lack in strength, I compensate for in cruelty and exploitation. Say, Levi, how many times have you been manipulated to be able to identify it so well?"

"What an moronic question. That's manipulation in itself."

"Damn, most people don't see the paradox. Maybe you're smarter than I've been giving you credit for."

He sighed, releasing her wrists, and stood. Offering her a hand, he pulled her up, helping her steady herself.

"You should still get stronger physically," he told her, "Especially if you're going to be in the Survey Corps. We're frowned upon by the rest of the branches. If you have the Wings on your back, don't be surprised when another soldier tries to start shit with you."

"Levi," she sang, "I know how attached you are to me, but I've got to be honest: I don't care about the Survey Corps. At all. As soon as Lewis and I are reunited, I'm doing everything I can to make sure I never see Erwin Smith's gorgeous face ever again. You'll come visit me if you don't get digested, won't you?"

Silently, he circled her, seemingly cataloguing everything from her expression to her posture. Being the center of his observations was admittedly unsettlingly, but she did her best to contain her discomfort. Sighing, he walked back around to face her.

"You'll die before you see your brother again," he decided.

Her eyes narrowed, and she lunged at him without thinking twice. He let her tackle him to the ground, his back making a horrible crunching noise when his spine collided with the dirt. He looked bored when she raised her fist, impatiently awaiting her punch. Realizing that this, too, was some sort of test, she sighed, leaning back against his thighs.

"So this is where you tell me to keep a level head," she muttered, offering him a bashful smile.

"Something like that, yeah."

This time, she helped him off of the ground, no longer surprised by the steadiness of his gaze.

"You know that you'll have to come on the next expedition," he told her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

The unexpected touch rendered her speechless for a moment, but she made a quick recovery.

"Yeah, this field nurse bullshit and all. Guess it would be pretty shady if I wasn't actually on the field."

"Have you ever seen a titan?"

"No," she admitted, crossing her arms, "But if I'm just posing as a nurse, I won't need to know how to fight one, will I? I just gotta avoid them. Aren't they slow?"

"Not all of them. Some are faster than our horses. Those are called abnormals. When it comes to regular titans, we try to use evasive maneuvering, but we can't outrun the weird ones. Those, we usually end up engaging with."

"So, I might have to fight one," she mused, "Is it really that hard?"

"That," he seethed, "Is exactly why I said you're going to die. Maybe you're on par with a lot of other soldiers in terms of skill, but your arrogance is going to get you eaten alive."

She frowned, asking, "How is that supposed to make me want to go on an expedition with you? I'll play the role of nurse or whatever else you tell me to, but only because I want to see my brother again. I can't exactly do that if I'm dead, can I?"

"Listen to me," he said sternly, gripping her shoulder a little tighter, "I can't guarantee your safety. I can't even guarantee the safety of my own squad. If you listen to me, though, at least for these next few weeks, I can make you more prepared. I can—"

"Levi, you ass," she groaned, slapping his hand away from her body, "You could've just said you wanted to train me, y'know. You didn't need to tell me I would die. Maybe I should train you in people skills."

"I needed to make a point," he mumbled, turning away from her.

"I don't like this roundabout way you guys do shit. I would've said yes if you just offered, if only for the chance to feel your muscles. Wanna teach me something that would require my hands on your abs?"

He made no effort to hide his disgust, turning back to face her with an obvious grimace. She chuckled, moving to tousle his hair, but he caught her wrist before she could get very far.

"No," he said simply, glaring at her.

"Ouch, Levi, your grip is kinda painful. You might have to kiss me to make it better, yeah?"

"Yeah," he muttered, then, slightly panicked, added, "—No, shit, I meant that I know it's painful. It's supposed to be."

"Levi wants to kiss me," she cheered, pulling her wrist away from him.

"If you put your shitty mouth anywhere near me, I'll—"

"Oh, relax. I would never kiss you without your explicit permission—even though you did just confess your love to me. So, how about it, Levi? Wanna make out for the rest of the night? I just need a clear 'yes' to make your wildest dreams come true."

He scoffed, already starting his trek back inside. She followed him enthusiastically, frowning when he shut his bedroom door in her face.

"Oh, don't be so cold, Levi," she teased, face pressed against the door, "Goodnight, though. Try to actually sleep this time."

To her surprise, the doorknob twisted, and Levi poked his head out a little.

"The bed," he said quietly, refusing to look at her.

"The bed?"

"Thanks. For making it. Goodnight."

With that, the door closed yet again, though this time much more softly. Her facade dissipated with the click of the lock, every empty proposition and teasing comment trapped on the other side of the wood. With no Levi to see her now, she let a genuine smile escape her.

What a confusing man.

a/n: bad bitches ask for consent before kissing you. thanks for reading! if you enjoyed please feel free to vote and/or comment!