I leaned in, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I would love to."

"Really?" His voice conveyed poorly-concealed shock, something I didn't hear in his voice often. It was cute, really. What made it all the more adorable was the fact that his eyes widened before he saw my smile grow at the cute face he was making. He cleared his throat before speaking more, and when he did, his voice was now carefully trained to sound calm. "Cool."

"Cool," I repeated conspiratorially yet not without a certain level of faux disbelief and hurt. My eyes narrowed to playfully glare at him, one that I knew he would see through right away. "I can change my answer to a no if you'd like."

His grip tightened on my hand, and he tugged me closer, so our chests were flush together. Immediately, he seemed to grow embarrassed, because he sucked a breath in, as if the close proximity was too much too fast, as though he hadn't done this himself. Still, when he spoke, his voice did not dare betray how he felt. "You wouldn't."

"You're right," I said with a laugh, unable to play at being upset with him any longer. He was just too cute; all the same, I didn't want to fluster him too much, lest he back off. So, I spoke earnestly, knowing the honesty would reassure him. "It'd take me another like, eight years to build up the courage to confess again." 

I nearly laughed aloud at myself at the thought. It was true, of course. It'd taken me this long to just accept what I felt. I'd gone so many years stumbling about around him as though blind, when it was exceedingly obvious to everyone else what I felt for him, just as people were able to clearly see what he felt for me.

I didn't want to waste more time. We'd danced around this for years. Now that I had it... now that I had him, rather... I wasn't going to let him go.

As though to cement my thoughts in my actions, I wound my arms around him then, pulling him in for a hug. I let my cheek come to rest against his shoulder and my eyes closed like a content cat bathing in a sunbeam when his arms came around me to hold me close.

Goodness, he was warm. He was always just so warm; I didn't want to ever let him go, if only to hold onto this warmth. Well, that wasn't the only reason. Yes, physically he was warm. Yes, him holding me in his arms was protecting me from the chilled air. But there was a different kind of warmth blooming in my chest now, one that told me to never let him go. Not that I wanted to.

Now that we were finally together... together together... I didn't want him to leave. God, it was a truth I'd always known but never knew the true extent of: I didn't want him to leave.  Not now, not ever. This was where I wanted to be, and perhaps this was even where I was supposed to be. Where I needed to be.

The thought made me smile.

That smile grew as my thoughts reminded me that I'd taken so damn long to figure this all out when it was plain to see from the very beginning.

"I wanted to say all this last week," I said quietly after another quiet moment basking in his arms, in the softness of his embrace. "You know, after we..."

"Had sex," he cut in easily.

"Don't say it so casually," I hissed embarrassedly, ducking my head towards his neck. In this way I could feel rather than hear the chuckle that escaped him. One of his hands rubbed up and down the length of my back, as though to comfort me or warm me up. Emboldened by the silent comfort, in knowing that yes, I was embarrassed, but more than likely, so was he, I continued. "I was just so nervous after, that's why I kinda... left."

"You ran away."

"You didn't exactly stop me."

"If you wanted to leave," he said slowly, as though working through the thoughts in his head as he said them aloud, "I wouldn't ever stop you. Even if it's something I wanted to talk about, I wouldn't try to trap you in that situation. I wouldn't do that to anyone, least of all you."

"Isn't it something you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes, but..."

I knew what he was trying to say. And I completely understood.

"You were nervous."

"Yeah," he admitted reluctantly. "I guess. Listen, don't... Don't start to think I'll leave all of this to you. I'm going to take care of you. I was just as nervous as you were last week and I didn't want to pressure you."

I smiled. "I can't believe us. We were both worried about the same thing and I ran away from it while you let me."

"We're here now," he said, pressing a kiss to my temple.

"And that's what matters," I murmured, readjusting my head against his shoulder to rest more comfortably against him. 

A cool breeze blew through the air, and I leaned closer to him, almost imperceptibly; if he realized I did it, he didn't vocalize it with words. Rather, the only indication that he noticed it at all was in the way he adjusted his arms around me as though to better protect me against the chill.

"There's something else," he said quietly.

"Hm?"

"Another reason I was afraid to tell you how I felt."

"I'm listening," I said, lifting my head not only so that I might be able to hear him better, but so that he would know for certain and without fail that he had my complete and full attention. I could only hope my eyes conveyed what I wanted to tell him; that he had nothing to be afraid of telling me, that I would hold nothing against him, that I would always want to know how he felt and what he was thinking. Just in case they didn't, I added a soft, "Go ahead."

He looked around, ensuring no one else was around, then led us both to sit on a nearby bench. The wooden frame creaked with the weight of our bodies but held firm, as all park benches do. Our view from here was plain, yet it was made all the more spectacular by the stunning shade of blue his eyes adorned in this lighting. I did what I could not to get lost in his eyes as he gathered his thoughts silently. 

Finally, he spoke, and thankfully, I wasn't so lost in his eyes - for I had failed on that front - that I missed his words. I'd heard them loud and clear, yet what he said shocked me. "I didn't want you to think that I was only saying those things because we'd just had sex."

"Why would I think that?"

"People sometimes say things they don't mean," he explained, clearly unused to speaking about such things and clearly being adverse to the idea of showing such vulnerability, "especially right after. I didn't want you to think that I was only saying it because of what had happened. Of what we did. I wanted it to be somewhere more..." 

He trailed off, his eyes drifting away, the slight change being the only further indication that he was embarrassed. When finally he continued, it was quiet, seemingly so that I might not hear it. "Somewhere romantic, somewhere someone like you would deserve to be confessed to."

"Levi," I said gently, lifting one hand towards him. 

I did so slowly, searching his eyes and his body language for any sign that he did not want the contact. But nothing told me anything of the sort, and so I gently cupped one hand over his cheek. He did not shy away from it, nor did he flinch, nor did he in any way look uncomfortable.

"I was worried about that too," I continued quietly. "I didn't want you to think I was only saying I wanted to date you because you did a good job or something like that. And you did do a damn good job, by the way. But I think this is a little more romantic, right?"

"Right," he echoed, leaning towards me. At first I thought me might be going in for a kiss, only his aim would have been far off. I clued into what he was doing and met him halfway, resting my forehead against his. "My mother..." He began, then trailed off with a sigh, closing his eyes. "I didn't think we'd go that far that night."

"You don't regret it, do you?"

"No," he said quietly. "Never. I don't think I told you, but it was my first time."

"I couldn't tell," I said. "You hid it well."

A small smirk curled his lips. "Good to know." His face and tone grew more solemn then. "I've never had a good view on that sort of thing. On sex, I mean. Not because I never... wanted to. But my mother was a prostitute, and I never wanted to make anyone... you, especially, feel the way that those men made my mother feel."

"Oh, Levi," I said, my voice not daring to rise above a whisper. "I'm so sorry. The whole industry... those workers are treated awfully." The look in his eyes, when he opened them, told me what I needed to know. "You saw, didn't you?"

I didn't need to elaborate.

"We weren't exactly rich," he said. "She did what she had to just to keep a roof over our heads, but a lot of the time she would come home bruised and beaten. I hated it."

"What about Kenny? Didn't he help you?"

"No," he answered. "He had his own shit going on. I didn't know who he was until after my mom died."

"I'm so, so sorry," I said, setting a hand on the back of his head to guide him back to me for a hug. When he found refuge in the crook of my neck I closed my eyes, realizing just how lucky I was for him to be alive at this moment. What a miracle it was that he had made it to this moment.

How much more would this man have to go through? When would life decide that he'd suffered enough consequences, that he could live peacefully?

"It's not your fault," he told me.

"I know," I said. "But I'm here for you. Your mother must have been so strong. Weaker women wouldn't be able to do what she did and still go home to you with a smile."

"She... always did," Levi whispered, after a moment likely lost in thought. "Her smile was beautiful."

"I can only imagine," I said with my own smile. "Do you take after her?"

"Yeah. I've got a picture of her at home."

"Next time I visit, can I see it?" He nodded against me. "Thank you for telling me, Levi. I'd have loved to meet her. Everything she did was for you, and I just know she'd be so proud of you." One of my palms brushed against the buzzed section of his hair, while the other rubbed soothing arcs into his back. I could only hope the contact would comfort him in some way. "I'm happy that she raised you to be so strong."

I wasn't sure if any of this was what he wanted to hear, or what he needed to hear, or if any of this was reaching him at all. But his fingers clasped at the small of my back, holding me closer than I thought possible. And I smiled, leaning my head against his.

"That's the reason I hesitated, so now you know," he said. "I didn't want you thinking I was only in it for the intercourse."

I smirked. I couldn't help it. "Levi, if this is going to work... please don't call it intercourse anymore."

He chuckled. "Is that the only rule we're going to have? This will be easy, then."

"Rules," I repeated, pulling away to see him. "As of right now, our only rules are to keep each other happy. Treat each other with respect, communicate well, and..."

I wanted to say love each other. But this would be too soon, wouldn't it?

So, I didn't say it.

"And just be happy," I concluded.

When his stormy eyes met mine, I was temporarily winded by how pretty he was. The man was absolutely gorgeous. Steely blue eyes, smooth skin, hair with bangs that fell just so in his face, and his body...

And he was all mine.

"You're perfect, you know that?" I asked, unsure exactly if I wanted him to actually hear it. But he had, and his eyes widened so cutely that I giggled and cupped his cheeks in my hands. "You are!"

"Spare me," he said, his usual glare deterred by the fact that his cheeks were squished between my palms. He swatted my hands away, ducking in to press a kiss to the corner of my mouth as I did what I could to stifle my laughter. "If anyone here is, you are."

I rolled my eyes, pulling him back to me to kiss me properly. When our lips met, I knew that this was exactly where I wanted, and where I needed, to be. And once more, I was struck with the thought that I never wanted to leave his side. Not now. Not ever.

He pulled away after a moment but remained close. "While we're here together," I mused, "I think we should maybe go on our first date."

"Last week didn't count?"

"Levi!"

"Relax," he said placatingly. "I was already going to ask if you wanted to spend the night with me." The shock that crossed my face flustered him. "Not to... Not like last week."

"Oh," I said, somewhat relieved. "I was almost nervous there."

"I don't want you to ever be nervous around me," he said, tucking a hand under my chin.

"I don't want to mess this up," I said quietly. "No one knows me like you do. And I don't know if I can ever know someone as well as I know you."

"We won't mess it up," he assured me. "Because... we've got each other."

"That's surprisingly sweet," I cooed. "I wasn't expecting it from you."

"Tch," he muttered. "Keep it up and I'll leave your ass."

My mouth dropped open with faux surprise, and I slid away from him on the bench entirely. "You wouldn't break up with me already, would you?"

"If you keep that nonsense up, then I will," he replied smoothly.

"Fine," I said, standing from the bench and taking a few slow, casual steps away from him and the bench. "I'll just head back to my campus without giving you a kiss goodbye."

Suddenly, I was swept up into his arms again, his hands clasping over my stomach to pull my back flush against his chest. I let out a laugh at the sheer silliness of our playful little argument. "You wouldn't dare."

"Don't blame me," I laughed. "You're the one threatening to break up with me because I called you sweet."

"I'm not sweet," he argued, his breath fanning over my ear and sending a shiver down my spine. His voice was low and almost sultry, and I knew without having to look that he was smirking.

"You are," I pressed, "but anyway, I wasn't exactly planning on spending the night again. Meg wants me to go to an event on campus with her tonight, and it did look fun. Would you maybe like to...?"

"I've got a meeting in the morning," he said. "If I spend the night with you there's no guarantee I'll leave in time to make it." One of my eyebrows quirked up – was he insinuating what I thought he was? "Besides," he continued, not giving me a chance to ask, "I've already got plans for our actual first date."

I pecked his nose. "And you think you're not sweet."

"Shut up," he muttered. Then he glanced at his watch, sighing at what he saw. "We should start heading back."

"Ok," I chimed, stepping away. I took his hand in mine, tugging him to follow me along the path once more. His free hand slipped into his pocket as he went at a lazy pace behind me, making me have to pull him along.

It was a nuisance, and he was doing it on purpose, but when I looked back to smile at him only to be met with those dazzling eyes and the ghost of a smile on his lips, I knew that it was worth it.

He was well worth the hassle.

---

A week later, I walked down the hall of my dorm with Levi at my side. It was late at night, not so late that campus was asleep yet, not like there was ever a time when campus was ever truly quiet anyway. But none of that mattered: today had been our first real date.

He'd driven all the way here, picked me up, and took me to dinner at a fancy restaurant. Only, something in the reservation had gotten messed up, and somehow the restaurant had it switched from tonight – when he called it in for – and tomorrow. So we'd had to look for somewhere else to eat because neither of us wanted to spend three hours there waiting for an empty table.

Because I knew the area better than him, he left the decision up to me, and we went to my favorite restaurant in the area. While not the fanciest, nor the most romantic, it had good food and a nice atmosphere, and it served us well for our meal.

A quiet walk around downtown to do some window-shopping and a lovely evening drive rounded out the night. And as far as first dates went, it was perfect, if only because it was ours. Sure, he was initially upset because the reservation got screwed up, and I might have been so nervous that I tripped over my own feet more than a couple times, but it was our first date, and it was special in all those ways and then some. It wasn't much, but it was ours, and so I loved it.

Ever the gentleman, he offered to walk me back to my room when we got back. Hand-in-hand we walked through the hallways, drawing ever closer to my room. The conversation had been light, playful, and mostly me recounting something funny I had seen while walking through downtown while he listened.

When we reached my door, I slowed to a stop just in front of it. Our hands hung loosely between us as Levi looked at the door. Set about at eye-level were labels with Meg and my names. One of his eyebrows rose upon seeing it.

Our R.A. had gone decided on a Disney theme for our floor and had themed decorations lining the walls and covering the doors. For our names, Meg had, of course, been granted a Hercules theme, with Megara's signature colors detailing the background.

My name... had been torn down with a few others by the drunk escapades of other students a few weeks back, so I'd made a new one with my favorite character as the inspiration. It didn't turn out great, but at a quick glance it was at least passable.

"Don't ask," I said to Levi before he could say anything.

"I wasn't," he assured me. Things were quiet in this hall for the moment. Because it was a weekend, there were plenty of parties elsewhere on campus, but this floor was fairly quiet. For now, anyway. When students began stumbling back to their rooms all but blackout drunk, we were sure to hear them.

Taking advantage of the relative silence of the hallway and the unusual instance of there being no one walking by, I leaned back against the doorframe and pulled him closer. There was a mischievous gleam in my eye and a smirk gracing my lips as he nearly stumbled forward, only catching himself by placing his free hand by my head to brace himself.

My eyes followed the movement of that hand then trailed up his arm to finally settle on his eyes. Partially caged in like this, I could feel his gentle breaths ghosting over my skin, see the faintest of blushes rising up into his ears.

"Still so nervous," I said teasingly, quietly. "I'm going to need to work on getting you out of that. You know you don't need to be nervous around me."

My reference to his own words seemed to surprise him, but he quickly schooled his features back into a face of nonchalance, as though the words didn't matter to him. But I knew him better than that. He looked one way, then the other, to check that we were still alone in the hall. Deciding that the coast was clear, he leaned closer, stopping just shy of kissing me.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Of course you can," I murmured, my lips brushing against his.

When finally our lips met, it felt like the manifestation of pure bliss, of happiness, and of a million other wonderful things all balled together. It was little more than a simple peck, so when he drew away, he rested his forehead against mine. However, as soon as his hand let go of mine to settle on my waist, the door just behind him opened and out stepped my neighbor across the hall.

Apparently, he'd had guests, probably to pregame for a party, because we were met with many wolf-whistles and rather suggestive quips from the guys as they pooled out into the hallway. One of them went so far as to clap Levi on the shoulder, jostling us both, congratulating him on getting some. Only when their jesting and hollering disappeared down the stairwell did Levi relax.

"Sorry about them," I said to him. "Romelo and the guys aren't usually so rowdy. They must've pre-gamed harder than usual."

"I see."

I could see him nastily eyeing the shoulder that the man who was only a stranger - a clearly inebriated stranger, at that - had touched. "Do you want to step inside? I've got a hoodie or two of yours that you can have back."

"Oh, can I?" He snarked lightly.

I ignored his sarcasm as I fished my key from my pocket and slid out of his hold, turning towards the door. When it was unlocked, I peeked my head in first, only opening it enough to do so. "Meg," I called. "Are you decent? Do you mind if Levi comes in for a minute?"

"Oh, my god," Meg exclaimed, the words accompanied by a thud. "Levi's here?!"

"Quiet," I hissed, moving to open the door only for Meg to pull it all the way open herself.

She looked absolutely frantic. Thankfully, she was decent, at least by her standards. A large shirt I knew to be Jerry's hung loose on her shoulders, falling all the way down to her mid-thighs. Aside from underwear and fuzzy socks, she wore nothing else, but even her wearing this much was a blessing for when we had company.

"Do you want to wake the entire hall?"

"Sorry," she said, not even looking at me, which only served to let me know that she was decidedly not sorry. "Wow, are you Levi?"

He nodded. "And you're Meg."

"Yeah," she said happily. "Gosh, I've heard so much about you!"

"Is that so?"

"We're not doing this right now," I said, rolling my eyes and brushing past Meg to walk further into the room. "Come on in, Levi." He did, closing the door behind him as quietly as he could on the busted old hinges. "He's only here for one of his hoodies."

Meg let out a low whistle, walking past us to hop onto her bed. "You're parting with one of your precious hoodies?"

"He just wants to change, that's all," I told her, ignoring the shit-eating grin she was sending my way.

As soon as my words were uttered, she switched her attention over to Levi. "She didn't invite you to stay the night?"

"No," he answered simply. 

He leaned against my bedframe as I opened our small closet, looking for his hoodies that I'd hung up. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the decorations we had. His eyes drifted eventually to my desk. There were plenty of pictures covering its surface, some framed, some yet to be framed, yet most of them featuring myself and Levi.

A smirk crossed his face. 

"She's down bad for you, dude," Meg chirped.

I whipped around to glare at her. "Meg!"

Levi seemed to ignore her words entirely, opting instead to pick up one of the pictures. "Was this from the night before senior skip day?"

I glanced over when he held it closer so I could see it, and I nodded. "Mm-hm." 

I grabbed one of the hoodies, not my favorite one of his that I had, and handed it to him. He was wearing a shirt under the jacket he currently had on, but when he turned away and pulled it off over his head, part of his shirt rode up and I could hear Meg's distinct gasp as she caught a glimpse of his toned back. Her gasp turned into a series of coughs when she meant to hide it, and when Levi had the new hoodie on, he looked back at her, concerned.

"Is she ok?" He mouthed to me, eyes flickering briefly towards my own.

I nodded to him with a smile. "She'll be fine. Probably. Let's step into the hall while she figures it out. And leave that jacket here, I'll wash it for you." I took him by the arm and led him back out of the room. When in the quiet hallway again, Levi leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm never seeing that jacket again, am I?"

"You will," I responded. "Just, after I wash it. And after I get bored of wearing that one."

"Right," he said, entirely unconvinced... and for good reason.

"So," I mused to change the subject, "that's Meg."

"That's your best friend."

I shrugged, the smile refusing to leave my face. "She is. This isn't quite how I imagined you two meeting for the first time."

"With her choking to death, you mean? Or outing how into me you are?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't start," I muttered. "I can only handle one of you teasing me at a time. Both of you at the same time... I could do without that."

"Tough luck," he said, leaning in, "because you're stuck with me."

"Oh, no," I teased lightly. "Whatever shall I do?"

"Give me a kiss, for starters," he said, and finally we closed the distance between us.

Our lips met in a slow, unhurried kiss, one refreshingly innocent and loving. It was, in a sense, perfect for a goodbye kiss. It was not a period, a full stop, but a semicolon, a stop but not a complete one, one that promised there was more to come. In short... it was perfect. A way to say goodbye and knowing for certain that this wasn't an end, just a pause until the next time.

I drew away first, my smile growing too big to continue kissing anyway. "I don't think I want you to leave."

"I don't want to spend a night in this hallway," he countered, his voice a husky murmur against my lips.

"As far as first dates go," I said jokingly, "I feel like I know you very well. I've been on a couple first dates, and I felt like I didn't know those guys at all. But you... Wow, I feel like I've known you for years."

"Is that right?"

"Mm-hm," I hummed. I ran my hands down his arms only to catch on his hands. I linked our fingers together, pouting lightly. "I mean it, though. I don't want you to leave."

"It's late," he said. "And I know Megan is going to want you to tell her all about today."

"We can both tell her," I protested. "I'll tell the story and you'll pipe up whenever I get a part wrong or skip something embarrassing."

"You actually want me to point out how many times you tripped tonight?"

"Well, no..."

"That's what I thought."

"...But I would if it gets you to stay."

He tugged me closer by the hands and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "I can't," he said quietly. At the sight of my frown, he lifted one hand to cup my cheek. "Don't be a brat. You know I'd stay if I could. Erwin and I have plans tomorrow."

"Alright," I sighed, nuzzling against his hand slightly. "Drive safe?"

"I will," he said.

"Text me when you get home?"

"How about I call? Or will you be asleep?"

"Depends on how nosy Meg is," I said, "and how much detail she wants from my story." When I began to hear voices coming from down the hall, I knew it was a group of partiers leaving early to continue the celebrations in their dorm room. With my luck, it'd be the rowdy bunch down the hall. I sighed. "You remember the way to the lot where you're parked?"

"I do," he answered. He was, of course, able to note the sad tone that now took my voice over. "Goodnight, (Y/n)."

"I had a great time today," I said to him, leaning in to then plant a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, baby."

That seemed to fluster him. He cleared his throat, then brought me in for a hug. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, giggling lightly as I rested my cheek against his shoulder. This close, I could feel the thunderous pounding of his heart and I relished in being the only person able to do this... and the only person he would even allow to try.

With the voices growing closer, I pulled away from the hug. "Goodnight, Levi."

"Goodnight, brat," he said, pressing one last lingering kiss to my lips before stepping away.

"You said that already," I said to myself as he started down the hall. Only when he was out of view did I step back into my room, where Megan was stood only feet from the door, definitely having not been watching us through the peephole seconds before.