Even when all the boxes were brought up to the apartment, the truck was empty, and our energy was all but depleted, there was still work to be done. Because of course there was. There was always something more to be done. With everything effectively off the truck and in the apartment and now crowding the entryway and living room, there was only one more thing left to do, logically, and that was to unpack.

Levi at least assisted me in unpacking everything and sorting things away. We hung up my clothes on my designated side of the walk-in closet, put some away in the dresser, hung some of my things up, set some pictures and decorations out, and slowly but surely we got through the boxes and broke them down to be brought down to the trash room.

While we worked, I had music playing, for it was to be a long night and there was no way I was going to keep sane doing this in pure silence. And occasionally, perhaps due in part because of how tired I was or simply because I was excited at the prospect of our lives starting together in earnest, I would sing and dance and distract myself from the task at hand.

When I would sing Levi would click his tongue and continue working, and when I would dance Levi would pretend not to care but I was so finely tuned to know the weight of his gaze on me without even having to look, that I knew that he was watching. And so I put on a show for him, at least when I felt like it. I'd sway my hips and peek over my shoulder nearly every single time, I'd catch his eyes with my own mischievous gaze and I'd laugh at his surprised and adorably flustered expression.

It never got old.

At some point in the evening, long after Erwin had exchanged keys with Levi and drove off in his truck after a short conversation with us, in which he'd asked how I was settling in and we talked about all manner of nonsense, a song that was slow and sultry and soulful came on.

I'd been placing the new photos I'd gotten from Meg today, actually maybe yesterday at this point with how late in the evening that it was, on a shelf in the living room when the song started, and because I immediately recognized it, my body had begun to sway. I hummed along, only low enough for me to hear.

Levi was in the kitchen working on a late dinner for us because we'd forgotten to eat, and I got an idea. It was a rather mischievous idea, and one that he was sure to not like, or at least he would pretend he wouldn't, but I didn't care. As soon as I placed the final picture up on the shelf, I made my way to the kitchen where he was tending to the food.

The music from my phone poured in easily from its spot on the coffee table, the beautiful lyricists' voices blending together as the bass kept time and the strumming of the guitar adding a sensual sort of feel to the song. Despite his back being turned to me I sauntered up to him as though we were at a club, and I was sizing him up as a dance partner or even as someone to take home.

I fought the urge to laugh; this was ridiculous. It really was. But I was incredibly exhausted, and I was deliriously happy. It was a wonderful recipe for mischief, and my heart gave a little flutter at my plan continued to form.

My hips were swaying as I pressed my chest to his back. My arms wound around to his front and if he was surprised by my presence, he didn't show it physically. Though I'm sure he wasn't surprised. No, I'm sure it was always a possibility in the back of his mind for me to come up behind him to start some trouble.

Sometimes, he welcomed the trouble.

At other times... not so much.

He continued to stir the pot even as I ground against him, and it was as though I just wasn't there. And that just wouldn't do. I peeked over his shoulder and turned the heat off, just for a moment, before taking his hand and spinning him to face me.

"(Y/n)," he hissed, allowing me to pull him towards the middle of the small kitchen. "What are you doing?"

"Getting you ready for tomorrow," I said, winding my arms around his neck. I clasped my fingers behind his neck, my thumbs brushing up into the buzzed portion. "You need a haircut," I teased. "Getting a little fuzzy."

"I was already planning on," he cut himself off when I stepped closer, starting to sway and grind against him to the beat of the song. When his hands found my waist, he seemed to pull himself together, at least for now. "I was already planning on asking you tomorrow."

"Aw," I cooed. "You'd trust me to do that?"

"I trusted you to do it when we were twelve," he muttered embarrassedly, "so why not now?"

My smile remained playful as I shrugged and stepped away from him, taking his hands into my own. I lifted one of my hands and ducked under his arm to spin in place before returning to the original frame.

Meg had joined a ballroom dancing club in school and had invited me to quite a few of the classes. I was reluctant at first, but after each meeting she came back happy and would talk my ear off about how much fun she had learning to dance. And so I went. It was a lot of fun, it really was. One of the perks was that I learned how to dance styles I wouldn't have known normally.

I could kinda bachata, I could kinda salsa, I could kinda tango, and I could kinda swing – east and west coast. While I wasn't the best at most, and I was downright terrible at others, I could at least pretend to know what I was doing for the most part and when that song faded out and by chance a popular Latin beat came on, I couldn't help but grin and start to dance along, exactly how I'd been taught.

I always loved to watch couples dance while at the club or even during that group's meetings because when the pair trusted each other, you could tell. Things came out when dancing that couldn't come out otherwise. And that's why it was so fun.

I didn't even care how ridiculous we looked right now, dancing together in our kitchen. Hell, I'm sure we looked terribly awkward, and if anyone were to look through the open curtains of the large bay windows in the living room, they'd see us dancing to music they couldn't hear, to a beat they couldn't catch, while we were in our pajamas.

But really, I couldn't have been happier, especially when he looked down to watch as I pressed ever closer to him, grinding against one of his thighs. My hips guided his to move, and though awkward, he seemed to be following my lead as best he could.

"We're not doing this tomorrow," he said firmly. And then, he clarified: "At the club."

"Why not?" I asked. "I think it's romantic."

"I think," he said slowly, and it was exceedingly clear to me that he was doing all that he could to control his breathing, to control his tone and inflection to appear unaffected by what was happening, "if you do this in public, there's no telling what I'll do."

I laughed lightly. But I tugged lightly on the band of his pants, tugging his hips ever closer to me and finally, I got a reaction out of him. A stunted, strained hiss escaped him at the friction, but I gave him no further chance to reply or react.

"Really?" I continued teasingly, but then I got an idea, something I'd forgotten to show him earlier. All teasing intentions and any ulterior motives I had been considering flew out of my mind as I pried my body away from his. "Oh, Levi, come here!" I took him by the hand and tugged him from the kitchen. "I found these earlier and I wanted to show you."

"(Y/n)," he protested, glancing back towards the kitchen, "our dinner-"

"It can wait," I said. "The heat's off!"

"I want to eat sometime tonight," he muttered.

"You will," I said, giggling lightly with the implications of his words. "But not yet." I sat down on the couch and pulled him down to sit beside me. Then I reached towards the table and grabbed a pile of things I'd taken out while unpacking.

The first thing I showed Levi was a photo album. "When did you do this?"

"I did this when I should've been studying for finals during the semester of like, sophomore year I think."

I opened the album. In it were all the photos of us I had, or nearly. I'd picked the best ones, of course, including adding a few of the more embarrassing ones for us to laugh at. I'd dated them, even adding little notes underneath ones with what I remembered of the day, little inside jokes only we would get.

"I remember that," he said, pointing to one. "You ran and fell right on your ass."

"Right after you told me to be careful," I reminded him, bumping his shoulder with mine playfully.

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, and instead of looking at the pictures I looked right at him, to savor the moment. It was so rarely that he smiled, after all. He immediately felt the weight of my gaze on his profile, and he sat up with a start, clearing his throat and looking away, clearly embarrassed.

I chuckled good-naturedly and reached out to place my hand against his cheek. "We've made a lot of memories together," I said quietly. "But we're going to make a lot more. Right?"

His eyes met mine, then flickered down to see my smile. When he looked back into my eyes, he allowed that small, barely-there smile to return to his lips. "Right," he affirmed. "Together."

I leaned closer to him, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek before easing away. "Go ahead and relax, my love," I said to him. "I'll go take care of dinner." Any protests he might have been harboring died in his throat when I pressed a loving kiss to his lips, and said, "No buts. Let me do this for you."

At that, he nodded, relenting hesitantly. "Fine. But I'm doing the dishes after."

That got a snort of a laugh out of me. "As you wish. But I get to take care of you some more later, right?"

I stood, but didn't miss the way he swallowed hard in response to my words. He didn't compose himself until I was nearly back in the kitchen. When I paused in the doorway and glanced at him over my shoulder, his eyes were still slightly widened, his lips slightly parted, but when he noticed that I was looking at him, his jaw snapped shut and he blinked once, then twice.

When a slow smirk took over his lips, I knew I was in for it tonight.

Ah, well.

Couldn't say I wouldn't enjoy it.

---

The next morning, I awoke only because of movement on the bed behind me. My eyes fluttered open just as Levi's arm pulled away from my waist, leaving behind nothing but a distinct chill even under the blanket. A discontented groan escaped my lips as sleep threatened to pull me under once more, but I forced my eyes open.

"Levi," I said, my voice low and hoarse and scratchy.

"Shh," he responded. Husky and undeniably sexy, I wanted him to keep talking just so I could hear that voice of his. "Go back to sleep, baby."

"Where are you going?" I asked when I felt the mattress shift slightly as he stood. Blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I glanced over at the alarm clock. 4 a.m. What a disgusting hour to be awake.

"The gym," he answered. "I use the one downstairs. I'll be back soon."

I rolled over in the bed, reaching out to grasp his shirt before he could get too far. He looked down at me, an amused smirk gracing his lips. "No," I protested weakly. "Come back to bed."

"I go every day," he said.

"So go later," I tried. "Our first morning together like this and you want to leave? And at this awful hour?" He reached down to tug my hand from his shirt. I pouted up at him, not wanting him to leave just yet. "We only went to bed like, two hours ago..."

"Because you were being bratty," he began. The words brought me back to last night... well, really, only a few hours ago. I'd been teasing him rather relentlessly, only to get a rise out of him and because I knew he'd do exactly as I wanted him to in bed. Which he had. And last night, he didn't show any mercy when pounding into me. The fresh memory released a group of butterflies in my belly.

"You're going too fast," I'd said breathlessly. "I can't-"

"You can take it," he'd responded gruffly.

"But-"

"You will take it."

And I had. His words hadn't been a suggestion, nor a request, but a demand. In his past life he must've been a high-ranking officer in the military or something, because the way he could give a command like that was effortless, as though it was written in his DNA to do so. Needless to say, I'd followed his every order.

"And you needed to teach me a lesson, blah blah blah, I know," I responded. "Just come back to bed baby, please?"

"(Y/n)," he began to protest, but stopped when he saw my face. "Fine. Move over."

"I haven't even moved."

He didn't reply to that with words, but he did click his tongue with annoyance because I was right, I hadn't moved other than rolling over in place to see him and it wasn't like I was encroaching on his side or anything. And besides, if I knew Levi, which I did, then it wouldn't matter because now that I was lying on my back, he would take that as a free invitation to rest his head against my chest.

And he did. He lowered himself to his stomach and wrapped one strong arm around me, letting his head come to lay on my chest. I smiled. He was just too predictable... and too damn cute, even at this disgusting hour of the morning.

"Isn't this better than the gym?" I asked quietly before pressing a kiss to his hair.

I got a noncommittal hum in reply, which made my smile grow. I pressed kiss after kiss to his hair, hungry for his touch and his love with as tired as I was. "(Y/n)," he said, "go to sleep."

"You woke me up," I said playfully. "Now you have to deal with it!"

One of my hands came up to rub his back, while the other began to run through his hair. I stayed quiet, and I got comfortable, and my eyes slipped closed. Levi began to relax as well, his breathing slowing and his body slowly losing its tension. And soon, he fell back asleep.

I was soon to follow.

---

"(Y/n)," Hange said happily as soon as they saw me. They squeezed their way through the moderate crowd already in the bar and I opened my arms in preparation for the hug that I knew was to come. When Hange reached me they did as expected and threw their arms around me for a hug.

"Hey, Hange," I greeted happily, hugging them back. "You look great!"

"Thanks," they said, pulling away and setting their hands on their hips. "And look at you! You aren't looking to replace that grumpy gremlin you call a boyfriend, are you?"

I laughed lightly, reaching over to take Levi's hand. He'd trailed into the bar slower, mostly because he was far less excited to be here than I was. I laced my fingers with his and pulled him to my side. "No," I replied to Hange, "I don't think I'll replace him. I happen to like this one."

"Shame," they sighed. But then they beamed and looked cheekily over at Levi. "Hello, short stack."

"Shitty-glasses," he responded.

"Come on and meet our lovely performers this evening," Hange said. Already, the bar was busy, as was expected for a Saturday night. It was a rather homey kind of dive bar, the kind where the bartender knew everyone, and local talent came to perform weekly. "You'll love them!"

Hange grabbed my free hand and began to lead us through the crowd. There were several patrons a few drinks in already, eating greasy bar food and flagging down their friends and buddies from across the bar. A man was working to prepare two microphones and a stool on the stage, and I couldn't help but get excited for the upcoming performance.

"Here they are," Hange chimed. They let go of my hand and stood at my side. There standing before us now were two people, a man and a woman that looked to be about our age. The man had light brown hair, tanned skin and chocolatey brown eyes. He had the kindest smile I'd ever seen and when it was directed my way I smiled back.

"Mason," he said, reaching out to shake my hand.

I accepted with a smile of my own. "(Y/n). And this is Levi."

"Nice to meet you both," he replied. I noticed a guitar strapped to his back and was about to ask how long he'd been playing, but then I felt the weight of the woman's gaze on me. I met her eyes. Goodness... she was gorgeous. She was fit, not overly so, and yet she remained wonderfully feminine. She could kick my ass and look good doing it.

"(Y/n)," she said, her voice warm and confident. "Nice to finally meet you. Hange talks about you all the time. I'm Amaya Ikeda."

"Nice to meet you," I replied. "So, you're singing tonight?"

"Mm-hm," she replied. "Everything you'll hear tonight, Mason wrote."

"That's cool," I said, looking at him. Mason scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, somehow not used to the attention despite performing regularly, as Hange had told me. "So bashful," I said with a laugh. "Aren't you used to the spotlight?"

"No," he admitted sheepishly. "When we perform, most people are looking at her."

Amaya glanced over at him, smiling warmly at him before nudging his shoulder with hers. "The only eyes I care about are yours." She glanced at her watch then, and her smile grew. "We have to head backstage," she said. "See you guys after the show?"

"Sure," I replied, watching as she and Mason started towards the stage. "They're nice," I said to Levi. Hange wandered off too, probably to find somewhere better to watch. Levi didn't reply. "Levi? Are you alright?"

"Fine," he said. "Just feel like I've met them before. That's all."

"Maybe you have," I said. "Makes it so much better that we're here to support them then, right?"

"I guess," he said. "Go find a place to watch. Do you want something to drink?"

"Please," I said. "My usual." He nodded, let me press a kiss to his cheek, then went back through the crowd towards the bar. All that was left for me to do was find a nice spot to wait and then watch the show. So that's what I did.

---

"So," I said to Hange, "how'd you all meet?"

Levi and I, now with drinks, had found a nice spot as a standing table alongside Hange. Moblit had joined us too, and Erwin was running a little late but would be here too. "We met in high school," Hange answered. "Erwin actually met Amaya first. She worked at the café he did, and they became friends. Eventually, we all just kinda met each other from there."

"They seem nice," I said.

"Mason's kinda shy but he's a great guy," Hange said with a smile. "And Amaya can be intimidating sometimes but she's really a sweetheart deep down, too."

"And they're together?"

"Mm-hm. They knew each other for years before they started dating and I'm sure they loved each other from the jump. But it was actually a push from me to get Mason to confess."

"That's cute," I said. "You do seem to like sticking your nose in everyone's business."

"Yeah, whatever," they said with a carefree wave of their hand. "I think you met Amaya once, Levi."

"You said they knew each other for years," I said. "Like childhood sweethearts, then?"

"Think about how much time as you and Levi spend together," Hange said, "and they're the same way. They can tell the story better than I can but essentially, they were both orphans who ran away from their orphanages and found each other. A really kind police officer adopted Amaya eventually, but Mason never got adopted."

"That's sad," I said. I could've only imagined how hard it was for Mason. I'd been adopted as a teenager, and yet leading up to that point, I'd always thought it was hopeless. So for him to experience that... all the way until he was an 18 and was allowed to leave as an adult... It was awful.

Hange frowned. "You know, now that I think about it... I know a lot of orphans."

I couldn't help but laugh. "That's true, I guess."

"Ah, well," they sighed. "Anyway, they're great, and just about the cutest couple I've ever seen. Barring you two, of course!"

I smiled at Hange just as the lights dimmed on the small wooden stage. After being introduced, Mason and Amaya took to the stage and as Mason sat atop the stool, Amaya got ready at the microphone. Not long after, the show began.

They played song after song, each one seemingly better than the last. Mason's skill with the guitar was incredible and it seemed to be as easy for him to play as it was to breathe. And Amaya's voice... Gentle, yet strong, and beautiful in every way.

The songs they played started off slow and sweet and loving and soon increased in pace and in excitement and people began to dance. This wasn't a dance club, nor even a night club, but it was a bar all the same and drunk people loved to dance. And that's what they did.

Couples swayed together, friends danced together, and eventually, Hange grabbed my arm with the intent to dance with me. They dragged me towards the stage, and we started to dance. Moblit joined us after a song or so after downing enough liquid courage, and the two soon danced off together under the warm stage lights.

I caught Levi's eye across the bar. I smiled at him and with a gentle movement of my head, gestured for him to join me. He shook his head resolutely, and I pouted until someone came up beside me. Erwin stood tall and proud and with a smile aimed my way.

"Erwin," I greeted. "About time you got here!"

"Got here as quick as I could," he said. "I couldn't miss Amaya's debut here. She's like a sister to me."

"That's cute," I said with a smile. "Want to dance?"

"I'd love to," he said, extending his arm for me to take. I did, and he led me into a casual sort of frame. The dancing we did was very simple and easy to follow, and I had to admit it was quite a different experience to dance with someone so tall as opposed to... Levi. Who was still sulking by himself at our table.

"How's your new place?"

"It's great," he said. "It's spacier than I thought it was."

"You just need more company," I said with a laugh. "You never invite us over!"

"I've been so busy," he said with his own smile. "You know how it goes."

"I do," I affirmed. "But still, a big apartment's bound to feel bigger without anyone to share it with."

"Maybe next weekend then," Erwin said. "We can all get together for dinner. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great," I said. As we danced, he seemed to catch sight of something, or someone, interesting across the room, because he chuckled. "What?"

"This isn't some ploy to get Levi jealous enough to dance with you, is it? While I'm happy to dance with you anyway, I'm not sure I enjoy the thought of being used for that."

"No," I said, laughing. "Not at all. Don't worry. I just wanted to dance, that's all. It's not his thing, especially not in public. If he wants to dance later, well that's great. But I would like to dance. So, if you don't mind..."

"Of course, not," he responded.

After a few more songs, Erwin and I took a break to get drinks and take a short rest. We went up to the table Levi was still occupying, standing alone and listening to the music while tending to his drink. "Hey, handsome," I said quietly, standing at Levi's side. "Enjoying yourself?"

"The music's good," he said, stirring his drink absentmindedly. His eyes met mine. "Tired?"

"Just taking a break," I told him, taking a sip of my drink. "But you look exhausted, Levi. Do you want to go home?"

"No," he answered, and immediately I knew he was lying.

"Levi," I said gently, "you don't need to stay just because I want to."

"Who will keep you out of trouble, then?"

I rolled my eyes playfully. "I won't get into any trouble."

"You bring trouble wherever you go."

"But you love it."

"If you say so."

"Listen," I said. "If you want to go, we'll go. Ok?" Something crossed his face then, and I knew that look. He had an idea. "Uh oh," I said. "I know that look. What's on your mind?"

He pushed away from the table, taking my hand in his. "Come on."

My heart began to beat a little faster. Was he going to...?

With a level of bravery I hadn't seen from him regarding this sort of thing, he led me closer to the stage and towards the middle of the mass of dancing bodies. We found enough space for us to dance uninhibited, and without a single word uttered, he had me in his arms and close to him. And then he hesitated.

But I was more than willing to take the lead.

I bravely stepped forth, pressing my body to his, and started to sway. "I thought you didn't like dancing," I murmured to him, "and especially not in front of others."

"I can make an exception for you," he said, and my heart fluttered in response.

All the surrounding noise faded away to nothing, and the sights and sounds and smells of the bar all bled away. Only the aftertaste of my drink, the buzz of alcohol, and Levi remained.

The feel of his body against mine, of his arms around me. The scent of him, the usual hints of lavender and pine and tea. The sight of him, of those alluring eyes, looking right into my own. He was dressed well tonight, a button down with the sleeves rolled up offering me a wonderful view of his toned arms.

He caught me looking at the shirt, and he chuckled. "What are you thinking about?"

I smirked at him. "About how good this shirt looks on you. About how excited I am to take it off you."

One of his eyebrows rose, clearly surprised by my sudden boldness. And I wasn't about to stop here. But before I could speak more his founds found my hips and began to guide them. He pulled me closer, so much closer, and all too soon we were swaying together slowly, lovingly. Not grinding, not doing too much, but swaying.

Among the other couples doing the same, to any casual onlookers were would simply be two more members of a raucous crowd but to us... only we existed. I turned in his arms, pressing my back to his chest. His hands returned to my hips, and I smiled, laughing a little at the sheer surprise it had been for him to even want this, and here of all places.

Nothing else mattered in that moment.

No one else and nothing else was even worth focusing on.

As far as we were concerned... we were the only two here.

The music coming from the stage, as far as I could tell anyway, had slowed down considerably. They were playing a simple love song, slow and sweet, and I turned my head to look at Levi. "I love you. You know that?"

"Mm," he hummed, clearly content with where he was right now. And that was a surprise. Maybe he liked dancing after all. He rested his chin against my shoulder, and I smiled. His eyes were closed, and he looked peaceful and I'm sure that if he was a cat, he'd be purring.

I felt like I was being watched and when I glanced up, I locked eyes with Amaya, still singing, and still the very picture of a femme fatale. And yet she winked at me, her smile playful and conspiratorial. I couldn't help but smile back, and I couldn't help but think that she'd somehow known a slower song might entice him to act like this.

I'd certainly have to thank her for that.

But it would have to wait, because all I wanted to do in this moment was continue to sway in Levi's arms. And later, well... Levi and I might not make it through their entire performance anyway.

No, I felt I needed to get him home as soon as possible... if only to get him out of those clothes.