AN: I own nothing.

It was late, and Mikasa was well aware of this fact. She also knew, from experience, that her squad's fearless leader had the tendency to stay up all hours of the night. More than once, she had passed by his quarters at an odd hour of the night to find the light of a candle flickering from the crack in his door. It was really no wonder that he had such dark circles under his fierce, piercing eyes, as it seemed as if he never slept.

It was on such a night, that she found herself passing by his room, on her way back to her shared quarters from the bathroom. Usually, she would have paid no heed to the dim candlelight, but something seemed...off. The door was slightly ajar, and if that were not strange enough, she could hear his voice, his tone strangely soft. He was mumbling, Mikasa realized.

She did not consider herself to be particularly nosey, but this unusual situation perked her interest, the need to find the toilet suddenly less vital. It was not any of her business, she tried to tell herself.

Mikasa slowly pushed the door open further, grimacing at the creak, before sticking her head into the room.

Corporal Levi sat at his desk, sound asleep.

Propped back in his chair looked far from comfortable, yet she found him slouched there, a booted foot up on the oak desk, the other firmly set on the ground. Both of his arms, deceptively powerful, lay limply to his sides, and Mikasa swore she had never seen any man, least of all Levi, in such a vulnerable state. He hadn't just fallen asleep at his desk-he had worn himself to the ground, until his limbs could no longer move and he was physically forced into unconsciousness by his own body.

"Don't do this," he muttered, and she instinctively froze. His eyes remained shut, however, and he didn't so much as stir in his chair. Was he sleep-talking?

Breathing a sigh of relief, she stepped fully into his room. She was not the type of person to pity anyone, least of all her own superior, but he looked strangely pathetic, asleep in that chair. Mikasa gnawed on her lower lip for a moment, contemplating her options. She should leave him, really. Corporal Levi, with his harsh exterior, had already set her off more than once with his treatment of her adoptive brother, and he certainly deserved the sore back he was going to wake to, as far as she was concerned.

Despite this, however, Mikasa had only to look at his naked, artless expression to know that she could not leave him in such circumstances. Taking nimble steps, she approached further. She lightly swept his bangs away with slender fingers, looking more closely to at his peaceful face. He was more young looking than ever, for a man who was constantly evading and dealing death. His breath was warm on her wrist, and that unsettling warmth spread to her chest.

She was undoubtedly more than strong enough to lift him from his chair and transition him into the unused bed against the wall. It occurred to her then that she could hardly put him in bed while fully clothed. Undressing her own leader was the deal-breaker. There was no way she could. Cheeks burning, she just about stomped out of his quarters to leave him to his uncomfortable, back-breaking fate.

"Please, don't go," Mikasa then heard him murmur. She recognized the fact he wasn't actually speaking to her, but his plea still caught her off guard.

Wasn't she just about to go? She had her own bed to return to, without any worries of waking a dragon. She looked over her shoulder, fingers aching to grab onto the door knob, just within reach. If he was anyone else, asleep at a desk, she wouldn't have hesitated to help, and this insight disturbed her.

He so easily detached himself from everyone he met, knowing they were all titan food, that even in her own mind, he was separate from the rest. How could he lead such a lonely life? Even she could not survive without Eren and Armin, the only family she had left, and most considered her rather closed off. But to have no one at all, not a single person to support and care for seemed a bleak and impossible existence.

"I won't," she replied with a huff, feeling annoyed with herself.

He was surprisingly heavy, she noted as she lifted him from the chair as gently as she could. It would be somewhat difficult to explain to him why she was carrying him, should he rouse. As delicately as possible, Mikasa removed his boots, before pulling off the straps and harnesses of his uniform, and sneaking his arms out from his jacket. Under the starched white of his button-up shirt lay solid, steely muscle. Awareness of his firm body and her proximity to it rose, her entire form suddenly heated again.

She would have left then, if a hand hadn't swiftly shot up to grasp the front of her nightshirt, and to yank her sharply down. Mikasa suddenly found herself secured into his hold, with no means of escape. She squeaked despite herself, eyes wide with horror.

Levi grunted, feeling well-rested and curiously warm. The sun had already risen, he discerned after a quick peek. He took a deep breath, the unexpected, heady scent of sage and pine stimulating his keen sense of smell, and he then recognized why it was that he felt so warm. Not only was he in bed, but there was someone else in it with him. Mouth suddenly dry, his eyes snapped open to take in a full head of silky, raven hair, the origin of the tantalizing scent.

Still asleep was his own damned subordinate, Mikasa Ackerman. He swallowed thickly, racking his brain to remember what it was that had happened the evening previous. He could only recall going over some figures for Erwin.

Surely, nothing had happenedbetween them. He cringed at the mere thought. Not that she wasn't attractive...No, he berated himself. He wasn't supposed to look at her like that. It was bad enough that he was older than her, but he had responsibility as a higher-ranking officer. Shifting away from the sleeping young woman, he was rather stunned when a muscular, dare he think it, bare, leg hooked around his hip, holding him fast.

"Shit," he hissed, eyes narrowing at her peacefully oblivious expression. He could only imagine what Erwin would say at this unexpected development. Probably to make the best of it. Levi frowned.

Without warning, she pulled impossibly closer, pressing her chest flat to his. He could tell that she did not have her breasts bound. Levi supposed he should have been relieved that they both appeared to be clothed, though he had no memory of removing his jacket or boots, let alone the harnesses. Harnesses that were located rather close to his groin. It was difficult to not imagine her hands trying to unfasten the almost too tight buckles at his thighs.

"Shit," Levi repeated. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

He must have been loud enough that time, because she stirred, hips shifting against his in a way he wished he could deny being pleasant. Dark eyes eased open to meet his own, their owner's expression bland. As if actually trying to make him more uncomfortable, she stayed put, gazing at him levelly without so much as retracting her shapely leg.

"Corporal," she hummed at last, "what are you doing in my bed?"

"I could ask you the same thing, you brat," he grunted back. "This is my room."

She nodded, agreeing upon this point, before heavy eyelids lethargically lowered again, and she scooted closer to the main source of heat-him. "You never used this bed before though," she yawned, "so I'm claiming it."

Her audacity astounded him. "Excuse me?"

She simply shrugged. "You never sleep. And I found you crashing at your desk last night. If you're not going to appreciate the nice bed you have, I don't really see a point in you even having it."

He floundered for a moment. A half-asleep woman was not something he was really used to waking to, especially if that woman happened to be from his own squad. Scowling at her, and her bewilderingly accurate information on his sleeping habits, he

jerked a hand free from the cocoon she had created with their bodies and his blankets, only to find himself in a new predicament. There was nowhere to put the newly liberated hand.

"And what, exactly, do you plan on doing with my bed?" Levi growled.

She was hardly able to make a dignified response however, as round, charcoal orbs tiredly shut him out from behind a curtain of black bangs. She had dozed off again.

Glare narrowing, he decided to hell with it, gripping her thigh roughly with his freed hand and squeezing.

This seemed to be just what she needed to jolt into full consciousness, because he finally saw some clarity in her drowsy expression as she yelped. He could not help but feel amused by her startled face as she tore herself away, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sir," she started, flustered by his devious smirk. "I don't know how to explain-"

"How you ended up in my bed?" Levi cut her off with a sneer.

Mikasa flushed in embarrassment, before lifting herself up and away from where he lay propped on his elbows, standing upright and pulling her sleep-shirt down. It did very little good, however. He regarded her carefully, eyes scraping up and down her form, slowly assessing her lengthly legs and curved hips. There was probably a special circle in hell, waiting just for him.

"You looked uncomfortable last night," Mikasa blurted by means of explanation, even pulling at the ends of her sleeves to cover herself. "I moved you onto the bed, and it was you that pulled me in with you."

He sputtered at her accusation. "I pulled you into bed?"

She frowned at his surprise. "Did you think that I just decided to crawl into bed with you?"

He could tell she regretted her words the moment she said it by how she anxiously nibbled on her lower lip, but the reality of her statement was undeniable, and did nothing but piss him off. Why, indeed, would any young, pretty woman want to jump into the sheets with him?

Careful contemplation of her form turned to relentless scrutiny. Though she made a solid point, nothing could detract from the insult she made. Under the threat of his anger, Mikasa automatically reacted with her own, scalding rage. Glaring at each other with equal vigor, they found themselves in a stalemate, until she saluted him coldly.

"Permission to return to my own quarters, Sir?" She intoned.

Gritting his teeth, he waved her off, not exactly prepared to put up a proper fight. He was unable to keep himself from watching the seductive roundness of her backside swing as she stomped heavily away.

He had thought that, at least in instances such as these, he was a decent sort of man. It was more than just disappointing, but frustrating, to realize that on top of all his other short-comings, he was just another dirty, old man. Levi was abrasive and crude and violent and harsh, but recognizing that he was a pervert too was just the icing on the proverbial cake.

"Fuck," he exhaled, falling back onto the bed to inspect the ceiling angrily. He wanted her.

Mikasa was in a horrid mood, and did nothing to hide it. At morning training, she had flipped Jean onto the ground so roughly that he had teared up, and couldn't get back on his feet for a solid five minutes, never mind that in the exercise she was supposed to be on the defensive. At breakfast, she accidentally spilled her tea in Corporal Levi's lap while passing by, which had naturally left her saddled with cleaning the entire mess hall to her victim's satisfaction. Eren and Armin quickly identified her ill-humored state, and decided to steer clear.

Eren decided that it must have been coming close to that time of the month, but Armin, being more perceptive, quickly picked up on the fact that Corporal Levi was in a mood just as atrocious. While their squad leader was rarely in high spirits, his testiness was on an entirely new level today. There had to be a connection between their moods, he concluded as he watched the Corporal berate Mikasa for the state of the mess hall windows.

So, he observed them for the entirety of the day. It was not their actual interactions that gave them away, but the aftermath. There was the smallest hint of pink in her cheeks whenever he marched off that hadn't been there before, and though it was barely discernible, he always had a sly, pleased smirk on his lips. No matter how much she scowled at his retreating back, or how loudly he yelled before making an exit, his eyes were sharp enough to pick up these crucial details.

As Mikasa aggressively wiped down the windows for the third time, he decided this was not something he could leave on its own. He had to address her about it, to at least understand what exactly it was she was thinking, being involved with their superior. There was no other explanation for their actions.

Before the Corporal could return for another bout of nitpicking, he set out some tea to share with his childhood friend.

Mixing a small amount of sugar into the steaming cup, he innocently glanced up at her distraught face. "So, you and Corporal Levi, huh?"

Mikasa choked, Jasmine tea dribbling down her chin as she stared at Armin with wide eyes. She could feel her cheeks burning. Sometimes, she forgot how insightful he could be, especially when it came to her. She was sadly predictable with how she reacted to men, in particular.

"Nothing happened," she answered, attempting to reign in her agitation. This was not the right thing to say, however.

His mind, quick and agile, reached his next deduction. "Nothing happened when?" he asked guilelessly. "Yesterday, there wasn't this...tension with you and him. So something happened between then and now, am I correct?"

She was flustered, and trapped. Even if his expression was open and friendly, she knew what he was doing. Armin did not have her physical strength, but his logic was irrefutable, and his talent for reading and manipulating people was frightening. This skill of his had certainly been refined over the past few years.

He sighed though, before smiling genuinely. "I'd just be careful when it comes to Corporal Levi," he told her earnestly. "All today, he's been acting like a dog, circling his next meal. I don't think anyone else has really noticed a difference, but even our squad will figure it out eventually."

Mikasa slouched slightly in her seat. She was not the sort to share too much, even with her two closest friends, but Armin was smart. Maybe he had a solution for the awkward situation she found herself in. "I caught Corporal Levi asleep at his desk," she admitted quietly. "He...wouldn't let go of me after I carried him to his bed."

"So? Did you just stay there, or something?"

She looked to the side, self-conscious. He had meant it as a joke, but there was truth in her actions.

"Nothing happened," she repeated with a bit too much force.

Armin laughed nervously. "He didn't kill you when he woke up...? He must like you more than I thought."

"I may have said a few things while half-asleep, too," she muttered. Mikasa neglected to mention the compromising position she woke to. "I'm not exactly sure what I said."

Armin fought back a apprehensive look, and for good reason. Mikasa had heard only too often from him and Eren that she tended to lose her filter and make inappropriate comments while in a half-asleep state. Being not quite awake yet, she did not always remember what she said, and that was embarrassing enough with her family.

"You claimed my bed," came a dry tone.

Mikasa's head snapped towards the voice. Levi stood by the entrance, leaning against the archway rather casually with his arms crossed, as if he had been there, listening, for some time. He pushed off from the wall then, arms dropping to his sides as he approached with slow, unbothered strides.

Armin stood abruptly, pressing his fist to his heart in a respectful salute. "Sir, I..."

"Shut up," he uttered flatly. "You're dismissed, Arlert."

Mikasa could barely meet Armin's eyes as he gave her a pitying look. He was quick to back out, however, leaving her and Levi very alone. She should have been furious that he had been eavesdropping, but she was too preoccupied by the unnamed emotion tightening in her chest achingly. She sucked in sharply when he held her gaze, unabashed.

"Nothing happened, huh?" he imitated her with a mocking curl of his lip. "Funny, because I'm sure I remember you being pretty close."

"Sir," her eyebrows knit together, "I only meant that we never-"

"We didn't fuck," he finished for her bluntly.

Effectively silenced, she instinctively shuddered at his frankly put words, swallowing thickly as he came to stop directly in front of her. They carefully observed each other, his eyes oddly appreciative as she sat tensely, clenching and unclenching her fists under the table. Mikasa liked to think she was prepared for anything, after the incident that morning.

"Damn," he sighed, as if in surrender.

She did not have the chance to figure out just what he was resigning himself to, before he was leaning down to boldly press his lips to hers. She gasped in shock, only to next have his assertive tongue gliding into her mouth against hers. Mikasa could have pushed him away, or bitten him, or punched him in his obnoxious face; she could have struggled in any way possible.

Instead, she was tugging him down level to where she sat by his stupid cravat.

End