night sky stars.
characters: levi, mikasa, others.
notes: for ccss, slight violence within.

…

i. i will build a path to you
one week

…

There are rumors of giants in the Lost Forest, and there are none who enter who return safely.

A forest should not garner such a reputation, but the Lost Forest has always been notorious for enveloping both people and things alike, anything that dares to cross over the borders of its foliage and wander into its natural darkness.

But now there are rumors of giants who pluck up men and women and children, and eat them whole. No one braves the forest, not anymore, and those who manage to escape never speak too much of the dark things they encounter within.

So, it is a pity for the King's daughter to be lost in the wilderness of the vast forest, because many of the King's men have ridden gallantly into the jungle, and only one returned, screaming and clutching a bloody, severed limb.

…

The Lost Forest is of no threat to Levi.

He has made a habitat between trees and leaves amongst the creatures that scatter through the woods, and he is the only one armed with steel and wires and anything to bring these giants toppling to the ground.

And even then, it is a complete coincidence that Levi is the one who stumbles across the girl curled underneath the rotted hollow of a tree trunk.

He knows nothing of the King's bounty and reward for the return of his daughter, because the girl with tree bark caked in the filthy tangle of her hair is crying, the sort of empty, tearless sobbing that runs a throat dry.

It's not as if he would recognize her anyway, but there is no other reason for such a young girl to be hidden away in the forest.

"Hey, you," he calls, and she shudders so violently that he thinks she may crack into dried, muddy flakes. Her eyes are almost-black, but Levi can see a fractured silver glint underneath her lashes.

The King's daughter, a princess, climbs out from between the shattered pieces of the tree and cowers even as she approaches him. And he should be more sensitive, because she looks like a waif of a thing, ready to blow away into the next strong gust of wind.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he says with a slight of impatience, waving her forward, "I'm going to get you out of the forest."

Admittedly, she has buried herself deep within the heart of the forest, but as the steel rattles around in his bag, Levi knows he is the most equipped to make it out, if anyone is. He grabs her around the waist and tugs, watching the tulle of her skirts tear against the bottom of the tree.

The sun is a faulty beacon shining weakly at the line of the horizon, and Levi knows how difficult this forest is to navigate in the dark. But, it is infinitely better than risking injury during the day.

…

Levi ignores the startled look on her face when he approaches her, a cloth knotted tight in his fist. "Oi, relax," he growls, gripping her chin between his fingers. Her face is a gentle heart shape, and he doesn't look into the cloudy grey of her eyes as he raises the cloth to her face.

Somewhere between rubbing away the dirt of her cheeks and brushing the cloth haphazardly across her lips, her fingers rest on the inside of his wrist, and she stares at him with a look he can only describe as a flood of relief.

Now that her face is clean and her features are discernible, he may even say she encapsulates the beauty of a princess.

…

He doesn't look too closely at her because midnight sweeps over them as they walk, and the moonless black sky and tiny twinkling stars do not offer enough light for consideration. Her arm is wound in his, and her fingers tremble with chill and nervousness and fear.

She stares up at the stars, though, what little of them the treetops don't shield from their view.

"What's your name?" is what she tries to ask, but her throat is so dry and raspy that she croaks through the syllables. Levi wouldn't have believed it was her if he hadn't been watching her try to mouth the rest of the words.

He appraises her for a few moments. "You can call me Levi."

Her throat flexes as she tries to swallow enough saliva to speak without coarseness tumbling over her lips. In the end, she settles for shaking some of the dirt-caked strands of hair out of her face and glancing at him.

"I'm Mikasa," she says quietly, "just Mikasa."

…

If she stops screaming, Levi is going to assume she's dead.

The sun rises on them and an unsuccessful night of sleeping because of the loud, thumping footsteps of the giants who live in the forest. One in particular that attempts to wrangle them is clumsy with swaying arms that topple trees over in its radius.

Mikasa clutches his bag and ducks behind a tree as Levi curses under his breath.

"What an imbecile," he mumbles to himself as he darts behind it, grabbing the steel blades and driving them into the back of the giant's ankle. The noise it emits is more than a wail, a banshee shriek that rattles the ground and scares Mikasa into screaming even more. He scissors his blades against the cords of tendons in its foot as viciously as he can manage.

"Hey!" He screams back, pressing his boot against the gargantuan sized leg and wrenching his blades free, "Stop screaming and get out of here!"

Levi has seen the giants, knows that they can heal, but that they can also feel pain. He knows they have a little over five minutes before this one in particular comes lumbering after them, crooked over and peeking through the trees for them like they are ants scurrying away.

He doesn't have time to wipe the thick, black blood from the steel when he crashes into Mikasa, because he's fumbling to grab her arm and drag her through the dirt away from where the giant is still wobbling on severed flesh. She is shaking even underneath his grip, but there is something hardened in her eyes, in her posture, the moment she lays eyes on the giant.

"Just run," he yells gruffly, shoving her ahead of him, willing her not to trip, "run straight ahead and stay out of the way!"

He can't turn around to see where she's going or what she's doing, but he's already breaking out into a run towards the giant's other ankle, ready to carve out another section of skin and tendon and muscle, anything to give that stupid girl a running headstart.

…

Levi finds Mikasa crawling along the forest floor, leaves crushed into her dress, mud covering her palms.

"What the hell are you doing?"

She blinks and leaves fall out of the ratty tangle of her hair. "Camouflage."

…

It takes them a few more hours to get out of the forest, and their appearances show it completely. Levi is dusted with dirt and blood from contact, dragging his boots along from exhaustion, his bag strapped tightly to his back. His jacket, a navy blue overcoat, looks almost black with dirt and is torn in several places where the cold wind filters in. And Mikasa looks so much worse, her dress smeared with dry mud and her hair tangled in ropes of filth. But they made it out alive, and people stare at them as they walk into the village as if they have risen from the dead.

But one middle-aged woman ushers them towards her home, a modest cabin with the fireplace already going, and neither of them are really in the position to turn anyone down.

"So," she says, her eyes fixed on the tracks of dirt they bring into the house with them, "are you two lookin' for somethin' in particular?"

Levi doesn't comment on the slur of her speech, although he's certain his facial features cinching in disgust is enough of an indicator. "We'd appreciate a bath and some bread and we'll happily be on our way."

Mikasa is already peeling off the dirty rags of her clothes, intricate layers of skirts and fabrics wrapped tightly around her waist. There is something Levi thinks is a girdle or a corset or some contraption that looks like it is designed to suffocate her if not for the slick of ribbon hanging off of the end.

"No problem, gent, no problem," she says, cracks a toothy smile with several discolored teeth. "The lady should be off first, you know, and I can see to it that you both get some nice clothes to change in to."

She gives him a stern look as he looks down at his own blood spattered clothes, and Levi starts to wonder exactly why anyone would let them into their home looking like they've just emerged from a swamp. His jacket is missing several buttons and his pants, though they have always been torn, now look beyond tattered repair.

Her hand clamps around Mikasa's shoulders gently and she leads her away.

The only thing that calms Levi's thoughts are marking all of the exits and entrances in the house, and rattling the blades still trapped in his bag.

…

She looks beautiful now that she is properly dressed.

Levi tries to shake those thoughts of out his head as he moves past her to sit down at the tiny wooden table. He's still cold from the water sloshing around in the wooden tub in the next room, but right now, it would be more than welcome, because thinking about the King's daughter that way is not happening, not at all.

But cleanliness is doing wonders for her appearance. Mikasa's hair glimmers now, braided elegantly down her back and twisted up into a modest bun. The clothes she wears now are nowhere near as ornate as the shreds of her original clothes, but the bodice is flattering and the washed black of her dress lends itself to the sheen of her hair and the translucence of her eyes.

"Much better," their caretaker says, smiling crookedly at them. Levi is not a fan of this new look, borrowed clothes that swallow him up. The hem of his pants are tucked up twice and the cuffs of the jacket he has on now are rolled to his elbows. There is a scratchy fabric folded along the neckline of his shirt, something like an ascot, and Levi wants to tear it off.

"We'll be going now," he says, staring over at Mikasa, "we have somewhere to be."

…

ii. all that you've had
two months

…

He stops outside of the castle gates to ask her, "How the hell did you end up in the forest anyway?"

Mikasa blinks. She looks so different this way and it is still taking him a long time to adjust. Even still, he doubts that the girl he tugged from beneath the tree hollows is the same girl who fusses with the pins in her hair and belongs to royalty.

"I had no intentions of going into the forest," she says as they walk idly, "but I got so exhausted of being trapped that I had nowhere else to run."

None of his business, as he suspects, but he figures it is still within his place to ask such a question. Mikasa doesn't seem at all startled by it, though, because her face is still tipped up to the sky, peeking at the sunset.

The thought occurs to him that maybe she is always staring between the clouds because she has never been under the open sky.

That thought is what manages to slow their pace, just a little.

…

The King is a pale, thin man with glasses that rest on the tip of his nose. He pushes them up constantly behind narrow eyes, sits quietly at his desk with a thoughtful look. Levi thinks it is quite ironic for a man this powerful to have lost his teenage daughter for so long inside the bowels of a dangerous place like the Lost Forest.

But it is not he who rejoices the most over Mikasa's return when she is shuffled into the room. A wiry thin boy stands from his father's side and drags her into his embrace, squeezing her tightly and twirling her around. Mikasa smiles, pretty, and clings to his neck until he sets her down.

"Eren," she says softly, "I missed you too."

"You don't understand, when I heard you were in the Lost Forest, and Father wouldn't let me go to you…"

Her hand touches his cheek and Levi looks away. None of his business. None at all. His eyes fall onto the King, whose eyes still haven't tipped up behind his glasses. Eren says something with exasperation that Levi doesn't pay close enough attention to.

"I returned your daughter with no need for any riches, your Majesty." His teeth grit around the title, but he knows when to afford such luxuries as putting his abrasiveness on the shelf, and this is one of those moments. "So rest assured that I'm not here for any of that shit."

Well, only so much of it can be tucked away at once.

The King's fingers twitch where they are clasped in front of his mouth, his knuckles pushing his glasses back onto his face. He thinks there is a ghost of a smile on his lips, but he doesn't examine it any further.

"I must offer you something," he murmurs in a gravelly voice, finally lifting his head to meet Levi's eyes. "If you will not have a bounty, then may you have a title."

…

A knight. More specifically, Princess Mikasa's knight.

That, Levi thinks, is more amusing that Mikasa's recounting of what Eren and the King call valiant giant slaying. But it is either that or accept a mountain of riches that will inevitably force him to stop wandering into the forests the way he wants. This way, at the least, he will be thought of as a hero just for doing what he has always done.

Mikasa is different between the walls of this castle. She is something lethal and giggling, always running around with her step-brother, slightly vicious and always playful.

Nothing like the girl he'd saved from the deep, dark things within the forest.

"Levi." He hates how she says his name. "My father says as long as you are with me, I can travel however I like from the castle."

He chances to look at her and the way her face is glowing says it all. And Levi doesn't want to think of himself as some sort of savior, but Mikasa's expression is that of a parched soul finally drenched in water, so he jerks his head away and snorts.

"Don't get used to it, brat," he clicks his teeth together impatiently, "I'm not a babysitter."

…

Levi wonders what it would be like to look at something the way she looks at the stars in the sky.

…

He is not in love with her.

Hell no. He doesn't even know her.

But Levi barely admits to himself that he has grown protective over her. He is the one who listens to her heated vents when she is alone in the vast space of her room, tossing things furiously and collapsing in the center of her bed. A month has passed by so swiftly and he has been nothing if not immersed in her presence within the castle. He has learned her to be so much more than the scared, trembling dirty girl he found in the forest.

She is a Princess, but she is a hellion underneath that; the forest may have rendered her timid and afraid, but it is easy to see that she would rather have that over this sheltered life here. And it isn't that she has had an easy life; Levi knows that Mikasa's father and Eren's mother were murdered, that the halves of their parents that were once old friends came together as a couple.

Levi knows that Eren feels something unseemly for Mikasa, blood relative or not.

He is not in love with her, but there is something about the witty retorts and incessant questions she feeds him that keeps him on his toes. He hates it, because she tracks him down when she cannot sleep, hair curled and loose around her shoulders, eyes heavy and exhausted, ready to converse with him in the dead of the night.

She asks him about the giants and about his almost rusted steel blades, she asks him about the sway and bend of the trees and the sounds of cicadas and the warm summer breeze between the leaves. And above all else, she listens until she falls asleep, and then he must carry her back into her room before morning.

So, it hardly matters to Levi. He doesn't enjoy having her around, even if he is constantly wandering out of his comfort zone. There is nothing to be desired when she drags him outside of the castle walls to walk underneath the midnight sky and ask him about the forest. It's not her company that he seeks, but it is his job to protect her, to make sure he is safe, and that is the only reason he lingers so closely to her. That is the only reason.

In fact, Levi curses loudly when she stumbles into his room, laughing and wearing nothing but a slip—goddamnit—

"Get out of here! Go put on some clothes, you stupid girl!"

But she doesn't. She giggles as she approaches him, snatching up his hands and tugging on him. "C'mon, don't be that way! It's the middle of the night, I just want to go outside for a little while and I don't feel like getting dressed."

Levi can't pry her off, her and those stupidly sharp nails, "Go stick your head out of the window, Princess, and get the hell out of here."

She laughs, but she doesn't let go. She stares at him with those metallic eyes of hers, twisting and rolling her ankles as she wobbles in front of him. If he hadn't known any better, he would have suspected her to be feverish or drunk. And he has the nerve to feel the flushed heat of his cheeks, has the nerve to convince himself that it is anger warming him.

He has no choice but to take her out for a walk, so he grumbles as he straps the sheath of his steel blades against his waist, glaring at her. "Only for a little bit. I swear to God, if you run off, I'm leaving you out there to die."

Mikasa laughs, her cheeks red, and Levi's eyes widen when he finds himself watching her.

So, maybe he likes her, has grown to tolerate her. He still, definitely, does not love her.

…

iii. close your eyes and listen
eight months

…

"Father says I'm to be married in three months' time."

Silence.

"How old are you, anyway?"

Silence.

"I'm going to tell him I want to marry you."

Levi tries his damnedest to ignore her, but he can't help but flinch at her absurd suggestion. "Shut up, girl."

Mikasa laughs from her perch on the bed. Her dress today is a smooth blend of cream and red colored taffeta, her hair pulled away from her shoulders in order to display the décolleté neckline. Levi knows nothing about all of the fancy work that goes into her dressing, just that the underside of her dress, crinoline, is meant to be put away from Eren, because he thinks it is to be played with.

Children, he reminds himself as he stops himself from staring at her for too long, the two of them are just children. The fact that Mikasa is going to be seventeen is of no consequence, because she is still a pretty little thing with stars trapped in the clouds of her eyes.

"I'm just saying, Levi," she crosses her legs at the ankles and watches him closely, "it would be nice if I wasn't stuck playing nice to some spoiled boy."

He lifts his shoulders in a shrug, stares at her. "You're a spoiled girl. What's the difference?"

The red pout of her lips part over a huff of air. "I ran away because I wasn't happy here. You're just a knight. If I were to marry you," her voice trails, as if she could actually consider such a thing, "then I wouldn't have to be trapped anywhere. I could travel, see the world, with you."

And she says it like it is some grand accomplishment.

Levi's blush is not from flattery, but from frustration. "You're being foolish. You're just a girl, and you don't realize you have the world at your disposal. You don't need the company of someone like me to enjoy that."

Her and her stupid red-spun dress. Mikasa stands and approaches him gingerly, like he will explode or collapse suddenly in front of her, and maybe she is right to do that. But she is so much taller than him with the anchor of her heeled shoes, so she drops her chin down to her chest to gaze at him.

"No, I don't," she says softly, smiling, "but I can't think of anyone's company I want more than yours."

He doesn't mean to kiss her, really. But she is so close and speaking so sweetly that he stands on the tips of his toes and touches her lips, firmly, curiously. (He still is not in love.)

…

Mikasa makes it impossible to ignore her. She closes the door behind her, pressing herself against it. Levi would rather not acknowledge her presence because he has been doing such a good job of avoiding her in every way the past few weeks that he may as well continue on in that way.

"I'm going out for rounds," he says brusquely, tucking fabric into the collar of his shirt. A cravat, he learned it to be called by the King, is the scrap that village woman had given him to wear, and though Levi had gone so long without any sort of fancy adornment or standard clothing, it had felt so barren when he pried that outfit off upon his arrival. His attire as a knight, armor withstanding, leaves nothing to be lacking. There is a mesh of material he must pull over himself, leave on underneath his clothes, but the King has financed him with an unlimited wardrobe that Levi usually narrows down to a cravat, a coat, and a comfortable pair of leather boots.

"I'm going with you," she turns to open the door and grips the handle tightly, before she swivels her head around to look at him again, "don't say no, because I am."

So he doesn't bother.

Levi walks at a brisk pace through the castle, boots thudding along the stone floors as Mikasa's low heeled shoes click beside him. Her hair, arranged loosely in a bun, spirals down in loose curls now. It is such a dainty femininity that completely contrasts her personality, to the point where he doesn't recognize her with her hair unrestrained around her face anymore.

The moon is glossy and bright in the sky when they step outside, and it casts her face into a warm-cheeked porcelain glow.

"You kissed me," she announces over the buzz of nature around them, and Levi sighs.

"No shit, Princess."

"But why," she fires back defensively, and he can feel her eyes on his face, "why did you kiss me, Levi?"

He shrugs. He had asked himself that so many times that night after he had properly shoved her out of his room and burrowed beneath his sheets, but none of the answers he had come up with sat well with him.

To his surprise, she doesn't pester him any further. The air is cool even through his jacket, and Mikasa's dress lacks any sleeves, so he brings their circle around the castle to only one revolution before he starts to head back inside.

"Levi."

He wants to keep walking, but he doesn't. Instead, he just stands there, waiting.

Mikasa walks up to his side until they are shoulder to shoulder. Her hair falls over her eyes, midnight black, like obsidian, like the sky. She twists her body slightly, looking at him, and Levi angles his head to look back at her.

He barely has time to register shock when she ducks her head down and kisses him, a sloppy smear of painted lip color and a blush, before she strides away, heels clicking through the castle doors.

He wants to remind himself he is not in love with this young girl, this Princess, but he has never been a liar.

…

iv. and it still goes bad
ten months

…

"You told your father what."

Levi thought he had been doing a great job of staying away from Mikasa. There was no way anything was going to happen there and it was his job not to let it. He was supposed to protect her, he was supposed to aid her, he was not supposed to interfere on such a large scale. But she is the one who has fallen victim to spontaneous kisses, because she finds him and kisses his cheek for any instance, who kisses his lips when no one is looking, who pours herself into each touch.

He thinks he might consider impaling himself on those infamous blades of his.

"I told him the truth!" She says frantically, hands shaking as she shuts the door behind him. She paces the length of his room with alarmingly wide strides, stocking-bare feet and tulle swishing behind her. Her ball gowns are still as strange to him as the armor he refuses to wear around the castle. "I told him I don't want to marry royalty, that I would rather—"

She cuts herself off and Levi stares at her. "You didn't. Go tell him you were joking and that you have no idea what you're saying, because you don't, and that you're just nervous."

Mikasa twists her fingers into the tight fist of her other hand, and stops her pacing to glare at him. "No! Because I'm not, you imbecile!"

Levi grits his teeth together, twisting his head away from her. It doesn't matter, he keeps telling himself, it doesn't matter that she is interested, because there is nothing for them to have. She has a month to prepare for her wedding and he will continue to protect her, continue to escort her, because that is his responsibility.

But she keeps looking at him.

She looks at him like a cluster of stars glittering in the dark.

"I told him we would go back to the forest."

Levi wants to be mad at her for saying that, because although he hasn't forgotten the nuances of the Lost Forest, he doesn't miss having to sever the limbs of giants, hasn't missed not having bathwater or little trinkets or the luxury of snacks.

Stupid, selfish little girl.

He grabs her before he realizes it. "Stop talking this foolishness, girl," he tightens his grip until she squirms, until her bones rub together underneath her skin, "there are hardly enough stars in the sky of worth to throw this all away."

She tries to jerk her hands free, but he holds her close. "Just come with me, Levi. You promised to protect me, so just…just follow me into the forest. If I die, then—"

"If you leave, then I will go." Levi pulls her close until the tip of his nose touches hers, eyes cold and icy and hard, "But I will not let you die, you silly girl."

…

This audience with the King seems like a terrible idea in is the last man who will see any reason to her idle chatter, because Mikasa is still the King's daughter, and she still has her own duties to fulfill. But Levi is so desperate because Mikasa will turn into this fearless, lovestruck girl she seems to be now in the midst of the forest.

She was right to fear it, but now she does not, and that is his fault for letting her fall in love.

"My daughter told me some very interesting things yesterday, Levi."

The King is as stoic as ever, his glasses pushed into his face. His hair drapes behind him, graying deeply at the temples. Levi doesn't like to watch him for too long, because the King watches him too.

"Your Majesty, I am not here to control your daughter or anything that she says."

"She says she loves you," and something grips Levi's chest tightly, "and that she wants to see the world. And that if I plan to give her away to another kingdom's prince, that she will leave me, again. She will run away."

His voice sounds like chastisement, so Levi pins his lips together and simply stares forward as the King continues to speak, his brows furrowed neatly.

"You have been assigned to protect my daughter, Levi, but you have poisoned her mind. She is my daughter, mine to give away, mine to ruin, mine to do what I see fit to do. And for her to have her head in the clouds, dreaming of the world and simple living is preposterous, because she is made for so much more than that. Do you see, Levi?"

Levi is speechless for what feels like a long time. It is his right, but it is still shattering nonetheless. His jaw ticks as it hardens, and he stares at the King brazenly. "If she leaves, sir," he punctuates firmly, "then it is my job to return her here. And if I cannot, then I shall not return."

"If I find you, I will kill you."

He grins, teeth shining brightly. Levi is used to protecting himself and used to protecting Mikasa, and he knows there are things more dangerous than misogynistic kings.

…

Mikasa has jewels and clothes and so many things stuffed into that dingy old bag of his that he fears it will burst at the seams. But she is smiling beside her window, watching him sort through his belongings in the room.

"My father used to tell me that there are lands on the other side of the Lost Forest," she sighs, glancing out of the window, "faraway kingdoms and royalty there and people living just like we are."

Levi doesn't know what to say. This life had been so comfortable for him, and he should have known better than to get accustomed to it, but it had almost been a year, and that seemed better than nothing.

She touches her hand to his cheek and smiles hopefully. "Just keep thinking about starting somewhere new." And he can't help but think of doing just that. So he thinks about that, and about how much irony exists in the fact that it was within the Lost Forest that he found her.

…

When they leave that night, the moon is full, and the stars are bright, and she is as beautiful as ever.