A/N: This is pretty much the fault of i-really-heichou & megillien on Tumblr (⌐■_■)

ETA: There is now a third installment of this trilogy called Tabiya (Order being Checkmate - En Passant - Tabiya). If interested, you can find it via my author profile :) All three are part of a prelude to the Kyoukai no Kanata x Shingeki no Kyojin AU crossover, which can be found on my Tumblr (fuku-shuu).

Checkmate

Summary: Prequel to En Passant, which means more chess kink smut - only it's their first time. RivaMika/LeviMika.

"You still haven't made your move yet?" Mikasa blinked awake, drowsy voice as languid as the speed at which she lifted her chin from the temporary pillow of her arms.

From the remnant height of the burning candle on the adjacent table, Levi deduced that about twenty minutes had passed since his opponent first drifted into slumber. Her previous positioning of White Knight to C5 was a daunting act of aggression, but even the excitement from this successful breakthrough could not triumph over her fatigue at this late hour. Tonight's match was becoming one of their longest ever since eight months ago, when Hanji first assigned them to play chess against one another to help bolster "more strategic minds." And as the young woman across from him rubbed her eyes before sitting upright again, Levi wondered if the bespectacled one ever imagined that they would get to this point, where he would purposefully drag out games simply because he enjoyed Mikasa Ackerman's company and conversation too much.

Clearing his throat, he decided to omit the fact that he had actually been watching her sleep rather than contemplating where his King should escape. "As usual, you put me in a difficult situation, Mikasa."

Grey eyes suddenly turned stormy as she scrutinized him, and before he could react she had leaned across the space between them, forehead now nearly touching his. The fabric of her red scarf grazed against his protruding cravat, providing further emphasis as to just how close she was.

"It might help, captain, if you had kept your eyes on the board instead of on me." She delivered each syllable of her daring statement with a weight that intimidated him far more than her knight.

For once, Levi was rendered speechless as he returned her glare with as impassive a gaze as he could muster. His mind scrambled to find a proper verbal response, but outwardly he maintained his usual composure. From his folded limbs an arm managed to escape, and he attempted a final distraction by finally – and blindly - moving his King to its calculated escape route. As he retracted his hand, however, the cuff of his shirt brushed across the crowned apex before knocking over the entire piece. With reflexes as swift as what he possessed during battle, his fingers grasped the column and tipped it upright again onto the wooden surface.

Without changing the proximity of her head from his, Mikasa glanced down towards the updated layout of the pieces before flashing him a smirk.

"Checkmate." She shifted her hostile Knight into its final position.

It wasn't unusual that she could claim victory over him, as their skills were on fairly even ground. However on this particular night, Levi had seen potential of extending the match at least another hour, and he had intended to take full advantage of the opportunity to keep her here as long as possible. The unexpected failure of his plan confused him to no end before he looked downward.

"Shit." He cursed as he witnessed his monarch standing within an unfamiliar square. "That was a mistake."

To his dismay, Mikasa had already stood up from his mattress to retrieve her uniform jacket. The altering candlelight of the room illuminated her features, providing a healthy glow for her otherwise pale skin.

"No recanting. You know that."

"My damn sleeve shifted it one more space than intended, not me." As if outside of his own sphere of self-control, his hand reached out to grasp her wrist.

She froze, eyes darting to where they were now joined.

He squeezed his fingers, demanding even more attention. "What do I have to do so you would let me take that back?"

Mikasa turned to stare at another point on the ground, as if in deep deliberation for her next words. Levi watched with interest as an additional shade of pink began to camouflage the existing radiance upon her cheeks.

When her eyes finally returned to his, they were strangely confident, not to mention more mischievous than he had ever seen them. "Well, since you claim that your sleeve was the perpetrator…"

Before she even finished, he began to roll the fabric up his forearm with his free hand.

"No, captain." She reproached monotonously. "Get rid of it completely so that this doesn't happen again."

"Get rid…what-"

This time, prior to the conclusion of his sentence, Mikasa used her unrestrained palm to shove him backward. The startling momentum caused Levi to release her wrist and grasp his sheets for stability as he fell back against his own mattress. But rather than using her new won freedom to depart, she climbed above him instead, straddling the sides of his thighs with both knees.

His heart raced at a horse's pace as long fingers moved to toy with the buttons running down the middle of his shirt. "Yes, get rid of it." Between lush curtains of dark hair, her voice was husky yet controlled. The way she looked down at him was almost predatory now, as if he were a Titan ready to succumb to her blades.

"You are crossing some dangerous lines between officer and soldier, Mikasa Ackerman." While his eyes endeavored to contain all reaction, he delivered the pertinent reminder. A part of him, however, hoped that for once she would disavow her duty and not heed such a command.

"We are on equal ground during these games, so don't go easy on me just because I'm your superior." She seemed unperturbed by his warning as she sent forth her own recap. "Wasn't it you who said that to me the first night we played, Levi?"

Her intentional replacement of his name for his respected title shook Levi with a satisfaction he had not anticipated, and the intensity that flooded her eyes only served as catalyst for his impulsive response.

"Fine." Feeling suddenly returned to his paralyzed hands as he tugged his shirt hem out of his waistband and began to unclasp the now-suffocating buttons pair by pair. The hisses he released when cold air came into contact with more and more bare skin were met by Mikasa's smirk, and she teasingly yanked the end of his cravat as he came close to finishing his task.

"This, too."

He was a sardonic mystery, one far more difficult to solve than the any step in her acquired chess strategy.

But once Levi's cravat and crisp white shirt unraveled from his muscular torso, Mikasa knew that he now revealed every ounce of truth that entrenched his past and present. Scars of varied sizes scattered across the expanse of what was otherwise physical perfection, rendering his body as battered as the final outcome of the most brutal chess match. She had heard the rumors of his unique and perilous journey to the mantle of Humanity's Strongest since long ago, and with the evidence now in full display in front of her eyes, she realized that her own experiences, as tragic as they were, would always pale in comparison.

"You're staring."

The comment stirred her, yet Mikasa refrained from shifting her gaze. Instead, another swell of courage she had wanted to conjure up for weeks bubbled over, and she reached towards the chess pieces to their side to retrieve two particular ones. She knew by now she had broken – no, trampled upon - all the guidelines she had been so obedient towards for years and the limits she had set for herself for months, but as they had already reached a point of no return, she was now curious as to just how far she could overrun those boundaries.

"Which chess piece do you think you are, captain?" She put forth the question she had wanted to ask since long ago, always swallowed back previously in the midst of her own apprehensions. The mystery pieces dug into her skin as she gripped them with vigor, not wanting to prematurely reveal their identities to him.

"Which piece do you think I am?" He retorted from below, an action that matched Mikasa's own expectations. She always knew it would not be easy to break down his walls, but as the weeks went on and their matches increased in intensity and frequency, as she noticed his eyes trace her movements more and more outside of their chess games, she had felt her own attraction and curiosity surge beyond all resistance.

Opening her fist slightly, she removed one of its occupants and placed it upon his defined abs, centering its base upon the corner square of the six sections.

"Sometimes I think you're a knight." She stated softly as she began to mimic the actual L-shaped movements of the knight across the depressions of his musculature. "You inconspicuously circle your prey – whether it be Titans or even us – just waiting to catch someone at their most vulnerable moment."

Back and forth the wooden horse shifted under her guidance, traversing in an endless, almost ominous loop upon hardened flesh. She watched as Levi's throat enlarged with gulps of air as the knight's journey continued, and when his breaths became erratic, she paused to unveil the other item still concealed within her hand.

"But most of the time, captain, you're the bishop." She placed a tender kiss upon its black, droplet-shaped tip before lowering it to the left, landing it at the top end of the V-shape outlined by his pelvic bone. "Instead of taking the direct road to every goal you often shift to the side, serving as the understated, supporting flank instead of constantly monopolizing the frontlines."

With that, her left hand dragged the bishop precariously down across the oblique slope defining where his hips and thighs connected, following the same type of diagonal path that the piece actually executed in-game. A fractured moan suddenly escaped Levi's mouth as he threw his neck backward, both hands now fisted at his sides.

"In the end, you always find the center via your path of choice and accomplish the mission at hand." Mikasa continued to murmur as the bishop's voyage ended upon the fabric still covering his bulging groin. "Like Boden's Mate."

She allowed the two pieces to linger at their final locations upon his body for a few more moments before removing them. Then, leaning forward, she crawled to completely shelter his body with hers, supporting herself with both elbows next to his head.

"Am I right, captain?" She entangled one hand into his hair, now damp with sweat.

Through the haze of what Mikasa could only interpret as lust – she knew she was looking at him the same way - his blue orbs also glinted with traces of awe and fascination. After nearly an entire minute of unsettled tension, he finally scoffed.

"Right now, brat, I feel like your pawn."

His hands suddenly clung to her waist before he flipped them both over with ease, one knee digging into his mattress as it brushed against her core. Mikasa nearly yelped in surprise, but with this reaction to her performance, he revealed that she was no longer the only one willing to shatter boundaries.

"Just remember that the pawn always makes the first move." He reasoned before fusing their lips.

Levi marveled at the sensations that flooded his own body as he watched Mikasa writhe at his every touch. Just seconds into their first kiss they had skillfully divested one another of all clothing as only soldiers could, relieving strains that had built up for months and nearly exploded during her improvised seduction. Now, as his lips explored every inch of her, all previous reservations were tossed aside like the chessboard that had served as their only outlet.

When his fingers ventured deep into her most sacred warmth and met resistance, however, his eyes widened.

"Mikasa, is this your first time?"

She nodded with slight apprehension, perhaps the most Levi had ever seen her express. And though he was stunned by the unexpected idea of her innocence, he was even more astonished by how well she had enticed him despite that fact.

"How did you manage to…"

She rolled her eyes. "Just because I'm a cold-blooded soldier doesn't mean I'm a prude or that I don't know how to be creative."

"Then are you sure about…" He began to remove his fingers, but she reached down to stop him.

"Yes, I am certain." With her other hand, she brushed hanging strands of his hair behind his ear. "And like all the other women in the military I am protected."

His bastard of a cold heart had already thawed for her many times prior to this moment, but now it seemed to complete liquefy under the fervent heat that was her trust in him – not just as a soldier but as a woman. Return her trust, his mind beckoned. Show her what she means to you, what she could become.

"Roll over for me." Levi whispered. When she narrowed her eyes in suspicion, he probed a sensitive spot within her, provoking an elongated moan.

"Trust me."

When she obeyed, he removed his hand – much to her disappointment – and sought out one specific chess piece. Once within his grasp, he shifted his position to loom above her, eyes in full appreciation of her pale back that was only slightly marred by faint scars and bruising from harnesses.

"You're usually seen as the rook, Mikasa." He spoke with boldness as he guided the white tower down the vertical arch of her spine. "You act with conviction and you take advantage of opportunities. You are the most…straightforward and powerful warrior anyone can ask for."

She gasped when his lips followed the path of the rook, bestowing gentle kisses along the sensitive center dip.

"But once those abilities are combined with that of the bishop…of those unconventional, diagonal paths…" Levi grazed the pelvic bone she had teased so thoroughly against the back of her thighs. "Your authority becomes identical to the Queen's."

Removing the rook, he replaced it with the expanse of his torso as he leaned down to whisper into the side of her neck.

"Is that authority…what you desire?" The tip of his arousal teased her heated entrance.

"I…I will not deny the abilities the bishop, or anyone else…wants to give me." She panted at the pending intrusion. "But I only…I only desire the satisfaction of victory."

As he supported himself with both palms upon the mattress, arms now adjacent to her own, he began to push his hips gently forward. "Then, I will show you a satisfaction even better than that."

Mikasa bit back a whimper at the pain that surfaced from his penetration, though the sensation was nowhere near the same level as her prior combat injuries. Almost immediately she felt Levi's wrist at her mouth, inviting her to bite down upon it if the aching was too much. His breaths became intermittent as he gradually entered further, and she could tell that it was taking all of his renowned self-control to manage such a pace.

He kissed her shoulder gently as he reached between her stomach and the sheets, elevating her lower half just enough to bring her additional relief. Though some remnant pain pricked at her nerves as he pulled out for the first time, the friction against her walls sparked light impressions of pleasure throughout her body.

"I…I'm alright now." As the throbbing subsided, she raised a hand to cup his chin in reassurance.

"Mikasa…" The sensual tone of his voice against her ear made her tremble. "You've officially defeated me."

Before she could interpret the underlying meaning of his words, Levi thrust into her again at the renewed angle, this time with marginally more vigor. A feeling of fullness suddenly overwhelmed her as she arched beneath him, relishing in the wonder of their connection and the chafing of his torso against her back. As he continued the rhythmic cycle, all the while lining the nape of her neck and her shoulders with visible marks of his affection, Mikasa felt the fostering of something outside of her sphere of awareness. Is this the satisfaction he spoke of? She wondered in the midst of their combined gasps.

When they both released a groan at a particular point, utterly drowning in one another with every trivial movement, she finally spoke again.

"Levi…let me see you…"

He must have had the same consideration, for the speed at which he rotated her body – whilst being cautious about where they were joined – seemed as swift as his signature attack. Even in the midst of her stupor, she was glad she could now admire the rugged handsomeness of his features while they twisted into varied expressions of ecstasy. The look in his narrow eyes – half hooded with passion and half alert with fervor – articulated all his emotions without words. As he lowered his head to engulf her lips once more, rivulets of sweat streamed down his forehead, and he drove into her both in body and spirit.

"You feel…like the paradise…we've all been fighting for." He managed to string together one sentence between their kisses. She knew that he was anything but lyrical, yet the words were pure poetry to her ears.

"As do you, Levi…" My unshakable King. She uttered before gifting him with the most ardent kiss yet. Indeed, if she were to become Queen, there would only be one fit to stand next to her – not above, not below, but on even ground, as they always would be. With this final comforting thought in mind, she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, hanging on as their tempo began to spiral out of control.

The pinnacle snuck up to her like an abductor, grappling her consciousness into an alternate universe that she wanted to remain in for eternity. As she groaned into his mouth, her channel contracted around him at its own volition, rendering Mikasa thunderstruck at the euphoria each pulsating motion instigated. And despite the attachment of their lips, she could feel him attempting to recite her name when he groaned his release and tumbled into their shared oblivion.

Checkmate. Mikasa envisioned the declaration on both of them from the lips of fortune.

As they recovered from climax minutes later, Levi's fingers traced along her thigh and back, sending tingling echoes of her gratification from head to toe. Meanwhile, she stroked the scalp along his undercut, wanting to cherish each of his potencies and iniquities.

Even though he admitted defeat, she knew that their victory was absolutely mutual.

The radiant dawn infiltrated his window and bathed them both in unwanted light. Levi groaned at the soundless call to arise, but the presence of an additional figure, coupled with memories from the previous night, gave him more assurance than usual. He placed a kiss upon the mass of black hair that tickled his arms before lifting himself to observe Mikasa's sleeping form, filled with delicacy contrary to her usual character, with only that single marking beneath her eye indicating any sign of hardship.

He sought to revere her, to crown her as sovereign – but not without him at her side to shield her from the worst. Humanity's Strongest. One Man Army. As valuable as an entire brigade. Some day she might very well inherit those same signatures and be hailed as a true Queen, but his countless scars knew the inevitable responsibilities that came with unsolicited monikers and the consequences of acting alone like he had done for far too many years. Even with all her capabilities, Levi hoped that she would not deny his wish to serve as her bishop, her knight, her rook, her pawn, her King.

Two tender kisses upon her collarbone and lips later, she blinked awake in the same way as the previous night, when she had been waiting for his next move. Only this time, instead of a verbal complaint, she grinned sleepily at the sight of him.

He raised an eyebrow. "So which one of us won the match in the end?"

"I don't know, but we probably broke the chessboard." She mumbled.

"I will have to clean it up…later." Sitting up, he grabbed a couple of the pieces that splayed about across his bed before reclining back next to her and pushing the duvet down to their hips.

"There are only twelve spaces." He raised each one before positioning them randomly upon the muscles that lined their respective abdomens. "But we can start a new game here, as long as we stay flat on our backs-"

Before he finished, his face was greeted with the assaulting surface of her pillow.

[Fin]

Boden's Mate: a checkmating pattern in chess characterized by bishops on two criss-crossing diagonals, with possible flight squares for the king being occupied by friendly pieces.