Wings in the Dark

Chapter 27: Echoes

*Reader's POV*

After your meeting with Erwin, you went to the kitchens to fetch Levi's lunch, something the cooks were used to by now. They already had a pot of water almost to a boil by the time you arrived for Levi's tea, and Levi's officer rations for his rank prepared on a plate they were keeping warm by keeping it near the oven. It made your task much easier, just making sure the water was the right temperature before making Levi's tea, assembling it all on the platter you usually used to take him his meals, and thanking the cooks for the day (Some were volunteers from the Scouts, a few hired professional cooks) before leaving for Levi's office.

You moved a bit quicker than normal on your way there, a few thoughts stirred up by Erwin and that had been on your mind for a while prompting your feet to move a little quicker than normal. You gave your usual knock on Levi's door, five knocks with a slight pause before the last knock, which prompted Levi to call you into the room. You entered the room, shutting and locking the door behind you before proceeding forward with Levi's lunch.

"If you keep doing this people are going to ask questions. Or think you're still an aid," Levi pointed out as you approached his desk, though he didn't look up from what he was reading.

"Well, it's a good thing I don't give a damn," you mused, setting down his tea first near his hand before you sat down his plate of food and tucked the platter up against the side of his desk on the floor. "Levi?"

He didn't look up at you, though you were staring at him and waiting for him to do just that. Instead he just hummed, expecting you to just ask a question or maybe give him one of your little shows of affection like covering his hand with your own. That's not what you were thinking, though, and after a few moments where he didn't look up, you asked again.

"Levi?"

"Yes?" he asked, far more vocally but with that tonal lean that suggested he'd get annoyed if you asked but didn't respond to his acknowledgement again. Normally you weren't trying to distract him from his work, quite the opposite, so this was probably throwing him off a bit. He was expecting a gentle touch, maybe a quick kiss, and then a departure. Now you were actively trying to pull his attention away from his work, which he was being a little resistant to.

Deciding he needed a bit more of a nudge–and he could always stop you if he wasn't comfortable with it or wanted to draw a line–you stepped closer, which started to get his complete attention before you reached over and your fingers gently ran up his jaw to turn his head up and towards you. By now you were standing directly beside and over him, and with the slightest angling up of his head, he was in the perfect position for you to lean down and kiss him.

Deeply.

Your lips pressed against his–slightly unresponsive at first because he'd been caught off guard–slowly and with just enough pressure, taking the time to revel in it and really enjoy the moment. As well as to try and give him the true sense that you wanted him to feel...adored at the moment. Or at least that he was receiving warm, unpolluted affection. A sense of stability with whatever the two of you had.

Your hand stayed on his jaw while you kissed him, his ink pen having dropped out of his hand and onto the desk without either of you noticing yet. He met the affection you gave him in kind once he started returning the kiss, though it was obvious he was a little lost about the purpose in how you kissed him before you even pulled back, just enough to look at him.

"What was that for?" Levi asked in a low voice, his tone quiet because of your close proximity. His comment certainly wasn't a complaint, with the subtle quirks on his face that told you he'd enjoyed it, even with the abruptness and pulling him away from his work.