Microcosmos || Rivamika

Ch6 Unraveled

Summary: Soon after their long awaited reunion, Levi and Mikasa find refuge in the house of a new Marleyan ally — the head of the Strauss family — who holds hidden stories of their own. What secrets do they know?

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"Is this it?" Mikasa pointed forward at the end of the path ahead.

"Must be." Levi lowered the paper map from his and Mikasa's face as they both peered towards the tall height of a pillared Strauss estate standing in the middle of the lush plantation. It was three-stories high, painted in white, and the pillars created a sense of grandeur. Anyone who saw it would immediately know the status and wealth of the family that lived here. The two undercover soldiers marched forward.

It hadn't been too long since Levi and Mikasa had reunited on the edge of the Marleyan town that night. The moments that immediately followed the emotional exchange were quiet, but intimate, and the two knew there were plenty of words that were simply chosen to be left unspoken.

Mikasa remembered pulling away from Levi's soft kiss on her forehead, and as flustered as any woman would be, she resorted to nervous laughter and shy distance. She dusted off her clothes and continued wiping her face with the sleeves of her kimono. She still hadn't looked Levi in the eyes since then, and if she stopped to think about it too much, Mikasa would continue falling into a hole of blushing embarrassment.

Levi took notice of this. He didn't mean to make her uncomfortable. As far as he was concerned, it was maybe selfish of him to kiss the woman, his comrade, like that. But there was something about that moment; seeing her again after tireless hours of wandering the city following a risky journey on the only Hizuran plane left that seemed too old and dingy. I am not fucking dying yet until I see her again, he remembered thinking on the turbulent flight. He was lucky to land safely in that shitty thing.

When he followed familiar paths and finally found Mikasa on the outskirts of town, wailing to herself on the cold ground, Levi felt as though his heart could burst. She was alone, of course, but more than anything he knew she felt alone. It was exactly what he knew would happen. Levi wasn't worried about her safety — again and again, the girl was strong enough to handle her own. But this...

This is what he wanted to avoid. This was why he made his promise to her.

As they reunited after less than two days that felt like an agonizing eternity, and as he pulled away from the warm embrace and kissed her forehead, he simply couldn't help it. Mikasa Ackerman was in front of his own eyes again. Mikasa Ackerman was in his arms again.

But maybe he did too much, he thought. As they walked towards the Strauss estate, he glanced over at Mikasa who still refused to meet his eyes. Mikasa still seemed nervous and shy, and if she didn't welcome that touch, he knew it was best to keep loving her from afar as planned. Levi was well accustomed to protecting her well being, but now the journey meant learning to protect the woman's heart, too.

Perhaps he would be okay if Mikasa never loved him back.

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They both stood before the doorway of the estate now. It was well into the night and the entire property seemed extremely quiet, though the lights in the house were still on. Levi stepped forward and made three loud strikes of the brushed bronze door knocker; each hit boomed loud into the home.