Partners in Crime Fighting

9. The Kiss

HANJI: I shifted the slide under the microscope to see it more clearly.

"How's it going, Shit Glasses?" Levi's voice came from the door.

"It's definitely a unique material, no doubt about it." I said.

"What do you think it is?" Levi asked.

"It's almost the texture of skin, but it's not skin. And it's not rubber, either..." I mumbled. "You know, if the Titans are fabricating these masks somewhere they have to have a headquarters of some sort. Someplace obviously abandoned and very discreet, somewhere--"

I was momentarily interrupted as Levi captured my lips in his. His hand slid along my jawline, bringing my face closer to his. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around him slowly.

When he pulled away his eyes met mine, the cold pupils that had seen ten years of crime drilling into me as if analyzing my soul.

"Hanji...I love you," he murmured.

"Levi..." I mumbled, "I love you, too."

"I've worked alongside you for ten years, and every single day I fell harder and harder for you. I wish I'd had the courage to tell you sooner but I--" Levi rambled, but I interrupted him this time.

My lips pressed to his, my heart slamming against my ribs, his soft hands on my cheek...I had waited for this moment for ten years.

"I fell in love with you, too," I admitted when we broke away again.

"Then...will you be my romantic partner?" He asked.

I felt my face grow hot. "O-of course," I stammered. "Should we tell the kids?"

"Why do they need to know?" Levi raised an eyebrow at me.

"They don't, I-I guess..." I shifted my eyes away from him.

There was a knock on the door: the kids were probably home.

We awkwardly stepped away from each other and corrected ourselves. "Am I still blushing?" I asked him.

"Yes, but it's not that noticeable," he replied. He went to answer the door.

I straightened my glasses and followed him.

"Well, how did it go?" I asked them.

"Armin nearly pissed himself," Eren said.

"That's not true! At least I didn't almost assault a cop!" Armin insisted.

"Shut up you two," Mikasa said, "it doesn't matter. What does matter is that we incarcerate the rest of the Titans now that we've got Annie. Isn't that right, Hanji?"

"Yeah, Mikasa's right. Now that we've got one of them, it won't be long until the police get Annie to tell them where the Titans' stronghold is." I agreed.

"For now, you three need to go to bed," Levi said. "Go on, all three of you."

"Goodnight Levi, goodnight Hanji," the kids mumbled as they went off to their room.

I turned to get my coat and walk home. Levi suddenly grabbed my wrist.

"I'm not letting you go out there this late at night," Levi said, not meeting my eyes. It amazed me how he could be so confident just minutes ago, and now he was a shy mess.

"Levi, don't worry about me; I've gone home like this since we started working together." I said.

"Hanji...I want you to move in with me here. Is that okay?" Levi asked. His eyes still wouldn't meet mine.

"I...yeah, sure." I agreed.

"Will you stay? I'm...scared," he muttered.

I stepped closer to him. "I'll stay."

His eyes finally met mine and we both blushed furiously. "Alright."

I smiled. Just like I had promised him ten years ago, I would help him incarcerate the Titans. We would do everything together.