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“Here.”
Levi hands her the ice cream cone that he bought from the vendor. After seeing her eyeing the cart with visible curiosity, he had to get her one. They stand a good distance away from the bustling crowds, residing close to the side wall of a building.
Their attention is set on the strange chilly treat in a cone which was made of waffle, as the vendor had described.
“So... this is ice cream.” Mikasa says, testing the foreign word on her tongue. “I’ve never seen or heard anything like it.”
“I could say the same... even in all my years of living.” Levi responds in turn, staring at the strange treat in her hand with a raised brow. He notices Mikasa is still admiring the ice cream, an awed look on her face. He smirks at her captivated expression.
“Tch. Aren’t you going to try it or are you going to stare at it all day until it melts?” He teases with a tilt of his head, breaking her out of her little reverie.
“Okay, here it goes..”
With anticipation, Mikasa slowly brings the cone closer to her mouth, tongue peaking out to slip one small lick of ice cream. A moment of time passes before a small gasp escapes her, her eyes immediately brightening and widening in surprise.
“It tastes so good! It’s so sweet and creamy at the same time.” Mikasa exclaims in excitement, “And cold. So cold...”
Levi can’t help but chuckle softly, amused at her enthusiasm for the frozen treat as she eagerly continues to take experimental lick after lick. He doesn’t believe he has ever seen her act this excited before. She was for a lack of a better word, undeniably adorable.
Upon watching her indulging in the treat with such divine innocence, he is reminded of the invention the Marleyans called a photograph. From what he has heard, he understands that photographs are used to capture images of precious moments that were deemed memorable. And with Mikasa standing before him, a radiant smile on her face and her eyes sparkling... the object of his affections filled with such happiness, right here, right now...
He decides this was one.
A precious moment worth being captured forever in a photo.
His thoughts are disrupted when he notices out of the corner of his eye, the ice cream cone being held out in front of him.
“You have to try some.” Mikasa insisted, nudging the cone in emphasis.
Now, he knew Mikasa knew that he could definitely have gotten his own cone, but she made the decision to share hers with him.
Damn. It made his heart flutter.
He manages to inhale a steady breath, and obliges, taking the cone. Staring at it one last time, he licks once, savoring the foreign taste on his tongue as it lingers in his mouth. It was sweet, and it has a smooth creamy texture that felt refreshing, just as Mikasa had described.
“How is it?”
“Not bad.”
Levi hands her the cone back, a satisfied smile on her face as she continues to lick the same ice cream she had shared with him, as if it was nothing.
Damn again. His heartbeat was racing.
Under his watchful eye, he notices a smidge of ice cream that had missed her mouth without her awareness.
“You have some on your face.”
Her fingers reach to clean her face but she misses the spot. Mikasa tries to wipe her mouth again, albeit unsuccessfully, and Levi didn’t know what compelled him to make his next act. Maybe it was to help her after her failed attempts. Or maybe it was to find an excuse to touch her, to play with her heart as much as she had unknowingly played with his.
Before he knew it, he reaches out and gently brushes the corner of her mouth with his thumb. He accidentally skims her bottom lip in the process, and he flinches slightly at the sensational contact. And if he didn’t know any better, he could’ve sworn she held in her breath at his touch, as if afraid to expel a breath in their close proximity.
Levi boldly proceeds, bringing his finger to his lips. He watches her watching him as he slowly licks ever last bit of the sweet cream off his thumb, running his tongue along it in a leisurely manner, intent on teasing her with a little show. Despite his vision being slightly shaded by the fedora, he keeps eye contact, committed to seeing her reaction. His steel blue never leaving her storm grey.
Oh. She is affected.
A pretty rose hue blooms across her cheeks, a nice contrast against the baby blue and white of her outfit. Her silky black strands framed her face and jawline alluringly. Her plump lips parted slightly, and he can only think how soft, how oh so soft they were to the touch. And god, her eyes. They were a little glazed and entranced. The way she looked at him with her full undivided attention...
Oh. Now he is affected.
Levi felt the instinct to shiver, and not from the coolness of the dessert on his tongue. At the same time, he felt an air of heated warmth at seeing her mesmerized expression. What a internal mess he was, it was almost too heart-wrenching to witness such a beautiful sight, but he wills himself to keep his facade of composure. In a languid motion, he licks his lips clean until he is satisfied that he got every last morsel.
“It’s not bad.” his voice low, half-lidded gaze smoldering, “Not bad at all.”
The grey of her eyes seemed to turn into a darker shade, pupils dancing with a hazy-filled intensity. Mikasa mutters, “You can be pretty cruel sometimes, Levi.”
“Your ice cream will melt,” he reminds her, smirking handsomely, “I suggest you finish it, Mikasa.” The sound of her name escapes his mouth like velvet.
“Right...” her own eyes withholding a hint of playfulness, “Only if you help me finish it.”
“Sure.” his gaze is as soft as his voice. The corner of his mouth tilts into the rarity of a small smile.
Anything for you... Mikasa.
They continue to enjoy the ice cream, taking turns trading a few licks. And they both knew damn well that they could’ve gotten their own cone, but they didn’t bother to openly acknowledge it. Or didn’t want to.
Levi wasn’t exactly fond of sweet things but he decides, after all, he likes ice cream because it reminds him of her even sweeter smile.
Meanwhile ...
Hange was busy munching on their own cone, their gaze moving through the crowd, but not for long when they spotted two dark-haired individuals dwelling along the wall of a building.
Levi and Mikasa. Eating an ice cream cone. Alone. Together.
An internal squeal threatens to overcome Hange. It’s a difficult task to contain her excitement at seeing the two.
Hastily, Hange looks around until she locates the photographer that they saw earlier taking a photo for a couple.
“Hey, could we get a photograph of our fellow lovebirds over there?” Hange asks, wrapping an arm around the photographer and pointing at the pair. The photographer happily obliges as the Commander begins to pull out some coins from their pouch. Onyankopon observes the pair as well from a distance.
“The Captain might be displeased with you for taking his photo without permission,” Onyakapon presumes, despite an amused smile forming on his face.
“Oh, he’ll thank me later.” Hange reassures him, a big smile also plastered on their face, as they look at the unsuspecting pair. “Trust me, I have a feeling that he will like one.” They gazed at their clean-obsessed grumpy friend, who they’ve shared many years together in the Survey Corp.
Hange had only one working eye, but they could tell that Levi’s affections for the raven-haired beauty was clear as the damn day.
Levi’s rapt gaze was fixed on Mikasa and they could tell, even from afar, that his eyes were soft, soft for her as he watched her enjoy the ice cream. For as long as they have known Levi, they knew that it was a rare look he reserved for her and only her. Mikasa entered his life and had become a very special and important person to him. The look he gave her said it all.
It was also an unorthodox imagery to see the two battle-hardened soldiers deemed the “strongest”, lower their defenses in the name of a sweet chilly dessert. But it was truly a sight to see.
“Hange, you might want to finish your ice cream before it melts.” Onyankopon notes, a tiny drip already descending along the cone.
“Oh, right.”
Hange licks their ice cream and smiles thoughtfully.
Maybe the ice cream wasn’t the only thing melting, but a certain grumpy Captain’s heart.