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Published:
2017-05-02
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1,362
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1/1
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Infamous

Summary:

Levi and Mikasa are dragged out on a bar crawl by friends. No one really expects it to end the way it does, though Connie does find some success.

Notes:

My (super late) RivaMika Jam entry for squiddlesandsopor from tumblr. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding during my computer troubles. I hope you enjoy!

Many, many thanks to Mems for giving this a quick proofread! <3

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Levi doesn’t miss the celebratory shouts of ‘Happy Birthday!’ over the general flurry of voices in the small bar; probably the only reason it’s so busy on a Wednesday night. He doesn’t introduce himself, let alone give so much as a passing glance to the group of undergrads clinking shot glasses. Instead he orders his drink—whiskey, neat—and takes his seat at the bar, hoping it’ll prolong the time before he has to go home and think about the next morning.

“I’m glad you decided to join us,” comes a voice so soft, he barely hears it.

He looks over and nods at the woman beside him before bringing his glass back up to his lips and taking a long, drawn out sip.

“Mikasa.”

“You can join us at our table, you know.”

Levi closes his eyes and leans back, relishing in the way the alcohol burns slowly down his throat and pools in his belly. Drinking with his own students is the last thing he wants that night.

“I’m not staying long,” he tells her. “I just came to get a drink and wish that brother of yours a happy birthday, but I don’t think he’ll remember I was even here.”

Mikasa grabs the open seat next to him and lightly clinks her glass with his before taking a drink. Her shoulders sag as she watches her group bang their fists against the table while her brother tries to down a line of Jägerbombs. She’s not looking forward to the aftereffects.

“Connie has been taking pictures on his phone all night, so he’ll probably see everything on PhotoBook in the morning,” she says, referencing the photo-sharing app her friend developed (to mixed reviews.)

Levi scoffs and glances over in time to see the birthday boy fall out of his seat, his glass in the air as he shouts ‘Twenty-one again!’ to the group’s drunken delight.

“Again? How many 21st birthdays has that idiot had? Eight?”  

Mikasa looks down at her drink and presses her lips together. “…three.”

“You wouldn’t be able to guess after reading his final.”

“You failed him again?”

“I had to, Mikasa. He thought Dr. Seuss was behind the Theory of Relativity.”

Even Mikasa can’t defend her brother through that, though Levi can tell she really wants to. He watches her spin her glass on the bar top, not daring to point out she’d be drinking nothing but watered down ice at this point.  

“Eren is--” she pauses, only to huff in annoyance once he and his on again/off again best friend Jean start brawling in the middle of the bar. “He’s an adult.” She finally states, downing the remaining contents of her glass and grabbing her coat.

“On to the next bar?” Levi muses. He finishes the rest of his drink as well, but he has no intention of bar hopping with the rest of the group. He’s too old for that shit.

“Maybe for them. I’m going home.”

Levi follows her out of the bar and into the night, surprisingly chilly for this time of year. “I’ll walk you,” he says, buttoning his jacket.

“I can walk myself. I’m not drunk.”

“I am.”

“You had one drink.”

“I might get mugged.”

Mikasa stops and looks him over, as if she’s actually mulling over the possibility. “You are short and defenseless.”

Levi squints. “Watch it.”

“Fine, but you’re not staying over.”

He has no qualms with that, though he swallows down the bit of disappointment he feels, anyway.

They walk side by side the short trek to Mikasa’s apartment down the street. It’s not awkward, Levi thinks. He’s pretty sure it’s not. They don’t say anything, though Mikasa snorts when she reaches down to grab his hand only to have him stumble outside her doorway.  

“You’re cute when you don’t act like you have a stick up your ass.”

“I’m not cute ever .” He corrects.

“Says you.”

Yes, Levi thinks, leaning against her front door with her. This silence is comfortable.

“I’ll have more time after tomorrow.” He says, looking up at her blinking porch light. “Hopefully. As long as fucking Erwin doesn’t spring anything on me last minute… again.”

She smiles and gives him a soft peck on the lips. “Dr. Smith has a great track record as an advisor. You’ll do fine.”

Levi would normally scoff back something like ‘Says the person not defending their dissertation in front of an entire room of his peers and superiors,’ and he wants to, but the feel of Mikasa’s soft lips against his own catch him so off-guard, all he can think about is how much she tastes of strawberries and alcohol. It pisses him off how easily she does that.

“You can’t do that tomorrow.” He says after blinking back to reality.

Mikasa tilts her head in confusion.

“I’m serious. Don’t do that. I can’t remember what we were talking about.”

She laughs and leans down to catch Levi’s lips once more, intent on getting in as many kisses as she can to make up for any she might miss tomorrow.

 

Levi doesn’t hear the buzz of his cell phone over the shrill cry of his teapot shooting out steam. He sees a series of texts, but he’s running late and just pockets the phone before filling his thermos and running out the door. In less than four hours he’ll be done with school forever or embarrass himself out of the program. Either way, this is the end of a long tunnel.

“Did you get a good night’s rest?” his advisor asks after waving him down in the main hall.

“Enough,” he grunts.

In reality, Levi got no sleep. He spent the entire night staring at his bedroom ceiling imagining what-if scenarios until he decided to go over his notes one last time, only to fall asleep an hour before his alarm was set to go off.

He looks over at Erwin, who looks like he wants to say something, though he never gets to ask what.

“Levi!!”

Levi closes his eyes slowly and breathes out, trying to calm his nerves. Of all people—

“Levi Ackerman! What did you do to my sister?!”

By now, others standing outside the auditorium look over to the man in question who turns to face Eren Jaeger, the bane of his existence, with Mikasa hot on his heels; her face bright red.

“Eren--.”

“Why are there pictures of you kissing her all over PhotoBook?!”

Levi looks at the smudged (and cracked) phone screen in front of him to see images of himself and Mikasa kissing at her front door, though it looks more like she’s the one kissing him. Regardless, it’s filled with hundreds of comments and likes from his students, many shocked that their professor was capable of having a romantic relationship with anyone to begin with.

“Connie followed us last night… ”

Levi just stares at Eren. While he’s impressed the guy isn’t showing any signs of a hangover, this is honestly the last thing he wants to deal with. He knows better than to do anything stupid in front of Erwin and Mikasa, though. He didn’t come this far to toss his education and relationship down the drain. So instead of responding, he just looks over to Mikasa and gestures to Eren.

“You really need to tell him we’re dating.”  

Mikasa nods and gives him a quick hug before he has to enter the auditorium, whispering a slurry of apologies in his ear before she lets go.

Before the door closes, Levi looks back at Erwin.

“Oi, did you have something you wanted to ask me?”

Erwin shakes his head and waves Levi in. “It can wait. Good luck, Levi.”

Levi nods and lets the door close behind him.

“He’ll pass.” Mikasa says to no one in particular.

“Oh, I know he will.” Erwin says. “I have full confidence in his abilities. He has a job offer waiting for him after this, regardless.”

Behind her, Mikasa sees Eren furiously texting his friends and looking like he’s about ready to cry. She hopes for Eren’s sake that he avoids having Levi as his professor again next semester.

Notes:

I don’t know if PhotoBook is an actual app or not. I just needed a name.
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Thank you so much for reading! Comments and/or kudos are very appreciated!