Shingeki no Kyojin/進撃の巨人 1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, this is going to be my first multi-chapter story for RivaMika...yay(: Photographer!Mikasa and Movie Star!Levi Modern AU. Can also be read on my tumblr!**

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><p>Mikasa tilted her head as she ran her fingers over her camera, absently messing with the aperture control. She was looking at the man she was going to be shooting, holding the camera to her eye so he didn't think she was staring. He was shorter than she had thought – the magazines all made him look of average-height, if not tall and surprisingly, he was as handsome in life as he was in print, even with a fierce scowl on his face.<p>

He seemed to be at the limits of his patience with the woman brushing makeup on his face if the way he kept smacking her hand away from his face was anything to go by. Not wanting him to start snapping at her if he was ready, Mikasa moved to the center of the room, setting her camera on the tripod, thoughtfully chewing on her bottom lip. She frowned as the crew added more lights, making the white backdrop in front of her almost blinding and bent down to check her light meter, changing the shutter speed accordingly.

When she looked up, Levi was standing in the middle of the cleared space, his arms folded over his chest and tapping his toe impatiently. When he noticed her looking at him, he stopped, narrowing his steel blue eyes in a glare. "Are you ready yet?"

Mikasa raised an eyebrow, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from saying something sharp back. "I am." She pulled her tripod higher, looking at him through the lens, pulling his image in focus.

She straightened, frowning at him. "Take your coat off."

He raised an eyebrow but he shrugged it off, tossing it at her feet without a word. Nudging it away with her toe, Mikasa ignored the way the fashion designer winced. She looked through the camera again, turning it slightly to the side.

"Unbutton your shirt a little," she told him, picking the tripod up and setting it a few feet away. "And roll your sleeves to the elbow."

"Should I take my pants off too?" Levi grumbled, plucking the buttons open and revealing his pale throat. Mikasa took a moment to appreciate his muscular arms as he tucked his thumbs in his belt loops. "I thought your job was to take pictures, not tell me to strip."

"My job is to take good pictures for the cover of People Magazine, and making sure you like you belong on the cover is included in that," she said coolly, stepping in front of him and running a hand through his hair so that his bangs fell into his face. "You need to look like you're about to kick someone's ass and look good doing it, not like you're about to start doing someone's taxes."

Levi raised an eyebrow again, a small smirk tugging his lips up at the corner. Mikasa smiled, liking the arrogance on his face and the warming of his eyes; that, combined with his casual stance, Mikasa thought she had found the perfect cover. Walking back to her camera, she snapped the picture before he could drop the expression.

He blinked. "Shouldn't you give me some warning before you start taking pictures?"

Mikasa shrugged. "I'm taking pictures. Stop talking."

After an hour of moving him around the set and adjusting his clothes, she had finished her roll and had enough pictures to be able to choose at least one good shot. She had high hopes for his raised-eyebrow-smirk, but, as often as not, the pictures she thought were the best turned out to be the worst when they were developed.

"Is that film?"

Mikasa looked at Levi over her shoulder as she unloaded the roll from her camera. He had changed into street clothes, a faded t-shirt and jeans, and was holding a water bottle in one hand with a jacket slung over his forearm.

"Yes," Mikasa told him, a little surprised, closing the back of her camera and pushing down the sudden nervousness in her stomach. She was used to talking with famous people since she started working for People, but something about Levi's intense look made her feel self-conscious now that she wasn't holding a camera. She couldn't help but wonder why he had bothered to talk to her – most people she shot didn't.

"Why are you using film?" he asked, eyeing the camera dubiously. "I thought only digital can work for magazine shoots."

"It does. I use both, actually – that's why I switched cameras. I use film to see which shots I like the best before I bother trying to mess with them on the computer. And just in case something happens to the chip," Mikasa explained leaning her hip against the table and holding the digital chip between her fingers for him to see. She watched his face carefully, trying to decipher whether or not he actually cared.

"How would film help if something happens to the chip?"

"I would have to print from the film and scan it to the computer. It's a hassle and the quality isn't as good, but sometimes the models can't be called back for another shoot and we have to work with what we have." Mikasa looked over his shoulder and saw Eren waving, grinning as he walked towards her. She smiled in response when she noticed the stack of papers in his hands; something good must have happened with the publisher.

"So which do you prefer?"

Mikasa focused back on Levi, who had furrowed his eyebrows. "Hmm?"

"Which do you like better? Film or digital?"

Mikasa blinked. She stared at him and his intense eyes, wondering why he cared, feeling self-conscious again. "Film," she blurted out. "I like using film better."

Levi arched his eyebrow – he did that a lot, Mikasa noted. "Interesting. Maybe you could tell me more about the riveting film versus digital debate over dinner?" He dropped a card onto the table before grabbing his bag and walking out. "I'll call you," he called over his shoulder, smirking deviously at her shocked face.

Eren reached her, dropping an arm around her shoulders and pulling Mikasa's gaze from Levi's retreating form. "Hey, isn't that that Levi guy? The new actor for the James Bond movies?"

"Yeah, I was shooting him for the cover," Mikasa muttered absently, plucking the card off the table. Levi had written his number on it, along with "Saturday?" in choppy script. Mikasa felt her cheeks warm and stuffed it into her camera bag.

"What did he want?" Eren asked, frowning when she pushed his hand away from the card.

"Nothing," she muttered. "He just wanted to know why I was using film."


	2. Chapter 2

Mikasa was curled on her couch, feet tucked under her, with a soft, worn quilt wrapped around her shoulders. She pushed her hair away from her eyes, rolling her shoulders as she lifted her face from the pillow of her elbow. She stretched out, resting her feet in Sasha's lap as she narrowed her eyes at the TV screen where Levi was hanging from the edge of a building, his shirt bloody and torn, as a grenade exploded off-screen.

Mikasa didn't know what it was, but something about watching an actor on TV after meeting them in person made Mikasa feel a little strange – it made it hard for her to really get into the movie. Especially when the movie was as dramatic as a James Bond movie was.

Sasha poked her foot, making Mikasa look at her. "You met this guy, right?" She pointed at the screen where the view had zoomed to a close-up of Levi's battered, dirty face.

"Uh, yeah, I met him a couple days ago. He's going to be on the cover next month." Mikasa had been right about which picture would end up on the cover – she had already seen the projected finished project, a zoomed in view of Levi smirking, one neat eyebrow arched in dark amusement.

Sasha turned to her grinning eagerly with her chin propped in her hands, elbows resting on her knees. "So what is he like?"

"I heard he's a dick," Annie interjected, flicking popcorn into her mouth. She dangled her legs over the edge of her chair, eyes trained on the screen.

"I wouldn't say he was a dick, really," Mikasa mused, thinking back to her conversation with him. "I wouldn't say he was nice either. He was just kind of…abrasive, I guess, but he didn't act like the asshole some celebrities can be." Mikasa pushed her legs to her chest, sitting up when Sasha wiggled excitedly as Levi came on screen, naked from the waist up, blood streaked on his chest.

"Is he really that muscular?"

Mikasa eyed the screen speculatively and shrugging. "He looked pretty muscular, but I never saw him shirtless. There are pictures in my bag, if you want to see." Sasha grinned, reaching over the couch to grab Mikasa's camera bag, handling it with care under Mikasa's stern gaze. "Don't touch my camera. The prints are in the front pocket."

As Sasha dug around, Annie sighed, "Why is it every woman's panties drop whenever Bond walks into a room in these movies?" She was watching the screen with a grimace. Glancing at the movie, Mikasa found that Levi was pressing a woman to the bed, kissing her chest. Blushing, she looked away – watching sex scenes with people she met was uncomfortable, she discovered.

"These pictures are hot," Sasha proclaimed, holding one up. "Can I keep this?" She waved the in Mikasa's face, allowing her only a glimpse of Levi, sitting on the ground with one leg drawn up and his forearm lying his bent knee.

"Sure, Sasha." Mikasa rolled her eyes, smiling at her friend. Annie glanced over, holding her hand out for the stack of pictures, leafing through them when Sasha handed them over. Mikasa leaned back against the plush cushions, turning her attention back to the movie.

"Oooh, Mikasa," Sasha suddenly squealed, bouncing her legs on the couch. "What is this?" She held up the small card Levi had written his name, number, and "Saturday?" on. Mikasa froze, staring at it. "Did Levi – the famous movie star – _ask you out_?"

Annie looked up from her chair, her eyes widening in a rare expression of surprise. Mikasa hunched down into the cushions, trying to hide her blush. "He may have."

Sasha grinned, dropping the card onto the ground as she jumped onto Mikasa, hands latching onto her shoulders and straddling her knees. "Well, you're going to say yes, right? I mean, come on, he's_ famous_."

Mikasa pushed Sasha off of her. "I'm not going to go on a date with him because he's famous, Sasha. I don't know if I'm going to go at all." It had been three days since she had photographed Levi and truthfully, she hadn't really thought about going any more than a passing thought about if he really was going to call her or not. "I don't even know him."

"Yeah, don't date him because he's famous," Annie said, shifting so that she was facing Mikasa and Sasha. "Date him because he's hot." She grinned suddenly, pushing her bangs behind her ear.

"Yeah. It's just one date, Mikasa. You don't have to know someone to go on one date with them." Sasha rubbed her hands together, grinning. "You could even kiss him. How many people could say they kissed a famous actor?"

"You could even have sex," Annie added slyly, crossing her arms and propping her chin on them. "I bet he's really good in bed."

Mikasa flushed. "If I do go, I wouldn't kiss him on a first date, and I definitely wouldn't sleep with him. Besides, he said he was going to call me, and he hasn't yet, so why even worry about it?"

Sasha pouted, making her eyes go wide. "But, Mikasa, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I know you meet celebrities a lot, because you have the coolest job _ever_, but how many of them are going to ask you out? Do it for_ us_." She fell back against the other side of the couch, throwing her hands up dramatically.

"You could regret not going for the rest of your life," Annie said. "What if when you're fifty and living alone, you think back and say 'damn, I wish I went to lunch with that famous guy, Levi?' Going on one date can't hurt."

Mikasa scowled at their joint-efforts to rope her into going. Sasha, she could understand trying to get her to go – she loved to meddle – but Annie too? She was normally apathetic when it came to her friend's love lives. "Why is it so important that I go? He's just a guy, who _happens_ to be famous."

"Mikasa," Sasha whined as Annie rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the movie. "Why don't you want to go? You said Levi wasn't a complete dick, and you know he's hot. You might even really like him." She leaned down over the side of the couch, plucking the slightly bent card off the ground and grabbing Mikasa's phone off the coffee table. Punching in the numbers, she sighed, "Do you even have a reason for not wanting to go?"

Mikasa thought about it for a minute before shaking her head. "No, it's just…I don't know. I don't even know what he wants from me. I only talked to him for like five minutes, about _cameras_, and he suddenly asked me out? I don't get it." Mikasa shook her head again, this time in confusion.

"He probably thought you were pretty and wanted to talk to you more," Annie said drily, digging through the nearly empty popcorn bowl. "That's usually what people mean when they ask someone out."

Mikasa sighed. "He hasn't even called me yet. I don't know if he will at all, so can we drop it? I'll think about it."

When Sasha and Annie left her apartment, after two more movies and more hints about her upcoming-date-that-was-still-a-maybe, Mikasa allowed herself to really think about it. Truthfully, she hadn't thought about it at all since she was given the card, and still didn't know if she wanted to go or not. She thought she should be jumping for joy at the invitation – he _was_ famous, after all. But she wasn't sure. Mikasa hadn't dated much since leaving college – either her job was too in the way, the guys she met were too crude and callous for her tastes, or she just felt apathetic about the whole ordeal. Often, she enjoyed getting ready for the date more than she actually enjoyed the date itself.

Jean had been her last boyfriend, and that had been nearly 6 years ago. Mikasa often felt that fact worried her friends – Eren and Armin in particular – but Mikasa never really minded. She liked her life, her simple life, with her well-paying job she actually enjoyed, her friends, and her nice apartment close to Eren's. How many people could say that about their lives?

Of course, sometimes, Mikasa wished she had a significant other – usually after seeing Connie and Sasha being cute together or watching some romantic comedy. But, Mikasa was cynical at heart, and she knew that the image of a boyfriend she wanted most likely would not be what she got. She just didn't want to go through all the trouble of finding a guy she could spend her time with, awkward first dates and questions about her past that brought bad memories, until something comfortable was achieved and Mikasa could spend time with them without feeling smothered by the affection of a new lover.

Sasha and Annie's arguments had made sense, Mikasa had to admit. It was just one date – there was no harm in spending one evening out with a man, even if she didn't particularly like him. She didn't dislike him, either. And if she did go, she could ask him how exactly sex scenes were filmed (Sasha made her promise to ask, and Mikasa was curious herself).

So, when her phone buzzed, Levi's name lighting up the screen, Mikasa made herself count to ten before picking up. "Hello?" She was proud her voice didn't reflect any of her sudden nervousness.

"Hey. Mikasa, right?" Levi's deep voice said evenly.

"Yes."

"Good," he chuckled. "I got the right number. Would you like to go to dinner Saturday night?"

Mikasa was silent for a moment, slightly surprised at his forwardness. Clearly, this guy didn't like to beat around the bush. "Alright," she murmured, not sounding eager at all. "Where at?"

Levi gave her the name of a restaurant Mikasa knew to be expensive, telling her to meet him outside the building at 7. Mikasa was chagrined when he told her he had already made reservations – forward, and confident, she noted. He gave her a quick goodnight and hung up.

Mikasa pulled her cell phone away from her ear, almost dazed at how quickly she had agreed to go out with him to a restaurant that normally she would never be able to afford. She sighed, shaking her head at herself, already scrolling through her contacts to find Sasha's number, smiling when her friend squealed through the line, promising her they would go dress shopping tomorrow.

Mikasa couldn't help but smile, her friend's eagerness was so contagious. Even if the date turned out to be a bust, at least she had an excuse to splurge on a nice dress.


End file.

Shingeki no Kyojin/進撃の巨人, Drama, Romance