Levi’s eyes snapped open, a coldness overtaking his body as he trembled violently from the frozen feeling on his skin. The floor he’d woken up on was wet and cold, and he moved to rub at the throbbing ache in his head. But he soon realized his hands were chained behind his back, the chain itself being attached to the wall behind him. He sat up quickly, perhaps too quickly, as his head pounded from the feeling and his vision momentarily blurred. Levi tried to calm his ragged breathing as he took in his surroundings. He was in a cell of some sort, but not one he recognized. He tried to remember the last thing he’d seen, squeezing his eyes shut as he did so. But his memory was blank; he’d been fighting with Hange and Mike one minute, and then the next he’d been knocked unconscious.

A sharp pain in his leg struck him suddenly, and he looked down to see his right thigh all bloodied and torn up. How had that happened? He wondered, trying to keep himself from panicking at the horrid wound. He wondered where he was, how long he’d been out, and what had happened to his comrades. Clearly this was not a jail cell he was familiar with, so he suspected he wasn’t among friendly soldiers.

Levi tried to figure out if there was any way out of his current situation. The shackles on his wrists were tight, and definitely not maneuverable, which he easily discovered by tugging on them lightly. There was a swaying of the floor underneath him that was making him queasy, and he wondered if the movement was all in his head or not.

He sat there for at least another hour, or at least, he supposed it was an hour. He was trying to keep track of the passing time in his head, still working through his head how the hell he was going to escape. It didn’t help that his head and leg were in immense pain, his whole body shivering from the cold.

That’s when he heard the creaking of a door, and footsteps coming towards his cell. He couldn’t help but be curious, craning his neck to see who it was. He didn’t have to wonder long, as a tall blonde man came to stand at his cell door, a suspicious grin on his face as he saw Levi, awake and probably looking incredibly pathetic in his current circumstances. Levi instantly recognized this man: Zeke Jeager , the Beast Titan for the Marleyan Army.

“Well, well, well,” Zeke murmured, “Look who’s finally up. You’ve been out for a couple of days now, did you know that?”

Days?! Levi thought with some terror. If days had passed, then how far away had they gotten him from home? Where was he? And how in the hell had Zeke Jeager managed to capture him? 

Levi remained silent, staring at Zeke through narrow, furious eyes as he gritted his teeth. Zeke took out a ring of keys from his pocket and stuck one into the lock, opening the cell door and stepping inside easily. Levi looked at the open door with some hope, though he wasn’t sure how the hell he would even get out with his wrists locked up like this. If his leg wasn’t so messed up, he supposed he would’ve kicked the bastard in the head, knocked him out, and stolen his keys. But that was far too much for him to do in this weakened state, and he needed to save his strength for a better opportunity.

“Not going to say anything, hmm?” Zeke murmured, a hand reaching out and caressing Levi’s cheek gently.

Levi immediately took the opportunity to turn and snap at Zeke’s hand, which retreated before he could sink his teeth into the skin. Zeke chuckled a little, petting Levi on the top of the head gently.

“Such a nasty boy, aren’t you?” Zeke teased, ruffling Levi’s already-messy hair, “You’re going to want to change that attitude when we get to Marley. Not everyone is as patient and understanding as I am.”

Levi simply glared up at him, not bothering to respond. He was seething at the fact that this man was touching him. This man who had killed so many of his comrades with his titan abilities. And now he was here in front of him, acting as though none of that had happened, and Levi couldn’t even kick his teeth in like he wanted to.

“Looks like this hurts,” Zeke spoke in a quiet voice, his eyes trailing down Levi’s body to his bloodied leg, “How about I make a deal with you? I’ll take you to get your leg cleaned and dressed, maybe even give you some pain medication. But you have to talk to me, got it?”

Zeke ran his fingers along the wound, causing Levi to wince and try to scramble away from his touch. Zeke only smirked at his movements, before pressing his palm onto the wound hard. Levi let out a gasp, tears immediately coming to the corners of his eyes. He bit down on his tongue, not wanting Zeke to see how this had affected him. The pain was intense, so much so that his vision blacked out for a moment.

“Well?” Zeke asked, removing his hand momentarily, “What do you say?”

Levi didn’t want to give in. In fact, it was against everything he believed in. But the thought of getting some relief to his throbbing wound was too good to be true. Especially since the pain was much worse now that Zeke had pressed on it.

“You have three seconds to answer,” Zeke said, “Otherwise, I’ll leave you here for the next officials to come look at you, and they may not be as sympathetic as I am. One...”

Levi squeezed his fists angrily, glancing around as he quickly tried to process his options. He was extremely stubborn, and did not want to give in to his enemy. But the sound of a cleaned wound and pain medication was tempting.

“Two...”

And Zeke did have a point. What if the next people to come see him didn’t offer him such a deal? What would he do then? His wound could get infected easily, and then he would die. As much as Levi hated, loathed what he was about to do, he knew he had to do it for his own survival.

“ Fine ,” Levi growled under his breath, just loud enough for Zeke to hear him.

He could barely look at Zeke’s smug face, the man clearly pleased that he’d gotten through to Levi in some way. He took out that ring of keys again, unchaining Levi from the wall and grasping his arm. The blonde tugged him off the ground roughly, and Levi grunted from the sudden movement. He tried putting pressure on his wounded leg, doing so causing him to almost pass out. He stumbled and fell into Zeke, who helped to steady him.

“Come on, it’s not a far walk,” Zeke encouraged him, wrapping his arm around Levi to help him limp.

Levi didn’t like this one bit, but he couldn’t help himself from leaning into the warmth of Zeke’s body, as he was still absolutely freezing. Zeke began to walk them slowly out of the cell and down the hall, which was lined with cells. Levi tried to sneak glances into the cells, trying to figure out if any of his fellow soldiers had been captured with him. But he couldn’t make out their faces, and Zeke was moving them along too quickly for him to see much.

They left the hallway of cells, and Zeke led him to the end of the hallway and into a small bedroom. Zeke pushed him down onto the bed with some gentleness, which Levi was surprised by. He expected Zeke to just toss him around like the rag doll he felt like.

He watched Zeke head to a dresser at the other end of the room and open it, taking out some bandages and a bottle of some kind of antiseptic. Levi hadn’t realized that Zeke would be the one who was going to tend to his wound, and he wasn’t entirely excited about the prospect. Zeke walked back over to him, pulling up a chair next to the bed and setting the supplies on the nightstand next to him. He reached his hands to Levi’s belt, and Levi’s eyes instantly widened, bucking away from Zeke’s touch.

“Calm down,” Zeke said in a soothing voice, “I need to get these pants off if I’m going to attend to your wound.”

Levi settled back down, still glaring at Zeke as the man undid his belt and pulled it off, tugging his pants down and struggling to pull them off, as the fabric was sticking to his bloody wound. Levi squirmed in some pain as Zeke worked to pull the pants off, the clothes soon ending up on the floor next to the bed.

“You’re being a very good boy for me, Levi,” Zeke practically whispered as he intensely examined the wound, prodding at it cautiously.

Levi didn’t say anything, his whole body practically shaking from the anticipation of the pain he was about to endure. Zeke poured some antiseptic on some gauze, setting the bottle back down on the nightstand.

“This is going to hurt,” Zeke said before he pressed the soaked gauze onto the wound.

Levi gasped in some shock before groaning in pain, tugging at his shackles so hard that his wrists were becoming scratched up. He couldn’t help the tears that flowed from his eyes, and he bit his lip hard to keep himself from making any more noise.

“Shhh,” Zeke cooed, cleaning the dried blood from the wound and placing a fresh piece of gauze over it, “Take some deep breaths, love.”

“Don’t-” Levi managed to get out, “Don’t fucking call me that.”

Zeke only chuckled at his words, grabbing the bandages and starting to wrap his leg up tightly. Levi tried to take some deep breaths to calm himself, feeling the tears on his cheeks now. Zeke noticed his tears, which was something he’d absolutely dreaded from the moment they’d escaped his eyelids.

“Don’t cry,” Zeke murmured soothingly, reaching up and wiping the tears away, “You’ve been so good for me.”

Levi jerked his head away from Zeke’s touch, suddenly remembering what Zeke had said about pain medication. He was really craving it now, wanting the aching feeling in his head and the throbbing in his leg to just go away.

“You said you’d give me medication,” Levi grumbled, causing Zeke to laugh a little.

“I did say that, didn’t I?” Zeke replied, patting Levi’s leg gently before getting up and heading back to the dresser. He opened it back up and searched for a moment before pulling out a small bottle of pills, pouring two into his hand and walking back over to Levi.

Now, Levi wasn’t an idiot. He knew that Zeke could easily drug him right now if he wanted to. He had the means, and the reasons to do so. But Levi could feel himself getting desperate, and perhaps even being drugged would be better than the pain he was going through at the moment.

“Open up,” Zeke requested, and Levi opened his mouth hesitantly.

Zeke placed the two pills on his tongue before retrieving a glass of water from the nightstand and pouring some down his throat. Levi didn’t realize how dry his throat was until the water moistened it, and he swallowed the pills, desperately leaning his head up to get as much of the water as he could. He hadn’t noticed how thirsty, how hungry he was because he’d been so focused on his pain.

“Mmm, that must feel nice,” Zeke purred, “Were you thirsty?”

Levi didn’t bother to answer, too focused on sucking down as much water as he could. That’s when Zeke took the water away, and Levi couldn’t help the small whimper that escaped his mouth when he struggled to follow Zeke’s hand as he set the water back on the nightstand.

“P-Please,” Levi muttered, “Don’t-”

“You want more?” Zeke asked, “You have to do something for me first.”

Levi just stared at him, “What do you want?”

Zeke smirked, and for a moment Levi could feel his heart pounding with worry, squirming in the bed and growling, “I’m not doing anything like that .”

Zeke’s smirk turned to a frown upon Levi’s words, “You misunderstand me, Levi. I’m not the type of man to ask for those types of favors. No matter how attractive you may be.”

Levi blushed a little, not from the compliment, but from the fact that he’d misread the man’s intentions. Zeke had been touching him a little too excessively, and he’d just assumed Zeke would ask for something like that.

“Then what do you want?” Levi repeated, narrowing his eyes up at the blonde man.

“I just want you to talk to me,” Zeke said, adjusting his glasses, “Tell me about yourself.”

Levi was incredibly suspicious, and knew Zeke’s intentions were not as good as he was pretending they were. He shifted a little on the sheets to get more comfortable, or as comfortable as he could with his hands behind his back. He could already feel the pounding in his head and leg subsiding as a result of the medication he’d taken.

But he wasn’t prepared to give up any information, nor to get cozy with this man whom he didn’t trust. He kept his mouth shut, looking determinedly down at his lap as he refused to speak. Nothing was worth spilling secrets in Levi’s mind, not even a drink of water.

“Shame,” Zeke sighed, “I would’ve rewarded you nicely. Gotten you some food, perhaps. Maybe even let you shower and get clean. You like being clean, don’t you?”

Levi ignored him, still staring down at his lap until his chin was brought up forcefully to look at Zeke. The man was grinning, though Levi didn’t understand what for. He didn’t see what was so amusing about this situation.

“Levi, you promised to talk to me if I cleaned your leg,” Zeke reminded him, “You have to at least respond to my questions. Or do you want me to throw you back in that cold cell all by yourself?”

Levi bit the inside of his cheek, remembering his earlier agreement.

“So, do you like being clean?” Zeke asked again.

“Yes,” Levi grumbled, “But I’m not telling you anything.”

Zeke smiled a little, “That’s a good boy. I didn’t ask you to tell me anything specific. I just want you to talk to me. Where did you grow up?”

Levi grit his teeth, shaking his head, “I’m not fucking talking to you.”

Zeke let out a deep breath, almost sounding frustrated, “You really are stubborn, aren’t you? You have one more chance to talk with me before I send you back to the cells, and it’ll be a couple more days before we reach port.”

Port? Levi thought to himself. Was he on a boat? That would only make sense, after all. The swaying and queasy feeling he had been having was understandable now. But he didn’t care how many days they had left. He would rather rot in jail than tell this man anything he was asking for.

“No?” Zeke said after a few more moments of silence, before he grabbed Levi roughly by his collar and tugged him off the bed, “Fine, then. Let’s go.”

“W-Wait,” Levi protested as Zeke began to drag him to the door, “My pants.”

Zeke barely hesitated, opening the door and shoving him out into the hallway, “You’ve lost that privilege.”

Levi couldn’t tell if he’d pissed the man off, or if the man had just rid himself of his kind, patient persona. But he was certainly giving up on being nice to Levi anymore. He hauled Levi down the hall, barely giving him time to adjust to his aching leg. The two of them entered the hallway of cells again, and Zeke opened the empty cell that they’d left earlier, only to toss Levi in. He walked in after him, taking his arms and chaining him to the wall again. Levi had forgotten just how cold it was in that cell, and now, without any pants, it was even worse. He instantly began shivering, tugging his knees up to his chest to conserve heat.

“Just remember,” Zeke said in a dangerously low voice as he stood to leave, “I gave you a fucking chance.”

With that, Zeke walked out of the cell and shut it behind him, locking it before he walked back down the hallway, out of Levi’s sight. The shorter man was left shaking in the coldness of his cell, his stomach empty and his throat dry. But at least he’d gotten his wound taken care of now. He spent the rest of the evening trying to keep himself warm, his vision going in and out as he became desperate for some type of food or water. He wondered if they would just let him starve to death down there, and wasn’t sure how he would make it through the next couple of days without at least some water. Levi lay down on the cold, wet floor, feeling exhaustion taking over him: exhaustion from his pain, hunger, and thirst combined. Even as he fought to keep them open, his eyes fluttered shut, darkness taking over as he fell into a deep sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi spent the next two days going in and out of sleep. The Marleyan soldiers did bring him food and drink, after all. Some type of gruel that had barely any flavor to it, and a bowl of water. They undid his wall chain to allow him to eat and drink, and he desperately lapped at the food and drink that had been brought to him. But at least it was filling his stomach a little bit, and keeping him alive. Plus, he’d experienced worse conditions growing up in the Underground, so he knew he could live through this.

When the boat reached port, Levi was brought out by the soldiers with the other prisoners, some who he recognized but couldn’t put names to. He knew they were coming from the same place he was, and he supposed some of them were probably his subordinates from the Survey Corps. Levi kept his head down, not wanting anyone to see the great Captain Levi reduced to such a state.

Upon exiting the ship, sunlight blinded him, and it took him a while to adjust to the sudden brightness after being stuck in a cold, dark cell for days. He was separated from the other prisoners for reasons unknown, being led to a long brick building that looked very similar to the military buildings they had back home. His leg still ached horribly, but he tried his best to keep up with the soldiers who were pulling him along, not wanting anyone to see how weak he truly was.

He was brought into the building and down a number of hallways, trying to keep track of where he was in relation to the exits in case he had an opportunity for escape. The soldiers stopped in front of a large wooden double door, one of them knocking on it and waiting to hear ‘come in’ before he pushed the doors open. They led Levi inside, and Levi instantly recognized Zeke sitting in a chair in front of a desk, another tall blonde man sitting at the desk itself.

Tall, blonde bastards . Levi thought to himself as he was shoved to his knees, staring intently at the floor as he refused to look up at the two. He heard the soldiers leaving, closing the doors behind them.

“Where did his pants go?” was the first question the unfamiliar man behind the desk asked.

“Took them off when I dressed his wound,” Zeke explained, “He was being stubborn, so I didn’t bother to put them back on.”

The other man laughed a little, and Levi could feel himself seething with anger. He could’ve cursed them both out for talking about him like he wasn’t there, and he kept his head down to keep himself from glaring at them.

“Well, we can’t have that now,” the other man said, “I’ll have the servants fetch him some clothes. And he stinks, we should have him bathed too, don’t you think?”

“You’re far more generous than I am, Erwin,” Zeke replied, “He’s been a little bastard, I don’t think he deserves all that.”

Levi’s heart leapt at the thought of being able to shower. He felt disgusting, his grimy hair sticking to his forehead and the dirt practically caking his skin. But he grimaced at Zeke’s response. At least he knew the new guy’s name now: Erwin .

“Well, we can’t have our little pet all dirty, now can we?” Erwin murmured, and Levi shivered a little at the word pet . What was he going to be to these men? Sure, Zeke had assured him that he wasn’t that type of man, but he very easily could’ve been lying.

“He’s mostly your pet, Erwin,” Zeke clarified, “Though I will admit, I’m jealous they didn’t assign him to me.”

Assigned...? Levi thought to himself, keeping his eyes trained on the hardwood floor. He didn’t dare look up at them, just listening to what they were saying and glancing around cautiously to gauge his surroundings.

“Well, once I’ve broken him, perhaps he’ll be of more use to all of us,” Erwin said in an almost menacing tone, one that had Levi’s stomach churning uncomfortably.

Broken...? Levi shifted a little, unable to help the terrifying feeling that was now enveloping him. He finally looked up, being met by deep blue eyes that were staring into his own.

“Hmm,” Erwin said with a clear smugness in his voice, “That got your attention, didn’t it?”

Levi shot him a glare, and Zeke chuckled, “He’s not going to respond. He’s very strong-willed. But you’re welcome to try, I suppose.”

“Perhaps you should leave the two of us alone, Zeke,” Erwin suggested, standing up, “I think he and I need to have a talk.”

Zeke nodded, getting up as well, “Good luck, Erwin.”

“Thank you,” Erwin replied, waiting until Zeke left the room and shut the door before he kneeled in front of Levi so that they were at eye level.

Levi just stared at him with a cold look on his face. Erwin was merely smiling at him coyly, as if trying to read him. The smile only annoyed Levi more, and he resisted the urge to spit at the man.

“Hello there,” Erwin murmured softly, “I’m Erwin Smith. I’m the Colossal Titan.”

Levi tried to hide his shock. So he had met this man before, through in his titan form. Now he really had a reason to hate the man in front of him.

“Your name’s Levi, right?” Erwin tried again.

There was silence, and Levi looked back down to the ground determinedly, before his chin was forced to look back up at Erwin.

“I’m not a very patient man, Levi,” Erwin muttered in a low voice, one that sent shivers up Levi’s spine, “If you want me to be nice to you, then you need to behave.”

The grip on his chin was rough, and he didn’t doubt this man was probably going to be a lot less patient with him than Zeke had been. He was already incredibly intimidating, and Levi was feeling a little unsafe in his presence.

“Now,” Erwin repeated, “Your name’s Levi, right?”

Levi nodded ever so slightly, seeing Erwin smirk in some satisfaction at getting him to answer. Erwin let go of his chin, but Levi continued to stare into his eyes, almost trying to stare him down.

“Now Levi,” Erwin continued, completely unaffected by Levi’s gaze as he stood up again, “I’ve heard from Zeke that you’ve been a little difficult. Is that true?”

Levi gritted his teeth, knowing he would have to respond. He took a moment to try and calm himself, knowing that anger wouldn’t get him very far in this situation. But he wasn’t about to give in, either.

“I’m not difficult,” Levi argued, “Just loyal to my comrades.”

Erwin chuckled, walking back around and sitting down at his desk. He pulled the chair in and moved around some papers on his desk absentmindedly, seemingly ignoring Levi for the time being. Levi didn’t like this. At least, when he had Erwin’s attention, he felt somewhat important, but without Erwin’s attention he felt exactly what he’d been feeling while rotting away in his cell: worthless, and without dignity.

“You certainly are loyal, I’ll give you that,” Erwin murmured, straightening a pile of papers before he looked back in Levi’s direction, “But I’m not an unreasonable man, Levi. I can give you anything you’d like. I have the power to undo your shackles, feed you, clothe you, spoil you in countless ways. All you need to do is talk to me.”

“In your fucking dreams,” Levi snapped almost instantly, not sure as to why Erwin’s offer was so offensive to him. He couldn’t just give up his secrets for material things. Lives were on the line; lives of people he cared about.

Erwin looked slightly taken aback at Levi’s sudden outburst, but he was hardly fazed for long. He tapped a pen on his lip, eyes raking over Levi as if he was studying him. Levi suddenly was feeling very small, very vulnerable in Erwin’s office, just the two of them, with Levi in this dirty, decrepit state and Erwin with all the power.

“Well, I can’t have you smelling this way if you’re going to be around me,” Erwin sighed, “So I suppose you’ll get your shower whether I want you to or not. But you’d better be grateful for that. You’ll owe me.”

“I don’t owe you shit,” Levi spat, “I’ll stay dirty.”

Erwin stood again, walking slowly around his desk and back in front of Levi, who was glaring up at him in determination. Erwin suddenly grabbed him by his hair and tugged him up off the ground, causing Levi to gasp in some surprise and pain.

“I’m losing my patience, Levi,” Erwin growled, “I will not have a dirty Paradisian rat in my office. You will be cleaned, and you will be grateful.”

Levi whimpered a little as Erwin let go of his hair, letting him fall to the ground again. He cursed himself for allowing such a pathetic noise to escape his mouth, as it had made Erwin look rather smug.

“Say ‘yes sir’,” Erwin snarled, leaning down so that their faces were mere inches from each other.

Levi’s heartbeat increased, something in his brain telling him to obey. He was, after all, under Erwin’s control at the moment. There wasn’t much that could be done about that. And he needed to play this game carefully. He would never give up his secrets, but he had to survive. So he would ride that line delicately as best he could while he was here.

“Yes, sir ,” Levi replied with venom in his voice, practically spitting each word.

“Good,” Erwin smiled, standing up straight again, “Come with me.”

Levi struggled to get to his feet, especially with the pain in his leg and now the terrible pounding in his head from Erwin grabbing his hair and pulling him up. He stumbled after Erwin, who walked towards the bathroom attached to his office. Levi knew Erwin must’ve been important to have a whole bathroom to himself, and that only made him all the more intimidated by Erwin’s clear power over him.

Erwin opened the door to the bathroom and let Levi go in first. He closed the door behind them, leaning over the tub to start the shower. Levi merely watched him, glancing around the room to see if there was any way he could get an advantage against the taller man. He could see Erwin’s keys dangling at his waist. They were so tempting, and Levi was trying to come up with scenarios where he could bash Erwin’s head in, take his keys, and get the hell out of there.

But as he was thinking this, Erwin turned to him, starting to undo the buttons of his shirt. Levi could feel himself getting red in the face from Erwin’s actions, and squirmed a little as his chest was slowly exposed.

“Stop moving,” Erwin ordered, “You won’t get clean if your clothes are still on.”

Levi stopped, Erwin tearing the cloth from his body as if it was nothing. He tugged down Levi’s boxers next, and Levi sucked in a deep breath as he stood naked before this stranger, this enemy . But he could feel the dirtiness of his own body, and it disgusted him. He was looking forward to being clean again, something that Erwin could clearly read on his face.

“Get in,” Erwin instructed, and Levi did as he was told, climbing into the shower and getting under the water. He gasped when he realized how cold it was, starting to shiver a little from the feeling.

“You’ll get warm water when you act properly,” Erwin explained, “For now, this is all you’re getting.”

Levi shot him an irritated look, his body trembling from the cold as he let the water run over him. He looked down to see a mix of dried blood and dirt, muddying the clear water. He was a little disgusted, but at least now he could be clean.

Erwin took a bottle of soap from the shelf and poured some in his hands, starting to scrub Levi’s body, starting with his shoulders and working his way down. It felt good, being pampered like this after having been treated so terribly. But Levi knew it was all at a cost. Erwin wasn’t doing this because he wanted to; he was doing this with the expectation that Levi would repay him somehow. And Levi wasn’t looking forward to that.

He was shaking horribly now from the cold water, wishing Erwin would just hurry the fuck up. But the man took his time, almost as if on purpose, and Levi wondered if the cold water was even affecting him. Erwin washed his hair next, and Levi couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh of relief at the feeling of the man massaging his scalp. Soon, the suds were washed away from his hair and body, and the water was turned off.

Erwin wrapped him in a towel, helping him to dry off before stating, “Stay right here. I’m going to get you some clothes.”

Erwin left the room and returned within moments, not even giving Levi enough time to realize he was alone. Erwin lay a tan uniform, much like his own, on the counter, taking out his keys.

“I’m going to undo your shackles so you can get dressed,” Erwin explained, “Any funny business and I’ll let you sleep in an ice bath overnight. Take your pick.”

Levi winced a little at the threat. The thought of being in an ice-cold bath all night sounded painful, and he wasn’t prepared to go through something like that, not in his weakened state. Erwin unlocked his shackles and took them off cautiously, as if he still thought Levi might pounce at any moment. But Levi instantly rubbed his wrists, stretching his arms in ways he couldn’t before. He was sore from having them cuffed behind him for days now, and he appreciated the feeling of being able to move freely, even if it wasn’t going to be for long.

“Dress,” Erwin ordered, clearly growing impatient.

Levi decided not to test the man for now. He would have time and future opportunities to do so. He grabbed the plain white boxers from the top of the pile, pulling them on and watching Erwin all the while, as if he was worried Erwin might suddenly stop being so nice to him. Erwin was watching him just as intensely, in case Levi were to try anything with him. Levi pulled on the tan pants and white shirt, tugging the tan jacket over it. That’s when he got to the bottom of the pile, where there awaited a white and yellow armband for him.

He paused, staring at it. He knew what this was. What this meant . He’d been told about Marley’s classification of its Eldian citizens, and he refused to play into that sick little game they had. Levi pretended as if he hadn’t noticed it, standing there and looking at Erwin as if he was finished.

“Put on the armband,” Erwin insisted, picking it up and holding it out to Levi.

Levi just looked at it before shaking his head, “I’m not wearing that.”

“Levi,” Erwin sighed in frustration, “All Eldians must wear an armband. You’re not an exception to the rule just because you’re from Paradis.”

“I won’t wear it,” Levi protested, “I refuse .”

Erwin’s eyes narrowed slightly before grabbing Levi by the hair again and pushing his head down onto the counter hard . So hard that Levi’s ears were ringing, his vision darkening for a moment. He was in some shock, and in that short time, Erwin had pinned his hands behind his back, placing the armband around his bicep and shackling his wrists back together. Levi struggled weakly, groaning in some pain.

“You know,” Erwin growled in his ear, “I was going to be nice. I wasn’t going to put your chains back on, but it looks like you’re just intent on being a naughty little pet, aren’t you?”

Levi whimpered at the throbbing feeling in his head, shaking his head faintly in protest. Erwin pulled him up by his hair, starting to drag him back out of the bathroom. Levi tried to calm his rapid heartbeat, his inability to breathe normally only making things worse as pain coursed through his body. Erwin tossed him to the ground in front of his desk before going to sit down, leaving Levi panting with some tears in the corners of his eyes.

“You need to learn to behave,” Erwin snapped, clearly irritated at Levi’s behavior.

Levi laid his head down on the hard floor as he tried to catch his breath, exhaustion from the pain overtaking him. He was so tired, so hungry, his energy completely spent from the interaction he and Erwin had just had.

He closed his eyes, hearing Erwin sigh loudly before he heard the sound of his boots squeaking against the floorboards walking towards him again. When he opened his eyes again, Erwin was kneeled down next to him, trying to examine his face.

“You’re difficult, do you know that?” Erwin asked with frustration apparent in his voice.

Levi breathed heavily, nodding his head slightly at Erwin’s question. He didn’t want to piss the man off any more by not answering; his head was hurting too badly to be abused any longer.

“If you apologize to me, I’ll grant you mercy,” Erwin offered, reaching out and petting Levi’s hair gently.

Levi was completely drained at this point, unable to fight anymore. He just wanted to go to sleep, his entire body giving in to his exhaustion. Erwin must have noticed this, as he was taking advantage of Levi’s vulnerable state.

“I’m sorry,” Levi said weakly.

“ Sir ,” Erwin reminded him, “You will call me ‘sir’.”

Levi sucked in a deep breath before trying again, “I’m... I’m sorry, sir .”

“Good boy,” Erwin cooed, petting his hair carefully, “Would you like your reward now?”

Levi nodded sleepily, hoping that his reward would be a nice warm meal, or perhaps even a warm bed he could sleep in. He was so tired, and he even welcomed Erwin’s warm touch at this point, feeling so worn out.

“You’ll sleep in my bed,” Erwin instructed, “And tomorrow, your training will begin. If you’re a good boy, you’ll get warm meals and clean clothes every day. I’ll give you privileges, but you must remember that privileges can be taken away at any moment. So be careful, and don’t piss me off. Are we understood?”

“Yes...” Levi muttered in some defeat, “Yes, sir.”

“Good,” Erwin smirked, helping Levi to his feet. Levi could barely walk at this point, and Erwin wrapped an arm around him before leading him to the bedroom attached to the other side of his office. He walked in and helped Levi into the bed. Levi got as comfortable as he could with his hands behind his back. It wasn’t difficult, as this bed was far comfier than anywhere he’d slept in the past week. Erwin pulled the covers over him, petting his head affectionately.

“That’s my good pet,” Erwin murmured, “Rest, little one.”

Levi wanted to protest Erwin’s nicknames, wanted to curse him out for calling him ‘little’. But Erwin’s words soothed him for some reason, and he could feel his eyelids growing heavy as he shut them slowly, passing out within moments.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi was awoken early the next morning by a shifting in the bed. He turned over and saw Erwin, in a pair of pajamas, his legs swung over the edge of the bed. Levi’s eyes widened slightly. Had they slept in the same bed? Of course, Levi knew that this was Erwin’s bed, but for some reason he hadn’t expected the man to join him for the night. He was disgusted at the idea of sleeping in the same bed as the enemy, but he supposed it was too late to be angry about it now. Erwin got up, his weight leaving the bed as he headed to the dresser across the room. He opened the closet, which was mostly full of the same tan uniform he’d been wearing yesterday. Levi watched him as he took out a fresh uniform, setting it on a chair next to the dresser before starting to unbutton his pajama shirt.

A slight blush arose on Levi’s cheeks as the man peeled the shirt from his body, revealing rippling back and arm muscles underneath the fabric. He couldn’t help but stare as Erwin tugged down his pajama pants. His legs and ass were so toned, and Levi couldn’t stop the thought from entering his head: this man was incredibly handsome. He cursed himself for thinking so, looking away from Erwin with some embarrassment. Sure, the bastard was good-looking, but that didn’t make him any less of an asshole.

Erwin hadn’t yet noticed that Levi was awake. He finished getting dressed and put on that dreaded armband. His was red, however, and Levi wondered if that had something to do with his status as a titan-shifter. He glanced down at his own yellow armband, feeling sick to his stomach that he’d been forced to wear such a disgusting garment. Levi watched Erwin turn around and make eye contact with him, the two simply staring at each other for a moment.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” Erwin noted, a simple smile crossing his face.

Levi scowled, not bothering to respond. He looked away from Erwin’s gaze, feeling a little sheepish at being caught staring. He heard Erwin’s footsteps coming towards him, and stared at the sheets next to him, determined not to look at the man.

“Are you ready for today? I’m not going to go easy on you,” Erwin asked.

Levi sucked in a deep breath, knowing he wouldn’t be treated nicely for not responding. He was already ill-prepared for whatever Erwin was going to put him through. His stomach was empty and aching, his leg still throbbing in pain.

“Yes sir,” Levi mumbled under his breath, turning to look at Erwin with a stern look, “I’m ready.”

“Good,” Erwin grinned a little, “Now get up.”

Levi struggled to sit up, standing slowly and wincing at the pain in his leg. Erwin grasped him by his bicep, starting to lead him out of the bedroom and back into his office. He pushed Levi down into the chair across from his desk and took his place in his own chair.

There was already a cup of coffee waiting for him on his desk, and he took a long sip before picking up some papers and reading over them briefly. Levi waited patiently, looking around the room and taking in everything about it. There were bookshelves lining the walls, filled to the brim with books written in a language that Levi couldn’t decipher. He sighed, the shackles behind his back still scratching at his wrists uncomfortably.

“Levi,” Erwin spoke, recapturing Levi’s attention, “Would you like some coffee?”

Levi shook his head. He wasn’t much of a coffee drinker. Though, he could definitely go for something to drink in general. Perhaps he should’ve said yes, just to have something to wet his throat.

“I... I like tea,” Levi piped up quietly, almost hopefully, “Any kind of tea.”

Erwin looked a little surprised at Levi’s response; that he’d given any response at all. But a smile soon settled across his lips, and he nodded, picking up a bell on the corner of his desk and ringing it. A man in uniform soon entered the room, greeting Erwin before waiting for orders.

“Can you bring a cup of tea for Levi here?” Erwin asked, “Any kind is fine.”

Levi could feel himself getting a little excited as he watched the servant nod and leave the room. He couldn’t believe that had worked. But he was a little wary of Erwin’s kindness, wondering what he would have to do in return for such acts.

The servant soon reentered the room, setting down the cup of tea on Erwin’s desk. Levi caught a whiff of it as it passed him: it smelled like some type of green tea, and he couldn’t help the sigh of contentment that left him as he took in that familiar scent.

“Would you like me to uncuff you?” Erwin inquired.

Levi stared at him in some shock for a moment before nodding eagerly. Erwin got up, walking over and taking out his keys. He unlocked the cuffs and took them off, watching Levi cautiously as he let the shackles fall to the floor. Levi looked back at him, rubbing his wrists gently before reaching for the tea. He picked it up with shaky hands, breathing in the scent before taking a long sip, the feeling of the warm liquid flowing through his body being incredibly pleasant.

“Now, you may be wondering why I’m being so kind to you this morning,” Erwin murmured as he sat back down at his desk.

Levi allowed himself another sip before setting the tea cup back on the desk, not wanting to gulp it all down in one go. He wanted to savor the taste, as he didn’t know when he would next receive such a luxury.

But he looked up at Erwin, waiting for him to continue. He had been curious as to why Erwin was allowing him such things. Yesterday he wouldn’t even allow him a warm shower, and now he was uncuffing him, giving him tea, all without asking for anything in return. Levi couldn’t say he wasn’t suspicious of such things, and perhaps he had been too eager to accept such niceties.

“I’m showing you what you can have, Levi,” Erwin continued, watching with a smile as Levi took another sip of tea, “If you’re good, you can have such nice things as this. I bet you enjoy being spoiled, don’t you?”

Levi just stared him down with a venomous glare, not wanting to answer a question like this. But he knew he should answer, lest Erwin suddenly reclaim his kindness and take away what he’d given Levi.

Levi shrugged in response, “I don’t know.”

Erwin chuckled, “I think you do. You seem like the type of man to like nice things.”

Levi took another sip of his tea so that he wouldn’t have to respond. Soon, the cup was empty, and he set it back on the desk, his throat finally feeling moistened and his stomach happy to have something in it. But his stomach growled loudly, craving more; something more substantial.

“Are you hungry?” Erwin immediately took notice of the noise, “Perhaps we can make some type of deal.”

Levi nodded, placing his hands in his lap and fidgeting uncomfortably. He knew he wouldn’t be lucky enough to get food without doing something in return. He was hungry enough to let Erwin continue, wondering what the deal was that Erwin would propose.

“How about you tell me where you grew up?” Erwin suggested, “And then you can enjoy breakfast with me. We’re having bacon, eggs, and hash browns. I bet that sounds delicious, doesn’t it?”

Levi’s stomach growled again just at the thought of such food. He was starving, his stomach aching with hunger. But he didn’t want to give in so easily. He knew if he did open his mouth, he would have to be particularly careful about what he said.

“I... I grew up underground,” Levi started cautiously, “With my uncle.”

“Underground?” Erwin raised an eyebrow, “You have cities underground?”

Levi nodded slowly, trying to process every word through a filter before he spoke it, “Yes, just one. Under the capital.”

“Ah, I see,” Erwin smiled, his eyes practically glowing with intrigue as he listened to Levi speak, “You said you grew up with your uncle. What happened to your parents?”

Levi hesitantly answered, “I don’t know my father. My mother died when I was very young. Of starvation.”

Erwin’s smile didn’t falter at this tragic information, he just nodded, “That’s interesting. Is that why you’re so short? You weren’t able to get the nutrients you needed to grow properly, am I correct in assuming that?”

Levi scowled, not liking the fact that the man had brought up his height. But he nodded a little in response to Erwin’s question, supposing that the man was probably right. He had struggled a lot as a child to get proper food, and being without sunlight likely didn’t help either.

Erwin looked deep in thought, as if he was processing Levi’s information and thinking up a million questions to ask him. Levi shifted in his chair, starting to get impatient. He didn’t know how many more questions he could handle before he would have to refuse, and refusal meant no food.

“Can... Can I eat now?” Levi asked, interrupting Erwin’s thoughts.

Erwin looked back at him with some surprise, “Oh. Yes, I suppose so.”

He rang the bell again, ordering the servant to bring them breakfast. Levi could feel his excitement building in his chest at the promise of food. His stomach was making noises still, almost as if it knew food was coming.

“Levi,” Erwin spoke again, “How did you come to join the Survey Corps?”

Levi just stared at him. He didn’t want to give up this information; didn’t want to talk about the Survey Corps at all with Erwin. He shook his head, keeping his mouth shut. Erwin admittedly looked a little disappointed.

“Fine,” Erwin murmured, “But I will get that information out of you at some point.”

Before Levi could give a snarky response, the servant entered with two steaming plates of food: bacon, eggs, and hash browns, just like had been promised. He set them on Erwin’s desk before leaving, and Erwin slowly began pushing Levi’s plate towards him.

Levi reached out to take it, and Erwin pulled it back for a moment, “What do we say, Levi?”

Levi could’ve strangled him, and was staring daggers at the man. He gritted his teeth, trying to push down his stubbornness as best he could. He knew that if he snapped at Erwin now, he might not get his food. And it was so close, right in front of him. He could smell it, and it smelled amazing .

“Thank you, sir,” Levi grumbled, and Erwin smirked in satisfaction before pushing the plate towards him.

“Good boy.”

Levi ignored the comment, picking up the knife and fork and starting to eat. Had he been alone, he might’ve cried at something so delicious finally filling his stomach. But he held back, his hands practically shaking in desperation as he couldn’t get the food in his mouth fast enough to satisfy his hungry stomach.

“I’m going to tell you about my upbringing now,” Erwin said, as if Levi even cared.

He was very focused on his food at the moment, but Erwin continued anyways, “I was born in Paradis. But my father smuggled my mother and I to Marley in hopes that we might do better here.”

Levi’s ears couldn’t help but perk up at that. Erwin was Paradisian too? How had his father managed such a thing? This was certainly intriguing, though Levi tried to hide his interest by continuing to eat.

“I grew up here with my mother, became a warrior candidate, and eventually the Colossal Titan,” Erwin explained, “But my father... I don’t know what’s become of him. He stayed in Paradis, and we haven’t heard from him since he left us.”

Levi didn’t bother to respond, finishing up the food on his plate and sighing contently as he leaned back in the chair, feeling full for the first time in a long time. Erwin was only halfway through his plate, picking at the eggs as if he was still thinking about what he’d told Levi.

He ate the rest of his food in silence, and Levi tried to study the room he was in as best he could, planning all sorts of ways he could escape. He needed to learn more about this building, more about his surroundings, before he could make his grand exit. Perhaps even gain some of Erwin’s trust, the trust of other important figures; trick them into granting him more freedom. Then he could figure out how to get back to Paradis.

“Well,” Erwin sighed, setting his utensils down on his now-empty plate, “I suppose we should begin your training now, shouldn’t we?”

Levi’s eyes widened slightly, unsure of what that even meant. Erwin stood and walked over to him, taking his chin between his index finger and his thumb and forcing him to look into Erwin’s deep blue eyes.

“I’ve been assigned to you, Levi,” Erwin explained, “That means that you must obey me, without hesitation, without question. That is what I’m going to train you in today. Obedience . By the end of the day, you will be my little pet.”

Levi couldn’t help the glare of death he was giving Erwin, and he ripped his chin away from Erwin’s grasp, growling, “I will never be your pet.”

Erwin smirked a little, retrieving the shackles from the ground, “Already being difficult, are we? Suppose we’ll have to put these back on.”

Levi struggled against Erwin’s grasp as the man pinned his arms behind his back, cuffing him again. His arms were so sore from being in this position constantly, and he wasn’t excited to be back in this state.

“Now,” Erwin ordered, “Get on the ground. On your knees.”

Levi only glared up at him through narrow eyes, determined to be stubborn now. Though he wanted to earn Erwin’s trust, he was not about to stoop to such a low level as to be Erwin’s obedient pet. Erwin grabbed the back of his collar and threw him onto the ground, leaving him to scramble onto his knees after his chin hit the floor. He could feel himself bleeding there, though he tried to ignore it.

Erwin placed his boot on Levi’s chest, shoving him backwards so that he was lying on his back, his knees still bent, and his legs folded in on himself. He struggled to try and sit back up, but Erwin put his boot on Levi’s neck, pressing down just enough so that Levi was gasping for breath.

“You’re determined to be a stubborn little bastard, aren’t you?” Erwin teased in a deep voice, “You’re just making it harder for yourself. If you were obedient, this training would be simple. But you just insist on making things difficult.”

Levi took shallow breaths, his vision blacking out in spots as he struggled to get away, “F-Fuck off.”

Erwin only chuckled in response, removing his boot, “Perhaps I should leave you to Zeke. I know he appears nice, but he’s got a secret love for dissection. I’m sure he’d love to try and figure out what makes you tick.”

Levi sucked in a deep breath, too focused on his breathing to respond. Erwin placed his boot on Levi’s leg wound next, and Levi could barely brace himself before Erwin ground down into the painful spot. He gasped out, trying to squirm away from Erwin’s touch as the pain coursed through his body.

Erwin removed his boot, and for a moment Levi wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, when Erwin stomped on his thigh again, applying a greater amount of pressure to the area. Levi cried out, tears pooling in his eyes from the pain. Fuckfuckfuck was all that could run through his mind, the pain driving him crazy.

“Do you want me to move?” Erwin asked, his voice far too calm for the situation they were in, “You need only ask.”

Levi was breathing heavily, tears streaming down his face now. He bit his lip hard, his vision going in and out. He was feeling desperate now, his whole body trembling from the agony he felt. If Erwin kept this up, he would surely pass out.

“M-Move,” Levi gasped out, “ Please move.”

“What do we say, Levi?” Erwin murmured, applying even more pressure, “What do you call me?”

“ Please move, sir, ” Levi managed to get out between gasps of pain, watching in some relief as Erwin removed his boot.

“Good boy,” Erwin praised, his hands behind his back as he strolled around his desk, picking up his coffee and pouring it all over the floor in front of Levi.

Levi had only just managed to sit up again, his head pounding painfully as his thigh wound tried to recover from being abused like it had been. He watched Erwin pour the coffee on the floor, staring up at him in some confusion.

“Clean it up,” Erwin ordered, setting the coffee cup back on the desk.

Levi stared at the coffee on the floor in front of him, “I don’t... I can’t move-”

“Use your tongue,” Erwin growled, clearly starting to lose his kind streak, “You should be grateful. This may be the only liquid you’ll receive for a while.”

Levi’s eyes widened as he looked up at Erwin. He couldn’t be serious, right? But the look Erwin was giving him was almost terrifying. He looked like he was enjoying this, and smugness was written all over his face.

Levi shot him the most furious look he could before he leaned down and started to lap at the coffee, gagging a little as he thought of just how dirty this floor must be. He felt disgusting, he felt inhuman. There were still tears that were drying on his face from his earlier treatment, and everything in him was feeling weak from the pain he’d endured. He licked at the coffee until it was all gone, keeping his head down. He refused to look back up at Erwin, at least for the moment. He felt humiliated and degraded, and this was only the beginning. But there was soon the cold feeling of leather under his chin, and Erwin’s boot was bringing his chin up so that they were looking at each other again.

“Say ‘thank you’,” Erwin demanded, a cold expression on his face. The humanity that had been there when he was being kind to Levi was gone now, and it was a little alarming to Levi that the man could switch to this personality so quickly.

“Th-Thank you,” Levi spat, “ Sir .”

Erwin grinned, clearly satisfied with himself, “That’s a good boy. Now, you will always address me as sir. And you will do as I say immediately, without protest. Is that understood, Levi?”

Levi bit the inside of his cheek, not wanting to give Erwin any more gratification. He’d been through worse torture, right? So he could endure more from Erwin. He stayed silent, not responding to Erwin’s words.

“I see,” Erwin said in a low voice, and Levi was brought to his feet by a rough grasp to his hair.

He was thrown against the desk, his back hitting the hard wooden surface with a loud thud, before he fell to the ground again. Unable to catch himself, he hit his already-bloody chin on the floor again, probably splitting the wound open even more.

“Let’s try again,” Erwin barked, “ Is that understood? ”

Levi winced at the sudden loudness of his voice, his head pounding. He let his head rest on the floor, taking in some deep breaths. Erwin brought him up to his knees again by his hair, looking increasingly more enraged each time Levi looked up at him.

“Fine,” Erwin moved to pull Levi up by his arm, bringing him up to his feet. He dragged Levi out of the office, down the hall, passing soldiers that stared at Levi with pure hatred in their eyes. Levi could only let himself be dragged, barely able to keep up with Erwin.

Erwin brought him down a flight of steps, to a door at the end of the hallway. Levi watched as Erwin took out his keys and unlocked the door. It was a small, dark room with a cement floor and no furniture.

“You will stay in here until you learn to behave,” Erwin explained, shoving Levi inside and slamming the door shut.

Levi tried to look out of the small, narrow window in the door, until Erwin slid it closed, and he was left in the dark. He couldn’t see anything, and sat down carefully, feeling out his surroundings until he found the wall. He leaned against it, sighing a little in frustration as he let his head rest against the cold wall. His body ached, but at least he’d gotten a shower, food and drink, and a warm bed out of his time with Erwin. He wondered just how long Erwin would leave him down here, and he closed his eyes to try and get some sleep while he could.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin waited a week, a very long week at that. He kept himself occupied with his work, sending guards down to bring Levi a small portion of food and drink every evening. By the end of the week, Erwin was certain Levi wouldn’t be able to stand the conditions he’d been living in any longer. He didn’t particularly like having to be mean like this, but he needed Levi to know his place.

He was sitting with Zeke that evening, having a cup of coffee and biscuits and just chatting with the man. He’d ordered his guards to have Levi washed up and brought to his office, and the two waited patiently to see the state the man was in.

When they finally brought Levi in, his head was down, hanging limply in the guards’ arms. He looked frail, practically trembling as the guards tossed him to his knees. Zeke and Erwin exchanged a look before Erwin stood, walking around and standing in front of Levi.

“Hello, Levi,” Erwin greeted, “Have you learned your lesson?”

Levi was silent for a moment, and Erwin was at first worried that the man was still as stubborn as he’d been when Erwin had abandoned him a week ago. But Levi cleared his throat, looking up at Erwin. His lips were chapped, his eyes sunken as if he hadn’t been sleeping much.

“Yes, sir,” he replied in a quiet voice, sounding defeated.

Erwin ran his fingers through Levi’s freshly-washed hair, “Are you going to be an obedient pet now?”

Levi nodded, “Yes, sir.”

Erwin smirked, ordering the guards to “take off his shackles.” They did so, and Levi shakily stretched his arms out, giving Erwin a slightly grateful look before slowly rising to his feet. He was shaking, and Erwin couldn’t help but feel pity for how pathetic he looked.

“How about we get some food in you, hmm?” Erwin whispered, petting his head affectionately, “Would you like that?”

Levi nodded quickly, “Y-Yes, please, sir.”

Erwin soothingly ran his fingers along Levi’s cheek, cooing, “That’s a good boy. Come on, you can come sit in the chair next to Zeke.”

Levi struggled to his feet, sitting in the chair next to Zeke like he was asked to. He was staring down at his lap nervously, and Zeke gave Erwin a look as though he was impressed by the progress he’d made.

“Aren’t you going to greet Zeke, my pet?” Erwin asked, going back to sit at his desk.

“Hello, sir,” Levi said quietly, looking up at Zeke briefly before staring back down at his lap.

“Hello,” Zeke smiled a little, looking back at Erwin, “I can’t believe you fucking did it.”

Erwin chuckled, leaning back in his chair, “He just needed a little discipline, that’s all.”

Levi visibly tensed up as they talked about him, and Erwin could sense he was trying hard to hold back a snide remark. Erwin ordered his servants to bring them lunch, and Zeke soon departed, leaving Erwin alone with Levi, both of them eating in silence.

“You said you grew up in the Underground,” Erwin piped up, “What was it like there?”

Levi sucked in a deep breath, finishing chewing on some food before swallowing, “It was... not good. We were very poor, very hungry. We didn’t get many things that those above ground would consider necessities.”

“You’re very well-spoken,” Erwin complimented, “How did you learn? Were you educated at all?”

Levi shrugged, “I was educated a little, but not much. We had a teacher who would come visit us from above ground.”

“Ahh, I see,” Erwin nodded, interested in Levi’s past. He wondered just what made this man so strong. He’d heard from Zeke that Levi was an Ackerman, and he knew what that meant. There weren’t many, if any , Ackermans left, and he was curious what drove Levi to fight.

The two finished their meal quietly, Erwin deciding not to ask any more questions. He didn’t want to push the man, as he seemed fragile at the moment. When they finished, the servants came and took the food away, and Levi remained stoic, staring down at the floor as if he wasn’t all there.

“Levi,” Erwin said, and the noise startled Levi ever so slightly. He looked up at Erwin, some fear present in his eyes.

Erwin wanted him to feel a little more at ease, but didn’t know how to do so. He stood, walking around the desk and standing in front of the shorter man. Levi was still staring at him, looking more worried with each passing moment.

“Are you tired, darling?” Erwin asked, caressing Levi’s cheek tenderly, “Would you like to go to bed?”

Erwin was surprised when Levi leaned into his touch, as if he was craving some sort of affection. The shorter man nodded slightly, his body physically relaxing when he realized Erwin wasn’t asking anything difficult of him.

“Let’s get you to bed,” Erwin remarked, helping Levi out of the chair and starting to lead him to the bedroom, “You can borrow some pajamas until we get you some of your own.”

“Thank you, sir,” Levi responded quietly.

Erwin handed him a pajama shirt, figuring the pants would be far too big to fit him properly. Levi turned away from Erwin as he tugged off his jacket and shirt, pulling on the large pajama shirt. It went all the way down to his thighs, the sleeves hanging off his arms. Erwin couldn’t help but stare at Levi’s ass as he tugged off his pants, staying in his boxers as he pulled the shirt so that it covered his lower half. He looked adorable, and Erwin could feel himself getting embarrassed as that thought crossed his mind. Levi folded the discarded clothes and looked up at Erwin expectantly, as if he didn’t know what to do with them.

Erwin took them from him and placed them on the dresser, placing a hand on Levi’s lower back and guiding him to the bed. Levi climbed under the covers, suddenly looking incredibly exhausted. Erwin couldn’t help but smile as the shorter man got comfortable.

“Good night, my pet,” Erwin murmured, running his fingers soothingly through Levi’s dark locks.

“Good night, sir,” Levi replied, his eyes fluttering closed.

Erwin smiled down at him, thinking he was much cuter when he wasn’t being stubborn. He walked to the door, turning off the light before leaving the room. The windows in his bedroom were locked, and Erwin knew Levi wouldn’t be able to escape without first going through his office, so he wasn’t worried about the shorter man leaving without permission. He went to sit back at his desk, going to do some work. He read through some important documents and mapped out some plans for a good two hours before he could feel the heaviness of sleep coming over him.

Erwin got up and went back into the bedroom, smiling upon seeing Levi passed out in his bed, his expression so soft and innocent. He got dressed and went to the bed, climbing in next to Levi and tugging the covers back over them. Levi whined quietly at the shift in the bed, and turned to face Erwin, his eyes remaining closed as he leaned his forehead against Erwin’s shoulder sleepily. Erwin could feel some surprise overtaking him at Levi’s sleepy actions, but he couldn’t help the small grin that formed on his lips. He closed his eyes, listening to Levi’s quiet breathing as he too fell into a deep sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi woke up early the next morning, feeling well rested. He could hear Erwin breathing deeply next to him, and was surprised to find his head resting against Erwin’s arm. He quickly pulled his face back, watching Erwin’s chest rise and fall with each breath he took. Levi was feeling a little better now that he had showered, eaten, and slept.

He’d spent the week in the dark room going a little insane, hallucinating in the darkness and feeling his sanity slowly disappearing. When they’d finally taken him from the room at the end of the week, he was feeling extremely grateful to Erwin for rescuing him from such a place. But he reminded himself that it was Erwin who’d put him there originally, and he tried to keep ahold of his strong-will as he was bathed by the guards and redressed in a new uniform.

Levi hadn’t been broken. He knew this was something that nobody, not even Erwin, could do. But he was good at playing pretend, and from the moment the guards had let him out, he knew exactly how to act like the poor, pitiful, broken prisoner that Erwin wanted him to be.

He figured it would probably get him further, anyway. He could feel Erwin trusting him more now that he was deemed ‘broken’, and he had gotten away with faking his ‘obedient pet’ persona. But Levi was still paying attention, still trying to figure out some way to escape.

As he was thinking this, Erwin turned to him in his sleep, reaching his arms out and wrapping them around Levi’s small frame. Levi couldn’t help but squeak in some surprise, feeling Erwin tug him closer. He squirmed a little, but he didn’t want to wake the man. He had wanted to explore Erwin’s office a little while he slept, try and figure out where he kept his more important information. But he couldn’t exactly do that now, captured in Erwin’s strong arms. The man smelled like cigars and whiskey, and his embrace was incredibly warm. Levi would’ve almost enjoyed it, if it wasn’t coming from the man he despised.

He sighed in defeat after a moment of trying to quietly and carefully pull away from the hold. He stared up at Erwin’s face, examining his thick eyebrows and thin lips. He looked so calm, and Levi took note of just how incredibly handsome Erwin’s features were. But he tried to remember just who this man was, and just what crimes he’d committed. It was hard to believe someone so beautiful could do things that were so awful.

Levi lay there, feeling his own eyelids growing heavy from the warm embrace that was surrounding him. When he opened them again, he wasn’t sure how much time had passed. But Erwin was up, wrapped in a towel, and freshly showered. Levi cursed himself for having fallen back asleep, now having missed his opportunity to explore while Erwin was sleeping.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Erwin greeted him with a smile, almost annoyingly so.

But Levi knew he had to be that broken, pathetic pet that Erwin wanted, and he muttered, “Good morning, sir.”

Erwin chuckled, “Did you have a good rest? You slept longer than I did. Must’ve been tired.”

Levi nodded a little, sitting up slowly, “Yes, sir.”

Erwin began to get dressed, and Levi swung his legs over the side of the bed, getting up and heading to the dresser where he’d left his uniform the night before. He started to get dressed as well, turning away from Erwin as he did so.

“You’ll be spending some time with Zeke today,” Erwin announced as Levi finished pulling the uniform on, feeling himself cringing as he saw the dreaded armband back on his bicep.

Levi turned to look at him with some surprise, not sure how to feel about that. Erwin had said Zeke was nice, but had a secret love of dissection. He couldn’t help but be a little worried at that.

“Don’t fret,” Erwin assured him, walking over to Levi, “He’s just looking after you while I’m at some meetings.”

Levi nodded, feeling Erwin’s hand on his arm, guiding him out of the bedroom. They walked out of Levi’s office and down the hall, stopping in front of an open door, where Levi could see Zeke sitting at a desk inside. Erwin led him in, and Levi looked around. Zeke’s room was far cleaner than Erwin’s, which he was glad about. He couldn’t stand the mess of Erwin’s office, papers strewn everywhere and books piled on the floor.

Zeke was smoking a cigarette, paging through a book, when he noticed them entering. He put the book down, greeting them a smile as he sucked on the cigarette and blew out some smoke. Levi’s nose wrinkled at the smell; he wasn’t a fan of smoking at all.

“Hey, Zeke,” Erwin smiled, “Thank you for looking after Levi for me.”

Zeke nodded, sitting up a little as he tapped his cigarette on the ashtray, “Of course, Erwin.”

Erwin let go of Levi’s arm, turning to him and tilting his chin up gently, much softer than he’d done previous times. Levi could feel the blush on his face, and bit the inside of his cheek in annoyance for reacting that way. It had caught him by surprise.

“Make sure you behave for Zeke, my pet,” Erwin murmured, “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Levi despised being treated this way; as if he was a small child, or an animal. Either way, it was degrading and humiliating. But Levi nodded anyways, watching Erwin smirk a little before letting go of his chin and exchanging a goodbye with Zeke. He walked out of the office, leaving the two men alone. Levi stood there awkwardly, watching Zeke get up from his desk and move around it towards him. The man was still puffing on the cigarette in between his lips, and once he stood in front of Levi, he took it out of his mouth and held it out to him.

“Would you like a puff?” he asked.

“No, thank you,” Levi spoke quietly, trying to ignore how irritating the smell of cigarette smoke was.

Zeke took another long drag of the cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray, breathing out the smoke in Levi’s general direction. Levi grimaced at the smell, unable to help himself from making such a face. But Zeke didn’t look angry with him for slipping out of character. In fact, he chuckled a little, turning on his heel and heading back around to his desk chair.

“You’re welcome to sit down, Levi,” Zeke offered.

Levi took a seat in the chair across from Zeke’s desk, watching the man cautiously. He didn’t trust Zeke. And though he didn’t trust Erwin either, he had at least become more at ease with him through their routines over the past couple of days. Zeke was watching him too, examining him. His eyes raked up and down Levi’s body, which made him incredibly uncomfortable.

“So, how are things with you and Erwin?” Zeke asked, filling the silence.

Levi shrugged a little, unsure of what he meant by that question. He couldn’t exactly say things were going well , but at least he hadn’t been beaten or tortured by Erwin since he’d come back from the dark room downstairs.

“Has he... you know... taken you , yet?” Zeke wondered, looking curious.

Levi’s eyes widened slightly, unable to help himself from asking, “What?”

“You know,” Zeke tried again, “Like... fucked you?”

Levi didn’t think his eyes could get any wider, but they did. He stared at Zeke with some shock. Why on earth would Erwin do that to me?! Levi thought, feeling extremely uncomfortable and vulnerable with this subject. Sure, Erwin hadn’t treated him exactly nicely , but he didn’t expect to have to worry about something like this.

“N-No,” Levi responded, “Why would he...?”

Zeke shrugged, looking anywhere except Levi’s face, as if he too was uncomfortable with the topic. But Levi soon got an explanation, as Zeke expressed, “I’ve just heard that officials do such things with their subordinates. Erwin’s a little sadistic; I thought perhaps he’d do something of that sort.”

Levi was suddenly feeling a little horrified and alarmed at the same time. Did Erwin have this plan in store for him? The man had been touching him affectionately and sleeping in the same bed with him. What if he was preparing Levi for something sexual, like Zeke had suggested?

“I could be mistaken,” Zeke backtracked, holding his hands up, “But I wouldn’t put it past him. I suppose you should be prepared in case something like that comes up.”

“But I... I’ve never...” Levi stuttered, still overtaken by the bombshell Zeke had just dropped on him, “I don’t know how...”

Zeke threw him a sympathetic look, “I’m sorry to have scared you like this. I was just curious.”

Levi could feel panic settling in his chest, his eyes darting around the room as he swallowed thickly. He was starting to sweat, his heart pounding loudly in his chest, as he wondered what Erwin was going to do with him now. Was he really going to have sex with him? Levi had never had sex, and he didn’t have any plans to change that status at the moment. Especially not with some psycho who had captured him and made him his ‘little pet’.

“Levi?” Zeke piped up after a moment of silence, “Are you alright?”

Levi looked up at Zeke with a panic-stricken face, and the blonde was giving him a look of pity. Zeke got back up and slowly walked around his desk, kneeling in front of Levi and reaching out to caress his face. Levi allowed him to, mostly out of his preoccupation with his own anxiety.

“Don’t be scared,” Zeke murmured, “I guess I just want you to be prepared in case something like that were to happen.”

Levi nodded a little, still feeling the anxiety coursing through him. How could he prepare himself for something like that? Something that he didn’t want? He let Zeke comfort him for a moment longer before he jerked his head away from Zeke’s touch, mumbling something about being fine under his breath.

“You’re not fine,” Zeke insisted, pulling his hand away, “You’re practically shaking, look at you. Who would’ve thought humanity’s strongest would be so shaken up at the prospect of sex?”

Levi couldn’t help but shoot him a small glare, trying to calm his racing heart. But that’s when Zeke cornered him in the chair, putting his knee upon the cushion and his hands on either armrest so that he was hovering over Levi.

He leaned in close to Levi’s face, and Levi could smell the cigarette smoke as he whispered, “I could help you, you know. Prepare you for when that happens.”

Levi shrunk back in the chair away from him as much as he could, wanting to kick the bastard in the face. What the hell did he even mean by that? Prepare him? He stared up at Zeke with a cold expression, not sure if he should trust Zeke enough to take his help in anything, let alone this.

“Prepare me?” Levi questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Yes,” Zeke chuckled, using one hand to tilt Levi’s chin up so that their faces were inches apart, “We could do those things together. That way, when Erwin asks them of you, you won’t be unprepared.”

Levi was horrified again, his eyes widening slightly. He felt as though he’d been captured by Zeke all over again, being stuck in this chair with Zeke so close to him like this. He felt trapped.

“No fucking way,” Levi spat angrily, offended that Zeke would even ask something like that of him.

Zeke examined his face for a moment longer before he pulled away, turning to head back to his desk. Levi breathed a sigh of relief as Zeke walked away, slowly sitting back up in the chair.

“Just let me know if you ever change your mind,” Zeke said with a smirk, though Levi wasn’t sure what he was so smug about.

Levi couldn’t picture himself changing his mind at all on this topic. Doing sexual things with Zeke? It sounded repulsive to Levi, in every sense of the word. But as the two sat there over the next couple of hours, Levi could feel his anxiety still building over what Zeke had originally told him. He was dreading the time when Erwin would come to get him. It was as if sex with Erwin was a ticking time bomb; Levi wouldn’t know when he’d want it from him, and he couldn’t mentally prepare himself for such a thing to happen.

But the time soon arrived when Erwin appeared back in Zeke’s doorway, and Levi could feel himself practically shaking as he stood up to greet the man. Erwin looked tired from his meetings, and Levi hoped that that fact would at least buy him some extra time.

“Zeke,” Erwin greeted with a tired smile, “Thank you for taking care of Levi for me. Did he behave for you?”

“Of course,” Zeke returned the smile, “And he was very well-behaved, don’t worry.”

Erwin nodded, “Good. Levi, thank Zeke for taking care of you.”

Levi stared at Zeke with a loathing look before returning to his fake persona, “Thank you for taking care of me, sir.”

“Of course,” Zeke replied, carrying a smug look that Levi wanted to smack away.

But Zeke and Erwin soon exchanged goodbyes, and Erwin was leading Levi back out of the room towards his own office. Levi’s legs felt like lead with each step towards the dreaded room. He knew this, or the bedroom, would be where it would happen, and he wanted to be as far away from those places as possible to put distance between himself and Erwin. But for now, his only option was to follow the man, and Levi couldn’t help but let his anxiety overtake him as they entered the office yet again.

Levi was on edge for the rest of the evening he spent with Erwin. He barely spoke, answering questions shortly and not going into too much detail on anything. Erwin had given up after a few questions, sensing that Levi just wasn’t in the mood to talk. Levi had been surprised that no form of punishment had come from this, but he was thankful for that fact and didn’t try to question it too much.

As they prepared for bed that night, Levi could feel Erwin’s eyes on him as he got undressed, and the feeling made him all the more certain that Erwin was going to take him, whether it was tonight or another night. His legs began to shake as he walked towards the bed and climbed in, facing away from Erwin and muttering a quick ‘goodnight sir’ so that he could try to get out of whatever Erwin was planning.

“Goodnight, Levi,” Erwin replied as he turned off the light, snuggling down under the covers next to him. Levi breathed a sigh of relief as he soon heard Erwin’s snoring. He’d escaped his fate for tonight.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi didn’t get a wink of sleep that night, tossing and turning as terrible thoughts ran through his head: thoughts of Erwin, an evil grin on his face, bending him over his desk and forcing his pants down. His heart raced, his anxiety getting the better of him. What would it be like? It would probably hurt, wouldn’t it? And Levi had seen Erwin naked twice now; he definitely was... well-endowed in that department, which made Levi all the more worried. Would Erwin expect him to know what he’s doing? Would he be rough with him, or grant him mercy when he found out Levi hadn’t done anything sexual before? Levi didn’t want to find out.

Suddenly, Zeke’s offer seemed more and more appealing. Though the thought of being with Zeke in any capacity disgusted Levi to no end, he did want to be prepared for what was bound to happen with Erwin. He didn’t want Erwin to just starting doing things to him without knowing what to expect. At least with Zeke, the man had implied he would take things slow, help to get him ready for something like that to occur. Perhaps taking things at his own pace, with Zeke, would ease his anxieties.

At first, Levi was completely opposed to this idea of being with Zeke. But as he mulled it over during the hours he lied awake, he could feel himself warming up to the idea. By the time the sun shone through the window the next morning, Levi had come to a decision. A reluctant decision, at that. If Erwin was going to fuck him, Levi wanted to have a little more experience so he could be ready.

Levi felt the weight on the bed shift as Erwin got up, and he turned to see Erwin already starting to get dressed. Levi stayed in bed for a moment, not sure whether he wanted Erwin to know he was already up or not. But he soon felt a hand on his shoulder, and jolted at the feeling. His eyes snapped open, his heart racing from the simple touch. He was incredibly tense, and he stared up at Erwin with some fear before he tried to relax his body.

“Levi,” Erwin spoke softly, “Sorry to startle you. It’s time to get up, darling.”

Levi nodded slightly, waiting for Erwin to step back before he got up. He avoided looking at Erwin as he went to the dresser, grabbing his uniform and getting dressed. He was feeling incredibly uneasy, and tried to pull his pants on as quickly as possible. Levi heard Erwin’s footsteps walking towards him, and he could feel his chest constricting in panic when Erwin’s hand was on his arm. He could feel himself trembling, unable to believe he was so worked up over a simple touch.

“Levi, are you alright?” Erwin asked, and Levi looked up to see genuine concern across Erwin’s face, “You’re very skittish this morning.”

“I... I didn’t sleep,” Levi admitted, trying to remain calm when Erwin began slowly rubbing his arm to comfort him, “I’m okay, though.”

“Perhaps you can take a nap later on,” Erwin suggested, pulling his hand away, “I meant to tell you, I’ll be gone for a couple of days at the capital. Zeke is going to look after you again for me.”

Levi could feel his heart leap with some excitement at that thought. Not that being alone with Zeke was an exciting prospect in any sense, but he was glad that he could be away from Erwin for a little while and be given time to mentally and physically prepare himself for what was the inevitable.

Erwin led him back out of his office and down towards Zeke’s, just as he had the day before. The two walked in, Zeke busy signing off on some documents. But he gave Levi a sly grin when he entered, which Levi didn’t like one bit. The man always looked like he was up to something; so mischievous.

“I’ll be back in a couple of days,” Erwin said to Levi, ruffling his hair affectionately. Levi was feeling incredibly uncomfortable from the tender touches Erwin had been giving him, but he nodded at Erwin’s words, simply wanting the man to leave.

“Thanks again, Zeke,” Erwin greeted the blonde, the two exchanging smiles.

“Of course,” Zeke replied, waving at Erwin as he left and shut the door behind him.

Levi sat down in the chair across from Zeke’s desk, crossing his arms and staring at the floor in determination. The familiar sound of a match being lit filled the air as Zeke lit up a cigarette, much to Levi’s annoyance.

“Do you need anything?” Zeke asked, puffing on the cigarette and breathing out the smoke.

“Clean air,” Levi quipped angrily, causing Zeke to laugh a little.

“I’m sorry, I’m used to having my office to myself,” Zeke admitted, taking another puff of his cigarette, “Anything else you need?”

Levi mulled it over for a moment, not wanting to ask Zeke for anything at the moment. He couldn’t even imagine getting to the point of taking Zeke up on his earlier offer of ‘preparing’ him for Erwin. This man was just so incredibly irritating to Levi, and he was trying to work his way up to asking him such a thing.

“Some tea would be nice,” Levi muttered, “I like Earl Grey.”

Zeke sat up a little and blew smoke away from Levi, “Are you hungry?”

Levi nodded, “I’ll eat whatever.”

Zeke called in his servants and requested the things Levi had asked for, putting out his cigarette in the process. Levi fidgeted in his seat, trying to avoid Zeke’s eyes as he waited for the servants to come back. He could feel Zeke’s eyes on him, and he didn’t know why the man was staring at him so intently.

“What?” he finally snapped, looking up at Zeke. He wasn’t afraid of Zeke like he was with Erwin, and didn’t feel as though he had to pretend around him as much. But at the same time, he knew Zeke could tell Erwin he hadn’t behaved, so he was trying not to be too rude to Zeke.

The blonde looked amused at his annoyance, a slight grin on his face, “You’re just funny, that’s all.”

Before Levi could ask him what he meant, food and tea was brought in for him, and Levi preoccupied himself with eating rather than having to talk to Zeke. The man continued to do paperwork while Levi ate. Levi was eating a lot more slowly than usual. Now that he wasn’t starving every day, he could take his time to eat and savor the food more. Once he was done with the meal, he could feel sleep tugging at his eyelids. Since he hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before, he could feel himself getting tired now that he had a full stomach. He leaned back in the chair, eyes growing heavy.

“You tired?” Zeke noticed, “Do you want to take a nap?”

Levi nodded a little, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he explained, “I didn’t sleep last night.”

Zeke got up, circling the desk and holding his hand out to Levi, “You can sleep in my bed.”

Levi stared at his hand hesitantly, wanting to slap his hand away and refuse his offer. But a warm bed sounded nice, considering he hadn’t slept at all, and he allowed Zeke to take his hand and lead him to his attached bedroom. His bed was neatly made up, which was a nice change from Erwin’s messy bed - the man never made up his sheets.

Zeke pulled back the sheets for him, and Levi climbed onto the bed, snuggling down under the sheets and letting his eyes fall shut. He felt Zeke caress his cheek lightly, and could feel himself getting annoyed. Why did these two tall blondes think it was okay to just touch him so affectionately all the time? But that thought quickly passed over his head as he fell asleep.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin slammed Levi into the wall, groping at his groin as he sucked hungrily at Levi’s neck. Levi whimpered, struggling against his hold. He couldn’t help but start to get hard from Erwin’s touch, feeling disgusted with himself for doing so.

“You’re all mine, Levi,” he growled in Levi’s ear, starting to tear at Levi’s shirt, the buttons popping off everywhere, “All mine.”

Levi squirmed, suddenly finding his hands shackled behind his back, unable to move. Erwin’s erection was pressing against his stomach, and Levi could feel the terror that caused his heart to race.

“Erwin - sir, let me go,” he protested, “Please, let me go!”

“Shut your mouth,” Erwin responded, pulling away to slap Levi across the face hard before he picked the shorter man up with ease and brought him over to his desk. Levi was bent over the desk with a loud thud, one of Erwin’s hands pressing on his back to pin him there while the other worked at tugging down his pants and boxers, exposing his ass.

“Stop,” Levi begged, tears pooling in his eyes as he trembled with fear, “Please stop!”

He heard the sound of Erwin’s belt buckle being undone and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to prepare himself for what was to come.

Levi sat up quickly, his eyes snapping open as anxiety coursed through him, looking around the room and trying to remember where he was. It was a nightmare, he thought to himself, finally able to catch his breath as this thought crossed his mind. It wasn’t real. He was in Zeke’s bedroom; Erwin was likely miles from here. He could feel tears in his eyes from the fear that he had; the nightmare had felt so real to him. A lump formed in his throat as he realized how real this scenario could be in mere days from now. Erwin could take him whenever he wanted, and Levi was terrified at the thought.

The door opened, Zeke appearing with an unlit cigarette in between his lips. He smiled upon seeing Levi awake, “Oh good, I was just coming to wake you. I have dinner in the other- wait, are you crying?”

Levi reached up and felt the wetness on his cheeks. He hadn’t realized he’d started crying, and was mortified at the thought of Zeke seeing him like this: so vulnerable and weak. He quickly wiped the tears away and shook his head, sniffling a little.

“Levi,” Zeke closed the door so that they had some privacy, “What’s wrong?”

The blonde looked noticeably concerned, and Levi wondered why the man even cared. He was a prisoner, after all. But perhaps that look was one of curiosity and not worry; maybe Levi had misread it.

“You’re shaking,” Zeke noticed, starting to walk towards him.

“D-Don’t,” Levi held up his quaking hands, “ Don’t touch me.”

Zeke paused, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and putting it in his breast pocket. He crossed his arms and leaned his shoulder against the wall, waiting for Levi to calm down a little. He clearly wasn’t going to leave, which Levi was irritated by, especially since he realized now that he would have to come up with some reason to satisfy Zeke’s curiosities.

Should I be honest? Levi wondered for a moment, considering laying all his insecurities out. But he didn’t trust Zeke enough to do so. And he was worried about Zeke’s reaction to him admitting such things.

“I... I just had a nightmare,” Levi confessed, “I’m fine.”

Zeke raised an eyebrow, “What was the nightmare about?”

Levi shook his head, not wanting to answer. His mind was racing, trying to figure out what he could say to get Zeke to back off. Zeke stood up straight again, examining Levi’s face as if trying to guess what was wrong.

“Was it about Erwin?” Zeke asked, and Levi wasn’t entirely sure how he’d guessed correctly.

Levi stared at him for a moment before nodding, mostly out of shock that Zeke had figured him out. Zeke sighed and walked closer to him, stopping in front of the bed to keep at least some distance between them.

“Did you think on my offer?” Zeke inquired.

Levi swallowed thickly and nodded a little, purposefully avoiding Zeke’s gaze. But it wasn’t much of a surprise when he felt Zeke’s fingers on his chin, forcing him to look up into the blonde’s eyes.

“And?” he questioned.

“I... I’ll do it,” Levi said slowly, and he could see Zeke’s obnoxious grin forming already, “ But , you have to stop if I say stop, okay? No funny business.”

Zeke nodded almost instantly, looking incredibly eager, “Of course.”

Levi watched Zeke start to climb onto the bed, and suddenly he was feeling nervous all over again. He hadn’t expected the man to want to start now , and he wasn’t sure if he was ready. But Zeke was already crowding him, trying to close the space between them.

“W-Wait,” Levi blushed, putting his hands on Zeke’s chest to shove him backwards, “I want to take things slow.”

Zeke pulled away, sitting back on his legs, “What do you want to start with?”

Levi wasn’t sure how to answer this question. He didn’t have a long history of being intimate with anyone. He’d had a couple of kisses in his youth, but nothing more than that. He supposed that might be a good place to start.

“You... You can kiss me,” Levi said, feeling very childish and small all of a sudden.

He was so inexperienced, he felt like a 15-year-old asking for their first kiss. But Zeke simply nodded, intertwining his fingers in Levi’s hair before drawing his face closer. Levi could feel his face getting hot as Zeke closed in, placing his lips on top of Levi’s. His lips were surprisingly soft, though he did taste of cigarettes, which Levi supposed he shouldn’t be completely shocked by. He moved his lips gently against Zeke’s, feeling the blonde nibbling on his lower lip.

Levi pulled away after a brief moment to catch his breath and calm his beating heart. He wasn’t used to this kind of thing, and the lustful look in Zeke’s eyes was suddenly making him all the more nervous. But he knew if he needed to, he could fight Zeke off; he had no shackles on, and Zeke didn’t have him pinned in any way.

Zeke went back in for another kiss, hungrily sucking on Levi’s lower lip and moving his hands down to Levi’s waist, tugging him closer. Levi whined quietly into the kiss, the noise vibrating between the two of them and giving Zeke the opportunity to push his tongue inside Levi’s mouth. Levi could feel the thick muscle exploring his mouth, rubbing against his own tongue. He was beginning to feel his pants getting tight from the activity they were engaging in, and it didn’t help when he felt Zeke press a palm against his growing erection.

He gasped a little at the feeling and pulled away, snapping in annoyance, “I only told you to kiss me, you bastard. Keep your damn hands to yourself.”

Zeke chuckled, “I can tell you liked it.”

But he removed his hand anyways, clearly remembering their agreement about stopping something if Levi said so. Zeke leaned in again, and the two shared an open-mouthed kiss for another moment before Zeke pulled away to allow Levi to breathe, considering the shorter man was so inexperienced.

“Can I touch you now?” Zeke asked, far too excited about the prospect of getting his hand inside Levi’s pants.

Levi narrowed his eyes, still very unsure about everything that was happening. He could feel his semi-hard erection pulsing in his pants, and he couldn’t help but crave some form of touch in that area. But he still had a couple of days with Zeke while Erwin was away, and he wasn’t sure exactly how far he wanted to take this during that time.

“Come on, you’ll like it,” Zeke murmured, starting to crowd his space again as he put his hands on either side of Levi’s hips, leaning his face in close while his eyes were still trained on the growing bulge in Levi’s pants.

Levi bit his lip, part of him wanting to knee Zeke in the groin and shove him off. But he held back, letting out a shaky sigh as he tried to decide what he wanted; running through the options in his head. He supposed this would happen at some point, whether it was now or later. And he was hard now , so why not let Zeke touch him?

“Fine,” Levi muttered hesitantly, “But be gentle.”

A smirk appeared on Zeke’s face, which Levi couldn’t help but glare at. Why did it have to be Zeke, of all people, that he was doing these things with? The man was incredibly irritating, so infuriatingly smug. But he soon forgot about how much he disliked the man as his hand came into contact with Levi’s erection again. He began to rub at it through the fabric, tingles shooting up Levi’s spine from the feeling. Levi bit his lip to prevent any noises from coming forth, not wanting to give Zeke the satisfaction.

Zeke chuckled, reaching into Levi’s pants and starting to pump at his erection. His hands were surprisingly soft and warm, and Levi couldn’t help but gasp at the feeling, his fingers grasping at the sheets for purchase.

“Let me hear you, Levi,” Zeke teased, “Don’t hold back now.”

Levi shot him a small glare, “Sh-Shut up.”

“Be nice,” Zeke murmured, jerking at him a little more roughly, “Otherwise I might have to tell Erwin that you were a naughty boy while he was away. And who knows what your punishment would be?”

“You... You bastard,” Levi managed to get out before a whine escaped his mouth as Zeke’s thumb ran over his slit, smearing pre-cum across the tip.

He didn’t doubt that Zeke would do such a thing, and decided he probably shouldn’t test it, even if the man was infuriating. Zeke tugged at his erection, resting his face in the crook of Levi’s neck as he began to kiss and suck at the skin there. Levi reached up and clung to his shirt, needing to hold onto something as he felt the pleasure building in his stomach. He let out a low groan, arching his back into Zeke’s touch.

“There we go,” Zeke whispered against his neck, “That’s a good boy. Bet that feels nice, doesn’t it?”

Levi was having a really difficult time keeping his snarky comments to himself, but he held back as best he could, trying to instead hone in on the pleasure he was feeling. He’d never been touched before by someone else, and it was all a little overwhelming. Zeke wasn’t letting up either, only increasing the speed at which he was pumping with every thrust of his fist.

“A-Ah,” Levi whimpered, tugging at Zeke’s shirt and feeling the man nibble on his earlobe, “Ngh- fuck .”

“Such sexy little noises,” Zeke growled into his ear, “Are you getting close?”

Levi moaned, bucking his hips and gripping Zeke’s shirt roughly in his fists. He managed to nod at Zeke’s question, the slide of Zeke’s hand only getting slicker as his pre-cum was smeared onto the man’s hand. He was really feeling it now, his orgasm growing as Zeke pumped at him more wildly.

“I-I’m gonna- fuck ,” Levi groaned, “I can’t-”

“Yes, you can,” Zeke practically demanded in a deep voice, Levi’s legs starting to tremble from his actions.

Levi came with a loud cry, his entire body spasming in Zeke’s hold. The man continued to pump him through his orgasm, finally letting go and removing his hand from Levi’s pants. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and began to wipe his hands off as Levi took several deep breaths to calm himself.

“Holy shit,” Levi muttered, his heart racing as he let go of Zeke’s shirt and lay back on the pillows.

Zeke was looking especially pleased with himself now, and Levi huffed in some annoyance at the look on the stupid man’s face. Zeke was suddenly invading his personal space again, looking even more determined than the previous times. Levi squirmed a little and leaned as far back as he could to get away from him.

“It’s my turn now, Levi,” Zeke purred, taking Levi’s hand and placing it on the large bulge in his own pants.

Levi’s eyes widened slightly as he yanked his hand away, and his immediate reaction was to do what he’d been thinking of earlier. He kneed Zeke in the groin and shoved him off, getting up swiftly, as he didn’t appreciate his space being overwhelmed in such a way. He heard Zeke grunt and groan in pain, and turned to see him holding himself between his legs, a pained expression on his face.

“You fucking whore ,” Zeke gasped out, “Why the fuck did you do that?!”

“You were in my space,” Levi argued, crossing his arms defensively, “Don’t crowd me like that.”

“ Fuck ,” Zeke snarled, cradling his crotch in his hands.

Levi waited for Zeke to calm down, thinking he was being a little overdramatic. But after a few minutes, Zeke moved his hands and slowly got to his feet, grumbling angrily under his breath before he walked over to Levi with a little less spring in his step.

“You could’ve just said no, asshole,” Zeke muttered.

“Took care of your boner, though, didn’t it?” Levi quipped, noting that Zeke no longer had a bulge in his pants.

“Whatever,” Zeke mumbled, heading for his office, “Do you want dinner or what?”

Levi nodded, following Zeke into the other room so they could finally have dinner. He was surprised that Zeke hadn’t retaliated more harshly, but perhaps he knew not to mess with Levi now. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi and Zeke ate their dinner together in mostly silence, Zeke still steaming from Levi kicking him in the nuts. Levi didn’t mind this, though, he wasn’t one for small talk anyways. The evening soon passed, Zeke signing papers and sifting through documents, while Levi occupied himself doing the only thing he knew best: cleaning. He had found a duster on one of the bookshelves in Zeke’s office and began taking books on and off shelves, dusting them thoroughly. Zeke hadn’t protested his actions. In fact, he hadn’t said much to him at all since their earlier escapade in the bedroom, which Levi was thankful for.

But the evening soon faded into night, and Zeke leaned back in his chair with a loud yawn, stretching his arms out. Levi looked up from the shelves he was dusting at the noise, and watched Zeke get out of his chair and turn off his desk lamp.

“You ready for bed?” Zeke asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Levi set down the duster and nodded a little. He wasn’t particularly tired; mostly bored and ready to end the day. Zeke started walking to the bedroom, and Levi followed him inside, realizing he didn’t have his pajamas with him.

“Can I borrow some pajamas?” Levi asked, watching Zeke taking off his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt.

Zeke gave Levi a sly smile, “How about you sleep naked instead?”

Levi shot him a deadly glare, “You fucking wish.”

Zeke chuckled a little, “I sleep in my boxers, so I don’t have pajamas. You’re out of luck.”

Levi sighed in some annoyance, starting to strip from his uniform and fold the clothes, setting them on the dresser. He and Zeke both climbed into the bed in their boxers moments later, and Levi turned away from Zeke immediately, not wanting to engage with the man any longer. Zeke turned out the lights, and Levi squeezed his eyes shut, pulling the covers up around him. He fell asleep surprisingly quickly, and the next thing he knew his eyes were fluttering open, the sun shining in through the blinds.

He initially wondered if Zeke was awake too, but didn’t have to wonder long, as Levi soon felt the heat of Zeke’s body, the man’s chest on his back. His hand ran along Levi’s naked torso, and he felt himself shivering at the touch. What on earth did Zeke think he was doing, touching Levi like this so early in the morning?

“Get away from me,” Levi squirmed, trying to scoot away. But he didn’t have much room left to do so, and Zeke had him trapped.

“Come on, Levi,” Zeke murmured, almost sounding desperate as he pressed his body against Levi’s, “I’m horny.”

Levi could certainly feel that, Zeke’s erection poking against his ass cheek. He could feel himself blushing, but was just all the more irritated by Zeke’s actions. Why was it Levi’s problem that Zeke was horny?

“Then go to the bathroom and take care of it,” Levi grumbled in protest, “Stop poking me with it.”

But he could feel himself getting a little hard as well, and he wasn’t sure if it was from Zeke’s actions or just from having morning wood. Zeke groaned in annoyance before his hand snaked down to Levi’s groin, feeling up on that semi-hard on he was developing. Levi couldn’t help but gasp before he smacked Zeke’s hand away, feeling it retreat back up his stomach.

“Don’t you want me to touch you?” Zeke cooed, “I can make you feel good.”

Levi squirmed a little, uncomfortable with being cornered in the bed like this. But his erection was only growing harder by the second as he reminisced about the hand job Zeke had given him the day before. He was starting to think he’d enjoyed it more than he originally thought. Though he found Zeke incredibly irritating, he figured he could at least use the man for his own pleasure.

He sighed in annoyance, “ Fine . But I’m not touching you. I’m not used to this yet. I need more time.”

Zeke shuffled on the bed, as if he was considering the offer. After what felt like ages to his aching erection, he felt Zeke’s hand moving downwards again before it slithered underneath Levi’s boxers and grasped his dick in his hand. Levi whimpered as he felt Zeke pumping him and kissing at his neck.

“Turn around, love,” Zeke whispered in his ear, “Let me kiss you.”

Levi tried to ignore the nickname in favor of the pleasure he was feeling coursing through him from Zeke’s touch. He slowly turned over so that he was facing Zeke, and instantly felt the man’s lips on his own. Zeke was kissing him hungrily, his hand twisting Levi’s erection in his hand. Levi let out a whine that vibrated between them, his fingers reaching up to grasp at Zeke’s collar. Zeke licked and sucked at Levi’s lower lip before pushing his tongue inside his mouth, rubbing it against Levi’s own tongue as he jerked at Levi’s erection roughly.

Levi could feel the pleasure building as Zeke continued his work, and soon Levi was responding just as eagerly to Zeke’s kisses. He could feel his face getting hot as he tangled his legs in Zeke’s, bucking his hips into the man’s fist as he sought release. Zeke pulled away only to attach his lips to Levi’s neck, sucking and nibbling on the sensitive skin there and causing Levi to groan.

“Does that feel good?” Zeke growled in his ear, “You like me stroking your cock like that?”

Levi wanted to scold him for saying such dirty things, but he was too busy enjoying himself to do so. He nodded anyways, writhing under Zeke’s touch as the man picked up the pace. He could feel Zeke’s smirk against his neck, and his orgasm was getting closer by the second.

“Are you close?” Zeke purred, “You wanna cum, baby?”

Levi didn’t even notice that Zeke had called him ‘baby’, nodding quickly at Zeke’s questions and whimpering loudly. It only took a few more thrusts of Zeke’s fist before he came into his hand, breathing heavily. Zeke took his hand out and wiped it on his own boxers, much to Levi’s disgust. Levi almost expected Zeke to crowd him again like the day before and beg for something from Levi in return, but Zeke surprised him by swinging his legs off the edge of the bed and standing up.

“I’ll be back,” Zeke muttered, palming his own erection through his boxers as he headed out of the bedroom, leaving Levi to clean himself up and calm down a little.

Zeke returned about fifteen minutes later, freshly showered and erection taken care of. Levi was in the middle of getting dressed himself, and was pulling on the uniform jacket as Zeke walked in. He watched Zeke walk towards him determinedly from across the room, and took a small step back before he hit the dresser. Zeke pinned him against it, grasping Levi’s face in his hands and kissing him deeply. Levi gasped, pushing down the urge to smack the shit out of him. He allowed Zeke to kiss him, and even found himself kissing back, starting to enjoy the feeling as Zeke wrapped his arms around Levi’s waist and tugged him closer.

Levi placed his hands on Zeke’s chest and pushed him away after a moment so he could catch his breath. Zeke was grinning obnoxiously, and he took a step back to give Levi some space.

“Don’t fucking look at me like that,” Levi grumbled, crossing his arms, “Don’t you have work to do?”

Zeke chuckled a little, placing a hand on Levi’s back as he led him towards the office, “Yeah, come on. I’ll get us some breakfast.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two ate breakfast, then Zeke spent the morning reading over some plans that had been brought to him, while Levi continued yesterday’s activity of cleaning. He’d managed to get Zeke to find him a scrub brush and a bucket, and had been working on scrubbing the hardwood floors, which had kept him preoccupied and calm throughout the morning.

But as Levi was bent over on all fours, scrubbing furiously at a coffee stain, he felt Zeke’s eyes on him from behind. But he didn’t have to wonder long as to why Zeke was staring. He heard the man get up and cross the room, and turned to see him getting on his knees behind him. Levi’s eyes widened as Zeke grasped his hips and brought them back against his clear erection. He had to clap his hand over his mouth to muffle a gasp, and could feel his own dick springing to life just from the feeling of Zeke grinding against his ass.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Levi managed to get out through gritted teeth.

“Your ass just looked so good in the air like that,” Zeke explained, grunting a little as he continued rocking his hips against Levi’s ass, “I couldn’t resist.”

Levi held back a groan at the feeling, part of him wanting to curse Zeke out for taking advantage of the position he was in. But he couldn’t help but admit he was feeling a little horny, being in such a position with Zeke gripping him like this.

“Did I give you permission to do such a thing?” Levi grumbled, bracing his hands on the floor as he was jolted forwards by Zeke’s thrusting.

“Permission?” Zeke let out a short laugh, pausing his actions, “Who’s the prisoner here?”

Levi turned his head to shoot a glare in Zeke’s direction, the man still holding his hips in a rough manner. Zeke only chuckled in response, slowly backing off and getting up from the floor.

“Alright, alright,” Zeke sighed, “I’ll leave you alone.”

The man headed back to his desk and sat down, Levi watching after him. He couldn’t help but feel the urge to follow after him, and was incredibly annoyed with himself for feeling that way. But his dick was starting to fight his brain, and he soon found himself back on his feet, staring at Zeke with his arms crossed. Zeke had taken a cigarette out of the pack he kept on his desk, and was about to light it when he caught Levi staring at him.

“What?” Zeke asked innocently.

“You can’t just...” Levi struggled to find the right words, “ Do that and then walk away!”

That infuriating smirk appeared on Zeke’s lips as he took the cigarette out of his mouth and set it on his desk, “Did it turn you on?”

Levi huffed in annoyance, avoiding Zeke’s gaze as he looked down at the floor. He didn’t understand why he was so hot and bothered over Zeke humping his ass a few times, but he wasn’t really used to feeling horny in general. So perhaps it was normal to feel this way.

“Levi, come here,” Zeke requested, pushing his chair back away from his desk and holding his arms out, “I can help.”

Levi shuffled in the same spot for a moment before hesitantly letting his legs take him towards Zeke’s desk. He was a little more focused on getting pleasure than he was on how smug Zeke looked. Once he was close enough, Zeke tugged Levi onto his lap so that the shorter man was straddling him.

“What... What are we going to do?” Levi asked curiously, his erection now pulsing excitedly at the prospect of getting attention.

“Can I take your dick out?” Zeke wondered, palming at Levi’s clothed boner.

Levi could feel his face heating up from Zeke’s question, and shook his head quickly. He wasn’t really comfortable being naked with Zeke yet, as the things they’d done so far hadn’t involved taking his clothes off in any way. Zeke nodded and tapped his chin in thought for a moment before moving his hands to Levi’s waist and bucking his hips upwards so that their erections rubbed against each other. Levi couldn’t help the quiet groan that escaped his mouth at the pleasure that ran up his spine from the action, and he settled his hands on Zeke’s shoulders for leverage.

Zeke grasped Levi’s hips tighter and brought them down on his own, causing Levi to gasp from the feeling. They started a slow rhythm of grinding against each other at first, Zeke looking incredibly determined and focused as he worked at getting them both off. Levi just held onto Zeke’s shoulders and let him guide their activities, biting his lip as he felt his member pulsing from their actions.

“ Shit ,” Zeke muttered, “Does that feel good, love?”

Levi grimaced at the nickname and laced his fingers in the back of Zeke’s hair, tugging him forward for a deep kiss just to shut him up. Zeke responded hungrily, instantly opening his mouth and allowing the kiss to grow sloppier by the second as their hips grinded against each other roughly. Levi could feel himself losing more and more control as his pleasure built. He was bouncing off Zeke’s erection eagerly as Zeke bucked his hips to meet him, kissing him as if his life depended on it. Levi could feel his orgasm growing close, and it only took a few more hard thrusts against Zeke for him to finish. Zeke continued to hump him through his orgasm, stuttering after a moment, which Levi assumed meant he’d also cum.

The two pulled away from their kiss, both breathing heavily as they came down from their orgasms. Fuck , Levi thought to himself, That felt amazing . But he would never admit aloud how good Zeke had made him feel. The man was smug enough, he didn’t need anything else feeding into his ego.

Zeke patted Levi’s ass lightly, “Get up, go get cleaned up, Levi.”

Levi was too busy coming down from his pleasured state to say anything about the ass patting, and he rose to his feet shakily to head towards the bathroom. He cleaned himself up and soon returned, watching Zeke cleaning himself with some tissues before tossing them into the trash.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. Zeke tried to make conversation with Levi several times, but Levi would rather occupy his time cleaning than talking to Zeke anyways, so their conversations were fairly short and unimportant. Levi spent most of the day thinking about their earlier activities. He’d been pleasured twice in one day, and that was something he certainly wasn’t used to. It was almost like the more he got, the more he wanted, and as the sun went down outside he could feel himself craving that touch again, secretly hoping that Zeke might offer it up. He wasn’t about to ask for such a thing from Zeke; his own pride and stubbornness was holding him back from doing so.

But it wasn’t until they got into bed that night that Zeke began to initiate things. This time, he started out by touching Levi before asking him to take his boxers off, which Levi begrudgingly agreed to. He supposed he’d have to get comfortable getting naked at some point, if sex was in his near future. Zeke took off his own boxers, and Levi had to admit his dick was pretty sizable; not too thick, but definitely big. It caused him to wonder just how he was going to get such a thing up his ass, if he even allowed Zeke to do that with him.

The two ended up doing what they’d done earlier: with Levi straddling Zeke on the bed and the two grinding against each other. But this time, the sparks of pleasure were far greater, as Zeke made sure their naked erections were rubbing against each other every time he thrust up. Levi couldn’t believe something could feel so good, and it didn’t take him long to cum from the feeling, Zeke finishing not long after him. The two collapsed back on the sheets, both trying to catch their breath. Levi was surprised to find that he not only enjoyed his own pleasure, but had gotten turned on from Zeke’s clear enjoyment as well. The noises he’d made, the desperate look on his face; it was all quite a turn on.

After they’d cleaned up, Levi snuggled under the covers, sleepy from his orgasm. He was too tired to even protest when Zeke lazily draped an arm around his waist and tugged him closer. Levi’s eyes succumbed to the exhaustion he was feeling, and soon he was fast asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi awoke the next morning to find himself embarrassingly hard, and wondered just what dreams he’d been having that he couldn’t remember now. It must’ve been good, as he was painfully erect, but he knew he needed relief and soon. Zeke was curled up facing away from him on the other side of the bed, and Levi dreaded the thought of asking the man to help him with his problem. He watched the man’s muscular back moving with his deep breaths, and his erection twitched just from the sight. Levi cursed under his breath, going back and forth in his head whether he was going to actually do this or not.

He hesitantly reached his hand out, resting it on Zeke’s shoulder and shaking him lightly, “Zeke? Zeke , wake up.”

Zeke groaned a little and his eyes fluttered open sleepily, turning to face Levi as he rubbed his eyes, “Wha-? What is it?”

Levi could feel his face getting hot, and he didn’t want to say the words out loud. Instead, he took one of Zeke’s hands and brought it down to his groin, hoping the man would be able to feel exactly what was wrong. Zeke’s eyes snapped open a little wider at the feeling, and he gasped out an ‘oh’ when he realized just how hard Levi was.

“ Damn ,” Zeke muttered, palming at Levi’s bulge, “What’s got you so horny?”

Levi whimpered at the feeling and shook his head, “I-I don’t know. I just woke up with it.”

“Probably dreaming about me touching you,” Zeke smirked, closing in on Levi’s space and starting to palm more roughly at his erection, “You miss it that bad?”

Levi whined, bucking his hips into Zeke’s hand and grumbling a ‘no’ in irritation at Zeke’s words. Zeke only chuckled in response, his groin pressed up against Levi’s ass as he continued to tease his boner by only touching it subtly through his boxers.

“I have an idea,” Zeke murmured, “But you have to take off your boxers.”

Levi could feel himself blushing, but shimmied out of his underwear as Zeke had asked, wanting the man to just get on with it. Zeke shuffled in the bed, settling himself between Levi’s legs and spreading the shorter man’s legs a little further apart. Levi could feel his heart beating out of his chest with nervousness, sensing what the man was about to do.

Zeke jerked at his erection a couple of times before leaning down and licking at the tip. Levi gasped from the feeling, biting his lip as he watched Zeke lick from the base to the tip before sucking the tip into his mouth. It was so warm, and Levi couldn’t help the groan that escaped his mouth from the feeling. Zeke sunk down on Levi’s erection, taking the whole thing into his mouth and starting to suck on it. He bobbed his head up and down, and Levi tossed his head back with a moan, unable to believe how good it felt. He didn’t know what to do with himself, and he felt Zeke’s hands on his own, moving them to the man’s blonde locks. Levi tugged lightly on them as Zeke hollowed his cheeks and moved faster. He could feel Zeke’s tongue lapping at him, and the heat surrounding him was almost too much to handle.

“A-Ah,” Levi moaned, pulling on his hair, “Oh my god, Zeke .”

Zeke hummed around him and held onto Levi’s thighs tightly, sucking eagerly as he relaxed his throat and took Levi down further. Levi was beginning to pant hard from Zeke’s actions, unable to help the noises escaping his mouth. He could feel himself growing closer by the second, and was gripping Zeke’s hair hard in his fingers. Zeke groaned around him and massaged his inner thighs, groping at the sensitive skin there.

“Z-Zeke, I-” Levi spoke breathily, “I’m gonna cum.”

Levi half-expected Zeke to pull away, but instead the man sucked harder, bobbing his head faster and increasing the pleasure Levi was feeling. Levi gasped, his toes curling as his legs clenched around Zeke’s body, cumming hard into the man’s mouth. Zeke swallowed and slowly pulled away, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

“Good?” he asked curiously.

Levi was still breathing heavily, but nodded a bit, “Y-Yeah. It was good.”

Zeke grinned and pulled away, laying next to Levi to catch his breath. Levi noticed as he moved that the man had a clear erection as well. As he came down from his orgasm, he started to feel some pity for Zeke. The blonde had pleasured him several times now without Levi reciprocating, and now Levi was a little more comfortable with the idea of helping him out. He shifted from his spot in the bed to sit between Zeke’s legs.

Zeke’s eyes widened a little in surprise, asking, “What are you doing?”

“Shut your mouth,” Levi snapped before reaching a shaky hand towards Zeke’s boxers and pushing it inside. He grasped Zeke’s dick in his hand, thinking it was a little big in his small hands. But he shook this thought from his brain and started moving his hand up and down, tugging on his erection. Zeke gasped in some shock before letting out a moan at Levi’s actions. Levi felt very self-conscious and unsure of what he was doing, but tried to replicate what Zeke had done to him the day before. He ran his thumb over the slit, some pre-cum already forming there, which he smeared across the tip before continuing to work his fist.

Zeke groaned quietly, “ Fuck , Levi. Good job, baby. Such a good boy.”

Levi blushed at the compliment, cursing under his breath at the nicknames and continuing to jerk him off. He scooted closer to Zeke and caught his lips in a hungry kiss, sucking on his lower lip and biting down on it softly. Zeke was bucking into his fist, clearly desperate for release. Levi pulled away and focused on pumping Zeke’s dick, starting to press soft kisses along his neck before sucking and licking at the skin there.

“Shit,” Zeke cursed, “Feels so fucking good. Keep going, baby. Don’t stop.”

Levi bit his lip to prevent himself from scolding Zeke for continuing to call him ‘baby’. He wanted the man to cum, and knew that yelling at him wouldn’t help the situation. After a few minutes, he could feel Zeke’s legs shaking, and knew he was close. He tugged the man’s dick more wildly, kissing and sucking at his neck so hard he was sure he’d leave marks. Levi soon felt Zeke shudder and felt hot liquid spilling all over his hand. He couldn’t help but feel a little proud of himself, getting up to go clean himself up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi didn’t expect that by midday he would be bent over Zeke’s desk, ass in the air. They’d just finished eating lunch when Zeke had asked Levi to come over by him, and Levi did so hesitantly, unsure of what the blonde had in store. His body was soon pressed against the surface of the desk, ass up, and Zeke grinding against him from behind.

How could he be so horny? Levi wondered, resting his cheek on the wooden surface as he felt his own dick fighting to get hard. And what had Levi done that had caused the man to get so worked up again? They’d only really been eating and chatting throughout the morning. Levi hadn’t made the mistake of getting on all fours in front of the blonde again, as he knew it would turn him on. But now that he was being bent over Zeke’s desk, he couldn’t help but enjoy the feeling of the man grinding against his ass, groping the skin in his hands in between thrusts. 

Erwin was coming home tomorrow, and Levi was beginning to think that he would never feel prepared for Erwin having sex with him. But that’s when Zeke began tugging down his pants and boxers, and his eyes went wide with shock.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Levi asked with suspicion, not trusting Zeke.

“I... I wanna try something,” Zeke responded, “It’s not sex, don’t worry. I promise I’ll be gentle, okay?”

Levi could feel himself blushing, but nodded mostly due to his hardening dick that was trapped against the wood beneath him. Zeke pulled the top drawer of the desk open, fishing around for something before he finally landed on it and took it out. It was a small bottle of something that Levi didn’t recognize, but was soon to become acquainted with.

Zeke poured some onto his fingers before running them up and down his crack, causing Levi to gasp a little and his heart to start beating faster. Now he was realizing what Zeke had in store for him, and he was becoming nervous from the thought.

But Zeke merely shh’d him and circled his finger around Levi’s rim, prodding at his hole before gently pushing a finger inside. Levi tensed up and groaned, his legs kicking at the uncomfortable, burning feeling.

“Shh,” Zeke cooed, “Relax, or it’ll hurt.”

Levi sucked in a deep breath and tried to relax his muscles, gripping the edge of the desk in his fingers as Zeke began to move the finger in and out of him. The intrusion felt so foreign, but he was certain there had to be some reason people liked doing this, so he allowed it to continue, waiting to feel that pleasure he was seeking. Zeke soon added a second finger, pumping them in and out and scissoring them to stretch him out. Levi couldn’t help the moan that escaped his mouth, as he was starting to enjoy the feeling of being full like this. He’d never had anything in his ass before, and it was certainly a strange feeling.

“You like it, don’t you?” Zeke murmured, starting to pick up the pace of his fingers, “You like your tight little ass being filled like this.”

Levi groaned and rutted his hips back against Zeke’s fingers, growling a ‘no’ at the offensive statement. He did like it, but he thought Zeke’s words were disgusting and smug of him, and didn’t want to give in. Zeke soon pushed a third finger inside, and fucked him with his fingers for a few moments before angling them and sending shockwaves throughout Levi’s body. A loud moan escaped him, and his eyes widened at the sudden pleasure coursing through him. What was that?!

“Hmm,” Zeke chuckled, rolling his fingers over that spot, “That’s your prostate. Did that feel good?”

Levi nodded quickly, enjoying the feeling of Zeke fucking against that spot that was driving him wild. He was squirming against the desk, wriggling his hips back against Zeke’s fingers as his own fingers clung to the wooden surface beneath him. Zeke placed his free hand on Levi’s lower back, holding him in place as he continued to fuck Levi roughly with his fingers, gracing his prostate every time. Levi was mewling in satisfaction, head tossed back and dick twitching from pleasure.

“Just wait until you have my cock up there,” Zeke growled in his ear, “Then you’ll really be moaning for it.”

Levi whimpered at the mere thought of having something bigger in his ass right now. He supposed it would probably feel good, even though it still brought him anxiety to think of such a thing. But he continued to grind back against Zeke’s fingers as best he could, the pleasure building in his stomach.

“Zeke, I-” Levi panted, “Keep hitting there, please - I’m gonna cum.”

Levi could almost sense Zeke’s smirk as he continued to slam his fingers into Levi’s prostate. He was incredibly close, and he bucked his hips back against Zeke’s fingers until his entire body shook, an orgasm overcoming him. He’d never cum so hard in his life, and he could feel Zeke’s fingers continue to fuck him through his orgasm before they pulled out, leaving him empty.

“I want to fuck you so bad, Levi,” Zeke whispered in his ear in a low voice, “Wanna give you my cock until you’re begging me to stop.”

Levi could feel the heat on his face from Zeke’s words, and he quickly pushed back against Zeke to get him away. He squirmed out from under the blonde and tugged his pants back up, shooting Zeke a small glare for saying such things to him.

Zeke merely laughed at Levi’s reaction, gesturing to his own erection, “You’re not going to help me?”

Levi shook his head, going over to the chair he usually sat in and taking a seat. Zeke stood, and for a minute Levi worried that the man might try to force something on him, but he watched Zeke head to the bathroom to take care of himself, and felt grateful. Though he didn’t like the man, he was thankful that he hadn’t tried to force him into anything he was uncomfortable with. He wasn’t so sure that Erwin would offer him the same kindness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi awoke later that night to Zeke palming his groin and grinding against his ass. He gasped in shock at first, smacking at Zeke’s hand and trying to push him backwards. But he could hear Zeke moaning already, could feel his erection against his ass, and his own dick bouncing to life.

“Wh-What are you doing?” Levi asked with a whimper as Zeke reached back down to palm at his growing erection.

“I’m so horny, Levi,” Zeke breathed heavily, “ Please , I need you to touch me.”

Levi squirmed a little before he groaned at Zeke’s touch, fully awake now. He couldn’t help but buck his hips into Zeke’s hand, feeling his erection growing. Part of him wanted to be angry and turn on the blonde, scold him for waking him up in the middle of the night for such a thing. But he was getting incredibly turned on, and wanted desperately for Zeke to keep touching him. He wasn’t so sure about Zeke’s words to touch him, not yet.

Zeke started a slow grind against Levi’s ass, letting a low groan escape his mouth as he practically begged, “Come on, Levi. Please? I helped you with yours earlier.”

Levi sighed heavily before gasping at the feeling of Zeke’s slow humping. He gritted his teeth, unable to help his own dick from twitching at the sensation. He could feel Zeke’s hand touching him, and he couldn’t bring himself to stop the man.

“ Fine ,” he growled, turning around, “If I help you, will you leave me alone?”

He met Zeke’s gray eyes, and the man nodded quickly, “I’ll leave you alone, I promise.”

Levi breathed out of his nose in some exasperation, crossing his arms, “What do you want me to do?”

Zeke put his hands on Levi’s waist and tugged him closer, so that their hips were together. Levi could feel Zeke’s pulsing erection against his own semi-hard on, and placed his hands on Zeke’s chest for leverage.

Zeke was already breathing heavily from being so turned on, and he leaned in to press their foreheads together, snarling huskily, “I want to fuck you. So bad .”

Levi could feel his face getting red and hot from Zeke’s words, and he avoided looking into the man’s eyes. Zeke was having a very difficult time keeping control of himself, his hips jerking against Levi’s every once in a while as his hot breath tickled Levi’s skin.

“Fuck no,” Levi spat, getting ready to fuck the man up if he pressed him any further.

He didn’t think he could give himself up just yet, even though the man had fucked him with his fingers earlier.

“ Fuck, ” Zeke grumbled, shutting his eyes and taking in a deep breath to try and calm himself as he thought about what he wanted to ask for.

He certainly sounded desperate, and Levi had never heard something so pathetic in his life. Sure, he’d been horny, but he couldn’t picture himself begging like a bitch in heat for sex.

“Will you suck my dick?” Zeke asked, a hopeful tint in his voice.

Levi’s eyes widened slightly before they narrowed in some suspicion. He wasn’t sure he could trust Zeke with such an activity, and putting the man’s dick in his mouth sounded a little gross.

He wrinkled his nose in some disgust, “When did you last shower?”

“This morning,” Zeke replied, “I’m clean, I swear.”

Obviously, Levi had never done this before, and he could feel the nervousness pooling in his stomach as he thought about whether to follow through with this or not. This was just the next step in ‘preparing’ him, right? He supposed he might have to do this with Erwin at some point. Plus, the sooner he got Zeke off, the sooner the man would leave him alone. He bit his lip before nodding hesitantly.

“What do I do?” Levi asked, very unsure of himself all of a sudden.

Zeke scooted away from Levi and sat up against the pillows, instructing Levi to: “Come kneel between my legs.”

Levi pulled the sheets back and settled himself between Zeke’s legs, watching the man tug his erection out of his boxers. He settled his hands on Zeke’s thighs shakily, feeling Zeke’s hand in his hair guiding him down towards his dick.

Opening his mouth, he took the tip inside, immediately thinking that it wasn’t too unpleasant of a taste; just salty. He sunk down around it, letting Zeke’s hand usher him downwards until he could feel the man’s cock at the back of his throat. He couldn’t help but gag at the feeling initially, before sucking in a deep breath through his nose and relaxing his throat. Zeke let out a long moan, sighing contently when Levi had his mouth stuffed all the way with his dick.

“That’s a good boy,” Zeke praised, “Bob your head. Just like that, there you go.”

Levi started moving his head up and down, feeling his own dick twitching in pleasure just from Zeke’s noises. He didn’t know why they were turning him on, but it only made him want to do a good job of sucking the man’s dick. He hollowed his cheeks and sucked on the pulsing member, trying to be careful as to not let his teeth get in the way.

“ Shit ,” Zeke groaned, tugging at Levi’s hair, “So good, Levi. You’re doing so good.”

Levi whined at the approval, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he felt Zeke’s dick hitting the back of his throat. He hummed lightly around him, causing Zeke to buck his hips and nearly choke Levi with his erection. He pulled away, sputtering for air, as Zeke mumbled an apology to him for doing so. But soon, Zeke used his hand to lead his dick back towards Levi’s mouth, tapping it on his lower lip before pushing it inside the warm hole. Levi couldn’t help himself, a groan escaping his mouth and vibrating around Zeke’s dick. Something about being used like this, his mouth entirely full of someone else’s cock, was an incredible turn-on for him. He hadn’t expected it, and it was fully catching him off guard.

Zeke grasped at his locks roughly, rocking his hips into Levi’s mouth at a slow pace so as not to overwhelm him, “That’s it. You like my cock in your mouth, don’t you? Like being stuffed full like this. Fuck , Levi. You should see your face right now. You look like you might cum just from sucking dick.”

Levi whimpered from his words, his dick painfully hard now. He could feel the pre-cum staining his boxers, as they were starting to stick to him now. He began to bob his head faster, wanting Zeke to finish so he could perhaps get some relief.

“I could stuff your other hole full if you want me to,” Zeke growled, gripping Levi’s hair harder, “I’d fuck you so good, Levi. I bet there’d be no other thoughts in your little brain other than how good my cock would feel in that tight ass of yours.”

Levi was starting to understand why Zeke had been so pathetically horny before. He himself was incredibly turned on, and the sound of his ass being filled was sounding more and more appealing with each passing second. Perhaps sex wouldn’t be so awful, he was convincing himself. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt too bad. After all, people had been having sex for centuries. Surely there had to be something good about it for people to continue doing it, right? All Levi knew was that he needed release, and he was willing to at least consider whatever Zeke had in store for pleasuring him to completion.

Levi pulled away with a gasp, trying to catch his breath as he felt pre-cum and drool hanging from his swollen lower lip. Zeke was grinning at him with that irritating smug look he always had, and he gently thumbed at Levi’s lower lip before pressing it onto his tongue. Levi closed his mouth around it and sucked on it eagerly, unsure how he knew to do such a thing without direction.

“You want it so bad, don’t you?” Zeke murmured, clicking his tongue, “You poor thing. Never had cock before, but you’re craving it so badly, aren’t you?”

Levi allowed Zeke’s thumb to slip out of his mouth, but refused to answer such a degrading question. Though his cock was bouncing to life with Zeke’s words, he was still too stubborn to give in and be a good little submissive pet for the man.

“Well?” Zeke asked, tugging at his erection a couple of times, “What do you say, Levi? If you bend over, I’ll give you my cock. Would you like that?”

Levi was admittedly terrified to let Zeke do this, but his dick was fighting his brain at the moment. He’d never allowed himself to indulge in his sexual desires this deeply, and it was almost as though he couldn’t stop himself now that he’d started. Levi could feel his legs shaking as he turned around, bending over so that his face was laying on the sheets and his ass was up in Zeke’s direction. He could hear Zeke’s breath hitch behind him, as if the man hadn’t expected him to give in so easily. Even though his anxiety was building, Levi knew that he could make the man stop at any point, and he was comforted by this thought.

He listened to Zeke shuffling around on the bed, opening and closing a bedside table drawer, probably to retrieve some type of lube. Levi could feel himself getting impatient, even though he didn’t know what to really expect. He just knew he needed this to continue, now . Zeke tugged down his boxers, and he soon felt the cold lube being poured between his cheeks, trickling down his crack and over his sensitive hole. He couldn’t help but gasp at the feeling, a quiet mewl escaping him. There was soon a finger pushing the lube up towards his hole, and Levi felt the digit prodding at his entrance before it began pushing past the ring of muscles. He instantly tensed up, not enjoying the intrusion at first.

“Shh,” Zeke cooed, resting his free hand on Levi’s lower back to soothe him, “Relax, Levi. It’ll hurt if you tense up, remember?”

Levi whimpered, trying to relax his muscles as he felt Zeke’s finger pushing in and out of him. He hated sounding this desperate, but part of him was starting to let go of his pride in favor of getting pleasure. Zeke pulled his finger back in order to add a second, slipping it in next to the first and using them to stretch and scissor the opening. Levi let a shaky breath escape him, his fingers bunching the sheets up beneath him. Zeke slipped a third finger past his entrance, fucking him with them at a slow pace to allow Levi to get used to it. Levi squirmed a little, gasping out when Zeke’s fingers prodded at his prostate. But soon, Zeke pulled his fingers out, and Levi could’ve cursed at him for the empty feeling he was now left with.

“Such a good boy for me,” Zeke purred, and Levi felt the man’s erection slide between his cheeks before it poked at his hole, “I’m going to give you my cock now, okay?”

This is it , he thought to himself. He was finally going to have sex. All his previous anxieties about the activity had subsided, though he knew he would still have to take the stretch of Zeke’s dick. He whimpered as Zeke pushed the tip inside, mouth dropping open in a quiet groan as the man began pushing in all the way. There was a slow burn consuming him as Zeke pushed in, but the feeling of being filled like this made him almost certain his dick was going to explode at any moment from how good it felt.

“ Fuck ,” Zeke moaned once he was all the way in, “So fucking tight .”

Levi let out a whine, burying his face into the sheets below him to mask his pathetic noises. He couldn’t believe he’d been reduced to such a state, especially by the dick of a man he found incredibly irritating. He felt Zeke’s fingers in his hair, pulling his head up.

“Let me hear you, Levi,” Zeke ordered, and Levi could feel the slow drag of his hole desperately trying to suck Zeke in as the man pulled out to the tip before pounding back in powerfully, “I want to hear you moaning for me.”

Levi couldn’t help the cry that escaped him, “Oh god .”

“That’s right,” Zeke murmured, starting a steady pace of fucking into the shorter man, “You like that cock, don’t you? You’re a little slut for it.”

Levi didn’t appreciate being called a slut, and he grimaced at the nickname, but soon forgot about it as he felt Zeke’s dick pounding into him. He balled the sheets up in his fists, gripping at them for dear life as Zeke picked up the pace. The man was grasping at his hips roughly as he slid in and out, his breathing growing heavier by the second. Levi had never felt so incredibly full, and he couldn’t help but reach down to tug at his erection, desperate for release.

“Shit,” Levi muttered, “ Fuck .”

Zeke was hammering into him powerfully, hitting his prostate on almost every thrust. Levi couldn’t help the cries escaping his mouth as Zeke continued, slamming into him at a rough pace that was sending Levi to heights of pleasure he didn't know existed. Who knew getting fucked was so incredible?

“You’re a good little boy,” Zeke growled, “Do you like how my cock is filling you up?”

Levi could only moan and nod in response, his dick twitching horribly from every thrust. Zeke was groaning, too, and muttering obscenities with every move he made. The blonde pulled all the way out before thrusting back in, causing Levi to toss his head back in a groan.

“ God ,” Levi moaned, “Z-Zeke- it feels so good.”

Zeke only responded with more enthusiastic thrusting, grinding into Levi’s sensitive hole as he continued. Levi clung to the sheets until his knuckles turned white, moaning uncontrollably from the feeling of Zeke going in and out of his hole.

“Zeke, I’m so close,” Levi gasped out, his erection twitching desperately.

“Good,” Zeke breathed as he pumped into Levi at a rapid pace, “I’m close too. I’m gonna fill you up, baby.”

For some reason, that statement had him thrusting back against Zeke desperately, his orgasm shaking his entire body within a couple of movements. Zeke gripped his hips and continued to slam into him a few more times before cumming inside him. Levi whined at the warm feeling inside before he collapsed onto the sheets, breathing heavily. He could hear Zeke also having trouble breathing before the man helped to shuffle him back into a normal position against the pillows. Zeke held him close, cuddling up to him as he came down from such a feeling. He was too tired to protest Zeke snuggling him, and soon passed out in Zeke’s arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a quiet knock on the door the next afternoon while Levi was in the middle of helping Zeke sort through some files. The two of them had woken up that morning and pretended as though nothing had happened at first. But before breakfast rolled around, Zeke had Levi bent over his desk, fucking him from behind. Levi didn’t put up much protest, as he had wanted it too. Not that he enjoyed who his sex partner was, but he enjoyed the act itself, and was no longer as anxious around the subject for the most part.

The door opened, Erwin’s smiling face greeting the two of them. But Levi could see behind that smile; he looked significantly stressed, exhausted even. It made him wonder what they had discussed at the meetings he’d been at. Levi could feel his breath hitch as Erwin’s eyes settled on him, taking a few steps in his direction.

“Were you a good pet while I was gone?” Erwin asked, gripping Levi’s chin between his thumb and index finger.

Levi resisted the urge to jerk his head away, smelling whiskey and cigar smoke on Erwin’s breath. He nodded quickly, glancing over at Zeke in hopes that the man would back him up.

Erwin turned his head to look at Zeke to confirm, “Was he?”

Levi held his breath, hoping that Zeke would vouch for him. He hadn’t exactly been the nicest to Zeke, and was now regretting kicking the man in the balls. But Zeke simply nodded as well, shooting Levi a smile.

“He was very well-behaved,” Zeke agreed, leaning back in his chair with a smirk.

Levi breathed a short sigh of relief as Erwin let go of his chin, backing away and holding his hand out to him. Levi took it hesitantly, being helped to his feet. Now that he was back in front of Erwin, he remembered just how intimidating the man was. It was something about the look in his eyes; it was very distant and cold.

“Come along, Levi,” Erwin ordered, starting to walk to the door, “Thanks for taking care of him, Zeke.”

“Of course,” Zeke replied, and Levi exchanged a small glance with him before he followed Erwin out of the door. They headed down the hallway towards Erwin’s office. A million thoughts were running through Levi’s head. He wondered if Erwin was going to try anything with him tonight, and the thought had him filled with that familiar anxious feeling. Though his activities with Zeke had eased his anxieties a little, he was still worried about Erwin being too rough with him.

Erwin opened the door to his office and let Levi in first, walking in behind him. There was a box on the desk with a bow on it, which caught Levi’s attention almost immediately. He wondered who the gift was for and what it was, and went to sit down in his usual spot across from Erwin’s desk. Erwin walked behind him and circled the desk, sitting in his own chair. There was a moment of silence between the two of them where Erwin straightened some papers before setting them back on his desk and looking at Levi with confusion.

“Well?” Erwin asked, “Aren’t you going to open it?”

Levi’s eyes widened slightly, “I... it’s for me?”

Erwin nodded, staring at him as if he were stupid. But Levi didn’t understand why he of all people was getting a gift from Erwin. He briefly wondered if this was some sort of trick, but he cautiously picked up the box and pulled off the bow, starting to unwrap the silver paper that covered whatever the object was. It’d been a very long time since he’d received a gift from anyone, and he pulled the paper back to reveal a box of black tea. It looked particularly fancy, and Levi’s eyes widened slightly, examining the box and trying to read the packaging, failing miserably since it was written in Marleyan.

“It’s a tea I used to drink as a child,” Erwin explained, “My mom had a special way of making it, said she learned it from my dad.”

Levi didn’t really understand what he’d done to deserve this, but he appreciated the gift nonetheless. However, it also made him incredibly suspicious of Erwin’s intentions. What did he expect in return for such a gift? Surely Erwin wasn’t trying to bribe him into sexual activities, was he? Levi didn’t know what he was meant to do in return for something like this.

“Th... Thank you, sir,” Levi muttered quietly, “What did I do to deserve this?”

“You’ve been a good boy for me, Levi,” Erwin replied, sifting through some paperwork, “I thought you deserved a little reward.”

Levi could feel a blush appearing on his cheeks from Erwin’s praise, and cursed himself for feeling that way. He couldn’t help but continue to examine the tea box, slowly opening it and breathing in the scent. It smelled amazing, and he couldn’t wait to be able to use it. Erwin stood, motioning for Levi to follow him as he headed towards the bedroom. Levi was a little fearful of what Erwin was bringing him into the bedroom for, but he shakily followed the man anyways for fear of retribution if he didn’t obey.

Erwin headed to the dresser and opened a drawer, which Levi realized was empty. He looked up at Erwin with some confusion, not understanding why Erwin was showing him an empty drawer.

“This is your drawer now,” Erwin instructed, “I cleared it out for you. You can keep your things here. I also have a pair of pajamas coming in your size; should be here in the next few days.”

Levi stared at the empty drawer for a moment before placing the tea box inside and closing it. He could feel himself getting a little excited at the prospect of having his own space within this room. Everything he’d encountered so far was somebody else’s, and now he had something for himself.

“Thank you, sir,” he murmured, unable to look at Erwin out of embarrassment, “This is all very nice of you.”

“Of course,” Erwin replied, and Levi tensed as he felt Erwin wrapping an arm around his shoulder, a kiss being pressed to the top of his head. He barely had time to react before Erwin pulled away and headed back to his office, leaving it up to Levi whether he followed or not. Levi remained in the bedroom for a moment before following Erwin back into his office, feeling extremely conflicted about the kiss he’d just received.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“ Levi ,” Zeke groaned, one hand on his lower back and one on the back of his neck as he pounded into him, “ Fuck , you feel amazing.”

Erwin had left Levi with Zeke very hurriedly that morning, explaining he was awaiting some important news that he had to go find out about from his superiors. It didn’t take long for Zeke to come onto Levi, begging him pathetically for sex. Said things about how much he’d missed Levi and fucking the life out of him. Levi had begrudgingly given in, deciding perhaps he could shut the bastard up by doing so. Plus, it would take up some time the two had to spend together, and having sex was better than trying to make small talk, in Levi’s mind.

Levi tossed his head back and moaned from the feeling of Zeke ramming against his prostate. His fingernails scraped against the wood of the desk, trying to grasp onto something as he was slammed against the furniture again and again from Zeke’s thrusting. He was only growing closer by the second, his orgasm building in his stomach as pleasure shot through him from Zeke’s actions.

Levi cried out as he finished, cumming all over Zeke’s desk and feeling the man thrust into him a few more times before orgasming inside him. Levi heard the door open, and his head snapped up to see Erwin standing in the doorway, a look of shock written all over his face.

“Fuck,” Zeke muttered, pulling out and starting to pull up his pants, “Erwin, it’s not what it looks like.”

Levi’s eyes were still locked with Erwin’s, which slowly turned from surprised to cold and furious. Levi had never seen him look so angry, and he could feel his heart beating in his chest hard as he realized he was definitely in trouble.

“ Levi ,” Erwin growled in a stern voice, one that sent shivers up Levi’s spine, “Pull your pants up and come with me. Now .”

Levi stood up and tugged his pants up quickly, moving around the desk to follow Erwin out of the office. He didn’t bother to look at Zeke. He was too afraid to do so; afraid of what the consequences would be if Erwin caught him. Erwin had already started walking out, as if he expected Levi to follow him without hesitation. Levi scrambled after him, trying to keep at his heels, as he didn’t want to piss Erwin off more.

Erwin opened the door to his office, waiting for Levi to enter first before he walked in behind him and slammed the door shut. The floor shook a little from the loud noise, and Levi could feel himself wincing from it as well.

“I’m giving you ten seconds to give me an explanation as to what I just walked in on,” Erwin snapped, crossing his arms.

Levi held his hands up innocently, trying to explain, “Z-Zeke told me... he said you have sex with all your subordinates so... he offered to prepare me- I’ve never... I was a virgin, so I let him...”

Erwin stared at him in some disbelief before walking over to Levi and grasping him by the collar, lifting him so that his toes could barely touch the floor. He stared into Levi’s eyes as if trying to read him, a terrifying expression on his face. Levi gagged a little from the feeling of being held up like this, struggling slightly in his hold.

“You fucking idiot ,” Erwin snarled, “I have never had sex with my subordinates. Zeke was just manipulating you. How could you fall for something so stupid?”

Levi could feel his heart dropping into his stomach, and he was suddenly feeling exactly like the idiot that Erwin had just called him. How did he fall for Zeke’s plan so easily? He must’ve been so preoccupied with the terrible thought that Erwin was going to have sex with him that he hadn’t thought to question Zeke all that much. How could he have let himself go along with such a thing?

Erwin let him go and he was unable to catch himself, crumpling to his knees on the floor. The blonde swiftly kicked him in the side, causing Levi to gasp as the wind was practically knocked out of him. He clutched his side and whimpered in pain, looking up at Erwin with an almost begging look, as if he was trying to say ‘go easy on me’, though he knew the man likely wouldn’t.

“Get up,” Erwin demanded, “Bend over the desk, pants down.”

Levi felt his heart rate increasing, wondering if Erwin had changed his mind about having sex with him all of a sudden, out of spite. He got up slowly, watching Erwin with cautious, fearful eyes as he began to tug down his pants and boxers, bending over the desk and clinging to the edges. Erwin circled the desk, pulling open a drawer and grabbing something that Levi couldn’t see from his position. His legs were shaking in anticipation, his entire body going numb from how anxious he was feeling.

That’s when Erwin held up a long black riding crop in front of him, asking, “Do you know what this is, Levi?”

Levi couldn’t help but stare at the object, the idea slowly settling into his mind as to what was about to happen to him. It certainly wouldn’t be the worst thing he’d endured, but he wasn’t looking forward to it either way. He nodded after a moment, replying, “It’s a riding crop, sir.”

“Very good,” Erwin replied, going to stand behind Levi. He felt the cold leather running over his exposed ass, and shivered from the touch.

“You need to learn your place, Levi,” Erwin murmured, running the crop soothingly across one ass cheek before switching to the other, “You are mine , nobody else’s. That means you don’t open your slutty legs for anyone other than me, if I were to request such a thing from you.”

Levi clung to the desk, nodding at what Erwin was saying so as not to increase his punishment. Suddenly, the riding crop left his ass, and he braced himself for the pain that was about to come. A loud crack whipped through the air as Erwin brought the riding crop down on his ass, inflicting pain on that area, which made him yelp in surprise. Erwin had hit him hard , not the usual peppering hits that one would use a riding crop for. It felt like he’d put all his strength into that hit, and Levi could already feel the stinging on his ass cheek from where he’d been hit. Levi barely had time to brace before another heavy-handed hit landed upon his other ass cheek, causing him to jolt a little from the pain.

“I-I’m sorry, sir!” Levi gasped out, knowing that it was likely a futile effort at this point to be apologizing. He hoped perhaps he could earn some mercy from Erwin, but when the blonde landed two more shockingly brutal hits to his backside, he knew there was no chance that Erwin would go easy on him.

“You will be,” Erwin replied coolly, “Once your ass is purple and bruised, I’m sure you’ll know not to be a whore anymore, won’t you?”

Levi winced at the word ‘whore’, shaking his head a little, “I-I’m not a whore, sir.”

It was the first time he’d talked back to Erwin since escaping the dark cell downstairs, and perhaps it wasn’t wise to have done so, but Levi could feel his dignity slipping away, and needed to hold onto something to keep himself together.

“Don’t you dare talk back to me,” Erwin snarled angrily, whacking Levi a few times as he alternated between cheeks, “You are a whore. You opened your legs for Zeke right when he asked you to. I suppose I should’ve expected this from someone who grew up in Paradis. You’re all filthy; I should’ve known you’d be dirty enough to let just about anybody fuck you.”

Levi could feel tears stinging his eyes: both from the hits and the words. He didn’t know why they bothered him so much, but he desperately wanted to tell Erwin he was wrong; he wasn’t a slut, he was just confused and manipulated by Zeke. Besides, Zeke was the first person he’d ever had sex with, and Levi wouldn’t just open his legs for anybody .

Levi sniffled quietly, a lump forming in his throat as he tried to hold back the tears. His ass felt like it was on fire, and he knew this was only the beginning. He didn’t want to cry; didn’t want to give Erwin the satisfaction.

“Say it,” Erwin ordered, a furious tone to his voice, “Tell me you’re a whore.”

Levi cried out as Erwin began an onslaught of hits to his backside, smacking all over his ass before focusing on his upper thighs. He was having a very difficult time holding back the tears now, and they were flowing down his cheeks. But he was still holding back his sobs; he would hold on as long as he could.

“ Levi ,” Erwin shouted when Levi took too long, hitting him hard once right in the center of his ass, “ Say it .”

“I... I’m a whore, sir,” Levi managed to spit out in between deep breaths that he was using to try and keep himself calm. He could feel the tears flowing faster, a sob welling up in his chest that he absolutely refused to let free.

“Spread your ass open,” Erwin instructed, tapping Levi’s ass lightly with the riding crop.

Levi could feel the humiliation spreading through him, his face probably turning as red as his ass was. He reached his hands back shakily and opened himself up, grasping a cheek in each hand and pulling them apart to reveal his hole. Erwin ran the riding crop up and down his crack, pausing on his hole before pulling back. Levi couldn’t possibly have prepared himself for how much this sensitive area would hurt. Erwin didn’t hit it nearly as hard as he had with the other areas, but it was still enough to make him shriek, that sob he was holding in finally escaping.

“That’s it,” Erwin teased devilishly as he hit his hole squarely with the riding crop again, “Just let it all out. Let me hear you.”

Levi yelped loudly, another sob racking through his body as he finally started to let go. He just laid there and cried miserably as Erwin rained down a few more hits upon his sensitive hole, practically hiccuping with sobs by the end of it.

“You can let go of your ass now, Levi,” Erwin spoke in a low voice, “We’re almost done.”

Levi nodded, letting go of his cheeks and settling his hands back on the edge of the desk, holding onto it tightly for comfort. His cheek rested on the cool surface, tears and drool now staining the wood beneath him.

“You’re a whore, Levi,” Erwin reminded him, the riding crop running over his ass again, “I want you to say it again. Tell me how slutty you were with him. Did you suck his dick? Did you beg him for his cock?”

Levi choked on a sob, feeling ashamed of himself. But part of him was still defiant, and wanted to turn around and kick Erwin in the head, tell him that he was wrong; he wasn’t a whore.

“Tell me the truth,” Erwin barked, hitting Levi’s ass so hard he heard a loud snap noise, and heard Erwin muttering obscenities under his breath. Levi was so busy crying that it took him a moment to realize the riding crop had broken over his ass; Erwin had hit him that hard.

But he wanted this punishment to be over with, and with the riding crop broken, he thought perhaps if he said what Erwin wanted him to, he could get out of the rest of this spanking.

“I... I’m a whore. I sucked his dick, sir,” Levi admitted in a broken voice, “And I didn’t beg- he did.”

He heard Erwin chuckling under his breath before the sound of a belt buckle being undone came from behind him. At first, Levi was terrified that this meant he was going to get fucked, but a worse realization dawned on him when Erwin stopped after taking off the belt. Levi couldn’t even hold back his scream when Erwin’s belt came down on his ass with a loud whack . His legs were shaking violently now, and he was beginning to think this punishment would never end.

It only took three hits from the belt for Levi to sob uncontrollably, begging Erwin to ‘please stop’ and repeating apologies over and over. His could feel the bruising forming on his ass, and everything ached from the position he was in.

“Sir, please, ” Levi sniveled pathetically, “I won’t do it again, I swear. I’ll do anything, just please stop.”

He heard Erwin let out a heavy sigh from behind him before the clanging sound of the belt dropping to the floor echoed throughout the room. Levi could feel himself breathing a sigh of relief, his legs trembling as he tried to keep himself upright on the desk.

“Go stand in the corner facing the wall,” Erwin commanded, “Keeps your pants down and your hands at your sides.”

Levi nodded, practically quaking as he stood and made his way slowly to the corner, each step feeling painful as his ass throbbed in pain. He stood facing the wall like he was told, feeling like a small child who’d been scolded by his parents. He let his forehead rest on the wall, his hands settling uncomfortably at his sides.

He heard Erwin ringing the bell on his desk, and the familiar sound of someone rushing in to ask what he needed. He listened to the sound of Erwin sitting down in his chair, the heavy creaking of the object giving it away.

“Please go tell Zeke he should come and see me immediately,” Erwin requested, “Tell him it’s urgent.”

Levi couldn’t help his eyes from widening at those words. What was Erwin going to say to Zeke? What would Zeke say upon seeing Levi in such a state? He didn’t know what to expect, but he knew that whatever was going to happen wouldn’t be good.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin sat patiently at his desk while he waited for Zeke to come visit him like he had asked. He could hear Levi’s pathetic crying in the corner, and resisted the urge to yell at him to be quiet. He supposed the poor boy probably didn’t cry often, so he figured he should just let him do so for the moment.

When he’d come across Levi bent over Zeke’s desk like that, bouncing back on the blonde’s dick, he’d felt completely enraged, though he didn’t entirely understand why. It was just that Levi was his pet, his property, and Zeke had just stolen that from him? And Levi just let him do so? He couldn’t believe his well-behaved pet would do such a thing after he’d only been gone a few days, and knew he had to keep him in line, which is why he’d inflicted such a harsh punishment upon him.

The door opened, Zeke entering and smiling at Erwin sheepishly before closing the door. The two of them had been friends for years now, but Erwin knew that Zeke could be a manipulative little fucker when he wanted something. Clearly, he’d wanted Levi, which Erwin hadn’t picked up on right away, and now they were in this situation.

“Hey Erwin,” Zeke greeted, “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes,” Erwin spoke coldly, motioning over to Levi in the corner, “Do you see what I’ve done to your little fuck toy?”

Zeke turned his head, his face paling upon the sight of Levi’s red and purple ass. He looked back at Erwin with some shock written on his face, opening and closing his mouth as if he didn’t know what to say.

“I... Erwin, you didn’t have to hurt him that much,” Zeke insisted after a moment, “Shit, it looks like you beat the fuck out of him.”

“Levi,” Erwin called to his pet, who flinched just at the mention of his name, “Tell Zeke what you are.”

Levi turned a little to face Zeke, tears streaming down his face as he muttered, “I’m a whore, sir,” and turned back around to face the wall like an obedient little pet. Erwin smirked in some satisfaction, watching Zeke’s eyes widen at Levi’s words.

“Erwin, come on,” Zeke murmured, walking over to his desk and placing his hands on the surface, “You don’t need to be so hard on him. It’s not all his fault, anyways.”

Erwin scowled, knowing that what Zeke was saying was true. It was mostly Zeke’s fault they were in this situation at all, that much was the truth. But Erwin could sense that Zeke didn’t realize how much trouble he was in. The blonde man might’ve felt safe since he and Erwin had been friends for so long, but Erwin wasn’t about to let him get away with doing such a thing to his pet.

Erwin got up, circling the desk and coming face to face with Zeke, “I know it’s not all his fault. He told me what you said to him. Now, why would you do such a thing, Zeke? Manipulate my pet into letting you fuck him? You know that it’s not a good idea to mess with me, right?”

Zeke’s eyes were wide, like a lost puppy, and for a moment, Erwin almost felt bad for him. But that pity soon subsided, and he jutted out his hand quickly, grasping Zeke around the neck and squeezing down hard so that he was gasping for breath. Zeke’s eyes became panicked, and he clawed at Erwin’s hands to try and get him off.

“If you ever touch Levi again, I will slice your neck and choose your fucking replacement,” Erwin threatened furiously through gritted teeth. He let go after a moment, watching Zeke gulp in a big breath and sputter a little from being choked like that.

“What the fuck , Erwin?!” Zeke replied, “You can’t just-”

Erwin grabbed Zeke’s arm and flipped their positions so that he had the man’s arm pinned painfully behind his back. He kept pushing, hearing Zeke cry out in immense pain from the action.

“S-Stop!” Zeke howled in agony, “You’re gonna fucking break it- stop! ”

“ Good! ” Erwin shouted over Zeke’s painful noises, continuing to put pressure on his arm until he heard a loud snap , meaning that he’d broken the bone, “You can heal it.”

Steam began to emanate from that spot on Zeke’s arm, but the man had shrieked loudly at the break, the pain overwhelming him. Erwin let him go, Zeke struggling to stand upright as he cradled his broken arm with his other hand.

“ Fuck ,” Zeke whimpered, shooting a glare at Erwin, “I thought we were supposed to be friends, Erwin! How could you do that to me?!”

“Because you fucked my pet!” Erwin snarled with rage, “Now get out, before I break your other arm!”

Zeke’s eyes widened in some fear before he headed for the door, clearly not wanting to deal with Erwin’s anger anymore. As soon as he left, Erwin slammed the door shut behind him, and caught Levi looking at him with some terror behind his eyes.

“What the hell are you looking at?” Erwin snapped, taking a few fast steps in Levi’s direction.

“N-Nothing!” Levi insisted, flinching hard when Erwin began to walk towards him and holding his hands up innocently, “I’m sorry!”

Erwin stopped in his tracks, smirking a little at how subservient Levi was behaving. He must’ve truly scared the smaller man with his punishment.

“Go lay in the bed,” Erwin ordered, “I don’t want to see you for the rest of the day.”

Levi nodded, struggling to pull his pants and boxers back up before he stumbled towards the bedroom. Erwin sighed a little before walking over and sitting down at his desk, starting to go back to work as if nothing had happened.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zeke felt awful. Not just because of his broken arm, but because it was his best friend that had done it. Erwin had always put such trust into Zeke, and now he’d betrayed it by sleeping with Erwin’s pet. He spent the rest of the day in his office with a sling around his arm as it healed, feeling guilty and anxious about his relationship with Erwin now that he’d fucked everything up.

It was only after dinner that he realized he needed to apologize, and he got up to head to Erwin’s office in order to do so. He had to admit he was a little fearful of the man now, as he certainly hadn’t expected to get scolded by him, let alone get his arm broken. He had thought Erwin would just give him a slap on the wrist and laugh about it with him, but boy had he been wrong.

Zeke walked down the hallway and knocked lightly on Erwin’s door, hearing a ‘come in’ and pushing it open. He walked in and closed it behind him, watching Erwin look up, his face instantly hardening upon seeing who it was that had come to see him.

“What do you want?” Erwin grumbled, “Back to have your other arm broken?”

Zeke shook his head quickly, putting up his hands to feign innocence, “I... I came to apologize.”

Erwin scoffed, looking back down at his paperwork, “Apology not accepted.”

Zeke sighed a little, going to sit down in the chair across from Erwin’s desk anyways. He knew he had to get through to his friend. They couldn’t just end their friendship over something like this. Zeke didn’t have many friends here to begin with, and he couldn’t lose the one person he trusted most.

“Erwin, look at me,” Zeke requested, reaching his hand out to place on top of Erwin’s to stop him from signing papers.

Erwin huffed in annoyance before looking up, a cold expression on his face as he spat out, “What?”

Zeke sucked in a deep breath, removing his hand from Erwin’s as he looked down at his lap sheepishly, “I’m sorry for tricking Levi into sleeping with me. I just... I was jealous that you got assigned to him instead of me. I’ve wanted him from the moment I first saw him, and I didn’t think it was fair.”

Erwin was just staring at him with a stern look on his face, his eyes burning holes into Zeke’s head as he waited for him to be done talking. Zeke was feeling the pressure now, and began to get a little worried that Erwin might try to hurt him again.

Zeke continued, “But it was wrong of me to take something that wasn’t mine. I should’ve at least asked you. I’m sorry, Erwin. I don’t want our friendship to be ruined over my stupid mistakes.”

Erwin studied his face for a moment, clearly wanting to remain angry with Zeke. This wasn’t their first fight, but it was certainly their biggest one, and Erwin seemed to be fighting with himself whether he wanted to forgive Zeke right away or remain cold towards him.

Zeke held his breath as he watched Erwin mulling over his options, tapping his chin with his pen in thought as he glanced around the room to avoid Zeke’s pleading gaze. He finally set the pen down on the desk and let out a long, frustrated sigh before rubbing his forehead in some stress.

“ Fine , Zeke,” Erwin finally decided, “I’ll forgive you, but only because you’ve never done something this bad before. If you do something like that again, I’m done with you. Friendship over. Got it?”

Zeke nodded quickly, breathing out a sigh of relief as a smile appeared on his face, “Thank you, Erwin. You won’t regret it, okay? I promise I’ll make it up to you. Just let me know if you need anything from me.”

Erwin nodded, leaning back in his chair as he looked around the room nonchalantly, “Actually, I do need something from you.”

Zeke raised an eyebrow, waiting for Erwin to continue. The man pulled his desk drawer open and fished around for a cigar, taking one out and then taking a second one out to offer to Zeke. But Zeke shook his head; he wasn’t really a cigar man, mostly just smoked cigarettes. Erwin put the second cigar back and lit the one he’d placed into his mouth, sucking on it before blowing the smoke out.

“What’s he like in bed?” Erwin asked curiously.

At first, Zeke thought this was a trick, and he eyed Erwin cautiously, “I... you... are you sure you want to know?”

Erwin nodded, puffing on his cigar, “Yes, tell me what he’s like. I want to know.”

Zeke shrugged a little, not sure how to answer that question at first. He reminisced about the sex he’d had with Levi; they’d done it on three separate occasions, and Zeke was trying to think of how to best explain what Levi was like in bed.

“Well,” Zeke started, trying to get comfortable in his chair, “He’s very noisy once he lets go. He starts off very reserved and nervous, but once he gets into it he’s loud. It’s quite a turn-on.”

Erwin nodded, tapping the cigar on his ashtray before placing it back in his mouth, “Is he tight?”

“ So tight,” Zeke responded, almost too eager to share this information, “He felt amazing.”

Erwin chuckled at Zeke’s words, putting his feet up on his desk, “What does he like? Anything specific?”

“He likes getting spanked,” Zeke replied, pausing a little before laughing softly, “Though I’m not sure if that’s changed after today.”

Erwin smirked, breathing in the smoke from the cigar and blowing it back out. Zeke was suddenly beginning to wonder why Erwin was asking these things of him. He began to get a little worried for Levi’s well-being. Though Erwin could do whatever he wanted with Levi, Zeke couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy.

“Why do you ask?” Zeke wondered, “Are you planning on...”

Zeke couldn’t finish the statement, and swallowed thickly instead of doing so. He didn’t want to know the evil things Erwin had in mind. They’d all done their fair share of awful things, but this was one that Zeke had never pictured himself doing, let alone his best friend doing. He’d rather not know.

“I’m not planning on raping him, if that’s what you’re implying,” Erwin murmured, taking in a huge breath of smoke from the cigar before blowing it into the air, “I just have an interest in him. But I don’t plan on forcing him into anything.”

Zeke slowly nodded, not entirely sure if he believed Erwin. He’d done worse in his past, though Zeke wasn’t sure if he’d directly raped anyone before. But he wanted to trust his friend, so he just sat there and nodded at what he was saying.

Erwin turned around and grabbed a whiskey bottle off his shelf, holding the cigar in his mouth as he juggled the bottle and two glasses. He placed them on his desk and started pouring small portions for the two of them.

“Let’s have a drink together,” Erwin said, shoving the second glass towards Zeke and not really giving him a choice. Zeke grabbed the glass anyway and clinked it against Erwin’s before taking a small sip of the dark liquid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi was curled up under the covers, shaking with sobs. His ass ached horribly, and his pride was considerably hurt. He couldn’t help but feel a little happy that Zeke had gotten his arm broken, though. The man deserved at least that much for manipulating Levi into sex with him. But outside this, he was incredibly shaken up by the punishment he’d received. He knew Erwin was mean, but didn’t realize how ruthless he was when it came to discipline. Levi was certainly wary of breaking the rules now.

He laid in bed for the rest of the day like he was told to, spending most of his time crying and feeling sorry for himself. His ass was throbbing with pain, and he dared not touch it, as he was afraid it would hurt considerably. He waited patiently that evening for Erwin to come in and get ready for bed, but that moment didn’t come. As the sun went down, Levi began to wonder where the man was, and why he hadn’t come to bed yet.

After a considerable amount of back and forth in his head, Levi slowly got out of bed, wincing at the pain he felt as he did so. He tiptoed to the door, not wanting Erwin to know he had left the bed. Once he reached the door, he opened it just a crack, peering through the opening and looking into the office. Zeke and Erwin were busy playing cards, and Levi wondered how they had become friends again in such a short amount of time. But he soon saw the bottle of whiskey, half empty, on the desk, and figured it had something to do with the alcohol.

The two were laughing together, and Levi was about to leave, when he caught Erwin’s gaze and made eye contact with him. His eyes quickly widened, and he went to shut the door in hopes of escape.

“Wait!” Erwin called out, “Come out here, Levi. You’re not in trouble.”

Levi could feel himself shaking already, not trusting Erwin enough to believe him. He pushed the door open slowly, walking towards Erwin at his desk. The two men were both watching him carefully, and Levi all of a sudden felt as though he was prey being hunted by two predators. Erwin had a suspicious smirk on his face, and Levi couldn’t help but be terrified.

“Levi,” Erwin chuckled drunkenly, “Come sit on my lap.”

Levi hesitated before walking over to Erwin, not liking the idea of sitting on the man’s lap. But he didn’t want to know the consequences of disobeying, especially when the man was drunk. He sat on Erwin’s lap, over both his legs, wincing a little at the pain in his ass.

“Zeke, will you do me a favor and get me some lotion from the bathroom?” Erwin asked, and Levi could smell the whiskey and cigars on his breath.

Zeke nodded, eyeing the two of them cautiously before going to the bathroom. Erwin manhandled Levi, shifting him in his lap so that he was now straddling the taller man. Levi could feel himself blushing, and was becoming increasingly worried as to what the men had in store for him. But Zeke soon returned with the lotion, placing it on Erwin’s desk. Erwin hooked his fingers in Levi’s pants and started tugging them down. Levi squeezed his eyes shut, growing terrified as to what Erwin was doing. He buried his head into Erwin’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his neck in embarrassment.

“So cute,” Erwin laughed softly, and Levi held back the urge to snap at him.

Erwin pulled down his pants and boxers, exposing his bruised ass to the two of them. Erwin grabbed the lotion and put some on his hands before gently rubbing it onto the marked skin. Levi gasped at the feeling; it was so cold and felt amazing on his ass, and he calmed down a little when he realized Erwin was simply trying to take care of him. It was both painful and relieving to have Erwin do this to him, and he could feel the tears pooling in his eyes from the aching.

“Does that feel better?” Erwin asked, soothingly running the lotion on his ass cheeks. He couldn’t see Zeke’s face from this angle, but he was far too humiliated to bother trying to look at the man.

Levi nodded and sniffled quietly, clinging to him. He could tell Erwin was smirking, but the feeling of being pampered like this after having such a harsh punishment was overwhelming to him. Erwin continued for a few more minutes, nuzzling Levi’s face lightly as he did so. Levi was blushing horribly, but allowed Erwin to do so. Finally, he stopped, starting to tug Levi’s pants and boxers back up.

Erwin helped Levi off his lap and wiped away his tears, giving him a smug smile, “Now, how about you show me some of the things you did with Zeke, hmm?”

Levi’s heart pounded hard in his chest as he glanced back at Zeke, who was too busy sipping on whiskey to notice what was going on. Levi looked back towards Erwin, his eyes wide with terror as he swallowed thickly and shook his head.

Erwin’s smile quickly turned to a cold frown, “Levi. Get on your knees. Now .”

Levi once again looked to Zeke for help, and the man had noticed what was happening now. His eyes widened slightly as he glanced between Levi and Erwin. He got up quickly, and Levi was hopeful that Zeke was going to step in and help him.

“Should I leave you two alone?” Zeke asked, and Levi could’ve kicked him in the balls right there and then.

Erwin nodded, grabbing Levi’s arm and tugging him closer. Levi was feeling panicked, and he shook his head quickly, ripping his arm away and turning to Zeke to beg, “Please, Zeke. Don’t go. I don’t want him to do this. I’m scared.”

Zeke was at the door now, and he turned to look at Levi with an expressionless face, “Sorry, Levi. It’s not my business.”

He walked out, and Levi felt the panic settling in as Erwin grabbed his arm and spun him around to face the taller man, who was starting to look impatient. Levi struggled in his grasp, trying to pry Erwin’s hand off his arm.

“ Levi ,” Erwin growled, “Either get on your knees, or bend over my desk. You don’t have a choice.”

Levi’s eyes began to well up with tears, nervousness pooling in his stomach as he shook his head, “N-No. Please, Erwin. You’re drunk.”

Erwin stood abruptly before shoving Levi over the edge of the desk, pinning him there. Levi was starting to hyperventilate, glancing around the desk to see what he could use to get the hell out of this situation. He could feel Erwin’s bulge against his ass and struggled as hard as he could before the man’s whole weight fell onto him. He gasped a little in some confusion, seeing Erwin’s face on the desk. He was passed out, already starting to snore softly.

Levi sighed in relief, pushing back against Erwin’s body and shoving him into his chair. He left him there, rushing back into the bedroom and moving both the nightstands in front of the door in case the man woke up again. He climbed into the bed and tugged the covers around him, quaking with some left-over terror from the situation he’d almost found himself in. It took him hours to finally calm down, falling asleep slowly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi awoke the next morning to the sound of furniture scraping against wood. He sleepily looked over to the door to see Erwin trying to make his way in, the two nightstands moving slowly across the floor from his effort. The door was cracked open slightly, and Levi could see Erwin through it, the two of them making eye contact. Levi instantly looked away, not wanting to see the man right now.

“Levi, let me in,” Erwin ordered.

“Are you sober now?” Levi asked quietly, still avoiding eye contact with the man.

“Yes,” Erwin replied, still trying to push the door open.

Levi got up slowly and started moving the furniture, knowing Erwin would likely be furious at him if he tried to keep him out for much longer. He moved the nightstands back to their spots, and Erwin pushed the door open, walking in cautiously. Levi sat on the edge of the bed with his arms crossed, looking down at the floor as he avoided Erwin at all costs.

“I... I’d like to apologize for my behavior last night,” Erwin murmured, “I was very drunk, and I didn’t intend to take advantage of you like that. It won’t happen again.”

Levi glanced up at him, and saw something he hadn’t seen before. There was a great deal of remorse in Erwin’s eyes, which surprised him. Erwin had never looked as though he’d regretted anything he’d done to him so far, but he looked incredibly guilty about what he’d done last night. Levi was almost in shock.

“Okay,” Levi replied in a small voice, not wanting to forgive him quite yet.

Erwin sighed a little and stayed in his spot, trying to keep a distance between the two of them, “I’m going to shower and get ready now. I’ll be out in my office for most of the day. You’re welcome to come and go as you please.”

Levi nodded, watching Erwin go to his closet and retrieve some clothes before he left the room. Levi got up, going to the mirror and fixing his hair. He took a good look at himself. He looked so tired, his eyes sunken and red from crying so much. Levi looked away, not enjoying seeing himself this broken. He opened the drawer that Erwin had designated as his and took out his box of tea. He figured having a cup of tea would soothe his nerves and make him feel a little better, and the process of making tea would be nice and calming to him.

He exited the bedroom, seeing Erwin exiting the bathroom with his uniform on, drying his hair with a towel. The two of them made eye contact, Erwin looking away sheepishly, as he still appeared incredibly sorry for what had happened the night prior. Good , Levi thought. He should feel that way.

“Are you making tea?” Erwin asked.

“Yes,” Levi replied, “Where can I find a kettle and stove?”

Erwin raised an eyebrow, “Stove? We have an electric kettle.”

Levi looked back at him with a confused expression. Electric kettle? He thought to himself, not sure what that was. There was so much new technology in Marley that he wasn’t used to. The lamps were the first thing he’d noticed, and he didn’t really understand how it all worked. The indoor plumbing was another one. But an electric kettle? Levi thought perhaps Erwin was pulling his leg.

“Come with me,” Erwin muttered, tossing his towel onto the back of a chair and starting to head out of the office.

Levi followed him, holding his box of tea carefully in his hands as they walked down the hall. Everyone he passed was shooting him a glare simply because of who he was, and he tried to ignore it as best he could. Erwin led him to a small room at the end of the hall with a table and some kitchen counters, along with a tall rectangular white box. There was a kettle sitting on the counter that was plugged into the wall, and Erwin took it off the stand to fill it with water. Levi watched him curiously, seeing the man return the kettle to the stand and flip a switch on the back of it. Levi looked on with awe as the kettle started to warm up seemingly on its own, bubbling after a good minute of warming up.

“See?” Erwin said, pointing to the cord, “The electricity is what makes it work.”

Levi stared at the cord, still not entirely understanding, but nodding anyways. Erwin smiled softly at him before getting a mug down from the cabinets. He held out his hand for the tea box, and Levi handed it over hesitantly, still not trusting the man. Erwin opened it and pulled out a small bag, which Levi had never seen before. He’d always made tea with the leaves back in Paradis, and had never seen it put in a small satchel like that.

“This is a tea bag,” Erwin explained, “Do you have these at home?”

Levi shook his head, watching Erwin put the tea bag into the mug. The electric kettle clicked when it was done, and Erwin poured the boiling water into the mug. He handed it to Levi, who took it by the handle and breathed in the scent.

“Do you think you can make another one by yourself?” Erwin asked, “I’d like one too, if you’re willing to share.”

Levi nodded a little, only agreeing because he was excited to use the kettle. He didn’t really feel like sharing with Erwin after last night, but he wanted to try out the new technology, so he decided to share just this once.

“Good,” Erwin smiled, “I’ll be in my office. Milk’s in the fridge. Sugar’s in the cabinets. Just make mine however you make yours. I’m not picky.”

Erwin motioned to the rectangular white box when he said ‘fridge’, and Levi nodded as if he knew what the hell the man was talking about. Erwin exited the room, and Levi felt a little giddy at the thought of being alone in this space outside the office. He set his tea on the counter and picked up the electric kettle carefully by the handle, going to the sink and filling it up with water like he’d seen Erwin do. He placed it back on the stand and clicked the switch on the side of it, watching in amazement as it started to bubble and boil.

Levi was enjoying himself, until he looked up to see Zeke entering the room. He frowned instantly. Just the person I needed to see, he thought to himself sarcastically. Zeke paused in front of the coffee machine upon seeing Levi, smiling at him a little. Levi returned the smile with a glare, crossing his arms as he waited for the kettle to be done.

“What?” Zeke asked, “What’s your problem?”

“What’s my problem?! ” Levi snapped, “You left me alone last night to get assaulted, for one! Second, you manipulated me into having sex with you!”

Zeke shrugged, “I told you, it’s none of my business what Erwin does with you. And you certainly enjoyed the sex, so I don’t see what the problem is.”

Levi could feel the fury coursing through his veins as he took in Zeke’s words. What a selfish bastard. He’d pretended to actually care about Levi, just so he could get into his pants. And then when he was actually in trouble, he just ran off as if nothing was happening.

“Don’t be a dick,” Levi grumbled, taking out another tea bag and grabbing a mug to put it in, “You know this is your fault. Why can’t you just apologize?”

Zeke sighed a little, grabbing a mug for his coffee and starting to pour coffee grounds into a filter before placing the filter into the coffee machine. Levi was a little curious as to how the coffee maker worked, but he didn’t want to ask Zeke, as he was too angry with the man at the moment.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” Zeke said after a moment, “I suppose I shouldn’t have done those things.”

“You suppose?! ” Levi growled, clenching his fists at his sides, “You literally took my virginity from me! You tricked me into it- how do you think that makes me feel?!”

Zeke frowned, turning the coffee machine on before walking towards Levi with some determination, cornering him against the wall before grasping his hands and pinning them above his head. He leaned in, so close that Levi could feel the blonde’s beard tickling against his skin.

“Don’t lie to me,” Zeke purred, a smirk resting on his face, “You loved every minute of it.”

He leaned in and whispered in his ear huskily, “I bet you miss bouncing on my cock, don’t you? Miss it filling you up and making you feel so good.”

Levi gasped a little from being pinned against the wall, and moved swiftly after listening to Zeke say those disgusting words to him. He kicked Zeke’s legs out from under him, watching the man drop to the floor, before he kicked him in the stomach angrily a few times.

“Fuck off , you sick fuck! ” Levi shouted, listening to Zeke grunt in pain.

Levi went back to making the tea, pouring the hot water into Erwin’s cup before opening the fridge and taking out some milk. He learned quickly that the fridge was a box that kept things cool, as it was filled with things that needed to remain cold to stay good. Levi listened to Zeke groaning in pain on the floor as he poured the perfect amount of milk in each cup. He put the milk back before grabbing the sugar from the cabinet and pouring a little in each mug. Zeke was starting to get up slowly now, and Levi quickly put the sugar back, grabbing the two mugs and rushing out of the room before Zeke could come after him.

He entered Erwin’s office and closed the door behind him, heading over to the desk and setting the mugs down. But as soon as he set them down, the door burst open, and Zeke stood there, looking furious. Erwin looked up from his papers, looking a little confused as to why Zeke was so angry in his doorway.

“What happened?” Erwin asked.

“Your little pet just beat me up in the break room,” Zeke spat, shooting a glare at Levi.

Levi felt some panic in his chest, as he began to worry Erwin was going to take Zeke’s side and punish him for doing such a thing. He sat down in the chair across from Erwin and sunk down a little as he avoided Erwin’s gaze.

“Is this true, Levi?” Erwin wondered, “What happened?”

“He cornered me,” Levi replied quietly, trying to defend himself, “He was saying things about how much I missed his dick.”

Erwin’s eyes narrowed, looking in between Levi and Zeke for a moment before sighing, “Zeke, Levi’s allowed to defend himself if you try to corner him.”

Zeke’s eyes widened a little, looking even more frustrated, “ Erwin! He can’t just-”

“Yes, he can, ” Erwin replied strongly, “Don’t corner my pet and you won’t have a problem. I give him permission to defend himself.”

Zeke rolled his eyes, grumbling obscenities under his breath, before he left the office with a loud slam of the door. Levi sighed with relief, feeling a little grateful that Erwin had taken his side of the argument. He felt glad to know he wouldn’t be punished for defending himself against people like Zeke.

“Sorry about him,” Erwin frowned, “He’s got quite the ego.”

“I noticed,” Levi mumbled, picking up his cup of tea and taking a sip.

Erwin did the same, picking up his cup and taking a short sip of the tea Levi had made. His eyes widened a little upon tasting it, and for a moment Levi worried perhaps he hadn’t made it to Erwin’s liking. But he was surprised to notice tears forming in the corners of the man’s eyes, and wondered what the hell had happened to make him so emotional all of a sudden.

Erwin cleared his throat and set down the tea cup, eyes darting around the room as if he was trying to calm himself down. Levi just stared at him expectantly, unsure of what was going on at this point. The only emotion he’d seen this man express was anger, and he honestly hadn’t thought the blonde had the capacity to be emotional like this.

“Sorry, I-” Erwin started, swallowing thickly, “This is exactly how my mom used to make my tea when I was a child.”

Levi nodded a little, taking another sip of the tea before replying, “I learned how to make it from my teacher when I was young.”

Erwin seemed deep in thought, staring down into the mug before him as he pondered what Levi had said. Levi was recalling now that when Erwin had given him the box of tea, he’d said his mother had learned to make tea like his father used to. He wondered if that’s why Erwin was so emotional; thinking about his absent father.

“Levi,” Erwin spoke softly, looking back up from his tea, “What was your teacher’s name?”

“Smith,” Levi replied, “Though I’m sure it’s just a coincid-”

“Kazamir Smith?” Erwin asked, looking at Levi with an incredibly hopeful expression.

Levi simply stared back at him for a moment before nodding slowly. He’d truthfully thought that it was just a coincidence that Erwin shared the same last name as his teacher. There was no way that his teacher was Erwin’s father... right? But when Erwin said that name, Levi immediately was taken aback, as he recognized it as his teacher’s.

Erwin’s entire face lit up upon this discovery, and he reached his hands out to take one of Levi’s into his own, holding it tightly, “You knew my father in Paradis! You have to tell me everything- please - I need to know.”

Levi’s heart pounded upon Erwin taking his hand, as he wasn’t yet comfortable with the man touching him like this. But he could tell Erwin was incredibly excited; he looked like a child, his eyes wide and expectant as he waited for Levi to respond.

“Well...” Levi began, not really sure where to start, “He was very nice. I remember he always brought us sweets and gave us little toys on holidays.”

Erwin nodded, drinking in every word Levi spoke. Levi wondered how such an awful person could have such a light side to him; it was almost sweet. He wanted to hold back, use this information as a weapon against the man who had tortured him so. But the look on Erwin’s face was making him think differently. He couldn’t withhold such things, not when Erwin looked so cheerful and almost ecstatic at the news that Levi knew his father.

“He... He taught us all kinds of things,” Levi continued, “Not just math and history stuff, but how to cook and clean; how to take care of ourselves. A lot of us didn’t have someone outside of school to rely on for things like that, so it really meant a lot.”

Erwin’s expression softened as he sighed contently, “So he was a good man after all. Was he still alive the last time you’d heard of him?”

Levi shrugged, completely unsure of what had become of Erwin’s dad. Once he’d left the underground and joined the Survey Corps, he’d lost all contact with the people from his childhood. He supposed it was possible that his teacher could still be alive, but he didn’t know for certain.

“I see,” Erwin spoke, his voice now having a disappointed tint to it, “I thought, perhaps... I might still be able to find him.”

Erwin’s expression had turned dark, as if saddened by the unknown whereabouts of his father. Levi sipped his tea, feeling a little uncomfortable with this conversation. He wasn’t sure he liked seeing this side of Erwin; the boyish look he had was so full of hope, and it was a different side of Erwin altogether.

“Levi?” Erwin inquired after a moment, “Was my father... was he a good man?”

Levi was a little surprised by this question, and he took a moment to ponder it before nodding. Mr. Smith, as Levi would call him in his childhood, was an incredibly selfless man. He’d always tried to help the kids in the Underground: bring them food, extra clothes, whatever he could. And he taught them plenty of valuable lessons which they could use in their everyday life, not to mention providing them with an education in general.

Erwin leaned back in his chair with a loud sigh, looking around his office as if in a daze. He then hunched back over his desk, picking at his fingernails in an almost nervous way. Levi wondered what he was thinking about so deeply.

“I... I just hope that he would be proud of me,” Erwin murmured, “I’ve worked so hard to become who I am, and I hope I would live up to his expectations.”

Levi was surprised that Erwin was being so open and vulnerable with him; so honest about his feelings. But something about Erwin’s statement angered him. Mr. Smith was someone important to him in his youth, and he couldn’t listen to Erwin say something like this without challenging it. He took a final sip of his tea before setting it down on the desk with some force, causing Erwin to look up at him.

“You think your father would be proud of all this?” Levi asked in a stern voice, gesturing to the room around him, “You beat people, torture people, kill people. Do you really think your father would be proud of that?”

Erwin just stared at him with widened eyes, his mouth slightly agape. But Levi wasn’t done. He clenched his fists as he growled, “Your father would find you disgusting; repulsive . He was a good man, and you’re just a pathetic excuse for a human being.”

Levi could feel the adrenaline running through him as he confronted Erwin. It was the first time he was breaking character; slipping out of his obedient state. Erwin looked shocked at first, before he came to his senses. A dark, cold expression came over his face as he stood, and suddenly, Levi’s confidence was waning as he watched Erwin circle the desk. It was as though he’d switched personalities, and his angry, frigid one had come back out to play.

Levi braced himself, holding onto the arms of the chair tightly as Erwin walked up to him. He raised his hand and smacked Levi hard across the face, grabbing him back his hair and lifting him out of the chair. Levi winced and forced himself to stare in Erwin’s eyes, still feeling defiant of the man despite his fear of him.

“Don’t ever speak to me like that again,” Erwin spat furiously, letting go of his hair and tossing him back into the chair. But the man wasn’t done. He grabbed Levi by the collar and threw him onto the floor, leaving the shorter man struggling to get back up.

“Or have you forgotten your place?” Erwin snarled, placing his heavy boot on Levi’s lower back and pressing him to the floor.

Levi shook his head, remaining silent as he squirmed against Erwin’s hold. Erwin pulled his foot away, and for a moment Levi felt relieved, until he was kicked hard in the side. He groaned in pain and held his side, looking up at Erwin with a venomous glare.

“Do you really want me to beat you again?” Erwin asked coolly, “I thought your backside had enough yesterday to keep you in line, but apparently I was wrong.”

Levi’s eyes widened and he shook his head again, softening his expression, “N-No sir. I won’t step out of line again. I promise.”

The threat of getting his ass beaten again was enough to keep him at bay for now. His ass was still throbbing from yesterday, and he didn’t want to find out how painful it would be for him to take another punishment on top of the one he’d already had.

“Get up,” Erwin hissed, “And go to the bedroom. You’ll be punished later.”

Levi got up shakily, turning on his heel and going back into the bedroom. He didn’t know what type of punishment he was in for, but he was certainly unprepared for it. He climbed into the bed, terrorized with horrible thoughts about what Erwin might do to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin sat down at his desk as he watched Levi trudging off to the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He let out a heavy sigh, trying to calm his anger, as he fumbled around his desk drawer for a cigar. He couldn’t believe Levi would say those things to him. Especially since he’d been so well-behaved outside of the Zeke incident. But the man’s words floated in his head over and over again, and he was starting to wonder how true they had been. Would his father really be disgusted with him?

He lit the cigar, watching the embers eat away at the tobacco as he sucked in a deep breath of smoke before blowing it back out. His eyebrows furrowed, stress overcoming him from this thought. Your father would find you disgusting; repulsive. Levi’s words echoed, and Erwin was feeling that anxiety building in his stomach. He spent the rest of his day buried in his work, smoking one cigar after another to try and keep his mind off the conversation they’d had over tea.

The blonde was so focused on his work that he barely noticed when the sun began to go down, and he could hear Levi shuffling around in the bedroom next door, likely bored and awaiting his punishment. Erwin sighed deeply before setting his pen down and putting his cigar out in the ashtray. He got up, running a hand through his pomade-slicked hair before heading towards the bedroom. He was exactly thrilled to have to see Levi right now, as it just reminded him of the dilemma he’d been going through due to Levi’s words.

Upon entering, he watched Levi jolt in the bed, sitting upright when he saw Erwin. He looked flushed, scared almost, probably at the prospect of whatever punishment Erwin was going to dole out. But Erwin hadn’t honestly given one single thought to what he would do to punish Levi, and he instead simply began undressing so that he could change into pajamas and lay down for the night.

He felt exhausted, mostly mentally at this point. The strain of thinking about his father in this way was overtaking him, and he couldn’t help but feel significantly hurt by Levi’s words, as much as he didn’t want to admit it. Erwin pulled on his pajamas and climbed into bed, facing away from Levi before turning off the lamp next to him.

The two lay in the dark, and Erwin could hear Levi shifting next to him to get comfortable under the covers. It was silent after that, the quiet sounds of their shared breathing being the only thing that filled the air. Erwin could feel that pain building up in his chest, that need to let go, and he finally turned over, Levi’s back now facing him.

“Levi,” he muttered, “Are you still awake?”

There was a quiet huff before the shorter man turned around to face him, “What is it?”

Erwin couldn’t make out his expressions much in the dark, but he could tell the man was not really eager to have a conversation with him at the moment. Erwin needed to talk to him, though. There were things he needed to hear, needed to know, in order to feel more at ease.

“Did you mean it?” Erwin swallowed thickly, “What you said about my father... was it true?”

Levi just stared at him, mouth opening and closing as he pondered what to say. Erwin held his breath, releasing it in a sigh once Levi responded with a short nod. So Levi wasn’t just saying that in the heat of the moment; he’d meant it. And it was true. His father would be disappointed in him.

The news hit Erwin like a ton of bricks. He’d known it was true, deep down, but he’d still remained hopeful, and for what? He sat up slowly, hugging his knees to his chest as his eyes darted around the room and he bit his lip. Levi propped himself up on his elbow, watching Erwin carefully.

“Why does it bother you so much?” Levi wondered, sensing Erwin’s emotional state.

Erwin shook his head a little, avoiding Levi’s gaze as he stared off at the wall, “It’s just... ever since I was little, I’ve had no memories of my father. I would get these little snippets of information about him from my mother; from her stories. I would drink them in like a fresh glass of water, and that’s who he was in my mind. He could be anybody I wanted him to be.”

Erwin sucked in a shaky breath as he continued, “He’s always been my hero, but I’m realizing now that he was only the hero I made up, and the real him is so much different. I thought... I thought he’d be proud because I’ve worked so hard.”

Levi just lay there, taking in Erwin’s every word patiently as he explained, “My mother and I... we were suffering as Eldians, but when I joined the warrior program, we got so many benefits other Eldians didn’t have. And I thought he’d be proud of me for that, for taking care of my mother when he was gone. But... But when you said he’d be disappointed... when you said he’d find me repulsive...”

Erwin placed a hand over his eyes in stress, his heart pounding away in his chest, “I can’t help but agree with you.”

There was only silence in response, and Erwin could feel the tears tugging at his eyes now. He really was a terrible person, wasn’t he? Just earlier today, he’d beaten Levi up just for being honest with him. Yesterday, he’d broke his best friend’s arm and whipped Levi’s ass until it was purple and bruised.

“That’s... That’s why I got so angry,” Erwin murmured, pulling his hand away as a tear escaped, “I’ve become a monster, and that’s a hard thing to admit to.”

What had happened to his innocence? Erwin wondered. Mere years ago, he was a happy-go-lucky warrior candidate, still full of hope and a cheerful demeanor. He had so many friends, so many people who loved him and cared about him. But now, he had only his mother, and Zeke. His mother didn’t even know the extent of what he was doing as a Warrior, and Zeke... well, Zeke could be just as sick as he was, if he wanted to.

“I don’t understand what happened to me,” Erwin muttered, “It’s like they beat it into you- the anger, the sadistic nature. If you aren’t ruthless, they don’t want you. So I learned to be cruel because that’s how I could get ahead. That’s how I could survive.”

He finally looked over at Levi, who was just listening to him quietly. The shorter man looked a little shocked by Erwin’s tears, unsure of how to respond. Erwin had never told these things to anybody, and he wasn’t entirely sure why he was telling them to Levi now. Perhaps it was because Levi didn’t know him very well; or at least, he hadn’t known him for long. Perhaps it was because Levi had been so honest with him in ways other people wouldn’t dare.

“Erwin,” Levi finally spoke up, “You don’t have to be like that anymore.”

Erwin let out a short, sad laugh, “But I do. Don’t you understand? If I show mercy, I’m considered weak. And then they’ll replace me.”

“Then why don’t you leave?” Levi asked.

Erwin had never thought to do such a thing. Leave Marley? Leave his mother behind? His career that he’d worked so hard for? No, he simply couldn’t do that. He was trapped here, in a never-ending cycle of torturous insanity, where he was forced to be a murderous, emotionless bastard.

“I can’t leave,” Erwin responded shortly.

“And why not?” Levi wondered, “You could do it. You could sneak out, I’m sure you know how.”

“I can’t leave just my mother here,” Erwin insisted.

He was suddenly coming to his senses, his emotional state wearing down as he realized just how serious the consequences would be if his superiors even found out he’d been pondering such a thing as desertion.

“Levi, we can’t speak about this here,” Erwin mumbled, “The walls have ears, if you know what I mean.”

Levi raised an eyebrow, looking around the room curiously, as if trying to find the ears Erwin was talking about. Erwin couldn’t help but smile a little. Perhaps the man had never heard the phrase before.

“It means people are listening,” Erwin explained.

“I knew that,” Levi responded defensively, snuggling back down into the sheets in annoyance.

Erwin chuckled softly, finally moving downwards under the covers and turning to Levi, who was staring at him just as intently. Erwin took in the dark-haired man’s face. He was incredibly handsome: round, chubby cheeks, dark, focused eyes, a simple frown on his face that read indifference. He’d thought Levi was gorgeous from the first day he’d met him, but now... now he was feelings things he didn’t know he could feel.

“Thank you, Levi,” Erwin smiled, reaching out to run a gentle hand along Levi’s cheek.

Even in the darkness, Erwin could see Levi’s blush, and it made his own heart skip a beat. Levi jerked away from his hand, looking thoroughly embarrassed from Erwin’s tender touch.

“Wh-What are you thanking me for?” Levi wondered, looking confused.

“For being honest with me,” Erwin replied, taking one of Levi’s hands into his own, “And for listening to me. Nobody’s ever really done that before.”

“You don’t talk to Zeke about these things?” Levi asked, briefly allowing Erwin to hold his hand before he tugged it away.

“No,” Erwin responded, “Regrettably, Zeke and I don’t talk about our emotions much. I don’t think he’d turn me in for saying such things, but you can never be too sure. And I’m sure he thinks the same of me.”

Levi nodded in understanding, “Oh... well, you’re welcome then.”

Erwin couldn’t help the giddy feeling he had from Levi’s words. He thought the man was entirely too precious, and these thoughts were starting to scare him a little. If he couldn’t be the ruthless, cruel warrior his superiors wanted him to be, then who was he? And how would he survive here knowing the consequences of changing his demeanor?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi awoke early the next morning, unable to stay asleep. He thought about the things Erwin had said to him, and wondered just why the blonde had opened up to him so much. He didn’t understand, but all he knew was he had taken a small liking to how Erwin had talked to him the day before. He’d been open and vulnerable, and surprisingly kind. Levi didn’t know how to feel about such an encounter, but he tried to remind himself that this was the same man who had been so awful to him since the day he’d gotten there.

He got out of bed carefully, trying not to wake Erwin. He decided he was going to use this opportunity to explore. Normally, he wouldn’t dare, but given Erwin’s nice streak last night, he had a little more confidence that he wouldn’t be punished as harshly for leaving without permission, especially since Erwin didn’t punish him for yesterday’s outburst.

After changing out of his pajamas, Levi walked out of the bedroom and then out of the office, seeing the hallway was empty. Perfect , he thought, beginning to walk cautiously down the hall. He realized the place he had been in was likely where all the higher ups had their offices and quarters, and he wondered how many rooms there were in this building alone. He passed the break room, hearing “that asshole, Smith” as he walked by. The door was halfway shut, and Levi paused in his footsteps, curious as to what they were saying about Erwin.

He took a step back and hid behind the door, listening in. It sounded like there were more than two people in the room, and he could distinguish between their voices fairly well as he took in the conversation:

Person 1 - He certainly is an asshole, isn’t he?

Person 2 - Yeah, did you see that devil he brought in from Paradis? Guess he’s in charge of the guy now.

Person 1 - Heard he’s an Ackerman.

Person 3 - Really? I heard he’s a little twink.

(laughter)

Person 1 - That tracks. Smith always seemed a little fruity to me.

Person 3 - Do you think he’s fucking the Ackerman?

Person 1 - I don’t see why not, he’s probably taking advantage of that little whore.

Person 2 - What a fucking f*g.

(laughter)

Levi had heard enough. Though he certainly didn’t appreciate being called a twink or a whore, something about calling Erwin that derogatory, homophobic term, lit in a fire in Levi’s belly. He didn’t know why on earth he felt the need to defend the man, but something inside him pushed him to do so. He threw the door open, coming face to face with three men, all who were taller than him, unsurprisingly. They were Marleyans, as judged by their red armbands, but didn’t appear to be higher ups like Erwin and Zeke were. They were too young-looking.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing saying those types of things?” Levi growled, “Shut your fucking mouths.”

One of the men, with dark curly locks, smirked at him, and Levi recognized his voice as the third person who had spoken, “Well, well. If it isn’t the little twink.”

The men joined together in laughter, and Levi clenched his fists at his sides, gritting his teeth as he snapped, “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

The voice that Levi recognized as the first speaker, a man with longer blonde hair that went to his shoulders, spoke next, “Why don’t you show us what tricks you spin on your master, hmm?”

Levi shot the man a deadly glare, getting ready to defend himself if necessary. But a fourth man came from behind the door out of nowhere, one who hadn’t spoken during the entire exchange. He had a brown haired bowl cut, and quickly yanked Levi into the break room, slamming the door shut behind him. Levi was caught by surprise, and went to throw a punch at the man before the three men got up and cornered him against the wall with the fourth, the long-haired man grabbing him around the waist and throwing him down onto the table. Levi grunted from the force, scrambling to get up before his body was pinned there by the man with the bowl cut, his massive hands holding Levi down by his back. The man that Levi assumed had to have been the second speaker, a shorter guy with a buzz cut, held his hands down, while the long-haired man kneeled on the ground and pinned his legs to the legs of the table.

Panic began to settle in now as the man with the dark curly hair took his place behind Levi, gripping his hips and grinding lightly against his ass, “Let’s see if we can break Smith’s little pet, hmm?”

Levi struggled hard against their hold, protesting, “Let go! Erwin will fucking kill you if he finds out what you’re doing!”

“But he won’t, will he?” the man with the buzz cut hummed.

“Yeah, cause if you tell him, we’ll fucking slit your throat,” the bowl cut man threatened.

Levi opened his mouth to scream for help, but the buzz cut man who was holding his hands down quickly slapped his free hand over Levi’s mouth, the four men laughing between each other. He felt his pants being tugged down around his thighs along with his boxers, and could feel the fear causing his heart to practically pound out of his chest.

He was trying to convince himself this wasn’t happening, that he wasn’t here. But the other side of his brain was telling him that he was here, that this was real. It wouldn’t be too bad, would it? It was just a cock, right? Maybe four? Sure, it would hurt, but maybe he would be okay? Erwin would get his revenge on them, surely, and he would take good care of Levi if something like this happened to him.

The sound of a zipper being undone was heard behind him, and Levi squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the prodding of a cold dick against his hole. When he opened them again, he had tears in his eyes, but held them back as best he could, not wanting to give these bastards the satisfaction of making him upset.

“Aww, look at him, Elias,” the man with the buzz cut chuckled, “He’s gonna fucking cry.”

Elias, the dark curly haired man whose cock was rubbing in between his crack, was laughing at him, “Aww, poor little thing. Don’t worry little one, I’ll give you something to fucking cry about.”

Levi shut his eyes again as the dick was painfully pushed past his rim, causing those tears to break over his eyelids simply from the pain of it. At least this wasn’t his first time, he thought to himself, trying to reassure himself that everything was going to be okay, even if it seemed like it wasn’t at the moment. The burn and stretch were hard for him to get through, but once the man was fully seated inside him, he was able to better cope with the feeling.

“Oh fuck,” Elias groaned as he gripped his hips tightly in his fingers, “Such a tight little thing, aren’t you?”

“I get to go next,” the long-haired man demanded.

“Fuck you, Felix,” the buzz cut man snapped, “I’m going next.”

“I call dibs on third then,” Felix responded, “Luka, you’re last, sorry.”

Luka, the bowl cut man, huffed in annoyance, “ Fine .”

Levi could feel Elias moving inside him now, short little thrusts that were punching at his prostate. He felt his dick getting hard from the stimulation, and was incredibly ashamed, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach at how disgusted he was with his own body.

“Look at him, Bruno,” Felix laughed, “He’s already getting hard. I told you he was a whore.”

Bruno, the buzz cut man, let out a laugh along with him, and Levi rested his cheek on the cold table, tears streaming down his face as he tried to picture himself anywhere but here. He pictured sitting in his office back at home with his friends, drinking tea and listening to them tell ridiculous stories from their childhoods. The laughter of the men in the break room was distant now, their words drowned out as Levi tried to mentally distance himself from the traumatic moment he was living through.

“Come on, Elias,” Bruno pleaded, bringing Levi back into it again, “It’s my turn. Don’t keep him all for yourself.”

“Fine,” Elias grunted, “But I get another turn. I want to stuff this one full of my cum. He’s going to be dripping by the time we’re done with him. We’ll send him back to Smith like the slut he is.”

There was more snickering amongst the men as Elias gave him a few harsh thrusts before pausing. Then, the stiff cock inside him was pulled out abruptly, and Levi was suddenly unsure as to how he was going to make it through this. He was in so much pain already, both mentally and physically, and he could feel a substance dripping down his thigh, not certain if it was blood or pre-cum.

Bruno and Elias switched places, Elias’s salty palm now covering his mouth and pinning his wrists to the table. He could hear Bruno’s belt buckle being undone, and felt the head at his entrance, bracing himself for the second cock.

Levi heard the squeak of the door open, followed by some silence before there was a loud growl, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!”

There was suddenly the sounds of some scrambling, pants being pulled back up and belt buckles being redone. Levi, in his hazy state, recognized the voice of the person who had shouted upon entering: it was Zeke’s. The hands on his legs, wrists, and back were removed quickly, but Levi remained where he was on the table, his eyes staring off into space. Nobody was here to rescue him; he’d simply imagined Zeke, hadn’t he?

But he could hear Zeke scolding the men, shouting, “You keep your fucking hands off him! He’s Erwin’s!”

“Yes, sir,” the men responded, sounding sheepish. Levi couldn’t help but think they didn’t sound so strong now that they were being reprimanded by their superior.

“All four of you will go to the barracks immediately and await your punishment there. I’ll let Erwin fucking deal with you disgusting pieces of shit later,” Zeke snarled furiously, and Levi heard four sets of footsteps rushing out of the room before what he assumed were Zeke’s footsteps walking closer to him.

Zeke kneeled down next to him at the table, reaching out a hand gently to cup Levi’s face in his palm, “Levi? Levi , honey? Are you okay?”

Levi finally snapped out of it upon seeing Zeke, his eyes focusing in on the man with the familiar beard and the curly blonde locks, his face framed by round glasses. Though he didn’t particularly like the man in front of him, he certainly was happy to see him at the moment, and was more than happy that Zeke had happened to walk in on what was happening.

“It hurts,” Levi muttered, letting out a shaky breath as he tried to take account of the pain his body had endured. His ass was pounding with agony, and he was almost certain it was blood that was pouring down his leg, as it had continued even after Elias had pulled out.

“Shit, Levi,” Zeke confirmed, “You’re bleeding. Come on, let’s get you up. Do you think you can stand?”

Levi was starting to come back to reality with each passing second, slowly beginning to push his body off the table as he nodded, “I... I think so.”

Zeke grasped one of his arms to help him, and Levi stood on quivering legs, starting to tug up his boxers and pants. Zeke held both of Levi’s forearms in his hands to aid in steadying the shorter man, who was swaying a little from the uncomfortable feeling of standing when he was in so much pain.

“Let’s go to the infirmary,” Zeke insisted, “They’ll take care of you there.”

Levi shook his head quickly, tears filling his eyes, “I... I don’t want to.”

“But Levi,” Zeke frowned, looking incredibly concerned, “You’re bleeding. You could be really hurt.”

Levi whimpered quietly, clinging to Zeke’s arms and shaking his head again, “I just want to go back to bed.”

“Fuck,” Zeke sighed heavily, clearing fighting whether he should just pick Levi up and take him there against his will or not, “ Fine . But we have to tell Erwin what happened. What were you doing out here by yourself, anyways?”

“I wanted to surprise Erwin with a cup of tea when he woke up,” Levi lied in a mumble, knowing he couldn’t reveal the true reason he’d snuck out, “And... we can’t tell him. I don’t want him to know.”

“Levi,” Zeke said firmly, “We have to tell Erwin. Why don’t you want him to know?”

Levi sniffled, looking down at his shoes, “I feel so fucking stupid.”

It was true. He did feel stupid. Stupid for trying to defend Erwin, only for something so awful to happen to him. Stupid for not being able to protect himself from such a thing happening. He’d always thought he was so strong, so why hadn’t he been able to fight them off?

Zeke took Levi’s face into his hands and lifted it so that they were looking at each other, a look of worry and pity on his face. Levi didn’t want to be pitied. He didn’t think he deserved it. He let Zeke hold his face like this, even though normally he would’ve kneed the man in the nuts for touching him after what he’d done to manipulate Levi.

“You’re not stupid,” Zeke murmured softly, gently stroking Levi’s cheeks to soothe him, “This isn’t your fault, Levi. Nobody could protect themselves from four strong military men, even humanity’s strongest. Now, we have to tell Erwin and get you cleaned up, alright?”

Levi nodded reluctantly after a moment of silence, his eyes darting away from Zeke’s as he found he just couldn’t keep eye contact. It was too painful, to see the sympathetic look Zeke was giving him. He didn’t want any of it; he just wanted to pretend like nothing had happened and move on.

Zeke wrapped an arm around Levi’s shoulders, leading him carefully out of the break room and down the hall towards Erwin’s office. The door to his office swung open before they got there, Erwin appearing in the doorway looking around frantically, probably in search of Levi as he’d now discovered the shorter man had disappeared from his room. He saw Zeke and Levi coming down the hall and looked relieved for a brief moment, before a frown painted his face upon seeing the frazzled state Levi was in.

“What happened?” he asked almost instantly, his expression darkening, “Zeke, what did you do to him?”

“It wasn’t me!” Zeke insisted, “Look, just help me get him into bed.”

Erwin narrowed his eyes at Zeke before his face softened, trusting his friend. He walked towards them before picking Levi up bridal style, noting his shaky legs that were wobbling with each step he took. Levi wrapped his arms around Erwin’s neck, laying his head on the comfortable, soft chest of the taller man.

He carried Levi into the bedroom, Zeke pulling back the sheets before Erwin set him down. Erwin’s eyes widened, and Levi followed his gaze down to his pants, which had a growing spot of blood on the bottom of the crotch coming from his painful hole.

“Who did this?” Erwin gritted his teeth, clenching his fists at his sides, “Zeke, give me their name. Now .”

“It was four of them,” Zeke explained, “But I walked in during the middle of it; I don’t think they got too far into things. It was the four new guys from the fifth regiment. I don’t remember their names.”

“Elias, Bruno, Felix, and Luka,” Levi muttered absentmindedly, tugging the covers up over him without regard for the blood staining his clothes and probably the bed, “I don’t know their last names.”

Erwin nodded, “Thank you, Levi. You should take a warm bath. Would you like me to get my servants to do it or-”

“No,” Levi shook his head quietly, “I don’t want anyone else to know.”

“You’ll require assistance,” Erwin murmured, “Would you like me to stay and-”

“I can help too,” Zeke offered, “I don’t mind.”

Levi sniffled, looking up at the two men. They had both caused him such pain, mentally and physically. Why did they care about him all of a sudden? Why were they trying so hard to help him? They should just throw him back in the cell downstairs and leave him to suffer if they were going to play this game of back and forth, toying with his emotions.

But ultimately, Levi knew who he was less afraid of, even if he wasn’t at all fond of the man. He muttered, “Zeke. You can help me.”

Erwin tried not to look too offended, knowing now wasn’t the time to be petty over something like this. Zeke nodded, leaving the room to go run the bath for Levi. Levi pushed himself to sit up, wincing in some pain.

“Did... Did all of them...” Erwin swallowed thickly, unsure of how to ask what he wanted to, “Did they all...?”

Levi shook his head, “Only one of them got the chance to before Zeke walked in.”

Erwin simply nodded in response, looking incredibly uncomfortable. It was as if he didn’t know how to deal with this situation, or any situation for that matter, with anything other than anger.

“Don’t you worry, Levi,” Erwin promised, kneeling next to Levi’s bedside and taking his hand gently, “I’ll make sure they suffer. I won’t let anyone do anything like that to you ever again. You have my word.”

Levi forced a small smile, appreciating Erwin’s words. He wanted those men to suffer, wanted them to be taken to jail and rot away for the rest of their lives for what they’d done to him. And he knew Erwin would follow through, as the man was ruthless and had the ability to be brutal against those who wronged him.

Suddenly, Levi was in Erwin’s strong embrace, the man’s breath trembling in his ear as he sounded shaken up by what had happened to Levi. Levi, too, was shaken by the experience, but he was surprised to hear Erwin had been so moved as well. Erwin rubbed his back soothingly, his palm moving in small circles to comfort him.

“I’m so sorry, Levi,” Erwin whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Levi muttered in a stoic voice, “It was going to happen eventually. Whether it was strangers or yourself, someone was bound to rape me.”

Erwin froze before pulling away, a horrified expression on his face from Levi’s words. But Levi had meant it, as Erwin had been so cruel to him and had tried to assault him when he was drunk.

Erwin cleared his throat uneasily, “I... I was very drunk, Levi. I already apologized-”

“That doesn’t make it forgivable,” Levi interrupted, “You’re just as bad as them.”

Erwin had wide eyes, his mouth opening and closing as he didn’t know what to say. He was clearly disturbed by what Levi had said, and didn’t know how to respond. Zeke re-entered the room, pausing as he recognized the awkward atmosphere.

He looked between the two of them before shaking the uneasiness and holding his hand out to Levi, “Come on, love. Let’s go. I drew a warm bath for you.”

Levi slowly swung his legs off the bed and got up, clinging to Zeke’s arm. He could sense Erwin’s eyes on him, still in shock from Levi’s words. Zeke led him out of the room and across the office to the bathroom, closing the door behind them.

Zeke helped Levi undress and bathe, the bleeding having stopped by the time Levi got out of the bath. He got into a fresh pair of pajamas and got back into bed, Zeke wishing him well and leaving him alone, as he had work to attend to.

Levi lay in bed, curled up in a fetal position and staring off, his eyes zoning out as he replayed what happened over and over again. Tears soon came, streaming down his face. Erwin had left while Levi was in the bath, and hadn’t returned yet, so Levi knew he had some time to let go and cry while the blonde was gone.

After a couple of hours, the bedroom door opened, and Levi lifted his head briefly to see Erwin entering with a cup of tea and a small smile on his face. It was something Levi wasn’t used to: Erwin’s smile. He was usually smirking or grinning with a smug expression, but a genuine, kind smile was rare.

“I brought you tea,” Erwin set the cup on the bedside table.

“Thank you,” Levi mumbled, sitting up and taking the cup before sipping on the hot beverage.

“Of course,” Erwin replied.

The blonde sat on the edge of the bed next to Levi, looking down at his lap uncomfortably. He was clearly still distressed by what Levi had said to him earlier, and was trying hard to make up for what he’d done. It was almost amusing, Levi thought as he took another long sip of tea, watching the usually so well put-together man looking such a mess. But Levi wasn’t concerned about Erwin’s mental battles at the moment. He was more interested in hearing how Erwin had dealt with the assholes who had done this to him.

“So what happened? Did you arrest them?” Levi asked, setting the tea cup back on the nightstand.

Erwin let out a deep sigh of annoyance, shaking his head, “No. It was my word against theirs; an Eldian against four Marleyans. They were believed over me, and I couldn’t do anything. I’m sorry, I truly am, Levi.”

“But... But you’re an honorary Marleyan,” Levi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, “You’re a warrior. Doesn’t that have any sway?”

Erwin shook his head again, twiddling his fingers in his lap, “No. Not against real Marleyans it doesn’t. But don’t you worry, Zeke and I are going to take care of them in private. Without the aid of the law.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. He could guess what that meant, but he wanted clarification anyways. He asked, “What do you mean by ‘take care of them in private’?”

Erwin turned to finally look at Levi, a different type of anger that Levi hadn’t seen before in the man’s eyes. It was a fury that contained pain and hurt in it. Levi wondered why the man was so broken up over something that hadn’t happened to him personally. Did he really care about Levi’s well-being that much? Or was this just another possession thing? Maybe Erwin was pissed that his pet had now been fucked twice while he hadn’t yet had the opportunity. But Levi wanted to believe that there was some good in this man, and that perhaps the blonde truly did care about what happened to him.

“Zeke and I discussed things, and we’ve come to an agreement. We’re going to capture them, torture them, and kill them,” Erwin said in a low voice, “They’re new, nobody will miss them. And nobody will suspect a warrior of doing such a thing. I’m going to fucking murder those bastards with my bare hands for what they did to you.”

Levi’s eyes widened slightly. Erwin would really do something like that for him? He couldn’t help but admit that he appreciated it; if Erwin wasn’t going to get revenge for him he’d bring up the will to do it himself. But honestly, he never wanted to see those assholes again, so he welcomed the thought of them being taken care of by Zeke and Erwin instead.

“Thank you,” Levi muttered, “Thank you for taking care of this for me. You don’t have to.”

“Yes I do,” Erwin replied almost instantly, “You’re my responsibility, Levi. I should’ve never let you out of my sight. It’s my fault this happened. I blame myself.”

Levi was confused as to why Erwin would blame himself for something like this. Levi had been the one to sneak out; it wasn’t as though Erwin forced him to leave. Levi had been the one to enter the break room and confront the men; Erwin hadn’t made him do that. In fact, Levi had been blaming himself from the moment the assault took place, and he didn’t understand why Erwin felt responsible.

“Levi,” Erwin gently took one of Levi’s small hands into his own larger ones, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand that had Levi blushing, “I promise that I will do whatever I can to earn your trust after what I did. I’d like to start by treating you to a day trip. I’m going into town tomorrow, and if you’re feeling well enough, I’d love for you to join me.”

A day trip? Levi thought, a giddy feeling filling his stomach. The thought of getting out of this building - he’d been here for so long - was exciting to him. Where would they be going in town? What business did Erwin have there? What was a Marleyan town even like? And most importantly: would there be a chance of escape?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin was unable to sleep that night. His eyes were wide open and red from exhaustion, staring at the wall. You’re just as bad as them. Was he? Was Levi right? Would he have really done something as awful as those four men had? Erwin wanted to say no, wanted to deny it right out. But he’d been cruel to Levi, and what he’d done when he was drunk was making him question himself. He tossed and turned, unable to stop wondering how his personality had taken such a sharp turn. When did he become such an evil bastard? It hadn’t happened overnight. Perhaps it had happened slowly overtime; he’d let things go one after the other until he was okay with pretty much any type of violence.

He watched Levi for a moment, seeing the man’s chest rising and falling with the deep breaths he was taking during sleep. Erwin didn’t know how the man was able to sleep after what he’d been through, but maybe sleep was a type of escape for him. He watched Levi’s eyebrows furrow, a frown appearing on his face before he shook his head quickly in his sleep. It seemed as though he was having some type of nightmare, soft mumbles of ‘no’ escaping his lips. Erwin wondered for a brief moment what he was dreaming about, but he didn’t have to wonder long. Levi began to struggle more underneath the covers, shouting ‘no’ and ‘please’ desperately at the top of his lungs, a fearful note to his voice.

Erwin’s eyes widened at the loud cries, and he placed his hands on Levi’s shoulders, shaking him, “Levi? Levi! Wake up, you’re dreaming.”

Levi shot up suddenly, his eyes snapping wide open as his chest heaved. He looked around in panic, as though he didn’t know where he was. He finally set his eyes upon Erwin, letting out a deep breath as he began to realize he’d just been dreaming. Erwin could guess what it was about now.

“Are you okay?” he asked cautiously, not wanting to further upset Levi.

Levi shook his head, running his fingers through his hair as he sucked in another deep breath to try and calm himself. Erwin didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to touch Levi and make things worse, but he wanted to help. He just didn’t know how. He’d always solved problems by getting angry, which usually shut people up pretty quickly. But he was dedicated to fixing that, and knew he needed to maintain patience in a situation like this.

“What can I do to help?” Erwin murmured, not sure what else to say.

Levi looked at him with some surprise, looking like he didn’t know what to say either. He opened and closed his mouth, before taking a moment of silence to think about what he wanted. Erwin was almost shocked when Levi’s eyes began to fill with tears, which he had barely noticed in the darkness of the bedroom.

“Just hold me,” Levi whispered under his breath, unable to look at Erwin as he requested such a thing, “Just... please hold me.”

Erwin was dumbfounded at Levi’s plea. He wants me to hold him? He thought to himself, watching with sadness as the tears began to stream down the man’s cheeks. Erwin scooted over and wrapped his arms around Levi, holding him close and rubbing his back.

Levi clung to his shirt, just sniffling quietly into Erwin’s chest as he explained shyly, “My... My mother used to hold me when I would cry... it’s been a long time since those days, but it still helps.”

Erwin nodded in understanding, his heart fluttering at Levi’s small frame in his arms. He could feel Levi’s heart beating against his own, and what had been mere physical attraction before was turning into emotional attraction now. Erwin had suspected himself of having some form of feelings towards the man from day one. Something about Levi’s personality was appealing to him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Now, in this tender moment, he was finally admitting it to himself: he had feelings for Levi. This horrible thing that had happened to the shorter man had made him realize just how much he would do for Levi.

So Erwin just held him, rocking him and rubbing his back as he listened to Levi’s soft breathing, which soon turned to light snores, the man having fallen back asleep in Erwin’s arms. Erwin lay there, playing absentmindedly with Levi’s hair as he examined the smaller man’s face: he had such fine features. He was so delicate-looking, though Erwin knew the man underneath was far from fragile. He was beautiful; his jet black undercut framing his face perfectly. His small mouth was slightly ajar as he snored quietly, lips plump and full. Erwin would’ve liked to kiss those lips, to caress them with his own. He was tempted now to run his fingers over Levi’s lips, but stopped himself from doing so, not wanting to do something so intimate while the man was asleep and unaware. Erwin closed his eyes, leaning his head against Levi’s as he breathed in the scent of Levi’s freshly-shampooed hair. He soon fell into a deep sleep, the two simply holding onto each other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi couldn’t help the excitement he felt as he got out of the car with Erwin. It had been his first time riding in one. Initially, he’d been terrified, and clung to Erwin’s arm once they’d sat down. But when the car started and the driver began their journey off the base and towards the town, Levi was amazed by how quick it was. Quicker than horses, that’s for sure. He spent a lot of time looking out the window, seeing the trees and little houses of the countryside pass by once they got out of the military base.

He caught Erwin smiling at him more than once. Perhaps the man was amused by Levi’s baffled expressions at riding in a car for the first time. Levi just ignored him, trying to let himself enjoy the most out of this trip with Erwin. It was his first time being outside since he’d gotten off the ship at the port with Zeke, and that was so long ago now. He breathed in the fresh air once they exited the car, sighing contently as he followed closely behind Erwin, whose strides were longer than his own due to his ridiculous height.

“What business do you have in town?” Levi wondered, catching up to Erwin and having to walk twice as fast to keep up.

“It’s my mother’s birthday,” Erwin smiled, “I’m going to buy her a gift and surprise her. She’s at a friend’s house to celebrate - the friend lives near the marketplace.”

Levi nodded, unable to help but think this was an incredibly sweet reason to have come into town. He was surprised that Erwin had wanted to bring him along for something like this, but like Erwin had said, it was a treat for Levi, who hadn’t been allowed to really enjoy anything other than the simple cup of tea he made for himself every morning (though now Erwin made the tea for them, as Levi couldn’t bring himself to go back into that room - just another thing that had been ruined for him by this awful place).

“What are you going to buy her?” Levi asked curiously, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his uniform. It was a little chilly out, autumn weather. He was wishing he had some kind of coat, but knew it was likely they wouldn’t even have one in his size anyways.

“Some flowers and a new necklace,” Erwin explained, “She’s been hinting in her letters that she needs some nice jewelry to wear out.”

“Oh,” Levi replied simply, “That’s nice.”

Erwin continued walking until they entered a square that Levi assumed to be the marketplace. There were so many stands and stalls with people selling things: clothes, food, home goods, etc. Levi didn’t even know where to look; there was just so much to look at. The vibrant colors of the various banners hanging from the different stores were so beautiful; advertising different sales and deals of the stall they were attached to.

“You hungry?” Erwin questioned, motioning to the row of food stalls in front of him.

Levi had to admit, smelling all this good food was making him incredibly hungry. He looked around at what the different stands had, not recognizing most of the food there. Marley was very different from Paradis, and Levi was a little overwhelmed, if he was honest with himself.

“Yes,” he replied, “You choose something. I don’t know most of these foods.”

Erwin put a hand on the small of Levi’s back and began to lead him to one of the stalls, “I know something you might like to try. It’s one of my favorite foods to get when I come to the marketplace.”

Levi allowed Erwin to lead him to a stall that had some kind of thin bread with cheese and other toppings on it. Erwin ordered them each a piece, pulling out his wallet and paying for the food. Levi felt a little embarrassed. Though he knew it was Erwin’s treat, taking him out like this, and he didn’t have any money anyways, he couldn’t help but feel sheepish for allowing Erwin to pay for him.

“Thank you,” Levi muttered, taking the food and inspecting it carefully, “What is it called?”

“It’s pizza,” Erwin explained as they started walking again, taking a bite out of his own slice, “It’s bread, tomato sauce, cheese. You can put all sorts of things on top. This one has pepperoni, which is a type of pork, I believe.”

Levi stared at the piece of pizza for a moment, sniffing it like a dog who was searching for scraps that were safe to eat. It smelled delicious, and the ingredients didn’t sound like anything he didn’t like. He wasn’t much of a picky eater anyways, as he’d always eaten whatever was put in front of him since he spent his childhood with little to no food.

Levi took a small bite. He was surprised by the flavor: the tangy tomato sauce and melted cheese with the salty, meaty taste of the pepperoni and the seasoned crust of the bread. It was almost an overwhelming thing; Levi hadn’t tasted anything with such flavor in it before. He was used to bland military meals; even at the Marley base, they usually didn’t have anything too fancy, so this was a special treat.

Erwin was looking back at him expectantly as he took another bite, a small smile on his face, “You like it?”

Levi nodded, taking another eager bite of the pizza and continuing to follow Erwin through the crowd. Erwin was practically beaming, though Levi wasn’t entirely sure why. Perhaps he enjoyed showing Levi the bits about Marley that were his favorite. All Levi knew was that his slice of pizza was gone in a matter of minutes; either he was hungrier than he thought, or it was just that good.

“Do you want anything else?” Erwin asked as he too finished his own slice, tossing the napkin into a bin on the side of the road. Levi followed his actions with his own paper napkin, nodding his head.

If Marley food was this good, he was willing to try more of it. He usually didn’t eat this much, but his stomach was happy with such flavorful food, and Levi was admittedly excited to try more.

“What desserts do you have in Paradis?” Erwin asked curiously, and Levi was immediately hesitant.

This was the first time Erwin had asked him about Paradis since he had asked Levi about his life in the Underground, although he supposed you could also count when they discussed Erwin’s father as well. He was reluctant to share any information about Paradis, even if it was innocent like this.

“I... well...” Levi started, thinking back to what desserts he’d had back home, “We mostly just have cakes. All different kinds of cakes. My friends... they bought me a red velvet cake for my birthday once. It was good. Probably expensive, too.”

“That was nice of them,” Erwin commented, “Have you ever had ice cream?”

Levi shook his head. What the fuck is ice cream? He thought to himself, wondering how cold cream could be good. He didn’t have to wonder long, as Erwin gently took his hand and led him through the crowd towards a stand at the end of the row, where a man with a cheerful smile was handing two children some sort of soft, creamy liquid in a cone-shaped... what was that? A pancake? A waffle, perhaps?

“It’s good,” Erwin insisted, letting go of Levi’s hand as he moved to take out his wallet, “Do you prefer vanilla, or chocolate?”

“Vanilla,” Levi answered, unsure of whether he would like this gelatinous goo that was piled on top of a hard waffle. It looked strange to him, but he supposed the pizza had also looked a little strange, and that had been good, hadn’t it?

Erwin ordered one vanilla and one chocolate from the man, who handed each of them their own ice creams. Erwin took a lick from his chocolate ice cream, almost as if he was demonstrating to Levi how to eat it. Levi watched him, taking note that you didn’t bite into the ice cream, you licked it. Strange , Levi thought, but shrugged it off.

“It’s mostly milk and sugar,” Erwin explained, “Try it. You’ll like it.”

Levi hesitantly stuck his tongue out and licked the ice cream. It was ice-cold, which was expected, given the name of the dessert. The vanilla and sugar hit his taste buds like a train; it was delicious . He couldn’t help the smile on his face. This was better than the sweets Kenny would bring him on special occasions; better than the cake his friends had given him. He wanted to know how they’d made this. Marley clearly had some sort of refrigeration technology that could keep things cold enough to make something like ice cream. Levi wondered if it had to do with this electricity he kept hearing about but didn’t understand.

“It’s good?” Erwin grinned, noting Levi’s smile as he continued to lick at the ice cream.

“It’s good,” Levi responded, not wanting Erwin to know how much he was really enjoying himself.

Erwin chuckled softly, and Levi briefly wondered what the hell was so amusing. But he was too busy licking at the ice cream, getting down to the cone soon enough. He wasn’t sure if he could eat it, but he saw Erwin taking a bite of his cone while they walked, so he experimentally did the same. The cone was crunchy and sugar-flavored; it wasn’t nearly as good as the ice cream, but Levi still liked it.

They finished their desserts as Erwin approached a florist stand, starting to examine the various bouquets to find the perfect one for his mother. Levi took the last bite of his cone and started doing the same as Erwin, just out of curiosity. He liked flowers, but had never had a reason to buy anyone flowers before. He didn’t have a mother anymore, of course, and Kenny definitely would’ve called him names had he bought flowers for the man.

“What do you think, Levi?” Erwin asked, “What flowers would you buy for your mother?”

Levi paused. He’d never thought of that before. If his mother were still alive, what type of flowers would he buy her? He tried to picture his life in Paradis if his mother was still with him: visiting her on holidays, bringing her flowers on her birthday. He envisioned her greeting him at the door with a hug and a sweet kiss to his cheeks, thanking him for the flowers and asking him a thousand questions about his life. Maybe she’d be proud of him for joining the military, proud of him for being humanity’s strongest soldier. Levi could feel a lump in his throat, and swallowed back his emotions as he looked over the various bouquets in search for one that would be perfect for his mother.

His gaze paused upon a bouquet with purple and white orchids, roses, and peonies. It was beautiful, the purple flowers so bright and colorful while accented by the calm white pieces surrounding it. Reminded him of the beauty his mother exuded when she was alive, and the purple dress she used to wear on special occasions. He picked it up carefully, turning the bouquet in his hands and smelling the pleasant aroma before holding them out to Erwin.

“These?” Erwin took them, studying the flowers as if trying to decide if he too liked them, “You sure?”

“I’m sure,” Levi maintained, “Those are the ones I’d get my mom.”

A gentle smile appeared on Erwin’s face, and he nodded after a moment in agreement, “I like them too. Thank you, Levi.”

Levi watched Erwin take them to the florist, pulling out some money and paying for them. The florist thanked him for his business, and Erwin began to walk away, Levi following him. Levi was surprised that Erwin trusted Levi to follow him just like that, and Levi was realizing just how easy it would be to slip away at any moment. His moment for escape was coming, and he could feel his heart pick up the pace as he thought about how he would make it back to the port and across the body of water to Paradis Island. He would’ve liked to have more of a plan in mind, but working on the fly was something he knew he could handle as well.

Erwin wasn’t paying attention, likely searching for the jewelry stall. Levi sucked in a deep breath, stopping in his tracks and allowing the crowd to fill in the space between him and Erwin before he started walking off in the opposite direction. He was going to head back to the main road where Erwin and he had been dropped off by the car. He didn’t have any money, so he’d have to just walk along the road until he found his way to the shore. Perhaps someone might give him directions if he asked nicely.

But now that he was without Erwin, who had the red armband of a Marleyan, he was being glared down by people around him, and Levi wasn’t sure why at first, until he remembered the yellow armband around his bicep. He knew if he took it off, there would be worse to pay than if it was kept on, but he tried to cover it with his hand anyways as he walked hurriedly through the crowd.

“The fuck are you doing here, Eldian?” he heard behind him, and tried to ignore it.

“You scum!” someone else shouted, shoving him forward a little.

Levi caught himself, steadying his balance before continuing on. His heart was pounding, a little fearful now, and he looked around, realizing he couldn’t remember which direction the road was. And how would he know which way the sea was once he got there? Panic began to settle in, and he found an alleyway where he could take a breather from the overwhelming crowd. He leaned against the wall, running a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out what to do.

He saw a group of men standing at the other end of the alley, and they soon noticed him, exchanging words and glaring at him. Levi’s eyes widened, and he quickly turned away from them, starting to head back towards the crowd with his head down.

“Hey! What are you doing here, Eldian?!” one of the men shouted, and Levi could hear the group fast approaching him.

He picked up the pace, but soon felt a rough hand on his shoulder whipping him around to face the four men. It’s the break room all over again, Levi briefly allowed himself to think before shaking the thought from his head. He couldn’t let that thought consume him now, not when he needed to be focused to stay alive and make his escape.

“Look at him,” the first man chuckled as they shoved Levi against the wall hard, “Such a tiny thing. Your kind don’t eat? Is that why you’re all skinny and short like this?”

Levi put his fists up, prepared to fight, which caused the men to start laughing and pointing at him. He wouldn’t admit it through his facial expressions, but he was scared. What had happened yesterday felt like it was happening all over; it was a nightmare he was afraid of reliving. Whether the men intended to just beat him or worse , Levi felt terrified for the possibility of what they could do with him.

“The tiny thing thinks he can fight?” one of them, a tall, lanky bastard, said with a smug grin.

“You fucking bet I can,” Levi growled, “I’ll kick all your asses.”

“How dare you talk to us that way,” the first man spat angrily, “Don’t you know to respect people like us?”

“We’ll teach you to talk that way to Marleyans,” the third man snarled.

Levi could feel them closing in on him, and raised a fist to try and fight them off, when he heard, “Levi?!”

The men parted, and Levi could see Erwin standing there, looking frantic and concerned. Not angry, which Levi was shocked by at first. He thought for sure he was caught, that Erwin would be furious with him. But Erwin was pushing the men away, grasping Levi by the upper arms.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing?” the lanky man asked, “We’re trying to beat this Eldian - teach him a lesson.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” Erwin said in a dangerously low voice, turning around and clenching his fists. He stood directly in front of Levi, defending him from the men with a furious look.

“And why the hell not?!” the fourth man shouted, “Why are you defending this lowlife?!”

“Because,” Erwin showed his armband, “I’m a Warrior, and he’s...”

Erwin paused for a second before grabbing Levi roughly by the arm, “He’s my pet. He’s my responsibility, assigned to me per the Marleyan Army through the government. So if you’d like to fight the government on this, you’re welcome to. But I don’t think you’ll be successful.”

The men were glaring at them with narrowed eyes, exchanging looks between the four of them. They slowly backed off and began walking away, grumbling swears under their breaths. Erwin waited until they were far enough away before letting go of Levi’s arm and turning to him, taking his face into his hands.

“Are you okay? Did they touch you?” Erwin asked, examining Levi’s face carefully before searching his body for any wounds.

“N-No, I’m fine,” Levi replied quietly, feeling a little ashamed for having run off now. He was far from fine. Why did he think he could handle himself out here, in this big country where he knew nothing? He felt like nothing was going in his favor. All he wanted was to be at home, surrounded by his comrades and friends, sipping a warm cup of tea. He didn’t care about the fancy Marleyan technology, or their flavorful food anymore. He just wanted to go home.

“What happened?” Erwin questioned, a stern but worried look on his face, “I turned around and you were gone.”

“I... I got lost, I just...” Levi whimpered, flashbacks of what had happened to him yesterday coming back to him. That could’ve happened to him again, just now. He was suddenly so scared, so exhausted, and so very homesick.

He looked up at Erwin with tears in his eyes, “I... I’m lost, Erwin.”

Erwin’s expression softened, and he instantly pulled Levi into his arms, “You’re not lost anymore, Levi. I found you... I found you, I’ve got you now. I promised I wouldn’t let anybody hurt you, didn’t I? I kept my promise.”

But Erwin didn’t understand what Levi had meant by those words. He felt lost in this big country where he didn’t know anyone or anything, and couldn’t trust even those who were beginning to be nice to him, like Erwin and Zeke. Levi felt lost, alone, and hopeless. His first escape attempt had gone horribly wrong. How was he ever going to make it out of Marley and back home?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“ My baby! ” Erwin’s mom cried out when she saw him enter her friend’s house in the Eldian district, rushing to hug him.

Levi couldn’t help but smile at the exchange, thinking Erwin’s mother was incredibly sweet. She threw her arms around her son and pressed kisses to both his cheeks, a huge grin on her face. The woman looked to be in her 60s, graying hair and wrinkles on her face. But she was incredibly beautiful for her age, and her smile resembled Erwin’s so much that Levi now knew which parent he’d gotten it from.

“Happy birthday, Mom,” Erwin smiled, kissing the top of her head and hugging her back. They pulled away from each other, and Erwin held out the flowers and the gift box with the necklace in it.

She took them excitedly, “Oh, darling. Just seeing you is a gift enough; you didn’t have to get me anything!”

“Open the box,” Erwin insisted anyways, watching with delight as she opened the box and examined the necklace.

Erwin had picked it out after Levi’s encounter with the men in the alleyway, with Levi’s help of course. It was a small diamond encrusted oval with a silver chain. She examined it with awe, and Erwin held his hand out, offering to put it on her. She nodded and turned around, lifting her long flowing hair as Erwin placed the necklace around her neck and did up the clasp.

“This is so beautiful, sweetheart,” his mother praised, “Thank you.”

“Of course, Mom,” Erwin replied as she turned around, “You look lovely.”

“Who’s your friend?” one of his mother’s friends interrupted the moment, a lady with a blonde bob, who pointed at Levi.

“Oh,” Erwin turned to Levi, as if he’d forgotten about him in all the fuss, “Mom, this is Levi. He’s my... well, the army has assigned him to me. He’s from Paradis.”

Levi waved shyly, “Hello.”

“ Paradis?! ” the second one of Erwin’s mother’s friends, a lady with her hair done in a long braid, “You mean, he’s one of those island devils?!”

Levi bit his cheek to prevent himself from saying anything snarky, and glanced up at Erwin for help. Erwin opened his mouth to speak, but his mother interrupted him, “Oh, Gisela, don’t be rude.”

“Rude?” the blonde lady questioned, “He doesn’t deserve our respect! Isle, don’t you know what those devils are capable of?”

“Oh Christine, don’t be so dramatic,” Erwin’s mom, who Levi now knew as Isle, tutted, “He’s an Eldian, just like you and me.”

“He’s a disgusting little thing,” Gisela noted, “So tiny.”

“You’re not much bigger,” Levi snapped at the frail old hag, finally having had enough.

Gisela glared at him and scoffed, “How disrespectful!”

“Don’t worry, Gisela,” Christine noted, “I’m sure Erwin here disciplines him well, don’t you, Erwin?”

Erwin opened and closed his mouth, looking between his mother, her friends, and Levi. He gave Levi a soft, apologetic look before turning back to his mother’s friends and nodding, “Of course I do. He’s usually well-behaved, I do apologize for his behavior. You know how devils can be.”

Levi felt a little offended, though he knew Erwin was simply playing a part. But he still didn’t like it; didn’t like hearing Erwin talk this way about him. It reminded him of Erwin’s treatment of him when he’d first arrived to Marley.

Erwin’s mother laughed uncomfortably, “Well, that’s alright, darling. I’m sure we can forgive him just this once. It’s lovely to meet you, Levi.”

“Lovely to meet you too, Mrs. Smith,” Levi held his hand out to her.

The air was suddenly sucked out of the room as everyone waited with bated breath to see what Isle would do. Her friends seemed repulsed at the notion of her shaking Levi’s hand, and Erwin looked worried, as if he didn’t know what to do. But Erwin’s mother merely smiled, taking his hand into hers and shaking it lightly. Her hands were soft, but strong and calloused, much like Erwin’s. Levi was grateful for her handshake, and they soon parted hands.

“ Revolting ,” Gisele shivered with disgust, “You’re crazy, Isle.”

“Well, we best be going,” Erwin urged, “We just thought we’d stop by for a brief moment to wish you a happy birthday, Mom.”

“Of course, dear,” his mother smiled in understanding, hugging him one last time, “You two have a lovely evening, alright? Don’t you work too hard now, Erwin. And never forget how much I love you.”

Erwin held her close, sighing happily, “I love you too, Mom. Have fun with your friends.”

He pulled away, waving at his mother’s friends before pulling Levi gently by his arm to the door. Levi and Erwin’s mom exchanged a goodbye wave before the two exited and began to head down the darkening street towards the hotel they were planning to stay at.

The two were silent as they walked, until Erwin piped up, “I... I apologize, Levi... you know, for calling you a devil. I was just playing along; I didn’t want them to question my loyalty to Marley.”

Levi simply nodded in response, “I understand. At least your mother was nice to me. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve done something horrible to me. I’m kind of used to it by now.”

Erwin stopped in his tracks, anger passing over his face all of a sudden. Levi stared up at him curiously before he was forced against the wall of a building they were walking by. He gasped, eyes wide at Erwin’s actions. He stared into Erwin’s eyes, seeing the fury and cruelness there that had so often appeared when Erwin had been so awful to him. Levi was a little frightened by the sudden change in his attitude. He’d thought Erwin was doing so well; he’d been so kind to him. So where had this come from? Perhaps Levi had set him off unintentionally.

“Listen,” Erwin snapped, “Just because I hurt you before doesn’t mean you can be an asshole to me and keep bringing up my past. I’m trying , okay? So cut me some fucking slack, or I’ll go back to being an asshole too.”

Levi nodded slowly in understanding, and Erwin let go of him, his breathing heavy as he tried to calm himself down. He kicked the wall hard, shouting ‘ fuck! ’ as he tried to quell his anger. Levi just watched his little tantrum, but he thought about Erwin’s words. Maybe he was right, at least a little bit. Levi shouldn’t keep bringing up Erwin’s past if he wanted him to change for the better. He kept rubbing it in, and he had every right to, in his mind, but perhaps he should try not to poke the bear and get Erwin all riled up like this. Like Erwin had said, the man was at least trying his best.

“I’m sorry,” Levi apologized, “I shouldn’t have said that. It’s not your fault you had to call me a devil in there. Those bitches your mom calls her ‘friends’ had bad intentions, and I see why you had to play pretend with them. So it’s fine. Just calm down, okay?”

Erwin stared at Levi, the violence in his eyes starting to subside as he listened to Levi speak. He sucked in a deep breath, taking in Levi’s words and mumbling, “I’m sorry I lost control. My anger... sometimes it’s like I can’t control it. I’m really trying, I promise I am. I’ve just spent so long being this way that it’s hard to revert to being a good person.”

Levi nodded in understanding, “It’s okay. I won’t antagonize you anymore. Let’s just get to the hotel, alright?”

Erwin’s eyes were calm now, a small smile on his face, “Alright, Levi. Let’s go.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zeke caught the knife that Erwin had tossed at him before sinking it deep into the chest of the man with the ugly buzz cut and twisting it painfully. Zeke hadn’t bothered to learn their names; he’d heard them when Levi had listed them, but he didn’t particularly care to know. The man cried out into his gag in agony, struggling hard against his bindings. Zeke ripped the knife out without care, sucking on the cigarette in his mouth before blowing out the smoke casually, as if he wasn’t doing the horrible things he had been for the past two hours with Erwin.

It was two days after Erwin and Levi returned from town. Erwin and Zeke had entered the barracks in the dead of night and kidnapped the four men in their sleep, drugging them with sleeping medication before tying them up and putting bags over their heads. They paid off a driver to take them to a secluded location off base: an old abandoned warehouse that Erwin had known about. Zeke hadn’t bothered to ask how he knew about this place; he supposed Erwin had taken past victims there at some point, as this wouldn’t be the first time Erwin was committing such a crime. Either way, Zeke didn’t want to know the details. They tied the four men to metal chairs they had found in the abandoned building, putting each man in a separate room so that they couldn’t see each other, but could hear each other’s screams.

They’d spent two hours simply torturing the men. Zeke had never seen Erwin so furious in his whole life, and that was certainly saying something, as Erwin was often angry. The fervor with which Erwin ripped every nail from a finger, cut every piece of flesh out, stabbed with a barbarity that scared the fuck out of Zeke, if he was honest with himself. Two of the men were already dead - one with a knife slit straight across the throat, the other with a gun shot wound to the chest. They’d both bled out slowly, painfully, until they were cold to the touch. Now it was down to the last two: the man with the buzz cut, and the dark, curly haired man. They were saving the dark-haired man for last, as torture had brought out the information that he was the only one of the four to actually penetrate Levi. Zeke was letting Erwin lead the charge for the most part, following the man’s direction with his own flare on things.

“Do you think you’ve learned your lesson?” Erwin murmured coldly, eyes staring the man down with the most sharp, icy stare Zeke had ever seen.

The man nodded, a desperate ‘yes’ being heard even through the gag. His breathing was growing heavy as blood oozed from the stab wound in his chest, a loud ‘please’ escaping his mouth.

Erwin chuckled, a devilish grin on his face. It reminded Zeke he should never piss Erwin off. The man was simply terrifying, there was no doubt about it. And these men had made Erwin beyond enraged with what they’d done.

“You think I should show you mercy? After what you’ve done?” Erwin grinned from ear to ear - a disturbing sight to say the least when Zeke knew just how livid he truly was underneath it all, “Zeke, finish him off.”

Zeke nodded, flipping the knife in his hand and catching it by the handle as he puffed on his cigarette, “Any particular method you’d like?”

“Just make it painful,” Erwin ordered, leaving the room.

Zeke ignored the man’s screams as he begged for help, pleaded for forgiveness. He ashed his cigarette out on the man’s cheek and tossed it to the ground before raising the knife up and plunging it into the man’s heart. He ripped the knife out and stabbed him again, and again, fury building in his own veins as he continued. Walking in on Levi, bent over the table being held down by those men; it ignited something in Zeke worse than anger: clear, absolute hatred. Zeke realized the man had been long dead by the tenth stab, but kept going out of pure spite. He was breathing heavily, blood splatter everywhere. He pulled out his handkerchief and cleaned the bloody knife, a smirk on his face from his good work.

Zeke exited the room, using the back of his hand to wipe the blood from his face as he walked into the room of the last man: the man who had done the worst of them all because he’d been the first to follow through with what all four men had intended for Levi. Erwin was busy carving something into the man’s naked chest, the dark-haired man screaming in pain.

Erwin pulled back when he was done, the word rapist now written across the man’s chest in deep cuts that bled immediately, “There. Now whoever finds your body will know you’re not worth burying.”

The torture this man had endured was greater than the other three; Erwin had made sure of that. He’d had all his nails removed, three of his fingers cut off, and the wounds cauterized by Zeke’s lighter. Erwin had castrated him, and at this point the man had been going in and out of consciousness, surely near death.

“Now, now,” Erwin muttered, tapping his chin in thought, “What do you think we should do with this one, Zeke?”

Zeke wanted to fucking strangle the rapist with his bare hands until he had no breath left in him, but he knew it was important for Erwin to get to kill this one: he’d been waiting all night for the opportunity to do so. It wasn’t just that Levi technically belonged to Erwin; it was that Erwin appeared to have developed some form of feelings for the shorter man as well, and took what happened to Levi as a personal attack. It had shaken the man to his core, Zeke could tell just by looking at him. Erwin blamed himself, Zeke thought, though he wasn’t entirely sure why he would.

“Maybe you should squeeze his neck in your hands until he can’t breathe anymore,” Zeke suggested with a shrug, leaning up against the wall.

“Perhaps,” Erwin considered, “Or maybe I’ll beat his head in with this.”

Erwin picked up a brick from the rubble of the abandoned building, tossing it in his hand for a moment while he pondered what he wanted to do. He sighed and dropped the brick, mumbling, “No, that’s too easy.”

Erwin grabbed the man by his hair and ripped his head backwards, holding the knife he’d used to carve the words into the man’s chest up to his face, “Maybe I’ll pluck out his eyeballs and feed them to him before I snap his fucking neck.”

Zeke raised an eyebrow, picking at his fingernails with the blade of his knife, “I thought you said you didn’t like doing things with eyeballs. Makes you squeamish, doesn’t it?”

Erwin sighed, pulling away from the man and letting go of his head, “Unfortunately, yes. But I feel I could make an exception, just this once.”

The whole time they were discussing their plans, the man’s head lulled up and down, likely passing out and waking up again from all the pain he was dealing with. Erwin paced the room in deep thought, “What should I do with you, hmm?”

Zeke watched Erwin carefully, waiting for him to come up with something. Erwin finally paused, a grin on his face, and Zeke knew he had come to a solution. He turned to Zeke, asking, “Did you bring that gasoline?”

Zeke nodded; of course he had. He’d brought it in case they needed to burn the bodies. Erwin motioned his head in a way that indicated that Zeke should go get it, and he exited the room, retrieving the canister of gasoline and bringing it back. He already knew what Erwin had in mind, and handed it to the man once they were within reach of each other. He stood back, watching Erwin douse the dark-haired man in the flammable liquid from head to toe. The man wasn’t even begging anymore; he was silent and resigned to his fate - in too much pain to even bother anymore.

Erwin stood back and pulled out a box of matches from his pocket, lighting one and tossing it at the man’s feet. His body quickly ignited; the whole room soon become full of the stench of burning flesh. The man was screaming with everything he had left in him, and Erwin simply turned around and left the room, muttering, “Let’s go,” to Zeke, who followed him out as they listened to the shrieking of the dying man behind them. Revenge taken.

They paid another driver to take them back to the base, and snuck into the Warriors’ quarters, heading into Erwin’s office. As soon as Erwin turned on the light, the two looked each other over and realized they were both entirely covered in blood. Zeke’s eyes widened as he realized how bad it would’ve been if they’d gotten caught sneaking in, and Erwin’s eyes were just as wide as the same realization dawned on him.

The two just stared at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing. It was just so ridiculous; how shocked they’d both been at something so blatantly obvious. Of course they were covered in blood, why did they both act so surprised?

Their laughter ceased as Erwin’s bedroom door opened, Levi standing there and staring at them with a bewildered look on his face at the sight of the two of them. They stopped to look at him, Erwin opening his mouth to explain, but Levi stopped them by raising a hand up in front of him.

“No need to explain,” Levi said, “I’ll go run the bath.”

He shuffled across the office sleepily and went into the bathroom to run a bath for Erwin. Zeke watched Erwin’s eyes follow the smaller man, glued to his ass as soon as Levi was turned around. Zeke couldn’t help the smug grin on his face, and Erwin finally saw Zeke’s look once Levi had closed the bathroom door.

“What?” Erwin asked with a raised eyebrow, going to his desk to grab a cigar.

“Ervy has a crush ,” Zeke teased, watching Erwin’s face grow red.

He’d never seen Erwin like this before, and it was incredibly amusing. Of course, he too had a crush on Levi, but it was more of a sexual crush than anything. Erwin, however, seemed to be in a little deeper than that, having both a physical and emotional attraction to the shorter man.

“Shut your mouth,” Erwin snapped, lighting his cigar and sucking on it nervously, “I do not.”

“Yes, you do,” Zeke chuckled, “I’m your best friend, Erwin. I would know .”

Erwin scoffed and rolled his eyes, “It’s not a crush. It’s just... he’s kind, you know? He has a nice... personality.”

Zeke couldn’t help it; he started laughing at Erwin’s words, “Oh yeah, Erwin. I’m sure you think he has a nice personality... and a nice ass too, from the way you were staring at it.”

Erwin glared at him and puffed on the cigar in frustration, “Zeke, stop it! He’ll hear you!”

Zeke smirked and headed for the door so he could go to his own room and get washed up, “Alright, alright. I’ll stop teasing. It’s just cute - I’ve never seen you so smitten.”

Erwin grumbled swears under his breath, deciding to ignore what Zeke had said, “ Good night , Zeke.”

“Night, Erwin,” Zeke snickered as he left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi got up the morning after he’d woken up in the middle of the night to a blood-covered Erwin and Zeke, noting that Erwin wasn’t in bed with him. He shrugged, figuring he might already be in the office or the bathroom. But after Levi grabbed a uniform from his designated drawer and exited the bedroom, he noticed that Erwin wasn’t in the office, nor the bathroom. Levi was confused, wondering where the man had gone off to, but he figured he’d be back soon, anyways. He just couldn’t believe the man trusted him to stay alone in his office without leaving, but he appreciated it nonetheless. Perhaps things truly were changing between them for the better.

Levi climbed into the shower and cleaned himself, hopping out and getting dressed. When he exited the bathroom, Erwin still wasn’t there. He frowned and went to sit at Erwin’s desk in his chair, curiously opening the top drawer to see what the man stored in his desk. There was a fancy wooden box that contained the man’s cigars. Disgusting , Levi thought, making a face at the smell of the tobacco. Though he’d grown accustomed to Erwin’s smoking, it was still an awful smell that he disliked very much.

He searched through the drawer, seeing some pictures of him and his mom, him and Zeke when they were young Warriors - probably at the age of 12 or so. Levi couldn’t help but smile at the pictures, thinking it was sweet that Erwin would keep pictures of people who were important in his life. He’d only seen one other photo in his life. It was in his drawer in Erwin’s bedroom, a picture of him and Erwin in town from a few days ago. Erwin had insisted the two of them get their picture taken, since Levi had never had it done before:

Levi nervously straightened his uniform and stood against the black backdrop, watching Erwin come and stand next to him, a smile on his face and a hand around Levi’s shoulder. Levi didn’t know what to do with himself. He felt so uncomfortable and out of place, his fingers twitching at his sides. He decided to put a hand on the small of Erwin’s back, offering a small smile to the camera. A flash of light, and it was over, just like that. The photographer developed the photo after not much time at all, and gave it to Erwin, who immediately gifted it to Levi after paying for it.

“You keep it,” he insisted, “Now you’ll know how handsome you are.”

Levi blushed horribly at the comment and stared at himself in the photo. Sure, he’d seen himself in a mirror before, but something about being captured still in a picture like this was different. He couldn’t help but pick out all his insecurities: how small he was, how he smiled so awkwardly, and how generally ugly he thought he was. It was hard not to compare himself to Erwin, who was so much taller, with a gorgeous smile and a beautiful face. Why had Erwin called him handsome? Levi didn’t think that was true. He had immediately put the photo back into his drawer when they got back, cherishing it and thinking it was probably the most impressive gift he’d ever received.

Photographs were so real, so lifelike, he thought to himself as he looked at little Zeke and Erwin in the picture - much better than a painting. Though painting took much skill, and Levi appreciated art, the accuracy of the photograph could not be matched. Zeke had a shy smile, Erwin’s arm around his shoulder with a big grin on his face. They were adorable, Levi had to admit.

He put the photos back and picked up a small bottle in his drawer, examining the Marleyan wording on it. He couldn’t read it, and wondered what it was for. That’s when the door opened, and Levi jumped, caught red-handed by Erwin, who stood in the doorway looking at him holding the bottle with Erwin’s desk drawer open.

“I... I’m sorry,” he scrambled to apologize, “I shouldn’t have been going through your things, I just-”

“Levi, it’s okay,” Erwin chuckled, closing the door behind him, “It’s normal for you to be curious.”

Levi let out a sigh of relief, “Oh... well, I’m sorry anyways.”

“What are you looking at, anyways?” Erwin wondered, walking over to where Levi was.

“This,” Levi held up the bottle, “I can’t read it. I don’t know what it’s for. Is it some kind of medicine?”

Levi watched as Erwin went completely red in the face, and suddenly he thought he’d perhaps embarrassed the man; maybe it was a medicine for some humiliating condition. Levi was about to insist that Erwin just forget about it, when Erwin answered him:

“It’s uh... it’s lube... you know, for sex.”

Levi blushed horribly, still holding onto the bottle just because he didn’t know what the hell to do now, “O-Oh... oh , I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

Erwin was laughing awkwardly, “No, no. It’s... It’s okay. It’s a natural thing - we all do it, you know?”

Levi nodded, swallowing thickly and going to put the bottle back, when Erwin took it from him. He ran his finger along the word in big letters across the bottle that Levi couldn’t read. Levi followed his finger as Erwin read the word: lubricant .

“See?” Erwin murmured, pointing to each letter and telling him which symbol represented which letter.

Levi was a little embarrassed that this was the first Marleyan word he was learning to read, but he appreciated Erwin trying to teach him anyways. It was sweet, and endearing. Erwin seemed so intent on teaching him.

He couldn’t help himself, encouraging Erwin, “Can you teach me how to read other things in Marleyan?”

Erwin’s entire face lit up, and he put the bottle back in the drawer, pulling out a piece of parchment and a pen. Levi was impressed that they had automatic pens in Marley - ones with the ink already built into them. He watched Erwin scrawl the first symbol in perfect handwriting, handing the pen off to Levi for him to copy it.

“That’s an ‘ah’ sound,” Erwin explained, watching with a smile as Levi copied the symbol. Levi’s handwriting wasn’t nearly as nice as Erwin’s, he noted, but he tried his best to duplicate the symbol.

Erwin taught him half the alphabet within an hour. Levi was having more fun listening to how excited Erwin was to teach him than actually learning. Erwin was impressed with Levi’s fast learning, and praised him after every letter he learned.

“I’m so proud of you,” Erwin said, which had Levi practically beaming.

Levi felt Erwin clap him on the back lightly, and he was suddenly brought back to his childhood, with Mr. Smith, being taught the Paradisian alphabet. Levi smiled, thinking perhaps he should share this thought with Erwin.

“You remind me of your father,” Levi muttered, “Teaching me like this. You’re so into it; it makes me think of your dad.”

There was silence, and for a moment he wondered if he’d offended the blonde. But soon, there were two arms around him, and he was being pulled into a deep hug. Erwin’s arms were so strong, but they held him so carefully and gently. He smelled so fresh and clean, and it was almost intoxicating to breathe it in. Levi sat there, arms at his sides, as he didn’t know what to do.

“Thank you, Levi,” Erwin murmured, a quivering in his voice that Levi hadn’t expected, “Thank you so much.”

Levi hesitated, breathing in a deep sigh before he wrapped his arms back around Erwin, whispering back, “You’re welcome, Erwin.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin entered his office the next afternoon after running some errands to find Levi’s ass in the air, bent over dusting some shelves. It took everything in him to hold himself back, biting his lip hard to prevent an erection from forming as his face grew red. He tried to remember what he was there for, what he had bought. He glanced down at the flowers in his hand, and shook loose the horny feelings.

“Hello,” Levi greeted without looking up, having heard the door open.

“Hey, Levi,” Erwin replied, clearing his throat, “Um... these are for you.”

Levi stood up straight, turning to Erwin with confusion, “Those... you got me flowers?”

Erwin nodded, looking embarrassed as he held them out in Levi’s direction. He’d been trying his hardest to be kinder and gentler with Levi. He’d only had one or two small outbursts, but had been able to control them. Levi slowly walked towards Erwin, taking the flowers from him and eyeing him curiously.

“Why?” he asked suspiciously, smelling the flowers anyways.

“I just...” Erwin swallowed thickly, shoving his hands in his pockets, “What you said to me yesterday, it was incredibly kind. Nobody’s ever said something like that to me about my dad, not even my mom, and it brought me more joy than you could ever know.”

Levi was blushing now, as Erwin’s words had seemed to have had quite the effect on him. A small smile formed on his face as he stared down at the flowers, and mumbled a quiet, “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Erwin smiled back, going to sit at his desk, “I’ll find you a vase when I’m done with my work.”

Levi examined the flowers before setting them gently on Erwin’s desk, sitting in the chair across from Erwin’s. There was a heavy knock on the door, and Erwin called ‘come in’, a Marleyan soldier entering the room.

He gave Levi a curt glance before turning to Erwin, “The boss is requesting you, Smith.”

“Ah, I see,” Erwin got up, “I’ll be back, Levi.”

Levi simply nodded in response, picking up the newspaper on Erwin’s desk and starting to page through it. Though he couldn’t read a word of what it said, Erwin figured he was probably trying to decipher it from the letters he’d learned the day prior. He couldn’t help but smirk a little, thinking how cute Levi was, even if Levi would probably hit him for thinking such a thing.

Erwin had been leaving Levi alone in his office more frequently now, not requiring Zeke or anybody else to watch him. The two of them were building a bond of trust now, and Erwin knew that Levi wouldn’t wander off, especially because of what happened the last time he’d wandered the halls alone.

Erwin headed down the hall into a second building, walking to his superiors’ offices. He knocked on the door, hearing chatter inside that paused, before a loud ‘come in’ was heard. He pushed open the door and walked in, seeing his three head officers sitting around a table, drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes.

He saluted them, and they motioned for him to come sit with them. He walked over, wondering what they had called him in here for. They didn’t often meet with him outside their regular meetings, so he wasn’t sure why he’d been summoned to their offices. As soon as he sat down, he had an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He wasn’t sure why, but when he sat down, he had a feeling he was about to be reprimanded for something.

The man in the center, Officer Amsel, was a shorter man with a broad torso and toned legs, hazel eyes and a round face framed by shoulder-length auburn hair. He was the head officer, the one in charge. The only person he answered to was General Magath, and the government, of course. To his left was Officer Roth, a green-eyed man with a handlebar mustache and a stout build, thinning gray hair on his head. To the right of Officer Amsel was Officer Kohler, a six-foot tall blonde-haired man with a crew cut and a narrow face. He had a chinstrap beard and glasses.

Officer Amsel leaned forward on the table, sucking on his cigarette and blowing the smoke out in Erwin’s direction. It took everything in him not to cough, wanting to remain strong-faced. Erwin said nothing, waiting for his superiors to start the conversation and tell him why they were meeting.

“Smith,” he started, lacing his fingers together and placing them on the table, cigarette hanging out of his mouth, “Have you gotten any information from the Ackerman?”

Erwin raised an eyebrow. He should’ve guessed that this is what they were going to get on his case about. He’d been avoiding asking Levi any more questions, not wanting to press him because he’d been so focused on becoming his old self again, so focused on being kind to the ‘devil’ from Paradis.

“N-Not much, sir,” Erwin muttered, scrambling to come up with a reason for his incompetence, “He’s been... difficult.”

“Difficult?” Officer Roth laughed, “Nice excuse, Smith. I think we all know what’s really been going on.”

“I... I’m not sure what you mean, sir,” Erwin replied, starting to feel incredibly uncomfortable.

The three men were eyeing him now, unimpressed glares on their faces. Erwin was certainly feeling the pressure now, swallowing thickly and tugging at his collar. He was starting to sweat.

“You took him into town, bought him things,” Officer Amsel continued, “And today you brought him flowers? All his bruises and injuries have healed nicely, but there aren’t any fresh ones. Can you explain why that is?”

“Yes, Smith,” Officer Kohler added, “Why have you been so kind to the island devil, when at the same time you haven’t managed to find out a single detail about Paradis or the Survey Corps?”

Erwin opened and closed his mouth, looking between the three officers as he struggled to find an answer. He couldn’t admit that he had developed a liking for the shorter man, couldn’t tell them he was trying to be kinder in general. And how on earth had they known about the flowers? Erwin had only just given them to Levi; perhaps they were watching him closer than he thought. He would have to be more careful next time.

“I... I apologize,” Erwin tried, “I’ll do better. Just give me a little more time.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you’re so nice to him,” Officer Amsel grumbled, taking a sip of coffee before rising to his feet and placing his hands behind his back.

He circled the table and stood behind Erwin, causing the blonde to feel tense and anxious. Erwin didn’t know how to make up an excuse for this. How could he explain the gifts, the kindness, and the flowers? He just couldn’t.

“You know what I think?” Officer Kohler murmured when Erwin didn’t answer, ashing his cigarette in the tray in front of him, “I think you’ve taken a liking to the little Ackerman, haven’t you?”

Erwin shook his head quickly, eyes starting to widen as he felt Officer Amsel’s hands on his shoulders. Officer Roth stood next, heading towards the wardrobe at the other end of the room.

“What?” Officer Kohler laughed coolly, “You want to hug him? Kiss him? Fuck him?”

Erwin could feel himself blushing as he again shook his head, “N-No, sir. Of course not.”

“Smith,” Officer Roth called to him, and Erwin finally turned his head towards the man.

He held a whip in his hands, and all the air in Erwin’s body left him, causing him to suck in a deep, shaky breath. Erwin turned back to the table, eyes darting around as he realized what was happening.

“Stand up. Take off your jacket and shirt,” Officer Amsel ordered, “Hands on the desk.”

Erwin stood slowly, unbuttoning his jacket and taking it off. He knew not to argue; it would only make things worse. He put the jacket over the back of the chair, tugging his shirt off and tossing it with his jacket. His legs felt like lead as he walked over to the desk and placed his hands on the surface, staring straight forward at the wall and gritting his teeth.

“Ten should do it, don’t you think?” Officer Roth asked, the other two officers making small noises of agreement.

Erwin’s muscles were completely stiff, sucking in deep breaths as he tried to prepare himself for what was coming. He heard the whip being swung back, and squeezed his eyes shut, a loud crack flying through the air before a sharp stinging pain hit him in the middle of his back. He grunted from the pain, biting his lip so hard that it was bleeding. A second crack came soon after the first, causing Erwin to arch his back away from the whip. He counted silently in his head: one... two... three... four...

By the fifth hit, he could feel the tears in the back of his eyes, blood streaming down his back. Five... six... seven... The tears were pouring down his face now, but he remained determined and stoic, staring at the wall with gritted teeth as he wouldn’t allow the men to hear him sob openly.

Eight... nine... Erwin let out a loud cry, gripping the edge of the desk so hard his fingernails scraped into the wood. He could see other nail marks on the desk from others who had been disciplined in the same way as he was now.

Ten . Erwin breathed a sigh of relief, his chest heaving as he’d been holding his breath on every strike. He sniffed quietly, hands still on the desk as he waited to be dismissed. The tears were drying on his cheeks now.

“Now,” Officer Amsel growled, “You will find out information from that little devil, and you will do it by any means necessary. Enough with this sappy shit. If you can’t fulfill your duties, you’ll be punished again, over and over, until you get it right.”

Officer Kohler grabbed a fistful of Erwin’s hair and yanked him backwards, throwing him to the floor. Erwin was unceremoniously kicked in the face and the stomach by the three officers repeatedly. He curled up in a fetal position, just taking what he was given. He knew he couldn’t fight back, as he would only get himself into more trouble.

Officers Kohler and Roth backed away as Officer Amsel kneeled next to Erwin, bringing him up by his hair and growling, “Is that understood, Smith?”

Erwin nodded in both pain and exhaustion, “Yes, sir. Understood.”

“Good,” Officer Amsel replied, letting go of Erwin’s hair and standing up, “You have three days. You’re dismissed.”

Erwin got up slowly, his head throbbing as he grabbed his shirt and jacket off the chair and exited the room, not wasting the time to put the clothes back on. He’d have to bathe when he got to his quarters anyways, clear out the wounds on his back and try to calm his aching body. He didn’t know what he was going to do. He knew he couldn’t hurt Levi. Not after all the work he’d been doing to better himself. How was he going to get the information he needed from the shorter man?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi was sitting patiently, examining the newspaper (not really reading it because he couldn’t), when there was a knock on the door. Levi looked around, unsure of what to do in this situation. Nobody had ever knocked on the door while he was alone in Erwin’s office before, and he was worried he wouldn’t know how to handle it.

“Come in?” he said with uncertainty, watching the door open.

Levi sighed in annoyance. It was Zeke.

“Where’s Erwin?” he asked, walking into the office and shutting the door, “I gotta talk to him.”

“In a meeting,” Levi replied, looking down at the newspaper and studying a photograph of Marleyan elite at some sort of gala.

“Oh,” Zeke said, going to sit in the chair next to Levi, “Well, I’m gonna wait here for him, if you don’t mind.”

“Actually, I do mind,” Levi grumbled, turning the page to another photograph, this one of Marleyan soldiers showing off a large tank.

Zeke only chuckled in response, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and plucking one from the pack. Levi rolled his eyes. Why did everyone in Marley have to smoke so much tobacco? Zeke lit up the cigarette and popped it into his mouth, puffing on it as they heard the door open behind them.

The two turned to see Erwin standing there without a shirt on, one of his eyes blackened. Steam was coming from his back and his face, bruises on his stomach. Zeke and Levi’s eyes both widened at the sight, wondering what the hell had happened to him.

“What happened?” Zeke asked, shock present in his voice, “Who the hell did that to you?”

Erwin walked in and turned to close the door. Levi couldn’t help it, he audibly gasped. Erwin’s back had furious, bloody whip marks across it. He exchanged a look with Zeke, who was equally horrified.

“Got into trouble,” Erwin mumbled, tossing his jacket and shirt onto his desk, “And got punished. By the higher ups.”

“For what?!” Zeke exclaimed, sounding outraged, “That’s ridiculous, they can’t just do that to you!”

“They’re angry,” Erwin explained, “Mad that I couldn’t offer up any information on Paradis or the Survey Corps.”

That was all he said before heading into the bathroom and shutting the door. Levi was confused. Was it his fault that Erwin had been punished? Because he hadn’t given up any information? But Erwin hadn’t bothered to press Levi about it - not since he’d first arrived, so it couldn’t be Levi’s fault... right?

Zeke looked pissed, and Levi was about to ask him why he looked so angry, when the bespectacled man turned to him and growled, “You fucking bitch .”

Levi narrowed his eyes and folded the newspaper, setting it on his lap, “What the hell are you pissed at me for?!”

“Because!” Zeke exclaimed, “They’re hurting Erwin, and it’s your fault! He’s been too different , and they took notice. What the fuck are you doing to Erwin? He’s not his usual self. What the hell are you planning? You’re not worth Erwin getting hurt over!”

Levi glared at him, snapping, “I haven’t done anything and I don’t have any plans for anything either.”

He was telling the truth. Of course he hadn’t done anything, and he didn’t plan to do anything to Erwin. All he’d done was change the man’s attitude, and that wasn’t a negative, though Levi did feel a little bad that it had gotten him into trouble.

Zeke leaned closer to him and snarled, “I don’t believe you. Now tell me what you’re doing to him!”

Levi put his hands on Zeke’s chest and shoved him back into the chair, barking, “I’m telling the truth, you fucking asshole!”

Zeke stared at Levi suspiciously, cigarette still in his hand, “Really? How do I know you’re not plotting something against him?!”

“I’m not!” Levi insisted, “Christ, do you really think I’m as evil as all that?”

Levi was getting fed up with Zeke’s line of questioning. The man was extremely distrustful of his intentions, and Levi didn’t understand why. Sure, he was only a ‘devil’ from Paradis in Zeke’s eyes, but hadn’t he proved that he wasn’t going to do anything bad to Erwin? If he’d intended to do such a thing, he would’ve done so long ago, not now after so long under Erwin’s care.

“I just don’t see any reason why you would be working so hard to change Erwin’s personality for the better,” Zeke argued, “I don’t get why you-”

“Because I care about him, okay?!” Levi interrupted, irritated by Zeke’s antics, “He’s more human than you or any other fucking Marleyan here!”

Zeke’s eyes widened for a moment, just staring at Levi, “You... what?”

Levi was suddenly realizing what he’d said, and tried to cover it up, “What?”

Did I really just say that? Levi wondered, surprising even himself. He hadn’t expected those words to come out of him; it was like Zeke pressing him for answers he didn’t have made him spill out emotions he didn’t know he felt.

Zeke leaned forward to examine Levi’s face before an infuriating smirk appeared on his lips, “Oh my god.”

“What?!” Levi bit back, trying to keep his cool.

Zeke took another puff of smoke, chuckling, “You have a crush on Erwin.”

Levi could feel himself starting to get red, crossing his arms, “No fucking way, you asshole.”

Zeke was smiling like an idiot, “Oh my god, you do! You’re red as a fucking tomato, Levi!”

Levi didn’t want to be having this conversation, especially not with Zeke. He refused to admit it. There was no way he had a crush on Erwin. He simply enjoyed the man’s presence, got along with him.

“Shut the fuck up,” Levi said through gritted teeth, “Or I’ll kick your ass.”

“I bet you’d like it if Erwin did something to your ass,” Zeke teased with a grin on his face.

Levi narrowed his eyes, enraged by Zeke’s taunting, “ That’s it .”

He got up and grabbed Zeke by his shirt, throwing him onto the ground and kicking him in the back and the side, listening to Zeke grunting and begging for him to stop. But the man was still giggling annoyingly in between blows, and Levi didn’t let up.

“Shut” kick “your fucking” kick “mouth” kick “about things” kick “you don’t” kick “know!” Levi shouted.

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened, Erwin standing there wrapped in a towel. Steam was still pouring from his back wounds, and he looked both confused and shocked by what was going on.

“What happened?” he asked, “What the hell is going on?!”

Levi stopped kicking Zeke, who answered with a snicker, “I don’t know, ask Levi .”

He began to make kissy faces, which caused Levi to kick him once more in the side to shut him up, spitting on him and growling, “Shut your fucking mouth.”

Erwin raised an eyebrow at what Zeke had said, “What?”

Levi could feel himself blushing again, and he grumbled under his breath as he looked away from both of the blondes, “Nothing, this fucker was talking shit and I was just kicking some sense into him.”

Erwin just stared between the two of them in confusion before rolling his eyes a little and chuckling, “God, can’t keep the two of you alone for five minutes without you fighting or fucking, can I?”

Zeke let out a loud laugh at Erwin’s words and started getting up, brushing himself off. But Levi was even redder now, cursing under his breath that Erwin had reminded him of the fact he and Zeke had fucked. But as Erwin and Zeke began to talk, heading towards Erwin’s bedroom so he could get dressed, Levi was thinking about what Zeke had been teasing him about. Surely he didn’t have a crush on Erwin, did he?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin walked in with tea for the both of them, setting Levi’s down in front of him on the desk. Levi gave him a grateful smile before taking a sip, still thinking about his conversation with Zeke from the day prior. He’d been plagued with thoughts ever since their discussion. Was he really crushing on Erwin? The man who had beaten him? Sure, he’d changed a lot since then, but why Erwin? Erwin had proven that he could work on himself, work to control his anger and be a better person, and he seemed to be doing it all for Levi’s sake, which made Levi’s heart practically leap out of his chest.

“Levi,” Erwin piped up, “I have to ask you something personal.”

Levi held his breath and nodded, wondering what it was Erwin was going to ask him. He hoped it wasn’t anything embarrassing or something that would catch him off guard, and he waited patiently for Erwin to continue.

“My... My superiors are demanding information from me,” Erwin started, sitting down in his chair and taking a long sip of tea, “That’s why I was punished yesterday. They want to know things about Paradis and the Survey Corps. So I’m asking you to tell me what you can - anything you can.”

Levi’s eyes widened slightly, instantly shaking his head. He couldn’t give up secrets, he would never. After all that he’d gone through, all he’d endured, he wouldn’t just give in so easily. Even if Erwin had changed, that didn’t make Levi automatically trust him.

“Levi,” Erwin tried again, “Please. I’m begging you. I need to bring them some sort of information. If I don’t... well, it won’t be good.”

Levi knew things wouldn’t be good for Erwin if he didn’t give him something to take back to his superiors, but at the same time, he knew there wasn’t any information hew as willing to give up. Sure, he felt a little sorry for Erwin, especially after he’d come back with scars and bruises yesterday, but there was nothing he could do.

“I’m sorry, Erwin,” Levi spoke, “I can’t tell you anything.”

Levi expected Erwin to pressure him, to flip on him and start hurting him again. But Erwin, although looking frustrated, just sat back in his chair with a deep sigh, eyes darting around the room as he tried to figure out what to say.

“Okay,” he finally said, “If you’re sure, then I won’t bother you.”

Levi just stared at him with some shock. Erwin was just going to let it go, just like that?! Levi couldn’t believe it. But Erwin merely returned to his work, sipping his coffee as if nothing had happened.

“That’s it?” Levi found himself saying, still bewildered that Erwin wasn’t pressing him.

Erwin looked up from his papers, simply nodding, “Yeah. I’m not going to force you to tell me anything.”

“But... But why not?” Levi asked, “Won’t you get punished?”

Erwin shrugged, “Yes, but if you won’t tell me, I’d rather I get punished than you get tortured into telling me things you don’t want to.”

Levi raised an eyebrow, “But... But why?”

Erwin didn’t say anything for a moment, just scribbling something onto a notepad before he sucked in a deep breath, keeping his eyes on the desk, “Because... I don’t want to see you get hurt, Levi.”

Levi could feel a blush appearing on his cheeks, and quickly looked away from Erwin. The man didn’t want to see him get hurt? How sweet, Levi thought, shaking the thought from his head almost immediately. He didn’t understand why, though. He supposed he deserved Erwin’s kindness after the man had been so awful to him, but why did Erwin care about him to the point of allowing himself to get hurt?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin was in his office three days later, waiting to be called to his superiors’ office. He knew he was in trouble, knew he would get punished severely for not finding out information from Levi. But what he’d said the day before was true: he didn’t want to see Levi get hurt, and refused to carry out the orders of finding out information from the Ackerman through any means possible. He just couldn’t go back to being that brutal person he’d been working so hard to get away from.

Levi was still sleeping in the bedroom, as it was fairly early in the morning. Erwin hadn’t slept much, so he’d gotten up right at the crack of dawn to begin some paperwork he had to finish up.

The door suddenly swung open, and Erwin looked up to see his three superior officers, along with four guards behind them, all entering his office. Erwin swallowed thickly, setting down his pen. He didn’t want to give the men the satisfaction to know he was scared, though he was admittedly terrified.

He merely greeted them with a smile, “Good morning, officers. Can I help you?”

“You know why we’re here, Smith,” Officer Amsel said with crossed arms, “We know you refused our orders, and you haven’t found anything out about the Ackerman.”

“He wouldn’t give up any information,” Erwin replied, though he knew his effort was futile. He’d barely even tried to get information from Levi, as he didn’t want to pressure the man despite the fact he’d be punished for it.

“I bet you barely tried,” Officer Kohler grumbled, cigar between his lips, “You like that little Ackerman too much.”

“So much you’re willing to get punished for him,” Officer Roth continued, “And that’s a problem we’ll need to fix.”

Officer Amsel nodded his head towards Erwin and the guards soon surrounded him, yanking him out of his chair and pinning his hands behind his back. Erwin didn’t bother struggling, he knew there was no point. He might as well just go along with what was going to happen; he’d accepted his fate. If he took this punishment for Levi, then he’d have more time to figure out how to get Levi out of Marley; that or get information from him through the bond of trust they were forming.

Erwin watched the guard next to him raise the butt of his gun before hitting Erwin in the head with a loud thud, his vision blacking out almost instantly as he fell into the arms of the guards holding him.

When he awoke, he was tied to a chair in a cold cell, unsure of exactly where in the Marleyan compound he was. It looked familiar, as he’d surely sent many men to cells like these before. But he himself had never experienced what it was like to be in their position, and he knew he was about to learn what those men had gone through.

The guards were saying something, something that his fuzzy brain couldn’t make out at first, but when his superior officers appeared a few minutes later, he realized they’d been alerting the men that Erwin was finally awake. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a table set up with knives and pliers, and fear began to fill his body as he realized what tortures he was about to endure.

Officer Amsel entered the cell first, followed shortly by the other two. He ran his fingers along the knives on the table before choosing one that was about medium-sized, picking it up and thumbing at the blade lightly. He walked towards Erwin with the knife, and Erwin squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for whatever was coming.

At first, the man simply ran the knife along his cheek and jawline, before he wedged it between Erwin’s lips and clanked the metal along Erwin’s teeth. Erwin’s breathing increased as he was toyed with, wondering what the man was going to do to him.

“I should cut out your tongue for using it to flirt with such scum,” he heard in one ear, and shivered at the words.

“I bet you’re afraid now, aren’t you, Smith?” the voice of Officer Roth was heard next, and the blade was shortly removed from his mouth, causing him to sigh in some relief.

But the blade was soon stabbed through his chest, causing him to cry out at the unpleasant feeling. His eyes shot open, tears stinging the corners of them as he gritted his teeth to mask the pain. The knife was soon twisted before it was removed harshly, blood spurting from the wound as Erwin let out a gasp, the tears breaking forwards now. It was painful, and he was realizing now how unprepared he was for this. Steam began to emanate from the wound shortly after the knife was removed, and it was taking everything inside him to keep what was left of his dignity together.

“Typical Eldian,” Officer Amsel grunted, “Going after the first pretty ass you see. I didn’t think you people were that desperate.”

Erwin bit down on his lip to keep himself from responding. He was already breathing heavily from the pain he was going through, and didn’t want to provoke the men even more with a response.

“You people should be treated just like we plan to deal with those island devils - killed,” Officer Kohler added, “And brutally.”

Officer Kohler raised his fist and brought it down into contact with Erwin’s eye, a painful moan escaping the blonde’s mouth. Erwin could already feel his eye swelling shut, his head throbbing horribly from the blow.

“Perhaps we should bring your little pet here and destroy him in front of you,” Officer Roth suggested.

Erwin’s eyes widened, and he shook his head quickly, “N-No. Please, don’t hurt him. Take it out on me, it’s my fault.”

The three men chuckled, and there was a swift kick to his stomach by Officer Roth as he growled, “You’re disgusting. Falling for an island devil like that. Absolutely sickening. Leave it to an Eldian to fall in love with some ugly midget from Paradis.”

Erwin shot a glare towards his superior for calling Levi that. The glare earned him another punch; this time to his jaw, knocking a couple of teeth loose. Erwin spit the teeth out onto the floor, steam pouring from all his fresh wounds.

“We could bring him in here and take turns on him,” Officer Amsel smirked, “Bend him over and fuck him right in front of you.”

“No!” Erwin cried out, “Leave him alone!”

After all Levi had already been through, something like that would break him. And Erwin was terrified that these men would follow through on their threats. He didn’t want Levi to get hurt, and he was desperate to do anything that would prevent the smaller man from undergoing torture like he was right now.

The men went on like that for a while, blow after blow, taunting him and saying horrid things about his Eldian status. The words were meant to provoke him, and Erwin kept his mouth shut, determined not to let them get to him.

When they were finally done with him, he was bloodied and bruised, his wounds starting to heal as they chained him to the wall. He was in so much pain, but he knew who he was doing this for: Levi.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi awoke that morning to a guard waking him up forcefully and dragging him out of bed. He was immediately terrified, wondering where Erwin was and why this man was here ordering him around. He quickly got dressed at the man’s direction before he was brought to Zeke’s office with no explanation.

“Why are you here?” Zeke asked with a raised eyebrow as the guard left, looking confused.

“I... I don’t know,” Levi replied, “Erwin’s not in his office. They just brought me here. Nobody told you anything either?”

Zeke shook his head, leaning back in his chair, “They didn’t tell me anything. That’s not a good sign...”

Levi sat down across from him, narrowing his eyes, “What do you mean?”

“Think about it,” Zeke replied, opening his desk drawer and taking out a cigarette, “He got punished a few days ago for not finding out information about you. You haven’t given up any information since then, have you?”

Levi paused, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He shook his head to Zeke’s question, knowing what the man was implying. Erwin was likely getting disciplined again, and it was his fault. Levi refused to give up any information, and now Erwin was probably hurting because of that.

“They’re definitely torturing him,” Zeke announced with a heavy sigh, lighting up the cigarette with shaky hands, “Fuck. Why do you keep getting Erwin into trouble like this? He’s never been reprimanded in all our years here; and now you come along and ruin his perfect streak.”

“Torturing... him?” Levi repeated, the words not even sounding real coming out of his mouth. He barely even took in Zeke’s angry scolding of his inability to give up secrets. But Levi couldn’t have just told Erwin the things he needed to know; he couldn’t betray his comrades like that.

“I’ll wait until the end of the day and try to find where they’re keeping him,” Zeke decided, “I’m sure they want me to watch you while Erwin’s gone, so you can stay here. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Thank you,” Levi muttered, feeling sick to his stomach. Was Erwin really being tortured on account of him? Why did this bother Levi so much? Was it because he really did care about Erwin, or even liked him, like Zeke had teased him about?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin was starving, and terribly thirsty. He’d been chained up all day now, and nobody had brought him any food or drink. His superiors had returned two times to continue their beating on him, and though he was mostly healed by now, his entire body was full of exhaustion from the pain he’d endured.

He couldn’t sleep, and it was likely because of the uncomfortable position in which he was chained. He guessed it was probably about two or three in the morning, as he’d been keeping track of the time since he’d been put in the cell.

There was the quiet creaking of the door down the hallway, and Erwin’s head snapped up in fear, silently praying it wasn’t his superiors come back to beat him again. But Zeke’s head soon popped into view, his hands on the bars as he gave Erwin a sympathetic look.

“Erwin,” Zeke frowned, “Are you okay? Have they been hurting you?”

Erwin nodded, “Yeah. Mostly beatings so far. Nothing too terrible.”

“Fuck,” Zeke swore under his breath, “Why won’t you just do what they ask of you? Is that little devil really worth all this?”

Erwin shot Zeke a small glare as he snapped, “Don’t call him that. You know why I can’t hurt him. I... I really care about him, Zeke. I can’t go back to what I was. I can’t hurt him anymore.”

“Well,” Zeke sighed, “I don’t understand you, but as your friend, I’ll respect your choices. Do you need anything while I’m down here? I can visit you again tomorrow night if you’re still here.”

“No,” Erwin replied, “I don’t want you getting into trouble for my sake.”

He was incredibly hungry and thirsty, but he didn’t want to risk Zeke’s safety for his own gain. He would rather suffer than let that happen. Zeke was watching him with some concern, and Erwin knew his friend was incredibly worried about him. He’d changed a lot over the past couple of weeks, and he knew it was probably bewildering for Zeke to see him returning back to that cheerful person he’d once been.

“I don’t like seeing you get hurt like this, Erwin,” Zeke admitted, “It’s hard, but if you really care about Levi that much, then I’ll do what I can to help you. I’ll come visit you tomorrow night, okay?”

Erwin threw a grateful smile at his friend as he nodded, even though it was forced. He couldn’t bring himself to a genuine smile, but he was thankful to have Zeke there for him. It was just difficult to smile when he was chained up and had been beaten down all day.

“You’re like a brother to me,” Zeke muttered, looking away from Erwin sheepishly.

Erwin could feel himself blushing at Zeke’s words, a genuine smile crossing his lips now, “Thanks, Zeke. Same to you.”

Zeke smiled back, letting go of the cell bars with a deep sigh, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you,” Erwin replied, watching Zeke walk away hesitantly, as though he didn’t want to leave. Erwin was alone again now, and he tried to at least rest his eyes for the night, even if he was unable to fall asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So where is he? Is he okay?” Levi asked when Zeke got back that night. He hadn’t been able to sleep, up with worry over Erwin.

“He’s fine,” Zeke said shortly, not looking at Levi as he closed the bedroom door, “He’s in a cell, they beat him. But he’s already pretty much healed.”

Levi frowned, that guilty feeling building in his stomach. He should’ve offered up something, anything to save Erwin from that fate, but he’d been stubborn. He could’ve given up some sort of insignificant details that may have helped Erwin at least a little bit. But now Erwin was being tortured and beaten, and Levi felt like it was all his fault.

“If you’re wondering, yes, it’s your fault,” Zeke grumbled, as if confirming Levi’s thoughts.

Levi knew Zeke was incredibly upset with him, and incredibly confused as to why Erwin wouldn’t just force information out of Levi. Zeke undressed to his boxers and got into the bed without another word, turning off the lamp next to him and snuggling under the covers.

“I know you’re mad,” Levi sighed, “And trust me, I feel guilty, but… I couldn’t just betray my comrades like that…”

“I thought you had a crush on Erwin,” Zeke muttered, “I thought you cared about him. But if you do, you have a funny way of showing it.”

Normally, Levi wouldn’t let Zeke bully him like this, but he felt as though what Zeke was saying was partly true. He felt bad for not helping Erwin, even though he knew his reason for not doing so was justified in his mind.

“I do care,” Levi replied, “Just… cut me some slack, okay? I haven’t exactly had it easy since I got here, you know.”

Zeke turned over, and Levi was surprised to see the man tearing up as he growled, “You’re ruining everything. Erwin was fine before you got here, and now you’re fucking everything up for him. Do you even understand how hard it is to see your best friend chained up in a cell, knowing they’re getting beaten, and you can’t do a damn thing about it?”

Levi bit his lip. He had experienced things close to this, but he decided not to test Zeke right now, as the man was angry enough that he had tears in his eyes. He wasn’t scared of Zeke, but he didn’t want to get on the man’s bad side, for Erwin’s sake.

“So you just want him to be an asshole?” Levi snapped, “Don’t you want him to be happy? To be a better person?”

Zeke shot a glare at him, “Not if it means he’s going to get hurt.”

With that, Zeke turned back around, tugging the sheets around him with a huff. Levi rolled his eyes and decided to turn away from the man, knowing they wouldn’t reach an agreement between them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hello Smith,” Officer Amsel greeted the next evening, and Erwin opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times as he tried to adjust his eyes to the darkness of the room around him.

Erwin didn’t bother to respond, letting the guards unchain him from the wall and chain him to a chair with one arm free. He was curious as to why only one of his arms was chained down, the other being brought to rest in front of him on the table. There were knives in front of him again, and he was guessing they might mutilate his arm.

Officer Kohler was the first to pick up a knife this time, grasping Erwin’s wrist in his hand to pin his arm down, “Are you going to torture the Ackerman to get the information we want, Smith?”

Erwin sucked in a deep breath to prepare himself before shaking his head, “I… I’m sorry, sir. I can’t hurt him.”

The knife was placed at the point where his fingers met his hand, and Erwin squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the knife sink into his index and middle fingers, chopping them off swiftly. At least the knife was sharp, and it went by fast, but Erwin still cried out at the painful feeling of his fingers being removed from his hand. He could feel the heat of the steam already spilling from the wounds, tears rolling down his cheeks from the agony he felt.

“I don’t think you’re really learning your lesson, Erwin,” Officer Roth chuckled lowly, and Erwin opened his eyes slowly to see the man with a long, sharp sword against his side. Erwin didn’t want to know what they had planned to do with that, and he tried to take his mind off it by focusing instead on healing his missing fingers.

“I’m getting bored with all this,” Officer Amsel shrugged, “Why don’t we just really fuck him up and let him go back to his office? That’ll teach him, won’t it?”

Officer Kohler tapped his fingers on the tip of the knife he was holding, “Fine, maybe I’ll take his hand off next.”

Erwin bit down hard on the inside of his cheek at the thought of his hand being amputated, but if they were going to let him go back to his office, then maybe it would all be okay. He just had to endure a little more, and then things would be fine.

“I have a better idea,” Officer Roth grinned, “Give me his other arm.”

Erwin didn’t like the sound of that, nor the grin on the man’s face. The guards switched his arms, chaining the one with missing fingers behind his back and holding down his other arm on the table.

Officer Roth took the sword out of the sheath with a shing noise, smirking at Erwin, “Give him something to bite down on. He’s going to need it.”

A piece of cloth was unceremoniously shoved in between his lips and into his mouth, muffling any noises he might make as a result of whatever Officer Roth was going to do. Erwin could feel his breathing growing heavy as fear filled his body. Roth stepped closer and closer to Erwin, raising the sword and bringing it down across Erwin’s bicep, slicing his arm clean off. Erwin had closed his eyes again, so much pain coursing through his body that he nearly passed out. His vision was going in and out as he opened his eyes, and he barely processed the fact that he was screaming through the gag.

“Give me the blow torch,” Officer Kohler ordered, “There’s too much blood, we need to cauterize it.”

Erwin knew that cauterizing the wound would hurt more than getting the limb cut off, and he couldn’t even understand what was happening to him; he was in so much pain it was impossible to keep his brain focused on what was going on. But soon, there was the sound of fire, and the smell of burning flesh, a sharp stinging in the stump that was left of his arm. Steam was already flowing from the wound, but even once they were done cauterizing it, it still felt like it was burning painfully.

“Alright, that should do it,” Officer Amsel ordered, “Although, I suppose we should rough him up a bit.”

Erwin shook his head desperately, but his efforts were futile. His head was grabbed and slammed down onto the table before the three men pushed the chair backwards and started to wail on him. By the end of it, he could only see out of one eye, his entire body aching and covered in bruises and cuts. His lip felt swollen, and he definitely had a black eye.

The guards unchained him from the chair and held his hand behind his back, Officer Amsel saying, “Have Jaeger come and retrieve him. That’ll scare the bastard enough that he won’t visit Erwin when he’s not supposed to anymore.”

Erwin wasn’t sure how they’d figured out Zeke had visited him last night, but he knew these men had eyes and ears in places he didn’t know about. He could feel his head lulling up and down as he fought to stay awake, his brain and body exhausted from the horrible torture he’d endured.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi was waiting in Zeke’s office, sitting in a chair across from Zeke’s desk. The man had just been called away to pick up Erwin, and Levi was anxiously awaiting their return. He was sure Erwin was going to be very upset with him for allowing him to take a punishment. He was certain that Erwin would turn on him, perhaps even hurt him. But part of him felt like he deserved it. He did care about Erwin, even if Zeke didn’t believe that, and he didn’t enjoy hearing he was being hurt on Levi’s account.

The door swung open, and Levi turned his head with hopeful eyes, seeing Zeke and Erwin entering the room. But his face quickly turned to one of anguish as he saw the state Erwin was in: Zeke was holding the man up, and Erwin’s face was bloody and bruised. One eye was black and swollen shut, his lip busted open and bleeding, and bruises littered what was visible of his skin. But nothing could’ve prepared Levi for the worst of the injuries: his right arm was gone, and two fingers on his left hand were missing. He looked like he wasn’t all there, his head hanging off his shoulders in exhaustion. Zeke looked mortified, the color drained from his face as he helped Erwin walk through the door.

“Oh my god,” was all Levi could utter, and Zeke instantly shot him a dangerous look, still clearly blaming Levi for everything that had happened.

“I… I can run him a bath,” Levi said as he rushed to his feet, “We should wash him up. There’s… There’s so much blood-”

“He doesn’t need your help,” Zeke growled, “I’ll take care of him. You stay here.”

With that, Zeke led Erwin to his bathroom to take care of him. Levi’s heart was beating heavily in his chest as he sat back down. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know how to help, especially if Zeke wasn’t going to let him. Levi swallowed thickly, eyes darting around the room. He didn’t like feeling useless, and he didn’t want to be alone with his thoughts right now.

Levi didn’t realize how much time had passed until he heard the bathroom door opening again, Erwin coming out in a fresh pair of pajamas, all the blood washed from his body. Steam emanated from his wounds, and Zeke had an arm around Erwin’s waist, helping him to the front door.

“I’m taking Erwin to his room,” Zeke announced, not looking at Levi, “I’ll deal with you when I get back.”

“I… I wanna help, Zeke,” Levi insisted, getting up from his chair again.

“You’ve helped enough,” Zeke snapped, leading a very out-of-it Erwin out the door.

Levi looked around the room, his fingers twitching at his sides. He didn’t care what Zeke said, he wanted to do something to help Erwin. But the only thing he could think to do was make the man a cup of tea, and going back into the break room was something he was terrified of doing, given his previous experience there.

But he wanted to help, and he found his legs taking him to Zeke’s door, and down the hallway towards the break room. He stood in front of the door, trying to build up the courage to go inside. He reached out a shaky hand and turned the door knob, opening the door and realizing nobody was inside. Those four are dead, Levi tried to remind himself, They can’t hurt you anymore.

Levi walked inside and began the process of making tea, every small sound around him making him jump. But he was persistent, and made a cup of tea for Erwin, bringing it to Erwin’s office. He carefully balanced the tea cup in his hand as he opened Erwin’s bedroom door, walking inside.

Zeke immediately looked unhappy to see him, “I thought I told you I’d deal with you when I got ba-”

“I made Erwin some tea,” Levi muttered, “I thought it would help.”

Levi set the tea on Erwin’s bedside table, and Erwin was looking a little better now that he was freshly bathed and in bed. The blonde picked up the tea from the nightstand before forcing a small smile in Levi’s direction.

“Thank you for the tea, Levi,” he murmured, and Levi could feel his heart fluttering at Erwin’s sweetness. He was so sure that the man would be furious with him for causing him to go through such awful things, but Erwin seemed to be unbothered by Levi’s presence - happy to see him, almost.

Zeke looked between the two of them before rolling his eyes a little and getting up from the edge of the bed where he was sitting, “I suppose you’re Erwin’s responsibility, anyways. So stay with him. You’ll take care of him through the night?”

Levi nodded quickly, wanting Zeke to believe he really would do a good job of taking care of Erwin. Zeke sighed, “Fine. You’d better take good care of him, or I’ll fuck you up.”

Levi almost snorted at the thought of Zeke even trying to fuck him up, but he refrained, not wanting to piss the man off more. At least he was trusting Levi to take care of Erwin for the night. Zeke soon left the room after exchanging goodbyes with Erwin, closing the door behind him. Levi got into his pajamas and climbed into the bed, turning off the light once Erwin was done with his tea.

“Are… Are you okay?” Levi asked quietly, turning to face Erwin.

Erwin was already facing him, and he nodded, “Yeah, I’ll be okay. Just a lot of pain, you know? But it’ll heal. At least I can regenerate my limbs.”

“Do you need anything?” Levi asked, “I’ll make you more tea if you want.”

Erwin looked like he was thinking about what he wanted for a moment before he requested with some shyness, “Can… Can you just hold me? You know… like your mother would? It would feel nice to be held after what’s happened.”

Levi’s eyes widened slightly, his heart rate picking up from nervousness. But he wanted to help Erwin, and Erwin had held him when he was scared before, so he wanted to do the same for the blonde. Levi held his arms open, and Erwin scooted closer, laying his head on Levi’s chest. Levi pulled him close, rubbing his back gently and nuzzling his chin into Erwin’s hair. They fell asleep like that, cuddling in each other’s arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin awoke the next morning to find his arm and bruises fully healed, the pain subsided. He was still in Levi’s arms, and could feel a smile tugging at his lips. The smaller man was breathing softly against his forehead, still fully passed out. Erwin wanted so badly to wake the man up and press a sweet kiss to his soft lips, but he was too afraid to do so. He couldn’t tell if Levi simply cared about him or if his feelings were similar to his own. What if Levi didn’t want to kiss him?

The shorter man stirred awake, his eyes fluttering open. The two of them made eye contact, and Erwin quickly sat up, clearing his throat awkwardly. He glanced at Levi, who looked equally embarrassed, and got up to start getting ready for the day.

“I see your arm’s back,” Levi noted.

“Yep, healed overnight,” Erwin replied, starting to get dressed.

Levi got up shortly after him, getting dressed as well. Erwin tried to avoid staring at Levi’s nudity, but he couldn’t help but give a quick glance at Levi’s backside as he pulled on his clothes. Dirty thoughts began to invade his mind, and he quickly brushed them away as he finished getting ready. The two of them headed into Erwin’s office together, Erwin sitting down at his desk and Levi going to stand behind him, leaning against the wall. It was the first time Levi had done this, and Erwin wondered why he hadn’t sat down.

“Did you want to sit down?” He asked curiously, turning around to face the shorter man.

Something was wrong with Levi; he looked nervous and shy all of a sudden. His hands were behind his back, and he was avoiding Erwin’s gaze as he shook his head in response to Erwin’s question.

“Are you okay?” Erwin wondered, watching Levi push away from the wall and take a small step in his direction.

Levi sniffed nervously, “I… I’m so sorry for what happened to you. It’s all my fault.”

Erwin gave him a confused look, “You… why are you sorry?”

“I should’ve just told you something,” Levi frowned, “I could’ve given you something that wasn’t important, or lied, just to get them off your back. But instead, I stayed silent and you got hurt.”

Erwin frowned, shaking his head, “Levi, it’s not your fault. I didn’t want to force you into telling me anything; that’s what they punished me for. And I refuse to hurt you.”

“But I… I could’ve offered up something to help you,” Levi insisted, “I’m… I’m going to help you from now on - I won’t give up anything vital, but I’ll come up with information that will help keep you from suffering this fate again.”

Erwin’s expression softened, and a smile returned to his face, “Thank you, Levi. You don’t know how much I appreciate that.”

Levi took another step closer to him, hands still behind his back. Erwin could feel a blush growing on his face as Levi stood in front of him, the two of them finally making eye contact. Erwin reached his hand out to cup Levi’s cheek, leaning up towards his face. It all felt so natural, as if they’d done this a million times before. Levi was leaning down to meet him; it was real, Levi did want this just like Erwin did. Their lips finally met, and Erwin had been right about Levi’s lips: they were so soft and gentle. He tasted like toothpaste and black tea. Butterflies filled Erwin’s stomach as the two of them shared a beautiful kiss. There was nothing hungry or lustful about it; it was merely innocent and sweet, something shared between lovers.

The two pulled away, blushes dusting their cheeks as they smiled at each other briefly. That’s when there was a loud thud as the door burst open, four guards filling the room. Erwin’s eyes widened as they entered, standing up as he was sure they were back for him. Maybe his officers hadn’t gotten enough of hurting him the past couple of days. But that’s when they grabbed Levi, and Erwin immediately felt himself getting defensive, taking Levi’s other arm into his hand.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Erwin shouted, “He’s mine, leave him be!”

“He’s been reassigned, sir,” the guard said, “Let go of him.”

Reassigned? Erwin thought, To who?! Levi looked at Erwin with some terror in his eyes, and the look made Erwin’s heart beat heavily in his chest, wanting to protect Levi from whatever his fate was. But he didn’t know what to do. If Levi was reassigned, he didn’t have any say in the matter.

He kept his hold on Levi’s arm, shaking his head, “Show me the paperwork. Who the hell is he reassigned to?!”

“Officer Amsel reassigned him to Captain Wagner,” the guard who was holding Levi’s other arm stated, and a second guard pulled some parchment out of his pocket before unfolding it and holding it out for Erwin to read.

Erwin briefly scanned the document, his face paling as he realized it was true. Levi had been reassigned, and to someone that Erwin didn’t trust one bit. Captain Matthew Wagner, known by his comrades as “Mattie”, was ruthless, almost more-so than Erwin himself had been. The two had always competed for the title of the worst person to get assigned to. And now Levi was going to be with him instead of Erwin.

He refused to let go of Levi’s arm, shaking his hand, “You… You can’t… You can’t take him.”

“If you refuse the order, we’ll have to arrest you, sir,” the third guard announced, putting his hand to a pair of handcuffs at his waist.

Levi pried Erwin’s hand off at the news of this, looking up at the blonde, “I’ll be okay, Erwin. Don’t you worry about me.”

“Levi, you don’t understand,” Erwin tried, but it was too late.

As soon as Erwin’s hand was off Levi, the guards led him out of the room. Erwin sat down at his desk, his head resting in his hands. What the fuck am I supposed to do now? He thought to himself, How am I going to save Levi?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi was admittedly terrified as he was whisked away from Erwin’s office. He didn’t know who Captain Wagner was, but he didn’t want to go somewhere new. What if this new guy was cruel to him? (And Levi supposed this would likely be the case.) He was brought down the hall to another office with the words WAGNER on the door. The guards pushed the door open and tossed him to the ground, and Levi glanced up to get a good look at who was in charge of him now.

The man was tall and skinny, but had clear strength, as his biceps were tight in his shirt. He had curly brown locks, and an evil grin on his face. He was standing over Levi with his hands behind his back, staring down at the shorter man mischievously. The guards instantly left, and Levi narrowed his eyes at the man, instantly taking a disliking to him.

“Hello, little Levi,” he chuckled, gripping Levi by the hair and tugging him to his feet before throwing him into the wall and pinning him there by his neck, “My name’s Mattie, but you’ll address me as ‘sir’ or ‘master’, got it?”

Levi knew how this would go if he disobeyed. He was shocked that Mattie was already hurting him, without Levi having provoked him at all. At least with Erwin, he would’ve only been punished if he’d done something to deserve it. He nodded slowly in response to Mattie’s words, not wanting to receive worse punishment. Levi figured that Erwin would find out a way to save him, and his time with Mattie would be short, so he just needed to survive long enough under this new man for Erwin to come rescue him.

Mattie let go of his neck before slapping him hard across the cheek, which turned his head to the side from the blow and left a red mark. Levi bit the inside of his cheek hard to prevent himself from saying anything in response.

“Alright, take off your clothes,” Mattie ordered with a smirk.

“W… What?” Levi asked, his eyes widening slightly, “But… But why?”

There was another harsh slap to his face before he was gripped by the hair and brought close to Mattie’s face, the man growling in his face, “Do not question me. You will do as I ask, when I ask for it. Now get naked.”

He let go of Levi’s hair, and the shorter man shakily started stripping until he was completely in the nude, feeling extremely vulnerable and terrified. He could already sense what was coming, and he didn’t like it one bit.

“Get under my desk,” Mattie demanded, pointing at his desk.

Levi didn’t hesitate this time. He walked over to the desk and got underneath it on all fours. The floor was cold, and he wasn’t looking forward to what Mattie likely had in mind. There was only one reason he could think of as to why he was nude and underneath the man’s desk.

“Open your mouth,” the man grunted as he started tugging down his pants, pulling out his erection.

Levi whimpered quietly and slowly opened his mouth, feeling the thick cock smack against his cheek a few times as Mattie muttered, “If I feel your teeth even once, I will beat you until you’re bloody.”

Levi sensed that the man wasn’t joking; that he was completely serious about the severity of what he would do to Levi if he disobeyed. The cock suddenly hit him hard across the cheek, sending his head to the side.

“Tell me you want it again,” Mattie instructed, tapping Levi’s cheek with it again a few times and smearing pre-cum on his skin.

“A… Again, please,” Levi muttered, adding quickly, “S-Sir.”

He was slapped with the dick once more, and his cheek was definitely red now from the repeated hits. Levi turned his head back towards Mattie and kept his mouth open, feeling the erection rest on his lower lip before it was pushed into his mouth. He was blushing furiously; he hadn’t done anything sexual since he was with Zeke, and underneath the fear was pure embarrassment to be reduced to this state.

“Shit,” Mattie swore, “Such a warm little mouth. Suck it, go ahead.”

Levi was glad he’d done this before, otherwise he’d have no idea what to do. He began bobbing his head up and down, sucking as best he could. He hoped that if he did a good job, the man would come to completion sooner rather than later, and then this could be over. He reached his hands up to place them on Mattie’s thighs for better leverage, when they were slapped away harshly.

“Hands behind your back,” Mattie commanded, “You don’t get the privilege of touching me.”

Levi whined and put his hands behind his back, using gravity to allow him to sink his mouth onto the cock over and over. Levi felt more humiliated than anything, and he could already feel the tears in the corners of his eyes as the cock began to hit the back of his throat when Mattie thrusted into his mouth.

“Good,” Mattie cooed, petting his hair, “That’s a good slut. I heard you were doing this for Erwin, thought I’d see what it was all about.”

Levi wasn’t sure where Mattie had heard that, as he’d never sucked Erwin’s dick, or done anything sexual with the man outside of kissing him that once, but that hadn’t even felt sexual in the moment. Mattie gripped his hair roughly and started fucking into his mouth hard, Levi gasping in breaths of air through his nose whenever Mattie pulled away from his throat. Tears were running down his cheeks from the feeling, and he could feel bile rising in his throat, but swallowed it back.

“Fuck,” Mattie groaned, “Good boy, good boy.”

Levi wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take; he was having trouble breathing properly, gagging around the cock and trying to hold back his vomit. He could barely see with all the tears building up in his eyes.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Mattie spilled into his mouth, sighing and pulling out slowly. Levi’s mouth was filled with his seed, and he waited for the man to tell him what to do, slightly fearful of the consequences.

“Swallow it,” Mattie said, watching him intently, “All of it.”

Levi swallowed thickly and wiped at his eyes, praying silently that Erwin or Zeke would burst in the door and save him at any moment. He was already not enjoying himself, but he was thankful that it seemed as though Mattie was done for now.

“You’re very good, Levi,” Mattie praised, petting his head affectionately, “I think I can get information from you easily. That stupid Eldian, Smith, wasn’t using you to your full potential, was he?”

“Don’t talk about him like that,” Levi mumbled, unable to help himself from defending Erwin.

“What the fuck did you say to me?” Mattie snarled, gripping Levi’s hair and yanking him up, “Do you really think it’s wise to talk back to me?”

Levi shook his head, wincing from the pain, “N-No, sir.”

“Good,” Mattie grinned, “Now kneel next to my desk. You don’t get to sit in a chair until you tell me how you joined the Survey Corps. And I’ll allow you to wear clothes when you tell me about Commander Hange. Later on, I’m going to try and get that information out of you anyways, and if you’re good I’ll reward you with those things.”

Levi kneeled next to the desk, knowing he wasn’t going to tell this bastard anything he wanted to know. His body ached, and the position he was sitting in on the floor was uncomfortable. But he knew that he couldn’t give up his secrets, and that he’d endure whatever he had to in order to keep those secrets.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as Levi was gone, Erwin went down the hall to Zeke’s office, knocking loudly at the door. He didn’t even wait to hear a ‘come in’, he just pushed the door opening, finding Zeke standing at the window and smoking a cigarette.

“Zeke!” He exclaimed, immediately grabbing the man’s attention.

“What?” Zeke looked up, blowing out the smoke from his cigarette, “What’s wrong?”

“They took Levi,” Erwin said, his voice panicked and out of control.

“Who did?” Zeke asked, immediately looking concerned.

Erwin knew that Zeke had been angry with Levi as of late because he blamed the shorter man for Erwin being tortured, but the man still appeared incredibly worried that Levi had been taken.

“Officer Amsel reassigned Levi to Mattie,” Erwin explained, Zeke’s eyes instantly widening in shock.

“Oh no,” Zeke muttered, “That’s not fucking good, Erwin. Do you know how awful he is?”

“I know,” Erwin paced the room in complete alarm, “We need to get him out of there. And fast, who knows what he’s doing to him already?”

Zeke nodded, “Let’s go talk to Magath. He’ll help us out, right?”

Erwin raised an eyebrow, stopping in his tracks, “Do you think so? Should we try?”

General Magath was the man in charge of everyone, even Officer Amsel. He could possibly reverse this and bring Levi back to Erwin. Zeke nodded, pressing the cigarette into an ash tray on his desk to put it out.

“Let’s go,” Zeke insisted, walking to the door.

Erwin followed him out and the two headed to the main building where General Magath’s office was located. Erwin was feeling incredibly terrified for Levi. He knew the things that Mattie was capable of, and he was already feeling horrible that he couldn’t save the shorter man. He would do anything to save Levi.

The two of them knocked on General Magath’s door, being told to ‘enter’ soon after they did so. They burst into his office, saluting him before he motioned for them to take a seat, which they both did. Erwin was feeling desperate, wanting to beg on his hands and knees for Magath to let Levi come back to him, but he let Zeke do the talking for the moment, as he knew he was too emotional to do so.

“General Magath, sir,” Zeke started, “Levi - I mean… the Ackerman, the one from Paradis-”

“What about him?” General Magath asked, paging through a newspaper.

“He’s been reassigned to Captain Wagner, sir,” Zeke continued, “And Erwin and I think he’s going to be too rough and… well, Erwin’s the best one to find out information from the Ackerman, sir. Please, can you reconsider the reassignment from Officer Amsel?”

General Magath looked up from his paper, glancing between Erwin and Zeke for a moment before shaking his head, “I’m sure Captain Wagner will do just fine, and I trust the judgement of Officer Amsel on the reassignment.”

Erwin’s heart sunk, and he opened his mouth to speak, Zeke putting a hand on Erwin’s arm to stop him as he tried again, “Please sir. We… We don’t want to see him get hurt. He’s… He’s already been through a lot here.”

Erwin was surprised that Zeke was being this honest with Magath, but the general wasn’t a mean-hearted man to begin with, so perhaps Zeke was trying to tap into the more humane side of his personality.

“My apologies, boys,” General Magath sighed, putting the paper down, “But unless there’s an actual reason to remove Captain Wagner as the Ackerman’s assigned responsibility, then there’s nothing I can do. Find a reason, and perhaps we can have this talk again.”

Zeke frowned and took a deep breath before getting up, pulling Erwin up with him, “Alright, sir. Thank you for your time.”

Erwin was shocked. He couldn’t believe Zeke would just give up that quickly. Zeke pulled him along out of the office, shutting the door behind him, and Erwin finally came to his senses and tugged his arm away from Zeke.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Erwin exclaimed, “You’re not going to even try?! Levi could be… he could be getting hurt, getting tortured, and you-”

“Quiet,” Zeke shushed him, “Listen to me. Didn’t you hear what he said?”

Erwin raised an eyebrow, not understanding what Zeke was talking about. He’d barely paid attention to what Magath had said, only comprehending the bits where he rejected their plea to free Levi from Mattie.

“He said ‘find a reason’,” Zeke said with a small, mischievous grin, “So we’re going to find a reason.”

Erwin stared at him, starting to get where Zeke was going with this. He smiled a little as he realized what Zeke was implying, and the two headed away from Magath’s office with a plan in mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi cried out as his arm was twisted behind his back by Mattie, who had been busy beating the fuck out of him for the past twenty minutes, demanding answers from him about Paradis and the Survey Corps. Levi had refused every question, not wanting to give anything up to the evil man.

But his arm was close to breaking, and his entire body was in pain from the beating he’d endured. He’d lost a molar, blood pouring from both his mouth and nose, while his head pounded in agony from being hit so many times all over his body. He was littered with bruises and cuts, but Mattie wasn’t even close to done.

“Pain doesn’t seem to be working on you,” Mattie growled in a low voice, holding Levi by the hair as he spoke into his ear, “What about humiliation?”

Levi remained stoic, not wanting to give the man the satisfaction of reacting to his words. What did he even mean by humiliation? Levi would soon find out, as he was thrown over Mattie’s desk. Levi scrambled to get a grip on the edge of the desk as he felt Mattie’s pelvis grinding against his ass. No, Levi thought to himself, Not this. Not again.

“Tell me how you joined the Survey Corps, or I’ll fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk for days,” Mattie threatened, a sly grin on his face, “Unless you want me to fuck you? I wouldn’t be surprised, I’ve heard devils like you are slutty.”

Levi whimpered and shook his head, “D-Don’t! I don’t want-”

“Then tell me what I want to know!” Mattie shouted, tearing down Levi’s pants and boxers as Levi squirmed against his hold.

His mind was going back and forth. He could give up this information, right? Couldn’t he? It wouldn’t hurt if he did, would it? But the other part of his mind was stubborn, arguing that he shouldn’t tell the bastard one damn thing he wanted to know.

Levi was scared, though. He didn’t want this to happen to him again - it was terrifying enough the first time, and he didn’t want to be traumatized by another encounter like the one in the break room with the four Marleyans.

The panic really set in when he heard Mattie unzipping his pants, and he suddenly blurted, “I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you! Just stop!”

Mattie chuckled lowly, letting go of him and zipping his pants back up, “Go on…”

Levi sniffled, his heart racing and fear coursing through him as he rambled, “I… I was arrested for stealing military gear, and to repay my debts I joined the Survey Corps under Commander Shadis.”

He felt a hand on his naked ass cheek, and whimpered at the feeling as Mattie began groping it, “Good boy. That wasn’t so hard, now was it?”

Levi shook his head, feeling like shit for having admitted something to the man. He’d just been so afraid of being raped again, but he knew a stronger soldier would’ve just let the man do it and stayed silent. He blamed himself, feeling awful for what he’d done.

But the dread in his stomach only grew when he heard the man spit on his fingers, and felt a wet digit slide between his cheeks. He jolted forward, trying to wriggle away, but Mattie placed his hand on Levi’s back to hold him in place.

“Shh,” Mattie cooed, “I’m just rewarding you, darling. Just relax, I’ll make it feel good for you.”

Levi couldn’t help the whine that left him as the digit entered his hole. It felt good, he had to admit, but he was disgusted with himself for feeling that way based on who was doing it to him. The finger moved around inside him, prodding at his prostate, which caused Levi to gasp and moan.

“There you go,” Mattie smirked, “That feels good, doesn’t it? I can see you getting hard.”

Levi was getting hard; he could feel it. His erection was already against his stomach, aching from having his prostate played with. He shouldn’t be enjoying this. He felt so gross, but at the same time so good. How could he be feeling so good at a time like this?

Mattie added a second finger and twisted them against his prostate over and over, fucking into Levi’s hole at a rapid pace. Levi groaned, feeling pre-cum dripping onto the desk below him from his erection. His mouth was open, drool forming in the corners of his mouth.

He was fighting himself: caught between letting himself enjoy it and feeling disgusted with himself. He finally let go, bouncing back lightly against the fingers as Mattie added a third and letting out a mewl.

Mattie laughed softly, “What a slut. Maybe I should give you my dick after all. Do you want it?”

Levi could feel himself blushing. If he hadn’t been humiliated before, he certainly felt it now. He wanted to be fucked, but not by this man. He shook his head quickly, continuing to bounce back against Mattie’s digits as he sought out his orgasm.

“If you’re sure,” Mattie shrugged, “But I know you’ll come around to it at some point. You seem like the type of whore who can’t resist a cock.”

Levi shook his head again as if to defend himself from the words, a sharp gasp escaping his mouth as Mattie harshly fucked into his prostate. Levi cried out, gripping the edge of the desk so hard his fingernails scraped into the wood.

“Moan louder,” Mattie demanded as he pulled the three fingers out all the way before shoving them back in.

Levi let out a loud moan, feeling himself getting closer by the second. He tried to rub his erection against the desk, though it wasn’t very satisfying. He was scared that if he tried to touch himself, he’d be yelled at for doing so, maybe even abandoned and left with a painful erection to deal with.

“So sexy,” Mattie growled, “Cum for me.”

Levi let out a loud sob as he came all over the desk, panting hard with tears running down his face. He felt sick to his stomach for allowing something like this to happen; for enjoying it. Maybe he really was a slut, like Mattie had said.

“That’s a very good boy,” Mattie commended, pulling his fingers out, “Now clean up your mess. Use your tongue.”

Levi hesitated for a moment before starting to lick up the white liquid from the desk below him. It was reminiscent of the time Erwin had made him lick coffee off the floor, though this was far worse. The whole thing was messing with his mind, making him wonder why he’d enjoyed himself so much under the hands of someone he hated. This torture was the worst kind for him: psychological.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin put together a small bundle of a couple of rolls with cheese on them, some fruit, a container of water, and some pain medication before he snuck out of his office that night, heading down towards Mattie’s office at the other end of the hall. He picked the lock to the office with a paper clip, opening the door cautiously. Levi was curled up on the floor, completely naked, with no covers whatsoever. He was shivering, hugging his legs to his chest, his eyes closed. But they snapped open at the creaking of the door, his eyes lighting up when he saw who it was.

“E-Erwin?” He murmured, sitting up and trying to cover himself awkwardly.

“Levi,” Erwin frowned, noting the bruises and scrapes all over Levi’s body, “Are you okay?”

Levi shook his head, standing shakily as Erwin approached him. The two merely stared at each other before they embraced, Levi throwing his arms around Erwin’s neck and tugging him close, while Erwin wrapped his arms around Levi’s waist.

“I was so worried about you,” Erwin whispered in his ear, “You’re naked… did he…?”

“N-No,” Levi replied quietly, “I had to suck him off, and he says he’s going to fuck me, but I don’t know when. I don’t want him to, Erwin. Are you here to rescue me?”

Erwin pulled away slowly, shaking his head, “Not yet, love. I’ll do everything I can to get you out as soon as possible. In the meantime, I brought you food and some pain meds.”

Levi looked both disappointed at the fact he wasn’t getting out of there, and excited at the prospect of food. He must’ve not eaten all day, as he looked eager to eat whatever Erwin had brought for him.

Erwin handed Levi the small bundle before taking off his jacket and wrapping it around Levi’s shoulders so he would stop shivering. He knew he couldn’t leave Levi with his jacket, as Mattie would know he’d visited, but he could at least give it to Levi for the time they were together; help warm him up for the moment.

Levi sat down in one of the chairs and set the bundle on his lap, opening it up and starting to nibble on one of the rolls hungrily. Erwin ran his fingers through Levi’s hair, building up some courage before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Levi’s forehead.

The shorter man glanced up at him with a blush on his face, continuing to eat with a small smile on his face from Erwin’s kiss. The blonde sighed happily, wishing he could take Levi away from here with him.

“Zeke and I are doing everything we can to try and get you unassigned from Mattie,” Erwin explained, “We’ve already been to General Magath, and now we’re working on trying to find dirt on Mattie so we can get him suspended or fired.”

Levi raised an eyebrow, “What if there’s nothing to find?”

“Then I’ll kill him with my bare hands,” Erwin said in a low voice, meaning every word.

He was already furious to have come across Levi so bruised up and hurt, and to hear the man had forced Levi to give him a blow job was fueling his anger even more. He prayed that he and Zeke could find something, and quick, to convict Mattie of some sort of crime that would get Levi removed from his care. He didn’t want worse things to happen to Levi, especially when the threat of rape was hanging in the air.

“You’ll get arrested, Erwin,” Levi looked up at him with some concern before taking a long sip of water.

“I don’t care,” Erwin decided, “I’d do anything to keep you safe, Levi.”

It was true. He’d decided this when he took the beating from his superiors for the shorter Paradisian. He cared about him too much to let Levi get hurt again. He’d never cared for anyone like this before; the only people he’d ever cared about before were his mother and Zeke. But he cared for Levi in a different way, a way that he couldn’t place a finger on. He wanted to hold Levi and kiss him, make love to him, spend his life with him. Erwin knew he was falling for the Ackerman, and no matter what he tried, he couldn’t stop himself from doing so.

Levi was blushing even worse from Erwin’s words, “But I don’t want you to get hurt either.”

It was Erwin’s turn to have a red face now, and he couldn’t help the dumb grin that crossed his lips from Levi’s words. The shorter man must have felt similar about him, and that make Erwin feel all warm and giddy inside.

Levi finished up the food and drink, taking the pain medications and handing the small handkerchief that Erwin had wrapped it in back to him. Erwin took it and stuffed it in his pocket, watching Levi stand and take off the jacket, handing it back to Erwin.

Erwin took it, putting it back on, “Why is he keeping you naked?”

Levi frowned, “He said he’ll give me clothes when I tell him more about Commander Hange.”

Erwin nodded, “I see… there’s nothing you can say about your commander that’s safe to tell?”

Levi shook his head, looking down at the floor in shame, “I already admitted some things to him… I feel fucking stupid.”

Erwin instantly brought a hand to Levi’s cheek, caressing it gently and murmuring, “You’re not stupid, Levi. Whatever he did to make you say those things - it’s not your fault for wanting to stop your suffering.”

Levi sniffled quietly, and Erwin could tell the man was nearing a breaking point. He wrapped his arms around Levi and held him close, petting his head comfortingly. Levi melted into his arms, his tears staining Erwin’s shirt.

“Don’t worry,” Erwin whispered, “I’ll get you out of here. I promise. Just a little bit longer, okay? I’ll find a way to get you away from him.”

Levi nodded into Erwin’s chest, clinging to his shirt with his small fists. He looked up at Erwin with tearful eyes before moving a hand up to the back of Erwin’s neck and bringing him down for a deep kiss. The two moved their lips against one another, Erwin moving his hands to cup Levi’s cheeks as they continued their kiss. Levi pulled away, a small smile on his face as the two of them stared at each other.

“I trust you, Erwin,” Levi replied.

Erwin could feel his heart beating heavily in his chest, “I trust you too, Levi.”

Levi pressed another kiss to Erwin’s lips before muttering against them, “You should go. I don’t want him to catch us together.”

Erwin nodded, the two of them pulling away from one another. Erwin waved a little at Levi, the smaller man waving back shyly as the blonde left the room. Erwin headed back to his office, knowing that he had limited time to rescue Levi if he didn’t want worse to happen to the shorter man.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zeke and Erwin spent the entire next morning in the records room, paging through old documents trying to find some sort of dirt on Captain Mattie. They’d started with the current year and began to work backwards to the year that Mattie had been instated as captain.

After a good hour, they were beginning to lose hope, almost to the end of their pile of records. Zeke picked up the final one, sighing in frustration as he opened it up and began scanning the documents. Erwin watched him, having finished his last one and set it aside. He was beginning to think he’d have to murder Mattie just to save Levi, and have to spend the rest of his life in prison (or be killed) for doing so.

“Oh my god,” Zeke muttered, eyes widening, “Erwin, look at this.”

Erwin frowned, taking the file and skimming over the first page before turning to the second. The second page read:

Department of the Marleyan Army

By Order of Officer Ernst Amsel

Citation for Captain Matthew Wagner

Captain Matthew Wagner is being cited for having a child out of wedlock with an Eldian prostitute. The army will carry out his punishment by demoting him of his titles. To be carried out by this date…

Erwin’s eyes widened as well. Mattie had a child with an Eldian prostitute? That was a highly controversial thing for a Marleyan captain to have done. Something that could get Mattie fired, or suspended; demoted of his position. Why hadn’t this citation been carried out? Erwin suspected it had something to do with a cover-up by either Officer Amsel or by Mattie himself. He wouldn’t put it past either of them, as they were rather chummy with each other since day one.

“We have to take this to Magath,” Erwin announced, handing the sheet to Zeke before closing up the file and starting to put the rest of the files back in the box they’d come from. He knew this was big. They could really get Mattie in trouble with this.

Zeke carefully folded the document and tucked it away in his shirt pocket, getting off the floor and brushing himself off. Erwin got up and put the box back, grinning with success. They’d done exactly what Magath had asked of them: now, they had found a reason.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zeke and Erwin burst into General Magath’s office as soon as they discovered the dirt on Mattie. Zeke pulled the paper out of his pocket and presented it to the general, who was looking up between them in confusion as to why they’d burst in like that, without even bothering to knock.

“Sir, we found a reason that the Ackerman should be reassigned,” Zeke said proudly, and Magath took the paper from him, eyes scanning the paper.

A small grin appeared on his face as he laughed, “Good job, boys. I’ll sign his suspension papers now.”

Erwin and Zeke exchanged smiles between them as they watched General Magath take out a piece of parchment and begin to write a suspension letter for Mattie. Erwin was feeling anxious, knowing that every second counted right now to rescue Levi. Who knows what the man was doing to Levi? Erwin watched the general finish up the letter and hold it out to them.

“You two can deliver this, I’m sure,” General Magath said as he turned to Zeke, “Jaeger, the Ackerman will be reassigned to you.”

Erwin’s heart sunk a little, and he couldn’t help himself. He argued, “But… But sir, I can-”

“I’m sorry, Smith,” General Magath insisted, “But you’ve already had your chance. It’s Zeke’s turn to try and get information from him.”

Erwin shut his mouth, knowing he couldn’t argue against that. And besides, at least it was Zeke he was being reassigned to, and not someone else they couldn’t trust. He knew Zeke had a sexual attraction to Levi, but his friend wouldn’t betray him by trying anything with Levi when he knew how much Erwin liked him.

“Thank you, sir,” Zeke nodded, “I won’t disappoint.”

“Good. You two are dismissed,” General Magath waved them off.

Erwin and Zeke left the office, both feeling particularly good about themselves as they began to head back towards Captain Mattie’s office. When they entered the building, the first thing they heard was a loud scream:

“Help! Someone help me!”

Zeke and Erwin looked at each other with wide eyes. That was Levi, Erwin recognized his voice almost immediately, the two of them beginning to run down the hallway towards Mattie’s office door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi awoke the next morning to a sharp kick in the face, gasping as he felt his lip split open. His eyes snapped open, and Mattie stood above him, glaring down at him with crossed arms. Levi sat up, holding his lip and looking up at him in confusion, wondering why he was so pissed off.

“Officer Amsel told me you had a visitor last night,” Mattie growled, grasping Levi by the hair and tugging him to his feet, “Did your little boyfriend come to visit you?”

Levi winced at the pain, his eyes widening as he realized what Mattie was so angry about. He didn’t say anything, simply staring at Mattie with a stoic look as he realized how much trouble he was about to be in.

“Answer me!” Mattie shouted, shaking him hard.

Levi whimpered at the agony of having his hair pulled so hard, nodding his head in response to Mattie’s original question. Mattie let him go, looking beyond furious. Levi didn’t know what was going to happen, but he knew it wouldn’t be good.

“Clearly, you don’t understand who you belong to,” Mattie snapped as he circled his desk, “So I’m going to make you understand.”

Levi stood there, sucking on his bloody lower lip and watching with fear as Mattie began unzipping his trousers, ordering, “Bend over the desk.”

Levi stayed where he was, shaking his head. He wasn’t going to let this happen. He took a step backwards towards the door, thinking perhaps he could escape, run to Erwin, prolong his fate. Mattie stepped back around the desk, heading straight for Levi with determination.

Levi made a run for the door, shrieking as Mattie grabbed him around the waist and started carrying him back to the desk. He fought hard, legs and arms swinging wildly as Mattie brought him back over and threw him over the wooden surface. He managed to pin Levi’s arms behind his back. Levi kicked his legs, but Mattie placed his strong, much larger legs around Levi’s, pinning them against the desk. Levi squirmed against the desk, feeling Mattie’s hand on his back holding him in place. The other hand was being used to take his dick out.

“Help!” Levi screamed, desperate at this point, “Someone help me!”

“Shut your damn mouth,” Mattie snapped, tapping his cock on Levi’s ass cheek, “Your little boyfriend can’t help you now.”

The door suddenly swung open, Zeke and Erwin standing there. Upon seeing the position he was in, they immediately rushed to help him. But something awoke in Levi upon seeing Erwin there, terror in his eyes from finding Levi like this. Levi gritted his teeth and broke his legs free from Mattie’s hold before swinging his leg up and kicking the man in the balls. Mattie cried out and let go of Levi, doubling over.

Levi turned around and shoved him to the ground, climbing on top of him and starting to wail on him. He didn’t know what had come over him, throwing punch after punch into Mattie’s face, blood flying everywhere. Something inside him had snapped, and a sudden strength had taken over. Two large arms wrapped around him and pulled him away, and Levi could barely see, all he saw was Mattie’s face: all red with blood and swollen from Levi’s hits. The man was likely passed out at this point, no noise coming from him anymore. Levi struggled in the arms that held him, trying to get back to beating the living shit out of the man who’d tried to rape him.

“Levi,” a voice murmured in his ear over and over, “Levi!”

Suddenly, he began to come to, remembering his surroundings and who was there with him. It was Erwin who was holding him back, Erwin he was fighting against. Levi immediately stopped flailing, breathing heavy as he tried to calm himself down. Erwin was breathing heavy too, simply from trying to hold Levi back.

“Shit,” Zeke muttered, “You nearly fucking killed him.”

“Good,” Levi growled, squirming out of Erwin’s arms and spitting on the man, “Fucking piece of shit.”

Levi turned around, seeing the two men looking at him as if he were insane. He looked between them, before looking down at his hands. The gravity of the situation suddenly weighed upon him. His hands were drenched in blood, and he realized how badly he must’ve beaten the man. Mattie definitely deserved it, but it shocked Levi just how brutal he’d been. What had come over him? What the hell was that spark he’d felt that had driven him to do such a thing after he’d seen the fear in Erwin’s eyes?

“I’m gonna be in so much trouble,” Levi muttered as he looked up from his hands, “He’s gonna murder me when he comes to.”

“We’ll cover for you,” Zeke insisted, “He’s in trouble anyways.”

“What… What do you mean?” Levi asked with a raised eyebrow, looking confused.

“We found some dirt on him,” Erwin explained, holding up a sheet of paper that read SUSPENSION in huge letters across the top, “General Magath signed his suspension letter. You’re being reassigned to Zeke.”

Levi almost couldn’t believe it. Sure, he wasn’t exactly thrilled to be reassigned to Zeke, but it was far better than Mattie or some other Marleyan; anything was better than Mattie. Erwin put the suspension paper on Mattie’s desk so he could read it when he woke back up.

“Come here, love,” Erwin murmured, taking off his coat to wrap Levi in.

Levi walked over, putting Erwin’s long coat on and doing it up so he wasn’t naked anymore. The two of them shared a longing look between them, and Zeke starting laughing at them.

“You two are so in love,” Zeke commented, “It’s disgusting.”

Levi and Erwin both grew red in the face and looked away from each other in embarrassment, Levi snapping, “Oi! Shut your mouth, monkey man.”

Zeke grinned as he looked between the two of them, “Do I need to leave you two alone?”

“N-No!” Erwin argued, blushing horribly, “Zeke, cut it out.”

Levi glanced down at Mattie, who was beginning to stir now, “We should get out of here before he wakes up.”

The two men nodded in agreement, and they soon headed out of Mattie’s office towards Zeke’s, where Levi would be staying now. Levi assumed that they couldn’t reassign him to Erwin a second time, which is why he was with Zeke instead now. But it was better than being assigned to some random person who could hurt him.

“So, what’s our plan?” Levi asked as he and Erwin sat down across from Zeke’s desk. Zeke took out a cigarette and lit it, going to stand by the window as to not bother them with the smoke (mostly for Levi’s sake).

“What do you mean?” Erwin wondered.

“Well, if Zeke can’t torture information out of me, he’ll get in trouble like you did, and then we’ll be in the same boat we were in just now,” Levi explained, watching Zeke roll his eyes as he started puffing on the cigarette.

“Why don’t you just give up the information?” Zeke inquired, “Don’t you want to stay here with Erwin?”

Levi looked over to Erwin, reaching out and placing his hand on Erwin’s knee. Of course he did. He wanted to stay with Erwin, but what he wanted more than anything was to return home to Paradis. He didn’t like Marley; he had too many bad memories here, and he wanted to go back to his friends.

“I’m sorry, Erwin,” Levi spoke quietly, “I just want to go home.”

Erwin frowned, putting his hand on top of Levi’s and squeezing it gently, “I’ll do anything to give you that, Levi.”

Zeke sighed in some annoyance, “So you’re gonna help him escape?”

Erwin nodded, “Yes, and you’re going to help too.”

Zeke groaned in irritation, “Ugh, why me?!”

“Because, with the two of us working together, anything’s possible,” Erwin smiled, his charming side coming out.

Zeke grumbled under his breath as he took another breath of smoke, “Fine, you don’t have to butter me up like that.”

Levi shot Erwin a grateful smile, thankful that Erwin was so willing to help him escape. He could’ve been selfish; could’ve begged Levi to stay, but he simply wanted Levi to be happy, and that warmed Levi’s heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi was sitting in Zeke’s bed that night, feeling a little out of place. Sure, he was happy to have been rescued from Mattie’s, and he wasn’t worried about Zeke doing anything to him, but at the same time, he missed Erwin dearly. He wanted to spend the night in Erwin’s bed, being held by him after the horrible things he’d been through the past couple of days.

Zeke got undressed to his boxers and climbed into the bed, noting the look on Levi’s face. Levi could see the man huffing slightly as he got under the covers, almost sounding irritated with him for some reason.

“Go ahead,” Zeke muttered, tugging the covers up around his shoulders.

“What?” Levi asked, looking confused.

“Go see him,” Zeke insisted, “I know you want to. I’m giving you permission.”

Levi could feel his face lighting up at the notion of going to visit Erwin. He smiled at Zeke in appreciation, hopping out of bed and slipping on his shoes excitedly. Zeke was watching him with a small smile on his own face.

“You two have fun,” Zeke teased, chuckling quietly.

“Thank you, Zeke,” Levi said gratefully, waving at Zeke before he headed out the door.

He walked down to Erwin’s office, knocking lightly on the locked door. He knew Erwin usually stayed up late to work anyways, so he would’ve been surprised if the man was already in bed. He heard some shuffling going on inside before the door opened, revealing Erwin, who was already in his pajamas.

“Oh, Levi,” Erwin said with wide eyes, some surprise on his face, “What are you doing here? Did you sneak out?”

Levi shook his head, “Zeke said I could visit.”

Erwin smiled, “Well that was nice of him. Come on in, I was just about to head to bed. But I can stay up if you-”

“I just want you to hold me,” Levi blurted, looking down at his shoes sheepishly as he realized what he’d said.

He felt two fingers on his chin that brought him back up to look into Erwin’s eyes. The man was grinning sweetly, and he leaned forward to press a kiss to Levi’s lips before murmuring, “We can do that too.”

Levi nodded, a goofy smile appearing on his face as he followed Erwin into the office and then into his bedroom. Levi kicked off his shoes and the two of them snuggled under the covers, separately at first, before Erwin wrapped his arms around Levi and brought him closer. Levi could feel himself blushing, but couldn’t help how giddy he felt to be in Erwin’s arms again. He could hear Erwin’s shaky breathing, and wondered briefly why the man was so nervous. Although, he supposed he was nervous too, so he figured Erwin also had a reason to be feeling anxious.

Levi looked up, and their eyes met immediately, their lips close and their breath being shared between the two of them. Erwin gave Levi a soft smile before he leaned down, pressing his lips to Levi’s gently. Levi could feel himself melting under Erwin’s touch, sighing contently as he kissed back, their lips just gently grazing against one another over and over. It was so tender and sweet, so loving, and Levi’s eyes fluttered closed almost as soon as Erwin had kissed him. He brought his hands up to tangle them in Erwin’s pajama shirt, Erwin placing a hand on Levi’s waist. They just spent a good few minutes exchanging delicate kisses, their breath growing heavy as things began to pick up. Love was slowly turning to lust as Levi felt Erwin’s hot breath on his lips, his fervor growing with each kiss.

Erwin’s hand slowly moved down to Levi’s ass, squeezing it gently, and Levi pulled away with a small gasp, biting his lip and asking, “I… E-Erwin… can we take things slow?”

Erwin was a little red in the face from their activities, nodding a little and moving his hand back up to Levi’s waist, “Yeah, of course. You just let me know what’s too much for you, okay?”

Levi glanced up at him nervously, “Okay. Can… Can we just go back to kissing?”

Erwin nodded, taking Levi’s face into his hands and kissing him deeply. Levi didn’t know when he’d last felt like this. It was almost as if he’d never felt like this before, and he supposed perhaps that was the case. He didn’t recognize this warm feeling inside him, growing in his chest every time Erwin kissed him, looked at him, spoke to him, touched him.

The two continued on like that, tangled up in each other’s arms as they shared kiss after kiss. Erwin didn’t press Levi to go any further, and Levi appreciated it greatly. Of course, he wanted to do other things with Erwin, but he was scared to do so, especially given the fact he’d almost been assaulted earlier that day.

Their kisses eventually subsided, and Levi lay his head on Erwin’s chest sleepily, closing his eyes. He could already hear Erwin’s slow breathing, meaning the blonde was asleep as well. Levi smiled genuinely for the first time in a long time, falling asleep in Erwin’s arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s almost like Zeke’s cupid, Levi thought to himself as he lay in Erwin’s bed the next night. Zeke had insisted the two of them be allowed to spend the nights together, while Levi spent the days with Zeke so no suspicions would arise. Levi appreciated that Zeke clearly understood how much Levi and Erwin wanted to spend time with each other, and that he wasn’t being selfish and trying to keep Levi for himself now that he had him. The man seemed to encourage their relationship, perhaps thinking it was sweet.

Levi was spending the night like they had the night before, sharing kisses and cuddling. But Levi was surprised when he shifted in the bed and felt Erwin’s large erection tenting through his pajama pants. Levi blushed horribly, as did Erwin, and the two just stared at each other for a long moment.

“I… sorry,” Erwin muttered, “You just… You’re really beautiful, Levi. I can’t help it.”

Levi covered his red cheeks, feeling heat rising from them as he became even more embarrassed, “I… d-don’t say things like that!”

Erwin chuckled softly, and Levi was going to ask him what was so funny when he was brought into another kiss, this one a lot more lustful and heated than their previous ones. But Levi melted into it the same as if it was a loving kiss, eagerly exchanging loud smooches with the blonde. He could feel his own erection growing now, and he was feeling more and more desperate with each kiss.

“E-Erwin?” Levi murmured as they pulled away from each other to catch their breath.

“Yeah?” Erwin replied, his fingers tracing up and down Levi’s side gently.

“Can we do… other things?” Levi asked nervously, gripping Erwin’s shirt a little tighter in his hands.

Erwin raised an eyebrow, “You want to? Are you sure?”

Levi nodded, tugging Erwin close for another heavy kiss, feeling Erwin lick at his lower lip before sucking on it lightly. Levi whined and opened his mouth up slowly, letting Erwin’s thick tongue enter his mouth and rub against his soft, smaller one. He could feel himself getting hot and bothered all over from their hungry kisses, and he scooted closer to Erwin, feeling their erections rub against one another and letting out a moan that vibrated into Erwin’s mouth.

The two began kissing more desperately now, licking and sucking at each other’s mouths and tongues, heads bobbing up and down as they continued. Levi was so anxious, but he was running on instinct now. He pushed Erwin onto his back and climbed on top of him, straddling him and starting to kiss him feverishly again while grinding their hips together.

Erwin groaned this time, gripping Levi’s hips and moving back up to meet Levi’s downward thrusts. The two of them were breathing heavily between their heated kisses, staring into each others eyes with intense lust that was driving them forward in their activities.

“C-Can I take off your pants?” Levi asked in between kisses.

Erwin nodded, helping Levi tug his pajama pants down so that his erection was free. Levi sat up and pulled his own pajama pants off so that he was naked below the waist. He positioned his cock so that it was now rubbing against Erwin’s with every thrust, the two of them moaning from the feeling. Levi placed his hands on Erwin’s chest, starting a rhythm of circling his hips and grinding against Erwin’s cock. It was big, and Levi was almost drooling from the sight of it. Erwin was holding his hips tightly in his calloused fingers, staring up at Levi with half-lidded lustful eyes, his mouth parted slightly and hot breaths escaping him.

“Oh god,” Levi mewled, tossing his head back as the pleasure began increasing the longer he rubbed against Erwin.

“Shit,” Erwin panted, lifting his hips up to meet Levi’s and moving his hands to Levi’s ass.

Both of them had red faces from what they were doing, Levi breathing heavily as he began a quicker pace. He let out a desperate moan when Erwin moved a hand to grasp both their cocks, making the slide between them easier.

“E-Erwin!” Levi gasped, “Ohh! I-I have to- I need to-”

“Go ahead, love,” Erwin managed to get out, as he was clearly close to.

Levi cried out as he came across his chest on one particularly good thrust, watching Erwin cum moments later. Levi rocked his hips a couple more times as he rode out his orgasm, quiet moans leaving his mouth as he tried to come down from it.

Erwin reached over to his nightstand and grabbed a handkerchief, starting to clean the two of them up. Levi had an idea in mind, and he stopped Erwin’s hand from cleaning his own stomach. Erwin looked up at him in some confusion, before Levi got down in between his legs and started lapping up the cum on the blonde’s stomach.

Erwin’s eyes widened and he groaned, petting Levi’s hair affectionately, “Fuck Levi. You’re gorgeous, my love. Absolutely amazing.”

Levi pulled away when it was cleaned up and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand before laying down next to Erwin and sighing contently. Erwin wrapped his arms around him and pressed a kiss to his lips, eyes looking incredibly tired from their activities. The two soon fell asleep now that their needs were met.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, have you two fucked yet?” was the first thing Zeke said to Levi when he returned the next morning.

Levi felt a blush rise to his face as he shook his head, tutting in annoyance, “Don’t say things like that.”

Zeke merely laughed in response, “I’ll take that as a no. Come on, you let me fuck you on like… night three, and you didn’t even like me! Why haven’t you and Erwin had sex yet?”

Levi sat down in the chair across from Zeke’s desk, tugging on the bottom of his jacket uncomfortably as he mumbled, “I… I don’t know. We just haven’t.”

Zeke chuckled, leaning back in his chair and putting his boots up on his desk, which disgusted Levi to no end. You eat food on that surface, you disgusting monkey, Levi thought to himself, but shook himself of the thought when Zeke began to talk.

“Well, you should get to it,” Zeke insisted, “Who knows when you’re going to leave? It could be any day now. You might not get the chance to.”

Levi frowned, knowing Zeke was right. He realized that leaving Marley meant leaving Erwin, and that truly tugged at his heart. When had he turned into such a softy - such a lovestruck idiot?

“Yeah, I guess,” Levi shrugged.

“Are you nervous?” Zeke asked, waggling his eyebrows, “Do you need more preparation?”

Levi shot him a glare, and if he’d been close enough he would’ve smacked him, “Shut your damn mouth.”

Zeke grinned, “I’m just joking. Erwin would beat my ass if I tried anything with you. But listen, don’t be nervous. Erwin wants you, and badly. Trust me, I can tell. He’s been wanting to fuck your tight little-”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Levi interrupted, still completely red in the face from Zeke’s antics.

Zeke smirked, “So what’s keeping you from doing it, then? You’re nervous, right?”

Levi rolled his eyes. Zeke really wasn’t going to let this go, was he? Levi sighed a little and nodded, giving in to Zeke’s insistence. Zeke put his feet back on the floor and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.

“You wanna know what you should do?” Zeke murmured.

“No,” Levi responded without hesitation.

Zeke frowned and rolled his eyes a little, “Fine, but it would’ve definitely gotten Erwin to sleep with you.”

Levi stared at Zeke as he opened his desk drawer and took out a cigarette, leaning back in his chair and lighting it. He’s really not going to tell me? Levi thought to himself with some annoyance, letting out a huff.

“Fine,” he snapped, “Tell me then.”

Zeke was laughing again, and Levi didn’t understand what about his words were so funny. The blonde was so irritating, and Levi just didn’t have the patience for him. So far the time they’d spent together had been mostly spent in silence because Levi just found Zeke thoroughly annoying.

“I think you should go to bed before he does, wait in the bed naked, surprise him, and suck his dick,” Zeke suggested, taking a long puff of the cigarette when he was finished talking and blowing it out.

Levi was thoroughly embarrassed by this conversation, but he grumbled, “You really think that would work?”

Zeke smiled smugly, “Of course it will. You put that dick in your mouth and he’ll want to put it up your ass in no time.”

Levi didn’t appreciate Zeke’s lewd talk, but he did appreciate the advice. He supposed he really didn’t have much time left with Erwin, and this was something he wanted to do with the man before he left. It was making him think about how much he was going to miss Erwin, and he wondered if he would just be able to abandon the man so easily.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin was sitting at his desk that evening when he heard the familiar knock on his door that meant Levi had come to visit. He called for the smaller man to come in, and Levi entered, a nervous smile on his face.

“Hi sweetheart,” Erwin smiled back, “I’m almost done with my work, and then we can go to bed.”

Levi nodded, staying over by the door. Usually he greeted him with a kiss when he first entered, but tonight Levi stood stuck at the door. Erwin eyed him curiously, wondering if something was wrong.

“I… I’m going to wait for you in the bedroom,” Levi announced, walking quickly towards the bedroom and leaving the office without another word.

Erwin stared after him in some confusion before shrugging and going back to his work. He finished up the last couple documents before getting up and turning off his desk lamp. He headed towards the bedroom and walked in, starting to take off his shirt as he entered so that he could change into his pajamas right away.

Levi was already in the bed, covers up to his neck as he stared at Erwin with wide eyes upon his entrance. He looked anxious, though Erwin wasn’t sure why. He ignored it for the moment and kicked off his boots and socks, taking off his pants and boxers and dropping them to the floor.

“Erwin?” Levi said, and he heard the swish of the sheets being whipped off the man.

Erwin looked up, intending to reply with a ‘what’, but the word got caught in his throat as he realized Levi was naked under the covers, just like he was in his process of getting changed. Erwin couldn’t help but stare, his breath hitching as Levi scooted off the bed and stood in front of him.

“What… you… you’re naked,” Erwin stuttered, stating the obvious and feeling a little stupid for doing so. He just didn’t know what else to say.

Levi let out a nervous laugh, “I… I am…”

Erwin continued to stare, eyes raking up and down Levi’s body. Levi was doing the same to Erwin’s body, both of them taking each other’s nudity in. They’d vaguely seen each other naked before, but hadn’t gotten the opportunity to really admire each other in this state.

That’s when Levi dropped to his knees in front of Erwin, taking Erwin’s growing erection in his hand and jerking at it a couple of times. Erwin couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath that occurred because of Levi’s actions. Is he really going to…? Erwin wondered, holding his breath as he locked eyes with Levi, who was staring up at him lustfully. Levi parted his lips, opening his mouth up wide and sucking the tip into his mouth. Erwin didn’t know what to do with himself. This was the last thing he’d expected to be doing with Levi tonight - he’d figured maybe they’d make out again, or grind against each other like last night. He didn’t expect Levi to get on his knees and suck his dick like this.

“Fuck,” he let out a sigh as Levi sunk his head down as far as he could, Erwin’s cock hitting the spongey back of Levi’s throat. The shorter man used his hand to cover the rest of Erwin’s dick.

Levi began to bob his head, making obnoxious slurping noises with his mouth as he sucked eagerly on Erwin’s dick. Erwin groaned, his hands falling into Levi’s hair and tugging on it lightly.

“Holy shit,” Erwin let out a deep breath he’d been holding in, “Levi, I- god.”

Levi whimpered around his cock and swallowed around him, allowing Erwin to gently rock his hips into his mouth. Erwin moaned and looked down to see Levi still staring up at him, half-lidded eyes and red dusting his cheeks. It was a beautiful sight to see the shorter man with his mouth full, his eyes pricked with tears, and his face red. It only caused Erwin’s dick to twitch inside Levi’s mouth, which in turn caused Levi to whine.

“Levi,” Erwin panted, “Oh my god, I want you so badly.”

Levi pulled away a little to swirl his tongue around the tip, taking the cock out of his mouth to order in a low voice, “Then take me.”

Erwin didn’t have to be told twice. He helped Levi to his feet before lifting him by his thighs and tossing him onto the bed. He climbed on top of the shorter man and caught his lips in a deep kiss, rubbing their pelvises against one another. Levi had a hard-on too, much to Erwin’s relief. He wanted to make sure the smaller man really wanted this, and the fact he had an erection was encouraging.

The blonde kissed Levi hungrily, turning his head to get better access to Levi’s lips and taking his lower lip into his mouth. He sucked on it before biting lightly on it and letting it go. Levi moaned into his mouth from Erwin’s actions, his nimble fingers rubbing Erwin’s pecs sensually. Erwin moved his kisses along Levi’s jawline, listening to his panting as he went down further to Levi’s neck, then his collarbone. He left kisses along his chest before licking at one of his nipples. Levi gasped and groaned when Erwin circled his tongue around it before sucking it into his mouth and nibbling on it with his teeth.

“E-Erwin,” Levi whimpered, bucking his hips up so that his erection rubbed against Erwin’s stomach.

Erwin chuckled at Levi’s desperate noises before moving to his other nipple and beginning the same routine: flicking his tongue out to lick it before taking it into his mouth and sucking hungrily on it. Levi was squirming and moaning under him, making Erwin feel all the more turned on.

Erwin pulled away and reached down to tug at Levi’s erection, moving his face back up so that it was hovering over Levi’s, “I’m going to make you feel so good, Levi. I want you to feel amazing.”

Levi whined and jerked his hips upwards into Erwin’s fist, “Erwin I… I need it- please.”

His fist continued to tug at Levi’s erection for a couple more seconds before he let go, getting up to retrieve lube from his nightstand. He’d moved it from his office desk the day before in hopes that they might do this at some point, though he hadn’t expected it would be tonight. Erwin climbed back onto the bed, watching Levi spread his legs and look at him with some clear anxiety. Erwin wanted Levi to feel as comfortable as possible, and he leaned up to give the man a few small kisses.

“It’s okay, I’ll go slow,” he reassured him, “You can stop me whenever you want, okay?”

Levi nodded, giving him a small smile, “Okay, you can go ahead.”

Erwin poured some lube onto his fingers and reached in between Levi’s legs, gently pressing a finger to his entrance. Levi initially jolted at Erwin’s cold touch, but kept his legs spread, looking down and watching Erwin’s finger circle his rim. Erwin kept working the finger around, opening the hole slowly and pushing his digit inside.

“Ohh,” Levi whined, mouth dropping open as Erwin moved his finger around inside him.

Erwin pulled out the finger and pushed it back in, working Levi open slowly and taking his time. He didn’t want it to hurt, so he wanted to make sure Levi was opened up enough to take him. He pulled the finger out again and pushed a second in next to it, stretching and scissoring the opening as Levi gasped and moaned from the feeling.

Levi continued to writhe under the thrusts of Erwin’s fingers, and Erwin added a third finger after a few moments of stretching with two. He fucked his fingers into Levi’s opening a little harder, curling them as he sought Levi’s prostate.

“Erwin!” he cried out when Erwin hit his sweet spot straight on, fucking into it over and over with his fingers.

“Is that good?” Erwin asked insecurely, pressing a kiss to Levi’s forehead.

Levi nodded, answering breathily, “It’s good, so good.”

Erwin slowly removed his fingers, placing his hands on the underneath of Levi’s thighs and lifting them slightly so he had better access to his hole. Erwin hooked Levi’s knees over his shoulders and tugged him down on the bed so they were closer, lining his cock up properly before glancing up at Levi’s face to make sure everything was still okay.

“You ready?” He asked for extra measure.

“Yes,” Levi answered, “Please fuck me, Erwin.”

Erwin sucked in a deep breath before starting to push in, groaning as he was surrounded by Levi’s warmth. Levi’s mouth was open in a silent moan, his eyes widening as he tossed his head back against the bed. Erwin continued to push in, holding his breath as he did so. It was so tight, so hot, and Erwin had never felt anything like this before. Once he was fully-seated, he finally let out that breath he’d been holding in.

“Mmm,” Levi sighed lustfully, legs already trembling over Erwin’s shoulders, “S-So big- I’m so f-full.”

Erwin let out a low moan at Levi’s words before pulling all the way out and fucking back in with one harsh thrust. Levi cried out, hands gripping at the sheets below him tightly as Erwin started a slow, deep pace; pulling out all the way and pushing in with long thrusts.

“Oh my god,” Levi groaned, “Oh fuck!”

Erwin gripped onto Levi’s thighs a little tighter as he pounded away into Levi’s hole, starting to pick up the rhythm of his thrusts. He angled himself a little, now ramming into Levi’s prostate straight on. He knew because of the way Levi’s eyes dilated, the way he tossed his head back and let out a strangled cry.

“That’s my beautiful Levi,” Erwin murmured, a sweat breaking on his brow, “My gorgeous boy. You’re amazing, darling.”

Levi moaned and writhed under him, “E-Erwin! Ngh- shit-”

Erwin rolled his hips over and over in shorter little thrusts directly into Levi’s prostate. He was making all sorts of cute noises, gasping and whimpering and groaning at every movement. He started breathing heavily himself from just how good he was feeling, and just how much effort he was putting into pleasuring the two of them.

Levi reached down and started tugging at his erection, pleading, “Please, Erwin- don’t stop! Don’t stop!”

Erwin slammed into him, the sound of their skin smacking against each other echoing throughout the room. He leaned over Levi, pressing the man’s thighs up against his chest and fucking into him in short bursts while sharing a deep kiss with him.

“I-I’m gonna cum,” Levi gasped out when they pulled away, still pumping his erection in his hand, “Erwin, c-cum inside me- cum with me, please.”

Erwin nodded, his eyes half-lidded as he continued his harsh thrusts into Levi’s opening. It only took a few more hard thrusts for Levi to cum all over his chest and thighs, while Erwin came inside him at the same time.

He pulled out slowly, collapsing next to Levi on the sheets and trying to calm his breathing. He could hear Levi breathing heavily too next to him, before there was a shift on the mattress, and the shorter man leaned over him, kissing him deeply.

Erwin kissed back, sighing contently as Levi pulled away. They were smiling at each other shyly, and Levi pressed a couple of sweet kisses to Erwin’s face before running his fingers through Erwin’s blonde hair.

“Erwin?”

“Yes, Levi?”

“Move to Paradis with me,” Levi asked in a nervous voice, “Come with me when I leave.”

He was looking at Erwin with pleading eyes, searching Erwin’s blue ones as if he was trying to find Erwin’s answer. Erwin wanted to say yes. He wanted to go with Levi. He no longer had pride in his job, no longer wanted to stay in Marley. But at the same time, he knew he couldn’t leave his mother behind. Zeke would be okay on his own, but his mother needed him, and he couldn’t just abandon her.

“I… I can’t, Levi,” Erwin sighed sadly, “I’m sorry. I want to, but… my mother. I can’t leave her here by herself.”

Levi’s face fell in some disappointment, but he nodded in understanding, “I get it. It’s okay, I wouldn’t leave my mother either if I was in your position.”

Erwin leaned up to kiss Levi again, whispering against his lips, “I’m going to miss you.”

Levi gave him a sad smile, caressing Erwin’s cheek gently, “I’m going to miss you too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi was sitting in the office with Erwin the next morning, as Zeke had a few meetings to attend to. They were enjoying their breakfast, and Levi was feeling extremely giddy from their sex the night before. He felt as though Erwin truly cared about him, and he knew that he cared deeply about Erwin.

He was starting to feel a little sad about the prospect of leaving Marley. Though he hated it here, he knew he would miss Erwin dearly. But he understood Erwin’s reasons for staying, and didn’t want to press him.

The door opened, a guard walking in with some letters for Erwin. The guard glanced at Levi with suspicion, something Levi was used to at this point. He set the letters down in front of Erwin and left, closing the door behind him.

“I’m sorry they look at you like that,” Erwin apologized, picking up the letters and opening the first one, glancing over it before setting it aside.

“Like what?” Levi joked, “Like they’re constipated?”

Erwin grinned, chuckling a little as he opened the second letter. But his smile quickly froze, turning into a concerned frown as his eyes scanned the words on the parchment. Levi frowned as well.

“What is it?” Levi asked.

Erwin didn’t answer, looking completely solemn as he finished reading the letter, setting it down and folding his hands on the desk. Levi stared at him, starting to get a little worried. Something was clearly wrong, especially considering Erwin didn’t answer him.

“Erwin?” Levi tried again, “What’s going on?”

Erwin continued to stare down at his hands, muttering something under his breath that Levi couldn’t make out. Levi reached his hand over, touching Erwin’s clasped hands and trying to bring him back to reality. Whatever it was had shaken him to his core. Erwin finally looked up, tears in the corners of his eyes.

“What’s going on?” Levi repeated strongly, trying to get it out of him.

“It’s my mother,” Erwin murmured, “She’s dead.”

Levi felt his heart sink, his eyes widening as he opened and closed his mouth and tried to figure out what to say. He didn’t know how to comfort Erwin, how to help him through something this heavy. When his mother had died, he had been very little, and he couldn’t remember what it felt like when he lost her.

“Erwin…” Levi squeezed his hands gently, “I’m so sorry. What happened to her?”

“She’s been sick,” Erwin explained, looking back down at his hands and staring at them with a stoic look, as if he wasn’t all there, “She had to go to an Eldian hospital, which didn’t have the type of care she needed like a Marleyan hospital would. So she died.”

Levi felt horrible for Erwin, not knowing what to say. He knew how much Erwin’s mother meant to him. She was an incredibly nice lady, and Levi knew she didn’t deserve to die, especially not because of an inability to get proper care.

“I’m sorry,” Levi said again, feeling very uncomfortable and out of place, “I mean… maybe… well, you could come with me now… at least…”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Levi knew it had been the wrong thing to say, as Erwin’s head snapped up with a, “What?”

Levi shook his head quickly, “That wasn’t what I meant- I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said-”

Erwin’s eyes flashed with anger before he slammed his fist down on the table loudly, causing Levi to jolt back and remove his hand from Erwin’s. Levi stared at him in some surprise, but expected Erwin to apologize for his small outburst. After all, Levi hadn’t meant things like that; he hadn’t meant to say what he did, and Erwin knew that he wouldn’t be that insensitive, right?

But something was different, the atmosphere had completely changed. Erwin’s face had completely changed, the humanity that was there moments ago was gone. Levi watched him with some concern.

“E-Erwin? Are you o-”

“Can’t you shut the fuck up?!” Erwin shouted, getting up from his desk so fast that his chair fell over.

Levi’s eyes widened, looking up at Erwin with some shock, but keeping his mouth shut at the same time. Maybe Erwin would calm down, maybe he’d apologize now, or at least, Levi was hoping so.

“Typical,” Erwin spat angrily, glaring dangerously at Levi, “Of course you would say something like that. You’ve probably been waiting to take me back to Paradis so you can capture me and do experiments on me!”

Levi shook his head, opening his mouth to speak, when Erwin continued, “My superiors were fucking right about you. You’re just a goddamn whore: couldn’t keep your legs shut for Zeke, almost got gang-banged and then fucked by Mattie, and now you’ve tricked me into your disgusting games too!”

Levi winced at Erwin’s words. It wasn’t his fault he’d been assaulted by those men. Why was Erwin saying these hurtful things to him? He didn’t understand, and could feel the shock settling through his body as Erwin spoke.

Erwin walked over to his drink cart, pouring himself a glass of brandy and taking a long sip before throwing the glass at the wall and watching it shatter. Levi jumped slightly from the sound, sinking down in his chair as Erwin focused his furious gaze back in on him.

“You are exactly what everyone’s been saying about you,” Erwin growled, storming towards him and grabbing Levi by the collar. Levi squeaked in some shock as Erwin tugged him out of the chair and close to his face, snarling, “I should’ve never trusted a devil like you.”

Levi could feel the tears in his eyes, Erwin’s words slicing him like a knife. Erwin raised a fist to hit him, and Levi’s eyes widened, tears spilling over his eyelids as he realized that Erwin was going to beat him.

Erwin brought his fist downwards, but paused halfway through, a look of confusion passing over his face. It was almost like he all of a sudden realized where he was, what he was doing. He let go of Levi’s collar, covering his face in stress and frustration.

Levi reached a shaky hand out to touch his face, sniffing, “E-Erwi-”

“Don’t touch me!” Erwin yelled, moving his hands. He looked completely broken: so lost and confused, anguish covering his expression, “Just… don’t… you should leave.”

“But Erwin I-”

“Go!” Erwin practically roared, his deep, furious voice scaring the fuck out of Levi, “Before I fucking beat the shit out of you, go!”

Levi believed the threat, and quickly rushed out of the office, tears streaming down his face. Of course it had been terrifying to see Erwin so furious, to wonder whether the man was going to hurt him or not. But what hurt the most was the things Erwin had said. Did he really believe those things about Levi? That he was just some slut who was trying to trick Erwin? That he was going to kidnap him and torture him in Paradis? That he was just a devil?

Levi headed right to Zeke’s office, the only place he knew he could go. He figured maybe he could be alone in there while he waited for Zeke to return; he could explain it all to Zeke later as to why he stayed; maybe even come up with an excuse rather than tell Zeke the truth of the matter. But when Levi opened the office door, Zeke was already there, standing by his desk with a cigarette in his mouth.

“Levi?” Zeke raised an eyebrow, “I was just about to come get you. I finished my meetings.”

He looked up from his cigarette to see Levi’s tears, a frown coming across his face, “What happened? Are you okay?”

Zeke looked upset all of a sudden, “Did somebody fucking hurt you? I swear to god I’ll-”

“It’s Erwin,” Levi sniffled, closing the office door and realizing he couldn’t come up with an excuse on the spot as to why he was so upset, “He… He got really angry with me.”

Zeke sighed a little, “Come on, sit down. Tell me what happened.”

Levi rubbed his eyes and went to sit down across from Zeke’s desk, a small sob racking his body as he started to explain, “Erwin’s mom is dead.”

Zeke’s eyes widened, staring at Levi in disbelief, “Isle died? Oh my god, poor Erwin…”

Levi nodded, “I-I know… I didn’t know what to say. I told him… I told him now he could come with me to Paradis.”

Zeke stared at Levi with some surprise, “That was probably one of the worst things you could’ve said.”

“I know,” Levi insisted, whimpering quietly, “I apologized, but he got angry… like really angry, how he used to be. He threw things, and he even tried to hit me. He called me awful names and said terrible things about me.”

Zeke gave him a sympathetic look, a sigh leaving his mouth as he sat down at his desk, “Fuck, Levi. I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s hard for Erwin to just change overnight. He probably will have outbursts here and there as he gets better. Plus, he’s sensitive from his mom’s death, you know? So I’m sure he didn’t mean what he said.”

Levi shook his head, wiping away at his tears, “He basically said it was my fault that I got raped.”

Zeke frowned and took out a clean handkerchief from his desk drawer before handing it over to Levi, who blew his nose as Zeke tried again, “I really don’t think he meant that. I know it’s awful of him to say, but he’s really vulnerable right now, Levi.”

“I don’t know what to do,” Levi admitted, staring down at his hands sadly.

He’d been so happy this morning with Erwin, so happy last night. Why did everything have to get ruined? Why did he have to say something like that to set Erwin off? Levi was beginning to blame himself for everything that had gone wrong, believing some of Erwin’s words to be true.

“Just give him space,” Zeke advised, getting up slowly, “Why don’t you go lie down for a bit? I need to go see Erwin about his mom, give him my condolences.”

Levi nodded in understanding, knowing that was definitely more important at the moment. Zeke had probably known Erwin’s mom too, and her death was probably weighing on his heart as well. But as Zeke left and Levi went to lay down in his bed, he found himself a crying mess, heartbroken over the things Erwin had said to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zeke gently turned the handle of Erwin’s office door, pushing it open. He hadn’t bothered to knock, as he knew what state Erwin would be in. He walked in and closed the door behind him, scanning the room. It was in complete disarray: papers and books thrown everywhere, glass shattered on the floor. It looked like a tornado had passed through. Erwin was sitting against the wall, knees brought up to his chest and a passive look on his face. He was staring off at the floor in a dissociative state. Zeke approached him slowly, kneeling down next to him and reaching out a hand to place on Erwin’s shoulder, trying to bring him back to reality.

“Erwin?” He spoke softly, “It’s Zeke… are you okay?”

Erwin didn’t even look up at him. He simply shook his head, still staring off at the floor. Zeke sighed, rubbing Erwin’s arm soothingly. The man looked absolutely destroyed at the news of his mother’s death, and Zeke could partially relate. He’d lost his mother at a young age, but it had been due to his own turning his parents in, so it was a far different situation than what Erwin was going through.

“Come here,” Zeke sat next to him, wrapping an arm around Erwin’s shoulder, “It’s okay. It’ll be okay, Erwin.”

Erwin sniffled quietly, tears pooling in his eyes as he leaned his head on Zeke’s shoulder, starting to come out of his dissociation. Zeke frowned and pulled him closer, rubbing his arm in comfort.

“I’m so sorry about your mom,” Zeke murmured, “But just know how much she loved you. She was so proud of you, Erwin.”

There was a loud sniffle from Erwin as he held back his tears, muttering, “I couldn’t help her. Even though I’m a warrior, she still had to go to a shitty Eldian hospital. That’s why she died. I couldn’t do better for her.”

Zeke sucked in a deep breath at that, “It’s not your fault, Erwin. You didn’t create this. Me, you, your mom… all of us, we’re all pawns in this system. It’s none of our faults how we’re treated.”

Erwin nodded a little as he took in Zeke’s words, his lower lip quivering as he tried desperately not to cry. Zeke felt horribly for his friend. He seemed to be completely overwhelmed by the death of his mother.

“It’s okay to cry, Erwin,” Zeke spoke carefully, quietly, not wanting to agitate the man, “I’m here for you. Go ahead, you don’t have to hold it in anymore.”

Tears welled up, and the dam finally broke. Erwin wrapped his arms around Zeke and buried his face into his shoulder, sobs racking his body. Zeke just held him, rubbing his back and whispering comforting things to him. Erwin’s cries were painful to hear. He sounded like a small child crying for his mother. Zeke just comforted his friend as best he could, knowing that Erwin would do the same for him if he needed it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin stood over his mother’s open casket, seeing her solemn face as she lay there, dead. He looked at her for a moment longer, taking in all her features and trying to remember them as best he could so he’d never forget how beautiful she was. He finally tore his gaze away, standing next to the casket to greet guests. Other family members and friends greeted him, gave him their sincerest apologies for the death of his mother, but Erwin was barely taking any of it in.

He wasn’t good with things like this. Sure, on the outside, he was a charismatic, charming gentleman who handled situations like this with ease. But on the inside, he was breaking, and he needed his mother here to help him through. But of course, she was the reason he was in this situation in the first place.

The funeral was short and sweet, just like his mother would’ve liked it. She wasn’t one for long, drawn-out things where everyone sobbed and told stories about her. She would’ve been rather bored with it all, Erwin though with some amusement.

Zeke had been unable to attend, as he had to take care of Levi and his own business. The funeral was back in Erwin’s hometown anyways, so Erwin understood why Zeke wasn’t able to take the time away from his duties, as it would’ve been a trip to come out here.

But Erwin’s mind was now turning to Levi, whom he’d shouted at, threatened, nearly assaulted. He didn’t know what had come over him in that moment. He’d been so furious, so set off by Levi’s accidental words. It had really set him off, even though deep down he’d known Levi hadn’t meant it. So what the hell was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he just control his anger? Levi had looked so terrified, so hurt by Erwin’s words and his threatening actions. Erwin could picture his face in his mind, and it made him feel all guilty and queasy.

The reception after the funeral was particularly lonely. Cousins and aunts and uncles tried to hold a conversation with him, tried to ask him about his time in the military, his job as a Warrior, what it was like to be a Titan. But he didn’t want to talk about any of that, and the conversations remained short and sweet.

Erwin went back to his mom’s house that night. It was so empty and dark without his mother’s warm personality lighting up the place. This house was Erwin’s now, as she’d left everything to him in her will. He didn’t know what he was going to do with it. Perhaps he’d go through his mom’s things and sell the house, though he wasn’t sure if he could bring himself to do such a thing.

He went up to his mother’s room. It smelled so much like her: lavender and black tea. Maybe that’s why I like Levi so much, Erwin thought absentmindedly. Levi always smelled similar: of cleaning supplies and black tea. He smells like home, Erwin thought with a small smile.

He climbed into his mother’s bed and slept there in that scent, tears rolling down his cheeks as his heart ached with just how much he missed her. Sure, he was a fully-grown adult with a career and a future, but in this house, he was still his mother’s little boy. And now he was a little boy without a mother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi tossed and turned in Zeke’s bed that first night that Erwin was gone. He felt like shit. Why did he have to go and say something that was going to make Erwin pissed off like that? He hadn’t meant to, it was an accident. But after seeing Erwin’s terrifying reaction, Levi was wondering if Erwin really had changed after all.

“Can you stop?” Zeke sighed in exasperation as Levi turned over in the bed for the hundredth time, “If you can’t sleep, just get up and go do something. You’re keeping me awake with all your tossing about.”

“Sorry,” Levi mumbled, sitting up and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. Maybe he’d go look through some of Zeke’s books, try to remember the different letters he’d learned from Erwin and make an attempt at reading.

“Everything’s gonna be okay, you know that right?” Zeke turned over to face him, “Erwin was just distraught over his mom. You don’t have to sulk about it.”

Levi shot him a glare as he got off the bed, “I’m not sulking.”

Zeke rolled his eyes a little, “Whatever. Just come back when you’re ready to sleep.”

Levi nodded and headed out of the bedroom into Zeke’s office, looking around to decide what he was going to do. He walked over to Zeke’s desk and started snooping, much like he’d done in Erwin’s office before. He opened the top drawer, finding a pack of cigarettes (unsurprisingly) and a small stack of photos. The top one was the same photo of him and Erwin that Erwin had in his desk from when they were little. How sweet, Levi thought to himself. He admired their friendship, even if he wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of Zeke.

The next picture was of Zeke with a bunch of younger kids; they were likely warrior candidates: a girl with a blonde ponytail, a nervous-looking boy with dark hair, a boy with brown hair and a grin on his face, and a blonde-haired boy who looked fairly strong for his age. Levi flipped to the next picture: a small blonde boy in the lap of a woman, who was sitting in a chair while a man stood behind her. Levi stared at the picture, wondering if these were Zeke’s parents. Why didn’t Zeke ever talk about them?

The door to the bedroom opened, and Zeke appeared, rubbing his eyes and grumbling something about not being able to sleep now. He walked over towards Levi to see what he was doing, and when he was close enough he paused, eyes widening slightly when he realized what picture Levi was looking at. Levi quickly shuffled the pictures back around and put them back in the desk.

“I was just-”

“Snooping through my shit?” Zeke frowned, “I can see that.”

Levi closed the drawer, “I was just curious.”

“Whatever,” Zeke muttered, “Toss me a cigarette.”

Levi opened the drawer again and grabbed the pack of cigarettes, tossing them at Zeke. He caught them and took one out, taking a lighter from the surface of the desk and lighting the cigarette. Levi cringed at the smell and sat back in the desk chair, feeling curious about the picture he’d found of Zeke and who he supposed was his family.

“Zeke,” Levi tried, “Why don’t you talk about your parents? What happened to them?”

Zeke instantly shot Levi a look as if to tell him to stop talking, and Levi shut his mouth, though he was still curious. He wondered why Zeke was so standoffish about the subject, and what had happened to them. Maybe they weren’t around anymore.

“I don’t mean to pry,” Levi murmured, “I’m just wondering.”

Zeke sighed, puffing on the cigarette, “I don’t know. I’m sure they’re probably dead by now anyways.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Levi wondered, raising an eyebrow at Zeke. But the man didn’t elaborate further, just kept smoking like a chimney. Levi wanted to know, but perhaps he was being too nosy.

“What does that mean?” Levi found himself unable to help but ask.

“They were traitors to Marley,” Zeke muttered as if it was nothing, “So I turned them over to the authorities when I was little.”

Levi’s eyes widened a little. Damn, so we all have fucked up lives, Levi thought about himself, Zeke, and Erwin. Erwin’s father was missing and now his mother was dead; Zeke had turned his parents over as a child; and Levi had grown up as practically an orphan, not knowing his father and his mother dying when he was merely a toddler.

“You know I’m a monster now,” Zeke mumbled, “Only a monster would turn their own parents in.”

Levi frowned, “Not necessarily… Were they good to you?”

Zeke shrugged, “My mom was okay. My dad was unbearable. But we don’t need to go into details.”

Zeke’s hands were shaking the more he spoke, and Levi wondered why he was being so open. Perhaps he hadn’t told many people this; maybe he wanted to open up about it after keeping it to himself for so long.

“Did he beat you?” Levi asked. His uncle had never beat him growing up, but Levi had been beat up by other people who didn’t give a damn about beating little kids.

Zeke wouldn’t look at him, biting the inside of his cheek as he mumbled, “Sometimes.”

The two were silent for a moment, Zeke smoking his cigarette and Levi tapping his fingers on the desk awkwardly. He didn’t know what to say. They were both clearly uncomfortable, and Levi felt bad for having pried into Zeke’s personal business. But he’d been curious; he couldn’t help himself from asking.

“Erwin’s mom was always so nice to me,” Zeke said suddenly, “She never hesitated to treat me as if I were her own son.”

“I’m sorry you couldn’t attend her funeral,” Levi frowned, “And for your loss.”

“It’s okay,” Zeke sighed, “I’m just worried about Erwin. I’ve never seen him so torn up before.”

Levi didn’t want to think about Erwin. It made him upset to do so. All he could do was picture Erwin’s furious face, his hand raised to hit Levi. It had scared him, and he didn’t want to dwell on it.

“Yeah,” Levi responded, “I’m worried about him too. He hasn’t been that angry since he found out you and I…”

Levi stopped himself, swallowing thickly. The two exchanged an awkward look, and Levi regretted bringing it up. Zeke put out his cigarette in the ash tray on his desk and cleared his throat.

“I… I want to apologize,” Zeke muttered, “You know, for tricking you. I shouldn’t have manipulated you like that. It was selfish. I was really attracted to you, and I was jealous of Erwin having you.”

Levi could feel himself blushing, and refused to look up at Zeke, “It’s… It’s fine. You’ve done a lot to make up for your actions, and as much as I don’t like you, I think you’re a good friend to Erwin, and I should thank you for helping me this past week.”

Zeke sighed in some relief, “I’m glad I could help. And for the record, I’m not really a fan of you either.”

Levi couldn’t help but smile a little as he looked up at Zeke, “Well, at least we can tolerate each other.”

“Very true,” Zeke replied, sitting back in his seat, “So… are you in love with Erwin? Or is it more of a crush?”

Levi could feel that blush again. He didn’t know how to answer that. He didn’t even know the answer in general. Did he love Erwin? What even was love? Levi wasn’t sure he knew the meaning of that word; he’d never loved anyone before.

“I… I don’t know,” Levi mumbled nervously, “I like him a lot… I don’t know if it’s love.”

“Did you two finally have sex?” Zeke asked, leaning forward curiously.

Why is he so nosy about my sex life? Levi wondered, though he supposed he himself had been nosy about Zeke’s family life moments before. He nodded to Zeke’s question, not bothering to elaborate.

“And?” Zeke raised an eyebrow, “How was it?”

“It was good,” Levi answered shortly. He didn’t really like having this conversation with Zeke.

“Just good?” Zeke chuckled, “I bet he couldn’t get you to moan like I did.”

Levi shot him a glare, and Zeke grinned, “I’m only joking, Levi. Don’t worry.”

Levi sighed and admitted hesitantly, “It was… really good. He made me feel amazing…”

Zeke smirked a little, “I bet he did. Man’s got the cock of a god. I was always jealous of that thing. It’s enormous.”

Levi was blushing again, muttering, “Don’t say things like that.”

Zeke laughed, much to Levi’s annoyance. But Zeke’s original question was still bothering him. Did he really love Erwin? He’d asked the man to move to Paradis with him, and that just didn’t seem like something you’d ask of a mere crush. Did that mean he was in love?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi avoided Erwin for the rest of that week, which wasn’t difficult. The blonde had been gone for half the week attending to his mother’s funeral and burial. The worst part about avoiding Erwin was that he now was spending all his time with Zeke, who was not good company to keep. He was incredibly annoying; he didn’t even have to do anything specific, as he was just irritating all on his own.

Right now, Zeke was on his third cigarette in a row, stressing over some documents he had to fill out, and Levi was just trying desperately to not breath in second-hand smoke. He had been thinking all week about whether or not he was in love with Erwin. He wanted to say no; wanted that bastard to pay for the things he’d said to him when he got so angry. But he’d realized how much he was missing Erwin the more time he spent away from him.

“Could you stop?!” Levi finally said when Zeke ashed his third cigarette and took a fourth out of the pack, “God, you smoke like a fucking chimney!”

“I’m stressed!” Zeke shot him a small glare, “Why don’t you go in the bedroom if you can’t stand it?”

“Why don’t you just take a break from your work and stop fucking smoking to try and fix your damn problems?!” Levi snapped in annoyance.

“Fine,” Zeke grumbled, putting the fourth cigarette back in the pack and sitting back in his chair, “What should we talk about then?”

Levi cursed under his breath, realizing that he’d now have to talk to Zeke. Perhaps it had been better when Zeke was smoking; at least he was quiet and Levi didn’t have to talk to him. Maybe Levi had made a mistake.

“I don’t know,” Levi mumbled.

“How about we talk about why you’re avoiding Erwin, huh?” Zeke accused, a satisfied smirk on his face.

Levi frowned, shaking his head, “Let’s not talk about that.”

Zeke rolled his eyes a little, “You can’t avoid him forever. You know that, right?”

Levi sighed in annoyance, “Of course I know that!”

Zeke chuckled at Levi’s irritation. It seemed like the man almost enjoyed irritating him. Zeke took out that fourth cigarette almost as if by muscle-memory, but stopped when Levi shot him a glare, putting it back.

“Tell me why you’re avoiding Erwin or I’ll smoke another one,” Zeke threatened with a smirk, knowing just how to get to Levi.

“Fine,” Levi grumbled, “I’m avoiding Erwin because… because of what he said to me. It was… I don’t know if I can forgive him.”

Zeke tapped his chin lightly in thought, “Well, maybe you should try telling him that. I told you he didn’t mean it. He was just upset about his-”

“I know,” Levi interrupted, “But that’s not an excuse to say such awful things. Plus, he almost fucking hit me.”

“I understand,” Zeke shrugged, “But maybe you should give him another chance. I’m sure he misses you.”

“Oh yeah?” Levi mumbled, “Then how come he hasn’t talked to me all week?”

“Well, he’s been a bit preoccupied, Levi,” Zeke frowned, “His mom’s funeral, her burial… catching up on work when he got back.”

Levi nodded in understanding. That was true; Erwin had probably just been busy. But Levi had secretly hoped that the blonde would come visit him at Zeke’s; would sneak in at night and wake him up to apologize. But he hadn’t.

“I… I miss him,” Levi admitted, “And… since you asked me if I love him, I’ve really been thinking about it. I don’t know how I feel about him.”

“Do you want to spend all your time with him?”

“Well, yeah…”

“Do you care about him more than anything?”

“Yes…”

“Do you think about him nonstop?”

“I suppose so…”

“Then I think you’re in love with him, Levi,” Zeke smirked, tapping a pen on the desk, “Why is it so difficult for you to admit it? I’ve seen the way you two look at each other, and it’s pretty obvious to me that the two of you are falling for one another.”

Was that true? Did Erwin feel the same way? Levi could feel a small smile on his face, unable to help but feel giddy at the thought that Erwin loved him too. So Levi really was in love? He’d been resisting the thought, a little intimidated by it, but now that Zeke was confronting him with the information, it was suddenly much easier to admit it to himself.

“I… I’ve never been in love before,” Levi muttered, feeling embarrassed.

“I don’t think Erwin has either,” Zeke replied, “But I can tell he loves you. And I’m sure he misses you and feels bad for what he said and did. So try to talk to him about it, okay? He might just think you’re mad at him and wants to give you space.”

Levi nodded hesitantly, thinking it was a good idea to perhaps try to talk to Erwin. He thought the man perhaps deserved one last chance. After all, he’d been working so hard to be a better person for Levi, and Levi supposed he couldn’t expect the man to change overnight.

“You’ve been a good influence on him, Levi,” Zeke murmured, “Even if you got him in trouble, he hasn’t been this happy or kind since we were young. It’s… It’s nice. I like seeing Erwin like this, and I like that you make him more himself.”

Levi looked down at his lap sheepishly, forcing his smile away. He didn’t want Zeke to see how happy those statements had made him.

“So are you going to talk to him?” Zeke asked, and Levi looked up to see the hopeful expression on Zeke’s face, “You really should try before you leave for good…”

Levi nodded after a short moment, deciding he would make an attempt to talk to Erwin. He wanted to fix things with the blonde, especially if he would be escaping back to Paradis soon. He didn’t want to leave Marley with unfinished business, or hurt feelings between the two of them. He’d rather leave things with Erwin on a happy note.

“Go after lunch,” Zeke suggested, “That’s when he’s his happiest, so he’ll be easier to talk to.”

“Okay,” Levi decided, “Thanks, Zeke.”

“Of course,” Zeke chuckled, leaning back in his chair, “I just like seeing you two together. It’s cute to see Erwin so smitten over someone.”

Levi blushed a little, giving a nod to Zeke’s words. He was definitely nervous now, and lunch passed by very quickly for some reason, almost as if time itself was mocking him and forcing him to deal with his problems sooner.

After lunch passed, Levi got up, telling Zeke he’d be back. Zeke smiled and wished him luck, and Levi walked out into the hallway, heading down to Erwin’s door. He knocked lightly, hearing nothing at first. But there was a ‘come in’ moments later, and Levi pushed the door open, excited to finally see Erwin again.

The blonde sat at his desk, glancing up briefly. A pained expression came across his face, and he looked back down at his work. Levi assumed Erwin was probably not happy to see him because he felt guilty for what he’d done. He walked into the office and shut the door, going over to Erwin’s desk and resting his hands on the surface to try and get his attention. Erwin didn’t look up.

“Erwin,” Levi started, “I… I missed you.”

He thought that perhaps by being vulnerable with Erwin, the two could open up for a talk between them. Erwin didn’t say anything though, almost as if he was giving Levi the silent treatment. Levi frowned, starting to feel a little annoyed. Why wouldn’t Erwin talk to him?

“I… I wanted us to talk,” Levi tried, “I want to say that I’m sorry for what I said… and I’m upset that you reacted so violently… but I still want to try and fix things with you. I… I really care about you, Erwin.”

Erwin didn’t even flinch, still scribbling down notes on the piece of paper in front of him. Levi was getting more irritated now. Erwin was blatantly ignoring him, and Levi didn’t understand why. Perhaps he didn’t even feel bad for what he’d done.

Levi placed his hand over the document Erwin was writing, trying to get his attention, “Erwin.”

Erwin looked up, a stone cold expression on his face as he muttered, “What?”

“What’s your problem?” Levi asked with concern, “I apologized. Aren’t you going to say something?”

Erwin merely stared at him before shaking his head and looking back down at the document. Levi could feel his heart pounding as he snatched the document away, shooting a glare at Erwin when he looked up.

“Look at me,” Levi demanded, “Why won’t you talk to me?”

Erwin finally looked into his eyes, “We aren’t going to talk.”

“What do you mean we’re not-” Levi started with a confused expression.

“You belong to Zeke now, Levi,” Erwin spoke, completely emotionless, “So don’t talk to me anymore.”

Levi could feel his heart breaking, tearing in two inside his rib cage. Why would he say something like that? Erwin doesn’t want anything to do with me, he thought sadly, tears pooling in the back of his eyes. Levi didn’t want to give Erwin the satisfaction of crying in front of him, but he wasn’t ready to just leave and give up either.

“This isn’t fair, Erwin!” Levi snapped, “You can’t just get rid of me that easily!”

“Do you need me to call in my guards?” Erwin glared at him, and Levi shut his mouth at the threat, “That’s what I thought. Now get out.”

Levi could feel a tear escape, rolling down his cheek as he growled, “You’re a fucking asshole, Erwin. Fuck you.”

With that, Levi threw the document back at him and left the office, heading back to Zeke’s. He was storming down the hallway angrily, tears blinding his vision. He opened Zeke’s office door with a huff, walking in and closing the door. Zeke immediately noticed the state he was in, eyes widening and mouth opening to speak. But before he could even say anything, Levi went into the bedroom, climbing into the bed and starting to let himself sob openly.

The bedroom door opened slowly, and there was soon a shift of weight in the mattress, a hand on his back. He didn’t want Zeke here; didn’t want to be comforted, but he was too upset to fight back against Zeke’s actions.

“What happened?” Zeke asked curiously.

Levi forced himself to sit up and take some deep breaths, not wanting to cry in front of Zeke. He hiccuped, wiping his eyes and avoiding looking at the bespectacled man. He didn’t want to see how the man pitied him.

“Levi, what happened?” Zeke repeated, putting a hand on his shoulder, “Are you okay?”

Levi sniffed quietly, still looking down at his lap, “I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”

“Well, clearly it’s not fine,” Zeke noted, “Or you wouldn’t have come back here crying like that.”

“I’m… I’m fine,” Levi insisted, rubbing his eyes, “Really, Zeke.”

Levi finally looked up to see Zeke staring at him skeptically, “You sure?”

“I’m fine,” Levi said for a third time, watching Zeke get off the bed, “I just want to be alone.”

Zeke nodded, “Okay… well I’ll be in the office if you need anything.”

Levi waited for Zeke to leave the room before he lay down on the bed, letting the tears flow freely again. He couldn’t believe Erwin had said that to him: You belong to Zeke now, Levi. So don’t talk to me anymore. Why would Erwin say something like that? Didn’t he care about Levi?

Perhaps he didn’t feel the same way. Levi felt foolish; he felt stupid for letting himself fall for someone who didn’t return the feelings. Erwin probably just wanted to get in his pants; that’s all this was, or at least, that’s what Levi was convincing himself. He let out a quiet sob, pain in his chest from how hurt he was. He tried to pull himself together, to tell himself that Erwin wasn’t worth all this. But for some reason, he didn’t believe that, no matter what his brain was trying to tell him. Erwin was worth so much; Levi cared so deeply about him, and he didn’t know how to cope with what Erwin had said to him.

I’ll just go back to Paradis, Levi thought to himself, thinking he should go back home immediately. He would have to work with Zeke to do so if Erwin didn’t want anything more to do with him, and he was prepared to leave as soon as possible now, no longer held back by Erwin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin felt horrible for what he’d said to Levi. But he knew he had to do it. When he was away for his mother’s funeral, he’d come to a decision. He couldn’t let Levi get in the way of his work. Levi was no longer his responsibility, so he needed to get back to focusing on his career. After all, what was he going to do when Levi left? His work as a Warrior was all he had left. But there was a real reason underneath this facade: Erwin truthfully was terrified about the outburst he’d suffered from when Levi had misspoke. He was scared he wasn’t able to control himself, and was worried about physically harming Levi.

But at the same time, he still cared for Levi, and the hurt look on Levi’s face when he’d told him to leave was painful to see. But he knew this was just something he needed to do, and hopefully Levi would be gone soon so he wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore.

That evening, there was a knock on his door, and he called for whoever it was to come in, praying it wasn’t Levi. His prayers were answered, but Zeke stood in the doorway, looking a little upset.

“Did you need something?” Erwin asked, knowing that Levi had likely told Zeke about what had happened.

“What did you say to Levi?” Zeke asked after he closed the door behind him, crossing his arms, “He came back to my room crying, and wouldn’t tell me what happened.”

“Nothing happened,” Erwin insisted, “I just told him that we shouldn’t see each other anymore. He’s your responsibility now, not mine. If he can’t handle that, then that’s his own fault for being so emotional.”

In reality, Erwin’s heart was hurting when he heard Levi had cried over him. He felt guilty, his stomach nauseous with it. Zeke raised an eyebrow, looking surprised at first at what Erwin had said before his face turned to one of anger.

“Are you serious?” He snapped, “You’re really just going to give up on him, just like that?! But why?!”

Erwin frowned, “I’m not giving up anything. I’m merely focusing on more important things.”

“Erwin,” Zeke sighed, going to stand in front of Erwin’s desk and placing his hands on the surface, “You’re in love with Levi. How can you say these things? What the hell is more important than love?”

“I’m not in love,” Erwin lied, “It was simply a sexual attraction. And now that I’ve gotten what I wanted, I’m finished with him. He’s leaving soon, anyways, so what does it matter?”

Zeke narrowed his eyes, as if he was trying to read Erwin, “You can’t expect me to believe that. I see how you look at him, Erwin. You can’t lie to me; I’ve known you for too long.”

“Zeke,” Erwin glared, “Back off.”

“You have your first chance at happiness and you’re just going to give it up?!” Zeke asked in desperation, “Come on, Erwin. You can’t tell me you’re content with this - breaking Levi’s heart and just letting him leave?”

Erwin’s expression remained stoic as he replied, “I’m perfectly content with this solution. Again, if Levi’s emotional about it, that’s his own problem. He’s not my responsibility anymore, he’s yours. You take care of him if you’re so worried about him.”

Zeke shot him an angry look, “You’re being a dick, Erwin. Moreso than usual. I can handle you being a monster when it comes to torture and shit, but toying with Levi’s emotions like this is particularly evil of you. If it’s true that you just used him for sex, then you’re just as bad as the rest of us! And I refuse to believe that.”

“Zeke!” Erwin shouted, pounding a fist on his desk. Zeke immediately shut his mouth, jumping back a little in some surprise at Erwin’s sudden cry.

“Back off,” Erwin repeated, staring up at Zeke with a dangerous look.

Zeke grumbled a few swears under his breath before heading to the door, “You’re only going to regret this, Erwin. And I’m not going to pick up the pieces after you break because I tried to help.”

With that, Zeke left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Zeke and Erwin didn’t often have fights, and Erwin was feeling even worse after their conversation. He buried his face in his hands, sucking in a deep breath as he tried to relax his tense shoulders. He was feeling like shit, both for hurting Levi and for arguing with Zeke. But he felt as though he had no choice. He needed to cut this off now, needed to focus on what was more important: spending the rest of his short life working for the Marley military.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zeke sighed in annoyance as he sat at his desk a few days later. Levi had been spending all his time in Zeke’s bedroom, depressed and upset. When he wasn’t in Zeke’s bedroom, he was sitting in Zeke’s office, pretending as though everything was okay and working on his escape plan with Zeke.

Erwin wasn’t faring much better. He and Zeke had made up since their fight, deciding to just pretend as if it hadn’t happened. Erwin needed Zeke right now, and Zeke knew that he couldn’t just abandon Erwin over a disagreement. Erwin was clearly hurting. He’d fallen behind on his work, unable to focus. Zeke would catch him staring off into space often, and knew he was thinking about Levi.

He needed to do something about this. The two were miserable without one another, and Erwin’s stupid idea that he needed to focus on work rather than romance was getting in the way of their relationship. Zeke wanted them to make up before Levi left, and he knew he was running out of time to do something about it.

Levi finally emerged from the bedroom, sitting down across from Zeke and taking the newspaper off his desk that he wasn’t looking at anymore. He knew Levi liked to look at the pictures, liked to try and decipher some of the Marleyan words. But Zeke was intent on getting Levi to admit he was still upset about Erwin, which the smaller man had refused to do up until this point.

“How are you?” Zeke started off, wanting to ease Levi into the conversation.

Levi simply shrugged in response, turning the page of the newspaper and not even bothering to look up at Zeke, who sighed in some frustration. He knew the shorter man wasn’t particularly a fan of him; they just couldn’t get along and were always butting heads over something, but Zeke was really going to try and be tolerable this time.

“You’ve been upset the past couple of days,” Zeke tried, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Levi shot him a small glare and shook his head before focusing on the paper again. Zeke frowned. This was not going well. He stood up and reached over the desk, snatching the paper out of Levi’s hands and going over to his bookshelf, putting it up on the tallest shelf that he knew Levi couldn’t reach. Levi was really glaring at him furiously now.

“What the hell is your problem?!” He snapped angrily, “What games are you trying to play, monkey?”

“Talk to me,” Zeke pleaded, “Please. Neither you or Erwin are admitting your real feelings, and it’s exhausting to watch you two dance around the problem. So just suck it up and talk to me about what’s going on.”

Levi stared him down, eyes narrowed as he mulled over Zeke’s words. He crossed his arms and shook his head, “There’s nothing to talk about with me and Erwin. Things are… over between us. That’s it.”

Zeke rolled his eyes a little, sitting back down at his desk, “You’re clearly upset about it, Levi. And so is he. But you’re both so insanely stubborn that you can’t admit to being broken up about each other.”

“Erwin… he’s broken up about me?” Levi raised an eyebrow before realizing he was giving in and shutting his mouth again.

Got him, Zeke thought smugly, nodding at Levi’s question, “Yes. He won’t admit to it, but I can just tell. He’s never been like this before. And he keeps trying to make all these dumb excuses and tell me all these lies to cover up how he’s really feeling.”

“And how is he really feeling?” Levi couldn’t help but ask, looking invested now.

“He’s feeling like shit,” Zeke said simply, “He’s behind on his work, he’s not eating as much, and he keeps staring off into space with this longing look; I can tell that he’s thinking about you.”

“And what if you’re wrong?” Levi wondered, “What if… What if he really felt nothing for me? What if he really doesn’t care about me?”

Zeke snorted in a laugh, “If you think that, then you’re a fucking idiot. It’s so blatantly obvious how he feels about you, Levi.”

“You don’t have to be fucking rude about it,” Levi grumbled, and Zeke could sense things were about to escalate into an argument, so he refrained from answering with a smart or sarcastic response.

“Listen, I’ll give you back your paper if you tell me the truth about how you’re feeling,” Zeke offered.

“I don’t need to read the paper that bad,” Levi shrugged, starting to inspect his fingernails, “I’ll find something else to do.”

“Levi,” Zeke frowned, “I’m just trying to be a good friend. As much as we don’t like each other, I do care about you. And I care about Erwin a lot. I don’t like seeing you two so upset over one another.”

Levi sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair in frustration, “Listen, Zeke. I’m going back home soon. So I’m just not going to fucking worry about it, okay? If Erwin gives a fuck about me, he’ll come to talk to me. Clearly, he doesn’t give a fuck. So I’m going to get over it. I just need some time.”

“But you love him,” Zeke argued.

“I thought I did,” Levi frowned, staring down at his lap, “Can… Can I just have the paper back now?”

Levi looked so sad and hurt that Zeke actually pitied him. He figured that he’d tried his best; Levi just wasn’t going to give in right now. He was too stubborn. Zeke let out a deep sigh before he got up from the desk and grabbed the paper off the top shelf, handing it back to Levi. He thanked him quietly and got up, heading to the bedroom again.

Zeke sat back in his chair, feeling frustrated. Why did these two have to be so incredibly stubborn? But Zeke had an idea, and he got up from his desk, heading down the hall to Erwin’s office. He didn’t bother knocking and simply walked inside, Erwin looking up from his work to greet Zeke with a forced smile.

“Zeke,” he greeted, “Anything I can help you with?”

Zeke nodded, “Yeah, I was wondering if you would come by for lunch tomorrow?”

Erwin raised an eyebrow before swallowing thickly, “Is… Is it just going to be you and me?”

Zeke knew that Erwin wasn’t about to agree if Levi would be there; the man was that intent on avoiding the smaller man.

“Yes,” Zeke lied, “Levi’s going to be running errands for me tomorrow afternoon.”

Erwin smiled softly, “Okay. I’ll be there.”

“I look forward to it,” Zeke replied with a grin.

“Me too,” Erwin agreed.

Perfect, Zeke thought to himself, saying his goodbyes to Erwin before he headed back to his own office.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi was sitting in Zeke’s office when Erwin walked in, the bespectacled man grinning mischievously between the two of them. Levi first exchanged an uncomfortable look of surprise before he narrowed his eyes at Zeke, wondering what the man was planning.

“I… I thought you said Levi was running errands,” Erwin muttered to Zeke with some confusion.

“Oh yeah,” Zeke grinned, getting up from his desk, “I lied.”

Erwin raised an eyebrow before turning to leave, but Zeke grabbed his arm and started dragging him towards Levi, “No no no. You two are going to talk to each other.”

Levi was certain that Erwin didn’t have an interest in talking to him, and he himself wasn’t thrilled to talk to the man either. They both were incredibly uncomfortable, the atmosphere awkward.

“Uh, that’s okay, Zeke,” Erwin murmured, trying to get out of it, “I’d like to go back to my office.”

“No,” Zeke snapped, “I’m sick of you two dancing around this issue. Especially when it’s clear you still have feelings for each other.”

Erwin crossed his arms as Zeke shoved him into the chair across from Levi’s, forcing the two to face one another. Levi grumbled swears under his breath, moving to get up and go to the bedroom.

“Levi, sit down,” Zeke ordered, “I’m locking you two in here until you talk to one another.”

With that, Zeke walked out of the office and the sound of the door locking was heard. Levi and Erwin stared at each other for a moment before they both looked away, Erwin clearing his throat.

“Levi… I-”

“I don’t have anything to say to you,” Levi growled, crossing his arms too, “So you might as well get comfortable because we’re going to be here a while.”

Erwin simply rolled his eyes, letting out a quiet huff before shutting his mouth. Levi picked up some papers on Zeke’s desk and began sorting through them, making piles according to importance. He’d done this for Zeke plenty of times before, and was used to it by now. Erwin was watching him; Levi could feel the blonde’s eyes on him.

“Quit staring at me,” Levi grumbled, tapping a pile of papers on the desk to straight them, “You fucking weirdo.”

“Levi…” Erwin tried again, reaching out a hand to stop Levi from sorting through the papers, “Zeke’s probably right. We should really talk about things.”

“Why the hell would I want to talk to you?” Levi mumbled angrily, jerking his hands away from Erwin’s, “After all those horrid things you said? You blamed me for my rape, called me a devil - you tried to hit me!”

Erwin pulled his hands away, looking down at his lap solemnly, “I know… I want to apologize-”

“And then- then you basically told me to fuck off when I tried to talk to you about it! What the hell makes you think you deserve any sort of conversation from me?” Levi finally looked at Erwin with a furious glare.

Erwin was looking incredibly sheepish, as if he didn’t realize how much he’d done until Levi had finally confronted him about it. The blonde stayed silent for a moment, staring down at his lap and swallowing thickly as if he didn’t know what else to say.

“I was wrong,” he started, “Those things I said… I was just angry- I didn’t mean any of them. And I didn’t mean to raise my fist either. That’s why I told you not to talk to me anymore… because I’m worried I can’t control my anger. I’m worried I’ll end up hurting you, Levi.”

“Well it’s too late for that, isn’t it?” Levi scoffed, crossing his arms once he was done organizing the paperwork, “You’ve already hurt me.”

“I just… I don’t want to make things worse,” Erwin tried, “But no matter what I do, I just come across as a dick. I’m sorry, Levi. Really I am. I’ll do anything I can to make things up to you.”

“And why would you even bother?” Levi sighed in annoyance, “Aren’t I just a stupid devil whore that tricked you into having sex?”

Erwin looked taken aback and guilty as hell about what Levi was saying. Clearly, the man knew he’d fucked up. Levi didn’t even feel bad about what he’d said to Erwin after his mom had died; it’d been an accident, and what Erwin had done in response was far worse anyway.

“No,” Erwin murmured softly, “Actually, you’re quite the opposite. You’re an angel, Levi. You’ve changed me for the better, and I’m committed to staying changed. I don’t want to go back to who I was. I want to be the kind of man you care about. The kind of man you could love.”

Levi felt a small blush appear on his face at the words ‘love’. He knew he was still in love with Erwin; he couldn’t help himself. But he wasn’t about to admit it right now. Not when he was still furious at Erwin for what he’d done.

“Well you’re going to have to do a lot more than just apologize to get me to give a fuck about you right now,” Levi grunted, leaning back in the chair.

There was a short moment of silence where Levi could practically see the cogs working in Erwin’s brain as he tried to figure out how to win Levi back over. Then, suddenly, he looked up, tears in his eyes. Levi hadn’t expected this.

“I’ll do anything,” Erwin pleaded, getting down on his knees in front of Levi and taking both of his hands, “I can’t lose you, Levi. I can’t… I’m not strong enough without you in my life.”

Levi bit his lip and looked away, wanting to rip his hands out of Erwin’s and smack him across the face. But his heart was starting to melt from Erwin’s words; he couldn’t help it. He loved the man so much.

“I’m in love with you, Levi,” Erwin whispered, letting go of Levi’s hands in favor of holding his face gently, turning it towards him so that they were looking each other in the eyes now.

Levi’s face turned a deep shade of red at Erwin’s words. So Erwin was in love with him after all. Levi had been skeptical, and he was still a little skeptical now. He wanted to make sure Erwin wasn’t just saying this to win him back; that he was being truthful.

“How do I know you’re not lying?” Levi stared at him with narrowed eyes, swallowing back some tears that were growing in his throat and chest.

Erwin caressed Levi’s face tenderly, offering a sad smile, “I can’t live without you. I’ve been falling apart since we stopped talking, and I need you by my side. I’d do anything for you, Levi. I’ll even come to Paradis with you if that’s what you still want. But… But if you want nothing to do with me anymore, I’ll understand. I’ve been awful to you, and I don’t deserve your forgiveness.”

Levi watched as a tear trickled down Erwin’s face, and on instinct he reached up and wiped it away softly. His heart was practically beating out of his chest at this point, and he was melting from Erwin’s every word. But again, he didn’t want to just give in so easily. Erwin needed to know that what he’d done wasn’t okay, and that he should feel lucky if Levi decided to give him another chance.

“You’re right,” Levi frowned, “You don’t deserve my forgiveness. And I… I don’t know what I want anymore. I… I wanted you to come with me, but now…”

“I understand,” Erwin muttered, sounding disappointed, “I won’t bother you anymore, okay? Zeke and I will help you escape, and then you’ll never have to deal with me again.”

Levi could feel those sobs welling up again. He didn’t know what about Erwin made him so emotional, but he didn’t like it. He, like Erwin, was concerned the man wouldn’t be able to control his anger, and perhaps he’d end up hurting Levi even worse next time.

“I think that’s probably for the best,” Levi sniffed.

Erwin’s face fell, tears rolling down his cheeks at a faster rate now. Levi could feel his own tears in his eyes, ready to break free. The two of them simply stared at each other for a moment, tears rolling down both their faces.

“Can I ask you something?” Erwin wondered.

“Sure.”

“Do… Do you love me too?” Erwin asked, a hopeful glint in his eye.

Levi didn’t know what to say. Of course he did. He’d admitted it to himself finally, but he didn’t know if he could admit it out loud to Erwin. Especially not now. He couldn’t just get the man’s hopes up.

Levi replied with a small shake of his head, “No… I’m-I’m sorry, Erwin. I don’t love you.”

Levi had never thought that heartbreak was real until he saw it happen in Erwin’s eyes. The man looked crushed; like someone had tore his heart straight from his chest. Without another word, he let go of Levi’s face, stood up, and headed to the door.

It was still locked, and he knocked on it lightly, knowing Zeke was standing at the other side, “We’ve reached an agreement. Let me out.”

Zeke had likely been listening in, and the door clicked, opening slowly to reveal a disappointed Zeke. He’d likely been hoping things would end up better between the two of them, but that wasn’t the case. Erwin pushed past Zeke and headed towards his office.

What have I done? Levi thought to himself as tears rushed down his face, a sob breaking through and racking his shoulders. Zeke closed the door and went to stand next to Levi, placing a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

“You really don’t love Erwin?” Zeke asked, “But I thought-”

“You thought wrong,” Levi sniffled, “I don’t love him.”

With that, Levi stood and headed towards the bedroom, hoping that Zeke wouldn’t follow him there. Thankfully, the blonde was smart enough to read the situation, and know that he shouldn’t follow Levi. Levi spent the afternoon tearful in Zeke’s bed, knowing that he would have to leave Erwin after breaking the man’s heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin was laying in his bed alone that night, dried tears on his cheeks as he tried to think of anything other than Levi. But it was difficult. The short man filled his mind, and he’d never felt so heartbroken in his life. His chest physically hurt, and he now understood how some people could die from heartbreak.

He hadn’t held out hope that Levi would forgive him, but he’d at least thought the man was in love with him too. After all they’d been through together, and Levi just didn’t love him back? Erwin could feel more sobs in his chest, but he refused to let them come forward. He would have to move on; he’d have to go back to who he was before. He couldn’t let Levi ruin him forever.

That’s when there was a quiet knock on his bedroom door, and he sat up in some confusion. Levi? He thought hopefully, watching the door start to open. But it wasn’t Levi who stood there; it was Zeke. He held a cup of tea in his hand, and set it on Erwin’s bedside table carefully.

“Are you okay?” His friend asked, going to sit on the edge of his bed, “I heard what Levi said to you. I’m so sorry.”

“‘S fine,” Erwin sniffed, wiping his eyes and going to take a sip of the tea, “Thank you for bringing me this.”

“No problem,” Zeke insisted, reaching up and brushing some of Erwin’s hair out of his face, “You gonna be okay?”

Erwin nodded, even though that was a lie. He wasn’t sure he was going to be okay. He was in immense emotional pain, and he didn’t know if he could ever get over Levi.

“Well, Levi’s broken up too if that helps,” Zeke shrugged, “He’s been in bed all day crying.”

Erwin wasn’t sure if that made him feel better or not. On the one hand, he was glad to know that he wasn’t the only one who was so upset. But on the other, it saddened him to know that Levi was crying too.

“He doesn’t love me,” Erwin whispered, “I just thought… and now I feel so stupid…”

“You’re not stupid,” Zeke replied, “He could’ve fooled me. I thought he was in love with you too.”

“I’ve never felt like this before,” Erwin whimpered, “Zeke, I need him gone. If… If he’s gone, it’ll make it easier to get over him. Can we… Can you help him escape? Soon? I can’t… I can’t deal with this. I don’t know what to do, I-”

He was starting to hyperventilate, anxiety pooling in his stomach. Zeke ran his hand up and down Erwin’s arm to soothe him, “Hey, calm down. Take some deep breaths, Ervy. Just breathe, come on. Deep breath in, deep breath out.”

Zeke coached him through some breathing exercises to calm him. He’d had anxiety before, but never like this. But Zeke seemed to know what to do, and within moments Erwin was breathing normally again, tears still rolling down his cheeks.

“I’ll do what I can,” Zeke murmured, “But… are you sure you want him gone?”

Erwin nodded, “I’m sure.”

But on the inside, he wasn’t so sure. He was afraid of letting Levi go, but he was also afraid of Levi staying too. He didn’t want to feel hurt anymore, and he thought that maybe if Levi left, all the problems he had with the shorter man would leave him too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So Yelena will smuggle you onto the boat in a barrel,” Zeke explained to Levi, “It won’t be the most comfortable, but it’ll get you to Paradis. She’ll bring you food and things at nighttime.”

Levi nodded, not really sure who this Yelena was and if he could trust her. But Zeke had insisted she was to be trusted; she was someone who admired Zeke greatly and would do anything for him. Levi briefly wondered what kind of idiot would admire someone like Zeke, but he shook the thought from his head.

“Well, what do you think?” Zeke asked of his plan.

“It’s good,” Levi shrugged, “You said the next boat leaves in the morning, yes?”

“Yes,” Zeke confirmed, “I’ll pretend we were running errands outside of the base and you just ran off. We’ll go into town and you’ll be responsible for meeting Yelena here outside of the town.”

Zeke was showing him a map of the town Levi and Erwin had been to a few weeks prior. Levi tried to memorize the map as best he could, noting the place where Zeke wanted him to meet Yelena.

“She’s very tall; blonde bowl cut,” Zeke described, “You can’t miss her. And she knows what you look like, so she’ll be able to find you too.”

Levi nodded, “Okay, sounds good.”

Though Erwin had agreed to help Levi in escaping, he hadn’t shown up to their meeting about it. Zeke had explained to Levi that he was still sensitive from the day prior where Levi had rejected him.

“So…” Zeke sat down at his desk, pulling open the drawer and taking out a cigarette, “Are you gonna say goodbye to Erwin?”

Levi just stared at him as he lit up the cigarette and started to puff on it, unsure of how to answer that question. He didn’t want to just leave without saying anything to the blonde, but at the same time, he knew saying goodbye to him would be hard and incredibly awkward. He didn’t know what he wanted to do.

“I… I’m not sure,” Levi muttered, “Does he even want me to say goodbye?”

“I dunno,” Zeke shrugged, “But I would if I were you. You might not see him ever again.”

Levi supposed Zeke was right. In fact, he’d been feeling particularly awful about lying to Erwin about not loving him. He’d thought saying it would be easy; take some of his hard feelings about leaving off his chest. But it did the exact opposite; it made him feel guilty.

“You’re right,” Levi mumbled, “I should at least tell him goodbye.”

“Good,” Zeke smiled, “I think that’s a good idea. He’d appreciate it.”

Levi stood to go do just what they’d talked about, when Zeke reached a hand out and grasped his arm to stop him. He turned to look at Zeke with some surprise, the blonde looking a little embarrassed.

“I… I just wanted to say,” Zeke cleared his throat, pulling his hand away as he sucked in some smoke from the cigarette, “I… I’m going to miss you, Levi. You know, even if I think you’re a stuck up little bitch.”

Levi couldn’t help the small smile on his face, “Thanks, monkey man. I’m not sure I’ll miss your smoking and your stupid irritating face, but I will miss annoying the hell out of you, that’s for sure.”

Zeke grinned, a small chuckle escaping his mouth, “Alright, alright. Go say goodbye to Erwin, then. We have to get a good night’s rest so we can get up early tomorrow.”

Levi nodded, heading out of Zeke’s office and down the hall. He knocked on Erwin’s door, not hearing anything in response. He pushed the door open slowly, seeing nobody inside. Perhaps Erwin was in his bedroom instead. Levi walked to the bedroom door and pushed it open gently, seeing Erwin laying in the bed, his shoulders shaking with sobs. Oh god, Levi thought, feeling even worse now for lying to Erwin. He seemed really broken up about Levi’s negative response, and Levi was starting to feel as though he shouldn’t have lied.

“Erwin?” Levi murmured quietly, and the blonde turned around, eyes widening upon seeing Levi.

“Levi?” He spoke with some surprise, sitting up quickly and wiping the tears away, “I… I didn’t know you were here. Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Levi walked inside the room, closing the door behind him, “I just… I came to say goodbye. Zeke’s going to sneak me out on a boat tomorrow morning.”

Erwin stared at him with still-wide eyes for a moment before his lower lip quivered, and he covered his face as he whispered, “D-Don’t go. Please.”

Levi hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t expected Erwin to be so broken up; hadn’t expected the man to beg him to stay. He could feel it tugging on his heart strings; the feelings that Erwin made him feel. His heart yearned to take Erwin’s hands away from his face and just kiss the life out of him, but he refrained. Erwin had just sounded so heartbroken.

“Erwin, I have to,” Levi frowned, “You knew this day was coming.”

“I don’t want to be without you,” Erwin sniffed, his whole body trembling.

“Erwin,” Levi sighed heavily, “I have to go. I want to go home. And this is your home, so you have to stay here-”

“You’re my home, Levi,” Erwin let out a quiet sob as he pulled his hands away from his face, eyes red with tears, “Wherever you are, that’s home to me.”

Levi’s heart swelled from Erwin’s words, tears coming to his own eyes from the state Erwin was in. Did he really mean that? It made Levi feel terrible for having lied. He was starting to let go of his anger, feeling as though he needed to fix things and make them right with Erwin before he left.

“Erwin,” Levi tried, but Erwin soon interrupted him.

“Levi, I know you don’t love me,” Erwin sniveled, “I know I’m hard to love. I was foolish to think you’d ever be in love with me.”

“That’s not true,” Levi blushed, “I… I do love you, Erwin. I was just afraid to say it. I was afraid to let you in.”

Erwin looked up at Levi, confused at first, “You… what?”

Levi took a step towards him, “I said, I love you.”

A small smile appeared on Erwin’s face, “You… You love me? You promise?”

Levi nodded, watching Erwin stand up, wiping his tears away and taking Levi’s hands into his own, “Say it again. Please.”

Levi reached a hand up to caress Erwin’s cheek gently, “I love you, Erwin.”

Erwin sighed contently, leaning into Levi’s touch, “I love you too.”

Levi let his eyes flutter shut, standing on his tiptoes to reach Erwin’s lips. The two shared a few tender kisses, both holding onto each other for a moment. Levi pulled away, resting his head on Erwin’s chest.

“But you have to promise me you won’t hurt me again,” Levi looked up at Erwin with a serious expression.

“Of course I promise,” Erwin whispered, running his fingers through Levi’s hair, “I never intended to hurt you in the first place. I promise I won’t do it again. Even if I get angry, I’ll try to find ways to calm myself rather than take it out on you.”

Levi smiled a little, “Good… does… does this mean you want to come with me?”

Erwin nodded, pressing a kiss to Levi’s forehead, “If you’ll have me, I’d love to come with you.”

Levi leaned up to press their foreheads together, staring deeply into Erwin’s eyes. He felt an overwhelming need to be as close to Erwin as possible, and their kissing resumed shortly after that, becoming hungrier by the second.

Soon, Erwin was pushing Levi back onto the bed and climbing on top of him, the smacking of their lips resounding throughout the room as they eagerly shared open-mouthed kisses. Erwin pushed his tongue inside Levi’s mouth, the two organs sloppily licking and sucking at one another. Levi couldn’t help the moan that escaped from his mouth as Erwin pressed their pelvises together, rubbing their erections against each other.

“I’ve never wanted anyone as badly as I want you, Levi,” Erwin murmured in his ear in a low voice, “You make me so horny. God, I love you so much.”

Levi could feel himself blushing at Erwin’s deep voice in his ear, another loud moan spilling out of his mouth as Erwin reached down to fondle Levi’s growing bulge.

“I-I love you t-too,” Levi managed to get out, bucking into Erwin’s warm hand to get more friction.

Erwin undid Levi’s pants and started tugging them down, pulling Levi to the edge of the bed and getting down on his knees in between Levi’s legs. Levi helped him get his boxers off, his erection bouncing out of the underwear. Erwin grasped Levi’s erection in his hand and pressed a kiss to the tip, eliciting a groan from Levi.

“E-Erwin,” Levi whined as Erwin began sucking on the tip, swirling his tongue around it before engulfing his dick into his mouth, “Ohh, it’s so good.”

Erwin smirked a little and starting sucking and bobbing his head a bit faster, his tongue lapping at Levi’s dick hungrily. Levi moaned, fingers entangled in Erwin’s blonde locks. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He hadn’t come here with this intention, but he was glad they’d made up and this is where things had led.

Erwin took him down further, swallowing around the tip and breathing through his nose. Levi whined, a whimper coming from his mouth as he clung to Erwin’s hair, unable to help but tug on it harshly from Erwin’s movements. It was almost too much for him to handle; he was already getting so close just from this.

“I… I can’t-” Levi groaned, “Oh god, Erwin. I’m gonna cum- please fuck me.”

Erwin pulled away reluctantly, lapping at the precum on the slit before standing back up and pushing Levi back onto the bed. He climbed on top of him and kissed him tenderly, grinding their hips together. Levi groaned and reached up to undo Erwin’s pants, wanting to get his huge erection out of its cage. He tugged Erwin’s trousers down to his thighs along with his boxers, the large cock falling out, angry and red against Erwin’s stomach. Levi reached to touch it, taking it into his hand and jerking at it a few times. He wasn’t very skilled, but he wanted to try and give Erwin as much pleasure as he could.

Erwin groaned a little from Levi’s actions, kissing at his neck and whispering, “I’m going to make love to you, Levi. I’m going to fuck you until you’re shaking and begging to cum.”

Levi moaned and ran his thumb over the slit before tugging at Erwin’s erection a few more times, “I want it, Erwin. Please give it to me.”

Erwin spread Levi’s thighs apart before reaching for the lube in his bedside table. He started pouring some onto his fingers and moved them to Levi’s entrance. Levi squirmed a bit at the initial touch; it was cold. But soon the first digit was being pressed into him, causing him to arch his back and moan at the intrusion.

Erwin sighed contently, moving his finger in and out, “I love the little noises you make, Levi. So beautiful for me.”

Levi whimpered, feeling the second finger push in soon enough, scissoring his entrance, “E-Erwin, I… I need you.”

“You do?” Erwin murmured sweetly, “Me, and me only? Do I satisfy you that much?”

Levi nodded, fucking himself back against Erwin’s fingers as best he could in his pleasure-drunk state. His own fingers clung to the sheets below him, bunching them up in his fists until his knuckles turned white. Erwin removed his fingers shortly after fucking them into his prostate a few times.

“Oh Erwin,” Levi let out a short, satisfied sigh, “Please… make love to me. I want you.”

Erwin climbed on top of Levi, lifting the shorter man’s legs over his shoulders and positioning himself at Levi’s entrance. A low groan escaped Levi’s mouth, a somewhat choked sound, as Erwin pushed in, breeching his entrance.

“Erwin,” he let out a gasp, reaching up and gripping Erwin’s forearms with his nails, digging them into his skin, “Ohh.”

Erwin pumped in and out of him slowly, his chest against Levi’s as he pressed deep kisses to Levi’s neck, rutting him up on the mattress with each thrust. The two lay together that way, just enjoying being connected like this, Erwin rolling his hips up into Levi every couple of seconds to keep the pleasure going between them.

“Ah!” Levi cried out as Erwin began thrusting into his prostate, just short little things that had both of them moaning and panting, “O-Oh god!”

“Such a gorgeous boy,” Erwin whispered against his skin, “My gorgeous boy. You don’t even know what you do to me.”

“E-Erwin!” Levi gasped, wriggling his hips. He felt so full, so good; pleasure burning inside of him.

“Fuck,” Erwin groaned, “Oh god, Levi. Please- let me cum inside you. I want you to feel me, to-”

“Erwin!” Levi tossed his head back and let out a cry, himself incredibly close, “C-Cum inside me- please!”

Erwin pumped into him a few more times before filling him up, and Levi came at the same time, jerking at his erection as he painted his and Erwin’s chests with white. They were both breathing heavily, staring into each other’s eyes. Levi could’ve sworn if it was possible, there would be little red hearts in Erwin’s pupils; that’s how lovingly he stared down at him.

That’s when the door slammed open, the bang of the door hitting the wall startling them both. Erwin quickly pulled out of Levi, turning to see four guards entering the room. Officer Amsel came in last, along with a wide-eyed and nervous-looking Zeke. Erwin struggled to pull his clothes back on, Levi doing the same; both trying to save their dignity.

“Warrior Erwin Smith,” Officer Amsel decreed, “You are under arrest for having sexual relations with the enemy.”

Erwin looked shocked, staring between a guilty Zeke and his commanding officer. Levi watched him instantly clench his fists, “Zeke, what the hell did you fucking do?!”

“I… I didn’t-” Zeke whimpered, “I didn’t… I… I’m sorry-”

“You fucking bastard!” Erwin shouted, swinging a fist at his friend. Two guards grabbed him and pinned his arms behind his back, Erwin still struggling against them as best he could, a fiery anger in his eyes.

“Take the devil to the dungeons,” Officer Amsel ordered, and Levi thought they were talking about him at first. He allowed the guards to take him by the arms, not wanting to make things worse by struggling against them like Erwin was. He was furious with whatever Zeke had done to cause this, feeling betrayed, but he wasn’t nearly as outwardly angry as Erwin.

“Please,” Zeke pleaded with his officer, “Please don’t hurt them. You promised… you promised, remember? You said-”

“Shut up, Yeager,” Officer Amsel growled, “You’re lucky you’re not being arrested by association. You are supposedly in charge of the little Ackerman, aren’t you?”

“Y-Yes, sir,” Zeke replied, shutting his mouth and looking at the ground. He’d been so helpful. What had they done to cause him to switch sides so quickly? What had they threatened him with?

Erwin broke free from the guards’ hold on him, running to Levi and wrapping his arms around him, hugging him as best he could. Levi couldn’t hug back; arms held behind his back by the other two guards. Erwin was quickly being pried off Levi, but he was desperately trying to keep his hold on Levi.

“No… No!” Erwin protested, “L-Levi… Levi, I love you. Don’t forget- Don’t forget that. Promise me you won’t forget it?”

“I promise,” Levi replied almost instantly, no longer caring about the other people in the room. He could only see Erwin, arms flailing as he tried to get away from the guards, “I love you too.”

With that, they took Erwin out of the room, kicking and struggling as hard as he could against them. Something in Levi was telling him that Erwin was simply struggling because of Levi, not for his own sake. Levi was thrown into Zeke’s arms, and Zeke caught him with some surprise, Levi looking up at Zeke with some surprise before it turned to anger.

“Well, Yeager,” Officer Amsel grumbled, “What punishment will you dole out on your little pet? He’s been fucking someone else. That deserves discipline.”

Levi gritted his teeth, glaring up at Zeke, who was giving him a look of sympathy, and… guilt? It looked like guilt. Levi thought the man was weak; it didn’t matter what they did to Levi, he would never betray Erwin; he wouldn’t have betrayed Zeke either, even though he wasn’t particularly fond of the man.

“I’m sorry,” Zeke whispered under his breath so that the officer wouldn’t hear him, before he pushed Levi onto the mattress.

Levi grunted, bent over the edge of the mattress. He stayed there, feeling numb. They’d taken Erwin, and now Zeke was going to… what was he going to do? He heard the undoing of a belt buckle, and felt fear rising in his chest. That’s when a sharp thwack rang through the air, the belt hitting his ass hard. He cried out, arching his back and feeling his eyes widen from the shock of the first hit.

“There you go,” Officer Amsel encouraged, “Beat him bloody. Come on.”

And that’s just what Zeke did. Amsel ordered Levi’s pants down, the shorter man complying with a strong bite to his lip, trying to resist saying anything that would make his punishment worse. Zeke hit his ass over and over again, until the welts on his ass were actually bleeding. Beat him bloody, indeed.

Levi couldn’t help the tears rolling down his cheeks from the pain, though he’d been biting his lip hard to stop himself, drawing blood from it. How could things have gone so wrong? Just a couple of hours ago, he and Zeke had been discussing his escape. What had happened in the time he’d been gone? Clearly, Amsel had intervened, and made some type of deal with the monkey bastard. But what? Levi let out a choked sob at the final hit, legs shaking, fingers trembling as he clung to the sheets below him.

“Sir, I…” Zeke tried, tears in his eyes, “I can’t do anymore, he’s bleeding, I can’t-”

“You weak piece of shit,” Officer Amsel snapped, yanking the belt from Zeke before delivering several harsh blows to Levi’s back, causing him to shriek in pain, “There, that’s how you do it.”

Levi let out a few small sobs, burying his face in the sheets. He thought maybe, just maybe, when he looked up again, Erwin would be there - this whole thing might just be a nightmare. Maybe he’d imagined it. But when he lifted his head from his hands and turned his head around, Zeke was still standing there with two of the guards and his commanding officer. Levi threw Zeke a dirty look before turning away from them, tears rolling down his face.

“Don’t you want to get inside that beautiful ass?” Officer Amsel was teasing at Zeke, and Levi could feel his heart begin to pick up.

Zeke wouldn’t do that, no. No matter what they’d threatened him with, he’d never rape Levi. Not after what those bastards had done to him in the break room. Zeke wasn’t like that, he wouldn’t do that. Would he?

“N-No, sir,” Zeke tried, before saying in a low, almost disgusted voice, “Who knows what diseases the devil carries, anyway?”

Levi sensed Zeke was playing pretend, but the words angered him anyways. He clenched his fists in the sheets, bunching them up below him, and tried to calm his breathing. Officer Amsel laughed.

“Clever man,” he noted, “I knew I always liked you, Yeager. You’ll get what you were promised, don’t you worry.”

Levi sniffled, listening to Zeke clear his throat and mutter, “Thank you, sir.”

What had they promised Zeke?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zeke had been sitting in his office when Officer Amsel entered, surrounded by guards. Zeke’s eyes immediately widened, not sure why the man was there, and with protection at that. Zeke didn’t know what threat he possessed, not in this office, not in Marley.

“Ezekiel,” Officer Amsel smirked, and a shiver ran down Zeke’s spine at the use of his full name.

Zeke didn’t like the use of his full name. It made him think of his father, when he had been scolded as a child. And he’d been scolded a lot. His father wasn’t the nicest of parents, and he’d been punished for every little wrong direction he took, every single misstep.

“Sir,” Zeke saluted, standing up, “How can I help you?”

He wasn’t particularly a fan of the officer; he knew what he’d done to Erwin, knew how he treated people in general. He was not a nice man: very power-hungry, and liked to exercise that power on those under him.

“I came across some information I thought you may find interesting,” Officer Amsel chuckled, running a finger along the edge of Zeke’s desk and checking it for dust, “And I’d like to make a deal with you.”

Zeke sat back down at his desk, staring up at him in some confusion, “I… what information, sir?”

“Hmph,” the officer chuckled, circling Zeke’s desk and resting his hands on his shoulders, making Zeke incredibly uneasy, “What if I told you that you have family in Paradis?”

Zeke’s eyebrows raised in confusion and shock, turning his head up to look at the man, “What are you talking about?”

Amsel laughed again, under his breath, as he let go of Zeke’s shoulders and went to sit across from his desk. He leaned backward, putting one boot on Zeke’s desk as he murmured, “You have a little brother, Ezekiel.”

The information hit Zeke like a brick to the face. I have a what? He thought to himself, eyes wide and staring at Officer Amsel with disbelief. Was he telling the truth? Why would he be lying about something like this, anyway? What did he want from Zeke in exchange for this information?

“I… what?” Was all Zeke could get out.

“You have a little brother,” Amsel repeated, “Eren. He possesses both the Attack and Founding Titans. Lives in Paradis, works under the Survey Corps.”

Zeke could feel the shock settling into his body. He had a sibling… a little brother… one who was all by himself in Paradis. Zeke realized he wasn’t breathing properly, and sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm his heavily-beating heart.

“How… How do you know?” Zeke asked, “How do I know you’re not lying to me?”

“He’s in Marley,” the officer explained, “In disguise. He’s looking for you. Now… we can do two things… and they’re all dependent on your actions, Zeke.”

Zeke could feel his stomach churning, not liking where this was going. He cleared his throat before nodding slightly, encouraging the man to continue. Amsel took a cigarette out of his breast pocket, lighting it up and starting to puff on it. Zeke could partially understand now why Levi was so annoyed by smoking; though he himself didn’t mind the smell, it was irritating to have the man blow smoke in his direction.

“We can either,” Officer Amsel murmured, “Arrange for a meeting between you and your brother…”

Zeke would like that. A million thoughts were running through his head: wondering how his father or mother had survived to have another child in Paradis. Something in him suspected it was his father - as the man had always been absolutely resilient, and he could picture the bastard moving on easily and creating a second life across the sea.

“Or,” Amsel continued, “We could capture the little bastard, and have one of our warriors in training take on his titan forms.”

Zeke bit his lip hard. He knew what that meant. That meant his little brother… Eren, would die. He would be eaten by whatever unfortunate soul inherited his titans. Zeke knew that arranging for a meeting with his brother, preventing his death, would cost him. But what?

“What do I have to do in order for you to not kill my little brother?” Zeke asked.

He’d never met his little brother, but he already felt a sense to protect him. If his father had raised the two of them similarly, then Zeke felt for his younger brother. He knew what his father could be like, and wanted to be able to take on that older sibling role for Eren, even if they were strangers. That didn’t matter to him. They were still brothers, after all.

“I want you to turn on Smith,” Officer Amsel grinned, almost evilly, “I want to have him arrested, and I suspect right now he’s with the Ackerman, considering your little pet isn’t here at the moment. If you tell us where Erwin is, and you promise to testify against him, we’ll spare your brother.”

Zeke couldn’t believe this. Why? His best friend… a man he’d called his brother… a man he’d known since he was a child… how was he supposed to betray him like that?! He couldn’t, it was as simple as that. He couldn’t just betray Erwin. But, on the other hand, Eren was his actual brother. His blood. How could he just allow Eren to die?

Zeke was weighing his options, fingers twitching as he tapped them nervously on his desk. If Erwin was convicted, he’d likely be killed too; his titan inherited by someone else. But… he had a little brother. A little brother. Zeke wanted so desperately to protect him- the only family he had left. He’d been responsible for killing his parents, or so he’d thought, and his grandparents were long gone now- dead of old age. How could he allow his only family to be killed, just like that?

The simple answer was: he couldn’t. He let out a long, frustrated sigh. How was he going to follow through with this? Would Erwin understand if he betrayed him? He didn’t think so. Zeke clenched his fists, glancing around the room while biting the inside of his cheek.

“Erwin…” Zeke started in a whisper, everything inside him fighting against the words leaving his mouth, “Erwin’s in his bedroom. With Levi.”

He wasn’t sure what the two were doing, but he suspected they’d made up based upon how long Levi had been gone. Amsel was beaming at him, clearly pleased he’d gotten the information from Zeke so easily.

“And do you promise to testify against him?” Officer Amsel asked.

“Yes,” Zeke replied, looking up at him finally.

He had come to a decision. As close as he and Erwin were, he couldn’t just let his little brother die. He felt as though he had a responsibility as the older brother to protect Eren. Plus, Erwin only had a few years left anyways as a Titan, so it wasn’t entirely a problem for Erwin to die now… was it? Zeke was trying to convince himself it was all going to be okay. That Erwin would forgive him, would understand why he was doing this. He just had to explain it to him…

“Let’s go,” Amsel stood, motioning to Zeke and his guards. Zeke felt numb and nauseous, as if he couldn’t breathe. He followed the officer with lead legs, barely able to keep up with the five men as they headed down to Erwin’s office.

“You… You have to promise me you won’t hurt them,” Zeke tried as he followed them.

Amsel waved his hand carelessly at Zeke, “Fine, fine. Whatever.”

They caught the two men by completely surprise, and as Zeke had suspected, they’d just finished fucking. He didn’t feel anything, not even the jealousy he usually felt upon learning Erwin had fucked Levi. Erwin had stared at him with such surprise, a look of betrayal on his face that quickly turned to anger. He’d even swung at Zeke, which made him know the man was truly furious with him.

I’m sorry, Zeke wanted to say, You don’t understand. He tried to explain, but he couldn’t with Amsel there. Erwin broke free from the guards to hug Levi, telling him he loved him, Levi saying the words back to him. Zeke was feeling bitter. Why was he like this? Why, even now, even when he was happy for Erwin’s love, was he still jealous? He felt selfish and stupid.

Suddenly, Levi was thrown into his arms after Erwin was led out of the room, kicking and screaming.

“What punishment will you dole out on your little pet?” Amsel asked him after Erwin had been dragged out of the room. Zeke was quiet, not really taking in any of Amsel’s other words to him.

He stared down at Levi, murmuring a quiet, “I’m sorry,” before shoving the shorter man back onto the bed. He knew he had to do this. He had to please the commanding officer, or else his brother would pay the price. Zeke took off his belt, hands shaking horribly, and starting hitting Levi’s ass with it. He felt like a monster, and it wasn’t the first time he’d felt this way. His friends… he’d betrayed them. And for a brother he’d never even met.

Zeke could barely hear anything in the room, a ringing sound in his ears. He heard Amsel encouraging him, Levi’s shrieks and sobs, and suddenly Amsel was pushing him out of the way, cracking the belt down on Levi’s back over and over and over. Zeke watched, feeling disconnected from everything around him, tears in his eyes. Levi was shaking… just a day ago, if Zeke had found out someone had hurt Levi, he would’ve pummeled them to the ground. Yet here he was, beating Levi with a belt, and allowing his superior to beat Levi too.

“Don’t you want to get inside that beautiful ass?” Amsel asked him, and Zeke felt his blood run cold, wanting to answer by punching the man in the face.

“N-No, sir,” he answered almost immediately, trying to think on his feet in order to please the man, “Who knows what diseases the devil carries, anyways?”

Levi glared back at him, but Amsel was amused by his words, laughing at them. Then, he said he’d give Zeke what he’d promised him, and left the room with his guards. Zeke was left alone with Levi, who was still shaking and crying into Erwin’s bed.

“Levi…” Zeke started, but Levi stood shakily, throwing a dangerous glare in Zeke’s direction.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Levi shouted angrily, tugging his pants up before charging at Zeke, who dodged him as best he could.

“I… I-” Zeke tried, “Levi, stop! Let me explain!”

Levi backed off, crossing his arms and growling, “Explanation. Now.”

Zeke stood cowering in the corner, afraid of what Levi was going to do to him. He answered quietly, “They threatened to kill my little brother…”

“Your… little brother?” Levi stared at him with a confused look, “What the hell do they want with him?!”

“You know him,” Zeke tried, “Eren. Eren Yeager. That’s my little brother. They said he’s under the Survey Corps.”

Levi’s eyes widened, and he clearly knew the boy from the way he was looking at Zeke. He cleared his throat, mumbling under his breath, “Of course you’re related to that fucking idiot.”

“Is he really an idiot?” Zeke asked curiously, practically demanding that Levi: “Tell me more about him.”

“He’s a good kid,” Levi explained, hesitantly, “But he’s dumb as hell. Always used to talk about killing Titans, saving humanity from them. Since he’s grown up, he’s been a lot more quiet. A lot more reserved. Now… what do they want with Eren?”

“His Titan powers,” Zeke explained, “Either they kill him, or I turn over Erwin. That was my choice. You get it now? That’s why I… that’s why I had to betray him. Betray you. Hurt you. I’m so sorry. You know I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t have good reason, right?”

Levi was staring at him with narrowed eyes, as if he didn’t fully believe Zeke. But he eventually let out a long and heavy sigh, growling, “You’re a fucking idiot. You know that, don’t you?”

Zeke nodded sheepishly, a whimper escaping his mouth, “I… I know… I feel awful…”

“Good,” Levi emphasized, grumbling under his breath, “You fucking piece of shit. Turning in your best friend for some brat.”

Zeke could sense that Levi didn’t want Eren to die, but that he would rather Erwin live over his little brother anyways. He didn’t blame Levi for that, as he knew the shorter man was in love with his best friend.

“Look, we’ll figure out something,” Zeke insisted, “Won’t we? Sneak the two of you out… if we can.”

“They’re going to kill him, Zeke,” Levi retorted with some frustration, “How the hell are we supposed to sneak him out?! They’ll probably have tons of guards waiting outside his cell. Plus, they’ll know it was us, even if we do break him out! And then Eren will die too- along with both of us!”

Zeke didn’t know what to do. Levi was completely right. How the hell were they going to sneak him out? Zeke had no information about where Amsel was taking Erwin, what they were going to do with him, when his trial was, etc. Everything felt completely hopeless.

Zeke didn’t understand why Amsel was doing this. Did he really just hate Erwin that much? Or was this revenge for what happened to Captain Mattie? Perhaps the man was simply just evil. Zeke didn’t know. All he knew was that he had to get Erwin out and save his brother at the same time, and he didn’t know how the hell he was going to pull it off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin was chained to the wall, spitting blood on the ground after he’d been beaten down by the two guards, Amsel getting in a few good hits himself. He didn’t understand. Why would Zeke, his best friend, his brother, turn on him like that? He’d been betrayed, and for what? Was it so that Zeke could have Levi to himself? He wouldn’t do that… not after encouraging their relationship over the past week. And he wasn’t that shallow either. He wouldn’t have turned Erwin over merely so he could have sex with Levi; and he wouldn’t force Levi into anything anyways, especially after what had happened to the poor man in the break room.

“I bet you’d like to know why you’re here,” Amsel chuckled lowly, tilting Erwin’s chin up, “Wouldn’t you, Smith?”

“I’m here because you’re a fucking cunt who can’t mind his own business,” Erwin spat in his face furiously, “I swear to god, if you even lay a finger on Levi, I will rip you to pieces - turn into a titan and squeeze all your insides out.”

Officer Amsel wiped the spit from his cheek, unbothered, that cold smile still on his face, “It’s too late, Smith. I had your little friend, Yeager, beat him bloody after you left. You should’ve seen him cry like the little bitch he is.”

“Zeke’s not my friend anymore,” Erwin growled without hesitation, “And I’ll fucking slit your throat for whatever you did to make him do that to Levi. To make him do all this.”

The officer laughed softly and paced the cell, hands behind his back. His boots squeaked every time he turned his heel. He paused at the one end, turning towards Erwin, “You want to know what he turned you in for, don’t you? You want to know why he betrayed you?”

Erwin didn’t move his head, though he’d wanted to nod. He resisted the urge, simply glaring down the man. He wanted to know. Underneath all the anger, he was concerned. Concerned about Levi’s state of being, concerned about what the hell had made Zeke switch sides like that.

“He came to me, you see,” Amsel took a step towards himself, “Told me he wanted the little Ackerman for himself. That he was jealous of you. He’d finally gotten the devil under his authority, but you were still in the way.”

“That’s not true,” Erwin snapped. He wouldn’t believe that. Zeke wouldn’t betray him simply for some ass- Levi’s ass, in this case, “Tell me the fucking truth, you pig.”

“That is the truth, you ignorant, selfish little-” Amsel stopped himself short, taking in a deep breath to calm himself before the calm, unsettling grin returned to his face, “You really don’t think he’d stoop so low? Think, Smith. Think. What other reason would he have to turn you in, besides that?”

Amsel wasn’t wrong. What other reason did Zeke have to turn him in? Was it really as simple as all that? Erwin was going to fucking wring Zeke’s neck if he got the chance, beat him senseless if that was the true reason behind his betrayal.

“So, what?” Erwin snarled, “He just… wanted to fuck Levi? But he wouldn’t force him- Levi wouldn’t want to, and Zeke won’t-”

“You’re really clueless, aren’t you?” Amsel chuckled lowly, “When you were gone at your mother’s funeral, those two were fucking like rabbits. Levi doesn’t need to be forced- he’ll give in willingly. He can’t get enough of Zeke, apparently.”

The man had to be lying. Erwin examined his face, trying to see any sign of deceit, but couldn’t find any, and terror and worry filled his stomach. Did they really…? No, he thought, Levi wouldn’t… Zeke wouldn’t… they wouldn’t do that! But his brain was fighting him. Was Amsel saying this just to mess with his head? To make him distrust Zeke even more than he already did?

“You… You’re lying!” Erwin accused angrily, tugging hard at the restraints on his wrists.

“Hmph,” Officer Amsel snorted, “You’re pathetic, Smith. You see too much good in people. And because of that, you’ve been tricked, betrayed by people you thought you could trust.”

Erwin could feel his chest tightening. He felt bad that Levi had been beaten, but he was starting to wonder if he even should feel bad. Zeke and Levi had been fucking behind his back? The two men had been there in his darkest moments as of late, and he didn’t understand why they would betray him in this way. Levi, who’d said he loved him, and Zeke, who’d called him brother.

It hurt. Badly. To be deceived by Zeke and Levi, the two people he trusted most. He hung his head, just wanting this conversation to be over with. He wanted to be alone now; to wallow in his thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zeke walked into the conference room, hands nervously stuffed into his pockets. He desperately wanted a smoke right about now, but he decided against it. He wanted to make a good first impression.

At the other end of the conference room stood a boy… no, a man, with long dark hair, some light facial hair, a leg missing, bandages over one eye, the other eye a deep green color. Zeke could immediately see the family resemblance; Eren looked very much like their father, so much so that it had surprised Zeke. He himself didn’t think he looked much like his father; more like his mother. Zeke was certain now that it had been their father who had escaped Marley, not his mother. But he also wondered about Eren’s injuries. Had he done that to himself simply to disguise himself?

“Eren,” Zeke greeted with a shy smile, “It’s so nice to meet you.”

“Zeke,” Eren replied, a cold look on his face, “It’s nice to meet you too… brother.”

Brother, Zeke repeated in his head, feeling his heart warming at the name. He’d never had a sibling before, and this was certainly a new experience for him. He wanted so badly to cross the room, throw his arms around his long lost half-brother, talk to him about their father, share their childhood experiences, laugh together. He wanted to do the things that all brothers did together; wanted to protect and care for his little brother like a good big brother would.

“Brother,” Zeke sat down with a happy sigh, placing his hands on the table, “Sit down,  Eren. We have much to discuss.”

“Yes,” Eren agreed, pulling up a seat across from Zeke at the conference table, “We certainly do.”

Zeke didn’t even know where to start. He was so giddy, so excited to finally meet his brother. Perhaps throwing Erwin under the bus had been worth it, though that thought still made him feel extremely guilty and sick on the inside.

“So,” Zeke crossed his fingers, “What brings you to Marley?”

Eren frowned, and Zeke instantly sensed this was not about to be the pleasant conversation he’d looked forward to, “I’m here to get the captain back, obviously. I was sent by the commander on a mission to retrieve him.”

“Just you?” Zeke asked curiously, “They sent you alone?”

Eren didn’t say anything in response, avoiding the question, which made Zeke think the answer was no; he wasn’t alone. Zeke cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to think of what to say next. How do you talk to a brother whose life you completely missed out on?

“Well,” Zeke tried, “I suppose I have a few questions to ask you. If you don’t mind, of course.”

“Of course,” Eren repeated in response, eyeing up Zeke as if he was trying to decide whether or not he could trust his brother. Zeke wanted him to; wanted his little brother to trust him. He wasn’t sure why; he just desperately wanted a family bond that wasn’t toxic, like the ones he’d had growing up.

“What was father like?” Zeke wondered, “Was he… did he force you to join the Corps?”

Eren raised an eyebrow, looking confused and shaking his head, “Of course not. He was dead long before then.”

Zeke stared at him in some shock. So father’s dead, then, he confirmed in his head, unable to help the tears that came to his eyes. He wasn’t sure why that made him so emotional. He was the one who’d sent their parents to their deaths in the first place, though it wasn’t like those deaths didn’t affect him. He supposed he’d been a bit more hopeful when he’d heard his father might still be alive: maybe they could make amends. But now, that was no longer a possibility. His father was dead.

“Oh,” Zeke replied with a small frown, “Well… was he good to you?”

“Yeah,” Eren shrugged, “I guess. He gave me the power of the Attack Titan when I was ten, so take that as you will.”

Zeke’s eyes widened slightly. Ten? Wow, their father really did like to push kids into business they didn’t belong in, didn’t he? Zeke felt for his younger brother. He knew what it was like to be forced into something they didn’t ask for.

“I’m so sorry, Eren,” Zeke murmured, resisting the urge to reach across the table and grasp his hand, “I know father could be cruel…”

“He wasn’t,” Eren insisted, “At least, not to me. He was good to me, for the most part. Wouldn’t even scold me when Mom asked him to.”

Zeke was almost in disbelief. Were they really talking about the same man? The man who had yelled at him, berated him, hit him, countless times growing up? The same man who had pushed him into the warrior program, put his and his family’s lives at risk? This man. That’s who Eren was talking about? It just didn’t sound real.

“Oh?” Zeke responded quietly, “That’s surprising to me.”

“What was he like with you?” Eren asked curiously, a tilt of his head.

“A nightmare,” Zeke admitted quietly, “He wanted me to save the Eldian race by becoming a warrior. He put a lot of pressure on me to do so. I was… I was only a child.”

He didn’t want to get emotional; not in front of the brother he barely knew at this point. But he was feeling a little bit betrayed by their father. If he could treat Eren so nicely, then why had he treated Zeke like complete shit? Why did Zeke have to put up with all that? Was it his own fault? Zeke felt his thoughts racing, turning the blame on himself. Did I deserve it? He wondered. Maybe Eren’s better than me… father seemed to like him more anyways.

Eren frowned, trying to get Zeke’s attention, “Brother. You alright?”

Zeke nodded quickly, shaking his head of his depressed thoughts dismissively, “I’m fine. Thank you, Eren. I just had a rough childhood with him. That’s all.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Eren said, and he sounded sincere, “But I’m sure he’d be proud of you now. I mean, look at you. You did what he wanted, didn’t you? Became a warrior just like he wanted.”

Zeke supposed Eren wasn’t wrong. He hadn’t saved the Eldian race, that’s for sure, but he was certainly in a position of power now. One that his father might’ve been proud of, though he was sure his father would never have been satisfied with him no matter what. The man always seemed to want more; never felt like Zeke was good enough for him.

“I suppose so,” Zeke said with a small, grateful smile, “Thank you again, Eren. Those words mean a lot to me.”

Eren nodded, exchanging a smile with his brother. Zeke wasn’t sure he could convince his superiors to make a deal with Eren for Levi. The man was currently back at his office, probably cleaning or reading the newspaper, drinking a tea perhaps.

“So what can I trade you for the captain?” Eren asked, “That’s all I’m here for.”

Zeke nodded, knowing Eren wasn’t here for pleasantries; or talks about their childhoods. He was there to get Levi back to Paradis, which was what Zeke had wanted too. Perhaps they could figure something out together.

Zeke leaned in, glancing around the room as if someone was listening in as he whispered, “Let’s work together, Eren. I want to help Levi escape, if I can. But we’re brothers, and we shouldn’t be on different sides.”

Eren stared him down for a moment, trying to read Zeke’s expression to decide if he could trust the man. Zeke held his breath, waiting for his little brother to make a decision on his honesty.

“Fine,” Eren decided, finally, “We’ll work something out. But not here, it’s not safe.”

Zeke agreed, “Yes, that’s a good idea.”

Eren stood, “I’ll be in contact with you. Tell your superiors that you’re working out a deal with me. Don’t give anything away.”

Zeke stood as well, holding out his hand to his brother, “Of course, Eren. I’m so glad we can work with one another.”

Eren stared down at his hand briefly before taking it, the two shaking hands. Something felt like it was swirling around the two of them, as if their hands meeting was something that shook the air; that changed the entire atmosphere. They both felt it; the shock, the electricity of it, and pulled their hands away quickly. What was that? Zeke wondered. But he didn’t wonder long, as Eren soon was heading out the door, and Zeke was left alone in the conference room, hand still held out where he had been shaking his brother’s.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zeke was gone the next morning at some meetings, and Levi had been busy dusting the office, trying to keep his mind off what was going on with Erwin. He didn’t want to know what his love was going through. He wanted to do his best to keep his mind off it. If he didn’t, he would be unable to control himself; would storm right down to that cell and cut off the heads of anyone who was hurting Erwin.

But the door burst open to the office, two guards walking in and directly towards him. Levi dropped the duster and immediately put his hands up, backing up into the shelf behind him. He didn’t know what they were here for; well, clearly they were here for him, but why? Was he being arrested too, now? The two guards didn’t speak a word to him. They merely cuffed his hands behind his back and began to lead him away, out of Zeke’s office and through the halls. The building he was in was a particularly big place, and he hadn’t been able to figure out the maze of halls yet, though he’d memorized several routes already.

He didn’t bother resisting; he knew that would only make things worse. He’d only resist if there was cause to, and he didn’t know what he was being taken for yet, so there was no reason to fight back. Levi was brought into a room with a large window that peeked into the room next door. The room next door was empty, and they chained him to a chair, hands behind his back, the chair facing the window. He kept his mouth shut, glaring between the guards coldly. He was about to ask what the hell he was here for, when he saw the door to the next door room open, watching through the window as Erwin was brought into the room. He quickly figured out it was a two-way mirror, as Erwin didn’t notice Levi at all, even when glancing in his direction.

“Erwin?” Levi murmured in confusion, tilting his head a little.

Levi’s heart beat picked up as the realization came over him what he was here for. Two guards entered the room Erwin was in, setting up tools and knives on the table next to Erwin. Levi was here to watch Erwin’s torture.

“No, don’t hurt him,” Levi tried, though he knew the effort was futile, “Please- hurt me instead. Hurt me instead, don’t touch him!”

Erwin looked dead inside, eyes cold and staring at the wall in a dissociative state. He looked like he wasn’t all there, like he was hurt from the betrayal that Zeke had dealt upon him. Levi wanted to scream through the window; to tell Erwin they were going to rescue him, that it would all be okay. That Zeke hadn’t done it for malicious reasons; he’d just wanted to save his little brother (god knows why).

Levi watched with horror as the guards began to beat the shit out of Erwin, dealing blow after blow to his face and body. Levi shook his head, unable to look away, as he cried out, “No! No! Stop! Don’t hurt him! Please!”

Something inside him was breaking. It was like an innate sense: to protect Erwin from harm. He wanted nothing more than to put himself in front of Erwin; to take the hits for him. But he was physically unable. He struggled hard against his restraints, tears pooling in his eyes. His heart was tearing in two as the guards began pulling Erwin’s teeth next. His screams echoed down the halls, and Levi had a desperation to help him, something aching inside him that needed to protect his love.

It was almost primal. Like he couldn’t help but feel this way. It was tearing at his insides; the pain was almost unbearable. Levi pulled at his chains so hard his wrists started bleeding. Erwin was crying, tears streaming down his face. The sight of it broke Levi’s heart in two. He had blood and steam pooling from his mouth, his teeth being lined up on the table as they were pulled.

That’s when Levi watched one of the guards unsheathe a sword, and his eyes widened, knowing immediately what was coming.

“No- no!” Levi begged, his voice weak and strained, “I’ll do anything! Make it stop! Make it stop!”

But nobody was even acknowledging his cries. He didn’t know what to do, a scream tearing from his throat as the sword came down, chopping at Erwin’s left leg. Erwin threw his head back in agony, his mouth open in a silent scream. The sword only made it halfway through the limb, and it took a couple more chops for the leg to fully separate from Erwin’s body. Levi’s entire body shook, something inside him snapping. It was that same spark he’d felt right before he’d beaten Mattie bloody.

He was suddenly able to move his hands, and realized he’d pulled the chains so hard they’d snapped, an incredible feat of strength that Levi didn’t even know he was capable of. He heard the guards scrambling to grab him, and he instantly stood from the chair and began to pound on the glass as hard as he could.

“Get him!” He heard faintly, but nothing sounded real to him anymore. He was running on pure instinct at this point, adrenaline pumping through his veins. Erwin was looking up at the mirror with an exhausted, hazy expression on his face.

“Levi?” He mumbled in some confusion, head lulling back and forth as he tried to keep himself upright, but was losing consciousness due to the pain and blood loss, “Levi…”

“Erwin,” Levi cried as he continued to try and break the glass with his fists, desperate to get through to the other side, “Erwin!”

He heard the door open, several guards rushing him and tackling him to the ground. He thrashed and struggled, shouting, “Erwin!”

“L… Lev…” Erwin started to say before his head fell forwards and he lost consciousness.

Levi let out a scream, throwing punches left and right to try and get the guards away. He had to get to Erwin. He just had to. He had no plan, and he knew he was running out of options. He felt a sharp sting in his ass cheek, turning to see one of them with a needle. He panicked for a moment, wondering what kind of needle it was, but as he grew groggy, he knew it must’ve been some sort of sedative. His vision went black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin came to hours later, his leg already regrowing and steam floating from the wounds on his body. He was sure he’d heard Levi screaming, heard pounding on the glass of the mirror next to him, but perhaps that had all been fake. Perhaps he’d imagined it. The pain had made him quite loopy and out of it before he’d passed out.

There was the sound of quiet footsteps down the hall, and Erwin braced himself for whoever it was; probably someone coming to torture him again. However, Erwin was a little surprised to see Zeke pop his head around the corner, looking in at Erwin with both shock and concern written on his face.

“Erwin,” Zeke murmured in a shaky voice, struggling to open the cell before he entered, “Are you okay?”

Erwin merely glared at him, hands cuffed behind his back. If they weren’t, he would’ve lunged at Zeke immediately, would’ve beaten him to a pulp. He was furious at the man for not only betraying him, but also for banging Levi in his absence. Well, he thought to himself bitterly, I’m out of the picture now, so they can finally be together.

“Erwin,” Zeke tried, “I can explain why I-”

“Why you betrayed your best friend?” Erwin spat angrily, “You called me your brother, Zeke. How could you do that to me?”

Zeke glanced down at his shoes, stuffing his hands in his pockets, “I…I’m so sorry, Erwin. I didn’t do it on purpose, I just… they threatened me.”

“With what?!” Erwin growled, “I would give up my life for yours. They couldn’t threaten me with anything that would make me give you up.”

“Okay, that’s just a blatant lie, Erwin,” Zeke sighed, “If they threatened to take Levi from you, you’d turn me in in an instant.”

Erwin frowned. Perhaps Zeke was right, but that didn’t mean his actions were justified.

“So what was it then?” Erwin asked.

“I… I have a real brother,” Zeke explained, “My father escaped to Paradis after he was arrested. He started a new family there. Eren, he’s my brother, he’s got the Attack and Founder titan powers.”

Erwin’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected such news. So Zeke had a real life brother, one who was related to him through blood. That did seem like a good enough reason to betray Erwin, if they were putting the brother’s life in danger. But that still didn’t explain why Zeke would bang Levi while he was gone.

“They threatened me. Threatened to kill Eren. I couldn’t handle it,” Zeke explained, “He’s my little brother, Erwin. I have to protect him no matter what. I hope you can understand that.”

“What I don’t understand,” Erwin glared, “Is why you would go behind my back and start fucking Levi again.”

Zeke’s face turned a little red, eyes wide and mouth agape, “F…Fucking…? Levi?”

“They told me what you two did while I was gone,” Erwin snarled, “When I get out of these chains I’ll fucking strangle you for touching Levi like that. How dare you fuck him, and when I was at my mother’s funeral?! What the hell is the matter with you?!”

Zeke looked flabbergasted, completely taken by surprise at Erwin’s words. He put up his hands in innocence, “Erwin, I… I would never-”

“Some friend you turned out to be,” Erwin grumbled, “Turning me in, fucking my lover.”

“Erwin, I didn’t fuck Levi!” Zeke shook his head furiously, “I would never do that after what you two have been through- I didn’t fuck him, I promise!”

Erwin stared him down, trying to decide whether or not to believe Zeke. After all, the man had betrayed him, even if it was for a justified reason. How could he even trust Zeke right now?

“You can ask Levi when you see him next,” Zeke insisted, looking a little upset, “I can’t believe you think I’d do something like that.”

“Zeke, you just turned me in for treason,” Erwin reminded him, “How am I supposed to trust you?”

Zeke still looked downtrodden, a frown on his face. He walked over to Erwin, placing a hand on his shoulder, which Erwin almost immediately shrugged off, causing Zeke’s frown to deepen.

“I’m really sorry, Erwin,” Zeke sighed, “I don’t know how to earn back y our trust, but you know I’d do anything for you.”

“Sorry isn’t enough, Zeke,” Erwin stared up at him with a cold expression, “I understand your motives, but you should’ve come to me first. You know I would’ve helped you.”

“There wasn’t enough time,” Zeke argued, “Amsel wanted the information on your whereabouts immediately. He wanted to catch you in the act.”

Catch them in the act indeed. Amsel had certainly been quick in his capture of Erwin. He’d come when the two had least expected it; during a deeply vulnerable moment for the two of them.

“You at least believe I didn’t have sex with Levi, don’t you?” Zeke asked with a hint of hope in his voice.

Erwin let out a deep sigh of frustration. Did he believe Zeke? He wasn’t sure. But he did know he still had trust for Levi - if the man hadn’t sleep with Zeke, of course.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” Erwin answered honestly.

Zeke’s face fell, tears beginning to fill his eyes. He kneeled in front of Erwin on one knee, hands clasped together in a pleading stance.

“Please, Erwin,” he begged, “Tell me what I can do to fix this. I meant it when I said you’re my brother. I don’t want to lose you.”

Erwin would’ve rubbed his forehead in frustration if he could’ve, but the cuffs prevented him from doing so. He instead sighed in stress, seeing the tears in Zeke’s eyes. The man must’ve truly felt bad to be tearing up like that. Erwin could feel himself empathizing with his friend, starting to feel a little bad for him.

“Fine,” Erwin decided, “You know what you can do for me? You can get Levi out of Marley, and safely back to Paradis.”

Zeke nodded instantly, “Of course, of course. I’ll make sure he gets home safely. Eren and I are coming up with a plan to escape, but it’s a precarious situation; the military has eyes on us at all times. We have a secret meeting place.”

“Alright,” Erwin agreed, “Just…don’t worry about me, okay?”

“Erwin…” Zeke frowned, “Are you sure? I want to save you if I can…”

“And if you can’t?” Erwin asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

Zeke remained silent.

“If you can’t,” Erwin started, “Then don’t. Don’t put yourselves in danger to save me, okay?”

“Erwin, I…” Zeke looked incredibly conflicted, a tear rolling down his cheek now, “I don’t want you to die.”

Suddenly, Zeke had thrown his arms around Erwin’s shoulders, burying his face in Erwin’s neck and starting to sniffle, “You’ve always been like my older brother. I can’t just let you die, especially when it’s my fault you’re here in the first place.”

“Hush,” Erwin cooed, trying his best to calm the man by nuzzling his head against Zeke’s, “Come on now, don’t cry. You’re a big brother yourself. You have to take care of your own now. Don’t worry about me.”

“But…But I-”

“Look at me, Zeke,” Erwin ordered, and Zeke pulled away from him, tears streaming down his face as he stared into Erwin’s eyes, “You will be okay without me. I promise. You can handle yourself, okay?”

Zeke nodded, wiping at his tears with his fists. He looked like that same broken little boy who had turned in his parents so long ago. The same boy who had come sobbing to Erwin after he’d done so, who needed Erwin’s comfort and friendship to survive and thrive in the Warrior Program. Erwin’s heart was hurting. He knew he had taken that place of older male approval in Zeke’s heart; Zeke’s father was gone and he had no older male figures other than Mr. Ksaver, who was gone now.

“And Zeke,” Erwin murmured softly, Zeke looking back at his face, “I’m so proud of you. Look at all you’ve done. I appreciate you more than you could know. You know how much I love you.”

Zeke’s lower lip quivered before he clung to Erwin again, tears staining Erwin’s shirt as he shook with sobs. He didn’t even have to thank Erwin, Erwin could sense he was grateful. Zeke didn’t hear those kinds of words often, and he needed them.

“I love you too,” Zeke sniffed, pulling away and rubbing his eyes, “Fuck. I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Erwin smiled sadly, “You should go. You don’t wanna get caught.”

Zeke nodded, getting up off the ground and brushing his pants off. He put his forearm over his eyes, shaking with a couple leftover sobs before he pulled himself together. He waved sadly at Erwin and headed out without another word. As soon as he heard the door close, he allowed the tears to flow down his cheeks, a shaky sigh leaving his mouth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi narrowed his eyes as he looked between Eren and Zeke, the three of them in an abandoned house off-base. This was their secret meeting place. Zeke had brought him here, insisting he be there while they planned their escape from Marley. Zeke had decided he would come with if he could, wanting to spend more time with his little brother. The two had a clear family resemblance; both had similar traits they’d likely gotten from their fathers, the clear differences coming from their mothers (Zeke’s blonde hair and Eren’s green eyes).

“Good to see you, Captain,” Eren leaned against the wall, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“And you, Eren,” Levi muttered, not really happy to see either of the Jaegers. But he knew it was important to be here, so he wasn’t going to complain.

“Heard you been sleeping with the enemy,” Eren frowned, instantly igniting a fire in Levi’s chest.

“Erwin is not the enemy,” Levi said with gritted teeth, “And it’s none of your damn business who I sleep with.”

Eren shrugged, and Zeke interrupted before the disagreement could go any further, “Alright, you two, let’s stay on topic. Now, Erwin’s trial is scheduled for this Friday. That’ll be the perfect time to make a scene and get the hell out of there.”

“Right,” Levi agreed, “Who’s turning? You or Eren?”

“Eren’s more powerful,” Zeke sounded reluctant in admitting so, “So he’ll turn and pick us up, carry us out of here and to the sea. Once he takes out the ports they won’t be able to follow us.”

“What about Erwin?” Levi asked with concern. That’s all he really cared about. He frankly didn’t give a fuck about Eren and Zeke (he did care about them, just not as much as he cared for Erwin). He just wanted Erwin to be safe; to be able to come with him to Paradis.

“We’ll be able to pick him up too, since he’ll be in the courtroom with us,” Zeke explained.

Eren rolled his eyes, and Levi immediately became defensive, “What the hell is your issue?”

“I just don’t think we should be bringing an enemy with us,” Eren grumbled.

“He’s not an enemy,” Levi growled, “Zeke was an enemy before, and we’re taking him with us!”

“That’s different,” Eren argued, “He’s family. Erwin’s just a good lay to you.”

Levi could feel himself growing angrier by the second, and crossed the room, ready to kick the shit out of the younger Jaeger brother. Zeke stopped him, putting a hand across Levi’s chest and sighing in annoyance, “Stop fighting you two. Eren, Erwin’s not an enemy. You can trust him. And Levi, don’t be so defensive.”

Levi mumbled swears under his breath, stepping back and away from Eren, but still glaring at him. Eren looked indifferent, though Levi could sense he was annoyed as well. He nodded at Zeke’s words, though, trusting his older brother’s judgement.

“So what’s your plan when we get back to Paradis?” Levi asked, directing the question at Zeke.

“Eren and I have some plans we’ve been discussing,” Zeke responded vaguely.

Levi raised an eyebrow, “So what? I’m not important enough to know?”

Eren shook his head, “To be honest, no, you’re not. It’s something we’re planning between the two of us. It’s a family secret.”

“Family this, family that,” Levi snapped, “You sure have a hard-on for family shit, don’t you, Jaeger?”

Eren frowned, “Don’t be jealous, Captain.”

“I’m not!” Levi snarled, ready to kick the boy again. He didn’t care if Eren had grown up, he was still that annoying 15-year-old boy that Levi had grown to know.

“God,” Zeke sighed in frustration, “You two argue worse than Levi and I do.”

Levi crossed his arms and grumbled swears, thoroughly irritated. Why, out of all people, was he stuck planning with the Jaeger brothers?! This was literally worst-case scenario for him. He would rather die than spend another moment with them, so he began to walk out of the room.

“Where are you going?” Zeke asked curiously.

“I’ll be outside,” Levi grunted, “So you two can talk about your family shit.”

“Fine,” Zeke shooed him with his hand.

Levi started to walk out of the room, heading down the hall towards the front door. But something was wrong. Levi stopped in his tracks, listening for noise. He heard the creaking of the floorboard. Someone was in the house with them. Levi rushed back to the room as quietly as he could, Eren and Zeke still chatting calmly. The two stared at him upon his re-entry, and Levi put a finger to his lips to shush them.

“Someone’s in the house,” Levi murmured quietly, and as if to prove him right, another floorboard squeaked above him.

The eyes of the two brothers widened, and soon there were more footsteps, a loud bang through the front door. The three of them panicked, Zeke quickly putting a plan into action. He shoved Eren towards the bed in the room, and Eren crawled underneath it.

Zeke then took off his shirt, motioning for Levi to come over. Levi didn’t understand Zeke’s plan, but he trusted him enough to follow through. He walked over to Zeke, who turned him around and bent him over the bed, tugging his pants down.

“Hey! What are you-”

“Shut up,” Zeke snapped, “Just go along with it.”

Levi frowned and nodded, understanding Zeke’s plan on an instant. He listened to Zeke tug down his own pants and allowed Zeke to place his hands on Levi’s hips, the door swinging open and Zeke pretending as though he’d been fucking Levi. Levi played along, letting out a loud moan and covering his face upon the guards’ entry. It was Officer Amsel and his four regular guards. Of course it’s Amsel, Levi thought, hearing Zeke hurriedly pulling his pants back up.

“S-Sir!” Zeke gasped in feigned shock, “Shit- can’t find any privacy, can we, Levi?”

Amsel looked suspiciously between the two of them, “What the hell are you two doing here?”

“Uhhh,” Zeke chuckled, “Isn’t it obvious?”

The officer frowned, “But why can’t you just do that in your office?”

Zeke had an immediate response, not missing a beat, “Well anyone could walk in, Sir. I didn’t expect anyone would interrupt us out here. But I suppose I was wrong.”

“Well,” Amsel grinned evilly, “Don’t let me stop you, Ezekiel. Go right ahead.”

Now that caught both of them by surprise. Levi grumbled under his breath, Zeke laughing nervously and shaking his head, “I can’t really fuck someone in front of my superior.”

“Sure you can,” the officer smirked, “That way you can prove to me that that’s what you two were really doing.”

Levi looked back at Zeke, both looking incredibly uncomfortable. But Levi knew what needed to be done. He needed to prove to Amsel that he and Zeke had been fucking. Of course he didn’t want Zeke to fuck him, but he needed to find someway to prove to the officer that they had been. He pushed his ass back against Zeke’s bulge, hearing the man behind him gasp in some surprise.

“Come on, Zeke,” Levi muttered in fake desperation, “Give it to me.”

He heard Zeke slowly undo his pants again, clearly hesitant about the whole thing. But Levi was grinding back against him, trying to encourage him to just do it and get it over with. This is gonna hurt, he reminded himself as he felt the tip poking at his entrance. He gasped when Zeke entered him, covering his pain with a loud moan. Zeke gripped his hips and began fucking him hurriedly, as if wanting to get it over with. Levi grunted, adjusting to the feeling and clinging to the bedsheets.

“Very good, Ezekiel,” the officer laughed softly, “Go ahead, destroy your little pet. I won’t stop you.”

Zeke whispered a very quiet “sorry” that only Levi had heard before he started going to town on Levi’s ass, pounding into him powerfully. Levi cried out, not having been ready for the rough fucking. Tears pooled in the corners of his eyes, short gasps leaving his mouth. He couldn’t help but enjoy it at least a little. His erection was rubbing against the sheets with every thrust, his prostate being rammed into over and over again.

“Good boy,” Zeke murmured, and suddenly Levi was worried that Zeke was actually into this. Or perhaps he was just pretending, and doing a good job of it.

“Oh god,” Levi moaned, gritting his teeth and glaring at Officer Amsel defiantly.

“Keep looking at me like that and I’ll stuff your damn mouth,” Amsel snapped, and Levi looked away, deciding he didn’t want to find out just what his mouth would be stuffed with.

“Oh shit,” Zeke groaned, and Levi was starting to suspect the man was really enjoying himself. He supposed he couldn’t entirely blame him, but it was still an uncomfortable feeling to know that Zeke was enjoying fucking him like this.

“Z-Zeke!” Levi squealed, getting close from rubbing against the sheets below. Zeke was panting hard above him, clearly having a good time.

He felt the warm liquid spilling inside him, and ground against the sheets until he too achieved orgasm. The two were left breathing hard, and Levi could see Amsel’s smug face out of the corner of his eye.

“I’ll see you two at the trial on Friday,” Amsel said with a grin before exiting the room with the guards.

Levi got up shakily, tugging up his pants. As soon as Amsel left the house and he heard the front door close, Levi turned around and smacked Zeke as hard as he could across the face. Zeke cried out, holding his cheek and staring at Levi in shock.

“The hell was that for?!” He asked, pulling up his own pants after getting over the shock.

“For fucking me!” Levi exclaimed in annoyance, kicking at the bed twice, “You can come out, Jaeger. They’re gone.”

Eren crawled out from under the bed, grumbling, “That was fucking gross. I never want to hear you two have sex ever again.”

“Good thing you won’t have to,” Levi growled, smacking Zeke’s arm hard.

“Stop hitting me! What the hell was I supposed to do?!” Zeke wondered.

“It was your dumb plan that got us into that situation in the first place, idiot!” Levi scolded, rubbing as his ass cheek, “Now my ass is sore as hell.”

“I thought you liked it,” Zeke shrugged.

“In Zeke’s defense, it did sound like you liked it,” Eren noted.

Levi’s fists clenched at his sides, wanting to punch the shit out of both brothers. He swung on Eren, who managed to duck the hit before Levi kicked him in the stomach, punching Zeke in the chest. The two doubled over in pain.

“Fuck!” Zeke groaned, “You didn’t have to fucking hit us! Shit!”

“You get used to it,” Eren mumbled, straightening up after a moment and rubbing at his pained stomach.

“You punched me in the heart,” Zeke whined, much like a wounded puppy, “That hurt!”

“Don’t be such a fucking baby,” Levi snapped, “Come on, let’s head back. And we never speak about what happened here again. Understood?”

The Jaeger brothers nodded, both looking a little fearful of him; just how Levi liked things.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erwin sat in his cell, awaiting his trial later that day. He had the urge to pace, but couldn’t, as he was still chained to the wall. He was incredibly bored, tired, hungry, etc. His leg had regrown itself, and his wounds were healed, but he knew he wouldn’t be lucky for much longer. His death was on the horizon. He wasn’t sure how Zeke was going to pull off getting all four of them out of Marley without a fight, and he was almost certain he would die in the process. But he’d had time to think on it, and he had accepted his death by this point.

Erwin could hear the door down the hall creak open, the sound of footsteps coming towards his cell. Who was coming to visit him now? He’d mostly been visited by guards, and sometimes by Amsel, who would taunt him and deliver several hits and kicks to his body.

But this time, it was Levi who appeared in front of his cell, gripping the bars and looking in on him with great concern. He was both cheerful and guilty upon seeing Levi: cheerful because he was happy to see the man, but also guilty because he knew he wouldn’t be around for much longer - and he would have to leave Levi by himself on this earth.

“Levi,” Erwin sighed, “I missed you, my darling.”

Levi smiled sweetly, retrieving the keys from the wall and unlocking the door. He rushed into the cell and threw his arms around Erwin, kissing his cheek lovingly and hugging him close. Erwin wished desperately that he could hug Levi back, but he did the best he could given the circumstances; he nuzzled his head against Levi’s, pressing a kiss to his cheek and whispering a quiet ‘I love you’ in his ear.

“I love you too,” Levi replied as he pulled away, the two sharing a couple of kisses on the lips.

“You came to see me before my trial?” Erwin guessed that Levi wanted to see him in case things turned sour, which Erwin was almost certain would be the case. He just didn’t see himself living through this. But he was okay with that, as long as Levi would make it out.

“Yes,” Levi nodded, “I wanted to tell you that… no matter what happens, I’ll always love you, Erwin.”

Erwin smiled sadly up at him, “I’ll always love you too, my sweetheart.”

Levi wrapped his legs around Erwin’s middle and clung to him, small sniffles leaving him. Erwin frowned, knowing Levi was likely upset considering what the two of them were going through. He knew it would be hard for Levi to let him go, but he also knew that it was something that needed to happen.

“Levi,” Erwin tried, “Baby, can you look at me, please?”

Levi pulled away a little, tearful eyes staring down at him, “Yes?”

“You need to promise me something,” Erwin insisted, “I want you to promise you won’t get hung up on me, okay?”

Levi whimpered quietly, shaking his head, “You’re going to make it out of here with me, Ervy. I know you will. Don’t say things like that.”

Erwin frowned, “Levi, I think you and I both know the chances of escape for the four of us are slim. If you have to leave me behind, you should.”

Levi untangled himself from Erwin’s arms, covering his mouth to hold back a sob. He sucked in some deep breaths to calm himself, shaking his head again, “N-No. No, I’ll never leave you behind, Erwin. I can’t just-”

“Levi,” Erwin tried again, “This is serious. You have to promise me that you’ll leave me to save yourself. That’s an order.”

Levi stared down at him with widened eyes, filled with tears, before he got up, covering his face with his forearm as he shook with some sobs. He was just shaking his head, as if doing so would make the whole situation go away.

“I can’t live without you,” Levi muttered, so quietly Erwin might’ve almost missed it.

“You lived without me before,” Erwin reminded him, “And you’ll be able to live without me again.”

Levi sniffed loudly, removing his arm from his face. He looked angry now, fists clenched at his sides, “You can’t just… give up!”

Erwin let out a deep sigh of frustration, “Levi, I’m not giving up. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t try to save me if it puts you in danger. I want your freedom more than I want my own. You can understand that feeling, can’t you?”

Levi swallowed back a sob, “N-No. No. I won’t let you. I won’t let you die, Erwin. I’ll save you no matter what-”

“Levi,” Erwin growled, “This isn’t a joke. And it isn’t some love story where everyone lives happily ever after. If I die, I die. You can’t go out of your way to save me if it puts you in danger. Do you understand? It would kill me if I lived and you died saving me. So promise me, promise me you won’t go out of your way to save me.”

Levi was silent, tears rolling down his cheeks as he gritted his teeth. He looked away, grumbling swears under his breath before he nodded solemnly, “I… I promise, Erwin. I promise I won’t go out of my way.”

“Good,” Erwin sighed in some relief. At least now he wouldn’t have to worry so much about Levi and his well-being. He knew he could trust Zeke to get Levi out of Marley and back to Paradis safely, even if that meant his own demise was coming.

Levi sniffled and kneeled in front of Erwin, wrapping his arms around him and burying his head into Erwin’s shoulder. Erwin breathed in Levi’s scent, wanting to remember it, especially in the moment he would eventually meet his end.

“Don’t dedicate yourself to me,” Erwin instructed, “Move on, find happiness. That’s all I could ever ask for.”

Levi nodded into his shoulder, his silent tears soaking Erwin’s shirt. He could tell that Levi wanted so desperately to say no, to protest what Erwin was asking of him. But he also knew that Levi wanted to please Erwin, wanted to follow his orders, and therefore would agree to what Erwin was asking of him, no matter how difficult it was to follow through with those instructions.

“I… I have to go,” Levi spoke quietly as he pulled away, “I didn’t even tell Zeke where I was going. So I really shouldn’t disappear for long, or people will be looking for me.”

Erwin nodded, “Of course, darling. Give me one last kiss, my love.”

Levi gave him a sad smile before leaning down and kissing him sweetly, the two sharing each other’s lips for a short moment before pulling away. Erwin was trying to memorize just how Levi’s lips felt; just how he tasted and smelled.

Levi pulled away, whispering against his lips, “I love you, Erwin.”

“I love you too,” Erwin murmured back, watching Levi get up and walk to the cell door. He exited, locking it up again and placing the keys back on the wall. He gave Erwin one last solemn look before heading down the hallway, clearly choked up.

Erwin could feel his own heart constricting, his own emotions welling up inside him. He loved Levi so much; and all he wanted to do was escape with him back to Paradis so that they could be together and spend the rest of their lives together. But he knew that was too good to be true, and he would likely have to sacrifice his own life in order to save Levi’s and give him his freedom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mr. Erwin Smith,” the judge started the trial. Erwin was sitting next to a state lawyer who had been chosen to represent him, someone who Erwin didn’t even know. He was cuffed to the chair, not being trusted to simply sit still next to his lawyer.

“You have been brought here under the charge of treason,” the judge continued, “How do you plead?”

“Not guilty, sir,” Erwin spoke into the microphone, hearing the quiet murmurs of those in the crowd behind him. Sure, he was guilty of having sex with Levi, but he didn’t believe that was treason. Zeke had done it, hadn’t he? And he wasn’t being punished. This was simply a way to get Erwin into trouble because they wanted him out of the picture for his subordination.

He didn’t know where Levi was sitting, and he wanted to turn around and search for him, just to feel more comfortable and reassured that the man was there with him. But he continued to sit still, his lawyer having advised him not to move too much or cause a scene. And looking at Levi, well, that would certainly just prove the prosecution right all the more.

The judge proceeded to read his charges, the prosecution soon being allowed to speak their piece. The trial was extremely boring, and if Erwin hadn’t known what was coming (Zeke had filled him in on the plan), it would’ve been hard to stay awake.

“The prosecution calls Ezekiel Jaeger to the stand,” the judge stated, and Erwin watched Zeke climb the stairs to sit next to the judge.

Erwin knew the man had promised to testify against him, so he knew Zeke wasn’t doing this out of malicious intent, but because he was being forced into it. Zeke still looked incredibly uncomfortable and out of place; just all-around nervous.

“Mr. Jaeger,” the prosecution’s lawyer began, “How long have you known Mr. Smith?”

“Since… Since we were kids, sir,” Zeke said into the microphone, “I was about 7 or 8 years old, I think. Though, Erwin’s older than me by a couple years.”

“And how was Erwin growing up? In terms of loyalty to the nation. Did he ever speak of betrayal? Of Eldian restoration?” The lawyer asked.

Zeke shook his head immediately, “No, sir. He was always incredibly loyal to Marley, more-so than anyone I know.”

“But that’s changed in the past few months, hasn’t it?” The lawyer pressed, leaning on the table with two hands.

Zeke opened and closed his mouth, mumbling, “I… I don’t know what you mean, sir.”

“I mean,” the lawyer clarified, “That Erwin’s loyalty to Marley has shifted over the past few months, correct?”

Zeke frowned, “I… I…”

“You’re under oath, Ezekiel,” the judge reminded him.

Zeke glanced briefly at Erwin, who nodded as if to encourage him to go ahead. He knew what Zeke needed to do, and he didn’t want Zeke to get into trouble on his account. They’d discussed that already, and he knew Zeke wouldn’t get in trouble for his sake.

“Y-Yes, sir,” Zeke muttered, shocked gasps echoing throughout the courtroom, “He has changed loyalties.”

“How so?” The lawyer asked, “What specifically has he done to betray his country?”

Zeke adjusted his glasses, clearing his throat, “Well, sir. He’s… He’s been sleeping with the enemy. Talking about going to Paradis with him.”

“And can you point out who ‘the enemy’ is referring to, in this case?” The lawyer wondered.

Zeke nodded, pointing into the crowd towards where Levi must’ve been sitting, “Him, sir. Levi Ackerman. The devil from Paradis.”

More shocked gasps from the crowd.

“And you can testify that you, along with Officer Amsel, walked in on the two engaging in sexual activities?” The lawyer inquired.

Zeke nodded again, “Y-Yes, sir. We walked in on them. But… But I… I also had sex with the Ackerman, sir. So I don’t think that proves he’s a traitor.”

Erwin wasn’t sure if Zeke was allowed to say such a thing, but the judge seemed to allow it, looking at the prosecution lawyer expectantly. The lawyer looked slightly taken aback, as though he didn’t know what to say. He could hear the murmurs of those behind him, the surprised sounds they were making.

He stumbled over his words for a second, “You’ve slept with the Ackerman as well, is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes,” Zeke nodded, “So your argument is open to doubt.”

The lawyer looked at Zeke in some disbelief before raising an eyebrow, “You do realize you’re incriminating yourself, correct?”

Zeke and Erwin exchanged a glance, Erwin giving him a look of warning to not to go further. Zeke was looking at him with an expression Erwin couldn’t read: was that guilt? Sadness? Regret? He couldn’t tell.

“Yes, sir,” Zeke replied, “That’s correct.”

“Well,” the lawyer coughed awkwardly, “Surely there are other events that occurred to make you question Erwin’s loyalty. Did he ever talk of helping the Ackerman escape?”

“Yes,” Zeke responded, “But so did I.”

Erwin was glaring now, giving Zeke a dangerous look as if to tell him to knock it off. He was only digging himself into a hole. And Erwin didn’t want him to get into trouble, and it looked like he was doing just that, and on purpose too.

“But Mr. Smith clearly went further than just speaking about these plans,” the lawyer frowned, “Am I correct in assuming so?”

“Yes,” Zeke answered, “But I helped too. I’ve been plotting with Erwin since day one.”

“Zeke!” Erwin cried out, “Shut up!”

He couldn’t help himself. He didn’t understand what Zeke was doing. This wasn’t part of the plan. Perhaps Zeke was trying to prove a point, but what? That he was a loyal friend? Or maybe he was trying to show how stupid he could be.

“Mr. Smith, I’m going to have to ask you to remain silent,” the judge ordered.

Erwin shut his mouth instantly, not wanting to get thrown out. Suddenly, Erwin saw a man out of the corner of his eye: one with a missing arm and half of his face in bandages. He watched the judge eyeing him.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to sit down,” the judge ordered, but the man didn’t move. He just stood there.

“Sir,” the judge tried again, before sighing in frustration, “Security, please escort him out.”

Just as the security guards moved to apprehend the man, he pulled his hand up to his mouth, opening his jaw. Erwin’s eyes widened. This must be Eren. He thought to himself, watching his actions with bated breath.

Everything that happened next happened in mere seconds; so quickly Erwin might’ve missed it had he blinked. The man bit hard into his hand, flashes of light escaping his body in brilliant hues of white and yellow. There was screaming and yelling from those around him as the man, who Erwin had presumed to be Zeke’s brother, transformed into a Titan right before their eyes. The blast of heat from the transformation caused Erwin to squeeze his eyes shut, slowly opening them when it was safe to. Everyone was running away from the courtroom, whose ceiling had now been destroyed by the Titan.

Erwin got up, hands still cuffed to the chair. His lawyer had long since abandoned him.  Erwin struggled in the cuffs, frantically looking around for Levi in the sea of panic. Suddenly, there was a hand in his own, and he turned to see Levi standing in front of him, hurriedly trying to unlock the cuffs with a key he must’ve swiped from someone.

“What are you doing?!” Erwin exclaimed, “I told you not to worry about me, Levi!”

“If you think I’m just going to abandon you right now then you’re dumber than you look,” Levi shouted over the noise of the terrified crowd.

“Levi, go!” Erwin cried out, seeing a large hand lower to the ground near them. Zeke and Erwin exchanged a look of worry before Zeke rushed to Eren’s Titan hand, climbing onto it and holding a hand out for Erwin and Levi to join him.

“Shut up!” Levi scolded, finally getting the cuffs off and sighing in some relief.

Erwin held Levi’s hand tightly and rushed to Zeke, tugging the shorter man along behind him. The two clambered up and held on tight, Eren bringing them up to his shoulder, which they climbed onto and held onto his hair for balance.

Eren began walking towards the port, navy ships already lining up to fight him. Eren used his hand to swipe at the ships, destroying a few in one go. Levi clung to Erwin, who held him with one arm and Eren’s hair with the other. Zeke was holding on tight to Eren’s hair, watching the chaos happening below them. That’s when Erwin heard a loud boom and turned his head to see tank after tank plowing their way towards the port, shooting at Eren’s legs. Eren let out a mighty roar and stumbled, one of his legs taking significant hits.

“He can’t take much more of this!” Zeke was shouting, looking down at the precarious situation, “I’m gonna turn and help him!”

“If you turn now you might not make it out!” Erwin yelled back over the barrage of noise, “I’m not letting you do that!”

“Erwin!” Levi cried out, and Erwin looked down to see the desperate look on his lover’s face, “Don’t leave me!”

Zeke let go of Eren’s hair with one hand, lifting the other to his mouth. Erwin couldn’t let him do it. He wasn’t about to let his best friend die rescuing him. Though he didn’t want to leave Levi, he also didn’t want to see Zeke die in front of him, or worse, be captured and tortured by the Marleyan military.

Erwin made a split second decision, one that didn’t take much thought at all. He knew what he had to do, after all. Protect Zeke, protect Levi, protect Eren. Keep them all safe. Before Zeke even knew what was happening, Erwin had thrown Levi into his arms and jumped from Eren’s shoulder, biting his hand and watching lights flash around him as his body transformed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi screamed, “No!” As soon as Erwin let go of him, tossing him at Zeke, who caught him haphazardly with one free arm. Levi watched in horror as Erwin jumped, a flash of light emanating from his body as he transformed into his Titan. He was in so much shock from Erwin’s actions that he threw his arms out to reach after him, Zeke holding him tightly in his free arm and struggling to keep him on Eren’s shoulder.

“Levi, Levi,” Zeke tried to get through to him, “You have to calm down.”

“Erwin!” Levi cried out, distraught as he watched the Colossal Titan rise from the steam feet away from them. The heat was almost unbearable, and Levi had to shield his face in Zeke’s chest.

Erwin was becoming the target of the barrage of fodder now, and with Erwin the focus now, Eren turned around and began to cross the sea towards Paradis. Levi pulled his face out of Zeke’s chest, turning to look back at Erwin, the Colossal Titan being overtaken by the canons as they pummeled him over and over.

“Erwin!” Levi shrieked, and Zeke grabbed him by the back of his hair, pushing his face into Zeke’s chest again so that he wouldn’t look at what was happening to Erwin. But Levi could sense what was going on. Erwin was dying. He was going to go down under the Marleyan army, and there was nothing Levi could do to save him.

Levi could hear Zeke’s heart racing in his chest, and could almost feel the man’s heartbreak along with his own. His adrenaline was rushing through his veins, a choked sob welling up in his throat. He wanted to scream, to tear his hair out, to jump off Eren’s Titan and swim back to Erwin, do whatever he could to save him. But he knew he couldn’t do anything to help. He knew nothing he could do could help Erwin.

“Levi,” Zeke said, and Levi was almost certain the man was crying, “Levi, don’t look.”

That was all Levi needed to hear to know it was bad. He was shaking violently in Zeke’s arm, clinging to the blonde as sobs began to rack through his body. The noises of the battle taking place behind him were slowly dying down as the three of them continued on their way across the sea.

Levi just kept crying, more tears than he knew what to do with. He was in shock, tears just continuing to flow into Zeke’s shirt. When Levi finally looked up, he saw Zeke’s tear-stained eyes, the cold, dead expression on his face.

“Is he…?” Levi asked quietly, needing to know.

Zeke nodded solemnly, “There’s no way he made it out of there.”

Levi ran a shaky hand through his hair, sniffling loudly as his lower lip quivered. It couldn’t be real. Erwin couldn’t be gone. He’d been next to Levi just moments ago, and now he was dead.

Eren walked up onto the beach at Paradis a good half hour later. Zeke and Levi had stood there, holding onto Eren’s hair, silent. They didn’t speak a word between the two of them, both wallowing in their feelings over Erwin’s passing. It was quiet as Eren let the two down from his shoulder, the Titan collapsing as Eren pulled himself from its body. He climbed out of the Titan, jumping down from it and walking towards the two melancholy men.

“I saw…” Eren frowned, “I saw what Erwin did. He… He saved my life.”

The two remained silent for a moment before Zeke offered up a small response of, “Yeah. He did.”

Eren threw an arm around Zeke’s shoulder awkwardly, as if he didn’t know how to comfort him, “I… I’m sorry, brother.”

“It’s okay,” Zeke forced a sad smile, “I’m glad he helped. Otherwise you might’ve died and I… I can’t lose my little brother, can I?”

Eren shook his head, “No… I wouldn’t want to lose you either.”

Levi was too depressed to even be annoyed at the Jaeger brother’s family moment. He felt to his knees in the sand, fists clenching at the grainy substance. He was so thoroughly upset, so grief-stricken, and so surprisingly angry. He was furious now. How could Erwin just do that to him? Leave him like this?

Levi began to take fistfuls of sand and throw them angrily, getting to his feet and kicking at the sand. The Jaeger brothers simply watched his small tantrum, not bothering to step in. Levi grabbed a handful of sand and threw it as hard as he could towards the sea in the direction of Marley.

“Bastard!” Levi shouted, taking another handful and throwing it, “You bastard! How could you?!”

Levi misstepped in his rage, falling down and catching himself by his hands and knees. He stared down at the sand, his entire body quivering with the rage and grief he felt. He felt so many things at once: so full of emotion yet so numb at the same time. He just wanted to die; to be with Erwin. Levi could feel it all building inside him, until it let itself out in a heart-wrenching wail, grasping his chest as though he was dying. He sat back on his legs, clutching his chest and letting the sobs roll out of him.

He felt two strong arms around him from behind, and didn’t bother to fight them off. He’d never felt a pain like this before. When his mama died, he was too little to understand. When comrades died, he’d shed some tears, but never before had he lost someone whom he loved so dearly.

Zeke just held him while he wailed, until every last tear was pulled out of his eyes. He didn’t know how much time had passed since he’d first fallen into the sand, since Zeke had first placed his arms around him, but it felt like an eternity. When he finally stopped crying, he just lay his head on Zeke’s chest, eyes unfocused and staring off as he felt absolutely nothing anymore. He sniffed quietly, allowing Zeke to pet his hair soothingly.

“I’m so sorry, Levi,” Zeke murmured against his ear, “I’m so sorry.”

Levi didn’t respond, just staring off as he let his entire body go limp in Zeke’s arms; just let the man comfort him even if it wasn’t helping. He was staring out at the sea, staring at its blueness, and thinking of Erwin’s eyes. He had had such beautiful blue eyes, hadn’t he?

Levi was thinking back on all the times he’d noticed how beautiful Erwin was. The first time he met the man, the first time they’d kissed, the first time they’d made love. But that was all over now. And Erwin was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~ A few months later ~~

Levi grimaced as Hange entered his room, pulling back the curtains to let in the sunlight. He groaned in some annoyance, turning over in the bed and burying his face in the pillows so that he wouldn’t be blinded by the light.

“Come on, Levi,” Hange encouraged, “You need to get up. It’s past noon. Come on, didn’t you used to be an early riser?”

Levi rolled his eyes, whining as Hange pulled the covers off him, “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“Because,” Hange frowned, “It’s not healthy, Levi. You’ve been grieving for months now. You need to start moving on with your life.”

Levi scowled, turning to glare at his friend. They looked incredibly concerned for him, which he couldn’t help but feel annoyed at. He didn’t need pity. Why couldn’t they just leave him be and let him wallow in his grief?

“Zeke came by this morning looking for you,” Hange explained, “He’s worried for you.”

“Everyone’s fucking worried for me,” Levi grumbled, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and rubbing his eyes. He supposed a shower might be nice, he was feeling a little unclean and looked forward to the warm water.

“That’s because your behavior is concerning, Levi,” Hange put their hands on their hips, “You haven’t been eating, you’ve been sleeping almost all day, you’re behind on your work. I could excuse the first couple of months, but I can’t keep covering for you with the same excuses.”

Levi sighed, “I am sorry about the work. I’ve been slacking, and I apologize. But if I don’t eat or if I oversleep, it’s none of your damn business. That’s my personal life.”

“Levi,” Hange continued, “You need to eat and sleep properly to do your work better. So it does affect your work life too. Now, go get showered and dressed. Zeke said he’d be back this afternoon to take you out to lunch.”

Levi groaned in annoyance, “I don’t wanna.”

Hange crossed their arms, “Really, Levi. You’re behaving like a grumpy teenager. Just let him do something nice for you.”

“He’s just trying to get in my pants,” Levi mumbled, even though that wasn’t true. Zeke hadn’t tried to come onto him, not once, the entire time they’d been in Paradis.

“You know that’s not true,” Hange accused, “You know he just wants to help.”

“Whatever,” Levi muttered as he got up and headed to the bathroom without another word. He took his time showering, not looking forward to seeing Zeke. It just reminded him of what had happened to… to…

Levi couldn’t even say his name, could barely think about him. It just sent him into a spiral of depression that he had a hard time pulling himself out of. He could feel the tears in the back of his eyes, and swallowed them down, not wanting to cry right now. He’d spent so many hours crying.

He tried to be a little more positive to cheer himself up. Maybe lunch with Zeke wouldn’t be too bad. Hange was right, he hadn’t been eating much lately, and he’d lost some weight, which wasn’t healthy for his already-small body. He got out of the shower and began to dry himself off, starting to dress himself. He looked at himself in the mirror; his face was a little sunken in, eyes red and exhausted-looking.

He exited the bathroom to find Zeke already sitting on his bed waiting for him, Hange nowhere in sight. They’d probably headed back to their office to take care of whatever they had to as commander. Zeke smiled upon seeing Levi, standing up to greet him with a hug. Levi didn’t really want to be touched right now, but he allowed Zeke to envelope him anyways, not hugging the man back.

“It’s so good to see you,” Zeke murmured in his ear before pulling away and adjusting his glasses, “How have you been?”

Levi shrugged, “How do you think I’ve been?”

Zeke frowned at that, “I… I don’t know. I assume not so great?”

Levi nodded to confirm his assumptions, crossing his arms as if to shield himself from any emotions Zeke’s words might bring on. Zeke looked equally as exhausted as he was, and Levi was beginning to think perhaps the man was putting on a façade.

“How about you?” Levi asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Not too good,” Zeke admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, “It’s been hard, you know? I have Eren now but… but I still miss Erw-”

“Don’t,” Levi squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his fingers to his forehead in stress, “Don’t say his name. Please.”

“I’m sorry,” Zeke apologized, and Levi slowly removed his fingers and opened his eyes, fighting back the flood of tears that threatened to fall.

“It’s fine, just…” Levi paused, “I don’t want to talk about him, okay? Let’s just go get lunch.”

Zeke nodded, a sad smile on his face as he held out his hand, “Okay, let’s go.”

Levi stared down at his hand for a moment, grumbling some swears before he put his hand into Zeke’s and the two began to walk out of Levi’s room, down the hall and out of the building. Levi didn’t know where Zeke was taking him, but he hoped it was somewhere good. His stomach was starting to growl hungrily, and he was just now realizing how hungry he’d been this whole time.

Zeke squeezed his hand gently, “I wanted to treat you to something nice, since you’ve been so… well, depressed.”

Levi frowned, “I’m fine, Zeke. You don’t need to worry about me so much.”

Zeke sighed, “Levi, I haven’t seen you in over a month now. Hange told me you’ve been holed up in your room, not coming out for days on end. Not eating. I mean look at you, you’ve lost weight, Levi. You’re not healthy. You’re not fine.”

Levi was getting irritated now, ripping his hand away and growling, “And you’re not my boyfriend, so stop holding my hand as if you’re taking me out on a little date. You’ll never replace…”

Levi’s words caught in his throat, looking up at Zeke, who had hurt written all over his face. Zeke looked like he felt bad, like he didn’t know what to say to Levi after that. And Levi couldn’t blame him. Perhaps Levi had been a little harsh.

Levi let out a deep frustrated sigh before holding his hand out to Zeke, “Just… let’s go to lunch, okay? Forget I said anything.”

Zeke reached out and took Levi’s hand silently, not saying a word as they continued down the road. He brought Levi to a little tea shop just outside the military base, which Levi appreciated. At least Zeke had remembered his love for tea. The two sat down at a table, the waiter coming out to give them each a menu. Levi’s eyes scoured the pages of tea they had, amazed at how many different teas there were. Marley and Paradis had started trade talks in Levi’s absence, so the number of different types of teas had grown, so much so that Levi didn’t recognize all of them anymore. Zeke had certainly chosen a good spot.

“So what are you getting?” Zeke asked, glancing up from his menu.

Levi shrugged a little, “The lavender tea sounds good.”

“You’re getting food too,” Zeke said as if it was a fact, “Right?”

Levi rolled his eyes a little, “If only to appease you.”

Zeke chuckled softly, “That would appease me very much, thanks.”

Levi swore under his breath, looking at the different sandwiches they held. Though he was hungry, nothing looked satisfying to him. He still felt so numb from the trauma and the grief of what had happened that he couldn’t stomach the thought of eating. He decided on a pesto turkey sandwich, figuring he could try and eat at least a little bit.

The two placed their orders, Zeke getting a ham sandwich and some green tea. Levi just stared down at his hands, which rested on the table, unsure of what to say now. Zeke was usually the talkative one.

“So,” Levi started, clearing his throat, “How’s Eren?”

“Good,” Zeke answered shortly, “He’s well.”

Levi nodded, “Good.”

The two sat there in awkward silence, both trying to avoid the elephant in the room: the reason why they’d both been so down over the past few months. Levi ran a hand through his hair, looking around and shifting uncomfortably in his chair. He was never good at small talk.

“Levi?” Zeke piped up, catching his attention.

“Hmm?” Levi replied, looking back to Zeke and realizing the man looked incredibly nervous all of a sudden.

“What is it?” Levi asked with suspicion.

“I just… I was wondering if maybe…” Zeke sucked in a deep breath. Oh no, Levi thought, This isn’t gonna be good.

“Well?” Levi snapped impatiently, “Spit it out.”

“It would be okay if I asked you out?” Zeke ended it in a question, as if he was unsure and almost terrified to say such a thing.

Levi stared at him in disbelief for a second, eyes wide. Did Zeke really bring him to a tea shop to ask him out? Why now? Maybe he’d been right earlier when he’d joked that Zeke just wanted in his pants…

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Levi exclaimed in shock, grabbing a cloth napkin and unrolling the utensils from the middle before hitting Zeke over the head with it, “You’re really going to ask me out right now?! Of all the fucking inconsiderate-” hit “low-life-” hit “jerks on the fucking planet-” hit.

“Stop! Stop!” Zeke cried out, holding his hands up and trying to dodge the hits, “I’m not trying to replace him! And I didn’t bring you out here just to ask you out- I care about you, Levi. I just-”

“You just want to get in my pants, is that it?!” Levi shouted, hitting him with the napkin again.

“No!” Zeke tried, grabbing the napkin on this hit and tugging it away from Levi, “That’s not what I’m doing! I just… I thought that… well, you’re lonely, and I’m lonely and I… I like you, Levi. I just wanted to try and make you happy…”

“Bullshit,” Levi spat, about to get up and storm away when he noticed the waitress standing there with their food and tea.

“Is everything alright?” She asked, looking between the two of them.

Levi sat back in the chair, crossing his arms and huffing, “It’s fine. Thank you.”

The waitress hurriedly set down their food and drink and rushed off, leaving the two to stare at each other uncomfortably, Levi still seething. He just didn’t believe Zeke, and his selfish behavior wasn’t surprising after all they’d been through.

“I’m serious, Levi,” Zeke frowned, putting both hands on the table, “I just wanted to try and cheer you up.”

“You thought that dating you would cheer me up?!” Levi growled, “You’re a fucking idiot, Zeke.”

Zeke looked considerably upset by that comment, “I didn’t have to do any of this, you know! I didn’t have to… to come here! To be nice to you- take you out to lunch! Check up on you! I could’ve just let you wallow in your grief, like I’ve been doing, but I wanted to help! I wanted to try and make you feel better! So maybe instead of whacking me with a napkin you could be a little more appreciative!”

Levi let out a loud sigh, picking up his tea and taking a sip. He felt a little bad, but only a little. He understood that Zeke had just been trying to cheer him up, but how could Zeke think it was appropriate to ask him out right now? He couldn’t fathom whatever it was that made Zeke think that dating him would cheer Levi up. The man was clearly delusional.

“Fine,” Levi grumbled, “I’m not going to say ‘yes’, but I will apologize for hitting you. I just don’t think I can date anyone so soon after… after…”

Levi had almost said his name, which had brought tears to his eyes instantly. He quickly wiped them away, Zeke reaching out his hand and placing it on top of Levi’s gently. He was giving Levi a saddened look, almost one of pity.

“I’m fine,” Levi shook Zeke’s hand off his own, going back to sipping on his tea. Zeke started to eat his sandwich, avoiding Levi’s eyes for the moment.

“Levi, please eat,” Zeke pleaded after a long silence, noticing Levi was avoiding his sandwich, “For me?”

Levi rolled his eyes a little, “You really think highly of yourself, don’t you?”

Zeke frowned, “Then do it for him.”

Levi gave Zeke a warning glare, “Don’t even think about-”

“For Erwin,” Zeke continued, “He would want you to eat, Levi. He wouldn’t want you to starve yourself like this. Not because of him.”

Levi bit back tears, his lower lip quivering as he sniffled softly, “Shut the hell up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know that he loved you,” Zeke placed his hand on Levi’s once again, “And he must be suffering watching you do this to yourself.”

Tears began streaming down Levi’s face, and Levi bit his lip hard to stop the sobs, mumbling, “You just couldn’t leave it alone, could you? You fucking bastard.”

Levi knew Zeke was right. Erwin wouldn’t want him to be suffering like this. He wouldn’t want Levi to starve himself, hole up in bed all the time, just crying over him. He’d want Levi to be strong, to move on from him. He’d promised Erwin that, hadn’t he?

Levi reached towards his plate and picked up the sandwich, taking a small bite and setting it back down. He glared at Zeke as he did it, as if to prove some sort of point he didn’t know he was trying to make.

Zeke just shrugged, “If talking about him gets you to eat, I don’t mind being called a bastard.”

Levi continued to take small bites of the sandwich as Zeke practically devoured his in a few large bites. He was merely nibbling on his pesto turkey sandwich. It was really good, but he was not excited about eating it. It almost made him nauseous, to put something in his empty stomach. But he continued to eat it anyway, knowing that he would want him to.

“You’re doing good, Levi,” Zeke praised, a cautious smile on his face.

“Eh,” Levi mumbled, taking another bite, “Thanks, I guess.”

Zeke made sure that Levi ate every last bite of his sandwich, not letting up with his watchful eye as Levi continued to eat. He was going to make sure the entire sandwich was gone whether Levi liked it or not.

“See? Don’t you feel better?” Zeke asked.

Levi wanted to say no. He wanted to be honest, but Zeke’s hopeful grin made him feel a little guilty if he were to do so.

He forced a small smile, “Yeah. Thanks, Zeke.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Between Hange forcing him to get out of bed and Zeke forcing him to eat, Levi was doing a little better now. He was keeping up with his work and getting things done again. But mostly, he was reinvigorated by one simple thought: Erwin’s dad.

It occurred to him one night when he’d woken up from a nightmare about Erwin, about his dreams to find his father in Paradis, and instantly knew what he needed to do: he needed to find Erwin’s father and tell him about Erwin and his mother’s deaths. It was the right thing to do, and perhaps might give Levi some form of closure over Erwin’s death.

But Levi only knew one man who could find anyone on Paradis island if he needed him to, and that man was someone Levi wasn’t particularly excited to go to: his Uncle Kenny. Though the two of them didn’t get along, he still wanted to try and see if his uncle could help him in finding Erwin’s dad, which he was certain the man could.

The first step was simply finding Kenny, which was a lot easier these days. Kenny hung out with the military police now, and Levi knew just where to find him. He headed to the capital to find his uncle, hoping to not find any trouble there either. The military police weren’t particularly fond of him in the first place, and he didn’t want to ruffle any feathers.

Levi dressed in civilian clothing, not wanting to attract attention to himself, and climbed out of the carriage once he arrived in the capital. He tugged his jacket tighter around his body in the autumn wind, walking towards the pub at the end of town. It was the weekend, and Levi knew his uncle would likely be hanging out at this bar with his group of regulars.

He walked into the pub, scanning the crowd for his uncle. Just as he’d thought, the man was sitting in a booth with a few other men, a beer in his hand and that cocky grin on his face. Levi sighed, not particularly excited about talking to his uncle, as they didn’t exactly have the best relationship. But he was doing this for Erwin’s sake, and he would do anything for Erwin.

Kenny noticed Levi as he was walking over, and instantly put a hand to his hip, likely where his gun was. Levi held his hands up innocently, to show he wasn’t carrying any weapons (he did have a knife in his boot, but he wouldn’t use it unless absolutely necessary). Kenny eyed him cautiously, his companions looking at Levi with sneers on their faces at Kenny’s clear distaste for his nephew.

“Kenny,” Levi greeted solemnly.

“Levi,” Kenny returned the greeting, glaring suspiciously, “What are you doing here?”

Levi looked at the men sitting with Kenny, “I need to talk to you in private.”

Kenny grumbled a few swears under his breath before he dismissed the men sitting around him, leaving the booth open for Levi to sit down across from his uncle. He did so, hands palm-up on the table to show he wasn’t planning anything against Kenny.

His uncle stared him down, “Now, what are you doing here, nephew?”

Levi reached into his shirt pocket, watching Kenny tense again and reach for his gun. Levi pulled out a sheet of paper, unfolding it and pushing it across the table towards Kenny, explaining, “This is the name and description of the man I’m looking for, along with some of his previous whereabouts. Can you help me find him?”

Kenny leaned over the table to read the paper, grunting a little at the effort of sitting up. Old man, Levi thought to himself somewhat fondly, though he wouldn’t describe his feelings for Kenny as fond in the slightest.

“Kazamir?” Kenny read, before a grin appeared on his face, and he started snickering.

“What the hell is so damn funny?” Levi asked in some annoyance, finding Kenny’s suddenly cheerful demeanor irritating.

“I know Kazamir,” Kenny smirked, leaning back in the booth, “We go way back. Before you were even around, kid.”

“So you know where he is?” Levi asked hopefully, leaning forward as if expecting the information to come spilling from Kenny’s mouth.

Kenny let out a hearty laugh, flicking his hat up out of his eyes, “Haven’t seen ‘im in a few years, but I could probably locate ‘im for ya. But let’s talk about price.”

“I’m your family, Kenny,” Levi muttered, as if that mattered to either of them.

“You think being family changes the price?” Kenny scoffed, “I thought abandoning you as a kid would make you understand just what family means to me. Nothin’.”

Levi frowned, not particularly excited about having to remember that part of his life. He reached into his pocket yet again, this time pulling out a small bag of money. It was his entire month’s paycheck from the military, and he was hoping this would be enough to convince his uncle to find Erwin’s father for him.

“Here,” Levi tossed the bag over to Kenny, who immediately poured the contents onto the table and began to count it, “Take your damn money. Just find the man for me.”

Kenny swept the money back into the bag, “Alright, Levi. I’ll do it. But I need to know who this man is to you, first.”

“What does it matter to you?” Levi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kenny chuckled, “Gotta make sure my little nephew’s not involving himself in any criminal activity. Gotta look out for one another, don’t we?”

Levi refrained from rolling his eyes, as if the two hadn’t just discussed that family meant nothing to either of them. He merely nodded, “Whatever. He’s the father of a man I once knew. A man in Marley who recently… erm… passed away. A friend.”

He was surprised how much he struggled to get through that last sentence. Kenny could sense it, a sly grin returning to his face, “Ahh, I see. I think I understand what kind of friend this Marleyan was to you.”

Levi’s eyes widened slightly, instantly getting defensive as he shook his head, “It… It’s not like that!”

Even if he was lying, he didn’t need Kenny to know about his love life. Kenny merely laughed, “I can see it all over your face, boy. Your uncle may be old, but he’s not an idiot. You’re all red.”

Levi felt his skin redden even worse than that, “K-Kenny- it’s really none of your business!”

“So you’re trying to make peace with your lover’s death,” Kenny crossed his hands in front of him, smirking, “Your uncle can help you with that. I know a thing or two about it.”

Levi wanted to cover his face, to run away, but instead he decided to turn the tables on his uncle, “And who were you in love with then?”

Kenny looked a bit taken aback, “Huh?”

“I said: who were you in love with?” Levi asked, “You say you know a thing or two about making peace with your lover’s death. Who did you love?”

Kenny cursed before looking down at his hands and mumbling, “You wouldn’t know ‘im.”

“Him?” Levi teased, smiling smugly, “It appears we’re alike in more ways than one, uncle.”

Kenny rolled his eyes with a flush to his cheeks, snatching up the bag of money and placing it in his pocket, “I’ll find the man for you. No more questions.”

Levi nodded, getting up, “You know where to find me once you have some answers.”

With that, he left the pub, heading out to get a carriage back home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi sat in his office months later, still no word from Kenny. He figured the bastard had just taken his money and cheated him, which he wouldn’t put past him as something he would do. Levi had spent months canvassing people in the Underground; people he grew up with and hadn’t seen in years, asking them if they knew of Erwin’s father’s whereabouts. But he’d had no luck thus far.

He was beginning to lose hope.

There was a loud knock on his office door, and Zeke soon entered, a lit cigarette already in his mouth. Levi grimaced, “I thought I told you: no cigarettes in my office. The smell lingers and it takes weeks for the smell to go away.”

Zeke sighed and put out the cigarette, tossing it in the trash and sitting down across from Levi’s desk. He went to put his feet up on the desk, before stopping due to a glare from Levi, and setting them down on the floor again.

“So, you found anything on Erwin’s dad?” Zeke asked, leaning forward in his chair and plucking a pen from his pocket - one he’d brought with him from Marley - putting the end in his mouth.

The man has an oral fixation for sure, Levi thought to himself in irritation before answering Zeke, “Nothing. Everyone I talked to hasn’t spoken to the man in years, and Kenny hasn’t sent me anything yet.”

“Oh yeah!” Zeke exclaimed, pulling a letter out of his pocket, “I almost forgot - Hange told me to give this to you. It was in the mailroom yesterday morning. Doesn’t have a return address on it, thought maybe it could be from your uncle.”

Zeke handed Levi the letter, and Levi wanted to reach across the desk and smack the shit out of him, “You waited almost two full days to give me this?!”

Zeke shrugged, “Sorry, I forgot.”

Levi rolled his eyes. Useless monkey. He grabbed his letter opener and ripped open the envelope, seeing Kenny’s scribbled handwriting on the page. This was all that was written there:

K azamir Adler Smith - 63 years old - ALIVE

Rhinstrasse 74

Vilsel, Wall Maria

PARADIS 89087

Levi couldn’t believe what he was reading. It was an address, and one word stood out to him: ALIVE. Erwin’s dad was alive. Levi breathed a sigh of relief, tears rushing to his eyes. He could go to Vilsel, a town that was in the middle of nowhere inside Wall Maria, and speak with Erwin’s father; tell him about his son and his wife, tell them that their lives had been worth his sacrifice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi made his way up the path from the carriage towards Erwin’s father’s house. Zeke had tried to come with him, but Levi had insisted he stay back, wanting to do this on his own. He couldn’t get closure if he didn’t do this by himself. The house Levi approached was a little rundown, a two-story brick house with a thatched roof. The front door was a faded red color, and Levi had a bad feeling the inside of the house might be just as dirty as the outside.

He walked up to the front door, lifting up the door knocker and hitting it against the wood with a clanging noise. There was no noise at first, until he heard some shuffling from inside. He waited patiently, knowing Erwin’s father was an old man who likely couldn’t move around like he used to. Levi would have to take in the man’s mental state as well, access whether or not he could mentally handle the news of his son and wife’s deaths.

The door opened a crack, an old man with a beard and glasses peering out from the opening and grumbling, “Who are you? What do you want?”

Levi tried to be careful with his words, murmuring, “I’m Captain Levi Ackerman, sir. Of the Survey Corps. I… I’ve come to deliver some news to you.”

Levi knew he looked far different now than when he was a child, and he figured that Mr. Smith wouldn’t recognize him as a former student. He had been right, as Kazamir appeared to not know who he was, and Levi intended to keep it that way in order to make things less complicated. The man already appeared to be a little out of sorts.

“Survey Corps?” Kazamir repeated as if he’d never heard of it before, “I’m not donating any money to any organizations right now.”

The door went to close, and Levi desperately stuck his foot in the opening, realizing the man was a little bit off in the head. He clearly wasn’t all there, but Levi knew he needed to try and get through to the old man, tell him what he needed to tell him.

“It’s about your son, sir,” Levi frowned, “And your wife.”

Kazamir’s breath hitched in his throat, “How do you know about…?”

“I went to Marley,” Levi explained, noting Kazamir’s somewhat fearful look, “You’re not in trouble with anyone, don’t worry. I’m just here to deliver some news.”

Kazamir let out a sigh before pushing the door all the way open. Levi could get a better glimpse of him now. He was still a fairly tall man, though he walked with a cane. He looked a lot like Erwin despite the facial hair, and his age was showing through the crow’s feet around his eyes, the gray and thinning hair on his head, and the wrinkles from smiling so much throughout his life. Levi felt a little good about that; at least the man seemed to have lead a fairly happy life here in Paradis.

“Come in,” Kazamir instructed, “I’ll make you some tea.”

Levi walked into the house, closing the door behind him. He followed the slow stride of Mr. Smith, using the extra time to take in the household. There were no family pictures, for obvious reasons, no cheerful decorations to mark the house his own. It felt very empty, and Levi was saddened that the man lived such a lonely life. Perhaps, if this visit went well, he’d be able to visit the old man more often, be a friend to him.

Kazamir led Levi into the kitchen, the kettle already whistling on the stove. He must’ve been making tea before Levi had interrupted, as there was already a tea cup and tea leaves out on the counter. Kazamir reached into a cupboard and grabbed a second cup, pouring the tea leaves into each cup before taking the kettle off the stove and pouring the boiling water as well. Levi watched the old man’s shaky hands work, and it made him incredibly nervous, silently praying he wouldn’t drop the tea cups or spill the boiling water on himself. But despite his shakiness, the man could still move around fairly well.

“Lee… Lee…” Kazamir scratched his head as he tried to recall the name, holding out the tea to Levi.

“Levi, sir,” Levi reminded him, taking the cup.

“Levi, that’s right,” Kazamir took his tea in one hand and cane in the other, hobbling into the living room. Levi followed, passing by the mantle over the fireplace, which actually had a few decorations: a small circular picture frame with the image of a baby, a woman, and a man. Levi assumed this was Erwin and his parents, taken before they’d separated. Next to it was a worn out teddy bear, and a love letter with lipstick marks on it.

“My wife wrote me that,” Kazamir explained, noticing Levi staring, “And that’s my son’s teddy bear. He’ll be… three, I believe. This year.”

Levi had to hold back his surprise, eyes widening just slightly. The old man was clearly living in another time entirely, to think that Erwin was only about to be three years old. This was going to be more difficult than Levi had initially thought.

“Sir,” Levi frowned, sitting down on the couch next to Mr. Smith and placing a careful hand on his shoulder, “Do you know how old you are?”

Kazamir frowned, thinking for a moment before answering, “I’m 31.”

“You… You’re 63, sir,” Levi tried, “I have your official records in my cloak.”

Kazamir laughed heartily at Levi’s words, “63? Why, then I’d be an old man! You’re very funny, Leo.”

“Levi,” Levi corrected, “Sir, please. You’re using a cane. Don’t you think that makes you older than 31?”

“I have a bad back,” Kazamir explained with a grimace, sipping his tea, “Always had a bad back.”

Levi was feeling a little desperate. How was he supposed to get through to this man? How was he supposed to tell him about his wife and son? And most importantly, how was Levi meant to get closure? He needed Mr. Smith to remember, needed him to know so that Levi could move on. Levi needed to move on.

“Sir, please,” Levi begged, his hands on Kazamir’s arm as he tried to get his attention, “You have to remember, sir. I… I need to tell you about…”

Levi could feel himself getting emotional now, swallowing back the tears. Kazamir pulled his arm away, looking at Levi in confusion, “What’s the matter, Leo?”

Levi didn’t even bother correcting him this time, a pained whimper escaping his lips as he looked away from the man, “They… They’re dead, sir.”

There was no sound from the old man, and Levi turned back to look at him, seeing the confusion and shock there. Levi sniffled, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand. He’d thought he was stronger than this. Thought he could do this so easily. Yet here he was, crying in front of Erwin’s dad like a wimp.

“Who’s dead, Leo?” Mr. Smith asked, “Your family?”

Levi shook his head, rubbing his eyes before trying to pull himself together. He stared down at his lap solemnly, muttering, “Your wife and son… they’re dead.”

More silence. Levi could hear the tap tap tap noise of the leaky sink in the kitchen, the swish of the wind outside whipping through the trees. Kazamir stood on shaky legs, walking over to the mantle and staring at the photo of the three of them. Levi stood as well, prepared to help comfort the old gentleman, when he took the picture from the mantle and threw it onto the floor, shattering the glass everywhere. Levi’s eyes widened slightly, staring at the mess on the floor as the old man collapsed to his knees.

“Sir, are you okay?” Levi asked, kneeling next to him with a hand on his back. He was worried now that he’d given the man a heart attack, as Kazamir was clutching his chest in pain.

“But I… I just saw him,” Kazamir sniffed, tears trickling out of the corners of his wrinkled eyes.

Levi didn’t understand what he meant by that, but simply assumed they were part of the old man’s delusions. He couldn’t possibly have seen Erwin, as the man was dead. Levi rubbed the man’s back soothingly.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Smith,” Levi muttered, “I tried to save him, I really did. But he saved my life instead. It’s… It’s all my fault.”

Levi could feel the tears again welling up in his eyes, the whimper escaping his lips, “I’m so sorry, sir…”

“I just saw him,” Kazamir repeated, as if in a trance, “I just saw him!”

Levi frowned, “Sir, you can’t… you can’t have just seen him. He’s dead. He’s been dead for months now.”

“But I just saw him,” Kazamir insisted, and Levi could feel a ping of annoyance brewing in his chest. He tried to keep his patience, tears pouring down his face as he shook his head to Mr. Smith’s words.

“I saw him…” Kazamir continued to repeat, as if he couldn’t stop himself.

“Please stop,” Levi sniffled, barely able to handle the pain of this anymore.

“I just saw him.”

“Stop!” Levi yelled, tears streaming down his face and blinding his vision as he grabbed the old man by both his shoulders and shook him a little, “That’s impossible! He’s dead. Dead! Do you understand?!”

Kazamir looked fearful at Levi’s actions, and Levi quickly pulled himself together, muttering an apology before letting go of Mr. Smith’s shoulders. He simply sat back on his legs and buried his face in his hands, shoulders racking with a couple of sobs.

“I just saw him,” Kazamir murmured, getting off the floor, “He should be home about now.”

Levi shook, unsure how to help the old man anymore. Perhaps it had been a mistake to come here. Telling Erwin’s dad of his death hadn’t brought him any closure at all. If anything, it had torn open fresh wounds, stabbed him directly where it hurt the most.

He heard the front door open, and quickly tried to wipe his tears away. Who could be visiting Mr. Smith? Maybe it was a neighbor, or a caretaker, or a friend, or… or…

The person swept through the door, bags of groceries in hand. Levi briefly took in the features: blonde hair, the smell of pomade, chiseled chin, crooked nose…

“Erwin?” Levi stared, thinking he’d surely gone just as insane as the old man at this point.

The bags of groceries fell to the floor, produce tumbling out everywhere as the blonde man murmured, “Levi?”

Levi thought perhaps he was seeing a ghost, perhaps he really had gone insane. But the old man was smiling at the blonde, pointing at him, “See! I told you I just saw him!”

Suddenly it was all making sense. The old man hadn’t been fully out of it. He’d been telling the truth. He had just seen his son. But… But how? Levi had so many questions, and he was glued to the spot in shock. But an overwhelming gush of emotion came over him, causing him to let out a choked sob, “Erwin…”

“Levi,” the blonde held his arms out, “Levi, baby. Come here.”

Levi had to know he was real. He rushed into those arms, surprised that they were solid, that they were real. And he wasn’t just hugging something real, that real thing was hugging him back, arms tight around him as if they would never let go.

Levi was completely overwhelmed, unable to do anything but cry. He didn’t understand how or why, but the universe had granted his one wish: that Erwin be back in his arms. Erwin was soothingly rubbing his back, pressing kisses along his hairline as he whispered, “Shhh, shhh, baby. It’s okay. I’m here now.”

“Erwin,” Levi sobbed, burying his face into that warm chest; he’d missed that so much, Erwin’s warmth.

“I’m here, baby,” Erwin cooed, “I’m here.”

Levi breathed in Erwin’s scent, and placed his ear to Erwin’s breast, hearing the thumping of his heart. He couldn’t help the tears that continued to spill from his eyes. He just couldn’t believe this was all happening. He couldn’t even let go; didn’t want Erwin to disappear if he did. What if this was only temporary? Levi didn’t want to ever let this moment end, and he was worried if he let go, then it would all come to a standstill; it would all be over.

Erwin continued to hold him, stroke his back, his hair, leave kisses on his skin. When Levi finally looked up at him, tears were running down Erwin’s cheeks as well, though he wasn’t nearly as moved as Levi had been. Or perhaps he was, he probably just showed it differently.

“Levi, how did you find me here?” Erwin asked, cupping Levi’s face in his hands and stroking this thumb gently along Levi’s cheek.

Levi hiccuped, rubbing his eyes free of the tears that just wouldn’t stop coming, “I… I didn’t know you were here, I just… I came to tell your father you were dead. God Erwin… how are you alive? Zeke said… Zeke said he saw you get taken down!”

“They did take me down,” Erwin confirmed, wiping some tears away from Levi’s cheeks, “I’ll explain everything to you, don’t worry. For now, let’s sit down and have some tea, okay? You look frazzled.”

Levi was frazzled. He just didn’t know how to feel. So many thoughts and questions were running through his head at once. Levi hesitantly pulled away from Erwin, taking his hand instead so he could still be touching him. He didn’t want to lose Erwin after losing him once already.

The two sat next to each other on the couch, Mr. Smith (who Levi had almost forgotten about completely) sitting on the recliner with his cup of tea, sipping it as if nothing had happened. Erwin unlaced his fingers from Levi’s, trying to pull his hand away.

“D-Don’t,” Levi whimpered quietly, tugging at Erwin’s hand, “I don’t want to lose you…”

“You won’t lose me, baby,” Erwin reassured him, pressing a kiss to his forehead, “I need to clean up the groceries. They’re all over the place.”

Levi had forgotten about the groceries too. He bent down to help Erwin collect the produce and wrapped meats and cheeses that had fallen from the bags. The two went into the kitchen and put things away, Levi unable to stop looking at Erwin. A part of him was still convinced that this wasn’t real; that he was going to wake up at any moment, or that Erwin would simply disappear from his sight.

Levi took Erwin’s hand and followed him back into the living room, where Mr. Smith had fallen asleep, chest rising and falling with soft breaths. Erwin smiled at him fondly, sitting down on the couch. Levi sat next to him, wrapping his arms around Erwin’s neck and burying his face into his shoulder. He still couldn’t get over Erwin’s smell, the way he felt, everything about him. He’d thought he had lost those things forever, and having them back in front of him was almost too much.

Erwin rubbed his back gently, sighing contently, “You don’t know how much I missed you.”

“Why didn’t you look for me?” Levi sniffled, looking up into Erwin’s soft blue eyes, “Did you really miss me?”

Erwin nodded, kissing Levi’s lips tenderly, “I looked for you, believe me. But it’s difficult to locate you, even if you’re a famous captain. There were murmurs about the places you were, but when I went there, they just turned out to be rumors. It was impossible to pin you down. And then, I came across information about my father’s whereabouts, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I’ve been with him for the past month, trying to figure out where you were.”

Levi did know how hard it was to pin him down. He purposefully moved around a lot, keeping his position hidden so that any enemies from his past wouldn’t be able to locate him. He didn’t realize it’d been effective to the point where even someone as clever as Erwin couldn’t find him either.

“And… And how did you survive?” Levi asked, “How did you make it to Paradis?”

Erwin smiled, “You remember Yelena?”

Levi nodded, vaguely remembering the name of the woman who basically worshipped Zeke. Erwin continued, “Well, they captured me from my Titan after taking it down. And they…”

Erwin paused, and Levi noticed his fingers were shaking now. Levi placed his hand on top of Erwin’s to stop him from shaking, whispering, “You don’t have to tell me what they did to you, Erwin. Not if it’s too upsetting for you.”

Erwin gave Levi a sad, grateful smile, “Thank you, Levi.”

He squeezed Levi’s hand gently, continuing his explanation of events, “I was near death, and they were planning on giving my Titan to another warrior, when Yelena came and visited me. She smuggled me out of that hell hole and got me on the next boat to Paradis. Saved my life, I owe her. But she said she was doing it for Zeke, not for me.”

Levi was grateful to this Yelena person too. Whatever obsession she had with Zeke had spared Erwin his life, and Levi was so happy to have Erwin back in his arms. He pulled his legs over Erwin’s lap, snuggling up to him.

“I didn’t know what to do without you,” Levi said quietly, “I… I couldn’t… I couldn’t live without you, Erwin. I know you wanted me to, but it hurt so much.”

Erwin smiled sadly, fingers carding through Levi’s jet black hair, “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t want to leave you. I just didn’t think you could get away if Eren was taken down, so I had to save you three.”

“Please,” Levi grasped Erwin’s face in his hands, the man’s face spilling over from how small Levi’s hands were in comparison, “Promise me you won’t leave me again. I can’t endure it… I’m not strong enough to go through it again.”

Erwin sighed, leaning in to press a deep kiss to Levi’s lips, “I promise, baby. I won’t leave you again, okay?”

“Okay,” Levi allowed himself a small smile, hugging Erwin close, “I want to spend my life with you, Erwin.”

Erwin held Levi tightly, “Levi… I’ll be yours forever.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zeke was waiting patiently for Levi to return from Erwin’s father’s place. It had been almost 48 hours since he’d left, and Zeke had been counting the seconds. He was anxious to hear how things would go, anxious that perhaps Levi’s closure would bring him some of his own. He heard the door open, and looked up, expecting to see Levi coming through. But his eyes widened, jaw dropping upon seeing Erwin standing in the doorway. Zeke took off his glasses and rubbed them clean on his shirt before putting them back on. Nope, that wasn’t a smudge. It was certainly Erwin standing in front of him. Maybe he was a ghost, come back to haunt Zeke for asking Levi out.

Zeke immediately got up from his desk and fell to his knees, clasping his hands together, “Oh god. Please don’t smite me, I just asked him out to make him feel better! I promise I didn’t have ill intentions, I swear!”

Erwin raised his eyebrows in confusion, “Zeke, I… I’m not here to smite you. I’m real. I’m really here.”

Zeke stared up at him in shock, slowly rising to his feet and walking over to Erwin cautiously. He placed a hand on Erwin’s shoulder, breathing in the smell of cologne and pomade. Erwin appeared real, felt real, smelled real.

“If you’re really Erwin,” Zeke narrowed his eyes, “Then tell me how I lost our warriors baseball game when we were eleven.”

Erwin grinned and chuckled softly, “You took a hit to the balls. The other players were laughing so much that the other team got three runs, stole the win, and you were made fun of all season for it.”

Zeke grimaced and shivered at the memory before smiling a little, “Ervy!”

He threw his arms around him, tears coming to his eyes, “How the hell did you survive?! I practically saw you die!”

“Don’t you go crying too,” Erwin teased, hugging him tight, “I’ll tell you all about it over some coffee.”

“Too?” Zeke questioned, “Does that mean Levi knows?”

Erwin nodded, “I ran into him at my father’s place. I’ll explain everything, don’t you worry.”

Zeke pulled away, sighing happily and holding Erwin’s face in his hands, “God, I missed your big dumb face.”

Erwin rolled his eyes a little and chuckled, “Missed you too, brother.”

Zeke grinned at that, patting Erwin’s cheek and letting go of his face, “I’m so happy you’re here! Now let’s get that coffee going so that you can tell me everything.”

“Of course,” Erwin smiled before his expression turned dark, “But what’s this I hear about you asking Levi out?”

Zeke felt his face go white, all the color draining from him, “O-Oh… that. I swear, Erwin, I didn’t do it to replace you, or to have sex with him. I promise, he was really sad and I just thought being in a relationship might make him feel better.”

Erwin crossed his arms and stared down at him, “You really thought that dating you would make Levi feel better?”

Zeke sniffed and rubbed the underside of his nose, “I suppose my ego was a little inflated at the time. But either way, I really didn’t mean to overstep, and if I’d known you were alive, I obviously wouldn’t have done it! Please… don’t beat me up, I’m sor-”

“I’m not gonna beat you up,” Erwin scoffed, then uncrossed his arms with a chuckle, “I’m mostly teasing you, don’t worry about it. I appreciate you taking care of Levi in my absence. He told me you were a good friend to him.”

Zeke nodded, “I tried to be… truth is, your death took quite a toll on both of us, Ervy. I… I was a fucking wreck, to be honest.”

Erwin frowned, “I’m sorry I couldn’t come to you sooner. I tried, but it was hard to find you and Levi.”

“It’s okay,” Zeke smiled, “I’m just glad you’re here now.”

Erwin patted Zeke on the shoulder, “I am too.”

Zeke grinned, giddy with the knowledge that Erwin was alive. He hugged him again, sighing contently, “So happy to have my big brother back.”

“I’m happy too, little brother,” Erwin ruffled his hair affectionately.

Those words brought tears to his own eyes. He’d truly been broken up over Erwin’s death, and he was so happy now to know that Erwin had in fact survived.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~Five Years Later~~

“Levi, baby,” Erwin sighed, “Please don’t be grumpy. I know the Jaeger brothers aren’t your favorite, but can’t you at least try to get along with them? You are related now, after all.”

Levi grimaced at that, “Disgusting Jaegers and their gross obsession with us Ackermans. Can’t believe Mikasa fell for Eren’s stupid trap.”

Erwin chuckled, the carriage bumping along the road, “Levi, they’re really not that bad.”

Levi knew that. He didn’t hate the Jaegers, to be fair, he just didn’t like the fact that Eren had married his cousin, and then popped out a couple babies while they were at it. And Zeke was still as annoying as ever, so being related to him wasn’t exactly Levi’s favorite thing in the world, especially since Zeke started purposely referring to him as “cousin Levi” when greeting him… the bastard.

“Well, I’m still not happy,” Levi grumbled.

Erwin smiled and kissed the top of Levi’s head, “Come on, baby. It’ll be like a family reunion. Eren married Mikasa and I married you… so now we’re all related! Even Zeke is part of the family!”

Levi shot Erwin a glare, knowing the man was teasing him on purpose. He crossed his arms, grumbling swears under his breath as they pulled up to the capital in the center of Wall Sina. Eren and Zeke had done a lot, with Erwin’s help of course. They’d managed to overthrow the Paradisian government with the help of the Survey Corps, and now Erwin was the head general of all the military factions, while Zeke and Eren had leadership roles in the government. Levi was Erwin’s right hand man, of course. With three Titan shifters on their side, the Marleyan government was open to more negotiations now, and Zeke and Eren had been working on behalf of the Eldian people to uncover the propaganda of the Marleyan government and expose their lies. Erwin had been the one to convince them to do such things.

The carriage pulled up to the capital building, and Erwin got out, holding out his hand to help Levi out. The two headed into the building, being escorted by guards up to the conference room where they were meant to have lunch. Eren and Zeke were already sitting at the table smoking, and Levi rolled his eyes because of course they were smoking.

The two instantly put out their cigarettes upon seeing Levi and Erwin enter, knowing the two didn’t smoke. Erwin had given up the nasty habit, mostly because of Levi’s pestering. Zeke grinned and got up, and Levi knew what was coming before it even left his mouth.

“Cousin Levi!” Zeke grinned, enveloping Levi in a tight hug and lifting him off the ground. Levi let him, used to the routine by now.

“Hey cousin,” Eren greeted quietly, and Zeke set Levi down, letting go of him.

“Hey,” Levi grumbled, “You two are really gonna milk this family shit for as long as possible, aren’t you?”

Zeke chuckled, “Of course we are.”

Levi sighed heavily and sat down at the table, tapping his fingers impatiently before glancing at Eren, “So how are the kids?”

Eren and Mikasa had a son named Felix and a daughter named Clara. Mikasa was expecting a third this summer. Though Levi didn’t particularly like Eren and Mikasa together, he did love their kids, and loved being somewhat of an uncle to them.

“They’re good,” Eren smiled softly, “Clara’s doing well in preschool. Felix is jealous he can’t go till next year.”

“He’s got just as much energy as you used to have,” Levi commented with a fond smile, remembering the fifteen year old boy who had sworn to ‘kill all Titans’.

“Yeah, he really does,” Eren agreed with a chuckle, leaning back in his chair, “How are your babies?”

Erwin and Levi had recently adopted two cats and named them Linguini and Tortellini, which Erwin had fondly been referring to as their children. Levi adored the cats more than he would let on; he’d always had a soft spot for animals.

“They’re wonderful,” Erwin smiled as he took a seat next to Levi, “Absolutely precious. Linguini cuddles with Levi every night.”

Levi could feel himself getting a little red and embarrassed as he muttered, “You didn’t need to tell them that.”

Zeke smiled a little, “That’s adorable, Levi.”

Levi rolled his eyes, “Shut it, monkey.”

“Speaking of,” Eren interrupted, folding his hands on the table, “Zeke and I may have figured out a way to end the Titan curse. We could be free of our Titans.”

The room suddenly went very quiet, a serious, solemn atmosphere overtaking the room. Levi placed a hand on top of Erwin’s, squeezing it gently. He was hopeful; Erwin and Zeke were near the end of their terms now, only about a year away, and Eren and Zeke had been working on finding out how to end the Titan curse altogether so that they could live full lives.

“How?” Levi asked immediately, “Do you think it’ll work?”

“According to Yelena,” Zeke explained, “We can see the founder Ymir through blood contact between the Founding Titan and someone with royal blood.”

Eren and Zeke, Levi thought to himself, confirming in his mind that those two could contact the founder Ymir.

“And how do you plan on convincing her to end the curse?” Erwin wondered.

“Eren’s going to talk to her,” Zeke turned to his brother, “I don’t know his plans exactly.”

“It’s a secret,” Eren muttered.

Levi didn’t like that. He didn’t like that this plan seemed so loose and that the Jaegers seemed so unprepared. He crossed his arms, “So how do we know you’re really going to do it?”

“Levi,” Erwin scolded, “You still don’t trust Eren after all these years?”

“No,” Levi grumbled, and Erwin elbowed him lightly to tell him to be quiet.

Eren frowned, “Sorry, Captain. But what I say to the founder is going to be between me and her. You’ll just have to trust me.”

Levi mumbled some swears under his breath before sighing, “Fine. As long as you save Erwin, I don’t care what you say to her.”

He could see Erwin’s fond smile out of the corner of his eye, and reached over to hold Erwin’s hand once again. He was very clingy to Erwin after the man had come back from Marley, though Erwin didn’t seem to mind.

Levi sighed happily as the food was placed in front of them by some servants: a nice vegetable soup and some ham sandwiches. The four started to eat in silence, all mulling over the seriousness of what Eren and Zeke were going to do.

Levi felt completely unsure of whether to trust them or not. He just wanted Erwin to live, wanted to grow old with him, and he was terrified that their plan wouldn’t work. He couldn’t lose Erwin again.

Zeke reached out and placed a hand on top of Levi’s, the shorter man looking up at him with some confusion. Zeke had genuine pain in his eyes, “Levi, I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Erwin alive. He saved us, and we’re going to save him too.”

Levi usually would’ve ripped his hand away, but he let Zeke hold his hand for the moment, giving Zeke a hopeful smile, “Thank you.”

The four finished up their lunch, and Levi and Erwin said their goodbyes, going on a walk to the nearby cemetery. Erwin had brought his mother’s remains over from Marley, and had her buried near the house they lived in when Erwin had been born. Erwin’s father had died last year of old age, and Erwin had had his remains buried next to hers. They stood over the gravestones, Erwin’s arm around Levi.

“He’s the reason we’re together you know,” Erwin murmured softly, interrupting the whistle of the wind around them.

Levi raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Erwin explained, “If you hadn’t met my father, we wouldn’t have had anything in common. We wouldn’t have become friends. I wouldn’t have become a better person. He’s the reason we ended up here.”

“Erwin,” Levi turned to look up at his husband, “You’re the reason we’re together. Your father may have inspired those things in you, but you put in the work. You built yourself back up again from the ground up. You rescued me from that… that horrible place, that hellish… abyss. It was you. It’s always been you.”

Erwin smiled down at him sweetly, a twinkle in his eye as he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to Levi’s lips, “For me, it was always you. You rescued me from the person I was. You helped to change me for the better.”

Levi sighed happily, standing on his tip toes and kissing him tenderly. The two stood there in each other’s arms, kissing sweetly and holding onto one another. After all these years, Levi didn’t regret his time in Marley anymore. He knew that without it, he wouldn’t have Erwin, and Erwin was the most important thing to him in the entire world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~