Stargazing at Midnight

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

Chapter 1

Levi sat at the conference table for the third briefing this week. He stared at Erwin from across the table, watching him explain some new training regiment for the incoming recruits. He stared at Erwin’s hair cascading across his forehead, his firm but kind face, and of course his perfectly kept eyebrows. Levi had known for a long time that these features, along with Erwin’s strict but adorably sweet demeanor, awakened something inside him that he didn’t know he even had. He couldn’t help but feel his heartbeat increase, his face feeling hot, whenever he allowed these thoughts to come forward. But he would barely admit these feelings to himself, let alone out loud to anyone else.

Lost in his thoughts, Levi didn’t even notice that Erwin had finished talking, and everyone was starting to get up as the briefing had ended. He quickly snapped out of it, starting to get up as well. He gathered his papers and watched almost mesmerized as Erwin walked out of the room. Levi went to walk after him, but felt a hand grab his arm roughly and pull him back. He immediately turned to snap at whoever thought it was appropriate to grab him this way, but turned to see Hanji and rolled his eyes. Typical .

“Levi,” Hanji smirked, looking at him from above their glasses, “Don’t pretend I didn’t see that.”

“See what?” Levi stared back at them, not sure what they were getting at.

Hanji waited until the room emptied before they leaned forward and almost whispered, “The way you were looking at Erwin. I saw that.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed as he glared at them, snapping as he tugged his arm away from Hanji’s grasp, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Hanji grinned, crossing their arms and looking down at him smugly, “Levi, stop pretending. I’m your bestie, you can tell me if you have a crush on Erwin. You’ve been staring at him like that for weeks now.”

Levi could feel his face getting red and bit the inside of his cheek roughly as he grumbled, “Shut up, four eyes. I have no clue what the hell you’re talking about.”

How do they know? Levi wondered, Am I really that obvious? He hoped not. If Hanji had noticed, there was a good chance that other people may have noticed as well. He turned to leave, not wanting to continue the conversation anymore, but felt Hanji grab his arm and turn him around again. He ripped his arm away roughly, looking beyond irritated that they couldn’t just leave him alone.

Levi ,” Hanji practically whined, “Come on. You know, I think Erwin might feel the same!”

They practically singsonged the last bit, causing Levi to roll his eyes and look away from them. He couldn’t help but be curious as to what they meant by that. In Levi’s mind, there was no way Erwin would feel that way about him.

“What the hell are you talking about, idiot?” Levi said shortly, entertaining Hanji’s conversation for just a moment.

“Don’t you notice it?” Hanji replied, smiling down at him, “He’s always touching you unnecessarily and staring at you with goo-goo eyes.”

Levi scoffed a little, rolling his eyes, “Yeah sure.”

“You don’t believe me?” Hanji said, “I’ll prove it.”

Just as Levi opened his mouth to reply, Erwin re-entered the conference room, smiling gently at them as he went back towards the table.

“I forgot my notebook,” he explained, picking it up from the table and watching Levi carefully.

Levi felt his heart rate increase just from Erwin’s gaze, and he couldn’t even stop Hanji before they piped up, “Hey Erwin, I think there’s something wrong with Levi’s eyes. He said he’s having pain in his eyes.”

Hanji kicked Levi’s shin lightly to get him to play along, mumbling quietly, ‘watch him’, as Erwin’s face suddenly became concerned. Levi wasn’t really a fan of playing along with Hanji’s games, but he couldn’t say he wasn’t curious to find out if what they had said earlier was true or not. Erwin crossed the room and Levi turned to face him, swallowing thickly as he couldn’t help but feel slightly intimidated by the taller man.

“Let me see,” Erwin said quietly, using his index finger to tilt Levi’s chin to meet his gaze. Erwin stared deep into Levi’s eyes, searching for signs that anything was wrong. His concern quickly disappeared as he ran his fingers along Levi’s cheek gently. This is definitely unnecessary touching , Levi confirmed to himself, feeling his face getting red. He could see Hanji’s annoying grin out of the corner of his eye, and refrained from rolling his eyes as he turned his attention back to Erwin.

“You look perfectly fine,” Erwin smiled, pulling his hand away slowly, “You probably just need more sleep.”

“I don’t sleep,” Levi reminded him quietly, unable to break the gaze he shared with the taller man.

“I know,” Erwin laughed softly, letting his hand fall back to his side.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Hanji interrupted, grinning widely, “Should I leave you two alone?”

Their eye contact immediately broke as Levi cursed under his breath quietly, almost swearing he saw Erwin’s face turning a little red as he looked away from him. Erwin could only chuckle at Hanji’s words nervously, “Very funny, Hanji.”

He turned to leave, and Levi instinctively began to walk out after him before Hanji grasped his arm for the third time in the past ten minutes. He was very tempted to smack the shit out of them, but he held back as he watched Erwin leave.

“See?!” Hanji grinned, giggling excitedly, “I told you! He totally stares-”

“Hanji,” Levi snapped, “Stop.”

“Fine, fine!” Hanji sighed in exasperation, letting go of his arm, “I’m just trying to help.”

Levi didn’t bother to respond, turning to leave and walk out the door. He didn’t want to confront these feelings, and would do anything to avoid them. But even as he forced those thoughts to the back of his mind, the touch of Erwin’s warm fingers caressing his face lingered on his mind.

 

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Over the next week, Levi spent as much time as possible avoiding Erwin. Avoiding Erwin meant avoiding his feelings, and that was fine with him. But it wasn’t possible to completely avoid him, being that Erwin was the commander. Every time he had to see him, he covered up his nervousness by being more cruel than usual, snapping at people and acting generally grumpy. Hanji in particular had noticed, and they had tried several times to intervene and talk to Levi, but he wouldn’t let them. At the moment, he was currently sitting in his office finishing up some paperwork. It was late at night, but he knew he wouldn’t sleep anyways, so he didn’t mind staying up to finish things.

His office door opened, and he looked up to see Erwin standing there. There’s no escape now , he thought, sighing as he pushed his papers aside and looked up at the commander, waiting for him to speak first.

Erwin stared at him for a moment, “Hi Levi. What are you still doing up?”

Levi cleared his throat before responding, “I could ask you the same thing.”

Erwin nodded a little, a small smile forming on his face, “I couldn’t sleep. Had too much paperwork to do.”

Levi inspected Erwin’s face, and noticed the stress lines on his forehead, the bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep in a while. Levi tapped his chin lightly, knowing he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyways.

“Let me do it for you,” Levi offered, standing up, “Show me what you have left to do.”

Erwin shook his head, “I couldn’t ask you to do that for me. That’s too much.”

However, Levi was already walking towards Erwin, “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll be up anyways, you know I don’t sleep.”

Erwin moved aside, knowing that once Levi had made up his mind he couldn’t stop him. Levi headed towards Erwin’s office and walked in, seeing the large pile of papers on his desk, along with the books and papers all over his office. Levi grimaced, clearly not liking the disorganization and messiness of Erwin’s office.

“When was the last time you cleaned?” Levi grumbled, going in and starting to organize the piles of paper.

“I haven’t had time,” Erwin said, going to sit down. He smiled as he watched Levi busy himself with starting to clean up the piles of books on the floor, “You don’t have to do that you know.”

“I know,” Levi mumbled, continuing to clean up the commander’s office, “Shut up.”

Erwin chuckled a bit at Levi’s remark and started to help, organizing the papers on his desk into piles. Levi quickly swatted at Erwin’s hands, scolding, “Stop. You should be going to bed. I said I’d do it for you.”

Erwin turned his chair and came face to face with the shorter man, the two exchanging eye contact. Levi sucked in his breath, looking into the blue pools of Erwin’s eyes and feeling his face flush immediately.

Erwin stared back, smiling softly, “I can’t just let you do my paperwork and clean for me.”

“Why not?” Levi practically whispered, taking a second to glance down at Erwin’s lips. Fuck. I shouldn’t have looked , he thought to himself as he felt his face growing hot.

“Because,” Erwin smiled, and Levi could feel his heart palpitating in his chest, “It’s my work.”

Levi turned his head away, not liking feeling so flushed and nervous. He couldn’t stand the fact that Erwin was making him feel this way, and he refused to let himself continue to feel like this.

But it had only been a moment before Erwin chirped up again, “Levi?”

Levi took a deep breath, not looking up at him as he responded, “Yes?”

“Why have you been ignoring me?”

Shit . Levi thought, starting to feel that flushed and nervous feeling again in the pit of his stomach.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said quickly, avoiding eye contact.

“Levi,” Erwin said sternly, “Look at me.”

Levi looked up, trying hard to maintain eye contact without getting too embarrassed. He noticed the almost hurt look in Erwin’s eyes, and suddenly felt a little guilty for ignoring him for most of the week.

“Why have you been ignoring me?” Erwin repeated, reaching his hand down to put it on Levi’s shoulder gently, “Did I do something wrong?”

Levi glanced at the hand on his shoulder and back to Erwin’s eyes, mumbling, “No...”

“Then why have you been ignoring me all week?” Erwin asked, staring deeply into Levi’s dull gray eyes with an accusing look. Levi was just feeling worse and worse by the second, not knowing what to say to him. Of course, it was nothing that Erwin had done to make him ignore him, it was Levi’s own feelings that messed everything up.

“I...” Levi stumbled, getting up slowly, “I just... had a bad week. I’m sorry.”

Erwin’s expression softened, nodding slightly as he removed his hand from Levi’s shoulder, “Gotcha. No problem.”

Levi let out a breath of relief before going back to cleaning up, hoping Erwin wouldn’t ask any follow-up questions. Erwin got up cautiously before asking, “Are you sure you’re okay with doing all this? I feel bad.”

“Don’t,” Levi scoffed, just hoping that Erwin would leave, so he could be alone with his thoughts, “I would’ve been up all night anyways.”

Erwin took a deep breath and nodded, smiling down at Levi sweetly before doing what he had done earlier in the week: he tilted Levi’s chin up to look at him and practically whispered, “Thanks, Levi.”

Levi swore his face was probably beet red at this point, and he only nodded in response as he felt Erwin’s warm fingers leave his face. He almost wished that they would stay there - he didn’t want to admit it, but he liked Erwin’s touch. It was soft and loving, much like the way he was currently looking at Levi.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Erwin said, heading towards the door.

Levi could only watch as Erwin left, feeling an emptiness in the pit of his stomach as he walked out. Why does he make me feel this way? He wondered to himself, trying to continue to sort through the papers to take his mind off everything. He couldn’t put his finger on why specifically he had feelings for Erwin, all he knew was that every time he was around him, he couldn’t help but feel nervousness. When did I start looking at him like this?

 

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Erwin didn’t understand why Levi had been acting so odd all week, but he knew something was up. He didn’t entirely buy what Levi had said: having a bad week - that was every week with Levi. He had never avoided Erwin like this before, even if they had been angry with each other. Erwin worried that it had something to do with the fact that he had been far more touchy with Levi in the past couple weeks. Perhaps the shorter man had noticed this and was avoiding him because of it. Erwin couldn’t help himself. Levi made him feel things he had never felt before. His grumpy attitude was adorable, as was the way he allowed Erwin to get close to him above everyone else.

He walked into his office to see Levi asleep, his head resting on the desk as papers sat piled around him. Erwin couldn’t help but smile softly, watching Levi’s chest rise and fall gently as he slept. He closed the door quietly and walked over to him, squatting down next to him and examining the small frame of the man in front of him. His dark hair lay messily over his face and his cheeks were blushing lightly as the sun shone into the room. He looks so peaceful , Erwin thought, admiring the rare moment. He reached out slowly and touched Levi’s hair, gently running his fingers through it as he whispered the shorter man’s name, trying to wake him up. Levi whined quietly at the disturbance and his eyes shut tighter as he let out a short breath, leaning into Erwin’s touch. So cute .

“Levi,” Erwin repeated quietly, “Wake up.”

He moved his hand from Levi’s hair down to his face, brushing his fingers gently along the man’s jawbone. Levi’s eyes fluttered open slowly, and he looked at Erwin in some confusion before remembering his surroundings and where he had fallen asleep. His face flushed as he realized Erwin was touching him, and Erwin couldn’t help but smile softly at how cute Levi looked this way: caught off guard and vulnerable.

Levi immediately sat up once he realized he had fallen asleep, and Erwin went to stand up, looking down at him and waiting for him to speak first. Levi cleared his throat, looking embarrassed.

“I fell asleep,” Levi mumbled, “Sorry. I got most of it done.”

Erwin was almost confused at first before remembering Levi had been doing his paperwork for him.

“It’s fine,” Erwin replied, “I really appreciate it. It looks like you cleaned my whole office.”

“It was a pig sty,” Levi rolled his eyes, “I don’t know how you could stand it.”

Erwin couldn’t help but smile at Levi’s inability to handle his messiness. Levi got up, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes. Everything he did made Erwin’s heart skip a beat. He’s too adorable , Erwin thought, sitting down at his desk once Levi had moved.

“If you want to go take a nap before starting the day, that’s fine with me,” Erwin suggested, noting how tired Levi still looked. He knew the man barely got any sleep, but the fact that he’d fallen asleep at Erwin’s desk was particularly surprising; he looked more tired than usual.

“I’m fine,” Levi sighed, heading to the front door of the office, “I probably wouldn’t fall back asleep anyways. Plus, there’s too much to be done.”

He wasn’t wrong. There was always work to be done.

“If you insist,” Erwin replied, watching Levi open the door to leave, “Oh, and Levi?”

Levi turned around to face him, “Yeah?”

Erwin took a second before building up the courage to say, “You look cute when you sleep.”

He watched Levi’s face grow red as he scowled, “Shut up,” and proceeded to walk out the door. Erwin couldn’t help but smile a little at Levi’s reaction, and went back to his paperwork to start his long day.

 

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“Captain Levi!” Sasha singsonged happily, “Can we go to lunch yet?”

Levi rolled his eyes, watching his squad busy themselves with the new training regiment. They had been exercising most of the morning, building up their strength for their next mission. Levi looked over the kids, who all looked thoroughly exhausted and disgustingly sweaty.

“Fine, take a break,” Levi said shortly, watching Sasha start to run towards the mess hall, “Don’t run! Christ.”

“Sorry sir,” Connie explained, “She’s impossible when it comes to food.”

He quickly followed after her, Levi only scoffing in response. In reality, of course he knew this, but he still had to be strict with them. Erwin had essentially told him to be a father figure to these kids, and he couldn’t let him down no matter how irritating it was to take care of them.

“I bet I’ll get there first,” Jean challenged, and Eren immediately began to sprint towards the mess hall, Jean shouting after him, “That’s no fair! You got a head start!”

Levi sighed heavily, shouting after them, “Oi! I said no running!”

Eren immediately slowed down upon reaching the doors, grinning back smugly as Jean was forced to walk towards the mess hall instead of run. Mikasa followed, but Armin paused for a moment.

“Aren’t you coming to eat with us, sir?” Armin asked. At least Armin gives a fuck about me, Levi thought to himself, shaking his head a little.

“I have other matters to attend to,” he explained, and Armin nodded, waving at him before rushing off to the mess hall after his friends.

In truth, he just didn’t really feel like eating. His appetite had been low lately, and the nerves from being around Erwin hadn’t really helped. He headed back to the captain’s quarters, intending to go back to his office and see what work he had left to do.

However, as soon as he entered the building, Hanji grabbed him by the shoulders, beaming in that crazy way they always did when they were excited about something. Levi refrained from rolling his eyes, knowing he was in for a long conversation.

“Levi!” Hanji exclaimed loudly, even though he was right in front of them.

“You don’t have to shout,” Levi scolded, shrugging their hands off his shoulders in annoyance.

“Levi,” they ignored him, continuing on, “I have something exciting to tell you.”

“What titan thing is it now?” Levi sighed, trying to prepare himself for their over-excitement.

“It’s not a titan thing!” Hanji said, much to Levi’s surprise. What else could they possibly have to talk to me about?

“What is it then?” Levi asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Hanji looked around quickly to make sure nobody was watching before whispering, “It’s about Erwin.”

Levi’s eyes widened a little, and he grabbed their arm roughly, dragging them into a nearby empty conference room.

“Ow, ow!” Hanji exclaimed as they tried to pull away, “What the hell did I do?”

“I thought I told you to stay out of my business,” Levi grumbled, letting go of their arm, “Why won’t you leave me alone about Erwin?”

“Levi, it’s good news!” Hanji replied, rubbing their arm where Levi had grabbed it, “Damn, you didn’t have to grab me so hard.”

Levi rolled his eyes. Of course, he wanted to know what the hell Hanji was getting on about, but he also didn’t want them to continue harassing him about Erwin. He was beginning to feel like a teenager all over again with all these secrets and crushes.

“What is it, then?” Levi finally said, crossing his arms as he stared up at them.

Hanji grinned, tilting their glasses down to look at him, “I know for a fact that Erwin likes you.”

Levi’s heartbeat was beginning to pick up again, and he cursed under his breath for allowing himself to get so worked up over such a statement. How do they know? He wondered, There’s no way that he likes me in the same way.

“You okay, Levi?” Hanji said, waving their hand in front of his face, which was mesmerized in thought.

Levi snapped out of it and looked back up at them, muttering, “I’m fine. How do you know this for certain?”

Hanji sucked in a deep breath excitedly before giggling a bit, “He told me! He told me he has feelings for you!”

This can’t be true , Levi thought to himself, feeling a nervous sinking in the pit of his stomach as he tried to breathe normally. He was sure Hanji was playing a trick on him. There was no way Erwin would feel that way, no matter how many unnecessary touches and looks he had given Levi in the past few weeks.

“Levi, take a deep breath,” Hanji suddenly began to look a little concerned, “You look like you’re gonna pass out!”

“I’m fine,” Levi breathed out, glancing at them before focusing back on the wall, so he didn’t have to face what they were telling him.

“Aren’t you excited?” Hanji asked, almost exasperated at the fact that Levi wasn’t as joyful as they were.

“Are you lying to me?” Levi finally said, “That’s not funny, Hanji-”

“It’s not a joke!” Hanji retorted quickly, looking mildly offended, “I went into his office this morning! He looked stressed, so I asked him what was wrong, and he told me he likes you and that he-”

“Wait, he’s stressed about it?” Levi interrupted, his curiosity getting the better of him, “Why?”

“Because he’s worried you don’t feel the same,” Hanji said, smiling a bit, “But I told him not to worry!”

Levi’s heart sunk, “You didn’t.”

“I told him you like him too!” Hanji giggled, not understanding why Levi was suddenly so distraught.

Levi could feel the anger and anxiousness coursing through his veins. He couldn’t believe Hanji would just tell Erwin something like that. But then again, maybe he could believe it. Hanji was never very good at keeping secrets. Levi immediately grabbed them by the collar and slammed them into the wall, growling, “Why would you tell him that?!”

Hanji gasped a bit in surprise before frowning down at him, “I thought it would help get the ball rolling between you two.”

Levi wanted to strangle them, but he held back, knowing Hanji was genuinely trying to be helpful. He took a deep breath to try and calm down, letting them go and snapping, “I don’t need help. I don’t even know what I want anyways.”

He got quiet towards the end of his sentence, not bothering to look at them as he tried to calm his anger. It was true, he wasn’t sure what he even wanted out of a relationship with Erwin. Did he want to leave everything the way it was? Or did he want something more? He wasn’t completely sure.

“I mean... do you want to kiss him?” Hanji asked, and Levi could feel that nervousness creeping up on him again.

Kiss Erwin? Levi hadn’t even fully thought about that. He was certainly attracted to Erwin, but thinking about kissing him was almost too much for his heart to handle. When he pictured himself with Erwin, it was mostly hand-holding, gentle caresses, etc. But kissing?

“I... maybe,” Levi mumbled, not enjoying this conversation with Hanji, “I haven’t really thought about it.”

Hanji smiled softly, putting their hand on Levi’s shoulder reassuringly, “Levi, it’s okay. Why don’t you talk to him about it?”

Levi couldn’t even handle the thought that Erwin liked him, let alone the thought of talking to him about it. He shrugged Hanji’s hand off his shoulder, avoiding their gaze as they looked down at him.

“I can’t,” Levi said quietly, beginning to feel vulnerable. He didn’t like this feeling. He felt out of control of everything, something he didn’t enjoy. Levi needed to get away from Hanji and get out of there, and fast, before he allowed them to get in on his emotions.

“Levi...” Hanji smiled, “You can do it. I believe in y-”

“No,” Levi said, pointing his finger up at them, “Don’t you dare tell anyone about this.”

He turned to leave, and Hanji called after him, “Wait! Levi, don’t go!”

But it was too late. He rushed out of the room and headed back to his office, not wanting to continue this awkward conversation with Hanji. He could hear them sigh as he left, but he didn’t particularly care at the moment.

Levi turned the corner towards his office and slammed right into something tall and hard. He fell back from the impact, nearly falling over before a hand grabbed his wrist and set him back on his feet properly. The hand pulled him close, and Levi was ready to yell at whoever had been so careless to bump into him, before he looked up and realized who it was: Erwin .

“L-Levi,” Erwin said, sounding almost as shocked as Levi was.

“Erwin,” Levi replied, suddenly noticing how close the two of them were. Erwin’s hand was still gripping his wrist, and the two of them were mere inches away from each other. Levi sucked in a deep breath, his heart beginning to pick up speed yet again as he dared to look up into Erwin’s blue eyes.

“Levi...” Erwin repeated, seemingly mesmerized as he stared back down into Levi’s dull gray eyes. Is he leaning closer? Levi wondered in terror as he quickly pushed Erwin away, ripping his wrist out of Erwin’s grasp. Erwin looked a little shocked, and Levi thought he could even detect some hurt in Erwin’s eyes. Perhaps this wasn’t the way Erwin thought things would go between them.

Considering they both knew they had feelings for each other now, Erwin might have expected something different from Levi, but Levi was still too terrified of his own feelings to allow himself to fall into Erwin’s arms so easily.

“I... sorry,” Levi mumbled, “I was just heading to my office.”

Erwin smiled, a hint of sadness in his eyes, “Of course. My apologies.”

Levi went to move around him, but Erwin stepped in front of him again, not allowing him to move forward. Levi stared up at him with questioning eyes, almost in annoyance, as he waited for whatever Erwin needed to say.

“Sorry,” Erwin apologized again, “I just... I was looking for you.”

Levi swallowed heavily before he asked quietly, “What do you need?”

Erwin cleared his throat as if trying to clear away the awkwardness that had just occurred between them, “I need you to drop off your paperwork by the end of the night. Does that work for you?”

Levi nodded, though he suspected this wasn’t what Erwin originally wanted to tell him. He was thankful it wasn’t anything more serious, though. Levi wasn’t sure what he would do if Erwin suddenly confessed to him, confirming Hanji’s words.

“Of course,” Levi replied, going around Erwin for a second time, “I’ll see you later.”

“See you,” Erwin said, beginning to walk in the opposite direction.

So we’re just going to pretend nothing’s different , Levi thought to himself, Perfect.

 

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Levi stood outside Erwin’s office door with the paperwork he promised he would turn in. He’d been standing there for at least a minute, hesitant to knock on the door. Why am I like this? He wondered, unsure of why he was so nervous to go into Erwin’s office. He raised his hand to knock and then lowered it, sighing in frustration at how stupid he was acting.

“Are you nervous?” Hanji piped up, and Levi turned to see them leaning in the doorway of their own office.

He stared them down for a moment before grumbling, “I thought I told you to stay out of my business.”

“I know, I know,” Hanji smiled, pushing their glasses up on their face, “I just think it’s cute, that’s all.”

Levi rolled his eyes. Typical. He wasn’t a fan of being called cute so much lately. Hanji began walking towards him, and Levi stared at them with narrow eyes as he waited to see what they were going to do. Hanji stood next to Levi for a moment before knocking loudly on Erwin’s door and rushing back to their office.

Levi stared at them in shock for a moment before hearing Erwin call out, “Come in!”

Hanji stood in their doorway giggling to themselves, and Levi flipped them off before reaching out and twisting the doorknob, opening it up and going inside. He expected to see Erwin sitting at his desk, but instead, he sat at his window sill, the window wide open as he stared out and up towards the stars. He turned his head when he heard Levi come in and smiled softly at him.

“Hi Levi,” he said, turning his body to face him.

Levi looked over him briefly: his bolo tie was loosely hanging around his neck, his shirt had the first couple of buttons undone and was untucked. Levi swallowed heavily before averting his eyes from Erwin, feeling himself getting embarrassed, which he was beginning to get used to at this point.

“Hey,” Levi muttered, putting the paperwork on Erwin’s desk, “Paperwork’s done.”

He went to leave, not wanting to interrupt whatever Erwin had been up to before he came in. But he stopped when Erwin called out his name again, turning around to face him as he wondered what Erwin wanted from him.

“Yes?” Levi asked, still avoiding Erwin’s warm gaze.

“Stay,” Erwin said quietly, patting the spot next to him, “Come look at the stars with me.”

Stargazing? Levi thought to himself, shifting uncomfortably as he looked up at Erwin’s hopeful eyes. Levi didn’t want to let him down, but at the same time, this was far too romantic for him. And he couldn’t imagine sitting that close to Erwin, especially not when he was so nervous. Levi wanted to say yes, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t ready for this, not yet.

“Not tonight,” Levi replied, his voice coming out a lot less strong than he hoped it would, “But thank you.”

Erwin didn’t look too disappointed. He nodded and turned back towards the window, “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“See you,” Levi mumbled, walking out the door and shutting it behind him. Hanji was standing in their doorway again, waiting for him to come back out.

“So, how was it?” Hanji immediately bombarded him with questions, “Did you guys confess to each other? Did you kiss?”

Levi put his hand up to stop them from continuing with the questions, “Hanji. Calm down. Nothing happened.”

Hanji looked disappointed, sighing a bit as they leaned against their door frame, “God dammit. I was really hoping something would happen this time. How can you still avoid your feelings when you both know you like each other?”

Levi rolled his eyes and ignored them, heading back to his office as he prepared to close everything up for the night. His thoughts were flooded with images of Erwin: his opened shirt, his messy hair, and his sweet smile. Levi’s heart skipped a beat, and he cursed himself as he walked into his office, shutting the door, so he could be alone with his thoughts.

 

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Levi’s thoughts had been swimming with the offer Erwin had proposed the night before. Sitting with Erwin under the stars was becoming more and more of a pleasing thought to him, and he didn’t entirely know why. Something about spending alone time with Erwin and being close with him was becoming something he wanted. He purposefully sat in his office all day just waiting for the sun to go down, so he could go into Erwin’s office and hopefully join him this time. The closer the sun was to setting, the more nervous he was feeling. He hated this feeling, but avoiding it hadn’t helped, so perhaps confronting it would make it go away, as much as he didn’t want to.

His office was becoming darker and darker by the moment, and he stood as he prepared to head to Erwin’s office. His hands felt sweaty, and he felt disgustingly annoyed at himself for wiping them on his pants as he walked out of his office and towards Erwin’s. This time, he refused to hesitate, knocking on the door right as he got to it.

“Come in,” Erwin said, and Levi sucked in a deep breath before opening the door. Erwin was sitting at his desk, much to Levi’s disappointment, and he looked up and smiled when he saw Levi.

“Levi,” he said softly. Levi loved it when he said his name like that, “Did you need something?”

Levi hadn’t expected Erwin to be at his desk this time, and he stood there awkwardly after shutting the door behind him. What now? He wondered, unsure of where he should go with the conversation.

“Levi,” Erwin repeated after a moment of silence, “Are you okay?”

“You aren’t stargazing tonight?” Levi blurted, unsure of what else to say.

Erwin raised an eyebrow before grinning a bit, “You wanted to join me?”

Levi cursed under his breath, blushing a little as he nodded hesitantly. He refused to look at Erwin’s face; he seemed far too smug that Levi was agreeing this time. Erwin stood up, walking over to his window and opening it up. There was plenty of room on the window sill for both of them to sit, and Erwin looked back at Levi, motioning for him to come over. He took a deep breath and walked over, his legs feeling almost numb as he went. Erwin climbed over the window sill and sat down, his legs dangling over the edge. Levi climbed up and sat next to him, sitting as far away from him as humanly possible.

They sat there for a moment in silence, Erwin staring up at the stars and Levi mostly staring down at his own hands with an anxious feeling in his stomach. After a minute, Levi felt Erwin’s eyes turn to him, and he felt like they were staring into his soul.

“Levi?” Erwin piped up, breaking the silence they had shared.

“Mm?” Levi responded, clearing his throat and continuing to avoid eye contact.

“You know, you’re sitting pretty far away,” Erwin said huskily, his hand slowly reaching out to Levi.

Levi didn’t know what he was planning to do, but he knew he wasn’t ready for it, and immediately snapped, “Don’t.”

Erwin’s hand stopped where it was and retreated, and Levi could feel the tension building in the air between them. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Erwin to touch him; it was that he was afraid of what would happen if he did. He wasn’t used to letting people see him this vulnerable, and he was scared of letting Erwin see him this way.

“So are you going to admit it, or do I have to?” Erwin asked, his attention turned back to the stars above them.

For the first time, Levi looked up too, and watched the sea of shimmering lights above him dance through the night sky. He knew exactly what Erwin was talking about, but he got defensive almost as soon as the question was posed.

“Admit what?” he grumbled, pulling his knees up to his chest as if to hide himself away.

“You don’t have to play dumb,” Erwin responded, turning to face him, “I thought I made it pretty obvious.”

Levi let his eyes connect with Erwin’s for a brief moment, and saw the curiosity and hope swirling in his deep blue eyes.

“I thought I made it obvious,” Levi finally spoke, turning his eyes back to the stars, “Guess not.”

“Levi,” Erwin almost whispered, his hand reaching out cautiously towards Levi. This time, Levi let him reach out, and felt his fingers on his chin, turning his jaw so that they were looking at each other, “Look at me.”

Levi stared into Erwin’s intoxicatingly innocent blue eyes, and felt the fingertips on his chin move up his jawline, caressing his cheek gently. He was sure that his face was red, but that he couldn’t help.

“Please,” Erwin practically begged, “Talk to me. Tell me what you mean.”

Levi leaned into Erwin’s touch automatically, as if he was used to it already. Erwin had a soft smile on his face as he stared at him in a way Levi had never seen him look before. How do I tell him? He wondered, his mouth opening and closing as he thought of what to say. Part of him wanted to turn around and leave just to avoid the conversation altogether, but the other part of him was enjoying this feeling of being with Erwin like this, being so intimate. It was something he wasn’t used to experiencing. All he knew was how much he enjoyed being here with Erwin, alone. He enjoyed being alone in general, but being alone with Erwin was a different experience entirely.

“I want to be alone...” Levi started, trying hard to keep the eye contact he had with Erwin as he mumbled, “Alone with you. Does that make sense?”

Erwin’s eyes flooded with relief as his smile grew a little wider, almost into a smirk. He nodded and scooted a little closer, much to Levi’s surprise.

“I want to be alone with you too,” Erwin spoke softly, his fingers gripping Levi’s jaw gently as he brought his face closer.

Oh god , Levi thought, He’s going to kiss me . He could feel his heart beating out of his chest, and he was glancing back and forth between Erwin’s lips and his eyes, unsure of what to do with his own hands as Erwin’s were drawing him in.

“E-Erwin,” he asked in barely a whisper, “Are you going to kiss me?”

Erwin’s lips curled up in a light smirk as he leaned in closer, “Do you want me to?”

That was a good question. Do I want him to? Levi wasn’t sure. Part of him did, but part of him was too terrified to even think of kissing Erwin. This was his commander, after all. But beyond that, this was Erwin, and he liked Erwin, didn’t he? Ultimately, he decided he was curious enough to allow this to happen. What was there to lose, after all?

Levi nodded slightly before tilting his head a little to give Erwin better access to his lips. He couldn’t believe this was happening, and he could feel Erwin’s breath on his skin as he inched closer and closer to him. All the fears that had gripped him earlier were being thrown to the wind, and Levi desperately wanted to close the space between them. Erwin was taking far too long. Levi gripped Erwin’s collar and tugged him the rest of the way, smashing their lips together. Erwin made a small noise of surprise, but leaned into the kiss after a short moment. Erwin’s lips were soft and thin, and Levi moved his own lips against Erwin’s as he gripped his collar tighter. They pulled away after a moment, Erwin smiling happily. Levi would’ve almost said he looked cute.

“How was that?” Erwin asked, his thumb gently caressing Levi’s cheek as he pressed their foreheads together.

Levi shrugged, “Good, I guess.”

Erwin couldn’t help but laugh, “You guess?”

Levi allowed himself a small smile at Erwin’s laugh. He enjoyed making Erwin laugh.

“I suppose I should make you more sure of that answer,” Erwin’s tone shifted, becoming deeper and more determined. The way he said it made Levi’s stomach drop and his face feel hot, his pants starting to feel a little tighter at the sound of Erwin’s voice.

Erwin pressed their lips together again, this time taking more control and beginning to lightly lick and bite at Levi’s lower lip. Holy shit , Levi thought to himself, leaning into the deep kiss. He’d never felt this way before. The only people he had kissed were when he was much younger, and he barely even remembered those kisses now. He hadn’t realized how much he missed the intimacy.

He reached up to wrap his arms around Erwin’s neck, drawing him in even closer as began more desperately moving his lips against the taller man’s. One of Erwin’s hands was still on his cheek, the other gripping his hip tightly. Erwin sucked lightly on his lower lip before biting down on it gently, eliciting a whine from the shorter man.

What am I doing? Levi thought to himself, thinking things were getting out of control fast. He gently pushed Erwin away, taking a second to catch his breath. Erwin was also breathing heavily, and looked down at Levi with some worry.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, gently touching Levi’s cheek.

“It’s fine,” Levi said, trying to normalize his breathing, “I just... it was too much.”

Erwin nodded, using his thumb to caress Levi’s skin as he looked into his eyes, “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, okay?”

Levi stared up into the blue seas of Erwin’s eyes and nodded, feeling his breath hitch as embarrassment kicked in. He was clearly a virgin, and Erwin didn’t seem to be - or at least, he seemed more experienced than Levi was. But the way Erwin was trying to make him feel comfortable was sweet, and Levi knew he could trust him.

“Come here,” Erwin said as he wrapped his arms around Levi and held him close. Levi wasn’t sure what had warranted a hug, but he couldn’t help but think that Erwin’s arms were warm around him, and he welcomed the embrace. Again, he was lost as to what to do with his hands, and settled them around Erwin’s middle nervously.

“Levi,” Erwin breathed, rubbing Levi’s back lightly, “I really like you.”

There it was. Erwin was the first to fully admit it. Levi could feel Erwin’s heart beating in his chest, and for the first time he realized that Erwin was probably nervous too. Levi gripped him tighter, wanting to reassure him that it was okay - that he didn’t need to be nervous.

“I...” Levi swallowed heavily, “Me too.”

He could feel Erwin breathe a sigh of relief as they latched onto each other. Levi wasn’t used to being this close to someone, but he had to admit it felt nice. Being in Erwin’s strong arms felt safe, and he smelled of clean linens and lavender, which was very pleasing to Levi’s nose. 

Erwin pulled away to lean their foreheads together again, whispering, “Can I kiss you again? It won’t be rough. I promise.”

Levi barely had to think about it before he nodded, letting Erwin plant another kiss on his lips, this time much shorter than before. Erwin pulled away, his eyes still closed and a blissful look on his face. Levi leaned forward and pecked Erwin on the lips lightly, causing Erwin to open his eyes in some surprise that Levi had taken the initiative to kiss him.

He grinned a bit, “Not so shy anymore, are you?”

Levi rolled his eyes and shoved him lightly, “Shut up.”

Erwin chuckled, reaching up and brushing his bangs out of his face. His hair had gotten fairly messy during their kisses, and he was struggling to put his hair back into place.

Levi reached up and swatted Erwin’s hands away, “Let me do it.”

Erwin smiled softly at him as Levi carefully fixed his hair, sighing a bit when he was finished, “There. Now you look handsome again.”

For the first time in their entire encounter, Erwin blushed red at Levi’s comment. Levi liked this, making Erwin uncomfortable and nervous just as he had been previously. It made him feel a little more confident and in control of the situation.

“Thanks,” Erwin mumbled shyly.

“Your face is red,” Levi pointed out, feeling more self-assured now.

Erwin’s face turned an even deeper shade of red as he muttered, “I know. You make me feel this way.”

Now it was Levi’s turn to feel embarrassed. He felt his face getting red, and he turned away from Erwin so that he wouldn’t see him. But Erwin quickly reached out and turned Levi’s head gently to look back at him.

“Levi,” Erwin smiled sweetly, “You don’t have to feel so nervous.”

“Shush,” Levi grumbled, allowing Erwin to hold his face lightly, “I’m not nervous.”

Erwin sighed happily, smiling down at Levi with a gleam in his eye. He looked away to look up at the sky before turning back to Levi.

“We should probably head to bed soon,” he suggested, “I know you don’t sleep, but I’m definitely tired.”

Levi nodded a little, knowing he wouldn’t sleep at all. He didn’t want to keep Erwin from a good night’s sleep, so he climbed off the window sill and back into Erwin’s office, Erwin following closely after him.

“Levi?” Erwin asked, grasping Levi’s arm gently. Levi looked up at him, waiting to hear what he had to say.

“Can we do this again tomorrow night?” he asked, unable to look at Levi as he nervously awaited the shorter man’s answer.

Levi pondered this question for a moment. He’d certainly enjoyed himself tonight, despite the feelings of nervousness that had taken over him at certain moments. He took a moment before nodding a little, making the taller man smile.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he said, rubbing his hands together anxiously. He leaned in close to Levi and planted a kiss on his forehead, much to the shorter man’s embarrassment. Levi didn’t know how to feel as he followed Erwin out of the office, heading towards his own office. He felt as though things had progressed so quickly, and he didn’t know how it had happened. He wasn’t regretful. In fact, he felt almost giddy about the whole thing, his heart pattering excitedly in his chest as he remembered the kisses they’d shared. He walked into his office and shut the door, leaning back against it and sighing contently. A small smile crept up on his face, and butterflies filled his stomach. He couldn’t believe this is how this night had turned out, but he was definitely happy with the outcome.

 

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Chapter 2

 

Levi didn’t bother telling Hanji or anyone else about his escapades with Erwin. He spent the next week visiting Erwin every night, sitting in the window sill and exchanging a kiss or two with him. As Erwin had promised, they were taking things slow, and hadn’t progressed past kissing yet. And Erwin was very gentlemanly about it as well. He always made sure Levi was okay with everything he did. Levi couldn’t pretend he wasn’t enjoying himself, as he continued to return every night right on time. He enjoyed the conversations he and Erwin had, and didn’t mind the kissing either. On this particular night, the sky was clearer than any other nights they had been out there. Their conversation had momentarily stopped as they admired the night sky and all its beauty.

“You have nice legs,” Erwin said offhandedly.

Levi didn’t know what to say to that. Their conversations had become a lot more comfortable and less awkward since that first night, but he still didn’t expect such a comment from Erwin. “That was random,” he started, letting out a short laugh, “But... I suppose you have nice legs too.”

Before Erwin could reply, Levi added, “Not as nice as mine though.”

Erwin grinned, scoffing jokingly as he wrapped an arm around Levi and pulled him closer, “You’re so full of yourself.”

Levi welcomed the warmth of the taller man’s body against his and leaned into it, quipping, “I’m only agreeing with what you said, Erwin.”

“Good, then we can both agree that you’re full of yourself,” Erwin smirked, giving Levi’s body a small squeeze to let him know he was joking.

Or we could both agree that I have nice legs,” Levi responded shortly, smirking back smugly.

Erwin shoved him playfully, Levi immediately shoving him back as the taller man responded with a laugh.

“Fine,” Levi said as he snuggled into Erwin’s arms, “I’ll prove I’m not full of myself. I’ll compliment you.”

Erwin sat and waited for whatever Levi was going to say, watching Levi turn and look at him, letting his eyes wander Erwin’s body. Erwin couldn’t help but blush, especially when Levi reached up and grabbed his face, pulling it closer to him to whisper huskily, “You have the scariest eyebrows I’ve ever seen.”

Erwin could only roll his eyes as he poked Levi harshly in the stomach, “Okay, now you’re just being annoying.”

Levi smiled a little before letting go of Erwin’s face, “I’m not being serious. You know I love your eyebrows.”

“Yeah?” Erwin joked, “Well yours look like a drunk kid drew them on.”

Levi looked up at him in mock offense before asking innocently, “Do they really look like that?”

Erwin couldn’t help but fall for Levi’s innocent voice, responding begrudgingly, “No.”

Levi tried to hide his smile, wrapping his arms around Erwin’s middle and burying his face into the man’s chest as he did so. Erwin smiled at how clingy Levi had become over the week they had been spending together. He appreciated it, and hugged him back gently as Levi pulled away a little to look up at him.

“Erwin?” he said quietly.

“Yeah?”

“You have a nice smile.”

 

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Hanji trudged down the hallway, exhausted after a night of experimenting. They hadn’t been able to sleep, and had decided it was better to just keep working than toss and turn in their bed all night. They were on their way to see Erwin, hoping to get some insight into some of the discoveries they’d made overnight. Hanji continued on until they reached the doorway, not even bothering to knock before they pushed the door open.

Much to their surprise, Erwin had Levi pressed against the wall, kissing him fiercely as Levi had his arms wrapped around the other’s middle, tugging him closer desperately. Hanji’s eyes widened, and they realized they had made a mistake by not knocking.

Levi was the first to notice the open door, shoving Erwin away roughly and turning a furious shade of red.

Hanji ,” he growled, “Don’t you know how to knock?!”

Erwin looked equally embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he avoided eye contact. But Hanji was grinning, looking between the two of them almost smugly. They knew they had helped the two of them get together, and it was the greatest feeling in the world that it actually worked.

“Ahh!” Hanji exclaimed excitedly, “You two - oh my god, how long have you been together?!”

Before anyone could answer, they slammed the door shut behind them, giggling like an insane person as they rushed forward and enveloped the two in a group hug, “I’m so happy for you both!”

Levi grimaced and struggled out of the hug, Erwin smiling, “Thanks, Hanji. It’s been about two weeks now.”

Hanji grinned and backed off, “Aww, that’s so sweet. How did it happen? Was it romantic? Did you-”

Levi socked them hard on the arm, causing Hanji to yelp as he snapped, “Shut up, four eyes.”

Erwin scolded, “Levi!”

“They’re being too much,” Levi sighed in frustration, crossing his arms angrily. Hanji was still grinning though, rubbing their arm as they continued to glance between the two of them happily.

“I can’t believe it! I’m so excited.”

“Yeah, we can tell,” Levi rolled his eyes.

“You have to tell me everything ,” Hanji smiled before suddenly stopping, “Oh wait. I interrupted! Should I go?”

Levi leaped on the chance to get Hanji out of their business, and started pushing them towards the door, “Yes. We have to... um... keep making out.”

Hanji nodded, opening the door and beaming back at them, “Have fun you two!”

They left and shut the door behind them, no longer feeling tired and worn out. Finding out that their two best friends were together was energizing them, and they couldn’t wait until everyone found out.

 

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Levi was in a bad mood the rest of the day. He wasn’t exactly happy with Hanji finding out about his secret make out sessions with Erwin. Though Erwin hadn’t seemed to care that much, Levi had wanted to keep their whole relationship a secret, at least for the moment. He sat in his office stewing all day, only leaving when he needed to. At the end of the day, just as he was about to lock up for the night, there was a knock on his door.

“Come in,” Levi called out, straightening his papers and setting them aside on his desk. The door opened, and he wasn’t shocked to see Erwin standing there, greeting him with his usual sweet smile.

“If you think I’m going to make out with you after this morning, you’re wrong,” Levi grumbled before Erwin could even say anything.

Erwin’s face fell a little in disappointment before he asked quietly, “Did I do something wrong?”

Levi bit his lip a little, not liking Erwin’s disappointed look, before he mumbled, “No. It’s just Hanji. They put me in a mood.”

Erwin perked up a little, “Oh, I see. I’m sorry they walked in. I should’ve locked my door.”

“They should’ve knocked,” Levi responded, sighing deeply while twirling a pen in his fingers, “It’s fine. I’ll get over it. I just didn’t want anyone to know yet. Especially not Hanji, they’re suffocating.”

Erwin nodded a little in understanding, closing the door behind him and sitting down in the chair on the other side of Levi’s desk. Levi watched him carefully. Every time he looked at Erwin, he noticed more and more just how handsome he was, and he had to admit it made his stomach flutter.

“What are you here for anyways?” Levi asked curiously, leaning his elbows on his desk and resting his face in his hands.

Erwin smiled at him and reached a hand over, gently caressing Levi’s cheek as he stared at him longingly, “I can’t visit my favorite person without a reason?”

Levi’s face turned a bright red, and he grumbled curses under his breath as he allowed Erwin to touch him. His favorite person? He thought, feeling his stomach doing flips as the words rung in his ears. He felt happiness swirling inside him; a happiness that he’d never felt before.

Erwin chuckled softly at Levi’s embarrassment, pulling his hand away, “I actually wanted to tell you about something I read. It’ll help you sleep better.”

Levi breathed out his nose in a laugh, rolling his eyes, “I seriously doubt that.”

But his curiosity got the better of him, and he waited patiently for Erwin to share that knowledge with him.

Erwin cleared his throat, suddenly looking a little nervous as he explained quietly, “I read that you sleep better if you cuddle with someone...”

Levi could feel his face growing hotter as he immediately responded, “No. No way.”

Cuddle? He thought, unable to even picture it. Making out was more of a sexual thing, but cuddling ? That was definitely more romantic than anything, and Levi wasn’t sure if he was ready to take that step.

“Why not?” Erwin answered almost defensively, before calmly correcting himself, “I mean, you don’t have to, but why not give it a chance?”

Levi stayed silent, pondering over what cuddling with Erwin would mean, and whether he could bring himself to do so. He was slowly coming around to the idea, but wouldn’t allow himself to admit it out loud yet. Well, if it’s supposed to help me sleep...

He stared Erwin down for a moment, searching his eyes to make sure that he could trust Erwin with an activity so intimate. He couldn’t remember ever cuddling someone, so this was something he was definitely going to be unsure and nervous about.

After a long silence, Levi breathed out heavily and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms, “You have to promise nothing sexual’s going to happen. Purely cuddling, right?”

Erwin’s eyes widened a little in surprise that Levi was even entertaining his idea, and he nodded quickly, “Of course. I promise. I wouldn’t try anything unless you wanted me to anyways.”

Levi narrowed his eyes and joked, “I don’t know, Erwin. You’re kind of a perv.”

Erwin’s eyes flashed with amusement, and he feigned innocence, “How am I a perv?”

Levi smirked a little, “I think you already know the answer to that question.”

Erwin laughed, his face turning a little red as he reminisced about their make out sessions, which were definitely the answer Levi was alluding to. He leaned forward in his seat a little, staring at Levi as he asked, “So, do you want to spend the night in my room, then?”

Levi’s face flushed again as he nodded a little, starting to worry more and more about what it would mean to spend the night in Erwin’s bed, cuddling with him. This was definitely a new step in the relationship between them, and he wasn’t sure if it would change things.

Getting up, Erwin held his hand out to Levi, “Come on then. Let’s go.”

“Now?” Levi asked, feeling that nervousness pooling in his stomach as he took Erwin’s hand, allowing him to pull him up out of his chair. Erwin nodded and began to lead him to the door, turning back to smile reassuringly at him.

After Levi locked up his office, he walked with Erwin back to his bedroom, his legs becoming shakier the closer they got. He could kill a person, a titan, with impeccable precision, so why did something as simple as cuddling make him so incredibly nervous? Why did Erwin make him so nervous? He kept wondering if Erwin would keep his promise. Levi was sure he would. Right?

They arrived at Erwin’s door, and Erwin pulled his keys out of his pocket to unlock it. He pushed it open and held out his hand to usher Levi in first. Levi walked in, admiring just how clean Erwin’s room was. This wasn’t the first time he’d been there; he’d seen it before. But it was definitely cleaner, and Levi was almost certain Erwin had deep-cleaned it in preparation for him saying yes to coming over.

Levi stood next to the door as Erwin came in and shut the door. He felt glued to the spot, staring at Erwin’s bed while his heart pounded in his chest. Erwin started walking over to his bed, beginning to take off his jacket as he looked over at Levi.

“Levi?” Erwin smiled a little, “Are you just going to stand there all day?”

Levi shook his head, his legs feeling like lead as he walked over to the other side of the bed. He watched Erwin start to undo his shirt buttons, and his face yet again became red in embarrassment.

“I sleep in my boxers,” Erwin explained, noticing Levi’s face, “I hope that’s okay.”

Nodding a little, Levi stared at Erwin’s bare chest becoming exposed as he took off his own jacket. He was incredibly handsome, his chiseled body looking perfect to Levi. He decided he’d better take his own shirt off, figuring it was probably normal to do so. But he was so unsure about everything that was happening, and the anxiety he felt was just getting worse. This was definitely something he wanted, so why was he so nervous about it?

“Levi,” Erwin said, noting his nervousness as he undid his pants, “Take a deep breath. You don’t have to feel nervous around me.”

Levi sucked in a deep breath, trying to take Erwin’s advice. He was also trying hard to keep his eyes above Erwin’s waist, but as soon as Erwin’s pants came off, Levi couldn’t help but glance down, becoming even more embarrassed at the sight of Erwin in his boxers. He had only gotten as far as unbuttoning his shirt, and he pulled it off now as his eyes raked up and down Erwin’s body. Erwin had definitely noticed, and Levi cursed himself for doing so as he saw a smug smile cross Erwin’s face.

“Don’t look so smug,” Levi snapped, “You’re not that perfect.”

Erwin threw his head back and laughed, something that made Levi’s heart skip happily, “Well thanks, Levi. That means a lot.”

Levi slowly undid his own pants and took them off, watching Erwin blow out the candle on his bedside table and climb under the sheets. But Levi just stood there, staring at the bed as if climbing into it meant he would lose his virginity, if he believed in such a concept.

“Levi,” Erwin snapped his fingers to get his attention, holding out his hand to Levi, “Here, take my hand. It’s okay.”

He was beginning to feel stupid for being so goddamn nervous about everything, but surely Erwin knew that this was his first time doing this. Levi took Erwin’s hand and climbed into the bed, laying down and staring at Erwin, their hands still holding one another. Erwin interlaced his fingers between Levi’s and stared back, a calming smile on his face.

“What now?” Levi asked after a moment of silence, tugging the sheets up around him.

Erwin was still smiling so sweetly at him, and Levi almost couldn’t stand how patient Erwin was being with his inability to calm down.

“Well,” Erwin explained quietly, “If you turn around, I’ll snuggle up to you.”

Levi was glad it was dark because his face was definitely still red as he pictured how close they would be getting. He couldn’t say he wasn’t terrified of it. A sudden thought came to his head, and he audibly gasped as he thought of it, smacking Erwin on the shoulder.

“Ow!” Erwin yelped, rubbing his shoulder, “What was that for?”

“Your dick is gonna be near my ass!” Levi exclaimed in horror, trying to get his point across to Erwin.

Erwin stared at him for a short moment before he covered his face and started shaking. Levi was worried he’d made him upset or something, until Erwin’s clear laugh came through his fingers. He pulled his hands away, tears running down his face as he laughed uncontrollably at what Levi had said.

Levi glared at him, “Hey! I’m serious!”

“So what?” Erwin laughed, trying to suppress his giggles, “Nothing’s going to happen, Levi. I promised, remember?”

Levi was becoming increasingly annoyed that Erwin was laughing at him, and he turned over not to appease Erwin, but to not have to look at him anymore. He listened to Erwin’s laughing fade out, and felt the sudden warmth of Erwin’s body against his as his one arm enveloped Levi in a hug, tugging him closer. Levi felt Erwin’s naked chest against his back. His skin felt so smooth and his arms felt so safe and strong.

“Goodnight, Levi,” Erwin whispered, kissing Levi on the cheek before getting comfortable against him.

“Goodnight.”

Levi was sure he was still red in the face, but he had to admit, this felt nice. Having someone he trusted hold him so close, so lovingly, was something so new to him. He felt his heart swelling with happiness, and a smile crept up on his lips as he felt Erwin take his hand and intertwine their fingers again. Levi snuggled back against Erwin, all of his worries beginning to melt away as he closed his eyes. When Erwin had first suggested cuddling, he didn’t believe for a second that it would help him sleep. Levi knew nothing could help him sleep. But that thought was slowly dissolving from his mind as he felt Erwin’s soft breathing against his neck, his brain beginning to go dark as he faded into sleep.

 

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Levi ended up spending every night that week in Erwin’s bed. He’d never gotten so much sleep in his life, and even on the nights when he woke up with nightmares, Erwin was there to comfort him and coax him back to sleep. And it was not only helping his sleep, it was bringing him and Erwin closer. Levi had caught Erwin more than once staring at him with that loving look on his face. On the one hand, that scared him a little, but on the other, he liked the feeling it brought him. Hanji, however, was relentless. They continued to pester him with questions, almost as if they were studying their relationship like one of their experiments. He managed to shove their questions off for as long as he could, but he wasn’t sure how long he could keep it up.

He was currently sitting in a meeting with his squad, Erwin, and Hanji, as Hanji went over some experiment they had just been doing. Levi was definitely distracted, watching Erwin taking notes. He looked so serious and stern, very different from the man he’d woken up next to this morning. Erwin continued to take notes, but feeling Levi’s eyes on him, he looked up to meet his eyes. He smirked a little, causing Levi to blush. He continued to hold eye contact for a second before turning to an empty page in his notebook, tearing it out slowly so as not to make too much noise. They sat at the back of the room, so nobody would notice them passing notes. Erwin wrote something down before sliding it across the table to Levi.

Hey cutie.

Levi refrained from rolling his eyes, examining Erwin’s neat handwriting. He uncapped his pen and wrote something before sliding the note back.

I’m not cute, asshole.

Erwin chuckled quietly under his breath at what Levi had said and began to write, taking a second to make sure Hanji wasn’t paying attention before he pushed the paper back in Levi’s direction.

You are. Hey, are you busy later?

Levi quickly wrote ‘no’ before pushing the paper back at Erwin, who wrote for a few moments before giving it to Levi.

Let’s go on a date.

Levi paused as he reread the words. A date? He thought to himself, that fluttering feeling coming back to his stomach as he took in the meaning of these words. Cuddling was one thing, but a date ? Erwin was certainly upping the romance between them. They weren’t even an official couple, and Levi wasn’t sure if that’s what he wanted from this. He’d never been in a real relationship. But this also meant he was curious, and he wrote Erwin back asking what they would do.

Erwin explained through his writing that they could go on a walk together that evening. To Levi, a walk didn’t sound like much of a date, so it seemed innocent enough to him. He thought about what he was doing in agreeing to this, and took some time to think it over before writing back and sliding the note across the table.

Sure.

 

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Erwin waited for Levi outside the captains' headquarters for them to meet. Making plans to go on a walk with Levi was something he’d looked forward to all day. He wasn’t entirely sure what his intentions were with Levi quite yet. Erwin was primarily following his heart and not his head when it came to dealing with Levi in this situation. He let his emotions decide where he would take things next, rather than logically working them out. This was unusual for him. He was usually a pretty logical person, but his feelings for Levi had melted him into a sappy love struck idiot.

He’d only been waiting for about five minutes before Levi came out of the door, not seeing him standing there against the wall of the building at first. An idea popped into Erwin’s mind, and once Levi had noticed him out of the corner of his eye (he didn’t think it would be a good idea to scare him), he wrapped his arms around Levi’s waist from behind and lifted him off the ground.

Levi squeaked in surprise and struggled under Erwin’s grip, snapping, “Hey! Put me down, bastard!”

Erwin laughed and put him down, kissing his cheek before letting go. Levi’s anger quickly turned to embarrassment from the kiss, and he was glaring up at Erwin as if he’d just been punched in the face.

“Calm down,” Erwin chuckled, “I couldn’t resist. I’m sorry.”

Levi rolled his eyes a bit before crossing his arms and looking around, “So where are we going?”

Erwin shrugged, starting to walk across the open field in front of them, “I just figured we could let our feet take us wherever they want to go.”

Levi followed next to him, stuffing his hands in his pockets to protect them from the cold as he muttered, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

Unable to help but smile at Levi’s comment, Erwin breathed in the cool night air and continued to walk, glancing down at Levi occasionally. They were silent for the first part of the journey, the only noise being heard was the whistling of the wind and their slightly labored breath as they walked in the cool evening air.

That was until Erwin glanced down to see Levi shivering, only having worn a thin jacket and no gloves. Erwin frowned, stopping in his tracks and waiting for Levi to stop with him.

“What is it?” Levi asked, pulling his jacket tighter around him. Erwin was suddenly starting to feel bad for dragging Levi out here with him, especially when he wasn’t dressed appropriately for the weather. He undid the clasp of his cloak and took it off, draping it over Levi’s shoulders and doing the clasp back up. It was clearly big on him, but at least it would keep him warm.

Levi stared up at him for a moment in clear confusion and surprise at what Erwin had just done. Erwin was almost worried he’d gone too far, or been too romantic, in a sense. But Levi turned a deep shade of red, worse than any of the other times Erwin had seen him blushing.

He immediately covered his face in embarrassment, whining, “Don’t look at me!”

Erwin’s heart fluttered, and he smiled down at him sweetly, “Aww, Levi. Don’t be embarrassed! I just noticed you were cold.”

“That’s the problem you idiot!” Levi snapped, still covering his face, “And I said don’t look at me!”

Erwin couldn’t help but laugh as he turned away, glancing at Levi out of the corner of his eyes to see the shorter man hesitantly take his hands away. Levi must’ve thought Erwin wasn’t looking at him because he tugged the cloak closer around himself and breathed in Erwin’s scent that was lingering on it. Erwin blushed slightly but couldn’t keep himself from smiling. Levi was adorable, even if he would never admit to it.

“Okay, you can look now,” Levi said after calming down a bit, his face turning back to its normal shade.

Erwin turned back around and, placing his fingers under Levi’s chin, tugged him closer, their lips now mere inches from each other. Levi’s breath hitched for a moment before he got used to the new position, staring up at Erwin with the same intensity that Erwin was looking at him with.

“So this is why you brought me out here,” Levi joked, “I see how it is.”

Erwin smiled and quipped back, “No, this is just one of the many perks of being alone with you.”

He couldn’t tell if the redness on Levi’s cheeks was from embarrassment or from the cold - it was too light to tell. Erwin leaned down and gave Levi a bruising kiss on the lips, Levi reaching up and wrapping his arms around Erwin’s neck. He smiled into the kiss and hugged on tight to Levi, hoping to transfer some of his body heat to keep him warm. But halfway into the kiss, Levi was pushing away from him, and Erwin let go.

Levi’s eyebrows were furrowed in thought as he avoided Erwin’s gaze.

“What’s wrong?” Erwin wondered, running a hand gently through Levi’s dark hair with some worry.

“Erwin,” Levi asked quietly, not looking up at him, “What are we?”

What are we? Erwin repeated in his head, surprised by the question. He didn’t even know how to answer, opening and shutting his mouth as he tried to figure out what to respond with. What did he want to be with Levi? Boyfriends? Sexual partners? For Erwin, this was definitely about more than the sexual aspect, but he wasn’t sure how Levi viewed things from his side.

“I don’t know,” Erwin answered finally, “What do you want us to be?”

It was Levi’s turn to be speechless. He took a shaky breath, the coldness of the air displaying his breath in a cloud of fog. He finally looked up at Erwin, as if searching for an answer in his eyes.

“I don’t know,” he responded.

“Well, that’s okay,” Erwin reassured him, “We don’t have to be anything official, unless that’s something you want.”

“I don’t know what I want,” Levi said almost immediately, surprising Erwin a little by the sureness of his answer. But truth be told, Erwin wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted either, so it was understandable.

“That’s okay too,” Erwin replied as he caressed Levi’s cheek lightly, “You take all the time you need.”

Levi leaned into the touch and nodded, staring up at Erwin with a look that the taller man couldn’t exactly pin down. He decided it was probably best to just leave it at that, pulling his hand away and reaching down to take Levi’s cold hand into his gloved one.

“Come on, we should keep going before it gets dark out,” Erwin spoke softly, starting to lead Levi further along the path they’d come down. Erwin squeezed Levi’s hand gently, and felt the short man squeeze back, making his heart skip in happiness.

But that question was still ringing in his mind, taking up all his thoughts as he too wondered: What are we?

 

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Levi stayed in Erwin’s room again that night, snuggled up against him as they both slept the night away. But like some other nights, Levi was in the middle of a nightmare. This one was particularly bad, images of his dead comrades flashing through his sleeping brain. He tossed and turned a little before sitting straight up, his eyes snapping open as he breathed heavily from the aftermath of the nightmare. He held a hand to his aching chest and looked around, trying to get his bearings. Erwin was quickly disturbed from his own sleep by Levi’s actions, and took a moment to rub his eyes sleepily before noticing Levi’s state. He instantly sat up and stared at Levi with a concerned look.

“Are you okay?” he asked, reaching over to relight the oil lamp next to him.

“Nightmare,” Levi said quietly, trying to calm his breathing as he noticed his body shaking from the terror of the dream.

Erwin turned back to him and stared at him in some shock for a moment before speaking, “Levi... are you crying?”

Levi immediately reached up and touched his cheek, finding a wet substance there. His eyes widened slightly from surprise before he felt himself being enveloped in a tight hug, Erwin’s arms wrapping around him.

“It’s okay,” Erwin whispered in his ear, “I’m here. I’ve got you.”

A string of emotions was flowing through Levi’s body. He was shaken up from the nightmare, but now he was confused and embarrassed as to why he had been crying. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried, and he couldn’t believe he was doing it now, in front of Erwin.

Erwin’s words were ringing in his ear, the soothing sound of his voice helping his heartbeat calm down a bit. Part of him wanted to shove Erwin away and leave, but he had to admit he was enjoying Erwin’s comfort.

Erwin pulled away a little to hold Levi’s face in his hands, using his thumbs to wipe away at Levi’s tears carefully. He looked incredibly concerned, clearly not used to seeing Levi this way. 

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, gently caressing his cheeks.

Levi nodded, not saying anything as he still felt the embarrassment of having cried in front of Erwin. The taller man began planting kisses all over Levi’s face, as if he were trying to kiss away the sadness. In any other circumstance, Levi would’ve called him soft and shoved him away, but the feeling of Erwin’s kisses was certainly helping him calm down.

“I’m so sorry,” Erwin whispered, though Levi wasn’t quite sure what he was apologizing for. It wasn’t exactly his fault he’d had a nightmare.

“I’m fine, Erwin,” Levi responded, finally calm enough to speak, “Really. It’s okay.”

Erwin kissed him lightly on the lips before leaning their foreheads together, “Are you sure? You seemed really shaken up.”

“I’m fine,” Levi repeated, blushing at the attention Erwin was giving him.

Erwin smiled sadly at him, “Good.”

He pressed one more kiss to Levi’s lips before scooting down under the covers, holding his arms out for Levi to lay with him. Levi wiped the remaining tears out of his eyes before snuggling under the covers and up to Erwin’s body.

“I don’t think I can go back to sleep after that,” he admitted, burying his face into Erwin’s chest.

Erwin frowned and held him close, running his fingers through his hair, “Will you keep me company while I sleep?”

Levi nodded into his chest, breathing in Erwin’s scent as he listened to the sounds of Erwin breathing deeper and deeper as he fell back asleep. But Levi, as he suspected, sat awake the rest of the night, the terrors of his nightmare still haunting him. He had to admit though, it was nicer to be in Erwin’s arms feeling this way than it was to be alone.

 

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Chapter 3

Hanji headed across the mess hall after getting their food, going to sit at the table Erwin and Levi were already at. They had tried to get details of the relationship between the two from Levi, who had been no help. Erwin, however, had let slip some details, but overall tried to keep things secret as well. Hanji didn’t want to pry, but they wanted so badly to know what was going on between their two best friends, and didn’t like feeling left out. They sat down at the table, both Erwin and Levi silently eating as they sat down. Erwin was reading the morning paper, and Levi was his normal quiet self, taking a sip of tea. Hanji poked at their food with their fork, listening to the silence for a moment before deciding fuck it and piping up.

“So have you two had sex yet?” they asked, causing Levi to choke on his tea and Erwin to drop his paper into his lap.

Neither of them answered, both looking incredibly red in the face as they glanced between each other and Hanji.

“Because,” Hanji continued, “I have some pointers if you need them! I also have plenty of supplies too, I keep it just in case-”

“Hanji,” Erwin said, clearing his throat, “Thank you, but um... I’m prepared, so I don’t need anything.”

Levi’s eyes widened a bit at Erwin’s words, his face flushing a deep red as he realized what Erwin was saying. Hanji didn’t really notice Levi’s reaction, continuing on, “So you have lube-”

“Yes,” Erwin cut them off, unable to even look at Levi, “But we haven’t had sex yet. We’re taking things slow.”

“Why are you telling them all this?!” Levi exclaimed, looking beyond embarrassed, “Stop!”

“Sorry,” Erwin mumbled, smiling sadly at Hanji as if to apologize for Levi’s anger.

Hanji sighed a little and looked over at Levi, who was incredibly frazzled from the conversation, “Well Levi, do you need any advice? I know you’re a virgin so-”

“Shut up!” Levi almost shouted, earning some looks from those around them. He took a deep breath and got up, “Look. I don’t need help, I don’t need advice. Just stay out of our business.”

With that, he stormed off, leaving Hanji confused. They had just wanted to help, why was Levi being so standoffish? Or at least, more standoffish than usual? Hanji turned back to Erwin, who looked after Levi with some concern.

“Sorry Hanji,” Erwin sighed, “Levi’s really sensitive about our relationship. It’s his first one, so I don’t think he knows how to feel or what to do.”

Hanji nodded in understanding, starting to eat their breakfast, “I see. Well, if you guys are taking things slow, how far have you gotten? Are you two happy?”

Erwin looked around as if he was worried Levi would pop back up at any moment. He sighed happily before smiling at Hanji and admitting, “Hanji, this is the happiness I think I’ve ever been in my whole life.”

Hanji couldn’t help but giggle excitedly, “Aww! That’s so sweet.”

“He’s adorable,” Erwin said almost dreamily, “We’ve mostly just made out, but he comes and stays with me at night, so we can cuddle.”

Hanji’s heart was going to explode with the cuteness of the whole thing. They couldn’t picture Levi being this loving with anyone, and the fact that it was with their best friend was even better. Their two best friends falling for one another was so sweet, and Hanji wanted to know everything .

“And Levi’s enjoying himself?” Hanji asked incredulously.

“I mean, I think so,” Erwin said sheepishly, picking his paper back up out of his lap, “He seems to be happy. Or at least, the happiest I’ve seen him.”

“Are you two official yet?” Hanji wondered.

“No,” Erwin replied, leaning back in his seat and reopening the paper, “We’ve talked about it, but we’re both taking time to think about what we want.”

Hanji was practically beaming, “Erwin, I’m so happy for you both. You make an adorable couple.”

Erwin laughed nervously, saying, “Thanks, Hanji,” before going back to reading his paper. Hanji nodded and went back to eating, feeling somewhat successful. Even if they had made Levi run off, at least Erwin had felt comfortable enough to tell Hanji about their relationship.

 

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Levi tried to ignore what had happened that morning with Hanji, but he couldn’t help but feel some type of way about what Erwin had said. He was prepared ? How was Levi supposed to feel about that? Well, he knew exactly how he felt about it, and he was embarrassed to admit it had made him incredibly horny. That was the initial reason he had stormed off - was not only because he was angry with Hanji, but also because he was becoming harder by the second. The thought that Erwin was prepared for them to have sex was something that had caused his thoughts to wander. He went and waited in his office, trying to calm himself down.

After he finally felt his hard-on dying down, he heard Hanji and Erwin coming down the hallway, talking to each other about a mission they were planning for later that week. Upon hearing Erwin’s voice, all the work he had done in trying to calm down was out the window. Once they had separated and gone to their offices, Levi got up, practically ready to pounce on Erwin as he headed towards his office. He walked into the office without knocking, shutting the door and heading straight towards Erwin as if on a mission.

Erwin looked up at the sound of the door, looking a little surprised to see Levi after he ran off earlier. He smiled a little, ready to greet him until he saw the look in Levi’s eyes. Levi didn’t even wait for him to stand up, he climbed on top of Erwin’s lap, straddling him and kissing him roughly.

“Oh shit,” Erwin managed to get out before the bruising kiss was placed to his lips, and he instantly began to kiss back. Levi didn’t really know what his intentions were, all he knew was that he needed to kiss Erwin and desperately .

He sucked on Erwin’s lower lip and gripped tightly to his shirt, tilting his head to get better access. Erwin reached down and wrapped his arms around Levi’s waist, tugging him closer. But that was a mistake. As soon as he was tugged further onto Erwin’s lap, Levi was shocked to feel Erwin’s own hard-on rub against his, eliciting a groan from the shorter man. A blissful feeling ran through his body, and he and Erwin exchanged a glance before Levi experimentally moved his hips downwards, tingles shooting up his body. Fuck .

Erwin gripped the arms of the chair roughly and almost unconsciously jerked his hips upwards, his face flushing as Levi ground his hips down to meet him. There was no stopping now, and no way the two of them could pretend these actions were accidental. Erwin slid his hands onto Levi’s waist as Levi gripped the arms of the chair, starting to grind down on him in a slow rhythm. Erwin let a low groan escape his mouth as he bucked his hips up to meet Levi’s. The noises coming out of Levi’s mouth were disgustingly erotic, and Erwin was praying that nobody that was walking by could hear them.

“Levi,” he gasped out as they continued to move against each other, “Damn, do you want the whole building to hear you?”

Levi couldn’t even respond, burrowing his head into Erwin’s neck to try and silence himself a bit more. The knot in his stomach was tightening as they continued, and Erwin was practically lifting himself off the chair to meet Levi’s hips, while Levi pushed back down brutally. Erwin’s vision was starting to blur as he felt the intense feeling that meant he was close to orgasm. The hands that Levi was gripping the chair with suddenly moved around Erwin’s neck, his groans only getting louder as they continued to move against each other.

Everything was getting out of control. Any thoughts Levi had before had melted into a nonsensible mess. He was so close. Erwin took one hand to grip Levi’s hair, pulling him back from his neck to look him in the eyes. Levi’s eyes were half-lidded, his mouth slightly parted and his face flushed red. Levi felt Erwin gripping his hair tighter, and knew the taller man was close too. Erwin used the hand that still rested on Levi’s hip to bring him down onto him more intensely. With one final thrust upwards, a low groan escaped Erwin’s mouth as he felt his orgasm ripple through him. Levi spasmed slightly from above him as he finished with one final groan.

Neither of them moved for some time after that. Levi could hear Erwin’s panting matching up with his own, and waited for his heart beats to calm down. Had they really just done that? Levi felt embarrassed for the fact that they had just humped like two horny teenagers.

Levi took the chance to look up into Erwin’s eyes, who was still breathing heavily as his eyes darted around the room. Does he regret it? Levi immediately wondered, worry starting to fill his stomach.

But Erwin’s eyes finally snapped back to Levi’s, and they stared at each other for a good moment before Erwin used the hand that was still in Levi’s hand to tug him forward and kiss him deeply. But Levi could still feel that worry floating around in his stomach. What had just happened? He practically jumped off Erwin as soon as he’d pulled away, mumbling something about needing to get cleaned up before leaving the office quickly.

 

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Erwin sat in his room on his bed, waiting to see if Levi would even show up tonight. After Levi walked out earlier, Erwin had been worried he had let things go too far. Perhaps Levi had regretted what they did, and Erwin was feeling guilty for allowing this to happen. Levi had avoided him the rest of the day, staying in his office, which was making Erwin more and more certain that he had messed everything up.

He was mulling all of this over as he heard a quiet knock on his door. He got up and went to open it, seeing Levi standing there. If he’d shown up, then that must’ve meant he wasn’t too angry with Erwin.

“Levi,” Erwin forced a smile, “Did you want to come in?”

Levi was looking down at his boots sheepishly, his fists down at his sides as he mumbled something under his breath. Erwin didn’t quite catch what he said, and leaned forward a little to try and hear him better.

“What?”

“I said I’m sorry,” Levi stated a little louder this time as he slowly brought his gaze up to meet Erwin’s, “You know, for walking out earlier.”

This apology caught Erwin off guard. He hadn’t expected Levi to apologize when he felt like he should be the one apologizing. He opened and closed his mouth for a moment, trying to think of what to respond.

“I just got overwhelmed,” Levi explained, “I’m really sorry.”

Erwin shook his head, “ I’m sorry, Levi. I shouldn’t have let things get so far, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“No,” Levi responded almost instantly, surprising the both of them, “I... I wasn’t uncomfortable... I enjoyed it.”

Erwin couldn’t help but smile, the sinking feeling in his stomach starting to go away. So Levi didn’t regret what they had done. Erwin breathed a sigh of relief before reaching out to touch Levi lightly on the arm, trying to reassure him that everything was okay.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Erwin said, “And you don’t have to apologize. I understand.”

Levi nodded, glancing behind Erwin at his bed and then back to his eyes, “Can we...?”

Erwin smiled, moving aside to let Levi in. He was thrilled that Levi not only wasn’t mad at him, but also still wanted to spend the night together. He closed the door after Levi walked in and headed towards the bed. The shorter man was already busy taking his clothes off when Erwin walked over to him and wrapped his arms around him from behind, kissing at his neck lovingly.

Levi’s face felt hot, and Erwin didn’t have to look to know he was probably blushing. Levi yelped a little in surprise, and much to Erwin’s shock started to laugh, trying to shove Erwin away. 

Erwin grinned mischievously, “Levi, are you ticklish?”

Levi shook his head quickly, still struggling against Erwin’s tight hug. Erwin smirked and started kissing at his neck again, listening to the giggles that were coming from Levi’s mouth. He couldn’t resist the temptation of hearing Levi like this; his laughter was a sound that Erwin wasn’t used to hearing, and it was practically music to his ears.

“E-Erwin!” he laughed uncontrollably, “Stop!”

Erwin let him go after a moment, Levi pulling away and socking Erwin on the arm, “Fuck you!”

Erwin couldn’t help but laugh, rubbing his sore arm where Levi had hit him, “I’m sorry, your laugh is just so cute.”

Levi’s face turned a little red for a moment before he shot Erwin a glare, mumbling, “I’m not cute,” as he continued to strip down to his boxers. Erwin unbuttoned his own shirt and took it off along with his pants.

“You are though,” he responded as he climbed into bed, Levi following shortly after.

Levi rolled his eyes as he snuggled close to Erwin, laying his head on his chest and hugging him around the middle. Erwin wrapped his arms around Levi and kissed his forehead, sighing contently as they lay there enveloped in each other’s arms.

“How was your day?” Erwin asked.

“Meh,” Levi responded, shrugging a bit, “Those kids are stupid.”

Those kids , Erwin assumed, referred to his squad.

“What did they do now?” Erwin asked in some amusement, knowing Levi was incredibly impatient with them.

“They’re just so loud and dumb,” Levi said as he let out a deep, frustrated sigh, “Today at lunch Connie challenged Sasha to see how many bread rolls she could fit in her mouth.”

Erwin chuckled a little because of how on-brand that sounded for the two of them. Before he could ask any follow-up questions, Levi, almost looking traumatized, stated, “Four. She can fit four bread rolls in her mouth.”

Erwin let out a laugh, his chest shaking as Levi held on tighter to him, clearly not expecting Erwin’s laugh.

“Sounds like you had quite the day,” Erwin smiled, still trying to recover from his laughter.

“Just turn off the light, so we can go to bed,” Levi grumbled, and Erwin reached over to turn off the oil lamp when the door swung open.

He looked over to see Eren standing there as he began to say, “Commander Erwin, Captain Hanji needs-”

Eren stopped when he saw Erwin and Levi entangled in each other’s arms. Levi immediately yanked himself out of Erwin’s grasp and sat straight up, giving Eren a death glare. Eren’s eyes widened as he took a second to take in what he was looking at.

“Um... oh god, I’m so sorry,” Eren stumbled over his words.

The door was closed ,” Levi spat angrily, “Don’t you know to knock?!”

“I’m so sorry,” Eren repeated, putting his hands up defensively, “I should’ve knocked.”

“Well, there’s nothing that can be done now I suppose,” Erwin sighed, leaning back against the pillows as he looked over at Levi, who was practically seething.

“Oh yes there is,” Levi growled, ripping the sheets back and standing up.

Eren took a step back, “Oh god no. Please, I’m so sorry!”

“Levi!” Erwin scolded, “Calm down!”

“If you tell anyone what you saw here,” Levi snarled, pointing a finger at him furiously, “I will kick your ass .”

Eren nodded quickly, his hands still up as he prepared for anything Levi could throw at him.

“Well...” Eren said quietly, not looking Levi or Erwin in the eyes, “With all due respect sir, I think everyone already knows.”

Levi’s anger quickly turned to confusion, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“I mean, everyone knows you two are together,” Eren explained.

“Who the fuck told you that?!” Levi snapped, Eren not even getting a chance to respond before Erwin mumbled, “Hanji.”

“Hanji,” Eren confirmed, and Levi sighed heavily as he realized that was probably true. Hanji was the only one who officially knew about the two of them, of course they had been the one to spread the news.

“Fucking Christ,” Levi grumbled angrily as he pressed his finger and thumb to the bridge of his nose in stress, “I’ll be having a talk with them tomorrow.”

“Don’t be too hard on them, Levi,” Erwin said quietly, “They’re just excited that we’re together.”

Eren swung his arms uncomfortably, looking over to Erwin and asking, “Commander, can I go?”

Erwin nodded a little and watched Eren rush off, Levi slamming the door shut behind him and grumbling angrily to himself as he walked back over to the bed. Erwin turned off the oil lamp and went to snuggle up to Levi.

“Don’t,” he huffed, all curled up like a little ball of anger. Erwin smirked a little, thinking this was adorable.

“Aww, don’t be mad,” Erwin rubbed his back gently, “So what if everyone knows?”

“So what?!” Levi exclaimed, “I didn’t want everybody to know, Erwin!”

“I know,” Erwin sighed, “But it’s out there now. Nothing we can do about it.”

“I’m gonna kill Hanji,” Levi mumbled.

“Levi,” Erwin whispered, successfully pulling Levi close this time, “Don’t worry about that now. Let’s just get some sleep.”

Levi let out a short, angry breath, before snuggling back against Erwin and shutting his eyes. Erwin pressed a kiss to Levi’s cheek and breathed in the sweet scent of Levi’s hair as he slowly fell asleep.

 

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As soon as Levi had gotten ready that morning, he headed straight to Hanji’s office, knocking loudly on the door. He was still pretty pissed, and had barely gotten any sleep the night before. Hanji called out for him to come in, and he swung the door open angrily.

“Hanji!” he growled, going in and slamming the door behind him, “ Why did you tell everyone about me and Erwin?!”

Hanji looked up from their work, looking a little surprised that Levi had come in looking so furious. Seeing Levi angry wasn’t an unusual sight, but Hanji wasn’t expecting him to be mad at them .

“Well,” Hanji said calmly, setting the paper they had been reading down on the desk, “I just thought everyone would be happy for you.”

“That wasn’t your news to tell,” Levi glared, crossing his arms, “Now everyone knows, and I didn’t want that!”

Hanji frowned, pondering over what he said. They supposed he was right. It wasn’t really their news to tell, but they hadn’t realized Levi wanted to keep it a secret until it was too late, and they had already told people.

“I’m sorry,” Hanji sighed, leaning back in their chair, “I didn’t think that-”

“You never think!” Levi snapped, pointing at them, “You’re a fucking selfish idiot.”

Hanji was hurt by that. They hadn’t done this to hurt Levi’s feelings - they thought they were helping by sharing the good news with everyone. Hanji’s eyes immediately narrowed as they began to get angry at Levi for his childish name-calling.

“Levi, I said I was sorry!” Hanji retorted, standing up and pointing a finger back at him, “Don’t call me names, or I’ll start calling you names.”

Levi rolled his eyes, grumbling, “Try me then, four eyes.”

“You constipated stuck up son of a bitch,” Hanji challenged, Levi not even flinching from their comment.

“You titan-fucking lunatic,” Levi quipped angrily, and Hanji could feel a smile tugging at their lips.

“You’re Erwin’s little lapdog.”

“Well you’re a dipshit who can’t fucking see.”

“You’re just a tiny little man with a sad backstory.”

The corner of Levi’s mouth was turning in a smile as he snapped, “I bet you’re pegging Moblit.”

“At least I’m getting some,” Hanji stared at him intensely, trying hard not to smile, “You’re just an old virgin who can’t even see above the kitchen table.”

Levi stared back, a smirk forming on his face, “Fuck you, four eyes.”

Hanji finally let themselves grin, “You know I love you, Levi.”

Levi rolled his eyes as he headed back towards the door, opening it up, “Yeah, yeah. I’ll forgive you just this once.”

And with that, they had made up. Hanji watched Levi walk out of their office and sighed happily, going back to their work knowing that everything was good between the two of them again.

 

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Two weeks later, Erwin was sitting at his desk, paging through a book mindlessly. He had finished most of his paperwork, and was incredibly bored, just waiting for the day to end. It was a rarity that he had nothing left to do, and he wanted to enjoy it, but he had to admit he was bored out of his mind.

That’s when Eren appeared in the doorway with a piece of paper in his hand. He saluted Erwin and waited to be allowed in, Erwin waving him towards him.

“Hi Eren,” Erwin smiled, happy to see someone in his boredom, “Did you need something?”

Eren shook his head, holding out the note, “Captain Levi asked me to deliver this to you.”

Erwin reached out and took the note, unfolding it to see Levi’s neat handwriting scribbled across the page:

I’m so bored taking care of these idiots. Save me.

Erwin laughed a little at the note, looking up at Eren and asking, “Did you happen to read this note by chance? Be honest.”

Eren put his hands behind his back nervously, as if he was hiding something, and sheepishly admitted, “Yeah, I did. But please don’t tell Captain Levi, he’ll kick my ass.”

Erwin chuckled, nodding a bit, “I won’t. Don’t worry.”

He stood up and set the note down on his desk, “Well, I suppose I’d better go save him then.”

Eren nodded, smiling a little as Erwin and him began to walk back down the hall towards the training grounds. Erwin noticed that Eren was watching him carefully, as if curious about something.

“Commander?” Eren finally piped up, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Erwin said, seeing Eren take a deep breath to psych himself up. What is he going to ask me? Erwin wondered as he saw the nervousness on Eren’s face.

“Well, we... me and the other squad members, we were all wondering - are you and Captain Levi dating?” Eren asked, “Like... are you boyfriends?”

Erwin felt a slight blush on his face, smiling a little at the innocence of the question. He thought it was very sweet of the kids to be wondering about his and Levi’s relationship, even though he knew Levi probably wouldn’t agree.

“No, we’re not boyfriends... yet,” Erwin replied slowly, adding the ‘yet’ at the last moment.

Eren pondered the response before saying quietly, “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s stopping you from asking him to be your boyfriend? You two seem really happy together.”

Erwin was a little shocked by the question, unsure of how to answer. What was stopping him? Sure, he and Levi had said they didn’t know what they want, but that had been a couple of weeks ago, and they hadn’t spoken about it since. They’d been fooling around for almost a month now: making out, hand holding, cuddling, etc. Erwin knew he wanted Levi to be his boyfriend, so why hadn’t he asked?

“That’s a good question,” Erwin responded after a moment of silence, “I haven’t really thought about it.”

Eren nodded, “Well, I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but I think you make Captain Levi really happy. He’s actually been nicer to us since you two have been together.”

Erwin smiled at that. He liked knowing that he was making Levi happy, especially to the point of him actually being nicer to other people. That was quite an accomplishment in itself, he thought.

“Thank you, Eren,” Erwin said as they approached the training grounds, smiling as he saw Levi scolding the kids for god knows what. Levi, seeing Erwin out of the corner of his eye, turned towards him, looking silently pleased as he knew Erwin was here to ‘rescue’ him. Erwin approached them, waving a little to Levi’s squad in greeting. They greeted him back with salutes, Connie and Sasha whispering to each other as they all stood watching the two of them together. It was like they’d never seen a couple before in real life.

“Levi,” Erwin smiled sweetly, “You should give your squad the day off. I need you to help me with my work.”

Of course, he was lying, just wanting to have Levi alone to himself, and Levi knew that. The shorter man tried to hide his smile, nodding a little as he avoided Erwin’s gaze. They could both feel the eyes of Levi’s squad on them, and Levi clearly didn’t want to show any affection towards Erwin in front of them.

“Fine,” Levi sighed, turning to his squad, “You’re dismissed for the day.”

“Woo-hoo!” Sasha cheered, “Let’s have early dinner!”

“Sasha, we just ate lunch,” Connie sighed in exasperation, Jean rolling his eyes at the two of them as he began to follow them towards the mess hall.

Eren went to join Armin and Mikasa, and Levi watched them go off with narrow eyes, waiting until they were out of sight before he turned to Erwin and mumbled a quick ‘thank you’ for coming to save him.

“Of course,” Erwin smiled, “I was pretty bored, so you caught me at a good time.”

Erwin was still thinking about Eren’s words, wondering to himself why he hadn’t asked Levi yet to be his boyfriend. As he and Levi began to walk back to his room, he was lost in deep thought, convincing himself more and more that he should ask.

“Levi?” Erwin spoke up softly, unlocking the door to his room, “I have something I want to talk to you about.”

Levi walked in first and sat down on his bed, kicking off his boots, “What? You have a good shit today or something?”

Ah, another shit joke , Erwin thought to himself, a smile forming on his lips.

“No,” he chuckled, shutting the door behind him and kneeling down in front of Levi so that they were looking each other directly in the eyes.

“Are you going to propose?” Levi quipped, his face starting to turn red just from what he had said.

“No,” Erwin shook his head, taking Levi’s hand gently, “I do have a question for you though.”

Levi bit his lip, starting to look nervous, “What is it?”

He fidgeted a little on the bed, looking a little uncomfortable as he waited for Erwin to speak.

“Levi,” Erwin took a deep breath, squeezing his hand lightly before asking, “Will you be my boyfriend?”

Levi’s eyes widened slightly at the question, immediately avoiding Erwin’s gaze as he looked around the room, swallowing thickly with anxiety. Erwin knew he would have to give Levi some time to take in the question, and waited patiently for Levi to respond.

“I... why me?” Levi asked almost absentmindedly, not looking at Erwin.

“Why you?” Erwin repeated, looking a little confused.

“I mean... I just don’t feel like...” Levi blushed, looking down at his feet, “Like I deserve this.”

Erwin’s heart sank a little at Levi’s words, and he placed his free hand gently on Levi’s cheek, tilting his head up, so they were looking at each other, “Hey. Don’t say that. You deserve to be happy, Levi.”

Levi scoffed a little, shaking his head as he tried to avoid Erwin’s eyes, “Since when?”

Erwin could feel his heart aching, unable to stand that Levi felt this way. He didn’t think he deserved love? Erwin knew Levi was a pretty broken man, but this was something he hadn’t been prepared for. He reached his arms around Levi and pulled him close, feeling the shorter man almost shaking in his arms.

“Levi,” he said strongly, “Listen to me. You deserve love . You deserve happiness.”

Levi shook his head into Erwin’s shoulder, and Erwin pulled away, grasping Levi’s face between his two hands, “Look at me.”

Levi finally allowed himself to look into Erwin’s eyes, and Erwin could swear he saw tears forming in Levi’s eyes as he said, “Levi. You make me so incredibly happy. You are a good person, and you deserve to be loved.”

Erwin watched these tears continue to form, but he wouldn’t let Levi look away from him.

“Fuck,” Levi mumbled as a tear escaped, running down his cheek, “Please stop.”

“No,” Erwin replied, “I won’t stop until you say it. Tell me you deserve love.”

Levi shook his head, shutting his eyes tightly as another tear escaped his eyes. He opened his eyes up again, Erwin reaching his thumb over to wipe away the tears, “Come on, Levi. You can do it.”

Levi shook his head again, sniffling, “You’re not my fucking therapist.”

Levi ,” Erwin breathed, trying to get through to him, “ Please .”

“Fine,” Levi grumbled, saying it so quietly that Erwin couldn’t even hear him.

“Levi, I can’t hear you,” Erwin practically whispered, running his fingers through Levi’s hair as he watched Levi struggle to hold back his emotions, more tears flowing down his cheeks.

Levi sighed loudly, sniffing again as he avoided Erwin’s eye contact and said quietly, “I deserve love.”

“Good job,” Erwin smiled sadly, hugging him close as he pressed kisses to the side of his head, “I’m so proud of you.”

“Shut up,” Levi practically whined, “You already made me cry, isn’t that enough for you?”

Erwin chuckled softly, continuing to press kisses to Levi’s face, “I mean, you still haven’t answered my question.”

Levi pulled away from Erwin, wiping his eyes and allowing a small smile to form on his face as he nodded a little in response to Erwin’s original question. Erwin smiled back, pecking Levi on the lips lightly before giving him time to calm down. He was still on his knees, and got up, watching Levi carefully as he took some deep breaths to stop himself from being so emotional.

“So...” Levi said after a moment of silence, feeling a little better, “We’re official then.”

Erwin nodded, “Yep. We’re official.”

Erwin watched in surprise as a genuine smile flashed across Levi’s face. Levi stood up slowly before throwing his arms around Erwin’s neck, planting a deep kiss to his lips. Erwin was a little shocked by Levi’s reaction, but he couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy it. He kissed back, pulling away after a moment and sighing happily as he leaned their foreheads together.

“You know what this means, right?” Erwin whispered against Levi’s lips.

“What?” Levi asked curiously.

“I get to come up with pet names for you,” Erwin smirked a little, watching Levi roll his eyes in response.

“Oh god,” he sighed in annoyance, “Like what?”

“Like honey,” Erwin smiled, kissing him lightly, “Or sweetheart,” he kissed him again, “Or baby .”

Levi’s face turned red at the last nickname, cursing under his breath lightly. That’s what helped Erwin decide which name was the perfect one - the one that made Levi the most embarrassed.

“Baby it is then,” he said, laughing when Levi hit his arm in response.

 

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Levi sat in his office the next afternoon, doing some particularly exhilarating paperwork (read sarcastically). He was just waiting for the end of the day when he could stargaze with Erwin and then spend the night with him - his favorite part of his day. But he was surprised when Erwin showed up in his open doorway, his hands behind his back.

“Hey baby,” he smiled, looking way too smug about using this nickname.

Levi cursed under his breath, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get Erwin to stop calling him that as he grumbled, “Hey asshole.”

“I have something for you,” he said as he walked in, shutting the door behind him.

This peaked Levi’s interest, and he raised an eyebrow as he asked, “What is it?”

Erwin chuckled a little at Levi’s clear interest, and pulled out a neatly-wrapped box from behind his back, setting it on Levi’s desk. Levi was confused as to why he was getting a gift, and didn’t even know what to say.

“What is this?” Levi asked incredulously, staring down at the blue wrapping paper that covered whatever was underneath it.

“You have to open it to find out,” Erwin smiled, leaning on his desk with both hands, “Go ahead.”

Levi felt some guilt forming in his stomach. What made Erwin think he deserved a gift? It wasn’t his birthday, and there were no holidays coming up. He hadn’t done anything in particular to deserve this, and he definitely hadn’t thought about getting anything for Erwin.

“But...” Levi protested quietly, “I didn’t get you anything...”

“It’s fine, Levi,” Erwin laughed a little, “Just open it. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

Levi stared down at the box for a moment before looking up at Erwin suspiciously, starting to unwrap the present. Once the wrapping paper had all been pulled off, he stared down at the box, practically in shock. It was a box of black tea, but not just any tea. It was a rare, expensive black tea that Levi had been saving up to buy. How did Erwin know this was something he had been wanting?

“I always see you looking at that tea shop when we go to the marketplace,” Erwin explained, “I thought I’d get you the best tea they had.”

Levi stared down at the tea, not understanding what he had done to deserve such a magnificent gift.

“But... why?” he asked, still confused as to why Erwin would do something this wonderful for him.

“Because,” Erwin smiled sweetly, staring at him lovingly, “I wanted to spoil my baby.”

Levi could feel his cheeks getting warm from embarrassment. He couldn’t believe Erwin would spend this kind of money on him, and he didn’t really think he deserved this at all, but he couldn’t say he was disappointed. In fact, he was incredibly touched. He couldn’t remember the last time someone gave him a gift.

“Erwin...” he said quietly, getting up. He wanted to repay Erwin somehow, and he stepped around the desk, practically rushing at the taller man.

Erwin practically laughed and put a hand up between the two of them, “Levi. You don’t have to make out with me just to repay me. This is a gift - you don’t have to reciprocate.”

Levi stopped and stared up at him, his eyes narrowing seductively, “I’m not doing this to repay you. And I’m not going to make out with you.”

Erwin looked at him in confusion, looking shocked when Levi got down on his knees in front of him, starting to undo the top button of Erwin’s pants.

“W-Wait, wait, wait,” Erwin stammered in surprise, “Levi, you don’t have to-”

“I want to,” Levi said, beginning to unzip Erwin’s pants. And he truly did. This wasn’t just about repaying Erwin; he wanted to show him just how much that gift meant, just how much he loved Erwin spoiling him like this.

“Are you sure?” Erwin asked, still looking astonished that Levi was on his knees.

“Yes, Erwin,” Levi sighed in annoyance, tugging Erwin’s pants down a little before stopping, “Unless you don’t want me to?”

Erwin was already clearly hard just from the fact that Levi had gotten down on his knees, but he stared at Levi as if he’d never even heard of a blow job before. He took a second to get his bearings before saying, “I mean... I just don’t want you to do it for the wrong reasons.”

“I’m not,” Levi said, his fingers resting on the band of Erwin’s boxers, “Now... do you want me to or not?”

Erwin stared down at him for a moment, cursing under his breath before mumbling, “Yes, I want you to.”

Levi nodded, nervousness pooling in his stomach as he suddenly realized how much he didn’t know what he was doing. He had been so confident just a moment before, and he tried to keep this confidence together as he tugged Erwin’s underwear down, exposing him to the cold air. It’s just a blow job... Levi thought, How hard can it be? (No pun intended).

He stared at Erwin’s exposed member before enveloping it into his mouth, eliciting a groan from the taller man. He began to bob his head slowly, completely unsure of what he was doing as Erwin gripped his hair roughly with one hand, using his other hand to steady himself on Levi’s desk.

“Shit,” he muttered as Levi swirled his tongue and sucked on him eagerly, “L-Levi.”

Levi felt his pants getting tighter just from Erwin’s noises, and he groaned around Erwin’s hard-on as he sucked harder. He breathed deeply through his nose before swallowing around his length, whimpering quietly. Erwin was gripping his hair hard, and his breathing was becoming more and more labored as Levi went on.

“Fuck, baby,” he groaned, and Levi blushed at the nickname, still not used to it. He gagged a little as he went too far down, pulling away a little to catch his breath before engulfing Erwin’s member into his mouth again. Erwin was rocking his hips gently, trying not to get out of control as he gripped Levi’s desk.

“I’m close,” he said, moaning as Levi picked up the pace. Before Levi knew it, he felt hot liquid spilling down his throat, and he swallowed thickly before pulling away and wiping his lips on the back of his hand. He stood up shakily, hoping he had done a sufficient job. He didn’t have to wonder long, because as soon as he stood up, Erwin grabbed him by his thighs, picking him up and putting him on the desk as he began kissing him roughly.

This was the farthest they had ever gotten, and Levi could feel his heart pounding as he felt Erwin grind against him. He let out a short gasp, leaning up to kiss Erwin back as he tried to move his hips back against Erwin’s.

“I want to fuck you,” Erwin whispered huskily, and that’s when the mood shifted. Levi’s face flushed completely red, and he shoved Erwin away as he covered his blushing face.

“Erwin!” he whined, “Don’t- you can’t just say that!”

Erwin was hardly phased, almost expecting Levi’s response as he chuckled and replied in a low voice, “It’s true though.”

Levi slowly uncovered his face to look at Erwin’s, noticing how lustfully Erwin was staring at him. His eyes were half-lidded, his breath labored as he was still recovering from the blow job Levi had given him.

“Next time,” Levi practically squeaked as Erwin was already trying to kiss him again, “We can try to next time, okay? I’m just not ready.”

Erwin’s lustful look was slowly returning to normal with the more time that passed, and he nodded in understanding as he gripped Levi’s chin roughly, giving him a bruising kiss, “Okay baby. If you’re sure.”

Levi nodded, but he wasn’t sure how sure he really was. Was he ready for that kind of intimacy? It was a huge step in their relationship, and he couldn’t hide how terrified he was to have sex, especially with someone he trusted and cared about so much.

 

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Levi stood outside of Hanji’s office later that day, his fists clenched at his sides. He couldn’t believe he was standing here, especially for the reason he was there for. He took another moment to wallow over his feelings before he knocked, opening the door after Hanji called for him to come in. They looked surprised to see Levi, and he entered and shut the door behind him.

“Levi!” Hanji exclaimed happily, grinning at him, “What’s up?”

“I need your advice,” he mumbled sheepishly, not bothering to look them in the eyes.

“On what?” Hanji raised their eyebrows, looking up from the book they had been reading.

“Sex,” Levi practically whispered, and Hanji craned their neck as if they didn’t hear him properly.

“What?”

“Sex!” Levi said a little louder, crossing his arms as he avoided eye contact, “I need sex advice.”

Hanji’s face shifted, and they immediately grinned, setting their book down, “Oh! Okay, I can help with that. Sit down.”

Levi sighed, not liking the fact that he was coming to Hanji for this advice. But he didn’t have anyone else to turn to, and he sat down in the chair across from Hanji’s desk, waiting for them to start the conversation.

“So,” Hanji smiled, smacking their hands down on the desk excitedly, “What do you want to know?”

That was a good question. Levi didn’t even know what he wanted to know - he just knew that he wasn’t prepared. He was very unsure about what sex with Erwin would even entail, and he wanted to make sure he felt more comfortable before he was alone with Erwin again.

“I just... want to know what’s going to happen,” Levi spoke carefully, not looking at Hanji, “I want to be prepared.”

“Well,” Hanji sighed, leaning back in their chair, “You’re going to need to clean yourself first. Do you know how to do that?”

Levi knew what they were alluding to and nodded quickly. Being an extremely clean person, he already knew about the intricacies of cleaning himself for sex.

“Hmm,” Hanji thought, tapping their chin, “Well, I’m just going to tell you - it shouldn’t hurt. If it hurts, you’re doing it wrong.”

Levi nodded, taking mental notes as they explained the function of lube and how much they should be using. He tried not to be embarrassed about the conversation, knowing it was necessary information for him to know.

“Just take things slow the first time,” Hanji explained, clasping their hands together and leaning forward, “And listen to what your body tells you. Don’t force yourself to do anything you feel uncomfortable with.”

“Right,” Levi said, starting to get bored with their conversation. He appreciated Hanji’s advice, but they did tend to go overboard when talking in depth about something. He was the one who had asked though, so he was in for whatever Hanji was telling him.

“Lastly,” Hanji continued, “It’s probably going to be awkward. Your first time usually will be.”

“Lovely,” Levi sighed in annoyance, crossing his arms as he tried to form a coherent sentence, “I just... I want to know how to make it feel good... for him.”

A small smile formed on Hanji’s face as they held back an ‘aww’, clearing their throat and trying to think of what to respond with. They took a moment before answering, “Well, just pay attention and listen to what he likes and dislikes. It’ll feel good for him regardless, trust me. And he’ll enjoy it just because it’s you and him.”

Levi nodded again, feeling a blush creep up on his face as he tried to refrain from thinking too deeply about him and Erwin having sex. He took a deep breath and went to stand, satisfied with the answers he’d gotten from Hanji.

“Make sure you fill me in on all the dirty details,” Hanji grinned, tilting their glasses down a little and looking at him mischievously.

Levi rolled his eyes and headed to the door, muttering, “Yeah, yeah. I’m sure you’ll get them from Erwin. He can’t keep his mouth shut.”

Hanji laughed a little, “He’s just excited, Levi. He needs to share with someone.”

Though he didn’t really agree with that statement, he nodded anyways, mumbling a thank you to Hanji before heading out the door. He felt a little better about the situation with Erwin. At least he sort of knew what to expect now, and what to do. But he still dreaded the next time he would be alone with Erwin. Not knowing when that would be was starting to make everything more difficult for him.

 

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Chapter 4

That night, Levi had decided it would be best to not spend the night in Erwin’s room. He spent a sleepless night in his own bed, thinking about what having sex with Erwin would mean for their relationship. He wondered if Erwin was thinking about him, wondering why he hadn’t showed up that night. Levi couldn’t help but admit that he missed Erwin that cold night alone in his bed: he missed the warmth, the sweet caresses and kisses, and waking up next to his favorite person.

The next morning, he got up groggily and got ready for the day, heading to his office. When he opened the door, he was a little surprised to see Erwin sitting at his desk, a calm but concerned look written across his face. Levi walked in and shut the door, knowing he probably owed Erwin an explanation.

“You didn’t come to bed last night,” he frowned.

“I’m sorry,” Levi responded quietly, “I just... a lot has been on my mind. I thought it was best to spend the night alone.”

“Is it the sex thing?” Erwin asked, hitting the nail right on the head, “Because you don’t have to apologize for that. I understand.”

Levi swallowed thickly from nervousness, nodding a little and avoiding Erwin’s gaze as the taller man got up from his desk and made his way over to Levi. He took Levi’s face into his hands, tilting his chin up. He didn’t like it when Levi didn’t look him in the eyes, god knows why. Levi couldn’t figure it out, but he generally obeyed when Erwin took the time to tilt his face up to meet his eyes.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Erwin smiled softly as Levi met his gaze, “There’s no pressure, Levi. Just because we’re alone together doesn’t mean we have to have sex.”

Levi nodded. Of course, he knew that, but hearing Erwin’s words reaffirm this for him made him feel a little better, especially since he was alone with Erwin right now. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, feeling a little more reassured now.

“Hey, I have a surprise for you,” Erwin mentioned excitedly, pulling away and rubbing his arms lovingly.

Another surprise? Levi thought, guilt starting to rise in his stomach. Why did Erwin keep spoiling him like this? And why did it have to make Levi feel so guilty inside? He felt as though he owed Erwin, and he didn’t like the feeling of owing people.

“What is it?” Levi asked cautiously, curious nonetheless.

“Come on,” Erwin grinned, grabbing Levi’s hand and starting to drag him out of his office. Levi followed, allowing himself to be dragged along as Erwin led him out of the building and into the field they had walked just a couple of weeks ago. Levi’s thoughts were racing as he wondered what Erwin had in store for him. Another walk? Another gift?

Erwin led him to a lone evergreen tree, and Levi craned his neck to look around Erwin’s large body. He saw a blanket laid out on the green grass, a basket set on one end to keep it from moving in the wind.

“I got us some breakfast,” Erwin explained, going to sit down on the blanket and holding his hand out to Levi, who was practically flabbergasted. A picnic? He thought to himself, his face starting to turn red. He had to admit he was touched by Erwin’s ability to be incredibly romantic. Levi didn’t think he had a romantic bone in his own body, and he definitely wasn’t used to being spoiled like this. Levi took Erwin’s hand and sat down next to him, trying to make himself comfortable on the blanket as he watched Erwin open the basket and hand him a buttered croissant.

“Why did you do this?” Levi asked incredulously, taking the croissant and the napkin Erwin was holding out to him.

“Because I thought it’d be nice to treat you to a date,” Erwin smiled sweetly, taking a thermos out of the basket, “I even made you tea.”

Levi didn’t understand what he had done to deserve this, and narrowed his eyes slightly as he took the thermos, “This isn’t to get me to have sex with you, is it?”

Erwin looked almost hurt, shaking his head immediately, “Of course not! Levi, I would never expect sex from you in return for something I do for you. I’m doing this because I want to make you happy, not because I want anything from you.”

Levi didn’t like the look Erwin had given him, and instantly felt bad. How could he have asked something like that when Erwin had been kind enough to take him on a picnic date? He started to eat and took a sip from the thermos, still not fully understanding why Erwin was doing all these things for him, but also feeling a little better at the same time that it wasn’t related to them having sex.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, unable to look at Erwin, “I just... it’s been on my mind lately.”

“I can tell,” Erwin sighed, starting to eat as well, “It’s fine.”

That sigh wasn’t a good sign, and Levi was worried that he’d pissed Erwin off and ruined everything. He slowly looked up to see Erwin was already looking at him, a soft smile on his face as he watched Levi enjoying his breakfast. Levi breathed a sigh of relief. Still feeling bad, however, he scooted closer to Erwin on the blanket and leaned his head on Erwin’s shoulder as he nibbled on the croissant.

Erwin pressed a kiss to the top of his head, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him closer. Levi sighed contently, a small smile forming on his lips. He had to admit, this was nice. The weather wasn’t too bad, just a little windy, and he felt at ease in Erwin’s arms, especially since he had missed cuddling him the night before.

“I just don’t understand why you’re doing such nice things for me,” Levi finally muttered after a long moment of silence.

“I thought I told you already,” Erwin replied as he squeezed Levi gently in his arms, “You’re my boyfriend now, and I want to spoil you, Levi.”

Levi blushed a little and took the final bite of the croissant, brushing the crumbs from his lap onto the grass. Was this normal for a relationship? Levi had never had a boyfriend before, so he didn’t really know what to expect. Was he supposed to be doing the same for Erwin?

“You don’t have to feel bad, Levi,” Erwin said quietly, as if reading his thoughts, “And you really don’t have to reciprocate. I’m doing these things because I want to, not because I think I have to.”

Levi could feel his blush getting worse, and he was glad they weren’t sitting facing each other, so he could hide his red face. He just didn’t understand how someone could care about him so much that they would buy him gifts and take him on dates, and he was having a difficult time wrapping his head around it.

“Erwin,” Levi asked, “Why do you even like me?”

Levi felt Erwin pulling away from him so that they could look at each other, and Levi cursed silently to himself as he was sure Erwin would see his blushing face now. But Erwin didn’t say anything about this, and instead looked directly into Levi’s eyes, turning his body so that they were facing each other and taking both of his hands to interlace their fingers together.

“I like you because your smile gives me butterflies in my stomach,” he practically whispered, “Because your laugh makes my heart skip a beat. And I would do anything to keep that happiness on your face.”

Levi could feel his face growing hotter, and he felt his walls breaking down as he allowed himself to feel every word that Erwin was saying to him. He wanted to express his own feelings, but he didn’t know how. He didn’t know what to say. Erwin let go of one of Levi’s hands to gently caress his cheek, smiling lovingly at him.

Levi’s heart was beating faster by the moment as he tried to think of how to tell Erwin how much he cared about him, how much he liked him too. He spent a moment of uninterrupted silence overthinking what to say, what to do, before he let his heart take over and let go of Erwin’s hand.

He climbed into Erwin’s lap and placed his hands on either side of Erwin’s face, staring him directly in the eyes as he whispered, “I would never let anybody, or anything, hurt you... I’ve never felt that way about anyone.”

Levi then wrapped his arms around Erwin’s waist and hugged him tightly, burying his face into Erwin’s shoulder. He could feel Erwin’s shock, as there was a moment where his hands just hung in the air, unsure of what to do. But he soon wrapped his arms back around Levi and held him, and Levi could feel Erwin’s smile against his own skin.

“Thank you,” Erwin muttered, though Levi wasn’t exactly sure why. He didn’t think he deserved thanks, and pulled away a little just in time to see a tear break over Erwin’s eyelid and roll down his cheek. Levi’s heart nearly stopped, worrying he’d messed up. He quickly reached up to wipe the tear away, as if wiping it away would stop more from coming. Erwin’s eyes were still tearful, and Levi was practically panicking as he tried to think of what to do to stop them from coming forward.

“I-I’m sorry,” Levi stuttered as he began to press kisses on Erwin’s cheeks, “Don’t cry - I’m sorry.”

A confused look came across Erwin’s face as he sniffled and reached up to wipe the extra tears out of his eyes, “Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You’re crying!” Levi exclaimed, panic written all over his face.

Erwin couldn’t help but chuckle a little as he reached up to peck Levi on the lips, “I’m crying because I’m happy. You make me happy, Levi. What you said was really touching.”

“Oh,” Levi replied, sighing in relief before a blush crept up on his face again at Erwin’s words. He couldn’t believe he’d been the reason Erwin was crying, and crying happily at that. Why had his words made Erwin so emotional? Levi didn’t think he had a particularly poetic way with words, so he was definitely confused as to how he could bring forth such emotion from his lover.

“I’m not used to you being so open and honest with me,” Erwin smiled softly, pressing another kiss to Levi’s lips, “That’s why I said thank you.”

“Oh,” Levi repeated, still unsure of what to say. He didn’t think ‘you’re welcome’ was an appropriate response.

Erwin sighed happily, staring at Levi with his soft, loving blue eyes. Levi felt his heart swelling, and he put his hands back on either side of Erwin’s face and kissed him deeply. Erwin held him close and kissed back. It wasn’t rough or lustful as many of their previous kisses had been. This kiss was full of the emotions they had just expressed to each other, and Levi could feel Erwin’s heart beating against his own. Everything felt perfect in that singular moment, and Levi almost wished that it would never end.

 

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Levi spent the rest of the week in Erwin’s room at night, no longer concerned about Erwin’s intentions about sex with him. He trusted Erwin a lot more since that day in the field, and his anxieties surrounding their relationship were slowly subsiding the more time they spent together. He felt as though he could be more vulnerable around Erwin now, and that was bringing them closer.

Levi was currently sitting with Erwin in his bed after a long day of work, proofreading a briefing that Erwin had prepared for the next morning’s meeting. Erwin was busy sketching some mission plans, both of them working silently.

“Your handwriting is atrocious,” Levi scoffed, narrowing his eyes to try and make out a particularly poorly-written word in Erwin’s writing.

“Sorry,” Erwin mumbled, not bothering to look up from what he was doing, “I was in a hurry.”

Levi rolled his eyes a little and sighed, setting the papers down on the bedside table once he was finished, “All done. You almost ready to go to bed?”

Erwin nodded, putting the finishing touches on his sketch before setting it down as well and turning to smile at Levi, “Okay, I’m ready.”

Levi stared at Erwin as he unbuttoned his shirt, and swallowed thickly as he felt his boxers getting tighter. Erwin noticed him staring and smirked a little, taking his shirt off slowly and tossing it aside as he turned to face Levi.

“You like what you see?” Erwin asked in almost a joking manner, giving him a seductive look. But Levi wasn’t in a joking mood at the moment, and he nodded in response to Erwin’s question, licking his lips.

Erwin raised an eyebrow as he watched Levi, realizing he was serious. He let out a soft ‘oh’ as Levi climbed into his lap, and grinned a little as he gripped Levi’s hips and leaned up to kiss him. Levi pressed a bruising kiss to Erwin’s lips, hungrily sucking on his lower lip. Erwin groaned and bit roughly on Levi’s lower lip, sliding his tongue into his mouth as their tongues began to dance together. Levi let his hands explore Erwin’s chest as he felt Erwin grasping at his hips roughly.

But Levi could tell that Erwin wasn’t just looking for a make out session from the way he was kissing him. Erwin pulled away to suck and kiss at his neck, leaving marks along Levi’s jawline that he knew he’d have to try and cover up tomorrow. Levi could feel his boxers growing tighter by the second, and he couldn’t stop himself from shoving Erwin back on the bed and grinding against him.

Erwin gasped a little as he laid back on the bed and watched the shorter man above him, pushing his hips up to meet Levi’s. He still gripped Levi’s waist as he helped to bring him down onto his erection roughly. Levi tossed his head back and let out a low groan as Erwin stared up at him through half-lidded eyes.

“Fuck,” Levi whined, practically bouncing as he rubbed their erections together, “Erwin... I need...”

Levi was slowly beginning to lose control of his ability to form proper sentences, the feeling in his stomach starting to grow the more time he spent grinding against Erwin.

“What is it, baby?” Erwin asked, and the nickname only made Levi more turned on, for some reason or another.

Levi tugged at Erwin’s boxers to try and get his point across, “Take them off.”

Erwin’s eyes widened slightly, but it wasn’t as though Levi hadn’t seen him naked before. He quickly worked to take down his boxers, and reached up to yank Levi’s down as well, exposing him to the cold air of the room. Levi whimpered at the feeling and tossed their underwear aside before repositioning his own erection above Erwin’s. He hesitated, glancing up at Erwin to make sure this was okay. Erwin nodded to reassure him, and groaned as Levi began to rock their naked erections together.

Levi ,” he moaned as he bucked his hips against Levi’s, causing the shorter man to let out a low growl as he picked up the pace.

Levi could barely stand it. He wanted more , and he could feel his chest getting tighter as he realized just what he wanted.

“E-Erwin,” he whimpered, stopping for a moment to look down at Erwin and make eye contact with him, “I want it. Sex. Please .”

Erwin’s mouth hung open a little, his eyes widening for a moment before he asked, “Are you sure?”

Levi took a second to answer. Am I sure? He wondered, the thoughts of the advice that Hanji had given him starting to flood his brain. He couldn’t think of any reason why he shouldn’t say yes. Levi wanted this, and he knew if he ever became uncomfortable that Erwin would stop for him.

Yes ,” he practically growled, leaning over Erwin’s body to kiss him roughly before pulling away, “I want you.”

Erwin’s expression quickly turned to a serious one, and he reached over to his bedside table, practically throwing the top drawer open as he searched through it to retrieve the lube. Levi could feel the excitement building in his chest and his groin as Erwin coated his fingers in the warm substance.

“Are you ready?” he asked quietly, tugging Levi closer to him with his free hand.

Levi nodded a little, feeling Erwin’s fingers near his entrance as he braced himself for whatever was coming. Erwin’s first finger breached his entrance, and he felt a searing, strange feeling in his stomach. It didn’t feel great , but it wasn’t bad either. He squirmed a little under Erwin’s touch, sucking in a deep breath.

“You okay, baby?” Erwin gently coaxed him, holding him closer as he began to work his finger in and out of him. He pushed in a second slowly.

Levi whined and nodded, barely even reacting to the nickname Erwin had called him all week as he gently bounced against Erwin’s fingers. Erwin was staring up at him with the most lustful look he’d ever seen.

“You’re so pretty, baby,” Erwin murmured softly, slowly adding a third finger as he worked to stretch him out.

Levi gasped at the feeling and visibly blushed at Erwin’s words, wanting to curse him out for saying such things to him. But he was far too focused on the fingers moving inside him to say anything at the moment. And just like that, Erwin had removed his fingers, Levi whimpering at the loss of feeling.

Erwin lined up his cock properly before looking up at Levi, who was avoiding his gaze, practically panting with desire.

“Look at me,” Erwin ordered, “Are you ready?”

Levi turned his head to stare down at Erwin, the two pairs of lustful eyes meeting, both of them half-lidded and breathing hard. Levi didn’t have to think long about his answer, eagerly nodding his head as he waited for Erwin to continue. Erwin continued to stare at him seductively as he pushed himself past Levi’s entrance, Levi sinking down onto him with a slight gasp from the feeling. Levi’s heart pounded, and he felt his dick twitching with pleasure as Erwin’s length filled him.

“You okay?” Erwin asked, gripping Levi’s hips roughly as he bit his own lip.

“Y-Yes,” Levi responded, practically begging, “God, please move.”

He didn’t have to ask Erwin twice, as the taller man grasped Levi’s waist and started helping Levi bounce on top of him. The feeling in Levi’s stomach was growing more and more as he continued to ride Erwin, lewd noises escaping his mouth.

“L-Levi,” Erwin groaned, snapping his hips up to meet him, “F-Fuck, you’re so fucking gorgeous.”

Levi didn’t have the energy to scold him for the compliments. His legs were starting to shake from being on top, and Erwin could sense he was starting to get tired. He flipped their positions, putting Levi face down on the bed and positioning himself again before pushing in carefully. Levi bit down roughly on his lower lip and gripped the pillow underneath him as Erwin began to pick up the pace, causing Levi to cry out.

“Erwin!” he whimpered, groaning and burying his face into the pillow.

“Shit,” Erwin groaned as he continued to slam into him, trying not to be too rough. The feeling of Levi’s erection rubbing against the mattress with every thrust was just too much, and he could feel himself growing closer and closer with every second, especially when he felt Erwin angle himself and hit a spot that sent sparks tingling up his spine.

“Erwin,” he whined, “I’m so close.”

“M-Me too,” Erwin responded almost instantly, gripping his hips roughly as he continued to plow into him, “Look at me, Levi. I want to see you.”

Levi moaned as he turned his head to look back at Erwin, his eyes widening as he came, his legs shaking as his orgasm took over him. Erwin came soon after, pulling out slowly as they both tried to calm their labored breathing.

Erwin collapsed on the bed next to Levi, trying hard to catch his breath. Levi turned to look at him, grimacing at the sweat glistening on Erwin’s body and the mess they had just made of the bedsheets.

“We need to shower and change the sheets,” Levi said once he had gotten his breathing back to semi-normal.

Erwin couldn’t help but let out a short laugh, “Of course that’s the first thing you’d be thinking about.”

Levi pouted and rolled his eyes, “You know I don’t like feeling dirty.”

Erwin sighed a little, his breathing pretty much back to normal at this point, “Did you at least enjoy yourself?”

The shorter man sat up, his legs still a little shaky, “Yes. I thought that was pretty obvious.”

Erwin chuckled a little and went to get up, “Come on then, let’s go shower.”

Levi got up slowly, not liking the aching feeling he felt as he walked towards Erwin’s bathroom with him. But he didn’t regret it in the slightest. If this is what sex with Erwin was like then he regretted not doing it sooner.

 

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

 

Levi entered his office after lunch the next day to see a large bouquet of flowers sitting on his desk, already in a vase. He instantly knew who they were from, and his heart skipped a beat as he approached the bouquet, seeing a note sticking out of the side of it. He picked it up and read it:

These flowers are almost as beautiful as you. Love, Erwin

Levi rolled his eyes at the cheesy note, unable to help but smile a little as he examined the flowers. They were pastel carnations, and Levi took in a deep breath of their smell before we went to sit at his desk. As he came down from the excitement of receiving yet another gift from Erwin, he started to feel guilty once again. He knew that Erwin didn’t want him to feel bad for being showered with gifts, but he couldn’t help it. He felt like he needed to get something for Erwin, though he had no idea what.

An idea suddenly popped into his head, and he quickly grabbed a piece of paper from his desk drawer, starting to write. He worked on his writing for most of the day, coming back to it in between meetings and paperwork and rewriting pieces he wasn’t entirely satisfied with. By the end of the day, it was finished, and though he wasn’t a hundred percent happy with how it had come out, he knew that he needed to go catch up with Erwin soon anyways, so he picked up the piece of paper and took it with him to Erwin’s office.

Erwin looked thoroughly exhausted when Levi came into his office and shut the door, holding the piece of paper behind his back. But he perked up upon seeing his boyfriend, smiling sweetly at him.

“Thank you for the flowers,” Levi said before Erwin could even greet him.

Erwin nodded, the tiredness in his eyes still gleaming through even though he tried to fight it, “Of course, baby. I’m glad you liked them.”

“I... have something for you,” Levi spoke sheepishly, unable to make eye contact with Erwin as he held out the piece of paper, “Just - promise not to laugh, okay?”

Erwin glanced between Levi and the paper for a second, looking a little confused before nodding, “Of course I won’t laugh. What is it?”

“You have to read it to find out,” Levi stated quietly, feeling his heart pick up its pace as Erwin went to read it.

His eyes scanned the first couple lines before a smile broke out on his face, “Did you write me a poem?”

Levi instantly blushed at Erwin’s grin, and he covered his cheeks as he whined, “Shut up! Just read it.”

Erwin chuckled a little before turning his eyes back to the paper, starting to read it to himself:

 

I like your stupid face

And the way you do your eyebrows

I love your warm embrace

And when we bring together our mouths

 

You dumb, handsome bastard

How dare you be so kind

I love the way you flirt

You’re always on my mind

 

You’re not so good at cleaning

But I can forgive that

Because your smile is gleaming

So I’ll keep your face intact

 

You live in my daydreams

And calm all my nightmares

Your heart is like a sunbeam

That nobodies could compare

 

If I should ever lose you

If you had ever died

I don’t think I could continue

Without you by my side

 

Levi stood there patiently as he waited for Erwin to finish reading, fidgeting as he stood awkwardly by the door, almost as if he were waiting to run out if Erwin had any negative sort of reaction. But Erwin’s grin only became annoyingly bigger the more he read, and Levi could feel his face getting hot. This was definitely the most vulnerable he’d ever felt around Erwin, even more so than when they had sex.

“Levi,” Erwin finally looked up, practically beaming, “This is adorable.”

“Noooo,” Levi whined, covering his red face, “It’s not. It’s supposed to be romantic.”

Erwin couldn’t help but laugh, “It is romantic!”

“You promised you wouldn’t laugh!” Levi glared as he pointed a finger accusingly at Erwin.

Erwin smiled, clearly not threatened by Levi’s antics, putting his hands up innocently, “Honestly, Levi. It’s very romantic, and very sweet of you. I love it.”

Levi pouted a little, still annoyed that Erwin had called his actions adorable. Erwin set the paper down in front of him and got up, walking around his desk to envelope Levi in a hug, sighing happily.

“I had a rough day,” he admitted, rubbing Levi’s back lightly, “I really needed that - it cheered me up.”

Levi grumbled under his breath, but hugged Erwin back anyways. He was glad that he had at least helped make Erwin feel better, but he wasn’t sure if he’d done a sufficient job in paying Erwin back for all the lovely things he had done for him.

“I’m going to read it every time I’m having a rough day,” Erwin continued, pressing a kiss to the top of Levi’s head, “And I’m going to think of you when I read it.”

Levi felt that blush creeping up on his face again, and he allowed himself to smile softly as he nuzzled his face into Erwin’s chest, breathing in Erwin’s scent as he sighed contently. Erwin held him closer, continuing to rub his back before he pulled away suddenly.

“Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you something,” Erwin said, and Levi looked up at him with some curiosity, “There’s a social event this Saturday for the higher-ups. Did you want to go together?”

Levi grimaced a little, recalling that he’d seen this event posted up around the building. He wasn’t particularly a social person, so he hadn’t really planned going at all. He usually avoided events like that anyways. But he hadn’t even considered going as Erwin’s date. This would be the first event they would attend together, officially as a couple. Sure Hanji and his squad knew about them dating, but he wasn’t sure how many of the other higher-ups knew about him and Erwin. But the more he thought about going with Erwin, the more bearable it was sounding, and he didn’t want to disappoint the eager look Erwin had on his face when he had asked moments before.

“Sure,” Levi said shortly, “But no lovey-dovey stuff in front of the other higher-ups. I don’t want them to fear me any less just because I’m holding hands with the commander.”

Erwin laughed a little before nodding, “Okay, okay. No ‘lovey-dovey’ stuff.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

 

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

 

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Chapter 5

That weekend, Erwin busied himself with getting ready for the social, dressing up a little nicer than usual. He knew it was a fairly casual event, and didn’t bother with anything too fancy as he went for his traditional button-up shirt and bolo tie. Levi had shown up halfway through his getting ready process, wearing a casual button-up with a nice jacket layered over it.

He sat on Erwin’s bed to wait for him, and Erwin came out of the bathroom, asking, “How do I look?”

“Absolutely incredible,” Levi deadpanned, rolling his eyes a bit before getting up, “You look fine. Let’s go, we’re already late.”

Erwin nodded and followed Levi out the door and towards the mess hall where the event had been set up. Erwin reached out to take Levi’s hand, but Levi swatted it away quickly, and Erwin was reminded of their conversation of no ‘lovey-dovey’ stuff. They entered the mess hall together, and Erwin was immediately bombarded by people who wanted to talk to him, which was nothing new. Levi’s squad and some other new recruits were in charge of serving, so he wasn’t surprised to see them running around and taking orders.

As Erwin was practically ushered away by the crowd of people eager to talk with him, Levi stood there alone and scanned the room before spotting Hanji, who was sitting with Moblit and talking to him excitedly about something. He walked over to them cautiously, Hanji noticing him far before he wanted them to.

“Levi-iii!” Hanji singsonged, “You actually came for once!”

Levi rolled his eyes and went to sit on the other side of them, scolding, “And I won’t go to another one if you ever say my name like that again.”

Hanji’s lower lip poked out in a pout, “Aww, don’t be so grumpy, Levi. Go get yourself some alcohol - that’ll loosen you up.”

“I don’t get drunk,” Levi said shortly, crossing his legs and already looking incredibly bored. Hanji waved down Armin, who was busy getting drinks for people, and got a glass of scotch for Levi, who sipped at it absentmindedly.

“So how are things with you and Erwin?” Hanji asked, “Have you two had sex yet?”

Levi looked around as if they had just shouted this, growling, “Be quiet. And that’s none of your business.”

Hanji sighed, “You’re no fun. Where is Erwin, anyways?”

Levi scanned the room, finally spotting Erwin sitting at a table with a group of particularly rich-looking people - probably some government officials of some sort. He pointed Erwin out to Hanji, who had already gone back to their conversation with Moblit.

Levi watched Erwin carefully. He was so charismatic, so charming; everything Levi wasn’t. But Levi was secretly glad that he hadn’t been the one crowded by people, as he couldn’t think of anything worse that could happen to him.

That’s when he noticed how the rich ladies sitting at the table were fawning over Erwin. They were laughing at all his jokes, their eyes practically sparkling as they took in Erwin’s charm. Levi’s fist clenched around the scotch glass as he took another sip, watching them like a hawk. He didn’t blame Erwin for the people that fawned over him; Erwin just had that effect on people. But he definitely didn’t like it, and the feeling dawned on him that he was actually jealous.

He sucked in a deep breath, trying to take his focus away from Erwin as he glanced around the room. He saw Sasha, who was eating all the samples that she was supposed to be passing out, Connie trying to stop her. Jean and Eren were busy having a competition over who could fold napkins the fastest, and Armin and Mikasa were both running drinks back and forth from the bar that had been set up. Levi rolled his eyes at them, considering going over to scold Sasha before deciding he was too tired to do so.

His eyes darted back to Erwin as he sipped on his scotch, and he cursed himself silently for being so clearly envious of the women who were getting Erwin’s attention. That’s when one of the ladies placed her hand on Erwin’s chest lightly as she giggled at something he said. Erwin smiled back sweetly like his usual self. Levi could see a small blush on his cheeks, and he clenched the glass so hard in his hand that it broke.

“Holy shit!” Hanji exclaimed as broken glass littered the floor, “Levi, what did you do?”

But Levi had already gotten up and started walking away, wiping the excess liquid from the broken glass on his pants. He headed straight for Erwin, pushing his way through the crowd. Erwin saw him and grinned a little, not knowing Levi’s intentions. He waved a little at him, but Levi was in no mood for such pleasantries. He practically stormed over to Erwin and grabbed his hand, starting to pull him away from the crowd.

“Levi!” Erwin protested, but let himself be dragged anyways mostly in surprise and confusion as to what Levi was doing.

“I’m so sorry,” Erwin apologized to the confused people that were left in Erwin’s wake, “The Captain and I have important matters to discuss - I’ll be back!”

Levi dragged Erwin into the hallway and pushed him into the coatroom, slamming the door shut behind them.

“What was that for?” Erwin asked incredulously, clearly not understanding what Levi had dragged him back here for.

Levi shoved Erwin back against the wall, gripping him by the collar of his shirt roughly and kissing him roughly. A small ‘oh’ escaped Erwin as he realized what was happening, and he was still in some shock as Levi pulled away and undid the top two buttons of his shirt. He then began leaving bruising kisses all along his neck and collar bone, sucking and biting at the skin there. Erwin groaned a little and held onto Levi, unsure of what he had done to warrant such behavior. He felt his neck being littered with dark red spots.

Levi pulled away, growling ‘mine’ like a child who was in their terrible twos, before going back to kissing and sucking at Erwin’s collarbone. Erwin’s eyes widened. So that’s what this was about. Levi had gotten jealous of the attention he was getting. Erwin felt his heart swell a little, his face growing red as he realized just what Levi was doing. He was marking him up, so that everyone would know that he was taken, and not just by anybody, but by Levi himself.

Pulling away and looking satisfied with his work, Levi smirked, “Much better.”

Erwin’s face was completely red, and Levi did his buttons back up, the red marks still clearly showing all over his neck. Levi then grasped Erwin’s hand and began to drag him back out, “You can go back to them now.”

Erwin laughed nervously, not particularly wanting to be thrown back into that crowd of people, “Um, that’s okay, Levi. Why don’t we go sit with Hanji?”

Levi paused for a moment before nodding, dragging him back to where Hanji was sitting and shoving Erwin down into a chair before climbing onto his lap. Erwin figured he must have really made Levi jealous for him to act this way. Levi hadn’t even wanted to hold hands initially, and here he was leaving hickies on his neck and sitting in his lap.

Hanji raised an eyebrow at them before smiling in amusement, “Uhhh hi guys. You comfortable there, Levi?”

They motioned to Levi’s position in Erwin’s lap, and Levi nodded, clearly intent on not moving from that spot as people began to stare at them. But Levi didn’t care who stared anymore. His mind had completely shifted from not wanting anyone to know to wanting everyone to know that Erwin was his. And truthfully, Erwin didn’t mind all that much. He was just happy that Levi wanted to be seen with him like this, and cherished the rare moment.

“Oh my god, Erwin,” Hanji practically gasped as they noticed the red spots on his neck, “Damn, did you two have a quickie in the coat closet or something?”

Erwin laughed it off nervously and shook his head, “No no, Levi’s just feeling a little possessive right now.”

Levi shot him a glare for saying that before grumbling under his breath, Hanji grinning a bit between the two of them, “Ahh I see. You’re going to have to get used to that, Levi. Erwin’s great with the ladies.”

Levi’s glare quickly moved from Erwin to Hanji, and he pouted angrily, “They can all fuck off. Those stuck-up assholes.”

Erwin couldn’t help but chuckle, exchanging a look with Hanji as they both realized just how jealous Levi had really let himself get. Neither of them were used to seeing Levi like this, and it was definitely something neither of them had expected tonight.

“Levi, you don’t have to worry,” Erwin smiled sweetly, “I won’t let anyone take me away from you.”

Hanji let out an ‘aww’, much to Levi’s dismay, and he frowned at Erwin, “I didn’t like the way that lady was looking at you. She touched you.”

Hanji giggled at them, getting up, “Well, I’ll leave you two to your lover’s quarrel. Have fun, boys.”

They walked off to find other people to talk to, leaving Erwin and Levi alone, people still giving them glances and whispering about them amongst each other. Erwin turned Levi’s head to face him.

“Baby,” he started, but Levi interrupted him.

“Don’t baby me,” Levi grumbled.

Erwin tried to hide his smile at Levi’s childishness, thinking it was incredibly sweet that Levi cared about him so much.

“Levi, you don’t have to worry about me, okay?” Erwin tried again, “I’m yours . And you’re mine. You can trust me that I won’t let anything happen.”

“I trust you ,” Levi clarified, “It’s them I don’t trust.”

“Well don’t worry,” Erwin replied, running a hand through Levi’s hair lovingly, “I won’t let them do anything to me.”

Levi leaned into the touch and sighed a little, trying to calm himself down. He wasn’t entirely sure what had come over him, but clearly he had a little trouble keeping his jealousy in check. He wasn’t used to caring so much about somebody, and he definitely wasn’t used to sharing that somebody with other people. Levi wrapped his arms around Erwin’s neck and clung to him, not giving a fuck about the looks people were giving them as he lay his head on Erwin’s chest.

Erwin smiled a little and kept brushing his fingers through Levi’s dark hair, “What happened to no ‘lovey-dovey’ stuff in public?”

Levi scowled a little, “I don’t care anymore. If anyone disrespects me just because I’m in a relationship with you, I’ll kick their fucking ass.”

Erwin laughed, enjoying this possessive side of Levi. This was more public affection than he’d ever expected, and though it was a little embarrassing to have everyone stare at them, at least he and Levi didn’t have to hide anymore.

 

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

 

The next day, Levi was pestering Erwin in his office, trying to capture all of his attention. Erwin was busy with his work, trying not to let Levi distract him, but it was so difficult. Levi was sitting on top of his desk, after all, his legs crossed as he sat right in front of Erwin and his paperwork.

“You do know I have to get this done at some point, don’t you?” Erwin asked playfully, smiling up at his lover.

“Take a break,” Levi replied.

“Levi I can’t-”

Please? ” Levi asked, putting his hand over Erwin’s paperwork so that he’d have to look up at him. Erwin looked up and sighed, pushing the papers aside and reaching out to pull Levi closer on the desk.

“Fine,” he murmured, “I can give you ten minutes.”

Erwin’s mind practically raced after he’d set that time limit, thinking of all the things they could get up to in ten minutes. He sat up and leaned into his boyfriend, smiling up at him, “You want to get a quickie in?”

Levi stared at him in some surprise, scoffing, “You dirty bastard.”

Erwin chuckled, pecking him on the lips and using the same phrase Levi had moments earlier, “ Please?

Much to Erwin’s surprise, Levi narrowed his eyes for a moment before nodding and getting off the desk, looking unsure as of what to do next. Erwin got up too, pushing his chair out of the way before ordering, “Bend over the desk.”

Levi obliged, bending over the edge of the desk as he felt Erwin working to tug his pants and boxers down to his thighs. Erwin undid his own belt and tugged down his pants and underwear as well, almost unable to believe that Levi was allowing this to happen. He slicked his fingers with his saliva and pushed one in gently, listening to Levi practically whine at the feeling. He worked him quickly, adding a second and then a third finger after a moment.

“E-Erwin,” Levi groaned, “Fuck, just do it already. I thought you said it was supposed to be quick.”

Erwin chuckled at Levi’s impatience and pulled his fingers out, slicking his own erection before pressing in gently, letting out a low groan at the feeling of Levi’s warmth around him. Levi clung to the desk and whimpered quietly, the noise only turning Erwin on more as he began to move slowly at first, picking up the speed the longer he went along.

He could tell Levi was trying hard to be quieter, biting on his fist as he was unable to help but let a loud moan escape his mouth. Erwin knew he had hit the shorter man’s prostate by the noises he had begun to make, and he snapped his hips forward roughly into the spot, eliciting a string of curses from the man beneath him. He smirked at Levi’s reaction and continued to plow into the spot, hearing Levi cry out and grip the desk desperately.

“Erwin!” he groaned, arching his back a little and clinging to the desk for dear life as Erwin continued the harsh pace he had set.

Erwin could feel himself getting closer, and could feel Levi shaking as he tried to hold onto his own orgasm.

“Shit,” Erwin moaned, “L-Levi, I’m clo-”

“Me too,” Levi interrupted, finishing almost as soon as the words left his mouth. Erwin came soon after him and pulled out, his eyes widening as he heard a sudden knock on the door. Levi immediately shot up from the desk and grabbed his handkerchief from his pocket, cleaning up Erwin’s desk as Erwin yanked his pants and boxers back on. Levi soon did the same and went to sit in the chair across from Erwin’s desk as Erwin called for whoever it was to come in. The door opened slowly to reveal Hanji, who looked between the two of them suspiciously. They were both still red in the face, chests heaving from the act they’d just completed.

“Were you two going at it?” Hanji asked accusingly, putting their hands on their hips. Erwin and Levi exchanged a look, neither of them saying anything.

“Oh my god, you were ,” Hanji grinned, “Well, I’m glad to know you two are finally having sex. Sorry if I interrupted.”

“You’re fine, Hanji,” Erwin replied calmly, “Can we... keep this a secret between us?”

Hanji nodded almost instantly, “Oh, of course! I won’t tell a soul.”

Levi scoffed a little at the two of them acting as if this was a normal conversation to have. Erwin smiled at Hanji, knowing he could trust them to keep it quiet. Hanji, on the other hand, looked way too thrilled at the prospect of their friends having sex.

“I just came here to ask what the kids are up to today,” Hanji said, leaning against the door frame.

“I think they have the day off,” Erwin explained, hoping the answer might get them to leave.

“Ahh I see,” Hanji responded, still glancing between the two of them with a dopey grin on their face, “You two make the most adorable couple.”

“Thank you, Hanji,” Erwin smiled awkwardly, “Um... do you mind?”

“Of course!” Hanji nodded, going to close the door, “Try not to have too much fun.”

Levi cursed under his breath as they shut the door, Erwin sighing in some relief as he sat back in his chair, “Perhaps you were too loud.”

“Me?!” Levi exclaimed, shooting Erwin a glare, “You’re the one who plowed me into the desk!”

Erwin raised an eyebrow at Levi’s sudden anger, “You don’t need to get so defensive.”

“I’m not ,” Levi snapped as he got up, “You just blamed me for something that’s not my fault!”

Erwin frowned, “Levi, I didn’t mean to- look, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to upset you.”

“I’m not upset!” Levi grumbled, crossing his arms.

Erwin sighed in exasperation. He felt like it didn’t matter what he said at this point - Levi just seemed to be angry with everything he was saying. Erwin didn’t understand what he had done to get Levi so riled up.

“Levi,” he said calmly, trying to prevent himself from getting annoyed as well, “Calm down.”

“Whatever Erwin,” he mumbled under his breath, “You’re a fucking dick.”

Shut up ,” Erwin snapped, surprised by his own sudden anger. Levi’s eyes widened slightly with the same shock, and his angry look soon turned to a sort of pained expression. Erwin sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm down.

“I’m sorry,” Erwin sighed, “I didn’t mean to get so mad.”

“It’s fine,” Levi replied quietly, his voice sounding almost hurt. Erwin got up, going around the desk to comfort Levi, who looked as though Erwin had just broken up with him or something. But Levi flinched away from him, causing Erwin to frown, a guilty feeling filling his stomach as he took a step back from Levi to give him space.

“Levi, I’m sorry,” Erwin repeated.

“I said it’s fine,” Levi responded, “I’m just... I have to go.”

Levi ,” Erwin tried again, but Levi was already exiting his office. Erwin stared after him, unsure of how their conversation had escalated so quickly. He felt horrible; clearly he had made Levi incredibly upset, and he knew he had lost control of his emotions. He figured it was probably a good idea to just let Levi have some space for now, and perhaps they would talk things out later.

 

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Levi was feeling just as guilty. He hadn’t meant to make Erwin blow up at him - he let his own anger get the best of him, and it had gotten him this. He went to his office and shut the door behind him, Levi could feel his anxiety building as he replayed the conversation over and over in his head, going to sit down at his desk and burying his head in his hands in frustration.

Erwin didn’t talk to him for the rest of the day, and Levi ate his meals in his office. He was certain Erwin must hate him, and the feeling ate away at him as he barely touched the food that was brought to him. He tried to bury himself in his work, but he always found himself going back to his fight with Erwin. But this was normal right? Couples argue from time to time. This thought didn’t bring Levi any comfort, however, and he tried all day to come up with ways to repay Erwin for upsetting him.

Just before he was going to close up for the night, there was a knock on his door.

“Come in,” he muttered, the door opening slowly to reveal Armin, standing there with an armful of plans.

“Commander Erwin asked me to bring these to you,” Armin said, walking in, “Where should I put them?”

Levi scoffed a little. So now Erwin wasn’t even going to bring him things? He was going to send someone else to talk to Levi for him? Levi felt sick to his stomach as he motioned for Armin to just set them on his desk, the blonde man doing as he was told. But Armin was looking at him oddly, and Levi was sure he was probably smart enough to deduce something was going on between him and Erwin.

“Is everything okay, sir?” Armin asked after setting the plans down, looking a little concerned. This was why Armin was probably Levi’s favorite of his squad - he actually seemed to give a fuck about him, unlike the others who would always make short jokes behind his back.

“I’m fine,” Levi responded quickly, not wanting to let on that anything was wrong.

Armin raised an eyebrow slightly at Levi’s quick answer, “Well, if you need anything, just let me know.”

He went to leave, and Levi surprised himself by calling out Armin’s name before he could exit. Armin stopped and turned back around, “Yes, sir?”

“How... How do you make up with someone who’s mad at you?” Levi asked, not bothering to look at Armin as he felt the vulnerability of the situation. Armin was smart, surely he would have some idea of what to do.

Armin stared at him for a moment before asking, “Is Commander Erwin angry with you?”

“Just answer the question,” Levi snapped, not wanting to get into the details about what happened.

Armin nodded, tapping his chin in thought, “I suppose I’d do something to make it up to them.”

“Like what?” Levi asked, struggling to think of what he would even do to make things better between him and Erwin.

“Hmm,” Armin thought out loud, taking a moment before he continued, “I guess you could get them a gift, or do something that you usually wouldn’t that’ll make them happy. Like, going out of your way to make them a meal or bring them flowers, or-”

“Thank you, Armin,” Levi replied, ideas beginning to bounce off the walls of his brain, “That’ll be all.”

Armin nodded, smiling a little as he added, “I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but I think everything will be okay between you and the commander. He seemed like he missed you a lot today.”

Levi could feel the blush forming on his cheeks as he tried to brush off Armin’s comment, clearing his throat, “Uh, thanks.”

“Of course,” Armin said before leaving. Levi leaned back in his chair, thoughts rushing through his head as he considered what Armin had suggested. He tried to think of things Erwin might want to do, or might want as a gift. One thing continually came to mind, and he decided ultimately that this is what he would do.

 

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Erwin sat in his bed alone that night, wondering if Levi was even going to show up. He seriously doubted it, especially since the two of them had been avoiding each other all day. He was about to give up hope when he heard a soft knock on his door. The door opened slowly soon after that, Levi standing there sheepishly, not even looking at Erwin.

“Levi,” he frowned, “Baby, I want to apologize-”

“Stop,” Levi said, not bothering to explain as he ordered, “Get your 3DMG on and follow me.”

Erwin raised an eyebrow, looking confused but starting to do as he was told. He trusted Levi, even though he had no idea what the shorter man had planned. He took a few minutes to get his 3DMG on, following Levi out of his bedroom and then out of the building. The night air was a little chilly, but it was a fairly clear sky, and Erwin walked a couple paces behind Levi as they headed towards the forest.

“Where are we going?” Erwin finally asked.

“None of your fucking business,” Levi snapped, and Erwin would’ve laughed if they hadn’t been arguing earlier.

He decided to stay quiet after that, following Levi into the woods. Levi stopped after a few minutes and shot his 3DMG wires into the tall tree above him, landing on a branch that towered above Erwin. Erwin stared up at him in confusion, not sure what he was doing.

“Well, come on,” Levi said, starting to climb up. Erwin followed him up the tree until they were near the top, Levi sitting on a sturdy branch with something wrapped in his cloak. Erwin stared at him in confusion and climbed up to sit next to him.

“Look up,” Levi explained, and Erwin turned his head to the sky to see the clearest view of the night stars he’d ever seen. So this was what Levi had brought him out here for. Erwin could feel his heart swelling at how sweet this was, and how romantic he felt that Levi was being.

“Here,” Levi shoved whatever was wrapped in his cloak towards Erwin, “I didn’t have wrapping paper, sorry.”

Erwin stared down at the cloak and started to pull back the fabric, a bottle of whiskey underneath. Erwin wasn’t sure when Levi had had the time to get this, nor how he knew what kind of whiskey he liked, but he could feel his heart beating in his chest as a smile crept up on his face.

“This is incredibly sweet of you, Levi,” Erwin breathed, smiling softly as he examined the bottle.

Levi grumbled something under his breath that Erwin didn’t quite catch, but he decided to ignore it.

“I want to apologize for earlier,” Erwin said quietly, “I shouldn’t have blown up at you, I-”

“Erwin, stop,” Levi replied, “It’s fine. We’re fine.”

Erwin nodded, smiling at Levi, who was avoiding eye contact with him. He leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek, and through the moonlight he could see the blush creeping up on Levi’s cheeks.

“Do you want to share this?” Erwin asked as he held up the bottle.

Levi shrugged, “I can’t get drunk, so what’s the point?”

“I don’t believe that,” Erwin said, beginning to open the bottle, “Everyone has a limit.”

“Well I don’t,” Levi replied, leaning up against the tree trunk as he watched Erwin take a swig of the drink and hold it out to him.

“I bet you do,” Erwin challenged, and Levi snatched the bottle from him, taking a particularly long swig of the drink before passing it back. Erwin chuckled at Levi’s inability to say no to a bet, and he took another sip as he mentally kept count of how many long swigs Levi was taking.

Ten. It took about ten swigs of whiskey before Erwin noticed Levi starting to feel its effects. He had his head leaned against Erwin’s shoulder, a small smile on his face as he practically clung to Erwin’s arm.

“You doing okay, baby?” Erwin asked carefully, the bottle more than halfway gone already.

“I’m fine,” Levi murmured, looking up at the stars and sighing, “It’s so beautiful.”

Erwin smiled, looking up with him, “It is.”

“Erwin?”

“Yes?”

“You’re beautiful too,” Levi said, almost so quietly that Erwin wasn’t sure he heard him right at first. A blush crept up on Erwin’s face, and he couldn’t help but grin at the drunken compliment.

“Thanks, Levi,” he replied, holding the shorter man close as he pressed a kiss to his forehead, “So are you.”

Levi shook his head and covered his face, which was growing red from embarrassment as he whined, “Nooo, I’m not! You are - you have the prettiest eyebrows I’ve ever seen.”

Erwin held back a laugh, rubbing Levi’s arm lightly, “Thank you, baby.”

Levi sighed happily, leaning against Erwin, “Can I tell you something?”

Erwin glanced down at him, seeing a drunken smile on the shorter man’s face, “Sure.”

There was a small hiccup that came from Levi’s mouth before he giggled a little and leaned up, cupping his hands around Erwin’s ear and whispering, “You’re my favorite person like... in the whole world.”

A grin plastered itself onto Erwin’s face as he listened to Levi speak into his ear, the words making him blush a little. He turned his head to plant a kiss on Levi’s lips, drawing his lover closer by tugging him closer by his waist.

“Is that so?” Erwin inquired, his actions causing more giggles to come from the shorter man. He was enjoying drunk Levi so much; his laughter was adorable, and the idiotic way he was smiling at Erwin was making his heart race.

“Yes,” Levi blushed, wrapping his arms around Erwin as he hiccuped a second time.

Erwin chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to Levi’s forehead as he whispered back, “You’re my favorite person in the whole world too.”

It was the truth. Over the course of the past few weeks, Levi really had become his favorite person. The time he had spent with him was the most fun he’d had in a long time, and he couldn’t recall a time when he had been this happy or this in love. Sure, he had felt love before, but never like this.

He looked down into his lover’s cool clear gray eyes, his heart skipping a beat at the adorable drunken look on his boyfriend’s face. Levi’s nose scrunched up as he yawned heavily, his eyes becoming heavy with sleepiness.

“Do you want to head back?” Erwin asked, the alcohol having barely affected him as he hadn't drunk as much. He still felt a tired feeling tugging at his own eyes though, as he had had a long day regardless of his outing with Levi.

Levi nodded, rubbing his eyes and letting out another yawn. Erwin wrapped an arm around Levi, handing the half-empty bottle of whiskey to him as he held tight and used his 3DMG to maneuver them back to the forest floor. When they got there, Erwin had to hold Levi up as they began to walk, his small drunken body stumbling all over the place.

“Damn, Levi,” Erwin chuckled, “You really got fucked up, didn’t you?”

Levi shook his head, tripping and almost falling onto his face before Erwin caught him, grasping his arm and tugging him close.

“Do I have to carry you?” Erwin asked, Levi practically clinging to him for dear life as he nodded in response.

Erwin picked up his boyfriend bridal style, Levi wrapping an arm around his neck, using the other to cling to the bottle of whiskey as if he might drop it at any moment. By the time Erwin had gotten back to his bedroom, Levi was passed out in his arms, his soft breathing tickling Erwin’s neck. He laid the short man in his bed, tugging off his boots for him and tossing them onto the floor. Erwin supposed he would have to leave Levi’s straps on for the moment, but he at least unclipped the swords and gas canisters, setting them on the floor. He got himself ready for bed while he listened to the sweet sound of Levi’s soft breathing as he slept. Erwin climbed into bed, but before he turned off the lamp, he took a moment to examine the man sleeping next to him. He seemed so perfect in every way, his usually stern face now relaxed as he slept, his hair gracefully laying across his forehead, his mouth parted ever so slightly as he breathed deeply. Erwin smiled to himself, turning off the oil lamp before snuggling under the covers and close to his boyfriend, who whined a little at the disturbance, but cuddled back against him anyways. What did I do to deserve him? Erwin wondered as he allowed himself to finally close his eyes, drifting into a soft slumber with his favorite person lying in his arms.

 

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Chapter 6

When Levi woke up the next day, he at first didn’t remember how he’d gotten from the forest back to Erwin’s bed. He was discombobulated, his head pounding and a sick feeling pooling in his stomach. This is why I don’t drink , he thought to himself, cursing the fact that he’d let Erwin goad him into drinking last night. He looked around the room and, upon seeing the bathroom door closed, assumed Erwin was likely in there getting ready. Just as he got ready to force himself out of bed, Erwin emerged from the bathroom.

“Oh you’re awake,” Erwin said, a smile breaking through on his face before he realized Levi was trying to get up, “No, no, no. Stay in bed. I’m giving you the day off.”

“There’s work to be done,” Levi said, continuing to get out of bed.

Erwin walked over to him and put a hand on his chest, lightly pushing him back onto the bed, “Stay in bed. That’s an order.”

Levi shot Erwin a glare for using his power as commander against him, slowly pulling his legs back into bed and leaning back against the pillows. He hated when Erwin did that. But he was powerless against it, so he listened like a good little captain and stayed in bed.

Erwin smiled in satisfaction, “Good. Now get some rest, you’re hungover.”

Levi scowled when Erwin pressed a kiss to his forehead, crossing his arms. His head was still pounding with the dehydration he was experiencing from the whiskey the previous night. Maybe Erwin was right, but he would never admit it, even if it was good for him.

“What time is it anyways?” he asked as he rubbed his aching head, shrinking down under the covers as he gave into Erwin’s demands to get some rest. Perhaps he could take some time and go back to work after lunch.

“It’s probably about noon. I just came back from lunch,” Erwin responded.

Levi’s eyes widened, and he threw back the covers as he sat up, “Erwin, why did you let me sleep in?!”

His head began pounding again due to his quick actions, and he cursed himself silently for doing so.

“Levi!” Erwin scolded, “I ordered you to stay in bed . And yes, I let you sleep in because I knew you drank a lot.”

Levi pouted at the prospect of being reprimanded, and he shrunk back down, pulling the covers over him. Erwin sighed and leaned over him, placing another kiss onto his forehead as Levi glared up at him in annoyance.

“It’s your fault,” Levi grumbled, “You basically dared me to do it.”

Erwin stared at him for a moment as if he were trying to hold onto his patience at being accused, before sucking in a deep breath, “Well I’m sorry if you felt pressured. That wasn’t my intention.”

Levi looked away, not wanting to accept Erwin’s apology. He wasn’t really that upset at Erwin, he was more irritated that he couldn’t get up and go to work. He didn’t like the feeling that he wasn’t able to be helpful.

“I’ll bring you some tea,” Erwin said quietly, moving to leave. Levi let out a short sigh, knowing he wasn’t going to convince Erwin to let him get up. He retreated back under the covers, not bothering to respond, and heard Erwin walking out of the room to retrieve a cup of tea for him. His head still ached, and he could feel his stomach churning. Erwin soon returned with his tea, and Levi took it from him carefully, taking a sip of the hot liquid.

“How do you feel?” Erwin asked.

“Like shit,” Levi grumbled, setting the teacup down on the nightstand.

Erwin sighed, leaning over him and kissing his forehead, “Just get some rest, okay?”

Levi let out a short breath, still irritated he wouldn’t be able to get anything done today. Erwin sensed this and ran a hand through Levi’s already messy hair.

“You can take one day of vacation, Levi,” he reassured him, “It won’t kill you.”

“It might,” Levi responded quickly, “You never know.”

Erwin chuckled in response, heading towards the door to get his own work started. He turned back to wave at Levi, the shorter man hesitating before he waved back, snuggling under the covers as he shut his eyes to rest.

 

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“Captain Levi!” Eren complained, “Jean stole my spot!”

Levi was at lunch with his squad, and he was already regretting it. He watched Jean stick his tongue out at Levi, and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“What are you, five?” Levi scolded, “There are no reserved seats, just sit somewhere else.”

“Yeah Eren,” Jean sneered, “Sit somewhere else.”

Eren scowled and went to sit in another empty seat, glaring at Jean. Levi sighed, taking a bite of food as he watched over the kids. Sasha and Connie were laughing about some inside joke they had, Mikasa was sitting and eating quietly, watching everyone just like Levi was. Once Eren had sat down, Armin had struck up a conversation with him about some ideas he had about Eren’s titan-shifting abilities.

“Mikasa,” Levi piped up as he saw her trying to push off her food onto Eren’s plate, “You need to eat too, you know. Stop giving Eren all your food.”

Mikasa shot him an irritated look, but pulled her plate back as she was told to. Eren wasn’t even paying attention to her, and Levi felt a little bad as to how oblivious Eren was to Mikasa’s pining.

“Captain Levi?” Connie asked, “Sasha has a question for you.”

Levi glanced over at Sasha, waiting for her to say something. Sasha shook her head furiously, “No, no. Connie has a question.”

“One of you two better ask me something soon,” Levi snapped, “You’re wasting my goddamn time.”

“Are you a bottom?” Connie asked, Sasha covering her mouth as she held back laughter.

Jean’s eyes widened a bit, and he muttered, “Your funeral, Connie,” before stuffing some food in his mouth.

Levi narrowed his eyes. He didn’t know this term, but he suspected it was some new language the kids had come up with to make fun of him, and he wasn’t having it. The fuck is a bottom? He wondered, thinking Hanji might know.

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re on about,” Levi responded in annoyance, “But if you’re making fun of me-”

“A bottom is the person who’s submissive during sex,” Mikasa deadpanned, and the table went silent, Sasha and Jean looking like they were about to burst from holding in their laughter. Connie was starting to look regretful, not expecting an explanation to come forth.

Levi tried to hold back his surprise at Mikasa’s outburst; he was mostly shocked that she even knew that, let alone that she had said it out loud.

Connie ,” Levi growled, “Go run laps. Now .”

Connie didn’t even protest, shooting a glare at Mikasa before getting up and heading outside.

“And if you two don’t stop giggling I’m going to kick your fucking teeth in,” Levi warned, pointing at Jean and Sasha, who’s eyes were nearly tearful as they held in their laughter. Eren and Armin had clued in on what was happening, and Eren looked thoroughly amused while Armin looked worriedly after Connie as he left.

Suddenly, everyone became quiet again, and Levi was about to ask what the hell they all got so silent for before he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Erwin standing over him with a plate of his own.

“Hey Levi, do you mind if I join you and your squad today for lunch?” he asked, smiling down at him.

He couldn’t even answer, as his squad began shuffling spots, so there was an open one next to Levi for Erwin to sit at. They all looked way too excited to share lunch with the commander, and it was likely because they thought they could catch a glimpse into his and Levi’s relationship.

“Sure,” Levi mumbled, watching Erwin sit down next to him.

“So how are you all?” Erwin asked sweetly, “I hope Levi isn’t working you guys too hard.”

“We’ve been doing well,” Armin responded, “Captain Levi’s doing a wonderful job with us.”

Levi held back a smile at Armin’s kind words. He liked feeling appreciated, as much as he would never admit it.

“Oh, you guys are missing one,” Erwin noticed as he scanned the table, “Where’s Connie?”

All eyes turned to Levi, who explained nonchalantly, “He made a joke about me, so I made him run laps.”

Erwin’s eyes lit up a little, “What was the joke? Was it good?”

Levi stared up at him in disbelief that he had asked such a thing, elbowing Erwin in his arm. He was going to tell him to shut up, when Sasha spoke up.

“Connie asked him if he was a bottom, sir,” Sasha explained, Jean practically choking on his food as he laughed.

Erwin’s expression turned to a confused one, “What’s a bottom?”

Levi held his index finger and thumb to the bridge of his nose in annoyance, unable to believe this conversation was even happening. Mikasa went to open her mouth again, but Levi interrupted, “I’ll tell you later. We’re not talking about this now. So everybody just shut up and eat your food.”

It went silent after that, and Levi sighed in relief as he continued to eat, enjoying the peace and quiet. But he knew that silence wouldn’t last long. This time, Erwin had his attention turned to Levi, and he brushed some hair out of Levi’s face gently, kissing his cheek.

“I missed you,” he whispered, and Levi could feel his face getting hot as he felt the eyes of his squad members on him.

“Oi, not in front of the kids,” Levi scolded, pushing his face away.

Erwin only grinned in response, as if he was trying to embarrass Levi on purpose. Erwin turned back to his food, looking a little smug. Levi looked up to see his squad all looking at the two of them, all quickly looking down at their food when they saw Levi had noticed.

“What the hell are you all looking at?” Levi snapped, “Keep your damn eyes to yourselves.”

“Aww, Levi,” Erwin frowned, “Don’t be so mean to them.”

Levi sighed in exasperation, feeling regretful about sitting with his squad today. He kept eating, choosing to ignore Sasha and Jean whispering and laughing to each other. He didn’t have the energy to continue scolding them for what they were just going to continue to do anyways. Levi looked up to see Erwin smiling at him, and tried hard to hold back a smile. He didn’t dare let the kids see him so happy, so in love. Plus, being called a bottom was bad enough - he didn’t need to give them any more reason to make fun of him.

 

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Erwin and Levi finished up their meals and headed out for another one of their walks, going towards the forest that they had spent the night together in earlier. They were just entering the forest, the tall trees enveloping them as they walked amongst them. The two of them had been talking about an upcoming mission they were planning, but a short silence had taken over their conversation.

“So what is a bottom?” Erwin asked suddenly.

Levi’s face went red from the question. He had almost forgotten about that earlier conversation at the lunch table. He grumbled under his breath, fists clenched at his sides as he remembered how annoyed he had been.

“No,” Levi replied, not wanting to repeat the words Mikasa had said.

“Levi!” Erwin frowned, “You said you would tell me later!”

Levi scowled. He had said that, hadn’t he? Shit . He thought to himself, sighing heavily as he explained quietly, “Fine. Mikasa said it’s someone who’s the submissive one during sex.”

“So... you?” Erwin replied, a grin beginning to form on his stupid smug face.

“Shut up,” Levi snapped.

Erwin smirked, pushing Levi against a tree. He grabbed Levi’s arms and pinned them above his head, “Well, you’re definitely submissive.”

Levi gasped a little at the feeling of Erwin pressing his body up against him, and glared up at him, “Do you think this is a turn on for me?”

Erwin stared at him with deep, lustful eyes, pushing one of his thighs between Levi’s legs and grinding it lightly against his already-forming erection, “Your dick is telling me otherwise.”

Levi couldn’t help but groan, a small smile forming on his lips as he easily ripped his hands out of Erwin’s grasp, grabbing the taller man by his hair and yanking him forward for a rough kiss. He smashed their lips together, moaning into the kiss as their lips moved against each other. Erwin rocked his thigh against Levi’s erection slowly, eliciting a whine from the shorter man.

Levi focused on Erwin’s lips as Erwin focused on grinding against Levi. The captain sucked and bit at Erwin’s lower lip, sliding his tongue into his mouth as soon as he was given the opportunity. Their tongues danced against each other, and Levi felt his pants getting tighter by the second.

“Fuck,” Erwin mumbled as he pulled away from the kiss, “Do you want to...?”

“Yes,” Levi responded almost immediately, leaning up to kiss him on the lips, “Fuck me god dammit.”

Erwin let out a short laugh at what Levi had said and began to work on his lover’s pants, undoing them and starting to tug them down. As soon as Levi’s erection was free, Erwin took it into his hand, beginning to work him roughly as the shorter man began whimpering and moaning from the feeling.

“You bastard,” Levi practically gasped, bucking his hips against Erwin’s hand. He could feel a tingling up his spine with every thrust against Erwin’s palm, and he watched in shock as the taller man got down on his knees.

“Are... are you...?” Levi asked incredulously. Though he’d given Erwin a blowjob already, he couldn’t believe Erwin was reciprocating right now. It felt a little out of nowhere, but he couldn’t say he didn’t appreciate it.

Erwin nodded, looking up at Levi, “Do you want me to?”

Levi stared down at him for a moment before nodding eagerly. Erwin didn’t hesitate as he wrapped his lips around Levi’s erection, starting to suck and swirl his tongue around the tip. Levi’s hands flew to Erwin’s blonde locks as he tugged at them lightly, the feeling of Erwin’s warm mouth around him being almost too much. Erwin took him deeper and started bobbing his head, gripping onto Levi’s hips roughly as he did so. He’s done this before , Levi thought to himself. He groaned and tugged harder on Erwin’s hair, his hips starting to rock gently in time with Erwin as he came ever closer to orgasm. Erwin could feel Levi’s legs starting to shake from how close he was, and he picked up the pace, sucking harder and bobbing his head faster than before.

“E-Erwin,” Levi moaned, grasping at Erwin’s hair, “Fuck- I’m so-”

Before Levi could finish his sentence, Erwin pulled away, saliva and pre-cum hanging from his lips. Levi whined at the loss of feeling, watching Erwin stand back up and hold up three fingers to Levi’s lips. Levi took a second to recover from the blowjob before he took Erwin’s fingers into his mouth, sucking on them gently as he coated them with saliva.

Erwin pulled his fingers out after a moment, ordering quietly, “Turn around.”

Levi turned around and braced himself against the tree, the bark feeling scratchy underneath his palms. He felt Erwin’s fingers grace his entrance before he pushed one in and began to stretch him out. Levi tossed his head back and groaned from the feeling, gripping tighter to the tree in front of him. His nails scraped against the tree bark, and he could feel his legs already starting to shake from pure pleasure as Erwin added a second finger.

“You’re tight, baby,” Erwin murmured, but the words he was saying were almost inaudible to the moaning man in front of him. He added a third finger and worked him gently, enjoying the sounds of his lover.

Erwin took his fingers out after a few moments, tugging down his own pants and boxers as he lined himself up with Levi’s entrance. Levi was panting as he waited to be breached, his ass pushed out as he waited for Erwin to continue.

Erwin took a moment to admire Levi’s small form before pushing into him, groaning as he did so. Levi whined and clung to the tree trunk with his fingers, slowly getting used to the feeling before Erwin began to move.

“Shit,” Erwin moaned, starting to pump in and out of him gently at first, “You feel so fucking good.”

“Fuck,” Levi whimpered, his face feeling hot from Erwin’s words as he felt him start to move faster and more roughly. Erwin gripped Levi’s hips tightly as he brought the smaller man back against his dick over and over again. He angled himself to get better access to Levi’s prostate, and the shorter man practically yelped at the feeling of that spot being hit.

“Oh god,” Levi groaned, “Erwin- oh fuck.”

“Are you close?” he practically whispered into Levi’s ear, and the sound of his husky, lustful voice was even more of a turn-on to the shorter man. Levi nodded, and Erwin pulled out, much to Levi’s confusion.

He turned Levi around and picked him up by his thighs, pressing him against the tree before he pushed back in, explaining, “I want to see you.”

Levi clung to him, his fingers clasping at Erwin’s shirt as they began to move again. Erwin was pounding into him in a powerful rhythm, his head falling to Levi’s neck as he began to leave rough kisses along his jawline.

“You’re fucking beautiful,” he groaned against Levi’s neck, “So fucking gorgeous.”

If Levi’s face wasn’t already hot from their activities, it definitely was now. He wanted to tell Erwin to shut the hell up and focus on what they were doing, but he couldn’t form the words on his lips. His whole body was shaking as he neared orgasm, and he closed his eyes as he felt himself growing nearer.

“Open your eyes,” Erwin requested in a low voice. Although, it wasn’t really a request, it sounded more like a demand. Levi’s eyes snapped open and met Erwin’s. He had expected to see a lustful look on his lover’s face, but Erwin was looking at him in a way he couldn’t put his finger on. The look was soft, much different from the look he had been giving Levi just moments earlier. Erwin’s entire demeanor was shifting, as he moved more slowly and precisely, not as rough and sporadic as before. He pressed a sweet kiss to Levi’s lips before snapping his hips forward into that spot that drove Levi crazy. Levi cried out as he came, feeling Erwin finish shortly after.

“Shit,” he muttered, trying to catch his breath as Erwin pulled out and set him down gently.

“You okay?” Erwin asked as he also struggled to breathe properly.

Levi took a second to breathe deeply before he nodded, starting to tug his pants and boxers back on. Erwin was still looking at him with that strange, soft look, and Levi wanted to ask him what the hell he was looking at him like that for, but he refrained. Erwin pulled his pants and underwear back on, watching Levi carefully.

“What the hell are you looking at?” Levi finally asked, turning to head back towards the base.

“N-Nothing,” Erwin blushed, clearly embarrassed at being caught looking at Levi this way. Levi raised an eyebrow. It took a lot to get Erwin to blush like this, and all Levi had done was ask him why he was staring at him. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what. He decided to ignore it for now, the two of them starting to head out of the forest and back towards the military buildings.

 

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Erwin spent that night wide awake, listening to Levi’s quiet breathing as he held him in his arms. He kept thinking back to their escapades in the forest, and how close he had been to saying it: I love you . The feeling came out of nowhere, causing his heart to pound of his chest and his skin to break out in a sweat. He couldn’t help but look at Levi differently as this feeling grew the more time he was spending time with him. The next morning, he was fairly silent, worried that if he spoke he would admit his love to Levi, who he wasn’t sure could handle that yet. Levi had certainly noticed something was up, as he kept looking at Erwin weirdly and asking him what was wrong. But Erwin brushed it off, trying to keep his secret under wraps.

As he sat at his desk that day, he pondered his feelings. Was he really in love with Levi? Was he certain? He thought so. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized he had never been so sure about anything in his life. He was in love with Levi. This wasn’t just a crush anymore, and Levi wasn’t just a boyfriend. Erwin loved him, and the more he thought about it, the worse the anxiety in his stomach grew as he wondered how he would tell Levi this. They’d been together for a month or so now. Was it too soon?

Just as Erwin was deep in thought, his office door swung open to reveal Hanji standing there, a pile of papers stacked up in their arms. They walked in and dropped them on his desk, smiling until they saw the stressed look on Erwin’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Hanji asked, “Do you need to talk?”

Erwin thought about this for a second before nodding, realizing it would probably be better to get this off his chest. And he trusted Hanji, even if they could be a little suffocating sometimes. Hanji shut the door and sat across from Erwin, waiting patiently for him to start talking.

“I... I’m in love with him,” Erwin said quietly, unable to look Hanji in the face. When he did glance up, he saw a huge grin plastered on their face, and instantly started to regret telling them this.

“That’s so adorable!” Hanji exclaimed excitedly, “Did you tell him yet?”

“No...” Erwin admitted sheepishly, clasping his hands together nervously, “I don’t know if I should... I might scare him.”

Hanji nodded in understanding, tapping their chin in thought, “Is that why you’re stressed?”

“Yes,” Erwin replied, “I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, I think you should tell him,” Hanji shrugged, “But that’s just me.”

“Do you think he’ll take it okay?” Erwin asked. He valued Hanji’s input, so if they thought it would be okay, then he would likely try to tell Levi.

Hanji sighed a bit and leaned forward in the chair, “I mean, he might not say it back, but I don’t think he’ll be upset with you over it.”

The door opened again, and this time Levi stood there, looking between Hanji and Erwin in some confusion.

“I didn’t realize we were having a meeting,” he mumbled, “Am I interrupting something?”

Hanji and Erwin exchanged a look before Hanji got up, “No, no! I was just leaving.”

Levi nodded, and Hanji gave Erwin a thumbs up before walking out and shutting the door. Levi climbed up onto Erwin’s desk and sat cross-legged in front of him, leaning forward for a kiss. Erwin stared up at him, for some reason incredibly nervous about kissing Levi right now. He dodged Levi’s lips, leaning back in his chair to avoid him.

“What the fuck?” Levi frowned, staring at him in confusion and some hurt, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Levi...” Erwin practically whispered, his voice coming out a lot weaker than he wanted it to, “I have something to say.”

Levi’s face became struck with concern, and the mood between them shifted as Levi got off the desk, sitting down in a chair and crossing his arms defensively, “What is it?”

Erwin sucked in a breath, feeling his face growing hot and his heart start pounding in his chest again. His anxiety was building, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he mumbled, “I love you.”

“What?” Levi asked, leaning forward, “I couldn’t understand you. Speak up.”

Erwin opened his eyes and sighed in some exasperation, not wanting to say it again. He took another deep breath, in through his nose and out through his mouth, the feeling of calmness starting to overcome him. He knew he had to be brave, and he had to do this right. Erwin leaned across the desk, holding out his hand for Levi to take as he stared him directly in the eyes. Levi raised an eyebrow slightly before taking his hand, waiting for Erwin to repeat what he had said.

“Levi,” Erwin stated, his voice at a normal level as he spoke strongly, “ I love you .”

It took Levi a moment to process what Erwin had said, but when he did, his eyes widened, and Erwin could feel Levi’s hand getting sweaty in his own. It had only been a few seconds since Erwin had said it, when Levi ripped his hand out of the commander’s, standing up and taking a shaky breath.

“Levi?” Erwin questioned in concern, watching Levi run his fingers through his hair in clear stress.

“No,” Levi snapped, though Erwin wasn’t entirely sure what he was saying ‘no’ to.

“No?” Erwin inquired, the anxiety beginning to build in his chest.

“No,” Levi repeated, turning around and walking out of Erwin’s office, slamming the door behind him.

This was some worst-case scenario shit. Erwin’s heart was practically pounding out of his chest, a lump forming in his throat as he sucked in a heavy breath. He felt his hands shaking, and tears forming in the back of his eyes. I fucked up , he thought in panic, undoing his bolo tie, so he could feel like he was breathing better. He had never regretted saying something so much in his life, and he was worried he’d ruined everything. But the serious side of Erwin started to take over for his anxious side, and he tried to calm himself down by telling himself that Levi just needed time to think about it. We can talk about this later , he thought to himself, taking in another deep breath as his heart began to slow to a normal rate, It’ll be fine .

 

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But everything wasn’t fine. Levi walked into his office and shut the door, locking it almost immediately. He went to sit down in his desk, still shaking as anxiety took over. Erwin loved him?! Levi felt himself panicking. He had not expected this at all. In fact, this was probably the last thing he’d expected Erwin to say. He was freaking out internally. Nobody had ever told him they loved him before, and truthfully, he didn’t think he deserved it. That was why he was so panicked. How would he even know if he loved Erwin back? What if he didn’t love him back? And how had he tricked Erwin into loving him? He felt awful, his stomach churning and his head pounding as if he was hungover again. Levi tried to bury himself in his work, not allowing himself to think about it too deeply.

That night he had a sleepless night in his own bed. In fact, he spent the rest of the week in his own bed, and he spent his days avoiding the hell out of Erwin. By the time the weekend rolled around, Levi hadn’t said one word to his boyfriend all week. Even Hanji had tried to intervene, but he wouldn’t listen to them or let them talk to him about it. He completely retreated into himself, not even eating lunch with his squad anymore. The kids had become concerned about him and Erwin, worrying they had broken up or that something bad had happened between them.

But he didn’t care. Nothing could change his mind. He needed to stay away from Erwin, because Erwin could not love him. Levi wasn’t someone who could be loved, and he was terrified at the prospect of Erwin having fallen for him. When he finally did see Erwin during briefings, the man looked like he hadn’t slept all week either. He looked a mess, and Levi refused to even look at him, as he couldn’t take the pain he felt from seeing Erwin like this. He figured it was probably worth Erwin going through the pain now rather than having to go through it later when he would discover that Levi was unlovable.

After that week, the Survey Corps was preparing to go after Bertholdt and Reiner, who had just captured Ymir and Eren and taken them with them as they headed back to wherever they came from. Erwin had a plan to recapture Eren, which they were currently carrying out. Levi was sitting this one out, having hurt his ankle in a recent mission. Levi waited patiently for them to return, knowing this was a critical mission. Of course, part of him was still greatly concerned for Erwin, but the other part of himself would never admit this. He waited for news of the mission, reading the paper as he sipped on his tea, barely able to focus on what he was reading.

He was worrying more and more about Erwin with the more time that passed. What if Erwin got hurt, or worse? What if he didn’t come back? Levi was starting to feel regretful about his week of silence. He could have at least tried to make up with Erwin before he left. What if he never got to see him again? What if I never get the chance to tell him... to tell him...

The door to his office flew open, Hanji, who had also been injured when Bertholdt and Reiner revealed themselves as the Colossal and Armored Titans, limping into the room. Levi immediately threw down his paper, ready to scold them for getting out of bed. But before he could open his mouth, Hanji spoke.

“Levi, they’re back,” Hanji said, “They got Eren.”

“Is Erwin with them?” Levi immediately asked, needing to know that he had survived.

Hanji nodded, “Yes, but Levi-”

“Fuck,” Levi got up, starting to hobble out the door, “I have to see him.”

“Levi, listen to me,” Hanji grabbed Levi by the shoulders, wincing from the effort it took to do so.

Levi struggled out of their grasp, trying to go around them again, “Hanji, we can talk later. I need to see him.”

Levi ,” Hanji snapped, “Listen to me!”

Levi stopped, surprised by Hanji’s sudden outburst. He paused, crossing his arms as he waited for them to tell him whatever the hell was so urgent.

“He’s hurt,” Hanji said quietly.

Levi’s heart sunk. Erwin’s hurt? He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he didn’t wait to hear what else Hanji had to say. He flew down the hallway (as best he could on his bad foot) and out of the building, seeing the soldiers filing back from their mission. Levi scanned the crowd, not seeing Erwin amongst them. Infirmary . He thought to himself, turning towards the infirmary and hobbling his way over there. He wasn’t going to let his bum foot stop him from seeing Erwin, no matter how much he winced as he limped towards the building.

A nurse stood outside the building with a clipboard, taking note of who entered and exited the building. Levi walked up to him, immediately trying to bypass him and enter the building.

He held a hand up, “Sir, you can’t enter the building unless you have a reason.”

“I do have a reason,” Levi snapped, “I need to see Commander Erwin.”

“He’s being taken care of right now,” the nurse explained, “It’s not a good time-”

“I don’t give a flying fuck if it’s a good time or not, I need to see him,” Levi growled, “And if you try to stop me I’ll break your fucking face.”

It was times like these that Levi was glad he was intimidating. The nurse’s eyes widened a little as he realized who he was dealing with, and moved aside to let Levi in. Levi stumbled into the building, his hurt foot pounding with the pressure of having been walked on. He was running on pure adrenaline. Levi went up to the first doctor he saw.

“Where’s Commander Erwin?” Levi asked.

“Sir, you’re not supposed to be-”

Where is he?! ” Levi nearly shouted, grabbing the doctor by his collar and tugging him forward roughly, “ Tell me .”

The doctor stared at him in shock before pointing down the hallway, “Third door to the left.”

Levi let him go and started down in the direction he had pointed, his foot hurting more and more the farther he walked. But he ignored the pain. He needed to see Erwin, needed to tell him...

Levi pushed the door open to see Erwin, wrapped up in blankets and looking like he had just been about to fall asleep. He doesn’t look too hurt , Levi thought as he breathed a sigh of relief. Erwin had some cuts on his face, but for the most part Levi couldn’t see much damage as Erwin sat under a thick blanket. Erwin’s eyes snapped wide open upon seeing Levi, and he went to sit up, the blanket falling down to his waist, revealing his injury. His right arm was gone, cut off just below the shoulder.

“Levi?” Erwin asked quietly, looking shocked to see him there.

Levi just stared at him, his eyes widening as he looked just as shocked to see Erwin’s arm gone. Erwin and Levi stayed like that for a moment, staring at each other in surprise. Levi felt his eyes well up with tears, and he quickly shut the door behind him so that nobody but Erwin would see him cry.

“Levi,” Erwin whispered, a frown crossing his face, “Please don’t cry. I’m going to be okay. Really.”

But Levi shook his head, a couple of tears spilling over his eyelids as he felt them run down his cheeks. He slowly took a step towards Erwin, and then another, his legs feeling like lead. Erwin seemed miles away, and Levi could feel years passing by as he walked towards him. As soon as he reached him, he didn’t know what to do. Levi wanted to throw his arms around him, to hug him and kiss him, but he didn’t want to hurt Erwin, who was now so fragile to him.

“Erwin,” he sniffled, using one fist to rub away his tears, “Erwin, I’m so sorry.”

Erwin’s expression softened as he watched Levi’s display of emotions, and he reached out with his one arm, wrapping it around Levi and pulling him close. Levi rested his head on Erwin’s chest and wrapped his arms around his waist, breathing in his scent as tears continued to fall from his eyes.

He was feeling incredibly regretful about this whole week. Of course, he regretted himself, Hanji, and Erwin all getting hurt in one week, but he most of all regretted that he had ignored Erwin through it all. An injury this serious - Erwin could have died, and Levi was just now realizing how close he had been to losing him.

“Levi,” Erwin sighed, holding him tightly, “It’s okay. Please - don’t apologize. I should be the one who’s sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you-”

“No,” Levi shook his head against Erwin’s chest, “It’s all my fault.”

He leaned his ear to Erwin’s rib cage, listening to his soothing heartbeat and silently thanking whatever higher power was out there for the fact that Erwin was still alive. The tears wouldn’t stop, and he let out a quiet sob as he clung to his lover, feelings of panic and regret filling his stomach.

“Please don’t cry,” Erwin practically begged, tilting Levi’s face up to look at him, “It’s not your fault I got hurt, Levi.”

But Levi couldn’t help but feel guilty. He knew it wasn’t his fault that Erwin was hurt, but he still felt like he was somehow responsible. Maybe if Erwin hadn’t lost so much sleep over Levi ignoring him, maybe if Levi hadn’t stressed him out so badly, maybe Erwin would have paid more attention and been more alert, and maybe his arm wouldn’t be gone now.

“I shouldn’t have... I didn’t mean to...” Levi stumbled over his words, his lower lip shaking as he tried to hold back more sobs from racking his body.

“Levi, you cannot blame yourself for this,” Erwin said sternly, stroking Levi’s cheek gently as he tried to wipe away Levi’s still-spilling tears, “Unless you turned into a titan and bit my arm off, you have no reason to feel bad.”

So that’s how it had happened. Levi figured as much, but Erwin’s words didn’t comfort him. He couldn’t help but feel like this was all his fault. Levi sniffled and let out another quiet sob, Erwin pulling him close again.

“If I didn’t ignore you, you wouldn’t have been so stressed,” Levi explained, tears filling his eyes to the point where his vision was blurry, “Maybe you would’ve been in a better state of mind - maybe it wouldn’t have happened.”

“Levi,” Erwin sighed sadly, running his fingers through his lover’s dark locks, “We can’t focus on the what-if’s. Trust me, it came out of nowhere. This had nothing to do with me being in the wrong state of mind.”

Levi nodded into Erwin’s chest, letting the tears fall freely. Perhaps Erwin was right. Levi hadn’t been there; he didn’t know the situation. Maybe it just happened for no good reason, and not because of Levi ignoring Erwin all week. Levi tried to take some deep breaths to calm himself down, the feeling of Erwin’s fingers in his hair soothing him. But that feeling of guilt wasn’t going away, and the more he calmed down, the more he was realizing what was tugging at his mind.

He pulled away from Erwin to stand up, rubbing his eyes as he forced himself to stop crying. Levi then built up the courage to ask a question that had been bothering him the entire week.

“Did you mean it?” Levi asked quietly, looking at Erwin with almost terrified eyes as he waited for him to answer.

“Mean what?” Erwin asked, oblivious as to what Levi was referring to.

“You know...” Levi mumbled sheepishly, “That you love me...”

Erwin’s face turned a light shade of red, replying, “Oh,” before he swallowed thickly and nodded in response.

“Of course I meant it, Levi,” he said in a low, serious tone, “I wouldn’t lie about that.”

Levi sucked in a deep breath, starting to feel his heart beating out of his chest. Being so close to losing Erwin had made him realize something, and he wasn’t sure how prepared he was to say it out loud. But images of Erwin, lying dead on the battlefield, kept flashing through his mind, and he knew he had to tell Erwin before something worse happened. Who knows what would happen to him next time?

“I’m sorry again for scaring you off,” Erwin piped up, looking away from Levi as if he was ashamed.

Levi felt horrible solely for the fact that Erwin was feeling this way about telling him his true feelings. Levi didn’t want him to apologize; he didn’t want him to feel bad. The captain took his lover’s face into both of his hands, bringing Erwin back to face him. Their eyes met, blue against gray, and Levi watched those confused, hurt eyes stare into his with a guilty feeling in his stomach.

“Don’t be sorry,” Levi whispered against his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to Erwin’s lips before continuing, “I just... it’s my fault. Not yours.”

“Why?” Erwin asked in curiosity, the hurt in his eyes still apparent.

“I thought...” Levi paused before correcting himself, “I still think... I don’t deserve your love, Erwin. You’re too good to me. I’ve never been loved before, and I just don’t feel like I deserve it.”

Erwin’s face softened, his eyes slightly narrowed in concern as he returned a kiss to Levi’s lips and whispered back, “Levi, I told you. You deserve love.”

Levi took in another deep breath, his eyes darting around the room as it was now his turn to avoid Erwin’s gaze rather than the other way around. Levi was thinking about Erwin’s words. Did he really deserve love? If Erwin thought so, did that mean it was true? He remembered Erwin telling him this before, but here and now, it felt all the more real to him. Erwin used his hand to gently stroke Levi’s face, trying to bring Levi back to reality. Levi turned to face him again, those charmingly timid blue eyes settling on his own deep-set gray ones. Levi searched Erwin’s eyes for any semblance of a lie; that he was just telling him these things to make him feel better. But he found nothing but pure honesty, and that scared him more than anything at this point.

Levi knew. He had known from the moment Erwin had first held his hand, the moment they first shared a kiss, the moments they’d spent under the stars. Why was he only now just realizing what those longing looks had meant - what that breathless feeling was? Why didn’t he understand his feelings earlier?

“Erwin?” he spoke in a small voice, unable to stop his hands from shaking as they still lingered on Erwin’s face.

“Yes?”

“I love you too.”

 

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Chapter 7

Erwin had spent a week in the infirmary before he was allowed to return to work. Levi visited him every single day, despite being in recovery himself. He was now following Erwin back to his office, his foot having mostly healed. It still bothered him a little, but at least he wasn’t limping anymore. Erwin had insisted he didn’t need Levi’s help, but Levi knew him better than that, and followed him to his office anyways. Hanji, who was also mostly recovered from their injuries, waited in Erwin’s office for them, having agreed to help Erwin get accommodated to working with only one arm.

“Really, you two,” Erwin smiled sadly between Hanji and Levi, “You didn’t have to take time out of your day to help me. It’s too kind of you both.”

Hanji pulled out Erwin’s chair for him, trying to keep an upbeat energy despite the solemn circumstances, “It’s no problem, Erwin. Of course we’re going to be here for you when you need us most.”

Levi nodded in agreement, holding onto Erwin’s arm as he led him to the chair, helping him sit down. Erwin felt like he was a fragile piece of glass, or at least, he felt like he was being treated in this way. Losing his arm was difficult, of course, but it didn’t feel like the end of the world to him. He was still alive, wasn’t he? Erwin was beginning to feel like Levi and Hanji were treating him as if he was a completely different person now; as if he wasn’t as strong as he had been before. But he still felt the same, despite being down an arm.

“Thank you,” Erwin said quietly, clearing his throat as he picked up the pile of letters on his desk.

Levi immediately went to grab them from him, “I’ll open those for you.”

Erwin shook his head and held the letters closer to his chest to avoid letting Levi grab them, “Levi, I can do it. I need to learn how to do things on my own.”

Levi said nothing, watching Erwin struggle to open the letters with one hand. He was determined now, though, and he didn’t want to prove Levi right about him needing help. Hanji and Levi exchanged a glance as they watched Erwin try his hardest to open up the letter with his one hand.

“Erwin...” Hanji said quietly, “Are you sure you don’t need he-”

“No!” Erwin snapped, tossing the letter onto the desk in frustration. I’m not useless , he thought to himself angrily. I can do this . Hanji looked a little taken aback, and Erwin instantly regretted losing his temper at them.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, looking down at the letters on his desk hopelessly.

“Use your teeth,” Levi suggested out of nowhere, trying to be helpful.

Erwin looked at Levi in some surprise before he picked up the letter and held the corner in his teeth, tearing the edge of the envelope off neatly.

He smiled in success, looking up at Levi and happily proclaiming, “I did it!”

A small smile formed on Levi’s face, looking almost proud, “Good job, babe.”

Erwin could feel a blush rising on his face as he repeated in shock, “Babe?”

Hanji was looking between the two of them with a stupid grin on their face, trying to hold back a giggle from how cute they were being. Levi cleared his throat, not looking at Erwin as he grumbled in embarrassment, “What? I can’t have a nickname for you?”

Erwin practically beamed, and he was sure his face was still red as he practically melted at the fact that Levi had picked out a nickname for him. It was so sweet; almost too adorable for Erwin to handle.

Levi saw both Hanji and Erwin beaming at him and crossed his arms, “What?! What are you both grinning at?”

Hanji started giggling, heading towards the door, “I’m going to leave you two to it. I can’t handle your honeymoon phase - it’s too cute.”

Levi rolled his eyes, looking a little taken aback that Hanji had called this their ‘honeymoon’ phase. Erwin also looked a little confused, not certain as to what that really meant. But he took it as a compliment, and waved Hanji off as they walked out the door.

Erwin shook the letter free from the envelope and began to read it, while Levi went to sit across from him, watching him cautiously as he waited to help him with anything he might need. Erwin finished reading the letter and took out a piece of parchment, grabbing his pen awkwardly with his left hand before realizing he was right-handed. He stared down at the paper for a while as he came to terms with this, and set the pen down as a loud sigh escaped his lips. A concerned look flashed across Levi’s face, as if he sensed what was going through Erwin’s mind.

“I’ll write for you,” Levi immediately offered, reaching out to slide the parchment across the desk so that it was in front of him, “Here, hand me the pen.”

Erwin supposed he would have to practice writing with his left hand for a while before he tried to write professional letters back to government officials. He was the commander, after all, he couldn’t be sending letters with scribbly handwriting. But still, the feeling of not being able to do his own work was making him feel a little hopeless. When the letter was complete, Erwin moved to open the next letter.

“Are you okay?” Levi asked, watching Erwin open the letter much easier this time.

“I just feel kind of useless,” Erwin admitted, taking out the next letter and starting to read through it. When he was done, he looked up to see Levi frowning at him in response to what he had said.

“You’re not useless, Erwin,” Levi said sternly, taking out a new piece of parchment to respond to the next letter, “You can’t just expect everything to go back to normal. You lost your arm. Things are going to be difficult for a little while.”

Erwin nodded in response, knowing what Levi was saying was true. But he couldn’t help but feel helpless still, as he narrated what he wanted the next letter to say. He watched Levi write dutifully, feeling grateful that he had someone who was so devoted as to help him like this. But at the same time, he felt bad for taking Levi away from his own work. When the letter was done, Erwin didn’t pick up the next one, looking down at his lap as he sighed in frustration.

“I’m sorry for taking you away from your work, Levi,” he said finally, still not looking at his boyfriend.

After a moment of silent shuffling, he felt a hand on his chin, and his head was tilted up to meet Levi’s cool gaze. The shorter man stared down at him, searching his eyes for some time before pressing a kiss to his lips.

“Don’t apologize for something like this,” Levi whispered against his lips, “You know I would do anything for you.”

Erwin could feel the blush appearing on his cheeks as he took in Levi’s words, smiling up at him gently, “Thank you, Levi.”

A small smile appeared on Levi’s face before he pulled away, heading back to his chair as he began to organize through some of Erwin’s paperwork. Erwin watched him carefully, his heart swelling. He felt grateful to have such a sweet, caring boyfriend to help take care of him. Erwin reached out his hand to meet Levi’s, which was resting on the desk as he read through a document he’d picked up.

“Levi?”

Levi looked up from the paper and slowly interlaced their fingers, “Yes?”

“I love you,” he whispered, trying to put all his emotions into his smile.

A blush appeared on Levi’s face as he squeezed Erwin’s hand gently, “I love you too.”

 

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Levi walked into Erwin’s room about two weeks later, ready to spend the night with him. He scowled as he watched Erwin, whose hair and beard had begun to grow out. Levi suspected Erwin had been avoiding trying to shave or cut his hair, a difficulty with only one arm. But Erwin had been so insistent on doing things by himself that Levi had avoided bringing it up. Erwin was pretty much dependent at this point, already having taken on most of his work by himself. He was very determined, Levi thought, but also incredibly stubborn.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Erwin asked, and Levi realized he’d been staring for too long.

“Your hair,” Levi grumbled as he shut the door behind him, “It’s too long.”

Erwin sighed in frustration, mumbling in return, “I know.”

“Why won’t you let me help you?” Levi asked, beginning to walk towards Erwin’s side of the bed.

“Because...” Erwin explained as Levi climbed into his lap, wrapping his arms around Erwin’s waist, “I need to learn to do things on my own, Levi.”

Levi sighed heavily before nestling his head in Erwin’s neck, whispering, “But it’s okay to let somebody help you when you need help.”

“I know, but I-”

“Listen, Erwin,” Levi interrupted, becoming a little irritated now as he pulled away to look at Erwin, “Your hair is getting out of control and I want to cut it for you. Why won’t you let me help?”

Erwin let out a long, deep breath, clearly thinking about it. Levi clung to him, waiting for his answer as he nuzzled his head back into Erwin’s neck, the feeling of Erwin’s beard scratching against his skin.

“Don’t you trust me?” Levi asked quietly, knowing he could convince Erwin better by guilting him a little.

He felt Erwin’s chest rise and fall as he took in another deep breath, the guilt trip clearly beginning to work. Levi usually wasn’t a fan of guilting Erwin into doing things, but he was getting sick of seeing Erwin’s unkempt hair and unshaven face.

“Fine,” Erwin agreed, and Levi felt a smile grow on his face as he hopped off Erwin’s lap, heading towards the bathroom.

“Come on,” Levi said eagerly, watching Erwin get up slowly and follow him into the bathroom.

“Where are your scissors?” Levi asked, pulling a chair from Erwin’s room into the bathroom for Erwin to sit in. He was way too excited to be able to do this. Cutting Erwin’s hair was an intimate activity that proved he truly trusted Levi with what he was doing. Erwin sat in the chair and pointed to one of the cabinets, Levi retrieving his supplies from there.

“You seem a little too excited about this,” Erwin quipped, almost reading Levi’s thoughts as he took a towel and wrapped it around Erwin’s shoulders. Levi’s face was turning red at being caught, but he tried to brush it off, grabbing some water from the sink and staring at Erwin almost evilly before dunking the water on his head.

Erwin gasped in some shock and began wiping the water from his face, sputtering, “You couldn’t have at least warned me?!”

Levi couldn’t help but laugh a little, shaking his head as he took up the scissors in his hands. He measured Erwin’s hair in between his index and middle finger, and began snipping away at the excess hair. Erwin sighed a little, still wiping water out of his eyes as he watched Levi through the mirror. Levi continued trimming away at the top of Erwin’s hair.

“I’m impressed,” Erwin said after a couple of minutes of silence, “You’re doing a great job, Levi.”

Levi scoffed a little and kept working, “You shouldn’t be so surprised. I cut my own hair, I have experience.”

Levi glanced up at the mirror to see Erwin smiling at him, “Well you’re good at it.”

“Thank you,” Levi mumbled, finishing up trimming the last of Erwin’s hair before he picked up the manual clippers. He began shaving away at the bottom of Erwin’s hair, watching the tiny hairs fly off his head and onto the towel below. Erwin’s eyes were closed, clearly enjoying the feeling of Levi cutting his hair, and he was humming quietly to himself.

“What are you humming?” Levi asked, moving so that he could get to the other side of Erwin’s head.

“Just a song my mom used to sing me when I was little,” Erwin replied, his eyes opening to watch Levi again.

“How sentimental of you,” Levi teased. This wasn’t the first time that Erwin had brought up his mom around him. He knew that Erwin’s dad had died when he was younger, but his mother was still alive, and frequently wrote him letters. Erwin was always embarrassed by them, but Levi secretly thought it was sweet to have a mother who cared about him so much that she wrote him letters.

Levi continued to trim Erwin’s hair in silence, until Erwin piped up, “You know, she wants to meet you. My mom.”

Levi raised an eyebrow, finishing up the last bit of Erwin’s hair as he set the clippers down. She wants to meet me ? Levi thought to himself, his heart beginning to race as he thought about what this meant for him and Erwin’s relationship. Of course, he didn’t have any family for Erwin to meet, unless you count Kenny, and Levi didn’t like to. Meeting Erwin’s mom was a big deal, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for it.

“Oh,” Levi said quietly, putting down the clippers and picking up the shaving soap and mixing it with some water before he lathered it onto his hands.

“Oh?” Erwin inquired, “Don’t you want to meet her?”

“I don’t know,” Levi lied, knowing for certain that he did not want to meet her. Not that he didn’t like her, he just didn’t know her, and he wasn’t entirely comfortable with people he didn’t already know. He began to place the shaving cream onto Erwin’s face, trying to be gentle.

“Levi,” Erwin frowned, “You don’t want to meet my mom?”

Levi sucked in a deep breath, picking up the razor and starting to shave Erwin’s face, “That’s not what I said.”

“But that’s what you were thinking,” Erwin accused, keeping as still as he could while Levi focused intently on shaving him.

“Hey, watch it,” Levi grumbled, “Don’t piss off the guy with the razor in his hand.”

Erwin couldn’t help but smile a little at that, quickly going back to a neutral face so that he wouldn’t mess up Levi’s work.

“I just...” Erwin spoke between Levi’s strokes against his face, “I don’t understand why you don’t want to meet her. It would mean a lot to me.”

Levi frowned. He didn’t like it when Erwin pulled that on him. It would mean a lot to me . Levi knew he would have trouble saying no once Erwin had said that. He didn’t want to disappoint him.

“Fine,” Levi sighed in annoyance, finishing up Erwin’s face and setting down the razor.

“Well, I don’t want you to meet her if you don’t want to,” Erwin spoke quietly, sounding exactly how Levi didn’t want him to sound: disappointed. Levi let out a sigh as he grabbed another towel, wiping off Erwin’s face.

“I said fine, Erwin,” Levi repeated, grabbing the aftershave and putting some on Erwin’s face, “Just take what you can get.”

Erwin nodded, examining himself in the mirror and smiling, “You did a great job, baby.”

Levi didn’t even react to the nickname this time - he had become used to it by now. He watched Erwin look at himself in the mirror and held back a smile. He couldn’t help but think how handsome he looked: all freshly trimmed and shaven. Levi would never admit it, but he felt lucky to have such a handsome man as his boyfriend.

“Thank you,” Levi said, grabbing a broom from the closet and starting to sweep up the hair off the floor, “Shake off the towel on the floor and go change your shirt. It probably has hair in it still.”

Erwin immediately obeyed, and Levi smirked at how obedient Erwin was when it came to Levi wanting everything clean. Erwin clearly knew it wasn’t wise to argue with Levi when it came to cleaning. Levi finished sweeping up the hair and Erwin soon returned in a new shirt, leaning against the bathroom door frame as he watched Levi sweep the hair into a dustpan and toss it into the garbage bin.

“What are you staring at?” Levi grumbled, leaning the broom up against the wall as he turned to look at Erwin.

“I can’t stare at my gorgeous boyfriend?” Erwin smirked.

“No,” Levi shook his head. He wanted to be angry with Erwin for convincing him to meet his mom, but he couldn’t. Erwin’s freshly shaven face was entirely too handsome to him, and he found himself drawing closer to his lover without even thinking about it. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of Erwin, staring up into his dreamy blue eyes as Erwin stared back down at him.

“Why not?” Erwin asked, reaching his hand out to caress Levi’s cheek gently. Levi let Erwin hold his face for a few seconds, before he leaned up to share a kiss with him. He smelled intoxicatingly clean, and Levi would have liked to tackle him right then and there. But he held back, allowing the two of them to just kiss for now. They had stayed up late enough doing Erwin’s hair, and they needed to get to bed soon if they wanted to be up in time for work the next morning.

“Let’s go to bed,” Levi whispered against Erwin’s lips. Erwin nodded and pulled away, grasping Levi’s hand in his own as he led him back to the bed. They climbed under the covers and Erwin snuffed out the light on the bedside table. He wrapped his arm around Levi, drawing him close and pressing a kiss to his cheek. Levi sighed contently, enjoying the fact that he no longer had to deal with Erwin’s harsh stubble against his face. As he drifted off to sleep, the thought of meeting Erwin’s mom was still nagging at the back of his mind. That’s a problem for another day , he thought to himself, allowing his brain to go numb as he fell asleep in Erwin’s grasp.

 

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Levi crossed the battlefield, which was littered with corpses. He himself was covered in someone else’s blood, and the stench of dead bodies filled his nostrils as he looked around in a haze. He stumbled through the dirt and the blood, feeling his heart practically pounding out of his chest.

“Erwin?!” he called out, not hearing anything in response, “Erwin?!”

His legs felt like lead as he kept walking, glancing over the dead bodies of his comrades as he pressed on, shouting Erwin’s name desperately as he searched for him. That’s when he heard a quiet groan behind him.

“Levi,” the voice moaned out in pain.

Levi froze, his heart sinking as he turned to see Erwin laying just to the left of him, his body drenched in his own blood. His body felt as if it didn’t work anymore - he was rooted to the spot as he stared at his lover, who was clearly struggling to cling to life.

“Levi,” Erwin repeated, and his voice snapped Levi out of his trance. He rushed over to Erwin and kneeled next to him, searching his body to find where the blood was coming from. A decent sized hole in Erwin’s chest was pouring out blood, and Levi hopelessly used his hands to cover the wound, blood oozing out between his fingers.

“Erwin, no,” he whispered, his voice sounding clearly distressed, “Erwin, please no.”

“Levi,” Erwin repeated for a third time, his eyes focused in on Levi’s face as he sputtered out, “I’m sorry.”

“No,” Levi whimpered, “No, god dammit! You can’t- Please-”

He was practically begging Erwin at this point, but for what he wasn’t sure. Begging him to stay alive? Begging him not to apologize? Levi could feel the wetness of tears spilling over his cheeks as he let out a miserable sob, still trying to stop the blood from seeping out of Erwin’s chest.

“Look at me,” Erwin breathed, struggling to keep his eyes open.

Levi’s eyes met Erwin’s, and Erwin used the last of his strength to reach his hand out, caressing Levi’s cheek gently. Levi placed his bloody hand on top of Erwin’s, another sob shaking his body.

“I love you,” Erwin wheezed.

“I love you too,” Levi wept, trying hard to keep it together enough to be there for Erwin in his final moments.

Erwin’s gaze broke from Levi’s as he stared up at the stars.

“Aren’t they... beautiful?” Erwin gasped out, his hand going limp in Levi’s and the life leaving his eyes.

“No,” Levi sniffled, still clinging to Erwin’s dead hand as he desperately tried to remember the warmth that had been there only a second ago, “God- Erwin, no.”

 

Levi shot up out of bed with a loud gasp, his eyes snapping open as he awoke from the awful nightmare. He looked around the room in distress, seeing Erwin stirring beside him. He’s alive. Levi breathed a loud sigh of relief, the effects of the nightmare still having shaken him up immensely. Erwin’s eyes fluttered open, and he sat up slowly as he rubbed his sleepy eyes.

“Nightmare?” he asked, yawning a little as he tried to wake himself up.

Levi nodded, but he couldn’t speak. He’d had plenty of nightmares before, but none like this. He’d never had a nightmare about Erwin dying, and this had shocked him to his very core. It had felt so real. Levi stared down at Erwin, his chest still heaving with anxiety as the nightmare held its grip over him. Erwin was becoming more awake now, noticing just how agitated Levi looked.

“Are you okay?” Erwin asked with some concern, reaching out and grasping Levi’s arm gently to try and bring him back to reality.

Levi could feel his chest constricting. He couldn’t breathe properly, the image of Erwin’s dead eyes flashing across his brain. He couldn’t even focus on answering Erwin’s question, feeling his heart pounding. It was becoming all the more real to him: the nightmare, and just how easily that could be a reality.

“Levi,” Erwin tried, rubbing his arm gently as he asked again, “Are you okay?”

Levi could feel himself practically hyperventilating, feeling tears form in the back of his eyes. He could barely look at Erwin without seeing that image of him lying in the dirt, dead and bleeding out. The thought crossed his mind that Erwin could die at any moment , and the tears came forward, spilling over onto his cheeks. Erwin really could die like he had in Levi’s nightmare, and there wasn’t much Levi could do to control this.

Now Erwin looked incredibly worried, wrapping his arm around Levi and pulling him close.

“Levi, breathe ,” he whispered against his face, “It wasn’t real. Whatever happened, it wasn’t real.”

Levi was shocked not only by the nightmare, but also by the fact that his emotions were washing over him so quickly that he couldn’t even control them. He felt a sob rack through his body, and he threw his arms around Erwin, his body shaking.

“Don’t cry, baby,” Erwin rubbed his back gently, pressing a kiss to his forehead, “I’m here.”

Levi was clinging desperately to Erwin, unable to believe he was alive, in his arms. He sniffled loudly and allowed himself another quiet sob, trying hard to hold back his emotions as best he could.

“Levi,” Erwin instructed, “Take some deep breaths, okay?”

Levi sucked in a deep breath, shakily letting it out a moment later. Another sob escaped with it, and he felt Erwin letting him go to brush away his tears. Erwin pressed more kisses to his face, whispering sweet things against Levi’s skin as he tried to comfort him.

“It’s going to be okay,” he spoke calmly, “I’m here with you, don’t worry.”

Erwin’s words were only making things worse; Levi was losing his ability to hold back his sobs now, and he finally let go, his body shaking as he wept openly. Erwin just held him, patiently waiting for Levi to get it all out.

“Fuck,” Levi finally breathed out after a couple of minutes of crying, sniffling, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Erwin said quietly, “It’s okay to cry, Levi.”

Levi wiped the tears out of his eyes, taking a shaky deep breath as he finally felt his body calming itself. Erwin was still looking at him with great concern, clearly a little shaken up himself by how Levi had reacted to whatever horrible nightmare his brain had come up with.

“What was the nightmare about?” Erwin asked curiously, hesitating a little as he didn’t want Levi to get upset all over again, “You don’t have to tell me if you-”

“You died,” Levi admitted, his eyes looking pained, “You fucking died , Erwin.”

Erwin looked a little surprised - not at him dying in Levi’s nightmare, but at the fact that Levi had reacted in this way to such a nightmare. Levi could feel more tears coming forward, but he forced them back this time.

“Oh,” Erwin frowned, “I mean... it wasn’t real-”

“But it could be,” Levi interrupted, putting his fears on full display as he sniffled quietly, “You could die at any time .”

Levi wasn’t one to share his fears, but this nightmare had scared him so badly that he needed to get this off his chest. Plus, he trusted Erwin, and wasn’t as hesitant about sharing these things with him anymore.

Erwin pulled Levi close again, sighing a little, “I mean... I can’t say you’re wrong. But you can’t think like that, Levi. If I spent my entire day worrying about you dying, I would be a nervous wreck all the time.”

Levi knew Erwin was right, but it didn’t ease his fears any. He clung to Erwin, taking in everything about him: his scent, the feeling of his soft skin against Levi’s, the warm hug he had enveloped Levi in. He made a mental note of these things, now terrified with the thought that he only had limited time with Erwin. Erwin was holding him just as tight, as if trying to reassure Levi that he was still there with him no matter what.

“You have to promise me something,” Levi finally piped up, pulling away to look Erwin in the eyes.

Erwin nodded, moving his hand to grasp Levi’s, “What is it?”

“Promise me you won’t die out there,” Levi practically whispered, the tears starting to form all over again.

Erwin stared back at Levi with a sad look in his eyes, leaning their foreheads against one another, “Only if you promise me you won’t die either.”

Levi looked up into Erwin’s soft blue eyes, nodding at him as they both whispered it at the same time.

“I promise.”

 

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“For fuck’s sake, Eren,” Levi scolded, “Stop fighting with Jean - this isn’t a competition!”

Erwin had decided to take Levi and his squad (and Hanji of course) out to a nearby lake to go swimming as a reward for how hard they’d been working recently. They had just gotten there, and Eren was fighting with Jean over who could get into the water first. Eren stopped momentarily to apologize to the captain, before he threw his shirt off and ran at the water as fast as he could, beating Jean there by mere seconds. Levi rolled his eyes and laid out a towel on the embankment, going to sit down.

“You aren’t swimming, Levi?” Hanji asked.

“No,” Levi responded, grimacing, “That water’s definitely not clean.”

Erwin laughed at Levi’s response, him and Hanji exchanging an unsurprised look.

“You’re such a boring old man,” Hanji teased, “The lake’s full of all sorts of interesting fish. They’re not even big fish, either! Mostly they-”

“I really don’t care, Hanji,” Levi deadpanned, laying back on the towel and enjoying the feeling of the warm sunlight on his skin, “Nothing you say is going to convince me to get in the water.”

Levi watched Hanji shrug at him and rush towards the water after the kids, laughing excitedly as they jumped into the water. Armin was busy drawing in the sand while Mikasa sat nearby, watching him curiously. Sasha and Connie were busy splashing each other, while Jean was challenging Eren to a race across the small lake. Erwin still stood next to Levi, looking down at him.

“What?” Levi asked, looking up with his hand over his face to block the sun from his eyes.

“You’re really not going to swim?” Erwin asked.

“No,” Levi replied in annoyance, turning over on his stomach to avoid the sun in his face.

He felt Erwin’s arm around his middle and grumbled, “What are you doing?” before being tossed over the taller man’s shoulder. He gasped in shock and starting beating his fists on Erwin’s back.

“Put me down, bastard!” Levi shouted, hearing Hanji laughing hysterically as Erwin headed towards the water and unceremoniously tossed Levi in. Levi felt the cold water surround him and quickly resurfaced, his hair sticking to his forehead as he glared at Erwin. But Erwin was laughing just as much as Hanji was, and he fought hard to hide his smile at Erwin’s handsome face tossed back in the sunlight, his laugh ringing in Levi’s ears.

“Fuck you!” Levi snapped as he shoved Erwin hard, the taller man gasping and losing his footing as he fell back into the water. He resurfaced a moment later, sputtering a little as he continued to laugh. Levi smirked in some satisfaction, but Erwin grasped him around the middle and tugged him closer.

“You’ll regret that,” he whispered huskily, and Levi could feel his face getting red as he pushed Erwin’s face away from his.

“Not in front of the kids, you two!” Hanji giggled, swimming past them on their back, “Get a room!”

Levi could hear Connie and Sasha laughing at what Hanji had said, and turned around to glare at them, the two immediately stopping and pretending as if they hadn’t just been laughing at him. Armin and Mikasa had joined them in the water now, and Eren was desperately trying to climb onto Armin’s shoulders to fight Jean, who was trying to convince Connie to let him do the same.

“Eren,” Mikasa scolded, “You’re going to break Armin. Climb on my shoulders.”

Eren scoffed in annoyance before doing as he was told, climbing onto Mikasa’s shoulders instead as Jean mounted Connie’s shoulders. This isn’t going to end well, Levi thought to himself, watching Jean and Eren grip each other’s arms and try to throw the other off.

“That looks unsafe,” Erwin muttered, watching them as well.

“Oh stop being such grumpy old men,” Hanji chided as they swam by again, “It looks like fun! Erwin, can I get on your shoulders next?”

Erwin laughed, “Sure.”

Hanji grinned and got onto Erwin’s shoulders. As soon as they were close enough to Jean and Eren, Hanji launched themselves off Erwin’s shoulders and at Eren, tackling him off Mikasa’s shoulders and into the water. He shrieked in surprise, and Jean, Sasha, and Connie started laughing hysterically. Levi watched them in some amusement. Those idiots , he thought to himself, starting to swim towards the shore as he felt more and more disgusted being in the water by the minute.

“Captain Levi!” Armin called out, “Come join us!”

Levi turned around in the water to see Hanji and Eren resurface, Eren looking a little mortified at having been tackled into the water so easily. He shook his head, about to speak when more members of his squad piped up.

“Yeah, come on sir!” Sasha encouraged.

“You can tackle Eren next!” Connie joked, causing Jean to double over in laughter as Mikasa shot them a glare.

Erwin turned around and smiled at him, running a hand through his wet hair. Levi couldn’t help but think he looked incredibly handsome soaking in the sunlight, and he felt his legs taking him in Erwin’s direction, as much as he didn’t really want to. He cursed himself for being so stupidly in love with that tall idiot, but he made his way over to where everyone was anyways.

Erwin grinned a little wider at the sight of Levi coming towards them, taking his hand under the water and squeezing it as if to thank him for coming to spend time with everyone. Levi sighed in annoyance, watching the kids messing around and splashing each other. Eren stepped back and pushed as much water as he could towards Jean’s face, but Jean dodged it. Levi happened to be standing right behind him, and became completely soaked in the water that Eren had splashed. Eren’s face drained of color as he muttered, “Oh shit.”

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at Levi, who had a pissed look on his now wet face.

“I’m going to fucking kill you, Jaeger,” Levi growled as he began to furiously splash water back at Eren, who shrieked and tried to swim away. Levi went after him, continuing to splash water at Eren until the boy was sputtering and choking on the water being splashed in his direction.

Levi could hear Erwin’s laughter behind him, and felt Hanji pulling him back as they too were giggling, “Okay, okay, Levi. Don’t drown him.”

Levi glared in Eren’s direction and swam back towards Erwin, mumbling curses under his breath. Levi felt eyes on him, and turned to see Armin staring at him with some sort of nervous look in his eye. What the hell is he looking at me like that for? Levi wondered before feeling his face get soaked with water again. His mouth nearly dropped open. Had Armin just splashed him?! This was the last thing he expected from the blonde boy, and he stared in shock for a moment before a smile came up on his face, a small laugh escaping his mouth.

His squad stopped what they were doing to stare at him in shock, a laughing Levi being a rare sight.

“Hey!” Eren exclaimed in shock, “How come you tried to kill me, but you laughed when Armin did it?!”

Levi immediately shot another glare at Eren, “Because Armin’s not a pathetic piece of shit, Eren.”

Eren shut his mouth and pouted angrily, Armin laughing as if he’d gotten away with it. But Levi wasn’t just going to let him get away with it, and began splashing back at Armin, though not as angrily as he had with Eren. Armin swam off and hid behind Jean, who held his hands up innocently at Levi’s attack.

Levi felt a strong arm wrap around his middle and pull him back. Erwin , he thought as he felt Erwin’s chest against his back. Erwin turned him around and smiled down at him, “Remind me not to have kids with you. I’m worried you’d murder them.”

Levi blushed at the thought of having kids with Erwin, but a small smile formed on his lips at Erwin’s joke. Hanji was grinning stupidly, looking between the two of them, “You two are so in love, it’s disgusting.”

The kids were beginning to swim deeper into the water, and Levi was suddenly becoming nervous as Erwin began to join them. He could swim in shallow water, but he wasn’t a strong swimmer. Growing up in the underground, he hadn’t really learned how to swim properly and knew he couldn’t go in the deep water without drowning. Erwin turned around to see Levi still standing in the shallow water, which only came up to his chest.

He swam back to him and asked, “Is everything okay?”

“I... I can’t swim like that,” Levi said quietly, “I’ll just go back to the shore.”

Erwin frowned, taking Levi’s hand gently under the water and starting to pull him slowly in the direction of everyone else, “Come on. I can teach you.”

Levi pulled back against him a little, trying to hide the worry on his face as he shook his head. Erwin smiled softly at him and wrapped his arm around Levi’s middle, “I won’t let you drown, Levi. Come on.”

Levi nodded hesitantly, letting Erwin pull him into the water until he couldn’t touch the bottom anymore. He could feel the panic building in his chest, but Erwin still held onto him, kicking his legs to keep them both afloat.

“Here, just kick your legs,” Erwin instructed as he slowly let go of Levi, keeping his arm nearby just in case. Levi kicked his legs, feeling himself float a little easier. He was still panicking though, and he clung to Erwin’s arm as he continued to kick.

“Now move your arms out to help you float,” Erwin guided, “And take a deep breath. I won’t let you go under, don’t worry.”

Levi began to move his arms out in a circular motion, forgetting to kick his legs at the same time. He started sinking and looked at Erwin in panic, who quickly wrapped his arm back around Levi to help keep him afloat.

“You have to do both at once,” Erwin explained patiently, slowly letting go of Levi as he began to float a little better this time.

“I’m doing it,” Levi said as if it were a miracle, smiling a little at himself as he stayed afloat.

Erwin couldn’t hide his proud grin, “You are. Good job, baby.”

Levi kept afloat for a while before Erwin continued the swimming lesson, “Now if you want to swim forward you have to scoop the water backwards with your hands.”

Erwin demonstrated for him and Levi followed, swimming with Erwin further into the water. He felt happiness swelling inside him from learning something he never thought he’d be able to do. He didn’t even try to hide the smile on his face as he stopped, floating in place. Erwin stopped too and swam towards him, smiling back at him. It was moments like these that Levi never wanted to end. He felt so safe and happy with Erwin. Even in this disgusting lake water, with his annoying squad, he could enjoy himself simply because Erwin was there.

 

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Chapter 8

Levi showered as soon as they got back from the lake, feeling disgusting after allowing himself to swim in the gross water. Erwin, however, went back to work, waiting until the end of the day to shower. Levi entered his room while he was showering and went to wait on his bed, picking up the newspaper Erwin had been reading that morning off his nightstand and starting to flip through the pages absentmindedly.

Erwin exited the bathroom, wrapped in only a towel, his hair gleaming as it was still freshly washed. Levi glanced up from the paper, unable to help himself as his eyes raked up and down Erwin’s clean body. He could feel a blush rising on his cheeks, and bit his lip lightly as he tried to return his attention to the paper. Erwin hadn’t noticed, and walked over to his dresser, grabbing a new pair of boxers and dropping his towel to the ground.

Levi let his eyes wander back over Erwin’s now naked body, and he put the paper down in some frustration as he watched Erwin pick up the towel and start drying off his hair. Fuck , Levi thought, his boxers growing tighter by the second.

“Come here,” Levi spoke up quietly, trying to sound sexy but failing miserably as his voice came out higher than he wanted it to.

For the first time since he exited the bathroom, Erwin turned to notice Levi watching him, and he smirked a little at him. That damn smirk , Levi thought in annoyance, putting the paper on the bedside table.

Come here ,” he repeated, huskier this time.

Erwin raised an eyebrow, smiling a little as he folded up the towel and set it on the dresser, “Is that an order, Levi?”

God dammit , Levi thought to himself, his erection only getting worse by the second. He stared Erwin right in the eye, trying to convey all his horny thoughts into this one look as he nodded in response to Erwin’s question. Erwin chuckled a little, instantly understanding what Levi was getting at as he walked over and hopped into the bed, pulling Levi close.

“You really can’t handle me being naked, can you?” Erwin teased, pressing their hips against each other.

“You’ve been teasing me all day,” Levi accused, poking his chest lightly. It was true, Levi had been thinking about doing this almost the entire day. Seeing Erwin in his damn sexy swim trunks, wet hair glistening in the sun - it did something to him. And now, seeing Erwin’s naked body as he toweled off from a shower, it was just too much.

Levi placed his hands on either side of Erwin’s head and pulled him close, pressing a deep kiss to his lips. Erwin leaned in, kissing back as he rested his hand on Levi’s waist, rubbing his side gently. But Levi had been waiting all day, and had to admit he was a little desperate at this point. He began biting and sucking on Erwin’s lower lip almost immediately, his hips instinctively snapping forwards to grind against Erwin’s. Erwin let out a pleasant groan, allowing Levi access to his mouth as the shorter man pushed his tongue inside.

Taking a second to catch his breath, Levi pulled away and shoved Erwin back on the bed, climbing on top of him and grinding their hips together at a slow, painful pace. He bit his lip to hold back a groan and leaned down to capture Erwin’s lips in another rough kiss, continuing to move up and down against Erwin’s erection. The taller man moved his hand to Levi’s ass, squeezing and kneading at the skin there.

“Fuck,” Levi whispered against Erwin’s lips as they continued to grind against each other, Levi’s boxers feeling too hot and too tight for him to keep them on. Erwin sensed this, and helped the shorter man tug the boxers off, tossing them off the bed. With both of them now naked, Levi pressed his erection to Erwin’s, desperately rubbing against him.

Erwin groaned, his hand falling back to Levi’s ass as he bucked his hips up against the captain’s. Levi was so focused on grinding against Erwin, the intense tingling feelings sparking across his body, that he almost didn’t notice when Erwin’s hand left his skin, coming back down on his ass with a loud smack.

Levi stopped what he was doing to look down at Erwin, questioning, “Did... Did you just slap my ass?”

Erwin couldn’t help but grin up at him, “Yeah, and?”

Levi’s eyes narrowed and he grumbled, “You better fucking watch it,” before continuing to grind against him, letting his head hang back as he groaned quietly from the feeling. Erwin could only chuckle in response, staring back up at his lover with a half-lidded lustful look as he watched him bounce against his erection.

“Shit,” Levi whined as he rocked against Erwin, grasping Erwin’s hand and going to suck on his fingers before Erwin tugged his hand away to stop him. Levi paused, looking down at Erwin in confusion.

“I want you to do it this time,” Erwin murmured in a deep voice, and Levi felt his heart racing as he took in Erwin’s words.

“You dirty bastard,” Levi muttered, “Why should I?”

“Because I asked nicely,” Erwin smiled, a smug look on his face that almost made Levi want to smack the shit out of him.

Levi mumbled swears under his breath before he took three of his own fingers into his mouth, Erwin looking a little surprised that Levi was actually going to do what he asked. Of course, Levi was nervous about doing this himself this time, but he’d seen Erwin do it before and it didn’t look too difficult. He coated his fingers with saliva before positioning them at his own entrance, pushing one in and squirming a little at the feeling. He felt Erwin’s eyes on him, and tried to avoid looking at him as his face flushed, a low groan emitting from his throat as he started to work himself open.

“Holy fuck,” Erwin breathed, sounding like he’d been holding his breath in that whole time, “You’re so fucking sexy, baby.”

Levi could feel his blush getting worse as he added a second finger, still avoiding Erwin’s gaze. It definitely felt weird doing this to himself, but if it meant that Erwin would fuck him, then he was committed to following through.

Erwin’s hand suddenly gripped Levi’s chin and turned his face so that they were staring into each other’s eyes. Every time they had sex, Levi always thought he’d seen Erwin looking the most lustful he’d ever seen. The same was true of this time, as Erwin was staring up at him with the most determined look of desire Levi had ever seen.

“Look at me,” Erwin said in a low growl, “I want to see you.”

Fine , Levi thought in annoyance, If he wants me to look at him, I’m going to make it fucking good. He added a third finger, letting out an obscene whimper as he bounced against his own fingers, staring down at Erwin through half-lidded, pleasured eyes. Erwin groaned simply from the sight of his lover.

Fuck ,” Erwin moaned, grasping at Levi’s hip with his rough, calloused hand, “My turn, baby.”

Levi whined a little as he took his fingers out, positioning himself above Erwin’s erection and sinking down slowly, muttering ‘fuck’ under his breath. Erwin groaned and bucked his hips up almost instantly, unable to control himself much anymore. Levi rocked his hips gently before lifting himself up and rolling back down onto Erwin slowly. Erwin was gripping Levi’s hip tightly in his grasp, helping him to move. Levi moved faster as he began to get used to the feeling, whimpering quietly as his hands clung to Erwin’s sides.

Erwin snapped his hips up roughly, causing Levi to cry out. He desperately clawed at Erwin’s skin as the taller man picked up the pace, letting his mouth hang open as he let out a whine. Erwin smirked at Levi, and for a moment Levi didn’t understand why, until he felt a harsh slap on his ass again. He threw Erwin a glare, but quickly forgot about it as Erwin pulled out and flipped him onto the bed so that he was laying on his back. Erwin hovered over him, tossing Levi’s legs over his shoulders and re-entering him. Levi gasped in surprise and groaned loudly, placing his hands in Erwin’s hair and tugging at it roughly.

“E-Erwin!” he cried out as Erwin continued a rough pace, leaning down to press kisses along his jawline.

“Shit,” Erwin mumbled as he kept going, whispering against his skin, “I fucking love you.”

Levi could feel his face getting hot as he took in Erwin’s words, taking a moment between his panting breaths to get out, “I love you too.”

Erwin moved roughly against Levi’s prostate, causing the shorter man to arch his back and let out a strangled cry, finishing between them after only a few moments. Erwin continued for a few seconds before he too finished, pulling out and collapsing next to Levi. Shit , Levi thought to himself, trying to normalize his shaky breathing. Erwin turned to face him, using his hand to brush Levi’s hair back from his face.

“You feel better now?” he asked quietly, moving to snuggle up to him.

Levi nodded a little, taking a deep breath before letting Erwin pull him close. They lay there for a moment, until Levi heard Erwin’s gentle snoring and knew he was passed out. Levi smiled a little at this and slowly made his way out of Erwin’s grasp to go to the bathroom and clean up.

 

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Erwin sat in his office, waiting patiently for Levi to show up as he had requested. He had received a letter from his mother earlier that morning, requesting that he visit her as soon as he could because she hadn’t seen him in a while. Erwin was a nervous wreck as he thought about asking Levi to come spend the weekend at his mother’s house. She had been nonstop asking about Levi, and he knew that he couldn’t just show up without his boyfriend, or at least not without asking him to come with.

Levi opened the door, exchanging a glance with Erwin before shutting the door behind him. He immediately went to do his usual routine, perching on Erwin’s desk like a cat as he waited for Erwin’s attention. He climbed up and sat in front of Erwin cross-legged, looking down at him as if waiting for Erwin to say something.

“Hey baby,” Erwin smiled, reaching out his hand to place it on one of Levi’s knees.

“Hi babe,” Levi grumbled, just now starting to reciprocate the nickname game, “Hanji told me you were looking for me.”

Erwin nodded a little, rubbing Levi’s knee gently as he leaned up to press a kiss to his lips in greeting, “Yes, I was going to ask you something.”

Levi sat in silence for a second before asking quietly, “And what is it?”

Erwin was so nervous about asking this from Levi. He wanted, almost needed , him to say yes, knowing his mother wouldn’t take kindly to a rejection from his boyfriend to join them for the weekend. He knew that in order for Levi to pass his mother’s ‘test’, he would have to agree to at the very least be there for the weekend.

“Well,” Erwin started nervously, rubbing his thumb over Levi’s knee soothingly as if to prepare him for the difficult question, “My mom’s invited me to come stay for the weekend. I was hoping you would come with me.”

Levi’s eyes widened a little at the question, then narrowed again in thought. Erwin could tell he wanted to say no right away, but had stopped himself in order to at least give it some consideration.

“It’s only two days, Levi,” Erwin continued as he anticipated a negative answer, “It would mean a lot if you would come with me.”

Levi sighed heavily, clearly getting annoyed that Erwin was pressing him for an answer. His eyebrows furrowed in thought as he was likely trying to figure out a way to get out of the situation. But Erwin’s hand was still on his knee, gripping it now as if to make sure he couldn’t run away from the conversation. Erwin caught Levi’s eyes with his own, mustering the best begging face he could.

“Fine,” Levi grumbled, placing his hand on top of Erwin’s gently, “Just don’t expect much out of me. I’m not exactly the ‘meet the parents’ type.”

Erwin couldn’t hold back the grin that plastered itself across his face. He stood to envelope Levi in a hug, murmuring against his cheek, “Thank you. And don’t worry, you’ll be great. My mom will love you.”

He pulled away and sat back down, Levi looking less than pleased as he mumbled, “Don’t sound so sure about that.”

Erwin frowned, rubbing Levi’s thigh reassuringly, “Don’t say that. What makes you think she won’t like you?”

“I swear, I make shit jokes,” Levi explained, “I’m not really ‘perfect boyfriend’ material.”

Erwin refrained from rolling his eyes, thinking Levi was being a little overdramatic about the whole thing. He tried to be more understanding; he knew that Levi’s mom had died when he was young, and he didn’t know his father. Perhaps Levi hadn’t been around parents in so long that he was concerned about giving off the wrong impression of himself.

“Levi, trust me,” Erwin spoke quietly, reaching his hand up to stroke Levi’s cheek, “I know my mom better than you. And I think you’ll be fine.”

Levi scoffed a little and rolled his eyes, avoiding Erwin’s gaze, “Whatever.”

Erwin sucked in a deep breath, trying to keep his patience. He knew that Levi didn’t have a great self-image, nor a good amount of self-confidence in how others viewed him. Maybe no amount of reassurance would help him understand that he would be fine around Erwin’s mom. Erwin decided that it was probably just best to drop the topic. He would just have to show Levi when they visited his mom that weekend just what a great boyfriend he was.

 

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Levi hauled his overnight bag over his shoulder as he and Erwin exited the carriage at Erwin’s mother’s house. His anxiety had been building the closer they had gotten to their destination, and now that they were here, he was a nervous wreck. He was about to meet arguably the most important person in Erwin’s life - how could he not be nervous? Erwin smiled back at him gently as he walked ahead of Levi, heading up to the front door and knocking loudly. The door soon opened, a woman about Levi’s height opening the door. Her face was aged, wispy white hairs framing it. Her hair was done up in a bun, a smile painted on her face as she saw her only son standing in front of her.

“Erwin!” she exclaimed, enveloping him in a tight hug.

Erwin beamed and hugged her back, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, “Hi mom.”

“Come in, come in,” she said as she pulled away from him, stepping back inside and ushering them both in. Erwin followed her in, Levi cautiously stepping inside after him. He took a moment to take in his surroundings. The house was fairly simply decorated, but he could tell that Erwin had definitely lived a pretty privileged life growing up. At least, in comparison to himself.

“Mom, this is Levi,” Erwin stepped aside so that Levi was in better view. Levi could feel himself sweating from the anxious feeling in his stomach as Erwin’s mother turned her attention to him. It felt like an eternity passed in his mind before the old woman smiled sweetly at him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

Levi was almost shocked. They must be a hugging family , he thought to himself, feeling incredibly uncomfortable as he looked to Erwin for help. Erwin just chuckled in response, and Levi could’ve smacked the shit out of him for the stupid grin on his face. Erwin’s mom smelled like lavender and soap, which Levi was pleasantly surprised by. He hadn’t known many old people who smelled particularly pleasant. Erwin’s mom pulled away, still holding onto Levi’s arms gently as she smiled at him. Erwin has the same smile , Levi thought to himself as the old woman rubbed his arm lightly.

“It’s so lovely to meet you,” she greeted sweetly, “Erwin’s told me so much about you.”

She let go of Levi’s arms and Levi nearly breathed a sigh of relief as he simply nodded in response to her words. He wasn’t exactly sure what to say, let alone what to even call her. It was definitely way too early to refer to her as ‘mom’ - that thought alone made Levi beyond embarrassed. He vaguely remembered seeing the name ‘Ilse’ on the envelope of one of his mom’s letters to him, and he prayed he was correct in assuming this was her name. He kept glancing at Erwin as if to beg him for some help, the silence becoming painful for him.

“I... your house is nice,” Levi finally spoke, his voice coming out a little shakier than he wanted.

“Thank you,” she replied, “You two can stay in Erwin’s old room. It’s just upstairs.”

Erwin began to head towards the stairs to take his bag upstairs, and Levi quickly followed behind him, not wanting to be left alone with Erwin’s mom. She seemed nice enough, but Levi was still terrified that he would say something wrong and ruin everything. Erwin led him up the stairs and to a room down the hallway, tossing his bag onto the queen-sized bed and looking around his old room as if reminiscing about his childhood. Levi glanced around as he placed his bag on the bed. The room had a small desk and a bookcase, full of various history books. There were a couple of posters of the Survey Corps emblem above the desk, and the closet on the other side of the room sat open, mostly empty except for a couple of old shirts and jackets.

“See?” Erwin smiled, “I told you, she likes you.”

Levi didn’t exactly see what Erwin was talking about. He’d only just met the woman for god’s sake. How could she like him already when she didn’t know anything about him yet? Levi was skeptical.

“Hmm,” he mumbled, crossing his arms as if to defend his still heavily beating heart.

“Come on,” Erwin said as he headed back out the door to go downstairs. Levi stood rooted to the spot for a moment, not wanting to go back down. Erwin paused and turned to look back at him.

“Levi, come on,” he repeated, and this time Levi built up the courage to follow him. How was he this scared of some old woman? He couldn’t believe the effect she had on him, and his legs nearly shook from anxiety as he followed Erwin down the wooden staircase and into the kitchen. Erwin’s mom busied herself with pots and pans, dinner already cooking on the stove. Levi couldn’t help but think this was incredibly sweet; being able to come back home to a loving mother and a warm meal. He wished for a fleeting moment that this was something he had, but he quickly shook the thought from his mind.

Erwin went to sit at the table, motioning for Levi to do the same. But Levi just stood there for a moment, watching Erwin’s mom running herself ragged as she tried to juggle the various foods she had cooking on the stove.

He was surprised to find his legs carrying himself over to where she was, asking quietly, “Would you like some help?”

Erwin’s mom stopped what she was doing to look at him, and for a moment he was worried he might have offended her. But she was just surprised he had even asked, and a smile came across her face.

“You’re too sweet,” she said, motioning to the stove, “If you could just stir the potatoes that would be very helpful.”

Levi glanced back to Erwin, who looked a little shocked at what Levi had just done. Erwin cleared his throat and quickly got back up, realizing he probably should help too. Levi started stirring the potatoes and smirked a little to himself, enjoying the feeling of being helpful - more helpful than Erwin.

“Do you need anything mom?” Erwin asked.

“You could go down to the cellar and get a bottle of wine,” she suggested, going back to the stove to stand next to Levi.

Erwin left to go get the wine, and Levi suddenly realized he was alone with Erwin’s mom. He sucked in a deep breath to calm himself, continuing to stir the pot of potatoes as he felt her presence next to him.

“Do you cook, Levi?” she asked, starting to stir a pot of vegetables.

He nodded, muttering quietly, “A little.”

“Well I hope you like pork roast and potatoes,” she said, lightly moving Levi aside to take a roast out of the oven.

Levi nodded again, the pleasant smell of cooked pork hitting his nose. He couldn’t help but think how jealous Sasha would be if she knew what he was having for dinner. Erwin’s mom set the roast on the table and hurried back to the stove to plate the vegetables. She took out a dish for the potatoes, and Levi helped her pour them out of the pot.

“It looks amazing,” Levi commented quietly, helping her take the dishes to the table.

“Thank you, dear,” she smiled. Levi felt his face flush at being called ‘dear’. It made his heart swell happily to have Erwin’s mom be so sweet to him. He hadn’t expected this. Erwin’s mom went to pull out a chair for herself, but Levi quickly pulled out her chair for her, pushing it in gently when she sat down. Erwin appeared in the doorway with a bottle of wine, opening it and starting to pour it into the glasses already out on the table.

“You didn’t tell me your boyfriend was such a gentleman,” Erwin’s mom stated, smiling sweetly at Levi as he sat down across from her.

Erwin was looking at Levi with some surprise as he sat down at the head of the table, opening his mouth to say something and closing it again. Levi held back a smile. He couldn’t help but think how much he was enjoying himself, despite all the anxiety he had felt only moments earlier. Erwin had been right about his mom, as much as Levi didn’t want to admit it. His mother was incredibly sweet. She spent all of dinner asking him questions about his life: where he had grown up, how he met Erwin, etc. Of course, he had to leave out the nasty details like the fact that he had at one point tried to kill her son, you know, the casual stuff.

After dinner was over, Levi insisted she stay seated while he clean up, much to her delight. Erwin had joined to help him do the dishes, and Levi scrubbed the stove clean while Erwin’s mother sipped more wine at the kitchen table, not sure what to do with herself as she had never had anyone clean up after her before. Once they were done cleaning, they moved into the living room, Erwin and his mother talking about menial things while Levi listened silently to their conversation.

“Excuse me,” Levi interrupted politely, “Do you have any tea?”

A smile flashed across Erwin’s mom’s face as she nodded, standing up, “Come with me. You’ll have to pick which one you like.”

Levi stood up, and she took his hand gently, leading him to the pantry in the kitchen. She opened the door, and Levi’s mouth nearly dropped open. She had boxes upon boxes of tea. Any kind he could think of. He didn’t even know what to say, and just stood there in some shock as she started listing off all the different kinds she had. Levi came to find out she was a tea fanatic, and this was what solidified the fact in his mind that he liked Erwin’s mom. He was no longer regretting coming to visit as he spent a good twenty minutes talking to her in the pantry about all the different kinds of tea she had. They’d spent so much time talking that Erwin had to come and see what happened to the two of them. Levi turned back to see him leaning in the doorway of the kitchen, smiling at them almost smugly. But Levi didn’t care how right Erwin had been. He was far too focused on how much he was enjoying Erwin’s mother’s company.

 

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“I told you so,” Erwin said as soon as they were alone in his childhood room for the night.

“Shut up,” Levi grumbled, pulling his shirt over his head and climbing into the bed.

Erwin grinned smugly, tugging his own shirt off and climbing in next to him. He was so pleasantly surprised at Levi’s sudden change of heart. Erwin was thrilled that Levi and his mom got along so well. He put out the oil lamp next to him and the two of them got comfortable under the covers. Erwin raked his eyes over Levi’s small frame snuggled up to him under the covers and dirty thoughts quickly filled his mind. He scooted a little closer to his lover and wrapped his arm around him, letting his hand wander down to Levi’s boxers and gently pressing his palm against Levi’s dick.

“Hey!” Levi whispered in annoyance, grabbing Erwin’s hand and moving it back up to his chest.

“Aw, come on, baby,” Erwin pouted, starting to knead at the skin on Levi’s chest as he began to kiss at his face.

“Get off me, you horny bastard,” Levi growled as he elbowed Erwin in the gut.

Erwin gasped a little at the feeling and frowned, “You don’t want to?”

Levi turned around to face Erwin, looking up at him in the darkness, “We’re at your mother’s house, Erwin!”

Erwin couldn’t help but chuckle at how offended Levi sounded. He reached out to caress Levi’s cheek, but the shorter man slapped his hand away.

“Her bedroom’s on the other side of the house,” Erwin explained, “She can’t hear anything from there.”

“Erwin,” Levi grumbled, “I’m not going to disrespect your mother by letting you fuck me in her house.”

Erwin was a little surprised by Levi’s answer, his eyes widening slightly as a smile flashed across his face. He thought it was so sweet that Levi was so concerned about giving his mother respect. It was endearing.

“Oh,” Erwin said now that he realized what was going on, “Wow, that’s actually really sweet of you.”

“Yeah, well...” Levi sighed, “You’re lucky to have such a wonderful mother.”

Erwin could see Levi’s pained expression in the dark room and his smile quickly turned into a frown. He didn’t realize how much he had taken his home life for granted. He hadn’t even thought about how Levi might feel coming to meet his mom when he didn’t have a family of his own. Suddenly, Erwin was feeling a little guilty, and he reached out to take one of Levi’s hands into his own, rubbing his hand soothingly.

“I’m sorry,” Erwin murmured, “I didn’t think about how you might feel coming here.”

Levi sucked in a deep breath, allowing Erwin to comfort him, “It’s fine. I’m enjoying myself, honestly. It just makes me think about my own mother, you know?”

Erwin nodded in understanding, not even knowing what to say. He knew Levi’s mother had died when he was quite young, which must have been incredibly hard. Though he empathized with Levi, he could never truly understand just how difficult his childhood had been growing up in the underground.

“I can’t even remember what her face looks like anymore...” Levi continued as his voice trailed off. He looked deep in thought, as if he was trying to recall what his mother’s face looked like.

“Oh Levi,” Erwin let out a small breath of disbelief at the statement, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Levi said in a quiet voice, avoiding Erwin’s eyes as he turned back around and snuggled back up against Erwin’s body, “Let’s just go to bed.”

“Okay,” Erwin replied, not wanting to press Levi about his feelings. He knew it was probably really hard for him to talk about these things, and he didn’t want to push him. Erwin figured they probably had plenty of time together in the future for Levi to open up to him about these things slowly. Erwin wrapped his arm around Levi and held him close, trying to convey all his thoughts through this hug. He wanted Levi to know that everything would be okay; that he would be here for him no matter what.

 

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Erwin woke up the next morning to find himself alone in the bed. He got up and pulled on a shirt and some pants, heading downstairs sleepily. He ran a hand through his messy hair as he stopped in the kitchen doorway to find Levi and his mom in the middle of baking cookies. Erwin stared in some confusion and surprise, a grin growing on his face as he watched Levi stirring the mix, a small smile on his face as Erwin’s mom was talking to him.

“He was so cute,” Erwin’s mom was saying, “When he was a toddler, we couldn’t get him to keep his clothes on. He would always try to run around naked.”

Levi laughed, and Erwin suddenly realized they were talking about him; his mother reminiscing about embarrassing stories from his childhood. His face started to turn red, and he quickly rushed into the kitchen to stop the conversation.

“Good morning,” he announced himself loudly so that they would stop talking about him.

“Morning,” his mother and Levi answered at the same time, Levi smirking a little as he continued to stir the cookie dough, clearly still thinking about what Erwin’s mom had just finished telling him.

“Well you two are certainly getting along well,” Erwin smiled, walking over to stand at the counter.

Erwin’s mom and Levi exchanged a look, Erwin’s mom giggling a little before turning back to Erwin, “Yes dear, we were just talking about how cute you were as a child.”

“Lovely,” Erwin rolled his eyes a little, trying not to be too annoyed. He supposed he should just be happy they were getting along so well. He’d never expected Levi to be such a mama’s boy.

Levi looked up from stirring to smile mischievously at Erwin, as if he now knew things that he could use against him. Levi didn’t scare him though, and Erwin stared back at him with nothing but a smile on his face.

He watched as his mom showed Levi how to roll the cookie dough and they soon put the cookies in the oven. While his mother began to clean up, Levi filled the tea kettle with water and put it on the stove to boil.

“Would you like some tea, Mrs. Smith?” Levi asked quietly, starting to head towards the pantry to retrieve some tea bags.

“I’ll have some green tea, please,” his mother replied, “Oh, and Levi?”

Levi paused before opening the pantry door, turning to look at her, “Yes?”

“You can call me mom, if you’d like,” she smiled sweetly, picking up some of the dishes they’d used and placing them in the sink.

Levi’s face flushed, and Erwin could feel himself getting a little red at his mother’s suggestion. He couldn’t help but grin a little and glanced between Levi and his mom as he waited for Levi to respond.

“O-Oh... okay...” Levi stuttered. He stared at Erwin’s mom as if she had two heads, but she didn’t seem to notice as she began washing the dishes. Much to Erwin’s surprise, a small smile grew on Levi’s face as he turned to open the pantry, grabbing the tea bags he needed and closing the door again. The smile was still apparent on his face as he took out two tea cups for them, placing the tea bags in the cups. Erwin’s heart swelled, a grin plastered on his face as he watched Levi making tea.

“Mom?” Levi spoke up quietly, and Erwin was shocked that he had caught onto the name so quickly, even though two minutes ago he had been so clearly shaken by the suggestion.

Erwin’s mom turned to him, clearly happy that he had chosen to take up the idea of calling her mom, “Yes, dear?”

“Can you tell me more stories about Erwin as a child?” Levi asked, shooting Erwin a mischievous look as he began to pour the tea.

Erwin’s stomach dropped a little. Shit , he thought to himself as his mom’s face lit up. This was about to be incredibly embarrassing for him, he could already tell. He sucked in a deep breath as he awaited his mom’s answer.

“Of course!” his mom exclaimed excitedly, turning off the sink and drying her hands as she took the cup of tea from Levi. She turned to Erwin and asked sweetly, “Dear, would you mind wiping down the countertop for me?”

Erwin nodded and got up, going to the sink and grabbing a rag. He paid close attention to Levi and his mom as they sat at the kitchen table.

“He was really shy initially,” his mom began, “When he started going to school, he’d get so scared he’d wet the bed the night before.”

If Erwin’s hand hadn’t been busy wiping down the countertop, he would’ve face-palmed. Levi and his mom starting laughing, and Erwin shot a glare in Levi’s direction for him asking her for more stories.

“That’s too cute,” Levi smiled, taking a sip of his tea and waving a little in Erwin’s direction. He was clearly enjoying this conversation way too much.

“I have some of his old school projects too. Do you want to see?” his mom asked, setting her teacup down on the table as Levi nodded eagerly. She got up and went to the cabinet that displayed her fine porcelain dishes, pulling out one of the drawers at the bottom and taking out a scrapbook. Erwin took in a deep breath and finished up cleaning the counter, trying to remind himself that it was good that the two were getting along so well, despite it being to his own embarrassment at some moments. He went to sit down at the table across from Levi, who was still smiling at him with a mischievous look.

His mom sat back down and pushed the scrapbook towards Levi, who opened it carefully. The first page had a huge misshapen heart that said ‘I love mommy’ in broken toddler handwriting.

“Aww,” Levi murmured, “That’s adorable.”

Erwin rolled his eyes a little. He couldn’t remember a time he’d seen Levi smiling this much, but he was definitely annoyed that it was at his own expense. Levi began flipping through the pages, Erwin’s mom stopping him every once in a while to explain something or to tell a story about something he was seeing.

“It’s so sweet that you kept all these things,” Levi noted as he closed the book, “Erwin’s so lucky to have a mother like you.”

A small blush rose on his mother’s face and she smiled sweetly at him, resting her hand gently on top of Levi’s, “Thank you, sweetheart. That’s so kind of you to say.”

Levi nodded, exchanging a small smile with her before pushing the book back towards her gently. She took it and went to put it back, Erwin trying to avoid Levi’s smug look. They’re getting along, that’s what’s important , Erwin repeated in his head.

“So Levi,” his mother asked as she sat back down, “You said you grew up in the underground. Do you mind if I ask: what was your mother like?”

Levi’s smile quickly turned, and he suddenly looked nervous. He cleared his throat, taking a sip of tea before shrugging, “I don’t mind. I don’t remember much about her anymore to be honest with you.”

Erwin’s mom’s face turned to a frown as she reached out to grip his hand again, sensing he was uncomfortable thinking about his mother. He forced a grateful smile in her direction.

“I’m sorry for asking,” his mother murmured quietly, “I’m sure that must be painful for you.”

Erwin still sat there silently, just observing them. It was as if he wasn’t even there. Perhaps Levi needed this. His mother was very good at comforting and talking to people, so maybe this was exactly what Levi needed to get through some of his trauma.

“It’s okay,” Levi muttered, picking up his cup and swirling the tea gently, “I really don’t mind. It would probably be more painful to remember the things she went through to keep me alive.”

“I see,” his mother spoke softly, patting his hand, “Well, I know I could never replace your mother, but I hope I can be a sufficient substitute.”

Levi stared at her for a moment as if he was incredibly touched by what she had said. He turned his hand over to grasp her hand in his, squeezing it gently to let her know what that meant to him.

“Thank you,” he responded sincerely, “You’ve been so kind to welcome me like this.”

Erwin smiled between the two of them, and his mother reached out her other hand to grip Erwin’s as well.

“I’m so happy for the two of you,” she sighed happily, squeezing their hands lightly, “You make an adorable couple.”

She turned to Levi, “And Levi, I’ve never seen my son so in love before.”

A blush rose on Levi’s cheeks, “Th-Thank you.”

“So,” Erwin’s mom said as she let go of their hands, “When are you two going to get married?”

Levi, who had been taking a sip of tea, nearly choked on it, Erwin going completely red as he glanced between Levi and his mom.

“Mom!” he scolded in embarrassment, “We’ve only been together a couple of months!”

“But you’re soldiers,” his mom explained innocently, “Soldiers usually get married right away, don’t they? In case... the worst happens?”

She wasn’t wrong. It was pretty common for soldiers to get married early because of the possibility of death in battle. But the fact that she’d brought it up right now was something neither of them had expected.

“I- we-” Erwin stuttered, completely unsure of how to answer her. He definitely hadn’t thought about marriage, and he was certain Levi hadn’t either. They were certainly in love, wasn’t marriage the next step? Erwin thought so, but the thought truly terrified him as he had been caught so off guard.

“We haven’t talked about it,” Levi answered, saving Erwin from having to respond.

“Oh, I see,” she smiled sweetly, “Well, you both have my blessing.”

“Th-Thanks, mom,” Erwin mumbled, just wanting the conversation to end. He took a moment to look at Levi, who was equally red in the face but hiding his embarrassment a little better than Erwin was. What is he thinking? Erwin wondered, trying to read his lover’s mind. He was curious what Levi thought about marriage, especially what he thought about marriage to him. He tried to picture it. Marriage didn’t seem like it would be too much different from what they were now; spending all their time together, sharing their love. It was really just an official document at this point. Erwin’s heart began to flutter as he thought about what life could be like after the Survey Corps: owning a nice cottage somewhere, spending his life with Levi every day, maybe even adopting kids. If he was honest with himself, the more he thought about it, the nicer it sounded.

 

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Chapter 9

About a week later, the two of them were laying in bed, rain pouring hard outside their window. Levi was having trouble sleeping, but Erwin was passed out comfortably. Levi turned over to watch his lover sleep; Erwin’s chest rising and falling gently as he snored lightly. His hair was messily covering his forehead, and his face looked incredibly peaceful as he slept the night away. The storm outside began to pick up, and Levi could hear the crackling of lightning in the distance, followed shortly by a loud thunderous roar. Erwin stirred lightly from the noise, a distressed look passing over his face. Levi rubbed his arm gently to soothe him and keep him from waking up, but these efforts were for nothing because as soon as the next flash of lightning and thunder rolled through, Erwin’s eyes snapped open, some panic written on his face.

“It’s okay, babe,” Levi whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “It’s just a thunderstorm.”

Erwin looked around for a moment before he smiled nervously, “Oh... sorry.”

“No it’s okay,” Levi said cautiously, still a little concerned at Erwin’s worried face, “I was already awake.”

Another loud boom of thunder practically shook the building, and Erwin jumped a little, sitting up quickly, “ Shit .”

“Erwin... are you okay?” Levi asked, a little amused at seeing Erwin so shaken up by a thunderstorm.

“I’m fine,” Erwin responded almost immediately, his chest still heaving.

“Are... Are you afraid of thunderstorms?” Levi asked, a small smile creeping up on his face. It was almost comical: such a strong man being afraid of something as little as a thunderstorm. Levi wanted to laugh but held back, waiting for Erwin to answer.

“I-” Erwin began before another blast of lightning and loud rumble of thunder shook the building, causing Erwin’s face to become panicked yet again. Levi was going to make fun of him, until he saw just how disturbed Erwin really was. His hand was to his chest, which was still heaving heavily, and he had broken out in a sweat, his eyes welled up with tears as his breathing quickened.

“Oh fuck, you’re serious,” Levi murmured quietly, starting to feel guilty for having thought it funny only a moment ago.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Erwin muttered, clearly embarrassed by his fear. But Levi knew it wasn’t fine, and he watched Erwin practically having a panic attack as the wind whipped against the window, more lightning flashing and illuminating the room. Erwin quickly braced for the thunder, but still jumped when it came.

“Shit,” Levi frowned, “Babe, it’s okay to admit you’re scared.”

“I-I’m just...” Erwin sucked in a shaky breath, trying to explain, “It’s loud and I-”

“You don’t have to explain,” Levi practically whispered, “Come here.”

Erwin snuggled down under the covers again, and Levi pulled the covers over the top of them so they were in the dark. He grabbed Erwin and pulled him close, holding the panicked man’s face in his hands and covering his ears with his palms to block out the noise. He pressed gentle kisses to Erwin’s face, and listened to Erwin’s breathing begin to calm as he comforted him. Erwin was staring at him with wide but grateful eyes, still trying to calm himself fully. Levi could hear his racing heart rate slowing to a normal pace, and continued to press kisses to Erwin’s cheeks. Erwin’s eyes soon turned sleepy, and he was smiling softly at Levi, clearly thankful for his help.

“I love you,” he whispered before drifting off to sleep in Levi’s arms. Levi continued to hold him, dedicated to not letting go until the storm passed. He didn’t care if he had to stay up the whole night; he’d do anything to keep Erwin safe and happy.

 

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Hanji sat in their office, writing out a proposal for a new experiment. They had gotten into work early that morning, knowing they needed to finish the proposal by the end of the day. Hanji heard a knock on their door and looked up curiously. Who else is up this early? Hanji wondered to themselves.

“Come in!” they called out, the door opening slowly to reveal Erwin.

“Hey Hanji,” Erwin smiled softly, “Do you have a minute to talk?”

Hanji pushed their papers aside and nodded, deciding it might be a good time for a break anyways. Erwin entered and shut the door behind him, going to sit in the chair across from Hanji’s desk.

“So what’s up?” Hanji asked, leaning back in their chair and putting their boots up on the desk. Erwin was staring down at his hands, clearly nervous about something. Hanji watched him look up slowly, a sheepish look plastered on his face.

“I... I think I want to marry Levi,” he whispered.

Hanji’s heart nearly stopped in some shock, but quickly began beating hurriedly in some excitement as they took in the words that Erwin was saying. Erwin wanted to marry Levi?! Hanji would say they were more than ecstatic at this news.

“You... oh my god!” they exclaimed excitedly, “That’s so adorable! Are you going to ask him soon? I want to be your best man!”

Erwin waited for Hanji’s bombardment of words to end before he sighed a little, sounding unsure of himself.

“I just don’t know what to do about it... I don’t know if I should even ask him,” he said quietly, “What if that’s not something he wants?”

Hanji frowned, seeing just how distressed Erwin was about this situation. They sat back up and leaned forward a little, “Hey. Don’t worry, I’m sure Levi has probably thought about it too. You should try to talk to him about it.”

“You think so?” Erwin asked, glancing up at Hanji with some hope in his eyes.

“Yeah,” Hanji smiled, “I think talking to him about it will help you gauge where he’s at in terms of your relationship - what he’s ready for.”

“You’re probably right,” Erwin agreed, smiling back a little at Hanji, “Do you think he would want to marry me?”

“Hmm,” Hanji thought. Levi didn’t honestly seem like the type to settle down and get married, but they didn’t want to tell Erwin that. He looked so hopeful, and Hanji couldn’t get his hopes down.

“I think he’s definitely in love with you,” Hanji finally answered, “And the next step is marriage, so why wouldn’t he want to?”

Erwin nodded, his smile becoming a little wider as Hanji instilled him with some confidence. Hanji was really hoping that Levi wouldn’t let them down by shitting on Erwin’s hopes.

“I’m gonna go talk to him then,” Erwin said confidently, standing up, “Thanks, Hanji.”

“Of course!” Hanji replied, “I hope everything goes well!”

Erwin thanked them and left, leaving Hanji with some anxiety. They really hoped that Levi would, at the very least, let Erwin down easily if marriage wasn’t something he wanted. But this was Levi they were talking about, and Hanji wasn’t certain things would go well.

 

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Erwin immediately went back towards Levi’s office, reinvigorated by his conversation with Hanji. He definitely felt more confident about talking to Levi about marriage, which was something that had been on his mind since they’d left his mother’s house. The more he thought about Levi and him being married, the more he fell in love with the thought. He pictured waking up to Levi every day for the rest of his life, making dinner with him every evening, and getting to come home to him.

“Levi, I need to talk to you,” he said as he opened Levi’s office door, a smile tugging at his lips.

Levi looked up at him, a little surprised that Erwin had entered his office in clear excitement. Erwin closed the door behind him, his breath hitching as all the confidence Hanji had instilled in him suddenly left his body upon seeing his lover. Fuck , he thought, starting to feel anxious about the conversation.

“What is it?” Levi asked, setting his pen down to pay attention to him.

“You... uh....” Erwin paused, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he felt his heart pounding away in his chest, “I wanted to ask you about something...”

“And? Spit it out,” Levi frowned, starting to look a little annoyed at being interrupted.

Erwin took in a deep breath, going to sit down so he could at least try to calm himself before asking the crucial question he needed to. He rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants and avoided Levi’s gaze, his heart rate beginning to pick up.

“I was just wondering,” Erwin murmured quietly, “What you think... about marriage?”

Levi’s face flushed, his eyes widening slightly at the question. He, too, became visibly nervous, his mouth opening and shutting as he tried to think of what to say. Erwin was worried now - as they were both nervous wrecks.

“I... what about marriage?” Levi asked, crossing his arms over his chest as if to protect himself.

“Us,” Erwin whispered, glancing around the room in order to avoid Levi’s eyes, “Like us getting married - what do you think about it?”

Levi looked almost terrified, his eyes also darting around as if he didn’t know what to say. He cleared his throat, biting his lip gently as he took some time to think about what Erwin was asking.

“I don’t know,” Levi muttered quickly, “What do you think?”

Erwin sucked in a breath, not expecting Levi to ask him this. He wasn’t sure he was ready to fill him in on just what he had been thinking about lately. He felt sort of embarrassed about it.

“I... I mean...” Erwin stuttered, “I’d be down for it.”

Both Levi and Erwin’s faces turned deeper shades of red at Erwin’s words. Erwin couldn’t believe he had said what he had essentially just blurted out; especially in the way he said it. Levi was staring at him with wide eyes, his hands clearly shaking a little from nervousness.

“Oh,” Levi responded, “Okay.”

“What about you?” Erwin asked, wanting to get some type of answer to gauge where Levi stood on this matter.

Levi was obviously a nervous wreck from this conversation. He took a deep breath, mumbling, “I already said I don’t know.”

“I mean, you had to have thought about it at some point, right?” Erwin asked breathlessly, praying that Levi wasn’t hiding his answer from him.

“Erwin, can you back off?” Levi’s voice began to rise a little in frustration, “I really don’t want to have this conversation.”

Erwin frowned, feeling a little defensive. He didn’t understand why Levi had to be so difficult about stuff like this. Erwin had opened up and talked about how he felt, so why wouldn’t Levi reciprocate?

“Levi,” he sighed in annoyance, “Why can’t we just talk about this?”

“Erwin,” Levi snapped, glaring up at him, “Leave it alone.”

Erwin pressed, “I just want to understand where we’re at-”

Erwin ,” Levi growled, slamming his hands down on the desk, “ Leave me alone .”

Erwin winced at the sudden outburst, looking a little hurt. He stood up, grumbling ‘fine’ as he headed towards the door. He opened it and stood in the doorway for a second before turning around, “You know we have to talk about this at some point. It’s important to me, and you can’t avoid it forever-”

Leave! ” Levi nearly shouted, standing up and glaring at him as he pointed at the door. Erwin frowned at him before walking out and slamming the door behind him angrily. He couldn’t believe this conversation had gone so wrong. Why couldn’t Levi just be more open with him? Erwin knew he shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up, and as he headed back to his office he couldn’t help but feel incredibly stupid for thinking that Levi would have any interest in marriage like he did.

 

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Levi spent the rest of the day with a guilty feeling in his stomach. He was currently looking after the kids, who were on their way to a training regiment in the forest. Levi was walking with them, more silent than usual, as the rest of his squad chatted away excitedly about various things going on in their lives. But, as usual, Armin noticed that something was wrong with the captain, and he notified the rest of the group about it quietly.

“Captain,” Connie said, catching up to walk next to him, “Do you want to hear a joke, sir?”

“No, I have a better joke, Captain Levi!” Sasha called out.

“He doesn’t need jokes, guys,” Jean said, “He needs someone to talk to.”

Levi held back a smile, thinking it was sweet that they were trying to cheer him up. On the outside, he sighed heavily, “I’m fine, you guys. Seriously.”

“Are you sure, sir?” Armin piped up, “You seem sad today.”

“Did something happen with you and the commander?” Eren asked, and Levi could’ve kicked him for bringing it up.

“They probably had a fight,” Mikasa suggested quietly.

Levi stopped walking and turned to face them, wanting to shut them up about what was going on, “Hey. First, it’s none of your business. Second, I don’t need cheering up. I’m perfectly fine.”

They all were looking at him with some concern, and he frowned, frustrated that they were all so worried about him like he was some fragile old man. He rolled his eyes and turned back around, continuing to walk.

“Captain,” Armin spoke up again, “You know you can talk to us, right?”

Levi cleared his throat awkwardly. Of course he knew this, but there were plenty of things that stopped him from doing so. He was certain that they would have dumb advice, considering they were so young. He also didn’t need them gossiping about his personal life, or to give them another reason to poke fun at him.

“Thank you, Armin,” Levi said shortly, “But again, I’m fine .”

They walked in silence for the rest of the way to the training grounds. Levi felt a guilty feeling still sitting in his stomach as he reminisced about his and Erwin’s fight earlier. Erwin had even slammed the door, which meant he was probably angry at Levi still. They arrived at the training area in the forest, and Levi watched the kids run off and start training. He counted them as they flew up into the trees: one, two, three, four, five... where’s Jean?

He looked behind him to see Jean still standing there, looking at the captain nervously as if he had something to say.

“What is it, Kirstein?” Levi asked, not excited for whatever was about to come out of the tall boy’s mouth.

“I know you said you’re fine,” Jean spoke quickly but quietly, not wanting to be interrupted by Levi or be heard by his comrades, “But I just wanted to give you some advice, if you don’t mind.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. What advice could this idiot possibly have for him? Especially romantic advice; he knew that Jean pined after Mikasa and was extremely unsuccessful, so what the hell kind of advice would he have?

“I was in love once,” Jean muttered, looking down at the ground, “And I lost that person before I could tell them. So... whatever’s going on between you and the commander, it’s not worth fighting over. You’ll regret it if you lose him.”

Levi’s eyes widened slightly at this surprisingly good advice from Jean. Who had he been in love with? Levi wondered, remembering overhearing one of the squad members bring up a friend of Jean’s who had passed away. He couldn’t remember the boy’s name, but this was the only person Levi could think of that Jean could be referring to.

“I... thank you,” Levi muttered, genuinely grateful for the guidance even though he hadn’t asked for it.

“Of course,” Jean smiled awkwardly before shooting up into the trees with the others.

Levi thought back on Jean’s advice. He was probably right. It wasn’t worth spending his time with Erwin fighting with him, no matter how annoyed he had been at Erwin’s prying for answers. Levi sucked in a deep breath, thinking back on what Erwin had asked him that started this whole thing: what did he think about marriage to Erwin? He hadn’t really thought about it since Erwin’s mom had brought it up. The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became. Wasn’t marriage too soon and too much? He didn’t really understand the point of marriage regardless of whether it was with Erwin or not.

But he knew he owed Erwin an explanation of his feelings, and he tried to think of the best way to do so. When he was with Erwin, he had trouble articulating his feelings aloud. Maybe I should write him a letter , he thought to himself as he watched his squad flying through the air above him.

 

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Erwin sat in his office later that day, still feeling a little angry from his earlier fight with Levi. He couldn’t understand how Levi could be so incredibly stubborn when it came to his feelings. Couldn’t he see how important this was to Erwin? Apparently not, considering how he’d reacted. Erwin sighed loudly in frustration before he heard shuffling outside his office door and saw an envelope slide under his door. He got up, hearing whoever it was rush away from the door. He rounded his desk and picked up the envelope, his name written clearly across the front of it. Erwin headed back to his desk and opened the envelope, pulling out the letter inside. He began to read: Dear Erwin, I want to apologize for earlier ...

He sighed and rolled his eyes a little, knowing it was definitely from Levi just from the first line. So he can’t just talk to me about this in person? He thought in annoyance, taking a moment to calm his irritation before he continued to read the letter:

 

Dear Erwin,

I want to apologize for earlier. I was caught off guard by your question, and it truthfully terrified me. Honestly, I shouldn’t have reacted in the way I did - I shouldn’t have gotten so upset, but I was scared of answering your question. I’m so sorry, and I hope you can forgive me for getting angry with you.

 

Erwin wasn’t sure if he could forgive him yet. He was still fairly upset with how Levi had acted, but he took a deep breath and tried to remember what Levi was saying: he had been scared of the question and hadn’t meant to react like that. The letter continued:

 

Now to answer your question. I’ve honestly never thought about marriage as a possibility for myself, and until I met you I had no real opinions or thoughts on marriage other than thinking it was pointless. And to be clear, I still don’t see a real difference between how we are now and what we would be like if we were married. However, if this is something you really want, I would be willing to consider it.

 

Erwin’s heart swelled at this section. The mere thought that Levi would consider marrying him was enough to send his heart into overload. He felt a small smile creep up on his face. Even though Levi didn’t seem to understand the point of marriage, at least he would still consider it on behalf of his partner.

 

I want you to understand something. You have changed my life in so many positive ways. Even if I get annoyed with you or seem sick of you, I could never be upset with you for long. My heart always longs for you, no matter what argument we’ve had. No words can describe the amount of love I feel for you. Please come see me when you’re ready to talk.

I love you,

Levi

 

A blush rose on Erwin’s cheeks as he finished the letter, feeling his heart practically pounding out of his chest. The love he felt for his boyfriend had never been stronger than at this moment. He stood up, setting the letter down on his desk as he headed out of his office. Levi’s office was all locked up, meaning that he was in one of two places: his own room or Erwin’s room. Erwin locked up his office for the night and headed back to his room. He had given Levi a key to his room a couple of weeks ago, so he knew that Levi might be there.

He took his keys back out once he’d arrived at his room and jiggled them in the lock, opening the door to see an empty room. Erwin frowned, not entirely surprised. He knew that Levi liked to avoid him if they ever had awkward feelings between them. Erwin locked his bedroom door again and headed down the hall to Levi’s room, knocking loudly on the door. He waited a few seconds before he heard someone walking to the door and unlocking it. The door swung open, and Levi stood there, looking up at him in some surprise, as if he didn’t expect Erwin to want to talk so soon.

“Erwin?” he spoke quietly, “I... did you get my letter?”

“Yes,” Erwin smiled softly, leaning down to press a deep kiss to Levi’s lips, “I love you so much.”

Levi squeaked in some surprise at the kiss, but leaned into it anyways, blushing at Erwin’s words, “I... I love you too.”

Erwin pressed his hand against the door frame, staring down at Levi with a look he couldn’t even begin to describe. He was almost breathing heavily, his brain determined to do one thing now that he was here.

“Baby,” Erwin started, “Can we-”

“Yes,” Levi interrupted, moving aside to let him in as he sensed what Erwin was getting at. As soon as Erwin was inside his room and the door was closed, Levi pressed the taller man against the door and leaned up to kiss him roughly.

“Wait,” Erwin paused as he pulled away, “I don’t want it to be rough this time.”

Levi looked up at him with an inquisitive look, as if he didn’t really understand what he was talking about.

Erwin leaned down and whispered huskily in his ear, “I want to make love to you, Levi.”

Levi’s cheeks were turning red as Erwin pulled away, pressing another sweet kiss to Levi’s lips. The shorter man looked a little taken aback, as if he didn’t entirely know what that entailed. Erwin led him to the bed and pushed Levi back gently onto the mattress.

“Just trust me, baby,” Erwin murmured as he climbed on top of him, kissing him deeply and he grinded against him in a slow rhythm. Levi let out a quiet moan, and he nodded into the kiss as they continued. Erwin pulled away, still rubbing against Levi’s growing erection as he pulled his shirt over his head. Levi began to do the same, and soon they were both shirtless, chests glistening with sweat as they continued to grind against each other.

“E-Erwin,” Levi whined, leaning down to undo his pants. Erwin lightly pushed his hands away and started to undo Levi’s pants himself, tugging both his pants and boxers down at the same time. Levi whimpered at the feeling and watched Erwin take off his own pants and boxers, both of them now naked. Erwin sucked in a deep breath before he pressed their erections together and rolled his hips down onto Levi’s, eliciting a groan from the man underneath.

“Do you have lube?” he asked, and Levi nodded a little, much to Erwin’s surprise.

“Hanji gave me some,” he explained, and Erwin nodded in understanding.

“Where is it?” he asked.

Levi leaned over and opened his bedside table drawer, grabbing a small bottle and handing it to Erwin. The taller man began to coat his fingers gingerly with the substance, and tossed the bottle aside as he pressed a finger to Levi’s entrance, pushing in gently. Levi groaned at the feeling and arched his back into the touch. Erwin leaned down to press kisses along Levi’s jawline, working him open gently as he added a second finger.

“Making love,” Erwin whispered against his skin, “Is slower, more sensual.”

Levi moaned, wrapping his arms around Erwin’s back and clinging to him as he nodded back in response. Erwin added a third finger and worked his lover open as slowly as he could, enjoying the noises coming from Levi’s mouth. He continued to press kisses to Levi’s jaw and cheeks, occasionally pecking him on the lips. Once he was sure Levi was good and ready, he pulled out his fingers and lined himself up, pushing in slowly.

“F-Fuck,” Levi groaned, wrapping his legs around Erwin’s middle and burying his face into Erwin’s neck.

“Shit,” Erwin moaned, starting to move slowly as he kissed Levi gently on the lips, “How’s that, baby?”

“G-Good,” Levi whimpered, and Erwin could feel the shorter man’s legs squeezing around him, “So fucking good.”

Erwin picked up the pace a little, grinding into him in a slow, sensual stride. He couldn’t help but let out a low groan in Levi’s ear, the feeling in his stomach building as they continued on. Levi now had his hands in Erwin’s hair, tugging at it gently with each thrust.

“I love you,” Erwin whispered, sharing a deep kiss with Levi as he continued to press into him slowly.

“I l-love you too,” Levi whined as he bucked his hips down against Erwin’s erection, craving the feeling of Erwin’s thrusting.

Erwin snapped his hips up into Levi’s prostate and kept a slow, agonizing pace into that one spot, causing Levi to squirm and cry out from the feeling. Erwin could tell the smaller man was going crazy from this slow pace, and he continued despite the fact that he himself would’ve liked to go faster.

“God- Erwin-”

“What is it, baby?” Erwin asked quietly, pushing his hips up again to meet Levi’s prostate.

“You b-bastard,” Levi groaned, his back arching slightly, “You’re fucking killing me.”

Erwin couldn’t help but smirk, watching the smaller man practically writhing below him. He leaned close to Levi’s ear, growling, “Tell me what you want, then.”

Levi cursed under his breath, moaning as Erwin continued, “Shit, I want you to go faster.”

“You sure?” Erwin whispered huskily, teasing him, “That’s what you want?”

Levi tossed his head back against the pillow, whimpering, “God dammit, Erwin! Just go faster- fuck!”

Erwin smiled a little at how desperate his lover had become underneath him, and he picked up the pace, snapping his hips forward at a faster pace this time. Levi was squirming at the feeling, his groans becoming louder as Erwin continued.

“Erwin!” he cried out, knowing he had to try and keep his eyes on Erwin, who was hell-bent on looking Levi in the eyes when he came. Levi’s half-lidded eyes stayed trained on Erwin’s, a loud gasp escaping his lips as he finished between the two of them. Erwin groaned and finished inside Levi, pulling out slowly.

“Shit,” he muttered as he collapsed next to Levi, “I fucking love you.”

“I love you too, idiot,” Levi quipped, breathing heavily.

 

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Chapter 10

Levi had felt sick from the moment he woke up that morning, his head pounding and his chest congested. He figured it was probably just a cold, and pushed himself to get out of bed and get ready. He tried not to let on how he was feeling, not wanting Erwin to worry about him. It’s not that bad , he tried to convince himself as he headed to his office, his head still swirling with the congestion that filled his chest and face. He spent the morning drinking tea and trying to ignore his sickness until their meeting in the afternoon.

Erwin appeared in his doorway about five minutes before the meeting, smiling sweetly at him, “You ready for our meeting?”

Levi looked up groggily, nodding and standing up shakily. He’d gotten progressively worse as the day had gone on, and it was getting more and more difficult for him to keep it together and pretend he was okay.

“Are you okay?” Erwin asked, raising an eyebrow as Levi walked towards him.

“I’m fine,” Levi lied, “Just tired.”

Erwin nodded and took his hand gently, leading him down to the conference room. Once they got close, he let go of Levi’s hand, knowing he didn’t like showing affection with him around his squad. Levi took a shaky breath and walked into the meeting room, his squad already sitting down and waiting for them. Hanji stood at the front, smirking at them as they entered the room together. Erwin went to stand at the front with Hanji, and Levi leaned against the wall to keep himself more steady.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Erwin began, starting to go through the plan for their next mission. Levi listened for the first couple of seconds before his mind began to wander, his vision beginning to be fogged by reappearing black spots. Shit , he thought to himself, standing up straight and trying to catch his balance. But before he knew it, his vision fully faded to black, and when he opened his eyes again he was staring at the ceiling, Erwin and Hanji both leaning over him and looking at him with concern.

“Levi, are you okay?” Erwin asked worriedly.

“Fuck,” Levi grumbled, realizing he’d passed out. He tried to sit up, his head thumping with pain.

Erwin gently pushed him back down, “Wait, wait. Don’t get up. You just passed out, that’s not a good idea.”

“Can one of you get him some water?” Hanji asked, turning to the kids. Connie was the first to hop up and go off to get some water for Levi.

“I’m fine,” Levi insisted, “Honestly, don’t fuss over me.”

Erwin frowned at him, “Maybe you should go back to your room for the day. You look really pale.”

Hanji nodded in agreement, “Your hands are really clammy. I think you might be getting sick.”

“I’m perfectly fine,” Levi grumbled, starting to get annoyed.

Connie came back and held out the water to Levi, who sat up slower this time and took it reluctantly, mumbling a quick “thank you”. He could feel Erwin watching him and took a long sip to appease him, handing it back off to Connie so he could try and get up. Erwin and Hanji each took one of his hands to help him, but as soon as he stood up his vision began to blur again, and he stumbled slightly.

Erwin grabbed his arm and steadied him, “That’s it. You can barely stand up, you’re going back to bed.”

Levi sighed in defeat, nodding a little. The kids had almost all gotten out of their seats, concern clearly written on their faces. He knew he couldn’t have done anything to stop himself from passing out, but he felt bad for getting everyone so worked up over him. Erwin held his arm from one side.

“You got him?” Hanji asked, “I can finish up the meeting if you want.”

Erwin nodded, starting to usher Levi out of the room and head towards his bedroom.

“Why didn’t you tell me you felt sick?” Erwin asked once they were out of earshot, leading Levi down the hallway. He sounded almost disappointed, which Levi couldn’t handle. He didn’t like to disappoint Erwin.

“I was fine,” Levi muttered, “I just had a headache.”

Erwin sighed a little, clearly not believing this answer as he continued to lead Levi back towards his room. He didn’t say anything as they walked, and Levi could tell Erwin was a little annoyed at him for lying about his condition. Once they got to his room, Erwin pushed the door open and led him in, helping him lay down and moving to help him take off his boots.

“Really Erwin,” Levi insisted, “I’m fine. You’re acting like I’m fragile.”

“Levi,” Erwin emphasized, “You just passed out. Can you just let me take care of you?”

Levi pouted a little in irritation, allowing Erwin to remove his boots. He tucked his legs underneath the covers and crossed his arms, thinking Erwin was making a fuss for nothing. Sure, he had passed out, but his vision was returning to normal now. Erwin began to tuck him in, using the back of his hand to check Levi’s forehead for his temperature.

“Levi, you’re burning up,” Erwin frowned, “Why didn’t you just tell me? I would’ve given you the day off.”

“Exactly,” Levi responded, “I didn’t want the day off.”

Erwin was looking down at him with a sad expression, reaching up to brush some hair out of Levi’s eyes, “You need to take better care of yourself, baby. Just because you’re humanity’s strongest soldier doesn’t mean you’re invincible.”

“Actually, I think it does,” Levi retorted, his arms still crossed as he stared up at Erwin in annoyance.

“Stop being so stubborn,” Erwin scolded, tugging the covers up over Levi’s arms and pressing a kiss to his forehead, “Go to sleep. I’ll bring you some food in a couple of hours, okay?”

Levi grumbled angrily and gave in, snuggling under the covers. He was still feeling like shit, and he supposed if Erwin was forcing him to stay in bed he might as well try to get some rest. Erwin smiled sweetly when Levi finally listened to him, running his fingers through Levi’s hair gently.

“I love you, darling,” Erwin said as he leaned in and pressed another kiss to Levi’s forehead.

Levi blushed at the new nickname and sighed heavily, tilting his head up to share a quick kiss with Erwin. His boyfriend headed towards the door, waving at him and heading out. Levi turned over and hugged the covers tightly around him, shivering a bit as he tried to get some rest.

 

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Levi’s eyes fluttered open a couple of hours later to the sight of Erwin standing over him with a cold towel, placing it on his forehead gently. He couldn’t help but smile softly at the sight of his boyfriend hovering over him, yawning a little and stretching his arms as he slowly moved to sit up.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Erwin asked.

“You’re certainly trying out all the nicknames today, aren’t you?” Levi grumbled, not wanting to admit that it had made his heart skip happily when Erwin did so, “I’m doing fine. How long did I sleep?”

“Only a couple of hours,” Erwin shrugged, glancing at the closed bedroom door, “The kids are outside. They want to see you.”

Levi frowned, not particularly wanting to see them at the moment. He didn’t want them to see him in such a weak state; he’d already passed out in front of them, wasn’t that embarrassing enough?

“No-” Levi started, before Erwin held up his hand to stop him.

“Levi,” he interrupted, “They’re really worried about you from seeing you pass out earlier. They have some things for you.”

Levi refrained from rolling his eyes. In truth, he thought it was sweet that they were so concerned about him, but he couldn’t let anyone know that, of course. He nodded a little in response to what Erwin had said, as if giving him permission to let them in. Erwin walked over to the door and opened it, the kids piling into his room. Eren was holding a tray of food and Armin was holding a cup of tea, and they moved to set them on his bedside table. Levi was a little surprised that they had brought him things, and was even more surprised that Sasha had held back and not eaten all his food.

“We brought you food,” Eren said as he set it down, looking over at Mikasa who held out a piece of paper to him.

“And we made you a card,” Mikasa explained as she set it down in Levi’s lap.

Levi looked down at the piece of paper, ‘Get well soon’ written across the top along with sweet messages from each of the kids written along the piece of paper. Levi could feel his heart melting, completely touched by what they’d brought him. He had to fight hard to hold back a smile, taking in a deep breath.

“Thank you,” Levi replied softly, “This is very nice of you all.”

“Are you feeling any better, sir?” Connie asked.

“Yeah, how are you feeling, captain?” Sasha added.

“I’m doing alright,” Levi responded, admiring the card for a moment longer before setting it aside, “There’s no need to fuss, it’s probably just a cold.”

The kids nodded, Jean piping up, “We were really worried about you.”

Levi didn’t really know how to respond, feeling a slight blush rising on his cheek from how worried everyone was about him. Clearly nobody had seen him in a state like this before. He didn’t get sick often.

“Well thank you, but I’ll be okay,” Levi muttered, “Thanks again for bringing me food and everything.”

“All right, let’s let him rest,” Erwin insisted gently, starting to usher them out of the room.

Once they were gone and the door was closed, Erwin turned around to see Levi with a grin on his face, smiling down at the card as he reread what the kids had written to him. He was so incredibly touched by this, not realizing they cared this much about him.

“Aww, Levi,” Erwin smiled, going to sit next to him on the bed, “They made you happy.”

Levi could feel himself blushing and shook his head defensively, “No! They just... it’s just nice...”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to be embarrassed,” Erwin chuckled, “It’s really sweet. You’re almost like a dad to them.”

Levi could feel his blush worsening at Erwin’s words, and he swatted at the taller man in irritation, “Shut up.”

Erwin could only smile in response, leaning over to press a kiss to the top of Levi’s head, “So are you feeling any better?”

Levi shrugged, not really sure how to answer. The nap had helped, of course, but he still felt kind of shitty. His head still felt congested and he was cold even though he was under a heap of blankets.

“I’m okay, I guess,” Levi responded shortly, reaching out and grabbing the cup of tea off his bedside table. His hands shook a little as he took a sip, which Erwin took notice of and frowned.

“You’re literally shaking,” he sighed, “Here, let me.”

He took the cup from Levi’s hands and held it to his mouth. Levi shot him a slight glare, but allowed him to feed him the tea, taking a couple sips before Erwin removed it and set it on the nightstand again.

“You should eat,” Erwin insisted, reaching over him and grabbing the soup the kids had brought for Levi.

“Are you going to feed me now, too?” Levi grumbled, rolling his eyes a little. He felt like a child, though he knew Erwin just wanted to help him and take care of him. He could almost sense Erwin enjoying himself as he rested the soup bowl on his lap and spooned some liquid up, holding it to Levi’s lips as if this was his way of answering the question. So he is going to feed me then, Levi thought in annoyance, hesitantly taking the spoon into his mouth.

“You know I’m just sick, right? I can still feed myself,” Levi protested a little, watching Erwin go for another spoonful of the soup to feed him.

“I know, but it’s cuter to pretend that you’re helpless,” Erwin quipped, feeding Levi another spoonful, “Plus, I like feeling helpful.”

“You’re a fucking weirdo,” Levi muttered in irritation, allowing Erwin to continue feeding him anyways.

Erwin couldn’t hold back a smile, chuckling a little as he leaned over to press a kiss to Levi’s cheek. Levi could feel the blush on his cheeks, and he looked away from Erwin, grumbling curses under his breath for allowing Erwin to treat him this way.

“You’re adorable,” Erwin sighed contently, continuing to feed him until the soup bowl was empty.

“And you’re close to getting kicked out,” Levi mumbled angrily as he watched Erwin set the soup bowl aside.

Erwin ignored his boyfriend’s clear irritation and placed a hand on his forehead, “You’re still really warm. You should get more rest.”

Although his head may have been warm, Levi’s body felt chilly, and he shivered a little as he snuggled back under the covers, looking up at Erwin as if expecting him to leave. Erwin ran his fingers through Levi’s hair for a moment before getting up. He went to Levi’s side of the bed and pulled the covers up around him more snugly, tucking him in and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“Do you need anything else, love?” he asked gently, smiling down at Levi with a loving look.

Levi didn’t understand what about him right now was so lovely to look at. He was congested, sweaty, and gross, yet Erwin was looking at him as if he was the most beautiful thing he’d ever set his eyes on.

“Could... Could I have more blankets?” Levi asked slowly, trying to get warm under the covers he already had.

“Of course,” Erwin nodded, “I’ll bring some for you. You get some rest, darling.”

Levi could feel himself blushing. Why did Erwin have to use all these adoring nicknames for him? He loved it, but would never admit this even to himself. He watched Erwin walk towards the door and leave. His eyes were heavy, and he decided to just shut them for a moment while he waited for Erwin to return. However, when he opened his eyes again, he was already covered in the extra blankets, and he glanced at the windows to see it was dark out. I must’ve fallen asleep , he realized as he turned over to find Erwin passed out next to him. Levi smiled softly as he watched Erwin sleep, and he searched under the blankets for Erwin’s hand. Once he’d found it, he took it into his hand and intertwined their fingers, soon falling back into a deep slumber next to his lover.

 

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Erwin didn’t think he could fall deeper in love with Levi, but every second he spent with the man proved him wrong. Especially when Levi had been sick, Erwin had felt as though their relationship was at a new level, as he had to take care of his sweet boyfriend and nurse him back to health. Levi was much better within a few days, and they’d both returned to their normal routine by the end of the week. Taking care of Levi so intimately - feeding him, giving him medicine and tea, checking in on him constantly - it made Erwin feel so homely around his boyfriend. It helped him to imagine what life would be like if they lived together; if they spent their every moment together.

He was sitting in his office when he knew just what he wanted. The thought struck him like a ton of bricks, but once he’d recovered from it, he could feel his heart racing in excitement. He took the rest of the day off to prepare, leaving Hanji in charge. Even they could sense something was going on with him, but they left him alone to do whatever it was he needed to do.

 

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“Levi?” Hanji called out as they opened his office door without knocking, “I have something for you!”

Levi looked up from his work in some annoyance, not liking being interrupted when he had been so focused. Hanji held a note out to him, Erwin’s handwriting clearly present from what he could see of the paper. He snatched it from their hands and glanced at it, reading:

 

Meet me in the fields outside the barracks at sunset for a date. I love you and miss you - please don’t work too hard, sweetheart.

Love,

Erwin

 

Levi rolled his eyes a little at the message; Erwin was always reminding him not to work too hard. He could admit he was curious though, and spent the rest of the day wondering what Erwin had planned. Maybe a late-night picnic?

“Thanks,” Levi muttered, placing the note aside as he looked up at Hanji, who was still standing there expectantly, “Is there something else you wanted to say?”

“Oh yeah,” Hanji nodded, “Erwin took the rest of the day off, so I’m in charge.”

Levi grumbled, “Lovely,” before turning back to his work, Hanji soon exiting the office after delivering these messages. He wondered what Erwin was doing that was so important as to take the day off work. He’d have to ask him later on. Levi waited impatiently for the day to end, trying to focus on his paperwork. But he caught himself watching the clock and looking out the window every few minutes, waiting for the sun to go down.

When it was finally that time, he got up and brought his paperwork to Hanji’s office, setting the pile on their desk. Hanji looked up as he entered, smiling at him mischievously after he set down the papers.

“So you’re going on a date with Erwin, then?” Hanji grinned, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Levi mumbled, not wanting to stay and chat, “I’m about to go see him now.”

“Well don’t let me keep you!” Hanji replied excitedly, “Go ahead! I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you!”

Levi didn’t have to be told twice; he left Hanji’s office and locked up his own, heading down the hall and out the front doors. He walked towards the fields, looking around curiously for his boyfriend. He finally spotted Erwin, sitting under a willow tree on a blanket with a basket. Picnic it is, then , Levi thought, confirming his earlier suspicions. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed towards the tall blonde, exchanging a smile with him when they noticed each other.

“Hi baby,” Erwin smiled sweetly when Levi joined him on the blanket, “How was your day?”

“Meh, it was boring,” Levi responded, getting comfortable on the blanket before leaning back on his hands, “What did you do today? Hanji told me you took the day off.”

“I had to run some errands,” Erwin said shortly, not bothering to explain any further. Levi looked at him with some suspicion. The man looked incredibly nervous for some reason, and Levi thought for a moment maybe he’d passed his sickness onto Erwin, whose face was a little pale and hands looked clammy.

“Are you okay?” Levi asked, watching the sun setting over Erwin’s shoulder as he waited for an answer from the frazzled man.

“I’m fine,” Erwin nodded quickly, not being very convincing, “Just a little stressed. I had a lot going on today.”

Levi raised an eyebrow, looking up into Erwin’s eyes to search for what was bothering him, “What did you do that stressed you out so bad? You’re a fucking mess.”

Erwin laughed nervously, stuttering, “I... I’ll tell you about it later, okay? Let’s just enjoy our time together.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed, but he decided to let it go for now. Clearly something had happened that had shaken up his boyfriend, but he didn’t want to press him for answers. He sucked in a deep breath, glancing at the basket.

“So what’d you bring?” he asked, motioning to the basket. He could see a bottle of champagne sticking out of the top of the basket, and wondered what else Erwin had brought for them to enjoy.

Erwin smiled and took Levi’s hand into his, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand, “That’s for a little later. You’ll just have to be patient.”

Levi didn’t understand why Erwin was acting so weird. First he wouldn’t tell him what he’d been up to today, now he wouldn’t tell him what was in the basket? What was he trying to hide? Levi couldn’t help but be suspicious, though he was trying to push these feelings back as he didn’t want to start an argument with the obviously stressed man.

“Okay,” Levi sighed, laying back on the blanket and looking up at the sky, which had gone dark within the last few minutes. Stars were beginning to sparkle above them, more and more appearing as the minutes passed.

Erwin was still sitting up, following Levi’s gaze and staring up at the stars as well. His fingers were fiddling with his shirt nervously, and Levi was wondering if maybe he should start feeling nervous too. Was something wrong? Was Erwin upset with him for something? Levi tried to think back on the past couple of days. Had he said something to upset his boyfriend? Just as he was wondering this, he felt Erwin shuffling next to him. He’d assumed he was going to lay next to him, but when he glanced over at the taller man, he saw him fumbling around in his pocket for something. Levi turned his attention back to the sky, not thinking anything of this. That was, until Erwin cleared his throat moments later, trying to get Levi’s attention.

Levi sighed, “What?”

He turned to look at Erwin, who was on one knee, holding an open jewelry box out to him, a ring nestled inside. Levi didn’t understand what was happening for a moment, until Erwin started to speak.

“Levi,” he said quietly, the nervousness apparent in his voice, “I’ve never felt this happy in my entire life. The more time I spend with you, the more I can’t picture my life without you. I want to wake up next to you every day for the rest of my life. I want to buy a house together and adopt kids with you some day. I want to grow old with you.”

The realization was dawning on Levi what was happening the more Erwin spoke, and he was connecting the dots as he glanced between the ring in the jewelry box and the words leaving Erwin’s lips.

Erwin sucked in a deep breath before asking, “Will you marry me?”

Levi sat up quickly so that he and Erwin were almost level, looking into each other’s eyes. He could feel his heart pounding away in his chest. Nothing could have possibly prepared him for this moment. Of course, they’d discussed marriage, but Levi would never have thought that he’d be coming out to this date to be proposed to. His heart was fluttering nervously, and he didn’t know what to say. What Erwin had said to him was everything he wanted from their relationship. He, too, wanted to spend his life with Erwin, and hearing Erwin bring up buying a house together and adopting kids; it was overwhelming to hear out loud, but he couldn’t deny that these were things he’d been wanting too.

Levi was shocked when he felt tears spring to his eyes, flooded with emotions from Erwin’s words. He could feel them spilling over and down his cheeks as he stared up into the deep blue eyes above him.

“Y-Yes,” he nodded, sniffling a little as he watched Erwin take the ring out of the box and slide it onto his finger.

“Don’t cry, baby,” Erwin smiled softly, his face having relaxed considerably after Levi’s response. So this was why Erwin had been acting so odd since Levi had shown up. This was why he’d been off for the afternoon.

“I just... I didn’t know you were going to... you fucking bastard,” Levi choked back a sob, feeling Erwin’s arm envelop him in a tight and loving hug.

All the feelings Levi had for Erwin were at the forefront of his mind now, and the emotions were overwhelming. Levi wrapped his arms back around the tall man, holding him close and feeling a smile tug at his lips. Erwin pressed kisses to the top of Levi’s head, a happy sigh leaving his lips as they just spent a moment holding each other.

Levi pulled away after a moment, staring down at the ring in disbelief that this was actually happening. It looked expensive, and he was sure that Erwin had probably saved considerably to afford something like this. He looked back up at Erwin, who moved the basket in between them and opened it up. He took out a small cake and the champagne bottle, along with two forks and two glasses. He always thinks of everything , Levi thought as he sniffled one last time, his tears subsiding as he slowly tried to move past the emotions that had engulfed him momentarily.

Erwin popped open the bottle and poured them each a glass of champagne, handing one to Levi before picking up his own and holding it out to him for a toast, “To us. May our love last forever.”

“To us,” Levi repeated, unable to help himself from smiling as they clinked their glasses and took a sip. Erwin handed him a fork and opened up the packaging on the cake. But Levi had stopped watching what he was doing, just staring at Erwin in an almost dreamy state. He could feel his heart swelling in his chest, realizing what this now meant for their relationship. They were going to get married, and the more the thought settled into Levi’s mind, the happier he felt.

 

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The next day, Levi was sitting in Erwin’s office, the two of them simply enjoying each other’s company. Levi had brought his work into Erwin’s office so they could work and be together during the day. Levi had become a lot more clingy since the night before, the feelings of love he had for Erwin coming to the forefront from just how romantic their date had been. They’d spent hours under the stars, sharing kisses and whispering sweet nothing’s into each other’s ears, both a little red in the face from the champagne they’d shared. Levi had never felt this in love before, and now, in Erwin’s office, he was resisting the urge to pounce on the taller man and kiss him.

The door swung open and the two of them were greeted with an overly excited Hanji, who of course hadn’t bothered knocking yet again. Hanji rushed in with a pile of papers, setting them in front of Erwin.

“Erwin!” they exclaimed before noticing Levi, “Oh, hi Levi - Erwin , I have a new theory about how titan limbs regenerate!”

Erwin nodded, knowing he couldn’t stop Hanji from going on a rant about titans. Hanji started going off, beginning to explain their theory. Levi was waiting for Hanji to notice his ring, knowing that Hanji would probably want to be the first one to know anyways. But Hanji wasn’t paying him any attention, so Levi got up and walked over to Erwin, wrapping his arms around the man’s shoulders and resting his head on top of Erwin’s. Erwin knew exactly what he was doing, and smiled a little as Levi rested his hands clearly on Erwin’s chest, in plain view of Hanji’s eyesight.

“So after I figured that out, I thought that I would-” Hanji suddenly stopped, clearly having seen the ring, “I... Is that... oh my god, is that what I think it is?!”

Levi couldn’t hold back his smile as Erwin nodded a little in response. Hanji’s eyes widened before a grin grew on their face and they practically jumped over the desk, tackling the two of them into a hug. It took all Levi’s strength to push back against the chair so that it didn’t tip over, and he felt Hanji’s arms around both him and Erwin.

“You two are getting married?! ” they shrieked in excitement, hugging tighter, if that was even possible.

“Yes!” Levi sighed in exasperation, trying to pull away, “Let go, you’re gonna kill us both before we get the chance to.”

Hanji let go, practically bouncing in excitement, “Oh my god, am I the first one to know? When did this happen? Was it at your date last night? How did-”

Erwin nodded, interrupting Hanji before they could continue rambling, “Yes, you’re the first to know. I proposed last night during our date.”

“Aww,” Hanji cooed, “You two are adorable . Did you cry?”

“Levi did,” Erwin admitted, causing Levi to elbow him roughly.

“Oi, you didn’t need to tell them that ,” Levi grumbled, starting to look embarrassed.

“Aww, but that’s so sweet, Levi!” Hanji giggled, “I can’t wait for the wedding! I’m gonna get so drunk!”

Erwin couldn’t help but chuckle at Hanji’s response, turning to Levi, “Do you want to tell them or do you want me to?”

Levi sighed a little, crossing his arms and not looking at Hanji, “We decided... you can be the best man.”

Hanji squealed excitedly, “ Really?! Oh my god, that’s so exciting! Thank you! Can I tell people?”

“Just don’t tell the kids,” Levi insisted, “We want to tell them ourselves.”

Hanji nodded, “Of course! They’ll be so happy for you!”

Hanji didn’t bother to wait a moment more, heading to the door and exclaiming, “I have to go tell everyone! I’m so excited for you guys!”

And with that, they left. Erwin was laughing, having expected this type of reaction from Hanji. Levi couldn’t help but smile, wrapping his arms back around Erwin’s shoulders and sighing happily as he pressed a kiss to the top of Erwin’s head. He never thought he could be so excited about anything, but every time he looked at his ring or thought about marrying Erwin, he could feel his heart swelling with happiness.

 

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

 

Levi had been running the kids ragged all morning, making them train harder than he had before. But it was only because he knew he was going to surprise them with the news of his and Erwin’s engagement. He couldn’t just do something nice for them without being a little mean first. He tugged his gloves on tighter, knowing he’d have to hide the ring from them.

“Sir!” Sasha called out after running her tenth lap, “Isn’t it lunchtime soon?”

“Yeah, Captain,” Connie followed up shortly behind her, “I usually don’t agree with Sasha about food, but I’m starting to get hungry.”

“Keep running,” Levi shooed them away, trying to hold back a smile as he watched them sigh in annoyance and continue running.

“How long are you going to make them run for?” a voice came from behind him, and Levi almost jumped, turning to see Erwin standing there.

Levi took a moment to recover before shrugging, “I thought I’d make them cry a little before we surprise them.”

Levi had been joking, but Erwin still scolded him, “Levi, that’s not funny. Come on, they look exhausted. We should just tell them already.”

The shorter man sighed a little, clearly having too much fun torturing the kids at the moment. He stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly to get their attention, all of them stopping and starting to head back towards where he and Erwin were standing. They were all breathing heavily, but saluted the commander anyways when they realized he was standing behind Levi.

Erwin started, “Levi and I-”

“You all realize why the commander’s here, right?” Levi said sternly, narrowing his eyes at them as if they were in some type of trouble. They were looking at him with some worry on their faces, much to Levi’s delight.

“Now, now, nobody’s in trouble,” Erwin tried to reassure them, but Levi put his hand on Erwin’s chest to stop him.

“They might not be in trouble with you , but they’re certainly in trouble with me ,” Levi quipped, the group of teenagers looking at him in both confusion and concern.

“What did we do, sir?” Armin asked.

“You haven’t congratulated me,” Levi snapped, starting to tug off his gloves.

The kids were all looking at him in confusion before he pulled off his gloves to reveal the ring. The diamonds glistened off the sun, so it was very difficult not to notice it once the gloves had come off.

“Sir...” Eren was the first to say something, most of them looking shocked, “Is that-”

“Levi and I are getting married,” Erwin announced, putting his arm around Levi gently.

Connie, Jean, and Sasha’s mouths dropped open in shock, while Armin’s worried look turned to one of happiness. Mikasa looked indifferent as usual, and Eren was smiling at them just like Armin was.

“Congratulations!” Armin smiled, “I’m so happy for you both!”

“Congrats, sir!” Sasha grinned, “I want to be the flower girl!”

“I think Connie would make a better flower girl,” Jean joked, Connie shooting him a glare.

“We’re so happy for you!” Eren joined in, jabbing Mikasa’s side to make her say something.

“Ah, yes, congratulations,” Mikasa forced a smile, clearly not as phased as the rest of them by the news.

“Thank you,” Levi smiled, genuinely smiled. The kids were all looking at him, still in shock from both the announcement and the fact that Levi was smiling. Levi glanced up at Erwin, who was grinning happily.

“I think it’s time for a group hug!” Connie suggested, and Levi didn’t have time to protest before the kids had enveloped him in a hug. He felt incredibly uncomfortable, especially since some of them were taller than him - most of them were. He sighed and allowed himself to be hugged before they pulled away, still cheering and congratulating him on his engagement. He looked over at Erwin, who was grinning at him happily. Levi couldn’t help but smile back, his heart pounding happily as he thought about how much this one man had changed his life. He was actually looking forward to the future because it would be a future with Erwin, and that was a future he could be happy about.

 

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