Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Hey, Levi? That guy is waiting outside again.” 

Levi releases the sigh that he’s been saving up in his chest for at least an hour now. He focuses on his breathing: out for seven, in for four, and hold until you’re unconscious, or whatever that almost-free meditation app on his phone usually tells him. 

“Thank you, Springer.” He responds, pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut. 

Levi’s got a good group of kids this semester. 

‘Kids’ he says, as if they aren’t all in their twenties, wasting away in the same tax bracket as he is. In fact, the only thing that sets Levi apart from his students is the fact that he sits in the rolling chair at the front of the room and he wields the red pen.

Levi stalls out of spite, waiting for every single student to filter out one by one, dismissing them each with a nod or a quiet ‘See you next week’. Unfortunately, there aren’t many of them so it’s not long until Levi’s left alone with the whir of the projector behind him and the ticking of the antiquated clock over the whiteboard. 

He takes his time carefully organizing the lab sheets from his seat, sorting them alphabetically, and lining up all the curling, stapled corners until they lay flat before tucking them into his binder to be graded later. 

Levi likes grading. So systematic. So practical. He doesn’t deviate much from his carefully constructed rubric, although he has been known occasionally to give credit for effort . 

He may be the world’s biggest hardass but at least he can still respect someone who tries.

It’s fifteen past nine when he finally decides he’s stalled enough. 

“How was class?” His looming, obtrusive guest asks as soon as he’s out the door. 

“Fine.” He answers curtly, locking it behind him and tucking the lanyard away.

He hates this building: hates its shitty lighting and shitter AC system and the university’s ambitious plans for remodeling his original classroom that had previously been nestled comfortably within the sprawling halls of the Engineering building, just a single floor down from his office. At this rate, he’d rather get asbestos than spend another embarrassing second struggling with the air suction on the doorways.

He curls his fingers around the handle and gives it a hearty tug, “Fuck.” He hisses as the motion jostles his arm, rocking it uncomfortably where it’s cradled against his chest in a flimsy navy blue, hospital-sanctioned sling. The resulting twinge of pain runs up the side of his neck.

“Here, just let me-” 

Levi whirls around, “Don’t touch that fucking door, Erwin Smith.” He snaps, jabbing a finger right into the center of his sternum, right at eye level. He tries the door again while Erwin hovers. Levi reckons he’s probably wearing that face : the one where his eyebrows draw in and upwards like a kicked puppy. Levi hates that face.

“Can I at least carry your bag?” Erwin asks as they finally exit into the damp night air. 

It’s warm for October. Or perhaps Levi just still hasn't adjusted to life near the West Coast where summer drags on and on, sticking to the city that peanut butter to the back of his teeth. 

“You may not.” 

“Is it heavy?” 

“Nope.” 

It is.

Levi lugs around the cumbersome instructor textbook along with his ancient Dell laptop and an entire printer press’s worth of paper both graded, ungraded, and yet to be assigned.

The only warning he gets is the shuffle of Erwin’s feet right behind him before his bag is lifted up and off his shoulder. He has the good grace not to comment on how Levi had lied about its weight, but that doesn’t stop him from still looking incredibly happy with himself. 

Levi scoffs. Erwin smiles. 

“Want me to carry you too?” He asks, “I’ve got a free arm.” 

“You can go fuck yourself.” Levi informs him with his dignity barely intact but intact nonetheless. If Erwin wants to carry his shit around then he can knock himself out. Levi doesn’t need Erwin Smith or his bleeding fucking heart or his savior complex or his big American-boy arms. He doesn’t need help crossing the street or carrying his groceries. Even with one arm more or less out of commission, Levi is perfectly capable of walking himself home in the dark. 

Erwin can save his pity. Levi will tell him exactly where to shove it. 

So he stalks off, staying a few steps ahead with his chin high as Erwin trails after him like a big, dumb dog. 

Levi loves night labs, he does, all the way up until the part where Erwin still insists on walking him home afterward. 

“Damn.” Isabel watches the TV over the bar with rapt attention, distractedly shoveling food into her gaping mouth, “ Damn .” She repeats, “God bless America.” 

“Can you get a fucking grip?” Levi glares at the side of her head, “We’re in public.” 

“We’re in a sports bar, Levi.” She scoffs, hardly bothering to look his way, “Worse things have happened in this booth.” 

Levi shifts uncomfortably in his seat, earning himself a distressed groan from the cracking polyester beneath him, “Don’t remind me.” 

“He’s got to know what that spandex does for his ass, right?” She sighs like she’s been personally offended, “Do you think being a superhero requires three to five years of experience in being unnecessarily sexy?” 

Levi glares miserably into his beer, “He’s probably hideous under that mask.” 

Isabel rolls her eyes, shoving another handful of fries into her mouth, “Doesn’t matter. Commander’s muscles have muscles and that’s good enough for me.”

Levi fucking hates this restaurant and hates that the food is so good that it’s almost worth it. He picks at his fish and chips forlornly. There are approximately zero things that can better his mood right now, and Isabel’s inane chatter is only making it worse. 

“He’s a glorified jock with superpowers.” 

“You could bounce a penny off of it.” She mutters. 

“It’s not even that great of an ass.” Levi lies. 

“We both know that’s not true.” 

On the screen, Commander pushes an entire train car up from where it’s been derailed and back onto the tracks. Levi grits his teeth.

His phone rings beside him and Levi fishes it from his pocket with a grimace, “Sorry, I gotta take this.” He says. Isabel waves him away, eyes still fixed on the screen. 

“Hey.” He finds himself outside, ducked into a nearby alley and away from the chatter of the bar. 

“So…” There’s a shuffling sound over the line, “Have ya seen the news?”

“Hard to miss it.”

Hange waits for more but Levi stays quiet, digging the toe of his boot into a divot in the pavement.

“...Are you mad?” 

“Whatever. He’s an adult.”

“But the prototype-”

“It’s not a prototype anymore. The tech will be fine.” 

“He’s breaking your rules.”

“There are no rules , Hange. Only suggestions.” There’s a loud commotion on the street and he cups the speaker with his hand to block it out, “If he wants to rip his fucking arm back off then let him. I don’t give a shit,”

“Really?” They prod, sounding unconvinced, “That’s it? No yelling or threats or anything?” 

“Nope,” Levi pops the ‘p’ at the end, “Don’t care. Not like he’s going to listen to me, anyway. He never does.” 

“ Technically , he doesn’t know it’s you he’s supposed to be listening to.”

“Technically, he can go fuck himself .” 

“That’s more like it,” Hange sighs, relieved. 

Erwin Smith: local fucking martyr. Heaven forbid he listens to anyone but himself or employs the smallest shred of self-preservation. Levi provided him with a clear warning not to push his new prosthetic too hard while it’s still acclimating to his body but what does Levi know anyway? It’s not like he’s the one who tirelessly designed Erwin Smith an entire fucking body part with technology beyond the world's dizziest daydreams or anything. Fuck him, fuck his savior complex, and fuck whatever useless waste of space is hijacking trains on a Tuesday afternoon.

Levi pulls the phone back from his face to check the time. There are only a few minutes until his office hours start and he still needs to pay the bill. Hange can figure out Erwin if they want, scold him, reason with him, tell him how stupid and reckless he’s being. Either way, it’ll be falling on deaf ears. 

“Look, I gotta go,” He sighs, “Good luck with… him.” 

He hangs up before hearing the response, tucking his phone back into his pocket and returning to the table to somehow pry Isabel’s eyes away from Erwin Smith’s star-spangled ass. 

“Good morning.” 

Levi grunts in response, balancing his tea precariously in the claw of his fingers while he conveniently stashes his wallet and keys in the fabric of his sling. 

Erwin’s a pretty difficult man to ignore considering he’s shaped like a building and golden all over. Golden hair, golden skin, golden winning fucking smile. 

Levi does manage to ignore him though, more or less. It’s a hard-won skill he’s honed over time and even more so as of late. 

Erwin’s sunny disposition persists, “How did you sleep, Levi?” 

Levi sleeps the same way that he does most things: begrudgingly and with little fanfare. Sleep is a means to an end. It’s the fastest distance between that point in the evening when the numbers in front of him begin to blur and the moment his alarm clock blares from his bedside table.

But lately… well, Levi can hardly sleep at all. 

He’s sure Erwin can tell by the deep purple-ish circles beneath his eyes and how his normally sharp wit is slow and lackluster. Like a cat declawed, a tired Levi lacks his usual venom, reduced to hissing and spitting alone without any of the usual bite. 

Levi chalks his sleeplessness up to the ache in his shoulder, a chronic stomach sleeper banished to lying carefully on his back among a pile of pillows to keep him upright. It’s uncomfortable and unfamiliar, sure, but even he has to admit that this alone can’t be to blame for all of his sleepless nights. Not when he knows that his rest is punctuated by superhero-induced anxiety.

He dreams that Erwin’s tech doesn’t protect him when it’s supposed to.

Levi dreams that he fails him. 

Still, he answers Erwin’s question with a gruff ‘fine’. 

Levi is selective about what he’s willing to waste his energy on. Unfortunately, wasting time on Erwin Smith is one of his greatest vices since he can’t seem to stop doing it. And considering the fact that Levi is too proud to admit that his feelings (among other small, fragile parts of him) have been hurt, he’s obligated himself with the duty of getting on every single last one of Erwin’s tall, blonde, genetically gratified nerves. 

“How’s your shoulder?” 

Levi grunts in response. He’s been diligent about his stretching and he makes good progress in physical therapy. He’s lucky that he hurt his non-dominant arm and he’s lucky that his fractured ribs have stitched back up just fine. 

Small mercies, and all that. 

“Did you enjoy the flowers?”

Levi grits his teeth hard enough to make his temples throb.

Yes. Yes, Levi fucking liked the flowers even if the mere sight of them laid carefully across his doorstep the night before had made him so viscerally angry that he had aimed a small, albeit vicious, kick to the poor, unassuming doorway.

“Really gave the garbage a pop of color,” He lies, “I think that’s what’s been missing from my decor this whole time.”

“Oh yeah?” Erwin only smiles fondly because he knows Levi is full of shit, “Who would have thought?” 

The student health center is a big modern eyesore, complete with a glassy facade full of rustic-adjacent locally sourced sandstone. It’s the blockiest, most needlessly exorbitant waste of several million dollars that zoning laws could allow. Levi liked the old one better. The blueprints were on the internet and now he just feels like a fucking idiot when he wanders around in this new building, lost like a child among the sterile-smelling hallways and bright fluorescents. 

Erwin walks him all the way to the frosted glass doors at the front. 

“You’ll text me if you need me to come get you?” 

“I won’t need you to come get me,” Levi scoffs, but even he can hear the gentle give in his prickly demeanor. What happened to all that righteous anger he was carrying a few minutes ago? Was it the flowers? It must have been the fucking flowers. 

“Levi.” Erwin says, his tone has turned serious, “You’ll call if you need me?” 

Levi rolls his eyes, “I’ll call if I need you. Which I won’t.”

“That’s all I ask,” He smiles, boyish, stupid, handsome.

“Fuck you,” Levi points at him, “Don’t come back.” 

Erwin is already walking away, waving casually over his shoulder, “I’ll be around!” 

Levi is 27, so he has a favorite wine that he uses for all occasions: housewarming, birthdays, faculty holiday parties, retirements, ‘bad’ days, ‘good’ days, ‘things have been weird since that time I almost died in your arms’ days, and so forth. 

He knocks on the door awkwardly since his arm is restricted into the muggy canvas of his sling and his free hand is occupied with the bottle he’s brought as a peace offering. What’s usually more of a ‘knock-knock’ turns out to be a ‘ka-thunk-ka-thunk’.

There’s a shuffle on the other side, and then a long, long pause, before Erwin finally opens the door and Levi sees him for the first time in a week. He’s dressed down in a pair of ratty sweats and a wrinkled T-shirt. His usually neatly coifed hair is ungelled and messy, sticking up in all directions like he’d been running his hands through it. It’s clearly been a few days since he’s shaved if the shadow around his jawbone is anything to go by.

This is not the first sign that something is amiss. 

Erwin hadn’t visited him once in the hospital, which would be a non-issue if it weren’t for the fact that back when Levi had gotten a mild cold just last semester Erwin had refused to leave him alone lest he drown in his own mucus and die. So naturally, Levi found it pretty uncharacteristic that Erwin didn’t come by to mother him- not even once. And sure, Levi would never admit out loud that his absence had done something silly like hurt his feelings, but if someone asked he would say that if Erwin was going to go as far as to send flowers, the least he could have done was deliver them himself. 

“Hey.” 

Erwin blinks down at him for a moment and Levi shuffles his feet anxiously.

“Gonna let me in?” 

Erwin simply nods, sidestepping so Levi can shuffle past him into the dimness of his apartment. There’s only one light on, and that’s the television, playing some evening news show on low volume.

Levi doesn’t comment on the dishes piling up in the sink or the takeout boxes on the dining room table, or even the coffee rings on the counter where he sets down the wine. 

Erwin looks like he hasn’t slept, or changed out of his pajamas, in days. 

He’s still quiet, hovering in the entryway like a ghost washed out in the bright flashing of the TV. The atmosphere is almost unbearable so Levi busies himself with doing what he does best. Even in his slightly hobbled state, his fingers itch for order, to clean and tidy because that will make for one less thing to worry about. 

“The kids gave me a card,” He mentions conversationally, “I think they’re just trying to butter me up before midterms. They don’t even need to, they’re going to do fine. Don’t tell them I said that. Especially Yeager. He’ll get a big head about it.”

He wanders over to the living room and starts to slowly, methodically, group the trash from the recycling. The empty Coke bottles rattle against each other as he gatherers them awkwardly into one hand.

“Petra’s been working my office hours. She’s surprised so many of them show up-”

“Levi.”

Levi hums, and fits another bottleneck between his fingers.

“I think we could use some time apart.” 

Levi freezes then, pivoting slowly to face Erwin who’s still over by the door with a carefully blank expression on his face. 

“What did you say?” It’s a warning- an opportunity for Erwin to think very carefully about what he’s about to say next. 

“I don’t think we should do this,” He gestures between them, “...Be together.” He clarifies.  

Levi hates how he feels it in his chest, in his stomach, in the tips of his fingers and ears like a hot, buzzing punch of disbelief. Levi’s a well-guarded person; there aren’t many people who can claim that they’ve been able to hurt him. 

“You’re fucking with me.” Levi’s eyes go wide, “You’re seriously dumping me?” 

Erwin shuffles uncomfortably, it’s his first real show of any emotion other than indifference, “In a sense, I suppose-”

“‘I suppose’,” Levi scoffs, “Are you going to tell me why or are you just going to blow smoke up my ass and then put me out with the recycling?” 

“I wish I had a better explanation for you,” His stupid eyebrows pull together and his stupid feet step closer but he stops himself short “I wish I could explain but you’re just going to have to trust me that this is for the best. That I’m bad for you-”

Levi does trust Erwin, trusts that Erwin will bring him tea instead of coffee, trusts that Erwin respects him and his boundaries, and trusts that Erwin probably really does want what’s best for him no matter how misguided his decision-making might be. 

For Erwin, Levi had endured the terrible ordeal of being known and cared for.

“That doesn’t make any fucking sense. How could you possibly be bad for me-”

“Levi, please.”

Levi lets the quiet stagnate in the air between them. Erwin looks uncomfortable, sure, but something about the resolute glint to his eyes and the squareness of his shoulders tells Levi that his mind has been made up, and Erwin Smith is nothing if not a stubborn bastard who always thinks he’s right.

“You’re a coward, Erwin Smith,” Levi informs him evenly, crossing the room to drop the empty glass bottles into their designated blue bin with enough of a clatter to make the other man wince. 

“I know.”

“No.” Levi whirls around, “You don’t.” 

Levi doesn’t ever get enough credit for his theatrics but he sure knows how to make a dramatic exit. He shoves past Erwin with the bad shoulder, uncaring of the ache it sends down through his fingertips when his battered muscle meets the smooth, metallic curve of Erwin’s prosthetic. 

“Your wine-”

“Keep it, asshole.” He raises a middle finger over his shoulder as he throws open the front door with a flourish, letting in the yellowish light of the hallway. He slams the door behind him before Erwin can get another word in edgewise or, heaven forbid, see the way that Levi’s bravado begins to crumble before he even makes it to his own apartment down the hall. 

Levi unclenches his fists, watching as the blood rushes back to the blanched skin and the four little crescent-shaped indents in his palm. His hands are clammy. Scratch that: his entire body is clammy. He’s somehow cold and hot at the same time, practically sweltering beneath the heating vent but shivering at the dampness under his hoodie when he moves away from the warmth. 

The chairs in the reception area are cushy to the extent that Levi feels like he’s sitting on an over-filled balloon and he can’t help but wonder how the university spent so much money on interior design only to skimp out on necessities, like chairs that didn’t make his back hurt and a receptionist that wasn’t a bitch.

God, he hates the doctors.

“Levi Ackerman?” 

Levi meets eyes with a skittish-looking blonde boy in a pair of baby-blue scrubs. He looks about fourteen years old. Levi’s in good hands for sure, he thinks bitterly as he makes his way toward the nurse.

“Oh Jesus shitting Christ-” 

“Levi!” Hange exclaims, quickly shutting the door behind their back and bounding towards the rolling stool with enough momentum that they go careening to the side once they sit down. Levi sighs. 

“You’re not my physician.” 

“Oh contrair, my tiny, friend.” They quickly type their log-in information into the dated-looking computer on the desk, “As of thirty minutes ago I am absolutely your physician.” 

“That feels illegal.” 

“Not illegal.” They hold up a finger, “Suspicious? Yes. Unprofessional? Maybe. But not illegal.” 

The paper on the bed crinkles when Levi shifts, crossing and uncrossing his legs restlessly as he shivers under the merciless blast of the AC vent across from him, “Did Erwin put you up to this?” 

“Erwin?” Hange asks, eyes wide as they place a hand over their heart, “No. I just wanted to make sure my friend got the very, very best care. Is that so bad?”

“Yes,” Levi mutters, but Hange either doesn’t hear him or ignores him as they spin back around toward the keyboard. 

“Well, your vitals look okay, that’s good. Blood pressure is a little high, feeling a tad stressed are we?” 

Levi casts one single, disdainful thought to the red tulips in a vase on his kitchen table, “I’m fine.” 

Hange waves their hand, “That’s what they all say: ‘I’m fine, Hange’, ‘It’s not that much blood, Hange’, ‘I already cauterized the wound, Hange, that’s why the stove is on.’” Levi rolls his eyes. “You’re due for a flu shot, you wanna get that done today?” 

Levi shrugs, “Might as well.” 

Hange pauses over something on his chart. Levi knows what it is, he remembers full well the effort it had taken on his part to admit his recent struggles into the pitiless face of the Student Health Portal. 

“Trouble sleeping, huh?” They turn around to face him.

“Yup,” Levi mumbles, swinging his legs back and forth and looking anywhere but their face. 

Hange scoots forward a smidge, leaning their elbows on their knees and peering up at him intently, “Wanna talk about it?” They ask, voice low. 

“There’s nothing to talk about it.” Levi lies, and shrugs his shoulders, “Just some run-of-the-mill insomnia.” 

“I mean, sure.” They sit back up again, leaning back against the wobbly edge of the desk, “I don’t doubt that for a second. But I’ve found that insomnia is usually just a piece of a much larger puzzle.” 

“I’ve always been shit at sleeping.” Levi defends himself.

“But it’s worse now?” 

Levi chews at the inside of his cheek, “But it’s worse now.” He agrees. 

“Okay.” They nod, making a note in the system, “Is there anything that helps… alleviate your symptoms?” 

Levi thinks back to the night after he had been discharged from the hospital, fading in and out of a Percocet-induced haze and only really staying awake long enough to make sure he hadn’t popped a lung in his sleep or wiggled his arm out of its sling. 

Levi’s not fun on drugs: just drowsy. He had made for a shockingly pliant patient. 

Erwin had slept on the floor next to his bed. He’d been there when Levi jerked upright in his sleep, woken fully by the ache in his shoulder but still fighting off the hooked tendrils of his dreams where they dug into his brain. Smoke, glass, the whooshing rush of footsteps, and Levi’s desperate struggle against the crowd only to get sucked back down. 

“It’s okay.” He said, kneeling next to the mattress and combing Levi’s sweaty bangs from his forehead. Levi wasn’t nearly cognisant enough to remember his face at that moment, but he remembers Erwin sounding sad, “It’s alright, Levi. You’re okay.” 

Levi shrugs, “Tea. Rain sounds.”

Hange hums, scribbling down something in the notepad they kept tucked into their coat pocket, “Noted.” 

“Great. Thanks. I’m leaving.”

As he hops off the exam chair, Hange swivels around and snatches an innocuous-looking manilla envelope off the table by the computer. They hand it to him with a flourish. 

“Diagnostics?” He asks, taking the folder from their hands.

“And pictures. It all looks good to me but… you’re the expert. At the very least it should quell your worries.” 

“You couldn’t give this to me without violating my doctor-patient confidentiality?”

“I could. But it would have been a lot less fun. And you know how I love our chats.” 

Levi scoffs, thumbing through the pages and pages of raw data. He’s sure there will be a digital version in his inbox when he gets home but Hange knows that sometimes Levi prefers to hold it in his hands. There’s an SD card taped to the back. He taps it with his fingernail with a raised eyebrow.

“Range of motion videos.” They explain.

“Oh,” Levi racks his brain trying to remember if he asked for that, “Thanks, that’s probably helpful.” He tucks the folder into his backpack and slings it over his shoulder, “Okay. I’m actually leaving now.”

Hange salutes, “Come see me soon! I miss you already!” 

Once Levi is free from the obnoxious modernity of the health building, a full twenty minutes ahead of schedule, he squints through the glare of the sun and fishes his phone from his pocket. He stares down at it for a long time, twisting his mouth unhappily. 

He could call Erwin. He calls Erwin all the time.

Edit: He used to call Erwin all the time. Nowadays dialing his number just feels like a direct violation of that ‘space’ Erwin had purposefully shoved between them. Polite but surface level, warm but from a distance, friendly but never too friendly. Long gone is the way they used to dance on the cusp of… well, something . 

So he could call Erwin.

But then Erwin would show up to walk him home. And then Levi would have to pretend he doesn’t miss him even though he’s only a few feet away.

If Levi is especially good at one thing it’s immersing himself so completely into his work that he can’t think of anything else. Gone is Erwin Smith, could-have-should-have-would-have been maybe more than friends, and here comes Commander: file name CHH-0822.mov in the form of many moving pixels and a thirty-sheet diagnostic test that he’ll be sure to get to later before ultimately sending it through the paper shredder. 

Levi inserts the SD card from Hange’s folder into the laptop that they had gotten him specifically for this purpose. He hides it in one of his dresser drawers where nobody would think to look for a secret computer that holds sensitive data regarding the most beloved masked man in the city. If anybody were to get ahold of it… well, maybe he should invest in a safe, now that he’s thinking about it. 

He opens the folder and fishes for the video file he’s looking for when the thumbnail catches his eye. He clicks on it with trepidation and then practically slams his laptop shut the second the video begins. 

He’s calling Hange the next second, pulling in deep calming breaths through his nose as he tips his head up towards the ceiling. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He asks as soon as they answer. 

“Whatever do you mean, Levi?”

“Why is he naked?” 

“He’s not naked . This would be a much different call if he was naked.”

“Why is he shirtless, Hange.”

“Because I am a good friend.”

“Hange.”

“You work very hard for me and I wanted to get you something nice.”

“I don’t need video footage of Erwin’s bare chest. Why can’t you just pay me more like a normal person?” 

“I can do that too! And to be fair, I think most of the city would feel better if they received video footage of Erwin’s chest-”

Levi hangs up abruptly. He takes a guilty, precursory glance around his bedroom before pressing play, wishing he had chosen a different career path. 

When Hange scouted him for an exclusive, top secret, hush-hush tech job with all the resources he could ever want he should have said: “No thank you. I’ll fucking pass.”

Maybe he should have been a chef… or a hotel maid. 

But if Levi was a hotel maid, then who would make sure Erwin Smith didn’t die?

“This is stupid,” Levi gestures to himself in the full-length mirror he has tacked to the back of his bedroom door, “I look stupid.”

Isabel chucks a throw pillow directly at the side of his head, “No. You look nice. Stop being…” She makes a wide gesture in his general direction, “Crotchety.” 

Levi glares, “I am not crotchety.” 

“You for sure are.” Isabel rolls her eyes and Levi glares, “What? You’re going on a date with the hottest man in the History department. Poor Levi. Womp, womp,” She doesn’t even look up from her phone, just continues typing furiously, “He probably loves that you still wear skinny jeans with the world’s most unnecessary belt.” 

“Wait, actually?” Levi pats at the tight back pockets of his jeans self-consciously, “Should I change-”

“No!” She throws down her phone, “No, don’t change. I like it. It’s you.” 

“Well, maybe I’m not going for ‘me’,” Levi sulks, “Maybe I’m going for ‘dateable’.” 

“You are dateable,” She insists, “Hence why he asked you on a date. Finally. After three hundred years.” 

“It wasn’t three hundred years.”

“Feels like it,” 

Levi anxiously rolls up his sleeves to his elbows and then rolls them back down again. Is it too hot for a long sleeve? There’s a storm front rolling in and the temperature has dropped a few degrees. Would a short-sleeve dress it down too much? 

It’s just dinner. 

It’s fine. It’s not like they’ve never eaten dinner together before. 

“Oh my god,” Levi freezes, “What if it’s not a date? What if it’s just regular dinner and I’m wearing nice cologne like a fucking freak?” 

Isabel flops back onto his bed, wrinkling the covers, “He asked you a week ago. Why would he ask for a regular dinner an entire week in advance?” 

“I don’t fucking know. He’s old-fashioned.”

“He’s not old-fashioned, Levi. He’s just polite with good taste in music.”

“That’s the same thing!”  Levi hisses back.

“Did he say ‘Do you want to go eat?’ or did he say ‘Will you go to dinner with me?’” She asks, propping herself up on her elbows. 

“Does it matter?” 

“Yeah, actually those are two totally different questions. Just ask anybody ever.” She checks the time, “It’s almost six.”

“Fuck,” Levi groans, digging through the bags hanging in his closet and picking one out for deliberation, “Crossbody bag or should I just keep everything in my pockets?”

“Levi you barely fit in those jeans, much less your keys and your wallet and your inhaler.”

He shakes the bag in his fist, “Help me or leave.”

Isabel strokes her chin, humoring him, “Okay, the bag. But not that one. The little black one.” She hums in approval when he fishes it out and slides it over his head, “Wait… yeah, move it back- yes, exactly. Your waist looks tiny like that.”

“In a good way?”

“Is that even a real question?”

There’s a knock at the door and they share a wide-eyed look. Then Isabel launches into action, shoving Levi out into the hallway and down towards the front door. 

“Have fun,” She whispers, “Be safe. Don’t get charged with public indecency.” Then she scurries off to her own room on the other side of the apartment.

He anxiously smoothes the wrinkles from his sweater, schools his face, and opens the door.

Erwin Smith is on the other side, dressed in a light-wash pair of jeans and a cream-colored sweater.

“You look beautiful,” He smiles and thrusts forward a bouquet of red tulips, “These are for you.” 

Definitely not a regular dinner, Levi thinks, not at all. 

“So, uh- Levi, I was thinking-” 

Levi hums, not paying much attention to the new visitor at his door. He’s almost done grading last week's lab sheets and once he finishes those he’ll officially be caught up for the first time since his accident. 

He was recently given the go-ahead to ditch the sling. You could hardly even tell that he had almost been trampled to death beside the little sliver of scar tissue peeking out from his hairline from where they had stitched up his head and the way that now he gets sweatier than usual around crowds. 

Zeke Yeager, assistant professor in the engineering department, clears his throat “Are you going to the faculty dinner? This week? On Thursday? For the… for the department?” 

Levi shrugs, shuffling the last ungraded paper in front of him and quickly thumbing through it, “Maybe.” 

“Well- I was thinking we can maybe go? Together?” 

Reiss always does good work. That’s why Levi saves all her papers for the end. As he scans over her perfect, calculations and neatly shown work he feels his mood lightening. A pleased grin touches his lips as he marks it with an A. 

He pauses abruptly, and then digs through the pile on his desk, “Is your brother still sick?” 

“I think so...” 

“Okay,” Levi nods, fishing Yeager’s paper out of the pile, “He might want to take a look at this before the final. Will you take it to him?”

Zeke gingerly takes the papers from his hands, mouth slightly agape, “Uh… Yeah, I can do that. I can drop it off- or something.” 

“Great, thanks.” He checks the time—half past four. Erwin is probably loitering outside the building by now. Levi tucks the remaining stack in his backpack along with his computer and makes his way out the door.

Zeke jogs to catch up.

“So what do you say?”

“About what?”

“About dinner?” 

“Oh,” Levi shoves through the door into the lobby, “I already have a ride. But thanks.” 

“That’s fine!” He says quickly, “Maybe we can get coffee sometime?”

Levi slows to a stop, “Why?” He raises his eyebrow. 

Zeke steps a little closer, “I would just really like to sit down with you sometime. If you want.” 

“My end-of-term evaluation isn’t for another two weeks,” He crosses his arms over his chest defensively.

“No, that’s not-”

“Levi?” 

Levi and Zeke both turn to find Erwin strutting towards them from across the floor. 

“You couldn’t have waited another five seconds?” Levi rolls his eyes.

“I wanted to make sure you didn’t fall asleep at your desk again,” He smiles perhaps too wide, and throws his arm across Levi’s shoulders, tucking him in close and turning his attention to the man across from them, “Yeager.” He acknowledges. 

Zeke’s jaw clenches, “Smith.” 

“You guys know each other?” Levi asks skeptically and he feels Erwin shrug. 

“We’ve met once or twice.” 

Zeke glares for a second before turning his eyes back to Levi, “So, coffee?”

“Uh-”

“Levi prefers tea.” Erwin gives him another too-big smile, all teeth and no warmth before he looks down at Levi and it loses its edge, “Have you eaten?” 

“...No.”

“Well we should go,” Erwin steers him away towards the exit and inclines his head, “Great seeing you again, Yeager.” 

“So…” Erwin says, as they cut across the athletic fields towards the other side of campus, “Yeager, huh?”

“What about him?”

“Nothing, he just-” Erwin squints off towards the setting sun, “He just seems to like you.”

Levi shrugs. Lots of people like him. Lots of people dislike him as well. He can’t say he spends much time wondering how he’s perceived by the likes of Zeke or the rest of the department, for that matter. 

Yeager is a frumpy, nervous intellectual, and word on the street says he grades like a fucking dictator. 

“I would hope he fucking likes me. I tutor half his class.” 

“No, Levi, I mean he’s into you. Romantically.”

Levi stops and scoffs, “And?” He gives Erwin a baffled look, “So what if he was?”

“So… be careful.” Erwin keeps looking off into the distance like he’s either thinking too hard about something or just really trying not to look at him.

Levi crosses his arms, “Why?”

“Because-”

“No,” Levi interrupts, “Look at me when you talk to me.”

Erwin finally turns to him, “He’s not much better than me. So just… be careful.”

“What is it with you and being cryptic, huh?” Levi rolls his eyes, “Does it get you off when you speak in fuckin’ riddles?” 

“Levi, I’m trying to look out for you. Who knows what his intentions are-”

“Oh. Oh, I get it now,” Levi purses his lips, nodding, “ You don’t want me. But you don’t want anyone else to want me either. You’re bad for me but, conveniently, everyone else is also bad for me. Crazy how that works out.” 

“How could you possibly think I don’t want you -”

“How could you possibly even ask me that.” He shoots back, “Maybe it’s because you stopped having actual conversations with me? Or maybe it’s because you constantly keep me at arm's length? Or maybe it’s because you dumped me after one fucking date, Erwin, maybe that’s where I got the silly little notion that you didn’t fucking want me .” 

“Levi-” Erwin reaches for him and Levi shoves his hand away, ignoring the little shock of pain he feels when he hits metal where there should be flesh. 

“You’re insane if you think I want you to touch me right now.”

Erwin looks crushed, his usually bright eyes are dull and deflated, “I’m sorry-”

“Don’t-” Levi takes a deep breath, “Stop apologizing. It’s whatever, I’ll get over it.”

For a moment they are silent, and then they both seem to realize at the same time that they still have to walk home in the same direction.

Erwin shuffles uncomfortably, “Uh, I just… I just remembered I have something to do. Back there.” He points back where they came from.

“Right,” Levi takes a deep breath through his nose, rocking on his feet, “And I have something to attend to in the opposite direction. Coincidentally.” 

As he turns to leave Erwin calls out for him again.

“Levi,” He opens his mouth, and then seems to change his mind, “Be safe on your way back.” 

“How was class yesterday? Sorry, I couldn’t meet you, something… came up.” Erwin asks as they sit down across from each other.

By ‘something’ Erwin means that there was a bank robbery down on 5th. Levi knows because Hange had a date so he was tasked with supervising the drone footage in case anything happened. 

There’s been an unusual uptick in crime lately and it’s making Levi suspicious. Something about it seems off and it’s not just because it’s been monopolizing most of Erwin’s time lately. 

He waves him off, “Don’t worry about it. Class was good. I let them go early.”

Erwin raises his eyebrow, “Oh? So merciful, our Levi.”

Levi shrugs, “You know me.” He toys anxiously with the cloth napkin on his silverware. 

The restaurant is nice but not too nice, quiet but not too quiet, and lit just right to set the mood. Still, Levi feels a little out of place. He should have worn something nicer, maybe. 

“Hey,” Erwin reaches across the table to place a hand over his own, “Is this okay?” His eyes are earnest, “If this is too weird for you… I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” 

Levi straightens up fast, “I’m not uncomfortable,” He squints, “Are you uncomfortable?” 

“No, I’m not uncomfortable,” Erwin laughs, “I’m really happy you agreed to come out with me tonight.”

Levi flips over his hand so their palms touch, “Well,” He sniffs, feigning nonchalance, “It’s about time you asked anyways.”

Erwin’s eyes sparkle across from him, “Did I keep you waiting?”

Levi lets his gaze fall to the table and he flushes under the collar as Erwin traces patterns on the inside of his wrist, “You might’ve.” 

“Forgive me,” He grins crookedly.

Levi finally shoos his hand away, “No funny business until you’ve fed me.” 

Erwin raises his hands, still smiling, “Of course, Levi.” 

Any tense, discomfort melts from Levi’s shoulders after that. It’s just Erwin after all: Erwin who brings him tea from the library cafe when his office hours run long, Erwin who will unbury him from his work to make sure he’s taking care of himself, and Erwin who always asks if they should bring Isabel back something when they go out to eat. 

He rests his chin in his hand as Erwin tells him about his day, the cat he keeps seeing at the corner of the convenience store, the obnoxious guy in his International Relations class-

His eyes are drawn away by an unusual tremor in his water glass. The ice clinks together softly and he straightens as a slightly bigger tremor shakes the ground. He slowly lets his hands fall to the table. 

Across from him, Erwin’s soft content smile hardens. He tilts his head in the direction of the large bay window to their side. There’s another rumble and the people around them start to murmur and peek their heads towards the road. 

Thump. Thump. Thump. Louder and closer each time. 

Levi curls a hand around the table to keep it steady.

“Erwin-”

“Levi…” Erwin slowly turns his head, “I’ll be right back.” 

Levi takes the napkin from his lap and calmly sets it on the table in front of him, “Alright.” He replies.

“Get away from the windows.” Is all Erwin tells him, before he jerks up from his seat fast enough to send it tumbling backward and dashes out the door. 

A large, looming shadow blots out the light from the streetlights and storefronts down the road. 

He’s barely stood up and stumbled towards the back of the restaurant when a giant, mechanical limb crashes through the storefront, snapping the legs from the tables and sending glass flying inwards where the patrons have all gathered, pushing up against each other as they try to get away. 

Levi feels the sting of something slicing past his forehead. He cups a hand over the wound and curses, glancing wildly around the room as several others flinch and clutch their faces and their arms. 

The giant hand slides back out from the dent it’s made itself in the front of the building. The other occupants take this as their opportunity to run. They clamor out the door and onto the street where the road is already littered with debris and damp from the spray of a busted fire hydrant nearby. 

There’s a mighty crash, the sound of tearing metal followed by an unnatural-sounding roar. 

“Look!” Someone shouts, “It’s The Commander.”

Levi whips around to see.

There he is, hovering about thirty feet off of the ground, miraculously clad in his signature navy blue. Levi swears they lock eyes for a second before Erwin quickly ducks just in time to dodge a furiously swiping arm.

“Fuck,” Levi mumbles, swiping the blood from his brow and out of his eyes as he takes in the sight in front of him, “That’s a big ass monkey.” 

The creature winds its arm back once more and knocks a nearby billboard onto the street with the back of its knuckles. It rocks forward, catching on the power lines strung up over the road and sending a shower of sparks over their heads. The crowd on the street screams, rushing backward frantically. 

Levi is lost in the commotion, swallowed beneath the crush of the crowd onto the cold, wet cement. He curls up against the pound of feet, gasping through the pressure on his chest until the world grows dim around him.

Erwin hasn’t tried to talk to him in the week since their ‘fight’. Which is perfectly fucking fine. 

In fact, it’s been great. He’s gotten so much work done without the distraction and he’s finished writing his lab final early and he even had time to drum up a review sheet and now he’s using shock data from Erwin’s last big fight to improve his combat tech so…

He’s totally fine. 

Never mind the fact that this is the fourth night in a row he’s come to soothe his agitation with frozen yogurt from the shop near his complex.

“The usual, Levi?” 

“... Yes, Springer.” 

Connie moves his head to the techy beat thrumming through the overhead speakers as he assembles Levi’s order with practiced ease. 

“It’s so cool to see you outside of class,” He says, “You’re just like… a regular guy, huh?” 

Levi narrows his eyes, “Uh huh.” 

“You’re eating a lot of frozen yogurt this week.” He lowers his voice conspiratorily, “Bad breakup?” 

“Do you enjoy passing my class, Springer?”

Connie motions zipping his lips, “Got it. My bad.” He plucks up a small pink bottle from the counter, “Do you want some vanilla maple drizzle? It’s new.” 

Levi sighs, “I don’t know. Do I?” 

“Yeah, I think you do,” Connie finishes his order and slides it across the counter, “They’ll ring you up over there.” 

Levi drags his feet over to the cashier counter and digs out his wallet from his bag. 

“Don’t worry. It’s on the house.” 

Levi’s head snaps up at the familiar voice.

“Are you kidding me ?”

Hange wiggles their jazz hands in his face, “Ta-da!” They strike a pose in the company uniform complete with a white polo shirt and a bright red baseball cap. There’s a nametag on their shirt that says ‘Jennifer’.

“What the fuck are you doing?” He hisses, glancing at Connie who is pretending not to look, “Hey! Do you even know this person?” He demands. 

“The four hundred dollars I slipped him says that he does not.” Hange tucks a few more bills into the cash register and pushes Levi’s yogurt in his direction.

“Go sit down, let’s talk.” 

Levi slumps down into a chair on the far side of the room, “We can’t talk here.” He hisses as they take a seat across from him, “That’s one of my fucking students Hange-”

“We’re not here to talk about that ,” They assure him, “We’re here to talk about your love life.” 

“That’s. Worse.” He says through gritted teeth. 

“Eat your yogurt, Levi.”

Levi takes a slow spoonful, glaring all the while. 

“So what’s going on? Talk to papa-”

“Don’t call yourself that.” 

“Erwin’s in a bad mood. You’re in a worse mood than usual. For the sake of the city, make up with your boyfriend.” 

“He’s not my boyfriend. And if he’s in a shitty mood then that’s his problem.”

“And what about your shitty mood?” They ask, “Who’s problem is that?”

“That’s his problem too.” 

“No,” Hange corrects him, “It’s my problem. Your brain is my best investment, Levi, and right now it’s a little mushy.” 

“I am not mushy.”

“Are too.”

“Well, maybe I’m not cut out for this job then.”

“No,” Hange says sternly, “Nobody else can do this job.” 

Levi sighs, rubbing at his temples, “Fine,” He sighs, “Erwin said we needed space… after the attack and-”

“Space?” Hange makes a face, “What kind of space?”

“The ‘ I don’t want to date you ’ kind of space.” Levi stirs his melting yogurt, “The ‘ I’m a superhero and you’re a liability ’ kind of space.” He angrily stabs a semi-frozen slice of strawberry in half with his spoon.

“Oh, Levi,” Hange reaches over to pat his wrist, “I’m sure he doesn’t think of you as a liability. He probably just doesn’t want to see you get hurt again.” 

“I know,”

“Okay… So why are you mad?”

“I’m mad because he can’t seem to fucking pick a side!” Levi says too loudly, “He wants ‘space’ but he insists on babysitting me wherever I go in case I spontaneously combust or something. He doesn’t want me but he got all uppity because he thinks Zeke Yeager is trying to fuck me-”

“Huh?!” Hange’s hands land on the table between them with a slap, “He what?”

“He… what are you confused about?”

“Who’s trying to fuck you?”

“Zeke Yeager? Also he’s not trying to fuck me, for the record-”

“How do you know Zeke Yeager?” Hange demands, “Since when? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Since the beginning of the semester… Why the fuck would I need to tell you ?”

“Oh my god,” Hange pushes themselves up from their chair, “No freaking way. Levi. I gotta go. I’ll call you later though!” They turn around in the doorway, “Don’t talk to Zeke Yeager!”

“What the hell?” Levi demands at their quickly retreating back, “Can you guys stop abandoning me in restaurants?!”

He sits back down with a huff, staring morosely down at his melted yogurt. 

“Damn,” He mutters sadly. 

He’s got to get new friends.

He hears the shuffle of feet to his side and someone slides a new yogurt into his field of vision.

“Uh, I’m about to close up shop but I made you a new one… to go,” Connie tells him when Levi looks up. 

“Oh,” Levi blinks, “Thanks, kid.”

“I’m 21.”

“Within this dichotomy, you’re a kid.”

“Okay. Yes sir.” 

Levi tosses his old yogurt in the trash and picks up the new one, “I guess I’ll-”

He freezes when he feels a familiar vibrating beneath his feet. 

Thump, thump, thump.

Connie looks over at him, wide-eyed, “What the fuck is that?” He whispers. 

The shaking gets stronger and the sound grows louder. That thing is back and it’s coming this way. Over their heads, the lights flicker.

“Don’t fucking move,” Levi points at Connie, “Get behind the counter.”

As Levi creeps closer to the door the sound suddenly stops. He can’t hear anything besides the sound of his own breathing and the squeak of Connie’s shoes as he hurries over to hide behind the fruit bar. 

He places his hand on the door handle and slowly pushes it open. The ding of the bell above the door sounds monstrously loud on the street this late at night. He winces, stepping out onto the sidewalk and looking both ways. 

Nothing. 

“What the-”

His only warning is the high creak of metal over his head before something slams into him, hard. He gasps, disoriented as he’s swept up into the air, scrambling with his hands against the smooth surface beneath him.

The metal is jointed and sectional… like fingers. 

Levi tilts his neck back to confirm his suspicions.

“You stupid fucking monkey!” He shrieks, wiggling within the grasp of one large, mechanical hand, “Let me go!” 

The monkey ignores him and lurches forward. Below him, the ground rushes past and he scrambles to hold on even though he’s, by all intents and purposes, trapped in a hand-shaped jail cell. 

His phone slips from his fingers, and so does his yogurt. 

He cranes his neck around to watch both of them splatter to the ground. 

“My yogurt! God fucking damn it!”

Levi is taken all the way across town towards an old lot full of empty hangars. The monkey only sets him down once the doors have shut behind them with a heavy clang. 

Levi turns to run only to be met with a familiar, shell-shocked face.

“Levi?...”

“Braun?!” Levi presses a hand to his forehead, “What is going on -”

“Oh my god,” Reiner moans, glancing up at the stone-faced primate, “You kidnapped my TA.” He turns to Levi, “Please don’t struggle I really, really need to pass your class.”

Levi tilts his head back with a long-suffering groan and then raises his hands in surrender, “Fine. What the fuck ever-”

Reiner ushers him to a chair in the middle of the room and picks up a thin coil of rope, “Uh-”

Levi raises a brow, “Is that even necessary? You’re like six foot tall and that’s a giant mechanical monkey.”

“Trust me. It’s necessary.” Reiner gives him a tight, nervous smile, “I’m really sorry, Mr. Ackerman. Seriously. Please don’t fail me.”

“I’m not going to- Jesus, be careful-” He hisses as the rope scrapes against the sensitive inside of his wrists, “I’m not going to fail you.”

Once he’s firmly secured, the monkey lopes a few strides closer and then crouches down in front of him. There’s a faint hissing sound before a hatch slides open on the back of its neck and a figure emerges from the space within. 

“Don’t freak out-” Zeke Yeager himself emerges from behind, holding his hands out placatingly like he’s trying to stave off an attack as if he doesn’t have Levi tied to a chair.

“ You spineless, conniving, half-witted piece of shit!” Levi struggles, “You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve, Zeke Yeager. Let me go!” 

“I can’t.” He insists, “This is the only way I could get you to talk to me.”

“By kidnapping me?! Did you consider, I don’t know, writing a letter? Sending a fax?”

“I tried asking you for coffee-!”

“Yes,” Levi rolls his eyes, “And this was the logical next step.”

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He swears. 

“Great, the bare minimum. How generous.”

“I just want to talk.”

“What could possibly justify this?”

“They poached you from me, did you know that?” Zeke grits his teeth.

“ Who did?”

“Zoe fucking Hange. I saw your thesis on the symbiosis between micro-technology and organic systems. I saw you first. They took you from me-”

“ So what ?” Levi butts in, incredulous, “So you retaliate by trying to fucking kill me?”

“No, never!” Zeke swears, “I wasn’t trying to hurt you I was just trying to get rid of that fucking pest that’s always hovering around you.”

Levi stills, “You were trying to get rid of Erwin?” He says lowly, furious.

“He can’t give you what I can give you, Levi,” Zeke steps forward, eyes pleading, “He couldn’t even keep you safe-”

“That was your fault!” If Levi’s hands were free he would have thrown them up in the air, “I wouldn’t have been in any danger at all if you didn’t shove your big, fucking monkey hand through the window and ruin my date.”

“That wasn’t my intention. Let me prove it to you. He doesn’t know you like I know you.” Zeke urges him, “I bet- I bet he hasn’t read any of your publishings! But not me, Levi. I’ve read all of them. I know what you’re capable of. I know how truly miraculous your mind is-”

“Oh for fucks sake,” Levi stares up at the ceiling, “Maybe Erwin was right.” He mumbles.

“Hey, uh… Zeke?” Reiner speaks up.

Zeke holds up a finger in his direction and continues, “There’s nobody like you on the planet. I would never take that for granted. I see you for what you are-”

“ Zeke-”

Zeke ignores him once more as he kneels down in front of Levi, “We would be perfect together, can’t you see?” He implores, “Levi, I-”

Zeke doesn’t get the opportunity to finish his sentence before he’s yanked upright by his neck and tossed bodily against the side of the hangar with a crash. He lands on the floor in an anti-climactic heap. 

Out cold. 

“Oh good,” Levi comments dryly, “My hero.” 

Erwin doesn’t say anything as he moves around to quickly unbind Levi’s hands. He sighs when he’s finally released, massaging the circulation back into his wrists. 

Erwin pulls them forward to inspect them silently.

“I’m fine,” Levi tugs them back, “Doesn’t hurt. I’m fine.” 

Erwin’s head jerks in Reiner’s direction and he straightens to his full height, looming menacingly.

Levi stomps between them, “That’s one of my kids. Don’t fucking touch him.”

“M-Mr. Commander, sir. I swear on my life I didn’t want any part of this. He’s paying me and he said he would write me a really good reference and-”

“Stop.” Levi waves him off, “Just go home. We will never speak of this again.”

“Of course! Never!” Reiner slowly backs away, “Big fan, by the way, Mr. Commander. I love… uh, love your whole aesthetic it’s very retro Superman-”

“Braun?”

“Yeah?”

“Leave." 

“Right. Of course. Uh… he’s not dead right?” He tilts his head over to Zeke.

Levi glances over at Erwin who pauses and then shakes his head. 

“Nope. Scram.”

Levi waits until Reiner’s footsteps have faded and then turns to Erwin. 

“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to give me a lift back home?”

“This isn’t what I meant,” Levi squeezes his eyes shut as he’s hurtled across the city for the second time tonight. His fingers curl into the fabric of Erwin’s suit and he hides his face into his shoulder, “And this is definitely not the right direction!” He shouts over the whooshing of the wind. 

Erwin remains silent still, jaw clenched and grip steady. 

“The silent treatment, huh?” Levi asks, “That’s going to get old real fast.” He mutters. 

Erwin takes them to the familiar rooftop of Hange’s penthouse.

Levi’s knees wobble when they land and Erwin winds a gentle hand around his waist, guiding him over to the small, innocuous door that leads to the stairwell that spirals down to the sitting room.

Erwin splits a dubious look between Levi and the facial scanner. He turns slightly to shield his face as he slowly moves to remove his mask.

“Oh for the love of fuck-” Levi impatiently shoves him out of the way.

Levi bends down and the blue light of the scanner sweeps over the planes of his face. There’s a soft click to his left.

“Welcome, Levi,” Says a soft, robotic voice, “I hope you’re well today.” 

“Fucking fantastic,” He mutters, shoving through the doors and taking the steps down two at a time. 

Erwin makes a startled noise from behind him, “Wait- Levi, what-”

“Hange!” Levi growls, following the soft sound of classical music from the landing to the living room where Hange is pacing back and forth across the white shag rug in front of the TV.

“Levi!” Their head snaps up, a relieved smile spreading across their face, “You’re okay! I’m so glad-”

Levi snatches a magazine from the dining room table on his way towards the couch and winds his arm back, smacking them in the shoulder with a thwap , “You poached me from Zeke fucking Yeager?!” He smacks them again, “Why.” Smack. “Didn’t.” Smack, smack, “You tell me?”

“I thought it was water under the bridge!”

“He kidnapped me!” 

“Well, yes but how was I supposed to know he was obsessed with you?” 

“Levi-”

Levi whirls around to Erwin who now has his mask disengaged and is glancing between them with a baffled expression on his face, “Wait your turn,” He snaps, and then turns back around, “You should have told me. I deserved to know.”

Hange grimaces, “Sorry. But not sorry for stealing you. You snooze you lose. Should have kept a closer eye on his roster of geniuses. Shouldn’t have put all their profiles in a very stealable briefcase.”

“Well he wants me to rule the world by his side, so… a heads-up would have been nice.” 

“So Zeke Yeager does want to fuck you-”

“Well, he mostly just wanted to monologue about my scientific mind so-” Levi shrugs, “Who knows?”

“ I do!” Erwin protests from behind him, “He tried to ask you on a date!”

Levi crosses his arms, “A glorified job interview.”

“He lingers outside your office.”

“We work in the same building-”

“Levi-” Erwin groans, pressing the heels of his palms to his temples and squeezing, “I feel like I’m losing my mind.” He looks over at Hange, “Am I losing my mind?” 

Hange shrugs, grinning, “I dunno. I’m having a great time.” 

“He’s fascinated with me. He’s a freak, but that doesn’t mean he’s ‘ into me’-”

“ Yes, it does!”

“No, it doesn’t. What the fuck makes you the point of authority here anyways-”

“I know he’s in love with you because I’m in love with you!” Erwin shouts, he grips Levi by the shoulders and spins them face to face, “I know what it looks like. I see it in his eyes, Levi. ” 

Levi’s breath hitches. He stares wide-eyed up into Erwin’s gaze until it softens.

He slowly moves his hands from the curve of Levi’s shoulder to the delicate skin on either side of his neck, thumbs brushing up underneath his jaw.

“And that’s my cue,” Hange announces, tip-toeing away from the living room, “I’ll wear my headphones,” They call over their shoulder, “Don’t break anything.” 

Erwin tilts Levi’s chin up with his thumbs, “I’m sorry.” 

“Stop fucking apologizing.” Levi breathes. 

“I didn’t want to involve you in something you didn’t ask for. I thought I was doing the right thing by… ending it.”

“Well, you did a shit job at it.”

“I know,” Erwin’s fingers curl against the back of Levi’s neck, “I can’t stay away from you. I really can’t.” 

Levi shakes his head, “Then don’t. I didn’t ask you to. I don’t want you to.”

“I thought I was protecting you.” He insists, “Why didn’t tell me that you already knew who I was?”

Levi hooks his hands around Erwin’s wrists and glances off to the side, “Because…” He twists his lips into a frown, “Because I wanted you to like me for me. Just me. Not because of my brain and not because I’m your tech guy and not because I built you a kick-ass arm.” He nudges the metallic planes of Erwin’s palm with his cheek.

Erwin’s fingers twitch, “It is a pretty cool arm."

“Kick-ass,” Levi corrects, and then pulls back indignantly, “Why didn’t you tell me about Zeke?” 

“And how would I have phrased that, hmm?” Erwin tilts his head, “‘Hi Levi, your boss spends his downtime trying to kill me in a giant monkey animatronic. Also, I have superpowers.’”

“That’s better than ‘I think we need some time apart’.” He mumbles petulantly.

“I was wrong,” Erwin runs his thumb across Levi’s bottom lip, “I don’t want space, Levi.”

“I’m right here whether you like it or not,” Levi raises a challenging brow, “I’m the wind beneath your goddamn wings, Erwin Smith-”

Erwin crushes their mouths together then, tugging him flush against the solid, warm line of his body and kissing him long, slow, salaciously – he’s gentle at first and then they both start to get carried away: panting into each other’s mouths, tongues sliding together. 

Levi runs his hands down over the well of his pecs to the firm, rippling muscle of his abdomen.

“Jesus,” He mutters against his lips, pulling away, “There’s no reason for you to be built like this.” 

“It’s kind of a job requirement, actually.”

Levi smacks him lightly on the stomach with the back of his hand, “Don’t be an ass. Who’s bright idea was it to put you in a skin-tight micro-tech suit anyways?” A mischievous smile touches his lips and he looks up at Erwin through his lashes, “Oh wait. It was mine .”

“I’m really glad I exist for your viewing pleasure, Levi.” 

Levi hums noncommittally, letting his fingers trail back up his torso and around to the cut muscles of his back and his broad, broad shoulders. 

“Is this why Hange started making me take off my shirt for performance tests?” 

Levi juts out his lip, “I work very, very hard, Commander.” He presses up onto his tiptoes so their lips are merely inches apart, “Don’t you think I deserve something nice?”

Erwin slides an arm around his waist and tugs him closer, “Be careful, Levi,” He says lowly, “Hange told us not to break anything.”

“Are you planning on breaking something?” Levi asks, slowly maneuvering backward towards the couch.

“Not on purpose.”

“Why not?” Levi asks. Erwin’s knees hit the front of the cushion and Levi pushes him down, “I thought you liked me?” He sinks down onto his knees in the space between Erwin’s spread legs. 

“ Shit , Levi-”

Levi runs his hands up the thick swell of his thighs and across the dip of his pelvis to trace up the V of his abdomen. The material is cool and smooth beneath his hands. It has just the right amount of give to encompass the strain of Erwin’s body when he moves, when he flexes, when he bends. 

Truly an incredible invention, and one that he knows intimately like the back of his hand.

He reaches up and presses his thumb into an inconspicuous, tiny metal plate right in the center of Erwin’s chest. The suit recedes and gathers itself neatly into a small, weighty square that fits in the palm of his hand, leaving Erwin in nothing but a dry-fit long-sleeve and a tight pair of briefs. Levi reaches back and sets it gently on the coffee table nearby.

“Convenient,” Levi comments, turning back around to slide his hands up under Erwin’s shirt to press the flat of his palms against the warm skin there, “That’s not what I was thinking when I programmed it.”

“You’re a very- ah,” Levi sinks his teeth into the inside of his thigh, “You’re a very smart man.”

Levi feels his back bow with the praise and his next exhale shivers out damply across Erwin’s skin.

“Do you like that?” Erwin winds his hand into Levi’s hair and tugs his head up, “Do you want me to tell you how incredible you are? How pretty you look like this?”

“Tell me,” Levi rasps. 

“ Breathtaking, Levi. You don’t know what you do to me. I ache for you,” He smoothes a hand over the swelling bulge under his briefs, “Can’t you tell?”

“Please-”

“Please what?” Erwin pulls him close enough that his hot breath ghosts across the straining fabric, “Tell me what you want?” 

Levi swallows, watching intently as Erwin slides his thumb under the fabric of his underwear and slowly lowers them to reveal more of the wiry trail of hair from his navel down to his crotch. 

“Hmm?” Erwin prompts him, patient but confident in a way that makes something hot settle deep in Levi’s gut.

“Please let me suck your cock.”

Erwin’s chest heaves, “You want to suck my cock?” Some of the relaxed, nonchalance from earlier has dissipated. Now his voice sounds strained.

Levi nods, lids low, “I’ve been good. I said please.” He doesn’t remember when he had set his hands so meekly down in his lap but Levi reaches them back up to curl his fingers in Erwin’s waistband and tug it down just enough to free his cock.

To be honest, he’s surprised his patience has held out this long. 

He ducks down and presses the flat of his tongue from root to tip, humming contentedly when his lips purse around the head. He sucks softly, fitting the curve of his bottom lip up under the flare of the glans.

Erwin’s head falls back. He reaches back with the prosthetic, gripping the back of the couch so hard that the frame groans in protest.  

He sits there for an unidentifiable amount of time, exploring with kittenish lips and coyly tracing the veins up the shaft. He gets the feeling that Erwin is indulging him, but even Erwin’s saintlike patience is bound to wear out at some point or another. 

“Levi,” He warns hoarsley.

Levi drops his jaw and sucks, curling a hand around the base and stretching his mouth down towards his fingers. He pulls back up slowly and then repeats. 

Faster and faster until Erwin’s hips are twitching up to meet him. 

He drags the tip across the roof of his mouth until it kisses the tight opening of his throat and then pulls back again. Spit accumulates in the corners of his mouth, dripping down towards his fingers where he works the rest of the shaft with his fist. 

“Fuck, fuck -” Erwin groans. His control slips and he forces Levi’s head down farther until his lips touch his knuckles. 

Levi moans pathetically, sliding his knees farther apart on the hardwood floor and flushing hot under his sweatshirt.

“ Yes,” Erwin hisses, dragging Levi up and down the shaft of his cock by his hair.

Levi gets hotter and hotter, aching between his legs and helplessly grinding against the seam of his zipper while Erwin pants above him.

“Don’t stop, Levi, god -” 

Below his hands, the corded muscles of Erwin’s thighs wind tighter. When his abdomen starts to jump and clench Levi forces himself down as low as he can go, moving his hand so he can fit his lips down further. He chokes at the pressure in his throat, tears welling up in his eyes and sliding down the swell of his cheeks. 

Above him, Erwin goes still for a single, ringing moment, and then relaxes again with a guttural moan as he spills into the back of Levi’s throat. Somewhere to the side there’s a brutal crack but Levi doesn’t pay it much mind.

“Fuck,” Levi rasps as he pulls off, lips tingling and belly burning. He pulls his eyebrows together, “Erwin-”

Erwin shakes out of his post-orgasm bliss to haul Levi up into his lap by his forearm, frantically fumbling with the button of Levi’s skinny jeans. 

“These should be illegal, Levi,” He growls as the zipper gets caught, “How do you even get these on ?”

“Prayers,” Levi pants, “WD-40.”

Erwin laughs out loud but Levi can’t even remember the joke as Erwin’s big, calloused hands wrap around his cock and tighten on the upstroke. 

“Oh god-” He breathes, shaking and embarrassed at how incredibly close to the edge he already is, “Please-”

“You’re so wet,” He notes, “All from letting me use your mouth like that?”

“Yes,” He moans, “Yes, just wanna make you feel good.” 

“Of course you do, baby.” Erwin gently kisses his slack parted lips while he twists his wrist torturously.

“Yours .” Levi sighs. 

“You know-” Erwin tilts his head back, eyes dark as he watches Levi work his hips into the tight circle of his fist, “I caught the tail end of Zeke’s heartfelt proposal to you-”

Levi keeps himself upright with a hand pressed to Erwin’s shoulder and glares up at him, “I do not think we should discuss Zeke right now.” 

Erwin ignores him, “He said that you were perfect for each other but that’s impossible,” He tightens his fist and swipes a thumb up over the tip, “Do you know why, Levi?” He asks softly. 

Levi curls in on himself and the pressure builds in the base of his stomach. His thighs tremble on either side of Erwin’s and he can’t hold back the soft, desperate noises pushing their way from his throat.

“Why?” He manages to ask. 

“Because-” Erwin leans close enough that his nose brushes the curve of Levi’s ear, “How could you possibly be perfect for him when you were made for me.”

“Only you,” Levi rolls his hips faster, “Just you.”

“Just me. He couldn’t handle you if he tried,” Erwin says matter-of-factly.

“He wouldn’t- hah - last a day.”

“You’re mine, Levi,” He growls, “He’ll just have to come to terms with that.”

Levi’s fingernails dig harshly into Erwin’s shoulder. His mouth drops open wide as if scandalized by the paralyzing suddenness of his release. Erwin strokes him through it, using his right hand to keep him steady in his lap when he starts to sway. 

Levi slumps forward as the pressure fades from behind his eyes, burying his face into the damp skin of Erwin’s neck.

“ Jesus ,” He exhales. 

Erwin traces circles on Levi’s back with his clean hand, “You can say that again.”

“Is this a bad time to tell you that I love you too?” Levi asks. 

“Can I at least wash your cum off my hand first?”

“Uh… no.” Levi decides, “I love you.” 

Erwin sighs, nosing at the sweaty hair near his temple and pressing a kiss there.

Levi finally lifts his head when Erwin reaches for a tissue from the side table. His eyes widen. 

“Holy shit,” He breathes, gaping at the back of the couch where the frame has buckled, “Erwin we actually broke something.”

“Oh,” Erwin grins boyishly and shrugs, “Oops.”

“I’m so fired,” Levi mumbles. 

“If anyone is fired then it’s me,” Erwin assures him leaning up to press a kiss to the apple of his cheek, “Hange can find another superhero but I’m not sure they’d ever find another you.” 

“Levi?”

Levi lifts his head from the papers he’s grading. Most of the class has already filtered out save for a few chatting stragglers. 

Connie slings his backpack up over his shoulder and walks up to the desk, sliding a white slip of paper towards him.

Levi picks it up, squinting.

“It’s a coupon for one free frozen yogurt. Uh… hopefully it won’t get ruined this time.”

Levi bites at the inside of his cheek to school his expression, “Right. Thank you, Springer.”

Connie nods and turns to leave and Levi tucks the coupon safely into the front pocket of his bag. 

“Oh, uh, Levi?”

Levi lifts his head once more in the direction of the door. Connie is peeking out the window and into the hallway.

“That guy is waiting outside again.”

Levi rolls his eyes, reaching over to pack up his things.

“Send him in on your way out.”