His vision was nothing but darkness, and his heartbeat, racing in anticipation, drowned out the other noises in the room. He took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and released it slowly, trying to relax and will his pulse to slow. The breath came out shaky.

Erwin shifted slightly to relieve the pressure on his knees from kneeling on the floor. It was the dead of winter, and the air was cool against his face and hands, but a warm glow washed over his back. He inhaled deeply once more - he could smell woodsmoke, damp wool from wet winter clothes, soap, leather - and released it. Finally he managed to tune out the sound of his own pounding heart. From behind him came the crackling and humming of a healthy fire, the ticking of a clock. To his right, the soft tapping of someone's shoes against the floor.

There was a series of thumps as something was dropped to the floor next to him, and then the footsteps came to his front and stopped there. Waiting time was over, and despite any instructions he'd had to calm down, Erwin was more keyed up than when they'd arrived.

A strong hand suddenly carded through his hair, and Erwin inhaled a gasp and held it. The fingers stilled. Erwin pressed his lips together, trying to stifle any expression he might be making.

"I see," came that low, even voice. "You haven't calmed down at all, have you?"

The hand left his hair to tug at the blindfold instead. It slipped off his face, and Erwin was blinking up at the man standing before him, who was currently working at his cravat to loosen it. The light from the fireplace cast a warm yellow glow on the room, softening the hard lines of Levi's stern face. The cravat came off, and then Levi was unbuttoning the collar and cuffs of his dress shirt, and then rolling up his sleeves.

Erwin swallowed, hard, like he was trying to squeeze out the pulse point in his throat. Levi was just so handsome like this when he dressed down, even a little, perhaps because he did it so rarely. Erwin was almost embarrassed at how disproportionately attractive he found the sight of Levi's bare forearms and his throat peeking from his collar. Erwin couldn't tear his eyes from him.

Levi, of course, had probably gone casual for simply pragmatic reasons, and seemed completely unaware of the attention. He only spared Erwin a glance before turning to toss his cravat over the back of the armchair where his uniform jacket was already neatly draped. Then he crouched down and grabbed the thing Erwin had heard drop at his side before. A coil of rope.

"Well, I'm done setting up. So you had better be ready."

"Of course, sir. I am." Erwin wasn't sure how true that was, but he wasn't ever going to be more ready than he was right now.

"Good. I'm gonna need you to get upright, on your knees." Levi had a hand on Erwin's hip, guiding him to lift himself up off his heels. "Come on. Up." The command was punctuated with a casual swat to his ass, and Erwin sat up, startled.

"Good." Levi started grabbing at Erwin's legs, manhandling him into the position he wanted, with Erwin's knees placed so his legs were slightly parted.

Levi undid a loose knot around the bundle of rope and shook it out, keeping it folded in half as he began coiling the rope around Erwin's right thigh. Then he positioned Erwin's right arm next to the bound leg and tied the two together.

"Sit back on your heels and tell me what that feels like."

Erwin sat back down again, confused - there wasn't anything especially novel about the position - until he was back down on his heels. His arm was at an awkward angle because of how it was tied. He wasn't sure if that was intentional or not.

"It's twisting my arm back a little bit. And when I put weight on my calves, the ropes dig into my legs."

"Is it uncomfortable?" Levi's voice was neutral as always, but his gaze was intense. "Or do you think it would be, in twenty minutes?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hnh. Thought so." He untied Erwin's arm and repositioned the rope on his thigh higher up so it wasn't digging into his calf muscle, then retied his arm with more slack. "And how does it feel now?"

"It's very comfortable, sir."

"Yeah, ok," Levi said, in that not-quite-dismissive tone that sounded to Erwin like forced bravado. Considered alongside his pace and brusque manner so far, it reminded Erwin of earlier days in their relationship, when Levi would use tough talk to hide any insecurity. Perhaps Erwin wasn't the only one feeling edgy tonight. The thought actually made him feel a bit better.

Levi dropped to Erwin's other side. "Up again."

Erwin lifted himself and Levi began working on his other side, mirroring the setup so both Erwin's arms were tied down. He was efficient, as usual. "Sit back down."

Once again, Erwin settled back on his heels. Levi came around to Erwin's front and dropped to one knee, then grabbed another coil of rope, this one thinner and softer-looking than the rope that he'd been using till now. Erwin watched curiously as this one was untied and pulled taught in front of him, unable to help the confused furrow in his brow. Suddenly, Levi locked gazes with him, and there was a dangerous glint in those steel grey eyes.

"I bet you're wondering what this is for."

"Yes, sir."

"What do you think it's for?"

"I don't know, sir."

Those eyes narrowed. "Come on, Erwin. You can't take a guess? You're so clever."

Erwin felt a heat rising in his cheeks. The truth was, he could indeed guess what the rope was for, but he felt awkward saying it. Levi's eyebrows raised slightly, and Erwin knew he was being toyed with.

"Are you going to tie my legs together, sir?"

"No, I prefer them separated just the way they are. Seems a bit thin for that, anyway."

"Are you… going to gag me with it?"

"I like to hear you yell."

"Of course, sir."

"You know exactly what I have planned. Or you think you do, anyway." Levi held the folded middle of the rope so it made a loop and slid it under Erwin's balls, then began wrapping it round and round. The pressure built until Erwin was biting his lip, expecting it to hurt, but Levi stopped before it became too much, next wrapping some of the rope around the base of the shaft. Levi tied the two ends together in a loose bow, leaving a good amount of extra length that he let drop to the ground.

"But maybe I can still find a way to surprise you."

Erwin let out another shaky moan, aroused by the tone of Levi's voice, both threatening and promising, and by the sensation of this new type of bondage. The pressure was mild enough to be pleasant, and he was growing hard, but he could already tell the bondage would be a torment when he was fully erect.

Levi walked over to the table in the corner, the one with the armchair, where he had laid out an array of tools Erwin couldn't see from this angle. Levi picked up a leather flogger and returned, then circled around to Erwin's back.

The first stroke was light. Still, he flinched.

"Don't tell me that's too much," Levi said in a teasing voice, and the tension quickly melted from Erwin's shoulders. The flogging was gentle, roaming across his back as Levi slowly stepped back and forth, as was his habit - he rarely stood still.

Erwin closed his eyes and tried to focus on the moment, on the sensations of the rope pressing into his skin, the leather falls striking his shoulders, the clicking of Levi's heels on the floor behind him. It was all familiar, except for the binding on his cock and balls, which was growing tighter and more restrictive by the minute. Even that was something he'd decided he liked.

"Take a deep breath."

Erwin did as he was told without thought, and the flogger came down hard on his right shoulder in a quick snap quite unlike the previous blows. He released his breath quickly as he felt the sting.

"That was… let's make it 'five.'"

He wasn't sure what Levi meant. If he was trying to measure how hard he was hitting, it didn't help much without a scale. It certainly hadn't felt like a mere five out of ten.

Already, the flogger was coming down on Erwin's back, but lightly again, almost as lightly as when they'd first started. His back had grown more sensitive, yet he was leaning into the strokes in anticipation. One of his shoulders was glowing with pain, and he needed more of that. A minute must have passed before Levi spoke up again.

"This'll be 'four.'"

And then came another sharp blow, on the left shoulder blade this time, and Erwin grunted with it. Now he understood. His back was growing warm. Levi started up the light flogging again, and much sooner this time, he moved on in his count.

"This is three."

It came on the left shoulder again, still sensitive, and Erwin voiced his pain with a quiet, "Ah."

Once more, there was the gentle thudding of the flogger's lighter blows across his back, though there was a bit more strength to these ones than before.

"Two." A sharp snap arced down the right shoulder blade, the hardest one so far, and the breath exploded from Erwin's lungs. He wasn't even sure if he'd released it himself, or if it had been punched out of him. A second later, before he had any time to recover, there came a, "One." Erwin could barely process that word before the last blow came, so unexpected was it. There had been a pattern, that he'd been expecting to continue. Pain bloomed on the left side again, and there was a moment of stillness.

There would have been silence if not for Erwin's hard breaths and the creaking of the floorboards as he rocked back and forth, feeling the need to move, to shake off the pain, to press his hands over his hurts, but unable to do so.

Then Levi's hand, small and strong and calloused, came to rest on the back of Erwin's neck. Often, Levi would run his hands gently over the pain he'd caused, just as tender as he was cruel. But tonight he didn't. He ran his hand up the back of Erwin's head, sliding through the short-sheared hair at the back to the lighter, sun-bleached locks at the top, and fisted it roughly, pushing forward.

"Sir, I -" Erwin wasn't even sure what he wanted to say.

"Move." It was spoken with a tone of voice that insisted there be no argument. So Erwin moved, letting his head fall forward where it was guided, forward, forward. Levi was leaning over him, his body flat against Erwin's back, the starched fabric of his slacks and his silk dress shirt cool against the sore heat of Erwin's skin, Levi's sharp knees and erection pressing into him. And Levi kept pushing Erwin's head until Erwin had to shift on his knees to keep going, nearly collapsing if not for the tight grip in his hair, to land face down on the floor, and still Levi was leaning over him, all his weight pinning Erwin down with the hand in his hair, and the one on his shoulder, and the knee against Erwin's hip.

Erwin closed his eyes and revelled in the feeling of helplessness. Levi lowered himself to one knee at Erwin's side, his grip still tight on Erwin's head and shoulder, and leaned in until Erwin could smell the mint on Levi's breath when he spoke into Erwin's ear, his voice hard gravel. "You're going to stay like that."

"Yes, sir."

Levi released him and stood, walking away towards the corner of the room with the table. Instinct pressed Erwin to turn his head, to keep track of where the other man was, to keep him in his sight, but Levi's words kept him rooted face down, his forehead pressed to the floor. He did try to see out of the corner of his eye, where he could barely make out through the fall of his hair Levi's boots striding past for a moment.

In this new position, and with no other sensations to distract him, he was all too aware of the bindings between his legs again. The sensation of the ropes was less evident than before, but there was more pressure and heat than he was used to.

From the tap of Levi's soles on the floor, Erwin could tell he had stepped behind him, and he felt his face flush when he imagined the view Levi must have, with Erwin's hips in the air and his knees still spread. Even as the embarrassment clutched at his heart, Erwin could tell the blood was rushing somewhere other than his cheeks.

Levi gave a slight huffing sound that just passed for a laugh. "You like that, huh?"

Erwin could feel his pulse in his cock.

"You don't have to answer that." Erwin felt the flogger come down on his ass, alternating from side to side, increasing and decreasing in intensity, and a rhythm was quickly established. There was no warning this time when the blows turned harder, and less time in between them.

The intensity built quickly and Erwin was again gripped with the urge to put his hands on his stinging skin, to move his body, to move away. His hands curled into fists and his back grew tight, and suddenly the pain let up. The blows grew more gentle and Levi was spreading them out, moving from Erwin's ass down the back of his thighs. Erwin forced his muscles to loosen.

But soon the blows grew harder again, and Erwin found himself stiffening once more. And every time, Levi responded the same way, letting up just enough for Erwin to let himself relax, so Levi could push him to that same point again and again, the point that was nearly too much.

Then it stopped without warning, and Erwin heard the sound of something being placed on the floor.

Tap, tap: the sound of Levi stepping forward. Erwin got two good breaths in before Levi's hands touched Erwin's thighs, and they were so cold Erwin flinched. Then one of them slid forward, between Erwin's legs, and gripped his balls. Levi's palm pressed underneath them, and he drummed his fingers in a nearly playful manner before closing them. Erwin held himself deathly still.

"I like this," Levi said. "There's nothing quite like having someone literally by the balls, you know. Especially when he can't move his hands." Levi spoke with that strictly casual tone of his that made him sound bored, but his hands practically vibrating with energy gave him away. "How is it, being completely vulnerable to whatever I want to do to you?"

Levi was a talker, despite what common knowledge would suggest. While he disliked being the center of any attention, he would awkwardly ramble whenever he was, and he talked a lot of shit whenever he got into a fight. Erwin had been pleasantly surprised to find he was no different in bed, because he loved his voice. But Levi would speak to himself as much as to Erwin, and Erwin didn't know if he wanted an answer or not. Erwin hoped not, because he couldn't find his voice.

"I can hurt you," Levi said, squeezing with his hand, tighter and tighter, until yes, it hurt. Erwin's hips jerked reflexively, but Levi just held tight, causing the movement to pull painfully. Erwin's brain caught up with his body at that moment, supplying the information that it was useless to pull away, and he grudgingly held still in that painful grip, having nowhere else to go.

"P-please, sir," Erwin gasped into the ground, his voice so weak it was nearly all air, and he wondered if Levi even heard him.

"Please, what? Please, more?" Levi closed his grip, twisted his hand slightly.

"No , no! Less, please. Sir. It hurts."

"I know." There was a second of stillness, and Erwin honestly thought Levi might not let go. It was a strange sensation to leave himself entirely at someone's mercy, where they could do anything at all to him, and knowing they may very well do anything to him. There was nothing stopping Levi from continuing, not even, Erwin realised, Erwin himself, for he had already given in, ready to endure and to take whatever Levi wanted to give. It was only Levi he trusted this much.

Levi relaxed his fingers and Erwin gasped in relief. "Or I suppose I could tease you instead." Levi gently ran a finger up Erwin's hard cock, so lightly it tickled, rubbing tiny torturous circles over the sensitive tip until Erwin keened in response. He was shaking with the effort to hold himself still as Levi's finger slid back down, still feather-light, tracing the line down the middle of Erwin's balls and then up the back. His finger stopped mere centimetres from Erwin's hole, which clenched at the near contact. Levi sat back on his heels, and Erwin turned his head to see that Levi's face was nearly level with Erwin's ass, which he was staring at intently.

Erwin's cheeks were red again, and he turned his head to face the floor once more. Levi would do what he wanted to, and Erwin trusted him enough for that.

Something was being dragged across his skin now, something so light and fine it was difficult to notice at first. Erwin might have described it as silky feeling. It was pulled away and brought down on his buttocks, but it was so light that it didn't make much of an impact. Then it came down again, and again, and it almost started to sting.

The sensation grew maddening, both nearly imperceptible, and just uncomfortable enough that it couldn't be ignored. The lashes moved from the outer buttocks inward, creeping towards vulnerable skin, and Erwin shifted without thinking, trying to pull his legs together.

"Don't move," Levi chided in that calm voice. Erwin froze when he realised what he'd been doing. "Get back into position and stay there, like I told you to."

A prideful little part of Erwin's head growled in protest at the bossy tone in Levi's voice. Erwin was usually the one giving orders, and he was unused to being given them. His instinct was to excuse himself, to tell Levi to relax, but he held back.

Levi was waiting patiently, and Erwin was grateful for that. As much as Erwin wanted this, it could be hard for him to let himself submit. It was something Levi seemed to understand.

With an effort, Erwin made his body relax and moved his legs back to how they had been.

"Good." Erwin glanced down over his shoulder and got another glimpse of Levi, a horsehair flogger hanging from his raised arm, still, like he was frozen in thought. "You would say if it was too much."

"Yes, sir."

Levi's eyes met Erwin's then, as though he'd just noticed Erwin looking at him. "Turn your head back down," he snapped.

Erwin turned it back down.

"Was I not clear enough? I want you to stay still." Levi sounded genuinely annoyed, and Erwin found himself gritting his teeth. "Let's see if you're capable of that."

"Yes, sir," Erwin bit back.

"Watch it," Levi whispered, danger in his voice. The maddeningly light, stingy lashes began again, this time between his cheeks.

Erwin gasped, as there was no other natural reaction allowed. And those lashes grew more and more forceful, and more precise, until those fine hairs, for all their lack of weight, had truly become painful, and Erwin knew Levi was really putting his arm into it. As the restrictions on his movement became more difficult to manage, his frustrations grew, until he was venting it all through his throat, his cries and groans far louder than usual.

As he stared upside down at his own feet, Erwin saw when Levi crouched low, just before putting a hand on Erwin's thigh, right at the crease beneath his left buttock, and pushed so Erwin's ass was just a little higher, his legs spread just a little further, then gathered the tips of the flogger in his free hand so he could flick it with precision, right on the underside of the tip of Erwin's cock.

Erwin couldn't hold in his yell, or the others that followed as Levi kept it up, striking the same spot over and over. His body responded positively, aiding Levi in tormenting him, as he grew only harder, making the bindings more uncomfortable. And then Levi reached behind himself for something else, stood before Erwin could see what it was, and -

There was a quiet thwick, far too gentle a sound for the sensation it brought. What felt like an ice cold line was cut across one thigh, followed shortly after by heat and intense pain. The cane was not new, but Levi was being merciless with it, like he had never been before.

The way Levi was acting, being so harsh and unforgiving, and the tone in his voice when he'd snapped at Erwin earlier, like he was truly angry, brought an uneasy feeling to Erwin's stomach, and as the caning continued - almost certainly raising welts and bruises by now - fear clutched at Erwin's heart, that hurt more than any physical pain Levi could bring upon him. The fear that Levi was indeed angry, that he was taking it out on Erwin. The fear that Erwin wouldn't ask him to stop, wouldn't use the safeword Levi had given him, feeling that he deserved it. The fear that this would hurt them, that there was no coming back from this cruel place to a happy relationship, because happy normal people didn't beat their lovers black and blue.

He was being foolish. He had asked for this, for Levi to be so rough with him. And Levi, as always, was giving Erwin exactly what he'd wanted and needed. But it was all getting a bit too real, and the intensity of the scene overwhelmed him, until he couldn't hold in that fear.

Erwin broke. The pain growing only more intense as it was spread across his ass and thighs, and the strain in his abdomen of holding himself up in an odd position, finally made his legs buckle. He yelled out as he collapsed downwards, and began sobbing unashamedly. The caning stopped immediately and he wondered briefly if he was in trouble for moving.

He couldn't suck enough air into his lungs to sob as loud as he needed to.

"Erwin."

Another moment passed, in which Erwin managed to catch his breath. As he quieted, he curled inward, anticipating a lecture for it even as he did so. But none came.

"Erwin. Talk to me."

When Erwin didn't move, or look up, or speak, he heard a clatter as something was dropped to the ground, and Levi stepping over to his side. Levi's hands worked into Erwin's space, to get on his shoulders and push him up. Erwin looked up at Levi through wet, spiky lashes. Levi's mouth was uncharacteristically open, his brow knotted, and Erwin was overcome with adoration for him. He wanted to collapse at his feet again, and kiss his meticulously cleaned boots.

"I went too far."

Erwin blinked stupidly up at Levi as the other man closed his eyes momentarily and reopened them with a calmer expression. "I should have realised you needed me to stop."

Erwin's brain, sluggish as it was, took a moment to understand, and then he was saying, "No, no. No, don't stop. Don't stop, don't." He was leaning on Levi, hard, like he could use his weight to keep Levi there with him.

"You don't want to stop?"

"I don't… want to end it. Like this."

Levi seemed calmer now, one arm loosely wrapped around Erwin's shoulders as the larger man leaned into his lap. "I think we need to switch things up a bit, at least. Here." Levi reached for the knot tying one of Erwin's arms.

"No, don't please. I'm ok."

Levi paused and looked Erwin in the eyes. "Erwin. Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Yes, what?" The chiding was friendlier than it had been a minute ago, but firm.

He had forgotten, and flushed with shame. "Yes, sir."

"Trust me here. You've been in these for a while. I've decided this is better. Trust that."

"Yes, sir."

Levi pulled open the knot and released Erwin's arm, then reached around for the one on the opposite side, so both limbs were free, then undid the wraps around Erwin's legs. Levi gave Erwin a moment, which he took to roll his shoulders and then wrap his arms around himself, not knowing what else to do with them. Levi's hand then dropped to Erwin's lap, to the last rope on Erwin's body, and the loose knot he'd tied.

"Think you can keep that on for another couple minutes?"

"Yes, sir," Erwin said, happy to have been asked something he could give.

"You cried before. What were you feeling?"

There wasn't a lot of room left for shame between them, but fear was a difficult thing to admit to. Even after everything they'd been through together, they both struggled with that. Tears, too, when they were emotional, were usually shed alone, if for no other reason than habit. He took a full breath. "Afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"That you were… I don't know. Not of anything. I just felt frightened."

Levi's face was funereal, and Erwin could guess what he was thinking. "Not of you, sir. Never of you." He averted his gaze. "Just that I might disappoint you."

Levi pulled back and stood, and Erwin froze, not expecting such a reaction. When he looked up, Levi was gazing at him with an expression he could not hope to describe, except for what appeared to be an intense focus in Levi's eyes. Erwin's gaze fell upon the strong lines of Levi's throat and jaw, unable to focus with how beautiful he looked from this angle. He really was hopeless.

Levi strode over to the table and grabbed something from it, not another toy, judging by its small size, as it was swallowed up in his fist, and came back to Erwin to offer a hand. "Get up. Come with me to the bed."

Erwin took the proffered hand and stood, and Levi held his hand until they reached the bed, though it was only a few steps away. This one-room cabin of Erwin's they were vacationing in really wasn't very large, but that did make it easier to warm the whole space in winter, and they were used to close quarters. They certainly hadn't come out here to get away from each other.

Erwin crawled onto the bed and Levi followed, the two of them facing one another. Levi stood up on his knees and shuffled a bit closer, then said, "Put your arms around me."

Erwin hesitated for only a moment before doing as he'd been asked, wrapping his arms around Levi's legs, just on his upper thighs. He wasn't sure if he should lean into him or not. This closeness was such a far cry from how they'd been before, the forced distance between then, and Erwin unable to reach out, let alone touch.

Levi's strong fingers were tangled in Erwin's hair again, pulling his head in to rest against Levi's front, and Erwin sighed and relaxed at the permission, settling into the smaller man, his cheek pressed to Levi's lower abdomen, just below his belt. Erwin felt good, fully in his body at that moment, all loose muscles and stinging pain, the stripes across his thighs feeling like they could bleed, and it was good.

"There you go," Levi said. "You big softie." Levi couldn't keep the affection out of his voice, and Erwin grinned. "You actually thought I was disappointed in you? How could I be, when you always try so hard?" Levi's hands were running down Erwin's lashed shoulders, and the touch was gentle despite his callouses.

Erwin closed his eyes and hummed in pleasure at the feel of Levi's nails dragging down his spine. Levi bent to reach lower, bringing them down to Erwin's ass, and there were flares of pain as he scratched over the welts, but it was a good kind of pain, and Erwin was soon gasping open-mouthed into Levi's slacks from it, his brow still pulled tight. He realised, almost absently, how close his face was to Levi's cock.

Erwin could feel it pressing into his chin, and he began mouthing at it, wishing that Levi would pull off his pants. Erwin wanted to smell and taste him, and right now all he could smell was laundry soap.

"Ah, ah." It sounded like it was meant as an admonishment, but came out more like a whimper. "What are you up to?"

"Please, sir."

"Nope, I'm not done with you yet." Erwin's arms, still wrapped around Levi's thighs, moved upwards, one hand palming at Levi's ass, the other gripping over his belt to slide his fingers inside. Levi's dress shirt was tucked in, and he didn't feel any skin.

"Stop that." Levi waved the hand in the top of his pants away, only to place it next to the other one on his ass. "Honestly, I give you an inch…" Erwin only chuckled into the front of Levi's slacks, and Levi trembled with it.

"I was going to take you tonight, while your ass is so sensitive," Levi said, fishing around in the sheets as he did so until he found what he'd dropped there, the bottle he'd brought with them to the bed. "You want that?"

"Yes, yes! Sir," he added, before Levi could correct him.

Levi's lips twitched, but he didn't comment. He uncorked the bottle and leaned over Erwin once more, his hand moving down Erwin's back and one finger quickly sinking into place. Erwin groaned.

"Hey, Erwin? You can untie that bow, now."

It took a moment for comprehension. Levi's finger inside him was distracting, curling and uncurling, slowly moving in and out. A second was already pressing against his entrance as though awaiting permission. Erwin dropped one hand and reached between his legs. "Th-This one?"

"That's the one." The second finger slipped in with the first, and it was completely comfortable, but the pressure of Levi's hand on the surrounding skin, still tender from before, was driving Erwin mad. "It must be uncomfortable by now? I was going to have you untie it with your mouth, while I watched. But I don't feel like waiting. "

That explained the extra length he'd left, which was indeed enough for his mouth to reach. Erwin couldn't help but laugh, wondering how many other such ideas were floating around in Levi's head. He could come up with some very creative tasks. "Perhaps… some other time, sir?" Erwin's breath stuttered in relief as he pulled the tie loose and the pressure was instantly lessened.

"Uh, yeah. Some other time." Levi was sounding breathless and distracted. He had three fingers in Erwin now, his fingers pressing and releasing in a slow massaging manner. Then he pulled them out.

Erwin pulled off the rest of the rope and set it aside, hissing in delight at being released. Levi sat back and watched him for a moment before reaching out with his dry hand to trail one knuckle slowly down Erwin's length to the base, where a couple pink lines still marked where the ropes had been. Erwin groaned.

"Can I ask something of you, sir?"

"Sure. What?"

"Please, sir, would you kiss me?"

There was a bemused expression on Levi's face, but he shrugged in agreement nonetheless. His hands came up to grip the sides of Erwin's head hard, but his lips were gentle. No matter how possessive or rough he tried to be, Levi could never play anything but a loving partner when they kissed. Erwin felt teeth on his bottom lip, then an apologetic tongue. He whined into the kiss, leaning forward.

Levi broke the kiss and pressed their foreheads together a moment.

Erwin kept his eyes closed, knowing Levi was probably fighting his expression right now, and would not want Erwin to see it. "Thank you, sir."

"Lie face down on the bed."

Erwin let himself simply collapse into position like a ragdoll and he heard Levi make an amused, surprised sound, but he was too exhausted to laugh with him. He just managed to see out of the corner of his eyes as Levi undid his belt and pants, then rid himself of his shirt as well. Levi's cock was so hard he had to pull it free before pulling down his underwear so they didn't catch. Then he was settling between Erwin's large thighs, his hands stroking up and down Erwin's bruises again as he sank into him, releasing a wet groan into Erwin's spine.

"Ooooh, yes. Erwin. Oh, you're so good for me."

Erwin's hands fisted in the sheets and he gasped. Every press of Levi's hips against his backside brought on the soreness again. "You can touch yourself, you know," he heard Levi say, and it was all Erwin could manage to finagle a hand between his hips and the twisted sheets to grab at himself. Levi's hand was up in Erwin's hair again and it felt like he was pulling Erwin down onto his cock with every thrust. Levi was already close, Erwin could tell.

"Ugh. Ah. Tell me if it was good."

"Ngh. It was, sir."

With every thrust, Levi gasped. Erwin looked over his shoulder to see that face he knew so well, void of any self-conscious thought for once, eyes closed, eyebrows drawn so close together it looked like it hurt, mouth open. It was beautiful.

"You like it when I'm rough with you, huh? When I hit you and mark you?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Oh, yes, I know you do. You're so perfect for me. How did I - ah! - get somebody so fucking amazing?" Levi was running his mouth again, letting his words flow unfiltered, and Erwin always soaked them in, even if he knew better than to comment on them afterwards. "I don't… deserve you." Levi's forehead dropped to Erwin's back and and when he shouted he didn't even sound like himself, his voice a little too high-pitched.

Erwin felt the hot splash inside that signalled Levi's release, and it sparked another flare of desire in his own belly, but his hand was growing too tired. He gave up, relaxing on the bed and enjoying at least that simple pleasure.

After what felt like an eternity but was surely no time at all, Levi shifted and pulled out of Erwin gently, eliciting a groan. He pushed Erwin so he rolled onto his side and Erwin blinked lazily up at him, taking in the wonderful sight of Levi bare, his broad shoulders and muscular chest, his surprisingly hairy arms. Levi's eyes flicked down to between Erwin's legs, where he was still hard, flushed a dark rose, still gripping himself.

"Did you not finish?" Erwin just shook his head. "Oh. My goodness, poor you. Here." Then Erwin found himself on his back, the sheets rubbing his skin raw, and his hand being carefully pried away, only to be replaced with Levi's mouth.

"Ah!" He hadn't been expecting it, and his feet dug into the bed, his toenails clawing at the sheets. Levi's hands were pinning him down, his thumbs in the dips below Erwin's hipbones, his fingers pressing into the swell of Erwin's ass.

He pleasured Erwin sloppily, pre come dripping from Erwin's cock in a slow but steady stream as Levi mouthed at his balls, until a trail of it connected to Erwin's belly, and then Levi was moving his head up, lapping lightly along the underside with his tongue. Somehow, Levi made this, something that could be seen, if one wanted, like a service for another, look incredibly possessive, like he was doing this not as a favour, but because Erwin's cock was his, and he had decided Erwin was going to come.

Erwin's hips bucked, and only pressed harder into Levi's bruising grip as a result. Levi's lips ran across the tip, pillowy soft, then closed around it, his tongue pressing forward to stroke along the slit as he suckled lightly on that most sensitive spot, and Erwin finished so immediately he could not even give a warning. He felt tears in his eyes, and a bone deep exhaustion. Erwin flopped uselessly against the bed, overwhelmed in multiple ways.

"Oh, you are just useless after you come," Levi teased, wiping at the corner of his mouth with the back of a hand. "Go ahead and sleep." And Erwin fell into slumber with Levi's hand in his hair.

When he awoke, it was slowly. He was on his side, no pressure being put on his back, and the skin of his shoulders, buttocks and thighs felt slightly cool, like it had been tended to with lotion. He sat up on one elbow and saw Levi puttering about on the other side of the tiny cabin, where the little counter space and small cabinet above it were situated, dressed in baggy pants and an oversized shirt he'd filched from Erwin years ago. It looked like he was making tea.

The bed creaked when Erwin moved, and Levi turned to look over his shoulder at him. "Back with the land of the living, commander?"

"Be nice. That was intense. I needed a nap."

"I'll say. I must have turned you over about three times, and you didn't even twitch. You're hard to move when you're dead weight, you know." Levi poured some steaming liquid from the kettle into a teapot. "Want a tea?"

"Yes, please." Erwin scrubbed at his eyes and sat up a bit more, then winced slightly at the twinge he felt. Suddenly curious, he twisted to look over his back, greeted with the sight of angry red raised welts across his skin, and a large forming bruise on one ass cheek. He gave a low whistle.

"Is it OK?" Levi had set the teapot on the corner table to brew to free up counter space, where he was pulling food out of a knapsack. It looked like he was preparing sandwiches.

"Better than OK," Erwin reassured. "Just wanted an idea of what I'm in for over the next few days."

"Well, it's a good thing we're off for a couple weeks. I think I'm gonna need to baby you for a while."

"I think you're right." Erwin lay back down in a huff, not ready to leave the warm, soft bed sheets to sit at the table. Levi ended up bringing him his tea.

"Don't spill it." When Erwin had adequately demonstrated steady hands, despite how tired he was, Levi nodded happily and went to bring him food. A veggie sandwich.

"No chicken in here?" Erwin asked, failing to hide his disappointment as he was met with tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce.

"There was no chicken." Levi tucked into his own sandwich, not bothered by the lack of meat. "You know how expensive that shit is now, without Maria?"

"Yeah, I know."

"There'll be a chicken dinner when we get home, when the others are there." Hanji, Moblit, Nanaba and Dita were meeting up with them for dinner on the winter holiday, and Mike would be joining them later after seeing his family. It was something to look forward to.

When Levi finished his meal, he stepped up to the bed and kissed Erwin's forehead. "How are you liking your vacation so far? Better than the last one?"

"I'm loving it. The company is wonderful. Food could be better."

"You're such a big baby -"

"The tea makes up for it." Erwin pointedly took a sip.

"Oh, alright." Erwin smiled over the rim of the teacup as he watched Levi return to the counter and begin putting away the food. They'd be here for the next six days before spending the rest of their vacation at the barracks, hopefully uninterrupted by the world for one short week, a rare blessing. Indeed, there was a lot to look forward to.