"The fact is, there isn't much we can plan for because we don't know. We don't really know what's on the other side of that ocean and we don't know how to deal with it." Armin says as he writes what he can on the chalkboard. He looks at the occupants of the small strategy room. "Tactically, we are at a disadvantage, but we also can't just sit here when we know there's an invasion coming any day now."
The atmosphere in the room is solemn - they aren't in a good position and it reflects on Hanji's face; Mikasa has stayed quiet but she nods Armin on every time he falters, giving him silent support. Both Pixius and Zachley watch with rapt attention, though their eyes do occasionally drift to Eren, who stands offside his blond friend. Captain Levi has barely lifted his eyes from where he studies the grain of the table, let alone said a word; when examined closely, he is rigid in his seat, even the tendons in his fingers taut as he flexes and curls them.
Eren steps forward. "It's definitely a big risk, but-" his mouth goes dry. But I don't have much longer to live and this is the best thing I can do with that time. It's hard to even think, let alone say; but, as much as he's wished he may be the exception to the thirteen year rule, he knows he isn't, and he knows that in a few short years the power that has made him such an ace-in-the-hole, that has allowed their people to come so far against the Titans, will kill him. Eren refuses to around and wallow until that time comes, not when he is still more than capable of fighting. "But like Armin said, we can't sit around until the enemy comes after us."
Hanji nods to that. "We should be on the offensive while we have the upper hand."
A crash echoes through the room when Levi slams his hands on the table, getting to his feet as he speaks for the first time, "Well, why the hell does it have to be Eren to go?" he snarls between gritted teeth and adds hastily, "We just gonna send away one of our strongest operatives like fucking dumbasses?"
Silence sits heavily for a few moments, the group staring at Levi, who resolutely keeps his eyes on the patterns of the table that he must have memorized by now after staring at it for so long. Finally, Armin clears his throat. "W-well, we have discussed who exactly should go; it-it wasn't an easy decision to come to, by any means. I-I mean there's a lot of good people who know how to act in unforeseen circumstances, but it came down to Eren be-because-"
"Because nothing." interrupts Levi. "I'll go, I'm much more battle savvy than our resident shithead."
"We-we thought of that, of course, and we do know that Eren is not the best strategist we have, b-but-"
"But sending you isn't an option, Captain." Zachley finishes firmly, looking at the dark-haired man. "You have become an important figurehead in trying times; our citizens need a strong leader, and you and Commander Hanji are those leaders they may look up to, leaders that constantly roam the streets, the most visible and tangible leaders."
"Yeah, I get it," Levi mutters. His fingers curl against the wood before he straightens up. "Doesn't seem like a whole lot more needs to be discussed then," he says flatly, and before anyone can react he is out the door.
They all sit there, unsure how to react to the sudden departure. "Uhhhh…." Armin lets out slowly, effectively saying what they're all thinking.
Hanji catches Eren's eye and gives a nod towards the door, the meaning of the gesture clear. Go talk to him.
Eren does have enough mind to excuse himself with a salute before exiting the room just as quickly. That son of a bitch Levi might be fast and already disappeared out of the hall, but Eren knows where he would have gone.
Eren knocks on the doors to his quarters, but though he knocks he doesn't wait for a reply before stepping in. The room is, of course, spotless - no surprise there - with not so much as a speck of dust on the floor. On the wall hangs Levi's uniform, his ODM gear all tucked away in its case beneath it, and a wardrobe of his scant civilian outfits beside it. The main furniture of the room is a desk where a stack of books and papers sit neatly on its polished surface. The bed has been shoved into the corner as if to be forgotten - which it very well might be, considering Levi has never been one to sleep much; Eren chalks that up to a side effect of how he was raised. But the bedside table is what catches his eye; on it are an arrangement of little things: a logo from Erwin's uniform jacket, a mug from the cabin they stayed in while in hiding from the previous king, a notebook, and a shell that Eren had given to him from the first time they saw the ocean.
While everyone else had been amazed and awed by the breathing taking sight of waves extending as far as the eye could see, Levi remained his ever cautious and vigilant self; he tried to remind his squad that they didn't know anything about this and that it could be harmful to him, but none of his teammates, ecstatic and intoxicated by their new world, paid him any mind. Eren recalls clearly the memory of putting a shining, brown and white spiral shell in the captain's hand, reminding him to enjoy what he could. Stone-faced Levi nearly cracked a smile when the shell was pressed into his palm. After tucking the shell safely in his pocket he finally agreed to take off his boots and join his comrades in the cold, salty water, looking very uncomfortable all the while.
Eren wasn't just sent to talk to Levi just because it's his involvement that seems to have set the captain off, but also because you can't go through everything they did without forming some sort of personal relationship. They shared a trust, everyone in squad Levi did, but Eren also liked to think of them as friends. And, as his friend, it's only right for Eren to talk to him about his concerns.
The captain stands in parade rest by the window, watching the newest batch of scouts train. Eren shuts the door softly; Levi can hear him, of course, but he takes no notice.
"Forgot how scary you can be when you yell," Eren comments, voice quiet but casual. "Even Hanji looked off-put by it. Guess it's all been a while since we heard it, now that you aren't constantly shouting at me to get my shit together." he chuckles.
Looking closely, it's clear Levi is still tense. He may be in a position most soldiers use to relax, but his body is rigid as ever. "Realised there was no point in it anymore." It may be a joke but Levi's tone sounds anything but light.
Eren snorts a little at the comment. "I'm always gonna be a snot-nosed kid to you, aren't I?" This time he doesn't get a response, so he steps further in the room as he just lets his mouth go. Unlike Armin, he can't come up with clever, convincing words to sway an audience; he can only let the words come as he thinks of them and hope they're enough.
Except he can't come up with a single damn thing.
"You… Don't want me to go… Do you?" he finally asks, slow and unsure.
"A mission like this where we're basically shooting in the dark; nobody should have to go, not until we get more intel."
"But you know someone has to."
"...Yeah, we don't have a lot of other options."
"So you would rather you go?"
"I know I can handle myself no matter what kind of tech those bastards may have."
"Don't you trust us?"
"Of course I trust you!" Levi turns to shoot him a scathing look. "You wouldn't be part of my team if I didn't trust you."
"I think you know that I'm the best chance we got,"
It goes quiet after that, the two of them staring at each other.
"I know," Levi finally says in a whisper.
Eren takes a step towards him. "You know I can take care of myself in a fight."
Levi nods. "I know,"
"You know I have the abilities they want, that I'm the best bait we got."
Levi nods again as Eren closes the distance between them. "Yes. I know."
"You know it was my father who started this, you know that makes it my job to finish this." Eren continues, a fierce edge to his voice.
"I. Know."
"You know I have to do what I can."
"I know, Eren." Levi replies with mounting annoyance.
"You know I don't have much time left before-"
"I know! I fucking know!"
"Then why the hell are you so opposed to this when you know it's the last thing we got?!" Eren demands of the man.
Before he can react, Eren has his back slammed against the wall, hands curled tightly in the collar of his shirt with Levi leaning into his chest, and their mouths pressed together. His body freezes, hands hovering just beside Levi's waist as if knowing that's where they should be but his mind couldn't fully believe this was happening. Working so close together for so long, Eren knows he's had some feelings that weren't strictly platonic, but Levi didn't seem like the kind of guy, he-he didn't really seem like…
Levi pulls away and looks up at Eren with something just a step down from a glare. While their height difference might not have been so severe when Eren first joined the Survey Corps, the young man had grown up a bit since then; what was once just a few centimetres had now become more noticeable, and Levi seemed barely eye level with his chin. Maybe it was repressed feelings coming up, or maybe it's because his lips are still wet from the kiss, but there's something about just how small the captain is that goes straight to Eren's groin. "Because of that, dumbass."
And he can't even be offended at the name calling because right now, as Eren gapes with jaw hanging open and eyes wide, he probably does look like a pretty big dumbass. "Y-you of all people know that-"
"Oh, don't even start that shit again, Jaeger." Levi scowls. "Yeah, I know personal feelings shouldn't get in the way, I know. I fucking know we signed up for this shit and we agreed to lay down our lives; I know this is our fucking job. But - damn it! - I've lost a fucking lot of good soldiers and comrades, can't I hold onto one?!" He drops his head against Eren's chest, his hands twisting so tightly in his shirt that it's probably on the verge of tearing, his shoulders shaking from so many different emotions that they've all integrated into one murky, muddled, unnameable mass.
Hesitant at first, Eren wraps his arms around Levi in a hug that tightens when he isn't immediately rejected. "I'll be-"
"Don't start that shit. Don't try to tell me everything will be fine. You don't know that, just like everything else about this operation. We don't know a fucking thing about anything so don't try that bullshit."
Eren falls silent at the outburst and simply nods. "Yeah… Okay, we don't. We don't have a damn clue how any of this will turn out. But we have to do it, we don't have a lot of other choices."
"Hey, shit head, just shut up, will you?" Levi interrupts and then their lips are together again. It comes as less of a shock this time and Eren has enough sense of mind to actually reciprocate the slow movements. He doesn't hesitate this time, putting his hands on Levi's trim waist.
"Are you-" Eren starts, moving back enough to speak properly. "Are you standing on your toes?"
"I thought I told you to shut up," grumbles Levi with a gentle bite to his lower lip.
Eren gasps; and before he even has time to think about what he is doing, he has Levi pinned to the wall, arching over the shorter man as their hips press tightly together, making the erections rising in their trousers obvious to one another.
Levi makes no protest at the new position, in fact, he hardly seems to mind at all. "I hope you know exactly what you're getting yourself into here," he says as he stares at Eren's lips. His voice seems deeper, somehow, more honeyed than ever. Damn, does it get to Eren, and he finds it hard to swallow suddenly.
That has nothing on the reply he gives - a reply he didn't even think about, it just came tumbling out. "Big talk coming from the one who isn't going to be walking straight tomorrow."
He wants to believe Levi's breathing hitches at that, but it could just be hopeful nerves.
Instead of even bothering with a retort, the captain simply crashes their mouths together once more as one hand cradles the nape of Eren's neck and the other twists in his hair. Eren had been having doubts about this new length, all of the high ranking soldiers seemed to keep theirs more short and neat, but when Levi gives a gentle tug, he decides that it is most certainly going to be staying.
When Levi licks into his mouth Eren's hip cant unintentionally, but more than anything it's the quiet, deep moan Levi makes in response to the friction that causes Eren to press him further against the wall, letting their hips buck and kissing him desperately, swallowing down every pleasured sound the captain gives.
Their tongues sweep across each other, and Eren feels as if he can't breathe, not like that's going to stop him. No, right now, there isn't a need for anything other than Levi in his arms and shared kisses. But Levi seems to think otherwise; he pulls away before he jumps up to wrap both legs around the younger man's waist - Eren just barely catches him by the back of the thighs in time, with only a minor bit of stumbling - and presses kisses to his neck, drags his tongue over Eren's pulse, then bites down lightly.
Eren curses through his teeth. "Fuck!" He takes a step back as Levi sucks on the sensitive skin of his neck, letting teeth graze with every dark hickey he makes. He steps back blindly, not daring to take his eyes off the man making possessive bruises on his throat, until his knees hit the edge of the forlorn bed and he sits down heavily, relishing in the weight of Levi on his lap.
The captain shifts to get his knees planted on either side of Eren's legs as he sheds his suit jacket and it falls carelessly to the floor, soon joined by his white cravat. He grabs the younger man's hand to pull from his thigh and rest on his ass instead. Eren moves his other hand as well before he gives both cheeks a squeeze, all hard muscle beneath his fingers. Levi's head falls back as he lets out a small breath; he rocks his hips, slowly at first until Eren gets the message to match the movements, and then they are grinding on each other in earnest, pelvises clashing together as their mingled pants fill the room.
Eren swears he can feel everything through those tailored suit trousers: the drag of Levi's cock through the fabric, the soft skin behind his balls, the edge of his wrinkled hole. Eren swears he can feel it all, but that isn't enough; he wants to see it, taste it. "I want these off," Only now he notices how rough his own voice has gotten, dark and husky and exactly what lust should sound like.
Levi doesn't waste a second to start undoing the buttons of his shirt, though he does add, "Yours too,"
Eren nods and grabs it by the bottom hem, arms crossing as left hand takes hold of the right side while his other hand grabs the opposite. He pulls the rough cotton over his head and throws it on an ever-growing mound of clothing just as Levi does the same. The captain stands up to shuck his trousers, but Eren finds himself frozen in place, his eyes fixed on his lover. Levi is so slight, with such a small frame, and yet so toned and sinewy. Defined muscles ripple beneath porcelain skin; light, white scars dot his body, nothing less to be expected from such a veteraned soldier. The sight alone is enough to make Eren's cock weep precum.
Impulse takes over and Eren grabs Levi by the hips, pulling him close to kiss every faded mark on his abdomen. The younger drags his tongue across the ridge of Levi's pectorals before he sucks a series of purple bruises across Levi's chest with a single, primal thought. "Mine." He gets to the dusty pink skin of the captain's nipple and licks a long stripe over it, savouring the taste that can only be described as Levi Ackerman; then he laves the bud with wet kisses. Levi arches his back and fists his hands tightly in Eren's hair when the kisses turn to gentle suckling. Eren glances up through thick lashes at his flushed cheeks, and suddenly he wants nothing more than to find every little spot that makes Levi squirm and overwhelm him with ecstasy.
He pulls Levi down on the bed and removes his muslin boxers - Eren still hasn't stripped out of his trousers and Levi looks annoyed at that - as the captain arranges pillows behind himself to get comfortable. Starting at his collarbone, Eren kisses down his chest, giving both nipples firm licks the make Levi bite hard on his lower lip. His ribs seem to be ticklish so Eren doesn't spend much time there. Eren licks the joint of his thigh and pelvis, then grazes his teeth across Levi's hipbone and feels all his muscles go taut, and when he bites on the spot in earnest Levi throws his head back as he makes a noise in the back of his throat. A soft, apologetic lick over the bite mark before Eren nuzzles the groomed dark curls at the base of Levi's cock, which stands stiff and red against his belly, and breathes in the musky scent of desire, finding it more than intoxicating. Levi's breathless pants may fill the room but Eren still longs to push him further into pleasure. So he traces the tip of his tongue over the ridges of muscles and blue veins that run down Levi's inner thighs, feeling the man struggle to still his quivering legs. He works back up Levi's thighs with a line of hickeys that only cause the man to shake even more, and by time he's given the same treatment to the other thigh Levi has his eyes screwed shut tight, his chest heaving, and his fingers curling and flexing against the sheets.
Eren smirks to himself. World's Strongest Soldier…. Taken entirely apart by a young man who really has nothing more to go on than instinct, passion, and will to please. Finally, Eren pulls back his foreskin and drags his tongue across the rosy head. Levi whines and presses his hips up, but when Eren dips the tip of his tongue into the slit for a taste of salty precum, Levi lets out a breathless, "Fucking hell!"
Eren sucks on the tip and bobs his head along Levi's length a few times, only able to take in a couple inches at most, before repeating the action that drove the man wild. Levi immediately grasps at his hair, tense at first but soon pliant under the barrage of pleasure, simply giving in to it all.
"W-wait, E-Eren. Eren, wait, wait," Levi pushes a palm against his forehead to move him away. His body protests, so close to orgasm as he had been. He breathes heavily for a moment before focusing on the young man situated between his legs, Eren's eyes, blown wide and dark with want, filled with concern while Levi's cock rests heavy and flushed against his cheek. The sight alone almost sends the man over the edge. "I want you inside of me when I come,"
Eren groans deep in his chest at just the thought.
"O-okay, okay," he nods, finally undressing himself fully. "I… Can't just go in dry though, right?"
"No, dumbass, you can't."
Deciding to ignore Levi's ever foul mouth, Eren glances around the room. "But what am I supposed to use to…?"
Levi turns to the bedside table, wincing when his balls, oversensitive and begging for release, rub against his thighs. From a drawer, he produces a bottle of oil from the kitchen. "Don't use a ton," he instructs but Eren makes no move to grab it. All he can think of is Levi, sprawled on this very bed, ass up in the air with three fingers buried deep in himself as he ruts against the mattress, the younger man's name on his lips. "Eren, if you don't take this, I'll make you sit across the room and watch me finish myself."
Eren snatches the bottle quickly. Levi smirks and turns on to his stomach, propping himself up on knees and elbows. "I'm not delicate, you aren't gonna break me, but also don't just try to shove it all in at once, okay? I got shit to do, I don't have time for any tearing."
He laughs at Levi, ever the epitome of eloquence and social grace. Coating two fingers in the oil, he smooths a hand across his lover's ass then spreads his cheeks apart, feeling as if he's had the wind knocked out of him at the sight of Levi's gorgeous, winking pink entrance. He runs his middle finger around the rim, feeling the muscles react under the stimulation. Slowly he presses against it until the ring of muscle gives and his finger sinks in easily past the second knuckle. He groans softly. Levi has definitely done this before.
It doesn't take much before Eren can add a second finger. Entirely enraptured, he watches Levi shake with soft, huffed out moans that are little more than exhales but ever so beautiful - Eren thinks he could be happy hearing only these little pleasured noises for the rest of his life. Levi's sounds grow louder as Eren gains more confidence, finds a pace that makes the captain drop his head against the pillows, rubs against spots that cause Levi's hole to spasm around his fingers. When he attempts to add another finger, Levi reaches back to put a hand on his wrist, looking at Eren over his shoulder. "I want your cock. Now."
Eren swallows and nods quickly. He pours a pool of oil into his cupped palm and strokes it on his member - only now does he realise just how turned on he is, the tip of his cock nearly purple with the need to be touched, and a light breeze away from coming. One hand goes to Levi's waist while the other holds the base of his cock as he lines up. When the blunt head touches his lover's rim Levi croaks out a, "Wait,"
Eren freezes. Has he done something wrong? This is what Levi wanted from him, isn't it? He couldn't have misread the situation that badly, right?
"I…" Levi's voice is softer than usual, sounding more vulnerable than Eren thinks he ever has before. "I don't want it like this…" Before the endless apologies start tumbling out of Eren's mouth, Levi finishes. "I… Want to see your face…"
After Levi shifts onto his back, Eren lifts his leg from behind the knee. While he had only planned to bring it to the man's chest, Levi smirks and hooks it over the younger's shoulder. Eren groans. Muscular and flexible, definitely not fair.
"Now can I…?"
Levi nods firmly in reply, pressing their mouths together in a needy kiss. "Hurry the fuck up,"
They don't break eye contact as Eren, in one, slow thrust, presses his cock fully into Levi, whose mouth falls open in a silent moan at the intrusion. "Move," he finally gets out, everything about him just absolutely wrecked by ecstasy.
Eren doesn't need to be told again; he pulls back slowly then snaps his hips forward. Levi gasps out a curse. Eren repeats that action once more then he circles his hips, slow at first but gaining speed when Levi's rise to meet every movement of his own.
Eren wasn't expecting how damn good it felt to have such a tight heat around his member, how close he is to climaxing just from the smallest movement. But even better than the pleasure is the pure intimacy of the moment; just holding each other in their arms, expressing themselves in a way that no one else would ever know, hearing their moans in the electrified air, striving to bring as much bliss to the other as possible, so close and in sync their bodies could be one. Eren would happily live in this moment forever, just the two of them making love without a care in the world for anything else.
They're both so worked up, though, that every hit to his prostate has Levi nearly sobbing at the mounting pleasure. His leg slipped off Eren's shoulder somewhere along the line and now both are wrapped tightly around the younger man's hips, heels digging into the small of his back. The captain's arms drape over his shoulders, nails digging into his back. When Eren brings a hand between them to stroke his swollen cock, Levi damn near screams, "Eren! Fuck!" as his muscles go taut and clench, spurting white strings on both of their stomachs.
Levi's nails paint red scratches down his lover's back as he rides out his climax. The way he spasms around the cock inside him is enough to tip Eren over the edge; his hips stutter then stop as he releases, holding tightly to the captain as he lets out a low, wrecked growl of, "Levi! Oh, shit, Levi!"
They cling to one another until they slowly come down from their highs. Per instructions, after slowly pulling out Eren grabs a towel from the wardrobe for Levi to place beneath his hips. Then they flop, tired and spent, onto the bed together, both feeling leaden yet loose like an over-stretched elastic. Their bodies still feel too hot and hypersensitive to be as close as they are, but both feel they can bear it, unwilling to lose this intimacy.
Levi shifts to put his head on Eren's chest, listening to his heart thump against his ribcage as the man entwines their legs together. Eren hesitates - he hadn't expected any sort of… Well, cuddling from Levi - but then places a hand on Levi's bare back, thumb rubbing the relaxed muscles between his shoulder blades.
"You better be prepared to clean this all up,"
Eren looks down at him at the grumbling. "What?"
"The mess you made. Of me, of the bed, of our clothes."
He cracks a smile and kisses the top of Levi's head (it's really amazing how well his small frame fits in Eren's arms as if that's where he's meant to be). "Yeah, later."
"Later," agrees Levi with a nod.
The silence that then falls stretches out for who even knows how long, and Eren starts to wonder if maybe Levi fell asleep on him, which is immediately followed by the thought of how utterly endearing that would be before all of this is interrupted when Levi speaks up again. "Just because I took it up the ass doesn't mean I'm any more okay with this plan."
Eren stays quiet for a moment - for what can he really say? Of course, there's reason to be concerned, but it's all they've got. "For now," he finally whispers. "For now, can we just focus on this?"
For once Levi hesitates, and then he nods and lets out whatever tension he may be holding to just relax entirely on Eren's firm chest.
And later they may have to deal with the threat of titans, and enemies across the sea, and a restless populace, and all the rest of that shit. But for now - for now, it's only Eren and Levi, laying together in a glorious post-sex haze as the sun begins its descent and the sky darkens; only the two of them, together in bed where they can't be bothered with anything but each other.