The Survey Corps soldiers rode back to base from their night out in silence. Mike and Nanaba stretched out on one of the seats in a tangle of limbs. The couple looked sickeningly sweet and freshly fucked as they gazed out the window. It was enough to make Levi roll his eyes. When Erwin entered the carriage, he took a seat uncomfortably close to Levi. The smaller man glared up at him.

"Move," said Levi.

"We need to leave space for the others," Erwin replied. Levi decided to accept the answer for the moment. After all, when they left base they were nearly sitting on top of each other. It only made sense that it would be the same way going back. If Levi were honest, he would prefer being smashed against Erwin than any of the other drunk idiots. Erwin's argument ended up being a moot point when Hanji, John, and Clare collapsed on the carriage floor sleeping on their packs. But instead of making space on the seat, like a normal person, Erwin moved closer to Levi drawing the curtain back so they could see outside.

"There's a window on the other side," Levi said. He glared at the strong chin just above his head.

"I like this view better," Erwin said still looking out the window. Levi opened his mouth to say something but carriage jerked forward. He released a sigh and crossed his arms. Sure, he wasn't as bad off as the three sleeping on the floor but Levi was still tired from drinking all night with Erwin. It would take too much energy to push the big lug away. He looked out the window and soon hills rolled like a lullaby and it wasn't long before Levi drifted off to sleep.

The next thing Levi felt was being jostled awake as the carriage made its way through the base gate. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes to only find himself, once again, surrounded by man. The blond managed to turn in the seat so Levi's head was nestled in the crook of Erwin's arm. Erwin's other arm circled Levi's waist. Fuck, he fidgeted in the embrace. I have to get him off me. Levi looked around to see the rest of the travelers slowly coming to life. Hange sat up giving him a sleepy grin. Fuck. That only made Levi want to run more. He grabbed the imposing arm shaking it. It only moved when he felt lips on the top of his head. A mix of grunts and pained groans signaled the end of their night out. They were greeted by the corpsman on duty. Levi was the first to leave, making a beeline to his dorm room not looking back.

John arrived a few minutes later only to pass out on the bottom bunk as soon as he reached their room. Levi opened a window to get rid of the stink. One of the joys of living above ground was that the outside smelled better than the cleaners Levi used. John's pack fell on the floor. Levi picked it up and tossed it on John's bunk. "Don't start tearing shit up," Levi said.

"Too loud," John rolled over onto his side, covering his ears.

"That's because you don't know how to hold your liquor," said Levi.

"Still not a bitch," John yawned. Levi smirked. He only stayed long enough to put away his things. Let the drunk sleep, he thought. Hangovers were a bitch to get over anyway.

Refusing to head directly to that man's office, Levi wandered the grounds to use up some time. The base felt emptier than usual, probably because many of the soldiers went to say goodbye to their families before the next expedition. In his wandering, he found himself in the base library. Levi loved books. They were a wonderful escape from a hellhole life filled with blood. He had Kenny to thank for that too. The old man did what he could to send Levi to the underground school. It wasn't much to people on the surface; their kids got to attend the public schools, but it was one of the few signs of wealth one could have underground. Reading was a luxury. The only thing a person really had to know was how to count coins.

The school was nothing more than someone's apartment with a rack of dusty old books and scrolls. Their teacher was a woman who had the air of nobility but her dirty, fine clothes and sparse apartment showed the life of a fallen woman. Young Levi knew that she wasn't a whore like his mother. The only time adults were allowed to come into her apartment was they paid class fees. She was nice enough. Sometimes she would even have little snacks for the kids if she had enough money.

There was another reason why Levi loved his classes. He never told the drunk old bastard, but he liked when Kenny helped him with his words. Other than knife play, reading was something Kenny made him learn. Don't make it easy for them to fuck ya, Kenny would tell him. Kenny would stay sober long enough to watch Levi practice his letters. When he got good enough Kenny brought home a child's book from one of his jobs. They ignored the bloody finger print on the cover and Levi read what he could. Kenny filled in the words he couldn't. The old man would wrap his arms around Levi pulling him close. Times like that reminded him of the nights he would sit with his mother while she told him stories. Childish brat that he was, Levi would pretend that they were really family. That maybe, just maybe, if he learned his letters, he could make the bastard proud of him.

A small sigh passed his lips. How ago was that? Levi ran his fingers down leather bound books. Ever since he found out Kenny was killed the old man came to his thoughts more and more. Why? That was the unspoken rule of the underground. There was always someone stronger, someone tougher that would take you out one day. Kenny wasn't immortal.; he was just tougher than most, Levi told himself. His fingers continued down the book spines reveling in his memories The sound of movement halted his.

"Stop already," a soft female voice teased. With silent steps, Levi crossed another row of books toward the voices. "I still want to go to sleep." Clare? Levi thought. He stopped walking and knelt behind the bookcase. There was another wet smack of what he guessed to be lips before he heard pages flipping. Levi rose to his feet. Everyone deserves some privacy in a place like this, he thought silently leaving the library, only sighing when he got back into the hallway. He really didn't have any other place he could go. It can't be helped.

Erwin's door was slightly cracked when the former bandit touched it. Levi pushed the door open slowly to reveal his captain sitting in the middle of his office surrounded by books. The blonde looked up from the book he was reading. Erwin was still dressed in his casual clothes; a loose fitting white shirt and brown slacks. Despite his casual clothing his golden hair was still immaculate.

"You took longer than expected," Erwin said. Levi shut the door behind him.

"What do you mean by that?" Levi asked as he took a seat between of the piles of books. Erwin only responded with a smirk. "What are you doing anyway?"

"I've been so busy preparing for the expedition that have I haven't had a chance to settle into my dorm assignment," Erwin said with an open book in his lap. Levi looked around the room. The only thing it appeared Erwin was able to do was make piles of where he wanted his possessions to go. "When I finish here I still have to take care of my horse." A tired sigh passed the bigger man's lips.

"If you had all that to do why didn't you just tell Mike you wanted to stay here instead of that drunken mess." Levi brought his knees to his chest then draped his forearms over them.

"And miss an opportunity to celebrate with my friends?" Erwin smiled down at him. Levi didn't have to guess the answer. This side of Erwin was completely unlike the man who drug him from the underground. Nor was it like the man who talked in circles and left Levi guessing. This man….

A knock on the door took him away from his thoughts.

"Come in," Erwin said. Mike stepped into the room looking a bit more refreshed from earlier. The stupidly tall man gave a sniff when he entered the room.

"Shardis wants to meet with the captains so he can go over the expedition plans," said Mike. Erwin released a sigh and closed his book. He stretched his long arms to reach his messy desk where he had his notebook with his plans for the expedition.

"I'll be back in a little while," he told Levi.

"The fuck do I care," the brunette mumbled. Erwin gave him another sparking smile before leaving the room.

Kenny waited for the royals to get off their horses. As expected, the bitch looked for him on the roof of her carriage. He anticipated that and spent a greater part of the day filling his coat with hay, even sacrificing his hat for the illusion. More servants greeted them, relieving the privileged people of horses and Jeremy's picnic set. Kenny didn't mind waiting a few more minutes to clear away unnecessary targets.

"Yo Reiss," Kenny yelled stepping out of his hiding place. He flicked the blades in his hands, his blood hummed for a fight. Living the life of a domestic mutt made the assassin feel soft. This old dog had a need to bite down on something fierce. Jeremy, the ever-helpful servant, acted out his part, running in front of his owners. Kenny chuckled.

"You really wanna die?" Kenny told the loyal servant. Laying your life down for nothing.

"I will defend my king," the man said as he drew his sword. To his left, Kenny spotted Jenna out of the corner of his eye reaching under her skirt. 5 seconds at best. That was all the assassin needed. Kenny would give it to Jeremy. The man had the look of one trained for combat but Kenny only knows how to fight for his life. It takes two seconds to force his knife into the man's heart and another to prop him up as a shield by the collar. The servant was still breathing when Kenny heard the click of Jenna's revolver.

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Each shot took the already fleeing life from Jeremy's body. Hot, sticky, red coated Kenny's hand buried in Jeremy's chest. Still keeping his head down, Kenny rushed the commander of the Military Police, tossing the now dead weight in her direction. She was still reloading her revolver when the mass of flesh knocked her to the ground. A wicked smile touched Kenny's lips. 15 seconds. He took 3 of those seconds to smile at his prey. King Uri didn't flinch making the assassin chuckle. Most folks would have shit themselves by now but when Kenny looked in the other man's bright blue eyes they were almost as empty as Kenny's heart. Maybe he knew he deserved what was coming. 7 seconds. Kenny pivoted toward the royals. Rod Reiss quivered behind his older brother, shaking like a leaf. If Kenny did it right, he would cut down the blonde before Jenna reloaded, kill her, then finally took out the other one. 3 seconds. The last thing his saw was Uri Reiss jamming something into the palm of his right hand.

A blinding steam suddenly enveloped him, knocking Kenny off his feet. The wet heat scalded his hands but he managed to keep his grip on his knife. He used his other hand to block the heat scorching his face.

"Shit!" His next breath was taken from him when, what felt like a bear trap, snatched him out of the air. "What the?"

The king of the underground looked down at what appeared to be an arm coming out of the ground. Further back he saw the blonde haired noble kneeling on the ground. Jenna scowled as she kicked the dead servant away. Her frown turned upside down once she saw her pet imprisoned like a child's toy.

"What the hell's going on?" Kenny wheezed. The hand tightened when he breathed out.

"Why darling, this is the power of the Reiss crown," she purred. Kenny knew Jenna lived to watch the hope fade from a person's eyes before killing them. Her eyes already glittered in delight for what was sure to be a very painful death so he made sure to keep his gaze strong, his voice casual. The bitch wouldn't get that pleasure from him. If Kenny was going to die, he was going to address the hand that did it.

"I was just goofing ya, your Majesty," said Kenny. "You can take a joke right?" The blonde noble looked just as tired as Kenny imagined someone might be after making a big ass arm out of nothing.

"I knew this was a mistake!" yelled the brunette noble. "I knew he would try to kill us! This is all your fault Jenna!" The bitch rolled her eyes at Rod Reiss. Kenny wiggled in the iron grasp. If he kept his face normal it didn't appear that the titan arm could feel his movements. He reached down to his hip for one of his other knives. I have to at least take one of them with me when I go. If I time it just right. Piercing blue eyes bore into Kenny. It felt like the king could see past Kenny's iron gaze into his thoughts. Steady thoughts, steady hand, Kenny thought. Princes Rod moved from his hiding place to berate the bitch. The knife wouldn't move so Kenny made a hard decision.

"Uri," Rod yelled. "you need to punish her for putting us in danger!"

"With all due respect, my lord," Jenna rose to her feet. Her riding dress was covered in smeared blood. Kenny could see the frustration on the blonde's face. Just a little longer, he thought. Suddenly, King Uri turned his head.

"Silence both of you!" he snapped. Kenny grit his teeth popping his shoulder out of socket to free his hand from the gigantic hand. The pain was enough to make him pas out but he couldn't…not yet. Kenny's throbbing arm dropped the knife into his free hand. He launched the blade with a grunt. Uri Reiss turned back around in time for Kenny's knife to sink into his forehead. Kenny laughed bitterly when the blonde's head snapped back. He heard Jenna's revolver draw back. Let the bitch kill me, he thought. I finished what I needed to do. Kenny closed his eyes.

"Another joke, Mister Ackerman?"

Kenny's eyes snapped open. "Son of a bitch…" Kenny knew he hit his target dead on.

Uri Reiss looked up at him with the same dead blue eyes. In the center of his forehead Kenny's knife cut a trail of blood down the bridge of the man's nose. The red taunted Kenny. Who THE FUCK lives after being stabbed in the head?

"Shit," Kenny laughed more. He knew when he was beat. "You tricky bastard! Come on," Kenny yelled. "Come on, kill me already!" The titan hand felt like it was crushing him. This time when the darkness came he didn't fight it.

"Not yet, Mister Ackerman," Uri Reiss told the unconscious figure. "I still have plans for you."

"So, how was it? Mike asked slyly. The two captains walked back to their dorm assignments. A smirked tugged at the corner of Erwin's lips.

"How was what?" He poked back at his closest friend.

"Your birthday present," Mike said still smiling. He had had a marvelous evening with Nanaba.

"Levi said you would call him that," Erwin laughed.

"So was he?"

Erwin stopped laughing. His blue eyes softened in thought. "It was actually a rather pleasant evening."

"Oh?"

"We slept."

"That's it?" Mike said in disbelief.

"He is a good kisser." Now it was Mike's turn to laugh.

"That's surprising."

"How so?

"It must be hard to kiss while scowling." The men were still chuckling when Erwin opened his dormitory door. They both gasped at what they saw. All of the boxes were cleared away, the floor was swept, and even Erwin's desk was organized the same way he had in his old office.

"That must have been on hell of a cuddle," said Mike.

"I have to go," Erwin said. He pressed his notebook in Mike's hands before walking away.

Erwin briskly walked to the stable. If he was right, Cerulean was being cared for by one of the most attentive soldiers on base. He slowed his steps as he walked into the stables not wanting to give away his presence. At a distance, he could hear the sound of a brush across a horse's coat. Erwin inched forward.

"You know I can hear you," Levi said. Erwin smiled. It appears I'm caught. The major candidate walked over to the stall that held his horse.

"You'd make a horrible thief," Levi said not bothering to turn around. Erwin took a moment to look at the wonderful man standing before him. Levi's ebony hair shined in the lamp light. Shadows told on the slightly shaking hand that brushed Cerulean. The more Erwin watched this man, the more he wanted to know. He stood just outside the stall watching Levi work.

"Then it's a good thing I have you," Erwin said smoothly.

Levi tsked. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same," said Erwin.

"Somebody had to take care of this horse," Levi replied still brushing the blond horse. Erwin looked around the stall. The old hay replaced was replaced and Cerulean even had fresh water and an apple waiting in his treat bag.

"Thank you," Erwin replied. The smaller man stiffened.

"It's fine," Levi whispered. "Shardis has you running around a lot." A smile spread across Erwin's face. He stepped into the stall behind the smaller man to wrap his hands around delicate shoulders. Despite, his cold exterior Levi felt warm in his arms. If Erwin were the kind of man to lose himself in emotions he would allow himself to feel more than the warm body against him. How the man fit perfectly against his in a way that touched deeper than two people just taking care of a need. Last night was a gift. He took a chance that morning in the carriage because he missed the warmth. Erwin pressed his cheek against Levi's pale, slender neck. It was another chance. If Levi really didn't want to be touched Erwin wouldn't be able to stop him. This close Erwin could feel Levi's heart beat quicken. As he expected, the intimate contact made the little man jump. What are you thinking now, Levi? Erwin decided that he took enough for a while and sat up. Bright gray eyes tilted up in time to receive a soft kiss on the forehead.

"I told you, I only did it so your horse wouldn't be neglected." Erwin's pet wiggled out of his arms to face him.

"That was for cleaning my room." Erwin said with a smile.

"Its fine," Levi turned his gaze back to the horse.

"Is that all?" Erwin smiled. From the firmness of each brush stroke on the horse's blonde frame Erwin knew Levi was thinking. The usually composed man was thrown off balance. Erwin was delighted that he was the one to do it. He wrapped his hand around Levi's, slipping the brush out of Levi's hand and set it to the side. With his other hand he turned Levi by the shoulder to face him. A look of confusion glassed over Levi's dark eyes. Erwin cupped his chin. Perhaps he was mistaken, he hadn't taken nearly enough.

"Er-." Lips cut off the words as Erwin expressed his gratitude properly. His arm around the stiff body. He gently pressed his lips to Levi's teasing him into another dance. The stiff man slowly came around, lightly brushing his hands against the leather of Erwin's belt. This time the dance was filled with the light smack of lips without the haze of alcohol. It scared the shit out of Levi. Would he try to fool around here? At least Levi knew for a fact that this stall wasn't as disgusting as the others. His mind continued racing. Erwin planted one last kiss on his lips before pulling back.

"Thank you Levi," he said. "Shall we check on Ember as well before heading back to the dorms?" The tall blond removed his hands from Levi's body and took a step back giving him space.

"Uh, yeah," said Levi.

As always thanks so much for reading. I geek out every time I get a kudo and fall over when you comment. Please enjoy!

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