Time Slip
by
Blue Sonnet (Nana_41175)
Chapter 5
Erwin arrived in front of Captain Levi's door at seven sharp the next morning, ready to escort him down to breakfast. He had a smooth and perfectly formed excuse for not staying the night, but the words died on his tongue as soon as Captain Levi opened the door. The black scowl was back on again, in full force, and Erwin knew he was going to have a rough day ahead of him.
"Take me to a pastry shop in town for breakfast," said Captain Levi, before Erwin could tell him that he was expected to bring the captain in for a breakfast meeting with some senior officers— the first step in a carefully laid out plan that he'd hatched with Shadis late last night, after he'd brought the astonishing news of the new maneuvering gear to his squad leader's attention. Shadis had even gone out of his way to arrange for a demonstration of the new gear in the training grounds that afternoon.
"Sir, if I may," Erwin began carefully, "the other officers are looking forward to—"
"Didn't you tell them we're heading to town this morning?" was all Captain Levi said, his voice flat as he brushed past Erwin.
Erwin did tell Shadis of Captain Levi's plan, though if they were expecting him to drop it in favor of their own, they were dead wrong. They were down the stairs and across the courtyard before Erwin could even think of how to relay the news to anyone. He was pretty sure Captain Levi would not appreciate his going off to tell Shadis of the sudden change of plan. The moment he let him out of his sight, the captain, Erwin was sure, would have no compunction in boarding one of the Corps carriages and heading into town without him.
For a moment, Erwin wondered uneasily whether Captain Levi was mad at him. For what though? They had got on well enough last night, Erwin thought. Refusing his offer of a bed seemed too trivial, and he could think of nothing else which could have offended the captain.
Luck was with Erwin though. As they crossed the courtyard, he saw Shadis by the doorway of the mess hall, apparently waiting for them. Behind Captain Levi, Erwin gave a small, helpless shrug and signaled that they were going directly to the carriages.
To his surprise, Shadis merely gave a nod as he watched them go. Erwin shot a glance at the captain's diminutive figure several paces ahead of him and wondered again just what the man had over Shadis, to be allowed such liberties.
The ride to town was a silent one, with the captain's gaze fixed on the scenery outside the carriage. If he noticed Erwin's gaze on him, Captain Levi gave no indication. In fact, Erwin might as well not be there, given the captain's absorption. The man was so singular that Erwin could not help but wonder, perhaps for the thousandth time, who he really was.
Finally, Erwin could stand the silence no longer and said, "I trust you've had a good night's sleep, sir."
Captain Levi briefly turned his eyes from the scenery to regard him. "It was passable."
Erwin was not sure what to make of the reply, and before he could stop himself, he said, "I'm sorry I couldn't go back to your room last night, sir. It was already quite late when—"
"Cut the bullshit, Erwin." This was said without the slightest change of inflection in the smooth voice.
It was clearly a mistake for Erwin to say what he did. At the back of his mind, Erwin had anticipated this. He should have known better than to broach the awkward subject. That was how his mind worked, with thoughts going by so fast that they were almost like intuition. Normally, he would trust himself without thinking twice, and he often found people telling him that he was two or three steps ahead of them, yet with this man, everything— including his mind— seemed to short-circuit and fail him. Worse, it seemed this man possessed the dangerous ability to read right through him.
Erwin knew better than to apologize and give Captain Levi more ammunition. Still, the captain's words had given him a jolt. He stared at the captain's profile as Levi went back to looking out the window, taking in the shuttered face and thinking that they had that in common, at least. They could both keep secrets well.
That was a start, Erwin had to tell himself, and two can play at this game.
It was not difficult for Erwin to maintain his civility as they reached town. He took Captain Levi to a café that he frequented during his days off, and being in a familiar and comfortable place allowed him to throw off the gaffe in the carriage and set him at ease a little. He even went so far as to recommend a pastry or two for the captain, noting with interest that Captain Levi knew his tea well enough to pick out one of the best in the menu.
Soon, it became apparent to Erwin that perhaps the captain had only needed a good breakfast to put him to rights. As they ate, Captain Levi's silence gradually lost the barbed edges that Erwin had sensed earlier, and he quietly watched Erwin make small talk with the elderly husband-and-wife team who managed the place ("Going on forty years!" as the wife cheerfully proclaimed) with considerable interest.
Erwin did not pause to examine why he felt so relieved as they left the café, and the mood continued as they went through the general store to get the list of things that Captain Levi had committed to paper: a hodgepodge of things that ranged from cleaning products to items for personal hygiene, with Captain Levi paying for everything with the fat purse he brought out to purchase their morning meal in the café.
They were almost on speaking terms again when they finished with their shopping, and Erwin was on the verge of asking the captain whether he wanted an early lunch before they headed back. They had reached the side of town where a much-frequented tavern was located, and while Erwin was particularly attached to the place for personal reasons of his own, the tavern was also known to serve a good lunch.
Yet even before he could broach the topic of lunch with Captain Levi, Erwin heard a familiar voice call out behind him, "Erwin!"
He turned just in time to catch the girl as she bounded into his arms. "Fancy seeing you here, handsome," she said delightedly, her laughter like the peal of bells.
"Marie," he said, as soon as he got his breath back. Gently, he extracted himself from her arms and cleared his throat, glancing significantly at Captain Levi, who stood as still as a statue beside him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you're with someone," said Marie with a giggle as she took in Captain Levi. Her tone suddenly turned teasing as she continued, "and here I thought you've sneaked off from your precious Survey Corps. That would be a first."
"We were running errands, Marie," said Erwin, quite embarrassed. "I was showing Captain Levi around town."
If Marie got his hint, she gave no indication. "Hi," she said with disarming candor to Captain Levi. "It's nice to meet you. By the way, if you guys are thinking of having lunch—"
Captain Levi turned away abruptly. "We're going back, Erwin," he said.
"Sourpuss," remarked Marie as she turned a fond hand to ruffle Erwin's hair, but he was already hurrying away.
"I'll see you Saturday night, Marie," he called over his shoulder. From the pout on Marie's lips, he knew he would pay dearly for this little interlude.
Captain Levi was already at their carriage door when Erwin caught up with him, breathing his excuses.
"Girlfriend of yours, Erwin?" Captain Levi queried with that single, raised eyebrow.
Erwin breathed out a laugh and gave a vague movement of the head that could indicate anything. Marie was not his girl yet, though he was getting there. He was not sure he wanted Captain Levi to know anything so personal though.
The ride back to base was once again steeped in an unfathomable silence which Erwin knew not to break. Thankfully, Squad Leader Shadis was right there to take matters in hand as they got down from their carriage.
"I trust you got everything you needed in town, Captain," Shadis said, addressing Captain Levi directly for the first time in front of Erwin, and in a tone that would have left a new soldier trembling with fright.
"The trip was… satisfactory," Captain Levi replied simply and made as if to turn away.
Shadis would have none of it: "Good. Then we can proceed to lunch, and I thought you might like to show us how the new maneuvering gear works. We've prepared the training course for your exclusive use this afternoon."
Erwin watched as Captain Levi turned back to look at Shadis and wondered how the man was going to dodge the command that had been issued.
He didn't. Captain Levi merely shrugged and said, "Fine, if you want so badly to see."
"I can't believe you've managed to talk him into this," said Mike, shaking his head in disbelief as they stood in the buzzing crowd that swelled around the training grounds after lunch. The cadets were there, along with the Survey Corps soldiers and even a smattering of Garrison and Military Police officers. All through the training course, ten giant wooden replicas of titans awaited Captain Levi for the slaying.
"I didn't," Erwin said as he watched Captain Levi rather enviously from far away, surrounded by senior officers and even the commander. He watched as the captain tilted his head to speak to Squad Leader Shadis, who looked up and craned his neck over to the bystanders, wide eyes accentuating his owlish features.
"Smith!" boomed Shadis. "Erwin Smith!"
"Sir!"
"The captain wants to speak with you," Shadis said as Erwin hurried over.
"Captain," said Erwin. He could not help but run his eyes over the new gear strapped onto the small of Captain Levi's back and his thighs. They looked less bulky, more streamlined. He'd held them and knew they were lighter as well.
Once again, the captain was full of surprises. "Strap on your gear," he said to Erwin.
"Do you know a cadet named Hange Zoe?" Captain Levi continued when Erwin was finished. "She's bound to be here, screaming her head off. Go find her after the demo."
With that, Captain Levi walked away and settled into position. Erwin stared along with everyone else as the captain tipped his blades so that he was gripping them backwards.
"That's not how the blades are supposed to be—" Commander Hutch said disapprovingly behind Erwin, but before the sentence could be finished, Captain Levi was off.
Erwin watched, his heart in his throat, as Captain Levi took to the heavens as though he belonged there. He soared gracefully past the trees and whirled in an arc before slicing through the padded nape of his first wooden target.
Those who could followed him into the thickly wooded area, flying after him and watching in disbelief as he sliced through titan after titan, moving so fast that it was all they could do to keep track of him through the trees.
In the end, the demonstration, originally slated for at least forty-five minutes given the difficulty of the obstacle course, only lasted fifteen, with all targets slain. Erwin could not believe what he had just seen. He finally landed a few feet away from Captain Levi, but people were already shoving their way past him and swarming around the captain. He would not be able to get to him. Even if he could, he would not know what to say. His voice had gone, and there was a strange tightness in his chest, a knot of pure emotion that could find no expression in words.
Just then, a person moved away in front of Captain Levi, leaving Erwin's field of vision clear for a few seconds. The ache in his chest tightened as he saw Captain Levi looking back at him, eyes lidded and face devoid of expression, as usual, and Erwin was astonished to feel the raw ache flare into actual pain deep inside him as Captain Levi slid his gaze away.
Naturally, the talk in the showers was all about him.
Inside his cubicle, Erwin stood under the thundering spray of the water, letting the cool droplets run over his hair, his closed lids and down over his face and shoulders. All around him, his fellow soldiers stood in their cubicles washing, looking no different from Erwin with only their heads and shoulders exposed above the wooden boundaries of their cubicles.
There was a lot of excited chatter; the marveling questions over the newcomer. Erwin paid them no attention as his hand moved urgently over the hardness of his shaft. He'd been hard since the demonstration ended and terrified that someone might see the bulge of arousal in his pants. He'd never been like this, not even when fantasizing about Marie, and minutes upon minutes of waiting to calm down had not worked, until he was reduced to this— secretly jerking off in the showers and thankful of the relative privacy of the cubicles. He should have been ashamed or, at the very least, embarrassed, as he thought of Captain Levi. Levi with his delicate features; the cat-like grace of the man that attended his every movement. Levi, with his small, strong hands— those beautiful fingers wrapped caressingly around Erwin's cock.
Erwin knew he would not be able to last long. With his eyes closed and his face carefully blank, he slowed the motions of his hand, made his fingers linger as they slid over his length, ending in a small twist over his glans. Just as he imagined Levi would do it. Levi, with those remote eyes, alternately warm and cold, looking at him full in the face as he caressed him with fingers calloused from handling the blades, his gaze lingering on Erwin and not sliding away just as Erwin's world shattered.
Just remembering that one look they had briefly shared, and Erwin was suddenly coming, fast and hard, into his own hand. He shuddered once under the steady spray of the water as he coaxed himself through the orgasm, quick as lightning. Opening his eyes, he lifted his other hand to wipe his hair away from his forehead as he let his gaze sweep casually around him. Good. Nobody had noticed.
Erwin stood under the shower for a moment longer, letting the brisk sting of falling water wash away all traces of desire and soothe away the deep-seated ache that was part need, part anxiety, and wholly new, whenever he thought of Captain Levi. It was so new that Erwin could trace the actual moment when it came into being, and the thrill of discovery that came with it. Until that afternoon, he'd never really known what the man was capable of, and now that he knew, he realized that something about himself had changed as well, perhaps irrevocably.
Dinner in the mess hall was hell. As expected, everyone wanted to be around Captain Levi, with some of the senior officers jostling for space beside him at the great table. It was a bit ridiculous.
Erwin sat with the other soldiers and kept the meal as brief as he could before standing up and leaving. He was proud to note that he never once glanced at the captain himself.
He knew that given his newfound fame, Captain Levi would be kept busy the rest of the night, and Erwin had some work to do and a person to track down among acquaintances. Afterward, he returned to the barracks, not chatting with anyone, and propped himself up on his bunk bed with a book he'd never got around to reading.
"Nile asked if we're going to the tavern this weekend," Mike remarked casually as they settled down to sleep a few hours later.
Erwin glanced once at Mike's direction and gave a gentle lift of his brows. "I expect he'd be overjoyed at the extra company," he said wryly as he turned over a page of his book. No doubt, Nile was still smarting from his latest advances with Marie and was looking to even up the score a bit.
Mike merely chuckled before he bade Erwin good night and turned over in his bed. Erwin answered back, though he knew sleep would elude him.
It wasn't until past midnight that the entire barracks was finally quiet. Erwin got up and, careful not to make a sound, slipped into his coat and boots. He was halfway across the courtyard when he realized he was still gripping his book in one hand.
This is not a good idea, not a good idea, sang his brain, but he was past caring. For the first time in his life, he was in the grip of a need that he could not control. He'd never felt so alive.
He was a familiar enough figure not to stand out in the officers' hall, though he was grateful that nobody was around to notice, and he gained access to the stairs without much difficulty.
There was still a sliver of light under Captain Levi's door. The hesitant rap of his knuckles on the wood was too loud for Erwin, seeming to echo down the corridor. The moment stretched into a small eternity as Erwin waited, his heart beating fast and his mind frantic with excuses as to why he was here at this ungodly hour. Finally, he settled on one, but he was aware that it could have Captain Levi shutting the door back in his face.
The door finally opened, and before him stood Captain Levi. He'd already changed into a loose-fitting shirt and soft pants. If he was surprised to see Erwin, he did not show it.
"Did you find her?" Captain Levi asked, and Erwin was ready.
"Yes, I did."
Then came the observation that would have pinned Erwin to the wall if he had used Hange Zoe as his excuse to see the captain: "You could have waited until morning to tell me."
"I did not come here to tell you that, sir."
"Then what are you here for, Erwin?"
"I came to ask if your offer still stands, in regards the other bed."