Previously: Commander Erwin talked to Armin about what he heard/saw between him and Levi, and asked him to keep their relationship a secret. Meanwhile, Levi intends to make Armin an unexpected proposal…

Chapter 4: A Tempting Offer...

Levi

Levi found Armin just before dinner, making his way to the mess hall with Eren and Mikasa. The three of them were walking beside Connie and Sasha, who were having a loud argument about potatoes, of all things.

Jean pushed his way into the group, and started talking animatedly to Armin.

Now this was something that could be an issue for Levi's plan – was Armin still involved with Kirstein? They certainly looked friendly enough…

Levi strode against the tide of young soldiers, making his way towards Armin. It was gratifying to see how everyone parted hastily before him.

Despite the fact they no longer had to fight titans, people still reverentially referred to him as Humanity's Strongest Soldier. But these days, Levi was more of a glorified training instructor than an efficient titan-slayer. Still, his old reputation definitely had its benefits.

When Levi reached the trio, Eren spotted him first.

"Hi Captain! How are you?"

Unfortunately, Eren Yeager seemed immune to the respectful fear that most other soldiers granted him.

"Shut it, Yeager."

Levi turned to face Armin. The boy mumbled what sounded like, "Captain," and glanced at the ground, looking acutely uncomfortable.

And so he should be.

"Arlert, I want a word with you. Just you," he added, as Eren and Mikasa moved closer, like his personal bodyguards. "Surely he can manage without you two holding his hand for five minutes?"

Eren and Mikasa frowned, but walked away towards the mess hall, glancing back curiously. Armin looked even more nervous without the safety of his friends.

"Come with me Arlert, we'll find somewhere quiet."

Levi led him away from the noisy soldiers, to an empty alleyway between two buildings.

The Captain turned to face him, letting his customary scowl twist his mouth. The younger man tried to meet his gaze bravely.

Earlier, Erwin had updated Levi on his talk with Armin that morning. The boy had promised he wouldn't share the secret of their relationship with anyone.

But Levi needed to make absolutely sure Armin understood the gravity of the situation.

The Captain placed a heavy hand on Armin's shoulder, and pushed him against the wall. Not enough to hurt him, but firmly enough to send a clear message. The young man's pupils dilated and his breath quickened.

Levi's confidence wavered at the prospect of discussing this delicate, and frankly quite mortifying, topic. But he'd already set his mind to it, and he wouldn't back down now.

"Well Arlert, it looks like you've gotten payback for that time I walked in on you and Kirstein in that supply closet."

Levi hesitated at Armin's horrified expression at recalling that embarrassing incident last year. Then he ploughed on with his rough teasing.

"Tell me, do you enjoy spying on your superiors?" Levi asked in a tight growl. Guilt needled him at Armin's flustered reaction. Still, he couldn't take any chances. And intimidation was one tool he knew how to wield effectively.

"N-no! I - I didn't know what you were doing… The door was unlocked!" A hint of defiance entered Armin's tone.

"So you decided to just invite yourself in, and watch us fuck?"

Armin's outraged face was almost amusing. He took a few seconds to respond. "No! I was only returning my application. Then I heard…" he trailed off, face burning. "Then I left," he said firmly.

Levi had no idea if Armin was telling the truth. He suspected the soldier might have lingered in the office, and had even been watching them. But he was too uncomfortable to ask for details. And besides, it didn't really matter precisely how much he'd seen or heard. He knew Levi and Erwin were in a relationship. That was the main issue to focus on right now.

Levi leaned in closer. The boy was trembling a little, but held his ground. Levi was impressed.

One hand still gripping Armin's shoulder, Levi brought his other one up to press against the wall above Armin's other side, effectively caging him in. This close, he could smell the lavender scent of young man's soap. His eyes were a lighter shade of blue than Erwin's – more akin to the hue of a sunny sky. Or that fucking ocean he was always talking about.

"If you even think of telling your bratty friends what happened, I'll-"

"I swear, I won't tell anyone." Armin's voice came out a hoarse whisper. "Erwin – I mean, the Commander - already talked to me about it."

Satisfied with the man's answer, Levi took a step back to give him space. Now he'd gotten his assurance, there was no further need to intimidate him. But he decided to remind the boy of the repercussions of gossip.

"You better not talk," Levi whispered back, voice cold as steel. "Someone as smart as you knows the damage a rumour like this could do to Erwin's reputation. The man has enough stress from his new position without having to deal with people gossiping about his private life."

Damn it. He hadn't intended to reveal how much pressure Erwin was under. It was something the man went to great efforts to conceal from others.

Strangely, Armin tilted his head. He looked like he'd just realised something.

"What is it?" Levi asked impatiently.

"Oh," Armin said surprised. He bit his lip, as if considering his words. "Just that… I understand why you had to confront me like that. You're trying to protect Erwin." At the Captain's raised eyebrow, he continued hurriedly, "He did the same thing – when we talked earlier, he didn't bring up his own reputation, he only mentioned his fears about yours."

Levi's heart did a little leap in his chest. Typical Erwin, always more concerned with others than himself. To have Armin recognise the depth of their relationship was… well, interesting to say the least.

Levi smoothed his features back in control. He glared at Armin, forcing him to glance away. "So first, you walk in on us fucking, and now you're an expert on our relationship? Next you'll be giving us marriage counselling."

The younger man's mouth twisted as if holding back a smile. Levi couldn't resist the answering smirk on his own face.

He crossed his arms. He'd done what he set out to do. But there was another topic he was itching to broach…

He gave the young soldier a quick appraising look - glancing from his boots up to his face. Armin was short, but still slightly taller than him. Levi found he didn't mind this.

And the man truly was breath-taking. Despite being weaker than most soldiers, he was still in good shape, his body lean and lightly muscled. He certainly filled out his tight uniform nicely. His boyish features had grown a bit sharper in the last year or two, making him more handsome. And his recent haircut made his astonishing blue eyes stand out more prominently.

Looks alone didn't mean much to Levi, but coupled with the man's intelligence, it was an irresistible combination.

"It's no wonder you're Erwin's little pet," Levi murmured without thinking.

"What?" Armin asked, looking both confused and embarrassed by his Captain's scrutiny.

Once again, Levi's mind latched back onto the idea he'd had last night, after Erwin confessed his attraction for Armin. Here was his chance to test the waters, so to speak...

Who knew when an opportunity like this would present itself again? Levi took a deep breath, telling himself to dedicate his heart, and just fucking do it.

"Well, Erwin said the two of you used to have cosy little chats, back when you were helping him out with his office files. I'm sure you know how busy his schedule is – he wouldn't waste time talking to you unless he really enjoyed it."

The look of pure shock on Armin's face was priceless. The colour returned to his cheeks, and his mouth hung slightly open.

Suddenly, Levi remembered a potential hindrance to his plan. "Are you still playing around with Jean Kirstein? Or anyone else for that matter?"

Armin's eyes widened at the abrupt question. "What? N-no… I'm not with Jean anymore. Or anyone."

Good. Time to hit him with the big question…

"Are you attracted to Erwin?"

Armin's expression was all the confirmation Levi needed. He broke eye contact, and his breath quickened. He opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out.

Had Levi gone too far? This question was wildly inappropriate, and Armin looked painfully uncomfortable. Somehow, this whole discussion had seemed like a better idea in Levi's head. But he'd already committed, it was too late to back out now without an answer.

"Come on, don't be shy. I know half the Survey Corps fancies him. I won't be angry, if that's what you're worried about. I'm just curious what you think. He's a handsome man, isn't he?"

Armin jerked his head in a nod, and hastily added, "But he's eight years older than me, and in such a superior position. And of course, now I know he's in a relationship-"

Levi waved a hand dismissively. "Never mind all of that. Do you want to sleep with him?"

Armin's scandalised face was actually hilarious. Levi tried not to laugh – he didn't want the boy thinking the whole thing was a joke.

"Because I know he's got a soft spot for you. We could arrange it, if you like." Levi leaned in close, brushing Armin's fringe away from his face. "I'd have to be there too, of course. But I'll play nicely, if that's what you want."

Armin was frozen in place, eyes wide and staring. Levi dearly wished he had Erwin's talent at putting people at ease.

"Well, it looks like I've scared the life out of you. But if you are interested… just let me know. Maybe we can make it a nice little surprise for Erwin."

Armin was trembling. Levi reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder again. But this time he squeezed it gently.

"Alright. You can stop shaking like you've seen a titan for the first time. If I've made you uncomfortable, just forget I said anything. I'll leave you alone now to have dinner with your bratty friends."

Levi's heart was pounding, his mind swarming with guilty disappointment.

Did I just fuck this whole thing up? From his reaction, I bet there's no way he actually wants to take us up on the offer… Why the hell did I ask him?!

Fighting to retain his composure, he turned to stride away. Then Armin spoke quietly behind him.

"Um… I'll think about it."

Levi swivelled his head around so fast, it hurt. The young man was fiddling with his jacket sleeves. For the first time Levi noticed the jacket was slightly too big for him, and he had to roll the sleeves up at the wrist. Levi sometimes has the very same problem with his clothes.

"So, you're interested?"

"Y-yes… but I need to think it over. I'll probably have some questions to ask you first." Armin shifted his gaze from a spot over his Captain's shoulder, to meet Levi's eyes directly. "And um… can I suggest something?"

"Of course."

Armin looked like he was summoning his courage before replying. "Well… I'd rather you discussed it with Erwin first, to make sure he's interested too. I don't like the idea of surprising him, like you mentioned."

Levi eyed the boy approvingly. Like he already suspected, Armin was tougher than he looked. The more he got to know him, the more his interest was kindled.

Levi heaved a mock sigh. "Alright, Mr Bossy. We'll do it your way – I'll talk to Erwin about it first. But I'm almost certain he'd be willing to give it a go, at least once." Armin's face flushed again. "You can take as long as you need to decide yourself. And go ahead and make a long list of questions, or demands, or whatever. Since you think you know more about establishing threesomes than I do."

Armin tried to stifle a grin, but did a bad job of it. Levi shifted back into a professional tone. "Go on, get back to your friends. And don't breathe a word of this to anyone."

Levi strolled away, his heart hammering like he'd just finished a long training session.

This whole potential threesome arrangement was mostly for Erwin's benefit.

But Levi was growing increasingly certain of how much he might enjoy it too. He couldn't stop thinking about Armin in their bed – being turned into a writhing, whining mess as the two older men pleasured him.

Levi recalled how Armin had spoken his mind earlier. The young man might be sweet and mild-mannered, but he was certainly no push over. Maybe he would turn out to be less innocent in the bedroom than one would expect. He might even excel at being in charge, just like Erwin…

The thought sent an unexpected shiver of arousal down Levi's spine. However, there was no point getting his hopes up too high just yet.

The next thing he needed to do was talk to Erwin about the situation. He'd originally intended to wait for Armin's reply before doing this – he'd never seriously considered making the arrangement a complete surprise, despite his words to Armin.

From the early days of their relationship, Erwin had been more attentive and considerate to Levi's needs than he could ever have hoped for. When he'd admitted some of his more unusual sexual desires, Erwin had been open-minded enough to try them out, and now some of these new activities were a normal part of their sex lives.

The problem was, Erwin himself didn't make many requests from Levi. He always insisted that his greatest desire and turn on was satisfying his partner. But a few months ago, he'd surprised Levi by confessing his interest in the idea of bringing another man into the bedroom.

And now, Levi was in a position to bring Erwin's deepest fantasy to life.

Hopefully with the help of Armin Arlert.

Notes: What did you think of Levi? It was tricky getting his personality right – but I love his dynamic with Armin in this story (Levi/Armin is such an underrated ship!) :D

The chapters will start getting slightly longer after this, and longer again once I reach the smut scenes! (There will be smut in the next chapter to give us a taster of the threesome).

Next Time: Armin ponders the Captain's proposition, and lets his imagination run wild. Meanwhile, Levi reveals to Erwin that he asked Armin about a threesome…

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