Archive of Our Own

A sharp blow to his jaw knocked him to his ass, right into the dirt and newly grown grass. Immediately, he could taste the metallic bite of blood on his tongue. 

“Man, you took on that bitch Annie in hand-to-hand combat and you’re still this bad? How’s that even possible? You were supposed to be one of the best at this!” 

Eren ran the tip of his tongue over the fresh wound inside his mouth where his teeth had bitten into the soft flesh of his lip. Dammit. He wiped at his lips, twisted with irritation, as he shot a glare up at the man standing over him with his hands planted firmly on his hips. Jean shook his head in faint disbelief just before offering Eren his hand, if a bit begrudgingly. Eren scoffed and knocked it away. “Shut up. You don’t have to be a dick about it.” He climbed to his feet, refraining from gingerly holding a palm to his mouth. 

It was a good punch; Jean had a mean left hook. 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever, man.” Jean shook out his hand and inspected the skin of his knuckles while Eren ran a frustrated hand through his mussed hair and glanced around.

It was combat training day. Spring had finally warmed the air enough to resume their conditioning, and Commander Erwin had his officers immediately running their squads ragged to take advantage of the temperate weather. For today’s training, Eren’s comrades stood in pairs out in the fields by headquarters — Armin with Sasha, Connie with Mikasa, and Eren, unfortunately, with Jean, all while their taciturn captain stood off to the side blandly observing them as he listened to Hange’s excitable chatter. The section commander gestured wildly while they jotted down notes in their favorite leather-bound notebook. 

Eren didn’t understand why the hell they had to waste their time with hand-to-hand, though... Not when it was only him who ever had to go up against any of the other titan shifters. It’s not like Jean could just punch the Armored out of Reiner. Not even Mikasa, whose light and playful punches often left his upper arm feeling slightly numb from the blows, could do that. 

They should be working on their ODM maneuvering. Or hell, even more hardening experiments. Being subjected to Hange’s ridiculous, and sometimes embarrassing, experiments was preferable to sitting around blocking Jean’s stupid—

“Jaeger.”

Eren started at the clipped call from over to his right. He turned, meeting his captain’s sharp grey eyes. His spine immediately straightened, standing at attention as he turned to offer his salute. “Sir!” His fist hammered into his chest, his chin lifted.

“Get your thumb out of your ass and get back to work.”

“Y-Yes, sir!” He could feel his cheeks heat, embarrassed at the reprimand. Throughout the training, Eren had hoped his captain would glance over during one of his takedowns, or maybe even during his improved evasive maneuvers. But no, the minute the captain finally turned his attention towards him, he caught Eren with his head in the damn clouds.

Fucking perfect.

Jean snickered from behind a fist with reddened knuckles. Eren waited until his captain turned away, his grey eyes sliding to watch Sasha and Armin tousle on the dusty ground, before diving after Jean’s stupid face. He swung his own clenched fist at the man’s pointed chin, narrowly missing as Jean stumbled away. Jean continued to cackle in that annoying, grating way, fraying the ends of Eren’s nerves. 

“Stupid bastard…” he growled, ducking down low to the ground and spreading his stance wide to avoid getting thrown off his feet again. 

On and on, they rotated around, dodging blows and low sweeps of each others’ feet. Eren’s anger was making his muscles tight, coiling under his skin as he swung his fists wide and with his whole body behind them. 

“Your focus narrows too sharply in the middle of a fight, brat.”

Jean’s smirk glinted in the low sunlight of the afternoon, sparking Eren’s rage. He could feel the nails of his fingers biting into the palms of his hands as they shook with frustration.

“You need to learn to keep your peripherals open, or else you’ll miss attacks from your flanks.”

Eren took a moment to let out a tight exhale, hissing between his teeth as he tried to let his muscles loosen up, staying fluid, just as the captain had instructed him.

“Stay loose. You have a lot of strength, but don’t use it all in a single blow. Pace yourself. This is like ODM maneuvering. If you use up all gas or energy, you’ll tire yourself out, leaving yourself open to—“

“Nngh!”

Captain Levi stood over him as Eren fell to his knees, arms wrapped around his gut where a well-placed kick from his commanding officer had brutally knocked the wind out of him. He wheezed, curling forward and letting his forehead drop down to the cool embrace of the spring-wet grass.

“I told you to watch your sides, brat.” 

“I-I… I thought y-you meant for next time, sir…” Eren coughed, voice hoarse and rasping in pain.

“Why the hell would I mean for next time? This is a practical lesson, not a lecture. Get up. We go again.”

Eren groaned. His stomach clenched around the dull ache radiating from where Captain Levi’s boot had connected with his body. Before he could even roll over, though, his head was knocked back by another blow. He cried out, more out of surprise than any real pain. His hand went to his face to feel the faint sting of a scrape across his cheek. He turned to look up at his captain, eyes wide with shock as he lay splayed out on the grass of the training fields.

The captain was lazily examining his fingernails, each in turn, as he pointedly ignored Eren’s incredulous stare. 

“C-Captain!”

“I don’t have all day. I told you to get up.” Eren gaped up at him, about to stammer some sort of reply, but then his captain looked at him. Those eyes, previously so dispassionate, seemed to sharpen as they flicked over Eren’s face. Just for a moment — easily missed if Eren wasn’t so used to watching his superior officer’s face. But it was there. Just for a moment.

“...Sir?”

“Up. I won’t tell you again.” Captain Levi’s hand dropped down to his side as he turned away, breaking the strange tension. Eren felt the flash of heat along the skin of his cheek as the steam slid through his fingers. He absently ran the pads of his fingertips along the freshly healed skin. 

The captain was ruthless, even in training.

As Eren clambered to his feet, he let himself take one last cursory glance over his captain’s uniform, with all its tight strapping and freshly pressed canvas. It was a mirror to the one Eren wore, save for the ever-present cravat tied securely around the man’s neck. And yet, Eren’s didn’t cling to his body nearly as much as the captain’s… He ran a distracted hand along his own rumpled uniform, now with grass stains discoloring the elbows of his jacket and the folds of his white pants — who in the hell thought white was a good color for pants?!

He felt his lips twist with quiet annoyance. He’d be scrubbing the stains out for—

Eren threw his arm up just as Captain Levi whirled around and leveled a swift kick at him, only barely caught by Eren’s forearm braced against his chest. Eren grunted and slid back along the dirt, but did not buckle at the force. He shook the hair out of his eyes and caught the faint smirk of satisfaction from his captain as the man lowered his boot back down to the ground. 

“Not bad, brat.” 

Eren’s stomach pains immediately vanished, replaced by a fluttering that made his skin warm. He felt his lips pull back into an excited grin.

“Thanks, sir!”

“Again.”

Eren lowered himself and widened his stance, hands lifted up to guard his face. “Your move, Captain.” He peeked at his superior from behind his forearms, catching the glint in the man’s steely look. If he squinted, Eren could swear he saw the flicker of amusement behind the narrowed eyes.

“Don’t tempt me.”

Eren sidestepped one of Jean’s right hooks and took firm hold of the man’s outstretched arm. Jean inhaled a sharp breath of surprise as Eren suddenly grunted and turned. He kicked backwards, throwing Jean off-balance and heaved the man over his shoulder, sending him slamming down into the dirt. Jean coughed as the wind was knocked out of him, the broadside of his back striking the solid ground. Eren released him and pumped his fist into the air, grinning wildly.

“Take that, you smarmy bastard!” 

Eren felt a faint prickling along the back of his neck, but he ignored it in favor of letting out a satisfied laugh at Jean’s pained grunt. He wiped his hands on his dusty pants and offered his hand out to the grimacing man. He’d be more than happy to let Jean writhe around on the ground in an attempt to catch his breath, but Eren wouldn’t be called a bad sport during training. Mikasa wouldn’t let him hear the end of it. Jean squinted up at him but lifted his hand to take Eren’s with an annoyed huff. “Good one, you pri—“

A sharp cry echoed out around them, interrupting Jean’s pointed insult. Jean and Eren’s heads whipped around towards the source of the sound. 

“Armin!” Mikasa dashed forward from where she and Connie were paused in their own combat to crouch down next to the blond. Armin’s hand was held tightly to his cheek, and even from here, Eren could see the bright red that covered his friend’s fingers.

Eren hauled Jean to his feet with a sharp tug before sprinting across the field to Armin’s side. “Armin, what happened?!” He slid to his knees next to him.

Armin looked up from where he was sitting in the grass to smile sheepishly at him. He gave a light laugh, tight with pain, and said, “I missed a block, that’s all.” 

Sasha dove on top of him, tackling the blond to the ground, and wailed in his face. “Armin, I am so sorry! I didn’t know!” She sucked in a wet breath and clutched at Armin’s shoulders, hysterical tears already spilling over her cheeks. “I-I had a rock lodged in the bottom of my boot, and it c-c-cut him!” 

“Sasha, get off him!” 

“It’s okay, I’m fine! I promise!”

“You’re gonna choke him!”

“Sasha, you maniac, just let—“

“Quiet.” The clamoring of the small group that had gathered immediately ceased at Captain Levi’s firm order. Eren glanced up as their captain approached, irritation heavy on his brow. He bent down and took hold of the collar of Sasha’s jacket to pull her back with a shapr tug. She practically flew back, surprise in her wide brown eyes. She stumbled and fell, and though her tears ceased, Mikasa still made her way over to check on the startled, hiccuping girl.

Eren remained at Armin’s side; the blood was now dripping from his hand, running in trails down into the sleeve of his jacket. “Armin…“ he started, but went silent as he felt the captain’s presence next to him. He turned to look as Captain Levi took a knee beside him. He was close — so close. Eren couldn’t stop his eyes from running over the smooth, pale skin curving over his captain’s high cheekbones. The dark brows, knitted with faint concern. The sharp grey eyes, the lips that—

“Show me.” 

Eren twitched at the low murmur. He looked away, swallowing around the sudden tightness in his throat. Instead, he watched Armin purse his lips and nod. His friend pulled his hand away, wincing as he exposed his wound to the slightly chilled spring air. Eren let out a quiet noise when he saw the bloodied gash carved into the lightly freckled skin. Must have hurt like a bitch…

Captain Levi was silent as he reached into his inner coat pocket. He withdrew a handkerchief, pure white and neatly folded. He held it in one hand while the other went to Armin’s cheek. Eren watched, wide-eyed and stunned, as the captain delicately held Armin’s face still and gently cleaned the wound of the blood. “It doesn’t look too deep,” he said quietly. His handkerchief slowly and steadily wiped the blood from Armin’s skin, staining the pristine whiteness as the bright crimson bloomed into the folds. “But it may scar. See the medic when you get back.” 

“Yes, sir.” Armin held still, barely even wincing or grimacing as the captain cleaned him with soft touches.

Eren felt that tightness in his throat burrow down into his chest at the sight. His captain, usually so firm and unyielding, was rarely this delicate. Armin let out no noise of discomfort at the captain’s careful ministrations, not even as the handkerchief ghosted right over the open wound. 

And then his captain’s hand slid down to Armin’s chin. Eren held his breath, watching those pale fingers slide through the glistening trails of blood that traced Armin’s jaw. 

But—

The captain never liked touching messes. Ever. When scrubbing the floors, dusting the shelves, mucking out the stables, or even when laundering their bedclothes, the captain always had thick gloves covering his hands at all times. He’d sometimes go without his bandana that he often used to cover his face in order to spare him from the sneezing that his squad would suffer from due to all the kicked up dust. Sometimes he’d even go without the head covering, quietly remarking that the job would be quick enough to avoid most of the mess sprinkling into his dark hair.

But never, ever would he be without his gloves.

Eren had even seen his captain leave the kitchen once after a knife had snagged the leather of his glove and torn it open, just to exchange them for a fresh pair to finish the washing. 

But why–

Captain Levi lifted Armin’s chin and quickly wiped away the last of the trails that had snaked their way down the lines of his neck. “You’re dismissed. Head back with Hange; they’ll make sure you get properly cleaned up.” He released the blond and sat back as he refolded the handkerchief with swift movements of his fingers. “It may need stitches, so try to keep it clean until you get back.” Armin sat up and quietly thanked the captain for his assistance before climbing to his feet. 

“You, uh… gonna be okay, Armin?” Eren asked, tilting his head as he looked up after his friend. 

Armin smiled and waved him off, already heading in the direction of Hange’s frantic waving. “I’m fine, Eren! It’s just a cut. I’ll see you back at base, okay?”

“Yeah…”

Eren watched him go, though as soon as Armin turned away, Eren’s eyes slipped back to the captain who still knelt beside him. Captain Levi gripped the handkerchief in one hand, but before he went to stand, Eren caught the surreptitious movement in his periphery. Eren’s gaze dropped to the man’s fingers, the same that had held Armin’s jaw and now stained with blood. For a split second, those pale fingers rubbed together, smearing the crimson fluid over the tips. 

Eren’s breath hitched in his throat.

“Cap—“

The man cut him off with a barked, “All of you, back to your sparring.” There was quiet murmuring as the soldiers around him dispersed, back into their pairs. He rose to his feet while Eren’s eyes trailed after those fingers, entranced. The captain quickly slipped the handkerchief around his bloody fingertips, wiping them clean with a few twists of the fabric before tucking it back into his inner pocket. “What are you looking at, Jaeger?” Eren froze when those grey eyes looked down at him, pinning him in place on his knees. 

“Er, I just…”

“Get back to it.”

His captain turned away, but Eren was struck by a sudden realization. “Captain, wait!” The man glanced over his shoulder, a curious brow raised at Eren’s blurted plea. Eren shot to his feet, swallowing thickly as he motioned to Sasha who still clung to Mikasa’s jacket as she hiccuped. “Erm, we have an odd number now,” he offered a bit stiffly. When the captain didn’t reply beyond a slow blink, Eren continued, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Would you like… I mean, ah, are you going to join us?” 

Captain Levi glanced over Eren’s shoulder at his Scouts. He tilted his head, considering the question. “You think I should take Armin’s place, hm?” Those grey eyes flicked back to Eren’s face, sharp and piercing.

Despite himself, Eren felt a small smile spread over his face. He silently hoped his cheeks weren’t turning that horrible shade of pink Armin teased him about so often while he nodded and replied, “Yeah, I think that’d make sense.”

The captain quietly snorted as he ran a hand through his dark hair, sweeping it back off his forehead. Eren tried to fight the wide grin that pulled at his lips, but failed miserably. He always looked forward to their sparring. They didn’t get the chance to do it often, but when they were paired, Eren always found that he learned a hell of a lot more in five minutes than he ever did when paired with one of his teammates for the full hour.

Nevermind that he’d take any excuse to trade blows with the man.

To be physical and fired up, left panting, sweaty, and breathless.

To have those steely eyes staring at him, unwavering in their focus on Eren’s movements, his body, his face.

And to be free to do the same right back.

His captain’s deep voice broke through his distracted thoughts. “All right.” 

Eren could feel his face light up. “Yeah?!” His insides fluttered, filled with a pleasant sort of nervousness that made him warm. 

The captain caught his eye, giving him a pointed look before he turned away. “Sasha — I’m taking Armin’s place. You and me. Get the hell off the ground and warm up.” Sasha let out a squeak of surprise, tinged with a bit of fear. Her hands practically clawed into Mikasa’s arms as she scurried away from the captain.

Eren’s smile went lopsided. “Er… I thought—”

His captain lifted his chin and secured the cravat around his neck with well-practiced hands. “I’m merely doing what you asked, Jaeger.” The faintest of smirks tugged at the corner of Captain Levi’s lips. “Or is that not what you meant?” 

“I-I… I mean, I just—” Eren stammered, stumbling over whatever excuse he could first come up with. He silently cursed his flapping tongue — so stupid!

The man pulled the cravat tight, the fabric whispering against his skin, and waved Eren away with a lazy roll of his wrist. “Go. Get back to Jean. You have another half hour of sparring, brat. Don’t waste the time by standing there uselessly with your mouth gaping at me like that.” At the captain’s words, Eren’s jaw snapped closed, nearly biting his tongue off in the process. 

“...Understood, sir.” Eren gave a half-hearted salute before turning away and jogging back towards his waiting partner, though with remarkably less fire than just a few seconds ago. His shoulders slumped a bit as he settled back into his defensive stance, fists up and at the ready. 

Stupid.

Stupid.

So stupid!

Jean lifted his own hands up and raised an eyebrow in silent question. Eren nodded, just once, in assent. Jean threw the first punch while Eren slid his boots along the ground, rotating around him and avoiding Jean’s approaches. 

As they circled around each other, Eren caught the slim figure of his captain over Jean’s shoulder. Sasha was practically cowering behind her forearms, shaking and trembling as she covered her face — there’s no way she’d even see the captain approaching her! Not with her eyes screwed shut like that! Eren shook his head at the sight. 

Why anyone would close their eyes when the captain—

Jean’s heel slid through the dust and dirt to kick him behind his leg, sending him to his knees. “C’mon, man! How am I supposed to get any better if you don’t even try?!” Jean complained, rubbing at his temple with annoyance. Eren felt the heat rising up the back of his neck, furious with himself.

This was going to be the longest half hour of his goddamned life.

Eren stabbed at his boiled potatoes with sharp, angry movements. His fork scratched against the plate, setting his teeth on edge. He shoved a broken, hole-ridden piece into his mouth and chewed, his jaw working. 

Goddammit, his dinner was cold already.

What a shit show.

What an absolute shit show.

Jean had gotten the best of him, multiple times. Eren’s elbows hurt. His knees hurt. His knuckles hurt. His ass hurt. Everything goddamn hurt, and it was all made infinitely worse by the captain’s eyes sweeping over his wrinkled, dirty uniform when the training had concluded, judgemental brow raised and the faint twist of disgust in his lips. 

“All of you — back to headquarters and prepare for dinner. Oi, not you. You had better clean that disgrace of a uniform before you set foot into that mess hall. Understood?”

And so Eren had been stuck up to his elbows in scalding water and soap, scrubbing his uniform until it was free of all grass and dirt stains for the last hour. He had sprinted down to the mess hall, his sleeves still soaked with water, and skidded into the fire-warmed room only to see that most of the evening’s meal had already been served. The room only had a few stragglers left scattered at the tables, picking at the remnants of their dinner. 

By the time Eren had made it up to the food line, there were only a few sad servings of boiled potatoes and roasted vegetables left — no soup, not even any bread. He grumbled to himself as he shoveled a few pieces of carrot into his mouth and gnashed them between his teeth. 

It was his own fault, getting so distracted by the captain. Normally he was so much better than his performance today. Jean may have a bit of height on him, but Eren was faster, and his hand-to-hand was second only to Mikasa and Annie… back when she was one of them. 

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair before letting his cheek rest in his palm, his elbow braced on the pitted wood of the table he sat alone at. As he chewed, he idly wondered about Armin. He hadn’t seen his friend anywhere in the halls of headquarters. That cut had looked nasty; hopefully the medic was able to patch him up all right. He couldn’t help the bitter snort that escaped him.

Bet Armin would have loved to have my titan’s healing powers today…

“Something amusing, Jaeger?”

Eren’s head shot up at the low murmur. Captain Levi stood next to him, his own dinner tray in hand as he raised yet another brow at Eren’s startled face. “Er… no, sir. Just thinking.” 

“Hm. That’s surprising. Usually there’s nothing rattling around up there.” The captain’s lips twitched around a smirk at Eren’s flash of annoyance. He gestured at Eren with a wave of his hand. “Shove over.” 

Eren immediately obeyed, though he ducked his chin to his chest as he muttered under his breath, “Surprised you’d want to sit next to such a filthy disgrace…” He slid along the wooden bench, sliding his tray after him to make room. 

Captain Levi clicked his tongue in quiet admonishment. “You’re being quite the little shit today, brat.” He stepped over the bench and lowered himself to take a seat next to Eren. He dropped his tray to the table unceremoniously, letting it clatter noisily against the wood. He settled into his seat before pulling the tray close, already digging into his meal. 

Eren’s body stiffened as his captain curled forward and began to eat. He could practically feel the heat radiating off the man’s body, they were sitting so close. Nearly rubbing shoulders. It wasn’t the first time the captain took his meal with Eren, though, truth be told, it was the first time the man had done so while they were alone during daylight hours. Usually they’d be flanked by Armin and Mikasa, or sometimes Hange would join them to discuss their findings after a successful experimentation day over dinner. Eren allowed himself to peek over at the man as he silently ate next to him. Those long, thin fingers curled around a freshly baked—

“Hey! Where’d you get bread?! They were fresh out when I got here!”

“If you ever decided to buckle down and focus on your work, perhaps you too could be promoted to Officer and enjoy the perks that come along with the rank.” The captain’s reply was spoken evenly, almost in a sighing tone as though he was bored by the question. Eren opened his mouth to bite back, but in a flash of movement faster than he could see, his mouth was forced open even wider as a soft bread roll was shoved between his lips. The captain said nothing as he turned back to his meal, spreading a pat of butter over his own bread and taking a bite.

Eren took a sizable bite himself before pulling the bread free of his teeth. He chewed, relishing the softness of the roll. “Mmm, it’s still warm!” 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full — you’re not an animal. Most of the time, anyway.” 

“Yes, sir.” Eren hid his smile with another bite. He wisely chose not to comment on the smirk that had now made itself visible on his captain’s face.

They settled into a companionable silence, merely eating their meals next to each other as the room slowly, but steadily, emptied of the remaining Scouts. Soldiers passed by their table, nodding in farewell towards the captain or tossing a curt ‘Night Eren’s way before heading out into the corridor beyond and back to their posts or down into the barracks. Soon enough, the two of them were the only ones left inside the room, softly lit with flickering lanterns and blessedly without the general din of mealtime.

As much as Eren enjoyed being surrounded by his comrades, sometimes it was nice to just… sit quietly.

Eren slid his empty tray away and settled into a comfortable slouch. He watched as his captain did the same, though he pulled his gently steaming tea cup close. Eren peeked over the rim of the cup as the captain held it up to his face and inhaled the herbal scent.

Chamomile, most likely.

The captain often liked to relax with chamomile or lavender tea after dinner on nights when their work was complete. If he had to stay awake working on paperwork and reports late into the night, Eren would instead see the dark liquid that spoke of black tea. On nights that were… bad, Eren would sometimes see the hidden flask emerge to tip a bit of honeyed liquor into the tea before being tucked back into the captain’s inner coat pocket. 

Those nights were a secret, though. 

He had accidentally stumbled upon the captain’s silent coping method during one of Eren’s own bad nights, when he had shuffled into the mess hall after a particularly horrific nightmare in search of an illicit midnight snack to settle his roiling stomach. Neither had said anything when they had locked eyes across the empty mess hall, though Eren figured the intrusion was forgiven when, after what felt like years of tense silence, the man had tilted the flask in his direction, brow raised in an unspoken question.

Eren had turned it down with a small shake of his head — upset stomach and all.

But he had accepted a single sip the next time. And then again. And then again. Pretty much any night when he didn’t feel like puking his guts out all over the stones, really. He didn’t care much for the taste, but he enjoyed the way the liquor warmed his belly. Just a single sip didn’t do much for him, but perhaps one day he’d try more. If the captain offered, of course.

If you’re old enough to sign your life away to the military and see the trail of viscera left behind, you’re old enough for a drink to wash away the nightmares, his captain had said by way of explanation.

They didn’t talk much during those nights.

Nothing really needed to be said.

Tonight, though, the metal flask was noticeably absent. Captain Levi merely held his tea aloft, closing his eyes and breathing in the soft scent that wafted up from the porcelain cup held delicately between his fingers.

“Chamomile?” Eren ventured quietly, finally breaking the silence. 

“Lavender.”

“Ah, damn. I was close.” He smiled at the soft huff that his captain let out just before taking a sip of the tea. Eren watched the smooth, pale throat work around the swallow, the Adam’s apple bobbing. 

Damn.

He ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. “So… what’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” he asked casually. Too casually. 

Stupid!

His captain didn’t even glance at him as he answered flatly, “Sparring.” Another sip of the tea slipped past the lips curled around the rim of the tea cup. 

“Ah…” Eren rubbed at the back of his neck. Not exactly what he was hoping for… Especially not after his performance today. 

The captain turned a curious eye on him, tilting his head as he asked, “Not to your liking, Jaeger?”

Eren leaned forward over the table, resting his forearms on the wood and interlacing his fingers to limit his fidgeting. He bit at the curve of his lip before answering softly, “It’s not that, sir.” Captain Levi let out a noise of doubt. He took another sip of his tea, then placed the cup on the table to turn it around in his hands, toying with the handle between delicate fingers. Eren watched the cup turn round and round, the liquid sloshing gently inside with the motion. “I just… I had kind of a shitty day today. Don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

Liar.

“But I’m just not really feeling… I dunno.” Eren let out a frustrated huff down towards the wood grain staring up at him. “I don’t suppose I could… be paired with you? Tomorrow?” He hazarded a look up at his captain. Grey eyes stared back at him, though he couldn’t quite read the emotion behind them. “It’s just that I learn so much more from you, and Jean—”

“No.”

Eren twitched at the sharply spoken word. “Y-Yeah, okay.” He turned his face away to hide the embarrassed blush that was surely spreading across his heated cheeks. 

That was so stupid.

“You’ll be with Sasha tomorrow. Or Armin, haven’t really decided which yet.” 

“…Okay.”

The silence descended upon their heads once more, but this one was decidedly less pleasant than the one before. Eren felt his shoulders tightening as he curled into himself, wanting to disappear into the wood boards of the table. Sasha was one of the worst at hand-to-hand, second only to Armin. To be paired with either of them… it really showed the captain’s confidence in his abilities. 

And how far it had fallen.

Shame nearly choked Eren into silence, but he still worked up enough nerve to murmur, “I’m… sorry. For today. I know you expect better, sir, and I’ll get—”

“Enough,” Captain Levi snapped, though not unkindly. “You don’t need to apologize, especially for something so stupid.” He lifted the tea cup to his lips once more, taking a long draw of the tea before placing the porcelain back on the table and sliding it across the wood towards Eren’s tightly clenched hands. The cup gently bumped his knuckles, prompting him to unfold his fingers and take the cup into his hands. He stared down into the shallow pool of light brown tea as his captain continued to speak. “Do you know why I pair you with the others, Eren?” 

Eren felt a thrill run through him at the way the captain said his given name. His fingers tightened around the cup as he shook his head, unable to speak. 

Captain Levi mimicked Eren’s pose, curling forward and interlacing his fingers as he spoke. “You’re the most skilled at hand-to-hand that we have in the squad. Aside from Mikasa, of course, but her skills aren’t often used for that particular purpose.” The captain’s fingers skimmed over the pale scars that marred the backs of his hands, idly tracing them, all while Eren stared incredulously at his placid face. “You can teach the others through practical use. You don’t often have much to learn from me. When I see that you can improve in certain aspects, I let you know, as you’ve seen.” Grey eyes flicked to him. “You just need to tighten up on your focus. Stop getting so distracted, and you’ll be fine.” The man tilted his head, hair falling into his eyes. “You’re better than you think, so stop shitting all over your efforts. All right?”

Eren was stunned into silence. The captain rarely had such kind words for him. Compliments on his work were rare, often earned with literal blood, sweat, and copious tears, to Eren’s eternal chagrin. 

Still.

It was…

… nice.

The captain brushed the dark hair out of his eyes before motioning to the cup still held tightly in between Eren’s hands. “You going to drink that before it goes cold or what? If not, give it here. Don’t want to waste a good brew on a little shit like you.”

Eren pulled the tea cup close to his chest, protectively guarding it against his captain’s reaching hand. His skin pricked where the captain’s warm fingertips brushed the back of his hand. “No! No, I want it.” At the raised brow, Eren smiled softly. “Thanks, Captain. I really appreciate it. Erm… all of it.” He could feel the blush already heating his cheeks again, so he lifted the cup to his mouth to hide it from his captain’s sharp eyes.

“Yeah, just don’t let it go to your head, brat.” 

“I’m not a brat, Captain.”

“Yes, you are.”

After rolling his eyes, Eren inhaled, holding the faint herbal scent inside his lungs and letting it curl around the warmth in his chest. He exhaled, and with a sly smirk, he teased, “I didn’t miss you pouring a little something extra in here, did I? It sure would explain why you’re being so ni— hey!” Eren fumbled the cup in his hands, only narrowly catching it after the captain abruptly smacked the backside of his head with an open palm. 

“Don’t be shitty,” came the clipped order, though it was decidedly lacking any real reprimand. The hand at the back of his head lingered against the ruffled hair, just for a moment longer than Eren anticipated. But before he could properly enjoy the unexpected contact, it withdrew back to the table where those thin fingers returned to idly tracing the faint scars.

Eren let out a soft huff of mirth as he lifted the cup to his lips. “It’s a shame,” he said before taking a liberal sip of the slightly cooled tea. He let it wash over his tongue, sighing at the familiar flavor. Floral, but subtle. Well-suited for someone like the captain. “I would have liked some after the mess of today.”

His captain snorted. “Don’t let the commander hear you say that. Erwin would have my head.” Eren watched the sharp angles of the man’s jaw move and shift as he ran a tongue over the point of his tooth. Those grey eyes met his again, pinning him in place.

There was something behind those eyes, but Eren still couldn’t quite place it. He turned away, smiling down into his drink.

Captain Levi didn’t have to worry. He’d keep his mouth shut.

It’d be their secret.

“How are you feeling?” 

Armin’s fingers went to the bandage that covered his cheek. “Totally fine, Eren. Stop worrying! It’s just a cut! The medic said it should heal just fine, minimal scarring.” The blond smiled, bright and cheery despite the fatigue that lined his face. Another training day come and gone, another trip down to the showers to scrub the sweat and dirt from their bodies before collapsing into their bunks, too tired to stay up to chat and read as they usually did. 

Eren was glad for the exertion — it helped clear his head of the fog that had settled over these last weeks. When his body was moving, twisting, lurching, bracing, his head was blissfully empty. 

Not that he’d ever admit that to the captain…

“How about you?”

“Huh?” Eren glanced over at Armin as they made their way towards the communal showers, their scratchy white towels slung over their shoulders. They dodged the Scouts that crossed their path, sidestepping them and continuing down the corridor. “What do you mean?”

“You got hit pretty hard today. Your head okay?” 

Eren snorted and shoved his elbow into Armin’s side. “Don’t be ridiculous, I heal up just fine.” He pulled the door to the shower room open and held it for Armin to step through. “And I didn’t get hit that hard…”

Armin laughed again as he hung his towel and change of clothes on one of the hooks. “You got a split lip! And you’ve been in a bit of a daze all day. I wouldn’t be surprised if you had gotten a concussion.” He leaned into one of the stalls and turned the knob, starting the shower water running. 

“I’ve just… been a bit distracted lately. That’s all.” Eren followed suit in the next stall over. He hung his towel and started to shrug off his shirt, frowning at the reminder of his performance today. He did better than yesterday, but…

“Is something on your mind?” came Armin’s quiet question, muffled by the shirt he was pulling over his head. “Y’know you can talk to me, right?”

“Yeah, I know…” Eren murmured as he stepped out of his pants and shorts. He quickly tossed his clothes aside and hopped into the stall, biting back an undignified squeal at the frigid water. These damn things took forever to heat up. 

“I b-bet the officers get personal s-s-showers that actually w-work!” Armin stuttered. His voice sounded close, as though he was pressed up against the shower wall to avoid the spray as his teeth chattered together. Eren let out a soft laugh at the breathy whine from the next stall.

“Yeah… I bet they do.” The water finally warmed enough to step fully into the stream and begin scrubbing. Eren was quiet as he lathered his aching body with soap, his thoughts drifting towards the officers. 

One officer.

His hands slid along his skin, spreading suds across the muscles of his arms and chest. He stretched his arms out, watching his fingers as they curled around his bicep and forearm, water running in rivulets down the lines of his wrists. 

He had been paired with Sasha today. She was still much better at her long-range combat, but was actually quite good at dodging and staying just out of Eren’s reach as they had circled each other. She had forced him to chase after her, keeping him on the offensive for a majority of the sparring session. Eren let himself get winded in his pursuit, and in the brief moment he had let his guard down to catch his breath, Sasha suddenly caught him by surprise, turning on him and striking him across the face as he had bent over and panted, hands on his knees. 

His lip had split with the force of the blow, pulling a low curse from between his teeth as he hissed in pain. He had felt the blood trail down his chin, just a single drop. 

And then he had felt the captain’s eyes on him as Eren took heaving breaths, sweat pouring down his temples. He had seen the captain’s lips purse and his eyes narrow, clearly judging his failure. Or annoyed. Or maybe even disappointed in his performance. Again.

It could have been any mixture of emotion — none of which being the soft concern that the captain had when he had held Armin’s chin still, delicately wiping his blood away. Eren bit at his bottom lip, worrying it between his teeth as he turned his back to his friend in the next stall. He scrubbed at his skin until it warmed to the touch, red with the force of his washing. 

Stupid.

You’re being stupid.

No matter how how stupid it was, he knew deep in the pit of his chest what this ugly emotion was — it was envy.

He couldn’t get it out of his head. For weeks, it’s been like this. Weeks of just… him. His captain’s pale hands, his strong thighs, his deep voice, his sharp jaw, his grey eyes, his dark hair, hell, even his fucking annoyed huffs when Eren said something particularly foolish. 

He couldn’t stop.

When his captain was around, Eren couldn’t help but feel drawn to him, subconsciously leaning in closer to that warm body, or stealing quick glances from across the field or mess hall. 

He had originally thought it was just… just a sense of awe at his captain’s abilities. A kind of hero worship, or adoration for the kind of soldier he was. Something to aspire to. A level to reach, a goal to accomplish — to be like Captain Levi of the Scouts.

Eren was proven woefully incorrect when, after a quiet night spent shoulder-to-shoulder with the captain in the mess hall staring at those scarred hands wrapped around the white porcelain of the tea cup laced with liquor, he had woken up stuck to his sheets. He didn’t usually remember his wet dreams, but… he hadn’t forgotten this one, nor the scarred hands that had been wrapped around his cock.

They hadn’t stopped since then.

It was always a toss up when he went to bed. Would he wake up sweaty and trembling from nightmares of being soaked with his comrades’ blood, reliving the horrors of seeing Petra’s broken neck up against a tree, or watching helplessly as Hannes was bitten in half, entrails falling to the ground with a sickening splat?

Or would God be kind and grant him a dream full of scarred hands running along his writhing body? Lips twisted in amusement, curling around murmured words of heat and filth? Dark hair partially obscuring sharp grey eyes, glinting with a hunger that made Eren’s blood run hot? Muscles that shifted under pale skin, tight and coiled with each movement? A thick cock, flushed deep red and leak—

“—en?”

Eren’s eyes flew open. He pulled his hands away from his body, fingers flared out to avoid even brushing against himself. He swallowed to clear his throat before responding a bit hoarsely, “Y-Yeah?”

Fuck, what is wrong with you?! 

“I said I’m gonna head back. You good?” Armin’s voice was louder; he had already finished his shower and was toweling off outside. 

Eren scrubbed a shaky hand over his face. “Yeah, I’m good. I’ll, ah… catch up, you go on ahead.” Armin wouldn’t question him. They had grown up together, and while it was embarrassing, both of them knew when the other needed a bit of… time. He just hadn’t ever done it while Armin was there. Shame made his cheeks hot. “Hey, I’m sor—”

“It’s no problem, Eren. I’ll see you later.” He heard the quiet snicker as Armin padded across the slick tiles towards the entrance. “Just don’t take too long or you’ll run out of hot water!” 

“Armin!”

When Eren heard the door to the shower room open and shut, he let out a frustrated huff and settled against the wall of his stall. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes once more. 

He was losing it.

Eren let the shower rain down on his body, warm and soothing against his skin. He should probably turn it colder, but… It had been ages since he’s gotten some time alone, and to be honest, if he couldn’t get these damned thoughts out of his head, he’d end up rutting against a tree or something, just to get some relief.

“Fuck it…” he muttered, giving in. He lathered his hand up with a bit of soap before settling back into a comfortable position, leaning against the wall and spreading his legs. He slid one hand over his chest, tracing the lines of his collarbones. The other went straight to his dick, already throbbing and flushed. He stroked up the length of it, rolling his wrist with the movement as he let out a light sigh. His fingertips crept up higher towards his neck, gliding through the slick sheen of soap. 

“Ah…” Eren wondered if the captain’s touch would be soft, like the way he had touched Armin. He slid his fingers along the bottom of his jaw, mimicking the delicate brush of Captain Levi’s fingers. He wiped away the water that hung off the bottom of his chin, just like the captain had done with Armin’s blood. 

He wanted it. 

He wanted that touch. 

He wanted to feel it.

The hand around his cock sped up in its strokes. His hips thrust forward into the heat of his grip. His own hand was free of calluses, a regrettable side effect of his healing abilities. It was almost too smooth — he wanted the roughness that he was sure lined his captain’s palms.

He tightened his grip, pulling a low groan from his own throat as his arousal flashed through his blood. The hand at his jaw went back to his neck, wrapping around his throat. 

He wondered if the captain would be rough, maybe even cruel in his touches. Eren remembered the way the captain had beaten him within a centimeter of his life in front of the military tribunal. He remembered the way those hands had held him still, only to unleash blow after blow of vicious kicks to his face and head. He remembered the way the captain’s fingers had tangled in his hair, pulling the strands taut as he yanked Eren into position.

Eren tightened the hand around his throat, squeezing at the pulse hammering under his skin. “Hah… ah…” He continued to jerk himself to the memory, remembering how terrified he had been of the captain’s raw power… and how much he had wanted those hands on him again. 

Eren wanted those hands, any way he could have them.

Soft. Hard. Gentle. Rough. Pleasure. Pain. 

He wanted it.

He wanted it.

He fucking ached for it. 

Eren squeezed the breath out of him, gasping quietly in the dull roar of the water as he buckled at the knees. He braced himself against the wall of his shower stall, hips thrusting forward over and over into his hand. “Ah… ah, please…“ He pictured those lips, pulling back over the glinting teeth as his captain smiled at him, tinged with a twisted delight.

“You want it, Jaeger?”

“Yes. Yes, please… ah…”

“Tell me.”

“Please, Captain, I—” 

Eren bit back a whimper as his hand flew over his cock. His orgasm coiled in his lower belly, his balls tightening up against his body as he got close. He could practically feel the captain’s breath ghosting over the back of his neck, the warmth of the body pressed against his back. 

“You can do better than that. I want to hear you, Eren. Tell me.”

Eren’s hands tightened around both his erection and his throat. He was so fucking close. His gasping breaths were ragged, pulled through the constriction of his hand. 

“Tell me how much you want me to touch you.”

Eren gasped and dragged his nails down over his throat, clawing angry red marks into the soft skin. His hips bucked, teetering on the edge.

“Fuck, Cap—”

The door to the shower room slammed open with a bang that rattled the old wood and rusted hinges, followed closely by the obnoxious guffaw of fucking Jean. Eren growled between clenched teeth. 

Fucking HELL.

He slammed a frustrated fist into the side of his shower stall as he stood up off the wall. He furiously lathered his hair up as he desperately willed his aching hard-on away. His arms and legs were nearly trembling with the overwhelming need to cum, but he wouldn’t dare — not with that horse-faced bastard in here. He bit his lip until he could taste blood, though the sharp pain did little to cool his arousal. 

If anything, it made it worse.

It wasn’t until Jean and Connie started joking between themselves that Eren was able to sufficiently distract himself enough to lose the stiffness in his dick. He rinsed himself down, the water now on the cooler edge of lukewarm, and stepped out with a furrowed brow and tense shoulders. 

“Hey, man, surprised you’re still standing after Sasha punched the spit out of you!” 

Eren didn’t rise to the bait. With as pent up as he was, he’d surely break Jean’s nose if he even looked at the fucking idiot. Instead, he covered his head with the towel and rubbed the water from his hair as he silently counted down to calm the rage that was heavy like an iron ball in his gut.

“Hey, Eren, you all right? You have some nasty scratches there!” Connie ducked down in front of him to peer at the redness that still marred his skin.

“I’m fine, back off!” Eren turned away. Dammit. He wished he had some sort of control over his healing.

“Those look like nail marks!”

“No way, there’s no way this runt would get laid! Let me see!”

“Get off of me!”

“Did the little suicidal maniac finally get some action?! I bet it was that girl in Marlene’s squad, she’s been staring at you at dinner every fucking night!”

“No way, it was definitely Mikasa. Have you seen—”

“What?! No she wouldn’t, not with some shit like him!”

“Would you two back the hell off?! Fuck, why can’t a man get any privacy in here!”

“Someone’s touchy…”

Eren hastily stepped into his pants, forgoing his shirt completely just to get the hell out of the overcrowded shower room. He draped the towel over his shoulders, grabbed his clothes, and stomped to the door, fury blazing like fire in his blood. 

“Seems more like someone hasn’t been touched…” Connie snickered. Eren could hear the little grinning asshole’s smile in the tone of his voice. Eren bared his teeth at the wood of the door as he yanked it open.

You have no fucking idea.

Eren slammed the door behind him, cutting off the sounds of Connie and Jean’s boisterous laughter, and stormed down the corridor back towards the barracks. How the hell did anyone ever relieve some tension in this place?! Even with the Scouts having the lowest troop count in its history, there were still people everywhere. All Eren wanted was a goddamn second to himself to just rub one out. He’d be damned if he was forced to sneak away to the old store closets like the cadets had to do back in training. 

He grabbed the end of the towel draped over his bare shoulders and absently rubbed at the water that dripped off his chin as he continued down the lantern-lit corridor. Being interrupted was somehow worse than not having done anything at all. His thoughts were a violent mess of heaving chests, breathy murmurs, pale fingers, coiled muscles, wet tongues… 

Goddammit!

Eren covered his face with his hand, cursing silently into his palm. He didn’t even know if the captain was into men! Or… anything at all, to be honest. The man had never—

He turned the corner and slammed into a solid body, stumbling back. “Fuck, can everyone just back off?!” Eren snarled, face twisted with indignant rage as he bounced off the person in… front…

“C-Cap…tain…”

Captain Levi stood before him, hands still outstretched where he had been holding a tray bearing a porcelain tea cup and tea pot, both of which now lay shattered in pieces on the stones at his feet. The captain’s pristine white shirt was soaked with the steaming brew, still giving off gentle plumes of heat. His dark hair obscured the eyes that were affixed to the stain slowly seeping into the fabric of his uniform.

The silence that stretched on in the seconds following was deafening.

“Shit— I mean, uh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Eren wrenched the damp towel off his shoulders and held it in trembling hands as he ducked down and started blotting the remnants of the tea from his captain’s clothing. Captain Levi stood completely motionless under Eren’s touch. “I wasn’t… S-Sorry, I didn’t see…” Eren pressed the towel to the starched dress shirt, but felt his face fall in dismay as it did nothing but wet the captain’s shirt further. 

This is gonna stain, aw hell…

“I’m sorry, sir, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention, I… I have…” He continued to babble mindlessly, dabbing and blotting the shirt as best he could. The captain was silent, which only emphasized Eren’s panicked rambling. 

“I’ll scrub this out, just… just let me, uh…” Eren’s hands pressed into the firm wall of muscle. His fingertips could feel his captain’s abdomen and chest slowly rising and falling, though the man still remained wordless. “Erm… I…” His hands slowed in their ineffective blotting. “I just…” His fingers stilled, resting inside the folds of the towel and bracing against his captain’s chest. “I…” He stopped. He hadn’t noticed when his heart started racing inside his ribcage, nor when the flush crept up his neck. 

Eren looked up.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Captain Levi’s eyes were dark, shadowed by the hair that still hung over his brow. They stared right at Eren, unblinking and inscrutable. There was no expression on his face, not even the look of supreme irritation Eren had expected to see with the incredibly foolish fuckup he had just made. “I—“ he started. Then the captain lifted his chin, staring down his nose at Eren’s panicked face with a delicate brow raised.

Eren jumped back, hands lifted in front of him and fingers spread wide. “S-S-Sorry, sir,” he stammered. He could feel the heat in his face, completely mortified under the sharp look of his commanding officer. 

Oh God, oh God, I… I…

What was… I’m so stupid.

I can’t believe I just touched—

I touched him. I touched him. 

How could I just—

“Watch where you’re going next time, Jaeger.” Eren was yanked out of his horrified thoughts by the captain’s low voice muttering his admonishment. He watched, bewildered, as Captain Levi bent down and plucked the abandoned towel from where it had fallen over his boots. Eren kept his eyes on the pale hands idly folding the rough cloth, and his mouth wisely kept shut.

Those hands smoothed the wrinkles out of the fabric until the towel was neatly folded and tucked. Eren continued to stare at the white square, silent, until the captain finally spoke aloud. “You owe me a new tea set, you little asshole.”

Fuck, the tea set—

Eren fell to his knees, his hands already sweeping the scattered fragments of the tea set together into a small, broken pile. His fingers slid through the dust and tea covering the stones, reaching for every last bit of porcelain as he crawled around on his elbows and knees. “I’m sorry, sir, I really didn’t mean—”

“Enough, Eren.” The captain sighed, clearly exasperated. “Stop apologizing and just get to cleaning.” 

Shame bowed Eren’s shoulders as he dutifully obeyed the captain’s orders. Every little scrap of jagged porcelain he gathered was a pointed reminder of just how stupid—

“...Where the hell is your shirt?” The captain’s question was low, murmured down to him under a quiet breath. Eren glanced up as he continued to sweep the pieces together. He expected to see the sarcastic amusement that he had come to know in those grey eyes, but instead of meeting Eren’s look, they lingered on Eren’s shoulder… no, his neck.  

“What— nngh, shit!” He hissed between his teeth as a shard of the tea cup — or was it the tea pot? — sliced the tip of his finger open. Eren looked away and squeezed the tip of his finger, drawing forth a bead of bright red blood from the wound. Just a shallow cut, but damn, that shit stung. The drop of blood slid down the curve of his finger to hang from the knuckle. 

As if today couldn’t be more embarrassing…  

He turned his hand around and licked the drop away with a short drag of his tongue before it could fall to the stones. He doubted the captain would look kindly on staining the floors with something more difficult to mop up than just spilled tea. He stuck his finger in his mouth and wrapped his lips around the tip, sucking the remnants of blood from the cut. The taste of copper was sharp on his tongue, though he didn’t mind. It should heal up quickly, given how shallow it was. He looked up at his captain apologetically. “Sor…” He stopped.

Something flashed across his captain’s face. It was just an instant, but Eren caught every subtle shift in the man’s expression. The grey eyes darkened, narrowing just slightly. The lips parted with a silent breath, and the sharp jaw worked. The tip of the captain’s tongue traced the curve of his canine, lingering on the tip just before the lips tightly pursed closed, hiding the motion from Eren’s view. All of it together seemed like the captain was about to say something… before biting it back, hiding it beneath the mask that shuttered his face. Eren’s breath hitched in the back of his throat.

And then the moment broke. 

Captain Levi quickly turned away and tossed the towel down onto the stones at Eren’s feet, the tea already seeping into the dull white of the fabric. “Get this cleaned up. And get dressed, for fuck’s sake.” Before Eren could reply, the captain turned on his heel and strode away around the corner, out of sight. Eren could hear the heels of the captain’s boots clicking on the stones, faster and faster as the man practically fled from the hallway.

Eren sat, still crouched on his knees, bewildered and confused as his stomach fluttered in that familiar way. He couldn’t explain it but…

He had come to know the captain’s face. Nearly memorized it. He had learned to read the shifts that told when the man was dissatisfied with his Scouts’ work, frustrated with a clipped order given by the commander, quietly pleased by the flavor of the freshly brewed tea, and even when subtly amused by something Eren had said. 

But tonight, he…

He had looked almost… 

Eren shook his head, already dismissing the thought. No. No. He was imagining things.

Just… wishful thinking.

“Look out! On your right!”

Eren’s wires screamed as he tethered to the tree on his left and launched himself skyward, up through the branches above. He threw his hands up over his face to guard against the twisted thorns and crashed through the foliage with a furious cry. He turned, eyes wide, to watch his comrades encircle the 15 meter monstrosity that had sprinted after him. 

“Take it out, Jean!” Captain Levi’s voice rang out across the field, sharp and commanding from somewhere below Eren, though he couldn’t look away to find him. 

“Sir!”

Through his descent, Eren caught the flurry of movement as Jean scaled the titan’s back, his scouting cloak whipping in the cool afternoon wind. He held his breath, the wind howling over his ears and through his wild hair, as Jean let out a powerful shout and swung down through the titan’s nape, slicing through its neck in a single swing. The titan let out a sickening gurgle as it fell to its knees, its body crashing to the earth in a plume of dust and dirt. Jean slid down the titan’s back and jumped down to land near where the others were waiting atop their horses.

“Nice work!” 

“That was so clean! Awesome job!”

“Way to go, man!”

Eren landed with a thud on one of the thick branches of the tree, bracing himself against his blade and kneeling on the stiff bark. He sniffed in annoyance as he listened to his squad continue to applaud and congratulate Jean on his titan kill. The man visibly preened under the praise, and even from here, Eren could see the smugness spread over the pointed features of his stupid face. 

It was one titan, big deal. They’d already cleared the area of the small swarm of them, what was one more?

He scowled and brushed the hair back from his face with an annoyed flick of his wrist. He turned and looked towards the South instead, where their true objective was. Today was a blessed break from their training and sparring sessions. The sounds of his comrades simpering over Jean faded into muffled noise as he felt his face soften, warmed by the sun as he continued to look out over the horizon.

The commander had granted them permission to ride out past the Wall for a preliminary scouting mission to plan their route back to Shiganshina — back home. It was a welcome reprieve from the endless training they had been subject to, and Eren had been looking forward to it all goddamned night, once they had gotten the news. There was nothing quite like the feeling of the wind brushing through his hair, tearing at his cloak and ruffling the Wings on his back. The smell of the fresh breeze, the sight of the new growth of spring, the sound of the rippling rivers that snaked through the hills… Eren wanted to keep riding onward, past it all. Just to see what else there could possibly be.

“See something you like out there, Jaeger?”

Eren nearly fell off his branch at his captain’s smooth voice, called down to him from above. He turned his face up to where Captain Levi sat perched on a branch higher up the same tree. “S-Sir!” The captain tilted his head, amusement pulling at his lips as he peered down at him curiously. Eren’s face immediately flushed, feeling strangely caught out. “I just—”

Without a word, the captain swung down off his branch to join Eren on his. Eren held on tightly to the hilt of his blade with both hands, gritting his teeth and bracing himself for the resulting snapping of the branch. But, as usual, the captain landed with a grace that suited his small frame. Leather boots connected with the branch and the captain easily softened his impact with a faint whine of his tethers to slow his fall as he dipped into his low crouch. The branch shook but held firm, supporting both Scouts’ weights as the captain settled into a relaxed perch next to Eren’s tightly coiled body.

“At ease, brat,” came the soft command. Eren’s gaze followed his captain’s gesture as the man pointed out over the field where his Scouts had scattered into their own recon assignments. Some continued riding to the East or West atop their horses while some had taken to their own trees, peering over the landscape as Eren had been. “If you see any trouble, just call it out.” Eren watched, wide-eyed, as his captain adjusted his cloak and gear behind him to take a seat on the branch. “You all right?” Those sharp grey eyes turned towards him, brow raised in question. 

The captain was close, seated just a few centimeters away from him. Eren hesitated for a moment, his heart hammering in his chest, but then followed the captain’s lead. He used his blade to steady himself before mimicking Captain Levi’s stance. He adjusted his own cloak and gear and sat as close as he thought the branch could handle, settling in nearly shoulder-to-shoulder, hip-to-hip with the man. He let his leather-clad feet dangle below him, gently kicking in the open air. He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “What do you mean, sir? The titan didn’t even touch me.” 

Eren hazarded a glance at his side. His captain snorted with a subtle shake of his head. “I’m aware. I meant that stupid face of yours.” The words were harsh, but the tone was light. Eren had come to appreciate the man’s way of speaking to him. Curt, and sometimes biting, but the devil was in the way the man said those sharp words. There were definitely times when the words were hissed between Captain Levi’s teeth, purposefully meant to be a pointed reprimand or insult. But then there were times like these, where the words almost rolled off his captain’s curled tongue. Only ever when they were out of earshot of the others, or late at night when they were alone.

Smooth, lazy, and almost soft. 

Honeyed. 

Never quite sugary sweet, but… 

Eren decided to take a chance and rise to the bait. “Aw, c’mon, Captain. Y’know I’m stronger than a couple of branches. Give me some credit.” Eren turned to give his captain a cheeky grin. “Sorry to disappoint you, but even if I did get all scratched up, I’d heal in no time.” The captain said nothing. Eren felt his smile falter at the man’s silence. 

There was that flash of something… odd behind his captain’s eyes again. He watched those grey eyes briefly flick over his face before they turned away to look out over the landscape to the South, unfocused and distracted. Eren’s smile slid off his face, tumbling down between his hanging feet and crashing into the ground below. 

“…Sorry, I—”

“You apologize too much.” 

“Huh?”

“Why do you apologize so goddamn much?” The captain didn’t turn, choosing to remain facing forward, looking into the distance. Eren took the opportunity to openly stare at the man’s profile, taking in all the sharp angles and smooth skin. The wind — stronger up here — ruffled the dark hair, blowing it back over the captain’s head and exposing the neatly cropped undercut that faded down the man’s nape. Eren swallowed, his eyes tracing the lines of the captain’s neck. 

“Erm…” Eren just knew that his cheeks and neck were bright pink. He could feel the heat just under his collar, making his skin prickle. He worried his bottom lip between his teeth and contemplated just how to—

And then his captain turned to look at him once more. The sun lit up the captain’s face, highlighting the curiosity in his eyes. No judgement. No sarcasm. Just… curious.

“I just…” Eren took a quiet breath, steadying himself. “I don’t like disappointing you. Sir.” 

Captain Levi stared at him, his face blank, for what felt like an age. Eren’s words hung heavy between them, and with every passing second, Eren’s throat closed just a bit tighter. It wasn’t even that big of a secret, and yet Eren still felt laid bare. Exposed.

“Disappoint me?” The man tilted his head, as though he was attempting to riddle out Eren’s strange response. “How could you ever do that?” 

Eren’s heart stuttered inside his chest. 

“You couldn’t possibly disappoint me — not when I don’t expect anything of a little shit like you.”

Eren’s heart stopped.

“Y-Y-Yeah, o-of course,” he stammered with a stilted laugh as he turned away. He ducked his chin into the collar of his cloak and clenched his jaw against the horrifying embarrassment that threatened to send him tumbling off the branch they shared. “I mean, I’m just being stupid. Sorry for—er… just… just forget it.” He clambered up into a crouch, fumbling with his gear in the process. He cursed between his teeth as he stumbled. He was going to choke on the humiliation… and his shattered pride. Eren wouldn’t ever really consider himself a proud person, but hearing those words from the captain — his captain — was enough to crush a man.

“Eren.“

“I should get back to the others. I’ll see you lat— hnngh!” Eren choked as Captain Levi yanked sharply on the hem of his cloak. He stumbled, hands at the collar that bit into his throat, and fell back to his knees. The branch shook violently but held firm, even as the captain pulled him closer with another tug.

“Sit down, you idiot.”

Eren coughed with a bit of a wince as the captain finally released his cloak. “But—”

“Quiet.” At the sharp glare pointed his way, Eren’s mouth snapped shut. He hesitated for a moment, but then nodded wordlessly and maneuvered himself back into his precarious seat next to the man, though the heat of embarrassment still radiated off his skin. He turned away, angling his shoulders and hiding his face from the intense grey eyes, but that only earned him an exasperated huff of annoyance for his troubles. Eren’s shoulders tensed, rising up towards his ears as he ducked his head. “Stop that.”

Eren froze as he felt the warm brush of fingertips burying into his wind-swept hair. He didn’t dare move as the captain’s fingers carded through his chestnut strands, even holding his breath out of fear of breaking the moment too soon. 

“...It was a joke.” His captain’s words were just a murmur, almost carried away on the wind that continued to pull at their scouting cloaks. “You need to relax, for fuck’s sake. You’ve been so fidgety lately, you’ve practically given me an ulcer just by looking at you.” The fingers in Eren’s hair slowed, though they did not stop. Eren couldn’t help his eyelids slipping shut as his captain’s fingertips slid down the back of his head, lingering at his nape. “What’s got you strung so tight?” 

Eren could feel the captain slowly twisting a lock of hair around his fingers. He tilted his head to let the man have more of his nape and bit back a soft hum. “Dunno…” he muttered under his breath, not trusting himself to speak properly. 

“You’re a shit liar, brat.” 

There they were — those honeyed words. Harsh, but spoken softly, in a murmur meant only for him. Eren’s head fell forward, chin to his chest, as the captain gently wrapped that warm hand around the back of his neck. The calloused fingers skimmed the heated skin under his collar, stirring Eren’s insides and making his stomach flutter in that particular way. Eren’s lips parted to let out a soft breath, hoping the captain wouldn’t hear. 

If it meant having those fingers sliding across his skin for even a few more moments, Eren wouldn’t ever speak again.

“Eren.”

Every time the captain would bark his given name during team drills or softly murmur it to call for his attention during late evenings, Eren would have to fight back a twist of his lips or turn away to hide the flush that would creep up his neck. 

This time, though, Eren could practically feel the way his captain’s tongue curled around his name, caressing and enveloping it in that deep, smooth voice. It dripped with that thick honey, pooling inside Eren’s belly and steadily rising in his throat. He couldn’t help the soft noise that escaped him, but then when the captain’s fingers crept up the side of his neck, leaving scorched trails of goosebumps in their wake, he couldn’t be bothered to give a shit. 

“Hah…” Eren hated how breathy he sounded, but the captain didn’t seem to mind — not with the exhale that Eren heard pass over the man’s lips, and definitely not with the way those calloused fingertips slowly moved to trace Eren’s jaw.

“...Look at me.”

Captain Levi’s fingers curled around the front of his throat and gently lifted his chin, extending his neck. Eren’s eyes fluttered open, blinking in the bright afternoon sun, and turned to obey his captain’s order. Steel grey eyes, heavy-lidded and glinting in the light, stared back at him, raking over Eren’s flushed face. The fingers pressed into his skin, the hand forcing his chin higher and higher. 

He finally recognized that look.

It was that same strange look that he had seen flashes of at night, disappearing just as quickly as they had come. But here and now, it was on full display for Eren, and even with the little experience as he had, Eren could guess.

He…

Eren lifted a trembling hand.

He wants—

“Cap… tain…” Eren breathed as he wrapped his hand around his captain’s wrist. He lifted his chin higher still, fully baring his throat to the man. He tightly gripped the hand at his neck and swallowed under his captain’s grip. Courage and heat swirled inside his chest as he took a shuddering breath and whispered, “I…” 

Those sharp grey eyes flicked away, just for a split second. When the captain looked back, his eyes were wide and before Eren could possibly hope to decipher the look, the hand around his throat constricted tighter, pulling him forward with a violent jolt just as the world around them began to shake.

“Wha—”

“HOLD ON!”

Eren barely registered the tree beneath him falling away as his captain released his throat to wrap an arm around his chest, hoisting Eren’s body over his shoulder. “Cap—!” His breath was forcefully expelled from his lungs as Captain Levi leapt from the branch, already reaching for his triggers. Eren heard the thundering crack before he saw the cause — a giant body full of steaming, undulating flesh had slammed into the tree and snapped the branch they had just been seated on. 

Shit.

Eren’s stomach lurched as they fell, speeding towards the ground, but then there was the all-too-familiar jerk as Captain Levi’s hooks caught into the wide arm of the massive titan that had just swung at them. The wires pulled taut and the captain’s gear let out high-pitched shrieks as their momentum swung them up, back into the air. Eren could feel the captain’s body, all firm muscles and pure strength, as it worked against him to keep them airborne and out of the wide reach of the titan below. The arm that had been wrapped firmly around his chest adjusted as his captain grunted with the effort of maneuvering Eren into position. “On my mark, all right?” Eren’s eyes went wide, but he nodded, reaching frantically for his own triggers. 

Shit, shit! My blade!

He whirled around in a panic. His eyes swept the shattered remains of the tree, dismay curdling the contents of his stomach as he remembered the blade that had been embedded in the tree branch.

“Focus, Eren!” The captain slammed the heavy steel of Eren’s right trigger into his chest. 

How…?!

The captain must have released the blade lock and taken the hilt before he had launched off the tree. Eren didn’t even have the time to admire the man’s lightning quick reflexes before he felt the hand roughly clutch at his uniform. “On my mark!”

“Yes, sir!”

Eren had only a split second to watch, completely enraptured, as the man’s face turned skyward, twisting with a fierce grimace. Those bared teeth parted to let out a guttural shout as, at the apex of their arc, his captain reared back and launched him up into the air, releasing him and barking for him to take it out. Eren’s cloak whipped around him as he flew up over the head of the lumbering titan. The 15 meter was flanked by two 10 meters, both blindly reaching for the captain’s fluttering cloak as he used the broken trunk of the tree to slingshot around. 

Focus, Eren.

Focus.

Eren quickly slotted two fresh blades into his handles and held them at the ready. The titan turned its ugly, bloated face up towards him as he fell. Eren sneered at the dopey smile that stretched across the titan’s face.

He was only going to get one shot at this.

A massive hand reached up, pudgy fingers spread wide and groping. Eren launched his tethers into the meat of the titan’s arm and swung around, looping under and over to land on its sloping shoulder.

One meter long.

Eren eyed the back of the fat titan’s neck and angled the sharpened edges of his blades.

Ten centimeters wide.

“Gotcha!” he shouted, swinging his blades down and through the exposed nape. The honed edges of his steel carved through the flesh with ease. Eren dodged the flying hunk of meat and the plume of superheated steam that erupted from the titan’s neck. His lips pulled back over his teeth in a grin of pure victorious pride as he leapt off the corpse and down towards the ground. Ash and steam already filled the air from the titan’s decaying body, though he paid it no mind as he fell through his descent. His boots hit the ground and slid in the grass and dirt just as he heard the thundering of horse hooves at his back. 

“Eren! Eren, are you all right?!” Mikasa’s panicked voice called his attention as she approached, but it fell uselessly on deaf ears. 

Eren’s attention was focused solely — completely — on the violent evisceration of the two titans that had dared target the captain. The blades in Eren’s hands drooped limply by his sides while he watched, jaw slack, as Captain Levi shredded the napes of the lumbering titans with a strange sort of elegance that was enveloped in a devastating brutality. Bright crimson blood coated the razor edges of his captain’s steel and streaked across his snarling face, and even soaked into the dark green of his scouting cloak like blossoming flowers.

He’s…

The titans fell with matching thundering crashes, one after the other. The captain slid down the blood-slicked back of the last of them, his boots squealing in the thick, steaming liquid. Eren’s heart pounded inside his rib cage loud enough to drown out the sounds of his approaching comrades. Captain Levi flicked the blood from his blades with a sharp snap of his wrists. It splattered across the ground, already fizzling in the dirt and starting to evaporate.

He’s so…

The captain sheathed his blades and shook out his dark hair, dripping with steaming blood. Eren felt something inside him clench tightly as he watched his captain raise a bloodstained hand up to slick back the hair from his face. Blood ran into his eyes, hung from the edge of his sharp jaw, and streaked the smooth skin of his cheeks.

And even while obfuscated by the steam that wafted from the rapidly dissipating gore, Eren caught the slow, languid movement that stole the breath from his lungs and lit up his insides. His captain’s hand, still coated in the near scalding crimson, slid through the rivers of blood that ran over his cheeks to cover his mouth, fingertips lingering on his lips. Eren’s knees went weak inside his boots when he saw the tongue that slipped from between parted lips to lick away a swath of blood from the pad of that calloused thumb.

And then Eren watched those grey eyes go hazy.

O-Oh… my God–

Eren turned away, suddenly feeling feverish, and this heat he couldn’t blame on the steam that surrounded them. He ducked his chin into the collar of his cloak to hide the twisting of his lips. His insides were a roiling mess of nerves and a confused sort of arousal, not at all dampened by the heat and stink of the decaying carcasses around them. He had never been more glad for the length of his scouting cloak than at this moment. He quickly sheathed his blades and let the cloak settle over his shoulders, hanging down below his hips to cover the rising hardness in his pants.

“Nice job taking that one out, Eren! You’re getting really good at your ODM maneuvering!” Armin’s earnest praise was faint in the back of Eren’s mind, as though the blond was riding off beyond the grove of trees they were near instead of at his side, atop his saddle.

After all, there was no way Eren could possibly hope to concentrate on the words falling from his friend’s smiling lips. Not when, at that moment, Eren had turned back to get one last surreptitious glance at his captain — only to meet those steely grey eyes staring right back at him, dark and heavy-lidded. 

Shit.

“You all right? You didn’t hit your head again, did you?” Armin nudged him in the arm with the tip of one of his pointed riding boots, startling him out of the moment. Eren brought a shaky hand up to his face to scrub at it, trying to will himself to stop, just stop, not yet, don’t think— “Eren?”

“Y-Yeah. Fine. I’m fine. I’m good. Let’s… Let’s go. Go. We should go.” Eren heard the hoarseness in his voice and saw the curious tilt of Armin’s head out of the corner of his eye, but he could only hurry past Armin and Mikasa’s shared looks of confusion as he hauled ass back towards his waiting horse. 

There’s no way.

There’s no way.

But even as he practically sprinted back to the safety of his saddle, away from prying eyes and curious stares, he couldn’t help noting that he was escaping before he lost himself — just as his captain had done that night a week ago.

Daybreak.

Eren was expected out in the fields to resume another day of their sparring training in ten minutes, but he couldn’t bring himself to crawl out of his bunk. 

Not just yet.

The others had already dressed in their uniforms and gone down to the mess hall for breakfast, but Eren hadn’t joined them. Armin had been by to bring him a buttered roll and offered to call for the medic if Eren truly wasn’t feeling well, but Eren had waved the blond away with groggy murmurs — No, I’m fine, I’ll be down in a minute. I promise, I’m good, you go on ahead! Just go, Armin!

Pulling the thin woolen covers over his shoulders, Eren turned over in his bunk to stare blindly at the nondescript wall at the back of his bunk. 

He wasn’t fine.

He was fucking exhausted.

He had spent the entire goddamn night tossing and turning until the blankets had tangled around his legs and sweat slicked the back of his neck. He couldn’t sleep. Every time he had closed his eyes, he saw—

“Eren.”

Eren threw a forearm up over his eyes and cursed between his teeth. 

Shit. Shit. 

He hadn’t imagined it. Not this time. There was no mistaking it. While everyone had been admiring the kills or wrinkling their noses at the decaying titan viscera, Eren had been watching his captain. And he had seen it.

It wasn’t his imagination. It couldn’t be explained away by the adrenaline rush of the kill, nor the satisfaction of a clean takedown. It hadn’t even been clean! The captain had been filthy — absolutely covered in the slick crimson of titan blood. It had dissipated in short time, just as always, but before it did…

Eren had seen.

Eren’s hand slid to his mouth, just as the captain’s had, lingering over the delicate skin of his lips. He ran the sensitive pads of his fingers over his parted lips and closed his eyes, recalling the heavy-lidded stare and hazy eyes, the lifted chin and slightly shaky hand. With a quiet breath, Eren lapped at the slightly salty taste of his own skin with the tip of his tongue.

He knew he had recognized that look — the one on the captain’s face, partially shrouded by the haze of titan steam. He didn’t know why he couldn’t place it before, but… it was obvious, now. He had seen it time and time again on the captain’s face, right in front of him. 

Or, more accurately, right beside him as they sat curled over liquor and tea on late nights.

It was the same face the captain made as he swallowed down his first mouthful of freshly brewed evening tea. The heavy-lidded eyes, slowly slipping closed. The bobbing throat, all the more visible as the captain tilted his head back. The soft sigh that escaped him, the tea cup that lingered against soft pink lips, the minutely trembling fingers that gripped the porcelain, the hazy, unfocused stare as he let it wash over his tongue.

All of it together? A look of unspoken, unmistakable pleasure.

Eren’s lips closed around the tip of his finger as he curled up under his covers. He was starting to ache again. Here between his legs was an overwhelming pit of heat and arousal. He bit back the low groan that he could feel deep in his throat. 

God, he was so hard.

He’d been fighting this damned hard-on all night. With five other guys in their bunks around him, snuffling as they dozed or murmuring in their dreams, Eren didn’t dare touch himself. Connie had been caught that one time and they hadn’t let him hear the end of it until the guy had to threaten to tell Mikasa about the time Jean had cried like a baby in his sleep after a nightmare… Or the time Eren had gotten horseshit in his hair after stable duty, and didn’t notice until the next day .

It had been a low blow… but it did the trick. 

Eren drew his legs up almost to his chest as he writhed around the aching hardness in his shorts. He was going to be so fucking late. He should have already been on his way out of the castle by now, but he couldn’t go out — not like this! He could just picture the captain’s face when he jogged out to join them twenty minutes late. Fuck, even if he could get rid of this damn thing, one look from those grey eyes would bring it right back in no time. Especially when—

Eren’s cock throbbed, pulsating as another wave of heat flooded his veins at the memory. He turned his face into his pillow to bury the groan he couldn’t keep from slipping out of his throat.

It wasn’t just the look of pleasure that he had seen cross his captain’s face. If it had been, his belly wouldn't be nearly as stirred up as it was. Eren’s skin had been flushed and his insides roiling all night, and even now, he was an absolute mess of nerves and lust. Eren let out a shuddering exhale as he reached down to wrap his fingers around his still-clothed erection, gripping himself around the base and squeezing. He buried his moan into the folds of his pathetically thin military-issued pillow, hips snapping forward in search of delicious, much-needed friction.

“Dammit…”

When coupled with the way the captain’s fingers had teased his skin, Eren couldn’t help but believe, even if only for the briefest, most selfish of moments, that his captain had been caught out, staring at him with the same heated thirst that he usually saved for his specialty brews. 

That sharp flash of craving, just before indulging in his favorite evening cup.

As Eren bit into the soft cushion of his pillow to muffle himself, he felt his heart thrum rapidly inside his chest with the knowledge that this wasn’t the first time he had seen that heat twist his captain’s features when meeting Eren’s eyes.

And if he had anything to say about it… it wouldn’t be the last.

“You’re late.”

“Sorry, sir.” Eren grimaced as the mumbled apology fell from his lips, though he didn’t dare even look up from where was staring intently at the dirt in front of his boots. He had only just willed his dick soft by imagining old man Shaddis’ wrinkled, low-hanging ballsack flopping around in the wind while swinging skyward in his gear, all in a desperate attempt to make it out to the fields before he was nearly an hour late. 

He had only been moderately successful.

Hastily turning away from his captain’s glare, Eren glanced around at his comrades. The group was once again paired off and already in the midst of their sparring sessions, but confusion twisted his face when he noticed that Mikasa and her scarlet scarf were notably absent. “Hey, where’s—”

“You’d know if you had bothered to be on time, Jaeger.” Eren jumped at the scathing reprimand at his shoulder. He, still, refrained from looking. Even the man’s voice was enough to get a rise out of him. Eren swallowed down the heat that threatened to crawl up his throat as the captain slowly circled around his back, his tone strangely nonchalant. “She’s been called away to assist another squad with advanced ODM training — not that it should matter to you any.” 

Eren felt the quiet presence of his captain looming over him, despite the man’s shorter stature. Regardless of Captain Levi’s height, the man radiated strength and power, and was able to make you feel as miniscule as a tottering human next to a massive, lumbering titan. Though… Eren couldn’t say he minded all that much. It terrified him. Made him nervous and fidgety. But it also stirred him up inside and filled him with a simmering heat that made him almost feverish and lightheaded. Just one brush of those fingers, one glance into those sharp eyes, and he was lost to him. It was—

“—ger! Oi!”

Eren cried out in surprise when his captain abruptly kicked at the back of his locked knee. His leg gave out, and before he could gather his wits about him, a hand tangled into his hair, roughly yanking his head back by his scalp. He helplessly stared up at the irritated scowl. “Cap—”

“Shut up,” the low voice snapped. “You show up late and then when you finally deign us worthy of your pitiful presence, your head is already off in the goddamn clouds.” The captain’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper with every hissed word, accompanied by his curling forward over Eren’s body as he lowered his face to Eren’s rapidly heating cheeks. The grey eyes flashed with something just before they narrowed in visible irritation. Eren’s skin immediately flushed, spilling heat across his flesh and leaving him practically trembling in his captain’s hand. 

No, no, not yet—

His captain slowly, so very slowly, pulled Eren’s head back by the handful of hair clutched tightly in his grip. “I’ve had it with your lack of focus, Jaeger,” the captain murmured, his voice dangerously low. Eren could feel the ghost of the man’s heated breath skim over his face, but he remained still and silent under his captain’s intense stare. The hand in his hair continued to bend him backwards until he was forced to look up towards the clear spring sky, though he saw none of it — not with the man’s dark hair nearly brushing his cheeks with how close their faces were now. 

Eren couldn’t help focusing on the firm line of those lips, so close now. If he wanted to, Eren could just reach up and taste him. He’d surely get slaughtered for his brazen idiocy, but… it’d be worth it.

“Are you listening to me?”

Any other Scout in any other circumstance would immediately cower at the deceptively gentle whisper falling from their captain’s lips. The man’s voice was only barely audible over the faint rasping of the wind through the trees scattered in the field, but Eren heard it. He just had more pressing thoughts than the abject fear that would render his comrades silent — like the throbbing ache between his legs, and the slightly hysterical surge of foolhardy courage.

With lust and bravery in his veins, Eren lifted his chin and very visibly swallowed. Those hooded eyes flicked away to catch the motion of his Adam’s apple bobbing in his extended throat. “Yes, sir,” Eren breathed.

The fingers in his hair tightened. 

Shit. 

The captain clicked his tongue and unceremoniously tossed Eren to the ground. Eren caught himself on his elbows with a grunt as his captain stepped away. “Laps ought to give you time to clear your head. Nothing to focus on but your breathing, your form, and how many times you’ve passed the starting mark.” Eren gaped up at him as the man turned away, face turned to the sun. 

“I—”

“Fifty ought to do it.”

“Fifty?!” The captain didn’t react to Eren’s incredulous cry beyond a faint sniff and disinterested adjustment of his jacket’s cuff. “But—!”

“Best get to stretching. That much running will tear those hunks of meat you call legs to shreds.” The captain lifted his chin and started to walk away, leaving Eren in the dirt, but the threat of laps did little to staunch the overwhelming heat that still coursed through Eren’s blood. It was like being trapped inside the nape of his titan — a veritable oven, swirling with nothing but steam and undulating flesh. 

And when he saw his captain’s hand come up to sweep the wind-ruffled hair away from his face, Eren couldn’t help but suck in a tight gasp at the memory of that same hand slicking the blood-soaked strands back. He surged forward on his knees to take hold of the captain’s wrist, hands trembling and breath caught in his lungs. “Wait.”

Captain Levi went very, very still. 

“Captain, please—”

“Begging so soon?” the captain said quietly as he turned a sharp eye back towards him. “Pathetic, even for you, Jaeger.” The grey eyes narrowed, but did not look away. “Get up.”

Eren let out a breathy huff full of heat at his captain’s accusation. “I’m not begging. Sir.” The man’s face twitched, as though he was attempting to fight back an amused smirk that threatened to break his cool demeanor. Eren’s chest swelled at the sight, making him bold. He quickly clambered to his feet, but kept tight hold of his captain’s wrist as he stood. “I just… I have a proposition.” Eren could feel the skin of his cheeks flaring red-hot at the man’s raised eyebrow, but he soldiered on. “I don’t want to miss out on the sparring training. Not when I’ve been, ah…” Eren’s voice faltered.

“Such shit at it lately,” the captain blandly finished for him. Eren resisted the urge to bite back that he was at least better than half the squad, even despite his recent… distractions. 

Through clenched teeth, Eren relented. “Yeah. Shit at it.” The captain remained silent as he waited for Eren’s elaboration, though his eyes dropped to where Eren’s fingers still gripped him around his wrist. 

It didn’t escape Eren’s notice that the man had yet to wrench his hand away.

“Erm…”

“Lost your nerve already, have you?” 

“No!” As those grey eyes lifted back to look up at Eren, so too did a single dark brow, clearly showing the man’s doubt in Eren’s adamant denial. “I…” Eren swallowed down the lump that tried to choke the nerve out of him. “I’d like to spar with you. Hand-to-hand.”

“Why?” There was the faintest hint of suspicion in his question, but mostly open curiosity. 

Because I… I think I’m right.

That you—

“If I’m gonna run laps, I’d at least like to learn something first so I don’t waste the whole damn day. Spar with me.” Even Eren was surprised at the strength in his voice. And when he caught the twitch of his captain's lips, Eren felt the grin spread over his own face. “If I can hold you off, I’ll do half. If you destroy me, then—”

“Double.” 

Eren’s skin prickled under his uniform at the intrigued glint in Captain Levi’s stare. A hundred laps would probably take all fucking day, but Eren knew he was on to something. He felt like a mutt that had sniffed out the remains of a butcher’s scraps, and there was no way he was going to let it go — not when it was so damn close.

He, regretfully, let go of the man’s slender wrist to offer his hand. “Deal?”

The captain stared at him a moment, silent. After one beat, then two, the man lifted his chin with a quiet confidence that spoke volumes. The captain slotted his hand — shit, it’s so warm — into Eren’s palm and took firm hold of his hand. They locked eyes as he gave him a single shake, strong and steady. “Deal.” With that single word, a shot of adrenaline coursed through Eren’s blood, making him practically liquefy on his feet.

And then the captain stepped away. 

Eren’s hands went to his jacket, ready to shrug it off for the sparring, but he didn’t even have time to pull it from his shoulders. The captain suddenly rounded on him, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he ducked down to slam the heel of his palm into the soft bit of flesh just under Eren’s ribs. Eren stumbled with a guttural choking noise, caught off guard and knocked off balance. He backed away with his hand pressed to his abdomen, grimacing at the blow. 

“You know, I very nearly expected that you had something up your sleeve, Jaeger. What with all that bravado.” The captain straightened up and glanced back behind him at his other Scouts in the fields beyond, already bored. “I’m almost disappointed.”

Eren let out a pained huff of annoyance. “A-At least give me a second to get ready, Captain…” 

“You think any enemy of yours would ‘give you a second’?” 

“Well, no, but—”

“Then you should always be on your toes.” Grey eyes flicked back to him. “Even around me.”

Eren lifted his hands up to guard his face and bounced on the balls of his feet, the pain in his gut already forgotten and replaced by a nervous energy that kept his insides twisting with excitement. “Yeah?” he taunted. His lips pulled into a smirk. “Why? Do you plan on attacking me sometime, Captain?”

The man’s eyes narrowed, his chin dropping slightly.

The thrill of victory tingled just under Eren’s skin. He knew it, he just knew it. His hunch was going to be proven correct, and he couldn’t wait—

Captain Levi’s boots rasped through the dirt and grass as he made his approach. He was light on his feet, and fast — so fucking fast. Eren lowered his hands down to guard his side just in time to catch the brunt of his captain’s kick, but just barely. Eren grit his teeth against the force of it and took a step back, but the captain kept pressing forward in his assault. Eren dodged and blocked blow after blow. His muscles were tight and aching from holding back the captain’s powerful hits, while his mouth hung open as he panted from the effort. The late morning air was cool on his flushed skin, but sweat still slicked his nape and ran down his temples. 

“Not bad, Jaeger.” The captain's voice was even, despite his exertion. As Eren braced himself against yet another blow, he peeked at the man’s face. It was focused, his dark brows furrowed just slightly in concentration. There was the barest of frowns pulling at his lips, but otherwise he showed no signs of fatigue or concern. There was no sweat on his brow, no slowing of his advances… even his cravat was still meticulously in place, not a wrinkle to be seen.

As was expected of his captain.

Eren let out a grunt as the man turned on his heel and rammed his shoulder into Eren’s chest with the force of something akin to an iron cannonball. He slid backwards in the dirt, wheezing. 

“Still too slow, though,” the man offhandedly remarked.

Eren felt the captain’s body suddenly shift against him — he was lowering himself, about to try and hoist Eren over his shoulder to throw him. Feeling that wall of warmth and muscle against his chest was overwhelming. Even through all their layers of canvas and cotton, Eren could feel him. He wanted nothing more than to push back against that body, to meet him blow-for-blow. He wanted to feel the true strength of that body, the simmering heat under his skin.

But now was not that time. 

Not yet.

Eren dropped into a low crouch, kneeling in the grass to evade the throw. The captain let him go, backing off to remain standing while Eren looked up at him. As distracted as Eren was by his captain, he knew this move was tactically stupid; it put him in prime position—

The captain clicked his tongue. “Tch. Sloppy.”

Eren clenched his jaw tight, bracing himself for the impact. It was going to hurt. But he could take it. Anything his captain gave him, he could take. And when those fingers tangled into his hair again to hold his head in place, Eren’s belly flared with heat. 

Worth it.

The captain’s knee slammed right into the side of his face. Had Eren not braced himself, he surely would have lost a few teeth, and maybe suffered a broken jaw. Even still, his vision went a bit hazy from the powerful impact. He could feel the wetness on his lips — blood. He let his aching jaw hang open as he took a few heaving breaths in an attempt to gather himself enough to look up. He gave a slight shake of his head to clear the fog inside his brain. A quiet noise of pain escaped him when the hand in his hair pulled his scalp tight. “Ah… hah…” He looked up as his eyes tried to focus, swaying a bit on bent knee. He wanted to see. He needed to see…

There.

Captain Levi’s eyes, hooded and shadowed by his dark hair, stared down at him with that familiar look of unspoken thirst. Of craving.

I knew it.

I knew it.

I fucking knew it.

Eren kept his captain’s eye as he licked the blood from his split lip, already feeling the heat of his wound healing. Captain Levi’s sharp jaw worked underneath his pale skin, as though he were holding back unspoken words. He paused, his breath hitching in his chest.

Please. Just—

The captain abruptly released him and stepped back. “Get up,” he ordered quietly. “We go again.”

Eren wouldn’t mind staying here on his knees for a moment longer, but the sharp glare prompted him to stagger up to his feet. The faint wisp of steam dissipated in the breeze as he wiped at his freshly healed mouth with the back of his hand. “Yes, sir,” he acknowledged with a nod. He put his fists back up. The burn of his muscles and ache of his bones was steadily easing up — a welcome benefit of his healing abilities. Captain Levi silently regarded him for a moment, just watching. Eren ducked his chin down to his chest and lowered his stance, readying himself. When the man didn’t make a move, Eren peeked from behind his fists and gave him a smirk that felt a bit blurry at the edges.

“I’m waiting, Captain.”

Without a word, the captain whirled around, striking his forearm with the heel of his boot. Eren hissed through his teeth at the sharp edge of the sole digging into his arm. He threw the captain’s kick off and circled around.

Again.

And again.

And again.

And then he purposefully missed the next block, allowing the captain to strike him across the face once more. He felt the delicate skin of his cheek split and the resulting drop of blood skim down the curve of his face. It was warm — unnaturally hot, even. It hung from the edge of his jaw until he wiped it away with the cuff of his jacket, not paying it any mind. 

But the captain… well.

With every hit Eren let his captain land, every blow across his face, every cut and bruise he secretly accepted with a wild grin, the man seemed to grow more and more agitated. The captain’s narrowed eyes remained locked to Eren’s face, where they flicked over the lacerations that wept steaming blood, the bruises that bloomed across his jaw, and even the bloodstained collar of his jacket. Eren could see the jaw tighten and clench as the assault continued, and every time the captain’s hands tangled into Eren’s uniform or his hair, he could feel the tremors that grew more pronounced as their sparring went on.

It hurt.

It really fucking hurt.

The captain was a force like a raging storm buffeting the hills of the land, pounding the earth with flashing lightning and howling winds. But instead of slamming against the grass and trees, it was Eren’s body that took the blows.

Even still, Eren gladly bore the pain. His muscles screamed with delight at the exertion, and his skin glowed with the heat of sweat and steam pouring from his bleeding wounds. It made him feel flushed, feverish, and almost lightheaded. 

Or maybe it was the concussion.

Either way, he was absolutely sure now that the captain—

Eren’s head was knocked back by the heel of Captain Levi’s palm uppercutting the underside of his chin. He hadn’t expected that. He cried out in pain after he bit his tongue, immediately flooding his mouth with the sharp metallic taste of his blood.

Oluo was probably rolling in his grave, guffawing at him…

Serves you right, greenhorn!

He stumbled and fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. The captain was on him in an instant. He dropped to his knees at Eren’s side and shoved his hand just under Eren’s jaw to force his chin up. The hand tightened around his throat, leaving him gasping for breath as the man curled forward over him, his face twisting with suspicion. Eren coughed and wheezed beneath his captain’s firm grip. Mortified, he saw the droplets of blood sprinkle the pristine jacket’s fabric, even spattering across the pale skin of his captain’s cheek.

Not a word was said for a long, long time. Eren felt each passing second like a thorn pressing deeper and deeper under his skin until the discomfort was just a bit too much, even through the haze of pain and arousal.

“Erm, Cap—”

“What the hell are you doing?”

Eren’s eyes went wide at the man’s quiet question. He stammered, “Ah, w-what do you mea— nnngh!“

The dark brows furrowed with a flash of anger while the hand at his throat squeezed the lie from his lips. “Stop bullshitting me, Jaeger.” Eren went silent. The captain tilted his head and spoke with a sincerity that summoned the slow creep of shame along Eren’s flushed skin. “You’re better than this. Why are you letting me beat the shit out of you?” 

Eren briefly contemplated lying to cover his ass. His captain’s reaction was… unexpected. He must have gotten something wrong. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, maybe he… maybe he had misread? But his face… He could have sworn that the captain had been… 

“Jaeger.” 

A fierce blush of overwhelming embarrassment spread over Eren’s face at the captain’s firm prodding. He stared helplessly up at those steel grey eyes with a rising panic in his blood. 

He was wrong.

He was wrong.

Oh my God.

Eren’s body went still as stone, though his insides were a violent mess of horror and shame. “I… I just…” he croaked. His voice cracked on his words, and the mortification was near enough to kill him. The captain’s intense stare didn’t waver, even at his pathetic verbal stumbling. Eren swallowed the bitter mouthful of blood and humiliation before attempting to speak again, this time in a muted whisper — he just didn’t have it in him to give any semblance of strength to his words.

“I-I just thought… Isn’t this…” His voice faded until it was just the ghost of a breath. “...what you wanted?” 

The words hung in the thick air between them, uncomfortable and vulnerable. The only sounds were those of the wind whistling through the spring-fresh trees and the faint grunts and shouts of their far-off comrades in the field beyond. 

That, and the thundering beating of Eren’s panicked heart echoing inside his head.

Eren half expected the man to choke him out in a fit of fury. Or maybe to verbally tear him a new asshole for being so fucking stupid. But neither came. Instead, he felt the warm fingers wrapped around his throat ease in their tension until they gently slid over the hammering pulse in his neck as they withdrew. Eren took a shuddering breath full of steam when the man released him. He watched those grey eyes suddenly soften, and the sight of it caused something unspeakable inside Eren’s chest to clench.

“You thought I wanted to hurt you?” 

His captain sounded remarkably… disappointed.

“I…”

Captain Levi eased up off him completely and stood, leaving Eren splayed out on the cool grass. The man wiped at his blood-splattered cheek with his fingertips. He pulled his fingers away and stared down at the crimson smears for a moment before murmuring a soft curse in his deep timbre. “You’re a fucking idiot, Eren.” The captain rubbed his fingertips together and turned away, back towards his Scouts. 

“Captain—”

“You’re dismissed. Get the hell out of here and go clean yourself up.” 

“But—”

“That’s an order.” 

The captain didn’t look back as he took his leave. And, somehow, that was leagues worse than if he had just shouted at Eren, or knocked him unconscious for his idiotic assumption. 

Eren sat up and drew his knees to his chest. He buried his face, burning with embarrassment, into his thighs and tried to bite back the bile that had risen in his aching throat. It wouldn’t do to throw up now… or worse yet, cry. And judging by the way his insides heaved, he was pretty damn close to one or the other, though he couldn’t tell which. He sucked in wet breaths between grit teeth, hoping that the feeling would ease enough for him to escape back to the castle without shattering his dignity, such that it was.

He didn’t need to look any more pathetic than he already did.

A week. 

A fucking week. 

Eren had been removed from his squad’s training and assigned to assisting Hange with weapons construction using his titan’s newly gained hardening ability. It was exhausting, grueling work that left him absolutely wrecked at the end of the day, with little energy to do anything other than scarf down a quick meal by himself in the mess hall before collapsing into bed to sleep for a few hours, only to repeat it again, and again, and again.

If he had to transform one more time, he was sure his arms and legs would fucking peel off with his titan’s flesh.

Eren pulled his wool sweater tighter around his body with a soft sigh as he shuffled down the chilly corridor, predictably empty at this late hour. His empty stomach loudly gurgled with hunger, and the sound of it was like a titan’s roar in the echoing silence.

He was positive that he had been relegated to Hange’s command for the week by personal request of Captain Levi. Eren hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the man this last week, ever since the disastrous sparring session. Not even the quiet murmur of his voice or the sharp clicking of his boots — not that Eren had memorized the way his captain’s particular stride sounded on the flagstones that lined the castle floors, of course.

The captain was avoiding him. He didn’t even want to lay eyes on his pathetic face. And Eren couldn’t blame him. He’d been so stupid. How could he have thought he’d stumbled on something so… so fortuitous, yet so sordid? The captain… getting off on Eren’s pain? What had he been thinking?! Clearly, Eren’s persistent hard-on for his captain had clouded his judgement, making him blind to reality. He’d made himself believe that he had seen things he wanted to see. 

And now, he was forced to sneak down to the mess hall after hours, just to grab a bite without chancing those steely grey eyes lingering on him, cold with offense… or worse, distaste.

He’d been a fool.

A horny, pathetic fool.

He shuffled down the last corridor, his civilian shoes scuffing a bit on the dusty stones, and stepped over the threshold of the mess hall. The lanterns cast flickering shadows along the walls and gave the room a warm glow — perfect for wallowing a bit to soothe his wounded pride. His eyes then caught the hunched back and dark hair, and it sent ice coursing through his veins.

No.

Oh no .

He quickly turned on his heel to sprint back down the hall, but the low voice called him to a halt. “Jaeger.” Eren froze for a long moment, then pursed his lips and turned his face to the wooden beams above, silently cursing with a rapidly growing pit of dread in his guts. 

“…Yes, sir?”

“Where are you running away to?” 

Eren heard the quiet rustling of the captain shifting in the rickety wooden chair he was seated in. He didn’t dare turn to look, afraid of what he’d see. “Erm, b-back to the barracks. It’s pretty late, and—s”

“I never took you for such a coward.” The captain’s voice was strangely smooth. His words slid together as they fell from his lips, and that could really only mean… 

Eren turned. 

Ah.

The captain, clad in his simple civilian clothes, had turned to look at him from over his shoulder. There was a faint flush of heat high on his cheeks. His dark hair, slightly mussed as though he had been running his hands through it, hung into his heavy-lidded eyes, hazy with the liquor that surely laced his after-midnight tea. 

It must be a bad night.

The thin brows furrowed in consideration for a moment before he turned back around, resuming his previously hunched-over posture. He rested his forearms on the old wooden table while his pale fingers toyed with the porcelain tea cup between his hands. “You may stay,” he murmured down to the dark liquid.

Eren fidgeted, firmly stuck in place by the conflicting emotions that swirled inside his chest. He desperately wanted to flee back to the safety of his abandoned bunk where only he and the sleeping bodies of his comrades would bear witness to his continued embarrassment. But… truthfully, he also wanted to take his usual seat next to his captain. To forget about his missteps, erase them and just enjoy a nightcap in quiet companionship again. 

He also… was admittedly a bit worried. His captain rarely drank enough to get fully drunk, but Eren could already hear the beginnings of slurring from the man’s alcohol-loose tongue. He vaguely wondered just how much liquor still sloshed inside the hidden flask, surely tucked away in the man’s trousers. Eren would bet his tongue that it was nearly empty by now.

“Erm…”

The uncomfortable silence was broken by the unmistakable sound of the captain cracking his knuckles, each in turn. “I am not upset with you, Eren.”

Eren’s body twitched at the way his given name slipped like honey from his captain’s lips. He lifted a hand to rub awkwardly at the nape of his neck and let out a stilted laugh. “Ah… ha, you don’t exactly seem like it. Sir.” Eren’s laugh died on his lips when the man turned around once more. Those hazy eyes softened as he tilted his head, though he did not speak. Eren felt a warmth in his chest bloom and branch out into his arms, snaking down into his tingling fingertips. He let out a bit of a strangled grunt as he swallowed, relenting. “Er… o-okay. If you’re sure.” He forced himself to unlock his legs and take the first step towards the table the captain occupied, then the next, and then the next.

Captain Levi took hold of his tea cup and took a long drink of the dark liquid as Eren settled into his usual seat next to him, nearly touching shoulders — like always. Eren kept his face forward, but peeked over to watch the captain’s throat working as he swallowed a large serving of the heavily liquored tea. Now that he was up close, Eren could practically taste the scent of the honeyed whisky wafting up from the cup. The drink had to be more alcohol than tea at this point.

“Is… everything okay, Captain?” Eren ventured, wary. The man lowered the cup to the tabletop with a faint thud. 

“Yeah,” he replied simply, if a bit gruffly. He sat back and pushed the sleeves of his casual grey shirt up to his elbows to expose his forearms. Eren stared down at the wide swathes of pale, smooth skin as the muscles flexed underneath. He turned in his seat to face Eren and let his chin rest in the palm of his hand. “Why do you ask?” 

Eren felt pinned in place by the inscrutable look in those eyes now that he was just a few centimeters away — close enough to feel the warmth of his captain’s body, flushed with liquor. Eren’s tongue couldn’t unstick itself from the roof of his mouth enough to speak. All he could manage was an embarrassing, whiny sort of noise from the confines of his throat as he stared helplessly at the man.

Dammit—

The captain let out an amused huff at Eren’s obvious discomfort. “I see,” he murmured with the hint of a smirks, then looked down at his tea. “You’re a true wordsmith, Jaeger.” He plucked the cup from the table with his signature claw-like grip and held it up to his lips. This time, Eren turned to watch. Their eyes connected over the rim of the cup as the captain swallowed another mouthful. 

Eren flinched and turned away, covering the twisting of his lips with his hand and pretending to rub at his chin as though in thought. “Erm…”

The amused huff turned into a full-on snort and an incredulous shake of the captain’s head. Eren had expected the man to give him a dressing down about his sudden awkwardness, but when the captain spoke next, he wasn’t prepared. Not in the slightest. 

“Tch. A week ago you were on your knees and begging for me to hit you, and now you can’t even look me in the eye.” 

Eren choked on the saliva in his mouth, coughing and sputtering down at the table they sat at. “C-Captain!” he gasped, breathless.

“What? It’s the truth, isn’t it?” The captain swirled the remains of his drink in the cup for a moment before lowering it to the table. He turned the cup around by the handle until it was aimed towards Eren. “No use pretending.” He reached into his back pocket to withdraw the hidden flask, with all its brushed metal and subtle engraving. Eren was silent as he watched the man unscrew the cap and tip the last bit of liquor into the cup. “If you were ballsy enough to actually do it, then you should be man enough to admit it.” He capped the empty flask and pocketed it once more. Then, with the backs of his thin fingers, the captain wordlessly nudged the cup towards Eren.

Eren followed the cup’s path until it came to a rest against his hand. It was more alcohol than the captain had ever offered him before — an actual serving instead of a single sip here and there. He looked up, a silent question in his eyes.

The captain merely shrugged before resting his chin in his palm again. Eren rarely got to see the captain so… relaxed. At ease. That warmth in Eren’s chest expanded, glowing like a tiny, gentle sun. He set his shoulders and picked up the cup to quickly swallow down a few gulps of the bitter liquor. He’d need the courage for this. The alcohol burned a path through the thickness that had gathered in his throat. He coughed, his hand coming up to cover his mouth in a sad attempt to save some of his dignity. “S-Sorry, sir…” he gasped between ragged breaths. 

“Stop apologizing for stupid shit.” 

Eren wiped at his mouth with a quick swipe of his fist. “N-No,“ he coughed. He kept his watery eyes downcast until he could finally catch his breath enough to speak steadily, if a bit hushed. He turned sheepishly towards his captain and quietly repeated, “I’m sorry.”  

His captain stared at him for long enough for Eren to know that the man had indeed understood what he meant by his vague apology. The slightly red-rimmed grey eyes slipped shut as he murmured, just as quietly, “...Stop apologizing for stupid shit.”

Relief flooded Eren’s insides. He let out the tense breath that had been trapped inside his lungs and slumped forward over the table, cradling his burning face in his hands. “God, I… I don’t know what I was thinking. I just… You were so… God, I’m so stupid. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Captain… I can’t believe I thought—” Words tumbled from his lips, sloppy and loose, until he felt the warm hand lay across the back of his head. Eren went still as the fingers began to card through his hair, letting the strands fall through their grip. The touch was pleasantly warm and strangely soothing. Eren let a shuddering breath out against the palms of his hands.

“Enough,” came the soft command. The fingers slid down to Eren’s nape where they slowly twisted the feathery strands around and around. Goosebumps prickled along Eren’s neck as he let his head hang forward. He could feel the liquor easing its way down into his belly where it settled into a pit of heat, stoked by his captain’s rare, gentle touch.

“I told you to stop apologizing, brat,” Captain Levi murmured. He released the soft bits of Eren’s hair, and after a moment’s hesitation and a quiet sigh, he let his fingers dip down to the collar of Eren’s sweater to slide along the sensitive, heated skin just underneath. His voice dropped low, almost a whisper, as he continued to speak in that particular, honeyed way — that way meant only for Eren’s ears. “Your assumption was stupid. But not all that far off.” The fingers dipped lower, pulling the neck of Eren’s sweater down a bit as they traced the nubs of his curved spine. 

He… must be really drunk.

And yet, even knowing that it was liquor prompting the man’s touch, Eren didn’t shrug it off. Instead, he tilted his head and leaned back into that slow, searching hand with a soft sigh of his own. “Ah… What do you mean?” he whispered. The fingers shifted, now dragging the sharp edges of his captain’s nails along the ridges of his spine and the curves of his shoulder blades. He bit at his bottom lip to try and stifle the noise that he was sure would break the moment.

The captain was silent. For a long while, he seemed content to trace lazy circles into Eren’s back and listen to the breathy gasps and sighs he pulled from Eren’s mouth. His nails scratched searing paths into Eren’s skin — sharp and teasing, but never painful or rough.

It was… fuck, so good.

And then, just as Eren lifted his chin and arched his back with a quiet noise of pleasure, the hand abruptly slipped away, leaving him bereft and practically whining in his seat. He turned a confused look towards his captain. He was sure his cheeks were bright red, judging by the heat he felt creeping over his skin. The heat was a near overwhelming mixture of the liquor that sloshed in his empty belly, the remnants of his embarrassment, and the slow rise of the illicit arousal that coated his insides. 

His captain’s face was once again inscrutable. A hard mask had fallen over his features in a way Eren couldn’t quite riddle out. The grey eyes, though, remained just as hazy — if not more so — as he looked over Eren’s face. 

“Cap—”

“Why did you assume I wanted to hurt you?” 

Eren was startled by the man’s quietly posed question. “W-What?” he asked, flustered. His mind was starting to feel a bit foggy, clouded by the alcohol. He could feel his heart beating in his neck, his chest, even his damn fingers where they had wriggled down between his knees to hold them in place. 

Captain Levi tilted his head, curious, and repeated, “Why did you assume I wanted to hurt you?” 

Eren couldn’t quite think straight. His eyes kept darting to the man’s exposed forearms and the faint ridges of the veins that lined the pale skin. His breath was short, his heartbeat rapid, and his mouth dry. “Er… w-well, I…” He licked at his lips, thinking of how best to explain. The captain’s eyes went straight to his mouth, and before Eren could utter another word, that hand was back at his throat, this time squeezing the breath from him with a fierceness that startled him. The nails that had just been gently dragging across his skin were now biting into the soft flesh of his neck. 

“Is it because you think I’m a heartless bastard?” The captain practically hauled Eren out of his chair as he spoke, soft and slow. His heated breath caressed the blushing cheeks of Eren’s face with a gentleness that bellied the cruelness of his grip. As he drew Eren closer and closer, the hand at Eren’s throat tightened further until he lightheaded and dizzy. His vision faded at the edges as his captain pulled him forward, now nearly chest-to-heaving-chest. “The asshole Captain that likes to beat and degrade his Scouts?” Eren tried to shake his head in denial, but the captain only held him tighter still. He could feel the edges of the nails pierce the skin of his throat with the force.

“N-No…” Eren wheezed.

“No?” His captain pulled him closer yet, until the very tips of their noses skimmed together. Eren could taste the liquor on the man’s breath: bitter, yet honeyed — just like his voice. Eren stared into his captain’s eyes, wide-eyed and on the edge of a confused terror. 

No–

They were soft. Narrowed and the same color of their hardened steel blades, but… soft, even as he choked the air from Eren’s lungs. “Don’t you think I’m cruel?” he breathed. “Don’t you think I like seeing your stupid face twisted in pain?” 

No, you just—

Eren tried to suck in a breath, but all he could do was clutch his captain’s wrist with desperate hands. His vision was greying out — he was going to lose consciousness. Fast.

“Ca… Capt…” His shoulders slumped as he began to lose himself, his hands going limp and slipping from his captain’s wrist. “Ca… hah…”

His captain pulled him in, letting their lips brush in a bitter bastardization of a kiss as he whispered against them, “Isn’t this what you wanted, Eren?” 

Eren’s eyes rolled back. “I—“

The captain released him. 

Eren collapsed back into his chair with a gasp, inhaling precious air into his burning lungs. The chair rattled on its rickety old legs as he nearly toppled over, only caught and steadied by a firm hand gently cupping the back of his neck and pulling him back into place. “Easy,” the man murmured. “I’ve got you, brat. Easy.”

Eren’s eyes watered as he coughed and wheezed into his closed fist. “S-Sor—”

The hand at the back of his neck lightly shook him. “Don’t you dare,” Captain Levi ordered sharply. Eren’s mouth snapped shut at the command. He watched the man’s lips pull into a deeper frown as he released Eren completely and sat back in his own chair. He ran a hand through his hair, sweeping it back off his face. Eren rubbed at his aching throat for a moment, though the pain was nearly gone already. His fingertips brushed over where the crescent-shaped marks had been left behind by the captain’s nails, though he couldn’t feel any remnants of the wounds. The skin was hot here, freshly healed.

“I use pain as a punishment — an effective way to discipline errant shits that disobey clear and direct orders.” Eren warily glanced back up at the captain’s face as he spoke. The grey eyes suddenly flicked to Eren’s. “I don’t get off on it,” he said simply. “Or can’t you tell?”

Eren, despite the thin thread of fear that was tied around his twisted guts, had to restrain himself from glancing down when the captain lifted a single dark brow, as if challenging him to check. “I understand,” he rasped, his voice hoarse.

The captain stared at him a moment before he clicked his tongue and turned away to lean over the table. Eren continued to absently rub at his neck as he watched the muscles of his captain’s jaw tighten and clench. Those grey eyes narrowed into a glare, aimed down at the pitted wood of their table. Eren’s gaze slid down the man’s tensed arms, where the tendons and veins were pulled taut by the hardened fists that lay on either side of the abandoned, nearly empty tea cup. 

“Erm… Captain,” Eren called softly. The man merely offered a grunt by way of acknowledging him. Eren leaned forward and plucked the tea cup from the table and quickly swallowed down the remnants of the whisky. He shuddered at the taste, but thankfully didn’t cough this time around. He held the cup between his fingers to keep himself from nervously fidgeting as he cleared his throat. “You… You had said that my assumption was wrong. I’m sorry for that.” The captain let out a beleaguered sigh at Eren’s apology and leaned forward, bracing his forehead against his fist with his eyes slipping closed. He looked like he was suffering from one hell of a headache.

Before he lost his nerve, Eren went on, “But ah… You also said I wasn’t too far off.” 

“Mm.”

Eren chose to remain silent. He waited patiently, absently turning the cup round and round in his hands as he watched the man take a few deep, steadying breaths. Eventually, after the silence had stretched on for long enough to make them both uncomfortable, the eyes opened and looked at him. The haze of liquor clouded the sharpness that usually occupied the grey, softening them.

“You should use that useless thing that sits between your ears and think about it, Jaeger.” The man suddenly pushed back from the table and stood while Eren sat and sputtered. 

“Y’know, I may not have been top of the class, sir, but I’m not actually that stupid!” Indignant anger flared red-hot inside his chest, burning him up. That, or the last bit of liquor had finally hit his belly. Both were entirely possible, though Eren was too befuddled by the captain’s actions to spend much thought on it.

The captain had gone to the supply cupboards on the far end of the mess hall. He ducked down into one of the cabinets and rummaged around inside, searching for something. “I know,” came the muffled response. There was a quiet hum of satisfaction from within the depths of the supply cabinet before the man suddenly appeared again. He stared down at something he held in his hand for a moment before looking up and giving Eren a strange look. “I just prefer to see you all fired up.” He gestured towards Eren’s face with the object, though Eren couldn’t see what it was from where he was seated. “Like that. It suits you. Instead of the nervous, apologetic wreck you’ve been lately.” He maneuvered around the cabinets and returned to the table, tossing the object between his hands casually with each step. 

Eren’s brows furrowed with simmering annoyance and confusion as he watched the man approach. “There are better ways to get that than just insulting me.” Eren huffed and crossed his arms over his chest as the man sat back in his seat. “And you wonder why I thought you liked hurting me…” A hand lightly slapped at the back of his head. “Hey!” 

“Don’t be a shit.” 

Eren pouted and rubbed at the spot where the captain’s hand had lingered for just a moment longer than was expected. “Is this my punishment?” 

The man snorted and Eren caught the flash of an amused smirk tug at his lips before he replied, “You’re right.” He lifted the object up to examine it in the low light. Eren’s eyes went wide. The firelight from the torches lining the walls glinted off the metal of the kitchen knife that the captain turned in his hands. “You are smarter than I give you credit for.”

“Uh… Captain…” Captain Levi flipped the knife and held it steady as he gently ran his thumb along the blade’s edge. The steel whispered across the calloused pad without cutting. Eren watched, strangely enthralled. A thrill ran through him with each pass of the knife’s blade over his captain’s fingers. “Is it… erm… knives?” 

Eren knew it was a thing that Jean joked about sometimes — that the way their captain always carried a pocket knife on his person seemed odd, considering the copious amounts of honed steel that practically lined the halls of their headquarters. Sure, those blades were meant for slicing through titan flesh, but it was close enough, right?

The man in front of him, though, chose not to answer Eren’s wary question. 

“Why did you assume I wanted to hurt you?” he asked for a third time, though this time was much more hushed than the times previous. Even though they were the only two in the mess hall — hell, they were likely the only two even awake at this late hour — Eren had to strain to hear his captain’s murmured words. Slightly slurred and sliding off his tongue, just like honey. The blade stopped, lingering on the rough pads of the captain’s fingers. Eren pried his eyes away from the smooth metal to look up. 

Oh fuck.

There, lit by the gentle warmth of the flickering light, was that same look of craving — of want. The man’s eyes were heavily shadowed by his hair as he leaned forward, but even still, Eren could see it. Hell, he could feel it practically radiating off the man in palpable waves. Eren’s heart jumped into his throat, hammering wildly and sending pulse after pulse of adrenaline and heated lust through his veins at that look. 

“Eren.” 

Eren jumped at the soft murmur of his name, deep and gravely as it fell from his captain’s lips. He tucked his hands between his thighs and leaned forward, shifting in his seat. Arousal had curled around his insides with reaching tendrils, and it was starting to distract him. He cleared his throat. “Erm, you just seemed…” He tilted his head and hummed, searching for the right way to phrase it. “Whenever I had gotten hurt or sustained a wound, you just… You’d always be looking at me.” He raised his brows and lifted his chin to gesture towards the man’s face. “Like that,” he finished softly. 

“Why is that?” The captain leaned forward, slipping into Eren’s space. The heat under Eren’s skin was stoked into an inferno as the man practically crawled over him in his chair. Eren felt the captain’s calloused fingers slip around his wrist to pull his hand free of the prison of his desperately clenched legs. “Here,” he murmured. The man slid the wooden handle of the knife into his palm and gently coaxed Eren to take hold of it. 

“But—”

Eren froze, trembling in place as his captain nestled his face close to his. Their temples brushed as he gave the soft command, whispered with just a breath. “Show me.” 

And then he pulled away.

Eren could do little more than stare down at the kitchen knife held in his hand. His insides were an absolute wreck. Liquor had warmed his blood, and the captain’s voice had wrapped him in a shroud of shivering arousal. His hands tightened around the handle until the blade vibrated from the tremors. He looked up at his captain’s faintly amused face, though he gave no hints or indications as to what he was asking of him.

“I…”

The captain slung an arm over the back of his own chair and rested his head on his fingers, silent and observant. His grey eyes flicked over Eren’s befuddled face before dropping to the blade. 

“I don’t…”

Maybe if he hadn’t had any of the liquor, Eren’s head would be more clear and capable of critical thought. As it was, his mind was nothing but a foggy, heated mess. All he could think about was the silent man seated before him, in all manner of hazy memories. 

Eyes sharp and narrowed as they stared down at him, brows furrowed as Eren wiped the blood from his lips.

Voice low and rasping as he ordered Eren to clean himself up from the blood and dirt that smeared his face and uniform.

Fingers that wiped away the splatters that marred his pale skin, rubbing together to smear the fluid over the tips.

Dark hair dripping with steaming titan blood and viscera, slicked back by bloodstained hands that wore no gloves.

A flash of tongue that… licked away…

Oh.

Eren looked up, eyes wide with understanding. His captain raised a single thin brow, but still said nothing. Eren lifted the blade and mimicked the man’s previous actions. He turned the knife around and thumbed the razor edge of the sharpened steel. He felt the metal pressing into his skin, and with just a slight push, he could slice right into his finger. He slid the blade along his thumb, tilting his head at the sensation. It was cold. And sharp. And—

“Eren—”

He let the blade of the knife bite into the pad of his thumb. Blood seeped up from the cut and coated the knife’s edge as he slid it through the wound. It wasn’t deep — just enough to draw a steady stream of the crimson liquid. Didn’t even feel it, really. He briefly contemplated rubbing this thumb and pointer finger together as the captain often did, but when he looked up again, he was immediately too distracted to even think. 

His captain was still seated in the same position as when he had first given Eren the knife. Legs casually crossed, arm resting on the back of his chair, his head tilted and face turned to watch Eren’s ministrations. But his face — God, his face.

Captain Levi’s hand had come up over his mouth to cover the quiet, shuddering breaths that passed over his lips. His eyes were hazy, but completely and utterly focused on the blood that trailed down the side of Eren’s thumb. A thick bead had snaked towards his wrist, about to drop off and fall to the stone tiled floor. 

I see now.

Eren felt his lips pull back into a pleased grin as he lifted his hand to his face. “Ah, it’s going to fall,” he remarked, seemingly aloof. He opened his mouth and let his tongue drag along the bloody trail, licking away the coppery fluid in one long stroke. His insides fluttered at the choked sound his captain bit back behind his clenched jaw, hissing curses. 

“All right, you little shit. That’s enough.” 

“Are you sure?” Eren asked nonchalantly. “I can still—”

The captain let out an annoyed huff of hot breath and leaned forward to snatch the knife from Eren’s hands. “I said enough.” His voice was rough — ragged around the edges as though his words had been dragged through glass shards. He held the blade delicately in his hands, careful not to touch the bloodied edge. A drop slowly slid down over the polished metal, leaving a path of red in its wake. The captain pursed his lips, silent as he watched the blood glisten in the firelight for a moment. He sighed and murmured, “Are you all right?” 

“Hm?” Eren’s attention snapped away from where it had been focused on the way the captain’s jaw had tightened and flexed.

“Your thumb.” The man laid the kitchen knife on the table, abandoning it without another glance as he held his hand out. “Let me see.” 

Eren stared at him for a beat, taken aback by the sudden shift in his captain’s demeanor. From rough and ragged to quiet and calm, all in an instant. He slowly extended his hand and allowed Captain Levi to take his palm in a delicate, warm grip.Thin fingers turned his hand around and gently brushed over the heated skin, searching. Every touch left tingling paths where they traced the lines of Eren’s fingers. Something soft and light swelled in Eren’s chest as his captain’s concern bled into the way he inspected Eren’s hand so thoroughly for lingering pain. The gentle prodding, the furrowed brow, the very slight tremor in his hands…

“I’m okay, Captain,” Eren softly reassured him. “Look.” He lifted his other hand to take hold of his captain’s fingers and slid them to where the wound had previously been. He guided the calloused pads to run over the heated skin, freshly healed without a trace of blood or cut. “Already good as new.” 

“Mm.” 

Eren felt a smile pull at his lips when his captain didn’t pull away. The man slowly rubbed small circles into Eren’s thumb, soothing the steam-warmed skin with his touch. 

“…Does it hurt?”

Eren almost laughed at the strange question. “Did that tiny cut hurt? No, of course not.” The captain’s lips pulled into an annoyed frown, though he continued to slide his fingers over Eren’s skin. “It’s kind of funny that you ask. I mean, you nearly knocked my teeth out during training, and you didn’t ask then.” He expected the man to have a sharp retort for him, but was mildly surprised when he didn’t respond beyond a quiet noise low in his throat. The grin slowly faded from Eren’s face at the continued silence. When the captain’s fingers stilled against his hand, he tilted his head and asked, “Er… why do you ask?”

Captain Levi lowered Eren’s hand back to rest on his legs and sat back in his seat. He ran a hand through his hair and looked away towards the mess hall door, eyes faraway. “I told you. I don’t get off on beating the shit out of you, Eren.” He glanced back at him, brow raised. “I do it because you need some sense knocked into that skull of yours sometimes.” 

Eren chose not to comment on that particular point. It’d probably just earn him another swat to the head…

“But…” Eren glanced over at the knife that lay on the table. The drop that had lingered on the edge of the blade now sat in a small red orb on the old wood. The deep red of his blood stood out like a rose petal against the battered oak. Eren swallowed back his hesitation and faced his nerves — and his still simmering arousal — head on. “It’s the blood? That does it for you?”

The quiet question, so plainly asked, was apparently very amusing to his captain. The man let out a huff of laughter — not quite a chuckle, but it was damn close. “Yes, Eren,” he murmured under his breath. “The blood does it for me.” 

Eren heard the creep of something ragged on the edges of his captain’s words. That faint rasping of something guttural and rough. It made Eren’s insides flash with heat. He twisted in his seat, shifting his hips and his legs to readjust around the growing hardness in his pants. “I… I think that’s… ah… I don’t see a problem with that.”

“No?” The captain pinned Eren in place with a sharp look. “Because how do you think one would go about indulging that particular taste, Jaeger?” The man suddenly turned and picked up the abandoned knife, holding it aloft. He met Eren’s wide eyes before sliding his fingertips along the bloodied edge to gather the remnants of Eren’s blood. “I’m not in the business of maiming people for a good fuck.” A thrill shot through Eren’s belly at the growled curse in his captain’s deep voice. “Not for something like this,” he continued. Eren was mesmerized as he watched the captain reverently smear the crimson fluid over his fingertips — just like he had with Armin’s. 

“…I don’t mind.”

Grey eyes stared at him intently. Eren felt the heat creep up his neck once more as arousal flooded over him at the heavily-lidded, hazy look his captain gave him. 

“Oh?”

“I didn’t mind the pain before. When I thought…” Eren swallowed. “It’s not like… I mean, you can’t…” 

The man tossed the knife aside with a metallic clatter as it slid across the tabletop, startling Eren into silence. His captain stood from his chair and stood over Eren, who lifted his chin to keep the invisible thread connecting them intact. Captain Levi tilted his head, eyes narrowing, as he lifted a hand to brush his fingers against the underside of Eren’s jaw. “I can’t what?” he murmured. He slid his fingertips down the lines of Eren’s neck, lingering in the hollow of his throat.

At the delicate touch, Eren shivered, his legs trembling and squeezing together against the erection that now swelled inside his pants. He ached for more of his captain’s touch, bloodied or not. Soft and honeyed, rough and sharp — he just wanted more.

“You… can’t maim me. Sir. Not permanently.” 

The grey eyes flashed. 

“I know.”

The fingers dipped down to trace Eren’s collarbones. Eren whined at the touch, dignity forgotten as he arched into it. “As long as you don’t nnngh— cut off an arm… ah… I can do this for you, Captain. Hah… i-if you want,” Eren panted. His captain’s fingers slowly returned to the underside of his chin, lifting it higher and forcing him to look up at him with hazy eyes of his own. He was feverish now, burning up from the inside out as his captain thumbed his bottom lip, gently prompting his lips to part.

“How do you know I won’t? Cut off your arm, your leg… I could even slit your throat.” The words were violent, but the captain still spoke softly, reverently across his skin. 

Eren let out a shuddering breath over the pad of his captain’s thumb before he replied simply, “I trust you.” 

The captain curled forward and lowered his face to Eren’s, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his skin. The liquor on his captain’s breath added to the fog inside his head, making him weak to his touch. “Don’t say that unless you mean it, Eren.” The honey-coated words slipped from the man’s tongue to caress Eren’s cheek. 

Eren nearly whimpered and tilted his face up towards the man’s heavy breaths, wanting more, more. “Why?” he asked, almost pleading. His hands came up to brazenly clutch at the fabric of the man’s shirt in an attempt to pull him closer. Captain Levi instead pulled away, and the protest on Eren’s lips was abruptly replaced by the warm, slightly tacky sensation of his own blood being smeared over the swell of his bottom lip by his captain’s fingers like rouge. 

“Because.” His captain curled forward once more. His dark hair fell across Eren’s flushed face as he whispered, “I won’t be able to stop.”

Eren’s cock throbbed at his captain’s quiet warning. The mere idea of the captain stopping was enough to make Eren slightly hysterical. He balled up the captain’s shirt in his fists, biting back the desperate whine that rose in his throat. He reached up, chasing his captain’s skin as he spoke, low and pleading, “Please. Please don’t stop.”

The captain let out another amused huff. His bloody hand suddenly gripped Eren by the jaw, smearing the remnants of Eren’s blood across his face as he held him firmly in place. 

“Good boy.” 

An inferno of desperate arousal flared inside Eren’s body as his captain ducked down and kissed the blood from his lips. Eren clung to the man’s body with trembling hands, unable to do anything but whimper and gasp with every bruising kiss. The captain groaned low in his throat, greedily lapping at the coppery taste on Eren’s skin. Eren, completely overwhelmed by the heat, tilted his head and arched up into the man above him. He could taste the honeyed liquor on his captain’s tongue, and he chased it, kissing back and opening his mouth for more. That tongue dipped into him, again and again, as the hand holding his jaw started to tremble and shake. 

Eren was feeling lightheaded and completely undone. He could barely hear the desperate noises he was making over the sound of the pounding pulse inside his head, but he was sure he sounded like an absolute wreck. He shifted in his chair as his hips rolled, almost of their own accord, in search of any sort of friction. His veins surged with liquor and lust, and all Eren could think about was more.

His captain pulled away, just for a moment to catch his breath, leaving Eren panting and gasping for air. He opened his eyes and tried to focus on the man’s face, even as his vision swam as he swayed in his seat. His hands slid from where they had twisted into the fabric of the rumpled grey shirt to toy with the leather belt that secured the dark trousers. “Ca… Captain…” he breathed.

His touch and the keening sound of his voice seemed to startle his captain out of his haze. “Enough,” he said hoarsely, his voice thick and ragged. Warm, calloused hands gently slid away from Eren’s jaw to pull the hands at his belt away. “Later, Eren.” 

“But—”

The captain leaned against the edge of the table and ran an unsteady hand through his hair, mussing it even further. A faint flush had crept up his pale throat and sat high on his cheeks. The sight of it made Eren’s chest swell with a private, unspoken pride. “What, were you planning to try and suck me off? Right here in the mess hall? With a door that doesn’t even fucking lock?” 

Eren’s head whipped around in sudden panic to stare at the old oak door that sat on rusted hinges, still shut tight against the emptiness of the corridors beyond. 

“Exactly.” Eren turned back around to watch his captain straighten his shirt and smooth out the wrinkles that Eren had twisted into the fabric. Eren’s vision was still a bit blurry at the edges, but he could still see the way the man’s fingers fumbled with the ends of his sleeves and the hem of his shirt. 

A thrill of delight ran through him. 

“Cap—”

“You should be getting to bed, brat,” Captain Levi interrupted him gruffly. “It’s late, and you have laps in the morning.” The man suddenly turned away to pluck the knife and empty tea cup from the table’s surface. Eren stared after him as he made his way towards the sink on the far end of the hall. His captain’s words didn’t quite register until he heard—

“Laps?!” 

“You never fulfilled your losing condition, Jaeger.” There was a light clinking noise as the man deposited the tableware into the sink. “You’re a man of your word, aren’t you?” 

Eren tucked his hands between his legs and curled forward over the table in front of him with a scowl spreading across his face. His cock was hard as hell, and the ache was starting to spread into his balls. Apparently, even the threat of punishment laps wasn’t enough to dampen his arousal, to his chagrin. “Yes, sir…” he muttered with a sigh. 

The man was confusing. One minute he was close to making Eren practically cum in his pants from his taste alone, and the next, he was giving orders and punishment as though they were right back out on that training field, smooth demeanor already in place. As was expected of the captain, nothing phased him. Not even—

“All right then.” Eren looked up into the heavy-lidded eyes that peered at him from across the hall. “Now get going.”

Eren was silent. The unsaid sat between them, heavy in the empty air of the mess hall. The haze of lust and heat was dissipating, and with it, Eren’s self-assuredness. 

“Erm… Captain…” he said hesitantly.

“You said you were a man of your word, Eren.” Captain Levi’s voice was hushed in the quiet of the room. Gone were the ragged edges of a gravely voice, replaced by that familiar honeyed smoothness. He lifted his hand to his mouth where the pads lingered on his lips as he continued, “I am as well. I already told you: later. When I’m… more sober.” Eren’s insides clenched and roiled when he saw that tongue slip out to lick the remaining blood from his fingertips. The grey eyes nearly slipped shut as the man’s tongue curled around the taste in his mouth; clearly, he was in ecstasy, even from just a tiny morsel. After a silent moment, the captain turned his gaze on him once more. “...And when you’ve had time to change your mind.” 

Eren didn’t trust himself to speak — not with the thick lump that had formed in his throat, choking him of his words. He shook his head mutely at the suggestion, his hair wildly flopping across his forehead with the movement.

“Mm.” Captain Levi stared at him for a beat, then broke the thread between them by glancing down and starting the taps to begin his washing. “Go. Get some sleep. Clear your head.” The dark hair fell down over his eyes, finally giving Eren the prompt to stumble to his feet. He adjusted the persistent hardness in his thin pants to be as inconspicuous as possible and practically waddled to the doorway, grimacing at the unpleasant ache between his legs. As his hand touched the metal of the door handle, a sudden thought occurred to him, breaking through his liquor-fogged mind. 

“Captain?” he called. His thumb brushed across the smooth steel of the handle, similar to the hidden flask that had been tucked away.

“Hm.”

“Can I ask… are you all right? You ah… that was a lot of alcohol. Tonight.”

The captain’s hands paused in their washing. For a moment, the only sound was that of the flowing water from the spout rushing over the cup and knife. Eren turned to look and caught the darkness that had clouded his captain’s brow. The man shut the water off with a visible sigh filling his chest. When he looked up, Eren’s breath caught in his throat. 

He suddenly looked… tired. So tired.

“Not all blood is good blood, Eren,” came the quiet reply. 

Oh.

Eren lingered in the doorway, his face softening as the melancholy seemed to clear the haze from the air. “I’m…” He hesitated, thinking better of it. “I understand,” he amended. 

The captain’s lips curled into the faintest of smiles before looking away. “Thank you for not apologizing, brat.” He turned the taps on again and resumed his washing. “Now for the last goddamn time, go. It’s late.” 

Eren turned away, hiding his own small smile. He pulled the door open and stepped out into the hall finally breaking the last of the evening. “Good night, sir,” he called softly.

“‘Night.”

Eren shut the door with a quiet click.

The following days had Eren feeling refreshed, his energy and spirit renewed. During training and sparring sessions, Eren pointedly ignored the curious glances and raised eyebrows of his comrades in favor of diving headfirst into his work, sweating and panting while he ran drills and worked on his ODM maneuvering. 

He heard the whispers. He got the only-slightly joking comments from the guys in the showers or when lining up for meal time. Even Armin had approached him warily, asking if he had gotten in trouble with the captain for his tardiness and lack of concentration lately.

But no.

Eren was done apologizing, and his fire wasn’t in an effort to make up for his missteps. He just… couldn’t get those words out of his head. 

“I just prefer to see you all fired up. Like that. It suits you.”

And so, Eren grit his teeth and threw himself into his work, headfirst. He pushed himself until sweat poured down his face in rivers, slicking the hair at his temples and running into his eyes. 

He recalled when he had landed a particularly nasty hit on Jean’s jaw, earning him a growled curse and incredulous glare from the man. “What the hell, man? What’s gotten into you?” Jean had said as he rubbed at the steadily darkening spot on his jaw. He’d surely have a bruise by dinner, Eren had thought. “Finally got your head out of your ass to join the rest of us?” 

“Funny how even with my head up my ass, I could still take you down, Horseface.” 

“Well c’mon then, do it again if you’re so good!”

“Gladly!”

“Fine!”

“FINE.”

Even though the pair had been a fair distance away from the rest of the sparring pairs, Eren had felt the distinct prickling along the back of his neck — the feeling of being watched. He had turned to look and caught those steel grey eyes locked to him. And when his captain’s chin lifted along with a single dark brow, Eren’s face had twisted into a wild grin, feeling like an inferno had flared inside his chest. 

His work had never been better. 

Sure, he had been practically vibrating apart at the seams with anticipation. No matter how many times he had lingered behind in the armament room pretending to fiddle with this gear belt, taken the long way back to the barracks using the corridor that housed the private quarters of the officers, or snuck down to the mess hall after hours in search of a snack and a certain evasive captain, the man had been decidedly absent. Their interactions during training and meals had been business as usual, without even the brush of calloused fingertips to convince him that, no, he hadn’t imagined that night over a week ago. 

Though, every time he began to doubt himself and the memories of that night that the alcohol had left foggy and murky, Eren would catch those eyes on him. 

Observing their training, lingering for just a moment longer than when watching any of his comrades. 

Passing him in the corridor after leaving the showers with the guys in tow, flicking over the wet hair that still stuck to his forehead. 

During the regiment-wide meeting, staring at him from across the courtyard while Commander Erwin addressed all the Scouts about the spring schedule.

After dinner while Eren and Armin were on clean-up duty that week, watching him silently over the rim of the porcelain cup as the man sipped on the last of his evening tea.

Every time Eren felt those eyes on him, it stoked the simmering heat hotter and hotter, leaving him twitching and desperate for a touch, rolling about in his bunk in the middle of the night with a deep ache between his legs. He stubbornly refused to touch himself. He’d wait. After all, he trusted his captain’s word.

So, he had been doing nothing but throwing himself into his work with renewed fervor, funneling all that tense frustration into his training. He would fall into bed content with the work he accomplished each day, even if his cock was so hard he could shatter the crystals he regularly formed with his titan.

Which is why it was so fucking infuriating to be assigned to the archives room today. Their first day off training in ages and Eren had been looking forward to relaxing with Armin and Mikasa on stable duty, or even working meal prep with Sasha and Connie. Hell, even being on cleaning duty with Jean would be entertaining, since they could use their gear to wipe down the windows outside. Anything but the mind-numbing, solitary work of archiving. 

Eren let out an annoyed huff and glanced down at his feet where countless boxes of records were kept in messy piles. Expedition details, financial reports, enlistment papers, death certificates, even resupply requests and travel itineraries — all shoved together in a haphazard mess to be sorted out by some unlucky Scout.

Today, that Scout was him.

It felt like punishment, and dammit, that just felt so fucking unfair that Eren couldn’t help the ugly sneer that spread across his face as he kicked at the tenth box he had emptied in a fit of pique. He cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his hair to sweep it off his sticky forehead. It was hot as hell in here today. There was only the single window, and despite being opened as far as the old wood would allow, no breeze so much as floated through. The unseasonably warm air permeated the heavy stones of the castle walls, leaving Eren feeling hot, sweaty, and frankly, cranky as shit. 

He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over the back of the chair that sat at the single desk tucked in the corner of the room. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and stood with his hands on his hips for a moment before sighing. He’d already been at this for hours and still had another three boxes to go…

Eren longingly glanced out the window towards the spring sky outside. There was darkness far off on the horizon — he hoped it’d rain tonight. There was nothing quite like the smell of rain on the freshly grown grass and trees that—

A sharp knock rapped on the thick wooden door that closed him off from the rest of the castle just before it creaked open on the antique brass hinges. Eren turned and immediately stood at attention, his fist planted firmly over his heart. “Sir!”

The commander ducked through the doorway and stepped aside to let through the man behind him. As he entered the room, Captain Levi’s placid face glanced around the dusty old shelves with little emotion beyond a vague disinterest. “At ease, Eren,” Commander Erwin greeted lightly, his hand waving away the salute. The stern brows of the commander softened slightly at Eren’s panicked face. “Don’t be alarmed, I’m merely here to expedite the process. Section Commander Hange has requested your presence tomorrow afternoon for some specialty hardening experiments, and your captain here—” The commander placed a large hand on Captain Levi’s shoulder, patting it in an almost teasing manner. “— has made a case for your early dismissal in order to get a bit of rest tonight before the experiments. They take quite the toll on your body, or so I’m told.” 

“Er… they mostly just make me tired, sir. Nothing I can’t handle,” Eren replied a bit curiously.

The commander gave him a small nod in understanding. “Regardless, the captain’s special request has been granted.”

Eren turned his attention to the surly man shrugging off the commander’s hand with a scowl on his irritated face. “Hardly a special request, Erwin. The brat just needs a good meal and a bit of sleep to get through the day tomorrow. He still has to complete his work as assigned.” The captain straightened his jacket of the near imperceptible wrinkles that had gathered from the commmander’s brief contact.

“Precisely why your captain has also volunteered to assist in helping you finish up,” Commander Erwin explained, with the slightest of humor in his deep voice.

Eren’s eyes went wide as he glanced back and forth between the two commanding officers standing before him. “A… Are you sure, sir? I can finish up quickly, I don’t mind.” 

The captain shoved past him, not bothering to look back as he muttered, “Let’s just get to work, Jaeger. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get on with our evenings.” 

The commander let out a quietly amused chuckle before briefly clapping his heavy hand on Eren’s shoulder, nearly knocking him to his knees with the weight of it. “I’ll leave it to you then, hm?” Eren gave the commander a tight smile as the man released him and turned away with a curt nod in the captain’s direction. Eren remained locked in place until the man, and his commanding presence, took their leave. Only once the rickety old door shut with a low groan did Eren finally release the tight breath. 

A snort startled him out of his skin. “Scares the shit out of you, hm?” Eren turned to smile wryly at the captain, who had already taken a handful of the paperwork from one of the remaining boxes that littered the ground. 

“Just a bit… but to be fair, you did too. When I first met you.” Eren rubbed at the back of his neck, laughing slightly as the tension steadily eased from the stuffy room. 

“Mm.” The captain looked down at the paperwork in his hands and frowned. He turned away and started to sort through the various reports and lists, piling them in neat stacks on the desk. Silence settled on them as he worked, quickly and efficiently organizing the papers in half… no, a third of the time it would have taken Eren. He was already on his second handful when he finally spoke again. “Don’t worry,” he muttered softly as he thumbed through the stack. “It’s just the bushy brows. Makes him look like he needs to take a shit all the time.” 

Eren sputtered at his captain’s deadpan statement. He coughed into his fist to clear his throat as he made his way over to the boxes, joining the captain at his side. “Y-You think so?” he ventured quietly.

“I know so.” Captain Levi hummed to himself before tossing the report into another pile. “It’s why he’s always so uptight. You hear the blowhards from the interior talking about him like he has a stick up his ass, right? It’s ‘cause he’s just backed up.” 

Eren really did choke that time.

He nearly keeled over as he wheezed and coughed, hands on his knees and face red from trying to suck in ragged breaths of laughter. “Y… You c-can’t… you can’t just say that, C-Captain…” he gasped, almost lightheaded from laughter.

His captain merely shrugged. “Already did.” He leaned over the desk to stack another report into the far pile. “Stop your guffawing and get to work, Jaeger. I have no interest in wasting my evening in here with you.” Eren took a few more gasping breaths before he straightened up, wiping at the tears that had gathered in his eyes. “Start filing those.” Eren watched as the captain pointed to each stack in turn. “Financials. Armaments. Supply. Enlistments. Medical. Mission reports.” The man turned, brow raised. 

“Got it, sir.” 

“Mm. Get to it.”

Eren nodded and stepped forward to take the first stack in hand, though another snicker escaped him as he turned away to retreat back towards the shelves that housed the financial records. “Hey, Captain,” he called softly.

“Hm.”

Eren eyes scanned the files that lined the dusty shelves. “D’you think that’s why the commander is always riding on the front lines?” He reached up to slide the first bundle into place. “To maybe scare himself shitless?” There was an odd, strangled noise from behind him just before an old candle, nearly burned down to the bottom, smacked Eren in the back of the head and bounced down to the floor. “H-Hey!” He whirled around in time to catch the shuttering of his captain’s face. 

“Don’t you ever speak about Commander Erwin that way, you little shit,” the man sharply reprimanded him. “I should have you written up for insubordination.” 

Eren balked at the hardened glare in those steel grey eyes. His shoulders dropped as he folded into himself, sufficiently cowed and apology on his tongue.

Then his captain’s eyes softened as the corner of his lips twitched. “…But not bad.” He turned away after letting Eren see the smirk that had fully formed. The tight clenching in Eren’s chest released, filling with a warmth that made his heart light.

“Yes, sir. Of course.” 

Together, they worked through the boxes, quietly murmuring to each other to fill the air with something other than the ancient dust they kicked up from their filing. The slowly fading heat still made Eren’s shirt stick to his skin in a decidedly unpleasant way, and he kept sneezing so hard he was afraid his back muscles would seize up. His eyes had started to go fuzzy from staring at the tiny, scrawled handwriting of whatever officers scribbled these reports, and he had gotten enough paper cuts to last him a lifetime. Still… it was a decidedly non-unpleasant way to spend the rest of the day. 

Eren liked his captain’s deadpan, often crude humor. He liked listening to the man speak, offering amusing, interesting, or just plain valuable observations on the dull reports they sorted through. He liked brushing past the firm body of the captain, he liked watching the man’s face twist with concentration, he liked seeing the thin lips silently mouth words as he read the paperwork, he liked seeing the pale fingers flip through rustling papers, he liked the faint flush of heat that had worked its way up from the man’s collar.

He liked all of it.

Eren was almost disappointed to see the bottom of the last box, even as the sky outside faded to a deep pink with the approaching sunset. “Nearly done…” he murmured as he grabbed the next stack of reports from the desk’s top. 

“Mm.” The captain’s fingers went to the cravat tied securely around his throat, tugging at the starched fabric. “Fucking finally,” he cursed. His dark brows furrowed, seemingly irritated. 

Eren went to the shelves in the back of the room where all the old outfitting records were tucked into the corner. Why do we even keep records of this?! Why would we ever need to look up what size Connor Adams’ cloak was? 

“Aw, c’mon, Captain. It wasn’t all bad, was it?” He frowned up at the faded labels. The ancient bits of parchment were likely older than he was. “I didn’t mind all that much.”

“Tch. It’s hot as hell in here, and I could think of several things I’d rather be doing with my time, Jaeger,” the captain retorted from behind him, his voice gruff.

Eren’s eyes caught on the faint handwriting — Survey Corps Outfitting (A-G) — up on the top shelf. He sighed and stood on tiptoe as he reached up towards the file. “Like what?” He grunted as his fingers stretched out, grasping for the file that was just out of reach. He jumped up and cried out in victory as his fingers snagged the damned file. “Gotcha!”

He was suddenly shoved from behind, forced up against the bookshelves by a solid wall of heat and muscle. Eren dropped the paperwork and file as he braced himself against the wood. The sheets fluttered to the ground in a cascade of paper, though he didn’t have the mental capacity to give a shit — not when the captain’s chest pressed against his back and heated breaths ghosted across the sensitive skin of his nape. He held his breath, silent as his captain buried a hand into his hair and gently pulled his head back to extend his neck.

“Like finally making good on my word,” the man murmured, low and dripping with heat. Eren immediately tensed up as a rush of arousal surged through his veins. His hands clutched desperately at the shelves, his nails scraping uselessly against the dusty oak. The captain’s free hand went to Eren’s wrist to hold him in place as he pressed into him. Eren could feel each heaving breath that filled his captain’s chest and the way the man’s fingers tightened in his hair. Eren couldn’t help but press back against the solid muscles behind him until their bodies were flush together. 

Eren swallowed down a noise in the back of his throat when the captain nudged his feet apart with his boot, only to force the heat of his thigh into the space left behind between Eren’s trembling legs. “A-Are you sure, Captain?” Eren stammered. Over a week had passed, and he just… he didn’t want to be wrong. Again.

All his doubts, such as they were, vanished when that thigh between his legs pressed up into the hardness that was swelling in his pants, granting him the delicious friction and pressure he’d been craving. He buckled, nearly collapsing to the ground as a shamefully desperate whine fell from his lips.

His captain reached up to mouth a question into the side of his neck, whispering against the pulse that hammered just underneath his sweat-slicked skin. “Clearly. Are you? Haven’t changed your mind, have you?” 

Goosebumps pricked along the back of his neck at his captain’s hushed words, even despite the overwhelming heat that enveloped them both. There was no space between their bodies, the only thing separating their skin being the uniforms that they wore. Eren’s mind went hazy. He took shuddering breaths and tried to make his mouth form proper words and sentences, but then the thigh between his legs shifted, repeatedly rubbing up into him. His back arched and his hips rolled, seeking out yet more of whatever touch he could find. “Nnngh… ah… hah, Captain…” 

The man tugged sharply at the hair still tangled between his fingers to call his attention. “Eren, answer me,” he ordered. 

If Eren had the proper presence of mind, he would have heard the ragged edges in his captain’s voice, speaking to the man’s own craving. 

As it was, he could do nothing but pant as he clutched at the wood he was trapped against. “N-N… No…” he replied, breathless. “No, I… I still— hah! Ah… s-shit…” The captain let out a low noise of acknowledgment as he let his hands drop from where they held Eren’s wrist and hair. Eren couldn’t hold back the sound of loss. “But—”

His captain shushed him with a quiet hiss. Eren was about to push up off the bookshelf, but stopped, completely frozen in place as those strong, calloused hands gripped him tightly by the hips and forced his pelvis to grind down into the thigh beneath him. Eren cried out as his hips bucked in the captain’s grip, unable to bite down the undignified noise before it escaped his throat. Captain Levi let out a ragged, shuddering exhale, and Eren could practically hear the satisfied smile that twisted the sound. “Good boy.”

In that moment, Eren could have easily rutted against his captain’s leg and gotten off. He would have been happy to — it would only take a few more thrusts against the powerful thigh between his legs, and he’d surely be cumming in his pants. He curled forward and rolled his hips down, grinding on the man as he continued to quietly keen against the shelves of the archives. “Hah… p-please… please, yes…”

The captain’s hands teased the bottom hem of his shirt. Eren’s breath hitched in his throat as the fingers crept underneath, not quite touching, but lingering just shy of brushing against his skin. Eren could feel the heat of them, and more than anything, he wanted—

“Please, Captain—mmnh!”

Eren writhed as the tips of his captain’s fingers barely skimmed over the muscles of his abdomen, feeling the way they undulated just underneath his flushed skin.

And then he pulled away, leaving Eren panting and feeling completely undone as he practically collapsed onto the shelves. The wood creaked as Eren fell to his knees with a grunt. He turned to look up at his captain, who stared down at him with open want written into the shadows of his face. The hardness in Eren’s pants throbbed at that look. When the captain ran a hand through that dark hair, the throb became an almost painful ache. Eren shifted on his knees. 

The man could order Eren to crawl over to him on his hands and knees, undo the belt at his waist, and suck him off right there, and he’d do it without hesitation.

“Eren.” 

Eren shook his head as he was dragged out of his obscene thoughts by the softly growled call of his name. The man ducked down to lift Eren’s chin with a gentle press of his fingers. Steel grey eyes stared into his, and for a moment, there was nothing but the heated breaths between them. 

The captain lowered his face to Eren’s. He stopped just shy of letting their lips brush as he murmured, “You’re dismissed.” Eren’s eyes slipped closed as the man slowly turned his face away. “Go. Get something decent to eat.” His captain’s lips teased at the angle of his jaw with each word, sending delicious shivers up Eren’s spine. He felt the nose nuzzling just under his ear. “Hit the showers, if you don’t mind.” 

Eren would have nervously laughed, if he weren’t so busy trying to hold back the quiet moans that tried to bubble up out of his throat. 

Captain Levi’s hand suddenly slid down to wrap around the front of his throat, pulling him forward once more. “And if you still haven’t changed your mind,” he murmured, his voice dropping into a low whisper absolutely dripping with all that smooth honey, “come to my quarters, after hours. Understood?” The grey eyes, shadowed with lust, looked to him. 

Eren swallowed against the hand at his throat with a jerky nod. “Y-Yes, sir.”

The captain didn’t reply. He wordlessly pulled Eren into him, taking his lips in a hungry kiss that stole his breath. Warm, soft lips pulled quiet moans from him as they tasted him, and Eren could do little but willingly accept every bruising kiss.

When the man finally released him, he rested his forehead on Eren’s, hand sliding to cup the back of Eren’s neck as he held onto him to steady them both. A thrill of something warm and light flared in his blood when the captain took a shuddering breath and cursed, “Fucking hell…” Eren’s lips pulled back in a pleased grin. 

“That good, huh?”

“Shut up.”

Eren’s grin grew impossibly wider. The man lightly slapped him on the back of the head, more out of what felt remarkably like affection than reprimand. He stood up and tugged at the fabric of his uniform to straighten it out. He cleared his throat and turned back towards the last remnants of their work. “Go. I won’t tell you again.” 

Eren hauled himself upright on shaking legs. Yet again, he had to adjust himself so as not to draw undue attention to his… predicament on his way back to the barracks. “I’ll ah… I’ll see you later?” he said, more as a final confirmation than anything else. 

He knew that once he stepped over that threshold, there was no going back.

The captain glanced up at him. Eren marveled at the way his lips looked — slightly bruised, slightly swollen, and thoroughly kissed. 

“Mm.” 

The small nod and curt hum was all Eren needed. 

He made his way to the door, grinning like a fool the whole way when he felt that familiar prickling on the back of his neck.

Eren lingered in the corridor, silently cursing himself. He fiddled with the loose sleep shirt he wore with shaking hands and frowned down at the wrinkles that marred the soft cotton. 

Fine. 

It’s fine.

He forced himself to release the fabric, but then frantically ran his hands through his ruffled hair, as if it would do anything to smooth the wild nest that his hair had become. He had done as the captain had asked and waited for his comrades to fall asleep one-by-one in their bunks. He didn’t dare sit up and crawl out of his bed until he heard the telltale sounds of Connie’s nasally snoring and Armin’s signature snuffling as he turned over. 

But… that also meant that Eren had to come to his captain in a rumpled mess. Pajamas weren’t exactly what he had pictured he’d be wearing tonight, but what choice did he have? 

Get it together, Eren! 

It wasn’t as if the captain hadn’t seen him in his sleep pants and loose tunic shirt before. Hell, most nights spent in the mess hall or in the common room were when Eren’s eyes were rimmed with red and bloodshot from lack of sleep, his hair a fucking mess from tossing and turning about on his pillow. This look wasn’t exactly surprising. 

He just wanted this to be… special. Or something.

Eren balled his hands into tight fists to stop himself from fucking up his hair even further. 

Enough. 

He could hear the single word muttered in the captain’s deep, honeyed voice. His stomach flip-flopped with nerves as he squared his shoulders and straightened his back. He wasn’t a coward. He could do this, mess or not. He’d knock on this door and when the man answered, he’d just lick his lips in that way the captain seemed to like and smile, and say—

There was the distinct sound of footsteps echoing down the corridor from him. They were approaching him, by the sounds of it, and each sharp step sent a stab of anxiety through Eren’s chest. 

He jumped towards the door of the captain’s quarters and rapped as quietly as he could on the oak. For a few agonizing moments, there were no noises save for Eren’s panicked breathing and the steadily approaching footsteps. The corridor was dark, with only a few flickering torches lighting the way, but if whoever those boots belonged to turned the corner, they’d absolutely see Eren crouched outside his commanding officer’s door, wearing nothing but his fucking pajamas.

Eren leaned on the door and hissed against the wood, “Captain Levi! Open the door, please!” He continued to tap on the door as quietly as he could possibly manage while still expressing just how quickly he needed this door open!

“Captain, please—!”

There was a small metallic click as the latch was undone just before the door swung open to reveal a mildly pissed-off captain, still toweling his hair dry. “For fuck’s sake, Jaeger, why— oi!” Eren shoved past him, barreling into the captain’s rooms in a complete disregard for any sort of politeness or decorum. He turned and silently motioned for the captain to close the door with frantic gestures. The man rolled his eyes at Eren’s panic, but obliged. Eren didn’t let out the breath he’d been holding until the latch slid back into place, firmly locking the door against the intruder out in the corridor.

“Sorry,” he said, hand over his thundering heart. “I heard someone coming.” His captain said nothing as Eren caught his breath and steadied himself enough to meet the man’s curiously raised brow with a wry smile. “Thanks for… opening… uh…” The smile slipped from Eren’s face when he finally took in the sight before him.

The captain was shirtless.

The captain was shirtless.

The captain was—

Captain Levi tilted his head as Eren dumbly gaped at him. He stood in front of the door to his quarters dressed in a simple pair of loose trousers, slung low on his hips. A plain white towel was draped over his bare shoulders as he absently rubbed at the dark hair, still slightly dripping with water from his bath. Eren’s eyes trailed the curved lines of the muscles that carved out the contours of the man’s body before he could stop himself. He swallowed around the thickness in his throat. “Um…” 

God, he felt like such a pathetic mess when compared to the man. He was even more acutely aware of his haphazard dress and mussed hair now than he had been out in the corridor. He pulled at the hem of his shirt, suddenly incredibly self-conscious.

Eren heard a sharp huff of amusement, startling him. His head jerked up to meet his captain’s faint smirk. “Everything all right, Jaeger?” The captain let the towel fall back down over his shoulders as he stepped away from the door and padded over to his desk. Eren watched with his heart somewhere in his throat as his captain took hold of the tea cup that was seated on its matching white saucer. He held it up to his lips and took a liberal sip, peering at Eren over the rim. He lowered it back to the desk’s surface. “You know how to light a fire, right?” he asked simply. His voice was even, with no intonation as he spoke.

Eren nodded wordlessly. 

The man gestured to the empty hearth that sat on the other side of the small room. “Get to it, then.” Eren glanced over at the dark fireplace. His captain waited until Eren could unstick his legs from where he was rooted to the floor before he spoke again. “Take your time. I’ll be right back.” Eren grunted his acknowledgement, unable to speak past the lump that nearly closed off his windpipe. He crouched down next to the hearth and busied himself with lighting the fire, thankful for the blessed moment of solitude as the man disappeared into a side room, closing the door behind him.

Eren let out a tight sigh into the thick air. 

Fuck. 

Fuck.

He shook out his hands to try and rid them of the tingling and the tremors that made his fingers fumble with the kindling and matches. After several pathetic attempts, he struck the match and gently coaxed the kindling to take the flickering light. He sat back and lightly fanned the flames to life, enjoying the warmth that started to spread across his skin as he sat in front of the growing fire.

He… He wasn’t sure what he had expected to find on the other side of that door. But, if at all possible, his captain far surpassed his filthy dreams, and he didn’t know what to make of it. Imagining what the captain’s body looked like underneath all those layers of leather, the canvas, the starched and pressed cotton… it was nothing in comparison. It absolutely couldn’t stand up to seeing all that pale skin stretched over pronounced muscles, decorated with the faint lines of ragged scars. The man’s body radiated strength. His skin silently screamed of experience. His calm demeanor oozed a quiet confidence. 

And Eren was a fucking mess.

They hadn’t even… shit, how was he gonna—

Eren jumped and cried out in surprise when he felt the first brush of fingers against his crown. “Easy, brat,” the man murmured down to him. The fingers buried into his hair and dragged lightly against his scalp. Eren’s heart hammered against his rib cage as the captain continued to softly speak to him. “Take a breath and relax, for fuck’s sake.” 

The captain’s touch was soft.

So soft.

Eren obeyed his captain’s order. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath full of fire-warmed air. He held it inside his lungs as his captain continued to card through his hair with slow passes of his fingers. 

One.

The fingers twisted around the strands, lightly gathering a handful. The back of Eren’s neck prickled with warmth as the captain’s other hand toyed with his nape, skimming across the skin.

Two.

Eren felt the gentle tug that encouraged him to lean his head back. The hand at his nape slid around to cup just under his chin. The heat from his captain’s fingers seeped into his jaw, his chin, his lips.

Three.

Eren exhaled, letting out a long breath full of his nerves and anxiety. His eyes fluttered open to see the steel grey of Captain Levi’s eyes staring down at him, concern knitting his brows together. “You all right?” 

He felt the pad of his captain’s thumb brush against the swell of his bottom lip. Even though his insides felt like they were trying to wriggle out of his body like a trapped beast, Eren had the overwhelming urge to lick his lips — to taste his captain’s skin for the first time.

“Eren.”

The grey eyes flashed, and Eren remembered: I’m not a coward.

Eren wet his parted lips with the tip of his tongue, brushing against his captain’s thumb with the motion. The captain’s fingers twitched where they held Eren steady, and the brief reaction sent a shiver of satisfaction through him, chasing away some of the tension that had settled in his blood. 

“Y-Yeah…” he breathed. He felt his muscles slowly start to unclench as the first word passed his lips. “Yeah, I’m okay.” His shoulders loosened, dropping down from where they had crept up near his ears. “Just… a bit nervous,” he finished with a sigh. The fire, now fully burning bright in the hearth, continued to warm his skin, enveloping him in a soft blanket of comfort. 

The captain hummed low in his throat for a moment. He let his hands slide along Eren’s skin as he stepped away, leaving Eren alone in front of the fire. “Nervous, hm? Have you ever—”

Eren whirled around where he was seated to wave away his captain’s question before he could even ask it with wild waves of his hands. “YES! Yes.” The man took a seat on the small couch that faced the hearth and raised a doubtful brow at Eren’s nervously clipped answer as he settled into the cushions. “I mean…” Eren’s determination faltered at the man’s intense stare — it seemed to see right through his stammered bravado, down into the truth held deep in his chest. “...Basically.” 

“Basically.”

“Yeah. Look, I’m not—“ Eren rubbed his hands over the wrinkled fabric of his pants in an attempt to wipe away the sweat he was sure had made his palms clammy. He clenched his jaw, annoyed at himself. He was really ballsing this up. He was better than this. Yeah, the captain’s intensity turned him into a gibbering idiot sometimes, but… 

He looked up at the pale fingers that cradled his captain’s cheek as the man stared down at him with a curious tilt to his head. 

Above all things — even his pride — he still wanted to feel those fingers. He wanted that touch on his skin. He wanted those fingers to pull all sorts of horrifically embarrassing noises from him. He wanted to have those fingers in his mouth, to taste the salt on that skin again. He wanted to see just how cruel that touch could be — or how sweet.

He wanted it all. 

And he was not a coward.

Eren scrubbed his hands over his face and sighed into his palms. “I’m not a virgin, if that’s what you’re asking. I’ve had sex. Just… not all types. All right?” At his captain’s silence, he slid his hands down from his face to cup his burning cheeks as he met the clearly amused look that twisted the sharp features of his captain’s face. “So don’t… don’t treat me like one. I’m fine. Just nervous because it’s you,” he finished with finality. He watched the captain stare back at him, still silent, as he seemingly digested Eren’s explanation.

The fireplace at Eren’s back crackled in the heavy silence. The slow creep of unease started up the base of his spine, but before it could get too far, the captain extended a hand out to him and crooked a single finger in his direction. “Come here,” he ordered simply. 

Eren pursed his lips and nodded. He climbed to his feet, toed off his shoes, and crossed the fire-warmed room, stopping just shy of the couch his captain was seated on. He remained standing, looking down at his captain’s sharp eyes with his shoulders squared and back straight. 

He was a man, dammit. 

He was a man.

He was—

“I appreciate the candor, brat.” Eren blinked at the man’s words, said with that same hint of amusement coloring his tone. 

“Oh. Y-Yeah.” 

The captain snorted softly with a small shake of his head. “Now I believe I told you to come here.” Eren looked down at the man’s awaiting palm, still extended towards him. With slightly shaky fingers, Eren reached out and placed his hand in that palm, allowing the captain to pull him in.

Eren’s stomach flipped when he realized his captain didn’t want him to sit next to him on the couch. No, the man continued to pull him by the hand until Eren had to practically crawl over the man’s body to stay connected to the firm grip. “Erm, Cap—”

“Quiet, you.” As Eren knelt on the couch cushions facing his captain, the man’s hands went to his hips, gently pulling him into place to straddle his lap. Eren’s cheeks immediately flushed bright red at the position. He planted his hands on either side of the captain’s head, pointedly avoiding even brushing against any of that pale skin. He stayed high up on his knees to keep off the man’s body, trembling in place.

Shit, shit, this is so—

“Eren.” 

“Y-Yeah?” 

There was a soft huff of breath from the man’s lips before he lifted his chin and murmured up to Eren’s blushing face, “You can touch.” Eren twitched at the feeling of the man’s fingers at his hips lightly toying with the hem of his shirt, almost as though he was picking up from where they had left off earlier this evening. 

“…Okay.” 

Eren took a moment to gather himself, focusing on the light touches at his hips. With a soft sigh, he let his hands slide along the couch’s upholstery until they were just shy of his captain’s bare shoulders. He swallowed and looked into those grey eyes, a silent question clearly written on his wary face. The captain’s hooded eyes darkened as he gave a single nod in assent. 

Not a coward!

Eren held his breath and let his hands drop to the man’s shoulders. 

Fuck.

His insides immediately flared with heat. Eren’s fingers slid along the curves of the man’s body, tracing curious paths across the skin. They skimmed over the outer arch of his shoulders, down to feel the corded muscles of his biceps. Here his hands lingered, squeezing briefly to feel the quiet strength that resided just under the pale skin.

Oh… Oh shit.

The man remained still, allowing Eren to explore his body without a word. Eren’s hands slid back up the arms to the man’s chest. His captain was warm here — so warm. He let his fingers splay out over the firm chest, marveling at the heat that seeped into his palms. He could feel the man’s heart beating out a solid, steady rhythm, and for some strange reason, it made his lips curl into a small, pleased smile. 

“Something amusing, brat?” The sound of the man’s deep voice rumbled in his chest, sending pleasant vibrations into Eren’s hands.

“No, sir…” he breathed, though the smile only grew wider.

“Mm.” 

For a moment, Eren was content to just feel the steady rise and fall of the captain’s chest as he breathed, but curiosity and flickering arousal prompted his hands to move once more. The man shifted beneath him as Eren resumed his exploration, though he still didn’t move beyond readjusting his firm hold on Eren’s hips. Eren, feeling a bit bold now, brought his hands up to trace the sharp lines of the collarbones, just as the captain had done to him. The man clearly had way more control over his body’s reactions than Eren had, judging by the lack of noise or twitching. Eren was almost disappointed, but then he glanced up at the man’s face.

His captain’s head lay back against the cushions of the couch, chin slightly raised and neck stretched. His eyes had slipped shut, brows furrowed, and Eren could see the way the muscles in the man’s jaw had tightened. 

Silent and in complete control, but not clearly not unresponsive.

I bet I could…

Eren bit at his bottom lip as a surge of courage swelled inside him. He quickly slid his hands up, up, up, encircling the man’s throat and squeezing slightly to feel the pulse quicken under his touch. The fingers at his hips dug into him as a low groan slipped through his captain’s lips. A full-blown grin spread over Eren’s face at the indescribable sound. The man’s eyes opened slightly to peer up at him, already slightly hazy. “Having fun?” he muttered. Eren nodded down at him, a smile still on his lips. The captain tilted his head back even further, fully extending that smooth, pale neck for Eren to hold. “Don’t want to use your words, hm?” Eren delighted in the deep vibrations in the man’s throat, so much more pronounced here than in his chest. 

The hands gripping him by the hips suddenly pulled him forward into the man’s body. “How about you put that mouth to better use then, brat,” he suggested in that smooth, honeyed way. 

Eren’s smile slipped at the heat that bloomed in the scant space between their bodies. The captain looked up at him, expectant but… patient. Eren knew that the captain’s bruising kisses made him absolutely lose himself. Just one taste of those lips left him panting and keening, a complete wreck willing to do just about anything the man asked of him. He’d beg and plead, desperate for more, more, so much more .

Once he did this, there’d be no going back.

Never.

Not ever.

The captain’s furrowed brow softened at his hesitation. “Eren, you can still change—”

No going back.

Eren wrapped his hands around the back of his captain’s neck and pulled him close, diving down to take the lips in a rough kiss of his own. It was warm. A bit sloppy, without much finesse. But damn, it was perfect. Eren couldn’t seem to bite back the quiet moans that slipped out with every kiss, even if they made his cheeks blush. 

If anything, the soft noises seemed to spur the man below him into finally moving. His captain tilted his head and met each of Eren’s whimpering kisses with a muffled groan as he arched up off the couch cushions. Eren could taste the captain’s evening tea on his tongue as the man lapped at his lips, and it only added more kindling to the fire that blazed in Eren’s chest. Arousal crawled up out of his belly and snaked through his limbs until he was left trembling and feverish. Surely the captain could feel it — their bodies were pressed tightly together as they continued to kiss and suck and nip at each others’ gasping mouths. Through his thin sleep shirt and pants, Eren felt every shift of the man’s muscles against him, every subtle shuddering breath, every jerk of the hips he straddled.

It was overwhelming.

Every time Eren tried to pull away to catch his breath, his captain chased after him, never letting him go. The man swallowed down every one of his desperate noises, and then some. He knew he was already writhing in his captain’s grip, but Eren couldn’t seem to stop. 

He could feel it — the steady swelling of the hardness in his pants. And judging by the way the captain seemed to pull him closer and closer with quiet groans in the back of his throat, the man could feel it as well. There was no mistaking it, now. Eren’s clothing was so damn thin that if the captain bothered to pull away and glance down at him, he’d see it clear as fucking day.

Normally the idea of it would mortify Eren.

But all he could think about — all he could desperately wish for — was for the captain to keep tasting him, to keep arching into his body, to keep pulling him close.

Eventually, the heat and breathlessness of their kissing grew to be too much. Eren had to whine and pull away, throwing his head back to prevent the captain from greedily stealing what little breath he had. He gasped and panted, perched on his knees as he braced himself on his captain’s shoulders. “Hah… ah… ah, fuck…” he cursed, lightheaded. 

“All right there, Eren?” 

Eren’s head fell forward to look at his captain with heavy-lidded eyes. The man’s lips were swollen once again, and were slightly parted with heavy breaths ghosting over the abused skin. His dark brows were furrowed as he looked up at Eren, his eyes flicking over his face without settling on any one thing. 

“Y-Yeah… Yeah.” 

“Mm.” 

Eren felt the man shift below him, subtly adjusting their positions. The captain’s legs spread a bit wider, nudging Eren’s knees a little further apart.

“Would you like to… keep going?” 

The brief hesitation in his captain’s hoarsely asked question spoke volumes. Eren’s arousal gripped him by the throat as he silently nodded, never looking away from those hazy grey eyes.

“Use your words, Eren,” came the soft command.

Eren’s fingers dug lightly into the faintly flushed skin of his captain’s neck. He swallowed. “Yes, sir,” he whispered as he leaned forward, about to take his captain’s mouth once more.

“Yes what?” the man prompted as he abruptly tightened his grip on Eren’s hips. 

Eren’s fully hardened cock throbbed at the low growl in his captain’s voice. He didn’t quite know what the man was asking for, but… 

“Yes… please.” 

“Good boy.”

The captain suddenly spread his legs wide and pulled Eren down onto his lap by his hips. Eren’s breath caught in his throat when he felt the unmistakable hardness of his captain’s erection press against his own, and when the man forced Eren’s hips to roll forward, he couldn’t help but cry out in surprise — and in delicious ecstasy.

Eren buried his face into the curve of his captain’s shoulder to muffle the embarrassing sounds that the man tore from him with each smooth roll, over and over and over. The captain’s hands pushed and pulled his hips, grinding their erections together. Even through the layers of fabric, it was fucking fantastic. Their bodies undulated against each other, seeking heat and friction as they chased after the sparks of lust that made them pant and moan like a couple of rutting animals.

In the quiet of his captain’s private quarters, Eren was acutely aware of just how desperate his muffled noises were, even when buried into the skin of the man’s neck. He tightly pursed his lips against them, mortified by his keening cries… but not enough to stop.

He suddenly felt the nudging of the captain’s nose against his flushed cheek. “Hey. Hey, look at me,” the man ordered, his own voice breathy and slightly labored. Eren wanted to disobey, but then the man abruptly stopped, holding Eren still in his lap. 

“Nnn…” he whined, but begrudgingly lifted his head. He knew he must look an absolute mess, but the captain didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. 

“You don’t have to do that,” Captain Levi murmured. He pulled Eren close and mouthed at the lines of his throat, pulling yet another broken whimper from him. “I want to hear you.”

“But— mmnh! C-Cap…” Eren’s protest was cut off by a strangled cry as the man opened his mouth to suck at the pulse in Eren’s neck. His fingers clawed into the man’s shoulders as his cock throbbed and his hips bucked. 

“No one can hear you in here,” the man explained in a hushed breath across Eren’s skin. He slowly, torturously, resumed his rhythmic push and pull of Eren’s body. Eren’s hips tried to roll of their own accord, but the captain’s grip held him firmly in place. It would be at his pace, apparently. “Make noise,” he murmured. “I like hearing you.” 

“A-Are you sure…?” Eren whispered. It was already embarrassing enough to let his captain hear these noises from him; he wouldn’t be able to take it if someone else—

The captain’s hips suddenly thrust up into him, driving the length of the man’s cock right along Eren’s and sending an overwhelming shockwave of pleasure through Eren’s veins. He let out another surprise cry of pleasure before he could bite it back, but his captain hissed in satisfaction at the noise. “Yes. Yes, just like that.”

Again and again, his captain thrust his hips up against Eren’s body. And before too long, Eren’s hips were rolling forward to meet him, rutting shamelessly against the hardness in his captain’s pants. “Ah… ha-ah… ahn… y-yes…” 

The captain’s hands slid to the small of Eren’s back where his fingers crept under the thin cotton shirt to splay out over the heated skin. He encouraged Eren to grind against him with murmured words pressed to the hollow of his throat. “Yes, keep going. So good, Eren. So fucking good. Let me hear that pretty voice.” 

No matter how he had felt about his noises, when his captain whispered that praise in that smooth, honeyed voice, Eren could do nothing but willingly obey. Eren let his head fall back, giving more of his throat to the man’s lips as he let his moans echo out into the heated air. “Ahn… ah… God…” Bashfulness still made Eren’s face flare red-hot, but with every hushed word of encouragement, every soft hiss of praise, his hesitation and nerves were washed away bit-by-bit until he was a trembling, keening mess in his captain’s hands.

His cock had begun to leak, and the thin fabric of his pants spread the slick fluid over the tip with each roll of his hips. Eren’s moans grew higher and higher in pitch, becoming nothing more than desperate whimpers. His hands clutched at his captain’s shoulders, using the man’s firm body as an anchor to deepen his grinding. “Hah… C-Captain…” he panted. The man hummed where he was laving Eren’s throat with his tongue, but did not stop. “Captain… pl… please.” Eren could barely think beyond the overwhelming heat and lust that clouded his head, but he knew he wanted more. So much more.

The captain pulled his mouth away enough to quietly breathe across the saliva-slicked skin, “Please what?” Eren wordlessly whined as his hips bucked into the heat of his captain’s body. The man clicked his tongue and ducked down to nip sharply at the sensitive flesh of Eren’s throat. Eren yelped in surprise. “Use your words, Eren,” he repeated smoothly. 

This man is going to kill me.

Eren clenched his jaw and growled with an embarrassed frustration. “Please, sir… I want— nngh! “ The captain ran the broadside of his tongue up the line of Eren’s neck, pulling yet another keening whine from him. “M-More!” he cried out as he arched into his captain. “Please, more.”

The hands at his back started to move, sliding up the long curve of his spine. “You sure?” came the murmured question, punctuated by a soft kiss to the underside of his chin. Eren barely had the presence of mind to be surprised by the gentleness with which his captain mouthed at his jaw. But in that moment, the hands at his back crept higher still, and before he could process the movement, he was divested of his shirt. The man tossed the thin cotton sleep shirt over the back of the couch without another thought, and then those hands returned to caress Eren’s shoulder blades, tracing heated paths with his fingertips. 

The rush of cooler air made Eren’s skin tingle. The fire in the hearth had warmed the air around them, but Eren still shivered in his captain’s touch, making his voice shake as he nodded. “Y-Yes. I’m sure. Just…” He glanced down into the man’s face. Captain Levi leaned his head back against the couch cushions to meet his gaze, and the look on his face stole Eren’s words. The captain’s dark hair was mussed and hung down into his eyes. The steel grey was heavily shadowed and hazy, though completely and utterly focused on Eren’s face. His swollen, bruised lips were slightly parted as he took deep, ragged breaths. Eren caught the faint sheen of saliva on the man’s lips and chin, and fuck, it made his cock throb and ache.

“J-Just… please, t-t… ” Eren stammered, earning him a raised brow and twisted smirk from his captain. All he wanted… all he wanted… was for this intense man to—

“Touch me.” 

His captain guided Eren to sit up on his knees a bit and let out an amused huff of what almost could be described as laughter. Before Eren could even steady himself, the man looked up at him with the tip of his tongue curling around the point of his canine and replied, “Yes, sir.” 

Eren’s eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open at the quiet honorific falling from his captain’s smirking lips. “Ca— AH!” A firm hand suddenly wrapped around the shaft of his erection, squeezing him through the tented fabric of his pants. “Shit, s-shit! Hah… f-fuck…” Eren’s hips immediately jerked forward into his captain’s grip as he cursed. His arousal flared underneath his touch-starved skin, and when the hand around him slid up to the head of his cock, he nearly lost himself.

“Oh… oh, fuck, please…” Eren’s hips bucked as he pleaded with his captain, desperately chasing the friction. He could feel the fabric sliding through the wetness at his tip, slicking him. “Hah, please, please, I…” Captain Levi squeezed him again, and again, and again, teasing him with the taste of a proper touch. Eren could sob he wanted it so bad. The fabric of his pants stuck to his leaking cock, only getting in the way of feeling the heat of those hands, the roughness of those fingers. “I need—”

“I know.” 

Eren’s fingers dug into the meat of his captain’s shoulders, hissing through grit teeth. Figures the captain would want to torture him. To bring him to the brink, to force him to rut into vague pressure, muffled by goddamn pants.

“Then why…!”

“Impatient little shit.” Eren could hear the smirk in the low murmur, and he had half a mind to bite right back. He shook his hair out of his eyes and sat back on his knees, ready to either snap at the man’s torturous pace… or beg for more. But then his captain lifted a hand to his own mouth. Eren froze, holding his breath as he watched the man pointedly slick his palm with his saliva.

“Captain—”

The hand at his back suddenly slid to the waistband of his pants. His captain hooked his fingers into the band and quickly pulled both his pants and his shorts down over the curve of his ass. His captain’s grey eyes met his as he dragged his tongue up over his fingers. Eren saw the saliva trail down the man’s wrist, tracing the lines of his tendons. He twitched when he felt the man’s other hand slide to his front and ease the fabric of his pants and shorts over the absolutely aching erection that lay between them. He shivered at the brush of the cooler air on his overheated, flushed skin.

Shit, he was already so sensitive. There was no way he was gonna last. Not like this.

“Captain, I won’t—”

Eren’s hips jerked forward with a surprised noise when the man suddenly palmed his ass, his fingers digging slightly into the soft flesh. Eren’s already blushing cheeks flushed impossibly redder as his warning caught in his throat. His captain, unbothered, merely let out another soft huff of amusement as he drew his dripping hand away. 

“I know.”

Eren only had a split second to curl his fingers over his captain’s shoulders and hold on tight before that hand was on him. 

Warm. 

Wet.

Slick.

Perfect.

His captain wrapped his saliva-slicked hand around the base of his cock and stroked up to the tip in one smooth movement. He rolled his wrist around the head, then slid back down. Then again. And again. And again. And again.

There was no hope for Eren. He didn’t stand a chance in hell against the agonizingly hot slide of his captain’s hand as he jerked him off. Eren was reduced to a pathetic, babbling mess. Meaningless words of pleading desperation fell from his gasping lips, aimed up somewhere towards the wood beams in the ceiling as he threw his head back and arched into his captain’s touch. 

Eren had no idea what he was saying or begging for. His head had gone fuzzy, completely overwhelmed by the indescribable feeling of that rough hand on his cock. It was hot. It was so hot. That hand practically seared his sensitive skin, radiating so much wet fucking heat. A calloused thumb ran over his slit to spread the bead of wetness across the head of his cock, and the sound that escaped his throat sounded close to a sob, even to his own ears.

“Oh… o-oh fuck…” he cried. His nails clawed into the skin of his captain’s shoulders, where he was clutching to him for dear life. “Oh God. Oh please. P-Please. Please, please, please, God, please—nnngh, please!” Eren couldn’t help the way his hips bucked and writhed, thrusting into that slick inferno of his captain’s hand, and to be honest, he couldn’t give a fuck. Not anymore. Eren continued to cry out, his voice breaking on his pleas. “Ahn… ah, please… ha-ah… God, Ca… Captain, Captain, please… please.” His legs started to shake — God, he was already so close.

“—at good, hm?”

The soft murmur of his captain’s honeyed voice finally broke through the thick fog of his arousal. How long Captain Levi had been speaking to him, he had no idea. He lowered his chin to look down at his captain’s face, though he could barely see straight. Eren bit at his lip as the man twisted around the head of his cock again, biting back another desperate whine. 

“Told you I like to hear you, brat.”

“But—”

“Want me to stop?” The hand paused mid-stroke, and it nearly killed him.

“Nnngh— No!”

“Then let me hear you.” The man reached up to suck at that spot under Eren’s jaw as he resumed his strokes, now tighter and faster than before. “I want to hear that pretty voice when you cum.” 

The filthy words in that deep voice combined with the increasing speed sent shockwaves straight to Eren’s cock. He let out a choked cry as he bucked into his captain’s hand. “Nngh… Ca-Captain…” he whined, now completely lost to the lust that flooded his veins and made him weak. “Ha… I just… I’m close, I… I just—ah… please, f-faster.” He let his head fall back once more and cried out, unrestrained and broken. The brass key that hung around his neck bounced on his chest as he thrusted into his captain’s hand with desperate abandon. “Faster, please, d-don’t stop!” Eren’s begging went ragged at the edges as he felt his balls tighten against his body. His hips met every long stroke with a thrust of his own, wanting nothing more than to bury himself deep into that hand. His orgasm coiled deep in his belly, and with just a few more strokes of that fucking incredible hand was going to send him over. “ I’m so close. Please—ah, ah, yes, ah!” Eren’s entire body tightened, absolutely wracked with tremors as his captain hummed against his throat. 

“Mmn… Good boy, Eren.” His captain’s tongue curled around his name, and it was his undoing.

Eren’s nails dug into the man’s shoulders as he felt his orgasm crest. The captain’s hand never slowed, tearing horrifically broken sobs from Eren’s throat as his cock pulsed. “Yes, good boy… so good. Just like that,” his captain murmured as he milked Eren of his release. Pearly ropes streaked the man’s chest, painting his torso in white. 

Eren’s hips jerked and twitched with each pulse of his orgasm. The hand around his cock continued to stroke and twist until the cries that fell from Eren’s open mouth went shrill from oversensitivity. “Hah… ha~ah… ah! AH! S-S-Stop! Stop!” Eren tried to pull away from the man, but the captain only gripped him tighter, a pleased smirk on his lips. Eren writhed in a devastating mixture of pleasure and pain, choking on desperate noises. “Captain! Captain, st-stop! Fuck’s sake!” He slammed a fist into the man’s shoulder with a harsh curse.

The man finally, blessedly, released him with an exaggerated sigh. Eren went limp. He curled forward and collapsed onto his captain’s chest, burying his face into the crook of his neck. He lay there for a long moment, just taking deep, heaving breaths as he waited for his hammering pulse to slow. A warm hand came up to stroke the sweaty nape of his neck and toy with the damp strands of hair. Eren let his eyes slip closed. 

Goddamn…

After several minutes of companionable silence, Eren stirred. He braced himself on the firm chest beneath him and looked into the remarkably content face of his captain. Eren had rarely seen the man’s face so relaxed.

He…

He liked it.

The grey eyes, heavy-lidded, watched Eren hesitate for a moment before a dark brow rose, silently questioning him. Eren leaned forward and kissed him. Slowly at first, but soon coaxed his captain’s lips to part, deepening it with a soft sigh. The hand at the back of his neck pulled him in as the man let Eren taste him. Eren’s quiet hums grew louder, becoming soft moans as he brought his hands up to his captain’s neck. He wanted to get closer, and—

His captain’s lips slowly stopped reacting to his kisses. “Hm?” Eren paused, confused.

“Eren,” the man whispered against his lips. Eren pulled away, just enough to make eye contact. 

“Yeah?” 

Warm hands, one rough and one slick, slid along the fabric of his pants to rest on his thighs on either side of his captain’s legs. “…You should go wash up.” 

Eren tilted his head, a bit lost. “But…” The man shifted sitting up straighter. He gently pulled Eren’s pants up over his hips and lightly nudged Eren off his lap. Eren crawled up off his captain and flopped onto the couch next to him, his hands tucked between his legs. Something akin to dread suddenly crashed over Eren’s shoulders, immediately chasing the warmth from his skin. “Have I… er…” his voice dropped low, uncertain and wary. “Did I do something wrong?” He hated how tiny he sounded, but to be honest, he was starting to feel that way. 

And fast.

Captain Levi ran a shaking hand through his hair and let out a huff of bitter laughter. “No, Eren.” Grey eyes turned towards him. Eren sucked in a breath at the clear heat that still simmered in his intense stare. A hand suddenly shot out to take hold of Eren’s wrist. “Here.” The captain pulled Eren’s hand free and positioned it over his lap. Eren’s eyes went wide as the man firmly pressed Eren’s palm down into the thick hardness that still remained. “You see what you do to me?” He said. He let Eren hear the ragged edges of his voice, and it immediately sparked another flash of arousal in his belly. 

“Then why…?” Eren whispered back. His fingers twitched where the captain held it against his erection, then slowly curled around the shaft he felt just underneath the loose trousers. 

God, he’s so—

The captain pulled Eren’s hand away with a quiet noise, deep in his throat. The man turned away, breaking the thread of heat that had connected them just a moment before. Eren was well and truly confused now. His captain was… well, very clearly still hard, and if Eren hadn’t done anything wrong, then why…

“But you still haven’t—”

“It’s fine,” Captain Levi cut him off sharply. Eren recoiled at the biting tone, and stared, wide-eyed, as the man briefly covered his mouth with his hand. He sighed, eyes slipping closed, and let his hand fall away. “It’s fine,” he repeated, much more gently. 

Eren’s gaze fell to the man’s hands, now clenched into tight fists with the fabric of his trousers clutched between his fingers. Eren didn’t say so, but he could tell: his captain was holding back. He still didn’t understand why. Eren was here. Ready, and willing. Very willing. So willing. Okay, so he’d… he’d already cum, but that shouldn’t stop the captain from getting—

“I’ll be back.” The captain’s deep voice suddenly cut through Eren’s distracted thoughts, pulling him back into the present. Eren shuffled over the couch cushion to allow the man to stand.

“Er, where are you…” Eren’s voice trailed off when the captain’s pale, thin fingers trailed up his naked abdomen, sliding through the ropes of steadily drying cum that streaked the man’s body. “… going.” Eren’s cheeks flared with heat as he felt the stirring of arousal in his belly once more. He hadn’t even noticed… Oh God, there was so much.

“As pleasant as it is having your spunk all over me, I need to clean this off.” Eren’s eyes lifted to his captain’s face. The dark brows were slightly furrowed and the lips pulled into a faint frown. “Wait here, all right?” 

Eren nodded wordlessly. 

“Mm.” The captain stared at him for a moment, then turned and crossed the small sitting room to the door on the other side — presumably his private washroom. 

Eren waited until he heard the door click and the latch lock into place before he buried his face into his hands and let out a strangled noise. “Fuck, fuck, oh my fucking God.” It still hadn’t settled in. Not quite. He rolled over onto his back, splayed out on the cushions of his captain’s couch, locked inside his captain’s quarters while his captain washed the… the… A slightly hysterical laugh bubbled up out of his throat. “Fuck.”

It was real.

It had happened.

His captain’s hands had been just as good — no, better — than he had ever imagined, even while touching himself in the showers, or in his filthiest dreams. They couldn’t possibly compare to the real thing. Eren’s eyes slipped closed as he remembered just how fantastic they had felt on his back, tracing the curve of his spine. The way they had gripped his hips, guiding him to rut up against the man. 

Eren felt his arousal stirring, his blood heating up again as it swelled just under his belly. A low whine vibrated in his throat when he felt his cock twitch, already starting to harden again. Even the memory of those hands twisting, stroking, teasing him, all warm and slick, was enough to leave him wanting, despite having just gotten off. He bit back a low moan and writhed on the cushions, curling into himself and stretching out, unable to tamp down the lust that still made him—

He cried out as something cold and hard brushed against the bare skin of his foot, startling him.

He sat up, bracing himself on his elbows, and looked down at his feet. There — tucked under the plush armrest of the couch — something glinted in the firelight. Eren flipped over and crawled over to it, brows furrowed with curiosity. He pulled it free and sucked in a tight breath. 

A pocket knife.

He rarely used them, never really having found a use for the small blades, but he knew enough about them to identify them. And this one… This one was special. Eren glanced over at the still closed door of the captain’s restroom before turning his attention back to the subtly elegant knife. He bit at his bottom lip as he pulled the blade free from the handle, opening the knife fully. 

The blade was sharp — very sharp. When Eren gently ghosted the pad of his thumb over the honed edge, it sliced a thin line into his skin. A tiny bead of blood swelled from the wound, but he didn’t feel a thing. He watched as a faint whisper of steam fizzled from the line before being wafted away, leaving his skin unmarked. 

Eren turned the knife over in his hands, careful not to touch the mirror-like steel. His eyes ran over the expertly carved handle, molded from beautiful, dark wood. There was tasteful filigree adorning the handle, and while the knife showed clear signs of use, the marks only added to its character, rather than detracting from the beauty. Eren’s fingers curled around the well-balanced knife reverently. He imagined his captain’s pale fingers handling the blade with his usual quiet grace. He could picture it, nestled perfectly in his captain’s palm. The dark wood and polished metal would compliment the man’s pale skin. Smooth, yet bearing marks of experience — just like the hands that would wield it.

As he rotated it to catch the light from the hearth, his eyes traced the knife’s edge, confusion heavy on his brow.

Why?

The captain always kept his blade tucked against his chest in one of his jacket’s inner pockets. Eren had seen the man pull it out on various occasions, like having to cut through the twine of their supply packages, or gently extract shrapnel from a wound. But the captain had just left the shower when Eren had shown up. He hadn’t even been wearing a shirt! If it was here on the couch, that means the captain had purposefully had it on his person, even while in a state of half-dress.

Eren brought the knife close, pressing his thumb to the knife’s edge again. He tilted his head and caught his reflection in the polished metal. His confused green eyes blinked back at him.

Why?

Why didn’t he use this?

Why did he… hide it?

Eren may be… inexperienced with this particular taste of his captain’s. But he wasn’t naive. He was pretty damn sure he told the man that he was willing to do this for him. So why—

The lock to the washroom slid in the latch, sending a spike of panic through Eren’s body. He fumbled with the blade and snapped it shut before tucking it under his leg and turning to face the man as he emerged from the doorway. He gave his captain a lopsided grin full of teeth. “H-Hey, Captain.”

Captain Levi immediately stopped in his tracks. He peered suspiciously at Eren with deeply furrowed brows. “Why do you look guilty as shit? What did you do?”

Eren rubbed at the back of his neck and let out a light laugh. “Ah, what do you mean? I haven’t done anything! I haven’t even left this spot!”

The captain’s eyes narrowed. “Mm.” He stared at Eren for a moment before sighing and resuming his path across the room. Eren watched him approach with dismay on his shoulders. The man had gotten fully dressed, and now wore a light grey shirt that covered his previously bare torso. 

I guess…

Captain Levi stopped next to Eren, though he chose to remain standing. Eren looked up at him. The last of his hope died away as the man crossed his arms over his chest, closing himself off.

I guess that’s it.

“So… uh… I guess you’d… like me to get going then, huh?” There was a moment of silence that stretched on a bit too long. Eren’s shoulders slumped. “Okay, I understand,” he mumbled. He lowered his head to hide the disappointed twist of his lips. 

Eren went to stand, but was abruptly stopped by a warm hand placed atop his crown. The fingers buried into his hair, carding through the strands. Eren went still as his captain played with his hair.

But…

The hand slid down to his temples, along the skin of his flushed cheeks, down to trace the line of his jaw. Warm fingers tilted his chin up, forcing him to look up again. Heavy-lidded grey eyes stared into him, though the man remained silent. 

But—

Eren lifted his chin and whispered, “Please.”

The grey eyes flashed just before the man ducked down and kissed the plea from his lips. Eren immediately let out a quiet moan as he opened his mouth, greedily deepening the kiss. His hands went to his captain’s shirt to pull him closer, sitting up on his knees once more to meet him. How could he possibly leave now? How could he even think of pulling away when his captain’s mouth moved against his, tasting him and humming low in his throat? 

Impossible.

His captain cupped the back of his neck with a groan, his kisses growing more and more greedy. Eren was putty in this man’s hands. The taste of him was becoming familiar — addicting, and Eren had no intention to let go. Not now.

He snuck his hands underneath the hem of his captain’s shirt to slide up over the solid wall of muscle, tracing the contours of his abdomen. The captain let out a tight gasp at the touch, and Eren couldn’t help the whimper that escaped him. 

This is what he wanted. 

He wanted to make the captain feel as good as the man had made him feel. He wanted to see the man’s mouth fall open with low groans. He wanted to see those eyes hazy with lust. He wanted to feel the heat of his body, the wet warmth of his mouth — everything. 

But first—

Eren’s hands went to the button of his captain’s trousers, fumbling in his desperation. The captain’s lips slowed, moving against his as he quietly murmured, “Eren… Eren, stop.” 

He let out a frustrated noise, but obeyed. The man pulled away, out of his grip, and stared down at him, his face inscrutable. “I lied — I don’t understand!” Eren exclaimed in a rush of brevity. “I thought… I mean, when we talked about this, it was about you!” He ran a shaky hand through his hair as he ranted. “But you won’t even let me… I… why?”

The captain continued to just stare down at him, silent. 

Eren let out a huff full of hot air and reached down to withdraw the knife from its hiding spot under his thigh. He held it up in a clenched fist. His captain’s eyes immediately narrowed.

“Where did you—”

“You obviously wanted to! Did you change your mind?”

“Eren—”

“I don’t understand!” 

“Jaeger, give me—”

“You say I didn’t do anything wrong, but it sure as hell feels like it!”

The captain let out a growl of frustration and seized Eren’s wrist in an iron grip. “Would you shut the hell up for a minute? You’re giving me a headache.” It was Eren’s turn to stare up at him, silent. He pursed his lips and nodded, waiting for the man to continue. “Give me that.” Captain Levi snatched the knife from Eren’s hand with a scowl on his face. “Presumptuous little shit,” he snorted.

Annoyance and flickers of his arousal flared in his blood, red-hot. “Presump—”

“Enough,” the captain snapped, matching his fire. “Enough.” He looked up to the ceiling, taking a slow, measured breath. Eren watched the furrow in the man’s brow ease, just slightly as he steadied himself. When he looked back at Eren, his face softened. The sight of it made the fight bleed out of Eren’s tightened muscles. 

“Captain…”

“I didn’t change my mind, Eren,” the captain said, his voice dropping into a low murmur. “I just thought it best if your first time wasn’t—”

“I’m not a virg—”

“I know, Eren. Let me finish, for fuck’s sake.” Eren’s mouth snapped shut. The captain closed his eyes and took another calming breath. “I thought it best if your first time with me wasn’t…” He paused, eyes opening to glance at the knife still held tightly in his hand. Eren tilted his head at the uncharacteristic hesitation. “...Stained with blood,” he finished simply. 

They stared at each other for a long, long time. 

His captain’s admission felt strangely… heavy. As though it was more of a secret than the discovery that he had a particular affinity for blood. Which, given the captain’s personality, could be entirely true. 

Eren felt something curling up inside his chest. Something warm, like the gentle fire that crackled in the hearth. He couldn’t quite place it, and thinking on it was starting to make him nervous, so he let out a quiet huff of laughter to try and dispel the thickness between them. “Y’know, sir, that’s pretty ah… thoughtful. Almost like you actually care about… erm… me. Or something.” There was the flicker of something in his captain’s placid expression as he stared back at him, drawing Eren’s curious attention. That warm, strange thing inside his chest seemed to stir with each passing second, notably filled with a heavy silence. “…Captain…?” he asked softly, hesitantly. 

The grey eyes seemed to trace Eren’s face before they slid away, shattering the moment.

“I told you,” he said gruffly as he straightened up, leaving Eren sitting alone on the couch to peer up at him. With a quick roll of his wrist, the captain flicked the blade open, snapping it into place. He held it delicately as he turned it over, much more elegantly than Eren’s fumbling hands had done. “Once I have a proper taste…” With a gentle touch, he nudged Eren’s chin up with the edge of the steel. Eren could feel his pulse quicken against the cold blade. Goosebumps prickled up his neck as he looked up to meet his captain’s heavy gaze. “…I won’t be able to stop.” 

Eren knew that his captain had flipped the knife before pressing it against his skin. The dull edge was nestled just above his Adam’s apple, and Eren could feel it shift as he swallowed. “B-Beg your pardon, sir…” he murmured. He lifted a hand up to where his captain’s fingers held the blade steady, unshakeable in his control. Eren let out a slow exhale as he slowly, so very slowly, prompted the man to rotate the knife once more. The grey eyes widened with Eren’s careful movement, though he made no move to fight him.

“Eren—”

“But I… ah… I never said anything about stopping.” As he spoke, the sharpened edge pressed into the delicate skin of his throat. Eren could feel it bite into his flesh, but no further. The captain’s eyes were locked to Eren’s, brows furrowed and mouth pulled into a deep frown. The man never looked down at the blade. He kept the knife stone still, without even the slightest of shakes in his iron grip. “Please.” The eyes narrowed, but did not look away. “I want to,” Eren whispered as he guided the knife held in the man’s hand to slide across his skin. He felt the blade catch as it sliced into him, just enough to draw the faintest line of blood. He hardly felt it. But he did feel the knife twitch — just once, but it was enough to show the crack in his captain’s control. 

Eren’s lips pulled back into a small, pleased smile as he wet his lips with a slow swipe of his tongue. He lifted his chin higher to show the hiss of steam as his skin healed, the wound already nothing more than a faint pink line. “Please don’t stop, sir.”

The man was silent as he pulled the knife away. Disappointment crept up Eren’s spine, but then his captain’s other hand was suddenly at his throat. Calloused fingertips caressed his outstretched neck, sliding up to the line of blood that remained on Eren’s skin. Eren watched his captain’s eyes finally drop down as he gathered Eren’s blood on his fingers. With dark hair falling forward to shadow his brow, the man lifted his hand to his lips. Eren sucked in a tight breath, holding it and waiting, waiting, waiting—

Captain Levi’s lips parted. He dragged his tongue along the pad of his finger to lick Eren off his skin, staining his tongue crimson.

The sound his captain made as he relished the taste of it was like nothing Eren had ever heard before. 

Eren’s entire body shivered with arousal, and before he could even think to plead for more, his captain was on him with a low growl in his throat. Lips and teeth attacked his mouth, rough and bruising as the man kissed the breath from his lungs. That warm, firm hand gripped him by the jaw, angling his face to accept every one of Captain Levi’s brutal kisses. 

It was fast — so fast. Eren couldn’t even remember when his captain had nudged him backwards on the couch cushion, but when the firm heat of his captain’s knee pressed against his swelling hard-on, he let out a whimpered moan against his captain’s lips that made the man pull away with a quiet breath. With their foreheads touching, the two of them panted, adding heated breath to the air between them. Eren’s hands were tangled in his captain’s shirt as his hips rolled against the leg between his thighs. “C-Captain…”

His captain pulled away just enough to give Eren a sharp look. Grey eyes, pupils already blown wide, darkened as the man whispered across the flushed skin of Eren’s face. “Last chance,” he breathed. “Want to stop? You can leave, right now, and we’ll never speak of this again.“

Eren blinked up at that intense stare. “Are you kidding?” A single dark brow rose at Eren’s incredulous question. “Hell no! I want— ” His demand immediately died when the flat side of the knife was pressed to his lips, hushing him. Eren’s eyes went wide as his captain slowly slid the cool steel of the blade down his chin and along the lines of his neck. 

“Hold still,” the captain commanded softly. 

Eren swallowed. The captain’s voice had gone quiet. It was smooth, but underneath there was something sharp and ragged — like barbed wire dripping with golden honey. He froze in place as the blade’s edge whispered across his skin, drawing goosebumps in its wake. It came to a rest against the curve of his neck and shoulder where he could feel the point of the sharpened steel biting into his skin, and, for the first time since this all had started, the very, very faint trembling of his captain’s hand. The man’s breaths had gone shallow, passing over parted lips with his chest rapidly rising and falling. 

The man’s hesitation made that strange feeling inside Eren’s chest stir. He lifted his chin even higher, and with a hushed whisper he pleaded, one last time. 

“Please.”

The tip of the knife dipped into his skin. 

Eren let out a quiet noise, more out of surprise than of pain. The captain slid the knife down, down, down, carving a shallow line into his flesh that traced the cord his key hung from. It stung, but nothing more than a long paper cut. Eren wondered if the captain had even cut him deep enough, but then he felt it — the warm, wet slide of blood over his collarbone. Just a single drop, by the feel of it. Eren reflexively reached a hand up to wipe it away. 

“No.” The captain snatched his wrist away with a growl. He ducked down, leaning into the scant space between their bodies to murmur into Eren’s neck. “This is mine.” There was a hot exhale over his skin just before the tongue swept across the leaking wound. Eren bit his lip against the whimper that clawed its way out of his throat as his captain groaned, deep and hungry. The hand holding Eren’s wrist released him to wrap around the back of his neck and pull him against the man’s mouth. The groans his captain made were guttural and almost animalistic as he kissed and sucked the blood from Eren’s neck. The sounds of it made the fire in Eren’s belly flare white-hot, stirring his insides and sending a shot of arousal straight to his cock. He whined as he rolled his hips into his captain’s knee to get more, more of that delicious friction.

“Hah…” His captain pulled away with a ragged breath. Eren felt the man’s body start to tremble against him. The hand on his nape tightened. “You… You all right?” 

Eren was astounded at the way his captain’s voice rasped as it fell across his saliva-slicked skin. He had never heard him like this: breathless, sounding almost drunk. All on a single taste of Eren’s blood.

He slowly reached a hand up between their bodies to feel where the wound was. His fingertips slid through saliva, searching for the edges of the cut, but found nothing. His skin was warm, but no sign of the wound remained — already healed.

Eren let out a light laugh. “Of course,” he said with a wild grin. 

If something like this, something so easy, could get such a rise out of this stalwart man, he’d do it again and again and aga—

“Good.”  

Eren’s world turned upside-down. 

The captain hauled Eren off the couch and slung him over his shoulder in one smooth movement, faster than Eren could even comprehend. “H-H-Hey, what—!” Eren squeezed his eyes shut as dizziness flooded his brain at the sudden inversion. The captain said nothing. Eren felt himself being carried across the room, his key smacking into his face with each step. “Capt—oof!” Eren was tossed onto his back, hitting something fluffy and plush. His eyes flew open. He patted the comforter below him with groping fingers, absently remarking just how soft it was.

Surprising.

He looked up at the man standing above him with wide eyes. Splayed out on the mattress, Eren greedily watched his captain shrug off the light grey shirt and toss it aside, joining Eren’s somewhere on the stone floor behind him. All that pale skin was back on display for Eren, stretched over corded muscles and marked with scattered scars. He ran a hand through his hair and stared back at him, letting his eyes run over Eren’s chest. 

Eren’s body felt… lacking, in comparison. He knew his cheeks were blushing while under his captain’s intense examination, despite his best efforts to hide it. He turned his face away, burying it into the folds of his captain’s blankets, only to be immediately scolded by a sharp, “Stop that.” The man knelt on the bed between Eren’s spread legs. He grabbed Eren’s face by the chin and wrenched it back to look up at him and all the heat that was in his gaze. Eren shivered at that look. “I like looking at your stupid face,” he said, with no trace whatsoever of sarcasm or bite behind his words. 

His captain leaned forward to place a kiss to the center of his lips before nipping lightly at the swell of his bottom lip, drawing a yelp from him. “Now just relax, hm?” Eren nodded, earning him another warm kiss, this one full of heat and intention. This time, when his captain pulled away, he murmured across the bruised lips, “And Eren… if it’s ever… too much, you are to tell me. Immediately. Am I understood?”

Eren nodded again, but the man let out a growl of annoyance and bit his lip again, this time sharply enough to break the skin. Eren cried out. “Use your words, Eren.” He lapped at the gathered blood and hummed. 

“Y-Yes, sir,” Eren stammered breathlessly. 

His heart started to hammer wildly in his chest as the captain’s mouth kissed a line down his chin, under his jaw, his neck. Warm hands gently pulled the key from around his neck, up over his head. As the lips lingered on his collarbones for a moment, Eren heard the faint metallic clink of the key being dropped to the stones before his captain moved on down his chest. Every heated kiss added more fuel to the fire that burned inside him. His captain’s lips and tongue left searing paths of liquid fire on him until he was writhing underneath the man, whining and keening with lust.

“Ah… Captain…” 

And then that hot tongue ran over his nipple. “AH! A-Ahn… s-shit!” Eren cried out and tangled the blanket into shaking fists as he arched up off the bed and into that heated mouth. His captain sucked the nub into his mouth and swirled his tongue in circles around the sensitive flesh. Lightning, sharp and biting, shot through Eren’s veins at the intense sensation. This was new; none of his other partners had ever— “O-Oh, oh God…” he groaned when the tip of his captain’s tongue flicked over the nub. His cock swelled with arousal, now fully hard again and aching between his legs. “Oh god, oh…” The heat of his captain’s mouth eased off him, only to blow across the saliva-slick nub. “S-S-Shit…” he cursed, shivering.

“Interesting…” came a soft murmur. “Didn’t expect you to be so sensitive, brat.” Another flick of his captain’s tongue chased the retort from Eren’s lips. He arched off the bed again, biting back a desperate whine. “Good to know.” Captain Levi closed his mouth over the hardened nipple and sucked. Eren threw his head back into the mattress and groaned. 

He could feel the man shifting above him, just before he felt the slide of the ice cold steel over his torso. Eren twitched at the startling chill, but did not shy away, not even as the blade traced the muscles of his chest and abdomen. 

He trusted him.

He trusted him.

The captain wouldn’t—

The lips pulled away once more. “On my mark, Eren.” That honeyed voice whispered sweetly over his abused nub, soothing him. 

“Y-Yes, sir,” was all he could manage. 

“Three.” A shiver of fear crept up his spine when the blade’s edge started to turn, pressing into the skin of his pectoral muscle, just under his collarbone.

“Two.” He felt the tip of the knife dip into him. It marked him, already drawing a bead of blood. He whimpered, though he still knew that his captain wouldn’t wound him too grievously. He could handle it. As long as the man kept touching him, kept sucking on him, kept kissing him—

“One.” Eren inhaled and held his breath, tight in his lungs. His captain lowered his lips to Eren’s nipple once more, sucking and swirling that wet tongue around. Eren couldn’t help writhing with the pleasure, a moan on his lips. In that same instant, the captain dug the knife deep into his chest and dragged, carving him open. 

Eren bit his lip and cursed through his teeth. “F—F-Fuck… Fuck…” His face twisted and contorted with the pain of it. It hurt. God, it hurt. But it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. He clenched his jaw and hissed, sucking in tight breaths as his chest was assaulted with pleasure and pain. Blood immediately poured down his chest in rivers, flooding under his side and soaking into the bed clothes beneath him. He tried to shift in his captain’s grip, whining with worry when he felt the hot blood seeping under his body. “C-Captain… mmnh, s-sir…” 

His captain didn’t respond beyond a vague hum as he nipped lightly at Eren’s sensitive nub and soothed away the pain with soft, wet kisses. 

“C-Cap… the —nngh— blood… your ha-aah… ah… the s-sheets!” he warned, voice cracking as he cried out. 

The captain finally lifted his head, releasing his nipple. “I know,” he said, voice low and ragged. Eren peered up at him through hazy eyes, but even still, he could see the way his captain’s lips pulled into a twisted smile. “I like them this way.” Eren winced as the blade was pulled free of the deep cut in his chest, but then let out a soft moan as he felt the slide of warm, calloused fingers up his flank. His captain’s hand trembled as he caressed his flushed skin. He swept his hand through the blood that soaked Eren’s side, coating his fingers and palm. It was hot and almost sticky as the man spread the thick fluid over his chest, even brushing over his other nipple and teasing the nub with bloodied fingers. “Fuck…” Eren’s eyes lifted from where he had been watching his captain’s ministrations with rapt attention. 

Never had he ever seen the captain… his captain… look so completely enraptured before. The man’s steel grey eyes were focused solely on the blood that he smeared over Eren’s body with trembling fingers, tracing the bloodied paths as he bit at his lip. The dark hair hung down over his brow and shadowed his face, only adding to the abject hunger with which he stared at Eren’s body. His captain painted his skin crimson with delicate touches that felt more like worship than anything else. Even through the pain of the cut in his chest, Eren’s lust burned hotter, hotter, making him a feverish, panting mess. Steam wafted between their bodies as the deep cut started to heal, the air full of the metallic smell of blood.

Captain Levi’s fingers slowed to a stop where they lingered over Eren’s wound, gentle and slick with blood. “Shit… Eren, you…” His captain hesitated, eyes going hazy. He let his fingers splay out over Eren’s chest. “Fucking beautiful…” he breathed, his words as soft and warm as the steam that enveloped them.

Eren would never forget the sound of his captain’s voice whispering those words to him.

The captain curled down over his body and dragged the flat of his tongue over the swathes of blood that streaked Eren’s chest while his bloodstained fingers rolled Eren’s nipple to a hardened pebble. Eren’s head fell back against the mattress, writhing and keening at the overwhelming sensations assaulting his nerves. The steam around them made the air thick and hot, and his captain’s heated breaths ghosting over his blood-slick skin only added to it. The pain of the wound in his chest was forgotten, easily overshadowed by the lust that surged through him with every sinful pass of that tongue. Eren’s hands wrenched at the bedclothes beneath him to keep himself steady, grounded.

And then those lips went to his nipple, sucking and mouthing at the blood that his captain had decorated his skin with. Eren’s back arched up off the mattress with a strangled cry in his throat. 

“Mmm… hah…” The captain hummed around the mouthful before pulling away to breathe over the mixture of saliva and blood. “Hah… so good, Eren.” He ran the flat of his tongue over the nub and bit at the sensitive flesh to pull another broken cry from Eren’s gasping mouth. “Such a good boy for me…”

Eren whimpered at the praise. Every honeyed word sent shivers down his spine and a shock of arousal to his cock. He could feel himself leaking again, and God, he needed more. 

So greedy.

“Please, sir… nngh… Please.” Eren’s words held nothing beyond a vague pleading, but his captain was kind, already trailing his hands down Eren’s sides and lingering on his hips where they rolled against the bed. 

“I can give you more, Eren,” came the smooth, breathy voice. “Is that what you want?” As he spoke, his captain slowly worked the waistbands of his pants and shorts down, easing them back over his jerking hips and the curve of his ass. 

“Yes… Yes, please… Please, a-anything.” Eren knew he was starting to babble once more. There was a small part of him that lurked in the back of his mind that worried that his captain would think him pathetic for the desperate begging. But then the man pulled his pants down further, further, nudging Eren to pull his legs free of the fabric. He curled forward over Eren’s body to suck at the pulse thundering just under the flushed skin of his neck. Eren lay completely naked now, splayed over his captain’s bed, and completely at his captain’s mercy. His thighs drew together as tightly as they could, though the man’s knees prevented them from shutting completely. A warm hand firmly gripped him by the thigh, holding him still.

“Don’t you dare hide yourself from me,” he commanded softly. A rough thumb skimmed across the quivering of Eren’s thighs as he murmured into his throat. His lips lay searing paths along his collarbones, tracing down, down, down until they came to a stop – right where the wound he had carved into Eren’s chest had been. “Don’t hide your body from me.” Eren’s breath hitched as the captain placed the softest of kisses to the steam-heated skin. Warm lips caressed his freshly healed flesh, as though he was carefully inspecting it for any possible trace of pain or scar. When he found none, the man pulled away to give Eren a look absolutely dripping with hunger.

The captain backed down off the bed. Eren shivered at the lack of body heat, but remained still, only lifting his head to watch the man retreat. The hand holding his thigh in place did not move, and Eren would never think to disobey his captain – not now. Not like this.

His captain suddenly dropped to his knees beside the bed.

Oh… Oh God. Oh God, Oh—

Eren’s legs started to tremble violently, even while in his captain’s firm grip. He couldn’t do anything but whimper and beg with meaningless, gasping words as the man nestled himself between Eren’s thighs. Strong hands suddenly lifted his thighs up and slung them over his captain’s shoulders. “Oh, f-fuck…” he cursed. His fingers ached with how tightly they were clutching the bedclothes. His chest heaved as he tried beyond hope to steady his breathing. But it was no use – the captain had lowered his face to the space between Eren’s legs and deeply inhaled, breathing the smell of him in. “C-Captain–nngh! Pl-Please…” The heat of arousal and embarrassment made him flush from his cheeks down to his chest.

“Remember, Eren,” the man murmured in a soft exhale. “I want to hear you.” His breath curled around Eren’s balls and his twitching erection, smooth as the finest silk and hot as smelted iron. 

“Capt–”

“Let me hear you.”

Eren had no time to even gasp before that tongue licked along the base of his cock, all the way to the leaking, engorged tip. His captain curled forward and took the head into his mouth, tongue curling around him as he sucked. Eren’s entire body tightened in ecstasy as he let out a choked sob and twisted in the man’s hands. It was like lightning in his veins, striking him right in the pool of his arousal with every torturous swirl of that tongue. Eren couldn’t tell what he was saying, but he heard his voice echoing in the air, whining, desperate, and edging on the sound of crying. 

“Ah… A~Ah… S-Shit, hah… Please, God… God, ha-ah… ah…”

The captain hummed as he teased the tip of Eren’s cock, content to suck and lick at the slit. He swallowed down the leaking fluid before laving it with more and more of his saliva. 

All too soon, it became sweet torture. 

“Ca-Captain… please, more. I– I want… please, please…!”

The man hummed again before pulling away. Eren hated the disappointed whimper that he let out, but when he lifted his head to meet the captain’s heavy-lidded look, the thought was immediately chased from his head. Hazy grey eyes stared back at him, simmering with heat. 

“What was that?” he asked, low and almost dangerous. Eren bit at his bottom lip, worrying it between his teeth. The captain’s eyes flashed. He suddenly turned his head and nipped at the sensitive skin of Eren’s inner thigh. Eren cried out, clenching his thighs together against his captain’s brutal grip. “Use your words, Eren.” 

“I… I want more. Please.” 

There was a sharp huff of breath before he felt the bite of cold steel on his trembling legs. “Greedy little shit.” Eren held his breath as the captain teased the goosebumps to rise in a smooth path towards his aching hardness. 

A sharp flash of fear gripped him by the chest. “Y-You’re… you’re not gonna cut my–”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He adjusted Eren’s legs apart slightly to work the knife’s blade between their bodies. “I’m not done with your cock yet, brat.” The dirty word was like another shock of lightning to his lust. His saliva-slicked cock twitched, drawing the captain’s attention. He let out a soft huff of amusement as he shifted between Eren’s legs. “Now – be a good boy and remember to breathe, all right?” 

Eren nodded and tried to obey – he really, truly did – but then his captain turned his face into the smooth skin of Eren’s thigh and started to suck. Eren’s legs trembled and shook with the restraint, trying desperately not to clench them closed around his captain’s head, but fuck, it was just– 

“S-So good…”

The lips against his thigh curled into a pleased smile. “Good boy.”

The knife on his thigh sharply turned and in one smooth movement, the razor edge bit into his flesh and carved him open, slicing him from thigh to groin. Eren clenched his jaw tight and hissed between his teeth at the fiery pain. The skin here was sensitive, and it felt like he was being torn open by a white-hot brand. His arms and legs tightened as he curled up off the mattress. He had no idea how deep the captain had cut him this time but Eren could feel the blood absolutely pour from the wound. It traced the curve of his thigh in crimson rivers. Hot and thick, it flowed down his shaking leg until it hung on the curve of his ass in fat drops before falling down to the stones his captain knelt on. He cursed and growled in blinding pain – Fuck, it hurts, it hurts, FUCK it hurts–

“F-Fuck, Eren…” 

His captain’s shuddering breath caressed the throbbing space between his legs. The man sounded as though he was about to crumble to pieces, and the flurry of movement immediately afterwards only proved Eren’s hazy, pain-addled thoughts correct.

Eren heard the clattering of the steel knife as the captain let it fall to the stones, and then lips and tongue – hot, hot, burning tongue – were on him. His captain hoisted Eren’s thighs over his shoulders and pulled them together tight as he absolutely buried his face into the bloodied wound. Eren’s body trembled violently as the man made the most filthy noises. Slurping, moaning, growling, all pressed to Eren’s thigh as he smeared his face with Eren’s blood. The wound continued to pulse with blood with every hammering beat of Eren’s heart, only adding to the mess of it. Hungry lips went to the deep cut in Eren’s inner thigh and sucked, drinking down every thick mouthful his captain could get.

Eren had never seen his captain like this. 

Hungry. Desperate. Moaning like he was in the throes of arousal so great it made him lose his mind. 

Maybe he had.

Maybe they both had.

The pain in Eren’s thigh faded with every shuddering moan the man let out against his bloodstained skin. “Fuck… fuck, Eren… f-fuck…” His captain’s voice was ragged, torn to shreds at the bloodied edges. Eren’s cock throbbed with the captain’s curses, and the growing desperation in the man’s voice. “Shit, you’re… fucking hell, so good… you taste so fucking good…” Eren’s hips started to buck as the man continued to growl into him. The man’s tongue swept over his bleeding wound, lapping at the rivers of blood that still cascaded from his thigh. “You’re perfect.”

Shit, it was intense.

Eren whined in the back of his throat, twisting his hands into the bloodstained covers. His hips jerked up uselessly in search of something – anything. The captain’s hands pulled Eren’s thighs tighter together, before abruptly releasing him. “Nnngh–ah! Hah, Captain–” He propped himself on his elbows and looked down to see the most unhinged look on his captain’s face. 

Blood streaked the man’s cheeks and dripped from his lips and chin. His pupils were blown wide open, with almost no sign of the steel grey left. His hair was disheveled, hanging around his bloodstained face in dripping curtains. And then, a bloodied tongue licked at the lips dripping with crimson, groaning at the taste of Eren. 

It was obscene. 

“Touch me.” 

Eren was startled at the man’s hoarsely given order. He blinked at the man, panting, trembling, dripping with blood, between his legs. “W-What?” 

The captain released one of his thighs to slide his hand through the blood that still dripped from Eren’s ass. Eren’s body twitched at the movement, flaring with heat. With his palm sufficiently coated in the thick fluid, the man took hold of Eren’s cock without warning, slicking it with his own blood. Eren cried out as the man stroked him. It was filthy – the man spread tacky blood all over his cock, even twisting around the head to smear it with the mess.

It was too much.

It wasn’t enough.

The man pulled away. Eren blearily stared down at him, mouth open and panting. The hazy eyes flashed with heat as his captain growled, impatient, “I said, fucking touch me.”

Eren panicked for a moment before his hands unclenched from the bedclothes and went to his captain’s head – the only part of him he could reach. His fingers buried into the dark strands, wet with blood, and clutched at the man’s scalp. His captain’s eyes slipped shut with a pleased groan. “Good boy.” And then he surged forward to take Eren’s cock into his mouth, taking the entire bloodied length of him down to the hilt.

“AH! Captain! C-Captain, hah…!” 

The man wasted no time, immediately settling into a quick rhythm. His head bobbed along Eren’s erection, sucking him deep into his throat and groaning around him. The obscene noises he made went straight to Eren’s cock. His hips thrust up into the wet inferno of his captain’s mouth as his hands greedily pushed the man’s head down, forcing him to take him fully over and over and over and over.

His cries were like desperate sobs as they fell from his lips. “Ah…ha-ah… P-Please, fuck, so… mmnh, s-so good… ah… hah!” Eren knew it was rude to shove his captain’s face down, but the man’s filthy noises only seemed to encourage him. He easily swallowed Eren down, sucking the blood from his cock and groaning around the hardness in his mouth. As fast as Eren thrust up into that wet heat, his captain met him thrust for thrust, moving even faster as he sucked him off. “Captain, please, oh god, oh, god, oh–o-oh… fuck, I–” The captain’s tongue slid along the bottom of his shaft, curling around him and swirling around the tip as he lingered at the head. “Nngh, god, I… I-I–” His fingers clutched desperately at the man’s scalp, tangling into his dark strands and practically shoving the man’s face down onto his cock.

Eren suddenly noticed that his legs were shaking – no, the captain’s shoulders were shaking. As the man continued to bob his mouth along Eren’s hardness, his right shoulder moved and shifted. He opened his eyes – when had he closed them? – and lifted his head to watch his captain suck him off, greedy and sloppy. 

Oh.

Oh my fucking–

He couldn’t see it, but he could tell: his captain groaned around the mouthful of Eren’s cock while he clearly fisted his own. There was no mistaking the rhythmic roll of his shoulder, and the subtle shifting of his body against Eren’s legs as he jerked himself off, all while letting Eren fuck his mouth.

Eren was going to cum again. The captain was swallowing him down like a man starved, and Eren, in his limited experience, didn’t have it in him to hold out for much longer. “Cap-Captain, s-s-stop, I-I… I’m gonna–nngh, god, fuck!” Eren’s eyes rolled back in his head as the man curled forward to swallow Eren down all the way to the base. The leaking tip of his cock hit the back of the man’s throat, and it was here that the man held him. Eren’s hips mindlessly jerked up, trying to drive himself further and further into that heated throat. “Captain, please, I don’t want— ah, ha-ah… god, god, fuck, fuck, stop! F-Fuckin– please s-stop!”

His captain buried his nose into the hair at the base of Eren’s cock and groaned before sliding up off the engorged hardness with a gasp. He left Eren panting and trembling on his mattress as he stood, hands already at his trousers. Eren looked up and lost his breath.

The man’s pants were halfway down his thighs, his cock hanging thick and heavy between his legs. Smears of blood stained his erection scarlet, though the skin was already deeply flushed with arousal. The captain’s face and neck were absolutely drenched with Eren’s blood. It glistened where it dripped down his chest and smeared across his cheeks. 

Had he… how deep was that cut?!

Eren’s hand went to his thigh, skimming through his blood to find the edges of the wound. Steam hissed through his fingers, the skin hot to the touch. His captain ran a hand through his damp hair to slick it away from his bloodstained face. “Hah… A-All right, Eren?” The man’s voice sounded just shy of breaking, dragged over the rock and gravel of his throat.

Eren’s fingers found the faint traces of a cut. It must have been pretty deep if it hadn’t healed by now, but he could feel the edges knitting together as he gently prodded at the wound. It was sensitive, but didn’t hurt – not like it had when it was carved. He looked up at his captain’s face, catching the dark brows furrowing with concern, even through the haze of bloodlust. “Does it hurt?” he murmured deep and thick, as though his throat was still full of Eren’s blood.

The last traces of steam sizzled beneath his fingers as the edges of the wound sealed itself. Eren pressed his fingers to the freshly healed skin. “I’m okay,” he replied, a small smile curling his lips. 

“Are you sure? Because I–”

Eren let out a light huff of breathless laughter. His captain was kind to worry – it helped ease any fears Eren may have had, such that they were. But more than anything, even his own fear, Eren loved seeing that look of abject hunger and lust in his captain’s eyes. Letting himself fall into the taste, losing himself to Eren. Something only Eren could give him. Something he was happy to give.

If it let him see this man unhinged and unrestrained, he’d do it again and again.

Eren felt a rush of bravery overcome him. He lifted his bloodied fingers to his lips, tracing the bruised and swollen flesh while his captain watched with hooded eyes. With a bashful blush high on his cheeks, Eren opened his mouth and took his fingers in, licking his blood from his fingertips. A thrill of delight coursed through his veins when he heard the captain’s choked groan. Eren sucked on his fingertips for a moment before pulling them away. “I’m sure, Cap–”

His words were brutally taken from his lips as his captain dove on him, growling between every bruising kiss. The man’s tongue dipped into him to steal the last remnants of blood from his mouth. Eren arched into him, writhing and whining.

“Tease,” the man hissed. He nipped at Eren’s lip to draw another crimson bead of blood. Eren gasped and let the man greedily lick it away. “Fucking tease.” His captain sat back for a moment to step out of his pants and shorts, leaving him just as bare as him. Eren didn’t even have a chance to fully admire the naked body on display before the man’s hands were on him and nudging him to roll. “Turn over.” 

Eren’s cheeks flared with heat, but he nodded and obeyed. Under his captain’s intense stare, Eren crawled up fully onto the bed and rolled over onto his belly. Warm hands, tacky with blood, caressed the curve of his spine as he settled into the plush, bloodstained covers. The touch was gentle, but just underneath heated fingertips, Eren could feel the thrumming of desperation. The fingers continued, lower and lower, until they traced the curve of Eren’s ass. Eren lay his face into the cradle of his arms as his captain’s fingers dipped down between, into the center of his heat. He let out a tight breath and held himself still; he knew his captain would have sharp words if he dared clamp his thighs closed.

“Spread yourself.”

Eren let out a choked noise of surprise at the command. “W-What? Are you–”

“You heard me.” There was a sharp slap to the swell of his cheek, though the sound was louder than the strength used to make the noise. “Spread yourself.” Eren heard the captain shuffle away, somewhere beyond the edges of the bed he lay splayed out on. 

Eren’s cheeks burned hot enough to incinerate the sheets he buried his face into. With trembling hands, he reached back and took hold of himself. His fingers dug into the meat of his ass, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull them apart, baring himself to the man. It was too much – he couldn’t do it. He clenched his jaw against the agonizing embarrassment, his whole body tight and clenched against it. 

His captain asked him – no, he ordered him to. 

It’s… It’s just his ass. It’s not like… it’s not like he’s never– but, not like this, he–

A warm hand took hold of his wrist. “Eren.”

“S-Sorry, sir, I just… I ca–”

“Eren, stop.” His captain’s command was sharp, but not biting. He pulled Eren’s hand away and nudged him with his knee. “Roll back over.”

“But–”

“Do it.” 

Eren didn’t know if the embarrassment of spreading himself for his captain… or the shame of disappointing him was worse. He rolled over to his back and refused to meet his captain’s eyes, dreading the look that–

“Look at me.”

Fuck, no, please don’t make me.

“Look at me, dammit.”

Eren bit at his lip and let his eyes slide up to his captain’s face. The dark brows were furrowed, but not with irritation. Eren knew his captain’s features, and the tightening of the man’s face wasn’t out of annoyance, but rather concern. Again.

For Eren.

“It’s fine.” The man held his stare for a moment before he tossed something on the bed beside Eren’s trembling body. Eren turned his face to see what it was – a jar, small and made of glass, and the bloodied knife, still glistening with crimson. He flinched when wet fingers smelling strongly of blood suddenly gripped him by the chin and forced him to look back at that steely grey gaze. “It’s fine, Eren. Besides,” the man murmured as he crawled over Eren’s body, nestling himself between Eren’s legs, “This way I get to see that stupid face of yours.” 

Eren’s lips twisted with some strange emotion before his captain lowered his face to Eren’s to lick a single stripe over his lips. He let out a soft whimper and opened his mouth to accept a deep kiss that tasted sharp and metallic – his blood still coated his captain’s lips and tongue. Eren kissed the taste from the man with a quiet murmur of contentment. The captain let Eren kiss him, slow and steady, until Eren’s body relaxed enough to sink into the mattress.

“Good boy,” Captain Levi whispered against his lips just before pulling away. He sat back on his knees and snatched the jar from where it sat atop the bed clothes. He uncorked it and quickly set to pouring the viscous liquid over his fingers. Eren watched with quickening breath as the man slicked his hand with oil. It dripped from pale fingers, bright and the color of honey. Taking the man’s unspoken cue, Eren shifted and readjusted his position, much more comfortable now that the man wasn’t looking to stare directly at his asshole. He spread his legs to allow his captain room to– oh.

Warm fingers prodded between his cheeks, slick and smooth. His captain left glistening trails as he dipped into him, his fingers gentle and searching, but not quite breaching. Eren’s breath caught in his throat when he felt the tip of a calloused finger press against his entrance. “O-Oh…”

“All right?” 

“Y-Yeah. Yeah, all right.” The captain slicked his hole with a soft hum in his throat. Eren closed his eyes and let his head fall back, trying to just let his body relax. He focused on the feeling of that finger, the oil that slid across his skin, the man’s warm hand that held his leg steady. The finger pressed against him, and slowly, so fucking slowly, breached him. “Nngh…” Eren’s hips shifted as the man pressed into him, spreading him open and sliding into his hole.

“All right…?” 

Eren opened his eyes and gave his captain a bit of an exasperated huff. “C-Captain, I told you, I’m not a virg– nnngh! Hah!” Eren bit back his declaration as the man abruptly pulled back and inserted another finger, sinking into him as far as his hand would allow. 

“You’re awfully mouthy for someone with my fingers in his ass, brat.” The captain’s lips pulled into a twisted smirk as Eren writhed on said fingers. 

“Ah… ha-ah… n-not fair!” Eren whined. It burned, but not enough to dissuade his hips from rolling with the motion of his captain spreading him open with scissoring fingers. Despite the man’s rough words, the hand thrusting into him stretched him open slowly and thoroughly. His movements were smooth, aided by the slick of the oil, and he refused to give Eren more until he was panting and gasping for it, pleas falling from his bloodied lips. Then, and only then, did the captain add a third. “C-Captain… hah… s-shit…” Eren cursed through clenched teeth. 

His captain’s hand had sped up, practically fucking him open on oil-slicked fingers. Eren’s body twisted and writhed beneath him. The burn of pain was sharp, but so too was the occasional brush of his captain’s fingers. Every time Eren’s body clenched tight with the desire to crawl away from the pain, his captain would thrust his fingers into him and slide over that spot deep inside him, sending agonizing shivers down his spine and stoking the fire in his belly. 

It was agony. 

It was bliss.

And then another oil-coated hand took firm hold of his slightly wilted cock, enclosing it in an oven of heat and slick, and stroked. Eren cried out, a sob on his lips, as his captain assaulted his body with devastating touches. He could hear the man’s breaths grow ragged and harsh as Eren curled around his hand and tightened around his fingers. He said nothing, though, content to fuck Eren on his fingers while he stroked his cock all while Eren gasped and whined, babbling nonsensically at the overwhelming sensations.

“Hnngh… Ca-Captain… sir, plea– hnngh, please…ah… God, I can’t… Ah…” The hand inside him slowed before gently easing out him. With a quiet whimper of loss and relief, Eren’s body sunk back into the mattress. “Hah… ah…”

He felt the man between his legs shift. “You… You’d better be ready, Eren.”

Eren lifted his head, blinking hazily up at the man that knelt at the edge of the bed. He lifted a hand to brush his sweaty hair out of his eyes as he looked up at him. “W-Why?” he asked. His voice was hoarse, falling weakly between them.

His captain didn’t meet his eyes. Dark hair hung down in front of his eyes as he busied himself with the glass jar once more, slicking his hands with yet more glistening oil. He completely upended the jar over his palms and in a swift motion, threw the empty jar across the room. It collided with the wall and shattered, glass shards littering the stones.

Eren sucked in a breath, about to speak, but then the man turned back to him, finally meeting his wide eyes. Eren was struck into silence at the way his captain’s bloodied face twisted into a look of overt hunger. Eren only vaguely noticed the man palming his own cock to spread the oil over himself as he spoke. “Because.” Captain Levi suddenly grabbed Eren’s thighs with bruising force and held them open as he yanked Eren’s body closer until he could feel the man’s dripping cock nestle against the cleft of his ass. Eren whimpered when the man’s hips snapped forward to run the length along his skin. His captain let out a shuddering breath, harsh as it hissed through his clenched teeth. “You taste too fucking good. And now–”

As the captain forced Eren to wrap his legs around the man’s hips, the hands tightened around Eren’s thighs until the nails bit into his flesh. His hand slid away to take hold of the throbbing hardness that lay between them. He slid between Eren’s cheeks until the leaking head pressed against his entrance. Eren gripped the bed clothes with shaking hands, bracing himself. He looked up into those hazy, shadowed eyes as the man practically growled down to him.

“I won’t ever be able to stop.”

Eren had only a moment to gasp before the man pressed forward into him. 

He was big.

God, he was big.

Fuck, he was huge–

“Breathe, Eren.” Eren let out a choked cry as he was split open, torn wide by the cock that breached him. Firm hands gripped him by his jerking hips, steadying him. “Breathe. Breathe for me, Eren.” His captain’s voice broke through the fog of pain, repeatedly whispering down to him as he continued to press forward, deeper, deeper. 

“Breathe, Eren. C’mon, do it for me…”

Eren writhed and whined, but did his damndest to obey. His captain had asked this of him.

He had to obey.

He let out a shuddering exhale, tight through nearly pursed lips.

“Good boy. That’s it, breathe.” The cock inside him continued further, centimeter by agonizing centimeter. “So good for me, Eren. So fucking good...” Eren continued to suck in harsh breaths and let them out slowly. 

He wanted to hear his captain’s soft words of praise. He wanted to be told what a good boy he was.

Because he was – for his captain, he’d be anything.

“Look at me, Eren.” 

Eren opened his eyes, blinking back the involuntary tears that had gathered on his lashes. The man above him looked nearly as undone as Eren felt. Disheveled hair framed a furrowed brow, tight with restraint. His captain’s mouth hung open, his own breaths unsteady and ragged. “Breathe for me, Eren. Just a little further,” he whispered. His words dripped that smooth honey, sending shivers up Eren’s spine. “Be a good boy and breathe. Do it for me, c’mon. Just a little more.” 

Eren would do anything for his captain.

Just to hear those words. 

Please.

Please.

He inhaled, long and deep, and let it out in one final breath, just as his captain sunk into him all the way to the hilt. The shuddering groan that reverberated in his captain’s chest made every painful stretch worth it. “O-Oh… Oh, fuck…” The hands at Eren’s hips tightened, and Eren could feel the captain’s legs trembling beneath him. “Shit, Eren… Fucking perfect.”

Absolutely worth it.

Eren didn’t think he’d ever be able to forget the image his captain made. Sweat-slicked skin covered in wide swathes of Eren’s blood. Dark hair stuck to his captain’s forehead and dripping crimson droplets onto pale cheeks. Lips pulled back in a grimace, looking almost like agony as he held himself still. Brows deeply furrowed, eyes tightly shut as he took deep breaths full of heat and steam. 

He could feel the pain inside him easing. Steam wafted between them as he healed from the inside out, adjusting to the girth of his captain’s cock. The man clutched Eren’s hips with desperate strength, but refused to move, even as Eren started to hum with a soft pleasure. 

Admittedly, he hadn’t known about this particular benefit of his ability. His lips pulled back over his teeth as he smiled and let out a breath of relief. 

His captain finally opened his eyes. “Something amusing…?” Even the man’s voice was tight with restraint. His entire body was hard and firm as steel from holding back. As more steam whispered between their bodies, Eren gave an experimental roll of his hips. The man practically choked on his breath at the motion. Nails dug into Eren’s hips as the man hissed. “What are you–”

“I’m okay, Captain,” Eren murmured. His insides still twinged, but the pain had already ebbed away to a dull ache. He rolled his hips again, and again, and agai–

“Stop that!” his captain snapped. 

“Why?” Another roll of his hips and a quiet noise of pleasure.

“Eren–”

“I’m okay, Captain. I promise.” Eren gave his captain a heavy-lidded look of arousal as he felt the cock inside him twitch. “A-Already healing,” he breathed. 

The man stared down at him, almost incredulously. “...No shit?”

Eren could have laughed. “Y-Yeah. No shit.”

There was a moment of silence, only broken by the heavy breathing between them.

“Well.” The man readjusted his grip on Eren’s hips and withdrew, just enough to pull a moan from Eren’s lips. “In that case–” His captain’s hips jerked forward, thrusting into him. Eren gasped at the motion.. Steel grey eyes flicked over his face, searching for a trace of discomfort or pain. When he found none, he pulled back again. “All right, Eren?”

Eren nodded vigorously. “A-All right. All right. You can move, you can–nngh, ah!” His captain thrust forward again, harder than the time before. Eren’s nerves lit up like sparking embers as he cried out. “Ha… a-again, please! Please–hah!” The man withdrew and thrust in, again and again. 

“Oh… oh fuck,” His captain cursed. Already, he built up into a steady rhythm of thrusting. His hips canted forward into Eren’s body, driving his cock into his oil-slicked hole and groaning as Eren tightened around him. “You’re so tight…” His voice was breathy, almost in awe as he fucked into Eren, who accepted every deep thrust with cries of pleasure. “Ah… So fucking tight.”

Eren arched his back off the bed as his captain fucked into him. “Hah… s-shit… Ah!” His hands went to his captain’s wrists, holding himself steady and riding the motion of his captain’s thrusts. “Ahn… G-God, ah… ah!” He could feel every slick slide of his captain’s cock as it moved in and out, sliding against his walls. Oil spilled out over the bed clothes, pooling beneath Eren’s writhing body and making the most filthy noises as his captain fucked his hole. Heat and steam enclosed their undulating bodies. It made Eren lightheaded, his mind hazy and filled with nothing but the horrifically obscene noises of their fucking and his captain’s low growls and grunts.

The man’s thrusts were growing steadily harder and harder. His pelvis practically slammed into Eren’s body with every drive of his hips, sending shocks of pleasure through Eren’s blood and pooling in his belly. “Fuck, Eren. Fuck, fuck!” Eren’s arousal flared with every guttural curse that his captain spat. He loved it – hearing his captain’s deep voice torn from his throat, ragged and raw, as he growled filthy words. “So fucking tight, goddamn…” 

His captain was rarely so talkative. But when Eren would roll his hips and gasp his title, the man’s demeanor shattered into nothing but animalistic grunts and groaned words of praise. 

“Fucking hell… so good, Eren. Such a good boy, so goddamn perfect for me… fuck, fuck! ”

Eren whined and lifted his hips, pulling another deep groan from his captain’s chest. The man drove his slick cock into him, fucking him hard and fast while he pulled Eren’s hips back to meet him, thrust-for-thrust. Eren’s erection bobbed on his lower belly with the motion, leaking precum over his bloodstained skin. The grey eyes caught the motion. “Eren.” Eren couldn’t reply beyond a vague whimper as his captain slammed into his body. “Eren, touch yourself.” 

Heat bloomed over Eren’s cheeks, but he obeyed his captain’s order. He arched his back and with a shaking hand, grabbed hold of his leaking cock. He spread the fluid over his tip and then stroked along the length, not bothering to build up to it. “Hah… ah, ah… ahn!” He stroked himself fast and hard to match his captain’s brutal thrusts, all while breathy moans fell from his open mouth. 

His captain’s thrusts stuttered, losing the rhythm. “S-Shit…” he hissed. His grey eyes raked over Eren’s writhing body as he watched Eren jerk himself off. “Keep going, don’t stop.” Eren whimpered at his captain’s whispered command. His hand sped up, whimpering and crying out as his captain urged him on with shaking commands. “Don’t stop, don’t you dare fucking stop.” Eren threw his head back, his thighs clenching tightly around his captain’s hips as his arousal coiled around his cock. “Yes, just like that. Keep going.” His captain’s erection throbbed inside him. “Tell me, Eren. Tell me how good it feels.”

Eren bit at his lip with a desperate whine when his captain slammed his cock into him, brushing against that sensitive bit. “Ah! Ha-ah… ahn, ah…” 

A hand, wet and warm, closed around his balls and squeezed. “Use your words, Eren.”

Eren practically sobbed at the intensity. His cock leaked precum over his fingers, slicking himself as he frantically chased his orgasm. He could feel it clawing at his insides, hot and desperate. The flames licked at his belly and slithered up through his chest. He gasped and babbled mindlessly, his voice breaking with every brutal thrust of his captain’s cock. “Hah, C-Captain, s-s-so good, it’s so good, God…” His captain growled low his his throat and pulled Eren’s body back onto his cock. The smell and sound of sex surrounded them – flesh slapping against flesh, the bed creaking under their rhythmic movements, oil and blood squelching between their joined bodies, grunting, keening, moaning, whimpering. “Fuck… f-fuck, so good, ha-harder, please, please, p-please, God, please!”

He was losing himself to it. Horrifically desperate, lewd noises fell from his lips, sounding so close to sobs that it would have mortified him, had he been in his right mind. But with his hand fisting himself as his captain brutally fucked into his leaking hole, groaning Eren’s name in that deep, honeyed voice – he let himself fall.

“Fuck me, god, a-ah! Please… please, f-fuck me, fuck–AH, hah!” Eren’s hips jerked and bucked in his captain’s grip, legs shaking and tightening with his approaching climax. “C-C-Close, I’m close, so–ha-ah, Captain, please!”

“Don’t stop, Eren.”

Eren froze with a strangled gasp when he felt the cold brush of steel under his chin. The hand clenched around his balls squeezed sharply, calling his attention. 

“I told you, don’t stop.”

The man’s voice was dangerously low now, hissed from behind a clenched jaw as he slid the knife down Eren’s neck. Eren bit his lip until he tasted blood, whimpering as he arched into the knife’s bite. He shoved his head back into the bed to give his captain his throat while he resumed his disjointed stroking. His cock was so hard it hurt, and if his captain wanted to, he could send Eren tumbling over the edge of his climax with just a single word. 

“Captain, s-sir, please, mmnh… nngh… ha–ah…”

The knife traced Eren’s throat, coming to a stop just under his Adam’s apple. Eren could feel the blade pivot until it was horizontal – as though the man were about to slit his throat. Fear and arousal swirled in his belly in a heady mix that left him dizzy. His hand trembled around his shaft as his cries crept higher and higher in his throat. His voice broke on his sobbing pleas, terrified and so desperate to cum he was about to fall to pieces.

“Please, o-oh, please please, please p-please–”

“Please what?” That honeyed voice dripped over him, sliding over his skin and into his throat.

“I-I… I want… I need, please–”

The knife pressed against his throat, shallowly cutting into the stretched skin as he took gasping breaths. The blade remained still, lingering just inside his skin even as his captain continued to thrust into him. His captain curled forward, nestling his other hand underneath the steel and wrapping firmly around Eren’s throat. 

Fear gripped Eren by the rib cage as his cock throbbed in his hand, balls drawing up and tight against his body. His captain said nothing, only breathing hot exhales over his collarbones as his hips ground into Eren’s body, driving his cock into his hole deeper and deeper, with not even the slightest of space separating them. Their bodies undulated and rocked together, becoming one  groaning, gasping mess.

“Eren…”  

The whisper of his name in that breathy voice made Eren whimper with desperation. His hand flew over his cock, squeezing tight enough to feel the pulse in his veins.

“C-Captain~!”

One word, one word, one word was all he needed. One word, one word–

“Cum for me, Eren.”

Eren arched up against his captain’s body with a strangled sob as his orgasm ripped through his tightened muscles. And as the first rope of pearly white cum streaked his belly, the knife slid through his throat, spilling a torrent of steaming blood over his captain’s hand and Eren’s chest. Eren continued to sob through his climax. His entire body was wracked with violent tremors as his cock pulsed, sending rope after rope over his skin. 

There was so much blood.

So much blood.

It poured from the wound, thick and nearly scalding. Through his choked cries, he heard the clattering of the knife striking the wall somewhere in the distance. His captain wrapped both his warm, calloused hands around Eren’s bleeding throat, soaking his hands as he held Eren down by the neck and fucked into him through his release.

Eren’s body started to go limp, his hand falling away uselessly. He was lightheaded, barely able to keep his eyes open. But he forced himself to look up at his captain. He wanted to see. He wanted to see.

Through blurry, unfocused eyes, Eren watched his captain give himself over to his bloodlust. His teeth were bared in a tight snarl as the man’s face twisted, hissing and growling behind his teeth. “Shit, shit, s-shit, shit–” He shook the dark hair out of his eyes to meet Eren’s hazy look. “God, Eren. FUCK.” One of the hands at his bloodied neck slipped away. Eren gasped through his constricted throat as his captain slid his blood-soaked fingers through the cum that coated Eren’s belly, gathering it. 

Eren watched, completely enthralled, as his captain lifted the whole bloody mess to his lips and sucked it from his fingers, groaning obscenely around the mouthful. His hips pounded into him one, twice, three times before they stilled. The hand around Eren’s throat tightened as the man pumped his own release into Eren’s hole, cock throbbing and twitching while his captain made filthy noises, sucking greedily on his fingers and groaning with his climax.

If Eren died right then, in that moment… he’d think it a good death.

His captain’s hips twitched as the last of his orgasm ebbed away. He let his fingers go with a shuddering breath. With gentle, trembling hands, the captain took hold of his hips and slowly, so very slowly, pulled himself free. Both men grimaced as the entire mess of oil, cum, and blood spilled out onto the bed clothes. When the man climbed back off the bed, Eren brought his legs up to cover himself, though he could do little else. Bloodloss had made him feel… fuzzy. His eyes were slipping closed and his fingers going cold. He curled into himself, right in the whole bloody puddle, and let himself fade… just for a bit. He was so cold, and the bed was so warm.

It was just for a bit.

“...Eren?”

Just for a bit.

“Eren!”

Just for…

Ju…

Warm.

He was so warm.

Warm.

Eren nuzzled his face into the wall of heat, sighing contentedly. “Mmm…” he hummed. “Warm…”

The wall shifted. “Eren.”

“Mmm.”

“Eren.”

“Hm…?”

The wall shifted again. Eren felt himself being moved. He whined at the unwelcome intrusion, only to be met with an exasperated sigh. “Eren, wake up, for fuck’s sake.” Eren knew that voice. That barbed wire, dripping with honey. His eyes blinked open. 

Grey eyes, sharp and the color of steel, stared down at him, though he looked upside-down. The dark brows were deeply furrowed, tight with the worry Eren knew the man wouldn’t quite voice. Eren’s eyes scanned his captain’s pale face – much more pale than usual, even underneath the streaks of blood that covered his skin. He looked… sick.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice rough and crackling, like old logs on a fire.

“You all right?” 

Eren tilted his head at the strange question. “Yeah, why? Are you? You look–”

“You passed out.” 

“I– What?”

Captain Levi’s eyes flicked over his face for a moment before looking away, almost embarrassed. “You passed out. I… went too far.” 

“I did?” Eren felt the answering sigh rather than hearing it. He took a moment to gather himself, taking stock of his surroundings. He was warm – so warm. A heavyweight grey blanket was wrapped around his body, completely enveloping him and tucked around his every nook and cranny. He could hardly move, he was so snuggly rolled. He shifted a bit inside the warm cocoon and felt the reflexive tightening of the strong arms wrapped around him, holding him in place. 

Oh.

His captain had tucked him into a blanket and was holding him against his chest, nestled between his legs, while Eren’s body lay out along the cushions. They were laying on the plush sofa that sat in front of a roaring fire – clearly the man had stoked the flames, since they weren’t nearly this big when they had started… oh. 

Eren felt his cheeks flush as the night’s events suddenly flooded his mind. 

Blood and kisses and begging and please, oh god, and steel blades and cum and Eren and pain and soft hands and so much blood–

“A-Ah… ah, okay. I remember.” 

A single brow lifted. “Do you now.”

“Y-Yeah. Sor– hey!” Eren cried out as a hand lightly slapped at the back of his head.

“Don’t you fucking dare apologize for passing out, you idiot!” His captain glared at him, a frown pulling at his lips. Eren stared at him, tilting his head curiously as he watched the man’s face slowly soften. “...How are you feeling?” The question was gentle – much more honey than barbed wire, now.

Eren couldn’t help the shy smile spreading over his face. “I’m okay, sir.” His captain hummed, doubtful. “I promise. Look–” Eren stretched his neck out and rocked his head from side-to-side to work the muscles and healed skin. There was no pain beyond a faint twinge and a slight headrush as he moved. He could feel the heat of his healing steam wrapped around his throat, much like the hands of his captain. He gave the man a grin, though the man’s brow only furrowed further. 

“Mm.”

The warmth that caressed his skin and seemed to seep into his chest. It nestled somewhere between his ribs, curling up like a pleased cat purring on a rug. Eren… didn’t quite know what to make of it. His grin eased into a curious, contemplative look as he looked up at the man. His captain had turned away once more to stare into the crackling fire, his eyes staring at something beyond the roaring flames. His dark hair was slicked back off his forehead, stuck in place by the blood that coated the inky strands. His cheeks and chin were still caked with Eren’s blood, and when Eren let his gaze drop to the man’s pale neck, he saw streaks of a ruddy brown and red. Eren shifted inside his warm prison to peer over the edge of the blanket – as he thought, the arms wrapped firmly around the bundle of Eren’s body were still absolutely covered in dried, flaking blood.

The man hadn’t bothered to clean himself before wrapping Eren up. Not even to wipe his face or his hands…

“Erm… how long was I out?” Eren asked quietly. 

Now that he was fully conscious and in his right mind, he could feel the tackiness of his blood coating his skin. His neck, his chest, his arms, his hands – even while wrapped tightly in this soft blanket, it was starting to become decidedly unpleasant. We wiggled a bit, though the man only held on tighter. Eren looked up as the man worked his jaw for a moment before replying gruffly, “Few minutes.” He cleared his throat and turned those sharp grey eyes back to Eren’s face. That strange, purring cat inside Eren’s chest seemed to stretch out, slow and languid, at the look in his captain’s eyes. “I checked to make sure you weren’t dead, if you’re worried.” 

Eren let out a soft laugh. “No, I doubt I would have died. Sorry, Captain, but you’re stuck with me.” 

The man didn’t reply. Though, even in his faintly blood-drunk state… Eren could swear he felt those arms around him tighten – just slightly.

The silence between them stretched on, settling over their fire-warmed bodies like another woolen blanket. Eren let his eyes slip closed again as he sank into his captain’s body. Even with as sticky as he was… he could probably fall asleep like this. 

Just like this.

“Eren.”

“Hm.”

His captain hesitated, and when he felt an arm slide away from his body, Eren thought the man may push him away, ending the night. But instead, he felt the warm, soft brush of fingers at his crown. He sighed and let his head fall back against his captain’s chest as the fingers carded through his sweaty hair, pulling it back off his face. When he finally spoke again, his captain’s voice was hushed, only a whisper as he continued to ruffle the chestnut strands. 

“...I’m sorry.”

Eren’s mouth curled up into a pleased smile. “I’m not.” His body felt light – airy, almost. Sure, it could have been the blood loss, but somehow, he didn’t think so.  

“Eren–”

“I still trust you, y’know.” Eren’s eyes opened to catch the flash of something behind his captain’s eyes as he looked down at him. “Now we know for next time, yeah?”

Dark brows rose nearly to the man’s hairline. “Next time?”

“Yeah.” Eren shifted into a more comfortable position, stretching his legs out along the couch cushions. He wasn’t a coward. His blood, such that it was, thrummed with a pleasant sort of satisfaction, bolstering his courage. “Next time. If you’ll…” He swallowed at the intense look his captain gave him. He hesitated, only for a moment. “...If you’ll have me. Again.”

The hand at his crown stopped for a long, long time. Eren’s rush of brevity seemed to seep out of his body, vaporizing like the steam that had healed his wounds. The cat in his chest stirred, lifting its head and looking around warily. “I-I mean… ah, that is…”

The chest beneath him rose and fell with a slow, deep breath that ghosted over Eren’s bloodstained skin. With a sigh, the hand at his crown resumed its petting, burying into Eren’s hair and scraping lightly against his scalp. “...We’ll see, brat.” 

To Eren, that was as good as a blood promise from a man like his captain.

Eren snarled, harsh and biting, as he swung around the tree’s trunk. He ducked under the wide sweep of the ugly bastard’s arm and launched himself up into the air. He landed with a grunt on the tree’s branches and scanned the fields below. Three titans and one abnormal had encircled his team’s horses, forcing them all to take to their ODM gear. 

They were out on another scouting mission to clear the path back towards Shiganshina, and had split into smaller teams to cover a wider area. Eren was assigned to the South team, along with Connie, Sasha, and– “Captain!”

Eren watched the Wings flutter on his captain’s back as the man skirted between the giant, lumbering legs of the abnormal. His boots kicked up wide plumes of dust as he slid through the dirt and out of the way of grasping hands. The titan turned and leapt after him, its giant teeth gnashing at his captain’s heels. Even with as fast as the man was, the two other titans that tottered after him cut off his escape route. Eren heard the harsh squealing of his captain’s wires as the man tethered to one of the titans’ arms and swung up, slicing the meat and flesh open as he went. Eren cast a quick glance over to where Connie and Sasha were double-teaming the remaining titan before he leapt down off his tree and launched himself towards his captain.

He pulled his blades free, and when one of the fat ones reached up for him, Eren sliced through the groping fingers with a furious shout. “Out of my way!” he screamed as the useless meat fell to the ground with thundering crashes. The titan let out a low howl of pain, but didn’t slow. Eren had dodge another swipe of the titan’s other hand by tethering to the back of yet another titan, slamming his bootheels into the superheated flesh.

Eren could hear his captain’s wires shrieking around him, but he couldn’t see him – not that Eren even had time to look for him when a titan’s shoulder suddenly collided with the titan he was currently tethered to, knocking them all to the ground in a tangled heap of flesh and metal. 

“Jaeger, you all right?!” 

Eren coughed as the wind was knocked out of him. He stumbled to his feet just as the captain swept down and sliced through the arm that threatened to flatten him down into the dirt. The titan groaned as its arm fell away, already hissing with steam and dissolving into ashes. His captain sprinted up to the neck of the dismembered titan, quickly dispatching it with a swift slice to its nape.

Blood splattered the ground in thick puddles. Steam wafted from the evaporating liquid, casting them all in a haze of white. Eren wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded, yelling out over the din of the battle, “I’m okay, Captain!”

His captain emerged from the steam, wiping blood away from his face with the back of his hand. He ejected the dulled blades from his gears with matching clicks and pulled fresh steel free from his sheaths. “Get moving! Get off the ground!” he barked before launching his hooks into the tree at Eren’s back and swinging up out of range of the remaining titan’s reach. Eren turned and followed closely behind, his own cloak fluttering behind him as he ascended up through the–

“Nngh!” Eren choked as he was yanked backwards by the throat. The wires of his gear screamed in protest, sparks flying from his controls. His neck burned as the collar of his cloak tore at his throat, nearly crushing his windpipe with the force of it. His hands went to his cloak, fumbling with the metal clasp that cut into his skin and gasping for breath.

“Eren!”

There was an ugly, metallic shriek as his wires were severed. The steel-coated tethers snapped back as his captain cut through them to free the tension. Eren fell down into the abnormal’s grip, but was closely followed by the lightning fast form of his captain. Eren barely had time to turn to watch before the razor edges of his captain’s blades carved into the muscle and sinew of the titan’s arm. Steam erupted from the wound along with a devastating rush of heat that made the Scouts turn their faces away, arms up to protect their faces.

As the abnormal crashed to the ground, Eren and his captain slid along the blood-slicked flesh, riding it down to the dirt and grass. Eren tumbled to the ground in a crumpled heap, while his captain remained graceful as ever, sliding to a stop just shy of Eren’s body. 

Eren coughed and held a hand to his throat, wincing at the way his skin burned from the friction of his cloak. “T-Thanks, Captain,” he huffed, though embarrassment colored his cheeks. He rolled to his hands and knees to catch his breath.

“Don’t thank me.”

Eren lifted his head to look up at the man standing before him with his hand outstretched. Without a second thought, Eren slotted his hand into his captain’s waiting palm and allowed the man to hoist him to his feet with a single sharp pull. He stumbled a bit when the captain withdrew his hand before regaining his footing. “Er… why?” he asked. The abnormal stirred behind them, drawing Eren’s attention.

Eren’s head was suddenly yanked down by yet another sharp pull of his cloak. He cried out in surprise as his captain pulled him down to eye-level. The sharp grey eyes flicked over his face for a moment while Eren stared back at him, bewildered. A warm thumb brushed over his face, making him wince at the sting – a fresh laceration marred the curve of his cheek. 

His captain’s thumb swept over the cut to gather the drop of blood. He pulled it away, and with a heated look full of intention, he lifted it to his mouth, licking it away with a single pass of his tongue. 

Eren flushed from the tip of his head all the way down to the bottoms of his feet at the secretly teasing motion. His skin tingled, remembering his captain’s touch, the feeling of that tongue on his body, the smell of musk and blood, the sounds the man would make . No matter how many times they fell together in a pool of Eren’s blood, rutting and panting and fucking and moaning, it never failed to stir Eren’s insides to see the captain – his captain – lose himself to the taste of Eren.

“C-Captain–” he stammered, choking on the title.

“Remember, Eren,” Captain Levi murmured, interrupting him. He turned away, already drawing his blades once more. With one quick glance back at Eren’s wide-eyed stare and blushing cheeks, he declared, “Your blood is mine. And I’m the only one that gets to cut you up. I’m just protecting what’s mine.”

Eren swallowed down the strangled noise at his captain’s vow. He could only nod and stammer weakly, “Y-Yes, sir.” His captain gave him a curt nod in return and turned to take out the titan that had finally risen to its knees. 

Without looking back, he gave his parting words, voice low and dripping with all that sweet, sweet honey. 

“Good boy.”

- END -