Erwin doesn 't know what Mike knows. The other man is staring at him from across the table, eyes slightly narrowed, and even though isn 't obviously sniffing Erwin can recognise the look on his face, that careful consideration, like he 's privy to some kind of information no one else knows. It used to bother him, when they were younger ' Mike would see things no one else could see, an instinct he could never really explain, until one day he 'd finally laughed in that sheepish, shy way he 'd had back then.

I smell things, Erwin.

He admitted that it was a gift he liked to keep to himself. He smells

everything,

he confesses, including unsavoury things,

private

things, which in a barracks made up of teenage boys was more for his sanity than anyone else 's. He told Erwin, when his father came home smelling like booze and hay, he 'd ignored it. And when his mother smelt like turnips, the vegetable grown by the lonely farmer on the land beneath their forest, he 'd kept that to himself, too. It 's Mike 's code, Erwin came to appreciate. He 'll never willingly share your secrets with others.

But by God, he 'll stew on them.

'Cheat, ' Mike says to Erwin 's declaration that he 'd placed down two kings. He 's right; Erwin had been trying to relieve himself of a jack and an ace.

'Clever, ' Erwin tells him, and Mike grunts.

He scrapes the cards piled in the centre of the table into his deck, makes a big show of shuffling them. 'Hange? ' He prompts.

'Two kings, ' Hange says, confidently. Mike frowns at them.

'I already said cheat, ' he tells them, irritated. 'I know you don 't have two kings. '

Hange shrugs. 'So call me cheat, then. '

It 's impossible, playing cards with the pair of them, even though they 've been doing this now going on seven years. Mike and Erwin at first, with other people, other friends. Gone now, of course. Hange has been the only constant at this table since they joined, some five years ago. The only person Erwin has been able to keep alive. Although ' that doesn 't put enough respect on Hange 's name, really. Perhaps it makes sense that of all Erwin 's once-friends, now bones beneath dirt, it 's only the two people who can beat him at cards that are still breathing.

He checks the clock on his desk. Ten minutes past the hour. He thinks Levi should be back, by now. He had only applied for a two-day leave, and Erwin had no reason to deny it. He clears his throat. 'Mike, ' he says, 'if you think Hange 's cheating, then you should say. '

'There 's no way you have two kings, ' Mike scoffs. 'You 're just bluffing. '

'Well alright, ' Hange is saying, exasperated, 'if I 'm bluffing, call my bluff, idiot. '

Mike sniffs. Hange kicks him beneath the table. 'Erwin, ' they denounce, 'Mike 's cheating again. Really cheating, I mean. '

'What, I 'm not allowed to breathe? '

'You 're trying to smell if I 'm lying ' you know I don 't

like

that, Mike. Erwin, ' they demand, 'tell him. '

'Mike, ' Erwin tries.

'You 're going to bar me for breathing, but you don 't say shit when Hange counts the cards? ' Mike says incredulously.

'Well we 're not playing blackjack, so Hange isn 't counting any cards. ' Erwin tries to be reasonable, topping up each of their glasses with Hange 's whiskey.

'You always do this, ' Mike mutters, his hair falling in front of his eyes, finger pointed in Hange 's direction. 'Goddamn, you 're underhanded, you know that Hange? ' It 's not said vindictively; there 's only fondness in Mike 's voice, and for some reason it makes Erwin 's stomach twist, that fondness, between friends. Just the three of them left, now. They used to have these meetings in Flagon 's office. Before that, in Vera 's ' she was his first squad-leader. Irrepressible, fearless. And she 'd been crushed underfoot, like a bug.

He quickly down his drink, pours himself another finger. He feels Mike 's eyes on him, sharp. 'Erwin, ' he says, and to someone else it might sound warning, but Erwin knows that 's how Mike shows concern. He 'll probably be able to smell it on him, whatever it is Erwin is feeling ' panic, or sickness in his chest. It 's fine, it 's normal. He waves a hand, glass lifted to his lips, and behind his slight drunkness resists the urge to say:

do you feel ghosts in my office, tonight?

He might have asked them, once. He misses that. Being so inconsequential that he could sleep at the foot of Mike 's bed when the worst of it got too bad.

Erwin winces, beats his chest with his fist. 'Well? ' He prompts. 'Is Hange cheating or no, Mikey? '

Mikey.

Mike frowns at him, not unpleasantly. 'Well, I don 't know, Ervy, ' he replies, fingers twisting a card absently, ' 'cause I don 't know if I 'm any good at reading people if I 'm not allowed to sniff 'em first. '

The door to Erwin 's office slams open. 'You know, ' Levi is saying, voice all irritated, face slightly pink like it 's been scrubbed raw, 'one of these days I 'm just gonna steal one of your keys, 'cause I used to know a guy who could print them perfe ' oh. ' His hair is still wet from his bath and his left eye is swollen, purple and shiny. He blinks at the three of them, like he 's seeing them for the first time. 'I see, ' he says, neutrally. 'I 'll come back later. '

Sorry,

Erwin says, with a guilty look. In his defence, Levi is uncharacteristically late.

'Who fucked up your face? ' Mike asks him, snidely, trying to hide his smile.

'Why, you want to send them flowers? ' Levi sneers back.

'Levi, ' Erwin tries, 'what happened to your eye? '

'Obviously I got punched, ' he says flatly. 'Enjoy your game. '

He turns to leave. 'Well ' wait, ' Erwin says, half-standing, 'who punched you? ' Levi 's too fast, usually ' if it was a member of the Corps, Erwin wants to know why. If it wasn 't, he needs to know if there 's going to be trouble.

'Don 't worry, ' Levi says, with turning around, 'I got them back. And it 's no one you need to get your panties in a bunch over. '

Mike bristles. 'Hey, ' he says, 'this is your Captain. You going to speak to him like that? ' He turns to Erwin. 'You going to

let

him speak to you like that? '

'Haven 't you got the side of a lamppost to be sniffing or something, you lanky creep? ' Levi spits at him.

'Why don 't you tell me, you 're closer to the ground, ' Mike shoots back.

Erwin shakes his head. 'The two of you, ' he says, 'need to grow up. And absolutely not, Mike, ' he says, 'Levi, as punishment, I demand you come here and join our game. '

Hange gives a squeal of delight. 'Yes! ' They say, 'C 'mon, Levi. It 'll be fun. '

'Fun, ' Levi repeats, like he can imagine nothing worse.

'Fun? ' Mike replies dubiously, looking at Erwin from the side of his eyes.

Erwin kicks out the empty seat across from him. 'Sit, ' he says, simply.

'Sit, ' Levi responds, like he 's puzzling the order.

'Sit? ' Mike mutters, aghast.

'Sorry, are we playing echo? ' Hange interrupts. 'Yes,

sit,

Levi, sit. ' They pat the seat next to them. 'C 'mon. You know how to play cheat, don 't you? '

And Erwin smiles, aware how stupid it is to feel contented, but feeling it anyway. It 's been a while since their games have grown by one. He and Levi have played cards before, of course; the man is inscrutable, has an unbeatable poker face that makes him impossible to read, and matches up well with Hange 's impossible logic and Mike 's special talent for sniffing out lies. Erwin finds he keeps losing, but that 's okay ' he 's nowhere near as competitive as people think he is when he 's among friends.

Although he can feel Mike 's eyes, again. He tries not to let it bother him, topping himself up while Levi unenthusiastically calls cheat on Mike 's bluff. Mike leans across the table to snatch up the cards tossed in the middle, and isn 't even subtle about leaning forward to sniff him. 'Are you sick? ' He asks, suspiciously.

'Are you stupid? ' Levi replies. 'Your go, Erwin, ' he mutters.

But Mike 's eyes are narrowed, hardened. 'You smell worse than usual, ' he says.

'You look uglier, ' Levi rebukes, but there isn 't really any snap in in. He frowns, looks up. 'What do I normally smell like? ' He seems to ask, despite himself.

Mike seems to alight on his answer. 'You 've been Underground, ' he accuses, 'that 's what it is. You smell like a criminal. ' He sniffs again. 'A criminal who 's been in a fight, ' he adds, 'with alcohol, ' and with one final sniff, he frowns. 'Since when do you wear rose cologne? '

Levi 's eyes widen so imperceptibly to the ordinary person it would look like his face hasn 't changed at all. His eyes meet Erwin 's, briefly. And so do Mike 's, trailing across the table like a hound picking up scent on a hunt. Erwin clears his throat. There is no hiding anything from Mike, not ever. He can sense Erwin 's lies, his fears, even his follies.

'How 'd you know I don 't have a sweetheart down there? ' Levi covers, carefully, gracefully. He rearranges his deck, pointedly.

Mike doesn 't answer. Erwin knows: Mike would be able to tell if Levi had been with a woman. He can feel his eyes boring holes into the side of his head, feels his judgement, worse than before. He tells himself, Mike doesn 't have to know. There are a thousand reasons Levi could smell like Erwin, still smells faintly of his cologne.

'Who 's go is it anyway? ' Erwin distracts, stupidly.

'Does your sweetheart use a lot of wax in their hair? ' Mike asks, innocently. He 's usually so steadfast, methodical. It 's not like him to be underhand ' not unless he 's angry.

'No, but I do, ' Levi replies. 'In fact, Erwin lets me use his, don 't you? '

Erwin clears his throat. 'Only sometimes, ' he says, squinting at his deck, rearranging his cards.

'I see, ' Mike says, stiffly. The silence is strung out, tense, awkward.

'Guys? ' Hange asks. 'Are we going to play, or ' '

Shadis interrupts, then, blessedly, thankfully. His hair is wet with rain and he smells like horse. 'Ah, ' he says, 'I thought I 'd find you here, ' he tells them, and then wordlessly snatches Hange 's whiskey off the table, necks it straight from the bottle.

Levi raises his eyebrows. Mike very pointedly doesn 't sniff. Erwin pretends that their Commander stealing alcohol from out under their noses and drinking it straight from the bottle isn 't an abnormal occurrence. And only Hange, sweet, misjudged Hange, has the balls to say anything about it.

'Are you alright, Commander? ' They ask with stars in their eyes.

'No, ' Shadis grunts, eyes streaming. He thwacks his chest twice with his fist as if to urge down the burning he 's no doubt feeling. 'No, I 'm not, thank you Hange for asking. '

Erwin feels remiss for not saluting, but Shadis seems remarkably unbothered, apparently preferring to pretend he 's not an officer. 'Sir, ' he nods at him, not wanting to discuss business here but curiosity getting the better of him, 'Morely? '

Shadis waves his hand. 'Oh, you must be so very convincing, Erwin, ' he says, with only a touch of resentment. 'He 's promised his full support when the council votes. '

Erwin frowns. 'But they haven 't voted yet? Why not? '

Shadis makes a noise that sounds like disgust. 'You know, ' he says, 'I think I prefer the titans. '

'That bad? ' Mike asks.

'We 'll have to delay the next expedition, ' Shadis announces. 'Although ' you 'll keep this to yourselves, for the time being. ' His eyes briefly cast over Levi, but if he 's bothered by his presence in his inner circle, he doesn 't mention it. 'They 're rerouting funds for some kind of ' wagon strike, ' he says, incredulously. 'If you can believe it. Workers striking in Maria, want to be payed the Sina wage, but if they 're not transporting the crop ' ' Shadis sighs. 'Well anyway, ' he rejoins, 'it 's not our problem now. '

'Where 's affected? ' Hange asks.

'So far, just the Underground. ' Shadis rubs at his eyes with the back of his hand. 'But, ' he continues, 'if someone doesn 't step in, the discontent will grow. Shortages from Sina to Shiganshina. '

'Well so long as it 's just the Underground, ' Levi says, calmly, 'that 's okay, then. '

A sticky, awkward silence. Erwin watches Levi carefully from over his cards. He doesn 't seem angry. He 's just rearranging his deck, as if he hasn 't realised the effect of his words. Which he has. Because he wouldn 't have said them if he didn 't.

Shadis is prickly. 'That wasn 't my meaning, ' he says, which is not ' Erwin notes ' an apology. When Levi ignores him, he continues: 'I wasn 't thinking of anything, or anyone, ' he adds, pointedly.

'No, ' Levi agrees, 'you weren 't. People like you don 't. '

Shadis 's eyes widen, then narrow. 'What did you just say to me? '

Erwin forgets, of course, behind the drinking and the failures, that Shadis was once the best of the best. He has a pride unmatched by any man Erwin has ever met ' arguably undeserved, but still. A sharp temper. And he 's particularly good with his fists.

Levi is still looking at his cards with a distinct bored look on his face. 'I said, people like you don 't. In response to you saying that you weren 't thinking. '

Shadis wraps his fingers around the back of Hange 's chair. His knuckles crack. 'And what do you mean by that, precisely? '

'Levi, ' Erwin says, quietly.

Levi looks at him sharply, as if annoyed, but Erwin just lightly shakes his head.

He puts down his cards. 'Apologies, Commander, ' he says. 'In my experience most people forget that there 's a city beneath Mitras. That 's all I meant by it. '

The silence remains. Shadis lifts his chin, slightly.

Go on,

he seems to be saying. Erwin hides his wince; he reckons, you can just about get the apology out of Levi, but anything else is going to be a hard sell. There 's a risk Shadis is going to flare his temper, and if Levi gets angry ' really angry ' it will be a real problem. He gently picks up his foot beneath the table and braces it, purposefully, against Levi 's knee.

'I 've been down there, ' Levi continues. 'I just got back. It 's fresh in my mind. Which is why I stepped out of line. '

Shadis doesn 't soften but he does relent. He nods, once, brusquely. 'Very well, ' he says. 'What you do with your own time is your business, but I don 't want to hear about any illegal happenings, understand me? If you give the police any reason to come sniffing ' '

He sees Levi 's shoulder 's tense, his hands curling into fists. He presses against his knee warningly. And Levi 's eye twitches. 'I won 't, ' he replies, like it physically pains him.

'Good, ' Shadis says, shortly. He nods at Erwin. 'We 'll discuss it later, ' he tells him, and leaves.

If looks could kill. Levi is glaring at his back as he walks away, fists clenched on the table-top. Erwin carefully lifts his boot of off his knee.

'What were you doing Underground, Levi? ' Hange breaks the silence with their typical curiosity and lack of tact.

Levi flicks his eyes towards them. There 's a beat, and then he answers. 'Helping, ' he says, whatever that means.

'Oh, ' Hange continues, 'that 's nice of you. How were you helping? '

'Hange, ' Erwin tries, but whatever spell he can cast over Levi does not work on them.

'I have a wage, don 't I? ' Levi answers bluntly, picking up his cards. 'Might as well use it for something. '

'Were you giving people money? '

'Food. '

'Is it really bad down there? ' And Hange sounds genuinely upset. Erwin knows they will be ' they 're caring to a fault, overly sympathetic to make up for the lack of empathy. 'I 'm sorry, ' she continues, 'I can 't even imagine what it 's like living in a place without the sun. No wonder you 're so small. '

Levi stands, violently, smacking his fist into his cards. 'You think that 's funny? ' He demands, and he 's as furious as Erwin has ever seen him, that same look in his eyes as the first time he knelt before him, or that first time, in Erwin 's office. 'Why don 't you say that to their faces you four-eyed freak? '

'Hange 's being

nice,

you fucking feral, ' Mike snarls.

'He 's not a feral, ' Erwin interjects, 'I 've told you not to use that word! '

Mike 's eyes bulge. 'You 're on his side?! ' He demands, 'It 's Hange! '

'I 'm not a damsel, Mike, ' Hange interrupts. 'It 's okay, Levi. I 'm always putting my foot in it. I don 't have a good read on people all the time. I just think it 's really good of you to try and help people. We can all only do a small part, but it says a lot about you that you 're willing to do yours. '

Levi blinks at them, clearly disarmed. 'Oh, ' he says. He slowly sits back down. 'I just ' I thought you were making fun of me, ' he says. 'You people ' ' the tips of his ears are red; he 's speaking as plainly and without pretence as Erwin has ever heard him, ' ' ' I mean, some people, treat us like dirt. Because of where we come from. '

Mike tsks, folds his arms. 'It 's not where you come from, ' he mutters, 'it 's what you do. What you did. '

'Do you think I enjoyed it? ' Levi asks him.

'I don 't know, ' Mike shoots back, 'I hope not. I like to think you didn 't. '

'But if I didn 't enjoy it, why did I do it? '

Mike leans back in his chair and regards Levi from the top of his nose. 'I don 't know, ' he says, enunciating each word. 'That 's what I 'm trying to figure out. '

Erwin watches Levi 's face. He meets his eyes, slightly hostile and slightly confused, like he doesn 't know how to answer.

So?

Erwin is says with his eyes,

Tell him.

Levi presses his lips together. 'This shit ' it isn 't new, ' he mutters.

'What shit? ' Hange asks, folding their hands in front of them, leaning forward, expectantly.

His words are drawn from him like pulling blood from a stone. He speaks as if every sentence, every morsel of information, is being stolen from him through torture. 'The strikes. The protests, and the starving. It 's not new. ' Levi 's face is sour. 'We don 't ' they can 't, I mean. Grow anything. People mostly live off grain and dried meat, if they 're lucky. ' He snorts, humourlessly, listlessly. 'I was lucky, ' he says, and he 's looking directly at Mike, 'because I made myself lucky. I fought for what I had. You can get pretty rich down there if you 're willing to put in the work. '

'The work, ' Mike clarifies.

Levi shrugs a shoulder. 'Whatever you can do. Yeah, I stole. I killed people. Some of them were probably innocent, ' he adds, with a sickening intensity. 'Some of them were probably just as desperate as I was. But I got lucky, and they didn 't. '

'If you had money, ' Mike says with revulsion, 'why didn 't you buy your way out? '

There 's no way to explain the look on Levi 's face except like this: as if he 's so shocked by Mike 's naivety, he can 't work up disgust. 'Because they raise the tax, Mike, ' he tells him, incredulously. 'No one gets out. Never. Sometimes you hear stories ' like me, I guess. And it makes you think you can do it too. So people don 't storm the stairs, and the walls have a place to dump their cast-offs, and all you sick fucks have a place to do whatever the fuck you want with us before you go back Above, and forget we exist. '

'I would rather die than murder an innocent person, ' Mike tells him. His voice is quiet but you can 't mistake the loathing. 'I 'd rather starve. '

'Have you? ' Levi asks. His words are dripping from his mouth. 'Have you ever starved? '

Mike narrows his eyes. 'You don 't know the first thing about me, ' he says.

Levi doesn 't reply at first, and Erwin wonders if this has gone too far. He tries to catch his eye, but he 's preoccupied with the cards on the table, turning them over one by one. Whatever he sees in them makes him sigh. He picks up his leg and holds it to his chest, rests his chin on his knee. 'Yeah, well it 's not new, ' he says again. 'Children are going to die tonight because some fat fuck doesn 't want to pay his workers a fair wage. By the time the right palms get greased, they 'll already be piling the corpses in the sewage. '

'I didn 't say ' that 's wrong, ' Mike tells him. 'Don 't you put words in my mouth. I didn 't say that was right. ' His accent comes out when he 's angry, Erwin thinks. Guttural and thick with rounded words.

'When I was a kid, ' Levi starts, 'two lords had some kinda ' dispute. ' He spits the word. 'A pissing match. Who owns what part of such-and-such land, or whatever. A boundary disagreement, basically. They couldn 't get it worked out so the Crown confiscated all the grain until they could. But that meant the walls would be missing grain, so they gave you the grain that was supposed to go Underground. '

'Which lords? ' Hange asks.

Levi shrugs a shoulder. 'I don 't know, how the hell should I know? I 'm just the bastard who lived it, not like I have a say. ' He sniffs slightly, looks at his nail beds. 'Crown didn 't think anything of it, because who cares if scum dies. They probably wanted us to, ' he adds, darkly.

Erwin watches Mike 's face. What Levi has just said is open treason, of course, but Mike 's not a bootlicker. He 's stubborn, with a sense of injustice heavier than a titan, but he 's not a snitch.

'I don 't think I 'd starved yet, ' Levi continues, with a vague, dazed look in his eyes. His brows are pulled together like he 's trying to work something out. 'I remember ' it hit me so hard, there 's no way I grew up that way. Does that make sense? ' He asks them, looking up. 'Kids who have never known anything but starvation don 't fight it. They just lie down and die, trust me. I gave my mother hell. Tch, ' he mutters, 'wailing like that. She was trying her best. '

Despite himself, Erwin is thinking of home. There were days mother wouldn 't cook, couldn 't bring herself to, he supposes, although he 's never known why. He would leave with his father in the morning and when they 'd return, she 'd still be lying on her side in their bed, hair unwashed, stagnant. It made him want to shake her, even then. He 's never been naive about how charmed his life was ' there were beggars in the street, children with knees too large for their bodies, and even as a child he knew that what he had, a mother, a father, a warm home on good land, was better than how most people lived.

So he had always resented his mother, is the truth, because if even he could see how lucky they were, he didn 't understand why she didn 't, either. And he thinks of Levi 's mother, a woman he has never spoken about except in a desperate kind of anger, like it 's accidentally slipped out of his mouth, and how even though she had nothing, she fought with everything to let her child eat. Although perhaps that is a common thing, amongst mothers. Perhaps it is just Erwin 's mother who is unusual in that regard.

Levi is chewing absently on the inside of his cheek. 'We boiled the mushrooms from under the bed, ' he continues, vacantly. 'She started taking payment in crusts of stale bread. Other people ate the rats, ' he says, 'but the rats carried sickness, and so next people were getting sick, too. '

'Is that how she died? ' Erwin asks, gently.

Levi shakes his head. 'No, ' he says, 'she lived for a couple years after that. But I think ' '

He stops himself. Taps his nails against the tabletop.

'Levi, ' Erwin prompts, quietly.

'If you haven 't starved, ' Levi says without anger, just inevitability, 'then you don 't know. I don 't mean gone hungry for a few days, or had to miss out on staples, I mean ' picking through sewage with your bare hands to find what the people above you have tossed away, Mike. Parents killed their kids so they wouldn 't have to watch them die. Is that just enough for you? Is that good, or right? Okay, okay, I get it, if you were me you 'd have just laid down and died, good for you. ' Levi sounds tired. There 's no wrath in his words. 'It was summer, ' he mutters, '

summer.

Who starves in the summer? It was

grain,

we died because two men were fighting over a map, a piece of paper. '

Mike doesn 't say anything straight away. He takes a long drink, puts his empty mug down on the table. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. 'That sounds shit, ' he says, bluntly.

'I 'm not looking for sympathy. ' Levi drops his leg back onto the floor and folds his arms.

'I 'm not giving you any. I don 't like you. It 's not because you 're from the Underground. I liked Furlan and Isabel. Didn 't care where they came from. I don 't like your attitude. I don 't like how easily you kill. '

'Fine, ' Levi agrees. 'I don 't like your inferiority complex and think your nose is freakish, how about that? '

'Fine, ' Mike says, shortly. 'And they didn 't give us the grain, ' he says.

'Excuse me? '

Mike sets his jaw, stubbornly. 'You said, earlier, that the crown gave us the grain that was supposed to go to you. But no one ever gave us anything. Where I 'm from, you work for everything you have, or you go hungry. No one 's giving handouts to tree people, ' he says, throwing his cards on the table. It 's a sore spot for Mike ' as years go on, people forget, but Mike carries that prickly insecurity with him always.

'Well no one was giving me handouts, either, ' Levi replies, defensively.

'Clearly, ' Mike settles, 'otherwise you wouldn 't be a runt. '

'Exactly, ' Levi says. He slumps in his seat, slightly, presses his chin to his shoulder. 'What I wouldn 't have given to grow up with trees, ' he mutters, as if embarrassed, self-conscious. 'They 're ' they 're ' unbelievable. ' He sounds genuinely awed. 'First time I heard about them I thought someone was making it up. Like ' wood, that grows from the ground, ' he snorts, 'and taller than titans. '

Mike doesn 't know what to say to that, it seems. And neither does Erwin, or Hange ' they just sit there, awkwardly. Until:

'There are trees in Maria, ' Mike ventures, quietly. He 's picking aimlessly at his cards. 'They 're the tallest I 've ever seen. Three times, four times, the size of a 15-meter class, right Erwin? '

'Ancient, ' Erwin agrees. 'Huge. The tallest are far taller than the walls themselves. '

Levi looks at them both distrustfully, like he 's trying to decide if they 're mocking him. But then Hange speaks.

'At the college, they said if you cut down a tree, you could tell how old it was by the rings in its trunk, ' they tell him, earnestly. 'It 's not always accurate. But those trees, ' they exhale, 'oh my. I wonder what those trees have seen. '

'Seriously? ' Levi asks them. 'That old? '

'Erwin had this idea, ' Mike explains, 'he thought we could train in them. '

'Hey, ' Hange interrupts, 'you haven 't included my plan. '

Mike sighs. 'Yeah, and Hange had this bright idea that we could let a couple of titans loose in the forest and use them for target practice. '

'It would be authentic! ' They protest.

'Doesn 't matter, ' Erwin tells Levi, 'because it 's sort of like a ' tourist attraction. ' He spots the blank look in Levi 's eyes. 'Wealthy people pay money to go and stay in cabins near the trees, ' he explains. 'For a vacation. '

Levi rolls his eyes. 'Tch, ' he mutters, and that 's all he says, to let them know what he thinks of that. But the air is easier, now. Mike and Levi don 't talk, not really, but they don 't rip into each other, either. When Hange finally stretches their arms and calls it a night, Mike doesn 't ask any questions when Levi doesn 't stand to leave with them. He closes the door behind himself pointedly, quietly.

'Well, ' Erwin says, when they 're gone. 'That was fun. '

He stands to pack the cheap booze back into a drawer in his desk. Levi 's knife is still in there, he realises, rattling around. The man has never tried to steal it back. He wonders why not, and then decides not to think about, slightly drunk, and very tired. 'Hange is ' ' Levi says, and then trails off. He seems equally exhausted.

'Yes, ' Erwin agrees, shutting his drawer. 'They are. '

'And Mike, ' Levi starts, sounding uneasy, like he 's on the cusp of an apology.

'He 's not usually so chatty, ' Erwin remarks. 'You must really get his back up. '

'Why? ' Levi asks.

Erwin shrugs. He has a few ideas. 'I think, ' he says, heavily, trailing back to the table, 'you probably scare him. Or threaten him, ' he considers, although Mike isn 't really the jealous type. 'He used to be the strongest there was. ' He puts one hand in his pocket, lifts the other to Levi 's face. 'Who punched you? ' He asks. He lightly traces the purple swelling along the upper line of his cheekbone, around to his brow.

Levi 's eyes are shut, his head tipped back. 'I won 't be going back down there again, ' he says. He seems to pull up his eyelids, as if it 's hard to keep them open. 'You shouldn 't either, ' he warns.

'I see, ' Erwin murmurs. 'Are you no longer welcome? '

'I was never welcome, ' Levi mumbles, leaning into his hand, 'less so, now that I wear the wings on my back. '

Erwin rewards his honesty with a stroke of his thumb. 'You 're welcome here, ' he says, 'despite what Mike says. '

Does he imagine Levi 's little shiver, the small ripple of his shoulders? Levi seems to flick his eyes tentatively up to Erwin 's face, like he 's watching him secretly. Erwin doesn 't really know what to make of it.

'Does it hurt? '

'It 's fine, ' Levi tells him, twitchy. He bats away his hand. 'The doctor already put salve on it. '

'Which doctor? '

Levi waves a hand. 'Some doctor down there. A do-gooder from Shiganshina. Fancies himself a martyr, I think, says he likes to give out free medical care. '

'Does he have a death wish? '

Levi snorts. 'Never underestimate the risks of a man with an inflated sense of self, ' he says, pointedly.

'I 'll try not to be offended, ' Erwin scoffs, without bite. 'You 're so goddamned bratty, Levi. '

'If you wanted a lapdog you shouldn 't have picked me up in the slums, ' he snaps back, equally toothless, like neither of them really want to fight, but feel as though they need to keep up the appearance.

'So who punched you? ' Erwin asks again. 'They must have been working pretty hard to get a hit in. '

Levi sighs. 'There was more than one, ' he admits. 'And they were ' uh, thugs, ' he frowns. 'You shouldn 't concern yourself with it. '

'Thugs, ' Erwin repeats. He thinks, most of Levi 's past is as mysterious to him as it is to Mike and Hange. He knows more, sure; there was a man named Kenny, and his mother, who was a whore. Furlan and Isabel and presumably the criminal things they did together. Now, the famine, another part of an incomplete picture. But it bothers Erwin that he can 't trace him ' large gaps that Erwin can 't fathom. It 's irritating to him, in fact, that he doesn 't know. Levi knows about him: his mother, his father, his dreams, his regrets.

'I wish you 'd tell me more, ' Erwin says, quietly. 'I want to know you, Levi. '

Levi is staring up at him. Erwin realises, his hand is still pressed to Levi 's cheek, absently. 'What? ' He asks, like he doesn 't understand what the words mean. 'More about what? '

Erwin blinks. He realises, he can 't say,

I want to know your history, I want to know every part of you,

because then he would have to explain why, and the answer to that question is not one he knows. He supposes it scares him, the unknowing, the lack of records, the lack of ' if Levi doesn 't have roots, then how will he be remembered? 'I ' just you, I suppose, ' and he slips his hand back into his pocket, quickly downs the rest of the whiskey left in the glass on the table. 'I 'm sure you have lots of interesting stories to tell. '

'I don 't, ' Levi says flatly, and while Erwin usually isn 't afraid to push, there 's something about his tone that makes him realise there can be no more prodding tonight, not after Levi 's already been so forthcoming on his orders.

'Well, it helped Mike understand, regardless, ' Erwin tells him. He sets the glass back on the table. 'It 's good to talk to people, Levi. Make friends. Hange is very fond of you. '

'I think Hange is fond of everybody, ' Levi mutters, leaning back in his chair. 'Of everything, even. '

Erwin laughs, quietly. He could tell Levi that Hange is one of the sharpest people he knows, that they have an unparalleled clarity of vision, that they 're utterly ruthless in the pursuit of their own goals. Instead, he says: They 're eccentric, ' and leaves it at that.

It appears they 've run out of conversation. A pity. Erwin chews absently on his thumbnail, and then frowns. 'Oh, ' he remembers, and leans his boot against Levi 's knee, pressing lightly.

The look on Levi 's face is something from boredom to irritation. He knocks Erwin away. 'You 're going to scuff my pants, ' he warns.

'You shouldn 't agitate Shadis like that, ' Erwin warns. He picks up his foot again and balances it on the seat between Levi 's legs. 'I 'm not omnipotent. '

Levi snorts. 'Oh, don 't worry, ' he mocks lightly, 'I didn 't think you were. ' He 's surprisingly relaxed, Erwin thinks, arms folded loosely across his chest, knees parted and legs stretched out in front of him.

'It would be problematic, ' Erwin continues, 'if he decided you were more trouble than you were worth. '

'Aren 't I? '

Erwin feels his lips twitch. 'I 'm not sure yet, really. ' He raps his knuckles against the table, makes Levi jump. 'Well then, ' he says, briskly, 'shall we discuss what you came here for? '

'What I came here for? ' Levi frowns. 'How do you know what I came here for? '

'It 's not a lesson night, ' Erwin deduces. 'And you don 't generally seek me out for any other reason. '

'Any other reason, ' Levi sighs, 'right. That 's fair, I guess. '

'Unless, ' Erwin corrects, unsure of himself, 'unless maybe you were here for some ' other reason. ' He takes in the bruise on Levi 's eye. It will only get worse over the next few days, he thinks. It 's a good, solid hit.

'No, ' Levi tells him, abruptly. He kicks Erwin 's foot off his chair and stands, crossing the floor and seating himself in Erwin 's lap like he belongs there, like it 's a natural thing, imposing, each thigh straddling Erwin 's hips. 'Your instinct is right, ' he continues, 'I 'm here to fuck you, ' he says, and there is a part of Erwin that wonders if Levi is trying to convince himself, first.

'You clean? ' Erwin asks him.

'Yeah, ' Levi tells him.

'I have ' the grease, it 's in my desk, ' Erwin says, breathlessly. 'If you want. '

'You 'll pull out, ' Levi orders.

Erwin tilts his head in a way he thinks might be endearing. 'I 'd rather not, ' he tries.

'I 'll need to have another bath, ' Levi laments.

'God, ' Erwin groans, genuine frustration, 'you 're so damn ' tightly wound, Levi, highly-strung ' '

'I like to be

clean, '

he enunciates against Erwin 's lips.

'Not just the cleaning, the damn ' ' Erwin huffs, 'you think everyone 's mocking you, everyone 's got it in for you ' '

'Historically, they do, ' Levi scorns. 'You think this is the best way to convince me to let you come inside me? '

Fucking

hell,

just the idea of it, makes Erwin tip suck in a breath, tip himself back in his chair, heels scrabbling against the floor and hips rolling up against Levi 's. 'Please, Levi, ' Erwin tries, 'c 'mon, ' and he goes for all that charm he used to have, barmaids and girls from the town, back when he was nineteen and strapping and could come twice in one night. He lets his hands ruck up Levi 's shirt, roam the planes of his back.

'Ugh, ' Levi says, and actually does look a little disgusted, 'you 're drunk. '

'Doesn 't that make it better? ' Erwin asks him, 'You know, I get a little looser when I 'm drunk, Levi, I say and so all kinds of things I wouldn 't do otherwise, ' he tries, in what he hopes is a seductive voice.

Levi looks like he 's deliberating. He 's holding Erwin 's fate in his hands. 'You should ask nicely, ' he decides.

'Nicely? '

'Politely, ' Levi corrects, and because he never smiles, Erwin can 't tell if he 's joking. His eyes look serious, he thinks, flat and calm and intent. 'Ask me for what you want, and then I 'll decide. '

Erwin is not really a begging man. He tries to think of any time he 's had to beg for anything, let alone for sex. Generally ' and he 's not being prideful ' but generally, in his experience, these things work the other way around. He realises he can 't imagine Levi begging for anything, either, and maybe that 's why he 's so ' so ' desperate for him, always. The idea that he 's having to win him, piece by piece, time by time. He briefly tries to picture it: how would Levi beg, if he could? Could he get onto his knees, would he rest his cheek on Erwin 's thigh, look up at him with no shrewdness in his eyes except desperation? Or would he straddle Erwin the way he 's straddling him now, curl his fingers in his shirt, plead with him. He tries to imagine what Levi 's voice would sound like. The shape of his lips, his brows,

please, Erwin,

he would say, whimpering, desperate,

please come inside me.

Erwin pushes a hand between their hips to palm himself, grunts. God, he thinks. He would do anything for that. To own Levi that way, to have him reduce himself like that, just for him, for his eyes only. He can 't really imagine it, that 's the truth, and that makes it sweeter, almost. A total fantasy. He would do anything for it, he thinks again.

'God, Levi, ' he says, thickly. 'You 're going to ruin me, did you know that? '

'Tell me, ' Levi prompts, like he also believes Erwin is too above needing to beg. For anyone else: yes. But for Levi '

'Please, ' he says again, 'Levi. Let me come in you. '

'Sweeter, ' Levi orders.

'God,

Levi, '

Erwin breathes, and he takes his face in his hands, pulls him closer. 'Let me come in you. Please. I want you to feel me inside you, I want to feel ' I want to know I 'm inside you, understand? ' He presses a kiss to his chin, along his jaw, wonders if Levi is simply uninterested or if his stiffness is forced. He doesn 't say,

I want to ruin you,

because he doesn 't think Levi wants to hear it. He doesn 't tell him,

I want to dirty you, mess you, peel back your layers until I find your roots

'Tch, ' Levi mutters, and his skin slightly clammy, damp bangs falling in front of his face. 'All that reading and you can 't do better than that? '

'Please, ' Erwin whispers against his lips. He raises his hips, and wins one grunt out of Levi, more of a gasp, rising with the force of Erwin 's thrust, gripping his shoulders for support. 'I want to come inside you, ' he tells him, and plucks at his lower lip with his teeth, 'so you feel me there, warm. So it drips outside you, drips here, ' he tells him, earnestly, cupping the inside of one of Levi 's thighs, 'and you can go back to your bed, while I 'm still on your skin, and when you finally wash me off you 'll have to remember that this happened, and you 'll remember I begged you to let it happen. '

Levi 's face does not change, but he swallows. 'Yeah, ' he says, roughly.

'Yes? '

'Yeah, ' he agrees, and starts to peel off his shirt, fingers nimbly attacking the buttons, pushing it down his shoulders. He kisses him like that, the cuffs of his shirt pressed to Erwin 's face, his nails digging into his cheeks. He pulls away too soon, dismounting and padding to the bureau in the corner, shucking off his pants as he goes. He knows where the grease is kept, pitching it at Erwin. He bends over the arm of the couch, one leg braced up against the cushions, a hand pulling apart his cheeks. He looks over his shoulder. 'Do it, ' he tells him, brusquely.

There is no romance with Levi, Erwin knows by now. He can only imagine what the other man gets out of this, a fulfilment of a basic need, perhaps. Clinical and detached enough that the sight of him pulling himself open for Erwin 's eyes doesn 't even look lewd. He worries he 's embarrassing himself in his eagerness, trying to warm up the grease on his skin, sliding his fingers between Levi 's ass before slipping one finger inside him. He 's gathered that Levi does not particularly enjoy this part of the process, something about the way he 's gripping the pillows with his fists, the tightness of his shoulders. 'Sorry, ' he mumbles, stupidly, trying to comfort him with a hand against his hip. Levi doesn 't comment, just shifts his hitched leg higher, pulls himself wider.

He coats himself in the grease, first, working it down his cock while he braces himself on Levi 's lower back, lining up. The first push is always exquisite; Levi is tight, he goes slow, gentle, lets himself open Levi up. The other man takes it, uncomplaining as always, his thighs trembling slightly. The only sound he makes is a huff, burying his head into the seat of the couch.

So Erwin eases into him, then half-way out, the forced slowness a unique form of torture. He wants to chase his own pleasure, he wants to reach that point where Levi seems to forget himself, just slightly, lets noises slip past his lips, fucks back on him with eagerness.

Erwin groans.

God,

he wants to say,

Levi, you 're fucking perfect,

but he can 't bring himself to, doesn 't know how that would be received. He can only guess that Levi is enjoying this from the way the toes propped up on the couch curl, and how he seems to exhale on each thrust. He grips Levi 's hips, huffs. 'Like this? ' He asks, to make sure, and Levi nods.

'Good, ' he tells him, and Erwin is rewarded, barely, by the tiny hitch in his voice.

He fucks him like that, their skin slapping loudly in the empty office. It 's worsened by the quiet; Erwin 's panting breath, and Levi 's stubborn silence. When he comes, though, he has to push his fist into his mouth, head thrown back. As if to help him, Levi squeezes around him, grinds himself against Erwin 's hips. And for that, Erwin knows, he deserves a reward.

He taps his ass, twice, encouraging him to crawl forward onto the couch. 'Roll over, ' he tells him, breathless, following him along the length of the couch, watching him spread himself loosely, limbs all relaxed and shaky. Levi hasn 't come, but he has dribbled pre-come along the leather. Erwin wants to smear his face in it, he wants to see him clean it with that pretty pink tongue, and in the post-orgasm clarity, the impulse repulses him; the very idea, Levi would kill him, and he would deserve it.

He buries his face between Levi 's thighs, kisses the short line of hair that dips from navel to groin, feels Levi shiver despite himself, back arching. His heels knock against Erwin 's shoulders. 'Talk to me, ' Erwin tells him, tasting the sweat in the gap between his thigh and balls.

'Mmm? ' Levi presses. He sounds frustrated, like he 's afraid to open his mouth.

'I want to hear you, you know, ' Erwin says, his drool smearing Levi 's perineum. 'You don 't always have to be so quiet. '

'Shut up, ' Levi orders, smacking a heel against Erwin 's shoulder, but Erwin thinks he might have hurt his feelings.

'There 's no shame, ' Erwin breathes, stroking each thumb down the slick parting of Levi 's cheeks, 'in feeling good, Levi. '

'I didn 't say there was, ' Levi replies, rolling his hips upwards, a little, urging himself closer to Erwin 's mouth. He must know what Erwin 's about to do ' perhaps he 's had others do this to him, and the thought sours him, slightly, the idea that someone else might have been able to win moans out of Levi while he 's still relegated to the occasional sigh, a fist-in-mouth grunt. He presses a kiss just above Levi 's opening, swollen, raw. Erwin wonders what that feels like ' he 'd be lying if he said he wasn 't curious. But he 's suddenly embarrassed by the thought, and almost irritated at the notion that he doesn 't even know if he could ask Levi what it feels like, or if he would be willing to try, because despite everything the man is still almost a stranger to him in so many ways.

'Don 't, ' Levi says, suddenly. He picks up his head, the tip of his nose flushed pink.

'No? ' Erwin questions.

'Just ' don 't, ' Levi orders, letting his head fall back against the cushions.

Erwin kisses his thighs instead, his abdomen, hungry for the sweat on his skin. Levi rarely tastes of anything other than neutral soap. When he reaches his cock, it appears his patience runs out; he smears his hips upwards, against Erwin 's chin, and Erwin takes him in one.

He finishes in Erwin 's mouth. Erwin wipes his lips against the back of Levi 's thigh and catches him, head propped up against the armrest on the opposite end of the couch, eyes shut and brows arched, lips open in a soundless gasp. He 's playing with his left nipple, pinching and rolling it between his thin fingers.

So he does know how to take his own pleasure,

Erwin says to himself, and then thinks that it 's a rather cruel thing to think. Of course Levi does ' he wouldn 't seek him out if he didn 't.

He pulls open his eyes, as if dazed, staring up the ceiling. He seems to feel Erwin 's eyes on him; he drops his hand from his chest, quickly, like he 's irritated to have been caught. But he doesn 't make any move to leave, immediately, which means Erwin might steal some pillow talk out of him, yet. He likes hearing Levi talk. Not just because the man has a unique view of the world which he appreciates, is brutally honest, incredibly incisive. But because he so rarely talks at all, and those things he says after evenings like these are as open and candid as he has ever heard him be.

He leans his cheek against Levi 's thigh, rests his head near his softened cock. He can feel his pulse thrumming through his body, slightly elevated, twitching against his skin. He doesn 't speak, and just listens to that, the proof that Levi is living, breathing, safe and warm in this room, on his couch. He feels his eyes start to close.

Don 't sleep,

he warns himself, but it 's hard not to. He thinks about those times, more than a decade younger than he is now, his back pressed to Mike 's in an empty dorm. Merkel was dead. Jonas was dead. Lena was dead, but she didn 't share a room with them.

I need this,

he thinks to himself, distantly, achingly. Just tonight. A moment of weakness, just tonight '

Levi stirs beneath him. Insistent. 'Erwin, ' he says, not harsh, not soft, either. Just his name.

Erwin.

'Stay, ' Erwin asks, softly.

Levi clambers off the couch, slightly bow-legged, walking stiffly. Erwin watches himself dripping down the backs of his thighs. He tosses on his shirt, pulls up his pants and stuffs his underwear into his back pocket. Erwin sits himself up, watches him, thinks he 's already made his desires clear and there 's nothing more he can say.

Levi pauses at the door, looks over his shoulder. He opens his mouth, seems to think better of what he 's about to say, and stops himself. 'Thanks, ' he says instead.

'Thanks? '

'Yeah, ' he tells him. 'That was very ' good, ' he says, stiffly. 'Took the edge off. Hit the right spot, ' he nods.

'Well, ' Erwin feels like one of the wrung-out rags Levi uses to clean himself with after, 'you 're welcome, I suppose. '

Levi nods again, like that is satisfactory, as if Erwin has said something he agrees with. When he leaves he shuts the door very lightly, cushioning the blow so it locks neatly with just soft thunk and a gentle 'snick '.