Work Text:
"Eren."
"Yes, sir?" Eren jumped. He was washing the wall when Levi appeared in the doorway, bringing his hoarse voice with him.
"You missed a disgusting spot." He said, pointing at a dark blotch on the floor. Eren looked down at it, nothing but a stutter escaping his lips.
"If you've got something to say, say it." Levi crossed his arms. He glared at Eren grimly, his eyebrows slanted as if they themselves were pissed off.
Eren almost would have preferred falling into a titan’s mouth than say it.
"I can't get the stain off." He admitted, biting the inside of his cheeks. It was no wonder he did not turn into a titan then and there.
"What do you mean you can't?" Levi snarled. He marched toward Eren with a bag of cleaning supplies. He reached in and grabbed a sponge, "Try this." He shoved the sponge into Eren’s hands. The force nearly knocked Eren over. He kneeled down, and scrubbed the spot like his life depended on it. He could feel Levi watching him, and that shrouded Eren in a similar way that Wall Maria did.
"Let me try." Levi leaned down and snatched the sponge. He started madly scrubbing. Eren sat back on his knees, horrified by how much effort Levi put into scrubbing the floor. He was focused, but gnawing his lip in frustration, as if he were stabbing a titan that refused to die.
Eren decided he better not watch. He shifted his attention to the fact that his hands were stinging. Nervously he fiddled with his gloves, trying to put out the fire on his skin.
"Are you trying to turn into a titan?" Levi grabbed one of his hands. The gesture almost made Eren bite off his tongue in surprise, and that was more painful than the thought of Mikasa cutting his limbs off. "Disgusting. Are these bite marks?” Levi asked, after carefully removing the glove. Eren’s hands were covered in blisters and red sores. "No, these are...exactly how long have you been trying to get this stain off?"
"For an hour, sir." Eren replied.
"You should have just gotten me, dipshit." Levi sighed, "Stay there, I’ll go get you some bandages."
Eren accidentally realized that the corporal had a hint of concern in his voice. He would have smiled at that, if it was not for his fear of making the Corporal mad. He was a bomb, and if Eren did something to anger him, Levi would blow up the world, and then make him clean it up. "T-that's okay!" Eren blurted out, "They will heal in an few minutes."
"That's right. I forgot." Levi bluntly replied. He returned to scrubbing the stain. Eren blinked. He wondered if he imagined the concern in his voice before. After hissing at the floor a few times, Levi sluggishly stood up. "That's it. We are going to have to kill the floorboard and replace it, because that is just too gross. Watch out."
Levi began stomping the floorboard. Eren's reflexes saved him as he fell backwards, dodging the wood that almost stabbed his eyeball out. The wood was not the only thing that went flying. Fat maggots, hundreds of them, scattered everywhere.
"Ah shit! Disgusting!" Levi exploded, calling out for Hanji. Eren covered his ears. He was positive that the Corporal was about to break everything in sight with his voice alone. Thank god Hanji was quick to appear in the doorway. "Help Eren replace the floorboard. Make sure all of the maggots underneath the floors are brutally murdered. I have to go puke." Levi walked out, covering his mouth. Hanji let out a burst of laughter. Eren was finally able to let out a breath of relief.
"He is the strongest man in the legion and he can't handle maggots!" Hanji giggled. The laughter soothed Eren, but not for long, because a knife came flying through the doorway, almost killing them both. Luckily, they were able to dodge it, the knife piercing the wall instead.
"Get to work!" Levi shouted.
~~~
Eren had his back against the wall next to Levi's doorway. He braced himself. He dug his nails into the wall, taking a deep breath. Upon entering the room, Eren was surprised to find Levi casually lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling with a blank facial expression.
"Hanji wanted me to let you know that all of the maggots have been eradicated."
“And the floorboard?”
“Has been replaced…sir.” Levi inhaled a satisfied breath of relief. He sat up on the edge of the bed, directly in front of Eren. His feet barely touched the floor. The tip of his head was level with Eren's chest. It was moments like this that Eren thought that the Corporal was adorable, before remembering how bloodcurdling his voice became when he was angry. The thought was quick to vanish.
"Did you wash your hands?" Levi asked.
"Yes, sir." Eren replied. He choked on the air when Levi took his left hand into his own to examine it. Eren’s knees slightly quivered at the touch.
"You weren’t kidding when you said that they would heal." He let go of his hand. Eren met the Corporal's rigid eyes. A magnetizing darkness seemed to radiate off of them.
"You're a freak." Levi remarked. Eren looked away, his hands tingling, but not in pain this time. His face started to heat up, but that was interrupted by a shout, “What the fuck!” Levi threw a punch to the side of his face. Eren’s body hit the floor with a loud smack. His first mortifying thought was that the Corporal had seen him blush. Eren placed his hand on his throbbing cheek. To his surprise, he felt something squishy.
"There was a maggot crawling on your face!" Levi shrieked, so loud that for a moment Eren thought the Colossal titan had broken through the wall again. Levi lifted him up by the collar of his shirt. He ripped it off his body like paper, revealing a maggot crawling around his belly button. Levi was quick to thrust his foot into his stomach. Eren gagged, blood spurting out of his mouth.
"What are you doing to Eren now?" Hanji stood in the doorway, not surprised in the least to see Levi standing on a shirtless Eren.
"He’s covered in maggots," Levi spat, throwing a menacing glare at Hanji, "Are you as well?"
"Nope. I made Eren deal with them. I couldn't stand to see those cute babies die." Hanji sobbed.
"Cute? You have got to be kidding me." Levi huffed. He lifted his foot off of Eren, who was choking on his own blood. "Go wash your clothes and take a bath, now."
"But I just did-"
"Don't talk back to me, you maggot infested pig." He scowled. It was all a blur to Eren, but his sight decided to focus at the worst time possible. Levi leaned over him, shooting him a nasty glare. It was the same glare he had when he beat Eren up in the courtroom, except for this time, Eren liked it.
"Clean up, before I rip your filthy skin off." Levi threatened, in a taunting and terrifying voice.
Eren would have loved it if the Corporal ripped his skin off, but he kept that thought to himself.
~~~
Eren walked into the dining room, shirtless, drying his hair with a towel. His tired eyes sunk into his brain. He was hoping to reach his bed without running into anybody, but he was not that lucky. Levi sat at the dining table, a cup of coffee touching his lips. He did not speak, only stared intently at Eren. A ball of sweat rolled down Eren's cheek.
"Where do you think you're going?" Levi asked.
"To bed, sir." Eren replied. His face was burning, "Where is everybody?"
"Sleeping. Outside on the lookout." He took one last sip of his coffee, and stood up. Eren was sinking into the floor just looking at him. Levi sighed, as if he could see through him. "You missed dinner, so you should probably eat something."
"Ah, yes." Eren shuddered.
Levi looked directly at his chest. "And put a shirt on."
"I-I can't. It’s ripped." Eren tried not to turn away from Levi's vicious glare.
"Don't you have anymore?"
"I do, but they are outside drying, and I’m not supposed to go outside unsupervised."
"Okay, we better go get one I guess." Levi grunted, picking up a lantern from the table. Eren followed Levi out of the castle. The muggy air on his bare chest made Eren sweat, but the awkward silence was what bothered him the most.
"Hey you," Levi signaled Gunter, who was leaning against the wall, "Bring some meat to the fire pit." "
"Right away, sir." He saluted. Eren felt his spine crack. He did not want to think about eating with the Corporal, because the silence between them at that moment was scary enough.
"Um, corporal?" Eren regretted opening his mouth the second he did it, "Why exactly do I need a shirt now?"
"Because your chest is disgusting, and you are scrawny as hell." He bluntly replied. Eren decided to glue his mouth shut permanently after that. Levi stopped in front of the clothesline. He watched Eren put on his shirt, as if he expected him to turn into a titan right then and there.
"This way." Levi said, leading Eren toward the fire pit, tossing in the lantern once they reached it. The sound of breaking glass made Eren jump. Luckily, he dodged a piece that flew at him. The fire was quick to crackle. Levi sat down, opening the package of meat that was placed by the fire. Eren cautiously sat on the log across from Levi. "I want to see you cook this." He handed Eren the meat.
"Ah, okay." Eren gulped. He placed the meat on the stick that was hovering over the fire. He focused on making sure each side was cooked evenly. He took this chance to avoid looking at Levi. He was probably being judged for every move he made.
"Not bad." Levi commented, after minutes of treacherous silence. Eren wanted to burn himself in the fire. He met Levi through the flames. He had his arms crossed, with his lips hanging sluggishly and his eyebrows narrowed, "They teach you that in the training camp?"
"Not this. My mother did..." Eren trailed off. He smelled his mother’s kitchen, just for a second, and that memory coiled around his chest. He forgot about Levi in the stillness of the moment. Eren stared at the ground, taking small bites of the meat. It put a foul taste in his mouth. Levi threw a rock at Eren. He was so spaced out that he let the rock bounce off his forehead. It was no wonder it didn’t crack his skull.
"Don't look so down, it makes you look stupid." Levi grunted. The sharpness of his voice brought Eren back into his current terrifying reality.
"Sorry, sir." He apologized, catching a glimpse of the vagueness in Levi's eyes. It made him look so bored all the time, but the part what drove Eren the craziest was that despite looking so disinterested, Levi kept his gaze affixed on him. His pupils never moved. Or, maybe they did, after all, Eren could not look him in the eye for long. Even in that moment he was looking away, twiddling his thumbs and picking at his food. The silence was making him lose his appetite.
"Is that why you want to kill so many titans? To avenge your mother?" Levi asked. Eren twitched, the muscles in his stomach tightening at the thought of his mother, as if they were crying.
"I wasn't able to protect her." He said softly, "I want to kill titans so that no one else has to suffer. I need to protect the only family I have left. I guess you could consider that vengeance."
"Your family, you mean Mikasa and Armin?" Levi spoke in a deep and hushed voice. Eren nodded. He could not believe that he was having an actual conversation with the Corporal. He seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say. Eren was not sure if he should be flattered or frightened.
"You sure do talk big for a piece of shit. You may be able to turn into a titan, but that doesn't mean you can protect everybody now." Levi remarked. Sweat dripped down Eren's cheek, as it always did when the Corporal used that sarcastic tone of voice. That voice terrified him, angered him, and gave him some sort of fluttery feeling all at once.
"I want to get stronger." Eren mumbled. He wanted to sound more firm, but ended up sounding more like an excited child.
"You have a long way to go." Levi asserted. Eren could just hear the smirk in his voice.
"I know, but I want to become as strong as you."
"I see," Levi stood up, "Too bad that won't happen."
Eren watched the Corporal stare at the moon. The flames of the fire highlighted his heroic stance. He looked like a great guardian; a wise warrior of the world. His hair swayed gently in the breeze, and the gleam of the moon radiated off his dark eyes. His lips were closed firmly, blocking the night from entering his emotions.
"You full?" Levi asked, turning away from the moon to look at him. It was as if he did that on purpose, because he knew Eren was staring at him, he knew that he was blushing, so he wanted to ridicule him with his taunting eyes, because there was no way in hell he would ever let Eren touch him. Eren nodded, looking away as quickly as he could. "Let's go, then."
On the way back to the castle, the only words Levi said were to Gunter, whom he ordered to clean the fire pit. Eren was facing the Corporal's back as he silently followed him. He tried not to think about how short he was, but how could he not? Levi did not look scary to Eren when he was not facing him. His figure was rather cute, in the way that it was so small. If Eren didn’t know better, he would reach out to hug him from behind, pulling him close into his chest as if he were a warm pillow. Levi was definitely not a pillow. His skin would be rough and solid, so that no titan could scratch it.
Eren imagined tracing every crevice of his body with his fingertips, finding the places that were the most firm. From the looks of it, his well-shaped thighs would be one of those places, along with his ass. Eren secretly liked seeing the maneuver gear strapped tightly around that as he flung through the air. Still, Levi was rather arousing in the tight pants he was wearing. They brought out his hips as he walked. Levi had a slow paced walk, as if it was tiresome. Eren knew that was because he preferred using his legs in the sky, vigorously jumping off high rises and twisting his body in mesmeric ways in order to slaughter titans.
"You cleaned your room, right?" Levi randomly asked, snapping Eren out of his dirty mind.
"Yes, sir!" Eren replied, his voice louder than he had expected. Levi unlocked the latch to the prison. Eren took a seat on his bed. Levi stayed in the doorway, instead of smashing the door shut like he usually did.
"It stinks. I hate the smell of the basement, I don't know how you can stay down here." He commented.
"I don't have a choice, do I?" Eren said as he took off his shoes.
"No, you don't, but you could have done a better job scrubbing these floors." Levi sighed, "Too bad you’re not as good at cleaning as you are at cooking."
"I don't think I have cleaned this much since I left home," Eren flinched when he uttered the word 'home'. He remembered how his mom welcomed him when he and Mikasa came home. The sunlight reflected off of her warm smile, and the crevices around her eyes made her look calm. Her eyes stood out, bright and rich like gold. Thinking about her was more like a dream, compared to a memory.
“It’s funny how easy it is to forget about what it is like to have a home. If it wasn't for you, housekeeping would be the last thing on my mind.” Eren lost his breath. He thought it was because a bad memory was about to enter his mind, but it was the Corporal stepping toward him that had made him anxious. Levi lifted his chin with his two fingers.
"If you want to be strong, you have to keep your head up high." Levi spoke softly, meeting Eren’s eyes. Looking into the Corporal’s eyes was like having the answers behind the titans, behind the walls, behind the world right in front of him, but he could not quite see it. Levi was strangely beautiful. Eren broke the contact, absolutely embarrassed by his thoughts.
"I tell you to look up, so you look down again. Pfft.” Levi rolled his eyes. Eren looked away, biting the insides of his mouth to refrain from blushing. He wanted to look at Levi again, except this time focus on his lips. His urge to kiss him was so strong that it may have been plastered to his face. He shook off that thought, trying to think of something to say. It did not take long once he pictured a fat titan.
"You know, Corporal..." Eren clenched his fists, "I don't want to look up. I want to look down at those titan bastards. I want to laugh as I murder every last one of them."
"You're very unique, Eren. "Levi remarked. He said his name politely, in a sophisticated and direct manner. It startled Eren.
"How do you mean?" He tried to look at the Corporal instead of pretending to, but there was no way that was happening. He was too dangerously close.
"You look innocent one minute, and a psychopath the next. The truth is, you are just a stupid kid. Let’s say somehow, you do kill all of titans. Then what?" Levi challenged. Eren was quick to say the first thing that came to his mind.
"Humanity would be free. We would no longer have to live our lives inside of these damn walls."
"You think?" Levi looked down at Eren like he was not there. His eyelids were slightly covering his hollow eyes. That expression made Eren feel so idiotic that he wanted to punch him.
"Why wouldn't we be able to?" Eren retorted, raising his voice.
"This is why you are stupid. You can't see anything beyond your own selfishness." Levi crossed his arms. Eren definitely hated that sarcastic, know-it-all tone that Levi had. It was so frustrating that he truly had no idea why it was so damn alluring. He remembered what Irvin had asked him:
"Who do you think the real enemy is?"
Eren refused to believe, even for a second, that humans were behind everything. Maybe Irvin and Levi were the retarded ones, not him.
"How am I supposed to understand when you won't tell me anything?" Eren snapped. He took a quick glance at Levi's displeased, disgusted, and distorted glare and that marked the millionth time Eren regretted opening his mouth without thinking first. Levi lifted his leg, landing a hard kick in his stomach.
Eren let out a cry, falling backwards onto the bed.
"There are some things that can't be put into words, the only way to understand is to see it. You have use your shit sized brain. Goodnight, Eren." Levi sneered, turning to make his way to the exit. Eren crunched down on his lip, trying to suppress the pain in his stomach. Sweat of humiliation rolled down his cheeks. He clenched the bed sheet, facing at the ceiling, wishing he could punch it. Levi was about to slam the door shut, like he always did, and there was no way Eren was going to let that happen.
"Corporal!" He shouted.
"Oh, you dare try to continue this conversation? You better chose your next words wisely." Levi answered from afar. Eren raised his hand in the air, noticing on the rigid lines in his palm.
"You may be right. Maybe I don't understand anything. But I am part of the scouting legion now. I am under your wing. That means you must see some potential in me. That means I can get stronger." Eren talked quickly. He gasped for air, his chest crushing him.
Levi hummed in response, "Stronger, maybe a little. Smarter, definitely not." And then he grunted, "Especially if you keep talking to that annoying hag.”
"You mean Hanji? Fuck, if Hanji isn't smart, then who the hell is?" Eren yelled. He was so dizzy that he did not even catch what he had just said.
"Figure it out yourself." Levi snapped back. Eren was about to sit up, but he was stopped by Levi grabbing his arms. He pushed him onto the bed like he was throwing a plate against a wall. Levi jumped on him, using his thighs to pin down his waist. He pressed his feet underneath Eren's knees to keep him in place. Eren was completely immobilized.
"And didn't I tell you not to talk back to me?" Levi hissed. He had Eren's arm in his grasp. He bent it, watching Eren intently as he squirmed in agony.
"Sorry sir…" Eren whimpered.
"You don't look very sorry." Levi spat. He released his elbow, "You use that tone with me again and I will definitely break your arm. I could actually break any part of your body I wanted to right now, considering you can just regenerate it, you titan freak." Levi threatened. His warm breath tingled Eren’s face.
He forgot about everything. The pain, the frustration, the titans- none of that mattered anymore. Levi was breathing over him, and he smelled incredible. It was a luscious smell that made him want to push the lower half of his body into his. Eren wanted to know what that breath tasted like.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Levi asked. His eyes were squinted, as if he was examining a foul object. That made Eren feel ashamed for feeling so warm underneath of him, but his heart was shamelessly pounding.
"N-nothing..." He turned his head away, knowing that it was useless. His body was burning so hot, there was no way Levi could not feel it.
"Nothing?" Levi forcefully turned Eren’s chin to face him, "Do you have something else to say?" Levi gazed at him darkly. His strong eyes were hidden underneath a few strands of hair, drawing Eren in like a magnet. He wanted to feel that strength all over his body.
"You have to get off of me." Eren begged. He closed his eyes, hopelessly trying to suppress his urges, but all he could think about was how close their bodies were. He realized the reality of the situation when he felt himself getting hard. There was no way in hell Eren was going to let Levi see that. He pressed his hands against the Corporal’s chest, trying to push him off the bed. His adamant body did not budge. Levi grabbed his hands, and pushed them back over his head. He leaned in closer to Eren.
"Why? Are you really that weak?" He teased. His hushed voice made Eren sweat. His breath tickled his lips, and that sensation traveled through his entire body.
"It isn't that..."
Levi slightly leaned closer to Eren. His lips were practically brushing his, as if he was tempting him to explore the inside of his mouth. There was no way Eren could hide the bulge in his pants now. He squirmed underneath of him, his body desperately wanted to press himself into Levi.
"Then what is it?" Levi whispered in his ear.
That was the moment Eren lost complete control of himself. Eren lifted his head to close the gap between them. He desperately placed his lips on Levi's, begging for him to respond. He did not, and that shocked Eren. He fell back into his pillow, wishing he actually fell into a titan stomach. Levi's eyes were as bulged as Eren’s pants, his pupils frozen. That was when Eren truly realized what he had done. Levi released his grip on Eren's hands, and shifted to move off of him.
Eren was not sure if he wanted to burst into tears, cut off his limbs, or both. "I'm sorry! I-"
Levi did not let him finish his apology. He pressed his lips into Eren's, taking him by surprise. Levi was not trying to move off of him before, he was just moving closer to him. Eren tried to dominate the kissing, but he could not keep up with Levi’s rough pace. Levi broke away, to stroke his tongue across Eren’s neck. He nipped at his ear. Eren arched his body in response, digging his fingernails into Levi’s back. Levi seemed to like that, going as far as to rub his hips against his erection. Eren let out a moan into the Corporal’s mouth. Levi pulled away quickly.
"Don't get ahead of yourself now. Taking away your virginity isn't on my to-do list for tonight." He grunted, getting off the bed. Eren was numb. The heat and sweat burned his lungs. He gasped for air, panting like he was surrounded in titan vapor. He had the sensation of drowning. He needed Levi to touch him, but all he could see was his back. That was all he ever saw, and he was sick of it. There was a tear on his shirt. Eren wanted to rip it off.
Levi put a hand through his hair, walking away. "If you want to be smart, if you want to be strong, hell, if you want anything, you have to stop being so god damn impulsive."
He slammed the door shut behind him, and that was it.
He was gone.
"Fuck" Eren groaned. He hated when Levi slammed that door, he hated being stuck in this basement, he hated his dick, and he hated titans the most. Eren wanted to scream out his frustration, but all he could do was plot his revenge and masturbate.
He would get Levi back in the morning (after he washed his bed sheets, of course.)
/end
~~~OMAKE~~~
The next morning, Levi was quietly eating his breakfast, when he spotted a maggot in his coffee. Eren watched him set his coffee down quietly, his face turning pale.
“Are you okay, sir?” Mike asked him. The room went silent. Levi stood up, and slowly made his way to the bathroom. The sounds of vomiting were loud and grotesque, like a roaring titan. Hanji peeked into the cup, and started laughing.
“Who is the mastermind behind this?” Hanji asked in between uncontrollable fits of laughter. Eren could not hold back. He snickered, and the rest of the squad burst out in laughter. A few minutes later, Levi walked into the room in full maneuver gear.
“So…I was wondering. Which one of you wants to die first?” He asked, holding up two clean blades. He glared at the squad, his face shadowed by his merciless eyes. Eren regretted putting the maggot in his coffee. He even regretted joining the scouting legion.
Eren never imagined that he would have to die like this.
~~~
Levi made sure that no one got away without at least one permanent scar. He punished them all by making them scrub every wall in the building, and at night, the squad had to run consecutive laps around the headquarters instead of sleeping. Eren decided to keep his mouth shut. If anybody in the squad knew that it was him who put the maggot in the Corporal’s coffee, he would be dead meat. That afternoon, Eren was washing the floor in the kitchen. He felt like he was being squashed underneath a titan foot. He was exhausted from not sleeping for over 24 hours. Quite frankly, Eren was sick of cleaning. He wanted to sleep, preferably with the Corporal. He wished that Levi would stop ordering him around and just come rip his pants off, just like how he ripped his shirt off two days ago.
That gave Eren a brilliant idea.
~~~
Levi walked in on Eren sitting comfortably on his bed, with a maggot on his crotch.
“Oh my god.” He said.
“What is it, Corporal?” Eren asked, as innocently as he could.
“Don’t what is it me.” Levi sneered. He landed a hard kick on his crotch. Eren let out a high-pitched scream. Levi walked out of the room, leaving him to wallow in agony.
Eren realized that trying to get the Corporal’s attention was as hopeless as his dream to kill all of the titans in the world.
Good thing Eren was not the type to give up.