He hadn't been interested, at all. Most of the time it just never occurred to him, either mentally or physically. But ever since they did start spending more time close to one another, kissing, curling together on the couch or falling asleep together in bed, Levi's found himself thinking about it more. His thoughts, though, have been less of specific fantasies and more just realizing the physical sensations of arousal more frequently when they're together, when Erwin touches or kisses him a certain way and Levi feels his blood run hotter under his skin and his pulse hitch into a faster pace suddenly - like the way it does now when Erwin leaves more kisses along his neck.
Perhaps his reactions to those touches before have been too subtle, blending in with contented sighs or hidden away when he's just buried against the man's larger form, intent on stealing his warmth. But since nothing they did ever seemed to elicit any kind of obvious interest on Erwin's part either, it'd been easy enough to ignore. They had both seemed satisfied, and if Levi had recently awoken once or twice from his much shorter time asleep to find his own cock hard, he'd either willed it away or slipped away to take care of it quietly.
But Erwin doesn't know that, and he still tries to give him the opportunity to rescind the offer. The easy thoughtfulness stirs up a whirl of emotion in his chest, and Levi twists his fingers into Erwin's shirt to tighten his hold. When so many people would meet him with frustration or suffocating fussiness, Erwin is nothing but patience and understanding. Levi knows he can be difficult to understand, let alone tolerate enough to befriend or - somehow - love. But even when they've had their difficulties, Erwin has never been callous or cruel or dismissive, but meets him with acceptance and understanding.
On top of all that, he's fucking gorgeous. So yeah - Levi's thought about it.
This time, when soft lips move over his pulse and just under his ear, his breath audibly catches, and Levi feels his toes curl reflexively.
"I-" breathe, dammit. "...I want to." He licks his lips, trying to organize his thoughts. "I wouldn't offer to touch your dick if I didn't actually want to." That much, Erwin should trust. "But I also can't promise it'll be good or I'll want anything from you or-"
Fuck, he's rambling. Maybe he should ask Erwin to just drop him off the side of the treehouse and put them both out of his misery instead.
"Shhhhh..." Erwin definitely heard Levi suck in his breath, and how he's starting to ramble. He runs his hand up Levi's back, along his spine, and presses it between his shoulders, drawing Levi in against him while also, hopefully, easing some of the tension that he's almost certain has started building during this conversation. He trails his lips down the column of Levi's throat to his collarbone, and gently nudges Levi's shirt out of the way.
"I have so many things I can show you." Erwin lifts his gaze then, meets Levi's eyes, and smiles. "I'm going to teach you everything I know."
Okay, his bag of tricks really isn't that big--he's not Gunther, that man had banged his way across half the walls and had the raunchiest stories in the Corps, of which Levi has no doubt heard many--but he's starting ahead of square one, which means he'll be in the lead here. For whatever reason, that idea makes him even more excited, and Erwin pointedly presses his erection against Levi's thigh.
That hand is soothing, as it so often is, especially with that gentle pressure between his shoulders that reminds him to unclench his muscles. It sends some confusing signals to his brain, though, because now he feels the familiar pull of wanting to just burrow into Erwin's chest and ignore everything else, maybe doze a little. But then there's lips on his neck again and they move low this time, and that's nice too-
Fuck. What does he want? Levi doesn't know for himself, doesn't really want to try untangling it right this minute. This was supposed to be about Erwin, not him.
Levi shifts a little on the counter, thighs tightening around Erwin's waist again - he really is hung like a fucking horse, isn't he? - though he gives the man an even flatter look than usual.
"You sound like a hooker," he mutters, shaking his head. Don't be too put off Erwin - saying inappropriate things when he's out of his comfort zone is a familiar reaction. "I know how it all works. You pulled me out of the fucking slums, remember?" Levi's only ever overheard Gunther's exploits incidentally or secondhand, and had to lay down some fucking rules once he'd selected the man for his squad.
"I'm also not getting you off here in the kitchen, so."
Incorrect, Levi: this is about both of them, and if the reliable hand between the shoulders trick isn't working the way it's supposed to, Erwin wants to know! If it makes Levi sleepy and content, he'll save it for later, after whatever they get up to. Imagine how soothing and relaxing it'll feel then, when Levi can just sprawl across Erwin's chest and doze off in the afterglow.
Levi says inappropriate things, and Erwin laughs at inappropriate things. That's exactly what happens now; Erwin snorts laughter through his nose, then buries his face along Levi's collarbones again.
"Point taken." He runs his lips towards where the two bones meet, and pauses to suck briefly on the skin just underneath them. When Levi shifts towards him, Erwin drops his arm, pressing his forearm close to Levi's ass, where he's sitting on the counter. "Then hold on, and we'll relocate."
With no more warning than that, Erwin pulls back and scoops, trying to get Levi off the counter and propped up on his forearm. This is a more difficult maneuver, and it's all going to depend on how tight Levi's grip with his legs is around Erwin's waist.
It is working the way it's supposed to, the way it usually does - it's calming and steadying and helps him relax when he's tense. That feeling is so much easier to sink into than arousal, takes less convincing for both his body and his mind to accept. He's trying, though; it's just...hard to say what will work, or what will last.
Erwin laughs and noses into his chest, and Levi feels little butterflies in his stomach. One hand moves to card slowly through golden hair before he huffs and presses his face to it. What need did he have for sex, and all the time and effort and mess that it causes, when this sort of closeness already makes him happy?
Fingertips press harder against Erwin's scalp when he feels the soft heat of those lips increase in pressure. He exhales.
His legs tighten reflexively as he's dragged forward off the counter, heels pressing in at the small of Erwin's back while his arms encircle his shoulders for stability. It's easy enough for him to hold on like this, taking most of his own weight, but still - there's admittedly something stupidly nice (exciting? -- okay, maybe actually arousing) about Erwin using his larger size to his advantage, picking him up and moving him about.
"Not the couch, either," he drawls. "It'll be a pain in the ass to clean."
"Yes, dear, not on the couch." Erwin's voice has a teasing tone to it, and he pauses, stopping in the hallway to nuzzle at Levi's neck. He's aware that Levi is carrying most of his own weight here, but let a man pretend that he still has two arms and can pick his husband up on his own, okay? Erwin knows he can pick Levi up completely on his own, but it involves some momentum and a very unsexy carrying position, so he'll have to be content with what they've got right now. "We'll go somewhere that's easy to clean."
Which is the main bedroom, where they've pushed the two beds together to make a big one. Erwin carries Levi to the bed and stops at the edge of it, waiting for Levi to unlink his arms and legs so he can gently toss him onto it. Erwin then immediately follows him down to the mattress, curling around him, drawing Levi close to his chest for more kisses and cuddling. Never let it be said that Erwin doesn't enjoy the closeness that they've already got; every moment they have together is snatched from time, and Erwin is grateful for all of them. If his dick hadn't started working again, that would have been okay, as long as they could be together like this.
But it did, and Levi expressed interest in it, so Erwin stops with the kisses after a few moments and pulls back, looking Levi in the face. He lifts his hand and cups Levi's cheek with it, running his thumb along Levi's high cheekbone. "I need you to talk to me during this, okay? I want to know if I'm doing anything--anything at all--that you don't like." Erwin smiles, trying to be encouraging. "You can use flare colours if you like. Green flares for good things I should keep doing, red flares if you want me to stop."
This is where he truly melts, winding close under the curl of Erwin's arm, lazily kissing, nosing under his jaw to ghost lips over an old scar that he'd left years ago. It's become a wordless acknowledgement of their mutual claim to one another, of devotion and fealty.
Without really thinking about it, Levi tangles their legs together as they have done so many times before, but feels that stiffness yet again pressing against his thigh. Before he can really begin to consider his next steps, Erwin pauses their meandering kisses with a hand to his face. Levi leans into it at first, eyes closed and just enjoying the contact almost like a cat rubbing its face onto their favorite person. His eyes slit open as he speaks, blinking slowly as he regards Erwin (his husband his brain reminds him for the thousandth time, still incredulous) with a neutral expression that quirks just a little at the end, one eyebrow twitching briefly.
"...Don't worry. If I don't like something, you'll know." He's never been shy about enforcing his boundaries, after all. The trouble, really, is that those frequently tend to be easier to bend or change when it comes to Erwin. But he still goes out of his way to acknowledge that they exist - which is more than Levi could say with many people in his life. With Erwin, he never has to worry.
Levi increases the pressure of his leg against Erwin's cock, shifting experimentally.
"Same goes for you, Commander. If you like something, you gotta let me know."
You might try to keep a neutral expression, Levi, but Erwin sees right through it. He noticed that little quirk, and knows what it means. Between that and the way Levi leans into his hand, he's got a pretty good idea that this is all going swimmingly, and that Levi is starting to enjoy himself.
"I'm well aware." Boundaries are something Levi has never had a problem insisting on, but Erwin is also aware of how much easier it is for him to mold Levi to his will. He wants to make sure Levi knows he can tell Erwin to fuck off, and that Erwin will.
Although not when Levi is pressing against him like that. Erwin bows his head at the pressure, his hair falling forward to brush Levi's cheeks, and sucks in a breath. "That. That is... pretty damn good." Erwin rocks his weight forward, dragging his cock up and down along Levi's leg. "No complaints here."
With his hand so close to Levi's face, it's an easy movement to shift it downwards, to toy with the buttons on Levi's shirt. "Can I take this off you?"
Spoiler: he can't, not with only one hand, so he'll appreciate help getting it off.
Of course he's enjoying himself - Erwin is here, touching him, kissing him, speaking to him in that soft, low voice he uses when it's just the two of them. It tingles up his spine, prickling pleasantly at the hair at the back of his neck. Levi shifts one hand to card fingers through blonde hair, to close his eyes and press a kiss to Erwin's forehead. He lingers there, fingers stroking softly. They wouldn't be here if Levi didn't trust him more than absolutely anyone. He can't really explain this sudden-...interest, other than he just wants Erwin to feel good and loved and wanted, and this is an opportunity to do that in just...a different way than usual.
"Good," he mumbles, exhaling as Erwin ruts against him again. His other hand has found a purchase in the man's shirt somewhere along his ribs, and encourages more movement.
And then: "...yeah." But he can't easily at all with as tucked in as he is, so with one last little kiss, almost playful, Levi shifts to press his palm against Erwin's chest, fingers splaying over his heart, and pushes him to one side, then finally onto his back. He follows a moment after throwing one leg over to straddle Erwin's hips, settling more on his thighs than directly over his cock, but still within reach.
For a moment, he just peers down at Erwin through dark lashes, enjoying a more somewhat tousled look on him, before he starts to undo the buttons on his own shirt. There's nothing particularly sensual or sexy about the action - just the normal, efficient movements of undressing himself, eyes occasionally flickering to Erwin's.
Erwin lets Levi push him onto his back. He's not quite sure where Levi is going with this, but he's certainly not going to complain. Just as Levi apparently likes it when Erwin picks him up and moves him around, Erwin likes it too; he knows Levi is more than capable of throwing him all over the treehouse, and the thought of him doing exactly that is pretty damn hot.
When Levi plants himself on Erwin's lap, Erwin's hand immediately goes to Levi's thigh, caressing along the muscle there. Levi isn't big the same way Erwin is, but his muscles feel like iron cords under his skin, and Erwin is going to shamelessly appreciate them. He's also going to watch Levi take his shirt off, and while Levi isn't trying to be sexy, it's one of the best shows Erwin's ever seen. All this is glaringly apparent in the way Erwin is smiling, his eyes bright and attentive, watching the show.
"I'd do the same for you, but..." But yeah, only one hand, and given the choice between using it to grope Levi's thigh or taking his shirt off, Erwin is going to choose the thigh every time. At least, he'll choose the thigh until Levi's shirt is open, at which point he's going to move his hand up Levi's hip and to his abdomen. The ready supply of sugar and fats in this world has been settling on Erwin's midsection, but Levi still looks as trim and fit as he did in their own world.
Truthfully, he's gained a little weight, too, filling out some areas that might have been indicators of undernourishment in a place that wasn't so caught up in scarce resources. But his wild metabolism seems to keep most of it in check, though some lines might be a little softer than they were.
As Erwin's broad hand moves up from his thigh to his stomach, skin to skin, Levi leans slightly into the touch, eyes heavily lidded as he takes a full, slow breath. It's become very obvious in the past several weeks that he actually quite likes being touched - or rather, being touched by Erwin. So far, he's never felt incidentally aroused, but they've never deliberately explored like this, either. Honestly, he doesn't really know what will happen. He's never...tried to make his body interested, so it could go either way, really. It doesn't matter though - as far as he's concerned, Erwin is the main course right now.
He shrugs out of the shirt, rolling his shoulders and tugging the garment off his wrists before searching for a place to put it. It gets chucked into a nearby chair, and then his hands begin to work unhurriedly at Erwin's buttons in turn.
The extra weight looks good on Levi. He doesn't look starved, like almost all of them did back home; he looks like someone who is able to eat whenever he wants, and drink whatever tea he wants. It's a good look on him.
"Thank you." With Levi working on his shirt for him, Erwin's hand is free to keep roaming, to keep exploring. He traces his fingertips along Levi's rib, over the scars left behind by years of using the ODM gear. He avoids Levi's back, since that seems to make him sleepy, and that's the opposite of what Erwin wants today. He wants Levi to enjoy this too; it's no fun if it's all about Erwin alone.
With that thought in mind, Erwin's hand drifts to Levi's crotch, and rubs gently between his legs.
It could be that those soothing touches are what signal to his ever vigilant brain that he's with someone and somewhere safe enough to fall asleep, rather than the entirety of his back. There might be sensitive places there even Levi isn't aware of yet - many of those, in fact, have yet to be discovered.
Erwin's fingertips feel good against his skin, leaving tingling trails in their wake as they explore. But when his hand moves lower before Levi's even finished with the buttons on his shirt (and thus interrupting his progress), he flicks Erwin a faintly exasperated glare.
"Impatient, aren't you?" he mutters, gently pushing him away, redirecting the hand to his waist so he can finish with the last few fastenings unimpeded. It seems he isn't quite ready for that, yet.
Shirt finally finished, Levi slips his hands under the edges of the fabric, pressing palms and fingertips to heated skin. They've seen one another before more than once, but deliberately touching like this has happened comparatively little. He explores the planes of Erwin's stomach, softer now than when he first arrived, and Levi thinks that's OK - there's plenty of strength in him yet, and he probably eats and sleeps better than he has in years. Good.
His fingers find scars, tracing around their edges, sliding over a nipple and tracing to his heart. Here he pauses, left hand splayed wide as though he can feel Erwin's heart beating blood through his veins. Alive, strong, healthy. The gold band on his finger is warmed by the heat of their skin, glinting in the lamplight. In that moment it all feels so fucking surreal again, an impossible dream that he would inevitably wake up from like that vision in the Labyrinth. Perhaps that's why he struggles to believe it at times, because they've tried to bring that dream into this reality, such as it is, and for the most part, it's working. All they have here is time, and in the end, that's all he'd asked for.
But surely, it's too good to be true. It always is, because he can never hold onto anything or anyone. He can't protect anyone except himself, and they'll all slip through his fingers one by one until--
No. Not now.
He's careful not to show any of his thoughts on his face, because Erwin can read him too fucking well sometimes, and Levi doesn't want either of them to be distracted by the intrusive thoughts that invade his mind nearly every day.
Instead he shifts back a little further on his lap, retrieving his hand with his own to raise it to his lips and press a soft kiss to his knuckles. Then, a gentle tug.
"Sit up." Time to lose the rest of the shirt, sir.
"I can't help it when you look this good." But Erwin lets Levi move his hand without any complaint, and caresses Levi's waist where his hand is placed. Levi is still slender enough that the deep creases, formed by muscle, are still there above his hips, and Erwin is going to devote his attention to those. He's sure Gunther had a name for these lines, and he's sure it was something rude enough to get its mention banned around campfires.
Erwin goes still when Levi presses his hand over his heart, looking up at him carefully. He has a pretty good idea of what's going through Levi's head, now and every time he gets distracted by the beating of Erwin's heart. It happens often enough, even when Levi thinks he's being slick, that Erwin has figured out Levi is placing a tremendous amount of importance on Erwin's heart and its ability to keep beating. He'd only do that if he was afraid of it stopping.
It won't stop here, Erwin is sure. He's making friends here, and avoiding the more obvious dangers wherever and whenever he can. He hasn't seen a titan in months, and that has been more refreshing than he'd ever imagined. But if they ever go back home...
No. No, not right now. Save that for later.
When Levi kisses his hand, Erwin flips it around to cradle Levi's cheek. Then he sits up, the muscles of his abdomen still strong under the thin layer of fat he's packed on in this place. He sits up and immediately goes for a kiss, trying to coax Levi towards him with the hand on his face.
A kiss is exactly what he wants. Something soft and grateful comes into his eyes as he leans into that hand and into that kiss, and it's the most perfect one they've shared, just as the next will be more perfect than this.
Had we but world and time enough
They have both. It isn't the world they know, but it's enough, and every day is likely more time than they'll ever have, which so often both feels like more than and never enough. But in this moment, it is.
Levi takes his time with the kiss, lets everything outside this room fall away as his hands press to Erwin's skin again, memorizing the sensation of his warmth and solidity. Sightlessly he retraces some paths he'd found before, palms shifting a little wider now to push fabric out of the way. But as his left hand comes up to Erwin's right shoulder, he pauses, waiting to see if Erwin will stop him and take over. If not, he'll continue, sliding the shirt and empty sleeve away to let it fall behind that broad back. The other hand will do the same, leaving the garment to hang from the crook of Erwin's elbow until he's ready to finish the rest.
All the while, Levi never stops kissing him. Soft, lingering meetings of lips, each like a little, unspoken promise. Only here. Only now. Only this.
Finished with his task, he shifts closer, neatly slotting their hips together. It's not possible to tell if there's any signs of physical interest in him just yet, but he settles his left hand at the side of Erwin's neck, fingertips sliding against the tingly softness of his undercut. Levi finally tears himself away from Erwin's lips long enough to trail his own up towards his ear and mutter lowly:
When Levi's hand reaches his right shoulder and pauses, Erwin moves with it, helping Levi push his shirt off his shoulder. He's not embarrassed of his stump; not here, not with Levi. When they're together like this, Erwin swears he can feel his vanished arm, like nothing ever happened to it, and he wraps it around Levi's back. He knows it's an illusion and it's something his mind has conjured on its own, but it still feels like it's there.
Levi slides onto his lap and Erwin groans softly against his lips; Levi is putting pressure on his cock again and the weight is immense and teasing. He keeps his own hips still, though; Levi wants to lead the charge today, and Erwin is letting him. He's doing wonderfully so far--the man has a real knack for edging, it turns out--and Erwin is going to see where this all leads.
He laughs when Levi asks for a poem, breathy and disbelieving, and slides his hand from Levi's cheek to behind his head. Erwin moves so that his mouth is beside Levi's ear, and whispers into it.
"Coming together it is easier to work after our bodies meet paper and pen neither care nor profit whether we write or not but as your body moves under my hands charged and waiting we cut the leash you create me against your thighs hilly with images moving through our word countries my body writes into your flesh the poem you make of me.
Touching you I catch midnight as moon fires set in my throat I love your flesh into blossom I made you and take you made into me."
It's a new poem he read here, and memorised immediately. He hopes Levi likes it.
The words seem to alight onto his skin as Erwin speaks, written in the low, velvet tone of his voice. It prickles pleasurably along his spine, tingling at the base of his neck and out to his fingertips and he presses them in harder where they hold. Warm breath caresses against his ear, spirals over his neck and a shiver flutters down his back, unfurling like wings.
They're pressed so close now, chest to chest, heart to heart, and as Erwin holds him with just one arm, Levi could almost swear he can feel the other curling around his back, enveloping him in their whole embrace. He has never known a place safer or more peaceful than this.
Although perhaps a bit less peaceful now, as everything together seems to set his senses alight in a way he's never experienced before, had only had a faint inkling of in the kitchen earlier when Erwin had set lips to his throat. Heat seems to ripple into his veins like fire catching kindling, and as Erwin finishes the poem Levi exhales a low, shuddering breath. Moon fires in his throat indeed.
I made you, he'd said, and Levi feels his heart answer: you did. This is the man who had taken him out of the darkness and gave him sunlight. This is the man who had looked at him and had seen more than a gutter rat and a criminal and given him real purpose, who could envision a future Levi couldn't even begin to comprehend but could do nothing but be compelled to follow. This is the man who gave him a place and acceptance and, unfathomably, love.
His breaths come a little heavier now, thighs flexing as he seems to try to press even closer, molding himself against Erwin as though he could be taken made into him that way. Cheek to cheek, he turns his head just enough to make sure his lips are at Erwin's ear in in response.
"Not bad," he breathes, his voice rougher than before, "husband."
Hot kisses follow, trailing along Erwin's jaw back to his lips. Levi's not any more hurried than before, but there's a distinct increase in pressure and heat that's never been previously present.
Oh no, what has Erwin done? What has he created? Is Levi a poetrysexual now?
No, actually, that's fine. Erwin's got a lot more where that came from.
He laughs softly at Levi's reaction, but his breath hitches when Levi calls him husband. Erwin has been tossing that word around left and right, using it whenever he can, but this might be the first time he's heard Levi use it. It sounds different when it comes from Levi, more weighted with connotation and meaning. It sends little ripples of heat up and down Erwin's spine, and his hand shifts from Levi's face to the small of his back (only pausing to shake his shirt off and let it fall aside), pressing him against Erwin's chest.
"Had we but world enough, and time, Loving you, my husband, would be no crime..."
There's no need to recite the rest of it. Erwin knows Levi will understand what he means.
Erwin likely will never fully understand the power of just the sound of his voice. It's deep and rich and just soaks into Levi's core, reaching all the way through him. It always has. Levi could listen to him recite the most inane bullshit for hours (and has, sometimes, considering some of the things that they manage to find in the library here), and would be perfectly content (or, admittedly, asleep, but soundly resting). He manages to put so many different meanings into just the subtle changes in the way he says his name, and Levi understands every one implicitly.
Those words curl around his heart, the only things containing it, and Levi just sinks into Erwin, arms looping around his neck and toes curling at the heated press of skin to skin. A soft noise looses from the back of his throat, as he just kisses him thoroughly, hunger slowly building with each one.
He can still feel Erwin's need beneath him - Levi certainly hasn't forgotten about that, even if he still hasn't quite decided on a strategy yet. But after a few moments, he starts to shift and slowly roll his hips against that hardness, bracing himself on Erwins shoulders for a little leverage.
While Erwin is aware of Levi liking the sound of his voice, he has never realised just how much he likes it. He knows he has the power to get Levi to relax, and even fall asleep sometimes, just by talking, but he will likely never quite understand how it affects Levi on other levels. To him, it's just his voice.
Which manages to go up an octave or so when Levi starts rolling his hips forward, pressing against him. Erwin can't help the breathy little yelp that escapes, a sound decidedly less sexy than his poetry recitation. He's still very eager and very turned on, and getting that direct pressure is like a cool drink on a hot day. His hand falls to Levi's thigh and grips, holding there so he doesn't try to yank Levi up against him again.
That's precisely it - it's Erwin's voice. No one else could ever have quite the same effect on him. Of that, Levi is certain.
He moves, slow, deliberate, leaving butterfly kisses on Erwin's throat, pressing his lips over a scar and feeling the pulse there. From then until now, he has followed him, in search of a future that only Erwin seemed to be able to see. Neither of them could have foreseen that they would land here, or any place like it. Perhaps they wouldn't have guessed, wouldn't have dared to imagine they would end up here, like this. Only in their most-secret hearts, and even then...
His hands slide over heated skin, smoothing over Erwin's broader chest, around the curve of shoulders. The fingertips of his left hand skim just above the jagged edges of Erwin's right arm, his gaze distracted with more kisses and grazes of teeth. Levi isn't entirely sure what is welcome when it comes to the injury, so he skips past it and back to his chest, exploring and tracing downward.
After a few moments, if Erwin doesn't resume his own touches, Levi will pull back, concerned, and a little confused.
It's for the best that Levi doesn't touch Erwin's stump. He's one of the few people who could without advance warning, but now is not the time. Erwin doesn't know if he'll ever reach a point where he'll be able to view the stump as something worthy of love and affection, but that point certainly isn't now. Him touching it would also ruin the illusion, fragmentary and only in Erwin's head as it is, that he still has both arms and can hold Levi with both at once.
Erwin laughs a little when Levi pulls back and shakes his head. "You're doing too well." He leans back in, nudging Levi gently with his nose and kissing him at the corner of his mouth. "You keep grinding on me like that and this is going to be over fast."
Is Erwin enjoying being edged? Yes, maybe a littleA LOT definitely. He's trying to keep things in his pants and go at Levi's pace, but it's getting progressively more challenging.
It's not the injury that's worthy of love and affection, it's Erwin, and Levi knows that he still complicated feelings about it and probably always will. That's fine, but if there's any worry in Erwin that it somehow makes him less, Levi wants to banish that.
"...oh," he says, perhaps a little awkwardly, shifting back. He feels a little at a standstill. Wasn't that kind of the point?
Levi thinks a moment, hands splayed wide on Erwin's chest, just settled there. The bruises from the maneuver gear have long faded from his body, though some permanent marks and roughened skin remain. He traces one such spot idly with the pad of one finger, back and forth, and finally seems to come to a decision as his gaze travels back up to Erwin's.
"Lie back." And he accompanies the words with a little push to Erwin's chest.
"I want you to be having a good time too." Erwin lies back without complaint, but feels the need to explain himself as he lowers down to the mattress. "This has been all about me so far."
Is he too hung up on dicks? Yeah, probably. Erwin learned about sex in a certain way, and the fact that Levi hasn't responded to him in the way he expects is baffling. He doesn't want this all to be for his benefit only!
Levi sweeps his gaze pointedly over Erwin's naked chest and torso, eyes returning to his face as he cocks his head in a way that looks almost challenging. "What makes you think I'm not?"
The man he's followed for years now, as bright and beautiful as the sun is half undressed on the bed before him, his lips are swelled softly with kisses and his hair lightly mussed already. Erwin has given him so much already - a purpose beyond mere survival, a place at his side, bathed in light. He built him up, gave him wings and let him be surrounded by people who didn't see him as just a violent gutter rat. He's lost an arm, risked his own life for the whole of the Survey Corps and will probably turn the world completely on its head one day.
And after all of that, Erwin gave Levi the remaining pieces of himself, to cherish and carry, and to allow at least some part of him to be loved.
Which is so much more than just dicks, even when it comes to sex, as far as he's concerned.
He slides his palms down over Erwin's chest, then up again, tracing, feeling the rise and fall of his breath. His thumbs circle slowly over dark nipples, teasing briefly before continuing upward again, where he cups his palms to Erwin's face, leans up to take over the whole of his vision, and kisses him.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2023-10-17 03:35 am (UTC)Perhaps his reactions to those touches before have been too subtle, blending in with contented sighs or hidden away when he's just buried against the man's larger form, intent on stealing his warmth. But since nothing they did ever seemed to elicit any kind of obvious interest on Erwin's part either, it'd been easy enough to ignore. They had both seemed satisfied, and if Levi had recently awoken once or twice from his much shorter time asleep to find his own cock hard, he'd either willed it away or slipped away to take care of it quietly.
But Erwin doesn't know that, and he still tries to give him the opportunity to rescind the offer. The easy thoughtfulness stirs up a whirl of emotion in his chest, and Levi twists his fingers into Erwin's shirt to tighten his hold. When so many people would meet him with frustration or suffocating fussiness, Erwin is nothing but patience and understanding. Levi knows he can be difficult to understand, let alone tolerate enough to befriend or - somehow - love. But even when they've had their difficulties, Erwin has never been callous or cruel or dismissive, but meets him with acceptance and understanding.
On top of all that, he's fucking gorgeous. So yeah - Levi's thought about it.
This time, when soft lips move over his pulse and just under his ear, his breath audibly catches, and Levi feels his toes curl reflexively.
"I-" breathe, dammit. "...I want to." He licks his lips, trying to organize his thoughts. "I wouldn't offer to touch your dick if I didn't actually want to." That much, Erwin should trust. "But I also can't promise it'll be good or I'll want anything from you or-"
Fuck, he's rambling. Maybe he should ask Erwin to just drop him off the side of the treehouse and put them both out of his misery instead.
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Date: 2023-10-17 03:07 pm (UTC)"I have so many things I can show you." Erwin lifts his gaze then, meets Levi's eyes, and smiles. "I'm going to teach you everything I know."
Okay, his bag of tricks really isn't that big--he's not Gunther, that man had banged his way across half the walls and had the raunchiest stories in the Corps, of which Levi has no doubt heard many--but he's starting ahead of square one, which means he'll be in the lead here. For whatever reason, that idea makes him even more excited, and Erwin pointedly presses his erection against Levi's thigh.
"We're going to have so much fun."
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Date: 2023-10-17 04:50 pm (UTC)Fuck. What does he want? Levi doesn't know for himself, doesn't really want to try untangling it right this minute. This was supposed to be about Erwin, not him.
Levi shifts a little on the counter, thighs tightening around Erwin's waist again - he really is hung like a fucking horse, isn't he? - though he gives the man an even flatter look than usual.
"You sound like a hooker," he mutters, shaking his head. Don't be too put off Erwin - saying inappropriate things when he's out of his comfort zone is a familiar reaction. "I know how it all works. You pulled me out of the fucking slums, remember?" Levi's only ever overheard Gunther's exploits incidentally or secondhand, and had to lay down some fucking rules once he'd selected the man for his squad.
"I'm also not getting you off here in the kitchen, so."
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Date: 2023-10-18 01:27 pm (UTC)Levi says inappropriate things, and Erwin laughs at inappropriate things. That's exactly what happens now; Erwin snorts laughter through his nose, then buries his face along Levi's collarbones again.
"Point taken." He runs his lips towards where the two bones meet, and pauses to suck briefly on the skin just underneath them. When Levi shifts towards him, Erwin drops his arm, pressing his forearm close to Levi's ass, where he's sitting on the counter. "Then hold on, and we'll relocate."
With no more warning than that, Erwin pulls back and scoops, trying to get Levi off the counter and propped up on his forearm. This is a more difficult maneuver, and it's all going to depend on how tight Levi's grip with his legs is around Erwin's waist.
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Date: 2023-10-25 05:43 pm (UTC)Erwin laughs and noses into his chest, and Levi feels little butterflies in his stomach. One hand moves to card slowly through golden hair before he huffs and presses his face to it. What need did he have for sex, and all the time and effort and mess that it causes, when this sort of closeness already makes him happy?
Fingertips press harder against Erwin's scalp when he feels the soft heat of those lips increase in pressure. He exhales.
His legs tighten reflexively as he's dragged forward off the counter, heels pressing in at the small of Erwin's back while his arms encircle his shoulders for stability. It's easy enough for him to hold on like this, taking most of his own weight, but still - there's admittedly something stupidly nice (exciting? -- okay, maybe actually arousing) about Erwin using his larger size to his advantage, picking him up and moving him about.
"Not the couch, either," he drawls. "It'll be a pain in the ass to clean."
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Date: 2023-10-26 04:08 pm (UTC)Which is the main bedroom, where they've pushed the two beds together to make a big one. Erwin carries Levi to the bed and stops at the edge of it, waiting for Levi to unlink his arms and legs so he can gently toss him onto it. Erwin then immediately follows him down to the mattress, curling around him, drawing Levi close to his chest for more kisses and cuddling. Never let it be said that Erwin doesn't enjoy the closeness that they've already got; every moment they have together is snatched from time, and Erwin is grateful for all of them. If his dick hadn't started working again, that would have been okay, as long as they could be together like this.
But it did, and Levi expressed interest in it, so Erwin stops with the kisses after a few moments and pulls back, looking Levi in the face. He lifts his hand and cups Levi's cheek with it, running his thumb along Levi's high cheekbone. "I need you to talk to me during this, okay? I want to know if I'm doing anything--anything at all--that you don't like." Erwin smiles, trying to be encouraging. "You can use flare colours if you like. Green flares for good things I should keep doing, red flares if you want me to stop."
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Date: 2023-10-27 08:41 pm (UTC)Without really thinking about it, Levi tangles their legs together as they have done so many times before, but feels that stiffness yet again pressing against his thigh. Before he can really begin to consider his next steps, Erwin pauses their meandering kisses with a hand to his face. Levi leans into it at first, eyes closed and just enjoying the contact almost like a cat rubbing its face onto their favorite person. His eyes slit open as he speaks, blinking slowly as he regards Erwin (his husband his brain reminds him for the thousandth time, still incredulous) with a neutral expression that quirks just a little at the end, one eyebrow twitching briefly.
"...Don't worry. If I don't like something, you'll know." He's never been shy about enforcing his boundaries, after all. The trouble, really, is that those frequently tend to be easier to bend or change when it comes to Erwin. But he still goes out of his way to acknowledge that they exist - which is more than Levi could say with many people in his life. With Erwin, he never has to worry.
Levi increases the pressure of his leg against Erwin's cock, shifting experimentally.
"Same goes for you, Commander. If you like something, you gotta let me know."
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Date: 2023-10-29 03:26 pm (UTC)"I'm well aware." Boundaries are something Levi has never had a problem insisting on, but Erwin is also aware of how much easier it is for him to mold Levi to his will. He wants to make sure Levi knows he can tell Erwin to fuck off, and that Erwin will.
Although not when Levi is pressing against him like that. Erwin bows his head at the pressure, his hair falling forward to brush Levi's cheeks, and sucks in a breath. "That. That is... pretty damn good." Erwin rocks his weight forward, dragging his cock up and down along Levi's leg. "No complaints here."
With his hand so close to Levi's face, it's an easy movement to shift it downwards, to toy with the buttons on Levi's shirt. "Can I take this off you?"
Spoiler: he can't, not with only one hand, so he'll appreciate help getting it off.
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Date: 2023-10-30 08:53 pm (UTC)"Good," he mumbles, exhaling as Erwin ruts against him again. His other hand has found a purchase in the man's shirt somewhere along his ribs, and encourages more movement.
And then: "...yeah." But he can't easily at all with as tucked in as he is, so with one last little kiss, almost playful, Levi shifts to press his palm against Erwin's chest, fingers splaying over his heart, and pushes him to one side, then finally onto his back. He follows a moment after throwing one leg over to straddle Erwin's hips, settling more on his thighs than directly over his cock, but still within reach.
For a moment, he just peers down at Erwin through dark lashes, enjoying a more somewhat tousled look on him, before he starts to undo the buttons on his own shirt. There's nothing particularly sensual or sexy about the action - just the normal, efficient movements of undressing himself, eyes occasionally flickering to Erwin's.
I have zero icons of him looking up, haha
Date: 2023-11-01 02:40 pm (UTC)When Levi plants himself on Erwin's lap, Erwin's hand immediately goes to Levi's thigh, caressing along the muscle there. Levi isn't big the same way Erwin is, but his muscles feel like iron cords under his skin, and Erwin is going to shamelessly appreciate them. He's also going to watch Levi take his shirt off, and while Levi isn't trying to be sexy, it's one of the best shows Erwin's ever seen. All this is glaringly apparent in the way Erwin is smiling, his eyes bright and attentive, watching the show.
"I'd do the same for you, but..." But yeah, only one hand, and given the choice between using it to grope Levi's thigh or taking his shirt off, Erwin is going to choose the thigh every time. At least, he'll choose the thigh until Levi's shirt is open, at which point he's going to move his hand up Levi's hip and to his abdomen. The ready supply of sugar and fats in this world has been settling on Erwin's midsection, but Levi still looks as trim and fit as he did in their own world.
huh what's that life like--
Date: 2023-11-01 04:26 pm (UTC)As Erwin's broad hand moves up from his thigh to his stomach, skin to skin, Levi leans slightly into the touch, eyes heavily lidded as he takes a full, slow breath. It's become very obvious in the past several weeks that he actually quite likes being touched - or rather, being touched by Erwin. So far, he's never felt incidentally aroused, but they've never deliberately explored like this, either. Honestly, he doesn't really know what will happen. He's never...tried to make his body interested, so it could go either way, really. It doesn't matter though - as far as he's concerned, Erwin is the main course right now.
He shrugs out of the shirt, rolling his shoulders and tugging the garment off his wrists before searching for a place to put it. It gets chucked into a nearby chair, and then his hands begin to work unhurriedly at Erwin's buttons in turn.
"I can fix that."
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Date: 2023-11-01 07:50 pm (UTC)"Thank you." With Levi working on his shirt for him, Erwin's hand is free to keep roaming, to keep exploring. He traces his fingertips along Levi's rib, over the scars left behind by years of using the ODM gear. He avoids Levi's back, since that seems to make him sleepy, and that's the opposite of what Erwin wants today. He wants Levi to enjoy this too; it's no fun if it's all about Erwin alone.
With that thought in mind, Erwin's hand drifts to Levi's crotch, and rubs gently between his legs.
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Date: 2023-11-03 05:48 am (UTC)Erwin's fingertips feel good against his skin, leaving tingling trails in their wake as they explore. But when his hand moves lower before Levi's even finished with the buttons on his shirt (and thus interrupting his progress), he flicks Erwin a faintly exasperated glare.
"Impatient, aren't you?" he mutters, gently pushing him away, redirecting the hand to his waist so he can finish with the last few fastenings unimpeded. It seems he isn't quite ready for that, yet.
Shirt finally finished, Levi slips his hands under the edges of the fabric, pressing palms and fingertips to heated skin. They've seen one another before more than once, but deliberately touching like this has happened comparatively little. He explores the planes of Erwin's stomach, softer now than when he first arrived, and Levi thinks that's OK - there's plenty of strength in him yet, and he probably eats and sleeps better than he has in years. Good.
His fingers find scars, tracing around their edges, sliding over a nipple and tracing to his heart. Here he pauses, left hand splayed wide as though he can feel Erwin's heart beating blood through his veins. Alive, strong, healthy. The gold band on his finger is warmed by the heat of their skin, glinting in the lamplight. In that moment it all feels so fucking surreal again, an impossible dream that he would inevitably wake up from like that vision in the Labyrinth. Perhaps that's why he struggles to believe it at times, because they've tried to bring that dream into this reality, such as it is, and for the most part, it's working. All they have here is time, and in the end, that's all he'd asked for.
But surely, it's too good to be true. It always is, because he can never hold onto anything or anyone. He can't protect anyone except himself, and they'll all slip through his fingers one by one until--
No. Not now.
He's careful not to show any of his thoughts on his face, because Erwin can read him too fucking well sometimes, and Levi doesn't want either of them to be distracted by the intrusive thoughts that invade his mind nearly every day.
Instead he shifts back a little further on his lap, retrieving his hand with his own to raise it to his lips and press a soft kiss to his knuckles. Then, a gentle tug.
"Sit up." Time to lose the rest of the shirt, sir.
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Date: 2023-11-03 12:11 pm (UTC)Erwin goes still when Levi presses his hand over his heart, looking up at him carefully. He has a pretty good idea of what's going through Levi's head, now and every time he gets distracted by the beating of Erwin's heart. It happens often enough, even when Levi thinks he's being slick, that Erwin has figured out Levi is placing a tremendous amount of importance on Erwin's heart and its ability to keep beating. He'd only do that if he was afraid of it stopping.
It won't stop here, Erwin is sure. He's making friends here, and avoiding the more obvious dangers wherever and whenever he can. He hasn't seen a titan in months, and that has been more refreshing than he'd ever imagined. But if they ever go back home...
No. No, not right now. Save that for later.
When Levi kisses his hand, Erwin flips it around to cradle Levi's cheek. Then he sits up, the muscles of his abdomen still strong under the thin layer of fat he's packed on in this place. He sits up and immediately goes for a kiss, trying to coax Levi towards him with the hand on his face.
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Date: 2023-11-03 01:17 pm (UTC)Had we but world and time enough
They have both. It isn't the world they know, but it's enough, and every day is likely more time than they'll ever have, which so often both feels like more than and never enough. But in this moment, it is.
Levi takes his time with the kiss, lets everything outside this room fall away as his hands press to Erwin's skin again, memorizing the sensation of his warmth and solidity. Sightlessly he retraces some paths he'd found before, palms shifting a little wider now to push fabric out of the way. But as his left hand comes up to Erwin's right shoulder, he pauses, waiting to see if Erwin will stop him and take over. If not, he'll continue, sliding the shirt and empty sleeve away to let it fall behind that broad back. The other hand will do the same, leaving the garment to hang from the crook of Erwin's elbow until he's ready to finish the rest.
All the while, Levi never stops kissing him. Soft, lingering meetings of lips, each like a little, unspoken promise. Only here. Only now. Only this.
Finished with his task, he shifts closer, neatly slotting their hips together. It's not possible to tell if there's any signs of physical interest in him just yet, but he settles his left hand at the side of Erwin's neck, fingertips sliding against the tingly softness of his undercut. Levi finally tears himself away from Erwin's lips long enough to trail his own up towards his ear and mutter lowly:
"Tell me a poem, Erwin."
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Date: 2023-11-03 01:34 pm (UTC)Levi slides onto his lap and Erwin groans softly against his lips; Levi is putting pressure on his cock again and the weight is immense and teasing. He keeps his own hips still, though; Levi wants to lead the charge today, and Erwin is letting him. He's doing wonderfully so far--the man has a real knack for edging, it turns out--and Erwin is going to see where this all leads.
He laughs when Levi asks for a poem, breathy and disbelieving, and slides his hand from Levi's cheek to behind his head. Erwin moves so that his mouth is beside Levi's ear, and whispers into it.
"Coming together
it is easier to work
after our bodies
meet
paper and pen
neither care nor profit
whether we write or not
but as your body moves
under my hands
charged and waiting
we cut the leash
you create me against your thighs
hilly with images
moving through our word countries
my body
writes into your flesh
the poem
you make of me.
Touching you I catch midnight
as moon fires set in my throat
I love your flesh into blossom
I made you
and take you made
into me."
It's a new poem he read here, and memorised immediately. He hopes Levi likes it.
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Date: 2023-11-03 04:28 pm (UTC)They're pressed so close now, chest to chest, heart to heart, and as Erwin holds him with just one arm, Levi could almost swear he can feel the other curling around his back, enveloping him in their whole embrace. He has never known a place safer or more peaceful than this.
Although perhaps a bit less peaceful now, as everything together seems to set his senses alight in a way he's never experienced before, had only had a faint inkling of in the kitchen earlier when Erwin had set lips to his throat. Heat seems to ripple into his veins like fire catching kindling, and as Erwin finishes the poem Levi exhales a low, shuddering breath. Moon fires in his throat indeed.
I made you, he'd said, and Levi feels his heart answer: you did. This is the man who had taken him out of the darkness and gave him sunlight. This is the man who had looked at him and had seen more than a gutter rat and a criminal and given him real purpose, who could envision a future Levi couldn't even begin to comprehend but could do nothing but be compelled to follow. This is the man who gave him a place and acceptance and, unfathomably, love.
His breaths come a little heavier now, thighs flexing as he seems to try to press even closer, molding himself against Erwin as though he could be taken made into him that way. Cheek to cheek, he turns his head just enough to make sure his lips are at Erwin's ear in in response.
"Not bad," he breathes, his voice rougher than before, "husband."
Hot kisses follow, trailing along Erwin's jaw back to his lips. Levi's not any more hurried than before, but there's a distinct increase in pressure and heat that's never been previously present.
It's probably safe to say that he liked it.
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Date: 2023-11-04 03:54 pm (UTC)No, actually, that's fine. Erwin's got a lot more where that came from.
He laughs softly at Levi's reaction, but his breath hitches when Levi calls him husband. Erwin has been tossing that word around left and right, using it whenever he can, but this might be the first time he's heard Levi use it. It sounds different when it comes from Levi, more weighted with connotation and meaning. It sends little ripples of heat up and down Erwin's spine, and his hand shifts from Levi's face to the small of his back (only pausing to shake his shirt off and let it fall aside), pressing him against Erwin's chest.
"Had we but world enough, and time,
Loving you, my husband, would be no crime..."
There's no need to recite the rest of it. Erwin knows Levi will understand what he means.
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Date: 2023-11-04 08:27 pm (UTC)Those words curl around his heart, the only things containing it, and Levi just sinks into Erwin, arms looping around his neck and toes curling at the heated press of skin to skin. A soft noise looses from the back of his throat, as he just kisses him thoroughly, hunger slowly building with each one.
He can still feel Erwin's need beneath him - Levi certainly hasn't forgotten about that, even if he still hasn't quite decided on a strategy yet. But after a few moments, he starts to shift and slowly roll his hips against that hardness, bracing himself on Erwins shoulders for a little leverage.
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Date: 2023-11-05 02:59 pm (UTC)Which manages to go up an octave or so when Levi starts rolling his hips forward, pressing against him. Erwin can't help the breathy little yelp that escapes, a sound decidedly less sexy than his poetry recitation. He's still very eager and very turned on, and getting that direct pressure is like a cool drink on a hot day. His hand falls to Levi's thigh and grips, holding there so he doesn't try to yank Levi up against him again.
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Date: 2023-11-06 02:48 am (UTC)He moves, slow, deliberate, leaving butterfly kisses on Erwin's throat, pressing his lips over a scar and feeling the pulse there. From then until now, he has followed him, in search of a future that only Erwin seemed to be able to see. Neither of them could have foreseen that they would land here, or any place like it. Perhaps they wouldn't have guessed, wouldn't have dared to imagine they would end up here, like this. Only in their most-secret hearts, and even then...
His hands slide over heated skin, smoothing over Erwin's broader chest, around the curve of shoulders. The fingertips of his left hand skim just above the jagged edges of Erwin's right arm, his gaze distracted with more kisses and grazes of teeth. Levi isn't entirely sure what is welcome when it comes to the injury, so he skips past it and back to his chest, exploring and tracing downward.
After a few moments, if Erwin doesn't resume his own touches, Levi will pull back, concerned, and a little confused.
"What's wrong?"
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Date: 2023-11-06 01:06 pm (UTC)Erwin laughs a little when Levi pulls back and shakes his head. "You're doing too well." He leans back in, nudging Levi gently with his nose and kissing him at the corner of his mouth. "You keep grinding on me like that and this is going to be over fast."
Is Erwin enjoying being edged? Yes, maybe
a littleA LOTdefinitely. He's trying to keep things in his pants and go at Levi's pace, but it's getting progressively more challenging.no subject
Date: 2023-11-06 11:51 pm (UTC)"...oh," he says, perhaps a little awkwardly, shifting back. He feels a little at a standstill. Wasn't that kind of the point?
Levi thinks a moment, hands splayed wide on Erwin's chest, just settled there. The bruises from the maneuver gear have long faded from his body, though some permanent marks and roughened skin remain. He traces one such spot idly with the pad of one finger, back and forth, and finally seems to come to a decision as his gaze travels back up to Erwin's.
"Lie back." And he accompanies the words with a little push to Erwin's chest.
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Date: 2023-11-08 04:49 pm (UTC)Is he too hung up on dicks? Yeah, probably. Erwin learned about sex in a certain way, and the fact that Levi hasn't responded to him in the way he expects is baffling. He doesn't want this all to be for his benefit only!
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Date: 2023-11-08 07:05 pm (UTC)"What makes you think I'm not?"
The man he's followed for years now, as bright and beautiful as the sun is half undressed on the bed before him, his lips are swelled softly with kisses and his hair lightly mussed already. Erwin has given him so much already - a purpose beyond mere survival, a place at his side, bathed in light. He built him up, gave him wings and let him be surrounded by people who didn't see him as just a violent gutter rat. He's lost an arm, risked his own life for the whole of the Survey Corps and will probably turn the world completely on its head one day.
And after all of that, Erwin gave Levi the remaining pieces of himself, to cherish and carry, and to allow at least some part of him to be loved.
Which is so much more than just dicks, even when it comes to sex, as far as he's concerned.
He slides his palms down over Erwin's chest, then up again, tracing, feeling the rise and fall of his breath. His thumbs circle slowly over dark nipples, teasing briefly before continuing upward again, where he cups his palms to Erwin's face, leans up to take over the whole of his vision, and kisses him.
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