Categories > Anime/Manga > Attack on Titan > Jailbirds
"We're here," Erwin announced as he pulled the Jeep onto a long dirt drive.
From behind them, Levi heard Armin make an excited little squeal. God, what was he, ten? But Levi reminded himself to go easy on the kid; his own nerves towards meeting Erwin's crew did not invalidate how long Armin had gone without seeing his friends - his family, really, from the sound of it - and how happy he must have been to see them again. Even Mike leaned out of the side of the Jeep to watch as they approached the old, homey structure.
Armin was practically vibrating with excitement, and Levi twisted the hem of his shirt in his hands. He had no idea what kind of people these were. They did not know him. What was going to happen to him after they all met again? What would he do after that?
A reassuring hand on his uninjured thigh jerked him from his thoughts, and he met Erwin's cool gaze before nodding and getting out of the Jeep. Armin was already jumping out of the back and running for the house as if he hadn't already had his fill of running for the rest of his life, and Mike was following close behind him, albeit at a slightly more leisurely pace.
The door to the house flung open, and with the shriek that came from Armin's mouth, Levi would not be surprised if the authorities found and captured them right away.
"Eren!"
He watched the kid fling himself at another kid, a tall and gangly brunet. They disappeared inside the house, laughing and shouting things Levi could not pick up. Someone else came outside, their long brown hair pulled into a ponytail with glasses perched on their nose. They offered Mike a huge bear hug before nudging him inside, and turned to look pointedly at Erwin.
"Well?" they called from the porch in a singsong voice. "Are you coming or what?"
Erwin walked around to the passenger side of the car to offer Levi his arm. They had discovered through a little bit of trial and error that he could put his weight on Erwin instead of his leg, and that it made walking both faster and a lot less painful. It was still slower than the person probably would have liked, and Levi spent the entire walk to the porch (and the painstaking adventure of going up the stairs) dreading their first words to him.
When they finally made it to the doorway, Erwin was smothered in a hug. Levi's anxiety melted into jealousy, and he dug his fingers into Erwin's forearm. The man took the hint and gently pushed his friend away.
"Are you going to introduce us, Erwin?" they asked excitedly, eyes shining behind their glasses. Levi already did not like them. Erwin threw an arm around Levi's shoulders, careful not to force any weight on his bad leg.
"You know No Name, don't you?" he asked, cocking one eyebrow with a smirk. Levi ran a hand through his hair, a little self-conscious at the mention of his alias. "His name is Levi. Levi, this is Hange."
"No Name, huh?" Hange let out a snort. Levi did not like their cheery tone. "Cryptic. Edgy. I like it!" They stuck out a hand, smiling widely. "Welcome to our little band of criminals!"
Levi already did not like them. They were too friendly, too smiley, too positive. Quite frankly, he hated it. Yet Erwin's hand squeezed his shoulder slightly, and he relented. He hesitantly offered his hand and Hange shook it firmly. Without another word to Levi, they turned to Erwin, clapping him on the upper arm.
"Your room is waiting for you," they said warmly, familiarly. It just reminded Levi how out of place he was, and he turned his head away from the exchange. "Mikasa is cooking, but it won't be ready for another few hours, so get some rest."
His room. Erwin's room. Because Erwin lived there. Where did Levi live? Currently, nowhere. He was sure Erwin would invite him to stay a night, a week, maybe even a month - but what then? He was in Canada. He would have to find a job that would accept immigrants or get a work visa, not to forget he was on the run from American government, and Canada was known for returning criminals.
Erwin coaxed him into action with a soft pat at his back, and they made their way inside to a large room. It looked as though it was once two, but now was only split by a small divider on the ceiling and was laid out as an overlarge den. To their right was a small hallway and a set of stairs, and in front of them a dining room. Moving forward, there was a room to their left - a bedroom - and Erwin guided him inside.
A four-poster bed and a large television mounted to the wall greeted him, as well as a huge wardrobe, writing desk, and a connected bathroom. Erwin shut the door behind them, moving comfortably through the space, making it clear it was his.
"You're free to a shower, if you'd like," he offered as he stripped his shirt off, tossing it into a nearby hamper. "Tomorrow we can go out and buy you some clothes. Until then, you can borrow mine."
As if for emphasis, Erwin went rummaging through his wardrobe for a change of clothes. Levi leaned against the door, glancing away towards the red curtains covering a large window. They contrasted nicely with the soft brown of the walls. Everything was warm colors, pleasant smells, and aesthetic decor.
Levi wrapped his arms around his middle self-consciously. He did not belong here.
He pretended not to notice when Erwin drew close, jerking his chin away from the gentle hand that came up to grasp it. A resigned sigh left Erwin's lips, but Levi only heard irritation.
"Are you going to tell me why you're sulking or should I just leave you to it?"
Annoyance flared, and had they still been in their shared cell, Levi would have kicked him for the comment. Instead, he stood in a far-too-fancy room with a hole in his leg, cornered by a man he was indebted to. It made his stomach churn.
"Tomorrow," he said through gritted teeth, "I'll be out of your hair." He would leave with nothing but the clothes on his back, early so he would not have to say goodbye to Erwin. "You won't see me again." A promise filled with regret.
Those fingers returned, tracing gently along his jaw, and finally, hesitantly, Levi glanced up to look at Erwin. He looked deep in thought for all of half a second, eyebrows drawn low over his eyes, before his face was an impassive mask once more. The hand traveled to Levi's cheek, a strangely fond motion for them, and it made Levi squirm in anticipation.
"You make a terrible pet," Erwin finally said, so far off field it made Levi furrow his eyebrows and cock his head in bafflement. "You never did listen to me."
"I'm still not your pet," Levi snapped instinctively, and it was comfortingly familiar. Erwin's eyes seemed to light up at the retort.
"Maybe not," Erwin replied softly, almost fondly. Levi's brows went from low and baffled to shooting up in surprise at his tone. "But I still told you we'd be going out tomorrow to buy you clothes. The least you could do as thanks is drop the defiant act."
"I don't want your charity." It was heavy on his tongue, spitting out the thing that had been weighing down his mind ever since Mike had announced they were getting close to the house an hour prior. Levi turned his gaze to the floor. "It'll run out someday, and I'd rather leave before it does."
"What makes you think it's charity?" Levi's head snapped up in surprise to see that familiar, amused glint in Erwin's eyes. It was welcome. "It's safe here. You can stay under my roof while you recover."
Well, it was longer than Levi expected. It did not do much to soothe him. "And then?"
"And then?" Erwin echoed. He tapped his chin thoughtfully, and it was absolutely infuriating because Levi knew he already had the answer. "I figured I'd offer to let you work with me."
With. The use of the word fascinated Levi. Not for, not under - with. He did not know what Erwin did or what he would have Levi do, and hell, Levi had just gotten out of prison, but the thought was oddly exhilarating. Sure, he was an especially wanted man now, but when had that ever stopped him from his life of crime?
His hands came up to rest on Erwin's chest, still bare, and in response Erwin's hands traveled to his hips. "I like the sound of that," Levi whispered into the slowly closing gap between them, and then he was pushing up on his tiptoes to claim Erwin's lips.
The rest was history. The bed was plush and the covers were soft, an amazing change from the hard futons in prison, and all Levi could think while Erwin's lips and teeth left their possessive marks for the first time was fuck, I could get used to this.
The way they lay together after was markedly intimate - Levi draped almost completely on top of Erwin, with the latter's fingers tracing feather-light patterns on his back - but neither of them chose to comment on it. It was not far from Levi's thoughts, however. Contentedness warmed him from head to toe and he could tell it was the same for Erwin.
Perhaps now he would be weak enough to answer?
"Hey, asshole." Levi propped himself up on his elbows, catching Erwin's attention. The hands on his back did not falter, and the raven was more pleased with that than he was willing to admit.
"Hm?" An idle, questioning hum answered him. Go ahead.
"Are you finally gonna tell me what you were in for?"
Every other time Levi had asked, Erwin had paused, contemplating, before feeding the former some bullshit lie. This time, he did not even hesitate.
"I destroyed the Library of Congress."
It was said so matter-of-factly, so easily that it did not process in Levi's mind for several moments. Luckily, Erwin did not expect him to draft a response.
"Not only me, of course. Nearly everyone in this house took part, actually. They burned down the physical locations, while Armin and I stole the digital archives. We got caught, of course. It's a lot harder to escape a federal building than a victim of arson."
Vaguely, Levi thought he remembered a news story on the occasion. He found he did not care at this point - his gut told him that this time, Erwin was telling the truth. More importantly, his mind conjured up the many lies Erwin had replaced his story with.
"So everything else was bullshit," Levi deadpanned, and Erwin grinned.
"It all had a grain of truth," he responded, voice full of amusement, almost mirth. Levi felt the obvious.
"Really." It was not even a question at this point. "Loads of illegal porn?"
"Do you have any idea how much erotica is in the Library of Congress?"
"Shoplifting something tiny."
"Flash drives are pretty small."
"Pushed an old lady?" Levi felt the irritation rising.
"The president's grandmother was up for a midnight snack," Erwin replied, looking like he was barely withholding laughing in Levi's face.
The final straw. "And stealing a pen," he said with a tone of finality. Erwin looked up at him with an expression of absolute glee.
"Obama's favorite pen, to be exact."
Levi stared at him with a mix of awe and disgust, and collapsed back onto the man's chest before he decided to smack that stupid smile off of his face.
"I fucking hate you."
Erwin's laugh was deep, booming, more genuine than Levi had ever known.
"I know."
.
fin
From behind them, Levi heard Armin make an excited little squeal. God, what was he, ten? But Levi reminded himself to go easy on the kid; his own nerves towards meeting Erwin's crew did not invalidate how long Armin had gone without seeing his friends - his family, really, from the sound of it - and how happy he must have been to see them again. Even Mike leaned out of the side of the Jeep to watch as they approached the old, homey structure.
Armin was practically vibrating with excitement, and Levi twisted the hem of his shirt in his hands. He had no idea what kind of people these were. They did not know him. What was going to happen to him after they all met again? What would he do after that?
A reassuring hand on his uninjured thigh jerked him from his thoughts, and he met Erwin's cool gaze before nodding and getting out of the Jeep. Armin was already jumping out of the back and running for the house as if he hadn't already had his fill of running for the rest of his life, and Mike was following close behind him, albeit at a slightly more leisurely pace.
The door to the house flung open, and with the shriek that came from Armin's mouth, Levi would not be surprised if the authorities found and captured them right away.
"Eren!"
He watched the kid fling himself at another kid, a tall and gangly brunet. They disappeared inside the house, laughing and shouting things Levi could not pick up. Someone else came outside, their long brown hair pulled into a ponytail with glasses perched on their nose. They offered Mike a huge bear hug before nudging him inside, and turned to look pointedly at Erwin.
"Well?" they called from the porch in a singsong voice. "Are you coming or what?"
Erwin walked around to the passenger side of the car to offer Levi his arm. They had discovered through a little bit of trial and error that he could put his weight on Erwin instead of his leg, and that it made walking both faster and a lot less painful. It was still slower than the person probably would have liked, and Levi spent the entire walk to the porch (and the painstaking adventure of going up the stairs) dreading their first words to him.
When they finally made it to the doorway, Erwin was smothered in a hug. Levi's anxiety melted into jealousy, and he dug his fingers into Erwin's forearm. The man took the hint and gently pushed his friend away.
"Are you going to introduce us, Erwin?" they asked excitedly, eyes shining behind their glasses. Levi already did not like them. Erwin threw an arm around Levi's shoulders, careful not to force any weight on his bad leg.
"You know No Name, don't you?" he asked, cocking one eyebrow with a smirk. Levi ran a hand through his hair, a little self-conscious at the mention of his alias. "His name is Levi. Levi, this is Hange."
"No Name, huh?" Hange let out a snort. Levi did not like their cheery tone. "Cryptic. Edgy. I like it!" They stuck out a hand, smiling widely. "Welcome to our little band of criminals!"
Levi already did not like them. They were too friendly, too smiley, too positive. Quite frankly, he hated it. Yet Erwin's hand squeezed his shoulder slightly, and he relented. He hesitantly offered his hand and Hange shook it firmly. Without another word to Levi, they turned to Erwin, clapping him on the upper arm.
"Your room is waiting for you," they said warmly, familiarly. It just reminded Levi how out of place he was, and he turned his head away from the exchange. "Mikasa is cooking, but it won't be ready for another few hours, so get some rest."
His room. Erwin's room. Because Erwin lived there. Where did Levi live? Currently, nowhere. He was sure Erwin would invite him to stay a night, a week, maybe even a month - but what then? He was in Canada. He would have to find a job that would accept immigrants or get a work visa, not to forget he was on the run from American government, and Canada was known for returning criminals.
Erwin coaxed him into action with a soft pat at his back, and they made their way inside to a large room. It looked as though it was once two, but now was only split by a small divider on the ceiling and was laid out as an overlarge den. To their right was a small hallway and a set of stairs, and in front of them a dining room. Moving forward, there was a room to their left - a bedroom - and Erwin guided him inside.
A four-poster bed and a large television mounted to the wall greeted him, as well as a huge wardrobe, writing desk, and a connected bathroom. Erwin shut the door behind them, moving comfortably through the space, making it clear it was his.
"You're free to a shower, if you'd like," he offered as he stripped his shirt off, tossing it into a nearby hamper. "Tomorrow we can go out and buy you some clothes. Until then, you can borrow mine."
As if for emphasis, Erwin went rummaging through his wardrobe for a change of clothes. Levi leaned against the door, glancing away towards the red curtains covering a large window. They contrasted nicely with the soft brown of the walls. Everything was warm colors, pleasant smells, and aesthetic decor.
Levi wrapped his arms around his middle self-consciously. He did not belong here.
He pretended not to notice when Erwin drew close, jerking his chin away from the gentle hand that came up to grasp it. A resigned sigh left Erwin's lips, but Levi only heard irritation.
"Are you going to tell me why you're sulking or should I just leave you to it?"
Annoyance flared, and had they still been in their shared cell, Levi would have kicked him for the comment. Instead, he stood in a far-too-fancy room with a hole in his leg, cornered by a man he was indebted to. It made his stomach churn.
"Tomorrow," he said through gritted teeth, "I'll be out of your hair." He would leave with nothing but the clothes on his back, early so he would not have to say goodbye to Erwin. "You won't see me again." A promise filled with regret.
Those fingers returned, tracing gently along his jaw, and finally, hesitantly, Levi glanced up to look at Erwin. He looked deep in thought for all of half a second, eyebrows drawn low over his eyes, before his face was an impassive mask once more. The hand traveled to Levi's cheek, a strangely fond motion for them, and it made Levi squirm in anticipation.
"You make a terrible pet," Erwin finally said, so far off field it made Levi furrow his eyebrows and cock his head in bafflement. "You never did listen to me."
"I'm still not your pet," Levi snapped instinctively, and it was comfortingly familiar. Erwin's eyes seemed to light up at the retort.
"Maybe not," Erwin replied softly, almost fondly. Levi's brows went from low and baffled to shooting up in surprise at his tone. "But I still told you we'd be going out tomorrow to buy you clothes. The least you could do as thanks is drop the defiant act."
"I don't want your charity." It was heavy on his tongue, spitting out the thing that had been weighing down his mind ever since Mike had announced they were getting close to the house an hour prior. Levi turned his gaze to the floor. "It'll run out someday, and I'd rather leave before it does."
"What makes you think it's charity?" Levi's head snapped up in surprise to see that familiar, amused glint in Erwin's eyes. It was welcome. "It's safe here. You can stay under my roof while you recover."
Well, it was longer than Levi expected. It did not do much to soothe him. "And then?"
"And then?" Erwin echoed. He tapped his chin thoughtfully, and it was absolutely infuriating because Levi knew he already had the answer. "I figured I'd offer to let you work with me."
With. The use of the word fascinated Levi. Not for, not under - with. He did not know what Erwin did or what he would have Levi do, and hell, Levi had just gotten out of prison, but the thought was oddly exhilarating. Sure, he was an especially wanted man now, but when had that ever stopped him from his life of crime?
His hands came up to rest on Erwin's chest, still bare, and in response Erwin's hands traveled to his hips. "I like the sound of that," Levi whispered into the slowly closing gap between them, and then he was pushing up on his tiptoes to claim Erwin's lips.
The rest was history. The bed was plush and the covers were soft, an amazing change from the hard futons in prison, and all Levi could think while Erwin's lips and teeth left their possessive marks for the first time was fuck, I could get used to this.
The way they lay together after was markedly intimate - Levi draped almost completely on top of Erwin, with the latter's fingers tracing feather-light patterns on his back - but neither of them chose to comment on it. It was not far from Levi's thoughts, however. Contentedness warmed him from head to toe and he could tell it was the same for Erwin.
Perhaps now he would be weak enough to answer?
"Hey, asshole." Levi propped himself up on his elbows, catching Erwin's attention. The hands on his back did not falter, and the raven was more pleased with that than he was willing to admit.
"Hm?" An idle, questioning hum answered him. Go ahead.
"Are you finally gonna tell me what you were in for?"
Every other time Levi had asked, Erwin had paused, contemplating, before feeding the former some bullshit lie. This time, he did not even hesitate.
"I destroyed the Library of Congress."
It was said so matter-of-factly, so easily that it did not process in Levi's mind for several moments. Luckily, Erwin did not expect him to draft a response.
"Not only me, of course. Nearly everyone in this house took part, actually. They burned down the physical locations, while Armin and I stole the digital archives. We got caught, of course. It's a lot harder to escape a federal building than a victim of arson."
Vaguely, Levi thought he remembered a news story on the occasion. He found he did not care at this point - his gut told him that this time, Erwin was telling the truth. More importantly, his mind conjured up the many lies Erwin had replaced his story with.
"So everything else was bullshit," Levi deadpanned, and Erwin grinned.
"It all had a grain of truth," he responded, voice full of amusement, almost mirth. Levi felt the obvious.
"Really." It was not even a question at this point. "Loads of illegal porn?"
"Do you have any idea how much erotica is in the Library of Congress?"
"Shoplifting something tiny."
"Flash drives are pretty small."
"Pushed an old lady?" Levi felt the irritation rising.
"The president's grandmother was up for a midnight snack," Erwin replied, looking like he was barely withholding laughing in Levi's face.
The final straw. "And stealing a pen," he said with a tone of finality. Erwin looked up at him with an expression of absolute glee.
"Obama's favorite pen, to be exact."
Levi stared at him with a mix of awe and disgust, and collapsed back onto the man's chest before he decided to smack that stupid smile off of his face.
"I fucking hate you."
Erwin's laugh was deep, booming, more genuine than Levi had ever known.
"I know."
.
fin
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