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Orders were orders. This arrangement was far from ideal, but Levi understood his role and the importance of it. His skills and experience made him the most certified to supervise the holder of the Beast Titan. With thirty soldiers under his command, the giant trees providing them refuge, Levi was more than equipped to deal with an issue should any rise. A month was a long time. Plenty could happen.
Zeke Jaeger would have to have the biggest balls this side of the Wall to try anything. Believing the bastard to be an absolute idiot, Levi wouldn’t be surprised if he did try something. Hence why he kept his eyes on him at all times, only trusting the most dependable of the soldiers to take his place whenever he needed to step away for a nap, a piss, or a conference.
The canopy of trees huddled together and towering overhead allowed the slightest rays of sun to stream through. Hardly ideal reading light, yet Levi had yet to see Zeke without that book of his in hand, thoughtful expression settled across his features as he carefully turned through the pages as if they were made of precious glass.
“If you keep admiring me from a distance like that, people might say we’re in love,” said Zeke without looking up from the book.
Not having expected to be caught or called out, Levi’s bitten out response was quick all the same. “What’s there to admire? You’re ugly and you smell like shit.”
Something like amusement crossed Zeke’s expression. He licked his thumb to turn the page, as careful with it as he had been with the rest. Levi watched each movement with narrowed eyes. The disdain he held for this man made him apprehensive of every gesture, of every breath.
Birds sang amid the branches. Nearby the babbling of a brook could be heard. These sounds did little to fill the silence that descended upon them. Zeke seemed comfortable in it. Levi was not.
“What are you reading anyway? You’ve had your nose in that thing since we got here,” he grunted. He took a seat atop one of the supply crates. Zeke sat across from him several feet, cozy atop a moss-covered log.
“A collection of fairy tales,” came the easy response. Amusement grew, and at last Zeke looked up from the page he was on. “About princesses and dragons and evil step-mothers. Are you the handsome prince, come to whisk me off my feet?”
Levi might have strained a muscle with how hard he rolled his eyes. “Why am I not surprised? You’re such a child.”
“Hmm,” Zeke said. “And you’re more like one of the dwarves in the story I’m reading, rather than a prince.”
“How much do you love that book?” Levi squinted. “Because I’m about to rip it out of your hands and tear it to shreds. And where would that leave you?”
Zeke seemed to shrink in on himself. “Very bored.”
“Exactly. So shut the fuck up.”
“Sure, boss.”
The songs of the birds sounded increasingly loud in the following lull of conversation. Levi had nothing to entertain: not this topic, not this job, and certainly not the Beast Titan. He remained sat there, gray eyes glaring at the man across from him.
As if he felt the cruel gaze, Zeke continued to shrink, and then closed the book. He set it aside. In a clear attempt to spare himself from the scrutiny, he managed a smile as he leaned forward and clapped his hands together.
“My mother used to tell me this one fairy tale when I was a boy,” Zeke revealed, acting as if Levi gave a shit about what he had to say. “When she and my father weren’t preaching their restorationist doctrine, anyway.”
“How sweet,” Levi replied in a tone as sour as citrus.
“Right,” Zeke agreed, carrying on despite Levi’s visible apathy. “It was about a wicked prince who was cursed by a sorceress. She turned him into a monster, and condemned him to a life of solitude. But there was a twist; a way to break the curse. If he could find someone to love and love him in return, then he would be set free.”
Levi frowned. He had heard this one before. “Do you think I give a shit about some made-up story for brats?”
Zeke’s smile diminished. There was a hint of sadness. Levi’s eyes squinted further as he caught sight of it. Before he could say anything, Zeke was speaking.
“I’ve been cursed,” he murmured. “All Titan holders have. I only have so much time left in my sentence. A year, give or take. How long do you plan on keeping me here, Levi?”
Ah. There it was. Levi had been searching for a reason why Zeke was sharing this with him, and he’d found it. No sympathy would be given. Zeke was a monster, had murdered countless of Levi’s comrades, and no sob story was going to change that. So why was there a lump in his throat?
Levi stood suddenly from the crate. Startled by this, Zeke sat up straight, spine a stiff line. Blue eyes widened slightly behind the sheen protection of glasses.
“However long it takes for us to figure out what the fuck it is you’re up to,” he answered sternly. “And it wasn’t a witch that cursed you , jackass. You did that to yourself. Go back to shoving your nose into that book. I’m sick of looking at your hideous face.”
If Zeke had come up with a response, Levi didn’t wait for it. He turned on his heel, the green of his cloak whipping behind him. He ignored the feeling of eyes following after him, focusing instead on singling out someone to take his station for the rest of the afternoon.
###
There were more attempts after that for Zeke to garner sympathy. Levi only listened in the hopes that something about this secret scheme of his would let slip. That had yet to be the case, but Levi continued to hold onto hope.
What else was there for him to do as he supervised the man other than to listen? Zeke talked about his mother, about his father, about Mr. Ksaver. Even about the Warrior program in Marley, how vigorously Zeke had trained for it under the pressuring force of his father, and then under the nurturing hand of his mentor.
At some point in the following week, Zeke had started to expect reciprocation in their one-sided conversations. He’d begun to ask Levi questions, about his life and his opinions. Levi humored him whenever he saw fit, giving short responses or unamused glances.
It was inevitable for Eren to be brought up.
This area of conversation Levi was particularly reluctant to engage in. Despite his stubborn silence, Zeke continued to pester him with the determined belief he would one day get a response.
Eventually, he did.
Levi talked about what Eren was like as a cadet: his tenacity, his spirited ways, his tendency to get into arguments and altercations with those that dared to challenge his dreams. He talked about his bright eyes, how he would often laugh while in the presence of his friends, how he would have nightmares in the night that would leave him screaming loud enough for the others to wake.
All of the information and anecdotes was soaked up by Zeke like he was a man dying of thirst. He was a good listener. Or maybe he was just that eager to know more about the brother he hadn’t gotten the chance to see grow up. Not like Levi had. In all of the time he had known the boy, he had never imagined Eren would turn out like this.
The genuine curiosity and reverence in Zeke’s attention might have unsettled Levi in any other area of conversation. Maybe there was an ulterior motive. Something told Levi that wasn’t the case. Zeke truly cared about his brother and wanted to know him in any way he could, through Levi’s perspective and otherwise.
Conversations came by much more easily. Whether they talked about Eren, the war, or the fairy tales in that book of Zeke’s, they did talk. Levi found that his shifts of supervision became more bearable as the days went by.
###
While his men drank wine, Levi drank tea. Sometimes he would make too much, leaving him to dunk out the remaining cold contents at the end of the day. It was a shame to let all that tea go to waste.
That’s what he told himself, anyway, as he walked over with two cups of tea in hand. It was still steaming, the air cool enough to conflict with the warm liquid that Levi had heated up over a fire in his area of camp.
“Here,” he said, nudging Zeke’s shoulder with one of the cups. “Be careful, don’t break it. I’ll use the shards to cut off your dick.”
Zeke seemed stunned. Never before had he been offered tea in all of their acquaintance. Eyes flicked between Levi and the drink he offered. Eventually, he took the cup. Their fingers brushed. Levi was quick to draw his hand back and move to sit atop his usual crate.
For a minute or two all they did was sit in silence. Levi took steady but slow drinks from his cup, whereas Zeke blew on his and winced with each sip. Whether it was because it was too hot or he didn’t like the flavor, Levi wasn’t sure. Marley probably had different tastes when it came to tea.
“It’s good,” Zeke said, as if sensing Levi’s thoughts. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Levi responded.
“Do you give all of your captives tea, or am I just special?” Zeke teased. There was something like a sparkle in his eyes, and Levi did his best to fight off a smirk.
“Oh, you’re special alright,” he replied, tone neutral despite the playfulness that resided in his words. “Made this recipe myself. I pissed in the cup, just for you. Enjoy.”
That sparkle seemed to glow, almost impish. “Oh! Well, in that case. Cheers.”
Levi watched in mild astonishment as Zeke proceeded to tip his head back, downing the rest of the cup’s contents. Their eyes met across the distance of grass that separated them. Of course Levi hadn’t actually pissed in the cup, but this act added an element to their banter he hadn’t been expecting.
Flirtation.
Suddenly aware of the predicament and everything that had been building up to this moment, Levi didn’t allow himself to meet the other man’s eyes. Instead, he focused on his cup of tea, which now seemed tepid on his tongue. He felt how Zeke continued to stare at him, as if awaiting for a reaction. When he didn’t get one, he sighed and set his empty cup aside.
“I take it you weren’t very popular with the ladies.”
The corner of Levi’s lips twitched downward. At last he looked to Zeke, who peered back expectantly. Fingers tensing around the rim of the porcelain, he huffed and did his best not to appear unsettled.
“I have no preference for women,” he grumbled.
That was the wrong thing to say. He forsake the words the moment they slipped from his mouth. Pleasant surprise crossed Zeke’s expression. The man seemed to grow where he sat, tall and certain and flourishing in this shift in dynamic. Levi wouldn’t look at him.
“Is that so?” hummed Zeke. “Neither do I. How interesting.”
Just peachy. They were a pair of homosexuals. This wasn’t something Levi had ever been ashamed of, but for Zeke to know it, to revel in it, had him squirming where he sat. Appetite ruined, he set his cup aside. He wouldn’t let this tarnish his mood anymore than it already had, though he knew his discomfort was apparent.
No matter how hard Zeke stared at him, seeking out his gaze, Levi would not give it to him.
“You know,” the younger man said, sliding over where he sat so there was room next to him. “It’s awfully cold out here. Why don’t you come sit over here and help warm me up?”
Despite himself, Levi found his cheeks flaming with mortification. Zeke seemed to finally have gotten what he wanted as their eyes met. There was no scorn in his gaze. Only spirited amusement, and perhaps a dash of hope.
Stomach in knots had the captain shooting up from where he sat. He hadn’t meant for this to happen. Things had gone too far. Abandoning the cups he cared for so dearly, he departed as quickly as his legs would carry him without outright running. He couldn’t think of anything other than the heat in Zeke’s gaze, and how cold it had left Levi’s body now that he was alone.
###
They tip-toed around each other after that: Zeke seemed hesitant and cautious each time he spoke. Levi’s tolerance was slipping. He could only handle so much of this heightened tension between them that had spiked dramatically in their previous encounter.
When had it escaped him how handsome Zeke was? Lately it was all he could think about. The well-groomed beard that framed a strong jaw, the Herculean set of those shoulders, the intelligence in those soft eyes, the perfect shape of that nose and the delicate color of those lips.
There had to be something about those Jaeger genes. Levi was on the verge of forming a conspiracy on the matter.
Before the thought of Zeke had made his blood run hot with rage and vengeance. Now it made it burn with desire and something that could only be described as longing. He needed to keep his distance, sever their contact outside the necessity of supervision and interrogation.
Of course that didn’t work. If anything, it only worsened his condition, to the point that thoughts of Zeke had made their way into his dreams and had him waking up gasping and covered in sweat.
Maybe curses were real. Zeke had to have put one on him. That was the only rational explanation for this, the pull and attraction he felt towards the man he had sworn to loathe for all of eternity.
Nearly driven mad, Levi was determined to put a stop to this. Zeke rarely left his log, the shape of him likely permanently etched into the green wood. No questioning came from Levi’s subordinates as he was whisking the prisoner away from the guarded area and to a secluded section of the forest.
Zeke’s head turned every which way as they walked, taking in the trees that they passed and remarking their size and species. As if Levi cared. His mind was running a mile a minute, still trying to come up with a way to release himself from the hold Zeke had on him.
Abruptly they came to a halt. The suddenness nearly had Zeke’s chest colliding with Levi’s back. With a severe expression the older man turned on his heel to face the other. He said nothing, simply stared up at the cause of all of his problems in the world.
The blond fidgeted, unsettled by the intensity of Levi’s stare. Had he been brought all the way out here for a quiet death where no one could hear his screams? Things would be made so much easier if that were the case.
“Ow!”
In a flash of movement, Levi had descended. Pain riddled both of the men as Levi’s forehead made direct contact with Zeke’s chin. With simultaneous grunts of surprised affliction they drew back. Mortification sunk deep into Levi’s bones, whereas Zeke was struggling to process what had happened.
Oh god.
Levi was too short. He couldn’t reach. An attempt to kiss Zeke had been thwarted by their difference in height. Left embarrassed beyond relief and to simmer in the failure of his actions, Levi’s face turned bright red.
“Levi,” Zeke began. “Did you just--”
“Forget it,” Levi rushed. “Forget I tried anything. I tripped. I hope you got a concussion. We need to head back.”
A hand taking hold of his wrist had Levi stopping in his tracks. Frozen where he stood, he reluctantly looked up at Zeke, whose gaze was filled with fond warmth and realization. Before Levi could rip himself free from the other’s grip, Zeke released him in favor of raising hands that were large and warm where they came to rest on either side of Levi’s face.
This time, it was a success.
Zeke’s beard was surprisingly soft, ticking Levi’s upper lip as they kissed. It was a tender thing. The warm pads of thumbs circled the sharp incline of Levi’s cheekbones. For a moment, he was frozen in his shock, unable to process the fact that Zeke was ducking down to erase the space that had separated them and ruined the first endeavor.
Eager to deepen the kiss, Levi went to rise on the tips of his toes. He lifted his hands to hold onto the expanse of Zeke’s strong shoulders. The kiss became fathomless, both men sinking into the feeling of each other.
When it broke, their noses brushed, and Levi caught sight of the white of Zeke’s teeth exposed in a smile.
“You seem awfully pleased with yourself,” observed Levi, tone not far from affectionate.
Zeke chuckled. “Oh, I am.”
“And why is that?”
Levi drew back far enough to see how the corners of Zeke’s eyes crinkled with the force of his growing grin. Thumbs continued to trace along the bones in his cheeks. Levi leaned into it, found himself enchanted by the sensations of this moment.
“This is just like the fairy tale I’ve read,” Zeke explained, ignoring how Levi groaned. “Kissing in the woods. That makes you the prince. I’ve always wanted to be the princess.”
Eyes rolling and a huff of air expelling from parted lips, Levi saved himself from further retelling of the story by bringing their mouths together once more. Again, then again, until all that remained between them were sweet sighs and roaming hands.