#Private Tape Levy

[themusicadvocateafrica]

Blank Tape Levy Dispute: Impact on Kenyan Artists & Copyright Rights

Kenyan artists Reuben Kigame, Celestine Wambui Mbogo, and Stanley Ahoya are challenging the Kenyan Copyright Act in the High Court to gain benefits from the Blank Tape Levy. The dispute involves government entities and collective management organizations,

Get Exclusive Insights on Music, Film, Books, Media & Culture by Subscribing to our Magazine. Type your email… Subscribe Blank Tape Levy Dispute: Impact on Kenyan Artists & Copyright Rights October 3, 2023 By George Robert Asewe Founder The Music Advocate Africa Kenyan music artists Reuben Kigame, Celestine Wambui Mbogo, and Stanley Ahoya have taken legal action by moving to the High Court…

[beelzmunchkin]

Valentines Day - (brothers)

A/N: pls don’t hate me, I really wanted to make a post for Valentine’s Day but Ngl it was very rushed. I hope you still like it…. Also I didn’t grammar or even spell check this, im sorry …… I was gonna write for the royals and purgatory hall (Simeon, Solomon) let me know if you think I should… hopefully not rushed

Lucifer:

The week leading up to Valentines Day Lucifer took you to Majolish insisting on buying you a lovely outfit that would coordinate with his for the upcoming Valentine’s Day

Reserves a private area At ristorante six for a dinner for two, has three cursed blinded demons playing violins, and cellos live. They were also cursed so they couldn’t understand anything you or Lucifer said.

At dinner he pulls out the chair for you and even though he already knew what you were going to wear he compliments you.

“this color makes your eyes as ravishing as the jewels on prince Diavolos crown”

“you looks as elegant as the Devildoms most prestigious architecture. No one can ever replicate you.”

“With all the potions in all three worlds none can ever be as alluring as you are”

Feeds you dessert

After dinner, takes you to the the best rated hotel in devildom, as you walk in he hold his hands over you eyes and as he removes them you see golden flower petals that you can only recognize from diavolos personal garden shaped in a heart on the bed

He begins to gently massage your shoulder

“I saw a lot of humans like these gestures, how about you get comfortable and I run us a warm bath.”

Mammon:

has been avoiding you like the plague until it was February 14th

You wake up to gentle pokes on your shoulder and soft murmurs of your name

You open your eyes and see mammon there with a rose and breakfast ready for you. (Insert you favorite devildom breakfast)

During the day walks you to all your classes and has been giving you forehead kisses everytime.

The evening comes and he has the first movie you both ever watched together set in his room with all your favorite snack

Gifts you Valentine’s Day pajamas and you cuddle up to watch your movie

When the movie finishes

“hey you know I love you right? Like no amount of money can ever make me trade you.”

“If I had to choose between you and Goldie I hope you know I’d always choose you.”

“But don’t go expecting all this love hoopla everyday, this took a lot of time for this galantines day”

“You mean Valentine’s Day.” You corrected him

“Shaddup and come here darling”

Cuddles you up

Levi:

Really didn’t want to participate in normie way of showing love

while you were at RAD, he spent hours coding and programming an adventure game of you two where you had to find the hidden treasure and along the way the mini games you would do, we’re all based on memories you both shared

When you came back from RAD, you went straight to his room to tell him about your day but when you knocked there was no question about who it is.

You opened the door and when you entered you see him curled up and asleep in his bathtub.

While he’s asleep you decorate his room with pictures of times you were gaming, swimming, dragging him out of his room, sleepovers and more. You cut out heart from holographic material and taped them on the sealing and the lights from Henry made it a rainbow of colors all around.

As you were hanging up the last heart you heard shifting you turn to see Levi waking up. He ears turned red, his cheeks turned red and his jaw fell in shock.

“What’s all this? Omg I remember when that happened, how long have you had these pictures. This must be so embarrassing to be seen with a worthless otaku like me”

“It’s Never embarrassing I really love hanging out with you, you’ll always be my player 1”

“I really like spending time with you even if you are a normie. Look I made a game for us. We can play anytime or if you want to play it without me you can too. I understand”

He showed you the game and the opening screen is Levi dressed as lord of shadows from TSL and you as Henry the protagonist.

The mini games were a reminiscent to the development of the relationship you and Levi shared.

As you were getting sleepy after gaming for 6 hours and went to bed Levi grabbed all the photos you had with him and saved them in his TSL novel so then it will always be somewhere safe.

He is very much hoping you want to play the game tomorrow

Satan:

Being very aware of what Valentine’s Day was to most humans he was prepared. He got you a box of chocolates and roses as most books describe as the foundation of Valentine’s Day.

Of course he had to make today special, you spent the afternoon decorating safety googles for reasons he refused to disclose.

When you went out to an early dinner he pulled out your chair and spoke to you all about the history of humans celebration of Valentine’s Day. of course he was picking up on your expressions as he spoke to understand what parts you liked and disliked. He noticed how you disliked the the whole showing your significant other you loved them on this day.

He picked up on your small smiles as he told you one variation of the history how it was unjust so valentine defied authority and let lovers unite.

After dinner he took you to an area of destroyed furniture named “devils rages” he handed you your custom safety goggles and offered you weapons for the night

Hour went by of cursing the injustices of the world and as it got darker fireworks went off and you saw big heart exploding in the sky

You felt arms hug you from the side

“If I could destroy and/or rule the world with anyone it would be you”

Asmo:

Of course this is one of Asmos most loved holidays. But it was very different now that he had you in his life

Usually he would receive an abundance of love letters, witches, demons, and any human if they were ever around to swarm at his feet in love with him

Now that he had you in his life he didn’t want to go out and have all that attention he wanted to make this day the one day where it was just the two of you without any interruptions.

Morning began with him sharing a secluded breakfast with you. Fruits tasting like dreams on your tongue as shared them.

After breakfast you both went to get private couples massages to which soothed you straight to sleep. As you woke back up Asmo lovingly stared at you in awe

“I may be the prettiest in all realms but you definitely are quite some competition with the dreamlike hue to you features and soft lips upon you porcelain skin.”

You both return to HoL and went to his room. In there he brings out an akuzon box that was halfway open. In there you saw a pair of matching pink bracelets with hearts in them. He tied one to your wrist and you tied one onto his.

“What makes these special is that when your near me it catches you heartbeat and I can feel it in my wrist”

You feel his heart beat thumping on your wrist and it’s racing.

“ you make me lightheaded, I’ve never felt a love as genuine as yours. You Almost make me feel like I’m the one living a dream. Me the avatar of lust, isn’t that crazy”

Your heart is racing against his wrist and he smiled as he feels your heart as happy and excited as his. makes him give you the most gentle and soft hug. As if a demon shaped blanket was placed on to you.

A happy hug just between you two with no other demons and no acts from Asmo living in the love of others. Just the two of you, two hearts beating as one

Beel:

Today was Valentine day but that would never stop Beelzebub from going to do his morning workout. You went to make breakfast and as you were setting up the table you felt a pair of sweaty arms lift you off the ground and spin you around

“BEEL!!!”

He didn’t let you finish and laid kisses all over your neck and shoulder and raced upstairs. You were left a a little dizzy but very red at the sudden affection

It was breakfast time and everyone made their way to the dining table and you hope that Beel would have noticed the heart you made in the chocolate chip pancakes for him before he engulfed his stack.

Before he sat down he gave you a heart shaped hand made card and on the inside was a picture of you two.

You didn’t get to see him until devildom history class but when you saw him he leaned his forehead against you and whispered

“Happy Valentine’s Day, I hope you’re ready for dinner tonight”

“What are we having?” You said

“You’ll see”

Later that night you see a notification pop up on you D.D.D and it was a text from Beel saying “let me be your sous chef tonight I promise I’ll be good, meet me in the kitchen”

You walk into the kitchen and there you see Beel in a chefs hat and an apron that said kiss the sous chef (definitely not written by him) he stood there head held high and a bright smile and you couldn’t help but laugh just a little. You went towards him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

You both spent your evening doing your best to make Creamed Bonnacon. Beel was only allowed one taste test as last time you were making this he ate it all before it was finished.

“You look adorable when you cook, I’m sorry I’m not the best sous chef. (Kisses you temple), I hope you had a good Valentine’s Day. Any day I get to spend with you makes me so happy and gooey, inside kind of like a malevolent lava cake. (Places his head in the crook of your neck peppering you with gentle light kisses) but sadly I could only convince Lucifer to let me cook dinner tonight because I’d be with you”

Belphie:

You definitely had to be the one to wake him up but this time he didn’t curse you or ignore you for disrupting his sleep.

Instead he lifted the blanket and let you in he cuddled into you and whispered “happy Valentine’s Day”

You sadly could only enjoy this moment for a short amount of time because you both had to get to RAD.

During the day you would find little heart shaped notes with drawings of you and belphie or little notes such as

“I can’t wait to snuggle you up and watch the stars later tonight”

“I got a new blanket set I would love to show you them”

“Can’t I just keep you in my dreamworld forever”

“Sometimes I wonder if I’m still dreaming when I’m with you”

You walked back with a very tired Belphie as he did his best staying awake to write you all those notes

You get back to the HoL and see Beel walking mysteriously out of the planetarium trying his best not to look suspicious.

Belphie grabbed your hand and led you to the planetarium.

As you walked in you saw a huge pillow and blanket for t instead. You crawled into the fort and inside was the song you and belphie love to stargaze with. Although you couldn’t see the stars belphie cuddled up to you and whispered sweet nothings in your ear

“You make me so happy”

“You’re the one who make me smile when I wake up”

“ You’re so imperfectly perfect for me”

“ with you I can be myself and it makes my life less dreadful”

“I love you, happy Valentine’s Day”

[90363462]

Kanye West Allegedly Showed Explicit Images Of Kim Kardashian To Adidas Employees As An 'Intimidation Tactic'

Kanye West, what the f**k??

As the Chicago native continues to make headlines with his past behavior in the wake of his damaging antisemitic comments, this latest bit is really on another level. He allegedly showed explicit, adult-themed shots of Kim Kardashian and other pornographic images to Yeezy brand staffers working on the Adidas partnership.

That’s the accusation levied against the Jesus Walks rapper this week, at least, following a bombshell report that was published on Tuesday night. In a feature released by Rolling Stone, ex-employees of his accuse him of share explicit images of his now-ex-wife and more in work meetings as an “intimidation tactic.”

Related: Kanye Ditches Divorce Deposition Against Kim — Judge Gives Him One Last Chance!

In one allegation, a young staffer claimed the Heartless rapper allegedly pulled up “a very revealing and personal” photo of Kim on his phone during a job interview in 2018. Another former employee remembered a time when West allegedly showed an explicit video of the SKIMS mogul to the Yeezy brand’s entire creative team that same year.

When Rolling Stone asked for confirmation from a third Yeezy staffer, that person alleged he had reportedly routinely ventured into that territory with sharing adult images:

“[Ye was] not afraid to show explicit images or talk about situations that should be kept private.”

Gross…

Staffers alleged to the outlet that Ye often showed adult filmsduring what should have been work meetings. One former collaborator claimed:

“He showed me the video of Francesca Le, a buff porn star with a strap-on dildo f**king another girl in the a**. He’s like, ‘what do you think of it?’ Not laughing at all.”

Two other creatives claim West also showed them “homemade sex tapes” of the rapper “engaging in sexual activities with women.” One employee alleged West “specifically” targeted female staff. Another ex-collaborator explained:

“At the time I found it odd but in line with his persona as an edgy artist. Now, seeing it within a larger pattern, I feel it was a tactic to break a person down and establish their unwavering allegiance to him, testing and destroying people’s boundaries.”

All this comes amid the release of an open letter titled The Truth About Yeezy: A Call to Action for Adidas Leadership. The letter was first obtained by the mag and reported on in Tuesday night’s feature. In the letter, “high-ranking” Yeezy employees called out Adidas execs for having “turned their moral compass off” in allowing Ye to allegedly create an “abusive” culture.

One staffer lamented:

“There was no accountability. Difficult moments happened, with executives in the room — VP level or higher — and nothing would be done. You’d still show up to work the next day.”

The open letter was sent to several Adidas executive board members and the company’s newly-installed CEO last night, in addition to it being obtained by Rolling Stone.

Related: Kim Spotted Rocking Yeezys Amid Kanye’s Antisemitic Acts And Return To Twitter

In it, several former high-ranking employees at Yeezy urged the company to address “the toxic and chaotic environment that Kanye West created,” along with his allegedly “very sick pattern of predacious behavior toward women.” The note added, in part:

“He has, in years past, exploded at women in the room with offensive remarks, and would resort to sexually disturbing references when providing design feedback. This type of response from a brand partner is one that Adidas employees should never be subjected to, nor should Adidas leadership ever tolerate.”

Adidas offered a tepid response to the letter, telling the mag:

“[Adidas] will not discuss private conversations, details, or events that lead [sic] to our decision to terminate the Adidas Yeezy partnership and decline to comment on any related speculation.”

Oof.

You can read the full Rolling Stone feature HERE. Per Page Six, Kim’s reps have not responded to a request for comment. Meanwhile, the mag shared West “recently stopped working with his publicist” and thus “could not be reached for comment through direct messages or intermediaries.” Jeez. What a violation of his then-wife’s privacy! Ugh!! Reactions, Perezcious readers?

[Image via Kim Kardashian/Instagram/WENN]

Sent from my iPhone

[nuri148]

I posted 1,025 times in 2022

That's 1,025 more posts than 2021!

85 posts created (8%)

940 posts reblogged (92%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@a-slut-for-smut

@onigiri-dorkk

@warbarbie

@lucysarah-c

@youre-ackermine

I tagged 189 of my posts in 2022

#aot fanfiction - 53 posts

#levi ackerman - 44 posts

#rivamika - 43 posts

#writing fanfic - 40 posts

#writerslife - 36 posts

#aot - 36 posts

#aot levi - 33 posts

#shingeki no kyojin - 27 posts

#snk - 24 posts

#mikasa ackerman - 20 posts

Longest Tag: 83 characters

#i guess i'll just go nekkid with a strap of insulating tape around my privates then

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

No one so far seems to have found the little easter egg I put in there...

(or they did but didn't give a fuck about it but I choose to believe!)

19 notes - Posted October 16, 2022

#4

I posted my first Fanfic!

22 notes - Posted July 9, 2022

#3

Ok, so in a confusing turn of events I somehow wrote the first ~600 words of my Royalty AU and now I have two WIPs?

WTF.

Anyhoo, I'm still undecided about some stuff so let me ask y'all something: which AoT male character you'd absolutely not ship with our Princess!Mikasa?

(don't worry, I won't torture her much... but I certainly want to vex her.)

23 notes - Posted October 3, 2022

#2

I'm supposedly editing but

I keep getting distracted and just reading my own fic? I guess that's good?

27 notes - Posted July 29, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Among the many stories I sometimes imagine but never get to write, there's one I'm tempted to try as a Royalty AU.

What say you?

Should I give Princess!Mikasa a shot?

36 notes - Posted September 30, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[the-firebird69]

Election 2024 results: AP declares Trump the winner after victory in Wisconsin | AP News

The fighting on the bases are indicative of fighting elsewhere and they usually start elsewhere and end up on the basis in the USA and elsewhere. United States bases are all over the world at this time and they're very big and they're fighting over them and Trump's people are losing as they usually do but now they're losing completely and people do not want him in office. It is translated to other areas of life and it goes to the food industry distribution water all sorts of threats Trump is levying are being negated by people and he is being physically removed from a lot of facilities nuclear facilities power generation and it's because of what he's saying and having those people say and trying to do and it is wide scale he's trying to do another coup and he is getting creamed he's also trying to get to his stashes and caches and bja has engaged him at half of those that he has cordoned off and he is crushing Trump and he does not have a chance to defeat VGA because he is ill and thinks he has Dave's computer and oxymoron in the first place and it's worse now because the computer is most likely gone.

Allegiant Air is not a private company and is owned by shareholders and Trump doesn't hv controlling share. And allegiant owns the luxury hotel Trump forced our son to and restricts his movements and food purchases and reduced the time of stay is basically a jackass to him we hit him here pull him out use it. His president attitude and his plan to dominate Earth. On him and his now. And yeh your a fuck up trump by being there having won apparent, yet, they mentioned it several times polling stations were not clean. And charges will be filed today by Harris and Tom and to claim the victory and in many key states. Tons of crimes. Threats and all well taped witnessed they are not going to hand it to you they hv Thier fleets in heavy out armies up. And will hit you shortly too. This a.m. out west and more here. in the east too. They hv several targets yousyvwant to know about. All your bunker complexes to get you back. All your computers to shut you up. And most cities. Strongholds in them. Most all cities yes. And clears bases. Anywhere he goes psuedo empire attacks. Now too.

Thor Freya

And I'm mad hate ppl can't stand it here or anywhere I'm president I win ok.

Trump

Haha your an idiot Trump

Hera Zues

Fine so I die so what ok

Trump

That's the idea still working yup

Mac daddy out then idiot

No I won't you can't mk me and I stand behind my conviction

Trump

You arexa criminal we don't recognize you as our president no we don't. We shall send formal papers your act is atrocious. And move to remove you shortly.

Hera

And begin an aggressive program to reverse the fake results as my son has picked up the assignment and his wife. Savage Oppress

Zues

Goid

Hera

Great. We do this had a team in place but calls me to kick it off great good. Another feather in my cap I needed it yesterday. We do this and will be successful. Yes.

Savage Oppress

Awesome

Hera

Us too yes of course but we see him dig in now what do we hv and we work what a vulgar person this Trump is ok all vulgar

Olympus

We work now. Trump defeated call over calls troops we respond flatten him and other groups are too

Thor Freya

He forced his way in. Joe didn't is a good president this oaf tried to take it by force all night is a dead man

Mac daddy

Oh ok I see I'm dead and no ppl don't try what I do. Why am I dead ok cando it will I see. So I'm president lol elect and try now so I can and will nobody said I had to be in office. Oh

Trump

We said you die as Lincoln but that was cheeseman yes he takes the role over. Loses but you die prior to January 20th seen in Lost in space the movie and dated by the outfit and things on set. Etc

Mac daddy

No no your wrong I hit him he left ok onto the bus hits me oh you can see him ok

Trump

Out then Imbicile no

Your so lame we hit you trrump

Bill lund

Olympus

[refugeecats3]

Kleptocracy is biological. It consumes everything in its path like a parasite.

In Russia it ate Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky and shit out alcoholism and hopelessness.

Justin Kennedy (justice kennedys son) was the inside man at Deutsche bank that was getting all trumps toxic loans approved.

No other bank but Deutsche bank would touch trump and his imaginary valuations.

Why?

Because Deutsche bank was infested with Russian oligarchs.

For 50 years the oligarchs consumed everything in soviet Russia. They stole everything of value including the hope of Russians.

The corruption eventually collapsed the Soviet Union like the carcass of a parasite riddled host and the oligarchs were forced to expand their feeding grounds.

In 89 the Soviet Union fails and for a couple of years they hid all their ill gotten gains under a mattress until they started buying condos at trump towers.

They made stops in Ukraine, Cyprus and London but they landed in New York because that was what everyone wanted in the late 80’s.

Levi’s, Pepsi, Madonna tapes that weren’t smuggled bootlegs, Wall Street cocaine

They all bought new suits and cars and changed their title from “most violent street thug in moscow” to “respectable Russian oligarch” but they didn’t leave their human trafficking, narcotics or extortion behind. It was their most lucrative business model.

Trump and Giuliani just opened the doors and let the predators in to feed. They all bought condos at trump towers and used trumps casinos to launder their money.

In 89 three of trumps casino execs start asking why their books don’t make sense and they die in a helicopter crash that Roger Stone pulls trump off of at the last minute.

https://pressofatlanticcity.com/gallery/oct-10-1989-3-trump-execs-2-pilots-die-as-helicopter-crashes-in-parkway-median/article_40ea7e95-9309-5e01-89ba-7f6c30409ff3.html

Guiliani redirected NYPD resources away from his Russian allies intentionally and onto the Italian mob. It let him claim he cleaned up New York and it lets the russians a perk of doing business with trump.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/09/a-new-rudy-scandal-fbi-agent-says-giuliani-was-co-opted-by-russian-intelligence/

The attorney/client privilege is their continual work around they use to accept bribes and make payments up and down the mob pyramid.

The insane valuations coming out in trumps fraud trial are a necessity of the money laundering cycle that duetschebank was doing with the Russians.

The reason trump cosplays as “folksy” is because he is feeding on the U.S. middle class, not because he is one of us.

The GOP fell in line to MAGA because Trump did what pathological liars do, they told them anything they wanted to hear.

Trump with his money laundering and child raping buddy Epstein, Roger Stone with his sex clubs in DC and Nevada, and Paul Manafort with his election rigging pretty much everywhere, sat down at a table with Mike Johnson and the extreme religious right and convinced them that they were the same.

They self evidently are not, at least at a surface level, but there is enough common ground in the exploitation of children, Russian kompromat, desire for unilateral control that they became the worlds weirdest and most dysfunctional orgy.

Trump belongs to the authoritarians. The GOP now belongs to trump.

But their overall goal is the same.

Kleptocracy.

Putin became one of the richest people in the world by stealing from Russians first. The Russian oligarchs used perestroika to privatize all the assets of the USSR by stealing them from the hands of the decent people because that’s what predators do.

We don’t have a political problem. We have a predator problem. Like murder hornets that invade a beehive and destroy a bee every 14 seconds until the hive collapses the oligarchs want to move into the United States and do the same because none of them want to live in Russia.

Who would? after all, it was destroyed by oligarchs and nobody steps away from the mob, they get retired through violent means.

But all these oligarchs are old now and know they can’t keep ahead of the slightly more violent and ambitious lion cub beneath them who is growing tired of paying the old man when he does all the dirty work.

The soviet oligarchs ate Russia to death with their greed. Then Ukraine. Now they are designing a perestroika 2.0 to put 330 million Americans into real estate default so they can come in and buy everything up at 3 cents on the dollar. Trump just enabled them.

It’s the collapse of the USSR, American edition using the naive and compromised GOP as their assault force, But your slave masters are the same. The 3% that are so devoid of empathy that they put their wealth above everything else

Kolomoisky was the putin puppet in Ukraine that bought most of downtown Cleveland.

Before that he started privatbank which was taking IMF loans which the oligarchs would loan to themselves and never repay.

When the IMF figured it out they tried to force Zelensky to have the Ukrainian people pay it back before they would extend any more aid.

Kolomoisky wasn’t alone. He was just the crossroads between Rudy Giuliani, trump and Kushner.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/inside-anatevka-the-curious-chabad-hamlet-in-ukraine-where-giuliani-is-mayor/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/giuliani-associates-leveraged-gop-access-to-seek-ukraine-gas-deal/

When Ukraine arrested him last year for corruption it cracked the whole network open.

Trump can’t stop lying now or his MAGA base tears him apart when they realize he is literally the man who stole the world.

Trump is a pathological liar. But lying is an expensive habit. If you tell the truth, you can say it once and it’s finished. You have expelled all the energy necessary for it to stand on its own for eternity.

Lying requires infinite and exponentially more energy input in the form of more lies, bribes, extortion and murder to keep it covered.

Trump is now testing this theory on a worldwide scale.

Putin is tied to him by the purse strings and so is everyone who pushes Putin’s narrative because puppet strings work both directions. Why would any sane human push a psychopaths lies unless they are heavily invested in it?

The difference is, this is the first time in known human history that the Information Age happened. You can hide your neighborhood bullshit in 1980. It’s harder in 2000. By 2024 the internet knows more about a narcissistic oligarchs movements than he knows about himself.

It’s just a matter of organizing that data.

They couldn’t self regulate their greed. It’s just following the roach trail back to nest after that.

https://www.ft.com/content/8c6d9dca-882c-11e7-bf50-e1c239b45787

https://www.amlintelligence.com/2020/09/deutsche-bank-suffers-worst-damage-over-massive-aml-discrepancies-in-fincen-leaks/

https://www.occrp.org/en/the-fincen-files/global-banks-defy-us-crackdowns-by-serving-oligarchs-criminals-and-terrorists

https://www.voanews.com/amp/us-lifts-sanctions-on-rusal-other-firms-linked-to-russia-deripaska/4761037.html

https://democrats-intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/final_-_minority_status_of_the_russia_investigation_with_appendices.pdf

#196

[atlanticcanada]

Rough road: should the New Brunswick government help maintain private streets?

Mike Greene is trying to make the best of a bad situation.

The Pointe-du-Chêne man sits on a lawn chair in the middle of a giant puddle with a measuring tape, not far from where he lives.

Green calls Queen Street and Fernwood Avenue two of the worst roads in all of the Maritimes.

“I actually had an ex-navy buddy visit me this weekend past who has been in many war zones. And he said he’s been in a lot of war zones all around the world with roads a lot better than this and I thought that was pretty telling,” said Greene.

The two private roads are the main arteries in the cottage and retirement community.

There’s no doubt they’re in rough shape, but who is responsible for maintaining them?

Not the municipality of Shediac, according to mayor Roger Caissie.

“The municipality does not provide any maintenance to residents who reside on private roads, whether they are in former local service districts or within the former Town of Shediac municipal limits,” said Caissie in an email.

However, the province does provide some services.

Department of Transportation and Infrastructure [DTI] spokesperson Tyler McLean told CTV News the roads are provided winter maintenance services and grading of the private roads is normally carried out twice a year if required.

Once in the spring when plowing is completed and in the fall to prepare for snow removal.

“All additional work on these roads is the responsibility of the private road owner,” said McLean in an email.

Greene doesn’t think that’s fair to tax-paying residents.

“Those permanent residents are paying full municipal taxes and the cottage owners are paying double if they’re not permanent residents. So we’re all paying a large amount of taxes basically for garbage collection and some sewage and that’s it,” said Greene.

Shediac municipal councillor Harry McInroy thinks the same.

He believes DTI should be doing more for residents in the area.

“What they do provide is what’s called a courtesy service,” said McInroy. “Considering the amount of tax dollars that are collected for road maintenance from the Pointe-du-Chêne area, there’s certainly a lot of money that could be put back into upgrading the roads somewhat.”

McInroy suggested having gravel added when grading takes place.

“I’d like to hold DTI to the highest level it can provide through its courtesy service,” said McInroy.

McInroy said he’s been told it will be at least two weeks before grading work can be started because the roads are too wet right now.

Area resident Don Duncan said he drives around Queen Street every day to get home.

“I don’t dare take my vehicle down through there,” said Duncan.

Duncan said someone in the Parlee Beach community has to step up to see that roads are properly maintained.

I think that’s the big thing because it’s a private road,” said Duncan. “So, somebody is eventually going to have to say, ‘Okay, we’ve got the resources, we’ve got the money,’ every year or every couple of years to do repairs on the road for us.”

McInroy, who lives nearby, said he pays almost $1,200 a year for a provincial services tax levied on properties in Pointe-du-Chene just for road maintenance.

“I would encourage the Department of Transportation to spend some of the money that it does collect through residential taxes from Point-du-Chene [residents] and bring it back to apply to some upgrades to the existing roads,” said McInroy. “In my case, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure doesn't even come on our road.”

McInroy said there is an area homeowners association that was responsible for getting a section of the busy Belliveau Beach Road paved last fall.

“The association was very effective in making arrangements to get a grant, actually from the government oddly enough, to have the road repaved, patched and repaved for that particular section,” said McInroy.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/jQhcO1g

[belphies-cowgirl]

obey me headcanons pt. 2

word count: 900+

Lucifer tries to pick you a single red rose from the garden at the demon lord's castle each time he visits (sometimes Barbatos catches him, and Lucifer plays it off as him just leaning down to tie his shoes) the roses are hung along the ceiling trims in your room, adorned with a white ribbon to hold the stems together.

"here MC, let me help you hang those up, I told you to stop standing on chairs like that, what if you fall?"

"Luci, don't you know that red roses symbolize love and admiration?"

Mammon will NEVER admit this to ANYONE, but he has a secret savings account solely for buying you gifts. he claims he had the money to buy you something from the extra shifts he worked.

"Mams what's this? it's so lovely!"

"gah! here t-take it, it's for you, and don't go blabbing off to my brothers about this!"

Levi will purposely lose at games sometimes just so he can see the way your face lights up in excitement when you win. he absolutely adores the little lines on your face when you smile and the way you grab onto him in excitement.

"oh my gosh, Levi look I did it! aren't you proud of me?"

"y-yeah MC, good job, but let me s-show you some tricks on how to beat your previous score. t-that is if you can b-beat me again next round!"

Satan once asked Solomon to help him visit the human world so he could look for books that you loved before you came down to the Devildom. shortly after his return, he summoned you to his room and pushed the stack of books into your arms with rosy cheeks.

"here you might like these, I found them lying around while I was organizing my books."

"woah, I used to read these books all the time back in the human world. I didn't think I'd be able to read them again, thank you so much Satan!"

Asmo handmade you and him matching rose gold and silky-textured pj sets, and he expects you to wear it when you and him have sleepovers. he can't help but run his hands all over the soft fabric, his fingers leaving trail marks in the velvet as he runs them along your curves.

"oh MC! you're so cute!! I could just cuddle you to death~"

"Asmo please you're gonna squish me!"

Beel likes to make late-night snacks in the shape of little stars, as well as suns and moons (if he can manage not to eat them all before bringing them to your room to share with you)

"awh, Beel these are so cute! I guess I'm the stars, you're the suns, and Belphie is the moons!"

*munch* "yeah MC, that's right, i'm glad you like them. whenever Belphie and I look at the stars together, we always think about you." *munch*

Belphie will without a doubt take a nap on your lap or your shoulder, no matter the place. if you're lounging in the common room with his brothers, he will curl up in your lap and wrap his tail around your leg and link one of his fingers with yours.

*yawn* "MC, uncross your legs please, I'm so sleepy."

"okay, but don't drool on me this time."

Diavolo likes when you organize his stationery. he likes that you make sure everything is in its place, so when he's so immersed in paperwork he doesn't have to stop to search for what he needs (you once gave him a sticky note that says "I'm proud of you for working so hard <3" and he has it taped on his desk)

"MC, i've finished my paperwork, so how about we go out for dinner? I haven't seen you all week, and i've missed you."

"we see each other every morning, silly, but yes I would love to have dinner with you."

Barbatos once got so worried that you wouldn't want to be with him anymore due to him being so busy, that it started to distract him from his daily tasks. so he asked Diavolo if once a week he could have a longer break than usual so that he could spend time with you and remind you how much he loves and cherishes you.

"MC, I think about you all the time. when I am not busy, I would like to spend and cherish every minute with you."

"oh Barb, i'm so happy you feel that way! I was so worried that you didn't want to be with me anymore."

Simeon keeps a private journal so that he can spill his heart out for you onto the pages. he gifts it to you once every page is inked with words of his eternal love for you.

"MC, I hope you will love this as much as I love you."

"Simeon, this is beautiful, I didn't know you felt this way about me, I love you so much!"

Solomon gifted you a charmed locket that allowed you to feel his heartbeat, he wants you to know that his heart will never stop beating for you whether the two of you are together or apart.

"nice try MC, but you won't be able to fluster me that easily."

"if that's the case, then why is your heart beating so fast?"

Luke will run to you and hug you whenever he's being teased, he'll turn his head to the side and stick his tongue out at Lucifer and his brothers.

*sob* "MC, they won't stop teasing me!"

"guys stop being so mean to my sweet little angel!"

✄ ——————————————————————

feel free to comment, reblog, shoot me a message, or an ask <3

please do not use my work as your own!

m.list

[rivangel]

Canal pt.4: Passion and Persistence

work summary » You think the greatest feat of your career is upon you when a mythical creature is stolen from the sea and thrust into your life—then, stubbornly, into your heart.

You both learn there is more to each other than circumstances, and appearances, let on—until an accident threatens to tear you apart. Soon, both of your fates depend on defending everything you’ve worked to build, or setting him free.

ch.summary: Erwin's intentions defy all expectations, which encourages you and Levi grow closer than ever. With just a few hiccups, the rest comes naturally.

Only, when said plan unravels before your and Levi's eyes, the foundations of your relationship are put into question. Levi's true feelings show themselves.

content/warnings: mer!Levi is so cute, unexpected allies, loss of virginity (kind of), imposter syndrome, minor descriptions of blood, misunderstandings, NDE, masturbation, praise, dirty talk, rivals, descriptions of a panic attack, learning to trust, (over)protective Levi

wc: 14.0k

a/n: i did my best in researching for this ch... i know it's long... i also realized some parts feel rushed but this story was supposed to be SHORT......have mercy🥺

anyway until next month time!

previous part・work masterpost・last part

taglist: @ackermandick | @audreys-works | @ackermandick | @sckerman | @katty | @jayteacups | @notgoodforlife | @chaotic-nick | @b-o-n-e-daddy | @levisbrat25 | @1-800-mocha | @oh-my-bakura-akefia | @happybird16 | @s0levis | @Rogue_variant | @sparkywrites25 | + link to sign up

You paced around the private bathroom—because of course a restaurant on a boat had private bathrooms—in a carefully concealed panic.

“So, just to be sure, you saw absolutely nothing.”

“Yeah, that’s what it’ll seem like,” Eren replied.

God, you could slam your head against a wall.

This morning, you had called Eren in a panic about the cameras, being so distracted by Levi that they had never crossed your mind. That wasn’t like you, but then again, Levi made you feel and do many things “unlike” you.

“The tapes were erased,” you stated, expecting an affirmative.

“I never saw them.”

“‘I never saw them’ as in you erased them, or you don’t know where they are?”

Eren said your name through a heap of laughter. “They’re gone. Dead. Thrown out into outer space. Is that what you wanna hear?—Look, I had no interest in… you know, so.”

“...What about Mikasa.”

He coughed. “She’s getting ideas; nothing to do with you. Look, I have to go, but good luck and everything.

“You don’t have to give me more weed—”

“Eren you can’t just say that—”

“—but if you do, cool. Talk to ya later.”

You took a good, many moments to calm down, including splashing water on your face and pacing in a few circles for a while. Eren was a good person, but younger than you, different, and thus: frustrating.

But, he was a good person.

Tonight was the night you and Hange were to confront Erwin on your entire scheme, and to be fair, it didn’t look like it would be a longshot: Levi had recovered healthwise completely, and Hange in their reports went on about how great he was behaving and how much progress had been achieved.

(This was not true based on what Levi said, but they improvised at the best of times, and what was one white lie? ...A lot in your opinion, but the point still stood.)

All your nerve silently shriveled up and died however as you stepped out of the bathroom and spotted Erwin and Hange conversing at your table. 

Were they… getting ready to leave? Whenever you went to the bathroom, Erwin hadn’t even arrived!

‘Um’ was the first “word” out of your mouth as soon as you approached. Hange was apologizing to the waitress. 

“Erwin?”

He said your name in return, answering nothing for you.

“We’ll take my car!” Hange burst, the waitress scurrying her way back to the kitchen. They looked more frantic than even Hange ever was, which set off alarm bells in your head.

“We should carpool,” Erwin replied, and didn’t wait up.

What’s going on? you mouthed to Hange.

They took your arm, mildly jolting you like a shock of electricity from the sudden contact. 

They paid no mind as your feet launched into motion. “You were taking ages in there, and I mentioned Levi once, and all the sudden—”

Your eyes widened.

“—Erwin said he already had ‘plans’ in mind that he needs your permission to conduct, and I’m a marine scientist, not a rocket one, and I think he wants to get rid of Levi.”

You shook your head all the way down the short wooden steps on the dock, reeling to catch up. Warm sea air hit you in the face.

All this, and your stomach decided to growl in-between that tiny moment after you had settled in Hange’s car and before they cranked the engine.

“Why do you think he wants to get rid of Levi, again?” you asked, before they could laugh.

Hange turned the wheel, their head craning in search of Erwin’s SUV. “Because, Erwin’s even smarter than you give him credit for, and he wouldn’t be in such a panic by one word about Levi. He must’ve figured out why we were there, and came up with a contingency plan.

“And so, we’re hurrying,” they sighed lightly. “We all know how you are about Levi, too.”

“How I am,” you sounded out. You decided to ignore that.

For Erwin, you would have called this a panic for sure. If he was anything, it was calm and confident, and to rush out of dinner like that with a sudden plan to meet inside the canal on a Saturday evening?

This couldn’t be good.

The drive was arduous and endless. You could have mistaken yourself for the main character on an episode of The Twilight Zone for how unreal the passing scenery and the hum of Hange’s engine seemed to be, droning on and on, forever.

Your mind was busy with scenarios.

‘Getting rid of Levi’ could lead to a few things, but each path led to an iron fist; say, the government for dissection, weapons’ testing, crap—maybe a museum, even though that didn’t match Erwin’s grandiose style.

You tailed Erwin all the way there, and with the rank he had, he requested access to the front gates with ease. The same could be said of the canal by the time you and Hange had, somewhat begrudgingly, caught up to him.

Your heart was beating like a racehorse in your chest to match your hurried pace, because for all your fear, you weren’t one to back down from much of anything. 

All you could think of, in that winding trail through the dark canal, was Levi. The dim light made it easy to picture his visage in your head, or to recall the time he escaped, right in your steps. It made you yearn, oddly, for simpler times.

Erwin brushed the flaps of the canal aside without bothering with safety equipment, you noticed. Nothing hands-on would be happening tonight; nothing… drastic.

“This is far enough.” Erwin abruptly turned, and without skipping a beat, “You two..." He sighed. "I deceived you, just as you deceived me.”

You all stood before the canal, where, many halls away, Levi was either asleep (if he did sleep), or awake, you imagined mourning Isabel and Farlan still.

Your face turned hot. “Yes, well—”

“What do you mean?” Hange squeaked.

Erwin’s lips pressed, solemn. “That restaurant was no place to be discreet.” He seemed to wrestle with a choice. “We’re not seeing Levi. Come with me.”

In tune with your better judgment, you did, and filed into the elevator that climbed up to Erwin’s office. He let you all in, but no one sat. He kneeled behind his desk, and began to pull out files—all on Levi, you guessed. Drawers whined.

Erwin then stood, and said your name. “You were correct, as usual. Your… passion made my plans difficult to carry out, and I worried your persistence would as well. For all our sakes, be glad it didn’t.”

You worried your fingers together and waited, as usual, for Erwin to get to the point. Levi would have hated to have a conversation with him.

“Passion and persistence.” Hange blew a raspberry and finally plopped down in one of Erwin’s leather armchairs. “So what? What do you want, Erwin, uh, sir? Get to the juicy part!”

Erwin’s eyes flashed. “I want the same thing you two do. For Levi, the mer, to be elsewhere. Out of captivity.”

Erwin slid the files towards you. They were reports and email exchanges between him and—

Oh.

“Tell Hange what I’m reading, sir,” you requested, brows knit with focus as you pulled Erwin’s notes apart. By all accounts, his actions had strictly opposed freeing Levi.

“Marie,” Erwin answered, as if that explained it all. It was a name he seemed reluctant to say.

It did, to anyone familiar with Erwin’s wife. Between like-minded people like you, Erwin and Hange, she was a household name for her work in endangered animal preservation and recapture, usually from testing facilities or other companies which could have been dubbed… inhumane.

“Your—” Hange stopped themself. “I see.”

As good enough terms as they were on, Erwin and Marie were not together anymore. The refuge she owned and operated was located in a completely different country, bordering a completely different sea from your own.

This changed things.

“While she and I spoke, and I contracted some… necessary jobs, such as shipment, I needed discreteness. As few minds as possible should’ve been around Levi, who knew as little as possible.”

“Ouch,” Hange retorted.

Erwin smiled ruefully. “My apologies. I don’t mean anything by it, Doctor.”

They waved their hand, rolling their eyes. “Give me a heart attack, why don’t ya.”

“And of course,” Erwin looked at you, “your passion made this operation difficult. You must understand—”

“I do understand,” you cut in without looking at him, and you did. “You had no way to know my intentions, and whether they were true or not. 

“Well, they should be obvious now. What do we do next, Director?”

Erwin smiled like a schoolboy.

By all accounts, the complete unexpected was happening. You began to conduct a plan.

You ignored fleeting looks from your subordinates as they passed out of Sector 3, having been given their new assignments this morning.

Considering your reputation, you doubted it had been surprising news, but after the “incident” (so it was called) between you and Levi and your near-drowning, exaggerations stretched the story and lies festered. 

It wasn’t a popular choice to issue dismissals from Levi’s case, ironically in the opinion of everyone except those who worked with him firsthand, and thus knew how crass he was.

Either way, a non-disclosure agreement prevented them all, by law, from saying anything.

“You’re still working at a time like this?” you asked Erwin, smirking a little. He stood by the wall, seemingly sketching something in long strokes.

He smirked, too.

Seeing how he had never met Levi in person, you figured he would be in a bigger rush. He was as curious as Hange at heart, if not more, but then again, he wouldn’t be seeing him for long. 

You wondered if it was jealousy, Erwin being everything an explorer was, but doing none of the things an explorer did. That would have been a sad role, but for his actions you were thankful.

“You know me,” he chuckled lightly. “Always up to something, hm?”

A shriek echoes from down the hall. You looked around, and you hadn’t noticed, but Hange had disappeared. Erwin looked up as well, the frown evident on his face.

It sounded like one of their happy shrieks, so you jogged faster in the direction it came from, your lanyard bouncing around your neck as you went.

“He spoke to me! He spoke to me!” they yelled as soon as you appeared in the doorway, all to the sight of Levi sat up in that awful tank, ears flared and killing Hange with his glare.

Nothing seemed amiss enough to piss Levi off, but you knew how Hange’s… Hange-ness made him feel.

After his glare darted over to you, it eased a little, but didn’t subside. Things being the way they were, it was impossible for Levi to get in the know with anything as soon as it happened, and that was especially true now.

“What did you say…?” you asked Levi as you wandered over to the specially-designed stretcher which had evidently been shoved aside, and fixed it. Its metal rungs and wheels weren’t unlike the ones for people, except it was much bigger, and dipped in a bowl shape.

(Hange’s design. Orcas and similar whales were always transported using crates, and you planned to run Levi just a couple minutes through hallways. You refused to let him drag himself along before he was even given a choice in the whole matter.)

“Told ‘em to quit touching me with their disgusting hands,” Levi snipped under his breath. He eyed the “bowl” with much reluctance.

Hange pouted, and raised their arms. “I’m wearing gloves.”

“Gloves tainted by disgusting hands.”

“Alright.” You snickered despite yourself. They got along, kind of. “Levi, you’re going to meet Erwin today.”

“The one that bosses you around.”

He wasn’t entirely wrong, but you didn’t like the growing look of disdain spreading across his pretty features.

His nose scrunched. “What’ve you got to be nervous of?”

Hange ushered Erwin inside. “His sense of smell! I forgot. Quick, Levi, what does Director Erwin smell like?”

Levi’s head turned sharply towards the burly man in the doorway, who stood as straight and knowing as a flying arrow.

Levi frowned. “...Can’t tell.”

Your eyes practically bulged out of your head. “You can’t tell?” 

So much for Mike calling you out for being Erwin’s “copycat” whenever you were in the same room together. Were you that obvious, or Erwin that surreptitious?

Erwin introduced himself with a cordial nod and held his hand out for Levi to shake. Curiosity shone in his blue eyes. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Levi’s eyes reeked with suspicion toward the hand. He grasped it, but slid away before Erwin could grip it.

You got a sense of deja vu, thinking back on the time Levi snatched your wrist and made a decision about your character based on the touch of your hand alone.

“You have soft hands for someone in such high rank,” Levi said.

As usual, it was an odd time for Erwin to smile. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Levi narrowed his eyes. “It’s your funeral.”

“Jeez,” Hange laughed. “Alright, enough animosity, let’s get going. Levi, play nice, and you—” Hange pointed in your direction, “—if he doesn’t, make him, please.”

Levi and you matched the same gawking expressions (if his being a little more reserved).

“You aren’t serious—”

“I’m not gonna make him do anything.”

“Enough,” Erwin stated calmly, louder over your both. “Let’s go. Levi, you’re going to stay somewhere else from now on.”

Then Erwin glanced at you. “I assume he’ll go willingly?”

Your brows knit. You didn't like this new-found animosity Levi had sparked between them, one you weren't sure why even existed.

“Of course, sir.”

Levi didn’t seem to trust any of this, but with a reassuring smile from you, he obediently, almost eagerly, shuffled from the tank and neatly slid into the round stretcher. A shallow layer of water would keep him from drying out, and any accidental splashing.

“It’s going to be bigger,” you told him, before Levi had to ask. “Lots of water, and more heat so it’s like being outside.”

Hange joined in. “It’s going to be great.”

Levi didn’t look pleased exactly; he was still eyeing Erwin with some suspicion. Had he somehow sensed Erwin’s deceit from before? The satchel around your middle, the objects inside, weighed heavily.

Still, he didn’t complain beyond Hange’s sloppy pushing as the stretcher rolled into the bright hallway, joined by you. Erwin went first.

“You don’t have to…” Levi stalled. “Tell me more about this place.”

He wasn’t talking to Hange, but they spoke anyway. “I’d love to! Our good doctor once had quite the fascination with albinos! Manatees, seals, sharks, you name it!”

You blanched.

Levi looked at you blandly. “Sharks, huh?”

“A side-project,” you argued, more to Hange than Levi. A sweat had broken out on your brow for all your hard work. “And those animals don’t have long lifespans; they can’t blend in with the rest of their species, so they’re often isolated, and much more vulnerable to predators. Even sharks.”

Before you could observe the growing sullen look on Levi’s face for what it was, Erwin cut in, “Preserving their lives is important for the sake of knowledge, but at the cost of their well-being. If we can learn…”

You were dragged into your head again by Levi, who wasn’t paying attention to Erwin’s noble speech, but neither was he looking at you. Arms crossed, his fingers smoothed over the bend of his tail, thinking something over.

“Tell me what all this is about already,” Levi demanded. “I don’t have much choice in it, right?”

“Not exactly true,” you disagreed.

Levi’s head tilted as Hange gave him a cheshire grin. “Just wait.”

—

This exhibit of yours was not unlike penguin and seal exhibits at some aquariums, but yours was a mirror image of a sandbar belonging to any unnoteworthy cove. Warm, salty water was contained by glass panes taking up the majority of the area in an L shape. 

It was nowhere near the size of the wavepool, but it spared plenty of space for sea mammals around Levi’s size; an olympic swimming pool, you would estimate. In order to reach it, you would ascend the platform via a short set of stairs.

The walls were standard for the complex, but areas of water stretched deeply and sloped up to “sandbars” with artificial sand. Ponds dipped into the area here and there, but Levi had the most room to swim here.

He immediately crawled to the end of the “bowl”, sloshing water as the glass doors separated, and you entered. His throat made a shrill chirping noise, causing the one out of two flabby albino seals to bark at him.

In lieu of having any real place to transfer them that would support their needed habitat exactly, and there being a total of four here—two seals, and two manatees—you made a decision.

“Does the company bother you?” Erwin asked Levi, brushing by the two of you and shuttering a switch that would power up the heating lights overhead.

“No,” Levi said. Though it was only a bland quip with his back turned away from you, you noticed his tail waving slightly and bit on a smile. 

Hange pushed off of the cart and stretched their arms behind their head. “Hot damn, you’re really heavy, Grumpy, you know that?”

Surprisingly, Levi didn’t entertain the jab. He only scoffed in the water's direction before pushing himself up and cocking his head over his shoulder at you, waiting for your word.

After rounding the “bowl”, you gestured to the glass wall before him, as thick as a cinderblock. The top was level with the top of his head. “Hop up here for me.” 

Levi ducked away from your eyes and shifted around, lifting his backside up on the glass. Even though he would be scandalized to accept any help, you kept your hands outstretched a tad just in case.

One hand fell into the water and waved around. His nose scrunched before he chirped, you thought in approval.

Your brow quirked. “Is it to your standards?”

“Repeat.”

“Is it good?”

Levi hummed.

His wet tail flopped as he maneuvered over the edge. The water tore apart as Levi dunked in, shaking his hair out and then, naturally, abandoning you all to explore his new (temporary) surroundings.

Glancing back towards Hange, they were practically swooning. Once they caught your eye, their hand slammed down on their chest, dramatically professing, “O, be still my beating heart! How could I ever compete?”

And then, again serious, they turned to Erwin. “Kicking them off Levi’s study was the only wrong decision you’ve ever made, hope you know. Sir.”

Erwin frowned. “As I said, it was for a good cause.”

“Have you ever heard a joke before?”

Erwin deadpanned.

You snorted at them both and walked around to the steps that led to the platform, followed by a small gate. 

Hange followed, while Erwin idled around the glass edge. He was so tall that he could comfortably rest his arms and watch from afar. He reminded you of a movie director.

The floor was made of poorly-concealed planks that functioned more like metal. It groaned under your feet as you propped an observation chair near the edge. Hange was retrieving a bucket of fish for the manatees.

At your arrival, one with patches of grey over blinding white blubber idled along the surface.

It randomly occurred to you that it would be fun to tell Levi that story about early accounts of mermaids by English settlers: they had mistaken manatees for mers. His reaction would be cute.

Levi glided seamlessly through the water, as if he was made of water itself, before surfacing. You were almost disappointed to see it happen.

Levi blinked. “So.”

“Not all is as it seems,” Erwin begins, startling the rest of you. “Levi, there are alternative plans for you that I have kept hidden up to this point. The question is what you’ll choose.”

You cut in, “Director—”

“What’s he speaking of?” Levi snipped. “Can’t you say it to make sense?”

The manatee rolled over in the water as a fish snack pelted the water, disrupting the whole argument.

Erwin didn’t look discouraged, but conflicted, surely.

“I’ll explain,” you said evenly.

Levi seemed to fully understand the ramifications of what the government keeping him would mean; his jaw tightened with a frown, and then, as you launched into an explanation of Erwin’s idea, it deepened.

“Preserve.”

“Like a shelter,” Hange chirped from beside you, cross-legged on the sandy floor. 

From one of the many lapels on their coat, they swiped a baggy of dried seaweed, and handed it to you. You nodded your thanks.

“Yes. My wife, Marie, she takes care of it,” Erwin joined in. He rubbed his chin in thought. “You would be treated well there, Levi.”

He would have, you had no doubt. The caveat wasn’t even that he wouldn’t see the deep blue ocean again—a portion of the coast was fenced and reserved by Marie—and it was guaranteed that he would have no worries for the rest of his days.

And, he wouldn’t be alone.

Levi eyed the seaweed, but was motionless otherwise. “Where is this?”

Your lips pressed. “On the other side of the sea.”

Now he quieted. As it persisted, other than the whir of the water and Hange’s slippery rummaging with the fish, you plucked a piece of seaweed from the baggy and held it out in front of you.

You were hard-pressed to make your opinion known to Levi, let alone the entire room. If you had had things your way, nothing would change except for this conflict to resolve, to be erased, somehow.

The caveat was you would never see Levi again. For very good reason, Marie's preserve didn't allow visitors; those rules especially wouldn't change due to what Levi was.

Levi waited on you, though, without reaching out for the treat. You leaned down, but he pushed away, and on the other side of the stream, pushed his backside up and onto it.

He brushed his wet bangs off his forehead. “A cage for a cage, is that it? And through life-ruining efforts.”

Erwin looked indignant. “I would not risk such a thing if I had no confidence we would succeed.”

Levi’s knuckles curled over the pool’s edge as Hange remarked upon the reason you vanished for some time; because of Erwin. Levi’s sharp eyes shot to the man in question.

“Levi—”

“You shitty bastard,” Levi seethed.

“Levi,” you tried again, “it’s okay now; it was all for a good reason. We’re all here now, aren’t we?”

Even Hange seemed put-off by Levi’s behavior. You too remembered how much you had agonized when you thought you would be separated from Levi for good, but you understood what good it did in the end; Erwin couldn’t have been caught.

But Levi either didn’t understand, or didn’t care.

Levi glared at Erwin and said your name pointedly, like a blow. “You won’t deceive them again. While you got the rest of us racing in circles, you’re going through the trouble just for a prison. And trouble for you. You seem more obsessed with your work than them.” Levi nodded towards the frown on your face. 

“No. Forget that plan,” Levi went on, glancing at you demurely. “I would rather something else was done.”

“...I see.”

You swallowed. “What do you think, then, exactly?”

“Who knows,” Levi replied, a little too quickly. He finicked with his fingers just slightly, a tell that he was nervous. “Maybe I could think with some fucking privacy.”

Hange hummed, slow and thoughtful, then launched to their feet just as one of the albino seals dove into the water. “Request granted.” They beckoned you and Erwin towards the doors.

Erwin had officially checked out of the larger conversation some time ago, but he nodded now as if he had always been listening. “I understand, but don’t waste time; there isn’t much of it to spare.”

“Got it.”

Officially sullen, you rose to your feet, only for Levi to hiss softly and gesture with his head. Down.

“I’ll stay a little longer,” you told Hange, voice as light as air. You were pleased Levi trusted you so, but you were hard-pressed to admit what you wanted before he could give you an idea of his own.

Smiling, Hange clapped you on the back. The baggy was also shoved to your chest. “Get ‘em, tiger.”

Levi made a face.

Hange hopped down and thrust the cart in the direction of the double doors, and once the doors beeped brightly, you were well and truly left alone.

Levi clicked his tongue. “Come here.”

You plopped down cross-legged on the edge. “I’m wearing dry clothes. You come here, hm?”

His brow puckered at the request, followed by the swooshing of the water as he dropped into it, and appeared again on your side. Water in streams washed down his scaly cheeks.

You found it in yourself to smile, and slid the seaweed over, but your real focus was on taking his jaw, feathering your thumb across his cheek.

A hand plopped down on yours, neglecting the snack and making your heart jump. He leaned into the touch.

His eyes searched yours avidly. “What do you want?”

Sighing softly, you leaned down and pressed your lips to his. 

He pushed up in a quick response, as if he was waiting for permission. As a hand slid over your nape, the other that was just holding yours squeezed your knee.

He massaged his lips with yours, making your breath to shake. Your head tilted, deepening the warm exchange.

You, you wanted to say. I want you.

As his tongue slid over your warm lips, you all but keeled over to indulge. Heat licked your bottom half at the same time he licked into your mouth, and the inside of your cheek. Your tongues mingled.

Both his hands were on your legs, you fleetingly noticed. But you bypassed his tail entirely and pawed for his bicep. You bit back a shiver.

“Levi, I,” you murmur into his lips. “I want—” you. “I wanna talk about this.”

He turned a bit timid again, his hands sliding away. 

“I don’t want a whole other shitty cage,” he rasped, and plucked up the seaweed, but with it a shiny silver coin that hadn’t been laying there before. 

This, he nudged in your direction, absentmindedly scratching the surface of it.

Your brows raised. “For me?”

“Who else around here?” he retorted, sour. “The seal?”

Neither albino seal was anywhere near him; they slept on rocks. Cheeks warm, you picked it up: a dime, and in pristine condition. 

You frowned as you got to wondering how it could’ve possibly got here.

He finished dousing the seaweed in water, but stopped with it raised to his chin. He looked… frustrated.

“It’s not the gift—it’s sweet, thank you.” You wetted your lips. “I just don’t know how it got here. I always keep everything clean.”

He blinked. “Of course. I took it.”

“From me?”

“From Glasses. Don’t get pissed,” he said quickly. “There’s nothing else to give, anywhere.”

You shook your head, dazed. He wanted to give you a gift that badly?

You didn’t condone him stealing, but would you give this back to Hange? No. Would you shove it in your coin purse?—Of course not. It was from Levi.

As a sign of good faith, you kissed your forefinger and pressed it to the coin’s surface. Levi looked pleased with himself, maybe even smiling a tiny bit.

“...I don’t want another cage for you, either,” you admitted. “It would be… better, but everything has pros and cons, right?”

He swallowed a piece of the green seaweed. “Some outweigh others.”

“It’s the ocean, isn’t it?” You asked this before he could scarcely finish speaking. “Wouldn’t you be more… at risk by yourself?—Like you said.”

He scoffed.

You gathered your nerve. “I don’t want you to be backed into a corner with this. Neither option is perfect, everyone is at risk—”

“One option is much more better than the other."

You stopped.

"I would rather not be across the world, away from someone as clingy as you. You might fall apart.”

You scoff, aghast. “Might I?”

“...You might. As I said, you’re soft.”

You laughed. It was easy, then, to reject Erwin’s plan, because the truth was, he wasn’t wrong about you… and it was clear he would be unhappy, too.

Levi’s gift reminded you. You tugged your satchel around your middle and dug inside of it. “I have a way for us to communicate more often—if that’s something you’re interested in.”

He was thoroughly done with the seaweed now, and dunked his head underwater by pushing the edge, swished a little, then pushed himself up and onto the edge, gills flexing.

Even though your clothes would get speckled with water, you found yourself scooting nearer without realizing. 

Then you plucked the device out. The walkie-talkie (A two-way radio, you went on to explain, whose name Levi didn’t snort at this time) was deeply black with a speaker and a red button that would allow its user to speak into it for the other person to hear, and reply back.

Levi cocked his head and reached.

You yanked your hand away, chuckling nervously. “This can’t get wet. I’m leaving you some towels for this reason.”

His lips parted in understanding, but in lieu of having any towels around right this instant, you rubbed his wet palm on your leg before setting it in his hand. Levi’s cheeks were pink the next time you looked.

“You got wet anyway,” he told you frankly. Things were suddenly unbearably awkward. 

You shook your head. “...You’re welcome anyway.”

Levi examined his gift more closely. “Thanks. But what use is this junk to me?” he questioned. “You need another, right?”

You replied, “Yeah, and I do,” before pulling yours out. Tugging the antenna on the top caused static to crackle through the speaker, which also caused Levi’s eye to twitch.

After showing him how to do what you just did (in lieu of any thorough explanation about radio waves; not your expertise), you said into it, smiling, “Hi, Grumpy. Over.”

A reaction he couldn’t help: Levi’s eyes blew wide with wonder, having heard your voice two ways. He held it up to his lips, forefinger on the button. “Why are you over?”

You snorted. You couldn’t help it. “Why am I what?—Over.”

He glared at you over the radio. “Why are you over?”

“That’s what you say after finishing a transmission. A message. Roger?”

His brow puckered. “Repeat.”

“Roger. Over.”

His angular ears twitched as he set his down rather calmly, before tearing yours out of your hand and surging forward for a kiss deep enough to drown in. You imagined those romantic Hallmark movies where the man swept the woman off her feet, and tilted her backwards into the kiss.

You gasped into his mouth, soft like velvet.

It was just heating up when he pulled back. “No more talking your shit,” he snipped, lips searing against your jaw. He licked a long line.

“I—” Your arms tightened around him despite what you were about to say. “I-I have to go.”

The shift of mood was palpable. He pulled away, but tilted his head. “What’s wrong?”

You considered telling him the truth, but your tongue felt like a chunk of cement in your mouth all the sudden.

Dinner with Hange was the excuse you used. It was Friday, and Levi knew about that little ritual, but it was nowhere near that time.

You felt horrible for lying.

Thirty minutes later, you were clambering into your car when, from your satchel, came a gruff stacky sound, followed by muffled speech.

You yanked the radio from its depths and spoke Levi’s name into it. “Yes? What’s wrong?—Over.”

You were greeted by abrupt silence for the next couple of moments.

“Wanted to make sure this thing wasn’t bullshit.”

You bit down a smile as you turned your jangly keys into the ignition. “Is that all? Over.”

“I’m not gonna talk to you when saying that dumb word. It makes no sense.”

As the air conditioner gusted against your face, you kept silent on purpose. The point of it was to know when the other person was finished talking; of course it was repetitive.

When Levi said your name next, he sounded antsy.

“Yes?” you replied. “Over.”

“...What're you doing?”

“Just teasing you,” you replied, leaning against the center console. 

If Levi wanted your attention, he was going to get it. Maybe talking to each other like this was some novelty that would wear itself out, but right now, it sure didn’t feel like it.

Some static crackled the radio when he sighed. “No. I mean what’re you doing?”

Your brows shot up. Just when your lips parted to reply—

“Ridiculous. Nevermind.”

“No, wait!” you exclaimed, but the static abruptly cut off, severing the connection. If he closed the antenna, he wouldn’t be able to hear you.

You let the radio drop to your lap, frowning. 

He… wanted to know what I was doing?

It had only been thirty minutes since you left, so you struggled to come up with any reason why he wanted to know. Maybe he was bored.

Your purse slumped onto your coffee table the next time you fished the radio out. The only thing on TV you were vaguely interested in right now was the news, and you were on it for your actions, plus a “secret project”. As such, your phone was off.

As you pulled up the antenna and found the frequency, you absentmindedly started up your coffee maker. All it took was muscle memory.

Surprisingly, you were met with static. He must not have left the antenna shut long.

“Hi,” you spoke, a little lamely. “Um, I’m making coffee—you wanted to know what I was doing, right? I just got home.”

You didn’t really expect him to reply. With the radio set aside on the counter, you poured in some rich beans and let the machine do the rest; no boiling water required. 

(God bless modern technology.)

Then, the walkie briefly spilled static. Levi’s voice was surprisingly low, even reverent. Maybe sad. “What’s home look like?”

The steamy smell of roasted coffee drifted away as you plucked the radio up. A warm, but heavy feeling spread over your chest.

“Let me tell you about it.”

You and Levi spoke on the “phone” throughout the week just as much as you did on the weekend when you didn’t come in to work.

Most times, you were the one talking, explaining to him things he wanted to know. Usually this turned into long, intricate conversations about the mechanisms of things like a washing machine, but also world history. Politics, even.

“Why can’t any of you people be decent to each other?” he had retorted, evidently while munching on something. “Do what you like without all the rape, deceiving, and killing.”

As far as those conversations went, he came to accept that you didn’t have a helpful answer. No one really did, as far as you were concerned.

You also discovered that no matter how well Levi liked someone, he was very hesitant to talk about himself as it had to do with… anything. Unfortunately, you weren’t too different from him, and you two could only deflect off each other for so long. 

“Stupid soft talking” was reserved for late nights, you under your blankets and eyes closed, him slumped in the shallow shore of some artificial rocks. As you expected, he was careful about not drowning his walkie-talkie. 

It was convenient, because as final as that discussion with Erwin and Hange was, you had ceased to speak about it while smaller details were ironed out, like ordering the proper equipment and getting a groundwork of the pipe network underneath the facility. 

As the canal could be sealed and flooded, escaping through the piping system was the most practical method to escape. You tried to be willing, but it was a work in progress. You didn’t discuss it with Levi much.

The scary, movie-like… illegal activity had entered a sort of lull. You dared to call it normal.

Tonight, even with your AC cranked up and two fans whirring on in your bedroom, the air remained muggy and thick while a thunderstorm came down outside. It did no favors for your damp hair, but being dressed down to an old tee and just shorts helped.

“Did you have a bucket of coffee before bed?” Levi was asking down the other line, making you snort. “I hear you squirming.”

“I’m surprised you can hear anything over my fans.”

“Answer.”

“It’s dumb.”

He snuffled. “Answer now.”

It really was dumb, though. After slaving away in the tub to shave your legs, the skin was left smooth and soft, so rubbing them together was… satisfying.

Levi was just plain fascinated. “Like rubbing your arms together? Or what?” Water swished in the background. “Does it feel that good?”

“I mean—” you laughed softly, “—I don’t think you’re missing out on much, besides… walking.” You sucked in a gasp. “Did you know that the most painful bone to break in the human body is the femur?”

“...If you’re trying to convince me to envy you, it isn’t working.”

Just from his voice, you knew he was smirking.

You curled up in your thin sheet. “Yes, it feels good.”

But then the silence makes you rephrase your answer. “Not in that way; satisfying.”

“In what way?”

You turned hot. At least he couldn’t see (or smell) you getting flustered. “Um.”

“Look, I’m not an idiot,” he scoffed. “It’s less fun to tease you because you’re so oblivious…”

His voice grew a little low “But I don’t see how you could avoid it, rubbing between your thighs. That must feel better, doesn’t it?”

You found yourself squirming despite your heart, which had jumped to your throat. Of course, it felt good.

“Oh?” You were surprised by how breathy your voice sounded. “That makes you so deprived.”

He huffed softly. “Does not.”

You bit down on your lip so hard it pinched before responding, “...Prove it.”

To some extent, admittedly, you did know. It was impossible not to, given the purely scientific x-rays and scans on Levi’s part, but that was it. He was so different, too, in that way especially.

But naturally, the reasons for your curiosity this time were completely selfish.

“I—” Levi faltered. “Fine.”

“You’re the one who brought it up.”

“And why do you think I did, sweetheart?” he retorted, but with no attitude whatsoever. His voice teetered on the edge of a whisper, growing raspier.

“S-Sweetheart?”

“You’re sweet.”

Could you argue with that? You swallowed, your heart beginning to pound—not only in your ears, but between your thighs as well. “...No reason?”

“Do I ever do anything for no reason?”

No. Heat in your lower half bloomed and twisted, and you yearned, then, to see him. The next best thing was to listen, but all you had were his soft breaths.

“Tell me how you do it, sweetheart,” you encouraged.

A heavy huff. “I’m not—Th-That’s embarrassing.”

“Tell me.” You copied him from earlier. “Now.”

“You should be able to experience for yourself,” he retorted, immediately followed by, “There’s a slit, in the middle. To coax it out, you have to touch me.”

“Touch you?” Your eyes shut. “Where?”

“My chest, my hips,” he whispered back. “Like you’d get wet, I’d get hard.”

You swallowed a whimper as your palm crept down to your breast, trying desperately to imagine his soft pecs, and his pink nipples which you always saw, growing red and raw from pinching, rubbing, licking. A sweat broke out on your forehead.

His cock sliding out from his slit, swollen. It slapping against his pelvis and making a mess, oozing his cum. It throbbing on your tongue. 

You matched his heavier breathing. “Levi, I’ve never done this before. That’s why I left earlier, I, I’ve never done this.”

You squeezed your eyes shut, holding onto a string of hope that you hadn’t ruined the mood.

“I understand those nerves,” he said softly. Levi, soft. “Do you want to stop this talking?”

You blanked, and searched your feelings. Fuck, were you nervous, but fuck, were you wet. “...No.”

“Good, then,” he murmured. “Will you tell me something?”

You rolled onto your back, properly massaging your soft breast through your thin tee. “Uh-huh?”

“How easy is it to make you wet? Dip your finger in your slit. Tell me.”

You pinched your nipple, and bit back a whimper. That hand drifted down, nudging the crotch of your shorts aside, lips parting to find your pussy soaked. There was barely any friction.

“I’m… I’m so wet,” you answered in a small voice. “I can’t even… How hard are you?”

Finally, you get a hushed groan through the speaker, nudging your cheek. “Me too. Wet.”

 Pushing your finger through your folds was only a drop of what you needed anymore. Your jaw dropped, until what he had said registered.

“You are?”

“I told you; it comes from my slit. Everything is wet. And it’s fucking—” A harsh sigh. “—I-It’s sensitive. Tight.”

A moan tumbled off your lips. “Let me touch my clit. Please.”

“Let you?” A low, husky laugh combines with the static. “Are you that eager to please me?”

“Yes,” slipped off your tongue before you could stop it. You can flick your thumb across your nipples, and squeeze your legs, but the ache only worsened.

Levi gasped. He said, “I’m fucking my hand. Use your fingers and tell me how tight it is. Tell me what it tastes like. T-Tell me…”

Knowing how badly he wanted it, just as you did… You kicked your shorts down and all but flung them across the room. Seeing how forward he was being, maybe it was your turn.

Your hips all but jerked as your palm slid over your clit. “Fuck.”

Levi moaned, low and gravelly. “Filthy word, for you. What could you possibly be doing?”

“I know,” you sighed. Your grip on the radio went strangled as finally, your pussy sucked in two of your fingers, and involuntarily tightened around them.

“It’s tight, so wet, it’s easy to…to—”

“To fuck yourself,” he finished. “Is it full enough? Do you need more?”

By the question alone, your pussy quivers. You fuck them slow, but deep, allowing your clit to rub up against your palm on every downstroke.

“Need more. Even if I went faster—” you curled them, and moaned, “—not full enough. I’ve never… Never felt full enough. Tell me what you're doing?”

You knew Levi was picking up the pace by his hastening panting. A whine slipped through as you finished talking, dissolving into a thick groan.

“I’m fingering myself.”

“Fuck, Levi.”

“Never, at all? Never been fucked full of cock before?”

“No,” you squeaked. “Levi… I’m.”

“Never felt a tongue on your clit? Never… felt your legs being kissed? No one’s ever gotten to taste you?”

Your fingers slammed in now, and curled. “No.” 

Frantically, you bullied in a third, and shivered out a moan. “I want it to be you.”

“Yeah?”

“I want you.” You were too aware of your closed eyes now, of the distance. “Wanna kiss you, wanna fuck you, w-wanna make you come.”

“You’re already making me come,” he groaned. “Fuck… I want…A-Ah.”

“Tell me,” you whimpered, fingers curling. Your climax was right there. On the very edge.

“...Everything. E-Everything.” Then he whined, your name stammering out. “I’m gonna, fuck, I’m gonna.”

The tiniest moment of silence dissolved into a heavy moan on his end, sounding like it came from low in his throat, and rose higher.

God, you wanted to see. You wanted to catalogue all his sounds to memory, photograph them, or stuff them in a bottle so they were preserved the exact way you heard him now—that normally harsh, sour tone gone soft and strained as he came undone for you. His panting echoed in your ears.

You intentionally slowed to hear all of him. Imagining his terse features drawn loose and full of bliss, the blush stretching down his neck like the first time you kissed. Hands balling into fists, his head thrown back.

Slowing down didn’t matter. A faint cry shattered the air, your back bending into an arch. You shivered, fucked yourself hard. His name fell off your lips without a second thought, only this time he was capable of hearing it.

“Yeah, fuck your cunt for me. Come all over your fingers,” you heard through the buzz. “That’s a good girl. Keep saying my name.”

And you did. You did—until it was the only word you could come up with, and you shuddered from the sweet shocks when the sweet shocks made you slow.

In the glowing aftermath, your breathing slowed. You worked your fingers out with a small whine, and laid your hand on your stomach. Vividly, you sensed your hands shaking.

What could you say after that? Not even a moment had passed, and your belly was already light with embarrassment.

Levi’s voice was a heavy rasp. “Gonna see you tomorrow. You’re going to come here.”

Tomorrow was Sunday. You didn’t come in on Sundays, it was completely unheard of for you. Even when you were neck-deep in work, you allowed yourself at least one day of rest—

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you replied.

Early that next morning, you felt the sweat clinging to your skin before you were even conscious to be totally aware of your phone ringing; you pressed the call button before registering Hange’s name, even. 

Their voice burst in your ear, “We have a problem.”

Your body, heavy from sleep, vehemently disagreed with shooting up in bed, but you did it anyway, stumbling to your closet. (Good thing you dragged yourself out of bed last night to shower.) Hange never sounded so urgent.

“What is it?—Y-You’re up before me?”

“I got a call from Erwin, who works too much to sleep. Now listen. I’m sure you heard that storm last night.”

The events of last night slammed into you with vicious clarity, so much you dropped your belt, stammering, “Y-Yes.”

“Well, it’s gonna get worse before it gets better.

“I mean, they’re not calling for an evacuation, don’t worry about that!” they exclaimed. “But it’s supposed to be this way all week, so the team the state sent out is grounded ‘till Friday.”

As Hange said this, you whipped open your curtain, scowling. The sky was blanketed by a dirty bluish-black, full of foreboding. Rain smeared the glass, making the world beyond a giant smudge.

“They can’t use an airport?” you snapped. “Aren’t they…”

“Grounded.”

You shut your eyes, trying to remember. Erwin scheduled this evaluation for Wednesday. It would be unusual for such an early evaluation, if only this wasn’t Levi.

“So it’s happening today,” you surmised, barely breathing.

“I’m afraid so.” An engine turning over rumbled in the background; Hange’s Jeep didn’t have doors. “So we need to go. Stat. Erwin never leaves work, so at least he’s ahead!”

You shot downstairs and whipped your phone off your ear to check the time. It was so stormy, you couldn’t tell if it was morning or not.

It was late, later than you tended to wake up, but still early. This would be close, but…

You told Hange, “I’ll meet you there,” and hung up. 

The last thing you did was shuck on your raincoat and snatch your keys. No time for your earrings (Dad’s gift. Lucky. You told yourself that that was a myth for now) or any coffee.

But, Levi’s coin weighed heavily in your pocket.

All the way past the main desk—nodding to Petra (who had ended up there after being relocated from Levi’s project), scanning your keycard, keeping a suspicious eye out for anyone in suits—you walked calmly, your head held high. 

It was only when the heavy metal block, the door to the canal, wandered open before you could get to it did you hurry. That must have been Eren. 

Incredible, you thought. The power of persuasion.

To your surprise, inside the canal, Levi was already leaned up on one hand in the lowered stretcher near the Director, who was crouched and finicking with the wall-mounted spout. Given it was dismounted, water from the underwater tunnel system would pour in.

Levi perked up at once and tilted his head at you, as if measuring you up.

Cheeks warm, you nodded to him. “Good morning. Are you ready?”

A subtle pink even rose to his cheeks. Reaching, he pet your hair down before diving into fixing what a haphazard brush through it missed. 

“...What a stupid question,” Levi said.

“A meaningless one, yes,” Erwin agreed, though it didn’t seem like he was paying attention. 

Moving past Levi, you crouched and yanked the navy tarp covering your equipment away. Looked good.

“No matter what happens next, there’s no turning back now,” Erwin went on. “Very good, Levi.”

“I wasn’t talking to you. And I’m no seal. Don’t praise me,” he refuted, tail flapping.

You could hear the smile in Erwin’s voice. “Certainly not.”

The full-body spandex suit was as blue as the tarp, and the hardest to peel on over your clothes. Easier was the slim pair of gloves. Then you shucked your shoes off in exchange for the flippers (Levi watched avidly as you did this, contrary to his ordinary brand of watching), followed by your diving helmet. Tubes connected it to the fat tanks you strapped onto your back. 

You assembled your rebreather. It was a much more sophisticated device, incredibly expensive, too, because it recycled all the air you breathed out in exchange for a much larger supply of oxygen. 

It was almost magic, if not for the dangers of being underwater, be it too deep, or for too long without surfacing. The descent wasn’t anything to worry about, though, and with your route, you didn’t plan to be underwater long enough for it to fail.

That was the plan, at least.

Parts clicked. While your focus remained steadfast on this, you briefly thought of Hange. They were your distraction; it was up to them to hold Theo Magath and his men up for as long as possible, giving you and Levi precious time to escape. Erwin would eventually join Hange.

Finally, your tool belt. Along with a knife, a round flashlight, and your oxygen gauge, a slim navigation computer joined your supplies. It shut like an accordion (These things always astounded you. You wondered what face Levi would make when you opened it), and when closed looked like an ordinary pole. 

You clipped that flashlight to your chest, and turned your radio to Hange’s frequency. Whenever, for whatever reason they or Erwin needed you, you would be there.

With a sigh, Erwin rose to his feet, hands on his hips. “It’s ready to flood,” he said, almost reverent, but mostly awkward. “Good luck, Doctor. You as well, Levi.”

Why did this feel so… final?

“Luck is a scam,” he muttered, but took the pat on his shoulder. “...But thanks.”

You smiled.

You and Erwin worked around your equipment—especially the helmet tucked under one arm—to share a half-hug. 

(Levi made a face.)

You were thankful that Erwin reminded you to radio Hange once you made it to Anchorage Cove, your destination. If you didn’t know any better, you would think this was your eulogy. 

Levi would be on his own after that. Despite knowing you would see him again, a sense of loss punctured you. Nothing would be the same; he had the world to himself again. Really, how could you compare?

“Understand?”

You nodded. “Will do.”

Erwin left you. As soon as the heavy door grinded shut, you slipped into a crouch and shielded your face before popping off the spout. A gush of cold water roared into the canal, then poured and poured.

“You know what this means,” Levi spoke over the bombardment. He leered over you.

You pinned your tongue between your teeth, trying desperately not to smirk. If this was the time to talk like that, you could breathe underwater. 

“It means we’ll have a proper goodbye, until next time?” you guessed.

He leaned over and flicked your forehead. Then his fingers feathered down and tilted your jaw up towards him. He looked remarkably fond.

“A proper ‘see you later’,” he corrected you.

“You’re right,” you breathed. You kissed him lightly, only for salt to spread over your tongue as you were dragged even closer.

When Levi grunted, you pulled away so you weren’t reminded of similar noises you heard him make the night before. 

“Cute,” you scoffed.

“I know.”

Shadows off of it casted shimmery lines across the walls, and the air became more briny than ever. It reassured you an enormous amount (to your embarrassment) to sense Levi plop down nearby. 

Metal off the nearby grate, already unscrewed, whined as it was popped off its hinges. You didn’t doubt that Levi insisted on helping Erwin with that, before.

Biting down a smile, you performed a final check of your equipment, and stopped at the glassy gauge that monitored your current oxygen levels.

“Levi,” you said tonelessly.

He was already smushed against your side, glaring. “It’s not full.”

“Yeah.” You blinked, struggling to believe. “I know.”

Things moved so fast before; the tanks must not have had enough time to be filled. Some random person on the nightstaff was to blame—you couldn’t do anything about that—and it was too late to turn back, so what could you do?

Levi seemed to understand the gravity of what was happening much faster than you. He took your wrist and shook it gently. “What now? Huh? I can’t just breathe into your mouth.”

“No, you can,” you murmured, still taken with the gauge. Between the thick green line labeled ‘FULL’ and the glaring red ‘REFILL’, the ticker idled perfectly in half. How much wiggle room did you have? 

Vaguely, you registered flat water rising up and swallowing your calves.

Levi slapped your flipper. “Do you plan to tell me while you can still talk?”

“I’ll be able to talk,” you replied, again, toneless. Your mind raced.

An eerie calm settled in your blood as you went about explaining CPR to Levi. It was like anxiety’s swift fire, but tamed by an invisible force, and you didn’t know what. You could only take advantage of it while it cooperated with you.

You didn't have time to teach Levi “Stayin’ Alive”—the perfect, and easiest, rhythm to learn that CPR is performed in—but you could explain enough until the water overtook your chest.

Thirty seconds between firm, not rib-breaking, chest compressions, then exhaling into your mouth. When you rushed to explain the part about 90 beats per minute, Levi’s head cocked and upturned. It floored you how well he understood math.

“But that’s just in case. If I ration my air, we should be fine.” You shot your arm out for a pipe embedded in the stony wall in order to stay rooted to the floor. The water rushing in had other plans. “But we can’t stop. Not for anything.”

Levi wasn’t affected by the urgency lacing your words. He only nodded and rose up on his palms, following the water with his tail’s natural buoyancy.

Your rebreather hummed to life as you popped your helmet over your head (staying mindful of your hair), the air hissing as it sealed. A thick, fixed tube supplied your air from the two tanks strapped to your back. 

You glanced down at your oxygen gauge obsessively as water engulfed you completely. Your suit’s tech blocked out the chilly temperatures.

Levi either didn’t notice the cold water, or made it seem that way. He glanced at you fleetingly before pushing off the sides of the gaping grate first, of course; his tail accounted for how much bigger and faster he was. All by himself, he possessed the strength to tear that grate off its tight hinges, if it came down to that before.

With much less grace, you followed. The quick, controlled flaps of his tail was your only sight, even with the small flashlight attached to your chest… unless you counted the rusting walls above, below, and on either side of you, that was. It was disgusting, and by Levi’s quickening pace, you bet he thought the same.

Before you ended up at a crossroads, you stretched the flexible display  of your computer open. In lieu of any additional light, the map built in was more analog. It reminded you of Pac-Man, where your location was outlined by the fat white dot blinking in the top right portion of the screen. Sector 3.

Every pipe, outlet, and path of the facility was laid out before you in green borders, like a maze. You imagined hundreds of canals, just like the one you knew so well, laid out before you. Paths.

A few avenues laid ripe for the taking, but not all were made equally. There was size to account for: the fastest routes and the dead-ends. Water was carefully filtered down those paths so, excluding the reservoir you needed to make it to, fresh water circled back to all areas in an endless loop. 

These, to be concise, were walls. You couldn’t be sucked in, but hitting one would mean turning around while fighting the current, which meant wasting oxygen—a privilege you didn’t have.

You squinted as the pipe began to extend and widen around you. The new space let Levi push against the water, joining your side. 

He had to slow, though. His tail meant the only advantage you had was kicking your flippers. Your lungs strained.

Both his arms stayed extended far in front of him while he squinted over your shoulder at the strange device. No comment.

“I have to slow down for you to keep up,” he spoke. Bubbles wafted up from the corners of his mouth and got trapped by the rusted ceiling.

He bent his elbow just slightly. “Hold onto me.”

With a grunt, you locked your elbow with his. Your hand scrambled back to the computer’s rubber handle before a squeak (Please let him not hear that.) was torn from you at the sudden increase in speed.

High-quality equipment like yours was a blessing; no buttons stood in the way of your voice and Levi’s hearing.

“Levi, slow down!” you yelped. “I need time to plan a cohesive route!”

“I don’t know ‘cohesive’. Either way, you breathing is more important than that.”

You floundered. At this rate, he would soon be dragging you. 

“A good route,” you spelled out for him. “If we don’t have that, we’ll get stuck, and then air would be an issue for sure!”

He growled, actually growled, like an animal. “Why didn’t you make sure?”

You had been asking that yourself, kicking yourself over it, too. All you could say was, “I can’t plan for everything! I wish I could!”

“Don’t yell!” he yelled. “You’re wasting it!”

Obediently, you shut your mouth. The first crossroads was nearing, anyway, and you needed to focus.

You reached the sharp split in the passage in what felt like no time with your eyes on the computer and Levi all but racing. His halting hit you so sharp that you could have jerked miles back if it weren’t for his hold on you.

“Left,” you ordered. “Lev’, slow. Down.”

His sidelong look at you is long and sharp. It wasn’t just that he feared for your safety any longer, but… as if you were locked on the stand awaiting a damning sentence. You didn’t know how to get it across any clearer that it wasn’t your fault. Guilt is a long-fought enemy of yours.

“I’m sorry,” you hissed. “S-Stop looking at me like that.”

His lips pressed. “I’m not blaming you.”

While his arms pushed through dark waters, he eyed the computer over your shoulder. Only the distant yellow flashlight and the occasional white blip washed his face in a flash of light.

You followed his eyes to the computer screen. Your dot flashed adjacent to the dead center of the maze.

“We really don’t have that long to go,” you explained. 

“But what of your air,” he snarled. “You’re too relaxed about your own death. Did you enjoy drowning before, and want it again?”

All you could do was shake your head and squeeze your fists in efforts to manage just that: your dwindling supply of air. The darkness smeared your vision of the gauge, but you knew the signs: light-headedness, anxiety, confusion… If only you wouldn’t hit empty sooner by falling into a panic because of Levi’s incessant griping.

You heard him. In fact, you were all too aware of the pathetic barriers of spandex and glass from suffocating water. 

Claustrophobia would eat you alive, but only if you let it.

Be brave, Dad would say. Don’t get wrapped up in a bunch of complicated advice. You know what to do, so be brave, and do—

“Stop breathing so fast.”

Your shoulder knocked his, gasps growing. The blood pumping through your veins lifted into a vicious wind.

“‘m not doing it on purpose,” you snapped. Your suit constricted your chest tighter, it felt.

“How to stop it? You’re wasting your air.”

“You’re making it worse!”

Now did his race between him, you, the baggage, and the water idle some; your heartbeat throbbed in your elbow when his grip slackened. He had held you that tight.

Levi’s eyes flashed through the inky water. “I’m sorry.”

You coughed out a sob, blinking through your tears at the computer. Another choice was just around the bend, quite literally.

“Tell me what to do. What can I do?” he went on. The order was the same, but too soft to be defined as anything other than begging. “I don’t want you to die.”

Here, you hit the wall. Your voice shook after you cleared your throat and spoke, “Right. We take a right, here.”

Strings of dark hair, made brighter still than blackness like this, waved about Levi’s head, but he didn’t move. His right hand braced the rusty bottom of the passage.

When you turned towards him, your light exposed his expression for what it really was: fear. His eyes wide and searching below his furrowed brow, jaw so tight that the veins in his neck popped out.

“Levi,” you begged him breathlessly. You glanced at your wrist. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Don’t be like th-them. Or like him.” His temple knocked your helmet. “Don’t make me helpless. Take deep breaths, so I can keep you from… being like them.”

His friends… Dad? 

You gaped softly, blinking at him through the dark haze. This was no time to get embarrassed, but you certainly didn’t believe Levi was being driven this crazy over you. In your mind, getting him out was all that mattered. All that really mattered.

A moment of stillness soothed the anxiety, but Levi was still waiting on an answer.

“I need you to trust me,” you told him, determination renewed. “What you think is best isn’t always the best choice. Okay?”

His lips pressed, frustration evident in the furrow of his thin brows. If you knew anything about Levi’s bad sides, it was that he always believed he knew what everyone was thinking. That his way was best.

Underwater, the odds were certainly in his favor, but not all of them.

A hand feathered down around yours through your glove, and squeezed. Finally.

“...I trust you,” he said.

An invisible weight flew off your shoulders. “Then let’s keep going.”

And so you did.

A pressure system was in place to pump out any undesirables that might have gotten trapped in the tunnels, like dead fish or garbage, and the further from the center you moved, the more you saw. Soda cans, candy wrappers skirting along the tunnel’s rusted bottoms, or floating listlessly in your path. 

Levi batted these away with growing irritation, the gills on his neck flexing. Since the last time his nails were trimmed, they have retained some of their talon-like sharpness, and you flinched whenever he happened to shred a piece of litter. 

You became accustomed as you approached the third and last—

You glared at the tablet, not entirely believing your eyes. The kicking of your flippers faltered, and Levi noticed.

“What’s wrong?”

You blinked. Your clear, calm exterior again completely masked what you truly felt. 

“We’re going the wrong way,” you stated blandly. “It’s my fault.” 

Your eyes squeezed shut. “Shit. Fucking fuck. Goddammit, if I wasn’t in such a rush before…”

Levi’s eyes went a touch wide; you had never cursed so much in front of him.

But, his voice came to you eerily calm. “We go back.”

“Retrace our steps, yes,” you said, then coughed. A cursory squint at your wrist made for an even filthier string of curses.

He was seemingly nonplussed. In fact, an entirely harder brand of determination fell over his expression. “You should hold onto me. I’m not stopping.”

You shucked the computer shut and shoved it into your toolbelt. With a nod, you took his arm with both of your own, but Levi shook his head. He took his arm back and instead bullied himself underneath you.

“Don’t get cocky or anything. I’m not some pony… Just hold on to me.”

An image flashed in your mind of a rollercoaster. Oh, god.

Acting cocky was the last thing on your mind. 

You floated up behind his back and locked your arms around his middle, feeling flustered for a reason beyond you. Someone needed only to look at Levi and shrink away from his imposing presence, so clinging to his muscular back was intimidating, even knowing him as well as you did.

“Tighter.”

“O-Okay.”

You forgot about his uncanny sense of smell. You earned a tiny scoff for your embarrassment before he lurched forward with a sudden shove that yanked a cry of surprise out of you.

Bubbles rushed by your ears in an eternal cacophony of noise. There wasn’t a moment of reprieve, not one where Levi’s strong tail bumped your knees, forcing them into a tight bend that made your thighs burn.

Thanks to your helmet, your eyes could remain open, if your only view wasn’t wisps of Levi’s hair plastered to the glass, and darkness. This was where, evidently, his special night vision came in handy, like a cat’s.

Turns lurched your body one way, like a bull intent on bucking you off, but Levi never let you even have the chance of straying too far. The powerful whips of his tail would occasionally stutter so he could reclaim your grip with a snap to hold on.

You could have argued that his speed was bordering on supernatural, but you were too busy trying to hold on to be snarky.

Levi’s navigation must have been supernatural as well. You didn’t doubt his ability to stop, and right before you hit the split in the passage where you once were—one way forward, one way right further back the way you came—he paused abruptly, nearly bucking you off for the nth time.

You plopped your chin down over his shoulder, while in front, you unfurled your computer. The light planted you above the center, like before. The way out was straight right. 

“We were supposed to go right, so go straight,” you said.

Levi didn’t reply, but he didn't hesitate, either. You couldn’t decide if this was a good or bad thing when you narrowly had enough time to shut the display in order to hold on for dear life. It didn’t help that you could no longer tell if the thinness in the air was a lack of it, or his speed. 

Did that even make sense? You risked flying off if you pulled your wrist away to check.

The passages were slowly constricting again. If you were still beside Levi, you would have been forced to swim behind like before—a snail’s pace compared to what he could do. Every few paces, more and more often, the divots of a metal air vent would pass overhead, the bubbles wobbling in your wake.

Almost there. You commanded your arms to stop aching and hold steady.

By the time tiny groups of tiny fish whirled past—you flew by too fast for your flashlight to even fall on them to tell you their color—you knew you were heading in the right direction: towards the reservoir.

You tucked your head down as much as the helmet allowed and told him so. Your next breath in filled the bottoms of your lungs, but it felt like nothing.

“How long?” he shouted over the current. Even he was out of breath

“There’ll be a reservoir,” you gasped. “And light. That’s how we’ll know—” gasp, “—that, that we’re out.”

Levi tilted his head upwards, and slowed.

“What’re you doing?” you asked over the noise.

He slowed and slowed. As usual, he pried your wrist off from around his middle for you, and glared at the ticker wobbling over the red line.

“Is your head light?”

You blinked and sputtered, not understanding the question. It was like a cord in your mind that was progressively stretching longer and longer, halting any sensible train of thought.

“Yes,” you said. When you spoke, you closed your eyes, and got the uncanny feeling of your mind alone floating above yourself in a tight squeeze. A head above clouds. In outer space.

Levi stopped below a vent, and gently shrugged you off so you were forced to brace yourself on the unforgiving metal wall. It knocked against your helmet.

Nothing was making sense. Weren’t you supposed to keep going?—You were nearly out!

“Levi!?”

He shot you only a brief sidelong glance, as his arms were held above his head, fingers skirting over the vent. “You’re going to pass out before we make it.”

He sounded so final.

“...Um, it’s…” You went to rub your face, but knocked the helmet instead.

This appeared to be the only answer Levi needed.

Silence, besides the drumbeat, your heart, beating in your skull, was thick until what sounded like a metal beam cracking rang through the water. It happened once, then again, then once more before it even occurred to you to look at Levi.

His biceps were straining, matching the twisted grimace on his face. Metal twisted, followed by the grate slowly wobbling its way down. It was shoved away, causing a clang that rocked the inside of your skull. Blood in thin strings wandered in its wake from his busted knuckles.

You gaped, stupefied. The world wobbled ungracefully, like a slinky falling upwards as you were grabbed and thrust through the new entrance at the top of the passage.

Levi finicked with your helmet until the clasp released. Your hands were just stuttering up to help when a sudden rush of sour air swallowed your head. But to you then, it might as well have been a fresh breeze.

You gulped in air with abandon, arms flailing. Unbeknownst to you, he held you up; his hands were sloppily bullied around your waist, tight. Over your shoulder, clammy hair touched your temple.

“There,” he huffed thinly. “Good. That’s good. Take your time.”

God, you did. With a cursory spin of a dial, your air shut off so you wouldn’t waste more, and then your head fell back, simply taking in what you had been deprived of since your lungs decided it wasn’t enough.

You coughed and gasped until it felt like you had your head together again. The throb in your skull and the squeeze in your chest abated, then vanished.

His voice was in your ear. “That’s better.”

You were much more aware of your closeness. All you could do was shiver. “Thank you.”

You touched his hand, but he only batted yours away. 

“I’m fine compared to you,” came his low voice. “Tell me how many minutes the screen says.”

“Fine,” you sighed, not feeling that way at all.

From your belt, you bullied the pole out and unfurled it. Droplets fell over it in rivets when you raised it above the water.

“A few minutes,” you replied. “I can make it to the reservoir, but after that I need to surface as soon as possible.” 

You wished you weren’t so weak. “This wasn’t supposed to…” You shook your head, slightly blocked by Levi’s.

“There’s nothing we can do now,” he settled. “I’ll get you there.”

You nibbled on the inside of your cheek, and tilted your head slightly to rub his temple. “I-I trust you.”

Levi was not one to crack under pressure.

After a series of vents, busting his sore knuckles, your precious, hurting gasps for air, you made it to the reservoir. No sun shone light from the sky, making the water a blue blackness only he could see through, even inkier thanks to the boats overhead.

The Officials, Levi so thought of them in his head, had come. Thunder shook the earth as he whipped through the water, and he shivered, chilled by the water, then chilled further when those gasps ate at his racing heart once again.

He didn’t have the privilege of slowing; he merely tossed you the words, “Don’t let go of me!”

Not a response came, only strained gasping crackling in his ears. It was like tearing, like ripping a fragile thing open, like you were dying and there was absolutely nothing he could do for you besides hurry more. Hurry until his heart exploded. Hurry until he, too, couldn’t breathe. 

That would be fair.

Levi dipped deeper into icy night, raking his memories. Many years of belonging to this area, and many many many living in water itself offered him a memory of a cove nearby—Anchorage, you called it—with lots of rocks. You could survive there.

Survive, he thought, as your grip on his middle slackened, then went limp.

“No,” he spoke aloud, veering left. Ache latched its piercing talons into his muscles, especially his arms. He finally glared over his shoulder at that look you were wearing, and regretted he did.

He put his eyes towards the rising sandbank instead. What to say—How could he convince you, in that state?

By the time the nearest rockwall shielded you and he, he popped up from the turbulent waters dragging you, and winced as slimy edges dug into his tail on the fattest rock in the area. To say he ripped the suffocating helmet off your head would be a severe understatement.

Only, you didn’t wake up then.

“Hey,” Levi panted, and all but dropped his quivering hands on your cheeks, shaking your head from side to side. He patted your cheek, and slapped, but you just—

No help would come, he knew that, and so he drew and snagged the zipper on your suit’s front; that’s what you told him to do. To fix it. To give you air.

Were you breathing? A cursory hand falling over your lips told him that that meager breath was coming from you, not the wild breeze blowing his hair.

Your heart. His head fell down on your chest’s right side and waited.

A rough crackling broke the breeze. Hange’s voice yipped your name. “We have a problem. Over.”

Levi screwed his eyes shut, and all but nestled his ear close, searching for a distinct pounding over the cacophony of noise. Rain pelted his back like bullets.

“...Levi? Are either of you there!?” Then quieter, “Please tell me something is wrong with this thing…”

“Shut up.” Levi clamped his hand over his other ear, then jerked as a gloved hand fell on his back, patting like a dying thing would.

The radio growled, and growling himself, he ripped it off your hip and knocked it aside, not too far it’d fall in the water, but uncaring if it did. You were breathing so weakly it sounded like crying, and so he climbed and bullied his hand under your shaking back (every bit of you was trembling).

For as harshly as the coughing shook your chest, your eyes stayed closed.

“Cough,” he ordered. “Now!”

The radio went on neglected while your coughing, your retching, came thicker and rougher with each heave your chest made. It was dry; no water. 

He frowned, now full of doubt how much you being awake meant now. The smallest chance of you falling back under, or worse, leaving him just when relief was rearing its head was unthinkable. 

He doubled forward and reached around you, as he had done before to encourage your lungs, but you dragged his wrist down to your belly instead. He was pinned.

“What do I do?” he asked by your ear, eyes wide and wild. “T-Tell me what to do. Just tell me, and I’ll get us out of this. You don’t have to do anything anymore if you just tell me what to do, I....”

The only way you responded was by shaking your head. “Jus’ need to adjust.”

“Repeat.”

You coughed, coughed, and coughed.

He sent a cursory look around the cove, but all that walled your surroundings were rocks, bushes, and shallow pools. Not having a vantage point bothered him.

You were clutching your belly, or his hand, hard. While you panted, he rubbed gently, causing you to huff.

Your eyes opened, shut. “I’m okay, Lee. CO2 poisoning. Just need to breathe.”

CO2? He frowned.

“Okay,” he replied. He trusted you.

Seemed you were getting your bearings finally, but he didn’t relax yet. A seagull crooned overhead.

The radio rumbled once more from beside him, and finally, you perked up a little.

“Hello? Levi?—I need to talk to your other half, urgently this time. Over.”

Glasses again. 

You hiccuped. “Please, Levi.”

He picked it up and pressed the button. “Yeah. They can hear.”

“I don’t have much time to talk; Erwin is covering for me,” Hange said, sounding more grave and more serious than Levi thought they were capable of. “With Levi and you missing, Theo… upped security. Federal agents are here, and they plan to conduct a search.”

Because you ran out of time. Because Levi wasn’t fast enough. 

Clutching your temple, you leaned over and tilted the radio towards you, but your mouth opened and closed, useless. To be fair, Levi didn’t know what to say, either.

“I wouldn’t—” Hange’s voice cracked to add to the uncanniness. “Listen, tell me you’re okay. Tell me you’re fine?”

“I’m fine,” you ground out.

Levi looked down at the lumpy rocks, brow drawn, and a stone in his chest. “Go back.”

Hange cut in, “Levi, you need to get out of there. I bet ships have already showed up—”

“They have. We’re past them.” 

He told you, “Say you went after me, but failed.”

This… poisoning, was his fault, and in the first place, he shouldn’t have pushed you so hard before. You did all this for him; that Blondie included, and Glasses. 

You would be fine. This was the plan.

He had much to feel guilt about, and he struggled, very much struggled, not to regret his actions. At least when it came to Izz and Farlan, circumstances had been beyond his control.

“Levi,” you coughed, head shaking.

He imagined you being thrown into a situation like he was. A soldier like Eren, and the murder machine in his hand, and outright nausea turns his stomach. His jaw stammered uselessly.

The radio crackled, which put Levi immediately on edge. Hange said with some reluctance that they had to go, and, “they’re gonna be tracking this frequency, so for now, you need to get somewhere safe.” 

They paused, clearly wrestling with something. “Hey, Levi?”

He grunted, stomach churning.

“...Nothing. You know what?—Nevermind.” Then they said your name. “Stay. Safe. You hear me? I’ll get back to you as soon as I can; or Erwin, but probably me,” they spoke in a flurry.

You sounded the same. “Yes, yes, I hear you.” 

But did you?

The radio crackled and died, and after that, quiet permeated except the waves washing over rocks and sandy shore. Levi hadn’t even processed the fact that he was home again, until now. It felt very alien to him.

Inevitably, his eyes wandered to you, who looked better, if a little clammy, your pallor sick-looking. Seemed you were processing, blinking at the rocks.

“You go back,” Levi said again, stubborn. “You noticed me gone and went in pursuit, but failed, and go back injured. They’ll take pity on you.

“But you’ll need details to make the story realistic. I can get far enough away for it not to matter.”

No, he would not protect you further. He knew what he was, which he had forgotten in his time in the cage after some point. The both of you were divided on a fundamental level. Species, people. 

Who was he to make all these demands of you, and go on to ruin your entire life because of a choice he… must have swindled you into making? You were not to stay with him.

“Levi,” you said.

Either way, this was poorly advised. Foolish.

You don’t… match. This was wrong. Even if things had gone without a single slip, it was wrong. He had no one, and so he was doomed.

“Levi.”

You needed to just. Go. Back.

“Just. Go. Back,” he barked, borderline snarling at the water. “At best you’ll be questioned.”

“At best I’ll be held in contempt by the highest courts in the land, Levi,” you ground out, eyes closing. “I ‘let you escape’. We can’t. I can’t.”

He would argue, again and harder. “See reason already. If you choose—” he shook his head, flabbergasted, “—this path, to not go back, you can’t go back again. You might as well be dead.”

“I know,” you sniveled.

His voice broke. “You want that? I can do nothing for you, I’m not…”

“No—”

“You shouldn’t’ve trusted me. You fucking fool, you shouldn’t have—”

“Stop, Levi!” Your eyes were round, fists tight on your lap. “If that’s how you feel, then just go. That was the goal anyway. Get out of here.”

He gaped, stricken. Leave altogether? “No.”

Your legs crossed, your head planted firmly in your hands. “Either way, you leave, and if you don’t, then… I failed.”

“No.” 

It hurt him like a twisting dagger, hearing you speak like that. You were so wrong.

You shook your head. “I’d be dismissed if not tried, and then—regardless, we could be shut down. You’re that important.”

You said all this without looking at his pinched expression, muffled in your palms. ‘Tried’ was a word he didn’t know the meaning of in this context, but he said nothing.

“This way it’ll just be a tragedy.” You rubbed your temples, then peered at him over your hands. “Don’t look at me like that. You saved my life. Again.”

He looked away, but kept the same expression. How else should he look at you?—With contempt? Nothingness? Both were impossible.

“Levi, I…”

His breath caught. “Don’t,” he whispered. His eyes snapped shut. “It’s too late.”

You began to fall apart. “I can’t go back.”

“I know.”

He couldn’t leave you, and yet he was wrong for you.

“Tell me,” he croaked. His decision-making was not always best. “Tell me what I can do for you.”

Despite himself, in wake of no answer from you, he shuffled over and nudged your shoulder with his forehead. 

You sniffled, a hurt sound, so he wrapped his arms around you, and you seemed to let go. Your whole frame relaxed against his like you needed him just to breathe. You did, before.

“I…” Your soft hands moved around his own, and squeezed. “I think there could be one thing… Do you trust me?”

None of this would have been happening if he didn’t.

| levi masterlist | main masterlist |

[frenchfrywrites]

*struts into ur askbox like this cause i realized somrthing INDREDIBLE*

so the like a dame event right??

i had the realization that if they're dressing as pretty ladies.... they must've gone all the way with the underwear right??

luci's SUCH a perfectionist that he has a pretty matching bra and panties set he wears when he plays his part as the dame

and when the other brothers get to be dames?? WHOOO BOY

getting to measure all of their chests and help them go bra shopping esp for beel WOOF WOOF

the thought of bringing them around a store and asking them which panties they like best UNNNFFF

asmo of course would be having the time of his life but get the blushier boys in here?? hehehe -w-

OOOH YES YES YES

I agree completely!! Luci is def the most likely one to fully commit to and perfect his dame outfit. I imagine he put a lot of effort into finding the nicest, most beautiful set that makes him feel so pretty when he puts it on.

The second most likely is Asmo ofc, who already has bras and panties so it's a no brainer to wear them under his dame outfit. He comes to the store to browse new collections, and he's having a blast leading you around the store

And then.. I imagine Satan also knows exactly what he wants so he has no issue going in and trying on stuff until he finds the perfect piece. He does blush a bit when you praise him for the set he picks out.

As for the other boys,, they need help hjhfkds

Measuring Beel's chest would be an unparalleled experience 🥵 he'd be so flushed, quietly letting you move the measuring tape along his chest. By the end he'd feel so hot and bothered from having you feel him up and pay such close attention to him. (Secretly he's very happy he's got the biggest chest of all his brothers hehe). He mostly lets you pick out lingerie for him, but when his eyes linger on a set he'll let you know he wants it.

When you mentioned getting the blushier boys in there... ofc I thought of Levi first. He'd feel so out of his element, clinging to you and blushing so much because he's terrified about what other people (and you) think! Measuring his chest takes some time because he looks like he's going to pass away any second 💀 When you ask which panties he likes he doesn't know what to say because he doesn't know the "right" answer. So you buy all sorts of sets, and he gives you a little private show back home trying them all on until he finds the right one for himself.

I think Belphie would be kinda nervous, because he's hoping he picks out something that you'll like. When you measure his chest he's surprisingly very cooperative although he fidgets a bit under your attention. He's mostly trying to come off as indifferent, but if you lead him around and suggest things he's very open to getting whatever and trying it on later for you (no matter how flushed and squirmy it makes him).

Mammon would be fine if anyone else was with him but because it's you there with him he's a mess lmao. When you're measuring his chest he cannot stand still for the life of him, and omg if you compliment or praise him he's going to combust ksjhajjgd. He's less nervous when you lead him around the store, but he's back to sweating bullets when it comes to trying the stuff on for you back home.

Whew yeah as you can see I have many many thoughts about this 🥴

[obeiii-mee]

Hey! I have a really loud and particular laugh that seems to carry quite literally throughout my house and there have been many times people have bought it up with me (I can’t help it my laugh is just loud & contagious!!). Could I request the bros reaction to MC who quite literally is unable to laugh quietly and ends up being heard through the whole of the house? Thank you!🥰

This is so sweet, geez imma get cavities. I also have a very loud laugh and I startle people a lot when I start laughing so I get what you mean!

These HCs are probably written a lot better because suddenly I’m full energy and motivation-

———————————————

The Brothers with an MC who has a loud and particular laugh:

Lucifer:

-He’ll never admit it but whenever you start laughing or even smiling, he can’t really stop himself from doing it too

-Like, he looks at you as you start cackling about a funny meme Levi just showed you and he’s holding back a smile-

-Because, even though you have such a loud and some would say ‘obnoxious’ laugh, he thinks you just sound so precious

-He really struggles to show that he’s not affected by you as much as he actually is

-Even if you start laughing at an inappropriate time, he’d likely not even tell you off properly

- Would never say anything of the sort to your face, but he low-key admires you

-He thinks it’s amazing that a simple human like you that has experienced so many horrible things every since they arrived in literal hell, can have the ability to laugh so heartily even now

-If you’re in public and start doing your boisterous laugh, he will keep a stoic expression on his face

-There’s a hint of a blush on his cheeks if you look close enough, though I doubt anyone is crazy enough to point it out

-In private though? Appreciate these moments y’all, because it’s one of the few rare times you’ll see him laugh freely

-Even when he’s around his brothers and trying to keep a straight face, you can see his lips threatening to curve upwards

-Basically, he thinks you’re baby and your laugh makes him feel at ease

Mammon:

-I head canon that he also has a very particular laugh because he gives off those kind of vibes

-He probably doesn’t even notice how loud you are when you start wheezing

-Normally, he’d join in and start laughing with you as the rest of the brothers take out their sound blocking ear muffs for the third time that day

-You two are loud ok?

-Poor Lucifer who not only has insomnia and is a workaholic, he also has two idiots giggling to themselves in the middle of the night

-When I said Mammon is trying to get a laugh out of you any hour of the day

-I mean any hour

-He will wake you up to just hear your voice and then proceed to run out as you start yelling at him

-Even if he were to notice it, the worst reaction you’re gonna get out of him is a bit of teasing

-“Ya sound like you’re dyin’ over there human. You alright?”

-When in reality, he’s even more smitten with you because your laugh is just another one of your amazing qualities

-Mammon does the stupidest shit in front of you to make you and hear you laugh because it warms his heart

-Even if he wouldn’t admit it, to you or to himself

-The only time he ‘doesn’t like’ it when you laugh is if you’re poking fun at him with his brothers

-That gets him all huffy puffy and sad

-For a minute, before he’s thrown himself onto you again

-Greedy for money and greedy for affection of course

Levi:

-ohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrap

-“YOU SOUND JUST LIKE THE MAIN CHARACATER’S LOVE INTEREST FROM THIS NEW ANIME I’M WATCHING! IT’S CALLED: PEOPLE KEEP TELLING ME I’M IN LOVE WITH MY BEST FRIEND BUT I’M ACTUALLY NOT, THOUGH WHOA THEY HAVE SUCH A PRETTY LAUGH!”

-Catch him rambling about it for five minutes straight

-Before stopping abruptly, flushing from head to toe and starting to stutter like he forgot how to speak

-This usually has you laughing again, in a more sympathetic and encouraging way and he just...dies

-He doesn’t like his laugh, at all

-He thinks it sounds really awkward and tense

-So he’s low-key jealous about your rather impulsive laugh because it’s so sweet??? And amazing and cute??? Just like you???

-But at the same time, it’s hard for him to be jealous of it when he loves it so much

-Why do you think he keeps coming to you whenever he finds funny memes or compilations online???

-“I don’t expect a normie like you to understand but look at this.”

-He gets a stupidly cute kick out of knowing that he is the one making you laugh

-I suggest trying not to laugh too much while he’s playing video games because your laugh distracts him so much

-And he will throw his headset at you

-Affectionately of course

Satan:

-He doesn’t give much of a reaction besides a quirked eyebrow and a quiet ‘Oh?’

-Sure, he doesn’t really like it when his brothers are being noisy either because they’re laughing too loudly or because they are fighting gladiator style outside his room

-But you’re the exception

-The only person in that household that could get away with interrupting his reading/work is you

-May come as a surprise to some, but sometimes Satan does get worried for you

-If he hasn’t seen you in a while he might start thinking that something is wrong

-But then he’d hear you laughing from downstairs and he’d smile and think “Eh they’re alright.”

-He thinks your laugh sounds so much more endearing than his own psychotic laugh 🥰🥰🥰

-Will throw one of his precious books at any of his brothers if they make fun of the way you laugh

-Basically, he has the biggest heart eyes for you but he’s too good at hiding it

-Laugh with him whenever something embarrassing happens to Lucifer and he will be so pleased and happy for the rest of the day

Asmo:

-“MC my dear, has anyone mentioned what a wonderfully charming laugh you have? And that says something coming from me.”

-Asmo also has a very noticeable laugh

-Not exactly loud but it could be considered obnoxious (to his brothers) and he giggles all the time when he’s very excited

-Having Asmodeous as your partner is basically the same thing as dating your best friend

-Despite being the Avatar of Lust, your relationship with him is super healthy and even he takes comfort in that

-You’d both be chuckling to yourselves in Majolish or something because this bïtch is hilarious if he wants to be

-“Oh my Lord Diavolo! MC, look! I found the perfect outfit for Mammon!!”

-And it’s a Disney princess dress the size of a fuckn toddler

-You guys laughed so hard you got kicked out >:(

-But you ended up buying that dress for Mammon anyway lmaoo

-Spending too much time with Asmo is similar to the whole “I’m trying to be quiet in class but me and my friend keep laughing every time we look at each other”

-The way both of you have to strain yourselves from full on cackling when Lucifer has a go at either of you 😌

-Except you seriously can’t laugh because you will be ✨murdered✨

-“What do you mEAN YOU DON’T LIKE YOUR LAUGH, YOUR LAUGH IS GORGEOUS! NOT AS GORGEOUS AS MINE OBVIOUSLY BUT IT EASILY COMES IN SECOND!”

-That’s the kind of hype he gives you all day every day

Beel:

-The first time he properly heard you laugh was when you started making puns and you were laughing like crazy at your own jokes (samesies)

-And he just loves seeing you this happy because he gets happy and then he doesn’t even want to eat anymore, he just wants to hug you

-“I like your laugh. Do it again for me?”

-Your heart went doki doki

-It’s common for Beel to make you all flustered without meaning to and then you nervously start laughing again because you feel so awkward

-BUT your face brightens up so much when you start laughing or even smiling and he can’t help himself from complimenting you

-Your joyous and loud chuckles always cheer him up

-To the point where he completely forgets how hungry he is

-Took you a while to figure this one out but his mood sort of changes with yours??

-If you’re visibly sadder than usual, he his morale is also surprisingly low and he starts eating more than usual

-In comparison to when you’re all bubbly and doing that beautiful laugh of yours and he gets like these butterflies in his stomach instead of the usual pangs of pain and hunger

-So now he just wants to hear your voice in general on repeat for the rest of eternity

-Im not crying you are

Belphie:

-“You’re too loud dumbass, I’m tryin’ to nap here.”

-Will deadass throw a pillow at your face if you wake him up

-Like hes so rude and for what?

-He loves you and your annoying as fuck laugh, he really does I promise

-It’s a special, unique part of you and all that sappy crap

-But keep it up and you will have a very cranky boyfriend to deal with for the rest of the month

-He can be such an ass at times if he’s in a bad mood

-“I should tape your mouth shut.”

-“Kinky-“

-“Shut up.”

-But as much as he hates being woken up by somebody else, he would much prefer waking up to your voice rather anyone else’s

-You usually wake him up in the mornings to get ready for RAD and you start giggling every time he pulls a face at you and complains that he doesn’t wanna

-“What are you? An alarm clock?”

-And then he just sort of pulls you to him and goes with a completely straight face:

-“You’re annoying but you can be my alarm clock if you want to.”

-He’s either flirting or is so sleepy he’s being unusually soft hELP

—————————-

Thank you for reading! And for all the reblogs and follows. You guys don’t even know how much I appreciate your support. Especially at times when I’m not as motivated to write and now that the fandom has fizzled out a bit.

Also imma have to make a master list soon or something

Al~

[anlian-aishang]

You had caught yourself a spy - and you could not have been more thrilled.

reference image [reblog below] music

Word count: 5000 Tags: levi x reader, smut, spy trope (capture, weaponry, violence, etc.), enemy fucking, dom/sub dynamics, modern au, spy!levi x fem!reader

The little secrets had gone missing, and at first, that was what you wanted. Red herrings, messages with uncrackable codes, letters that - when deciphered - only said where the base’s light switches were, how to change the camp’s radio stations, and - just cause of the quirky sergeant you were - Nice try, Paradis. They were all merely ways to waste their time.

You came to regret it, though, when you realized: you had no ordinary spy on your hands.

Exchanges over the transceivers had been intercepted. How did you know? It was not by any hushed breathing coming through nor any suspicious missing items, but through your minions who were walking around with walkie-talkies that were not the ones you had assigned to them. You nearly threw a fit - how could you be so stupid?! But when you laid them all out on the meeting room table, you huffed, you could not have blamed them. The little personal marks - the etchings, the stickers, even the serial numbers atop the battery compartments - had all been identically switched and transferred to different devices. After hours of everyone’s thoughtful examination, you still struggled to piece it all together.

Your nights grew restless, which meant that the entire camp did as well. For as long as their leader was invested in something, it meant that everyone else’s efforts were invested as well. It was a week of you turning the base upside-down. Surely, there has to be something. Surely, there has to be something. Surely, there has to be something.

You almost gave up, almost believing it was just one lone incident, but finally, you gained another clue. It was 3 AM, alone in the surveillance room, playing tape after tape of room cam footage, that you noticed another oddity. It was not any unknown figure nor any act of violence caught on camera, but the camera itself.

Nicolo always made ham sandwiches on Wednesdays - so why was Colt eating a salad on the date marked Wednesday 06-09-2021? You tore off your headset and ran to the men’s barracks, screaming his name.

Colt! What did you have for dinner last Wednesday!?

What?!

Hurry!!

Ham sandwich as always, ma’am!

Fucking shit...!

You really had been compromised - for the first time in your career and it was in a way you never saw coming. When did they get in there?! How did they get in there?! What have they stolen already?!

Who could it be?

It was many more sleepless nights of pulling your hair out, biting your nails, trying your hardest to wrap your head around all of it. Through endless questioning and interrogations, you deduced it was not an inside job. Everyone on your team had been there for nearly a decade. Why would they start sabotaging now? Even as you scheduled interviews with your personnel, you shook your head, knowing that you kept them in the dark and on the brink of unlivabley busy - there was no way it could be any of them.

Surely, it had to be someone from Paradis. That was no question, but you had caught so many of them before and none of them had ever been able to do you an ounce of harm, certainly nothing like this. Unless they had suddenly found someone with a knack for this, someone who had been thieving their whole life, someone who had crime in their blood,...

Turns out, that was exactly who they had found.

// // //

Everything had been easy thus far - too easy. You had some clever tactics, he would admit it, but it was nothing for him.

For one, you must have had the cameras installed by some private company, one that was more familiar with household and neighborhood security rather than national and militant espionage. Levi clicked his tongue, eyes set and fingers occupied on fitzing with your gadgets. Wasn’t your fault, sweetheart. He was sure some greedy businessman had lied about their expertise, taking advantage of a female captain who he thought knew no better. A shame, really.

It was too bad that you were on opposing sides. He saw a lot of potential in you and it was clear that your nation was not making the most of it. Marley had placed you, the daughter of a famed war captain, here - as a nod to your father’s achievements, as a thanks to his service. Even though you were the manager of the base, all of your underlings were men - carefully chosen and vetted by the higher-ups. They thought that the military was not a woman’s place. And surely, if your father had a son, they would have given this job to him, not you.

Intercepting your subordinates’ gossip had led him to that conclusion.

On Paradis, though, you would have had much more prestige. He could see you in Commander Erwin’s shoes, in Dr. Hange’s lab, but where he thought you most fitting was with him in reconnaissance - perhaps even at his side.

You had thought over every inch of the premises, had overlooked a multiacre property, and had held those duties for years. That was one thing you lacked on him, though, the time spent in this sector. If you spent a while with him, he could and would show you the ropes. And surely, all your experience managing a surveillance base could teach him something too. As a pair, you would be unstoppable.

Levi sighed to himself. If not for this war,... there were many ideas that could follow, but the one in his mind now: you two could make a good match.

// // //

Being an insomniac did not hurt in this profession. Darkness was the best cover and in it was when he did his worst. Early morning or late night, whatever 4 AM was, he was wide-awake and breaking into your room - the queen bee’s lair.

Levi could not help but snicker to himself. On the knob to your bedroom door, a padlock of comedic size. Ironically, it was what told him that tonight was the night to come in. He had planned to do a lot more before the grand finale: finding you and interrogating you, but with such a glaring display of your fear, he knew it just the right time. Surely, if you were so scared that you would admit and display such a defense, it meant that there was nothing to worry about on the other side of that door.

It was difficult to pick, more so than most of the other ones around here. If he had not yet figured out that this was your quarters, this would have been the tell. He shook his head - too safe for your own good. The metal it was, though, caused his pick to make clanging sounds as he pushed, pulled, bent, and budged. Levi bit his lip, holding back curses, keeping his breaths quiet within.

Almost there.

That telltale clachink! was louder than he would have liked, but his standards were high - a pin-drop considered too much for him. At that second, he simultaneously turned against the wall, knelt down, and held out an open palm - the lock falling square into it, minimizing the sounds into one rather than a series of them.

Gloved hand curled over the round knob, its touch cold through the fabric. A deep inhale behind his black mask, he held his breath in the gradual turn. Silent was his every move.

As soon as he had even a sliver, steel eyes were instantaneous in drinking up all they could. Moonlight outlined your furniture and belongings. Boots taken off at the doormat, uniform crumpled on the floor, dresser drawers left ajar. All signs pointed: you were here and he knew it.

Past the foreground, just in front of the window, your canopy bed. A figure bundled underneath its sheets and comforter. Jackpot. Levi always loved when they were asleep. Waking up to the sight of him at their bedside, a knife at their middle, all inhibitions and filters would instantly disappear. Addresses, social security numbers, launch codes admitted as openly as a weather forecast.

Eyes focused in. That body was still - sound asleep. No need to crawl.

His first act of carelessness.

His last.

// // //

Levi’s tiptoe to your bed was halted halfway en route.

From behind the open door, you reached him in two large strides. Good on you: a third one would not have gotten by him. Elbow hooked around his throat, that hand clutching your shoulder - your favorite kind of chokehold. Your other hand held the dagger, its point at his chest, a tear through his bodysuit.

“Hey there, big boy,” crook pressed against his Adam’s apple, “or should I say - little boy.”

The pressure at his neck brought the slightest bit of breathlessness to his voice, “Fuck you.”

“Pretty big words for such a runt.” Chuckles fell on his ear before you bit his cloth, tugged up, and ripped the garment off his head.

But he was not a runt, at least, not anymore. You tightened your hold around him, a silent don’t do anything stupid, and let yourself have a look at your failed assassin. Most would not have recognized his true age, but you had worked with many men in your time. He could not have been younger than 30.

But could he have been any more attractive?

Shameless was your stare into his eyes - black bangs interceding them at points. Pale skin highlighted from the starry sky. Thin lips a straight line - seemingly unbothered by your little maneuver, in your view, they were begging to be explored.

He tilted his gaze, a pitiful look, “Why don’t we be professionals here, and fight with knives rather than words?”

“Mmm…” you faked a pensiveness, “... I’m not so sure.”

“Yeah?” He mocked, “Scared?”

Grip on your knife loosened just a tinge, “Let’s just say, I brought a gun to a knife fight.”

"Tch..." Paradis did not have those and neither did he. All his abilities up till now did not matter. The only skill that could help him here was his intuition: instantly recognizing that a battle of weaponry with you was one that he would not win.

Levi rolled his eyes. “So, what are you going to do with me?”

So unbothered? It was as if he could care less. Not even a drop of panic or intimidation in his voice. How could that be? A silent scowl, you stopped your thoughts from wandering. Compose yourself.

If carelessness was his game, count me in. A singsong voice, “I don’t know. I might just kill you?”

But that did not work either. “You won’t.”

“Yeah?” You pressed that knife in closer, its metal now chilling his skin. “You gonna stop me?”

“You don’t want to kill me and you’re not going to.” Levi turned towards you, slowly - it’s not a threat yet confidently - I know what I’m doing. Grey gaze captivated, “You would have done it already, sweetheart.”

Fuck. He’s good.

You felt your heart start to race, and that was the last thing you wanted him to know. You needed to let go of him now or else he would feel it through his back. By the time you realized it, it was already too late - your increase in pulse instantly noted. A smile you could not see.

Playing it off as a reward rather than defense, “Listen. You’ve been a good boy - cooperating with me - and I appreciate that.” You edged your blade off just enough to keep contact, but also to imply you were letting up. Drawing oscillations on his spandex, “I’ll have you know that I am quite merciful,” you laughed, “for this industry at least.”

A falsified interest. “Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah…” You nodded against his neck, and to your delight, you felt the tiniest of shivers trail down his spine. You pretended not to notice them, but indeed, made sure to remember it like the back of your hand. A weak point. “Of course, there needs to be some punishment for what you’ve done… but otherwise, I’m keen to forgive and forget.”

Levi raised a single brow. Worry had not set in yet, but it was nearing that point.

Negotiation. “Hah. If I were you, I would think twice about handing me over to your monkeys.”

He did have a point; no, he was completely right. Their only mission for months had been to find him, and in the end, it was you who caught the intruder.

Belittlement. “I never thought you stupid or incapable, but if you think I’m better off in their hands than yours, that would make me think twice.”

He was good.

Too good.

Too good for his own good.

This thief was winning you over, stealing your heart, and you had a feeling that was what he wanted. Indeed, all missions he had taken on, he had succeeded in. Here you were, handing him his first loss, and he was not going to ruin his perfect track record lying down - not without making up for it.

That was the thing, though. In the few minutes you had spent together, in the few sentences you had exchanged, in the few looks you had met, how was he… why was he… so intriguing? Your job was to look over hundreds of men - how had this one gotten straight to your heart straight away?

Who exactly is the captive one, here?

Again, you forced yourself to assert your dominance. Get a fucking grip. He was the one in your hands, after all.

Then suddenly, a tenderness so unexpected, it was only the second time in your engagement that you surprised him - the first of which was when you appeared behind him, put a knife to his sternum, and your arms around his throat. You felt his sharp inhale against you, as you pinched his chin in your fingers, turned his attention to you, and whispered in his mouth.

“Oh, whatever made you think I would let you go so easily?”

// // //

Brows arched at your words, eyes widened in the kiss that followed.

Without wasting any time, you pushed your way past his lips and pinched his tongue with your teeth. Sex, but not without some carefulness. Love, but not without some constraints. You felt his body clench in your hold. Peeking open your eyes, you saw a look of surprise and perplexion on your little intruder. You smiled into the kiss, silently beckoning him to join you in this play.

She’s crazy.

But what if she isn’t?

Those two thoughts alone were what kept his decision delayed. Either you were trying to seduce then subdue him or his tactful charm had worked its magic. Whatever it was, you were throwing yourself at him like he was the last man on earth - as if he was your lifelong husband with whom you had no boundaries, or as if he was your greatest adversary whose walls had to be broken down. Both of whom, you would fuck without mercy.

That eye contact was maintained as you circled his tongue with yours, smacked your lips with his, and nibbled his mouth with your teeth. Fingers dared to reach into that undercut, scooping his head in your hand, and kept him pressed firmly against you. Raven locks were so smooth, you thought that you would not mind resting your hand there forever, or at least, staying a while.

Nails scraped his scalp, drawing a hiss you could taste. After much consideration, he fluttered his eyes shut. He knew he had his life - so do your worst, bitch.

That you did. Left hand kept its place at the back of his head. Your right hand started its journey: beginning at his nape, then cupping his shoulder, reaching over his traps, nails leaving scratches in his back. As you left your marks, he kissed you back the best way he knew how. His tongue uttered no words, but said I’m interested, not intimidating.

That exploratory hand continued though, wrapping around his ribcage, down his torso, to the side of his hip. Through his tight, stretchy spandex, fingertips had ease making out the muscles that lay underneath. An array at his abdomen, a V just below, hipbones that jutted outward. Your hands were your eyes: x-ray vision past his bodysuit. Your contact pursued its descent dangerously low. Maintaining the kiss, Levi gasped with anticipation, wondering if you would go there, hoping you would go there.

It was only a split-second he had to react: your touch lightening to a graze before it snapped away. If not so preoccupied, he would have caught it, but alas - you had him a bit distracted. Reaching into your back pocket, you whipped out handcuffs and clasped them around his wrists.

Shit.

Cold metal was chilling, but not nearly as much as the dominance you had over him now. You finally departed the kiss with one harsh bite, the metallic taste of his blood dwindling just below your teeth. Hand in his hair forced his ear to your lips. “You know, you overestimated me…”

You curled a grip in his locks, tangling and yanking. He had endured plenty of pain in his time, but this was something different. Gritting his teeth, “Yeah?”

How he mistook that bunch of pillows for your sleeping body - “How could I have slept so soundly when there was a rat infestation in my home?”

Levi snickered, “You seem to be enjoying it, though.” Despite the cuffs, hands made their way forward, sneaking underneath the hem of your nightgown. Index and middle finger met for a dive past your panties. Just as he thought, a proud smile, “You’re soaking wet, baby.”

Digits began their dance: slow pumps turned to fast ones, working their magic from shallow to deep end. Warm ridges hugged, a slick fluid coated, your body speaking for you: you wanted his stay, his continuance. Levi sighed, satisfied, imagining how that adorable wet pussy would feel elsewhere. He hated to admit it, but he also could not help it: the walls he wanted past were not the concrete barriers of the fortress, but yours. The mission of counterintelligence had left the forefront of his mind, replaced by one of knowing just how good Marley’s puppet felt.

His determination unmatched, an innate increase in his intensity. A moan you wanted to keep in, a twitch you wanted to subdue, you just could not help yourself as he pumped you faster and faster. Taking hold in his shoulder blades, “A’Ah! Ah, fuck!”

If something did not change soon, he was going to win this battle of control.

No. No. No.

This is all wrong.

Fuck this!

Suddenly, you snapped at him. How dare he try to get out from under you? Tired you were of this teetering back and forth - a battle of nations, with him, within yourself - of who was winning. Just who is in charge, here?

Rebounding off your near-orgasm, your voice turned a gradient from weakness to strength. “On your knees! Do you hear me?” Fist in his hair pushed him down down down. “On your knees, now!”

Shocked eyes met yours of unbreakable command. Just when he thought he had you nearing the edge of submission, you had pulled the 180: now holding him by his collar and dangling him over the cliff. What other option did he have? It was not that you were physically pushing him - that, he could easily have fought against - it was that he had no desire to disobey. That was a much harder fight, one he was unfit for. If you were putting him where he thought you were, it was a place he was desperate to be.

There was no more resilience. Levi threw his hands up, literally and figuratively. An expression of pure desire, submission, lust, was almost more than you could take. You had plenty of experience with reading faces, but even you could not tell, is this fabricated or real? It was his whine, though, that won you over. “Yes, master.”

“Hmph,” you laughed, contented, “that’s right.” You nearly stuttered as you ordered, “Get down, now.”

It was his compliance as well as your force that moved him to the floor. His willingness demonstrated by the point of his toes on the hardwood followed by the bang of his knees. All this time, that left hand in his hair had done well. You let it stay - an anchor of guidance for this next part. Meanwhile, your right hand caressed his neck, remembering his vulnerable shivers from before. He earned some fun.

A reward, too. “Enjoy what you’re about to see,” you hummed. Fingers hooked below your silk dress and pulled it up, over, off your body. “Not just anyone gets this view.”

For as much as you had undermined him, mocked him, reduced him from a country’s greatest scout to one woman’s mere servant, the knowledge that he was one of the few - perhaps the only one - to have the privilege of seeing you naked, it gave him more confidence than you told yourself you would allow. In this outfit of his, the effect of that surge was visible.

Pupils dilated further. The height he was - it was no indication of the length you saw below. Lips parted in thirst. If you knew that this was what he was packing, you may not have opted for this strategy.

Your reaction, it did not matter that he was brought to his knees, your obvious infatuation had him feeling sky-high. Levi arched his brows, a knowing smirk. “You like what you see?”

Forced frown was undercut by the quiver in your lip, “Should be asking you that.”

Levi inched himself forward: bangs tickled your tummy, nose pressed into your hips, teeth bit the seam of your panties and ripped down. Then, finally, you were completely exposed to him. Glistening sex, perked nipples, heaving chest, and all. His cheek met your inner thigh, which he nuzzled like a pillow. Eyes stayed vehemently on you, conveying his seriousness as well as his enchantment, “I do, princess.”

Brows narrowed. Blood ran red. You hated that he called you that - the lone commander of this secret base. You hated how the pet name made your heart flutter. You hated that you liked it. Bastard… shut up!

Reprimand: you pulled his hair again. “I’m no princess.”

Levi shrugged his shoulders, if you insist. A single swipe of his tongue between your folds was his keycard to you, preceding the words that reached right to your core.

“Just for tonight,” he sighed, “I’m gonna make you feel like one.”

// // //

Whether he was to make you feel like a princess - or it was you who made him to make you feel like one, it was the same question: just who was in control of your pleasure right now?

Canines grazed your curves with pain, his tongue painted your skin with pleasure. Tender, but unrelenting. Hungry, not sloppy. Cold-blooded and heated passion as he ate you out.

Knees buckled at the sensation he provided, but he had no problem with that - with having you sitting on his face. His shoulders became your cushion, his ears your armrests. Even as you dipped yourself further and further onto him, he showed no signs of struggle. Smart, sinister, and strong, too. You felt your yearning heighten. Where has he been all my life? It was not that he was a god you praised, but the opposite: a puppet, your pet, a plaything completely under your control.

Pathetic. That was how he looked: absolutely pathetic. Cheeks reddening like fire, eyes barely managing a squint, bangs drenched with sweat and stuck to his face. With merely the presence of weaponry, not even the use of it, you had brought him to nothingness.

Dynamics, no filter, you thought aloud. “You know, I was scared of you then... but not anymore -” you giggled, “not when you’re like this.”

A man on his knees, silver handcuffs around his wrists, his face smothered by your cunt - there was no position more humiliating. Levi’s mouth stayed between your legs, no words but an exhale - one you assumed for your benefit was actually a laugh. Funny - you started off afraid of him and ended up this fearless. It was the opposite for him: thinking you were so stupid, so weak - then discovering the strongest and most intelligent woman he had ever met.

Oh, how he wanted you - for more than just tonight.

Levi let his mouth run its route, an instinctual chase for the milestone signs of your pleasure, and let his mind wander.

He had spent his life in a perpetual search, but tonight, he realized: his heart was looking for something else, something of his own, looking for something that it did not know - that was, until he found you. Actually, until you found him.

Why had you decided not to kill him? What made you keep that knife at his chest rather than plunging it into him? How had all your previous infiltrators come back with scars or not come back at all? Here he was unscathed, one of the lucky ones, who would ever get to serve you - one of the only ones to do so like this.

Given this chance, he had to make the most of it - if he wanted a chance at forever with you, it meant it had to start tonight.

Make her scream.

Make her cum.

Make her fall in love.

Levi grunted, inadvertently making you arch your back into him and cry out. You were on Cloud 9, but he was in the throes of frustration. There was no way it would work and he knew it. No matter how hard he tried for you, no matter how many orgasms he gave you, no matter how in love he was with you, there was no chance in hell that you two would make it.

Lovers tonight. Enemies forever.

His resentment towards the world, your states, the artificial barrier of higher-ups and diplomats that kept you apart was taken out on you and only you. Levi felt himself losing control, furious slashes, primal bites, smoldering growls unleashed on your sex. A zap of his being from head to toe, an energy uncontainable.

The change in pace was sudden - you fumbled for composure, “Fuck!! Fuck!”

But there was no chance, not with Levi Ackerman between your legs.

“Cum -” for me, “- come on, princess.”

Not yet. Not yet. Not yet!

You wanted this to last, but your rising floodgates, the thrusts of your hips, the longing for this - for him - refused to be held back any longer. Fists found stability in his tangles, nails dug into his neck, shaking in anticipation of the climax that neared.

They were not enough.

You were no match.

A warm honey that coursed through your veins, an ice-cold water on a humid summer day, the steam of a bubble bath, a lick of your favorite ice cream. That was what he was to you, that was what he provided you - what no other man on this world could be or could give. Certainly, not anyone on this base.

No. No. No.

Stop that.

Enjoy this while it lasts.

You let yourself have that: an easy comedown from your hard-earned bliss, a slow tapering from the reward you had been chasing for longer than just tonight, but for all the months that he had been fucking with you. That pleasure you felt, though, had been worth it all - a trade you would take again and again.

Right now, actually.

Fingers threaded through his tresses. You bent his neck back, forced his gaze up to meet yours, and demanded, “Another.”

// // //

When you woke up, that little rat had left without a trace. No note, no clothing, not even a single strand of hair. What a shame… you had really enjoyed your time together, and with the lingering scent of his sweat still on your skin - you thought he had, too.

A nonsensical emptiness. What was there to do now? The months of mystery had been solved. The man you had sought after had disappeared the second you found him. The night you spent with him was the only one you ever would.

A maniacal laugh brewed from deep within and resonated throughout the room louder and louder - even echoing down your bedroom’s air vent, through the base, and in the ears of all those stationed. Your soldiers cringed. Their leader always so composed - what had taken over her?

You didn’t even find out his name.

You let him get away.

Miles away, though, at a motel down the road - a mysterious young man had just presented $5000 in cash, silently purchasing an indefinite stay. A sizeable briefcase, a trench coat, soleless shoes, the teenage desk clerk was either too stupid or too scared to raise any concerns and, instead, swiftly handed over the keys.

The mission had been compromised, not completed, and there was no way he would return back empty-handed. Surely, he would lose the title he had worked all these years to attain. Worse off, he would be berated by the nation, hated by its citizens, and have to retreat to the underground, once again abandoning the name he had fought for the right to say aloud. He would not rather be dead than have that fate, but surely, it was worth giving this operation another shot.

That was what he told himself, anyway.

Of course, he wanted to see his assignment through. But he knew deep inside: that duty was secondary to his heart’s wandering thoughts.

What would happen if he was caught again?

// masterlist //

[taixju]

Safe Haven [4]

CONTENT WARNING: eventual smut, slow build, ceo levi, office au, assault/harassment, unedited

NOTES: hi friends, thanks for sticking with this story till now! here is part 4, panda has a bit of writers block and is having trouble getting part 5 out *sigh* she shall try her utmost best!! As always, if you got this far, thank you so much for reading!! *muah*

Erwin stands in the middle of your living room, taking charge of the chaos. The rest of the day went by like a blur. You watched in a daze as police officers exited the complex, carrying out random pieces of furniture; first your television. Then it was your desktop computer. And then finally followed by the full body mirror from your bedroom.

Officer Bott stands with you and Grace at the perimeter of yellow caution tape. Other neighbors ogle at the scene noseily from their own complex. It was embarrassing. Your apartment looked like a fucking crime scene. Grace hugged you close as a way to assuage your oncoming anxiety.

“So...why are they taking all my things?” You ask, unsure of how the situation was unfolding. You knew Zeke had bugged everything they were taking out. You just wanted to hear the words of confirmation from Officer Bott himself.

“Evidence,” Officer Bott grimaces. He seems hesitant to continue but you look at him expectantly.

“We found multiple cameras set up throughout your apartment Miss Reader. You’ve seen a few of the photographs, I presume?”

You nod anxiously. How the hell did Zeke even get into your apartment unnoticed? Let alone install cameras in your home. It gave you a headache just thinking about it.

“What a sick fuck,” Grace steals the words right out of your mouth.

Officer Bott sensed both of your concerns.

“There are no signs of forced entry,” he states in a matter-of-fact tone. “But it is mandatory that I ask...has there ever been a time where you...willingly invited him into your home?”

The thought alone makes you want to retch.

“No,” you immediately deny what he was suggesting, “Never.”

He gives you an understanding nod and scribbles quick notes on a paper pad. He pauses, as though to piece together his next words.

“It’ll be a while till we find something,” he rubs the back of his head, “Would you mind coming down to the station? The chief’ll want to ask you a few more questions in private if that’s alright with you?”

“Yeah,” you nod lethargically. The day couldn’t get any worse.

~~

You and Grace sit in the back of the police car. She holds your hand and rubs the back of it comfortingly. Office Bott is in the driver’s seat. The three of you were on your way to the police station. Detectives were still at your house when you left. The drive is quiet, leaving you to your thoughts.

Zeke was sadistic. That was clear enough. He had you right where he wanted. Scared. Anxious. Filled with apprehension.

Men like Zeke got off knowing that women feared them. It pissed you off that he suddenly held you firmly, trapped under his domineering thumb, controlling most aspects of your life. You barely knew the man and yet he suddenly felt some sort of entitlement over you. That thought alone was nauseating.

“How long do you think he’s been watching?” Grace breaks your silent thoughts. She looks uneasy yet concerned.

“I don’t know,” you bite on your nail nervously. You didn’t want to alarm your friend but judging by the few photos you managed to skim through, it was pointing towards prior to the two of you even meeting. Sick bastard had been watching you this entire time.

“I thought he was just a creepy neighbor,” Grace said quietly, “Never thought it would escalate to this extent.”

“You and me both.”

Your phone buzzed.

‘Are you okay?’

You were tired of that damn question but seeing who was asking, you smiled for the first time since the morning chaos unfolded.

‘I’m damn tired but on my way to the police station. It’s worse than I thought but I can fill you in later.’

Dots appear at the bottom of your screen indicating his reply, then disappeared. You sighed, dropping your phone in your lap.

Levi had developed a knack for showing up exactly when you needed him. The both of you had a relationship that oscillated from the normal employer slash employee relationship. Despite his harsh exterior, you and Levi had developed a friendship of sorts. At first, trying to just work with him on cordial terms was like pulling teeth. But you weren’t one to yield when the going got tough.

~~

8 months ago

“Here’s the third brew sir,” you grit out, trying your best not to slam the pot onto the table, “Hope it’s to your liking.”

You were hired as a personal assistant. Not a goddamn barista.

Despite your annoyance, you watch expectantly as Mr. Ackerman took a sip.

He places it down and makes a displeased face.

You bite your tongue to stop yourself from saying something you’d regret later. It wasn’t long that Levi Ackerman assumed the position his uncle just held a few months prior. You didn’t know if he was doing it on purpose but he was really pushing all your wrong buttons.

“It’s tolerable.”

“That’s it?” You deadpan.

He raises an eyebrow at your comment. His eyes sweep up. Then down. And then finally meeting your own irritated gaze.

“It isn’t shit if that’s what you want to hear.”

You want to slap the smug look off his handsome face. Instead, you hug the tray tightly to your chest and smile sweetly, hiding the fact that he managed to provoke you.

“A thank you would suffice.”

He scoffs. Why should he be thankful for a shitty brew?

“Learn to brew a proper cup of tea first,” he slides the nearly full teacup towards you.

You were getting really tired of his smartass remarks. Clearly, he wasn’t a very sociable person. There was nothing you wanted more than to rain your ‘improper’ cup of tea over his pompous parade.

“You can return to your desk Miss Reader,” he situates himself at his laptop, not sparing you a second glance.

His evasion meant one thing. End of conversation.

You sigh. “Page me if you need anything, sir.”

On the way out, you shut the large doors behind you. Your heels click as you walk down the long hallway to the other side of the floor.

What even makes a “proper brew”? You ask yourself as you plop down into your chair. A part of you was annoyed by your new boss’ fussy demands. The other wanted to brew the best goddamn cup of tea that man has ever tasted. Whatever. No sense thinking about it now. The drop off tray at your desk was filled with a mountain of unrevised documents. Sighing, you grab a stack and begin your morning proofreading.

~

Since his arrival, Levi was always the last to leave the office. It was usually dark by this time but to his surprise, light shimmers from the last door, dimly illuminating the rest of the hallway. Your door.

Surely you weren’t still here. It wasn’t news to him that you had a distaste for him. But then again, so did many of the other employees. He wasn’t there to make friends; nor baby full-grown adults. Kenny left Ackerman Corp. in his hands. His uncle’s trust was not something to be taken lightly.

Walking closer to your office, Levi shook his head. You probably forgot to turn the light off on your way out. He clicked his tongue at the thought.

As he got closer, he realized there were sounds emitting from the room - sounds of people talking.

“-unless your water is exceptionally filtered, bottled mineral water would do just fine. Wait 5-10 minutes until it comes to a boil.”

What?

Levi peers into your office cautiously. You’re seated at your desk, head down, hair sprawled messily across your face. The YouTube video continues to play although you are fast asleep. He quietly moves across the room to catch a glance at your computer screen.

‘The Perfect Cup of Tea’ he reads.

A small snore escapes your mouth, distracting his eyes from the screen and drawing them to your sleeping frame. For the first time since his arrival, Levi dons a small smile.

Careful not to wake you up, he removes his grey jacket and drapes it around your shoulders.

“Add a generous amount of sugar to the black English brew. It’ll really lighten the flavor.”

When you don’t stir, he brushes a strand from your eyes, walks back out, and leaves as if he wasn’t even there.

“And that's how you make a good old-fashioned, English brew.”

~~

Others misinterpreted your friendship as something more. You lost count of the times you had to correct people that the relationship between the two of you was anything but romantic. You’re just trying to convince yourself, your inner voice protested.

Sure there was an unspoken attraction you had towards your boss. He was alluring and there were many times you found it hard to fight off the obscene thoughts that followed but it was a path you didn’t want to go down. He cared about you. That was it. There were moments where your resolve slipped and you couldn’t help but make your yearning known. However, his usual responses left you even more confused than before. The both of you came from two different worlds and you were unsure whether or not Levi would be willing to take that leap.

‘I’ll meet you there.’ Levi finally replies, breaking your inner thoughts.

“Damn, you really have the poor guy wrapped around your finger,” Grace grins. She didn’t have to read the text message to know who it was from.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb,” she scoffs.

“He’s our boss,” you correct her.

“Well, our boss has got it real bad for you.”

“He’s just being nice,” you look back out the window, “I’m just his PA”

“My ass,” Grace rolls her eyes, “when was the last time you saw Mr. Ackerman being nice to any other employee other than you?”

You purse your lips, giving actual thought to her question.

“See, you haven’t,” she interjects before you can even reply, “I swear it’s like he always has a stick wedged far up his ass...and you have the magic plunger.”

“Grace!” you laugh. You were grateful that she was here with you. She always knew how to lift a sour mood. Luckily, Levi had allowed the both of you to leave early; considering the events that unfolded that morning. He was definitely a lot more understanding in comparison to the first time you met. But also a lot more confusing. Sometimes, he made it more difficult than it was to distinguish your own feelings towards him.

The sun was setting over the city of Seattle, its tall buildings basking in the fading golden light. People flooded the streets, most likely making their way home. Officer Bott breaks your train of thought and turns into the police station.

The three of you step out of the car and he leads you and Grace inside the building. A tall man is the first to greet you.

“Miss Reader, Miss Williams, this is my partner, Jean Kirstein,” Officer Bott introduces.

The man gives both of you a kind smile.

“Please show Miss Reader and Miss Williams to Chief Smith’s office. He’s expecting them once he returns. I’ll be there shortly with some refreshments.”

“This way,” Jean leads the both of you to a room towards the back of the station.

“Chief Smith will be here as soon as he finishes up at the scene,” he gestures for the both of you to take a seat.

“Thanks, Officer,” Grace smiles, with a hint of flirtiness to her tone.

“No problem, miss. Just holler if you need anything, I’ll be down the hall.”

He exits, leaving the two of you alone.

“He was cute,” she comments as soon as Jean leaves.

You laugh. “He’s a police officer, so that’s a plus.”

“You know I can’t resist a man in uniform.”

“He was handsome,” you entertain your friend.

“Tall too,” she gushes.

“I guess…” you drawl, emphasizing your humorous tone.

“Oh that’s right, you like your men pocket-sized,” she cackles.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You roll your eyes but a grin is still prominent on your face.

She gives you a knowing stare and as if right on cue, there is a knock at the door.

“Miss Reader,” Erwin Smith enters the room, “I apologize for making you wait.” He takes a seat at his desk.

Marco Bott enters the room with a tray of styrofoam cups. The smell of instant coffee makes your mouth water.

“I’ll get straight to the point,” Erwin folds his hands neatly on his desk. Marco places the refreshments down before exiting the room quietly.

“Our suspect is named Zeke Fritz,” he pauses, gauging your reaction. When you look at the Officer expectantly, he continues.

“There is not a lot of available information on Mr. Fritz. No paper trail. No social media.”

You take a sip of the piping hot coffee. It burns your tongue but you take a big gulp. It satiates your dry mouth.

“We managed to obtain a warrant to look into his apartment. Does the name Yaeger ring any bells for you, Miss Reader?”

You shake your head, the name doesn't sound familiar but Grace perks up at the mention of the name.

“Y a e g e r,” Grace spells aloud quizzically, “Like as in the politician?”

Erwin nods.

“Politician?” you ask aloud.

“Grisha Yeager,” Erwin repeats the unfamiliar name, “The man is new to politics but he recently announced his plans to run for office.”

Grisha Yeager. A light bulb suddenly went off in your head.

“Mr. Ackerman received an invitation to his upcoming campaign,” you think aloud, “he didn’t seem too enthusiastic about attending though.”

Erwin raises his eyebrows upon hearing your disclosure of information then scribbles in his notepad.

“We found an unusual amount of newspaper clippings, all concerning Mr. Yaeger,” Erwin places his pen down and turns to his desktop computer.

You and Grace give each other an inquisitive look. She points to her head and circles her pointer finger a few times.

“C r a z y” she mouths silently.

No kidding.

“This is what we found at the suspect’s apartment,” Erwin rotates his computer screen. The photograph shows a wall identical to the one in your bedroom but instead, it is covered with newspaper clippings. You quickly glance at the headings.

‘VICTORY FOR GRISHA YAEGER’

‘BUSINESS BUREAU PREDICTS YAEGER’S FUTURE CAMPAIGN’

The more you stare at the screen, you realize that most of the photos of Grisha Yaeger had been violently scratched out, black and red X’s obscure the man's facial features.

‘GRISHA YAEGER: “TRUST MUST BE EARNED’ 

Next to this particular clipping, there is a messily scribbled note which you assumed to have been made by Zeke. ‘Fucking liar’ the remark makes you frown but you continue.

‘HEIR TO YAEGER CORP. ANNOUNCED”

A photo of a man standing next to Grisha is featured. He’s young but looks just like Grisha, you note.

“Our team is investigating the possible link Zeke Fritz may have to Grisha Yaeger,” he turns his computer screen back, “Clearly whatever he has against him, it is very personal.”

You nod. That was a damn understatement.

“I have already discussed it with Levi,” he turns his attention back to you, “but we believe it isn’t safe for you to return home at the moment.”

“Right,” you sigh.

“Is there any place you can stay until we are able to locate the suspect?” Erwin looks at you expectantly. Before Grace can interject, he continues to speak.

“We don’t feel it would be safe for either of you to return home at this time...seeing that it was apparent that Zeke Fritz visited your home Miss Williams.”

“Fucking hell.”

You look at Grace apologetically.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this,” you smile sadly, “Don’t worry, I’ll book us a room at a motel or something.”

A slight shuffling sound startles the both of you. You turn to see Levi standing in the doorway. He looks slightly uncharacteristically disheveled.

“You look like shit,” you mimic his monotonous voice.

He glares at you but ignores your comment.

“A motel won’t be necessary,” he fixes his tie and runs a hand through his hair.

You raise an eyebrow curiously.

“Well, what do you suggest boss?” Grace grins buoyantly.

“You can stay at my place,” he crosses his arms and looks away. He dons his usual frown but you notice the slight blush that color his cheeks.

You bite your cheek to hold in your laughter at the awkward, yet adorable sight.

“Perfect!” Grace clamps her hands together and answers before you can, “When do we move in?”

[hangekitty]

Tea for 3

Erwin x Levi x gn!Reader Headcanons

Scenario: the three of you decide to open up a tea shop together

Warnings: none!

Genre: fluff! Polyamory

Universe: Modern AU!

A/N: it’s a little short, but it’s definitely sweet. These headcanons have been on my mind a LOT and I just had to write them down. I feel like I mostly write polyamory stuff (even my private work is like 70% polyamory) but I am working on monogamous relationship stories as we speak! Should I keep writing polyamory? 🤔

First of all, it was Levi’s idea to open up a tea shop, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. He had first brought it up out of curiosity to see what you or Erwin thought. It wasn’t brought up again till Erwin found a little shop that was up for sale, to which Levi pretended not to be excited; in truth, if Levi was better at expressing himself he would have been jumping up and down with pure happiness.

Levi will probably need some convincing to actually go for this opportunity. I can see him being a little insecure as to whether he deserves such a chance at this; so hearing the two of you, the people he loves most, give him so much affection and encouragement he couldn’t refuse.

You three spend long nights together designing the interior and exterior of the tea shop; going for a sleek botanical look with a hint of rustic charm.

You were the creative of the three, designing the logo and even the menu; Erwin would be like 😧 being super impressed with your talents. He is very good with his hands in the DIY department, but can barely draw a stick figure!

You decide to call the tea shop Ackerman & Co. (as much as Levi tried to argue against it, it is of course his dream and thought it would be a lovely gesture of yours and Erwin’s love towards him). Needless to say, Levi loved your reasoning and eventually accepted it.

The three of you visiting the store before buying it, Erwin ever so vigilant with his questions. From “Is there a persistent mould problem” to “are the neighbours noisy?”

Luckily it seems things are perfect, the store is located just off the high streets but close enough to attract some wandering customers. A little detail I would like to add is that the store is close to a cathedral and one of Levi’s favourite things to do (especially at night) is to open a window and listen out to the bell chimes.

“Is it big enough for your bed?” The answer to that is yes! As you insisted that the three of you share a King size bed (although Levi doesn’t sleep that often as it is, he still enjoys the company) you worry that the living space may not be enough. Don’t worry, Erwin sized out the place; he measured the entire flat above the shop out with only a measuring tape.

You ask Miche, Hange and Moblit for help when it comes to building up the tea shop! From painting to decorating, Hange goes a little overboard with the plants, but it only adds to the charm. “Who the hell is going to water all of these?” Levi groaned, “don’t worry love, I will” you reassure him, he will of course make you keep a diary so you can keep an eye out and record watering times!

Erwin insists on adding a bookshelf into the shop; this means that customers can read whilst they are there, even setting up a weekly book club! You also suggest keeping a spot out for a book exchange, keeping an on-going flow of new content for the regular customers.

Before you officially open the shop, Kutchel (Levi’s mum) visits with a gift; it is a large kettle decorated with a giant green bow to ‘baptise’ the place (also came with a bouquet of flowers because she is a sweetheart). “I am so proud of you baby”

Levi won’t cry, but he’ll cry

Let me just say, Kutchel adores the two of you and is so proud and glad that Levi has people in his life who adore him as much as his mother does (although initially explaining polyamory to her was a challenge, she just didn’t understand at first! But she supports and loves you once she grasped the concept!)

The first day of opening was BUSY. Little did you three know, but Hange had invited EVERYONE they knew and even going up to people in the streets to come to the opening.

The most confident was Erwin, he was the main spokesperson in announcing your new place. Levi barely spoke, mostly to contain himself from just crying out of happiness. So to keep his strength, he will hold onto your hand all night, giving it tender squeezes if he started to feel overwhelmed.

Levi would be the manager, mainly working on the teas and coffee orders, Erwin is most definitely the baker, making muffins and cookies and all sorts! You were the waiter/waitress but you also had your hand in baking and/or tea making when it was needed!

You put up a message board in the main room so that customers and/or friends and family can leave post-it-notes on the board. Most of the notes you get are compliments of the establishment, but you will get the occasional “I love Erwin/Levi/Y/N” notes from your loved ones; those notes you keep up forever. - if ever you get any missing cat posters, Levi will make it his mission to look for said cat.

Levi insists on getting WIFI, but Erwin annoyingly will point out the large bookcase, stating that books are enough. He does eventually give in, but will purposefully set the password annoyingly long and complicated for the sake of being petty. The password would look something like L1v1nYNrmYl0vr$

You notice that Levi spends more time in bed with you three! He has definitely settled down a lot more, feeling so much joy that his dream came to light. You and Erwin of course enjoy the extra person to cuddle in bed.

Frequent visits from your friends, Hange will bring their laptop into the cafe to finish their thesis or other scientific reports; they would quite literally spend all day there and will sleep on the sofa if they could get away with it. - you do at least have a spare bedroom so if Hange stays too late, they have a place to sleep.

Levi putting out cat food for the local strays, a cute little quirk you only started noticing when a dozen cats were lined up outside the back entrance of the store.

The tea shop will of course be successful, so Levi decides to experiment and start his own line of teas. Starting off with the basic breakfast and earl greys and then into the fruity and herbal teas. Once he got his customers approval and satisfaction, he then sells the tea bags (and loose tea leaves) to customers to take home. He calls his tea ‘Teas of Freedom’ (like wings of freedom lmao) which become very popular.

GLASS TEAPOTS; you get to see the water change into beautiful colours once the teas infuse. The most popular being the jasmine tea where the flower blooms when the hot water is applied; Erwin’s face lights up EVERY TIME Levi prepares this kind of tea.

Can you imagine Levi’s face when someone comes in and asks for a Starbuck’s like order, he would be like “HUH???” But don’t worry, you step in and take the order effortlessly; Levi is a tea man, coffee is somewhat a foreign concept to him.

On quiet days, Erwin will come up behind you and wrap his arms around your waist, whispering sweet nothing into your ear and rocks you side to side. This man is so in love with you. He does this to Levi but not as often...mostly because even on not so busy days Levi is busy.

Imagine catching quick little kisses whilst its busy, hugging is one thing but a quick kiss on the cheek is honestly so cute; Levi would 100% get distracted and a lot more clumsy if you plant a forehead kiss on him whilst he’s preparing tea.

EEEEP I hope you enjoyed it!! I love EURI as it is, but being a x reader it meant I got an excuse to write them!

[kaeyas-beloved]

Be You {Leviathan x Reader}

Leviathan x Reader (They/Them) || Obey Me!

Warning(s): None (Well, actually I make Levi bully Mammon for less than a paragraph)

Note: This was a request I received from someone on Wattpad!

-------------------

Finally, Leviathan’s done it. It’s been a long three days, hours upon hours having been poured into this playthrough. 

“Woop woop! Aren’t I the best!” he praised himself, smiling wide. He’s skipped meals, pushed assignments to a later date and avoided any outside interactions to finish this game. His sight may be blurry and his limbs numb but if those were the sacrifices he had to make to go full completionist then it was all worth it. Now, time to celebrate a well deserved win.

“I think this calls for some of Ruri-chan’s celebratory season 3 limited edition candy and-!”

A chorus of knocks on his door immediately snuffed out his joy. Levi scowled, turning to glare at his door from his chair, it’s gotta be Mammon. The third born is absolutely positive that it’s his scummy older brother - it always is - back yet again to mooch more money off him for a trip to the casino. The usual slander he and his brothers would throw at the second born was on the tip of his tongue, ready to fire at will. 

“Hey Levi? You there? It’s me....”

A voice that definitely doesn’t belong to the second born piping up and Levi, halfway through spouting the first syllable, shuts up all together. That’s his normie. A weight presses on his heart: he was just about to yell and insult his Henry… 

Clearing his throat in hopes of gaining some kind of composure (all previous anger having diminished) the usual “What’s the password?” came out in a stutter. The demon was only acutely aware of his heart beat. How it skipped periodically. How it raced like he himself just ran a marathon. Levi waits a moment for the human to finish reciting the TSL excerpt. His hands begin to shake, his palms exuding profuse amounts of sweat. Gah! Why was he so nervous? Yeah, he’s aware that he’s just some gross shut-in otaku but he shouldn’t be this anxious! It’s not like this is the first time the exchange student has hung out in his room... alone... with him…

“Yo Levi?”

“Yes MC?”

“You think you could open the door now? Please?” Snapped back to reality, Levi hastily opened the door, finding himself regretting it soon after.

“I, uh, MC? What do you…?” his voice trailed off, orange gradient eyes locked on their garments. Immediately he sputtered, taking a step back. A bright scarlet coated his pale cheeks. Levi tried to hide it with his hand, though it was proven useless. The sea demon's at a toss up; should he screech? Slam the door shut? Combust all together!? At the rate he’s going, number three is looking pretty probable.

On the other end of this exchange, the human stood almost timidly out in the hall, fingers fiddling with one another while their eyes darted anywhere but at the man in front of them. The words of the fifth born rang in their ears:

“You absolutely have to wear this dear! My brother would surely fall head over heels for you, even more so than he already is!”

Oh whyyyyy did they trust him? Cause he had knowledge in fashion and love? Yeah, that was it. Still, if this turns south Asmo is going to get a lecture worse than any Lucifer could ever give… Damn, they really should’ve never let the lust demon shoo them into his private bathroom and make them change into this girly outfit. 

And it hit them all at once: Levi doesn’t like it, what they’re wearing. What if he never talks to them after this? Maybe if they leave now then there will still be a chance they can forget about this.

Time went on slowly, like people who walk through mud are, and MC just about tuck tail and ran, what they had planned and gained courage for be damned. 

Levi had other plans though. 

Only now registering that the two were standing out in the open for all to see, in a blind and desperate attempt to save himself and the human from embarrassment, the third born latched onto their wrist, yanking them into the safety of his room. Unfortunately, demon strength is a funny thing and Levi had handled them with more force than he meant to, the human crashing into his chest - hard. 

Perhaps it was instinct -- a need to protect the fragile being within his grasp -- but the demon's arm found purchase around their form, pulling them almost impossibly closer as they tipped. The pair, balance long gone, toppled over, landing with a thud.

Somehow, just like in all the romance anime he’s watched, Levi found himself hovering over them, arms propped on either side of their head. Their noses brushed, both staring frozen into each other's eyes. It wasn’t everyday that either of them were this close to one another, the exception being when the duo falls asleep playing video games. God, with this kind of proximity he was sure that the normie could hear how fast his meek heart was pounding. If this went on any longer he might actually die.

“Levi?” They whispered, their voice so quiet that he almost missed the call of his name. He however did catch their whisper and tensed up before coming back to the here and now, catching sight of the ‘what’ that led to their current position. Standing, Levi’s face burned hotter than ever before.

‘It was all because of them,’ he thought, turning away turning away with tense shoulders as he still tries to mask the red that licked all the way up to his ears. ‘It’s always their fault when I start to feel like I do now!’

“S-stupid n-normie! Why are you even wearing that?” he asked, chancing a glance over his shoulder. Levi did have to admit… they looked kinda cute in those clothes… and it looked like something Ruri-chan would wear too… 

Gah! No no no focus Levi!

The ‘normie’ didn’t answer right away, instead raising to their feet and opting to grab a bag from beside the door. That wasn’t there before. 

“Asmo…” they sighed, turning back to face the demon, nervousness swirling within them. Now or never, “Asmo said you’d like it if I wore something like this” So this is Asmo’s doing? Damn him… “Anyway, here, take it.”

“Wha-?” A shimmering gift bag the same colour of the water Henry his goldfish swam in was thrust into his hands, whatever he was about to say dying in his throat. 

A present? For him? Oh why must a no good otaku like him have to go through such an intimate endeavor???? He just can’t take it! 

Then again, this was like that one scene from season 2 ep. 22 of this anime he binged: I Forget Important Dates all the time which causes me to get into really awkward situations. This time I forgot about my Birthday and my Crush handed me a bag before confessing their love for me!

So-! Spurred on by fictional characters and MC’s urging “go on, open it”, Levi tore the tape, presented with his spontaneous gift: a popular multiplayer game from the human world; one near impossible to get in Devildom.

“WHAOOO!” MC couldn’t help but think how much he’s acting like a kid on Christmas, the notion cute in their opinion. The human stood still for a couple minutes, allowing their friend to rant and gush over the game (and how cool they were for even acquiring it).

“But…” the purple haired demon calmed down, “why did you suddenly give me this?” What? Did he not know what today was?

“It’s… it is your birthday isn’t it!?” Don’t tell them Asmo lied to them about Levi’s birthday!

Levi pulled out his phone, his eyes widening to the size of saucers, “No, it is my birthday,” he assured. With all the gaming he was doing he must've failed to noticed, which is strange considering the last time his special day drew near he practically counted down the days. 

“MC.” He got their attention, looking them right in the eye, his words and actions portraying a sureness and sincerity, “Thank you and…” As quick as lightning strikes the ground, the human had themselves pulled flush against Levi once more, his head resting on their shoulder and nose buried in the crook of their neck. His hair, so soft and fluffy, left a ticklish sensation on their skin.

“And about what you said before. With Asmo. I do like what you’re wearing but…” he tightens his hold, “I like you just the way you are. I know you don’t usually dress like this and I want nothing more than for you to be comfortable, like how you make me. If that means dressing tomboy-ish then so be it. I want you to be you: the human only you can be: my Henry.” 

“I’m glad you feel that way…” They smiled, arms wrapping around his torso. They hope their gratitude is able to shine through in the hug, “Now, ya wanna play your new game?”

“Yes!” He smiled, pulling back and raising his hand. They return the grin, suppressing a chuckle seeing as the demon reminded them of the YES demoji. “Oh, but um! Would you like to change first? It’s not that I don’t like seeing you dressed like that or anything but like I said I want you to be comfortable but also I don’t think my heart can take it anymore… wait that’s not what I meant!” That made them chuckle though.

“Do I have to?” They teased, enjoying the reaction they got out of the third born. Levi gulped, ducking his head while whispering a small no. “Then maybe I’ll stay like this a little longer. It is your birthday after all.” Tugging the envy demon towards their usual gaming spot they let Levi set up the game before the two plopped down in their spots.

“Oh and Levi?” He hummed, tilting his head, the light of the screen illuminating the side of his face. They hugged him once more, “Happy Birthday”

-------------------

[Masterlist]

Thank you for reading!

[itsbenedict]

I just finished hosting a 15-person game of Mafia for some friends. One tradition we have for these games is that every death is accompanied by some themed narration, so for my game I opted to spice it up with some art on top. Had to draw it real quick since I didn't know for sure who was going to die next until it happened.

The game's theme was "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", with the hidden subtheme that all the roles (stands) were named after They Might Be Giants (@tmbgareok) songs! A list of their powers, links to songs, and a recap of the game under the cut.

01) Mogis - 「Flo Wheeler」

02) TD260 - 「Working Undercover For The Man」

03) JGH27 - 「Good To Be Alive」

04) Raya - 「Stone Cold Coup D'Etat」

05) KK / Sahrimnir - 「Thinking Machine」

06) Spontaneous Combustion - 「The Statue Got Me High」

07) Leviwulf - 「Push Back The Hands」

08) DarkFalco - 「I Am Alone」

09) Deli064 - 「Doctor Worm」

10) Fedaykin - 「Letterbox」

11) Surge - 「I Am Alone」

12) Wikxen - 「Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head」

13) Minby - 「Where Your Eyes Don't Go」

14) Bel - 「(She Was A) Hotel Detective」

15) SnakeInABox - 「By The Time You Get This」

Bold roles were Jotunheim (Mafia), normal roles were Johnsburg (Town), and italicized roles were third parties. (Jotunheim is the realm of giants from Norse mythology! The mafia were, in fact, giants! And the town's job was to figure out who might be giants! And the two sides were Jo and Jo! JOKES!)

「Flo Wheeler」 was a town role with a power that was pretty dangerous to the user- if anyone happened to be watching or tracking when a kill took place at night, Mogis would look like they'd visited the target that night in addition to whoever actually did. It could potentially be used to catch a mafioso in a lie, but otherwise it was more of an obstacle for the town to overcome- a miller-type role.

♪ You can't do the time, therefore you didn't do the crime ♪

「Working Undercover For The Man」 was a third-party role working for the Speedwagon Foundation to perform a threat assessment. TD could win with the town, but could win and leave early if he could guess all the names or powers of every other stand in the game. He could scan a name every night, to help that along.

♪ Planning midnight raids / On our unsuspecting fans / While the roadies rig / The video surveillance van ♪

「Good To Be Alive」 was a spin on the usual town doctor role- normally, a doctor can target a player and prevent their death if they would die that night. But... JGH couldn't actually prevent deaths- just fake it. The dead would become ghosts, who couldn't vote and couldn't be killed but were still allowed to talk as if they were alive.

♪ Hello leg / such a shaky leg / Just barely more than decoration ♪

「Stone Cold Coup D'Etat」 was a third party with an unusual win condition. They had to recruit a certain number of people to a private side-chat- and then make sure all those people got killed. Plus, she could redirect anything that happened to her at night to her recruits. If the recruits figured out what she was doing and got rid of her, they'd get a boost to their power.

♪ The bark now commands the trees / The queen is overruled by the bees ♪

「Thinking Machine」 was a town role with a mysterious purpose that didn't seem to make much sense at first. Sah would get, every morning, a strange series of numbers and letters of uncertain origin. It was information, somehow, but how to use it?

♪ Tape has brightening arm connect (Wait, that didn't make sense.) / Self-paint lever itching does! (That made even less sense!) ♪

「The Statue Got Me High」 was a mafia power. As the song describes, the victim is enthralled by the monolith and forced to obey its commands, until their eventual death. That is, Spont could recruit a player to the mafia, but they'd die one night later- and if he wasn't careful, he could die and his recruit would flip back.

♪ And now it is your turn (your turn to hear the stone and then your turn to burn) / The stone, it calls to you (you can't refuse to do the things it tells you to) ♪

「Push Back The Hands」 was a passive ability that caused anything that would happen to Levi- a nightkill, an execution, some other power- to be delayed by one day, giving him some time to react. He'd be told who it was that targeted him, so going after him as mafia was risky.

♪ Screeching tires but never a collision / Endless day without a sunset provision ♪

「I Am Alone」 was a weird one. See, DarkFalco, who was mafia, didn't have a stand as such. She was the stand- and she was the stand of Surge, who was town. They were linked together in everything, meaning the mafia had to work to keep Surge alive on top of their own people. She could send messages to Surge at night to mess with him, though.

♪ Before you fire I should inform you / One of us is a double ♪

「Doctor Worm」 had no real special abilities. His ability was to be pretty good at playing the drums, a power that had absolutely no relevance in a game of Mafia.

♪ I'm not a real doctor, but I am a real worm I am an actual worm ♪

「Letterbox」 was a mafia ability that let Fedaykin pick another player, and offer that player a chance to deliver a private message to one other player of their choice. He could see the "secret" communications, though, and once per game he could edit the message before delivering it.

♪ I'll never know what you'll find when you open up your letter box tomorrow ♪

「Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head」 is a classically mafia ability, but in the hands of a town player: the ability to force another player to vote for another. Normally the manipulated person isn't allowed to say what happened, but there was no such restriction here- confusion's no good for the town.

♪ Memo to myself: do the dumb things i gotta do: Touch the puppet head ♪

「Where Your Eyes Don't Go」 let Minby pick someone else to watch him at night. If anyone visited him to target him with an ability, the person he designated would be told the names of those people. A nasty trap for the mafia, as long as Minby doesn't pick a mafioso to share the information with.

♪ Where your eyes don't go, a part of you is hovering / It's a nightmare that you'll never be discovering / You're free to come and go / Or talk like Kurtis Blow / But there's a pair of eyes in back of your head ♪

「(She Was A) Hotel Detective」 was a very powerful town role- Bel was the cop, and could scan another player's alignment at night, plus track or watch them. Except... not directly. She couldn't scan players- she could scan hotel rooms, and if other players didn't check into the hotel at night or give up their room numbers, her information was useless.

Here are the room numbers, in order: Levi (1) Snake (2) JGH (3) TD (4) Spont (5) Sah (6) Deli (7) Fed (8) Minby (9) Falco/Surge (10) Raya (11) Wikxen (12) Mogis (13).

(Oh, and Thinking Machine's codes were actually encoded versions of her results, and Sah would get a weaker version of her power if she ever died.)

♪ She's got her ear to the walls / And she's tappin' the calls / If you've got a secret, boy / Forget about it! ♪

「By The Time You Get This」 imbued its wielder with the incredible powers of... an estate lawyer! Which meant Snake could leave a will behind when he died, naming another player and casting a vote on them from beyond the grave the next day.

♪ By the time you get this note / We'll no longer be alive / But our skulls are smiling still / At the thought of things to come ♪

So! Here's how it all shook out.

Day 1: The first day is always kind of a tossup, since no one has any information yet, and everyone's just trying to verbally stir the pot. Levi soft-claims his role right out the gate, warning town not to try targeting him or else. Mogis is executed, casting a vote on himself to save the town the trouble of dealing with Flo Wheeler.

Night 1: Spont uses the statue to recruit Wikxen, at the same time that Wikxen forces Snake to vote for Levi. So, now the usually-scum power in the hands of town is in the hands of scum for real. Bel scans room 3, and learns that its occupant is innocent. Raya recruits DarkFalco, and accidentally recruits Surge alongside her, to her surprise. JGH tries protecting Levi, to test if his claim was a bluff.

Day 2: Levi tries to push JGH on the basis of having targeted him last night, but everyone agrees to wait and see if Levi actually dies first. Votes circle around Wikxen and Raya for suspicious-seeming defensiveness on Day 1, and ultimately, when it seems like Wikxen's about to be executed, a small group of players flip their votes at the last minute and vote Raya out while she's asleep and can't defend herself. Rude! She was poised to win the game for herself and the town, since she'd convinced Falco that the mafia would benefit somehow if they were all recruited.

Night 2: The mafia kills Minby- and Minby opts to tell have Fed watch him, wasting his power. Lucky for town, though, Bel happens to scan room 8, confirming Fed is mafia since he volunteered his room number. Wikxen's coat contains a furnace where there used to be a guy.

Day 3: Wikxen forced Snake to vote for J, making him look bad- but Sah begins sharing his bizarre results from Thinking Machine, and Bel confirms that they're a log of her detective power. Then she points out that Fed is mafia, and the town falls in line behind the accusation with Sah to confirm.

Night 3: Spont uses the statue to recruit Bel, to keep any more problematic scans from ruining them. Bel, before being recruited, scans room 10, though- and now the town knows there's something funky with Falco and Surge, because Sah gets the results and knows what they mean. Due to their mismatched alignments, though, the encoded version is still misleading, so there's wiggle room. TD scans Spont and learns his role name.

Day 4: Spont concocts a daring scheme. He has Bel lie and claim to have received an incriminating result on him- so that Bel will be caught in said lie when Sah produces his own results. The plan is to frame Bel, who's a dead girl walking anyway, and clear Spont's name going forward. But the town talks themselves into explaining away the contradiction- even when TD reveals Spont's stand name, and Spont denies it outright and claims 「Combustible Head」, a fake vigilante (town nightkiller) role instead, the town explains away that, too. After a few more people claim, TD260 has completed his mission- his correct guess wins him the game and he leaves. Spont cleverly excuses himself by claiming that TD lied about his role to get him to claim his "real" one. Afterwards, the town ends up executing Deli064 instead, for some reason- poor Doctor Worm!

Night 4: The evidence vanishes from Bel's charred and smoking chair- because JGH tries to protect her at the same time the mafia are killing him! Bel is a ghost now, and the town never finds out her alignment.

Day 5: Bel not dying poses a problem for the mafia, because Spont was supposed to prove his own innocence by pretending to kill her! The mafia tries to misdirect by having Bel lie again, claiming to scan room 10 when she actually scanned room 6, Sah. Ultimately, though, the town is able to coordinate behind killing Surge and Falco, which- because they're linked- is a compromise option that both parties are happy with (when perhaps they shouldn't be).

Night 5: Since Bel is technically dead, Spont recruits again, grabbing Sah and removing the threat of scans entirely. If he'd recruited Snake instead, they'd have won on the spot, since only his will-vote prevented them from winning instantly due to outnumbering the town. We move on to a somewhat redundant...

Day 6: It's now down to five players- Spont, Sah, and Bel vs Levi and Snake. The mafia technically outnumber the town, but Bel's vote doesn't count, and Sah's going to burn the next night- so the town can still win by forcing a tie and then using Snake's By The Time You Get This power to place a vote on Spont. But that's if they can figure it out and get on the same page, and... they don't. There's no way there could be three mafia still alive, so the mafia are able to sow total confusion and ultimately get the town all voting for Bel... who's a ghost, and can't vote or be executed, which the town doesn't know because JGH died before he could fully explain. The execution defaults to Snake, and the mafia win the game.