Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/13922481.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Shingeki_no_Kyojin_|_Attack_on_Titan
  Relationship:
      Floch/Armin, Levi/Floch, Levi/Armin
  Character:
      Armin_Arlert, Floch_(Shingeki_no_Kyojin), Levi_(Shingeki_no_Kyojin)
  Additional Tags:
      possible_manga_spoilers, Angst_and_Hurt/Comfort
  Stats:
      Published: 2018-03-10 Updated: 2018-03-23 Chapters: 3/? Words: 10130
****** Floch's Regret ******
by Kumikoko
Summary
     It is no secret that Floch hates Armin, and blames him for the death
     of the Commander. However, no one thought that Floch's grudge would
     escalate into violence.
Notes
     Honestly, I did not mind that Floch was arguing for Erwin to live on
     the rooftop. Like, yeah, I wanted him to shut the fuck up, and keep
     his opinions to himself, but when he confronted Armin, that was where
     I drew the line. Floch had absolutely no right to tell Armin that he
     should have been the one to fucking die. You just don't tell that to
     people. People fucking kill themselves because of cruel words like
     that and Armin already has insecurities. It was so fucking cruel, and
     unwarranted. Armin had absolutely no choice in the debate over who
     lives and who dies. Armin himself would have chosen Erwin over
     himself. Levi was not pressured into choosing Armin either, by the
     way. Levi was going to bring Erwin back to life ONE because he was
     BIASED, he was motherfucking biased the SAME way Eren and Mikasa were
     biased towards Armin so it was so fucking unfair of everyone to judge
     Eren and Mikasa for being "biased". Hanji's stupid ass self was
     biased too but she had the nerve to act as if she was "just being
     objective" and that "life just isn't always fair." Yeah, it's soooo
     easy to say that when the man you respect is the one that is
     obviously going to be saved. Motherfuckers. And to punish them when
     they would have done the same damn thing. Ugh.
     But let's get back to Floch. Yeah, maybe he has the right to have
     opinions...but he was absolutely bullying Armin and it was
     disgusting. What was more disgusting was that Eren did not defend
     Armin. Mikasa also just stood there and let Floch berate them all
     even though Floch has absolutely no idea of what the fuck he's
     talking about. If he's mad, he needs to yell at Levi because LEVI is
     the one who gave the injection to Armin. And ultimately, ERWIN
     decided that /he did not want to fucking live/ for maybe varying
     reasons. Erwin pushed the injection away. Levi RESPECTED Erwin's
     CHOICE and judgement (Emma Swan should take a hint from him) and he
     gave Armin the injection. Like fuck man. And don't get me started on
     the supposed fans of Attack on Titan who said Armin should of died.
     Like, there are people I don't like, but it is so cruel to wish death
     on to someone, especially innocent people.
     And now years later, Floch is a avid member of the Survey Corps??? He
     came to Marley? Liberio? Like, really? I really need a backstory on
     that because Floch doesn't like any of the survey corps members. He
     hates Armin and he hates Eren and Mikasa, all of who are 99% of the
     survey corps image and power. Without Erwin, one would have thought
     that Floch would have switched military branches but he's still
     around. So why. Levi made that fucking choice which means Floch /
     should/ hate Levi but he hates Armin?
     Yeah, Armin let Floch berate them because the poor kid has no self-
     esteem and thinks Floch is right but that's what makes the whole
     scene so much worse and that Eren NEVER punched Floch out. This shows
     that Eren isn't close to Armin anymore. Eren doesn't care. I dont'
     think there's anything more painful then that, really. But I had to
     figure out a way that Floch would still be on the survey corps
     members team and this is that story.
     So here we go. And yes, Floch is extremely capable of raping Armin.
     Go re-read his words if you don't believe me. The guy has no heart,
     no morals.
     I do not own the Attack on Titan characters. If I did, Eren would
     have punched Floch out, and would have assured Armin that Floch was
     full of bullshit, like a best friend is supposed to do.
***** Hate *****
                                Floch's Regret
                           Chapter 1: Burned By Hate
I shouldn’t have lived.
That one haunting thought plagued Armin for weeks every time he collapsed on to
the hard cot, exhausted, hurting, and miserably overwhelmed. Armin had thought
that boot camp had been brutal, but nothing could have ever have prepared him
for Hanji’s invasive, inappropriate, and downright painful experiments.
Ever since Armin had woken up from his near death experience, Hanji had been
all but raped him—at least, he kept telling himself that but at this point, the
experiments melded into his mind and morphed into one reoccurring nightmare.
Armin didn’t know what to think any more, since most of the experiments made
him feel uncomfortable, objectified, and violated all the same.
The only thing Armin did know is that he shouldn’t have fucking survived his
standoff with the Colossus Titan. Armin had thought he was going to be flayed
alive, and had entrusted Eren with his childhood dream. The thought of being
flayed alive had been terrifying to Armin, but he swallowed his fears, and had
sacrificed himself for the good of humanity, to give Eren the time he needed to
recover, and fight back against the Colossus titan and win.
As Armin had laid dying, he never imagined that he would ever open his eyes
again. He had thought that his miserable story had come to an end and that for
once in his life, he might have been useful to Eren. At least, as his conscious
thoughts began to fade away on that rooftop, Armin had hoped he had endured the
steam long enough to give Eren the edge he needed in battle.
I’m so useless that I can’t even die right. Armin told himself, as he thought
back to the excruciating agony of having his flesh be seared off of his
muscles. Armin tentatively touched the palm of his hand, and how much pain he
had been in then, and yet the strength of his resolve hadn’t allowed him to let
go, even when every primal instinct in him had screamed, begged, and demanded
him to let go, Armin had stubbornly held on.
It had been the least he could do for everything Eren had ever done for him,
and for the survey corps that had given him a home, and had allowed him to
briefly explore the outside world. Armin had even childishly hoped his death
would mean something to his fellow soldiers. And maybe his death would have
meant something, if he hadn’t opened his eyes.
When Armin opened his eyes, the grim stares of everyone around him had told him
that his plan had failed. Armin had not perished on that rooftop. He had lived,
at the cost of the greatest mind that humanity had ever known.
Erwin Smith was dead because Armin Arlert was alive.
Some scrawny, useless orphan with no status, royalty, monetary, rank or
otherwise was chosen to live over the most renown military commander of their
world.
Why?
That was the question that seemed to be on everyone’s mind.
Only Armin understood the gravity of the choice that had been made for him.
Armin knew how useless he was, and how he couldn’t stand next to Erwin as an
equal. Armin had aspired to be just like Erwin, and one day, he hoped to be
half as good as him but without Erwin’s guidance, he knew that feat was
impossible.
Everyone else knew it too. Armin would never be Erwin. 
Humanity was fucking doomed.  
And it’s all my fault. Armin bemoaned, as he rolled on to his side and tugged
the blanket over his head. The only thing he would ever be known for was
destroying humanity because he lived when he shouldn’t have.
Floch had said it himself, that Armin should have fucking died, that he hadn’t
deserved to live, and fuck, Armin knew Floch was right. Eren hadn’t even
defended Armin, as if Eren agreed with Floch. Mikasa had stood silent too while
Floch berated Armin, over something he couldn’t have controlled.
I didn’t ask to live. Armin lamented to himself, as hot tears welled up into
the corners of his eyes. He’d never express his doubts, and weakness to anyone,
he was too prideful for that, but in the quiet of his own isolated bed, Armin
allowed himself to feel everything he repressed from each individual, long
days.
Days that consisted of Armin’s fellow soldiers jeering at him, whispering about
him, and staring at him as if he personally killed Erwin. Their contempt was
almost palpable, and it devoured what ever self-esteem Armin might have gained
during his time in the survey corps. Some of the soldiers became embolden after
Floch humiliated, and bullied Armin that day, and told Armin to his face
exactly how they felt about him.
None of their remarks had been flattering, and had actually been just as cruel,
if not more so than Floch’s own words. No one was scared of Armin, which made
them more apt to poke at his sore spots. Armin clamped his mouth shut during
these encounters, and endured them the way he endured everything else in his
unfortunate life.
The only difference now was that Eren and Mikasa weren’t there to comfort, and
reassure him that the cruel comments were not true. Armin hadn’t seen them a
lot lately, and while he missed them, he felt it was better this way because he
was sure that Eren and Mikasa must agree with everyone else, or at the very
least, they regretted their choice to fight for him.
Either way, the pain of that was real, and splattered on to the pillow Armin
rested his head against. Armin knew he wasn’t himself anymore. He was simply
the reason why Erwin wasn’t alive anymore, and there couldn’t have been a worse
feeling in the world for him to feel. Erwin had even been a sturdy, intelligent
father figure to Armin, and now he was gone, buried in the ground somewhere.
There was no one who would understand what Armin was going through, let alone
want to, so he suffered in silence and cried himself to sleep, plagued with
regret, and self-loathing. It was the only time he could be himself because
during the day, he had to be a soldier. And not just any soldier, but Erwin
Smith.
What would Erwin do? What would Erwin say? How would Erwin act? Armin was
pretty sure Erwin never cried, especially not since he joined the military, but
wetting his pillow at night was the only way he could put a brave face on in
the morning.
There were responsibilities he would not shirk just because hew as depressed,
overwhelmed, and frustrated on the inside. The anger stemmed from childish
notions that he hadn’t quite been able to abandon; It’s not fair. I’m not
him—I’m me. I’m not good enough.
As soon as the sun rose, and roused Armin awake, he sighed, took a deep breath,
and pulled his boots on. His internal struggles were his, and his alone to deal
with, so he made himself presentable, and marched himself to Hanji who awaited
him every morning, to poke him with more needles, and test his endurance he
never knew he had. Half the time, Levi or another soldier rescued Armin from
Hanji’s clutches, long enough for him to eat a meal that wasn’t always warm,
nor filling.
When Hanji wasn’t torturing Armin, a commanding officer had menial tasks for
him to perform, some of which involved exercising with the rest of the
soldiers. Armin didn’t complain, and he wouldn’t ask for help.
It didn’t matter when Floch deliberately bumped into Armin just enough to knock
him over, into the mud, nor when Jean looked the other way, pretending as if
that hadn’t just happened. Armin picked himself up, and resumed the training
exercises, brushing the incident off. Floch was only one of the soldiers who
had taken to bullying Armin, though he had been the most hands-on about the
abuse.
Lately, the physical abuse had been escalating—no one would ever really find
out though, since Armin’s newfound titan abilities healed, and glossed over the
evidence. That should have scared Armin. It didn’t.
So when Floch confronted Armin this rainy afternoon, Armin didn’t think twice
when he was shoved into a dark closet. Floch could lock him in there, and while
Armin knew the dark would momentarily scare the shit out of him, he knew he
could break the door down and escape that way when Floch left. But Floch didn’t
shut Armin into the broom closet, as Armin had expected he would. Instead,
Floch stepped into the closet after Armin, and shut the door behind him.
Darkness surrounded them. Armin couldn’t see anything, which meant Floch
couldn’t see either.
“I am going to show you just how weak you are.” Floch said, and began to grab
at Armin. Armin gasped at the hands pawing at him, and tried to jerk away, but
he only bumped into hard shelves, and cleaning utensils.
“This is not necessary. I swear, I am being trained to be Erwin.” Armin
responded, engaging in the conversation even though he knew better than to
involve himself with words. The fact that he couldn’t see was unnerving him, 
and was sending his heart into a panicked frenzy as Floch continued to grab at
him. Armin didn’t know what Floch had in mind for him, but he didn’t want to
find out so when he felt himself be pulled forwards, his body reacted
reflexively and shoved at Floch.
“You will never be Erwin.” Floch stated cruelly, and pressed Armin against the
corner of the wall. The nearby shelf that scraped against Armin’s arm alerted
him to his position in the corner. Armin felt trapped, and tried to stretch his
arms out.
One hand hit the wall, while the other hand knocked something off of a shelf
that clattered on to the ground. In this time, Floch had palmed Armin’s body
enough to know his general position, and had tugged his pants off.
“Wha-what are you doing!?” Armin shrieked with alarm, beginning to panic as he
thrashed against Floch in an attempt to escape.
Did Floch want to strip him, and steal his clothes to humiliate him? Armin
didn’t know, but he had a bad feeling that he was about to find out whether he
wanted to or not. 
Floch clapped a hand over Armin’s mouth, and pressed up against him. “I’m going
to show you what happens to pretty, weak boys in the military.” Floch sneered,
taking a moment to pump his own cock to hardness.
Armin’s blue eyes widened with fear, having heard those same words before, then
made as a rape joke by an inappropriate soldier. He heard the distinct noise of
a boy jerking hinself and knew then what was about to happen to him. 
Of course rape had been whispered about, and even joked about amongst the
trainees. Everyone was scared to drop the soap after all. Armin particularly
had had a habit of showering at odd hours to avoid as many people as possible,
and had held the soap with great care, just in case there was any truth to the
warning. Especially because his friends had all teased him about how pretty and
slender he was, especially Jean. They had all been concerned Armin would be
bent over a desk one day—possibly by themselves!
All of their teasing, and warnings replayed in Armin’s head as he heard the
iconic sound of a man jerking his own flesh, quicker, faster. Armin yelled into
the hand, and thrashed, but Floch’s tall, sturdy body prevented Armin from
escaping as effectively as the walls, and shelves did. Armin could have, should
have relied on his military training to kick Floch but he merely squirmed
against the bully. 
Once, Eren and Mikasa had known Armin’s schedule and would have noticed
instantly if he was missing from his post. Even Jean had had some idea of
Armin’s schedule. But ever since Armin became the Colossus Titan, his schedule
was unbeknownst to even him more often then not. None of his friends knew where
he should, or shouldn’t be which meant they would have no idea he was in
trouble.
Would they even care? Armin wondered, stilling as that thought hit him like a
slap in the face. Eren’s always running off and leaving me behind, and Mikasa
is constantly pursuing him. They always tried to protect me, but in the end,
I’m the one who had to learn how to deal with pain. I’ll endure this without
them, and win in my own way. Armin told himself in an attempt to calm his
racing heart.
“Fuck, aren’t you going to fight me? Or do you like it up the ass? Yeah, I bet
you do. There’s no other reason the Commander would have kept you around.”
Floch berated Armin, as he lifted one of Armin's legs to keep him off balance
and docile, and then thrust his cock into Armin's defenseless hole, penetrating
him deeply. Armin’s entire body tensed, and he grit his teeth against the pain
racing up his spine while he involuntarily screamed into the hand.
I won’t cry. Armin swore to himself, even as hot tears stung the corners of his
eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut, and clenched his hands into fists as Floch
began to fuck him. Armin hated the overpowering feeling of being weak. He knew
that he could fight, but that it wouldn't matter even if he did. Floch was
younger than him, but Armin knew Floch was physically stronger than him. Floch
did manage to carry the Commander off of the battlefield and up to the rooftop.
Armin knew he never would have been able to do the same. 
Apart from the obvious difference of physical prowess, Floch was taller, and
wider then he, and being that he was wedged into a corner of a tiny closet,
Armin knew he couldn't skirt around Floch, so why bother? Floch was a bully,
and Armin knew bullies well because they had preyed on him since he was small.
Bullies were full of testosterone, something Armin seemed to lack most days,
and they were irrationally violent. They would not stop until they were done,
and their point was received. Armin had never shied away from the local village
bullies and he wouldn't shy away from Floch now. Floch wanted to hurt Armin, to
lash out at him. Armin knew how to endure pain. That was one thing he was
confident about.
So as much as the dry rape hurt, the pain was concentrated, and limited to his
butt and his pride. I can endure this. It’s not like the heat from the Colossus
titan. Armin realized, and felt some of his fear dwindle away since nothing
could hurt more than having his skin flayed from hot steam. Floch could do his
worst-punching, kicking, shoving, raping. None of it would cripple Armin. Yeah,
it hurt, it fucking hurt. Armin couldn't repress his pained noises, and
panicked breaths. What he could repress was his tears. He wouldn't give Floch
the satisfaction of feeling his tears on his hands, nor of hearing the pleas
and protests he voiced in his head.
“It’s all your fault that the Commander is…dead, and that humanity is…doomed.”
Floch accused, the contempt in his tone was almost palpable. “You’re never…even
going to amount to anything…you’re just good for a quick fuck, unlike the
Commander who never would have allowed this to happen to him.” Floch’s cruel
words pierced through the last vestiges of Armin’s already shattered confidence
and embedded themselves into his mind.
It was awful that Floch was right about everything. Armin would never be Erwin.
Erwin was intelligent, and strong in ways Armin never could be no matter how
hard he tried. And Erwin never would have been bent over a desk and fucked, nor
would he have been pushed into a dark closet, overpowered, and promptly raped.
All Armin could do against the harrowing sexual assault was not cry. So he
didn’t cry, even when Floch quickened his pace, and grunted in ecstasy. Armin
shuddered with disgust, feeling a warm, sticky fluid enter his ravaged anal
cavity.
That was when the door was kicked open, and a candle illuminated the crime.
Against Armin, hot and sweaty, Floch panted, and reveled in the euphoria he
felt from his orgasm. Armin’s face was flushed and moist, but devoid of tears,
much to his own relief. Their pants were around their ankles and the little
blonde was cornered. From a first glance, it appeared as if the boys were
shacking up in the dark closet, as some boys were known to do to alleviate pent
up sexual tension.
But everyone knew how much Floch hated Armin, and how withdrawn Armin had
become from his own soldiers. Even if Armin hadn’t had a trail of blood
trickling down his thighs, people would still have come to the conclusion that
Floch was raping Armin.
“Get the fuck off of him.” Levi snarled in a low, dangerous tone that startled
both boys. Floch and Armin paled with horror that they had been caught in a
dark closet together by humanity's strongest.
Floch pulled away from Armin as he fixed his pants, and began to sputter. "He-
he fucking asked for it! He didn't even fight me, that's how weak he is." 
Armin tugged his own pants on, and kept his head low, to hide some of the
humiliation festering inside of him. Floch was right that he never fought
against him. Now the Captain knows how weak I am. He’s going to kick me out of
the military. I’ll never see my friends again, I’m gonna be homeless
and—Armin’s fearful, irrational, panicked thoughts were interrupted by Floch’s
alarmed yelling. Armin jerked his head up to see Floch being dragged out of the
closet by one pissed off Captain who hadn't said shit in response to Floch's
accusation.
“Arlert, wait for me in my office. That’s an order.” Levi commanded, without
looking back at the wounded soldier. “And don’t write shit about this yet.”
Levi added as an afterthought, since he knew Armin was one of the soldiers who
was designated to report on everything that happened around him. He couldn’t
have a rape victim write about his own horrible experience.
“Y-yes Sir.” Armin stuttered, and reluctantly followed the Captain’s orders.
“And you, you’re coming with me.” Levi affirmed, and dragged Floch down the
hallway with him.
***** Revenge *****
Chapter Summary
     Levi believes in "an eye for an eye".
Chapter Notes
     Floch gets what he damn well deserves.
     Levi might talk too much.
     Sorry. Not sorry.
     Comment if you wish to.
                                Floch's Regret
                              Chapter 2: Revenge
Floch had been the top of his class—he had had the most potential out of any of
those recruits and yet, Levi felt as if accepting him into their ranks had been
a fucking mistake. The fucker was bright, agile, and physically capable. These
had been attractive, promising qualities, and now Levi just felt sick over it.
A young man who abused his physical prowess, and who ignored his conscious was
one who belonged in the slums of the underground—not the goddamn military.
Floch was aware that sex between soldiers, even those of the same rank was
prohibited—and he definitely knew that rape was forbidden, let alone sodomy.
Fuck, if someone like Jean had raped Armin, Levi could have blamed Jean’s gross
testosterone, and cowardice. Jean’s behavior could have been written off as a
gruesome incident of bullying of which was unfortunately common within the
military. Floch, however, had ass-raped Armin with a cold, calculating nature
that Levi wouldn’t excuse. It was the type of behavior indicative of those who
were raised in the slums…and yet, Floch was some spoiled, rich boy who had a
flare for flirting with danger just to piss Daddy off. Some Yuppie kid who had
no conscious, and no care for the weak.
Back then on the rooftop, Floch had proclaimed to want to save everyone by
reviving Erwin, and yet, he did not seem to realize that “everyone” included
Armin. Armin was part of the whole, and yet, Floch targeted him for all of the
wrong reasons—not that there was a right reason. Armin had never wronged Floch,
and yet, Floch was convinced that Armin had personally wronged him by being the
one who woke up. That was the trait of a psychopath—one who could not see
reason, one who ignored the bigger picture and made innocent people their
enemy.
It was a sign of cowardice as well—if Floch had had such a fucking problem that
Armin had lived, he should have voiced his opinions to Levi. But, instead of
confronting Levi, Floch cowardly confronted, cornered, and berated Armin, not
once, not twice, but multiple times since Armin woke up. Levi was done with
that shit. If Armin was not going to stand up for himself, even when a fellow
man was shoving his cock up his ass, Levi would do what he should have done the
first day Floch spouted off his bullshit to Armin.
Similarly, Floch was still preaching his bullshit and it was giving Levi a
fucking headache.
“I didn’t do anything that he didn’t deserve!” Floch screeched for the
umpteenth time, defending his position as he was dragged through he hallway by
Levi who had a crushing grip on his ear. “Weak men like him who take it up the
ass should never be in the military—you know he only he only wormed his way
into the great survey corps by letting high ranking military officials fuck him
over a desk! He’s not good for anything else—everyone knows it!” Floch insisted
defensively, stumbling after Levi whose quick pace made it hard for him to keep
up with.
This was the same slander that Floch had been spewing since that day about
Armin—Levi had heard the hushed whispers, and low voices of others who had been
swayed by Floch’s awful characterization of Armin. The popular idea amongst the
new recruits towards Armin all stemmed from Floch, and consisted of belittling
defamation.
The insidious, pervasive idea that Armin was a common whore, and or a cock-slut
made Levi’s blood boil with furious anger. Maybe Levi had become biased over
the years, or maybe he had gone soft, but fuck, whenever Armin spoke about that
stupid ocean, Levi was reminded that the world was beautiful, as it was cruel.
That childlike innocence Armin had was precious, and was too rare a find to be
tainted so fuck Floch for making Armin’s eyes dull like that. Fuck him.
Fuck him who that day had done absolutely nothing, while hundreds of people
fucking perished around him. Floch had done nothing extraordinary, he had
simply followed orders and had been just clever and strong enough to haul Erwin
up on to the roof. Armin had fucking sacrificed himself for the greater good,
and Eren had exhausted himself in a fight and had given his all, even knowing
his best friend would die. What the fuck was Floch doing the entire time? What
had he done that was so fucking special, or good that gave him the fucking
right to bad-mouth the survivors? Levi hadn’t voiced any of his thoughts, and
now he knew he should have.
“Aren’t you going to say something!?” Floch prompted, since Levi had not
responded to any of his accusations, nor defensive arguments. The silence was
making Floch feel as if he had done something wrong. He felt the anger rise
within him as he realized that Levi must not agree with him—that he was about
to be punished like Eren and Mikasa had been for their disobedience. Only,
Floch believed that they had gotten what they had deserved, but he did not
believe that he had anything wrong. As far as Floch was concerned, the weak
always got exactly what they deserved. “Fuck! You know he deserved it. If not
for him, the Commander—”
SLAM!
Floch did not know what had happened until he was already on the carpet of
Erwin’s old office, and was wracked with pain and shaking from shock. He saw
Levi panting in the hallway, his face contorted in fury. Floch looked down, and
saw the door underneath him. Alarm flooded through Floch as he realized, maybe
for the first time, how strong Levi really was, despite his lack of height.
He…he threw me against the shut door with enough strength that the door was
knocked off of its hinges!? Floch realized, and tried to push himself up so he
wouldn’t feel so small before humanity’s strongest. A crippling pain seared
through his right arm—the one that was smashed against the door, and his own
body during the throw. Floch gasped with pain and crumpled back to the ground.
“Do not talk about him.” Levi warned dangerously, with a dark expression on his
face that caused Floch feel dread surge through him. “I am only going to say
this once, so you better fucking listen to me and you listen good.” Levi
growled as he approached Floch, who began to hastily scramble backwards. “Erwin
wanted me to save Arlert’s life.”
“What?” Floch gasped with disbelief, as he stopped in his retreat. “Why?!”
Floch demanded to know, becoming emboldened by anger, and the resentment he had
towards Armin. He could not understand why Erwin would want Levi to save
Armin’s life. “Arlert is weak, and useless. He’s never even killed a titan
before—he’s always just on the sidelines, with half-cocked plans!”
“Exactly.” Levi exclaimed, clenching his trembling hands into fists of fury.
“Erwin was ruthless because he had to be—but he was still a fucking man at
heart—something you would know if you idolized him as much as you proclaim to.”
Levi said, as he grabbed Floch by the front of his shirt, and hauled him up in
one swift, effortless motion. “Erwin wanted me to save Arlert’s life because he
could not stand to see one more child soldier die uselessly because of one of
his plans. He knew more than anyone else that Arlert’s strengths are subtle,
and are definitive by his mind—something they shared in common. Their brain is
their strength, and Erwin trusted in Arlert’s mind enough to pass the torch to
him. So kicking Arlert while he’s down is offensive to my sensibilities because
you’re essentially telling me point-blank that Erwin made the wrong choice and
I do not fucking appreciate that.” Levi explained, the anger clear in his tone.
For once in his life, Floch shut the fuck up.
“If you had a problem with one of Arlert’s half-cocked plans, you should have
offered one of your own plans up. If you have no plans of your own, you need to
shut the fuck up and leave him the fuck alone and respect his plans. You’re a
soldier. You take orders. He thinks. He plans. Just like Erwin, you need to
respect that damn brat because while you were playing soldier out on that
field, he was fucking sacrificing himself to the good of humanity—a sacrifice
that more then likely would have been in vain, something he damn well knew and
was doing anyways. His skin was seared off of his body—or was I the only one
who fucking saw his burned muscles? You were there. Have you no goddamn
sympathy!?” Levi ranted, expressing his own pent-up dislike for Floch’s
superiority complex. Floch had been so self-assured that he could judge others,
but had forgotten to judge himself first.
What a self-righteous prick.
In the face of the truth, all Floch could do is stare at Levi. Levi who had
been Erwin’s right hand man was defending the choice he made. Floch had not
realized that Levi cared about that fucking mushroom headed kid.
“The strong protect the weak—Erwin taught me that. Arlert is clever, and earned
his spot next to Erwin. Erwin recognized his budding intelligence. For how
smart you are, you should have seen it too but you’re just looking for someone
to blame, and bully. I will not let that happen anymore.” Levi declared, and
shoved Floch against the desk. Floch gasped with surprise, and paled as he
realized Levi was about to teach him a lesson that he would not soon forget.
“No—wait—” Floch began hastily, but his plea only enraged Levi more, and
resulted in Levi flipping Floch over, on to his stomach. 
“Since you’re so concerned with strength, I’ll show you how powerless you made
Arlert feel.” Levi stated, placing a hand on top of Floch’s neck, to prevent
him from pushing himself up. It was something Levi had witnessed during his
days in the Underground—it was the most effective way to pin someone down, and
render them powerless. Levi then, as Floch struggled and thrashed underneath
him, yanked his pants down.
“Stop—stop, I am not a bitch! I’ve—I’ve trained too hard and for too long for
this to happen to me! I—I am strong!” Floch protested angrily, as he tried in
vain to push himself up. Those long hours of boot camp, daily training, and
work out practice on his days off amounted to nothing as long as Levi’s hand
was pressing against the back of his throat.
This pathetic, indignant swine of a cow thought he was too strong to be fucked
over a desk. Levi was going to show him that even the strong could be hurt just
as easily as the weak could be hurt.  
“Shut the fuck up. Arlert went through the same training you did and while he
might not have excelled, he endured all the same, and became strong. I am damn
sure he never wanted to be a bitch either but you forced him into that
position. You didn’t even give him a voice.” Levi snarled, and began to pump
himself quickly, wanting to teach Floch a lesson and be done with it. He knew
he could beat Floch up, but he wanted Floch to know exactly how Armin must have
felt.
Maybe that was a fault of how Levi grew up—an eye for an eye—that was the code
Levi had lived by in the Underground for years. Erwin had taught Levi to almost
trust in the judicial system—but Levi had the suspicion that Armin wouldn’t
want anyone to find out about this incident and while all violence was to be
reported to the proper authorities, some crimes were swept under the rug. This
would be one of them.
“Come on, this is bullshit! Let me go!” Floch raged, straining to push himself
up—or flip himself over and on to the ground—anything, anything that would free
him. Levi’s hold was firm, which prevented Floch from going anywhere. “I don’t
want this! I—I’m not even gay!” Floch pressed, wiggling his hips, just like
Armin had. It was the only thing he had been able to do, and now Floch was in a
similar position.
“Here’s the irony—I don’t give a flying fuck as to what you want the same way
you didn’t care if Arlert was even gay.” Levi snapped, and smashed his hips
against Floch’s hips. Floch screamed.
“Ahh! Fuck! Fuck—stop—stop! Augh!” Floch yelled, wrought with agony as Levi’s
cock penetrated his asshole. Levi smirked cruelly, and drove himself deeper
into Floch’s straining, quivering body. Floch was fucking tight—Armin must have
been tight too. That thought encouraged Levi to forcibly bury himself into
Floch’s body.
“Tell me. Were you turned on when he screamed? Or were you turned on when he
was underneath you, squirming, and grunting in pain?” Levi wondered, as he dug
his nails into Floch’s skin, hard enough to break the skin. Floch groaned
underneath him and grit his teeth, determined to not cry. Levi huffed irritably
at Floch’s defiance, and began to ground his hips against his with force.
“Auck!” Floch exclaimed with pain, and dug his own nails into the wood of the
desk. “Th-the power. I was t-turned on b-by the p-p-power…a-and the blood…”
Floch relented, as if his confession would alleviate the pain he was in. Levi
stopped abruptly, momentarily shocked, and appalled that blood in any context
would turn someone on.
At present, Levi thought the blood staining his cock was disgusting—it almost
made Levi want to abandon his quest for vengeance. Levi was no stranger to
blood—one of Levi’s first memories was that of his own hands being covered in
the blood of another. And in war, soldiers bled all of the time. Yet…Floch got
off on blood? Armin’s blood?
“You felt fucking accomplished when Arlert bled on your dick?” Levi rephrased,
appalled at the mere thought of blood—and that anyone might get off on Armin’s
blood. Armin was a goddamn innocent.
Mostly.
Even though Armin had murdered some bitch to save Jean’s life, Armin was still
the purest damn soul in the military. Levi had known that all along, and now he
regretted leaving Armin to fend for himself. He should have known better. Those
sweet souls weren’t fighters—they all needed to be protected because otherwise
Floch’s would flock to peck at them with their long sticks.
“YES! Yes, okay, yes! I fucking liked it! I felt fucking accomplished! Because
I thought he fucking deserved it. He’s a fucking bitch—I wanted to treat him
like the—augh—bitch he is—fuck him, make him bleed…its all his fault people are
dying w-without the Commander…” Floch admitted with frustration as tears
gathered in the corners of his eyes. The dry burn was unimaginable. He wanted
it to end. It didn’t.
“It’s my fault! I chose to revive Armin—” Levi began, not realizing he
personalizing Armin—“I could have forced the injection onto Erwin. I chose to
respect his choice. You need to fucking respect his choice too and get it out
of your head that Armin is to blame. Armin had no fucking choice.” Levi
asserted, and resumed thrusting into Floch. Floch cried out in pain, and clawed
at the desk.
“Augh!” Floch exclaimed, groaning in agony as his insides were rubbed raw from
the dry friction—Armin must have felt it too. Armin, who according to Levi, was
innocent. Levi kept insisting that Floch had it all wrong. Armin was innocent.
Floch briefly wondered if Levi was right, but another hard thrust sent Floch
reeling and spinning with hurt.
There was no reprieve from the pain either—Levi, like Floch, used his cock as a
weapon. The only difference was that Floch deserved to be fucked up his ass,
for doing the same thing to a innocent boy. Floch was starting to realize that
too, but that didn’t make him any more accepting of his punishment. Floch still
thought it was unfair—he was too strong for this—and yet, it was happening to
him anyways. And it hurt. It hurt more when Levi ejaculated into him. Levi
panted for a few minutes, and then pulled away.
As Levi cleaned himself off, he spoke, “From now on, you will dutifully serve
Armin. If he wants for water, you will fetch water for him and if it is
poisoned, I will personally shove a hot metal rod up your motherfucking ass. Is
that clear?” Levi stated, while he fixed his pants. Floch trembled on the desk,
and hastily rubbed his tears off of his face with the back of his hand. Levi
almost pointed out that Armin had not cried, but figured by Floch’s humiliated
expression, he was already well aware of that.
“Wh-what…?” Floch asked, through his harsh breaths, as he shakily tugged his
pants up.
“You are going to be Armin’s bitch and Sina help you if you ever lay a hand or
unkind word on to him. I don’t care if he’s being a bitch about something,
you’re going to bend to his every fucking whim and protect him from your kind.
On the battlefield, you’ll give your life for him because if you don’t, I’ll
run you through myself.” Levi explained, since Floch obviously hadn’t quite
understood it the first time.
“Y-you want me to be his f-fucking slave!?” Floch exclaimed with outrage, as he
whipped around to face Levi.
“I am ordering you to be his fucking slave. If he wants his damn feet rubbed at
night, you’re going to massage his sweaty feet. You’re going to be his damn
shadow.” Levi assured, smoothing his own clothes out.
“O-ordering!?” Floch gasped, appalled at the abuse of power Levi was flaunting
so shamelessly.
“Did I fucking stutter?” Levi warned, cutting Floch with a sharp look. Floch
flinched back and began to sputter uselessly. “Tomorrow, you’re going to let
Armin fuck you if he so wishes.” Levi told him, and headed for the door.
"B-but..." Floch tried to argue, but when he heard how small his voice sounded,
he shut up and watched Levi open the door to leave.
Levi slammed the door behind him.
***** Fault *****
Chapter Summary
     Levi comforts Armin.
Chapter Notes
     I struggled to write this, although I think the end result is great.
     Comment if you want to.
     Anyone else read doujinshi's? Just curious.
                                Floch's Regret
                               Chapter 3: Fault
Armin sat stiffly on the couch, with his trembling fists on his knees. His eyes
were hidden behind his messy, yellow hair, but the deep, downward curve of his
lips informed Levi that he was not happy. The way his shoulders were turned
inward, hunched towards himself, told Levi that Armin was withdrawn. That was
to be expected, since Armin had been raped an hour ago. Levi rubbed the side of
his own head as an awkward gesture. He had not intended to make Armin wait so
long, but he had gotten a bit carried away with how he had chosen to punish
Floch who had assaulted Armin sexually.
A soft, frustrated sigh left his lips. He didn’t know how to go about this
conversation with the finesse that was socially required. Levi tried to ponder
for the hundredth time exactly how Erwin would have handled this situation—even
though he already knew the answer because he had witnessed Erwin console a
female rape victim before. No. Survivor. That was the term Erwin had used. Levi
closed his eyes momentarily, and tried to figure out how he could make Erwin’s
words his own.
Something—experience—intuition—told Levi that using the same exact words as
Erwin might not have the same effect on Armin because while rape was rape, the
surrounding causes were completely different, which meant that the concise
rhetoric needed to be adjusted towards Armin’s situation, and sensibilities.
But fuck, Levi had never had a way with words the way Erwin had had. This was
why Levi was sure that Armin was going to cry. Levi didn’t know when, but the
tears were sure to come, because no mater how hard he tried to be sensitive, he
was sure that he would say something the little blonde wouldn’t like.
“What happened was not your fault.” Levi stated, standing before Armin, who had
not looked up once since his Captain entered the room a couple of minutes ago.
Armin did not respond. “You do know that, right?” Levi goaded, as unfamiliar
concern reflected in his dark eyes for the young cadet who he had indirectly
known for the last few years. Armin withheld speech, and ducked his head
further, deliberately avoiding eye contact.
Damn it. Levi cursed internally, knowing this would be a long fucking night.
Armin obviously believed that he was to blame for the rape, which was a common
victim mentality Levi had experience with from the Underground. Erwin had once
explained to Levi that he had a theory as to why victims blamed themselves. The
theory was that if the victim could convince themselves that they were at
fault, they wouldn’t then have to deal with the realization, or knowledge, that
some people were just cruel.
That the truth was too terrifying to acknowledge.
It was, however, just a theory.
But no matter how scary the truth was, Armin would have to come to accept that
someone had victimized him out of the cruelty of their heart. Armin who as long
as Levi had known him, had been a damoiseau in distress.
From the very first moment Levi had met Armin, he was saving his life. Armin
had been trying to pull Eren out of his titan and had given up in favor of
hugging on to him as titans advanced on them. Levi had slain the titans, and
that was just the first time that Armin had needed help. The next time Armin
had needed distinct help was when he was flipping out about murdering some
bitch. Levi had a few choice words for Armin then, to help him through his
guilt. Then when Erwin was imprisoned, and Eren had been kidnapped, Levi had
worked closely alongside Armin, trusting the child’s young, clever brain to
help them all through that difficult, dark time of their lives.
One moment stood out above the rest, and that was when Levi gave the
rejuvenating titan juice to Armin, instead of Erwin. Levi had swooped in as a
hero, and had somehow became the little blonde’s personal guardian angel. Not
that Levi believed in angels, but, he was realizing the role he had been
playing in Armin’s life.
Today had been no different.
Yet again, Levi had rescued Armin from a predator and now he noticed that he
needed to save Armin from himself.
“What happened to you is my fault.” Levi declared grimly, knowing he should
have shut Floch up the first time he confronted Armin with wild accusations and
passionate hate. He should have intervened—he was there, listening, and at the
time, he had been mildly impressed that Eren had kept his cool during the
confrontation.
Thinking back on it, Levi realized Eren sure had shitty timing to express
newfound maturity. I’ll punch his stupid ass for being a shitty friend. Levi
told himself, since Eren was partially at fault as well, since if he too had
punched Floch out like a real friend would have done, Floch might have backed
down.
No one had came to Armin’s defense, and there had been no consequences for
Floch’s abrasive behavior. It only made sense then that Floch’s immoral
behavior would escalate. It was an oversight on Levi’s part, one that caused
Armin to suffer through another harrowing crime.
Armin lifted his head up to stare at Levi with wide, skeptical, eyes that were
swollen, and moist from tears. Now Levi understood why Armin had been hiding
his face. As a young man, and a soldier, Armin probably did not want another
man, let alone any high ranking military official like Levi seeing his shame.
“You were not there.” Armin said, furrowing his eyebrows together to express
his confusion towards Levi’s statement. He did not understand how Levi could
construe what happened in the closet as being his fault.
“Exactly. As your Captain—”
“Mine?” Armin parroted questioningly, appearing to mentally stumble over Levi’s
poor choice of words. Levi sucked in an irritated breath and looked to the
ceiling, choosing to ignore Armin’s deflection tactic.
“Okay, Smartass. Let me reword that. As the Captain of the Survey Corps, it is
my duty to protect the soldiers underneath me as much as I can from foreign,
and domestic entities.” Levi relayed hastily, to get his point across.
“And?” Armin baited, already knowing what role Levi was supposed to play as the
Captain of the Survey Corps. Levi recognized bait when it was presented to him,
so instead of biting down on it, he merely pursed his lips and glared at Armin
with disapproval. Armin looked down, quieting.
“I know what he said to you that day when he confronted you.” Levi mentioned,
and saw Armin stiffen. That was the response he was aiming for because now Levi
knew that Armin was listening to him.
“Y-you…heard all that…?” Armin queried, as shame colored his cheeks pink.
“It was hard not to. Floch wanted an audience, and he got one. The problem is,
is that he got away with bullying you in front of everyone. That embolden him
to hurt you.” Levi responded, while Armin began to shift uncomfortably on the
couch. He turned his head to the window, and began to nervously pick at his
wrinkled shirt. Levi noticed the wrinkles which were evidence to the rape Armin
suffered—endured—because Armin’s clothes were normally well-ironed and put
together.
A few tears, sew-overs, wrinkles, and stains were common amongst the soldiers.
Armin, however, had always been conscious as to how to properly present himself
to a commanding officer. A well-ironed outfit, and brushed hair had went a long
way to remind Levi that not all of the brats were hopeless. Armin cared enough
about his professional appearance to maintain it, keep quiet, and follow
protocols and orders.
Yeah, Levi was liking Armin the more he thought about him, and made connections
he had realized before, but had not dwelled on until now. Armin had not even
cried during the rape—his dry cheeks at the time had proved that—but of course
he had not cried. Armin was prideful, and resilient. He would be okay, the same
way Erwin was always okay, even when he wasn’t. The two were two peas in a pod.
If Erwin had been a less honorable man, Levi would have swore that Armin was
his illegitimate son.
“R-right…c-can I just go shower? I…waited here like you wanted me to…” Armin
requested tentatively, staring out the window at nothing in particular to avoid
Levi’s concerned gaze. “A-and I’m fine…” Armin lied shakily, while he pushed
some of his messy hair behind his ear.   
“In a minute. You need to listen to what I am telling you, if not as your
Captain, then, fuck, as another…” Levi paused, and racked his brain for a
proper terminology. Armin glanced curiously at him. “…Man. Listen to another
man.” Levi decided, settling on ‘man’ as the terminology he wanted to use to
humanize himself to Armin as someone more then just his Captain.
“What is there to say?” Armin wondered, frowning with uncertainty as he clasped
his hands together against his lap. Levi repressed the sudden urge to yell at
Armin for being difficult because Erwin never would have lost his temper with
an injured soldier.  Levi took a minute to remind himself of Erwin’s serene
grace, and hoped he could get through this conversation without raising his
voice.
“Floch raped you.” Levi stated, and watched Armin’s face scrunch up with
confusion. “Floch raped you.” Levi repeated deliberately, and as he expected,
Armin clasped his hands over his ears and hunched over.
“Stop.” Armin whispered desperately, wanting to recoil from the harsh truth. He
could feel his armor cracking, and wanted nothing more than to fall to pieces
somewhere devoid of people. If Levi saw him cry, Armin was not sure he could
live with himself because he was already aware of the irony that was his life.
Humanity’s strongest chain was always rescuing humanity’s weakest link.
“It is not your fault.” Levi said as he knelt down on one knee in front of
Armin, who fervently shook his head left, and then right in quick, hasty
movements. Levi grabbed Armin’s chin, and lifted his head up so they were at
eye level with each other. “It is not your fault.” Levi affirmed, and saw
Armin’s scared blue eyes tremor as the tough-guy façade shattered.
“No…no…no!” Armin cried with frustration, as the thick, heavy tears welled up
in the corners of his eyes began to trickle over his dark, long eyelashes to
spill over his cheeks in the form of a salty stream. He couldn’t withhold the
tears now that he felt safe, and fussed over.
None of his friends had fretted over him in months, especially since they
returned from the battle that changed Armin’s life. He had felt abandoned by
them, and now here was the Captain, reminding him that the rape was not his
fault. Of course the rape was not his fault. And Armin had known that all
along, he just needed someone to set him straight, and to give him permission
to feel because he did not know how to do that when in the presence of others.
“It’s okay.” Levi assured Armin in a surprisingly clam, and steady voice that
neither of them thought he was capable of.  But as reassuring as Levi’s words
were, they did nothing to quell the tears that flowed freely down Armin’s face
despite his blinking attempts to contain them.
“I…I don’t…I don’t want to do this in front of you…” Armin blubbered,
involuntarily coming undone in front of the one man alive that he respected
more than anyone else. Levi was humanity’s strongest soldier, and instead of
whipping new recruits into shape, or badgering Eren, he was here, making sure
Armin did not hold his pain in, nor did he allow him to deny it.
It was the kindest thing Levi had ever done for someone else, and they both
knew it.
“Well, you are, and you can blame it on me because if I had done my duty weeks
ago, we would not be here now.” Levi commented, and clasped his other hand over
Armin’s left hand, the way he had witnessed Erwin do before, in a similar
situation.  That simple touch spurred a sense of comfort to awaken in Armin,
and allowed him to express emotions he had been withholding.
“It’s not fair!” Armin blurted, voicing his personal feelings about what his
life had become since he woke up on that rooftop. His comment sounded childish,
even to his own ears, but he couldn’t help but to feel that way because
injustice seemed to follow him like a plague. “I didn’t ask you to revive me. I
was willing to die for the cause, and then I woke up instead of the Commander.”
Armin vented, expressing how incredulous he was over the choice that had been
made, and forced upon him.  “Why—why would you ever choose me instead of him?”
Armin asked between heavy, distraught huffs of breath.
“Erwin chose you.” Levi responded simply, keeping a level head even though
Armin was raising his voice at him. If Armin had been any other soldier, Levi
would not have tolerated the impudence the little soldier was engaging in. Levi
had prompted this behavior, and did not regret it. Armin was opening up to him,
and that was what needed to happen for Armin to have a chance at being okay. He
needed to vent, and he needed to talk to someone since his shitty friends were
awol.
“Wh-what?” Armin stuttered, reeling back from the mere thought that someone as
intelligent as Erwin would have chosen him of all people to live. Sure, Armin
had worked alongside Erwin in the year before the man perished in battle.
However, they had never quite became friends. Armin had admired him, and had
obeyed commands dutifully, and respectfully. That was all that had ever been
between them—Commander, and soldier.
“Did I fucking stutter? Erwin heard the quarrel on the rooftop as he laid
there, dying alongside you. I may not understand all of his reasons, but he
entrusted you to take over for him.” Levi told Armin, who shook his head with
disbelief, and denial.
“Th-that doesn’t make any sense. I am not smart like he was—and I am definitely
not strong like him. So I don’t—I don’t understand why he would choose me.”
Armin protested, knowing he was inferior next to Erwin. Everyone had made it a
point to tell him that on a regular, daily basis even before Erwin’s untimely
death. Their doubt made his insecurities fester, and spread throughout the
deepest recesses of his mind. Levi saw that convincing Armin of the worth Erwin
saw in him would be more difficult then he had anticipated, and decided to
change tactics.
“He once told me that there would be a day when I would serve underneath you.
That time has come. What do you need me to do for you?” Levi consulted,
deliberately changing the power dynamic between them to give Armin some
confidence. Armin gaped at Levi with shock.
None of Armin’s training could have possibly have prepared him to respond
appropriately to the sudden shift of power. Here Levi was, relinquishing his
power to lay at Armin’s feet. All because Erwin, humanity’s Superman, once told
him to.
“Help me understand why I was chosen to live over the Commander because I think
an awful mistake was made.” Armin requested, needing to know that Erwin’s death
wasn’t entirely in vain. There had to be a reason he was chosen over the
Commander—one he, and others had missed.
“You are not a mistake.” Levi assured him, and saw hopeful curiosity flicker
through Armin’s teary, hesitant eyes. Now that he had Armin’s undivided
attention, he elaborated on his statement. “Listen. The only reason Hanji is
the Commander of the Survey Corps is because you are young. If not for your
age, Erwin would have had you take over the entire survey corps. This is how
astute you are. Your cleverness, quick thinking, and objectivity are worth more
to this army then you know.” Levi explained honestly, determined to help Armin
find his sense of worth that had been stolen from him by the cruel world they
lived in.
If Levi had been anyone else, Armin would have wrote his kind words off as
platitudes, but he had learned early on that Levi was brutally honest, and was
not a man who praised others. Levi meant what he was saying—Levi did not
lie—maybe he had in the past to survive, but Armin knew him as an honest man.
The honesty was probably something he learned from Erwin, who knew how to
withhold information. That was the game of politics, and one Armin had been
learning from Erwin before he was murdered by that cowardly Beast Titan.
“Then…” Armin began, as he wiped his tears away with the back of his hands,
“What can I do to take Erwin’s place on the throne of death?” Armin asked,
dawning a determined expression on his youthful, flushed face.
The resilience and determination etched onto Armin’s face was traits that gave
Levi confidence that Erwin made the right choice. Armin had been brutally hurt,
yet already he was ready to try his best to be of use to the military. Levi
pulled his hand away, and wiped the tears off of his pants.
“Understand that what happened was not your fault, and that it had nothing to
do with your measure of strength.” Levi informed Armin, since it was vitally
important that he understood that bad things happened whether one had strength,
or lacked it. Levi had proven that when he raped Floch, who had had strength
and yet that strength had not prevented Levi from throwing him over a desk.
“I feel that the Commander never would have been in the position I was in.”
Armin admitted, shifting nervously on the couch. He looked away again, because
he felt inadequate whenever he thought of the differences between him and
Erwin.  
“Erwin had confidence, and when his confidence failed him, he had me.” Levi
responded, and then clapped his hand over Armin’s shoulder to regain his
attention. “You have me.” Levi reminded Armin, who looked back at him warily.
“Now use me to finish the war Erwin started and do not fuck up.” Levi
instructed, to reinstate the notion that Armin was now to wield humanity’s
strongest weapon against the titans. Armin trembled at the power kneeling
before him. He was not sure he was ready to lead the war, let alone play chess
with people’s lives.
“Do you really think I can wield you?” Armin pressed, scared he would
inevitably fail and let everyone down. If he fucked up, humanity was doomed.
That was a lot of responsibility, and pressure for anyone to accept, let alone
a sixteen year old boy who lacked confidence in himself.
“Yes. Erwin believed in you. That is enough for me, so do not listen to your
peers about what you can and cannot do because those of us who were forged in
fire have confidence in you.” Levi assured Armin, who retained doubt in his
eyes. Armin set his fists against the edge of the couch and hunched his
shoulders with the newfound fear of expectations Levi obviously had of him. “Do
not make us regret it.” Levi warned, as he stiffly stood up, rising to his
feet.
“I won’t.” Armin declared determinedly as he rose to his feet, wanting to
remain on equal grounds with Levi. Reality shot through Armin in the form of
pain that raced up his spine, and made him cry out as he crumpled towards the
ground. Levi caught him, one hand under his arm, the other firm on the sensual
curve of his body.
“Every time you fall, I will catch you because if you fall, we all fall from
here on out.” Levi promised, as he helped Armin to stand on his own. Armin
gripped Levi’s arm tightly for support, and security as he was helped up, and
steadied. He looked up, and realized how close they were to each other. The
close proximity to another strong male made him remember the position Levi had
seen him in when Floch had him cornered in the closet and flushed red. Armin
hastily pulled away from Levi and turned away from him to hide his
embarrassment.
“S-sorry…I m-mean…uh…Th…thank you…?” Armin stammered distractedly, wondering
just what Levi had seen when he had entered the closet. He wrapped his arms
around himself, becoming self-conscious. How much of me did he see? Armin
fretted, feeling inadequate again because although Levi was short, he still had
a body to covet. Armin did not think his thin body and small muscles could
compare to Levi’s body and win in a competition.
“You’re hurt. Shower and get some rest.” Levi told him, and headed for the
door, confident the conversation went better than he had expected it to.
Armin’s low self esteem would be an ongoing challenge to smooth over, but Levi
was not afraid of a challenge.
“Oh…right…I’ll get on that.” Armin muttered sheepishly, and followed Levi to
the door. He did want to shower, and rest until morning, where he knew he would
have to push past the pain that was concentrated in his ass.
Levi opened the door and held it open for Armin, who ducked his head down, to
hide his shame. “Wait.” Levi said, and dug his hand into his pocket. He pulled
out a small key and offered it to Armin, who halted in his straight path.
“What is that?” Armin asked, hesitantly taking the key from his commanding
officer. He squinted at it, noting its odd shape.
“That is the key to the luxury baths. You should be alone, but if anyone does
come around to give you problems, direct them to me.” Levi explained, setting
his foot firmly in front of the door to keep it open. Armin looked up at Levi
with surprised eyes.
“Am I really allowed to go in there?” Armin queried hopefully, since he had
heard rumors that the baths for the high ranking officials were private. If he
could bathe privately, he could mull over the rape, and Levi’s reassuring
words. He could figure out how he felt about everything, and what his new plan
would be.
“Yeah. You’re our Mini-Commander. Go relax. You deserve it.” Levi encouraged,
as he gestured to the hallway with his arm. Armin nodded in agreement, and
stepped past Levi. “But In the morning, come directly to me. I have it arranged
that you will have a personal body guard for when I have shit to do.” Levi
added, as an after thought.
“Huh? But I don’t—” Armin began, as he looked over his shoulder to Levi, then
thought about how easily Floch had taken advantage of him and clamped his mouth
shut. If Levi wanted to appoint a body guard to him, Armin supposed that
wouldn’t be a problem as long as he could still piss in relative privacy. “I
mean…thank you.” Armin stated appreciatively with a small smile spreading
across his face. He then headed into the hallway.
“Oh.” Levi muttered, realizing he had one last important thing to tell Armin.
“Armin.”
“Hm?” Armin stopped.
“Blame it on me.”
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