
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/3323699.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Shingeki_no_Kyojin_|_Attack_on_Titan
  Relationship:
      Levi/Eren_Yeager
  Character:
      Levi_(Shingeki_no_Kyojin), Eren_Yeager, Erwin_Smith, Petra_Ral, Gunther
      Schultz
  Additional Tags:
      Undercover_Missions, Underground, Crimes_&_Criminals, Levi's_Past,
      Mentions_of_Prostitution, BDSM, dom!levi, Sub!Eren, at_least_in_later
      chapters, more_tags_to_be_added_later
  Stats:
      Published: 2015-02-09 Chapters: 1/? Words: 3543
****** Deep Under The Street ******
by fenfyre_(Jace)
Summary
     When Erwin assigns Levi with retrieving stolen 3DM gear from the
     black market in the underground, he wants to spit the man in the face
     and burn his quarters down. Instead Levi begrudingly accepts. Digging
     up dealers proves to be rather difficult while simultaniously
     babysitting an excited Jäger boy. What makes it even more difficult
     is the fact that most of his old contacts can only be found at The
     Cage. An establishment for people with extraordinary tastes. He will
     not take Eren there. He will not.
When Erwin had ordered him to his quarters later that evening, Levi had
expected a discussion about the oncoming inspection day, new information on the
meeting in a few weeks or maybe even a lecture or two about his attitude
towards the new recruits. What Levi did certainly not expect, however, was
this.
Erwin had been standing at the window overlooking the training field this whole
time. There were still some cadets running laps in what little light remained
of the setting sun. Maybe they were being punished or eager enough to put in
the additional effort and make up for some of their deficits. Whatever the
reason, it could only be for their benefit.
Erwin's reflection in the glass window wore a deep frown. His hands clasped
behind his back, shoulders broad and legs apart he stood strong, proud and it
made Levi feel a little uneasy. Erwin was pissed. Something that did not happen
very often but whenever it did, he had good reason to.
“I don't care whether the Military Police sells their own equipment off to the
black market. It is highly irresponsible and wrong, but not my jurisdiction.
They have to solve that kind of corruption within their ranks. What I can not
tolerate is when equipment that was especially meant for the Survey Corps
disappears.”
Three crates. Three whole crates of 3D maneuvering gear meant to replace broken
pieces and to equip their new recruits had gone missing on the way to their
base. An amount that was not to be underestimated and could cause great damage
in the wrong hands.
“What are you gonna do about it?” Levi did not have to focus on keeping his
voice low. In the case of a majorly pissed off Erwin it was best to approach
the issue as rationally as possible. Not that Erwin would ever lash out at him
solely out of frustration. He saw a muscle in the man's jaw flex before he
turned around and sat in his chair heavily.
“We need the equipment and I will not strain our budget by placing a new order.
So we will get back what has been stolen from us.” Surely Erwin had some kind
of clue concerning the whereabouts of their lost goods. Otherwise it would be
an incredibly tedious search.
It surprised Levi when Erwin opened one of the drawers at his desk to retrieve
a bottle of brandy as well as two glasses. He watched in silence as his
commander poured a healthy amount into both of them and slid one across the
table for Levi to take. Something was wrong. The long, slow breath Erwin drew
settled it. Whatever came next, Levi would not like it. In the least.
When Erwin spoke, he did it with ease. A sudden, deep calm having replaced the
anger from before:
“The crates were already missing when the ship left Sina. There is a high
probability they are in the underground by now.”
It felt like ice being dumped into his veins. Pumped by his very own heart
through his body, slowly freezing him and it was hard not to let it show but
for a single, sharp word.
“No.”
Erwin's eyes were kind and unsurprised and so soft Levi wanted to throw
something at him as the man reached for his glass and swirled the amber liquid
around for a few moments. Precious moments in which Levi could catch his breath
and subtly move his fingers as to make sure they were not actually freezing.
Then there it was again. Erwin's calm, careful voice.
“Levi. If they are on the blackmarket right now – and they most likely are –
you are our best chance at locating – ”
“Fuck you, Erwin. I said no. I won't do it and you can't fucking make me.” The
sigh that left Erwin at that was drawn out and low. He took a sip from his
glass and savored it, eyes closed, then gestured for Levi to pick up his own
glass. It would not do any good and they both knew but Levi could not stop the
automatic response to that silent command. He did not drink but simply held the
glass with fingers that were still tingling.
“Yes, Levi. I can. I'd simply rather not have to.” Of course. It was just like
Erwin to give you the slightest impression to be able to choose.
“I am not going back down there.” His voice was hard and cutting and he meant
what he was saying. With every fiber of his body he meant it. Yet he did not
get up to leave his commander's office. Did not spit profanities and rage
against that sad excuse of a plan with everything he had.
Instead he stayed firmly seated, kept the glass clutched tightly, an anchor he
did not even recognize had been given to him.
“As your friend I don't want to assign this mission to you. I don't want to
send you there. I don't want you to do this.” Erwin sounded soothing and so
damn honest it almost made Levi flinch. He did not want to hear this. This
compassion and empathy that did not suit the stoic commander at all. He did not
want to hear that Erwin understood and feltwith himbecause he clearly could
not. Otherwise he would never ask this of Levi.
“As your commander however I have to think about who is most capable of
finishing this task. You don't want to hear any of this, I'm well aware. But
you are the most likely to succeed. You know the finer nuances of the
underground as well as the dealers. You got your hands on our gear once already
and I'm positive you can do it again.”
“That was years ago. The contacts I had might all be dead by now.” The blind
rage and fear and utter despair that had overcome him at the first hint of
having to go back again had eased up. Not much but enough for him to find his
voice of reason again. Maybe Erwin would listen to that if not to bland and
pointless refusal.
“Even if they are. Your experience excels every other possible candidate's. You
know how to navigate the terrain, how to blend into the crowd. Also where to
find new contacts if your old ones are not available anymore.” He was right.
Erwin was right and Levi hated that fact with a passion he seldom felt.
Everything he'd said was true, from being able to make Levi agree to him being
the best they had for the job. There was nothing he could say to keep this from
happening.
“I don't want to assign this mission to you without your consent. I know you
won't agree to this on your own, basically you don't have much of choice. But
try to understand that I don't have much of choice either.”
The rage churning in his gut was intense enough to make him feel physically
sick. He could almost smell the stink of sewer again, the faint traces of blood
and disease in the air. Within seconds the memory was strong enough to drown
out the rather pleasant smell of beeswax candles, gun oil and parchment of
Erwin's office. He would go back. To the underground. Swallowed whole. Again.
For a moment Levi's stomach contracted violently and he felt like throwing up
all over the polished desk. Then the rage coiled tight and disintegrated with a
dull throb. He was still pissed and irritated and yes, scared. But he no longer
felt like kicking and screaming. Instead he took a gulp of brandy and let it
burn all the way down to the hole inside him.
“I fucking hate you for this. Dragging me out of that shithole and now throwing
me back in.” His voice was too rough even to his own ears. It was not just the
burn of the alcohol.
When Levi looked up there was disbelief in Erwin's eyes, still so wide and
kind.
“I am not throwing you back anywhere, Levi.” he even sounded rueful,
complicated. Almost exasperated. But Levi was not ready to acknowledge that
whole empathy deal and thus could not do anything but scoff and swallow another
mouthful of brandy.
“I mean it. I will not let you go there alone. We will decide who is going to
accompany you in a second. If you are not successful within a week I will get
you out of there myself. I will –”
“So you're not coming with. Fucking perfect.” Erwin sighed again, deeply. It
was not as calculated and controlled as before.
“I'm needed here. I am sorry.” Something about the way he said that, intoned
the curt apology, soothed an ache in Levi. It reminded him of a truth.
Erwin knew what was best for his troops, for this mission and for Levi. He knew
that going down there with him would be best. For the both of them. Erwin would
go with him if he had the chance and was truly, deeply sorry that he could not.
All of them, this whole division, was only still alive and breathing because
they trusted Erwin's judgment every day anew. All Levi had to do was just that.
Maybe he would regret this. Maybe something would go terribly wrong and he
would be stuck there again, forever. But he had to trust Erwin to not let this
happen. Erwin would not, after all. If not for their friendship then for the
simple fact that their commander would never allow humanity's strongest to rot
away in a sewer.
Levi threw his head back to drown the rest of his drink, then set the empty
glass down with a loud thunk. This was bad and he would hate every second of
it.
“I want my squad with me.” Erwin nodded and pulled open another drawer to
retrieve a stack of documents.
“I understand. However I can only give you four passes. This operation needs to
be undercover and a group this large might attract attention.” The papers he
slid over the table were standard forms that granted passage into the
underground and back to the surface within a certain time frame. Levi picked
them up and shuffled through them. The first one was already filled out and
signed for him, the others still blank for whomever he would decide to take
with him.
No, only two were still blank, the last one...
“What the fuck, Erwin?” This had to be some kind of sick joke. There was no way
in hell he would take that brat down there.
“Eren will be part of this mission.” Except Erwin did not look like he was
joking. At all. “The council is just waiting for an opportunity to take him
away from us. If they saw you leaving him unwatched for a week, he'd be trussed
up in chains and locked in one of their dungeons before you returned.”
Levi took a minute to study the boy's papers. There was basic information on
him as well as the duration and some made up reason for his stay. His rank was
not high enough for him to enter on his own so Levi was listed as his guardian.
Meaning Eren would not get out again without him.
“You're shitting me. I can't take responsibility for him down there. I got a
job to do and can't babysit him while contacting informants.” He threw the
papers back onto the desk as if to prove his point. “Just let him stay here,
the council doesn't have to know I'm gone.”
“They do. They would know minutes after you passed the gate.” Yes. Yes of
course they would! The council had their eyes and ears everywhere, especially
on the gate into the underground. They would never in a million years miss
humanity's strongest descending.
“Besides, they already approved yours and Eren's passes. As well as the two
additional ones. The mission starts in two days and I will not make any more
changes.” Right. It was just like Erwin to give you the slightest impression to
be able to choose, after all. Levi could not even be mad anymore.
“So what happens if he turns? Do I take him down?” That was an important
question. Eren was not just any kind of cadet Levi had to keep from doing
something incredibly stupid. He was a shifter Levi had to keep from causing
chaos and panic in the underground.
“He won't.” Erwin's word was not any kind of guarantee. But if Levi had to
trust him with everything else about this mission, he could as well trust him
with Eren. That did not mean he liked it. Not in the least. It just meant that
maybe he would be able to sleep a few minutes longer this night.
“I will take Petra and Gunther. They're the most resourceful in this scenario.”
His commander nodded, pleased, and gestured towards ink and pen then watched in
silence as Levi filled out the remaining forms. Slowly the tension bled out of
the room. The flicker of candles set a warm, calm atmosphere instead. As soon
as Levi was finished he slid the parchment back over the desk for Erwin to
sign.
“So what will you do first?” Not only the atmosphere had changed but Erwin's
tone, too. Obviously it was a private conversation now, nothing left of the
neutral, detached business talk they had just finished.
“Try to find my old informants and send Petra and Gunther to pick up some
rumors. There's always some truth to these.” Erwin hummed and retrieved wax as
well as a seal stamp and set to sealing each pass with practiced movements.
“Find your old informants how exactly?” So this was, what he wanted to get at.
That would explain the casual tone and demonstrative composure.
“I will only go to The Cage if all else fails. There are lots of other
possibilities.”
Over the years Levi had come to trust Erwin deeply. Deep enough to follow him
blindly into battle but also deep enough to disclose information he had once
sworn he never would. One night after a particularly horrible expedition they
had shared a bottle of old Scotch and had talked about their respective pasts.
Erwin about the loss and sacrifice of a military career, Levi about the
underground. When the bottle had been almost empty they came to talk about The
Cage.
An establishment in the upper parts of the underground for people with very
particular interests and tastes. Famous enough for well-known citizens from
Sina to show up now and then to cater their most secret needs. The owner
handled these cases with admirable discretion.
Most of the time however it was filled with local people who sought to forget
their miserable lives. A venue for all the bigger fish involved in any kind of
business, people who did and knew things nobody talked about.
Among them Karl Hochfeldt, a well-known informant who frequented The Cage and
had a taste for boys kneeling at his feet, serving and servicing him for
everyone to see. There was nothing concerning the black market that happened
without him knowing and Levi had used that exceptional taste of his to get what
he wanted. Eventually Hochfeldt had led him to the sets of 3DM gear Levi had
learned maneuvering with.
Of course Erwin did not know that, he still had no idea where Levi and his
group had gotten their gear. What he did know after that horrible expedition
were some of the things Levi had done to get information and sometimes money.
The Cage was not a brothel. There were no services provided, merely rooms and
equipment. The people to use these with were to be brought or found there.
Consent was promoted and cared deeply about. But it was still the underground
and if a boy sometimes decided to serve a master for a hefty fee or a pretty
girl whipped a noble into oblivion in exchange for some royal secrets then so
be it.
“But if you do”, Erwin's words were slow and gentle. He still seemed to cling
to the belief that Levi had been forced one way or the other to participate in
these actions. That could actually not be further from the truth. It had been
just that he could as well use the guy for his own advantage if they were
already at it. But somehow he felt like his commander did not necessarily need
to know that.
“I don't want you to go alone. Take one of them with you to pretend to be your
sub. So no one else tries to take you on and you can concentrate on finding
Hochfeldt or anyone else.” Levi doubted that was the sole reason Erwin ordered
– no advised, that had not been an order – him to not go alone. But it was a
sound one. Besides it might be easier to get something out of Karl if they met
at eye level and could talk as two doms. Not a dom and his former sub. Because
Levi would certainly not fall back to his old way of getting information from
this man. It was a good idea to take asub with him if he really had to rely on
The Cage but...
“I can't order Petra or Gunther to even pretend to sub for me. I need them
respecting me.”
“Why not Eren?” Levi scoffed and for a second thought of it as a joke. But
Erwin, again, did not look like he was joking.
“Yeah, why not take a 15-year-old to The Cage and let him watch a damn live
whipping. Are you fucking serious?”
Erwin was finished sealing the documents and put them to the side. His chair
made a soft creaking noise as he leaned back, eyes observant and gaze
concentrated on Levi.
“I am being practical. You should indeed not choose members of your squad. They
should not know as much about your past or personal life. Their judgment might
be actually impaired and they need to keep their trust in you. Also you should
not go alone. For safety reasons as well as tactical ones. Which leaves Eren.”
“Because it's so much better ifErenknows about my past and personal life.” That
idea was bullshit. Not because of Levi's reputation or Eren's age or innocence.
He would make a more believable sub than Petra or Gunther and a real pretty one
at that. Sure to throw any possible informant off for a few precious seconds.
He would listen to every command, no matter if he did not understand what it
was about, he was just that perfect.
But it was Levi's responsibility to get him out of there again, preferably
unharmed and not traumatized. The Cage would not help with that. It was not a
particularly dangerous place. It could do some harm if one was not accustomed
to the etiquette, though.He simply could not be bothered with preparing Eren
for any of that.
“The boy adores you. While I understand your teammates hold deep respect for
you as well, there is a level of devotion Eren expresses that they don't. There
is little you could do to lessen that admiration. Taking him to a shady
location for a secret undercover mission is not one of them. I expect it will
excite him more than anything. He will listen to your every command and not
disclose information about the operation or you, not even to his closest
friends.”
The things he had to trust Erwin with during this mission just kept piling up
and Levi was not in the mood to agree to him anymore. What he said made sense,
of course, when did it ever not? But he had been forced into enough for one
evening.
“I'll think about it.” With that he stood and grabbed the four passes. He
wanted to turn and leave, had practically been dismissed since Erwin had
started to talk about The Cage but Erwin would not let him escape just yet.
“Do I have to order you to not go alone?”
“Goddammit Erwin!” Levi could not keep the irritation that was growing within
him again out of his voice. Did not even try, to be honest. There was a line.
Somewhere between that fucked up mix of military protocol, trust and care that
was their friendship there was a line and Erwin was so close to crossing it
that it was not even funny anymore. Levi threw a cold glare over his shoulder,
patience worn thin by absurd request after request.
“I said I'll fucking think about it so just piss off, will you?”
Under any other circumstances Erwin would have called him back immediately and
assigned some unwanted duty to him for disrespecting his commanding officer.
But Erwin was fully aware how much he had asked of Levi just this evening
alone. Knew very well how the corporal resented the mission assigned to him.
Levi reveled in the opportunity to throw the door closed with a bang that was
surely heard several floors down.
 
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