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Chapter Text

Once Hange changed their tone, Levi immediately knew who they were talking about. He felt his heart start beating furiously in his chest and kept quiet for a minute. Hange kept their hands on the wheel and looked forward, while glancing at the Levi periodically and checking for his reaction worriedly.

"How long?" Levi asked finally.

"He was just released."

"He was supposed to be in prison for life!" Levi growled, his angry voice filling the whole police car. 

"Maybe he got off on good behavior or his goons pulled something."

"Dammit!"

Hange parked the car in front of the station and turned to Levi. "What are you going to tell Armin? Erwin's-"

Levi's hand shot out and grabbed Hanji's collar violently, bringing his face close to their's. "Don't you ever say that name again." He released and Hanji fell back against the seat. 

"Right, forgot." They cleared their throat and began again. "As I was saying before... Erwin is definitely going to come for you." 

"I know." 

"And Armin will definitely get suspicious if you spring this on him so suddenly."

"I know. Just- just let me think," Levi said in a low voice. Multiple scenarios of the past already began running in his mind. Armin didn't need to know about any of them. 

Hange nodded and left the keys with Levi. "Lock up when you're done." They walked through the doors of the station and left the silver eyed man to his incessant thoughts.

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Armin stood in the same place in the foyer for a few seconds before going to the living room. Just like Levi, he felt that something was off the moment he opened the door. Hanji was usually very happy but just seemed kind of dull this morning though it was obvious they were trying to keep up a carefree appearance. Armin worried for Hanji just as much he did for Levi. Levi's friends were also his.

 Was there some trouble down at the station? Were they in some kind of danger? What are they hiding? Armin made a note to ask his husband about it once he came home. Since he was a teacher at the local elementary school and school did not start until 9, he did not have to leave for another two hours. So he drew his knees up to his chest and turned on CNN. The headlines read Former Gang Leader, Erwin Smith, Released. 

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"Welcome back-" the driver of the black Lincoln said to his boss as he stormed into the car. 

"Yeah, yeah." The driver closed Erwin's door and crossed over to the driver's side. Erwin noticed one of his partners waiting for him on the far side of the back seat but did not acknowledge him, only bringing out a cigarette. Mike took out a lighter and lit the end of the stick. Erwin took a long drag before exhaling and held the burning cigarette between two fingers.

 Once they started moving, Erwin began speaking. 

"Talk." Erwin said in a still voice from the back seat of the limo. The driver did not need to see his boss' face to know he was absolutely steaming with ice cold fury.

Mike responded accordingly, "We have tracked him down to an apartment in Shiganshina, Maria. He is currently serving as a police force in their department. He lives with a man named Armin, who is most likely his husband. The man is a kindergarten teacher at the local elementary school, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Exactly an hour ago, Levi was picked up by his partner, Hanji Zoe. His shift should be over at 11 p.m." 

"Well, we can't exactly wait that long, now can we?" He took another drag and sat back.

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Chapter Text

Erwin watched from behind a tree as the little blond walked out of the house and locked the door behind him. A khaki brown messenger bag was slung over his shoulder and he wore black and white converse. The man could not be more than 19, 21 at the most. Erwin chuckled darkly, Levi went and got hitched with some kid. Not that he wasn't attractive, no, he was just Erwin's type.

He saw Armin freeze and look around furtively, before quickly walking towards the driver's side of the blue 2013 Honda Civic and closing the door. Armin started the car and exited the parking space to drive down the road and make a right at the intersection.

"Should we follow, Mr. Smith?" the driver asked and Erwin stayed silent.

"No, wait five minutes." So the boy had good senses, that just put him up higher on Erwin's list.
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Armin quickly drove away from the house and headed towards the school. It may have just been his imagination, but it felt like someone was watching him. It was imperative to get out of there immediately. He looked in his rear view mirror but did not see any terribly suspicious cars following him. He let out a breath and continue on his way.
Once he was in front of the school, he parked in one of the designated teacher parking spaces in the front of the parking lot. Armin turned off the Honda and got out of the car. As he walking to the entrance, he felt another pair of eyes again. He turned around and came face to face with Petra, the school counselor.

"Woah! I was just going to say hi," she laughed but it died when she didn't hear Armin laughing at all. "Hey...are you okay?"

"What?" Armin stopped his frantic searching and focused on his friend. "Oh, no. I'm fine. It's Monday, so..." Petra narrowed her eyes slightly. What a teacher like excuse.

"Okay. Well shall we?" Petra asked brightly and looped her arm around Armin's, pulling him to the entrance. Armin laughed at Petra's antics and nodded, walking with her without looking back even once. "So how are things with Levi?"

"He's fine. We're fine. How are things with Oluo and little me?" Armin replied, referring to Petra's husband and son.

"Oluo and Armin are great, thanks for asking."

"Cool," Armin said. "Hey, does Oluo still work at the station?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Has he told you about anything wrong happening there?"

"Wrong? How so?"

"Like a stressful case or...I don't know."

"Armin, they always have stressful work. You know that."

"Right. It's just that Hanji came by today and the minute I opened the door, I knew something was off. And it usually has to do with work. Maybe I'm just reading too much into this but I feel like something's coming and I'm worried about Levi," Armin confessed and looked into Petra's dark eyes.

"I'm sure there is nothing to be worried about. Levi is fine. They'll take care of it, I can promise you that. Nothing bad is going to happen to Levi," Petra told him a soft, reassuring voice. She rubbed his shoulders gently and Armin felt himself start to calm down. "But if you need me too, I'm always a call away."

"Okay. Thank you, Petra." Armin nodded and smiled before waving goodbye to his longtime friend and going to his classroom in the next hallway. On his way there he passed one of the school custodians, Herbert, who was mopping the floor with a sad expression on his face. the two had a little conversation with him about his family and how he was doing while walking to Armin's classroom at the end of the hall. Herbert opened the classroom door and the two men waved goodbye to each other. Armin turned on the light to the right of him and the the whole room lit up, illuminating the small and colorful tables, chairs, and shelves. He walked to his desk in the corner and placed his bag in the corner before going to the whiteboard and writing the agenda for the day.

It seemed like hours until the first student, Jean, came. Armin was standing at the door waiting to welcome them. Armin smiled at Jean and told him to put his stuff away before sitting on the carpet. Jean gave him a big smile in return and responded with a loud, "Okay, Mr. Arlert!" Mrs. Kirschstein kissed Jean and waved to Armin. Soon after the rest of his students came and Armin was no longer alone.

Soon, it was lunch and all of the classes converged to meet in the cafeteria. Petra found Armin sitting at the end of kindergartners' table, talking animatedly with his students. Petra recognized some of them as Eren and Mikasa Jaeger, Jean Kirschstein, Connie Springer, Sasha Braus, and Marco Bodt. Petra walked over to their table and made sure Armin saw her.

Armin moved over, providing a space for Petra to sit. Eren immediately began to talk with Petra and showed him his apple.
"Look Ms. Petra! Isn't it big?"

"Yes, Eren."

"I can finish it all though!"

From the other side of the table, Jean butted in. "No, you can't! Stop lying!"

"I'm not lying! I'll do it right now! Watch me, horse face!"

"Maniac!"

"Stupid!" Armin chose to cut in at that point.

"Eren! What did I say about using that word?"

Eren looked At Armin and then to his own lap. "Sorry, teacher."

"Haha!" Jean laughed and immediately stopped once Armin turned to him.

"And you, Jean. No name calling!"

"Sorry, Mr. Arlert."

Armin sighed, he could never really stay mad at them for too long. "It's all right. Just have some self control." The two boys were silent for a few seconds before they went onto another topic becasue of their short attention spans.

"Wow Armin, taking charge," Petra teased. "Do you do that with Levi too?"

Armin swerved on her. "Petra!"

Chapter Text

Levi sat back in his chair and looked at his watch. 2:50, the elementary school was well over now so Armin should be coming home soon. He smiled at the thought of his blonde haired husband. Then he frowned when he remembered that his old boss was out of prison, no doubt looking for ways to get his revenge on Levi.

Hanji's words echoed in his head. You guys should get out of town. They really should, there was no telling when Erwin would make his move.

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TIME SKIP TO THE NEXT DAY

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Levi woke up first again. If he was going to spring a surprise on Armin this early, he had to do it right. He began cooking all of Armin's favorite breakfast foods and even placed Armin's favorite book next to his breakfast. As he was setting the table, Armin walked in in just a long white night shirt. He looked at the table with newfound interest before looking at Levi, who was standing by the table with the biggest smile he could muster. Armin was immediately suspicious.

"Levi? What's going on?" he asked slowly.

"I can't surprise my gorgeous husband once in a while?"

"It's not bad, it's...different," Armin said walking over to him. Levi pulled out the chair for him and Armin raised an eyebrow before sitting down. "Thank you, but seriously what is going on? You're usually more direct."

While Armin began to cut into his waffles, Levi dropped the bomb."What do you think of us going to Thailand for a few weeks?"

"Thailand? In the middle of the school year? Levi, you know I have to give my superiors at least 2 weeks notice before taking off for that long."

"They won't mind you taking off for a few days. You're one of the best teachers in the school. Everyone loves you."

"I still don't think - ah!" Levi came over and began to kiss down Armin's neck. "Levi, come on - mm- that's not fair..." he gasped. "F-fine." Levi released him. "W-What if I say yes?"

"We go to that Asian lantern festival you always wanted to go to? What was it? Loi..."

Armin turned around in Levi's arms and looked at him incredulously. "Loi Krathong! No way. You're kidding right?"

"Nope," Levi responded and Armin grinned, throwing his arms around Levi's neck.

"Thank you, thank you!" Armin squealed. "When do we leave?"

"Tonight."

Armin nodded and kissed Levi fully on the lips. "But you know, you didn't need to go to all this trouble to get me to listen to you."

"It was no trouble at all," Levi lied.

"You burnt yourself at the stove again, didn't you?" Armin asked him knowingly.

"Yes," Levi said and Armin laughed before going to the medicine cabinet to get the first aid kit.

Stage 1 of Get Armin Out of Town was complete.

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"I told Armin that we're leaving for Thailand tonight," Levi said into the silence of Hanji's car.

"Thailand, huh? Exotic," Hanji replied, giving him a small smile. "You think that will stop Erwin?"

"Probably not. But I'll be damned if he gets to Armin that easily."

"Aw protective daddy bear comes out again."

"Shut up, Shitty Glasses," Levi growled and Hanji laughed.

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FAST FORWARD TO AFTER SCHOOL

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Armin was practically bouncing in school all day. He couldn't stop smiling and his mood only got better when the principal approved his future 2 week long absence. Once he got home, he instantly hurried upstairs and took out his and Levi's blue and black suitcase. Levi, the more urgent of the two, had already done laundry the night before so Armin thankfully packed in those. He had the radio on but still heard when the door opened downstairs. Armin looked at the clock, it wasn't time for Levi's shift to end. Or maybe he had ended early?

Armin walked out of the bedroom and went to the railing overlooking the foyer. The door was closed but the presence of a stranger was in there. Something was wrong. Armin went back into the room, shut the door and locked it before dialing Levi's number. He held it up to his ear and waited for Levi to pick up. After the fourth ring, he picked up and Armin asked where he was.

"I'm at work. Why? What's the matter?"

"Someone is in the house," Armin breathed. Levi went still, a reaction that did not go unnoticed by Hanji who mouthed the question 'what's wrong?" to him.

"Armin? I want you to listen very closely okay?"

"Okay, I want you to go into the closet," Levi told Armin and began walking out the door motioning to Hanji for them to follow him. "Try to cover yourself as much as you can. I'm already on my way. Keep the phone on. Are you in the closet yet?"

"Y-yes. I am so scared right now, Levi," Armin said.

"I know, baby. But I'm almost there, just hold on a bit-" He heard the crashing of a vase downstairs and doors being thrown open. Armin shrieked a little then put a hand over his mouth.

"Armin...Armin. Stay calm and listen. They are going to find you and they are going to take you."

"Oh God," Armin cried into his hand.

"Keep the phone on and put it close to the door so I can hear. Shout out any details you hear or see. Don't talk anymore," Levi told him and Armin nodded even though Levi couldn't see him at all.

"Find him!" a loud voice yelled downstairs that could only Erwin. Levi bristled and waited with Armin. Hanji asked what was wrong and Levi told them that Erwin was in the house with Armin.

Armin heard the voices grow closer until the door opened and the men started looking. His heart was almost beating out of his chest right now. Armin tensed and clenched his fists.

"Where is he?!" he heard one man yell.

"He hasn't been in any of the rooms we've searched boss."

"Then turn the whole house upside down! I don't care, I just want him found."

Armin held his breath and kept still, waiting for the moment when he would be found and everything would be over. It seemed like an impossibly long time, but he finally heard footsteps walk out the door. Armin raised the phone to his ear with a shaking hand. "I - I think they're gone now- AHHH!" Armin screamed once the closet doors opened and a pair of dark brown eyes zeroed in on him. "LEVI! Levi! Gah, let me go-"

He was yanked out from behind the clothes and shoes by the large hand of one of the guards. Armin kicked and screamed, hitting the guard between the legs and making him release his hold. Armin ran out the door, only to hit a wall. He stepped back to see what it was and his blue eyes widened in surprise and recognition.

"Hello, Armin."

Chapter Text

"Hello, Armin," the man said and Armin stared at the placid face in front of him. The very face, he remembered, that was on the news and belonged to the gang leader Erwin Smith.

"I assume you've heard of me?"

"Here, boss," the guard said behind him and Armin jumped at the interruption.

"Oh?" Erwin took the phone out his hand and Armin could hear Levi violently cursing Erwin out. "Hello Levi."

Levi stopped his rant and began to speak normally. "Let him go, Smith."

"Why should I? When he looks so... delectable..." Erwin brushed a thumb over Armin's chin. Armin moved away from the taller man with disgust clear on his face. "Who knows, he may be even better than you."

"Erwin!" Levi shouted once he heard what the blond was implying. "Don't you dare. Let him go. He has nothing to do with this."

"You've gotten soft. Trying to play hero. I tried to play hero once and what did I get in return?" Levi stayed silent. "Exactly. So I believe I have the right to make the demands."

Armin silently stewed in his own confusion. What did Levi do that was so bad?

"You took my life from me and now I'm going to do the same thing to you." The guard wrenched Armin's arm behind his back and the blonde cried out loudly.

"Don't hurt him! If you hurt one hair on his head, I swear that I will will find you and kill you, you fucking bastard.", Levi snarled.

"Good luck."

"Levi!" Armin yelled before a needle stabbed him in the neck and he crumpled in the man's arms. His muscles all relaxed but he could still see everything. Knowing that he could not fight back did nothing to bate his fear. Erwin ended the call and carried the Armin over his shoulder to the car.

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It only took Levi and Hanji four minutes to get to the house. By then, there was no sign of Erwin or Armin. As they pulled up, Levi saw that the house was completely fine on the outside but once he got out of the car and went inside, it looked like a tornado swept the house. Especially upstairs. Levi saw where Armin was obviously taken out of the closet. The glass mirror next to it was shattered and he saw some red liquid in one of the cracks and a single blond hair. He went to stand by the bed and stared at the open suitcase half full of Armin's clothes. His husband was in the middle of packing for their trip. Levi sat on the bed and put his head in his hands.
A creak by the door told Levi that Hanji was there. They walked over tentatively and put their hands on their hips.

"Quite the mess here. So...you going to go after him now?"

"Damn right I am."

"You're going to need help."

"No, I won't."

"Levi-"

"Give me a reason why I should stay here while my best friend's husband is being held hostage by one of the most notorious crime lords of the century. A good one."

Levi opened his eyes and stared at Hanji. He moved his hand to the gun holster in his belt and whipped it out, business end pointed at Hanji.

Hanji didn't even flinch. "You won't kill me."

Levi tried to keep a straight face but his hand faltered and he spun the gun around in his hand. "No…I won’t. Just don't slow me down."

"Sure thing, chief," they saluted.

Chapter Text

When Armin woke up, he was sitting on a wooden chair in the center of an empty room. His throat was unbelievably dry and he felt dirty. His wrists were tied behind his back to the back of the chair. His head was pounding, but he still looked around to gauge his surroundings. There were pipes lining the ceiling and walls, it looked like he was in the basement somewhere. He glanced at the only door and saw that nobody was there. For now he was alone but he knew that they would enter.

How could he escape? How could Levi find him? Was there any way to send some kind of signal? Armin noticed one pipe that lead to the ceiling, probably a drain pipe…or a chimney. Could he use that somehow? Levi told him that if he saw one of these is an emergency, he could send a smoke signal.

Loud voices echoed outside the door and Armin panicked a little. He hung his head down to feign like he was still asleep, his fringe covered most of his face. The voices got closer until Armin heard the doorknob turn and someone shouted, “All right Princess! Rise an’ shine!”

Armin didn’t react, not even when he heard the heavy footsteps approaching him. A large, callused hand grabbed the hair at the front of his scalp and pulled his head up, forcing Armin to face him. Armin winced and he closed his eyes tightly from the pain before slowly opening them and glaring at the man with as much hatred as he could muster. His body started to tremble, betraying his true intentions.

The man had black stubble, brown eyes, and a lecherous grin as he looked Armin up and down. “You know,” the man began. “You’re not half bad looking, Levi went and got himself a good one.” He licked his lips, making sure he was looking directly at Armin and the blonde turned his head away in disgust. The man’s tempers flared and he grabbed Armin’s chin roughly forcing him his way again. “Don’t you look away from me!”

“George,” a voice at the door said. Both Armin and the man called “George” turned to look at the speaker. A man with sandy blonde hair and brown eyes was staring disapprovingly at George with his arms folded across his chest. He wore dark jeans and a white long sleeve shirt.

“Whatever, not that cute anyways,” George grumbled and released Armin with a little shove. Armin almost fell backward but he threw his weight forward and steadied the chair.

Armin glanced at the new man with gratitude but if he saw it, he did not acknowledge it. George went behind Armin and untied the rope around his wrists. It fell away and Armin felt relief at the pressure disappearing. George grabbed his bicep and hauled him up and out of the chair. “Let’s go,” he grunted and pushed Armin forward. Armin grimaced but complied and walked forward. “Boris, get the door.”

Boris opened the metal door and George pushed Armin through it. From there, they had to climb a set of stairs. George pushed Armin periodically, laughing whenever the blonde stumbled almost to the point of falling. Fortunately, he never actually did. Tears came to the corner of his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away and put on a brave face.
Eventually, they came to a door. Boris knocked and there was a faint “come in” from inside. He pulled it open and Armin stopped in his tracks when he saw the man sitting behind the desk. Erwin Smith.

“Armin,” he said as a greeting. “Come in.” Armin swallowed and walked in, Boris letting the door shut behind him. Erwin smiled at him, but it was obviously fake. “Have a seat.”

Armin stayed put in front of the door, trying to keep away from his captor as much as possible. Then Erwin’s blue eyes took on a sharper tint and the smile fell away. “Sit.” Armin could feel the tension in the room growing and judging by the man’s authority and appearance, it seemed wiser not to piss him off. Especially in a room where there was nowhere to run. Armin walked quickly to the chair and sat down. He rubbed his right arm nervously and looked straight at Erwin. “Do you have any idea why you’re here?”

“Because of something my husband did. What did he do by the way?”

“I’ll let Levi tell you himself when he gets here. He knows where we are.”

“Where are we anyway?”

“You sure ask a lot of questions.”

“Are you going to answer or not?”

“No.”

“Then this conversation is over,” Armin concluded, putting up a brave front.

“What makes you think that you have the authority to start making assumptions like that? I could break you right here, right now,” Erwin responded with a snarky smile and towered over Armin. Armin looked straight at him and stood up also. A new wave of confidence passed over Armin.

“You won’t hurt me.”

“Why wouldn’t I do that?”

“Because you’re waiting for Levi to come for me, you want something from him and he won’t give it to you if you hurt me.”

“And what if I just want to see him squirm? Watch me defile and break the one he loves? Right in front of his eyes…see him cry and beg for mercy. Not for himself, but for you. So I won’t hurt you now…but I advise you…don’t get too cocky now,” Erwin replied with a shark-like gaze and an amused smile.

Chapter Text

Hange drove into the lot where Levi directed them. The area was in front of an abandoned parish which, unsurprisingly, was on Erwin's territory. With a bitter taste in his mouth, Levi remembered the "business trips" that he was sent on when he still worked in the Mafia. This factory was one of the places they took the people who either insulted the Titans by not paying their debts or trying to cheat them out of what was rightfully there. They brought down drug lords, addicts, business men, clubs...you name it. Though that, among others, was not something he was especially proud of. His head started to throb and he felt nauseous, so he breathed in and out silently.

"You sure it's here, Lee?" Hange asked and Levi would have glared at her, if he had the strength.

Levi pushed the passenger side door open and simply replied, "The only thing I am certain of right now is we're being watched. On your toes, Glasses."

The duo walked to the side of the broken down parish, only to be confronted with a heavy metal door. There were two windows on either side but they were both boarded up. Even if they weren't, it would be close to impossible to see through the thick layer of dust, mold, and grime that accumulated over the years. He didn't need to tell Levi put his whole weight on it and pushed the door open, slowly but surely. Neither of them needed to be told to cover their mouths and try to prevent inhaling too much, in case there were spores. It really seemed like an abandoned building, conpletely unsuspicious. Just for the cops. But underneath, there was a surprise.

The whole time, Hange and Levi walked in silence until Hange glanced at him through their peripheral. They looked at him with a concerned expression as their friend's face turned even paler than before and he took in shuddering breaths.

"Levi?" Hange inquired and the shorter man just ignored her, walking down the hallway with a purpose. One wouldn't know how much suffering he was enduring without looking at his face. I can do this, it's to save Armin, I can do this, he chanted in his thoughts.

Levi did not like to let people in. It only led to more and more problems in his life. The first time he heard this, it was from his uncle Kenny. The man was an insufferable bastard but he took care of Levi at age six when his mother died; he taught him valuable lessons that Levi still used well into the present. The second time he was reminded of this was when Kenny died from a gunshot wound; their neighborhood was not very peaceful. Erwin picked him up off the streets and Levi foolishly let himself get sucked into the enticing blond man in the limo's life. He was utterly and completely starstruc, naively never knowing how deep he had gotten until it was too late. Yes, Levi was cold and blunt at times, but he had emotions just like every other human on the planet. After the one glimpse of the world money created, he was hooked on this new, euphoric drug called Erwin Smith. The only man who could quite literally cause him to quake in his shoes. The man who still had some control over Levi's life, and was holding his husbsnd hostage. Because of him, all because of him.

All these thoughts paralyzed Levi and he was severed from reality until Hange brought him back with a stinging slap. Levi's head snapped to the left , his cheek emanating heat. He glared up at Hange who looked nonplussed.

"Oh don't give me that look. You were the one zoned out and paralyzed," they snapped. Their features then softened but their brown eyes still burned with questions Levi was not ready to answer at the moment. Levi sighed and pushed a haur through his hair.

"Not now," he told them and continued walking in the intended direction. Soon they got to a door that was mysteriouslu unguarded.

"They have people watching. If they wanted to get us, they would have already. What are they waiting for?" Hange wondered out loud.

Levi twisted the knob and prepared to descend down the stairs leading to the basement. "Me." Erwin was playing with him, Levi knew. To be expected.

Chapter Text

Erwin chuckled lowly as he slid his hands into his front pockets and watched his former associate descend the dark staircase. He faintly remembered the woman following Levi, maybe she was a fellow police officer? Whatever, it didn't matter anyway. The more, the merrier. The prize in this game some might call sadistic and twisted, was sitting in a booth with hands bound and a TV placed before him. When they rolled Armin into the room, it was obvious the man had no idea what was going on, but it had to have clicked by now. He could see the determination in those crystalline blue eyes from where he stood behind the one way mirror. Even through all of this, Erwin had to admit, he found several admirable qualities in the blond teacher. He was smart, no doubt if they put him in a room with some scraps and light, he would probably have found (or attempted to find) a way to alert Levi of his position. He was also quite attractive and young, 24 wasn't that old. Sometimes, the idea that he could just take the boy forever and mold him into a worthy assistant crept into his mind, but alas. That was much too easy. And boring. 

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Armin could feel Erwin's gaze through the glass, but he kept a straight face about it and stared straight forward. It was kind of hard with all of the memories that kept interrupting his thoughts. The first time they met through mutual friends. How nervous he was on the first date, which was well within reason as Levi was sexy as hell. His husband kept saying he was more nervous and Armin always said that was impossible... Armin shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. No, he told himself, Levi's coming and this will all be over soon. Despite his self pep-talk, he felt like shit. The weakest, most unworthy man he knew. He couldn't even fight back.

He hung his head down and tried to suppress the waterworks that were welling up in his eyes. He only looked up once he heard a static noise come from the flat screen TV above him. His heart leapt into his throat when he saw the person or people who had guns in their hands and resolute expressions on their faces. A smile slowly made its way onto his face when he saw Levi and Hanji, it felt like so long since he had last seen them. 

Would you like to play a game, Armin?

Armin turned to look at the glass with an expression of rage, disgust, and confusion. "I thought we were already playing one of your twisted mind games, Erwin!" he shouted. 

That was only Phase 1. Now we move onto Phase 2, where Levi and his friend must go through a gauntlet of sorts...

"Will you just be direct with it?"

"In this game, Levi and his friend will be the rats in the maze and we will be the observers. But how would he be able to get here without any help? That's where you come in, my dear Armin. The name of the game is Hunt the Thimble. Or Hot and Cold, I'm sure you remember it."

Of course Armin did. He played this sort of game all of the time with his kindergartners, but Erwin wasn't a kindergartner. There had to be a catch. "...What's the catch?", Armin asked, still facing the TV.

"You're free to speak to him...,but you'll have to get him here in less than 30 minutes. Or there will be one less person going home." Armin's stomach dropped even further than he thought possible and he already felt the words creeping up his throat. Please don't kill him! I'll do whatever you want! After Erwin allowed his words to sink in, he continued. "If you look down to the collar of your shirt, you will find a small, black microphone. It is tapped; if I so much as hear you try to say some kind of code, I won't hesitate to kill all three of you. So please don't be stupid, I want to enjoy this."

Armin ground his teeth and cursed Erwin in his mind. "You sick fucker," he muttered. 

"That I am, that I am. So sweet summer child, I must bid you adieu. When the microphones come on, you must make sure to hurry your boytoy up a bit. It seems he is going slower than usual." And with that, Erwin's voice disappeared and the TV's came on. The old black and white movie countdown appeared on the screen and with each number that appeared, Armin's blood pounded louder and louder in his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut and breathed in and out to prevent a sudden panic attack like Levi showed him.

Levi. Levi...Levi. Armin's eyelids slowly parted as he relaxed and he zeroed in on the determined face of said man.

"Levi!"