A/N: This chapter contains some scenes of spice. Minors, please tread carefully.

I come back from the door after seeing Levi and Hange off to find Erwin finishing the green bell pepper I left in my bowl. He looks so cute, I cozy up against him to ruffle his hair and plant a small kiss on his cheek. It's such a stupid romantic thing to do but it puts a gorgeous smile on his face.

"So you're really not upset with me, angel?" He asks, his gaze and voice still filled to the brim with guilt but he relaxes once I shake my head.

"Why will I be upset with you... baby?" I smirk. The glow on his face mellows into something so warm, it does several things at once to my heart. He does like me calling him baby. But there's something else, some other emotion that I can't really name. So I just open my arms and hold him when he dives into the embrace like nobody has ever hugged him before.

****

"Can I accompany you to your conference tomorrow?" Erwin asks as we cuddle on the bed. I've taken the pill, which means that all I'm thinking about is how we can have a little more unprotected sex. We shouldn't but we could. Erwin has me in his arms. I'm drawing patterns on his chest, through his hair, circling my way lower.

His question makes me giggle. "Is this a ploy to make me come to your party?"

"Maybe a little bit."

"You really want me there, huh?"

"Of course, angel. Now that I've met you, I wish to never part from you again."

I look up. These are very heavy words to be said on our third overall meeting. But there's sincerity in his eyes and he doesn't look away so I know... I think he's not lying. "What do you mean by 'now that you've met me'?" I pry. The question comes out a little needy.

"Now that I've met someone like you." He looks away. I only hum, not confronting him any further. I have other plans.

We have sex two more times. I mean, he comes two more times. We forgot to keep count of my orgasms by the time he was done pleasuring me with his mouth. The skin on my neck and chest is raw with hickeys; my nipples are sensitive from how long he has been tongueing and thumbing them. My jaw hurts from having it hang open the whole night because I don't remember a single second where I was not moaning like a fucking pornstar. I'm so overstimulated at this point, I'd tear apart even at the most feathery touch. But when Erwin spoons me from behind and places the softest, most delicate kiss on my shoulder, I melt into him. His fingers on my skin, his light grasp on my pudge is telling of how terrified he is of breaking me with one more touch.

I'm wrong. He's not done. Erwin's hand lingers only very briefly around my belly before rerouting toward my clit. "Just one more, angel," he whispers in my ear like an addict asking for another hit of his coke.

"Are you kidding me? My brain is fried from all the orgasms I've had already."

"Give me one more and I'll stop. I promise, angel." Erwin holds my back flush against his chest. He doesn't really touch anywhere else, doesn't grope my tits which is his signature move, doesn't put his hand in my hair. Only his index hovers over my swollen clit and I'm dying of anticipation. What is this behavior, Niji?

"No, Erwin. Not anymore tonight. What's going on with you?"

He eases his grip on me, retracting his hand. When I turn to look at him, he has his eyes closed, fingers running through his shimmering hair, lips apart with dragged out exhales. He looks frustrated.

"Come on, man, don't be a red flag now." This is a little frustrating for me too. I escape his embrace to stand beside the bed.

"Oh no, no, angel." He sits up, reaching for me. "Please don't misunderstand me. I'm only... I'm sorry, I know I look disappointed. But that's... It's not directed at you."

I try to cross my arms but only a little touch to my nipple makes me shiver. "Then, what is it? What was that face?"

Erwin looks up at me with pleading eyes. "I'm... drunk, angel, on your pussy. That's all." When he notices his words have left me speechless, he continues, "but, of course, I won't touch you if you don't want to be touched. Please come back to bed, my sweet, sweet angel."

All I can do is keep looking at him, absolutely devoid of words because, is there even an appropriate response to that? Drunk? On my pussy? That's a very PG-13 thing to say.

"I need a smoke." I turn to find some clothes to wear. When I return my gaze to the man in my bed, he's still looking up at me, his puppy eyes more pronounced than ever. "Erwin, you can't get your way every time with those eyes."

"I'm not trying to get my way with anything, angel. I just want you to know I'm deeply sorry for making you feel like your no was not being heard."

"Okay, apology accepted," I say, pulling a pair of shorts up to my hips. He gets off the bed to find his clothes too. He picks up the discarded condoms off the floor and I watch him go into the washroom to drop them in the bin. When he comes out, wiping his washed hands on the sides of his pants, I walk up to him and tilt my face upward with my hands on my hips. He gets the hint, smiles and lowers his face to kiss me. "Can we go outside on the porch for a smoke? My brain is foggy from all the sex."

"Of course, my dear."

Even the light breeze outside is titillating to my skin, making me fold my arms over my chest in defense. Erwin brings me the blanket from the couch and drapes it over my shoulders before giving me one of his cigarettes. One drag of it and I'm coughing up all the life left in my lungs. "Jesus, this is too strong." I say with a hand over my mouth. "Mind sharing this with me?" Erwin looks at me with fondness in his smile.

"What do you usually smoke, angel?"

"Something mild, minty."

"I'll keep that in mind, angel." He puts his cigarette back into the pack to take mine. I watch him exhale ringlets of smoke into the air around us, the scent of nicotine heavy like a heartbreak. I'm yet to decide whether this little affair with this beautiful man is a matter of the heart. Not to mention, he and his golden retriever eyes make it extremely difficult to make an objective decision. At least, it's fun and sexy, and even though some of his actions are a bit red flaggy sometimes, he takes criticism well. Obviously, he's gonna make mistakes, offend, be a little childish. We, as a society, don't raise our boys right, after all but knowing that my objections are being heard and taken note of instead of being defensive against is what matters.

"Can I ask you where you've been the last week?" I shift a little closer to him, seeking the warmth of his humongous body.

"I was in London, angel, on business." Erwin puts an arm around me, bringing me closer.

"Legal business or...?"

He goes a little rigid. "That might be boring to you, my dear. You still wanna hear?" I nod. "Okay... Well, so there's a family we've recently gotten into business with who operate from the other side of the ocean. And, the way I start a business relationship is I trade. Their stuff for ours. And their stuff is really good. According to customer feedback and that from other members of the family who have tried it out. Angel, I don't... touch any of it."

"Okay." I giggle when I see the panic on his face. "What is the stuff though?"

"Drugs, angel. A very potent opioid. That is how the Tyburs are marketing it. And our boy, Eren, attests to that."

"And what did you send in return? More drugs?"

"No, angel." He takes a puff of his cigarette and hands it to me. "We deal in materials. Construction materials. And intelligence. We do also have a sector for common drugs but the production is not in-house. We're sort of the middlemen, the foot in the American market door for foreign chemists."

"What did you mean by dealing intelligence?"

"A few of my employees and I are business strategists. We unearth intel on the market, the competition, and..." His arm tenses around me. "Sometimes, we rig the biddings to inch it in our client's favor. That's all, angel."

That's all, huh? "Interesting." I hold the butt of the cigarette to Erwin's lips and he drags the smoke into his mouth. "Then what happened?"

"There was a little bit of trouble with the latest cargo and Willy, the head of the family, invited me over to make sure there is no animosity between us. He will be flying down for tomorrow's party."

Half of this was a lie. Erwin has looked away several times, his enunciation has sped up, chasing a story he wants me to, or at least pretend to, trust. And I believe it's for the best that I don't press him further to come out with all of it at once. Of course there are parts of his business I will never understand and parts I don't wish to be involved in so if Erwin wants to keep me away from them, I would more than gladly understand. 

This is also the part I'm failing to grasp though. He is protecting me from harsh truths of his life and yet he wants me to meet his found family? How would that work out? Is nobody ever going to tell me anything? Or am I expected to never discover anything on my own? If it's the latter, Erwin is about to be sorely surprised when he realizes my all-or-nothing curiosity.

***

"What will you do if you come with me to the conference?" We're back on the couch. Erwin has fired up the laptop he got from his car, saying he'd love to finish up some work, if that's okay with me. I have my back rested on the other arm, just doomscrolling on Instagram when a wave of generosity washes over me. I'm lying; I just want to spend the whole day with him.

"Umm..." He has his eyes trained on the brightly lit screen, reading something with a fingertip between his lips. "I can just hang out, angel, and listen to the lectures. What work do you have at the conference, angel?"

I know he means no disrespect but I've heard the same question from my father and older brother so many times, for events that meant more to me than tomorrow's Oncocon, that I can't help but look for the mockery in his tone. "I'm only attending. But Dr. Khan, my boss at the clinic, wants to introduce me to other oncologists so I'll have to keep by his side for most of the day."

"That's alright, angel. As long as I get to see you. And cancer is a fascinating malady. I'm sure I'll be able to sit through a few lectures and discussions."

"Fascinating? Sure, yeah." Not so much when a twelve year old's mother is crying in your chamber, willing to bleed herself dry in order to treat her child's leukemia and all you can do is hold her hand across the table and bite your cheek to keep your tears from flowing.

Erwin asks me what my job as a genetic counselor entails. He keeps working, typing on his laptop as I talk, looking up and asking me questions whenever he's confused about any technical aspect of my profession. "Can you have your own clinic, or do you always have to be associated with a hospital?" He asks.

"It will take several years of experience and connections in this fraternity and among doctors to start a clinic and make sure that it thrives."

"I can get you connections, my dear, if you want to start a business. Just say the word."

Still not used to his threats and offers, I stare at him in confusion. "You don't need to threaten anybody for me, Erwin. I mean, please don't threaten anybody for me."

He laughs. "Not everything works with threatening, angel. There are different techniques to deal with every fraternity. And even every individual. All you need is a few minutes of interaction and they'll crack open like eggs on concrete."

"Okay." This is making me a little nervous. I've always felt that Erwin reads people like books but knowing he has specific techniques for it makes it a little scary. But didn't he say that he can't figure me out? Or was that manipulation too?

"Angel? A kiss?"

I look up out of my little thought bubble. He has his neck extended in my direction, index pointing at his lips. The innocence on his face drains all my doubts. Leaning forward, I place my mouth on his. Lazy smooches turn into urgent kisses and I'm once again in his arms. Erwin shifts his laptop to the coffee table, pulling my ass into his lap. "You're a conniving man." I pinch the bridge of his nose as he holds me, grinning, squeezing my arms, my hips, my thighs. Polite squeezes. Squeezes that won't lead to anything more.

Who knows when I drift off, but when my eyes open in the morning, — the buttcrack of dawn, to be exact — I'm in my bed, with the duvet tucked under my chin. I wake not because I've had enough sleep but because of the warmth, the damp sweat over my neck, under my arms. There's a sting in my eyes and a sizzling pain all over my chest. Looking down, I eye the scars left by Erwin scattered on my skin, now a dark maroon. A fucking masterpiece I am!

But, where is he? My bed is empty, the way it has been the last two times Erwin spent the night here. Honestly, if he has left again, I'd be so disappointed. After all that he said last night, it'll only be unfair. His watch sits on my dresser though, so he must be here still.

I find him on the couch, such a big man curled up in a fetal position on my tiny couch, with his laptop screen still glowing in front of him. He must have put it down only a few minutes ago. Tiptoeing to his side, I check if he's actually sleeping before bringing the lid down. His cigarettes lie on the table, and a cup from my kitchen, smeared to the brim with dark brown stains, sits atop the glass, no coaster in sight. Pushing the cleaning to the back of my mind, I steal one of his smokes outside.

Blue haze coats the porch, engulfing the pavement ahead of me too. I sit down on the stairs and light the cigarette. Still strong, a little bitter on the tongue, but I fight through. Don't wanna waste a whole fag now, do we?

There's still a few hours before I have to start getting ready for the conference. Hopefully, putting ice on the hickeys will help hide them or at least, mellow them down. Otherwise, concealer it is! I don't really want to wear a turtleneck at an event where I would already be sweating.

The ignition of a car fires just opposite to the porch, extracting me from my inner monologue. From right in front of the gate, the vehicle rolls out onto the street, driving away. Fuck! I've seen this car before. Panic stricken, I run down the rest of the steps and out onto the road, following the back of it as far as I can.

Jittery from the recollections of the sheer number of times I've seen that same exact model and the unlikely locations, I don't notice when Erwin comes out onto the porch. "Angel? Is everything alright?" He walks up to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Th— that car, I've seen it before." I mumble.

"Angel, they make multiples of the same model."

I roll my eyes, still squinting to see the boot of the car driving further and further away. "Of course, I know that. But this... It was parked right here, in front of your car. A Saab convertible. I've seen this car before, the same fucking car. It was here. And then, at Roz's building, and if I'm not mistaken, in front of the clinic as well. I didn't think much of it before but... this can hardly be a coincidence. Right?" Erwin's face is stony when I gaze up at him, unreadable.

When he speaks, his voice is a stern monotone, like thick, unmoving gray clouds in a corner of the sky. "I'll tell Levi to look into it. Don't bother yourself, angel."

A/N: Who do you think the stalker is? And why are they stalking Niji?

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