Chapter Text
Levi is awoken to the click of the doorknob and the thump of footsteps down the stairs. He must have finally dozed off, somewhere in the endless loop of numbness and waiting.
Is it morning? Levi can never tell.
It’s cold down in the dark basement; Levi can hardly feel his fingertips or toes. His legs have that static sensation to them. He fears he has started to smell.
Levi’s clothes are rumpled along his form. His grimy jeans remain zipped open, his lap a mess of tacky slick and flaking cum. His shirt is stiff from dried sweat and ripe after a few days of wear.
…
Levi feels awful. Humiliation lingers in a stinking cloud around him, saturated with the scent of his and Armin’s satisfaction. The omega’s scent lingers on his skin like a mockery.
Armin descends the creaky wooden stairs, sleepily rubbing his eye, dressed in an old oversized t-shirt and a pair of boxers. His fine, soft hair is mussed up with bed head. He must have just woken up.
Morning, a part of him reminds him. It’s important to remember that. If he wants to survive down here, he needs every bit of information he can get to escape. Anything to keep track of what’s going on up there.
Levi’s been missing for at least a day. Someone has to be looking for him by now, right?
Once at the bottom, Armin clicks on the overhead light, and smiles when he sees Levi intently staring at him. Levi warily watches him, eyes fixed upon the omega’s every movement as he walks forward into Levi’s space. With him he brings a fresh wave of his scent. It makes his stomach roll.
“Good morning, Levi.”
The omega saunters up to him and leans down to kiss him softly on the lips. Levi goes to turn away, but flinches when Armin raises his hand up. Instead, Levi grimaces, and figures it’s easier to just let it happen.
Their lips part with a soft smack. Levi would like to wash his mouth out with bleach.
“You don’t have to fight me anymore,” Armin says softly. “There’s no one here watching you. You can be yourself now.”
Is that what Armin thinks this is? That Levi was simply putting on a front for his peers?
Taking a shaky breath, he says, “Armin, I don’t know what you’re thinking there is between us, but I’m not trying to be mean when I say you’ve got it all wrong.”
Armin cocks an eyebrow. “What do you mean? You’ve been so sweet to me. We talk all the time. We’ve fucked.”
He’s serious, Levi realizes, or delusional — but he really thinks we’re in love.
“Armin—” he starts hesitantly, knowing the omega is unpredictable. Is there any reasoning with him? Or will denying his delusions cause him to lash out? Levi decides to at least try. “You’ve taken me. You drugged me. I haven’t done anything of my own free will. None of this is okay. You must realize that.”
“You enjoyed yourself last night,” the omega flippantly rebuffs, seeming unbothered with the reality of his actions.
“I didn’t,” Levi mumbles, voice dropping. He doesn’t want to remember last night. “You drugged me…”
Armin laughs in disbelief. “Oh Levi,” he purrs, leaning into Levi’s space. “Do you really think I believe that? When you were moaning in my ear last night? When you came so deep inside of me it dripped out of me for hours?”
Nausea rolls through him and bile rises in his throat. “No,” he whispers.
“Yes,” Armin spits. “Don’t act like you weren’t enjoying it when you were balls deep inside of me and moaning like a damn whore.”
The word hurts. It’s not true. He whispers as much.
“Stop fucking lying to me, Levi!” Armin exclaims, voice rising angrily. “You fucking hypocrite! You’re just a stupid alpha, I knew it. You’re just like all the others. You fuck me and love it, then act like I mean nothing to you the next day—” he works himself up, pacing around. “How could you! How many omegas have you fucked and left?”
Confused, Levi shakes his head, desperately trying to soothe the omega before he flies off the handle.
“Armin, that’s not true, I don’t think that. I just—”
“Stop it!” Armin jams a finger in his face. “Stop calling me a liar!” he screams. “It’s true. You were using me, then. Every time I came in and you flirted with me–? You’re the liar!"
Vehemently, Levi shakes his head. “N-no, that’s not what I meant,” he protests. “I was just doing my job—”
“Do you flirt with every customer that walks through that door?” Armin challenges. He spits out his next word, saturated with venom, “Whore.”
“Stop calling me that.” It’s almost impossible for him to keep his voice steady, but he tries. He doesn’t look Armin in the eye. “I’m not… I’m not a whore.”
“Oh yeah?” Armin says, crossing his arms. “Maybe I did give you some medicine to help you along, but that was just it: an erection. You did all the rest on your own.”
Now Levi can’t talk. His throat has closed up. Tears well on his lash line. He feels like a piece of shit.
“Don’t you see, Levi? If you didn’t like me, you wouldn’t have cum. Simple as that.”
Quietly, Levi sniffles and shakes his head. Armin rolls his eyes.
“Deny it all you want, it won’t change anything.” He strolls behind Levi, out of sight. “Maybe soon you’ll come to terms with yourself.”
Clattering sounds behind him.
“Until then, I’m willing to wait for you. I’ll take care of us,” Armin murmurs as he works behind Levi’s back.
“What are you doing?” He calls worriedly, trying to awkwardly crane his neck to look behind him, but it doesn’t work. His voice crackles with tears.
“Don’t worry, Levi, I’m just getting everything situated for your new home.” Armin’s sing-song voice reassures him from somewhere further in the basement behind him.
Levi’s never even seen what it looks like behind him. Nervousness and fear bleeds into his scent. What more could Armin do to him?
Something like plastic scraping over cement echoes behind him. Then, the sound of pounding water into a container. Levi strains his ears, trying to listen for the sound of Armin’s movement over the noise, half-expecting the omega to jump him from behind.
Movement shuffles behind him as Armin goes about his task behind Levi’s back. A sudden harsh clink of chains snatches Levi’s attention and his anxiety arises once more. His breathing picks up, shallow and quick. He doesn’t know why it’s like that. He doesn’t know why he’s scared. Soft fingertips suddenly brushing against his nape make Levi jolt so hard, the chair rattles, squeaking against the floor.
“Shh,” Armin soothes him, stroking his fingertips over Levi’s skin. His scent envelopes him, gentle and omega, warm with the dregs of sleep, but Levi’s form just can’t seem to relax.
Those gentle fingers attempt to massage the tension away, digging in at the tight tendons and working them out. The gesture would have been comforting in any other situation, but it just makes Levi shiver and cringe away as best he can. He doesn’t want anything from Armin and that includes his touch.
“I guess I shouldn't be angry with you. You’re still adjusting,” Armin hums thoughtfully, petting over him like he was a cat.
Armin takes the moment of thought to loop something over his head and around his neck. Tiny pinpricks of metal poke into the soft skin of his neck in a circle. Immediately, it’s uncomfortable, and Levi freezes, afraid of jerking the chain and tightening it. Humming softly, Armin loops the ends of the metal together behind the base of his skull and clips it into place. The metal contraption hangs heavy at Levi’s throat, threatening pricks pressing into his skin.
A prong collar.
“There we go.” Armin nods satisfied. He hooks a finger into the loop of metal at the end, tugging it experimentally. Levi’s head follows the pressure, arching back to keep the prongs out of his skin. He looks up at the omega nervously, afraid of talking and piercing himself. Armin pats his cheek lovingly. “It’s just for precaution, Levi. Don’t worry. Don’t pull and it won’t hurt.”
Continuing to hum, the omega bends down and gathers a chain from the floor. It scrapes across the concrete, making prickles rise on Levi's skin. Neatly, Armin clips it on to the collar, then walks back into Levi's line of sight to rummage through the grocery bag from the night before. The weight of the chain pulls uncomfortably at Levi’s neck, cinching the collar tighter around his trachea. Breathing too deeply makes the sharp metal worry into his skin. Wordlessly, Levi watches, fear crushing his chest, as Armin goes through his bag, oblivious to Levi's distress.
“Aha!” Armin calls triumphantly, pulling a package out. A padlock — the kind opened with a key. Levi swallows nervously, then winces at the prick it gives him.
Armin pays him no mind as he comes back to his side. Soon, a sharp snick sounds right by Levi’s ears and he knows that Armin’s secured him in place, nice and tight. Armin tosses the matching key back into the plastic bag, unbothered, before turning his attention to Levi’s many ropes.
With expert fingers, Armin undoes all of the knots and cinches with ease. It’s almost insulting when Levi remembers how he’s tugged and pulled at those very knots the day before. Soon, the constricting binds fall away. Levi would have almost been able to breathe freely, had it not been for the cruel reminder of the metal ring at his throat.
“There we go,” Armin says brightly, coming back in front of Levi. “Let’s get you up and moved into your new home!”
Armin hooks his arms underneath Levi's and heaves him up with surprising strength. Levi guesses it makes sense, given the omega was a nursing student and probably had to practice lifting dead weight from hospital beds all the time. He’s especially thankful for it now. Levi’s heavier than he looks, and sags limply in the omega’s arms, legs too numb and asleep to even respond to his brain. His arms are beyond useless, still handcuffed behind his back.
With a soft grunt, Armin lifts him up, stopping to lean Levi’s smaller frame against one shoulder to raise Levi’s bound hands up enough to clear the back of the chair. From there, he shuffles them over to the dark area behind them. Levi’s head lolls as he tries to look where they’re going.
His chain snakes across the ground and creeps up the wall to a sturdy looking metal plate bolted into the concrete. The sight of it catches his breath in his throat. A tether. For him.
Like he was some mangy mutt staked in place. The thought cinches like the prong collar around his heart.
Not at all gentle, Armin dumps him to the cold stone floor next to a bucket filled with water. Levi grunts as he hits the ground with a heavy thud, shoulder complaining as it’s forced to catch all his weight. On a little folded washcloth, a plain bar of soap waits for him. Within reach of the chain is a small divot in the ground where a drain sits.
“Now, those clothes.”
Suddenly, Levi feels cold all over. He shakes his head warily. Fear of this outweighs the collar. “No,” he croaks.
Armin’s frown is ugly. It makes Levi shudder. “Levi. They need to be washed.”
It’s true. The words make him hesitate, and before he can agree, Armin’s hands are already on him, tugging down his pants. Though Levi’s breath picks up and his veins grow cold with a disgusting feeling, he lets it happen. Clean. He wants to be clean.
Armin is clinical about undressing him this time. He strips Levi of his boots, socks, jeans, then underwear, leaving the alpha naked from the waist down. For some odd reason, Levi’s legs curl in on himself, like there’s still something left to hide.
“Hmm.” Armin squints at the last piece: Levi’s shirt. “Do you like that?”
Levi gapes at him, taken aback. It’s a work shirt with the company logo on it. It’s nothing special.
“N-not really.”
“Perfect!”
Armin is happy again. Levi lets out a small breath of relief. It’s safer if he stays on Armin’s good side. Maybe that will help him escape later, if he can convince Armin to let him go, or drop his guard long enough for him to attack.
The omega leaps up and goes to the tool bench, rifling around the mess for a second before turning around, a box cutter in his hand. Levi cowers slightly at the sight of the sharp blade. As usual, Armin pays his reaction no mind. The omega kneels before him, taking hold of Levi’s chain to secure him in place — the collar pinching slightly in reminder — and hooks the tip of the razor at the collar of Levi’s shirt.
The alpha’s breaths come in short, stilted gasps and he eyes the hand holding the box cutter warily. In one smooth motion, Armin tears through the cheap cotton like tissue paper, exposing Levi’s chest.
There’s a distantly proud look in Armin’s eyes as he admires the blade’s work. His face is softer with memory, almost human.
“My grandpa’s tools,” Armin announces off-handedly, raising the blade in the air and waggling it. “Take good care of them, and they’ll take care of you.”
Levi says nothing in response.
“He always kept things going. I’m lucky he was so handy.”
The question bubbles in Levi's throat until he can’t contain it anymore. “How so?”
Armin seems to shake himself out of his stupor, blinking a few times before looking into Levi’s eyes, his unhinged smile returning. “I already had everything I needed for you. It was like this was meant to be.”
Wordlessly, Levi stares at him. Part of him is strangely scared, like he’s being chased in a dream and can’t get any further away than he is now. Like something foreboding lingers on the horizon. A lurking threat he can’t see just yet.
Returning to his task, Armin shreds the last of Levi’s shirt from his body, effectively leaving the alpha completely naked and on display. The omega pauses to admire him for a moment. Then, he strikes.
Using a firm hand, he pins Levi on his back, stroking a hand down the alpha’s toned abdomen. Levi hisses as his arms are pinched uncomfortably beneath him, but his mind finds it hard to protest. His body alights like wildfire at the gentle touch of the omega. All his nerves and cells rejoice at the omega’s wandering hands. There must still be drugs in his system, because why on earth is he getting excited?
Fingertips brush just above his cock, trailing sweetly across his groin. Sweat bead at Levi’s brow and he finds it hard to inhale, staring detached at the wood ceiling above. Something in his brain is screaming incoherently. Somewhere else — a small, festering pustule inside of him — is begging Armin’s touch to go lower.
Giving Levi a single gentle stroke, Armin’s touch trails down and cups between his legs, fondling his balls. Levi inhales sharply, blinking at the prick at his throat. One leg hikes up unsteadily, weak and static-y. Almost immediately, it’s nudged back down by Armin. Obediently, Levi lets his thighs fall the rest of the way open, granting full access to the omega.
Armin sighs heavily, massaging and playing with the two plump testicles in his hand. “These are so nice — and so heavy. It’s a shame I can’t have some fun with you before I go to class.” He leans down, wetly kissing the inside of one of Levi’s inner thighs. His cock twitches, stiffening slightly against his belly. It aches with the distant memory of soft, wet heat. Wouldn’t he love it if Armin touched him again—
Nearly giving him whiplash, Armin stands up, the moment lost. His cock pouts at the rejection.
“Well, here you are!” Armin smiles down at him, hands on his hips, looking proud of himself. “I’ll be gone most of today, but don’t miss me too much,” he teases, eyeing Levi’s neglected cock. “I’ll be home before you know it — and I’ll have a nice treat to make it up to you.”
Bewildered, Levi sits up, muscles stiff from his immobility for so long. Incredulously, he looks up at Armin from the floor.
“You’re– you’re leaving me?”
He isn’t sure why he asks it. Right now, he should be jumping for joy that Armin’s leaving him alone, but also, being alone in the intimidating, dark, creepy basement has started to wear on him. It’s terrifying down here and despite the way Armin’s presence is so unnerving, Levi craves another human body down here with him; something to ground him against what nightmares Levi's mind convinces him lurk in the dark. Armin's cheery smile falters some and he actually looks guilty.
Armin makes a sympathetic face and bends down to Levi’s level, brushing his knuckles over Levi’s cheek. “I still need to go to class, baby. And then I have clinical hours to attend.”
For all of two seconds, Levi tolerates the touch, but then, common sense — or perhaps anger — kicks in, and he snaps his teeth over Armin’s hand.
With a startled shriek, Armin rips his hand back, but before Levi can charge him and use the surprise to his advantage, the omega snatches his chain with his other hand and pulls. Hands bound, Levi is unable to do anything as his trachea is abruptly closed off. Metal prongs dig into his skin and warm blood wells where they pierce through.
Fury simmers in Armin’s baby blue eyes.
“Don’t fucking bite me, Levi. Or I’m going to make you regret it.”
The warning chills him to the bone. In his heart, Levi knows Armin means it. Gurgling, Levi thrashes under Armin’s hold, unable to breath or fight back. He is completely at the omega’s mercy, he realizes. Desperately, he pleads with his eyes, neck on fire and his lungs screaming.
“Do I make myself clear?”
Armin’s voice is chilling, expressing hardly any remorse as the alpha writhes under the stress of the collar. Head wrenched at an awkward angle, Levi frantically nods to the best of his ability, and has to hope the message gets across to the omega. Armin watches him squirm for a bit longer, watching with detached fascination as Levi’s skin grows ruddy, then purple with the lack of oxygen, before abruptly dropping the chain.
Immediately, Levi gasps, sucking in a deep breath of cold, dank air. His body curls in on itself, trying to shield himself away from the omega. His throat burns with dozens of shallow wounds and his lungs sting as he continues to choke air down.
Unceremoniously, the cuffs rattle, then open and slide from Levi’s wrists, relieving his abused, raw skin of their bite. Levi barely reacts.
“I’ll be back to feed you dinner, until then, behave!”
With one last sunny smile, Armin stands and neatens up the area — tucking the chair in place at the workbench and gathering up his bag and Levi’s clothes — before making his way up the stairs. Levi’s thankful he left the light on for him this time.
Eventually after Armin departs for class, Levi is able to catch his breath, and manages to blink until the world seems real again.
His hands are free and he’s no longer bound to a chair. Now he’s chained to the wall. One cage for another. At least Levi can now stand up and walk around, somewhat, as well as use his hands.
First thing Levi does is scoop mouthful after mouthful from the bucket of water, gasping in relief. Then, he relieves himself into the drain. Next, he tackles the task of cleaning himself. Dipping the rag in the bucket, he lathers the bar in the cloth, then gets to work scrubbing himself. He does his best to not get soap in the water, not knowing when Armin will be back. This is his only source of drinking water at the moment.
Lather, scrub, rinse, repeat.
Levi does it twice, but still feels a grimy film over his skin, specifically at his groin. Rinsing again, he takes the washcloth and scrubs viciously at his crotch, trying to rake away the phantom feeling of slick muscle wrapped around him. It doesn't work.
Levi swears he can still smell the tacky, stale scent of long-dried slick on himself. It sticks to the roof of his mouth like bad gum, dissolving in gagging strands and slipping down his throat.
Without warning, Levi scrambles over to the drain and heaves, purging the memory into it. Most of it just looks like yellow bile. His form trembles with heavy droplets of freezing cold, soapy water. Or maybe it’s cold sweat. Levi doesn’t know. It all mixes together in a slippery film on him like a second skin. The tiny wounds all around his neck throb with each thudding pulse of his heart. Shakily, Levi exhales, eyes slipping closed.
He should probably wash again.
Nervously, Levi’s eyes dart back to the dark ascent of stairs, then back to the toolbox. Shivers wrack his frame as he hugs himself. He’s been curled up, knees to chest, for a good hour at least, severely regretting his wash now. It’s perpetually cold down here in the basement and the concrete floor seeps what little body heat he can generate right out of him. Like a vampire, it steals away every ounce of warmth, leaving him cold as a corpse.
Armin said he won’t be home until dinner. Levi has until then to try to find a way out. Already, every option he’s tried has led to a dead end. Now, he busies himself with stamping feeling back into his legs while he brainstorms. His fingers and toes are growing pale and a bit sluggish when reacting to his wiggling.
Teeth chattering, he tries to think through the unbearably chill, brain constantly flipping back to: cold, cold, cold.
The chain gives him a good five feet of tether line. It allows him a little semi-circle, but stops just before anything useful. Levi would expect no less. Armin is smart. Almost creepily so. Distantly, Levi wonders how long he planned this. Everything seems meticulously laid out to a tee.
This was not a rashly done job. The omega planned this. He made sure every detail was right.
Sharply, Levi tries to blow hot air onto his hands. Raw, bloody lines circle his wrists. Levi tries not to look at them.
He could try to lay down and attempt to stretch to reach one tool bag on the ground, but height and arm span are not on Levi’s side. Thinking, his eyes slide to the other side, taking in his options.
He could scream again, but no, that didn’t work the first time. He almost lost his voice doing that. What if someone came looking for him and knocked on the door? He’d need them to hear him. If his voice is gone, he risks them walking away, oblivious to him below their feet.
Besides, he really doubts Armin would leave him ungagged if he was truly worried about neighbors hearing Levi.
Idly, Levi reaches up behind his head and fingers the heavy lock. Maybe he could pick it or bust it open. That would require him to have a tool to do so. His eyes flicker back to the workbench. All that equipment scattered about is like a cruel taunt. If only he could reach it.
Following the chain up, he rubs his fingers over the grooves of the metal plate attached to the wall. Pulling it out of the concrete it’s embedded in is not an option, but maybe he could chip away at the metal links…
Experimentally, Levi tugs on the chain, muscles straining. It doesn’t budge. Undeterred, Levi spins in place and plants his feet against the wall, and uses it as leverage to put his whole strength into pulling. His grip starts to hurt as the metal digs into his skin and his arms shake with the intensity. Too soon, Levi is forced to stop, gasping from exertion. The chain hasn’t budged.
Fuck.
Breath going ragged, Levi shoves two hands behind his head and tries to rip the lock off next. His frozen fingers slip over the smooth metal, but he’s determined. He gets a finger hooked beneath the loop, grips the bulky block with the other, and grunts again as he tries to pull it apart.
After a few seconds, his fingers slip from the block and accidentally rips the collar backwards, successfully managing to choke himself by surprise. He falls to the floor, chains clattering noisily as he wheezes against the stained concrete. Coughing weakly, he grabs for his throat, rubbing it to chase the pain away. No doubt, it’s bruised from both Armin’s earlier use and from the stunt he just pulled.
Hopeless descended upon him like a heavy blanket. It smothers out any optimism he harbored for getting free. A sob threatens to tear from his throat. No. Levi tightens his jaw and takes a deep breath through his nose, forcing himself to calm down. He just has to be smart about it and he’ll find a way out. If he can’t keep a clear head, he’s doomed. Panicking is the worst thing to do right now.
Giving himself a few moments, he calms himself. Three breaths, he tells himself. Three deep breaths, then you get up, and try again.
Closing his eyes, he takes in one, deep, long breath. His collar pinches. Counting by thousands, Levi lets it go slowly.
Toolbox. On the left. There’s a bag on the floor next to the bench.
Levi inhales again. Pausing, he holds it for a few heart beats, then lets it go.
The adjustable strap might be in reach. He’ll have to try. He’ll lay down and scoot until the chain gives him no more, and then he’ll reach.
Taking his third breath, he lets it out, then opens his eyes.
He’s ready.