Summary: Levi decided to take in Eren in after his parents' death.

The fucking relatives were making a fantastic show of themselves as they discussed where Eren was going to live.

Levi hadn't had this great of a headache since the death of his own parents, when these same relatives were arguing about the same fucking thing. At the time, Levi, to spare his head from splitting in two, had told everyone that he was going to be eighteen in a few months and not a fucking kid anymore, so everyone could just shut it. "And please take your shitty mess with you when you leave," he had added.

But Eren was in a worse situation compared to Levi because Eren was still a kid, and thus was shackled with the responsibility of living with complete strangers. Levi got sick of hearing excuses on why this person or that person couldn't be a fucking decent human being and take care of the damn brat, so he volunteered. Might as well. If he wanted something done, he had to do it himself.

"If you want to punch anyone of them in the face, you can," Levi walked up to Eren, who was curled up in the corner of his bedroom. "They won't sue." He was speaking from personal experience. "It's the only time that you can punch people in the face and might be able to get away with it."

And Eren, angry and hurt and upset and wanting to take out his pain on someone else, had swung his fist toward Levi's face. Levi, reacting on instinct, had caught his fist and pushed Eren against the bed, restraining the brat before he could get a trial two on Levi's face.

"You said I could do it," Eren hissed angrily.

"I said you might be able to get away with it," Levi shrugged.

"I hate you. I hate you all." Eren's angry expression melted, and then all that was left was something so painful that Levi was suddenly reminded of his own parents who had left this world. Levi loosened his grip on Eren, and Eren collapsed into a ball again, hiding his tears.

"Yeah well, get in line," Levi whispered to himself. He sighed, and then moved to sit next to Eren, bumping against Eren's shoulder.

"Go away."

"It sucks crying alone, brat," Levi said simply, and made no move to leave.

Eren didn't seem to protest his presence after that. The damn brat did cry for a long time though. Levi's ass was sore from waiting for him.

Despite the suggestions from many relatives, Levi thought it was a better idea for him to spend a few nights at Eren's house rather than move the brat immediately to his apartment. It wasn't because his apartment didn't have space—far from it—but he thought Eren needed some familiarity from having too many things taken away from him at once.

"I'll go with you," Eren interrupted Levi's conversation with the others regarding Eren's living arrangement. Eren squared his shoulders, as if he was trying to prove that he was stronger than Levi had thought.

"We're staying here," Levi said firmly. Then, to cut off all arguments, "I don't have to get back until Thursday." That was a lie. He was going to call Irvin later. This was going to take away all of his sick days.

"I don't need you to baby me!"

"I have no intention of babying anyone." Levi crossed his arms. He felt insulted that anyone could think he was capable of babying anyone. Did he look like that kind of person?

"Well I don't need you to be my parents!"

"No, I'm not your parents," said Levi. "I'm not a fucking nanny service. And I'm not going to pretend I am. I will be here for you until you can stand on your own. Nothing more. Don't get fancy ideas in your head."

"Levi, maybe we should have him stay with someone else," one of the distant aunts said. She seemed concerned with the rough way Levi was talking to Eren. Levi couldn't blame her. Flowery word was never his strength. "Eren needs a proper home and proper parental guidance—"

"No, I want him." Eren's words startled both Levi and the aunt. "I'm not some weakling that needs someone to coddle me. The world doesn't have room for the weak."

"Oh hoh." Levi was impressed. "Not bad."

The aunt spluttered. "But—"

"I'm not saying that I trust him as a fully grown adult," Levi explained. This was an eleven year-old kid here-he wasn't having delusions. "I'll keep an eye on him until he becomes one. Besides, I didn't turn out too bad, did I?" Granted, he had some money his parents left behind, but now at least Eren would have him.

"Levi—" The expression on her face told Levi that she very much disagreed with how well he turned out, but Levi didn't want to hear that from her because at least he had a job, unlike a certain son of hers currently sucking up his parents' retirement money.

"I'll do my best," Levi looked at Eren, addressing him more than the aunt.

Eren returned his gaze with determination, and Levi knew that he wasn't the only one who was going to do his best.

Levi resigned himself to a long evening on the couch because Eren's house didn't have a guest bedroom, and sleeping in the master bedroom would be weird. Not that Eren's parents would use it, but it was disrespectful to Eren's parents and Eren himself.

Not that it mattered. Levi had slept in worse places.

It had been a long day, and he was exhausted, but he couldn't sleep. He checked on Eren every hour or so just to make sure the kid was asleep and not doing something incredibly stupid like killing himself. Levi doubted that he would, but still.

Eren had been peacefully lying in his bed, facing the wall so Levi couldn't tell whether he was asleep or not. By the fifth check, Levi assumed that Eren was sleeping, but then Eren's voice stopped him before he could return to his lovely hot date with the couch.

"You know, you don't have to check on me this often. I'm fine by myself."

Levi paused. If Eren had been awake this whole time, and he hadn't stopped Levi the first few times, then he might not be as bothered by Levi's presence as Levi had originally thought.

"Can't sleep?" Levi walked into Eren's room and sat on the bed, Eren warm against his back.

Eren didn't reply.

They sat in silence. Levi reached a hand out and rubbed Eren's shoulder gently. It was the only act of consolation that he knew. He tried to remember what he did after his parents' funeral, but the memory was weird and he didn't think it would help. After he received news of his parents' death, and after the many phone calls from relatives and so many "I'm so sorry for your loss," he couldn't take it anymore and just drove off. Levi had stopped by a gas station in the middle of nowhere and bought a blueberry blast slushy and sat on the concrete by his car as his gas tank was filled, even though the ground was disgusting with dirt and trash and oil. He had felt numb and strange, as if all of his feelings and his ability to give a shit had all drained out somewhere.

Levi had stared at the slushy in his hand, the condensation beading on the red straw and the blue ice slowly melting under the eerie orange light above, and then he heard, "Are you alright?"

When he glanced upward and saw the concerned face of the cashier, who had come out to check on him because he was sitting there for thirty minutes, "I hope you're okay," he said, and then Levi suddenly felt his eyes becoming wet and his nose beginning to sting as the realization that he was really alone in the world sank in. He was currently sitting in the middle of nowhere at some god-forsaken gas station, and the only one to see how lonely he was was some complete stranger who thought he was mental. For some reason Levi had felt like crying, but he didn't. He quickly left to cry alone, feeling weak and pathetic and abandoned.

The room suddenly felt stuffy. Levi felt restless even though his body was exhausted to the bone.

Eren's muffled sniffle startled him.

"I'm sorry," Eren mumbled. "I wish I could be stronger than this."

"You're a lot stronger than I was when I was your age," Levi said. "There's no point in rushing to get over your parents' death." Grief wasn't something that he could control.

Levi lay down on the bed and nudged Eren's shoulder. He offered his arms for an awkward hug when Eren's puffy eyes turned to meet his. "Come on," he said. Hanji had said this was the comforting thing to do for little kids.

"Gross! I'm not a little kid," Eren growled, although Levi could see in his eyes that he was contemplating Levi's offer. Eren turned away from Levi once more. "The world has no room for weaklings." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself, his voice cracking over his words.

"The world doesn't have room for idiots who don't take advantage of the offered help either, and yet here you are," said Levi, very much being a hypocrite as he said this, and Eren's shoulders jerked in anger or hurt, Levi couldn't tell. "But that doesn't mean shit."

"You may have lost your place in the world," and here Levi softened his tone, or at least, tried to sound less like he was going to beat the shit out of someone. "But you'll find one with me, even if it's not as good as your parents'."

"You can't replace them."

"And I won't be."

Eren was silent, so Levi didn't know if his words got through, but at least the damn brat wasn't sniffling anymore.

Levi wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, but when he woke up, Eren was curled up against him, his head resting warmly against Levi's chest. Levi checked his watch. It was only four a.m.

Levi sighed as he reached around Eren for the blanket and pulled it over them both. Eren stirred at the movement, face scrunching as he fumbled sleepily for warmth, and Levi lay down next to him until he calmed back to a deep sleep. The dim streetlight peeking through the window curtains gently washed over his face, and Eren looked even more like a kid than he did before.

"Fucking brat," Levi said under his breath, watching Eren's sleeping face, peaceful despite the drying tears. "The reason I'm here is so that you don't have to cry alone."

As Levi slowly fell asleep himself, he thought he might have imagined Eren snuggling closer to him at the sound of his words.