Explaining to someone why you were naked was something, explaining why you were reduced to the size of a doll was another. Explanation that Eren didn't have, because he had absolutely no idea what was actually going on.

"Shit."

Eren prepared himself to Levi's questioning, to Levi's mockery or even to Levi's expression of shock and surprise in front of his smallness. What he wasn't prepared for, however, was Levi's pure expression of concern and fear that crossed his features. The frown usually present on the raven's face was more pronounced and his eyes were directed right at him.

Without any time to react or say anything, Eren watched Levi made his way towards him slowly, his blue eyes now scanning every part of the cave, before squatting a few meters away from the brunet. He reached out a hand and Eren couldn't help but close his eyes in front of the size of it. It looked like it could crush him in an instant and the idea scared him.

"Eren, what happened to you…"

Eren opened one eye to assess the situation and realized Levi wasn't even looking at him, but at the 'blanket' next to him, the one he wasn't currently using to hide his body. He had taken it in his hands and was examining it, worry written all over his face, and Eren then realized what it must look like to him.

Levi was holding his pants and Eren was using what used to be his sweater as a makeshift blanket. Levi had entered a cave, after searching for Eren who had never returned home after a fight with his parents right before a big storm and only found clothes. But not Eren.

Levi hadn't noticed him yet.

He didn't know if he was relived of that fact or not, happy that Levi was showing concern over his fate, or if he felt bad about seeing him upset. Nonetheless, he had to make him look his way. He couldn't stay here, tiny and naked, alone in a cave near the ocean. There was no time for him to think about their altercation. He needed help.

"Levi! I'm here!"

The raven immediately lifted his head up, looking around him to find the source of the voice he had just heard.

"Eren? Where are you?"

"I'm down here!"

Eren tried to wave his hands at the raven while trying to keep his body hidden, or at least the lower part of it. He thought he wouldn't be able to grab Levi's attention when he started looking everywhere but at him, until his blue eyes locked on him and Levi finally saw him.

"Fucking hell!"

The shock of seeing Eren – or more particularly Eren's size – made Levi fall backwards and directly on his buttocks. His eyes were widened in bewilderment and his mouth open in surprise. In the span of five minutes, Eren had seen more emotions on Levi's face than in the last three years and it actually made him feel pretty good about the situation.

So there are things that can break his mask, huh.

"This must probably look creepy from your point of view, but believe me, it's also for me. I have no idea how this happened, and I'm still hoping I'm actually dreaming and that I'm gonna wake up."

Levi looked at him in silence for a few minutes, blinking slowly, which made Eren fidget, his nervousness more apparent every second that passed. Eventually, the raven seemed to gather his thoughts and come to his senses, closing his mouth before clearing his throat distinctively.

"That's my line, stupid."

"Well, you're not the one who is the size of a leprechaun and has to deal with people looking like giants! And since you're short and all, I can't even imagine what others are gonna look like."

"Tch. You're an ass."

"And you're still as rude as the last time we talked. Now, are you gonna help me?"

They watched each other in the eye, barely blinking, for what felt like minutes to Eren when it probably was just seconds before Levi heaved a long sigh. He then straightened himself and sat in a more comfortable way, narrowing his eyes, making it look like he was still dwelling on Eren's question. Eventually, he extended one hand towards Eren, palm facing upwards.

"Fine. Let's get out of here and talk about this some more in a better place."

Relief flashed through Eren's body but then he tensed, looking at Levi's outstretched hand. The raven raised an eyebrow when he saw him fidgeting and not moving.

"Are you going to move your tiny ass anytime soon?"

"I can't…"

Levi's eyebrows furrowed at his reply, eyeing him suspiciously. That only made Eren fidget even more, holding the sweater in front of his body a little higher than before, avoiding eye contact with the raven in front of him.

"Eren… Are you…?"

"I'm hiding behind a sweater that's too huge for me to wear anymore, what do you think?"

Eren was certain his cheeks were a bright red by now, despite his attempt to not let Levi see how much embarrassed he was of the whole situation. He was expecting Levi to tease him about it, taking advantage of his misery to rub salt into his wounds, but none of it happened. Instead, Levi took something out of his pocket and put it in front of Eren for him to take. When the brunet looked up to see what he had given him, he immediately recognized the object as a paper tissue.

"Hurry up now, I don't have all day."

Seeing as Levi turned his head to give Eren some privacy, the brunet hurried up and covered himself the best he could with the tissue and hoped in Levi's hand, shivering at the contact of his cold skin. The raven made no further comment when he moved his hand close to his jacket, opening it for Eren to see a pocket on the inside. After a bit of struggling, he managed to hop into it and immediately relaxed at the warmth who spread through his entire body.

As Levi started to move, he had to hold on to the edge of the pocket in order not to be shaken too much by the movement. From where he was, he couldn't see what was happening, but he could sense Levi was bending and straightening a few times, before finally standing up normally.

"I'll come back later with a bag to get your clothes, but for now we can't let people find them. They would freak out."

Eren assumed all those movements had been for hiding his clothes somewhere inside the cave and nodded. If anyone would see his clothes but not him, they could think he had been kidnapped or something, and then they would call the police – assuming his parents hadn't already. It was a small village, so there was a high probability the local officer was already on the case, but what he was afraid of was the 'real' police, from outside the town, which would make the whole situation a complete mess.

"Okay, let's go home now."

"Home?"

"My house, dumbass."

XxxxXxxxX

They ran into a lot of people on their way to Levi's house. They all asked the raven if he had found anything concerning Eren, or if he had any clue as to where he might be. Levi told them each time that he had looked where he could think of and didn't find anything, and then continued on his way. Eren had recognized some of the voices and couldn't help but cringe every time someone asked about him. His parents must be really freaking out and must have sent the whole village after him. He felt guilty about putting his mother, who already got worried over nothing, through this kind of anguish – even though he couldn't really help his situation.

Once inside the Ackerman's house, Levi went straight to his room where he finally freed Eren from the narrowness of his inner pocket. He had put him down on his desk, and Eren couldn't help but switch his weight from one foot to the other, holding the tissue as close as he could from his tiny body.

"My mom must have gone to your place to be with your mother, so it's just us now."

Eren didn't have time to say anything before Levi disappeared behind the door and left him alone. He had no idea where the raven had gone off to, so all he did was looking around himself. He hadn't been in Levi's room over a few years now, but it hadn't changed a lot, except from all the complicated textbooks. They seemed a bit different than the one he used for school, but that had to be expected, with Levi in the scientific course and himself in the literary one.

After a few minutes, Levi came back inside the room with a bowl in his hand. Steam seemed to get out of whatever it was containing, and once Levi put it down on the desk not far from Eren, he could identify it as water.

"What's this?"

"Your bath." Levi answered simply as if it explained everything. At Eren bland look, he added: "You're freezing your ass off, right?"

"I'm not taking a bath in front of you!"

"As if I've never seen you naked before."

"We were like eight the last time we took a bath together!"

"It's not like I care if I see your tiny dick."

"It's not tiny! Maybe from your point of view, but it's still proportional to my body, so it isn't!"

"Whatever."

Levi heaved a sigh, seeming bored with their banter. Still, he took a few books – the highest he could find – and started making a barrier with them around the bowl of warm water, building Eren his own personal bathroom.

"Better? Use the tissue to dry off afterwards."

"Uh, okay. Thanks…" Eren looked at his bath beside him and then something struck him. "What about clothes?"

"That will have to wait, I need to go pick up your real clothes as soon as possible. I'll take care of your tiny ones once I'm back."

Like a few minutes before, Levi didn't leave any time for Eren to reply back and left the room, shutting the door a bit harshly. Eren couldn't see anything anymore, hidden by the books, but Levi's exit had made a lot of noise and it had also made the desk vibrate a little, making Eren wobble on his feet – thankfully the books didn't budge.

The brunet took comfort in the fact he was actually alone to put the tissue aside, not too far from the bowl so that he could use it later. Levi was right, he was freezing and the prospect of a good and warm bath was really appealing. Not knowing how much time he had alone before Levi came back, he approached his homemade bathtub and touched the water to verify its temperature. It was not too warm neither not enough. Eren thanked silently Levi before attempting to climb inside the bowl.

His muscle instantly relaxed at the contact of the warm liquid and Eren thought himself in heaven. The bowl was the right size for him to have the water just above his shoulders once he sat, and he allowed himself the time to bask in this quiet and peaceful moment, far away from the harsh reality. He would have time to think about his situation later. Now was the time to warm his body and take a break.

The moment Eren got out of the bowl and wrapped himself in the tissue was also the exact moment Levi returned inside the room.

"Are you done?"

"Y-Yeah."

Levi removed slowly one of the books surrounding Eren, and then proceed to remove the others when he saw him with the tissue around his body. The brunet noticed a backpack hanging from one of his shoulders before Levi threw something at him. It was a piece of red fabric, as long as his body and wide enough to envelop him entirely.

"I cut a piece of a towel. Might be more convenient to dry your hair and body."

Eren thanked him before taking the towel in his hands, taking advantage of Levi not looking his way to drop the wet tissue and envelop the towel around him. It was softer and definitely nicer to have wrapped around his body than the paper tissue, which was falling apart because of the water.

Levi seemed to be looking for something inside the backpack he had now put down on his bed, and Eren watched him while rubbing absent-mindedly his body with the towel. Once he had found what he wanted, he put the bag away inside his closet before turning around to look at Eren, who was now sitting, his legs dangling over the edge of the desk.

"Now that you're not on the verge of hypothermia and I hid your clothes, we need to talk about…" He pointed Eren in an uncertain way, trying to get his point across. "This."

Eren didn't say anything. He knew Levi would ask him questions, but he had no answer to provide him. He was as in the dark about the whole situation as the raven was.

"What happened yesterday?"

"What do you mean?"

"My mom came to me this morning, frantic, saying you hadn't come back home and were missing. She asked me to help look for you, but she didn't say anything more."

"Oh… Well, long story short…"

"If you want me to help you, tell me everything."

Eren cleared his throat and began telling the events of the night before and what had led him to hide in the cave. The contest, telling his parents, the fight with his father, how he had run away to let his anger cool down, the storm breaking, and then how everything became a blur afterwards.

"When I woke up, I was already like this. I don't know how nor why it happened."

Levi seemed deep in thought, silent, like he had been during Eren's whole story-telling. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, but also probably in frustration.

"What were you thinking about before falling asleep?"

"Uh… Is that really important?"

"Every little detail might help us."

"Um, okay… Well, I was thinking about… You know… When we used to go to the cave to play when we were… kids…"

"Hmm…"

It was a bit unnerving, being questioned by Levi who had a very serious expression on his face. It felt more like an interrogation and Eren unconsciously brought the towel closer to his body, feeling bare and vulnerable.

"Well, I don't think we're going to find a solution right away." Levi heaved a big sigh and took a phone in his hands. Eren's phone. "We should think about something to keep your parents away from you while we try to figure this out. And call them, fast. I saw your mother crying on my way back."

Eren felt a pang in his heart at Levi's last statement. He didn't like making his mother cry, she didn't deserve that. But what could he possibly say for them not to try to look for him? The moment he would tell his mother where he supposedly was, she would come running to get him back, which would immediately reveal his lie. He needed a really good excuse, something his parents wouldn't doubt nor try to take him back home. He needed…

"I know!"

"Huh?"

"I have an idea, but first I need to make another phone call!"

Levi eyed him suspiciously, but eventually gave up and brought his phone to the desk. He put it down near Eren, asking him if he would manage on his own, which Eren assured him he would be okay. Eren pushed down the middle button of his phone to turn the screen on, struggling a bit to unlock it with his tiny hands, before going to his list of contact, ignoring all the notifications of missed phone calls and unread text messages.

"Who are you calling?"

"Zeke."

Eren couldn't see Levi's face since he was facing away from him, but could easily imagine the disgust and annoyance plastered all over his face at the mention of his name. Levi had never appreciated his older brother, and it had gotten considerably worse in the last few years. Thankfully, Zeke had left Shiganshina almost a decade ago and only came home occasionally.

"Tch. Do what you want."

Without another word he exited the room, leaving Eren alone once again. The brunet let out a long sigh before holding his breath as he pushed the call button, anxious and apprehensive. He put the call on speaker and put himself right above the microphone, waiting for his brother to pick up. Which he didn't have to wait for too long, Zeke replying right after the first ring.

"Eren! It's been a while, how are you?"

Judging by his cheery tone, Zeke wasn't aware of what was going on in Shiganshina. His parents hadn't contacted him. Good.

"Hey Zeke! I'm fine, and you?"

"You sure? Your voice is a bit weird… Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, don't worry. I just… don't want to speak too loud, is all."

"Why? Is something the matter? Are you in trouble?"

Despite their age difference, Zeke had always been very carrying of Eren, always ready to help him no matter what. It was this side of his personality Eren was betting on and what his whole plan was based on too. If he succeeded in making his older brother agree to cover him with his parents, it would buy him some time to figure things out.

"I'm not… totally. I need your help for something."

"Tell me. You know I'll help you."

"Yeah, I know…" Eren smiled, both relieved and a bit guilty to manipulate his brother like that, but it wasn't like he had any choice. "I got into a fight with dad."

"… Go on."

With the mention of their father, Eren knew he had his full attention, if he hadn't already. Zeke and their father really didn't get along, and his brother had always made sure of taking Eren's defense every time they would have an argument. He couldn't possibly continue doing it now that he had left Shiganshina, but he was always available to hear Eren ramble about him when he needed it.

"You know I entered this drawing contest… right? Well, I'm one of the three finalists, and–"

"That's my little bro! I knew you would make it!"

"Yeah, thanks." Eren let out a small laugh, happy that someone was at least praising him. "Anyway, I told him about it because I want to attend the award ceremony in Trost. But he got mad at me, and refused. So I…"

"Eren, what did you do."

"I… ran away. I'm in Trost now, but I didn't tell them…"

Eren heard a long exhale on the other side of the phone, and could easily picture his brother reprimanding face.

"And you want me to tell them you're at my place and to not worry, is that right?"

Eren shouldn't have been surprised Zeke had figured out everything on his own. Sometimes he just completely forgot that his brother had a very high IQ and was a genius.

"Uh… Yeah."

"Where are you now?"

"I told you, I'm in Trost–"

"I meant where in Trost."

"In- In a hotel, near the awarding place. The people from the contest organized everything, they're paying too."

There was a long silence and Eren began to worry his brother had seen through his lie. If he couldn't get Zeke to cooperate, telling his parents he was in Trost with Zeke would never work. He knew the moment he would hang up with his mother after telling her that she would call him to verify his story and make sure he was really okay.

"You sure you're alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay. I'm… I'm not alone. Don't worry."

"Someone you can trust?"

"Yes." He hoped his voice sounded confident enough for him to drop the subject, it had to his own ears anyway.

"Okay." Zeke finally said after another moment of silence. "But call me if you need anything. And text me from time to time, to let me know that you're alright."

Eren could sense relief run through his entire body, his muscle immediately relaxing after being nervously tense this whole time.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks, Zeke!"

A few minutes after hanging up with his brother, Levi entered the room once again, his arms full of stuff Eren couldn't recognize from where he was standing. He closed the door with his foot and put down everything he was carrying on his bed before turning to Eren.

"You finished?"

"I just talked to Zeke, he's going to help me. Tell my parents I'm at his place. I was about to call them now."

"Hmm…"

Levi didn't say anything more and sat on the bed, going through the objects beside him and retrieving pieces of fabrics and… A needle? Was Levi going to make him clothes from scratch? Eren didn't even know he knew how to sew, though he shouldn't be surprised considering his mother's work. She was the best seamstress across the whole town. Everybody went to her if they needed clothes to be stitched up or shorten, or even custom-made. She must had taught his son a few tricks.

He didn't get more time to think about it before Levi came right in front of him, a tape measure in his hands. Eren didn't have to ask him what it was for, he could guess on his own.

"I need to take your measurements if you want me to make you fitting clothes."

The whole situation was pretty awkward, with Levi putting his fingers so close to his naked body and looking attentively at him – he was probably more looking at the measures than him, Eren knew that, but it was still pretty unnerving. Every time Levi was measuring a place, Eren would try to hide the rest of his body with the towel, telling himself over and over that all of it was so that he wouldn't have to hide his nakedness in that way anymore, but it still remained pretty embarrassing.

Levi didn't seem fazed though, completely serious in his task, as if he was measuring an object instead of Eren's body parts. Every time he measured a new place, he would write it down on a piece of paper, mumbling to himself, entirely focused. He didn't even spare Eren a single glance once he was through and returned to his bed to get started on his work.

Eren watched him for a few minutes, a bit intrigued by Levi's all endeavor, before finally coming back to his senses and current task. Calling his parents. Right.

As he had expected, his mother picked up almost instantly, crying over the phone and asking him his whereabouts and his condition. He didn't like the situation he was currently in, every fiber of his body wanted to run down the street and hug her tight, comfort her. She didn't deserve this, but he had no other choice.

Eren needed to find a way to gain his normal size back as soon as possible. But how?