Day 3: Home/Domestic (Levi)

"O Captain, my Captain."

Levi looked up and, sure enough, Erwin was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, his hand stuffed in the pocket of his old, greying robe.

"Tch. Every morning, Commander. Really?" The words were annoyed, but there was a small smile on Levi's face, one that Erwin easily caught.

"Every morning."

Levi passed a mug of coffee over to Erwin, then went back to working on breakfast. Saturday mornings were pancake mornings, and Levi always made breakfast, since he was the first one up. He was still on a soldier's schedule, though, unlike Erwin, who had easily adjusted to retirement.

Levi had been on leave for the past six months. Rather than taking up residence in his usual apartment, he had decided to spend his leave with Erwin at the house the former general had purchased following his retirement from the military. In fact, when Erwin extended the offer, Levi accepted without a moment's hesitation. Later on he thought about how odd that was, how he, who enjoyed the peace and quiet that came with living alone, had agreed to live with someone without a second thought. Erwin wasn't just "someone" though. He was different, and even though Levi wasn't entirely sure why, he knew that was the case. It was best to just accept things like that.

Sure enough, he'd slipped into a routine very easily with Erwin. Living with him came naturally, more so than anything Levi had ever done. He had never once questioned the decision.

With a stack of pancakes on a plate in one hand, two extra plates in the other, Levi walked to the table. Erwin had already sat down, sporting reading glasses, and was maneuvering his way through the newspaper, a task he still hadn't quite mastered with one hand. Levi knew better than to offer help. Erwin was a capable man and had his pride.

Levi set a plate in front of Erwin, then returned to the kitchen to retrieve butter, syrup, and utensils. He didn't personally like syrup ("stupid, sticky shit," he called it), but Erwin did, and so it was always in the cupboard, faithfully stocked by Levi.

He sat down, buttered a pancake, and grabbed a portion of the paper that Erwin had already set aside. They were quiet, trading pieces of the paper back and forth as they ate. Words weren't necessary, they had realized. They could anticipate the other's needs without ever speaking, something which seemed more like it would fit people who had lived with each other for decades, rather than a few months. Neither man questioned it. Rather, they accepted it happily.

Although they didn't discuss it, both men regularly had odd…visions, at least, that's what Levi called them. He occasionally remembered back to the day they met, the way coffee turned to mud and the snowy sidewalk became filthy cobblestones. He'd seen several more things since them, all similar in that they involved Erwin.

Erwin.

Commander Erwin Smith.

Levi knew Erwin was a general, knew that calling him "Commander" was disrespectful. The first few times he'd done it, it had simply slipped out before he could stop it. Erwin had never seemed upset by this verbal demotion though; rather, it seemed to please him. In turn, he called Levi "Captain," a promotion from his actual ranking as a corporal. These names had stuck, although they used them only in private, neither man having any desire to explain the misuse of titles to anyone who happened to be paying attention.

Levi remembered back to his last break, to how strict his routine was. He'd felt more relaxed since he began living with Erwin. Routine was nice, but it wasn't Levi's tether to sanity like it once was. He took pleasure in lazy weekend mornings, in afternoon cleaning and/or grocery shopping (depending on what needed to be done), in evenings on the couch, watching the news, in spontaneous walks to the coffee shop, to the park, to buy socks (Erwin's all had holes in them, much to Levi's dismay).

Levi eventually realized this change was because Erwin gave him a sense of stability, one he had never had before. Stability made it easier to relax.

They finished eating, and both of them stood to clear the table. Erwin worked on dishes (insisting that he needed practice at washing them with one hand) while Levi took a shower, followed by Levi vacuuming the carpets while Erwin showered (again unassisted, for practice). With breakfast finished and both men clean, they put on their coats and left the house to pick up groceries for the week.

Upon their return, they sat down in the living room, Erwin with a book, Levi with his knitting. Again, silence. It was always a comfortable silence though, one that neither of them felt the need to fill with mindless chatter. It was one of Levi's favorite things about Erwin, having company without having to make conversation.

A few hours later, they ate a simple lunch, after which Erwin exercised his remaining arm with more "practice" while Levi did laundry.

Dinner. The evening news. Another hour of reading and knitting. Getting ready for bed.

They both said goodnight to each other, but just before they retreated to their separate bedrooms, something flashed through Levi's mind. The vision lasted only a moment, but it was long enough to see himself following Erwin to bed. Erwin said nothing when Levi came out of it, although Levi was certain Erwin knew what had happened. They always knew when the other was seeing something, even if they didn't talk about it.

"Goodnight, Erwin."

"Yes. Goodnight, Levi."

Levi left, closing the door to his room behind him. He laid down in bed and fell asleep, unaware that he would wake up the following morning in Erwin's bed with no recollection of how he got there, that Erwin would hold him until he woke up, that they would go to the kitchen for breakfast without ever discussing it. It would take him another two weeks to realize this was becoming a regular occurrence, and another few days still to notice that he was sleeping better, the bags under his eyes becoming less pronounced. Sharing a bed would eventually become a comfortable part of the routine without either man ever speaking a word about it.