Nights were getting colder again, Eren thought. Rummaging around, nose deep in Levi's bureau, Eren pawed through dress shirts, loose clothes for exercise, and underwear, until he found something of use. This old knit sweater would do just fine—though it was more of a dress on Eren—and after slipping it on over his head, Eren decided that he liked Levi's clothes very much. The sweater was worn and soft, hanging loose from the boy's right shoulder, leaving it bare. Eren bunched up the sleeves, but try as he might, they always fell down, well past his fingertips. Eren shrugged; he couldn't be picky. This sweater did what he needed it to do, enveloping him in Levi's smell, making the boy feel warm. Like the captain was right there with him.

"Excuse me."

Eren jumped a bit before turning to peek at a freshly bathed Levi from over his slender shoulder.

"You're excused, Daddy…"

"That's not what I meant, cretin." Levi shook his head and padded over to pluck an undershirt from the open drawer. "By 'excuse me' I mean why exactly are you making a mess of my dresser and stealing my clothes?"

"Well, it's cold, and this sweater smells like you, and I've decided it's mine now," Eren said simply, crawling up onto Levi's lap once the captain had comfortable in his usual place against the headboard.

"Puppies for one, should not be sniffing around in people's things. And for two, this puppy here needs to learn to say please when he wants something…" Levi hummed chidingly.

Eren waved his hand with a huff, his sleeve flapping about. "I've decided that it's mine now please."

Levi's brows rose up for a second before he hooked his arms around Eren's waist and turned his world topsy-turvy, the boy rolling flat onto his back.

"And I've decided to put Boris up for adoption," Levi smirked, his eyes twinkling at the angry pucker of Eren's lips. "What do you think about that?"

Eren turned up his nose and crossed his arms, doing his best to look down at the man who was hovering above him.

"You wouldn't do that, you love Boris."

"I hate Boris," Levi deadpanned.

Eren's big doe eyes searched Levi's face for a moment until they crinkled with giggles. The boy threw his arms around Levi's neck and tugged him down so they could lay side by side.

"You're silly, Daddy, I like that joke!"

Levi nosed behind Eren's ear with a huff and hooked one of the boy's legs around his hip. "You need sleep and so do I, Eren…"

"Wait I'm not exactly tired yet!" Eren said as his hands meandered up the backs of Levi's broad shoulders, "I want to just…be with you for a bit."

"Be with me?" Levi blinked.

Eren nodded and scooted forward to invade Levi's space completely. "Tell me a story, tell me…about your mother. Did you have a mother? Tell me what it's like!"

Levi's eyes hardened and he tried to shift his gaze away, until he chanced a peek at the boy glued to his front like a leech. Eren's upturned eyes were bright and glassy, his petaled lips were parted in wait. Levi steeled himself; he let himself be grounded by the rhythm of Eren's eager little breaths.

"I did have a mother, Eren," Levi began, rolling onto his back to pull Eren up onto his belly. "She was…beautiful, the most stunning woman I've ever seen. I remember her long black hair, big kind eyes—not as big as yours—and her lips. I'll never forget her lips. They were small, like a little sea shell, and pink. My mother never wore lipstick when she went out at night; she never had to."

Levi paused and looked down when he felt a long sigh fan over his collarbones. Eren was staring up at him with dreams in his eyes, his lashes fluttering as a smile split apart his lips.

"She sounds like an angel, Daddy. So pretty, I think even prettier than you…"

"Well that's because I'm a man. I'm not pretty, I'm handsome."

"No, you're ugly!" Eren squealed and blew a raspberry into Levi's neck.

"And you're a pest. Now do you want me to continue or not?"

"Yes, yes! Ow—yes!" Eren's words became distorted and nasal when Levi pinched the boy's nose in spite. "What did you like about her the most?"

"Nothing, everything. I can't decide," said Levi thoughtfully, with a tap of his finger to Eren's chin, "she—she always made time for me. No matter how she felt, how tired she was. She was always exhausted…or sick. I couldn't really tell. But still, she'd always smile and laugh and play with me until I went to bed."

Eren's fingers tightened and made wrinkles on Levi's shirt, without the boy even knowing it. That sickening feeling he hated so much began to unfurl in his chest as he took in Levi's blank stare. The captain's eyes were trained straight ahead, to the ceiling, and his hands were stiff on Eren's lower back.

"Sir, is she…is your mother gone?" Eren's voice was small and cautious, but it brought Levi back from wherever his mind seemed to have taken him.

"Yes. I think so. I'm not sure. I was young, your age, when I last saw my mother. Never again after that."

"You miss her, don't you, Daddy?"

Levi finally brought his gaze down towards Eren and let a small smile form on his face. It wasn't fooling anyone, but Eren remained silent.

"I do. But there are things out of our control and we just can't worry ourselves sick over them. Now, I think that's enough for tonight. Tomorrow we can have another story."

"Yes, sir…"

Levi unbuckled Eren's collar and pressed a kiss to the boy's temple before setting it on the nightstand. After a tired bid goodnight, the captain shut his eyes, leaving Eren to stare woefully at his face. Eren should never have asked about Levi's mother, and now despite the façade of feigned sleep, Eren could feel Levi's heart beating madly, as his own did when something upset him. How the captain must have suffered, Eren thought. He could have avoided reopening the wound—why did he have to go and indulge Eren's request?

But after some time, Eren made his decision when he was sure Levi was sleeping soundly. The crinkle between Levi's brows was finally smooth, and Eren couldn't help laying ghosts of kisses onto the captain's jaw. He'd do his best to do right by Levi. He'd take the first opportunity he could. He would find Levi's mother.

"Eren, open your mouth. Come on, we don't want to spill on the sweater that you've been wearing nonstop for literally three days now."

"Yes…yes, sir!"

Eren parted his lips and began to chew slowly as Levi droned irately on about needing to wash that damn thing already.

"Eren. Hello. What's got that head of yours up in the clouds? Something naughty I'm sure, knowing you…"

Eren shook his head innocently and took another mouthful of his breakfast. The captain looked to be in better straights than he had the other night. His eyes were focused and sharp as usual, and he seemed to put whatever memories Eren had dug up far away in his mind somewhere.

"There it is again." Levi took Eren's chin and pressed demanding pecks to his lips. "Your eyes are all fogged over with something. I have half a mind not to leave you alone today…"

"Wait, leave me alone?" Eren fell back from his musings and into focus again. "Daddy, where are you going?"

"I'm going down to headquarters, pup. There's going to be a commencement ceremony in two weeks and I've been asked to help proctor the final performance exams."

"Proctor…?"

"It means I have to watch the cadets go through obstacles. Then I decide who's good enough to stay here in Sina and protect the king."

"Well why can't I come?" Eren tilted his head curiously.

"Pup, that's no place for you to be. I have to watch the cadets closely, and we both know that won't happen if I've got you with me," Levi said pointedly, tutting at the guilty shift of Eren's eyes. "It'll only take a few hours, I'll be back in time to make dinner."

"Okay…I'll protect the house then."

"That's my sweet boy. I'm counting on you," Levi set Eren down on the floor and tidied up the kitchen.

When it was time to go, Eren wound his arms around Levi's calf, docile under the lips that found the top of his head.

"Be good, Eren, and don't you open the door for anyone, understand? I left some bread and jam on the table if you get hungry."

"Yes, sir. I'll be good, I won't open the door, and I'll eat the bread and jam if I get hungry," Eren recited, rising up on his knees to meet another one of Levi's kisses half way.

"Lock the door after me!" Levi waved and trudged down the doorsteps, towards the stable and out of sight.

Eren called out a sweet goodbye before he all but slammed the door shut and scurried upstairs to watch Levi go. The boy grinned against the window of Levi's study and pressed his lips to the cool glass, which gave him a bit of a shock. The captain sat proud and straight backed on that sturdy beast of a horse, and Eren couldn't calm the hummingbird in his heart at the sight of Levi's form becoming smaller along the gravel road towards the military district.

It took not a minute more for Eren to find himself kneeling on the front steps of his home, the weak sun doing little to warm the back of his neck. His nose twitched and he turned away from the front door with a determined huff. Eren had never left this house without Levi, and the man would be furious, he was sure, but the end justified the means.

Eren made quick work of crawling down the front path and quietly hitching a ride from one of the many passersby. He had spotted a mule drawn cart down the road, its master aged and just as sleepy as the poor old animal seemed to be. Eren had only grinned and hauled himself up onto the back of the rickety cart as it passed by, with no one being the wiser. This old man—or farmer it seemed, judging by the heap of loose vegetables rolling around by Eren's knees—was probably an acquaintance of Levi's anyway. Most of the town's merchants never failed to give Levi a hoot or a holler every time he and Eren would trot by.

The ride was slower and bumpier than Eren was used to, and he was sure he'd earned a couple new kinks in his spine, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle if it meant finding Levi's mother. The boy craned his neck and knelt up against the side of the cart once the familiar marketplace came into view. The grizzly—and probably dying?—old mule lumbered on through the grocers' pavilion away from the main district and unfortunately, Mr. Marco's sweets shop. Eren sucked his teeth at the rotten luck and gave an angry glare to the crate of beets sitting on his left.

When he was finished cursing root vegetables, Eren turned his eyes back up to the rows of shops and produce stands that seemed to crawl by at the pace they were going. It was just as well, because Eren took time—lots of time—to squint through every window, dismissing men, children, and any woman without a head of shining black hair. One girl did look promising however, this seemingly young maid that was wiping at her brow as she swept the porch of her modest hole in the wall.

Eren gripped the side of the cart and tilted his head, taking his cue to abandon his oblivious chauffeur once the woman disappeared back into her shop. Eren hopped down onto the smoothed cobblestones before crouching back down on his hands and knees. He maneuvered through legs and long skirts, the hands of curious children, until he straightened his sweater and crawled cautiously into the little store.

Little may have been an understatement. The place was downright cramped. The air was stale and dry in Eren's nose; the scent of it was heady, thick with dust and the smell of anise seed. And to be honest, the bundles of odd gnarled fungi hanging from the crusty rafters was unsettling, giving Eren all the more reason not to touch a thing as he slinked between heaps of dried rosemary and citrus leaf. This woman must have been running an apothecary of some sort, Eren decided, his eyes sweeping up shelves of oddly arranged mason jars. Some contained sickly green or yellow pastes, some dried roots, and some had nothing at all.

The sun had set outside, and it made things all the more eerie. Grotesque shadows marred the dark wooden walls, and the flicking flames of oil lamps gave an illusion that something was going to jump out of a corner at any second. How could such a pretty, young woman look after a place fit for well, a witch?

Eren shook his head though, and picked his way between bushels of wicked looking tubers and vases of more dried roses than he'd ever seen in his life until he found the shopkeeper bent over into a barrel of God knows what. The boy took the hem of her worn skirt between his fingers and pulled gently.

"Excuse me, ma'am!"

The woman screeched and almost fell right on into the barrel before she composed herself, turning this way and that until she noticed Eren at her feet.

"You gave me a good fright, my God, a good fright!"

"You…you're…" Eren spluttered and gawked stupidly at the shop keep when she knelt down before him. The young woman's delicate brows wrinkled in confusion, and her lips were pink as a blossom and just as unassuming. Everything, the glossy black hair that fell to her ribs, the eyes that were looking upon him so softly—it was all true. This woman was the one.

"I'm what…?"

"You're Captain's mother!"

"Mother? Child, I'm no one's mother, and I've never done anything in my life to become one. I'm not even married…" she said quietly, almost dejectedly. But Eren shook his head and stamped his hand vehemently down on the floorboards.

"No, I'm sure, you are Daddy's mother, you're exactly as he said, you're the angel I saw in my head!"

The woman puffed and gave an exasperated smile. "Believe me, Eren—" she paused to glance at the boy's collar tag "—I don't have any children, or any family. Now why don't you head home? I'm sure your master is worried about you, wandering around on your own."

"Captain Levi. He's my Daddy and he doesn't know I'm here so he can't be worried. I wanted to find his mother and surprise him, so that's—."

"Captain Levi?" All of the color left from the shop keeper's fair complexion, though how that was even possible, Eren didn't know. "Lord in heaven, if he should think I stole you away…"

"Why would he think tha—?"

"Come on, let me get my things, I'm taking you home. Do you know your way?" the woman asked, hurrying out of the meager shop towards the meek little mare tied out back.

"Yes, it's easy! Thank you, Ms. Shopkeeper, I know my daddy will be so happy to see you again!"

The woman had been right; Levi was worried about Eren. In fact, he was cursing the stars, cursing his very existence to hell. He'd come home in time to start dinner, just as he'd promised, only to find no Eren. It seemed to be a joke, Eren must have been toying with him; the captain was positive he'd find Eren digging up worms somewhere outside. He'd played along, called out to Eren to end this little game, but there was no reply. Levi had torn up the house searching for that child, checked under beds, sprinted through the back yard, and burst into the cellar. Nothing.

And now Levi was right back on his horse, tearing through the town. The captain scoured the entire village, he broke like a madman into every shop he could think of, pushing vendors against walls by the scruff of their necks in demand of answers. They could only say they saw no such boy and that they wished Levi luck in his search. They were useless and empty wishes; Eren was nowhere to be found.

After almost an hour outside, the captain found himself doubled over the kitchen sink, ripping at his hair and begging his God that Eren was safe, and that he'd only come home. Levi had returned from this wasted search when the sun had set, and he was here now for who knew how long, coming in the hopes that Eren would scamper up the front steps any minute. Waiting helplessly like this was doing nothing more than driving Levi manic. He couldn't live without Eren, the light of his life, who brought him true peace after the war with those man-eating giants. But Levi had let this precious thing slip through his fingers, and so carelessly at that.

The captain paced. The frantic clicking of his boots rang louder and louder in his ears until he couldn't bear it, until his fingers closed around the little pot of jam he'd left, and until it shattered against the wall to his left. Levi had lost the one thing he grew to love in this world after his mother had gone, and now his days would be dark again.

In a moment of chilling clarity, the world seemed to stop spinning. Levi was not a helpless child anymore, he would not accept that the love of his life was gone, not again. The captain set his jaw with a grunt and strode back to the door, swinging his cloak about his shoulders once more. He could not falter, Levi refused to endure that heartbreak again. He would walk the streets all night if he had to, until he brought that little life ruiner home.

And Levi was already out the door, barreling down the steps when he nearly plowed into a petite young woman—a woman who was carrying his Eren on her hip.

"Sir, where are you going?" Eren said in between happy bites of pressed fruit leather, "It's dinner time and I'm pretty hungry!"

Levi dashed forward like a man possessed and snatched the boy into his arms, squeezing him to his chest and just about falling to his knees.

"Where have you been, are you hurt? Mercy on me Eren, don't you ever leave me again, do you hear me?" Levi rasped out, his eyes wide and his nails digging sharply into Eren's skin. The boy was safe, nibbling on snacks for God's sake. Levi's heart was drilling into his ribs; this couldn't be real—his Eren was here with him again, not sold off or stolen away by thugs, he was here with Levi.

"Sir, I'm sorry. I went out to find your mother—and I did!" Eren chirped eagerly. "This is Miss Mikasa, she's your mother! Right?"

This was when Levi finally tore his eyes away from the sunny face in front of him and up to the maid who'd brought his little boy back. The captain's heart clenched. She did look like his mother, stunningly so, and it made Levi miss her more than he had in a long time. But he shook his head and tried to calm his quivering breaths.

"I'm sorry pup, this young lady here isn't my mother. But she is the one who brought you back to me," Levi stood slowly and shifted Eren in his arms to regard the woman staring demurely down at her feet, "and for that, I can never repay her. Not in a thousand life times."

"You have such a sweet puppy here, Captain. He talked about you the whole ride home," Mikasa replied, folding her hands respectfully against her front. "I'm sorry if I've caused you any trouble, please forgive me."

Levi shook his head and pressed his cheek to Eren's hair. "Nothing to forgive. You're a Godsend, I can't thank you enough. Please, if there's any way I can—."

Mikasa held up her hand with shy smile. "Maybe a visit from Eren every now and then would be nice. He's a silly thing and I have to admit I haven't laughed so much in years."

"Then that's what he'll do. I thank you again, ma'am, for the kindness you showed to Eren and to me."

Mikasa nodded and gave a small bow before turning down the walk. "Goodnight, Captain. Goodnight, Eren. I hope to see you soon."

"Goodnight, Miss Mikasa!" Eren called, waving over Levi's shoulder as he was toted inside.

The captain didn't say a word; he moved slowly—as if he was floating, to the den. He sank down into the sofa and shut his eyes, pulling Eren as close as he physically could against his chest. Levi had never looked so exhausted in his life, Eren thought.

"Don't ever do this again, Eren," Levi breathed into the boy's hair, "it'll kill me, I'll die if I lose you, do you understand? Promise you'll stay by my side."

Eren blinked and wrung his hands guiltily. He had really hurt his captain…

"Eren, do you promise?"

"Yes, sir…"

Levi slowly opened his eyes to look down at Eren, as if he didn't believe the boy was really there. But he was, and he took Eren's chin in hand before pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose. "You really have a way with making me feel young again, pup. Nothing like getting the old blood flowing like your little boy running away."

"Sorry, Daddy," Eren smiled sheepishly, "next time we'll look for your mother together."

Levi sighed and took Eren's hand, placing a small kiss to the boy's palm.

"It's a deal."

That night, Levi had dragged his feet until they'd laid down to sleep. He was exhausted, more than he could ever remember being since his war days, and it was all thanks to the boy snoring lightly against is neck. Levi almost didn't want to shut his eyes, afraid that Eren would disappear the moment he lost sight of him. But the boy wouldn't, Levi decided, not ever again. The captain shifted and squeezed Eren to him tighter; he'd never let go of this little nuisance in his arms, not if the world itself was ending.