The post-dawn light combined with the fog of early fall transformed Trost's campus from a thrumming mass of minds and bodies into a serene and meditative space. Normally, Eren might find the solitude relaxing but today he needed to be with people to distract himself from his own thoughts. He knew that it was still early, but the diner a few blocks off-campus was open twenty-four hours a day and there were always people there. He'd had a bowl of cereal at home but there was no denying that just thinking about blueberry pancakes was making him hungry again. The local diner came with the added bonus of having unlimited refills on coffee and after getting only a few hours of sleep Eren needed the caffeine boost if he was going to be coherent in his morning classes.

Six cups of coffee later, he could barely sit still in class.

He also discovered that his adviser wasn't on-campus today.

Barring the blueberry pancakes, today wasn't shaping up to be in his favor.

Eren sat in the library flipping through biology journals trying to find some sort of inspiration for his thesis. Thus far he hadn't found anything feasible that interested him. If he was lucky and found the right adviser he might be able to do deep-ocean field research when he went for his master's degree, but most likely he wouldn't be out on the water unless he was a doctoral candidate. He tried to push down those thoughts though; the fact that he was likely facing a further six years of schooling before he could pursue the career that he wanted to depressed him intensely. He was thankful for a minor distraction when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

[Hanji:] What's the chance that you're free this evening? Erwin wants to check in with you and Mike is making spaghetti and meatballs.

Eren stared at his phone with his head cocked to the side and his face twisted into mild confusion.

[Eren:] i should be free this evening. is erwin actually going to tell me anything or what? (spaghetti and meatballs sounds amazing, you're bribing me aren't you?)

[Hanji:] Of course I'm bribing you! Are you going to be at the labs again tonight? Or will I be picking you up at your apartment?

[Eren:] you really don't have to pick me up, the bus is just fine.

[Hanji:] Eren, we are legitimately concerned about your safety. We don't want to chance you getting hurt or kidnapped again.

[Eren:] i'm at the lab until 6, after that i'm home.

[Hanji:] I'll be out front this time. See you then!

He sighed as he put his phone back in his pocket.

I am so sick of being treated like this fragile thing to be protected or a damsel in distress. Awkward as things would be with Levi, I really hope that him wanting to make his job easier trumps him wanting to avoid any weirdness between us. Tonight is going to be really awkward if all four of them are there.

What do I say about my face?

Eren's head hit the table he was sitting at harder than he intended and he groaned into his hands at the pain from his bruises and the thought of having to eat dinner with all four members of the Survey Corps. He imagined that it would be something akin to a dysfunctional family's holiday dinner. He pulled out his phone again to text Mikasa.

[Eren:] survey corps wants me to go over again tonight after i get out of the lab. idk what time i'll be back.

He barely had to wait a moment for Mikasa to reply.

[Mikasa:] seriously? why?

[Eren:] apparently commander handsome wants to update me on things.

[Mikasa:] how are you getting there?

[Eren:] dr. scientist is picking me up.

[Mikasa:] that's good at least

[Eren:] i guess… it's kinda annoying.

[Mikasa:] suck it up. i don't want you getting kidnapped again. and make sure you punch shorty in the face.

[Eren:] no way in hell am i doing that.

[Mikasa:] fine. i'll do it myself when i've got this stupid brace off.

[Eren:] please don't.

[Mikasa:] nope.

He tucked his phone away for the second time and went back to reading articles that he could barely focus on anymore.

If there was one thing that had started haunting him today, it was the fact that if he didn't come up with a thesis topic of his own he was probably going to end up getting roped into doing his thesis on sticklebacks and the data that he had been collecting for the past year. He had begun to wonder if Hanji had any experience in marine biology and if maybe they would be willing to talk it out with him. It was then that he realized just how desperate he was; asking a mad scientist inventor who probably knew nothing about marine biology to allow him to bounce ideas off of them was the peak of insanity.

He was waiting in the lobby of the bio lab building when he saw and all-too-familiar Honda Civic pull up outside.

No. no no no no no. Hanji just had to borrow Levi's car. That's all. Definitely what happened it's not like Levi seems like the type of person who would never allow someone else to drive his car or anything.

He watched as a short figure stepped out of the car while pulling a cap low over their face, standing next to the car and looking around at the surrounding area. A few passing students gave him odd looks, likely due to his short stature and the fact that he was wearing a baseball cap in spite of the cloudy weather.

Okay. Just act like nothing happened because he's probably going to pretend that nothing ever happened either but still treat me like shit – fucking asshole.

He walked outside and met Levi's gaze stoically as he turned to face him. Levi gave him a look over and then a curt nod before getting back into the car, Eren followed his lead and threw his bag into the back seat before getting into the car himself.

"Do you always carry that much shit with you?"

"No. I was in the library doing research most of the day. I thought Hanji was supposed to pick me up?"

"Erwin needed them to look into a few things and Mike is doing whatever in the kitchen so here I am."

They lapsed into silence and Eren fiddled with a loose thread on the cuff of his sweatshirt as they drove on.

"Do you still want to do self-defense lessons or are you still too pissed off at me?"

"Um… yeah. I mean, yeah I'm still game. Also still a bit pissed off at you. You were kind of an ass. I didn't think you'd want to though, I thought it would be too awkward."

"Kid," Levi sighed heavily. "It's only as awkward as you make it and I'd rather you be able to defend yourself. Just… you need to take it seriously, okay?"

"Fine, sure."

Eren turned his head to stare out the window, watching the buildings as they passed by. The silence this time was far more relaxed. He realized that he was glad that Levi had showed up with his face obscured again. He assumed that Levi was going to put his mask back on once they reached the Survey Corps headquarters and that suited him just fine. He hadn't anticipated Levi actually unmasking himself the other day and he felt far more comfortable with that barrier between them right now given everything that had happened. The other day had ended up being so stressful that he honestly couldn't really remember Levi's face too well anyway; he figured that was a good thing too. He needed the distance to get over his stupid crush and not being able to see the other man's face put him far more at ease.

Levi's tone had a softer quality when he broke the silence a few moments later.

"…I'm sorry I hit you, it was shitty of me. It doesn't look as bad as I thought it would though, so I guess there's that."

Eren's stomach give a weak flop.

Okay, maybe not as easy to get over as I thought.

.

I freaking *love* spaghetti and meatballs, especially my family's recipe for homemade meatballs. Also I half the people I knew in college drove older Honda Civics, lol. The Civic is pretty much the car of the everyman.