It wasn't long before the bright, colorful days of October melted into the drabber, colder ones of November. November meant the start of the holiday season, which normally Levi was not a fan of. That is to say he didn't hate them, he just hated how alone he felt during them. Before his parents passed away he would go to their home and have both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner with them, but now that they were gone, he would spend the holidays in his apartment alone. There might be small festivities at his work in the form of food exchanged between coworkers, and Hanji would send him gifts at Christmas time in the mail, but other than that he was largely ignored. It didn't make him bitter, as he understood that these people had families and more important things to attend to, but a small selfish part of him couldn't help but feel lonely and wish there was someone to make him feel loved and wanted when everyone was supposed to be surrounded by their loved ones.

Naturally, when he reluctantly admitted this to Eren when the boy asked him what his plans for Thanksgiving were that year, well, Eren was not going to stand for it.

"That is not happening one more year," he declared firmly one day while he visited Levi at work again. "In fact, how about you spend the holidays with me and my family?"

Levi had gaped, taking a moment to respond with, "Oh no, I couldn't impose"-

But the boy was having none of it. He put his hand on top of his head and ruffled the older man's hair. "Shut up you. It's not imposing if I ask you to come. Besides, you're practically family already."

"But Eren"-

"I won't hear it, Levi, you know how stubborn I am. It's the German blood. And anyway, do you really think I want to spend yet another awkward holiday with my father and sister where all he tells us is that we're not getting any younger and that it's time to get married already?"

He sighed and relented a bit at that, but then his lips quirked upward with amusement. "No, I suppose not. Alright, well I insist on bringing something to dinner."

Eren broke out into a wide grin, ruffling up his hair more and making Levi grin like a small, happy child. "Yes, please do. I'd die for more of your blueberry pie, honestly."

And so, the plans were made, Levi already anxious to be spending an entire afternoon with Eren's family. Yes, he had interacted with them before, but it hadn't been under the most pleasant circumstances and they hadn't exactly been talking about the nicest topics. Hopefully he could rectify that over dinner. Then, the weekend before Thanksgiving as he and Eren took a walk in the park with Prince, something else occurred to Levi.

"Does this dinner count as me officially meeting your family and you showing me off to them?" he found himself asking.

Eren thought about it for a moment, and then decided, "Yes, I suppose it does. But even if they don't like you, that's no concern of mine. Though Mikasa seems to approve of you already, at least a bit. She told me that you're 'safe' for me, that you seem stable and will keep me from doing anything stupid."

Levi snickered at that. "I mean, I'll try my best, but I have no more control over your actions than I do over the weather."

"Ah, but you do have full control over my heart, Doll, and that's an irrefutable fact."

Of course, the older man blushed brightly at that, and Eren grinned at his response. It brought him great joy that he could make the normally stoic, quiet writer react the way he did, to make him show these vulnerable emotions in front of him and only him. And the fact that Levi talked with him about things that he knew for a fact he didn't talk about with to anyone else because he trusted him so much, well, that just made his pride swell even more and made him feel closer to the other man. His reaction was so cute that his hand twitched with the impulse to grab Levi's and for a split second, he almost gave into it.

Then he remembered that they were in public, and reluctantly tamped it down.

Good thing too, because at that moment a pair of young women all bundled up against the cold were coming along the path in the opposite direction towards them, and when they spied the handsome pair with their puppy, they cooed over him and naturally asked if they could pet him. When Levi gave his consent, they kneeled down and let him crawl all over their knees, his ears back and his tail wagging happily as they petted him.

"What a sweet little baby," one girl said as she scratched behind his ears. "It's so nice to see men with little dogs too. So many of them have big, scary brutes."

"Oh I know," said the other. "I'm terribly frightened of those bigger dogs. But you are so cute, yes you are. Oh where did you get him from?"

Levi looked up at Eren, to which the boy flashed one of his charming smiles at them and slipped right into business mode. "I breed them. They're imports from Scotland. If you have any critter problems, these little terriers will handle it as well as any cat. And they're a fair bit friendlier than most terriers you'll come across. And, perhaps I'm biased, but a lot cuter as well."

That made the girls giggle, and if Levi wasn't mistaken, his smile was making a bit of pink appear on their cheeks. The older man sighed, resisting glaring at them as best he could. It wasn't his fault Eren couldn't see just how much he effected the opposite sex.

"I love little white dogs," one girl told him eagerly. "Perhaps when you have your next litter, you could send me a letter?"

Well, Eren was only too happy to oblige. "Absolutely. Write down your contact info for me and I'd be happy to."

She did so, and when they bid each other good day and went on their separate ways, Levi swore he heard them giggling some more and whispering to each other conspiratorially something like, "Heavens, the only thing cuter than that puppy was his owners. I could have taken one and you could have the other."

He made no reaction, but Eren must have heard them too, because when they made some distance away from them, he laughed lowly to himself. Levi explained, "Oh that's pretty common. I have lots of women stopping me when I take Prince here for his walks asking to pet him, what kind of dog is he, things like that."

Eren snorted, "Of course you do. I almost feel sad sometimes that we're not interested in the fairer sex, Levi my dear, because with Prince we'd have no trouble attracting one of them, would we? The only thing they seem to love more than men is men with little dogs. Or cats. But I don't suppose I blame them, since I'm the same way."

"You're incorrigible," Levi stated.

"I don't know what we're talking about, but I agree."

They both looked away from each other and turned their heads towards this new voice. When they recognized who it was, Eren lit right up and waved, and even Levi found a gentle smile forming on his face.

"It's the good doctor!" Eren declared happily. He paused, taking in who she had hanging off her arm as they strolled leisurely down the path towards them, he added cheekily, "And look at the lovely little thing he has brought with him today. How are you today Miss Ral?"

Petra laughed good naturedly. "Oh stop the sarcasm, Mr. Jaeger. You're horrible at it."

"He is, isn't he?" Levi added as the two of them finally came to stand in front of the pair. He took in the sight, surprised and yet very pleased. Hanji was of course dressed in one of her nicest suits; a doctor had to look presentable to the public even when out for a relaxing walk. Petra was in one of her prettiest dresses with a lovely brown coat that someone of her social standing most likely couldn't have afforded, judging from the mink fur that lined the hood. It had to be a gift from Hanji, which also meant…

"So you finally manned up enough to ask her family to court her?" he guessed.

She snickered. "You're one to talk, sir. Didn't your love ask you about courting first?"

He noted how careful she was being in choice of words, and he didn't blame her. They were in public after all, and one slipup could have any of them arrested. This was risky enough as it was. Eren answered for him, "Yes, but do you blame him? You know what a shy little thing he is."

Levi ignored him, but what could he debate anyway? It was true. Instead he said, "Well, I'm proud of you Harry. Petra is very lucky. Not everyone gets to be courted by a doctor. Especially one that understands you so well."

Hanji and Petra gave him a look that said they understood the double meaning behind his words. That is, they understood that he meant that it was nice that they didn't have to hide anything from each other, that Petra knew that Hanji was really a woman and Hanji knew Petra preferred women. This shared secrecy only bonded them closer together, like it did Eren and Levi.

"So, are you guys spending Thanksgiving together?" Eren asked while Petra knelt down and began petting Prince, who was asking for attention from this stranger.

"Yes, at her place," Hanji answered. "It would be nice to do so at my place, but well, I can't exactly lie to my parents now can I?"

"Very true. I'm dragging Levi to my dinner table myself so he can distract me from my judgmental relatives who will all want to know why I'm not doing more with my life or why I'm not married yet, the usual. They're all convinced I'm going to die alone and 'time is running out Eren, you know your cousin was married at sixteen, why can't you be like your cousin?' Same thing every year."

They all laughed at that, as of course they had all been told similar things by their family members. Petra lifted her head and said cheerily, "Well, after Thanksgiving is over, you'll have to come to the Laughing Fox and tell everyone your tales. It's a cherished tradition by the mollies to complain about their annoying and meddling families who are trying to find them good matches."

"I already can't wait," Eren droned.

"Well, from what I heard, it's already starting," Hanji said lowly. "Last time we saw Erwin, he told us that his father is instilling a deadline on him. He either marries or he'll write Erwin out of his will."

"No," the younger boy gasped. "But I thought Erwin owned the company?"

"He does, or at least, he's a partial owner. He acts as the figurehead because his father is retired, but Erwin Smith Sr. owns the other half, and he says if Erwin doesn't set himself to secure a successful future and make it so that he'll have heirs someday, he's taking his share of the company away from him and giving it to his married brother."

Levi asked, "What's he planning on doing then?"

She shrugged. "I suppose something similar to what we're doing. He's going to pass Armin off as a woman, introduce him to his family and marry him. I suppose he could manage it. Armin is small enough and has a high enough voice. That might mean they'll have to move though so that no one gets suspicious."

"That's hardly fair."

"That's the life of an invert, Levi. If it came down to it, you might have to make sacrifices as well for Eren if you two want to protect what you have."

Levi went quiet after that while they continued to talk. He supposed she was right. After all, she had been at this mollie thing longer than he had. But he wondered, would he be willing to do such a thing for Eren? Did he care about him that much that he would leave this town behind, erase who he was and start a new life where no one knew them just so they could remain together? Well, he supposed it was too early to tell, realistically.

But of course his infatuated, fairy-tale loving heart already knew the answer, and though he tried hard to ignore it, he couldn't.

Yes.

000

Thanksgiving dawned far sooner than Levi was ready for, that was for sure. He had no idea how he was going to make it through a day of dealing with Eren's relatives, but he supposed it wouldn't be so bad with the boy himself sitting right there beside him. Perhaps they'd be able to sneak away at some point to steal some kisses? They hadn't been able to do much of that lately, being so busy and all with hardly a moment to themselves.

His face heated up thinking about it and he sped up on the city streets, careful to balance both his basket with his stacks of pies inside with one hand while he walked Prince with the other. Eren had been cute, inviting the puppy as well, saying that since he was having a family reunion then why couldn't Prince spend the holidays with his family as well. So, he was accompanying him, and if Eren had his way, he'd be in the dining room with him while they ate so that he could enjoy everything the people did. Or rather he was planning on getting his dog addicted to table scraps so that he wouldn't eat the dog food Levi put out for him anymore.

He felt a little silly with so many pies, but he figured that there might be lots of people there, so he wanted to make sure everyone got their fill. He just hoped his food would be acceptable to everyone, considering he had only made them in his tiny kitchen and not the giant one that was surely in all of their houses. Eren had said that many of his family had lots of money, after all. He would probably stick out quite a bit in his shabby clothes, though he was wearing one of his finest outfits. He even stuck a little bowtie on Prince's collar for good measure. Would they look down their noses at him? Would they even notice he was there? Would they find out about his and Eren's relationship? He shuddered at the thought.

Well, only one way to find out.

He made it to the front step of the Jaeger mansion in what felt like no time, and was ringing the extremely loud doorbell, a doorbell that made Prince jump. At that, he heard an excited pattering of footsteps running towards the door that he might have mistaken for a child's if he didn't recognize the gait. The door was flung open, and there was Eren's grinning face greeting him, like the sun after days of rain.

"Oh thank God," he said with relief. "The family has just started showing up and they've only been here for twenty minutes and I already want to throttle every single one of them."

"Aww," Levi laughed, before setting the basket down and throwing his arms around Eren. "Well don't worry, I'm here now." He leaned up and whispered in the boy's ear, "And we can sneak kisses in the back rooms when no one is watching."

"You're the best," Eren breathed. "Now here, I'll carry your basket. Let's get you both settled."

When he walked a little further in, Eren leading the way with his basket on his arm, he was greeted first luckily not by the boy's relatives, but by a flurry of barking and nails clattering on the tiled floor. All four dogs were inside, most likely at Eren's insistence, and they all charged out to say hello, sniffing at Levi and Prince and jumping up on both of them when they recognized them. With a laugh, Levi let the puppy off his leash, and off they all went with a skittering of nails, running and growling and chasing each other into the depths of the house, nearly knocking over Mikasa as she passed them. After dodging them, she made her way into the entryway and stopped in front of the boys, dressed in lovely finery. The dress had many ruffles and the neckline stopped just below her collarbone.

"Mikasa," Levi said with a nod. "You look very nice."

"Thank you," she answered levelly, though he could have sworn there was a glint of amusement in her normally blank and stoic expression. "I've heard at least two aunts behind my back say that I look like a prostitute because my neckline is too low, so it's nice to hear a compliment."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "But isn't it the latest trend for girls anymore? I see it all the time at work. All the younger girls are wearing dresses with lower necklines. But then again perhaps that's why we're getting so many more older male patrons."

"Ew," Eren grimaced.

"Anyway, it's nice to see you here," Mikasa observed, quickly changing the subject. "Maybe if you're here Eren will be less likely to pick a fight with our father and we won't have worry about the turkey being flung across the table like last year."

The boy sighed heavily with annoyance. "It's not my fault. He likes to get on my nerves about the same stupid nonsense all the time, and in front of the family no less."

"I suppose that's true. But anyway, come on it. I can show you were father wants the pies on the table. Eren, why don't you go help the maids for a second in carrying things out. The turkey is quite heavy."

He waved her off and then handed the basket back to Levi. "Sure, sure. Just show Levi where to sit. I'll be right back Doll." He winked at the older man and trotted off towards the kitchen, figuring the sooner he left the sooner he could come back.

That left Levi and Mikasa standing alone awkwardly in the entryway.

Before he could say a word, she beat him to it, and it wouldn't have surprised him at all if she had gotten him alone on purpose based on what she said next. "I meant it, Levi. I know I don't always act like I care about Eren, but on the contrary, I care more about him than anyone else in our family. More than anything, I just want to see him happy and I want him to have a good future. That's why I don't like it when he argues with our father, because the angrier he makes him, the more likely it is that father will cut off his financial flow and bar him from his inheritance so that someday, when he isn't here anymore, Eren won't have anything. He's supposed to inherit the estate when our father dies, but that's only if he has a stable career and at least a wife if not a wife and kids. And father doesn't think Eren will get any of those things by being an artist."

She looked so sad at that moment, her shoulders drooping and her head held low that he believed her. He raised a hand to place on her shoulder, but thought better of it, figuring it would be seen as odd since they didn't know each other that well, and let it fall to his side again. Instead, Levi said, "No, I know you care about him. But you and I know that's necessarily true. There are many famous artists that have been able to make quite a living for themselves. I've seen Eren's work, and there's no reason he can't do the same. He's very gifted."

"I agree. But there are many that don't." She stopped and looked at him meaningfully, her dark eyes practically glimmering with intensity. "And please believe me when I say I'm very glad he has you. You've been very good for him."

Levi looked taken aback at that. "Me? But I haven't really"-

"You have. No matter what you're about to say, you've helped him more than you can imagine. He may not act like it around you, but around here he behaved more like a ghost than a living person after his mother died. He barely responded to the world around him at first, and even when he finally did after a while he wasn't the same. A lot of his happiness was fake, I could tell, and it was very fragile, like that slightest mishap could send him spiraling. At his lowest points, he would…he would tell me to go and get father's gun for him so he could- well. I've done what I can for him, and I know he has friends at the pub that he visits, but none of them ever seemed as close to him as he needed them to be. But since he's made friends with you, it's like night and day. He's brightened right up and seems to get excited about every new day again because it's another possibility to make memories with you, as he puts it. So whatever you did, I'm grateful for it."

His chest felt extremely heavy in the wake of this information, and for a moment, Levi had no idea how to respond. She was right; he had no clue Eren had ever been that unhappy. Sure, he knew his deepest fears and that he missed his mother greatly, but he had thoughts about ending his life before he felt so hopeless? Levi had to suppress a shiver.

"Eren said you thought those things about me. And well, I certainly don't plan on abandoning him if I can help it," he told her sincerely. "Especially if I'm helping that much. Besides, he told me how much he's afraid of that."

She nodded, her eyes serious. "I would hope not. And I think it goes without saying that you won't tell Eren I told you any of these things. He hates it when others see him as anything less than perfectly happy and confident all the time."

"Of course. And I understand. That's just how men are, I suppose. Though Eren and I break the mold and share our feelings with each other. Perhaps that's why he's doing better."

Mikasa had nothing to say to that, though internally she couldn't help but agree. After all, her adopted brother refused to really share many of his feelings with her anymore unless he was pushed to his limits in terms of stressed. She was just happy he had found another outlet.

After that, she led him to his place at the table, and he sat down next to her while she explained a bit who each of their relatives were.

"Don't be offended if they look at your strangely," she assured him in a low voice as she leaned over towards him. "They did the same thing when I was first adopted into this family."

Ah, yes. Levi had heard that Mikasa had been taken in by Dr. Jaeger when her parents had been murdered, as they were longtime patients of his. And well, it was quite obvious that she was not his biological child since her parents were from the East, so it made sense that the poor thing had gotten looks from Dr. Jaeger's family members.

At that moment, Eren slid smoothly into the seat next to Levi with a soft, "Hey, did you miss me?"

Levi couldn't help but grin over at him, but then a second later he was raising an eyebrow at him. "Where's the turkey?"

The boy nodded at the doorway, where the maids were coming in with a cart that carried not one but two huge turkeys, so large in fact that Levi began to wonder if they were turkeys at all; they seemed more like ostriches. But either way, the giant birds were set on the table with care, Eren grinning up at the staff and thanking them with a wink.

After everything was set out, Dr. Jaeger said grace and offered a few prayers before the Jaeger family, all thirty members present, dug in. And Levi used to think that his own dinners with his family were extravagant, but they had nothing on this. He swore there was at least ten of everything, and he was happy he had made extra pies. The table they were sitting at was long and the tablecloth was white and pristine, everything decorated with silver and the finest china with the chandelier dangling over their heads giving off a nice, low glow. And as for the food, everything tasted amazing, and Levi simply couldn't get over how good it all was. Even the dogs seemed to agree with him, having milled in from the other room when they smelled the food and snuck under the table to gather up any scraps that the guests might have dropped. Like a child, he found himself unable to hold back and began piling one of everything on his plate in a bid to sample all that was there before it disappeared. Eren snorted at him from beside him, obviously getting a kick out of how eager he was.

"Are we going to have to roll you out the door later?" he asked him.

"Most likely," Levi replied while shoveling yet more mashed potatoes onto his plate.

"Well good. I say you need more meat on your bones, you poor thing. Give me more to hug when you walk through the door."

Levi felt a wash of nervousness travel down his back. That was pushing it a bit; did anyone hear them? Upon a quick glance around the table, it looked like everyone was too busy with their plates and their gossiping to take notice of what Eren had said. He tried not to sigh with relief at that, and got himself ready to dig in.

Then Eren blasted that relief away when he nonchalantly placed a hand on the older man's knee.

Levi paused in his eating, but only for a moment, glancing over at Eren to try and read his expression. But the boy was giving nothing away, not missing a beat as he started on his turkey. And well…it wasn't like Levi minded where his hand was, because he certainly didn't. He just didn't want anyone else to see them, but since their hands were obscured by the tablecloth, and no one was sitting that close to them, he figured they could get away with it. So, he let the hand stay there, giving Eren a sly half smile in his direction that the boy responded to with a knowing smile of his own.

And then he began moving his hand up Levi's thigh.

It took all of the dark haired man's strength not to drop his fork or let out a noise of surprise at the action. Eren's hands had never been in such an intimate place before. Okay, he remembered them briefly grasping at his behind when they first kissed, but it was such a fuzzy memory. His palms were so warm, the heat bleeding through his trousers and permeating down past his skin and into his blood, sending it racing. His fingers massaged the area teasingly, getting him used to the sensation, before travelling up and then down again several times in a stroking motion.

Eren watched as Levi's free hand tightened into a fist and his rate of eating slowed down dramatically, to the point where he could practically see the wheels sputtering in his head, slowing and then speeding up, reminding him that he had to pretend what was happening wasn't happening. Eren knew better than to go too far of course, but this was awfully fun, and as long as the other man didn't give him any clear signs that he wanted him to stop than he saw no reason to. So he let his fingers tease the outside of his thigh, going very soft and slow so as not to spook him. He came very close to Levi's rear, brushing against it for good measure with the backs of his knuckles, and it spoke to how hyper-attuned the other man was that even through his thick, wool trousers, he still felt his skin twitch under his fingers, like a horse that felt a fly land on its back. Feeling bold, he let his hand glide to the top of Levi's thigh, rubbing and caressing it, practically tickling him, watching the other man's face out of the corner of his eye. He could see Levi stopping to take deep breaths and let them out slowly through his parted lips, and Eren had to bite his lip to keep from laughing with gleeful pride.

"Enjoying yourself, Eren?" Levi finally asked, choosing his words carefully so that only the boy would understand what he truly meant.

"Oh yes," Eren replied, getting his meaning quickly. "This meat is um, quite tender, but firm. I could enjoy it all day if it were possible."

The older man blew on his turkey and answered coolly, "I'll bet you could, you brat."

Eren snickered, and then oh so slowly let his palm drift even more until it reached the inside of Levi's thigh. As soon as it stopped there, Levi let out a tiny croak that could have been mistaken for a moan if his lips had been parted. As it was, he cleared his throat loudly to cover up the sound. But Eren didn't miss how he kept his lips tightly sealed after that and had to shut his eyes once in a while to soak in the pleasure as Eren kept rubbing the tender skin, so very close to his goal, his fingers skittering up towards the direction of his groin teasingly before retreating. This was a problem; both of them were enjoying this far too much, and soon Levi's flushed face would become noticeable, and for that matter, so would Eren's, as he was beginning to forget where they were. But if he could, he would have delicately squeezed Levi's crotch just so that he could see what kind of scrunched up pleasurable face he would make, how his brows would draw together and how he would try and keep his voice down while also trying not to squirm in his chair. It was painful to hold back, so very painful…

Unfortunately, they were interrupted by the wet blanket Eren called his father, the man's voice carrying down the table.

"So Eren," he began steadily, "how goes the job searches? And the college applications? I know you've been looking for both, haven't you?"

The boy deftly removed his hand with a frown, the moment now gone. Why did he have to put him on the spot like this? Levelly, he answered, "I've done neither, father. I told you what I have planned for my career path multiple times. And at this point, if you want to get rid of my inheritance, that's fine by me. I don't need your money or your estate to be happy."

The older man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Eren, we've been through this. You're an adult now and"-

"Exactly, I'm an adult. So that means I'm perfectly capable of deciding for myself what I want for my future. And it doesn't involve becoming a doctor."

By now, several members of the family had gone quiet and were listening with interest, much to Levi's embarrassment. But Eren didn't seem to care at all. In fact, it was almost as if he wanted them all to hear this. Grisha tried a different route, asking instead, "Alright, then how the search for a wife? You been going out a lot more lately, you must have found someone by now."

Oh yes, he certainly has, Levi thought wryly. Just not someone you would approve of.

Eren tightened his fists on top of the table and said a little more harshly, "For the last time, father, I'm not getting married. I'm not going to say it again, and there's no way you can force me to."

Oh, Grisha did not like that. He narrowed his eyes at the boy, peering through his glasses in a way that made Levi's skin crawl. He then told him, "I wouldn't test me if I were you. Listen to me, Eren. I'll say this one time. You have until December of next year to get your life in order, do you understand? That means a stable career and a wife. If not, I'll make you regret it, I promise you that."

Everyone was watching the exchange tensely now, their eyes drifting back and forth between the two of them. Filled with fury, Eren began to stand up from the table, his chair scraping against the floor, but before he could get far, Levi gripped his elbow. Eren glared down at him at first, but then his glare disappeared when he saw how much the older man was pleading with him with his eyes to relax, to sit back down, that he understood how angry he was but if he fought his father in front of everyone he would only make things worse. And though he didn't care if he made things worse, Eren still did as he was bid, not wanting to disappoint Levi. He slowly sat back down and reluctantly continued eating, stabbing his food with his fork.

After a few moments of silence, their guests did the same, the sound of the silverware clinking now coming across as horribly awkward as no one dared to say anything for a long while. But Levi hardly noticed, simultaneously trying to keep Eren calm by keeping a firm, supportive hand on his knee and losing himself in a troubling thought.

Earlier, Hanji had told him that he might have to give everything up to be with Eren, that would have to go to great lengths in order to stay together. And though he was willing to do anything, having Eren disowned by his family and losing his comfortable life was not one of those things. So that might mean that he might have to convince Eren to follow his father's wishes and find himself a wife.

Levi had to suppress a shudder at the thought. If Eren did get married, what would mean for them? Nothing good, he figured. And now what was worse, Grisha had imposed a deadline on his son. They might only have a year left together, and it wasn't fair. Not when Levi wanted eternity with his Aurora.

He spent the rest of Thanksgiving dinner in silence, pretending to nibble at what was on his plate when in reality he had lost his appetite completely.