Levi stepped quickly into the director's trailer and slammed the door so hard the whole thing shook. The Director looked up, startled. The crawling ants sensation was gone, now Levi just felt sick and numb.

"I'm taking the rest of the day off. Sorry, but I feel like shit. I think I ate some bad food."

The director stared at him for a bit, assessing, then nodded and waved him off. He knew what a good worker Levi was. He could take part of a day off.

Levi hesitated to go out the door but when he opened it, Erwin was nowhere to be seen. He avoided everyone, walking around the trailers and scaffolding to avoid being seen from the street. He did stop by where Mike was working and delivered the same excuse. The man looked at him suspiciously but nodded. "See you next week then."

Levi took an Uber back to the hotel, opened the mini-fridge and took out two beers, opening one and gulping it down. He laid down on his bed and massaged his chest staring at the ceiling. Fuck, fuck, fuck! He had really really liked Erwin. And now he had to resign himself to the fact that he could never touch this man. Never run his hands over his skin or his fingers through his hair. He rubbed absently at his chest.

Could one die of a broken heart?

Erwin couldn't remember the drive home at all. He was in a daze. He knew that he had stopped at the liquor store and had gotten a bottle of bourbon. Erwin wasn't a liquor drinker. He preferred beer. The vodka shots the night at the bar are what had gotten him so shit-faced.

He didn't care.

He stripped off his shirt, let it fall to the ground, and stalked into the kitchen, grabbing a water glass. He filled it half way with straight bourbon, reconsidered the depth and added more. He made his way into the living room, pulled the curtains closed, and flopped onto his couch. He stared at the blank TV.

His phone buzzed. It was a call from Mike. He ignored it. Before he could fling the thing down onto the table it dinged, an incoming text. It was Mike again.

Hey, you didn't happen to see Levi, did you? He just rushed off the job site. Said he was sick.

Erwin put the thing down on the table and ignored it again. He picked up the remote and took a long gulp of the smoky Jack Daniels, grimacing at the taste.

He flipped through the channels. Nothing. He paused on a nature show, turned the volume down and took another swig of his drink. He dispassionately watched a cheetah run down an antelope.

His phone dinged again. Mike. He leaned over to read it.

Are you OK? They said you didn't get back to the diner yet. Where are you?

Erwin sighed and let his head fall back onto the back of the couch. His friend was genuinely concerned about him. Mike wasn't stupid. He sounded like he had already worked out that something was wrong and that Levi might be involved. Erwin was a despicable person and a crap friend.

Damn he had screwed up. Really really screwed up. He scrubbed his face with his free hand, took another drink. He got up suddenly and began to pace.

"What the hell am I going to do?!" he asked the empty house. "How am I supposed to fix this?! God, I'm an idiot!" He threw his hands wide and managed to slop some of his bourbon out onto his hand. He sucked it off his skin and then drained the glass. He strode back toward the kitchen, wobbling a bit. He grabbed the entire bottle, considered for a second just ditching the glass entirely and drinking straight from the thing. He decided that would be too much at this juncture. He stared blankly at the TV screen.

His doorbell rang. Erwin actually jumped. He wasn't used to being home in the middle of the day, but no one he knew ever came by without calling or texting first. He remembered that he'd left his Mercedes in the drive. He normally parked it in the garage with the door down.

"Better not be the damned Home Owners ASSociation," he muttered. He put the bottle of Jack down on the couch and took his glass to the door, throwing it open.

It was Moblit. Erwin just stood and stared at the man. He was pretty sure he'd never been over to his house, ever, despite being a close neighbor.

"Berner …"

Moblit smiled hesitantly up at him. His car was pulled in behind Erwin's in the drive.

"Smith … I mean Erwin. Everything OK? I heard you shouting."

"I was on the phone." Erwin lied smoothly.

Moblit took in his wrinkled white tee shirt, and disheveled hair, and the glass of bourbon in his hand.

"What are you doing here?" Erwin wasn't in the mood for niceties.

"Hange called me. They said that they heard there was some … uh, excitement and Levi left the set. I said I was here in the subdivision showing a house and they asked if I could stop by."

Erwin just stared at him impatiently.

"I thought maybe … a … scuffle but Hange said that Levi never runs from fights. They've had to bail him out a few times." he seemed to be looking Erwin over for signs of cuts or bruises.

Erwin took a big drink and then sighed. Everyone seemed to be concerned for him. He opened the door wide and walked away. "Come in."

He walked over to the couch and sat down heavily. He offered the bottle. Moblit shook his head quickly, resisting the urge to glance at his watch. It couldn't be much past 1:00. He sat gingerly on the matching chair, folding his hands between his knees, looking into Erwin's face attentively.

Erwin picked at a bit of skin on the edge of his thumb then worried it with his teeth. It began to bleed a little.

"I'm fine," he finally said, "He's fine. Everybody's fine. Why is everyone so concerned?" He was aware of how petulant he sounded.

"Hange is Levi's best friend, has been for a long time. She's worried."

"Well, I said that everything is fine!"

"You don't look fine, Sm— Erwin."

Erwin put his hand to his mouth again, picking at the skin on his thumb again, teasing it up.

"You're making that bleed." Moblit stood and went into his kitchen, returning with a paper towel. "Here."

Erwin looked down at his thumb. The blood was welling out, now about to drip on his trousers. He took the paper towel.

Moblit sat back down. "Wanna tell me what happened?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"Why? Why should I trust you?"

Moblit heaved a huge sigh. "Because I really care for Hange. Like really care. I want them to be a part of my life—although i haven't told them that yet. Levi is a big part of their life, which means he'll be part of my life, and if you and he …"

Erwin stood and crossed unsteadily to the kitchen. He grabbed a rocks glass out of the cabinet and returned to the living room, pouring two fingers of liquor into it. He handed it to Moblit who immediately took a few sips. Erwin began to pace the room again. Moblit sipped his drink and waited patiently.

Erwin paced, gathering his thoughts. Finally he stopped in the middle of the rug and stared challengingly at Moblit. "I like Levi. There. I said it out loud." Moblit's face didn't change. Erwin rushed on, "I don't know how you feel about that, but, it's how I feel."

"Erwin. I don't care. You're bi-sexual, then? Did you know that Hange is non-binary and pan-sexual?"

Erwin didn't. No, wait, Levi had said something about that at the bar that night. "Really?"

"Yep. They/them pronouns."

Erwin would have to remember that. He dimly recalled Levi calling them 'they.' He sat back down slowly. "So you don't care that I want … that I want to … uh, be with a man?"

"Couldn't care less. That's your own business." He leaned forward, looking Erwin in the eyes. "It's not anyone else's business either, Erwin."

Erwin began to cry. He hated himself for it, cursed his weakness, but he cried nonetheless. He felt the cushions on the couch depress as Moblit sat next to him. He felt the warm hand on his shoulder right after.

He sat his drink on the table and put his face into his hands and cried like a baby.