Moblit tapped urgently on Levi's door at 2am. Levi, who was a very light sleeper, was up and at the door in a flash. Moblit seemed startled at his speed.

"What is it? What's wrong? It's not Nanaba, is it?"

"No, no, Hange called. Chloe's gone. They're in a terrible state. Will you come?"

Levi got dressed.

The whole crew descended on the motel. Erwin, Mike, Nanaba, Moblit, and Levi. They had all come in Mike's truck and Moblit's car. They let Moblit tap on the motel room door.

Hange answered right away and burst into tears, throwing themself into Moblit's arms. Levi paused to hug them and then went into the room, leaving the door open. The place still stank of weed smoke.

The police had been and gone, not giving Hange much hope of recovering their camera. The motel manager had arrived and fussed a bit at the weed smell (smoking of any kind was not allowed in any of the rooms) and warned of the possible cost of ridding the room of the smell.

Levi had retrieved his cleaning supplies and was cleaning, starting with the bathroom.

"I swear I thought they had changed!" Hange was sobbing. Levi bit his tongue and kept cleaning. Nanaba tried calling Dominos to order a pizza but they were closed. She and Mike walked over to the twenty four hour truck stop and got convenience store food and beer instead.

By dawn, Levi was done cleaning. He'd gotten clean sheets from a very disgruntled motel clerk and remade the beds. Mike and Nanaba had long since gone home. The remaining people Erwin, Levi, Hange and Moblit decided to go back to Moblit's house and crash. Moblit and Hange took his bed and Levi took his guest room and Erwin took the couch. Everyone had decided to call out the next day except Mike and Nanaba.

The next morning, a Friday, dawned and everyone was still asleep. Levi, a lifelong insomniac, who was used to waking up early, barely got a few hours before he was up. He padded quietly into the kitchen and made coffee. The clock said 9:39. When it was done he added gobs of sugar and crept into the living room. Erwin was blissfully asleep on the big, comfortable couch, sprawled out adorably and snoring, open-mouthed. Levi looked down at him fondly and even reached out to correct a stray blond hair on his forehead. Erwin snorted and turned over.

Levi sat on the edge of Moblit's chair and listened to the neighborhood wake and leave for work. The backyard, which faced roughly east showed the beautiful sunrise, reflected in the pool.

He briefly toyed with the idea of just going to work but then realised that he had no way of getting there. He couldn't call Mike and ask him to come back into town and get him (though he most likely would have) and Moblit and Erwin were still asleep.

He got up and wondered if there was a paper. He filled up his coffee cup before he went to check. When he reached the mailbox, where the paper box hung, he realised his error. The neighbors were all staring at him as they walked to their cars or drove slowly by. Shit. He guessed not many of them knew that Moblit had a house guest and the fact that Erwin's car was also there in the drive didn't help. He wondered if they thought that the affable, mild-mannerd Moblit, their Hometown Realtor, was having weird gay orgies at his house.

He retrieved his paper and hurried back up the drive.

The paper—it was The State, out of Columbia—wasn't bad. It wasn't the New York Times but it wasn't bad.

A gentle, quiet knock sounded at the front door. Levi froze. Who would be there at this hour? Hesitantly Levi approached the door and looked through the peephole. It was Eren.

Levi opened the door wide. "Hi."

"Hey! Is my dad here? That's his car …"

Levi stepped aside and let him in. "Yeah, he's here. We had kind of a … crisis, last night."

"Yeah, I gathered."

"Uh, coffee?"

Eren smiled, "Yeah, thanks!"

Levi noted that Eren noted that Erwin was asleep on the couch. He gently touched his dad's head. "So, uh, what happened, if I may ask?"

Levi gave him the abbreviated version.

"Is Hange here now?"

"They slept in Moblit's room."

Eren was all smiles. "That sounds good."

Levi smiled a little bit at that. Eren was apparently an avid matchmaker. Silly kid.

"But … dad slept on the couch?"

Levi poured him a cup of coffee. "Eren, your dad and I … well, we've had some rough times and well …"

Eren held up both hands "Alright, alright, I get it. Too soon to be shacking up. I'll quit." He took his coffee and made it with a ton of sugar and cream until it was a pale brown mess. Levi shivered. "Still … my dad's a really nice guy and he likes you a lot. And I mean really a lot …"

Levi leveled a look at him. "Eren …"

"Yeah, yeah …"

Levi sipped his coffee and was secretly pleased. Erwin had told his son how fond he was of Levi!

They both stood in front of the sliding glass doors and looked out over the backyard and the pool.

"You going to work today?" Eren asked.

"I'm kinda going back and forth on it." Levi hesitated. Why did it seem really easy to talk with this kid? "I kinda want to go to work, y'know to help Mike out but I kinda want to be here for Mobes and Hans. Does that make sense?"

"It does," Eren said. His smile was so warm, so like Erwin's. "But dad'll be here."

"True. I might wait until they wake up then go. I'll need to find a ride."

"I'm home all day dude. Just playing WOW and League. Here, gimme your phone. Levi unlocked it and handed it over. Eren quickly put his number in and handed it back.

"Thanks. I'll give you gas money if that happens."

Eren waved that off.

They stood at the sliding glass doors and just looked out at the yard for a bit. A lawn mower started up a few houses down.

"You should go for a swim," Eren said.

"I don't have a swimsuit. I've been meaning to pick one up."

"Oh! I have a few that are too small for me. Want me to go grab them?"

Levi bridled at the implications that he was small (he was smaller than Eren, truthfully) then he fretted about things that had been worn by other people.

"Are they clean?"

"Pssh! Of course! I washed 'em myself. In a washing machine and everything. I didn't even beat 'em on a rock this time."

Levi chuckled. "OK, then."

"Can I join you?"

"Don't you have anything to do, kid, other than hanging out with your elders?"

Eren dug him in the ribs with his elbow. "You could be my new Pops … one day!"

"Hey!"

Eren skipped away, laughing quietly, and putting his coffee cup on the counter went out the front door, still cackling.