The next day was Tuesday and Eren seriously considered not going to class at all. He was nervous about working with Levi and he was adamantly opposed to playing house with a fake baby doll. The whole idea was embarrassing and crazy in his mind.

In the end, he went. His grade was just too low to miss any classes. He trudged into the school resignedly.

Levi had taken their doll the day before and had 'her' there with him when he arrived for class. He had the doll in an infant car seat—the part that detached from the base. Shadis had provided bottles, diapers, and the car seats, and clarified that the 'babies' were the approximate size of a six-month-old and so should be treated as such.

Eren sat in the upper row, in the back, a seat away from where Levi sat. When Levi came in ten minutes late he stared flatly at Eren in his new spot then swung the carseat into the seat between them and sat.

All around the amphitheater were these car seats, each with a fake baby. Eren shook his head at the insanity.

Shadis asked how everyone was doing with their 'babies.' Many questions were asked and several people sheepishly explained how they'd already failed as pretend parents; leaving the doll at home, forgetting to 'feed' or change them, or failing to put them to bed somewhere. Most of the girls had named their dolls and gone out and bought or borrowed cute baby clothes to dress them in. Some had even acquired diaper bags. They proudly referred to their dolls by their names.

Eren turned to Levi. "Uhm … so what's its name?"

Levi never turned his head. "Her. And it's Sofia."

"Sofia Ackerman?"

Levi finally looked at him. "It would be 'Yeager-Ackerman,' wouldn't it?"

For some reason, this made Eren blush furiously. He was suddenly absorbed with his hands, his face flushed red.

Eren struggled back to his car toting the car seat in one hand and the base in the other. Levi, despite not having a car, seemed to know exactly how to install a car seat and had given Eren detailed instructions. Despite this Eren struggled and cursed and finally got it in securely.

All thoughts by Eren of tossing the doll into a corner of his apartment and ignoring it (and lying to Shadis and the class,) was dashed when he got home. Word had quickly spread over the school about the fake babies and both Jean and Armin rode Eren's ass for the rest of the night making him take proper care of his 'daughter.'

The next day at school was even worse. Eren and Levi we're sitting together again, separated by Sofia. Levi was paying rapt attention and taking notes and Eren was doodling on a test they'd just gotten back. (A 94 for Levi, a 63 for Eren.)

Abruptly Shadis stopped talking. Everyone in class, except for Eren, looked at him. "When's the last time you changed baby's diaper?"

Several people piped up and the rest looked guilty. Shadis clapped his hands briskly.

"Alright then, time to change the baby! Everyone grab a diaper and come up to the stage with your babies."

Levi cleared his throat at Eren who had the tip of his tongue between his teeth and was concentrating on his impromptu artwork. Eren was oblivious.

"Eren!" Levi finally hissed.

Eren snapped his head up. "Wha …?"

"Take Sofia down to the stage! Shadis wants you to change her diaper."

Eren immediately shook his head. "Oooh, no. Fuck no! You do it. I'm not changing a diaper on a doll."

"It's not like it'll have any piss or shit in it, dickhead. It's clean. Just do it."

Eren glowered at him.

"Yeager and Ackerman," Shadis called. "Care to join us, one of you? How about you, Yeager?"

Eren shot Levi a hateful look and, after fumbling with the straps, grabbed the fake baby out of the carseat.

It didn't go well. First Eren couldn't figure out how to get the old diaper off. Back at his flat he'd had the good fortune that neither Jean nor Armin had thought of changing the fake baby. He fumbled about a bit and some of the girls began tittering behind their hands. Finally, he got it and he took a moment to look smug.

It devolved quickly from there. Eren had absolutely no idea what he was doing and couldn't even work out how to put the new diaper on. The class thought this was hilarious and even Professor Shadis smiled a little.

Eren turned, face beet red, and marched up the steps to his seat. He snatched up his backpack and glared at Levi. "Thanks a bunch, asshole."

"What did I do?"

But Eren was already out the door.

Back at his apartment, he stormed around, cursing, for a bit, then drank a few beers. Neither Armin nor Jean was home, so he didn't have anyone to vent to.

How dare he? Fucking Levi Ackerman. How dare he put Eren in a position to be ridiculed. All he had to do was get up and change the diaper. Fucking fake babies. Stupid!

Eren had a few more beers. He clicked angrily and rapidly through Netflix and Disney+ without actually seeing what was on the screen. He threw the remote down after a few fruitless minutes.

That was it. Fuck it. He was going to march right up to Levi and just tell him. Tell him to hell with the damned doll and that Levi could do all the 'caring' from now on. Fuck his grade. He'd make it up somewhere else.

"Goddamn it, I'm going to find him right now and tell him!"

Eren stumbled out the door of his apartment building, still dragging on his coat, and turned east, toward the poor part of town. He wisely didn't want to take his car seeing as he had had a six-pack of beer. He strode unsteadily down the sidewalk instead.

All he knew about Levi was that he walked down Sina street from the school. Sina was also where the flower shop was located. He'd start there.

Eren reached the flower shop just after it had closed. Cursing, he scanned the sidewalks looking for Levi. Shit! He began walking further down Sina, hoping to spot him. He passed a butcher's shop, a small store, and a daycare then the buildings on the left side of the road stopped and it opened up to a large, peaceful cemetery. Eren glanced to the right. There was a row of five duplexes jammed close together and at one, at the left-hand door, was a man.

Hah, what luck! it was him, Levi. Eren recognized that short stature and silky black undercut anywhere. The older man seemed to be struggling and it took Eren several minutes to realize that he was absolutely loaded down, something on each hip and a reusable grocery bag slung over each wrist.

What the hell?

One of the things on his hip was the doll from class, held responsibly like it was a real baby and on the other hip … another.

The fuck?! Why did Levi have two of the stupid fucking class dolls? One was enough of a pain in the …

The second doll, the one on his left hip, turned its head.

Eren's jaw dropped open.

It was a kid. A real kid.

Eren watched wide-eyed and open-mouthed as Levi carefully stood the tiny black-haired girl on her feet beside him. He also set the grocery bag in that hand down and fumbled with his key.

When the door was open he lifted the shopping bag and spoke to the little girl. She never smiled, just clutched the adult-sized red scarf around her neck tight and nodded. She preceded him in the door and it clicked shut behind them.

Eren hurried away, forgetting his mission, head spinning.