Levi was stitched up and released and Hange drove him home while he patiently explained to Mikasa about the 'Bad Man' who had hurt him, the hospital, and that he was fine. After Mikasa was satisfied, Levi sat in the passenger's seat and gazed out the window without seeing anything. He was thinking of Eren. How concerned he had seemed. Of course, it was a dramatic moment. Maybe the kid was just reacting to that. He absently rubbed the fingers of his right hand, the one Eren had held, together. His chest hurt and it had nothing to do with his wound.

Eren, who knew that Levi had been released, sat cross-legged on the concrete slab that was Levi's and his neighbor's tiny front porch. He had a large roasting pan on his lap and a reusable tote next to him. He stood up when Hange's beat-up Cavalier pulled up behind his Civic.

Hange opened Levi's door for him then bent into the back seat to get Mikasa out of her car seat. When Levi got out he eyed Eren critically.

"What are you doing here?"

"I brought you something. To help. My mom made it." He extended the roasting pan. Levi lifted the lid with his right hand and made a pleased noise. "Smells heavenly. But you asked your mom to make us food?"

"Nope. She volunteered when I told her what happened. It's my mom's pot roast! I have roast chicken and some mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and green beans, too. Eren indicated the tote.

"Eren, thank you, but I can't accept this. It's too much."

"Why not? Mom made it especially for you! The chicken and fixins are leftovers from Sunday dinner."

Levi hesitated as Hange and Mikasa walked up. "What is it?" Mikasa asked in her low voice.

"Pot roast!" Eren enthused.

Mikasa considered it very seriously. "What's pop roas'?"

Eren knelt on one knee and lifted the lid of the roasting pan. "It's beef. Do you like potatoes and carrots?"

Mikasa inspected the dish with the same grave demeanor and finally nodded. She looked up at Levi. "Papa, can we have pop roas' for supper?"

Levi's whole face softened. "Of course, Sweetheart." He turned to Eren. "You're sure that your mom didn't go out and buy the chicken and stuff?"

"Cross my heart. We had it Sunday. There were a ton of leftovers."

"OK, bring it in."

Levi was not allowed to use his left arm—they had secured it in a sling and had bound it down to his side—plus using it hurt like a son of a bitch. Unfortunately, he was left-handed.

Eren put the food on the counter and frowned. "How will you cope with only one hand? You can't lift the roasting pan."

"I'm staying here for a week or so to help out," Hange said.

Levi, as if to prove he was capable, began to put away the leftovers in the fridge one-handed. He was secretly really pleased that Eren had shown up and that he had been sweet enough to bring food. Maybe the kid was into him after all.

Frowning, Levi immediately dismissed that idea. He might have a crush but that's all it was. Eren was a pampered man. He had never wanted for anything and even if he could get past Levi's curmudgeonly attitude, vulgarity, and abbreviated height he'd get tired of the crippling poverty pretty fast.

Still, he didn't want Eren to leave just yet.

"Will you stay and, uh, eat dinner with us?"

Eren felt a thrill of elation followed by a pang of regret. "I can't. I'd love to—I love my mom's pot roast—but I gotta finish a project for tomorrow." He scrubbed the back of his neck. "Actually I gotta start a project that's due tomorrow …" He looked sheepish. "Or I fail the class."

"Jesus, Eren! You have got to take your schoolwork more seriously! It's important!" Levi scolded.

"Heh, you sound like my mom."

"Get out of here." Levi pushed Eren gently toward the door. "Go study, dickhead."

Out on the porch Eren turned around to face Levi. "You know I'd love to stay. Like, really really love to."

Levi blushed and huffed.

"Tch. Go home, Brat. Get that project done. I'll see you in class."

Eren strode, whistling, to the Civic, reliving that blush in his mind's eye.

Levi stubbornly showed up for class the next day despite being obviously in pain. Eren sat in his former seat, one seat away from Levi.

"You look like shit," Eren said.

"Thanks a bunch, Asswipe. You look as pretty and irritating as usual."

Eren's eyes widened. Pretty?

Levi was blinking owlishly down at his notebook that he had extracted from his backpack.

"Say, you OK?"

"Took an oxycodone."

"Shit! That's codeine, isn't it? Should you be out?"

"Why not? I don't own a car so I'm not driving. 'Kasa's in school. What am I gonna do, walk over some little old lady?"

"How come you're on time today?"

"Can't work at my day job."

Eren remembered the scrubs. "What's your day job?"

"Physical Therapy Aide. I can't manhandle people with one arm."

"Are you going back to the flower shop?"

"Yup. I need the money."

"But, Levi …"

"Don't you 'but, Levi' me, Kid. I can cut and arrange flowers with one hand. Besides, Mrs Schultz needs me. It's just her and me working there. She'd have to close the shop in the afternoon if I didn't show. We'd lose money."

The next day was Wednesday and, at the end of class, Eren closed his laptop and fiddled about a bit as Levi packed up.

"Hey, I found a nice little tea shop on West Canal. That's not far from the flower shop. Wanna get a cup of tea?" He held his breath.

An odd expression crossed Levi's face. "The Rose Room? I've always wanted to go there …"

"Then, let's!"

Levi's usual taciturn mask fell again. "Sorry. Can't afford it."

"My treat! Dad just gave me my allowance plus I got paid. I'm flush!" Eren grinned winningly.

"Don't you have better things to do than treat a crabby old man to tea?"

"You're not old! You're only five years older than me, Idiot!"

"I noticed that you didn't deny that I'm a crabby fuck."

Eren smiled. "OK, you are a …" he held up two fingers only a half inch apart. "... teensy bit crabby."

A tiny smile played at the corners of Levi's mouth. "OK, smartass, let's go."

The tea shop was quaint and charming with tiny tables crowding the floor and plenty of chintz and lace everywhere. Levi ordered Earl Grey and Eren ordered an espresso. He purposely got two huge bear claws with the intention of getting Levi to eat one.

After 20 minutes Levi was on his second cup of tea and digging into the second bear claw with a look of rapture on his face. He apparently had quite a sweet tooth. Eren was incredibly happy about it. Levi was painfully thin.

"You should come by my place and let me give you some cookies Mom made. Oh my god, they're so good!"

"Then why are you giving them away?"

"'Cause she sends me, like, five dozen and they go stale before I can eat them."

"You trying to give me stale cookies?"

"I just got them this morning! Jeez!"

"Are you sure? I mean 'sure you want to give them away' not 'sure they're not stale.'"

"Absolutely. I'll bet Mikasa would love them."

As Eren could have predicted, Levi's face softened. "Yeah, she would."

"They're chocolate chip, peanut butter, and sugar cookies. I can give you a variety or all of one type. You pick."

"'Kasa loves chocolate chip and I like sugar cookies. We both love peanut butter. I've never tasted it in a cookie though. Are they good?"

"The best! All chewy and peanut-buttery. So you'll come?"

Levi was almost salivating at the thought of cookies and he loved the chance to give Mikasa something special. She got so few treats.

"OK."