Hange showed up right after dinner. She was patently pleased that Eren was there. "I'm here to torture Levi!" she said cheerfully.

"Torture?"

Levi scowled. "She checks on my wound for me and invariably manages to make it excruciating."
"Ya big baby,' Hange said. "C'mon, let's get to it."

Eren excused himself to the bathroom briefly.

Hange had just gotten Levi completely unwrapped, as she called it, when Eren reappeared. Levi was grunting as Hange probed his stitches with her fingertips. "Fuck, Hans, that hurts!"

Eren came hesitantly into the room and froze, staring.

Levi had on no shirt and Eren was floored at the sight. Super lean and surprisingly toned, Levi's muscles stood out in sharp relief. His skin was milky, creamily pale and looked as soft as silk. Eren had to swallow his excess spit.

Then he spotted Levi's wound. He blanched and swallowed again. He had had no idea it was so bad. The gash made by the bullet was uneven and red and closed by a neat, wavering row of black, interrupted stitches but it was the bruising that was horrific. The entire area over his left rib cage—an area the size of a dinner plate—was a horrible shade of purple with green and edged in a sickly yellow. Eren actually averted his eyes.

"So, Eren," Hange said suddenly, "how's Jean?"

"Hans! Seriously?" Levi wasn't happy.

"Oh, shush. Eren?"

Eren took a deep breath and told the truth. "Upset, disappointed, apologetic." He looked right at Levi. "He knows he fucked up." Eren glanced at Mikasa. "I mean, messed up!"

Hange waved her hand. "Don't worry, she hears that stuff all the time."

Levi gave her a withering look.

"So are you and he …?"

"Not together!"

Hange taped a piece of gauze to Levi's skin. "So when are you and Levi going on your first date?!"

"Hans!" Levi was aghast.

Eren turned bright red. "I'd … I'd like to be friends first. Can we be friends, Levi?"

Levi was clearly not delighted to be put on the spot. He needed to dwell on it. "Give me a night to think about it. We'll see each other tomorrow in class."

"Will you eat dinner in the cafeteria with me, after?"

"I'll have to get Mikasa …"

"Mikasa's still sick. She can't go to school. I assume she'll be with you," Eren pointed out. As if on cue the little girl wiped her dripping nose. "Let's all go. My treat!"

Levi sighed but was secretly pleased. "OK, OK. Dinner in the cafeteria. But we have to talk."

"Done!"

Eren had hoped that when he 'took Levi out' to the cafeteria that it might be at least a little romantic. It wasn't.

They stood in line and got their dinner. Levi and Mikasa had the Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes and lima beans and Eren got the chimichangas with refried beans and spanish rice plus nachos with that gooey liquid cheese. Levi sat and placed his tray on the table. He carefully cut Mikasa's steak then put her tray in front of her and murmured for her to eat her lima beans. She pulled a terrible face.

Levi primly arranged his cutlery and put his napkin on his lap then clasped his hands together on the table. "Let's have this conversation."

Eren who had already begun eating his nachos heartily, paused, cheese on his lip. "Aww, man. Do we have to do this now? Can't we just eat?" He had a look on his face remarkably similar to Mikasa's face when presented with lima beans.

"No. Let's talk, Eren. Now, or Mikasa and I leave."

Eren pouted and Levi wanted nothing more than to lick that cheese off of the kid's soft-looking lower lip. Levi forced his brain back on track.

"Whatever's between you and Jean is none of my business— " Levi held up a hand when Eren opened his mouth to speak " —but if we're going to be friends, then you have to be honest with me."

"I have been, I swear!"

"You asked me out then slept with your roommate. Which is it? Are you romantically interested in me or him?"

"I promise you, I was drunk off my ass when I slept with Jean. I wasn't in my right mind! I want you. I mean that."

"Eren, I don't want to date. I told you that."

"But why not, though?"

Levi studied his clasped hands, hating what he was about to say. "Because I always get hurt."

"I won't hurt you!"

You already have.

Levi glanced at his daughter. "Tch, 'Kasa. Lima beans. And don't try to hide them in your gravy."

Disgruntled face.

Levi looked dispassionately at Eren. "Everyone does. Everyone leaves. I don't want to date anyone. I'd just get hurt again."

He picked up his fork as if the conversation was over and Eren's heart almost broke.

"Then let's be friends," he said. "Give me a chance. Then you'll see that you can trust me!"

Levi considered him, fork poised over his Salisbury steak in its thin gravy.

What he really wanted was to yell "Fuck that! I want to go out with you!" but his battered heart wouldn't let him. Hell, what he'd really wanted to do was to lean over the table and kiss the kid, but his rational mind rebelled.

Jesus, he couldn't kiss Eren! What would Mikasa think? What would the other people in the cafeteria think? What would his heart think?

Levi, you're a fool.

Yeah, probably.

"Fine. We're friends."

Eren grinned like the happy idiot he was and Levi took a second to bask in that sweet smile. Then reality crashed in.

"If we're just friends then you can fuck whoever you want," Levi said. His heart contracted into a tiny, hurt ball when he spoke those words and Eren's grin faded. Levi sighed and began eating slowly.

The days went by relatively peacefully. They developed a cautious equilibrium and tentatively spent some time together, walking to and from class, eating together. Most important of all they got into the habit of texting each other during the day and that developed into texting each other at all hours. Levi seemed to be a lot more comfortable with text since he was so bad at human interaction.

"Want to come over to the house tonight? I was gifted some ham which 'Kasa and I can't eat."

[The Brat] "Why not? u don't like ham? How can u not like ham?"

"It's not kosher, moron."

[The Brat] "Oh. Sure I'll come! Can i bring NE thing?"

"You could stop and get some dinner rolls. 'Kasa loves those damned things."

[The Brat] "Will do. Did you find your playing cards?"

"Hange brought hers. Fixin' to beat your ass at Gin Rummy, dickhead."

[The Brat] "Keep dreaming, old man."

"Fuck off."

[The Brat] "geriatric has-been"

"Fuckwad kid."

Levi smiled fondly at the phone.

"Hans brought four bottles of wine."

[The Brat] "jeezus!"

"I thought the same thing.

[The Brat] "Should u be thinking abt jeezus when ur jewish?"

Levi actually barked out a laugh at that.

"Fuck right the fuck off, dickcheese. And it's *you're."

[The Brat] "Sticks and stones …"

"Did you finish the project that's due Monday?"

[The Brat] "Uhhhhh … ."

"Eren! Get to work now before you come over! If it's not at least halfway done before dinner I will NOT feed you!"

[The Brat] "Hey, noo fare!"

"Life isn't *fair."

[The Brat] "GOD u sound lik my mom!"

Levi chuckled and, setting his phone down on the counter, got out the small brisket and the baby potatoes he'd bought for his and Mikasa's dinner and the green beans to go with the ham. The ham itself remained in its aluminum foil in a grocery bag on the island counter. It was important that his kitchen counters and pans and utensils were not contaminated by treif foods. He'd bought a disposable aluminum pan to heat the ham up in. It was already sliced.

His phone dinged and he picked it back up.

[The Brat] "I'm boooorrrrrddd"

"Too bad. Go work on your project."

[The Brat] "But i don't waaaannnt to. Entertaine meeee"

"Not a chance. Besides, I'm cooking."

[The Brat] "So, what r u wearing?"

"Ha, ha, asshole."

[The Brat] "No seriously, i bet its tht sexydad sweater vest u had on the other day"

"I was cold!"

[The Brat] "No u were HOT"

Levi paused. What was Eren doing? He shifted uncomfortably. Was he seriously flirting? He knew better than that but that didn't mean Levi was not affected.

[The Brat] "Are you cooking in JUST an apron?"

"Fuck, Eren! What's going on over there? You'd better not be texting me with your dick in your hand!"

[The Brat] "Oh ooops"

"EREN!"

But Levi was secretly pleased and not a little bit excited. He got the onions, carrots, and garlic cloves out of the fridge that Hange had sliced for him earlier. His hand was trembling and he was glad he wasn't in any condition to use a knife.

Eren had left him on read and he could only hope that the kid wasn't having a wank right that second with him in mind although, deep down in his heart, he hoped he was.