Three days later. Wednesday.

Levi was counting out his change to make sure he had enough for the bus the next day. It was too far to walk to Kenny's neighborhood. Behind him, Hange and Moblit were just leaving and Eren was just arriving. Mikasa had just gone to bed.

"What are you doing?" Eren asked.

"Making sure I have bus fare for tomorrow."

"Where're you going?"

"Just an errand."

"I can take you!"

"No. I'm fine."

Eren stood in silence, then, slowly; "Does this have anything to do with Kenny?"

Levi seemed to shrink in on himself. Damned clever kid.

"Don't worry about it." He walked toward the kitchen to check his change jar. He got all the way into the kitchen when Eren's quiet voice reached him.

"You took the job didn't you?"

Levi froze.

"You took the job and you didn't tell me."

Not "you're doing something illegal" but "you didn't tell me."

Levi sighed and turned slowly. "I'm sorry. I didn't want you to worry."

"Worry? Worry?!" Eren's voice climbed up the register. "Worry that you might get arrested or … or shot?! Again?!"

Levi went toward him with his hands out "Relax … please ... I have a plan."

Eren actually backed away from him. "What are you going to do?"

"Something I swore I'd never do; something I should have done years ago." He looked at Eren grimly. "I'm going to turn snitch."

"What?!"

"Buy me a bottle of bourbon and let's get drunk and I'll tell you all about it."

They drank in silence for a while. The two of them; Eren, who was unused to hard liquor, and Levi, who hadn't had it in any quantity in a while, got pretty drunk pretty quickly.

Finally, Eren couldn't stand it any longer. "So what're you gonna … gonna do?" He hiccuped quietly.

"You're drunk off your ass," Levi pointed out.

"You … your face is drunk. And it's a nice ass."

"True."

"What're ya gonna do, Levi?"

"About what?"

Eren scowled. "Levi!"

"Shh, shhh! You'll wake up 'Kasa!"

"Then tell me!" Eren hissed.

Levi took another swig of the amber alcohol (they were drinking straight out of the bottle at this point.)

"I'm gonna do the one thing that Kenny would never expect. I'm gonna go to the police."

"The po—" Eren looked alarmed. "They'll arrest you!"

Levi shrugged. "They won't."

"Levi! What the hell?!"

"Shhhh!"

"No I will not 'shhhh'! You can't do this!" Eren stood unsteadily, hands balled into fists at his side. "Tell me you're not gonna do this or I'll … I'll leave an' never come back! An' take the bourbon with me!"

Levi sat forward, elbows on knees, and wiped tiredly at his face. "Ok … ok. Look, it's the only way to get rid of Kenny for good. Go to the cops, tell them about the job, about the shit going on at his club." He took another swallow from the bottle and belched. "'Scuse me."

"But what if Kenny says you're involved?"

"That's why I'm gonna go to the cops first."

"But they can still get you," Eren said, "For the old stuff. You broke the law … right?"

Levi shrugged. "Sure; grand theft, breaking and entering, assault and battery. Nothing big."

Eren shook his head. "Nothing big … so they could arrest you!"

"Nope. Three words; statute of limitations. In Shiganshina you can't prosecute a person for most crimes after six years. I'm 26 years old. I got away from Kenny as soon as I graduated high school … at 18."

Eren gripped his arm excitedly. "That was EIGHT years ago! You're in the clear!"

He kissed him then, gently and sweetly and Levi responded. They separated after a long while.

"I was so scared," Eren said, stroking Levi's arm.

"Don't be. I can handle Kenny." Levi leaned forward to kiss him again quickly.

"I wish we could fuck. Let's fuck. Right here on the couch," Eren said breathlessly.

Levi shook his head and pointed at the ceiling.

"God?"

"'Kasa, you idiot."

Eren dissolved into helpless, drunken giggles.

Eren awoke early with the urge to piss. He blinked and took in his surroundings. He was in Levi's dark room, in Levi's bed. The man himself was behind him, arm thrown over him, legs tangled in his, face pressed into the nape of his neck. Eren smiled and snuggled back into him. He didn't want to get up but the pressure on his bladder was too much.

Padding downstairs, Eren shivered. Did Levi lower the heat even more at night? He reached the bathroom and pushed the door open to find Mikasa washing her hands.

"Oh! Oops, sorry!" He quickly retreated.

Mikasa, seemingly unperturbed, said nothing. He could hear her humming to herself.

After a moment the sound of the sink running quit and Mikasa emerged.

"Good morning!" Eren said, ducking quickly into the bathroom. He relieved himself, washed his hands, and hurried back out. Mikasa hadn't moved. She eyed him. "You had a sleepover an' didn't tell me."

Oh dear god. Mikasa knew that Eren had stayed the night. Had she actually come into the room while they were sleeping? Levi refused to lock his bedroom door at night in case his daughter needed him. What was he supposed to say? "Uhh …"

She folded her arms over her chest. "An' you got to sleep in Papa's bed. Aunt Hange and Unca Moblit never get to sleep in Papa's bed."

Eren's thoughts tumbled over each other. "Well, I'm your Papa's special friend. I hope I am, anyway."

"Oh … Papa has special friends sometimes."

Eren was shocked at how much that hurt. Of course he did. He was gorgeous. Eren was fending off a flash of jealousy when Mikasa narrowed her eyes. "But not like you. They never ate with us or checked my homework." Mikasa's little fists perched on her hips. "Are you going to be my new Mommy?"

Eren crouched down to her level. "I'd like to be. It's up to Papa. Would you … would you like that?"

Mikasa considered it carefully, winding a strand of her pitch black hair around one finger. "Will you come to the school for stuff? And come get me when I'm sick? Papa works all the time and he has to take off work to come get me."

"Of course I would. Of course!"

"Aunt Hange and Unca Moblit work all the time, too …" Mikasa perked up suddenly. "Will you take me to the playground today?"

"We'll have to ask Papa, but—"

"Will Carla be my grandmommy?"

"Well, yes, if—"

Mikasa rubbed at the worn rug with her bare toes. "I never had a grandmommy before."

Eren's heart just broke. He carefully gathered the little girl up into a hug and she hugged him back fiercely.

"What's going on here?"

Levi stood at the foot of the stairs, arms crossed and brow knit.

Eren almost shrieked. "What? Nothing!"

"Eren's gon' be my new mommy!"

"Wait, honey, I never said that …"

"Mikasa …" Levi said.

Mikasa's red lower lip jutted out in a pout, she crossed her arms tightly over her chest in a miniature imitation of him, and she stomped the floor with one little foot. "I want Eren to be my mommy! And I want Carla to be my grandmommy!"

Levi crouched to get on her level and looked at her soberly. "And what did I say about if wishes were horses …?"

"Papa would have a staple."

"'Stable'. Exactly. You can't just want something to happen. Eren is a person, with feelings, and we have to decide together what's going to happen."

Mikasa, still pouting, flew back into Eren's arms. "Be my mommy," she said into his shirt. Eren looked helplessly at Levi who sighed.