Eren walked Levi back to his house the next day after class, their clasped hands swinging between them.

"You have got to start studying more, Eren. You're going to fail!"

"Oh, I'll be fine … Hey … what's going on?"

Levi followed his gaze. Jean and Armin sat, grinning, on Levi's front stoop with a large FedEx box between them. There was a third young man there, handsome, with black hair and freckles and a gentle smile.

"What the fuck, guys?" Eren said as they drew close. "Marco?"

Jean grinned sheepishly and took the black-haired man's hand. "We're back together."

"God, that's wonderful! What's with the gigantic box?"

"Your mom sent cookies," Armin said, "we thought we'd surprise you."

"Cookies?" Levi said eagerly.

Eren laughed and opened the box right there on the porch. His mouth fell open. Despite usually making enough for Eren, Jean, and Armin along with two or three other people, Carla had taken Levi and Mikasa and Marco as a sign that she needed to make even more.

"Six dozen," Eren said, reading the note from his mom, "two dozen peanut butter (Levi's and Mikasa's favorite) and a dozen each of oatmeal—Armin loves those, ugh—chocolate chip, sugar, and chocolate. Which ones do you want, Levi?"

"Ohh, chocolate? Let me try one of those right now."

Eren chuckled and opened the tin and rummaged around till he found the chocolate, handing two to Levi. "Let me go get something to put the rest of these in," he said, walking to the kitchen as familiarly as if it was his own. Marco and Armin followed him. "You're not giving away my oatmeal are you?" Armin asked.

"Nobody eats those nasty things but you, Ar."

"They're good! It's not like they have raisins in them or anything!"

Levi and Jean, meanwhile, stood awkwardly in the foyer.

"Jean …" Levi began.

"No, let me go first," Jean said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Listen, Levi, I'm sorry, dude. About everything."

"It's OK. I understand. I mean who wouldn't want to bang Eren?"

Jean laughed.

"Are you talking about me?" Eren called from the kitchen.

"All the time. How else will I ruin your reputation?"

"Ha-ha. Funny, old man!"

"Come in the house, Jean," Levi said, "I'm afraid that I don't have any beer but—"

The sound of a car door slamming hard came just as Levi's front door clicked closed and Jean wandered toward the kitchen

"Did you hear that?" he asked, but the four younger men were grouped around the cookies in the kitchen. Levi opened the door again.

There was a huge white Cadillac Escalade parked at the curb. A man Levi didn't recognize was coming up the walk. He didn't look happy.

Oh dear sweet fucking god what fresh hell is this?

"Does Levi Ackerman live here?"

"I'm Levi Ackerman."

The stranger looked Levi over like a man examining a dead fish. "You're Levi Ackerman?"

Levi bristled. "Who's askin'?"

Abruptly Carla's silver Cadillac sedan pulled quickly and sloppily up behind the Escalade. The door opened, she jumped out, and literally ran up the walk and put her hands on the man's arm. "Grisha …"

Grisha? That was Eren's dad, wasn't it?

Eren, Jean, Marco, and Armin looked around.

"Mr. and Mrs. Yeager?" Armin said.

Grisha's fierce gaze swept them all then he refocussed on Levi. "You. You goddamned … criminal."

Levi went white. How had he known?

"What the fuck, Dad?!" Eren said, walking toward him. "What are you talking about?!"

"My buddy down at the police station said that they had detained this one on suspicion…"

"I was released …" Levi said.

Jean, Marco, and Armin were looking curiously at Levi.

"He's not a criminal!" Eren said. "Mom, Dad, Levi is my boyfriend!" His hands balled into fists. "And it's serious! And I wouldn't care if he was a criminal! I love him!"

Levi started visibly and stared at Eren, mouth agape.

Carla looked up, stunned, and Grisha's face immediately began to suffuse with blood. By the time he was brick red he had regained control enough to speak. He zeroed back in on Levi.

"You goddamned hoodlum. You've corrupted my boy?! I'll kill you, you runty little shit!" He stepped menacingly forward. He was older but he was not a small man, standing almost a foot taller than Levi.

Levi braced himself, totally taken by surprise, automatically relaxing into a fighting stance. Am I about to beat up my lover's father?!

But Levi never got a chance to defend himself. Eren came at his father like a bull out of the gate, hitting him hard, and grabbing him around the middle. The force of Eren's weight made Grisha overbalance and the two of them crashed to the floor in Levi's doorway.

"Shit!" Grisha grunted.

"Fuck!" Levi said and jumped into the fray, reaching for Eren.

For several moments the three men scrabbled together, shoving, grabbing, and trading punches. Eren was out of control, flailing wildly. Grisha was defending himself. Levi was trying to separate the two.

Abruptly a shrill voice cried out; "Papa!"

Levi went stock still. Hange and Moblit had arrived with Mikasa.

"Grandmommy!" Mikasa said, "Make them stop!"

"Grisha and Eren Yeager!" Carla shouted.

Everyone froze.

Mikasa ran up the steps and into Carla's arms. "Grandmommy! Grandmommy! It's a bad man!"

Carla hugged her tight. "No. sweetheart, it's just your hopefully future grandpapa and he's a little confused."

Eren had punched Grisha pretty solidly in the mouth and he sat disgruntledly on the step at the bottom of the stairs while Mikasa dabbed at his lip with a wet washcloth. In addition to his face, Levi had gotten him a few good licks in the ribs. Eren had gone down fairly hard and Levi, who had gotten his lip split, had him sitting at the kitchen table while he inspected his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Carla and Hange were giving them hell.

"Hurting your own son! Grisha, how could you?!" Carla

said.

"And you, Levi Ackerman! Punching a man you don't even know!" Hange said, wiping roughly at his mouth.

"He was hurting Eren!" Levi said, "and, goddamn it that stings!"

"Grisha was trying to keep Eren from hurting him!"

"The boy attacked me, Carla," Grisha said.

"No more than you deserved!" she snapped.

"Are you alright, Grandpapa?" Mikasa asked shyly. She had been working rather ineffectually at his lip, smearing blood rather than wiping it off. Both Levi and Eren's heads turned, waiting for Grisha's reply.

"Hmmph!" Grisha said.

Mikasa smiled a hesitant smile at him. Levi crossed the room, hovering like a vulture.

"I'm fine!" Grisha pronounced suddenly. "You did a good job."

Mikasa beamed. "Can I show you Tilly?"

Grisha nodded and suffered to get up and be dragged over to the threadbare couch to meet the stuffed bunny.

The rest of the evening was much more relaxed.

Carla went to the store with Moblit and they bought enough food to feed a football team and enough alcohol to placate the combatants. Carla, Moblit, and Levi cooked—bumping into each other in the tiny kitchen—while Eren and Jean drank beer and Armin and Marco chain-ate cookies. Carla and Grisha drank wine, and Moblit produced a bottle of whiskey from mysterious places and he and Hange and Levi were well on their way to being snockered.

The whole stories of Levi meeting Eren and Levi and Kenny were told, and by the end of the night, Grisha was calmly building Legos with Mikasa.

"Levi," Grisha said suddenly, "What do you plan to do for a living?"

"Teach four or five-year-old Kindergarten."

"Eren, dear," Carla said, "Will you be moving in here?"

Eren went cherry red and looked shyly at Levi.

Levi, put on the spot, hesitated. "I hadn't thought that far—"

Grisha looked around the room and made disapproving noises. "If that's the case then we can rent you an apartment in a better part of town—"

"Actually, I own this house. I don't want to move."

Eren gaped at him. "You own this duplex?"

"Well the bank owns it for now but I've been paying on it for five years. I get rent from Mr. Steffano next door, and that helps a lot." Levi chewed his lip. "And it's big enough for three."

If Eren could have squeaked with excitement while keeping his dignity he would have. As it was he swept Levi up into a fierce hug.

"OK, OK, you psycho. I love you too," Levi said.