You were made aware of this newly opened bar beside Shiganshina High through Zackley's rant. Why open such an indecent establishment beside a reputable institution for children? Pyxis, on the other hand, was giggling like a child as he knew it was nothing but a facade in front of the education committee present at the meeting. You were also to buy him a high-quality sake right after your shift.

You weren't planning to stay for long until you saw Erwin at the secluded corner of the area. He looked sullen as usual, and there, you figured the least that you could do for all the help he gave you was to offer a safe space and solace.

Erwin shot you a smile—one that's welcomingly sweet and unlikely of his character—as soon as his eyes laid on you. Oh no, seems like he'll be needing some help going home. His cheeks were already flushed with eyes fluttering a bit.

You called on the waiter before talking, "You wouldn't answer me if I ask 'Are you okay?' so I'll just drink silently across your table instead."

He tipped his head to the side and as usual, silently observed your features instead of responding. You wondered if it was the lidded eyes that got you flustered; you cleared your throat to ease it.

"You look quite different today."

"I didn't have the time to fix my face."

"I don't mean it negatively."

You faked a gasp, "Are you trying to say I look beautiful tonight? That's a first!"

He squinted his eyes as if genuinely curious, "What's more surprising to me is that no one tells you that. I assumed you knew it already."

You hope he wasn't saying it with such ease as you're having a hard time keeping up. "It was the alcohol, Commander."

"Why do you keep on using honorifics with me? It's either Commander or Sir."

"Heh," you were indeed trying to irk him with that. "It's because I'm nothing but your mere subordinate, Sir."

"Do you regard Pierre with Sir?"

"No, Commander. Pierre is my equal."

"Tch," oh my god, this was the first time you saw him sulk like that. "And when you say I'm the one closest to you here," then he drank his glass in one shot.

"But you are," you did the same as soon as the waiter gave you the drink; perhaps it would help in hiding your smile.

"Back in your world, do you bring your closest friends home whenever they're too inebriated to do so?"

"Well, if it's needed then I obviously would."

"Are you capable of doing that a moment from now?"

You examined his features again; he was asking you a favor—no, Erwin was imploring. He looks dead tired. You never saw him falter like this. "Are you okay?"

A weak chuckle followed, "You already know I wouldn't answer that if you asked."

"I'm worried."

"What a good time to be alive, then."

"Fine, I'll bring you home. That's the least that I could do."

"I hope you're not thinking as if you're indebted to me."

"Of course, I would. You're the one who ensures—"

"You're the one doing me a favor by being an escape."

"What?"

"Someone who could distract me from things I quite don't want to face. If anything, the help I'm giving you is far from the consolation of using you."

If this was a different circumstance, you'd be annoyed at the disposition of being used. However, "I kind of did the same towards you back in my world."

He propped his elbow on the table; hand supporting his cheek. "Our relationship revolves in mutuality. There's no need to see me as someone ahead of you."

"Do you not like it when people deem you with authority?"

"Not in mundane circumstances."

"Then where?"

"In bed."

"Oh my god," you shot glass again. "You didn't have to tell me that."

"You asked."

"Then answer a more important question I'm asking instead," you went for the food next, hoping to die down the bed circumstances in question. "How are you, Erwin?"

"I'm getting sleepy now. Can you bring me home?"

You sighed defeatedly then, "Which home?"

"Hm," he opened his eyes again, a bit slyly though, "whichever you'd prefer."

"Your home. Where is it?"

He tossed you his phone upon unlocking it, "It's on my riding app. Book it."

What was flashed on his wallpaper was a random shot of the abandoned orphanage that day. But instead of getting giddier that his display was somewhat related to you, you realized something. "You have a riding app. I don't think I need to—"

"I need it. Come on now."

"Is there anybody home?"

He prepared his stuff before standing. When he did, you finally realized how badly he needs your assistance. His posture was wobbly.

"My father."

As soon as you were welcomed at the front door, you got an inkling of Erwin's unusual behavior. What would be seen in the spacious living room was his bedridden father entertaining himself on the television. At the dining area placed on the right—which you thought was too large for a family of two—there was a woman in nursing attire who ensures all the needed care for him.

"Oh no, Erwin," the young woman worriedly mused upon seeing him in an almost unconscious state. His arms were wrapped around your neck, obviously using your body to support his flailing one. "You've been drinking a lot recently."

"Thanks for helping around the house as usual, Marie." he managed to say, though a bit muffled. He then pointed at you and said your name, "This is my…" only to curl his eyebrows in confusion, "how do I explain it to her?"

The first thought to register was that the beautiful lady in front of you was indeed Marie. She had a black wavy hair up to her waist. Her nursing attire fit so well on her just as if she was born to wear it. She smells really good and even though she didn't have the time to fix herself, it was clear that she didn't need it.

Is she and Erwin a thing?

"Okay, I know. You don't need to explain. How long have you been together?"

"No, I think you're getting it wrong—"

"She said she's been fancying me from afar for a while."

"I didn't mean it that way!"

Marie laughed heartily, "Of course! That's always been the case, hasn't it?" even before you could defend yourself, she gestured towards Erwin's father who was, in fact, watching the small commotion unfold. "He's all fixed for today, meds and hygiene-wise. All that's left for you is to rest, okay? Nile cooked something for you as well. I put it in the fridge. Share it with her tomorrow."

"Oh, no. Marie, I'm about to go—" She cut you off by patting your shoulders.

Then whispered, "It might be recent but I suppose you already know how eccentric Erwin might be. He's not the type to open himself up, too," then shot you a solemn smile in return to your confused one. "I hope you continue being there for him nonetheless."

What's with people cutting my clarifications off? "Uh, okay. I guess you could count me on that."

With a final nod, she finally excused herself. You nudged at flailing Erwin with a glare thereafter, "She misunderstood us! She's thinking we're in a relationship!" You kept it as a whisper, though, hoping his father wouldn't hear the exchange.

"Relationship…?" he pondered slowly. "I told you earlier, our relationship revolves in mutuality and—"

"I'm not talking about that!" but you halted upon hearing a noise from behind. It was Erwin's father trying to sit. "Oh no, I'm so sorry for not introducing myself! Hold on," then ran towards him to assist. Erwin depended on the wall instead.

"Don't worry, I heard your name." Erwin's father smiled tiredly. "I hope my son's not too much of a problem. Have you eaten?"

"I do. I'm actually on my way home now."

"Home? But it's nearing midnight. You can just sleep here. Anyway, Erwin," for some reason—either an inkling or you're just too sharp—the atmosphere changed. "Have you done what I asked of you?"

Erwin didn't answer. He just tossed a series of pamphlets at the coffee table beside you. It was just like what Pyxis had mentioned: funeral packages from different services ranging from clothes to wear, the process of wake depending on how many days it would take, and the most important part with which his father seems to seek: the cost of land where he'll be buried—seems like land is expensive in this place as well.

His father repeated the question; the way it sounded gentle yet stern made you wonder if the Commander's attributes were all derived from this man.

"Pyxis said my work insurance could be of great use. I'm working on it now."

"How long do you think it would take?"

Erwin didn't answer. The atmosphere just got heavier even, and you immediately understood the reason why upon turning at him again. Just like what you knew of his character and the bond you had formed so far, he looked far from bothered and instead, exuded utter calm. Along with it, however, was this grim expression—visibly establishing that he wasn't in the mood to humor such talk. It was needless to say that the question sobered him up, too.

Erwin was annoyed and made no effort to hide it.

Of course, his father would be as sharp as his son if not more; that's why he just brought back his gaze at you with a strained smile. "I insist you spend the night here. We have a spare room at the end of the hallway. You can spend a few hours—'til daybreak, at least—then book a ride home."

Seems like Erwin didn't waste the opportunity; as soon as the old man's attention diverted, he entered his room without a word. Perhaps he was too out of it, you thought. The usual him would be caring enough (or at least would have the decency to pretend) to ensure that you'd have the least inconvenience with his matters.

That was when his father's face changed. It wasn't smiling anymore, lacking anything but concern, "Would you mind me bothering you for a bit?"

"Of course, I mean, Erwin brought me here already. What can I do for you?"

"It's about him. How is he the past few days?"

"He's fine," you lied. Back at the ride, Erwin asked you for three lies. This was the first one. "Seems like he's lacking sleep but the rest of the faculty is the same. It's finals season."

"Hm," he acknowledged. "How long have you been together?"

"Well, not in a romantic sense but…" here comes the second lie, "We've known each other since he started working at Shiganshina High. It's needless to say that he's one of my closest friends."

"Really? Then, is he having a relatively easier time opening up to you?"

And the third lie; at this point, a lump had already formed up your throat. "He does, way better than Nile and his other friends—at least that's what I think."

The next expression from him punched you in the gut so hard; he started crying. He was fucking crying, and what daunted you further was that his weeping was out of relief.

You were smart enough to construe that paying Erwin back for all the favors he had done to you wouldn't be easy; it's just that you never thought it'd be this hard.

"Please," his father's trembling hand held onto yours with the imploring request, "be there for him even for a while. Please, just continue what you're doing right now."

You would; that's something non-negotiable as there's no other choice—but not this way, definitely not this way. "I-I will. Of course, I will."

After a while of letting him weep, he finally let go of your hand with a nod, "I apologize. It's just that I want to ensure he'll be fine for the next few months and years."

"Erwin is the epitome of independence, Mister."

"It's all but a facade. I know you know that much."

"At some point, yes, but you have to trust how your son would deal with your matters," you started realizing something too. "I assume you're having him work around your impending funeral because you thought confronting the issue at hand, all at once, would eventually make things easier for him to accept, am I wrong?"

He nodded.

"Please stop doing that, then."

"Why?"

"Let me do it in his stead. While I understand that no one would do better in that job than your son, I could work around helping him with that."

"Why would you involve yourself that deeply?"

"It's because—" Erwin is the closest confidant I have in this world. Our relationship revolves around mutuality. "What brought us together was his offer to help me in deep matters I got involved in. It wouldn't harm me to do the same for him. Besides, you asked to keep being there. What better method would work than that?"

You grabbed the pamphlets Erwin had previously tossed before walking towards the guest room.

"I have nothing but gratitude," he said before letting you go. "That way I'll be at ease."

The lump in your throat tightened further, but at least you could call this a day.

A few hours later, you woke up with Erwin seated on the couch parallel to the bed. He looked relatively better than last night and is now wearing cleaner clothes. His tousled and wet hair indicated a fresh bath, too.

To hide the lurking consciousness, you used a yawn to cover your face. "How long have you been here?"

"I was just about to wake you up for breakfast."

"And yet you didn't. You seem to be staring for a while now."

He shot you a tired and guilty smile before changing the topic, "Have I done something bad last night?"

"I ended up sleeping in your place, what do you think happened?" you heaved a frustrated sigh. "You're lucky today's a weekend. What would I do if I had work?"

"I apologize. Out of all the things I forgot, I remember that bringing you home with me was intentional."

Your eyes tightened, "I know. You managed to imply that much, and I followed through because I thought it'd be a way to pay you back."

"You're not supposed to pay me back. That was negligent of me."

"I admit that it was one of the hardest things I've done in a while. I don't think I can face your father without thinking about it."

He stayed silent afterward, "Could you at least continue the act until we get out of the house?"

"I never thought I'd see such cowardice from you."

He smiled at the remark. He wasn't supposed to; you're not aiming to amuse him. You were annoyed, and yet he managed to reverberate that with such an expression.

"I had nothing to lose in the world where you saw me."

Your face faltered. He didn't need to elaborate. "Well… we just have to eat breakfast then I can finally leave, right?"

"I'm leaving with you. I have to go to Trost District and inquire about funeral services. That said, my father told me you had the pamphlets—"

"No. That matter will stay in my hands for a while."

"What?"

You gave him a stern look, "The deal we have right now isn't working for me anymore. I'll let you intervene with the intimate matters of my life only if you'd let me do the same."

"That's very unnecessary."

"Then consider our ordeal done. I can't stay this way. I can't continue sharing the deepest parts of my life with someone who's so secluded from me."

"I'm returning the favor of intervening by ensuring that your daily needs are—"

"And I don't need that anymore. In fact, you know I can already stand on my own. I've long adjusted since you taught me the ways of this world."

Erwin was silent for a while; you let him register that. Despite the distance from your bed to the couch he's sitting, you saw how conflicted he was with imagining it. "You might be asking for too much right now."

"Decide. Unless you want me to storm out of this room and blurt out how I lied last night."

With that, he chuckled again. It was a soft weak one that went for a while. He didn't need to nod; it was non-negotiable on your end. He just stood up and gestured to you to do the same. "I've prepared toiletries for you to use. Nile and Marie dropped by earlier and brought clothes with them along the way. You can wear that for today."

Erwin's father was done eating after your bath. Apparently, that was what Marie came for this morning and she just asked Nile to pick her up and bring extra clothes for you along the way. Still, the old man insisted on staying at the table. He's at least capable of drinking on his own.

"Regarding the owner of the orphanage," Erwin started but paused quickly at your glare; are we talking about this here? Right now? "Of course, we will. Father knows the owner."

"Hugh was an old colleague. While I maintained teaching at the elementary, he built a foster home on his own. We've been estranged ever since, but that doesn't mean I don't know that much."

Erwin continued thereafter, "As we discovered, he's teaching at a quite well-known university, and now they just opened applications for foreign students."

"Are you asking me to apply? Considering my skill set, I—"

"No. I'll be asking you to co-author my research. That's what we'll use to enter that campus. We'll provoke him along the way."

Perhaps it was too early in the morning to digest the matter at hand so you just nodded blankly and turned to his father, "Wait, what do you know about my issue with that family?"

"Aside from you came from their foster home, his son is using your identity in the comic series he's marketing, isn't he?"

"He's what!" you shrieked at Erwin, "That Oliver was the author of that series?"

"You didn't see it?"

You covered your face with your hands and groaned, "I was too engrossed in the content to even rationalize finding the author's name."

"Studying overseas would be expensive. Do both of you have any plans to work around it?"

"If research funding gets approved then it wouldn't be much of a problem. I have something in mind to gather more, though," he started. "Student visas will only allow us to take part-time jobs. Because of the cost of living, we'd still have financial constraints despite the funds."

"So we'll need to work around more part-time jobs…?"

"No, because if that's the case then we're not going to apply for a student visa."

For some reason, Erwin's father chuckled but you still didn't get it.

"You're speaking as if we have any other choice."

"We actually have."

"But we're technically students and—"

The old man called your name, amusement laced his voice. "He's asking you to marry him on paper."

You gaped your mouth open then turned to Erwin for reactions. There wasn't any hint of disagreement from the man, though. "Seriously?"

"Married couples who migrate to that country would be permitted to work full-time. Longer shifts would make more money."

This time, both of them are looking at you for approval. When Erwin was asking you to keep up the act, was he pertaining to this one?

"Erwin, talks of marriage aren't something to take very lightly."

"I don't treat the mission we're about to embark on as something light."

His father shrugged when you urged him in the eye to question his son's notion. It was until Erwin spoke again, "I realized in our talk earlier that deals are indeed never absolute. When you say you'll let me intervene with the deepest parts of your life the same way you'd do in mine, just how deep do you think you could handle?"

There he goes, pushing things in his way by using your own words.

"Why would you involve yourself that deeply?" his father's voice last night resonated inside you. Along with it were the lies before his question—that you and Erwin have been together for a while—enough to have a relatively easier time opening up, and that you could continue being there for him even for a short while.

You already have this established camaraderie. As what you have mentioned as well, Erwin's your greatest confidant in this world. You realized, then, that these lies have the potential in becoming true—now more than ever that you have this common goal.

Erwin called your name, "Answer me."

"As deep as it could be, so long as it's for the mission."