Norman, naturally, isn't the only one besides Hanji who comments on the frame on Levi's brass counter. Almost everyone is, all in their own way.

Evelyn comes in only a day after her husband, declaring "Norman told her everything," whilst still asking Levi the exact same questions which he already answered not twenty four hour before. Deflecting every single one as good as he can, Levi pours her tea. Then he continues sipping his own, and dismisses her after half an hour with the repeated order to not overdo it in her fussing over him. She only smiles, leaving with a zealous blush and a resolute posture. Especially latter gives Levi the feeling she won't be stopped anyway.

The soldiers visiting the Sparrow aren't much better. They grin knowingly, yet opposed to Evelyn, Levi can keep their saucy comments in check with well-chosen glares. Whatever theories they have, they more or less keep them to themselves and to base gossip. At least, they don't dare to ask Levi any invasive questions.

Arne is the only one who remains completely silent about the matter, only nodding curtly at the new decoration in the Sparrow as he drops off some self-cured elk ham on a Tuesday night. He takes seat on one of the bar stools, and after sharing their usual ten to something minutes of silence, he thanks Levi for the good talk, great drink, and promises to bring some rabbit sausages the next time.

Sometimes Levi has the feeling, Arne deliberately seeks his taciturn way when the townsfolk on the other side of the door overwhelms him with words. Levi can relate.

Rita on the other hand, is a league of her own. She bursts in one windy, colourful noon that matches her temper. Sitting at the counter, it only takes her a second to notice Eren's picture, and the interrogation begins.

"Who is this?" she demands, accepting her cup of coffee. "Thanks! Is this Eren Yaeger?" Her whole expression is so alight with sparkling curiosity that Levi suspects if she wasn't seated, she'd probably bounce up and down with excitement.

Deciding he'll need some invigorating tea for this talk, Levi reaches for the caddie with sencha, alongside the special clay pot for this tea. "Yes, that's him."

"This is so cool!" she enthuses, leaning forward and bringing her nose closer to the picture to examine it more thoroughly. "He looks so tall!" Sitting up again, she looks at Levi with worship palpably radiating off her. "How is he like?"

A bit like you, Levi wants to say as he spoons the right amount of green, needle-shaped leaves into the pot. Instead he smiles at her display of ardent zeal. "What do you think?" he returns the question.

Pondering about an answer, she purses her lips and regards Levi with curiously narrowed eyes. "Not as strong as you are, I guess," she decides after a moment. "Some people say he can be dangerous, but I don't know. I think they're stupid and afraid. Is it true he destroyed a city once?"

"It is," Levi affirms. "Well, half a city." Then he thinks about the destruction around the military base in Trost, and corrects himself. "Twice."

"So strong." Awe written all over her face, she sighs as she clutches her cup to her chest. Then she pushes herself up and takes a sip of her coffee. "I still believe he isn't dangerous though. Not for us. He looks nice. Are you two a couple?"

It's only by an immense effort of will that Levi manages not to openly smirk at her bluntness. "And what makes you ask that?" he counters with a lifted eyebrow.

The look she throws him is once more filled with pure wit. "I'm young, not stupid. You've got a picture of him here where everyone can see it. You only do that with pictures of people you like—as in really like-like. With kisses and grown up stuff." She grimaces on the last sentence like the young teenager she is. "If you don't want people to ask questions, you should keep the drawing somewhere else, Captain. People in this town are nosy."

There's no help for Levi. An amused snort makes it out after all. It's his first mirthful outburst since Eren has left. The sudden realisation makes Levi shake his head in wonderment at himself, not to mention at the fact, that he just got lectured by a cheeky twelve-year-old.

"We're not a couple," he assures her.

"And…?" she prods, grinning with a victorious twinkle in her eyes. The warning glance she receives for her curiosity gets ignored completely. It even seems to spur her on if that beam is any indication to go by. It's obvious, she isn't one to be deterred.

"And anything else is none of your business, isn't it," Levi insists firmly.

She winks. "I know. Was worth a try through."

That little brat.

Barely holding his amusement in check, Levi fixes her gaze. "Still not a couple. Only good friends."

Seemingly unconvinced, Rita merely shrugs. "I don't mind gay people. I only mind bullshit."

As if to draw a line under the subject, the kettle whistles. Levi brews his tea with another snort. "Do your parents know you're here?" he asks.

Rita pulls a face. "I'm not a toddler anymore. But yes, of course they do. Dad asked me to buy a bag of coffee, and Mum allowed me to have some dessert."

Humming, Levi fetches a plate. "Which one would you like?"

Peering at the display, Rita points at a piece of nut cake. "This one, please. My cousin told me, nuts are good for muscles. I'll need loads of those and I doubt you can borrow me yours."

Levi smiles. "So, you're still determined to enlist for Military Training?" He asks, placing the cake in front of her after adding a heap of clotted cream.

The question makes Rita give a little hop in her seat as she beams. "I am. It's so cool that I can go to Scout training right away like this! And that I don't even have to go to another town. I can visit sis on the weekends. And my friends. The only thing that sucks is that you aren't a soldier anymore. I would have loved to have you as an Instructor." Reaching for the pastry fork, she begins to dig into her piece of cake.

"I never was one," Levi corrects her.

She shrugs as she chews. "You could have been. Do you know who'll teach us?"

Reminded of Hanji's, probably ongoing hope to assign the job to Eren, Levi pours the green water of the sencha directly from the pot into a cup. "Not clear yet," he replies, giving the pot a brief shake to savour every drop of infused tea.

Attacking another piece of her cake, Rita nods, and begins to pester Levi with questions about Survey Corps Training and Scout duties.

On a fitting, foggy morning in November, Hanji sits down at the counter in the Sparrow, declaring the Exploration Team will rejoin them within the week.

"They are only a few more days away," she explains warily, busying herself with the goat curd spread bagel in front of her, accompanied by the latest attempt of cinnamon rolls. She sounds as if she was continuing a conversation instead of starting it. "Probably Friday."

Stomach performing a treacherous flip at the news, Levi seeks balance by wiping the already spotless countertop.

Friday. Not even a week.

Suddenly Levi doesn't know if he fears the reunion, or looks forward to it like nothing else. His hands are restless, and his skin seems to itch again. His breath comes too short. His legs want to dissolve beneath him, and his chest is too tight around his hammering heart. His whole body seems to be too big for him and too small at the same time. Tightening his fingers around the cloth to keep them from shaking, he focuses his eyes on the wiping movement of his hands.

He has to make sure the café has enough tea and cake on the weekend. Especially chocolate cake. Eren likes chocolate; used to like it at least. Levi has to talk to Norman to ensure he has a couple of extra pieces in case they come and say hello.

Hanji is silent. Silent enough that Levi knows she will dig for some dirt if he doesn't reply soon, so he reaches for his voice alongside his failing composure.

"Any important news?" he asks, feigning nonchalance.

"No. Not since the ocean." Her fingers tap onto the counter in an irregular pattern, and Levi catches her eyes for a moment.

Ever since her last forced shower two weeks ago, she's been tiptoeing around the subject, but they both knew it wouldn't last long. Today she's chatty. Interrogation mode chatty to be precise. Maybe it's the fucking mist.

Deciding it's best to stick it out, and get it over with, Levi nods and casts away the cleaning cloth to make himself some tea.

"He's alright," Hanji begins. "They all are. No injuries. No deaths."

"You said that before, four-eyes," he mutters as he opens the can with jasmine tea.

She picks on the poppy seeds of her bagel. "What I said is, there are no further news. I wanted to clarify, since obviously you need to hear it."

Spooning tea leaves into a sieve with a steady hand, Levi lifts an eyebrow. As expected, that doesn't stop her.

"I'm curious what he will think of this place you made for yourself," she says, collecting the previously discarded seeds on her plate with her finger before breaking them with her teeth.

Levi pours water over his tea. "Well, he won't have much to do with it, will he?"

Rolling her eyes, she lets out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, come on, Levi. Of course he will."

"Why?" Levi deadpans, facing her now.

Hanji blinks. "Are you serious?" Shaking her head, she doesn't even wait before answering the question herself. "Yes, you are, why am I even asking? Because he will want to know about this café when he realises you aren't living at your old quarters anymore."

Levi shrugs curtly. "Then he'll probably stop by some time."

After staring at him for a while with Levi fighting to hold her gaze, Hanji narrows her eyes, and tends back to her breakfast. "You've both been acting so odd since then."

Defenses flaring up in an instant, Levi glares. "Don't you have work to do?"

"I don't give a damn about work right now. Did you two fight? Is that what this misery you've both been feeling is all about?"

"Another shower then?" he snarls through clenched teeth. "Some old Titan crystals to examine, or some other shit? Stick your nose into that, will you."

"So you stopped talking about whatever it is," she concludes. "Good choice."

He forces himself to meet her eyes. "Fuck off."

"No. I still have food. See?" She raises her voice and stretches the next two words as if Levi was close to deafness. "Cinnamon roll!"

"Choke on it," he suggests whilst stepping back from the counter to gain some distance.

Making a show of digging into the pastry, Hanji chews excessively before swallowing with a grin. "You should finish yours too. Maybe it would make your life a little bit sweeter."

"The dough is still not right," Levi evades, shoving his plate over to her. He's not hungry. His guts are in uproar with nausea creeping in. It doesn't matter that the buns are actually close to perfect today.

With a grimace at his comment, Hanji finishes the sugary part of her breakfast. Levi drinks his tea. Each of them are lost in their own thoughts; probably both thinking about the same day, Levi muses. As always, his instincts do not fail him.

"Why is mist still so creepy?" Hanji mumbles distractedly.

"Because it is," Levi answers. "More coffee?"

"Hm?" Her head snaps up to him, her eyes blinking. "Oh, yes. Thanks."

He refills her mug.

"Do you," Hanji begins after minutes have passed. Her voice is soft enough that Levi wonders if she's talking to herself. Her eyes are fixed on a faraway place on the other side of the window, while a rare display of sadness makes her usually so optimistic features appear grim and brittle.

"I still hear Moblit, you know?" she continues. "Sometimes, when I'm deep in my work he's there, telling me to drink something, or to remember to go to the loo. I hear him reminding me that there is a meeting I have to attend to in thirty minutes. He always understood that I need that long to mentally emerge from my notes and refocus. But then I look up. And he's still gone. I can't even tell anymore if it's truly his voice that I keep hearing, or if it's long become someone else's. His features have started to blur too. I don't even know if that's good or just sad. It's so odd." She blinks and turns her head to look at Levi again.

It's an offering. One of 'show me your wound, and I show you mine.' But telling her what she wants to hear would make Eren vulnerable to her shenanigans as well. So Levi stays silent as his pulse speeds up on a new wave of helplessness that's tightening his throat.

"She's got a point," Eren's voice says softly.

"Don't make the same mistake that I did, Levi," Hanji continues, her voice commiserating. "Just tell him. What's the worst that could happen?"

In Levi's mind a door clicks into its lock.

"Let it go, Hanji," he states quietly. "Otherwise I'll kick you out."

She frowns at his mention of her name and drinks her coffee.

Levi tidies up his already neat worktop. He doesn't want to hurt Hanji with words. Not today, not ever, but they're there, burning in his throat. Angry sentences sitting on his tongue again as his whole skin prickles with the sensation of being backed into a corner. She seems to know that too and, to Levi's relief, she drops the subject. At least for now.

"Come over tonight. Will you," Levi offers when she leaves for HQ. "We could drink until you get pissed, and you can whine about your latest Titan crush while I do something similarly humiliating."

"It's not Friday," she says.

He folds his arms. "I know." His unspoken apology earns him a hand boxing his shoulder and a smile.

Hanji is almost out of the door already when she hesitates and turns around. "You know he will want to see this place. Don't you?"

"Yes." Levi holds her gaze.

Worry is written all over her face. "You'll let him in without being a bitch about it?"

"Always," Levi promises on a heavy breath.

She nods, looks as if she wants to add more, but then she wraps her cloak tighter around herself and plunges into the bleak, damp cold.

As soon as she's out of sight, Levi goes into the staff department and lets the realisation overwhelm him for five seconds of panic.

Eren will come back. He already is close, so close, only a couple of days away.

Hands tightly gripping the sink's edge, Levi takes a deep breath to let the air out in a long exhale. He checks his tousled hair in the reflexion of a spoon before he heads behind the counter again. How do people usually deal with returns?

Levi has no answer.

Four days later, and Levi still doesn't have an answer to that question. Sleep, already scarce and irregular to begin with, has almost failed to appear completely the last few days. By noon he must have had his fourth cup of nerve assuaging jasmine tea. It doesn't help.

Levi misses training hard. He could use it right now. Simply attacking a dummy in the woods or feeling the air whip around him, secured by straps. It would make him feel alive. He could almost use a fight with a stranger over some idiocy. Instead, he stands behind his counter, nods at his customers, counts change, hands out tea, coffee, and cake, and can do nothing but wait.

It's early afternoon when he hears it, bright excited voices outside on the street. The first belongs to Armin. Another familiar voice follows that belongs to Jean. An untamed laugh that belongs to Sasha. A chuckle that belongs to Connie, followed by a flash of red across the front window that's Mikasa's signature scarf. A couple of seconds of preparation are suddenly all he has before a group of soldiers step into the Sparrow with the chime of the bell. Levi feels powerless in his apron, so naked and bare.

They've come together, all six of them, and the tall, lanky man in the midst of his friends makes Levi's guts sink and fly while the rest of the world seems to fade out into distant colour and noise. Left with nothing to say, Levi's heart smashes against his ribs. All he can do is remind himself to breathe whilst staring into wonderful, stunning green eyes.

He looks so much like Levi remembers. It's the same face. The same nose, dark eyebrows, and strong jaw. Yet Eren looks so undeniably different that it is like meeting a whole new person. A stranger disguised as someone Levi once knew as well as the back of his own hand. He seems to have grown even more. His shoulders, already wide before, have somehow broadened again, merging into a strong, muscular back. His hair has an even wilder look than a year ago. His eyes have new lines around them, so very fine that they are hard to make out in the dim afternoon light of November. Still, they are there, along with new lines around his mouth that make him appear strangely old and haggard.

Whatever wonders Eren may, or may not have found at the ocean, they haven't given him peace. But then these eyes look back into Levi's, and the smile that follows pierces right through all his reluctant guards, making Levi's stomach give an undeniable tug. Bright, it's so bright, and Levi smiles back.

Of all the people who have left him…

The thought gets cut off by a cheer as an excited Sasha is throwing her arms around him out of the blue. Levi hadn't even seen her move before she was already laughing into his ear.

Not knowing what else to do, he huffs into a mop of soap scented, brown hair, and pats her shoulder.

"Easy there, Sash," Jean says. "Let the man breathe, for fuck's sake."

Connie snorts.

"It's so good to see you, Captain!" Sasha sighs, then steps back and beams at Levi. "Wow. You look so different in civilian clothes."

No helpful response comes to him, so Levi tells them all to sit down. The café is empty. His usual soldier customers certainly are busy with reunions of their own at this moment. Levi also can't help but suspect that Hanji has played her hands in sending the six of them over during this quiet time.

They settle around two tables, curiously looking around and then up at Levi.

"What can I bring you?" he asks, realising only now that the board with the menu hangs next to the counter. "Tea? Coffee?" he suggests.

"You've got coffee?" Sasha enthuses. "Please!"

"Hm. Cake too, I assume," Levi responds with a lifted eyebrow and a small smirk.

"As if you have to ask." She grins. They all laugh.

"Nut, chocolate, apple pie?" Levi asks.

Sasha leans forward and rests her elbows on the table with a delighted blush. "All three?"

"Alright." He nods and can't hold back a smile at the familiarity.

"I'll take a coffee too," Connie says. "And a piece of nut cake."

"Hm."

"Coffee and apple pie, please," Mikasa places her order, wrapping her scarf tighter around her shoulders again. It's always been her shield.

"Same, Captain," Jean says with a grin and leans back on his chair. "Thanks."

"For me too, please," Armin adds.

Levi nods. Looks at Eren.

Green eyes already look back. His hands are under the table, probably in his lap. By the way his arms move, Levi suspects he is twiddling with his fingers. "Um, whatever you recommend?" His voice is slightly scratchy, and his glance almost timid, but Levi doesn't comment.

Instead he busies himself with fetching them all coffee, tea, pie, and cake. It doesn't matter that he and Eren didn't say hello to each other. Not out loud at least. Everyone else is more than eloquent enough for the both of them anyway.

Back behind the counter, Levi doesn't think twice when he reaches for the can containing the Gunpowder. It's green, strong, and warming—hopefully exactly what Eren needs after being on the road for nearly a year.

It seems to be the right choice. Eren smiles, and his eyes lighten up at the sight of the chocolate cake Levi sets before him, alongside five cups of coffee for the others and their cake and pie slices. After handing everything out, he fetches his own cup of Gunpowder and joins them at the table, listening to their stories.

They all fall back into their prior speaking habits as Levi has come to know them, Sasha enthusiastic and almost glowing next to a visibly besotted Connie. Jean retreating from the talk after a while to sketch with observant eyes, astonishingly calm and with a quiet smile tugging at his lips. Armin talking almost as enthusiastically as Sasha, hands whirling, blue eyes wide and clear. Levi nods to encourage his recounting and listens without regrets. Mikasa is observantly quiet as ever. Eren is almost just as close-lipped, though not nearly as composed.

Levi ponders the changes into his own tea. Eren has never been too much of a talker, but he'd never wordlessly sat out a conversation either. Sensing Mikasa's sharp eyes on himself, Levi decides it's best to wait and see if Eren will come out with it, or not.

All that matters at this moment is that they are all home, safe and healthy. They'll stay part of the next month before heading out again. Going by Armin's blatant excitement, this moment can't come quickly enough.

After a while the stories about their adventures abate to make place for questions about HQ and Levi's café. He answers them all. Much too soon, darkness falls, and Sasha unsurprisingly declares she is hungry. Levi nods, glances at Eren, and is almost startled at being met by a pair of big turquoise eyes that don't shy away this time, firmly holding his gaze instead.

Eren lifts an eyebrow in a silent question. Levi nods, unable to hold back a tiny twitch of a smile that he hurriedly hides in his cup.

"I'll stay," Eren announces to the rest of his friends.

A short moment of silence follows, before they continue with their previous motions and chatter. Levi stands with them to collect their empty dishes. They all pay, and say their goodbyes. Armin nudges an ever reluctant Mikasa out of the shop. The bell chimes, the door closes, and Eren and Levi are alone. Nerves up in arms, Levi sits back down, only to notice that both their cups are empty.

"Refill?" he asks.

"Yes, please," comes the quick reply.

Standing again, Levi makes another round of Gunpowder. Since the leaves are already unfolded, they only need a few seconds of steeping, and soon he is back at the table, wordlessly putting down another plate with pastry that makes Eren's eyes light up. It's one of Norman's cinnamon rolls.

"Thank you." Eren beams.

"Mm." Levi sits, refusing to give into the urge to rub his sweaty palms on his knees.

Glances go back and forth, a hesitant smile on Eren's side, followed by a shuffling in his chair, and Levi can't feast his eyes enough on him, sitting so close. Somehow, despite the alarmingly worn out appearance, Eren is even more gorgeous than before.

Caught up in the realisation, Levi doesn't even seem to know what words even are anymore. What's to say in a situation like this? An apology is certainly called for. Eren deserves one, in fact it's long overdue, but Levi has no clue where to begin. Behind his joyousness, Levi senses that Eren has that solid wall up. He's fidgeting, his shoulders are tense, and the subtly guarded body language reaffirms that they will not talk about this. So Levi says nothing, and only looks.

"Never pictured you in a café," Eren begins carefully. He looks up, and his smile feels guarded. It's there though and genuine. It's just as warming as Levi remembers, including the small dimple that appears to have a straight connection to Levi's groin. "It fits you somehow."

"Had to do something, after retirement," Levi says, holding on to his cup's rim. "I couldn't laze around all day."

"Do you like it?" Eren asks, his gaze curious.

"It's not bad. I can drink tea all day. I don't have to shout at people who disobey orders. And if there are unwanted customers, I can kick them out."

The tension in the room snaps as Eren chuckles lightly and begins to dig into the cinnamon roll. "You never shouted. Your glare is much more effective."

Levi snorts.

Eren's grin is blinding, and it's almost too easy to fall back into their old pattern. "Well, I like it. It's cosy. Reminds me a bit of that place we went to. Only better." He lifts the cinnamon roll. "This only adds up to it."

Chest warming in agreement, Levi nods. "You'll have to thank Hanji for the cosy part," he admits. "I'm shit at decorating."

"Still better than me, I suppose." Eren smiles and gives a hum at a bite of pastry that makes Levi's guts heat up and coil as he bites back a responsive groan.

Fingers tightening around his cup, he takes a sip of his tea. Well, at least he can tell Norman, he did a great job perfecting his recipe.

"She said you bought this place the day after we left," Eren continues, aiming for another bite of cinnamon roll. "How did you find it?"

"I was passing and saw it standing empty. It looked right."

Eren nods. "Is this what you always wanted?"

Running his thumb over the smooth china of his cup, Levi orders his voice to stay calm. "Yes, and no."

The frown reappears on Eren's brow. His voice is mild with understanding. "Yeah. I never really dreamed about the ocean either. It was always Armin's wish."

Levi swallows down a lump in his throat. He wants to ask why Eren went then, but he already knows the answer. He also wants to ask why Eren still sits here, but it might push him away. In not knowing anything for certain, Levi can at least pretend Eren wants to be here; that he doesn't see it as a duty to spend his first evening home with a lonely shell of a former soldier, just for old-times sake. No, Levi won't ask about any of that.

"How was it?" he asks instead. He already knows it was marvellous, has seen it in Armin's eyes and sees it now on Eren's face as well.

Eren lifts his shoulders in a shrug. His pastry is finished, and he collects some last crumbs of cinnamon, cardamom, and sugar with his finger. He lifts it to his mouth and wraps his lips around it to lick it clean, only to end up with a dusty smudge of spices on his lower lip. "Kind of hard to describe."

"Do you have some time?" The words slip out completely on their own.

As Eren looks up again, his eyes go wide with what looks like hopeful anticipation. Levi considers it for only a second. "I have bread and cheese upstairs," he offers, forcing his eyes away from the tongue that flicks out to lick over the last remains of cinnamon. It's so unlike him to make requests like this. The words continue to fall out of his mouth though before he can hold them back. Eren has always had a way of making him overcome his reservations without even realising until it's too late. It's clear that Levi is out of practice in holding his defenses safely in place.

Still, Eren visibly perks up at his words. He nods and oh, Levi so much wants to have more time with him.

"Okay," Eren says and the single word makes the oil lamps shine far brighter.

Rising to his feet, Levi beings to collect their dishes. "Let me clean up here first."

"Of course," Eren says, already shifting in his chair, about to stand as well and help.

"No. Stay put," Levi instructs.

"But,"

Levi remains resolute. "I can't have anyone rummaging around in my own workplace."

Eren chuckles, and lifts his hands in surrender as he sinks back down. "Okay."

The light of the streetlamps shines through the window. The illumination catches on Eren's cheekbones, brightens his eyes. It shimmers on the buttons of his uniform, on the muscular lines of his neck, and illuminates his messy hair with a golden glow. His slightly disorderly presence stands so starkly in contrast to Levi's little realm of control he's built around himself, and yet he seems to complete it with an unfathomable ease too. The mere shift to welcome imbalance in the air makes Levi painfully aware of the fact, that this man, so far out of his reach, is everything he needs.

Eren does this place good as well. No amount of decorating has given the café the spark Levi wanted to make it come alive. Eventually he'd given up on neatly organising everything ever further in his attempts to make it look right. Turns out all it took was Eren to step through the door and sit down. Better yet, he is willing to come upstairs and stay for another hour or two.

Three weeks, Levi thinks as he begins to clean the floor. Three weeks are better than nothing. It's so good to have this comfortable unpredictability back in his life. Even if it's only for a short while, it's a glimpse of better times. It's like opening a fresh can of tea: It won't last too long, but that's no reason to not saviour every little leaf within it. He has this, here, right now. Levi won't let this gift go to waste.

Not this time. Not ever again.

As he leads Eren up the stairs, Levi allows himself a stealthy but deep inhale of leather and familiarity. He is grateful that Eren is too distracted by examining the flat to notice the brief stutter in Levi's steady pace. Eren looks like he belongs here as well while he glances around with open, curious eyes. Nostalgia rises until it almost feels like they are visiting a time when they went to new places during their shared Survey Corps days. When at HQ, Levi would invite Eren for a game of chess at night. Countless memories erupt of when they shared vigils, or simply a quiet evening after training. The old habits kick in, overrule the awkwardness, making it all so easy, and Eren soon begins to talk like he used to before Levi destroyed their friendship.

Content, Levi listens as he cuts bread and spreads it with butter, adds Katinka's goat curd, and brews new tea. Letting Eren's words wash over him like summer rain, Levi basks in his voice. He knows Eren will leave for the night soon. It doesn't matter though. It is alright.

"Do you remember that lake we were at toward the end?" Eren asks after dinner. "The one with the long sand bank?"

Levi nods. "The one with the swans."

"Yeah, that one. The ocean is a bit like that, only so much bigger. Like a hundred lakes at once. You can hear it, and see it, and feel it too. There are hills of sand and they have this waist-high grass on them. The colour reminded me of that awful batch of tea I once bought. It looked a bit like that. Like fading green. The water changes every day, and with it the sand changes somehow too. It's so salty that you can smell it in the air. A bit like the difference between sun dried laundry and the one that dried inside. You know?"

Eren sighs and ruffles his hair with an apologetic grimace. "I'm sorry, this doesn't make much sense, does it? It's hard to put into words."

Levi shakes his head. "No, it's fine," he says, having to stop himself from nudging his foot against Eren's for affirmation that he means is. No physical contact is an unsaid rule. He won't be the first to step over that line should it ever happen again. Only Eren can make this call. "I understand," Levi adds.

It's true. As opposed to Armin's complicated description earlier, Eren's words are so much clearer. His whole demeanour tells the rest. His face glows with awe. The expression looks so much like Isabel's did when they first saw the sun over the woods and open plains, that Levi knows exactly what kind of feeling Eren experienced.

"Did you see any new animals?" he asks, recalling Isabel's boisterous delight when they'd seen the first flocks of sheep and the sheer amount of birds, cats, dogs, and other animals on the surface.

"Yeah. The oddest ones were some colourless, glibbery fish things in the water. Saw some funny crawling shell-covered ones on the beach too. Armin called them crabs, I think. I liked the ocean itself most, though. It was so…" Eren searches for a description, his sparkling eyes far away and still here at the same time, making Levi fall and fly.

"Beautiful?" Levi offers.

"Yeah." Eren smiles excitedly, exposing that dimple to Levi again, and somehow it is all too much. "The water was fucking cold though." He takes a sip of his tea.

"You went in?"

Shaking his head, Eren puts down his cup. "Only dipped in my feet."

"Is it really that salty?" Levi asks.

Eren nods. "Yes. Oh, you will like this: Sasha tried to drink it, but even she spit it out again."

Knowing eyes fixate on Levi with unconcealed mirth in a silent challenge. When his involuntary shudder rises at the thought of how bad the water had to taste, not to mention that she truly tried to drink it, they glitter with so much glee that Levi can't help but smile at himself. Relishing the moment, he refills their tea, emptying the pot and nearly smiling again at the thought how much better it is to share it instead of drinking it alone.

"I remembered my promise," Eren says with a sudden seriousness as he reaches for his cup again. He wraps his fingers around it as if to heat up his hands. "I brought you a stone. You always said you needed a paperweight, and somehow…I don't know."

Lost for words, Levi only looks.

A stone. A paperweight. For him?

"I didn't know if I should wash it first," Eren presses on, more carefully now, his fingers fiddling with the china. A frown is beginning to crease his brow from anew. "But I believe there's still a trace of salt on it, so I didn't. It's silly, really, I know you don't like presents much and…Should I-?"

Pushing himself out of his startlement, Levi straightens in his chair. "No, no. Not at all," he assures. "Thank you."

Eren smiles, relief relaxing his whole body. "Good. I'll bring it by tomorrow then."

Tomorrow. It sounds like a promise.

For a long, warm moment they are silent. Eren's heat radiates off him so intensely that it fills Levi's lungs from the short distance, wrapping around him from the inside out, tearing at his chests. Eren smells wonderful. Like sunshine.

Clinging to his sanity, Levi reaches for both their plates and carries them to the sink to give them a grounding wash. The trained movements of the chore help him calm his pulse and recall how to breathe.

When Levi comes back to the table, Eren still is there. He nods at the two armchairs in front of the hearth. "You still have Hanji's gift."

Uncertain whether to sit down again, or not, Levi stands behind his chair, his eyes following Eren's gaze. "Yes," he agrees. With the evening coming to an end, he feels strangely inapt once more. The tension seems to be back too.

"Do you have guests over a lot?" Eren's hands are in his lap under the table again, fingers probably fumbling.

"Not really," Levi hedges, unsure why Eren's voice sounds so uneasy.

"Oh," and then, "what about Hanji?" A mellower note slips into Eren's voice.

Letting his unsteady hands fasten on the wooden back rest of the chair before him, Levi nods. "Every now and then."

Eren's head cocks at a curious angle, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes. His hands emerge from under the table to come to a rest on the table top. "To play chess?"

"Ha!" It's almost a laugh. Almost. "No."

Eren lifts an eyebrow, so Levi explains. "We tried but gave up after a couple of times. Her way of playing drives me mad. Cheating all the time."

A pleased looking grin cracks Eren's face. "So you haven't been playing at all?"

"No," he says through a tightened throat.

The glance Eren shoots him is almost mischievous. "Does that mean I could have a fair chance of winning then?"

It's a peace offering, and Levi accepts it with a wave of pure relief. "Only one way to find out," he answers. "You take the leather chair, I'll fetch the board. More tea?"

"Yes. Yes, please." Eren beams and stands. "I'll look after the fire."

The familiar contemplative atmosphere settles around them as they set up the board, Levi reaching for the black figures first, Eren taking the light side. Distracted by deciding his first move, Eren worries on his bottom lip. Levi takes him all in, makes himself accustomed with the new lines on Eren's face, refreshes his memories with Eren's smooth movements. Eren has drawn up his legs in an angle to tuck his feet under in a half tailor seat like he only does when he's relaxed. The firelight makes his hair appear almost golden.

It's past midnight when Eren stretches and stands from his chair, announcing he should leave. His smile as he mentions the time is apologetic and almost abashed.

A bit startled by the late hour himself, Levi accompanies him back downstairs.

"Thank you for dinner," Eren says from the other side of the open doorway.

"Mm," Levi hums, sobered by the November night air blowing across his face. After having spent the whole evening in luxurious cosiness, it feels almost shockingly chilling.

"We should do this again," Eren offers. He stands under a street lamp, the light casting down on him and painting him into a figure of light and shadows. The view is almost surreal and if Levi wouldn't have shared a whole evening with him, he wouldn't believe Eren really stood there. But he is standing there, only a few steps away, emitting his warmth right in front of Levi's café, looking dangerously beautiful and out of this world.

Levi nods. "Sure."

After exchanging one last look, he watches Eren go. Back inside the café, all is dark and silent. Upstairs there is a second cup of emptied tea next to his own, a chessboard that hasn't been out of the cupboard for too long, and the lingering scent of Eren everywhere.

In the end Eren hasn't won at chess, but only shrugged it off with a sheepish grin, as always. He ended up talking himself out of his defeat with the endearingly stubborn explanation that he didn't practice much during that last year either. His voice still hangs brightly in the room, adding to the simmer of the glowing coals in the hearth. The flat is empty and too orderly again, though it feels completely different. It finally feels warm, and alive.

Three more weeks.