Eren woke up disoriented and alone in Levi's car. It took him a moment to get his bearings, blinking slowly and shielding his eyes against the bright sunshine streaming through the windshield. They were stopped at gas station in a service area, Levi standing outside pumping gas into the car with a murderous look on his face as he watched the price climb higher and higher. Eren shrugged off the unfamiliar coat draped over him and pulled on his own before opening up the car door and stepping out, stretching out his limbs and letting out a satisfied groan as his neck cracked loudly.
Even though they'd only been on the road for only a few hours the weather was already starting to change. There was humidity in the air and with the above freezing temperature Eren's skin felt damp and clammy, his winter coat a little too warm even as his fingers felt freezing cold. He stood silently and awkwardly beside the car as he tried to decide how best to get Levi's attention. After a moment's deliberation he decided to go for the most direct approach.
"Hey Levi, I'm going to go to the bathroom and grab something to eat. Gonna take a minute to call Mikasa too."
"If you get any greasy fast food shit you finish it before you get back in the car. Other than that –"
"No crumbs, I know."
"And?"
"Drinks need to have lids on them." Eren paused, a thoughtful look on his face. "What if I get a bottle though?"
"Cap it unless you're drinking it." He was about to turn and walk away when Levi gave him a stern look. "And don't take forever, the traffic is starting to pick up a bit."
"Right."
.
The service area bathroom was cleaner than he had anticipated and there was a decent-looking sandwich place in addition to the usual greasy fast food. He pulled out his phone and steeled himself for the call he was about to make. The phone was on its last ring when Mikasa finally picked up.
"Hey." Her tone was subdued. "I didn't think you'd call until tonight actually."
"You wanted me to let you know every time we stopped off."
"I wasn't expecting you to after this morning."
"I was a shit. I should have told you I was leaving earlier, or at least woke you up before leaving." Eren grabbed the sandwich from the shop employee and began to walk towards the exit. "I'm sorry, I should have been honest."
"Well, I wasn't exactly warm and fuzzy about the whole thing. If it were anywhere but Shiganshina I would be so much less worried. I trust you though and you're with the Survey Corps. I really shouldn't have freaked out that much."
"So about that…"
"About what, Eren?" He leaned up against the wall outside and shifted uncomfortably at the suspicion in her tone and braced for her reaction.
"It's kind of just Levi and me."
"I'm sorry but what in the hell, Eren?"
"You just kind of assumed things and I figured you'd worry less so I didn't correct you."
"You have got to be shitting me." Mikasa's tone was more exasperated than angry and Eren relaxed slightly, slumping against the outside wall.
"The whole point is to keep this whole thing quiet and under the radar. Keep it small." The amused snort on the other end up the line had the remaining tension leaving his body.
"You don't have to let me know every time you stop off but just keep me up-to-date, okay? And let me know when you're stopping for the night. At least text me… call if you're up for it?"
"Yeah, okay."
"And be safe."
"I do try."
"Well bye then, enjoy shorty's lovely company."
"Yeah uh, I will."
Eren ended the call and looked up to find that Levi had moved and parked the car in the lot. Even though he was at least fifty yards away Eren could tell that by Levi's stance that he was starting to get restless waiting. He let out a long sigh as he pushed off of the wall and walked towards the other man. Levi had put his coat on and Eren suddenly felt like he'd missed a step going downstairs. He could easily recognize the coat as the one that had been draped over him when he woke up. For some reason it hadn't crossed his mind that it might be Levi's coat and not just a random extra one laying around in the car. He stood still, not crossing the lot and hesitating on the verge of saying something but unable to figure out just what those words would be.
.
As they continued the road began to gently descend into a valley, dense misty rain closing in around them and forcing them and the traffic around them to slow down. The faint blare of sirens came from up ahead, the mist distorting the flashing lights of emergency vehicles and making the sky ahead of them look like a catastrophic light show. The blue and red began to die down as they got closer, replaced by lights that turned the air into a sickly flashing yellow. As they got closer they narrowed down from three lanes into one, their path marked on one side by the blinding red-orange light of emergency flares. It was only when they had fully merged down into one lane that they were finally able to see the cause of their delay.
From the passenger side Eren stared out the window, watching a tow truck haul a mini-van up onto the flatbed, its side crumpled in like paper. Another tow truck was nearby, its load already hauled up; a small sedan with the front nearly sheared off. The yellow flashes of the tow truck lights were the tiniest bit out of sync, disorienting as they flashed and lit up the glittering fragments of glass littered across the highway.
Levi barely spared a glance towards the wreck as they continued on, his face grim as the road opened up ahead of them, empty and swathed in gray gloom. The whispering scream of the wet wind surrounded them as the red glow of tail lights spread out and pulled away from them, disappearing into the freezing rain.
.
It was dark when they pulled off the highway, following directions to a three star motel five miles south off of the highway and twenty miles northeast of Shiganshina. Eren had tried to argue for something nicer but Levi pointed out that there was no point in spending extra money when all they were going to be doing there was sleeping and setting off again first thing in the morning. The only requirement that Levi had made as Eren searched for a decent motel on his phone was that its cleanliness had to have been remarked on in a positive manner in the past three months. Groaning, Eren thumbed through results, bypassing nicer-sounding places with more amenities but which had comments like "clean shower but there was an old water stain on the bathroom ceiling" or "smelled like mothballs but okay otherwise." Instead, they were driving down an unlit road, the only illumination beyond their own headlights was the occasional house as they headed towards a motel described as "extremely clean, couldn't get more than two stations on the television though."
The building looked a bit worn but well-maintained and though it was dark, the lawn appeared to be groomed with almost military precision. Levi pulled up to the entrance, a slight frown on his face as he took in the building's appearance. Eren hoped that Levi was on the verge of declaring that it didn't meet his standards of cleanliness when he let out a tired sigh, dropping his head and mumbling into the steering wheel.
"Fuck it, I don't give a shit." It was only when he stepped out of the car and Eren saw the exhausted slump in his shoulders that he remembered that while he had spent the past fifteen hours sleeping on and off, Levi had been driving for the entire day dealing with traffic and other drivers.
He left his coat and bag in the car as he followed Levi towards the manager's office, glancing at the less than half-full parking spaces and trying to fight back a feeling of general unease. The light in the office was a dim and yellow, the counter and décor looking at least fifty years old. He did have to admit that while the general atmosphere felt like it should reek of cigarette smoke, the only smell was some sort of cleaning product that smelled like actual lemons in the same way that grape-flavored medicine tastes like actual grapes. He stepped closer to the counter, standing on Levi's left side but drawing up a foot short of standing fully abreast of him. He stared at the back of the manager's head, realizing that he was probably the one who maintained the lawn given the precise cut of his own hair. When the man turned around Eren decided that there was no way the man wasn't the one maintaining the lawn given his equally well-maintained facial hair and the scar slashing along his cheek down to a sharp and precise jawline.
"Place is half-empty now with the holiday over and folks headed back home." He put some paperwork on the counter before ducking down to look for a pen, raising his voice to that he could still be heard. "Had one family with a load of bratty kids. Was glad to see them go this morning. Should be quiet now, just a few older couples."
"Oh thank god." The manager chuckled at Levi's reaction as he straightened up, finally noticing Eren standing next to Levi and giving him an odd look. He held back the pen that he had been about to hand over, giving them both a hard look.
"You're not…" He trailed off and held up a hand, his wrist going limp and his hand flopping forward. A sick feeling overcame Eren, settling in his stomach like a block of ice. Fear and nausea and anger welled up in his throat and threatened to spill over, whether it would be words or vomit he didn't know and his hands slowly curled into fists, nails digging bluntly into his palms.
"Fucking gross, he's my cousin." There was a disgusted look on Levi's face and his eyes darted sideways to Eren. The manager let out a breath, looking relieved as he finally handed over the pen to Levi.
"My nephew is, but you know what they say: love the sinner, hate the sin. Had to ask, don't want any of that unnaturalness here."
"Hn." Levi gave a noncommittal grunt and took the pen. Eren opened his mouth to say something as the manager turned around to go into the office and grab a key when Levi ground the heel of his boot down hard onto Eren's foot. He barely stopped himself from letting out a pained yelp and grit his teeth as Levi shot him a look that he imagined might have been a glare had he not looked so dead and exhausted. Swallowing the angry words on his tongue, he let out a pained hiss as he tried to flex his foot, wondering if he would be limping when they finally got out of the office.
"Two beds or a bed and a pull-out?" The manager called back over his shoulder.
"What do you think?" Levi's tone was snappish and the manager gave him an apologetic look as he returned with the key.
"Some people want to save the extra forty bucks. You can take 2E, just make a right out of here and it's the one down at the end."
Outside, Levi started up the car to drive the short distance to the spot in front of their room and Eren walked down the length of the building, the lights on the overhang buzzing as his hands shook as he tried to get himself under control. As he drew up to the door he saw that Levi was standing there waiting, both of their bags slung over his shoulder with his hand on the knob and an exhausted and searching look on his face.
"You gonna be okay?" Eren's shrug seemed to be enough for Levi and he opened the door, flicking the switch and watching the fluorescent light fixture buzz and flicker as it came to life, harsh light illuminating the room and revealing hideous puke green and fuscia floral bed spreads and fake wood furniture. Levi dropped their bags on the floor unceremoniously and stepped further into the room, giving it a cursory look. "Okay, I'm going to shower now."
Eren watched as Levi picked up his own bag again and threw it on one of the beds, pulling out pajamas and a bag with an assortment of toiletries. There wasn't anything that he could summon the energy to do besides make sure that the door was locked and bolted behind them. Turning around, he found Levi staring at him exhaustedly.
"Just spit it out." Eren's mouth opened and closed as he tried to find the words that he wanted to use.
"Do you think I'm disgusting?"
"Huh?" Levi stared at him, his face twisted in confusion. "What the fuck?"
"The manager…"
"Is a bible-thumping fuckhead. Who gives a flying fuck where you want to stick it, if you want to stick it anywhere at all."
"And if you'd walked in there and your partner was also a man?" Levi met Eren's challenging look with a weary one. His tone was tired and soft as he spoke.
"I don't think you noticed since you were sleeping, but I fell asleep at the wheel for a mile about an hour ago. If I continued driving I probably would have killed us both so no, I wouldn't have done anything different." Levi reached up to brush his hair back, looking away and grimacing. "Sorry, I know it's shitty but heroes can't fight every injustice, every hour of the day. We're only human."
"I just –."
"It's fine." Levi let out a tired sigh. "I'm going to shower."
"Right."
Eren stood still as Levi passed him on the way to the bathroom, waiting for him to leave before laying down on the bed and curling up. The damp not-quite-frozen southern winter crept under his skin and he found himself missing the dry cold of Trost; snow had lost its novelty but cold and rainy winters were nothing but misery. Shiganshina winters were damp clothes that never dried and hacking coughs that never ceased. He listened to the sputtering hiss of the shower as Levi turned it on and in spite of how much he had slept in the car his eyelids felt heavy. It wasn't until he was startled awake by Levi's hand on his shoulder that he realized he'd drifted off.
"Shower's free."
"Just wanna sleep."
"Okay."
The space next to him was suddenly empty as Levi crossed the small strip of carpet between their beds. Eren watched him move, taking in the shower-damp hair, the wide shoulders and the muscular arms that his t-shirt revealed. Levi slipped under the covers of his bed and rolled over so that his back was to his, the blankets drawn up around him so that all Eren could see was the back of his head. After another minute of staring at Levi's unmoving back he pushed himself up off his own bed and grabbed his own bag, pausing only to text Mikasa that they were stopped for the night before heading to the shower himself.