"You did well for someone who claims they've never baked," Levi commented, slicing up the genoise cake they had successfully created. The counters were coated in flour and the floor sprinkled generously but it was perfectly fine. For now.

It was simple. Mikasa had opened her mouth and commented that the shorter was so obviously head over heels, yet in denial, and she was certain Erwin knew but was either unbothered or felt the same and that had him flustered, the only reaction being to throw her a handful of flour that had them in a miniwar until Levi noticed his precious curtains on the verge of getting sprinkled. That alone had them come to a standstill.

"I literally just measured flour and cut fruits," Mikasa replied, placing two plates before them since they obviously couldn't share with the three who were out hunting.

"Well, yeah, but I'm sure you did better than what Jäger could have possibly done," Levi insisted. He couldn't have his own cousin claim to do badly even if it was with something simple. They were Ackerman's. They were supposed to be perfect. "By the way, I hope they 'accidentally' shoot Jäger while hunting."

Mikasa rolled her eyes. Her brother was as sweet as ever as far as she was concerned. Of course, the occasional anger that he exuded in heavy amounts got in the way of that image but that was it.

"Do you want a spoon or will you eat that cake without one, like a heathen?" Levi asked, handing his cousin a spoon anyway.

He too held one for himself but just as he was about to take a bite, he hesitated, looking at the tool carefully. A simple tool. One used on a nearly daily basis but yet, said simple tool caught Levi's attention for no apparent reason.

The silverware, held firmly in his petite hand, glittered brightly in the light that flickered in through the window, reminding him of someone that held the same sparkle in his eye. The silver was bright and he smiled to himself, warmed by the odd comparison he had conjured.

"Oi, doesn't this spoon remind you of Blondie?" Levi asked, glancing at Mikasa who looked at him as if he were stupid and in reality, mayhaps he was starting to get a tad bit when it came to the blond.

"Why would you say that? How does Mr Smith look anything like a silver spoon?" Mikasa asked in bewilderment.

"Look at it in the light," Levi explained. "It flickers and the silver reflects. It reminds me of his eyes."

And as the flicker of a spoon warmed Levi's assumed emotionless heart, to those that didn't know him, another flicker caught Erwin's eyes as the other three hunted.

"I can't believe we're out here acting like our ancestors. Hunting and providing for a family like we can't go to the store," Eren grumbled. "Why do we have to do this? I don't trust your boyfriend around my sister."

Erwin sighed. How the hell were they supposed to get anything with Eren's continuous grumbles. All the animals would run off. Mayhaps he really should listen to Levi and abandon him.

"He's not my boyfriend and those two will be fine. I have enough trust to know that they won't do any foolishness and you should know that as well," Erwin explained without using too much fervor.

A sudden silver flicker caught his eye, causing him to stop his horse and watch as the little bit of light that entered through the forest canopy hit the one spot repeatedly. Wordlessly, the male swung his leg off the side of the horse and approached the flicker, pleasantly surprised to find a silver pocket watch. The glass was caked in mud but the gentle tick was clearly heard, surprising Erwin once again at the durability the small tool contained.

Who knows how it got there and how long it had been laying in the mud, undiscovered and potentially never to be found again but Erwin just had the most random luck of finding it.

With a careful wipe of the screen, he froze in disbelief.

"What the hell?" Erwin asked himself. "Why does this look like the watch dad always carried around? Coincidence?"

With a shrug but a nagging feeling at the back of his mind, Erwin mounted his horse before Mike and Eren noticed he hadn't been behind them all along.

He'd be looking at the watch carefully later.

._._.

"AHHH! IT'S GOING TO KILL ME! MR SMITH! MR ZACHARIAS! HELP ME!"

"Relax," Mike instructed, unfazed by Eren's historical shrieks as he steadied his rifle. "It's just a guinea fowl."

"Oh. So it won't kill me?"

With a pull of the trigger and another scream from the jumpy teen, a guinea fowl lay on the forest floor bloody and dead. Clearly harmless.

"Yummy. Lunch," Eren replied blandly, swinging himself off the horse to pick it up.

He was assigned the dead animal fetcher since, obviously, he was essentially useless when it came to the sport of hunting itself. The best he could do in such an environment was make himself useful by fetching the animals they got.

"Yeah, you better be happy with it or you'll starve tonight. I'm sure Levi would happily prepare it for us."

"'Happily' is an overstatement. He's only doing it because his boyfriend asks."

Mike snickered into his hand. He was truly amused at the entire situation and Erwin continuously getting more and more exasperated was the highlight of it all.

"How old are you?"

"Mr Smith, what kinda question is that? You teach me!"

"I thought so but with the way you're acting I'd assume I'm teaching a first grader instead!"

"But I'm hungry and tired and I fucking hate to admit but your boyfriend is a real damn good cook and I want food!"

Erwin remained quiet, fully agreeing with Eren's cry. He didn't even try to correct his student on the 'boyfriend' part, already tired with the continuous, false, statement.

"Well learn to appreciate him and his cooking along with the fact that he let you sleep in a nice room. And because Mr Smith didn't leave you stranded."

The pride was strong in the air. So strong Eren couldn't admit or try to do such things. Erwin, on the other hand, had the kind of pride where his chest swelled with glee and fondness at the thought of small and fussy Levi Ackerman.

What an eye candy of odd sorts.

It didn't take an exaggeratedly long for them to arrive back to the castle but it sure did take long to put away the horses and dissect all the animals they caught. But in the art of killing, slaughtering an animal was the least of the problems when food was provided.

"Why does this place smell like shit?" Levi asked, walking where the three sat in the backyard and standing beside Erwin as he watched the blond cut a bird into pieces.

"Because you're here," Eren snarked, covered in suspiciously coloured splatters of different kinds.

"Behave," Mikasa scolded.

The simple words caused a reaction, involving the head turning of everyone to see if it was really her who said such a statement. She was never one to really try and scold her brother.

"Now you're going against me?! It's official, I hate it here."

"Oh don't be dramatic. He's letting you stay here."

After the incident with the spoon in the light as they ate cake, Mikasa came to a realization.

Levi was an extremely caring and loving person but only did he show it on rare occasions. She realized that he was normal to her standards and that expression in a new environment wasn't his strong fort but the gentle words and glinting in his eyes earlier that day were enough for her to realize that if Levi cared for anyone, it was definitely Erwin. And her brother ruining the good emotions Levi was slowly beginning to allow slip out couldn't be accepted on such scarce occasions.

"Well, why don't we eat this meat roasted?" Mike suggested, finishing up his pheasant and holding it up as if it were a trophy.

And all agreed because frankly, who'd be stupid enough to decline meat?

They talked, they laughed, they argued, certain people ended up drifting closer to each other to the point that they sat with legs touching, and best of all, they all smiled brightly like little children playing with their friends and colouring on papers.

Some smiled like never before where their eyes crinkled and turned glossy, cheeks red with jolly, and heart light. Levi was experiencing what he could define as true happiness.

And so when the late hours came and it was time to hit the bed, it was then that he realized that sadness could come just as fast as happiness and it was then where he noticed, he liked company. Mayhaps all the years he spent alone was just a test to show him that no matter how much he liked being cooped up, his true personality loved people much more.

Or mayhaps, just Erwin's company as their legs brushed side by side.

But the night was taking over fastly and so they all bid happy dreams where they then got ready for a peaceful sleep. One that would leave them tired but happy once they arose from the warm sheets of the giant house.

"Good night Levi," Erwin bid, standing at the shorter's doorway, a completely different posture from the one the previous night. He was now feeling especially comfortable with the male after their evening. "I hope you get to sleep well."

"I'll try."

With a gentle stroke of the face which Levi accepted wholeheartedly, and a pure smile, the two departed, Levi heading to his bed although he doubted he'd sleep very well if anything at all.

Boy was sleep the last thing on Levi's mind with the reminder that for once he was feeling what home felt like.