Erwin woke up earlier than expected, feeling as if his body had a reminder that just knew where he was and knew that Levi would be downstairs somewhere. Most likely drinking tea. 

Yeah, he had woken early the previous day for the sole reason of going hunting early but now was a different situation. He could have slept in like he normally would, only getting up to jog on weekdays, but now that his internal reminder was at work, he woke with the thought of Levi.

Rolling out of bed, he pulled on his shirt he had discarded to a side the previous night and headed down the cool stairs, continuously impressed that Levi of all people knew how to install marble floors.

As he had suspected, Levi was found at his kitchen table with a cup of tea. 

It wasn't exactly surprising but the way he sat so calmly and at peace made it seem he had been there all night. The cup of tea was nearly done and Erwin wondered how many Levi had already drank or if it was still the first one. It was only around six in the morning after all.

"Care if I join?" Erwin asked a bit sleepily, his hair scattered around.

"Not at all. I have tea if you want," Levi greeted, motioning to a chair opposite him.

"No thanks."

The two remained in silence, Levi staring out his kitchen window thinking of nothing but everything and Erwin who stared at Levi with fondness. How was someone so small and a bit cold but secretly very kind, just so perfect? He could feel his insides hammer each time Levi did the smallest of things and that was undoubtedly a dead give away that he was taken by the smaller. He just wanted it to be mutual.

His curtained undercut, the peculiar way he held the tea cups, his habit of constantly cleaning, his surprisingly good cooking skills, his cute dresses and skirts. What was there not to like? He was just perfect and though he was strong minded and independent, he was the kind of person Erwin wanted to protect for no particular reason. To be honest, the first person as well.

Their peaceful silence calmed them, wrapping them in a bubble designed just for the both of them. What was there to ruin it?

Oh, of course, the voice that broke the early morning aura harshly.

"IS MY PRECIOUS NEPHEW AWAKE?!" a voice yelled, easily being distinguished as Kenny. Fuck. "OH WHAT AM I SAYING?! HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT SLEEP IS! NOW WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Levi clenched his jaw, hands instinctively reaching for the silverware that rested in front of him. Why did that man have to appear of all times, now? And why the hell did he have the stupidest of appearances? Either he was silent as shit, trying to scare Levi, or this. Loud as hell and interrupting whatever peace Levi provided for himself. 

The moment he noticed the elder man approach the kitchen, the cutlery was hurled, lodging itself in the door frame beside Kenny's face.

"Oh look at that! Little Levi has learned how to weld a knife!" Kenny joked, a smile on his face as he spotted his small nephew. "You'll have to try harder than that to surprise me though."

"You're embarrassing. No morning, no manners, no knocking, you didn't even notice guests," Levi stated, his eyebrows frowned downward as his cup of tea was held mid air.

It was then that Kenny seemed to see the other male and stopped in the doorway, his smiling face slowly morphing into another expression, an unreadable one to be exact, whereas Erwin had a slightly confused yet intrigued expression. 

"Haven't I met you before?" Erwin asked. "Aren't you Mr Williams?"

Levi took a breath, glaring at his Uncle with warning. Fuck.

"Oh no son. You must have mistaken me for someone else."

Erwin nodded, unbelieving but brushed it off.

"I'll be cleaning the basement, Le. I'll get going so I dont ruin your early morning house date."

Kenny disappeared before any of them could respond, heading down towards the place of crusty dusty bones. Had Levi already mentioned he was embarrassing? Because if so, Kenny Ackerman was also infuriating.

"I guess we should make breakfast," Levi suggested, getting up and stretching, his velvet pajamas raising slightly to expose a soft and steadily increasingly healthy body. "Everyone’ll be waking up soon."

And so, as if they were a married couple living their best life, the two prepared the meal, pretending as if waiting for their three children. The eldest and their pride and joy, the perfect daughter with perfect reputation, and the angry, moody, rebellious son who was the cause of stress and family problems. An absolutely functionable nuclear family, no?

By the time they had finished preparing the most standard breakfast possible, the three had woken up and freshened up, walking into the kitchen only to find Levi trapped between Erwin and a counter as he was trying to escape eating.

"Oh come on, Vi!" Erwim coaxed a piece of bacon on the end of his fork as he brought it close to the males mouth, the sudden nickname tugging at a heartstring unexpectedly. "Just one bite? I swear you haven't eaten for the past three days!"

"I ate something at three this morning!"

"And it's nearly nine! That was six hours ago!" Erwin persuaded. "Come on, I don't want you falling sick again like last time. Please? Do it for yourself. Not even for me. You'll feel so much better and we'll both be happy at your improving health!"

Levi relaxed a bit, giving in and taking the piece of bacon in his mouth to slowly eat before pushing Erwin to the table where Mike and Mikasa watched them with badly concealed smirks.

"Oh my god that was so fucking domestic I might barf," Eren commented, taking a seat and instntly beginning to eat, not eaitign for a signal as he had done on the first night there.

"Shut up. You're just jealous no one is willing to take care of your dramatic ass and feed you," Levi snapped.

"You wanna bet?" Eren challenged. "I'm sure I can get someone to at least pretend they care. Like Jean or Armin."

"Doubt it but I'm not willing to bet with you of all people."

Grumbles surfaced but no further comments which Levi took as a win. While everyone ate, he headed to his room where he got dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, quite different from what he normally wore, before heading down to the basement to check on his Uncle.

"Morning date over with already?" Kenny asked before Levi could even announce his presence.

"It wasn't a date. There's more guests upstairs anyway."

"Oh? More? Look at little Levi getting friends!"

"Whatever. Just tell me if you need help. Erwin's been down there before so it wouldn't hurt to ask."

Kenny didn't need to respond for Levi to know he wasn't very happy with the news. It wasn't his fault Erwin just so happened to fall through a random ass hole in the wall.

"I'm going back upstairs. Can't leave Jäger alone for shit,” Levi sighed. “By the way, the cousin you never told me about is also up there."

Kenny popped out of the hole in the wall for a second upon hearing the news, analyzing his nephew's face.

"Her father, my brother, didnt want her to meet any of us but now that he's killed as well, she can do whatever she wants."

"That's nice but why didn't you mention her before?"

"Didn’t think you’d be interested. Also didn’t think you'd find your prince charming and travel out of what you're used to and somehow stumble upon her."

With that, Kenny went back into the hole, signaling he was done with the conversation and leaving Levi to go back to where he didn't want to be but also really wanted to be. If only he could have a peaceful life unassociated with the things he didn't like.