AOT: Insight

Fitting in

"It happened again, didn't it?" Eren asked when he woke to find Armin looking at him.

"Throat sore?" Armin asked pulling his bag toward him.

"Yeah." Eren murmured.

"Here." A hand appeared between them. In it was a cup of steaming tea. Eren blinked at it.

His eyes traveled up to the hand holding the cup. Up the arm until the met the steel grey eyes of their host. Eren jerked back, nearly spilling the tea on himself. Levi was quick, he was able to pull the cup back.

"In this house, we don't spill tea. It's my one rule." He said it with such a straight face that Eren and Armin just gapped at him.

They heard the laughter from the hall. Erwin appeared fixing a tie around his neck.

"That was a joke, but don't test it." He chuckled.

"It's ginseng, plus I put honey in it. The way you were screaming..." Levi thrust the cup back towards Eren.

"... I figured you would have hurt your throat." He added.

Gingerly, Eren wrapped both hands around the cup. He pulled it to his face breathing in the rich aroma. He never took his eyes from Levi. Levi backed up, wondering if the teen needed space.

"He is real, right?" Eren asked without turning his head.

"Yep. He came for you, just like your dreams." Armin offered.

The blond dragged himself out from under the covers. His clothing stuck to him from the sweat. He sighed as he tugged at it, unsticking it from his body.

"I just wish that when you have these nightmares, you stop trying to swaddle me in the blankets. It was hot last night!" He complained.

"Not used to sleeping indoors." Eren muttered as he broke eye contact with Levi.

It unnerved him that Levi hadn't looked away the entire time either. He sipped the tea. The warmth really did help his throat. As he lowered his eyes, he saw the box of throat lozengers Armin had left on his knee. He smirked plucking it up. He dropped it into his pocket.

"Wait, you slept in your clothes?" Levi made a face.

Erwin was back. He stepped into the room this time. "Street kids!" He coughed over his coffee cup.

"Let it go." He cautioned Levi.

"But..." Levi began.

"Levi!" Erwin's sharp bark made Eren jump as well.

"Come help me with breakfast. We still have to feed the females." He herded the smaller male out the door.

Levi looked back at Eren before Erwin shut the door blocking him from the teen's view. Armin was puttering around in the bathroom. Eren heard water starting, then stopping, before starting again. He drank the tea. It really did help his throat. He got up only when the cup was empty.

Moving to the door to the bathroom, he saw Armin grinning as the shower rained down into the tub.

"Figured it out, did you?" Eren asked.

"Yep! I'm first!" Armin stripped out of his clothing before stepping into the spray. Once he closed the curtain, Eren came in to use the toilet.

"How bad was it?" he asked.

"Uh, you woke up the entire house and I'm pretty sure Levi thought you were under attack. Erwin came in with his gun in his hand." Armin giggled.

"I hope you mean his actual gun and that, that wasn't a euphemism for something." Eren moaned.