There are a number of ways Erwin could have responded to that soft little jibe, but what he chooses is to just hold on, to stay buried somewhere in the slope of Levi's neck and shoulder. His form, the shape of him, is new and familiar at once, as though exactly how Erwin expected him to feel. He may be changed since last they were really together, but even so, it is undeniably him. And at that soft confession, Erwin just holds him even more tightly, clinging like a lifeline.

"And I missed you," he returns just as quietly.

So he's reluctant to let go, but when Levi begins to pull away, Erwin relents, never wishing to keep him trapped or caged. He takes a breath, and there's something like moisture clinging at the corners of his eyes, but no tears actually fell. It'd been the first time in...he couldn't say. Many, many years, perhaps since actual adolescence, since he had cried. Maybe once or twice, in pain, but otherwise, Erwin had thought he had lost the ability to cry long ago.

His hand trails away, seeking out Levi's even as they just sit there on the ground. He's not ready to be fully parted just yet, if Levi will let him.

"Earlier today. Morning, I think, but later, when they finally turned everyone loose." Erwin glances around them finally for a moment, a wondrous look coming over him before his gaze returns to the man in front of him, eyes glittering with reflected candlelight. "This place is absolutely fascinating, Levi. A man I first met in the apartments had a small dragon that rode on his shoulder. And the technology, the devices they gave us, lights that come on instantly instead of candles, it's-- incredible."