Levi sat in the empty dining hall, the flames of the numerous lit candles flickered and burned. The captain sat cross legged on the chair, a bottle of sake occupied his hand. Sluggishly he slurped from it the bitter and burning taste filled his taste buds. However the sake could not kill the feeling of guilt he had ignored for too long.

Today was the anniversary of Isabel and Farlon's death; it was a day where he was left to peace and allowed to mourn like he did every year now. The gut gnawing guilt was weighing him down in the chair as if it were gravity itself.

Isabel. The name of the stubborn girl he had grown to love felt so foreign to his mind, he remembered her too well, she was his secret first love of course. He had held back every ounce of feeling her felt for her up until the day she had been taken away along with Farlon in front of his very eyes. After all the captain was planning to act on his feeling once they had completed their task.

"Captain Levi?" a familiar voice interrupted his torturous thoughts, looking other his shoulder his eyes landed on Eren. Of course it was the one source that reminded him of Isabel. The two were alike, they were stubborn, hot headed, arrogant and both fought with unshed determination in their eyes. Eren even wore the same eyes Isabel once had; ones filled with admiration, strength and glistening with hope, they hurt to look at. He still could not remember exactly why he had saved Eren in the trial, perhaps he felt as if he were saving Isabel... who knows, he certainly didn't.

"Tch...Why are you so up late...Brat?" he replied in his arrogant tone, Eren froze for a second before regaining his composure. His captain did not sound like himself, was something bothering the corporal?

"You haven't chained me up yet corporal, I thought it would be best to get you to so the rules stay unbroken for my looking after..."

"Shitty...Brat" he even spoke like her, with that polite voice that could change to overexcited, angry or nervous in a split second put in the right conditions.

"Corporal ... A-are you okay?" Eren questioned ignoring the nerves that began to stir, ones mixed with fear and worry for his captain who faced his back to him. The young boy couldn't help but worry for his corporal who has done so much for him to keep him safe and in line.

"Too be honest with you shitty-brat... I am shit...like the kind Hange takes hours to do"

Widening his bright eyes, Eren silently manoeuvred his way to an empty chair that was close yet far away from the corporal, the teen couldn't help but be surprised even more when he saw what the captain was drinking. He had never seen him drink sake before.

"Some sake?" offered the captain with a violent nod of the sake bottle to Eren, smiling nervously he shook his head no politely, in return Levi simply furrowed his brows even more.

Sighing heavily, Levi moved his eyes to stare at Eren; he sat with good posture with concern rimming his shinning pupils. Isabel flashed through his clouded mind.

"Eren"

"Yes Corporal?" the latter replied quickly already alert.

"I want you to know that no matter what I will protect you from any danger and always be there to rescue you...if I have to I will put my life on the line. I have vowed to myself that I shall never let you die nor out of my sight... do you understand?"

"Y-Yes Corporal" flushing a healthy shade of red Eren answered without any hesitation, he did not want to displease Levi while he was acting like this, all the questions he wanted to spill were being held back.

Placing the sake bottle down and mostly unaware of his actions now, Levi stood up and with a slight topple stalked over to Eren who looked so fragile and vulnerable and so much like Isabel. Without a thought Levi ruffled Eren's hair affectionately and bent over, gently he placed a soft but lingering kiss on Eren's forehead "Goodnight brat" he whispered before walking off and out of the dining hall.

Flustered and perplexed Eren watched as Levi disappeared from his sight, an explosion of butterflies erupted in his stomach, the teen couldn't help but release a giddy smile onto his flushed face.