A cold night, it was. The frigid air from outside crept in through any crack in any window or door possible. Eren, being in his cellar underground, was having the worst experience of anyone at HQ. Of course, being underground would mean a slight decrease in temperature, but that was not his main complication.
Muttering things in his sleep, twitching when he thought something was going wrong. He was having another nightmare. This time, it was about him being persecuted for his titan ability. He couldn't move, or defend himself at all. He was vulnerable. All of a sudden, he woke up with a start. Eren had no idea what was going on, so he sat in his bed for a moment to gather himself. He still felt a bit uncomfortable staying in that cold stone room, so he decided to get up.
He slowly made his way up the stairs to the main floor. Just barely making his way through the dark, he knocked on the door to Captain Levi's room. After waiting a few seconds, the door opened halfway. Standing on the other side of the threshold was a short, but muscular man wearing a plain white tee shirt and long black pants. His jet black hair, which was usually neatly parted and combed, was a bit tangled and thrown around, clearly from sleep. He wore an exhausted expression on his pale face.
"Mmm-?" the captain mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Eren took a small step back, giving Levi his space. "Uhm- sir… may I sleep here for the rest of the night?" asked Eren, nervously. Levi looked at Eren for a second before speaking. "I told you to call me Levi. But yes, you may." He opened the door wider for Eren to enter.
Eren grabbed the spare blanket laying over a chair in the captain's room, like he had done one time before. Before Eren could get settled in a spot on the floor, Levi had closed the door and made his way over to Eren, holding out a hand to help him up off the floor. "Uh- Ca- Levi?" said Eren, quite confused. Levi looked at Eren with his usual blank expression. "You can sleep with me, you know. It's not going to kill you." the dull man said. "I just- I didn't know if I was allowed to, sir."
Levi helped Eren up and they both settled down in the slightly rickety bed. The captain held the cadet's head close, massaging the back of his head with his slender fingers. Eren's face was dusted with a light pink blush, though Levi could not see it. "The same nightmare?" Eren couldn't get over Levi's sleepy and relaxing voice. "Yes… I don't get it. I wish it would all just stop. I mean-"
Eren was interrupted by a warm feeling on the top of his head. The captain had planted a short kiss atop the cadet's mop of dark brown hair. The captain said in the most calming voice possible, "It's alright, Eren. I'm here." He held Eren's head against his chest, so the cadet could hear the gentle thump of his heart. "You hear that? I'm alive. I'm right here to protect you, kid. Nobody's gonna hurt you. I won't let that happen."
The light pink blush already painted on Eren's face grew to a cherry hue. "Thank you, sir." Eren whispered against the bundle of warmth lying next to him, cradling him. The last quiet words the brown-haired boy heard before drifting off to sleep were, "Anytime, kid. I love you."