"Oi Jaeger."

"Hello corporal."

"Have you cleaned the upstairs today?"

"I was just getting to it."

"Get to it faster, I don't want to see a spec of dirt."

"Y-yes Heichou." He said, quickly going up the stairs.

He went up the stairs as well and started to dust a room." Hurry up Eren." He called down the hall.

"Almost done sir!" He said, scrubbing furiously at the floors.

"Good. Make sure it sparkles." He replies, finishing up his dusting.

"Yes sir." Eren responded, finishing his own floor scrubbing, looking at his cleaning and admiring his cleaning skills.

Walks into the room Eren is cleaning and examines it closely as he works.

He could feel Levi's eyes on his back, though he did not look the soldier in the face.

His eye twitches as he notices a tiny cobweb in the corner by the door. He slowly walks to it and uses his duster to clean it himslef.

*himself

Eren looked up then as he walked to the corner, biting his lip nervously.

He looks up at Eren, looking quite displeased with him. "Try again Brat." He said in a scolding tone.

"But sir, you already got it." Eren said shakily, standing up at attention.

He stared at Eren. " Did I stutter Jaeger? I said, try again. " Leads him to the next room over.

" I want it spotless." He said calmly.

"No si-" he said, breaking off mid sentence as Levi drug him into the other room. Sighing, Eren grabbed a duster and began to dust the shelves hastily.

He took a seat in a chair behind the desk. He then proceeded to observe Eren to make sure he didn't miss a spot.

Eren scrubbed the entire room heatedly after he finished dusty, making sure he didn't miss a single spot. By the time he was done, he was sweating profusely, panting.

He got up and looked around the room critically. Seeing no spots missed he nodded in approval. "Good job Eren. You may go to dinner now." He said dismissing him.

"Thank you sir." He said, still breathing heavily, as he prepared to exit the room, throwing his white bandanna down around his neck.

He nodded and saluted him before turning and walking out.

Eren walked down the stairs, checking over his shoulder to be certain Levi was jot following him. He felt his stomach grumble, loudly. Rounding the bottom, he walked in to see the cafeteria nearly empty, save for two cadets sitting alone at a table. He approached the bar where the food was kept, and saw to his dismay that they had removed all that had been leftover from dinner. Sighing, Eren walked to a table, glad to have sat down.

He walked into the dining hall carrying 2 trays and set one in front of Eren then proceeded to walk to a different table and sat down. He sipped his tea not saying a word but as soon as he entered the cadets looked uneasy. He ignored them and sipped the tea again, staring off into space.

Eren looked up at him in surprise, thanking him as Levi walked away. He couldn't help but to feel grateful, it wasn't as though the corporal had to do that. Slowly, ignoring the other two soldiers, Eren got to his feet, carrying his tray and sitting down across from Levi quietly, not saying a single word. He took a hungry bite of the bread, chewing it thoroughly then swallowing it, his earlier cleaning having made him ravenous.

Levi started peacefully at his tea and didn't speak. He slowly stirred it and then looked up at Eren to acknowledge he was there. He then went back to what seemed to be to be deep thought. A small smile crept across his face as he reminisced about his former elite group and their shenanigans . But the smile quickly passed and he went back to his normal ever stoic face.

Eren smiled slightly in response to Levi's acknowledgement, before he went back to eating, trying to have some etiquette about it despite the fact that he was starving. He snuck a small glance at Levi and saw that he was smiling, deep in thought. He wondered what the corporal was thinking about but did not dare to ask him. Instead, he looked up from the food, letting his elbows lean casually on the table before he spoke. "I don't know if you heard me earlier, but thank you, for this." He said, his voice low.

For a moment he seemed startled but then nodded and said, "It's not a big deal, but you're welcome Eren. " He then took a sip of the now cold tea and went back into his thoughts. This time his memories took a trip to hell and he grimaced influentially small as images of his fallen comrades crossed his mental plain. He then shook the thought away and attempted to eat his food but just ended up moving it around the tray. He pushed it away lightly then offered "Do you want this, I'm not hungry "

Eren watched his commander's face change as his thoughts shook him indiscreetly, wondering what in the hell he could be thinking about that made him appear so tortured. Eren finally cleaned his tray up, stifling a burp and then sitting there, staring at the ground, trying to make it clear he hadn't been studying the older soldier. As he spoke, Eren lifted his head once more, then shook it. "No, I'm fine, thank you though sir. Would you like me to take it over there for you?" He asked, standing up to take his own tray.

"Yes, gomen Eren." He said absentmindedly as his thoughts would not cease to destroy his normal stoic persona. His features continue to falter and he lays his head in his hands for a brief moment. He then sits up straight, composed again. he downs his tea and stands almost un noticeably shaking at the knees. He starts to leave. "I'm going to bed, good night Cadets, Good night Eren. " He then turns to head to his room.

Eren took the two trays to the table, setting them down and then returning. As he approached the table, he saw Levi getting to his feet and noticed that he was shaking somewhat intensely. Quickly going to the man's side, Eren felt inclined to offer him balance, so he offered Levi his arm to grab onto. "Are you okay sir? Do you need assistance going to your room?" He asked him concernedly, hoping that he was okay.

He steadied himself and briskly shook his head. "No Eren, I'll do alright getting upstairs on my own. Its just my bad leg is slightly hurting. " He then goes up the stairs leaving Eren behind. He makes his way to his room then proceeds to lay forlornly on his bed staring at the ceiling as images of Eldo, Petra, Gunther, and Oluo's corpses flash across his mind. He doesn't cry though. He simply lays there and wonders what he could have done to prevent him. Then his mind skips ahead to when they had to throw the bodies off the wagon and a flash of auburn hair appeared right as he watched them throw it.

Eren nodded, chewing his lip nervously and then watching as Levi walked IP the stairs, making sure he made it alright. He then proceedes to his own room, sighing tiredly and entering the barracks, crashing onto his bed exhaustedly. He lay on his back, wondering what Levi had been thinking about when he had become so troubled. There was no telling, really, but Eren wished there was so he could comfort the corporal as best as he could. Soon, his eyes began to close and his breathing slowed down, as he crept into sleep.

He proceeded to have a restless night without much sleep but once he finally slipped into the clutches of sleep a nightmare ripped into him. He was in the forest with the female titan and all his elite where there standing in front of him in a line saluting him. from behind the titan proceeded to kill them all one by one and he was frozen, unable to save them. Petra was the last to fall and He woke up a scream caught in his throat to the light of early morning seeping through his window. His body trembles as he thinks about the dream.

Eren awoke with a start, hearing a distant yell that sounded like that of a man coming from down the hall. The sound had roused him from a deep, peaceful sleep and it caught him off guard tremendously. The boy:s heart thudded quickly as he got out of bed, looking to see if anyone else had been awoken by the sound but surprisingly enough, they all remained silent. Eren stumbled out of the barracks and then into the mess hall, looking around to find the source. seeing that the only place it could have come from was Levi's room, Eren jogged up the stairs, worried the corporal had been harmed.

He sat in bed with his face in his hands trying not to cry. He hoped that no one had heard him. He would never live it down if they knew he had emotions. He then took a few deep breaths but the nightmare wouldn't stop playing in his mind. He doubled over and let out a choked sob that he had been holding back for what felt like years. and maybe he had. He whispered to himself wishing his comrades were there "I'm so sorry... it's my fault."

Eren slowly stepped up the landing until he was standing in Levi's doorway, his emerald eyes wide with worry. He saw that there was no blood to be found and that his corporal appeared to be good physically, though mentally, he appeared beaten. Eren slowly stepped into the room, seeing that the man's face was covered in tears. He stopped walking then, standing awkwardly between the bed and the doorway. "C..corporal, are you okay?" He asked nervously, wondering what had caused the brave soldier to cry out as he had.

His head whipped to see Eren. Oh Christ the kid had seen him. He tried to conceal his emotions but it didn't work. He simply stared at his lap as the tears continued to cascade down his face. His tiny form shook as he silently sobbed. He swallowed enough tears that he whispered in a hoarse cracked voice "No Eren, I'm not." He hopped to whatever god there was that the kid hadn't heard him blaming himself for the deaths of his group's members. The guilt weighed on him visibly and his shoulders sagged in defeat.

Eren quickly ran to sit on the edge of Levi's bed, placing a hand on his shoulder gently, comfortingly. He was concerned for the man, who he had never seen as weak or even thought of as emotional, and all that he wanted to do was to comfort him in this moment. "What is it sir? Is there anything I can do for you?" The brunette asked him, wanting more than anything to put him at ease.

he stilled as Eren touched his arm unsure what to do, his emotions swirling chaotically throughout his head. Blindly he reach ed out and fell into Eren's chest. His once proud and terrifying persona now looked like shattered glass. Hes eyes looked glazed over as his mind played the movie of the dream over and over. Overtaken by grief he laid there limp against Eren he whispered "It's my fault " then fell completely silent.

Eren wrapped his arm around the sobbing man, holding him a sort of embrace, one arm dangling lightly over Levi's side. "What is your fault corporal?" He asked, before it suddenly dawned upon him. He realized then that ever since Petra and the rest of Levi's squad had given their lives, he had never been quite the same. And now, all the weight of theory deaths was falling down upon the tiny man's shoulders, slumping onto him like a dead weight. Gently, Eren held him close in a hug, gently rubbing his hand over the corporal's back. "Levi, it was not your fault, I promise.." He whispered in a soothing tone.

He slumped visibly and rested his head on erens shoulder. " I could have saved them. " He said in a small broken voice. His entier being seemed small and shattered. He crawled inside himself and blocked out the world. His heart betrayed him though and there was a small crack in his dead looking face. His eyes look up at eren but don't see him. He's pale and his cheeks are flushed. Almost like he died of a fever but is still breathing. A walking dead man.

"There was nothing you could have done, sir." Eren said softly, laying the side of his head gently against Levi's. "You did what you could have done and there was nothing more. They died happily, as soldiers serving under their leader. It was a brave ending for them , a hero's death." The brunette said softly as he continued to run his hand over Rivaille's back, before he reached around and took the soldier's hand in his own, before he turned around for a brief moment, looking him dead in his forlorn, broken eyes. "You should never blame yourself for things like this, sir. There was no stopping anything in a situation such as that.." The boy whispered, before returning back to how he had been sitting, letting Levi's head return against his shoulder.

He lays there in silence and says nothing. He tries to crawl within himself. He begins to build mental walls as he lays there. His emotions becoming less and less attached to him. If only he could feel he thought to himself. His mind blank and passive as it stops processing what Eren says and simply lets the rumble of his voice sooth him. Where was he again? Oh yes, his room... Where was Petra? She usually woke him. He was dazed and in his very own twilight zone. his mind a mess and his body limp. He stared up at Eren confusedly. Oh that's right, Petra's dead...

Eren continued talking to him, over and over repeating that the soldier was not responsible for the death of his comrades. Eren layed on his back as he talked, looking down at the corporal as he still let an arm hang loosely around the grieving man's shoulders, the warm morning light falling on Levi's face and illuminating just how frayed and broken he truly was, deep shadows filling beneath Levis eyes. He frowned, still holding the man's hand, staring up at the ceiling and wishing he knew what to do to help his corporal find peace.

He finally heard Eren's voice through his clouded mind. He blinked, eyes coming into focus. His heart felt body weighed to much. His tongue was made of lead and his soul was paper thin. He reached out and took eren's hand. He gave him a small squeeze so he would know he understood. Then in his quiet frayed voice he said "I miss them more than you can comprehend Eren." Then the dead man with the paper soul and lead heart slumped back into his pillows.

Eren sat up now, glad to see that the man had finally moved. He could hear the pain in his corporal's voice, the sleepless nights, the nightmares and the countless times he had forgotten they were even dead. The pain of this drove right into the pit of Eren's soul, and for a fleeting moment, he felt tears well up into the ducts of his eyes, but quickly, he recoiled and shooed them away, knowing he had to be strong for sallow man on the bed. He recomposed himself before he spoke, keeping his voice steady. "Would it make you feel better to talk about them?" The boy asked, his turquoise eyes locking onto the corporal, glossy from the tears that had almost trailed down his pale cheeks.

He slowly nodded " I suppose." He quietly replied. He still held erens hand and slowly turned back into the Levi Eren knew. But it was all for naught, his heart weighed him down again. He then began to take a walk down memory lane and pieced together his broken mind, one thought at a time. Then it hit. The bomb that would be his ruin. The memory of Petra's father confronting him after the 57th expedition. He shattered. The thin string tying him to himself severed and he fell into a pit. His heart ripped in half and his head lolled to the side. " E-eren... I can't do it any more. End it. " He whispered in a tiny voice. All hope gone. all peace of mind burned. Ashes and lead was all that filled him.

Eren felt satisfied as the man briefly morphed into the stern leader that any cadet would be proud to have, the bold man that stood above all with a brave face and a merciless attitude. But then,as he began to remember his friends, Eren literally watched the corporal fall to pieces. Quickly, the boy straddled Levi, gently grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, but not too roughly, for he feared that Rivaille Levi would crumble to pieces right in his hands. "Sir, you have to be strong for them! They would never want you to suffer as you are! They would want you to carry on as if their hoofbeats are right behind yours, as it always was before. You have to be strong, sir, you have to keep moving...if not for them...do it for me...and the rest of the corps. We need you sir,we need you to lead us and be the corporal that we deserve, and we will in turn do out best to be the troops that you deserve... please, Levi.." His voice broke as a single tear swam down his light skinned cheek, Eren unable to control the pain of seeing the soldier in such an awful state.

Erens voice sliced through his dazed state of despair and he slammed back to shattered man stared at Eren as he realized what he had said. He mentally slapped himself letting his continents yell at him and yank him out of his pool of pity. He sat up straight and even, His eyes sparked with life and he looked at Eren. "Your right." His voice was no longer small, but commanding and strong. If Petra had seen him like this she would have out right smacked him. He shook himself into full awareness and suddenly he looked sharp and bold. His heart lightened and filled with fire. He had to fight so that no one would forget them. He had to remember. He would not lose them twice. "Thank you. I needed that."

Eren sat up as he did, seeing that the man who had momentarily become a shadow of a human being had regained dimension and strength, it was as though he had completely reawakened from a dream and he looked as though he could conquer anything and everything. Eren grinned happily, his bright eyes beaming in the rising sunlight. "That's the spirit!" He said encouragingly, sitting back on his knees, his hands resting on top of them. He was happy that the corporal was now truly the corporal, even happier that he had been the one to raise him from the dead. He nodded in response to Levi's words, still smiling almost cheekily. "You're very welcome sir." He said, saluting Levi then clutching his arm to his chest, the true salute of the scout regiment. "I'm glad that I could be of assistance."

Then the Corporal did something that seemed unreal. He gave Eren a smile and in a way he only seemed to salute Erwin and Hanji he saluted Eren. Respect showed in his eyes as he looked at the boy who had raised him from his own personal hell. He then stood at once from his bed and stripped out of his sweat and tear soaked shirt. He peeled off his other cloths and changed into his daily attire as Eren simply sat on his bed. He turned to Eren. " It's time for breakfast cadet." He then added "Don't tell anyone what happened here understood? " His tone was warning but had warmth underneath.

Eren looked at him in complete amazement, bewildered that he had shown one such as himself such a symbol of respect. He couldn't help but to feel pride rising in his chest as he kept his head turned and waited for the corporal to finish undressing before he got to his feet, realizing his own shirt was covered in the tears of the corporal. He didn't care though, if anyone were to ask he would simply tell them he had drooled all over himself in his sleep. As Levi spoke, the boy nodded curtly. "Understood sir. If you ever need someone to talk to again, however, you can count on me." Eren responded, as he stood with his hands behind his back in front of the doorway.

The now composed man nodded curtly and gave him a small smirk "I'll hold you to that cadet." He then began walking down the hall, head held high and his uniform looking pristine. the very picture of grace and honor. He made his way to the dinning room where a few sleepy cadets where scrounging for coffee and looking like morons. He scoffed at them. and grabbed 2 cups of strong black tea for him and Eren.

Eren walked ahead of the corporal proudly, carrying himself almost as mighty as Levi was, proud that he had the ability to bring the man that he looked up to the most back from the brink of no return. He looked at the rest of the cadets who were in the room and giving them a small nod before he turned, joining Levi. He cupped the coffee between his hands, taking a large sip of the mug and then struggling not to spit it back out, the awful tasting stuff's bitter flavor spilling over his mouth. He coughed a few times, his nose scrounging up distastefully as he looked at the older man and raised an eyebrow, struggling to swallow the coffee down. "How do you drink this?" He questioned, used to the luxury of milk to water down the bitter, rich coffee.

He smirked and watched the young cadet choke on the coffee. He laughed lightly at the question,drawing the attention of the other cadets who had never seen him smile let alone laugh. He gave them a disapproving glare and they immediately looked away. He then replied "Years of practice and i drown it in sugar." He held up a bottle filled to the brim with straight up sugar. "want some?"

Eren's gaze flitted momentarily to the cadets, then back to Levi, staring at the sugar confusedly. "Really? You use sugar in it?" He said, his family having never been fortunate enough to afford the grainy substance. "Sure.." He said as he took the bottle from the corporal's hand, gently emptying some of its contents into the licorice black coffee. Sloshing the liquid in a circle mix it in, the brunette reached the cup gingerly to his lips and then proceeded to drink it. For a moment, hr couldn't the taste the sugar at all, but then, its sweet taste bathed his tongue, and he couldn't help but to grin at its fantastic taste. He gulped down the coffee until it was nearly empty, before he set it back down on the table and looked at the corporal approvingly. "That's delicious. Thank you, very much for sharing." He said lowly. The hall began to fill up as the smell of the usual biscuits filled the air, cadets coming in yawning and stumbling tiredly as Eren surveyed them all coolly.

The Lance Corporal smirked and began to drink his coffee while watching Eren freak out. He then reached over and took the sugar from his hand and laughed as Eren downed his drink in a matter of seconds. He then proceeded to stare down any cadet that dared to look his way, my Levi, what a nice personality you have. Thank you, I use it to kill others confidence and stupidity. He watched as 2 cadets flirted and wondered how long they would survive. He hopped they didn't decide to stay together. It only makes losing the other that much harder. He looked back at Eren sighing.

Eren took a last gulp of the coffee and then sat back, feeling wide awake now. He watched a little sadly as Levi took back the sugar though he had no intention of drinking another mug. He looked around at the room as well, seeing Mikasa and Armin come into the room, Reiner and Bertholdt behind the two. He saw Mikasa's look of worry as she searched the room frantically for him, before he suddenly stood up and waved at her to let her know that he was there. She looked at him, preparing to approach him though she stopped when she saw who sat across from her friend. Quickly, she changed direction and went to get her serving of biscuits and oatmeal, as Eren watched her for a moment. He then turned back to Levi, wondering if he had seen the interaction. Sighing lightly, he rested his chin on the table and folded his arms beneath his head, the sugar giving him a rush of eagerness and energy. "So, whst is our plan for the day, sir?" He asked, looking up at him from where his head lay.

He looked up as Eren stood and trailed his eye's to the Ackerman girl that had a crush on Eren. He rolled his eyes as she shot him a violent glare. He simply chuckled and watched her storm off to get food. He was unaffected by her and watched Eren take a seat. he smoothly replied to him " I plan on taking a ride on my horse today. Would you like to come?"

"That sounds great, actually. It feels like ages since I've taken just a pleasure ride." The boy said as he batted his coffee mug lightly between his hands, then returned his attention to the corporal. Wow, a day alone riding with the corporal, what an honor. He tossed a look at Mikasa once more, seeing her disapproving look but ignoring it with a chuckle, looking up once more at Levi amiably.

He stood and gulped down the rest of his coffee. He then beckoned for Eren as he walked toward the exit. Once outside he walked into the stables and threw on his cloak and began to saddle the horses. He then decided to mount his horse while waiting for Eren to be rid of his "sister"

Eren nodded in acknowledgement to Levi as he went to speak to Mikasa, looking at her apologetically. She turned her face, pretending not to notice him as she ate her breakfast. Eren sat down across from her, looking apologetic. "Mikasa, I hope you don't mind but I'm going to spend the day with Corporal Levi, but I'll be back tonight to jog with you?" He said, chewing his lip. Mikasa turned, narrowing her eyes. "That's okay, Armin and I are going together." She said snidely, as Eren rolled his eyes. "Fine. Well, I guess I'll see you later." He said, turning and leaving, following the soldier out to the barn. He approached him, excited, as he went to his horse and finished tacking it himself, placing the bridle over its head as the animal gently butted him with its nose. He looked over at Levi, drawing his own cloak over his head as he tightened the chinstrap. "So, where are we riding to?" He asked him, gently scratching his mount behind the ears.