This story is written as pure fiction. I do not own the characters; Hajime Isayama does. If I did, the manga would be a lot more gay.

Restoring Humanity's Hope

It started after Eren realized his titan abilities, the nightmares and the uncertainty. Hanji was elated to try to help him control his power. He may provide a use for the Scouting Legion if he could learn to curtail his abilities. But once he was relieved that the nightmares about his mother's death had finally stopped, this new wave of nightmares started. Night after night,

Eren would wake up in a cold sweat, shaking and screaming. The nightmares were all similar. They would be on a mission and he would accidentally change into his titan form. Most of the time, the other recruits would be killed trying to help him. Someone would always swing by to slice him out of the titan, but by then it was too late. Whoever got him out would usually beat him or just leave him there alone. The worst was when it was Levi Heichou who ripped him out. He would beat Eren even worse than he had in that court room. But the look on his face was all that mattered to Eren. Levi's eyes were filled with hatred and disappointment. The last thing Eren ever wanted to do was disappoint the corporal.

He was glad that it seemed like no one could hear him from the basement. Unfortunately, it was obvious by his appearance that he was not sleeping well. Armin and Mikasa would ask if he was okay. He appreciated their genuine concern, but there was nothing that they could do to help him, and after a while, the added questioning was making him feel even worse. He began to push his friends away slightly, choosing instead to spend meal and free times by Levi's side, much to the annoyance of Mikasa. Thankfully, Heichou didn't seem to mind. He began to get used to having Eren around, which meant Eren was the one who did all of his tasks he normally gave to the recruits.

Levi was not obtuse to Eren's condition. In fact, he was getting worried, just didn't show it. Anything that he asked Eren to do, he would do immediately, even before he finished speaking. He never left his side when he was not performing a task and he had completely stopped talking to the other recruits. Levi could see that Eren wasn't sleeping well. He didn't want to interfere, but once in a while, he would go down to the basement after Eren had gone to bed. He heard the screams; he knew. But Levi wanted Eren to come to him if he had a problem. He knew the brat couldn't hold out that much longer. Others wouldn't have noticed, but he was in fact easier on Eren than the other recruits. Regardless, Eren never performed anything less than perfection in his chores. He would dust until the whole building was spotless, he would help Levi with paperwork; clean the stables, and anything else that was asked of him, no matter how gruesome. Levi vowed to keep an eye on him, since it seemed that Eren was not going to like spending his time with anyone else. Commander Erwin had agreed that it was probably best that way. And so it went.

One day in particular, Levi had asked Eren to help him clean their horses. Normally, Levi would have a recruit perform the task alone, but he wanted to be with Eren and resolved that they could curry the horses together. Eren did not say a word the entire time, but Levi could see that he found some comfort in brushing with the direction of the fur and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Levi. The smell of hay seemed to calm his nerves a little and Levi was glad he had decided on this task instead of cleaning his office. Little things like this Levi did every day to ensure that he did not leave Eren alone for too long. Training that day, however, had been disastrous. Eren did not have enough energy to keep up with his comrades and everyone noticed. Levi did not seem to pay attention to this and had Eren instead help him set up an obstacle course, rather than making him perform it. But by now, everyone but Eren knew what was going on and that the corporal was covering for him. There were constant whispers, but both Eren and Levi tried not to pay them any attention.

Dinner that night went as usual. Eren sat down next to Levi and pushed the food around on his plate, eating very little. Corporal watched him out of the corner of his eye, but also said nothing. He forced Eren to go rest right after dinner instead of doing chores. Eren was reluctant, but he did as he was asked.

A few hours went by and Eren had fallen asleep, only to be woken up by his usual nightmares. This one, it seemed, was the worst so far. It started the same as any other, the same mission, the same Survey Corps dying when he transforms, the same Heichou slicing him out of his titan, with the same hateful gaze. This time, however, Levi didn't hesitate before shoving the blade of his 3D manoeuvre gear straight through Eren's heart.

"For Humanity's hope, you sure have failed," Levi said before pulling out his blade and remounting his horse, leaving Eren on the ground to die. Eren cried, screamed, and begged Levi to turn around and come back to him, but he kept riding into the distance.

Eren awoke in his usual state, sweaty, nauseas, sobbing, and mortified. He needed to get out of this cold basement before he got sick. Legs trembling, Eren made his way out of the cell and up the stairs. Once in the hallway of the ground floor, he sank down to his knees and attempted to control his breathing and compose himself. Luckily, it was late enough that everyone was likely in bed. A few minutes and several deep breaths later, Eren stood up again and kept walking. His legs seemed to act of their own accord and he found himself outside the corporal's office. The door was slightly ajar and the light was on. It dawned on him that Heichou was probably still awake because he hadn't been asked to help him that night. Feeling slightly guilt-ridden, Eren hovered outside the door. But soon, he could stand there no longer. He wanted company and he at least knew that Levi would not likely kick him out. Trying to relax, Eren pushed open the door. Corporal looked up from his paperwork.

"Jaeger, what are you still doing awake?"

"I-I couldn't sleep, sir."

"Well, go make a pot of tea then."

"Yes, Corporal."

Eren left the room to make the tea Levi wanted. When he returned, Levi had set out two teacups and saucers on either side of his desk. Eren quickly poured the tea, hoping Heichou didn't notice that his hands were shaking. He did of course, but said nothing. Eren sat down, not wanting to be rude, and sipped his tea gingerly. Levi scrutinized him with his grey gaze.

"What's wrong, brat?"

Eren looked up, surprised.

"N-nothing, sir! I'm fine!"

Levi didn't believe him.

"You're lying to me. Tell me what is bothering you."

Eren looked down at his lap, recalling the nightmare and feeling the tears gather at the corners of his eyes. Was it really going to happen to him? Right now? If he confessed his fears to Heichou, would he realize that being a titan-shifter is dangerous and send him away? Beat him? Kill him?

Levi could see the internal struggle the teen was having and actually felt a bit of sympathy. He knew something must have been horribly wrong for the usually cheerful boy to act this way. He softened his voice and said,

"Jaeger, I know something is wrong. You've been nothing but a loyal dog to me for weeks; you barely say anything, and you haven't been spending much time with your friends lately. You have ridiculously ugly bags under your eyes, and I know you are about to cry."

The end of his speech came out a little sassier than he meant. God, he was not good at being sympathetic at all, was he? Eren by now had let a few tears escape down his cheeks. He made no move to get up, but wouldn't look up at the Corporal either. Levi inwardly sighed. He needed to try again, harder this time.

"Eren, I'm here to help you. Whatever it is you can tell me. I trust you; I need you to trust me too."

Eren finally looked up, locking eyes with his superior. Tears were now flowing freely down his cheeks.

"I've been plagued by nightmares every night for the past few weeks and I don't know what to do about them."

"Nightmares about what?" Levi asked, arching a perfectly sculpted brow.

"The squad turning against me because of my titan powers. All of them afraid of me, running away. And you, always you, beating me and then turning and walking away. It's heartbreaking, Heichou! I wake up sweating and nearly screaming every night. That's why I'm always by your side during the day, trying to do everything perfectly. I don't want you to turn against me. The others I don't worry as much about, as long as I still have you. I don't want to disappoint you."

Eren had poured his heart out and Levi, stoic as he was, actually felt moved by his words. He expected respect from all of his underlings, but he knew Eren had always thought of him as a hero. To hear him say that he mattered more than Eren's best friends was heartbreaking to him. And he would feel like a complete ass if he didn't try to calm the titan-shifter after all of that. Eren was sobbing now, his face hidden behind his hands, the cup of tea now lukewarm and forgotten on the desk.

Levi stood and walked around his desk to Eren's side. He pushed the teacup aside and out of the way and turned to Eren. The teen hadn't even noticed that he had gotten up, still covering his face with his hands. Levi touched his shoulder gently. Eren flinched but made no move to get away, so Levi quickly ran the hand from his shoulder, down to his lower back, and slid his other hand under Eren's knees. He picked Eren up and placed him on top of his desk instead. Eren uncovered his eyes, confused at the change in location. Levi said nothing as he pushed Eren's legs apart to stand in between them. The teen almost blushed, but he was too upset to get worked up over it. Levi placed his hand behind Eren's head and pulled him forward to rest on his chest. Eren seemed to understand the gesture and cautiously moved his hands to

Levi's hips and then around his back, pulling him closer. Levi's hand still at the back of Eren's head began stroking his feathery hair. His other hand rubbed light caresses down Eren's back, trying to soothe his sobbing.

They stayed like this for quite some time, until Eren's sobs had subsided. Levi decided to make use of the momentary peace.

"If you continue to perform as I ask of you, like you have been, and work on your titan training only under my command, there is no reason I would ever leave you, Eren. You are more dedicated than most and I am hard on you because you have so much heart and potential. I'm sure your friends feel the same."

Eren sniffled before answering.

"Thank you, Heichou. That means a lot."

He loosened himself from Levi, looking up into the steel grey eyes.

"I'll leave now if you want. I'm sure you'd like to go to sleep."

Levi didn't move. Eren looked down again, realizing he was trapped.

"You're still not going to be able to sleep if you leave now, are you? Levi asked.

"I don't think so, but it's alright. I'll be okay."

"No. I still want you to perform your duties perfectly, and you have not slept properly in weeks. I will not let you near any titans, others or your own, until you get a decent night of sleep."

Wasting no time, Levi again picked Eren up and carried him out the door. Eren squealed, but didn't protest as they went through the halls of the building. He thought Levi would drop him off at his own room, but they were going the wrong way. Before he knew it, they were entering Levi's private quarters and Eren was placed gently down on Levi's bed.

"You want me to stay here, Heichou?" Eren asked in disbelief.

"I want to keep an eye on you," was Levi's response. The older man disappeared into the adjoining bathroom, returning in silk pyjamas, working on loosening his cravat. He set it down on top of his dresser and glanced at Eren.

"Come on, brat, get ready for bed."

Eren was already wearing his nightclothes, but thought it would be good to wash his face after crying so much, and got off the bed to use the bathroom. When he returned, Levi was readying his outfit for the next day. Eren quietly got in the bed and under the covers, not entirely sure what he should do. Levi soon followed his lead and climbed into the other side of the bed. After a few moments of silence, Eren felt the need to ask,

"Corporal, why is it that you have so much faith in me? What if I can't control my titan abilities?"

Levi turned on his side to look at him. He saw the desperation and fear in Eren's eyes, despite the darkness.

"I have faith in all of my comrades, Eren, but yes, you are special. You have given 'Humanity's Strongest' hope. I have lost countless friends and squad members through the years. Your ability might be able to change all of that. And even if it fails, I still have you. People respect their superiors, but your loyalty is unlike any other. I know that I can count on you to do anything for me and that helps set my mind at ease."

Eren's eyes softened. He'd never heard anything so sweet natured come out of the Corporal's mouth. He wanted to show his gratitude, but he didn't know how. Levi could see this and decided to help him out. He reached out toward Eren, interlacing their fingers. Eren smiled and shuffled a bit closer to the corporal. Levi took the opportunity to graze his nose and mouth along the top of Eren's head and let it come to rest at the crown, placing a soft kiss in his wake. Eren purred and nuzzled his cheek into Levi's shoulder.

"I'll always be by your side, Levi."

"I expect nothing less."

Levi untangled their fingers in favour of laying his arm across Eren's hip. One of Eren's hands found Levi's waist, while the other was wedged between their chests. Eren felt safe and cared for, and even human. Levi didn't think he was a monster. And that was all that mattered to him. He closed his eyes once again and drifted off to sleep, knowing that Levi would chase his nightmares away.