Hello and welcome to a co-authored story, between myself and the lovely AriaofYlisse! We came up with this idea by looking at a picture of Eren and Levi and creating a scenario around it. We then proceeded to talk through the story and then decided to write it. Aria serves as basically my Beta, and she's damn good at it.

This story is rated for injury and for Levi's sailor mouth, we love writing in his character! ^^

Attack on Titan / Shingeki no Kyojin belongs to Hajime Isayama, not us!

When they had gotten Erwin's permission to leave early that morning for an outsourced training mission, neither Eren nor Levi could have guessed it would turn out the way it did.

"Fuck…"

Eren winced at the pained tone the other had as he clutched feverishly as his splinted leg.

It had all happened so quickly. He was amazed Levi had even been able to catch him when Eren's maneuvering gear cord had snapped—due to some stupid trick he'd insisted on attempting—sending the teen spiraling through the air like a ragdoll. But the incredible save the man had pulled off hadn't come without a cost. In the very least, his tibia was broken; if not his fibula as well.

"I-I'm so sorry Heichou," Eren murmured for the one thousandth time since the incident. No matter how many times he said it, he didn't feel any less guilty.

Levi glared at him outright, "Apologize again and I will kick you in the teeth, shitty brat."

Eren gulped nervously at the threat but avoided direct eye contact with the intense corporal.

The older man let out a frustrated sigh, "Instead apologize to me by carrying me to my damn horse," he demanded.

Eren blinked owlishly at the request, "What?" Was the Corporal really requesting to be carried?

"Well, this is your fucking fault, so take responsibility and help me to my horse, shit head." Levi's brow furrowed to a dangerous level.

Eren spluttered but ultimately realized that the truth in his words. "Okay," he relented. Awkwardly, the teen stood and tried to figure out how to go about getting the other up. "Uhh, here climb on my back and I'll…" Eren trailed off when he heard a noise—a disturbingly distinctive noise.

The ground shook slightly. Birds in nearby trees fluttered away in a flurried panic. How had they not noticed sooner?

Both turned in the general direction of the sound. Eren's heart sunk. Three 15-meter class titans were approaching at a frightening pace. Quicker than he thought possible for himself, he snatched the Corporal up in his arms and began sprinting.

Levi hissed at the sudden movement, agony pulsing through his wounded leg, "How about some fucking warning next time?" he grumbled, latching onto Eren's shoulder for stability assurance.

"Where are the horses?" Eren cried in rising panic, "They were right here!"

Levi outright smacked him, making the boy flinch and stumble a moment. "Where the fuck do you think?! Would you hang around if titans were coming?!"

The teen ignored the other as he focused on propelling himself forward faster and faster. The footsteps were getting closer. He pushed everything he had into forward momentum, desperate to get away despite the obvious inevitable; they just weren't able to go fast enough. Eren tried to ignore the unsettled look on his superior's face when the man peered over his shoulder—Levi hardly ever looked so ruffled. As much as he wanted to believe they could escape, he knew the truth of things. They needed a horse.

"You need to leave me," the dark haired man stated indifferently, gray eyes filled with fatal acceptance.

Eren's eyes narrowed in anger, "No way," he shot back aggressively, "not in a million years."

Levi glared at him, "Remember who you're speaking to shit head; that was an order! I'm a soldier, I can be replaced! You can't! So fucking drop me and leave! Now!"

Eren's face flooded with utter horror at the mere suggestion. Memories of leaving his mother to die and running away as Squad Levi was decimated flooded his mind; each incident replaying like a hellish nightmare, over and over as he looked at the broken corporal. No more, he decided, never again. "You're Humanity's Strongest Soldier there's no way I'm letting you die." he shot back anxiously.

The titans were closing in. They didn't have the time to be arguing like this.

"Still a fucking soldier, brat," Levi was becoming more insistent, his grimace darkening and intensifying as things continued going south, "still replaceable – but a titan shifting shit like you isn't! SO JUST FUCKING LEAVE ME!"

"NOT TO ME," Eren shouted as he forced himself onward, "… you're not replaceable for me…" Tears stung at the corner of his eyes, he wished he could wipe them away so Levi wouldn't see. "I won't let these things take anyone else from me!" he muttered. A silent fury was seeping into him. I won't let them have you, Levi.

"No one needs me," the teen continued restlessly, "but you—you're inspiration to this whole damn army! There's no way I'm going to abandon you! So just shut the hell up and let me carry you!"

That seemed to silence the Corporal, if only momentarily. "Eren fucking Jaegar," he ground out, "Don't you ever say anything that stupid again. Everyone needs you…fuck, Eren, I need you! Now, drop me this damn instant and get the fuck out or I swear to god I will break your neck."

The younger was surprised to hear a bit of desperation in the man's tone. His aqua eyes hardened as he momentarily met the other's gaze, "Not a chance."

The punch to his cheek was enough to throw him off pace. He stumbled helplessly, and ended up dropping the short statured man from his arms.

Levi bit back a cry of pain as he scooted away from the other slightly to rest against a tree, "Now go and get the fuck out of here, you shit!"

"NO!" Eren cried, frustrated tears leaking from his eyes, "I won't leave you to be fucking titan bait!"

His eyes burned with a passionate fire that Levi would only see when Eren was slaying titans. It was a battle of wills; and neither would leave the other behind.

A titan roared nearby, having spotted them once again. It picked up its pace.

Then there came another sound, one of a different variety. A horse whinnied from somewhere close. As if by a miracle, Levi's chestnut mare shot into their line of vision. She galloped up to them, stamping anxiously, rearing up on her hind legs.

The Corporal stood, biting his cheek to keep quiet his moans of agony, and went to the panicked steed. He patted her head lightly and tossed an urgent look to Eren. "Together," he shouted over the sounds of the approaching titans, "or not at all!"

Eren said nothing as he forced Levi up onto the saddle, trying to overlook the pained grimace on the latter's face.

An odd roar sounded from a distance and the two looked, dreading what they would find. Aberrant titans—three of them.

"Shit," Levi cursed.

When a strong hand shot out for his, Eren grabbed it and smiled at the other sadly. "You won't get away unless I give them something to hunt," he murmured.

Levi's face twisted in disbelief, "Don't you fucking dare, Jaegar!" He moved once more to pull the other up into the saddle, frustrated when his cadet stepped away. "Eren, don't," he choked a bit desperately.

Time slowed as their eyes met; one in denial, the other resolute.

"Go, Levi," he said with a taut smirk. Then he shot off in the direction of the titans, hand raised to his mouth.

"EREN COME BACK HERE!"

I will protect the Corporal, was his only thought as he transformed. The thunderous sound of his metamorphosis shook the ground vigorously.

Levi growled as he spurred on his horse, "You stupid fucking brat…" He felt adrenaline pump through his veins at Eren's ear-splitting roar. The slam of his first hit landing on a titan erupted the air with raging steam. Levi stalked the outskirts of the battle, trying to stay out of the line of fire as best as possible while refusing to leave the brat.

The rogue titan slammed his fists into his foes furiously, his protectiveness over the injured Levi fueling his rage. You will not take him away from me. Two down. Eren clamped his jaws around the neck of one of the aberrant types. I won't let you touch Levi. His anger boiled his blood.

"I swear I'm going to fucking murder you when this is over," the Corporal grumbled as he continued swerving through the trees, eyes locked on his brat and the battle at hand. In the back of his mind, he noted how well the other was fending off the titans.

But the strength of humanity never seemed to be enough. Levi's constant scanning revealed something that made his heart sink: more titans incoming, many more. They must've been attracted by the commotion. "Shit," he cursed, directing his horse to ride in closer to Eren.

He knew his stubborn brat saw it too. He couldn't fend off this many without help. The stoic man growled and prepared to enter the brawl when something stopped him.

Eren's titan form roughly shoved all of the beasts away and locked eyes on his position. What the hell? Levi thought, but not for long.

The next thing Levi knew, he was being yanked upward by a colossal hand. He cried out in both surprise and pain at the sudden motion. "FUCK, EREN! WARN ME SHITFACE," he bellowed from the shifters paw. Fear spiked the back of his conscious as he wondered if Eren had lost control of himself again. He coiled his body for a moment, but the titan's gentle touch allowed him to relax again. He lay back in the hand that held him delicately, giving up on trying to follow the catastrophic whirr of movements around him

Blearily, he opened his eyes to peer up at the glowing teal eyes that would leer down at him occasionally. Eren was in total control, Levi could see that clearly now. He could even see the concern painted clearly across the other, even if on his titan's face.

"Fucking shitty brat," the Corporal muttered, putting an arm over his eyes to shield them.

And end chapter 1! Hope you enjoyed, we already have the next chapter in the works and will have it posted soon! Thanks for reading, R&R and tell us what you thought! See ya next chapter!

~Ghosties

-Aria