When Eren woke up the next morning the Corporal was gone, in fact a lot of the team was missing from HQ. There had been a sudden emergency, something that the Garrison guards hadn't been able to handle and the Recon Corps had been called in to take care of. Apparently some Titans had almost broken through the closed gate in Trost, and it had sparked panic within the Garrison.

Now though Levi was returning, along with his men, the threat having been taken care of and the wall once more secure. They weren't moving very fast though, which wasn't a good sign. The emergency mission had ended in a success, but at what price? The corporal entered his headquarters the rest of his bloody, battered team behind him. He himself was badly beaten up for once, cuts and bruises all over his body, with blood dripping from the side of his mouth. He was also holding his stomach with a hand, and one of his pant legs was ripped in a pattern resembling teeth marks. He was still barking orders though, telling them to get to the most injured to the medics immediately.

He hadn't attempted to get off his steed yet, for fear trying to get off would leave him bloody and on the ground, ". . . And be sure to get the equipment cleaned off before putting it away. Get the team members that are still in HQ to come out and help. We're going to need it . . ."

Eren wasn't that concerned when he woke up to an empty bed. He knew that Levi had things to do, especially being the Corporal and all. It wasn't until he went to get breakfast that he started to feel worried. There weren't many people in the dining hall, and Eren had to wonder why. Of course when he asked and heard that they had been called in on a mission Eren got scared, like trembling, worried down to his bones scared. He knew that Levi would be on that mission, and he couldn't help but be scared for the other man.

The question that constantly plagued his mind all morning was simple, "What if Levi didn't come back?" So Eren spent the entire day in the stables, anxiously awaiting the teams return from the mission. So when the troops came back, and Eren saw Levi beaten and bloody he couldn't help but gasp, his heart skipping a beat and his brain trying to catch up with what he was seeing. He raced to help Levi off his horse, letting the beaten and bloody man lean on him while they walked into HQ together.

"Don't worry Corporal I'll take care of you." He took them to Levi's room and laid the man on the bed, quickly closing the door to get dressing for his wounds.

Levi hadn't wanted to get Eren involved, he also hadn't wanted to get taken back to his room so soon. He wanted to make sure the team did as they were told. He'd just have to trust them though, since he had no strength to protest against the younger boy. He'd lie back on his bed, breathing heavily and still holding his stomach with one hand.

"You . . . You don't need to do that. I'm fine. Go help the rest of the team Jaeger." The corporal would curse under his breath, closing his eyes for a moment. How the fuck had he let this happen? He hadn't been badly injured on a mission in forever. Could it be that he couldn't get his head in the right place? That he was thinking about Eren too much?

"I'm . . . I'm fine." He repeated.

Eren knew that he wasn't fine. He knew that Levi needed care, and now. Once he grabbed the bandages he rushed back to Levi's room, closing the door and walking over to the bed. Levi had started to bleed through the clothing he was wearing and Eren was quick to cut it off with one of Levi's extra blades. What he saw scared the crap out of him. There was blood and bite marks, and Eren could swear he saw bruises already forming. He quickly washed away the blood, putting ointments and things on each wound before wrapping the bandages tightly around his partner.

All the while he muttered, "How could you have let this happened Levi? You're one of the best Titan killers other there. How did they get the better of you?"

When he was done he picked Levi up, placing him in a chair before quickly stripping the bed and remaking it with clean sheets. Once he was finished with remaking the bed he dressed Levi in a light sleeping shirt and pants, grabbing everything that had blood on it and giving Levi one order before leaving. "You need to rest. I'll see to everything else for you, but you need to stay put and sleep."

The corporal was only half conscious anymore from blood loss, Eren's care a blur. The scene from the mission just kept replaying in his head; how he almost had been eaten and how some of his team weren't' lucky enough to get that almost in a sentence with their names. He felt like complete shit, and not just because of his wounds. He didn't care that everyone else counted this mission as a success, he had failed in his own eyes. Was he losing his edge? He could only wonder and dread what the hell he was going to write in a report for the whole disaster, or what his other soldier's might say about it.

Levi was already asleep when Eren told him to stay put and left, having totally lost consciousness now and drifting off into a tormented sleep.

Eren was worried about Levi of course, but he didn't let that cloud his mind as he started giving orders. Sure he was a new recruit, but as soon as he told people he had orders from Levi to take over they didn't disobey him. In the span of two hours he had all of the wounded properly cared for, all of the equipment set to clean, and all of the dead listed.

Being the cleanup guy wasn't very easy, but he knew that without Levi there to lead it needed to get done. Once all that was done he personally cleaned Levi's equipment and put it away before going to report to his superior. It had already been a long day for everyone, and as soon as he was done giving his personal report and helping Levi write his own he wanted nothing more than to sleep for the next day or so. He walked through the halls, making it to Levi's room and opening the door, hoping the other man was awake.

The corporal was in fact awake, sitting on the edge of his bed farthest from the door. He was inspecting his wounds, his messed up hair a sure sign he had only recently just woken up.

"Fuck, fuck . . . Ouch dammit. Fucking Titans think they can make a fucking meal out of me God they all need to fucking die." It seemed as though he was pretty pissed off, most likely with himself. He was just getting his frustration out by cursing and messing with his injuries. He felt the pain was deserved, and would probably continue torturing himself till he was satisfied. After all this whole disaster was his fault.

"Mother of fucking God I hate this job." Levi clearly hadn't noticed Eren, and continued what he was doing.

Eren walked over, pushing Levi back onto the bed and fixing all of his dressings. "You really shouldn't do that you know. You're wounds won't heal if you keep poking at them."

He then sat down at the edge of the bed, ready to take down Levi's report. "You don't need to worry, I took care of things on this end. There were three people killed under your command, none of them from your squad specifically. Fifteen injured, including yourself, and three horses were also injured. The gear is being cleaned as we speak, the bloodstained clothing burned, and everyone's wounds have been treated. You have nothing to worry about right now, so give me your statement and then you can go back to sleeping once I get you something for the pain." Eren was all business now, but he still leaned down and kissed Levi's forehead, "Thank you for coming back alive." he murmured before sitting back up, "Now tell me what happened."

The corporal only glared at Eren, his expression growing more and more angry as he listened. He ignored the thank you, and even wiped his forehead where the younger boy had kissed him.

"No, no that's not what is going to happen. You're going to go back to your room and stay there like you're supposed to!" Levi's voice slowly grew louder and louder as he spoke, standing up so he could look down on Eren. "I'm the corporal here, I make the orders and rules. This is my team, you are my tool. Stop acting like you're my right hand man, or just another solider. That isn't how things are. Now get out and do as you're told!" Levi was shouting by the time he finished, a look of shock passing his face before returning back to anger.

He was also clutching his wounds again, moving around was clearly a bad idea. It seemed he was now taking his frustration out on Eren, since the shifter had taken the option of hurting himself away. The older man could only link this back to Eren anyway, feeling that his new emotions toward the boy were what led to him screwing the mission up.

"I said get out! I can write my own damned report myself and take care of my own wounds! I don't need you Jaeger! You're just another weapon for us to use! Get out!"

Eren was hurt by Levi's words, but he did as he was told. He knew the older man was upset about something, and he knew that right now was not the time to ask about it. He left the room, with-holding tears and worried about Levi even more. He was only trying to help, but it seemed that Levi didn't want his help right now. Even so when Eren left he went down to the dining hall to get something to eat and to clear his head. Looking around the room he could see some of the other soldiers wrapped up in bandages, eating quietly. He was still worried about Levi, but the other man could take care of himself it seemed. When he was done he went back to Levi's room, carrying dinner for the man, and waiting for moment before knocking on the door, hoping the Corporal had cooled down.

When Eren returned, Levi would not be there. It seemed that he had also gotten dressed in his uniform again, his shirt and pants that the younger boy had put on him neatly folded and placed on the bed. It appeared that the new recruits had finally arrived, and the corporal was needed to welcome them, injuries or not. It had happened while Eren was eating, and now they were all huddled in the court yard of the HQ talking amongst each other. Levi was sitting on some steps by door, trying to steady his breathing. He was exhausted now, and his wounds ached. He wondered which of these people were Eren's friends, his gaze glancing around the crowd. It was only a brief thought however, thinking about the younger boy now made him feel more like shit, especially after yelling at him.

Maybe he could just pass out here and die, then he wouldn't have to deal with all this crap. He just hoped Eren would stay away, he couldn't face him right now. Or maybe he could just go off with his friends. At least none of the new recruits had wanted to talk to him so far.

When he didn't hear a response he figured that the corporal must be sleeping again, and that if he just slipped in and set down the tray the other man would be none the wiser. When he opened the door and he was met with an empty room he was confused, so he went back to the dining room, asking to see where the corporal might have gone off to. It was then that he heard the new recruits had come in, and he raced off to the courtyard.

He needed to know if Armin or Mikasa had been put with Levi and his group, because if they had Eren didn't know how he was going to handle that. Once he got out there he scanned the crowd, not seeing anyone he knew at first glance, until he saw the scarf. Mikasa had been sent to Levi's team it seemed, and almost as if she knew Eren was there she made eye contact with him, nodding her head at him.

Eren looked away, this was not good, for anyone really. While he was scanning around he noticed Levi, sitting on a step and looking rather sickly. Eren still had food for Levi with him, and as he slowly walked over to the older man he set the tray down on the ground next to him.

"You really should eat sir. We wouldn't want you passing out in front of the recruits," he said it quietly before walking off into the little crowd. He figured Levi didn't want to talk to him, but that didn't mean that Eren had stopped caring about his superior.

Levi was surprised that Eren showed up, and that he only gave him food and then walked away. He figured it was for the better though right now, they needed some space. The corporal would frown, looking at the tray of food before picking it up and slowly beginning to eat. He'd keep his gaze on the plate, so that he wouldn't be tempted to spy on Eren and whatever he was doing. He assumed he was reuniting with his friends.

Eren walked up to Mikasa, giving the girl a small hug before asking questions. Like where was Armin? And how many joined the Recon Corps in the group of recruits? When she'd answered all of his questions he just started talking to her. She had never been someone who was good with conversation, but she managed, at least with Eren. When he was done he took her to show her the castle, walking by Levi on the way up and giving the man a curt nod, thankful that Levi had actually taken his advice and ate something.

Levi gave Eren look as he walked by in response to his nod, but that was all. He'd sit and finish his meal after the encounter.

Eren found out where Mikasa's room was after he had finished the tour, bringing her there and telling her that dinner would be at 6. Then he left, saying he needed to take care of some things and let her get used to her new room. He then walked to Levi's room, hoping the corporal wasn't there so he could slip a note on his bed before heading down to his own room. He wasn't really sure what he had done wrong by Levi, but he really wanted to fix it, and soon.