Eren hopped on the bus heading east towards the warehouse district. He figured that he would walk from one of the stops along the line rather than trying to sync up a transfer with the line that ran closer to Survey Corps HQ. It was a gorgeous early fall day; sunny and cool with a gentle breeze, even in the city he could smell the fallen leaves and their subtle decay.

He inhaled the scent deeply as he walked along. He hadn't noticed the night before, but their headquarters was on a block where every store seemed to sell paper and custom stationary. He could hear machines thrumming and whirring loudly inside of the adjacent buildings even though the windows were all closed. Walking down the alley towards the door that he had gone through the night before he wondered if this was the best idea.

Hanji said that I should return their clothes, but they never said how. I was hoping that maybe they left their number or email or something in the bag with my dirty clothes, but I guess not. I just really don't want to run into that "Erwin" guy they were talking about, it sounds like he wouldn't be happy if I showed up and I really don't want to get Hanji or Levi in trouble since they invited me in to take a shower. Oh god, what if I run into Levi? That was absolutely humiliating last night. How the fuck did I forget that he had super sensitive hearing? The Hawk is a fantastic hunter; super sensitive hearing, phenomenal eyesight, amazing reflexes, a gorgeous fit body...

Eren found himself standing in front of the door in the alley that he had gone through the night before. There wasn't any indication that it lead anywhere interesting. No handle or knob, no name plate, no buzzer, no indication whatsoever that this door lead to the headquarters of one of the most elite superhero groups in their region. They may have based themselves in this city, but he would regularly see stories about them turning up in other places around the region, though it would usually just be one or two of them rather than all four.

He knew that he could continue standing there all day, but there was now way that he was going to chicken out right here on their doorstep.

Fuck this bullshit. Hanji wanted their clothes back so here I am.

Eren knocked forcefully at the door.

He stood there for a few minutes awkwardly scuffing his shoes against the pavement. He decided to knock again just in case they hadn't heard, this time a bit louder.

A few seconds later he heard pounding from behind the door before it was flung open into his face.

"Eren! You're back here so soon!" Hanji had come bounding out from behind the door and they were smiling at him. Their face immediately fell into a comedic expression of shocked horror. "Oh no, it looks like I caught your face with the door. Come inside and we'll clean you up."

He trailed behind them as they pulled him along, a cut above his eyebrow was bleeding profusely and he tried to maintain his grip on the backpack that held Hanji's clothes. They lead him down the same stairs as last night and into the living room / kitchen area.

"I'm so sorry Eren. Here, let's put these things down and now you come with me to the bathroom and we'll patch you up." Oh great, the bathroom. The bathroom where I jerked off to your crime-fighting partner. The partner who then told me that he knew that I jerked off to him. And now here I am, back in the same bathroom having someone patch up the fact that they just split my head open.

Hanji dabbed at the blood that was still oozing out of the wound and asked him to hold the cloth to the injury while they rummaged around under the sink looking for the first aid kit. When they couldn't find it there they asked Eren to stay where he was (sitting on the toilet) and that they were going to look for the kit in the hall closet. And please don't move.

The blood coming from above his eye didn't seem to be slowing down even after a few minutes and so he sat there waiting for Hanji to come back, hopefully with at least some band aids. The area seemed to be quiet and Eren leaned back against the tank of the toilet, relaxing his posture now that the pain in his head wasn't so sharp.

"So are you here to clean the shower, brat?" Oh fuck no. Not now. Why now?

Eren sat there staring at Levi like a deer in the headlights while frozen by his own mortification. His heart started slamming in his chest and it was all he could do to continue breathing and ignore the instinct to hide underneath something.

"Levi, it was only a few hairs. I don't think that's worth scaring the crap out of this little cutie."

"Hn."

"I know that you like to keep the shower clean, but really... I think you're getting a bit too worked up over a few hairs."

He didn't tell Hanji. I mean, why would he tell Hanji? Then again, he doesn't have a reason not to either and they're clearly friends even if he's a jerk to them. Then again, it seems like he's a jerk to everyone. I guess it's pretty embarrassing for him to admit that he heard me even if I bet Hanji would absolutely love to hear about it for scientific purposes or whatever.

"I found the first aid kit so let's get a bandage on that and – "

"You're not going to disinfect it first?" Levi was looking at Hanji with disgust.

"Oh I'm sorry Captain Clean, are you worried that his eyebrow is going to fall off? I'm sure we could get a spare pair from Erwin if that happens."

"Hanji... that's gross. There should be some alcohol swabs in the kit, use them for fuck's sake."

They started going through the kit, pushing things around in the box. It looked like it had been kept in some semblance of order at some point but they had simply given up trying to keep it in order. It seemed to consist mostly of gauze and surgical tape right now though there were clearly a number of band aids thrown in as well.

"I think we're out."

"Stay there. Don't move. I'll be right back." Levi glared at the both of them and walked out of the room.

"Thanks for patching me up, I could have just left the clothes with you and gone home. It really isn't a big deal."

"I'm pretty sure your sister would have hunted me down if you went home looking like that." Hanji pulled his hand away from his eyebrow and gestured to the mirror. The cut on his eyebrow was not insignificant and the cloth he had been holding was covered in blood. He stared at the cloth for a moment before pressing it back on to the cut. "I clocked you real good there, didn't I?"

"I can't fucking believe you. Who the hell used up the bottle of alcohol that we had in the hall closet?"

"Oh... I think we used it up when Mike got that nasty gash from Dagger Jack."

"Hanji, that was over a month ago. Did you seriously not replace it?"

"I've been busy! And besides, we've had really good luck with injuries lately. Not so much as a scrape in almost three weeks."

"You've got to be shitting me. So basically it was going to take one of us getting injured to restock the rubbing alcohol."

"I guess?"

"Fucking hell, Hanji."

"Well Eren, it looks like Captain Clean has been defeated. So let's just put a band aid on it and you'll be right as rain."

"I never said that I didn't find anything to use as a disinfectant." Levi held up a mostly empty bottle of cheap vodka.

"No way. You are not putting shitty booze on my face."

"So you'd rather get an infection?"

Jesusfuck that glare is terrifying. I guess it doesn't really matter if it's cheap, shitty vodka if it's just going on a cut though. And I really don't want to make him any more pissed off than he already is.

"Okay fine. Douse me in your lighter fluid."

Eren pulled the cloth away from his face and Hanji soaked a corner of it in the vodka. Levi looked even more disgusted at the fact that Hanji was using the bloody rag to clean him up. Eren whimpered as the vodka hit the cut on his face and Hanji wiped off the blood around it.

"Hanji, what the fuck did you do to the kid? It looks like he needs stitches."

"Nah, he just needs a band aid."

"He needs at least two butterfly closures on that. Possibly three. Eren, please tell this idiot that you want them to take proper medical care of you."

Eren was staring at Levi in shock. Does he actually give a shit about me? Or is he just being an ass to Hanji? No, I bet that he just doesn't want it to be messy, he seems to have a thing for things being clean and tidy. There's no way he's actually being nice after last night.

"You know how I am with stitches, Mike's always the one that handles them. I don't want to mangle Eren's cute face. It already looks like it's big enough that it might leave a scar."

"That would actually be pretty cool."

"You want a scar on your face, brat?"

"No nonono, I'm just saying that I wouldn't mind. Though I almost never end up with scars. Mikasa is kinda jealous of it actually. I've only had one scar that stuck around for more than a year. I actually still have it. I got it when I was nine it's right –"

"I don't really care. Hanji, just put some butterfly closures on him and get him out of here." He turned around and walked out the door.

Hanji continued to dab at the cut and told Eren to press the cloth to his face again while they looked for the butterfly closures in the first aid kit. They pulled out three of them and held them up near his face to gauge whether or not he needed two or three of them.

"Pretty sure Levi was just trying to be an ass, the only way we could put three on you is if we shaved your eyebrow and I doubt you want us to do that."

"Yeah, I'd really like to not do that. Horseface wouldn't fucking shut up about it if I showed up in class short an eyebrow."

"Horseface? Is that another local superhero?"

"No, he's a guy I know..."

"Oi, goggles. Is the brat still here? Erwin just got back."