Choices

A/N: Mild gore, so if you guys aren't comfortable with that, just a little warning. I'm writing a shit ton of Eren whump for our favourite month of the year, so stay tuned for another story coming up pretty soon. If you guys enjoy, I'd appreciate any reviews! Happy reading :)

There weren't many places to hide when walls enclosed the land that the last of humanity inhabited. To the Military Police, this made their jobs easy. To the remainder of the Survey Corps, it proved their job to be increasingly difficult as the world around them was closing in.

"We're heading to Trost District," the Captain had announced earlier in the day. "The supplies in the wagon will be enough for the remainder of the week before we need to restock. We'll be out in the open, but the daytime crowds should be sufficient to shield us."

The wagon was equipped with a light sheet draped over the wire sides, and inside it sat seven bags of food, one crate of potatoes, horse feed and a sleeping Eren Jaeger. Hange's earlier hardening experiments were still taking a toll on his body, even after an entire day. Apart from having a late breakfast and helping to load the wagon, the ride so far consisted of nothing but sleep.

Hange's squad rode farther ahead to scout for the increasingly deceptive Military Police, and Levi hung at the back of the wagon as another defensive measure. The horses pulling the wagon were manned by Armin and Mikasa, while the remaining two horses were carrying Jean, Historia, Connie and Sasha. The animals were getting harder to come by, especially with the recent tragedy inside Wall Maria.

With inadequate strength, the horses decided when to stop, not the Survey Corps, and just as the sun fell, a location in the pit of a forested valley served as the site of that night's camp. There were several things that vexed Levi about this site- the trees weren't tall or strong enough to handle much in terms of ODM gear, and they were surrounded by high ground.

"Fucking horses," the Captain muttered, temporarily jumping down to the ground as Hange's squad regrouped with his own. The shorter man stared up at his own horse. "You idiot. An empty field would have been better than this."

Hange approached the Captain, followed by her horse in reigns. "Levi! Quite a cozy pit stop, right? At the bottom of the mountain ahead is a freshwater stream. These horses sure know what they're doing."

Levi scowled as the rest of the Survey Corps members gathered around, and Hange took the lead. "Okay! These horses deserve a break, and so do we. Before any of that, we need to be sure to survey the area for threats. Truly the last thing we want is to have to waste some blades on a bunch of hostile MPs… Levi?"

The group turned their undivided attention to Levi, with some apprehension. "Everybody will spread out two kilometres in their given direction for maximum coverage. Jean and Historia will come with me to search east to north. Mikasa. Sasha. You'll scout from north to west. Connie and Armin will take west to south. Hange, you can take care of east to south?"

Hange nodded after swapping looks with her squad. "I'll send a couple with your squad so that we're in groups of three. That way, we'll all be evened out."

Levi turned for a view of the northern mountains, and his gaze fell on the wagon as he waved his cohort over. "Oi, Hange. What about Eren?"

Hange studied the cart, then observed the forested area around them. "If we move outwards in a diamond formation and all move counter-clockwise, there will be an incredibly narrow outlet for any enemies to slip by. That said, if we run into any, and Eren is with us, we'd be at a disadvantage having to protect him directly. We also shouldn't keep Historia and Eren together, lest the same group gets ambushed. This leaves us with the option to keep Eren guarding the wagon."

Levi nodded. "The brat would have to share a horse if he were to ride along. Is he still sleeping?"

Hange shrugged. "I may have worked him pretty hard on the experiment earlier."

Levi's gaze narrowed, and Hange sighed. "Yes. At least, the last time I checked. He might be up now!"

As if on cue, a pair of feet hit the ground from the wagon and from behind the back curtain of the cart, a rumpled looking teenage boy appeared. "Hange-"

Without even letting Eren finish, Hange was practically jumping for joy. "Aha! See that, Levi? Good as new!"

Levi rolled his eyes and reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out one silver whistle of many. "If we're doing this, we're taking precautions. The enemy could be under our feet and we still wouldn't know. Eren, we're scouting the perimetre of this forest so we can spend the night here. You're not coming."

Eren stared at his Captain, somewhat disappointed by his words once his sleep-clouded mind interpreted them correctly. Normally, he'd be pissed about being left out, but he'd only been awake for two minutes and craved desperately to go back to sleep. Either way, he wasn't invested enough in what was going on yet to care.

"You'll be situated at the wagon instead," Levi continued. "The rest of us are extending our resources and people to search for threats. If you run into any trouble…" Levi draped the whistle, which hung loosely from a string, over Eren's head. "Blow. A titan transformation will be as effective as shoving a white flag up the rears of the Military Police. Keep any lights out, and other than that, stay silent."

Levi scrutinized Eren as the squad members began mounting their horses with some bags on their backs and weapons in hand. "I've seen exsanguinated corpses look livelier than you," the Captain commented. "Try not to fall asleep before we get back, brat."

Eren gave a measly salute. "You got it, sir."

After distributing a whistle to Hange, Levi mounted his horse, unimpressed with the lackluster gesture, and joined Jean and Historia, who rode together. "Stay put. This won't take long if all goes well. If we're longer than forty-five minutes, that means it all went to shit."

Eren hoped that the instant paling of his face wasn't noticeable in the moonless night.

"So long, Eren!" Hange waved, cantering west with one of her squad members. "Don't eat all the food!"

Sasha gripped her sword handle. "There's fifty potatoes in the big crate, Eren, I counted!" she called. "Don't even think about it!"

Eren waved Sasha off. "I'd sooner jump off that mountain over there than eat right now, Sasha. Quit worrying."

Eren watched as Sasha trotted off with Mikasa and a member of Hange's squad, and couldn't tell whether she looked calmed or wary at his statement. It was true- transforming three times and experiencing random bursts of images of people he didn't know didn't exactly fuel his appetite, especially over the extreme fatigue that still lingered from his transformations the day before. Because of that, Eren was pretty content with doing nothing but lean against the wagon on the ground as he watched the last of the lights of his squadmates disappear between the trees.

Eren stayed out of the wagon once he was left alone. For a while, he circled it. Moving took his mind off of the burning desire to fall asleep. He also got to see every side of the wagon when walking around it, and even though he couldn't see five metres in front of him due to the darkness, he felt better having his guard up.

He had lost track of the time when the sound of leaves crunching filled the air.

Time moved differently when he was waiting by himself, but something was off. It couldn't have been that long since the scout began. And when the rattling of wheels was audible from a cart being driven, it was already too late to run.

Eren checked his pockets for a weapon of any kind, but came up empty-handed. These were the clothes he had been wearing since Hange's experiment ended- he had nothing on him.

He heard voices begin to fill the air. They were getting closer, and coming straight for him. He needed a way out. If these people were Military Police, the Survey Corps would lose their supplies, and Eren's titan. That couldn't happen if they wanted out of these wretched walls.

Eren searched the ground for something to throw. With a rock tossed in the other direction, that might distract them enough to head in the other direction.

In theory, it was a good plan. But the darkness made it near impossible for Eren to comb the ground for a suitable rock, and when the intruders entered his vision, he snapped his head up to reveal four horses carrying six figures on their backs, with a cart attached to the reins.

Eren felt like a newt under an overturned stone. By the time he scrambled off his hands and knees, the men were already off their horses. He backed away in a crabwalk, and a stinging sensation filled his head when he rammed into the wheel of the Survey Corps wagon.

Eren got a somewhat better look at the men when he was circled by them. It was dark, and they all wore hats, so their faces were indecipherable. The lack of uniform was evident, though, and told Eren that these weren't Military Police.

He wasn't sure whether to be glad or not.

"Lookie here," the man in the middle said in a raspy voice. He was the skinniest of them all, but the others seemed to listen to him attentively. "We've got a lone boy and a carriage full of loot."

These were definitely not Military Police. They were simply a band of outlaws looking for their next paycheque.

One of the thieves, a big, burly man, stepped forward and struck a match a bit closer to Eren's face than he would have liked. Then, he spoke the worst words Eren imagined the situation could have called for.

"I recognise this kid!"

In a world where more people recognised Eren than people he could recognise himself, this was not surprising to hear. Yet, it still proved to be unfortunate as ideas brewed in the minds of the thieves.

The leader turned to the man. "Care to elaborate?"

Eren cringed internally at the man's next words. "This boy right here, without a doubt, is Eren Jaeger. I recognise 'im from when I was visiting my brother inside Sina during that big trial. Small world, ain't it? What do we do with it, boss?"

The leader rubbed his chin in deep thought. "I know those Military Police would shit money if we brought him in. Except wherever he goes, that Captain Levi isn't far away. The last thing I want is for Humanity's Strongest to have some kind of vendetta out for us."

Eren straightened to look at the shadow of the leader's face. "If you know who I am… you know what I can do. And Levi will be back soon. You should run."

The leader tched, in a way much too similar to the Captain's own expression. "Now, hold on, boys. Fella, if you could change into a big ass titan, you would've done it by now, wouldn't you have? Something's stopping you, I reckon."

"There's nothing stopping me," Eren warned, moving his hand in diminutive movements towards the string around his neck that held the whistle under his shirt. If they noticed what he was doing, he would lose his only chance at help. "I promise you. Stay away, or I'll tear you to bits."

The leader laughed. "Did you hear that, boys? This little human is going to tear us to bits."

The man leaned down, and put a hand on Eren's shoulder. Eren stopped moving his hand to his whistle for the time being. He couldn't risk it when the leader was this close to him. His hat was still bent down, shielding his eyes, but Eren could see the shadow of a mustache on his face. Above all that, he smelled horribly of must. "Listen here, boy. We don't understand how that little mutation of yours works. At this point, everyone inside the Walls are under the assumption that you turn your freak on at will. Obviously, that's not the case."

You're wrong, Eren thought peevishly. I could destroy all of you, here and now. I could prove you wrong.

The only problem was that if Eren proved these guys wrong, he'd be proving Levi wrong too, because his Captain was currently under the impression that Eren respected his orders.

Fuck Levi's orders. Fuck respect. Eren could hear his Captain's voice in the back of his mind, telling him to make a choice. Go apeshit on the band of thieves, and simultaneously alert everyone within a twenty-kilometre radius of his whereabouts, or suck it up and let them take everything they had. Both scenarios would end in an angry rant from Levi. Both scenarios would make Eren feel like absolute shit afterwards. But only one scenario would ensure his friends' protection. And after the fiasco with Levi's original squad, Eren knew that he was the only one capable of making the best decision.

Eren fought to keep his stoic composure as the leader's fingers danced along his shoulder and caressed his left cheek. Suck it up and let them take everything they had. Sure, they'd be lower than ever on supplies, but they'd still have each other. And if Eren was lucky, maybe some of his squad members would come back sooner than later and help him fix this mess, because he sure as hell couldn't do it in his current state alone. Not when he was up against six fully grown men hellbent on taking everything they owned.

"Don't light the lantern just yet," the leader called out to his aides. "We have to make sure our little titan here doesn't catch our faces."

The man farthest in the back, holding the reins of two horses and the handle of a large lantern, spoke up. "If he's this much trouble, why can't we just kill him?"

The leader spun around, still keeping his hand on Eren. Swiftly, the titan shifter darted his hand upwards to the collar of his shirt as an argument ensued. "Because, hay for brains, I don't think it's in any of our best interests to doom humanity! And to repeat myself, I don't want Levi's vendetta over my head. The moment we take back Maria comes the moment I reclaim my property. Now, if you don't have any ideas, keep yer mouth shut!"

That definitely excluded the titan-shifting option. It had been made clear many times that Eren was only to shift if his life was in danger, and shifting now would only put the lives of his squad in danger. This was a situation from hell.

Turning back to Eren and now taking a tight grip of the fabric of his shirt, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object, and raised it to Eren's face. By the time the item was close enough for Eren to distinguish a blade by the luster appearance in the dark, it was too late.

The tip of the knife made contact with Eren's right eye, and he screamed louder than his whistle could ever blow. With hands faster than bullets, Eren attempted to push the arm of the leader away with all the force he could muster. The skin of Eren's fingertips brushed the rough fabric of a jacket, but before he could grab hold, three hands took hold of his arms, successfully pinning them behind Eren's own back. The fourth hand from behind pressed hard against Eren's mouth, abruptly cutting off Eren's only outlet for the pain of the blade in his eye.

The knife pressed deeper, deeper, deeper until Eren was sure that any more force would perforate his brain. Every nerve on his face jolted in agony as the blade curved downwards and started to move across his head. It took until the metal cleared the bridge of his nose for Eren to realise that his vision had been reduced to that of his left eye.

Far beneath his skin, a familiar feeling entranced his body. It was telling him to shift. Shift, and the pain would stop. Not only that, but he would pummel the thieves in two seconds flat.

And give away his squad's location.

Eren made his choice. He made it the day Armin showed him the book of the ocean. He had to protect the people who stood by his side, no matter what, because their freedom mattered just as much as his. Mikasa and Armin. Levi, Hange. Sasha and Connie. Historia. Hell, even Jean.

Petra. Oulo. Gunther. Eld. He would not make the same mistake again, or else he would let down those who suffered for it the first time.

So, he ignored the gut feeling that told him to protect himself, and focused on the metal of the whistle that was cool against his skin. Pain was temporary, even with how long the leader was taking to scrape the knife across Eren's face.

Blood began to drip down his right cheek just as the cold blade was thrust sideways into his left eye. It seemed to take an eternity for the same process to be repeated, with the blade dipping on an angle and curving back upwards only to come down again. And then, Eren couldn't see.

There wasn't any blackness. His vision was simply gone. Suddenly, all his body's focus transferred to his other senses- the satisfied humph of the leader as he swiped the knife out of Eren's skin, the smell of grease on the hand that still clamped over his mouth, and the sensation of hot, thick wetness that spilled from his eyes.

It wasn't just blood that fell, Eren realised. There was an incredibly vacant expanse where his eyelids should have been touching something. As more blood curtained the skin below his eyes, Eren finally overcame his initial stun and comprehended what had just occurred.

My eyes are gone.

Salt water mixed with the blood that streamed down his cheeks as Eren was forced to his knees by a gruff hand on his apex. Coarse fibres of rope bristled against his wrists as it was looped several times and tightly knotted, preventing any use of his upper limbs.

Hands were everywhere. Pressing against his head, grasping his arms, brushing against his wrists, fastened on his mouth. And he couldn't even see them. It was too much at once, and he couldn't process everything that was going on around him. This, and wanting it to stop, were his only recurring thoughts.

Eren was never one to allow things to happen without his interference. So, with a quick assessment of his options, one abundantly clear solution presented itself. Without a second thought, Eren opened his mouth slightly more than what it had previously been, allowing the hand to fall past his lips. The taste of skin was the green flare- Eren bit down, hard.

"Bitch!" shouted the man who owned the hand, and he yanked it out immediately. Blood had pooled slightly in Eren's mouth, belonging to the man. Eren was no stranger to biting hands- he knew how to draw blood, and had just done so effectively.

A boot connected with Eren's side, sending him into the dirt without hands unrestrained to stop the fall. The air left his lungs, but the numerous hands disappeared from his skin. This was mercy.

A pair of footsteps approached his head, and a figure squatted down next to Eren. He could hear the crack of their knees as they acquired the position, and feel the hot breath that collided with his exposed neck as they leaned in.

"Fighting back won't be necessary." The voice of the leader dropped in the air like lead.

It was necessary, to Eren. It had saved his ass before with Reiner and Bertholdt. The more time he wasted being a nuisance, the better the chance the new Squad Levi completed the scout of the area and returned. That would be Eren's saving grace, considering how even the mere shadow of Humanity's Strongest seemed to be enough to send these guys running.

Eren presumed it was the leader who grabbed onto the rope on his arms and began to drag him across the dirt. Eren scrambled to match his footsteps with his captors, and then twisted his body off the ground as they moved. Once steady, Eren pulled back on the ropes, and kicked behind the shin of the leader's leg, effectively sending them both back onto the ground.

Eren wasted no time in darting upwards and sprinting in the opposite direction. He didn't know where he was going, if he would run into more enemies, the cart, or what. Five seconds of running turned into ten, which turned into twenty, and he could hear heavy, raspy breathing behind him over his own overworked lungs. The whistle slammed against his chest like a metronome as he ran. If he could get far enough, the thieves might lose sight of him, and he could lay low until the arrival of his cohorts.

That was the plan, until his foot made contact with a root sticking at least ten centimetres out of the ground. The pressure twisted Eren's foot to the side, and he fell once again into a dewy patch of grass.

Before he could get up, another body tumbled on top of his, and efficiently pinned him to the ground. They sat backwards on Eren's spine, and the shifter couldn't watch even if he had eyes as the leader pulled the bloodied knife from his pocketed scabbard and positioned it over his legs.

Air came less easily to Eren with the additional weight on his back. "Move," he gasped.

"You ran," the leader growled. "You could have made this easy for yourself, you know. Just remember that." And before Eren could even think of a response, the knife was driven into his leg, halfway below his knee.

Agony exploded in Eren's body once again as the knife lacerated his skin down to the bone. He opened his mouth to scream again, but only a short gasp came out as the knife grinded against the only thing keeping his leg together.

"You're lucky I just sharpened this, kid," came the voice of the leader, but to Eren, it sounded like he was far enough away to be back at the wagon. Ringing overtook his ears as the splitting sensation of knife against bone continued, grinding back and forth, back and forth, until nausea climbed up in Eren's chest. His thoughts were muddled with white-hot pain and he could hardly breathe, hardly think. Blood still stained his face and seeped from his eyes between the small wisps of steam that had begun the regeneration process.

At some point, seconds or hours from that thought, Eren was unable to move his foot. Consequently, the flesh on his other leg was beginning to be torn apart without hesitation. Eren was unsure when the knife hit the bone again, because the sensual world around him was finally receding. He didn't have eyes to close, but still felt it as he drifted away from his overwhelming consciousness into a silent bliss.

"It could have been an animal," Jean theorised, as the last echo of a distant cry sounded from below the mountain. "Captain, you gave Jaeger the whistle. Why wouldn't he use it instead of just yelling?"

Levi gazed down the forested landscape to the wooded area where Eren was left guarding the wagon. "I don't know, Kirstein. Why don't you ask him when we get there?"

Levi turned to the third member of his squad that completed their trio. "Historia. Run to the west perimetre and relay to Arlert and Springer that they are to complete the scout to the southwest. Two whistle blows means come back to the wagon once you finish the scout. One means to stay with Arlert and Springer, and to stay away. Whatever danger is down there might require you to stay hidden. Either way, we'll know soon."

Historia adjusted the straps of her pack and nodded to her Captain. "Understood, sir."

As Historia's footsteps withdrew into the trees, Levi mounted his horse and motioned for Jean to do the same. "Any questions, Kirstein? Ask them now, because the ride back will be dead silent."

Jean opened his mouth, but before he spoke, Levi tugged on the reins of his horse. "Good. Shut up until we arrive at the wagon. We need to be as quiet as possible."

Jean swallowed and followed close behind Levi's horse. There was no pathway, just the perilous forest floor littered with rocks, leaves and tree roots sticking out of the ground. Levi's light hardly illuminated enough of the direction they were headed in. "Yes, sir."

Levi's narrowed his eyes. "What did I just say?"

Eren awoke to the smell of a lantern.

The second thing that registered were the cramps in his arms. His hands were still tied together, and they were pressing between his spine and crossing poles. When he tried to shift, subtly, so that no one around him would notice his lucidity, a splinter found its home in the flesh of Eren's palm.

It could have been worse. They could have cut his hands off, too.

Eren was unfortunately familiar with the sensation of having no feet to support the rest of his body, and he only felt more vulnerable with his two limbs sprawled out on the grass before him. He was definitely on the ground, and the soft huffing of horses and sliding of crates behind him told him he likely hadn't moved too far from the wagon. In fact, his hands felt like they were tied to the spokes of one of the wheels.

Eren shuddered. The only thing worse than losing his hands would be if they forgot about him and took the whole wagon with their loot. He didn't want to think about that, so he focused on his sensory environment.

Crates were moving. Why would crates be moving? Eren had slept earlier next to the crate of potatoes, which Sasha had warned him about. She said she had counted them. How many were there? Did she even mention?

The girl floated out of Eren's mind and was replaced by Levi, telling him to stand by the cart. Walls. He had one simple job to do, and had fucked it up phenomenally. The Captain would probably come back and berate him for weeks on end, if Eren even lived that long.

Eren basked in the thought of his vexed Captain's presence. It was somehow comforting- Eren never thought he'd miss being lambasted for missing mere atoms of dust after spending a full day cleaning, but now he yearned for it.

There was a clatter of wood hitting the ground behind him, and Eren nearly jumped. A little bit of blood still seeped from his eyes at the slight movement, and if any of the thieves noticed, they didn't say anything. The hot rivulets of blood painted his face like tears overtop of the earlier blood he lost that had seemed to mostly dry in the time he'd been unconscious. No matter how much he tried to bend his cheek to his shoulder, his skin couldn't reach the fabric.

"Oi, boss," a gravelly voice called. "The titan's moving."

Fuck, Eren thought. Footsteps stomped towards him through the grass, and somebody squatted next to Eren, who pulled his knees closer to his chest.

There was the sound of something being dropped, and then another pair of quick footsteps racing over. The oily smell of the lantern was amplified tenfold. "He's steaming," the second man said. "The hell's with that?"

"The little shit's probably regenerating already," grumbled the first man, whose voice Eren recognised as the leader. The sound of fabric rustling caught Eren's attention as not a moment later, a cloth was wrapped around his face. "That oughta do it. If you know what's good for you, kid, you'd hold off that healing trick."

The leader stood up and stalked away, grumbling something about his favourite bandana. It warmed his already heated skin. Eren was hardly proficient in directing his healing- Annie had done it, but it wasn't exactly like he could ask her for the mechanics of it.

Eren's whole body was hot. The diminutive focus he had now wasn't enough to stall the steam from wisping from his legs, and the small wisps from escaping the bandana, even if he'd wanted to. All he could do was listen to their food get stolen around him, damning the Survey Corps to starvation if they didn't steal for themselves. Eren knew the logistics of surviving like that very well.

If only he'd turned into a Titan when his eye was first stabbed. It was a gamble, yet he was no Erwin. Suppose the Survey Corps members scanning the forest all saw the lightning- they could have very well relocated, couldn't they? The thieves would be dead, they would have their food, and be gone before any nearby Military Police could down a beer. Now it was too late for any of that.

He'd misjudged the situation, like always. And now, Eren was stuck yet again as their only food source was being taken from right under his nose. He'd made the wrong choice.

More people were going to die because of him. There was simply no way around it. And just when Eren decided this was absolute, a cool hand met the skin of his collarbone, and wrapped around the string.

Shit. Eren hadn't even thought about that. The man ripped the string off his neck, stealing his last form of escape.

It didn't matter. Eren scolded himself- he probably wouldn't have even remembered it had the thief not seen it. Still, the titan-shifter couldn't help but feel the last of his hopes be crushed along with the Captain's thin metal whistle, that now sounded like it had snapped cleanly under the man's boot.

Eren felt breathing close to his face again- the man was leaning forwards. He gently slipped his hand under the lace of Eren's shirt, and Eren felt him wrap his fingers around the key. His key. Eren wouldn't be the one saving humanity- it would be his father's key. Forget about the food- this was the one thing he absolutely could not lose. Only fueled by this rage and fury did Eren find it in him to utter two, dead words. "Let… go."

Eren's wish came true. The hand turned slack as blood was sprayed over Eren's face and chest. It covered the bandana, his hair, his shirt. Even though it was warm, Eren was already so hot that he could hardly feel the difference. Soft, slick chunks of something else even hotter followed. It reminded Eren of the tofu they'd sometimes serve on weekends in the Cadet Corps- lax and squishy. Time slowed for the second time that day, and the accompanying sound travelled far behind the explosion of human viscera.

The crackling of a gunshot filled the air, and all hell broke loose.

Levi had momentarily deserted Jean at the base of the mountain, near the site of the wagon. After scanning the area, Levi climbed back up the small hill they both initially stopped at to return to Jean. "Tie the horse here, and follow me."

Jean wove the reign around a think tree trunk, and expertly tied a slick knot that would only break if he pulled the middle. "Captain. Did you get a look at what's going on?"

"Thieves," Levi quipped, waving Jean over to descend the hill with him. "We're currently in the middle of being robbed, so if you'll hurry up and follow me, we can take care of the situation."

Jean took careful steps towards Levi, still making an effort to be quiet despite the array of dried leaves at their feet. Additionally, he spoke in a soft whisper. "Do you have a plan? What do you want me doing?"

"Be ready to trail me when I start running," Levi instructed. "You'll need your swords. If we don't take care of them here, they might take Eren and run."

Jean faltered in his steps. Take care of them? "Sir, you're not implying-"

"Jean. If you're about to tell me you aren't prepared to end a life, this is a really bad time."

Heat rushed to Jean's face. There never seemed to be a good time in the Survey Corps to discuss the morality of murder. "I don't see how killing them is the answer here."

Levi scowled. "Fine. Incapacitate them. Do whatever it takes to ensure they don't escape, and I'll take care of the rest. Because the moment they're out of our sights, they could be giving away information on Eren and Historia's whereabouts. Think you can handle that, brat?"

Swallowing, Jean nodded, even though Levi wasn't facing him, and it was barely perceptible in the darkness.

Levi's lookout seemed to be a cluster of bush that extended from the treeline in a similar way that a district stuck out from a wall. A large, flat rock was situated in the middle, providing adequate cover.

Carefully sliding the gun from its holster, Levi lifted himself from the ground to his knees and leaned against the rock. The surface allowed him to aim it precisely at the group of thieves. Without moving from his position, Levi found the target he wanted. A muscular man, probably the strongest out of all of them- and he was leaning directly over a small figure on the ground that, with the help of the lantern in his hand, could only be Eren. Slowly, Levi cocked the pistol, as if doing it too fast would alert them of his presence. His target held the lantern high next to his face, covering up most of his features. Once the bullet was in line with the glowing light encased in the glass, Levi pulled the trigger.

The bullet reached its home in the thief's head, burrowing deep into his skull and causing the body to fall limp onto the sprawled out legs of Eren. Levi was by no means worried about missing his target. There was no wind, and neither he or his enemy was moving. If anything was distracting, it was the small gasp that Jean made when Levi fired the gun.

Reloading the gun and jumping to his feet, Levi leaped over the rock he had shot from and charged into the less forested area that housed the wagon. Jean's footsteps were right behind his, and the element of surprise had served them well. The remaining five thieves now had their hands free of the Corps's belongings, and as Levi expected, were searching themselves for various weapons.

Levi reloaded as he ran, and aimed his gun at the next thief that had pulled out his own and was hastily fiddling with the safety. Some of them seemed to have knives in place of guns- this worked favourably for the Captain, because one of the most important things he'd learned in his old life was to never, ever bring a knife to a gun fight. So, when Levi took the shot and connected his next bullet to the neck of the gun-wielding thief, he felt calmer knowing that Jean wouldn't be overpowered with only his swords.

The man crumpled to the ground, letting his gun clatter before him as both his hands grasped fruitlessly at his neck to stop the bleeding. It hadn't been where Levi had aimed, but was just as effective of a shot.

Two down, and four to go.

Levi attempted to reload his gun for the third time, but was met by resistance as he tried. Shit- now was not the time for the gun to jam.

He couldn't waste time. Tossing the gun far back into the trees, out of the range of anybody, he drew his blades and met the cluster of shadowed figures. The movement of blades were the only things glinting in the dark as Levi spun between two armed men, both bearing knives the length of Levi's shoe. It was pointless for them to even think they had a chance against blades made for titans.

Like the spiralled arms of the galaxy above him, Levi simultaneously drove both blades into the chests of the two men, and felt their weight settle onto the metal as their life poured out of the wounds he inflicted. Attempting to draw his blades back out, one proved to be stuck at an angle that refused the metal to exit, while the other one met Levi with friction. Swearing, the Captain released his hold on the first blade and used his foot to push the body off the second. A clang of a sword against something metallic told Levi that Jean had engaged combat with at least one of the remaining two men.

It wasn't exactly combat- Jean had narrowly blocked a mere knife with his own blade that had been sent flying through the air at him. The owner of it had spun around and began sprinting to the other side of the wagon, his dim figure disappearing behind the other died of the tarp.

Jean was still in a slight shock from the near miss with the knife- he scanned his surroundings, and seeing Levi occupied with two corpses, he bent to pick it up.

The lantern had since blown, but with eyes adjusted to the darkness, Jean could make out the layers of fresh blood, among other specks of things, that stuck to the metal. He almost dropped the weapon in disgust- it looked fresh.

Turning his attention back to the conflict, Jean saw Levi finally pull one of his blades free from his victim. His Captain appeared relatively unharmed, despite the revolting knife. Three bodies littered the ground on this side of the wagon, with the man Levi initially shot around the other side where Eren was.

Eren. If Levi wasn't the recipient of the knife, then the suicidal maniac was the only other plausible target.

Jean dashed to the other side of the wagon. Eren was in the same spot he had seen before from behind the Levi and the rock, and a frantic shadow was running into a thick selection of trees ten metres away.

Jean took off after the man who threw the knife. Eren wasn't going anywhere, but their enemy was.

With his green cloak flying behind him, Jean pushed his legs to their limits as he chased the empty-handed thief. Jean had already been given their knife- they probably didn't even have another weapon. There was no distance being gained between the two until the man reached the base of the mountain, and was forced to begin his ascension.

That was his fatal mistake. Jean quickly reached the base of the mountain and was closer than ever to the man, who was now making desperate attempts to crawl the steep incline. The landscape slowed the man down, and using this to his advantage, Jean swiped the knife- which was much sharper than he'd expected- at the exposed heels of the escapee. With a raspy cry of despair, the man tumbled back down the hill and met Jean at the bottom.

The satisfied soldier kneeled down and held the knife to the throat of the man with one shaking hand. In a triumphant voice ravaged by running, yet in no more than a whisper, he asked, "Is this yours?"

Levi's blade was slick with blood. Disgusted, he wiped it against the slacks of the man he'd just killed. Two bodies here, two from the guns… where were the other two?

Levi jogged over to the second man he'd ended. The gun he had been working to utilise was on the ground in front of his body, calling for Levi to pick it up. The handle was slick with a fusion of blood and mud. Withholding a mumble of displeasure, he searched the handle for the safety, and spun the cylinder. With a gun now at the ready, Levi searched for the last of the thieves.

It was imperative that none escaped. All it would take for the Military Police to catch up to them now would be an anonymous tip from an escaped thief or two.

Jean was nowhere to be found, it seemed. Levi clenched his teeth- did the brat have the senselessness to get himself killed? Did he really not have it in him to kill, even in self-defence?

A low, heavy breathing stalled Levi's train of thought. It was close by- too close for comfort. With a quick spin, the Captain analysed the area- no one was present in his immediate range, except for Eren on the far side of the wagon. But this sound didn't match that of a fifteen-year-old boy. It was denser, thick, and laced with fear.

Levi finished his pivot facing the wagon. The drapes were closed. When he observed it from the rock, they had been open as the six men emptied it of its contents.

Levi took one small step towards the wagon, and raised the revolver. His breaths came easy, and his arm was steady.

"How does it feel," Levi mused, "to die a coward?"

Levi fired three shots into the wagon in a triangular formation, and immediately heard the slump of something heavy hit the wooden bottom. He waited a few seconds to see if he heard the breathing through the echo of the gunshot, and was met with silence. Slowly with his blade, he reached out to push away the curtain with the metal, keeping his distance as he checked the interior. A large shadow of a man was face-down on the ground, and a thin stream of blood flowed furiously towards Levi. He stood back as the liquid began to drip down from the wooden planks onto the ground. Stepping back from the mess, the slick bottom of his boot nearly slipped on a smooth object in the ground.

Levi kneeled to pick up the bits of metal- in his hand was the remains of a shining gray whistle, missing its string.

Jumping up, he turned the corner of the wagon and ran towards Eren, pocketing the whistle. He looked alive before- why would the thieves tie a corpse to the wagon? If Humanity's Last Hope was taken out by half a dozen thieves, perhaps humanity wasn't even worth saving.

In the dark, Levi couldn't see much, but the steam emanating from Eren's body was an evident sign of life. A little bit seemed to be originating from his head, while the rest was billowing from the space where Eren's feet should have been.

Levi kneeled down next to Eren feeling flat shards of broken glass press against his knees. He didn't miss the way the boy tensed up. "Eren," Levi stated, putting his blade in the ground in favour of a smaller knife he kept on hand. "It's me. I'm cutting you loose."

That was it. No questions on how this had all unfolded, no scolding for getting caught in such a situation, no admonishment about how he could have prevented the predicament they were all now in. Eren missed this o an extent- an annoyed Levi meant a Levi that was simply burdened by the current dilemma. A quiet Levi meant one who wasn't quite sure which direction to go in, one that was wary of where he could step.

Levi slowly felt around the ropes bonding Eren's arms together, and slid his knife down between Eren's wrists. The heavy rope succumbed to gravity, and now without its support, Eren would have tipped forward all the way had Levi not extended a hand to catch his chest.

Levi tried his best to ignore the stickiness that covered Eren's front as he helped him into a better position against the cart. "I'm going to get a lantern. Don't move."

Eren threw his hands a bit off the ground, as if to say, where would I go? as Levi disappeared around the wagon. He checked inside. The first thing he did was pull the body out by the feet, and tossed it next to that of the man who's gun he took. Just like that, the wagon was much more spacious as Levi entered. To his displeasure, the interior seemed nearly empty as he felt around for anything that felt like the lantern they kept in here- it seemed the thieves had moved most of their belongings outside.

Pulling the bullet-littered curtain back and thumping on the ground, Levi made his way over to the thieves' cart that, despite all the ruckus, a horse decided to stay at. Levi checked the saddle bag first, and was gifted with a set of matches.

They were good, but useless without the lantern they had kept in the wagon. Lighting a fire would alert anybody within vicinity of their presence via smoke signal- they needed to stay low, and be fast. Levi still had no clue as to the location of Jean or the man he fought with.

Levi checked the ground around the cart, which was covered in miscellaneous bags of food from the Survey Corps wagon. Levi skipped over it for now- he could collect what was sprawled out on the dirt when he had a light to do it by.

On the actual cart was where he spotted the black iron case, in the corner next to a green cloak. Levi wracked his brain for the earlier situation- didn't Eren not have his cloak on when Levi was assigning tasks, and the boy first emerged from the wagon? This one had to be his.

Levi checked his pocket to see he still had the matches, then walked back over to the wagon with the cloak and lantern case in hand. He remembered how hot Eren's hands were when he cut them free, but it was still a cold night. He might want it later.

Before sitting back down with Eren and lighting the lantern, Levi saw a figure stalking towards the wagon. He put down the lantern and cloak, choosing to reach for the revolver. Was it Jean, or the man?

As they got closer, Levi could see them dragging something behind them on the ground. Sighing, he put the gun away. Closer inspection proved that they were equipped with ODM gear, and that what they were dragging was another person, who would twitch every so often on the uneven ground.

Jean, it seemed, couldn't kill him.

"Captain," Jean called, voice hoarse. Once close enough to the wagon, he dropped the body. "I got him."

Before Jean could even blink, Levi reached for his blade and thrust it into the spine of the final thief. The body jerked, and then soon went still.

Jean's face had paled. "I… I cut his ankles. The backs of his legs. He couldn't walk. I incapacitated him, just like you said, and you just fucking killed him?"

Levi wiped the blood off the blade in the same fashion he had with the other thief, and sheathed his blade. "He was a threat."

Jean was incredulous. "He couldn't walk, sir. We were both completely safe."

"This time," Levi said. "You need to be prepared if you're ever faced with the same situation. If one person is fighting to the death, then you automatically are, too. Waiting will get your head blown off."

Levi inadvertently looked towards the body of the man of the revolver he'd stolen, and Jean's gaze followed. Levi stared his squad member directly in the eyes. "Consider this death on you. An assist is a good gateway to murder. And now that the problem is gone, we can take care of our own. Which we don't always get the chance to do if you leave the enemy alive, brat."

Jean was quiet as Levi reached into his pocket to pull out the matches. As he did so, his hand brushed against the whistle. Six bodies littered the ground- yes, the threat was indeed gone. Before lighting the lantern, Levi took his own whistle between his teeth and delivered two, strong blows. Historia, if she remembered correctly, would take that as the signal that it was safe to return.

Levi let the whistle drop back around his neck as he moved on to his next job. With a couple tries, the match struck against the box, and a flame illuminated the dirt and grime coating his fingertips as he held it up. It quickly burned down the short stick, reminding him of just how cold his skin was. "Kirstein. Be useful and get the lantern ready."

Jean scrambled to reach for the handheld lantern, and swung the glass door open on a tilt for Levi. The match took a moment to light the inside of the lantern, and once it did, Levi yanked out his hand and immediately blew out the flame that had just started to creep to the bottom of the matchstick.

Disposing of the smoking wood in a pile of dirt at their feet, Levi closed the lantern, and took the handle from Jean. The flame flickered to life inside, and soon illuminated the land in their close proximity, stretching a couple of metres in each direction with a strong, thready light.

Levi knelt next to Eren, placing the lantern on the ground beside him as he did so. Up until now, the Captain hadn't been able to see what state Eren was in, but once he did, he longed to go back in time and kill the thieves in the most painful way possible.

Eren had blood everywhere. It was hard to differentiate between what was his and what wasn't. There was some matted into the front of his hair, making some locks stick to his temples. A blindfold covered the titan shifter's eyes; it was also covered in blood splatters. As for the rest of his face, there were only a few streaks of skin standing out where the blood didn't touch.

It was covering the front of his shirt, as well, along with some gray matter that had slid down the fabric. Levi stole a glance at the man on the ground closest to them- the first man Levi had shot. Pieces of glass littered the dead man's cheek, and above that, his head resembled a smashed pumpkin. Levi wasn't sure how much of his brain even remained in his skull, and how much of it was on Eren.

Jean could be heard behind Levi making a gagging sound, and Levi was glad Eren had been blindfolded up to this point. Yet, the boy's hands were free, and instead of removing his blindfold, Eren chose to rub the parts of his wrists that had been chafing against the rope. "Eren," he stated, placing a dirty hand on the only part of his shoulder that appeared somewhat clean. "Jean and I are here. The thieves are dead. Do you want to sit inside the wagon?"

Knowing how hot he was just by touching his shoulder, Levi had asked that last part more for his own sake than Eren's. Outside was getting colder the longer they stayed, and the wind was picking up. Eren supplied a brief nod, and Levi waved Jean over.

"We're going to lift you up. Hold on." With each soldier wrapping their hands underneath Eren's arms, the three cautiously stood up. With Jean and Levi's height difference, Eren was on somewhat of a slant, but they were free to circle the wagon to the back. On the way around, Levi casually scanned the ground for Eren's missing limbs, but they were nowhere to be found.

What the hell had happened here?

Once inside, the three travelled to the back of the wagon. "Jean. Collect the cloak and lantern from outside, and then do what you can to find the first aid kit."

As Jean's footsteps travelled down and out of the wagon, Levi positioned Eren on his back with his head momentarily resting on the Captain's knees.

"You don't have to," spoke the titan-shifter, attempting to prop himself up slightly with his elbows. "I don't need it. I can't see."

Levi scowled, and in the dim illumination of the wagon, searched the back of Eren's head for the blindfold knot. "Obviously not, brat. You've got this fucking thing still on, and we need it anyway to get you cleaned up. Let Kirstein do his job."

Levi untangled the knot, pulling the cloth loose in one swipe. Wrinkling his nose at the bloodied fabric, Levi balled it up and threw it to the other side of the wagon, where it retained some momentum and rolled over the ledge. "Better," Levi grumbled.

"That's not what I meant," said Eren, his voice strained.

Puzzled, Levi looked at Eren just as Jean pulled the curtain open with the lantern in hand. The stream of light filled the enclosed space, and not a corner of the wagon avoided the lantern's glow. It was evident to both Levi and Jean, who had frozen momentarily, where the blood on Eren's face had come from.

Levi studied the deep, ragged gash that was strewn across Eren's eyes. His eyelids were mostly closed, but wisps of steam would periodically drift away. The blood waterfalled down his face below this point. Levi had seen less potent injuries call for stitches in the field, but Eren's regenerative healing factor seemed to be slowly but surely doing its job.

Despite this, Levi didn't correct himself, and instead waved Jean over. "Hand me the first aid kit. Then I need you to start collecting our supplies. You can leave the lantern in the entrance if you don't want to trip over your own feet."

At first, Jean didn't move. The knife from the thief was still in a deadly grip in his palm, and now, Jean understood what had gotten it so bloody. It had been used to take out Eren's eyes not twenty minutes before he used it on the thief's heels. Jean couldn't imagine it had been used on Eren's legs- the blade wasn't overly large. Doing such a thing would take time.

"What are you waiting for, brat? The titans to invade?"

Regaining his composure, Jean rushed over to Levi and Eren, shuffling the items in his hands. He dropped the first aid kit, and folded Eren's cloak before passing it off to Levi and stepping back.

Wordlessly, the Captain slid the cloak underneath Eren's head, swapping it with his knees so he could turn his focus elsewhere. Snapping open the first aid kit, he was greeted with a poorly-rolled ball of gauze, a suture kit wrapped in cloth, and a vial of alcohol for infections all on the top. With some digging, Levi bypassed these items and dug out a white cloth from the bottom that was about to lose its hue, permanently.

Levi folded it into a square. He needed water. Hange had mentioned a freshwater stream where the horses had drunk from- it couldn't be that far.

"Eren," Levi said. "I'm going to leave to get water. I'll be right back."

As Levi stood up from Eren's side, he was stopped by a filthy hand wrapping around his forearm. "Wait," Eren mumbled.

Right now, Eren couldn't see and he couldn't run anywhere. Being this vulnerable while the Military Police were hunting the Survey Corps was barely manageable with Levi around. Without Levi? Eren would be screwed. That much had been proven tonight already. It was strange, he thought, how he currently depended this much on the man who was assigned to kill him at the smallest misstep.

Levi slowly peeled Eren's fingers off of his arm. "I won't be long. All of the thieves are dead, and there's no dickhead MPs for kilometres. Trust everybody out there doing the scout. Jean can stay here until I come back."

Jean walked back over to the two and sat on the wall next to where Eren lay. "Don't sweat it, Jaeger. If anyone tries getting in this wagon, the first thing they'll meet is my fist."

Eren nearly groaned. He had been on the receiving end of Jean's mediocre fist one too many times to put his faith in it, but as the sound of Levi pulling the curtain back to exit filled his ears, he knew they were alone.

Neither boy said a word after that. Eren, his world still spinning slightly in his head, tried his best to detect any noise coming from outside the wagon. Jean was the same, despite his façade that procured their safety. If there was a band of Military Police that managed to slip through their scouts, it would be fully armed Sina bastards versus a worn out, morally obliged Jean and a wounded Eren. Their odds were miserable, at most.

Levi wasted no time filling his water pouch at the stream, and picking up a spare shirt that hung over the side of the theives' abandoned cart he assumed to be their own. In the dark, he could only guess that it would fit Eren, but it was the only one around, and would have to do.

Back in the wagon, Levi switched places with Jean, who clutched the knife to his side and exited to begin collecting the supplies. Eren hadn't moved positions- he was still on the ground of the wagon, unmoving.

"Okay, brat," Levi said, scanning Eren's arms for the best place to hold him. Both limbs seemed to be relatively free of lacerations, so Levi determined it to be safe. "I'm going to life you up on three."

After counting to three, Levi wrapped his hands around both of Eren's arms and slid him to the back of the wagon, where he could lean against the wooden frame sitting up. After making sure the kid wouldn't fall over, Levi brought the first aid kit and shirt over to the back.

Unpocketing his jackknife, Levi took one look at the shirt Eren had on. It had gotten the brunt of the blood from the man Levi had shot earlier, and Levi didn't see any hope in removing the stains. On top of that, Levi doubted Eren would ever want to wear it again, so he removed it with three quick slices from his knife.

As expected, blood had seeped through the majority of the shirt and lingered on Eren's chest, along with a thin layer of sweat. There were some smaller cuts that dripped blood collecting on his collarbone, and with a closer look, Levi could make out reedy pieces of glass that were buried in his skin. It was impossible to tell from a first glance how deep the cuts went, and Levi's mind went back to how the lantern expelled shards of glass when the bullet hit.

Shit. Why did he have to shoot the lantern? Why couldn't he have shot the man in the chest? It would have ended up in the same result, minus the maelstrom of glass raining down on Eren.

"You're hotter than the fucking Colossal Titan, Eren. Drink some water."

Eren shook his head. "'M not thirsty."

Levi looked the kid up and down. How the hell was he not thirsty? Unscrewing the cap of his recently-filled water pouch, Levi held it to Eren's lips. "Too bad. Drink it now, or I'm going to dunk you in the stream like a baby chicken. Your choice."

With the mention of moving again, Eren parted his lips and took a sip of the water. The coldness was unpleasant in his otherwise steaming body, and after a few seconds, he pushed Levi away.

Levi reluctantly pulled the water away when it was clear Eren wouldn't drink any more. Some was better than none, he supposed, and saturated the folded white cloth with some more of the water.

Levi didn't know where to begin, but settled on Eren's face and hair first. At the first touch, Eren immediately receded from the cloth, which began to turn red straight away.

"Stop," Eren gasped, brushing Levi's arm away. "Stop. That hurts."

Levi would have been quick to tell him to toughen up had Eren not been literally missing his eyes. Instead, he would have to work with him on this. If he could help it, Eren wouldn't have to deal with any more bullshit today than he already had- the kid has experienced a lifetime of it already.

Levi scanned Eren's face. The spot where he had just wiped with the cloth, above Eren's brow, was a stark contrast of skin against the rest of the blood that coated his face. "What hurts, brat?"

Eren exhaled before answering. "My whole face. But beside my ear. A little higher up."

Levi cocked his brow. "You mean your temple?"

Eren gave a diminutive shrug. "Yeah. Whatever. Sure. My temple."

Sighing, Levi pulled back the tuft of blood-soaked hair that was caked onto the side of Eren's head to reveal another shard of glass protruding from his skin, steadily dripping blood. "Fucking hell."

Eren took a shaky breath. "What is it?"

It was about the size of a glasses lens, from what Levi could make out. Pulling it out with his hands could make it break and get stuck. The majority of it was buried quite deep in Eren's skin. The falling blood looked new- it could have been triggered by Levi touching it with the cloth. Just as Levi was reaching to pin back Eren's hair, he noticed a new rivulet of blood fall from Eren's eye.

An unfamiliar feeling hit Levi, and it was as if his stomach was sinking. "Eren," he began, slow and calm. "Can you open your eyes?"

Silently, Eren complied. His eyelids trembled as they fluttered open about halfway, allowing Levi to peer inwards. As he suspected, the glass that was buried in Eren's temple was also visible in his eye. A small wisp of steam emerged from Eren's left eye, but Levi noted that his right didn't seem to be healing at all.

Levi needed gauze. He wasn't sure how immune Eren was to infections, and it wasn't exactly an experiment they deemed safe to test back at the castle. He needed a pair of tweezers, perhaps. He needed his hands to stop shaking. And he needed this damn feeling of guilt to go away.

Levi shuffled through the first aid kit. There were no tweezers, but there was an item that acted as a metal clamp. It would have to do.

Beggars can't be choosers, Levi thought as he observed the glass once again. The largest part of the glass seemed to be the part stuck in Eren's temple, so that would be where Levi pulled it out from. Levi hovered over Eren's head with the tool, knowing Eren couldn't see the thing or what it was for.

The Captain contemplated on the best way to do this. One, he could tell Eren so he could prepare. Two, he could yank it out without warning, but if Levi wasn't fast enough, Eren would move and dislodge the glass into another position. Either way, the titan-shifter wouldn't have a fond reaction on what was about to occur.

Levi settled with the second option. He had whirlpooled the arms off of titans before. Speed was never an issue with him.

Levi positioned the clamp right above the glass, open and ready to grab it. Eren was still, and his eyelids were still open, gazing into nothingness.

"Eren," Levi found himself saying. "Tell me a story."

Confusion contorted Eren's face. Never before had his Captain gave a damn about his personal life to ever want to hear a whole ass story. "Come again, sir?"

"I said, tell me a story. Real. Made up. I don't care. Just to take our minds off this shit storm."

Eren swallowed as he wracked his brain for stories. The most interesting parts of his life had taken place around the same time he'd known Levi.

"Captain," Eren began, an idea striking him instantly. "Have you heard about the ocean?"

Levi cocked his head. "Elaborate."

Eren yawned. "Well. It's far beyond the walls. There's a big body of water so huge you can't see the other side." Levi's fingers floated between the handles of the clamps. "Armin says the water is all salt, and that a merchant could spend their whole lives trying to collect it all and never-"

Eren ended his tale with a yelp as Levi chose that moment to pull out the glass. Some blood poured freely down the side of Eren's face, and he ducked his head forward, lightly pressing it between his arms. "What was that? What did you do?"

Levi inspected the large chunk of glass locked between the clamps. "I distracted you, idiot. Although you did manage to catch my interest."

With a sigh, Levi dropped the bloodstained shard of glass to the ground and carefully placed the clamps back into the first aid kit for later use. "You're covered in glass, brat. That's why part of your temple hurt. The other part is the general missing-an-eye thing."

Eren slowly leaned back against the wagon and brought a hand up to his temple to feel the place where the shard used to be. "Since when?"

Levi ran a hand through his hair. "Since I shattered the lantern that fuckface was holding when he was standing over you."

Eren closed his empty eyes and turned his head towards the roof. "You sound mad about it."

Levi scoffed. "Mad about it? I impaled you with countless shards of glass. It's going to be a hell of a lot of work to clean up, and it probably hurts like a bitch. I'm a little mad about it."

Eren's voice quieted. "Oh… shit."

"Oh shit, indeed."

There was a block of silence before Levi took hold of the cloth again, and resumed wiping the blood from Eren's face. After a couple minutes, Eren began to nod off, despite the coldness of the water.

"Oi, Eren. Stay awake. Keep talking about the ocean, or some shit."

Eren perked up slightly. "I'm sorry," he blurted out, and Levi stopped wiping the blood away in pure surprise. "I'm sorry. This is my fault."

Frustrated, Levi poured more water onto the cloth and hastily cleaned the rest of the blood off Eren's face. "Sorry for what? Is your head on right? Were you the one who asked to stop here?"

Eren frowned. "No."

"Were you the one who left you alone at the wagon?"

"No, but…"

"Were you the one who decided to fucking rob us of everything we own, then go on to beat the shit out of you?"

Eren swallowed nervously. "I could've done something sooner. If you hadn't come back then I don't know what- I don't know what they would've done. But we'd be left with nothing."

"Tch. You're alive, and if you aren't viewing that as a success, you need to get your priorities straight. In the moment, your life is more important than food in the future. If anybody fucked up, it was me."

"Sir, you're the one who solved this whole thing."

"Wrong, brat. I left you alone in the first place. Not to mention I sprinkled glass all over your pretty face. So, with your stupid logic, I'm to blame."

"You're not," Eren protested. "None of any of that was intentional."

"Exactly why you shouldn't blame yourself," Levi explained. "Here. I won't blame myself if you don't. Deal?"

Eren was quiet, but eventually muttered the same. Moments later, his head ducked again, and Levi didn't try to wake him up. The small task of cleaning away blood and grime became rhythmic, but ended when all that was left matted in blood was Eren's hair.

Levi started by picking out most of the gray matter that was stuck in the blood. He had really done a number on the guy holding the lantern, it seemed. The rest of the water was used to clean out the blood matted on Eren's locks. The activity didn't wake him- nor did Jean shuffling about outside, dragging crates and bags along the ground towards the wagon.

Finally, Levi ripped off a substantially long piece of gauze from the roll, and gingerly covered Eren's eyes. Every so often, a bit of blood would fall from the eye Levi had removed the glass from, and the man wanted to do his best to avoid an infection from spreading.

Eren's body seemed to be prioritizing his legs, because when Levi adjusted Eren to lay him down back on top of the cloak, the heel of his left foot was becoming visible already.

Levi simply threw the extra shirt above Eren like a blanket. Jean could probably use a hand outside, and his water pouch needed refilling.

Levi stole a final look at Eren before he left the wagon. If it was Military Police who found Eren, he could have been dead by now. It wasn't something that Levi could have stopped, just the same as how Eren couldn't stop it. These things happened, and that was why the world was cruel.

It wasn't like that for everybody. Erwin always figured out how to beat the game. No matter what the situation was, he would half ass a plan and it would always, always work. Levi wondered why the universe favoured the Commander above the rest of them.

With one final sigh, Levi crossed the field of dead bodies to replenish his water supply and clean his hands. If he'd learned anything, it was that life couldn't stop after something bad happened. Living in fear was simply not living at all. By now, Levi's main goal was to get revenge on existence itself, and he could only do so by moving forward.

Levi sat on the wagon step, drinking water with Jean, who had paused in his work, when the first sound of horses trotting came from the treeline. Jean stood up quick with the knife in grip, and Levi's hands automatically reached for the handles of his blades, only to relax when a certain brown-haired scout cantered into the lantern light.

"Hange," Levi relished, releasing his grip completely and sitting back down. "A warning next time will do."

Hange jumped off her horse, and began prancing over to the duo before shrieking at a lump on the ground she nearly tripped over. "Levi-i! Why?!"

Levi looked uninterested. "Why, what?"

"Why do dead bodies follow you everywhere you go?"

Levi shrugged. "We had bigger problems to worry about."

Hange tied her horse to the wagon, and actually appeared to be a bit stressed out underneath her cheerful demeanour. "I split from the scout because we heard gunshots. Now… I see. Do you have an explanation, or…"

After a swig of water, Levi responded, "Eren kept them busy while Jean and I travelled back. Just some thieves. We might want to be on the road sooner than later if you could hear it while scouting. I would hate to attract any real threats."

"Real threats," Hange hummed, scanning the ground. "Whatever you say, Captain."

Without giving Levi or Jean the chance to move, Hange sat down in the thin space between both of them, making their shoulders touch. Neither soldier appreciated the gesture and went to move, but Hange slung her arms around both their necks. "So, Levi? What's the verdict? Shall we leave now, or early morning?"

Levi sighed for the thousandth time that day. No matter what they did, something bad was bound to happen. They might as well go with it.

"We stay," he concluded. "I didn't kill these bastards for nothing."