Eren awoke to the sound of birds outside, the sun's harsh rays landing on top of his closed eyelids. Even though the window had curtains, they were light and almost transparent. He wondered why they even bothered having curtains if they didn't even work.
Eren grunted as hi sat up, supporting himself with his elbows. He was surprised he got any sleep at all, considering the excitement of the previous night. It felt like it was a dream- a fantasy he had imagined. His eyes still felt heavy and raw from his heavy crying. He felt that lately he'd been having a lot more breakdowns lately, which he thought was slightly odd, even concerning. He didn't dare say anything to his friends. Mikasa, on one hand, would be way over-concerned and worried about something that was nothing. Armin, on the other hand, would go into some sort of logical downspiral to explain why Eren's emotions were getting the best of him. Armin and Mikasa were dear to him, this was true, but he didn't want them to worry. And he for sure didn't want them to know the awkwardness between him and Levi. He ESPECIALLY didn't want Mikasa to know. Mikasa was always so clingy and attached to Eren, acting like an older sister- a mother, even. But that thought always brought anger and sadness to him, so he pushed that last thought out of his head.
He took off his blanket and stood up, seeing Mikasa's bed and Armin's bed empty. Eren changed out of the clothes he'd been wearing, and put on some new, fresh ones that were folded neatly at the foot of his bed. He didn't doubt they were put there by Mikasa.

As Eren made his way downstairs, he could hear Mikasa and Armin talking quietly. He wasn't even listening to the discussion between about who learned to read when, or something like that. Eren stepped onto the main floor of the house, walking across the wooden-paneled floor to the table Mikasa and Armin were seated at. He sat opposite sides of the table, Eren taking a seat at the end where he could see both of them.
"Eren, good morning." Mikasa greeted. Eren replied with a slight nod, still slightly groggy from just waking up.
"Oh, Eren, Commander Hange came by this morning asking to speak with you. But since you were still sleeping," Armin said. "I told her you'd meet her in the town square this afternoon." Eren sighed and laid his head on the table in defeat. What now? Eren sighed in frustration.
"Um... Eren?" Armin stood, scooting his chair back and leaning over the table. "Is... Is something wrong?" Eren lifted his head, revealing a large, red mark on his forehead where his head landed on the table. "Gyah! Your forehead!" Armin rushed over to the sink to get a cold, wet washcloth. Mikasa sighed, bringing her hand to her temple.
"Honestly..." She muttered. "What are we going to do with you?"
"Shut up!" He cried as Armin hurried over with a dripping cloth. "I had a rough night, alright?" He snatched the washcloth from Armin and gingerly placed it onto his forehead. Mikasa and Armin gave each other a confused look. Armin sat back down slowly, eyeing Eren curiously.
"Why? We all went to bed at the same time." Mikasa said.
"I just... had some trouble sleeping."
"That explains why you slept in, I suppose," Armin added, still unsure.
"Well, it's nearly lunch already," Mikasa stretched her arms above her head, then dropped them onto the table. "Why don't we go into town together to get something to eat?" She pushed on the table as she scooted back, standing out of her chair. Armin smiled.
"Yeah, okay." He agreed, standing up himself. Eren felt his stomach gurgle. He hadn't eaten since the previous night, and he was starving.

Eren felt bad for leaving Mikasa and Armin to entertain themselves, but when Eren noticed Hange, the two deided to leave him to his own devices. "She probably wants to speak with you in private," they had said. eren felt his forehead throbbing, as he had smacked it pretty hard on the table. "Maybe I overreacted a little," he muttered to himself as he made his way over to Hange. She was in her Survey Corps uniform, per usual, standing by a stand that sold fresh farm products. She turned her head and noticed Eren, then smiled and waved to him.
"Eren! Good morning!" She called, then laughed. "Or afternoon, I suppose!" She smiled brightly, almost obnoxiously. Eren always thought Zoe's smile was bright and happy, but had the smallest psychotic undertone.
Eren gave a crisp salute to Hange, though he wasn't in his uniform. "Good afternoon, Commander." Hange stopped mid-wave, taken a bit off guard. She then burst into a loud, deep, belly laugh. "Eren, relax! Cut the formality, I wanted to talk to you as... well, I guess as a friend. We're friends, right?" Eren's eyes widened, unsure how to respond as he lowered his arms.
"Uh, I- I suppose..." Hange gave another belly laugh, smacking Eren on the back. Eren lurched forward in surprise, coughing a little.
"Great! I'm glad!" She took Eren's shoulder, motioning him to follow her. "Sorry I caught you when you were still sleeping," she apologized. "But I know how important it is to get rest. You can't perform at you top quality if you're too tired!"
"Commander Levi told me that, too." Eren added without even thinking. Zoe turned to him, her eyebrows raised.
"Huh? When did he say that?"
"U-uh..." Eren blushed profusely, not sure what to say. He didn't want to tell her about last night, but he already dug himself a hole. He couldn't dig any deeper, or there'd be trouble. "H-he just told me... a while ago. Maybe yesterday? I don't remember."
"Hm, interesting," Zoe brushed off the subject, not really caring. "Anyways, I actually wanted to talk to you about Squad Leader Levi. What a coincidence!" Eren tensed as she spoke those words, suddenly becoming even more nervous than before. "Well, lately he's seemed a little bit... I don't know, tense. He's been even more distant than usual, if you can believe that." Eren looked to Zoe, who's face showed genuine worry and concern. "I don't know, maybe he's just mourning a little bit. That's pretty common for Squad Leaders. I do it too, after all."
"Mourning?" Eren wondered out loud.
"Of course," Hange said. "You know, us Squad Leaders feel responsible for our squad's deaths. We've lost a lot of troop members." For one of the first times ever, Eren saw Zoe's face turn grim and dark. "It's something we lug with us our entire lives. Levi's squad not only consisted of friends, but someone he loved very dearly. And he feels responsible for her death." Eren knew she was talking about Petra, and he felt his heart drop at the mention of the dead troops.
"I guess I never realized how much it affected you guys..." Eren replied sadly.
"That's why it's common for Squad Members to get emotionless. Levi's learned to not show emotion unless it's important to the situation." Eren remembered to the prior night when Levi asked him if he was really intimidated by Levi, and the look on his face; Eren still saw it clearly in his mind's eye."But I'm worried Levi's started blocking out emotions altogether, and I really don't want that. He's a dear friend to me, and I care very much about him and his well-being."
"I see," Eren said softly.
Hange stopped walking, grabbing Eren's shoulders in an intense, swift motion."So maybe you can visit him; try to cheer him up." Zoe looked into Eren's eyes, pleading. "Maybe you can go to his home, where he's been staying. Just talk to him, try to figure out what's bugging him." Eren flushed at her abrupt request, and partially at how ignorant she was to the situation.
"You expect him to tell me?" Eren asked. "If he hasn't talked to you, what makes you think he'll tell me?" Hange stood up straight again, thinking.
"I don't know what it is, but he has this... connection with you. Maybe it's because he's helped you; maybe it's because you've fought alongside him." Zoe shrugged "I don't know. But you two have this unspoken, natural bond and mutual trust. He may open up to you."
It's almost funny, Eren thought, at how much she doesn't know. Eren sighed, pretending to be reluctant- acting like he wasn't planning on going already. "I could try, if you're that worried." Hange smiled and threw her arms up in joy.
"Wonderful!" Hange cried out, making passer-byers stare in surprise and curiosity. "Thank you, Eren!" Hange gave Eren another smack on the back, but this time, Eren was ready for it. This time, Eren didn't even waver.

What am I going to do? Eren sighed as he entered his home that was shared with Mikasa and Armin. Mikasa was washing her scarf, and did a double take as Eren walked in.
"Oh, Eren," Mikasa blurted, slightly embarassed. "What did Hange want? Is everything all right?" Mikasa hung the scarf up on a curtain rack over the sink.
"Yeah," Eren sighed. "She just..." Eren wondered if he should tell her. He didn't want Mikasa getting hateful towards Levi, especially since she had a slightly bad attitude towards him. Even after he helped her rescue Eren from Annie's titan form, Mikasa still had a small, buried-deep hatred toward Levi that Eren couldn't figure out how to justify. He decided to take a leap. "She wanted me to meet with Commander Levi tonight," Eren said, being slightly vague. Mikasa appeared to cringe at Levi's name, but she shrugged it off.
"Ah, I see." Mikasa said, sitting at a sofa that sat against a wall near the dining table. Eren gave a silent sigh of relief at her reaction.
"Where's Armin?" Eren asked, suddenly curious at his other friend's whereabouts.
"He's reading in the bedroom," Mikasa said, leaning back on the sofa. She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head on her knees. "Eren, have I ever... Really told you how grateful I am?" Eren glanced at Mikasa, slightly surprised and taken off guard.
"Hm? For what?" Eren walked over near Mikasa and sat next to her, leaning forward. He rested his elbows on his knees and looked at her worried, glum face.
"F-for... For what you did for me... When we were younger?" Mikasa said quietly. Eren furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remember. Then he realized she was talking about when Mikasa was being kidnapped. He widened his eyes in concern.
"Huh? What brought that up?" Eren sat up, looking at her hunched-over body.
"It's just the scarf. It always..." She trailed off, gently placing her hand at her collarbone, where the scarf usually sat. "Just, thank you, Eren. Thank you. I owe you everything, and-" She was cut off when Eren stood up abruptly, making his way over to the sink, grabbing the sopping-wet scarf that was hung at the window. He wrung it out as best as he could, getting most of the water out of it. Mikasa watched as Eren walked back over, wrapping the scarf around Mikasa's shoulders and neck. Without saying a word, Eren placed a hand on Mikasa's head, and for a brief second, they just stood there like that, silent, remembering that day when they saved each other's lives. Mikasa looked of to Eren, her heart filling with joy and sadness. She bolted up, hugging Eren, weeping silently into his shoulder. His body was so warm, and she just stood there, listening to his heartbeat and holding her brother. For a minute, she just felt absolute gratitude that her brother was alive and here. She never wanted him to leave her side. She felt Eren hesitate before awkwardly wrapping his own arms around her, hugging her. And just for a brief minute, the siblings stood there. They just hugged, grateful for each other and the mutual bond they had and always would share.
"..Yeah." Eren said in response.

Those were all the words Mikasa needed.