Once inside, Levi was aware of just how poor these kids were. The small room he now found himself in was so small, Levi almost felt too big to be in it, and that was saying something. Looking to his right, there was a small sofa, that looked anything but comfortable, sitting close to a stone fireplace. To his left was what Levi could only assume was a kitchen, but the lack of food or any kitchenware other than a sink, table, and chairs made him question this assumption. Just past the kitchen was a doorway, that a quick glance told him was a small bedroom, with just enough room for a bed and a small trunk. Levi was a little surprised at the lack of personal items. Most people had pictures, or small trinkets that have sentimental value to them. But there was nothing. In fact, if not for the fact that Armin had said it was their home, Levi would have doubted anyone actually lived here. How can they live like this? Why haven't their parents tried to find a better place? This place is filthy and cold, and it reeks of sadness. Pushing aside his own neurotic need for cleanliness, Levi strode purposefully over to the couch to set Eren down.

"Actually, sir, you can put him in the bedroom, he will be more comfortable," Armin quietly called, his voice squeaking in nervousness. He had no idea who this man was, and now he was in their house. Mikasa was going to be furious.

"He may be more comfortable, but he will fucking freeze. He needs to stay near the fire." Levi replied harshly, already having set the boy on the couch. Now turning to Armin, Levi saw just how shaken the blonde actually was. He had bruises on his face, neck, and arms, his shirt was completely gone, and his pants were so ripped, Levi wondered how they were even staying on his hips. Shrugging off his own dark cloak, Levi handed it to the blonde.

"Kid, do you know how to get to the Rose Inn?"

"Sure, everyone knows where that place is," Armin replied, sounding more confident than he had all night.

"Okay, run to the Inn and ask for a woman named Hanji, and bring her here immediately. The quicker the better. I will stay here and keep an eye on this brat," Levi commanded, leaving no room for argument.

Armin hesitated, unsure if it would be okay to leave Eren alone with this man, but with a glare from Levi, he quickly turned and ran out the door.

The inn wasn't actually too far, about 10 minutes if he ran the whole way and cut through between houses. Although, as he ran, Armin realized he had no idea what to say. He didn't even know the man's name. Who was he supposed to say sent him? What if they didn't come with him, or didn't believe him? What if they took too long deciding and Eren died? Even though he knew Eren could heal at almost four times the rate of normal humans, he had also never seen Eren hurt so bad. Sure, Eren injured himself all the time, especially while fighting, but he had never been shot. No, don't panic, Armin, just think this through. You are smarter than this. You just need to calmly walk in to the front desk and ask for Hanji. That's all, just take this one step at a time.

As Armin reached the door, he noticed a tall blonde man speaking to two soldiers. He was too far for Armin to hear him clearly, but he did pick out the words "prince" and "missing", not to mention his tone was low and threatening. Now his curiosity was piqued, but he didn't have time to listen longer. Walking through the door, and straight to the front desk, he asked the attendant where he could find Hanji. In his haste, he failed to see the tall brunette standing next to him at the counter. So, when she immediately turned and asked why he was looking for her, Armin nearly screamed in fright. Seeing this, the woman burst out laughing.

"You're Hanji?" Armin asked, a little upset at having been startled and now laughed at.

"Yup! The one and only!" Hanji replied, still gasping for breath from laughing so hard. "What can I do for you?"

"My friend was shot, and this man found us and carried him back to my house and told me to come get you, and I just left them there all alone in my house, and please say you'll come." Armin rushed out, not wanting to waste any more time away from his home. He could only imagine the terrible things that could be happening to Eren right now, seeing as he left him alone with a complete stranger. Mikasa was definitely going to kill him.

"Whoa, slow down there. First things first. What's your name?"

"Armin."

"Okay, Armin. Now, who was this man you claim sent you?"

"Well," Armin swallowed thickly, his face turning red with shame. "I didn't actually ask his name."

"Well, what did he look like?" Hanji asked gently, seeing how obviously nervous this kid was.

"Well, he had black hair, and he was really short. And he frowned a lot." Armin racked his brain to remember more details, but the truth was, he was so afraid for Eren and his own life that he just didn't notice much more than that.

Adjusting her thick glass to take a closer look at him, Hanji realized what exactly the boy was wearing, and by the looks of things, the boy had no idea. The long, dark green cloak with the embroidered overlapping wings on the back could really only belong to one person. Especially since it barely reached the blonde's knees.

"Oh! I know who you are talking about, though, he will not appreciate being called short. But then, maybe we just won't tell him, hmm? Yes, I think it might be safer for all of us. Now then, we just need to tell Erwin that we found him, and we will be on our way."

As Hanji spoke, she had taken Armin by the arm and half-dragged him outside to the tall blonde mad and the two soldiers.

"Erwin, I know where he is, let's go. This boy will take us to him, as he is at his house. Bring the carriage and my medical bag, apparently his friend has been injured as well." Hanji paused for a breathe, while Armin stared in bewilderment. How can she fit so many words in one breathe?

Fortunately, the two soldiers were already moving, and within minutes, they were loaded into the carriage and on their way to Armin's house.

Levi was tense. It had been too long since Armin had left, and Levi was starting to question if he was ever coming back. What if that dumb kid was attacked again? There is no way he could fight off a second attack in his current state. Even wearing my own cloak, it would appear the people here don't recognize the royal emblem. Fucking idiots, you'd think they would know their own prince. But despite his thoughts, Levi really felt relieved that no one seemed to recognize him. It allowed him to do as he pleased without worrying about "hurting the family name," as his father so often reprimanded him for. Truly, Levi did what he wanted in the presence of his own personal guards and servants. He had even come to think of some of them as friends, though he would never tell them that. Levi shook his head quickly, trying to dispel the track his thoughts were currently on. He look at the boy again, but he remained unchanged. His breathing was shallow, cheeks flushed, and his skin glistened with sweat. But he was still cold to touch, and very much naked under the thin blanket Levi had carefully placed on him. Levi blushed at the thought. He couldn't deny that he found the boy very attractive, with his long legs and lean torso. His shaggy brown hair curled just enough to give him a constant "just-woke-up" look. It had looked so soft as well, Levi hadn't been able to resist running his fingers through it. What the fuck am I thinking? This shitty brat can't be a day over fourteen. I'm such a fucking pervert. Here the beautiful young kid is bleeding out on his own couch, and I'm fucking staring at him like some pedophile.

As Levi frowned to himself, lost in his own thoughts, the door burst open, causing him to jump out of his seat. But he soon relaxed, as Armin rushed to Eren's side. Levi breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Hanji and Erwin step into the room.

"Has he woken up yet?" Armin asked as he felt Eren's forehead, checking for a fever.

Levi didn't answer him, instead turning to Hanji. "He was shot in the shoulder, he was unconscious when I reached him, and he has yet to wake up. He seems to be running a fever as well. I have tried to stop the bleeding, and it seems to have slowed somewhat, but it hasn't stopped."

Hanji walked over to the couch as she listened to Levi's explanation. She lightly grasped his wrist, finding a faint pulse. Removing the blood-soaked scarf, she saw the small bullet hole. As she started to raise the boy's shoulder to look for an exit wound, Levi stopped her, as the boy let out a pained moan.

"There is no exit wound." Levi said sternly, more upset than he wanted to be that the boy was in pain and starting to wake up. Removing the bullet would be much easier if the boy wasn't awake.

"I will need to do surgery to get the bullet out, and I don't think this is a good place to do that. Especially since he seems to be regaining consciousness. We should move him to the hotel, I can operate in my room there." Hanji said slowly, watching as the boy grimaced in pain. He had yet to open his eyes, but she knew he could hear them.

"There's not time, he could bleed out by then," Levi growled angrily.

"There's no other choice, I didn't bring my surgical equipment, I only have the basics with me. I didn't realize I would need to remove the bullet. I'll bind the wound before we go, so he won't lose so much blood, but that's all I can do here." Hanji replied sternly, glaring at the angry man.

Erwin watched in silence, studying his prince. He was a little shocked out how angry Levi was, since he rarely showed emotion at all. Even his anger was always well-controlled, but now Levi was starting to show just how upset he was. And, knowing from experience with these two, this argument could quickly escalate into a full-blown yelling match, so he prepared to step in. But, luckily, he wouldn't have to, as a soft voice interrupted them.

"A-armin, what's going on?"

The four immediately fell silent, as they turned to look at the young boy, each with different reactions. Hanji with concern, and Erwin with curiosity, but Levi just stared in shock. He knew those eyes. They were the same turquoise as the tiger, he was sure of it, though they lacked the anger they held before. However, they did not lack the intensity that made Levi's chest tighten like it was trying to steal his breath away and his heart pound like it was trying to escape. He couldn't move, he was frozen in those aqua depths.

Armin, however, burst into tears, unable to answer, just holding onto Eren's hand as though it would disappear if he let go. Levi assumed it was in relief, and not for, well, other reasons. Why do I care if it was for other reasons? It's not like the boy is mine. But even as he thought it, he realized he wanted this boy to be his. He inhaled sharply at his possessive thoughts, a little surprised by them.

Hanji, realizing Levi wasn't going to speak, took it upon herself to explain to Eren cautiously what had happened. Levi was mesmerized by the emotions that crossed his face as he listened calmly to Hanji introduce herself, explain to Eren that he had been shot, and ask him to come to the hotel so she could operate. Fear, then shock, then sadness, and finally, anger. So much anger. Levi almost gasped at the intense rage that not only filled his eyes, but his entire body. Eren had started trembling, clenching his fists into the blanket, eyes pooling with hot tears that threatened to fall without his permission. His already shallow breathing turned to harsh, quick breaths. But when he spoke, he sounded so calm, it sent chills down Levi's spine.

"Did they die?"

No one answered, considering only two of them knew what happened, and they were currently staring at him in shocked silence.

"Did they fucking die?" Eren practically yelled, glaring directly at Levi. He knows. He was there. He was in the alley. But Eren did not let his fear show as he was overwhelmed by his anger at the moment.

"Yes, they were ripped to shreds." Levi's smooth voice felt out of place even to him, as he was starting to feel annoyed with this brat who had dared to raise his voice to him and stare at him like an equal. Glaring back at the boy, Levi continued. "If we're leaving, then let's stop wasting time and go."

Eren nodded slightly, not breaking eye contact. He knew this was the man he had seen in the alley, and he was no longer sure he wanted to go with him. If this guy recognized him as the tiger, he would surely report him and then Eren would lose everything. Plus this man's eyes made Eren feel like he could see right into his soul, and that made Eren uncomfortable. Irritated by the lack of movement from the others, Levi stepped around the couch to pick the boy up. But as he reached for him, Eren jerked away, hissing slightly in pain.

"Don't touch me." Eren demanded angrily, glaring at Levi. "I don't even know who the fuck you are."

Levi just rolled his eyes, and lifted the now squirming boy into his arms.

"Levi, the man who saved your bratty ass. Now be still, or you'll hurt yourself worse."

"Levi," Eren said softly, then he froze, his eyes widened in recognition. "As in Prince Levi?"

"Yeah, kid, got a problem with that?" Levi glared slightly to hide his pleasure that the boy recognized him. At least he isn't a complete idiot.

Eren gulped audibly, his cheeks burning even redder than before. He was so embarrassed. He had idolized the prince for so long, and now, not only had he almost attacked the prince in the alley, but said prince was carrying him. And Eren was now very much aware that he was naked underneath the blanket.

"Wait, I need some clothes first." Eren tried to protest, but Levi just ignored him, walking outside and climbing into the carriage with him.

"There's no time, we need to get to the hotel. We'll get you clothes after Hanji takes the bullet out." Levi said.

Eren had no choice but to accept this, as the others had climbed into the carriage and it was now moving down the street. Armin, who had stopped crying and was now silently observing everything, shrugged off the cloak Levi had given him and wrapped it carefully around Eren's trembling shoulders. Levi watched him, not saying anything, but he did motion for Erwin to give his cloak to Armin. He couldn't have the boy freezing in his own carriage after all. Erwin complied in silence, not questioning his lord's decision.

"Thank you." Eren whispered, so softly, Levi had to strain to hear him. Not bothering to respond, Levi just stared straight ahead, unaware that his lips had curved into a small smile.

Turning back to Armin, Eren took in his friend's appearance. His face was pretty bruised, and red from crying, but other than that, the boy looked like he was in good condition.

"I'm glad you're okay," Eren whispered so that only Armin could hear him. "I wish I could have gotten there sooner, but I'm glad I got there when I did."

Armin smiled.

"You did what you could, that's all that matters. I'm sorry you were hurt. You were so brave, I-I could never have done that." Armin, looked down, ashamed of his own lack of courage.

"You should never have to, and you won't, as long as I'm around," Eren said fiercely, determination filling his face.

Armin just smiled at him again, and scooted closer so they could lean on each other as they sat. There was no need for them to say anything else, and Armin could relax now that they were safe.

Levi had watched the exchange very carefully, though he couldn't hear what was said. He knew Eren was hiding something, but he wasn't sure what. However, he also knew that he had an overwhelming desire to protect this boy, and he would do everything he could to fulfill it.