(Holy. Shit. I am so so so so sorry you guys. It has been a whopping total of 8 months. You guys are wonderful for sticking with me. I don't think I can apologize enough. I'll try hard not to do this ever again. School, cosplay, and life in general got in the way of this and I put it so far on the back burner, I'll admit it got kind of lost. Anyway, here is the MUCH awaited Chapter 5. I made it a bit longer as sort of a (crappy) apology gift.

I really can't thank you all enough for the kind comments you leave me. They really boost my self esteem and push me to keep writing this. I honestly was not expecting such a wonderful response from the SNK/Ereri community. Thank you a million times. Kisses 3)

Chapter 5: When We Argue

The night quickly left us, the morning birds singing loudly in the distance. I rolled over, opening one eye sleepily. The expectation to see Eren lying there was rudely swept away when I spotted an empty sleeping bag. It lay rustled and used but the brunette was not there. I jolted awake in panic and sat up, there was no way in hell that the punk woke up before me. I looked back down at the nest of blankets, my heart pounding with fear, but to my surprise, the boy was there, his hands gripping the sides of the sleeping bag and chest rising and falling at a steady pace. I shook my head slightly.

What the fuck.

I reached over and shook his arm roughly,"Oi, wake up Jaeger," I mutter, Eren stirring slightly and shifting in his sleep. His eyes opened hazily and glanced around the tent. Rolling my own eyes, I exited the flimsy tent and into the crisp air, morning mist clouding the air. I fed on mornings like this. I felt alive at the promise of a new day, new achievements, and new success. This was something nighttime could never give me. I rarely felt defeated when the sun rose again. I crossed camp and approached Aururo's tent.

"Aururo, are you awake?" I said clearly, my response coming in the rustling of plastic and a curt grunt. He opened the entrance flap.

"Good morning Heichou," he said, exhaustion evident in his voice. I nodded, my eyes following the man as he exited the tent, a slight stumble in his step.

"As to you."

He brushed himself off and saluted. I gave a sharp salute back then turned, tilting my head slightly, signaling him to follow suit. His footsteps quickened to match mine and we headed in the direction of the horses.

"I'm expecting to reach the base tonight. We'll spend the night there and head back in the morning. If we're quick enough, I doubt we'll come in any contact with those disgusting beasts on the way home," Levi said, his boots crunching in the dirt as he spoke, arriving next to the chestnut stallions. He aimlessly ran his hand down the muzzle and then looked up at his companion. Aururo merely nodded back and looked back out at the slowly lightening horizon. Levi did nothing as well, following his gaze out at the explosion of pastel pink and candied yellow on a hazy, stone blue canvas. A new day. A new promise.

~ XxX ~

Thirty minutes later the camp was bustling with exhausted soldiers, quickly packing up their sleeping areas, stamping out the smoldering fire and scrambling to tack up the horses. Eren was struggling to take apart our tent, so I walked over, my arms crossed over my chest.

"Jaeger…what the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked, one eyebrow raised. Startled, Eren jumped, knocking over one of the teetering posts and collapsing in a pile of cloth and poles.

"H-heichou! You startled me!" he stammered, glancing up with wide eyes. I let out an audible sigh and nudged him aside with my foot.

"Get up, you're doing this wrong." Eren scrambled to his feet, brushing off his white pants and watching as I slowly took the stakes out of the ground first and then pulling out the poles. I quickly folded up the cloth and set everything in a neat pile, returning my arms to their crossed position. Eren gulped and saluted sharply.

"I apologize Corporal. I will try my harde-" I held my hand up before he could finish, walking past him. As I reached his side, I paused and leaned over.

"Cut the formalities, Jaeger. It's Levi."

I continued on my way to check on the others progress, leaving behind the brunet with his jaw wide open and a blush covering his cheeks. Fucking adorable.

I was so screwed.

~ XxX ~

We had been traveling for around 5 hours and the sun beat down on our backs like a heavy blanket. I wiped the sweat off my brow and scanned the horizon for any sign of the base.

Damn it. It feels like we've been moving for days.

The rest of the afternoon had been quiet, almost peaceful. After the camp had packed up we set course for the fortress again. The wind drifted gently, giving a slight tease of cool air and keeping us upright on our horses. To my surprise, and cautious concern, we hadn't seen even a glimpse of a titan all day. It was…concerning to say the least. I felt as if we were teetering over the edge of a large cliff. If they weren't here they were somewhere close, like an impending earthquake. The tension seeped through the cracks, disturbing the gentle peace that settled over the pack.

Thump.

Shrieks filled the quickly staling air. The horses whinny and jolt to an unexpected stop. I turned over my left shoulder to see what the commotion is, only to spot a figure huddled on the ground. I slowed my horse, Jinae, to a stop and hop off, making my way over to the figure. The others crowd around as I approached the injured soldier, bending down and gingerly turning them over.

Brown hair, dazed brown eyes. Sasha Braus.

"Sasha are you alright?" Connie called out from beside her, kneeling down in the dirt and moving her sweaty bangs off of her forehead.

She didn't respond but reached out her hand. Connie stretched out his hand but I nudged it away.

"We need to keep her laying down. She's fainted and needs to rest for an extended amount of time so we need a group to stay with her until we return from the base."

"I'll do it Corporal!" Connie said immediately, gently taking Sasha's head and propping it on his lap. Christa was fanning her with her hands and glanced up at me.

"I will as well," She commented, then making eye contact with tall, dark Ymir, still mounted on her horse, "As well as Ymir."

"Very well. Eren, you'll be staying her as well."

"But Levi! I-"

"No, you're staying here to watch out for titans."

"Levi! I can do more for the team on patrol with the rest of you. Please just give me a chance!"

"Eren!" I growled, snapping my head in his direction. The group was dead silent, eyes wide and staring in my direction. I scanned their frightened faces, once again being filled with a sense of concern. Something wasn't quite right. I growled under my breath and stalked back over to Jinae, mounting her quickly, "Do what you want." I yanked her reigns and started forward, not even bothering to glance back at the group. I knew they would follow. Eren was the only exception.

He was always the exception.

~ XxX ~

We reached the base nearly 7 hours later, surprisingly towing along a brooding Eren. The dawn coated the sky in an explosion of colors, freckled with faint stars peeking from behind the blanket of day. We were greeted by other members of the Scouting Legion and welcomed in kindly. Supplied with warm blankets and small cups of soup, our team settled around the fireplace of the base. The splintered, wood floor grabbed at the cloth of my cape and scratched at my fingertips. Eren huddled in the corner of the room, staring intently into his murky soup, lost in its calm ripples as his body shivered. I stood up after a while and approached him, sitting down beside him without a word. He glanced up slightly, his eyes following my motions curiously. I reached over to list the cup of soup to my lips, taking a small sip and setting it down beside me.

"Do you understand why I wanted you to stay, Eren?"

There was a pause, I could feel him tense beside me at the sudden question. He held his breath as it processed, finally shaking his head in a simple no.

"I-I do not sir…uh…Levi."

I sighed quietly, leaning my head against the boarded walls of the shelter, closing my eyes in mock peace. There was a long pause. Minutes flew by before I stood up, my back to him. The firelight flickered over the sleeping features of the others. They almost looked peaceful.

Almost.

I glanced over my shoulder at the huddled boy. He looked so young, so innocent and childlike. A stab of guilt flashed through my body, regretting the decision to put these kids in so young. They never deserved this. None of them ever did. But desperate times called for desperate measures and childhood will never last forever.

I scanned his eyes slowly then turned back around, walking back to my blankets.

"To protect you…dumbass," I muttered before sweeping up the blanket into my arms and walking to the conjoined room silently. I closed the door with a resounding ring.