Author's Note
Rated T for swearing
"Eren, we're right under your room now. Hold onto me, I'm gonna take us up."
Eren nods weakly, and lifts his arms to wrap them around Levi's neck. As he tries to put some strength into his hold, each of his shallow irregular breaths leaves an impression on Levi's aching heart. Using one arm to support Eren's torso, Levi shoots his 3D Maneuver Gear hooks and raises them to the window.
Sitting inside, waiting for them, is Erwin. Unfazed, Levi steps onto the window sill and gestures for Erwin to come help.
"…Commander…?"
Erwin gently places Eren on the bed while Levi goes to pour a glass of water.
"How are you feeling, Eren?"
"I'm okay, Sir. Thank you for your concern. I will be fine once I rest."
Returning with the glass of water, Levi slips his arm under Eren's shoulders and lifts him until he is sitting, bringing the glass to his lips. Levi hands the glass to Erwin after Eren obediently takes a few sips, and starts taking off Eren's thick jacket while efficiently shifting Eren's weight from one arm to the other. Once the jacket is off Levi softly lays Eren down, and pulls the blanket over him. After gazing at Eren for a short while, Levi finally turns to face Erwin.
"Do you want the report now?"
"If you don't mind."
"It's fine. Eren just needs to lie down and rest. Thanks for organising to have the boulder removed from Eren's house, even though you already had shitloads to do while fending off those bastards in the stupid power struggle. Thanks to that, Eren managed to regain his memories. However, from what we could find, there was no useful information that could tell us anything about the Titans. Of course, a more thorough search is necessary, but I had to consider Eren's condition as well."
"I see. Thanks for your hard work. That shouldn't be too big of a problem, considering Titans will soon be exterminated thanks to the both of yours contribution. And about Eren's power?"
"Yeah, this is important so you better listen. Eren is a descendant of the Titan Shifter clan, however he wasn't born with the power. His father used Titan Shifter blood to save his life when he was a kid. We found plenty of research data about this, which is why you have to make sure that no one else gets their hands on them. Let Hanji handle it all if possible."
"Hmmm…I see. And the reason Eren's father wanted him to go to the basement was to find this research data?"
"No, Sir." Levi and Erwin turn to Eren, as he pauses to put his thoughts into words. In an effort to speak a little louder, Eren takes a deep breath and continues. "I believe…that my father wanted me to survive no matter what, by using my power. But even after he gave me a drug to stop suppressing my power, he couldn't bring back my memories, so he wanted me to go to the basement. Perhaps he believed that even if I couldn't remember, I would realise something after looking at the data."
"But in the end you activated your power on your own, due to the dire circumstances. Hmm I see."
"Yeah, most probably that's why Eren could access his power but not his complete memories. And that's why he also didn't know about the price of using his power."
"Did you find information about that?!"
"Yeah, in his father's research journal it mentioned that, based on the materials snuck out by his ancestors, someone who gains the power after birth won't have a body that can sustain the power. Because of that….every time the power is used, the body is…pushed to the limit, and will start to break down as time goes on."
Eren looks up at Levi, silently, as Levi stares sadly into the distance. They could both tell, from seeing the desperation reflected in his father's journal, that there was no way to save him anymore. Even if there was, there was no time to find it. Even without asking, Erwin could tell too.
"You both must be tired. You should rest."
"Yeah, about a more detailed report,…"
"No, don't worry about that. At a later date…will be fine…" Erwin glances at Eren, and Eren senses his subtly apologetic tone.
"Commander Erwin! Thank you, so much, for helping me so much…especially behind the scenes. Thanks to you I was able to regain my memories."
"I haven't done anything deserving thanks from you, Eren. I really haven't. So please…"
.
.
"Please, don't thank me…"