Eren tried his best to ignore the queasy feeling in his stomach as he made his way to the mess hall, teal eyes trained to the floor in frustration. Ever since Commander Erwin had let the team know of their on-coming expedition, the brunet had been feeling less than excited. Were it his former self, he would have been filled to the brim with energy, ready to stay true to his promise of exterminating all Titans...but after the events of the 57th Expedition, Eren couldn't help but feel worried and doubt himself.

Millions of questions invaded his mind—what if they had a repeat of last time? What if they encountered another rogue, Titan shifter intent on killing them much like Annie had tried to do? What if...what if they lost more people...?

And Levi...what if Levi got hurt trying to save Eren's sorry ass again? What if he ended up losing the Corporal, as well, because of a stupid mistake on his part?

Eren frowned at the ugly track his thoughts were taking.

No...I won't let that happen. Not this time.

Levi turned his head as he heard the door open, his gaze softening as his eyes landed on the brown head of his beloved. So much had changed since they'd first met. He could still remember their first meeting, the determination burning in those lovely green eyes and the sheer adoration expressed in them every time those bright orbs would settle on the Corporal. As their relationship had slowly progressed and developed into something more, Levi had come to know more of Eren than anyone had before, and he tended to use that information for his own benefit.

It was then that he noticed the saddened look etched on the boy's face as he walked further inside the room, and his heart clenched a little. "Hey, brat, what's got you down?" he asked, but he wasn't about to show that he was worried, oh no.

The teenager looked up and met the grey eyes of his Corporal. To any other person, Levi's expression may have looked impassive and cold, as was his trademark, but Eren knew better. He'd been spending more than enough time with the stoic man to know how to read him, and the concern he saw swimming in those silver orbs made him smile a little. "Corporal..." He sat down in the chair next to Levi and slouched his shoulders. "Corporal...Levi," he corrected himself, "I'm worried." He let out a long sigh and shook his head briefly before meeting his lover's steady gaze once more.

"Worried about what, Eren?" the man asked, lifting a hand to lightly caress the boy's cheek with his thumb.

Said boy leaned into the touch, burying his face in the large, warm palm and pressing a gentle kiss there. "The next expedition," he admitted in a murmur.

Levi froze for just a split second, before relaxing his posture. "Why would you be so worried? We've been training hard for this, everything's going to be just fine."

Eren grabbed the man's wrist in his own two hands and held onto it tightly. "Yes, I know, but...what if...what if we have a repeat of last time? Levi, I don't want to lose anymore teammates, especially not because of something I did!" Just the mere thought of the potential disastrous outcomes was more enough to make his skin crawl.

"You're not going to, Eren, trust me." Levi used his free hand to lift Eren's chin up, looking into his emerald eyes. "I'll protect you and everyone else."

Hearing the words of comfort, Eren's eyes glossed over with tears, a small, yet bitter, smile twitching his lips upwards. "I know. I know that very well." His smile was gone in the next second. "But who's going to protect you? I obviously can't, we all know that. The last time I tried to help someone, they died." He glanced around the table as if to make a point, heart clenching tight in his chest as memories filled him—Petra's sweet smile, Oluo continuously biting his tongue, the times shared with Eld and Gunther...they were all gone, leaving only recollections behind.

Eren choked on a small sob, shoulders shaking.

"Eren..." Levi whispered, wiping a tear from the distraught boy's eye.

"I don't want to lose you, Levi..."

"You won't ever lose me, Eren," the older man promised, leaning in to plant a quick kiss on Eren's lips.