AN: I haven't been into SnK for long but I love it! ANd I love Levi. Spoilers for SnK 70, I didn't write this with Ereri in mind, just friendship and mutual respect between the two, with Levi showing a bit of his soft side (I loved the scene in SnK 70 where he gives Eren his handkerchief). Anyway, enjoy!
Not Invincible
"Eren, you're bleeding again…" Hange Zoe watched in concern as Eren lifted one hand to his nose, before drawing it back to stare with wide eyes at the crimson that coated his fingertips. "And you're sick. You need to rest and not push too hard. We should stop, at least for today."
Eren shook his head, wiping the blood away with a trembling palm. "No, it's okay, I want to carry on, I … I want to do this."
Levi observed from where he stood, a short distance away, that the boy was shaking badly, legs wobbling under his own weight. His breathing was heavy, as if he'd been running for miles, and one hand was curled around his stomach. Eren had been insistent that they continue with the production of the titan guillotines, despite the obvious damage it was causing to his human body. They had already managed to produce six of the huge structures, including the one Hange had demonstrated successfully for the reporters, and two of those within the past several hours of training, however both Levi and Hange could see that Eren was beginning to weaken. The exhaustion and high fever that came with the use of his powers were beginning to take their toll on the boy, and he'd overexerted himself whilst struggling to escape from the hardened titan shell; when he finally managed to pull himself free, he'd immediately doubled over onto the grass and vomited violently, and despite his disgust Levi had not failed to notice the tinge of red against green as Eren heaved, and heaved again. When his retching had finally subsided, he rose slowly to his feet, and that was when the two older soldiers had seen the fresh blood streaming down from his nose.
That was the final straw for Levi; just as Hange opened her mouth to respond, he stepped towards Eren, closing the distance between them, and spoke sternly.
"That's enough Eren. You're done for today."
"Sir, I'm-"
"I said that's enough." The words rang loud in the sudden silence. "You're fucking disgusting, go and wash up. That is an order, Jaeger."
Eren recoiled slightly at the harsh words, but recovered quickly as his expression hardened into a determined glare. And when Eren was determined about something, it took a lot of effort, or at least a few well-aimed kicks, to get him to back down. Levi sighed internally; stubborn brat.
"With all due respect, sir, I have already been given my orders," the young man began, eyes gleaming as he stared defiantly at his superior, "And I think the higher-ups would be very interested to know why Captain Levi decided to interrupt the construction of humanity's most effective weapon against the titans, especially with the mission the reclaim Wall Maria fast approaching. Or had you forgotten the court's ruling?"
Levi stiffened; oh, he had not forgotten. The military court, upon hearing of Eren's new ability, had ordered the mass production of the scaffolds before Eren and the rest of the Scouts headed out to Shinganshina, both unaware and uncaring of the titan shifter's deteriorating health as a result. He frowned. "I believe the title of 'humanity's most effective weapon' belong to you, you little brat, and you're no fucking good to anyone in this state. You look like you can hardly stand, let alone take on a titan," Levi barked. "You're a mess."
Eren glowered. "I'm not-"
Eren's arm suddenly tightened around his stomach, his body bending and crumpling as he convulsed in pain. He coughed, blood and bile spattering the Levi's shoes and trousers. The clean freak had no time to be disgusted by it as he darted forward, just in time to catch Eren as he buckled forwards. The boy's body was hot beneath Levi's hands despite the layers of clothing covering his skin. Huge green eyes widened, then rolled back and closed slowly as Eren's muscles slackened and he sagged into stillness in Levi's arms.
"Eren…!" Hange gasped. Levi kneeled and gently lowered the limp figure to the ground, ignoring his revulsion at the sight of the sweat that coated the boy's pale skin. So pale, in fact, that if it weren't for the shallow rise and fall of his chest, Eren could've passed for a corpse.
"He's alright, Hange, just unconscious," Levi stated flatly. He could understand her concern; the kid really did look like shit. Zoe crouched next to him, reaching out towards Eren's neck to check his pulse, but the instant her fingers brushed against his skin she hissed and pulled away.
"He's burning up! We need to get him to the infirmary." Levi couldn't disagree with that, not with the way Eren was breathing, ragged and uneven. Hell, if he didn't know any better, Levi might've thought he was dying; the thought unnerved him so he pushed it to the back of his mind. It was unsettling to see Eren so listless when he was usually so vibrant and brimming with energy, though Levi managed to maintain his impassive expression. He nodded once and leaned over to lift the younger man once again.
At that moment, Eren's eyes fluttered open. "C… captain?" came the confused mumble as he blinked in the harsh glare of the midday sun. "What happened?"
He shifted in the dirt, as though trying to get up, and Levi scowled. "Stay down, brat," he snapped, pinning Eren's shoulders to the ground, ignoring the sharp cry of agony when he did. "Stop squirming!" Eren did as he was told, though Levi wasn't sure whether it was due to his instruction or the pain; either way, he relaxed and allowed Levi to wrap one strong arm around his shoulders to guide him into a sitting position.
"Are you in pain?" Hange asked anxiously.
"Yeah," Eren admitted quietly with a small grimace. "What happened?" he asked again, and this time Levi answered.
"You collapsed," he replied curtly, noting silently, and with no small amount of relief, that Eren's temperature was beginning to cool. "You have an unnaturally high fever and you're having nosebleeds and coughing up blood again, as you know." Eren looked away as though ashamed. Levi gritted his teeth, not bothering the hide the growing anger from his voice. "You idiot. You've been working too hard and ignoring the consequences for far too long; if you keep this up, you'll be useless when the time comes."
Eren gaped. "My orders-"
"I don't give a shit about those orders," Levi growled. "What's the point in those weapons if we can't use your strength to reclaim the wall? You need to understand that you're the best hope we have, and that endangering yourself unnecessarily is, to put it simply, the most selfish thing you could do at the moment. Humanity is relying on you to be a hero, and even if neither you or I believe in such a thing, we at least need to try. You can't fight if you're too busy bleeding all over the goddamn place and passing out in the middle of the battle. If you can't fight, we can't win. You need to get control of this, or we're not gonna stand a chance out there."
"Levi, that's enough," Hange murmured softly, her words mirroring his earlier warnings and stopping him short. Levi exhaled slowly. Eren's skin was returning to its normal healthy colour, his breathing had strengthened and deepened, but Levi could still sense the occasional tremor that ran through him. Levi resumed his speech, but the anger had softened in his voice and the words had lost their clipped edge.
"Eren, listen to me. You and I, we may not always agree but we are working towards the same goal; to rid the world of the titans. And I know that these weapons are currently the most effective method of killing those monsters, that's why this is so important to you, but weapons alone will not win us our freedom. It's you we need."
"You mean you need him," Eren spat bitterly; Levi didn't need to ask who he was, and he wasn't going to lie.
"You're right. Without your titan ability, we would've all been wiped out a long time ago. It's that which makes you important; without it, you're just another soldier, and not even the most skilled of them all. I won't pretend that it's anything more than that, but that doesn't change a damn thing. You are what you are, and you happen to be a titan; a titan who will save us all. So you better make sure that you're able to fight for us, because you're the only one who can."
Eren didn't react for a long few minutes; he appeared to be lost in contemplation. When he did eventually respond, he wouldn't meet the older man's silver gaze.
"I understand, sir. It's true, I need to take better care of myself. After all," the boy huffed slightly, "I made a vow to erase the titans from existence, and I can't do that if I'm too weak to fight." He finally lifted his eyes, and Levi could see the brightness in them. "I promise I'll be more careful from now on. I'll make sure I get enough rest, eat plenty, I'll stop when my body needs to recover, but I will not promise to stop using my abilities to produce weapons that could be used against the titans. As you say, I must do what I can to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I want to help, in any way I can. I can't sit back and take it easy, knowing that I could've done more. I don't want anyone else to die when I could've saved them. So please, don't make me stop. I would never forgive myself if I did that, sir."
And Levi knew that he wouldn't; the kid already had so many ghosts weighing him down, already carried the shadows in his heart. Levi knew that Eren had nightmares, that he would often wake up sweating and crying, with dying screams still ringing in his ears and death on his hands. The boy had more burdens that any one person should be able to bear, and yet he seemed to be able to go on when so many others would've faltered. To force Eren to stop would only add to the insurmountable guilt that weighed upon his soul like a thousand stones. Levi couldn't do it.
"Okay, fine, but from now on you don't get to come out here to transform without me around to keep an eyes on things. And if I sense that you're in anything less than prime condition I will not hesitate to drag your sorry ass down to the cellar where you will spend your time in restraints getting some much-needed shuteye, am I clear?"
"Yes sir!" Levi almost rolled his eyes at the brat's enthusiastic reply. With one arm still supporting Eren, he moved swiftly from a kneeling position to crouching.
"Can you get up?"
"I think so."
"Alright. I don't think you need to visit the infirmary anymore, since you seem to have improved quite a bit, but you need to get some rest. Do you think you can make it to your room on your own, or do you need me to hold your hand? Maybe I'll even tuck you into bed if you're lucky." Eren had known the captain long enough to recognise the genuine offer of help hidden among the sarcasm. He couldn't help but smile discreetly, turning his face so Levi couldn't see his amusement. Too late. "What the hell are you smirking at?"
"Nothing sir!" Eren stifled a laugh and Levi's expression grew even more disgruntled, though the warm arm that braced his shoulders remained. After a brief mental countdown, he tried to stand, but almost straight away fell back with a small yelp; Levi held him steady as he caught his breath. The sudden change caused his head to spin wildly, there was a faint sheen coating his brow and something hitched painfully in his chest, causing him to lean more heavily on the shorter man. "Ah, sorry. I can do it, just… give me a minute."
"Imbecile," Levi muttered before swinging his other arm under the teen's legs just below the knees; Eren barely had time to react as his legs were knocked out from underneath him and he was hoisted into the air.
"Hey, put me down!" Eren screeched as he was carried bridal style away towards the castle. Levi looked equally unhappy with the arrangement.
"Just shut up, this is the quickest way so deal with it."
Hange watched the two soldiers disappear towards the castle, entertained, but soon her grin faded and she lapsed into thought. Eren would be okay this time, that much she knew, but the long term effects of the transformations had her concerned. Levi had already warned her that his body may not last forever, but even then she'd never imagined that it would get worse so quickly. She'd never expected to see Eren that way, and it had been a huge shock; because of his ability to heal quickly, it was rare to see Eren in such prolonged, extreme pain. Hange had seen him suffer injuries that would've killed any normal human, injuries that caused him agony, but even in those instances the wound had quickly stitched itself up and disappeared, along with the pain. It made her worried; no matter what decisions he made now, no matter how well he looked after his health, as long as war raged on between humans and the monsters, Eren would be forced to use his abilities, and neither Hange nor Levi not Armin or Mikasa or anyone would be able to protect him from the consequences. One thing was clearer than ever; their titan shifter was not invincible after all.