To heal at the speed of a normal human could only be described as troublesome. Eren had become spoiled by his titan abilities, and was restless in the hospital bed as his bones mended and his lacerations healed. Fortunately enough, his friends were good about keeping him company.

"And so Mikasa grabbed his arm and flipped him over her back!" Connie cackled, and smacked his knee.

Eren grinned, "That's what you get for hitting on my sister."

"Okay, first of all-no. She did not flip me. I tripped." Jean hissed.

Sasha giggled, "We were all there, Jean. No need to lie."

"That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

Eren looked to his sister- she had a look of self-satisfaction written all over her face.

Levi decided he was done with the antics, "Alright idiots. Break time is over, training will resume in five."

The teenagers knew better than to groan. They said their goodbyes, and left the room- taking the friendly aura with them. Eren's smile fell, and he looked down at his bandaged hands. Levi crossed the room, his boots clicking against the wood with each step. His back was towards Eren as he read through Hanji's scattered reports on the desk, "How are the legs?"

"Healed." Eren replied.

"Hn."

"I can resume training, Corporal." Eren pressed.

Levi rolled his eyes and muttered to himself, "Not this again…"

"I'm strong enough, I promise." He was nearly begging, "Please, sir."

Levi turned around and crossed his arms; he leaned his back against the table. "You say you're fine? Okay. Come shine my boots." He kicked his heel to the floor for emphasis. Eren's eyes widened, like that wasn't the response he was expecting. Levi tsked, "I don't have all day."

As expected, Eren's face hardened into one of pure determination. He lifted one foot out of bed, and then the other. His knees wobbled as he first put pressure on them, but did better than expected. He turned and began to walk towards Levi, slowly. The corporal waited patiently, his gaze tearing through Eren. The teenager took another step, almost halfway across the room, when his legs went out from under him. He yelped and braced himself with his arms. He hissed in frustration and pain.

"Ready to train, yeah?"

"I can do it." Eren spat. Levi raised an eyebrow at his tone of voice, and Eren repeated himself in a softer tone. "I can do it, sir." He slowly made his way onto his knees, and then attempted to stand again. It was to no avail. He fell again, and again. Eren's chest heaved, already exhausted.

"Pathetic." Levi barked. "You can't even cross the room, yet you think you're ready to kill titans?"

Eren didn't look at him; he decided to stare at the floor instead. Levi walked past him, saying, "Know your own body, fool."

"What the hell- Eren?! Why are you out of bed? Levi, what-"

"It's your problem now." Levi mumbled as he glided past Hanji. There was a heavy feeling in his chest as soon as he left the room.

That incident in the infirmary shut up Eren for a good week or so. It was almost enough for Levi to feel guilty about it….none of this was the kid's fault, after all. But he was the ruthless captain and Eren was the maggot so he remained coldhearted.

Except Eren was still incredibly restless. Day after day of sitting in a bed doing nothing- just watching it made Levi restless. After all, he was the one babysitting the brat. That Wednesday Levi decided to actually get some work done, and moved all the useless paperwork from his bedroom to the infirmary so he could do two things at once.

Eren was surprisingly silent for a long time, but as expected he began to shuffle around; he'd flip flop around in the bed and twist his sheets and scratch at the wooden bedframe.

Levi finally snapped, "Holy shit, can you sit still?" Eren jumped and quickly placed his hands in his turned back round, and stared angrily at his paperwork. The corporal then sighed, damn him and his fucking puppy eyes.

Eren whispered, "Sorry."

"Whatever."

There was another short period of silence, and then Eren asked, "What is everyone doing?"

"Training, probably."

"Oh." Eren fingered at the bandages on his chest. "Why are you here, then?"

"Because someone has to watch you and make sure you don't pick a scab and turn into a fuckin' titan."

Eren snorted, "I'm not that accident prone." Levi turned completely around in his chair and gave Eren the dirtiest look that said Are you being serious right now. Eren actually busted out laughing; Levi rolled his eyes and turned back around to his work. "Um," Eren giggled into his hand, "Do you need help with anything? Like uh, paperwork or something? I'm kinda just sitting here."

"No."

Eren shrugged, "Okay then."

Another short silence had Levi sighing again. He spun around in his chair and stalked right out of the room. Eren watched him with a shocked expression, "Um, I-" Levi promptly returned carrying a box in hand. He grabbed two chairs and drug them over towards Eren's bedside. He shoved one chair between them, and placed the box on it. "What….?" Eren moved to sit up.

"It's a chess board. Ever seen one?"

"Um…no." Eren watched as Levi opened the box and pulled out each piece. "I mean, I've heard of it but I've never…."

Levi swiftly set up the game, "That's fine, I'll teach you." Eren gave him a weary expression, almost unbelieving of how nice he was being. Levi rolled his eyes, "I know if you are offering to help me with paperwork, then you must be pretty fucking bored."

Eren shined a magnificent grin, and laughed as he scooted closer to the edge of the bed. "Thank you sir. I'm ready to learn."

"You are really horrible at this." Levi leaned his head in one hand while the other hand took Eren's queen.

"Damnit!" Eren huffed. "You're really good.."

"Not really." Levi watched with a bored expression as Eren moved a pawn, "You just get too impatient. You constantly want to strike but sometimes you have to be meticulous about it."

Eren got a look of determination as Levi called checkmate, " I want to try again Corporal."

"No way. Eight games are enough for me." Levi stood up and stretched his arms above his head, his back popping.

Eren sunk back into the bed, "Fine." He smiled up at Levi, "Thank you."

Levi's heart flipped and his eyes widened slightly. He quickly turned and muttered, "Brat."

"Test seven is a go- make sure his arms are locked down real good."

"We already double checked the restraints-"

"This creature is not human, do not underestimate its strength."

"Yes sir."

The room smelled horrid; stuffy and humid. The countless straps covering his arms were tight enough to completely cut off circulation. He had given up struggling days ago. Eren closed his eyes when he heard the words; "Make the cut."

The stinging in his abdomen was strong, but he was determined not to scream. He was determined not to….

The numbing pain in his right arm was suddenly gone. Eren's eyes snapped open and he craned his head to look down. The shock was enough for Eren's jaw to drop in a silent shriek. When the feeling came back, Eren screamed. He screamed, and screamed, and screamed. His body arched off the metal bed and a cry was ripped out from the back of his throat.

The doctor holding his severed arm just said, "Interesting." Before walking away.

Eren's eyes snapped open to see that he was sitting straight up in bed. Levi's face was inches from his, his pupils wide in shock. His slender fingers were digging into Eren's shoulders, trying to shake him awake.

"Eren! What the hell-"

The younger was quick to shove hard at the corporal's chest, and nearly flung himself off the bed to reach for the trashcan. It took Levi's brain only a second to comprehend, before he vaulted the bed and helped Eren reach the bin. Eren emptied out the contents of his stomach, and tears behind his eyes stung. He didn't even notice the hand on his back.

When he felt good enough, Eren leaned away from the basket and slouched against the bed frame.

"You done?" Levi asked, and Eren nodded. Levi made a face as he pushed the trashcan away to deal with later. He didn't say anything as he helped Eren to his feet and forced him back into the bed. His breathing was shallow and he was covered in sweat. "Jeez…" Levi sighed, "You scared the shit out of me, suddenly screaming bloody murder like that."

"Sorry."

"Not your fault."

Eren was surprised when Levi motioned him to scoot over. The older plopped down next to him, and leaned his back against the pillows. Eren sat up straight, "Um,"

"Are you okay?"

The question rendered Eren speechless for a moment. The question was almost incredibly out of character for the corporal. Eren swallowed, "Ah, yeah. I'm alive. "

"Not what I meant."

"My body will heal in a week or so…"

"Also not what I meant." Levi stared at him with his normal stoic expression. Eren's eyes went wide, before sighing and sinking back down into the bed.

"I'll be fine."

"Hn."

It wasn't really the answer Levi was hoping for…he wasn't sure what answer he wanted. The kid had been through hell and back. Of course he was gonna have fuckin' nightmares. Eren was uncomfortable, lying in the small hospital bed squished next to his captain. While Levi was short, he was increadibly built; broad shoulders and hard muscle. Eren twisted his hands in his lap and broke the small silence,

"I'm sorry I woke you up sir."

"Stop apologizing. You're not the first person to ever have a bad dream, brat."

"You know, I've never been scared of titans." Eren swallowed and looked over at Levi. They were talking in a hushed tone now, realizing that it was still the middle of the night. "I never was the person that woke up from a nightmare screaming."

"That's because you're a rare one, kid." Levi sighed, crossing his arms and looking ahead. "You don't just face your fears head on. You fucking headbutt them with all you've got."

Eren's face flushed slightly, and he sunk down into the bed, "I don't know why I can't get over this."

The only comfort Eren got was, "Give it time."

Eren didn't fall asleep quickly, but Levi's steady breathing next to him helped.

Days later Levi entered the bedroom Eren was now being held in. Hanji had decided that it was time he got to leave the infirmary, but that didn't mean he got to skip all the checkups.

Levi walked in on Eren's shirt pressed to his chin, arms high above his head. He ignored Eren's surprisingly good build and focused on the fading scars that marred his entire chest, leading downwards. He could see them running across his thighs all the way down to his ankles. The fact that the scars were fading was proof enough that Eren still had his regenerative ability. Levi's mood instantly turned sour, looking at the horrifying proof of Eren's nightmares.

"Oh, hello there Levi!" Hanji grinned. "Look at 'em! Eren's doing so well."

"Hn." Levi walked up to the bed. Hanji took a pen and pointed to the big scar that ran around his arm.

"There's only a couple marks I see that could be permanent. Otherwise he should be scar free in a few months. I'm interested to know if Eren will lose all the marks after he transforms into a titan."

"He won't be transforming for a long time." Levi crossed his arms.

Eren perked up, "What? Why?!"

"Because. You need to get your strength back as a human before you can run around as a frickin' titan."

Eren's shoulders shrugged, visibly upset.

"Why so eager to transform?" Hanji poked his cheek, and Eren rubbed at it and flushed.

"I just…I just want to be helpful again."

"You won't be worth shit if you're not at one hundred percent." Levi watched Hanji check Eren's muscle reaction and reflexes.

"Okay…" Eren looked down at his feet, before staring up at Levi with grit, "I'm going to do my best, sir."

"Good. I don't expect any less." Levi promptly left the room.

It was silent for a moment before Hanji smiled again, "Don't worry. You'll resume training tomorrow, and before you know it you'll be up and running as Humanity's Greatest Hope again."

Eren had mixed emotions about that.

Training was brutal at first. Getting Eren's muscles back to where they were before was going to be a lot of work. Mikasa desperately tried to protect him from the harsh training, but Levi was having none of that. Eren worked until he collapsed, ran until his feet blistered, and flew through the air until his hands couldn't pull the triggers to his gear anymore.

Eren didn't complain; he wanted to grow stronger. As predicted, his body did heal. He was back in the bunk beds with all the other members of the corps. Breakfast was almost tolerable again with Eren there. All his friends were back to laughing and teasing, and the air was bright and cheery again. Well, as cheery as their shitty situation could be.

Having Eren back also meant that all the operations were back. Not to mention the investigation of the bastard scientists and how the hell they prevented Eren from transforming. Just thinking about it made Levi's head hurt.

The corporal suddenly had an unfamiliar feeling in his chest again. Almost like….loneliness. He refused to admit that he missed sitting next to Eren day in and day out. He looked to the kid from across the table and noticed almost a… similar emotion in Eren's eyes.

When he felt his own heartbeat quicken, he abruptly stood up and ordered everyone out for training. Erwin didn't fail to notice Levi's slight flustered attitude, but he was smart enough not to say anything.

"You're lagging behind Eren." Levi called from across the field. He watched his special operations team do their daily run around the big grassy area outside headquarters.

The determined teenager put more energy in his legs, and pushed harder. His concerned friends looked behind them with sober expressions. Arlert began to slow to run along him, giving him words of encouragement.

"Don't you think you're pushing him a little too hard?" Hanji approached Levi and stood next to him.

"No."

Hanji rolled her eyes, "Levi, think about what he's recovering from."

"You said yourself that he's back to normal physical condition."

"Yeah but…" She rubbed at the back of her head, "That doesn't mean his mental condition is fine."

Levi snapped, "What, so I'm his therapist now?"

"No!" Hanji growled in frustration, "Just be mindful."

"Well, newsflash." Levi hissed back, "We all have emotional damage. It's part of the job."

He didn't really mean to make Hanji stomp off in anger, but Levi had been in a shit mood all day and watching Eren try his damn best to run along his friends was making himself feel like the worst person in the world.

When the corporal walked past the room that held his squad, he hesitated by the door when he heard yelling. His first emotion was concern, but he waited a moment;

"Hahahaha- Eren!"

"That's what you get when you-"

"No don't throw that-"

"Holy shit! Hahahaaha-"

He peaked in the door and saw the group jumping around the room and whacking each other with pillows. Sometimes it was a relief to see happy people in a shitty world. Levi saw Eren rolling on the floor, laughing. He should have told them to stop…told them to act like soldiers…but he couldn't take away their fun. Besides, tomorrow they would be back out with the titans. He told himself let them be.

Levi turned and left to stomp down to his room. Eren's fine. Fuckin' shit, why am I so worried about him. After all I'm the one that's probably going to have to…. The corporal stopped his thought when he reached his bedroom door.

….kill him.

He slammed his door shut in anger. Levi was becoming emotionally attached to these kids. I'm fucked. Levi knocked his head against the door. These people are going to die. He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes and growled out loud, "These kids are going to die and I won't be able to do anything about it."

Levi suddenly thought about Eren, chained to the wall half dead and bleeding. That familiar sinking feeling appeared in his stomach, so he grabbed the nearest chair and hurled it against the wall.

Today was the 59th expedition beyond the walls. The goals were to go out and build some more safe houses; clear out some areas and create more bases. It was a tedious task but it needed to be done. Not a lot of soldiers were taken; just some that could work and some that could kill.

And so the Survey Corps rode out beyond the walls, past the booing people and into the open fields. The weight on Eren's shoulders lifted with the fresh air. As he rode with his friends he looked forwards to the Corporal. He looked strong, per usual, staring forwards with a bored expression. Eren felt lucky to have such a capable superior. It's odd…but I almost feel safe with him. Eren cringed at his own thought, If I told him that he'd kick me to next year.

"Can't sleep?"

He watched Eren's form visibly jump from surprise, and spin on his heels. Dark circles were underneath his eyes, which were seemingly dead. It was almost nauseating to see the kid's eyes without passion. It made Levi want to throw up or throw something.

"Sir." Eren then remembered to salute, and stood at attention. Levi waved him off, and walked up next to him. His straps fell loosely around his own legs, showing that the corporal hadn't even tried to go to bed. Meanwhile Eren was in a flimsy shirt and pants. Levi could see the goosebumps on his arms from the chilly weather.

Levi folded his arms on the railing and looked out over the big fields. Today had been a success; they made it to the safe-house outside the walls without any serious injuries. Now they were standing on the roof looking out over the infinite land that seemed to stretch on forever.

Eren relaxed and turned back around the grip the rail. He asked quietly, "Why…are you awake corporal?"

"Probably the same as you."

Eren was surprised by that answer, and looked away. "Oh."

Levi knew why Eren was awake. There was no way he could act so happy around his friends without any kind of mental repercussions. The terrible nightmares persisted, even months after the incident.

"Do you even try to sleep anymore?"

"No." Eren answered sternly. "I don't want to wake everyone up."

"You need sleep."

"So do you."

"I'm not 18." Levi replied with an eyebrow raised.

Eren sighed, "I don't want to. Every time I do I relive everything."

"You may not think I can relate," Levi said slowly, "but I can. It will pass." Eren only nodded, and rested his chin on his arms. Levi asked blatantly, "What was it about?"

"I think it was the third or fourth day," Eren muttered, "They took a knife and cut out my stomach- held it out right in front of me."

"God." Levi scratched at his head. The notion was almost too human. The more Eren thought about it…the more Eren realized that Levi was more normal than anyone gave him credit for. Eren didn't say anything else, he just wiped at his tired eyes. The corporal spoke slowly, almost unsure of what he was about to say, "Do you…want to know why I'm awake?"

Eren perked up, interested that Levi was actually going to talk about himself. He nodded politely. Levi looked up at the dark sky and said, "I don't dream anymore. I mean, I used to, about people dying and whatnot. But eventually I got so used to it that it stopped bothering me."

"That's sad." Eren whispered, "That's really sad."

Levis first reaction was to yell at him- he didn't want Eren's pity. But the sober look in Eren's eyes washed away his anger like water, and so he finally choked out, "Well, I just never sleep. So there."

Eren didn't want to press the issue anymore, so he just smiled and looked back up at the stars.

Bedtime turned into nightly games of chess. When the clock struck one Eren would sneak out of the shared room, trying not to trip over Jean's boots or Sasha's tangled arms. He'd meet with Levi- usually somewhere different depending on where they were. Nevertheless they'd play for an hour or so. Night was when Levi would do paperwork and other nonsense…but he found himself making time for Eren.

He needed to stop. He needed to be the heartless corporal. He needed to hate Eren Jaeger.

But he couldn't.

Mostly because the night he first saw Eren awake on the roof...he had a nightmare of his own. And ever since then… the same one over and over again.

A nightmare of him walking in on Eren in that horrid lab. A nightmare of Eren being dead.

And so Levi decided to stop sleeping altogether. If he got maybe an hour or two he would call it a success.

"Checkmate."

"One day I'm going to beat you." Eren laughed in a whisper, "And it's going to be amazing."

"Sure." Levi moved the pieces to reset the board. "Keep dreaming."

"Corporal…" Eren began slowly.

"Hm?"

"You're not as mean as you think."

That statement caused Levi's eyebrows to shook skyward. He looked at Eren almost in shock, "What?"

"You're kind, Corporal." Eren looked down at his hands. "You sat by me when I was injured, you trained me until I was strong again, and you stay up with me when I can't sleep. You are kind."

Levi honestly didn't know how to reply to that, so he managed to spit out, "I'm your babysitter, remember."

Eren laughed, "I don't think all that is in the job description."

"I only do what's convenient for me." Levi moved a pawn, "Don't read too much into it."

Eren shook his head, "I know what you're doing. You're trying to make yourself the bad guy like you always do. I won't fall for it."

This brat…he doesn't know what he's saying. Levi never responded, mostly because he was at a loss of words. He moved a knight and took out Eren's bishop.

sorry this took like forever to update. I'm definitely going to be updating this more, i've already started on chapter three c:

thanks for reading~