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Outside of those walls, the very thing protecting humanity within from danger no one was prepared to face, was nothing short of hell. There is no other word to describe it. Everyone who'd left the safety within and returned to tell the tale would agree, however they continued to go outside, put their lives on the line for a dream. The scouts had just returned from another, failed, expedition at dusk with the large bell announcing their "heroic" comebacks and the cheers from individuals who did not have the slightest idea of what every one of these soldiers had witnessed. They left with 78 soldiers, returned with just barely 39. Civilians gathered around per usual, assembling on the sidelines to observe these soldiers make their way back in, seeing men and women walking with their heads hung low. Horses followed them, some limping and too many missing their riders who were lost, but not forgotten, which is what the commander insisted, but honestly it was starting to become difficult for these soldiers to remember all of their fallen comrades as the numbers increased each time they left the confinement of the walls. That's just the harsh reality of it all.
People were picked off their horses, slashed out of the sky and others were forced to watch it all happen, riding helplessly on their horse for their own safety. The titans had surrounded them almost, closing in quickly with loud footsteps -- the commander, Erwin Smith, would have to think quickly and keep on the move as the leading file of the group of soldiers behind him. He charged ahead, calling out to his soldiers to do the same and follow his lead. Erwin knew that charging straight ahead through the titans would lead to at least one casualty, one too many, but he also knew he had to do it -- he's always been responsible for his soldier's deaths after all, right? That's something he firmly believed anyway.
They all ploughed through either way, not one soldier would leave a complaint about their commander nor his instructions, he has an astute mind after all. As they rode ahead, full speed with Erwin on his grey horse at the tip of the formation, they were met with unfortunate events. Horses were kicked, riders fell and titans grasped whoever they could find, Erwin Smith was no exception to those that fell. He rode at the front, his resolve fuelled by sheer determination and willpower as his horse was pushed on too much. The steed's hoof slipped on the uneven terrain beneath, stumbling forwards and collapsing, leading to the unshakable commander to plummet to the floor, blades in hand. The vets beside him and soldiers behind had hardly any time to react to the situation, riding past before they could realise that their superior was down. Some soldiers behind made an attempt to stop, slow down or avoid trampling him, but a few were not so lucky. Horse hooves bruised the commander's torso and arms in seconds.
To his relief, however, the captain had made an immediate U-turn, engaging ODM gear and charging straight back to his commander. Levi Ackerman, humanity's strongest soldier was yelling at the soldiers further back to watch out, eliminating a larger titan on the side as he came to a stop. His arms grasped the commander, lifting him up as Levi's loyal horse followed him all the way back to him. Levi wasted no time, placing the commander onto the back of his horse upright and hoisting himself onto the saddle. In the meantime, the grey horse that had led to the commander's fall had regained its ground and stood upright, albeit injured. When it observed the captain's horse carrying the two men and quickly charge back ahead, it followed suit as all of the remaining survivors charged back to the gates of Shiganshina.
People watched their "grand" entrance, their numbers halved and their people distraught as the horse hooves echoed through the quiet town, filled with whispers. The smell of blood, both fresh and dry, clung to the air and their cloaks as the atmosphere quickly shifted from one of admiration to one of... concern. Erwin sat behind Levi, attempting to keep his back straight for the audience but ultimately being too sore to do so, painting a new picture for those who saw this with their own eyes. Whispers slowly turned into chatter as people speculated, attempting to uncover what really happened outside of the walls -- but none could come to a single conclusion of what could've so drastically reduced their numbers and the commander to... whatever this was.
Murmurs and mumbles turned to loud speaking and caused both soldiers and horses to shuffle nervously through the growing crowd whilst Levi's grip on the reins tightened, his jaw set as Erwin held onto his waist - keeping himself steady on the slightly bumpy horseback. Levi's left hand moved from the reins, placing both into his right hand, and settled on top of Erwin's hands, keeping him close and secure. He couldn't let himself and Erwin linger there -- not while Erwin was barely holding himself up, bruised and bleeding -- exposed to the stares of the public. He sped his horse up, just slightly, tracking up and through the town, ignoring the stares and comments of others as his main priority was to get Erwin back to headquarters, to his room, somewhere secluded.
Time passed, but they made it. Erwin was slumped slightly against Levi's back. Feeling his weight on him, Levi glanced over his shoulder as the horse came to a halt outside of the front, (Erwin's own horse still behind them) noticing the thin line of blood marring Erwin's temple. Levi dismounted carefully, keeping Erwin steady as he did so, then gently pulled him off with a small grunt escaping his slightly parted lips, keeping him against his own body. He held the commander steadily, firmly but gently as he led him inside the small door of the building without a single exchange of words. They walked down to Levi's personal quarters, opening the door and entering then heading straight towards the bed placed in the corner. The room was dimly lit, the light only emerging from the window of the remaining glow of dusk, the world outside slowly fading to night -- it was sparse inside of the room, but it was theirs alone for tonight.
Levi set him on the bed, carefully and precisely moving his hands to ensure the commander's comfort, even if there was very little. However, for the first time, Erwin didn't have to keep up his "unshaken commander" façade, he could let himself falter and Levi would be there to hold him up. Every time.
Levi moved swiftly and carefully as he closed the front door to his room, grabbing a small kit with some spare medical things. He wanted to take care of Erwin himself. He halted in front of the injured man perched on the bed, kneeling down and opening the kit with a slight sigh, listening to Erwin's pained breathing as he started taking out several components; bandages, alcohol, a gauze and two cloths which he poured water onto one of from a glass on his bedside table.
Levi's grey eyes moved up onto the man's body as he set everything beside him on the bed. He moved quickly and precisely as he started to unbuckle and unfasten each belt and strap of ODM gear on the larger male's body, removing it and discarding each piece within a short time, then moving his hands to the cloak and clothes beneath. Levi removed the man's shirt first, leaving his chest and each individual injury on his torso exposed. His eyes scanned the body before him, searching for major injuries and noting every cut and bruise he came across. A slight shiver ran through Erwin's body when Levi's hand came to gently touch the man's ribs, avoiding rough pressure but scouting out any broken or cracked ribs or possibly internal bruising, assessing every injury.
He checked Erwin's head, arms and back before making any moves -- checking for any emergency areas he may need to tend to first.
"Hold still" Levi murmured quietly to Erwin as he took the damp cloth after checking his body, gently washing off any dirt and grit that Erwin may have collected from the fall.
Erwin closed his eyes slightly and inhaled a deep breath as each touch from the younger man sent a wave of displeasure and pain, not even getting to the worst parts yet. Levi soon took the next cloth, dampening it with the alcohol he took out and dabbed it carefully onto any open cuts to clean them and hopefully prevent any future infections that may threaten to occur. He washed any lingering dry blood off and moved to Erwin's head, which was still lightly bleeding. Levi used the gauze he had to apply pressure to the leaking wound, holding it until he knew the bleeding either slowed significantly before layering the gauze over Erwin's forehead, then moving to wrap the gauze around any other larger cuts, such as on his stomach and arms.
Erwin's right ribs were bruised, causing significant pain to the man. So, Levi took out some more soft cloths in the kit he had beside him and placed them around the ribs to hopefully support them. When they came in contact, Erwin took in a sharp breath through his nose, keeping his eyes closed as Levi worked on him, clearly in pain that he tried to minimise showing.
"You're doing too much." Erwin stated bluntly, his voice coming out more strained and raspier than he intended for, but it still got his message across to Levi, who gave him a sharp look.
"Tch. Don't tell me I'm doing too much, I'll do what I need to. You sit still and be quiet." Levi returned, his voice clipped and each word precise.
Erwin sighed a little with a small hiss of pain from the movement, opening his eyes and looking to Levi as he took gentle care of him. Levi's concern only grew, masking it as more of annoyance in front of the commander.
"Breathe shallowly and move slowly will ya?" Levi murmured as Erwin flinches a little from the pain of Levi's hand putting pressure as he applied more, probably unnecessary, gauzes.
Levi moved down, unbuckling Erwin's belt and sliding his trousers off like it was nothing, like it was normal for the two. Levi repeated the process with his legs, checking, feeling then tending to each bruise there. However luckily, Erwin hadn't received many injuries on his lower half, mainly on his upper body.
Once he was tended to Levi's best abilities, Levi stood up and Erwin was instructed to lay down on Levi's bed while Levi remained standing beside him for a moment longer, observing the injured man on his bed. A distinct knock emerged from the front door to the room, one Levi recognised.
"Hange," he murmured to Erwin, before calling out at a slightly louder tone. "Come in." He permitted, watching the door open slowly and a familiar face peering inside.
Hange Zoë stood in the doorway to the room, holding the door handle as they looked at the scene before them, not expecting to see the commander in the bed but also not entirely surprised by the sight. Their eyes moved up and locked with Levi's gaze before speaking up in a slightly more serious tone than usual, moving their glasses up to the top of their head.
"I saw yours and Erwin's horses outside of the front of the building, still tacked up. I knocked on Erwin's door and got no response... obviously. I was checking if you were doing okay." They said sincerely, their eyes occasionally and involuntarily flicking from one man to the other.
Levi's tense shoulders slightly slumped upon hearing the reason Hange was standing at his door, he was a little relieved.
"We're fine. Could you please take care of our horses though, I haven't got the time right now. Erwin's is most likely injured also." Levi answered and kept his eyes on them.
"Of course, I'll get right to it. Take care, you two." They said before closing the door behind them with a soft click, leaving the two men in the room alone once again.
Both were relieved that the horses were left in good hands. Levi's attention returned to Erwin as he scanned over his body, pulling the blanket he had up over him carefully. He sat down, on the very edge of the bed, the mattress dipping underneath his weight while he lifted a hand to Erwin's neck, checking his pulse -- which was relatively steady. Levi took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes.
"You're sleeping here tonight and I want no argument." Levi stated sternly, being entirely serious about his decision.
"Where will you sleep?" Erwin responded immediately, disregarding the fact he'd be in Levi's room, but more worried about Levi's sleeping place.
Levi stood up and turned to look into Erwin's eyes as he pondered for a moment.
"I'll find somewhere, a chair maybe, that's the least of your concerns right now." Levi kept his eyes on him and spoke at a steady tone, he was perfectly fine with not needing his bed for the night. On the other hand, Erwin wasn't so fine with that.
"No you won't." Erwin responds, which causes surprise to flick through Levi's eyes.
"Yes I--"
"Come join me. I'd rather not take your own bed when I shouldn't even be in here." Erwin cut him off with a sharp but still pained tone, leaving Levi silent, shocked.
Although Levi managed to stand upright, look down into Erwin's eyes and keep his face neutral as usual, he could feel his pulse quicken and his muscles stiffened just subtly as he kept quiet for a moment longer, almost trying to process the entire ordeal and whether the guy was being entirely serious or not... but why would he joke about something like this?
"You're not serious are you?"
"I am, Levi. It would provide me with the necessary support I require while I recuperate." Erwin explained immediately and left nearly no room for the captain to argue, making it sound like more of an order than a simple request.
Levi let out a small sigh of resignation and his gaze shifted to the side for a moment as he considered how to go about it, since Erwin is severely injured, the last thing he'd want is to cause him pain unnecessarily. Eventually though, he looked to the bed and crawled inside, settling under the covers and maintaining a few centimetres between the two bodies, not wanting to initiate the physical contact. Erwin, however, had no issue in initiating anything. Once he saw that Levi was settled, he brought his right hand over and gently to Levi's back with a quiet grunt of pain, nonetheless softly dragging him closer.
Levi's breath hitched for a moment as he processed the entire situation, but not once did he attempt to pull away or even protest against it. Instead, he let himself drape an arm around Erwin's waist, around the area he knew wasn't severely injured, and held him carefully -- ensuring his stability. Erwin let out a soft sigh of contentment and let himself relax more into the pillows beneath him, turning his head a smidge so his nose lightly grazed Levi's hair as he inhaled the smaller man's natural scent, letting Levi finally relax for a while and close his eyes while he tried his best not to cause Erwin any harm.
"Thank you," Erwin whispered quietly into Levi's hair, taking a small pause before continuing, "for saving my life, taking care of me every time and now staying."
Levi couldn't help the slight tint of pink that graced his ears, the heat starting at the top of them and working its way down to his cheeks.
"... shut up and rest" Levi's voice came out more hoarse and quieter as they both then lay silently, letting the weight of the day settle and their exhaustion to take over.