Author's Note: Hey, guys! This idea really came out of nowhere. Hope you like it, though! Don't forget to comment, if you'd like to- I love comments, including critique! Enjoy~

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The patches were heavy and coarse across Levi's still hands. Wings of freedom, already seeming to fade, stretched tiredly over the cloth.

His eyes passed over them, trying to draw out the memories of the people behind them. Though he didn't remember to whom each belonged, he could imagine. There was no need to know precisely. There was no time.

The only way he could tell them apart was by how frayed the edges were, the toll time had taken. Now, there were four new ones. His fingers traced the raised patterns, as their faces danced before his eyes. Four more again, the entire squad. The titan came out of nowhere, lunging at Levi. All four of them jumped.

Idiots.

They'd jumped for him.

Levi folded over, head dropping low over his knees. Shadow hung over his eyes, like a mass of roiling stormclouds.

They'd jumped for him.

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"What's the point?" Levi hissed. Angry hands curling into the smooth, polished wood of the desk. "We're not doing anything important. Why send them out to die?"

"We never send them out with the intention that they die, Levi." Erwin said wearily. "Do you think I wanted them to die? You know that this mission was necessary-"

"Necessary?" he scoffed. "Looking for old documents- that's necessary?"

"Those old documents have important data about the titans. It could be the key to defeating-"

"If it was the key to defeating the titans, they would have used them when they had the chance."

"Levi, you're not listening. We need every bit of intelligence we can get." Erwin eyed him with a steely determination. Sureness.

Stubbornness, Levi thought.

"My entire squad died again."

A thick silence spread through the room, leaving a bad taste on Levi's tongue. Or maybe that was just the bitterness of those words. 'Again'. They would never stop dying.

"I don't believe," Levi said coldly, "In wasting lives."

Erwin turned slightly to the window. "We're not wasting them."

"They died for me."
"Levi-"

"They didn't die for humanity. They died for me."

"They died for the cause-"

"These are people, Erwin-"

"These are soldiers."

"How can you say that?"

Erwin looked back at him.

"I have to."

"Tch." Levi shook his head, forcing himself to let go of the desk. His nails left crescent-moon marks in the wood. "You're killing them."

"I'm doing this for humanity."

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I'm doing this for humanity.

Hours later, the words still echoed in Levi's head. Bounced off the walls of his mind, over and over, a neverending stream of syllables.

He could see all the dying soldiers, falling from the sky like autumn leaves. Spiraling down to the unyielding ground. They came crashing down in front of his eyes, like so many red raindrops.

What's the point of doing it for them, if they all die? he thought mutely. He'd held their limp hands, promised them the impossible victory. Promised that they'd helped.

Have I been lying to them?

The dry, crumbling walls of his room seemed to close in on him, squeezing the breath from his lungs. Levi dragged himself against the wall.

What's the point?

He looked down at his coat, at the dark, rugged tan of its cloth. Since when had it become so cold? Soldiers, working together. Machinery.

A hand drifted up to the crest of the scouts. Would anyone take it if he died?

Levi shuddered a little. Don't think about it. Don't think, don't think, don't think-

But once the gates had opened, the flood couldn't stop. Maybe it would be fine if I died. So I don't end up getting more people killed. If a titan could just bite down, and my blood would spray everywhere-

And then Levi was on his feet, backing towards the door. It was getting to him. The cold, unfeeling walls. His teeth clenched. There was no warmth in the base. There was fire, but no warmth. Why could he still feel? He needed to go. He needed to be numb- frigid and stiff like the salute they gave every morning, like the glinting steel of blades of his gear, like Erwin-

"I'm doing this for humanity." That's what Erwin had said.

What humanity? Is there any left? Levi's thoughts were starting to spin. Am I alone?

Levi's fumbling hand found the doorknob, and then a rush of air poured across his face as the door opened. He moved through it, down the hallway, boots clicking across the floors of the base. Though he wasn't thinking clearly, a single thought ruled over the rest- he had to get away.

His legs moved automatically, carrying him to the door. Dark, night air swirled around his cloak as he pushed the twin doors open.

He had to get away.

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Eren heard a creak, followed by the tearing of cloth. He was drenched instantly, water streaming down his face and into his clothes. A sigh slipped from his throat.

His pace slowed, melting from a jog into a walk. Shielding his eyes from the downpour, he lowered the ruined umbrella.

Crap, I should've known. It was too windy today. What was I thinking?

The umbrella was ruined, practically torn in half. It had happened before, but Eren never seemed to learn. He hadn't wanted to miss his morning run, after all.

It was something he'd grown accustomed to. At first, it was because he'd wanted to get stronger. Slowly, though, it had turned into something more. It gave him a moment to collect his thoughts. So when he'd looked out the window at the break of dawn and realized it was raining, he'd smiled. He loved rain.

Except for when it was freezing, and running down his back. He could live without that.

Eren shivered, pushing his matted hair back from his eyes. A glance backwards confirmed what he feared; the base was still far away, lost in the distance. A glance upwards confirmed his second fear; the sky was dark with rainclouds, with no end in sight.

I'm going to have to buy another umbrella. he realized. He he felt for money into his pocket, finding a reassuring amount. There's a small town really close to here, right? If I can make it there, it'll be fine.

A rumble of thunder shook the ground, and a flash of lightning lit the sky. Eren's eyebrows raised. "Whoa." he muttered. "I really should've stayed in today."

It was getting a little hard to see, too. Aside from the sheets of rain, the morning sunlight was blotted out by the clouds. It was as if night had come again.

Eren could see the small town in the distance. Around a mile away, dotted with flickering lights. The thought of a nice, warm fire made him smile. Yeah, a new umbrella sounded good.

He started walking-

But then, just as suddenly, he stopped.

A feeling that he couldn't explain came over him. Tingles of apprehension, crawling up and down his spine. Suddenly, he realized he'd seen something. While his eyes were drifting over the landscape- he'd seen something. Something that didn't quite fit.

He held his hand up to his eyes again, glancing around. He was sure of it now; there'd been something out of place. What was it? What-

There!

Because he was on top of a small hill, Eren could see across the landscape. He could see the trees. And at the base of one of those trees, he could see a small, dark mass.

From his position, he couldn't quite make out what it was. He squinted. It definitely wasn't a rock. Wasn't too far away, either.

He started walking.

The rain slammed against his face, forceful gales shoving him back. He fought through them. What a storm! Eren had never seen anything like it. The wind was freezing, too, and he could feel his nose and ears going numb. Despite that, he wasn't worried- if anything happened, he would heal just fine.

His walk sped to a jog, and wind whipped noisily past his ears. And then-

Eren's eyes widened.

Green. A scouting legion cloak. It was someone, not something, and they were sprawled across the soaked ground.

Shit! His teeth gritted, and his jog turned into a full-out run. The rain stung. Who is that? How did this happen? Renewed urgency sparked adrenaline through his veins. His broken umbrella was torn from his hands by the wind. He didn't look back as it was swept away.

"Hey!" He called. "Can you hear me? Do you need help?"

No answer.

Eren's heart pounded against his ribs.

"HEY!"

No answer. And now he was 100 meters away, then 90, 50, 30, 10-

He fell to his knees, breathlessly crawling to the fallen soldier. "Hey!" Eren grabbed the person's shoulder, pulling them onto to their back. "Are you-"

His heart almost stopped.

A breath pulled into his lungs.

And then-

"Corporal Levi?!"

Levi's eyes were closed, mouth open just a little. His head lolled to the side.

"Levi!"

Oh shit, oh shit- How long had he been out there? Eren moved him aside. There was already dry mud on his clothes. That meant-

"Shit!" he hissed. He propped Levi up against the tree, shaking him a little. "Levi- Levi, can you hear me? Levi!"

No answer, and Levi's head fell to the side. Eren caught it, lifting it back up-

And gasped. Cold. His skin was freezing cold.

"Oh, God."

Eren grabbed for Levi's hands, finding them icy and limp; He rubbed them between his own, blew warm breath across them. "Hey! Levi, wake up! Are you okay?"

His hands drifted over Levi's mouth, and the breaths were alarmingly shallow and quick. In fact, there was a tinge of blue spreading across his lips...

Worry tightened in his chest- and then his teeth clenched, determined. The town.

"You're going to be okay, Levi, alright?" He took Levi in his arms, slung him across his shoulders. Then he turned, and he was running, and the wind seemed to push him along. "You're going to be okay. You hear me? Come on- just hang on a little longer, you're gonna make it-"