Picking up the Pieces.

Chapter 2.

The morning of the 57th expedition came around far too quickly for Jean's liking, no matter how much training they'd gone through he just couldn't help but feel they weren't prepared enough. Not just the cadets but the soldiers too, Commander Erwin, Corporal Levi the whole lot of them. They just weren't ready. But like any good soldier Jean followed the orders and trained his hardest with his friends. However, he was worried, more for the safety of others than himself, especially a certain soldier. Levi. The small Corporal was almost always on his mind and his worry for him had grown since this particular day had grown closer in the coming week.
He sighed and steadied his horse as looked around for Levi, noticing he hadn't arrived yet but then again neither had Erwin. Nervous whispers were all that he could hear, the voices of his friends only a murmur as he looked around for the Corporal he so deeply cared for. Erwin rode to the front, shortly followed by Levi, the ravenette locking eyes with Jean briefly, the brunette seeing worry cloud his grey eyes as he rode to the front of his squadron. Jean rode forward taking his place with his own squad.
"Silence!" Erwin yelled, his voice echoing. "Avoid the Titans at all costs! Attack if there is no other option. On my command."
Jean looked to Levi as the Corporal looked to him, honey meeting grey as their eyes locked, possibly for the last time.
"Forward!"
The Scouting Legion rode forwards, the horses galloping as they left the safety of the walls as the soldiers began the formation.
Jean sighed as his squadron formed the way it had been planned, Armin and Marco on his left with Reiner and Bertholdt on his right with himself in the middle. Their squadron was the inner left side look out, their main job was to protect the three inner squadrons, the next one down from theirs was Levi's. Jean would do his damned hardest to make sure no Titans reached any of those three squads, especially Levi's. The thought alone that Levi could be hurt or killed by a Titan sent sheer terror coursing through Jean but it also sent determination to do his job to the best of his ability blind that terror.
"Be on guard at all times! We cannot let any Titans infiltrate us!" Reiner called as they galloped across open country.
Jean nodded as they broke apart to form a line an uneasy feeling creeping it's way over him. A sudden shiver coursed down his spine. Something was going to go wrong, he couldn't place his finger on why he thought this but he just couldn't help but feel that something was going to go terribly wrong.
~*~
"Formation!" Levi yelled to his squad, swerving his horse and taking the outer left, Petra beside him with Eren in the middle followed by Erd and Gunter on the right side flank.
He sighed softly to himself as his mind began to think about a certain ash brown haired cadet. Jean. He wished he could take his mind off of Jean, off of his laugh, his smile, his eyes, off of him. But he couldn't. He was terrified about losing Jean and he didn't know why. He'd lost friends before, good friends but never once had he felt this sense of panic when he thought about the possibility of losing someone. He swallowed back the fear that was bubbling inside him and tried to concentrate on what he was doing as his squad rode through a small thicket. As they emerged out of it they came to a small village, abandoned however many years ago.
"Maybe walking the horses through might be a better idea, Corporal." Erd spoke up as the horses whinnied. The animals sounded distressed and this put Levi on edge more than he already was.
"No. We ride through." He shook his head. "One at a time." He said when his squad moved to go forwards.
He clicked his tongue, moving his horse forward. The animal began walking forwards before stopping halfway, walking on the spot as it whinnied. The other horses began to whinny and become restless, setting their riders on the verge of panic. Levi continued encouraging his horse forward. Just as they neared the end of the village Levi's horse let out a loud whine and bucked, sending Levi flying to the ground as the horse ran towards his squad. He picked himself up and just as he moved to walk back to his squad an Abnormal Titan came crashing out from behind the houses, facing the small Corporal.
"Corporal!" Petra screamed as the Titan stood between them and Levi.
"Levi, get out of there!" Erd yelled.
Levi looked up at the Titan, his swords drawn as he slowly began to back away. He turned and ran, going as fast as he possibly could. He knew it was useless to try and out run an Abnormal but if he could just get close enough to a small thicket of trees in front of him then he could use the 3DMG and escape. Hopefully. The Abnormal had already begun to chase him when he see two more Titans appear before his squad, sending them fleeing in the opposite direction as the Titans gave chase. Where the fuck did they come from, he thought as he shot his 3DMG and swung away from the Abnormal. Now swinging through the trees, he looked back and almost sighed in relief when he couldn't see the Abnormal. He turned back around just as his gear gripped the last tree and he was sent flying in the open.
"Shit!" He cried as felt himself fall before harshly connecting with the ground.
He rolled for a bit before coming to a stop, groaning. He sat up, rubbing his now bleeding head. Great, he silently muttered, another thing to worry about. His worry soon turned to panic when he felt a large hand wrap around his body and lift him from the ground. The Abnormal! It lifted Levi to it's face, the disturbing smile wide as it stared at Levi. The Titan brought Levi away from it's face slightly and squeezed him and as much as Levi tried to he just couldn't hold back the scream of pain that left his lips, sending the birds flying away in terror. His felt his ribs break and crush within the grip, his hands stabbing his swords into the Titans larger ones as he tried to free himself. He was going to die, he just knew it. This Titan was going to crush him and then eat him. Tears spilled over his cheeks as he realised he would never get to say goodbye to Jean, never get to tell him he loved him. Just as he felt the Titan move him towards its mouth it stopped and let out a loud roar before the agonising pressure disappeared and he felt himself falling when his world went black...
~*~
"This is ridiculous. We've been out here for nearly three hours and there's been nothing. No smoke signals, no Titans. Nothing." Jean muttered.
For the past hour, his squad had been on edge, the lack of Titans, as much as they wished it, was never a good sign.
"Well, you can cross nothing off your sight-seeing list. There's an Abnormal coming up on the right." Reiner pointed towards the Titan.
Jean's heart sank when Reiner said it was off to the right. That's where... he swallowed. That's where Levi was. As the squad got ready to move out to avoid the Abnormal, Armin gasped.
"It's got someone!" He called.
Jean's eyes widened and before he could stop himself he swerved his horse right and toward the Abnormal.
"We have to help them! What if it's Eren?" He knew his excuse was strange considering he and Eren didn't get along but he couldn't exactly say 'What if it's Levi?' because that would raise suspicion.
"Jean, Armin stay down here and get ready to catch whoever it has! Marco, Bertholdt with me!" Reiner yelled before swinging up to the Titan, Marco and Bertholdt following as they launched an attack.
Jean and Armin rounded up the other three horses and began to slow the horses down as they neared the Titan. Marco and Reiner swung down and slashed at the Abnormals Achilles heal just as it squeezed it's captive, a scream emitting from them. The Abnormal roared in pain, dropping its captive. Jean sped his horse forward, pulling on the reins and making the animal jump, catching the limp body. He and Armin moved aside as the Abnormal crashed to the ground, calming the horses down. Marco, Reiner and Bertholdt landed safely down near them, sheathing their swords and walking back to their horses and climbing on. Jean had a firm hold on the person who had been caught by the Titan, his cloak wrapped around them tightly.
"Please, tell me they're alive?" Reiner panted, looking towards Jean.
"They're alive." Jean answered.
"You're sure?" Marco asked.
"Positive. I've felt them move slightly." He told them, looking down at the bundle in his arms.
"That leaves only one question unanswered. Who is it?" Armin asked.
Jean carefully moved his cloak aside, mindful of their bleeding head. He gasped softly as the face of the unconscious person was revealed.
"It's Corporal Levi." He said, looking up with wide eyes. His Levi had been hurt. His Levi had nearly been killed. He unconsciously tightened his grip on Levi as the group rode to the safety of a thicket before Armin let off a smoke signal now only waiting for help...
~*~
Once Levi had been secured, the squadron rode out and headed for a small crop of trees and remained there. Jean kept his gentle hold on Levi even when Commander Erwin arrived. The blonde took one look at Levi before his eyes looked between the five soldiers, anger burning like a fire.
"What happened?" He demanded.
"We aren't exactly sure, sir, but we assume he was separated from his squadron as he was on his own when we rescued him." Reiner explained.
"Rescued? What do you mean?" His eyes glanced to Jean who held his second in command.
"He was grabbed by a Titan, sir." Jean answered.
Erwin eyes widened in shock. Levi was one of the greatest soldiers he knew, the best when it came to taking down Titans.
He nodded. "Jean, you are now in charge of caring for Levi. Even when we reach the rendezvous point he is not to leave you. A medic shall treat him and then he shall be handed back to you. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir." Jean responded.
"Right, are you ready to ride on?" Erwin asked.
Jean adjusted Levi so he wouldn't fall off and then looked up at Erwin.
"Ready, sir."
"Let's go." Erwin turned his horse round and sped off, the five soldiers following close behind him.
Darkness began descending as they neared the tree line and Jean noticed that they were the last to arrive as all the soldiers were on a large branch, lanterns lit, waiting to begin the briefing, the squad leaders were on a large branch opposite, facing their soldiers.
"There here!" Jean heard Connie yell.
Everyone now stood, watching their comrades make it towards them. Unfortunately, no one had spotted Levi as it was too dark and he was partially hidden in Jean's cloak. Slipping off their horses, Erwin tied the animals reins together and watched them gallop off, knowing the horses were smarter in steering clear of the Titans. Erwin, Armin, Reiner, Bertholdt and Marco all made their way up into the trees with their 3DMG. Erwin then looked down towards Jean.
"Clear a space." He ordered the soldiers. "Ready?"
"Ready!" Jean called. He adjusted Levi carefully so he was holding him bridal style before he soared up to the tree branch where the rest of his comrades were waiting.
"I need medical assistance now!" Erwin ordered. A medic ran over and began to bandage up Levi's head before moving onto his chest and ribs once Jean explained what had happened. The cadet sat down, keeping Levi on his lap once the medic had finished.
"Levi!" Petra yelled, pushing her way towards him with the rest of Levi's squad. "What the hell did you do to him?!"
"Nothing. We saved him." Reiner told her.
"What?" Farlan stared in shock as everyone fell silent, wanting to know what happened.
"Our squadron was riding on when we see a Titan. Something was out of the ordinary when we noticed it seemed very focused on something. Armin then noticed it had a fellow soldier. We couldn't just leave them to be slaughtered and so rode over. Marco, Bertholdt and I took down the Titan whilst Jean and Armin tried to retrieve the soldier. Jean caught them as they fell and it wasn't till we were some distance from the Titan that we slowed to check who it was thus discovering it to be Corporal Levi." Reiner told them all.
The soldiers were each shocked to learn their strongest had been nearly killed had it not been for the five cadets before them.
"Thank you, for saving him. Not a lot of people would have gone out of their way to do so." Erd said, giving them a grateful smile. The rest of Levi's squad gave thanks as Erwin crouched beside Jean.
"You are now in charge of caring for Levi. He is not to leave your side until we return to the Walls. Understood?" Erwin explained.
Jean nodded. "Yes sir."
"Good." Erwin walked off, leaving Jean to lean back against the tree and hold Levi as carefully but as close as he could, wrapping his own cloak around Levi to keep him warm.
Jean wasn't sure how much time had passed when Levi let out a small whine as he shifted on his lap. Erwin looked up and walked over, the rest of Levi's squad following as the Corporal blinked his eyes open, his vision blurry before it focused, the faces of his squad coming into view.
"Hey, how do you feel?" Erwin asked, kneeling in front of him.
"Shit better qualify as an answer." Levi muttered.
"For you it does." Erwin said, giving Levi a small smile.
The Corporal just let out a quiet groan, closing his eyes and leaning back against Jean. He opened one eye, looking towards Erwin.
"This tree is very fucking soft." He muttered.
"It's also a very funny looking tree." Erwin smirked.
Levi tilted his head back and came face to face with Jean.
"Ah. That's why." He muttered before leaning back and closing his eyes.
"You're not bothered by the fact that you're being cared for by a cadet." Erwin said.
"Nope. He's comfy and I'm in pain." Levi answered.
Erwin let out a laugh, as did Levi's squad. The Corporal just turned his head to Jean's chest, hiding his face.
"Don't worry, sir, I'll do my damned hardest to make sure you're safe until we return to the castle." Jean promised, pulling Levi closer as held him. This time he would make sure Levi stayed safe and unharmed.
The night seemed far longer than normal for Jean as he tried his best to keep Levi calm and in as less pain as possible, trying to help soothe him when it got too bad. He'd been writhing around on Jean's lap in pain all night, the cadet being able to do nothing to ease his discomfort whatsoever. It angered Jean in all honesty knowing that he could do nothing for him as he watched the man he loved clench his eyes shut in pain. This just wasn't right, the intensity of the pain was far too high meaning the damage was a lot worser than they thought. The sun was just beginning to rise as Erwin woke the soldiers, not that they'd slept much. He knelt in front of Jean, the cadet still awake as he looked up at Erwin.
"You didn't sleep." Erwin stated more than asked.
"He didn't sleep." Jean said, looking down at Levi who writhed when Jean moved, obviously in pain. "He's been in so much pain and there's nothing I can do. The medic doesn't have any medicine strong enough to dull the pain even a little bit."
"Why didn't we bring Hanji." Erwin muttered to himself as he stood. "Attention!"
All soldiers turned to face Erwin and saluted, falling silent.
"There's been a change of plans. We shall be returning to the Walls. Corporal Levi is in far too worse shape and pain to continue and I am not risking splitting up and sending half to continue. Are we ready to ride out?" He asked the squad leaders.
"We are." Mike answered.
"Then signal the horses." Erwin instructed.
Once the horses had all been rounded up and accounted for, the soldiers were down on the ground and seated upon their animal, waiting for Erwin and Jean who were helping Levi down.
"That fucking hurt!" Levi hissed as he tried walking, tears springing to his eyes.
They stood upon the branch, Levi's 3DMG having been reattached as they got ready to lower themselves down to the ground.
"Okay, just breath." Erwin said.
"Ready?" Mike called from below.
"Ready!" Erwin called back. The three soldiers shot their hooks into the side of the tree branch and slowly began to lower themselves down, Erwin and Jean staying as close to Levi as they could to help him.
"Okay, it's gonna be rough when you reach the ground because you can't release the hooks slow enough to land slowly." Mike told them.
"Okay." Erwin called. Once they were at a reasonable height to lower themselves to the ground without slamming into it Erwin steadied them.
"On three. Okay."
The other two nodded, preparing to land.
"1, 2, 3! Brace!" Erwin called as they dropped to the ground.
The Commander and Jean managed to land on their feet. Levi, however, wasn't prepared for the force the landing would cause, sending an intense amount of pain coursing through his chest. The small Corporal screamed, his knees buckling under the pressure of the pain as he fell to the ground, holding his chest.
"Levi, Levi! Deep breaths." Erwin soothed, crouching in front of him as Jean kneeled beside him, gently rubbing his side to try and ease the pain. Once it had passed, the pair helped him to his feet, the Corporal unsteady as he swayed slightly. Jean sighed and picked Levi up bridal style, the Corporal not even protesting. Jean and Erwin were soon seated upon their horses, Levi sat with Jean, his arms wrapped around the cadets waist.
"Let's go!" Erwin yelled, riding forwards, the soldiers following and beginning the formation as told.
"Just let me know if the pain gets too much sir." Jean told him.
"I will." Levi said softly as he sighed, resting his head on Jean's chest. He was grateful the cadet and his squad had been there to save him. Now, as he sat close to Jean, one of the cadets arms wrapped around him, he couldn't help but feel happy, something he hadn't felt in a while. He sighed and settled back as they began the long journey home.