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After hours in the station there were few people around other than Levi, and it’d been that way for years. It was never empty of course, not in such a big city, but so soon after the shift change with the new patrols having only just left, it was as close as it got. Sometimes Commander Smith worked late, and sometimes Zacharias loitered around to finish his paperwork, seeing as it took him so damn long. Other officers were there occasionally, but there’d been many nights when no one was around from the day shift but him.
He’d promised Jaeger a ride home tonight if he was willing to stick around, so he knew he wasn’t completely alone - not that he minded either way. He headed to the changeroom, intent on actually changing out of his uniform before going home for once. He was only comfortable showering when there was no other guys around, seeing as the station shower rooms were just that, rooms with no individual stalls. Now that the shift had changed, they’d be completely empty.
Each piece of his uniform was carefully folded and placed in his locker before he draped a towel over his arm and headed for the shower room. It was nowhere near up to his standards of cleanliness, of course; and he wrinkled his nose as he walked across the wet floor. However, he was not one to pass up an opportunity to wash when it came.
His shower was quick and businesslike, as usual, so it was not long before he was turning the creaky tap back to the closed position, towelling himself off, and heading back to the main room with it tied securely around his waist.
Levi was a little surprised to see Eren - anything that actually startled him was bound to be grievously wounded - but he recovered quickly. He had said Eren could use whatever changeroom he wanted after hours. Every little detail of living like a man could lift ones spirits, after all, and hell, maybe it would help the brat be less confused about whatever things he’d been going through.
Eren’s clothes were in a messy pile on the floor next to him, and it was all Levi could do not to curl his lip with disgust. Did the dumb kid even realize how filthy that concrete was? It was no doubt home to every form of foot fungus known to man.
“Don’t drop your shit on the floor, brat,” Levi snapped, but it was in a casual way as opposed to a genuinely angry one.
When Eren jerked with surprise, the length of bandage he had been holding dropped to the floor atop the growing pile of fabric. “S-sorry, I was going to--”
Oh.
Levi had forgotten about that.
Eren’s eyes, large as they already were, widened even further and he froze before his arms rapidly moved to cover himself. They did little to fully hide the small yet noticeable swell of his chest, however, so he turned a little, facing away from Levi to hide himself and his cheeks burning with shame.
“Fuck,” Levi could have sworn he heard the kid murmur, barely a squeak in comparison to his typical, more brazen voice.
A slight pink tint rose high on Levi’s cheeks, but he turned quickly and moved to his own locker so his back was facing Eren. “Cover yourself up, kid,” he grunted, tossing one of the spare undershirts he kept in his locker in Eren’s direction before dropping his towel and quickly pulling on his pants, keeping his body carefully turned away. Levi did not fluster easily, but he really hadn’t expected tits, especially on Jaeger. He’d forgotten about the whole ‘both’ and ‘biologically female’ thing.
The undershirt hit Eren in the back, but he was quick to grab it up and Levi could seen him hurriedly pulling it on out of the corner of his eye. It fit him well enough, as had Levi’s uniform shirts, but it obviously wouldn’t do much to bind him. Levi watched as Eren’s face fell the moment he realized the undershirt wouldn’t be enough to hide what he wanted hidden, but the youth said nothing, probably too embarrassed to open his mouth again. Levi didn’t blame him.
The silence was awkward and thick while Eren slipped on a t-shirt and changed into a pair of jeans, then gingerly picked up his makeshift binder from the tiled floor. He kept his gaze down as he walked by Levi and towards the stalls, murmuring an apology on the way past.
“Hey,” the officer said sharply. It hadn’t escaped his notice what Eren was carrying. “Is that actually a fucking bandage you were wearing?” He glanced over his shoulder, now mostly dressed. He shot the kid a challenging glare. He couldn’t be that dumb, could he?
Eren just blinked at him like he definitely was that dumb. “Yeah?” He glanced down at the bandage in his hand, lifted his eyes to meet Levi’s glare, then looked like he wanted to die. “What about it?” Yeah, the kid was new to this, but Levi had foolishly assumed he knew something.
Levi had no idea why he’d thought something could’ve been done without doing it himself. That was out of character for him and should be rectified immediately.
Levi pulled an undershirt over his head, then moved a few steps closer to Eren and snatched the bandage out of his hand before tossing it carelessly in the trash. “Don’t fucking do that. You’re an idiot,” he huffed, though he was kind of kicking himself for not saying something earlier. Hadn’t he made educating this stupid brat his business?
“Look, I’ll take you to get something better. You keep going like this and you’ll fuck up your chest. How’re you gonna pass PT that way?”
Eren was incapable of speech for the first time since Levi had met him. “I-I don’t know,” he finally muttered. Then he frowned, suddenly furious as he seemed to regain himself. “But you can’t just throw it away!” He still had an insecure arm pressed tightly over his chest, shoulders hunched defensively to hide himself. “I can’t go home like this!”
“I have a jacket you can wear,” Levi grunted, going back to his locker to grab the light sweater he kept hanging on the back hook. “We’ll go get you something...” He checked his watch - he’d forgotten he’d stayed so late tonight, “... before work tomorrow.”
He never really left any room for disagreements. It was his way or the highway, and it always had been. “If you think I’m going to let you fuck yourself up, you’ve got another thing coming.”
Eren pursed his lips at Levi, but soon enough he seemed to realize that there was no winning. He'd followed Levi like a puppy since the beginning of the summer, and the officer would be surprised if he stopped now.
“Fine,” Eren mumbled and threw a thumb over his shoulder towards the exit. “I’ll wait by your car.”
Levi huffed. He'd probably embarrassed the kid out of using the mens' change room again, but so be it. He would learn, just like Levi had. The officer stood still, pondered something, then felt his chest swell in a rare display of pride. At least Jaeger had him. Levi was a damn good influence, would be a teacher to the brat until he figured it all out.
That was something Levi had never had.
Already, Eren wasn’t bad himself, Levi thought, but he would be better. Levi would make sure of it.