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Levi whipped his head around, refusing to admit that he was looking for Erwin. The drizzle of rain that had made them decide to start heading back was now a downpour with nearly no visibility. The raven's cloak was sopping wet and his heart rate was starting to spike as unwanted memories popped up. Levi wasn't sure if it was stupidity or smarts that had him sitting atop an unmoving horse in Titan territory.
"Captain!"
Levi flinched in his saddle, distantly feeling sorry for his horse. He turned his head to where he had heard his name being called. Another horse and rider appeared through the rain. With the cloak pulled up against the wind, it was nearly impossible to see who it was. As the person neared Levi, they called out again. This time, Levi recognized the voice.
"Eren?!"
"Captain!" the boy answered, relief clear in his voice.
Eren finally reached the raven, his face a myriad of emotions Levi couldn't be bothered to decipher at the moment. The brunette was smart and able to think on his feet, but Levi knew there was no way to prepare for getting lost in a storm for the first time. Continuing to push down unpleasant memories, Levi spoke.
“We need to find shelter,” he yelled over the torrential sheets of rain.
“I remember seeing a bunch of caves on the Commander’s map, sir!”
And Eren was soon becoming Levi’s favorite. Levi signalled the teen to lead the way and Eren took off to the direction of the cave without a word. Despite having started ten minutes prior, the land had already become riddled with lakes and rivers.
"Levi!"
"Lev-aniki!"
The raven whipped his head around as the familiar voices called through the wind. Logically, Levi knew what was happening, but that didn't stop him from halting his horse, searching for his unofficial brother and sister. Through the downpour, Levi heard Ere return to his side.
"Captain Levi, sir?"
The older man shook his head in an attempt to clear it, "I'm alright, Jaeger."
Levi couldn't make out Eren's face, but his voice gave away his relief.
"The caves shouldn't be more than a few minutes out, sir."
Levi nodded an affirmative and followed Eren once more for the rest of the way.
"We're here, Captain!" called Eren, jolting Levi out of the haze he had fallen into.
The cave luckily was on level ground, letting the two ride straight in. The lack of rain beating down on them was a blessing Levi would never take for granted again. The two of them rode a bit in, wanting to find a place where they wouldn't get wet. Suddenly thunder boomed. Levi's horse reared in response. The raven's lithe form was nothing for a horse. Levi was bucked from his steed and was thrown against the wall. Levi's weight might have been nothing to a horse, but it was everything to an unknown cave's stability. Through the haze of pain, Levi heard rumbling. His first instinct was that it was a titan, then that it was just more thunder. He didn’t expect the ceiling of the care to start falling. That was the last thing he registered before his vision went dark.
* * *
"-tain! Captain! Levi!"
Levi groaned and opened his eyes. Eren was kneeling in front of him with a hand raised. The boy had fear written on his face that quickly morphed into relief.
"Oh, thank god. I couldn't wake you up and I thought you were dead and-"
The raven cut him off, "What happened?"
Even blinked dumbly at the sudden topic shift, "There was a minor cave-in, sir. I believe you had golden knocked out. I was on my horse the whole time. Yours bolted, but I was able to keep mine."
The boy looked so proud of himself and Levi felt luck was on his side for once. A horse should easily be able to carry both him and Eren home. Levi grunted and made his way to his feet. If it was still storming, Levi wasn't sure he could handle the plan. He reached the mouth of the care, ignoring all the fallen rocks. The storm must have been a quick one because the heavy sheets were nothing more than drizzles. Levi sent a prayer to whatever deities were happening to listen.
Still looking outside, Levi called to Eren, "Get your horse! We're riding out!"
The boy splattered, "But, captain, you just woke up and what if there are titans? And our gear-!"
Levi ran a hand through his hair, wincing as he felt exactly where a rock or two hit him, "We're leaving, Jaeger."
The boy didn't need to know how badly the situation shook Levi nor how badly he wanted to be home. Luckily, Eren listened and led his horse over to Levi.
Levi leveled a look at the boy, "Do you still know where we are?"
Eren gulped, "I think so, sir."
"Good. I'm not going to be much help for directions, but I can keep us away from titans. We are heading for Wall Maria."
Without another word, Eren mounted his horse and Levi hopped on behind him.
"Godspeed, Jaeger," Levi said, and Eren took off.
* * *
The two rode as fast as they could. True to his word, Eren didn't waver or hesitate in his route. Levi clung to the boy's cloak as his headache built and his vision grew more gray. After a few miles, Levi lost himself in the rhythm of riding. Belatedly, the raven saw the scenery pass the two of them. He distantly noted when they finally reached Wall Maria or when they finally arrived at headquarters. However, he didn't fully come back to himself until he heard it: Erwin's voice.
"You're alive."
"Yes, sir," Eren answered, "But Captain Levi did get injured."
Levi forced himself to sit up straight, "I'm fine, Erwin."
"Either way, both of you should get to medical," the blond stated.
Eren hopped off the horse and Levi followed suit. The brunette went to stable the house and Erwin pulled Levi into a hug once he was out of sight. The day caught up with the captain and he started shaking in his lover's grip. Erwin rubbed Levi's back.
"You're alright," he soothed, "You're safe now."