He was always fond of you. Not that he'd admit it to himself. Ever. He'd gotten you into his squad partly because you were good at what you did and you followed orders. He wasn't even sure when he started taking a liking to you. Petra started pointing out his favouritism towards you, which he'd brush off saying 'he treated everyone equally.' You'd get food to his office when he didn't feel like eating and was too busy with paperwork, woke him up when he overslept while everyone else was too scared of wrath, made him tea and left it at his desk when he'd passed out right on his paperwork.

So imagine his shock, when he finds his whole squad dead, because of the female Titan. He's desperately trying to find you, feeling guilty about playing favourites but he can't help it. He can't lose you too. He finds his whole squad except you. He doesn't find your body. Did the female Titan eat you? No that's not possible if she's a titan shifter. He stops to stand at a tree, trying to listen for any sounds that might indicate you're alive. He knows he has to go after Eren but he can't do that. Not yet. Not before he knows you're fine. He hears breathing, shallow, shaky breathing.

He's immediately zipped off towards the source of sound. He can't explain the relief that floods his body when he sees you sitting on the thick branch of the tree. He lands on it, crouching down, looking over you. Your eyes are closed but you've acknowledged him, your hand's pressing into your abdomen and he can see blood seeping through your clothes, you've hooked your gear to the tree to prevent yourself from falling. Smart girl, he thinks. "Hey." He says, he brings his hand to your face, trying to get you to open your eyes.

When you blink your eyes open, he swallows, before speaking. "I'm going to get Eren. If I come back and I don't find you here, still awake, I'll make sure you run laps for the rest of the week. Got it?"