„Does your head feel better, Armin?" Krista glanced at her blonde comrade in worry. They were seated opposite of each other in the dining room of the old HQ of the Survey Corps. Ymir and Berthold had cooked a simple stew for dinner, while Krista had made some tea for everyone, which everyone had deeply appreciated. Except for Levi. He didn't touch it at all.

"Yeah, thank you Krista." Armin smiled nervously while glancing at the Captain. He looked back at Krista and said "It wasn't a major wound to begin with".

They then fell back into the uncomfortable silence which lingered in the room ever since they came back. Everyone still needed time to process what happened. But to address the elephant in the room, the loss of Levi's special operation squad was the heaviest downer on everyone's mood. Even though Levi and Eren where the only ones who actually knew them, their demise still took its toll on everyone. Directly after the 57th Expedition Levi was still his old self, even a little more talkative than he was before. But after a week silence took over most of his interactions. While everyone understood why he was silent, the actual absence of a conversation was driving them insane. So at least they tried to talk to each other in short pieces, always waiting for a sign from the captain to stop them, if they became annoying.

"Are you kidding? Your entire scalp was bleeding!" Eren nearly shouted at Armin, who jumped at the sudden outburst from his best friend. "Tch. C'mon Jäger, it wasn't that bad. I was with him!" Jean lazily took a bite from a loaf of bread, while putting his head on his right hand. While Eren and Jean started to bicker with each other, Sashsa looked hungrily at Mikasa's plate. "Hey, Mikasa! Are you still eating that potato of yours?"

"No. But I won't give it to you." Answered the blackhaired beauty, not even bothering to dignify Sasha with a glance. "Oh please. It would be a waste to throw it away!" Sasha pleaded, while trying to snitch it away.

THUMP

Suddenly everyone halted in their movements. They turned their heads towards Levi, fearing their bickering might have angered him. But Levi wasn't looking in their direction at all. When he heard the noise, he looked at the door behind him, wondering who would intrude the old headquarters of the Survey Corps. Due to the sudden silence, voices could be heard.

"What's with the shorty, always locking the door and stuff!" a female voice grumbled.

"Maybe he doesn't want uninvited guests." another female voice chuckled.

"Or maybe he just doesn't want you around." a male voice laughed.

"What?! You….!" The first female voice shrieked and then commotion could be heard.

"Please, Squadleader Hanji! Compose yourself" a voice squeaked.

Levi's eyebrow was twitching. He slowly turned back to his meal, not intending to even recognise their presence. He put his spoon into his mouth when he heard a deep voice outside the doors.

"Levi. It is not polite to let your superior stand in front of the door." It was Erwin's voice.

Begrudgingly he stood up, his dark and unwelcoming, as he opened the door. Not even acknowledging the short man, Hanji stormed into the dining room, behind her, her subordinate Moblit, who was trying to calm her. After her Nanaba and Mike entered, slightly nodding towards Levi, before they seated themselves at the same table the others were sitting at. They both had a few bottles of what seemed to be alcohol each. Lastly Erwin stepped through the door, giving Levi smile, before sitting himself at the same table.

Not knowing how they should react, they saluted out of respect for their commander. "Easy boys and girls." Erwin just smiled. "Today I am not here as your commander, but as a comrade who has fought in the battlefield beside you." That surely eased the tension in the room.

"Greetings Newbie Squad!" Hanji screamed, finally free from Moblits desperate attempts to hold her down.

"What do you want." Levi sat down at his place at the front side of the table, looking at Erwin.

"Well." Hanji said, while adjusting her glasses. "You see, yesterday we had our traditional round in the Headquaters."

"Traditional Round?" Eren asked, already used to Hanjis … challenging personality.

"Yes! Good question Eren!" Hanji smiled and gave him a goofy thumbs up. "

"You see: In the Survey Corps, it has become tradition to mourn our fallen comrades through telling stories about them. So, this way we will make sure to remember and to honour them. Over the years it became a habit to drink some alcohol along with it." Hanji explained, pointing at the bottles Nanaba and Mike were carrying. "Since some of you are underage, we also brought some fancy juices" the brunette beamed at everyone.

"That's a nice tradition." Krista smiled, while pouring Erwin a cup of tea, who thanked her sincerely.

"So…" Hanji looked in the round, while pulling a chair towards the table, looking a bit more serious.

"Does anyone else want to start, or can I?"

"Wait!" Jean interfered. "I understand its tradition, but you said you had a round yesterday in the headquarters. So why are you here today?"

"Because it didn't feel right to tell stories about them, while members of their squad who are still alive aren't present. Precisely speaking of Eren and Levi," Nanaba answered. "In their last weeks they were a team. Without them it seemed like something is missing." The blonde woman looked at Eren, who blushed and looked away. "Judging by your reaction, I think this will help you to ease the pain of loss." She smiled softly at him.

Eren looked at the blonde in awe and wanted to answer but was interrupted by Hanji was opening a bottle of what seemed to be booze. "So, newbie squad! Story time! Do you want to hear the story of how Oulo wet his pants during his first expedition?"

But before anyone could answer, they heard the screech of a chair. Levi had stood up and was walking towards the door. "Hey shorty!" Hanji screamed, while standing up herself. "Where do you think you are going?!"

"To bed. I don't need this." Levi just replied not even turning around. He left the room before Hanji could catch him.

"Grrr. Stupid shorty!" Hanji fumed and pulled at her hair. "Grrr. I catch him. Just stay put!" she ordered around while franticly jumping from one leg to the other. "Moblit! Tell stories!" she barked, before exiting the room.

"What?!" the soldier cried, while Berthold patted his shoulder in pity.

But Hanji didn't wait for an answer. She dashed after Levi and finally catched up with him. While grabbing a hold of his shoulder she panted "Wait shorty." But Levi just shrugged her off. "Leave me alone shitty-glasses. And don't call me shorty. " He walked a few steps before Hanji tried again.

"Levi."

It was simple. It was serious. It was unlike Hanji. He stopped.

"Why do you want to leave. I know you are hurting. Because I am too."

"We are not alike at all. So don't compare me to yourself." He walked a few steps.

"That's not what she would have wanted for you, to beat yourself up." He stopped.

"Why would you know what she would have wanted?" he simply asked, before turning around, intending to glare at her, but was stopped by the hurt look in her eyes.

"Because you are not the only one who lost someone. You lost your lover. I lost my best friend." Hanji looked down and tried to collect herself again. It wasn't like her at all to let the depressing feeling get close to her, but some incidents just hurt more than others.

"So please. If not for me or for you, then for her. You don't even need to tell a story. Just listen and remember her."

In the dining room, everyone was laughing and Mike was laughing so hard, he even fell from his chair. When Levi and Hanji entered the room, Nanaba was just finishing the story of Oulo's first mission. "You should have seen the face of him, when he realised he soiled his pants in front of his squad. It didn't help his cocky tongue though." Nanaba chuckled, remembering the horror of Oulo's eyes, when they reached their destination.

"Oh no fair! I wanted to tell this story!" Hanji pouted, while grabbing her earlier opened booze.

"There still is Petra's little accident you can talk about, Hanji." Mike giggled, taking a bottle of booze himself.

"I can't!" Hanji cried in despair." Nanaba was the only one present back than!" Hanji glared at Nanaba, for stealing a funny story, while Nanaba just grinned and started to tell the tale.

Several hours later it was way past midnight. But nobody was tired at all.

Jean sighted as he was in a happy mood. He hoped that one day, his comrades would say the same things about him. "These guys were great. I wish I knew the story of how you all got together. It wouldn't be that exciting though, since Levi handpicked them all." He chuckled to himself.

"Tch." Levi clicked his tongue. He was silent throughout the evening, but it was obvious that he relaxed more with every passing hour. "I didn't pick them. I accepted them." It was the first sentence he had said in a long time. The newbies looked at him in confusion. Everyone had thought it was common knowledge, that Levi took the best fighters and put them into the squad.

"Can you tell us the story?" Armin asked. He loved the stories and wanted to know more. The older soldiers slowly became a little bit uncomfortable. Even Hanji lost her grin and looked Armin deep into his eyes. "Well, I am not sure …" she was interrupted by Connie, who throughout the evening had become her new favourite newbie. He was cleverer than he let on and he could actually understand her in her craziness. And he was just as goofy as her. "Yeah please Hanji, tell us the story."

Hanji gulped, not sure what to do.

"Are you sure you want to hear? It is not a pretty story. Not funny. Not nice. Downright horrible." Levi looked at Connie with an intense gaze. Connie gulped but curiosity let him nod.

Every one of the newbies at the table nodded, but it was Mikasa who finally turned the table. "Please tell us." She wanted to know, who the people were, that had surrounded Eren for the last couple of months.

Hanji took Levi's little speech as a permission to start telling the story.

"Well, if you really want to know. It all started~"

"Maybe" Commander Erwin interrupted Hanji. It was the first thing he had said this evening. Some even wondered why he was here in the first place, since he didn't act at all, besides the occasional chuckle at a funny story. "Maybe I should start. You can take over later Hanji. But it all started with a foolish decision of mine, so I should begin here as well. The story of squad Levi may not have a pretty beginning, but the outcome is still positive. For every party involved."

Everyone was just staring at Erwin, waiting for him to tell the tale. He took a last sip of tea and smiled. Than he begun.