YOUR POV

It's already six in the morning yet my store is still closed. I did not wake up late today. I actually woke up early at the wee hour of four. The front and inside of my store has been cleaned all that's left for me is to open the door and remove the blinds.

But sorry for the inconvenience, dear people of Stohess, I will be closed for today.

When the store will resume its operation, only god knows.

I tightened the belt of my red coat around the waist and put on my simple hat. My outfit is really flashy, I must admit but this is really the simplest clothes that I found in my closet. The least flashy ones are my cleaning clothes, whose appearance is so close to rags. The fashion here in the innermost wall is a lot different from the outer walls. Here, being flashy is normal and being rugged is aberrant while on Wall Rose and Wall Maria -when it was still human teritory - the situation is otherwise.

"Will I still fit in?" I asked myself as I took a last look at my face in the counter's mirror. Fabulous.

"I wonder how much I've rusted."

without even bothering to think of an answer to that hypothetical question, I headed for the door and gave my store one last smile as If saying goodbye.

When I was locking the door from the outside, the same carriage that came to me three days ago arrived.

"Is this where (y/n) lives?" the man driving the carriage asked sternly. I could presume that he's not from the Scouting Legion nor the Military Police. The people from the different branches of the military have distinguishing characteristics and that includes the manners. This guy is probably one of the Garrisons.

How I was able to tell I don't really know but I just can.

"Yah. And that's me. May I hop in?"

The man motioned to step down the carriage but I stopped him and got inside the cabin by myself.

"Where do we head?" I asked the man from the small window in the cabin.

"You are going to the Special Operations Squad's new headquarters, ma'am but I will be escorting you only to the pier, the Scouting Legion has assigned somebody else to pick you up when you reach wall Rose." I swear, I really noticed the sudden change of politeness from the man. Am I making him uncomfortable?

I sat myself properly inside the carriage and watched from the red curtained glass the district of Stohess wake up to the morning life. I even saw my favourite customer walking hurriedly to the direction of my store, probably heading just there to buy my coffee, milk, salt and meat products like he used to do everyday.

Sad to say I won't be there to entertain him.

The ride to the pier was short and soon I found myself inside the boat.

And soon also after that, I found myself on a rather open carriage, drawn by one horse and manned by a rather handsome young man.

"What is your name?" I asked him. He turned his head to me for a split second.

'Jean, Jean Kirschtein.' he said.

'Nice to meet you Jean!' I replied before adding 'and I'm (y/n)'

while dragging my butt on the seat so that I'm sitting near his back.

'Are you with the Scouting Legion?' I asked though I was told that somebody from the Legion will pick me up from the pier, trying not to bore him.

'Yes I am.'

'For how many years now?'

'It hasn't even been a year (y/n)...' I swear I can sense something when his voice trailed off.

'And nothing was ever easy. Right?' I added on his behalf.

'Y...yes.'

I gave the young man a pat on his shoulder and said 'you will still grow, young man.'

'Don't talk like you are that older than me.' I can feel him loosening up, which is good.

'Well, let's see. How old are you?' I asked him.

'15'

I frantically bursted Into laughter when I heard his answer.

'What the hell are you laughing at?' he asked, voice kind of annoyed. 'How old are you anyway?'

'Practically older than you. I can be your guardian if you allow me to.'

He literally took his eyes off the road for four awkward seconds look at me with disbelief.

'You can't be serious.' was all that he can say.

'Well, there are times.' I chuckled.

'Where are we heading? The place sure is getting rural already.' I asked him. If we were supposed to go to the Special OperatIons Squad's hq, we could have arrived there when we were still within the vicinity of the town or even to the castle which was used by former squads before.

'We'll be there soon enough.' was all the answer he gave me.

The ride was rather nice. Though the sun is high up in the sky, the cool wind complimented It well and gave my skin a fresh feel and the greenery looks like thousand island salad.

This is making me hungry.

Jean stopped In front of a nice house. It was pretty simple, albeit unusually bigger than the common one that you'd see on rural areas.

'Are we here?' I asked Jean as he hopped of the charioteer's seat, and went to the rear end of the carriage, and helped me get down.

'Yeah. Don't get discouraged if it did not meet your expectations.'

'Nah, It's actually nice.'

Just In time another young man who's noticeably shorter than Jean with nice blond hair came out of the house, carrying a bucket. He stopped when he saw us.

'Jean! You've arrived!' he exclaimed then looked at me with interested eyes which I returned with a wide smile.

'Hello.'

A bit startled, the blond young man bowed and stated his pleasantries.

'He-hello. You must be (y/n). I'm Armin Arlert, nice to meet you!'

'nice to meet you too Armin.' I returned then gave him another of my signature smile.

I would swear to the missing skin of the colossal titan that I saw Armin blush a slight tint of red, which reminds me of the unripe tomatoes that I used to keep In my crisper.

'Is HeIchou inside?' Jean butted In which was a great help for ArmIn hide his blush.

'He hasn't arrived yet. But he's going to be with Hange-san as Eren said.'

After that, ArmIn went on to maybe fetch some water and Jean lead the way inside the house.

Upon entering the doorway, a voice came booming at Jean.

'Jean! How many times must I tell you to dust off your fucking feet before entering!? Goddamnit!'

'Shut the fuck up Eren! Just clean It If It gets filthy for you! But for me, it's not even dirty! Moron!' Jean replied as he stomped his way in, intentionally leaving the dust on the doorway.

I guess I must do as the voice said, so I dusted my feet off. As I was about to take a step in, another young man with a bandana on his head and another one on his neck came my way.

'Oh, you must be the new member Heichou told us about.' he said.

'Uh, I guess. I am (y/n). Nice to meet you.' I said as I continue dusting off my feet.

'I am Eren. Eren Jaeger. Nice to meet you too.'

I got a bit startled at the mention of his name. So he is that Eren Jaeger.

He stepped aside, letting me In.

'Heichou will be here In a while, the others are inside.'

'May I?' I said as I took tentative steps inside.

'Sure.'

Eren escorted me to the living room where the others are. They were introduced to me by Eren.

Mikasa Ackerman, the one with voluminous black hair, fair complexion and calm face. She is Eren's foster sister.

Sasha Blouse, the one with the reddish brown hair tied Into a ponytail who's currently munching on a bread.

Connie Springer, the one with bald head and looks really young or Is It just short? I know very well how the height can deceive.

Historia Reiss... Reiss? Why is a noble a part of the Scouting Legion? Shouldn't she be inside the comfort of wall Sina right now?

Armin Arlert, yah, the one carrying the bucket lately, he actually seems nice and charming too.

Jean Kirschtein, the one who chauffeured me from the pier to here. He seems to be in some kind of dispute with Eren as he exchanges harsh words with him that easily. But I guess, he can be nice too but not I guess as Armin could.

And Eren Jaeger. The name of the titan shifter who fought the female titan, Annie Leonhardt, in Stohess not long ago.

I may not look like it but I have many connections In the Military PolIce so knowing the names of people on the hot seat Is a piece of cake.

After the small introduction, the Idea of their commander crossed my brain. They've been referring this heichou to come yet I don't really know who It Is. I learned from Chief Erwin that the Levi squad was gone which also means that the special operations squad has been wiped out after Annie Leonhardt's rampage during the recent expedition but he did not brief me any further.

'So, who Is your com-'

'Fuck It Jean! Levi heIchou is here and look at the shit you left at the doorstep!' Eren yelled as he ran with a deck broom to the door.

My eyes brightened up upon the mention of Levi's name.

Eren and Jean were on the door to clean the mess that Jean left from when we came in. I was on my way to the door too when a familiar face entered the living room.

I froze on my tracks when I saw him. HIs squinted eyes that showed little to no Interest, that neat black hair which I always thought to look silly on other people yet It looks so good on him, that flat lip that never once I've seen smile and... That dwarfed height that never became a reason for being dominated over.

He looked at me with a rather surprised look, which nobody will notice unless you've known him for long.

'Le... Levi!' I said as I dropped my hat on the floor, extended my arms out and went almost literally flying to Levi's direction.

I saw him start to raise his hand to block me off but I was fast enough to have hugged him before he was able to do anything.

I hugged him so tight that I only stopped when I heard something crack a bit. I thought it was one of his tiny bones but I think his hardened masculine build is more than enough to protect what I presumed to be his tiny, delicate bones. HIs body though small, is hard with muscles toned very well.

But it was only Eren and Jean, fighting over some silly dirt on the floor and ends up breaking the deck brush's handle which made Eren screech silently.

I really wanted to hug the tiny man again but I knew better than piss him off on the day we met again.

'It's good to see you again after a long time, (y/n). But it would be better if you'd not do that again.' Levi said as he straightened his cravat and took off his coat.

'You haven't grown.' I blurted suddenly which made me cover my mouth to hide away my laughter.

'I mean, you haven't grown old. You still look like the last time I saw you!'

'I know. Have you met them?' he said as he tilted his head very slightly to look at the younger people on the living room.

'Yah! Such nice kids! I hope you are also nice to them, little daddy!' upon hearing this, Eren and Jean stopped their silent fight behind Levi, their faces slowly turning red trying to suppress their own laughter.

I really thought Levi would do something rude like verbally pushing me away but I guessed wrong.

'Come, we have something to talk.'

I tailed Levi along. We ended up on his room upstairs. It was pretty big, almost the same floor area as the living room.

'Have a seat, (y/n).' he told me. HIs voice like It wasn't before. It's now demanding, unlike the last time I heard it.

I sat on the chair In front of the desk of what seemed to be the office area of his bedroom.

'I can see that the rank tells the space of the room you get in this house.' I said as I trailed my eyes all over the room, not really surprised at all to not see anything untidy or dirty.

'If that's how you put It.' he replied as he sat on the chair behind his desk after he hung his coat.

'What business do I have here? Name It, I might have It.' I told him in my usual salesperson persona.

'We do not need your store here, (y/n). Not your smoked meat, milk or salt. We have plenty of those from the provisions. You are here for the legion. Erwin must have told you.'

'Condolences.'

That word was plenty enough to set the right mood. But honestly, despite the fact that I am very happy to see him alive, I really wanted to leave right away and go back to Stohess.

The reason? Its something I am not willing to admit, even to myself.

As much as I wanted to talk to him to make up for all the years, I see no point in being with him right now.

'I'm creating the special operations squad again after we lost them after the Incident of the last expedition. Those brats downstairs are just new graduates of the 104th training squad and all are the top of the class.'

'If that's so, then what the hell am I doing here?'

'Coz nobody can be It but you. The legion will not go the trouble of locating and finding a way to get you back Into position If you do not weigh that much.'

'Weigh that much you say? Levi, experience wise, within the four corners of this house, who do you think has the most? Undoubtedly you, right? Who's next? Eren, right? He's that shifter boy who got the female titan In Stohess anyway. Needless to say he's here with almost, If not equal, weight as you do and all the rest follows. Then the question with an obvious answer is, where In hell am I supposed to Insert? Or will I even be fit enough to stand behind them? Nowhere and no. No as In, not anymore. So don't talk to me about weight of Importance as If you do not know what happened after I joined the legion, god knows how many years ago!'

Levi's eyes went from that uninterested squint to slightly shocked and slightly open, the type he makes when he's shocked, his back slightly straightened from Its little forward slouch. which means I have aroused attention or emotion from him. I just don't know which one.

'You still talk a lot, (y/n) You are still as hyped as always. Why not use that sugar in killing titans Instead?' Levi said, eyes fixed on me.

'We are just as talkative, Levi.' I replied.

'I fight titans as well.'

'Makes sense. Though Its sarcastic.' I said as I stood up from my seat, and started my way to the door.

Without turning to see his face again, stopped just before I could twist the knob.

'Truth be told, I actually accepted ErwIn danchou's offer because of you. How? Simple. Coz I thought you're dead. The Chief did not tell me that It was you who survived though he told me that 'almost' all of the squad died. It's time for me to take my leave as I can see that you are as well as you ever were. Humanity did not lose Its strongest soldier yet.' That's it. That would be all of it. I must leave now. I proceeded to turn the knob, without even bothering to wave my old friend goodbye.

'If you think that you don't fit in anymore, then why the hell are you here?' I heard his voice. This time, Its cunning and arguing. And fuck, its winning.

'Because I-!' my words got lost of Its train when my free hand was pulled back and my whole body was spun around, making me land my back on the wooden door with a loud thud. Levi's arm is beside my head, his face slightly leaning close.

Now isn't this just typical?

'Because you what?' he demanded for an answer. An honest answer.

An honest answer which I am too embarrassed to give.

'B...because..' I'm trying to build a lie but his gaze on me did not allow my mind to work the way it should.

It was when I realized that Levi really hasn't grown. Well, physically. He was still as tall as he was when we were still cadets. But what he is doing to me right now makes me feel like a dwarf cornered by the colossal titan.

'I know you too well, (y/n) I had the man not tell you that I survived though there's obviously no need to tell you a lie . Wanna know why? Maybe this is the reason why you came here but too embarrassed to admit it. If you knew that I survived, there will be very little to no chance at all that you will be standing in this room right now talking to me. Though I know that you will be stupid enough to come here even without asking if I am still alive or not. You came here thinking that I'm dead, willing to be in the Legion again, not because humanity had lost me and they need a replacement but because simply you want to avenge my death. I know how you think (y/n) and that's how you did before coming here.'

I can feel my face burn. Burn from all that he said, which I admit are true and from the fact that he's face Is just a palm away from mine.

'Levi! That's not how you treat new recruits! A voice came booming as the window beside Levi's bed burst open.

A woman stepped into the room from the window.

'Don't get smart with her reasons.'

'And don't step into my room using the window. You can always use the door.' Levi said as he stood up properly, letting me have a better view of the person who just came In.

'I'm Hange Zoe. You must be (y/n)'

'Y-yes I am, M..Ma'am.'

"Aaah, nice meeting you, (y/n). I hope Levi here is treating you well.'

'As you can see, (y/n) if Levi has not told you yet, the reason why you are here Is not simply because of the rebuilding of the special operations squad.'

Hange began as she sat down on the chair where I used to be and eyed me to sit on the chair fronting It. Levi rested his lower back on the desk on the opposite side.

'Though It Is indeed true that you are here to become a new part of the squad.'

'You were once a member of the LegIon, (y/n).' Levi continued Hange's track.

'That was so once upon a time!' I Inserted.

'If you know that, I suppose you know what happened.' I added.

'Yes, I fairly know what happened. I was there when it did.' Levi replied.

'Then you should know how much I have rusted!'

Levi just looked at me.

Hange just kept a keen eye on us, as If anticipating more.

'I can train you again.' It was a suggestion but I knew well enough. If Levi said It, it's an order.

'Easier said than done, Levi.' I remarked with an attempt to even his attitude.

'It will be done as easy as how I said it if its me.' he replied, overflowing with confidence in every word.

'It will be hard.'

'You graduated top of the class with me, I know your capabilities.'

'So what?! Its not like I was able to make use of those flying colors after the graduation day!'

WIth that, the conversation ended, I stomped my way to the door. Before I opened it, I faced them again 'Thanks for the invitation by the way.' then I went out before they can say anything.

I passed by the young people downstairs and Eren gave me a questioning look.

'I'll be taking my leave.' I said as I paused at the end of the stairs.

'Why so early?' Connie asked from his seat.

'Hahaha old people issues.' I laughed off.

Really now? Old people Issues? Why can't I make a better lie?

'I will escort you back to town.' Jean said as he stood up from where he was relaxing.

'No! ... I mean, no thanks. I'm fine.'

'But this place is quite far from the town and the road is quite-'

'Let her leave.' a voice Interrupted Armin's concern.

Its Levi, he's standing on the stairs, just fIve steps away from me.

There was silence. Everyone looked at me and Levi on the stairs. Then to each other.

I just bowed my head.

'I'll go now.'

Then I went out of the door. The silence still deafening my ears.

I stood at the porch for a second or two then I heard Eren demand to Jean:

'Go after her, the town Is still miles away!'

Then I heard footsteps approaching the door.

I left immediately even before the steps get any louder.


a/n

to that person who left a single review...

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

it motivated me.

You know who you are.

THOUGH, this is a tricky chapter. if it does not arouse interest from you readers, this might just be the end. but if it did, i can always find a way to make you return to that nice house ^_^