"Furlan."

"Hm?"

"You're staring."

"Oh…"

"Furlan."

"What?" Furlan said, agitation in his tone as he turned towards Levi.

"Stop staring."

After he received a groan in response, Levi watched through his peripheral vision as Furlan turned his head in the opposite direction of loud Theta Xi Rho members, the enduring thorns in his side.

"They have new jackets," Furlan mumbled, quietly and almost defeated.

Ah yes, any Theta Xi Rho brother not only stood as a thorn in Levi's side, but as a symbol of one of Furlan's dreams. Levi wished he would dream bigger.

"I'm sure desperation is well within their criteria," Levi mused, a page tucked between his thumb and middle digit to turn it and begin anew.

The purpose of the three of them being outside was for peace of mind and fresh air. The sound of the leaves rustling coupled with chirping birds was supposed to help Levi focus on his book as a cramped room solely sparked foolish arguments between Furlan and Isabel. The two yelled in the closed space about water being wet or not one final time before Levi suggested they all go elsewhere.

If he chose to leave abruptly, they'd end up asking why he was upset and if they were bothering him. He knew better than that. While he was annoyed, he decided on the route where he could get back to his story the fastest without all the extra fluff in the middle.

It worked for half an hour. Furlan studied the people passing by and Isabel took in nature with a juvenile glee only she could muster. Nowhere in Levi's plan was there intended to be Theta Xi Rho surveillance, but he miscalculated and was now suffering the consequences. He was at fault for forgetting an open campus would be crawling with various students, much more so for forgetting some of those students would be the fraternity disciples Furlan seemed to worship.

"Don't you think they would've let him in by now if that was true?" Isabel chimed in, her eyes still glued to the ducks swimming in the nearby pond. Her chin was resting in her hand, elbow on one of her criss crossed thighs. It must've been one of her lower-energy-ed days since she wasn't trying to jump in and catch one. Then again, they hadn't been out there long.

"No one was talking to you," Furlan snapped back. The venom from their earlier argument was lurking in his voice. He hadn't gotten over it and with the look Isabel shot him, neither had she.

"Enough. We're out in public, children," Levi said. He needed to shut it down before it spiraled out of control. None of them cared what others thought so it wasn't the most efficient of warnings, but commenting on their maturity (or lack of) usually had them biting their tongues. At least, it worked 60% of the time. It was Levi's last ditch effort when he couldn't think of anything else.

Fortunately for him, Furlan lifted his head to look over at the sidewalk, most likely to check if the members were still there. Much to his dismay, they weren't. Instead, a few young women were there with similar, untarnished jackets. As the colors of Tau Iota flashed, Levi surmised they received them from the same merchandise company.

They most likely compiled their order dates to make less trips.

"Looks like Tau Iota has a new girl," Furlan announced. He wasn't as excited as when Theta Xi Rho wandered through, but his interest was still piqued. The sorority had its close ties with his dream fraternity and so he kept a closer eye by association.

"Really?!" Isabel exclaimed as she shifted to take a look of her own. She'd been scorned by Tau Iota ever since they denied her entry. The fact they accepted someone new at this point in time brought both shock and offense to her features.

Curiosity got the better of Levi, his eyes darting from the printed words to examine the target in question. You came into his view, his discrete gaze hidden by the raven strands of his hair and the distance between. If you happened to look over at the three of them, he could quickly return to his book and have you questioning if he was even paying you any mind.

You weren't… terrible-looking. Not in the slightest. If he had to admit it, he might even say you were… attractive.

The mystery of why you were there hadn't been lost on him. Tau Iota didn't take freshmen unless they were extraordinarily promising and then the recruitment process could take anywhere from three to four weeks. He was aware because of Isabel's try at the beginning of the year. That had been two months ago and he didn't remember seeing you leave the orientation.

Hell, he couldn't remember seeing you in any class until now. No, he definitely would've remembered you.

"I feel like Rico is trying to spite me," Isabel spat. She blew out an annoyed breath, her attention turning back to the feathered animals in the water.

Rico was head of the recruitment initiative, but then there had to be votes. They discovered this when it happened, but Isabel insisted Rico was out to get her.

"Maybe she's a #1 athlete all the way from Hizuru," Furlan speculated. It could probably be due to how he binged the Summer Olympics after everything was said and done so he wouldn't miss any of the action, even if Levi could've swore he was snoring around 2 am when Hunter Pollux of Marley served the winning point in a rousing game of table tennis. Levi watched because he had nothing else to do and he promised to stay up even if Furlan had broken that promise. He became invested.

"Do you even know her name?" Isabel asked.

"No, but—"

"Then why the hell would she be a #1 athlete if none of us have ever heard of her?!"

"I was just trying to make you feel better!"

"Oh, good job." Isabel sarcastically replied.

As the bickering commenced, well, continued as they never seemed to stop, Levi watched as you threw your head back and laughed at whatever Lauda had to say. From here, he couldn't hear it, but he seemed to enjoy seeing your vibrant smile giving way to your moment of mirth. In doing so, he failed to look away when you opened your eyes and ended up looking right at him.

You held eye contact and so did he. Something about it pulled him in, especially how you didn't seem to be perturbed by the notion. He wasn't stupid to think others found his presence comforting. He mean mugged his way through his classes to avoid crowds and it worked. That was only excluding the murmurs he heard about him behind his back.

When he realized what he was doing, he dropped his gaze and opted to stare at the pages in his book. But he didn't read a word. He blankly stared down, static in his ears as Isabel and Furlan faded into the background noise. He couldn't comprehend why he stayed staring nor why he wanted to look back up.

Nevertheless, his focus had been disrupted and he couldn't absorb any information the story had to offer. He needed to step away and extract himself completely.

Without preamble, he closed his book, stood to his feet, and began the gait back to his dorm room.

"Levi? Levi, what's wrong?" Furlan asked, following right after him as he scrambled to stand.

"Don't leave us, bro!" Isabel exclaimed, dramatically jumping up and waving her arms above her head.


Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap.

You wished the grade staring back at you on your laptop had been someone else's, even going as far as wishing assignments on paper had returned just so you could ask the professor if he had given you someone else's work by mistake. This could've been anyone's essay on The Crucible. Given how there were notes on where you slipped up, you couldn't do anything of the sort.

Professor Shadis did not accept extra credit, nor did he offer it.

The best you could hope for was getting an 80 or above in the next round of assignments for the next two months and then do well on the final. It didn't help how you were struggling in biology with professor Jaeger. You would study more for it if you weren't fumbling to read the assigned play and take thorough notes.

He did offer extra credit, but his sympathy for you was low as he did not see much improvement on your side. He couldn't just give you the answers and you didn't expect him to, but you felt clueless staring at his tests and choosing whatever answer sounded best. The method apparently had not been working.

Besides these two classes that you were failing, you were doing well in your other three. Maybe that was because you actually enjoyed the other three when you had been attending Pallas University online from your home in Marley, much more so now as you had classmates you knew from your new sorority. It had been fun, being there physically present.

But now your grades were suffering. You had been there less than a month and you tanked the steady C through socialization, something you lacked in Marley. You couldn't ever fully win, but such was life.

Sheepishly, you handed your laptop off to Hange and waited for their verdict on the matter. You watched as their eyes scanned your grades, the light from the screen reflected in the lens of their glasses.

"Hmm… 2.86, huh?" They said, their breath blowing out in an emotion you couldn't quite figure out. You couldn't tell if it was disappointment or surprise.

"Tau Iota doesn't allow members to participate in events with a 2.5 gpa or lower, so you're safe, but cutting it awfully close." Hange's nails tapped along the computer's edge, thoughts visibly rolling through their mind as they did so.

"Still, I'd look into getting a tutor or joining a study group. It might feel too crowded joining in on mine, though. We're up to seven total so I don't think I could give you the one-on-one attention you need." They said it distraught, but not with you. You could see this feeling was directed towards themself. In the short time you had been there, seeing Hange in action was watching dedication personified. They seemed to do everything right and do so with such exultation you weren't sure to think of them as a hard worker or a mad genius.

They were in charge of academic affairs and overseeing what was next for the future of the sorority. This wasn't avoidable, but they didn't make you feel stupid for your shortcomings and you were grateful.

"I don't think you want to repeat these classes, either," they continued.

You nodded your head slowly, trying to soak in the process. Truthfully, even if you wanted to join Hange's study group, you knew there wouldn't be much studying on your part. You were having too much fun with your "family" and would find a way to be distracted. You also had a feeling you wouldn't be able to keep up with Hange. What you needed was a miracle worker.

"Where can I find a tutor?" You asked instead.

There were few people you came to know. Classmates hadn't noticed you because of how they were absorbed in their own worlds and how you made a conscious effort to be quiet in a room full of strangers. Since your free time had been spent with Tau Iota, there wasn't much left over for you to make friends on the outside.

Especially not when you were already video chatting the members back home. You met Hange through a Skype call, their face distorted and glitchy due to a bad connection. You both turned to talk through the chat, Hange raving about how they visited Marley before and how they wanted to do so again. It led to a conversation about touring the world and if you would consider doing so, too.

You talked for two hours, longer than you were supposed to, but you were fast friends and it made it all the more easier to arrive with little to no doubt.

Your place had been carved out for you, not that you were complaining as it eased the pressure off trying to find one on your own. Except, now you were running into a severe downside here.

"I can email a few people and ask around. I know the university pays select students, but that's most likely all done online. What do you think?"

You cringed at the idea as it meant having to spend hours in front of a computer. You had enough of that slaving over assignments and then you recalled how much more of that you had to do when you were home. The whole reason you came on campus was to change that. It'd be too redundant to be tutored online.

"Okay, never mind," Hange said, clearly noticing your reluctance. You were about to apologize, but realized they had humor in their tone as they sat back and smiled.

"Let's see, we could also try to find someone willing to do it in person, but it might take longer and come out of your own pocket."

Because of course it would. Either you went with the technological form depriving you of proper human interaction for free or you actually sat down with a human who you'd have to dip into your funds for.

Money wasn't the real concern, really. You had enough of it. Warming up to the idea of meeting someone new all over again was troubling even if you preferred it to sitting hunched at a desk.

Sighing your accepted loss, you spoke: "Okay, that might be the best option."

"Great! I'll send out an announcement," they already moved your laptop to get to their own. Their fingers moved like clockwork as they typed away, your anxiety spiking with anticipation.

Hopefully everything would work out. Your future tutor was in for a handful and you silently apologized/thanked them as you looked over Hange's shoulder to see what specifically was being said.


Levi's eyes slowly shut despite the glow of Furlan's computer illuminating the entire room and Isabel's soft snoring.

It was Friday night, Furlan's usual all nighter pulled to turn in an assignment due at 8 am on Saturday in motion. It was rather cruel of his professor not to make the deadline Monday morning instead, but Furlan said she liked watching them squirm (and honestly have the rest of the weekend as rest time.) Levi guessed she liked grading school work around that time, too, since she always graded relatively early.

Furlan said he would fix his sleeping schedule, but it was an empty promise. At most, he'd stay up until 5 pm and then pass out until Sunday morning. It was in reaction to his sleep deprivation and not everyone could run on a couple hours like Levi could.

Unlike his friends, Levi's insomnia didn't allow him to sleep until his body was tired and his brain couldn't overpower it any longer. It was one of those times, trying to help Furlan with his work, but falling asleep once Furlan had been quiet for an hour.

Isabel was resting in Furlan's bed. She had her own dorm with her roommate, Mikasa, but she hardly spent time there. Mikasa didn't seem to either. The two of them would see each other daily because of hygiene and laundry, at most studying or completing work in their respective areas. Basically, they were neutral.

It was better than being at each other's throats like others in college were. While Isabel was energetic and it seemed that Mikasa was reserved, Isabel knew how to deal with someone like that because of Levi. If she had an issue, she'd simply say so. Luckily, she had not run into any problems.

Sometimes she'd talk Levi and Furlan into coming over to hang out there, but Mikasa didn't mind as long as she was given proper notice. Even then, she ducked out to go with her friends who Isabel had seen glimpses of waiting at their door, a blond boy and a dark haired boy.

"Levi!" Furlan called, promptly stirring Levi awake from where a dream had slowly been forming.

Considering he hardly slept, and was exhausted, Levi furrowed his eyebrows in agitation, glaring over at Furlan with a deep scowl. Isabel did not move to no one's surprise.

"What, what the hell do you want?" He responded. He didn't bother to hide his impending frustration.

"Come see!" Furlan's volume had been at the same loud level. He didn't seem to catch onto Levi's annoyance. That or he didn't care because he was too excited.

Groggily stepping away from the beanbag chair he had sat into, Levi deliberately walked to the desk Furlan was sitting at. His hand came up to grip the back of Furlan's rolling chair as his eyes moved to look at whatever got his roommate so riled up. The lit up screen burned his eyes and caused him to blink a few times trying to acclimate to the different setting.

He may have been exposed to it from where he previously was, but his corner had been mostly dark. He was paying for it gravely with how his eyes couldn't focus on a damn word Furlan was eagerly pointing at.

The announcement had been posted two days ago, a mass letter to the student body Levi didn't remember seeing on his own computer. That's when he remembered how he turned them off. If there were anything of vital importance, Furlan and or Isabel would be talking his ear off.

"What am I looking at?"

"Read it."

With a disgruntled noise, Levi read it. He skimmed past the bullshit formalities and then continued on to find that a position was being offered, a tutor for an above average pay-grade. He didn't think Furlan needed a job with the scholarships he received and the part-time gig at the library so nothing was really clicking. It probably didn't help that his tired mind was refusing to create any proper ideas at the moment.

Still, he resumed and reached the end of the announcement. It started to make sense when he saw it was a sorority member of Tau Iota in need of an in-house tutor, addressed from the president themself, Hange Zoë.

His eyes rolled so hard that he thought he saw the front of his brain.

"You woke me up for that?"

"Yeah, I stopped working on my homework to check my emails and there it was." Furlan beamed.

Levi, on the other hand, was returning to his beanbag and even thinking of going to his side of the room behind the sliding door to go to sleep. He plummeted into the lenient seat, his head falling back as he tried to get comfortable.

"I'm just saying that this might be the best way to get information on Theta Xi Rho," Furlan explained.

"How do you figure?" Levi asked, only half listening now since he closed his eyes and tried to return where he was minutes ago.

"Tau Iota has been partnering with Theta Xi Rho since forever, you know that."

Levi did in fact know that. Furlan had mentioned it probably a thousand and one times and that was the whole purpose of having Isabel try to be recruited when she became a sophomore. As much as all three of them could be at each other's throats, they were willing to make sacrifices if it meant helping each other.

Sororities weren't Isabel's style, but Furlan had blundered his applications to Theta Xi Rho twice already and he was becoming impatient in having to try the next year.

The fraternity wasn't easy to become a part of because it was of the elite. They were picky for who knew what reason and it infuriated Levi to no end since he hated to watch his friend become so disheartened.

He had half a mind to go and blatantly ask why they were so stupid and shitty, but he wouldn't dare hurt Furlan's chances any further.

Isabel made it to the meet and greet part, but then found out she received more "No"s than "Yes"s the next day. It placed Tau Iota on his shitlist alongside Theta Xi Rho, unable to recall Isabel's look of despondency without wanting to personally dismantle both.

"You're not exactly tutor material. Don't you think they'll ask for your GPA and check? They'll probably give it to some other kid with a 4.0 and stellar resume." It was Tau Iota, after all. The superiority complexes ran high with these groups. If they were particular about their members, they would be particular about who they let into their shared home.

"I wasn't talking about me."

Waiting for Furlan to go on, Levi remained where he was in his seat without further movement. When a minute of silence passed, Levi opened his eyes and craned his head to view if anything had happened. All he saw was Furlan with a timid smile, his hands fidgeting in his lap. It dawned on Levi a little too late when he realized he couldn't have been talking about Isabel.

He sat up straighter, back bending as he leaned his elbows on his knees.

"No."

"Levi, hear me out."

"No."

Another idea Furlan had in the past was for Levi to sign up with him and go into Theta Xi Rho together. Furlan tried to press Levi on the matter when he was rejected the first time, but Levi just wouldn't budge. They'd always argue about what fraternities were and whether or not they were toxic.

They'd end up not talking about it, or speaking for days really, because Levi's stubborn ass would refuse to say he was sorry. Furlan would be the one to approach with an apology and then things would be back to normal. Levi was hoping that would be the end of Furlan trying to rope him into his schemes.

It was also his way of dealing with things like that. It was easier for him to walk away and contemplate for a while rather than actually talk things out. He didn't care if it made Furlan and Isabel think he was a hardass.

He'd rather them think that than have them know he didn't want them to get hurt. Anything but that.

Furlan used his legs to roll himself closer to Levi. "I know you don't care about Theta Xi Rho or Tau Iota or anything, I'm not asking you to join again. I'm just… this is why I came to Pallas University. I've wanted it for so long."

Levi gulped down the urge to say that he cared about things for fear of how vulnerable it would leave him. He didn't want Furlan to know how much that comment stung, how much more it hurt to know his main goal was to join some dumb fraternity and not be there for the two people he considered family.

Like Levi was. He really couldn't care less about college, but Furlan and Isabel did and that was enough.

The three were inseparable, willing to do favors and complete objectives for the sake of it. To Levi, being there had been his big offering. He was three years in and yet he couldn't do something as simple as sign up for something that meant everything to Furlan. He was pretty sure he'd even be rejected as they were, but at least he tried.

And now he was denying an opportunity where he could help without going that far of a distance, where he very well could be paid the very same? Who knew, maybe he wouldn't even get the job.

He just needed to put forth effort because he could see Furlan believed he wasn't putting any into their friendship.

"Forget it, it's fine," Furlan sighed and bowed his head. It was a good thing the light was behind him so Levi couldn't see his fallen expression.

"I'll do it."

"Huh?" The darkness surrounding them probably couldn't conceal the disbelief in Furlan's face as he shot up in his chair. He tried to look for that infamous sarcasm on Levi's features, anything to tell him this was a jest.

"You heard me," he said, as serious as Levi could be. Which was pretty fucking serious.

Furlan leapt so high from his seat that he almost hit his head on the fan above. He then moved to hug Levi, not caring that Levi made no motions to hug him back.

He was too over the moon, pulling back to run his hands through his hair. He didn't notice he made a loud sound until a pillow hit him right across the face, both he and Levi turning to where it soared from.

"Can you shut up, I'm trying to sleep," Isabel roared as she turned so hard in Furlan's bed that she almost fell off the side.

Levi had to yank the pillow out of Furlan's hands when he saw he was winding up to throw it back.


"What's his name?"

"Levi. He's more than qualified, took Classic Literature and Biology I and passed with flying colors his first year, you're in good hands." Hange repeated. They told you everything you needed to know the days prior, but you were being thorough.

As they said, it did take a long while. Two weeks of reviewing applications and interviewing people. Since the other members were concerned with other things (planning an upcoming social event was taking its toll on Nanaba and Petra for example) you and Hange took hold of the reins on your own and split up the work.

Hange created a checklist alongside a list of questions to ask the candidates. There were some weirdos and some who did well, but no one met everything on the checklist on your end.

As for Hange, they were quick to inform you they found the perfect fit and that he would be open to coming on Saturday afternoon. They told you he was flexible and that it'd be better for the both of you to discuss a schedule face to face. To which Hange, obviously, agreed.

"I'm nervous," you admitted. It was a total stranger, an experienced and intelligent one if they happened to meet Hange's standards.

"You'll be fine and have two As before you could even say Epimetheus!"

"Why Epime—"

You didn't have time to question Hange since they brought a hand to your back and pushed you towards the tall, hickory doors of the study. They were more intimidating than usual having to face them head on. You usually passed them without looking twice as you headed to your room from other points in the house.

"Good luck!" Hange said and then left you standing alone as they disappeared down the hall.

With trepidation, and after you watched Hange walk away from view, you exhaled a heavy breath and reached your hand out to grasp the golden handle of the door on the right. It clicked when your fingers squeezed, pulling outward to find the wood was weighted, far more than any other door you came across while living there.

Satisfied with how open it came, you used your hand to keep it from crushing your entering form as you walked inside. You'd been in there before to grab a book or two from the bookshelves, but that was about the extent of it. It didn't matter, you knew you would be mesmerized regardless of how many times you had seen the room and its vast collection of reading material.

Scanning the area, you found your tutor sitting at the desk at the back of the study. The back of his head unveiled an obsidian undercut, his shoulders leaning into his chair. You couldn't tell if he was impressed as you by this room from this angle, or if he was impressed at all. An impressed person would be tilting their head up to take in the scope of the library, right?

His was slightly turned downward. Maybe he had already done his exploring since he got there about ten minutes ago and you were warned seven after his arrival.

Not wanting to keep him waiting any longer, you stepped over the polished floorboards and attempted to display confidence. Your shoulders squared and your chin raised, your laptop tucked underneath your left arm. Your entrance wasn't quiet, so you were wondering how he hadn't noticed you were there.

But then, his head turned and his arm draped over the chair's backrest. When his eyes met yours, you stopped in your tracks.

You remembered him. Those silver eyes practically made of steel that you couldn't stop thinking about for days. When you asked Lauda about him, she shook her head back and forth and said Tau Iota didn't care for the likes of him. So, you dropped it and didn't say anything again in case they got the wrong idea.

But you couldn't deny this, the others most likely saw him come in and you had a feeling Hange didn't mention anything. You couldn't understand why they did this after Lauda said what she said to you. It just wasn't adding up.

At least now you could get a better look at him, his chiseled jaw and bored appearance matching the fatigue gathered under his eyes. Last time, he hid half of his face with his book and then walked away before you could assess him. That didn't mean he left your memory. Oh, on the contrary.

"Did you get lost on the way here?" He drawled, voice deep with gravel and dripping with gall.

You couldn't think of something clever to say back. You were too busy dwelling on the fact that the boy with eyes of smoke was the one who'd not only be teaching you, but possibly be risking your position in Tau Iota