"Move these away from here." Levi started, looking disdainful.

"You see this," A mocking voice countered. The cadet on the bed next to his stood up, marking the floor between them with an imaginary line with his foot. "This is your area, and this is mine. That means I can keep whatever I want in here."

Levi stared at the bundle of clothes on the floor, the underwear particularly unnerving him. He couldn't stand the area he lived in being dirty or untidy. He couldn't help it! His habit was easily noticed by everyone sharing the room with him within merely a few days of coming in here. His neighbor, particularly, has been using it to annoy him since.

Furlan had always picked up after this guy, calming Levi each time and urging him to not cause trouble. Be patient, we'd only need to finish the job and then leave. But now where was he? He was dead. There was no job, no limited time to stand this shitty phase of existence until it ends.

Levi balled his hands into tight fists, the blue eyes of the man in front of him daring and sneering. Ever since he joined the Scouts, not one of his roommates has been nice to him. He never cared, but when it threatened his area with filth, he had to draw a line.

"It is your side, doesn't mean you can keep whatever you want in it. At this rate I may one day wake up to find you shat in there. Do you think that's acceptable?"

"I don't know Levi you tell me. I hear in the undergrounds that's quite a common sight."

A few laughs erupted from the other beds. Levi's eyes fixed like daggers on the cadet, undeviating. He took a step towards him, and he could just see the sneer on the taller guy being infiltrated by a hint of doubt. He stood his ground regardless, not wishing to withdraw back with everyone watching them.

"Picking up your dirty laundry is basic decency. If you can't manage that then what's the difference."

"You want it picked up? Go ahead, I won't hold you back."

A few more laughs were heard and Levi had had enough. His breaths ragged as his last strand of self-control was lost to the overwhelming anger. His balled fist was readied when he raised it, sight darkened, only seeing red. The previous chatter around them was exchanged to the sound of gapes followed by a deadly silence.

The man took a step back in reflex, holding a defensive arm. "W-what? You're gonna hit me now?"

A few voices rose around them.

"Hey, what is wrong with you?"

"What do you expect from an underground thug but to speak with their fist."

"It's like making us share a room with a Titan, you never know when he'd attack."

Levi turned his head to the last statement, looking at the guy who said it. He was sitting on an upper bunk to his left. The red-haired avoided him to the other side once their eyes met, looking fairly disdainful. Levi's eyes lingered on the back of his head, fist slowly falling lower.

It took all of his self-control to let out a shaking breath and storm out of the room, blood boiling. He couldn't deny the hurtful sting that the last statement left him with. It brought him back to reality or this could've ended with the other guy's end.

He walked out to the training range. They all had just woken up, training should begin in two hours. He hoped it would suffice to subside his anger. Levi went on to the stables, finding his horse.

"Hey buddy." He muttered, petting him on the head. Looking at the horse's subtle excitement made a little mocking, sad smile twist his lips. "It seems you're the only one in here who's happy to see me."

Levi rested his head on his horse, feeling an unusual lethargy take over his muscles. He felt lonely, separated from everyone as though an invisible screen was keeping distance between them. It trapped him all alone, and muffled his voice to not let anyone hear him.

He had no friend in here, no one to listen to him, no one with the ability to understand him. All while his chest held so much grief and turmoil that grew too big he couldn't contain it anymore. And it's not like he willed to find a friend, it was awkward enough that he felt lightyears older than all of the cadet brats he shared the room with. Sometimes it even felt degrading.

The death of Isobel and Furlan was still so fresh for him, it still hurt him like hell. His entire life has ended with it, when he only wanted residency to share a good life with them, now it all felt meaningless.

He agreed to join the scouts and lend his strength to humanity, but what was there for him in here? He doesn't even get the decency of solitude. He never liked sharing rooms and now he has to share with thirty people who hated him for no reason and made it clear that they did.

He considered the alternative and saw nothing but that he would go back to the underground, a thought that made his skin crawl with an uneasy feeling. He'd never wish to see that place again, never wish to come close to its stale smell or bone-cold feeling.

It was a choice between two shitty options, and remaining here was nothing but the best of two bads. It was tasteless.

"...no human could possibly do that, let alone one who'd never been outside the walls before." The voice of his team captain caught his ear, slowly approaching. "I doubt even Mike can do it."

"I gotta give it to him, he is good." The squad leader replied, sounding thoughtful. "But I agree, no way he could've slayed four titans by himself. It's all so convenient when you think of it; we complained about him not being a normal trainee, Erwin insists his skills would be worth having him, and now he spreads the info that he killed four titans. And who are the witnesses? Only him and Mike. Very convenient. He's just trying to make us shut up about it, not to be proven wrong."

"Yeah, I think so too."

Levi pulled his horse, walking out to the middle of the stable to be seen. He glared at the approaching twosome. That was not a new speech, he heard it muttered in his room by cadets more than ten times ever since they came back to the walls a week ago.

"Oh, Levi!" The captain looked at him startled. "You're here."

"What are you doing here?" His squad leader asked, looking unhappy.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"You should be at breakfast."

"I'm not hungry." He flatly replied.

Levi pulled his horse alongside him and walked against them, brushing his shoulder with the squad leader without looking back.

He rode around the area thoughtlessly and was back a few minutes before training. By that time, many cadets had already gathered in there. Levi stood by his horse, waiting for the session to begin.

"Levi." A deep voice raised behind him. His head turned to the source to be met by a chest, he raised his head up to find Erwin looking at him down. "I've been looking for you."

Levi turned around to face him with his body. "Why's that?"

Erwin stared around the area, cadets spread everywhere around them with loud chatter. A particular group of them stood together, turning their full attention to the two.

"Come to my office after training, we will talk in there."

Levi stood waiting after knocking on his commander's door. After a brief moment, the door swung open, revealing the familiar face inside.

"Come in."

Erwin opened the door wider, making space for Levi to walk to the middle of the spacious room. He tightly followed his steps to the center.

"Please, have a seat." He added.

Levi did as told, and within a second the blonde appeared in front of him, taking the seat on the other side of the desk. Erwin locked eyes with him silently before he spoke.

"How are you liking it here? After your friends' misfortunate death, I can only imagine that it left a gap for you."

Levi stared at him back, it still stung him to hear about them every time. "It did."

"I'm sorry about that."

He sighed. "What did you need me for?"

"You still haven't answered my question."

Levi thought a bit, he surely hated it here. But what is the point of expressing that to his commander? That was his own problem.

"It's alright."

"Hmm." Erwin brought his head down slightly. "I can understand you, Levi. I am trying to keep in mind the misfortunate situation you've been recently through, I can understand that you're grieving and I try to offer some leniency for that reason. But some things cannot be tolerated." A solemn expression painted the man's face, one Levi never got to see on him even when he was plotting to kill him.

"What are you saying?"

"I understand you have been intimidating your roommates."

"What?" The dark-haired frowned.

"You tried to punch cadet Muller, did you or did you not do that?"

"I -yes, but he-"

"Don't." Erwin raised a hand. "There is no argument possible, that could excuse you trying to harm your comrade. You are causing them discomfort, Levi. The least I need in my branch is a troubled team."

Levi closed his open mouth. The only one who was constantly caused discomfort, was him. They only beat him to complain about it. All this time, he never said anything or picked a fight with anyone, but they all seemed to have a silent agreement to hate him.

"I am causing them discomfort." He repeated bitterly.

"Let's just say, it's not just a few who came here to me this morning to express their dissatisfaction with your behavior."

"And you believed them?"

"I don't have a reason to hold that number for liars."

Levi looked down at the desk avoiding Erwin's gaze, his voice was too low and deep as he spoke his following words.

"Because they're good people, who joined and trained to serve humanity. And I'm a thug from the underground so of course I'm the liar."

"I didn't say you're a liar. You didn't give a counterargument, did you not just confirm that you did indeed try to hit cadet Muller? This has nothing to do with the underground, Levi. It's about facts, and the fact that you are causing stress and discomfort and spreading bad energy into the team is concerning and unacceptable."

Levi just nodded, wanting this ending. As if he needed more shit on his plate. There's no point talking about it anyway.

"Can I go now?" He asked, not raising his eyes from the spot on the desk.

"First, you need to promise me to stop doing that."

He opened his mouth exasperated. He wanted to express that he didn't do anything, that they judged him for his origin and spoke on him to his face for as long as he'd been here. He just never cared, until it threatened something he couldn't ignore. But he wasn't one to complain that much. His eyes raised back to meet his commander.

"Listen, Erwin,"

Erwin's eyebrows visibly twitched, not used to having his name called without a title.

"Whatever shit they told you is not true. Apart from the part where I almost hit Muller, because he provoked me -but didn't, I never caused anyone anything. I haven't been in the talking mood of late to do that. You can believe whatever you want, it's all I have to say."

"Hmm," Erwin stared at him intently. "...You can be dismissed."

Levi stood up and turned to leave. If there's anything he did so well, it would be reading people. That look on Erwin, he could just see the disbelief in his eyes.

Maybe the underground wasn't that bad after all? At least he was never seen as inferior in there, rather he was the strongest, the most feared. But in here, even the newly recruited fifteen year old brats saw themselves better and had something about him to complain about.

His past seemed like a huge scar flashed across his face that would follow him forever. Not even Erwin, whom he saw a light in his vision, believed him. He could see this repeating over and over in the future, he is the least trusted person and will continue to always be. If any shit hits the fan in any way, he would be the one blamed, and none would believe him.

This is the world his friends had left him with. When his mother died, it had been so hard, but Kenny pulled him up and helped. All until he abandoned him and then he had to pull his shit together alone, it took him all the energy. And now, yet again he had to pull himself up again and adjust to a new life after his old one had been burned into ashes.

But was this life even worth the energy it consumed from him and the effort it took to build it back up? What was he even living for? For those awful life conditions, with a tiny bed in a full filthy room with people he wished not to see? Or his squad leader constantly seeing him as a potential hostile bomb? Or a commander that holds him for a thorn that disturbs the organization? One who took his word for less?

None of it seemed to be worth fighting for. It was like putting immense energy into a big fight to survive, only to receive a prize that was not worth the effort.

He'd wanted to fight for humanity, it was what gave him the drive to go on and give a chance all this past week, but their next expedition would be in three months. Having an awful life for three constant months, to have a good day, then be back to the melancholy and hell and loneliness... it didn't seem worth it.

Levi walked out to the yard, feeling an emptiness press on his chest. He turned his head back to look at the castle; nothing inside gave him a slight motivation to go back, he literally could not have a single thing to look forward to in there.

Turning ahead, he saw the forest path expand in front of him covered by trees on both sides. He started walking towards it, eyes suddenly flashing with a sinister determination.

Hey there! Next chapter we see Hange, not to sound cocky but uuuuhh it's ready and I just love it!