Tough World. Tough Love. | Levi X Reader

Chapter 9: First expedition

First person POV: (Y/n)

Two and a half months later.

Two and half months passed in a blur of training, eating, cleaning the stables, and sleeping. The evening before the expedition is here. Everyone's busy eating, gathering their strength for the expedition, some even sleeping already. I, on the other hand, am cleaning the staples. The horses seriously need to shit a bit less.

Heaving a breath, I shove the shovel full of, quite literal, horseshit into the cart I have been using to haul the crap away. Late trainers walk past the staples, giving me dirty looks. Yeah, some of them still don't like me. It's fine, though. I haven't gotten close to anyone here either, so it's just fine. Petra and Hange try, which I guess is nice. But I gave myself a promise that I'll not get close to anyone here before my first expedition outside the Wall Rose is over.

"What are you doing here at this time? Shouldn't you be having dinner?" A female voice brings me back from my thoughts. I blink and look toward the voice to find Petra standing near her horse.

"Ah, it's my last day on stable duty, and I don't need Captain Midget to add two and a half more months to it," I reply and start shoveling again.

"That's really harsh, even for him," Petra comments. Snorting, I shove a shovelful of horse crap to the cart, "Well, the man seems to hate my guts," I mutter and rest for a second.

Petra gasps a bit at my wording, probably at the word 'hate.' In the three months I've spent here, I've gotten to known Petra as a very positive person. Which is good. Everyone needs some positivity in their life. The overwhelming positivity that comes into my life comes from Petra.

"I don't think he hates you, just has a strong disliking for you, since well, the rest of us, he handpicked, you were kind of..." she trails off, looking for the right words.

"Forced onto him," I finish for her, "Yeah, I get it, but doesn't mean he has to act like an asshole."

"He'll come around eventually," Petra reassures, a bit uselessly, with a smile on her face. Pursing my lips and blowing a few stray strands of my (h/l) (h/c) hair out of my face, I return to my work.

"You really should get some dinner," Petra again speaks up.

"Yeah, I will. As soon as I'm done here," I reply and continue working. I hear Petra's hum and then steps, leaving the stables. I, for the first time in a long time, hope that someone in my life doesn't leave because I want to get close to them.

Three months with the squad, Hange, and some of their squad, I've gotten enough time to observe them. I've gotten enough time to pick out the nicer ones from the not so nice ones. I think if Levi wasn't acting like such as asshole he'd actually be a decent guy. Yes, still cold but overall bearable.

***

Almost every Scout is in front of the cate to Wall Rose in Trost district. The yells of the citizen's sound in my ears, most of them being shouts of disrespect and anger, voicing out their thoughts about the Scouts going outside. But there are some cheers to it. The people who have lost their homes in the fall of Wall Maria.

I've got my hood pulled up, hiding my eyes and nose, my mouth a thin cold line. Even though no one actually sees under my hood, I've got the rest of my face willed cold as well. My (e/c) eyes might as well be iced over with the cold façade.

"Euphoria," Petra's voice again sounds over everyone else. I angle my head toward her at my right.

"Are you alright, I mean, with this being your first expedition and all?" she asks, concern in her voice. I debate answering for a second but then say, voice as my eyes, ice cold; "Besides not getting a wink of sleep, I'm fine," I say quietly but loud enough for her to hear.