People called Levi a jerk. They called him cold. They called him heartless. Yes, he could at times be all of these things, but it wasn't because he was mean or because he liked to cause people pain. It was because he was scared. He was scared to get close to people. Scared to lose people. Scared to love.

Eren had always been a happy boy. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his life. He understood that any of these things could be taken away from him at any moment, understood that the Titans would always be looming over his happy life, but he refused to let that take away from his joy. If he let the Titans take over his emotions, then they would have won. Eren would not let the Titans win.

After his mother died and his father left him, Eren was crushed. But his mother had given her life to make sure that Eren and Mikasa survived. Eren would not let her death crush his spirits. He would not let the Titans beat her. He would not let the Titans win.

And then, at the battle of Trost, Eren learned that he could shift into Titan form. He could become one of those monsters. He was a monster. And Eren was crushed. But Mikasa and Armin still loved him. And the Scout Regiment gave him a second chance to live and to learn to control his powers. So Eren would not let his own disfigurement crush his spirits. He would not let the Titan within him beat him. He would not let the Titans win.

The first time that Levi saw Eren clearly was at the trial after the battle of Trost. As he slapped the boy senseless, Levi could not help noticing how beautiful Eren was. He was especially drawn to the boy's large green eyes. They were full of so much hope, so much life, but still reflected the pain and sorrow from all that the boy had lost. How could such a monster be so beautiful? Eren's eyes widened in confusion and pain as Levi beat him, and Levi's heart broke in two.

Idiot, Levi thought to himself. The boy is a monster… An attractive monster…

At first, Eren was horrified that Corporal Levi, his childhood hero, was slapping him silly. But after the older man explained that he had to do so in order to prove a point, Eren didn't mind.

Anyways, Eren thought the night after the trial as he settled down in the basement of the castle to get some rest; it was nice having his face so close to mine… He really is quite attractive. Even if I could never have someone like Levi, and he'd never want me, I can still admire him! Eren smiled to himself, picturing the Corporal's piercing grey eyes as he drifted off to sleep.

"Wake up brat!" Levi called, early the next morning. Eren jumped to attention, saluting the Corporal with hands in front of and behind his heart. "I want you to clean the entire castle. Dust every corner of every room. Scrub the bathrooms. Mop the kitchens. And when you're done, do it again. Your pathetic eyes will probably have missed something. Don't stop until you're done. Then, come to me for inspection."

"What about breakfast, sir?" Eren asked.

Levi scowled at the taller boy. "No food until you've completed cleaning. The castle is disgusting."

"Yes, sir," Eren replied, stomach growling as he spoke. Perhaps it's a training technique, he thought as he got to work on an empty stomach. However, as he got to work scrubbing the castle, he noticed that nobody else seemed to be participating in the same chore. In fact, as Eren made his way to the dining hall to sweep, he found that Levi's entire squad was seated at a table talking and joking as they ate breakfast. What the hell! Eren thought in annoyance. Why am I the only one who has to work all morning!

"Eren!" Hanji called to him from the table. "Did you already eat? I didn't see you come down!"

"Not yet," Eren replied slowly. "Corporal Levi wanted me to finish cleaning the castle first."

"Awh, no fair, that'll take you all day! Come and eat a little something first!"

"Thank you," Eren said gratefully. He filled a plate and sat down between Hanji and Petra. He had barely taken a single bit before the short Corporal walked into the room, his eyes expressionless as always. He looked around before his eyes locked with Eren's and he frowned.

"Brat!" Levi barked. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Do you mean to tell me that you've finished cleaning already?"

"No sir!" Eren responded nervously. "But Hanji told me to eat first and-"

"Do I look like I give a shit? Get up! I don't want to see your pathetic little face until the castle is spotless!"

"Yes sir." Eren stood and quickly left the room, hiding his hurt expression with the broom he had just retrieved.

Levi scowled and sat in the spot Eren had just vacated.

"Why are you so mean to him, Levi?" Hanji asked.

"I'm mean to everyone," Levi replied indifferently.

"Yes but you've been especially hard on Eren," Petra interjected from Levi's other side. "He's been through a lot. I can't imagine what it must be like to wake up one day and realize that everyone thinks you're a monster!"

"He is a monster!" Levi insisted.

"Levi! Of all people, I thought you'd be more understanding!" Petra exclaimed. "It's not like he asked to be like this. And he's still fighting against the Titans, so what right do we have to harass him?"

"Tch," was all Levi could say.