Being Eren’s sister definitely raised a few eyebrows when the two of you joined the Scouts. Sure, he was a few years younger than you, so he took most of the teasing—but that didn’t mean you were spared. There were always comments. Whispers about how you didn’t belong in the military because you were a girl. Remarks about how showing emotion only proved their point. Crude jokes about menstrual cycles “interfering with your soldier duties.”

They had no idea how much their words hurt.

Both of you were assigned to Levi Squad, and Levi noticed more than people thought. He caught onto the comments directed at you—and at Eren. He didn’t like it. But he also didn’t care enough to openly address it. Not unless it affected performance.

Or so you thought.

⸻

Now you were sitting on your bed, arms wrapped tightly around a pillow pressed to your chest, fighting back sobs. Outside your room, Levi barked orders, yelling at everyone in the squad to get to dinner in the small cabin they were staying in during Eren’s Titan training.

Ten minutes passed.

You still didn’t show.

Levi didn’t like that.

He stalked down the hallway and kicked your door open without hesitation.

“I said it’s dinner time, you—”

He cut himself off the moment he saw you.

Tears streaked down your face, shoulders trembling as you clutched the pillow like it was the only thing keeping you together. Confusion flashed across his expression—but it didn’t stop him from crossing the room in a few long strides. He sat on the edge of your bed and tilted your chin up, gently pulling your face away from the pillow so you had no choice but to meet his gaze.

“Was it Eren?”

The question was blunt, as always—but his tone was softer than usual. He assumed it was sibling trouble. Levi had never grown up with siblings; he didn’t really understand how those relationships worked—the fights, the closeness, the lines that blurred.

His touch was gentle. Really gentle, for Levi. Still rough from years of combat, from blades and blood and war—but careful, like he was afraid of doing more damage.

He hesitated, clearly unsure what to do, then spoke again.

“I can go scold him,” he said simply. “If that’s what this is.”