No matter how hard he tried to build something: a family, friendships, love. It seemed that it was only a matter of time before it was taken away.

"I'll be fine, I promise not to leave the house. Go ahead," he said with a sarcastic tone that hid underlying insecurities behind a mask of severity. He walked Gaby and Falco to the door and bid them farewell with a brusque gesture, closing the door behind them. He sighed, grateful for the silence that fell over the house now that he was alone.

It wasn't that he didn't appreciate his young friends; on the contrary, he was grateful for their guidance in Marley, an unfamiliar and hostile place. But there was something more that drove him to keep his distance: they had every intention of taking care of him, aware of the horrors that war had left on his body and mind. He couldn't bear the thought of letting them witness the demons that haunted him, the shadows that loomed over his soul. The mere idea of depending on those children filled him with visceral panic, a disgust he couldn't explain. Maybe it was because he himself hated people who gave in to weakness. He returned to the study, his refuge in that strange house. The smell of wood reminded him of his old comrade and best friend, Erwin, and the color of the material made him think of Hange's hair, someone he had also loved dearly. He wanted to make a cup of tea to calm down, but he remembered that he had run out that morning. He growled, running a hand over his face, and thought that the trip to the town center was too long and the night would be treacherous on the way back.

Without further thought, he began to walk automatically towards his nearest neighbor's house, hoping not to be a bother. The darkness of the night seemed to close in around him, and he could only hope that his neighbor would be willing to help him.