[SPOILERS]

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ➳ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

"...You are from this moment on to be assumed an enemy of humanity... to be put under strict military observation for the next couple months, if not longer..."

Those were the final words you heard in that courtroom before you were dragged away, thrashing in your handcuffs and trying to cry out past the metal gag chained into your mouth. As the large doors shut behind you, it registered for the first time in your mind: from now on, nothing would ever be the same in your life again.

It had just been an idiot rat, someone with a grudge against you, who, once the knowledge of human-Titan shifting had become common, had gone and cried to the military about seeing you shift. They'd even gotten their friends to back the story up. It was all a complete lie. And now it was going to ruin your life. Because how can you prove that you're not something? How can you prove that you don't know how to transform? From the position of the military, it was quite understandable that they wouldn't take the risk.

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ➳ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

The rain batters down over The Forest of Giant Trees, hammering onto Levi's tent and making the fabric sway uncertainly. Something just woke him. He blinks his eyes a couple times, adjusting to the darkness as he strains his ears, trying to listen for anything out of the ordinary beyond the sound of the wind and rain. It's been three days since he's been put to guard here, watching over a damn Titan shifter of all people, so any sound that could indicate an escape is crucial. He knows there are squads lining the edges of the forest, ready to jump into action at the first signal, but as the first line of defense and the only soldier camping next to the prisoner, he needs to keep his guard up.

A rustling sound catches his attention, his heart beginning to thump quicker in the darkness as he sits up further, grabbing for his gear and beginning to silently buckle it to his harness. Chronic insomniac as he is, he rarely sleeps in anything other than his usual military scout uniform. A second later he's opening his tent gingerly, glancing out into the darkness with an intense gaze, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. The first thing he sees is a small flickering light coming from inside your tent, despite the fact he instructed you to sleep many hours ago.

"Tch," he mutters, shoving the tent fabric aside and striding out in the direction of the light, sheltering himself under the hood of his cape. The rain is a lot stronger than he expected, his boots sinking slightly into the mud as the smell of damp moss invades his senses. He moves quicker.

Damn idiot... what's even going on in there? He thinks as he reaches your tent, not even hesitating a second before he grabs the fabric and pulls it open, staring down at you with an unmistakably disapproving glare on his face.

"I thought I told you to go to sleep," he scolds, voice still slightly rough from sleep, one hand holding the tent open against the wind while the other rests on the gear at his hip, ready to act in case you attack.