A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to another chapter! Enjoy!

edited on august 4th, 2021 @ 6:00pm

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𝓒𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙾𝙽𝙴,
𝓗𝚄𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙸𝚃𝚈'𝚂 𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙴𝙱𝙰𝙲𝙺.

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Dear Sean,

It's been five years since that day. The day I lost you and the fall of Wall Maria. I'm getting... better I suppose. Oliver has been a huge help and would comfort me every time I have nightmares. We would also stargaze some nights like you and I used too. I'm afraid to get too close to him. Everyone I love ends up dying.

How's the afterlife? Are Isabel and Farlan doing okay? You were pretty heartbroken when you learned about Farlan's death. I swear, you were in love with that man. I hope they welcomed you.

Today, new cadets are coming in. The 104th Training Corps. Dillon believes that the Scouts will get new cadets. But honestly? It's just gonna be the same as it is every year. Barely any people will join.

After all, who wants to put their life on the line for the sake of humanity?

Always,
Simon.

THE GRAY HAIRED MALE CLOSED his journal and his pen. Ever since that day, he became cold hearted. He refused to let people see him showing emotion. Which is why most scouts called him the Ice Prince.

"Sir." Simon turned around and spotted Oliver looking at him. "It's time to see the new trainees."

"Yeah."

Simon grabbed his Survey Corps jacket and headed out. "Yo. Does anyone want to come with me to see the newbies?" He asked.

"Levi?" Simon asked.

"No."

"Dillon, Rach, Rin?"

"Sorry, sir."

"Fine. I guess it'll just be Ollie and I then. Jeez, you guys are such a downpour." Simon sighed as he walked away with Oliver right next to him.

Simon entered the Training Corps where he was greeted by some working cadets. "Section Commander Simon, good to see you again." The man said.

"Same to you, where are the new trainees?"

"They are practicing hand-to-hand combat right now, over in the yard." He pointed to them. Simon thanked the man as he and Oliver walked over.

"Does this bring back memories for you?" Simon asked.

"It does, sir." Oliver answered.

Simon did a scan of the new cadets. He saw that all of them were working hard. Well, except for two of them.

Make that only one. His friend looked worried, as if he was telling the other to go back and train.

"Ah, ditchers. My favorite type to torment." Simon cracked his knuckles, taking off his jacket. "Hold this." He said, shoving his jacket in Oliver's chest.

"S-Section Commander, what are you—"

"Hey!" Simon shouted, looking at a cadet with a buzz cut who stared at him. "Can I borrow your jacket?"

"Why?"

"I seem to have misplaced mine." Simon lied, stomping on Oliver's foot hard so that he could hide his jacket.

"Um... Sure?"

The cadet took off his jacket and handed it to him. Simon placed it on him and walked over to the male who was ditching.

"Hey, you. Aren't you supposed to be doing combat?" Simon asked, looking at the sandy-blonde haired male.

"I don't need it. I'm going to the Military Police."

"You know, the Military Police are strict on who they accept." Simon informed.

"All I need to do is be in the Top 10."

"And it takes a lot of work to get there." Simon fought back. "You won't be in the Top 10 if you don't train."

"What do you know about it? I bet you'll easily get knocked down with one punch."

Oliver started sweating. "N-Not again..." He thought. "This trainee has no idea he dug up his own grave."

With Simon being a Titan shifter, he was a lot stronger than an average human. Therefore, Oliver had every right to be worried.

"J-Jean!" The other boy stuttered. He had dark hair and freckles.

"Alright then, Jean." Simon clicked his tongue. "If you're so good at combat like you claim to be, then lets fight. If you win, I'll leave you alone."

"That's definitely going to happen." Jean said.

"If I win, you have to help my husband with cleaning duty." Simon informed. "Levi is definitely going to torture him." He thought.

"You're on." Jean stated. Simon got into a fighting position as Jean scoffed at him.

"Talk about weak." Jean taunted. "I'm gonna be—"

Simon didn't let him finish his sentence as he jabbed his knee into Jean's stomach, which made him stumble backwards. Jean tried to throw a punch but Simon dodged and used his foot to kick him to the ground.

Silence.

The people around Jean and Simon stared in absolute shock. The boy who was with Jean stiffened.

"I win, Jeanie." Simon mocked.

"I'm not done yet!" Jean got up and lunged at Simon. The gray haired male grabbed his wrist. He took one hand and placed it onto Jean's mouth before flipping him over and sending him to the ground. Simon watched as Jean groaned in pain. It wasn't long before a crowd of people showed up and cheered for Simon.

"Kick his ass!" A blonde haired male shouted.

"That's enough!" Shadis came to stop the fight until he saw the gray haired male as he laughed.

"Should've known it was you." Shadis stated, shaking his head.

"Not even a thank you, Shadis? I taught someone a lesson who thought it was a good idea to ditch training." Simon sighed as he took off the jacket. He walked over to the bald headed male who was next to Oliver.

"Thank you for letting me borrow this—" Simon paused, realizing he didn't know the cadet's name.

"Connie. Connie Springer." The buzz cut male said.

"Right. Well, thank you, Connie." Simon said.

"G-Glad I could help."

"You're scary as per usual." Oliver handed Simon his jacket as his leader chuckled. Simon put it on, showing the Wings of Freedom insignia as his jacket russled. He watched as most of the trainees faces went pale.

"H-He's apart of..." A trainee shrieked in excitement. Jean however, stood up with absolute shock.

"Everyone, say hello to one of the Section Commanders in the Survey Corps, Simon Laurent." Shadis introduced him as the shocked trainees did a salute to him.

"Now about the cleaning duty." Simon said as he turned to Oliver with a smirk.

"Tell Levi to come over here." Simon told him as Oliver went pale as well as the trainees.

"L-Levi? As in Captain Levi?" A boy spoke up. Simon turned his head to see a brunette with emerald green eyes who looked oddly familiar. "Humanity's Strongest Soldier!"

"What?!" Jean squeaked with fear.

"Section Commander, are you sure?" Oliver asked. "You know how stubborn Levi is—"

"Tell him what happened minus the cleaning part." Simon replied. "He'll come."

"If anything happens to you. It's not my fault." Oliver said. 

"Nothing will happen. Levi has a soft spot for me." Simon said as Oliver sighed and walked off. 

"You can talk to Section Commander Simon after you finish your combat skills. Get your asses back to training!" Shadis ordered as everyone obeyed.

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The moment training finished, most of the trainees came to talk to Simon, asking him multiple questions.

"How did you manage to get so high up?"

"How can I improve my skills?"

"Is the outside wonderful?"

Simon chuckled nervously. He wasn't really used to this much attention. He tried to answer all of the questions but everyone was talking over one another.

"Hold on, everyone. Slow down, okay? I can't answer everything if you're talking over one another." Simon said.

"I-I want to be in the Survey Corps!" A boy came up excitedly. Simon blinked and stared at the brunette with emerald eyes. He looked at Simon with so much respect. He finally realized why this boy looked so familiar.

It was the same boy who he saved from getting harassed by some Garrison soldiers.

"You're Eren, right?" Simon questioned. The young boy's smile grew and everyone around them stared at Eren.

"Eren? You know him?" A tall short blonde haired male questioned.

"Kinda. A few years ago, he saved my ass from these Garrison cadets." Eren explained.

"Ha, talk about a damsel in distress." The tall short blonde said.

Simon examined the blonde male. He had hazel eyes, and a defined facial structure. His large height, broad shoulders, and a serious expression that gave him an intimidating presence.

"It's almost like when I first encountered Eren... I have an uneasy feeling about him." Simon thought.

"Mikasa, remember him?" Eren looked at the girl who was standing beside him. Simon recognized him along with the short, bowl-cut blonde haired male.

"Huh... So they did end up coming around." Simon thinks to himself.

"The Survey Corps is just a place where you want to make a suicide wish." Jean came in with a smirk. "That's why you go to the Military Police."

"You want to be apart of a branch that's corrupted who treats the poor like shit because they don't meet your standards?" Simon questioned as Jean blinked.

"At least the Military Police are safe within the walls—"

"Yeah and you experience people who treat you like shit, who can easily ruin your life with just a snap, and more?" Simon interrupted him with the same smile. Eren started to laugh at Jean, along with a couple of others.

"At least we won't die like you gu—"

"We go outside for the idea of fighting for freedom for the people within the walls. Because the people within the walls are absolute dickheads who only care about themselves." Simon cut him off. "They only join for the money and safety for their own benefit. They don't give a damn about you."

"Holy shit." The tall short blonde haired male laughed at Jean.

"Did you know I had an identical twin brother?" Simon suddenly asked, shocking the trainees.

"Wait... had?" Connie questioned.

"Yes, had. His name was Sean. During one of our expeditions, my ODM gear malfunctioned. He gave me his gear and ended up getting eaten." Simon said. "Not only that, I've lost two of my longtime friends and comrades along the way."

"But allow me to tell you this; Jean, you're... average... in a way. Frankly, I don't see you in the Military Police." Simon continued.

"And where do you see me at? In the Survey Corps? As if." Jean replied.

"Did I tell you to join the Survey Corps?" Simon questioned.

"Well, not exactly. But you're telling me indirectly by talking shit about the Military Police!"

"I'm only expressing my opinion on them. If you still want to join their ranks, then I won't stop you." Simon said. "Frankly, if you're not prepared to sacrifice your life for the sake of humanity, then we don't need you."

Everyone went quiet, including Jean, who was too shocked to say anything.

"S-Section Commander." Oliver peeked in, breaking the tension.

"Yeah?"

"You wouldn't believe this..." He said with wide eyes.

"What's up?"

"Levi and Petra are here."

Silence.

Simon looked at Jean with a huge grin as he turned pale. "Bring them in." Simon said.

"O-Oh my god. I am going to meet Captain Levi." Eren started to panic. "Armin! Do I look good?"

"You look fine..." Armin muttered.

"N-Now hold on, I thought you were joking when you said—" Jean came forward, a little terrified.

"You were the one who agreed to it." Simon crossed his arms as Petra was looking around, probably remembering her days as a cadet. Levi entered and leaned against the door.

"Hey, come on. You need to get back." Levi called out.

"Wait, I have something for you that you might enjoy." Simon looked at him.

"What?"

"There is someone here who's willing to clean every room that's filthy." Simon smirked at Jean.

Petra's laugh broke the silence. Levi raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" He questioned, looking at Jean who gave him the salute.

"C-Captain Levi, sir! I can—"

"Section Commander Simon made a deal with this poor trainee." Oliver explained. "Like I told you, however, he said if he won, he has to be on cleaning duty."

Levi glared at Simon. "We're leaving. Get over here, there's no rooms that need to be cleaned." He said as Jean sighed in relief. Simon frowned and looked at the trainees.

"Speaking of which, you guys should consider joining the Survey Corps. You actually get to do something to help humanity. Which I can't say the same for the other Regiments." He recommended and walked to the door but paused.

"Before I forget... Eren." Simon looked at the excited boy.

"Y-Yes?" Eren squeaked out.

"Keep up with your determination. We could use someone like you in the Survey Corps." Simon smiled at him as he walked out with Levi, Petra, and Oliver.

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Petra and Oliver were talking amongst themselves as Levi looked at Simon. "You beat up a trainee?" He questioned.

"In my defense, he asked for it." Simon shrugged. "He was talking shit about the Survey Corps."

"It's common to get negative comments from people, Simon. It's normal for us."

"Not the way he put it." Simon rolled his eyes and looked at him. "How would you react if you heard the Survey Corps was a suicide camp and the Military Police was better?"

"By the way, what's up with that boy? What's his name?" Levi asked.

"Eren?" Simon questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, him. What's up with that?" Levi asked.

"Well... He wants to join the Survey Corps... might as well give him more determination."

"But you did teach them a lesson, right? The trainees."

"Yeah. In a way."

"In a way?" Levi questioned.

"I said the truth in my own perspective. It's up to them what to do with it." Simon sighed as Levi patted his shoulder.

"Although I feel pity for the trainees that it was you, you did good at some extent." Levi stated.

"Some extent?"

"Just don't kick their ass next time. You're a damn Titan shifter. You're stronger than an average human."

"Hey! I didn't even use my full strength on him. If I did that, he definitely would've had some broken bones." Simon informed.

Simon thought back to the tall short blonde haired male. "Alright, something's wrong. You got that look." Levi suddenly said.

"What look?"

"I've known you since we were kids, Simon. You got that look that something's bothering you, so what is it?" Levi questioned.

Simon sighed. "There's this trainee that I saw, he was a tall blonde haired dude. Kinda gives off a big brother personality." He replied. "His aura makes me feel uneasy for some reason. Like my instincts are telling me not to trust him."

"Normally, I would tell you to trust your instincts, since it's saved us multiple times. But I'm sure it's nothing." Levi informed. "Besides, half of those trainees are most likely going to join the Military Police or the Garrison."

"Except for Eren, and I'm sure wherever he goes, his two friends will follow. So we'll have three cadets joining us." Simon said. "But I suppose you're right."

Both Simon and Levi were quiet. "He's gonna kick my ass for even thinking about this." Simon thought as he looked over at Petra and Oliver who were a little away from them, still talking as Simon followed Levi into his office.

"Hey, Levi?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be at peace?" Simon questioned. "I mean, I always had this selfless facade because of how you and I grew up, but ever since the deaths of Farlan, Isabel, and Sean I—"

"Their deaths were years ago, Simon. I'm sure they don't want you to think too much about it." Levi interrupted. "I already told you back then, none of their deaths are your fault."

"You weren't there. You showed up after they were gone. I had to watch them die, and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. Hell, even my Titan form wasn't strong enough." Simon informed. "And with Sean, he sacrificed himself to save me. He said my life was more important than his."

"I'm tired, Levi." Simon continued, and Levi knew what he meant. "But I'll live on for as long as I can, because that was my brother's dying wish."

Simon left his friend's office as Levi just watched his door close. "I don't want to lose him." Levi thought, sighing as he did so.

He had already lost Farlan and Isabel. He didn't want to lose his childhood best friend and husband too.

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A/N: The first chapter is done! Thanks for reading!

Word Count: 2858 words.