Last credits.

"History?!"

A yell was heard from the office of the Economic and Administrative Sciences Faculty Coordinator. A couple minutes before, a girl with copper-colored hair had entered to speak with the professor about some credits she needed to graduate. Nevertheless, the coordinator's answer didn't like her at all.

"Yes, Miss Ral." Said the Professor "if you take history class this semester, you will be able to graduate this year."

"But, Mr. Smith… my major is international commerce, and that class isn't even related to it. Besides, I haven't study history since high school."

"I'm aware of that, Miss Ral, but that's the only choice I can offer you, so you could finish your studies on time." The girl remained silent and she answered after a moment.

"Aright… I understand. I really appreciate it." A tiny smile appeared on her face "but… the class is in another faculty, right?"

"Indeed." Suddenly, his eyes shone "but the history teacher is a good friend of mine, as well as the Social Sciences Faculty Coordinator, so we won't have any problems with you taking that class."

"Well, that's convenient… alright, then I'll take it. I suppose the class will start…"

"Next week," Erwin smiled "at 7 AM sharp. The Professor is extremely punctual." She nodded and was about to leave the cubicle "oh, and Miss Ral… good luck."

Petra didn't know what to make of Erwin's last words, so she forgot about them after a moment. Nevertheless, during the first five minutes of the class, she remembered her Coordinator's words very well.

A man with black hair and piercing blue eyes started the class at 7 AM, leaving crystal clear that he wouldn't let any student in the class room after the stablished hour.

"My name is Levi Ackerman, and I will be your history teacher for this semester. I majored in Economics, have a Master degree in History and I hold a PhD. In Archaeological Sciences, which means I', completely capable of teaching History class. My office is located in the 3A building, number 117. In case you need academic counseling, you can find me there. That's all you need to know about me." He walked in front of the board, with a threatening attitude, despite his short height "I'm going to say this once: anyone who's not willing to learn history and doesn't want to be here, can step out of the classroom. This class is only for people who's interested on the subject. But don't worry, I'll give you a passing grade of 7/10."

There was silence in the room and the students wondered if he was being serious or not, but none of them dared to leave the classroom. The Professor had a smirk at the corner of his mouth, as if he was enjoying the student's uncertainty.

"Very well, you don't have to decide right now. Just don't come to the next class. But this offer will stand only for these two days. And for the ones who decide to take the class, let me tell you it won't be an easy one. I expect the best of my students, I will leave assignments every day, research papers, there will a final essay and three exams. We've got six months to complete the program, and that's enough time to study history from the renascence to modern times."

The professor looked at his pupils, studying them, trying to not have expectations about them, but he knew that, undoubtedly, many of them would chose the easy path and abandon his class.

"Not many people appreciate history, but I can tell you… if you don't, you will be condemned to repeat it. Hegel said "History in general is therefore the development of Spirit in Time, as Nature is the development of the Idea is Space." Of course, I don't expect you to understand this…" he made a pause "this is how you guys will be evaluated…"

And then he took a marker and began to write on the board, while the students took notes. As for Petra, she was perplexed. She'd never had a teacher like this. His attitude seemed arrogant and unreasonable, but she had to admit that, despite his rather short age (he had to be on his early thirties), he appeared to be an expert on his area.

Before finishing the class, Professor Ackerman sat on his chair and took a piece of paper.

"Before you leave, I will take attendance." He had that smirk on his face again, but this time, Petra could only describe it as evil "I'd like to know how many deserters I'll have for this class. I might break my own record with this group."

And then he started to name all of the students in the class, while writing something down on the paper, and then….

"Petra Ral…"

"Here." She answered solemnly, her eyes meeting his deep blue ones for the first time. Their gazed had met a few times during the class, but he didn't seem to actually look at her, as if he was looking somewhere else entirely.

"Are you the one from International Commerce?" she nodded "my, my… it will be interesting to have you in this class and get to know a different point of view of history." He looked down to his paper, writing something "If you decide to stay, that is… I wouldn't be surprised if someone of the Economic and Administrative Sciences Faculty was incapable of handle so much pressure in a single class."

Petra didn't know what to say, but that man just threw her a challenge in her face, and she was more than willing to accept it. From the beginning, she didn't even consider the possibility of abandon the class, but in that moment, she was determined to get the highest grade and make Levi Ackerman swallow his own words.

The next day, Petra entered the class room with determination in his eyes. It was 6:50 AM. She sat in one of the empty seats in the center of the room and impatiently waited for the Professor to arrive.

An instant later, he was entering the class room. Apparently, he liked to be in the class room at least a couple minutes before the class started. He didn't look at the students when he entered, limiting himself to say good morning and sitting in his chair. He checked his cellphone, to read the news and exactly ad 7 AM he stood up and closed the door. This time, he did look at the students.

"well, well," he counted them "you were 30 yesterday, and there are only 15 of you today. It looks like I broke my personal record after all. I've been teaching this class for the past two years, and this is the first time so many students give up..." the he spoke to himself "perhaps, Erwin is right about my methods…" then he went back to his desk to take attendance, and when he got to Petra's name, he looked at her the same way he did the day before, as if he was studying her with attention.

"Miss Ral, I'm glad you decided to honor us with your presence." He said sarcastically and wrote something on a paper.

"The pleasure is all mine." She dared to say and he looked at her again, this time with a serious gesture on his face, but his eyes showed something different, as if they were smiling.

"We'll see about that." He continued with the attendance and then he started with the class "does anyone know why the period between 1300 and 1600 is called renascence" there was silence for a moment "goddammit… you went to high school, right?" they all nodded "so?" the students remained silent and the Professor sighed "Thomas More was right… Men use, if they have an evil turn, to write it in a marble; and whoso doth us a god turn, we write it in dust."

"It's because…" a guy with blond hair and a man bun finally spoke "it returns to some ideas and philosophies from ancient Greece and Rome."

"Very well, Erd." Apparently, he already learnt the names of the students who didn't abandon the class "It's called renascence because it brings back elements from ancient Greece and Rome. Pretty much all the forgotten knowledge, discharged because it was surpassed. Of course, medieval scientific knowledge can't even compare to the one from Greece. But, speaking about renascence is much more than speaking about philosophy and science. Is talking about art, thought abstractions and even politics. We could say humanity lost its center during that period. Suddenly, the earth wasn't the center of the universe, and thinking didn't have theology as its center either… I want you to read a few chapters from this book. You can find it in the university library."

He wrote the name of the book on the board and then continued. Two hours later, the class was over. Levi seemed to change his attitude when he was teaching, as if the obnoxious and arrogant man from the day before was replaced by an entire different person. One who's passionate about history and sharing knowledge.

What appeared to be a boring and stressful class, began to feel like an excellent way to start the day, or at least that's how Petra considered it. Besides, Professor Ackerman's strange fondness for quoting historic characters was rather peculiar.

A month later, Professor Ackerman told his students to decide on a subject for their final essay.

"Listen up, class. For next week, you should decide on the subject for the final essay. You can choose whatever you want, as long it's related to the class. The idea it that you work on it for the rest of the semester, so I'll expect a high quality work. Like Otto Von Bismark said: the main thing is to make history, not to write it, but in this case, you'll have to write… and do it properly. You cannot make history if you don't know it."

That day, Petra felt confused. She didn't feel confident to pick a subject. She wanted it to be original, but she'd never written an essay like the one Mr. Ackerman was asking for. Suddenly, she remembered the Professor saying they could ask him for academic counseling, so she decided to pay him a visit. Nevertheless, in order to do so, she needed to have at least a few clear ideas, so she hurried to go back home and start with the investigation.

The next day, she went to Professor Ackerman's office. It was a little troublesome for her to get there, since it was an unknown faculty for her, it took her a while to get to the right building.

His office was on the second floor and Petra looked at the numbers on the wall until she found number 117 and when she was almost in front of the door, she saw two people getting out of there.

"Thank you, Doctor Ackerman. See you later." a young man with black hair closed the door and looked at the girl.

"Petra, right?"

"Hi, Gunther… Oluo," she nodded and then looked at the other guy next to him "are you here for counseling too?"

"Yeah, we were a little confused, but the Professor gave us some good ideas to start our essay." With a lot of discretion, he elbowed his friend and said "Oh, Doctor Zoe!... sorry, I need to talk with the Coordinator." And then he hurried to the stirs, leaving Petra and Oluo alone.

"Petra…. If… if you need help with your essay, we could Exchange numbers and I can help you. I have great experience with academic writing."

"Really? Cou…" she was interrupted by a yell coming out from the office.

"Why the hell is there so much noise outside my office, dammit?" the professor opened the door and looked at the students.

"Doctor!... eh, I mean… Professor, I…" Petra tried to explain.

"I'm sorry, I was just telling my classmate that I could help her with his essay and…"

"Oluo… you were just in my office, asking me how to write your freaking essay. Is obvious you don't have the capacity to help Petra with hers. That's what I'm here for."

"Y… yeah, but…"

"Are you going to stay there, Petra? Get inside my office."

"Yes, thank you." And after smiling at Oluo, who was pretty much speechless, she went inside.

"Have a seat."

The professor was right behind her and put a hand on the back of her chair where she was sitting, leaning forward towards her. That took Petra by surprise and she blushed a lot, but she calmed herself after seeing he was just reaching for a folder that was on his desk.

"Sorry, I need to take this to the coordinator. I'll be right back." And then he went out, closing the door behind him.

Petra took the opportunity to relax a little, but she had to admit her heart stopped for a moment. Professor Levi had a nice profile, and she saw it closely a moment before, not to mention his cologne… it was fresh and elegant, just like him. The fragrance lingered inside the office and Petra's nose was delighted with it, while she looked around.

The place was immaculate. Everything was meticulously set on a specific place. There was a tall shelf filled with books and there was a computed on the desk, showing a half written document on the monitor. Behind the desk, there was a table with a small coffee maker that seemed to be brand new.

There were a few noted on the calendar hanged on the wall and even some post-it notes on the monitor, but not a single decoration of personal object… except for a couple medals and a picture of him with her Faculty Coordinator, Erwin Smith and another woman. Petra unconsciously sighed, thinking that woman could be her girlfriend, but abandoned the idea immediately and got distracted with the medals next to the desk.

Levi Ackerman… undoubtedly, the personality and the man himself picked up Petra's attention. It was incredible; all the things he knew and the way his blue eyes sparkled every time he spoke to the class. Even his acid humor was attractive, but that wasn't the time to think about those things, and the best way to erase that thought would be to read the inscriptions in those medals next to the desk.

They were all from trail races, and despite being from different years, they were from the same event "the Titan trail". Petra never imagined the Professor being into sports. He certainly was full of surprises, and then…

"Yeah, I left it in one of my drawers, wait there…" the Professor entered the office and looked for something inside one of the desk drawers. Apparently, he was talking with someone… someone Petra recognized from the photo she had just seen.

"Oh, you've got company." The woman smiled when she saw Petra.

"I told you to wait outside, four eyes. My office is off limits for you. Here's the USB memory." Levi gave her the memory stick "Petra… do you know Hanji Zoe? She's the Social Sciences Faculty Coordinator."

"Oh, nice to meet you!" she kindly smiled, relieved after concluding she couldn't be her girlfriend.

"Petra Ral? Wow… I finally meet you. Erwin spoke to me about you."

"Thank you so much for letting me take a class in your faculty."

"Oh, it's nothing. I was once in your situation, so I know how frustrating it could be to not fill the requirements to graduate on time. But tell me, how are you doing on history class?"

"Tsch… of course she's doing fine. I'm her teacher." Levi growled "now, if you don't mind, I was about to speak with Petra."

"Oh, sure, sure! See you later, then. And don't forget about this Friday's dinner with Erwin and me." Hanji left with a grin on her face and when Levi saw the door closing, she sat on his chair and looked at the girl in front of him.

"She could be a really nuisance…" the girl laughed discreetly "I suppose you are here for your essay."

"I do. I… have a couple doubts about the topic and, to be honest, I'm not used to academic writing. We are usually evaluated with exams of projects in my major and…"

"I understand… International Commerce is more practical than theoretical. Tel me, what do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking about doing an analysis about the impact of commerce on military conflicts during the XVIII and XIX century." The Professor's eyes became brighter and a tiny smiled appeared on his lips. Something rare on him.

"My, my… to be honest, I thought you'd choose something like the evolution of commerce through history, or something about the colonies, but… I'm glad I was wrong." He leaned back on his chair and looked at the computed monitor for an instant, while he played with a pen on his hand "you never stop amazing me."

"'I'll take that as a compliment."

"It is." She looked at her for a moment, but he did it in a different way than he did in class. He had a different personality, perhaps because he was inside his office and not surrounded by students, or maybe because he felt comfortable with Petra. Whatever the reason, the change made her smile. "It's an ambitious topic, and if you don't have experience on writing essays, it could be troublesome." She was about to say something, but Levi continued "I've noticed you are very interested in the class. You frequently ask smart questions and is obvious you do some research at home, so I'll give you a choice."

"Yes?" Petra was expectant.

"I'm willing to provide you academic counseling for the rest of the semester, so your essay would be well done."

"Really?"

"…But only, if you transcribe my notes to the computer."

"Your notes?"

"Yes…" he opened one of the drawers and took out a notebook, along with a small box with note cards." I'm meticulous man and with deep-rooted customs, and that causes me some troubles," he opened the notebook "when I read a book or an article, I write down the important parts in a note card or in here, with my own handwriting, so I've accumulated a big pile of papers that need to be transcribed in the computer, so I can have a decent database."

"I understand…" she looked at the notebook. His notes, despite of being organized, were done with a pretty messy handwriting; very different from the one he used to write on the board and Petra fund it quite amusing. That organized and strict man did have a defect, after all "deal." She smiled.

"Alright." And then he immediately started to look through his computer files and Petra seemed confused after his attitude change "do you have an USB memory?"

"I…" she remembered she left it in her room "No, I didn't bring it."

"Damn… this is just as if you were in the battlefield without a weapon…" he opened his drawer again and took a memory stick "I'll lend you this one. Take care of it, and I expect it back without viruses, ok?" he glared at her for an instant and then looked back at the monitor "I'll give you a couple PDF books, so you have enough information for your essay. I'll also add a quoting and referencing manual. I don't want plagiarism of any sort. Any idea you take out of those books, had to be correctly quoted. Do you require a writing manual as well?" he coldly asked, but the girl found his concern a little funny. It was as if he was thinking about everything in a mechanic way.

"No." she laughed "I don't think so."

"Tsch… I'll include it anyways. I don't want to have a big disappointment when I read your progress." And a moment later, heh handed her the memory stick, along with the notebook on his desk "Today is Wednesday, you can bring me the transcriptions next week, in this same memory. As for your progress on the essay, you have two weeks to write a general outline."

"Sounds good."

"I'm usually here after 11 AM and until 5 PM. Not a single minute later. Except for Fridays. I go out at 12 PM."

"Understood. I'll see you tomorrow in class." Petra said goodbye and kindly smiled before going out of his office. He followed her with his gaze.

Once he was alone, Levi leaned back on his chair and looked through the window. When they told him an International Commerce student would take his history class, he expected a completely different girl; someone not interested on the class and who probably would abandon on the first chance, but Petra turned out to be an intelligent, kindhearted and capable girl, and she was also willing to tolerate his attitude. That's why she picked up his attention. Now he was anxiously expecting her first deadline."

To be continued…

Author's notes.

This story was originally a drabble for tumblr's rivetra week, but since I'm a history geek, ended up writing a longer story, which will have 2 or 3 chapters. I really like where this is going, and I hope you like it as well. I certainly can picture Levi as a strict professor, one of those who are the best, but annoying at the same time.