"You called, sir?" The teenager entered the room cautiously, saluting immediately when he saw the commander. "Jean Kirschtein, reporting sir!" Despite being young, his voice was somewhat commanding, a sign of a future leader. The commander smiled and motioned him forward to his desk. As he walked up to his superior, he noticed Levi was also in the same room, leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest. He felt a harsh gaze on his back as he approached the commander. Irwin motioned for the male to sit.
Jean didn't really know why he was here, though he guessed it wasn't anything major. Otherwise, there would be more people in the room if they were discussing a large-scale plan. "Relax, horse boy. You're not in trouble." The slick voice behind him nearly made the male jump out of his seat. Irwin laughed.
"Levi's right. There's no need to worry. In fact, you should be proud of yourself, soldier." The teen tilted his head, a bit confused to his superior's words. "I'd like to take you under my wing. You're proven that you have what it takes to become a leader, Mr. Kirschtein…or rather, Jean." A little shocked by the informality, a small blush rose up on the teen's cheek. "You have potential to take my place when I die." Jean's eyes widened. "For the next couple of years, if I survive that long, I'd like to teach you how to save humanity."
Such a heavy burden and an almost impossible task would crush the teen. His innocence, youth, and humanity would all dissolve. He saw the look in the blond's eyes; once you discard some humans for the greater good of all, there was no turning back. After seeing Marco's body and realizing that his closest friend was gone and that nothing could bring him back, he realized that the world was a cruel place. Not hesitating in the slightest, Jean raised his head. He needed to stop being a teen; he was a man now.
With an unwavering gaze, he saluted once more. "Yes, sir! I will do everything in my power to learn from you and will take over your position of commander as you command it, sir!" There was a spark in the corporal's eyes when the words left the teen's lips. He had been paying attention closely to his words, sensing some lingering accent there. Levi wasn't entirely sure if he was correct, but it was worth a try.
"Those are some strong words, kid." As he rolled out his native tongue, he went next to the desk to watch the teen, looking for a reaction.
"I'm only doing what I think is right." It seemed to the older male that he spoke subconsciously because the teen's eyes widened as he realized what he had done. "Ah, I didn't mean to…" He felt a bit embarrassed and Irwin watched amusedly as the two began to speak in French. "I…I didn't know you knew French."
"Of course. Why wouldn't I know it?" The harsh from the other made the teen's cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
"Ah it's just that not many people know how to speak nowadays." Jean sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I only talk to my mother in French."
"Well now you can talk with me." Jean's eyes widened at the man's words. He didn't think someone as low-ranking as him could ever interact with humanity's strongest. Levi was on a different level than everyone else, and it almost felt like he was unworthy to speak to someone so highly skilled. "You got a problem with that, horse face?" Jean almost bit his tongue.
"O-of course not! Are you…sure you want to talk to me? I'm only a low-ranking soldier…" Suddenly the teen felt a knee to his gut and he lost his breath. He doubled over, holding his stomach as he tried to catch his breath and ignore the pain. Irwin looked only a little concerned; surely the corporal had a reason to inflict pain on the other.
"Shut up, stupid brat." Leaning down, the older male grabbed Jean by the collar and held their faces really close. Jean could feel the hot breath against his skin and he suddenly felt nervous. When the man spoke again, his words were quiet and soft, yet with a harsh and quite erotic tone. "I'm going to do more than just talk to you." And before the teen could react, Levi left the room, giving a silent gaze to the commander as he did so. Irwin chuckled, amused by their little interaction. It seemed like the corporal had a little play to. Jean was trying to string the man's words together. The way he said it…the words he used…did he mean…
Once the perverted thought entered the boy's mind, he face turned bright red and he felt a little uncomfortable. "Excuse me, Commander." Irwin looked up with a smile that almost looked devilish. "I need to use the restroom." Once his superior nodded that it was okay to leave, the teen hurried to the nearest room that had a closed door and sighed. He didn't sense anyone at first but once his hands went to his belt, that voice was back again.
"You couldn't wait that long to see me?" Whipping around in frantically, he saw the corporal standing in the middle of the room, his jacket hanging on a nearby chair. Jean froze; if he had gone any further… "Don't let me interrupt you." Their faces were close again and Jean forgot how to breathe. "I want to hear how well you can speak when all you can think about is me."