Mikasa stirred, feeling her head rub against something concrete on the side of her face. She fluttered her eyelashes, slightly opening her eyelids, and glancing around the wide-spaced, maroon room. Her head was throbbing heavily, causing her to groan from the aching pain that surged within her stiff body. She then flickered her eyes up, revealing the Corporal's stoic expression, a smirk pulling at his lips.
"You're awake." He muttered in a husky voice, glancing down at the bewildered girl laying warily in his lap.
She suddenly popped her head up, using her two hands to push herself away from him, a petrified expression on her face. "Why are you here? What happened?"
Levi sighed heavily, trying to mask the disappointment from his face at her lack of recollection from the night before, being subdued by the remote liquid. Although, he was also relieved that she didn't remember the genuine words that escaped from his mouth and his vulgar behavior towards her. "You were knocked out unconscious from banging your thick head against the wall." He pointed at the spot which left a small crack. His eyes held a hint of amusement, while he observed the wavering expression on her face. "I'm surprised you don't have blood dripping from your head. Just what kind of species are you?"
She gradually glanced at the crack, flickering her eyes back at the sluggish man. He had dark bags underneath his eyes, his cravat out of place, and his hair which stood up in several directions. He was a mess. It was probably the first time that's she's ever seen him in such a improper manner.
"You look terrible." She scoffed, trying to contain herself from stifling a laugh.
He narrowed his eyes and turned his head away. "Like you look any better brat."
"You really are a despicable man." She muttered under her breath. Animosity seeping from her voice.
"And you're really a dense kid." He pointed out, recalling everything that happened between them the previous night. He glanced up at the clock, which read that it was already eight in the morning. He felt drained since he stayed up the whole night, only getting a minimal amount of rest. There was no visible mirrors in sight yet, he already knew that he looked sloppy. It was beginning to irritate him. The uncleanliness that enveloped around him.
The door slammed opened, exposing the loopy experimentalist who made a mockery of him from her trivial experiment. She stood there, a huge smirk on her face, glancing back and forth between him and Mikasa. He narrowed his eyes at her, darkening the mood.
"Wow! You look like a train wreck." Hanji let out a low whistle, walking towards the uptight Corporal who was unsanitary for the first time in his life. "Long night?" She pressed, enjoying the stiff atmosphere between them.
"Not as long as it will be, when you get on your damn knees to scrub every inch of the corridors and the filth inside the basement." He smirked, his dull eyes glinting with imprudence.
Hanji snorted at Levi's futile attempts to intimidate her. "Yeah yeah, Mr. Clean Freak."
"Um." Mikasa swiftly spoke, interrupting their feud.
They both flickered their eyes to her in response.
"Where's Eren?" Her calm, composed façade returned, causing Levi to sigh briefly to himself in relief. The liquid was completely out of her system, ensuring that she was back to her withdrawn nature.
"Ah, I let everyone out first. They all retreated back to their barracks... though," Hanji grinned, placing her index finger on her chin. "the expressions on their faces were interesting." Levi arched his eyebrow, trying to read the hyperactive woman's face.
"Oh.. well, I'll be on my way." She replied in a reserved voice. She glanced at Hanji with dull eyes, giving Levi a scowl before escaping the room, leaving Hanji and Levi on the battlefield.
Levi glanced down at his messy attire, grimacing at his lack of cleanliness. "This is disgusting." He muttered under his breath, making his way towards the door.
"Your expression last night," Hanji paused, giving him an earnest look, "It was very interesting."
Levi hesitated at the opening of the doorway, gripping his hands tightly. "You really think I was serious?" He let out a low chuckle, glancing back at her. "Even you should realize when I'm lying."
"I do." She nodded, countering his remark. "That's why I know, whether it was your expression or the words that left your mouth, that it was really you, Levi."
His dull eyes, harboring a glint of anger, narrowed at her intentions to meddle with his life. "What are you talking about?" He demanded, not fully understanding.
"Im saying, I know how you are." She smirked, ready to begin another long lecture. "You're hardheaded when it comes to your feelings. You're often blunt, making yourself unavailable to others. You have this calm and collected demeanor that looks as if you find no significance in anything other than slaughtering Titans. You act detached but on the contrary, your just a big softy when it comes down to it. Even around Petra, you-"
"Don't talk like you got me all figured out." He stated coldly, his eyes filled with malice. He clenched his jaws, feeling the blood under his skin boil. "You don't know shit about me Hanji. And if I were you, I would keep it that way." He asserted, making his way out the room, slamming the door in the process.
Hanji sighed, adjusting her glasses. 'There you go again, being quick-tempered as usual...' She glanced down at her feet. "Levi.. just because they're gone, doesn't mean you have to pretend that it doesn't bother you. Afterall, you are human."She muttered under her breath, recalling the death of his hand-picked comrades. They were the ones who understood him better than she did.
~Shortly After~
Levi strode down the hallway, making his way to his office, hoping there wasn't heaps of paperwork from the Military Police to do. He felt entirely refreshed from the long shower he took earlier after the whole incident from this morning. He washed away his uncertainty, along with his vulgar feelings towards Mikasa. After spending the night with her in the room, he realized that he was just frustrated with himself, that he somehow found Mikasa to be some kind of sanctuary for him. As eerie as that sounded, he projected his frustration into lust. That had to be the reason for it. He wanted nothing more than it to be. Feelings. They just weighed him down.
He scratched the back of his head, almost reaching his office when he noticed a couple of female soldiers observing him from afar. He arched his eyebrow in suspiscion and strided over to where they stood. "What are you guys doing standing there?" He demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.
The female soldiers stared at him, redness masking their cheeks as they giggled in his presence. "I apologize sir." One of the soldiers replied in a hushed tone, standing closely in front of him. She had blonde, curly hair, cascading over the surface of shoulders, a curvy body that hinted at her hips, and full lips that pulled up in a repulsive manner.
"Not fair! Why do you get to be so close to him?" The brunette behind her pouted, grabbing her shoulder to pull her back. They both began to argue, friction emitting from their clashing.
Levi stood there, annoyance developing inside of him, as his vein bulged from the temple of his face. "Both of you, shut the hell up." He stated bluntly, causing them to flinch at his sudden change of atmosphere.
"Corporal, you're really handsome when you're demanding like that." The blonde soldier smirked, a hint of playfulness in her tone.
"I like him better when he's sympathetic." The brunette retorted in disagreement.
Levi stared at them, trying to figure out the words that came out of their mouths. "What the hell are you talking about?" He creased his forehead, narrowing his sharp blue eyes.
They both looked at each other, remaining silent.
"Tell me what you're talking about." He took a step closer, looming over them with bitterness in his tone. "That's an order."
The blonde looked at him, feeling flustered at the closeness of his body. She glanced at her friend, nodding , before answering him. "We saw the video."
"Video?" Levi asked, furrowing his brows.
"Yeah.. the one of you and Mikasa. Everyone in headquarters saw it." She stated, a smile appearing on her face. "We always thought you were unapproachable but after seeing that video, we realized that you're really kind."
Levi felt his hand twitch, the blood in his veins surging, his chest tightening , and his jaws clenching together tightly. The vein from his temple was now protruding more noticeably. He had finally cracked.
"Listen closely and for your damn sakes, you better listen well, fucking brats. If I see you both near my office again, or even within my sight, I will make damn sure that you won't see another daylight again. Understood?" He stated coldly, venom in his tone.
The two females shuddered at the intense atmosphere that surrounded him. "Y-yes sir." They both stammered before running off in the other direction. He clenched his fists, slamming it hard against the bare wall. Hanji was going to experience a little taste of hell when he was through with her.
"Popular with the ladies I see, Corporal." Erwin smirked, observing the quick-tempered man let out his frustration.
Levi turned his head, noticing the poised Commander leaning against the doorway of his office. He narrowed his eyes at him. "Tch. Whose fault do you think that is?"
"She has a tendency to be at fault most of the time." The Commander nodded, recalling all of the troubles that Hanji caused within the Scouting Legion.
"That damn woman has loose screws in her head." He gritted his teeth tightly. "Just what the hell does she think she's doing, revealing that video to everyone."
"From what I understood, it's part of another experiment of hers."
"Erwin. I'm going to get rid of her completely." Levi sat in his chair, tapping his foot against the floor repeatedly.
Erwin let out a low chuckle. "Now, I can't have that happening. She may be a little eccentric but she's the only person I know who can handle experimenting with the Titans."
"Tch." Levi replied, turning his head away from him completely.
"Levi."
Levi flickered his eyes back at the Commander and noticed his expression changed, amusement strayed from his face.
Erwin pulled out a small, purple diary that revealed the beat up edges and crinkled pages. It looked old and dirty yet somehow it felt very nostalgic to him. Levi's face became grim as he recognized the cursive letters, displaying on the front of the tattered diary. His shoulders became stiff as he gripped the edges of his chair.
"Petra's father dropped it off.." Erwin trailed off, feeling the stiffness in the air. "He said you should read it... It's up to you though, whether or not you want to open the cover of this diary." He paused, letting out a heavy sigh. "I'll leave it here for you." He placed the diary on his desk, giving him one last look before retreating from his office.
Levi sat there, staring at the diary, feeling his chest tighten as a tremor erupted from within.
'The only thing we're allowed to do, is to believe that we won't regret the choice we made...'
(To Be Continued...)
Whoo! I'm surprised that I can still write even when I'm running on lack of sleep! Hope you guys enjoyed the previous chapters! Anyways, I'm adding petra's death into the story to spice it up a bit. If you haven't checked out my One-Shot story, "Euphoria," make sure to check it out afterwards! As always my wonderful supporters, leave a review on your thoughts and what you would like to see as the story progresses!
