A/N: Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than the rest but it does kind of give you an idea of where the story is going :) hope you all like it and thanks to everyone for the reviews! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan

Chapter Nine: The Deal

"Thanks for the lift home, Levi!" Eren yells as he waves from his front door.

"Yeah, and congratulations for getting through to the next round!" Armin says as he shuts the car door and begins to walk down the road to his own house. "See you in school."

I merely nod my head in response and then make my way to Hanji's estate to drop off the ecstatic girl. I swear to god, she hasn't stopped laughing about our victory since she and Jean came first in their race. None of the opposition even crossed the finish line after them considering Hanji went to extra lengths to take them down.

"Did you see when I smashed that guy into his girlfriend?" She practically yells in my ear. "It was awesome! That's the end of that relationship anyway!"

"It was impressive," Mikasa mutters from the back.

"Agreed, now shut up and quit shouting," I say, gritting my teeth. "You're giving me a headache."

Hanji pouts. "You two are no fun."

She's quiet enough until we get to her house, then she continues to shout about our victory until we disappear around the corner. I'm pretty sure I can hear her from five miles away.

"Alright, your place or the café?" I ask, meeting Mikasa's gaze in the mirror.

"It's alright, I can walk from here," she replied neutrally.

"I'm going past your estate anyway," I say as I put the car into third gear and zoom down the road.

"Ok, you can drop me off at the entrance then."

"Don't be stupid, I can't risk you getting killed after tonight," I say as I push my foot down on the accelerator, heading towards her apartment.

"I already told you, I was just a sub today, I'm not a part of the team," she reminds me. "You're going to have to find someone else."

"I figured you would say that," I mutter as my finger taps impatiently on the steering wheel. "I thought you might change your mind."

She doesn't offer any empathy. "You thought wrong."

"So there is nothing I can do to persuade you to join permanently?" I ask with a raised brow.

"Nothing."

"What if I told you I could get you into college for free?"

The words tumble out of my mouth before I can stop them and I curse Erwin for rubbing off on me. He's the one who always takes the risks that pay off, not me. It's too late anyway, Mikasa is already watching me in the mirror with wide eyes as we pull into her estate.

"What do you mean?" She asks quietly.

I roll my neck slightly as I stop the car outside her house and remove my seatbelt. Then as easily as I can, I turn in my seat, leaning over the head rest to look at her fully.

"By getting a scholarship," I reply. "When you excel at a sport you can apply for a scholarship for a college that specialises in that sport. All you need is talent, a scholarship form and good grades."

The small hope that enters her eyes dies the second I mention the last necessity. She looks down at the ground and shakes her head slightly. "But I don't have good grades."

"I wasn't finished," I say in a slightly harsh voice. "If you agree to remain on the team and train with us, I will tutor you and make sure you get a scholarship. It gives you a full college degree for free as long as you agree to do ODM racing with that college. How does that sound?"

I'm pretty sure I see the beginnings of a smile begin to form on her face. "It sounds..." Then it fades quickly. "Too good to be true. What's the catch?"

"All you have to do in return is race with us," I answer honestly. "Of course you'll have to come to training and do exactly as I tell you so you can pick up your grades."

Her face darkens in discomfort at this part. I can tell she doesn't like the sound of spending more and more time alone with me and I understand she's holding down two jobs but surely if she has the opportunity to go to college, she can drop one of them and focus on ODM training.

She's still sitting in the same position, looking down into her lap uncertainly. She almost looks cute but the fact that she's still on the fence on this decision is annoying me to say the least.

"Sleep on it," I tell her softly. "You don't have to give me an answer right away."

She seems surprised by the sudden nice gesture. I must admit, I'm kind of surprised myself but I hope she'll consider this and accept. She has to because I'm running out of options.

After a few minutes of silence, she releases a small sigh and her shoulders deflate. Her grey eyes meet mine and she nods once before getting out of the car.

I feel like I shouldn't end the night this way, that this shouldn't be the way we say goodbye after such a successful day. I'm not sure why it's bothering me so much but it doesn't stop me from calling out to her to get her attention.

She turns around quickly, black hair flying over her shoulder and eyes questioning. I give her the most honest and serious look I've ever given someone. "You should really consider applying for one. You've got what it takes."

For a minute her expression doesn't change at all and I'm certain she's going to turn and walk away silently. She proves me wrong yet again as a hint of playfulness enters those grey eyes and she cocks her head to the side.

"Is that another statement?"

"No, this one's a compliment," I reply, putting on my seatbelt. "But don't let it get to your head."


"So what's the story?" Hanji asks, eyes lighting up behind her glasses as she leans on the table and stares at me.

We're currently sitting in the café Mikasa works in, surprise, surprise. I send her a look that could wilt a flower a sip my tea silently. "You already know my story. Orphan raised by uncle, uncle disappears, orphan goes into foster care, etcetera, etcetera."

"No! I mean the story with you and Mikasa," she says impatiently.

"I haven't found anything else out so far and I don't think I will. She's not exactly one to open up to people. Why don't you just ask Armin or Eren, they seem to know her better."

"No they don't," she disagrees feverishly. "They don't know her address, they don't know she works with you in the pub, they didn't know she was good at ODM racing and I don't think they know her parents are dead."

This causes me to choke on my tea. "What?"

She nods, her lips thinning. "Mikasa hasn't told them, I don't think she's told anyone she's living alone, except for you of course."

"So how do you know?" I ask accusingly.

She smiles slyly and looks off to the side. "I have my ways."

"Illegal ways," I mutter with a roll of my eyes.

"Oh don't be such a mouldy cabbage," she chastises as she shoves a large piece of pie into her mouth. "You just want her all to yourself."

"My motives have been revealed," I mutter dryly.

"So what are you going to do?" She pesters, before her eyes light up and she points her fork at me. "You should take her to the dance!"

This time when I choke on my tea, droplets stick in my throat causing both discomfort and a coughing attack to take over me. I try my best to wipe my mouth with a napkin and control my breathing but the surprise of her suggestion and the ill-timed swallow doesn't help much.

I barely notice Mikasa lay down a glass of water and napkins beside me on the table as she skates on by.

"I will not be going to the dance," I tell the mad scientist once I take a sip of water and regain my composure. "And I doubt she will either."

"Not with an attitude like that, she won't!" Hanji almost yells and I have to physically quieten her so Mikasa won't hear. "You two would be perfect to go together. You might even get cutest couple!"

"Except we are not a couple, we can hardly even be considered friends," I say in return, shooting her a sharp glare. "Now go to the bathroom and clean yourself up. You're a mess."

It sounds harsh, actually scratch that - it is harsh but it's true. She has pie all over her mouth and bits of cream on her clothes. You'd swear to God she had never seen a napkin before in her life. She pouts at me as she gets up before firing a warning glance in my direction.

"This isn't over..." she sings as she goes off to the bathroom.

Tch. Whatever.

No sooner has she disappeared out the door does someone else slide into her seat. I roll my eyes in annoyance beneath my lids, expecting some girl with a cheap, flirtatious pick-up line but instead my eyes land on Mikasa.

She looks to the side quickly before leaning forward and I copy her action so that our faces are only inches apart.

"So about these tutoring sessions..." She begins softly, biting down in her lip. "How long will they take and when will they be?"

A bubble of confidence rises within me and seems to burst with pride as I hand her over the sheet I brought with me. "This explains everything, it's your new timetable. It includes your working hours, training hours, study hours and leisure hours and I have copies if you lose it."

She looks at me incredulously for a second before taking the paper and running her eyes over the clearly labeled times and boxes. Then her hands drop and she looks at me with raised eyebrows.

"How did you know-?"

"Perks of being your stalker," I reply nonchalantly. "Our first session is tomorrow at your place after school. What subject do you want to study?"

She stares at me for a minute, probably deciding whether or not to scream or just walk away. However she snaps back to normal and nods in acceptance. "Biology and maths. Those are the hardest at the moment."

"Good." I nod once. "Then I can pick you up immediately after school and we can go to yours."

"Alright but when do we apply for the scholarship?" She asks and I swear I can detect a tone of eagerness to her voice.

"Once your grades improve slightly," I answer truthfully. "Applying for it is tricky and it takes time, you have to have all the right things in that form. My roommate knows everything anyone needs to know about it so he's helping me with my own, that way we can do yours too."

"You're applying for a scholarship too?" She asks in surprise and I nod in return.

"We're more alike than you think."

Her eyes darken a shade and she stands up, collecting Hanji's empty plate and stacking it on her arm. She looks down at me with those slightly haunted eyes before she shakes her head ruefully.

"No, we're not."