"What. Did. You. Do. To. Her?"
The blond man grabbed Levi by the shirt collar, his bushy brows meeting in the middle as if they form one long hairy line. He reminded Levi of a character in one of the tv shows that his niece used to watch when she was younger -- the one that lives in a trash can.
In reality, Levi knew who this person was. He had often seen the charismatic version of him in the news as a spokesperson for the police force. Mr. Blond there was a clean-shaven man with hair neatly combed and parted at the side and sporting a big smile for the cameras. He was the sort of man girls would swoon over and boys would idolize. At that moment though, Levi was seeing another side of him, an angry version of him that seemed capable of hurting people. Despite the imposing stature of his accuser, the junior detective remained unfazed. Levi had no problems beating bullies and perps who were twice his size. But then it was his first day at a new workplace. As much as possible, he did not want to stir up trouble at this early stage.
"Nothing." He casually answered his question. Of course, he did nothing bad. He was actually helping the unconscious woman but he bet his ass that this guy wouldn't even believe a single word that came out of his mouth.
"Did you touch her?" The blond man tightened his grip on him. Levi could tell from his furious ocean blue eyes that he would choke the life out of him regardless of his response. There's no point in explaining himself to a man who was clouded by his own prejudices and refused to listen to reason.
"Yes. How else could I check if she's still alive?"
It was a smart-ass reply but he no longer cared. He was prepared to exchange blows with Bushy Brows if the situation called for it. How dare he accused him of violating a woman! He would NEVER EVER do that. Levi also decided that he hated the way he looked down at him like he was the lowest form of scum. He had those judgmental eyes just like everyone else.
"How about I beat the living daylights out of you until you learn how to respect women and authority?"
"I'd like to see you try." Levi grabbed his wrist and squeezed it hard but Bushy Brows still wouldn't let his shirt go.
"Hey, Erwin." Someone called out from the doorway. "I knew it was your shadow I saw for a fleeting second."
It was Mike. The smile quickly faded from his face when he saw them in each other's clutches. "What's going on here?"
It did not look like the new partners had started off amicably. Mike entered the room to break up the fight but then his eyes fell on the woman lying unconscious on the floor.
"Shit! Hange!" He rushed to her side to check on the fainted scientist. After confirming her pulse, he let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, that's enough you, two. Did someone care to call the medic?"
Nobody replied.
"Great! You have the time to be at each other's throats but couldn't spare a few minutes to administer first aid." Mike grumbled to himself as he removed the white lab gown from Hange. Then he noticed her loosened collar and belt, and the stool near her feet.
"Okay I take that back. Someone did try. Was it you kid?"
"Yes. I did... before Bushy Brows showed up and attacked me."
"Case closed then. Are we good, Erwin?" Mike asked his former partner.
The blond man gritted his teeth but finally let go of Levi's collar. If there was one thing that Erwin hated, it was being wrong. That rarely happened though... until today. His emotions almost never came into play everytime he makes a decision but Hange was apparently an exception.
"I will call the medic." Erwin reached out for his cellphone and headed for the door.
"That's it? Not even a simple apology? Why go mad over that woman anyway? She looks like she doesn't give a shit about anything other than her work. Besides, she's way too young for you."
"That's enough, kid." Mike warned him but Levi was too triggered to stop.
"Who's the pervert between the two of us, huh, DIRTY OLD MAN?"
Erwin paused then slowly placed his phone down on the long table. Without warning, he turned around to throw a punch at the shorter man. Levi's lips curved into a smug smile as he successfully dodged it but it was quickly wiped off from his face when Erwin's other fist connected with his jaw.
Mike stared at them in shock. "Break it up, you two or I will call the cops!"
F*ck we are the police.
Levi glared at Erwin as he expelled a bloody spit from his mouth. His knuckles would love to leave an ugly purple mark on that perfect face of his. Yet the height difference between them was proving to be a challenge. Guess he could just inflict damage on places he could reach.
"Is that all you got, GRANDPA?" He taunted him.
Erwin rushed towards him like a raging bull. Levi faked an uppercut with his left fist which Bushy Brows easily dodged but the blond man wasn't prepared to receive a quick punch to the gut. While Erwin dealt with the pain from taking the unexpected blow, Levi swung his leg for his final kick to the groin.
Seconds after the contact, Levi expected his opponent to be down on the floor writhing in pain but it was the other blond man who had cried out in agony.
"Oh my Mike Junior..."
Apparently, Mike decided to come in between them, literally.
"Why are you guys fighting?"
They heard a woman's voice amidst Mike's whimpers and Erwin's groans. The squabbling men froze on the spot and stared at the now conscious Hange. She stared back at them with confused wide eyes. Not a few seconds had passed when her stomach began to growl loud enough for everyone in that room to hear.
Hange hungrily slurped the hot soup not caring if it burned her tongue a little. Then she proceeded to dig into her plate, chewing and swallowing big chunks of meat so fast that it almost choked her. The three men observed her as she attacked her food like she had not eaten for days.
"Oi, Hange. Slow down. When was the last time you had a meal?" Mike asked her.
"Yesterday. Breakfast. I think."
"No food for more than 24 hours? Are you on a diet or something? No wonder you fainted." Levi wrinkled his nose in disgust as he watched her sloppily coat a piece of meat with ketchup as if it was some bloody chunk of flesh.
"I was busy analyzing some evidence from the Ilse case. I didn't want to break my momentum. By the way, Erwin, we can discuss -- "
"No, it's fine. You don't have to tell me now. I will just read the report later." He took a napkin from the tissue holder and wiped the smears of ketchup from the corners of her mouth. Hange smiled at him and continued ravaging her food.
"Next time, we all eat together especially when the 3 of us are around. If we don't see you at the cafeteria, we will assume that you are dead." Mike filled a glass of water and slid it towards her.
"Sorry, I got carried away with the orientation earlier."
Erwin threw the blond man across him a stern look. "Mike, I told you to stop sending newbies down to crime lab as an initiation rite. You are disturbing Hange's work."
"It's totally fine Erwin. I would welcome anyone [to my lab]. In fact, Levi here is really good. [The topic] was really long and hard but he was able to put it all in [his head]. He was able to sustain [his interest] for four hours. I have never met another person who's that passionate [about Forensics]. It's amazing really! We must do it again!" Hange said while chewing her food. Some of her words were incoherent and Mike was covering his mouth to keep himself from roaring with laughter.
"Jeez Four Eyes, don't talk when your mouth is full!" Levi scolded her. He took a quick glimpse at his mentor but Erwin didn't seem to make a big deal out of it.
A few minutes later, Hange let out a satisfying belch before patting her tummy.
"F*cking disgusting" Mike and Levi said in unison.
Erwin nodded towards Mike's direction which prompted the blond man to rise from his seat.
"Come on, Hange, let's have your lab's airconditioning checked. Let's go to the clinic as well so they could confirm if your head has been damaged more than it already is."
"My head feels fine, Mike. My tummy doesn't though... Can we drop by the ladies' room first? I think my stomach got overwhelmed with food."
"The f*ck?!? Hold it first, will you?"
"Don't kill each other." Mike told his fellow detectives before dragging the scientist out of the cafeteria. Levi watched them disappear into a doorway.
Erwin cleared his throat so his junior partner would pay attention. The young detective scowled at him.
"I apologize for how I reacted earlier. I usually do not let my emotions get the better of me. It's one of those rare occasions that I had an outburst and it's unfortunate that you have been at the receiving end of it."
"Look, I was known for a lot of things in my previous precincts but being a pervert is not one of them."
"Yes, I see that now. I do apologize. I also want to apologize for not handling your onboarding myself. It's really a pity how unconventional our introduction to each other went down."
"We throw some punches at each other. Nothing exceptional about that. Why are we talking now?"
"I was designated as your mentor and senior partner, so yes, there will be some counseling and talking. At the very start of this partnership, I need to know what your goals are, and if you are willing to work with me."
"So now I have a say in this?" Levi snorted.
Erwin pursed his lips but his face remained calm. "Let me tell you a story about this one famous detective. He was a brilliant young man. Closed several cases on his own. Everybody had high hopes for him, expected him to become chief of police someday. Turned out he was living a double life as a criminal. Have you heard of the Blonde Killer? It was one of the famous cases from fifteen years ago. I'm sure you learned about it in the academy. If not for a phone call from his own sister, his true nature would not have been discovered. Unfortunately, he disappeared without trace but not without murdering his sister first. Did he do it out of anger? vengeance? pleasure? Who knows what's in the mind of a serial killer. Since his identity had been exposed, the once brilliant detective lost the good reputation he built throughout the years. In the end, he would just be known as Kenny the Ripper, Paradis City's most wanted fugitive."
"Why are you telling me this, Bushy Brows?"
"Well, it seems his nephew is making a name for himself, too. I guess infamy runs in the Ackerman family. Tell me Levi, why did you join the police force? To clear your uncle's name? To overshadow his bad reputation by being a bad egg yourself? To bring back honor to your family's name?"
"F*ck his name. F*ck his reputation and f*ck his honor. I entered the force so I could kill that bastard myself."