Chapter 5: Ugh
He crashed his elbow into the man's face, feeling it cave inwards. The boy threw another punch square at the man's abdomen, causing him to double over and collapse on the ground, his mouth tasting concrete.
Another one came at him from behind, a kitchen knife gripped between his hands. It was held tight and trembled a little, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.
"Asshole! I'll kill you!" The armed thug declared with a slight crack in his voice before he sent the knife plunging down the boy's back. The boy remained calm as he turned around to seize control of the man's hand with his very own before the weapon could strike his skin and tear at his flesh. He twisted and turned and the knife clanged onto the floor as the man writhed in pain of his broken wrist. The boy brought his knee into the man's jaw, and just like his comrade, the man was sent tumbling to the ground, his face flat on the cold hard surface.
The boy straightened out his slightly crumpled shirt, looking disgusted at the blood on his clothing that was not his own. Using the back of his hand, he wiped away the blood that trickled down from the small cut near his lower lip, which he had received from the grappling earlier on. He ran his fingers through his hair, his chin tilted upwards in a condescending manner.
"Tch," he clicked his tongue as he spat out red tainted saliva on an unconscious man. There were eleven in all. And all were taken out single handedly.
"Wakey wakey, sleepyhead!" An enthusiastic greeting slammed Mikasa in the face at 7 in the morning. The bespecatcled upperclassman tore the comforting duvet off her, causing sunlight to come swarming into her vision from the window beside and leaving her momentarily blinded and shuddering in the summer heat. A soft sneeze escaped her nose.
Ugh.
Mikasa grabbed the white linen sheets of the bed tight, struggling to get up. She winced.
"Mikasa? Are you alright?" Petra came over and ushered Hanji away from her victim once she saw the girl acting in a manner that wasn't like herself at all. "You don't look so well," the concerned girl's forehead started to crease as she placed the back of her hand against Mikasa's neck and then forehead. "Oh dear," she muttered worriedly upon contact. "It looks like you've got a cold. You're burning..."
"I'm fine," Mikasa brushed Petra's hand away gently with a voice more nasal than usual. A throbbing sensation was sent through her brain the moment she attempted to sit up once again, causing her face to cringe and contort into something that indicated she was indeed not as "fine" as she said she was.
Ugh.
"You are not fine," Hanji butted Petra from her spot to push the stubborn Mikasa back down on the bed. "It must have been because you were caught in the storm yesterday," Hanji took a turn at checking Mikasa's body temperature, her brows slowly coming closer together with every confirmation that the girl's body was not in good condition.
"Looks like you won't be able to join us today. We were even going to visit all the popular tourist attractions of this city..." Disappointment clearly made its way to show on Petra's face.
Mikasa tried fighting with her body to get out of bed and put on the pretence of being perfectly healthy. Though easier said than done when she couldn't even think straight. It was like a bloody sledgehammer was hitting her head every passing second. She did not feel good. At all. This flu was the worst she had ever experienced. Although, she hadn't experienced many. A strong and healthy person like Mikasa rarely got sick, which upset her even more because her immune system was weakened by the simple act of getting caught in the rain.
"I'm hardly sick. Really. So i'm okay, just give me a few moments to get ready and-"
"You girls awake?" The door opened with a bang. Zero delicacy. A short and grumpy man walked through the door, checking his watch. "It's already 5 minutes past the time you're supposed to get ready. Now get your bloody asses into your pants and head downstairs—
—What's happening?" He stopped himself to ask when his eyes fell upon Mikasa struggling to get up.
"She has a cold. But she insists she's fine."
"Get back into bed Ackerman, i don't want any germs following me around all day."
"Despite how badly Levi words his sentences, he's right. You should stay here and rest, darling. We'll get you a nice wet and cold towel to put over your forehead, just wait here okay?"
Yeah, okay. She gave up. Mikasa couldn't even nod without the sharp pain piercing through her brain. She weakly stared at another unfamiliar ceiling, her consciousness slowly ebbing away. Her eyelids grew heavy and soon she was off into a deep sleep.
"You did it again, eh?" A cocky boy entered the alleyway that was littered with unconscious bodies. Five slumped against the walls and six near the feet of his friend that were stacked up into a heap. He scoffed at the ridiculous looks on their faces. The cocky boy had a very unusual hair colour; a light clay colour, and the sides of his head were shaven. Just like the person in front of him.
The other boy said nothing.
"Oh, come on, Corporal, don't be so stiff! Another job successfully completed. And look at you, not even a scratch...oh wait, is that a cut on your lip?" He shuffled his feet closer to get a better look.
"It's nothing." The other boy deadpanned and waved him away, shooting him a glare that was just about permanent on his face now.
Completely unaffected by the cold treatment, the cocky one continued. "Verman is looking to assign you to another job, he wants to see you again. He said something about a huge number. And you were the best one for the job." The cocky one started to raise his volume as his friend started to exit the narrow alley and drift further away from him, without a concern for the message he was relaying. "Of course, if you want, i can team up with you. I heard the bounty is really high, but then you'd have to split it. How does 60-40 sound? You'll get the 60%, good deal,eh? Although, wait. On second thought, let's make it 50-50. I know it's not really fair since you kinda do most of the work and the fighting and all that but i need the money, y'know? Can't have you stealing all the jobs and all the money-"
"Auruo."
"Yes?"
"Shut up." And the short boy left with that.
Auruo sighed. A small smile curled on his lips, as rude as ever. He glanced down to the battered body that lay beside his feet and winced at the damage done. "You sure are ruthless, aren't you," He said to no one in particular in the emptiness that was sandwiched between two brick walls as he kicked the body lightly, "Levi."
A sneeze. A shudder. A groan.
Mikasa furrowed her eyebrows as all she could do was sink her back into the mattress that was a bit too soft for her liking. She turned her head towards the empty beds of her roommates, they had all gone to have fun without her it seemed. She took a sniff, drawing back the mucus that threatened to slide down her nose. Yet another groan.
She had awoken from her sleep a mere few minutes before to find herself alone. She didn't know how much time had passed since her slumber, but the promised towel had in fact been placed on her forehead. It seemed to be newly washed, however, as excess droplets slid down into the strands of her raven hair.
The headache was better at least. It was possible to get herself into an upright position, though not painlessly, and find a basin of water sitting on her bedside table. A small smile tugged at the ends of her lips at the thoughtfulness of her friends. With one had holding the damp towel in place, Mikasa reached for her phone clumsily, also somewhere on the bedside table, to check the time.
A bright screen lit up, causing her to squint, as the numbers in a white light told her it was 9:00 a.m. Two hours after wake up time. But if the rest of the council were supposed to have left at 7:30, how could to towel that Mikasa was holding against her forehead be fresh? Then she heard it.
A clatter coming from the bathroom.
Suspicion filled her mind, and Mikasa conjured up multiple scenarios despite her throbbing headache. She looked around, it definitely wasn't Hanji or Petra because their essential day packs for their outdoor adventures were gone from the room. Mikasa flipped the duvet off her quietly, steadying herself onto her feet as she staggered cautiously toward the toilet that had its tap running at full blast. If it were a thief, she could at least muster enough strength for one blow on the head. Or at least she hoped.
She took a step from behind the door to reveal herself to the enemy, though looking sickly and undeniably unthreatening. But all that stood in front of her was a short, unimpressed Levi that gave her an angered glare.
"Levi...?"
"What the hell are you doing up? Go back to sleep, brat."
"What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to go out with the others?" She asked in a tired manner, lacking her usual vigour.
"Well, none of us student council members wants death on our hands so someone had to take care of you while you sneezed to your grave. Unfortunately, i was stuck with that responsibility, so hurry up and go back to bed before you die and it gets blamed on me."
Mikasa held in a snort at his explanation. She completely ignored him as she took steps forward to observe his actions more closely. "Filling the bathtub?"
"It's for you, idiot. Do me and yourself a favour, take a bath and wash all the dirt and sweat off." He scanned her body in a sideway glance as he continued to test the temperature of the water.
"...okay," she answered weakly as she supported her fragile body with the help of the tub.
She heard him sigh very softly. So soft it could have been her imagination.
"It's done," Levi announced without further explanation as he took his hands out of the now-filled tub and dried them in a hand towel. Taking some bottles that were placed in the cabinet and a basin that was probably the cause of the clanging she heard earlier, Levi headed for the door before saying, "If you don't get it done in 30 minutes, i'm barging in."
"Levi, good to see you again," the wrinkled man who looked to be in his 40's greeted the boy who remained indifferent. He had hollow eyes that casted dark shadows over them, making him naturally look like a bad guy. He was, in fact a fact bad guy, so the look suited him just fine. Accompanying those scary eyes of his was a bushy brown moustache and a bushy brown beard. Yes, this man definitely did not look like a hero.
"I'm sure you got the message from Auruo, and that's why you are here today, yes?"
No response.
Kitts Verman smirked. "You know the drill." A parcel was thrown at Levi who caught it with sharp, quick reflexes. He took the contents out and read the words silently at high speed. He finally looked up after finishing up the last sentence in the stack of papers and shoved the contents back in.
"I expect to get my pay more efficiently this time. Don't you think so, too?" Levi narrowed his eyes at the old man.
Kitts gave a dark chuckle. "Yes, i assure you. But tell me Levi, how old are you?"
Levi just stared. After a moment, he broke the silence, "is that a rhetorical question?"
"Not at all. Really, what is your age?"
"14."
"Ahh..." Kitts replied with some knowingness and what seemed like wisdom though Levi was completely sure the ugly looking man was faking in that aspect. "So young yet already warped by the underground business, huh?"
Levi was sure this wasn't going to be anything interesting or useful, just some dude who wanted to have a go at some words of philosophy to make himself look cool in front of a youngster. He was utterly unimpressed. Just as he always was.
"I'll take my leave now," the boy said to save himself from whatever was to come, turning on his heel to walk away from the man who brought him into this kind of life style.
"Yes, my boy, you can leave now. But just remember this, in the underground business, there's no getting out."
Ah...finally.
Mikasa sunk her body lower to submerge it into the relaxing warmth of the water. She dunked her head in the same way and after counting to ten, resurfaced for some oxygen. Hair plastered to her scalp and stray strands stuck to the sides of her face as she checked the clock that sat near the sink.
5 minutes left.
She took one last rinse before taking a step out of the bathtub and placing her feet on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. The cold sent a shiver throughout her entire being and the stinging chill was like a slap on her face, turning it a rosy pink. She quickly wrapped a clean towel around herself to defend her body against the enemy. Another sneeze.
Ugh she groaned for probably the nth time.
And yet her arch nemesis had not given up on making her suffer. The similar sharp pain pierced through her brain, leaving her unstable as she sought the bathroom door for support. Her legs turned to jelly and gave way. Mikasa slumped against the wooden door, lolling her head back to produce a slightly heavy thump. She could feel her body temperature rising again, her breath getting heavier as the need for air increased. She scowled.
"Oi." There was a sudden boom from the other side of the door that separated them. Mikasa didn't reply. More like she couldn't.
"It's been 30 minutes. Not sure what shit you're doing in there but i'm barging in as promised."
There was a twist on the golden door knob.
It felt heavier than usual. The door. And Levi soon realised the reason when he found Mikasa lying helplessly against it. "Oi," he said at her unusual pose, "what's wrong?"
There was again no reply, just a pained look in her eye as she directed her gaze to the man.
She was wrapped in the white towel provided by the place they were staying in, her porcelain skin tinted a faint crimson from the heated bath she had just come out of. Water dripped from her short hair and fell gently on her exposed shoulders, continuing their journey down the rest of her arm, and other droplets made their journeys elsewhere.
Despite himself, Levi fought the slightest bit of blush that threatened to surface on his cheeks and ruin his callous character. After a few seconds of staring—in admiration—Levi looked up and pinched the bridge of his nose. He bent down on one knee and slid one arm underneath her upper back and one underneath her knees, straightening himself up to have her in a princess-carry. His rough fingers curled around her soft clean and moist skin, strongly holding her in place. Her eyes kept half-opened in quite a seductive manner, Levi had to admit.
She could just as well have been heavier than him, but Levi effortlessly made his way back to her bed.
"Sorry..." Mikasa managed to mumble, though she wasn't sure he could hear her. She relaxed into his muscular arms and comforting chest.
"Shut up."
She stifled a smile.
He plopped her down gently onto those same linen sheets she had awoken from.
"I'm sure you can change yourself." He turned to face the wall immediately after finishing his sentence, albeit the same deadpan voice and indifferent expression remained.
Mikasa remained calmed as she randomly picked her change of clothes and undergarments and wasted no time. She wasn't going to be self conscious in this type of situation, not that type of annoying heroine that had to blush at every single thing her love interest did. Mikasa was confident about her body anyway. She was confident about mostly everything about herself. Though if you were Mikasa, you probably wouldn't have any qualms with such natural talent and beauty.
"I'm done," she alerted Levi.
He turned around.
"And i'm fine now so you can-"
She felt a force push her back onto the bed that had a bouncy element the one at home lacked.
"See here, Ackerman-" Levi's face was now above hers, his hand on her shoulder. He was really close, just like that time in the infirmary, and that same hot breath tickled her skin. His bangs fell forward and not to forget, his glare. He continued speaking in a low, hushed voice. "-you are sick, and you will sleep, and you will rest until you get better. I don't want any resistance, and you will comply with all my orders. Understand?"
"You're quite loquacious today, Vice President." Mikasa gave him a smirk.
Levi released her from his grip. "That is because my underclassman does not know how to follow orders." He made his way to the table across the room grabbed some pills and came back, putting them on the side table. "Do you need to dry your hair?"
She blinked at him.
"Sit up."
Mikasa did as she was told, plopping herself onto her arms, her blanket crumpling beneath her. Levi grabbed a smaller towel from the bathroom as he draped it over her head. Once he had plugged in the portable hair dryer, hot air began to blow on Mikasa's scalp.
His fingers ran through the knotless and untangled hair, as dark as night, of the girl, his other hand occupied with the drying device. The feel of his hand and fingers combing through her hair and the occasional touches of her neck sent chills down her nape. Silence returned to the room when he turned the noisy gadget off and gave her hair one last ruffle with the towel. The teeth of a comb grazed her scalp next.
"You're awfully good at doing a girl's hair, aren't you?"
This time she could hear him smirk. "Well it's not the first time i'm doing it."
Mikasa tilted her head back to exchange a short glance to the Levi who was kneeling on the bed, causing him to stop his combing momentarily. "Oh" she looked forward again.
"I lived in an orphanage, so i had to do the girls' hair occasionally."
"Oh." She said again.
"You have nice hair."
"Thanks."
He said nothing more as he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her body around. "Time for your medicine."
He took a capsule the contained white powder in between his thumb and index finger and held it out to Mikasa.
Her eyes shifted from the object to his face. "I don't need something like that."
Strained frowns started to trample across his forehead. "What did i say, Ackerman? I don't want any resistance and you will comply with all my orders. You will comply-"
Before she knew it, the capsule was plopped into Levi's own mouth and his lips were smashed against hers, to which her eyes widened in surprise. Both his hands were holding hers down, preventing them from pushing him away. She soon felt his tongue parting her lips, opening up her mouth to welcome his as he snuck the medicine she refused to take in. She could taste him, grazing against her as she reluctantly swallowed the pill after some rough shoving from the Vice President.
As soon as he confirmed she had swallowed it, Levi slowly pulled away, savouring her taste as he did so. "Understand, Mikasa?"
His face was still directly in front of hers, and their noses touched. For some reason, his eyes were still lingering on her lips.
And the warmth and tingling sensation on her lips were still there. The flush couldn't be battled against this time as it rushed to her cheeks. She was speechless. Mikasa Ackerman was utterly speechless. She gave a weak nod for a response, her eyes still wide and fixated on him after he straightened up. She wished he couldn't see the red on her face. And she wished that kiss could have lasted a little longer.
"Now sleep."
She complied to his words immediately like he said she should earlier on. She reclined and lay her head to rest on the pillow, feeling a tug on the duvet that was brought up to her chin.
"Good girl."
Her eyes were already shut tight, her face a beetroot red, but she successfully hid her embarrassed self as her body was turned away from him.
She heard the door open and shut.
Her back was facing him. Levi pulled the white sheets over her to keep her away from the cold. A certain softness filled his eyes, though she could not see.
"Good girl."
His voice was warmer than usual, and a tiny smile had crept into his facial features. Nobody saw that side of him.
A sudden vibration filled his pocket and he reached to grab his phone, making his way over outside to answer the call without waking sleeping beauty.
Hanji?
No, it wasn't. Levi sighed as he leaned against the door of the room belonging the the trio of girls. He stood in the corridor of the inn.
He touched his fingers to his lips, recalling the red faced Mikasa that was absolutely stunned. A smirk formed on those same lips that were the cause of that before he reluctantly answered the phone.
"Hello?" His voice was gruff and just screamed 'i don't want to deal with your shit right now'.
"Levi, my man!"
"What is it, Auruo?"
"Hey hey, just checking to see if you're up for the job?"
"I told you, i'm away right now. I'll only be back tomorrow so that's when i'm going to do it."
"Yeah, great. You know the place?"
"117 Arcane Street."
"Okay, don't be late-"
Levi hung up without a second thought.
Ugh, he thought.
"Pieces of worthless garbage should shut their pie holes." Levi had a man dangling in the air ans against the wall, his body being held up by Levi's fist that scrunched up the collar of the man's shirt. The man had a bruised face, lacerations all over, missing a few teeth even. He continued kicking as he struggled to break free.
"Levi!" A blonde boy that had his hair tied into a short ponytail was running towards him.
"Eld? What are you doing here?" He released the victim from his hold and delivered one last ruthless knee in the gut before the man collapsed lifelessly on the ground.
"More of them are coming soon, we have to get out."
"What are you saying? We can take them on. We haven't even found what we're supposed to anyway."
Levi took a look around at the numerous amount of bodies that were strewn over the dirty hideout, all defeated by him.
"No, you don't understand, there are 10, no, 20 more guys coming up from around the corner. We have to abort the mission, let's go!"
"You runaway then, Eld," Levi addressed the boy that was a year younger than him, "because until you grow some balls, you're not gonna accompany me on anymore missions."
"Levi..."
"I'm taking them on."
The rowdy battle cries and unkempt men soon made their appearance. Armed with random weapons they probably found around their thug hideout, Levi scoffed at them in disgust as he straightened his shirt in preparation to wipe them all out.
The first one came at him with a broken pipe, bringing it down clumsily. Levi had no hesitation to dodge the attack and jab an elbow into the man's chest, following up with an uppercut. Another enemy from behind, Levi swiped his leg under the man's and gave a kick to the shin hard enough to break it, causing him to yell in anguish.
One after the other. He launched at the bearded man who held a butterfly knife out. Successfully evading the unskillful slicing motion of the weapon, Levi grabbed the man's torso and threw him over his short stature, flinging and slamming him into the wall.
Over the rotten couch, crashing into the glass walls, Levi delivered punch after punch, kick after kick, throw after throw.
Nineteen down, one more to go.
Of course, after nineteen endless opponents, even for Levi, it was a bit too much. He was in a state that he was not proud of, with sweat dripping down his brow, a few blue blacks forming on his arms and face, blood forming clots at his knuckles. He looked like the others around him—just an ordinary, dirty thug. Levi was panting hard and his vision was slightly blurry from the hammering on the head he had received from Number 14, but he continued to approach the last one fearlessly.
Needless to say, Number 20 was cowering in fear. Untalented thugs like these got their confidence from numbers, but since it had dwindled down to one, he may as well could have peed in his pants. This one was holding a gun. Yes, a gun. But he was shivering, and he couldn't use it. He tried a few times, but he either missed or Levi dodged.
"Don't come any closer! Stay away! You monster!" The man shouted at Levi in hopes it would actually save him. Futile attempts.
"Yeah, i'm a monster—" Levi smirked as he reached out for the man's face, "— and i'm gonna eat you."
"AHHHHHHH"
The strength in his palm made fractures in the bone structure of the man's face. Kicking him from the side and smashing a few ribs in the process. He stepped on Number 20, moving his foot around to aggravate the pain of broken bones.
"Oh, is this it?" Levi saw something glimmer under the fluorescent lights and bent down to pick it up. "Bingo."
"Eld, let's go." Levi signalled to his partner that had kept silent watch until the catastrophe was over.
"YOU SON OF A-"
A gunshot was fired.
It was the Number 20. The gun that was held in his crippled hand had triggered. The psychotic look on his face, the look of madness in his eyes when he saw that he had finally aimed right.
"L-Levi..."
The boy himself turned to look, and there, a pool of blood was forming around the chest of his partner. It was so red against the white shirt he wore. So, so red.
"Eld...?" Levi took steps towards the injured person. "No..." He managed to catch the falling figure.
"Eld, Eld!" Levi repeated over and over, shaking the body belonging to the blonde boy violently. But he wasn't responding anymore. He wasn't even breathing. The sound of psychotic laughter in the background.
"ELD!"
"Hohoho! We're back!" Hanji made a spectacular entrance, as if stars dazzling around her. She raised her arms to show off the bags full of souvenirs and made a twirl as if she were advertising for a commercial.
"Shut it." Levi silenced her immediately with much apathy for her hobby as he got up from the chair he had moved to Mikasa's bed side.
"Oopsies," she laughed without a hint of repentance as she lay out her shopping bags near her own bed.
"Hello, Vice President, is Mikasa doing well?" The pleasant Petra whispered in a low voice in order not to wake the girl.
"She's fine. She's been asleep for hours now."
"I see," Petra smiled.
"Did you tire her out in bed, Levi?"
"H-Hanji-senpai, what are you saying?!"
Hanji laughed at her innocent junior. "Oh well, we'll be heading to dinner now. Just came by to give you guys a quick check, and drop off these babies so i can buy more!" The glasses-wearing fanatic pointed to the bags now in a cluster near her bed.
"Levi, are you not coming for dinner?" Erwin asked his friend with some concern.
"...no. I think i'll stay here for a while longer."
Mmm? Mikasa could hear voices. Those belonging to the members of the Student Coucil. She stirred from her sleep, though the drowsy scent of slumber still enveloped her. She turned her body to be greeted by the faces of her seniors.
"Oh! Mikasa!"
Ugh she groaned as she tried her best to sit up again.
"Hanji-senpai," Mikasa deadpanned and continued to greet the others in the room. Except Levi, of course.
"We're going to dinner now, but Levi will stay with you again," Hanji fought the huge grin that tried to overtake her face.
"No, it's okay. Since Le- Vice President is always getting stuck with the responsibility of looking after me he should enjoy himself and go to dinner."
"What are you saying, Mikasa?" Hanji tilted her head in genuine innocence, befuddled by what she just said. Petra and Erwin had already headed out the door.
"Levi's the one that said he was worried about you and decided to stay behind. No one forced-"
"Okay, Hanji, that's enough. Dinner awaits you, now get the hell out." Levi stood up from his chair and pushed the protesting girl out the door and shut it with a loud bang.
Ugh
Levi made his way back to his seat and sat himself down heavily, crossing his legs and folding his arms. It was back to just the two of them. The way they both secretly liked it.
"Go back to sleep, Ackerman. You're not well until i say so."
Mikasa retreated back under her covers. "Thank you."
He said nothing, simply looked away. The girl tugged the covers a little higher to hide the smile that formed on her lips.
A sneeze.
"Oh, Levi, you got a cold?" Hanji asked as they sat on the train ride home.
"It's nothing," he turned his face to look at the fast changing scenery.
"I wouldn't have expected anyone to catch Mikasa's by simply looking after her by one day... Don't tell me you actually did something to her?!" Hanji raised her voice unconsciously as Levi hurried to muffle her with a hand over her mouth.
"I didn't," he hissed.
"Hey, Levi?"
"No."
"What! I haven't even said anything!"
"Whatever comes out from your mouth is going to be crap anyway."
"Geez, you're so mean. Don't expect yourself to get a girlfriend with your behaviour."
Levi clicked his tongue. "I don't give a damn."
Hanji sighed. Petra has bad taste.
A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for the really long wait! I've just been really lazy and lying on bed watching anime all day now that it's the holidays. Though since it's the holidays i should have been writing more but. Okay. Forgive me, my friends. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! The title was totally spontaneous ahahhahahaha