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Enjoy chapter 2~
Chapter 2 Bitterling
Eren slowly approached his dorm.
Okay, as soon as I walk inside, I'll smile. Eren thought, determined. My mother always said that the best way to defeat your enemies is to smile.
Eren unlocked the dorm with his key and walked inside a huge grin plastered on his face. "Hey, sorry about- what the hell?!"
Eren was shocked to find all of his belongings unpacked and put away. Levi opened a drawer on Eren's half of the room and tossed some clothes at him.
"Go in the bathroom and change before your filth messes everything up." Levi barked.
"Why did you go through my stuff?" Eren growled, his smile gone.
"I couldn't finish cleaning with your shit laying everywhere, so I unpacked them." Levi replied simply. "Oh, and by the way, you should do a better job of hiding your pornographic magazines. Stashing it with your diapers and tighty whities is not a good place, brat."
Flushed, Eren quickly went in the bathroom and slammed the door.
"Fuck you, Levi." Eren muttered as he changed his clothes. "I wonder if Mikasa is having better luck with her roommate..."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Mikasa sat on her bed with her eyes closed. Her brown haired roommate had been talking nonstop for the past two hours.
"So then, after I checked to see if his heart could still beat on its own using an electric shock, I decided to come here, major in forensic science, then go on to become a medical examiner!"
"Um...that's nice, Hanji." Mikasa replied calmly, looking around their dorm. There were posters of the human anatomy everywhere. Some where explicit in detail.
"That's what my best friend Levi said...albeit sarcastically." Hanji grinned. "He's in the same hall as us. Maybe I'll introduce you to him soon... though he might not be thrilled to be involved in such a social activity...ooh, I wonder how he and his roommate are getting along! This is his twentieth one!"
Mikasa was a bit perplexed at Hanji's scattered speech.
"So what are you majoring in?" Hanji asked, getting in Mikasa's face.
"Gah!" Mikasa gasped, caught off guard. "Well... I'm studying Japanese literature."
"Interesting! Ni hao!" Hanji said excitedly.
"...that's Chinese." Mikasa raised an eyebrow.
"Oh. I'm not racist, I swear!" Hanji cried, tears forming in her eyes. "I love Asians!" She knelt on her knees in front of Mikasa.
"Um... I'm sure you do." Mikasa replied warily, trying to reassure her strange roommate.
"Yay!" Hanji's tears vanished as she stood up on her feet. "I feel that we're going to best friends! Though it may seem weird with me being thirty and old enough to be your mother, but-"
"What?" Mikasa looked surprised.
"Yes! Kids these days are having children so young, so technically I am old enough to be your mother."
"Not that." Mikasa sighed. "How come you're in college so late?"
"Well, Levi and I were in the army for ten years, and during that time, we were taking some classes." Hanji explained happily. "So after we were discharged, we got scholarships to finish our education here. The scholarships didn't pay for everything of course, so now we are taking on college jobs. I'm a professor's assistant, and I work at the bookstore part time. Levi is the RA of this hall and a professor's assistant. He also works at the school's cafe. They're only open at night."
"How interesting..." Mikasa murmured.
"I have more stories if you want to hear them." Hanji offered.
Not having the heart to refuse, Mikasa agreed.
Hanji laughed. "You better get comfortable, Mikasa! These stories will take a while!"
That night, Eren couldn't sleep. He felt more trapped in his dorm than he ever did in Shiganshina.
I can't do this. Eren thought, upset. This is my first day in the dorms and I already feel like leaving.
The more Eren thought about it, the angrier he got. His breathing intensified.
Maybe if I make an effort to ignore Levi, he'll stop harassing me. Yeah. I'll just hang out with Armin and Mikasa.
"Go to sleep, you brat." Levi snapped from the other side of the room. "I can hear your damn breathing from over here. If you're looking at your porn and jerking off, do it in the bathroom you horny child. No one wants to hear that shit."
"I am not looking at porn!" Eren shouted, turning over in his bed.
"Could've fooled me." Levi sneered.
Damn that bastard! Eren gritted his teeth. If there's a god out there, please deliver me from this guy!
Eren stretched and yawned when he felt the sun shining on his face. He slowly opened his eyes. He was relieved to see that Levi was already gone. His bed was neatly made, and all of his clothes were in order. There was not a loose paper anywhere.
Sighing, Eren looked at his nightstand clock to check the time. It read...
"9:30?! Shit!" Eren cried. "My first class is in twenty minutes!"
Eren's panic caused him to roll onto the floor, his sheets and blankets coming with him. Eren emerged from the mountain of bedclothes, scrambling to his feet.
"No, no, no, no!" Eren checked his phone. Sure enough, his phone was filled with texts and missed calls from Armin and Mikasa.
"Crap, we were supposed to meet in the dining hall thirty minutes ago!" Eren realized, reading an urgent text from Armin. "This is just great."
Eren quickly threw open his drawers and pulled out shorts and a T-shirt. After pulling his chosen outfit on, he rushed into the bathroom and turned on the water faucet. He splashed water onto his face, combed his hair, and brushed his teeth in under sixty seconds. Eren forgot to turn the water off when he hurried over to his desk.
Eren grabbed his backpack and ran out of the dorm, leaving the dorm a complete mess.
~.~.~.~.~.~
"Eren! You're late!" Armin scolded when he spotted his best friend.
Eren ran in the dining hall panting, sweat trickling down his forehead. He slid in the seat next to Armin.
"You only have five minutes at the most to eat. Here I saved you some toast." Armin told him, sliding Eren a plate.
"Thanks!" Eren chomped down on his toast. "Hey, where's Mikasa?"
"She left already. Her class started at 9:40." Armin replied. "She looked terrible, though. Her eyes were dark, and she had bags under them. When I asked her what was wrong, she just said that she was talked to death. I wonder what that means."
"Eh, I'll ask her later." Eren swallowed the last of his toast. He unzipped his backpack and took out a bottle of water. He twisted the cap and took a bug gulp.
"So, how was your first night with Levi?" Armin inquired.
Eren spit out his water. "Armin! What the hell? Don't say it like that!" He snapped, wiping his mouth with his hand. "Anyways, it was horrible! He's such a conceited prick. He called me a brat, a freak fish guy, and a horny child! He even had the nerve to unpack my things! Does "invasion of privacy" mean anything to him?"
"Personally, I would have been relieved if someone put my stuff away for me. It took me a long time yesterday." Armin piped.
"You're missing the point." Eren rolled his eyes. "Well, let's get going." Eren reached in his backpack and took out his schedule for today. "You and I have Calculus together, correct?"
"Yeah, it's in Azure Hall." Armin whipped out his map. "It's not too far from here."
"Alright." Eren stood up. "Let's go! I'm not going to let Levi ruin my first day."
Eren grabbed Armin's wrist and dragged him out of the dining hall. "This is an adventure, after all! Levi's just a pitfall attempting to throw me off the trail. Well, I won't fall!"
"Good for you." Armin laughed. "Let's just focus on getting to class on time first."
Five minutes later, the two friends arrived at the Azure Hall of Mathematics. It was a huge building made from bricks.
"Wow! If the mathematics building is this big, I wonder how big the Maritime Hall of Marine and Freshwater Biology is." Eren said enthusiastically.
"C'mon, we can gawk at the buildings later! We only have two minutes to find Room 18191 before we're late!" Armin urged Eren, pulling him inside the math building.
After climbing up one flight of stairs, their desired classroom was on their left.
"Yeah! I am ready to learn about trigonometric functions and the unit circle!" Eren cheered.
"...no you're not." Armin told him.
"Yeah, you're absolutely right." Eren sighed as they entered the classroom. "I hate math. I wish Intro to Marine and Freshwater Biology was first."
"Do you have the next?" Armin asked.
"Thankfully, I do." Eren's eyes brightened.
The two sat on the left side of the classroom near the front.
"We get to do a lot of hands on stuff this year, mainly to see if people will really like marine biology." Eren explained happily. "We're doing freshwater first. So, the students will be given a tank with a few fishes inside to take care of in our dorm. We will study their behavior and everything! I'm so excited!"
"I can tell." Armin laughed.
The best friends had to end their conversation as the professor walked in front of the class.
"Good morning, students! I am Professor Hannes."
As soon as the professor started class, Eren tuned out. All he could think about was his Intro to Marine and Freshwater Biology class waiting for him in fifty minutes. Suddenly, Armin jabbed Eren's side with his elbow, bringing him back to reality.
"What?" Eren hissed.
"Professor Hannes is taking attendance, and he called your name." Armin said, looking forward and not moving his lips.
"Eren Jaeger?" Hannes repeated, looking around the full classroom.
"Uh, here!" Eren called, raising his hand.
"Tch."
At that moment, Eren's face went pale. Sitting in a chair behind the professor was Levi. He was grading papers, but Eren knew he was snickering at him.
"Eren, what's the matter? Why are you looking at the professor's assistant like that?" Armin asked, concerned.
"Levi is a professor's assistant?!" Eren cried louder than he would have liked.
Everyone stared at the brunette.
"Er..." Eren sank in his seat in shame.
Hannes cleared his throat. "Why, yes, Eren Jaeger, he is. He has been for two years. I know the girls usually get excited about him, but hey. There's a first time for everything. Anyways, allow me to finish attendance before you start drooling over him."
Eren's face turned beet red as he continued to sink lower in his seat.
"I am not drooling over him." He muttered spitefully. "I hate that son of a bitch."
Later in the class period, when the professor stopped his lecture for a second to make a joke, Eren glared at Levi. Levi was not paying any attention to him. He was simply grading papers.
"So, next time you're at a pizza joint, and your friend says "Hey, let's split a pizza!", just tell him "Yeah, let's go sin(5π/6) on it!" Hannes laughed at his own joke.
The class just stared at him, unamused. Hannes cleared his throat again and prepared to continued on with the lecture. Before he went on, he glanced at Eren.
"Eren, you have plenty of time after class to stare at Levi. Start a fan club for all I care, but right now, I would appreciate it if you would pay attention and take notes."
Eren scoffed and redirected his attention down at his notebook, fuming. Why does Levi have to be a professor's assistant here of all places? There really is no escaping him, is there?
As soon as Professor Hannes dismissed the class at 10:40, Eren stood up and ran out of the room.
"Eren! Hey, Eren, wait up!" Armin called after him.
Eren didn't slow down until he was out of Azure Hall. Armin eventually caught up, out of breath.
"Let me guess... that assistant is Levi, right?" Armin clarified.
Eren nodded angrily. "Yeah, that's him."
Armin sighed. "Eren, you have to calm down. Though I hate to put blame on you, Levi did not do anything in there to provoke you. If you're going to get along with him, you have to learn how to turn the other cheek. To make it easier on yourself, you should get to know him instead."
"When did you become such an expert?" Eren asked.
"I'm doing the same thing with Jean." Armin admitted. "He's a cocky asshole, but I've decided to just ignore that and try to be friends with him. You should do the same."
"Fine." Eren gave in.
Armin checked his watch. "I have English class in an hour. How about we go and get you a proper breakfast? My treat."
"Yeah!" Eren fist pumped the air. "I would like a fried Levi with a side of vengeance."
Armin shook his head. "Eren, no. Let's leave the lame quips to Professor Hannes."
"Okay." Eren bowed his head as the two went to one of the college restaurants.
I'm so excited I could barf. Eren thought to himself.
An hour later, Eren was standing outside the Maritime Hall of Marine and Freshwater Biology. His hands were shaking as he stared at the magnificent building.
"This is it!" Eren said softly. "After I step past the threshold, my dream will in motion. Marine biology, here I come!"
Eren opened the doors to the building and walked inside. He was met with a hallway of classrooms. After finding the correct one, he sat in the very front of the small classroom. He folded his hands in front of him, feeling jittery. The class didn't start for another five minutes, and as other students filed in, he tapped his foot impatiently.
Come on, come on! Why is it taking so long?! How come Calculus took such a short time to start up, and the class I actually want isn't? Damn it all...
"Hey, do you have to take a dump or something? You're squirming around like you have to." A voice said.
Eren looked to his left to see a smiling boy with extremely short black hair. He almost looked bald.
"No, I don't." Eren snapped. "I'm just ready to start class."
"Whoa, a nerd in it's natural habitat." The boy teased.
"Whatever." Eren sighed, facing forward. "I've had one person who is equivalent to a thousand people make fun of me, so you're not really doing any damage."
The boy laughed. "Wait, are you talking about Levi?"
Eren looked surprised. "How do you know?"
"Before I came to this college, I've heard a lot about him. And your description fits him perfectly. You're a brave soul to be associating yourself with him."
"It's not like I do it by choice." Eren muttered. "He's my roommate."
The boy looked surprised. "Whoa, that's suicide! You have my respect. So hey, I'm Connie Springer." He reached his hand out.
"Eren Jaeger." Eren replied, shaking Connie's hand. "So... do you want to major in marine biology?"
"Freshwater biology." Connie corrected him. "In my junior and senior year here, I will eventually venture off into freshwater. I can't wait."
"Cool." Eren smiled. Looks like I can make my first real friend.
At that moment, the professor walked in front of the class. Eren immediately looked forward, giving the old professor his undivided attention. "Professor Dot Pixis. My idol." He murmured, feeling himself fangirl just a little.
The bald man cleared his throat and smiled. "Good morning, and welcome to Intro to Marine and Freshwater Biology. I am Professor Dot Pixis. Obviously you guys are taking this class so you can major in marine biology or freshwater biology. For your freshman and sophomore year, you will be focusing on both. You will venture off your junior and senior year. So this year especially, we will be spending more time outside of the classroom. With that said, stand up and follow me."
Confused, the entire class stood up.
"I wonder what Professor Pixis is gonna do." Connie whispered to Eren.
"I have an idea..." Eren grinned. We're going to get our fishes!
Pixis walked to a door on the opposite side of the room.
"Welcome to the Maritime Hall Aquarium." He smiled, opening the door.
The class walked through the door in awe, being met with huge glass displays of freshwater creatures.
"Oh... my... Poseidon." Eren gasped.
"Don't you mean God?" Connie asked.
"I know what I said." Eren replied, staring at a freshwater shark. "I'm in heaven right now."
"But I thought you didn't mean God."
"This aquarium is heaven." Eren clarified, breaking from the glass. "And Poseidon is the god of the sea. It works."
"Every classroom in the Maritime Hall leads to the aquarium." Pixis explained as the class ventured forward. "But right now, we are heading to the freshwater pools. Every single one of you is getting a tank with three fish to observe and take care of."
Eren almost let out a squeal.
"Everyone line up! My assistants will help me out distributing your fish." Pixis told his class.
Eren was fourth in line. He tapped his foot again. When it was finally his turn, one of the professor's assistants gasped.
"Wow, you're lucky!" She told Eren. "You're getting a Rhodeus ocellatus."
"A rosy bitterling?" Eren asked, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Yes!" She smiled.
"Wow! I thought those were critically endangered. Aren't they only native in Japan?" Eren asked.
"Yes and yes. I think these are the only ones here." The girl replied. "You better take good care of these three rosy bitterlings."
"I will!" Eren promised, determined.
The girl handed Eren a tank about and foot and a half wide.
"Now, the fish are in a bag with water. Do not put the fish in the tank until you get back to your dorm, will it with tap water, and use the water dechlorinator." She instructed. "Professor Pixis will teach you guys how to do that after you get back to the classroom. There are also written instructions on what kind of food to give them."
The girl handed a see through bag to Eren. He gazed at the silver and rose colored fish happily.
"Thank you!" Eren walked back, feeling absolutely ecstatic.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
At the end of the class, Eren gingerly balanced the tank in one arm and grasped the bag with the rosy bitterlings.
Okay, I have an hour until my last class of the day. Eren thought as he headed towards the door. I need to get back to the dorm and get these fish in the tank. I hope Levi isn't there.
"Brat."
"Gah!" Eren jumped backwards. He looked over the tank, but didn't see anybody.
"I'm right in front of you, you idiot."
Eren looked down slightly to see Levi. If looks could kill, Eren would have been six feet under.
"Levi... what are you doing here?" Eren asked, feeling nervous.
"Did you honestly think you could destroy our dorm and get away with it?" Levi seethed.
"Destroy the dorm?" Eren repeated. "What are you talking about...oh."
Shit! I forgot I made a mess this morning! It's not that bad... is it?
Levi grabbed Eren's wrist. The grip caused Eren to wince and almost drop his fish.
"You're coming back and cleaning up your shit now." Levi said lividly.
"Ow! Okay, okay!"
Levi dragged Eren back to the Pearl Dorms.
"How did you even find me, anyway?" Eren asked.
"It was on your desk this morning, so I took a look. And it's a good thing I did, you brat."
Levi unlocked the door with his key and tossed Eren inside first before slamming the door.
Eren quickly set the fish and tank on his desk. When he took a good look at the dorm, Eren realized Levi was not over exaggerating. His bedclothes were all over the floor. Clothes were strewn about, and he left the water faucet on in the bathroom.
"Oops..." Eren muttered.
Levi was fuming. "I came back to the dorm, already in a bad mood thanks to your antics in Calculus, and what do I come back to? Your shit all over the floor! If you're trying to provoke me, that's going to be the biggest mistake you'll ever make, you filthy brat."
"Okay, okay, I'm cleaning." Eren said, bending down to pick up his blankets and sheets. "I'm sorry. I'll do a better job next time."
Levi's expression softened slightly. He quickly frowned, not wanting Eren to see.
"Fine." He glanced over at Eren's fish. "So... what the hell did you bring here?"
"Fish and an aquarium." Eren replied, his eyes sparkling. "The fish you see are Rhodeus ocellatus, or rosy bitterlings."
"Rosy bitterlings?" Levi smirked. "Rosy fits you perfectly."
Eren scowled. "And bitterling would fit you."
"Heh." Levi walked over to his bed and sat down. "Perhaps you're right. Continue."
Eren was surprised that Levi didn't deal him more abrasive insults, but continued his explanation anyway.
"Well, they're only native in Japan. They are endangered, and I've vowed to take care of them."
As Eren folded his clothes, he stared at the fish, admiring them. Levi shook his head. "You're such a nerd, Eren."
"Not you too!" Eren sighed. "Well, then again, I do know about their weird reproductive process. They need mussels for females to inject their eggs-"
"I'm sure you're into some weird shit, but fish sex? Really?" Levi sneered.
"It's not like that!" Eren flushed. "Whatever!"
Eren lifted the tank and took it to the bathroom. He filled it up with tap water.
"Okay, now I have to dechlorinate it..." Eren murmured. "Let's see, first I have to test the chlorine levels..."
Levi watched Eren diligently work on the tank. Even though he would never admit it, he felt a little envious that Eren had something he was passionate about at such a young age.
"Done!" Eren grinned minutes later. "Now for the rosy bitterlings..."
Eren carefully poured the three fish into the tank.
"Cool, I have two males and one female." Eren grinned.
"How the hell can you tell?" Levi scoffed.
"Come look." Eren beckoned Levi to the tank.
Levi stood up and walked over to Eren. "What?"
"See, the male ones have the rosy color along with the silver scales. The females don't." Eren explained.
"Rosy nerd."
"Bitterling."
The two roommates stared at each before Eren broke into a smile.
"Well, I better feed them." Eren reached into his backpack and took out a jar of fish food.
"What kind of food is that?" Levi inquired.
"Freeze dried tubifex." Eren replied. "Here take a look."
Levi took the jar and stared at the block cubes inside. "And what the hell is freeze dried tubifex?"
"Worms." Eren replied.
Levi dropped the jar onto the floor, repulsed. "Disgusting!"
"Hey!" Eren cried, scooping the jar up. "You're lucky this jar wasn't glass! What's the big deal about worms?"
Levi narrowed his eyes. "Worms are filthy."
"They're cubes, Levi."
Levi walked over to his side of the dorm and went inside one of his drawers. He took out a roll of green duct tape. He laid the tape on the ground and started pulling, splitting the room into two. After he was done, Levi stood up.
"Okay, here are the ground rules. Since you like filthy things, porn included, then you stay on your half of the dorm. I'll stay on mine. Do not cross my line. I still expect you to keep your side of the room spotless."
"How am I supposed to use the bathroom with the tape on my side going to the door?" Eren asked smartly, pointing at Levi's mistake.
Sighing in frustration, Levi fixed the tape so it could lead into the bathroom as well.
"Stay on your side, or else." Levi warned him, retreating to his desk.
Shaking his head, Eren turned back to his rosy bitterlings and fed them the freeze dried tubifex.
Oh, well. At least he didn't hit me. Maybe Levi and I will get along... eventually.
I hope you enjoyed chapter 2! I'm sorry that there hasn't been much Levi and Eren interaction, but intros will be intros. All of the stuff in chapters 1 and 2 will be important in later chapters, anyway. In the next chapter, the plot will begin to thicken.
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