A/N- Um, this is more bromance-y. Thought I should point that out real fast.

Seven Minutes in Heaven Part 8

All eyes in the room shifted to the trembling blond staring wide-eyed at the bottle pointed directly at him. Said blond slowly pulled his eyes away from the bottle, guiding them to the cackling brunette. "W-why?" He stuttered, nervously wringing his hands as he waited for any kind of explanation.

"Why not?" Hanji asked back, peering at Armin with a genuine look of curiosity.

"I don't understand," Armin mumbled under his breath, not wanting everyone to hear his wavering voice. Dropping his head, he allowed his blond locks to hide his face.

"What the hell Hanji?!" Jean and Eren said in unison, both quickly turning to glare at each other before turning their attention back to the brunette.

"It's like you all think Levi is going to hurt Armin or something." Hanji pointed out.

Eren cursed under his breath, digging his nails into his palms. "He wouldn't!" Gritting his teeth, Eren began to shake with rage from the accusation towards the boy he has quickly grown very fond of. But, a comforting hand landing on his shoulder brought him back from his violent thoughts. He peered over at Levi, watching as said boy calmly shook his head. "L-Levi...?"

"It's fine, Eren." Levi gave Eren's shoulder a tight squeeze before directing his attention towards the mastermind behind all of this. "What are you planning Hanji?"

"Why do you always assume that I'm planning something? Don't you trust your friend?" Hanji puffed her lips out into a pout, wiping away at a nonexistent tear at the corner of her eye.

As soon as Hanji finished, Petra dropped her head, feeling guilty for playing along with this plan. She checked her phone then glanced at the door, contemplating escaping before Levi went into the closet.

"You're always planning something," Levi muttered, pulling his gaze away from Petra.

Hanji clutched at her heart and let out a loud gasp. "Levi! I'm offended!"

Ignoring the brunette, Levi dropped his chin into his palm, pondering all of the possibilities that could come from this- possibilities, he realized, that all resulted in some kind of bad ending. He glanced up at Armin, noticing that the blond wore a similar expression- brows knitted and eyes locked on the floor. Levi was well aware the he would do nothing to harm the blond, but he couldn't shake the uneasiness that wracked his small frame. "What if I refuse to go into the closet?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

"You? Break the rules?" Hanji cocked her eyebrows, casting Levi a skeptical look.

"Dammit," Levi cursed under his breath. If there was one thing besides experiments that Hanji greatly excelled in, it was knowing every possible way to get under his skin. He didn't understand why he should even care about these stupid rules- if you could even call them that. But, the thought of going against these rules, absurd or not, drove him crazy. Also, he realized he did not want to have to deal with the comments that would follow his objection.

"I wanna know what is going on," Jean demanded, pounding his fist against the carpet. "Why are you picking on Armin?!" Ever since he kissed Armin in the closet, Jean could not help but feel very protective of the smaller boy.

Eren, watching Jean's anger towards the idea, couldn't help but agree with his enemy. "Why Armin? Is she planning on doing something to him?" He ran his hands through his brown locks as he hounded himself with mental questions.

"The sooner you two go into the closet, the sooner you will be able to leave the closet." Hanji adjusted her glasses.

Levi stood, reminding himself that he could just kick Hanji's ass if something bad happens. He ignored Eren's protests and made his way towards Armin, bending down and offering his hand to the blond.

"Armin you don't have to," Jean whispered to the blond. He glanced from Armin then up to Levi standing before them. He wasn't sure who to be pissed at anymore- feeling anger towards Hanji obviously, but also having a hint of anger towards the dark-haired boy offering his hand to Armin. "I'm taller; I can kick his ass if needed. I will kick his ass if he touches Armin." Jean was brought back from his thoughts by the movement beside him. Gasping, he watched as Armin placed his small hand into Levi's equally small hand, allowing the older boy to pull him up. "A-Armin!?"

"It's okay," Armin shot Jean a soft smile along with a reassuring nod. "I trust him as well as Hanji." Armin was always one to trust his seniors, especially these two. He's known both for a while now and even considers them friends. Hanji has helped him with his advanced math homework on countless occasions while Levi would sometimes show him a few wrestling moves- the blond enjoying both the opportunity to learn more and the opportunity to strengthen his rather frail muscles.

Hanji stood, leading the two boys to closet. She pulled the door open then stepped aside to allow the two boys to enter. Once both were completely inside, she closed the door and quietly clicked the lock, pressing her ear up against the door.

"I just don't get it," Jean groaned. "Why Armin?"

"Because I know that he won't get mad." Hanji responded.

"What!?" Eren and Jean shouted in unison- something that appears to be happening more than the two boys would like.

"Shhh!" Hanji pressed her body closer to the door, listening to the shuffling sounds from the other side.

Levi cautiously made his way to the wall he favored leaning against, eyes locked to the floor in case there was something conveniently placed for him to trip on. Turning on his heel, he sighed and collapsed against the wall, hearing the sound of metal clicking and liquid sloshing above him a moment too late.

Red paint showered down on the boy, but his fast reactions had him kicking the paint can away-unaware that he kicked it straight at Armin. His eyes widened as he watched the paint can fly at the blond- who merely held his hands in front of his face as his only means of protection.

Armin let out a loud scream before falling back against the opposite wall, instantly being covered in red paint.

Eren and Jean were on their feet in an instant, both quickly recognizing the scream. They charged towards the door, demanding Hani open it right away.

"No way," Hanji laughed. "Everything seems to be going according to plan."

"What plan!?" Eren shouted, balling his fists at his sides.

"Eren, if Levi hurt Armin, I will make it my main priority to beat you both up!" Jean moved close to Eren, grabbing said boy's shirt collar.

"He wouldn't!" Eren spoke through gritted teeth. "You better fucking let me go!"

"Would you two kindly shut up; I'm trying to listen." Hanji motioned for the two boys to lower their voices before turning her attention back to the events unfolding just behind her closet door. "If you really want to know, you can listen as well." She stepped forward slightly, making room for the two boys.

Jean released his grip on Eren's collar and pressed his ear against the door with Eren quickly doing the same.

Levi felt every single one of his muscles tensing as the paint dripped down his face. He stood still- hands clenched into fists at his sides while wearing a stern expression. He could feel his blood boiling as a single drop of paint that was once clinging to his hair began to slowly trickle down his temple, eventually falling onto his shoulder- or rather his white shirt. He dared to look down, hissing as he saw his shirt already drenched in red paint. Fast, he thought. But not fast enough to save himself from the paint.

Armin slid down the wall, covering his open mouth with his trembling hand. He used his free hand to push his paint-covered bangs away from his eyes. With his mind wrapped around the situation, the blond peered up at Levi, gasping at the sight in front of him. He knew that Levi handled anger in a more silent way then most people, but he never knew how terrifying it was. He studied Levi- noting how the boy stood so still he could be mistaken for a mannequin. He zeroed in on Levi's chest, watching the slow, steady rise and fall. "Is this how he stays calm..?" Finally, he made his way to Levi's face, examining his closed eyes and his lips that were pulled into a tight, straight line.

What worried Armin the most was the way Levi's muscles were tensed- almost as if the boy would snap at any moment. "This is bad," he thought to himself as he peered down at his own shirt- a blue, plaid button-up that was now coated with red paint. "All hell is going to break loose out there…" Armin rubbed his arm across his eyes, careful not to get paint in his blue orbs. "I don't understand… Did I do something to make Hanji mad at me..?" He thought back to every meeting he had with Hanji in the past two weeks- all leading up to a few minutes ago before entering the closet. "No, I don't think so… Then, why me?" A sudden shift in Levi's posture pulled Armin out of his thoughts instantly.

Levi crossed his arms and moved his hands down to the bottom of his shirt, slowly pulling the shirt over his head then dropping it on the floor beside his feet. He looked down at his pants, letting out a light sigh as he noticed they weren't nearly as bad as his shirt. He then brought his hand to his hair, cringing at the fact that he could barely comb his fingers through his dark locks. A buzzing sound from his pocket had him dropping his hands down to pat his jeans where his phone was. He debated on pulling his phone out but decided against it when he saw his red hands. "Dammit," he cursed quietly. "Armin?" He brought his attention to the blond sitting on the floor before him.

"Y-yes?" Armin questioned before standing up. He watched as Levi moved towards him, stopping inches from his face.

"I kicked the can at you."

Armin threw his hands up, waving them frantically in front of his face. "Oh! That's okay! I know it was just a reflex!"

"I'm sorry," Levi spoke clearly. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yes!" Armin dropped his hands and looked down, wondering why Levi was being so gentle towards him.

Levi studied the blond, noting how he was almost covered head to toe with paint. He tried to ignore this nagging feeling building inside of him but failed. He couldn't stand the sight of the filthy boy in front of him- from the paint clinging to his blond locks to the drenched shirt sticking to his small torso then finally to paint sliding down his jeans to form a red puddle around his feet. "Armin."

"Why did Hanji do this?" Armin asked, voice barely audible.

"She did it to get back at me I'm sure." Levi answered. "She probably chose you because she figured you wouldn't get mad."

"How am I not supposed to get mad at this..?" Armin felt his voice rising and began shaking unconsciously "I know I'm really easy-going, but I have my limits too."

"I know," Levi responded gently, braving the filth to rest his hand on Armin's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I'll make her pay somehow." He slid his hand down to the top button of Armin's shirt, unclasping it with ease.

"L-Levi!?" Armin brought his hand to hold his shirt closed where his chest was now exposed.

"You need to take that filthy shirt off." Levi answered flatly before successfully unclasping two more buttons much to the blond's dismay.

"Levi!"

"What do you think is going on in there?" Sasha turned to Connie- who kept his eyes locked on the closet door the whole time. "Connie!" Sasha grabbed her friend's sleeve and yanked his arm up and down.

"Didn't take Levi to be the pervy type," Reiner chimed in.

"Me either," Ymir agreed. "Wanna make a bet," she asked.

"Oh?" Reiner raised his eyebrows.

"Twenty dollars says that when Hanji opens the door, they will both be shirtless."

Reiner thought to the two boys, nodding once he realized that although Armin was small, he wasn't a pushover. "I've got this one!" "Okay, deal!"

The two shook hands, ignoring the noisy protests from Christa and the mumbled protests from Bertholdt.

At the same time, Sasha finally managed to pull Connie's attention away from the door, furrowing her brows as he looked up at her. "What's wrong?"

"You don't think Levi would actually take advantage of Armin do you?"

Sasha cast a wide smile towards Connie. "Nope! Believe it or not, but Levi really respects Armin! Plus, he seems to be really interested in Eren, and he knows that Eren would be pissed if he did something to Armin."

Connie let a loud sigh escape his lips. He knew the scream he heard was more from shock than fear, but he was still worried for his friend. "Thanks," he told Sasha, leaning back on his elbows.

"You're worried about Armin?" Sasha matched Connie's position, rolling her head to the side to face him.

"Well, yea…"

"You are a great friend, Connie." Sasha giggled as she watched Connie's face turn a deep shade of red.

"So, what's this bet?" Connie asked, turning his attention elsewhere so he could get rid of the blush littering his cheeks.

"Sorry, no twerps allowed in the bet," Ymir responded flatly.

"Ymir!" Connie pushed himself back into a sitting position. "Dammit, I hope you lose whatever it is!"

Ymir tossed her head back and let out a roaring laugh. She loved teasing Connie because he would get so angry at the smallest things, and she found that highly entertaining. "Should you and I make a bet on if I win?"

"What's the bet?" Connie crossed his arms.

"Hmm," Ymir tapped her finger against her chin as she looked around the room, stopping on one of Hanji's ugly dolls. "If I win, then you have to let all of us take a picture of you kissing one of Hanji's dolls."

"And, if I win?" Connie asked.

"Then," Ymir paused, thinking about what she could do. "Oh! I will stop telling the football team that you wet the bed."

Reiner's body began shaking with laughter. "Man, those stories are great!"

"Y-you tell people that I wet the bed!? Dammit Ymir!" Connie groaned. "Fine, I accept."

"Great," Ymir smiled innocently. "May the best man win."

"Yea, whatever." Connie fell back against the carpet, turning his head to face the closet door. He didn't want to miss anything as soon as Hanji opened the door. His reputation was on the line.

At the other end of the room, Eren, Jean, and Hanji remained with their ears pressed against the door. "How much longer Hanji?" Eren questioned.

"Soon, Eren." She answered.

"Damn her," Jean mumbled under his breath.

"What's the problem? Don't you want to get that filthy shirt off?" Levi moved his hands to the final button, slowly unclasping it. He watched as Armin's shirt fell completely open, revealing the boy's small torso. He moved his hands to Armin's flat stomach, carefully sliding it up and down his warm skin. "Still no muscles I see," Levi spoke flatly.

Armin let out a loud yelp at the cold contact against his stomach. "You're hands are really cold!"

"Open the fucking door!" Jean screamed, shoving Eren out of the way as he reached for the doorknob.

"No wait!" Hanji clasped both hands tightly around the doorknob.

"Hanji!" Eren moved to the other side of Hanji. Together, he and Jean managed to knock the brunette back. They both twisted the lock then turned the doorknob-unaware that their hands were touching.

"What the fuck!?" They both yelled in unison as they yanked the door open, taking in the sight before them.

"W-what happened?" Eren watched as Levi let his hand fall to his side. "What's going on?"

"Ask Hanji," Levi griped as he stepped out of the dark closet, revealing his tangled hair dyed red in certain spots and his jeans splattered with red paint.

"L-Levi!?" Eren raced towards the dark-haired boy, stopping in front of him to peer over his shoulder at the blond still standing in the closet. "Armin? Why is your shirt unbuttoned?"

Armin, regaining his composure, appeared from the closet, revealing that he too was covered in red paint- way more than Levi was. He felt himself being dragged to the right by a strong hand. "Jean?"

"Are you alright?" Jean examined Armin before turning to Levi. "What the fuck did you do to him!?"

"Jean, he didn't do anything." Armin tried to calm his friend down but soon realized that Jean was way past being calm.

"I told you. If you want to know what happened, ask Hanji." Levi turned towards the brunette- who was now standing in front of the four boys. "Tell them."

Hanji cackled before walking into the closet, reappearing moments later with the paint can. "Levi, why is there a dent in this can?"

"I kicked it." Levi answered, voice tinged with annoyance.

"Ah, well anyway!" Hanji walked to the middle of the room so everyone could see and hear her. "I set this up in the closet to pour on Levi as payback for making me participate in my own game. I didn't realize Armin would get more paint on him than Levi." She covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh. "Regardless, I think my plan worked successfully. Right, Levi?" She peered over her shoulder at her friend who was quickly approaching her.

Levi stopped inches before her face before looking behind him at Armin, slightly nodding his head as a motion for Armin to come here. He watched as Armin instantly understood and quickly walked up to him. "Follow me," he mumbled before side-stepping around Hanji with Armin following behind him.

The two walked past everyone else still sitting in the circle, stopping in front of Hanji's bed.

"Wait!" Hanji called out, but it was too late. The two boys jumped onto the bed and began rolling around, covering the bed with excess paint. "Dammit," the brunette mumbled under her breath.

"Don't be mad," Levi called out once he got off the bed. "Consider us even now," he finished before walking back over to Eren. "Help me get cleaned up," he ordered before walking into the bathroom with Eren in tow.

Jean walked back over to Armin, offering to help him get cleaned up in the upstairs bathroom.

Armin nodded and allowed Jean to lead him out of the room and up the stairs.

"Twenty bucks." Ymir held her hand out towards Reiner.

Reiner groaned before fishing his wallet out of his pocket, opening it to see that he only had a ten. "Shit." He turned to Bertholdt- who already had his hand extended towards Reiner with a twenty resting in his open palm. "Thanks, I owe you," Reiner gave Bertholdt a thankful look before taking the twenty and handing it to Ymir.

"Oh Connie," Ymir called towards the angered boy in a singsong voice. "You're up!"

Connie mumbled every curse word he knew before standing up and walking over to the titan dolls still resting on the floor. He picked one up then reluctantly walked back to his spot, sitting down before noticing the cellphones aimed at him. "You all suck," he muttered before lifting the titan doll close to his lips. Sighing, he pressed his lips against the doll, making the rash decision to mess around because he knew everyone would probably see it anyway. So, he began making obnoxious kissing sounds while pushing the doll close to his chest. "Oh, Bean!" He moaned loudly, smiling against the doll's drawn mouth at the sound of laughter from the others. After a few moments, he pulled the doll away from his face and set it down beside him. "I'm sorry Bean," he began, letting out exaggerated sobs. "This is where we must part ways!" He picked the doll up and tossed it back to the other doll, gasping as it landed on the other doll. "Bean!" He screamed. "You're cheating on me!" He clutched his heart and fell back against the carpet, laughing at the applause that sounded from his friends watching. Hopping up, he gave a few bows, taking the time to personally thank every person watching.

Once everyone had settled down, Ymir walked over to Connie and patted his shoulder. "I gotta hand it to you, that was hilarious." She laughed as he smiled up at her. "I'll tell you what," she began. "On Monday, I will go and tell the whole football team that I was lying about you wetting the bed."

"Really?" Connie looked up at the brunette hopefully.

"Sure. You've kept me very entertained tonight anyway." The two exchanged smiles before heading back to reclaim their spots on the floor.

Eren stood against the door and watched as Levi rinsed his hair under the sink. He could sense that Levi was severely on edge, so he decided to keep his mouth shut until said boy calmed down.

After a few minutes, Levi lifted his head from the sink and gestured for Eren to dry his hair, sighing in relief as the taller boy began rubbing a soft towel over his hair.

"Um, Levi?"

"What?"

Eren exhaled before asking, "You and Armin didn't…" His words trailed off as he was slammed against the wall.

"Honestly Eren," Levi grumbled, moving his face close to said boy's. "Why would I do that?"

"I just…It looked bad when I opened the door!"

"How many times do I have to express interest in you before you accept that I like you and only you?" Levi released his grip on Eren's wrists and turned his attention back to drying his hair.

"I…Uh…" Eren was at a loss for words. He's never seen Levi like this before, and he couldn't help but take in his features- his dark wet locks dripping water onto his toned, bare chest. He brought his hand up to his cheek, feeling the warmth radiating from the unwanted blush.

"You don't have to say anything about it now," Levi said. "I'm not expecting you to confess your love to me right here and now."

"L-Levi…"

"Get back to drying my hair," Levi ordered.

Jean rubbed a towel against Armin's hair, ignoring his protests. He looked down at the blond sitting on the edge of the bathtub. "Armin?"

"Hmm?" Armin turned and looked up at Jean.

Jean gasped. He watched as Armin's damp blond locks fell back against his bare shoulders as he tilted his head up, blinking those huge blue orbs in what Jean thought was the cutest way possible. Looking down to hide his blush, he asked, "Did Levi do something to you?"

"No." Armin didn't feel up to explaining in detail the events that occurred during his second trip into the closet. He was still angry and confused as to why Hanji chose him in the first place, yet he couldn't help but hope that she wasn't too mad about her now paint-covered bedspread.

Jean dropped the towel on Armin's head before exiting the bathroom, reappearing moments later with his jacket. "Here." He tossed the jacket onto Armin's lap.

"I can just wear mine," Armin pointed out, but Jean shook his head.

"Just wear it."

Armin nodded, shoving his arms into the long sleeves of the jacket before zipping it up to his chin. The jacket hung loosely around his small body, but he didn't mind. It offered the same warm, comforting feeling that Jean offered.

He stood, and together, the two boys made their way back downstairs.

Hanji clutched her violated doll to her chest while looking around to make sure everyone has returned. Satisfied that everyone was present, she felt her lips twitching up into an devious grin. "Things are heating up," she exclaimed.

"Just get on with before I really kick your ass," Levi griped.

"So demanding," she muttered. "You know I have to wash my entire bed set now because of you two."

"You did that to yourself," Levi responded flatly, pulling Eren's jacket closer around his smaller frame. He could have worn his but he thought to himself- what was the fun of that?

"I suppose," Hanji noted, holding the 'e' out longer than needed. "Well, anyway. Let's get back to the game, shall we?"

Hot damn. This is a lot longer than I had anticipated.

Gotta thank my bro Tehavengeh (Ai Enmaxjigoku shoujo) for helping me out like always.

Really, thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! They mean so much!

Sorry in advanced for grammar errors! It's really late right now.

And, I hope everyone enjoys!