Levi quickly strided down the halls of headquarters, giving cold stares to any passing soldiers who aknowledged him. He wasn't in the mood for useless conversations, especially today. But then again, when was he ever in the mood to involve himself with anyone other than Erwin. It had become very clear to him that he was being pushed against the corner by the likes of a sadistic experimentalist. Her intentions of ruining his life had become not only a part of her amusement, it was now a new project to her eyes. His absurd behavior and lewd thoughts was the main cause of his troubles. He literally got himself caught within a spider web. He groaned, worn out from all the unnecessary stress, constant bickering, and particularly tired of thinking about her.
"Thinking dirty thoughts again Levi?" Hanji appeared from behind the main halls' doors, with a huge grin across her face.
Levi narrowed his eyes at his former comrade who was now his temporary enemy. "Care to say that again?" He stepped forward, sending off an intimidating vibe.
"Now now, no need to be sassy." Hanji continued smirking, slapping Levi on his broad shoulder. He glanced down at the spot where she touched and took out his handkerchief to wipe off the germs that she left behind on his green cloak. She rolled her eyes and adjusted her glasses. "Your obsession with cleaning is abnormal."
"Tch. Your obsession with Titans is the abnormal one."
"I'll take that as a compliment." She replied, ignoring his remark.
"Please don't" He muttered under his breath, taking a seat at the long table she had set up in the middle of the main halls. The table was decorated with a white cloth that covered the bare, wooden surface from underneath. She placed down a brown paper bag on top of the cloth, which contained something solid and lengthy peaking from the opening. Levi glanced at it, flinching from the horrid thoughts that could possibly occur during the experiment. He wanted nothing more than to make his escape through the main entrance of headquarters and deal with the consequences, then to stay and go through the torment which was Hanji's idea of fun.
"So where are they?" Hanji asked, ignoring the scowl that was projecting on Levi's face. She carried a handful of plastic cups and lightly placed them down in numerous directions. The pink flush in her face was giving off a dark aroma, causing Levi to stir in his seat uncomfortably.
"The brats?" Levi glanced up at the clock. "It's still early. I just came to figure out this mastermind plan you have going on here." His eyes flickered back over to the eccentric squad leader in suspicion.
She glanced down at him, her teasing eyes probing into his half closed gaze. "Now that's something you're going to have to figure out on your own Mr. Clean Freak."
"I swear Hanji, if even a word comes out of your mouth about Ackerman during this experiment, I will -"
"You will what Levi?" Hanji arched her eyebrow, a mocking expression manifesting on her face.
He clenched his fist, a vein popping out from his temple. "I will take it upon myself to tell Erwin about that thing." Levi smirked at the sight of her lips twitch.
"So in other words. You're stepping your foot into the ring Levi?" She asked, amusement bursting from her atmosphere.
"I've been in the ring Hanji. Don't take me so lightly. You're forgetting who you're fucking with." His eyes narrowed.
"Well then Levi, shall we make a bet?"
"If I win," he paused. "You keep your mouth shut and clean every corner of the corridors, including the basement." He pressed his lips together, forming a sinister smile.
"Ruthless as they say, Corporal. Okay, I agree to your terms. But if I win," she placed her hand on her chin, quietly thinking to herself before continuing. "You have to refrain from cleaning for at least a week and admit defeat." She smirked, a hint of pleasure in her eyes.
Levi stared at her with an unpleasant look in his eyes. Just the thought of not being able to sanitize a single thing for a week left a bad taste in his mouth.
"I'd rather have you kick me in the groin." He replied, tightly gripping the edge of his seat. "But I agree to your damn terms...what's the challenge that we're placing our bets on?"
"Oh. You'll see soon enough." She looked away, stifling a laugh from under her breath.
~Meanwhile~
The five soldiers began making their way towards the main hall at the appointed time from the Corporal's orders, silence filling the air between all of them. They all walked, side by side except for Eren and Mikasa who were clearly stiffening the atmosphere, creating a gap within the group.
"Eren. You haven't spoken to me for a while." Mikasa asked, breaking the awkwardness, with a worrisome expression on her face. She noticed Eren's odd change of behavior for awhile now, not being able to piece together the reason for it. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine Mikasa." He replied to her grudgingly, avoiding her direct eye contact. He was still confused and irritated over the thoughts that made him irresolute.
Mikasa stared at him, not fully convinced, speeding in her stead to get in front of him. "Eren." She replied once more.
"I said.. I'M FINE! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" He shouted in frustration, already on his last nerve. He glared at her with his sharp turquoise eyes.
Mikasa flinched, startled by his sudden outburst. She was use to his remarks, indefinitely. But the tone in his voice sounded more exasperated.
"Hey bastard, she's just worried about you. Quit being so damn stuck up." Jean grabbed him by his shoulder, forcing him to stop in his stead. Eren glanced back, narrowing his eyes at the egocentric soldier.
"This is between me and her. Back off."
"I could care less Jaeger. Your attitude is ruining the mood for everybody." Jean tightly clenched his shoulder, forcing him to turn around and face him directly.
Connie sprang forward, coming in between the two stubborn soldiers. "Guys, come on." He pushed them apart. "No one's at fault here, so quit fighting."
Sasha's ears perked up as came forward, grabbing the collar of Connie's jacket. "No one's fault? Mikasa just wanted to know what was wrong with Eren, was that so wrong of her?" She glared at Connie, who stared at her with bewildered eyes. She glanced back at Mikasa, who stood there with her head down, her bangs covering the bleakness in her eyes.
"Learn how to cool off your steam Jaeger." Jean hissed.
"Learn how to mind your business horse face." Eren replied back, gritting his teeth together.
"I'm just trying to be neutral here Sasha, why are you getting so mad?!" Connie asked, trying to escape from her firm grip.
"Neutral? Can't you see that you made Mikasa sad." Sasha flickered her eyes back at Mikasa, trying to grab her attention and gain points for her affection.
"Sad? What did I do!" Connie replied, confused at the sudden quarrels that were happening. Especially between him and Sasha. The whole corridors echoed with their continued dispute, quickly heightening the tension within the atmosphere. Jean and Eren clashed, while Sasha and Connie debated over whose fault it was. Mikasa silently stood there, still affected by Eren's words, not responding to the arguments.
Levi peeked his head out the doors, annoyed by the loud voices that were going on within the corridors. He pushed open the doors and made his way out, noticing the group fighting with one another. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE DAMN-" He stopped, hitting his face against something solid. He looked up and noticed Mikasa standing there with a blank expression on her face. He cleared his throat and repeated himself in a more calm voice. "Ackerman. What's going on here?"
She glanced at him. "Nothing." She replied abruptly, pushing past towards him, making her way into the main halls.
Levi stood there dumbfounded. 'She doesn't even want to acknowledge my presence. Shit. She's still mad about the whole thing.' Levi narrowed his eyes, a scowl reappearing on his face. "Oi brats! Get the hell in here already!" He barked, clenching his fist tightly.
They all looked up, except for Eren, nodding their heads before making their way through the doors. Eren just stood there for a moment, giving Levi a sour look, before making his way inside the main halls. Levi creased his forehead at his out of character behavior and followed behind him, closing the doors behind him tightly.
Everyone stood far apart, arms crossed, looking in different directions and creating a good enough distance between all of them. They all carried a sour look on their faces, except for Mikasa, who was still depressed about the whole thing between her and Eren. Levi noticed her expression and cursed under his breath, still blaming himself for her absent behavior.
Hanji's eyes wandered around the room, quietly observing their expressions, not fully understanding the whole situation. "So... what's with this atmosphere?"
Everyone stayed silent.
Hanji flickered her eyes to Levi and repeated the question again. "Levi, mind telling me what's going on?"
Levi narrowed his eyes, "How the hell am I suppose to know. I'm not their parent." His tone dropping several notches.
Hanji arched her eyebrow in confusion and sighed heavily, clearing her throat. "Anyways... the experiment I'm doing today is called, Self Control Management."
All of their eyes suddenly met hers.
She smiled happily, finally getting their attentions. "What I have here is three bottles containing three different types of liquid that I prepared. Each of you will take a sip of the unknown liquid." She paused, making a gesture towards the plastic cups. "I will place you guys in groups of two, locking you and your partner in a room, while being under the factor of the unidentified liquid."
"Sounds like you're giving us alcohol." Levi scoffed at the ridiculous experiment that the eccentric woman made up.
Hanji adjusted her glasses again, ignoring his side comment. "I have a fair warning to share before we begin this experiment. The dosage in the liquids all differ but the outcome is precisely the same."
"What will the liquids make us do?" Connie asked, interested in the experiment that she set up for them to do.
Her eyes gleamed with a hint of sadism, only Levi caught from the side. "Let's just say, actions speak louder than words." Her eyes flickered to Levi, a pleasing smile forming in place.
They all stared at her, confused of the words that left her mouth but nodded nonchalantly.
"Of course," she continued. "You'll all receive rewards for your participation. Remember, I have cameras set up in the rooms, so I'll be observing what will be going on in there. This is an experiment to test your self-control so please do try your best."
"Do we pick our own groups?" Jean questioned, glancing over to Mikasa, silently hoping that he'll be partnered up with her.
"No. I'm choosing the groups. Based on my arrangement, I'm partnering Eren Jaeger with Jean Kirschtein. Sasha Braus with Connie Springer, and last but not least, Corporal Levi with Mikasa Ackerman." Levi stood up from leaning against the wall, staggering at her choice of groups and eyed her in suspiscion.
"Not happening Hanji." Levi protested, crossing his arms in the process.
"I agree." Jean followed.
"I third that." Sasha rose her hand up in the air.
"Same with me." Eren diverted his eyes from the group.
Connie stayed silent, completely happy with the pairings, especially since he would be in the same room with Sasha. Alone. He stepped back, giving a thumbs up gesture towards Hanji, who caught a glimpse of it, and nodded in return.
"And you call yourself soldiers from the Scouting Legion? Pfft. Can't even handle one simple task like this. Especially you, Corporal. You should be setting an example for the newcomers but I guess you're just the same." She lifted her hands in the air innocently. "Go ahead and leave if you want. Let me just remind you, whoever fails to participate will be assigned to do chores for a month. I already got the 'Ok' from the Commander." She smirked, glancing at the soldiers stiff atmosphere.
Levi gritted his teeth together, dismayed by the fact that he lost against her once again. If he backed out of her plans, not only would he be looked down upon by the brats but he would also have to stop cleaning for a full week and admit defeat.
They all glanced at each other, feeling uneasy with the situation, but reluctantly agreed, not wanting to have the duty to do chores.
"If there isn't any more 'if's,and's,or but's,' let us begin the experiment, shall we?" Hanji eyes gleamed with amusement, glancing over to Levi's stiff composure. "Do your best Corporal Levi. You're gonna need it." She muttered under her breath, stifling a laugh to herself before facing the group again.
Levi flickered his eyes over to Mikasa, who glanced back at him in return. Her eyes were narrowed and her face showed a hint of loathing. He felt a chill crawl up his spine, as he began to think about the absurd experiment. He was going to be given a dosage, that would affect his behavior and train of thought, while being placed in a room with Mikasa who would also be affected by the unknown liquid. Alone. In a room. By themselves. Levi clenched his jaws and realized what Hanji's plan was. He stared back at the eccentric squad leader who was happily discussing the procedures with Connie. He didn't realize it by now but, her chances of winning were slightly increasing. Hell was going to go loose in a matter of minutes. This was going to be a long night.
(To be Continued...)
CLIFFHANGERS XD hahaha, I had so much fun writing this! Hanji is like a sadistic cupid for RivaMika in this story! The next chapter will probably make you fangirl inside and cause you to have a nosebleed O.O Kyaa! As always my lovely supporters, leave a review on what you thought and what you would like to see! Your comments support me to keep writing! Thank you!