The Experiment (Attack on Titan // LeviHan) (Part 1)

The Perfume

'Follow me out' turned out to mean 'follow me up an insane amount of steps'. Zoë shook her head a few times, hoping it would clear a little, but the motion made her feel even dizzier. The ale the new owner of this establishment served was probably going to make them all go blind. Or worse. A silent, agonizingly slow, painful walk of shame up many stairs into a small chamber ensued. A stuffy chamber with a flickering candle, a bed with rumpled bed sheets, two chairs and the unmistakable, flowery sweet scent of perfume in the air barely masking a wilder, musky scent underneath.

Had Erwin been with a woman?!

Some of the members of the Survey Corp kept a secret book in which they recorded all kinds of crazy, often gruesome bets. One drunken night a few months ago, someone had started a bet on Commander Erwin's ... preferences. The wager was high. Had she just lost a really large sum of money? Damn.

Zoë threw Levi a look from the side. Had he noticed the signs too? Was he disappointed? No telling with this one. He looked straight ahead with his usual non-expression, only the dark circles underneath his eyes standing out even more than usual. There was a lot of blood on him. It was maybe a little disturbing, but the crimson smudges on his face were quite a turn on. Just like that clenched jaw chiseled to perfection and that stubborn, displeased mouth of his.

The stupid idiot also happened to be at the top of the list of Erwin's possible partners in the betting book, with even more of her money at stake.

Yes, Erwin and Levi made a beautiful couple, she thought as she gazed at them in rapture. One tall and fair, the other small and dark. But despite these visual differences, they were strikingly alike. Both stoic and grim and dead serious about everything. Both among the greatest hopes for humanity. Both ready to die for the cause. Both broody types who drove curious people like her crazy with their tight-lippedness and secrecy. Rocks, both of them, to chisel away at, chip by chip, until they were mere pebbles that she could stick into her pockets.

"So?" Erwin grumbled. "Do you have an explanation?"

His presence in this small room was rather daunting. He radiated a cold, dangerous fury that made her hair stand on end. Not a pebble, this one... a rock, a jagged mountain. Ready to squash her.

She cleared her throat.

Erwin's eyebrows went up. Always a sight to behold.

"Well?" he said, his eyes boring into hers.

"Yeah," Zoë said, finding her voice quite hoarse. She pushed her glasses up with one finger. Man, she was thirsty. And exhausted. Not losing to Levi had cost her all her strength. And he had pulled his punches, the insulting dwarf.

"No 'he started it - she started it'?" Erwin asked. "That's more than I expect from you."

"He started it," Zoë answered quickly, "I thought that went without saying."

Erwin's eyebrows stayed up. Of course he didn't believe her, he wasn't stupid. But Levi remained silent. The idiot wouldn't even defend himself? She had provoked him relentlessly, all day long. His violent reaction had been sweet triumph. She couldn't stand his simmering, quiet anger, it made her feel like the biggest fool. Yes, she had made a mistake. Yes, it had endangered her squad and as a consequence, his. Yes, she felt sorry. And yes, she was very grateful he had saved her.

But she hated that he had done so at the risk of his own life and while breaking at least ten rules. She hated that he had gotten wounded because of her but didn't in the least care. Zoë sighed deeply after another glance at his stubborn face. Maybe she should just have apologized like a normal human but it was a bit late for that now.