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“Oi, what do you think you’re doing, you brat?”
Surprised at the unexpected voice coming from behind, you couldn’t help but jump in your seat, causing the old wood to creak at the sudden movement as you spilled tea over the front of your freshly-washed white uniform shirt.
‘Fuck…’ you cursed mentally.
Although you were scared to turn around and face the older male, you knew that you had to address his question or else there would be consequences. You just happened to be there the last time someone decided to ignore the Lance Corporal, and you definitely did not want to receive the same punishment as that poor recruit.
“Mmmm…” you started off lamely, twisting in your seat so that you could face your Captain as you scrambled to put together some kind of reasoning for your actions.
“I was just curious and I wanted to try it out…?”
You were met with blank slate-grey eyes and a slightly raised right eyebrow. The man across from you stayed silent which only seemed to make your shallow breathing and erratic heartbeat stand out to your reddening ears even more.
Okay, so maybe trying to drink tea the same way you’ve seen your Captain do so many times before was a bad idea. Especially since with your bad luck, it was almost given that you would happen to get caught the ONE TIME you decided to try the unique way of holding the cup from right underneath the rim instead of by the handle, the way that you ALWAYS held your teacups.
“Don’t be an idiot,” he eventually responded after letting your embarrassment simmer in the weighted silence. He gives your appearance a quick glance over before rolling his eyes in a peeved manner.
“Clearly, you have no idea what you’re doing. Save yourself the embarrassment of sullying yourself like a filthy titan because obviously it’s too late for that now.”
He was right. What were you thinking??? He probably thought you were a creep or some kind of obsessed fangirl for watching him and picking up on that particular habit.
Blushing fiercely, you bowed your head in a lame attempt to hide the flush that threatened to take over your whole face. A slight breeze cooled the dampened fabric of your shirt, making you feel even worse about yourself. You couldn’t help but wonder what you looked like to your Captain with your pink cheeks, bowed head, and ruined uniform sticking to your slightly trembling chest.
At this point, you would probably prefer being bitten in half by a titan than being faced with the awkwardness of being called out by your superior. At least that way, you wouldn’t feel the shame and embarrassment that burned hot in your blood.
“Yes, Captain,” was all you could muster up as a response, placing the teacup you were still holding onto the wooden table in front of you.
Though you tried to be as gentle and careful as possible, the sound of glass against wood seemed to bounce off the dull brick walls and echo throughout the practically empty room. Head still lowered and eyes over-analyzing every single wrinkle in your pants, you held your breath as you waited for the Lance Corporal to leave the room so you could wallow alone in your absolute mortification.
A moment passes, and you’re surprised at the crisp white handkerchief that falls into your lap from seemingly nowhere. Startled by the small piece of cloth, you raise your head abruptly and lock eyes once more with the intimidating man. It feels like he’s so much closer than he was two seconds ago, and your eyes can’t help but widen at the gap that seems to have diminished between your two bodies. With bated breath, you have nothing to say and resolve to just wait for him to break the dense silence.
“Clean yourself up, but don’t even dare return that unwashed.”
Nodding your head at his command, you muttered your thanks as you gathered the embroidered handkerchief into your hands. Another moment passes in silence before your superior turns away from you, continuing on his way and walking across the room. Each step he takes rings in your ears and unconsciously, your eyes follow his silhouette until the very last moment as he eventually reaches the door on your far left and exits the room. As the door closes, you’re finally left alone in the small mess hall and you can’t help the renewed feeling of humiliation that spreads through your body.
You close your eyes and start to take a few deep breaths to calm yourself down and try to bring back some semblance of normalcy. You haven’t faced a titan down just yet, but you were sure that being caught by the Lance Corporal was just as terrifying.
When you finally open your eyes, the innocent handkerchief in your hands catches your attention. You detect a light scent of something, but force yourself to ignore it. Folding the soft cloth in half, you carefully dab at the spilled tea on your blouse, scared that any unnecessary force would result in permanent stains that your Captain would never forgive you for. As you finish cleaning up, you fold the handkerchief in half once again before lightly placing it on the table and reaching for your teacup for a second time. Making sure to not waste any more of the precious tea, you decided to grip the small teacup in your usual manner.
As you finished up the rest of your tea, you couldn’t help but contemplate on what had just recently happened. Though you were aware of the abundant rumours and gossip surrounding the short-statured man’s quick temper and non-existent tolerance for anything dirty, but overall (and even though you were really thrown off guard), he didn’t seem all that bad to you.
I mean, how many could claim to survive an encounter with Humanity’s Strongest Soldier unscathed, right?
Definitely not those damned titans...