Clearing

Chapter 16

Later that day, I stood in the dining hall alone, playing with the hem of my shirt as I waited for the others to arrive so we could start. I had removed my harnesses after training, as they were uncomfortable and would only make my job more difficult, so I stood in a shirt and trousers.

Instead of us just remaining in the hall after the meal had ended, Levi had waited until he knew we would normally be sleeping to make us clean, saying that it wouldn't be a good enough punishment otherwise.

It was nine pm as I stood in the hall. It might seem early, but when you train almost all day you end up falling into bed pretty much immediately. The light had already faded outside, but some of the sun's warmth still lingered in the air, so the open windows lining the room weren't too much of a hindrance.

I had been sat at the still-dirty table for about ten minutes before Levi finally appeared, Jean in tow. The latter looked incredibly unimpressed, like Levi had gone to find him and hauled him over here. Thinking about it, I realized that was probably exactly what had happened.

"Where's Eren?" I asked Levi, ignoring Jean's now-familiar coldness.

"Hanji stole him for an experiment this afternoon, and I think that's probably punishment enough." Levi stated. I agreed, although I was incredibly nervous to spend so much time with Jean after, well... everything.

The captain made his way over to the supply closet at the far side of the hall, pulling out two brooms, a bucket and mop, and what looked like at least ten pieces of cloth for wiping down the tables. He went back in after dumping the supplies, and emerged with more rags, soap, and a feather duster.

Jean and I were silent the whole time, and I folded my arms across my stomach as we watched Levi present his haul of cleaning supplies. He used a handkerchief in his pocket to wipe off his hands, grimacing slightly even though I couldn't see anything on his skin.

"I want this place spotless tomorrow morning. If it isn't to my satisfaction, I'll have you cleaning it every night until I have decided it is good enough. Got it?" He said, although the question was definitely rhetorical.

We both nodded at the captain out of politeness and he turned to leave. I reached out, desperate not to be left alone with Jean.

"Wait, sir!" I called out. He turned over his shoulder, his cold grey eyes piercing mine.

"What?"

"Aren't you staying?" I asked, gesturing to the hall.

"Why on Earth would I do that?" He frowned.

"To supervise?" I offered.

"Well, if Jeager was here, then I would. But I trust the two of you not to kill each other." Levi turned again and started to walk out of the door. "I'm going to bed, just like everyone else in this castle. I recommend you hurry up if you want to get any sleep."

"Yes, sir." I grumbled, walking over to pick up one of the brooms. Jean picked up the other in silence, and we moved to different ends of the room, starting to sweep the crumbs and dirt off the floor. We ended up splitting the room in half down the center; I ended up working on the left, Jean on the right.

As much as it was uncomfortable, the distance between the two of us make it less awkward than I had been anticipating. The repetitive motions of sweeping lulled my mind into a relatively calm state, and I let it wander as I worked, picking up the rhythm of a song I had heard Armin singing earlier to make the task less mundane.

After a while, I deemed my sweeping acceptable. I chucked the dirt outside the door, coughing as some of it blew upwards, and moved over to grab one of the cloths to start wiping the tables down. I swept the crumbs off the surface and paused as they fell directly onto the freshly cleaned floor.