𝕮𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖘𝖎𝖘 - [𝙇𝙚𝙫𝙞 𝙭 𝙢𝙪𝙩𝙚!𝙛𝙚𝙢!𝙊𝘾] { COMPLETE }

𝐂𝐡 𝟓: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭

ARTEMISIA'S POV:

The following days were strictly reserved for training the cadets that had recently joined the Corps. Hange was preoccupied with running training drills with Levi, so I was left to supervise the Sample Collection Team, as well as tend to the needs of Eren Jaeger, the human experiment Hange was so fascinated with. He spent most of his time outside, training with the other cadets in the grass-barren courtyard, but the Commander would occasionally excuse him—after convincing Levi to let him go, of course—so I could conduct his weekly check-up and perform experiments on him that my commander was too busy to do.

During one of these said check-ups, I was ordered by Hange to cut him in different parts of his body and log the time it took for each cut to heal. She theorized that maybe he could heal wounds faster in some areas than others, or possibly even prioritize the healing process of one wound over another, so the experiment was designed to measure such results. It was the perfect job for me because my inability to talk would have inevitably become a liability on the field, so I refrained from that scene for as long as I could. Performing experiments in my commander's stead was as good of an excuse as any.

Eren was hunched over on the bench inside his locked cell, eyes locked to the floor, while I set up the necessary tools for the job on a table opposite to the cell door. According to Hange, Eren wasn't violent unless thoroughly provoked, but I wasn't going to risk the possibility of him acquiring a tool and dealing damage with it—be it to me or to anyone else.

He shifted his body impatiently as I approached the cell door. I tapped the iron bars with a scalpel to signal the beginning of the experiment, and he bolted up from the bench immediately. Despite having seen the scalpel, his face didn't give away even an ounce of concern. Honestly, he looked almost eager. I gestured to his shirt and motioned for him to take it off. All that was left of his clothes were his pants, which I had him leave on. The sight of a shirtless man in front of me didn't bother me, but if the roles were reversed as they were when Levi and the medic came, I had no doubt I would be uncomfortable. I made the assumption that Eren would be too, but his body language said otherwise. In fact, not only did he not wince when I made an incision in his right peck, but he actually grinned. I thought nothing of it at first, but when I made a second incision further down on his chest, he seemed to be on the verge of moaning, which was a startling gesture for him to be withholding.

I retracted myself from the cell door, unsure whether I should log his reactions or not. I was the only person in the room—the guards were stationed outside in the corridor—so I was the only witness.

Is he some kind of masochist? God, this guy is freaking me out.

I glanced at Eren and back at the blank lab report.

"You're not gonna put that on there, are you?" Eren inquired anxiously.

I ignored him, instead deciding to note only the individual healing times of the cuts.

Seven seconds for the left pectoral incision, and nine and one-fifth seconds for the lower central abdominal incision. Amazing!

I packed up the supplies, grabbed the lab report, and unlocked his cell before heading for the door. However, a hand gripped my arm and tugged slightly.

"Please tell me you didn't put that on the report."

I nodded 'no' and kept walking. Eren followed, despite the training courtyard being in the opposite direction.

"I just..." Eren trailed off, trying to justify himself but failing miserably. "I couldn't help myself. You—!"

I stopped sharply, cutting Eren off and motioning for him to walk the other way.