Addictive ~Levi x Reader AU~

Chapter 10: Assignment

"Hey, Y/N!" Marco smiled as he hurried over to me, both Connie and Jean following close behind him. He slid into the seat next to me and gasped, "Made it."

I began to chuckle, "Were ya afraid you were gonna be late?" I pointed at the clock, adding, "'Cause you still had about five minutes to spare, ya know."

"I know," Marco panted, leaning back in his chair. "I just...I just...wow, I need to catch my breath."

I giggled again and turned my focus to Connie and Jean, "Did y'all book it too?"

"Just about," Jean huffed, dropping his bag next to the seat in front of Marco before plopping into it.

"Yeah," Connie agreed, claiming the seat in front of me. "We saw Marco darting across the campus and thought we were late. Good to know we're not."

"Yeah. I really don't wanna have to piss off Professor Ackerman with absences," Jean rolled his eyes. "Man's fruitier than a fruit bat."

I snickered at the trio but found myself flashing back to the café and how he had acted. To be honest, I was also caught up in evaluating what I had been feeling that day. Honestly, I couldn't piece any of it together. I mean, we almost, almost being the key word here, had a normal conversation with each other. He even lent me his jacket when he noticed I was cold and gave me his muffin. It was as if he had intentionally been trying to be...nice to me. To say I had been taken off guard would have been an understatement to say at least. I had been mind blown into a different dimension far, far away. Or, at least that's what it felt like.

I heard Profesor Ackerman shuffle into the room, having grown accustomed to keeping an ear out for the way his heels knocked at the linoleum floor when he walked. He always walked at that same steady pace, his movements fluid and clean...unlike Hanji who was a snail one moment and a hyperactive rabbit the next. His pace was never swayed by any sense of urgency nor circumstance. He simply followed the beat of his own drum.

The boys turned to face forward in their seats as I grabbed my notebook, ready for the day's lecture when Professor Ackerman cleared his throat, "Okay brats. Today we're doing something different."

I could feel the room's eyes fall onto Professor Ackerman as we all stared blankly at him. Did...did he just say we're doing something...something different? I mentally questioned. I glanced around and noticed that everyone else was just as dumbfounded as me. I returned my gaze to the front and what I saw shook me. Professor Ackerman was staring straight at me, his cold eyes still emotionless. My breath became hitched as my heart skipped a beat. He was definitely directing his attention to me, but I hadn't a clue of why. I fidgetted in my seat, praying no one else noticed what I had and waited.

He stepped forward, eyes still on me and continued, "Instead of a lecture today, we're going to be giving your all's writing skills a little test. " He finally broke his stare from me and continued, "Think of it as a fun little exercise to flex your creative muscles."

Some students silently groaned at the mention of a possible creative assignment, but I nearly leaped at it. Creative writing was my forte -it was where I bloomed greater than the others. I guess you could say I was excited to finally be displaying something I stood a chance at. I flipped my notebook to a new blank page and readied myself for Professor Ackerman's instructions.

He was peeking at me from the corner of his eye, most likely observing me. For a moment, I was positive I saw one side of his lips curl up ever so slightly, hinting at a smirk. My heart once again skipped a beat as chills ran up and down my spine. A sliver of some emotion rushed over me, causing my body to quake. What the hell? I shook my head. What is going on with me? I tried to compose myself while I studied Professor Ackerman. He once again turned to face me, though I still prayed no one noticed.

His stare boarded into mine as he instructed, "I don't care what you write about, whether it be horror, comedy, sci-fi, or romance."

For some unbeknown reason, that last category made my body quiver. The word just rolled off his tongue so smoothly...so mysteriously...so...seductively. I crossed my legs, doing my best to ignore the vibrations darting through my body all the while those stupid steel orbs remained on me. He continued to smirk to himself before shuffling to his desk and taking a seat. He pulled out a book -the same book I'd seen him with at the café and opened it. We all just stared blankly at him, confusion brewing in the atmosphere.

After we all exchanged a few glances, Jean raised his hand and cleared his throat, "Professor Ackerman?"

Professor Ackerman brought his gaze to Jean's and asked, "What is it, Kirstein?"

"Umm, are we just starting now?" Jean asked, his voice slightly trembling.

Professor Ackerman let out a sigh of frustration and nodded, "Yes. You have all of class to start this assignment. Whatever isn't finished at the end is homework. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," Jean swallowed.

We all went to our work when Professor Ackerman added, "Oh, Kirstein. I have a special assignment for you."

I could feel Jean freeze, just knowing he was trembling. I peeked from the corner of my eyes and saw he was frozen, his pen in hand with the point against the paper, just about to write something. I knew the rest of the class was staring from the corner of their eyes, no one daring to watch directly in fear of Professor Ackerman's wrath. I felt bad for Jean, but I wasn't about to dig myself into the same predicament.

"Since you like fruit bats," Professor Ackerman continued, his tone cold, "you can write a story about one. I don't care what happens in it, but your main protagonist is to be a fruit bat. Am I clear, Kirstein?"

"Y-yes professor," Jean replied in a shaky voice.

At that, the entire class buried themselves with their work and kept quiet. Professor Ackerman remained at the front of the room, silently reading his book, the sound of him turning the pages occasionally echoing through the room. I dared not to abandon my work in attempts to meet his gaze, but I could feel those icy orbs locked on me.

**I'm so sorry lovelies! I know this chapter sucks (the whole story might suck so far in general) and that I promised a surprise, but plans change. Hopefully, the next chapter (arriving Friday) will be better! As always, thank you so much for reading and feel free to leave a comment and/or vote! :)**

-Noel Ross