Unspoken Norms | Levi Ackerman ✔️

Chp 20 ~ Overcleaning?

Fun Fact: If Levi encounters a vacuum cleaner, he'd have a heart attack (vacuum cleaners don't exist in the AOT universe).

Since we're in a modern universe, I bet it would be Levi's favourite piece of cleaning equipment!

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Levi's POV

Shocked as I was with Riverko's actions, my shoes were still dirty—no matter how well he wiped it with his handkerchief.

Once the bell brought along lunchtime, I was the first to leave the food tech kitchen. Hanging out with Furlan and Isabel would have to wait. My shoes beckoned.

Turning down a hallway, I headed towards the door that said Maintenance Room. I'd never done this before, but it was worth a try.

Whistling announced the janitor's approach, followed by the steady clattering of a cart's wheels. I snapped my head to the noise just as the cleaner rounded the corner, his mask and gloves immediately catching my eye.

"What you doing here, kid?" the old man huffed, making one of the mask's bands unhook from his ear. His jowls swayed with each word. "Shouldn't you be off to lunch?"

He pulled to a stop next to me, looping back the unfastened side of the mask before groping for the keys to open the maintenance room.

I held up a hand—palm up—to the elderly man, the other keeping my folder in grasp. "Sir, you may have a day off. Headmaster's orders."

The janitor halted his search and squinted at me, as if his glasses weren't of much help. "Who d'you think you are, youngster? I ain't taking no orders from a kid who claims he has orders from the Headmaster."

Dropping my open hand, I attempted my most sincere expression. Which only involved me lessening my scowl. "You'll still get paid today's hours. The Headmaster gave me permission to access the maintenance equipment for... school purposes."

The look the cleaner threw at me was nothing short of scepticism. Not that he could argue with the package I offered; to get paid and not have to do work.

"Very well, son. Don't get the area dirty though—I'm not waking up first thing in the morning to clean the mess you made," the janitor warned, removing his mask and gloves after handing me the keys.

You've got to be fucking kidding, I thought, revulsion stirring. Me, making a mess? This idiot put his glasses on the wrong way.

I pushed past the man, placing down my folder and bag on the janitorial cart. The elder whistled his way down the passage, leaving me to the task at hand. A spare uniform was folded neatly on the trolley, tucked between the rubbish bag and a tub of tools.

After changing quickly in the maintenance room, putting on the jumpsuit, teal gloves and mask, all was set. I felt my heartbeat quicken as I dug through the detergents and sprays, all the products new and ready to be used.

I worked for the majority of lunch scrubbing diligently at my shoe with different cleaning agents, but most importantly—detergent. The love of my life. Literally everything could be cleaned with detergent, everything.

I found the ghost of a smirk play on my lips as I finished cleaning; the shoe's polished black surface reflecting every intricate line of my face. Now this is what I call clean, I thought, slipping my shoe back on.

Before I took off my gloves, I ran a meticulous eye over the corridor's walls; filthy. The windows of the intersecting passage; filthy. The entire floor; filthy. Everything was fucking filthy.

How did I not notice it?

I pulled up my gloves, scowl deepening. Looks like I'll be the one to clean up his shit.

***

Your POV

"Alright, that should do," Connie heaved, face slick with sweat. Jean, Armin, Eren and I all looked down at our creation; Sasha tied to the maple with a skipping rope. She'd taken one look in her lunchbox and full-on pounced on us, saliva seeping from her lips.

"WHERE'S MY STEAK?!" she'd roared into Eren's face, eyes ablaze with hunger. We had found a discarded skipping rope on the grass and tethered her with it—after several failed attempts.

I bent over, hands resting on my knees. "My god, finally! What, she hasn't had steak for three days since camp? Is that what caused all this?"

Armin wobbled to the earth, dread in his eyes. "What a nightmare... If three days deprived of steak could lead to this... what possibly could three weeks do to her?"

"I don't want to know," Jean groaned, passing a hand over his eyes. "Let's just never do this again."

"Agreed." We all said simultaneously. Let the teacher on duty deal with this, I thought as the bell signalled the end of lunch.

Slinging on our backpacks, we headed inside the building, leaving Sasha behind. "No way are we untying her just yet," Jean finalised after an argument had sprung. "She's passed out but in case she decides to attack us again... we'll just come back for her after Period 6."

"If she does attack again, I'll knock her out," Mikasa volunteered, flinty eyes glancing protectively at Eren.

The dark-haired boy rolled his pupils. "That's what you did last time, too."

We neared our history room, where the rest of our class began lining up outside. "I'll do it as many times as I have to, Eren. You know that." As long as you're safe, I could tell she wanted to add.

Once we were all seated, Mr Indelssohn started marking the roll.

"Mikasa Ackerman."

"Present."

"Levi Ackerman."

Silence.

Our history teacher peered up from his laptop. "Levi Ackerman? Is he absent?"

I looked around the room, eyes searching for the familiar black undercut and pristine white folder. Where is he? He attended all classes this morning...

"Huh? Levi?!" Hange exclaimed, snapping her head side to side. "Why would he be absent?!"

Erwin shot his hand up, in which Mr Indelssohn responded with a nod. "Excuse Hange, mister. We don't know Levi's whereabouts. However we do know he attended every prior class."

The teacher frowned. "You sure he isn't caught up in some accident?"

"I have no clue."

Mr Indelssohn continued scrolling down on his laptop. "Well then, I'll have to mark him absent. Armin Arlert."

"Here!"

"Sasha Braus." Another long pause.

This time it was Jean who spoke up. "Oh um... Sasha's in the middle of something..."

"She farted so we all left her," Mikasa finished. Everyone cracked up; even Mr Indelssohn smiled a bit, his youthful eyes crinkling.

"So where is she now?"

Mikasa blinked, the laughter dying down. "I don't know."

The history teacher furrowed his brows again. "So you're all telling me, two students are missing yet no one knows what happened to them... not even their friends?" He shot a look at Mikasa and Erwin, both who told him they were clueless.

I bit my lip in worry. Not that I was concerned about Sasha, but... where could Levi be?