A Little Smuggling Doesn't Hurt Anyone [Mihai]

[Nikita Arlovsky]

Nikita  laid down on his bed with a sigh. Things were relatively calm around the Scouting Legion, with no upcoming missions, so they've spent most of their time today training, whether it be in groups or alone. Of course, he opted for the latter. The mess hall was loud enough during meals with everyone chattering or gossiping about. Sometimes it amazes Nikita how some people can talk about nothing for so long and that others can actually deal with it.

He rolled over to his side and pulled out a trunk from under his bed. (All of the soldiers had their own trunks under their beds to keep their possessions in, safe under lock and key.) The Belarusian opened up the trunk and pulled out a precious, small bottle of vodka. He smiled a little as he held it up, for it was worth the hard work it took to smuggle one of these. Fortunately he was able to smuggle in a small amount of bottles this time, so it should last a while if he rationed it out.

Nikita pushed the trunk back under the bed and glanced around the empty room before opening and taking a swig right from the bottle, "It's been a while, old friend." he muttered before having another taste at it, this time just a sip that lingered in the mouth just long enough to enjoy the drink fully.

Hm, maybe he should get a small cup, but he threw that thought aside. It might get the others suspicious, and he knew that they would all come jumping at an opportunity to drink a higher quality alcohol than the beer/ale they have. This was stuff only the Military Police and the aristocrats in Wall Sina got to taste. Unless any of them had lived outside the walls, like himself. But that was confidential info that will never slip from his lips.

There was a creaking sound coming from the old hardwood floor and Nikita closed and shoved the bottle under the blanket without a thought. He turned his head to look out the door and narrowed his eyes.

"Oh. It's just you." Nikita said, despite the fact that he actually wasn't sure who the person was. Just a second before, he thought he was able to see some brown hair, but there were a plethora of brunettes in the Scouting Legion, so it didn't eliminate that many people off the list.

[Mihai Ionescu]

Once someone screws their life enough to end up in the Scouting Legion, they also realize that no matter how much you train, the titans will eventually get to you. Of course, training and keeping in shape, and eating properly and going to bed early were important, and Mihai followed all of the Legion’s doctrines somewhat decently, but once in a while, he just felt like hiding from the world.

And so he did, most often, simply vanishing from the training grounds under any excuses he could come up with. At the time, it had been a sprained wrist, after one of the boys in the yard hit his arm hard enough to disarm and bruise the Romanian. These kinds of little injuries weren’t any rare in the Scouting, and were never too serious; most soldiers had semi-constant backaches or weak knees, the sort of thing that tends to happen if you spend your life hanging upside down with the maneuver gear.

Even though Mihai was far from being in perfect health, sometimes, whenever he had enough from sparring with wooden swords, he’d exaggerate his pain a little. Just to get a moment for himself, alone. Sometimes he’d go try to smuggle some bread from their kitchens, but today, he decided for a nap instead.

As he slipped into the dorms, Mihai made sure to be stroking his wrist (to keep up the act, always in case he bumped into anyone). To his surprise, there was someone already in there. Nikita, of all people. Oh. It's just you., came the reply, as if the other had been expecting someone. At the same time, it sounded… odd. Like Mihai was intruding, somehow.

He approached the other cadet, and smiled in amusement.
“Was that disappointment I heard?”

[Nikita Arlovsky]

As luck would have it, it did turn out that the random person was someone Nikita knew. Unfortunately it seemed like the other was injured somewhat and was probably here to stay a while. Damned shared bunks that have absolutely nothing to provide some sense of privacy.

"Yes, I would've preferred a little wind as company than you right now," He replied coldly, loosening the grip on the bottle hidden under the sheets. Nikita hoped the brunet was only here to pick something up real quick, or maybe to take a nap. If the other was going to take his time to care for his wound, then the Belarusian may just exacerbate it out of impatience.

Nikita curled up his legs so that the smuggled goods won't show under the blanket and feigned a yawn, "I'd like to just get some peaceful sleep," He glanced down at Mihai's wrist. Hm, it didn't look too bad, there was a good chance that the injury might just be faked to get some down time, "You might want to get that checked out. It looks minor, but it's small wounds lie that which can make things worse off later on."

A voice in the back of his head nagged Nikita to just tell the Romanian to scram, and he'd love to do that if it didn't make things suspicious. Then again, everyone here does think of him as the angry, glaring person who should not be intruded on. Yes, maybe going a bit more aggressive is a better idea. He sighed and glared at the other,  "Honestly I'd like to be alone right now, so if you're going to stay any longer, make it short."

[Mihai Ionescu]

One could always count on the Belarusian to be as unpleasant as he could. Mihai was growing used to his antics, just like he was with everyone else’s in the Legion. Not that he minded, he was somewhat aware he didn’t have many fans, either, and it seemed like a pattern for the entire army to be made of weirdoes. It was refreshening, even, since life outside the army seemed so dull, the few times he had witnessed it.

Yes, I would've preferred a little wind as company than you right now . Right, of course he would. Nikita seemed like the loner type, but as far as Mihai was concerned, it was really the boy’s loss. I'd like to just get some peaceful sleep .

Mihai’s grin grew a little bigger, and he approached the other’s bunk. He never took Nikita for the “afternoon nap” guy, but at the same time, he didn’t know the Belarusian well enough. “Shouldn’t you be at the practice? It’s a great day for glaring at everyone outside.”

It took Nikita’s reminder for Mihai to realize he was supposed to be injured. Figuring the platinum blond had as much of an excuse to be indoors as himself, he teased; “Oh, this? I’m afraid it’s fatal. No nurse can help it.” Mihai sighed happily, and added: “The sun is a bitch.”

Sitting on the next bed, the Romanian made himself comfortable (with a mental note to straighten the sheets again whenever he got up, whoever owned this bunk didn’t need to know he was laying on it). “What gives?”

[Nikita Arlovsky]

Nikita glared as the other only came closer. He just had to end up dealing with the brattiest soldier in the whole legion,  "I've started practice earlier than any of you so I think I deserve a small break in the middle, no?"

"If the wound's fatal, hurry up with the dying, will you." With the way he said it, Nikita might as well have dipped his words in poison and handed them in a platter. He covered himself under the blankets, ready to just turn around and ignore the other. Hopefully that wouldn't lead to any prodding that could uncover the smuggled alcohol. He closed his eyes, pretending that the Romanian wasn't around, sitting on the opposite bed like they're having some friendly conversation. It wasn't working. It was almost like the brunet's presence in itself was somehow nagging at him to pay attention.

"What, is it unnatural to want some time to oneself for rest?" The Belarusian grumbled, ducking his head under the sheets. Good thing he could see that the bottle wasn't leaking, though he was awfully tempted to try to get a drink from here. That'd be much too suspicious though, Mihai would be able to see something's up immediately,  "If I don't hear footsteps walking out soon I'm going to force you out myself."  He threatened in a low but authoritative tone.

...Maybe he shouldn't have said anything. Then the Romanian might've just left without saying much, or doze off so that Nikita can get back to drinking. But no, he just had to tell the other to go when, looking back on it even now, was a pretty dumbass decision to make. The guy tends to do things just to defy and pester others, and those kinds of people just love to do that to people who have a low tolerance for it, such as himself. He silently pulled out the hidden knife under his pillow. There's nothing that these small blades can't solve.

[Mihai Ionescu]

How very pleasant, indeed. With the way the other insisted on hiding under the sheets, it seemed like Mihai had intruded a very private moment, but which one specifically? Nikita didn’t sound sleepy at all, so what could it be? He suspected that soldiers weren’t simply allowed to make up their own schedule, even if the paler man was in a better squad than himself.

Mihai smiled, slyly. “That’s not very nice, you know. I have every right to be here as you do, probably.” Which meant no rights at all, if they were getting all technical about it. That said, would Nikita end up in trouble if Mihai were to, say, casually comment bumping into him during work hours? Maybe he would have to test it out, if the Belarusian did carry out his threats.

“It’s not unnatural at all, weirdo, I’m here to get some quiet time too. ” That said, Mihai made himself comfortable on the bed, crossing his hands under his head as he stared at the ceiling. Ignoring threats or people in general, was one of his many natural talents, so there wasn’t much Nikita could say or do that would make him move, and the Romanian suspected it wouldn’t come to anything physical, either way. Attacking a fellow cadet for a nap wasn’t worth the headache with the superiors, right?

Then it dawned on him; Nikita was alone in the bedroom, covered with the sheets head to toe, and way too grumpy just for chatting with Mihai. “Oh dear.” The Romanian sat up again, grinning from ear to ear.  “You aren’t jerking off or anything, are you?”

Pure blackmail gold.

[Nikita Arlovsky]

Nikita stayed quiet under the sheets, hoping that the other would get bored or frustrated and leave. He just stared at the bottle as he started to wonder if this was worth it. Maybe he could give that one bottle to the Romanian to get him to shut up. Nikita had a couple more still left. He dismissed that thought quickly enough, getting a single bottle was enough work and he's not going to reward someone for pestering him. So he stayed still, trying to wait it out.

Unfortunately, he couldn't keep that up for long, for as soon as the brat added the part about jerking off, he sat up and growled,"Did you just come here to be a nuisance becausse I'll make sure you can never walk again do you understand-"

He glanced behind him and noticed. Oh. The cork of the bottle was in view. He moved his body to block Mihai's view while pulling the blanket up to conceal it again. He glared at the Romanian but didn't say a word. He'd already slipped up enough, saying something would only make things worse. Knowing him, the Romanian will probably start pestering about the identity of the hidden item in about 0.2 seconds.

[Mihai Ionescu]

Mihai couldn’t say he got the reaction he expected. It was disappointed, to be honest; he had hoped for a knife on his neck or something of the sort. He could have used a bit of distraction, and he knew that the Belorussian could deliver. Maybe the younger boy needed to be pushed further? The Romanian grinned to himself; In this case, it could hurt to try, but that made things more exciting. Mihai didn’t care much if the other boy was annoyed, not when he was already so bored himself.

“You could use some manners, you know. How are you making mute? Heh, are you cutting off my tongue, then? I’d like to see you try. ” Mihai knew better than to fight Nikita, but he couldn’t make himself look bad and just accept the threat.

It didn’t even take him 0.2 seconds to spot the cork while Nikita kept wiggling in the bed. “Ooh. What’s that?” Another second later, Mihai was back on his feet and approaching the Belorussian cot. “All this fuss over some beer?”

Without asking permission, Mihai swiftly pounced the other in order to retrieve the bottle. Once he pulled it out and recognized the clear liquid behind the glass, his eyes sparkled. “This isn’t water, is it?” Pulling the cork out, he sniffed the drink and then took a big sip, and only afterwards, (but just before he got violently murdered), Mihai asked. “Hn— Can I have some?”

Never mind that he was still straddling Nikita.

[Nikita Arlovsky]

Nikita growled. Stupid Mihai and his nosiness, and the other had to be so rude that he just drank out of it. The Belarusian should've just gotten his knife out before getting up on the bed. He'd avoided it just this one time, and now look where that got him. The Romanian's little tease only tempted him- maybe he should cut the brat's tongue out. It'd be a public service, if anything (somehow turning off his vocal chords would be a bonus.)

"Give me that," Nikita growled as he yanked the bottle out of the brunet's hands. A little of the alcohol spilled out in the process, but it was minor and could easily be mistaken for water. He wiped where Mihai's lips touched the bottle before taking a swig himself, "This took me forever to get and I'm definitely not going to hand it over to some tool like you."

Oh, there was still the issue of the older cadet's body straddling on top of his. He didn't really notice it until the bottle was back in his hands and he glanced down at where the other was sitting. Flushing just a little (very little, almost invisible... well not really,) he pushed the man off his lap and to the ground with his free hand. He stood up from the bed and directly above the Romanian, bottle of vodka in one hand and pulled out a knife from his inner jacket pocket with the other. He wanted to make the other pay for being an annoying little shit, and he'd go ahead with it right now except it'd be easy for Mihai to scream and make a scene like the drama queen he is.

So for now, he had to settle with slightly quieter means, "Now what the hell will get you to shut up? Trust me, I won't mind cutting off your tongue and feeding it to the dogs." He glared, knife pointing directly down at Mihai's face.

[Mihai Ionescu]

If Mihai didn’t know Nikita was more than able to hurt him, he would have enjoyed the little changes of expressions’ on the other’s face way too much. Hell, he enjoyed them either way, even as the bottle was pulled away from his hands. One had to be careful when dealing with the Russian, but it made his little play a bit more exciting. He watched in amusement as Nikita wiped the bottle.

The Romanian only noticed the shove a second too late, and by that time he was already landing on his butt, with a muffled thump and a soft “Ow!”. So unnecessarily rude, but Mihai knew what he was getting into from the start. He sat up, still on the floor, to peek over the bed and grin at Nikita.

“Where did you get that, anyways? I can only ever find beer around.”

Being on eye level with the bed, however, Nikita easily towered over him. Fear may have crossed Mihai’s eyes for a brief moment, but it was soon replaced by yet another sly smile. He knew Nikita would be in deep shit if he attacked a cadet in their bedroom. So instead, he reached out for the Belarusian’s knife and pulled it down. Desperate times require desperate measures; and this little… situation… was nothing but a dance, and two were playing it.

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you. You’re skipping duty. With booze. And threatening to injuring someone.” He grinned. “Would be a shame if someone told.”

[Nikita Arlovsky]

Nikita gritted his teeth, glaring down at the other. He shook off the Romanian's hand and kept his knife up, "Would be hard to say anything when one is tongueless."

Of course, he knew he couldn't do that. He was now stuck in a situation where there wasn't much choice but to give up some of his drink in order to keep this whole thing silent. An unfortunate turn of events, really. He wanted to indulge himself just this one time and look where that got him.

The Belarusian sighed and looked carefully at the bottle, examining how much of the vodka was left, "Very well then..." He started to swish the clear liquid around, "I'll give you the choice for a compromise then. You can either take one fourth from what the whole bottle originally was, or one third of what's remaining." He kept swishing the bottle around. Nikita actually had no idea which of the options would most benefit him, since the volume left made it appear very close. He expected that Mihai wouldn't know either, and the idea that he knew but the other didn't would somehow push the Romanian to the lesser amount.

"What will it be then?" He stopped swishing the bottle, only to start up again as the liquid was about to settle. Even if the Romanian did make the better decision, there were still the other bottles left in his chest under the bed, the bottles which nobody has yet to find out, "Don't leave me waiting, I don't have time for this. I think I'll just drink as much of it as I can if you don't make your choice soon. Or even waste it."

[Mihai Ionescu]

It didn’t really matter how many threats Nikita made, Mihai knew that if the other would pounce and cut his tongue off, he’d have done it twenty minutes ago when the Romanian first came into the room. But with all the shorter’s counter-threats, Nikita seemed less and less dangerous. “The knife’s not helping your point as much as you think it is, you know.”

But now that he voiced it in his head, Mihai realized the Belarusian was just amusing himself; probably stalling the discussion. If that’s how you want to play… Let’s do this. The Romanian still had the upper-hand of sorts; his excuse was an injury, and the other’s excuse? He figured it wasn’t too great if he didn’t want to get caught.

Amber eyes stared at the bottle, noticing the liquid go around. “Fine. Which part would you take?” Mihai grinned, and didn’t bother waiting for a response. “I’ll take half of what’s left, and no one needs to know. Fair enough, isn’t it?”

Mihai reached out for the bottle, trying to slip it out of Nikita’s grasp. Given the earlier push-off-the-bed, he was almost certain that the Belarussian didn’t like his personal space violated. No better strategy than to practically hug the blonde’s chest as he tried to get the bottle. “Hand it over already, it’ll be so much easier!” And truth was, he didn’t even mind sharing the half/half of the drink. He knew it wasn’t enough to get them both drunk; it was now Mihai’s quest to simply harass Nikita.