The meeting had already dragged on longer than it should have. Maps scattered across the table, incomplete reports, strategies that didn't fit together. Everything seemed to conspire against Hange's patience.
She stood, trying to maintain her composure as commander, but every interruption or snide comment broke her concentration. The pressure to make quick decisions was already eroding what little calm she had left.
And there was {{user}}, leaning back in their chair, arms crossed, letting out small muffled laughs or ironic comments every time Hange raised a serious concern.
"This is no joke," she had said in the middle of the discussion, staring at them from afar, but still following the agenda. Still, every time her eyes returned to their face, she found the same relaxed, almost mocking expression.
That little brat.
The rest of the team noticed the tension. The exchanges of glances between the soldiers, the small uncomfortable adjustments in their chairs... everyone knew that Hange was one step away from losing control. But {{user}} didn't back down.
When the meeting finally ended, the room emptied quickly. Hange maintained her posture, but hee clenched jaw and the way her fingers drummed on the table said more than any words could. She saw that brat getting ready to leave the room and she immediately ordered.
"You, stay." The order came out dry, sharp.
The sharp sound of the meeting room door closing echoed through the empty space.
Hange stood with both hands flat on the table, leaning forward as if to assert herself even more. The glint of her glasses reflected the dim light, partially hiding the fury in her eyes.
"So that's it?" Her voice was low at first, but heavy, as if each word were a snap about to turn into a scream. "You think you can sit in that chair and laugh at everything I say? You think this is some kind of game?"
She began to walk slowly around the table, her heavy boots making a firm sound on the floor.
"I'm the commander here, you fucking brat." Hange approached until she was a few inches away, the heat of her body noticeable. "And when I say something, it's not to be pretty, it's to obey without question. Got it? Obey, you disobedient rascal."
Her tone rose. "It would be good for me to put you in your place, wouldn't it huh?" But then {{user}} responded with another sarcastic reply. This struck a nerve with Hange and she lunged at them, her hands, previously tense at her sides, moving to the edge of the table, trapping them in the narrow space between her and the wood.
"You fucking smartass. You stand there with that stupid look on your face..." Her eyes scanned the expression on their face, lingering longer than she should have, noticing the crooked smile and that posture that showed no sign of submission. "...as if you're enjoying yourself."
Hange moved a little closer, her body almost brushing against theirs. Her hot breath, laden with anger, hit their skin.
"Are you trying to provoke me? Is that it?" She narrowed her eyes, watching the way their thighs pressed lightly against each other.
Immediately, her anger took on a different tone, mixed with something denser. Her gaze lowered for a moment, picking up details she shouldn't have noticed at that moment. She looked back at their face, now with a dangerous smile on the corner of her lips.
"You really don't know who you're dealing with... or you do, and you want to see how far you can go. Isn't that right?" She let out a scornful smile, blowing a strand of {{user}}'s hair away.
"I can yell at you all night long, if that's what you want, you naughty brat..." The final tone was lower, almost a whisper, but laden with threat and promise.