Vows
Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin
Summary: A month has passed since her disappearance and nothing. Statistically speaking, she was dead. [One-Shot]
So, Rivetra Week, better late than never?
The first thing he noticed was the hair. It was orange. Literally frickin orange. Did she dye it or is it natural? She was sitting at the table, head bowed, deeply lost in her book. There was no indication she'd heard him passing by thanks to the white and green earphones. Levi soon found the section he was looking for and forgot about her.
The next time he came by the library, he found her in the same spot, nose still buried in a book, earphones in place. Over the course of the next few weeks, his visits to the library became frequent, thanks to his English class, and the young woman's presence became a constant in the background.
There was always some sort of drink or snack next to her book. She had a thing for fruity drinks and all things chocolate. Levi had once considered approaching her. Only he didn't know how to. Though he did like to entertain himself by imaging outrageous scenarios of him actually trying. He wondered why she always hung around the library. She didn't give off a loner vibe—he of all people would recognize it. Guess she likes the quiet. And she was obviously a bookworm.
She wasn't there one day and it was enough for him to freeze mid-step until gravity pulled it awkwardly down. Her absence buzzed around his head for the rest of the day like an annoying fly he couldn't swat. She was back the next day and his world was back in balance.
A week later when majority of the student body was at the game, she was still in her seat. Levi stopped a few feet behind her. He looked around, no one was present. He stared at her shirt, her thin, white, see-through shirt. Naturally the first thing his mind registered was the sharply contrasting black bra under it.
Then it was the large black tattoo on her upper back.
And here I had her pegged as a Good Girl. He couldn't help it. She just had one of those innocent, sweet faces. And if you were to pick out a murderer based on looks alone, she'd be the last person he'd ever even consider suspecting. Levi pretended not to notice the nagging voicein his head —sounding awfully like his bratty sister—calling him a pervert.
He stared intently, she was oblivious—really it was dangerous because he could be some creeper ready to pounce on her. A wolf, he blinked. It's a wolf howling at the crescent moon. She shifted in her chair and he stood rooted to his spot. When it was clear she hadn't noticed him, he quickly turned and fled, forgetting what he'd come to do in the first place.
The Girl with the Wolf Tattoo. Levi stared silently at his bedroom ceiling later that night. No. The Girl with the Wolf on her Back? No, that's just dumb. And way too long too. He turned over. He was plain terrible when it came to names. Wolf Girl, that's what I'm going to calling her. It was about as good as any nickname someone very uncreative like him was going to come up anyway.
It was a lazy afternoon when Levi decided that he wouldintroduce himself to Wolf Girl the next time he saw her.
Because the universe loved making fun of him, she wasn't there that day.Tomorrow then. She was absent yet again. And the day after that. And the one after that too. On the weekend he dropped by home, but his mind was on her the entire time. Was she sick? Was there some family emergency? Did she find a new place to hang out?
Maybe she went on a vacation with her boyfriend. Needless to say, the thought soured his mood was eager for Monday to come. Hopefully she wouldn't be wearing a jacket or a turtle neck so it'd be easy to check for red marks. He was passing by a message board when he saw an orange head in his peripheral vision.
It was her.
Petra Ral.
Levi's insides filled with dread.
MISSING.
Levi sighed, staring out the window of his dorm room. Digging into his sweatshirt's pocket, he unfolded the Missing paper. He hand long since memorized the curve of her lips and the innocence in her eyes.
She'd been missing since the day she was supposed to meet her friends at the bonfire and never showed.
He hadn't even known her name since 2 weeks ago and he'd been missing her like crazy.
Loud voices alerted him to their presence before they came in and he quickly hid the paper. "There you are!" Erd said, "We've been waiting for 15 minutes."
"What?" Levi looked on in confusion.
"Dude, what is up with you?" Erd shook his head. "You've been so distant for a while now."
"No, I haven't."
"You didn't show up on the first day we were supposed to research for our topic," Oluo said.
"That was a month ago," Levi pointed out. "And you're one to talk, you forced me into agreeing to come to the bonfire and ditched."
"Well the universe had other plans for me," Oluo replied with a stupid smile on his face.
"Spare us the story, okay? We're already late at it is. I'm supposed to meet Rachel in10," Erd checked his watch.
"Hey! We should double date!" Oluo pulled out his phone. "Let me just call my girl and tell her. She'll love it!"
"Why don't you do that out in the hall?" Erd nodded towards the door and Oluo wandered out. "And tell Gunther we'll be down in 5!" He yelled after him. "His girl," Erd shook his head. "Can you believe how lovesick that idiot's become? Levi?"
"Huh?"
"Seriously man, where are you these days? It's like you live in your own world inside your head. You need to find yourself a girl. Lucky for you…" Erd went on chattering.
I have a girl in mind. Levi followed him. I intend to find her too.
All those stupid cop shows make this shit look easy. Then again, they do have their technology and authority to investigate. Levi rubbed his tired eyes. His stomach growled, persuading him towards the kitchen. He re-heated the previous night's lasagna and dug in. Levi picked up the plate wandered back to his room. He spared his binder a glance.
He was supposed to be studying for finals. The peace and quiet of his home was supposed to help him concentrate. It was why he'd come home and stayed. Or at least that was what he'd told his parents. He settled in front of his laptop. But I can't think straight. I have to find something that tells me what happened to Petra.
That, of course, was easier said than done.
She hadn't been kidnapped because there were no ransom calls. As far as he'd gathered, she had no criminal history, crazy ex-boyfriends, or anyone who might have held a grudge. Levi had gone as far as checking all the missing persons and victims of assault and rape within a 50-mile radius to see if her case or description matched anyone else's. Nothing stood out.
This is driving me nuts. He needed to take a break. He picked up his phone and checked the unread messages. A night in town getting drunk with friends seemed like a good way to loosen up.
And it was a great idea. For the night at least. Then morning came bearing the gift of a hangover. Levi straightened up in the chair; his neck hurt being bent in an uncomfortable position the entire night. He looked over at Oluo in his bed and Gunther passed out of the floor.
"Good morning!" Erd chirped, walking into the room.
"Not so loud," Levi winced. He waited for the world to stop spinning before getting up. He scowled, accepting a glass of water from his grinning friend. "Why the fuck do you never have to deal with this shit?"
"Because I, unlike you animals, practice caution," Erd replied. Oluo and Gunther began to stir. "I'll be right back."
Levi carefully set the glass in the chair and squinted at his reflection in the full length mirror. Walking over to it carefully, he placed his forehead on the cool surface. "Levi, what are you doing?" Oluo sat up, clutching the sheets, willing the headache to go away.
"Feels good," he moaned, now he flat against the mirror.
"You look so funny from this angle," Gunther grumbled from the floor.
Levi blinked a few times to clear his head. "Dude, is your house shaking? Are we having an earthquake?"
"Neither," Erd entered with two glasses of water, "you're hung-over."
"Oh, right." He pushed off and turned around, back leaned against the mirror. Levi rubbed his forehead. "Something's off about your room."
"Actually Mr. Clean-Freak, it's not uncommon for young men to have dirty underwear on display around their rooms." At Erd's words, Gunther hastily scrambled up from the floor.
Levi shuddered, "Disgusting."
A month has passed since her disappearance and nothing.
Statistically speaking, she was dead.
Levi refused to believe it.
He wondered if he should let it go. Leave the investigating to the professionals. It wasn't like he was making any major breakthroughs. No. The people who had given up the idea of her still being alive would never be able to find her. An indignant cry broke him from his thoughts. The librarian passed by him and scolded the group of freshmen a few tables over for horsing around.
I'm never going to get any peace and quiet here. Closing his laptop, he stood up to leave. Two of the group members began arguing. "Who asked you, Horse-Face?"
"It's a free country, Yeager. I can say whatever I want."
They stood up and grabbed each other's collars, knocking out Armin's book from his hands as he tried to stop them. The rest of the group watched Levi pick up the book from his foot as Jean and Eren continued to argue. "Sit down and shut up, brat," Levi emphasized his point by bringing the book down on Eren's head. The smug look on Jean's face vanished when book hit his face. "You too, idiot."
Seeing the librarian stalking over, he quickly fled. Why are freshmen so damn annoying? He hoped he wasn't like those nosy-brats when he was a freshman himself. Halfway to his dorm room, when his irritation had faded, the book title popped in his head. Once he made the connection, the pieces began falling in place.
Holy shit.
Levi pulled out his phone and texted Erd. If I'm right... He shuddered. I know where Petra is.
His car's not here. Levi stared at the house. Am I really doing to do this? A voice in his head—sounding much like his mother, a prosecutor for the DA's office—told him to call the cops. But I have no actual proof. What if I'm wrong? The media would have a field day. His face would be all over the evening news and he didn't even want to think about what it might do to his mother's career.
Dammit she could be dying right now for all I know. He walked over to the potted plant and pulled out the key. Levi had it all planned out. He already received the confirmation via text to use the spare key and get into the house. He'd just pick up his 'book' he'd left the other day.
Now comes the tricky part. Levi placed his hand on the mirror. How do I explain why I threw his bat through his mirror? He waited for the vibrations, three fast ones, three slow ones, three fast ones. He couldn't believe it took him seeing that book on Morse code to remember it meant S.O.S. Nothing. Why isn't anything happening?
A full minute later, and still nothing.
Levi was beginning to feel stupider by the minute. God I'm an idiot! He stepped back, staring at his pale reflection. Oluo met his girlfriend the same night Petra disappeared and cancelled the double date with Erd and Rachel. That's it?! How the fuck did I think he did it based on that? Levi was glad he had at least thought the idea of calling the cops through. He didn't want to imagine that disastrous scene.
Footsteps pounded up the stairs and Levi took three seconds to clear up his brain and wipe his face of any emotions. "Hey, did you get your book?" Oluo asked.
"Yeah," he held it up.
"Huh," Oluo scratched his head. "Wonder why I didn't see it."
Because I brought it with me to cover myself. Levi shrugged, "It was sort of kicked under the bed."
"Okay," he nodded. "Hey listen, I gotta go pick up my siblings from school and drop them off at my mom's, you wanna come over later and we can hang out." He stared hopefully.
"Not today, I'm kind of busy. How about this weekend?"
"Sounds good," Oluo beamed.
Levi followed after him silently. He can't be deranged enough to keep a girl locked away in some hidden room behind a mirror. He spared the mirror one last glance over his shoulder as he walked out.
"I'm getting nowhere."
"That's not true."
Levi's head snapped up.
"You're pretty much done with your wall," Gunther nodded. "I'm barely halfway with mine."
"Yeah," Levi stared at the paint roller, "right."
"Less talking and more working," Erd said. "I promised Rachel her room would be repainted by the end of the day."
"You are so whipped," Oluo rolled his eyes.
"You're one to talk," Erd grinned. "Didn't you drive all the way across town to buy your girlfriend the special chocolate-flavored ice-cream she likes?"
"Yeah," Oluo smiled stupidly.
Petra loves chocolate. And so did 99% of the female population. "I'm hungry," Levi put the paint roller away and removed the gloves. "I'll go pick up lunch."
"Pizza sounds good," Gunther said.
Fifteen minutes later, Levi was playing Trivia Crack on his phone, waiting for his order. A set of keys fell on the floor next to him and he scooped them up. "Here—"
"Thank you."
Levi cleared his throat. "You're welcome." What was Petra's father's doing here? The same thing you are, idiot, getting food, what else?
"My daughter goes there," he nodded to the school sweatshirt Levi had on.
"Oh, yeah…" Levi noticed he used the present tense of 'go.'
"She really loves it there, enjoys the freedom and responsibility." He shook his head, "Makes me reminisce. Soon she'll get a job and married and have a family of her own."
Levi just shifted uncomfortably.
"She's all I have since her mother passed away. My Petra looks very much like my dear wife too." He continued to talk.
Levi wanted to leave.
Fortunately, there must have been some deity up there that took pity on him. His order was ready. "You daughter sounds like a lovely woman," he said awkwardly, not knowing just how to react. "Have a good day?" He grabbed the boxes and left, no longer hungry.
"You look exhausted."
"Didn't get much sleep the other night." Levi's mind kept replying Petra's father's words and had him tossing and turning the entire night.
"Was it a girl?" Erd asked, grinning.
"Yeah, it sort-of was."
Erd froze, spoon halfway to his open mouth. He set it down and said, "I've known you since orientation and this is the first indication you've given regarding relationships."
"I've been with women before."
"One night stands don't equate relationships." Erd pulled out his phone. "I have to tell Rachel." Levi rolled his eyes and ignored him until: "Yeah, it surprised me too! Our little Levi's in love!"
"I never said anything about love!"
Erd made a shushing motion and Levi knew his words would fall on deaf ears. Naturally, the next day when they met up with the others, everyone wanted to know who the mystery girl was. "C'mon Levi, you can tell us. We're your friends," Erd encouraged him.
"What are you, some hormonal teenage girl? Are we going to paint our nails and braid your hair next?"
"Leave him alone," Gunther, ever the mediator, interrupted. "He'll tell us eventually. In the meantime, Oluo go get something to drink."
"Why do I always have to?" He whined.
"Because it's your house and you should know how to behave like a proper host."
"Then we should hang out somewhere else," Oluo grumbled. "I'm not your waiter."
"Oh c'mon, your place is half way between the dorms and Gunther's apartment. It's perfect."
Levi's phone buzzed. He opened the messages and rolled his eyes. It was his sister's inspirational quote of the day: "It's impossible," said pride. "It's risky," said experience. "It's pointless," said reason. "Give it a try," whispered the heart. Unconsciously his eyes drifted to the mirror. Oh hell no, I'm not doing this again.
What's the harm? It wasn't like he was accusing anyone. Just stroll up to the mirror and casually lean against it… This is stupid. He put his phone away. Either way, his mind was stuck on it and he knew he'd lose sleep over it if he did nothing. So when Erd and Gunther left and Oluo disappeared into the bathroom, he ran over to the mirror and stuck his hand on it.
Nothing happened.
Fucking hell I—
Give it a second, his instincts told him. Levi could feel his jaw unhinge slightly at the vibrations under his hand. Shit, there's someone on the other side! He quickly removed his hand and grabbed his keys. "You're leaving?" Oluo asked when he came back.
"Yup," Levi nodded, checking the calendar as he left the room. "I have something to take care of."
'Did I leave my jacket at your house?' Levi sent the text.
'Yeah, I saw it.' Oluo replied within 30 seconds.
'I'll come pick it up them.'
'Usethe spare key, my dad and I are going over to mom's for dinner.'
Levi drove his car around the corner and pulled up to the house. Using the spare key, he got in and ran upstairs. There must be a trigger or something here somewhere. He began feeling around the decorative mirror built into the wall. His fingers brushed against it just when he was about to pick up the bat and get violent with it.
Seeing the entire thing opening in movies and experiencing it in real life were two very different things. There was enough lighting pouring from the bedroom to make out a figure across the room. He reached up and pulled the string to turn on the dingy light bulb hanging from the ceiling.
Lying on a ratty mattress, one hand cuffed to a pipe was Petra.
She was dressed in a dirty, old, white tank top and a pair of night shorts.
His first thought was: Is she dead?
Her body jerked on cue. Keeping her head bowed, she pulled herself into a sitting position and pressed her knees firmly to her chest and left arm wrapped around them. She didn't see my face. Levi moved forward and knelt in front of her tense body. "Hey…"
Slowly she peaked from her shell. "You…" She choked out, voice raspy.
"I'm Levi." His eyes went to the handcuffs. "I'm going to get you out of here." He pulled out the lock pick and began fiddling with the cuffs. As soon as it was unlocked, Petra pulled her hand to her chest, cradling her raw wrist. "C'mon," he helped her stand and led her out. Her leg muscles are out of shape.
Petra groaned and shut her eyes, hiding her face in Levi's neck. "It's so bright."
Levi picked up the jacket he'd 'accidentally' forgotten and pulled it around her shoulders, "Here, put this on." It was big on her but it was warm and she pulled it around her like a blanket. "Hold on, I don't think you'll make it down the stairs." He picked her up in one smooth motion and carried her downstairs and out of the house.
As soon as he had on the hood of his car, Levi pulled out his phone. "I'm gonna call the cops, okay?" He kept one arm wrapped around her as he talked to the operator. They heard the wail of the sirens long before the cars came into view. The first one out was a tall, blonde-haired man Levi recognized as the lead detective on Petra's case.
"Miss Ral," he came up to them and introduced himself, "I'm Detective Erwin Smith, and you're going to be just fine."
Levi stared at the door like it was going to bite him. One of the nurses who had passed him by several time now stopped and said, "Are you going in or not?"
His body moved on its own. The room was decorated in flowers and balloons and the like. Maybe I should have bought her something…
"I was wondering if you were coming."
She looked okay. Or as okay as anybody would be in her situation. "You look better," he finally said. It was true, her skin wasn't as pale, the bruises were fading, and she didn't look as skittish.
Petra only shrugged. Once again his body moved on its own accord and he sat himself in the chair by her bed. "How'd you know?" She finally asked. "How did you know I was there?" She clarified. "We don't even know each other."
Levi mentally winced. There it was, the question he was afraid to answer in fear of coming off as a stalker. "I had an English class last quarter so I went to the library a lot. I saw you there almost every day," he answered honestly. "Actually, I stumbled on a book there," more like it fell on his foot, "about Morse Code. Suddenly it call came together," he shrugged. He'd texted Erd about the double date but apparently Oluo had canceled last minute.
"I didn't think you were coming back." It was a miniscule chance but it was the only hope she'd had.
"I did come back," he said immediately. "I waited for some signal or sign or something that I wasn't delusional about this whole thing but nothing happened."
Her eyes widened, "I didn't know that. He kept me drugged so I was weak and barely conscious half the time."
"Well, I kind of gave up after that," he admitted.
"Why did you come back then?"
"It's kind of dumb but my sister always texts some quote every day and I knew it'd bother me for the rest of my life if I didn't check one last time."
"I'm glad you did."
Petra smiled softly and Levi could only stare stupidly. Something akin to awe as well as a foreign, warm feeling tingled in him. He didn't know how she could still smile such a beautiful smile after her ugly experience.
"I'm really glad you came, I wanted to thank you in person before I left."
"Left?"
Her eyes moved to the window. "I've moving in with my Grandma. I just can't stay here anymore…"
Levi's insides twisted painfully. "Yeah, I guess…after what happened…"
"It's not that so much as the looks. I just can't stand them. I don't want…what happened to me to be something that marks me forever." She couldn't stick around if people pitied her. "It's like I've been branded and it is what will define who I am for the rest of my life." Her fists clenched. "No one can decide who I am forme."
Levi didn't how to reply to that.
"So," he said eventually, "will you ever come back?"
"Maybe…I don't know…"
"I used to think of you as Wolf Girl," he blurted. Why the hell had he said that? "I saw the tattoo on your back one time and the nickname just stuck." Shut up, he told himself. Just zip it.
"You make it sound like I'm a wereworlf."
"Yeah, well," he scratched his head nervously, "that was the best I could do..."
"I kind of like it."
He nodded and they sat silently. Finally, knowing the quiet was becoming awkward, he stood. "Well, if you do come back, find me and we go watch a movie or something."
Watch a movie or something. Petra smiled. He's so sweet.
Levi's phone buzzed, it was a text. "I'll see you later." He walked out without another word.
'A goodbye isn't painful unless you're never going to say hello again.'
I didn't want to do the generic 'Wedding Vow' thing so I went for something subtler instead (that and this has been sitting in the corner for a while so I decided to use it instead of trying to come up with something new).
So let me know how boring and terrible you thought this one-shot was.
Please Review~