Levi covered his mouth as he let out a sneeze, of which he tried to stifle, but made no avail.
"Bless you, Heichou." Petra glanced over at her commanding officer as he sat on his steed. He had been sneezing all day, followed by some light coughing, and was even starting to look a bit pale. "Are you feeling alright?"
Levi had pulled a handkerchief from the inside of his jacket and was now coughing into it, a little louder then previously that day.
"I feel fine."
Petra only sighed, for she was starting to get concerned about the Captain's health lately. There had recently been a small breakout of a virus somewhere within Wall Rose, and was slowly spreading around. The rumor was that soldiers from the Scouting Legion may have brought it in from outside of the walls, but Petra wasn't sure if she wanted to believe that. However, the sickness was so bad that the ill were almost forced to stay inside their homes under a strict quarantine. It was a little depressing, but necessary to say the least. Humankind was already endangered as it was because of the Titans and their constant terror, so extreme illness within the walls could not be taken lightly. She glanced over at Levi again as they made their way back to their current living quarters at the castle.
"Maybe you should rest a bit when we get back, Heichou?"
"I said I'm fine, Petra."
Petra puffed her lower lip out in a pout and glanced over at Eren, who riding on the opposite side of Levi. Eren only shrugged at her and then looked at Levi.
"Petra's right, Heichou…you really don't look good…"
Levi turned his head and looked at Eren, shooting him a miserably sour look, which made Eren cringe in fear a bit. Levi really knew how to scare the crap out of him sometimes, not to mention the Captain had been in a shitty mood all day. It seemed like every little thing Eren said had pissed him off in one way or another.
"Eren and I can handle taking in the supplies." Petra spoke up again, causing Levi's gaze to shift to her instead, much to Eren's relief.
"Do what you want." Levi sighed as they arrived to their destination and halted their horses.
After settling their horses in the stable, Petra and Eren grabbed as much of the supplies they brought back as possible, so they didn't have to make as many trips to and from the castle.
"I think we'll only have to make two trips." Petra smiled as she held a couple of grocery bags in her arms.
"Okay." Eren finished grabbing a few bags and began to walk with Petra to the castle. He looked ahead to see Levi at the entrance, and Hanji as well. Hanji was babbling on about something, and Levi only put a hand to his head in annoyance and shoved past her, leaving her looking a bit concerned.
As the two reached the doorway, Hanji greeted them with a warm smile.
"Ah! Eren! Petra! Got some shopping done today I see?"
"Hello Squad Leader Hanji." Petra smiled. "Yes, we had to go out for more supplies today."
"I see. May I ask how Levi's been? He didn't look too well when I talked to him moments ago." Hanji glanced back inside the entrance, even though Levi was no longer in sight.
"Oh…" a worried look crossed Petra's face. "I'm worried about him…I think he may be coming down with something…and I know there's been a bad virus going around."
"Ah, so he is sick." Hanji crossed her arms over her chest. "That explains his shittier then usual attitude."
"Yeah…and he's been taking it out on me all day." Eren muttered. "The only one he hasn't lashed out at yet is Petra."
Hanji only laughed. "Well I could see that."
"Huh?" Eren raised an eyebrow, not fully understanding Hanji's commentary.
Petra only blushed lightly and held up her hands in defense. "That's not true! Heichou has been a little sore towards me today…but…he won't rest. He won't listen…"
"Well that's Levi for you." Hanji sighed. "The only person he will listen to is Erwin. Maybe I should get him over here." She laughed. "But in all seriousness, maybe you are just worrying too much Petra. He might just have a small bug or something; nothing too serious. Besides, you know how clean he is. He probably just needs a cup of tea and he'll be feeling right as rain-"
"TEA!" Petra tossed the grocery bags at Eren, catching him guard a bit.
"Nyah! Petra!"
"Heichou's tea! I forgot Heichou's tea!"
"Petra! Calm down, girl! I'm sure Levi will be fine…" Hanji began to say something, but Petra was already halfway across the yard to the stables, ready to go all the way back into town for tea. Hanji only blinked and stared after Petra for a moment.
"Hanjiii! Help…" Eren grunted, now buried under bags of supplies that he could barely hold up.
"Oh! Sure…"
Shortly after assisting Eren, Hanji made her way back outside, only to see Petra riding up on her horse.
"I'm just going to run into town real quick." She said.
"Petra, you really don't have to go through all of the trouble. I'm sure Levi will understand."
"It's no trouble, really!" Petra smiled sweetly. "I should be back before dark. Hya!" and with that, Petra took off down the path on her horse, with Hanji only shaking her head and smiling after her.
"Wow. You really have her wrapped around your finger, don't you Levi?"
Petra made her way back into the bustling town. She stopped at the nearest tea shop and quickly went inside to pick up Heichou's tea. She ended up browsing a bit, buying green tea, herbal tea, and some coffee beans for the morning. She even managed to acquire a small amount of black tea, which was a bit hard to find nowadays, but the extra cost was worth it. Levi was more likely sick then not, and black tea just so happened to be his favorite, even though he didn't get to drink it very often.
As she went to check out, she saw some cute cat shaped cookies decorated in a fluffy and delicious looking icing sitting in a display case near the register, along with other baked goods. She pulled out her wallet and counted the money she had left. Baked goods this nice were kind of on the expensive side these days, as some of the ingredients such as flour, milk, and eggs were a bit scarce due to the food shortages, and were usually not wasted on unnecessary things like pastries...
But she thought that maybe they would be a nice treat for the squad, since they all have been working so hard lately. Petra set the items on the counter and pointed out the cookies she wanted and how many as the cashier smiled and made light conversation with her.
As Petra handed over her money to pay, the cashier only smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, dear. Everything is on the house."
Petra looked shocked and tried to protest. "Oh no! I couldn't possibly…!"
"Please. I insist." The kind old woman took Petra's hand in hers and smiled warmly at her. "You youngsters deserve it. It's the very least I can do to thank you for what you've been doing for all of us. In fact, please tell Captain Levi that the Ross family sends their warm regards."
"I…I will. Thank you very much." Petra briefly squeezed the old woman's hand and smiled.
Moments later, Petra was mounting her horse again and getting ready to head back to her squad. The sky was once again a pretty deep orange-red, with the sun setting in the horizon. As she took off down the still busy street, she couldn't help but smile to herself. The old woman seemed so grateful and so kind. It was nice getting thanks from citizens rather then hate, which these days, it was basically one or the other. She felt happy to know that she was really contributing to the human race in some way, whether big or small. And then she thought about Levi…which made the smile on her face even bigger. She began to wonder what relation he had to that Ross family and why the old woman was nearly brought to tears. Heichou was admired by many people, which irritated him a lot it seemed like, but in Petra's eyes, that just made him even more attractive. He didn't care about attention or praise; to Levi, he was just doing his job.
Petra was now riding on the path that headed to the castle, with the small shopping bag hanging from her saddle and rustling against her horse's neck. She remembered her recent letters to her father about Levi…about how she wanted to fully devote herself and her life to him…that she loved him. Her father seemed both amused and taken aback at the same time. On one hand, he loved the fact that Petra had changed her mind about marriage, even though marriage is not something she stated in her letters, but the way her dad saw it, if she loved him and wanted to "devote" herself to him, she should marry him. Then there was the other side of her dad that was still a bit iffy about her getting married, of which Petra actually found a bit surprising coming from him. He had always wanted her to get married and settle down, but of course her decisions led to a different path. She had entered the military as a cadet at a very young age and was now in an advanced squad in the Scouting Legion. Though this was not the path Petra's father had envisioned for her, he supported her nonetheless, but was still a bit disappointed in her views on marriage and settling down. Now that she actually had someone she wanted to devote herself to, he felt as if it was all happening a bit too fast.
First off, she was barely nineteen, and Heichou was a good sixteen years her senior. The age difference was not the problem; it was her age that was. He father had recently written back to her after she had confessed her feelings for her Captain to him.
I understand what you are feeling, Petra. However, as a father, this seems so sudden for me. Dedicating your life to Captain Levi? That's a huge decision, even for you. I realize you have developed strong feelings for him, but you are still very young. You are only nineteen, my love…and I'm not exactly sure you know what you want yet.
That one piece of her father's recent letter had lingered in her head for days. He was all over her about settling down before, and now when she finally does fall for someone, she doesn't know what she wants? She didn't even mention anything about marriage to her father…she just wanted to be at Levi's side and be there for him…in any way he needed her.
She blushed to herself.
She hadn't even told Levi any of this. She still had yet to actually come out and fess up to him, but she could never really find the appropriate time, or even the right amount of courage to even begin to tell Heichou her feelings. And furthermore, what would he even say back to her?
She sighed heavily.
Her father didn't understand. She very well knew what she wanted…and sometimes it really made her feel horribly confused inside. She didn't ask to fall for the Captain…she just did. For some reason, her heart went out to him the most, and all she wanted to do was be there for him. Hell, she felt as if she needed to be there for him…and if he would let her, she would.
She felt her chest tighten up yet again, probably for the third time today, and her face go hot. Why couldn't she just tell him?
Why couldn't she just say that she loved him?
She sighed as she steered her horse to the stables. "Petra…you're crazy…and selfish at that…" she thought.
Despite the recent closeness they shared a mere couple of weeks ago, there wasn't the same type of interaction between them ever since. Everything was back to normal, and neither of them spoke of that drunken night. In fact, for a few days afterwards, Petra and Levi remained a certain distance from one another, especially Petra.
Was it wrong to say that she liked the type of closeness she had with Heichou that night? She closed her eyes.
She did kiss the man.
In his sleep.
She opened her eyes, her cheeks now flushed red. Hopefully he was really passed out asleep when she did that, for that was quite a bold move on her part, and probably would not have even attempted it if she were sober but…
She sighed, watching the sun disappear behind the mountains in the distance. Now was not the time to be thinking of such things, especially with so much going on, and with the Captain being sick and all.
Get it together, Petra.
After about ten minutes, Petra made her way to the stable and walked her horse into its pen. She petted the horse and fed him an apple she had picked out at the store.
"Good boy. Thank you for all of your help lately. You deserve a nice treat…"
As she continued to pet her horse, she noticed the stable was a bit more full than usual, with extra horses tied around the posts.
"Well I haven't seen any of you around here before." She said and blinked. "We must have visitors…"
Petra locked up the stable and made her way to the castle entrance, carrying the single shopping bag in her hand. She saw Mike standing outside the doorway, with Moblit next to him, talking amongst themselves. Mike was very tall next to Moblit, and soon towered over Petra even more as she came nearer.
"Oh, hello. Petra, correct?" Mike looking down at her.
"Yes sir!" Petra gave a salute before Mike leaned down and sniffed Petra's hair a bit.
"…" Petra blinked, and even blushed a bit before Mike smirked.
"You smell like sweets. What's in the bag?"
"Oh! Um, I just picked up some tea and coffee…and some cookies." She smiled warmly.
"Well that was awfully kind of you. Baked goods are hard to get these days."
Petra blushed a bit and held out the bag. "Would you like one, sir?"
"Oh, no thank you, Petra. I don't really do sweets. But thank you."
Petra looked at Moblit, who was already caught staring at her.
"How about you, Moblit? Would you like one?"
Moblit blushed, looking nervous as ever. "Alright. Thank you, Petra."
Petra handed him a cat shaped cookie that was wrapped in cellophane and smiled warmly. Moblit swallowed hard, his mouth dry from being a bit nervous in front of the red haired cutie. Before he could say anything else, Petra looked back up at Mike.
"What's the occasion, sir? And is Scout Leader Hanji here as well then?" she glanced back at Moblit for a brief moment.
"Yes, and unfortunately, it's under troubling circumstances." Mike shifted. "Commander Erwin is here as well."
Petra blinked. "The Commander? What's going on? Is it Eren?" she asked as a worried look crossed her face.
"Actually, it's Captain Levi." Moblit spoke up.
Mike nodded. "He's extremely ill and not doing quite well, Petra. We're afraid he may have caught the virus that has been brought into the walls."
Petra's face dropped. "…What? But…but I just saw him! He looked sick but it wasn't extreme…"
"We've learned that the symptoms of this particular sickness tend to spread quickly throughout the body after a certain point."
"He needs to see a doctor then-!"
"There is already a doctor inside. He was in no shape to go into town, so we had to bring one in."
Petra blinked; her face full of worry. "Please excuse me, sir…and Moblit..."
She quickly hurried past the two and through the doorway, nearly running into the main hall.
Mike and Moblit looked after her until she was out of sight.
"She seems worried…" Moblit looked at Mike.
"We all are a bit worried. This thing is quite serious, Moblit."
Moblit nodded and looked down at the cat shaped cookie Petra had given him. Her warm smile had so quickly turned into a frown after hearing about the Captain.
"She's just so sweet; it almost hurts to see her so worried." Moblit blushed, looking distraught.
"Ah, I see. You have a thing for her, huh?" Mike said almost nonchalantly.
"Wha-What? No! That is-!" he stuttered, nearly crushing the cookie on accident due to his hands clenching from nervousness.
Mike smirked. "You know she highly admires Captain Levi, right?"
Moblit sighed. "Yeah, yeah…" his expression then turned serious. "The Captain will get through this, right? I mean, after all he's been through, fighting titans and such, there is no way he could get done in by a mere sickness…right?"
Mike looked off into the horizon, with the sun now set and the night sky moving in.
"If there's one thing we all know about Levi, it's that he has a strong will. I am confident that he will pull through."
Meanwhile, Petra made her way up the steps to the floor where Levi's room was. As she approached his bedroom, he saw three figures standing outside of the door. One was Squad Leader Hanji, Commander Erwin, and a short and stout man dressed in a casual suit, carrying a black bag. That was probably the doctor Mike was talking about. The doctor shook Commander Erwin's hand and Erwin nodded as the doctor made his way past Petra.
"Hello." She nodded. The doctor acknowledged her with a nod, smile, and hello, before making his way down the steps.
Petra quickly walked up to Hanji and Erwin, saluting.
"Squad Leader Hanji! Commander Erwin! Petra Ral reporting!"
"As you were." Erwin nodded.
"How is he?" she looked up at him with worry. "Captain Levi?"
Erwin glanced at Hanji, who stood against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. She had a concerned look on her face as well. Erwin looked at Petra once more before speaking.
"Levi is in critical condition at the moment."
"Critical…?" Petra's face dropped.
Hanji stood up and walked over to Petra. "He's got a high fever, and he's already vomited a few times. There's also a bit of blood in his vomit…which we were the most concerned about. We are pretty sure he caught whatever was going around."
Petra didn't know what to say; she only let out a small gasp and shifted a bit.
"But listen, there is good news." Hanji managed to crack a smile, or at least attempted to. "They have already discovered a vaccine; only a few hours ago too. Unfortunately, we won't be able to get a dose until tomorrow, as they already ran out giving it to the citizens who needed it. They are working overtime to get more doses of the vaccine out and to the people. But until then, everyone needs to steer clear of Levi. He's highly contagious. Do you hear me, Petra?"
Petra looked at Hanji, her faced sick with worry. "But someone needs to take care of him-" she started.
"That's already been taken care of." Hanji cut her off. "Petra…" she put a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "Do not go near him yet. We can't afford another soldier getting sick and spreading it to the rest of the squad. Do you understand me? That's an order."
Petra closed her eyes, almost looking pained, before looking at Hanji and saluting. "Yes sir."
"Good." Hanji removed her hand and looked back at Erwin. "I'll inform the rest of the squad, Commander."
"See to it then." Erwin nodded, and Hanji made her way down the steps, leaving Petra alone with the commander.
"Petra." He spoke up, causing the ginger to quickly look up at him.
"Sir?"
"I know you are worried, soldier. We all are…but have a little faith."
Petra nodded. "Yes…"
"Alright then." He gave her a quick reassuring pat on the shoulder before walking past her. "As you were."
Moments later, Petra made her way downstairs to the dining area where the rest of the squad was meeting. Everyone was sitting at the table, talking frantically amongst themselves, as Petra quietly took a seat.
"I can't believe the Captain is laid out like that!" Auruo slammed his hands onto the table. "A virus of all things!"
"Calm down there, Auruo." Erd put a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Yeah…it's frightening, but I'm sure the Captain will pull through." Gunther spoke up. "They did say there was a vaccine…"
"Well why aren't they giving any to the Captain then?" Eren looked irritated.
"They ran out due to tending to other citizens first, Eren." Erd looked at him. "You heard what Squad Leader Hanji said; they'll be working overtime and we'll probably have a dose as early as tomorrow morning."
Eren's face softened a bit. He had forgotten that there were others with the same sickness, and not all of them made it through. "That's right…I guess I forgot."
"You guys don't think the Captain will die, do you? From something like an illness?" Auruo looked worried.
Petra slid her chair back and stood up, looking directly at him. "Heichou has a very strong will! He has defeated much stronger foes and I know he will make it through this and keep leading us to victory!" she placed her fist over her heart, saluting.
Everyone looked at her for a moment, before agreeing in unison with the girl.
Captain Levi had to get through this…he just had to.
The evening grew later, and Hanji and Moblit ended up staying at the castle that night, just to take extra precaution. Though everyone was trying to keep their cool about the whole situation, it was no surprise that the atmosphere was thick with worry and anticipation among the squad members. Hanji and Moblit would frequently visit Levi's room to tend to him and once again try to bring down his fever, but made little to no avail. After everyone had gone to bed and Hanji and Moblit went to take a quick coffee break, Petra decided it was time for her to go to bed as well. She made sure Hanji and Moblit had enough coffee and asked if they needed anything else before Hanji smiled and told her to go get some sleep.
As Petra made her way up to her room, she couldn't help but pass Levi's room and stop right in front of his door. She stood there for a moment, listening. She didn't hear a whole lot of noise behind the door, just a few coughs, and, if she wasn't mistaken, a few soft groans.
She leaned against his door.
She wanted so badly to just go in there and help…but Hanji had strictly ordered her not to go near Levi, no matter what. She sighed heavily, and was about to head to her room, when she heard Levi start to cough a bit violently. She never disobeyed orders…but…
Levi continued to cough nonstop, and Petra closed her eyes and sighed, looking worried as ever. She was right there, and she had to do something. He was her commanding officer, and she had already made a decision to stand by him no matter what. So she quickly ran to the supply room and grabbed some gloves, an apron, and a kerchief that she pulled up over her mouth. She also grabbed some medicinal herbs that she was in fact familiar with, along with an herb bowl and grinder and made her way back to Heichou's room. She hesitated before opening the door quickly and entering, shutting the door firmly behind her. Levi was lying in bed, buried underneath a blanket that looked almost drenched. Petra could only assume that that was sweat, considering Levi looked to be sweating profusely. He lay shirtless under the blanket, with his eyes closed and a pained looked on his face. Petra noticed right away that there was a small stream of blood trickling from his mouth.
She furrowed her brow in worry.
"He's coughing up blood, too?" she thought, before quickly hurrying over to Levi and setting down her supplies.
She knew it was a risk, but she quickly removed one of her gloves and placed the back of her hand to Levi's forehead. Sure enough, he was burning up badly. It looked as if the fever had broken at some point, hence all of the sweat, but didn't quite stay away. Levi didn't react to her touch, meaning he must really be out of it.
Petra quickly set down the herbs and began to combine them into the grinding bowl. She had to get his fever down, even if he had worse underlying issues. This, at least, would help a little bit. As she continued to mash up the herbs, the door opened behind her. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to see Hanji, who looked shocked to see Petra standing there. She also had her mouth covered, but Petra knew right away that she did not look happy behind those glasses of hers. For a moment, Petra got extremely nervous, as she knew that she shouldn't be in Levi's room and had blatantly disobeyed orders, and Hanji knew that.
"Ral! Didn't I order you to stay away?" She looked and sounded furious.
"I-I'm sorry, squad leader! I just…he's coughing up blood…and his fever…" she stuttered, before Levi rolled over on his side and curled up under the blanket, as he began to cough once more.
Hanji saw the small blood trail from his mouth and looked at Petra. "He's getting worse…what's that you're mixing?"
"An herbal remedy. To bring down the fever…" Petra finished grinding the herbs and began to mix the concoction into a liquid.
Hanji blinked. "Well…what else do you need, Petra?"
"Squad leader?"
"If this remedy brings down Levi's fever then that would help more then you know. What else do you need?"
"Well, this is pretty heavy on the body, so he might get dehydrated fast, so it's best that he has a lot of liquid intake. Water, and lots of it….also…" she poured the mixture into a nearby cup. "Do we have anything like echinacea, or even chamomile? Anything that can help boost his immune system would work. Actually…we do have chamomile tea. That would work as well."
Hanji turned to her assistant, who was standing closely behind her. "Moblit, go get some water. And bring the tea as well."
"Yes, sir."
"Moblit, please bring it to me raw?" Petra looked at him.
"Yes, okay." He turned on his heel and quickly walked to the door.
"What should I do, Petra?" Hanji walked over to the redhead and closely examined her actions.
Petra looked at Hanji for a moment, as if processing what she had just asked. "Could you sit him up please? I need him to drink this."
Hanji nodded and quickly walked over the Levi, who looked miserably ill.
"Alright Captain, I need you to sit up, can you do that?"
"Go away…go the fuck away…." He muttered, his voice croaking.
"Levi, you have to sit up, come on…" Hanji took the liberty of pulling his blanket away, revealing his bare torso, scars and all. The only thing he was wearing was a pair of black pants that he usual wore to bed for pajamas. She leaned over the man and looped her arms under his, pulling him up from his slump. She managed to sit him up, but not before he backhanded her.
"I said fuck off!" Due to his weak state though, the hit proved ineffective anyway, as Hanji easily blocked his hand from hitting her face.
"Cut the attitude, moron! Do you want to die?" Hanji yelled back at him.
"Fuck you, Hanji." Levi muttered.
"Yeah, well, fuck you for getting sick on me." She sighed heavily, clearly aggravated.
Petra had not seen them go back and forth like that in a while. Usually, Hanji took Levi's rudeness with a grain of salt, as most people who knew him well did. But today was different; tonight was a more serious matter, and it was clear that she was worried about Levi as well, and it was starting to show. Petra didn't waste any time hurrying over to Levi's side, who was now leaning his head back against the bed's headboard in pain. Petra handed the herbal concoction to Hanji, who nodded and put her attention back on Levi again.
"Levi, drink this."
Levi only grunted.
Hanji sighed heavily and grabbed Levi's face, almost too forcefully, and had him face her.
"We have to get your fever down, just drink this."
"Get off of me…" Levi shoved her arm away. "I said, fuck off…!" he began coughing again.
"Petra, do something, please." Hanji looked over at the frantic redhead.
"What? Me?"
"Maybe he'll listen to you."
"Why me?" Petra looked at Hanji, and then back at Levi, worried as ever.
"Well if you can't do anything, I'm about to knock him out and feed him that little remedy myself. And I'm not joking."
Petra looked at Hanji's facial expression, which was stern and solid. She definitely was not joking at all. Petra didn't want things to get to that degree, as Levi was already in enough pain as it was. Even so, she wasn't even sure if she could get him to drink; if Hanji couldn't then how could she? Regardless, Petra reached out and gently took the Captain's face in her shaky hands. Levi's first response of course was to forcefully grab at her wrists, which hurt her a little, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.
"Heichou, you need to calm down, please…" Petra pleaded. Her voice shaking, but somehow she still managed to maintain her composure.
Levi glanced up at the girl who was touching his face. His vision was blurred at this point, but he could clearly see this wasn't Hanji again. She held his face gently, despite his forceful response, and spoke softly to him. He blinked, and his harsh gaze seemed to calm down a bit.
"…Petra…?"
"Yes?"
Levi wrinkled his brow and loosened his grip on her wrists but didn't let go. "They won't fucking leave me alone…god damn it…" he muttered, sounding frighteningly weak.
"We are just trying to help you…Hanji and Moblit have been taking care of you all day…"
"I'm fucking dying, Petra."
"Please don't say that, Heichou." Petra felt as if her heart had been stabbed a thousand times.
"My insides are burning…fuck…"
"You'll be okay…I just need you to drink something for me. It will make you feel a little better at least." Petra wasn't sure if he would feel better; in fact she didn't even know if this remedy would work, or if she even made it right. She wasn't even sure if Levi would make it through the night, but she didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to lose faith in her Captain…in Levi…
"Your hands are shaking…"
Petra looked down at the man, who was now gazing up at her with a glazed over look on his face. Petra looked down at her hands that were still caressing the Captain's face, which were in fact shaking. She quickly pulled her hands away and looked at Hanji, who handed the cup back to Petra. She quickly put the cup to Levi's lips.
"Drink." She said softly.
Levi looked at her once more with tired eyes, before he sighed and put his lips to the cup. He began to drink the concoction, but after a second he gagged and shoved Petra's arm away, coughing. Petra immediately grabbed Levi's face with one hand and put the cup back to his mouth with the other, a little forcefully, catching both Levi and Hanji off guard.
"I'm sorry, Heichou…I know it doesn't taste all that good…but you must drink it all…" She lifted the cup as Levi choked down the liquid, trying not to vomit it back up.
He flinched as he swallowed every last drop that wretched girl was feeding him, until she finally took the cup away. He coughed a bit more, but managed to keep the mixture down, much to Petra's relief. He lay back against the pillow once more, still looking pained, but not saying a word either. Hanji looked over at Petra and nodded.
"Good job." She said.
Petra only nodded and looked back at Levi with worry. At that same moment, Moblit had returned to the room with a bucket of water, some rags, and the tea leaves Petra had asked for. For the next hour, Petra, Hanji, and Moblit tended to the Captain's needs. Moblit began to clean up the blood and sweat that Levi had left behind , sanitizing in general to prevent any spread of bacteria and sickness. Hanji began to grind up the tea leaves, making a paste, and Petra mostly stayed at the Captain's bedside, changing out the rags on his forehead and continuously giving him water when he would take it.
Taking care of Levi was not an easy task, as he was already stubborn enough as it was, and with his sickness bearing down hard on him like this, it did not make it any easier. Most of the time, he just wanted to be left alone, and would often push Petra away or knock things out of her hands when she tried to come near him. Even though he was extremely ill and bedridden, his dislike of being touched remained. Finally, after a while, he eventually gave up, as Petra was way to persistent to stay at his side. He knew this, yet still tried to get her to go away anyway. But, like him, she had a stubborn side as well, and he was getting too weak and exhausted to fight anyone at this point. After Hanji had made a special paste out of the chamomile tea, she handed the small bowl to Petra.
"He's more likely to take it if you give it to him."
Petra blinked and looked at Hanji for a moment. She was saying that an awful lot today, even though Levi had also continuously pushed her away as well. But Petra took the bowl from Hanji regardless, dipping a small silver spoon in the mixture.
"How much are you going to give him?" Hanji looked down at Levi, who looked miserable at this point.
"Just a small spoonful…maybe two."
"Mm." Hanji nodded.
"Heichou?" Petra looked at Levi, who barely opened his eyes at the sound of her voice.
"What now?" he asked weakly, still with annoyance in his voice.
"I need you to swallow a couple of small spoonful's of something with some water…"
"Fuck, Petra…"
"I promise this one won't taste as bad. It's mostly chamomile…though it might make you a little sleepy."
Levi sighed and turned his head to her as she put the spoon to his mouth and fed him the two small portions of the paste. Petra was right; it really didn't taste all that bad. At least it didn't taste like the shit she fed him earlier. After that, Petra gave him more water, which he did not hesitate to gulp down, with some of it running down his chin and onto his chest. A few minutes later, he was curled up under the covers once more, now shivering this time around. Petra only sat at his side, waiting for the effects of her herbal remedy to kick in…and hopefully it would soon.
Levi opened his eyes and looked at Petra again.
"Petra…close the fucking window…I'm freezing…"
"The window isn't open, Heichou…"
"Why am I so fucking cold then?" Levi curled up under the blanket even more and closed his eyes again.
"It's going to be alright…"Petra said softly.
Another half hour passed and Levi laid in his bed, now fidgeting a bit uncomfortably in his sleep. He had long since kicked the covers off of him and was now sweating profusely once more. He was panting a bit in his sleep, but not too horribly. A pained look remained on his face as he continued to sweat, and Petra quickly prepared to run and get more cold water. As she prepared to walk out the door, Hanji had placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder.
"His fever is beginning to break, I see." She said.
Petra turned at looked at Hanji, who was now looking a bit calmer then she did earlier.
"Good job, Petra. It looks as if your remedy worked. Tell me, where did you learn that?"
"Oh! I…well…my father actually taught me a few things about medicinal herbs. I know a few basic remedies and…well, it's worked before. I'm just happy I did it properly." She smiled nervously.
"Impressive, soldier."
"Thank you, squad leader."
"However, there is the matter of you disregarding direct orders."
Petra froze up. It was true; she did blatantly disobey Hanji's orders to stay away from Levi.
"Yes…I know. And I'm willing to accept any punishment that may be bestowed upon me, sir!"
Hanji only sighed, and then gave the girl a soft smile. "How about…I let this one slide?"
"But…but squad leader!"
"You really helped Moblit and I out today. And you really came through for Levi…I can see you care a great deal about him."
Petra felt her cheeks flush and nearly dropped the bucket she was holding. "What? Oh! No! I mean…I do! He's my commanding officer! And it's my duty to-! Uhm…that is…"
Hanji only shook her head and smiled. "Run along and grab that water. I'll dismiss what happened earlier, alright? Just don't disobey orders again. Any other officer wouldn't let it slide as easily, especially him." Hanji motioned to Levi.
Petra nodded firmly. "Yes sir."
Petra quickly headed downstairs and to the kitchen, where she quickly tossed the bucket into the sink and turned on the water. She paced the floor as she impatiently waited for the bucket to fill up. Her mind was racing and her worried thoughts kept getting to her. Sure, her remedy helped bring down Levi's fever, but that was honestly the least of their problems. The fact of the matter was that Levi was still very sick, and she would not feel better until he got that vaccine pumped into him. How in the world was she supposed to sleep tonight? She sighed heavily and went to the sink and turned off the tap, quickly dragging the heavier bucket out. Liquid got onto her hands, causing the bucket handle to slip, and the bucket to drop to the floor, flooding it with water.
"Fuck!" Petra cursed aloud, removing her military jacket and getting on her knees to clean up the mess.
"Well, I don't think I've ever heard you drop that word." She heard a sneering voice from behind her.
Petra turned to see Auruo standing behind her in his pajamas, with his arms crossed over his chest and looking down at her.
"I'm really busy right now, Auruo. What do you want?" she rolled her eyes.
"Tch! What's with the attitude? And why are you still awake? And in uniform?"
"I'm helping Hanji and Moblit…" Petra took the bucket back to the sink and ran the water again.
"What? You were actually in the room with the Captain?" Auruo backed up a bit. "You aren't…sick, are you, Petra?"
"I feel fine. Besides, I've been wearing a mask…" Petra sighed and turned off the tap water after filling the bucket once more.
"Damn, you look tired."
"I am…"
"How is he doing anyway?"
"Not good…I mean, his fever is starting to break but…" she looked off to the side. Auruo clearly saw the worry in her face.
"Hey…come on. Like you said, he'll be fine. He's Captain Levi after all…right?"
Petra looked at Auruo once again.
"Hey, just bring that upstairs and get some sleep. I'll get the mop." Auruo walked past her and to the broom closet.
"Auruo…" Petra looked at Auruo, somewhat taken aback by his sudden act of kindness and selflessness.
"Eh, come on! Don't look at me like that! And don't get used to it either…" he muttered before grabbing the mop from the closet.
"Thank you, Auruo." Petra smiled sweetly at him before turning and heading back upstairs with the bucket of fresh water.
Once Petra turned her back, Auruo's facial expression softened as he looked after the girl until she was out of sight. He sighed and began mopping up the spilled water.
Captain Levi was always going to be the most important man in her life; that was certainly becoming more obvious lately…
As Petra made her way back to Levi's room, she passed Moblit on the way, nearly knocking into him as she headed around the corner.
"Oh! Sorry, Petra." Moblit apologized.
"That's alright…" she tightened her grip on the bucket so it wouldn't easily slip again. "How is the Captain?"
"He's still sweating the fever out. Hanji says he needs to stay hydrated."
"Mm." Petra nodded.
"She told me to take a break for a bit. Captain Levi seems to be a bit more stable now, well…at least more than he was earlier."
"You deserve a break, Moblit. Thank you so much for all of your help." Petra thanked him sincerely.
"Oh, it was nothing, really." Moblit smiled, a bit bashful from Petra's comment. "You're the one who stabilized him for now. It was really all you. Well anyway, goodnight Petra. Try to get some sleep tonight, okay?"
"Alright, I will. Thank you." Petra smiled softly and nodded to Moblit as they went their separate ways.
Petra walked back into Levi's room only to see Hanji about to leave.
"Alright, Petra, I'm calling it a night for now." She glanced back at Levi, and then back at Petra. "He's calmed down quite a bit. Though his coughing hasn't really ceased yet, his fever has gone down significantly and he's just sleeping right now, which is what he needs. Moblit and I are going to try and get some sleep. We all have to be up in a few hours anyway."
"Alright."
"You need to get some sleep too. Finish up what you're doing here and then get some sleep, alright?"
"Yes sir..."
"You did well tonight." Hanji gave Petra a reassuring smile before exiting the room.
Petra watched as the door closed and she was once again alone with Levi. She stood there in the same spot for a moment, taking in everything that had just happened throughout the night. It had been a rough night indeed, and even though Levi was a little more peaceful now, her mind was still not at ease. She turned and walked over to Levi's bed, where she sat in the chair beside him. She grabbed a rag, dipped it into the fresh water, and rung it out. She looked at Levi for a moment, watching the beads of sweat still running down his forehead. His hair was drenched, as well as the sheets he was laying on. She touched the cold rag to the Captain's brow and gently dabbed his forehead and parts of his face, wiping away the sweat.
She would not be able to feel better until he received that vaccination later…
She continued to dab his brow, dipping the rag into the water and ringing it out. She touched the cold rag to his chest and began to dab away the sweat there as well. She did this for a good fifteen minutes, mostly because she didn't want to leave his side yet, for fear that he would slip into a horrible state again. She gently put her hand out and touched his forehead gently with her hand, softly running it through his wet hair.
"Please get through this, Heichou…Levi…" she whispered.
She put the back of her hand to his forehead, trying to get an idea of where his body temperature was at now. Petra lowered herself and gently touched her lips to his forehead. His fever really was dropping; making her feel a bit more relieved, but still worried at the same time.
At that moment, Levi's eyes opened, with Petra's lips still to his forehead.
"What in the hell…are you doing…?" he croaked quietly.
Petra's face went red and she shot up, embarrassed once again.
"I'm sorry, Heichou! I was just checking your body temperature…"
"Petra, get me some water…"
"Oh…yes…" Petra quickly scooped up a cupful of water and handed it to Levi, who drank it down quickly and sloppily. He handed it back to her, wanting another cup, and she quickly refilled it. After a few more cups of water, Levi had laid back again and sighed.
"Thank you…" he said softly as he closed his eyes.
"You're welcome…" Petra sat there next to him, both silent for a few moments. "So…how are you feeling?" she spoke up.
Levi opened his eyes and glanced at her, the dark circles around his eyes more defined. "Like shit. Mother fucking…shit…" he began to cough a bit, prompting Petra to give him more water.
After a moment of Levi coughing and trying to gulp down more water, Petra looked at him, her eyes full of concern.
"You shouldn't be speaking so much…save you strength…"
"I can handle a shitty little illness…." He scowled, before examining her face once more. "You look tired."
"Oh…well…it's alright…"
"No, really…you look like shit."
"I know. And no offense, but you look worse…"
Levi only blinked and looked at her for a moment.
"A little sassy, aren't we?" he asked weakly, but still in a very sarcastic tone.
"Well, I learned it from you after all…" she muttered.
"Huh." Levi rolled his eyes and scoffed. She really did look awful…like she had not gotten any sleep all at all that night.
"Petra, go to bed…"
"I'm alright…really…"
"I didn't ask if you were alright…go to bed."
"I don't want to yet."
"That's an order."
Petra looked at the Captain, completely appalled and stood up, now hovering over him. "Sir, you are in no condition to be by yourself right now! That's why I'm here-!"
Before Petra could even finish, Levi had grabbed her wrist and yanked her downward onto his bed, right on top of him.
"Mm!"
Her face was now extremely close to his, much like it was merely weeks ago. Being so close to Levi was now stirring up old feelings from that night, causing her heart to race fast. This was the last thing she wanted; she did not want to get all emotional around Levi, especially now in his weakened and dangerous state. Their faces were so close that they were almost touching, and both were staring directly into each other's eyes.
Levi put his hand behind her head and brought her closer to him, to where their foreheads were actually touching now. Petra's face was heating up fast. Way too fast…
"Heichou…." Petra spoke softly.
"Go to bed, Petra." Levi whispered.
"No…"
"No? You're saying no to your commanding officer?"
"I'm sorry Heichou…you're just ill and…"
"Don't cross me…"
"I'm sorry…"
"Tch. No you're not. Please…" he closed his eyes, with his forehead still pressed against Petra's and his hand still tangled in her hair. "Get away from me."
"Levi…"
"I'm not going to be responsible for your illness…you're not even wearing a mask this time. Quit being stupid and…" he paused for a moment, waiting for a small throbbing in his head to pass. "Go to bed. God damn, Petra…" he whispered.
"Fine…but you need to sleep too…" Petra whispered back.
"Christ…you're so fucking difficult lately…"
"Hush…just go to sleep…." Petra said softly again.
"Fuck, Petra…"
"Shhh…"
The two sat there for a moment, foreheads touching, but not exchanging any words. They stayed like this for about five minutes, before Levi began to feel drowsy from the chamomile tea again. Levi mumbled something unrecognizable under his breath before his eyes got heavier and his eyelids fell once more. Petra stayed there, with her forehead pressed against Levi's, and his hand still gently holding the back of her head. After about ten minutes, Levi was fast asleep once again, and Petra removed herself from him. She took a seat in the chair next to his bed again and rung out a fresh rag, placing it on his forehead. She was extremely tired at this point, but still didn't want to leave his side.
She just didn't want to.
She loved him too much to do that, despite his commands.
She ended up laying her head down onto his bed, resting it in her folded arms. She was just going to take a nap…
Just a quick one….