Levi woke up early as usual and got dressed, going downstairs to eat an early breakfast like all the time.
Petra wasn't supposed to leave until about noontime, so they at least had a few hours to spend together before she left.
Spend together?
He wasn't quite sure how he felt about Petra, in terms of more than comradeship. Especially since after the 57th expedition. Most of the time when people came back from missions they came back missing limbs, fellow soldiers, and sometimes even sanity. It never occurred to him that these things would bother Petra. Of course, when he got the report from Dr. Marlene about her experiencing constant flashbacks, he realized that she'd have to leave. Someone like that would get herself and possibly others killed outside the walls. But despite her current condition, he still cared about her and wanted to keep her safe and inside the walls for the time being.
He began to eat breakfast when Petra came down, dressed in a simple button-up shirt under a brown sweater and a darker brown skirt. In her hands was a stack of neatly folded clothes that was her uniform. A plain bag containing her belongings hung from her elbow. She smiled, somewhat less happily than normal, then saluted him when she entered the room and set the clothes down and began to prepare coffee like she used to do. She poured him his coffee and placed it in front of him wordlessly for the last time before she left. He thanked her and took a sip, remembering the day when he had first tried the bitter drink.
"What's that?" Levi asked his mother, who had a strange cup of steaming brown liquid in her hand.
Her bright eyes glowed as she laughed and allowed him to smell some.
The warm steam drifted up into his nose and filled it with a pleasant scent.
"Can I try some?" he asked.
"You might not like it," she warned him. "Besides, this is your father's."
"Just a little sip?" he persisted.
"Ah, fine," Julia smiled, pouring the coffee into a mug. "Be careful. It's really hot."
Levi took the mug into his small hand and eagerly took a sip.
His expression immediately soured.
"It tastes... bitter," he said. "It smelled a lot sweeter."
His mother took the cup back and said, "I warned you, didn't I?"
Levi looked down in embarrassment.
"Yes," he said.
Petra took a seat at the table and ate silently, her spoon clicking against her bowl of mushroom soup.
After they finished eating, Petra volunteered to wash the dishes and brought them over to the sink.
Why isn't she talking?
"Petra, sit down," Levi told her after she had finished.
She did as she was told and sat down next to him.
"You're supposed to stay at home for at least a few months, and Dr. Marlene will visit every week to check on you. As soon as you're stable, you'll be permitted to rejoin the Survey Corps."
"And if I don't become stable?" she looked down.
He pursed his lips. "You won't be able to."
"I see."
She fidgeted with her hands nervously.
"I'm glad, though," she smiled slightly. "I'm glad I won't be a burden anymore."
Levi wanted to protest, but he was interrupted by the sound of knocking on the wooden door.
"Hello?"
Petra grabbed her bag at the sound of her father's voice.
She placed her uniform in front of her captain.
"Thank you, Heichou," she said, shouldering her bag. "Thank you for everything."
Her amber eyes stared into his with the compassion his mother had for those around her sadly.
"You're welcome," he replied. "I should probably see you off."
She smiled.
"I'd like that."
"Heichou, before I go," she said quietly. "I just wanted to tell you..."
"That I..."
Go on, say it.
Her heart pounded in her chest.
"I..."
Tell him.
"I just wanted to tell you that I'm glad I got to serve under you," she finally said.
Petra mentally slapped herself in the face.
You idiot! You're not gonna see him for at least a half a year and you can't even tell him how much you care about him?
Well no, another voice in her head rang. He doesn't need me to.
She didn't realize she was blushing.
"Never mind that," Petra stammered, approaching the door.
The caramel-haired girl was stopped short when she felt a rough hand grab her wrist.
"No," Levi said. "I also wanted to tell you that these past years we've worked together have been..."
Just tell her.
Petra watched him in fascination. He'd never been at a loss for words before.
"...enjoyable," he spit out.
The moment he said it, he wanted to punch himself. Out of all the words he had meant to say, "enjoyable" was not one of them.
"Oh," Petra's cheeks flushed at his words and the contact of their skin. "Thank you."
Damn, Levi thought. Even after all these years we can't hold a conversation that isn't awkward.
"Well," she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "I should go."
The corporal looked down slightly and let go of her.
"Yeah."
Petra opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it and opened the door, where Petra's father was.
"Good morning, Captain Levi!" he chimed.
"Good morning," Levi replied. "I've just come to see Petra off. She's been a remarkable soldier. Hopefully she'll recover soon."
"Is that so? I hope she does too!" Petra's father agreed. "Ready to go, Petra?"
Petra nodded. "Yes, Papa."
"Thank you, Captain Levi," Mr. Ral smiled.
Levi nodded in response and watched in somewhat sadness as Petra walked off into the distance, looking back before she turned around the corner to smile and wave at him.
He awkwardly waved back as she laughed and disappeared.
As he went back inside, he placed his hand on the wings of freedom on Petra's jacket.
I'll miss you, he thought.
One week later
"Papa, I'm going out now," Petra said.
Her father responded back and she kissed him before opening the door of her house to go outside.
She wore a simple hazelnut brown long-sleeved shirt over simple pants. She walked through Trost curiously, trying to memorize its walkways and buildings.
Come on, where is it?
Petra searched around for it, but she found no sign.
She walked up to an old shopkeeper lady.
"Excuse me," she said. "Do you know where the library is?"
The old lady smiled and directed her to it.
"Thank you so much," Petra smiled.
"You're very welcome," the lady replied.
Petra walked towards the library eagerly, following the directions the lady gave her.
She recognized the building immediately.
Gleefully walking in, she felt better just being in there. Petra intently walked into the first aisle she saw, honey eyes examining the titles. Back in her old town, she'd spend her days in the libraries, reading books ranging from combat to cooking. Books had been her comfort when she had none.
First she picked up one book, then another, and another. Plopping herself down on one of the seats nearby, she opened the cover and lost track of everything around her. After she had finished the first book, she moved on to the second. Petra was in the middle of the third book, a chapter book, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up to see a man about her age next to her. He had dark chocolate eyes with short light brown hair that was darker than hers. He was taller than her by a few inches, yet he radiated a childish kind of aura.
"I'm sorry," he said. "But we're closing now."
Petra's cheeks reddened.
"Oh! I'm so sorry," she gulped, closing the book. "Uh, is it too late to check this out?"
She gestured to the book she had in her hand.
"Of course not," he laughed.
"Come on," he signaled for her to follow him to the counter. She did so and he went behind the desk and sat down, looking up at her.
"Hmm, I haven't seen you around here before," he observed. "Are you a refugee?"
"Well, kind of," Petra said. "I joined the Survey Corps before the wall fell. I lived right outside the border of Trost and northern-south Wall Maria. My father's uncle lived here. So he moved there when the wall fell," she explained. "It wasn't that hard for him to get here. He lived with my great-uncle before he, my great-uncle died."
"I see," the man pondered. "Wait, so if you joined the Survey Corps, why are you here?"
Petra gasped. She covered her mouth and began to cry, not because she was sad but because of the horrible memories flooding back into her.
"Hey!" he said, concerned. "Are you okay?"
The girl's sobs died down before she wiped her eyes and cheeks.
"I don't know how to answer that," she replied.
He waited until she was done cleaning her face.
"So, what's your name?"
"Petra Ral," she said.
"Pretty name. Mine's Daniel Castur."
"Daniel, then? Petra smiled.
"Yeah," he smiled in return. She liked his smile. Warm and playful.
"To answer your question," Petra said seriously. "Well, I..."
She explained to him everything from the start, from her enrollment to the present. He was a good listener, watching her intently as she spoke.
"So they kicked you out?" Daniel asked.
Petra looked down. "Not really. Well, kind of. I'm seeing a doctor right now who's helping me get better. It's working," she said. "But in six months I'm going to have a formal assessment. If I pass as stable, they'll let me back in. If I don't, well, you know what happens."
His expression was concerned. "Wow. That's intense."
She laughed. "Yeah, I guess it is."
His eyes shifted down to her book.
"Oh man, we were talking so long I forgot why we came here," he said. "Well, since you don't have a library card yet, we'll have to get you signed up for one."
Petra examined the watch on her wrist.
"It's getting a bit late," she determined. "We can do it tomorrow, if that's alright with you."
"Sure," he agreed. "I'll be here. I'll keep your book reserved, by the way. Just keep it a little secret."
He winked, causing Petra to grin.
She slipped on her sweater. "Thanks. I better be going, then."
Daniel stood up and opened the door for her like a real man.
"Thank you, Daniel," she said happily.
"No problem," he assured her. "Be careful on the way home."
"I will," she responded. "See you tomorrow, Daniel."
She came home and ate dinner with her father before changing to go to bed.
Collapsing onto her mattress, she looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully.
For the first time in a long while, she genuinely looked forward to tomorrow.
Author's Note: And scene! Thanks everyone so much for the 2k views! I didn't expect so many in such a short amount of time!
As for the story, I wanted to add a foil to Levi in this story to mix things up a bit. Expect to see more from Daniel in the future! As always, stay tuned and leave a constructive review if you'd like. Thanks!