CHAPTER 11: THE BEAUTIFUL DAY OFF
It's been seven long years...finally, I have come back to my hometown. But what thrills me the most is the fact that Levi heichou is with us and dad...dad said his going to settle things here. What did that really mean!?
It was almost sundown when we arrived our town. Nostalgia filled the atmosphere.
"Okay, we're here!" my mom said with a grin as she mounted her horse. "Well, let's get inside the house. Levi heichou-dono, please feel at home!" she said cheekily as she unlocked the main door of our house.
I was about to mount my horse too but surprisingly, heichou went towards me and offered his hand to help me get down. His face turned red, "...I think you might need a little help..."
"...Thank you..." I took his offer and grasped his hand though still feeling awkward due to that sudden...that sudden kiss!
Dad was looking at us furiously yet again but as I turned my gaze on him, he quickly looked away as if he wasn't really staring at us at all.
We then went inside the house and it took me quite a few moments to realize that me and Levi heichou were still holding each other's hands. I became flustered all the more but as I stole glances on heichou, he did not look like he cared and it could have only been my imagination but I think he caught me stealing glances at him and as he did, it seemed like his grip on my hand tightened gently.
As my thoughts were clouded with everything going on as of the moment-
"Ehem...!" Dad was looking straight at us, giving us what I decided to call 'the death glare'
I quickly pulled my hand away from heichou's and looked at the opposite direction.
"Tsk..." I quite heard him the instant our hands drew apart, though it was not very loud...Was he quite irritated with me...pulling my hand away?
Seeing this, dad's eyes left us and he headed upstairs to take a quick shower, leaving the bouquet of flowers in the living room. As he left, mom suddenly interrupted...on whatever is happening between me and heichou now is called.
"Levi heichou-dono, what would you prefer for dinner?" Mom asked him with glistening eyes.
"...Anything would be fine, Mrs. Ral" he replied reluctantly.
"Okay then, I'll be making Petra's favorite soup! At the mean time, do whatever or go wherever you want. I'll just be calling all of you when I'm done cooking" she said as she headed towards the kitchen, not even asking for my assistance.
"I'll help, mom!" I feared being left alone with Levi heichou in the living room because it's going to be very awkward.
Mom read through my thoughts and smirked, "I don't need your help, darling. Keep Levi heichou company while I cook dinner."
I wasn't able to respond. That being said by mom, I decided to give up and sit on one of the couches. Levi heichou also did, he sat on the couch across the one where I'm seated. I tried my best to look like everything was natural but I just cant, he was staring at me observantly and his steel blue eyes went narrower and narrower in the process. Then I proceeded on the next phase, I tried to ignore his stare but, I failed yet again as he shot out a word that I expected to come though I really did not want it to.
"So-" I cut him off.
"It's okay, heichou. You...should not apologize about...that..." I referred to that kiss and it seemed like he quickly got the memo.
"...Huh? Who said I was going to apologize to you for that?" he looked at me with his usual expression with an additional feature, slightly red cheeks.
"...You were not...going to...?" I asked him, I really expected him to say sorry. Then, what was he supposed to say!? I regretted cutting him off.
He stood up and walked towards me and sat beside me. Though the couch was as wide as possible to accommodate just two people who are...even though I hate to admit it...tiny, it felt like there was no room left and I was getting squeezed as he leaned closer to me, our faces a few centimeters apart, his eyes staring directly at mine, "Why should I even apologize...?"
I can't believe this! Is he sort of teasing me!? He's become so full of himself! Even though I feel slightly angry, my heart still never failed to pound violently...in short, he was successful.
I did not respond to him and turned my head to another direction to avoid his piercing eyes. As I did, he quickly grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him again, straight into the eyes.
"Before you cut me off earlier, I was about to say 'So, how was the ki-'...' So, are you completely healed...?'" he paused for a moment "...Anyway...would you like me...to do it again, Petra...?" he said while...wait, was that a smirk that made its way down his face!? He really was teasing me!
Without my consent, he instantly caressed my cheek and his lips started to approach mine but I pushed him away and even though that was the case, I was the one who ended up slamming on the floor. This startled him and he immediately helped me to get back up. Good thing dad was still in the shower and mom was in the kitchen. He looked like he regretted saying those things just a few moments ago, "Oi...Are you okay?" but yet again, there was no apology.
This time I did not flinch, I looked straight into his eyes.
What he just did earlier triggered this...
"Okay! Okay!...You win, heichou...I'm gonna say it...I think I'm in love with you..."
Ughh! I'm such an idiot! I've done it, I've got to reeeetttttrrrreeeeaaattt!
I then stood up and walked away, without a specific destination in mind. Maybe I'll hit my room to rest, help my mother in the kitchen or go out and meet neighbors I have not seen for a long time. Certainly, staying in the living room with him was out of the question!
I tried to look back at him without getting noticed. I catch a glimpsed of his beet red face and his lips, curving in the form where it was my name that came out from his mouth, "Petra..."
I ignored him and went to my room in a flush. I buried my heating face on the pillow. Embarrassment wasn't just the reason why I got away from him as fast as I can...I was scared of what his response was going to be. I felt like...I would most likely get rejected...
"Petra, you lazy head. I told you to keep Levi heichou-dono company. Why are you even sleeping at this early in evening? Wait...are those tears in your eyes?" I was awakened from the sleep that I did not plan to take as mom barged in to my room. Reacting to what she said, I touched my eyes and there were, in fact, tears and wiped them.
"...I'm sorry mom. I just stopped by for a little while in this room and did not realize that I was already able to fall asleep..." I reasoned out.
"Okay okay. Let's go downstairs now...No, on a second thought, wash your face first so that it isn't obvious that you have been crying. It would make your dad and Levi heichou-dono worried" she told me as she closed the door of my room gently.
I went to the bathroom and washed my face on the sink. As I glanced at the mirror, I thought to myself as my face was still dripping with water, "Why was I crying? Did I have a bad dream?" then quickly got a face towel to wipe my face. Thankfully, it left no sign of me crying anymore.
"Levi heichou-dono, could you call Petra? She's taking too long upstairs" I heard mom and hurried to avoid what she just told Levi heichou to do happen.
"Okay..." he answered while hiding his irritated face. We met on the stairs.
"Ahh...she's here..." he assured my mom.
I avoided his gaze, I avoided him. He seemed to realize this and went ahead of me with a displeased look.
As I arrived the dining room, I saw my favorite soup on the table and felt the desire to gobble it all up. I sat on one of the chairs surrounding the table. Dad paced and attempted to sit on the chair beside me but failed since mom dragged him to sit beside her. The only unoccupied sit was the chair beside me.
Dad was looking so furious as mom said, "Sit there, beside Petra, Levi heichou-dono" she said while smiling teasingly at dad. Levi heichou did not say a word and quickly did what mom said. My! My! The time I feared has come, dad is finally gonna do it.
I was going to grab the ladle and fill my bowl with the soup but it wasn't just me with that idea in mind. My hand bumped with his and he reverted it back, "Sorry, you go first" I could swear that dad really hated that moment while mom loved it. I proceeded and when I was done, "Your turn heichou."
Levi heichou was about to grab the ladle but dad grabbed it as fast as lightning and gave it to my mom who in turn got surprised and crooked her brow at him, "Ladies first, Levi heichou-dono" he said as I looked at him and saw a very huge smile in his face, though it wasn't literally there.
Finally everybody had soup on their bowls. Mom asked everybody if it was delicious. I did not give a second thought but immediately said "Well done mom!, heichou just nodded while dad told her "As usual, it is good"
I peeked at Levi heichou and as I did, I saw him looking at me as well. We were fixated at each other's faces and before we knew it, dad tapped the dining table quite hardly, getting our attention. He locked his eyes on us and it began...
"Levi heichou-dono, Petra...Are you in a romantic relationship!?" he burst out while his face turned red as he held his breath.
"Dad...!" I got embarrassed with what he just said, all the more because I just confessed to heichou earlier.
"William!" mom saw me and heichou getting embarrassed with dad's question and scolded him for that.
"...No, we aren't..." he stared at dad and afterwards, sipped through his glass.
"Is that so? What about kissing my daughter right in front of my eyes, how would you explain that!?" he yelled at him, not minding that we were actually eating dinner.
Our eyes widened with dad's remark. Levi heichou spilled a little bit of his drink from his mouth and froze. I must have prepared for this but honestly, I really did not know that dad would be this straightforward at Levi heichou. AAAAHHH! I want to disappear from here right now! I can't handle this!
"WILLIAM! What on earth are you saying? We are eating dinner...eating dinner together with Petra after seven years and with her superior...Mind your words" mom scolded dad yet again, "Settle everything once we are done eating"
My sweat dropped like the flow of a river. Despite my desire to eat my favorite meal little by little to savor the taste, I hurriedly finished it, wiped my mouth with a napkin, stood from my sit and began to walk away from the dining table to avoid even more humiliation.
"Petra, are you done eating? That's quite little when it's your favorite soup we are talking about" mom looked at me, forcing me to go back to my seat.
"I'm fu-" I twitched when suddenly a hand grabbed my wrist...a very warm hand.
"I know you still wanted to eat so get back there and sit! Mrs. Ral was right, that was quite a little...you usually eat a lot!" he walked me back to my sit forcefully while limping due to his injury. My parents got so shocked. He finally showed this side of him to them...I'm quite happy he did.
"Was I always that of a glutton, Levi heichou?" I asked him while chuckling and everybody followed as he stared at all of us with a confused expression. His look sort of implied "Are they a family of bipolars?" since everything was quite heated up a few moments ago then suddenly, the mood surrounding us turned out to be one filled with merry.
Finally, peace was attained and we continued to eat our dinner with smiles on our faces...except Levi heichou who continued to retain his usual expression.
Mom was washing the dishes in the kitchen. I told her that I would want to help but she tossed me away.
"Oh, I'm fine! You deserve a break from tiring jobs! It's better if you spend your day off getting lovey-dovey with your Levi heichou" she continued rinsing and rubbing the dishes with a soapy sponge.
Lovey-dovey!? That's going to be impossible now that I already have confessed to him...it made things all the more awkward between us. I quickly glance at my back, trying to know if dad or Levi heichou heard what mom said but to my relief, there was no one other than me and her in the kitchen. Anyway...where are those two?
In hopes to adore the starry night sky, I was about to open the main door and go outside of the house when I heard two people talking at our little porch. It was heichou and dad. Thanks to my training back at the military camp, I learned to become stealthy...which I never thought would be used in eavesdropping. I leaned on the door to clearly hear them.
"I am truly sorry Levi heichou-dono. I really just don't know how to react knowing that my only daughter is romantically involved with a man and more importantly, her captain!" he said and gasped afterwards.
"...Ahh...That's okay Mr. Ral...and please, just call me Levi...I-I assure you, nothing is going on between us..." he told dad reluctantly. Tsk! I really hope I had eyes that could look through opaque objects such as this door and see their expressions as they speak!
Dad cleared his throat and paused for a while. probably thinking of what to tell heichou next, "Then just call me William-san and my wife Roberta-san...I can't help but not believe you, Levi. After what I saw days ago, I really can't trust your words."
"William-san...You can punch me on the face right now if you have been itching to do it for days...I think I deserve it for not hearing you out when you told me about her letter...when you said she was too young for marriage...those stuff...but really, we aren't in some serious commitment..." he said softly.
I'm surprised that they used "Levi" and "William-san" quite fast. Instead of a punch, I heard something more of a pat on heichou's shoulders.
"Would you be able to protect her...? Won't you let her get injured that badly again...? Would you assure me that she could grow my age, Levi...? Petra is a very careless girl..." he asked heichou with a deep voice. Tears trickled down my face as I heard him.
There was a very long pause after dad's abundant questions to heichou. It made me nervous...then Levi heichou spoke.
"...I'll protect her no matter what...I'll kill every goddamn titan that would try to get a hold of her, try to wound her, try to eat her or even just stare at her! She's important to me too...I won't let her die..." he was talking on a loud tone now.
It took me a little hard to stand on my legs because I have gone soft...I felt like melting as he said those words to my dad. My heart was beating so fast.
"...because it'll kill me too..." heichou continued. I tried my best not to faint and calmed myself. I'm starting to assume...that he had feelings for me too...but is that even possible? SHAME ON ME!
Dad paused for a moment then spoke again"Then I entrust her to you, Levi. That daughter of mine can be so carefree and stubborn, not minding what her parents are thinking or feeling. She just doesn't know how worried we get every time she sends us letters which said that she was going to an expedition...and much worse, for seven years that was the case! The letters were the only ones that told us that she was well, that she was alive...You know what, she's so hardheaded! We told her not to join the military camp but she still pushed through and joined the military branch which we did not like her to join the most, no offense there. And her she was, sending us letters, telling us about you all the time. How you looked when you were sleeping, how you always placed that cravat on your collar, how you were so worth to be called humanity's strongest soldier, how she really admired y-"
I cannot take hearing all of my secrets being spilled out. Without thinking, I rushed and slammed the door open, surprising the two who were chatting at the porch.
"DAD!" I yelled in embarrassment as my cheeks were flushed.
"Speaking of the devil. You were there the whole time, eavesdropping?" dad asked me with widened eyes.
"Yes...Why'd you have to tell heichou all that...!?" I hid my face in my hands as the atmosphere around me heated up.
"So you heard everything we said, what Levi said?" he was now hardly patting Levi heichou's back which resulted in heichou blushing and trying to stay calm even though it was difficult.
"Uhmmm..." I was getting flustered even more.
"Y-You can stay at your home for tonight, Petra. I think it's time for me to head back at the cast-" I cut heichou off as I grabbed his hand and placed it between my hands, stopping him from walking. I'm so stupid! Doing that when dad is right in front of me!
"Heichou...you can stay here for the night..." I told him while looking straight into his eyes even though I did not intend to.
Levi heichou turned his gaze to dad and received a nod from him, "Yes, I think it's pretty late. You should stay for the night."
"Yes you should, Levi heichou-dono!" all of us got so startled as a fourth person talked. Where did mom come from!?
He shifted his gaze from one of us to another, "Then please have me..."
I was with my parents in their bedroom
"Petra, go and hand him these clothes. I'm sure it would fit him. These were used by your father before he gained much weight anyway" she said while trying to hold her laugh.
"Did you really have to imply that I'm fat now?" dad asked her with a "how dare you" face
I laughed at the both of them as they were fighting like children...fighting like the way me and the rest of the Special Ops Squad when they teased me about Levi heichou. Come to think of it, it's been a few days since I have not been put under their "teasing sessions." I miss those guys.
"Hahaha! Fine! Okay, I'll be going out now. Stay sweet, you two!" I opened the door and went out while smiling teasingly at them, making them blush as if they were still young lovers getting embarrassed by each other's company.
"Levi heichou...I brought you a change of clothes" I said softly as I knocked the door of the tiny guest room.
"...Ahh, come in..." he replied.
I then opened the door and stumbled on my feet afterwards, dropping the clothes on the floor.
He took of his shirt as he stared at me.
"Oi! Are you feeling okay?" he walked towards me and offered me his hand to help me stand again.
In the nick of time, I did not take his hand, jolted back up and moved a little away from him, "Ahhh...Just wear that shirt already!" I said while blushing so hard as I pointed on the dad's old shirt that was lying on the floor.
"Fine...you don't need to be embarrassed..." he picked the shirt up and wore it.
He turned his back and headed to lie down on the bed but I stopped him as I then again, grabbed his hand. Why the hell am I doing this!?
"...What?" he turned to face me, trying very hard to remain calm.
I myself cannot read my mind anymore...
I suddenly kissed his cheek then withdrew afterwards after realizing what I have just done, "I'm...sorry...good night, Levi heichou..." I looked away from him
Before I had the chance to turn and leave, he grabbed my wrist and kissed my cheek as well, "...Don't apologize and...just call me Levi...Sweet dreams..." he smiled. HE. SMILED.
It felt like the sound of my heart beat was going to make me deaf...it was too loud...
He then released my wrist and I hurriedly walked towards the door to leave the room right away, not looking back. As the door shut close behind me, I held my cheek, feeling the heat that came from it, "Ohh my...Why did all of these happen so suddenly...?" I shook my head and then went to my room.
Author's notes:
Hi! How was this chapter? Hope you liked it.
Oh, our dear Petra already confessed to her captain. What would Levi's response be? Well, with the things he has done, it is already quite obvious what it'll be, right? Haha!
Thank you for reading this chap and I hope you stay tuned! :)))
