A/N: I am so so sorry for the long break. I've had this chapter ready for a while now but I just wasn't happy with my writing. Soo after editing it for over a week I decided to stop putting it off and go ahead and post it. Hopefully it's not too terrible!
"Petra..."
It was the second time she had heard her name being called, but the sound was still far off in the distance. Too far to stir her from the warmth of the sun's rays.
Her fingers spread and tangled in the grass beneath her as she stretched her arms further out to each side. The soft blades rolled against the wind in waves, tickling her ears and neck, encouraging her to give into the sleep her body craved. The suggestion was tempting. Perhaps she could just lay here for awhile longer...
"Petra, my love..."
Delicate fingers grazed against her scalp and trailed down the length of her hair. Her lashes fluttered open as a pair of hands cradled her head.
"Now don't tell me you planned on sleeping here all day, darling."
She smiled and closed her eyes again, squeezing them shut. "Did Dad tell you where to find me?"
Her mother's hands continued to smooth her tresses out across the grass. "Of course not. You think I don't know where my own daughter goes to escape the world?"
"I was not escaping, I was simply taking a break." She stated matter-of-factly.
The fine lines around her mother's eyes lifted in amusement. "And here I thought you were trying to escape a certain someone." She chided, pinching Petra's cheeks.
Rolling to her stomach, she perched herself up on both elbows and smirked. "If by someone you mean Oruo, then yes... I might've been taking a break from him as well."
"Now Petra," The woman tsked. "That poor boy practically worships the ground you walk on. Be nice and let him down easy... or don't."
She let her body collapse to the ground in a dramatic display before dragging her arms up and pulling her knees to her chest in a huff. "I don't want someone who worships me! I want someone who is fierce and relentless and will love me for me and not for who they want me to be. Oruo want's a good little wife to sit at home while he does whatever his heart desires, and that just not who I am. I guess I just thought, with us both in training, he'd see that by now..."
Her mother's smile spread slowly before nodding in understanding while running a delicate hand through the length of her hair again. "No, that's not who you are; and you deserve nothing less than what it is you want."
Petra let her eyes drift closed as her mother placed a soft kiss on forehead before continuing.
"I was thinking of taking a trip into town today, if you'd like to come. You could get a darling haircut before you return to training..." She weaved a large section of hair through her fingers before letting it fall to the ground. "You must be sitting on it by now."
"Hmm," Petra hummed in consideration. "I wasn't planning on ever cutting it again actually."
The sweet ring of her mother's laughter rang out. "I doubt the military allows hair as long as yours, my sweet. You'll have to cut it at some point. Perhaps we could ride to Shiganshina... The horses could use the exercise and there's that new flower shop I wanted to visit again..."
Petra's eyes shot open suddenly. The sounds of the day faded away. The birds. The breeze through the trees. It all disappeared. And yet, her mother's chaste smile remained as though she was unaware of the strangeness around them.
It was unnerving... The skin on her arms prickle with goosebumps.
"Shiganshina" she repeated in a whisper. Her insides clenched and her heartbeat began to quicken as familiar pangs of panic surrounded her.
"I don't think we should go there today... I don't want to go." She forced herself to face her mother, "Mom?"
No one was there. Her once resting nerves began to fire off in warning throughout her body.
She shot forward, the breath rushing from her lungs as she gasped in desperation. Her chest heaved and with it came a shooting pain, bringing her back to reality.
Using a shaking hand to feel the sling still draped around her, her brain struggled to put the pieces together. Turning to her side she took in the sight of the sleeping figure beside her. The blackness of his hair. The contours of his face. Levi.
She was in his room. She was injured. She remembered now.
Still, her insides continued to churn, a sickening feeling spreading throughout her. It wasn't just any dream. It had been a memory. Twisted and edited slightly by her own mind. That was why it had felt so real... It had been real. Once. A lifetime ago.
Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she forced herself from the bed, swallowing the moan of agony that came from the movement. Going back to sleep was no longer an option, so staying here was pointless.
Grabbing a blanket from the end of her Captain's bed, she draped it across her trembling form. Stopping as she remembered the pain medicine she would need soon enough, and moved to store a capsule in the pocket of the shorts she had borrowed.
She didn't plan on sleeping anymore tonight. It wasn't worth the risk, but she couldn't wake Levi up. The fact that he hadn't stirred from her sudden movements proved he was far more tired than he had let on before. She wouldn't bother him, not after he had been stuck caring for her only hours earlier.
Careful not to make any sounds, she closed his door. Releasing the handle once she felt the solidness of the wooden frame.
When Levi awoke, he allowed himself to lay unmoving in his bed. Although he felt incredibly well rested, he couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling of yesterday's events. Still, his body was relaxed due to the hours of dreamless sleep he had managed to get, something he wasn't accustomed to. Taking in a deep breath, his nose caught a faint but pleasant scent imprinted into the sheets beside him. Petra.
For a moment he wondered if it was too early for him to move... If he got up now he could risk waking her.
No. It didn't matter if he woke her. Why should he care? He shouldn't.
Forcing himself up, he took in his surroundings. Immediately taking notice of the empty space beside him. She was gone.
Where the hell did she go?
She had managed to move one of the pillows in the space next to him, probably to keep him from waking up. Moving his gaze down to the end of the bed, he took note of the missing blanket that usually sat there as well.
He felt his skin bristle. Petra was out there somewhere roaming the halls in nothing but his clothes and a blanket? It's not that he cared really, he just didn't want his blanket out there without him.
He got dressed quickly and began his search for her, going by her room first. Nearing her door with a profound purpose, he raised his fist to knock.
"Captain Levi?"
He stopped his movements and stared at the women peeking out from the room next to Petra's.
"Nifa."
"Is Petra all right? None of us have seen her since yesterday... She never came back to her room last night..."
So she's not here. Turning around back the way that he came he ignored the confused expression on the girl's face, determined to track down his missing items.
Eventually, after some time, he found her sitting in a cushioned chair near the window in his office. She was wrapped in his blanket with only her head peeking through a small opening. Her crimson hair is what alerted him to her position, without it he would have surely missed her. In all honesty, he didn't know why he hadn't checked his office first. Deep down he must have known she wouldn't want to be seen in her current state by anyone. They'd have too many questions. Too much to say.
He took in her form with thought, suddenly wondering what had made her decide to leave his room in the first place, but not sure if he should bother to ask. She seemed fine from the outside, other than the light shade of purple surrounding the cut above her eye. She was just sitting quietly, gazing outside at nothing and everything, with a cup sitting lazily in her hand. Even though she had yet to acknowledge his arrival, he knew she was aware of him still.
"You left early." He spoke softly. His tone surprising himself.
"You were sleeping... I didn't want to wake you." She responded as if it should have been obvious to him.
"Hn."
A stretch of silence passed before he spoke again. "How are you feeling?"
He watched as she closed her eyes, seeming to consider his question for a moment. "Awful... but I'm alive so I guess I shouldn't complain."
He shouldn't have been surprised by her answer. Petra was not one to complain about anything, even in situations where it was completely acceptable. It was, at times, irritating; but it was her.
Pressing his shoulder into the wall behind him, he scoffed. "You were thrown into a tree, Ral. You can say whatever you damn well please about it."
She smiled then, her rose colored lips pulling up into a soft grin. "Is that so? Well then... I feel like complete shit."
"Seems about right."
"To be honest... yesterday is a complete blur in my mind... and the few things I can remember are quite embarrassing." A groan escaped her at the thought. "I won't apologize again since it'll only annoy you, but thank you... for everything, Captain."
She was met with silence, which wasn't exactly much of a surprise. She had figured the tender care she received only hours before had been out of some strange sense of responsibility he felt towards her. He was back to his normal self now. Quiet and seemingly uninterested in holding any semblance of a conversation with her.
"I doubt I need to tell you that you're on leave until you've recovered, and that means no training either. I can sign off on you returning home for awhile, if you want."
Home. It had been awhile since she last visited, but that was for a reason. As much as she was ashamed to admit, a part of her wanted to stay away. Each time she returned home her father was always glad to see her... but the visits were too short. There was never enough time and she always left feeling like her visits did more harm than good.
"Thank you, sir, but I think it'd be best if I stayed here. My father doesn't tend to do well with injuries. If he saw me like this, he'd probably bar me from ever coming back."
"Would that be a bad thing?"
She searched his face for a hint of humor and found none. "It would..." She responded slowly, confused that she would even have to answer such a ridiculous question.
They sat there in silence, while she wondered what would ever cause him to say such a thing. Unless...
"Is that what you want, sir? For me to leave?"
"You could be happy. Get married. Have kids. Things people like you should be doing."
His cool glare turned away from the view outside and focused in on her, as if he was daring her to disagree. The mere fact that he actually thought she wouldn't was beyond her. People like her. What the hell was that supposed to mean? She could feel the color rush to her face in an instant.
"What makes you think I want any of that?" She bit back. "You think I joined the military in search of a husband? You've known me for years and yet... you don't know me at all."
"You're right. I don't know you. Not as well as I should, but I know enough. Your life has been a walk in the park compared to most."
There was a flash in her eyes, a flicker of an emotion he couldn't understand before it disappeared. As if, for a second, she actually believed his cruel words.
"I know what you're doing, Levi. It's not going to work."
She breathed a heavy sigh, returning her focus to the window in front of her. "Your battle has been with the world and what its done to you... what it's taken from you... but it's taken things from me too. I know what it means to be here. I know what I'm giving up, but I never wanted any of it to begin with. I think I would have always found myself here... even if my mother..."
Her voice trailed off for moment, and he wondered if she would simply stop there or continue.
Swallowing whatever words she had been about to say to him, she smiled sadly. "I think I would have always ended up here. Some of us are simply born with war in our hearts... and it's no ones fault really... it's just the way it is. And we are the way that we are."
"I don't think I'll ever understand you."
"Maybe one day you will. Hopefully before I'm dead." She winked at him.
He blinked, confused and... annoyed? How could she move from revealing a piece of her soul to joking about dying? Or whatever she had just said. Either way, she was just too forgiving.
"Don't you get tired of that shit? Of being nice all the time? Honestly... I just insulted you and the most you did was snap at me and then try and educate me or whatever the hell the point of that speech was."
She shrugged. "Maybe you were trying to insult me, but it was only because in your own twisted way, you care. And I know that."
Her gaze seemed to drift past him, focusing on nothing in particular. He wondered if she had taken any medicine recently. Surely it would be time for another dose...
"Have you taken anything yet? For the pain?"
"Hm? Oh... Not yet. I guess I should."
"Take something and get in bed. If you think you need me, call for someone else."
She gave him a soft smile before nodding. "Of course, sir. Thank you."
Weeks passed and Levi returned back to his normal self. He ignored her most of them time, although he did allow her to take over the majority of his paperwork while her body healed. It was the only thing that would keep her from becoming agitated and enraged at the slow recovery.
Much to her annoyance, the attack they encountered was officially written off as a "self contained anomaly, not likely to reoccur." According to the reports she had looked over. But she wasn't the only one to think those words reeked of cynicism. Hanji also noticed the deliberate dismissal of the entire occurrence. As if someone wanted nothing more than to erase it from their memories. Which might have been easy for her if she wasn't reminded of the ordeal each time she attempted to perform basic activities.
Her ribs had healed for the most part. They only seemed to become tender when she made an attempt at conditioning. Every night she laid on her floor strengthening and tuning what she could manage without over exerting herself. She had decided after a week of rest that she couldn't afford to remain stagnant unless she wanted her body to experience a serious set back. Which, of course, was out of the question. It had taken her years and an unknown amount of hours to even achieve the height of fitness she was at now. She'd be damned if her body suffered further because of some minor injuries. Still, she was smart enough to know better than to perform any of the exercises out in the open. There would be many waiting to run and tell her Captain in hopes of achieving recognition in his eyes.
Little did they know that goal was next to impossible.
But she knew that fact well.
She had hoped the interactions they experienced after her injury would have persuaded him to reconsider keeping her at such a far lengths away; but if anything, the complete opposite had occurred. Other than allowing her to assist in his office work, he avoided her as if she was a plague. It was almost as if it pained him to be in the same room as her. After the first few nights spent in an awkward work environment, she had decided to dedicate her evening meals to completing any work there was. That way, she would be gone by time he arrived. She would then take her meal alone, which she didn't mind, and train in her room until she managed to exhaust herself.
She wanted to be upset with him for giving her such a cold reception, but each time she found herself taking offense to his behavior, the feeling faded just a fast. Deep down, she knew it was because she understood his reasons for distancing himself. She had done it too, in the past.
The moments that followed after opening up to someone were always difficult. Filled with regret and a desire to go back in time and reclaim any secrets that were shared. It would take time for her to feel comfortable again and she could only imagine that was how Levi felt now. Even if he hadn't said much, his actions always spoke more than his words anyway. And, in a way, were just the same.
He had helped her bathe, and although he hadn't seen much, if anything, it was still a compromising position for each of them to be in. The entire evening was a compromising position. If it wasn't for her injuries, she would be dwelling on the crippling embarrassment of having been seen in such a state. By her Captain, no less.
Perhaps if her appearance went back to normal, he would be able to stand in the same room as her. She looked down at her sling, tracing her fingers around its edges. Maybe seeing it reminds him of everything.
It wouldn't hurt to try going without it... She wouldn't attempt to sneak into their morning drills or anything, so it shouldn't be a problem.
She hoped.
The next morning when she woke, she tiptoed from her bed and into the quiet halls of the barracks. The sun had only just begun to peak over the horizon meaning it was still quite early. Unlike her superior officer, her room did not have a private bathroom attached to it. Although, the bathrooms in the female dormitories were still considerably nice. She really couldn't complain.
The women's dormitory consisted of three halls. Hall one, was where the newest of the recruits were stationed. The rooms were small and, for the most part, uncomfortable. Each room had two bunk beds, which allowed for four girls to fit.
Hall two consisted of rooms that were a size larger than the first. Anyone who was stationed there had usually served at least two years and were given the privilege of only having to share their space with one other person.
And then there was her hall, Hall three. Reserved for members of elite squads. Which at the moment consisted of her, Nanaba, Lynne and Nifa. There was also Isla; a senior medical officer who occasionally accompanied them on missions. She was nice and got along well with each of them.
Being considerate of the fact that most of the women on her hall would still be asleep at this hour, she crept quietly past each of their doors before making it to the end of the corridor. The shuffle of her slippers against the floor was the only sound drifting through the silence.
Pushing her way into the frigid bathroom, she shivered. Even though the frost of winter had slipped away in the last few weeks, it was still far from warm out. Especially in the morning. The cold air clung to the stone floors. A groan escaped her at the thought of having to place her warm toes onto its surface.
Making her way over to the furthest stall, she set her shower caddy down on a shelf. Cranking the steel knob as far as it would go, she hoped the hot water would warm the tiles beneath her as she undressed.
Stepping off to the side she carefully undid her sling. The soft thud of it hitting the ground satisfying her a little more than it should have, but over the last week she had grown to despise it with every fiber of her being.
Next to go was the satin slip she had recently started wearing to bed. In the past, she had considered herself to be more of a T-shirt and shorts kind of girl when it came to pajamas; but due to her immobile state, Nifa had taken it upon herself to go into town and purchase something easier for her to slip in and out of. The thoughtful act had caused a smile as wide as the sun to spread across her face, and she had to admit, the material was extremely comfortable.
With her clothes discarded, she turned to the mirror reluctantly. She had avoided looking at herself since her injury. After she had caught a glimpse of her purple skin in Levi's room, she had no real desire to look again.
Searching her reflection now, she noticed that her skin had returned to normal. The angry red lines that once spread over her midsection had disappeared, as if they never existed to begin with.
Her shoulder was also back to its usual cream color. She twisted slightly in order to get a good look at both of them. It was clear that after weeks of not using it, the muscle around it had lessened. It looked slim and awkward compared to its counterpart, but that was something that could be fixed.
Satisfied with her inspection, she emerged herself into the heated water, wincing as it spread across her skin. Ignoring the burning sensation, she allowed it to run over her muscles. She wouldn't risk moving anything until she was sure they had loosened up as much as possible.
The process of stretching and reacquainting herself with her injured parts was a long one, but worth it. Once she had emerged from the steam she felt comfortable enough to go through with her plan and leave the sling behind for the day.
As she made her way to the dining hall, she noted the dreary faces of her fellow soldiers passing by. No doubt dreading the full morning of training they had in store. Once a week Erwin set aside an entire morning for conditioning only. They would start with a two mile run and transition through various strength training exercises after.
Most of them hated it, but she was the exception. She loved pushing her body until the point of exhaustion. It was the closest thing she could get to real peace. When her muscles began to quake and scream in resistance, she could focus on nothing save the feeling. The discomfort created a blank slate in her mind, and it was bliss.
She groaned inwardly, wishing she could join them. Next week. Next week she would. Even if she had to sneak past her commanding officers to do it.
Lost in her thoughts while picking from the limited options set out for breakfast, she failed to notice the lumbering figure standing behind her.
"If you focus any harder, steam will start coming out of your ears." Oruo's playful voice called out to her. "In fact... I think I can see it now." He chided, flicking her ear for good measure.
She swatted his hand away fiercely and settled on a breakfast bar. "Don't you have someplace to be? Like, oh I don't know, conditioning?"
"Nope," He smiled triumphantly. "Captain says we're excused from training today."
"I highly doubt he meant to include you in that." She grumbled out through bites of her breakfast.
"You really shouldn't talk with your mouth full, Pet. It's gross..."
"You're gross." She shot back.
"You both are. Now be quiet and move." Levi's firm tone rang out as he pushed between them. His steady hands curled around a mug before moving to pour himself a cup of coffee. Just as the brown liquid was about to breach it's confines, he stopped, raising his eyes towards her with a questioning glare. "Who made this?"
"Not me." She answered matter of factly, failing to add her usual formality on the end. Levi simply took her form in with a quick once over, letting his eyes linger on her sling less sleeve.
"If you pour it out, I'll make some more." She tried again.
Oruo's confused glances darted between her and their Captain at the informal tone of their conversation. She knew it was mainly on her end, and she was well aware that she should stop, but a part of her wanted him to say something to her about it.
He hadn't spoken to her more than a handful of times since that fateful evening, and she wanted so badly for him to only speak with her. Even if he was upset.
Turning his attention back towards the coffee pot dangling in his hand, he suddenly turned to her fully, thrusting it into her empty arms. Making sure to focus on the injured one. "You pour it out then."
She swallowed the smile that threatened to burst across her face and nodded once. Five words. Not bad.
Once the coffee was finished brewing, she poured two cups for them, adding a dash of the vanilla extract she kept hidden. Although he had never said it outright, she noticed how his permanent scowl seemed to soften when she made his coffee for him using the secret ingredient.
As she maneuvered herself around the table, she placed his cup down in front of him, and took the seat to his left. Bringing the steaming cup to her lips, she tasted it once before allowing it to cool more. It wasn't long before Eld and Gunther emerged and seated themselves in the remaining empty spots.
They sat in comfortable silence for a time before Oruo's voice disturbed the hush of the room
"Captain, if you don't mind me asking, why aren't we participating in the joint training today? Is there something else you have planned?"
"I don't have anything planned and neither do any of you. Take today and do whatever you want. Just be back before tomorrow night."
Petra watched as no one around the table tried to hide the delight from their faces at his words. There was no doubt they would all head into town for various visits today.
"Petra, did you hear me?"
"Huh?"
"I'll take that as a no then." Eld chuckled.
It was only then that she notice he along with Oruo and Gunther were standing from their seats now.
"We're leaving for the day to go into town, did you want to come?"
Her lip unconsciously made its way between her teeth as she considered the invitation. "No... you guys go ahead. I think I'm going to sit this one out."
"Alright, suit yourself." Oruo yelled with a wave as they filed out of the room.
Leaving her alone with the one man who couldn't seem to stand her at the moment.
"I'm surprised you stayed behind. Are you sick or something?" He asked without meeting her gaze.
"No, sir, I'm not sick. Just not up for a night on the town is all."
He scoffed then and she found it hard not to want to curl into a ball at his attitude.
"You must be sick then."
She felt her muscles tighten at his accusatory tone. "Why would you say that?"
Cutting his steel eyes in her direction, he met her golden orbs with an accusatory scowl. "You never stay in when they go out."
"That doesn't mean I always want to go, but it beats drinking alone I guess."
"I'm sure if you asked one of the girls they'd drink with you, Petra. Then you all can braid each others hair while you gossip or whatever the hell girls do."
She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. Of course that's what he thinks girls do.
"Is that not what you all do?"
"I wouldn't know. Lynne tends to keep to herself and Nanaba is usually... Busy..."
With Mike, is what she wanted to add, but decided against it.
"Nifa and Isla do spend time together but I've just never been interested really... So I wouldn't know."
"I doubt you're missing out on much."
"Probably not... Was there anything you need help with today? I finished with the paperwork from yesterday, there's just one thing I need you to look over before I sign it."
"Bring it by my room this evening after dinner. I'll check over it then."
"Yes, Captain."
The hours went by far too fast and before she knew it, she found herself standing outside her Captain's door, her hand hovering above its surface. Maybe it wasn't too late for her to go into town. She could slide the papers under the door and disappear before her noticed-
"Were you planning on standing there all night like some weirdo?" The raven haired man quipped, looking annoyed already.
Running her fingers through her hair she grinned sheepishly. "No, sir. I was actually thinking of running away."
"Maybe you should have." He murmured as something peculiar flashed in his eyes.
He opened the door allowing her inside and she obliged, deciding to look past whatever it was she thought she saw.
"Right. So all of the forms were pretty trivial. Nothing of importance to report really..." She explained while moving to take a seat near his desk. "The budgeting was already signed off on by the Commander. I just checked them over to make sure the amounts were correct. This document was shoved towards the bottom. It's a proposal for an expedition. You'll have to actually read over it."
"Great." He pressed into his temples.
"I could summarize it for you if you'd like."
"No. Don't worry about that. It's your night off, go do something."
"I am doing something, sir."
"Sitting with a man old enough to be your dad is not something."
"You're not old enough to be my dad, don't be so dramatic. But If you're so concerned with me not spending my time wisely you could always... make me a drink."
She added a hurried sir at the end when she noticed a tense look laced across his face.
"No. What kind of a captain would I be if I made you a drink?"
She paused, considering the possibility that Levi just didn't know how casual most commanding officers were with their subordinates. Especially in the Scouts. They had far more pressing issues hanging over their heads than having a casual drink on their day off. But still, if he wasn't comfortable with the idea, she wouldn't push.
"Fine, I'll be right back then."
She heard his pen drop before he released an agitated breath.
"Where the hell are you going?"
"To get a drink... and you have two options. I can either drink as much as possible in a small amount of time before coming back here, or I can just bring it with me. I wouldn't mind the first one... It might be interesting to test myself."
"How about you just leave and not come back. Then you can do whatever you want."
"With all do respect, Captain, you told me to do something and this is what I want to do."
"For fucks sake, you're going to be the end of me."
She watched as he ran a hand through his short locks. "Just stay there."
He left then and she heard his footstep last fade down the empty halls. Looking around she wondered if she would regret pushing his buttons tonight. It was a strong possibility... but there was something gnawing at her insides. Something she couldn't simply ignore, and that same thing was telling her it would only go away if she talked to him.
He re-emerged soon enough with a small bottle containing dark brown liquid. "Here." He ground out as he poured some into a glass for her and for himself too, surprisingly.
"So what should we do now then." She asked timidly, raising the glass to her lips.
"Now you sit there while I work."
"Well, that's no fun."
"Captains don't have fun with their subordinates, Ral."
"You don't have fun with your subordinates, sir. And I think I know why..."
"Oh? Tell me what you think you know then."
"It's easier that way. I mean, it'll be easier for you if something were to happen to one of us... But just because it's easy, doesn't mean its right. You're my Captain, and I'm your subordinate, but we're still just people. There's nothing wrong with people needing other people, even if they don't want to."
"I don't need anyone, Petra, and I don't want to either. Just because I'm humoring you with drinks doesn't mean I want to spill my guts to you or something."
Taking another swig from her glass she gave a dramatic sigh. "Alright... but if you change your mind I'll just be sitting over here not doing anything."
"Oh no, if you're going to drink my booze, you're going to work for it. Here," He slapped down a stack of papers in front of her. "You know what to do."
"You've got a way with women, Captain. I'll give you that."
Her head snapped up at what she thought was a quiet chuckle, but when she looked up he was already hunched over his desk again, lost in his work.
"Maybe we could compromise?"
"What?"
"Compromise? Like meet in the middle-"
"I know what a damn compromise is, Ral."
"You don't have to be so feisty, Captain."
"Feisty? Really?" He asked slowly, turning around in his seat to glare at her.
She threw her hands up letting her pen fall into her lap. "Okay feisty probably wasn't the best word..."
"No shit."
"Alright how about this... let's ask each other questions and you can either choose to answer it or drink."
"This isn't a game night. I'm working and you're supposed to be doing the same"
"Have you ever heard of a little thing called multitasking?"
"Don't get cute, Ral."
"I'm not trying to do anything like that." Finishing what was left of her glass, she slid it across the table for him to refill it. "I just think its good to get to know the people you're fighting next to everyday."
"Getting to know people makes things complicated, especially when that person is your subordinate."
"That's besides the point, sir"
"That is the point, Ral."
"Okay I'll go first. What's your favorite color?"
"Pass." He mumbled before taking a large swig.
"B-But, sir! That was the easiest question I had! Why would you drink to that?"
"It was a stupid question. I didn't want to waste my time answering it."
"Fine." She huffed in defeat, blowing a piece of hair from her face. "It's your turn now."
Another swig. "Pass."
"What? No! That's not how this works! If you do that you'll just be drinking!"
"I'm the Captain. I say how things work around here. Now, here's my question. Are you and Bazado a thing?"
"You're joking?" She scoffed. "Of course not."
"Hn. That leaves me with more questions than answers then." He mumbled, swirling the dark liquid in his glass.
"What kinds of questions?"
"Why is he so infatuated with you if you've never given him a reason to be? The man practically worships you... It's uncomfortable to watch."
"My mother said that once... But, I guess it's just because we've known each other for so long. I mean, we grew up together."
He watched as her hand moved towards the bottle to refill her glass. "To me, he's just Oruo and he'll always be just that... but I think I stopped being just Petra to him a long time ago."
"And that doesn't bother you?"
"No. I mean, you can't help who you love, right? It's not something I'll ever hold against him, that wouldn't be fair. Now since were asking those kinds of questions... how many women have you slept with?"
She watched as his shoulders tensed and wondered if she had offended him.
"Or men!" She added quickly.
"Men?" He questioned slowly.
"Well... Uh... I've never seen you show interest in anyone of any gender so I was just trying to be fair..."
"Two."
"Women?"
"Yes you idiot." He grumbled while running his hands through his hair. "And you, Ral?"
"One and a half." She said flatly.
He expected it to be a joke, but the nonchalant look on her face said otherwise.
"One and a half men?" He repeated slowly, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "How?"
She shrugged and took a swig of brown liquid.
"So you're going to take the cowards way out and drink to that one? I'm disappointed."
"It's a long story, sir."
"Fine, but I get to ask another question then."
"Why are you here? And don't give me some bullshit answer about wanting to get to know me better. Why are you really here, Petra?"
She shrugged then before looking him in the eye. "I... enjoy your company." She sighed, staring into her drink as if the rest of the answer she needed would miraculously appear. "I want to know you. You're so confusing sometimes... You're cold and rude and standoffish, but there's more than that. I just don't know what it is yet..."
She paused, seeming to consider if she should continue or not before ultimately giving into defeat. "I had almost given up, trying to figure you out, but then you took care of me that night and I couldn't get over it. I know why you said you did it, but I don't believe you. You wouldn't have started avoiding me if that was your only reason."
He gave a cold chuckle avoiding her eyes. "I'm surprised you noticed."
"Are you going to tell me why?"
"No. There's no point."
"I figured that much." She smiled sadly, before collecting their empty cups. "I'll take care of these. Thanks for the drink, sir. We should do it again sometime."
As she made her way to his door, he couldn't help but feel a twinge deep in his stomach. Guilt, maybe?
"Petra?" He called after her before she could reach the door.
"Sir?"
"It wasn't awful. Talking with you, I mean... I didn't hate it."
That was enough to bring the smile back to her face.
"I'm glad. Goodnight, Captain."
Once the sound of her footsteps faded from range, he released the pent up tension he had been holding onto. He didn't hate talking to her, did he?
Some of her questions had been uncomfortable, but not in a way that made him want to completely shut down, and that was a first. In the end, he had felt more relaxed while they went back and forth with each other than he had in a long time. So why near the end had he tensed back up? Was it because of what she said or because for a moment, he had wanted to tell her what had been bothering him the last few weeks? He had actually wanted to tell her.
And that was a terrifying thing.