iii. green soap. tea leaves. black coffee.


Something was wrong. The morning was eerily quiet, and Erwin's absence had nothing to do with it. Normally, he would just wake up, take a quick, cold shower, get dressed, then make his way out of the flat and go to a scheduled lecture.

And that was exactly what he did. Yet…something was wrong. On the way to class, he found himself looking down unseen alleyways for signs of rain or the flash of orange-yellow hair. What was he expecting?

It was the first time he was snapped at by a first-year to "watch his step". He'd never felt so out of it in his life.

The morning rush of students hurrying towards their 9 AM lectures passed him by in a blur. Bicycle bells increased in their frequency as he stepped down into the road to avoid a crowd of hungover theology scholars. That was probably the second middle finger he had been shoved in the face with since he woke up. The first was when he realised he had bought two cups of regular black coffee and he only had enough to pay for one, to the hostile dismay of the part-timer who took his order.

The most peculiar of all, however, was waiting for the unpleasant odour to attack his senses yet again in chemistry. Levi frowned internally. Maybe it was a defence mechanism or something.

In any case, the most normal thing that happened since the day began was Hange scooting closer to where he was sat, eyes guarding the door carefully.

"Who're you waiting for?" the brunette asked chirpily, taking out an orange pencil case with the periodic table printed on one side. Levi ignored her. She gasped. "Could it be…?"

This time, his neck snapped in her direction. "No."

"You didn't even let me finish," she said with a grin.

"Whatever you were going to say was wrong anyway," he replied, opening his notebook to where he had left off.

Hange leaned over his shoulder. "Who gave you those notes? Pretty sure you can't write that neatly."

Levi scowled. "No-one important," he said, shielding his work away from her prying eyes.

"You sure?" she persisted. "Because I'm also pretty sure those are Petra's. She asked me how to spell 'Friedel-Crafts alkylation' but I didn't know either so I told her to spell it with an 'i' and only later I found out it was spelled with a—"

Levi let out an exasperated sigh, cutting her off. "Fine, yes, she gave them to me, now be quiet ." Maybe that was it. He was only looking to pay her back for her notes from yesterday. She didn't seem to be here, though.

Hange huffed but moved away from him as requested. "You could've just said so in the first place," she muttered. Levi narrowed her eyes at her.

The professor walked in, different from yesterday. Younger, definitely, and drunk. His slightly flushed face gave him away somewhat, though it wasn't unusual for teachers to join in pub crawls with the students, like the one two nights ago.

The lesson began immediately. It was hard to understand at first, what with Dr. Pixis stumbling on every fifth word that came out of his mouth, but soon enough his ears became accustomed to his slurs. Once in a while, he would steal a discrete glance at the entrance, feeling strangely disappointed when he looked back to the front.

When the class was over, Hange was already packed to go. She stood to leave.

"Wait," said Levi. Hange looked at him in surprise. She pointed a finger to herself in question. "Yes, you," he rolled his eyes. "Is—"

"Levi!" someone shouted from a few rows in front. A boy with hair the colour of wet sand waved his arms over his head, grabbing his attention. He jogged up the steps to where they were. "Buddy, you remember me?"

Levi's eye twitched. Buddy?

"I was your first-year roommate," the boy flashed him a toothy smile. Hange snorted. "Auruo." He held out his hand. Hange took it instead.

"Right. Bossard," Levi responded wryly. Images of stray dirty underwear and piles of unwashed dishes flashed across his mind. "What do you want?"

Auruo shook his head. "I just came to say 'yo'. I'm sure we'll be running into each other more frequently soon."

"Why's that?" Hange piped up, wanting in on this seemingly latest development of Levi's social life.

Auruo only shrugged, irritating the shorter male further. "Anyway, I'm off to a supervision with Old Nick. See you." He turned to leave in haste.

"What was that about?" said Hange when Auruo disappeared from their sight.

Levi sighed, packing his stationery into his bag. "If I knew, I would tell you."

Hange scoffed. "Why do I find that so hard to believe?"

Levi stood up, slinging his messenger bag over his left shoulder. "Let's just go."

"Wait. What were you going to ask me?"

"Nothing important," he answered, already a distance away from her. He looked back at her from the entrance, grey eyes indolent. Scanning the room once more, he finally exited the hall, leaving the scientist to ponder over what Levi was being so evasive about.


She wasn't in the next day either. He was starting to wonder whether he should forget about any kind of repayment at all. Hange kept giving him weird looks all morning. He needed to avoid her and her intruding questions to which he had no answers to offer.

As the lecture ended, Levi quickly gathered his things and bolted for the door, almost bumping into that annoying boy who had butted in his conversation yesterday morning. Said boy waved to him as he flew past but Levi paid him no mind.

He needed to get his head together. It seemed the only person who had answers closest to the ones he was searching for was Hange, but his pride prevented him from seeking her out. After all, his sudden curiosity on a particular girl would almost certainly be misunderstood by her, even if his intentions were not in any way to advance his nonexistent 'love life'. Hange had always been excessively optimistic when it came to matters involving him and people other than her, Erwin, and his sister.

Which reminded him…

He stopped beside the library to fish out his phone from his coat pocket, typing in a few words. The reply was immediate. He scowled upon seeing it.

Mikasa now

I'm about to go into class.

slide to reply

It was a simple 'yes' or 'no' question, dammit. He angrily shoved his phone back into his pocket, walking into the library.

His usual spot was empty this time too. Making his way over to the window, he placed his bag onto the table and stalked over to the chemistry shelves. Pixis had asked them to read about the orientation and reactivity effects of benzene ring substituents before the core practical tomorrow afternoon and he had been so out of focus in that lecture.

When he passed by the zoology shelf, he stopped, taking three strides backwards until he was face to face with a book on display.

It was a familiar animal to him, having seen it traverse his dreamscape twice already. He took it, flipping through the pages. It was an encyclopaedia of sorts, specifically focusing on wolves: their phylogeny, behaviour, physiology…

He was looking at an image of a silver-furred alpha male when someone tapped him twice on the shoulder. Closing the book shut, he turned around to face the intruder.

The man was a good deal taller than him, though that was to be expected, he thought sourly. "Can I help you?" Levi asked impatiently.

"Are you Levi Ackerman?" the stranger said, brown eyes darting side to side, as if sheepish.

"Yes," Levi replied sharply, narrowing his grey eyes.

"I'm Gunther," he said simply, holding out a tanned hand. "I study econ here."

Levi gave the outstretched hand a deliberating look. It didn't take long before Gunther retracted it, grimacing. "No offense was meant by it," Levi assured him.

"No offense taken, I understand," he nodded quickly. "Look, I just wanted to confirm something for a friend," he continued. "You're reading chemistry, right?"

"Not currently," said Levi, holding up the book on wolves. Gunther blanched. "Is there a problem?"

The taller boy shook his head frantically. "No, it's fine. I have to go back to—I mean, I forgot something back in my flat, so I'll be leaving now."

Levi frowned, watching the stranger grab his things and vanish from sight.

Dismissing the odd encounter, he proceeded to take out a textbook from the chemistry section as well as checking out the encyclopaedia before he too exited the vicinity.


"Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony, but everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the avatar, master of all four elements could stop—"

The screen turned black, replaced by Erd's plain blue shirt as he moved in front of it with a stern face.

"But when the world needed him most, he vanished," Petra continued in a murmur. "A hundred years passed—"

"Petra. Stop," Erd cut her off. "It's been three days. You can't just keep leeching off of me for notes and Brzenska is going to start wondering whether you need to go into intensive care with how many times you've missed her lessons."

"I told you to cover for me," Petra grumbled weakly, wrapping her blanket closer to her shoulders. "It's only been three days."

"I didbut having a 'stomach ache' for three days is a bit much," he said, tugging the blanket away from her. She let out a shocked yelp, flailing her hands to reach for it but he held it just out of her reach.

Petra mustered up her fiercest glare. "Erd. She's a woman. She will understand."

The blond shook his head firmly. "I did not want to resort to this, but you left me with no choice."

Petra let out a strangled sigh. "I am a strong, independent woman who can make my own choices," she ranted. "Only I can choose to get out of this room and when. And it's definitely not now." She lunged for her blanket but miscalculated the distance and fell face-first onto the carpet. She scowled, face flushed from embarrassment. "Erd," she snarled.

He kept shaking his head. "You're only staying here because you're scared that this Levi boy you met yesterday, who may I add, has a completely opposite schedule to yours, will start to approach you of his own accord and then you'll actually start taking a liking to each other."

"He's a bloody stranger, Erd," Petra growled, getting back onto her bed. "I don't even find him the least bit attractive."

Erd mock-gasped at that, taken aback. "That is a lie and you know it. You want to see him again."

The copper-haired girl covered her face with her hands in response, shoulders slumping. "I just don't get it."

Erd watched her lie back down on her bed, one arm shielding her eyes from view. He sat down at the edge, draping the blanket over her legs. "Ask me then," he said calmly.

"It's not something you can answer, believe me," she mumbled, placing her arm back down to her side. "Why do we —as in me, you and the rest of our kind —have these things predetermined for us while everyone else has to go through so much hardship just to find someone remotely right for them? I just don't get how that works. How does the universe know that someone is the one for me before I can choose for myself?"

There was a long silence between them, broken momentarily by Petra shifting on to her side, her back facing towards him. "Come on, Pet. It's simple biology."

"If it were, I would be mated to you," she laughed bitterly. "And I just can't imagine that."

Erd made a face, unseen. "Me neither."

"I guess I'll just accept it," she sighed, sitting up and ruffling her hair. "If he freaks out and moves to another country, I'll accept that too. Hashtag forever alone."

"That's not true," Erd smiled as he roughed her hair some more, earning a disdained glare from the she-wolf. "He'd be a fool to reject someone like you. Besides, you've got me and the rest of the squad."

She rolled her caramel eyes, swinging her legs to the side of the bed and standing up. "You know what I mean. Now go away, I'm going to grab a coffee before The Old Hannes."

"I'll come with," said Erd before he closed the door and left her to her own devices.

Once he was gone, she exhaled in relief. Her room was mess, reflecting her present state of mind. She would have to do some tidying later in the afternoon when she was caffeine'd-up and more alert.

She opened a few drawers, taking out a plain pink shirt and blue jeans and getting dressed. When she walked over to the mirror, she took a deep breath. Reaching out a tentative hand, her fingertips skimmed its cold surface.

Her wrist began to itch, a prickling heat making its way along the bones that traced her fingers all the way to the tips. She turned it to look at the underside and saw the bones replaced by four dark brown pads with small pointed nails jutting out of each. Half of her arm was covered in bronze-tinged fur, up to her elbows.

She looked at her face. Morose, golden eyes stared back, tall ears twitching on the top of her head, her long snout almost touching the mirror.

She jolted back into human form, wincing when she heard Erd knocking, rubbing her sweaty palms on her jeans as she scrambled to collect her wallet and keys. "I'll be right there," she called.

Looking back at the mirror once more, she left the room and saw Erd beckoning her to the front door.

"Are Gunther and Auruo still in classes?" she asked as they went down the steps on to the street. "Maybe we should—" She froze, face paling. She smelt it. Burning trees. Erd raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What's—"

"It's him," she whispered harshly, taking his arm to quickly hide in a nearby vacant alleyway.

"Where?" Erd whispered back, searching frantically for a black-haired boy with intense grey eyes.

Petra shook her head violently. "He's already seen me. We need to go." The pained expression on her face made Erd worry.

"Maybe he just wants to speak to you."

Her frown deepened. "I can't, I'm not ready—"

"He's coming over," Erd informed her in the calmest voice he could muster. She shut her eyes tightly. "Look, if you're that panicked, you should go. I'll meet you at Braus' in a few minutes."

Her wide amber eyes had already made their choice. Thanking him wordlessly, she made a dash down the alleyway and disappeared from sight.

Erd waited for the short, straight-faced boy to collectedly make his way to him. "You must be Levi?"


Shit, he cursed. He shouldn't have taken the shortcut to the café. Now he was foolishly standing in an unfamiliar residential area, unsure of which direction to go. Shit. He was about to start walking back to where he diverged off the main street when his eyes caught on to the copper-haired girl walking out of one of the red-bricked terraced houses that lined the pavement.

His eyes widened marginally, recognising her by scent first then as she turned her head to his direction. A small shiver raced up his spine when their eyes locked, and he watched her expression twist into a grimace upon seeing him. He was about to call out but she had grabbed the man next to her in a hurry, turning a left on to one of those isolated backstreets that littered the city.

More than a little puzzled and unconscious of the sharp, green sensation bubbling in his chest, he strode over to where they were not-so-discreetly hidden.

Once he turned the corner, only the blond was there to greet him.

"You must be Levi?" he smiled, almost apologetically.

Seemed he was becoming famous around the campus lately, though he didn't remember doing anything of remote notability.

"Yes," he replied, to the third person who knew his name without him having any recollection of giving it. This time it was a brown-eyed blond who easily towered over him. "How do you know of me?" he decided to question it at last.

"You're in Auruo's chemistry class, right?" the man said smoothly. "He babbles on about you sometimes."

Levi didn't respond, instead his gaze hovered over to the side. "Do you know the girl who just went past this way?" he pointed to the empty alleyway.

"Who, Petra?" said the blond. Levi nodded. "Uh, yeah, well, she said she forgot she had to do something so she rushed off, why?"

Levi blinked. "I don't think it's any of your business."

The blond cleared his throat, averting his eyes. "Well, anyway, I'm Erd." Levi noticed he didn't hold out his hand for him to shake. Something was strange.

"I'm Levi, but you already knew that. Somehow," he muttered the last part inaudibly. Since she's not here, I might as well ask. He looked up at Erd after a moment. "Do you know how to get to Braus' from here?"

Erd mechanically pointed in the direction of the alleyway. "Yeah, we—I mean, I was about to make my way there," he said. "I can take you over if you want."

"I'm in a rush," Levi told him bluntly. He glanced at his watch to make a point.

Erd shook his head. "That's fine, it's about five minutes away."

Levi squinted suspiciously. Surely he hadn't wandered that far away from the original route. If that was the case, he had no time to quickly grab a drink before his scheduled practical. He had already wasted enough time wondering where he even was as it is. "No, I have to go back anyway." He nodded once before turning on his heel and retraced his steps back to where he had probably made the wrong corner.

Now he knew that something was definitely weird and for some reason, a part of him already knew that everything involved that girl. Petra.

And who was that man with her? Obviously they had to be close to be exiting the same house together. And he had lied so smoothly to his face.

Running a hand through his jet-black hair, he resolved to do the last thing he wanted to do.

And it included a brown-haired scientist eagerly waiting outside the laboratory, itching to get a hold of the school's chemical supply.


"Well, no she's not a chem student, duh," Hange made a face as she poured phenol into a test tube. "She told me she does Linguistics and she was only there to take notes for a passed-out friend. Until now I thought that was you when I saw those very notes. Pass me the bromine." She held out an expectant hand.

Levi frowned. "Move over, I'll do it myself. I don't trust you." He sidestepped over the grey stools that lined the laboratory counter to where Hange was slumped over the test tube rack, deeply inhaling the strong scent of the chemicals.

"Levi, babe." He froze in his place, seething. He absolutely detested it when she started calling him that awful name. It normally signified the start of her 'Annoy Levi To Get What I Want' phase that was a whole new level from her ground-state. One that he could only barely tolerate before causing her physical harm.

He paid her no heed, snatching the test tube from her grip and proceeding to carefully add the required liquid.

"You're no fun," Hange pouted, leaning back on the counter.

"So is having stuff explode in my face every time we do an experiment together," he deadpanned.

Hange sighed, wagging her index finger in his face. "That's not what true chemists would say."

"It would be, actually, if they hadn't died from doing exactly that." He swirled the tube around, noting the ready formation of a white solid precipitate. "Oi, Shitty Glasses, note this down."

"Already did," she said in bored tone. "Anyway, back to Petra."

Levi visibly tensed at hearing her name, swirling the tube more vigorously than needed. Hange smirked.

"After our little discussion on the bridge, I asked around to find out more about her for whenever you decided to ask me again," she teased. Levi's eyebrows creased in disdain. Damn woman. "My sources tell me that yes, she is single—"

"I'm not concerned about that," he interrupted scathingly, placing the test tube down back into the rack and picking another one up, inspecting it closely.

Hange nodded, lips pursed and both eyebrows raised. Levi had to restrain himself in order not to punch her. "Right," she carried on naively. "My sources also tell me she's living with three other men around the Karanese District, you know that residential area near Braus'?"

Levi's mind blanked as soon as she mentioned the residential area. Three? He clenched his jaw, narrowing his eyes at the work in front of him.Three men? The blond must be one of them then. But three?

"Hellooooo," Hange clicked her fingers in front of him. "Yooooo, Shorty."

"What." That was right. They had to nitrate it next. "Pass me the sulfuric."

"Are you even listening to me?" Hange snapped, irritated. Still, she slid over the container towards him, as well as the nitric acid.

"No."

"Fine," she replied hotly, crossing her arms. But she couldn't keep her mouth shut for more than a few heartbeats before rambling on again. "By the way, when's Smithy coming back?"

"Tonight," he said. "And thank God he's not bringing that stupid mutt with him."

"Oh right, I forgot about your beef with Mike," the brunette snorted. Levi kicked her swiftly in the shin. She winced in silent pain, not wanting to attract the attention of Pixis, who was casually checking on the pair of students in the row in front of them. She reached over and slapped his goggles off his face, snickering. Revenge.

The short male only inhaled deeply, picking up the fallen glasses and putting them back on with a calm composure. Hange was in soundless hysterics beside him, slapping the counter softly to emphasise how fucking hilarious the entire ordeal was.

Distracted, Levi poured the nitric acid in one strong burst. Just as Pixis turned around to face them, the test tube shattered and the enclosed laboratory shuddered with a resounding boom.

Levi pursed his lips as he waved away the billowing smoke that was making the edge of his eyes water from the intensity. Soon enough, the fire alarm shrieked throughout the entire building and water started spurting from the ceiling, hardening Pixis' gaze at the black-haired boy who was the root of the problem. To his side, Hange was pointing a weak finger at his hair, face contorted in uncontrollable laughter. "Your hair…" she gasped between breaths.

He made sure Hange was no longer laughing when they finally got evacuated from the building, the confused faces of the other students pointedly staring in his direction.

He stormed off, jacket strategically covering his head, all but running back towards isolation.


Levi was grumbling when he stepped out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist. He moved towards the bathroom mirror, frowning at the singed ends of his undercut. If Shitty Glasses hadn't distracted me… He scowled.

He opened the door to his room briskly, getting dressed in a matter of minutes. As he moved past his bed to reach for his laptop, he noticed the screen on his phone was alight.

Mikasa 8m ago

Parent's evening on the 13th of March

Mikasa 8m ago

The Jaegers will be out of town so they're asking you to cover for them instead

Mikasa 7m ago

It's from 5 to 9, not sure which slot eren wants to take so you might as well stay the night when you come over

Mikasa 3m ago

Btw, they fixed the bike

Mikasa now

Hange says you have a girlfriend. Bring her over when you come.

slide to reply

He almost threw his phone across the room at the last message. That crazy bitch.

Refusing to answer any of his sister's messages, he grabbed the laptop and moved into the living room. Placing it on the sofa, he strolled over to the coffeemaker, lazily swirling the black concoction as he poured it into an empty mug.

He checked the clock above the television, noting the time. Erwin should be arriving soon. His eyes became steel when he remembered the mess his elusive flatmate always carried with him.

Dispelling the image to the back of his mind, he relaxed into the sofa seat, picking up the computer as he crossed his legs. He should probably finish that write-up due tomorrow.

The front door finally rattled open at around 10pm. A tall, broad-shouldered man closed it shut behind him, tossing his keys carelessly onto the kitchen counter. Levi pursed his lips. Not even thirty seconds and he was already turning tables.

"Let's go out for drinks," Erwin's tenor voice echoed from behind the fridge. "There's an event at The Old Hannes tonight." He took out a bottle of cold water and guzzled it down in a single gulp.

Levi didn't turn from his work. "Pass."

"Hange told me something on the way here," Erwin swiftly changed topics. "Congrats."

He had to resist the urge to face-palm. "Shitty Glasses doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Seems like a keeper, though," Erwin continued, sitting opposite him. Levi lifted his eyes from the laptop screen only to glare at the icy-blue orbs observing him intently. "Apparently, she smells like a wet dog."

Levi closed his laptop with a sharp 'click'. "Not everyone is into bestiality like you."

Erwin was unfazed, a small smile persisting on his lips. "Let's have a drink. I'll pay."

"There's juice in the fridge if you're that thirsty," Levi scowled, getting up to go back to his room.

"I'll pay for the whole month's rent if you come with me," Erwin insisted.

That got to him. The glint in the blond's cerulean eyes gave it away.

"Fucks sake," Levi grumbled. "Rich bastard."

Said rich bastard only chuckled in response. Levi internally shuddered. He'd always unnerved him, even though they'd been living under the same room for a little more than six months now. "I'll meet you out front," he said coolly, smirk never leaving his rich bastard face.


The air stank of booze. Petra wrinkled her nose as she meandered her way through crowded tables over to the bar, cursing her heightened senses that came with being part-canine. She saw Auruo waving a languid arm towards her, beckoning for her to join him, Erd, and Gunther at their table. She stuck her tongue out in reply, choosing to sit close to the front. As long as she was in the same room as them, they wouldn't get too rowdy. Otherwise, she'd beat the sense back into them again.

There was a buzz in the atmosphere tonight. She noticed a group of history students cracking up at one corner of the bar, faces already flushed from the alcohol, though the red lighting that overcast the entire room probably enhanced the colour as well.

On the opposite side, about seven people she recognized from English Literature lectures were playing a game of 'Never Have I Ever'. One of them looked like they were just about ready to explode as he downed another shot, his fellow mates egging him on.

Petra turned back to front, raising her hand to motion Hannes over.

Old Man Hannes, the owner of the bar, was always very welcoming to his guests. Most of the time he would be joining in the fun with the students, but as tonight was a particularly crowded night, he had chosen to sit this one out to become the responsible supervisor.

"Miss Ral! Haven't seen yer in a while," he flashed her a toothy, yellow-stained grin. "What can I get yer?"

"Just a pint for now," she smiled back. He nodded, busying himself with her order.

In no time she was on her second pint and she was already tugging at her T-Shirt collar, cheeks tainted pink.

"Bit stifling in here, right?" asked Hannes as he passed her a glass of cold water, which she gulped down gratefully. "I trust you know how to handle yerself well, m'dear."

"Of course," Petra did her best to sound convincing.

It was only when she was intoxicated that she started to seriously think about the events that had directly preceded the night.

Burning trees. Black hair. Silver eyes. He was like a wolf himself when she thought about deliberately. Sharp nose, sharp jaw. He would be better suited into this life than her.

She giggled at that, taking another sip.

Levi. The name reminded her of a lone wolf, scouring the snow-barren land for prey then pouncing on it majestically, ripping its neck apart in one swift motion. It embarrassed her to admit that the image filled her with a tinge of ecstasy.

Suddenly, Gunther was at her side. "You okay there, Petra?" he asked as he laid down a fiver on the counter, motioning for more drinks. Hannes happily complied.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Gunther stared at her for a few seconds before turning to Hannes. "Make sure you don't give her anything after the third pint except water."

Petra sent him a scathing glare. "I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, but the rest of us can't take care of you," he replied, referring to the two boys laughing loudly behind him. "Look, there goes Auruo," he said with disdain.

Petra rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said. "I need to stay awake to catch up on work tonight anyway."

Gunther shrugged, leaving her in peace once Hannes had given him three bottles.

Petra resumed her thoughts, staring at the white foam lining the surface of the honey-coloured liquid. What if I hadn't run away? What if I stayed and talked to him? What would he have said? What would I have said?

She scooted backwards on her seat to place her cheek on the cold wooden countertop. Her caramel eyes had glazed over, matching the colour of the brewed beer she was holding.

Then, as if a giant spider had jumped and began crawling on her skin, she jolted awake, alert.

Her nose twitched. Burning.

She groaned, finishing the pint in one large gulp. "One more!" she exclaimed over the noise that had begun to accumulate. Hannes filled it right up to the brim.

She felt sick. Nauseous. Burning pinewood did not mix well with the taste of alcohol. Still, she held it in, focusing on a picture of the Wild West that Hannes had placed to the side of the counter. As if on cue, 'Clint Eastwood' started to drum its way into her ears, honing in on Damon Albarn's apathetic drawl.

Christ, what is that smell? she internally gagged. She coughed a few times before swiveling on the stool to look behind her.

Sure enough, Levi was there, mirroring the pained expression on her face. Their eyes met, causing Petra to shiver against her will.

He sauntered over to her position, and from her peripheral vision she saw that all three of her flatmates had stopped laughing to observe them with wide, curious eyes.

When they were finally face to face, Petra felt her cheeks. They were sizzling. God, this is so embarrassing.

He blinked at her. Once. Twice. Grey eyes piercing. "Petra?"

God, his voice. She buried her face deeper into her hands. This is not me. This is not voluntary. This is nature acting against me, she kept repeating to herself like a mantra.

His scent, his real scent was intoxicating to her. Stronger than anything she'd ever encountered in her life.

Green soap. Tea leaves. Black coffee.

She felt like her head was cracking open.

Levi continued to stand in front of her, blocking her view of the door. She needed to get out. Away from him. He was just a stranger.

"Petra."

The last thing she felt before blacking out was steel cutting into her eyeballs and the sensation of dry lips pressing onto her own.


A/N: I lied. I present to you the product of my procrastination... Thank you for your reviews! I'm even more excited to unfurl this story to share with y'all! :)