Nifa smiled at the sight of her friend running towards her. She caught Petra in her arms and hugged her tightly, feeling her shaking a little.
"I'm proud of you," the strawberry-haired woman said when they let go of each other. Petra fixed her scarf and smiled back.
It took her a lot of courage to go and finally report Dieter for all the abuse he put her through. Despite that, with the support of her friends, she decided to fight for the consequences of his actions.
"It's a relief. I really don't want to meet him again, but Zeke said he wouldn't let him talk to me directly," Petra sighed and grabbed Nifa's gloved hand.
"I will be there with you too. Now, let's get out of here. No need to think about it now."
Petra didn't resist when her friend pulled her after herself down the street.
"So, how is work going? You wanted to tell me something."
The shorter woman looked at the pavement before slowing the pace of her steps.
"It's going great."
Nifa's eyebrows went up.
"Then why does it sound like a bad thing?"
"It's not...bad. Definitely not," Petra sent her a smile. "I think I was blessed with some Instagram algorithm gods because suddenly, I started gaining followers like crazy. It's overwhelming."
"I see," her friend nodded and looked forward in thought. "I don't know how your parlor's system looks. Is it problematic to have that many clients?"
"No! I don't think I get close in numbers to any of them yet," she replied with an awkward laugh. "The point is, a big artist reached out to me. She recognized me since I followed her for years now. She wants me to move to the capital and do a paid internship under her eyes," she explained as her voice went lower with each sentence.
"Oh...that sounds like a big thing. Does it mean you would have to move there for good?"
"I... I don't know yet. I haven't given her a final response yet."
Nifa didn't have to think twice to know why her friend was troubled. It was crazy to think that barely a year ago: she would have gone crazy for this opportunity.
"You joined the S. Corps for the same reason, right? He was your idol," she recollected calmly.
"He still is. Though, it's weird to look at him this way now. Idols are flawless. If you are a fan, you forget how human they are. It's not the same. And I probably wouldn't get that close to the other one," she added nervously. "That's not the point. I don't want to leave the S. Corps."
"Then what is the issue?"
Petra bit her lips nervously.
"I wanted to run away from this city for years. This is the first opportunity. I know Levi plans on opening another parlor in there too, but I don't think he wants to move. We are in the same position. Or rather the opposite. He doesn't want to go back there, and I don't know if I want to stay here."
"Did you talk about this with him?"
"Not yet."
"Maybe the way he reacts could help you make a choice."
Petra focused her eyes on the ground again. She didn't have to ask what her friend was implying, nor why she was concerned about it.
Levi was looking at the plants hanging on the parlor's high window while mindlessly twirling the butterfly knife around his fingers. It helped him to focus. He was sitting on the couch, listening to the soothing sound of tattooing machines of the guys present in the room.
His mind was with his girlfriend who, apparently, decided to avoid him; or so he thought. Maybe he got used to spending too much time with her; perhaps she just focused on others; that would be good for her since he didn't seem to give her a break with all the shit happening around him. Still, he couldn't sweep the feeling of anxiety out of his mind.
That's why he decided to do the only thing that could calm his nerves down. He stopped playing with the knife, locked it, and stood up.
It didn't matter that they cleaned the place this morning. It could only get better.
It wasn't that Petra and him didn't meet at all. They saw each other at work, and she didn't ignore him. He was just too much of a chicken to ask why Petra didn't visit him in private nor invited him anywhere. Maybe she was testing if he wasn't possessive? He couldn't quite place it. Whenever an intrusive thought came to his mind, he forcefully threw it out. Never in his life did he overthink something so hard.
Every time she approached him for a kiss or any form of interaction, he wished for more. It's been only a few days, but it was eating him from the inside out.
He stretched his back and looked around his room. After double-checking if there was no dust visible on his wooden desk, he threw the wipe to the trash bin and got out. He heard a sound from around the corner, so he went there to see the redhead looking through the cabinets in his kitchenette.
"Are you robbing my house?"
Petra turned her head and smiled at his sight.
"I'm making myself hot cocoa. Do you want one too?"
He approached her and put his hand in the pocket at the back of her jeans. She turned her head again and looked him in the eyes. He tried to read from that look, searching for anything that could tell him if he was overdramatizing or if something was really off.
"It's rare to see you here lately," he pointed out. The moment he came back to his straightforward self, he felt relief. He hoped she wouldn't take it as an accusation.
"Really?" she asked quietly. A glimpse of concern in her look was enough for him to figure that out.
"Is it because I asked you to live here?"
Petra's expression changed to dumbfounded.
"You remember that?"
"Of course I remember," he huffed, frowning. "You don't have to. It was just an idea. The last thing I'd want to do is make you-" he was interrupted by the feeling of her hands on his shoulders.
"No, no. Wait. I said I wanted to talk about it."
"Yes, but you didn't."
"You neither. I thought you wanted to ignore it because it was just a drunk blabber."
"It was," he confirmed. "In a way. I want it, but I didn't plan on asking you so soon."
They stared at each other in silence, both having no idea what was happening in the mind of the other. Levi's eyes widened when he noticed how her bottom lip started trembling.
"Oi. Wait. Are you about to cry? Why?" he asked, baffled, and put his hands on her waist, pulling her closer in an affectionate gesture. She moved closer and embraced him loosely. Their faces were close, but she was looking down.
"There is so much happening right now."
"It's okay; you don't have to move in."
She smiled sadly and brought one hand up to trace the tattoo on the side of his neck with her fingers.
"I've got a job offer," she said quietly.
She caught him by surprise. That was something he wasn't expecting nor considering to be an occurrence since she joined their team.
"Do you want to leave the parlor?"
The idea seemed unreal in his mind.
"That's the problem. I don't," she expressed and finally raised her gaze at him. "It's in the capital."
He felt numb at the sound of her words. He didn't know how to respond.
"Would you move in with me if I was about to leave?" she asked timidly.
"I don't know," he said honestly. She was in his arms, but he already started to feel the cold fright of losing her.
She nodded slowly and caressed the side of his face.
"Would you break up with me if I didn't?"
"No! Levi," she sighed, distressed, and hugged him, putting her chin on his shoulder. "I don't think you understand how much you mean to me."
Levi laughed awkwardly and hugged her back. She was definitely right.
"I was so scared of how you would react."
"Why?'' he asked and let her move her chest back a little to find her face again.
"I thought you might get angry," she confessed in a rush of adrenaline from confronting the topic.
"I may be jealous of some people stealing our best artist."
Petra laughed and moved back, holding his arms. He couldn't restrain a smile at the sound of it.
"Stop; I'm not even close to your level."
She looked at him with a blush on her cheeks when he brushed her hair away from her face.
"You are. You just have a different style."
His smile widened at the sight of her embarrassment, and he tilted his head when she moved closer to kiss him.
"Do what you feel is right for you. We'll figure it out," he told her when their lips parted.
Petra fought a sneeze and covered her nose with her orange scarf. Despite her love for autumn, the current weather was clearly losing points for that in her scale of favourite seasons. She watched as the maple leaves fell to float on the puddles under the tree she stood under.
She checked her phone, just to make sure she was on time before looking around. She waved her arm when she noticed Erwin getting out of his car. Smiling lightly, she rushed in his direction.
"Thanks for picking me up! I'd freeze waiting for that bus."
"No problem. Get inside; the wind is awful today," he noticed, looking at the sky. It definitely looked like it was about to rain soon.
He didn't have to encourage her twice, as she jumped into the passenger seat right after giving him her stuffed backpack. She relaxed in the warm air in the car.
"Are you sure it's fine for me to stay at your place?" she asked the blonde when he came back to the driver seat and started to go back to the street.
"I don't mind. Are you sure you're ok with it?"
Petra was surprised by the question but appreciated the thought. They didn't know each other well, but since Levi trusted him, she wasn't worried.
"Yes, it's only a week, after all. I would feel bad if I had to occupy your space any longer," she said while taking the scarf off and folding it on her knees.
"Levi said I have to let you stay because he can't have you stay in some filthy hotel room."
She looked at him in shock.
"I am so sorry, if I knew, I would've just come up with something myself."
Erwin laughed and sent her a brief look before looking back at the road.
"Don't worry, I'm not under his orders."
'Hey, your water is boiling."
Petra snapped back to reality and sent a smile to Pieck, who smiled in return and left the small kitchen of the parlor. While making herself a cup of tea, she couldn't help but feel the longing after her usual breaks with the guys.
She came there only for a couple of days to see how things work here, but she missed her friends. It's not like the people here weren't great. Only now, she started to understand the bond she built with the team.
It was surprising to see people coming here to see her as her fan. It was strange because she was just being herself. Popularity wasn't so great when she didn't feel like she deserved it.
People were asking if she left , and each time her initial reaction was to deny the statement. On the other hand, it was nice to work in a female-oriented workplace; the staff was chill and captivating. She could easily imagine growing close to them.
There were no red flags, but still, she felt like something was missing.
"So? How was your week at the new place? Did you decide yet?" Hange asked her, excited to the point where they almost laid on the table between them.
They took her to one of their favorite bars since she was about to leave the next day.
"I want to let myself think a bit longer. I think I will be sure in a couple of days." Petra replied, playing with the glass between her hands. "I'm glad that if I was about to move here, I would have you."
Hange smiled happily and patted the ginger on the head.
"I was surprised to hear you are considering it. But I get it; there are way more opportunities here."
They tilted their heads, seeing how she looked on the side when she nodded.
"You don't really care about that, huh?"
The woman looked back at them, embarrassed.
"I'm not really chasing money. I'm fine, just as I am. It's just that…" she hesitated and took a sip of her drink. "For years, I wanted to move here, but at first, I didn't have the money. Now I'm not even sure if I still want to, or I need to flee from the city - from Dieter. Things changed so much."
The expression of her friend darkened at the sound of his name. Despite that, they didn't want to dig into the topic of him.
"Let me guess. Does it have something to do with the particular short and grumpy man?"
Petra sighed with a troubled expression. After a moment, Hange circled the table to hug the sweet woman.
"Whatever you choose, it's going to be fine! It isn't a decision with no way back."
Petra got out of the train and strolled through the platform to the direction of the closest stairs. The place was almost empty, but she couldn't care less at such a late hour, as the only thing in her mind was to get to her bed as fast as possible.
The cold air kept her fully conscious, and she was relieved it wasn't windy that night. She restrained a yawn and raised her eyes from the pavement. A smile appeared on her face as she stopped at the sight of a dark figure standing near the stairs, a figure far too familiar to feel uneasy at its view.
Levi approached her first, but she was the one to hug him.
"You didn't have to pick me. I told you I'm fine with the taxi," she said while he was taking off the backpack from her back. "I wanted you to rest."
"You really think I'd be able to while you're here alone?"
"It's literally a 5-minute walk."
Instead of replying, he pulled her closer for a bit longer embrace. Petra smiled to herself, reading into his gesture clearly.
"I missed you too," she said, grabbing his hand.
Levi leaned on the counter, observing his impatient squad awaiting Petra's arrival. He had to admit it was quite amusing. Honest as always, she told them why she'd be absent for the last few days, and to his surprise, they were more moved about it than he expected. It was somehow comforting to see how close they all were. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he felt like they were more than just ordinary coworkers.
They saw her rushing through the rain before he opened the Parlors windowed doors.
"Hi!" she threw, wiping her boots on the doormat. Before she could do anything else, Oulo appeared in front of her with a cup of take-out coffee from the nearest shop.
"Bon appétit."
"Ah…thank you," she replied, sending him a confused look. "It's a drink; can you still say it?"
"I brought it for you, and you're already complaining?" the man huffed. Gunther moved him away from her sight instantly.
"We're happy you're back! I tried to bake a cake, but it went a little...eh, just don't judge it by its appearance."
Petra smiled, amused by their behavior, and gave the coffee to Gunther, so she could take the scarf off.
"You guys are too sweet."
"Are you sure? This is how you treat us on a daily basis," Eld pointed with a smile." Well, also, we will let you pick the restaurant for today's dinner since everyone is here."
"And we will make sure that at the next convention, we will go as a whole team again!"
The ginger looked at them suspiciously.
"Are you guys trying to bribe me into staying?" she asked, clearly amused.
The men fell silent, still smiling but not admitting anything. Levi was the only one just standing at the back with his regular stoic expression.
Petra sighed dramatically.
"Now, you set the bar of daily treats just too high."
Levi moved up and spoke first, making everyone turn their heads in his direction.
"So you'll stay?"
She laughed lightly, seeing the anticipation in their eyes. It was the first time Levi actually openly showed how much it meant to him. It was obvious he just didn't want to put pressure on her.
"I'm staying," she confirmed and yelped when Eld caught her around her thighs and raised her up while the other men cheered loudly.
"I knew you wouldn't stand working without me," Oulo snorted proudly.
"Congratulations to for being the only parlor with Petra Ral in it!" Gunter laughed.
"Okay, okay, put me down," Petra called, absolutely embarrassed. "My coat is all wet, you dummy."
She sighed loudly when her feet touched the floor again.
"Oi! Where are you going in those dirty ass boots!" Levi called, seeing how she was about to head to the break room.
"Sorry, Captain!" she laughed in response and turned her head while stepping to the side when the doors behind her opened again. A tall girl with delicate Asian features and beautiful black hair looked at her, then at the others, and nodded her head in greeting.
"You too, leave the shoes at the door and take your stuff upstairs," Levi said to her, devastated by their filthy habits.
