Ephemeral

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Summary: Rivetra Week 2016 Day 2 Prompt

Levi highlighted a sentence on the last page and made notes in the margin.

He closed the file and put it away. His computer let out a small ding, notifying him of a new email. He opened his inbox and scanned the message, then checked the time and opened the attached file.

Levi's phone buzzed. His eyes stayed glued to the screen, though. It buzzed two more times before he reached a good stopping point and checked it. There were three new text messages, all from his girlfriend Petra. He checked the time and cursed, quickly shooting a reply, apologizing and trying to explain he was stuck until he finished what he had started.

'How long is it gonna take?'

'Too long, I won't make it in time and you'll be late.'

'But you promised!'

'I know. And I'm really sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you!'

No reply came.

Levi put his phone down in disappointment, an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. He had been late the last two times he'd told her he'd pick her up, and hadn't been able to make it at all once before that. She had understood then, but it was turning into a bad habit and upsetting her. And that upset him. He leaned back in his chair with a sigh. This is the last time. Levi vowed silently to himself, planning to pick up dinner and a cake from Heavenly Sweets. His lips twitched into a smile. His girlfriend was obsessed with that place.

Levi unlocked the door and turned the lights on. Happy he had made it home before her, he quickly set up the food and changed out of his work clothes. He went over the apology in his head as he watched TV.

An hour later, he checked his phone when the show ended. She must be really mad. Levi groaned. He winced, he had promised her a week ago he'd pick her up after work and they'd go to her co-worker's party together. He hated socializing with the kind of people that were going to be there, having met the woman in question once before. Levi really hoped Petra wouldn't think he had made up an excuse just because he didn't want to go.

Just as he was about to put the phone down, a call came. It was a number didn't recognize.

"Hello?" Wrong number, he thought, waiting for the person on the other end to confirm it.

"Is this Levi Ackerman?"

Or maybe not. "Yes?" He tried to place the foreign feminine voice.

"My name is Mina Carolina and I'm calling from Sina General Hospital."

Levi's heart forgot to beat and stilled for a second.

"I'm calling to inform you about Ms. Petra Ral—"

"What happened?!" Levi was on his feet in an instant, rushing for his wallet and keys.

"There was an accident and Ms. Ral was brought in with serious injuries."

The world shifted under his feet. "Is...is she okay?"

"She's in surgery."

"I'll be right there."

The machine beeped behind him, green, blue, and yellow waves spiking steadily as a blizzard raged outside the hospital windows.

A soft ding penetrated the air. Levi ignored it. It's too late for that now. A part of him sneered. I should have been there, he thought with a heavy heart.

Petra lay in the hospital bed, unconscious and pale. He held her hands in his. She had fallen sick once and he'd stayed by her side, holding her hand. She had complained one hand was warmer than the other and he promised he would always hold both her hands from then on. The smile fell from his face. What the hell happened to them? He wracked his brain for the thousandth time. All he wanted was for her to be happy and secure. It was why he had been working so hard for that promotion. Levi had it all laid out. According to his plan, just two more months and they would have enough money to put a down payment on any decent house.

He had imagined looking around for a house with Petra, buying furniture, painting, unpacking their things, and decorating their new place, making it home.

His throat closed up with emotion. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She was his future. When had he become so focused on achieving his goal that he had gotten whom he was doing it for in the first place? "I'm sorry." Levi stroked her hair gently. "I've been a terrible boyfriend. I should have been there for you."

There was a familiar notification on his phone. He opened it and read: Life is ephemeral. So don't waste time looking up big words.

Levi chuckled. He understood why Petra had insisted he sign-up to receive a goofy or inspirational quote daily. Life is ephemeral. He would never forget again. He continued to stroke the soft ginger-hair. Because any day could be someone's last.

Bright balloons, cards, baskets, and stuffed animals were placed around the room. In the middle of the bright display lay the love of his life, sickly and asleep. Levi read quietly to her. She loved books and one of the novels she'd ordered had been delivered to their apartment. He had brought it with him the other day and begun reading it to her.

A buzzing filled the air. Someone was calling him. As much as he disliked leaving her he had to continue working to keep his job. Her insurance was good and covered the majority of the hospital expenses but it was still costly. And he would have to cover the rest of the bills by himself for a while. He was hopeful she'd wake up soon and then he could take time off and help her recover.

Since his boss and his friends knew the situation, he knew they would only call if it were important. Levi's stomach dropped when he saw the caller ID. It was a conversation he had been dreading this conversation for days.

"Hello, Levi." Petra's father's voice came from the other end. "How have you been?"

"I'm okay."

"Good," Mr. Ral continued before he could speak. "Is it snowing as badly there as it is here? We lost power and a cell tower, too."

That explained why he hadn't been able to contact the man. Levi had assumed the older man had gone off ice fishing, something he enjoyed doing a lot and would sometimes put him out of communication range. "I've been trying to reach you for the past few days."

"The reception has been very spotty and every time I tried to reach Petra, the call kept dropping. So, how's everything going? Petra mentioned you've been putting in a lot of hours trying to get a promotion."

Guilt squirmed in his stomach. "I...I'm sorry. It's all my fault," he rushed out, voice trembling.

"What's wrong?" Mr. Ral asked, alarmed. "Is Petra okay?"

Levi looked at her sleeping face, chest heavy. "No, she...there was an accident. They said it was black ice, a car slipped and spun out of control and..." He felt sick, imagining the horrific scene they'd described to him. No way could he tell those gruesome details to her father. "She's in the hospital now."

"Is it serious?" His voice was heavy with dread.

"She has some broken bones and scrapes. And," he said, swallowing, "she hasn't woken up yet."

"She's in a coma?" The fear in his voice twisted a knife in Levi's gut. "I'm coming up there—"

"No," Levi said, "you can't. The conditions are pretty bad here. There's a blizzard." Her father would have to drive through the mountains that were likely experiencing even worse weather conditions. "She's in good hands here."

"I can't just stay here!"

"Just wait a few days," Levi begged. "Until it gets better. I'll call every day and keep you updated," he promised.

Mr. Ral was silent for a few long, awful seconds. "Very well. Tell me as soon as she wakes up."

"I will," he agreed. "I'm so sorry. If only I had—"

"It's not your fault," Mr. Ral sighed heavily. "You had no control over this."

But it is my fault. Levi felt pinpricks behind his eyes. He had promised to pick her up and if he had gone like he should have, she wouldn't have been walking on that road. If he hadn't convinced her to take the bus in the first place, because the roads were slippery and her car wasn't an all-wheel drive like his, she would have driven home herself. The accident could have been avoided if it hadn't been for me.

"I will see you in a few days, okay?"

"Okay."

"Take care of Petra. And yourself."

"I will."

Levi woke up two days later.

"Good morning," the nurse said.

He straightened immediately. "Have there been any changes?"

"No, same as yesterday," she said sympathetically. Levi checked his watch and cursed. "Don't worry about your work. I saw the news and one of the areas that's been closed because of the weather is where you work."

"Thanks." Levi nodded. He'd been spending every minute he could spare at the hospital and some of the staff had gotten to know him well.

"I'll be here for a few minutes. Why don't you head down to the cafeteria and get some food?" The elderly woman offered kindly.

He glanced at the unconscious woman. "I'll do that." The food was bland in his mouth. Not that it would've tasted any different to him had it been a five-star dish.

Taking her hands into his once more, he settled himself into the cushy chair.

"Do you remember the first time we met after college?" His eyes had a faraway look in them. They had run into each other at the mall. He had time to waste after buying a present for a friend and he couldn't decide what movie to watch. "You insisted we watch that goofy dog movie. And after, you showed me that small burger place and told me to mix the ketchup and the mayonnaise and eat the fries with that." It had been pretty good, he had to admit.

Despite the fact he knew there would be no reply, he still waited.

"Remember our first anniversary when we tried to make that German cake and what a disgusting mess it turned out? We gave up and ordered a cake instead and that's how you discovered Heavenly Sweets, your obsession to this day." Levi brought her knuckles up and kissed them. "If you wake up, I promise I'll get you that diabetes-inducing $40 special cake they make every week."

Silence again.

Levi's heart fell. He had been half hoping she'd open her eyes and smile, bribed into consciousness by chocolate cake.

Suddenly he felt it, soft as a butterfly's touch. He looked at her in shock, terrified his mind was playing a cruel trick on him. Levi held his breath, going completely still.

There it was again.

Her thin fingers squeezed his hand weakly.

"Petra?" His eyes watered.

It was later in the evening when she finally opened her eyes.

"Careful." Levi helped her onto the couch. He grabbed a large blanket and covered her, trying to tuck it in around her.

"No," Petra resisted. "Stay with me. Please?" He nodded and joined her. Petra sighed happily, snuggling into his arms.

They stayed like that for a while, quiet and warm and content. Levi felt so lucky. She was okay. They were okay. Everything was good. He could breathe easy now. "I promise I'll always prioritize you."

"Hmm." Petra inhaled his familiar scent, snuggling deeper into his chest.

"Just rest now." He squeezed her and held her close and tight. "And get better."

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