Maybe

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Summary: Rivetra Week 2016 Prompt Day 5

"No, no, no, no, no!" Petra cried out. "You have got to be fucking kidding me!" She slammed her hands on the steering wheel in frustration. Arms folded, she rested her face on them, groaning. Why does this always happen to me?

Anytime she went on a vacation or was traveling far, something usually went wrong. Either she'd forget a gift or a bag and had to turn around or buy whatever she'd left behind. She pulled out her phone. No service. Typical.

Petra suddenly brightened up. Reaching for the glove compartment, she let out a cheer. She quickly unfolded the map. At least I'm not lost now. It wasn't unusual for her to get turned around so she'd had one of her outdoorsy friends teach her what to do if she was lost and without GPS navigation. Map reading was going to be very useful now.

"Really?" Petra grumbled, scanning the map. Her car couldn't wait another fifteen minutes before dying? She glanced at the thick forest on her left and the rocky cliff wall a few yards on her right.

Outside her window, the sky was dark. It was easily going to take her nearly two hours to walk to the gas station marked on the map. Stay or walk, she wondered. Petra guessed something must have happened to her engine. The car wasn't going to stay warm and toasty for long. She could follow the road and reach the gas station in about two hours. Beats being stuck in a freezing car overnight. At least she could run at intervals to keep warm.

Grabbing a jacket from her suitcase and a flashlight, she double checked to make sure she wasn't leaving anything of value behind. Got my keys, phone, wallet, and laptop. The car itself was the only thing of value to be left behind. She could buy more clothes if someone stole them.

Petra sighed. Her breath was visible in the chilly temperature. Get moving before the cold sets in.

Half an hour later, her toes were numb.

Worry gnawed at her. What if she got hypothermia before she reached her destination? Or worse, what if she managed to make it there but it was closed or shut down? Petra swore fiercely under her breath. When she realized no one was around, she yelled her frustrations up at the sky. It made her feel better.

Then she heard a familiar sound. Is that a car? She perked up. Please be a state trooper, please be a state trooper. Her hopes dimmed when she realized it was a normal, dark SUV. She debated the pros and cons as the car neared before sticking out her thumb. Please don't be a serial killer. Please don't be a serial killer. But she only needed to worry about that if the driver stopped. The vehicle slowed hesitantly before stopping beside her.

Petra wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not. The passenger side window rolled down. Once more to her disappointment, the driver was not female.

"Uh, hi," she said, smiling nervously, "my car broke down."

"Yeah, I saw," he said. "The green one?"

Petra nodded. "Think you can drop me off at the gas station? I can pay for the gas," she offered.

"No need." He unlocked the doors. "It's on my way."

"Thanks," she said gratefully, stepping into the warmth.

"I'm Levi."

"Petra." She set the laptop in her lap and pulled on the seatbelt. "Wait, you're not some creep, right?"

Levi raised an eyebrow. She opened her mouth to apologize lest he kicked her out but he spoke first, "You ask that after you get into my car?"

"I know I'd get frostbite before I could make it." Her fingers curled around the stun gun in her jacket pocket. Shaped like a tube of lipstick, it packed a surprising amount of power. If he turned out to be a psycho she wouldn't hesitate to stun him. The gas station can't be more than ten minutes away now.

It seemed Levi wasn't into small talk and kept silent. Normally she would have preferred it that way but for some reason, she couldn't keep from talking. "So, where are you headed?" She mentally slapped herself. Way to go, genius. Now you've opened the floor and he can ask you questions, too.

"Shinganshina," he answered. "Visiting my cousin."

"Me, too. I'm visiting an old friend." Then, to her mortification, Petra's stomach growled loudly. Levi chuckled. She blushed, wanting to sink into the cushy seat. "Had to leave quickly after work. Didn't get a chance to eat."

"Yeah. Rush hour traffic. That's the nice thing about small towns like Shinganshina. Traffic isn't a total nightmare." Levi glanced at her. "There's a nice restaurant that's open pretty late."

"Yeah?"

"Food's great and for a pretty good price, too."

"Where is it? My friend's not getting off work till late anyway." She listened to the name and the address and committed it to memory.

"Are you from the city, too?"

"Yeah." Petra noticed his sweatshirt. "I see we went to the same university."

"Really?"

They fell into a conversation about the best and worst professors they had, the campus, housing, and classes. Petra was surprised when he took the exit and stopped in front of the gas station. That was fast. She unclipped her seatbelt. "Thanks for the ride, Levi."

"Sure thing. You can call Hannes. He's the only mechanic in town. His number's in the directory."

"I will," she said. "Goodnight." She watched him reverse and leave in her periphery as she entered the brightly lit store.

It was a cute little place, the restaurant Levi had recommended. She opened the door and stepped in. Smells amazing. Her eyes landed on a figure staring absent-mindedly out the window. Petra wasn't sure how to react. Suddenly, Levi's head snapped in her direction as if feeling her gaze on him. Her feet led her to his table. "Hi."

"Hey," he replied, sitting straighter. "Funny seeing you here." His lips twitched.

"Did you tell me about this place just so we could 'run' into each other again?"

"Maybe."

Petra sat down across from him, not missing the flicker of excitement on his face before he schooled his features.

"I see now," a voice came from behind her.

Petra looked up to see a waitress, smiling in amusement. Her name tag read "Mikasa."

Mikasa glanced at Levi. "So this is why you offered to pick me up from work and showed up an hour early. I thought you were being suspiciously nice."

"I take it you're his family he's visiting?" Petra asked the waitress.

"Yes. You're very pretty. How did my bumbling cousin ever get you to—"

"Excuse me, ma'am, I'd like a menu now," Levi said pointedly.

"Fine." Mikasa handed them each a menu. She took out a notepad and a pen and stood there waiting.

"Shoo," Levi waved his hand.

"Call me when you're ready. To order or if you want help running away." She winked at Petra.

Levi made a strangled noise.

"Kidding, kidding." Mikasa grinned and left.

"Sorry," he said to Petra, who had been watching the exchange in amusement. Levi hesitated. "I hope I didn't creep you out. You can leave if you're uncomfortable. Not that I mean to put pressure on you by saying that."

Petra smiled, elbow on the table, face in hand. "You're cute."

He looked relieved for a second before mumbling. "I'm not cute." He paused. "You're cute." She blushed, bringing a smile to his face. "What happened to your car?"

"Battery died. Hannes gave it a jump start and said it needs to be replaced soon."

Levi nodded. "I have jumper cables but a friend's borrowing them."

"Are you ready to order?" Mikasa suddenly materialized before them.

"We'll call you when we're ready."

"Do it soon. We're closing in about half an hour."

Levi rolled his eyes. "You just wanted to eavesdrop."

"How rude. I did not." Her face clearly said the opposite.

"You are not getting a tip."

"Cheapskate."

Petra giggled. Levi eyed her anxiously before turning back to Mikasa with pleading eyes. The redhead spoke up, "I'm ready to order." She picked the first delicious looking burger she saw and Levi ordered his usual. "I like her." Petra could tell he was little bummed out she took a liking to his cousin immediately but not him.

"That was my friend." Petra put her phone away and began to pull on her jacket. "She'll be home soon. I should get going."

"I'll walk you out," Levi offered.

"Thanks."

He opened the door for her. Petra pulled out her keys and a pen. "This was fun."

"Yeah."

She could tell he was working up the courage and couldn't help herself. "It was nice. You, me...your cousin." Petra laughed when Levi made a face. "Sorry. Couldn't help it."

He huffed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "She can be so nosy."

"Younger siblings—and cousins—are like that." She stared at him expectantly.

"Do you think you'd like to do this again? Just us next time," he added quickly.

She tugged one of his arms out of his pocket and clicked her pen, scribbling ten digits on his palm. "Maybe you should text me sometime next week and find out." Petra felt him go still when she placed her hands on his arms and leaned up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Goodnight, Levi."

For once, she could not wait for the weekend to end, the awed expression on Levi's face stuck in her mind, making her giddy at the thought of their next meeting.

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