A/N: I'm still suffering from writer's block... I apologize again if this chapter is rushed/shitty. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE LAST OF US OR ANY PART OF THE NAUGHTY DOG FRANCHISE OR ATTACK ON TITAN.
"Petra," he whispered, still in awe by what she had uttered to him.
Tears fell down her face but were quickly wiped away by her sleeve. She stood from her seat and pushed the chair back to the dining table. "I'm sorry," she sniffled. "You shouldn't see me like this. It's ridiculous."
She hastily trailed over to the cabinets and recovered some pots and pans. She found the eating utensils sitting in the sink and proceeded to run water over them all for a good wash. Sadly there was no warm or hot water running in the house — only the bitter cold flowed to the house and most likely the rest of the homes in the village. Her hands slowly stung from the cold as stray tears continued to into the filled sink. Unbeknownst to her, he could hear her sniffling from his seat.
His heart ached from her quiet sobs. He was afflicted with many emotions, just as she was. He was unsure whether to feel anger or sadness for causing her tears; happiness from her confession; or pure pain from being loved in a world such as theirs. He looked down at his calloused hands, unclear on what to say. He was afraid of how she might react and apprehensive to say the same words back to her.
He had almost forgotten what it felt like to say those words let alone what it was like to be loved by anyone. Nonetheless, he wanted to say those same words — he wanted to remember what it was like to love. He felt a sort of warmth inside him when she said it to him — a warmth that overcame the iciness within him. If she could do that to him with a few simple words, then he could do the same to her — he hoped, at least.
He swallowed dryly and opened his mouth. "I love you too you know."
Upon the utterance of the fourth word, she stopped her movements at the sink.
He repeated himself, thinking she did not hear. "I love you, Petra."
Timidly, she looked over her shoulder, baffled. She thought she was hearing things — a figment of her imagination from her growling, empty stomach. But when she turned to him and looked at him in the eyes, she knew he meant it. His infamous scowl was gone.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming from the hall. She turned back around, and he sank into his chair once more as if nothing had transpired at all.
"Hey guys! I found some canned goods inside one of the rooms!" Eren grinned as he walked in with an armful of cans. "There's tuna, fruit and some canned meat!"
"It's not the best, but it's something," Petra said quietly whilst scrubbing down the utensils.
Eren laid the cans over the table and began sorting them into their respective groups. Levi's scowl had returned at the sight of the boy, but there was a glimmer in the boy's green eyes. Eren showed an immense amount of happiness between all three of them, proud of his contribution. His bright green eyes and the smile painted on his face suddenly reminded Levi of his dear friend Isabel.
He could see her in his place, sorting out coins she had smuggled from a stranger. She looked to him and giggled with glee — the same joyous smile and the same green orbs beamed at him. Levi's eyes widened a bit in the daze, and he suddenly heard Eren's voice.
"Levi, are you sure you're okay?" the boy asked. His wide smile was gone.
Levi blinked twice and sighed. "Don't worry about me. Just help Petra with the food. Go help clean up some of the shit around here."
Eren's brows furrowed, unamused. Well at least he's still his cranky self.
"Alright," Petra said as she slid a plate of cooked tuna and ground meat onto the table. "Now, about that Titan." She took a seat at the other end of the table and scooped up several spoonfuls of the cooked goods. "I still don't understand how she managed to track us from such a faraway distance." She took a bite of the pan-fried mystery meat, frowning from the taste but swallowing it anyway.
"It must've been keeping an eye on us," Levi said after swallowing a piece of tuna. He was used to the canned taste of food – he thrived off of worse ever since he was born into the Underground City. "I'm not sure how long she's been keeping track, but one thing's for sure: the damn thing is too smart to be a real Titan."
Eren stared at the bite wound on his thumb as he chewed a bit of the canned meat. He began to feel queasy the longer he stared at the injury. Levi noticed the boy's uneasy expression and spoke to him. "You look like you want to say something."
The boy's lips tightened. "How does a Titan manage to read your movements… and redirect its regeneration to one limb?"
Levi and Petra were unable to answer.
"Is it possible for a human to become infected… and control how the infection affects them?"
Petra raised a brow. "What do you mean, Eren?"
"That Female Titan… she went to us specifically, didn't she? And it targeted just one arm for healing. All that means whoever became that Titan was still able to think rationally after contracting the virus; so does that mean there are people out there who are able to control how the infection takes its course? Or is it just a mutation in the virus itself?"
Levi pushed around the strange tuna on his plate. "You sure sound scientific. It's not a bad hypothesis though. But I'd rather not find out by fighting that bitch again."
Petra chimed in, "There's another thing that bothers me."
"And what's that?"
"When I fought the Titan and aimed directly for her nape... her skin just... crystallized."
Eren's eyes widened in awe. "Wait, what?"
"She hardened her skin so that I wouldn't be able to kill her..."
The simple thought of the Titan being capable of such an ability left Eren confounded. He stared at his thumb again; his uneasiness returned.
"Now that you've mentioned it," Levi responded, "she did try to cover her nape the first time I aimed for it. All the more reason why we shouldn't believe that bitch is a real Titan." He set his empty plate aside, secretly detesting the kind of canned tuna he consumed. "After what we saw today, there's something more to this Titan virus. Last time I checked, a virus doesn't just give you special powers; unless something was done to the virus itself to adjust what happens to a person when they become infected." He looked at Eren, stealing a glimpse of his bite wound. "Is there anything else you should tell us about your 'immunity' to the Titan virus?"
Eren hesitated for a moment. "I don't... think so... All I know is that I'm immune."
"And who told you you were immune?"
"I found that out myself."
Petra leaned towards Eren, curious. "Speaking of which, how were you bitten in the first place? I mean, if you've been in the zone the entire time, you shouldn't have been bitten at all."
Eren sighed as he pushed aside the mystery meat on his plate. His bright green eyes darkened, and his lips curved into a slight grimace. "I lived in Shiganshina. It was a fully operational Quarantine Zone back then, but... the Titans busted through the walls and one got to me."
"Were you with Reiner when you were bitten?"
"No..." He covered his thumb, feeling the rough indents in his skin. "I went to him for help after I was bitten."
"Knowing him, I'm surprised he didn't kill you," Levi said bluntly as he crossed his arms.
"Actually, he almost did." Eren heaved a hefty sigh and pushed his entire plate away. "I hope he's doing alright though..."
"You don't need to worry about him," Levi said. "He's back at his Shift base. He should be fine. If anything you should be worrying about yourself. I'm shocked you haven't shit your pants yet after seeing that Female Titan run straight for us."
"I'm no coward if that's what you're getting at," Eren spat. "I've seen plenty of those things myself, you know."
"Have you ever tried to fight one head on?" Levi replied.
"Well, not exactly... besides I don't have any 3DM gear to do so."
Tired of simply attempting to eat the canned food, Petra collected their plates and placed them into the sink. "That brings up another subject," she began again. "Levi, when are we going to head out again? I'm sure the people at Castle Utgard have been waiting for a while. Not sure if they're feeling antsy at all about us not being there yet."
"We leave in a couple hours." Levi stood from his seat and walked back to the bench. "We get in some more rest, and we'll leave at sunset. Got it?"
Petra and Eren hummed in agreement.
After spending an hour trying to make one of the beds in the building actually comfortable to lie on, Eren chose to sleep away from his escorts. He trusted them completely, seeing them fend off the Female Titan. If anything were to happen, they would be there for him before any harm would come to him. There was no point in him trying to stick around like their child; so he packed in as much rest as possible on a dusty mattress. It forced several sneezes out of him, but it was comfier than the dining table - and better for his back.
He stared at the wooden ceiling, hearing the gentle wind blow outside. The village sounded peaceful once more, now that the Female Titan was gone; but even if she had fled from the scene, he doubted it would be the last time he would see her. What if she brings other Titans with her? Eren thought. She didn't die - she probably will come back... He then replayed the series of skillful attacks instigated by Levi and Petra. He recalled their speed and strength in their attacks; their precision and their mastery over the 3DM gear. He scoffed at the Titan's abilities in comparison to his escorts. I doubt they'd be any help for her. She and her friends would be going against two of the greatest Titan slayers I've ever seen.
It took a while for him to realize that in a few hours, he would be out of Levi's and Petra's hands and back in possession of the Shift. It amused him how quickly he learned to trust them despite having been complete strangers when Reiner introduced him to the two. Would he be able to see them again? Would the Shift be any stronger than Levi and Petra combined? Would the Shift be as adept in Titan slaying? How much were they willing to risk?
He raised his hand and eyed the indented line of the wound on his thumb. He then clasped his hand into a fist and watched his wound stretch across his skin.
At the other side of the house, Levi sat on the same bench, on the same side and in the same spot. His foot rested on Petra's knee as she taped his slightly swollen ankle.
"Please be more careful next time," she sighed. She tore a long piece of tape and wrapped it around his skin. "You have another ankle, yes; but it won't do you any good if both of them are sprained."
She stood and tossed the roll of tape back onto the countertop. Planning to take another nap at her same spot, she ambled towards the other side of the bench; but before she could turn to sit, a hand caught her wrist. She turned her head to Levi, and he pulled her close. She took a seat right beside him, gazing into his tired, blue eyes. She leaned in closer, suddenly remembering the taste of his lips from earlier. She craved his sweet taste again as her throat became dry. One more time won't hurt. She closed her eyes and felt his lips brush against hers. He breathed softly against her, taunting her to come closer. His hand snaked to her cheek, fingers weaving into her soft, ginger hair. Just one more time...
She pressed her lips onto his, tasting his sweetness once again. One part of her wanted to do so all day, but another part told her it was not possible; they both knew it. His taste slowly became bittersweet, as several thoughts began to run through her head. The man whom she confessed her love to — the same one that proved the feeling was mutual was traveling with her through Titan country. A death zone. They were risking their lives for the sake of one boy. No — they had been risking their lives ever since the outbreak began. It was only several years ago that they had begun to risk their lives together.
The terrain they must cross was wrought by Titans, and the Titans themselves lurked somewhere in the shadows; so was it worth it to have confessed to him? Was it worth it to increase the stakes of all of their actions?
She did not know — after all — what it would be like to lose him.
She pursed her lips and pulled away. She opened her eyes, looking into his. He realized quickly that there was something off about her — the gleam in her eyes had disappeared, and her lips became tense.
"Something's bothering you," he whispered.
She kept quiet.
"What are you thinking right now?"
Smiling falsely, she casually wrapped her arms around him, keeping him in a taut embrace. She felt his arms wrap around her as she tried to string certain words together in her head:
"Levi," she began, "if I became a Titan, would you pull the trigger?"
He held his breath and became tense.
"Why would you ask that," he whispered into her ear.
Her voice began to tremble again as she repeated herself to him: "If I became a Titan... would you pull the trigger?"