See Me Now

XIII. Petra

"Come in."

Hange opened the door and found Levi sitting there in his usual place. But, something was different in his appearance. He had a bruise on his face. His hair was a total mess, and his clothes looked uncharacteristically untidy. His steel blue eyes were bloodshot and his eye bags were darker than ever.

Upon seeing her, Levi's eyebrows slightly went up in confusion. He asked, "Where is (L/N)?"

"She called in sick." she answered. "I'll be your assistant for today."

"Oh."

Silence. What is wrong with Shorty now? "Levi, how did you get that bruise?"

He looked up at her, seemingly a bit distracted from his drifting thoughts. He looked so lost that she was not quite sure if she was talking to the real Levi now or not.

He shook his head. "I have no idea. I remember having a small drink last night past curfew time. Then, I woke up here. I couldn't remember what else happened last night."

He,... got drunk? How could that be? The results of the serum? "Well, the Scouts are training outside with Mike and Nanaba. You look really sick. If you want, you can take the rest of the day off."

"What about these?" he was pointing at the documents on his desk.

"I'll fill it up for you, but just for today. (F/N) will finish them tomorrow when she gets better."

(F/N). Now, what happened to the girl?

Levi graciously accepted her offer, said a simple thanks, and went out of the office in a sluggish manner, unlike the very energetic Levi she once knew.

When the door finally closed, she let her frown show on her face. It seems that with each passing day, Levi was getting even worse. First, with his stamina, and now, his poor liquor tolerance. And what was that thing that Erwin was talking about? That Levi was getting dull?

She looked at one of the filled out documents from his stack and read it. Then, she winced in disbelief.

I must get the antidote done, she thought. But, how? Just,... how?

I,... couldn't do it. It's impossible. I've done everything I can.

There,... is no cure.

No! There's still hope,...

There must be,...

******

Levi didn't eat anything despite his stomach's furious protests. He did take a bath. He actually took thirty minutes of it unlike his original habit of taking just three. He carefully rubbed every nook and cranny of his body, determined to remove all the filth that had taken residence in his person in the past three days that he didn't take a bath. He almost didn't mind that he already got tired doing it.

What he did mind was the weird dream he had last night.

He dreamed of Petra, and how he badly wanted to have her. He tried to imprison her in his embrace, savoring the smoothness of her skin. She felt so good, but he noticed something different about her. She,... smelled different. Unlike how she smelled when she was still around. The Petra he knew would always wear her favorite rose - scented perfume. The Petra in his dream smelled like something else. Something,... mysterious, and yet, heavenly.

It was the purest scent he had ever smelled, and it honestly made him want her more.

More than ever before.