"Secret Potion: p4"

(Requested by: @lshsprlng )

Second Person POV

"What do you mean the antidote didn't work?" You narrow your gaze on the Section Commander, brows stitched together in confusion. "It wasn't necessarily the antidote that didn't work... it was a bit of a combination between that and the original potion I gave you." The brunette chuckles nervously, sitting on one of the dining room chairs. Groaning to yourself, you rub your hands over your face while you process their answer. "All because you used one different ingredient? Now I could possibly be stuck like this? I have to go back to Captain Levi's office soon to find out what he needs!" You look at them desperately, pleading with your eyes for help.

"If we're being honest, we both know what he meant." The brunette gives you a bored look which is rare for them. You refrain from barking back at them on the spot about insinuating something personal like that. Instead, you stay silent and give them a look in return, yours saying "fix this immediately." Pursing their lips, Hange contemplates while they glance between your (color) eyes, dropping the expression.

"Aha! I got it!" They suddenly hop up from their seat, almost startling you. "What is it?" You're almost afraid to question, considering you're stuck with cat ears and a tail. "I might know a recipe to help but there may be some side effects-" Hange starts to explain but you cut them off. "I don't care, just fix me, already!" You exclaim, gripping the collar of their jacket. "Of course, Y/n." They grin, running off with Moblit afterward.

The higher-ranked Scout had been absent for the last two hours before you saw them again, this time, returning with a different bottle. "Took you long enough!" You sigh, bored out of your mind from hiding from embarrassment all day. Chuckling, Hange approaches your side, passing over the bottle for you to take. "Listen, before you drink it, I had to borrow notes from a previous potion I concocted awhile ago so here's all the side effects that I'm aware-" Hange didn't even notice you already chugged down the entire bottle until they stopped their pacing to face you, mouth hanging open. "Of course you didn't listen to me." They awkwardly rub the back of their neck.

"Am I normal again?" You pant, wiping the corner of your mouth. Checking over you, Hange eventually shakes their head "no." "It'll probably take an hour or so for the previous potions to wear off, but in the meantime, you should probably keep isolating." They recommend. "Why, exactly?" You raise a brow in confusion. You don't mind being alone any longer but being told to makes you question them. "Well, you didn't want to listen to the side effects so I won't be telling you!" The brunette smiles behind their glasses, patting your head before signaling their temporary farewell.

In a bit of annoyance, you let out a pent up huff, leaning back to relax. In no time, you feel yourself slip away into a state of unconsciousness. Either exhaustion caught up to you or maybe it was a side effect from the potion. Either way, you were drowsy and needed to recharge yourself, so you head back to your dorm.

~~

"My head..." You grumble, slowly waking up. Sitting up as your memories linger back, your hands find their way to your head, blindly searching for the cat ears you've had for longer than you'd like. When your hands only glide over a smooth surface, your eyes widen, realizing they've disappeared. Quickly twisting your torso, you look over your shoulder to make sure the tail is also gone. Relief washes over you when there's no sign of it either, meaning you're 100% human again.

Joyously dancing in your bed, you hop up with a spring in your step. You will never take your own body for granted again, or let Hange drag you into another one of their shenanigans. Checking yourself out in a handheld mirror, you smile at your normal reflection. Nothing else seems to be off. You wonder what Hange was warning you about from having to mix a previous potion just to cure you. Whatever it was, probably didn't effect you.

Suddenly, you remember Captain Levi telling you to meet him once you were back to normal. You set the mirror back down and rush out the door to find him, not realizing how late in the evening it is. Knowing him, he will still be awake, anyway. The travel to his office goes by in no time, the surge of energy you feel after so much resting benefiting you. You even failed to notice the lack of other life on your journey, for everyone else In Headquarters is asleep.

Skidding to a stop from your jog, you wait a moment to catch your breath outside of his door, anxious to know why he requested you to visit. With a single knock, you let yourself into the room, eyes already scanning the pristinely kept space. It does not take you long to spot the familiar raven sitting at his desk in the dim room, only lit by a singular candle beside him, perfectly glowing and highlighting the left side of his angular visage. The view before you ignites an unprecedented feeling inside, unsure of what to think about it.

Something feels... so different, right now.

"You look so pretty in this lighting." The words fall past your lips faster than your mind can process. Until Captain Levi's quirked expression signals you to snap out of whatever trance you've been put in, you fully comprehend what has just happened. "Did I... say that out loud?" You feel extra blood ambush your cheeks, extremely embarrassed. Clearing his throat, the raven-haired Captain sets aside his pen. "Yes you did." He mutters, just as awkwardly as you currently feel. As honest as you were, he has to admit the fuzzy feeling from such a foreign compliment is confusing to him. No one has ever said such a thing about him.

"Sorry about that, 'Cap. I guess I couldn't help myself from pointing out the obvious. I've always wanted to comment on your appearance, but alas, its inappropriate since I'm a cadet and you're my Captain-" You have another word vomit, catching yourself this time, but not until the very end. "I... uh..." You bite down on your lip, afraid for the outcome of, as you stated, inappropriate comments. The man on the other end of the conversation stays seated at his desk, utterly taken aback by your ballsiness. "Sorry, Captain..." You eventually manage to get out of your uncontrollable system, just as confused for the sudden confessions you had no idea would surface past your full subconscious.

Shaking it off, Captain Levi comes to his own conclusion for your peculiar behavior. "I'm not worried about it, Y/n. I'm sure its Hange's antidote that's responsible for your strange speech." He brushes it aside, acting unfazed again. Sighing ever so slightly, you're grateful he's not taking it too personally and punishing you for speaking so out of line. "You're probably right." You nod, the urge to continue talking bubbling up again right after. "I was hoping you'd get mad anyway, 'cuz your angry face is pretty attractive. What a shame." You shrug, eyes bugging out as soon as you draw your last breath.

I did not just say that.

This time, Captain Levi rises from his seat quite abruptly, his hands sprawled on top of his desk. "What?" He asks very low and slowly, almost denying he heard exactly what you said. It had to be a mistake, right? He's just tired and heard you wrong. Right?

I'm dead meat.

"Either you're making fun of me on purpose, or this really is Hange's potion doing all the talking." He ponders openly, still refusing to believe you'd say this by your free will. Pursing your lips for a second, you quickly nod your head. "Y-Yeah, its the potion. I do feel a little weird and not like my full normal self. Maybe I should have rested a little longer?" Crossing your arms, you head for the door to leave again, only to be stopped by your captain's serious voice. "You're staying here. I told you to see me after you were cured, remember?" He lifts a brow in suspense, waiting for your confirmation. "Oh, you're right." You eventually nod, realizing you won't be getting away any time soon. "I thought you'd never ask." You then add, mentally slapping yourself for that final, unnecessary, comment.

"I see." Captain Levi hums to himself, glancing down towards his tidy desk. Now its clear that he definitely isn't misunderstanding you. "Is there a specific reason you called me here?" Finally, a sentence that won't cost you more trouble. "I did," He quietly clears his throat. "But it seems you're still not fully cured, and my instructions were to be in a clear, conscious state." The raven mainly talks to himself, trailing to the other side of his desk. "I can still go if you want me to, Captain." You offer, feeling a bit guilty for wasting his time. You clearly didn't do as he asked, you're still out of it in some way.

However, a simple "no," somewhat pulls you back to the reality before turning into a half-cat, half-human. But before you can respond, he shakes his head. "No, forget it," he stops himself, turning around to return to his desk chair. Before sitting down, he barely glances your way. "You should go." "I- Why?" Your brows twitch together, even more confused now than ever. After what you can only guess as a mental battle with himself, the captain keeps his focus trained on the desk. "I don't want to tell you while you're delirious, saying bizarre things. Its not fair to either of us." He mutters, but you catch it. "Who said I was delirious?"

There.

The unreadable expression on his face when he finally looks at you again makes you shift in your place, the unexpected confidence in you rising even more. "You just said you feel-" The man begins to speak, but you cut him off. "I only think I feel weird because I'm not holding myself back for once. What I said was never bizarre... I think... I think that Hange's antidote makes me say things I think are true. I didn't just pull those out of my ass because I'm loopy or delirious. I truly mean it... all of it," your eyes remain on him, never breaking contact. "And I certainly don't think it would be fair to keep any of our feelings to ourselves much longer." The silence is deafening, but somehow, you just know that-

"Its true? All of it?" The raven's voice has a slight echo in the vast office. "Every single word, Captain. I've been waiting to get it all off my chest, just... not in this particular way," you softly chuckle, shaking your head gently. "We all wish for better circumstances, for the perfect grand romantic, poetic gesture, but this is real life. Each poem is different. If taking that antidote was the only way to ultimately get me to confess my feelings, I would absolutely do it again." You shrug, sighing contently.

"Then... I don't need need that potion to tell you what I've been meaning to say, either?" The captain glances between your (color) eyes, voice steady. "Not unless you need the push." A grin grows on your face. Inhaling a breath, his eyes briefly shut as the candlelight continues to glow on the lower part of his jaw, glittering over his porcelain skin. Skin you've been craving to feel under your fingertips.

"I like you, captain. That's not the antidote talking for me. That's me." You eventually speak up, to give that verbal push. His steel eyes peel open once more, finding their way back to you, this throat bobbing as he swallows. "After I returned to normal... I don't know if it was leftover side effects, but... either way, I realized I don't want you far away from me," he starts off. "I don't know-" "You're itching to kiss me. So, just do it." You interrupt, earning a very fast changing expression of surprise before his features return to unreadable. "Write the ending of the poem, Captain." You meet him on the other side of his desk, leaning against it, palms holding the edge. Mere inches/centimeters from his nose, your eyes never flicker away, completely locked together.

"They embraced each other," the man whispers, raising his left hand to place on your cheek, his touch as gentle as a snowflake drifting from the clouds. "And they didn't need a love potion." Your eyes flutter shut as he leans closer, breaths meeting before lips brush together. "Nor an antidote."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Cheesy corny ending hehe, but who doesn't like cheesy romance?

So sorry this took me forever to write! I went through a lot of writer's block with this particular one-shot, but I'm so glad I finally brainstormed some ideas to push me through (thank my shower thoughts).

As always, I hope you all enjoyed reading and I'll see you in the next chapter!

~AlpineBreadStick