headaches | levihan au (slow updates)

0:05

A headache? I guess this is a sign of overwork then. 

Driving after office hours can be classified into two types: calming and irritating. Calming in the sense of appreciating the bright lights as you passed through, along with the 90s music that I tend to play along in my car's radio. Reminds me of my childhood, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic every car ride. Meanwhile, it can be irritating due to traffic jams since everyone is going home. 

Within 30 minutes, I arrived at my apartment building. The drive going home seems to be quick, since ironically, there were no traffic jams in every route going to the apartment from the location of the law firm. Grabbing my house keys and the briefcase, I unlocked the car door as I made my way towards the building. 

Unexpectedly, the lobby seems to be crowded, particularly the way going to the elevator. I haven't encountered a huge crowd before in the building, especially when there were brats running around. But what I noticed is that most of the crowd were holding big plastic bags as they made way towards the elevator. Most of them were having a hard time carrying these bags, which I guess another reason why the elevator takes time to operate. Like why most of them ended up carrying these bags? And what's with brats loitering around? 

Waiting for my turn to ride the elevator, I glanced at the people in the lobby who were having those big plastic bags when I remembered something from last night. 

FRITZ GROCERY

UP TO 70% DISCOUNT ON ALL MEAT AND DAIRY PRODUCTS

{DATE} IN ALL BRANCHES NATIONWIDE.

UNTIL SUPPLIES LAST. 

Tch. How can I forget how disappointed I was when I saw that advertisement last night. Like who would be happy to hear that when you've already gone grocery shopping last week? 

After almost an hour waiting for my turn in the elevator, finally the crowd subsided, leaving me with a few people who went grocery shopping like the others. Pressing the floor level of my apartment, I realized that everyone who were with me were looking at me. Awkward it may sound, this made me look at the elevator's ceiling instead. 

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Looking back to the source of the action, I see most of the people with me grasping for those plastic bags from the grocery. What I didn't expect is that someone decided to talk despite the awkward silence. 

"Hey you teenager in formal wear, can you not see that all of us were having a hard time holding these bags? Just press all the buttons there for us, will yah?" 

Tch. Demanding people. 

---

After that dreadful encounter with the elevator that tends to stop in every floor, finally I am cooking dinner in my house. I didn't expect this day to be tiring, unless it is during my part-time at the university as a professor. Finishing up the plating for my meal, I started to boil the kettle for my tea. Everything seems fine when suddenly, I felt a headache out of nowhere. 

Tch. Now how can I drink my tea then? 

Going to the bathroom, I grabbed the nearest first aid kit near the sink when I heard my phone ringing. Great, how can I deal with this call when I am irritated over a headache. Taking the medicine box in the first aid kit, I went back to the kitchen to reach out my phone. 

Great. It's my mother. 

"Hello, mom how are-" 

"Why didn't you call me, Levi? It's been so long since your last call?!" My mom said while you can hear her sobbing at the background. 

"But mom, I just called you last night." 

"I'm just kidding son. My mother instincts felt that there is something wrong with you that why I called all of a sudden." 

I mentally facepalmed. My mother is one of a kind actress. But what's scares me the most is, how on earth does she know I'm having a problem right now. 

"Nothing mom, it's just a simple headache. Don't worry about me." I replied as I placed my hand on top of my head. 

"Don't worry about me? How can I not worry when my only child is having a headache? My poor baby is overworked-"

"Mom, I am fine. This is just a headache, I'll be fine tomorrow morning-"

"No, no, no. Levi Ackerman you're not going to be fine with a headache-ugh why did I agree to send my son to law school when it would just deteriorate his health after he became a-"

"Mom! I'm fine! Stop saying that same line over again. I always hear that every time I got a simple sickness. Just please, trust me okay? This headache would be gone tomorrow. I'll call the law firm tomorrow so I can take a one day absence, if that would make you calm down. Please?" I replied while I started to eat my dinner. I have to eat this now or else, I cannot take the painkiller and would continue to listen to my mother's concern about his only child throughout the phone. 

"And oh I would call Mrs. Smith later so she can tell to her only child to check on you since he's your buddy-"

"Mom, don't bother Erwin with this. Again, it's just a simple headache. I can manage it." I replied as I ate the last two spoonful of my dinner. Obviously, I wouldn't want to drag Erwin into this mess, especially if it also involves his mother. Like if I said that he is available with blind dates, you know that this phone call would have another topic to talk to: my only child needs to date just like Erwin. Hell no.

"Okay, take your medicine after you ate your meal. Just call me if you needed anything okay. See you."

"See you, Mom." I hung up the phone as I placed the plate to the sink to start washing it. After a few minutes, I decided to take the painkillers but instead of using the boiled water for tea, I just used it as a hot water to drink. Swallowing the pill, I decided to text the secretary in the law firm regarding my absence tomorrow. 

---

It's been two hours before going to bed and my headache is getting worse than I thought it should be. Deciding to watch in my room instead, I couldn't help but dragged myself towards my bed. Is this the price of overwork?

Suddenly while watching the television in my room, I looked at my phone to see if the secretary noticed my message. But what I didn't expect is a message-an essay by Erwin regarding how his blind date went by. The secretary acknowledged my message but what intrigues me is Erwin's message so I decided to read it instead. 

"....... and she was very nice throughout our talk. But I was shocked that she really liked my intellectual jokes! She said that it reminds her of her father's jokes but at least  I made her smile. Though, I still wonder where is Marie now. Anyway, regarding that Survey Corps that you mentioned, I realized it's not the video game. The title is Surreal Corpse, not Survey Corps. Levi, I saw mother's message regarding your headache, I think it has something to do with it so you were thinking and phasing out of something. Let me know if you need anything." 

With the continuous headache that I am experiencing, I decided to turn off the television and doze off to sleep. Overwork my ass.