The Transtempus Penalty (ERERI//RIREN)

Chapter 12

Early because I'm gonna be asleep by the time update rolls around.

My sleep was filled with wild nightmares that felt so real, it felt almost like I was still in them when I woke up, but as soon as consciousness returned to my body, I couldn't remember a single one. Only the feeling of uneasiness remained once I registered the room around me. My dreams felt so close to me, but just barely out of my grasp. Physically, I felt like my body didn't want to be a body anymore. I was still feeling too hot and too cold at the same time, and once I opened my eyes, it took me far too long to recognize Isabel standing in the doorway of my too-bright bedroom.

"Hey, Eren, I'm about to go to work. Can I come in and feel your forehead? I've also got a thermometer, so I can get a better read. I don't want you to go to school today if you've got a fever," she said softly, taking half a step into my bedroom.

"Sure," I said, but my voice sounded more like the croak of a dying man. I shuffled up in my bed so that my pillows were propping me up while I waited for her to cross the room and check my temperature. I knew that I'd run a temperature before she even checked me, but I wanted to have the exact temperature, in case I was being some kind of hypochondriac. She stood beside my nightstand and held the top end of the thermometer.

"I'm sure you know the drill," she chuckled, shaking her head and passing the small glass tube to me. I placed the hard ball underneath my tongue and watched her eyes widen when the mercury began to rise. While she waited for the thermometer to finish adjusting to my body temperature, she lifted a hand to my forehead, gently resting the back of her hand on my face, clicking her tongue at the heat from the contact. She plucked the thermometer from my lips and read the temperature aloud. "Just barely past one hundred degrees, but it's hard to read these things, so I'd guess you're at about one-oh-one. Looks like you're staying home from school."

"But, I really should go," I tried to argue. "I told Levi that I'd be there."

"Well, I'm sure that if you explain to him when you go tomorrow that you had a fever, he'd understand."

"He'll think I was bullshitting, that's what he'll think," I muttered, pushing past her and trying to stand on my feet, but was instantly hit with such a strong bout of vertigo that I sat back down on the side of my bed after less than a second.

"Sleep. We can't have you running around delirious today. Every second you spend actively with Levi Ackerman needs to be purposeful, and without slip ups. If you have a fever, your mind is foggy, and you aren't capable of good cognitive function," she explained, shaking her head at me.

"I've had a fever before, Isabel," I muttered. "You don't need to tell me how they work."

"Good, so then if you know all about fevers, Mr. Jeager, then you'll know the best thing you can do for them apart from a trip to the hospital is resting. Would you rather I drop you off at the hospital on my way to work?" she asked, only speaking again once I had shaken my head, not wanting to go to a doctor about something so trivial. "Good. Then I need you functioning at top notch, and a fever certainly isn't going to cut it. I'd rather have a job postponed, than a job done sloppily."

"Fair enough," I replied, not mentally capable of arguing the point any further while my bed began to look more and more attractive.

"So, sleep now, work later," she smiled, happy to have gotten my agreement. "I'll come check on you during my lunch break.

"That isn't necessary, Isabel. I'll probably be asleep anyway," I replied, crossing and uncrossing my legs while I waited for her to leave.

"Suit yourself. I'll be home at four-thirty," she said quietly, before spinning on her heel, pausing once she made it to the door frame and turning back to face me. She tossed the thermometer onto my bed before saying, "Check yourself when you wake up, okay?"