Readers! I know it's a bit early, buuuuttt…
Happy Thanksgiving!
I have (for those who may not be aware) gotten in a bit of a habit of writing Holiday Pieces for SNK, and so this year I wanted to write out a piece for Thanksgiving. As a treat to those who have read Wall's Day (or those who have not!) I wanted to slip in a little note and say that you could certainly consider this piece to be a Prequel to Wall's Day!
While you certainly don't have to consider it that way if you don't want to, I did intentionally write this story with the Wall's Day timeframe and plot in mind, so you may see a few things here and there that point to that story, and I hope that helps enrich your reading experience :)
Before I start I really want to say THANK YOU to those that have been following, commenting, and encouraging my writing as of late. I cannot being to describe how encouraging it is to read people's thoughts about my writing and the quality they feel it brings with it. I feel honored to be able to capture minds and communicate my thoughts with others, so I cannot express my sincere gratitude enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Not a single person goes unnoticed!
Anywho. As always, subscribe, review, follow, all that good stuff. Thanks for the read, and have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving everyone!
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Petra fidgeted slightly, nervously glancing around the room and trying to get a good vibe about what events might be taking place.
Levi had woken everyone up especially early today, and in the manner he had done so (practically banging her door down he had been knocking so hard) Petra was worried what the day might have in store.
At her sudden rude awakening, she had all but fallen out of her bed and practically threw on her military uniform, jumping into her boots and pulling them up with each jump she took down the hallway, not even sure if her shirt was right side in or not. In fact, she was pretty sure the buttons were misaligned, but with how sleep fogged her mind still was and how angry the Captain sounded; she didn't feel it was worth the time it would take to redo it.
She had negated brushing her hair and certainly didn't take the time for her usual morning shower, so instead of wearing her hair down; she wore it up in a frizzy, sleep tossed bun. Based off of everyone else's disheveled appearance, she presumed her squad mates' morning routine had been greatly hindered as well.
For a few minutes they sat in complete silence, a nervousness setting in the room as they exchanged worried glances. They would rub their eyes or yawn widely, but no one dared to speak, as though their mere voice would summon the glowering terror that had awoken them not moments ago.
The group waited anxiously for the Captain, however after another fifteen minutes passed by with no sign of him, the atmosphere slowly began shifting from unspeakable dread to casual curiosity.
Petra, not as concerned as she had been before, gave another wide yawn, looking behind her and toward the hallway before standing up and stretching fully, some of her joints popping as she moved.
"Well that's something." Auruo whispered with wide eyes, "I thought we did something wrong. No one left food out or anything right?"
The group shook their head in unison, no one being stupid enough to make a mess of their living quarters – not while Levi was around anyway.
"Well whatever it is, it must be bad. I don't think I've seen Levi so…" Eld looked for the right word, an odd expression on his face.
"Grumpy." Gunther finished, looking toward Petra, his expression a horrified sort of shock, "I don't think we've gotten this sort of treatment from him since we all got initiated onto the squad. You should have seen him this morning Petra, it was something."
Petra gaped, "Wait, seen him, as in, he went in your dorm room?"
Gunther nodded gravely, motioning toward Auruo with wide eyes, "He stormed right in and tipped over Auruo's mattress, telling us to get dressed and all that."
"That's awful!" Petra exclaimed, imagining the scene and gaping further, "I mean he knocked on my door so loud I was certain he'd break it, but he didn't barge in or anything. Why would he do that to you guys?"
Eld responded flatly, "Petra. He knows better than to storm into a lady's room, no matter how upset he may be, but I don't think there's anything stopping him from marching into our room like that, especially when he's angry."
"Well I'm glad for that," Petra marveled, "I don't know if the first thing I could wake up to is a glaring Captain, tipping my mattress over. Didn't that hurt?"
Auruo gave a small grimace as he shrugged, "Didn't hurt so much as it surprised me. It's a hell of thing to wake up to, that's for sure."
Petra took a breath as she shook her head, "Gosh. Hopefully whatever's got him so upset is something small that won't make the entire day miserable, though I kind of doubt it." She looked behind her once more, then toward the adjacent kitchen at the end of the room, "I'm going to try and make the coffee; let's hope I can finish before the Captain gets here. Tell me if you hear him coming okay?"
The group had agreed and watched the hallway, and just as she finished setting out the mugs, hushed whispers of "Petra, hey, he's coming – hurry up!" had reached her.
Carefully moving back into the room and pouring each person a cup, Petra silently dashed to her seat and sat down promptly, nervously taking a small sip of the coffee as she heard Levi approach from behind her, sitting down at his usual spot at the table.
Taking a cautious glance toward the Captain, his face was as unreadable and blank as ever, though the aura around him was dark and held a palpable tension.
Petra gulped slightly.
For a long moment, Levi said nothing, merely sat at the table and stared into the wood surface, occasionally taking a deep breath, then relaxing in his chair. A few minutes passed that way, and again Petra found herself shooting nervous glances toward her teammates, certain that whatever Levi was about to say, or whatever it was he felt they had done, it was going to be bad.
Picking up the cup of coffee, Levi held the glass in his hand for an extended moment, observing the dark brown liquid before frowning slightly, taking a small drink and clicking his tongue slightly.
"I have an announcement," he began as he set his coffee cup on the table and neatly folded his hands in front of himself, looking around the room evenly.
Petra shifted self consciously and avoided his eye contact, finding the grooves of the table suddenly rather interesting as she waited to hear the bad news.
A long pause followed and Levi continued, "Trying to cut costs so it seems, the government has ever so kindly decided to give everyone a full week of discretionary time. This time off is mandatory and is effective for all members of both the Garrison and Scout Regiment, starting tomorrow."
Petra blinked, looking around at her other baffled squad mates, who seemed just as surprised as she was.
Was… was he serious? This, this was what he woke them all up early for? Apparent vacation time - not to mention it was for an entire week? Petra tried not to look as mystified as she felt. Surely this wasn't what caused Levi to wake them up in such a manner, scaring them all half to death like that, right? It couldn't be.
Not wanting to voice her internal monologue, Petra shook her head, trying to remain professional.
"Mandatory?" she repeated as she reviewed time frames in her mind, not even sure what she would accomplish given such short notice, still suspicious that Levi may have something else in store for them. She narrowed her eyes as she thought out loud, "And you said it starts tomorrow?"
Levi scoffed, turning to look at her squarely, "Did I fucking stutter Petra?" he paused for a moment and stared narrowly at her. Seeing her look of shock, he gave a long sigh and took another drink of his coffee, "Anyway, this full week I might add will be without pay, and to cut costs even further, the government will not be extending the use of any military barracks or facilities for that time frame."
Auruo raised a hand, also seemingly hesitant to believe the odd direction the conversation had taken. It was simply too good to be true. "Question. Where do you expect us to go if we can't be here? Are we running drills somewhere else, or do we report to you secretly? What are you expecting from us Levi?"
Levi slouched back in his chair, crossing his arms and scowling, "Look, I don't care where you go, so long as you're back here on time and ready to work when this so called vacation comes to an end. If the word 'Vacation' doesn't spell it out for you, it means you little shits don't have to report for duty for seven days. I don't want to see you until then."
Eld cleared his throat, a light smile on his face as he looked toward their disgruntled Captain, not seemingly bothered by his bad mood compared to the premise of having vacation time, "So is this like a holiday break then, with Thanksgiving coming up so soon and all? That's something to be excited for, right? Maybe the government is trying to help people out, visit family and the like."
"Sure." Levi responded flatly, "All I know is that yesterday I was told that we are all free for a week and can't be staying here, regardless of all the things Erwin had prepared and scheduled for the Regiment to complete." Levi paused, continuing after a few moments, "As for today, conditioning has been cancelled to allow everyone time to make arrangements for travel. One week from tomorrow we'll meet here same as always, but until then you're free to go."
Petra looked over toward Levi, frowning slightly when he caught her gaze and glowered darkly at her in response. Giving a light sigh of irritation, she looked into the table and knit her eyebrows together, careful to not roll her eyes while he was watching. What in the world was with him today? It wasn't like Levi was the most chipper of people she had ever known, but this was ridiculous. Was it just that he was upset they couldn't function normally, and he was taking it out on them? That was pretty childish and she had a mind to tell him as much, but she'd sooner cut out her tongue then smart off to Levi when he was in a mood like this.
"So that's it then; we can leave tomorrow morning for wherever?" Auruo spoke up, his voice still sounding a bit skeptical as though he were waiting to be told it was all a big hoax.
Levi gave a single nod, "Correct, though truthfully, I don't care if you leave now. All plans were cancelled to allot for those who need to make arrangements with hotels and other services, so once you've completed whatever business you need to here, you're free to go." Levi gave one last look around the room and stood up, the sound of the sliding chair echoing across the walls. He grabbed his coffee cup and moved towards the door, "Dismissed."
Petra continued staring down at the table, listening to the sound of his footfalls recede before she finally had the nerve to give a sigh of relief and look to her other teammates.
The room was silent for an extended moment, and Gunther was the first to speak, "Huh." He gave a small quizzical laugh, continuing, "Well that was…"
"…Unexpected." Eld finished, a tone of agreement falling across the room.
Eld shrugged, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips, "While I can't say that I'm excited for an entire week's worth of wages suddenly unaccounted for, I don't think I've ever seen so much time off like this – unpaid or otherwise. Not only that, but I think we dodged a bullet here. I thought Levi was ready to kill us, but I think he's just upset that all his plans were messed up." Eld sighed, "He really is such a neat freak about these things. I don't know about you, but if this is the mood that the Captain's going to be in for a while, I don't think I want to be anywhere near him anyway."
Petra couldn't help but nod in hearty agreement, taking another long drink of her coffee while Eld continued, "I suggest we all look at this in a positive light – I mean who else gets an entire week off during a holiday season like this? Levi's just plain bitter I think. What do you guys think you'll end up doing? Family time, or maybe vacation in the Capital?"
Eld's excitement seemed to give a bit more joy to the sudden change of plans, and Petra found herself smiling as she thought about being able to visit her father with the newly available time. Bad mood or not, Levi had dismissed them and said they wouldn't have to report back until after Thanksgiving, so she would take him up on that.
Gunther stood up, moving toward the coffee pot and refilling his glass, "Me? I'm going home. My family has a big get together each year, so I'll probably drop in and surprise them. I haven't been able to see my kids in over a year at this point, so this will be the highlight of my year."
"Family." Auruo confirmed as he raised his cup slightly, and Eld nodded in response, "Same here."
Petra looked around the room, "Well I guess that makes all of us then. You guys know how much I miss my father, and with it being Thanksgiving, I couldn't think of a better way than to spend it with family." She found a warm smile on her face as she looked at her colleagues, encouraged by their responses. She raised her coffee cup slightly, "So here's to a week full of family and relaxation!"
Clanking their coffee cups together, the group gave a laugh at their makeshift toast, no one really caring that it was with lukewarm, weak coffee, merely excited that they had something left worth celebrating in the first place.
Finishing his coffee, Eld stood up from the table, "Well then everyone, I'll bid you adieu. I'm going to pack and get a head start on the time, hopefully I'll be able to be home by tomorrow. Track me down quickly if you need anything, I'll be gone just as soon as I can be."
"Same here." Gunther added in with a wave, standing up from the table as well and moving towards the hallway, "Stay safe out there everyone. Happy Thanksgiving!"
Petra nodded and waved, giving her farewells to Auruo before moving into the kitchen and setting to work on cleaning the room before everyone left for the week.
It was hard to wrap her mind around the idea of having so much vacation time at once. The most consecutive time off she had ever had was five straight days, and even that had come at the price of having to work double shifts at the stable for a week straight upon her return.
Of course she would go home and visit her father, that much was certain, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to surprise him like Gunther was planning to do for his family. Her father was poor and having an extra mouth to feed without warning would be taxing for him. While she of course could buy her own food without issue, she didn't want to waste her vacation time making extra trips to the city for groceries.
Finishing the last of the dishes, Petra dried her hands and moved back toward her room, rubbing her eyes slightly before sitting down at her desk with a plop. She gave another wide yawn as she tried to shake off the last of her sleepiness, halfway debating going back to bed for a while longer yet.
They had been up for an hour or so already, and the sun had yet to rise; Petra suspected it wasn't even five am yet.
Opening one of the drawers to her desk, Petra grabbed out a sheet of her stationary paper, grabbed a pen and began to write.
"Dear Father,
I have wonderful news, I still can't quite believe it myself, but I assure you that it's true: I'm coming home for Thanksgiving! My Captain said that the government is giving us a whole week off, so I won't have to report for duty until a few days after the holiday is over. I'm hoping to leave later on today, and home is about a two day journey from where I'm stationed now. If all goes well, I should arrive late Tuesday night or possibly early Wednesday morning depending on how travel goes. I don't want you to worry about funds, I'll be able to take care of myself so please don't stress about anything.
Love you and see you soon!
Petra"
Waiting a few minutes for the ink to dry, she carefully folded the letter in thirds, then poured a small amount of wax over the fold and pressed down firmly. Fanning the letter in the air for a moment, Petra stood up from her desk and moved back toward the hallway, taking a deep breath of preparation as she walked.
Of course the mail service ran here as usual and daily mail pickup would be in a few hours, however regular mail would not be nearly quick enough to notify her father that she was coming home. In special circumstances, letters could be sent via messenger hawks who reached their destinations much more quickly, however the use of the rookery was limited to Commanding Officers, Platoon Leaders, and other higher ranks of Command. Regardless the fact she was on the Special Ops Squad, she was not considered a commanding officer, and was certainly not an exception to the rule.
It was for that reason that Petra found herself standing in front of Levi's door, nervously fiddling with her letter while she tried to gather the courage needed to knock on the door. She felt silly, being so afraid of her own Captain - someone she had seen day in and day out for almost a full year now - however it wasn't often he was so… touchy. She wasn't sure what exactly had made him so upset this morning, because he certainly hadn't given any indication as to why he was so angry, so Petra as a whole had no idea what might set him off.
Taking a deep breath, Petra exhaled slightly, lightly bringing a hand forward and tapping on the door, "Um, Captain… it's Petra. Can I come in?"
She heard shuffling of blankets from inside of the door and heard him mumble something incoherent. After a few more moments, the handle turned slightly and Levi moved into the doorway, having only opened the door halfway.
His hair was mussed and he was glaring forward, not seemingly at her, but at the light spilling in from the hallway. While she wouldn't go as far as to say he looked completely disarrayed, it was fair to say that he wasn't nearly as put together as he usually was. His shirt wasn't evenly tucked in, and it looked as though he had been lying on his side as the seams on his pants were somewhat lopsided.
Petra looked around for a slight moment, then back at the Captain, somewhat confused, "I'm sorry Captain, did… did I wake you?"
"No." was his instant reply, and Petra held in a sigh, not wanting to be rude, but irritated that he couldn't be the slightest bit accommodating.
Petra cleared her throat, wanting to get to the point so their interaction wouldn't be any longer than it had to be, "Well anyway, sorry to disturb you Captain, I was just wondering if I could get your help in sending out this letter."
Levi's eyebrows rose as he blinked slowly, and Petra became highly suspicious that, yes, she had indeed woken him.
The Captain scoffed, exhaling in an exhausted manner as he clamped his eyes shut tightly, "Mail gets picked up in a few hours. I thought you would've had the hang of this by now Petra." As he spoke, Levi slowly closed the door until it clicked fully shut, leaving Petra again staring blankly at the Captain's door.
Rubbing her temples with her free hand, Petra rolled her eyes and stared at the door in frustration. After a small moment, deciding she didn't care what sort of trouble it might bring, she opened the door, letting herself in and staring down at the Captain who had moved to sit on the bed.
He glared up at her shortly, and Petra put a hand on her hip, holding up the letter in her other hand for emphasis, "I know that Captain. What I want help with is-"
Petra paused as she looked around the room, shocked to see that everything was so properly in its place. It wasn't that she was surprised how organized Levi was, what caught her attention more so was the fact that everything was so neatly put away and…
"Are you not going anywhere?" Petra asked quickly, knowing full well that if she had walked into any other dorm room or barracks, it would be littered with duffle bags and various clothes and supplies set out for traveling. It didn't seem like him to put things off until the last minute.
"Of course I am." Levi spat out, "Did I not make it clear that all members of the Scout Regiment were on mandatory break as of tomorrow, or didn't you hear that part?"
Petra swallowed thickly as she felt her blood start to boil, wondering how this personal attack was warranted. Petra dropped her gaze to the floor, clenching her fist while being careful not to wrinkle her letter, "Sorry Captain, I was just curious..."
Petra looked back up at Levi, trying to bring a note of cheerfulness to her voice – after all, he was probably just having a bad day like people did from time to time; extending a bit of extra courtesy was the least she could do.
"I know it's sudden. I haven't gotten started on my packing either actually. Any special plans you're looking forward to maybe?"
"I don't see how that's any of your damn business."
Petra couldn't help when her mouth fell open, and she held her hands up in confusion, "Captain I don't understand why you-"
Levi stood up, moving toward her and fixing her with another dark scowl, "What I don't understand Petra is what you need from me. I presume you have things to get ready for that don't involve wasting my time, so if it's all the same with you, I'd prefer you get to fucking the point."
"My letter!" Petra repeated hotly, slamming the letter down on his desk and scowling as she glared up at him, "In case you weren't listening Captain, I need this letter to get to my father quickly, because putting it in the regular mail will take too long, and I need to make sure this letter gets to him before I do!" she continued, adding emphasis on the words as she spoke, taking a breath before continuing further, "Now the only way to get this letter to him on time is through the rookery, which need I remind you I don't have clearance to use without permission, so I came here to see if you could help me get my letter sent out on time!"
Petra took another breath, pressing her lips together firmly and giving Levi a scowl of her own to match, "Now can or can't you?"
Levi merely stared at her in confusion, frowning as he looked down at her, hardly seeming to take note of her frustration, "The damned rookery?" he asked, running a hand through his hair, "Is that really what this is all about?"
"Yes!" Petra wailed, picking up her letter again and watching Levi for further confirmation.
Levi gave her an aggravated look, firmly grabbing her by the shoulder and moving her toward the door, his voice venomous in her ear, "The rookery doesn't open until ten, so if you want to use it, the least you could do is wait until there's actually someone fucking there to send it. Until then, don't bother me. Shit Petra."
Without another word, Petra heard the door slam shut behind her, and could also hear Levi continue to mutter more curses to himself as he moved away from the door. Petra stood rigidly, mouth agape as she took in her sudden surroundings, once again outside of the Captain's door, and still with her letter unsent.
Petra set her jaw, and without her consent, could feel her eyes start to burn as frustration started to get the best of her.
She wasn't sure what exactly she was expecting from Squad Levi, but this was not it. Just about a year ago, she had received formal confirmation that Levi, best of the best, had requested she be transferred to his team. She was incredibly nervous, but she believed that in time she'd be up to par in skill with the rest of the legendary squad – after all, Captain Levi had specifically requested her, so while she doubted in herself, she took confidence in the decision of her new Captain.
At first she struggled to keep up with the Squad, and on days she was beyond frustrated, her teammates assured her time and time again that all of them had gone through that difficult learning process. After a few months of intense toning and extreme dedication, Petra had managed to hone her body so it was able to keep up with the demands of the squad, and in time, exceed them. She knew that her speed had improved remarkably, and with her improved physical condition her cuts had more depth and precision; not to mention her stamina had improved drastically as well.
Her teammates were constantly commenting on how much she had improved, quick to point out areas where she was becoming more skilled than them, and soon began asking for assistance in areas she was particularly skilled in. She became inseparable from her squad, and it didn't take long. She knew everyone's strengths and weaknesses, and they functioned almost perfectly in their practice drills as a single unit. When she was working with her team, it simply felt right, like she was exactly where she needed to be.
That was all of course excluding Levi from the equation.
In all fairness, it wasn't just her. She had never seen him compliment members of the squad, or be positive in general, however if she had to compare, he seemed unnecessarily hard on her specifically.
It didn't matter how well she did during drills, or if she made coffee, or if she was faster than everyone else in obstacle courses - he always treated her like a nuisance. At times, it seemed Levi went out of his way to just be plain rude. She would say good morning, and he would ignore her entirely or just stare narrowly at her for far longer than necessary before giving a scowl and looking elsewhere. She would ask him for feedback on her performance and he'd state with a long sigh that if he needed to give her feedback, he'd have no problem telling her where her opportunities lied 'so I'd appreciate it if you laid off for a while,' as he would often say.
If she tried other approaches of just leaving him be or ignoring him, he would always find some reason he needed to speak to her, be it a cleaning chore that needed to be done, or a habit in her 3DM gear style that he suddenly found to be 'completely shitty'. It seemed that no matter what she tried, simply existing consistently set him on edge and no matter how she tried to address it, he had no interest outside of treating her as a complete inconvenience.
To her credit, she had tried to simply not care. She was a working professional, and had had a fair share of narcissistic, rude superiors that had made her professional life a nightmare, but she had never had problems working around it in the past. It hadn't mattered to her one bit what they thought of her, so their scowls, snide remarks and blatant criticisms had never bothered her.
However this time, she found it was different.
The truth was, at the very base of it all… Petra wanted Levi's approval.
Where a snide remark would normally fuel her annoyance to outrank her superiors quickly, with Levi, Petra found herself getting infuriated that she could never seem to meet his standards, so she'd work even harder, knowing still that it would never be enough. With all his glares, lack of greetings, lack of any hospitality whatsoever, even when he made it painfully obvious that he openly despised her, Petra simply couldn't bring herself to not care like she had in the past.
She had debated with herself many, many times, why she put up with him in the first place. Petra knew full well she was an outstanding performer on the field, so she could easily request to be moved onto a new squad without issue. She didn't have to deal with the Captain's pompous attitude. At any time, she could transfer to a team where her abilities shined. Her performance would stand out so much, that perhaps in a year or so, she'd become a Captain with a team of her own.
So why then? If her future was so much more promising in other avenues, why did she stay in the emotional ringer day in and day out for a Captain that clearly would never see her as a legitimate member of his team?
Petra let out a long sigh at the thought, shaking her head darkly.
As infuriating as it was, in the end she stayed simply because of her pride. The fact that after Levi specifically requested she be transferred to his command, but then after meeting her completely regret his decision, that was more insulting than a rude comment or glare in the morning would ever be.
Petra was not one to be overlooked. Until she forced her asshat of a Captain to realize that she was not a waste of his time and resources, that she was not a mistake he had made, that she had damn well earned that spot on his squad, she had no intentions of leaving.
With a forceful exhale, Petra pressed her lips together tightly, clenching her fists and whipping around back toward the door. If she had to deal with his exasperating mannerisms day in and day out, the least he could do was send her damn letter. If he hated her so much, then it would stand to reason he'd want her out of the building as soon as possible. One would think he'd jump at the opportunity to be rid of her.
Just as she prepared to grab the handle and give her Captain a well deserved piece of her mind, she heard a small giggle from down the hallway that grabbed her attention. Frowning, Petra cautiously followed after the sound, turning the corner and all but running face first into a certain scientist who just so happened to have been stationed right at the corner's edge.
"Oh, Hanji!" Petra gasped in alarm as she took a large step back, catching her breath from being taken by surprise, "Gosh you scared the wits out of me, what are you doing here?"
"Haha, you caught me Petra!" Hanji gave a musical laugh and leaned closer to her, "I was eavesdropping!" she admitted almost proudly, giving another laugh at the horrified look Petra shot her.
"…You heard all of that?" Petra stated after a moment, shaking her head and attempting to smile, "Well it's probably for the best that you distracted me then. Things were about to get worse before they got better, believe me. Even now, I have half a mind to break his door down the way he almost did mine."
Hanji gave a knowing smile and crossed her arms, "I figured as much. You've never phased me as a girl that lets people walk all over her - I'll bet that's one of the reason's Levi appreciates you being on his squad. He doesn't like having to deal with weak people."
"Appreciates?" Petra repeated with wide eyes, "Sorry to disappoint you Hanji but that's not the tune he was singing today, that's for sure. It's been about a year now, well almost anyways, and I'm pretty sure everything I do is still wrong in his book. If today was any indication, he all but spelled out that I don't listen, bother him too much, and meddle in business I shouldn't." Petra gave a long sigh and pursed her lips, "He makes me so angry sometimes."
Haniji shrugged, "Well I saw the look on your face when you were pushed out the door just now. Maybe it was the angle, but it wasn't exactly anger I saw on your face - looked more like disappointment to me?"
Petra gave a small nod as she laughed mirthfully, "Well as much as he aggravates me, I have a lot of respect for him so when I don't feel like I'm meeting his standards, whatever those are anyway, I take it personally." She paused, "It's silly I know."
Hanji gave a shrug, looking around the corner and towards the Captain's door, "Don't be too hard on yourself Petra. I know for a fact that Levi's very pleased with how far you've progressed in such a short time."
If Petra had laughed before, it paled in comparison. It had been a chuckle, a chortle even. Now, now Petra laughed, "The Captain - pleased with me? Ha! Listen Hanji, I appreciate the kind words, but there's no need to patronize me. Unless he told you something directly then-"
"Good heavens no!" Hanji interjected with another large grin as she adjusted her glasses, "Levi would never tell me anything of the sort, not in a million years!"
Petra quirked an eyebrow and gave a smug 'that's what I thought' look, and Hanji clarified, "I know because I had overheard him when he was giving your most recent status report to Erwin. Sure it was a while back now, but yours wasn't the first review I'd heard from him, however I will say I think yours was the best. I can't quote mind you, but he says he is amazed at how far you've come in such a short time, commented on how disciplined you are, how well you put your team above yourself – trust me, it was all good things."
Petra's eyes narrowed as she took in the information, not quite sure how she was supposed to respond. She cleared her throat as the silence began to get uncomfortable, "You've got a bad habit of eavesdropping, don't you."
Hanji merely smiled noncommittally, "I hear a lot of things I'm not supposed to, but I don't make a habit of gossiping if that's what you mean." A thoughtful expression crossed her face as she relaxed against the wall, looking up at the ceiling, "How to explain…I've worked with Levi for a long time now - since the first day he's joined the Scouts mind you - and I know he's not the best at communicating."
Hanji pulled her brows down for a moment and the light caught on her glasses, "He can be downright hurtful with his words sometimes, but he's not a terrible guy. He has a hard time saying what he means to, even if it's as simple as a 'Good Job'. Even if he doesn't say it directly, I think he'd want you to know that you are in fact doing well here. "
Petra shifted in her spot slightly, eyes narrowing as she turned her head slightly, looking back towards Levi's door as Hanji's words rang through her head. Petra looked back towards the Titans expert, watching her narrowly "…Why are you telling me this Hanji?"
The scientist repositioned against the wall, shooting the ginger a small sympathetic look, "Why? Let's just say that in my line of work, you specialize in working with subjects that aren't so good at communicating. It can be difficult at first and extremely frustrating, but you learn to give grace and a lot of patience because the more you do manage to learn, the better equipped you find that you are."
Hanji nodded forward for emphasis, "Just… don't be discouraged okay? You are an important addition to the Squad, in more ways than you give yourself credit for, I think."
Petra looked to the ground, shaking her head slightly and not quite able to believe in her kind words, "If you say so."
Hanji placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a large goofy grin, "Trust me Petra. You're exactly where you need to be."
Moving off from the wall, Hanji adjusted her pony tail and gave another slight laugh at Petra's conflicted expression, "Sorry if that came out of nowhere. Just couldn't help but say something after that. I should let you pack, I'm sure you've got family that you want to get home to right?"
Petra gave an unconvincing smile and nodded, watching as Hanji gave a small wave and set towards the hall.
Thinking over her words, about how Levi couldn't say even the simplest of things, about the possibility that Hanji's words held a lining of truth to them, Petra called out, "Hanji, wait!"
Hanji turned back to her slightly and Petra bit her lower lip nervously, not sure if she really should be asking such a question, but unable to stop the impulse, "The Captain, why is he so angry about the break?"
Hanji observed her plainly until her expression ran cold, "Tell me Petra, how would you feel about an entire week off, when all the people you'd want to see are already dead, and everyone else is leaving for something better, something that never has, and never will involve you?"
A long moment of tense silence passed, a bitterness setting in Petra's stomach with each passing moment of realization.
It was true that Petra had been on the squad for a while now, and not once could she recall the Captain leaving to visit others socially, or for that matter, others coming to visit him. Now that she thought about it, she knew next to nothing about his past, his hopes for the future within the Scout Regiment, or anything else other than the fact that he was her infuriating Commanding officer.
Perhaps that really was it. While the idea that Levi could inadvertently be so… so sensitive, boggled her mind, was it truly that hard to imagine? What sort of person looked forward to bitter solitude while everyone else had joy and comfort in the arms of others? There wasn't a person alive who could truly feel that way, not one. Not even Levi.
What was worse was that even if he truly felt miserable, it simply wasn't like him to sit down to discuss his feelings and concerns with everyone. The mere idea of Levi sitting down at the table and explaining his fears was enough to make Petra's eyes widen and a shiver run down her spine.
Even with what little Petra knew about him, she knew Levi was too proud for such a thing.
Petra looked up at Hanji with wide eyes, "If that's true Hanji, then-"
Hanji giggled slightly as she held up her hands casually, "Oh but that's just a guess Petra, heck he probably just hasn't slept well lately, so don't let it get to you. I've got some business of my own I have to get to, but I'll see you after break okay? Travel safely!"
With that, the scientist all but skipped down the hallway, leaving Petra to watch her receding form until she completely disappeared from sight.
Standing dumbly in the middle of the hallway, Petra gave a long sigh and looked towards the Captain's door.
She really hated him sometimes. He was so cold to her, treated her terribly more often than not, and had managed to make her almost every waking moment a nightmare since transferring squads back in January.
Past all that bitterness, past all that unresolved frustration that left her swearing revenge and mumbling under her breath… her heart unwillingly went out to him.
Giving a light groan, Petra shifted her feet beneath her, unable to stop a scowl from spreading across her face.
Why should she even care if Levi would be miserable and alone during the vacation time? In all reality, he had done it to himself. If he had lost people in the past that didn't mean he couldn't make new friends, have new people that were close and dear to him that would want to spend the holiday together.
Petra crossed her arms stubbornly and turned her head up from the door.
'Perhaps if he weren't such a bitter old bat, people would want to be around him more', she decided thinly, pressing her lips together and nodding firmly in decision.
She turned on her heals and moved towards her room in a confident stride, certain that karma was finally paying him a visit and that he deserved every bit of what was coming to him.
In the end it just wasn't her problem. Perhaps if he had been a bit nicer she would feel more obligated to reach out to him when he was too stubborn to reach out for himself, but that was far from the case and Petra was too busy to be overly considerate towards a Captain who clearly disliked her anyway.
Moving into her room and toward her closet, Petra grabbed out a duffle bag and set it roughly on her bed, moving through her things and grabbing out bits of clothes and supplies she would need for her time away. She began rolling her clothes for packing, applying more force than necessary to the chore when the idea of Levi sitting somewhere all alone, miserable and missing loved ones unwillingly crossed her mind.
She paused from her task, unable to stop herself from wondering what it would be like to have no one to see, no hope for a future outside of the Scout Regiment, and no true reason to celebrate after having lost it all. She couldn't imagine the despair and longing; how terrible it must be to have no one, and how each holiday season would only amplify that pain exponentially.
A twist of deep seeded guilt churned in her stomach and Petra rolled her eyes, sitting down onto her bed promptly and putting her head in her hands for a moment, trying to clear her mind.
Even if, and she meant if, as there was no way she would ever actually invite the Captain to go anywhere with her if she could avoid it – even if she somehow through an act of divine mercy invited him to go back and celebrate Thanksgiving with her, Levi would only glare at her, scoff and say something completely rude, and make her feel embarrassed for even asking in the first place.
There was no way he would ever agree to such a thing; he hated her. Furthermore, it wasn't like he was her first choice of company either. To be more exact, Levi was the last person on earth she'd want to invite if it came right down to it.
While she knew full well that they had things in common, neither of them seemed to be able to get around their differences long enough to not bicker about everything. While it would be over dramatic to say that each interaction had been miserable, Petra could not once recall a single time of laughing with Levi, talking about their day, past memories, or anything that might lead to an amicable interaction of any kind.
Chewing the inside of her lip, Petra rolled her neck slightly, popping her joints and pondering the idea further. She could admit to herself that yes, she did indeed feel sorry for him, however given her position and more importantly, the undeniable fact Levi disliked her, there was nothing she could do.
Aside from the impossibilities of her inviting him and Levi actually saying yes, there were more practical issues that would need to be addressed.
For starters, she had no idea where Levi would even stay. Of course she would be staying in her old room, but it wasn't exactly like her father lived in a large spacious house where they could maintain something as frivolous as a guest bedroom.
However now that she thought about it, they did have a spare cot that they kept in storage for when extended family came to visit. Her father had often cleared out space in his workshop to accommodate traveling family members as they stopped by, so perhaps there was room after all.
Feeling her eyes widen at the sudden direction her thoughts were taking her, Petra stood up from her mattress as though she had been hit by a wave of electricity, starting to pace her room nervously as she shook her head back and forth.
"What am I thinking?" Petra whispered harshly to herself, looking at her duffle bag and reviewing things over in her head, "This isn't Gunther or Eld or someone that I actually like – this is Captain Levi. There is no way I am letting that jerk step foot in my home!"
Inviting him meant traveling with him, and seeing Levi almost every second of her ever so precious vacation time that she may never get to have again. If he ruined her vacation with his behavior she would never forgive herself for bringing him along in the first place, not when there had been so many red flags to warn her against it.
Plus there was the fact that Levi was so rude and had no social graces of any kind – what if he treated her father the same way he treated her? Petra could deal with Levi's cold mannerisms, but she very well might get kicked out of the military for insubordination if she saw the Captain treat her father poorly.
Petra threw her hands up in the air as though washing her hands of the matter, "Well that's it then."
Petra moved to her dresser and leaned in towards her mirror, staring into her reflection seriously, "I've thought it over from all angles, and while yes I wish I could help, there's just nothing I can do. He hates me, I hate him, and aside from all that it's not my problem to deal with. Facts are facts - the Captain will just have to spend Thanksgiving alone."
Where Petra's words had been meant to give her more resolve and finality on the matter, hearing those words spoken out loud – hearing herself personally make the decision to turn her back on a person who clearly needed a helping hand, Petra gave a long, low sigh.
She looked again into the mirror and saw the guilt in her eyes, and the last of her resolve melted away.
…She really, really hated Levi sometimes.
Taking a step toward her desk, Petra gave a longsuffering sigh and carefully scratched the wax off her letter, opening it up and grabbing her ink pen as she took a seat. Looking at the empty space at the bottom of the letter, Petra shook her head, still unable to believe that she was actually going through with this.
There was still time to turn back. She hadn't said anything to the Captain, hadn't said anything to Hanji about her conflicted thoughts, and hadn't written anything that would lead her father to question her about it later. She could simply seal her letter again, send it when the rookery opened and go about her day as though nothing had happened - as though she had never received any such insight about the realities her Captain shouldered each day.
Petra closed her eyes and shook her head, knowing that through it all, through all the frustration he had caused her, she could not turn a blind eye when there was something she could do to help him. It was true that he didn't deserve her kindness, but no one - absolutely no one - deserved to be alone like that.
Petra took a nervous breath as she touched the pen against the paper's smooth surface, beginning to write.
"PS Father-
I'd like to add that I'll be bringing my Captain back with me; his name is Levi if you recall. He doesn't have any family to celebrate with so I told him that he would be more than welcome to join ours for the holiday. If you wouldn't mind clearing some space out so he can stay with us for a few days, I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks for your understanding Father; we'll see you soon."
Petra looked at her added words, not certain if she was proud of herself, or if she should consider herself the stupidest girl on the planet.
Petra moved her attention toward the window in front of her desk, frowning as she imagined Levi in her home, eating breakfast with them, talking with her father while she cooked meals…
Petra's eyes shot open. Levi would be in her home.
She quickly began writing once more, urgency expressed in the thick black ink that followed behind her hand:
"Father, please, please, please make sure you clean everything thoroughly before we arrive!"
Petra set her pen down, exhaling and giving her words one last review before folding the paper again and pressing it closed with her wax seal.
There.
It was done and there was no going back.
Somehow, she wasn't sure how just yet, but regardless how stubborn Levi was, regardless the fact that he would pitch a fit and demand he be left alone, Petra knew full well... Levi Ackerman would be coming home with her for Thanksgiving.
...
End of Chapter One
...
Thanks for reading; I hope this ending has suckered you into coming back and reading all that is to come!It's looking like this story will be significantly longer than Walls Day, I'm expecting it to have anywhere from 5 - 8 chapters? As for time frames, I'm hoping to have this piece completed mid December? That's a somewhat an ambitious goal as timeliness is not exactly what I'm known for around here, but I'm doing my best to write this diligently and correctly.
I'm expecting to post Chapter 2 in a few weeks, very likely around Thanksgiving itself!
Again, thank you so much to my readers!
~Midnight
