Oh my, back from the grave. I was looking through my google drive and here we are.I'm sorry to everyone who held out for this story. I have plans in place to finish it. I hope everyone who follows this story has been well, and again I am truly sorry. Please enjoy the latest chapter!

On a normal day, Petra liked to have all the kids fed, played out and settled in by one in the afternoon. At this time, she could shut the door to the nap room, push up her sleeves and get to helping with one of the many things that Levi had on his plate. Whether that was painting, cleaning windows, unclogging gutters or performing basic repairs, she was all for it as long as she could do something to help. She was never too far in case something went wrong, and as an extra precaution she carried a baby monitor with her at all times.

Levi is spread thin enough as it is. As much as he hates me helping he'll just have to deal with it.

Petra pulled her phone out of her back pocket and texted Auruo his daily reminder. Unlike her, he was only a part-time worker. Levi could not afford to pay him as a full time worker but promised him as many hours as he could spare. So, while Petra had her hands busy, Auruo usually came to check on the kids so she wouldn't be interrupted. He wasn't particularly liked by any of them but he wouldn't have to worry so long as they were sleeping.

Once Petra had confirmed that Auruo was on his way, she decided that she would tackle the biggest job on Levi's list. The downstairs storeroom had been at the top for quite awhile due to how cluttered it was, but somehow it was always pushed back in favor of more urgent repairs. This room held most of the essentials like cleaning supplies, bulk craft supplies, extra sleeping mats, blankets, toiletries, tools and a bunch of miscellaneous objects. It was dark, dusty, and never failed to give Levi a headache every time he passed by. Petra could have sworn she heard her boss talk to the door sometimes, saying things that could not be said in front of children.

Most of the doors in the daycare required keys to open. This was just in case a kid got curious and decided to explore places where they could otherwise get hurt or get others hurt. Levi and Petra were the only ones who owned a full set keys. These sets were reserved for full time employees only, meaning Auruo did not have one of his own. However, when needed, he was permitted to go into the main office and use the spare set that Levi kept in his desk.

Petra peeled her attention away from her thoughts to answer her phone. It had chimed, meaning Auruo had finally answered her.

Conversation History - Auruo Bossard (Loudmouth)

You: Thanks for coming in today. I can't wait to get this room squared away. It's been such a pain for a long time. Oh! Before I forget, Jean and Eren are still a little… touchy over that scrap they had. Please make sure they don't try to kill each other while everyone is sleeping.

Auruo: No trouble. I just wish I was getting more work hours. And don't worry, if any of these kids try anything I'll take care of it.

You: I'm a little worried at what you mean by "take care of it".

Petra frowned, knowing full well that Auruo had the capacity to act a little crazy sometimes. He was normally very professional at work but sometimes his wording scared her a little.

Auruo: Exactly what I said. Separate em' or something. What else should I do?

You: Oh… right, sorry.

Auruo: What? I'm not always an asshole. Not like I was gonna suffocate em' or anything, though…

You: Please quit while you're ahead, or I'll suffocate you instead :)

The texts stopped coming shortly after. The two of them were pretty good friends otherwise, but sometimes Petra had to rein him in. His jokes occasionally went too far as he had somewhat of a morbid sense of humor. She knew he meant well though.

Most of the time.

Petra propped the door open with a small block of wood she pulled out of the closet. She remarked that they hadn't invested in a proper door stop for any of the doors in the building. It wasn't necessary by code, but they sure made things a lot easier.

*Bing*

As she started hauling the various boxes and storage containers out of the room for a proper dusting, her phone chimed. She ignored it, thinking it was just Auruo and another one of his obnoxious and somewhat inappropriate jokes.

*Bing*

….

*Bing*

….

….

….

She continued on with her self appointed task, relieved that the chiming had stopped. She found it a little annoying and figured that if Auruo needed anything, he would call. She hadn't heard anything unusual on the baby monitor either. All she heard was the static that came from the speaker and a yawn here and there. Everything seemed to be going well until her phone started to chime repeatedly. She could also hear the muffled sounds of an argument over the monitor. She whipped her phone out of her pocket and hastily inputted the password.

Auruo: The boss man says he's on his way back. You sure you're allowed to be down there? I mean, you should technically be up here with me. Don't get me wrong though, if it gets me more hours I'm not complaining.

Auruo: Petra?

Auruo: I suppose you're just busy cleaning.

Auruo: Petra! Answer your damn phone! The boss is on his way down. It's too late for you to hide what you're doing now but I just didn't want you to be surprised…. Good luck!

Auruo: Damnit, Eren and Jean are at it again! What's it going to take for these kids to Calm down? Get your ass up here and help me out!

Before she had any time to panic, she heard the silent yet rushed footsteps of her employer. He was normally quite swift, but the sound of these footsteps did not sound kind. She would deal with his wrath after she helped Auruo. He wasn't very good at keeping his own immaturity in check with these kinds of situations, especially with children as rowdy as Eren Jaeger and Jean Kirschtein.

Turning in order to face Levi, she had not realized how close he was.

She knew Levi had trouble accepting help, which was why she continued to do it behind his back. She knew she wasn't doing anything wrong and felt it was her duty to be a little pushy at times. Nevertheless, an angry Levi was an annoying Levi, and she didn't want to put up with either one so she stowed away her sarcasm and wit so she could be as pleasant and agreeable as possible.

"Petra!" He growled as he came into view. His face was a little dark. The lighting in the room was dim enough to begin with. "How many times do I have to tell you people that I don't need help?! I don't need you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. Both you and Erd! You're driving me insane with this idiotic sense of-"

Somewhere along the way in his angry stupor, he failed to notice the chunk of wood that kept the door propped open. In what can only be described as a magnificent blunder, he tripped. Levi flew forward with his arms spread out in front, eyes widened in surprise. He slammed his forehead hard against Petra's face, who was having trouble understanding what was happening as it had all happened in a flash. She landed hard, bearing most of the weight on her wrists as she fell backwards, feeling Levi's chin smash against one of her knees when he landed. Petra's hand flew straight to her nose. She winced, debating whether or not she should even look to see if her employer was alright. She hesitated as she held her hand out in his general direction before placing it on the knee where he hit himself. She hurt in so many places she wasn't sure which part she should start nursing.

"Idiotic sense of what?" She asked, her tone of voice like daggers. "Forget it. Whatever it was made you pissed enough to want to head butt me!"

"Nng." He said, breathless as he flopped over onto his side, facing away from her. His voice was a tad muffled. He had enveloped his whole head in his arms, almost like he was anticipating another hit. Both of them lay silent, waiting for the pain to subside. That was when they both heard the subtle click of the door as it shut them in.

One of the things that most people find charming about old buildings is the character they retain from the time in which they were built. The daycare had kept some of those quirks after it had been fixed up for the first time. The room Petra was cleaning opened outward instead of inward, which was convenient because whoever entered couldn't knock anything over with the door when they opened it. However, the only access to the lock was on the outside and with the proper key, which was mandatory so none of the kids could open it and hurt themselves on any of the contents of the room. That was where the door stop had come in handy. Well, at least when it was doing it's job.

"That did not just close." Levi said, head still wrapped in his own arms. "That did not just close..." He repeated, hoping that the door had magically kept itself propped open and the noise they had both heard was just a result of them going crazy after cracking their heads together. The lamp in the hall had helped illuminate the space, but now that the door had closed their visibility had been considerably reduced.

"It's... closed." Petra said, after an uncomfortably long silence. Levi turned to her slowly with a look that could only be described as death. Behind his seething, grey eyes she could hear him screaming, yet he did not let out a single sound. He continued to stare, and before long the strong feeling of malice he put was putting off had disappeared. He flopped over on to his side once more. He did not move. He did not speak. He simply did nothing.

"Levi?" She inquired softly. "Are you still… alive?" She wasn't sure what else to say. Him being quiet was normal but this quiet was different and it made her stomach turn.

"Levi?"

…

"I wish I wasn't." He whispered.

Petra caught the subtle hint of gloom in his voice. To anyone else it would sound as if he was making a joke, but she could tell it was anything but. What had beaten him this time? He always bounced back, angry or annoyed. Always.

Moments passed. Levi stirred a little but Petra wasn't sure if she should prod him.

"I'm tired." He said suddenly, without any prompts. His voice sounded stark, empty, like he could continue existing on that floor without a care in the world.

Whatever it was, she was not about to let him sit around and sulk. They didn't have time for that. Petra knew if she let him be he would somehow find a way to blame her later on, citing such things as "How could you let me lay on a dirty floor? Don't you know how much work needs to be done? Shouldn't you be watching the kids?"

She picked herself up, dusted herself off and grabbed her phone. It still had service, so she texted Auruo. He would have to collect the spare set of keys from Levi's desk and free them. After she was done typing, she hesitated before hitting send. Looking back once more at the lump she called her friend, she sighed. Petra had doubted herself before, thinking perhaps this would be the day, the time, the place that he broke, but she always buried those thoughts because she knew she was not wrong about him. He always succeeded, and he would not continue to lay on that floor as long as she drew breath.

"Get up." She said, steeling herself.

No reply.

"Levi, get up. For the love of… do you know how dirty this floor is? I don't think I've so much as even swept it in the past week. You don't get to lay here feeling sorry for yourself while everyone is working so hard to-"

He sat up, slowly, almost as if he had finally come to his senses.

"A week?"

"Yes. A week."

…

…

…

Petra found him hard to read. He was still slouching, but something about the energy in the room had changed. He was no longer sad Levi sitting on the floor. In fact, he almost seemed a little angry.

"This room is a mess. This building is a mess. Everything is a mess. What do I pay you for if not to get rid of messes?"

Petra snorted, prompting him to turn sharply and stare daggers at her. She clapped her hands over her mouth.

My, what a turn.

"Oh? Now you want me to help? Only if you'll let me." She chuckled. "Honestly though, that's why I'm here. You said so yourself. You're tired. You're good at hiding it but I can see right through you, Captain." She squinted, gesturing her hand back and forth.

"Don't call me that."

Petra smiled. He didn't exactly put up a fight. That silence was her victory.

The room was still, but after a few comfortable moments, the door opened. Auruo stared blankly ahead, the light in the hall illuminating the small room once again. Before he could even say a word, Levi was on his feet, anxious to leave the filthy excuse of a store room. Well, filthy by his standards.

"Oh, Petra. What happened to your nose?" Auruo asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Levi stopped in his tracks just after passing the threshold of the door.

"My nose?" She answered. Not really understanding the question, she clasped her fingers gently around her nostrils.

"Ah." She winced, completely forgetting about the little accident that had locked them in there in the first place. She could tell it had been bleeding. Some of the blood had dried up, but upon disturbing the injury again it began to flow freely. She pinched the bridge of her nose, searching for something to help stop the bleeding.

"Just an accident." She said, her words obscured in a nasal tone. Before she realized it, a white cloth blocked her vision. Levi was dangling it in front of her face.

"Tilt your head back." He instructed. Petra complied. He folded the cloth in half, moved her hand and replaced it with his own. After he was satisfied with it's position, he held it for a few seconds longer, tilting his own head at an angle to make sure the bleeding had stopped.

"Must not have seen it, with it being dark…" He said quietly, concentrating on the task at hand. "Pinch."

She took over for him. When he was sure she held the cloth secure in her own hands, he let go. He turned to Auruo, gesturing for him to return upstairs. It had only been a few minutes. The baby monitor that Petra had with her had not made any sounds save for what she could hear of Auruo's struggles, but Levi knew that silence, especially when children were concerned, was not always a sign of good behaviour. The part timer retreated, leaving the two to have their own discussion.

"He seemed drained, but I think he was able to handle both Jean and Eren."

Levi scoffed and the mere mention of Eren's name.

"Be nice." She scolded softly. "They aren't that bad. They're just kids."

"I know." he responded cooly. "But that kid just has a knack for getting himself into trouble."

"I bet he's never locked himself in a room by accident. Or head butted his friend..." Petra looked off to the side, well aware that her not so innocent jab had landed. Levi turned to her, attempted to say something, but thought better of it. He let out a silent laugh instead. Upon noticing this, Petra smirked. Only on rare occasions did people get to see him smile, but a laugh… oh, a laugh… that was something special.

"I… if you really want to help, I won't stop you." He relented.

Petra, completely caught off guard by that statement, didn't know what to say. As such, she gawked at him.

"You… you hit your head really hard, didn't you? Let me see."

She took a step closer to him, knowing he would also take a step back. She laughed as she made an attempt to reach for his forehead, only to have her hand swatted away. She let her chuckles subside before rushing him back up the stairs. She didn't want to waste anymore time. She needed him to see what she could do. If Petra did well then maybe, even if there was only a one percent chance, maybe Levi would let her tackle more things on his to-do list.

"I'll call you down when I'm done so you can give it your stamp of approval, so don't worry."

I'll help dig you out of this hole.

She flashed her warmest smile, gave a thumbs up, and left once she saw him make it to the top of the stairs. Levi, oddly, had been instilled with a weird sense of confidence. He knew what she was capable of. He didn't know what she was trying to prove by being overly enthusiastic about helping. Aside from the work, though... to see her smile was something he began to look forward to.

And a laugh? Even that was something special. She laughed and she smiled just as she breathed. It came second nature to her. Despite how often she did it, it was something Levi never took for granted. Perhaps his resistance to the idea of her going overboard was because he didn't want her to lose that aspect of her personality and become jaded like him. But for all of his assumptions, he was wrong. She continued to do it regardless of what he expected. Regardless of the hard work she did, regardless of the frustrations she would have to deal with every day… regardless of the fact that she had to deal with him as a boss.

With that, he decided… He was going to make this work. For the first time in a long time, he felt the smallest spark of hope.

This situation doesn't have to be a mess.

…

We can fix it.

Welp! I hope that was up to snuff. As always, R&R is appreciated. If you notice any errors or typing or whatever please let me know so I can fix it. Thanks for reading! I appreciate you :)