NOTE BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER: The point-of-views alternate between scenes in this chapter! Some are from Petra's view and others are from Levi's! It should be pretty easy to tell who is narrating within a few lines of each scene. This is something new I wanted to try, so let me know if it worked out well. Happy reading!

Shit shit shit.

Fucking shit.

Levi huffed, slumping back down on the couch and rubbing his stinging cheek. Damn that hurt... but he had to admit to himself that he deserved this one.

You hurt her, you piece of shit, he thought, frustrated with his pitiful lack of self-control.

When it came to Petra, he supposed self-control wasn't his strong suit. Clearly. He should have never let her kiss him in the first place, last night. He should have stopped it right there and then. He was the older one between the two of them; he was the captain for christ sake, he was supposed to be mature enough to do the responsible thing.

But she had her way of weakening him; of melting all his resolve away. And his adrenaline was always pumping after expeditions; it shouldn't have surprised him that his energy quickly turned to horniness. He hadn't had a woman in years and then Petra came along feeling up his bare chest. It was more than he could resist. The temptation had overwhelmed him, his desire unleashing like a caged beast, and it had blinded him to the point where he hadn't even been considering her.

The look on her face haunted him. He'd hurt her in his desire, he'd been far too rough and actually cut her lip. Now he had to make things right again soon; to fix his mistake, though he had no idea how. They had to work together… to trust each other for their own survival.

She's my fucking subordinate, he thought bitterly. He hadn't been lying when he said kissing her was a lapse in judgment - he'd had every intention of stopping it right there, and that would have been the end of it if she hadn't held him in with her damn eyes. If she would have just looked away, he would have been able to resist his temptations. Instead, he had claimed her lips and taken it too far.

But you wanted her. You wanted her to touch you all along. You specifically singled her out to stitch up your petty cut, his mind told him.

He swung his legs off the couch, remembering now with dismay that his boots were still muddy from the damn expedition, and that mud was now on the goddamn couch.

Ugh. Now I have to clean all this shit, Levi thought, compulsively kicking off the crusty boots and shedding the tainted white pants as well. The room felt all too stuffy now so he cracked the window open, hoping to let in a breeze.

He resumed cleaning the couch in only his boxers when Erwin walked in.

"Hm. Am I interrupting something?" Erwin said, raising a thick blonde eyebrow at the short, barely dressed, man.

"Yes, I was just about to fuck the couch," Levi replied sarcastically as he continued to spray the cushion to get the mud stains out.

Erwin said nothing, inviting himself in and closing the door behind.

"The mission was a great success thanks to your squad," Erwin said. "But I noticed you didn't come back unscathed," he added, his piercing blue eyes fixing on the stitched up wound.

"Who sewed that for you?" he ventured.

"Petra Ral. My subordinate." Truthfully, part of the reason he had come to her was to keep his injury on the down low. He didn't really want other soldiers to see him injured from such an easy mission. She had been the one he decided to trust…

"Ah. It would appear she has many talents…" Erwin trailed off, an inquisitive edge in his voice.

"Bloody hell... She left while my damned pants were still on, Erwin. What kind of pervert do you think I am?" Levi scowled, feeling oddly defensive.

"A clean one," Erwin replied offhandedly, marveling at how effectively Levi had removed the mud from the couch and his boots.

"Tch…"

"There is paperwork to be done. As my second in command, I expect you to shoulder some of the burden as usual. I'll have someone drop them off at your office tomorrow morning."

Levi bit back the urge to groan irritably. Nothing like paper work to turn his sour mood worse. And now he probably couldn't expect any help from Petra either. He didn't think any of his other subordinates would be willingly up for the task, and he didn't want to force it upon anyone.

"Yes, sir," Levi said simply, sitting on the now-clean couch and beginning to bleach his muddied white pants.

Erwin took a seat next to him, sparing another amused glance at Levi's comical state of undress. He was always more compulsive in his habits, particularly cleanliness, when he was stressed.

"Is something bothering you?" Erwin said.

Am I that easy to read? God damn… Levi thought. He liked to think he wasn't a damn open book, but maybe he was.

"This filthy dirt is bothering me," he muttered, fixated on his task. The bleach was already starting to take root in the muddy white fabric.

Thankfully, Erwin didn't pry any more into the subject, instead changing the topic.

"We need to evaluate our strategy for the next expeditions. As we get closer to Wall Maria and Shiganshina district, there will be several major cities directly in our path. Some are quite large, so we need to determine whether it's best to just go straight through them instead of around them like we have been doing for the smaller towns. And if so, we need to begin developing a plan to limit casualties, since cities disrupt the formation and make it more difficult to spot titans. Frequent engagement of titans will be inevitable," Erwin mused.

"So we'll kill the bastards that get in our way. We did it today and we can do it again," Levi said.

"Yes. But there's more to it than that. These things are rarely black and white, Levi," Erwin said, rubbing his temples. He had the ambitious gleam in his eyes; the spark that Levi never understood, and he wondered what the commander was plotting.

Rarely black and white, huh… Levi thought, his mind wandering elsewhere for a moment. Emotionally, Levi was black and white - he was as complex as a block of wood. He either liked something or he didn't. But other people… other people had wide ranges of emotions, thoughts, feelings, and other things he couldn't relate to… Petra, for example. She wasn't just a single problem… she was an enigma, an entire damn riddle. He wanted to understand her, but he didn't know how that was possible.

And I need to make things right with her… ugh… especially if we're all going to be facing lots of titans together soon.

Erwin stood, producing a folder of papers from his jacket and laying them on Levi's desk.

"We will have our usual post-expedition meeting tomorrow night. Please read through the papers so you're properly briefed on the talking points. There are a few crucial things we must cover with squad leaders," Erwin stated. "I hope you have a… fine night," he added, sparing one last quick glance at the corporal before walking out, closing the wooden door behind him.

The raven-haired man blinked, suddenly weary at the prospect of reading through what looked to be a novel-length worth of papers stacked upon his desk.

But this isn't about me. It's about saving humanity, and one day leaving these god forsaken walls. It's about honoring the sacrifices of the fallen by doing our very best…. he decided, willing himself off the couch, though his tired muscles protested. He slipped on his now-clean pants and rested his green cloak on his shoulders to cover himself up, then took a seat behind the briefing papers. It was important that he read and understand the material.

And it was important that he push any other thoughts aside for the time being.

But with no cup of coffee to keep the edge off the ever-looming fatigue, he was in for a long night.

"Guys, he's passed out on his desk. I'm not sure what to do," Gunther's quiet voice echoed down the hallway.

Petra rounded the corner, finding her teammates Erd, Auruo, and Gunther all gathered around the captain's office door, speaking in hushed voices.

Puzzled, she approached, wrapping her hands around her warm coffee mug to keep off the morning chill.

"Is something wrong with the captain?" She asked, taking a sip of coffee.

"Oh! Petra's here! She can do it!" Auruo proclaimed.

Gunther nodded eagerly. "This situation is delicate… I believe Petra is best suited to handle it."

"And what exactly have I just been volunteered for?" Petra inquired, arching an eyebrow as she blew some of the steam off the coffee.

"Apparently the captain fell asleep on his work last night, and well, as you know, it's cleaning day, and we need to start on time to get everything done by nightfall… so we need someone to nudge him awake," Erd explained. "Someone who's gentle and who he is not likely to kill… this kind of thing needs a female touch," he nodded gravely.

"Oh," Petra said, her eyes falling to the steaming brown liquid swirling in her mug. She hadn't forgotten their encounter last night, and she still hadn't quite forgiven him. Her tongue grazed over the scar on the top of her bottom lip, which was sore but thankfully not visible from the front. All the hurt and frustration was threatening to bubble back up at the thought of him.

Shit, I actually slapped him though… I slapped my superior… no, I slapped Levi, but he's still my captain, urgh, she thought.

It would be childish of her to make a scene about it though, or to deliberately avoid him. He was her captain… she had to trust him, and she had to face him sooner or later. And she knew he was still a good man. If she backed off and restored their relationship as strictly professional, he would probably get the hint and respect her wishes.

The thought of no longer being Levi's friend hurt more than she cared to admit, but it was probably for the best. She had tainted what they had by giving him the wrong message about what she wanted with him…

"Pet? You alright there?" Gunther cocked his head at her.

"Yeah," she said. "I'll do it. I'll go wake him up."

"Ha! Now that's my girl," Auruo boasted, patting her on the back as she reached for the doorknob.

"You're all a bunch of babies," Petra muttered, sliding quietly into Levi's office and closing the door behind.

The office was even cleaner than it had been when she had left, though the familiar pine scent lingered. Her teammates told it true: Levi was knocked out asleep, his head resting between his arms on his desk. His face was peaceful, without its usual intensity, and he somehow looked younger this way. Petra couldn't help but think he looked kind of cute sleeping...

Crap... I can't believe I still have feelings for him... why won't they just go away? But he looks so human right now, I could hold him...

She shook her head at the thoughts. Dummy. Levi doesn't want to hold you. Get over it already.

Petra took a deep breath, willing herself to exhale away all the unwanted thoughts. Her objective here was simple: wake her captain as gently as possible.

Slowly, she approached the dark-haired man.

"Captain?" she breathed softly.

"Captain... please... wake up, sir..."

What the hell? Levi thought, his eyes fluttering half open.

"Captain? Are you awake?" The soft female voice said, her words sounding somehow melodic; beautiful.

In the corner of his hazy vision he registered a flash of amber.

"Petra?" His eyes shot open, focusing on the girl before him, and though he was still mildly disoriented, his memories came flooding back. He locked onto her honey eyes in an instant, peering up at her through lowered, creased brows - an odd expression that felt unusual on his face, his lips parted and his thoughts still jumbled.

"Do you hate me?" He asked, immediately feeling stupid that those words had tumbled out of his mouth without his regard .

Fuck... great way to smooth things over with her.

"Ehh! W-what?" Petra said, looking taken aback momentarily before regaining her cool.

"No, captain, of course not. May we talk about this later please? The squad is waiting just outside," she said with a nod towards the door.

"Right. Shits not gonna clean itself," Levi deadpanned, finally awake now. He was glad he had at least had the sense to put a shirt on too before nodding off. The last thing he needed was to freak Petra out even more.

"Here, captain, take this," she said, setting down a mug of coffee before him.

"Tell the squad I'll meet you all in the common room in fifteen minutes," he said, running a hand through his ruffled hair in a futile attempt to fix it. He didn't like for Petra, or anyone, to see him disheveled like this, his cravat draped untied around his shoulders.

She nodded and turned to leave while he picked up the steaming cup for a much needed sip of coffee. But as the liquid slid over his tongue, he noticed this wasn't the coffee he was used to; it was sweeter, and flavored with vanilla. Suddenly a realization hit him.

"Petra. This is yours," he stated, making her stop in her tracks.

She turned, honey eyes partially obscured by long eyelashes as she looked down.

"Yes, captain... but... you looked like you needed it more than I did," she said with an inkling of her usual kind smile.

Without waiting for a response, she left, leaving Levi speechless in her wake.

She's unreal, he thought, for once in his life genuinely touched by a simple, sweet gesture. Even after all the shit he'd pulled on her, she was still utterly selfless and kind.

But he knew it didn't quite mean he was forgiven. He saw the tension in her shoulders and her eyes, as much as she may have been trying to conceal it. Like she said... they would have to talk about it later.

Levi hated talking, but for her, of course, he would make an exception. He had to make an exception. She was infinitely sweeter to him than he deserved and a part of him wanted to ask her why. Why, after seeing what a real piece of shit he could be, was she still so considerate of him?

He blinked, downing some of the hot, sweet coffee, then straightening out his desk and standing up.

"Ha!" Petra exclaimed, slamming Auruo's hand down and finally winning their intense arm wrestling match. Gunther grumbled, forking over a few coins to Erd on behalf of their bet.

"Ehh.. I'm still sore from the mission! Three solo kills in one day," Auruo exclaimed, crossing his arms and turning his nose up haughtily. "But I wouldn't expect you to understand," he added in his feeble attempt to imitate the captain.

Somehow his less than accurate impersonations were more annoying than usual to Petra, who promptly sent him a venomous glare.

"The money. Now," she spat.

"Ehh! fine! Christ, woman," Auruo mumbled , practically withering under her gaze. He promptly dug into his jacket pocket and reluctantly slid over a few bills, grimacing as he relinquished them.

Petra's face lit up as she claimed her prize, and she flashed a beaming smile.

"Thanks Auruo! You're the best!" She exclaimed.

Auruo offered a sheepish smile at her sudden cheeriness just as Captain Levi entered the common room.

"Try not to jizz yourself now, kiddo," Levi commented at Auruo's face. His light-haired subordinate gaped back at him, for once at a loss for words as Petra smirked. Beside her, Erd and Gunther stifled their laughter.

Petra turned to face her captain, who was surprisingly not wearing his usual cleaning attire. She avoided eye contact as the squad gathered around the table. Levi set down a basket full of assorted rags.

"Gunther, Auruo, you'll be doing the windows inside and out, so gear up. Erd, you do floors," Levi said, handing over a broom to Erd. "Petra, you'll do tables and shelves."

Petra nodded, somewhat confused by his choice of task for her. She almost exclusively did the floors since her short stature gave her a hard time reaching top shelves, and for some reason he almost never wanted her to do the windows. But she supposed she could make it work, with a little extra effort.

"I'll help out when I'm finished with my work. I'll be in my office, but try not to disturb me," he added, turning to leave.

Auruo grumbled sourly about Levi's jeer as Gunther gathered up a handful of rags and escorted him out of the room. Erd caught Petra's eye and shrugged.

"I don't know why he gave me floors either," he admitted. "But I guess we can keep each other company for a while," he added, giving her a reassuring pat. Floors took a lot less time than organizing shelves and tables, so Erd would probably move on to other rooms sooner and come back to help when he was done.

"Yeah…" Petra trailed off, tying a cloth around her neck to pull over her mouth and nose when the work got dusty. "So how's your fiance?"

"Ah, yes, Natalie. She's doing well," Erd said, smiling tenderly at the thought of her as he swept the floor. "I'm seeing her tomorrow, actually, since we get the rest of the week off after today."

"That's right! I almost forgot we have the week off," Petra realized, suddenly wondering what she was going to do with all that time off. Her father had written her that he would be in Karanese district for the week to visit his new nephew, a cousin who Petra wouldn't be able to meet for a while. Her horse had received a slight injury on the way back to wall rose, so traveling to a district other than Trost was out of the question.

"It's her birthday next week actually," Erd recalled. "I should get her something, but I'm not good at that sort of thing," he rubbed the back of his neck with a chuckle. "Any suggestions? If you had a man, what would you want him to get you?"

If I had a man… Petra thought, trying not to blush when she immediately thought of a certain someone. If I had a man who wasn't a pushy jerk…

"Something practical, like… a nice watch, maybe," Petra suggested, thinking of the pocket watch her father had gotten her for her 12th birthday. It was broken now, but she still kept it on her, stashed away inside her jacket.

"That sounds perfect. I never would have thought of something like that," he commented. They continued to converse as they worked until Erd finished with the common room floor.

When he left, Petra was alone again with her thoughts.

Focus on cleaning, she thought, irritably looking around for a step stool or chair to stand on to reach the higher shelves.

It was then that she heard the soft sound of someone walking in and shutting the double doors of the common room, the same doors that were almost always left wide open.

"Ugh. Filthy," she heard her captain mutter at the backside of the door. She peered over her shoulder to see him intently wiping at the door with a rag. She inhaled sharply, a bit apprehensive to be alone with him again for the first time since the previous night. This would either be really awkward, or...

"Captain?" She called softly.

He flinched for a moment, evidently having not noticed her presence at first.

"Oi, Petra." he called back nonchalantly. He took a glance back at the room and promptly scoffed.

"Tch. Erd can't clean floors for shit."

He snatched up the spare broom, mumbling irritably about how his subordinates only pushed the dirt around.

"Well, he's not used to cleaning the floors," Petra remarked, still cross about being given an unnecessarily difficult task, to which Levi stopped and perked his head up. She looked away. "Sir," she added.

"There's a reason for that," he began quietly. "I was hoping you would be alone," he mumbled, pulling down the cloth bandana from his face and approaching the shelf she stood next to. "I need to talk to you."

!1!Petra's heart lurched, her fingers clutching the rag, nearly balling into a fist. She bit her lip and looked up to find Levi's gaze fixated on the ground.

"Yes, captain?"

Look up at her, Levi told himself as his eyes remained glued to the strands of his broom.

An anxious sort of energy pulsed through his veins, a strange feeling he couldn't quite place.

Am I ... nervous? What the fuck?

"About last night," he began, scowling at the floor.

Look her in the damn eyes, asshole.

"I'm ... sorry," he choked out with some effort, the word entirely foreign in his mouth. He looked up and met her golden-eyed gaze; it was all he could do not to melt instantly. He noticed he hadn't stopped scowling, perhaps as a defense mechanism, and did his best to revert back to his usual straight face.

Petra cocked her head slightly, an inquisitive gleam in her eyes. Levi huffed in frustration, propping the broom against the shelf and crossing his arms.

"I told you I'm a real piece of shit, Petra. I warned you not to overestimate me. I'm not a socialite, dammit. I'm a killer. It's all I know. I poison everything I touch," he remarked sullenly, lowering his brows.

"Captain... ahh, you're not entirely at fault, I think," she said, chewing her lip even further. Levi knew she did this when she was anxious. She sounded torn, her hands setting down the rag gently.

"I'm afraid... I may have given you the wrong impression," she said, staring down at her hands. "I wasn't looking for a mere hook-up when I kissed you." she swallowed hard. "I have feelings for you. Feelings far beyond friendship," she declared.

Levi was completely unsurprised by this revelation .

"I know," he felt himself saying. It was true. He had known for quite a while now but had never openly admitted it to himself: for whatever reason, Petra had feelings for him. It was evident in the way she looked at him; the way she got flustered in his close presence; and the way her face lit up when they were just alone, talking. The way she constantly tried to be by his side, putting in the extra effort to help him in whatever way she could. All the small, kind gestures added up in that moment, aligning in perfect harmony. He'd known this, deep down, yet he had continued to spend time alone with her, against his better judgment, for all those weeks, for if he had been sensible he should have distanced himself from the situation, so she could get over those feelings and he wouldn't do anything careless. It felt wrong, like he was exploiting the situation, because he himself wasn't sure how he really felt. He didn't suppose that he necessarily felt the same way she did. Only that he liked her company. And he liked the attention from her, too. Enough to want more. The way she gave him attention felt damn good, enough to stir up his heartbeat; he usually kept away from women, now that he was in the Corps, but he'd forgotten how good it felt to get some attention. Levi eyed her expectantly, waiting for her to finish.

"You ... knew?" She breathed, caught off guard.

"I never meant to hurt you. I had a momentary lapse in self control," he grudgingly admitted. "But I thought I made this clear, and you should know by now..." he took a step forward, gently picking up her right hand, he placed her hand directly over his heart, again, to the quickened beating of his nervous heartbeat, "...that I'm not entirely unaffected, either," he finished, closing his eyes as he opened up to her, yet again entirely vulnerable.

"Oh," Petra breathed back, barely above a whisper. And just like before, she buried her face in his shoulder adorably, the tension departing from her with every breath as her palm absorbed his pulse.

Levi felt rather pathetic about how his heartbeat was elevated over nothing but her mere presence and touch. It wasn't hammering wildly, but it certainly wasn't his usual cool and calm heartbeat either. He was certainly not unaffected by her. He supposed if it was reassuring to her, then it was worth it.

"So, Petra... do you forgive me?" Levi mumbled quietly.

Ooohh... Will Petra forgive him? ;D

Let me know your thoughts on the switching POV's! I might do it again for next chapter, or I might make it stick to either Levi or Petra for the whole chapter. The next chapter will pick right up where this scene left off! Still deciding whose POV to write it from, so if you have a preference let me know and I'll take it into consideration.

As always thanks a bunch for reading, if you like this story please leave a review! :D They are very encouraging.