Note: All Petra's POV for this chapter. Just kinda came naturally this way. You'll get to see into Levi's head again next time~

Petra awoke to an awful throbbing of her head.

What happened? She wondered, painfully disoriented for a moment before the world came spinning into focus. She was in her room, lying on her bed, the soft light of dawn trickling in from the window to her right.

Levi must have carried me here, she realized with a faint blush. The last thing she remembered was leaning against him comfortably and closing her eyes.

When she sat up, she noticed something else: her only blanket was a green cloak, the scouting legion wings of freedom emblazoned across. It smelled like soap and pine, a scent she would recognize anywhere.

Ahh.. that's right... I forgot to pick up my sheets from the laundry last night, she recalled. I guess he saw how bare my bed was and felt for me.

Petra rubbed her temples groggily, feeling incredibly sluggish. She may have gone a little overboard with the stress drinking... and now she was really paying the price. Ugh.

Just as she was lamenting how thirsty she was, her eyes fell upon a tall glass of water beside her on her night stand. In front of it was a note:

Drink this when you wake up. All of it.

~L

PS. Need my cloak back soon, cold as shit outside.

The words brought a smile to her face. It wasn't often that Levi showed his caring side, but with enough patience it really came out in rare moments, hidden between the lines of his words and gestures. Petra thought it was one of the most endearing things about him; despite his cold front, he could be incredibly compassionate when he wanted to be, in his own way.

Remembering her captain's invitation to Wall Sina, she quickly downed the water and changed into a clean uniform. She folded his cloak neatly and tucked it under her arm then headed out, still feeling awfully hungover and wondering how she looked. She hoped nobody would be able to tell. How embarrassing…

The building was already alive with soldiers preparing and departing for their families. As Petra entered the dining hall, her eyes were immediately captured in Erwin's piercing blue ones.

"Commander Erwin, sir!" Petra saluted. Hanji, Mike, Levi, and Erd all glanced up at her.

"Late…" she heard Levi grumble from Erwin's right.

"Good morning, miss Ral," Erwin began, arching an eyebrow. "How may I help you?"

Her eyes flicked to her impassive captain for only a second before falling on Erd, who seemed to understand already. She offered a faint smile.

"I have come to volunteer to accompany the Survey Corps command to the interior in Erd's stead, sir."

The blonde commander exchanged a look with the raven-haired Lance Corporal, who grunted in affirmation and waved a hand dismissively.

"Very well," Erwin said as Erd beamed, walking over to Petra.

"I owe you one. Thank you," Erd chucked quietly, patting her on the back as he walked out.

The rest of the four seated at the table stood, chairs sliding back against the wood floor with a dull rumble.

"This meeting is adjourned," Erwin's deep voice rang out. "Levi, I trust you will catch your subordinate up on all the details she just missed," he added, gathering up the various papers strewn about the table. With the papers tucked neatly under his arm, he made for the exit, slowing down as he approached the honey-haired soldier.

"Ral, what is that you're holding?" He inquired.

"Oh! This… this is just my cloak, sir," Petra fidgeted, wrapping it around her shoulders and tying it just to prove her point. It fit perfectly; luckily, it was the same size as her own cloak, virtually identical.

Erwin seemed to accept this as he nodded, offering her a light pat on the shoulder as he continued on. Levi, trailing closely behind the commander, snorted quietly at her antics, seemingly amused by the display, though his face remained blank. He looked her up and down briefly, his eyes lingering on the green cloak for just a moment longer.

"Meet me in the stables in half an hour, Ral. Don't be late this time," Levi said in his usual monotone before walking past to catch up with Erwin.

Mike strolled past, his nose twitching for a moment and he briefly scrutinized her, leaning his nose in closer. Petra made a face, trying to conceal her discomfort at the acute invasion of personal space by a man who towered over her. He suddenly smirked, his face smug like he knew something, and left without a word.

Petra exhaled in relief, her eyes falling on Hanji who was still frantically scrawling some notes by the table. Her head hadn't stopped throbbing, so she quietly slid into the kitchen to at least scavenge some breakfast before she had to leave.

When Petra stepped out onto the courtyard to head towards the stables, she spotted her teammates joking around by the barn door.

"There she is! Petra!" Erd called out. In an instant he was upon her, hoisting the small soldier up onto his shoulders.

"This girl's the real MVP today," he declared.

"But will she survive sticking by the captain for a whole week?" Gunther joked, jabbing her in the belly.

"Eek! Gunther! That tickles!"

"Oh I think she'll do more than just survive," Auruo smirked.

"Shut your mouth!" She attempted to kick at his face from her high spot, but he ducked just in time.

Auruo stuck his tongue out.

"Don't forget to watch out for unicorns," he added.

"Yeah, there's some real bastards in the interior from what I hear," Gunther nodded.

"They're right, you know," Erd nodded as well, lifting her off his shoulders. "The central military police there aren't your friends. I'd advise you steer clear of them whenever possible," he added seriously. "Yo Gunther, catch!" He called out, throwing Petra into the burly man's arms.

"Eep! Guys! Put me down already!" Petra cried out, struggling in vain.

They only laughed and hoisted her up between the three of them, lifting her up like she had just single-handedly won the whole war.

Then Gunther caught her again, and with a call of "Heads up!" she was again flung into the air, this time landing in Auruo's arms.

"You're like a damn feather," Auruo commented. "Hey, I'll miss you, but my bank account sure as hell won't."

At this Petra giggled, glad to see all her squad in such good spirits.

"Can I be let down now?" She pleaded, pulling her best doe-eyed, innocent face. Auruo grimaced, almost conceding before Erd spoke up.

"I dare you to throw her into the captain's arms next," he smirked, gesturing to their approaching captain.

"Ehh.. well…"

"I bet he won't do it," Gunther faked a yawn.

"He definitely won't do it," Erd agreed.

"No balls."

"Absolutely none."

"Oh you just watch me," Auruo grunted solemnly.

"Guys," Petra struggled, burying her face in his chest.

This is about to be so embarrassing… why do I have to be so small?

"Oi, captain!" Auruo called out.

"Mm?"

"Heads up!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Levi said darkly in a low, icy voice. Auruo abruptly froze mid-swing, letting the strawberry blonde simply bounce back in his arms. The Lance Corporal brushed past them casually towards the stables, leaving Erd and Gunther laughing hysterically in his wake.

"I think Auruo might have just shit himself," Gunther chortled.

Auruo grinned sheepishly and shrugged, finally setting Petra down.

"That's better," Petra patted his head approvingly. She quickly hugged them all in farewell and hurried into the barn.

The familiar jet-black mare snorted at her as she approached, but her owner was nowhere in sight. Petra stroked the mare lightly on her snout.

"You're a lot less confusing than your owner, you know," she muttered softly. Despite everything, she still couldn't figure out exactly where she stood with Levi, or just how long the few tender moments between them would last before he put up his icy walls again. Either way, she had a bad feeling that the more attached she grew, the more likely she was to get hurt again. It was wrong of her to have such feelings for her captain, and it was wrong of him to reciprocate, and sooner or later he would realize this. She had forgiven him… mostly, she thought, her tongue grazing the scar on her inner lip... but perhaps it wasn't enough.

Petra got to work grooming and tacking Crasher and humming softly to herself. As she was tightening the brown leather saddle, the mare's ears perked up to the sound of the stall door creaking opening.

Petra cleared her throat. "Good morning, captain."

"Oi," Levi said simply, patting the mare's neck and tightening the saddle another notch. "How's the hangover?"

Widening her eyes slightly and biting her lip, she gave a quick anxious look around to make sure nobody else was nearby. The closest voices she heard seemed to be a few stalls down.

"Not so well," she admitted in a hushed tone. "Listen, ahh… could we keep this as our little secret? I don't really want people to think I'm some crazy drunk girl and-"

"Our little secret," Levi repeated, pulling the string on his cloak she wore to untie it. "That's a good way to put it."

Petra got the sense he wasn't talking about her hangover anymore; his statement seemed loaded. For a moment a pressing question came to the tip of her tongue. But when she lifted her eyes to look at his concentrated face, his eyes focused on untying the cloak, her heart lurched and she suddenly faltered, the words dying in her mouth.

I'm afraid to lose him… if I say the wrong thing, that could be it.

"What the hell," Levi muttered, his fingers stopping as his eyes narrowed at the knot.

"Allow me," Petra sighed, gently pushing his fingers away and swiftly untying it herself. She shrugged the cloak off and wrapped it around his shoulders, proceeding to re-tie it, feeling his steely eyes on her as she did so.

What are you thinking about, Levi? Another question flashed by unasked.

"Thank you, by the way. For… everything. For putting up with me. I'm sorry you had to deal with my drunken weirdness," she admitted.

"I didn't mind."

"I didn't… either…" she breathed quietly. His words still left her a bit flustered as she vividly recalled being cuddled against him only a few hours ago. It had been unbelievably comfortable at the time. It wasn't even the first time she had leaned against him like that, but somehow it had felt more personal; deeper and more meaningful. Like the seemingly heartless man, the same jerk who bit her lip, had a gentle heart after all.

And yet... I still don't know where he plans to go with all this, she thought miserably, not quite recalling if he had mentioned anything about it.

She finished the knot and tugged on his cravat for good measure, straightening it out, when she felt his slender finger tilt her chin up. Her eyes fluttered to his and her breath caught. His brows once again pressed together in concentration, as if scrutinizing her face.

Is he… is he going to kiss me? Ah… he hurt me last time… and yet… I still want this so badly.

Levi leaned in, eyes narrowing further. Suddenly he whipped out a handkerchief.

"You have dirt on your face, Petra," he scoffed, wiping at a spot on her cheek rather brusquely. Petra scrunched up her face in response, the moment effectively ruined.

"Levi," she whined, rubbing her cheek.

"Shush," he said lightly, stepping away to put Crasher's bridle on. "You'll be riding with me. Try not to fall off or we'll have to stick your ass in the supply wagon," he explained, beckoning her to follow him out of the stall.

"Hey! I'm not that hungover!" Petra insisted, trailing behind her captain.

As their procession galloped across the rolling open fields of Wall Rose, Petra thought carefully over all she had just heard.

Levi and Hanji had explained to her their situation in the interior, and the truth was a little unsettling. Petra had known that a lot of the nobles inside Sina weren't exactly fans of the Survey Corps, but she hadn't realized the complexity of the politics there.

"In short, we need to kiss their fat, ugly asses all day so they give us adequate funding for the next expedition," Levi had scoffed.

Hanji nodded seriously.

"Captain not-so-suave here has learned to mainly keep his mouth shut. But don't forget you'll essentially have to take on the role of a diplomat, especially since you're part of a coveted elite squad with the Lance Corporal. A few nobles are always enamored with the notion of Levi as humanity's strongest soldier; on behalf of him you'll have to appeal to those notions. As for the military meeting, that's the easiest part. We usually sit back and let the commander do all the talking."

They had been quiet for a while since that conversation, with Crasher trailing a few paces behind Hanji's mare. Petra shifted her arms, wrapped lightly around her captain's torso for stabilization as she sat behind him. Doubling up on a horse wasn't ideal; it was a bit uncomfortable, but she couldn't bring herself to be too bothered. It was hard to object to basically getting to discreetly hug him for three hours, and his body heat helped keep the edge off the cold.

"Captain?" She said, a curious thought coming to mind.

"Yes?"

"Earlier this morning... Erd mentioned something about avoiding central military police. Is something wrong with them?"

"Something wrong with them? That's an understatement," he scowled. "There's a lot wrong with them. Most of them are damn crooks. Real shitty people."

"Why is that?" Petra bit her lip, intrigued.

"Many in the higher ranks are corrupted; sold out to the highest bidder among the crime lords," Levi explained. "Those who aren't corrupt are too damn lazy to persecute those who are."

"That's vile…"

"Yes. I think it's the shitty air there that fucks with their heads. They have more than a few brain cells missing. Petra… I want you to pay close attention to the MPs and the top Sina authorities. I don't trust any of those filthy pigs," he growled.

"I will. I'll pay attention."

"I want you by my side," Levi said seriously.

"Always, captain," Petra replied sincerely, not missing a beat. The Special Ops squad was undyingly loyal to their captain; any of her comrades would say the same thing. Even with personal feelings aside, they would follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked them to; they would lay down their lives at his command. A strong foundation of trust was tightly woven into the fabric of their team, built on countless expeditions of slaying titans. She could quite well recall the times when that very trust had saved her life, when the lethal precision of his paired blades had descended to kill titans just in time. Inside the walls should be no different; if he wanted her by his side, that is where she would be, regardless of what happened beneath the surface for the two of them.

There was a bloated silence for a few moments after, Crasher now trailing well behind the other three horses.

"Do you remember my promise?"

Oh, Petra blinked, the foggy memories of last night coming back to her. His promise… that he… he wanted to… to make me happy… her blush deepened as she realized this had actually happened; it was true.

"...yes… I remember now…"

"Against my better judgment… I'll try to keep that promise. I'll do what I can if it makes you happy."

"A-Ah... I'd like that, Levi. More than anything," she smiled through her flushed cheeks, tightening her arms to give him a real hug, inhaling the familiar scent of him she had grown so fond of and finding comfort in the even rhythm of his breathing.

He let her hold onto him for a long moment before continuing on.

"But," Levi began, eyes focused on the three figures far up ahead, "I need to tell you upfront. Whatever happens between us must stay strictly between us. There's not much I can give you; And I will not favor you in any way over the squad."

Petra nodded in understanding.

"Anything with you is fine," she breathed, her chin resting on his shoulder as she closed her eyes.

"Mm…" Levi trailed off, seeming lost in the moment for a second before continuing on. "I just don't want you to forget. As soldiers, we serve a higher cause. Our first priority is always towards that."

"The Survey Corps is larger than life. I am proud of that."

"And Petra, you should know that I don't… ugh," he scowled. "I don't experience emotions in the ways other people do. I'm not like that. It's fine, spending time with you, but it's not the same. I may not be enough for you."

Petra promptly shook her head.

"I know. I know who you are. And I know you better than you think. As my captain, my friend… you already make me happy," she admitted, looking out across the grass plains and wondering if she would stop blushing soon.

"... I see," Levi muttered quietly. "If you really like shitty jokes that much, and watching me kick worthless rookie brats around half the damn time."

Petra laughed at this.

"I'll kick them around with you. I'd love to. And I think you're funny."

"You think I'm funny. Huh. That makes one of us."

"You are though! You're... the person who says the kind of blunt things that other people are all secretly thinking but don't have the guts to actually say. People like me, for instance. So I like it. It's amusing," she giggled, flicking his chest playfully, but was surprised when he winced at this.

"Careful, now," Levi groaned, pushing her hands down away from his chest. It was then that she recalled his injury, the very one she had stitched up. It was probably still sore for him.

"The fuck is this?" He lifted one of Petra's wrists, eyes narrowing at the worn copper bracelet bouncing around on it. "You didn't have this before."

"Oh… Hahah… some drunk guy gave it to me last night. He was nice, but way too clingy. I had to sneak off to get away from him…"

"Fucking hell. I'm coming with you next time," Levi grumbled.

"I don't even like drinking, though. But I can't object to a free bracelet," she waved it in front of his face. He easily tore it off her wrist and held it up, observing it.

"Hey, give that back!" She reached up for it, but he kept it just far enough to prevent her.

"Tch. Looks like shit," he concluded, tossing it casually aside to be swallowed up by the sea of grass.

"Ah! Levi! You jerk," she mumbled, resigned. She couldn't bring herself to feel too annoyed about it; the bracelet really was kind of shitty.

"Relax. I'll get you a better one."

"... still a jerk," she teased, pinching him in the abs.

"Not trying feeling me up again, are you? That didn't turn out so well for us last time," Levi snorted.

"That's because you're a jerk," she reiterated.

"Yes, and you're a tease."

"Perv…"

"Brat… You and your bloody promises..." he grumbled.

Petra sighed, contentedly leaning against his back. He may be a jerk, but if he was her jerk... then that was okay. He was a man of his word, and she knew he meant his promise, and everything else he had said. It was enough for her. Crasher's pace was smooth enough that she dozed off tiredly for a few quiet minutes.

"Oi," she finally heard him say, followed by a flick on her forehead. She whimpered irritably in response.

"Not that I mind being your pillow, but I need to catch up with the other three before they start looking back for me," he explained, kicking the mare to a faster pace. "Look alive, soldier."

The strawberry-haired girl loosened her grip in response, assuming a more platonic position.

"Yes, captain."

The interior was a stunning sight to behold with fresh eyes. The elaborate architecture, the grand estates, the sprawling mansions, the elegant patrons - a separate society, of sorts, seemingly detached from reality. Living a life of overwhelming luxury.

All while we see poor people starving on the streets of Trost everyday, Petra thought sickeningly. There were a few people gathered around their line of horses, talking amongst themselves about the rumors of the bold Commander Erwin and the ruthless Lance Corporal, the strongest of them all. Humanity's strongest soldier, she kept hearing in hushed voices. Hanji was right; some of them really did look enamored by her captain.

But there were others who looked down from their windows disapprovingly, clicking their tongues and shaking their heads as the line of horses made way through the inner city.

The air in this city was thick, suffocating; every bit as stuffy as its inhabitants. She was beginning to understand why her captain didn't like this place; the very air felt poisoned, somehow, and there was an underlying feeling that something here wasn't quite right. Though odorless, and practically spotless, the city seemed to reek of moral decay.

Her eyes fell upon a rough-looking blonde man who looked out of place in the thin crowd, and when his eyes met hers she felt her skin crawl. Then she noticed his tan jacket, the familiar purple unicorn embroidered on the chest, and she quickly averted her eyes, appearing suddenly very interested in the broad, familiar wings of freedom sprawled across the green fabric clinging to Levi's back.

Shit… I probably wasn't supposed to make eye contact with one of them, her fingers twitched subconsciously, and she could almost hear the Lance Corporal's scoff in her mind.

Well then… this should be fun, Petra thought with a grimace.

So much dialogue writing ._.

Lol sooo I was tempted in the beginning to just make Petra bust in and be all like I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE

kekekekeke…. I'm sure you all wouldn't have been amused though XD hahahaha

Anyway tried to make this chapter kinda fun n sweet before things get serious. ON ANOTHER NOTE, I'll be revamping some of the older chapters slightly before posting any new ones, just to maintain some consistency in this story in certain places. I might add or tweak a few scenes, idk yet, but it shouldn't change the story too much - just adding to the overall storyline and sort of unify it and stuff, yeah.

Thank you everyone for AMAZING reviews and follows and faves! :D I appreciate the enthusiasm for this story, all you Rivetra shippers and general SNK fans are awesome! Don't forget to drop a review if you like this chapter, or just wanna say something. More updates coming soon~