A/N: Tough love is not Levi's specialty. In either part of the phrase honestly, but he tries. It seems like no one can win anymore, neither Levi nor Celica.

LEVI HEICHOU'S POV

Once again Hanji managed to piss me off. That wasn't surprising. What was surprising though was my explanation to her; the words that flew from my mouth before I could put a filter on them. Being blunt wasn't the issue I found with what I had told her, it was me admitting that I pitied Valkihar. That I related to her. Maybe that's why I felt my guard start slipping around her in the first place.

I spotted the empty chair next to Valkihar's bed and figured that Hanji had forgotten to put it away. I took my seat in it and sat forward in the chair, lacing my fingers together in front of me. Valkihar was out like a light but her breathing was shallow as she slept, her face bearing a strange look to it. Pain still slithered in between her features and her eyes flickered back and forth under her lids. She was dreaming.

The corner of her mouth turned up into a small yet sad smile, moisture collecting in the corners of her eyes. I brushed it away gently before pulling back my hand. This girl was capable of so many tears since she broke down in front of the whole squad on the way back to the wall. Sadly, I never missed how she trembled and tried to hide her face when I thought that she was about to cry. Rarely did they stream down her face in waves but the fact remained that she was filled with so much pain, especially as of late. I couldn't escape it either. I'll admit, I can't face any of my soldiers when they cry. It's painful from my end just seeing it all but when they break, a portion of me does with them, not that I'd ever let them see. That is, until today.

Hanji saw it. Petra as well. Who knows who else saw my shared sympathy with this one brat. Despite my initial anger with her, I understood why she did what she had. No matter how much I wanted to kick the shit out of her for defying orders, I remember feeling a twinge of pain in my chest watching her when we retreated inside the wall. Something changed when she woke up and she no longer seemed the same. Broken, weak, vulnerable. No longer strong and collected out on the field like she had been before joining the squad. Now though, it seemed that she would be out of commission for a while until she fully healed.

There was only one thing left now. Determine her corrective action for insubordination. And I finally thought of what I'd have to do to her.

CELICA'S POV

I remember dreaming yet no nightmare came this time. I had expected to see Mikael's death with my own eyes like I had almost every time I had shut my eyes since that day. I expected blood, gore, screams and to watch what would have happened if I hadn't have saved Natasha. But I didn't see any of that. Instead I saw my squad happy and laughing by my side as we celebrated the retake off Wall Maria and with it, victory over the titans.

"We did it! We finally won!" Erd chanted as he lifted a mug of beer into the air.

"HOORAY!" The room cheered with upraised mugs.

"We can finally live normal lives now." Gunter stated while he stood up, a gleam in his eyes. "I don't know about you guys but I've got a dream of mine that I can finally fulfill now."

"And what would that be pray tell?" Auruo asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"I can finally find a beautiful wife and settle down. It's safe now so why not?" Gunter remarked and Eld threw his arm around the man's neck.

"That's all? Hell, I plan on going back my town and starting fresh. Get it back up and running until it's thriving like before." Petra giggled.

"Sounds like an experience for sure." She stated. "What are you going to do Auruo?" He shrugged and sat his drink down.

"I don't know yet but I got plenty of time to figure it out." He said proudly.

"Figures someone like you doesn't plan anything." Gunter stated after another swig of beer. Auruo stood up from the table in mocked anger, causing a few laughs here at there at Gunter's remark. "Petra? Any idea what you wanna do?"

Petra blushed heavily before swiftly drinking a mouthful of beer, trying to pass it off as intoxication blush.

"Well, like Gunter I wanna marry. But I doubt that anyone would really want me so..." She thought for a moment. "I can open up a restaurant with all of my mother's family recipes she taught me."

"Touching." I stated, taking a drink myself in my own little corner of the room.

"What about you, Heichou?" Eld asked, pointing his mug over at the captain sitting at his usual spot at the table. The captain thought for a moment, a barely there smile appearing on his face.

"I thought a while back about opening a tea shop. Maybe I can do that now." Everyone's eyes were glued to the captain in silence. Levi Heichou's brows creased back into his usual scowl. "What?" He spat while Erd, Gunter, and Auruo let out a fit of laughter.

"Just never expected that out of you Heichou. It's only funny because of that face you made." Auruo stated as the captain made an annoyed sound, his seemingly permanent scowl attached to his face again.

"It's a good dream regardless. It fits you." Petra commented before turning to me. "What about you, Celica? Have you finally found a dream now that it's all over?"

Everyone's eyes were now on me as I glanced down at my reflection in the mug. I didn't know what to tell them. I hadn't thought about it anymore than I had before.

"No, I don't think I do." I stated plainly, giving my usual answer.

"Don't you have a dream, Celica?" The captain asked, the rest of the squad and room fading away from my field of vision, leaving only the two of us. There he was again, using my first name. His face and eyes softened as he looked at me. He stood and walked over to me, reaching a hand down to tilt my head up to look at him from my seated position. "Not a single thing?"

My eyes watered as I stared back into his shining grey orbs, the words falling from my mouth.

"I want to forget. I want to be able to move on like nothing bad has ever happened. I just..." A single tear fell from my face, grabbing his hand tightly in mine.

"I just want to be happy."

My eyes flashed open as I grabbed my ribs in pain, my breath harsh and painful in my lungs once more. I heard someone stir beside me as I turned onto my less injured side, feeling a strong pull on my shoulder to bring me onto my back again.

"Valkihar, stop. Lay still." It was Captain Levi's voice that I heard and my body relaxed slightly as he pulled me back into place. He hovered over me for a moment, a sigh falling from his lips. "You have to stay on your back while your ribs heal." He stated.

I felt a drying tear trail on my face and gingerly lifted my arm to wipe it away, sniffling a little as I rested my arm over my eyes. Was I really crying again? The captain reached for my wrist to pull my arm back down by my side.

"I said to lay still." He repeated. "Or are you going to continue to disobey me?" He asked, his eyes growing colder but the sound of his words not matching the tone I had expected with that look of his. I shook my head softly and he pulled back, sitting back into the chair, crossing one leg over another along with his arms across his chest. "Must have been one hell of dream. I've never seen you make a face like that."

I blushed slightly. Even now, he had been watching over me as I slept even though he didn't have to be. He could have checked up on me and left but he stayed. Just like he always had with me.

"I've never had a dream quite like that though." I said, closing my eyes for another moment before opening them again.

"What was it about?" He asked carefully. In truth, it wasn't any of his business and he probably knew that much but I had never not told him so far about what I dreamed about. However it was different now. He was a part of my dream this time and the look he gave me while I was sleeping was... caring and stunning. I felt my mouth dry just thinking about it. I had to choose my words carefully.

"Humanity took back the wall and defeated the titans. We were celebrating and everyone was talking about their dreams of the future now that it was all over and done." I explained, deciding to give him the general synopsis of it all.

"Then why were you crying just now?" He asked unexpectedly, his face unchanging. Yet, something twinkled in his eyes, something I couldn't quite place. I couldn't look at him anymore feeling his gaze so blatant on me so I turned my head slightly away, finding peculiar interest in a stack of medical supplies all of a sudden.

"Because I gave my usual answer... and then changed it." I stated. I couldn't tell him what made me change my answer though. I didn't need to give him any more ammunition to use against me for anything. Especially if I was developing feelings for him now. Even in my dream, Petra wanted to be with the captain, referring to him when she talked of marriage. The look in her eye gave her away.

"What was your final answer you gave?" I cast a look back at him out of the corner of my eye before setting it back on the ceiling. He sure was pushy this time around I thought. I let out another small breath and collected myself before turning back to him, meeting his eyes with my own.

"I said that I wanted to be happy." I stated, the captain's eyebrows quirking up and his eyes widening as if my words had struck him dumb. He blinked a couple of times before setting his face back into place. "Such a strange thing to say, don't you think Heichou?"

He looked down for a moment, an almost sad look appearing on his face.

"Not really." He stated before he looked back up. "Isn't that basically what drives most human lives, the desire to find happiness?"

"For most people..." I replied, daring to continue my thought. "What about you, Heichou? Don't you desire to be happy as well one day?" He cocked his head to the side for an instant, his face turning thoughtful for a moment. I hadn't really thought about the idea of the captain being happy until the words came out of my mouth. It was hard to imagine him happy with an ever constant scowl on his face.

"Who says I'm not?" He asked. Did he really have nothing else to say about it or...?

"The majority of us, including me." I told him. "But then I doubt anyone can truly be happy in this world of ours. Especially you." He sighed softly, standing then and moving to look out the window beside the bed.

"I'd given up on the idea of a happy life long ago so even now, I don't dare expect something like that to happen for me."

His words cut deep into my already throbbing chest. It didn't surprise me to hear something like that coming from his mouth but it made me pity him for just an instant. He had seemed so complex before but it all boiled down to extremely simple things. The way he carried himself and spoke to people, it seemed that it had all been learned over time. If you don't expect happiness then you can be disheartened by the things torn away from you all at once.

"I'm sorry. Forget I said anything." I spoke softly, honestly wishing that I hadn't brought it up. He glanced back down at me and laid a hand gently on the top of my head.

"Stupid brat." He muttered, ruffling my hair slightly. I huffed softly in mock annoyance.

"Heichou... please stop." I requested, reaching up painfully to reluctantly push his hand away. His touch was still new to me and it scared me just as much as it comforted me. He silently pulled away his hand away before tucking both into his pockets.

"By the way, don't think that you're off the hook for earlier." He warned, his tone dropping back into the cold strictness he used when addressing his soldiers. I sat up slowly, forcing my body upright as I leaned forward to cradle my aching torso and tucked my legs closer under me for balance.

"I thought I said-" He started but I cut him off.

"I'll take whatever punishment you deem fitting." I rushed out, keeping my voice even though the thought of his physical punishment at the moment threatened to make me tremble in fear. I was already in so much pain, was it not quite enough already? Why did I keep pushing my luck with him?

"I know you hate it when people try apologizing but, if it's worth anything, I truly am sorry for causing you trouble. But that doesn't mean that I regret my decision either." I continued, noting how he turned to face me and away from the window.

The captain regarded me for a moment silently and I hung my head, shutting my eyes. If he moved anymore, I didn't want to see that coldness on his face again. I never wanted to give him a reason to warrant any immediate dislike for me but, from the start it seemed that all I did was cause him trouble.

But even if he hated me because of today then I could live with the consequences. It was better that way if he did. It would give me a reason to put some distance between us so I could build myself back up. Along with the walls around my heart which he had torn to shreds without either of us realizing it until the damage was done.

"No regret? None at all?" I shook my head, lying to myself and to the captain. I didn't regret my actions for the day but what I did regret was falling into my current state. Emotionally and physically, with only the captain being witness to it all. "I'll make you regret not listening to me though."

"I'm tired of laying in one spot. I need to move." I stated, the words falling from my mouth without passing through a filter.

"That's not what I'm talking about right now." I cringed as he finished his statement and shut my eyes tighter. I begged internally that he wouldn't hit me or worse and even if he did, that he would just get it over with already. I heard him move towards me and I clenched my fists into the sheets still covering my legs. He grabbed my jaw with a tight grip and lifted my head up.

"Open your eyes." He ordered and I complied. His eyes were still cold and harsh as they stared down mine. "Have you forgotten who you were placed under? Who your commanding officer is? We covered this not too long ago so it baffles me why it seems that your senses have left you so quickly."

I couldn't say anything even if I wanted to, losing my ability to speak suddenly. He loosened his grip on my jaw slightly and ran his thumb gently across my skin.

"Perhaps I've been too gentle with you." He proposed, before letting go of my face to slap me. The cheek that he caressed a mere second ago was now flaming and red. I reached up to cup my hurting face with my hand, avoiding his eyes once more as I straightened my body back up. Tears welled in my eyes from the shock of the impact but I knew I deserved much worse than just that.

"While you recover from your injuries you will not leave my side. You won't be able to do a single thing without my okay; that includes not speaking unless spoken to since you've decided to get so mouthy with me lately. This is only part of your punishment. I expect you obey every order given or there will be hell to pay. Do I make myself clear?"

I nodded my head slowly.

"Answer me verbally, Valkihar." He commanded, his voice sharp and forceful.

"Yes, Heichou." I complied, feeling my own voice tremble slightly, my fear of the captain washing through me with all it's fury.

I had gotten so comfortable around him that I forgotten about how people came to be fearful of him to begin with. The captain that seemed so relax and complacent around me had shifted back into the ruthlessly harsh being that I had seen the day I had met him. Personally, I believed it to be better this way anyways and it seemed that things were back to normal again. No more childish daydreams and wishes, just a soldier and a captain, acting just as one should.

Nothing more, nothing less.