To Petra, the military was hard work. There was no half-assing any one thing (at least not for soldiers in the Survey Corps anyway,) and there was never a night she did not truly go to bed exhausted.
The tea shop, though a completely different brand of occupation than the military, required just as much effort, Petra thought. No, there were not any early morning 3DMG drills or laps around the castle. But the early morning prepping and cleaning and serving, stocking and restocking, and remembering to always always always be nice even to any particularly difficult customer (though she quickly found out that Levi had no qualms about telling a few rather impossible people to 'fuck off,') still managed to drain her energy, and leave her all but crawling into bed at the end of the day.
But, she was happy.
Happy and excited and enjoying every bit of this new adventure the tea shop brought.
And happy and excited and enjoying just how much closer she was getting to her former captain.
A month had passed since the opening of HumaniTea. A month had passed since their first actual date, as Petra had called it. It wasn't any different than when they would go for dinner after a long day of remodeling the shop. But it certainly felt different, like they were finally moving forward together rather than stepping sideways parallel, as they had during their military days.
Their budding romance was not the only thing slated to bloom, however; the ever-growing reputation of the tea shop had spread beyond the few blocks surrounding them. More often than not, Levi and Petra had come to face customers who had walked halfway across town to try a cup of what HumaniTea had to offer. Neither had expected such, finding it a pleasant surprise to hear that some had traveled to their shop solely based on the recommendation of a recent patron.
Levi took a glance around the shop's seating area before flickering his gaze to the clock on the wall, an ever so slightly visible relaxation coming over his shoulders upon realizing the time.
"Petra," he called, causing the redhead to look up from the table she had been wiping clean.
"It's time to close up; will you bring in the signs and lock the door?" He did not need to specify 'before anyone else comes in;' that part was a given.
She gave a nod, heading towards the countertop to set her cleaning rag aside as Levi made his way to the back storage area to grab his stock of cleaning supplies.
Petra stepped outside, picking up their wooden tent sign and bringing it in. She pushed the propped door a bit to remove the wooden door chuck beneath, holding onto the inside handle to pull it closed.
"Excuse me, are you still open?" she heard a voice say before she was able to close the door, her back facing them. A sympathetic smile came to her face, hating to be the bearer of bad news, as she turned and spoke in response.
"Actually, we just cl-" she stopped herself, eyes widening as something in her mind clicked; the familiarity of the voice, and most importantly, the sight of the older man before her.
"Papa?!"
She was equal parts surprised and delighted, throwing her arms around him and clinging to him as though she were a little girl once again.
"I can't believe you're here! You should have told me you were coming, I would have made something for you," she said.
"It wouldn't have been a surprise then if I had," he responded with a warm chuckle, returning the hug.
"Petra; I thought you were locking up."
The young woman blinked, pulling away from her father to turn towards the now approaching raven-haired man. She spotted that familiar quirk of his brow, one she and her squadmates knew meant he wanted an explanation (and that it better be short and simple.)
"Ah- Captain, this is my father, Arthur."
Levi's grey eyes glanced over the man standing in the doorway. He recalled meeting Petra's father once before, very briefly. He seemed to be nervous in his approach then, yammering on about a letter Petra had sent to him, and his thoughts on why Petra might have been too young to marry. Levi had no clue what the man was going on about, and before he even had a chance to question him, Petra had called out to him from the medical wagon.
"Captain Levi- it's wonderful to see you again," the man spoke, cautiously extending his hand to the other, the same nerves wavering his voice as they had those few years ago.
Levi glanced down, pausing a moment before using the apron around his waist to wipe his hand before taking hold of Arthur's and giving him a firm shake.
"Just Levi is fine," he said, briefly looking to Petra before locking his gaze with her father once again.
"I'm sorry to barge in unexpected; Petra mentioned you were closing up, I can come back in the-"
"No," the former captain cut him off, seemingly beating Petra to the punch as her own lips had parted to speak as well. Turning his head towards her, Levi gave a nod towards the shop's ceiling.
"Head on upstairs, I can finish down here," he spoke, looking back to Arthur before Petra could voice her protest and continued.
"Stay for dinner if you'd like...shop's closed tomorrow anyway."
An even warmer smile came to the face of the older man, thanking him for his hospitality and stepping further into the shop. Petra locked the door, giving Levi a look, before ushering her father through the shop and up to their flat.
"One or two sugars?"
"Ah- none please," Arthur responded with a smile, his hands folded atop the round dining table in Levi and Petra's flat.
The young woman nodded, setting the sugar spoon down in favor of the cup on the countertop, steam wafting the scent of tea into her face.
"The capt-Levi prefers it without sugar as well; it makes him too jittery. Coffee has the same effect on him.," she spoke, setting the cup in front of her father before grabbing her own. A pot of soup simmered on the stovetop, Petra having prepared the ingredients that morning before the shop opened and leaving it to keep fresh in their icebox. While waiting for their tea kettle to heat up, she had chopped up and added a few more veggies to make sure there would be plenty for the three of them, rather than just two.
A silence fell over them as Petra sat down, her father putting his hands around the cup to feel its warmth.
"I wasn't surprised when I opened the door a few weeks ago and saw a courier standing where I thought you would be," he started, "I didn't need to open the letter to know you weren't coming home." Though often a timid man, she knew her father never liked to tiptoe around anything; he had a knack for clearing the air on anything as soon as he could. He wasn't fond of unaddressed awkwardness.
"I'm sorry, Papa, I-"
"Please," his voice was soft, a small smile as he met the gaze of his daughter, easing the worry on her face, "don't apologize, Petra. I'm just glad that 'not coming home from the military' meant you were alive and well...and happy, I hope?"
She nodded her head fervently, "Oh yes, absolutely. He might not appear so, but Levi is so kind, Papa, " Petra spoke, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear before continuing, "he's thoughtful, he's caring, he's generous; he offered the bedroom with the mattress our first night here, no hesitation."
Arthur nodded, admittedly a bit relieved to hear his daughter end the last bit of her Levi spiel the way she did and not that the other man offered to share his bed. He did not doubt Levi's intentions of course, but there were some aspects of his daughter's life he would rather turn a blind eye to than hear in spoken word.
Before the redhead had a chance to continue, the door to the flat opened, Levi carrying a bag of what Petra assumed to be their cleaning rags in with him. She stood, quickly moving towards the stove to stir the soup, though not without giving Levi a smile of course.
"I was wondering when you'd come up; dinner should be another 20 minutes or so," she said, setting the soup ladle down, "I left some water in the kettle for you, too; I'll heat it back up."
"Thank you," Levi responded, setting the bag of cleaning rags into their laundry area. Stepping back into the kitchen, he turned to Mr. Ral and spoke, "Are you staying the night? I don't have another bed, but I can push the couch into the spare bedroom."
"I appreciate the offer, but I have a room at the Inn," Arthur spoke as he placed the cup of tea he had sipped from down.
Petra turned to him, a slight wrinkle in her brow while she gently scolded her father, "I really wish you would have said something sooner so you didn't have to spend money on a room."
Though the Rals were not poor, they were certainly not well off. Her father worked the fields for a living, and Petra knew that even a single night at the Inn could very well cost a full day or two of wages.
Admiring the sight of his daughter admonishing him, Arthur gave a soft smile, a dreamy sort of look on his face as though a comforting wave of nostalgia came over him.
With a gentle sigh, he shook his head.
"No, it's alright Petra; I have other business in town anyway."
Setting a cup of tea out for Levi, an inquiring 'oh' sounded from the young woman, prompting her father to continue.
"The Reeves Corporation has purchased several of the farms in Karanese to cultivate some of the crops that have come from the new world. Mr. Huber, who owns the farm I work for, isn't keen on the idea of selling the land completely but they've worked out a deal where the Reeves Corporation will supply what they want planted and Mr. Huber will retain his land."
Arthur leaned back in his chair, pulling his hands from the teacup he had been nursing. "Mr. Huber needed to deliver the signed contract to the company, but...well he's got a lot going on right now. His daughter just had his first grandchild, so he is off visiting her in Ragako. He had a deadline on the paperwork and asked if I would take it for him. "
Levi hummed, picking his teacup up from the top, oblivious to the quirk of Mr. Ral's brow.
"That Reeves kid said something about buying farmland...mentioned some of the crops they wanted to grow; tea was one of them."
Petra beamed, setting out three bowls and ladling soup into each one.
"Flegel supplies our tea, Papa. Who knows, maybe Mr. Huber's farm will grow the tea we sell one day."
Her father chuckled, "That'd be quite the series of connections; you know your mother used to help on the farm when she was a little girl, back when Mr. Huber's father ran it."
"That's right...I remember she used to talk about that," Petra responded quietly, the clatter of silverware slightly louder than the tone of her voice. Falling silent, she began setting out the bowls of soup, spoons, and a basket of bread.
Mr. Ral cleared his throat, giving Petra a gentle smile and a soft thank you, waiting for her to sit before starting to eat.
The three ate supper and settled into the living room to talk amongst each other. Petra and Levi sharing stories of the military and current tea business while Mr. Ral spoke of life in Karenes District and how much has changed since the end of the titan war.
It wasn't before long that Petra's father said his goodnight, making plans to stop by once more the next day before dropping off the Reeves contract and heading back home.
Closing the door behind her father, she stood there for a long moment before letting out a subtle sigh. Well, she thought it was subtle anyway.
"What's eating you?"
She turned, Levi's eyes boring into her as he leaned against the dining table, arms crossed against his chest.
"Ah- nothing!" she quickly said, glancing from him towards the sink and speaking once again.
"Oh, you've finished the dishes already? That was quick."
He remained in his same position when she looked back to him, this time noting the look in his eyes. She was all too familiar with it; after all, she of all people knew he could smell bullshit a mile away.
She also knew he didn't like to repeat himself.
Inhaling deeply, she let out a second sigh, not caring how audible this one was.
"When my father brought up my mother earlier...it made me remember why I was reluctant to leave him and why I looked forward to the day I could go home again." She placed her hands behind her back, leaning up against the wall. A long pause made itself noticeable, as though the young woman was unlocking memories deep within her that she had no intentions of revisiting.
"My mother, when she was alive, had always thought I would marry young. My father on the other hand had no intentions of letting me marry until he was good and ready to let me go," she spoke. Though a smile graced her lips, there was something different expressed within her honey-colored eyes, something Levi could never put to words, but had seen all too many times in the eyes of different people he had known through his life. His own, stiff expression softened.
"Of course, while my mother was no longer here when I made the decision, neither would have expected that I'd join the military... It was hard to leave him; he still never fully recovered after losing her...I'd cry at night in my bunk, thinking I had shattered his already broken heart. But after only two weeks, and more than a dozen letters sent to him, I received one in return saying he loved me, missed me, and that no matter what he'd always support me and my decisions."
It was only after she finished speaking that she felt the cool trail of a few tears rolling down her cheek. Quickly, she wiped it away.
"Petra…," His voice was soft, almost hesitant; a first to grace the ears of the young redhead.
"No."
She didn't even give him the chance to finish. She knew what he was going to tell her. She knew and she refused to let him utter the words.
Petra spoke again, reiterating her rebuff a bit softer.
"No, Levi. I don't want to go back with my father. I want to stay here. I want to stay in Trost. I want to stay at the tea shop, I-..." she fiddled with the skirt of her dress, glancing to the floor a moment as she worked up the nerve to voice her desires. "I want to stay with you. Of all those things, that's what I want most."
For what seemed like an eternity, the only they heard was the ticking of the kitchen's clock. His steely, blue eyes, opened only slightly more than usual, bore right into her.
Petra thought for a moment that perhaps she had broken humanity's strongest soldier as there seemed to be no indication of any life other than the rise and fall of his chest.
"The most?"
Blinking, she nodded her head, thinking for a second she might have imagined he had spoken.
"Good. It'd be a pain in the ass running this place without you," he said, blinking once and averting his gaze before continuing. "...plus, you staying here with me is what I want most as well.
Gently, her lip quivered, though not from the onset of sorrow. Her lips twitched into a wide smile, looking as though she would burst into tears of joy at any moment.
Before he knew it, she was standing before him, her red rosy lips planting themselves onto his as she fell into him. This time, without hesitation, he took hold of her, wrapping his arms around her and returning the kiss. She relaxed in his arms, her own hands gripping onto the fabric of his shirt before finally, their lips parted. She smiled at him once again, catching sight of a subtle one of his own, before burying her face into him.
Truly, she had never been happier.