Morning everyone!

So a Monday upload – this is weird eh? Sorry, I planned to upload yesterday but my work got unexpectedly busy and I was working overtime all day where I totally forgot until I was already in bed. All that to say, happy Monday everyone! I hope it's a good one :)

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Petra took a few small steps down the dirt path, walking up to the already open door and after taking a single glance toward the Captain, she walked into the house, all but nervously holding her breath because she didn't know what to expect and her mind was absolutely racing.

She walked into what appeared to be the main living room of the house, and from behind her, Levi cleared his throat firmly, "Wow, you can tell the painters were just here; fuck that's strong – I can understand why the guys have all the windows open like this. It's gonna give me a headache, no doubt. May have to let it air out a few more days I think, because this is overwhelming. Shit, that's strong."

Petra looked around the room, and Levi surveyed the large space with a critical once over, his gaze eventually falling onto the stack of boxes placed in the center of the room – and more specifically, the blank sides of the boxes that confirmed that none of them had been labeled. He gave a quiet sigh after realizing that the unpacking process would be that much more daunting, and he mentally noted to himself that he'd have to tell the men to stop cutting corners because at this rate, their assistance would only be causing him more problems.

Keeping his thoughts to himself, Levi turned his attention back toward Petra and spoke flatly, "Well, this is the living room of course, nothing too fancy. Tried to keep this room pretty open; it's actually the largest room in the house. There are a lot of windows to help brighten the place up, and that spot over there-" He motioned to the opposite end of the room toward a large bay window that had a clear view of the nearby forest, "It's placed strategically so you can get a good view of the sunset; thought you'd like that. Unfortunately, the downside is we'll probably catch a hella bad glare when the sun hits eye level, but we can just get curtains or something. I'm kinda thinking maybe a coffee table or something small should go there, right in that little nook, if you wanted? Could be a good spot for reading, that and a cup of coffee or something. Honestly I don't know much about decorating, so sorry if it's plain right now. I'm not sure if that's something you're interested in, or if we should just hire someone else to do it for us, but if it's too dull, we can work to make it better or more homey or whatever. I was never good at that sort of thing, I guess."

Petra was still looking at the bay window, completely silent. Not sure what to make of her suddenly reserved, guarded demeanor, Levi pressed his lips together as a heavy silence fell between them. He tried not to let his growing anxiety overwhelm him and he nodded toward the right of the room, "Over here, this way leads to the master bedroom."

Petra wordlessly followed after him, and the Captain led them into a large room with a vaulted ceiling; a room that was easily three, if not four times the size of her current bedroom. She looked around the area with wide eyes, and after seeing her expression, Levi frowned and nodded toward her seriously, "Oi, don't freak out about the furniture, it's only temporary."

Her brows knit together in confusion, not sure what he was talking about, but finally understanding what he meant as she watched him look back and forth between the bed that was placed in the center of the room, and a dresser that still had all its drawers pulled out and was stacked up against the wall haphazardly. He crossed his arms and mumbled, "For the most part, all the current furniture you see in here is just spares from what the Scouts already have on hand. Figured it would get us by until the real stuff can be installed, but if there's something you actually like, Erwin already said we can keep it. Just, if you don't like it, that's completely fine because I already plan to have it replaced anyway."

Petra felt tongue tied and overwhelmed, but before she could so much as utter a word, the Captain moved into the room a few more steps and crossed his arms, "If you notice, I didn't actually put any windows in this room. If it's too dark during the day we can get extra light fixtures or something, but I sleep a lot better in the dark and I figured you wouldn't mind."

He walked further into the room and opened a sliding door, "This is a closet. There's actually two of them. Based off what I saw at your Dad's, I'm guessing you like to keep a bigger wardrobe on hand, right? I tried to make sure it would be big enough for all the pieces of the uniform, as well as whatever else you wanted to keep here. It would give you a chance to wear more of a variety, if you wanted to at least. I know your current closet can hardly hold what it has to, let alone anything else, so I tried to make sure that you'd actually have enough room for once. Hell, you could even store extra shoes in here, jewelry; all kinds of shit. Probably about time you had a proper closet to yourself, right?"

Petra watched as Levi closed the closet and moved back to the opposite end of the room with another serious nod, "Over here is the master bathroom. It's still pretty empty and clearly unfinished, but I'm thinking that the sink can go here – maybe a cabinet or something for the linens, and I've got a tub ordered as well because I know you like soaking, but that will take some time to get here yet. Apparently there's not a high demand out here for housing supplies, which makes sense, but finding people willing to travel has been a bit of a headache. Either way, until it gets here there's a second bathroom on the opposite end of the house that has a stand-up shower, so at least we won't have to use the public shower house – not unless you wanted to anyway."

Petra peered around the doorway toward the bathroom, and she eventually looked back toward the bedroom, again overwhelmed at just the sheer openness of the room because she had never lived in an area that was so overwhelmingly spacious before. Levi walked out of the bathroom and caught her stare. A silence fell between them, but one that wasn't so overwhelmingly tense, and he almost shrugged, "Obviously I have no idea how we'll want to arrange this room. Could put the bed in the middle like this, but I'm not sure if that will make the room feel cramped or not. Still though, it might look odd pushed back into a corner, and then it's so damn hard to clean. We'll figure it out, I guess."

He waved his hand for her to follow after him, and he continued speaking as they moved out of the room, past the living room and into a new clearing, "And over here, this is the dining room and kitchen."

Levi paused in step and relaxed against the nearby wall, looking out at a rather large, but notably unfinished room; the hard wood floor of the living room coming to an abrupt end, where it switched to lightly patterned tile instead. He looked toward Petra, almost apologetically, and crossed his arms as he looked around the room and frowned, "This is the kitchen – or it will be, I guess. I don't know how often we'll even use it because I promise you that it's not an expectation of mine and if you aren't already aware, I can't cook for shit. It just…it felt kinda weird to have a house without a kitchen and…well, you do seem to enjoy cooking…so I figured it wouldn't hurt. If you want to use it, great, if not, that's fine. As you can tell, this room still needs some work. Most of the rooms are pretty well completed, but it seems kitchens take a little more finesse so it's obviously got some work left over yet."

Petra looked around, noting that for it being a 'kitchen' - the room was pretty well indistinguishable as it had no traditional markings to indicate that it was a kitchen at all. No, the room was devoid of any cabinets or counters; there was an uninstalled sink that was moved to the corner of the room, but other than that the area was completely blank and lacking anything that would have ever given her the impression that the open space was apparently a kitchen.

"Appliances will be coming in later," Levi explained idly, "but off the top of my head I'm not quite sure when. As for the cabinets and counters, I've got that lined up as well but the house needed to be finished first, so at least we can finally get some traction on that because this is…just sad. It's not forever, and I suppose there's no real rush as we won't be cooking our meals anyway but even still, I'm not exactly fond of looking at this room with how it is now. One step at a time, I suppose."

He walked further down the hallway and gave a point, continuing to walk as though completely disinterested, "That's the second bathroom. I guess a guest bathroom, but fuck, I hope we don't have guests all the time so with any luck it will just be there to collect dust."

He pointed to the opposite side of the hallway and nodded, "This is, I dunno, a utility room I guess? Storage perhaps? We can use it to do laundry, store shit or whatever – I dunno. Apparently having extra space or whatever is important, says Erwin, so here's this tiny ass room for whatever purpose, and up above there's an attic, to you know, actually store things in. So here it is - apparently this useless room is important because women love storage or whatever so Erwin said we had to have it." He rolled his eyes and began walking out of the room with a dismissive wave over his shoulder, "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

The hall came to an end, where there were two doors on opposing sides. Levi moved toward the left and stepped in, where there was a similar desk in the center of the room, "Should be pretty obvious, but I figured it would be wise to have an office here that we can both work out of. I don't like assuming that we'll be bringing our work home with us, but if it means an hour in the Compound or an hour here working with you, it makes the most sense to multitask. At the very least, I'm sure we'd be bothered a lot less."

He pointed to the wall and he walked the perimeter of the room, speaking as he did so, "It's still a little in the theoretical stage, but I notice that you're a bit more like Hanji in that you work best when your work is spread out to where you can see it. My idea is that we build a sort of wraparound counter that lines the perimeter of the room. We'll still have a desk like normal – a bigger one that is actually going to accommodate both you and I for a change - but in the likely event that you'll need more surface area to work with for overflow, you could use that to spread out, so you don't have to put things out on the floor like you did in your bedroom. On this side of the room, I'm thinking we leave space for a few bookshelves and filing cabinets. If your entire roll is going to be changing to bookkeeping and records and analytics, we'll need to find a way to keep organized because the amount of paperwork you'll be dealing with will easily triple what I have on hand. At the absolute least, we'll need to find a good method of keeping your work separated from mine, because I'm going to fucking lose it if my shit gets consumed by yours as that is not my intended career path and you can be scatterbrained as hell when it comes to staying organized."

He crossed his arms and grumbled to himself, "Fuck, I have too much damned desk work as it is, and I don't want to be swimming through your shit to find what I need. If we're going to share a permanent office space, it's going to be kept up to my standards because I have to work out of it too and I can't fucking stand clutter. For the most part you're fine, ten times better than four eyes, but just know I've got my eye on you and I haven't forgotten that I do have my own office in the compound."

Petra couldn't deny her building amusement at his sudden tirade, and she gave a single nod, "Noted, Captain."

He exhaled and gave the room one last once over, "Well good."

Without any further comment, Levi walked out and moved straight into the last unexplored room that sat on the opposite end of the hallway. He opened the door and moved inside, nodding at the completely empty space with a considerably serious, pensive expression, "This room, I figured would be a second bedroom."

Petra gave a single nod, following in behind him and asking in a quiet mumble, "Like, a guest room?"

Levi exhaled, "It could be, I guess, but not really. Civilians coming to visit usually just stay at the guest barracks, it's easier for tracking and security but I…" He trailed off and shook his head, "Look, this isn't the time for that conversation, but on the whole I figured that maybe, if you ever wanted to talk about…" He cleared his throat, clearly having a hard time picking his words and he tried again, "I'm not ready for that, and I'm not even sure if that's actually what you want yourself but, I figured that in the off chance that maybe we ever did want things to head that direction, we'd need space to…grow into I guess. When I was looking at floor plans…I mean, I know we can always remodel but it just seemed silly to not at least have a room ready just in case so-"

Petra's expression twisted from sheer bewilderment as the room's underlying purpose slowly became apparent, as well as the reason why her Captain was seemingly becoming more and more tongue tied and flustered. She took a breath and watched him almost cautiously, "Wait, Levi – space to grow into…you mean…having kids, right?"

He frowned at her question and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall and all but groaning at their unwanted turn of conversation, "I don't know, Petra. Maybe? I'm not trying to get your hopes up or make false promises because fact of the matter is, I didn't see a reality where I'd ever find myself married, so by extension, the idea of starting a family isn't exactly something I've put much thought into. I'm not sure if I'll ever feel comfortable being…a father but-"

His words trailed off, and Levi sighed heavily. It wasn't that he wanted kids, in fact he was fairly certain that he didn't want kids, but his gut told him that Petra one day would, and maybe as they continued growing closer, perhaps he might eventually warm up to the idea of giving her children. The concept alone made a strong wave of anxiety churn in his stomach, and Levi mentally corrected himself because his chest felt suddenly tight.

Children? As in plural? As in…more than one?

No…fuck no. Maybe just one, because trying to be a dad, when he had never even had such a figure in his life to begin with – trying to settle down and imagining himself teaching someone how to live life, teaching them right and wrong or how to be a 'good person' when he himself hardly fit within those boundaries…

Shit, was that even possible?

For as long as he could remember, death had surrounded him like he was shrouded in it, as though he were some sort of grim reaper incarnate. After losing his mom and learning how to survive in the Underground, he had learned to accept his fate and had eventually built a life for himself, using those same lethal skills to get by no matter the carnage left in his wake. After twenty some years of trying to survive and eventually partnering with the Scouts, Levi supposed that to some extent, he was an expert at using his body to destroy and break. It had always been like that, and it was more or less a reality that he had grown complacent to as it was unlikely that it would ever be changing.

And yet.

With Petra in his life, she was so different; his fundamental opposite in every way. Whereas he only brought hurt, pain; unbridled strength and vengeance, Petra brought life and newness and second chances. She challenged the status quo and sought for ways to make better and to build up – to restore and heal what was damaged and lost - so the idea of being invited to use his body; use it in a way to join her and actually bring life into the world instead of just death…

Admittedly, it was somehow beautiful and maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad.

His blue orbs locked onto hers with a sudden stare of intensity, "Before we can even think about that though, I will tell you flat out that you'll need to be in a position where you aren't going outside of the Walls anymore. I know that sounds bad, and even hypocritical of me to say where I'm just assuming that you'll be the one to settle down, but you know full well that I have no intention of changing my career path, even for something like this. I'm not trying to be unreasonable or sexist, it's just…there's no way I'd permit bringing a child into the world when both of us could be killed outright, should an Expedition go wrong. That's not meant to strong arm you or push you into any sort of position, and I know how bad that sounds on today of all days, but even still – I just… I feel I may as well tell you now so we don't argue about it later. Right out of the gate, you need to know that that baseline, it's not a matter I'm willing to compromise on. If that's maybe the direction we choose to go, then you'll need to be at a position where your life is secured, because mine won't be. You can still be in the military or do whatever you want with your life, just so long as you're not in a position where you participate in the Expeditions. I can't…I'd need to know that if we ever did choose such a path, you'll all be taken care of in my absence and that…my uh…family, would be okay."

Petra blinked the sudden sting out of her eyes as she thought about that, thought about a family, a family with her Captain, then thought about the harrowing reality should her beloved Captain not actually make it back home. She noted to herself that they had suddenly ventured onto a very heavy topic, and after a few moments and a considerably thick silence, she took a breath and whispered, "Captain…do you want me to stop going outside the Walls?"

There was a long sigh from Levi, "Petra, this isn't about that, and I don't-"

"It's okay, Captain, if that's how you feel. I'm not saying that I'll change my mind right now; if I stayed in the Scout's, I probably would still want to join in, even if it's done at the absolute center of the formation where there's virtually no threat of Titans, if only to see my data in action but…" she gave a pause and looked into the ground, "I know we haven't talked about it in a while but what happened on the Expedition wasn't entirely a fluke; something clicked in your mind that day and I don't think that can ever be undone. You…you've accepted your feelings for me, but you aren't ready to accept the fact that I can be taken away from you. Instead, you're being selfish about it and trying to control the dangerous avenues that put my life at risk." Petra paused and watched him carefully, her voice gentle but serious, "Captain, I'm going to die one day, same as you. You can't control that or use your strength to shield me from life as it happens. I'm not trying to start a fight but…you…well, you aren't exactly handling this transition very gracefully."

Her words didn't offend him and Levi crossed his arms as he mentally noted her words were somewhat accurate, "No….I suppose not."

A long silence fell between them and Levi shifted his gaze up toward the ceiling and he shook his head, "It's just…Petra, I've lost a lot of people. In a twisted way, one would think I'd be used to it by now, but you know full well that you aren't exactly a run of the mill Scout to me. Fuck, just the idea of being out on an Expedition and thinking about what could go wrong – I mean, we already saw what happened last time, but could you imagine how hard it would be if you weren't by my side? You know how fucking worried I'd be, wondering if you were alright and not even being able to check up on you until after the Expedition is over? What if you needed help or an Abnormal Titan broke into the formation? Frankly in a research geared position, your skill with the 3DM gear will weaken and you may not always be able to handle yourself as well as you can right now. Fuck, just watching you break your ankle was a goddamned nightmare and if I have to see you get picked up by a Titan, or tossed around or-"

Levi took a deep breath, his chest starting to ache as his own words began painting a horrible, nightmarish series of images in his mind and he merely shook his head in defeat, his voice reduced to a quiet whisper, "Petra that's just…that's asking for a level of detachment that not even I can achieve. I know I told you that when I married you, I'd never interfere; how you wanted to handle your career in the military would be your business alone, and I will respect that because I gave you my word. But…if you're asking me how I 'feel' about it, well, that's another matter."

His expression fell suddenly flat and he continued, "I don't want to lose you when you have so many other paths available, paths that don't require you to risk your life anymore. Ideally, come an Expedition, I'd want to leave the Walls, alone, do what needs to be done, and have total confidence in knowing that you'll still be here for me when I get back, because you never even left in the first place. It's fucking selfish, and I know that but…well, that's just what I want. I like what we have, and I don't want the Titans to come in and fucking ruin it all. For the record, I don't expect you to make any changes to your future career path or leave it all behind just because of this, but if you're wanting to know how I feel about it as your husband, well, here it is-" He made a point of looking at her with a direct stare and he gave her a gravely serious nod, "I want you to hang up your cape and refocus your efforts into doing something else, anything else, if it means you stay safe. I don't want you going outside of the Walls anymore, for any reason. And….and you don't have to do any of that, because I know it's selfish and I know you want more but…that is what I want, Petra. I wish I didn't but that's just how I feel right now."

Petra had listened to his words and she gave a slow, pensive nod of her own because there was a bitter churning in the pit of her stomach that made her feel suddenly sick. She cleared her throat and tried to bring strength into her voice, because Levi was still staring her down to the extent that she could practically feel the weight of his stare lingering on her. "Thank you for telling me, Levi. I'll uh…I'll…have to think about it, I guess. Actually, I didn't know that you felt this strongly regarding the Expeditions, so I'm a little caught off guard right now because this is…well, this is all just a lot at once and I'm not sure how you're expecting me to respond." She gave a hollow laugh and wiped her eyes, "Dammit, you told me we were just going for a walk, and then you go and pull something like this instead…"

Regardless her efforts to keep her wavering emotions out of her voice, it was obvious to him that Petra was hurt by his directness, and Levi pressed his lips together in sudden frustration, not at her, but rather the situation as a whole, because what she wanted wasn't wrong. What he wanted, wasn't wrong – and yet one of them would walk away deeply dissatisfied and he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

It was true - he didn't want her going outside of the walls anymore, but he also didn't want her sacrificing her career just because of how he felt. He knew that she had worked her ass off the entire year and it seemed almost cruel for him to guilt her into a last minute change by saying those sorts of things when he knew how far she would go to appease him.

He almost groaned in sudden hindsight and looked toward her remorsefully, "Should I not have told you?"

"No, you did the right thing. I asked, and you gave me your honest answer. Which I appreciate, really."

Her tone was far from convincing, and Levi couldn't help but feel that he should have just kept his mouth shut and told her what she wanted to hear, at least until the dust had settled and she was fully committed to her new position.

There was a small sniffle, and Petra wiped her eyes with a few quick swipes of her hand as though hoping he wouldn't notice.

Gods, now he really felt like shit.

"You have every right to feel the way that you do, Captain, and even if it's a bit much at times, I know that your being irrational like this just comes with the territory of who you are."

Levi tried not to click his tongue at her words, because he sure as hell didn't feel like he was being 'irrational', but decided against making a comment about it because it wouldn't benefit either of them to fight about such a sensitive subject. Petra paused for a few moments and shook her head, "Honestly, I don't know if I'm ready to give that all up yet, you know? The idea of never going outside the Walls again – never seeing the hills or the endless sky, never feeling that rush from when you pull out your blades to go in for the kill…those are some of the best parts of being a Scout. In some ways, the risk was always worth the reward, so to just sit on my hands and never experience it again for myself – that's a really big sacrifice and it'll be really hard to put it all behind me. I know you're not asking, but you kind of are, and it's a little unfair."

Levi took in another breath and he looked toward her seriously, "Petra. You need to know that whatever you choose to do, I'll still support you. That much hasn't changed, and it never will. You worked your ass off to get where you are, and if you want to keep going on the Expeditions, whether it's to survey or to outright fight on the frontlines like you do right now; I know how to keep my shit together and life will move on just the same."

He allowed his head to lazily roll back against the wall and he looked into the empty room with a blank expression, "So…what do you think?"

Petra merely stared at him incredulously, "About having kids, or the Expeditions, or the house, or my future job?"

Levi closed his eyes in what seemed like complete exhaustion and he rubbed his forehead in small circles, "Fuck, I guess that is a lot at once, isn't it. I don't know – let's start with the house. What do you think of it?"

A sudden silence fell between them as Petra contemplated his words and looked into the floor, and Levi almost grimaced at how tense the air was between them, because this wasn't how he had pictured her reacting. He cleared his throat and stole a single glance toward her, "It's just…do you like this? You've been pretty quiet and if I'm being honest, it's fucking unnerving because you've hardly said two words about any of it. Sorry, I know it's still unfinished but I figured that…"

When Petra looked into the floor all the more with a nervous gulp, her hair falling forward and shielding her expression from him, Levi gave a long sigh and looked up into the ceiling in sudden frustration, "Fuck, it's all too much, isn't it? Sorry, I should have talked to you first or just…done things differently. Planning out this sort of thing isn't something I'm good at. I mean, we don't even have to live together, not if you don't want to. You talked about moving into my room a bit back so I thought you'd be okay with it but even still, I probably shouldn't have assumed something like this. I know there's a big difference between a shared space like the compound and a private unit like this and-"

"Captain…" her voice was a soft whisper, and she refused to look up at him as she instead took another look around the room and shrugged, "This is all just…wow. I haven't been trying to intentionally make you nervous but…you've got to understand how huge this is. Some part of my mind just refuses to cooperate because it's so mind boggling and the more I think about it, the more questions I have. You built a house, Levi. How long ago did you even start this?"

He thought her question over and looked toward her curiously, "Oh, that? Well, you remember when Erwin told you about the letters, and you went off, demanding to know what I was doing in the relationship – if I was just going to string you along or if I was really ever going to do anything intentionally to address where we were as a couple?"

Petra gave a guilty frown and looked into the floor in admitted embarrassment, "I was mad."

"You were right." Levi corrected, and when Petra watched him in clear surprise, Levi continued seriously, "I got started that same day. You walked away, pissed as hell because I wasn't doing much in the way of being your partner, and I walked right back to Erwin's office. I told him that I wanted a house, because I knew that even if I couldn't put it into words, I wanted to do something that would show you I was going to do my part because you needed to see that. Fuck, he wasn't even surprised. He said there were a few open plots of land, and the next day – right before your doctor's appointment – he and I looked at some initial floor plans, drafted what would be a good fit for us, and I made the down payment then and there so they could get things started. While we were gone, Erwin cared for the initial details and drafted all the contracts while we were away at your Dad's. When we got back, I took over and have been making further adjustments and revisions along the way to make sure the house would fit our needs."

Petra looked up, her eyes wide, "You started this all the way back then? And you…you didn't even think to mention it? Captain, that was months ago! We hadn't even – I mean, that was before we had even…you just, I can't believe you didn't say something."

Levi returned her gaze and merely shrugged, "Why would I? After everything you said, I didn't feel it would be fair to come to you with half-finished plans or some vague notion. I wanted to prove to you that I was serious, and I figured, hell, what's more serious than a house right? That's what most married couples do, so it seemed the most logical."

When Petra's stare on him lingered all the more, her eyes considerably wide after hearing his ridiculously simple reasoning, Levi couldn't deny his growing unease, "I get it though. It was the wrong call, right? We're in the military so I know it's pretty arbitrary; we won't even be here all the time because we get stationed at sister camps or stay near Wall Maria for months at a time. Hell, you may not even be in the Scouts to begin with, right?" He couldn't help the frown that came to his face, and in some ways, he almost felt embarrassed because his timing was awful. He pressed his lips together in a thin line and almost groaned, "What, your new role will officially come into effect at the end of the month, right? If anything, you'll be packing up to start living there and-"

"I'm not leaving." Petra said flatly, and Levi's expression fell into a sort of surprise as his head shot up so he could look at her directly.

"Petra, your new position…"

Petra gave a small shrug, a soft, building smile pulling at the edges of her lips as she turned toward him directly. She crossed her arms shyly, "Well, my new position hasn't been decided yet and honestly, I'm glad." She walked toward him and grinned, pushing herself up onto her toes and leaning against him ever so slightly as a blush stained her cheeks, "Captain, you built us a house. You think I'd ever move away when you went through this much trouble to make it so I could stay with you? Damn, I only wish you had told me sooner; we could have saved the other factions a long journey."

Petra's smile grew suddenly mischievous the more she thought about it, and she planted a small kiss on the side of his jaw line, "You said the house is all signed over and everything, right? I think we've still got time, you wanna try and…?"

She was nipping down the hollow of his throat, and Levi almost subconsciously lengthened his neck for her, but more than anything he was still confused, "Petra, no. I mean…" his hands traced down the sides of her body, and he struggled to know how he was supposed to respond as she continued to bite down his skin with a growing fervor, because try as he may, his mind was blanking. "This was never meant to push you into staying with the Scouts, so don't get too ahead of yourself. Frankly, I didn't plan on even showing it to you until after you chose your new role, but it's what Erwin wanted-"

"And why do you think that is?" she hummed against him, and Levi gave a low sigh as Petra unbuttoned the collar of his shirt and began trailing her kisses even lower down his neck, her hands caressing the top of his chest and running up underneath his jacket with teasing, light sweeps, "Erwin knows that you and I prioritize things differently, and frankly, I would be so devastated if I found out about this only after it was too late. To that end, you probably owe him a thank you, because he made the right call. This is incredible, Captain. Everything about it, how you have the house designed down to the smallest of details..."

She paused and almost laughed, "Gods Levi, if you wanted to make a gesture, you could have just gotten me flowers or something, but this…I just can't believe it."

Levi quirked an eyebrow and almost frowned, "I'm not trying to be an ass but I don't understand why you're so surprised by any of this. At your dad's house, I told you that I wanted you to stay with me; I swore to you that I would find a way for you to be able to stand by my side whether you were in the military or not, so that you wouldn't have to go back to your dad's place. That wasn't just empty talk Petra – I meant it - and this is me keeping that promise. I want you to stay with me while you're in the military, and maybe someday, when you're not...I still want you here by my side."

"And now I will be, Captain. Always. I won't leave, I'll stay here with you, okay?"

She was working on the buttons of his shirt next, and Levi almost groaned because he knew they were talking about two different things. He had meant her life as a whole; he wanted to know that wherever she went, she'd always find her way back to him. He was patient – well, patient enough – and he would support her if she chose something that made her happy, even if it inconvenienced him or put distance between them.

But Petra, she was all too easily swayed when it came to him, and it seemed she was already writing off anything that would take her off campus, which in some ways was frustrating, because that had never been his intention.

"Petra." His voice was serious, enough so that the younger woman had paused to watch him, and he grabbed her shoulders so he could hold her stare, "You have worked tirelessly this whole damn year, and it's all led to this. You deserve to have the position that you've earned, and I don't want you to throw it away because of this. I told you earlier, but it stands to be repeated that I'm not going anywhere. The house, our relationship, everything – it's all still here for you whenever you're back, whether that's on the weekends or every other month, or whatever you decide you feel most comfortable with. You don't have to look at this so black and white because there's a way for you to pick the best of both worlds. I just…"

Petra's eyes had widened in confusion, and Levi tried to not let himself get distracted because her large green eyes were swimming with lust and it was hard to focus when it was clear the woman was trying to, and was successfully, seducing him on the spot.

He took a breath and held her stare purposefully, "Petra, I'm so fucking proud of you. I want you to pick whatever is best for you, and none of this should be a factor because this has nothing to do with it. Don't sell yourself short for something like this, okay? Please, for the fucking love of Maria, if you're ever going to find a time to be selfish – this is it. Only think about what you want, nothing else, and chase after it."

Petra had listened to his words, and a slow, pleased smile came to her lips as she gave an embarrassed nod, "Okay, Captain." She seemed to think his words over for an additional moment longer and she eventually gave him an intentional, almost sinister sort of grin as she spoke further, "That's what I'll do then. I'll pick the position I want most of all. I'll have the career, I'll have the title, and then…" she watched him with that same self-assured expression and took another step forward, "I'll have you as well. In being selfish, I'll have everything I ever wanted; the success, the respect, the position and…"

She paused then, her previously smug and dark expression falling into a sort of nervousness and she looked up toward him with a questioning stare, "…And that, that will make you happy, right?"

Levi blinked at her explanation and he gave an exhausted groan, "The concept of selfishness really is beyond you, isn't it?"

Petra's previous expression was replaced with a sort of confusion and Levi rolled his eyes, wondering why the hell he had even wasted his time in the first place because it was Petra he was dealing with, and she would always put him first, whether he wanted her to or not.

"Well, shit. It's a start, at least. You keep working at it."

A silence fell between them, and a slight smirk came to Levi's face as he looked toward Petra and began unbuttoning his shirt from where she had left off, pleased after noticing the immediate spark of interest in her gaze as he slowly pulled the fabric from off around him. He handed her the shirt and watched her with a quirked brow, "We've got about twenty minutes until we have to walk back, Pet."

The ginger's smile grew brighter and she gave an approving hum as she grabbed his discarded shirt and set it on the doorknob with a dramatic sigh so that it wouldn't wrinkle. She looked toward Levi and gave a casual nod of her own, "Twenty minutes? I suppose we've made that work before."

She leaned toward him, intending to press herself against him and immediately get to work on the rest of his clothes that would undoubtedly get in the way, but as she tried to take a step closer, much to her surprise, Levi's eyes had widened in sudden realization and he almost backed away with an outright flinch.

Petra was entirely confused at his instantaneous retreat, because she felt like this was now the third time she had tried to initiate something between them, and she was starting to feel puzzled because traditionally speaking, she never really had to try all that hard to get Levi to reciprocate. Perhaps he had meant something else…?

"Uh Captain…you uh, you meant sex, right? Because if that's what you want, I hate to tell you this but we're gonna have to get a little closer."

Levi scoffed at her cheeky words and nodded toward her with a flustered huff as he crossed his arms defensively, "No I uh, fuck Petra, I know that just…look, maybe not in this room, okay?"

Petra blinked.

Not in this room?

Realizing the underlying cause of his sudden unease and instantly amused that Levi could be so ridiculous, Petra smirked and crossed her arms smugly, "Why not? Because it's the baby room? Really, Captain?"

His immediate agape expression confirmed that she had hit the nail on the head, and Petra couldn't help the giggle that left her throat, "Captain, it's just a room! I hate to tell you this, but if the room being here at all makes you that uncomfortable, you probably shouldn't have had it built in the first place. Like you said, we could have just remodeled or something."

Levi grabbed his shirt off the door handle and set it over his shoulder, grabbing Petra's wrist and pulling her behind him with a low grumble, "Don't be a brat. I just…shit, there's no need to jinx it or anything, that's all. Let's just fuck in a different room and move on with our day. Damn, you're such a pain in the ass."

"And yet you built me a house."

Her voice was an odd mix of contentment and sheer arrogance, and Levi almost groaned again, because regardless her teasing and haughty words, there was a subtle, stubborn and amused smile that came to his lips just the same.

Yes. He had built them a house.

Better still, he was absolutely, undeniably, and entirely thrilled because the best part of all…

Petra had said she was going to live in it – with him.

Petra had said that, after all this time, hell, they were finally going to live together.

…

End of Chapter

…

Ready for a long note? I feel like it's been a while since I've been able to give one of my proper speeches – but this part right here is the entire reason this story kept moving on after Petra left her Dad's house. In some ways, I do feel like I could have ended the story with Petra watching Levi ride off her father's property and it would have felt like a natural end to the story. Of course with you guys reading the things that came later, I'm not sure you'd agree now – and honestly that's WHY I kept writing and why this story is getting so flipping long. *groan*

I did want to write out a strong Petra who's growing in her career without Levi's help – but for those taking notes, that was already well alluded to back when she broke her ankle doing the gas shortage work with Erwin and Hanji, instead of her Captain. It's nice to write it out to confirm, but in all honesty, that development isn't new in the slightest and didn't 'need' to be expounded upon. No – the reason I had to keep writing was not for Petra, who's arc in some ways was completed long ago, but rather for Levi himself.

Petra's story was somewhat (in an oversimplified manner) the tale of once upon a time, Levi DID come in and 'save' the day when she could do nothing for herself, but how she later grew in both confidence and ability to where she could stand side by side with Levi in equal terms as a fitting, beneficial partner to him, instead of just a well meaning, but in some ways, too cautious and scarred partner that drew from his resources, rather than replenishing them.

For Levi however, his development arc was always a bit more tumultuous and subtle because metaphorically speaking, he's a rock that's being worn down by Petra's water little by little – you won't notice the changes day by day because they are subtle, but the changes and shifts are happening in their own way and they are so sweet to watch as you catch traces of them. From the beginning to the end, I needed to take a Captain Levi who didn't want to be married – to the extent he believed he could be married without it even mattering – to a Levi who wanted Petra, wanted to be married to Petra, and wanted it so bad he was looking for any clear way of communicating that to her, because it mattered to him that she know and understand his feelings for her. I mean, I know I had Petra comment on it, but did you notice all the details Levi built into the house, for her? The only thing Levi put in there for himself was a windowless bedroom so he could sleep at night. Necessity. The rest was for her and all the small details he's been noticing in her life that make her who she is. Levi is a man of actions more than words, and what he's screaming at her here, how he's been doing it all behind the scenes (since before the trip to her Dad's place!) in hopes it will mean something to Petra…in a way guys, if you were to timeline this, in my opinion at least, Levi's love confession…well, it actually came first. Petra just didn't know it yet.

Had I ended the story back at Dad's house, we would have never seen the result of Levi's character development, even if I could have ended it and somewhat gotten away with it. The story is most complete like this; as you all know this story has become MUCH longer than I had originally anticipated and no lie, I am REALLY looking forward to moving on soon, but I couldn't properly end this writing journey with only half the pieces in place. Petra was all set from my perspective some twenty chapters ago, but Levi? Well, he keeps his cards pretty close to his chest and he is cautious and guarded – he took a lot more time to properly explain and write out, and I hope I did him justice :) (As a fellow INTJ, I'd certainly like to think so!)

Well. That was quite a speech. We've got I think two more chapters – MAYBE three if the 'last' chapter starts to get too long, but all in all, I'll call this as good a speech as any, and let you all go about your day. Thanks for everything and I'll see you on Sunday!

~Mid