Hey guys!
I'm going to keep it short up here because I got some great questions/suggestions from you guys last go around so the authors note down below more than makes up for my traditional welcome speech up here. You have been warned!
Heads up, I actually have a question for YOU at the end that will directly impact this story, so if you could bear through my long-winded response below? No stress if not. Hearts and flowers and all that!
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"Petra!" Eld greeted, giving a cheerful wave from his spot at the table, "I was wondering if you'd be gracing us with your presence today. You never sleep in like this, are you feeling okay?"
Petra nodded back as she entered the room, attempting to keep her composure and looking around the table before looking back at Eld in concern, "I'm fine but… where's everyone else?"
"Oh. Well you picked a great day to sleep in actually," Eld explained as Petra moved toward the edge of the room and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Captain came by and said that he's got a lot of meetings with the Commander today so we are off duty for the most part. Apparently, we'll have a meeting in the afternoon with him so we can't leave the compound, but other than that we are free to do whatever we want."
Petra gave a nod, not at all surprised to hear Eld's announcement now that she thought about it. Of course leadership needed all the time they could get to work through her situation. What caught her attention was the fact that Eld wasn't hounding her with innumerable questions. Based off that alone, she could safely assume Levi hadn't briefed them on any of the details as to why their schedule was so disrupted.
She was grateful for that at least.
They would find out eventually, and soon, but she had enough to deal with without their thoughts on the matter, so even it if was just a few more hours, it was nice that things were still relatively normal amongst her peers. She took a sip of her coffee and instantly made a face, looking at Eld instantly for an explanation.
There were grains or...thick, why was it so thick?
He shrugged and bit back a smirk, "Gunther did his best, but we never make the coffee so he just kind of guessed. If it makes you feel better the Captain was so disgusted, he said that unless you are around to make it we aren't allowed access to the coffee rations anymore. So…there's that at least."
Petra clicked her tongue in agreement as she scowled, trying to get the burnt taste out of her mouth before taking the entire pot to the nearby sink and dumping it. She shook her head in amazement as she watched the dense liquid run down the drain; there was a shocking amount of coffee grounds floating around in the blackish-brown liquid and a resulting burnt sort of stink that lingered even after she ran clean water down the sink.
She washed the pot out wordlessly, setting to work on making a fresh pot for her team. While she had indeed slept in, it was still well within the confines of the morning, and at the very least she herself would appreciate a proper cup of coffee to help get her day in motion.
She sat back down at the table after preparing the coffee pot and Eld stretched out, looking toward her with a sly grin, "It's so bizarre for the Captain to just give us free time. We were all talking this morning and we kind of think it's just an excuse, so he can catch up on all his paperwork."
Petra gave a half smile, knowing full well that that wasn't the issue at hand, "You're still on that? I don't normally get involved, but I'm telling you Eld – drop your stupid bet. Call a truce and just accept that no one is getting money on this deal."
Eld watched her for a long moment, his expression growing suddenly serious as he watched her, "Alright, I hear you. I figured you would have an inside scoop considering Levi called you away last night. With that in mind, what happened? Is something wrong?"
She returned his gaze in question as though to say she had no idea what he was talking about, and Eld gave an amused chortle, "Well as much as I'd like to pretend that I'm unusually perceptive, it's pretty obvious right now that you've been crying. Bit of a giveaway."
Petra's eyes widened and her hands went over her face in embarrassment, "Oh shoot. Really it's, it's nothing Eld. I really don't-"
Eld turned towards her in his chair and groaned, "Don't start with that. Look, all I know is that last night Levi pulled you aside and we didn't see you at all after that which is majorly concerning. To make matters worse you slept in today - something that never happens - but stranger still was the fact that the Captain didn't even seem surprised, nor did he even seem to care! To top it off, now you come out here looking like you've been up all-night crying. Say what you want but I'd venture that these events are in fact related, yes?"
Petra watched him in surprise, unable to find an immediate response. Of course her teammates would see right through her; she should have known that last night's odd lineup of events would have tipped them off.
Eld took a breath and crossed his arms over his chest, irritation present in his tone, "My guess is that Levi was angry after getting chewed out by Erwin so he took it out on you. He knows he was being an ass, feels bad, and tried to make it up by letting you off the hook this morning, instead of just being a man and apologizing to you in person." Eld shook his head in disgust, "You know what? I'm going to talk to him. I get that you guys are friends but he needs remember that he-"
Petra shook her head quickly, "No no no." she corrected, looking up at Eld seriously and mentally trying to find a good starting point to explain the situation. Eld was perceptive, but his conclusion was wrong.
He watched her with an expectant stare, and Petra sighed, "No you misunderstand. Levi isn't the problem here, it's actually me, I-"
"Wait, he seriously convinced you that all his paperwork is suddenly your fault? That bastard! I'm going to talk to him for sure, this is a new low for-"
"Eld will you just listen?" Petra snapped irritably, grabbing his arm and looking at him in frustration, "I told you it's not Levi. It's not the paperwork. Hell it's not even his problem, it's mine. The only reason Levi was involved at all was because he's my Captain, so just…stop jumping to conclusions and hear me out!"
Petra bit her bottom lip and shrugged, "I didn't plan on saying anything to you guys because for one I just found out, and for two it's already in the process of being corrected, but in short I was called into Erwin's office last night because they received word that I was to be discharged from the Scouts this Friday."
Eld's eyebrows rose and his mouth fell open, and Petra merely nodded in understanding. His reaction to the news had been mild compared to her own response. She continued factually, "Apparently my father submitted a document stating that I was not permitted to extend my contract with the military, and my current contract comes to an end this week. Due to the fact that as a female my father has legal authority over me, my request to sign a new contract is considered null and void now that my father has officially spoken on the matter."
Eld shook his head slowly, "That...wow. Are you serious? I didn't know he could do that…But you said it's being corrected, so you're not actually leaving are you? Tell me you're not leaving."
Petra shook her head slowly, somewhat lost in thought, "No, I'm not. The Captain…" Petra paused and tried to pick her words carefully, not ready to reveal the nature of how she was able to stay just yet, "Levi found a way to get around it, so that's actually what he's doing today. I imagine he's working with Erwin this very moment to make it all official, but with there being such a time crunch to get everything done and submitted before Friday, it only makes sense that he's cancelled all our duties for the day."
Eld blinked a few times, rubbing his forehead in amazement and trying to process the overwhelming information he had received in such a small time window.
"…Wow."
"Yeah."
Petra gave a small laugh, giving a loud exhale and slouching in her chair, "So that's all it is. I mean, it's a big thing of course, and it's obviously overwhelming for me to process where I've admittedly shed a tear or two, but it's okay. Or, it's going to be at least. I am just trying to remember that things will go back to normal soon and I just have to ride it out until then."
Eld stood up from his chair, "Well I'm glad that it's being taken care of then, even if it is stressful in the moment. Do me a solid and don't tell Gunther or Oluo about how it wasn't the paperwork after all. I really could have sworn that-"
"You're up." A voice came from the hallway adjacent to the common room, and both Petra and Eld looked toward the sound automatically.
"Captain, welcome back." Eld greeted as Levi walked into the room, "Good news, Petra so graciously remade the coffee if you want any. It just finished brewing so it's still hot."
"Thank you." He acknowledged evenly as he moved toward them, grabbing a clean cup from the table and filling it with fresh coffee. Not looking at her as he spoke, Levi took a sip of the hot beverage, "Did you get any sleep?"
"A little bit." Petra responded truthfully, her stomach twisting in knots now that the Captain was there. His very presence only reminded her of what was to come, and while she accepted it, she felt very torn. She wanted to get things done and over with so she could put it all behind her, while at the exact same moment she wanted to linger and put it off, just a little bit longer. At the very least, she was glad Levi could not read her mind, as the mixed messages would without doubt drive him mad.
"Good. Do you have a spare minute?"
Petra's eyes went wide, though she chose her words carefully considering Eld was still in the room. She bit her lip and held the coffee cup tighter in her hands, a nervousness in her voice, "Are we…taking care of things now?"
Understanding her meaning, as well as her desire to not alert Eld just yet, Levi shook his head, "No, just reviewing things with Erwin."
She nodded mutely, and Eld cleared his throat, able to take the hint that he was no longer needed. "Well it seems you're required elsewhere Petra, thanks again for the coffee." He gave a single nod, "Captain."
With that, he walked out of the room, a silence settling over the area as they waited for Eld to move out of the room and out of earshot.
After being certain they were finally alone, Levi spoke first, his expression casual, "Does he know?"
Petra shook her head back and forth, "I told him about my father and the bind I'm in. I also told him that you're working on fixing it but…but I didn't exactly tell him how just yet. I figured I'd hold off on that conversation for a bit."
Levi studied her evenly, taking another drink from his coffee cup before sighing, "That may be for the best. They will find out later on today – keeping it a secret will only make matters worse in the long run – but telling them all at the same time versus one on one will help minimize the damage."
"Right." Petra agreed, falling in step behind Levi as they began moving through the halls towards Erwin's office.
"Oh by the way," Petra stated softly, needing to keep the conversation alive so her thoughts wouldn't run away with her, "Thanks for not making a big deal about my sleeping in. I know I should have woken up on time and I'm sorry that-"
"It's fine." Levi replied easily, "It's not exactly like this kind of situation is precedented. Besides," he looked toward her pointedly, watching her with a knowing expression, "You'll need a good head on your shoulders just to get through today, right? Would it have done any good to wake you up?"
His simple statement caused a lump to form in her throat, and she avoided his gaze and looked forward, having to actively reign in her emotions that threatened to overwhelm her again. Gods this was getting out of hand. She hardly ever cried in front of her team, let alone the Captain, but right now it seemed even the tiniest of things could trigger her emotions and she despised herself for it.
Levi fell silent, keeping his gaze on the path ahead while Petra seemed to war with her thoughts. For a few moments all that could be heard was the tap of their shoes against the tiled ground. He spoke again as they continued down the hall, his voice more quiet, "You can always change your mind you know, nothing is set in stone right now."
There was a slight, hollow laugh that followed his words. Petra shook her head sadly, a bitterness in her tone, "If I change my mind now, I may never be able to change it in the future, and that…that is unacceptable." She cleared her throat, bringing strength into her warbly voice, "Even still, I'm sorry that I'm struggling like this. I want to stay strong, like you."
He glanced to the side and gave her an appraising look, a single thin eyebrow raised, "Like me?"
Petra nodded, looking into her coffee cup as she spoke, eyeing her blurred reflection on the liquid's surface that blurred and unfocused with each step she took, "Even though you're just as impacted by this arrangement, you're still going about the day like its business as usual. I guess that I…" she paused slightly, a shyness to her confession as she continued to avoid his gaze, "Well, I admire your self-control I suppose. You are so cool about all of this and I…" she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
Levi gave a single nod at her answer, but then gave a shrug, his voice casual once again, "That's because I don't expect much to change. The next few days will be hectic as we race to get the correct forms in the right hands, but after that I know things go right back to normal. We'll pick up our training where we left off and for the most part this entire thing will have been nothing more than a bump in the road."
He continued, staring ahead and not trying to force the ginger to look at him directly, "Not that I am one to tell you how to handle something like this, the fuck do I know about this sort of thing, but don't make it overly complicated. If you're set in your path, then there's no point in focusing on the costs you'll have to pay and being miserable as a result. If in the end you change your mind and go home, you don't have to worry about whatever happens within the Scouts, as it won't be your problem. Either way, your worrying does you no good here."
"And you Captain," she looked up slowly, notable concern in her gaze, "You are okay with this? You've been so focused on me and making sure that this is what I want, but you are an equal part of this. Are you certain that you're willing to go this far? You can always fill my spot if it comes down to it. And what's more, if you're married to me then…Captain, that will change everything for you too. I'm just…" she sighed as she found herself at a loss for the right words, shrugging in defeat, "It's not just me here, I'm worried about you too."
He returned her gaze squarely, a perturbed look on his face, "Petra. You can't look at what you're giving up and expect it to hold the same meaning or value to me. I told you before, it's different for me. Married or single, I'll be in the Scouts either way. You don't need to worry about me or the impact this may have on my life; that's my problem to deal with – my personal business, and such matters don't concern you. For now just focus on yourself."
Petra's eyebrows pulled down and she clicked her tongue at his statement, giving him a disapproving frown as frustration began to build within her. She studied him, her gaze testy as she watched him with unmasked disapproval, "Well that's a bit hypocritical don't you think, coming from the person who made my problem, their problem as well - to such an extent that it's even more their problem now than it ever needed to be in the first place."
Levi eyed her narrowly, correcting her previous statement, "Like it or not it was my problem from the start. I'm your Captain. It was my problem from the moment your father wrote that damned fucking letter. It was my problem before you even knew about it."
Petra was officially frustrated, gripping her coffee cup with enough force that it all but broke the handle off the curved ceramic, "All the more reason I should be considerate of your feelings! I don't want to take advantage of you, just because you feel obligated in your role as my commanding officer to somehow fix this. You know I don't have any options and I don't want you placing something like this on the table because you feel you have to. I am simply here, trying to remind you that you don't have to do this! It's your choice just as much as it is mine, right? How dare you look down on me for trying to be a decent person and consider your feelings in all of this!"
They reached the door to the Commander's office, though instead of moving right in, they both stood idly in front of the door and regarded each other seriously, neither willing to budge in their argument.
A long silence fell over the pair and Petra eyed him in concern, "Captain, I'm worried this is just going to drag you down; that you are only doing it because you feel you have to – I can't accept you telling me to just worry about myself without any consideration for you. That's impossible. If this isn't the time to be worried for you and consider your feelings on the matter, then when is the time?"
He gave an exhale at her stubborn and persistent nature, feeling she was taking the whole thing far too seriously. It seemed only logical to him that he was comfortable with it – well, comfortable enough at least - otherwise he wouldn't have offered such an arrangement in the first place, but Petra was too kind hearted for her own good and he was suspicious that she wouldn't be letting it go anytime soon.
He crossed his arms, giving her a stern look, "Well when you are my commanding officer, then I'll be your problem. Until then however-"
Petra rolled her eyes, "Levi that's ridiculous. I could live a million lives before I ever outranked you."
"Well then," Levi grabbed the door handle and took a step forward into the room, not giving Petra the chance to respond as he moved into Erwin's office, "I guess you won't have to worry for quite some time then."
He left behind a gaping Petra, stepping fully into the room and calmly nodding toward his peers.
"Erwin, Four Eyes" he greeted plainly. A flustered Petra followed behind him, wearing an unpleasant, soured expression across her face.
"Ah Petra," Erwin greeted with his normal cheerful smile as she took a seat, paying no mind to Levi's childish nickname for Hanji, "I'm glad to see you're finally up for the day."
Petra's eyes widened at his statement, and she looked toward Levi for an explanation.
He shrugged passively as he crossed his arms again, returning to his seemingly favored spot of Erwin's office and slouching against the wall, "You were out for over three hours, what else was I supposed to say?"
Erwin chuckled at the insight to Petra's sudden embarrassment, and continued, "That's not the concern here Petra. I have come to understand that you had a…rather late-night last night. Care to tell me about it? In your own words of course."
She opened her mouth to speak but became slightly unnerved as she noticed how intensely she was being observed by all three of her superiors. All eyes were on her, as though they were hanging on her every word. For a moment the sudden seriousness concerned her, but then she realized they were needing to hear, from her own mouth, that she was consenting to Levi's proposal.
She took a breath of preparation and nodded, "Well, I had a hard time falling asleep, and that's when Levi came to my room to talk with me. He stated that, in short, if I were to marry, my husband would actually have the legal say from that point on, and my father's words about having to end my contract would be invalidated. To make this happen, he confirmed that he himself would be willing to marry me, and in doing so, I could stay in the Scouts."
Erwin nodded, watching her with a neutral expression, "That's rather drastic though, as I'm sure you're aware. A girl so young with her entire life ahead of her, you'd have to leave it all behind. It's nothing short of an arranged marriage if you look at it diplomatically. I know that not a lot of time has passed, but from what I understand you've already made up your mind. If I may Ms. Ral, so that there are no questions later regarding this series of events, what is your decision?"
"To stay." Petra stated matter of factly, knowing now was not the time to display any signs of doubt or indecision, and she continued just as pointedly, "I'm going to stay in the Scouts Commander, and if marrying is the only way to make that happen, then so be it. If you need to hear it from my own mouth, then here it is:"
Petra allowed her gaze to shift until she was watching Levi directly. Her words were intentional as her gaze bored into him and she didn't miss the pleased gaze he watched her with in return, "I have accepted Levi's proposal, and consent to be his wife in exchange for a position in the military on his squad. That is my choice, if he'll have me."
A long pause followed her unmistakable, direct words of confirmation and Erwin studied her outright, the silence beginning to thicken as he tried to gauge the young girls resolve.
Petra, not unnerved by his scrutiny, pursed her lips and returned his intense gaze, as though daring him to tell her otherwise. She knew full well how extreme this was, and while it would be a lie to state she didn't care – she cared desperately – the fact was her mind was made up. If they wanted her to leave at this point, they'd have to drag her out kicking and screaming. Any pathway she had that would lead to her staying on her squad, any option, she'd take it gladly.
Erwin turned his attention to Levi as though needing his confirmation, though Levi was still holding Petra's gaze for a long moment to such an extent he hadn't noticed Erwin's expectant stare, and the blonde almost smiled. Erwin cleared his throat lightly, "And you Levi?"
Levi shifted his attention back onto the Commander, "You already know my thoughts on the matter."
Erwin nodded and gave a long exhale through his nose, "Right."
He picked at some papers and paused for a long moment, looking up from his desk and watching her curiously, "In truth Ms. Ral, I am both impressed and concerned by your resolve. I'm not sure that I've ever seen such an act of devotion from one of our Scouts before. Am I correct to presume that any attempt to convince you otherwise will fall on deaf ears?"
Petra gave a smile at his implied concern, "I'm afraid that is correct sir. I know I'm young, and I won't stand here trying to say that I know what's best or that I won't have regrets later. But make no mistake, I know the costs, I know that this is a permanent arrangement that will follow me long after my retirement, but the truth is, being on the Scouts is that important to me. I can't think of anything that I'll ever want more than this, so if Levi can provide a way that I can stay, even if it means something as drastic as marriage… then I'm afraid I'm selfish enough to take him up on it."
Erwin took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, shaking his head as he did so, "Oh boy. The people on your squad Levi, how you even found people like this, I swear. The whole lot of you is certifiably insane."
Levi smirked at Erwin's assessment of his squad, though remained silent as Erwin laughed at the strangeness of it all, "Well Ms. Ral, if both of you are consenting, which it is very clear that you are, then I have no reason to stand in the way; I'll officiate the wedding later on today and put an end to this matter. I'm shocked to say this, but it seems like you'll be sticking around after all."
He stood up and leaned forward to shake her hand, "You're an excellent Scout Petra, and fittingly enough, we are also selfish enough to keep you, even if the method is unorthodox like this. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that you have to go through this, but the fact you are willing to go through so much for our cause – you have my admiration."
She shook his offered hand, a blush rising to her face at the compliment, "Oh, well, thanks Commander, but really its Levi. He's the one who thought of it all, I'm just… along for the ride."
Erwin furrowed his eyebrows as if just remembering something, and turned his attention toward the Captain, "Speaking of which, are you all set on your end? You'll both need to get that taken care of right away."
Levi gave a single, silent nod, and Erwin looked back to Petra.
"Well in that case, I'm sorry to push you out the door Petra, but we've all got things to see to to make sure that this wedding is as legitimate as it should be; all the I's dotted and T's crossed and such. We don't want your father giving us any later surprises, so my goal is to make sure all our bases are covered. I'll start on getting the paperwork lined up, all the forms you both will need to sign, as well as dig through my materials for officiating a wedding. That's not exactly a common responsibility I make use of frequently, but at least having the authority has it's perks."
Erwin looked toward the back corner of the room toward Hanji, "Will you keep reaching out and making sure that all impacted personnel knows and understands the importance of processing each document the second it touches their hands? We will have the rest of today, all of Thursday, and Friday before end of day to get this all completed. It's certainly doable, but we can't afford any mistakes."
Hanji nodded, and Erwin gave a thank you, once again directing his attention between Levi and Petra, "No time like the present. Let's all plan to have the ceremony around one if at all possible. After that's done, Levi - I'll need you to come back here. We will need your signature on everything and then some."
"Is there something that I can help with perhaps?" Petra asked as she stood up from her chair, knowing that everyone was preparing to split paths after their conversation adjourned, "It would be bad if we did all this but still missed the deadline so if there's somewhere I can plug in..."
Erwin also stood up, shaking his head and smiling, "Sorry Petra, but this is an Officer's only ordeal. Besides, with everything you're already sacrificing for us, I think it's only fair that we take care of these details for you. Fear not though, if I had any concerns that we couldn't get this done on time, we wouldn't be doing this in the first place. Now then."
He looked toward Levi, "Have a safe trip into town and by the time you get back I'll have your team assembled in the lobby for you. Best to take the main roads, you'll get there quicker."
Levi nodded and was already walking out the door, "Fine. Let's go Petra."
She blinked at the abrupt end to their meeting, giving a cordial nod to the Commander and Hanji, before chasing after Levi, having to lengthen her stride to keep up with him, "We're going into town apparently? Um…what for exactly?"
"Shopping." Levi responded without missing a beat, "We need wedding rings."
Petra was surprised, pausing in step at his explanation, again struggling to keep up with him as she chased him down the hall, "Wait, for real? Uh, real wedding rings Captain?"
They walked out of the compound and turned down the pathway that led to the stable. Levi nodded seriously, "You heard the Commander. He wants everything as legitimate as possible so we have an indisputable case should your father challenge the legality of the marriage, down to the smallest of details. That means witnesses, a ceremony, and yes, actual wedding rings - I will wear mine daily from here on out, and I expect you to do the same."
Petra looked down at her hand, not having thought about wearing a wedding band before. Levi continued, "Like you said, it would be fucking stupid to go so far only for it to not work out in the end, so this is part of what we need to do before it's all signed and documented."
They neared the stable and Levi motioned with a nod of his head, "Now go get your horse, we're on a tight timetable."
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End of Chapter
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That's a wrap!
Okay, so *deep exhale and sits down* Yall gave me some GOOD questions last time around that I felt everyone could benefit from having answered (normally I'd just PM you directly) so without further delay…
Question one: Where is Eren and the gang?
In all my years of watching anime or reading manga, never in all my life have I disliked a character more than good sir Eren Yeager. It's not specific to any events happening in the manga, I've actually struggled from the very beginning. It's not what he does – its legitimately himself as a character.
Interesting Midnight trivia, it's extremely difficult for me to write and relate to characters that have this strange, overwhelming sense of justice. (Think superheroes, Gryffindors, most protagonists and main characters for example) To me there is no logic to their choices, and makes it impossible for me to relate to them. While I get Eren's upbringing and all he's suffered, he's crazy. He's very much 'Me. I. ONLY I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM THE TITANS. KILL ALL TITANS.' Like….woah. Seriously man? Destroy an enemy you know nothing about? On that note, when you do learn more about it - what makes your way the only right way? Is it so bad that people are content with their lives, Walls or otherwise? Oh you hate cattle? Cool. So because of that, you've taken it in your hands to shape every person's life the way YOU think it should be. (Because that's what a hero would obviously do.) Now, you and what army? And with what resources? Oh no army because you're you and you'll just make it happen somehow? But now you're crying? And now shouting? Yes I heard you, kill all titans. Got it. Aaaand now he's crying again.
#cantrelate #someonegetthatkidanoscar #whileyouredoingthatgrabmeadrink
All that to say it's not so much my dislike that makes it so I won't write him here, it's more accurate to say I can't. I really struggle to write his character because to me nothing he does makes sense, so it's all but impossible for me to accurately write out his actions/reactions. Whereas it's easy for me to write Levi, because I can clearly see 'if this happens, I can see him responding this or that way' but with Eren…my mind just blanks every time. He's too unpredictable; a sort of unbridled, megalomaniacal passionate Woo girl that makes me hit writers block harder and faster than Levi beats him at night.
More than that – if I try to bring in the main three it officially sets the timeline in the canon timeline of the story…and all do respect, but I REALLY don't feel like rewriting that steaming mess. It makes my own plot just too complicated to throw in the manga's overarching themes of, "What is the value of one human life" and the "Does the end justify the means"
Sorry Eren fans, but the official ruling is that he's not making an appearance here. If it makes you feel better, I will miss Armin quite a lot!
Question Two: What sort of story are we in for in terms of steamy explicit material?
Oh is that a good question indeed. The mere language in this story is certainly colorful enough (and frequent enough) to earn its M rating alone. Truth be told though, I had intended this to be a more, eh, stimulating read shall we say? Full disclosure though, nothing's actually been written out just yet. I find myself going back and forth in terms of what I want to write out, versus what I want to gloss over, metaphorically closing the curtains on our pairing and keeping the explicit material to a minimum, if I even chose to write out such content at all in this fic.
That in mind, let me actually ask you guys, considering we will hopefully be bumping shoulders for a while longer yet, would you actually want to have more detailed scenes that would make your parents blush and your pastor run for the holy water (Listen up Pastor Nick, they are married!) – or would you rather me keep it more mild? In my mind, the mild version would be like…detailed making out, but from there it would get pretty obvious where things are going and I would end scene there and we can all collectively shield our eyes from these worldly impurities – that sort of thing.
So to you my reading audience - Explicit material, yay or nay? If you don't want to comment in your review, you are also welcome to PM me directly for your personal discretion! (We don't shame in these parts!) To be clear, I personally have no problem writing out those scenes because sex is a good healthy part of life and doesn't need to be this hush hush 'naughty' topic or an area people feel shame towards (I'm extremely passionate about this subject.) but if the overwhelming response is thanks but no thanks, then I have no problem with that either :)
Thanks for sticking around and see you all in two weeks!