Bring out the confetti canons!

Bring the joyful children and ALL the chocolate!

Today is my birthday, and told yall I'd update early! My dear father is taking me out to breakfast today, so I knew I'd have to post this first thing in the morning and then allow my readers to shower me with reviews for this chapter, because it is actually one of my favorites and I'm certain yall will love it just as much. How fitting this chapter is the one that fell around my birthday :)

Enjoy!

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"I can't believe you!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"You cut our training day in half, for this?"

"The time had to come from somewhere, and I don't want you missing dinner. I told you I'd have to rearrange your schedule, didn't I?"

"Well sure but-"

"Just stop your damned bitching and get inside already."

At Levi's command, Petra merely stood in place and sighed, her expression changing from outrage to sheer dread. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment and looked up at him with large, sad eyes.

Her voice was a quiet, defeated mumble, "Captain, please don't make me do this."

He rolled his eyes, and nodded again toward the door in irritation. "The theatrics are hardly necessary Petra, now move your ass."

Petra gave a resigned sigh and slowly turned toward the door, opening it and stepping inside glumly without another word of debate.

A familiar metallic ding resulted once the door was closed behind them, and there was a 'Just a minute!' and some further shuffling heard.

"Oh my, well if it isn't my favorite engaged couple!"

Petra gave a large, fake smile to the already glowing shop keeper, though hissed between gritted teeth as she leaned closer toward Levi in attempts to keep up her jolly pretenses, "Of all the places to get my dress, you had to choose this place?"

Levi watched her blankly, his voice also somewhat hushed as the shop keeper made her way across the floor toward them, wanting to ensure that their last-minute bickering wouldn't be overheard, "I thought you liked her dress, so it made sense to come back here."

Petra blinked, her previous expression falling as she looked toward him in undisguised wonder, "…But I never…"

"What?" he asked in question, unnerved by the way Petra was staring at him with such wide eyes. He shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I saw you looking at it." He nodded toward the shop keeper who was now standing in front of them with her signature charismatic grin, not permitting their conversation to continue.

The shop's keep took one large step toward Petra, grabbing her left hand up and grinning, "Oh it is so good to see you my dear, and let me just say that this ring simply radiates when it is worn by such a lovely lady like yourself!" she dropped Petra's hand, holding back a chuckle as the girl's face began to turn red from the compliment. She redirected her attention to her fiancé, "And it's good to see you as well, Captain. How is the wedding planning coming along? I've been watching the newspapers like a hawk so I can read all about your big day when it happens, but I haven't seen anything yet. You have to tell me if it's coming up soon, I might just die of anticipation! It's in the next few months at least, right?"

"We're already married." Levi stated simply, and the shop keeper blinked in confusion.

"Married - not engaged anymore? Oh my! Congratulations in that event, I wasn't even aware!" She looked a little crestfallen and gave a sigh, "I'm just so disappointed though; I can't believe I ended up missing it somehow. I was so certain that the marriage of Humanity's Strongest would be big enough news to receive district wide coverage. If not that, then at least our local paper considering your headquarters are stationed so close to us. You are somewhat of a celebrity after all so it only seemed natural."

She shook her head, speaking more quietly as she thought it over, "I can't believe they didn't write up even the smallest of congratulations, or even a mere marriage announcement. They do that for everybody out here, so the fact that you weren't even recognized at all is absurd!" She paused in dismay, then cocked her head in realization as she finally heard herself, a sort of mischievous smirk on her lips, "Unless…you secretly eloped."

She shifted her gaze between the two, a knowing smile across her face as her previous excitement returned to her, "You did, didn't you! Wait - let me guess, it was some sudden, unexpected ceremony that was just you and your closest friends, completely spur of the moment; took everybody by surprise sort of thing, right?"

"Well…yeah, actually." Petra mumbled with wide eyes, finding that the shop keeper's explanation wasn't all that far from the truth. She of course had the wrong idea about what caused the time crunch, but the end result was… very much what she had just claimed it to be.

The woman simply grinned all the wider at Petra's stunned silence, "I thought so, and it is fitting I suppose, the more that I think about it. Not that I know either of you that well, but I've been in the business for a while and I've got a good feel for these things if I do say so myself. I should have known that a small ceremony is what you would have preferred, namely you, Captain."

Petra looked at Levi, though his expression remained unchanged, not seeming to either confirm or deny her statement.

The shop keeper cleared her throat and folded her hands across her lap, "So, you're married now. I know you're in the military but surely they've given you your own little bungalow by now, right. Perhaps, are you here to furnish your place? Bear in mind we have a lot of contracts with talented artisans, so if you have the luxury of time on your side, we can custom design something really nice for you. I'll even give you a discount as a…frequent customer sort of deal!"

Petra couldn't help but give a sincere smile to the shop keeper; her positivity was irritatingly infectious. Petra had wanted to be angry, hellbent on making Levi miserable for actually going through with it and making her get a dress, and by proxy, attend the gathering that was a mere day away – but with the shop keeper being so doting and kind, Petra found her anger was unwittingly slipping through her fingers bit by bit until there was nothing left for her to hold onto.

"There's a black-tie dinner that she and I are attending tomorrow evening. She needs a dress." Levi supplemented easily, and as if on cue, the woman's eyes lit up and she turned toward Petra again, a sense of purpose now evident in her gaze as she looked the shorter woman over.

"An elegant dress? Well, you have come to the right place to be sure! We'll just go over here and-" the woman took a few steps toward the dresses that were displayed to one side of the store, both Petra and Levi following behind her, but then the woman paused intentionally, looking toward Levi with a reproving stare and stopping dead in her tracks.

She put her hands on her hips and shook her head as she watched him directly, "Oh no sir, not a step further from you. We will find your lovely bride a dress that's sure to make her the envy of the night, but not with you leering over her shoulder like this; you'll simply cause her to die of anxiety! Oh no no, you simply have to go. Any special requests while you're on your way out? Color, specific fit or length perhaps that you'd fancy?"

Levi was taken aback, surprised that he was apparently being…dismissed? Was she serious? Was she actually going to make him leave the store? Perhaps…she was just joking? After all he was a paying customer, so could she even do that? He coughed as he tried to find a proper response, "I uh, well..."

She watched the tongue-tied Captain and grinned all the more, "Ah yes, something that makes you speechless then, I understand."

There was a giggle from Petra and Levi's eyes narrowed, though the woman continued, "Truly Captain, and all with my upmost respect I assure you, but you'll only be in the way here. After all, you certainly don't strike me as the type who knows much about dresses or galas; and I doubt these types of things interest you." Levi merely stared at her in silence, and she continued gently, "Let us peruse, try a few things on, and we'll be all set in no time. How about you come back in an hour. I promise we'll have her perfect dress picked out by the time you get back, alright? Ta-ta, Captain!"

Levi sighed, knowing there was no real reason to fuss about it; even if being told to get lost did leave him feeling a little indignant. Still though, he supposed it didn't matter how she got her dress, just as long as she had one by the time they left.

"Fine, I'll be back in an hour." He mumbled lowly, turning back toward the door and leaving the shop quietly.

For a long while he stood directly outside the store, leaning up against the wall and unintentionally listening in on their conversation. While at first Levi had been admittedly irritated, feeling somewhat snubbed at being dismissed by a civilian of all things, after hearing things like 'What about this one?' 'Maybe a little off the bottom?' 'Do you have a specific color you prefer? Something red and eye catching perhaps?' 'I'm not sure about that one, satin is just a little too…blah in my experience and we want something that will really make you pop.' for what seemed like an eternity with no real end in sight, Levi became grateful that he didn't actually have to sit there while Petra was dress shopping, finding it to be extremely boring. Even from outside of the building, he was already over it.

He pushed off the wall and walked further into the town, looking from building to building as he walked with no real hurry or destination in mind. As he walked, he rolled his shoulders, bringing a hand to his neck and loosening his cravat so it wasn't as tight against his collar, tempted to remove it entirely so his skin could breathe a little. The long sleeve shirt and jacket combination of the Scout's uniform had been somewhat tolerable during morning training when the air was cooler, but now that it was the peak of the afternoon, Levi was wishing he had thought to change into something a little more light before they had left the base because the layers were getting to be a bit much.

It was an uncharacteristically hot day considering it was only spring at best, and it wasn't long before Levi found himself moving out of the street and stepping into the town's bar. It's not that he necessarily felt like drinking, but something cold would help cut the heat, and at the very least he'd be out of direct sunlight while he waited for Petra to finish her 'perusing', as the shop keeper had put it.

He sat at the bar, choosing a seat as close to the edge of the room as possible, giving a slight head nod toward the bartender who issued him a casual greeting.

"Welcome - be with you in a minute."

Levi looked around the small area, noting there were already a handful of off duty Scouts that were here to relax, among other patrons that were unfamiliar to him. This was a rather popular establishment after all, so he wasn't surprised by how full the bar was at such an early hour in the day. Aside from the town's local residents that would frequent the establishment, considering it was the closest bar that the Scout's had access to, even Levi himself had been here a handful of times over the years, well … he imagined that the bar owner was rather successful in his field to say the least.

"What can I get started for ya?"

"Whiskey on the rocks." He stated simply, and the bartender nodded, walking away and grabbing a glass, placing ice at the bottom and pouring in a honey colored liquor into the glass. The bartender gave him a nod and pushed the drink his direction, allowing the glass to slide the few feet across the bar top toward Levi who gave a nod of thanks as he stopped the glass once it reached him.

He brought it to his lips and took a small sip, blinking a few times as the liquor burned his throat and made his tongue pucker in immediate response to the drink's high alcohol content. It had been a long time since he had had a drink, and he had to work to control his facial reaction as he swallowed the fiery liquid.

As it traveled down his throat, the sensation changed from an all-out burning to a more warming sensation that spread across his chest pleasantly, the flavor also changing into something a little less offensive and a little more sweet; Levi now remembered why he favored whiskey over other popular liquors.

He took another sip, finding the burning didn't hit him as strongly the second time around, and he placed the glass back down on the bar top with a casual exhale.

Time passed by far too slowly for his liking, considering there really wasn't much to do but sit at the bar idly and wait for Petra to finish shopping. He watched as people would come and go, wondering how much longer until it would finally be his turn to leave the bar. His stay had been soured rather quickly, and as he sat there now, gripping his drink hard enough that it was just short of shattering in his hands, he found that he was extremely upset. While he hadn't been trying to eavesdrop, it was impossible to not overhear people's conversations considering the bar was only so big, and what was more, it was impossible to not listen in once names were being dropped.

"So you saw that Petra girl?"

"Yeah, she was out by the stable with her horse just a little while ago."

"Still looking good?"

"You know it. She always does."

"Man, you've been watching her forever – why don't you just man up and make a move already?"

"Are you suggesting I take my life in my hands? You've heard, right? Dude, she married Captain Levi. She's off the market now, which totally sucks." It sounded as though the man had stopped talking to take a drink, and a thud could be heard as a glass was set back down on the table, "Damn, I really missed my chance on that one."

There was a scoff, "You seriously believe that?"

"What's there to believe?" came the response, "She got married, that's a fact; I saw the ring myself when I walked by. From what I've heard she even took his name and everything."

"No, not that. She's obviously married, but from what I've been told it's just because she got caught red handed with him so had to get married to save face. I'll bet she was just messing around to get a spot on that team of his – there's no way she's actually in love with that guy; he's got no game and only attracts women because he's a dick and has a title – Humanity's Strongest my ass. For your girl though, that's no sweat man, for real. If anything it just proves she's a rule breaker. She doesn't respect the hierarchy, had no problem sleeping her way to the top – do you really think she's the type of girl to respect the 'sanctity of marriage' or whatever? I'll bet she's been fucking numerous guys this whole time. I'll bet that whole team has been with her at least once. Think positive, you could be another one of those guys - if you ever get the balls to ask her out!"

"It's just…she always seems so, I don't know, innocent. You saying it's just an act?"

There was a long silence followed by a groan, "Don't tell me you really fall for that, that's just part of her game – it's how girls like her get what they want all the time. It's worth a try right? I mean, if she's good enough for Humanity's Strongest, hell, even I might give it a shot one of these days. Hopefully she's not a bitch about rank though, it would be a problem if she only fucks Officers."

"You know what, you're right. I think I'll give it a go. I'll hit her up one of these days and see what happens!"

"See, now that's more like it. Mark my words, she'll get tired of that half-pint fuck sooner or later and then she's all yours."

From there, things had only continued to worsen. Once other Scout's had overheard bits and pieces of that same conversation, it sparked them to discuss their own ideas about what actually happened, how long the two of them had been sleeping together, whether there was actually a baby involved or not, how Erwin must have chewed him out big time for messing up like that, how Petra must have been a fire cracker in bed to snag Humanity's Strongest - but hey all men have needs right? - how sexy she was, how they hadn't even noticed her before the scandal, but after seeing her in person wow they wanted a piece of that ass, and whatever else the rumor mill had come up with to explain the circumstances behind their sudden marriage, as well as how desirable of a woman Petra was and how he was the luckiest man on earth that a woman like her would ever be with someone like him – forced or otherwise.

Levi had heard only a few conversations like this since their marriage took place, but now that he was placed in a room where it was all people were talking about, his stomach was full on churning from the disgusting thoughts people harbored and actually believed to be true about them. What they were saying about him was admittedly bad, but he had never once held a good reputation in his entire life, so it didn't bother him so much as he was rather used to people's mistrust and general dislike. Petra, however? Hearing people talk about her – the things she had obviously done, and things people now apparently wanted to do to her…Fuck, he was ready for heads to roll.

When the two original Scouts had left the bar, it had taken every ounce of soldier's discipline in his body to not follow them out and show them exactly what he thought about their little discussion that had sparked the countless other topics he had been forced to overhear for the past forty minutes.

He sighed, mentally reminding himself for the thousandth time that it wouldn't help anyone and would only cause the pot to stir all the more once word got back to the base about what happened here, because of course it would. He bitterly finished the rest of his drink, pulling a half-melted ice cube in his mouth and allowing it to melt further on his tongue as he continued to dwell on the matter.

He remembered Petra's previous words when he first told her about the event – how she would be hated by all the Commanding Officers and that she would have no way to escape their judgement just when things were finally starting to get better - and he bitterly realized that her fears he had initially dismissed as being over dramatic, were in fact more than valid. What was worse, even knowing that, there still wasn't much he could do. His version of justice had always been rather unorthodox, and he figured if anything, Petra wouldn't want him to make any sort of scene by way of response – no matter how deserved it may have been considering that getting out of the limelight had been her biggest concern at the time.

"Would you care for another sir? A beer perhaps?"

The bartender's sudden question grabbed his attention and Levi looked toward him in acknowledgement. He crushed the remnants of the ice cube between his teeth, swallowing the cool ice shards so he could respond properly. He shook his head and swallowed the last of the liquid away, clearing his throat to speak, "No, I'm finished here."

With any luck, he wouldn't be coming back here for a long time.

The man nodded and read him his total, completely unaware of just how close he had been to having an all-out bar fight on his hands only a mere moment ago.

Knowing it wasn't worth it, knowing that Petra would not be pleased, knowing Erwin would undoubtedly berate him later should he create an incident, Levi stood up quietly and put his fisted hands into his pockets. Without looking to see which way the men had gone when they left, Levi gave a loud, slow exhale and headed back towards the shop.

When Levi first entered the store, the girls were still huddled in the corner, looking at the various fabrics of the dresses on display and talking about who knows what – he sighed as agitation continued building within him. The walk back hadn't done him any favors as he only continued to mull things over in his mind with nothing to distract him. He really should have done something earlier. After all, people were always going to talk about something – maybe they could start talking about that one time that Captain Levi put two people in the hospital ward for a month straight after disrespecting his wife, he thought bitterly with a scowl, deciding that that was gossip he wouldn't mind hearing about. It would certainly be a nice change of pace at least and would certainly give Petra a break.

The men couldn't have gone far – logic dictated that they also had to get back to base before dinner and it was a hell of a walk, so they most likely were on their way to the town's stable to retrieve their horses. He wouldn't have to do anything drastic to get his point across, just an appropriate amount of pain to teach them some respect and that would be that. If he hurried, he might even get there before them.

He liked that idea very much.

Mind made up, he pushed the door back the other way, intent on leaving the store without alerting either of the women to his presence in the first place, though the sudden change of direction as he reopened the door caused the bell to tap against the door frame, it's telltale ring echoing across the shop walls in response.

"Oh Captain, you're back!"

"Hey Levi!"

His mouth fell open and he stayed rooted in his spot in disbelief, having forgotten about the godforsaken bell on the door. As he continued to stand there, wondering if he should just leave anyway and come back after he had taken care of business, Petra waved him over with wide eyes, "Come here, come here! Levi, you've just got to see this!"

He looked toward her, then back to the door, then back to Petra, who only waved more dramatically when he didn't immediately start walking toward her. Giving a quiet sigh and resisting the urge to slam the door shut behind him in protest, he begrudgingly moved toward his subordinate bitterly.

Lucky bastards had no idea how damned fortunate they were.

"What?" he pressed out as he came closer to the pair, attempting to sound as calm as ever, though his muscles were still tense and coiled as unchecked anger pulsed through him in waves. Luckily, there was only a hint of an edge to his voice, and with Petra's overwhelming chipperness, she didn't even seem to notice.

She was holding onto the bottom of a large dress that was hung up against the wall for display, holding some of the dress's fabric in her hands, "This was her wedding dress! She made it herself, by hand! Look at the stitching, it's so tiny!" she pulled some of the fabric toward him, shoving the silky material a mere three inches in front of his face.

From one side, he heard the shop keeper laugh – he couldn't actually see her due to the fabric bunched up directly in front of him, "Now now Petra, you're making me blush!" she responded warmly, "While I don't feel this dress is my best work, after all I was just a girl back then and I've learned a thing or two since my wedding day, I suppose a girl will always have a special place for their wedding dress. I like to display it out here, to remind me of how far we've come since then. It keeps me humble."

Petra released her hold on the dress and let the fabric fall back in place before reaching higher and tracing some of the beaded work that adorned the bodice with her finger. Levi was just happy he could see again, finding he didn't give a damn about the stitching or whatever the hell it was that Petra was talking about, because his mind was still replaying all the ways he could still intercept the men from the bar. He could tell Petra he was going to get the horses and meet her here. Of course, they hadn't paid yet, but he could just leave her his wallet and let her check out on her own. Would that be too suspicious?

"It's so intricate. This really is beautiful." Petra continued looking at the dress with a dreamy smile, and Levi stole a glance back toward the door.

If they had already left the stable, on horseback it wouldn't take long for him to catch up with them. A two on one fight was nothing for him, and considering how shocked the men would be that, yes, he had overheard their disrespectful little conversation, he doubted they'd even have the mental awareness to properly defend themselves, let alone attack in return.

"Come now Petra, that dress is almost twenty years old now. It's hardly fashionable in today's world, and besides, I'll bet your dress was just as stunning if not more so on your wedding day."

Of course, he'd probably break a sweat and Petra would no doubt be suspicious about what had taken place, but he would just blame it on the heat of the day and throw his jacket over his shoulder, as though the heat really were to blame. Knowing Petra, she'd probably try to baby him – Humanity's Strongest- because things hadn't quite been the same between them ever since he had gotten sick, and she frequently fussed over him if she felt that he was overexerting himself.

Sometimes it was admittedly annoying, but other times, he almost found himself playing the moment up, because even if he hated to admit it, some part of him…liked being the focus of her attention and worry. He'd rub his forehead and make a pained expression, and she'd rush over and place her hand on his back, her eyes wide with concern and she'd tell him that maybe he needed to sit down. His expression would shift into sudden amusement, and he'd take a deep breath, stand up more fully, then smirk and tell her she really needed to stop babying him because he was perfectly fine. After realizing she had been fooled yet again, she'd watch him with a frazzled sort of frustration, and when he'd cross his arms and watch her smugly, she'd blush in embarrassment and apologize.

Petra's sudden laugh disrupted his thoughts, and the ginger looked toward the shop keeper with a knowing smirk, "My wedding dress?" She gave another laugh and shook her head, "No, I really don't think so."

The shop keeper frowned and looked toward the checkout counter, "No? Well at least this dress here is one that I know you'll enjoy. And hey, as much as I love chatting, your husband's back and I'm sure you both have things to see to that don't involve spending your whole day here with me."

Petra gave an accepting sigh and dropped her hands back to her sides, taking one last look at the beautiful wedding dress before redirecting her attention to the shop keeper with a slight frown, "No, you're right. We need to get back to the base unfortunately. Someone's been watching the door like a hawk, so I think it's safe to wrap things up because Captain has a lot of responsibilities to see to back at the base."

"I can only imagine. You know one of these days, I'll have to introduce you to my husband! He's always been a big fan of the military, and I'm sure he'll be tickled pink to know that Captain Levi himself paid our humble store a visit. He's often out traveling and brokering new trade routes and deals, but who knows? One day you might get lucky!"

The two women continued chatting like they were old friends as they all made their way to the counter and Levi, irritated because he knew that his window of opportunity had closed, mechanically paid for the dress, not complaining or even caring for that matter, when Petra insisted that he carry all the boxes back to the stable, explaining that if it weren't for him, there wouldn't be any boxes to begin with.

Petra had mainly just been joking of course, intending to poke fun and try to communicate in a light hearted way that it was cool, she had gotten over her frustration and would try to keep a positive attitude come the actual banquet tomorrow night, but the fact that he didn't even respond, just nodded mutely before stacking the boxes neatly in his arms, concerned her.

They walked through the streets and Petra watched him with ever growing worry, though Levi hardly noticed. There was a contemplative expression across his face, and every so often his lips would tighten into an all-out scowl, a tenseness to his steps as they moved through the streets in complete silence. Petra had tried to bring up some sort of conversation, starting with a few dresses that hadn't gone so well, explaining further that maybe she was putting on a little weight because some of the dresses were actually too tight on her – she figured Levi couldn't deny the opportunity to make fun of her - but again he hardly responded.

When they got to the stable, Petra was officially at a loss as he was even more tense than before, looking this way or that, and at this point he wasn't paying her any mind at all. His breathing was heightened, he was visibly pissed, yet even still he didn't say a word to her about it even though it was obvious that something was amiss. When they got to their horses and he busied himself with securing the boxes down so they wouldn't fly open or fall off during the ride back, Petra took an intentional step toward him, his strange behavior had more than put her on edge and even if he hadn't planned on saying anything, enough was enough.

She grabbed the ropes out of his hands and placed her own hands gently on both sides of his face and forced him to look at her directly, fingers tracing the edge of his jaw for a moment as she held his gaze in concern and watched him with intentional focus.

His eyes were instantly wide from the contact and he had actually jolted as though she had taken him by surprise, clearly lost in whatever thoughts were running through his mind previously. She expected that he'd pull out of her hold with a scowl or perhaps take a step back and demand to know what in the hell she was doing, but…he didn't. Instead he merely stayed rooted in his place, watching her in silence with a strange expression.

He didn't try to move her hands away, and she didn't pull back in the slightest.

His eyes spoke of internal conflict, an unreadable myriad of things left unsaid, and he gave a long sigh, closing his eyes and... was he leaning toward her now? The shift was subtle, but his head was tilted down toward her and he closed his eyes, giving a few deep breaths as though recollecting himself.

Petra's touch was soft, hesitant, as her thumb ran gently over his skin almost curiously. She was far too close, she realized as she watched him, the silence only extending all the more between them as her thumbs continued tracing across his skin absentmindedly. She could hear him breathe; he was standing only a few inches away - gods he was so handsome.

She bit her bottom lip pensively, losing some of her nerve as an uncertainty came over her in waves. She really thought that he would have pushed her away by now, but he hadn't, and it made her unsure of what to do. The way he was watching her, it was like he was looking for something within herself, and it left her feeling out of sorts – exposed to some extent because he had never watched her like this before.

"Captain…is something wrong?" She let her hands slide down the contours of his face, down his neck, until they were resting over his shoulders. She chewed the inside of her lip and swallowed nervously, "You seem a little…upset."

"Look, you don't have to tell me," she began, looking down into the ground anxiously as a heat came to her face from the directness of his stare, "It's just, I hope you know that after all these years I can tell when something is bothering you and something clearly is, I just don't know what so I was hoping that you would tell me and then maybe it wouldn't bother you anymore because talking it out can really help sometimes and-"

Petra was mortified as she heard herself talking. Words just kept spilling out of her mouth. For Maria's sake, she was only making it worse! Anytime would be a great time to stop talking. Anytime at all.

"-Because that's the great part of having friends you know, because then there are people there who understand you and you can talk and there's value in friendship-"

Yet even still, words just kept coming all the more. She was obviously rambling. What the hell was she even saying?

As she spoke who knows what, finally she paused midsentence as she smelled a sweet sort of something on his breath. Her expression changed as a familiarity came to her, and a slight cheeky sort of grin came over her face. Suspicion laced in her tone and she drummed her fingers against the surface of his jacket, quirking an eyebrow suspiciously, "Captain, were you drinking? Are you drunk right now?"

That would certainly explain a lot of things, Petra inwardly noted, and some of her previous nervousness washed away as a viable reason finally came to mind. Note to self, Levi was an angry drunk.

Levi snorted at her 'observation', the idea of a single drink being enough to actually get him inebriated was laughable, even at a time like this. He crossed his arms and watched her flatly, "Hardly."

Petra smiled, feeling she was at least doing something right if he was finally able to smirk at her like that. She wasn't sure what had happened, but she knew full well that he wouldn't tell her if he didn't want to – there was no point in trying to beat it out of him. He was far too stubborn and would just tell her to fuck off eventually.

She dropped her arms down to her sides, feeling slightly awkward as her fingers traveled down his tan jacket, not sure why she had opted to touch him at all now that she thought about it. A new subject was in order. She cleared her throat, "You know, now that I think about it, you're the only one on the squad that I've never had a drink with Captain. What's that all about?"

"I don't exactly drink all that often."

"Well it's open bar tomorrow right? Maybe it's time we change that."

"Scratch that." He amended simply, "I don't drink with light weights."

Petra's mouth fell open, and she gave him an offended, weak slap across his chest, "Hey! I am not a light weight!"

Levi merely quirked and eyebrow and watched her, unconvinced. "Eld says otherwise."

Petra's eyes narrowed and she fell silent. Eld really did have a big mouth.

She exhaled and looked back to the boxes Levi had been busy strapping down, "Well at least I will look the part tomorrow. Took a bit, but we did find the right dress and I've got to say, she really knows her stuff in there. I know you didn't get to see it because it's all boxed up, but I really think you'll like it. It's actually quite stunning." She paused and changed her expression to be a little more playful, a sort of smolder in her gaze as she watched him with a mischievous sort of grin, "Although… tomorrow, we'll find out if it actually renders Humanity's Strongest speechless or not."

She shot him a wink at the end for added effect, and Levi's mouth fell open for a fraction of a second, internally questioning if Petra was…fuck, was she flirting with him?

Seeing his wide eyed, puzzled reaction and perceiving it as negative, Petra blushed all the more and sighed, looking at him sheepishly before giving a fake laugh as she nervously fiddled with the ends of her jacket self-consciously, "Man, I really can't pull that off, can I? Gods it's a good thing I'm already married, I'm apparently hopeless at this sort of thing. I'll go and…get my horse now."

As she turned in dismay, Levi blinked a few times, realizing that there was a palpable nervousness that ran through him from Petra's beckoning wink and flirtatious attitude, his heart rate increasing as a direct result.

Couldn't pull it off? Hopeless?

Fucking hell, she couldn't have been more wrong.

As it turned out, she didn't even need the dress to render him speechless.

...

End of Chapter

...

*eats slice of cake*

So, yall can't be too mad due to my societal upper hand of being birthday girl, but I'll give the light heads up that next week is a relatively short chapter, so that's a big reason as to why. Some chapters have been crazy long, so it all evens out I'd like to think.

Either way, let me know your thoughts and comments, perhaps any predictions as to how the party might go? I will say, I had my resources brain storming with me a long time to get the party just right. I hope it impresses you all! Anyhow, hope yall have an awesome week, and I'll see yall, business per usual, next Sunday!

~ Midnight the officially one year wiser, version 2.0