Morning everyone!

So I will refrain, but I wish I could write a book of an author's note responding to all yall's comments one by one – in short (because I know yall don't need my speeches haha) I have received so much praise for how I am writing out the characters, the plot, all that, and truly I am so glad that this has become a staple for yall and a way people can join me in kicking back and relaxing a bit. I hope to continue to bring you great content that will blow your mind and make the start of your week amazing, so thank you for being faithful in giving me your feedback, growing through the characters with me, and putting up with my sappy speeches.

Enjoy the the chapter and happy Sunday :)

...

...

It wasn't much later that Petra was nestled in bed and as agreed, Levi remained with her. He chose to occupy the foot of her bed rather than lay beside her, wanting to ensure that a safe distance remained between them so there was no question of her (or his) intentions that would encourage boundaries to be tested.

He was resting with his back against the wall, his legs extended over the short end of her bed and a silence settled over the room as Petra attempted to relax and unwind from the day's rather taxing line of events. It was amusing to him to some extent, that even though Petra was fully splayed out across her bed, she was short enough that her feet didn't reach the end of the bed where he was sitting. If it weren't for the fact that they were talking every so often, she wouldn't have even known he was there at all.

"You know, since you're here," Petra whispered into the night air, a sort of calm bringing a gentleness to her tone as she spoke, "I've got some questions for you."

Levi turned his head to one side, not really able to see Petra now that the light was turned out. Whether it was just a cloudy night or a new moon, Levi couldn't be too sure, but there was virtually no light being diffused through her window and it made it impossible to see anything.

Levi turned his head back, choosing to face forward and rest his head against the wall considering there was no point in trying to see her now; it was just too dark. "I agreed to stay until you fell asleep, not to an interrogation."

He heard a disappointed sigh, "You're no fun Captain. Not even one question?"

"...One."

There was a contemplative pause and as the silence extended all the more, Levi began to regret putting a cap on the number of questions he would answer. In the moment he hadn't thought of it - defensive by nature and off put by the sheer vagueness of 'questions' - but it was likely that she would have asked simple, mindless things of him – he imagined things such as his, likes, dislikes, hobbies, things she somewhat already knew of him with enough thought – but now that she was limited to just one question, it was obvious that she was intentionally thinking of something deeper; a loaded or meaningful query that would be considerably less simple to answer.

He could only wait in silence, curious as to what his subordinate would end up asking him in the end. He supposed to some extent; it would shed a bit of light on her as well. Of all things she wanted to know, what was the one thing she wanted to know the most about him? It was an interesting concept in its own way and he found himself somewhat intrigued as to what Petra would come up with.

Another extended silence passed by, and he heard her lips part as she took a small breath and prepared to speak.

"Alright. Tell me Captain, why do you fight?"

Levi blinked at her question as she continued, "In the Scouts, I mean. I've heard rumors just like everyone else, something to do with Erwin forcing you here or whatever, but we both know that if you didn't want to be in the Scouts, you'd have every ability to just disappear into the night, and yet… here you are."

She paused and rolled onto her back, the mattress shifting beneath her as she spoke and her voice now directed at him from the adjusted angle, "So why do you do it? What makes Humanity's Strongest battle the Titans instead of….crime, or drug lords, or some other important cause? Why the Titans?"

Levi gave an empty smirk at her word choice that painted him to be some sort of apparent do-gooder or self-contrived hero, admittedly perplexed that above all, she wanted to know his motive for being involved in the war against the Titans. He crossed his arms over his chest, still finding her question an admittedly strange choice. "All the things you could ask – aren't you curious about…I don't know, my past? The circumstances that led to Erwin bringing me here? Maybe something like the number of partners I've been with? You aren't curious about those things?"

He could feel Petra shift again, the bed creaking in protest as she sat up violently. Her voice sounded closer due to her upright position and her voice was sharp with unease, "Well now I am!"

Levi made a face, realizing that he had only opened a can of worms by putting those thoughts in her head, and he decided to ignore her outburst considering he had only agreed to just the one question because he really didn't want to have to explain…any of those things to her.

"I fight because I must." He stated simply, and though he couldn't see it, he could so easily imagine her expression as a dark silence followed his answer - her narrowed eyes, her protruding, pouting lips, and her wrinkled nose as she reviewed his words mentally.

She was frowning, he was certain of it.

"That's it? You make a big deal out of only answering just the one question and then you sidestep it with an answer like that?" her tone only confirmed his prior assumption and he felt himself give a snort of amusement as she continued in offense, "I want a new question! If you aren't going to give me a real answer then it doesn't count!"

"Alright, alright." He conceded and Petra hesitantly laid back down against the mattress, shifting for a few moments until finding a comfortable position and falling still again as she waited for an actual, more insightful answer.

"When I first came to the Scouts, it was due to a sort of deal I made with Erwin and all due respect, but that's not a story I intend on regaling with you. For a time, perhaps I was just floating in the Scouts with no clear cut goal in mind, but as other Scouts kept dying all around me, eventually there was one expedition where a man on my squad died in my arms and I promised him that I would keep fighting on in his stead."

Levi paused at the memory solemnly and he took a moment to reflect over all that had changed since then. That Expedition had been so long ago, before he was even a Captain. While Levi was naturally skilled in most things that required physical coordination and strength, he knew a great deal more now than he did back then, and in hindsight, it was a miracle he had survived with some of the sloppy, grandiose maneuvers he frequently made use of back then.

"He was the first that I made such a promise to. There have been many since, and as much as I'd like to believe otherwise, there are many still to come. People look at me as 'Humanity's Strongest' and they see me as some sort of living testament that things will change. I don't know about that, but…"

He spoke quietly in admission, "I may be many things, but I am a man of my word. As long as I have the strength to fight, I will; simple as that. That way, for those that have given their life for our cause, maybe…it wouldn't have all been in vain. Maybe their sacrifice will have actually meant something. At least, that's what I hope."

Petra gave a soft smile as a warmness filled her after hearing the conviction he so clearly spoke with. A small moment passed as they sat in silence, and Petra spoke tenderly, "Wow. That's…really cool, Captain."

"What about you?" Levi found himself asking, almost suspiciously, and he shifted toward her even though he wouldn't be able to see her. It was his firm belief that only truly fucked up people found their way into the Scout Regiment, and while he had never quite been able to pinpoint where, or how Petra had come to fit in their ranks, he knew without question that the twisted sort of something was nestled deep within her, because it always was, without exception.

People did not fight something as traumatizing, as bloodcurdling as the Titans without some kind of even greater trauma that ran deep, into the very core of their being that fueled them past the point of reason and made them abandon their very instincts to survive. Levi had pondered for years what dark thing or twisted series of events had caused a good girl like Petra to seek out the Scouts, but the opportunity had never presented itself as there just wasn't a good way to ask that sort of thing, until now.

Levi allowed his face to turn towards the direction he imagined she was facing, his voice pensive as he spoke, "You have the beauty and the charm to settle down with a rich man and live a carefree life somewhere in Wall Sina. You have the talent and drive to work in any field you wanted, if you even wanted to work in the first place, and yet…here you are, on a squad of men and married to a man almost, what, seven, eight years older than you?"

He knew her motives weren't up for his judgement, but even still, it simply didn't make sense as to why she had gone so far for such a life that was in many ways, beneath her. She could have gone back home, could have settled down, could have had such an easy, carefree existence that any normal person would be envious of – but she simply hadn't wanted it.

"Why?" he asked simply.

As a lingering silence came over the room, Petra pressed her lips together, blushing at Levi's words. She doubted he even knew that he had given her such overwhelming praise in his attempts to verbalize and justify his curiosity, and the fact he wasn't even trying to compliment her, as though he were just stating an obvious fact, only made his words that much more valuable to her as it spoke volumes regarding his true thoughts about her.

Even still…as she tried to find a way to answer his question in a way that was honest, she frowned, and an unwitting shiver went down her spine.

"I…"

Her words caught in her throat as dark memories began coming back to her, and she shook her head and cleared her throat firmly, finding she was now laying rigidly as her breathing increased and her skin broke out in a nervous sweat. It had been so long ago now, but as she thought about it, it was like she was right there, reliving it.

"I…"

Her voice trembled and there was a long sigh from the Captain, "…That bad, huh?"

She blinked once or twice, trying to ward the thoughts away as his voice brought her out of her mental stupor. As she tried to respond, her voice was a distant whisper and she fought to find the courage needed to speak past her trembling, "Sorry Captain, I don't…like to talk about it."

"Then don't."

A silence fell over the room.

No questions. No explanations.

Just a shared feeling of mutual understanding and acceptance between the Captain and his subordinate.

…

…

Levi carefully, gently closed the door behind him as he made his way out of her room, being careful to not make a sound as he lightly turned on his heel in preparation to move toward his office. As he took a step forward, he placed his foot down and all but tripped over-

"Eld?" Levi asked in surprise, catching his footing before he actually stumbled forward – one hand still clenched on the doorknob as he looked down at his second in command who was sitting down on the floor, leaning back against the wall with his legs outstretched. He looked as though he had been sitting there for hours, and Levi's eyes narrowed.

Eld looked up and gave a nod, standing up to his feet and dusting himself off. Levi looked at him suspiciously, "Eld. How long have you been there?"

Eld merely shrugged, "You're headed to your office right? I'll walk with you."

Levi watched him critically, though when Eld said nothing and gave a tilt of his head to signal they should start moving, Levi exhaled through his nose tensely, "Suit yourself."

When they were a safe distance away from the door, Eld cleared his throat. "I've actually been looking for you for a while now. I started in your office, then visited Erwin and Hanji's offices but they weren't there either, I checked the training grounds, looked in your room – I had no idea where you might have stormed off to, and after a while I had to call it quits because as much as I was hoping to run into you, I needed to make sure Petra was okay and had to give up my search."

Eld paused and gave a shrug, "I will say, I would never have expected to find you there, but I suppose it all works out in the end because I got to hear some… fascinating things."

"How long-"

"Was I there." Eld finished his sentence flatly, speaking over Levi with a roll of his eyes, "Always down to business with you."

As Levi continued to stare at him in irritation, Eld looked at the hallway ahead of them and nodded, "I was there for a long while, Levi. Imagine my surprise upon almost knocking on the door to console Petra, and then hearing your voice; apologizing to her on your own accord and consoling her yourself."

Levi remained quiet, though his head shot toward Eld as the blonde continued with a nervous sort of chuckle, "Imagine my greater surprise to hear how Petra responded to your rather intriguing, perhaps even underhanded methods of persuasion. Gotta say that was…also an attention grabber."

At Eld's large eyes and concerned, almost horrified look, Levi knew full well what Eld was in reference towards and the Captain practically groaned.

"You heard that? Wait, you were listening to that?" Levi pressed, not sure if he was more surprised that Eld had actually been on the other side of the door at all, or if he was more surprised that Eld had heard what was happening physically between them and still chose to stay.

Levi's blue eyes narrowed considerably.

"You're fucking sick, you voyeuristic, creepy bastard. If I had known you were eavesdropping, I would have beaten the shit out of you. Better yet, I would have let Petra beat the shit out of you. That's fucked up." Levi continued to eye him flatly, his nose crinkled in disgust, and Eld laughed.

"Calm down, lover boy. I only stayed because I care for Petra, and you, and you said it yourself - she was vulnerable and not herself and it wouldn't have been right for either of you. I know how hard it would have been for me to deny Emily back in the day if I had been in a similar situation, and I wanted to stick around to make sure that no lines were crossed. That's all."

A silence fell over them, and Levi still watched Eld critically, still unsatisfied and suspicious of his answer.

The taller male's expression changed into something more serious, and he frowned, "I was looking for you earlier because I was intending to chew you out even more. I stand by everything I said this afternoon, and after seeing how you snapped and intentionally took your anger out on Petra specifically, it made me furious. I was going to find you, and tell you that you weren't ready to be with her, that you were-"

Eld paused midsentence and shook his head as he tried to pick his words; seeming to mentally change gears as his voice softened in a sort of reflection, "Say Levi - how long's it been now? Three, almost four months right? When Petra told me that you were getting married, you came in a bit during the middle of it all, but I told her flat out that you could never make her happy and that I wouldn't support the marriage because of it. After watching how you treated her this afternoon, I was certain that she had made the biggest mistake of her life but…"

Levi looked up toward him with a raised eyebrow and Eld gave a long-suffering sigh of defeat, "But then I heard you in the room with her, when you thought it was just the two of you." Eld looked back at Levi and watched him with a critical, serious stare of his own, "I'm not talking about what happened, or didn't happen, between you guys physically. I meant before all that. You're…different with her, when you're alone like that. You're patient, you listen, you were sincere and…and I am starting to think that maybe I was wrong."

Eld looked down the pathway again, a long pause falling between them as he picked his words, "This afternoon, I brought it all up because Captain…I can't help but speak up on her behalf because you hurt her. Petra told me a little about the banquet and I won't share the details of our conversation out of respect for her privacy, but honestly, I'll just say that you made quite an impression on her, whether you like it or not. Whatever happened later that night caused an even bigger impression on her, and I know full well you've noticed because you've both been tiptoeing around each other ever since. I know you feel guilty, but today's events aside – I just want to say that Petra thinks the world of you, and bit by bit, even if she doesn't see it yet, she's viewing you through the lens of her husband, more than just her Captain. You've got to figure out where you stand in all this, you know? Of course you've got a number of rough edges Levi, there's no denying that, but you're a good man. I've always believed that."

Levi's gaze fell to the ground and he shook his head, "Well you're a fool, because I'm not a 'good man' - I'm just not a monster."

Eld smirked at the Captain's easy dismissal, "Deny whatever you want but your actions don't lie. You didn't have to apologize, you didn't have to stay with her, you could have taken advantage of the situation – granted I would have stepped in, but you didn't know that at the time. All I'm saying is, I think you are making her happy already, even if you are both too blind to see it, and I guess that I'm, well…I'm happy for you."

"How touching. Is that all?" Levi replied in a monotone, still defensive fashion as they reached his office. He opened the door and stepped inside quietly before taking a seat in his chair, looking over to Eld who was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

"No. I also wanted to apologize for how I confronted you today."

Levi crossed his arms as well and leaned back into his chair, a sort of brooding expression over his face as Eld continued, "I still think I was right to call you out, but I can see that the manner I utilized was harmful and did more damage than anything else. Some of the blame for what happened today falls on my shoulders. Granted, I've got to admit I'm happy with this outcome because you and Petra made up and I think that will help the squad immensely going forward – but I know full well that I can't take credit for that. In the future, any concerns I have with you will be addressed one on one in a private, controlled setting."

Levi nodded pensively as a sort of silence blanketed the room, "I would appreciate that."

Eld watched Levi with resolve, his voice firm and reflecting how serious he was, "I know things got heated today, so I feel that it's a good time to say this. I'm happy to be on this squad and even if you're not perfect, we all know that you lead this team to the best of your ability, and honestly, you do a damn good job. You have my respect…Captain."

Hearing the use of his title, Levi blinked and watched Eld with wide eyes, relieved to hear such a thing from him after a point had been made earlier that he no longer deserved his title. The title itself he couldn't care less about, but the relationships he had built, the respect he had given and received over the years – that mattered, and he was fearful that he had done permanent damage in his previous lapse of control.

Eld gave a smile and pushed himself off the doorframe, "I'll make sure Gunther and Oluo are on the same page tomorrow, so don't worry about them. We should get right back to the grind and keep adjusting the Omega formation, business as usual, you know? Honestly Levi, Petra's not the only one who had a long day, we all did, yourself included, so try not to stay up too late because even Humanity's Strongest needs to recoup after a day like today."

With that, Eld gave a wave and turned out toward the hallway, disappearing from view as he moved out of the room. Levi stood up from his chair, prepared to walk after Eld if he had to, "Eld, wait."

The blonde popped back into the door with a curious expression and Levi took a breath of preparation as he chose his words intentionally, "…You know there's a reason I selected you as my second in command, right?"

More than one, in fact, but Levi didn't feel the need to get into the details in such a setting.

Eld gave a sort of laugh and smiled, "Yeah, I do."

Levi nodded and held his gaze firmly, "Good. I trust you, Eld, and I trust in your judgement. Don't let me down."

"Of course not. Goodnight, Captain."

As Eld's footsteps receded down the hallway, Levi slowly sank back in his chair and allowed himself to release a pent-up exhale as he thought about the past few weeks and everything that had led up to today.

He had seen it in Petra for weeks now, and unbeknownst to him, the rest of his squad had also been carrying on in a time where he was absent and out of sorts; all of them completing their tasks without complaint or judgement regardless the lapse of strong leadership. It was good to know that even in the event that he completely messed up and fell flat on his face, his squad had every ability to carry on just the same; place themselves under his authority with a resolve and professionalism that he himself lacked at times.

It made him proud, of all of them.

And he would make sure to thank them for it, tomorrow.

...

…

"So you're saying we should just pretend that yesterday didn't happen?"

"No, I'm just saying that it would be best for the entire squad if we didn't dwell on the past, forgive and forget, and move on."

Levi was walking toward the main room, dressed and prepared for their upcoming day of training, but as he started to hear traces of his squad's present conversation, he found himself stalling at the edge of the hallway instead of making his presence known by actually walking into the room.

Eld had told him last night that he intended to address Gunther and Oluo directly, and Levi suspected that that was what he was presently hearing, only mid conversation. It wasn't that he was unable to speak for himself or trying to avoid taking ownership for his poor decisions yesterday, but there was benefit to hearing his squad's true thoughts about the situation and he decided against interrupting them for the time being.

So he waited.

"I don't care what he said to us, what I care about is how Petra feels." Gunther's voice chimed in, and Levi held back a sigh as he leaned against the hallway wall patiently.

"Gunther, I told you, Levi talked to me specifically yesterday. He apologized and I really think he meant it. I agree with Eld, holding onto anger won't do anyone a bit of good. I think we should just go about our day like normal. We're all professionals and have a job to see to, so let's see to it like adults and move on."

"Besides," Eld joined in, "If you or Oluo are still that upset about it, then you need to resolve it with Levi on your own time. There's no need to make this thing draw out any longer, as the pettiness of one does not justify hours of wasted time with complaints or insubordination. I also ran into him yesterday, and like Petra said, he wasn't exactly proud. Fact of the matter is – things have been different on the squad for a while now, and that much isn't going to change. Let's cut everyone a bit of slack here because this situation isn't exactly a common one, and even if it's a bit unorthodox or complicated, we all need to keep moving forward just the same."

"That may be well and all, I mean, if Petra says its fine, then it's fine," Oluo's voice was heard next, "But what if Levi himself is still out of sorts and is afraid that we won't listen to him? You were already gone at the time Petra, but we kind of took a stand and I could see where Levi might be hesitant around us. Are we supposed to like…I don't know, make him a card or something?"

There were a few groans, and there was some sort of shuffling heard.

Petra's voice came next, and Levi gave a half smile at her words, "I've already thought of that. Eld told me everything this morning, so I made the coffee extra, extra dark – the way the Captain prefers it. I know it's just a small gesture, but I've already poured him a cup and set it aside; I think he'll appreciate the thought. When he comes in, which honestly should be any time now, we can just all relax and hang out for a bit, not pressure him and just…you know, take it easy. He may not know what to say, but I think that if he comes in and sees that we are treating this day like any other day, he'll unwind a bit and come to terms with the fact that…we're all cool."

Oluo's voice came once again, and it was more of a gentler tone that was hard for Levi to hear, "So Petra, for real, you and the Captain are fine?"

There was a pause, and even Levi himself was curious as to what her answer would be.

"Yeah, we're cool."

There was a warmness to her tone that made him feel relieved. He would like to think that he had left her room under good terms yesterday, but he knew full well that even with an apology, even though she herself said that she felt he was sincere, that didn't erase the past or the pain that came with it and he would have understood full well if she wanted to hang onto her bitterness and anger, at least for a while longer yet. He supposed he was lucky that Petra was so forgiving, because had it been the other way around, he wasn't sure he would be as accepting or gracious.

A silence came over the area, the conversation apparently at an end, but to make sure his entrance wasn't too convenient, he waited a few more minutes before standing up off the wall and walking into the room casually, as though he had no idea of the conversation that had taken place previously. If Petra and Eld had somewhat tag teamed to make sure the morning ran as smoothly as possible, he would play along because honestly, just getting back to normal sounded ideal.

As he walked into the room, it was Petra who noticed him first, and she gave him a bright smile, "Good morning Cap- oh, um, that is… Hi, Captain!"

He made a face of amusement at her even worse greeting – it seemed she remembered his complaint about her irritatingly perfect 'Good Morning Captain' and attempted to greet him differently at the last minute, but the way it came out was almost more cringey, and even Petra herself made a sort of confused, soured sort of expression after hearing how strange it sounded.

"Good morning, Petra." He responded evenly, nodding toward her, then toward Eld who merely gave a quiet wave.

He made his way toward the end of the table, and Petra cleared her throat as he passed her, "I, uh, made the coffee on the darker side today. You know, because a lot of us were up late last night so I thought it might…perk the squad up a bit. We've all been out here for some time now and I didn't want the squad to drink all of it without you getting a fair shot at it, so I…poured you a cup."

"You never pour me a cup of coffee..." Oluo whispered bitterly, and Petra shot him a venomous stare, "Shush!"

Levi bit back a laugh, inwardly amused considering he knew the real reason that had fueled her to make the coffee with his tastes in mind, as well as why she had gone out of her way to pour him his own coffee like she had.

He gave no discernable reaction, only giving a single nod as he sat down in his seat, "Okay, thanks."

They began talking about other squads who were impacted by the gas shortage, discussing other teams who would have to undergo cross training today and how they weren't envious of their fates as no one tended to enjoy cross training – and as they conversed lightly amongst themselves, Levi had to admit, if he hadn't known they were intentionally making a point of being casual, he may have actually fallen for it and believed they were completely over the events that had taken place yesterday.

"Hey Captain," Gunther turned his attention toward him, "Just to be clear, we are able to use the 3DM gear today right? It's just Thursdays that we have to cross train?"

Levi grabbed his coffee cup and nodded, "Yeah, that's what I understand. Granted, if the gas shortage isn't fixed quickly, I wouldn't be surprised if each squad was assigned an additional day of cross training here in the near future, but for the time being, it's just the one day per squad."

Gunther nodded, and fell silent again.

Petra and Eld began exchanging their theories about ways the military could ration out the remaining gas stores more effectively, and Levi exhaled. He wasn't sure how long the gas shortage and forced rationing would be in effect, but he could only hope that things returned to normal quickly, because he had been so certain they were close to a break through regarding the Omega formation, and taking a full day off every week put a significant stopper to his plans.

Levi brought the coffee cup to his lips, taking a swallow of the liquid and –

The moment he took a drink of his coffee, he instantly gagged and his tongue puckered at the overwhelming, thick and grainy, bitter – He found himself dramatically spitting out the liquid to such an extent that it actually sprayed out in front of him and he set the porcelain down, violently coughing out the semi-liquid, semi coffee ground laced slop as his gag reflex continued to make him reject the vile liquid he had brought into his mouth a moment ago.

All at once, the room was roaring with rigorous, raucous laughter, and Levi realized that he had successfully been pranked, though there was little he could do about it as he continued to suffer through the effects of whatever the fuck it was they had done to his coffee.

As he coughed, a mix of coffee grounds and liquid ran down his mouth, and he scraped his tongue over the edge of his teeth between a combination of coughs and attempts of clearing his throat, still trying to get that, fuck what was that, out of his mouth. He could taste coffee, but it was like there had been an even ratio of liquid, to coffee grounds, to something else that left a lingering, burning aftertaste that made his eyes water miserably.

Fuck, what-

He looked at the table and realized that their saltshaker was practically empty, and his eyes narrowed, though he could only give a few more firm coughs from the overwhelmingly bitter, salty, coffee-ground filled abomination that continued to make his eyes burn and tear up.

"I can't believe it actually worked!" Eld all but cried as he laughed loudly, and Petra was laughing so hard she had tears running out of her eyes.

"The look on his face though, holy shit! How much salt did you put in that thing Petra?"

"All of it?" she replied in a high-pitched wail that was marred from her rigorous laughter, and the squad only laughed all the more.

Taking mercy on him as Levi blinked and made a gasping face, Eld slid a water bottle across the table, which the Captain wasted no time in utilizing. He stood up from the table and pulled water into his mouth greedily, swishing the liquid around in his mouth before moving toward the sink to spit it out. He cleared his throat firmly a few more times before finally drinking the entire bottle of water to clear the lingering salty and bitter aftertaste from off his tongue.

Though the squad tried to sober their reactions as Levi came back into the room wearing a sort of stupefied, surprised expression across his face, only able to look at them with wide, questioning and flustered eyes, Oluo snorted, "Hey, uh Captain, you've got a little something on your chin."

Again his squad burst into laughter, and Levi groaned as he realized there were a number of coffee grounds still over his face. Admittedly embarrassed, he ran his hand over his mouth to wipe the rest of the coffee grounds away, and Petra looked up toward him proudly, speaking between fits of giggles as she watched him, "Made it…just the way you like it Captain, right?"

"Serves you right for eavesdropping!" Eld taunted proudly with a shake of his head, then nodded toward Oluo and Gunther, "Nice acting by the way; you all sounded so sincere, worried for Petra and everything. I still can't believe it worked!"

At Eld's compliment, Gunther and Eld smiled smugly by way of response and at that moment, every member of Levi's squad was watching him with a pleased, challenging expression. As they watched him victoriously for a response, their laughter came to an instant halt and their faces fell simultaneously as they watched him.

They knew from the start that it was a risky move pulling a prank on Levi, who was so touchy about everything-

So when the Captain began laughing, a real laugh, they were taken aback.

"Fuck…" Levi stated lowly as a building laugh began to make his shoulders tremble, and his laughter only continued to strengthen the more he thought about it.

That whole conversation had been staged? They knew him that well, that they had him pegged down to a science and knew he wouldn't fuss about Petra preparing his coffee for him, knew he wouldn't question them considering their previous 'conversation' and in turn, had actually used their fight as an avenue to pull a fast one on him. He was laughing all the more, to the extent that his stomach was aching because he didn't even know the last time he had laughed this hard.

"Fuck!" he repeated again and shook his head, looking up toward his squad and smiling in a sort of amazement as he laughed just the same, "Fuck every last one of you!"

He crossed his arms as his laughter slowly died down, and he gave a sobering cough as he cleared his throat, though the awkward smile remained on his face as he nodded toward his team, "Well if you all had enough time to prepare something like that, then it's safe to say you're all awake and ready to work. Let's get moving to the supply hall and make up for lost time."

"But for the record." Levi spoke up as his squad began moving toward the door, each pausing in place and looking at him curiously with warm smiles, "That was still better than Gunther's coffee."

The squad laughed at his words, and insults were exchanged between them as they all walked toward the door. It was as they were leaving, each walking out one by one and laughing, already making bets about who would be the fastest or how many times they would rerun the Omega formation that Petra turned around and looked back at him.

Levi quirked an eyebrow as she somewhat stalled in her steps, and it was then that she shot him a single wink, as though to say 'Well what d'you know' before turning back toward the squad and adding in her own thoughts about how the day might go. As he quietly followed after them, he gave an amused chuckle, shaking his head in wonder as he realized that Erwin had been right all along.

He wouldn't have actually believed him because he saw their faces yesterday, their anger and defiance, but truly…

His squad really was…quite special.

...

End of Chapter

...

BBAAHAHHAHAHAHAHA.

*wipes a tear* Okay, so I really hope yall at least got some laughs out of that, because I die laughing just about every time I read it! Obviously there is a lot going on here, but for the most part, this chapter wraps up the end of the 'Fallout' Arc. Lot of important stuff in here – I especially love Levi's mental callout of wondering where/how Petra ended up in the Scouts because plain and simple, to join the Scouts specifically and deny one's own survival instincts means that something traumatic must have happened in their life that trumps those baser rules, and he knows Petra is no exception.

Alright yall, that wraps up this week! See you next Sunday!