Hello my lovely readers!

Happy, happy Sunday. Hope you guys had an awesome week and that your weather wasn't as crummy as mine. It was sunny, then it was snowing, then raining, then sunny and warm again. While I appreciate the diversity and am used to the weirdo weather that comes with being from the Midwest, my allergies are going INSANE and I am waving the white flag because yall, this is going to end me.

Quick note here, I think last time I made an announcement regarding future updates, I believe I said that weekly updates would continue at least until March? Well, now that February is just about over, I figured it's time we look at what's practical again. After review and some SERIOUS focus, I'm pleased to say that I've still got a good amount of material written out in advance, where I can comfortably continue weekly updates until the end of May. As always, come that time, I'll look at my material and see where we're at.

Anywho, yall enjoy!

…

…

It was getting later in the day, late enough that the sun was cresting down and causing deep shadows to paint the forest with golden rays of light. It had been hours without stop. Hours of fixing. Hours of rerunning. Hours of frustration, and explanations, and 'just try once more' - even though it was never once more, at all.

Hanji and Petra would show him diagrams, and they'd all debate back and forth what the true difference was between numbers and application. He would give his feedback, his eyebrows creased in thought as he would confirm that what they were asking wasn't physically possible, but maybe if they looked at a different section, because what he was doing there felt right; didn't tire him out and was producing the desirable results, so if they could work with that and duplicate those results, then maybe that would work instead.

Petra and Hanji would nod at his feedback, start running some numbers, debate probabilities and various complicated strings of mathematical statistics, and then one of the women would try to translate their new idea, explaining how to adjust his footwork or other solutions that may continue to rework his final numbers more in their favor.

When Levi had landed on the ground from his most recently completed circuit, his assistant that had been assigned to help him reload his blades and gas tanks with each new lap - something Hanji had come up with in effort to save time, as gods forbid he have more than two minutes after each lap to recover - was already waiting for him with an expectant stare. "Well done, Captain. Impressive as always; I think this was your fastest lap yet," he stated with a nod, "Your wife wanted me to let you know that with that, she has all the data needed so now they are all waiting at the table for you, whenever you're ready of course."

Levi gave a nod, his response not so much one of agreement or from a place of authority, so much as a mere acknowledgement that he had in fact heard the man. After running laps all day, whereas Petra had predicted he was moving both quicker and more efficiently than he had the day previous, Levi was once again standing at the absolute edge of his limits. He took a deep, stabilizing breath as he placed an arm across the base of a nearby tree, thoroughly spent from the intense demands of their data mining because after back to back days of all-day drills like this, he was ready to drop.

From around him, the attendant pulled the gas canisters off him, unlatching the blades from his sides – something that would have traditionally bothered Levi considering the close contact, and for something so simple that he really could do on his own, but with how exhausted he was, he hardly even flinched as the man reached around his sides and removed the extra equipment from off of him, "I will run the equipment back to be properly weighed and cared for. Petr – oh, sorry, Mrs. Ackerman I mean, said that if it was okay with you, I could take my leave for the night afterward?"

Levi took a breath to respond, and gave a shallow nod, "That's fine."

The Scout walked away after an unneeded salute, and once the man was a safe distance away and near the forest clearing, Levi took another deep breath, feeling his arms and legs tremble and quake from sheer exhaustion. It was interesting, he realized after a moment of thought, he knew himself well of course – knew his capabilities and where his limitations stood, but it seemed that Petra was starting to learn those lines as well, as it was now back to back days where she had properly wagered how much he had to give, and refused to allow him to back down even a moment sooner and kept him persistently running laps until he physically couldn't anymore.

He wasn't sure if that made him more proud, or outright terrified, because if she was going to be in a position where she was running more theoretical scenarios in the future and would be turning to him as a resource, then she was almost as dangerous as Hanji. No, more so, he corrected himself with sudden realization and dread, because with Hanji, at least he could tell her no, but with Petra...

He gave a quiet exhale and carefully walked out from the training grounds, toward the area that Hanji and Petra had made their unofficial landing spot for data and numbers. Whereas yesterday had been spent just tracking the numbers in preparation for today, now that they had a solid foundation to work with, they had made a point of putting the numbers to immediate work that was adjusted and tweaked with every new lap.

Whatever the final outcome was, success or failure, Levi knew it was a completed matter that was out of his hands. He knew outright that there was an undeniable degree of success to her theory, that Petra's idea of intentionally training gas conservation in a manner that wouldn't sacrifice their speed or mobility had undoubtedly showed signs of being effective – however, the question remaining was, would it be enough to meet the demands of the government's thirteen percent ratio?

He could only hope.

When he moved out into the clearing, Levi was admittedly surprised to see that Erwin was also present, standing over Hanji with one arm down on the surface of the table as he stared over her shoulder and reviewed the numbers with a serious expression on his face. He could see the trio conversing, each holding their own pages of numbers in front of them and speaking back and forth with those same focused expressions, and Levi couldn't gauge if the outcome was positive or negative with one single passing glance.

When Levi slowly walked toward the table, his actions more stiff than he would have liked but knowing that it couldn't be helped, Erwin looked up toward him and gave a large smile, "Ah Captain, welcome back. We were all just looking at the data gathered throughout the day. Looks like the first few hours were pretty monotonous, but once the ball got rolling we're seeing some undeniable changes to your metrics. How do you feel?"

Levi gave a guarded nod as he continued walking toward the table with pained steps, "Like I've been put under the mercy of sadists who have no mercy to give. How the fuck do you think I feel?"

Erwin chuckled and motioned toward him with the paper in his hand, "Well your numbers are top notch Levi, as expected. I'm not sure I would have believed that choosing you as the test subject was the right way to go, but after looking at these numbers, I get it. This is impressive."

As Levi neared the table, he looked at the Commander and crossed his arms, "Enough with the posturing Erwin, you're just blowing smoke to piss me off because you know full well that I don't want the pep talk, I want the results. If we focused our training for the entire regiment, under the same format and watchful eye that Petra used on me today, would it actually work? You have been running the data all day so I know you've got the answer."

There was a pause that followed his question, and Levi wanted to groan as they each looked to Erwin to explain. Erwin cleared his throat and set the page down, "Your data today Levi, with Petra's coaching and guidance, your efficiencies increased by two percent – not something we are terribly worried about, as we mainly just don't want to see a trend of efficiencies decreasing as a result of this new methodology when using the 3DM gear." Levi nodded in understanding, as though urging the blonde to get to the point, and Erwin continued, "And as for your gas utilization, come this last hour you were consistently using an average of five percent less per lap, than you were the day before."

"Five percent?" Levi repeated, his eyebrows furrowing together in an immediate sort of frustration, and he tried not to look too disappointed, because Petra was right there and he knew that the wrong reaction from him would damage her far more than she would care to admit, especially with Erwin and Hanji around.

He kept his expression even, and he gave a thoughtful exhale, "Alright. So what's the plan? Do we-"

As he spoke, he felt his head spinning and he gave a forced cough, trying to clear his head as he placed a hand down on the table to steady himself. Though he would have thought his reaction to his own fatigue was kept minimal, Petra wasn't fooled and took a sharp inhale as she stood up, pushing off her arms as she rounded the corner and came to stand by his side, her voice hushed but laced with concern, "Captain, are you okay? Here, take a seat."

"Petra, I'm fine."

"But I'm just-"

"Petra."

She sighed, "…Fine, Captain."

Levi took another breath and turned his attention back to Erwin, who was watching the pair with a quirked eyebrow, but said nothing to their hushed squabbling, "Commander, what more needs to be done, or has it been officially concluded that this isn't enough to change our present circumstances?"

"Levi…" Petra opened her mouth, a new expression across her face that confirmed she wasn't referring to his standing; now she was responding to his concern about the lacking results, and Levi gave her a nod.

"Petra, it's fine. You've done more than enough, and we all knew from the beginning that it was a long shot. Even still, saving the five percent will-"

Suddenly, a musical laugh cut him off – Hanji – and the scientist stood up, "Levi, Levi stop. Your gas utilization decreased a whole five percent, that's huge!"

He allowed his attention to turn to Hanji, and he tried not to sigh, because if they were saying those things just to patronize Petra, to let her down easy, he knew it would only make it hurt worse for her in the long run. He watched Hanji with a dark, ominous stare, because he of all people knew how to coach his subordinate, and he didn't need their gentle, soft spoken tactics. "Perhaps, but the government is needing a decrease of thirteen percent, not five. What, are you hoping to implement the training and then reinstate a few of the impacted squads back to having full gas utilization again – as much as the five percent allows?"

From beside him, there was a warm laugh from Petra, and Levi suddenly got the feeling that he was not understanding something, because all three of them were now watching him with bemused expressions. Petra shook her head and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Captain, you yourself were the perfect test subject, because we knew you were already so efficient with your gas utilization. Of course more of our basic cadets have inefficiencies that can be drastically improved upon, so the numbers would have been all over the place and hard to pin in terms of constants. What we really needed was someone who is talented. We needed to understand how this training impacted someone like you, Captain - someone who isn't wasting gas, and someone who performs solidly and consistently, with high marks across the board in every area. We knew that if we saw tangible results in someone like yourself, we would see results, and good results, in everyone, without fail, without exception."

Levi took in her explanation, a sort of suspicion coming to his face, and when Petra merely smiled at his cautious expression, he turned his gaze to Erwin, and the blonde gave a nod.

"Levi, it will work."

The Captain felt a sort of confusion come over him, a sudden glimmer of hope growing within him, and Erwin smiled as he looked toward Petra in continued confirmation, "Seems like your wife came through for us in the end, just as I had expected she would. Took a bit of pushing from all sides, but…" Erwin nodded toward her proudly, "I'm quite pleased."

Levi felt his jaw fall slack as he realized that Petra had actually done it, she had truly solved the Regiment's dilemma with the gas shortage; something he had been beyond certain was far above her abilities, and Hanji spoke next as Levi still tried to come to terms with the new information, "The reality is if we can see five percent in someone like yourself, someone who was nearly perfect in their gas utilization; we spent some time comparing your numbers to the Regiment on a wholistic level, and we estimate that after completing this training, the Regiment will likely save anywhere from fourteen to sixteen percent on a monthly basis – keeping us well within the government's demands for the rationing."

"Commander," Petra's voice grabbed his attention, and Levi looked down at Petra in a sort of wonder as she spoke hesitantly, "With these results, does this finally mean that…"

Erwin nodded, "Yes, Petra. This means that no squads will be barred from gas, and no squads will have mandatory cross training either. I'll work with Hanji tonight to mobilize fellow Officers who can be trained, then turn around to facilitate training alongside yourself and Levi. Come tomorrow, we will aggressively start that specialized training and try to have the whole Regiment adjusted just as quickly as we are able. The sooner the better."

Erwin gave a chuckle at the now beaming smile across Petra's face, and he set down the papers in his hand onto the table with a warm expression, "You should be very proud of yourself, Mrs. Ackerman. The Scouts have a bright future and will have a true fighting chance at the next Expedition, and it's all thanks to you. I expect great things from you Petra; I'm certain this is only the beginning."

Hearing his words and feeling a sudden rush of what Petra was certain was a sort of euphoria, she gave a jump of excitement from her not broken ankle and threw her arms around Levi in a sudden, leaping embrace as she praised him outright in undisguised glee, "Captain, we did it! We actually, really did it!"

Levi felt the air knocked out of him and he gave a cough of surprise at her sudden advance, though as Petra began to wrap her arms around him and fall into him completely from her previous leap, his legs wobbled outright and buckled from underneath him at the additional weight and momentum, sending both himself and Petra to the ground in an immediate heap.

There was a sharp gasp from Petra at their sudden landing, and Levi tensed in immediate alarm.

"Petra!" he exclaimed in surprise, pushing up from the ground hurriedly with his forearms to look over her form, fearing that he may have landed on her or that she had torn her stitches in their sudden fall, "Fuck, are you insane? What are – Shit, are you oka-"

Petra's sudden laughter cut him off, and he exhaled in relief as she carefully looked up, still resting across his stomach and laughing all the more at his wide-eyed reaction. Her smile grew mischievous and she beamed, "Am I okay? First the data comes back with positive results where we have a tangible path ahead, and as if that alone wasn't enough, now I get to legitimately say that I knocked Humanity's Strongest on his ass, while I had a broken ankle of all things? Captain, I'm feeling great!"

Without even thinking, Petra leaned toward him and pressed her lips against his outright, seeming to forget they were in the midst of Levi's peers, forgetting that she was supposed to behave, and while the Captain flinched in surprise, alarmed and uncertain how he felt about the very public display of affection in front of Four Eyes and his own boss, Levi found that regardless his own discomfort, regardless the fact that he really never intended on putting his private, growing and changing relationship with her on full display, he just couldn't push her away. Her joy, her success, her excitement was so sincere and pure, so hard fought and deserved, that even though he could feel the smug stares of a certain Scientist and know it all Commander, even though he knew he'd be subjected to days of their taunts and jeers, he couldn't find it in himself to pull back, and with a sigh, Levi closed his eyes and returned her kiss intentionally, because regardless his reservations, it would mean something to her and he couldn't take that away from her just because he wanted to save face.

When she pulled away a moment later, a shy, nervous smile on her lips and a blush staining her cheeks, it seemed that she remembered they had company, and Levi sighed at her admittedly cute and remorseful response, because her sincere innocence never ceased to catch him off guard, and when she watched him like that with her large green, flustered eyes…he just couldn't be mad at her.

He cleared his throat and sat up, intentionally changing the subject in attempts to put his wife at ease, "I hate to burst your bubble Petra, but for the record, you did not knock me on my ass. Not officially at least. We weren't in a sparring match, you're off duty, this hardly counts."

"What do you mean it doesn't count?" the petite woman defended shrilly as she sat up from the ground in a sort of offended pout, "Where are all these stipulations coming from all of the sudden? What, it's only valid if there's a licensed notary on scene, witnesses, and a damned blood oath? What kind of bullshit is this? I knocked you to the ground, on your ass, fair and square!"

There was a gruff chuckle from Erwin from across the table, "You know if it helps Petra, I am in fact a licensed notary and I'd be happy to legalize an official statement if need be. From my perspective, it certainly looks like you took him down easily enough. Have to say, I expected more of you Levi. You can easily take out Titans that are over ten times your size, and can't even stand up to your own wife. Wouldn't have expected that."

Levi rolled his eyes at the Commander's words and stood up from the ground cautiously, his actions slowed by his fatigue; something the Ackerman tried to play off to the best of his ability. "I'd like to see you do that same circuit a hundred plus times and be able to walk out like this. My guess is you would have passed out before lunch."

Erwin smirked and gave a casual shrug, "Probably, but at least I wouldn't have been taken out by a shrimp like Petra – no offense, Petra."

There were a few snorts from both Petra and Hanji, and Levi's expression darkened all the more. He turned toward his wife, who was still on the ground, and with one hand on the table to steady himself, Levi extended his other hand toward her and pulled her up carefully, being certain to not over tax himself because he didn't want her falling again and injuring herself.

Erwin collected all the papers across the table and gave an accomplished exhale, "Well, it's been a long few days for everyone, and as exciting as these results are, I'm sure we all have better things to do than just sit here at this table and make jokes at Levi's expense – although I know we all have a soft spot for that one."

Again Levi rolled his eyes, and Petra placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning on him slightly as she watched him with a pleased smile. Her voice was hushed, but laced with adoration and sincerity, and any irritation Levi had regarding being laughed at left him instantly, "No, you were amazing Levi. I couldn't have done any of this without you, thank you so much. For real. You'll have to let me know, you know, how I can repay you. This means more to me than you know, and I know it wasn't easy."

Hearing her hushed words, Erwin merely smiled and gave Hanji an expectant nod, knowing that it was the appropriate time for them to bow out and leave the Ackermans to their own devices. "We'll go ahead and take our leave for the night; I'm sure you both want to get a jump on your celebrations after all. You two have fun, and we'll see you tomorrow morning."

As the blonde walked away, Hanji walking beside him step for step, Levi tried to ignore the underlying meaning to the Commander's assumptive words, and he took an accepting breath, looking over toward Petra curiously because irritating or not, Erwin had a point.

"So Petra…I don't know what sounds fun to you, but I suppose Erwin is right. In terms of celebrating or whatever, you've earned it and it's only fair that I support your success. Want to round up the squad, grab a few drinks? If you're wanting to stay here, well…maybe…Oh, it's been a while since you've all had a poker night, right?" Levi thought for a moment and frowned at his own words, speaking in a pensive mumble as he shook his head in sudden correction, "Wait, no. You've got a shitty poker face and Eld cleans you out every time because he knows you too well and you're a total sucker for his baiting."

Petra grumbled at his comment, and he continued, "So, something else that doesn't involve you padding that bastard's pockets."

Levi thought some of their options over, finding that he wasn't exactly keen on going out on the town; going to a bar or club and staying up late into the night with drinks on hand as he carted Petra around and tried to survive his team's drunken shenanigans. As irritating as the men could, and undoubtedly would be, he supposed there was benefit to bringing the whole squad along. At the very least, it would help keep Petra well protected in her attempts to unwind and celebrate, because Maria only knew how many men would try to hit on the beautiful ginger; offer to show her a good time and make suggestive remarks because her injury made her such an easy target where she couldn't escape their sleezy remarks without significant difficulty.

Aside from that, Petra had always seemed to legitimately enjoy her relationship with the squad, and considering the Squad had also supported her over the past few months, cut her some slack when she was ill-tempered, helped her with her cleaning duties, and showed her nothing but support and encouragement after her accident just a few days ago. In some ways, it really was the whole Squad's success and not just Petra's alone.

Although on the other hand, if they didn't invite the squad to come along, it would just be the two of them. That also had undeniable perks of its own, and Levi fiddled with the idea of taking Petra out; finding some new location she had never been to, sitting far too close to her and blaming it on the lack of seating because the bars in town were always just so damn crowded. He'd pull her back against him, run his nose up her neck, smell the alcohol on her breath, whisper a low few words of encouragement against her skin that she alone would hear, and he'd watch her blush because she'd be so embarrassed under the weight of his complete attention that she'd stutter and try her best to pretend she wasn't impacted by him in the slightest.

Maybe he'd kiss her then, in public, because what did he care, or maybe he wouldn't. The options were endless, and if he was going to go out then-

"Captain, I'm sorry to be so lame, but I'm exhausted and I don't trust myself to be in public while I'm still taking my pain medicine. I suppose we should do something though, I mean, it's a big deal and I've been working on this project for a while now. Maybe…say, I've got some chocolate in my room that I've been saving for a rainy day – how about we split that, call it a day and just go to bed?"

When Levi turned toward her in surprise, Petra misread his expression and gave a guarded laugh, "That is to say, unless you'd rather do something else? What are you thinking? You certainly did the brunt of the work, so whatever you want is…just fine."

Whatever he wanted? Levi tried not to groan, and he shook the sudden thoughts right out of his head because he knew she hadn't meant that.

"No, no I was just…surprised is all. No, what you said first is perfect. I suppose I can talk a big game, but I'm beat. You and Four Eyes don't mess around and after back to back days of your data collecting, a quiet night in sounds pretty ideal, if you're certain you're okay with that. Hold the chocolate though. You can keep that to yourself because I'm not a big fan of sweets."

The ginger's eyes widened and she looked outright insulted, "Wait, for real? You don't like chocolate? Have you…had it before? Levi, it's amazing!"

The Captain returned her stare with a perturbed look of his own, "What do you mean have I had it – yes, I've had chocolate before. It's not bad it's just…overwhelming. The most I can do is choke it down, and if you're hoarding it for a special occasion like this because you're such a fan of it, then you shouldn't waste any on me."

She wore a thoughtful expression, "Are you sure, Captain? I don't mind sharing."

He nodded, "I'm sure. Indulge or whatever. You've earned it."

She bit her lip in sudden anticipation, and Levi almost rolled his eyes at her obvious excitement, having had no idea that she was so obsessed with the sugary substance.

As Levi carefully grabbed her, much to Petra's alarm because she was certain that he was just trying to show off because she knew he was exhausted – something that perhaps wasn't an incorrect assumption – Levi shook his head at her prattling on about how chocolate was probably the greatest thing in the world and he just hadn't had the right kind yet because there was no way he could legitimately not like chocolate, well, he decided quietly that he would just have to take her out, maybe, some other time.

He took a few steps, his face showing signs of sudden intent and he looked down toward the woman in his arms with a strange expression that made her blush outright. He paused in place and spoke in a low whisper, "Oh, and before I forget…"

He allowed himself to lean into her ever so slightly, and as he felt Petra take a breath of surprise, he smirked against the skin of her neck, his lips tracing her skin as he spoke.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Ackerman."

…

End of Chapter

…

*happy sigh*

Yes, congratulations indeed Petra. Man yall, this arc (in case yall haven't noticed lol) is a BEAST and so if only because I had to write it out word by word, man oh man does this chapter make me smile because it was a LONG time coming for Petra and I love finally, finally getting to write out that success for her, and finally sharing it with yall, because you've walked that path with her step by step.

I'll go ahead and sign off. Thanks for your time, encouragement, and showing up each week like yall do, because it pushes me to keep writing and making sure that I am giving it my all. Till next time!

~Mid