Hello readers and happy Sunday!
Not too much to say here, so I'll just keep it short and say thanks so much for all your constant support and showing up each week as we continue walking this plot step by step. Enjoy this chapter!
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Levi grabbed her extended wrist tightly, giving her a reproving stare at the force behind her swing. He peaked his head to the side of her fist, that had been aimed straight for his jawline, watching her with a quirked eyebrow as he spoke, "Watch it. I told you this is for conditioning - to stretch out your muscles and carefully bring your strength back up. If you go all out, you're just going to injure yourself."
Petra gave a pull on her wrist, though Levi merely held her arm in place, not permitting her to turn to her previous routine. Petra groaned, "Captain, I'm just so bored. Come on, spar with me. I can handle it!"
"No." he corrected, irritated that she clearly wasn't taking the time seriously and slapping the back of her hand with a flick of his wrist.
Petra's mouth dropped open and she flinched at the sharp stinging sensation that ran up her arm. "Did you just…slap me?" she gaped in alarm and looked down at her now red hand in surprise, "Ow! That…that actually hurt! What the hell?"
"You gonna listen to me?" He retorted curtly, watching her with a serious and miffed stare. Though he was in fact greatly amused by her reaction to his slapping her hand, he kept his expression firm, "Did I not tell you that I would be the one to rehabilitate you? You're the one who said you wanted to start training as soon as possible, and while it's not as easy out here considering the lack of equipment and resources, I can make do. But if you just want to fuck around then you're on your own."
He released Petra's wrist with a slight toss, and she took a moment to rub her hand remorsefully. She seemed to think for a moment and stole a glance toward him, "If I go through all the routines then…maybe…one sparring match at the end?"
Levi crossed his arms and gave a long sigh, "You know, you're not normally this much of a pain in the ass when we're training. Just because it's less formal doesn't mean that I don't expect to see focus and results."
She smiled at his observation and shrugged, "Yeah, well we're technically off duty, so I get to be a bit more stubborn and at least ask. Worst you can do is say no, right?"
He actually chuckled at her optimism, giving a few nods and walking towards her directly, "Uh, no. There's a lot worse that I can do. You see, usually when I see my subordinates being so…stubborn, and difficult to train, I've found that giving them gentle correction-" He had started to circle her as he spoke, however as he moved behind her, he popped her on the backside of the head with his palm; earning yet another 'Ow!' from Petra as she rubbed the back of her head with a frown.
Levi smirked and continued where he left off, "Well, it often tends to set them on the right path. Granted I normally don't have to use those methods on you, because you usually fucking listen to me, but hell, first time for everything. It appears that I'll have to ask again: Are you going to listen to me?"
She turned around toward him, still rubbing her head with a frown, "Of course I am, but…"
He quirked an eyebrow at hearing a 'but' and she gave a sigh, "You're no fun, Captain."
He motioned toward her seriously with a no-nonsense stare, "Basic moves Petra, now."
She gave a conceding nod and exhaled in a sobering fashion, her expression finally turning serious as she swung her fist toward him, but this time in a slower, controlled pace as she moved her legs beneath her in time to match her jab, and he watched her elongated form with a nod of his head, "Good. Keep doing that until I say otherwise."
She gave a single nod and slowly sank back into a half crouch, rising up and punching in the air toward an invisible target, and again he began circling her, looking over her form critically as she moved. As she continued, Levi neared her side as she rose up again, standing directly behind her as he allowed his hand to ghost over her shoulder, pushing her one shoulder forward and pulling the other back toward him lightly.
Her expression remained just as focused as he moved her gently, and he spoke softly as to not break her focus, "When you jab, try rotating your shoulders just slightly, like this." As she moved into the next action, she moved her shoulders herself in attempts to replicate his instruction, and he again had his hands hovering just above her lithe form, encouraging her to loosen up and move a bit more fluidly through the motion, "No, no, not so much because now you're over rotating. You don't want to lose your momentum when you twist; you want the power to come through your legs, up your torso, and when you twist just slightly here, your power is more efficiently carried through your arm, and into your opponent."
Petra gave a deft nod, crouching again and moving forward just slightly, twisting ever so carefully as he had directed her and pushing her arm forward with extreme control. He nodded, "Just like that. Now do it again."
They had continued doing basic conditioning, each action painfully slow and intentional. Regardless the slower pace, Petra found her limbs were trembling because the finesse of each exercise required so much control of her muscles that she was legitimately fatigued.
As she moved, Levi continued to hover around her, whispering short instructions, carefully adjusting her body until she perfected each motion to his liking. While she was mainly focused on getting through each exercise – she had to be considering the Captain was a perfectionist by nature and was watching her every move with a critical stare – some part of her was struggling with coming to terms with the fact that she was actually getting private instruction from Levi himself, and though she had already known it considering he was her Commanding Officer, she found that she had forgotten the simple fact that he was a surprisingly good teacher.
While it frequently irritated him, Petra understood why he was so often tapped to assist with training or why he was called on when it came to new formations or theoretical situations – he had a natural ability to produce results, and people (herself included) longed to impress him. What was more, with his odd style of authority – lax in some ways but brutal in others – made people respect him and want to follow him.
"Alright," Levi spoke softly, "Let's try some kicks. Crouch down again, yeah like that, and this time," he had somewhat bent down with her, pulling her upper body to one side as she began to stand up from the ground, helping her to prepare for the right kind of kick as he guided her form lightly, mirroring her actions from behind her as he guided her with whispering, phantom touches. He tapped her outer leg and nodded, and Petra slowly extended her leg, adjusting the height of her kick based off how far the Captain was pulling her down to one side. He tapped her leg again and whispered, "No, don't point your toe. Nothing's wrong with that, but I'm wanting to gauge other muscles for this. Kick out with your heel instead. Again."
She gave a nod and crouched back toward the ground, allowing Levi to guide her as he grabbed her back hip in preparation, "Now put your weight here. You're going to kick high this time, very high, so if you're not properly positioned, you're going to fall." Again she nodded, and switched her weight into the opposite leg with a determined expression, again moving upward from her crouch ever so slightly as she slowly stood up, being pulled to lean over her side as she extended her outer leg into the air.
As she extended her leg out, Levi pulled her even lower, and lower still until her leg was angled almost above her head. He was almost pulling her inch by inch, as though checking to see something – what she wasn't sure – until all at once, she gave a sharp gasp as her ankle throbbed and sent a stabbing sensation up her body as the angle ignited a sensitivity from where she had injured it.
She tensed and pulled back, though the Captain was prepared and spoke over her initial gut reaction from the pain.
"Stay, stay." Levi urged her with a still soft voice, his arms tightening around her shoulders and holding her in position. Though she did as instructed, her ankle continued to protest at not just her body weight, but also the needed control and forced stabilization that taxed her still healing bones and muscles, and a whimper left her when Levi pulled her even lower to the ground, his eyes narrowed and focused on her ankle as he spoke, "Alright, now just a little more."
While Petra didn't have the strength to comply with his order, Levi was able to pull her again until she was panting from the pain. "Lean on me a little, it's okay." She gave a nod and allowed her upper body to fall into his chest, as he was also crouching down to the ground; lowering the both of them until Petra gave an all-out cry, because the adjusted position only put that much more strain on her sensitive joints.
"Tough it out." he stated in her ear, "This position is targeting where your ankle broke, and babying it won't help you strengthen it back up. In a controlled setting like this, you are forcing it to adjust to the strain, without the risk of snapping anything in a sudden bout of movement."
Petra grimaced and attempted to nod at his explanation, but merely gasped as pain continued shooting through her body, her breath leaving her lungs in a sort of hiss, "This hurts."
"Just a little longer."
She whimpered again, allowing even more of her weight to fall onto the Captain, because while it didn't help the strain on her ankle, it helped the rest of her body not feel as taxed and she figured he wouldn't berate her for it all things considered.
Eventually, he pushed himself off the ground and pulled her back into a standing position, her exercise complete, and Petra stood up fully and groaned, lifting her sensitive ankle off the ground and rubbing it with a pained expression. "Sorry Captain, but I think I may need a minute." she bit her lip with a taxed exhale and shook her head in admitted surprise, "Shoot this really hurts."
Levi nodded, "Walk it out. We're going to do that a few more times, and it's just going to keep hurting so be prepared."
She gave a nod, setting her foot back on the ground, taking a few steps forward, irritated when she found that she was limping heavily with each step she took. Seeing her obvious discouragement from the rather simple exercise, Levi came up beside her, nodding down toward her ankle as she spoke, "I'm not trying to rub it in your face or say I told you so, but that is why I need you to listen to me and take it slow. You may feel great and that you can do the same things that you used to do before you broke it, but right here, this is your reality. Put some real pressure on your ankle, and the result is that you can hardly walk."
Petra gave a miserable nod, and Levi crossed his arms, "Granted, we're going to fix that. I know we're off duty, and while I don't expect you to salute or report at six am or any of that, I expect you to treat this like the training it actually is. Like it or not, but you're not ready to spar, you're not ready to run – there's a lot that you aren't able to do yet. But. You'll get there, and you need to be patient. For now, you just need to trust me."
Petra paused in place and looked toward him directly, "Levi…you know I trust you."
As she spoke, the way she watched him – the seriousness of her words - he couldn't help but feel she was talking about more than just the training, and he gave a heavy sigh, "I know."
Petra merely nodded, pausing in place and adjusting her footing ever so slightly, taking a breath of preparation and nodding toward him with resolve, "Okay. I'm…I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
The second she shifted her weight onto her ankle, she gasped, and Levi was already hovering around her, his arms tracing down hers inch by inch as he moved behind her, shifting with her as he encouraged her to keep moving through the pain, "Breathe, okay?"
She nodded, feeling him pressed up behind her, again mirroring her motions to some extent as she forced herself to push her weight fully into her ankle. She gave a tense exhale and lifted her leg out in a kick, grimacing at the pain but able to brace herself considering she knew what she was in for this time.
As he had before, Levi pulled her torso and upper body lower to the ground, one hand resting on her shoulder, and the other placed across her hip, pushing her center out to match the kick's traditional momentum as she moved slowly through the motion under his watch.
"I'm going to keep pulling you lower." he stated quietly, and Petra gave a hiss of pain as the angle continued to target her weak muscles; Levi's pull still intentional, but slow and controlled as he lowered her toward the ground, her kick raising higher and higher as before.
Regardless the pain she was clearly in, it didn't escape his notice that her form was still pristine, and he gave a pleased sort of nod, noting to himself that this was more like the Petra he was used to working with in a training setting, because if anything, Petra was one of the most disciplined people he had come to know, so her previous goofing around had been irritating and rather unbecoming.
At the slow downward motion that only caused her ankle to tremble and throb beneath her, Petra gave another sharp gasp and proactively leaned into him with a pained expression, closing her eyes from the pain and exhaling tensely. Accepting the additional weight without comment, Levi pushed her lower still as she grimaced all the more but remained in control and intentional with the placement of her limbs and form.
It was as he was pushing her down just slightly, having almost reached the same position as last time, that Petra gave a sudden cry as her ankle buckled and gave out beneath her completely, causing her to crumple to the ground. Considering that she was already enveloped in his grasp before falling, Levi had caught her easily and her fall was nothing more than a sort of stumble in the end.
She gave a whimper and rolled her head back against his shoulder as he moved to set her on the ground, intending to look her over for injury, because he hadn't expected her ankle to be that weak. As he set her on the ground, she grimaced and brought her leg up against her in a ball, cradling herself as her hands wrapped around her injured ankle, somewhat rocking in place as she panted from the pain.
As much as he hated to admit it, her training was done for the day as her ankle was clearly at its limit.
"Let me have a look at it." He stated simply, one knee on the ground and the other set out, intending to use his leg as a sort of table so he could hold her leg steady. Petra nodded and shifted back, allowing him to prop her ankle up onto his leg for observation. She gave a cry as he removed her footwear, and he looked at her ankle critically for signs of serious damage.
After a tense moment of silence, Petra asked in obvious dread, "What's the damage, Captain?"
Levi looked toward her, noting she wasn't even looking at him, and he gave a heavy sigh, but was more so amused by the clear dread so prominently displayed across her face. He smirked, "Well, it looks pretty bad. I think you broke it again."
That got her attention.
Petra's eyes snapped toward him, her mouth hanging open from a mix of anger and outright disbelief, "Wha…nu-uh! Nu-uh Captain, I would have felt it broken so-"
Levi chuckled and quirked an eyebrow at her strange choice of words, although she didn't even notice and watched him in challenge. Amused by her fiery outburst, he gave a sort of huff, "Eloquent."
Turning his attention back to her ankle, he frowned and continued, "But no, it's not broken of course – but it's swelling up pretty good right now, and I gotta admit, I'm a little surprised it gave out on you like that. Sorry to say, but we'll have to take it slower than even I initially thought."
She groaned, "Even slower?"
"Yes, Petra. As slow as it takes for it to be rebuilt properly." He looked up from her ankle and gave her a serious, curt stare, "And I thought I told you I don't want to hear you bitching about it, because this is the sort of thing that will keep happening until your ankle is stronger – now hold still."
Before Petra could respond, Levi's hands were over her foot and base of her ankle, his thumbs and fingers pressing into her skin and making her tense and shudder from the outright pain he was causing with his brutal actions that were a mix between rubbing and stabbing.
Petra's mouth dropped open and she found her eyes were watering as she felt his hands move over her foot in a way that was far from pleasant, "Ow, ow! Worst massage ever, Captain! OW!"
Levi rolled his eyes at her loud protests, his already tight grip clamping down on her all the more as he continued running his fingers against her muscles and ligaments. He scoffed, "This isn't a massage Petra, this is intentional force to bring some of the inflammation down and restore proper blood flow back into your joints. It's not meant to feel great; it's meant to correct some of the damage before it continues to swell needlessly. For the most part your ankle is fine, but your body doesn't seem to think so, so we're being proactive and addressing the injury head on."
Petra frowned and grimaced again, "Yeah? So what happened to the gentle correction you were talking about earlier? This is – ow! – far from gentle, Levi! Ow!"
"Fuck's sake, quiet down. And you can thank me later." He stated flatly, not allowing her negative reaction to put him off as he continued to intentionally push his fingers into her skin and drive the muscles and ligaments properly, trying to break down the present water and building agitation that the exercises had placed on her.
After a few more moments of her muted protests and whimpers, he gave a nod and finally set her foot from off him and onto the ground, satisfied with his efforts because come the morning, he was certain that she would be just fine and they could resume further training without delay.
"Alright, I'm done."
Petra's eyes narrowed at her now red, throbbing ankle, and she looked toward him sarcastically as he stood up from the ground after a 'job well done', "Oh? And so soon? You sure there isn't some other archaic, battle technique that you want to subject me to under the guise of 'helping me?'"
He gave a half smirk, "Keep it up and I just may. Now come on," he presented a hand, and Petra gave a sort of smile as she took it, preparing to balance on her one good foot as he pulled her up from the ground, "I'd say that's enough training for the day. It's a start and we'll keep adjusting it bit by bit."
As Levi pulled her up from the ground, Petra allowed herself to be pulled forward, but without her other foot to keep her in place and counteract the upward pull, she gave a sort of yelp as the momentum shot her forward instead, and with a slight oof, she tumbled right into the Captain's chest instead.
She felt the breath somewhat press out of him at the impact, though it sounded more like a laugh than an actual forced exhale, and his hands were over her shoulders to hold her steady, "Clumsy, are we?"
She looked up toward him as his hands moved down the expanse of her arms, before settling lightly on her hips. She could only give a breathless sort of smile, "Sorry Captain. I just…" she looked up toward him and sighed in defeat, her train of thought somewhat getting lost as he watched her pensively, a silence falling between them as they watched each other in a sudden calm.
Instead of moving her or pushing her off from him, Levi's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at her choice of words, a spark of curiosity suddenly evident in his expression and the beginnings of a frown now tightening his lips, "Petra, you keep calling me that - 'Captain' I mean. We're off duty, miles away from the military base, so why? I know you call me Levi as well, but you still make use of my title so often, when you know full well that you don't have to. Why?"
She blinked at his words, only now realizing that he was right. They had been off duty for almost a week now, and yet she still called him Captain just as often, if not more often, then his actual name, regardless the fact that as he stated there really was no actual reason for it. She shrugged as a blush came to her face at the valid callout, "Is that…bad? Honestly I hadn't even realized; it's just a force of habit, I guess."
He merely watched her evenly and his frown somewhat deepened, "It's not bad, I just…you know that you don't have to, so I just wanted to make sure that-" he gave a slight shake of his head as he attempted to pick his words, and almost absentmindedly, he brought a hand to her face and lightly ran his fingers across the tips of her bangs as he spoke in a quiet yet strangely convicted manner, "I mean, I am your Captain and so I don't mind you calling me as such, but I hope that you know and understand that…just Levi, is also acceptable. Sometimes, perhaps it's even…preferred."
Petra's blush only turned a deeper shade of red as he spoke because there was something else to his gaze, a softness, a warmth that told her there was more to his previous question than he was letting on, and what was more, there was a sudden flush over the expanse of his neck that made her certain she wasn't the only one suddenly flustered and out of sorts.
Though it took a moment for her to deduce the meaning of his words, she realized what he was attempting to verbalize, and why he felt the need to clarify her words at all. He was checking, wanting to ensure that her calling him Captain was just that, a habit, and not an intentional way of keeping him at arms distance. She realized that he was trying to tell her he wanted the intimacy that came with being called by his first name; that he wanted her to feel free enough to approach him as 'Levi' first and foremost. While he was indeed her Commanding Officer, he wanted to be her friend in return, just Levi – something more, and certainly something more personal than just her mere Captain.
She drummed her fingers against his chest, looking back up at him and feeling a smile pull at her lips because knowing he desired such a relationship with her, knowing he was all out troubled by the idea of them returning to how their relationship had been in the past – strictly professional and only subordinate and Captain – made her feel a strange mix of sheer bliss, nervousness, and mellow, comfortable contentment. She gave a soft smile, "Sorry Levi, but you should know that even if you get promoted, or however your title and rank may change over the years – well, to me at least, you'll always be Captain Levi. There's just something about it I guess; it's how I met you, how I came to your squad; a sort of second skin for you that's very fitting and…somewhat special to me now. As silly as it is, I'm rather attached to your title, you know? It suits you."
She paused and shook her head fondly as she finally caught his gaze, "But I don't mind it, calling you by name either, I mean."
There was a flat, nondescript, "I see." and Petra looked up toward him, shaking her head as she purposefully looked him over because for the life of her, she found that more and more often she just couldn't get over his striking, sharp and angular, undeniably beautiful, yet distinctly masculine features that he donned. As uncomfortable as it seemed to make him, (he certainly wasn't used to being the subject of anyone's approving or appraising stare) she found that when the rare opportunity presented itself and he hesitantly allowed her to actually look at him for a change – she pondered how it was possible for her to have been on the same squad with him for so many years without her even noticing the extent of how handsome he actually was.
Oh sure, some part of her had always known that he was attractive, as the squad had made quite a big deal out of letting her know that their Captain apparently had quite a number of fans, it was just...she had never made the connection that he was attractive to her specifically, until just a small number of months ago. Now that she had noticed, it was all she could do to not catch herself staring at him almost on the daily, because he wasn't just a little attractive – oh no, certainly not. The more she looked at him, she would notice other small features that had escaped her notice previously – the shape of his thin lips, the way his lips would part when he was deep in thought, as though ready to verbalize his thoughts out loud but never quite finding his voice, the way his collarbones stood out so prominently from his chest, leading into well rounded, surprisingly broad shoulders that felt…quite nice under her smaller, less confident hands.
His previously flushed skin only continued to darken at her prolonged and appraising stare, although his gaze remained steadfast, growing only more intense and focused as she watched him in unspoken admiration. She gave a slight sigh and allowed herself to relax into him, almost pulling a hand across the expanse of his jaw but losing her nerve at the last second, allowing her hands to come to rest on his shoulders instead. She shook her head and sighed, "Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are blue? And I mean like, really, really blue."
He gave an inaudible sort of chuckle at the familiar expression she watched him with – a sort of starry eyed admiration - and he pulled her closer still, not having a response to her assessment but finding that more than anything, her previous words in the kitchen were still just as enticing, because she had said she was going to kiss him, and some forty five minutes later, he was still waiting.
He had watched her walk back out into the kitchen, wearing one of his simple white tanks that were form fitting on his broad chest, but seemed to hang off her frame and show off her black sports bra. She was wearing his shorts too, ones that were loose on him, but undeniably fit her curves more snugly. He had to admit, she looked quite appealing wearing his clothes – clothes that were familiar to him, yet created such a unique image on her as they fell across her figure so differently than they did his own. Fuck, of course they had looked better on her, and some part of him found that he could get used to seeing Petra walk around in his clothes because it was just one more way to tell other men that she was taken.
Unable to stop the impulse as he watched her, Levi leaned in toward her, about to steal a kiss from her soft and inviting lips, when a voice stopped him and he all but groaned, because it felt as though the gods were conspiring against him and he couldn't so much as kiss her without there being some sudden, unexpected interference.
"Hey Pet – Pet, no way, is it really you?"
Both Levi and Petra turned around to find the voice that was…was that Petra that was being called out to? Levi was already frowning, because approaching them was a male – younger than him, but older than Petra – with a large smile on his face, walking straight toward them from across the road and waving toward Petra expectantly.
He was tall, certainly taller than he was, although that was perhaps to be expected, and had an angular face and pale blonde hair that was similar in shade to Erwin's. The man was dressed nicely, donning slacks with a simple button up dress shirt, and was watching Petra with a large, enthusiastic smile as though he knew her, barely having given him, nor their telling, intimate closeness a passing glance.
Levi looked down at Petra suspiciously, almost leaning toward her and preparing to whisper, 'Do you know this guy?' because he seemed to know her, but considering he couldn't even get her name right, he wasn't too sure – but seeing Petra's face, seeing her eyes light up and a smile pull at her lips, Levi found he already knew the answer to his question and negated to ask at all.
Yes. She knew him, and if the dumb grin across her face meant anything, this guy was apparently a friend of sorts.
Damn, he really wouldn't be getting that kiss after all.
"Timmy?" Levi rolled his eyes at the name – a grown ass man being called 'Timmy' - but Petra didn't notice and merely gave an exuberant wave in return, "Oh my gosh, it's been years!"
The man crossed the road and walked toward them, pausing as he looked Petra over and giving a surprised shake of his head as he stood near them, "My gosh Pet, it's been, wow it's been so long. You look fantastic, how have you been?"
Levi looked toward Petra, who was still grinning just as brilliantly, all but forgetting the fact that he was even present at all as her focus was now solely on this old friend of hers.
Petra laughed at his question and nodded down toward herself warmly, "I've been good. I'm still in the military, so that's great. I actually got married earlier this year, about six months ago in fact. I'm taking a few weeks off duty and finally getting to come home for a bit - you know, try to take care of business while I'm here and make the most of the time I have off. Lot has changed, so there's some rather…heated discussions going on right now between me and my dad. He's not exactly pleased that I got married and we've been fighting nonstop."
The man nodded and finally took a glance toward Levi, "Yeah, I had heard something like that from your dad. I had a feeling there would be some unpleasant sparks because both of you are so bull headed. Am I correct in presuming that this guy here is the issue?"
Levi tried not to snort at his words…although he supposed there was some truth to the statement, and Petra nodded warmly, "That's right, allow me to properly introduce you two. Timmy, this is my Captain and husband, Levi Ackerman. Not so coincidentally, this is also Humanity's Strongest, if you've ever heard that title before."
Petra turned back toward Levi, who was still watching the blonde forebodingly, "Levi, this is Timmy – he's an old friend of mine, you know, from before I was in the military. We go way back."
Levi gave a shallow nod and merely stared at the man flatly, quirking an eyebrow as he spoke lowly, "Timmy?"
"It's actually Timothy." He corrected with a smile, although there was a slight edge to his tone that almost made Levi smirk.
It seemed the dislike was mutual then.
Not aware of this telling interaction, Petra's mouth fell open, "Oh my gosh, I feel so silly. Of course you don't want to be called Timmy anymore, that was almost a decade ago. I'm sorry, I wasn't even thinking so-"
The blonde gave a chuckle, "Listen Pet, it's no big deal. Most people call me by my full name now, but for you…well, I'll always be your Timmy, okay? No sweat."
Levi's gaze narrowed all the more, but before the conversation could linger on his last statement, the man gave a nod toward Petra's single bare foot, "And what have we here? Either you military folk have a sense of fashion all your own, or someone got hurt. What happened Pet, you trip over a Titan or something?"
There was a sarcastic snort from Petra, and she crossed her arms as she tilted away from Levi and toward her apparent friend, smirking as she gave him a challenging smile, "Maybe I did, who's to say."
This caused her friend to laugh, and he rolled his eyes, "Only you could trip over something thirty feet tall, so I can't say I'm surprised. How about-" he took a step and leaned down, scooping Petra up in his arms, much to both Petra and the Captain's alarm, "We get you back inside the house and I'll get a kettle of tea on for you."
Petra had gasped loudly, looking toward Levi in alarm then up toward her friend, "Timmy, put – put me down, I-"
Her friend was already walking toward the house, carrying her with ease as he moved her across the lawn, "Listen to you. You shouldn't be overworking yourself like this Pet, I mean, you're off duty right? It's okay to slow it down some and rest properly. After all these years, it seems you still have no idea how to take it easy."
Petra chewed her lower lip and exhaled nervously, "Well sure but-"
Timmy gave Petra a smile, shaking his head at her obvious embarrassment of being carried, and turned over his shoulder, "Hey, Short Stuff, you coming? Grab her shoe, will ya?"
"Timmy, don't make jokes like that! Like I said, Levi is a Captain in the Scouts so if you're not going to call him by his title, then at the very least you should-"
"Are you kidding me Pet? It's been almost a decade and the first thing you do is scold me? Talk about cold hearted! Here I thought you would be happy to see me."
"Cold? Hardly! I just…look, how did you even-"
"Know you were here?"
"Well, yeah."
"I told you, your dad gave me the heads up. Actually, he invited me over for dinner. He said that there's been a lot going on in your life, told me you got married, told me that you've apparently gone off the deep end, and that I should come over and try to talk some sense into you."
"Well that sounds about right, but you can save your speeches. Dad is the crazy one here, not me."
"Yeah, James does tend to get a little overprotective of you. Speeches or not, I figured that at the very least it would be nice to catch up with you after all this time. You wouldn't mind that, right?"
"You kidding? After doing nothing but fight with dad for days on end, it'll be nice to have a friend for a change. Sorry if I'm a bit tense, it's just been a little rough being back home after so long and I kind of feel out of place I guess. It really is good to see you though, Timmy."
"Likewise Pet, it's been far too long."
The pair continued talking lightly, and from behind them, Levi gave a tense, irritated sigh as he grabbed her forgotten shoe and followed after the pair in seething, enraged silence.
…
End of Chapter
…
Alright, that's just about good for this week I think! For those feeling more chatty, what are your thoughts this week? My husband likes to dabble in martial arts, so for me it was very fun to try and write out all the things I hear him talk about with form and execution and the like, in a manner that of course focuses on their training, but in a setting that is very uniquely different from what they would do at the Scout's headquarters.
And yeah, once again poor Levi. I /swear/ to you I am not writing it in a way to be particularly vengeful or just to build up that tension, but as stated by my own writing as well as just the practicality of the home situation they are in, as much as Levi would rather (clearly) enjoy some more intimate time with his wife, it's a bad time for it. They are attempting to address their legal, but VERY nontraditional wedding, in a time frame that would have been very stringent on said traditions and the role women would play in their society. Add in the other factors – the emotional turmoil and sheer exhaustion they would BOTH be under after fighting all day, every day with the man they are trying to make peace with…not exactly the romantic setting that Petra deserves, nor the setting Levi would want to give to her come that time.
Either way, I'll wrap it up and give a big shoutout and thanks to you guys. Enjoy your week and I'll see you at the next update!
~Mid