Happy Sunday everyone!

Not much to say here up top – yall enjoy the read!

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"Morning Princess – you're up a little late." Her dad greeted with a smile as she walked into the room after she had finally gotten dressed and started moving around for the day, "How you feeling? You're looking a little tired!"

Her father gave a laugh at her fake expression of irritation, and she gave a wide yawn as she moved further into the room, somewhat still waking up from her considerably late night, "Yeah. Some old man kept me up last night."

"Is that what it is? Even still, you really shouldn't talk about your Captain that way."

Petra scoffed at her father's teasing and she rolled her eyes as she took a seat at the table, "Hilarious, Dad. How long ago did Captain leave? I wasn't sure if I'd catch him or not but-"

"Sorry sweetie, he left a while ago. He said that he planned on taking a half day, wanted me to tell you that so you could be ready for training after lunch."

Petra gave a nod and rubbed her eyes, "Okay, thanks for the heads up. Is there any coffee? I'm really dragging."

"Yeah, let me pour you a cup. You drink it black nowadays?"

"Not if I don't have to." Petra responded with a contented sigh, stretching over the back of the chair and rubbing her neck as she spoke, "Bit of sugar and just a dash of cream if we have it. Milk's fine too. Just something to cut the bitterness. Captain, he likes it black though. Strong too. He's not really into sweets all that much, and tends to like more earthy, robust flavors from what I can tell. Took me a long time to figure that out, because while there are certain things he complains about right away, other things he's oddly passive about, even if he dislikes it because in some ways he's pretty easy going. Took me a few years to figure out that he likes his coffee on the darker side. I had been brewing it relatively weak for so long and didn't know any better until one day, I made a mistake and actually doubled the coffee grounds after not realizing I had already put in coffee from the night before. It's almost funny looking back, Captain drank almost the entire pot by himself. He even complimented me on it, which almost never happens. Had it not been for that, I probably still wouldn't know."

Her father moved around the kitchen as he fixed her coffee for her and he eventually settled down beside her, carrying a cup of coffee for himself as well as he took a seat at the table.

"Well I can't say I'm all that surprised to hear he doesn't take well to sweets. He grew up in the Underground, right? I can't imagine he had that much exposure to candy or traditional desserts down there; he probably never had anything like that until after he was pulled into the military, by force no less. I'll bet he just can't stomach it when you get down to it."

Her father gave a sigh and took a long drink of his coffee, missing Petra's suddenly narrowed and deductive stare as she cautiously picked up her coffee cup, taking a long sip of the drink as she organized her thoughts. While technically innocent enough, her father's words had spoken to her; spoke of brewing trouble that proved they still hadn't made any real progress even after their late-night talk over dinner, and Petra found her pleasant mood deteriorating and unraveling with each passing moment the more she thought about it. Taking a small breath to prepare herself for the upcoming battle she was about to wage, she brought the coffee cup back up to her lips with a sigh. Petra took another sip and swallowed the hot liquid, savoring its sweetness before gently placing the cup down on the table.

She looked toward her father simply, and nodded almost absent mindedly as she responded, "Yeah. I'll bet you're right."

A slight silence fell over the pair, and Petra cleared her throat, "So tell me Dad, just when were you going to let me in on the fact that you've been…pretty shady lately?"

"Shady?" her father repeated, and Petra looked at him seriously.

"Dad. I know. I mean, better said, Levi told me. I guess some part of me may have been suspicious, but I didn't want to believe that my own father and childhood friend would do such a thing and I intentionally ignored the signs. Levi's always been a bit of a skeptic though, so I guess in some ways he was already watching for it and saw the signs from the beginning."

Her father stiffened at her words, but not one to give in prematurely, he gave a light shrug, "Baby girl, I have no idea what you're talking about. All I know is-"

Petra's bitter laugh cut him off, and she rolled her eyes as she shot him a suddenly serious glower, "Alright Dad. I love you, and I won't try to sit here and pretend that you didn't successfully fool me the whole way, but even still, don't treat me like I'm stupid. I know about you and Timmy, alright? I know you've both been working together to try and force me out of the military for months now, making my life miserable and trying to jerk me around. I wasn't going to bring it up last night because you were trying to 'bridge the gap' or whatever – but now here you are being manipulative again so I'm just going to call you out on it because enough is enough."

Her father wore a look of complete confusion, and Petra glared at him impatiently because it seemed he would make her drag the truth out of him, "Tell me something Dad, what was all that about Levi you were saying just now? I for one know I've never talked to you about his past, and considering Levi really never talks about it either, I know he definitely didn't mention his time in the Underground to you– so what, you did…like a background check on him or something? Dad, that's none of your business!"

Her father was at first shocked by her perceptive words, but as her own irritation started to rise as she watched him with a now heated glare, he gave a sarcastic, offended laugh of his own, "Oh, so my daughter being married to a hoodlum, that's none of my business? You tear off into the-"

"A hoodlum? Dad, how many times do we have to go through this?! He's a Captain in the military – that's one of the most strait laced, respectable-"

"Into the military, and all I'm trying to do is watch out for you because you don't even know the man and what he's capable of and-"

"Respectable jobs that someone can have. Why can't you just give him a real chance or even just-" Petra mentally switched gears at her father's words that overlapped her own and growled, "Don't even know him? How dare you! You, who have spent this entire week judging him and being absolutely despicable, how dare you even-"

"Right, how dare I watch out for my daughter and try to keep the wolves away and protect her from the consequences of her own sheer ignorance. You're too young to really understand what you want out of life just yet and its high time you dropped this military thing and finally settled down like an actual lady! I'll have you know that Tim has been working so hard to-"

"Oh gods, here we go again." Petra groaned as she dropped her head into her hands, rubbing her eyes as though exhausted and looking back up to give her father a scornful glower, "So now you try and bring Timmy into this?! Don't you dare speak of him like he's some great gentleman or whatever. He lied to me, you lied to me, you've both been going behind my back to-"

"Working so hard to prove himself to you! He's got a respectable job, he's a good man, he's educated, you and him make a great, wonderful couple - you know he would do anything to give you the life that a proper lady should have and instead of being grateful toward him for still wanting you after the absolute mess you've made of your life thus far, instead you run around with that disgusting sewer rat and-"

"What did you just say about my Captain? You called him a sewer rat? Dad, you take that back! You know nothing about him, other than the absolute trash that Timmy's probably given you and regardless your horrible behavior toward him, Levi's been nothing but respectful and patient and-"

"Petra! He's killed people!" her father suddenly shouted at her, his voice loud and menacing, and at his words, Petra fell silent from sheer shock, at the overwhelming weight of his accusation, and her father continued just as sternly, "Yeah I had Tim pull some strings for me; I had him run a background check on your so called 'husband' because that man just doesn't sit right with me and things weren't adding up because there's just something off about him. It took a bit of time, but Tim got the results to me just this morning and-"

Petra's voice was lower, and some of her previous ferocity had died down because apparently…apparently there were some things she still didn't know about Levi, and it was hard to defend what he had never even told her about in the first place. But even still…

"Dad. You had no right. Whatever you found out about him is all in the past so you can't just-"

"Petra. He's a murderer. He's a thief. He's a no good, dirty, terrorizing thug that the Military Police were trying to catch for years because his crimes warranted his death some ten times over!"

At her father's words, Petra felt the breath leave her lungs, some part of her mind actively trying to deny his claims, though her father continued, standing up from the table and moving back into the kitchen, grabbing a manila folder and flipping through the contents as he spoke, "It's all in here, Baby. Vandalism, theft, assault and battery, breaking and entering, suspected murder, confirmed murder, gang activity, disrupting the peace, assaulting law enforcement-" as he spoke, her father continued flipping through the pages, page after page of his recorded crimes and misdeeds, and he all but threw the folder down in front of her where it landed on the table with a hefty, weighted thump, some pages spilling out of the file and confirming her father's words.

Petra couldn't bring herself to open the file, finding that she was somewhat frozen in her chair as her mind tried desperately to process all she was being told, and her father continued without missing a beat.

He nodded toward the file with a furious expression and pointed toward it belligerently, "This is the man you married Petra, a man with this much blood and history and the stink of death on his hands - and you're trying to tell me that I should give him a chance? What about the people he killed? Did he give them a chance? Maybe they crossed him, maybe they had it coming – try to tell me whatever you want, but what about the merchants and dealers he stole from? People just trying to make a living, Petra. Victims is what they are reported as here. Not fellow criminals, just average civilians trying to survive, same as him. Apparently they didn't deserve to live as much as he did, because they just weren't strong enough?"

"Dad-"

"What of the families he disrupted? The children he left fatherless? I suppose they all think he's a swell guy, because now he only kills Titans? I'll bet they think he's a hero, right? No matter they're probably living on the streets and eating out of trashcans, because he's just so different now, and that makes everything okay."

Her father took a breath and his brows creased together into a surveying, suspicious line, "Explain something to me Petra; you joined the military to try to make a change right; break the vicious cycle or whatever? The man you've spent this whole week defending, spent nearly twenty years of his life feeding and perpetuating that same cycle! How can you possibly try to justify this when it goes against your own core beliefs?"

"Dad!" Petra shouted, standing up from the table with a snap, "You will listen to me! I don't know what you want me to say about any of this. It's bad! It's terrible, and no, I didn't know about any of it, and yes, it is devastating to hear such things because life sucks, humanity sucks, and yeah, hearing what Levi did in his past, completely freaking sucks!" As she spoke, she moved toward her father, her tone raising exponentially as she berated him, and the man actually backed away step for step at the furious, threatening look in her eye, "But you know what Dad, tell me what's changed. Does your little folder change the fact that I'm married? No, it doesn't! And let's not forget, who's fault is it that I had to get married in the first place? Oh that's right, it's yours! If you are looking to blame anyone for the fact that I'm married to such a 'horrible' guy, then look no further than the bathroom mirror, because if it weren't for you I would still be a single woman and Timmy would be free to try and romance me or, what, start with writing letters like a normal guy and not do all this shady, puppet master bullshit?"

Her father opened his mouth to speak, and Petra shook her head as she continued just as fiercely, "Does your little folder change the fact that Levi has been in the military and has consistently busted his ass for mankind every day, all day, for years without missing a beat – for people that have never given two shits about him? No, it doesn't! I can't speak to his past Dad; I wasn't there for it. But I can speak to the last, almost six years of his life now, and in light of what I've seen, I won't let you disrespect him for even a second longer. For the record, Captain trained me, personally, to make it so I didn't die out there even when I had virtually no talent to speak of. You want to know who taught me to be a good soldier, who gave me those skills and helped me refine them? Captain."

Her father watched her with a bitter scowl, now standing against the kitchen wall with his arms crossed, and Petra stood a mere two inches in front of him as she continued fiercely, "Who spent day after day, well past hours, trying to figure out new ways for the squad to function so that we were more successful outside the Walls? Captain. Who saved me multiple times because I messed up – putting their life at risk in Titan territory because of my mistakes? Captain! Who's the man who, when I was being pulled from the military, decided that even if it cost him a price that shouldn't ever be his to pay, he wanted to see that my choice was still honored, and so he married me when I had no one else – no one Dad! – that was advocating for me? Captain."

She looked into the ground as she spoke, struggling to keep her emotions in check because how was it possible for her father to be so blind? She took a breath and continued sternly, desperate to make him understand, "When my own father betrayed me and tried to manipulate me for his own selfish ends, only Captain intervened and stood in my defense. He came through for me with no expectations, no hidden agenda, no rules or stipulations that I needed to fulfill, at a time where I had absolutely nothing to offer him in return." Petra paused and shook her head in sudden bewilderment, "…And I didn't even have to ask him to do it."

There were angry tears in her eyes at the humbling passion her words brought, and she took a deep breath, "Unlike you and Timmy, Captain…he's never backed me into a corner, never tried to take advantage of me, he's been nothing but understanding and compassionate toward my situation, and to stand here and watch you of all people cast judgement on him, when you're the one that started this whole mess to begin with – what right do you have to cast stones at such a man, when he's behaved far more honorably than you ever did, toward your own daughter? Levi is…even with everything you're trying to throw in my face, all the games you've played and the ways you've tried to turn me against him – Levi Ackerman is one of the greatest men I've ever met, and nothing you do or say will convince me otherwise."

"Petra, try to understand and see reason. Just because he did you a favor doesn't mean you own him your life or future. Let him be what he's supposed to be for you: your Captain. A boss. A leader. He can be all of those things but baby, he's not husband material. Plain and simple he's not good enough for you, and he never will be."

Hearing her father's words – his summary of a man he hadn't even once tried to truly understand - she took a sharp breath, and threw her fist forward. There was a sick cracking that followed, and her father visibly startled. He looked to his side, to where Petra had literally put her fist through the wall, her fist a mere inch away from his face in a show of both force and intentional intimidation, and he struggled to find his words as he watched her grind her teeth and glare at him in warning, "Pet – Baby Girl have you, have you lost your mind? You just…you punched a hole in the wall! What – why-"

"You're a carpenter Dad, you can fix it! But if you say one more bad word about Levi, it'll be you I'm punching, and your bones can't be patched up nearly as easily as this wall can be. Honestly with all you've said about Captain this week, a few blows would be more than justified. On that note, I'd pick your words very carefully if I were you, because I've had it with your shit. Captain may not hit you out of respect for my feelings, but I'm personally not feeling nearly as damn lenient and you know full where I get my temper from."

Her father watched as she pulled her fist out of the wall and he rolled his eyes with a long-suffering grumble, "Petra, that mouth of yours. Look, I get you're mad, but you're not even listening to me. I'm simply telling you that you're married to a murderer – that's a fact – that he's someone the government was trying to track down as a menace to society for years in hopes to put him down like a rabid dog – but he's got you so wrapped around his little finger that you aren't even listening to reason anymore. I'm your father and I only want what's best for you, but you're just too willful and stubborn and act as though the man walks on water!"

Her father took a sudden breath and watched her with a pensive expression of his own, and after a moment of silence, he nodded toward her seriously, "Tell me Princess, have you fallen in love with the Captain? Is that why you're not listening and why you defend him so vehemently like this - even when it's so obvious that you could do so much better than a murdering, blood-soaked criminal like him?"

At her father's response, Petra deadpanned, "You're asking if I'm in love with Levi, my own Captain? That's what you got out of all of that? I tell you that he's literally saved my life numerous times, that you owe him your gratitude, that I owe him my very life, and all you hear is that I must obviously be in love with him and therefore can't listen to you?" she scoffed and actually laughed, "You know what, Dad? Just do me a favor and see yourself out. You still have your delivery to make and that's not a short journey. Maybe by the time you get back, you'll see what a despicable person you've been, and you'll actually have enough sense to apologize to me, but especially to Levi. Until then though, just get out of my sight."

The man groaned, "Baby girl, I'm just saying that-"

"Dad, leave! I'm done!" she shouted at him, and the man gave a long sigh and nodded.

"Fine, Baby. I'll see you in a few days."

Petra didn't spare him a further glance, merely crossed her arms and held up her head stubbornly as her father moved out of the kitchen and collected a few more things. In less than five minutes, her father had left without further comment, and only after he had walked out, after watching him move down the street and eventually out of sight, did she finally let out a sigh of overwhelming frustration and made a dramatic, pained face, rubbing her wrist and giving a pained moan that she had been stubbornly suppressing for some time.

"Oww! Fuck, I think I jammed it or something, damn it all! Shit, that hurt!"

She moved back into the kitchen to where a certain folder still sat on the table, and Petra watched it heavily, uncertainty and guilt and curiosity and fear overwhelming her all at once as she stared at the foreboding manila folder, continuing to rub her wrist as she debated with herself how she wanted to handle the situation.

She supposed some part of her wanted to know – but at the same time, some equal part of her didn't. She knew full well that she would not like what she found. Was it better to turn a blind eye, or was that cowardice? Admittedly, it would be easier to not know because there was comfort in the not knowing. It was safer.

And yet…

This was her Captain's life. This was his upbringing, his past, everything that had shaped him into the man he was – if she couldn't boldly face this; if she couldn't intentionally face the bad and the ugly parts of his life – could she really claim that she truly cared for him, if she only allowed herself to view him through the lens of the Captain that was easiest for her to digest and accept?

She looked down at the folder and took a seat, taking a deep breath and opening it with a single shaking hand. The first few pages had been basic and admittedly on the more obscure side, addresses, lists of suspected affiliates or family members, associates, but from there it had been copies of newspaper clippings, police reports, lists of damages – it had only taken a handful of papers to confirm that his unruly and violent behavior wasn't just something her father was throwing at her for the mere hell of it, and Petra lost her nerve outright, slamming the folder shut as she stood up from the chair in anger.

She was angry at her father, angry at herself for being too afraid to even look into the past of her Captain, angry that Levi hadn't even breathed a word of such information to her after all their years of friendship and all the time they had spent together – and to have all of this dumped in her lap like this, without any bit of warning or heads up, fuck, this just wasn't fair!

"Damn it all!" Petra gave a loud growl as she paced across the room, looking back at the folder and glaring at it narrowly, "Fuck!"

She grabbed her coffee cup next, grabbing her father's in the other hand and dumping their unfinished coffee down the drain, ranting to herself as frustration continued to overwhelm her, "Doing a background check on Levi, pulling up all this dirt from his past, like what the hell am I supposed to do with it? Spy on Levi? Whatever's in there, it changes nothing. All it does is just…just fucking…pisses me off!"

Again she gave a low huff, still moving through the house and all but stomping down the hallway, pleased she had the house to herself so she could throw a proper tantrum and let out some of her frustration, "Dad is such a jerk. Made me so mad I punched a hole in the wall. Next time I'll punch a hole through his damned face. Shoot, and that really hurt too. Captain would be pissed with me. Bad form. Probably would have said that I hit like a girl. Yeah, I'll show him who hits like a girl. I'd dare him or anyone else to sass me right now. Just see what happens!"

She moved to her door, grumbling still, "And then what was with Dad's stupid 'Have you fallen in love with the Captain' speech?" she rolled her eyes and continued, mimicking her father as she spoke, "Baby girl you're not listening to me. Princess I just don't like him. Have you fallen in love with the Captain?" She gave a haughty snort and grumbled lowly to herself, "Have I fallen in love with the Captain. Please."

As she reached toward the door handle, somewhat replaying her father's words – replaying what she herself had said in the Captain's defense, remembering her hurt and frustration when her father had spoken so poorly of him, her inner fire had left her at once because she realized this was not the first time that someone had seriously asked her if she was in love with him and it made her start to doubt herself because…what if they saw something in her that she herself didn't? Was it even possible? As thoughts of their relationship, thoughts of their time together, thoughts of just Levi himself came to mind – Petra gave a breathless sort of mumble.

"…Have I fallen in love with the Captain?"

Air suddenly refused to leave or enter her lungs, and Petra gave a sudden and dry cough, "Oh my god…"

There was no way, right? Sure she cared about him, and sure, maybe she did want a life with him, but love – that was…she simply couldn't. Levi was her Captain – he was Humanity's Strongest and married or not, to pursue after him when he had such a weighty responsibility, it just…it wouldn't be right.

…Maybe she just needed to get out of the house for a while. That had to be it. She had been cooped up for so long now without much to do, and now her mind was playing strange tricks on her, making her think and feel impossible things because her boredom was getting the best of her.

She probably just needed some fresh air, nothing more.

She would go out for a while, maybe go into town, stock up on groceries for the next few days; hell, she may as well just go for a run. Levi probably wouldn't approve of such a thing as it would only make her ankle that much more swollen and miserable, but she didn't care. Besides, once she explained to him what had caused her sudden distress, she was certain that he would understand and perhaps even be grateful that she had chosen to go for a run, instead of spending hours digging into his criminal record.

As she moved into her bedroom with a sudden bout of intensity, perhaps in a bit of desperation and panic, she grabbed the ends of her sundress that she had put on for the day and pulled it up and over her head in a single smooth motion. She tossed the fabric to the side as she prepared to walk toward her closet. She would get dressed into her workout clothes and run until she dropped. She would force her mind to obey her. She would work herself into such an exhausted state that she wouldn't have time to think about Levi, or her dad, or anything else.

Petra moved her hands up her back as she walked further into her room, reaching to undo the band of her bra, when a sudden cough caught her attention.

"Uh, hey – hey Petra? Uh, I'm here. Too."

At the subsequently familiar, yet completely unexpected voice, Petra whipped around, not sure what to do with herself as she had successfully stripped down into nothing more than her bra and panties in front of a very unexpected audience. Standing against the wall, somewhat behind the door where she hadn't even seen him after barging into her room, stood none other than Levi. She watched him with wide, horrified eyes and a sort of high-pitched squeak left her, "Uh Le- Captain?! What are you - I thought you were out training!"

"Well I was," he confirmed in a defensive stammer, seemingly just as embarrassed considering how quickly he had responded, "but apparently all the heavy rainfall damaged the grounds and so they are closing the Outpost for the day for repairs. When I got back, I was pretty muddy and I didn't want to track dirt in the house so I came in the back door and had just finished cleaning up and then you…" As he spoke in attempts to explain himself because, surely she knew that he hadn't planned on such a thing occurring, Petra watched a notable shift in his demeanor, watched as he trailed off midsentence as his lips parted ever so slightly, his expression one of surprise and obvious…intrigue.

It had been only yesterday that he had intentionally made a bit of a statement – intentionally touched her and undressed her as much as the situation would allow – and as she stood before him now, wearing even less than what she had the day before, Levi found he wasn't sure where to start because her beauty was intoxicating and completely overwhelming.

Petra wore a more feminine, silky type of bra that had a fit and style meant to press her breasts together in a way that created a long line of cleavage. Very eye catching. Levi wasn't certain if he had anything to do with her choice of such an appealing garment or not, but damn, he certainly hoped so. While her panties didn't match the silky and inviting bra, a mismatching pattern of blue cotton polka dots to plain black, satin material, some part of him found the mismatching pair to be oddly fitting, and his gaze lingered on her pale hips and stomach, because he had never seen her like this before and…

Fuck, how he had ever managed to keep his hands off her, knowing now that she looked like that – gods, it was a wonder.

At his increasingly direct and less than innocent stare, Petra found herself crossing her arms over her chest as Levi remained clearly distracted to the extent he hadn't even realized he had trailed off just yet. She chewed her lower lip and looked into the ground nervously, "Captain, you're staring…"

Levi continued looking at her with a transfixed gaze and merely nodded his head, only halfway registering what she had said because as he took in her desirable form, he found it almost difficult to breathe, "…Yeah."

At his clearly distracted response, Petra gave a sort of groan and shrugged self-consciously, "Well can you stop?"

At her tone of warning, Levi blinked and cleared his throat – only now realizing how inappropriate he was being in his admitted surprise to having seen her in such a state, and he nodded as an embarrassed flush came to his neck, "Uh, right. Sorry."

He moved toward the bed and sat down with a heavy sigh, looking toward the opposite wall and allowing Petra the privacy she needed to either undress, redress, or whatever the hell it was she had been trying to do when she had rushed into the room with the intensity of a storm.

As they both seemed to move past the strange and unexpected interaction, Petra stared at him for a long while, a note of concern coming to her as she watched him and a more pressing matter came to mind. Her voice was quiet, and she found that she could only stand in place and watch him in growing suspicion, a concerned expression over her face that he wouldn't ever see, "Captain…you were here for all of it, weren't you? With what my Dad said I mean – you heard him, the whole thing?"

There was a long sigh that followed her words, and eventually Levi merely nodded his head, adjusting his position to where his elbows rested over his knees, and he looked into the ground in contemplation, "Yeah. I wasn't trying to, but these walls aren't that thick, and you were both shouting. It was kind of hard not to hear everything."

Levi heard her moving; could only assume that Petra had disappeared into her closet in attempts to get dressed, so when the bed shifted from behind him, when he heard her sigh and could feel her sit against him, back to back as she allowed her head to fall back onto his shoulder with a defeated sigh, that Levi could only stiffen in admitted surprise.

"I'm so tired of this Captain – always being on trial, always having to defend myself and my choices. I can't even imagine how you feel."

"Petra…" he began with a shake of his head, still staring into the ground and wishing he even knew where to start, and he finally sighed, "Everything your dad said – about my past, my allegations, all that activity from my time in the Underground, it's all true."

"Yeah, I thought so." She said simply, and Levi found himself frowning, sitting up straighter as he somewhat looked toward her, where her head was resting on his shoulder so lightly, with a testing, flat stare.

Finding he wasn't sure what to say, eventually he looked back toward the wall in front of him and tried to pick his words, "I could explain to you the circumstances, try to convince you that it's not as bad as it sounds, but trying to justify those things in attempts to minimize them - shit, even if I wanted to, some things can't really be justified. My background is really fucked up, and I've done a lot of fucked up things."

Levi seemed to give up, not sure what to make of the fact that Petra was staying perfectly silent, just resting against his back as though perfectly content to be there, and after a few moments of building silence, he shrugged, "Honestly, your dad wasn't wrong Petra. He has every right to be concerned, with someone like me marrying their daughter. He should distrust me because, Petra, who am I kidding – I'm not good enough for you. I could live my whole life trying to clean myself up or try to act like a 'better man' for you, and I still wouldn't be good enough."

"What the- Captain, not you too? Don't tell me that my Dad is actually getting to you. I've never heard you talk like this before, so where is this coming from all of the sudden? Just because I 'know' or whatever? What difference does that make?" She sat up more fully, sitting up on her knees and turning around toward Levi, watching him in concern as he intentionally kept his back toward her.

"Petra." he explained in sudden exhaustion, frustration lacing his tone, "I've killed people. In cold blood no less. And it's not that I'm proud of my past, but if I were being honest with you, I don't really feel all that guilty about it either. I did what I had to do and yes, what benefited me destroyed others, and I knew that full well each and every time, with every new job or heist completed. While you were learning how to cook, I was learning how to fight. How to ambush people - how to break someone's femur or tell with a passing glance if someone could hold their own in a fight or not. I'm not trying to downplay your childhood or make you feel belittled by your innocence – but I feel there's just so little I can bring to you. I've done shitty things Petra, and so-"

"So therefore you're unqualified to be happy?" she cut him off in a mix of sarcasm and irritation, and Levi gave a bitter exhale, because even if he didn't want to say it out loud, his lack of response only confirmed that, yes, to some extent he felt that he wasn't worthy of happiness, and that even in the event that perhaps he was, if only a little, it shouldn't come at the 'price' of someone like herself.

She allowed herself a moment of thought, moving closer toward Levi as she turned around and pressed herself against his back, linking her arms around him and over his shoulders as she embraced him with a mournful sigh. Levi stiffened, well aware of her feminine curves and her lacking attire, yet so mentally caught up in their discussion that it didn't phase him all that much.

Her voice was in his ear, and she spoke softly, "Can you remind me Levi, why you proposed to me?"

He sighed, "Petra, please be serious. This isn't something you should just brush over."

She nodded, somewhat leaning into his neck as she responded, "I'm not. I just – hear me out, okay? For real Levi, way back, you proposed to me and I want you to tell me why."

"Because I had to." He said simply, then shook his head, "Well, not had to like I had no choice, but had to because you had no choice. I wanted you to stay on my squad – I wanted you to be able to choose to stay on my squad, and when your dad came in and tried to take that decision away from you, just like always, I did what I had to do. I wasn't sure if you'd agree to it or not, but at least the decision would have been yours to make."

She gave a fond smile at his explanation, and she nodded, allowing her hands to drift down his chest as she relaxed against him all the more, "Yeah, that sounds like what I remember too. So tell me Captain, if you went so far out of your way back then to give me a choice, why are you fighting so hard now to take that choice away from me? Can I not make my own decisions and choose what kind of man I want to stand beside?"

Levi heard her question, and he sighed, "I'm not…I'm not trying to take your choice away. I'm telling you that…Petra, I'm no good for you. I'm selfish. And I'm jaded. I'm no good with people and I don't really trust anyone, and sometimes that includes even you. I've got a past, a bad attitude, and I'm not all that witty or charming like Eld or Erwin or your stupid ex-boyfriend. Add that all up, and I think one day you're going to wake up and be completely disappointed that you ever wasted your time on someone like me."

She sighed sadly at his words, "Well now I know what you think of yourself, so let me tell you what I think of you, Captain." She felt him take a breath, as though preparing to speak further and try to explain all the more why he was so clearly not right for her, and she brought a single finger to his lips, "My turn, Captain."

He sighed in defeat, and Petra nodded in preparation, "Captain, if I can be honest with you…hearing about the things you did, imagining how I myself would feel if you held a blade to my throat with lethal intent, or if you broke into my house in the dead of night or whatever…it…honestly scares me. I don't like thinking about you like that; it legitimately makes me uncomfortable. You're a strong, powerful person, and knowing that at one point in time your abilities were used against the people, instead of for the people like I've seen over the years…it makes me very sad and perhaps a bit frightened because I couldn't imagine what I would do if I ever had to defend myself against someone like you. I say all that because I want you to understand that…I'm not ignorant to your flaws, Levi, and even if I didn't know the details, I've always known that you've got a rough past. I feel you and my father and so many other people treat me like I'm naive or that if I just took a 'closer look', I'd see the light and run screaming because you're obviously fucked up beyond repair and I'm just so damn perfect that I deserve the moon and stars and nothing less. Honestly, that's complete bullshit and I figured you were more sharp than that. Life isn't that black and white and you know it."

She took a breath and continued, bringing a hand up to his hair and brushing her fingertips over his scalp, something that she knew he liked and often proved to relax him without fail, "I told you this, what, just yesterday – that you don't have to like every detail of my past? Maybe it's a little different here, but the concept still applies. I don't have to like every detail of your past, Levi. I'll tell you flat out that the folder my dad shoved in my face – I didn't even have the guts to look through it. Even still, it's shocking, and a lot to take in, and it does make me a little scared in some ways, but how can you not recognize that it truly wouldn't be fair for me to rewrite my entire opinion of you, rewrite the man I've personally seen you to be, by using past information, things that I haven't seen, in its place. That's just not logical, and you know I'm right. And as for what I have seen…gods Levi, how many times are you going to make me say it? You're a good man, Captain. I truly believe that, and I always have."

Levi shook his head, almost in a knee jerk reaction because Petra knew full well he was mentally rejecting her words, and she sighed at his stubborn nature, because it somewhat pained her that Levi couldn't see himself in the same light that she could.

"Captain…you seem to think so highly of me. You talk about my devotion, my diverse skill set, my analytical skills and my loyalty…you do realize that it's only because of you, that I have those traits at all, right?" she continued tracing her fingers back and forth through his hair, and she gave a sad smile, "Levi, you're breaking my heart right now, because you speak of yourself so poorly, when really… you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. All of it, from the very beginning when we first met, to being on your squad, and eventually the wedding. I joined the military in hopes to make a difference, and who knew that would set me on the path to meet you, and eventually marry you no less. It was certainly unexpected and a little discomforting at the time, but looking back it's easily the best decision I've ever made, because absolutely everything I am today, is because of you. Aside from the fact that you've saved my life multiple times, you saw talent in me when no one else could or would. If you hadn't wanted to put in the work, chosen to go with an easier route or someone that was less raw in their skillset, I would have never stood a chance out there and I would have died sooner rather than later. You never shamed me for my weaknesses, and taught me how to find my strength when I was certain that I had no true strength to begin with. When my father and Timmy decided to play their hand, you put yourself in the line of fire for me. You had to deal with the gossip, and the rumors, the guys' suspicious and bad attitudes as they questioned your motives – all of that for my sake, and you never complained about it to me, even once."

She sighed, "And when I watch you now; when I see how hard you try to be with me, when I see your patience, and your kindness, and the way you care for me and watch out for me…gods, it makes me so proud to stand by your side, because I know it scares you. You are afraid of failing, afraid of hurting me, and afraid that if you get too close you'll ruin it all, but Captain…watching your courage, and your willingness to be uncomfortable and learn and grow alongside with me…Levi, you're just so…so cool. I know I say that a lot, but I can't help it; you just are. You're amazing, Levi, so please don't ever think that you're not good enough for me, or that I'm only sticking around because I have to. You are my first choice. I want to stand by your side, and be your wife, and care for you and cherish you. So please Captain, I know it can be hard to see all the good qualities in yourself sometimes; I know I have a lot of insecurities too, but you need to know that I'm happy to be with you – not because I'm ignorant, but because I see the man you truly are and know full well that you're something special. Getting to be your wife is so, so precious to me. Please don't take that away from me."

Levi considered her words for a moment, not sure if he was touched, or simply discouraged, because in some ways, it would be so much easier if Petra just decided to move on. Of course, he supposed in her defense that wouldn't do much good, because even if she walked away – at this point, he knew full well that he'd chase after her just the same.

Eventually, he took a breath and prepared to ask the question that was really weighing on his mind. Maybe it wasn't fair for him to ask such a thing, but after hearing Petra talk – hearing what her father had said and hearing her own responses to the man's accurate claims – he had to know. "Petra, tell me. Have you fallen in love with the Captain?"

At his words, Petra took a sharp inhale, realizing that in his hearing the discussion between herself and her father, he would have heard that little discussion as well. He would have heard her father ask her, heard her response – he would have heard her bitter mumbling to herself after her father had left, and also likely heard her change of heart as she sincerely asked herself that very same question, right before she barreled into the room because the question had overwhelmed her so.

She bit her lower lip and swallowed thickly, a nervous laugh coming from her as she found the whole situation admittedly ironic, "Levi… What…just what kind of fool would I have to be, in order to fall for my own Commanding Officer, right? So unprofessional."

The Captain also gave a low laugh at her sudden question because he supposed there was some admitted irony in how things had worked out between them, and Petra took a sobering breath and again tried to make herself face such a question head on. A long silence fell between them, and Petra could only get out a soft whisper, "Honestly Captain, I don't know anymore. But…maybe."

At her vague confession that wasn't a yes – but clearly wasn't a no, Levi gave a long sigh of his own, not sure if he was relieved, or perhaps…if that was disappointment he was suddenly feeling.

Eventually, Petra pressed her lips together and found herself daring to speak further on the matter. Her voice was quiet, cautious, because she wasn't sure what he might say and she found she was still a little wary of having her heart broken, "If I had though…" she asked, somehow even more quietly than before, "Levi, would you…look down on me for it? Would that be wrong of me?"

At her words, Petra had moved closer toward him, her hands coming down the sides of his face and across the planes of his shoulders – feeling the sudden desire to be close to him after their vulnerable words and tender confessions - and Levi allowed himself to fall back into her ever so slightly, pulling his head back so he could look up at her from where she was positioned just behind him.

His gaze on her was direct and purposeful, as though filling in the silence with all that he couldn't say. He had heard her of course; heard all the words she had said about him when she had no idea he was a mere room away listening. During a time when it would have been so much easier for her to stay silent – after all, how could she defend him when there was literal proof shoved right in her face to condemn him – she had still spoken up so boldly on his behalf and had taken his side without so much as a moment of doubt. She had defended him with a confidence that he himself lacked, and to listen with a pounding heart and cautious sense of awe as she eventually spoke to the very heart of her father and his own heart in a side by side comparison, as a way to prove his sincerity toward her – all before kicking her father out of his own house no less – gods, this woman was something else.

For a long moment he said nothing, merely watched her curious green eyes, eyes that spoke of her hesitance and fear, as though certain she had already said far too much because it seemed that she was still so unsure that he could ever accept her feelings.

"Petra." He finally said with an intense gaze of his own, "I'd say that…any man that is lucky enough to experience such a thing, I don't think he'd ever find a way to scoff at something like that. How could he?" Levi shook his head and watched her in confusion because her fears that he would be angry or what…reject her? admittedly baffled him. He watched her for a long moment, "If you did ever feel such a thing for me, how could I ever be anything less than…well, grateful?"

At that, at his simple response that more than quelled her fears, one of them, or perhaps even both of them, had moved intentionally toward the other. Levi had lengthened his neck, pushing himself up ever so slightly as Petra leaned down and pressed her lips against his; longing and passion and desire at the very tip of their tongues.

Love…

Levi certainly didn't know much about such an abstract, almost indescribable sort of thing. But if this wasn't it – if Petra's gaze, Petra's fierceness, her kiss, her touch, her acceptance of him and her longing for his approval and his presence in her life, gods – he couldn't help but feel that maybe, just maybe, she actually did.

Maybe she had in fact fallen in love with him, with her own Captain.

Fuck, he knew at once that he legitimately hoped so.

As he kissed her; turned around and faced her - not as a man belittled or torn down by his incriminating past, but rather a man that had been completely validated and upheld by his strong willed, trusting and devoted partner – Levi pulled her against him in a crushing and passionate embrace, pulling her body flush against his and letting his hands roam free with complete abandon. Petra melted into his hold with a light sound of contentment and she relaxed against him in submission.

"Levi…please? I know this is my Dad's house and all but…it's just, I really want this. Can we just? Please?" she whispered quietly against his skin, giving a labored sigh as his hands glided down her back, moved over the fabric of her panties and crested over the swell of her hips in a sweeping and gentle caress. He merely nodded, because of course, he never had, and never could successfully reject Petra, and against him, he could feel her smile.

Gods, he was almost certain of it. Even with what little he knew on the matter; he knew he'd be hard pressed to find someone that could ever successfully prove him wrong.

Petra Ral.

No, Petra Ackerman. His unexpected, gentle and devoted wife.

She had fallen in love with him.

…

End of Chapter

…

Guys – this was it. This chapter here – THIS was the single chapter that I saw in my head, literally some two years ago that made me start writing. This chapter here – specifically that one scene – is what made this entire piece come to fruition.

In my head, there was this story where Petra and Levi had to get married, and after hell and high water they had to face the music head on with her Dad, and after some huge blow up, Levi's sitting quietly on the bed and Petra's hovering behind him, and Levi just asks so simply 'Have you fallen in love with the Captain?'

That one scene stuck in my head, because there was just this depth and realness captured in that one tender moment, that I knew I'd spent many, many hours getting it written down on paper. I built the entire plot around this moment – save for what comes after of course haha. To actually have it up and posted, it is so so very surreal. I hope I was able to capture the moment for yall, because perhaps you may not be surprised, but this chapter, is of course my favorite chapter of the whole series. This small section here is what got me writing, and this whole chapter is very thought provoking to me. I LOVE the argument between her and her father – because let me waggle my writer finger here – but Levi is NOT the type of guy a Dad would want his daughter to marry, just flat out. If you can't admit this (even begrudgingly), let me tell you lovingly that you are struggling with your biases, and I'd challenge you to widen your perspective because characters are so much better when they can be viewed less statically.

Levi is quiet, has a violent streak, has a really (really) sordid past, and frankly, he's terrible at addressing his own emotions, so his communication skills are notably underdeveloped for a grown man. All that to say, even though her father's words (in my opinion) are actually sound and logical in this chapter, I love how Petra countered his criticisms with sound logic of her own, and it's an interesting balance as the two debate back and forth just who this Levi Ackerman actually is, and isn't.

The fact that Levi, the eavesdropping king, actually overheard all of it – and takes her Dad's side no less! – is such a humble, oddly satisfying moment. Side tangent, but I personally hate this concept of people 'deserving' or 'not deserving' someone else in a relationship setting – it's a very toxic parameter to place people into and SO bad for your mental health – but all in all, Levi has a very cause and effect style of thinking and we see that often reflected in the manga. If he does this, he will rectify it by doing THAT instead. If a soldier dies, he will 'use their strength to carry on' – but just factually speaking, that's now how it works. You can't use the future to rewrite the past, but Levi is very persistent in trying to use his actions going forward, to balance out his wrongs of the past. In some ways, its an obsession of his.

All that to say, as I writer, I can't help but feel Levi would really struggle with accepting Petra's love – simply because he lives under such guilt that he wouldn't ever feel 'deserving' of such a thing in the first place because its ill balanced.

Sorry, I know this is a long author's note and half of it was me ranting about Levi again. *sigh* I can't help it. This one is just SUCH an interesting one that captures some of the self-sabotaging he can unintentionally do to himself, and that's a fascinating thing for me to try and capture as a writer. Either way, thanks SO much for your kind words guys. I love seeing your thoughts and have really enjoyed seeing what yall have had to say about the recent plot changes. Till next time!

~Midnight