"You're a menace to yourself, you know that?"

Petra giggled awkwardly and tried to take her hand back, but her boyfriend's grip was too strong. He inspected the cut on her palm with a grim expression. The stitches were slowly healing and only on that day had they let her take the bandages off.

They were sitting alone in his hospital private room. Petra couldn't stay there the entire time, so they used what they had to be together.

He turned her hand again to a different angle, but the quiet whimper that escaped her mouth made him release it instantly.

"Sorry. How did this happen again? I thought you weren't there when it blew up."

"I just… well." She swallowed and put the healthy hand on the back of her neck. "I went inside to look for you and didn't notice the glass on the floor," she admitted, unable to lie to him.

Just as she expected, Levi was looking at her in horror.

"Stupid. You know how-"

"Yes, yes. I know how dangerous and stupid it was. I got enough scolding from the guys."

Levi scowled at her.

"Good. Don't be stupid."

She smiled slightly and stood up to leave a kiss on his wrinkled frowning forehead.

"I don't regret a thing."

Soon after, to Levi's discontent, their student interns came to see him. Petra insisted that they actually really liked him and it wouldn't hurt to let them cheer him up. He wasn't excited for the "get well soon"s and their loudness, but when the small group actually showed up, to his own surprise, they didn't irritate him as much as he expected. There was a weird sense of peace, knowing they were all safe despite being so close to ending up like him.

While the others explained how they made him a pie with the help of Mikasa's mom, he noticed Connie at the back of them all. The boy looked frightened and it took Levi a moment to realize the reason. While the boy looked up, Levi cleared his throat and looked at the other kids.

"I need to have a word with Springer. Leave us alone," he said outright and received some worried looks. Of course they knew. The teens walked out of the room, still blabbering between one another and he moved his eyes to Petra. Her eyebrows shot up.

"Me too?" She asked, surprised.

"Yes. Just for a moment."

He waited for her to leave and looked back at Connie, who was frozen in his place for all this time.

"Mr. Ackerman… I'm… I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I'm sorry! I really thought she was up there. If only…" the boy struggled, looking at his shaky hands.

"Hey, kid, shut it."

"But-"

"I said, shut it. You didn't make me go there," he said, looking straight at him.

Connie was silent and his eyes were glued to his shoes as he couldn't brace himself to look up again.

"I should apologize to Petra."

"No," Levi replied instantly, making him look up.

"Wait, she… she doesn't know? That's why you made her leave?"

"Of course she doesn't. She can't. She would blame herself. Just like you're blaming yourself right now," he glared at him. "I make my own choices. You told me what you thought was true. Now, join the rest of the brats and tell them I'm too tired to listen to their chatter. I'll see you back in the new parlor. Understood?"

Connie looked at him and sniffed loudly.

"Yes. Please get well soon."

Levi leaned back on his bed and sighed while massaging the bridge of his nose. Petra peeked into the room a moment after Connie left.

"Why was he crying?" She asked, concerned, but received only a shake of a head in reply.

—

Cold wind brushed his cheeks when he opened the window. He could never feel at peace during nights spent in the hospital, but looking at the stars calmed him down. At first, after the accident, he slept well, and hoped it was the one good thing he got from it, but by now his insomnia came back.

Now, alone with his thoughts in the middle of the night, he took a deep breath of the fresh air and got back to his bed with the help of a crutch. He sat down on the side of it and braced himself mentally before slowly taking the bandages off his face. He was careful not to damage the stitches, but the anticipation made his hands tremble.

There was a short moment of hesitation before he peeled off the patch from his right eye.

His heart was beating wildly while he opened it and blinked a few times. He waited, counting the seconds, then closed the left eye.

A heavy feeling set down on his chest as the darkness blurred his vision. He gripped the sheets under his palm as the anger boiled in his veins.

—

"Fucking do something, what am I paying you for?! I'm so fucking done with this shit!" He yelled into his phone and hung up on Yelena before throwing it on the floor.

Gripping a crutch under his arm, he stumbled on his way to the locker. He changed into clothes Petra left for him and looked down with discontent at the empty space in his jeans where his left leg should have been.

"Heyy, buddy, where are you going?" Hange stopped halfway through the door with two take-out cups in their hands.

"Anywhere out of this fucking room," he replied in a more agressive manner than he intended. His friend didn't take it personally, knowing him way too well.

"I can get a wheelchair for you if you wait a minute!" They proposed, hurrying to the closest cabinet to put the drinks on it.

"Don't," he cut them off and the pair exchanged glances.

"What's going on?"

"I'm sick of it. I'm not a cripple and I won't be."

"Hey, come on." Hange tried to comfort him, gesturing with their hands for him to calm down."It's okay to need help sometimes, no one thinks less of you."

"Don't bullshit me, four-eyes. People look at me like I'm a dying puppy. Petra walks around worried sick and I can't even stand up straight. I'm so fucking tired of hearing there is nothing we can do about this and that," he spat out and after catching a breath he approached them. "How can I protect others like this ?"

Hange looked worried, but unfazed by his anger.

"You're not here to protect others. Do you think that's why people keep you around?"

Levi hissed a breath and turned his head away. It wasn't something he wanted to face.

"I need to get out of here."

"Sure, just don't run and you should be fine." They sent him an uncertain smile.

Levi took a deep breath.

"Can you hand me the tea?"

Hange's smile widened and they grabbed the cups back before they both left his room together.

—

"Why did you come to see me that day?"

Petra was standing strong in front of a group of men sitting at the bar. There was a shift in Dieter's eyes after she threw the question. He took a glance at his friends before standing up.

"I'll be right back," he muttered and passed Petra to get out from the bar. She followed him, throwing daggers at the back of his head with her stare.

The sky was gray, making the outside of the place dull. The smell in the air forecasted the upcoming rain.

They stopped at the side closest to a bench under a tall tree. Petra's fists tightened.

"Did you decide to rethink your reply?" The man asked.

She noticed he wasn't carrying himself as confidently as always. At the same time, she didn't feel the anxiety that usually accompanied her whenever she saw him.

"Don't be ridiculous. Answer my question."

Dieter frowned and looked around before folding his hands.

"I told you when I was there."

A spark of anger moved Petra's body before she got to think it through. She reached her hand up and gripped his shirt, aggressively pulling it down. She could tell he wasn't expecting that, otherwise, it would probably have been impossible. She changed a lot since their break up, which also included the growth of her strength, thanks to regular visits at the gym.

"Why did you want me to leave?"

The man frowned and grabbed her wrist, pulling it aside to free himself.

"As much as you hate me, I don't want you to get hurt."

Petra pulled her wrist out of his grip and took a step back.

"And what was supposed to hurt me?"

They stared at each other in silence. He didn't have to say it.

"You knew ," she said through gritted teeth.

"You don't want to be tangled up in this."

"I don't care what you think!" She replied, losing patience. "You knew about the bomb and didn't tell us? Didn't tell me !? How did you even know?!"

"Petra, listen to yourself. If you were still with me, you wouldn't have this kind of shit going on in your life. I'm glad you're safe, okay?"

The woman in front of him was almost trembling with anger. She thought of Levi, the relief on his face when he learned that no one else got hurt but him.

She slapped him.

"I will never, never, come back to you. I wish I could never see you again, but I will. In the fucking court," she said before turning on her heel and rushing away, not sparing him another glance. She pulled out her phone from the pocket of her jacket and ended the recording.

The pace of her steps quickened and she wiped the tears away once she felt them running down her cheeks.

—

She stood in front of the hospital, a backpack full of fresh clothes for Levi, yet couldn't get herself to go inside. She was still shaken up after meeting Dieter earlier that day.

The raindrops that bounced off her face threw her out of her thoughts. She looked up, raising an opened palm, then suddenly, there was a sound of an umbrella opening before it appeared over her head. She turned her head and saw Erwin smiling at her.

"Better get inside," he said.

"H-hi!" She said, surprised. "It's good to see you."

"I would have come sooner, but you know," he sighed. "Work."

"Saving lives is a good excuse." She tried to joke, but the sound of her voice betrayed her unstable mood. They started walking towards the entrance.

"How is he doing? He didn't want to call, so I only got some updates through text since you called me."

"He's strong,of course. Most of his injuries are healing well, but he lost the sight in his right eye. He doesn't want to talk about it and I don't want to push him into it."

"I get it. The more you try to get something out of him, the more he will close off."

She sighed, but sent him a small smile. It was always nice to talk to someone who also knew him well.

"How's the investigation going?"

Petra delayed the reply by taking a deep breath.

"In progress. Levi says he's almost certain it's over. He says he's no longer… useful. As you know, we agreed to not say anything to the police to not make it worse for him."

"I see," the man replied and Petra knew he also understood how the fact was good and bad at the same time.

She stared at her shoes when they reached the elevator. She wanted to share her discovery, but something inside made her feel she should be careful with it. She regretted storming away from Dieter so fast, letting her emotions control her, learning almost nothing.

—

"I'm going home today," Levi announced when all four of them were together.

Just as they were reaching Levi's room, Erwin got a call from Hange who told them they went to get some fresh air.

That's how they ended up on the roof of the building. There was a small café area there, now closed and empty due to the time of the year, but big umbrellas were still there, protecting them from the rain.

Levi was sitting on the bench, smoking, while the rest of them stood in front of it. Petra couldn't ignore the dark circles under his eyes, pronounced even more than usual.

"Really?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. "Didn't they say it's better to stay longer, because of the nurses-"

"I don't care." He cut her off, looking at the sky before throwing the cigarette on the ground and smashing it with his boot. "I'm sick of this place. I can take care of the wound myself."

Petra frowned, not sure about the idea, but he had a point. They couldn't make him stay. She glanced at the others' reaction.

"Great." Hange broke the silence, clasping their hands. "Me and the boys planned to go and look at what's left to retrieve from the parlor tomorrow. We can meet later. Maybe we'll have some good news," they proposed and looked to Erwin who nodded.

"I have my hotel booked for a couple of days, so I can help too," he added.

Petra was looking at her shoes and when she raised her head she was met with Levi's stare. Of course, he noticed something was off. She cleared her throat.

"I… have some news about the accident," she confessed, as if it was her fault.

The three friends looked at her in silence. It looked like none of them expected that. She took a deep breath.

"A day before the explosion, when I was closing the shop with Gunther, Dieter came to the parlor," she stated outright. "He tried to make me quit and it was so stupid of him to even try, that's what I thought, but… he knew about the bomb. That's why he came. That's what I know now," she said, gripping the suspenders of her backpack tighter.

Silence followed, until Hange almost choked on their breath when inhaling.

"Dieter? Your stupid ex?! Does that mean it wasn't the Underground after all?"

Erwin gestured for them to calm down.

"That's weird, but it was them. We know that. So, he was somehow tangled in it. How do you know?" The blonde asked.

"He admitted it when I confronted him after my suspicion," she said and looked back at Levi who was slouching and looking at his hands, slowly opening and closing them. "I recorded his confession on my phone."

"I should have killed the bastard when I had a chance," he said, his voice revealing the anger inside him. He ignored the warning looks his friends sent him.

"We already agreed to not say shit to the police. If we change our approach now…" Hange wondered out loud.

"Is it possible he was the one to plant the bomb?" Erwin asked and Petra went speechless for a moment.

"I…I don't know," she replied, realizing they expected her to know what he was capable of. Her body tensed and she folded her arms nervously.

"We have to-"

"Enough." Levi interrupted the scene, his eyes only now leaving his girlfriend. "I'll talk with Yelena tomorrow. Bitch has to have some options."

Petra got startled by the sudden weight of Hange's body when they hugged her from behind.

"Good job, Pet! We're gonna get his ass this time."

"Tch. She's not a Pet to you," Levi grumbled.

—

Despite the fact she brought him fresh clothes, they ended up packing his stuff from the room instead, while Hange and Erwin went out for dinner.

Levi was sitting on the bed, folding his clothes and putting them neatly into a bag. He checked on Petra from time to time, noting how silent she became after the talk on the roof. He still felt angry, it didn't leave him from the moment he woke up, and Dieter's involvement in the situation certainly didn't help, but he couldn't help but worry about her too.

She zipped up a case and came to him to help with the clothes. She didn't even look at him, so he put the shirt he was holding down.

He touched her arm, startling the woman before she looked at him, pulled out from her thoughts.

"Sorry for what I said. I don't want to actually kill him."

Petra's expression looked lost before an unsure smile appeared on it.

"Honestly, I'm starting to feel I wouldn't mind that." she admitted quietly and her smile disappeared again. Levi put a hand on the back of her head and pulled her closer to put a kiss on her forehead.

"We both know it's not true. You wouldn't hurt a fly."

Petra sniffed and frowned, wiping her eyes quickly.

"Sorry, my problem is nothing compared to what you're going through. You know, I'm mad too. You don't deserve this."

"I know. We can be pissed off together."

She bit her lip before looking him in the eyes.

"It's selfish of me, but I'm happy you're coming back. I miss falling asleep with you."

"Indeed. A real crime."

She snorted and leaned in to kiss him. Despite all the anger inside him, she made it easier to bear. To his relief, the smile that appeared on her face looked honest this time.

"Of course I will help you with tending to the wounds," she said, taking his hand in her own. He frowned and looked away.

"I don't want to think about it. Can we pretend everything is normal?"

"Nothing's normal, Levi. But that doesn't mean it has to be all bad," she said, hugging his hand close to her chest.

Levi lowered his tired eyelids and pulled her to his lap, which made her panic, scared of hurting him.

"Shush, my tights are fine," he grunted.

Petra couldn't help but let out a soft giggle.

"That's true, they are quite hot," she replied, looking him in the eyes from up close.

—

They got a ride to Petra's place from Erwin and once all the bags were inside, Petra excused herself to the apartment, leaving them alone still near the car. Levi felt irritated by the fact he couldn't be of much help in that case. He leaned his back on the wall of the building and looked at his friend.

"What do you think we should do about that piece of shit?"

"Dieter? I'm not sure. You can't go near him, so don't even think about it," the blonde reminded him while closing the trunk of his car.

Levi grunted and hit the ground with his crutch.

"I can ask Kenny if he knows anything, but knowing that asshat, he won't be eager to help."

"Let's review our legal options first," Erwin suggested, opening the driver side door and nodding in Levi's direction. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah," the shorter man replied. As much as he enjoyed the fact he was back for some time, he couldn't make himself express it. Being open with emotions with his own girlfriend was hard enough. At least, Erwin wasn't so emotional either.

The first thing he did once he got to Petra's flat was take a shower. It felt like heaven compared to the disgusting bathroom he had access to in the hospital. Usually he didn't care, but for once he even appreciated the floral showergels she had there.

In his pajama pants only, he headed straight to the bedroom afterwards and sat down on the bed, closing his eyes. Despite the flat being mostly empty due to the fact they moved most of Petra's stuff to the parlor, he felt a pleasant wave of familiarity. Finally, he could relax.

He opened his eyes when he heard Petra entering the room.

"Ah! I haven't changed the sheets for you yet. I'm so sorry. I mostly came here just to sleep and it isn't as clean as usual," she sighed in worry and started to clean the clutter on her desk while he watched her. "If I knew you would come back tonight… no, I should have cared for my home always, that's so stupid of me, I'm sorry, Levi-"

"Hey," he stopped her monologue and when she turned to look at him, he was looking at her while changing the bandage on his fingers to a fresh one. "It's fine." He assured, his voice unusually soft.

She breathed out slowly and sat by his side, taking the job of bandaging his hand as her own. Levi leaned down and laid his head on her shoulder, making her smile a little.

"How do you feel? Does it hurt a lot?" She asked, eyeing his face. The stitches were already gone.

"Got used to it."

She sent him the side eye before finishing her job.

"You are incredibly strong, you know that right?" She expressed, but only a grunt followed as a reply from her man. "You got used to your new vision in the span of days. Even the doctors say you're healing suspiciously fast."

"I already took care of the leg in the bathroom."

"Wouldn't expect otherwise."

"I should have come back sooner," he murmured and moved his head to place a kiss on her collarbone, sending a shiver through her body.

"I wouldn't let you, silly. You need medical attention. It makes you safe."

"You just said I heal faster."

"Suspiciously," she reminded him and placed a kiss on his healthy knuckles. Levi moved his head up and turned her face to his own to kiss her lips.

"I missed this," he said quietly, running his fingers through her tangled-by-the-wind locks of hair.

"Everything's been a mess since the accident…" she sighed putting a hand on his nape and caressed his grown out undercut.

"I promise I'll fix it."

Petra looked him in the eyes and squinted hers.

"It's not on you," she whispered before they shared another kiss, during which Levi pulled her down on the bed.