Hey squad!
So I decided that I am ditching the Monday gig all together, because Monday's are always busy in my household, and truth be told I don't know how I ever made them work in the first place. What a terrible day for me to try and update haha. For some of my newer readers who may not be aware, I update every other week, and as of today, those future updates will be occurring on Sundays henceforth. It's a day 'early' for yall, and it works on my end a bit better, so drinks all around!
On that note, I am so happy yelled loved the wedding ceremony as much as I did. I had originally intended it to be this like, painfully dark, awkward depressing thing, but I just couldn't see Erwin taking the easy route with some prewritten speech, and because of that it went the direction it did, and I LOVED it. I really enjoyed seeing yalls comments, and again, lot of newer folks that piped in too so that really made me smile. Big shout out to all yall, because as yall know, what I am actively writing is significantly farther along in the plot than what is posted here, and on my end of the plot it's getting kind of heavy and…ugh. Yall helped keep my spirits high, because writing out tough sections really takes it out of me.
Thank you all so much, I can never express my gratitude for my readers enough.
Now as I warned previously, this chapter is about DOUBLE the length of what a normal chapter is just due to no proper break points in this section, so buckle up, grab some coffee and let's get to it.
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Two weeks had passed since the sudden and abrupt marriage between Levi and Petra, and true to the Captain's word, life resumed without occurrence. Due to leadership having to take the better half of a week off to focus solely on Petra's unique situation, when everything did go through and the matter was finally put behind them, Levi returned to his squad with an all-out crack down to ensure that they made up for lost time.
For the past two weeks, they had woken up, reported for duty at sunrise and did morning conditioning - consisting of brutal workouts and an unprecedented number of laps to be run at a sprint like pace. After scarfing down a meal during a very strictly monitored lunch break, they would get right back to it, working on the Omega formation and other training drills until the dinner bell rang. If throughout the day there was even a whisper of complaint or sluggish responses to an order, Levi was quick to address the matter with more laps, pain, miserable cleaning duties, and of course, more pain.
With how ragged the team was being run by their relentless Captain, no one had the time nor energy to obsess over the marriage between Petra and Levi – at the end of the day they were too busy just keeping themselves fed, hydrated, and caffeinated enough to stumble through the day, to actually care about their change in marital status and its resulting implications.
Petra had been a little anxious after the wedding, wondering how her team might treat her afterward, but as soon as Levi returned and pushed everyone's abilities to the limit, not surprisingly even she herself had to abandon any time spent worrying about the thoughts of others and just focused on getting through each day without invoking the Captain's wrath.
As for today, she could tell that it wasn't just her, her entire team was spent. They had started their day with a three-mile run, each of them trailing miserably behind the Captain, who kept shouting at them to pick up their pace or there would be hell to pay. Try as they may, they would all be unsuccessful in keeping up with the toned Ackerman, causing him to yell at them all for their lack of stamina and ensured that they ran it all over again. After an 'easy' start to their day, Levi commanded a series of conditioning routines that included a massive number of pushups, pull ups, squats, and other miserable exercises that they made use of, to tone and strengthen their bodies on a regular basis.
At one point as Petra worked on completing her assigned squats, Levi had scoffed at her as he walked by, 'Get your ass down, your form is shit' and gave a painfully firm tap to her calf with his boot, causing her to collapse to the ground and only proving his point further. She had quietly groaned and rubbed her sore rear as she stood back up and Levi merely gave a 'hmph' as he continued on, informing her that she would be starting over from the top until she could get it right. Her comrades all suffered similar fates, and no one went unscathed from his watchful gaze.
When lunch had finally rolled around, the squad ate in absolute silence, each focused on eating whatever food was provided as quickly as they could. They knew full well that they would need the energy for whatever drills the Captain had planned for them, and their lunch break was only so long; socializing took a back seat to fueling for the rest of the day.
As if right on cue, a metallic bell rang and they all stood up with a snap, whether their food was finished or not, lining up and standing in attention as Levi made his way toward them without a moment's delay.
"At ease." He stated quietly, and they each moved into parade rest as he walked in front of them, back and forth in a line, observing them tersely as he paced in front of them, the silence extending all the more as he watched them with a tense expression.
Petra had always hated when he did that. His pacing always made her nervous as he never gave a hint as to his mood or his thoughts. He could be in a good mood, or a bad mood, or somewhere in between and they would never know. What she did know was that this morning had been rough on all accounts for everyone. There was no way he hadn't noticed, and she was dreading what his response might be to their lackluster performance.
Levi paused in step and crossed his arms, running his gaze across each of them firmly, "This morning was a cluster fuck of all you shits half-assing the whole thing."
Petra mentally groaned, though remained stoic, knowing better than to actually respond in such a way. While normally he was much more lax and surprisingly tolerated their whines and groans, he had been running a particularly tight ship as of late and she did not want to be on the receiving end of any of the laborious cleaning tasks he assigned to those who didn't fall in line.
He gave a small cough and continued, clearing his throat and speaking up, "While my initial reaction is just to make you all run and do the whole thing over again, perhaps a bit of grace is in order. For the most part, you have all shown an excess of control and discipline over the last few days, which hasn't gone unnoticed. In light of your discipline, I'm willing to cut you a bit of slack for your shitshow that was this morning's conditioning. Seems you can pull it together, so long as you get your heads out of your ass that is."
Petra blinked, feeling a spark of disbelief, and dare she say hope spring up within her, though again she kept her gut reaction in check.
Levi nodded toward them, "Take the rest of the night off, that's an order."
"Yes sir." The squad responded in unison, the expected and correct response after being given a direct order.
Levi cleared his throat again and gave another light cough, nodding as his squad officially relaxed and smiled at their good fortune, "Come the morning I expect top performance. Anything less will not be met with near the same amount of leniency tomorrow, I assure you." He gave a light smirk at the flashes of relief across his squad's faces, then nodded with a tilt of his head, "Alright now, piss off. I'll be in my office if you need anything."
Petra smiled and gave a 'thank you Captain' before all but running off the training grounds before he could change his mind.
"I call the shower!" Oluo called out loudly as they all marched away, and finally, the group felt free enough to groan at Oluo's announcement, no longer feeling threatened by the Captain's potential retaliation.
"What'd you do to earn the first shower?" Gunther quipped back as they all walked back to the compound together, the excitement of being free giving them a much-needed boost of energy, "The way I saw it you came in dead last for pretty much, oh right, everything today."
Petra gave a huff, "Well if that's the ranking system then I should be the one to have first crack at it. I was the one that kept up with the Captain the best today, we all know that I'm faster than all of you! We've taken tests that prove it!"
Eld shook his head, "Right. Faster at everything except for taking a shower. If we let you go first, you'll take all the hot water! Why don't you just go to the women's shower house? You'd be in and out before the dinner rush even started."
"This one is closer!" Petra wined, "And what about all of you? The men's shower house out of order or something? The reality is only one, maybe two people are getting hot water from the one in the compound, so someone is either walking to the other side of camp, or just taking a cold shower. If the hot water matters that much to you, you'll have better luck in the shower house. You guys can make it like…a manly field trip or something. You all go take showers elsewhere and leave all the hot water in the compound to me! I've earned it!"
The men looked amongst each other as they each debated their options, and Eld sighed as they approached the doors of the compound, "Well, the way I see it men, there's only one law in effect here - the law of nature."
He opened the door as he stepped inside, then promptly took off in a dead sprint, "First one there gets it!"
"Hey!"
"That's cheating!"
"No fair!"
Regardless their apparent mutual feelings about Eld's sudden decision, they all tore off into the hall after him, banging shoulders and shoving each other back and forth in their attempts to reach the bathroom first.
By the time they had reached the bathroom in question, they were a blob of tangled arms and legs, each pressed against the doorframe or across the ground, trying to claw their way into the room while keeping their teammates from actually crossing the threshold first.
"OW! Whoever just bit me, your ass is mine! There's no reason to – oh no you don't!" Eld stopped mid-sentence and grabbed Petra's collar, yanking her backward and ignoring her cursing that followed her unsuccessful attempt of claiming the prize.
"All's fair in love and war Eld." Gunther responded, spitting onto the ground and glaring up at him, "And by the way, you taste even worse than you smell!"
"Hey asshole! You just spit on me!" Petra shrieked, though Eld spoke over her, looking over his shoulder toward Gunther, "I smell bad, do I? If that's how you feel you should want me to take a shower right now! You should be begging me to get in there!"
"Never!"
Eld had leaned over to push Gunther backwards, and it was then that Oluo jumped and pushed off Eld's back, successfully landing in the bathroom with a surprisingly graceful roll. Before any of them could respond further, Oluo had stomped down on Gunther's hand, causing him to recoil in shock and pain from his crushed hand. Once there were no arms or appendages in his way, Oluo slammed the door shut and clicked the lock triumphantly in place.
"Who's the fastest now Petra?" Oluo's muffled voice taunted from the other side of the door, and Petra kicked the door with her foot, almost falling over after losing her balance as her other teammates picked themselves off the floor and bumped into her in the process.
"Cheap tricks Oluo!" Petra shouted back into the door, "I'll race you here and now for that shower. Come out and face me you coward!"
There was no response, and Petra glared, turning back towards her other unsuccessful comrades and frowning.
…So much for that then.
Gunther rubbed his throbbing hand bitterly as he stood up from the ground, "That little shit. Hey Petra, you still have those bobby pins in your dresser, right? Let's pick the lock open."
"Wait, you know how to do that?" Petra asked in both surprise and worry, feeling considerably less safe at night knowing that her lock was potentially useless. Her eyes widened as she replayed his words, "And how exactly do you know where I keep the bobby pins in the first place?"
"Calm down," Gunther rolled his eyes, "Everyone already knows about your cutesy little stuffed animals you like to cling to at night, it's no big deal. Oh, by the way your night shorts really ride up when you sleep. Figured you oughta know."
Petra blanched at his words and Eld chuckled, giving a light punch to her shoulder, "Yeah. You know, you never told me you had a birthmark!"
Petra's mouth fell open and her face began to burn red from embarrassment, though before she could properly respond to her complete invasion of privacy, Oluo spoke haughtily through the door, having heard their threats about breaking in, "Too late now fuckers, I've already stripped down to nothing. You come in and you're gonna get a show, bare ass and everything!"
"A disappointing show no doubt." Petra retorted without missing a beat, finding the idea of breaking in and facing a naked Oluo a rather horrible way to kick off her hard-earned free time. Her comrades and her were close, but not that close, and Petra felt very strongly that there were some lines that should remain uncrossed within her team.
Petra exhaled through her nose, deciding to get untangled from the mess while she still could, "Alright alright, you got me beat. I'm out."
She took a step back, though after a moment of thought leaned toward Gunther and whispered lowly, "I've got bobby pins in the top drawer of my dresser. You mess with any of my stuffed animals and I'm taking it out of your hide. Give him hell for me."
Gunther grinned darkly at her granted permission, "Oh don't worry. We'll get it taken care of."
Eld gave a promising nod, assuring all the more that this battle wasn't over.
She turned over her shoulder, "And If I ever catch any of you in my room at night you're dead! I mean it! DEAD."
She left at that, deciding to just bite the bullet and prepare for the long trek across the grounds to get to the women's shower house. If they were so gung-ho about picking the lock on Oluo, she wasn't sure if she was ready to fight for the next shower after all. While she didn't think they'd actually come in while she was showering, they were all competitive to the core and she wasn't sure she could depend on something like 'immodesty' to protect her when they were in a mood like this.
Besides, it wasn't that bad of a walk, after all that was how a vast majority of the women in the Scout regiment showered each day so it was certainly possible, it was truly just a matter of convenience for her. With her room being a mere fifteen feet away from their private bathroom in the compound, she didn't need to pack a big bag of shower supplies or a change of clothes. She could just shower off, wrap herself in a towel and just tip toe back to her room without much incident.
Perhaps the walk would do her good though. Fresh air, a gentle stroll without her 3DM gear and harness weighing her down, it might even be nice. Petra went to her room and packed her shower bag, leaving the compound and heading toward the shower house without further fuss.
Twenty some minutes later, Petra found herself successfully at the women's shower house, and as expected, there wasn't a large line considering most squads were still actively on duty. Now that the excitement and adrenaline of her sudden scuffle with her team had worn off, she could feel just how exhausted she was.
Her back ached, her muscles were throbbing, her hands were blistered and calloused from all the recent conditioning they had focused on, and she could feel sweat and grime resting across her skin as a result of the day's hard work.
Thankful that there was a stall immediately open, Petra sighed in relief and moved into the stall, setting the water to hot and grabbing out her packed shampoo and conditioner. As she waited for the water to heat up, voices of other female Scouts echoed across the walls – Petra hadn't bothered to look around and see who was already there – one girl giggling at whatever one had said before a different voice responded.
"That's what I thought. I'm telling you, Maria has no chance with him. I mean she's been dropping major hints but he clearly isn't interested."
"Poor guy. Honestly I wonder if he's gay? I mean he's such a nice guy, maybe even a little too nice, and he just doesn't seem to be interested in any girls, you know?"
"Oh I know, I've been wondering the same thing! I just don't have the nerve to ask him!"
"Me neither!"
Petra smirked as she undressed and stepped into the water, somewhat remembering why she didn't come to the women's house more often. More than the distance, it was also the Scout Regiments unofficial watering hole for gossip. While she would be lying if she said that she wasn't curious as to the most salacious gossip within their ranks, the reality was her team was so excluded from the rest of the Scouts that she didn't even know what they were talking about half the time.
She allowed the water to run over her and Petra wiped the grime and sweat off her skin, continuing to listen to the stranger's conversation.
"Oh right, have you heard any more updates on that?"
"Well it's all kept hush hush right now, you know how tight of a lid management keeps on these things. My Captain heard me talking to Amy about it and gave me the stink eye. It's stupid. You know he's thinking the same thing. I swear that Officer's get to do whatever they want half the time. I mean, if I got knocked up, do you think that they would go as far to keep me protected and out of the limelight? I doubt it."
Petra blinked, admittedly curious as she began to lather shampoo in her hair. That was always a fun one. While it was rare, every once in a while, a female Scout would have to go on a mysterious leave of absence due to an unexpected pregnancy. It was always kept under wraps and Officers were given strict coaching to protect the female's information and remain as tactful about it as possible. Even still though, the rumor mill always churned for weeks.
Petra wondered if it was someone she knew. Not likely. She only had about four or five girl friends within the Scouts, and the last she had checked they were all single and uninterested in beginning any sort of relationship – physical or otherwise.
The gossip continued, "I mean, I'm not surprised by the girl because I mean, come on, we all saw that one coming - it's more the father that shocks me here."
"Right? Who would have thought that Humanity's Strongest would ever get himself involved in such a scandal? And with his own subordinate too? It's almost poetic if it weren't so gag worthy."
Petra felt her blood run cold at the mention of Levi's other title, and she finally realized that she did in fact know the girl they were talking about.
It was her.
The other girl gave a laugh, then groaned, "Well I mean you can see it in how that girl watches him all the time; talk about thirsty. I'll bet that's how she got on his squad to begin with. Goddess' know it wasn't talent."
"Well…not that kind of talent any way."
"Right?"
Petra's mouth fell open and she glared towards wherever the voices were coming from, finding their accusations both horrifying, embarrassing, and way off base. Yes, she could acknowledge that Levi was attractive, but she had more respect for him than to watch him, or even think of him like that! He was her Captain! That sort of relationship was forbidden. They had both agreed from the very beginning before they got married that…such acts…were off the table!
Even thinking about it now, her face burned in embarrassment.
What was more, where the hell did this pregnancy rumor come from? She would know better than anyone if such a thing were possible – and considering the closest Levi had come to touching her as of late was his recent kick to her leg this morning (no doubt already starting to bruise) it was safe to say that pregnancy was not in the cards for her.
"The fact they got a shotgun wedding though? Please. Like anyone will believe it's a legitimate child, I mean, seriously? We can all count to nine, people!"
"It just goes to show you how unfair the system is. They'll keep her in baggy shirts for a while, give her like a research role in Hanji's division, and then when she's too big to hide behind a desk, they'll make the official announcement and she'll be off on leave. From then on she'll be off living the life of luxury, raising the Captain's little prodigy while we all die in the mouths of Titans. Seriously though, you gotta admit she's smart. Had I known that Captain Levi was looking – I kinda wish it had been me. He may be a walking terror, but damn is he easy on the eyes. And what's more, have you seen him in action? With stamina like that, I'll bet he's an absolute god in bed."
"Well if you're curious about that then I'm sure you can always ask that girl, Petunia something or other. She'd know, right?"
A laugh was shared between the two as they found amusement in their shared secrets, meanwhile, Petra was all but sputtering, beyond uncomfortable at hearing people talk about Levi so brazenly and raging something fierce at everything she heard.
They were not married because she was sleeping around – even her own squad had accused her of that – she was not pregnant, she most certainly did not get her spot on the squad by sleeping with the Captain considering she had never slept with the Captain, like hell these girls even had a shot with Levi, and for Maria's sake, her name was not fucking Petunia!
Damn it all!
She heard one of the girls sigh, "Well, for now we just wait it out. They can't hide it forever after all. At the very least it keeps things interesting for a few months. Anyway, wanna head out and get in the dinner line? It should be ready by now. I think they're serving meat loaf today."
"Ugh. It's always so dry though. But, yeah let's go. It's getting hot in here."
Petra couldn't decide if she wanted to hide in the shower until she was certain they were actually gone, or if she wanted to grab her towel, burst out of the stall and demand an apology. At the absolute least these rumors were vicious, and she knew full well that Erwin would have something to say if that kind of talk got back to him.
She didn't need their respect per say, but she certainly didn't need random Scout's dragging her name through the mud over their preconceived notions about the circumstances behind her marriage to the Captain.
Their marriage was born out of desperation, not promiscuous behavior. She had been backed into a corner and Levi gave her a way out – it had nothing to do with a forbidden relationship or any questionable behaviors they were trying to hide with a cover up marriage story. The fact that those were the kinds of rumors circulating around the Scouts – while she hadn't seen the two girls, considering they didn't even know her name, it was safe to assume she hadn't met or worked with them, so if that kind of rumor had already circulated so far down the ranks, how could she show her face to the Regiment?
Even if they were completely wrong about her, word had seemingly gotten out that at the absolute least, she was that girl that chose to move through the military by sleeping with her higher ups, instead of working hard and earning her place.
Petra felt her blood boil and run cold at the same moment, because that was contrary to everything she believed in.
How was she supposed to address this? Ignore it? Fight it head on? And what of the Captain? While she was taking the brunt of the current circulating rumors, it didn't exactly paint Levi in a great light either. It was one thing if her reputation was tarnished, but Levi had authority – actual power within the Scout Regiment. He was already a difficult person to get along with, and if rumors like this continually floated around him, people would gradually trust him less and less.
Petra groaned and stepped out of the shower, roughly drying herself off and tugging on her clothes, not paying any mind to her dripping wet hair as she exited the stall.
She grabbed her things and marched out of the shower house, taking large strides across the campus and finding her way back to the compound. She opened the door and moved inside without delay, carrying her bag in tow as she made her way down the hall purposefully. Still not stopping as she passed the common room and then toward the hall, she grabbed the handle of the door she was now stationed in front of and without knocking, stepped inside with the intensity of a storm.
"Levi!" She called out loudly, moving in front of his desk and dropping her bag to the floor in a heap, slamming her hands down onto his desk and looking down at him squarely with an angry scowl.
The Captain in question looked toward the door Petra had suddenly burst through without warning, to where she was now standing, to her bag plopped so unceremoniously on the floor, then up to her face where – he frowned as he watched her hair release droplets of water onto the surface of his desk and he pressed his lips together into a thin line.
He clicked his tongue in distaste and moved the papers that were getting dripped on to a different section of his desk, away from the falling drops of water. He looked up at her in barely restrained irritation, "Petra." He stated with a forced calm demeanor, "Can I help you with something?"
Her mouth opened as she attempted to respond, though she gave a confused frown and closed her mouth, then sighed, standing up fully and watching him in extended confusion. A long silence fell across the room as she pondered his question, and Levi wondered if Petra would be able to respond to him at all.
He felt his irritation rise as she merely watched him with a perturbed, dumb look. It was a simple fucking question, but the silence only extended all the more as Petra made various faces and attempted to put even a single word together. He sighed again, all the more agitated by her prolonged silence.
He fucking hated it when she was like this.
"They." She huffed suddenly, then shook her head and pointed out the door, "They were…" she exhaled and waved her hands dramatically, "Shower. Walking, and then they – I could hear them. Petunia!" she suddenly hissed, slamming her fist down on the surface of his desk, causing him to jolt slightly at her loud passionate outburst that made no damn sense.
Various flicks of water hit him in the face from her actions as her hair flew every which way and he wiped the water off his face with a snap of his wrist, though Petra continued undaunted, continuing all the more and whipping her head every which way as she spoke, droplets of water continuing to fly off of her and sending small circles of water splashing across every surface of his office.
"You should have heard! I – never in my life – but they were! They were even talking about, and yet I am the one that they are concerned with?" Petra started pacing in front of his desk when she finally paused in step and pressed her lips together into a sort of sneer. She looked at him with hard eyes, "Oh that is it! Erwin! Get me Erwin! Right now. That's what I'll do, he's…Where's he at? He's not busy is he?"
Levi watched Petra for an extended moment, legitimately having a hard time keeping up with his frazzled subordinate. What the fuck did Erwin have to do with…whatever the hell had pissed her off? It was anger right? This was anger he was seeing on her face? He really couldn't be too sure.
Levi ground his teeth, setting his pen down and looking up at her, his voice low as he tried his damnedest to not lose his temper, "Petra. I have no fucking clue what you're talking about. Either sit the hell down and tell me what it is you need, or get the fuck out of my office and figure your shit out on your own. I will be the one to decide if Erwin needs to get involved or not. Considering you can't even put a damned sentence together, I can't trust your judgement."
Petra looked at him with wide eyes, seemingly giving him her complete attention, and he exhaled loudly, folding his hands and looking at her directly, "Now. What the hell can I help you with?"
Petra gaped then shook her head in pure disbelief, again sending more droplets raining down on him. Now there was anger on her face, he was sure of it.
She scoffed and glowered at him, "I just told you! Captain, I swear. Are you even listening to me? With everything I said, you of all people should be concerned but no. You're just sitting there staring at me like it doesn't even matter. This is why I need Erwin! You may be too nice of a guy but Erwin will-"
Levi's patience was beyond thin. He had a headache pounding within his temples, he had a shit ton of work to get done, and out of nowhere Petra had burst through the door with some problem that apparently, she didn't trust him to actually work through, repeatedly bringing up the fact that she needed Erwin, and not him.
Levi all but growled, still having no idea what it was that Petra was going on about, "And what will he do that I won't, apparently?"
Petra threw a hand up in the air, seemingly irritated that he just wasn't getting it, "Kick some ass!"
Hearing this, the Captain was torn between laughing darkly, or physically getting up and pushing her out of his office and slamming the door shut. He was apparently too nice of a guy to kick someone's ass? Now he knew she was beyond reason.
Levi laced his hands in front of his face, clenching his arms tightly in restraint as frustration coursed through him hotly. "Let me make sure I've got this right - you believe that Erwin is more prone to kicking someone's ass, than I am?" He set his arms down across his desk and looked at her squarely, "Woman, what the actual hell is wrong with you?"
Whatever he said seemed to do the trick as Petra gave a mournful sigh and sank down into one of his office chairs, burying her face into her hands and shaking her head sadly, "I just never thought I'd have to deal with this. I worked so hard to get on your squad, and now everyone thinks that I'm a tramp. Just what am I supposed to do?"
A long silence extended, and Levi was admittedly surprised by her words that seemed to come out of nowhere. Where was this coming from? He rolled his tense shoulders as he observed her further for explanation, though now of all times his subordinate had fallen silent. He sighed, mentally replaying the broken fragments of what she had said earlier and attempting to piece her frustrations together like a poorly constructed puzzle.
He rubbed his throbbing temples in forced contemplation and adjusted himself in his chair until he found a more comfortable position. She had said he was involved, that 'they' said this or that – which was a bad thing he was guessing - and that he should be just as offended as her – and now she was apparently a tramp?
Levi frowned at his subordinate, questioning if her sanity had finally snapped once and for all, but as his wedding band caught the light just right and grabbed his attention, it finally clicked into place.
…Well damn.
Seemed the rumors had finally gotten back to her. That was sooner than he had anticipated. He had known it would only be a matter of time until the Scouts heard about the wedding and would get all sorts of ideas about why it happened; even his own squad would start whispering if he had let them go unchecked. He had intentionally kept them as busy as possible until their tank ran dry, making it so there was no time to gossip between themselves or even hear it from others, and with how hard he was running them he was admittedly surprised he had gotten a full two weeks out of them before they bottomed out.
Figures all it would take was one hour of free time for it to all come back full circle.
Understanding her frustrations better, he grabbed a hankie from his pocket and began wiping the water off the surface of his desk, attempting to pat the dripped-on papers dry in hopes to not smear the ink.
His voice was much calmer now that he actually understood the problem and he leaned back in his chair as he watched her flatly, "Well, are you surprised? Not that it's right, or that the fucking shits shouldn't learn their place, but we all knew these rumors would spread eventually. Honestly there's always been those kinds of rumors, since the day you joined my squad in fact. People can't accept the fact that just because you're the only girl on my squad, doesn't mean we're fucking by default. You can only imagine the hay day people had when they found out you and I suddenly got married."
Petra had kept her head in her hands, her voice muffled as she spoke into the floor, "Captain, they're saying you got me pregnant."
Hearing this, Levi scoffed and shook his head, but again, wasn't all that surprised. People got bored and had to have something to talk about. The fact that he was already known throughout the entire military, combined with the fact he was somewhat seen as the black sheep of the Scout Regiment, it only made the gossip all the more intriguing and therefore, spread more quickly.
He leaned back toward his desk, resuming his work and remarking off handedly, "Just wait until they see that you clearly aren't showing in a few months, that'll really give them something to talk about."
Petra sat up and looked toward him, hope evident in her voice as she watched him nervously, "You think that will shut them up, prove them wrong?"
Levi frowned darkly, "If only. My theory, if I were to bet on anything, they'll probably assume coat hanger abortion."
Petra gasped and made a face, though Levi simply gave another shrug, "Nothing we can do about it. While I normally have no problem putting shits in their place, acting out would only force it into the public eye all the more. The best thing we can do is ignore the rumors and wait for people to get bored. It'll be a while mind you, but they will get tired and drop it. You just have to survive until then. You don't have to, but you can stay in the compound or the guys can bring you your meals – obviously I don't care if you go out or not, but if it seriously makes you that uncomfortable, we can make it work until it all blows over."
Petra gave another sad sigh, her voice more quiet as she thought the matter over, "It's just…there's something else about all this that really bothers me. Even the guys wondered if there was anything…like that…happening between us. When I told them we were getting married, it was like their first question." She fell silent as she tried to sort out her thoughts, though found no answer within herself. She attempted to put words to her frustrations, "It just pisses me off, but more than that it makes me…sort of worry."
Her odd statement grabbed his attention, and Levi looked up from his desk and watched her with a quirked eyebrow. Petra chewed her lower lip as the Captain watched her for an explanation. She looked into the floor and gave a small shrug, her voice timid, "I just…Do they see something that I don't? I don't feel like I'm, I don't know, flirtatious with you or anything. To my knowledge I haven't sent you suggestive vibes – honestly even being this direct about something like this with you, it actually makes me really embarrassed but..."
She looked up from the ground, her green eyes searching for strength in his. She bit her bottom lip, "Captain, I'm sorry to ask you something like this or - ugh this is so weird – I'm not crazy right? Our relationship has always been professional? Some of the comments the girls made in the shower house, they said…"
A blush rose to her face and Petra moved her gaze to the opposite side of the room, refusing to look at him as embarrassment continued to plague her. "They said that I look at you and its apparently obvious that I'm like, I don't know, obsessed with you or something." She paused and sighed in defeat, "Actually, thirsty was the word they used, to be exact."
Her face burned an even darker shade of red, and Levi blinked, not from the word choice but rather the shock of hearing Petra say such things.
She continued to avoid his gaze and she shifted in her seat in a self-conscious manner, "I mean, I do think you're a good Captain and an incredible soldier. I know I've told you this before, but really I'm just so honored to be on the squad. I want to push myself, and I suppose to some extend I want to impress you as my Captain but…but if I've ever given you any other impression over the years or maybe…" She groaned as a blush stained her cheeks, "Look I'm sorry if I've ever crossed the line or-"
Levi raised a hand, cutting her off and sparing her from having to explain herself. As she sat in front of him, clearly innocent yet still having to be the subject of such vicious rumors, Levi found he was extremely displeased. If the rumors she overheard were so low and degrading that a woman like Petra was reduced to stuttering and cowering in his office, apologizing for lines she had never crossed, for things she had never done – it made him seriously reconsider tracking down whoever it was that had said such disgusting things and make them regret that they had ever crossed her path today.
He knew it wouldn't help matters at all, he knew that such actions would only fuel the fire and Erwin would be exasperated at his assaulting yet another Scout, but as he watched Petra who was obviously discouraged by her being branded with the scarlet letter through no fault of her own, it was awfully tempting.
Levi took a breath and forced his mind to refocus and remain disciplined. For now, he would settle with encouraging his beaten down subordinate. "Look. Ask me directly all you want; you could stand to hear that you've never given me that impression. Furthermore, I appreciate that you have managed to hold your own in a squad of men, without giving, or accepting any advances of that sort."
Petra gave a laugh, "Accepting advances. Yeah right. Pretty sure the entire squad sees me in the little sister sort of light, but I appreciate it none the less."
Levi tried not to give her a skeptical glance, knowing that due to Petra's innocence, of course she would be blissfully unaware of the potent effect she had on the men in his squad. Though it was admittedly rare, there were days she would move just right, laugh in such a way, or tap on someone's arm where they watched her in ways no man would dare to watch his sister.
If he were being fully honest with himself, even he had had his share of moments where his gaze on her lingered in ways that were unrelated to their training, and he would promptly remind himself that she was his subordinate and deserved his respect through and through.
He cleared his mind and continued, giving her no allusion to his thoughts, "Obviously this should go without saying, but I think I would know full well if we were fucking, Petra."
At his crude statement, Petra's face burned a bright red, though Levi hadn't noticed and merely continued speaking as he stared at the document in front of him, "The guys may have asked out of sheer stupidity and shock, but they know you're not that kind of girl. Erwin and Hanji know that you're not that kind of girl. Everyone who matters already has your back. As for the rest of the Scouts, they're simple minded fucks who need something to talk about, nothing more."
Petra sat up from her hunched over position, going to the next extreme and slouching back into the chair and hanging her head over the back. She gave a dramatic sigh, "This is way too exhausting. I don't really know if I can handle hearing people talking about me like this, but at the same time, hiding out in the Compound for who knows how long seems silly. I haven't done anything wrong."
Petra held her head up slightly, looking at Levi directly through one eye that was cracked open, "Question, does this kind of thing actually irritate you? The fact that people are bad mouthing you – would you consider this a trigger of yours? I mean, it obviously is for me."
Levi grabbed a page and scanned over the form. It was a progress report for the first quarter of the year for his squad's performance. He sighed as he furrowed his eyebrows and read over the various paragraphs that explained the ranking system, as well as the provided spaces for a detailed answer.
He frowned as he turned the page over, noting that it was both front and back. Shit, these forms took hours to fill out. They were all open-ended questions that required a considerable amount of thought to answer properly, and what was worse, these documents were considered high priority so there was still hell to pay if it wasn't finished on time.
He used his free arm to rub his aching eyes, then grabbed his pen and began to write, responding to Petra as he did so. "I don't like it by any means, but again, we all knew this would happen. Hanji pointed out early on that there would be a lot of controversy surrounding everything, but there was no way around it. Granted most people have better sense than to say anything to me directly, but I still get the judgmental stares and they start whispering the second they think I won't hear them. I wouldn't say it's a trigger though. It's just annoying."
Petra let her head fall back onto the chair and she closed her eyes again, "I think part of what makes me so upset is even if everything they were saying was true, that we had been messing around and so we got married to either make it 'right' or try to hide it from everyone, that's still none of their business. Even if there were some secret relationship going on between us, it doesn't impact them in the slightest. I just don't see why people are so obsessed and feel the need to talk about it."
Levi said nothing to this, and a comfortable silence settled over the room as Petra continued reviewing her thoughts over the matter and Levi continued filling out his paperwork; the sound of his pen scratching across the paper having a strangely cathartic effect on Petra. She wasn't sure how long she sat in silence, but as time passed by, the anger slowly dissolved out of her like sand in running water.
It was strange. Hearing the latest gossip did upset her and furthermore she knew she had every right to be upset, but the Captain's presently calm demeanor continuously soothed her troubled thoughts, even if he wasn't consciously aware that he was doing so. His pen continued tapping, and as the minutes began to pass by one by one and time eventually started to bleed together, Petra nearly drifted off into contented sleep.
It was then that a long sigh grabbed her attention.
She blinked her mind back into alertness, looking up toward the source of noise and mentally scolding herself for almost falling asleep in his office like that. She was tired, but still.
"Mm, what's wrong Cap'tin?" Petra responded in a daze, hoping her voice didn't betray any signs of her almost nap.
Levi didn't look up from his desk and was hunched over slightly, leaning onto one arm as he stared down at whatever it was he was working on. He still didn't look up as he responded, "These questions are so stupid. Whatever I write isn't going to change anything for this squad so it's a waste of fucking time."
Petra sat up more fully and rubbed her eyes, finally alert again after having a moment to return to her senses. She gave a slight yawn, "What's the question?"
Levi grabbed the page in his hand, holding the paper up slightly and reading aloud, "What is the greatest strength your team displays while on active duty? List three examples of this attribute's impact on the team's daily performance, as well as an instance where the lack of this strength caused an imbalance in your team's functionality. How do you plan to make use of this strength to better the success of the military in the future?"
Petra made a face, "That's a bit wordy. Kinda abstract. What's this information used for anyway?"
"This form? It gets sent back to the King. Since all the military branches have separate goals and responsibilities, they send out these dumb questionnaires to see what similarities and differences lay between the factions. Usually they only get filled out by people like Erwin or Hanji, but due to my squad being marked as a specialty unit, I'm expected to fill them out every quarter as well. Lucky me." He set the paper down and groaned, "Every question here is like twenty questions in one, and there like twelve questions here on the front and back. I hate these fucking things."
Petra wasn't sure if he was actually looking for answers or just venting his irritation, but she gave it a moment of thought none the less. While she wasn't the Captain, she was a member of his squad and they were all just as aware of their good days, as well as their bad. Surely, she could think of something useful to say.
After a moment of thought, Petra nodded confidently, "I'd say it's stubbornness."
"They asked for the biggest strength. Stubbornness is not a strength." He remarked off handedly as he set the paper down on his desk, and Petra shrugged.
"Well, I mean, it can be – when it's used right." She responded simply, "Listen. Just take the entire Scout Regiment for example; everything we've ever done is a result of how stubborn we are. All humanity seems to know full well the battle against the Titans has been, and maybe always will be, a losing battle – except us. We're the only ones too stubborn to accept it. Instead of bordering the walls or focusing on upholding peace within the cities, we charge straight out into the wild, even if we have no chance at surviving, all because we're too stubborn to accept no as an answer. Honestly Captain, our own squad here is no different."
She smiled, "We may never be able to keep up with you, or kill Titans with the same ease as you, but day in and day out we keep trying, even after years of consistent failure. We push our bodies past the limit, do what most would call insane, all because we're too stubborn to accept limitations and boundaries. Every success we've ever had is a result of our certifiably insane need to do the impossible."
As she spoke, Levi had looked up at her in question, her strange explanation surprisingly making perfect sense. He began writing hurriedly as she spoke, struggling to keep up with her as ideas flew out of her mouth. She paused at one point, shrugging in a suddenly self-conscious manner, "Ugh, sorry. Not sure if I'm actually helping at all. I'll try not to distract you."
Levi looked up from the paper sharply as though afraid she was preparing to leave, "No, no - that's good, keep talking."
Petra blinked in surprise at witnessing what she could only assume was Levi's version of enthusiasm, and hesitantly continued, "Oh, well… alright then, sure. As for examples, well… oh that time that Oluo sprained his ankle after slipping on the mud, but he was so embarrassed that he ran faster than everyone, just so no one would think he was hurt?"
Levi rolled his eyes, still continuing to write as he spoke, the memory still vivid in his mind, "Yeah. Ended up having to take a full week off duty after almost tearing his ligaments clean off his bones, the dumbass."
Petra groaned, "Oh and he's never let us live it down either, makes sure that we never forget the one time he outran us with a gimp leg. He still thinks he's a hero. And let's not forget about your pet project the Omega formation - that's all you Captain. We all think there's no such thing as the perfect formation, but you're too stubborn to-"
"We're making progress." He defended deftly as he looked up from the paper with a tense expression, "Just a few more adjustments and we'll be there. Safety is a-"
Petra's laughter cut him off and she shook her head at the miffed look he shot her. She pointed at him triumphantly, "There, you see? That's exactly what I'm talking about; you're stubborn, Captain. We all are. The word impossible means nothing to us and we will spend our entire lives redefining what it is that can and can't be done. If we ever lose that spark, the Scouts are finished. This team would fall apart and then," she sighed sadly, shaking her head as her thoughts ran away with her, "Well then I guess I'd have no choice but to go home and accept-"
Levi rolled his eyes, "Fuck woman, shut up and stay on topic. No need to get so damned dramatic." He gave a loud cough and cleared his throat, motioning toward her with his hand, "I presume you're not busy right? Come over here and help me with the rest. This is good."
Petra again looked surprised but gave a cautious nod and moved over toward his desk, picking up her chair and scooching closer to him until she could read the document somewhat clearly from over his shoulder.
A sudden thought grabbed her attention, and she sat up as she looked toward him, "Oh real quick Captain, I was thinking about something you said earlier? About all the gossip and everything?"
He looked toward her and Petra gave a pensive nod, "I don't want to avoid the entire regiment, but maybe certain key areas, like the shower house, would be a good place for me to steer clear of for a bit? Just until everything simmers down and all."
"Okay?"
"Well it's just, I can shower here of course, but it's always a big fight to get there and I don't want to have to take cold showers for who knows how long just because I'm avoiding the main one. It might be nice if, well…I'm just saying that if you were to-"
Levi sat up straighter and watched her directly with a single quirked eyebrow, giving her an unamused stare, "You want me to use my authority so you can get first dibs on the shower?"
Petra's mouth fell open at his deduction, not expecting that he would so easily see through her ruse. She gave a small, hopeful smile that she hoped would reel him in, "…I'll help you with your paperwork?"
He rolled his eyes and gave a long exhale through his nose, "Fine. I'll give you three weeks. After that it's back to you all duking it out amongst yourselves, I don't want to hear a damn word of it."
Petra beamed at him with a wide smile, instantly adjusting herself in the chair and making a determined face as she read over the paper in question. He sighed internally, wondering just how he would go about presenting this to the squad. They would no doubt accuse him of favoritism, and even though Petra's intentions were short sighted, there was value in keeping her out of the public eye for the time being.
His and her presence in the common areas would only stir the pot more and keep people talking, and in turn, Petra breaking down his door after hearing the latest rumors would likely become a daily ritual. If giving her rights to the first shower stopped that process or even just slowed it down a little, dealing with his squad's meager complaints about favoritism was a small price to pay.
He tapped his pen against the desk and cleared his mind of the subject, "Alright, now what do you think about this one?"
…
...
And there we are!
I am happy to report that the wedding arc is over, and we have officially paved the way for the next plot arc to begin. In terms of updates, I will attempt to update on the 2nd of June as that would follow my trend, but I will give you the heads up that it may end up being on the 3rd as I am traveling that weekend and I'm not sure if I really want to bring my laptop with me on the road or not.
The husband has a Spartan race, so I will be cheering him from the sidelines as I will run for hours on end before I ever haul blocks of concrete a single step. Leave that one to the professionals. Either way, 2nd or 3rd you'll have the next chapter ready to go.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Levi and his…haha, conversation with Petra. Bless his heart, she's impossible to understand sometimes but no one can deny that he gives it a good effort!
See yall around!