Happy Sunday guys.

I am not sure whether I need to say thank you, or flat out apologize, because just as yall trust me to deliver good content, I need to trust that yall can handle it when things aren't all sunshine and rainbows. I seriously cannot tell you the extent of which I fear posting that last chapter, because it's flat out UGLY to read, and considering that we are all Levi and Petra fans around here, that sort of legit flawed, disgusting behavior is far from a feel good, fun, breezy read and I was afraid I'd lose readers, get flamed, or have people write paragraphs about how I was perhaps just going for shock value or that Levi would simply NEVER do such a thing and that they were expecting more from me as a writer. (Note: I'm fine with disagreements, I am not perfect by any means – but there's a way to go about that, you know?)

All that to say that…man. You guys are just the best. Most of yall expressed your aggravation at Levi, that you did NOT condone his behavior, and I personally loved that many of you (while not blaming her of course) are not letting Petra off the hook either. Yall really are the best readers, so group hug and all that, because yall were so patient and kind and I really needed that. I wish to not be tar and feathered!

Enjoy the chapter guys!

...

...

It was as Erwin was sitting in his office, eyebrows knit together as he reviewed the document in front of him, that his office door opened and with the intensity of a storm, an angry, shirtless Captain Levi came into the room unannounced. He slammed the door shut behind him with a firm pull of his wrist, and Erwin blinked at the tumultuous sound that bellowed across the room with a deafening snap.

The Captain took one immediate and large step into the room and pulled a leg up, slamming his foot down onto a wooden chair and grunting as he kicked downward. The assaulted object gave a number of sickening cracks and shattered beneath him almost instantly, and Levi's lips drew together into a thin line as he slammed his foot down again into the remaining pieces of the chair, until those too broke and cracked under his strength; the chair reduced to bits of broken wood and splinters in a mere five seconds after the Ackerman's unannounced arrival.

Erwin watched this unannounced display with rising irritation and silent question. He took a deep breath and set the document down, clearing his throat as Levi breathed deeply and stared into the ground in silence.

The Captain had yet to say a single word.

"You know Levi," Erwin began flatly, "When I told you to come to my office to discuss your behavior this morning, I didn't think I'd have to remind you that the destruction of military property is also a punishable offense."

Levi's head was still bowed as he continued to stare into the floor, and his voice was quiet – a tense, enraged whisper so low it was hard for Erwin to hear, "I fucked up."

Erwin made a confused face and leaned forward over his desk, "Pardon?"

The Captain looked up with a snap, his face contorted in rage and Erwin wore a surprised expression, leaning back away from him as the Captain actually shouted at him, "I said I fucked up!"

Levi was suddenly pacing in front of his desk, and Erwin could only watch him in admitted concern because the last time he had seen Levi this agitated was years ago, back when Farlan and Isabelle had died and the Ackerman had a blade at his throat in a resulting, all-consuming rage.

Erwin had no idea what was going on, but knew at once that something major must have happened for Levi to behave like this. Whatever it was greatly overshadowed any conversation that Erwin had intended to have with him regarding his sore attitude this morning, and the Ackerman had his complete attention.

Levi was still shouting, "The whole squad was talking – the whole fucking squad apparently, minus Petra but-" he raked a hand through his hair in frustration and shook his head as he walked, words spilling out of him at an alarming rate. Erwin was certain he had never heard Levi say so much in a single breath before, "Shit! I'm losing control. Petra is fucked. The Squad is fucked. And I'm fucked. It doesn't matter what I do to fix it, it's all gone to hell. Things were going fine but it was all your stupid ass idea to go out that night and then she…" Levi shook his head back and forth and groaned loudly, "Fucking damn it all! Fuck! If I don't address it, it makes it fucking worse. If I do address it, it makes it even more fucking worse. And now, shit, you should have seen their faces. I'll be damn lucky if they ever listen to a thing I say again."

Erwin's eyebrows rose as Levi gave a loud, sudden growl that caused his voice to crack as frustration continued to overwhelm him. Levi pinched his nose in aggravation as he finally stopped pacing and looked at him directly, "Erwin, you're the brains around here, right? Stop sitting there like a useless layabout and tell me what the fuck I'm supposed to do already!"

The Commander gave an exhale at Levi's desperate and angry demand, and he folded his hands across the center of his desk in contemplation. His voice was calm, knowing that both of them getting worked up would accomplish nothing. He watched Humanity's Strongest with an even stare and nodded toward him simply, "Very well Levi. Are you finished then?"

The Captain's expression contorted into a mix of anger and uncertainty, and after a moment of thought he shook his head stubbornly, "No."

Erwin merely nodded in acceptance, "Well then, as you were."

Levi exhaled and resumed his previous pacing, though his voice wasn't raised anymore. It was just as angry, but Erwin was certain that the shaken Captain was finally starting to calm down from whatever had gotten him so riled up in the first place, "This was a stupid idea, so damn stupid and we both know it. I know what I'm good at, so I should have known that I couldn't fucking…I'm just not the sort that can do this kind of thing, like you or…" Erwin noted that Levi was actually, legitimately struggling to explain himself, and his volume was rising once again because the inability to articulate his thoughts was frustrating him all over again, "Dammit all, I don't want to be the kind of man that…but I just…I can't be-"

Again Levi trailed off with a loud sigh, once again raking a hand through his already disheveled hair with a sort of huff, and Erwin watched him keenly, his voice sharp as he responded, "Finish your sentence, Levi. You can't be what?"

Levi snarled at the Commander's surprisingly firm tone, only causing the situation to escalate further, "I don't know!"

Erwin remained unfazed and watched him narrowly. He knew he was pushing the Captain - knew he had to tread carefully because one false move and Levi would treat him the same way he had treated the now destroyed chair - but even still, Erwin knew without question that there was a reason Levi had come to him at a time like this.

Even if Levi didn't come out and say it directly, Erwin was well aware that the Ackerman trusted his input and valued his opinion more than anyone else in the entire military. Even if his manner was unorthodox, Erwin knew full well that Levi had actually come to him for help - and because of that, he was determined to not back down until he successfully sorted through the layers of anger, excuses, and defenses to figure out what was actually troubling the exasperated Ackerman that was struggling to speak his mind.

Erwin gave him an unconvinced, unamused expression, not letting up on the pressure as he observed Levi tensely with a raised brow, "I don't believe you. You just said you know what you can and can't do. You know the words; you just don't want to say them. Even still," Erwin glared at him in pointed accusation, "You come in here – shout at me, blame me for your problems, demolish my furniture - I expect an answer from you Levi; what can't you be?"

Hearing his demands and all but snapping, Levi moved directly in front of Erwin in an instant, slamming both his hands down onto the desktop as he leaned forward toward the Commander menacingly, "A fucking husband!"

There was a long pause that followed his words as Levi stared toward Erwin with an angry, yet undeniably… pained expression, and neither said anything for a long time.

Levi felt a deep seeded guilt come over him at the seemingly knowing stare that Erwin watched him with as a sort of understanding came to him over what had brought him to his office, and Levi looked into the surface of his superior's desk, his voice quiet as he repeated himself in a broken whisper, "I can't be a husband, Erwin…I'm just…I'm not cut out for this kind of thing. I said…I said such terrible things to her."

Erwin gave a low sigh.

"Are you finished now, Captain?"

Another long pause fell across the room, and Levi's voice was a guilty murmur, "…Yes."

Erwin was tempted to smile at the softness, the acceptance of defeat that was in Levi's voice, but the amusement was lost in the reality that was his very shaken subordinate, his friend, and the words he had spoken with an overwhelming, palpable hopelessness.

Erwin swallowed in preparation and took a deep breath, "Sit down, Levi."

Offering no further resistance, Levi moved to sit in the remaining wooden chair that he hadn't destroyed, and Erwin cleared his throat, his tone half asking, and half ordering, "Now. I want to hear it all. What's happening on your squad, and what's happening between you and Petra? Am I correct in assuming that the problems you're experiencing with both, are in fact related?"

Levi was slouching heavily into the chair and he gave a single nod, speaking slowly in attempts to explain it all, "I guess it started, well, who knows when, but I'm going to start from when I was sick. I didn't know it at the time, but Petra went to Hanji and learned how to fill out most of the Officer forms I have to fill out. Ever since then, for months now she's been helping me on an almost daily basis, learning the ropes of correspondence and as a result, things have actually been turned in on time."

Erwin nodded calmly, not a trace of surprise on his face after hearing that Petra had 'secretly' been working behind the scenes for some time now, "Yes, I knew that was the case. Hanji tried to hide it as she knows how I feel about the nightmare scenarios that can be created for auditing situations; refusing to explain how your hand writing got significantly more legible, how so much paperwork could be completed by a sick man no less – hell, even just the mere fact that your paperwork continued coming in on time – something that hasn't happened in…" Erwin suddenly smirked, "How long have you been a Captain now?"

Levi shrugged deftly, "Any time you want to demote me, Erwin, just say the word."

Levi also wasn't surprised to hear that Erwin had known that Petra was assisting with his paperwork, due to the very same reasons that Erwin himself had just listed. He had been waiting for the Commander to pull him aside a week or so after his being sick and ask why papers with Petra's handwriting still kept coming in, but as time continued to pass by without even a hint of a warning glance, Levi knew that Erwin was intentionally turning a blind eye.

Levi looked toward Erwin and crossed his arms, sitting up a little more fully as he tried to explain his thoughts, "It was fine; we would talk and do paperwork together each night – I didn't think anything of it honestly – but it's obvious now that the closeness and familiarity was changing things, between her and me, I mean. Then came the damn banquet and-" Levi shook his head, not wanting to explain in detail what he had been thinking, knowing that Erwin was just as much of a man as he was and would likely figure it out on his own anyway, "Well, you saw her."

Erwin gave a single nod. Even though he could agree that Petra had looked stunning, more than that, it was obvious that Levi had been extremely attracted to her - seeing the Captain so out of sorts around her had actually been rather entertaining to him, as Levi was often so put together and in control and was clearly caught off guard that night because it was obvious his attraction to her was unexpected. Erwin didn't delve into his thoughts and responded simply, "She looked good."

Levi gave a dark huff, eager to keep the conversation moving because he didn't want to think about how other men had been looking at her that night, "Well, when we got back to the Compound, I was…in her room with her and…"

Erwin noted that Levi was becoming more agitated again, his words having a nervousness, a sort of bite to them as he recalled the nights events, and Erwin's eyebrows pulled down, finding he was legitimately curious as to what had taken place that night after the pair had left the event, "Levi, did you…?"

The Captain gave a quick shake of his head and he looked to the floor, feeling a sort of shame even now as he thought the night over, "But…I wanted to."

"I see."

Levi didn't look up to see Erwin's expression; in that moment…he couldn't. There was some part of him that was afraid he had disappointed the man that he truly respected, and he already felt bad enough without his superior's judgement and weighty, knowing stare. Not wanting to linger on that subject either, for different reasons, Levi cleared his throat thickly, "Anyway. When I left her room, she was pretty upset. We had kissed, and in attempts to draw the line before it became something…dangerous…I came down a little too strong and Petra…" he sighed then, still able to picture the broken expression across her face, remembering how she had actually flinched away from him that night when he had stepped toward her, "Well, she was hurt. It's been three weeks since then and she hasn't really said two fucking words to me this whole time."

There was a long pause, and once it was clear Levi was done speaking, Erwin cleared his throat in thought, holding back on giving his opinion until he was certain that he had the full picture. He nodded toward Levi, "Okay. So that explains the Petra side of things - now tell me about your squad."

Levi groaned and put his head into his hands as he stared into the floor, "What's there to tell? You've seen it yourself; the squad has always revolved around Petra, since the day she joined the team. There's just something about her that brings people together, and while that usually works in the squad's favor as she can rally the men with something as simple as a fucking smile, this time it backfired. I don't think she's said anything on a public setting to them, but the squad can sense something's wrong and has been tiptoeing around me ever since. They are on edge, we all are, and because of the fact Petra's keeping me at a distance, the squad is as well, in a sort of…protective default. It's been driving me insane because I can see the distance, and I know I need to do something because it's my team, and yet…"

Levi sat back up fully and shook his head in defeat, "It all just kind of came to a head today. I've been watching the squad work together, almost at a distance, for so long now. They're all so comfortable with each other as they complete the exercises, yet seem to individually have nothing to say by the time they came to me – seeing Petra laughing, conversing with fucking everyone except me for weeks now – it's been…I don't even know how to describe it. Either way though, for today when it came time for Petra's turn for combat with me specifically, she wanted to change out of her uniform and that was fine, so she went to go change."

Levi shifted in his chair, "And then she came back out – enough time had passed that she missed her rotation with me and when I told her that I was looking forward to when she came back around," he gave a defeated shrug, "As tiny as it is, she gave me this look and for the first time in weeks it felt like I had done something right, that things were actually going to be okay. But then…"

His tone shifted and Erwin quirked an eyebrow, "Then what, Levi?"

"And then Eld." Levi stated flatly, a displeased expression darkening his features at the mere mention of his second in command, "Jackass was in my face, grilling me about everything that had happened with Petra and the team, because of course Petra talked to him about it - she tells him everything but never even tried to talk to me - he went off about how I wasn't leading the squad, giving examples that I couldn't ignore, and it made me furious. Worse still, Petra was in the background wearing her shorts and her sports bra and it was distracting because…"

Levi trailed off as he tried to pick his words and Erwin watched him in return with a quirked eyebrow, curious as to how Levi would articulate the fact that he was extremely attracted to her - to such an extent that it was disrupting the normal discipline he carried himself with.

Levi merely groaned, "Well, she's Petra." He summarized in exasperation, and though the explanation was vague, Erwin found his words to be a rather apt way of putting it. Had it been anyone else, it wouldn't have bothered him, Levi likely wouldn't have even noticed at all, but due to the simple fact it had been Petra, his wife, that grabbed his attention.

"I'm always on edge when she dresses like that because she has no idea the impact she has on people, the impact she has on my own team – and meanwhile Eld just kept talking all the more, saying how much I had hurt her, how I was sending mixed messages or some shit, and how he and the whole squad had talked about it and Oluo just kept looking at her with this look, and he was fucking leaning into her, and I couldn't think straight. I knew I shouldn't be mad, but I was just the same and…"

Levi's expression fell, and a true, remorseful expression came across his face as he prepared to explain his actions to Erwin, somewhat surprising even himself at how horribly he had treated her – the low, despicable things he had accused her of. In his hurt, in his anger and jealousy - he had known where she was most vulnerable because she had shared the nature of her insecurities with him in the past - and that was the exact place he had chosen to strike.

He was the worst, most despicable sort of person.

"I lost control and wanted to make a point. I lined everyone up and told Petra, in front of everyone mind you…" he swallowed thickly, feeling Erwin's heavy stare; his voice was quiet as guilt surrounded him thickly, "I told her that I didn't want to be with her. I told her that I wasn't interested in her and that I had never been interested in her, and she needed to accept the fact that the only reason I had married her to begin with was just to keep her on the squad and nothing more."

Levi heard Erwin sigh heavily, and he wished desperately that he was done. He wished that was the extent of the cruel things he had said to her, but that would have been a lie because he was hardly finished. He took a deep breath, "I told her that she was intentionally dressing like that because she liked the attention; that if she craved attention that much, she should have joined Squad Leader Michael's team. After that, I threw my shirt at her and told her to put it on and run until the dinner bell. The men refused to fall in line after that and…here I am."

When Levi looked up from the floor toward his superior to silently confirm he was finally finished, Erwin's mouth was hanging open and the Commander blinked a few times in surprise. He supposed that did account for why Levi was shirtless, and Erwin seemed to struggle to know what to say in response, his words coming to him slowly, "You…handed her your shirt, or you…?"

Levi merely stared at him for another extended moment and Erwin gave a heavy sigh, "Got it."

…

...

She was breathing heavily.

It was hot.

Petra had no idea how long she had been running, but she was exhausted.

How soon until the dinner bell rang? Considering how many people were still on active duty, she knew it had to be at least another hour or so. Could she even last another hour? Even if she slowed her pace down, she had already been training all afternoon with the squad and conditioned body or not, there was only so much she could give until she bottomed out.

A part of her debated just stopping, because she somewhat knew that Levi was overreacting to something that had happened, what exactly she didn't know, but she found she just didn't have the nerve to do it, because it was still a direct order and she was on active duty.

She took a deep breath and continued moving forward down the path, her skin itchy from sweat as the loose fabric of Levi's shirt continued to slide across her skin every which way as she ran. She supposed that under any other circumstances she may have thought about the meaning behind wearing his shirt – puzzled over the fact that his shirt was still so big on her, even though by all accounts he had more of a compact, lithe build, the fact that she was wearing his shirt at all, secretly blush after noting that it smelled just like him – but more than anything, she found she was just mad.

Furious.

She didn't even get to enjoy those things because as she felt the shirt against her skin, the fabric all-consuming and suffocating, it reminded her of the terrible things he had said, and to some extent… it made her feel dirty. The fact that of all people, Levi had said such vile, terrible things – the type of person he apparently thought she was – it felt like he was still all around her, judging her and degrading her and...

She coughed as her thoughts plagued her continuously. She wanted nothing more than to rip the t-shirt off her body, set it on fire, and scrub her skin until it outright bled. She wanted to forget all he had said to her – forget the spiteful look in his eye and the haughty disgust he spoke with as he tore into her with his words.

She felt so, so stupid.

She should have known from the start that she had been playing with fire. She should have known that Levi didn't want someone like her. Even though she had backed off, even though she had been perfectly respectful and mindful of all her interactions with him, it was like he still knew that she cared for him, that her feelings were different from what they had been previously, and went out of his way to put her in her place time and time again until she broke.

Of course he didn't want to be with her.

Of course he had only been doing his 'job' when he proposed to her.

He had told her from the start he wasn't interested in her...

He was Humanity's Strongest and she…she was just Petra Ral, like he said. She had known from the start that there wasn't anything between them, and that there would never be anything between them.

So why then?

Why did any of this surprise her? After all, had she not responded honestly that night, confirmed that she herself was more comfortable not being in a relationship with him? Why did she think that maybe, perhaps there was something there after all? And most of all…

If she had known it all from the beginning then…

Why did it hurt so damn much?

As she continued running, Petra somewhat lost her footing and stumbled forward, half tripping and half kneeling to the ground as emotions overcame her. Her exhaustion was making her movements sloppy and muddy, to the extent she was apparently tripping over her own feet, and Petra finally gave up and took a moment of pause to catch her breath and clear her mind.

She was so furious, and so hurt, and so, so embarrassed.

Quiet tears ran down her solemn face as she stared into the ground on her hands and knees, her expression remaining perfectly blank as she wasn't sure what emotion she felt most strongly.

Even now, even now, all she wanted was for him to be there – to look at her with that teasing smirk of his and talk about how slow she was, or how he knew she would trip sooner or later because she was always so damn clumsy. He would offer her a hand and she'd shyly take it, stand up and wipe her eyes because there was no way she had been crying over him. Of course not. It was allergies. Something got in her eye. He'd laugh at her false bravery and as they walked back, he'd give a simple and quiet, 'Sorry.' and that would be enough for her to put it all behind her.

It frustrated her that she couldn't be truly angry with him, because if anything she deserved the rights to be livid after what he had done, but it didn't matter either way- the mental scenarios she came up with or the ways the day could have gone differently - because Levi wasn't sorry.

He wasn't there with her, wasn't chasing her down, hadn't tried to find her to retract his order. The fact still remained that above all… he didn't want her as anything more than a mere subordinate.

She just wished she knew how to explain to him that she didn't want to be 'Mrs. Petra Ackerman' if it made him that uncomfortable. She didn't need what they had that night at the gathering or that igniting spark that had caught flame in her room; she just wanted to be Petra again. She wanted what it was they had before, that unnamable something that made her blush and kept her at his side every night in his office. She wanted the butterflies and the laughs and…

Not this.

The distance was driving her mad and the more he pushed her away, the more it devastated her because they were friends and his relationship to her mattered, a lot. This morning had hurt, the last few weeks had hurt, and his shouting at her in front of the entire squad…

She hung her head as she pushed her hands off the dirt, sitting up on her heels in silent contemplation.

She gave a broken exhale and with a smooth motion, pulled his shirt up over her head, exhaling in relief as the air touched her skin and made her feel just a little bit better and just a little more like herself, free from the heavy fabric that overwhelmed her senses and oppressed her spirit. She grabbed opposite ends of the shirt and tied the fabric around her waist as she stood back up from the ground in determination.

She wiped her eyes and shook her head; because while she never would have thought she'd find herself wearing the Captain's clothes, she certainly didn't think it'd be from something like this.

She took a breath and pushed her legs beneath her, picking up her pace and praying that the dinner bell rang soon.

…

...

There wasn't much said between the two while Levi silently berated himself and Erwin contemplated the best way to respond to all that Levi had told him. After a handful of minutes passed by, Erwin looked up from his desk, "So after your tirade, how did you handle things? Did your follow-up conversation not go over well or something?"

Levi looked up with a sort of confused, blank expression as though silently stating that he had no idea what he was talking about, and Erwin returned his stare in shock as the silence merely extended again. Erwin could agree that Levi wasn't exactly the first person he would think of when it came to human relations, but at least with his own squad the Captain seemed to have found a system that worked for him. Even still, surely even Levi understood that immediate follow up was in order after a blunder like that.

"Levi…you did talk to them afterward, right?"

Levi pressed his lips together and gave a slow, cautious shake of his head, "Well, no. I left the training grounds and walked around for a while to try and cool down but…I knew I messed up but I was still mad and I didn't know how to fix it so-"

"You came straight here and demolished my office instead." Erwin finished for him, and again the pair fell silent.

Erwin blinked in thought, a new sort of alarm evident in his tone at Levi's newly divulged information. If Levi had just left his team and didn't have any sort of discussion to confirm he had lost his composure, then…

"Wait. So you mean to tell me that Petra is still out there running?"

Levi mentally seemed to pause and finally gave a weak nod as though he knew there was something he was forgetting, "Yeah, probably."

Erwin groaned loudly and brought his hands up to his forehead, rubbing his temples in aggravation as he spoke, "Levi how- how long ago did this all take place? How long has that poor girl been running because you lost your temper?"

Levi gave a long sigh at Erwin's increasingly exasperated tone and looked at the clock up on the wall in attempts to formulate a guess, "Maybe…an hour, hour and a half?"

Erwin was on his feet, his eyes wide as his tone rose from irritation, "And that's after you had already done an afternoon of training? Levi, it's over eighty-five degrees today, she's going to collapse!" The Commander glared at his raven-haired subordinate firmly and walked past his desk and toward the hall pointedly, "Hanji!" he called out loudly, and after a few moments there was a muffled reply that echoed back across the hall. Erwin called back, "I need you in here, now."

As he waited for Hanji, Erwin looked back toward the Captain coldly, "You are unbelievable. They are your comrades, your subordinates – people that look up to you and respect you - especially Petra. What's more, they're your friends, right? We're going to talk about what we can do to fix this, but know that as your Commanding Officer, I am furious. I trust you to be a good Captain that has their best interests at heart, not a child who tears people down because they felt left out. This is pathetic, and I hope you realize that. You're a grown adult, Humanity's Strongest no less, and yet all it took was one single kiss for you to fall apart."

Erwin continued and shook his head in disgust as he reprimanded him, "For the record, your squad deserves better than the Captain they got today, and what's more, Petra deserves a better man than the miserable coward that belittled her in front of her team just to 'make a point'. When I told you at your wedding to watch over her, I meant it Levi, and this is not what I had in mind."

Erwin's voice was low and he glared at him from over his shoulder, "I expected better of you Captain, much better."

Levi could only stare into the ground in a humbled and remorseful manner, every bit of anger he had previously now being washed away and replaced with guilt and frustration. He was losing count of just how many times he had been told that he was handling things wrong. He himself had known that, from the second he had backed away from her that night. Petra's eyes and the squad's silence reminded him daily that he had been handling things wrong, Eld had certainly made a point of telling him that today, and now Erwin was also saying something similar…

But…it just wasn't helping! It hadn't helped three weeks ago, and it certainly wasn't helping him now.

Levi knew a hundred different ways to do it all wrong, a hundred ways to hurt her, a hundred ways to destroy his team from the inside out, and now… now he was at his wits end, because he just needed to know one way to fix it. Yet try as he may, the problem remained that he had never been good with people. Building bridges, forming deep bonds that lasted - that was something he didn't know how to do. He was a loner by nature, but now that his world was being forced to expand, in his attempts to readjust and make room…he was making significant mistakes.

That was why he had come to Erwin in the first place.

He wanted to do better – to be better - but he needed a push in the right direction because he didn't even know where to start.

"Hey Comman- Levi…?" Hanji asked as she came into the room, a concerned expression falling across her face as she noticed at once that something was not right. Levi was shirtless – uncommon for the proud and always put together Captain – the atmosphere was tense, Erwin was livid, and Levi wasn't even turning around to greet her with his traditional snide 'Four Eyes.'

Erwin gave a smack of his lips and crossed his arms as he looked between Hanji and Levi, "Well, Levi here did a number on his team today, Petra specifically. Hanji, I need you to run out and find her - be quick about it please. She's somewhere running laps around the campus. With any luck she hasn't passed out yet, although that is a distinct possibility that you need to be prepared for."

Hanji blinked at Erwin's statement, and he continued, "When you do find her, I assume she'll be a little…distressed. Tell her that I stepped in and she is fully released from the Captain's order. As a head's up, it's likely that she will want to be by herself for a while, but only grant her that freedom after she's eaten a full meal and drank no less than two glasses-"

"Three." Levi interjected quietly with a serious whisper, and Erwin paused, watching the Captain for a moment and giving a subdued nod at the Ackerman's amendment.

"Alright then, no less than three glasses of water please. Understood?"

Hanji gave a slow, albeit confused nod and she watched Erwin with a concerned expression, "Uh, right. Find Petra, make her stop running, get her hydrated and fed and then…leave her be?"

Erwin gave a single nod and Hanji shook her head, "Alright, yeah, I can do that. No problem at all."

As Hanji left, Erwin moved back around his desk and slowly sank into his chair. He looked toward Levi, his expression softening as he observed his beaten down Captain who looked dejected and outright miserable. "Levi. Look, we're going to fix this, okay? I'll agree you made some serious mistakes, but nothing is damaged beyond repair here."

At his words, he watched Levi give a sort of disbelieving snort and Erwin smiled at the skeptical Captain, "Hey now, at the very least you should trust your team a bit more; I think you're selling them a little short here because they really are quite special. Now as for Petra…I'm speaking as your Commander, but also as your friend, Levi. I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable, but I need to understand a few things and need the freedom to speak candidly with you."

Levi looked up from the floor and gave a suspicious stare toward Erwin, though gave a slow nod and watched him evenly, curious as to what Erwin was about to say that required such a disclaimer.

The blonde exhaled and leaned back into his office chair, "First off, you very much seem to be opposed to having any sort of romantic relationship with her. While I normally would have no problem with this, it's evident that your words and actions seem to disagree, and I think that's the major source of the problems you're experiencing. You say you don't want a relationship with Petra, yet you seek her out. You tell her your marriage is just on paper, but then you kiss her. You explain to your squad that nothing is going to change, and deny it when they point out how much things have altered in a mere three months. Let me ask you this, when it comes to being involved with Petra on a romantic level, what are you so afraid of?"

Levi's mouth fell open and he tried to pick his words. He was grateful Hanji had left because this was a conversation he didn't want to have with anyone, ever, but if he had to – he supposed his thoughts were safe enough with Erwin. He mulled the question over and shrugged, "Of this. Of my squad falling apart, of hurting her. Petra is strong, but her bonds make or break her; it's her biggest strength and weakness in one and I don't want to be the person that eventually shatters her." Levi paused and licked his lips, "When I proposed to her, I really didn't think that she and I would go about life any differently than we had before. She's been on my squad for five years so it seemed unlikely that a simple piece of paper would change things between us when there was already so much history to act as a foundation and set the standard. I mean, she's always been beautiful, but it's never been…a problem. She's always been social, but she's never gone out of her way to intentionally seek me out. We've been alone together many times in the past, but the air never had that electricity that it has now. Eld was grilling me as if I've been blind to what's 'always been there' between me and Petra, but he's wrong. It hasn't been there. She's just been Petra, the female subordinate on my squad. Sure, we were friends; I won't deny that or pretend that we didn't get along well, but that's it. There's been nothing between us like that, not once since I met her, so there's no way I could have predicted that three months could change so much between us, when the past five years have been completely platonic and professional."

Erwin smiled at Levi's assessment, and the Captain continued with a shrug, "Regardless the change in chemistry, I don't want things to change permanently because I can't risk getting distracted or caught up in emotions that can cloud my judgement, and neither can she for that matter. As her Captain, I just can't condone it because there's too much risk and it could destroy the whole team. More than that, if Petra was ever going to be in a relationship, obviously that's a little in the past now all things considered, but none the less, I would have never wanted her to be stuck with…well, someone like me. You said so yourself, she deserves better."

Erwin gave a shrug that read as 'perhaps' and after a moment, the Commander replied, "But she wants you."

Levi rolled his eyes and gave a hollow laugh. He could admit that Petra watched him with a little something extra right now, but he suspected it didn't go beyond a mere surface level of admiration, "I doubt it. With Petra right now its…probably just a crush if anything at all. Her father did a number on her self-esteem and thanks to the wedding, she looks at me like I'm some sort of hero simply because I'm the one that allowed her to stay in the end. Girls get crushes on me Erwin; they don't fall in love. Surely you've noticed that by now."

The Commander gave a dry scoff, "Ah yes, how could I forget your fangirls. Have to beat them off with a stick."

Levi gave a shrug of his own, "Even with Petra, I doubt there's any real depth to it. It's all just situational and given enough time, she'll get over it and move on."

Erwin frowned at Levi's surprisingly critical, dismissive words and he watched him in concern, "Tell me Levi, do you really believe that?"

The shorter male said nothing to this and Erwin frowned pensively, wondering just how honest Levi was being at the moment. Either he was being truthful and sadly thought that little of himself, or he was being defensive in attempts to not get his hopes up, that a woman like Petra could actually see something within himself that made her want to stand by him.

In either scenario, he was surprised to hear Levi speak about Petra like she was just some girl with a blind crush on him, because Erwin knew full well that Levi knew his subordinate better than that. No, there was something deeper at play here, and though Erwin could see it clearly, Levi was the one who needed convincing.

He decided to press a little deeper, "So, tell me Levi; you think no one can love you, or just not her?"

Levi made a face and rolled his shoulders, "Love? Erwin, please. I came to you for practical advice, not faerie tales and bedtime stories. I am not looking for 'love' - I just need to fix my mistake and make things right between me and my squad again. If you can stick to things that actually matter, please?"

Erwin nodded at Levi's demand and laid the topic to rest for now, knowing that the Captain was stubborn and would not be pushed further on the matter, even if it was more related than Levi seemed to be able to acknowledge.

So be it; he would just have to try a different tactic then.

Erwin cleared his throat and adjusted the sleeves of his shirt, undoing the plastic buttons at his wrists and slowly folding the fabric up to his elbows as he spoke, "Let me speak bluntly on a different subject then, and get straight to the point. Why haven't you slept with her? Assuming she finds you as attractive as you find her of course; theoretically speaking, what's the problem there?"

Levi coughed at his superior's unexpected and surprisingly direct question, because as close as they were, they had never had any sort of conversation like that before and Levi preferred very much to keep it that way - though Erwin continued to watch him evenly, and it was painfully evident that he was expecting an actual answer.

Even still, the silence prolonged and Levi watched him in continued surprise, hesitant to talk about Petra in such a way with anyone at all, and finally Erwin smirked at Levi's reluctance, "Oh come now Levi, I know lust when I see it - and for that matter, so does your team. You're not fooling anyone. Perhaps the only one you are fooling, is Petra, which is a shame because if she knew that you desired her in such a way-"

"It would ruin everything." Levi stated firmly, a stern warning now present in his tone as he attempted to try and end the conversation before it began. It wasn't locker room talk because Erwin had nothing but respect for Petra, but Levi himself was still having a hard time coming to terms with just how attracted he was to her, and the last thing he needed was Erwin encouraging him to fuck her just for the mere sake of fucking.

Erwin shrugged passively, leaning forward over his desk and allowing himself a dark chuckle as he flexed his arms that were finally free from the restraining white fabric, "It's just sex, Levi. And considering you are legally married to the woman, your different ranks and roles aren't a problem. The way I see it, if you aren't going to be emotionally involved with her, that's one thing, but there's no reason to shut down that avenue as well, right? Considering the sexual tension and frustration is just going to keep building and getting worse for you, it really would make a lot of sense for you to-"

"No." Levi cut him off firmly, sitting up fully in his chair and shaking his head in emphatic disagreement, "No, not Petra. I couldn't…I can't use her like that."

Erwin quirked an eyebrow as he watched Levi continue to glare at him defiantly, as though his encouragement to pursue an empty, physical relationship with her actually offended him. To Erwin, this alone was proof enough, but it wasn't himself that needed proof, it was Levi, and the Captain still wasn't on the same page just yet.

Erwin sighed, realizing he needed to push him harder.

He decided to watch him flatly, a certain degree of callousness to his voice as he spoke, "So you're just going to go mad with desire, physically craving what you won't indulge in for, what, the rest of your life? You're being foolish, Levi. It wouldn't be using her - considering the way I've seen her watch you, I'd wager she's probably in the exact same place you are. Everyone has needs, your subordinate too, and let's not forget that your marriage has shut down all other avenues of physical fulfillment for both of you. You are making this needlessly complicated, it's just sex."

Levi scowled, his voice exasperated and audibly angry, "Don't you get it, Erwin? No, it can't be 'just sex' with her! That's not how she operates. She would never be with someone she doesn't care about - and even if she would be with me just because she is attracted to me or whatever, if she even is attracted to me at all of course, I couldn't ever…I may have been with a lot of women in the past that meant nothing but…she's…Just no. I couldn't do that to her. Not. With. Petra."

There was a pleased smile across Erwin's face as Levi stared into the floor, still angrily puzzling to himself in attempts to find his words even now. Erwin's voice did not betray his expression, his tone remaining harsh and demanding as he continued to try and lead the Captain through an unknowing battle of wits. There was an audible challenge, a belittling element to his voice as Erwin spoke, "Oh? And why not, Captain? What makes her different than any other woman out there? You want her, don't you? Why the hesitation?"

"Because she's Petra! Because I care about her!" Levi stated waspishly in defense of both himself and his subordinate, and as he looked up to snarl at Erwin, about to tell him off and demand to know what the fuck his problem was, his expression changed at once as he heard his own words and saw that Erwin was actually smiling at him.

A silence fell over the room and Erwin nodded once with a proud look in his eye, knowing that Levi's words were in fact the proper answer that Levi himself needed to hear and, eventually, come to terms with.

Levi's eyes were wide and he mumbled to himself in a shocked stupor, "Because…I care about her."

The Commander's voice was warm, "Exactly. I understand that things are complicated and I won't push you one way or another when it comes to her, but just as there are actions you won't take because you know it will hurt her in the end, the puzzle piece you were missing before is that denying the care you do have for her right now is just as damaging – perhaps even more so all things considered. Petra shouldn't ever feel like she's nothing to you, because I know full well that there's not a single other person in the entire Scout Regiment that you would have gone this far for. You wouldn't have married Hanji, you wouldn't have married a girl from a different squad if she was in the same position - you may not love Petra, and I'm not trying to convince either of you that you're written in the stars or that you're harboring secret feelings for each other, but at the same time… we both know she's not just some girl to you."

Erwin gave a small smile and leaned over the front of his desk toward Levi, speaking in an amused sort of whisper, "And just between you and me, we both know that you're not just some guy to her either…but, I'll let you sort that one out on your own time because you're more comfortable in denial, and that's okay."

There was a long pause as Levi watched the Commander in wonder, and Erwin shook his head and exhaled, knowing his point was finally made and that they could move toward resolution. He cleared his throat, "Now, there's no easy formula that will magically make you a people person or prevent problems like this in the future. One thing you need to remember is this: You are in a relationship with Petra – but, that's nothing to be afraid of."

Erwin folded his hands and watched Levi calmly as Levi wore a guarded expression as though ready to deny his claims, "By all definitions, you're in a relationship with me. I'm your Commanding Officer, I'm a friend, I'm a mentor. You're in a relationship with Hanji as well. She's your coworker, also a friend, and yet a source of many of your headaches and an avenue for you to let out your petty insults – point is, not all relationships have to be romantic. The difference between them are the boundaries you set that are unique to that specific relationship. Find boundaries you are comfortable with for Petra and don't be afraid to adjust them along the way. You'll be fine, alright?"

Erwin had thought that had been a good enough explanation, but when Levi simply watched him with a blank look, Erwin sighed and tried again, adjusting himself in the chair and giving a smile, "Okay, maybe that's a little vague for you. Let's try something else then. You said things were changing before, between you and Petra, right? At what point during those changes did you start to feel uncomfortable?"

Levi's eyebrows knit together, and he paused in thought, "Well…I don't know. Petra is always respectful so there really wasn't anything she did that made me uncomfortable per say. The problem was when I realized I was pushing things and in turn, pushed her away. That's where it all went downhill."

Erwin nodded and shrugged, finding the solution seemed simple enough. "So, maybe next time…don't push her away? If she's not making you uncomfortable and seems to be naturally respectful of your boundaries, then trust that she can be around you without pushing you in a direction you don't want to go. If things keep developing, that's okay, because you will communicate what you are, and are not comfortable with. If things stay the same where you are friends that happen to be married, that's also okay too, because you will be happy to be on the same page and not constantly wondering where the other person is at or what they are expecting from you. Sounds easy enough, right? Just don't over complicate it, don't think it over too much and just let nature take its course. Honestly I think your overthinking things is what got you into trouble in the first place."

Levi gave a shaky exhale, nodding a few times as he accepted Erwin's advice bit by bit. The Commander stood up from his desk, walking around and sitting up slightly on the desk's surface as he crossed his arms and watched Levi with a serious expression, "But, first thing's first. You'll need to find her and apologize - a real, heartfelt apology. She's embarrassed, she's hurt, and she needs to know that your words were empty because even if it was obvious to everyone else that you were bluffing, I can't help but feel that Petra assumes you meant every word."

"And…my team?"

Erwin gave a small, amused laugh at Levi's wide eyes, "You know, you seem to forget that you have a relationship specialist on your squad, that in your words, everyone seems to revolve around. How about you start by simply patching things up with Petra, and see what happens from there. I'll wager that your squad takes you by surprise."

Levi wasn't satisfied by his answer, because it was even more vague than Erwin's original advice of 'just set your boundaries with her', but even after his heavy, skeptical stare, that was all Erwin would say on the matter.

Erwin gave another laugh and nodded toward the door, "Look. Just go talk to Petra, and don't leave her room until she accepts your apology. That's an order Levi, so you might as well get to it. You're dismissed, Captain."

Levi gave a hesitant nod and slowly stood up, turning back toward the door and walking out as Erwin continued to chuckle from behind him. Levi crossed his arms somewhat self-consciously as he moved out of his office and down the hall, a frown coming to his face as he left his superior's office.

…He really didn't like being laughed at.

...

End Of Chapter

...

Aaand that will do for this week.

I swear, every time I get to 'bring in' a new character, I love it so much. Erwin isn't a 'new' character for my story, but he doesn't get a lot of screen time just due to the nature of who the story revolves around – but his day has finally come! I love Erwin so much because he is absolutely brilliant, but never goes about getting the results in a way one would accept. (Meaning that he is so much fun to write!)

What I love so much about this section, is it highlights what I would call the difference in 'expertise' of working with Levi. If you notice, both Eld and Erwin were actually working toward the exact same goal from this chapter and the last. It is painfully clear to both men Levi is in denial and for his sake, and the squad's – Levi needs to at least acknowledge the fact that things are different between him and Petra, but more than that, that he wants them to be different because thus far he's been refusing to accept that little factoid due to fear and selfishness and that was what was poisoning his team – not Petra, nor their falling out!

And yet, Eld's approach – even though the outcome of 'just get Levi to admit!' was the correct end goal, Eld's approach yielded completely different results! Levi is stubborn and can't handle being shouted at and disrespected and questioned and belittled like that. Erwin however is cunning, and knows full well that if I push here, he will shut down, so I have to push here, side step there, give a long judgmental stare here…

Thank heaven for Hanji and Erwin. Hanji for understanding Levi, and Erwin for being smart enough, and patient enough to force him into line and stop being such a bonehead.

Thanks again for yalls awesome responses! Say a prayer for my boys in red today. #chiefskingdom

~Midnight