Hey yall!

Isn't this insane – we have officially moved into the holiday season. Halloween was just a few days ago, Thanksgiving is coming up, then all the December holidays and New Years – holy cheese and crackers yall, it's getting real! I love Christmas, and what's more, I'm not really a big Thanksgiving person myself – so all that to say we got our tree put up yesterday, hung up all the stockings and the lights. I've got my Christmas music on rotation again and we've been drinking wassail…

Gosh I love this time of year!

Hopefully Halloween was awesome for yall, we got to take the small one out to a few festivals and trunk or treating events and he loved that, so that was a lot of fun as well. In terms of writing, I have slowed down this week and done a bit more editing and cleaning up of later sections, and let me just say, on my end of the screen with where I am in the plot – things are also getting real. Super stoked for yall come the time that you get to read what I'm writing now. You'll LOVE it!

But. Onto the update!

…

...

Standing in the doorway for a moment to try and collect her thoughts, Petra cleared her throat and smoothed her shirt self-consciously, moving further into the room and debating whether she wanted to sit down beside him at his desk, or remain standing and converse with him that way.

"Uh…how was your trip?" she asked as she moved toward him, choosing to stand in front of it rather than take a seat beside him, feeling a bit more free in her mobility.

The Captain's expression didn't change, and he continued writing just the same, "It was loud. Four eyes doesn't know when to shut up and it's been a week of listening to her run her mouth about fucking everything. Don't know how Erwin can stand it; you'd think he would have sewn her damn mouth shut by now."

Petra gave a smile and shrugged, "Well she wouldn't be able to theorize about the Titans anymore, I imagine that may be a part of it."

"She could still write just fine." He mumbled bitterly and Petra laughed at his dark retort.

"Captain…" Petra gave him a correcting smile, and Levi said nothing, falling silent and continuing his work without further grumbling.

Petra pressed her lips together, then gave an exhale as she watched him hopefully. "So uh…the meeting." she stated simply, allowing her voice to trail off so Levi could pick up at any time.

He gave a nod and continued writing without so much as missing a beat, "I can't talk about it."

Petra groaned and rolled her head back against her neck, crossing her arms in dismay as she rocked back into her heels, "Really? Shoot. I was hoping that maybe considering the circumstances you might be able to. But…I understand. Damn it. Eld said it might end up being a classified meeting so I knew I shouldn't get my hopes up, but still…"

Levi looked up from his desk and watched her attempts at being respectful even though it was obvious she was thoroughly disappointed. He corrected her as his gaze lingered on her for a slight moment as he spoke, "I said that I can't talk about it, not that you couldn't know at all. Erwin wants to tell you about it directly, so you'll just have to wait for him to summon you. I don't think he'll keep you waiting too long either, knowing him. Give him a few hours to settle in and he'll send some lackey after you so he can go over the details."

Petra's expression brightened at his explanation and she gave a chipper nod, "Oh! Okay then, great!"

Levi shook his head at her newly brightened expression and watched her flatly, "Look at that smile. Are you really that excited to find out what happened?"

Petra blushed and looked to the floor for a moment before stealing a small glance back toward the Captain, "Well that's part of it. I'm also happy that…you're back." She admitted quietly with a shy smile, not admitting anything that the Captain wasn't already aware of considering their previous interaction with Eld a mere moment ago.

She continued, "I get you have things to do, but I dunno, I guess I'm used to you being here and it puts me on edge when you're not. So now that you're back, it just makes me smile."

Levi watched her for a long moment and instead of acknowledging her more personal, tender statement, he instead shook his head as a huff of an exhale left him, "Must be great being you, what with you always getting your way and everything."

Petra rolled her eyes and nodded haughtily at his guise of being casual, knowing that the smile on his lips wasn't entirely a result of his sudden mocking, "Oh sure, always getting my way – and what's that supposed to mean?"

Levi smirked as he stared down into his desk, enjoying their sudden turn of conversation because it had been almost a full week since he had seen her, and even if he didn't want to say it out loud, Petra wasn't the only one that was perhaps a little…giddy to be back in the other's presence. He gave a shrug, "It means you're spoiled as hell; you damn brat. You complain that I'm gone and then grin like a complete dumbass the second I walk through the door, and let's not forget that you actually get to hear the meeting details. I'll have you know that it is in fact classified information that's not even permitted to most Officers, and yet Erwin's making an exception for you specifically." Levi shook his head and grumbled, "I swear, it's like you've never been told no in your whole damn life."

Petra laughed at his assessment, and she shook her head in denial, "Yeah, pretty sure you of all people would know that's not true Levi."

Though she had meant her words as a jab at his position as her Commanding Officer – referring to the orders he had given her over the years that had irked her, the cleaning he had assigned as acts of discipline, as well as the various requests she had made for either supplies or time off that he had denied – when his expression changed to one of admitted surprise, she knew he had taken her words to refer to a different sort of rejection that he had been responsible for, and she found she was at a loss for words.

She supposed that was accurate too, but…

As the silence thickened, Petra replayed Eld's words in her head and tried to bolster her courage. If things were going to go that direction on their own accord, then she supposed that now was as good a time as any. She looked over her shoulder toward the open office door, wondering if she should close it behind her or not, but decided against it because that would make things even more serious and she really didn't want their conversation to take an awkward turn considering he had just gotten back.

"Hey uh, Levi…" she felt her stomach do a nervous flip as he watched her with a questioning glance, seemingly aware of the sudden unease she watched him with, and she gave a shrug in attempts to at least appear casual, "I was thinking while you were gone and…"

She trailed off, finding that she really didn't know what to say. Levi stared at her for a long while, and when her thoughts merely became a jumbled mess as a result, she gave a frustrated sigh. Eld had encouraged her to tell Levi what she wanted – told her that things weren't progressing between them because she wasn't communicating and try as they may, their current casual relationship couldn't last forever. To some extent, she had discovered that she actually agreed, it was just…now that she had his attention, she really didn't know what to say or how to go about saying it.

Levi gave a slow nod as she remained just as quiet and when she still didn't say anything, he picked his pen back up and returned to his document, "Right. While you do that…"

He began writing again and Petra groaned in dismay. She took a step closer toward his desk insistently, "No! Look, just hear me out. I know that we don't really, you know…talk too much about these things…" she mumbled as her thoughts continued to swarm in her head, finding that she wasn't as ready as she would have liked for this sort of conversation, but knowing just the same that it needed to happen.

"But you know, you are my husband."

"Only on paper." Levi stated simply – a mere force of habit more than an actual response, and Petra nodded as she also continued undaunted.

"Right, only on paper – Unless."

The Captain's eyebrows furrowed at her addendum and for a moment he stopped writing altogether, proof that her words had reached him, though he recovered after a split second and the conversation continued just the same. "Unless." He repeated evenly and again Petra nodded, this time beginning to pace in front of his desk, a habit he noticed she used in attempts to sort her thoughts or brainstorm some abstract theory of hers into something more concrete and tangible.

Well…this should be interesting, he thought to himself and continued to write in silence.

Petra walked back and forth across the expanse of his office, not seeming to realize that most of her previous words were still making very little sense. None the less, he allowed her to continue, curious as to what she was getting at or what she was potentially leading to and admittedly amused by her antics.

"The best way to address these things is communication, right? Granted I don't really know how I feel about it, but they say stagnant waters run deep or something like that, which is very applicable in our case I would say. We just have to set new rules or find what works. So uh…" Petra paused from her pacing and looked toward him expectantly, "So what do you think?"

Levi shook his head casually and flipped the page over, exhaling through his nose as Petra watched him for a response. He responded evenly, "I have no fucking idea what you're talking about because as usual," he stole a glance up toward her and smirked, "You're making no damn sense. Now, what can I help you with, Petra?"

She frowned at his go to response and sighed, still struggling to find whatever words she needed to communicate her thoughts to him. She chewed her lip and gave a weak shrug, "I'm just saying…We could always you know, maybe, test that a little?"

"Test what, exactly?" he looked back toward his paper and continued writing, barely able to see her from his peripheral vision as he continued to fill the form out dutifully.

From the corner of his eye he watched as Petra's face began to turn a light pink shade, "This." She motioned between them, and her voice lost even more of its confidence as she spoke, "Have you thought about trying to talk about it or maybe explain your thoughts regarding where this is going?"

While her question surprised him, he could only smirk at the sheer irony of her words, "Have you?"

He now understood the type of conversation Petra was attempting to have with him, but he still wasn't able to fully grasp what she was wanting from him, considering that her statements were all over the place – likely a result of her own indecision, he wagered. A long pause fell over the room as Petra seemed to debate with herself further, and she finally gave a nod and looked up toward him in resolve.

"I think we need to change our tactics." She stated with a sudden bout of confidence, and Levi held back a chuckle.

He continued writing the correct numbers in the data table, answering the questions listed as he indulged her statement, amused all the more at her sudden self-assured declaration but ensuring his reaction was kept minimal so he didn't sway her thoughts one way or another. "Oh? And what did you have in mind, sunsets and conversation no doubt?"

Petra looked toward him directly and shook her head with resolve, "No. I think…I think we should have sex."

Levi blinked in outright surprise and gave a painfully dry cough as the air left his lungs rather forcefully, falling perfectly still as her words lingered in the air because there was no way he had heard her right.

He…what, what did she say?

Did she really just?

Though she had stated her words clear as a bell and with a confidence that left him mentally sputtering, he just couldn't wrap his mind around what she had actually just said to him – in broad day light, with his office door fucking wide open for anyone to hear…

What the actual fucking hell?

He refused to look at her as he frantically sorted through his thoughts, trying to mentally dismiss her words because of all the conversations he was expecting to have with her, of all the routes her words could take, of everything he had planned on discussing with her about his thoughts on their boundaries and expectations or outcomes he was prepared to explore…this was not one of them.

"No." he stated coolly, his tone surprisingly calm and resonating with a control and resolve that he didn't actually feel, and he forced himself to resume his previous task and not let his thoughts linger on her words or show her that she had in fact, caught him off guard – and very much so.

Petra crossed her arms, seemingly not convinced by his calm bravado, and watched him expectantly with a growing sense of irritation, "Why not? You are my husband after all so it's only natural that-"

He shook his head, eager for the conversation to come to an end because he didn't want to lose his composure and say, or do something stupid. This had to be a joke, or some sort of test or something. He had been back for a mere twenty minutes and of all the things he thought he would be doing before he returned to duty…Petra was not one of them!

"Woman, I said no. I don't know where this is coming from all of the sudden, but it's a bad idea. We both agreed that we didn't want to be romantically involved and that our getting married was more of a means to an end – that's what you agreed to and I intend to hold you to that."

Petra watched him for a long moment as though carefully picking her words – a dangerous thing considering Petra was considerably formidable in a battle of wits when she wanted to be - and she finally responded with a certain degree of cautious, intentional testing to her voice. She watched him critically, and he found he was slightly apprehensive to hear what she would in fact say after taking a moment to prepare her words.

"Alright. So if not you then…am I correct in presuming that it would be a problem if I started pursuing after perhaps…other men for that sort of fulfillment?"

The way she spoke, the way her words rolled off her tongue so calmly, the mere thought of her being with someone else - that grabbed his attention, and fast.

Levi looked up from his paperwork in outright warning, watching her seriously with an unamused and dark expression, "Yes, that would be a fucking 'problem' damn it." he stated sharply with a bite of tension, "Legally speaking you are my wife, and as such I will not disrespect you by being with, nor pursuing after other women. I didn't think I would even have to say this, but for the fucking record, I expect that same decency from you in return."

She inwardly smiled at the sudden seriousness and ferocity that he watched her with. Apparently, the mere mention of her seeking after some other man's attention angered him, greatly, so it seemed.

Good.

She nodded casually, "That's fair. And don't worry Levi, I also respect you too much to ever do such a thing, so please don't dwell on it or think that I'd break your trust like that. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't wrong in my thought process before I made any claims based off an assumption. So – for the record of course - if you can't be with other women, and I can't be with other men, and if you are officially stating that we can't be with each other then…"

He quirked an eyebrow, feeling she was finally leading to whatever point she was trying to make, and Petra watched him with a hint of a smirk, shrugging innocently as she stared at him pointedly, "You mean to tell me that you're never going to have sex again, not even once, for the rest of your life?"

Levi could feel the base of his neck heat up, being taken off guard by her well-made point – something he wasn't prepared to speak to in the least as Petra was so easily embarrassed - and he was suddenly very grateful for his high collar and cravat that would hide his flushed skin. He could monitor his facial reactions well enough, but something like that wasn't as easily controlled and he didn't want Petra to know the extent to which her words affected him.

She popped a hip out and crossed her arms as he merely watched her with a long, expectant stare. She quirked an eyebrow as the silence extended, her voice taking an edge of irritation. "What's the matter Levi, cat got your tongue?"

Again, he could only watch her dumbly, admittedly slow to the draw because while she had made a valid point and correctly wagered that, sure, he was hoping to not live the remainder of his life without any sort of physical release and would very much like to have sex sometime throughout the remainder of his life, that…that wasn't a valid reason to just slam her against the wall and fuck her brains out, and he was surprised to hear that she thought it was!

As he tried to pick his words and try to…perhaps negotiate the timing or find some way to communicate that he did want her, just not…not fucking like this, Petra seemed to have lost her patience and took a sharp inhale, "Alright Captain, it seems you're still hesitant, so let's talk. Am I…what, not pretty enough for you or something? Not good enough or attractive enough for you?"

Levi groaned at her questions, already seeing where this was going and dreading the shitstorm that was to come.

Oh, fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Petra crossed her arms in clear offense and pursed her lips in anger, "Come on, tell me what it is! I'm not your type? You prefer blondes? What, is my ass too small or something?"

Levi rubbed his temples, knowing that no matter how he responded, he would still be wrong, but knowing that staying silent would make it even worse.

"Your ass is fine," he mumbled out in building misery, "You're not being-"

"Well what is it then!" Petra demanded hotly as she spoke over him, and when Levi merely watched her with a sort of frustrated hesitation, not sure what he could say that might appease her incredibly unfair demands, Petra's mouth fell open in shock and she gasped in offense, "This is about my ass, isn't it! Well excuse me Captain, but what you see is what you get, and if you do want to get anything, ever, you're just going to have to make peace with the fact that I'm small and have a petite build! It's a miracle that I'm this tall at all, I mean, it's not my damned fault okay, my mom was 4`9!"

At her angry and increasingly irrational tirade, Levi groaned and quickly held his hands up in surrender, "Fucking shit Petra, this isn't about your ass!"

She eyed him narrowly and mumbled defiantly, "Tch. You're damn right it isn't…"

A silence fell over the room and Levi decided to let her sarcastic retort slide, wanting to avoid another round of that conversation if it could at all be avoided.

What really got to him, more than her sudden anger or shocking words, was…why now? The last time they had a serious sort of conversation regarding their evolving interactions, it had been Petra who stated that she wanted to back off and not encourage things to get out of hand – specifically in a physical sense. Since then, they had been together almost every waking moment for a month straight without so much as a single glance out of place, and now she suddenly wanted to throw all caution to the wind and demand they get physical?

Why? What did she hope to accomplish? As much as he wanted to pretend that he held that much appeal in her eyes, even in the event that she was that attracted to him, Petra wasn't the type of girl to just throw herself at him like this for some basic carnal satisfaction. The more he thought about it, the more questions that surfaced in his mind because something just wasn't sitting right with him.

Why now? And furthermore, why this approach? Surely she understood that there were better ways to persuade him then to just stand there and demand they fuck. Considering he had been with Petra in some of her prior moments of weakness, he knew her natural methods of persuasion and it only cemented his theory that something else was at play here. If before she was alluring and sexy and everything that made it impossible for him to think clearly, now she was combative and off putting, presenting herself in a way that was so… not Petra that it was having opposite of the intended effect on him.

For her to suddenly act like this, his mind was racing. What exactly had happened that caused her mind to change directions so sharply – especially in his absence? It was as if something changed her entire outlook regarding their interactions and…

All too late he remembered Eld's meddling and whispering and cajoling just a few minutes ago, and he wanted to groan.

Not some thing, someone.

...It seemed Eld had been rather busy this past week.

Levi felt like storming out of his office and tracking down his meddling asshole of a subordinate. He should have known Eld would have gone out of his way to twist her innocent mind the second he was out of the picture. While he couldn't be too certain that's what had happened, it was certainly more probable than Petra deciding something like this on her own accord, and what was more, if Eld was the one pushing her out of her comfort zone, it more than accounted for her strange, forceful and unsettling approach.

He supposed there was a relatively easy way to find out, because if his instincts were right – which he was confident that they were – it wouldn't take much pressure for her pretenses to come crashing down. Satisfied with his conclusion, he looked up toward Petra calmly and gave an accepting, intentional sigh as he stood up from his desk, deciding that it was time to test her resolve.

He moved a hand to his neck as he watched her directly, looping a finger beneath his collar and pulling his cravat a little looser until the fabric fell flatly across his shirt at the ends. Petra blinked as she watched him in surprise as though not certain of his intent, and he made a point of undoing the top button of his collar, moving his head side to side and freeing his neck from its prior confines.

He licked his lips and exhaled casually, "Alright Petra, if you're so certain..." He gave a simple nod and looked at her directly, "Let's have sex."

Her eyes went considerably wide at his rather direct statement and she seemed to stutter in a weak attempt to find her voice, "Wha…but I…you…you actually agree?"

He allowed himself a slight chuckle as he shrugged in return, his eyes never leaving hers as he moved out from behind his desk, steps languid as he slowly made his way toward her. He undid another button in his shirt and rolled his shoulders as he spoke factually, "Well I am your husband after all, so it's only natural that we have sex."

"But the marriage is…only on paper…" she whispered, actually taking a step back from him in attempts to keep a comfortable distance between them, seeming to have lost all her previous confidence as she spoke with a palpable nervousness.

Levi pretended not to notice and continued walking toward her just the same, "And considering you're so set on things not being just on paper, well…" He leaned toward her as he spoke in a sort of promise, allowing his voice to deepen ever so slightly as he whispered purposefully, "I can make that happen."

"Oh is that…so…How…uh, I mean, I'm looking forward to…um, should you maybe…" she squeaked out, looking around the room for an avenue of escape as she spoke random bits of nothing as her thoughts seemed to scatter.

For every step he took toward her, she retreated with an equal number of steps, and when she started to near the doorway, Levi reached an arm behind her and swung the door back so that as she continued backing away from him, she actually pushed the door closed herself. Finally, the metal latch clicked into place as she settled herself back against the door, watching him with wide, uncertain eyes.

He put an arm against the door in a show of force and took an intentional breath as he allowed his gaze to trail her up and down, settling himself a mere inch in front of her as he made a point of letting his eyes wander. He smirked as he reached his other hand out, acting as though he were going to touch her, but rather diverting his hand just past her side, near the swell of her hips, having to bite back a smirk as he intentionally grabbed the door handle instead. He clicked the lock in place, the resulting sound actually causing her to flinch from its implications.

Her reactions thus far had long since proven his suspicions, and yet he couldn't quite bring himself to let up on the pressure because her reactions were far too amusing and considering the tight spot she had placed him in a mere moment ago, he didn't want to let her off the hook so easily.

He slowly ran his hand down the side of her face, his thumb brushing the edge of her lips as he spoke, "Now it may not be romantic, but I've got the time right now considering I'm not on active duty, and since you're so certain that this is what you want…"

Petra pressed her lips together nervously, her mind racing as the Captain's intense gaze continued to fail in meeting her eyes. He ran his hand down over the expanse of her neck and stopped at the collar of her shirt, his fingers thumbing the top button until he brought both hands upward and slowly opened her collar with a concentrated stare that lingered on her pale skin.

She felt an intense blush come to her face, and regardless the fact that it was a mere two inches of her neck that was suddenly visible, Petra couldn't help how self-conscious and exposed she suddenly felt under his watchful eye. "Uh, Cap…Captain…" she squeaked out nervously, and Levi gave a chuckle as he pulled the fabric out to opposite ends of her neck, running his thumbs over her newly exposed collar bones languidly. He shook his head and leaned closer toward her, his voice a low whisper that made goosebumps rise over her skin as his hot breath caressed her face, "At a time like this, you can just call me Levi."

At a time like this?

A million thoughts raced through her mind, and as Levi leaned forward as though he were preparing to kiss her, Petra lost her nerve completely, clamping her eyes shut and turning to the side as a sort of fearful, pitiful squeak left her. She couldn't push him away because he was only doing what she had asked him and maybe it wouldn't be all that bad in the end so maybe…maybe she could just grin and bear it?

Damn, perhaps she should have taken Eld up on his offer for the candles and wine, hell even the stupid lemon juice, but now it was too late and…

She braced herself for what was to come, eyes still clamped shut tightly, and she tensed even further when she didn't feel his lips on hers, didn't feel him press his body against her, didn't hear fabric shifting as he attempted to undress her…

For a long moment, the Captain seemed to do…nothing.

It was only when she opened her eyes curiously, wondering just what it was he was planning to do or why he had suddenly stopped, that she could feel Levi's breath in her ear and there was a low, amused chuckle that seemed to roll from his chest. For an agonizing long moment, they remained perfectly still, his quiet laughter only confusing her all the more because…wasn't he going to..?

Levi gave an amused smirk against her skin and whispered mirthfully, "…There. You see, Petra? You don't want this."

At that, he pulled away from her, resting back into his arm as he continued to lean over her, but from a more comfortable distance. He watched her with a still pronounced smirk and Petra's mouth fell open as she slowly, slowly realized that he had been intentionally making her uncomfortable for the mere hell of it. He had never intended on undressing her or kissing her or anything of the sort; he had purposefully said and done those things just to get a rise out of her!

That fucking smug, arrogant, son of a-!

She could only watch him in immense embarrassment, and she realized with a sudden growing sense of horror that she again had thrown herself at him, only this time it was simply because she wasn't confident in how things were progressing and that seemed like a logical next step to her…at the time.

Now though…

As she opened her mouth to respond, about to berate him for embarrassing her like that when he could have just called her bluff outright if he already knew she wasn't as comfortable as she was pretending to be, Levi looked down at her with a different expression altogether, stalling in place as he hovered over her with that strange, conflicted expression, and he suddenly leaned back into her with a sort of sigh.

Levi firmly pressed his lips against hers, kissing his subordinate with a sudden storm of passion – for the first time in over a month - as he pressed her into the door; one hand pulling her neck toward him and the other pressing her hips forcefully back as he took a step closer still and aligned his body over hers directly, pressing himself against her with a tempered exhale because goddamn she felt great when she was pressed up against him like that. Shocked though she was, Petra could only respond in kind as Levi kissed her fervently, his passionate and dominating kiss strangely somehow making perfect sense, regardless the strangeness of the entire situation; the weight of his body pressing against hers secure and comforting rather than intimidating like it had been a mere moment before.

As he overwhelmed her with his unmatched intensity, she found his name at the tip of her tongue; a plea that seemed to echo in the space between them. She should push him away; she should stop him now before things continued. She knew that he would respect her wishes, she knew he would never force himself on her, so it would just take a mere wince, a twitch of her head or a gasp of discomfort for him to retreat completely. She had let her guard down for him in the past, and Levi was so unpredictable, so unsure and clearly caught off guard by their connection just as much as she was; it was causing tumultuous rifts, fire and passion and pain and heartache and breath taking beauty because who would have ever thought that someone like her, someone like…

"Levi…"

A breath, a whisper, perhaps even a prayer – regardless her warring thoughts, regardless her unease, for the first time she found herself listening to his actions, more than experiencing them as she had before. What he couldn't say with words, she realized he was all but shouting them with his actions, and Petra realized she had been so, so wrong. After all this time, even with the distance, the responsibilities and the day to day tasks, she realized that nothing had changed, nothing had slowed down or become suddenly tempered like she had thought it would if she just drew more defined 'boundaries' between them.

No.

Their connection had only continued to grow stronger, regardless her attempts to stifle it, however due to her setting boundaries their disciplines were both now strained from having to keep their naturally developing intimacy contained and regulated. As Levi kissed her with a passion that spoke of his pent-up desire and desperation for her – Petra realized how ridiculous she was being. It had been foolish of her to try to cage or control the bonds that were forming between them, because if before there was a spark, now it had been outright agitated, having morphed into a blazing fire that threatened to overtake them both.

Disciplined though they were, the wanting what was forbidden, the outright lust – self-control would only take them so far and yet…

Hearing his name from her, the breathlessness she spoke with, Levi exhaled with a desperate sigh and pressed his body into her all the more as he pulled back to catch his breath. He ran his hand up the slope of her neck, over her jaw line, his thumb cresting between the space of her inviting mouth, tracing the smoothness of her kiss swollen lips with the pad of his thumb as he watched her between the sound of his own panting; her unfocused and dazed expression alluring and captivating and so, so damn beautiful. His thumb moved languidly, curiously, across her parted lips, cresting over the ridges of her bottom teeth, and he took a sharp inhale, having just barely caught his breath, when Petra's tongue seemed to eagerly meet him, her tongue brushing against the pad of his thumb as a wanton and lust-filled flush colored her cheeks.

"Fuck woman." Levi mumbled as he watched her graze her tongue against him sensually, and he leaned forward and kissed her for a second time, his own tongue sweeping out against hers without hesitation, along her teeth and inside the cavern of her mouth possessively as he fanned her desire with his own – because it had been a long, long fucking month and he had wanted her then, and he wanted her now, and the fact she had always been within arm's reach and was yet still so untouchable, fuck he was going out of his damned mind! He desperately needed to show her that he did want her, but not in a way that ever cheapened her or took advantage of her in a mere moment of weakness or because someone else said so.

But fuck, the way she had just said his name…

He wasn't even aware of how badly he had been needing this until she was wrapped in his arms and melting into his hold like she had been made for him. What she had demanded of him before, the way she said his name and clung to him even now – while he had intended to respect her wishes and keep things…somewhat platonic on a physical front because that's what Petra wanted, all things considered he felt that stealing a kiss or two was a fairly innocent infraction, and if he was going to allow himself this one-time indulgence and knowingly, intentionally cross that line, he wanted to enjoy it to the fullest extent before he let her go. Even so, how many times would he be able to withstand her testing and teasing before his self-control finally snapped?

He repeatedly swept his lips over hers, again and again, nipping at her skin and pulling her against him possessively, confident in his actions and immensely enjoying the feel of her soft curves, her breath hot on his face and her lips plaint, compliant between his as he showered her with every bit of passion he felt for her while he still could. He kissed her until his body ached, until he knew he had to pull away before it led to something that Petra simply wasn't ready for.

As much as he wanted her…he could be patient. For her.

He pulled away and brought air into his depleted lungs, his shoulders tense and chest heaving from a mix of desire and restraint. Petra slowly leaned her head down from its previously tilted position and open her eyes as though still in a daze, also panting as she fought to catch her breath.

Feeling somewhat satisfied with himself, Levi took a step back and rested into his arm once again, still very near to her but not so all consuming and he watched her curiously, not exactly sure of how she would respond to his blatant disregard of her previously drawn boundaries. For a long moment, Petra remained perfectly still as though taking it all in and only now realizing what had just happened between them; an uncertain expression coming to her features as a silence drew out between them. Levi found himself taking a breath, already preparing to apologize because he was certain he had upset her, he was certain he had gone too far in his taking advantage of the moment - but before he could say anything, Petra exhaled with a slow shake of her head and cut him off.

"…Wow." She whispered to herself with a faraway look, giving a slight smile as she brought a hand to her lips in surprise. Levi gave a quiet laugh at her transparent, unguarded response, remembering Eld saying something to the effect that Petra thought he was a good kisser. Apparently, the man hadn't been lying, and a smile pulled at his lips as he watched Petra blink a few times before she finally seemed to regain her bearings. At the very least, she didn't seem to be angry with him, and he decided not to linger on the matter further before she changed her mind.

He took a deep breath to collect himself and nodded down toward her seriously. "Now then," he stated in an exhale, moving his hands back toward her collar and putting the simple button of her shirt back in place. As his hands nimbly worked to restore her previous state of dress, her face turned a deep shade of crimson as he spoke, and he continued working the collar around her skin purposefully, adjusting the fabric lightly so that her collar sat correctly around her thin neck and the seams lined her shoulders neatly, "You go find that asshole Eld and tell him to come see me immediately. Someone needs to tell him to stop his damned meddling because I'm getting rather tired of his games."

Satisfied with Petra's tidy and less disheveled appearance, Levi tilted his chin upward and set to work on his own shirt, fingers twisting mechanically from memory as he buttoned his shirt and readjusted the collar, adjusting the fabric of his cravat next before retying it properly around his neck.

Petra was somewhat mesmerized by the smoothness of his actions, something that perplexed Levi as he wasn't used to Petra staring at him, but when he finished and watched her with a quirked eyebrow, she merely blushed all the more and cleared her throat sheepishly, "Eld? But how…how did you-"

"Know?" Levi finished for her matter of factly, and he reached beside her again and gave the door handle a slight turn, the action subsequently unlocking the door as he responded casually, "Because frankly Petra, you're dense as hell when it comes to these things, but I am not. Now go bring that fucker here. Either he needs to learn to mind his own damn business, or learn how to not get caught."

Petra bit her lip and gave a light smile, looking toward the door and pausing as Levi turned back toward his desk.

"Hey uh, Captain?" She reached out and grabbed the fabric of his jacket sleeve as he turned away, and he paused mid motion, looking back toward her in question with a raised eyebrow. She pressed her lips together and spoke quietly, her face turning red with the words she spoke, "I uh…look, I don't think I really said what I wanted to before. More than anything, I guess I really just wanted to clarify that you don't…" He quirked an eyebrow as she trailed off and she gave an innocent shrug as she struggled to articulate her thoughts, "It's not that I want things to escalate or that I don't want to be disciplined but maybe…well, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if we..."

Again she sighed, and finally she looked up toward him with a shy and nervous smile, "I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I trust you, Levi, and I want you to feel free to express yourself, or free to just be you…so don't feel like you have to keep away from me or anything. Whatever happens, happens, okay? I really do trust you, and it's not that I don't like what we had before but..."

He blinked in surprise at her words that sounded like….permission? – his eyes going wide when Petra moved up onto her toes and ever so lightly leaned into him, pressing her lips against his in return. While surprised through and through because he was suddenly being kissed by her, he could only allow his eyes to close as he returned her kiss in contentment because as she kissed him so tenderly, Levi found that - not surprisingly - her kiss was chaste; simple and humble and everything he knew Petra to be.

Perfect.

She didn't linger and pulled away after the brief contact as she rested flatly onto her feet again, looking into the ground shyly and biting her lip as a blush stained her cheeks from the audacity of her actions, "…Thanks, and I guess…well, welcome home, Levi. That's really what I should have said before. Yes. Welcome home."

She negated to look at him as she turned toward the door quickly, leaving the room with her head still bowed; a definite, shy smile across her face as she closed the door behind her and retreated in obvious nervousness.

He listened to the sound of her footsteps scamper down the hallway and he gave a carefree sort of sigh, his lips still warm from their previous actions. He realized that that was the first time she had kissed him, and a warmness spread through his chest as a result. He gave a small smile as he walked to his desk, slowly sitting down in his chair and shaking his head in a sort of awe as he reflected over some of their past interactions.

As much as he enjoyed their few and sporadic moments of passion where his natural presence seemed to overwhelm her so easily and she allowed him to take control with minimal effort on his end, there was something so…special, about the innocence, the tenderness and kindness that only Petra could convey with a kiss. Whereas he could only kiss her with intensity; unbridled desire that spoke the words he could never say and a passion that relayed his aching, longing for her affection and devotion – Petra's kiss spoke of trust, the promise of tomorrow and an ardent fervency for him alone.

While it pleased him (immensely) to know that Petra was satisfied with his kiss, it was now his firm opinion that between the two of them…well, he was certain that Petra was the better kisser, and admittedly, he was okay with that.

…

End of Chapter

…

*smirks*

So, yall know what I'm about to say - GODS I LOVE THIS CHAPTER! For obvious reasons. I just love the whole thing. I love Petra's sputtering, nonsensical argument, I love when she flips out and is all 'My mom was only 4'9 Levi, stop tormenting me!' And poor, poor wide eyed Levi being like Lord save me because there's no way to come out unscathed, then his almost immediate realization that Eld's up to his old tricks again, and decides to just play along with Petra and watch her squirm.

And then that – when he loses at his own game and kinda cave in just a little bit. Ahhhh. Pure gold.

Yall tell me what you thought for sure, because I am on cloud nine! Did you LOVE it?! I hope you did. I've been waiting to share this chapter with you for a long time!

Hearts and all that, see yall next Sunday!