Morning everyone!

Happy Sunday and Feliz Navidad. Hope everyone had an awesome week and that yall are getting your holiday shopping accomplished! We got to start some festivities ourselves this last week, went and looked at some Christmas lights, had a gingerbread decorating contest, and trying to teach my son the TRUE meaning of Christmas. So far, I think he's getting that Christmas is about driving everywhere, all the time, eating fudge and wearing pajamas and sleeping NEVER.

All in all, I think that's the right idea.

As for this chapter, apologies in advance but it is on the shorter side, and I told myself that I refuse to feel bad about it considering that most of my chapters are closer to seven thousand words when I told myself I'd stick to four. *sigh* I'm just long winded, I can't help it.

Anyhow, that is all. Enjoy!

…

…

"It's looking good in here; nice work." Levi announced his arrival as he made his way into the hall that he had ordered Petra to clean, looking down at the freshly scrubbed floor in approval. His gaze settled onto Petra who was presently standing up on a chair, wiping down the walls diligently. At his voice, her attentions turned toward him, and already there was a guilty look on her face as she watched him.

"Oh, well…thank you, sir. I finished the bathroom earlier, and I'm just about done here." She looked around the hall and stepped down from her chair, "If you want I can head to the coffee station next, or if there was something else? I was thinking about everything you've said over these past few weeks and then this morning and…I just want you to know that I really, really will be trying harder."

Levi gave a nondescript nod, merely walked further into the hall and relaxed against the wall, leaning back against the clean surface and crossing his arms in thought. He looked at her passively, "Well then it seems you have more to think over then, because if that's what you got out of it then you're still missing the point."

Petra gave him a confused look and he nodded toward the chair, "Take a seat, Petra."

She hesitantly did so, sitting upright in the chair in a perplexed manner, her back straight as a board as she watched him in question because she truly must have been missing something. Her performance was slacking, it was obvious to everyone, but considering she was the one who kept record of their team's numbers, she knew better than perhaps even Levi himself, just how far she had fallen since she had taken on Erwin's demands. It only made sense that she needed to try harder. Sure she had a lot on her plate, but others had been in much worse or dire situations and still balanced their workload, she was certain of it. If she was more intentional about her time management, tried to multitask perhaps – then maybe that would work?

As though able to read her mind, Levi gave a deep sigh. He took a few moments to think of how it would be best to address her, try to alter her perspective or coach her appropriately, and finally looked toward her again, "The problem isn't that you're not trying hard enough, it's that you're trying too hard. As your Captain, I can acknowledge that your skills have developed and you've discovered new strengths that you intend to morph and make your own." He looked at her directly, a note of pride in his voice as he watched her, "That's admirable, especially considering it's not anything that I can take credit for. Your ability to manipulate data into tangible training and practical outcomes is extremely useful, as I know you are well aware. The Commander himself has leveraged your ability on more than one occasion, and you're still beginning to learn your trade in that respect."

She smiled at his compliment, and his voice somewhat stiffened, "However. With your new strengths, it seems you've uncovered a new set of weaknesses as well, and unfortunately for you they're shitty ones to have. You don't know your limits, which is dangerous Petra, dangerous and often deadly - and combined with your crippling desire to help whenever and whoever you can, it means that you don't know how to say no, at the cost of yourself."

Petra gave a slow, cautious nod because she knew he wasn't trying to belittle her; his observations were more of a statement of fact. It wasn't that she was trying to work herself into an early grave - It was difficult for her to know the difference between challenging herself, versus pushing herself past the point of breaking. While she knew that she was running on empty, she had been hoping that her exhaustion and resulting physical weakness was temporary. After all, when she had first joined Levi's squad, she had struggled to keep up, her body ached and protested then too, but it had adjusted; she was hoping that this would just be another one of those cases and she'd come out stronger for it.

But perhaps it never would, and if so, she truly was being a fool.

Seeing her crestfallen look, Levi continued, "Rule number one: Self-preservation comes first. That's the most basic rule that leadership knows and understands as though second nature. We know our boundaries and respect them; no matter what happens or who goes before us, we need to survive."

Petra watched him with a displeased frown, "But…that just…seems wrong. Not that I'd expect you all to be suicidal or stupid mind you, but…" she trailed off and watched Levi expectantly, and he merely shrugged.

"Call it cowardly or callous, but the reality is that we each bring something to the table that is damn near impossible to replace. I know of no one else who can replace Erwin's ability to lead, nor his creative and decisive abilities to problem solve. As much as I like to make fun of Four-eyes, Hanji is equally as cunning in her own way and has a useful knack of getting information, not to mention that the Titans are an all-out passion project of hers – who else would be so fearless and not outright kill them instead? The Scouts need her."

Levi paused and adjusted his position against the wall, "As for me, well, my skills are more simple in nature than that of Hanji or Erwin, but my abilities are helpful not just outside the walls, but also for keeping people in line. As much as I hate the stupid title, people tend to think twice about crossing us because the mere mention of 'Humanity's Strongest' keeps them in check. That respect and renown won't easily be replaced should I die, and so to do my part properly, I have to make sure that I live on."

Petra gave an amused exhale and shook her head grimly, "That does make sense, but I am not you, or Hanji, or Erwin. Not that I want to die by any means, but fact of the matter is I am replaceable."

Levi rolled his eyes, "You're missing the point again. Do you really think that any of us were born that way? No – same as you we learned our skills and developed them into what they are today. I don't know what kind of role you'll have in the future, but I do know that if you aren't intentional in growing your skills wisely, learning your boundaries and learning to stand up for yourself, that day will never come because you'll never reach your full potential. It may not be death, but you'll lose yourself in other ways; you'll fall to depression, you'll be unable to make a stand or make a decisive judgement call – just because you're alive doesn't mean you're useful."

He paused and watched her with a raised brow, "As it stands now, you're falling into the latter category and I'm trying to steer you off from it but you're making it damned difficult because you think it's all 'for the greater good'. To state the obvious, you need sleep. Eld's been reporting to me that you've been skipping meals, and that stops immediately. I know you want to figure matters out Petra, but doing so at the cost of your own health is a rookie mistake and as your Command Officer I've had it because you fucking know better."

He paused as she took in his words with a slow, guilty nod, and he exhaled, "I know that traditionally you have free time after dinner and you've been using that, and then some to work on Erwin's project, but discretionary time is a privilege in the military, not a right, so considering your performance for the past few weeks, I'm placing you on corrective action."

Petra's eyebrows furrowed, "…Corrective action, sir?"

He merely nodded and explained, "Yes. Until you can bring your performance back up to a satisfactory level on my squad, you will not have any discretionary time throughout the day."

Petra's mouth fell open, her eyes wide with alarm as she stood up from her chair in response in sudden irritation, "Say what?"

Levi's expression hardened, disliking the anger that was creeping into her tone, "I will assign you tasks to keep you busy throughout the day, and by the time they are completed, it will be the Scout's mandated lights out, which I myself will ensure that you are honoring. In case you haven't figured it out, corrective action means discipline, Petra. It's not meant to be fun."

She held up a hand with a combative frown, "Wait wait – you said tasks throughout the day…as in, I still can't train with the squad? Levi, that's not fair!"

"Wrong." He corrected her sternly, his expression only continuing to darken at her continuing to challenge him further, "You're not using your free time wisely, so your free time is being taken away – that is the definition of fair. What's not fair is how much the squad is being held back because of you."

"But Captain-"

"Enough Petra, this is not up for discussion." he spoke over her purposefully, his eyes narrowed in warning, "As for tonight, you can finish the hall and then complete the coffee station. You are welcome to excuse yourself for dinner afterward, but once you have finished eating you are to report back to me and I'll have another task for you to see to. As a heads up, I'm going into your room in a bit and removing all the folders and data that you've collected for research– I can assure you that you won't be needing them for the time being."

Petra gaped, stammering to find her words as she stared at him in utter outrage and disbelief, "Captain this isn't…is this because you're angry that I chose to accept Erwin's challenge? Is that why you're doing this?"

Levi deadpanned at her question, watching her in open disapproval, "No, and I'm surprised you think so. I told you before to do your best, and I meant it, but I also told you not to overdo it, which you have. Like it or not, but part of my job is managing your performance, so you've left me with no choice but to micromanage you like this. Some of us happen to take our jobs seriously around here."

Petra scowled at his insinuation, but said nothing and merely watched him in silence because she had been grating on his patience for some time now and was in enough trouble without smarting off to him.

He pushed himself up from off the wall and gave her a firm stare as he continued, "I told you before, but you'll have your 3DM gear again when you fucking earn it. Show me you can handle your shit and then we'll talk about letting you train, but until then, you get to stay behind and do housework while the rest of the squad does what a soldier is supposed to do."

Petra's eyes narrowed all the more and Levi pointed toward the wall behind her, "And you missed a spot."

Petra turned over her shoulder, looking at the wall in confusion because she had just washed that area, before finally seeing a spot that she had assumed was merely faded paint. After further inspection, she could tell it was a smudge of sorts and she scowled in irritation because of course Levi would find something to nitpick. She turned back around, noticing in even further frustration that Levi was already walking away.

Her mouth fell open as she watched him move down the hall and she quickly pressed her lips together in a firm line, gripping the rag fiercely between her fingers and standing back up on the chair, muttering to herself darkly, "Oh I'll fucking earn it alright. Show that damned pompous half-pint a thing or two. Won't know what fucking hit him. Housework indeed, that asshole."

Her profanities continued as she muttered more dark promises to herself, and it was due to her focus on the task at hand that she missed Levi's pause in step as he looked back over his shoulder toward her, a prominent smirk of amusement across his face as he watched her for a long moment, before shaking his head and continuing down the hallway in silence.

…

…

Levi had taken her by surprise that night when after dinner, her 'assignment' was not an actual job or task to complete, rather that she was simply going to bed right then and there, to which Petra complained vehemently, because it was barely past seven, and there was no way she could possibly fall asleep at such an early hour in the day. At her dramatic and irritating whining, Levi rolled his eyes, grabbed the back of her neck and dragged her down the hallway toward her room forcefully, trying to ignore her as she complained the whole. fucking. way. With a shove of his arm, he all but tossed her into her room, confirming in equal challenge that he wasn't leaving until she was in bed, and gods help her if she even attempted to sneak out of bed throughout the night because he would catch her, and she would not like the outcome.

She had shot him a scathing glare, shoving him out of the room so she could change and slamming the door defiantly behind her, further muttering coming from her bedroom as she changed out of her uniform and into pajamas. Levi had entered back into her room once she had finished, getting yet another earful of her many grievances because he was simply being cruel. With the fact she had been going to bed so late each night, she would just be staring up into her ceiling for hours and she would outright die of sheer boredom, and he was clearly doing all of this to just be spiteful.

Regardless her countless protests and promises that she couldn't possibly fall asleep, especially with him just outright glaring at her like that - she had fallen asleep in less than ten minutes.

As for Levi, he may, or may not have lingered in her room a while longer yet, and it certainly had nothing to do with the overwhelming calm he felt, knowing that she would finally get some well needed rest, or the quiet way she breathed that made the tension leave him so effortlessly. Come the time for actual lights out, he finally left her room, finding that even though there was still work that needed to be addressed, he didn't care – he just wanted to sleep.

Petra's behavior hadn't impacted just her after all; unbeknownst to her, he had also stayed up with her for most nights, unable to sleep knowing that Petra was still working – and as a result, she wasn't the only one who desperately needed proper rest after multiple nights of all-nighters and subsequent early starts.

Come the next morning, Petra had actually beaten him to the lobby for once; the coffee already prepared and finished brewing by the time he arrived, reflecting what a more normal day on the Squad traditionally entailed. She had asked him hopefully, that considering she was actually well rested for a change – something Levi corrected, because one night of sleep did not account for two weeks of insomnia – that perhaps he would consider allowing her to train with the squad if she promised to eat her meals and get to bed on time.

He had given her an appraising stare as he poured himself a cup of coffee, explaining calmly that his previous decision would not be changing, but - not to worry, because he had thought of plenty of things that would keep her occupied while she was on corrective action. At her defeated groan and miserable plop into her chair, Levi merely took a sip of his coffee, hiding his smirk behind the porcelain because he had to admit, her childish defiance was rather amusing and a small part of him was perhaps enjoying her misery after all she had put him and his men through.

While he had planned on making her get an early start on the day, he decided to cut her a bit of grace and allowed her to remain with the squad as they lounged around the table and drink coffee, same as always. When the men got up from the table to make their way toward the equipment hall, Levi had pulled her aside and confirmed the tasks he expected her to complete for that day, before giving a wave over his shoulder and joining the rest of his squad outside.

Two more days had passed like that; Petra's attitude remained steadfast and determined, Eld confirmed she was indeed taking proper care of herself, and finally Levi had given her the opportunity to officially earn her gear back. His terms had been simple – it was a Thursday so there was no 3DM gear involved, and he had a long day of conditioning, and weight and resistance training planned for them – he explained that if she could keep up and complete the day's exercises without issue, then he would return her 3DM gear to her simple as that, and she could report for duty same as always.

In truth, he hadn't actually known what to expect from her. It wasn't that Petra had atrophied or that her body was permanently weakened after a mere two weeks, but admittedly, he wasn't sure if a mere three days of proper sleep and nutrition would be enough to properly restore her lacking strength and focus.

Regardless his reservations, Petra had excitedly agreed to his offer, skipping off to her room and changing into appropriate attire as she prepared for not another day of miserable cleaning, but for a day of actual work. As the day progressed, Levi could tell she was still a little slow to the draw and her immediate reserves of stamina had suffered, but on the whole, she had kept up well enough where he felt comfortable in allowing her to return to the squad without fear of her injuring herself or others. As a result of his decision, he had received a rather awkward hug when he attempted to return her gear to her, because instead of grabbing the components out of his hands, Petra lunged and wrapped herself around him instead, so the metal devices were sandwiched uncomfortably between their bodies as Petra embraced him tightly, laughing like an idiot and completely carefree because apparently cleaning for three days straight was a rather…miserable fate. The rest of the Squad had all seen this interaction, and Levi couldn't help but feel slightly self-conscious as she continued her sudden hug, hearing deep chuckles that were undoubtedly at his expense. Eventually Levi groaned and rolled his shoulders, signaling that it was high time she release him, and as Petra stepped back, grabbing her gear from him and grinning ear to ear, Levi couldn't help but look into the ground as he collected himself, still hearing further chuckles from his men because even if Petra didn't notice it, the men certainly had.

Levi was blushing.

While she had gotten her 3DM gear back and joined them for training each day, Levi still controlled her free time for the next few nights with tasks and assignments that went anywhere from cleaning or paperwork or extra shifts of stables or kitchen duty. He wanted to ensure that she didn't receive too much freedom at once and subsequently fall back into her old habits again. After a few more nights of intentional supervision, he eventually, begrudgingly returned her folders to her as well, having one more serious conversation with her about her boundaries because if she faltered like this again, there would be no returning of the documents after a few days of good behavior – she would simply be done, as he would pull the plug and that would be the end of it.

Petra had watched him in surprise, but agreed. She would find a way to balance her work, truly balance it, because she couldn't afford to waste more time and she had a deadline to meet.

It had taken just shy of a week, but Petra was officially freed from corrective action.

…

End of Chapter

…

Alright, and that wraps it up for this week as well!

In terms of writing, I was able to write about two full chapters this last week – granted it's not edited so it's sloppy and desperately needs some cleaning up, but I've been focused and intentional and I'm making progress soo yeah, I'm feeling pretty good.

I will try to really keep my nose to the grind this next week as well, that way come this next update, I'll plan to give the official verdict of how my updates will go for the next handful of months to come. So far I'm optimistic, but I'll go through all the new material, separate it out into chapters, and make the official judgement call from there based off how far ahead I am and what's practical for me. As a whole, I want to stay a consistent 10ish chapters ahead of what's posted here on Sunday (that gives me time to go BACK and make any adjustments if something in the cannon changes), so if I can keep to that ratio we'll be good to go and the weekly updates can continue as scheduled.

Fingers crossed yall! See you next Sunday!

~Midnight