Morning guys!

Well, as always, hasn't this just been a crazy week for those who are stateside? I'm telling yall, 2020 has got to be just about the weirdest year I've seen in my day. Of course, this isn't exactly the place to discuss these things, so as always, I'll just say it like this: Stay humble, stay safe, and always be kind. Always, always, always be kind.

As a heads up, I've got a little number of business to discuss at the bottom, but other than that, business as usual. Onto the chapter!

…

…

Levi had moved toward her bedroom door, remaining luggage in hand as he somewhat announced his arrival passively. "Oi Petra, it's me." he stated softly with a light knock, already opening the door as he spoke, but his hand stalled stubbornly in place when the doorknob didn't budge, and he couldn't help the sigh that left his lips.

It seemed that Petra, in her embarrassment and shame, had locked the door.

"Come on, open up." He stated flatly into the wooden surface, knowing that she wanted to be left alone but even still, he couldn't deny the nagging sensation to check on her, and what was more, he felt silly just standing in the hallway with their remaining bags out in the open like this. Where else was he supposed to go? Back into the main room – make small talk with her father?

Absolutely not.

She responded after a moment, her voice muffled through the doorway, "No, just…just give me a minute, okay? You've still got to put the horses away, and maybe…well, if you wanted to wash up from the trip, I'm sure you saw the bathroom in the hallway. I'll be fine Captain, I just-" There was a sniffle, and she continued, "I may be upset, but it's fine - I don't need to be babied. I just need a moment to-"

As she had been speaking, Levi had already kneeled to the ground, rolling his eyes at her words and her weak attempts to thwart him off, and after a few moments of focus, the handle gave a satisfying click, and he opened the door with ease.

Petra's sentence trailed off as he suddenly entered the once locked bedroom, her eyes wide as she sat up from her hunched over position at the edge of the bed, looking first toward him, then back to the door in a moment of puzzlement. After a moment, a despairing look came over her face, slow realization coming to her at last. She dropped her head back into her hands with a sort of defeated, humiliated cry, "Captain, y-you picked the lock, didn't you?!"

"Well you weren't going to let me in and-"

She looked up from her hands and gave him a tearful, desperate and wide-eyed stare, "Does this mean I'm the only person on the whole squad who doesn't know how? What's the point of even having a lock on my door if everyone can just come and go as they please! The guys have broken in while I'm sleeping, now you're breaking in here when I just want a moment to myself – Tell me this Captain, why even have my own room, when privacy clearly means nothing to you or the guys? Hell, I should just share a room with them, it'd be the same damn thing!"

Levi was confused by her sudden tirade, not sure what the hell may have sparked this little issue but knowing better than to follow after that rabbit trail when she was in a mood like this. Either way, he made a mental note to verify her complaints regarding her bedroom being broken into, because that was crossing major lines that would be addressed. In the meantime, he could only watch her in growing annoyance, "Petra. Stop avoiding the subject because you know full well that we're going to talk about it. And as for me being able to pick a lock, why the hell does that even matter right now? Your dad just slapped the shit out of you, so something like this should be the least of your worries."

A mere groan was his response, and when it became clear that Petra had no intention of facing that dialogue on her own, Levi's expression softened at the obvious shame she was blanketed under. He merely walked into the room, leaving their luggage forgotten about in the hallway as he took a seat beside her; a sudden seriousness falling between them. He wasn't looking at her, but rather toward the wall as he spoke lightly, "So…you okay or whatever?"

From his peripheral vision, he saw Petra give a dark smirk as she sat up more fully, rubbing her still red cheek, "I'm fine. I mean, obviously it hurt, but in terms of injury, I've suffered worse of course. I guess it's more the sheer embarrassment than anything else. I'm a grown woman, but after getting scolded by my father, backhanded, and then running off to sulk in my room…well, I guess it makes me feel like a child all over again. And to top it all off, the fact you had to see me like that when I'm a professionally trained soldier…I know it's silly, but I just feel kinda low and useless. I'm sorry Captain, if I let you down back there. I must have looked pretty pathetic to someone like you."

A long silence fell over the room, and Levi continued evenly, his expression blank but his words coming out with a certain bite to them because why the fuck was Petra apologizing to him? He took a calming breath, "I get everyone has a different home-life, and it seems that a lot of Scouts tend to come from fucked up origins, but honestly…you could have given me the heads up, you know, that your Dad was the sort that knocked you around like this. Had I known that, I wouldn't have left you alone and-"

Petra was already shaking her head, a thoughtful expression across her face as she cut him off, "Levi, he's not. Really."

"You know, I would find that to be a bit more believable if it weren't for the hand print across your face. I get it can be easier to make excuses or say it's not so bad, but I'm just calling it what it is and-"

Petra again shook her head, rubbing her cheek and speaking further on the matter, "I suppose you aren't wrong, but I feel you should know that he's actually never hit me before, that was a first. I mean, sure, I got spanked as a kid but nothing more than mere discipline that for the most part, I usually brought on myself."

Levi's expression turned equally pensive at her clarification, and Petra found herself smirking, despite the grimness of the situation, "Granted, in his defense, I've never told him to go fuck himself before, so perhaps that's part of it. He's always hated cursing, or really vulgarity of any kind, and I imagine the big bad F bomb was probably what did me in. All in all, it shouldn't be a problem as long as I watch my mouth over these next few weeks."

Levi turned to face her more directly, his expression incredulous, "Wait, the reason he hit you was…because of your language?" When Petra gave a nod, Levi was shaking his head, a smirk coming to his lips as a sense of both justice and irony came to him at once.

"Wait, what's so funny?"

His grin widened all the more, and he found a slight chuckle leaving his lips the more he thought about it, "Nothing. Just realizing that what I said to your Dad after you left, well, I don't think I could have worded it any better is all."

Petra's brows drew together in question, "What you said to him after I left? What…what did you say?"

Levi merely shrugged, "In summation, I told him the same thing that I'm about to tell you. First though, I want to repeat that for the most part, I'm intentionally not acting as your 'Commanding Officer' while we're out here. It's…this is different than that, and I don't want to make you feel that you have to do things my way just because of how things are back home."

When Petra watched him hesitantly, Levi returned her stare and spoke with authority because for something like this, he would play the role as her Captain because it mattered, and he would not sit idly by and watch her be assaulted. "If that's the kind of treatment you can expect to receive while you're here, then I'll tell you here and now that we'll be staying somewhere else. We can still make frequent visits, stop by for breakfast and dinner, late night coffee or whatever you want once I'm back from the Garrison, but if your father plans to make a habit of knocking you around like that, then I don't want him around you unless I'm also present in the same room. You need to heal, and your dad trying to force you to obey him through means like that – sorry if you thought I would take a more passive role or turn a blind eye to it, but as your Captain and husband, I won't stand for it."

At his explanation, Petra looked into the floor, giving a slight shake of her head, "Thanks Levi, but you don't have to worry about that, honest. The whole situation is unprecedented, and it's put him on edge to be sure, but he's truly rather gentle. The same way I'd defend your character to anyone, please understand that even as bad as that may have looked, my father is a good man, and he means a lot to me."

"I know."

Petra looked toward Levi, giving him a playful smirk, "Honestly Captain, I have to admit that I'm kind of surprised to hear you're so passionate about this. Aren't you someone who frequently uses pain to 'instill discipline' or whatever? Being a member of your squad, I happen to know better than most that you have no problem swinging your fists around in order to make a point."

Levi's expression turned somewhat reflective and he watched her for an extended moment, "Sure, and I have no shame about it either, but have you noticed that I've never turned my fists against you? Granted you haven't been spared completely over the years, but I don't think I've ever outright hit you before, not like I have the guys at least. You don't think there's a reason for that?"

At Levi's question that confirmed it wasn't mere chance that had created her good fortune over the years, she realized that she hadn't ever thought much about it, and merely gave a shrug as she watched him with a mystified stare, "Let me guess, because I'm a girl?"

While there was perhaps some truth to that, Levi shook his head and motioned toward her with a tilt of his head, "How you are feeling right now, your reaction to it all – this is exactly the reason why. Your father hitting you in an act of discipline has left you embarrassed, cowering in your room and ashamed of yourself. His goal, to some extent, is to break your spirit so you behave in a manner that he sees as more fitting."

Levi took a breath and looked back toward the wall in contemplation, "When I knock the guys around – it makes them fucking livid. They want nothing more than to fight right back; to prove their strength and make me eat my words. That sort of violent coaching pushes them to try harder because their pride has been pricked and it curbs their performance instantly. But you Petra, you're different. I can't coach you like I do the men on the squad, and I knew that from the first moment I met you. If I hit you, even if it would be 'justified' in my role as your Captain, you'd be crushed. Sure you'd put on a brave face for the time being, but the second you got off duty, you'd run into your room, cry for a while, and struggle to look me in the eye for days because you'd take it far more personally than it was ever meant." Levi shook his head, almost speaking to himself as he stated simply, "And that…that's not what I'm after when I coach you, or Eld, or anyone else. My goal isn't to break you, it's to build you up. I have no use for people that are timid or weak and have no ambition. If I forced you all to obey by purposefully crushing your spirits, it would ruin the team, and destroy the Scouts. It's absolutely vital that as I coach and direct you all, you feel supported and empowered, not disarmed and belittled."

Petra was admittedly surprised by her Captain's words, shocked to hear his reasoning and surprised even more to hear that he had actually thought about it this much. She couldn't help the sudden curiosity that came over her, a nervousness in her voice as she found herself asking timidly, "And…how do you do that?"

A shadow of a smile pulled at his lips, and Levi stood up from the bed as he looked down at her simply, "For you? I thought that would be obvious by now, Petra. In some ways, you're actually the easiest to coach on my squad, because in terms of correction, in terms of reaching you and encouraging you to improve your behavior and performance, all it takes is talking to you, just like this."

When she blinked, watching him in silent wonder and almost skeptical at his claims because the simplicity of his summation was almost insulting, Levi gave a shrug as he moved back toward the hall as though sensing her distaste, "Think what you will, but results don't lie. Just now, well…got you to stop crying easily enough, right?"

His simple – accurate – statement had caught her off guard all the more, and as Levi moved the luggage into the room, packing them into the closet alongside the others, he struggled to keep the smirk off his lips.

…

…

"So Dad," Petra asked with a forced chipperness, poking at her dinner plate in a nervous manner, "I know it's just about that time of year where the orders keep coming in one after another. Is business treating you well so far; keeping you busy?"

At the head of the dinner table sat her father, and between them, just to her right, sat Levi.

Her father was watching Levi eat, his eyes narrowed as he stared at him outright, and at Petra's question, her father gave a single, quipped nod, "Yup."

That was all he said, not a word more, and Petra found herself giving a quiet nod in return, looking back into her plate of food and slowly taking another bite.

Well, this was uncomfortable.

It had taken a bit of time to unpack, and eventually Petra had given Levi a tour of the house. She showed him the rather cluttered bathroom (she swore that she'd clean it up before they went to bed, because she knew Levi wouldn't step foot in such an unkempt area), showed him where the towels and clean linens were located, gave him an in-depth tour of the kitchen and where the dishes were put away, versus the cleaning products, versus the actual food, versus the baking ingredients – and Levi stated with a mumble that there was no way he'd remember everything she was showing him because it's not like those details were all that important anyway – it wasn't like he'd be baking cupcakes or anything.

None the less, Petra insisted that she at least treat him like a proper guest, considering her father certainly wasn't going to, and stubbornly continued to show him every inch of the living space. She had shown off her bedroom, which he was already acquainted with, the hallway, the storage closets and the linen closets, the bathroom, which she pointed out actually had two doors, one from inside of the house and another that served as a back door – it seemed her father didn't like tracking sawdust into the house so he usually came in from the back and cleaned up before moving into the house - as well as any other unimportant, irrelevant details that she could think of along the way. Levi had begrudgingly followed behind her and gave mere grunts of acknowledgement when he felt appropriate, because more than Petra trying to be a proper 'host', it was clear to him that she was still shaken up by her father slapping her, and as a result, she was doing all this merely from a sheer need to be busy.

When the house had thoroughly been shown off, (it wasn't all that big) she had taken him outside where they had a surprisingly spacious amount of property. Levi hadn't been certain if the large clearing behind the house was in fact their land or not, and Petra nodded and said that her father needed the space to house all the raw materials; mostly for when the trees were delivered each summer.

As they walked around toward the expanse of land, Petra gave a casual wave and confirmed that he was already familiar with their stable. She had moved further onto the property and showed him the small chicken coop that rested against the backend of the house. She stated with a nostalgic sort of grin that her father had always enjoyed the fresh eggs, but hated getting pecked and scratched at, so back when she was still living at home, collecting the eggs each morning had always been her job. Even still, considering each new flock of chickens was replaced every year or so, Petra had sighed wistfully and confirmed that she couldn't speak to how this particular batch of chickens behaved, but she was looking forward to learning, because each flock always had such a 'unique' personality and he'd 'see what she meant' in a few days.

Levi had no idea what to make of that, not certain if he had ever come within ten feet of a live chicken before, let alone a whole herd of the awkward and squawking vermin, and he merely followed after her in slight puzzlement, looking back over his shoulder toward the chicken coop and frowning when one of the chickens actually returned his stare with a single, perfectly black and bulbous eye.

His frown deepened as the chicken seemed to stare him down all the more, and Levi found himself mentally sympathizing with Petra's father to some extent, because just like that, Levi found that he also had no interest in approaching the strange, twitchy, and apparently judgmental little savages.

After that, Petra had moved even further back onto their property and showed off her Dad's workshop - a space that was almost the same size, if not larger than the house itself. When they had walked in, much to Petra's surprise, her father had already been inside, bent over an upside-down table, sanding the legs and looking at the piece with a critical stare.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't know you were working. Hope you don't mind, but I'm showing Levi around and thought I'd bring him back here as well." As they walked into the large space, the older man looked up from his task, giving a long stare toward Petra as though uncertain how he felt about it, but then gave a subtle nod and returned back toward his project without issue.

Petra looked toward Levi and motioned around the area with a wave, "You can look around if you want - as you can imagine everything's pretty hands on, so don't feel like you'll break anything or whatever. It's fine."

Before Levi could respond, Petra had walked off and made her way toward her father, a curiosity evident in the way she gravitated toward the man outright. To some extent, Levi didn't feel the need to follow after her, and instead he began moving along the perimeter of the large warehouse like room, looking at the various projects her father was working on; one side of the room flanked with alternating types of wood and different materials, and the other lined with a diverse series of tools and blades that were needed for the man's trade.

Regardless the considerable distance between them, Levi could still overhear their conversation as Petra finally neared her father. "So Dad…what're you working on here? Looks like you're almost done from the looks of things."

"Yep. This here is shaping up to be a large dining table – three separate pieces in fact. It's pretty heavy, and so I'm trying to get the leg shape just right; you know, make sure it still looks good but functions perfectly, because these poor legs will really have their work cut out for them over the years. It's solid oak."

Petra nodded, certainly not a carpenter herself, but rather familiar with the trade and certainly more skilled than the average civilian, because she had grown up with it.

He gave the base of the table a sort of slap, patting it with a look of pride as he explained further, "I've actually got a delivery set up for the end of the week. I'm a little behind schedule, but it's nothing I can't make up for. Don't get me wrong Baby, I really appreciate that you came home and all, but you know that I've still got my work to get done, so I won't have all that much time each day to just sit around and catch up. These projects won't finish themselves."

Petra waved a hand and looked down toward the table, admiring the work her father had done thus far and speaking simply as she traced the smooth planes of the table's edging, "No. I know that you're busy Dad, so don't even worry about it. Truth be told, we've all got our little projects to see to, to some extent. Captain will be training at the Garrison outpost, you've got all this to run, and I'm also trying to strengthen up a little bit. I had an accident a bit ago during training, so I'm hoping to take this time to stretch out, start exercising again, work my way up to where I used to be – that sort of thing."

As her father heard her words, he stood up more fully and nodded toward her with a guilty expression, "And speaking of which, that reminds me. About earlier, Princess? I know we're going to fuss and squabble - and we've got a lot more to talk about young lady - but I'm sorry for how I behaved earlier. I'm not happy with how things have gone over this last year, and I certainly am not happy about how you chose to speak to me, but none the less, I don't want to treat you like that and I'm sorry that my initial reaction got the best of me."

Petra chewed her bottom lip, giving a muted nod in return as she struggled to meet the man's gaze, "I know. You have a temper, and so do I, and you're right, we do have a lot more to talk about, but I'll try to be a bit more intentional with the words I say, and not speak in a manner that will make you feel disrespected. We've both got room to grow on that front, I suppose. Believe it or not but it's not my outright intention to fight this whole time; I'm here to make it right. I don't want to leave and feel like there's still all this tension between us."

Her father smiled then, reaching toward her and ruffling her hair with a sweep of his hand, "See, that's more like it already. And you know Baby, just look at this hair; I haven't seen you with hair this long since you were a teenager! Did you know your mother used to wear her hair like this, maybe just a few inches longer?"

Petra had swatted at her father's hands with a giggle, straightening up with sudden interest at his words, "No kidding?"

"It's the truth. Granted, she didn't wear it down of course. She was quite the lady, and always had it curled and styled – you know, pinned up and so elegant. Your mom had the most beautiful hair; and you're lucky you know, you got the same rare and vibrant color. Every time I see it, it reminds me of her." Her father gave a pleased sigh, then nodded toward Petra knowingly, "You know, if you grew out your hair just a little more, I can promise you that it'd look real nice baby; elegant and refined – just like your mama."

Petra gave a shake of her head and shrugged, "Maybe. I just don't want it to get in the way, you know? It would be a real pain if it got snagged while I were flying through the air with my 3DM gear, and I doubt you'd say that I looked like mom if I had eight bald patches from where my hair got ripped out along the way. Probably wouldn't look all that elegant like you're picturing."

From across the room, there was a distinct snort from Levi – apparently he had found her words to be funny at least – and her father merely rolled his eyes with a displeased grumble, not amused by the Captain's wordless input. He crossed his arms and fixed Levi with a long stare, "I suppose."

As his gaze lingered on Levi, who was still looking around the area with what appeared to be legitimate interest, clearly unaware of her father's growing irritation, Petra cleared her throat because she didn't want to intentionally bring on another round of arguments when they could be side stepped with some well-timed distance.

She had cleared her throat to grab Levi's attention, then gave a polite wave toward her father as she walked toward the large doorway, "Well Dad, listen, we really don't want to keep you too long. I was just showing the Captain around is all. We'll leave you be, and we'll see you at dinner."

Petra had been hoping at least, that the distance this afternoon would have helped, however as they sat around the dinner table, she had all but resigned herself to her miserable fate, because it was obvious the two men had very little interest in getting along. Her father was still staring at Levi with obvious distaste, as though hoping his silent and seething disapproval would eventually get under the Captain's skin, and in return, Levi was going on as though completely unaware of her father's agitation - making a point of being casual – because it was clear that his aloof and quiet nature was successfully irritating the older man, and in some ways, Petra knew that he was annoying him on purpose.

She wasn't sure who's side to take on that front, considering they were both being childish, and so she merely stared at her food and decided to keep out of it, because if her father wanted to try and glare a hole straight into his skin, if Levi wanted to be an absolute pain in the ass, then who was she to stand in their way.

The silence continued on for a good ten minutes, and finally her father set his fork down with a huff and all but growled, "I really, really dislike you, boy."

Levi, not surprisingly, had hardly even blinked at the sudden outburst – his expression remaining completely unphased as he quietly chewed and swallowed what was in his mouth, and merely gave a simple nod as he reached for his glass of water, "Yeah. I get that a lot."

Her father's eyes narrowed all the more and he shook his head in scathing wonder, almost mumbling to himself as he responded bitterly, "I'll bet you do."

When Levi said nothing and Petra made a point of remaining quiet – although her lips tightened into a thin line at her father's disrespectful words – her father leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, "Alright, so lets just cut to the chase here and now. I wanted you to come back home; I demanded that you come back home Petra, and you-" his attention turned back toward Levi with a snap, "thought it best that you marry my daughter outright as though trying to spite me. These are family matters that don't concern the staff of the military, and you boy, are not family. You should know full well that I am not happy; I do not support your marriage, I think you're a miserable coward, and the only thing I'll ever want from you, is to get out of Petra's life and let her be!"

It seemed Levi had heard enough, because he took a breath and began speaking with equal ferocity, unable to keep to his previous silence now that her father was making a more direct attempt at conflict, "And I've got no problem with that. Petra is welcome to walk away. In three and a half years, when her new, completely legal contract is fulfilled. Until then however, she stays with me."

Her father gave a spiteful laugh, "Right, and all because of your so-called marriage? Yeah, now we'll just have to see about that. I plan to have your entire little ceremony investigated, down to the smallest of details, so you better hope that everything checks out boy, because if I find even a single thing out of place, I'm taking my daughter back, and suing the Scout's right out of existence. Good luck flying when your wings get clipped."

Levi's eyes narrowed and he held the older man's gaze with an angered, challenging stare, his lips curling into a sneer as he spoke, "I guess we'll just have to see how your little investigation pans out then, won't we? Fair warning, I think I'll be flying just fine, but thanks for the concern."

Petra stood up with a loud sigh, deciding it was time she intervened with a more gentle hand before things got more heated and the men began shouting at each other or worse. "Alright alright, that's quite enough from both of you." She gave a nod toward Levi and continued, standing up from the table and moving toward her father with light and slowed steps. Her tone was soft, exhausted as she tried to reason with her father because some part of him was clearly caught between a mix of lingering hope and outright denial, "Dad, without the bad attitude that Captain's got right now, I can tell you that it really was a real, legitimate wedding ceremony. I'm not trying to make you mad, but Levi's right. You can challenge or review whatever details you want because it will hold up in court. It was approved by the courts, for Maria's sake, so you're just going to wind up disappointed. We had the witnesses, the officiant, the rings, the vows, the contracts and the name change – everything."

She gave her father a compassionate sigh and found herself crouching on the floor beside him so she could watch him more directly, "Dad. I really am married, and Levi really is my husband. I married him just shy of six months ago, before my contract expired. Legally speaking, I am his wife, my legal name is Petra Marie Ackerman, and with that change of household, I signed a new legal contract – exactly as Levi said."

As Petra spoke, her father gave a long and deep sigh, a note of uncertainty in his gaze as he mentally tried to come to terms with all that Petra was saying to him, and as she watched her father, watched the pain and the anguish come over his face as though uncertain of his next move, Petra had to clear her throat because the back of her eyes were beginning to burn, "I'm not here to beg you to change your mind or ask for your permission. At this point Dad, well…I don't need your permission anymore. I'm here right now because I love you and I don't want this to ruin our relationship for years on end. We can fight, or scream at each other and you can threaten Levi till kingdom come, but you need to understand that once these two and a half weeks are up, that's it. After that, whatever is said or isn't said…I'm going back home, with my Captain. I'll miss you, and I'll write you, and I'll think of you every day, but I'm still going back with him, and that's not about to change."

Her father looked up toward her, his face laced with a twinge of desperation, and after a moment of silence passed, he gave a long, long sigh. He shifted in his chair and shook his head, raising his arm as he reached toward her intentionally. As his arm moved toward her, Levi had tensed, already preparing to get up at a moment's notice, but instead of moving with force, her father's actions were slowed and he merely grabbed her hand – specifically her left hand – and he held it up for observation, his eyes falling on the ring that sat proudly on her finger with a studious, firm expression.

He looked at the ring for the longest time, his jaw set firmly as he studied the small object. It had caught his eye before, but he hadn't really had the opportunity to look it over until now. As he spoke, he continued looking down at Petra's hand, not being bothered enough to look up for even a moment, "Tell me boy, did you get her this?"

The older man's voice seemed to echo across the room, and Levi looked at Petra first, then her father with a hesitant stare, uncertain of how he should respond because he couldn't gauge if the man was setting him up for another fight or not. Eventually Levi looked toward the older man and responded with an honest nod, "…Yeah."

Her father nodded only once, holding Petra's hand up even closer to give the ring one final inspection, and he eventually released her hand with a sigh, "It's nice."

He looked toward Levi and whispered softly, "The ring at least…at least that suits her."

The man gave a sudden, empty laugh and stood up with a nod, "Well…I don't like it, at all. I'm furious baby; I think you're making a big mistake, and I think that arrogant punk needs to be taught a thing or two about respect, because I am your father and he'd do well to remember that I know you a great deal more than he could possibly imagine. But." The man paused and gave a subtle nod toward Levi, and then a half smile toward Petra, "I think we've all done enough fighting for one day, right? I know you're both tired and it truly wasn't my intention to spend the day being at constant odds like this. Come and give me a hug, because it's a father's privilege to dote on his daughter, and even with everything that's happened, I want you to know that I've missed you so much and I really love it when you get to be home with me like this."

Levi bristled at the strangely affectionate words of her father, although Petra seemed to be more than used to it, because she merely smiled and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Levi watched in interest as her father returned her hug, rubbing her back for a moment and Petra sighed with contentment, and once she pulled away from him, he mussed her hair with a half smirk.

"Night Princess, love you." he tapped her on the very tip of her nose – a disgusting, cutesy display that almost made Levi cringe – although as Petra watched the man walk away and she rubbed her nose with an ever growing, beaming smile that confirmed the action was nothing but charming to her; that she had actually enjoyed the small gesture…Levi realized with sudden clarity that that was why Petra had always responded so well to him in the past.

When he had made her mad, when she was emotionally at odds, when he didn't know what to say but still wanted to tell her something, Levi often resorted to communicating things with her through his touch and actions because words often failed him so easily. He would hold her, kiss her, rest his hands across her hips and allow his fingertips to tighten into her skin with claim and possessiveness. Even if he couldn't find the words in the moment, he wanted her to feel that she was wanted – that he wanted her - so completely and that he wasn't strong enough to ever leave her. He would run his nose up her neck, nip at her skin, do whatever felt right to him in the moment because Petra accepted his touch and had always welcomed his advances without question.

This was why, and it all made perfect sense to him now.

It seemed that Petra's father was also someone who communicated best in a physical manner – be it anger that led to his previous slapping her, to embracing her, rubbing her back in efforts to smooth over the tension between them, or touching her hair to tease her and cajole her laughter. Petra was used to physical touch being used as a form of intentional communication, as a way to express anger or delight or wistfulness, and Levi almost found himself giving a pleased hum at his discovery, because in some ways he was perhaps fortunate that her father was the sickeningly doting type.

Once the man had left the room, Levi stood up from the table, walking around to where Petra was and wasting no time in reaching out toward her, perhaps feeling a little jealous after watching her father shower her with attention and making her smile like that when he had done nothing to earn it. Levi pulled an arm around her back and pushed her toward him, wanting to soak up that smile and affection because it had been days since he had seen her smile like that. His lips brushed against hers in a slight, featherlight peck meant to tease and entice and he gave her a pointed stare, "You're such a fucking Daddy's girl. Freaking out for three days, smiling like that when he says something nice – should I expect him to come in the room later to tuck you in for bed?"

Petra's lips pulled back into a smile as she rolled her eyes, and she pulled away ever so slightly to give him a reproving look that was only marred by her obvious amusement, "Captain, gods…you're such an asshole. We're ending the day on a somewhat good note, and yeah, that makes me happy."

He grinned and watched her smugly, "Is that so, Princess?"

When Petra's grin turned into a wide eyed look of disbelief, clearly not mentally prepared for Levi to call her such a thing, the Captain gave a breath of a chuckle and leaned back into her all the more, dropping his head into her shoulder and kissing the skin over her collarbone as he spoke, "Oh? That doesn't work for you? Doesn't sound right coming from my lips? I'll just have to try something else then, like Sweetheart or Darling; some other disgusting shit because I see how your eyes light up when your dad uses those frilly titles on you. You get off on hearing those sick little nick names, don't you?"

As Levi continued kissing her neck, Petra barely held back a whimper, because Levi had pulled her up against him all the more, and her curves and body was pressed against him so completely that it made her blush. He licked and sucked on the delicate skin of her neck in a way that made her ponder if her knees would give out beneath her. She swallowed thickly and grimaced at the breathy, unfocused whisper that she spoke with, "My dad's always called me those things. It's endearing."

"It's cheesy." Levi corrected, and he bit down on her skin to show his distaste. He smirked at the way Petra trembled, and Levi spoke lowly in thought, still teasing her as he traced his fingers up and down her back languidly, "Then again, I suppose nicknames do have their place. Afterall, I don't know the last time I've called Foureyes by name, and if someone like that gets a nickname, I see no reason why I can't find something more fitting that makes you get that sappy, dumbass grin on your face. Let's think here; what would be fitting for a girl like you? Babe, perhaps? Or maybe Honey, to match your hair? Maybe something a little more sultry or suggestive like-"

"Hey Ackerman," a gruff voice came from the nearby hallway, and both Petra and Levi jumped at the displeased voice of Petra's father, "I for one don't want to hear the end of that sentence, even if you are her husband. While you're here, just plan to keep it in your pants, alright? Oh, and just in case you get tempted and want to give it a go anyway, I think I should warn you that these walls are rather thin, and Petra's not the only light sleeper in the family."

When Levi's mouth dropped open from a mix of surprise, outrage, and sheer cockblocked horror - her father smirked in overwhelming satisfaction, finally feeling vindicated because it was clear he had officially gotten under the Captain's skin. "So that's what surprise looks like on that face." the man chided smugly, and Levi's eyes narrowed in temporary defeat. He gave the younger male a pleased, taunting smile and waved with a smirk of his own, "Sweet dreams you two."

Levi pulled his arms away from Petra and bit his inner lip in sudden vexing frustration, not wanting to continue their growing intimacy if it couldn't actually go anywhere, and he mentally cursed Petra's father because he had no, no fucking idea what he had just done. He was assuming that they had already slept together, like everyone else already assumed, and the man would have had no idea that, no, he hadn't slept with his daughter, but dammit he was fucking trying to, and the universe was going out of it's way to shut him down at every turn!

When Petra gave a light chuckle of her own, knowing full well that Levi was more than a little uptight in that aspect, she gave him a sympathetic smile and confirmed that they really should get some rest because it had been a long few days and staying up late would only make the morning that much harder on them.

Levi agreed, bitterly, and he allowed Petra to lead him toward her bedroom so they could go to sleep, and nothing else. As he walked down the hallway, he could still feel Petra's father staring at him in unspoken satisfaction, and he tried not to shoot him a hateful snarl for his arrogant little 'Sweet dreams' comment.

Unfortunately, Levi already knew exactly what he would be dreaming about tonight.

…

End of Chapter

...

Yes, as a lot of you mentioned, I too felt Levi handled the whole slapping thing very...interesting? Shall we say? I wanted to write that out intentionally, for the obvious reasons of setting the tone and tension between the group, but also to show and bring attention to Levi's jaded background just a bit, in an indirect way. He was certainly surprised to be sure, but from his background, getting knocked around here and there would have been a super common experience for children of the Undergound (at least the way I see it all things considered) so he's not so much as angry as just, you should of told me so we could have prepared for it a bit better. It speaks to his own gentle spirit, in that yes, he understands the black and white 'this is wrong and this is right' but just plain and simple doesn't live in that reality, and therefore thrives best in the greys, where sure it was wrong, but it is what it is and there's nothing to be done but move on.

On a separate note, I'm not one to be insanely arrogant (at least intentionally haha) but I have always felt one of the marks of a good writer is their ability to hone in on small details – not blow them up to make them all encompassing (because after all it is truly a SMALL detail) but giving head nods throughout a story to said small details to help add some dimension to the story – the sounds, the smells, little glances here or there, just some extra sparks to help flesh out what the reader is experiencing without going all out poetic and taking five paragraphs to describe the texture of the cobblestone path they are walking on.

All that to say, Levi's unease around the chickens – perhaps a guilty pleasure of mine - but each time I read it, I just die laughing because it WOULD be something small and harmless that would make him shift uneasily and give said object a rather wide berth regardless the fact its clearly just a harmless thing. Anyhow, enough about the chickens.

As a sad, but honest heads up, next week I am taking a break because its vacation and as much as I truly love my writing and my writing community, it will be REALLY inconvenient to update next week. So, alas, for the first time in QUITE some time, there will be NO chapter update on June 7th.

Perhaps some good news,on June 14th chapter updates resume weekly, same as always, and that Wednesday the 17th, I'll post up that last chapter of Vetitan and finish that story up once and for all.

Thanks so much for your support, and I am already looking forward to seeing you guys just as quickly as I can!

~Mid