Morning everyone!

Happy Sunday, and for my stateside readers, hope you had a good and safe Independence day! On my end, we kept it pretty low key and really stayed in. Did some baking, ordered a pizza – you know, ALL the crazy haha. Either way, it was a nice and relaxing day with my little family unit and it was really nice.

Onto the chapter!

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…

It wasn't much later that the trio was stationed back in the house; Petra was seated at the kitchen table, Levi was sitting at the opposite end with a soured expression across his face, and Petra's rather troublesome friend 'Timmy' was busying himself in the kitchen, having just finished making the pot of tea.

Petra gave a pleased smile toward her Captain, not immediately picking up on his newly acquired bad mood, and she looked back toward her friend with enthusiasm, "It really has been a while, Timmy. It's been what, eight years since I left for the military? I had asked about you a few times when I came back to visit, and Dad told me you had moved out of the area some time ago. You just rolling by for old time's sake? What have you been up to this whole time?"

The man moved toward the cupboards, reaching up to a cabinet and pulling out two coffee mugs. He carried them back toward the kettle of tea and responded, "Schooling mostly. I got my undergrad a few years ago, completed a three-year internship, and just graduated with my Master's last fall."

"Wait, so you're officially done with your schooling then? That's amazing!"

The blonde stole a glance toward her, chuckling at the sincere surprise across her face and finding himself watching her with a warm smile in return, "Oh, well, thank you Pet. It wasn't easy, but I've always been fond of my studies, and in some ways, it's already paying off and creating new…opportunities for me. And as for being back here, I actually own a house now, on the southern edge of town near the river. Granted this town's still a little on the small side, but its where I grew up, so it feels like home to me."

Petra nodded, "Yeah, I hear you on that. Congratulations on the house by the way, maybe I'll see you around a bit more often. I'll be here for another two or so weeks, and then it's back off to Headquarters again. Of course I love being in the military, but nothing beats the charms of home. It's been a little hectic, trying to work around Dad's incessant need for arguments, my own injuries, and the Captain's training but – oh, here's something you'd be interested in knowing, I broke my ankle a bit back! That's actually why it's so irritated right now, it's still a little sensitive."

Her friend's expression changed, and he looked over toward Petra with a shake of his head, "Is that right. Man Pet, you sure you're really cut out for this sort of thing?"

Petra merely rolled her eyes, "Oh don't fuss about it. I won't lie, it hurt pretty bad, but I made it through alright. Besides, Levi's helping me, you know, train back up, so it's fine. He's actually really good at training people; that's one of the reasons he's such a high-ranking officer in the Scout Regiment. He has a really versatile skill set, and a lot of useful talents."

At her comment, Timmy gave a nod and looked toward Levi more directly, "Ah right right, the famed Humanity's Strongest. I suppose it's quite an honor to meet you like this; so casually and everything. I'm curious - your marriage to Petra, how does something like that even work in the military?" As he spoke, the blonde began pouring the newly made tea into the cups he had grabbed, stealing a slight glance towards the miffed Captain with a studious expression.

Levi looked at the man blankly, merely watching him with a raised eyebrow as though to silently ask, 'What's it to you?'

Seeing his guarded expression, Timmy walked toward them, a cup of tea in each hand as he approached the nearby kitchen table, "Sorry, I'm just not very familiar with the military I'm afraid. I'm sure for both of you it's all obvious and perhaps a little asinine for me to even have to ask at all, but my life has been strictly textbooks and schooling for so long now that I'm admittedly a bit sheltered, regarding such alternative lifestyles I mean. As for the whole Humanity's Strongest thing, is there any special authority that comes with the title, or how does one even go about getting called such a thing? Humanity's Strongest is maybe a little…much, don't you think?"

As Timmy set a porcelain cup down for Petra, the blonde nodded toward Levi flatly, "Oh right. How about you, you drink tea?"

Levi nodded simply, cautiously, and received a simple, and equally curt nod in return. The blonde moved around the table and set the other cup in front of him, walking back toward the kitchen wordlessly. He grabbed an additional cup, pouring himself some tea, then returned back toward the table and sat down at the opposite end.

As though sensing that Levi wouldn't be responding to his questions, considering the long silence that had fallen over the room, Petra took a small drink from the steaming cup that had been placed in front of her and looked between Levi and her friend passively. She set the cup down and tried to pick her words, "Well – and correct me if I'm wrong here Captain - but that title was more given than earned, right? Or is it more the other way around? Sorry, I guess that doesn't make sense does it. How to explain…"

She took another drink of the tea and gave a shrug, again looking toward Levi in attempts to confirm her words, "To my knowledge, Levi has killed more Titans alone than almost the entire military combined, though I don't think there's ever been an official record produced because someone," She gave him a pointed stare, "Refuses to keep his file updated for that sort of thing, because heaven forbid the military actually give him proper recognition, but…I digress."

Levi remained silent through her mini tirade and Petra sighed and continued balefully, "Either way, it's not like the title 'Humanity's Strongest' is a rank that's up for grabs or anything, people just…started calling him that I think, due to his rather remarkable performance on the battlefield. It's more of a nickname than an actual rank, and truth be told, I don't think it's one he's ever been particularly fond of. He's not exactly the type that enjoys being in the spotlight, in case you can't tell. It's certainly not a name he picked for himself, if that's what you mean."

At Petra's explanation, Levi gave a simple nod to confirm that her account was as accurate as it could be, because like she had said, it certainly wasn't an 'earned' rank like the set-out roles of Captain or Squad Leader – it just somehow became some tacky, over-dramatic claim that was stapled over him like some garish badge of 'Honor'. It had seemed utterly ridiculous to him because in terms of sheer brute strength, he could think of a few men right off the bat that could outpower him – Mike and Erwin both immediately coming to mind – yet even still, against all odds, the title had somehow stuck. As irritating as it had been at first, it had been out of his hands from the start and in time, he had adjusted to the title, eventually becoming just as used to hearing it as he was to being called 'Captain'.

Taking a small sip of the tea that had been placed in front of him, Levi's mouth tightened into a thin line as he sampled the liquid hesitantly, because the tea was actually…good, quite good in fact, and while Levi knew he was simply being petty, part of him had been hoping that the tea was subpar. He had been hoping that perhaps it would be bitter or too strong; something else, anything else, that would further validate his strong dislike for the showy, prideful man that had come out of nowhere and gone as far as to carry his wife back to the house, walking around the area even now as though he owned the damn place.

"Not too fond of the limelight then?" Timmy asked with a small laugh, "Makes sense; I gotta say, you're admittedly a rather quiet guy. Even still, I'd love to hear things from your perspective. Levi, was it? James tells me that you're actually Petra's direct commanding officer, that she's in your chain of command or however that works. How has that been? Was it weird, marrying someone from your own team?" He took a seat at the table and added in as a sort of afterthought, "Frankly, I'm surprised to hear that the military even allows such a thing."

For as light as his tone was, Petra could still sense the sudden and rising tension in the room. While she knew that Levi tended to be rather guarded in front of people he wasn't familiar with and as a result preferred to speak as sparingly as possible, she was keenly aware that it went deeper than just his reserved and suspicious nature alone. As much as she was hoping that he would play nice and get along – Timmy had been a friend of hers for many years, a good, honest and supportive friend that reminded her so much of the relationship she now had with Eld - she supposed it couldn't be helped. Levi had been battered and belittled, they both had been, since the moment they had walked through the door, and she was certain that the Captain was more than a little wary of yet another friend from her past that was already hinting towards a strong dislike of their military 'lifestyle'.

Even still, with the way Timmy had directed his questions toward Levi specifically, it wouldn't be right for her to jump in again; if anything it would just make the tension worse. She looked toward Levi with questioning eyes, and he looked back toward her for a moment as though sensing her agitated nerves, before finally looking toward the blonde and taking a breath, because it seemed that conversing with the stranger was unavoidable.

He tried not to sigh.

"You said you're not familiar with the military, right? I imagine there's a number of rules you aren't familiar with then. As for Petra, her rank should speak for itself. She's very successful in her field and has earned her place as a top performer in the Scout Regiment. Of course, there was an adjustment period that occurred after the wedding because some changes were inevitable, but our marriage hasn't changed the fact that we are still active members of the military with jobs and tasks to see to."

There was a quiet grumble from Timmy, who was frowning at Levi's carefully worded response that gave very little information away in terms of the circumstances behind their marriage, nor the rules and regulations that allowed such a thing to begin with. The blonde shook his head and returned Levi's gaze with a frown, "Oh? That's a shame. Granted not that you would know, but ever since I can remember, Pet has always talked about having a big wedding, going somewhere fancy on her honeymoon, eventually settling down and starting a family – to hear that you got married and that your lives just…kept on going like nothing had changed, well, I can't help but wonder if that's enough for her. I kinda thought you wanted more than that, Pet. Your dad wasn't too specific, but to be clear, I understand that you got married to stay in the military, more than an actual relationship or love or anything, right?"

There was a small, uneasy laugh from Petra, and she nodded toward Timmy in admission, somewhat embarrassed by his previous words because she knew much of what he had said was all brand-new information for Levi, who would undoubtedly be puzzling over what he had just learned about her. She hadn't ever told him about what she had wanted in her youth regarding the type of wedding she desired, or that she had perhaps once dreamed of having a family of her own, because it simply hadn't mattered at the time. Their marriage had started as a mere means to an end where she had dismissed those things as outright impossible, but somewhere along the way, things had changed and led them to, well, wherever it was they were now. Yet still, even with those adjustments, she couldn't ever turn around and try to tell him how he needed to handle his role in their 'marriage' because it simply wouldn't be fair to him.

What they had now was already more than either of them had initially bargained for, and to ask for more seemed almost selfish.

Petra cleared her throat and looked toward Timmy seriously, "Well, for one, I've grown up a bit since then. And sure, perhaps there are some areas that weren't as polished or what I dreamed of when I was younger in regards towards my getting married, but that's okay." She looked into the table then, almost shyly, and a light smile pulled at her lips as she thought about all that had changed in the last six months, all the unexpected twists and turns that had undoubtedly changed her life for the better.

"Even still, Levi…treats me well. I'm actually making a difference in my career, and I feel that what I do actually matters and helps people in the military, and by extension, civilians too. Sure, I guess that sometimes I may miss what's not in the cards for me, but more than that, it feels great to be living for something that's bigger than me and so I guess in the end…I've found it to be more than a fair trade."

Petra gave a somber shake of her head and eventually exhaled thickly as she stared into her cup of tea, eyeing her wavering reflection through the tea's surface, "I'm just sorry you had to hear about it all from the scope of Dad's perspective; he just doesn't get it. He disagrees with my decision of being in the military, so he tried to take that all away from me by force because he doesn't understand what I want most out of life. What's worse, he hasn't even tried to understand, not once. Captain and I, we came down here to try and make things right. Not that Dad has to agree, but what's done is done, you know? I was hoping that Dad would at least try to bury the hatchet and accept how things are now, but he's been nothing short of insufferable."

"Well you've gotta understand Pet," Timmy spoke evenly as he watched her with an equal note of seriousness, "he probably feels just as backed into a corner as you do. He doesn't want his only child to die a terrible death, and is doing his job as a father and trying to protect you, through whatever means possible so it would seem. To be honest, I can't say I really blame him either. The military is intense enough as it is, but you're out on the front lines with the Scouts, and that's pretty sobering to think about. I get that you're mad at him and that you feel he's being blind to your choices, but we both know that he cares about you more than anything else in this world, and even if you have accepted your premature death, you can bet that he hasn't and will keep fighting you on it every step of the way."

Petra slowly looked up from her cup and eyed him suspiciously, "Timmy, please tell me you aren't taking his side in all this. I just told you that it's been a miserable trip so far and if I have to hear one more speech about how I shouldn't get to choose the direction that my life is headed just because I obviously don't 'know' what I want yet, I'm going to lose it."

Timmy smirked, "Sides? Please, you know I'm far too intelligent to actually pit myself between the two of you when you're fighting like this. I'd rather just point out that you both have a right to your emotions. Your father is frustrated with you, and with good reason, because you went off and got married out of the blue. You seem to be happy with your choices, and for that, I'm happy for you. What's more, you said this guy here is treating you well, which is good, because anything less and I'd have to rough him up a bit."

At this, his sudden choice of words, Petra was outright laughing, looking between Levi and Timmy with wide eyes and pointing between them dramatically, "Wait, wait. Are you…was that an actual threat, Timmy? You?" she giggled at the outright absurdity of his statement, amused all the more by the dark sort of challenging stare that Levi was now watching the man with as though to say, 'Just try it, I dare you.'

Petra was laughing harder still, struggling to breathe between waves of laughter, "You are smart enough to stay out of the fight between me and my dad, yet stupid enough to take on my Captain? Humanity's Strongest? What in the name of Maria do you think you'd even do to him? What, lecture him to death, like the bookworm you are? Hate to tell you this Timmy, but you don't stand a chance against Levi. He would beat you to a pulp before you so much as clenched your fists!"

Taking her raucous laughter in stride, Timmy gave a chuckle and shrugged, "Hey, I never said I'd win. It's the principle more than anything, but I mean, whatever works I guess. I could always lecture him I suppose, play to my strengths and give him a stern talking to that he wouldn't soon forget."

Petra rolled her eyes and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, nodding haughtily as she spoke, "Oh right, now that would teach him for sure. Although I gotta admit, you're somewhat more on track with that one. Back home, there's a researcher named Hanji who's a bit of a bookworm too, and she can get under his skin effortlessly. If you're really out for blood, then talk to her for pointers. She can irritate the hell out of him. You know what they say, if you can't beat them, then annoy them until they…well, probably outright end you. But hey, it's all about the principle, right?"

As Petra continued laughing mirthfully with her longtime friend, the sound of the door opening could only be slightly heard, and a new voice grabbed their attention, "Oh hey now, what's that I hear? Is that Petra I hear laughing? Well if Petra's laughing, that could only mean one thing," there were footsteps from the hallway, and James walked in the room with an actual smile for a change as he looked around and noted their additional guest, "Tim my boy, you stopped by after all! Good to see you, lad!"

The blonde gave an acknowledging, 'Hey!' and stood up from the table as he moved across the room, the men exchanging a firm handshake for a moment, although after their handshake, James actually pulled the man toward him and gave a slap on his back in a sort of casual hug. It didn't escape Levi's notice that Petra's father had actually called the man 'Tim' rather than his full name of 'Timothy' as he had corrected previously, and it only reconfirmed the fact that the blonde was intentionally making a point of keeping Levi specifically at a distance.

It was as Petra's father came more into the room, bringing in bags of groceries and setting them down in the kitchen, Timmy joining him in the task and assisting in putting the groceries away, that Levi cleared his throat, intrigued by the apparent closeness between the two men because it was a rather interesting detail. When Petra had spoken of her friend previously, she spoke as though Timmy was more a friend of hers than her fathers, however had also confirmed that she herself hadn't seen him since coming into the military, and certainly hadn't spoken of him as though he were a mutual, family friend, so the warm reception between the two men, the fact that Timothy knew his way around the kitchen surprisingly well for someone who supposedly hadn't been around in over eight years, struck the Captain as admittedly off.

No, it seemed more safe to assume that the friendship between Petra's father and Timothy had largely grown only after Petra had left for the military, and if that were true, that was a rather interesting factoid that made red flags go off in the Captain's mind. While perhaps a little too early to suspect such a thing, Levi could think of only a few reasons as to why a man intentionally grew closer to a woman's father, and his dislike and suspicion of the blonde only grew all the more.

He cleared his throat, "So, Timothy, it seems you have a lot of history with the Ral family. I'm guessing you've managed to keep good relations with James at least, while Petra's been away? You all seem to be rather close with each other, but to my knowledge I don't recall seeing Petra receive even a single letter from you over the years, as those things always go through my hands first. School kept you fairly busy it would seem - what was your field of study?"

Timothy had turned around to respond, however Petra's father beat him to the punch, his smile waning as he watched the Captain seriously, "Listen here Ackerman, Tim has been good enough to keep in touch with me over the years during his schooling. I'll have you know that these two snot nosed brats grew up together, so it's still nice to hear from him every so often as it reminds me of a time that my daughter was still around and not risking her life on the daily for scum like you. For the record boy, he can call me whatever he wants, and you can continue to call me Mr. Ral - I actually like him, but in case you forgot, I'm not fond of you, so don't sit there pretending that we're on a first name basis kid."

At her father's harsh words and snide tone, Petra was already on her feet, "Dad! How can you be so-"

Her words died on her tongue, because in her passionate knee jerk response, she had forgotten about her ankle and had mistakenly used it to stand in an irate huff, and as her ankle throbbed and already began to give out beneath her, she gave a cry as she fell back into her chair instantly, knocking her tea over as she gripped the table's edge to ensure she fell back into her chair and not onto the floor.

"Pet!"

"Baby, what's wrong?"

While the men were all quick to respond, Levi's speed was unmatched, and he was instantly at her side before the other men could so much as take a step into the room. He gave a stern look as he pulled out the adjacent chair and set her foot up on it, "Petra," he whispered firmly, hushed in a way that wouldn't be overheard, "I don't care what he says to me, you've got to be more careful. I can't train you back up if you keep making stupid decisions like this and getting hurt at every turn."

Before Petra could respond further, he looked up toward James and glared, "Alright Ral, or whatever the hell it is you want me to call you, Petra's ankle is weak after training so instead of cozying up to your boy 'Timmy' over there, perhaps you could make yourself useful for a change and get me some fucking ice."

Levi's tone had been far from gentle, and for a moment both men watched each other tensely. James exhaled lowly, "Tim, get Petra some ice if you will please."

The blonde gave a nod and moved back around the kitchen easily, more than happy to not be involved in the sudden brewing argument, and James took a step toward Levi, crossing his arms darkly as he stared down at him in obvious displeasure, "Listen here boy, you said you were training? My baby girl broke her ankle because you couldn't manage your own team properly, and now you're pressing her even harder when she's finally getting to take some time off for a change? What's more, I'm gone for a mere two hours and just like that you let her get injured again under your watch? Don't know when to quit, do you? Are you trying to break her ankle all over again?"

"I'm fixing your daughter's ankle." Levi corrected tensely as he stood up from the ground, also taking a step toward the man and looking up at him narrowly, "Although perhaps you would think it's better to have her crippled where she can't so much as stand without help, because that would certainly make her easier to control."

James clicked his tongue and chuckled darkly, "Well you would know a thing or two about that, wouldn't you? Say what you want about me boy, but you're the one who's got his fists clenched so tightly that he won't let her so much as breathe without your say so. You know, for being 'Humanity's Strongest' you're as disappointing as you are small. I'd rather die in the mouth of a Titan then give my blessing to some half-pint runt who gets off on watching the deaths of innocent children."

"Certainly big talk coming from someone who hasn't even seen what a Ti-"

"Enough!" Petra suddenly shouted, her voice cracking from the strain as she looked over her shoulder and she locked eyes with her father and Captain, so angered by their baiting words that tears were brimming her eyes as she berated them both, "I can't take this anymore! It's been days of shouting and insults and pettiness and I'm sick of it!" She looked around the room in attempts to collect herself, breathing heavily as emotion overwhelmed her and gave a single nod toward her friend, "Timmy, I'm sorry, this isn't your fault and I'm sorry you have to be here at all for this but, Dad - Levi is my husband! I don't care if you hate him or if you think he's uncaring or unworthy or whatever you try to throw at him, but when will you get it through your head that I'm not here for your approval. What's more, Levi isn't here for your 'blessing' either, he's here because I asked him to be – he's here for my sake alone, not yours, so you treating him like you're holding something over his head just pisses me off because you can keep your stupid, good for nothing blessing!"

At her father's momentary shock and Levi's equally stupefied look, she groaned and put her head in her hands as the hot tears finally streamed down her face, regardless her previous attempts of keeping her tears at bay. "Dad, I traveled for three days just to get here and to try and make peace with you. Captain didn't have to come but he did and you just…" she cleared her throat and her expression tightened, "He's important to me, Dad, and I need you to understand that I can't just sit here and watch you disrespect my Captain like this. He's done everything for me and protected me and watched my back and…look, he's a true friend of mine and I really care about him."

The room had fallen silent at Petra's words, and she gave a slight grimace as she turned in her chair to give her father a dismayed, angered frown, "If you can't behave and at the very least treat him respectfully or even just amicably; if all you can do is bait him and belittle him, then I promise you that I will get up right now and…" she looked at her ankle narrowly and adjusted her words with a tense huff, "That is to say, that Levi – Captain will get up right now and pack our things, and we will be gone tonight! After dinner though, because I'm starving and it's a long trip back home."

"Alright now listen here honey, let's not get too hasty just yet. I get you're mad, but you're supposed to be here for a while longer yet so-"

"So what!" Petra cut him off sharply, "I'm here to fix this, but it seems you're only interested in fighting, so it's a battle you'll have to fight alone because I'm too exhausted to keep doing this. I haven't seen you in almost two years, I haven't seen Timmy since before I went into the military, and regardless what really matters here, each other, all you've done is continuously pick fights with me and Levi. Seriously Dad, if this is all it's going to be then I'm out, because I'd rather not have my memories consist solely of us screaming at each other for two weeks!"

She watched as her father's expression fell into a sort of bitter, contemplative pout, and after a few moments of tense silence, Petra glared darkly, "Now apologize, or we're leaving. I mean it, Dad."

The older man watched Petra with a long stare as though testing her resolve, and eventually gave a long sigh when her gaze merely narrowed in challenge, "Well baby girl, I'm not sorry, but if it keeps you here then I'll bite my tongue and take it back. You just take it easy for a bit, because I think the pain is getting to your head."

She snorted, "Right. The pain is the real problem here; it couldn't possibly be that disgusting attitude of yours. Now let's try this again because you seem to have forgotten your manners, Dad." She took an intentional breath, and with a fake, pleasant smile, looked toward Levi and nodded firmly, "Levi, this is my father, James Ral. Dad, this is my Captain and husband, Levi Ackerman. All this pettiness is to stop immediately. Now both of you, shake hands and play nice."

Regardless her rather firm statement, there was a moment where neither male moved, and Petra rolled her eyes, turning over her shoulder again to give yet another icy glare toward the stubborn men that seemed to purposely stall in place as it seemed neither of them wanted to be the first to move. Her eyes narrowed, "Now!"

There was another degree of muted hesitance, though eventually James sighed in defeat and stepped closer to Levi, extending his hand with a glare, "James."

Levi tried not to roll his eyes and merely shook the man's hand in return, barely able to resist the urge to crush his hand within his strong grip, because while he knew her father had been testing her patience and so this was her outright snapping in response, he wasn't sure what forcing them to get along would actually accomplish in the long run.

He shook the man's hand just the once and gave an equally quipped, "Levi."

Petra surveyed the bitter exchange and after the exchanged handshake, stole a glance around the room, "Timmy, Timmy where'd you run off to?" she found the blonde, who was watching the interaction with wide eyes, and she pointed toward him darkly, "What? As if this is the first time you've see me lose my temper? As if. Now stop standing there and give me that ice pack, sod for brains."

The blonde sighed as he walked toward her, "Man Pet, you really are a chip off the old block. Just one of you alone is bad enough when you're mad, but now both of you are here with that infamous Ral temper on full display, and what's more, I'm starting to get the feeling that this guy you've brought with you has a fiery temper of his own to match. I'm almost starting to regret being over here for dinner; I think my very life might be at risk."

He handed Petra the ice pack, and from behind him, James sighed, "Oh come now Tim, don't be ridiculous. If it changes your mind, I bought all the right ingredients and I thought that since it's been so long, Petra could cook us a proper meal and-" James sighed as he looked down at Petra from her seated position, eyes focusing on her obviously swollen ankle, "Although I wasn't aware she had gotten injured." Again her father made a point of shooting an accusatory stare toward Levi, although fearing his daughter's anger, said nothing more and continued, "Maybe we should-"

"No Dad, it's fine. Really. It's just a little swollen more than anything, so it's no big deal." Petra looked up toward her father and gave a brave smile, not wanting the entire night to revolve around her injury. For one, it was demeaning, and what was more, it was obvious that her being hurt was a major source of tension in the room that only continued to fester. She didn't want her injury to be what kept fueling the fire, so if she could just play it off a little, it was likely that her father would drop the issue and not give Levi so much trouble. Besides, considering how much she had accomplished while she was in even worse shape, surely she could still do something as simple as cook a meal, right?

At the very least, it was worth a shot.

Petra shifted herself off the chair and slowly stood back up, being careful to not put any weight on her ankle as she stood, and taking great care to ensure that she didn't wince when her ankle throbbed fiercely from her change of position. She gave a cheerful, forced smile, "Honestly, cooking does sound pretty fun – it's not exactly like I have access to a full kitchen back home, so it will be a nice change of pace. What all did you get? Something specific you have in mind, or were you just restocking the basics?"

As she was speaking, there was a sudden hand on her arm and Petra shook her head knowingly, not even having to look to know who it was that had reached out to her in concern. She drummed her fingers against the table nervously, knowing that for all the people in the room, Levi would see through her bluff effortlessly. She turned toward him slightly and nodded with a rather direct, pleading stare, "Captain, I'll be fine. It's just some light walking around, and I can balance on my normal leg to ease up on the pressure."

When his expression remained even and unchanged; when his hand merely tightened around her arm all the more, as though to say that he understood her angle (and not so subtle word play), but he outright disagreed because it just wasn't worth it, she gave him a nervous shrug, "It's only for a little bit, and I'll sit down for the night after that, okay? I can handle this, Captain. Just…leave it to me."

With a sigh, Levi released her arm.

Saying nothing more, the resigned Captain walked into the kitchen with sudden purpose – grabbing the attention of everyone in the room as they pondered what the man might suddenly be up to. Hardly even noticing their stares, Levi moved to the sink absentmindedly, grabbing the washcloth nearby and walked back to the table, setting to work on cleaning up the still present mess that had been bothering him for some time now.

As Levi silently wiped the table down from where Petra's tea had spilled, both James and Timmy exchanged a 'What in the world?' sort of look, whereas Petra could only smirk knowingly as she watched him in amusement.

In truth, she was surprised it had taken him this long.

…

End Of Chapter

...

Alright so I'll admit, this section is a bit of a trifecta, as a lot of you commented from last week it was a not quite cliff hanger but it leaves something to be desired, and in some ways, this chapter is the same way. I wish I could post it all at one go when it comes to sections like this that are best read in one go, however I'd run out of material SO fast and yall know I want to keep a good number of chapters ahead to make sure that I always have thought out and edited material at the ready for ya.

Either way, this is a decent stopping place for it and this section. Thank you to all my readers and those who take the time to write out their thoughts because that /really/ helps me understand how my writing comes across and if what I'm needing to communicate is actually coming through or not. I appreciate it so much! See yall next update!

~Mid