Morning readers!

Happy Sunday, and a bit early, but happy birthday to me! Because tomorrow is my birthday! Let the celebratory canons fire! Usually I'd induldge in posting on my birthday, but a back to back update sounds exhausting (bday is tomorrow) but posting later instead just seemed cruel. So alas, no birthday update this year, but none the less. Thanks for everything and enjoy the chapter!

…

…

It was just over an hour later that Petra was hovering near the stove, bringing a spoon toward her mouth and sampling the gravy she had made, being careful to blow on the steaming mixture so it didn't burn her tongue as she tasted it one last time in a sort of final assessment.

She smacked her lips together thoughtfully and gave a satisfied nod, "Alright, this is good to go. Hey Captain, would you mind taking this one too? Pan is still pretty hot, so be careful. There's some hot pads in that drawer, just left of the sink."

At her request, Levi nodded from where he had been standing against the kitchen wall, pushing off the surface and grabbing the aforementioned hot pads, before grabbing the pan silently and setting it near the other plates of food that were arranged in the center of the table.

From the table where both Timmy and James were seated, the older man gave a smile, "Looks good, Baby. Is that the last of it?"

Petra turned back toward her father and nodded as she leaned against the counter, mentally reviewing all her tasks and taking one last sweeping glance across the table, "Yeah, I think we're all set. Is there anything to drink, or are we all good with water I presume?"

Her father gave a grin and looked toward where Timmy was sitting, "Water for me tonight. Actually, I was thinking that after this, Tim and I could go and catch a drink maybe? What do you say lad, you game?"

"I'd enjoy getting a drink with you James; I'd consider it an honor. Besides, I don't really have other plans outside of this, so my evening is pretty flexible."

At the mention of their making plans, Petra's expression turned expectant as she gave her father a rather intense warning stare, and her father gave a cough as he realized the cause of Petra's sudden glower, "And uh, listen Levi, maybe if you aren't doing anything then you could join us? I mean, if you wanted of course. Granted, I'm sure you're a busy individual, so I understand if you can't make it. No shame in having responsibilities after all, right?"

Having caught Petra's 'you kidding me' glare from the corner of his eye, as well as the forced note to her father's tone, Levi almost snorted at the not so open invitation that clearly encouraged him to back out, and he shook his head flatly, "No. I do in fact have responsibilities with the Garrison in the morning, so I'll need to prepare for that."

James gave an amicable, but notably relieved sigh, "Oh, well, what a shame. Perhaps next time, then."

"…Perhaps." Levi added in simply, enjoying the way the man's expression fell at the mere notion that Levi perhaps would be joining their outings in the future.

Before the conversation could carry on further, Timmy stood up from the table, moving straight toward Petra with a large grin. As he walked toward her, he held his arms out purposefully, "You've worked so hard for us Pet; do allow me to escort you to your seat, m'lady."

As he crossed the floor, Petra's eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head back defensively, swatting her hands at him when he tried to lean toward her intentionally, "By carrying me again? I don't think so. I told you to put me down the first time, and you didn't, so if you think I'm just going to sit here and let you pick me up again, you're sadly mistaken. You come one step closer and I'll slug you outright."

Timmy allowed his arms to fall to his sides and he gave her a chiding, amused shake of his head, "You know Pet, most women would enjoy the offer of being carried around. Isn't that like, a common fantasy that women have – getting picked up so effortlessly because it makes you feel oh so feminine and beautiful?"

Petra all but snorted and crossed her arms smugly, "And that means what to me? Let's not forget, I'm a lone female, on a squad of men, in the military, where I am in a boring white uniform and wear riding boots all day long."

"While strapped head to toe in leather…" the blonde mumbled to himself with a smirk, and if Petra didn't catch his words, Levi certainly had.

"Oi, what was that?" the Captain stated lowly, watching Timmy in a mix between outright suspicion and pure disgust, and as though he hadn't even heard his clear offense, Timmy waved grandly toward Petra's chair as he pulled it out for her with a brilliant smile.

"Your chair, m'lady."

Petra exhaled at his words and gave a determined nod as she thought about how to safely cross the room in her condition, using the counter to work her way across the room step by step. When she reached the edge of the cabinets and it came time for her to take the three steps across the open floor without any support, Levi came up from behind her and pulled her up by the hips, easily bridging the gap in a single smooth motion as he set her down by her chair gently. He heard a surprised gasp from Petra, but she didn't struggle in the short few steps it had taken to move her, and Levi had to bite back a smirk as he watched her, because the back of her neck was already turning red, "Oh, thanks Captain."

"Oh sure, you let him pick you up, but I'm just chopped liver."

From behind her, Levi made a point of giving him a very intentional, dark glower, speaking up before Petra had the chance because enough was enough. The man was pushy, intentionally manipulative with his words, and Levi was sick of watching him belittle her under the guise of being some long-lost friend.

"I'm her husband. I can touch her however I want, because she's my wife."

Instead of being threatened by Levi's tone of warning, Timmy only gave a cough of a laugh as though amused by his words, and nodded toward the Captain smugly, "Oh? Well from what I've heard, that's not completely true, now is it?"

Petra's mouth fell open, and she spoke up quickly, "Cups! I forgot the cups! Levi, how about you grab the cups, and Timmy, how about you shut your mouth before I shut it for you."

Levi had heard her, but all he could focus on was the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears, all but seeing red at her pompous, so called 'friend's words, but then Petra lightly tapped on his arm, "Uh, will you, Levi? The cups? Please? We need them for the water so…"

He pressed his lips together and sneered, but turned back toward the kitchen dutifully because if Petra didn't want him to pursue it, which apparently she didn't considering how quickly she was fumbling about to intervene, then there was nothing more he could do but take the blow to his pride and move on.

Fuck.

While Petra was clearly trying to keep her voice down, he was only ten feet away, so he didn't miss it when her voice came from behind him, a sharpness to her words as she spoke in a venomous whisper that was aimed towards the table, "Timmy, what's the matter with you? That's none of your business, and for your information he can touch me however he wants, so how about you suck on that for a while, you smug prick. How did you even-" There was a sudden pause and Petra's eyes fell to her father with a knowing glare, "Dad, since when did you become such a gossip? Why are we still even talking about this? Whatever happens between us is just between him and me and it has absolutely nothing to do with either of you. I'm telling both of you to back off, right now. You push him much further, and I will not be held responsible for his actions because you'll have brought it on yourselves. All I ask is for one simple dinner, without argument, without backhanded statements about the military, no snide remarks about my sex life – just friends and family sharing a meal. Is that really too much to ask? You're unbelievable!"

"Calm down baby, you know Tim was just josh'n with him anyway. Can't help it the man's just that insecure about himself."

"Now James, I was out of line. I'm sorry, okay Pet? I just can't help but give him a hard time, you know, make sure he's worthy of a woman like yourself. You don't have a big brother to keep him in line, so I figure I'm the closest thing to put the fear of god in him. I know it's a long shot, and I'm not sure I'll ever intimidate him - But if it bothers you, I'll ease up."

"Thank you."

From the other end of the room, Levi held back a bitter, still unsatisfied sigh. He supposed he should have been flattered by her words, perhaps excited by the premise that Petra felt so comfortable with the idea of them being together in such a manner, that she could talk about it so openly with others, but at the same time, Levi all but grimaced at the thought of making good on that here. In her father's house, under the weight of her father's authority, where he himself was being belittled as a Captain and as a man at every turn.

While he would somewhat gracefully endure it, for Petra's sake, he was more than looking forward to getting out of this miserable hell hole, because the days had been long, so damn long, and it had been over fifteen some years since people had intentionally treated him so disrespectfully.

But.

He had proposed to her. He had seen things were changing between them, and hell, he had practically welcomed it because in truth, he enjoyed the affections. He had kissed her, had stayed with her, had indulged her because she was his wife, and for as long as they were alive, she would be his wife, till the very end.

In some ways, this was just a part of their deal – a natural consequence of his unexpected involvement in her life in a way that was so messy and unkempt that it was bound to have its drawbacks. For anyone else, he would have long walked away and allowed the bridge to burn without so much as a second thought, but for Petra's sake and hers alone, he would endure it.

For now.

…

…

"You know, this reminds me," Timmy said warmly with a sudden chuckle, nodding toward Petra as he swallowed the food in his mouth and continued, "Of that first time you had me over for dinner? You didn't even tell your father that you had invited me because it was some new recipe or whatever. You remember that?"

Petra had been eating with an amused smile of her own, but at the mention of her 'new recipe' her eyes went wide and she all but spit the food out, having to cover her mouth with her hand at her less than gracious display, practically snorting at the memory and certain she'd end up launching half chewed food across the table by mistake.

In an instant, her eyes went to Levi, almost embarrassed by her display as her laughter tempered slightly in fear of his reaction. She had expected that Levi would have given her a perturbed look, as he was a little 'finicky' about behavior during meals, and snorting while having a mouth full of food that was liable to be spit out from laughing was admittedly a less than hygienic display – but he merely sat in continued silence, his expression hardly changing as though he hadn't even noticed.

Petra made a mental note of his still obvious discomfort, but knew that calling him out and forcing him into the conversation would only make it worse, and rather allowed her attention to drift back to the more lively side of the table.

Her father was also laughing heartily, "Oh I do remember that! Man, that was so terrible. What was it you were trying to make again, baby? Your own take on something that your mama used to make, something like that? You always did try to follow after her footsteps."

Petra smirked, "Soup. I wanted to impress you both with my own interpretation of a new soup I invented."

At her confirmation, Timmy laughed and rubbed his eyes as the laughter only grew all the more between them, "Oh that's right! Gods, I didn't even know food could taste that bad! You added so much junk to the pot and it all but melted into the pan like some horrible brick. You were so insistent that we all try it, but we couldn't even get it out with a fork. I remember, James felt so bad that we ended up going out for dinner that evening because you wouldn't stop crying."

Petra gave a laugh of her own at the memory, "And let's not forget, the smell didn't leave the kitchen for weeks. Dad had to open the windows and doors just to get a cross breeze going in the dead of winter, just to air out the house, because it was that bad."

As she spoke, it didn't escape her notice that there was an obvious twinkle of amusement in the Captain's eyes, and even if it was at her expense, Petra couldn't deny the sort of calm that she suddenly felt, pleased to know that Levi found humor in the stories of her childhood.

Her father continued poking at his food, a proud expression across his face as he continued the conversation, "Oh, but we'd be doing such a disservice to just stop there. Let's not forget that you were so embarrassed from that night that you shaped up real fast and learned how to cook properly, and cook well. Let me tell you Tim, I ate like a king before my sweet princess tore off into the military. Best food in a hundred miles, I guarantee it. It's a real shame you didn't do something more with that talent baby."

Her father took a bite of the food and gave her a knowing stare as his expression turned more serious, "Hate to tell you this honey, but it seems you've lost your touch. The chicken is somewhat dry, and everything is just sort of bland. I mean, I guess it's alright for someone who hasn't cooked in so long, but this pales in comparison to what you used to make for us each night. I'm kind of disappointed."

The smile on Petra's face fell and she blinked at her father's sudden correction. Before she could find her words – her throat felt suddenly very tight – there was a sigh from Timmy, "Well hey, it's not the worst Pet, I mean, you'll be here for another week or so, right? Considering how talented you used to be, you'll pick it right back up and shake off the dust. Just like riding a bike!"

She opened her mouth to respond, giving an embarrassed nod and a fake pleasant smile, finding that she still didn't know what to say. It was silly, she knew it didn't really matter if her cooking was great or bad or somewhere in between considering she was a soldier for Maria's sake – so she wasn't certain why their words picked at her pride viciously, to the extent that she felt notably embarrassed by their feedback.

Not seeming to notice her discomfort, her father cleared his throat and slapped his hands lightly onto the table's surface, giving a sort of chuckle as he stood, "Well, that's about all I can choke down. How 'bout it, lad? Wanna go grab a drink with me, catch up and talk about what you've been up to lately?"

Tim nodded simply, wiping his mouth with a napkin as he stood to join the man, and James looked across the table toward Petra, "Alright baby, we're off. You okay cleaning this up, with your ankle and all that?"

"I'll be fine, Dad." She whispered quietly as she stared into the table, and the direction of her father's voice changed.

"And…you. Ackerman. You're certain you don't want to come, right? Don't want you saying that you weren't invited."

"Pass. I'll stay here and clean up from dinner."

At Levi's response, James blinked and shrugged, "Suit yourself. Night baby girl, I'll see you in the morning."

It was as they were walking out, having closed the door behind them and standing just outside the front door that James spoke with a sort of huff – likely believing they were far enough away that he wouldn't be overheard, "That guy she brought home, man, what a piece of work. I don't like him in the slightest. He's quiet, has a fowl mouth, and I'm pretty sure he's never laughed in his entire life. Can't imagine what Petra sees in a social outcast like him."

"Well, she seems to like him a great deal; she made a quite point of standing up for him and even threatened to leave."

"Yeah, she's been like that the whole time. So touchy about that scrawny little punk where you can't so much as look at him wrong without her getting huffy - makes me sick. If I had my way, he'd be sleeping in the streets because I don't trust him, not in my house, not with my things, and most certainly not with my own daughter."

Hearing this, her father's clear disdain and the outright disrespect he spoke with from just outside the house, Petra's eyes shot to Levi, though much like before, his expression hardly changed in the slightest, even though she knew full well that he had also heard her father's extremely rude statements.

Even still, he simply turned back to his plate and continued eating, as though not bothered in the slightest – and Petra hung her head in her hands as a silence fell over the room, her elbows resting up on the table as sheer exhaustion, disbelief and undeniable embarrassment ran through her.

She spoke quietly, feeling the need to say something because if she didn't, she was certain she would start crying instead. "He's…my father. And he's a good man, truly, but he's showing you his absolute worst because of me. I know everything he's saying is really personal, but it has nothing to do with you Levi. I'm so, so sorry that you have to deal with this. It's just me he's mad at and…" She took a breath and stared into the table as she spoke in quiet conviction, "I don't know how, but I'll make it up to you. For everything. I'm so sorry. I had no idea it would be this bad, and I feel so terrible for putting you through all this."

Petra didn't dare look up from the table, too embarrassed by what was said, by the insults her father had thrown at them, to look at him any longer. The only sound that could be heard was her own breathing, the sound echoing in the small space that was created by her draped hair and arms, that, and the sound of the light tapping of Levi's fork as he continued eating.

Something about the noise caught her attention, and Petra gave another sigh as a light smile came to her lips, "Levi…look, you're really sweet but you don't have to keep eating it just to make me feel better. If it's bad then-"

"It's fine." Levi stated passively, "Easily ten times better than anything we have back home, that's for sure."

Petra blinked at his words, slowly looking up from the table in pure shock. When Levi caught her mystified, vulnerable stare, he couldn't deny the warmth in his chest and he gave a lopsided smile, "Now granted 'Princess', I'll admit you're not exactly on the ropes of opening your own restaurant just yet, but who gives a damn. Not that I'm known for manners, but I was always taught that when someone gives you a meal, especially in today's economy, you say thank you, not critique the fuck out of it like you're some pompous food critic."

He snorted to himself in sudden amusement, missing Petra's growing blush at his apparent ongoing quest to find her a fitting nickname, and Levi continued with a shake of his head, "But I'll bet your stupid 'Timmy' probably thinks he is – man clearly thinks pretty big of himself, considering he's nothing more than a pathetic kiss ass to you and your old man."

Petra's expression changed, and at her strange look, a mix between confusion and sheer amusement, Levi paused from his rant and look toward her, wondering if he had stepped over the line by insulting her friend, who by all means had insulted him first. He sighed, "…What? And what's that look for? Fucking…tell me you've noticed?"

Her expression morphed into a warm smile and she shook her head, "No, no I've noticed I just…" she shrugged and watched him with a shy smile, "You've been really quiet, Captain. I know you aren't comfortable here, and I can't blame you, I just…I know you already know this, but I feel it's important to say it. You're a good man, Levi. Even though my father is doing everything he can to put you down, you need to know that I will always think the world of you, truly."

"So, thank you." Petra stated suddenly, her expression pointed and serious as she watched him directly, "For all of this. For being here, and for not punching my dad even though he's said more than enough to justify you putting him in his place. For being so patient and kind and-" she was blushing immensely, and she gave a laugh as she shook her head, waving a hand in defeat, "I just, ugh, why are you so perfectly cool about everything? It's not even fair!"

At her praise, Levi felt a smile pull at his lips and could only give a shrug, because he didn't find his actions to be particularly 'cool' or noteworthy – more than anything he was just keeping his temper in check in attempts to not assault her father – but if in the process he had gained Petra's admiration, he supposed that was a nice bonus. He returned back to his plate and took a few more bites, thinking of her words, and knowing full well that Petra was perhaps 'cool' in her own way even though she didn't seem to realize it, because she had to put up with his mannerisms on the daily, and she wasn't seeming to recognize the grace she handled herself with, being married to her own Captain, on a squad that was comprised of men. He wasn't sure if he could think of another woman who could balance such a role so effortlessly, and she had done it with a grace and dignity that was almost baffling to him.

He looked up toward her again and chose his words carefully, a directness to his stare that made her blush intensify all the more, "Petra…you're worth the trouble. You understand that, right?"

Petra didn't know what to say, which worked in the Captain's favor, because as Petra's eyes widened, her green orbs catching the light and drawing the breath right out of him – he realized that he himself didn't know what to say either.

…

…

The next few days had passed by, not exactly easily, but at the very least predictably, as they each fell into their respective routines.

After countless rounds of arguments in the morning, Levi would head off to the Garrison to train and chip away at his hours, her father would disappear into his workshop, and Petra would stay at the house and wait for the Captain's return, in hopes to squeeze in an hour or two of training before the sun went down. Levi had been trying to train her, but it had been difficult because his hours were still unfulfilled at the Garrison and as expected, he was getting caught up in meetings and various tasks that kept him at the Outpost rather late into the day. By the time he returned back to the house, more often than not it would simply be too late for training because it was already time for dinner and they were waiting on him to start eating.

Petra would try to be gracious after yet another day of missed training; she'd say that it wasn't a big deal and that maybe they'd have better luck tomorrow, but regardless her words, the disappointment on her face was palpable because they had both thought her rehabilitation would look a little different. Levi admittedly felt guilty, but there wasn't much he could do other than try to clear out his hours as quickly as possible so his hands would be a little less tied in the days to come.

As for Petra, she was trying to keep a good attitude and not go outright stir crazy from sheer boredom, but there really wasn't much for her to do at the house. She'd insist on cooking breakfast in the mornings, she'd clean up the dishes, and then she'd be back at square one with nothing to do for hours at a time. She'd eventually find some new dress to wear and try to make herself presentable, considering she had the time to fuss about her appearance now. She'd do her hair, wear a bracelet or a necklace, and she had even worn heels once, just because. Levi had been surprised, asked her what the occasion was, and Petra had merely shrugged and admitted that she was just out of things to do during the day.

More than trying to look nice or impress Levi with her girlish outfits, she was trying to save her packed clothes for when she needed them most, because Levi hadn't complained about her using his clothes, but considering he had packed them with himself in mind and not her, she didn't want to just lay claim to whatever was in his suitcase and tried hard to be frugal with the clothes she had left at home.

Regardless her attempts to clean herself up, how she had all but taken over the chores and cooking duties entirely, her father still had found some sort of complaint for her at every turn. Of course, the two of them had certainly had their good moments and more than a few shared laughs - her father and her had a deep relationship so there were frequently a number of good conversations and moments of joy throughout the day, but there were also very hard moments that made Petra teeter from frustration, to despair, to outright confusion because they had been at it for days and it seemed she had made virtually no progress with her father, no matter what angle she tried to approach things from.

In the rare moments that she was able to train, be it from Levi in person, or from material that he had left behind for her - that also seemed to be just as fruitless with each passing day; something that frustrated Petra to no end. She knew Levi was trying; he was diligent and focused, professional and calculating and able to find new exercises and routines that would still challenge her, but even with those adjustments, she still struggled to complete the simple exercises without immense difficulty. Levi would tell her it was normal, that injuries were tricky and it wasn't always a graceful transition, but it frustrated her just the same and she was embarrassed by her slow progress because it seemed even Levi had expected more results than what her body had been willing to produce.

Her ankle still protested at every turn, and she frequently ended the day by limping back to the house, which only sparked further arguments to wage between Petra, her father, and the extremely irritated Captain who was completely fed up with her father's incessant nitpicking. Regardless the Captain's frequently tested patience, more often than not he still chose to bite his tongue because he was trying his damndest to be respectful and maybe somehow make a good impression on the older man, but night after night the two men only continued to butt heads just the same and Levi was getting tired of having to pull his punches.

The trio would fight during every meal, rehash the same miserable points that yes they were married, no they weren't going to agree, yes Levi was aware that he was not liked, and someone would bitterly clean up from dinner – usually Petra – and they'd go to bed with bitter grumbles and scathing glares.

Unfortunately, as though the days weren't bad enough, the nights weren't any easier.

Sometimes Petra would sleep, and sometimes her nightmares would have her up for hours; unable to sleep at all because of the visions that haunted her. Levi would try to soothe her, would tighten his grip around her and allow her to bury her head into his neck as her tears fell across his skin, but even still her small body would tremble for hours and her sheer unease would keep them both up late into the night, regardless her claims that she was fine and he should just fall back asleep.

He never did.

As for Levi, his own dreams continued to plague him just as relentlessly, but in a different sense entirely, and the mornings were just as brutal because to have Petra in his arms night after night and do absolutely nothing about it was infuriating. He'd try to train himself to exhaustion, would run himself through the Garrison's training grounds until his limbs were shaking in hopes that he'd be too tired to fall victim to his own mind games, and yet his subconscious would still find a way to torture him with all that he couldn't have. He'd wake up in agonizing discomfort, sweating and gasping from the sheer force of his body's desperate pleas for gratification and he'd barely bite back a low growl because fuck, this entire situation just wasn't fucking fair.

He'd force himself to take a few breaths, uncurl his body away from Petra's in attempts to not wake her up, and he'd go about his day, knowing full well that it would just be another long and arduous day, like the day before, and the day to come.

Yes, the days had passed by, not easily, but miserably and fitfully, and Levi knew it wouldn't be long until one of them, or perhaps all three of them, collectively snapped.

…

End of Chapter

...

Man, I legit couldn't tell you why I love this chapter so much. It's not like my top 10 per say, but its one I've found myself coming back to time and time again and legit, I really couldn't tell you why. None the less, I will wrap it up for this week because I'm on a super tight time table and so I've got to get this posted and get out the door.

Thanks for everything guys, and see you next week!

~Mid