Good morning everyone!
For those who are stateside, it is thanksgiving week and so we're getting ready for the food and the travels and the family time. I hope yall have had an awesome week last week, and I hope that for those who are celebrating Thanksgiving this week, I hope you have a nice, SAFE, and relaxing time with family and friends.
Onward to the chapter!
…
...
"How you feeling?" Levi asked from beside her, turning backwards in the air so he could look at her directly. Petra landed on the tree branch, already shooting off her wires to the next anchor point as they continued through the canopy bit by bit.
"I'm feeling great!" Petra responded with a nod, struggling to keep the thrilled smile off her face, and Levi nodded in return as he turned back around and motioned forward with a tilt of his head.
"Alright, go ahead and move forward a bit, and then plan to turn around right at that opening up ahead. You're handling yourself well and your form is solid – as expected. I want you to try some dives, to see how your ankle responds to the sudden stop of movement after a downward descent. You ready?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. I'll hang behind you so I can watch your back and intervene if anything goes wrong. Whenever you're ready."
Petra nodded, her expression sobering as she intentionally moved past him toward the clearing ahead, mentally picturing her next few moves and how to best execute the Captain's command. She moved forward with one wire, nimbly sliding over the tops of the tree branch as she allowed herself to fall off the other side, headfirst in a sort of backwards swan dive around the branch as she freefell toward the ground for a few seconds. As she fell downward, she could see Levi's upside-down expression as he quirked an eyebrow at her admittedly flashy and unnecessarily dramatic approach – but after not having been able to use the 3DM gear in over two months, she couldn't help but take advantage of the opportunity and pull a few maneuvers that would give her that adrenaline spike.
Rolling her body into a graceful back layout, Petra finally faced right side up and shot her wires back toward their original direction, bracing herself as her momentum came to a sudden and forced halt as the wires began pulling her back up toward the canopy. Petra tensed as she could feel the harness tighten around her, instantly stopping her falling momentum until a majority of her weight was shifted into her heels.
She winced at the sudden and building pressure and shifted to one side as she was propelled upward, and a slight hiss left her lips from the fiery sensation that ran up her spine. It seemed the Captain had in fact been keeping a close eye on her because his voice echoed across the forest from above her.
"That'll do Petra, when you get to your anchor point, just stay there. Your form notably suffered with that change of direction so let's not overdo it on the first day."
"Yes sir." Her response came easily, but she couldn't deny her disappointment as she came to the tree branch, knowing that even though it had only been an hour at best, her training was over.
She landed on the branch easily enough, waiting for Levi to join her within the next few moments. He arrived on the same branch not long after, a solid and thick branch that could easily hold both of their weight and he almost shook his head in amusement, because try as she may with her forced smile, her entire posture spoke of disappointment and he watched her flatly.
"You are disappointed." He stated easily, and Petra chuckled at his knowing stare.
"Maybe a little. For some reason, I assumed that everything really would go back to normal – and a lot of this did feel normal but yeah, I guess like you predicted, that sudden stop from moving down and then right back up where the harness puts so much pressure on the body to redirect all the momentum – it wasn't unbearable, but I could still feel that my ankle wasn't fully supporting the shift like it was supposed to."
Levi nodded, "Yeah, I could see where you reshifted your weight as a direct result and you lost a lot of your momentum all at once. Obviously out here that's not a big deal and I'm not stressed about it, but out on the Expeditions you can't afford to consistently have to adjust or lose your speed. Our squad isn't built like that and you'd get left behind or fall out of formation – not to mention you had to use a hell of a lot more gas just to keep yourself going. During the gas shortage, that's far from ideal and we'll need to get that behavior corrected sooner rather than later."
Petra looked into the forest with a frown, "Hey Captain…can I get your honest opinion? I'm really trying, and I know I'm seeing progress – I mean, I don't know why I'm so frustrated; four weeks ago I couldn't so much as ride my horse without my ankle flaring up and now I'm back using my 3DM gear. I know that I'm progressing quickly and that I'll be right back to my previous strength soon but…the Expedition is only four weeks away and I'm still on leave for three of them. Do you think I'll be ready in time?"
"Dunno." Levi said simply, "Frankly, you've still got a long way to go before I'll sign off on your return to active duty. Not much to do but keep working and let the chips fall where they may."
Petra bit her lip and looked back toward him, "And there's no chance of us training, even for just a little bit longer?"
"Absolutely not." Levi stated flatly with a look that almost dared her to ask him again, and Petra frowned, looking around the training grounds with a sigh.
"I figured as much but, you know, worth a shot. I'm curious - what happens now? I know you don't have to be with the guys till after lunch, but that's not for a while yet." She turned toward Levi and gave a half smile, "Maybe before you skip off to your next set of responsibilities, you want to take a break? It's been a while since I've been out in the training grounds like this, and the wind feels great blowing through the trees like it is right now. Mind if we just sit here for a bit?"
A few moments later, Levi found himself sitting down on the branch and leaning back against the base of the tree, one leg hanging loosely off the branch and Petra, resting against him with her back against his chest, leaning against his shoulder as she gave a soft hum.
"Is this okay, Captain?"
"Normally it wouldn't be," he said matter of factly, looking into the forest with a blank expression, "People are training and wouldn't expect two Scouts, a couple or otherwise, to just be lounging in a random tree – but Erwin specifically has this section roped off to make sure that you aren't caught in any misfires or get tangled up with other training squads, so at least for right now it's not a problem."
Petra gave another nod and a comfortable silence settle between them.
"I talked to Oluo about, you know, what you told me back at my Dad's place?" Petra began softly, and when Levi remained silent, she sighed, unsure if his silence was a good or bad thing.
"I guess I feel bad." She continued in a pensive, almost distracted whisper, picking at a piece of bark with her fingernails and rubbing the dirt off her fingers with a slight shake of her hand, "He had those kinds of feelings for me for years and I didn't even know."
"To be fair," Levi stated, "He never actually confessed to you, not really anyway. Oddly enough, he never actually made any moves on you until after we got married; the jackass. He was jealous as hell, and honestly even I didn't know how to handle it because the whole thing was so fucking weird. At the time – well, you know how things were between us – so when he'd make his jokes or get protective of you, I felt it really wouldn't help to just add fuel to the fire so it was easiest to just ignore it."
"But that's just the thing Captain – I feel like there are some things that…" Petra frowned as she tried to pick her words and she eventually allowed her head to fall back into his shoulder as she stared up at the sky.
"Actually this whole thing kinda feels a little familiar and I kinda wanted to bring it up. Can we talk…about Timmy?"
Though she couldn't see him, she could feel Levi stiffen, becoming unnaturally still as her words hung in the air.
When she didn't continue, as though it were an actual question she was seeking his input on, Levi gave a low sound from his throat. "I'd prefer we didn't."
There was an amused hum from Petra, and she shook her head back and forth as she sighed, "No, it's nothing about Timmy directly it's more of just…I caused you a lot of problems Captain."
"Well that's true, but in what context?"
Petra picked her words and found herself tracing her fingers over the tops of his propped leg, "I can't control what other people do. There's nothing I could have done that would have prevented Dad or Timmy from making the choices they did, I know that, but I also know that had I maybe thought about it a little harder – looked at the situation more critically and didn't just accept things for how they were that maybe…perhaps we would have been better equipped and this year would have been a little easier for everyone."
"With Oluo," Petra paused for a moment and she allowed her hand to rest over his knee as her eyes narrowed in thought, "If I look back, I can see the signs. Hindsight is 20/20 so they say, but in my case it's more than that. It's not that I'm stupid or that I don't have the ability to think critically, but admittedly I get very comfortable and choose to not face things head on if there's any shot that just ignoring it will make it all go away."
Petra paused and gave a mournful sigh, "I won't lie – in the past I actually had wondered if Timmy would ever make good on his promise to come and find me. In all fairness he wasn't lying about that; before I joined the military, by all definition he broke up with me so he could leave for school, and it was really hard for me to accept. It hurt and so I eventually stopped thinking about it, to the extent that when that document came about and you were all preparing to have me discharged, the thought didn't even cross my mind…and looking back now, it probably should have."
Levi was still perfectly silent, though his silence didn't bother her and Petra's voice softened in sudden seriousness, "You and Erwin were right all along. I don't like that you were reading my mail – a discussion we've already had – but as it turns out, I did know more than I was letting on; I just wasn't putting the pieces together and things turned out like they did halfway because yes, Tim was meddling and my father was letting him – but the truth is, I'm not exactly blameless here, even if my involvement was unintentional. When everything started to come apart, Erwin got stuck with the paperwork, and you got stuck with everything else just to make sure that my role was protected. I remember all those papers that resulted from the wedding, all the gossip, how the guys treated you at first…"
Petra paused for a long moment as she looked into the branch, her eyes narrowed as she spoke with conviction after a long, troubled sigh, "My willingness to be ignorant and reactive toward the situation as a whole caused you and all of leadership months of trouble, and I can see that now. So…I'm sorry, Captain. I just want you to know that I'll try harder in the future, so this sort of thing doesn't happen again. I won't ignore details and I'll use my mind intuitively – to be proactive instead of reactive. Don't take this the wrong way but, this year I've needed you, a lot. I've depended on your strength, and your intelligence; your ferocity and your protection. I honestly needed it just to get by but…I'm working to grow up a little, where I won't need you anymore. Maybe then…maybe I won't be so troublesome for you, and you can relax a little."
"You think so, huh?" Levi asked simply, his voice devoid of any telling emotion, "You trouble me Petra; you trouble me a lot in fact – but you're not a burden. Hopefully you're intuitive enough to see the difference." The Captain paused, and there was a hum to his voice that spoke of sudden amusement, "Besides, no matter how you go about it, a brat is still a brat. You'll still be troubling me every damn step of the way, whether you 'need' me or not."
Regardless his words, there was a certain softness to his voice that made Petra smile. "Perhaps," she agreed easily, leaning her head back all the more so she was barely able to see his face from behind her. Though her angle was awkward, she could see the warmth in his gaze and she pulled a hand up, brushing the side of his face with her thumb.
"Thank you Levi, for everything. I love you, and I want to make sure I'm working just as hard as you do, so you don't have to bear the burden of my shortcomings. I'm going to do better, for both of us, I promise."
That was the first time Petra had said those words to him – that she loved him – since back in her father's house, and Levi couldn't deny the potency of her words, because his heart gave a sudden nervous thump at hearing her speak of her feelings toward him for the first time in weeks.
He adjusted his angle and gave her a number of light, building kisses, eventually giving a sigh as Petra began to return his attention feverishly. It hadn't been his intention to arouse her desire, but it was clear that his flurried kisses had done exactly that as Petra sat up onto the tree and turned around toward him directly, an obvious element of longing to her actions as she pressed her lips against him desperately.
She pulled his bottom lip between her teeth as she aligned her body against his in pressing, suggestive caresses, being mindful of the limited space on the branch to ensure that neither of them fell. At her growing boldness, Levi swallowed as he tried to force clarity into his mind, still kissing her back, but more slowly as he tried to gently calm them both down - this was hardly the place for such things, even if some part of his mind was thrilled by the mere concept alone.
Regardless his slowed and tempered actions, Petra reached up toward him, her hands starting to work on unbuttoning his shirt, and her palms were already moving over his shoulders, caressing the exposed planes of his chest as she leaned down as though planning to press her lips against his skin.
"Don't." he bit out lowly, a clear ferocity present in his voice as his resolve waivered and he bit his lower lip in admitted longing as he restrained himself from returning her heated actions, "Don't make me want what I can't have, Petra."
He lightly grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands away, taking a few more breaths as he looked up toward her directly, immediately wishing he hadn't because her expression, her flushed cheeks and parted lips, the way her eyes were scanning his chest as she subtly leaned toward him even now – it was distracting as hell.
He closed his eyes and took a collecting breath, "I've got four weeks of paperwork in my Office, plus all the shit that needs to happen before the Expedition. If you do this now, it's all I'm going to be able to think about and I'm not going to have the time for a while. Just…don't make the distance harder than it needs to be. Vacation is over now; I'm back on duty and you don't have the time to slack off. We knew that things would be different so – just…fucking behave, please."
Petra stilled at his words, and Levi took the opportunity to sit up straighter, already fixing the buttons on his shirt as he nodded toward her, "Frankly, you should plan to report to the Commander just as soon as you're able. I don't doubt that you're curious about how the data's looking in these last four weeks, so it's probably for the best that we finished up sooner than we anticipated. As for the days to come, I'll need to oversee the squad's training directly, but I'll leave you a training plan that I expect to be carried out in my absence. I'm somewhat entrusting you to oversee your own recovery because I can't be in two places at once and I know how badly you want to join in for the next Expedition. Still though, if anything doesn't feel right or you're not seeing results, come find me immediately."
Petra nodded, able to tell with the shift in his demeanor that he was speaking solely as her Captain again, and Levi nodded toward her seriously as he continued readjusting the fabric of his uniform, "I should give you the heads up that come the evenings, leadership usually meets on the daily to start planning out the details of the Expedition. I mean, you're welcome to my office if you're feeling the need to keep busy, but as a heads up, I probably won't be there for the foreseeable future. It's crunch time for everyone, and it's not uncommon for Erwin, Four Eyes, and myself to be up well past curfew debating the ins and outs of going outside the Walls."
Petra gave a slow nod at his words, "Yeah, that makes sense – you always were impossible to track down right before an Expedition so nothing's really changed there. About your paperwork, I'll do what I can but we both know that Commander is going to find me things that will conveniently keep me remarkably busy in the evenings. He's not supposed to, but considering it's right before an Expedition I won't fuss right out of the gate because like you said, it's all hands on deck and I want to pitch in wherever I'm needed. Either way, I guess I'll see you-" Petra paused in thought, attempting to think of the next time she'd run into him, and she almost coughed when she realized that they didn't even have a tangible date in mind.
She gave a fake laugh and corrected herself, "Uh yeah, I mean, I guess I'll be seeing you, Captain!"
Without any lingering, she shot off her wires and moved toward the forest floor, trying to ignore the dull ache in her ankle as she once again felt the strain of the harness from all around her.
…
...
Unfortunately, Levi's previous warning hadn't been without reason.
Petra had reported to Erwin shortly after, and sure enough, there were stacks of folders set aside for her to review as well as the various data trends that he wanted her to read up on so she could be reacquainted with any changes that had occurred in the four weeks prior during her absence.
She had toggled between workstations, at first stationing herself in Erwin's office so she could ask any initial questions about the Regiment to him outright, and in time she eventually moved to Hanji's office to do the same, curious to have her perspective as well. Later on in the day, Petra found that she wanted to spend a few hours alone so she could review the data without feeling the need to discuss her findings with leadership, and Erwin had given her access to one of the nearby training rooms that wasn't in use. She had spent the rest of the day continuing to catch up on all she had left behind, until eventually the workday came to an end.
Regardless Levi's previous conversation with Erwin that her evenings were to be left open for traditional free time, Petra had taken a number of folders back with her just the same. To Erwin's credit, that had been of her own volition, because some of the changes in data were outright fascinating and she couldn't quite bring herself to stop reading just because it was dinner. She had joined her squad, not surprised in the least that Levi didn't show up for dinner, and as they all sat back in the main room of the compound to eat, she continued to skim over the pages just the same – earning a few groans and complaints from her peers because they accused her of intentionally overworking herself, to which Petra replied with a shrug. Considering she hadn't been working properly in four weeks, it felt wonderful to actually be doing something productive again.
Later that evening, she had returned to her own room and didn't hesitate in getting herself to bed, knowing full well that she'd spend the night completely alone. It hadn't been a 'hard' night per say; she wasn't overly lonely or lamenting the distance between them, but she couldn't deny she was used to sleeping by his side, because though she was at peace with the arrangement, even still it had taken her a long while before she had actually fallen asleep.
Come the morning, Petra had to wonder if she'd see the Captain for morning coffee or not. He usually did try to make an appearance before the squad's training, but it wasn't entirely uncommon for him to be seeing to other sorts of business before morning drills – especially at a time where preparations for an expedition were being cared for.
She suspected he'd be busy, but there was still that hope that maybe she'd at least see him before they each went their separate ways, so when she left her room and noticed a new folder resting up against her door – a collection of daily material for her training specifically – her heart had sank. If Levi had merely dropped it off to her like this, that meant she probably wouldn't be running into him at all, otherwise he would have just given it to her in person. Though they had talked about it numerous times, agreed that their return to Headquarters at such a critical time would put notable distance between them, some part of her just hadn't really been prepared to understand that distance until now.
She didn't want him to slow down. She knew the military came first and wanted him to put the military first – it was just…she struggled because going from seeing him and being near him for weeks on end, to suddenly seeing none of him, hearing none of his thoughts or not being able to tell him about her day – it was hard.
Worse still, Petra soon found out that that would only be one of many days to follow, where she didn't so much as see him even a single time throughout the day.
She would go to bed, alone, and wake up early to start the morning coffee and prepare for her training. She'd drink coffee with the guys and hope that just maybe Levi might be able to steal away five minutes to be with them before they all left for the training grounds – but to no avail. She'd head to Erwin's office and they'd start running more numbers, reviewing projections regarding how the Scouts might preform on the Expedition, how training might be curbed in the last few weeks to ensure the best outcomes, and then it would be time for dinner and she'd eat with her squad, knowing full well that Captain would be tied up in meetings for the rest of the night. It had been well over a week since they had returned back to Headquarters and aside from that first day where Levi had watched over her initial use of the 3DM gear, she hadn't seen him even a single time since.
Regardless his absence, she still trained hard and followed Levi's provided material perfectly - even going so far as to record her numbers so she could coach her own performance as effectively as possible, using the same coaching methods they had derived from the gas shortage material. She made daily, detailed notes of any and all changes she was seeing in her day to day performance, both the good and bad, and by the third day of her training where she felt she was seeing success, she had made a point to deliver a copy of her daily notes to Levi's office so he could review her results if he so chose.
At first she wasn't sure if he was reading them or not, or if he just found it to be annoying that she was adding even more paperwork to his day, but after numerous days of delivering the results to his office without fail, she had been surprised to see a new folder sitting at her doorway. She had opened it up curiously, a large grin coming to her face as she read a handwritten note from her Captain.
Petra, you're progressing well and I appreciate the daily updates considering I haven't been there to oversee your training directly – this was a good idea and it helps keep me in the loop with your progress. These past three days specifically, your numbers looked very solid and are nearing your previous data from before you were put on leave. Due to this, I've revised your training to be a bit more challenging, because I think you're ready for more strenuous material. Continue to write down the data as you have been and if all goes well, I'm thinking that next week we'll begin trying to have you training back with the squad directly for a few drills each day. I'm not sure when, but with your leave up for review, we will need to find time to meet with Erwin to have his input about your present status and more specifically, your ability to participate in the Expedition or not. Don't worry about the details, I'll care for it on my end and let you know.
Till then,
Levi
Petra had closed the folder, biting her lower lip to keep her large smile at bay, and she hugged the folder tightly to herself, feeling that that was the closest she had been to Levi in over a week.
"Fuck, miss me that bad, Petra?"
A ways down the hallway, Levi's voice could be heard and Petra's mouth dropped open outright, looking toward the sound of his voice and admittedly flabbergasted to see him leaning against the wall, arms crossed as he watched her bemusedly.
"The look on your face. Oi, close your mouth dumbass; it's just me. Besides, It's only been a week so-"
"It's been over a week, Captain." She whispered softly, and Levi gave a snort and moved off the wall.
"You've been counting?" he asked with a smug expression, and Petra groaned.
"Make fun of me all you want Captain, but I can't help it. It's been a while, and I know what you're doing is important. I know that what I'm doing, and what the squad is doing – hell, what everyone is doing right now is important – it's just…sometimes it's hard. That's all. The least you could do is not be so smug about it, you know? One would think you'd be happy that there's someone missing you."
"I suppose that's true."
Levi was standing in front of her now, and after a few moments where he didn't do anything – didn't make a move to reach toward her, didn't try to kiss her or do anything other than just stand there idly, Petra fiddled with the folder in her hands, looking back up toward him curiously, "I can't imagine you dropped this folder off just to spy on me from a distance. Is everything okay, Captain? I know you don't really have a lot of time right now so I know full well that you're not here just to make me nervous."
Levi's expression remained even, but he gave a single chuckle and spoke in a pleased whisper, "I make you nervous?"
She gave a pouting, flustered scoff and exhaled in defeat, clutching her folder even tighter as a blush began to rise to her cheeks, "You know you do."
Levi gave a shadow of a nod and watched her studiously, "How are you feeling? I see the numbers but I'm curious to know more than just the data. Is the training working for you? Are you seeing progress you're pleased with, or are you getting frustrated? I know that I don't really have a lot of free time right now, but if there's anything you need from me then-"
Petra leaned forward and pressed a single hand lightly against his chest, shaking her head and giving him a smile, "I'm fine, Captain. I'm feeling really confident, feeling like I'm getting back up to my previous strength, and feeling like you're all going to have a very hard time telling me I'm not ready for the Expedition."
Levi seemed to mentally review her words for some time, his eyes scanning her expression suspiciously, and after a few moments he gave a long sigh and nodded, "…Good. You're right of course, I don't really have a lot of time, so I'll have to make this brief because they're waiting on me to start the meeting. There was a change of plans, and Erwin wanted me to talk to you and the squad directly and update everyone on today's schedule. It's nothing major or anything that you should worry about, but today Erwin is meeting with all of Scouts leadership for an initial collaboration. We've determined what city we'll travel to for the Expedition, so we'll be discussing the travel itinerary, responsibilities of getting materials transported over, those sorts of things. Go ahead and complete your scheduled training for the day as normal, but after lunch break consider yourself off duty because Erwin and Hanji will be tied up in the meetings and there's no pressing data that you need to oversee as of right now."
Petra nodded at the information and Levi gave a tilt with his head and then began walking down the hall, "Walk with me. I've got to tell the guys that Eld will be leading training for the day, and then I'll need to get back to Erwin's office. I'll also talk to Erwin about getting a meeting set up, so we can discuss your leave and if you're ready or not. As for today, I don't know what you're planning to do with your free time, but I hope you won't end up secluding yourself in my office all day. You should relax or write a letter to your dad or…fuck, something where you use your time selfishly for once. I can tell how hard you've been working, so call it Captain's orders or whatever you want, but try to not overdo it."
Petra followed after him, and after a few moments she looked toward Levi almost nervously, "Yeah, about that actually. I know you're busy, and I know this is a bit of a favor but-"
"What is it?"
They continued walking down the hallway, and Petra cleared her throat as she tried to muster up her courage, "Since things have changed between us and all, I was kinda thinking that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea for me to stop by the doctor's office and maybe…" she bit her lip, uncertain of why she was so nervous and forced herself to continue, "Well, request birth control, or something a little more reliable than what we've been using so far? I haven't really had the time, but if I've got almost the entire day free, this might be my last chance for a while, because after an Expedition the medical team is booked for months. I know we've been careful and all, but I think both of us would feel a lot better if I were taking something a bit more intentional, and the sooner the better."
She looked toward Levi with a single glance and shrugged, "Save for emergencies, requesting a physical or doctor's visit has to go through you anyway, since you're my Captain. To clarify, I don't have any other medical concerns or anything else that I'm worried about, so if you don't have the time to request the appointment on such short notice then that's perfectly fine. We can make it work – I mean, it's not exactly like we've had a lot of opportunity to roll those dice anyway, so the risk as of right now ranges from minimal to outright impossible."
Levi found himself inwardly amused at her choice of words, as well as the clear tone of sulking she spoke with, and he thought her request over for a long moment. Eventually, he looked toward her with a single glance to the side, "Is that what you want? I agree – to some extent I'll admit that I'd feel more comfortable knowing that we had a more substantial avenue of protection, but even still it's your body. You're certain? You don't have to, just on my account."
She gave a laugh and shook her head, "All due respect sir, but it's not for you at all – not really anyway. I don't want to spend every month feverishly tracking my cycle and figuring out when we can and can't sleep together, or freaking out if the condom slips or something like that. I've thought it over a lot actually, and I'll just have a lot more peace of mind if I know that we won't have any unexpected surprises in our future."
"Very well." The Ackerman acknowledged simply, "I'll stop by the area and request they schedule an appointment for you. Even if they are just as busy with last minute physicals and inventory, I'm pretty confident that the medical staff can find time to see 'Humanity's Angel' on such short notice."
Petra almost grimaced, "Gods, not you too Captain. Even the guys have started calling me that now and it's getting really old."
Levi merely smirked, "Well like it or not 'Angel', there's quite a number of people interested in your future role, and you getting knocked up would throw a huge fucking wrench in all of it for everybody." Levi gave a shake of his head and almost groaned at the scenario, "Fuck, if you didn't kill me, Erwin sure would. Either way, I'm not sure when it will be exactly, but I'll try to have it scheduled as close to your lunch as possible so you aren't stuck in the doctor's office all day. If there's any forms I need to sign, just stick them on my desk with your daily report and I'll make sure that they're taken care of."
"Thanks Captain."
"Anything else?"
She shook her head, "I don't think so. I may try to run into town if I have any time left. I still have that bonus from the Garrison trying to bribe me, and I kinda think it's time I went shopping." Her expression turned mischievous and she looked toward Levi with a smirk, "You know Captain, I could use a strong guy like you to come and hold all the bags. You sure you're busy this evening? I'll make it worth your while."
The Captain gave a grunt, "I doubt it. As fun as that sounds, I'm booked. Even if I weren't, hell no."
Petra grinned, "If you should change your mind."
"I won't."
...
End of Chapter
...
I feel like I say this every chapter right now, but there's a lot going on here and I like it a lot. I love Petra's somewhat overdue reflection of realizing that even if it's not her /fault/ there's things that she could have done better, where if she had, it would have made things that much easier for her friends that were forced to go on the ride with her regarding Timmy and all that. Like she said – it wouldn't have changed her father or Timmy's decision of course, but it would have made them all better prepared and it would have mitigated so many pain points that they experienced as a result.
And I hope it's not viewed as boring to yall, but I also really like that this couple is so much more casual about things now, because that familiarity and 'this is life now' has finally clicked into place, where they both know the 'yes I want to see you, but I know I can't so life moves on' or the basic touching base of 'hey I wanna be on birth control so I'm gonna get that taken care of today if possible'
Those simple moments – because the fact it has taken so much effort for those moments to be simple – brings a huge smile to my face! Either way yall, due to the joyous holiday season, I'll be taking this week off! Spend time with your loved ones, have a great holiday, and I'll see yall on December 6th!
~Mid