Morning everyone!

Happy Holidays to those who celebrate – hope you had a relaxing and safe weekend! On my end things were kept pretty low key so that's good. Today we're working on taking down the tree and restoring the house back to order. Not much to report, so no news is good news as they say.

Yall enjoy the read!

…

…

"Wait, Emily's here?"

At the mention of his fiancé, Petra looked at Eld with a shocked expression, eventually giving him an incredulous stare and rolling her eyes, "Well what are you doing here, dummy? Go see her!"

Eld laughed at Petra's reaction and he shook his head, "I said Emily is going to be here this weekend, not that she's here right now. No point in rushing around; she'll get here later on this afternoon and Captain gave the approvals so I could be away from the campus until Monday morning. I'll meet her here, show her around, let her say her hellos and then we'll go into town for the weekend. As a heads up, I know she's really looking forward to seeing you, because she felt you guys hit it off so well last time and I assure you that her heightened interest in you has absolutely nothing to do with your sudden marriage to the Captain, nor her outstanding opinion that Levi's the spawn of hell where she's itching to know how the two of you ended up together in the first place considering you're 'such a nice girl' and he's 'well, you know'."

Petra couldn't help but laugh at his words, drinking from her coffee cup and giving him a smile, "Thanks for the heads up. I'll let you know that I have an errand to run here in a bit, but I should be back before lunch time and I'd be happy to sit through her thinly veiled interrogation. Honestly, it's been such a long time since you guys have been able to meet up. You'll have to remind me, when is the wedding again?"

Eld brightened at her question and proudly puffed out his chest, "June 15th."

Petra dramatically made a face and shook her head in despair, "Oh shoot – you know, I'm pretty sure that's a bad day for me. Yeah, you're going to have to reschedule the whole thing – I have to work and my boss is a real stickler so it can't be helped."

Eld rolled his eyes at her teasing and shook his head, "Ha ha, Petra. You'll have to come up with a better lie than that, because the 15th happens to be on a Friday, and we had to beg Captain to give everyone the day off. He originally said the wedding didn't justify the squad taking off the entire day, but I think it all came down to Emily swearing she'd write him multiple letters every single day until he gave in. Took about two weeks, but true to her word she wrote him nonstop and he eventually couldn't tell the difference between her letters and everyone else's. I've never seen him so mad; said he'd give us any day we wanted, as many people as we wanted, so long as she promised to never write him again because the influx of mail made it impossible for him to stay organized and he was going to lose his shit."

Petra grinned in recollection, remembering hearing Levi swearing loudly from his office at each and every mail call because he got close to some sixty letters a day, along with all his other reports and routine paperwork until his desk was filled with literal stacks of unsorted, unfamiliar letters. A few times he had asked Petra to help him sort through the growing stack of mail, because apparently Emily was a clever woman in that she never used the same stationary twice, so it was impossible to know whether the letter was hers, or a noblemen's, or someone else entirely unless it was fully opened and reviewed from top to bottom.

"The battle isn't completely over either," Eld stated after a few moments, watching Petra and shaking his head after a sigh, "My little brother is going to be my best man of course, but I wanted the guys to be a part of the big day as well – Captain too. Oluo and Gunther already agreed to stand up there with me, but Levi is still insisting that he'd prefer to show his support from the very back of the chapel, 'preferably in the very last row' – as he worded it."

Petra groaned, but wasn't entirely surprised and she shrugged passively, "Well he and I are a package deal now, and for the record, I am not sitting in the back so he'll just have to suck it up. Honestly, if you really want Captain to be a part of the wedding party, then don't ask him."

Eld blinked in obvious confusion, and Petra's expression sobered as she continued, "I'm serious Eld. If you give him the option to choose, he'll reject it each and every time. Instead…just tell him. As crazy as it sounds, I swear to you it'll work and you'll save yourself months of frustration. When you guys go get fitted, or if there's a rehearsal or something, tell him when to be there, tell him what he'll be doing on wedding day, and he'll do it. If he gives you any flack about his schedule, just rat him out to Erwin and I guarantee Commander will straighten things out for you."

Eld quirked an eyebrow and watched her in amusement, "Spoken like a woman who has learned from experience."

She nodded, completely unashamed, "Levi's pretty easy going as long as you avoid his triggers. He doesn't like to put energy into complaining about things, so if you word it in a way where refusing isn't provided as an option, then he'll probably accept it and move on with his day. But of course, if you open the door for him to turn you down, then you've dug your own grave and you have no one to blame but yourself. For some things, especially with Captain, I've found it's just easier to ask for forgiveness than permission."

"Fair enough." Eld replied easily, stretching out over the back of his chair and looking toward Petra curiously, "Now what sort of errand do you have? Word through the grapevine is that you got approved to go on the Expedition. I wouldn't have believed it myself, but this last week of training with us went off without a hitch, so you've got my vote. What, are you getting new gear or something?"

Petra shook her head, "No. Actually Levi said it was date night so I thought I'd run into town and grab a dress or something."

Eld's expression changed into a mischievous sort of smile and he crossed his arms smugly, "Oh-ho, date night huh? Hey who knows, maybe we'll all bump into each other in town or something. Frankly, I hope not. Emily likes you, for real, but the Captain…she's pretty convinced that he's a soulless tyrant so it would be better for my evening if she didn't come face to face with the man that has only approved a handful of visits over the years because she'd chew him out then and there. Even though it's not the Captain's fault, she takes those things pretty personally and more often than not she blames him for our hectic schedule."

Eld paused in thought and eventually looked her over, "I know you like shopping, but if I heard you right - you're going into town to buy a dress, then coming back here to get ready, and then you're going right back into town later for your date night? Can't you just wear something you already have here, or maybe borrow a dress from one of your friends? I mean, we have the entire day so it's not like you don't have the time for it, I'm just saying it sounds like a lot of hassle because Levi's not the kind of guy where it has to be 'new' to impress him."

Petra frowned, "Well I have a lot of dresses back home – not that they even fit anymore – but the only dress I have here is the one I wore to the banquet. Of course, that's way too formal so I'm hoping for something nice, but a little more on the casual side for our outing tonight. And as for borrowing a dress, I don't really have any friends who are my size. I'm short and small, but I still have curves so it's kind of hard to borrow something from someone else where it actually fits me okay."

Eld sighed sadly, "Yeah, all my dresses would be way to big for you, and as curvy as you are, you'd never fill out a dress quite like Gunther so that's a no too."

She snorted and waved a hand, "See? There's just no helping it! I'm not too worried about the extra trip though. Levi told me to go into town and pick something out, and that he'd pay for it all later on when we went back to town – we've got a pretty good relationship with the store owner at this point, so I can't imagine she'll have a problem with that arrangement. As romantic as that may sound, it's just Levi's way of guaranteeing that I won't be pestering him all day about what he's planning. He still hasn't told me what we're doing tonight, and the curiosity is killing me. I asked him more than a few times this morning, and that's when he told me that he would be 'more than happy to finance my outfit for the night, if it means I fuck off for a while and leave him be.'"

Eld almost coughed as a laugh left his throat, and Petra couldn't help the smile that came to her face, "To be exact, I can't bother him until six o clock, per his terms and conditions. He made me sign a stupid piece of paper and everything, and when I walked by his office a bit ago, he had taped it to the door."

Eld's laughter doubled in volume and Petra shook her head in amusement, "I just wish he'd tell me! I have no idea what to expect!"

"Well didn't you guys do dates before, back while you were on vacation? You said the last two weeks you guys did some sightseeing or whatever, right?"

"Well yeah, but it wasn't anything that he had planned out like a date. Each day we woke up and kinda decided together if we wanted to do anything that day, or if we wanted to stay in bed, or train, or something else. It was pretty informal and while yeah, it was a lot of fun, I wouldn't say it was what you could consider a date. Honestly, we were both so high strung after being at my Dad's that most of the time was just both of us trying to unwind. To be frank, it was two weeks of a lot of sex, a lot of conditioning, some day trips and a local artisan show – but nothing else really happened. We needed the downtime more than we needed the romance."

Eld stood up from the table, grabbing his coffee cup and Petra's empty one, moving to clean out the dishes as he spoke over his shoulder, "So this is…like a first date for you guys? I'm trying to understand, but you guys make it really difficult to keep up, what between the being married, or the married but not really, to the divorce papers or whatever – it's all a bit of a blur."

"And it's only been six months!" Petra added in bemusedly, and she followed after Eld, grabbing an extra rag and beginning to wipe down the counters to help clean up from their morning coffee break, "I think we're calling it our first date, if only to get that official stamp of 'What did you do on your first date' out of the way, but like you said, it's hard to say. Way back when Captain was sick, there was this night in his room – nothing happened Eld so don't go starting rumors – but there was a spark then, and then I remember going into town with him to get ready for the Banquet, the Banquet itself, all the late nights in his office…you know, I'm sure he would deny it, but I feel like I've been dating him almost the whole time, fights and all."

She paused from her task, a soft smile brightening her features as she mumbled softly, "…It's been fun."

Watching his team mate, Eld gave a hum and sighed, "You know Petra, maybe I shouldn't say this – and I hope you know I mean nothing by it but…last night, you know, when I walked in on you guys?"

Petra groaned and scrubbed the counter with a sudden degree of force, "The night I had been planning for weeks that you sullied with your stupid comments? How could I forget?"

He chuckled and nodded proudly, "I just…well, I hope you don't worry too much about your looks or if Levi is attracted to you or not. Honestly, he's a lucky man."

Petra seemed to fall perfectly still at his words, and Eld placed the cups back into the counter with a sigh as he continued, "Now don't misunderstand; I have Emily and you're not exactly my type in that sense, but even still, for the record…you're a stunning woman, Petra. From what I saw last night, trust me when I say that as a fellow male, you've got nothing to worry about."

Watching the way her cheeks turned a deep shade of red and the flummoxed, cautious grin that came to her lips, Eld chuckled and gave a pat on her shoulder, "I'm going to go start packing for the weekend. We'll see you at lunch, I hope?"

"Yeah," Petra whispered, still staring into the counter and ignoring the butterflies in her stomach at receiving such an intimate sort of compliment, "I'll be there. Uh…thanks, by the way."

Eld smiled, "Don't mention it. Really. If Levi hears that I was saying things like that, pretty sure he'd kick my ass big time and I'd very much like to see the light of day. Best of luck in town – hope you drain his wallet dry!"

Eld walked out of the room, and Petra allowed herself a moment, nervously wondering if Eld's words really were true or not and if she really was…apparently that attractive or not.

A blush rose to her cheeks and she continued scrubbing the counter feverishly, allowing the matter to come to a close in her mind because true or otherwise, just thinking about such a thing made her embarrassed.

…

...

Petra was sitting on the edge of the bed, all but bouncing on the mattress, as she tapped her foot with a sort of uncontainable energy, "So you said dinner and then what? Are we going out dancing? Oh, maybe like a live band sort of thing? It won't be too crowded though, right? Then again, it is a bit on the colder side. You're sure this dress is okay? Not too much or too little? Is there-"

Levi groaned, "Petra. Babe. If you don't stop asking, I'm going to go on this date without you. I told you that you could be in here with me as I got ready, on the sole condition that you weren't going to be annoying. As it stands, you've been in here for ten minutes and already you're annoying as hell. Please just shut the hell up and let me get ready."

Levi's gruff voice came from within the confines of his closet, and Petra rolled her eyes, making a pouting expression he wouldn't see as she tried to force herself to be patient. Eventually, feeling bored and incredibly antsy, she turned her head to the side and called back, "You know, half of this is your fault."

"My fault?" Levi repeated with a scoff, and Petra nodded flatly.

"Yes, your fault. You know that I look forward to these kinds of things, so of course I'd be thinking about it all day long and instead of just sparing both of us the pain and just telling me what to expect this evening, instead you told me that 'I don't need to know' and to just 'wait and see'."

"Whereas if I had told you, you would have dropped it from the getgo and not even bothered?"

"Yes!" Petra admitted in frustration, and there was a long sigh from the Captain.

"Very well then. Tonight we are going out to dinner, and then there's a show in town I thought we could go to – something about a doomed love and betrayal and some sappy shit girls like you would eat up – and then there's this ice cream shop on the way back that-"

"Captain!" Petra's shrill voice cut him off as she stood up from the bed in alarm, "What…you're…you're not supposed to tell me!"

When there was an amused scoff and more shuffling, Petra's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms in thought, "…That's not even what we're doing, is it?"

"No."

She groaned and sat back on the bed in a defeated pout, "Fine Captain. Just tell me when you're ready. Do me a favor and wake me up if I fall asleep."

"Don't be so dramatic woman." Levi retorted back, exiting the closet as he pulled a tie around his neck, adjusting the ends and folding it expertly until it sat neatly across his chest, "Let me grab my jacket and we can go."

Petra sat up looking the man up and down and allowing herself to shake her head, "So tell me Captain, how can you expect me to go out in public when you look like that?"

Levi was pulling an arm through his jacket, watching her with an irritated expression and Petra groaned when his blue eyes caught the light just right.

"Like what?"

"That. You look really good, Captain. It's…distracting."

"And your dress isn't?"

Petra looked at her dress – a mix between a casual sundress and a cocktail dress that went to her knees, a small poof to the skirt that swayed with her as she walked. It was nice, but it wasn't overly showy or flashy, as she couldn't help but suspect that Levi wouldn't be too thrilled about her wearing an overly revealing dress in public.

She allowed her thoughts to trace back to her Captain, and she couldn't help but be reminded of the banquet. He had been wearing a suit then too, and even then she couldn't deny that he had been easy on the eyes. Petra stood up from the bed, daring to move toe to toe with him as she ran a finger up the dense fabric of his tie, "Well if you're distracting me, and I'm distracting you – who's to say we won't just lose track of time all together and find better things to do instead."

As she was speaking, she had slowly begun leaning closer and closer, until her lips were whispering over his own with phantom touches, and it wasn't long before Levi had given a low exhale, pressing his lips into her own with a sudden hunger, his hand moving to the back of her neck as he pulled her against him with a furious storm of desire.

"Last night wasn't enough." He growled in a low exhale, hands wrapping around her and already moving the fabric of her dress to one side, trying to feel the skin of her legs and curious as to what sort of panties she might be hiding under her dress – admittedly suspicious because if the store owner had given her the lingerie that she had worn last night, considering he had sent her right back to get an outfit for the evening, it was highly possible that her dress was hiding something else from him entirely.

Gods, he hoped so.

Levi lengthened his neck as Petra traced her fingers over his jaw, her breaths already staggered from clear lust because yes, the three weeks had taken its toll on her as well so it seemed. She began kissing his skin, running her hands over his chest and the Captain groaned when Petra nipped at his ear with teasing, light brushes of her tongue.

"What are you wearing under that?" Levi asked in an exhale, hands running over the back of her dress as he gripped her ass, and Petra gave a quiet moan as she leaned into him all the more.

She pulled him down ever so slightly, whispering into his ear with a sultry, quiet voice, "Why don't you come down a little lower and find out."

He couldn't help the smirk that came to his lips, and he leaned down, pressing his lips against her ear, her jaw then the side of her neck, the hollow of her shoulder, down to the planes of her chest, his hands coming to her sides where his thumbs not so innocently ran over the middle of her breasts, giving her teasing, winding circles through the fabric and Petra gave a whimper as she allowed her eyes to flutter closed.

He moved lower still, pulling her even closer as he pressed his lips over the exposed tops of her breasts, a small line of cleavage presented by the dress's dipped neckline, and he kissed her softly, more slowly, as he took a breath and willed his heart rate to fall back under control.

"I want this Petra, so damn bad-"

"Me too." She agreed quickly in an exhale, and Levi shook his head.

"But I want to do this for you. Us going out, I mean." Levi's words had caused Petra to stall in place, pulling away from him ever so slightly to give him a confused stare, and Levi took a small step back and continued, struggling to look her in the eye because he knew that all it would take was one wrong move, a single kiss or a touch of her hand, and he'd press her into the bed and forget all about their date night entirely because the woman was impossible to refuse.

"Look, I don't know what shit I'm supposed to do or whatever but I figured you deserve a man who takes you out, and shows you off, and makes you feel special. I already said you're distracting as hell, so take that for what it's worth and remember that I'm just a man who's trying to behave and not jump you. Don't make this harder than it has to be because I'm trying to do this right and you're not making it easy. We can pick this back up later, Pet – just let me take you out tonight first, okay?."

Eventually, Levi took a single glance toward her, pleased when she was watching him with a shy smile, "You mean it Captain? You really, seriously want to take me on a date?"

"Yeah."

She smiled and gave a single nod, "Well in that case, I accept. Let me put on my shoes and…we can head out."

He smirked as he watched her move to the doorway of his room, his eyes trailing down her form and the way her hips swayed as she walked. He clicked his tongue and responded simply, "But for the record, I am taking you out on an official first date…and I'm really banking that you'll put out in the end. You know, assuming you're that type of girl after all."

She gave a laugh, making a point of bending over languidly, presenting a single foot as she began fixing her shoes in a way that drew his eyes to her long legs and the way her dress had risen up a few inches over her thighs. She caught his stare, and she gave a coy smile when his expression turned suspicious, "Impress me Captain, and I just might."

…

...

"What's that?"

Petra's eyes had brightened in clear anticipation, to such an extent that Levi almost snorted at how easily he had grabbed her attention with such a simple, small gesture.

"Impressive. Took you about a millisecond to notice, and then a millisecond after that to actually ask about it." He watched her with a knowing smirk, amused all the more when Petra tried to sober her expression with little success, because as much as she tried to play it off, it was obvious that Petra liked getting things.

The source of her sudden anticipation had stemmed from what he was now holding - a small, rectangular box a little longer than his palm that was held together with a simple black ribbon. It had been tucked away within the confines of his jacket for the entire night, up until now. After finally reaching into his inner pocket to pull it out, Petra had noticed it almost simultaneously and her entire face had lit up all at once.

She ignored his smug grin and nodded toward the box with enthusiasm, "Is that for me? It is, isn't it."

Her voice continued to betray her obvious excitement, and Levi nodded simply and placed the box down on the table they had been seated at – a quiet table in the back of some fancy restaurant that Levi had been to on more than one occasion, usually for business dinners or shareholder meetings.

When Petra reached across the table for it, Levi cleared his throat and gave a single shake of his head, "Oi, the hell are you doing? Keep your hands to yourself, woman. You're not supposed to open it."

At his words, her obvious excitement had quite dramatically shifted the other way as her mouth dropped open in clear horror and she looked between him and the small box in outrage, "Wh- wait, what? But…you said it's for me!"

He merely nodded, "Sure, but that doesn't mean you get to open it now."

She looked horrified and pressed her lips together into a pout, "But then…if I can't even open it, why did you bring it out in the first place?"

"To fuck with you." He stated simply, and at her unhappy, sullen glare, he gave a conceding shrug, "That, and the corners have been jabbing me in the chest every time I turn, so that may or may not have been a contributing factor as well."

A few minutes passed by of Levi watching her in pointed amusement, Petra watching the box in obvious frustration and curiosity, and the small ginger eventually gave a groan because it was just sitting on the table, taunting her. She pursed her lips together, still staring at the small box in puzzlement and she looked up toward her husband with narrowed, appraising eyes, "A proposition Captain, if you wanted to make it more interesting. I guess what's in it, and I get to open it."

His lip twitched and he shook his head, "Terrible proposition Petra, because I have nothing to gain from it by letting you guess at all."

At his predictable rejection, Petra shot him a smug grin of her own and she crossed her arms, "Oh you stand to benefit from it, Levi. I just can't get into the details, what with us being in public like this. It really wouldn't be appropriate."

He almost chuckled and nodded his head at her suggestive counteroffer, eventually giving a shrug because it was fascinating to see how far she would go from sheer curiosity, and he supposed it wouldn't hurt to let her try. "Alright, but just remember this was your idea. If you're serious, then I have some ground rules. You don't have all night – you have here at dinner. Also, nothing vague, like 'clothes' for example. Be specific, or it doesn't count. If you can guess correctly before we leave, then you can open it for yourself as promised. If you don't, well, I'll just look forward to you holding up your end of the deal later on when we get back home."

She gave him a grin, "Don't hold your breath, Captain. I've learned a lot about you – its been over seven months now and I may know you better than you think. It should be a simple matter, actually, given enough thought at least."

"Oh, you think so? I could have put anything in that box you know."

"Ah, but you wouldn't put just 'anything' in the box, and we both know that. So the question here is, what does Captain Levi give his wife on a first date?" She shrugged at the guarded expression he was watching her with, and she watched him with a coy smile, "Guess we'll find out, right? Now, how many guesses do I get?"

"Doesn't matter." Levi stated matter of factly, "Because you're not going to get it right, no matter how many guesses I give you – but by all means, you're welcome to prove me wrong. You tell me Petra, what's in the box?"

The ginger had sat back in her chair at the issued challenge, a serious expression coming to her face as she thought the question over for a long while. In a way, it was almost amusing how quiet she had become, as though she were truly giving the matter deep thought and confident that if she thought it over from every angle, the answer would eventually become obvious.

The waiter had come by with their drinks, soups and salads, and Levi was quite certain that had she been on a date with anyone else, her suddenly quiet behavior would have been off putting, because it had easily been some twenty minutes without a single word spoken between them.

They had eaten quietly, Levi not offended by her behavior in the least – rather entirely amused by her pinpointed focus, and Petra still thinking it over from every possible angle.

After the waiter had come and delivered their entrees, Petra had taken a few bites, chewing slowly in thought, and then wiping her mouth off with a napkin as she looked toward Levi with a serious expression, "Alright first off, this is very good Captain, so I'll say you picked a really nice restaurant because the food has been amazing. I'm curious, how did you come by it?"

Levi watched her flatly as he grabbed his fork and began poking at his food, "I know what you're doing, Petra, and I'll even admit that it's not a bad attempt, but regardless, you're going to have to be more clever than that if you're looking for hints."

The ginger looked outright confused by his odd choice of response to what had been a simple turn of conversation, until Levi continued to stare her down all the more, and she eventually groaned in defeat as she shot him an embarrassed, shy grin, "Damn, I thought I had you too. In my defense, the restaurant itself – for one it really is good – but what matters here-"

"Is the judgement call as to why I picked this place specifically, I know. You think that if you understand my motive for one piece of our date, you can use that as a cornerstone for the rest."

She nodded, "That's the idea anyway. Let's say you had told me that Eld recommended this place, that might mean that you're a little nervous. You don't trust your judgement but don't want the night to go badly, so you are turning to someone else and hoping they know better. Admittedly that might make the guessing a little more difficult, considering it would be someone else giving you pointers, but that more likely means the gift is more impersonal and feminine as a whole – jewelry, chocolate, things like that."

She watched him evenly, looking for the slightest reaction to her words, and when he merely watched her with the same unreadable expression, she took a few more bites of her food and then continued, "Or, let's say that this is your favorite restaurant or that you come here all the time, that means to some extent you are sticking to what you know – and that also narrows down the type of thing you might want to give me as well. Nothing outlandish or risky, just something nice – something you know I'll love, where the risk is minimal because you already know the outcome, in the exact same way you would know your favorite menu item at a familiar restaurant. I noticed that you didn't look at your menu, by the way. How's your food, Captain? As good as you remember?"

He couldn't help when his lip twitched and he nodded, "Not bad at all, Petra."

When Petra beamed at him, Levi sat up more straight into his chair and continued, "See you can smile like that all you want, but you haven't even taken a single guess and for the record, I'm not the type to just sit and chat. When we're done eating, I'd like to head out so your window of opportunity is coming to an end."

"Oh, are we on a tight timetable or something, Levi? Why might that be, Captain?"

"I'm not answering that." He stated blandly, both of them taking a few more bites before he spoke further, "I'm actually curious as to what your thoughts are at this point. You spent all this time staring me down like that – I'd like to know your theories."

She set her fork down and gave a slow nod, seeming to organize her thoughts in her mind as she responded, "Okay I'll tell you, but…but if I'm way off you can't laugh at me or whatever. The way I see it, you aren't the kind of guy to be pushed around or told what to do, and you only ask for help if your back is against the wall. All that to say, I feel pretty comfortable assuming that tonight is a result of your own ideas. However with that being said, you are trying to pay me back for last night and naturally that didn't leave you with a lot of time for planning, so that means you're somewhat winging it – which also changes things a bit."

Levi took a drink of his water, setting the glass down and giving a slight exhale, "How do you know I didn't have something like this planned out months ago, where all I needed was just an open day on the calendar?"

Petra gave him a warm smile and watched him in amusement, "Because a few months ago you hardly knew what you yourself wanted, let alone what I would want."

"You think so, huh?"

Petra shrugged innocently, "I'm just saying. I really don't think you would have planned something big for us – a date night or otherwise - what, over two months ago?"

Levi gave a small smile and nodded back toward the box pointedly, "Alright, so what's your guess?"

Petra clicked her tongue, "Well I couldn't open it before, and I think that's because we'll need it later - I'm going to guess it's got something to do with the rest of our date. You feel guilty about last night – when I've told you you shouldn't – and I think you want to do something that is more personal to you, to try and make up for it."

Petra took a breath, poking at her food hesitantly and she looked toward the box again, "Are we…going stargazing maybe? Are those binoculars?"

When Levi blinked in surprise, Petra gave an immediate sigh at his expression and groaned, "Oh with a look like that, there's no way. I'm way off, huh? Damn. I thought it was a good guess too."

Levi took a breath and almost mumbled in admitted shock, "It's actually a really good guess. I mean, you are wrong but…" he cleared his throat forcefully and watched her in curious suspicion, "How did you…"

Petra knew where his question was going and she almost sighed forlornly, "Everyone's got something Captain. Waterfalls, rainbows, snowflakes." She pointed to herself and gave an embarrassed groan, "For me its sunsets, and for you…it's the stars. You've always liked looking at them – I've known that much for years, but I could always tell it was more of a personal, secret hobby of yours so I never brought it up. I've been wondering what the rest of the night would look like, and I kinda figured that maybe you planned on taking me to your secret stargazing spot. I know you have one. I just don't know where it is and I know that its a special spot for you when you want to be alone so, it's fine."

When Levi stared at her in even greater surprise, his mouth slightly parted as he stared at her in amazement, Petra felt a blush come to her face, "But you said I was wrong so…I guess all that effort was a bust. I don't even have any other theories where it would be just blind guessing so…I suppose I admit defeat. You were right Captain, I have no damn clue what's in there."

Levi gave a small chuckle and shrugged, "Well if it makes you feel better, you're on the right track and…that actually was a hell of a guess. Next time." He gave her a pleased nod and repeated himself, "Next time, if you'd like to see it then I'll take you there, when we have the time. It's best in the winter, but I'll warn you now that it gets cold as hell. It's worth it though; at least, I've always thought so. I don't know if I've ever used anything like binoculars though – I just like looking at them as is but it's not a bad idea at all, if you wanted to make a night of it."

Petra sighed and watched him with a hopeful smile, "And the fact that I was on the right track…"

The Captain smirked and returned back to his dish with a snort, "Oh it means jack shit. Impressive in its own way I guess, but there are no consolation prizes for losers in this game. You still get to wait, and I think my line here is I fucking told you so."

Petra took another wistful look at the box and sighed; her curiosity still just as rampant, if not made worse by the fact that she knew she had been so close but not actually able to guess its contents in the end.

"How long until I get to open it?" Petra asked miserably, and Levi gave her a sadistic half grin.

"Oh you'll get to open it, Petra."

She groaned and returned back to her dish with a resigned nod, certain that it was going to be a good, but long night.

…

…

They had walked the streets for a few hours, and while it had only happened a few times, as they had walked, Levi would point out a store or a person they had seen in town, commenting on various interactions he had had, business meetings or amusing interactions he felt like sharing with her. Petra would grin ear to ear, because not surprisingly, the Captain knew a lot more than he let on and she could only imagine the stories he could tell her.

Their time in town had been casual and nothing more than a simple night out, and yet it was still undeniably special because they were there together, intentionally spending time together as a couple. As they walked past all the store fronts and the fall night eventually brought a chill to the air, Petra had shivered, wishing she had thought to buy a dress with sleeves or something because most nights tended to get cold this time of year. Levi had offered her an arm, asking her what her opinion was on hot chocolate because he just so happened to know a place.

When they got back to the compound a few hours later, Petra had asked in a pout if she was ever going to be able to open her present considering the date was all but over, and Levi had smacked her on the back of the head, telling her that if she just let them walk the hundred feet to his office that she'd get what she wanted. In a jump of excitement, she had grabbed his hand and all but dragged him down the hallway because her curiosity was driving her mad.

The look on her face when she got to his office however, Levi had almost snorted outright when she gripped the handle once, noticed it didn't budge, and turned around and gave him the most offended, distraught look.

"You locked the door? You are doing this all on purpose!"

Seeing his smug stare, she gave an impatient sigh, rubbing her forehead as she shot him a playful pout, "You know Captain, you're damn lucky that you're so attractive, otherwise I'd have to throttle you."

She was looking back toward the door, reaching a hand to one side toward the Captain, "Fine then, jokes on me or whatever. I'll admit the curiosity is eating me alive - it's gotta be something special if you made a point of locking the guys out like this. That, or you're just milking this for everything that its worth in attempts to torture me. Is it-"

Much to her surprise, it was then that Levi placed the same small box into her hand, effectively silencing her outright as she stalled in place from sudden question. She looked at the box, then at Levi in confusion, and when he nodded toward the box expectantly, she slowly began to untie the ribbon, gently pulling off the lid in a stunned stupor.

Inside there was a small leather…it seemed to be some sort of rolled case or satchel? She pulled it out gently, even more puzzled now because even after seeing it, she still didn't know what she was holding.

"Unroll it and take a look." Levi stated from beside her, and Petra nodded, untying the small leather strings and unrolling it curiously to find a collection of metal rods and pokers – almost reminding her of something she might see at a dentist's office or something.

"Now don't get too excited Petra, this is just a basic set but even still it's enough to do the job – especially for something simple like this." Levi had moved directly behind her then, his fingers tracing down her forearms and he grabbed a few of the metal rods out of the leather case with a sigh, his voice low as he spoke lightly, "Now, pay attention. When you're working a lock, it's important to keep in mind that-"

Petra's lips had parted in wonder and she looked over her shoulder toward her Captain, then to the door, then the locked doorhandle, and it was then that she realized exactly what was going on and what her present was.

"Levi are you…are you teaching me how to pick a lock?"

His voice was warm as he responded, his breath wafting over the back of her neck from a quiet laugh, "Well…you want to learn, right? I'm not an expert mind you, but I can show you a few techniques – give you an even footing with the guys at least."

At his simple explanation, Petra looked at the case in her hand – a set of lock picks apparently – and she couldn't help the laugh of disbelief that left her throat as a large smile came to her face.

Levi had planned this for her.

He had taken the time out of his day to plan a night out with her – her specifically – in mind, and that knowledge alone brought a dumb grin to her face as an elated giggle left her throat, "Oh my god – Levi! I just…wow, you actually went through this sort of trouble for me? Captain, you're just…so cool! And you're right, I never, never would have guessed this in a million years. Best first date ever. This is amazing!"

He rolled his eyes, although there was a certain satisfaction that filled his chest after hearing that Petra approved of his…admittedly unorthodox choice, and he gave a nod as he looked back toward the door handle purposefully, "Yeah yeah, it's a cool first date. Now come on – get your hands up here because some of this is hard to explain. It's all about patience, and working the tumblers bit by bit until things shift into place. It's not technically difficult, but the more you practice, the more you'll have a feel for it."

Levi had moved his wrists and with a few twists, a pop could be heard and Petra blinked.

"…Wait, that was it? I didn't even…that took you like half a second!"

Levi stood up more fully, opening the newly unlocked door just enough to press the lock back into place and then close the door once again. "I told you, these locks are pretty damn easy. For things like this, a whole kit isn't really necessary because a bobby pin or needle would work just fine, but hell, if you find that you end up having a knack for it, you can work your way up to things that are more complicated or crafted against tampering. Granted, picking locks is usually seen as more of a shady skill and there's no denying that, but there's times where the ability to pick a lock really, really comes in handy."

Petra grinned smugly, "And you think I might take to it?"

Levi moved the thin tool carefully, a focused expression across his face and when the lock gave another successful pop, he shrugged, "Well, you've surprised me before." Again he relocked the door from the other side and pressed the tools into her hands with a nod, "Give it a shot, Pet."

It had taken her a few tries, a few probing questions like 'Would you say it feels like a scraping or a clicking?' or 'How can I tell if I'm making progress, or if I'm just stabbing the tumblers over and over again?' but she had eventually gotten the hang of it, and after a solid twenty minutes of coaching, she could almost unlock it as quickly as Levi himself.

He had reminded her as they stepped into the room – not to burst her bubble, but that he wasn't exactly a locksmith and during his time in the Underground, if they were taking a job where actual lock picking skills were required, Farlan had always taken the lead. Given enough effort, it wouldn't be hard for her to surpass him entirely – if she ever decided to make it a hobby of sorts.

"So is that everything, Captain? That you planned for our date night, I mean."

They walked into his office and Levi moved to the edge of his desk, halfway sitting on the ledge as he nodded at her, "To be frank, that's all I have planned out for our 'date' but…there was one more thing I thought we could do, depending on your thoughts, I guess."

Petra moved beside him, propping herself onto the ledge of the desk and giving a small, cheeky grin, "Oh, I think I know just what you mean. I'll have you know that this was an excellent date so you better believe that I'm putting out – on our first date no less. Besides, I have a bet I need to settle with you, and I don't like having my debts go unpaid so you best be ready for a long night, Captain."

Levi gave an amused, half smirk and he crossed his arms, "Good, I'm glad to hear it - but that's not actually what I meant. Its something else, and all things considered, it's probably one where you'll want to keep your clothes on."

Before Petra could question him on it, Levi looked toward her seriously, bringing a hand up and tracing a lock of her hair between his thumb and index finger as he spoke, "The expedition is next week and you know how busy we're all going to be. I remember you talking about your hair and…well, do you still want to cut it? If memory serves you normally cut it yourself but even still, if you want the help or an extra set of eyes, figured I'd at least offer."

His words had surprised her, and Levi carefully tucked the hair behind her ear, looking at her seriously, "It's up to you of course, I just figured that if you were serious and you find longer hair distracting then this would be a good time."

Petra looked toward him directly, shaking her head in uncertainty as she spoke, "But you like my hair long, Levi. I know you do."

"I do." He agreed easily, "It's long and damn stunning like this, I mean hell, it's reaching your shoulder blades now but…it's just hair, Petra. You've got plenty going on for you where you don't need long hair to distract the hell out of me, if that's what you're worried about. If you want it long then that's fine, but keeping it like this on my account is a stupid reason."

She remained quiet for an extended moment, and she eventually sighed, raking her fingers through her hair nervously and looking into the floor for a long while. Eventually, she sighed, "I wish I felt differently, but I do want to cut it, Captain. Thank you. I know I don't need your permission or anything but still, I really do appreciate your not trying to guilt me into growing it out. Do you have scissors in here? You're probably right in that it's as good a time as any."

Levi nodded, "Yeah, got scissors, mirror, a spray bottle if you want to wet your hair down first, a couple of combs – I'm not sure what you normally use so I grabbed a bit of everything."

The Captain sat up from the desk and moved one of the chairs to the center of the room, grabbing the supplies out from one of his desk drawers and nodding toward her, "You go ahead and get started, and I'll go grab a broom."

…

...

A few hours later, after a haircut and a certain subordinate pressing her Captain against the wall, asking if he was finally ready to hear all of the details of what her previous offer in town had entailed, where Levi merely chuckled at the promising look in her eye as she began moving her hands lower down his pant line, Petra and Levi were now relaxed in his bed – the Captain's room being their preferred room of choice due to its larger size and favorable location at the opposite end of the hallway where they wouldn't be easily overheard by the rest of the squad.

"Is it okay, if I stay in here tonight?" Petra asked quietly, and Levi nodded.

"Yeah. Tomorrow too, if you want."

She smiled at the offer and inched herself even closer toward him, rubbing the back of her neck and giving a small laugh, "It's been a while since my hair has been at this length. My neck kind of feels cold."

A silence fell between the pair and Petra sighed in contentment when Levi brought a hand around her side, pulling her against him all the more and wordlessly pressing his cool lips against the more accessible skin of her neck with a gentle kiss of approval. Petra giggled at the tickle of his breath, and even the Captain gave an amused hum at the feminine squeak that had left her.

Petra pulled back just slightly and gave him a shy, embarrassed smile, "You know…it's a shame that Captain Levi doesn't go on that many dates - he's pretty smooth when he wants to be."

At her comment, she could feel his lips pull into a smirk and Levi shrugged, silent for a few moments as he picked his words, "It all depends on the company, I suppose." He paused again and almost whispered in thought, "I've never really had a reason to, until now I guess."

Petra could feel a blush rise over her face and she was about to turn slightly to her side, attempting to start the process of allowing herself to fall asleep, but Levi's voice grabbed her attention again.

"Petra. Next week – during the training and the expedition and all. Don't do anything stupid, and don't you dare fucking die. That's an order, okay? You're coming back in one piece."

"…Understood, sir."

…

End of Chapter

...

That will wrap it up for this section as well. This might make some of you all cringe, but I debated for a long time whether I would write their date night out or not, simply because I am a long winded writer (glances back at almost 90 chapters and shudders) and so I'm really trying to be decisive about what is necessary for the plot, versus what is just me as an author going 'wouldn't it be cool if' and having a plot that is arduously longer than necessary, simply due to me being not disciplined enough to stick to the plot and get things tied up in a logical, orderly fashion.

However, I do feel a huge section of this story is the repetitive (and needed) head nod to Petra's growth in career, relations with the squad and her growth as a person – but also Levi himself. As a Captain who once confidently told her he didn't want anything with her, that nothing would change between them or the squad or anything else, that he could marry her without it impacting his day to day life in the slightest – I feel a chapter like this that points to so many other parts of the story, his dating, the lockpicking, him remembering her desire to cut her hair before the Expedition…

In the end, I figured that eighty some chapters did justify a real legitimate date, and so here we are. As for future updates, allow me the selfishness to say I don't know? At least in terms of next week or not. Sundays are still my golden day and I'm not putting this story on hiatus, so don't worry about that. I'm happy to report that I have actually gotten more ideas fleshed out and I don't feel I'm working through writer's block anymore, but like someone said, in a time where our couple is so busy and only rubbing shoulders as they pass by, it hasn't exactly been material that's been writing itself and I'm wanting to make sure that all my details are congruent and that as I write out the last few chapters.

Believe it or not, but we're pretty close to the end guys! It's been a wild ride! So I may update on Sunday, or may take the next one off and come to you after that. I'm not normally the person to say subscribe, but if you're not already getting those email alerts, it may be a good time so you don't have to sit and wonder about if the update will happen or not. Thanks for your patience and I'll see you soon, when I'm ready to let the next chapter loose!

~Mid