Civilian-Petra Part III

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Previously: Levi's squad sees Levi having a "date" with a beautiful woman and speculate about his love life. They begin spying on them.

Prompt by Ems-g: Civilian-Petra

"C'mon, Captain, aren't you ever going to tell us?" Connie whined, watching Levi mount his horse.

"Yeah!" Sasha said enthusiastically. "The mystery's killing us!"

"No. Keep annoying me, though. I'm sure I'll remember some chores that need to be taken care of."

They fell silent at that. Mikasa made sure Levi was well out of hearing range before she spoke. "I don't understand why you do that."

"We already know what he's been up to," Jean said, nodding.

"Yeah, but we don't want him getting suspicious," Eren explained. "He knows we want to know where he disappears off to."

"We're a curious bunch," Armin agreed. "So if we don't bring it up every now and then it might look suspicious. I don't think he'd immediately jump to the conclusion we don't ask because we already know. But better to exercise caution. On the other hand, if we really want to minimize risk to our safety, we should probably stop spying on them."

"C'mon, Armin." Sasha threw an arm around his shoulders as they made way for the stables to get ready their own horses and follow their captain. Knowing his destination, they could take their time without fear of losing him. "It's harmless."

"Besides, we mostly hang-out and talk with each other," Connie pointed out. "It's not like our eyes and ears are glued to them the entire time." Aside from the first time, they did mostly leave the two alone.

"Say, how many dates have they been on already?" Jean asked curiously. "Ten at least by my estimate. Why haven't moved forward yet?"

"He doesn't hold her hand when they walk." Eren recalled the two walking around one day. Squad Levi nearly had heart attacks when their captain and his girlfriend had stepped out of the tea shop and left together somewhere, sure they'd been caught. "Even for someone who wants the relationship to go slow, that's a little...pathetic."

"Maybe her hand is gross and sweaty," Mikasa suggested. "No. That doesn't seem right." He was the type of man who would complain about such a thing. She'd either get offended or fix it. "Maybe she's shy, too."

Armin wanted to bring up the possibility that maybe the two were just friends. But he'd sensed the attraction between them, even from where he and the others sat.

Occasionally, for a few seconds, neither would speak and their eyes would hold each other's gaze, their expressions tender. It was as if it were just the two of them in their own little bubble and the rest of the world didn't exist. Maybe their relationship was platonic on the surface. But there's definitely something cooking underneath that neither realizes or is too afraid to admit to.

Levi was at their usual table, nodding to the waiter, Gunther, as he placed a cup of delicious steaming tea before him. He was content to wait patiently for Petra. While he enjoyed the atmosphere and the tea, his mind began to wander to his squad. They weren't acting any differently from their usual annoying yet endearing selves but something was off. Levi couldn't put his finger on what it was.

He continued to sit, relaxed, watching Petra enter and disappear into the back before joining him, her own cup of tea in hand. "Hi, Levi," she greeted with a lovely smile. He grunted. "I hope you weren't waiting too long."

"No." He listened to her chatter away. Levi liked the sound of her voice. Talking to her was comfortable. And her opinions never irritated the crap out of him. She was intelligent and knew when to admit she was wrong or unknowledgeable about a subject thus staying neutral. He couldn't stand people who blathered on about things beyond their understanding out of sheer pride.

"I read in the newspaper the number of people willing to join the Survey Corps and actually going through and joining has increased dramatically."

Levi rolled his eyes.

"Is that not true?"

"It's true. Now that there's the Titan guillotine making the job easier with almost no danger, suddenly everyone wants to 'do their part.'" The last part was spoken with his voice dripping with disdain.

Petra nodded. "They want to cash in on the success and fame you guys have while before, they would have complained about the Corps being a waste of tax money or a place where only idiots go or both." There was an understanding in her eyes and he knew, before she even said the words, that she got it. "All those soldiers who actually fought and died for the cause are forgotten by the masses. Now the latecomers and band-wagoners get the praise."

It was unfair, Levi thought bitterly.

"I never mentioned this before, but, I initially wanted to join the Survey Corps instead of opening a tea shop."

He knew she wasn't the kind of person to say something like that just to impress him, so he knew she was being honest and was curious to know. "Why didn't you?"

"My father hurt himself. We had no one so it was up to me to take care of him while he recovered. His heart became weaker and I couldn't bring myself to join. It was one thing risking my own life. I'd have happily given it to a worthy cause. But my father on the other hand..."

Levi nodded. "I think you made the right choice." The sweet smile his words brought made his heart do a funny little jump. A jump his heart normally only did when in dire situations, but in that instance, it felt good. Really good. There was a surprisingly pleasant sensation tingling all over his body.

"Oh." Petra perked up. "I have a surprise for you!" She gestured eagerly to one of the staff.

"A surprise?" Levi asked warily. "I'm not really a fan of surprises."

"You'll love this one!" Something about his expression must have conveyed his uneasy feelings because she caved. "Fine. We have a new flavor of tea. You'll be the first customer to try it."

A new flavor? That was one surprise he could get behind. While the tea was being brewed, Petra continued to talk. He nodded, speaking occasionally.

It was then Levi noticed it.

He caught sight of the back of three heads outside the window and across the street: one had straight black hair, the middle had brown hair, and the third had light-brown hair with a shaved undercut much like his own.

A look of dismay stretched across his face. "Levi?" Petra inquired when he said no word, still staring out the window. "What are you looking at? Those six kids?"

His head snapped to look at her. "How do you know it's six?" It was difficult to tell exactly how many were seated across from the three. But he had a pretty good reason to guess it was three.

"The owner is a friend of mine. She was telling me about them. They're a lively bunch and they come every other Saturday. Do you know them?"

There was no doubt who they were when Eren casually glanced over his shoulder and saw a pissed looking Levi glaring back.

Eren yelped in shock and fear, fighting down the urge to get up and run. "Oh fuck!"

Everyone instinctively ducked their heads.

"Uh guys, I think it's too late for that," he said nervously.

"We're so dead," Jean groaned, shoulders hunched.

"Levi?" They heard a female voice call out. No doubt their captain was stomping his way over right now. They were too chicken to look.

"Okay, we'll pretend this was an accident and it's the first time—"

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Levi demanded, interrupting Sasha.

"Oh, hey, Captain Levi," Connie began in blatantly faked surprise. "Funny seeing you here."

"This is a total coincidence! I swear!" Eren blurted. Sasha kicked his shin under the table. "Ow!"

"Do you... Is this your squad?" Petra asked curiously.

"Hello, ma'am, I'm Mikasa Ackerman," she introduced herself politely and started a conversation before Levi could yell at them. "I'm Levi's family. Very nice to meet you. And these are my teammates."

"I'm Armin Arlert."

"Jean Kirstein, ma'am."

"Sasha Blouse."

"She doesn't care—" Levi began.

"Hey, now, that's not true. So this is your squad so talk so much about, huh? They all look like such nice kids." She smiled at them and they beamed at her.

Eren jumped out of his seat. "Why don't you sit, Ms. Petra?"

Before Levi could say or do anything, she sat down. "Why thank you...?"

"Eren," he supplied. "Eren Yeager." He pulled an extra chair from an adjacent empty table and sat with Petra between him and Levi.

"Thank you, Eren."

"I'm Connie Springer. I'm sorry but Captain Levi never told us he had a girlfriend, much less her name."

"My name's Petra Ral. It's nice to meet you all. Levi talks about you guys a lot. But why would you think I'm his girlfriend?"

"We know Captain Levi. We see the way he looks at you," Sasha said.

"Oh?" Petra covered her mouth with one hand, smiling. She looked at the man in question. "Is that so?" Levi growled, turning his furious look on the pony-tailed girl. "I want to hear this," she said, grabbing his arm. He could have easily ripped it away but she felt no resistance and was quite pleased.

They all exchanged a knowing glance.

Those smug, knowing looks and looking at each other that way, he suddenly recalled them doing that several months back. These little shits! Levi fumed silently. Had they known the entire time?

Connie was grinning, eyes twinkling mischievously. "It's like he's a thirsty man and you're a tall, cold glass of water he'd like—"

"That's enough now," Mikasa interrupted, noticing Levi changing colors. "The truth is we saw you and Ms. Petra months ago. We were bored and looking for a place to eat when we found out accidentally."

"So you decided to start spying on us?" Levi demanded, his severe look causing them to flinch.

Petra nodded. "That was quite rude of you. You shouldn't be watching people, especially when they're unaware. It's an invasion of privacy. You wouldn't like it very much if someone did that to you while you wanted some space and peace and quiet, would you?"

They bowed their heads.

"You owe us an apology."

They mumbled out their apologies in unison.

"Well, you look like you understand what you did was wrong and it seems like you're genuinely apologetic. And it won't happen again, correct?"

"No, ma'am," six voices spoke at once.

"Okay, then. I believe you."

They smiled brightly at her.

"Don't look so relieved. Petra may be fine with letting you off with a mild scolding but I'm not. Wait till we get back to HQ," Levi threatened, the look on his face promising long, tortuous hours of cleaning.

"Great." Connie slumped in his chair. "He's gonna make us scrub every inch of the castle with a toothbrush."

Petra giggled. "Wow, that's quite an exaggeration."

"Oh no," Armin said. "It's not. He's a massive clean-freak and proud of it."

"Damn straight." Levi grabbed a chair and sat between Petra and Sasha. He could tell they weren't budging anytime soon. Might as well make himself comfortable. It was their day off and he couldn't order them around. Neither could he leave them alone with Petra. Who knew what nonsense they might tell her?

"I imagine he will be very annoying to live with once you're married," Sasha said, the corporal's glare sliding right off her. "But he can do all the cleaning which means less chores for you so everyone's happy!"

"We're not getting married," he said.

"Sasha!" Jean said in disapproval. "Don't put more pressure on him."

"Yeah." Mikasa frowned. "At this rate, we'll end up married and with children of our own before he works up the nerve to ask her." She gave the amused redhead a pitying look.

"You guys have the wrong idea." Petra held up her hands. "We're only friends."

"Friends who wanna bang each other's brains out."

"I heard that, Springer. You'll be cleaning the toilets."

"But, Captain!"

"Really," Petra said, blushing lightly. "Nothing's happening between us."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Yeager. We're not all dense like you."

Petra changed the topic and they were content to learn more about each other. Levi had never sat around and talked, hung-out with his squad like that before. It was surprisingly nice. Especially once they dropped the topic of his love life.

"I like her," Armin said as Squad Levi rode back to HQ. "She's very nice and charming."

"You picked a good one," Eren declared.

Jean smirked. "Yeah, she actually genuinely finds you funny. She's doesn't laugh just to spare your feelings."

They giggled at that while Levi rolled his eyes and said, "Shut up."

Sasha's eyes sparkled with mischief. "And she's shorter than you. So you don't have to spend the rest of your life looking up to her, too, and finally give your poor neck a break when you're with her!"

More laughter.

"We just want you to know we approve," Mikasa said. "Especially me. You have my blessing as your only family."

"Gee, thanks." Sarcasm dripped from his tone.

"Will we have to wear a cravat to the wedding?" Connie asked. "No offense but they look kind of silly. I look better in a tie."

"Why are you all so obsessed with Petra and I having a romantic relationship? Why don't you sort out your own loves lives first?" Levi shot Mikasa a pointed look before glancing at Eren. Who was oblivious. Of course he was, the idiot.

"We're young. You're old," Sasha said bluntly. "We have time. You don't."

"I'm not that old." Honestly, they made him sound like he was sixty or something.

"You're always whining about being old. And calling us brats. Doesn't that make you an old man?" Jean pointed out.

"Since when did you all stop fearing me?" Levi said, scowling fiercely.

"When you smiled after Historia got you back and dared you to try and grab her now that she was the queen. Your secret is out, Captain Levi. We know you have a hard exterior but you're fluffy and gooey on the inside," Connie said, snickering.

"I am not gooey. That sounds disgusting."

"Well, we're just saying. Who knows what'll happen?" Mikasa shrugged. "You have to make the most of the time you have. Or else you might end up regretting not going for love when you had the chance."

Two weeks later, Squad Levi was sitting around, playing cards. True to his word, Levi had dumped a ton of chores on them as soon as they were back on duty. Ten minutes ago, he had left at his usual time to meet Petra, warning them not to stick their noses in his business again.

"Do you think he'll go for her?" Eren asked. Terrible as he was at controlling his emotions, especially in the face of Jean's prodding, he had lost the game and was watching his squadmates play.

Mikasa's face was perfectly blank. "Who knows? He's as stubborn as a jackass."

"How can he not see how perfect she is for him?" Sasha, who also had a terrible poker face, was watching rather than playing.

"He's had a hard life," Armin said. "And he doesn't have a lot of friends. Maybe he's worried she's not interested or he'll screw things up."

"So he's content with what he has? I guess I can see that." Connie nodded. "But you can't go on like that forever."

"And some things are worth the risk," Jean added.

The others nodded, murmuring in agreement.

"Why do you keep smiling at me like that?"

"I'm waiting for you to ask me out."

"You shouldn't take the brats' words seriously," Levi said.

"Why not?" Petra noted the slight discomfort in his body language. His squad's words had given her courage. She had been growing surer of her own feelings but had remained doubtful about his. Not anymore.

He put the teacup down. Having known her for a while now, realizing it wasn't light teasing, Levi regarded her seriously. "My first priority will be the Survey Corps and our mission."

"I know."

"You'll be happier with a man who puts you first."

"I told you, I wanted to join the Survey Corps and devote my life to them. Loyalty and self-sacrifice for the cause you believe in, the thing that you think makes you a bad choice for me is actually what attracts you the most to me."

He felt a jolt at her words. That warm, pleasant sensation was filling him again. Maybe his squad hadn't been babbling nonsense after all. Of course they weren't. He'd just assumed he had no chance and tried to save face. But now, now he had a chance. "Are you sure?" Levi asked almost fearfully, lest she change her mind.

"Yes."

"It's going to take a while. A long time. Possibly years," he warned.

"I'll wait for you," Petra promised readily.

He closed his eyes, letting her words sink in. "Then I promise," he told her, determined, reaching for her hand, "I will come back to you."

A wide, beautiful smile blossomed on Petra's face. She squeezed his fingers. "Are you going to tell your squad? They're going to be overjoyed."

"Hell no. They're going to be the very last ones to find out."

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