Chapter 3: Dangerous

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Previously: Petra holds Levi captive. She meets Farlan and helps Isabel. Petra frees Levi. Farlan tries to convince him to let Petra join. She says yes.

"Yes!" Isabel pumped her fist in the air and cheered. "There's another girl in the group!"

Petra couldn't help but smile at her antics, reminded slightly of Hange when the subject of Titans came up. Levi made a sound of annoyance, grumbling, "Okay, we get it, you're excited. But it's been three days now so tone it down!"

Her eyes watered up and she pouted. "Big brother's so mean to me!"

Petra resisted the urge to giggle as Levi caved and petted her head, telling her something about buying her a treat. Petra was delighted to see this side of her captain. They may not be related by blood, but their bond is stronger than blood siblings. Her attention was diverted as they neared their destination. The people on the street moved out of their way. These three must some reputation. Petra attracted many curious eyes as well. Out of habit, she'd kept her hair hidden.

"Stay close," Farlan whispered. They would soon be passing through one of the more gang-infested areas. "I'm from here originally."

"Really?" Petra was curious. Farlan seemed like such a nice person. She wondered how he got involved in gang activity.

"Yeah, actually, I used to lead a gang." He looked reminisce. "The first time I met Levi, I tried to trick him so we could rob him."

She wasn't expecting that. "What happened?"

"He saw through me," Farlan admitted sheepishly. "It wasn't long after that we ended up becoming friends."

"When did you guys meet Isabel?" Petra glanced up. Much to her amusement, Isabel was dragging Levi to different stalls, trying to get him to buy her something from each one.

"There was some asinine group of men picking on her and Levi scared them off. Ever since then, she's declared him her big brother."

"Aw, that's cute. I've always wanted younger siblings," Petra sighed longingly. "But my mom got sick and passed away from a disease when I was four-years-old."

"You're lucky. Most of us here don't even know our parents. The first memory I have is going through trash to find something to eat because it felt like my stomach was trying to eat itself."

Petra stared guiltily at the ground, remembering the tantrum she threw when she was six because her father didn't buy her a toy she liked. She looked around. The word despair was too weak to describe it. I still can't believe such a hell exists behind Sina. She couldn't help but shiver. What if she had been born here? She doubted she would have lasted long. I thought surviving expeditions was difficult. But here, you have to fight every day for survival and fight death. Be it from hunger, disease, or even other people.

Half an hour later, they were back in their house. "I'll help you," Isabel offered and dragged Petra upstairs to the room they were going to share. With the few possessions she had, it was easy for them to finish quickly.

"Take this and start cleaning." Levi shoved a cloth into Petra's hands. "I expect the area completely spotless."

"I should let you know," Farlan smile, "Levi's a massive clean-freak."

Isabel nodded, humming in agreement. "He used to make me clean and re-clean everything because it wasn't up to his stan—um, stan-something."

"Standards?" Petra knew all too well how obsessive he was about cleanliness.

"Stop babbling and get to work!"

Petra covered her mouth and head with a cloth and began, oblivious to the curious looks the trio was exchanging behind her back. I kind of missed this. Levi hovering around making sure everyone was meeting his expectations and wiping out all the filth and grime around them. She could swear he didn't pay half as much attention while training with their squad.

Levi inspected the area when she was done, muttering, "Not bad." Petra accepted the praise, thinking he seemed less obsessed than his future self. "Be prepared to wake up early tomorrow."

"What for?"

"Are you going to tell me now?" Petra asked. They were near the outskirts of the district. The ground was hard and lumpy and there was nothing around. It was completely desolate.

"Training," Farlan answered. "You need to learn how to defend yourself."

"I can do that just fine," Petra wondered if he'd forgotten already what she did before joining them.

"Setting traps and a fist fight are two different things. You're going to be in big trouble if you lose the element of surprise. You need to pull your own weight. We can't have you slowing us down."

"C'mon, Levi," Farlan protested, "no need to sound so harsh."

"It's okay," Petra assured, "I can handle it."

"We'll see about that. Farlan, you want to take her on?"

"Sure." He and Petra moved away. "You ready?"

Petra stretched her arms and shook her legs. "I'm ready." Her heart was beating fast in excitement. It had been a while since she had a proper spar. The few criminals that fought back were nowhere near as good as her.

She easily swatted his punches and he just as easily blocked her kick by raising his leg. "Go Petra!" Isabel cheered from the sidelines.

It went on for less than half a minute. Then Petra saw an opening and slammed her palm into his solar plexus. Farlan staggered back. Too caught up in the moment, Petra forgot to hold back and did a swift roundhouse kick right to Farlan's face. She dropped her stance when he fell. "I'm so sorry," she apologized and ran to him.

"That was awesome!" Isabel laughed at a dazed Farlan.

"I'm okay." Farlan breathed slowly. "That was some kick."

"I meant to hold back, really, but I got caught up in the moment—"

"Stop apologizing," Levi ordered. To his surprise, she shut up immediately. He'd expected her to protest, considering how soft-hearted she was.

"Will you teach me how to do that?" Isabel asked.

"Sure," Petra agreed as she helped Farlan up.

"Thanks." Farlan accepted the ice-pack and pressed it to his face. "You weren't kidding when you said you could handle yourself."

"I had four brothers. Someone needed to keep them in line."

"You really had four brothers?" Isabel looked at her in awe.

"We weren't related by blood, but yeah." Her squad had been her family just as much as her father. Petra's chest constricted and she quickly shoved those thoughts back. She couldn't go crying in front of the three.

"What happened to them?"

"Two died, I don't know what happened to the other two. I hope at least the younger one survived." Bright green eyes and a wide grin flashed through her mind followed by an ache of loss.

"We have a job," Levi declared, walking through the door. Isabel and Farlan straightened up immediately. Petra wondered what kind of job he was talking about, although she had an idea about what it might involve. "You're sitting this one out," Levi said to Petra. "Your job is to observe and run interference if necessary."

"What exactly are we doing?"

"Stealing," Levi told her bluntly and Petra cringed. She'd resigned herself to it when she heard the rumors about what Levi was up to. "It's very simple. Me, Farlan, and Isabel are going to be the distraction and knock the boxes of merchandise over. The group on the ground will take advantage and steal what they can."

"An oldie but a goodie." Isabel nodded.

"We'll meet up here," Levi spoke as he pointed to a spot on the map, "after the job's done."

"What are we stealing and who are we stealing it for?" Farlan asked.

"Medicine for a doctor at the local clinic," Levi answered. "He needs it for his patients, but can't afford it cause the asshole merchants jacked up the prices and it's cheaper hiring us. So we take it for him and keep some for ourselves."

Farlan and Isabel left to clean their gear. "Come with me." Levi left, not waiting for Petra. She followed him outside. He nodded in approval as she covered her hair. It wasn't a common color and she stood out because of it. "You don't need to keep it covered here. But we're going to do some recon first and we don't need anyone to recognize you there." He pulled the hood of his jacket up.

Petra nodded. Her skills as a Scout would come in handy. I'll think of it as training for the Corps. Levi led her to the block where the shipment would be made. "Pop quiz, how would you escape if you were on the ground stealing?"

Petra bit back a smile. Her team ran through similar scenarios and she knew the right answer. "It's like you said, first we do some recon work." She walked to an alley and climbed up to the roof of the building.

"Now what?" Levi climbed so quickly and quietly after Petra that his sudden appearance almost made her jump in surprise. They kept themselves hidden from the people on the street, observing the different streets and where they led.

"If it were me, I'd take the package and run into that alley, throw the bag into the trash can and disappear into the crowd at the end of the adjoining alley. My partner, who was hiding out in the abandoned building, would take it and run in case someone somehow noticed in the heat of the moment that I was empty-handed. Of course, it depends on how large the package is. Or—"

"That's fine, that's all I need to know." Levi turned and walked away. All he had wanted to know was how fast and reliable her reaction was, to see if she could think on her feet. And she passed with flying colors.

Petra hummed tunelessly as she cooked, Levi hovering over her. "I've been here for months now, you can trust me not to poison your food, you know."

"I know. It's not a matter of trust but competence," Levi explained, "I let Isabel cook once and she started a huge fire. Farlan bungled up his chance, too."

"Oh? What did he do?"

"It wasn't that bad," Farlan claimed.

"What kind of an idiot puts salt in tea?"

"It's not my fault! They look the same. And Isabel was being distracting by drooling everywhere."

"No, I wasn't!"

Petra smiled as the trio began arguing. She stared unhappily into the vegetable soup. Fresh produce wasn't something they could afford unless they stole it. And it didn't last long. Soon it would go bad and they still ate it. Spoiled food was better than no food, after all. Petra was thankful at least there was plenty of fresh water thanks to the underground reservoir.

They gathered around the food, sitting at the table. "We have enough money for at least two people to pay the gateway guards and get citizenship, right?" Isabel asked.

"Yeah, it shouldn't be too long before we have enough for all of us. Maybe a year or so?" Farlan grinned. "What are you going to do, Petra? I mean, obviously we'll need to find jobs when we get out of here."

"Join the Survey Corps," she answered without thinking. It was an automated response to the question she'd been asked as a child. They stared at her, shocked and speechless. Whoops. Too late to take it back now. "What?"

"You want to join a group of suicidal bastards that leave the safety of the Walls to get eaten by ugly giants?" Levi wrinkled his nose distastefully. "And here I thought you weren't an idiot."

Petra could only stare in shock. Was this the same man considered a symbol of the Survey Corps just as much as the Wings of Freedom? "You didn't have to put it so rudely," Farlan chided. "I mean if that's her dream—"

"Whatever." Levi pushed his chair back. "It's their life, if they want to throw it away so carelessly and stupidly who am I to get in the way?"

"He didn't mean it that way," Isabel said after Levi disappeared.

"It's alright." Petra smiled reassuringly. "That reaction isn't uncommon." It had taken her by surprise to see that kind of attitude from her future captain. Oh no, what if my presence here has changed something? She couldn't let that happen. I'll just have to change his mind!

"Are you okay?" Farlan probed gently when she fell quiet.

"Fine," Petra replied, "got lost in my thoughts."

"You looked really pale for a second there," he noted. "I thought you had taken Levi's words to heart." Although he was very much with his best friend on it. Why would anyone, especially someone who had made it out of the Underground City, want to join those Survey Corps maniacs?

"I wasn't expecting him to sound so opposed to the idea. It surprised me. As I said," she repeated, "that's not an uncommon reaction."

"So you really want to join the Survey Corps?" Isabel spoke while she ate and Farlan made a tsk sound. "I mean, why?"

Petra's face lit up and she began speaking about freedom from their prison behind the Walls, the beautiful world outside, and living without fear, all the while Levi listened without them knowing. He pushed off the wall and quietly went upstairs. He was going to talk her out of that dumbass idea. No matter what it takes.

Petra entered the dingy clinic. Levi would make a face if he saw the state the place is in. Dirty white walls, dirty floor, dirty old chairs, dirty everything. In the Underground though, it was expected. "Can I help you?" A gray-haired old man, Dr. Frederic, inquired. "Is there something that ails you?" He was the same man they'd stolen a shipment of medicine for, not too long back.

"No, I'm here to buy some medicine," Petra answered. She gave him a list. Unfortunately, one of their comrades had gotten a nasty gash and it was starting to get infected. He needed medicine and soon. She wanted to give him some from the emergency stash they kept but she wasn't sure how Levi would react to that. He and Farlan were away on a secret errand somewhere and she didn't want to risk angering Levi.

Dr. Frederic handed her a brown bag. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Petra accepted it. She noticed the bags under his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I've gotten a lot of patients to care for, but not enough hands."

"I can help," she blurted out, "though my background in medicine is less than impressive. Everything I know, I know from taking care of my brothers." She felt less confident now as the words were out. "Actually, I might not be able to do much."

He studied her carefully. "I'm going to ask you some questions, if I find your answers satisfactory, I'll consider it," he decided.

She was able to answer most of them. When she wasn't sure, she tried to think of what might be the best course of action. She'd helped Gunther out plenty of times. He was the better medic on the team.

"I suppose I'll take what I can get. I'm glad you know your sums, which is what you'll probably be doing most."

"When can I start?"

"As soon as you can," he replied. A man groaned from one of the rooms down the hall. "If you'll excuse me, I must go."

"I have to discuss this with my friends but I'll be here starting tomorrow for sure." After talking for another few minutes once he done checking on his patient, Petra took her leave. She made one last stop to purchase a few supplies before heading back. Isabel wasn't around but Levi was. "You're back." She looked around for Farlan.

"Where were you?"

She hoped the scowl on his face had something to do with his and Farlan's secret mission. "Uh..." She couldn't lie to him. Even if she did, he'd know and would be furious. She explained about her day and waited uncomfortably in the suffocating silence.

"What the fuck did I tell you the other week?" Levi growled and Petra's mind scrambled to remember. She got an "oh" look her face and flinched at his glare. "There's a reason why I explicitly told you not to go out alone. Did you at least have the sense to cover your hair?"

"Well, the thing is, I've kind of gotten used to leaving it as it is in the past few months and forgot." Petra wished the ground would swallow her whole already. "But it's not like anyone recognized me," she wished her mouth would close, but she continued, "nothing happened." Why couldn't she shut up? "What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal?!" Levi stepped into her personal bubble. Petra swallowed with difficulty, taking a step back for every step he took forward. Never in all the years she'd known him had Levi ever raised his voice against her. "Do you know how many men and women, especially women, were kidnapped last month? A lot more than what's normal even in some of the worst districts here." He had her backed against the wall.

"Well, I—"

Levi slammed his hands on the wall, trapping her and making her flinch. "Want to know what happens to those missing people? If you're lucky, they'll harvest your organs, and maybe decide to be merciful and give you a quick death."

"I understand." Petra stared into his steely eyes, feeling small tremors of terror go through her body. She had never been on the receiving of his fury before. "I'm—"

He tugged at her hair. "But you're too pretty for that. They'll make more profit using you as a sex slave, selling your body off to the highest bidder. Once they've had their fill, you'll be tossed into a filthy cell and left alone until your masters get paid by another man, or a group of them, to let them fuck you or beat you or both for the night. Or maybe until the guard gets bored and decides he wants a piece of—"

"Stop!" Petra pleaded, staring wide-eyed and horrified at the images he was painting, but even more scared to look away lest he get angrier.

Levi dropped his arms and she fled. He felt a little bad for frightening her but it was for her own good. The human traffickers had started to get active nearby. He'd heard the awful whispers and knew the kind of horrible fate that waited the victims. Imagining Petra in such a situation left him sick to his stomach.

Farlan studied them subtlety. Isabel was too absorbed in her story to notice the thick tension in the air. What happened between them? Petra wouldn't look Levi in the eye and Levi was completely ignoring her existence. He sighed, wondering if his best friend had gone and done something stupid. He finally addressed Levi when the girls disappeared upstairs, "What did you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. What happened between you and Petra?"

"Why do you assume it was my fault?"

"Well let's see, you're an asshole, she's charming, you're socially awkward, she's friendly, and you're impatient and rude where she's kind and patient. It's only natural to conclude you blundered."

"She's the one who didn't listen to me," Levi argued. "You remember what I told her before we left? But did she listen? No. So it's her fault."

"Maybe you should have explained everything. I know you're used to bossing me and Isabel around without any complaints but we understand. Petra has been looking out for herself, making her own decisions, and keeping away from the sadder districts, so she doesn't automatically get things the way people who've lived in these conditions all their lives do."

"All the more reason for her not to question me," Levi insisted.

"Very true," Farlan agreed. "But rather than doing whatever drastic thing you did, maybe you should have been a little more understanding." Knowing Levi, Farlan knew he must have scared her. "I know your intentions were good, just let her know that."

Levi sighed and grabbed his coat. "I'm stepping out for a while."

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