Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin.

A/N: Inspired by the third chapter of A Choice with No Regrets, an alternative reality in which Petra is in the same trainee squad as Levi. Please enjoy. :)

~oOo~

Importance

~oOo~

It is Isabel who meets her first.

In vast comparison to the other dorms, the women's sector is arranged neatly without a distinguishable trace of dust or grime. She thinks that Aniki would like the pleasant scent of lemon that seems to linger around the room; maybe she can sneak him in here, just in case of an emergency. The place is not quite so large, but each of the bunk beds look practically identical. Her initial, sputtering anger of being separated from her family cools. At least she has a bed, Farlan points out, taking refuge within his own, utterly oblivious to Levi's violently throbbing temple as the pristine white sheets are wrinkled in the process. He is right; they have certainly slept in worse places although Isabel cannot say she was necessarily upset about it. Running from the Military Police made every crowded broom cupboard and laundry chute feel like home.

Here, there is no one for her to turn to.

She fakes it, walks with loud, echoing steps, head held high. Her emerald colored eyes glance assertively to the left, to the right, searching for a vacant bed and its conjoining partner. The few soldiers that seem to notice her make no indication of giving Isabel guidance, these women did not jeer or shout insults like she expected, though it is written plainly in their expressions, the way they cruelly put their backs to her and the prominent vibe of 'unwelcome' seeps like acid down her throat. What would Aniki and Farlan do…? Isabel looks around but of course they are not there, she feels herself becoming smaller, lost in a giant nest of ants that bite and tear at the frayed strands of her confidence.

Fortunately this trance is shattered.

"Hello? Do you need some help?"

Isabel starts, realizing that in her haze she has nearly collided into another cadet. The young woman before her stands with a perfect posture, looking down upon the newcomer, though not in a manner that would be condescending. Curiously, she does not find a hint of the suspicion and mistrust that has quickly become familiar since their arrival. Rather, Isabel sees only light puzzlement in an otherwise clear expression.

It reminds her a bit of Levi.

"Who are you?" she asks uncertainly.

The strange cadet nods. "I am Petra Ral, a dorm prefect. I can help you settle in." Isabel cannot tell if she says this out of a sense of kindness or obligation, however many of the bystanders are throwing bewildered looks at Petra, whispering amongst themselves. She is inclined to believe it is the former. Regardless, at least someone is willing to give her direction.

"Thanks, I guess," Isabel surveys the room again. "So… where do you stash the gnash around here?"

She cannot help it. At that, Petra breaks into a broad smile. "That would be the mess hall, and lunch will be served soon. Let's hurry and get you ready. It's five laps for every minute that you're late."

Isabel blinks in disbelief. "But… the food is free. Why would anyone want to drag their ass…?" She follows the older woman to a bunk nestled in a far corner ideally - she notices - with a window that overlooks the training field. There might be a way to communicate with the boys and her heart lifts a little. Petra follows her gaze out the window, notices her sigh wistfully. She instinctively reaches out and playfully ruffles the newbie's shaggy head of hair. "Hey, there's no time for daydreaming!"

~oOo~

Dear Farlan is left clumsy and tongue-tied every time Petra passes him the bread.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Levi snaps harshly at his friend, fighting the urge to smear that awestruck look off of Farlan's face with the unsightly mash of gruel in his bowl. He is not entirely certain of which he finds more disgusting. So far they have endured three weeks of their military training. Very few of the other cadets cause them any trouble now about their past, though the tension still lingers. The trio of criminals eat in isolation, keeping quiet conversation amongst themselves. If anyone cared enough to glance their way this evening they would be able to see the two men, one with starry eyes, the other glowering, and the petite redhead is content to watch the spectacle between them with cheeks full of food.

"She's a goddess, that Petra." Farlan gnaws on the stale piece of crust with ravenous vigor. In his mind its taste is spectacular. "What I would give to just speak to her."

"I believe you're losing perspective here," Levi says blatantly, shoving the remains of his unfinished dinner across the table for an eager Isabel. He sees the gratitude shining in her large eyes before she accepts it. "We're not shopping for brides."

The other man grins sheepishly at him with a nod of agreement. "You're completely right. It's not like I think she would ever consider me or something crazy."

"That's not the point, you idiot."

"Actually…!" Isabel chimes in a sing-song voice. "Petra-neesan talks about the both of you quite frequently. There's a rumor catching wind that we're the reason she's joining the Survey Corps."

They reply simultaneously with very different reactions: "You mean she really does notice me?!" and "What the hell did you just call her?!" respectively.

This is getting ridiculous. Undoubtedly that damn copper-haired woman is proving to be more of an obstacle in their plan than he originally bargained. Levi can see it in their eyes. His friends are completely smitten with her, and this attachment to another cadet is going to make things more complicated. If he had the power, Levi would direct them away, but as fate would have it, Petra is a member of their trainee squad. There would be no chance of avoiding her completely. In fact, annoyingly enough, he is paired with her during their drills way too often. Apparently proof beyond doubt that he can get on fine as a solo slayer is not taken into account during training, and he finds it irritating, being forced to engage in all sorts of scenarios with that girl. The most vivid memory of her comes to his mind, from just earlier that week:

They are told that an injured comrade must be attended to immediately, though while engaging the titans anyone who is not in the air is pretty much considered dead. Returning for them is out of the question unless otherwise ordered. So whilst it is this logic that has been forcefully ingrained into their minds since the first day, it came as a surprise to Levi – who was sitting on the ground because it was his turn to play 'dead' – when Petra suddenly broke formation with the rest of the squad and nimbly maneuvered through the branches at top speed, until she finally made her way back to him, a little breathless but triumphant.

"If this were real," he hissed lowly, keeping himself limp as she struggled to arrange her gear to hold both their weights. "You'd have killed us both. At least I would have the chance of surviving if the titans overlooked me."

"If this were real," she whispered in his ear, the warmth of her breath causing him to flinch. "I'd never let you die alone." Her hold around his waist tightened.

Fucking wench. After training they were told to run fifty laps without dinner just for ignoring orders.

Levi pulls his thoughts back to the present.

"What does she say?" Farlan presses, peeking hopefully over the sea of heads to where he knows Cadet Ral is sitting. She has her own company, a couple of boys from her village inside Wall Rose. They openly despise and admire the criminals for their incredible talent.

Isabel uses the crust of her bread to swab the bottom of the now empty bowl. She is in no rush to finish her meal. "Well, she admires you a lot. You're brave, loyal, and trustworthy; yeah… all that good stuff that makes a soldier. I told her, 'Of course he is! Farlan's one of the most badass men in the world!' " He beams at her appreciatively.

The young girl glances at Levi then, her lips curl into a smirk. He responds with an arched eyebrow. Not that any of this really matters, so he drops his gaze to the table, indifferent. Isabel does not contribute to the conversation after that.

He never does find out what Petra says about him.

~oOo~

But there are issues of more pressing importance and no time to worry about silly gossip. Like how to get to that blond-haired bastard, for instance. The next excursion beyond the walls is not a long way in coming and their window of opportunity for a counter-attack is gradually narrowing. They must act swiftly.

"I'm going to spy on him tonight," Levi says at breakfast one morning. It is essential to learn Erwin's every habitual engagement of every night, or when he is least guarded and what he eats and who makes it. There is no room for error. To Levi's great disappointment he does not receive the words of wholehearted agreement that he expected. In fact, Farlan and Isabel seem almost completely uncertain, a little hesitant. Military life… is changing them.

With or without their encouragement, when dusk settles the rest of the cadets have already settled into their dorms, Levi murmurs something about using the outhouse, does not even wait to be granted permission from the prefect. He intends for this to be quick work, to search for a simple candle burning in the one window of the large complex he had seen before. He is long since accustomed to the dark embrace of the shadows, and it is comforting, wearing his old cloak with the hood pulled up to conceal his face. A knife is hidden within his long sleeves, though he will try to avoid using it. This mission is solely for the purpose of obtaining useful information. Leaving a trail of blood in his wake would not be advisable. He is prepared to lie. To run. To hide. To fight.

What he is not prepared for is… Petra.

Of course, he notices her following him almost right away. There is an irritating sensation that he gets from the intense set of her hazel eyes on his back. Every step he takes forward or backward she immediately copies. When he shoots swift glances over his shoulder she flails backward about a tenth of a second too slow. Her attempt at stealth is nothing short of pitiful. In any other case, he would just ignore her, but her interference and poor excuse of discretion might draw attention to both of them.

This woman is going to be the death of me, quite literally.

"What are you doing?" Levi sighs, rising from his crouched position behind the crates of dented gas tanks, hands on his hips. He waits patiently for her to give up.

Petra huffs, popping out from her hiding place like a child's puppet. Her mother should have named her Grace. Levi thinks with bleak humor that she would be a living, breathing oxymoron. "I could ask you the same." She approaches his hooded figure without a trace of fear from what he can make out in the darkness. Well, that only meant that she is a fool, too. "I saw you sneak away from the others. My bed is right by the window." She gestures in the general direction of the building. "And… Isabel told me that it was you."

That little turd. "Oh."

"So what are you doing?" Her smile is brilliant even partially concealed by the night. It's a bit eerie, the way Petra responds to the menacing vibes that radiate from Levi, which suggest anything but friendliness. Obviously he is up to no good and hell if he told her anything at all. What kind of answer is she expecting?

Levi looks down mutely at her for a long moment, mentally considering how much noise Petra would make if he decides to attack her. He does not intend to kill, just leave a nice large bump on her head to wake up to in the morning. However… there is the whole dilemma of getting her back to the dorm without either of them being caught which is feasibly impossible. This mission, before it even began, has failed. "Why don't we just forget about all this? Go back to bed and -"

He does not remember what he meant to say after that. When Petra kisses him without forewarning, seizing him forcefully by the collar of his cloak to lessen the distance between them… his mind goes numbingly, blissfully blank. He does not try to pull away. On the contrary, though he would be teased about it years later, his response is very enthusiastic. His hands on their own accord greedily yank her hips forward to meet with his, a content growl rumbling through his chest as he licks the corner of her mouth, subconsciously searching for more of this glorious taste of sweetened sunshine. Then she pulls back a little, copper-colored hair disheveled.

"Squad Leader Smith!" Petra exclaims breathlessly, arms still maintaining their hold around Levi's neck.

Erwin is wordlessly watching the spectacle unfolding before him with a perturbing air of assertive calmness. Through the pleasant haze of his mind Levi is vaguely aware of the irony that the subject of the spy was spying on the spy this entire time. Perhaps if Petra had not distracted him he would have noticed his presence. Or maybe not. The fact remains, he has sorely underestimated Erwin. It will not happen again.

Touché, Monsieur Blondie.

Strangely enough, Erwin merely nods in what seems like empathy. Levi is not really listening as he gently chastises them for breaking curfew, submitting to what he calls 'primitive desires', says something about the mess hall needing to be cleaned (for anyone else that might actually seem like a punishment). Levi salutes only when he sees Petra doing it, realizing that they are dismissed. He finally raises his grey gaze but only succeeds in shooting a dagger-like glare into Erwin's back.

"Just so we're clear, I only kissed you to save our asses." Petra arches an eyebrow at him. Her lips are still wet and puffy.

"Tch." If Levi were the type to roll his eyes he would have done so then. "Do I look like an idiot? I'd never kiss you back if I believed otherwise." Suddenly his throat feels parched. Each breath he takes is painful.

"Good."

Petra does not even look back at him when she leaves. Levi stares after her vanishing figure, feeling hopelessly confused as to why she sounds so angry.

~oOo~

A/N: And… that's a wrap! I don't have anything planned after this scene. I'll probably wait for more chapters of A Choice with No Regrets to be released and translated before I even consider writing in this AU again, and if enough people enjoy it (please let me know!). Thank you for taking the time to read all of this. ^^