Petra Ral was kind.

And it confused the fuck out of Levi.

Each morning, the newest member of his squad would rise twenty minutes before the alarm and brew coffee for everyone, made with good-quality coffee beans she had bought herself from the market. She would go out and feed everyone's horses when she went out to feed hers, taking one chore off everyone else's list. If a horse needed a new horseshoe, she would hammer it on herself, regardless if it was her horse or Auruo's or Gunther's. Smiled brightly at everyone and wished them good morning, good afternoon, good night, how they're doing, remembered little details people mentioned to her in passing, told them kind nothings which he honestly thinks is a useless thing to do. Her kindness isn't just limited to the his squad; she would offer to help Hanji carry her books or equipment or any other scientific bullshit, pull Moblit aside and tell him to rest. Compliment Nifa on her newest kill, tell Nanaba that she has the fastest reflexes, give helpful tips to the new recruits.

She walked around headquarters and people regarded her like she was the fucking sun. He would almost think her a sop if he hadn't seen her performance get better with every expedition, if her kill count didn't rise higher and higher every time she unsheathed her blades. And as Levi would watch her wipe down her blades and offer her handkerchief to her comrades, he would wonder why. Why would she go out of her way for others so much? What did she gain out of it? Did she think she would get a promotion, get into the commanding officers good books, be taken to the official events in Sina? But she had already been hand-picked into a higher squad. So why was she still trying? What squad was higher than the Special Ops squad?

Maybe she was just being so nice so that when she needed something, she could hold it against the person she needed a favour from. Maybe she was so nice to weasel information out of the other soldiers. Maybe-

"Can't people just be nice?" Hanji laughed when he mentioned it offhandedly, watching Petra across the field chat to a recruit. "She's just a nice person. There's no underlying scheme or anything."

"She's too fucking nice."

"What, you don't trust her?" Hanji looked at him inquisitively. "You picked her for your squad, and you're having second thoughts because she's too nice?"

No, he decided. He trusted her on the field to hold her own, trusted her to have the best judgement, trusted her to follow orders perfectly. She did, anyway. As a soldier, she was exemplary. As a person…

"You talk about it too much, you know." Hanji continued. "Does it rub you the wrong way? Or do you think your new subordinate rubs you the right way?"

"What the fuck, Hanji?"

Her howls of laughter followed him when he stormed away.

XXX

As full of shit as she was, Hanji did have a point. He did need to trust Petra fully if there was ever any chance of his squad working like a well-oiled machine. So, when Petra knocked on his office door when he was up doing a stack of paperwork with an offer for help, he accepted. She hadn't gone up to her dorm room before he did, and was still with the squad when he retreated to his rooms. She wasn't really going out of her way, he decided. And she brought tea with her. Which had helped.

The pair had worked in comfortable silence. Petra didn't attempt to talk much, which surprised him. He could sometimes hear her talking so much it was a wonder she didn't lose her voice at the end of the day. Eventually, Levi sent her to bed, telling her that he didn't want her to be shitty in training the next day because of him. Even though she had helped considerably, there was still over half a stack to fill out. She returned the next night, with three extra candles stacked under her arm, a tray of tea, and determination. Again, he let her sit opposite him and quietly fill out whatever he set her. She didn't go out of her way, not really. It was fine.

The third night, with still a considerable amount to get through, she knocked on his door later than usual. (Usual. As if this was a routine the pair had fallen into.)

He let her in and she sat in the chair, picking up a pen and leaning over the paper. Levi sat back in his chair and studied her. She had long taken off her harnesses and jacket, sitting there in her blouse, pants and untied boots. Her hair was slightly mussed, and she blinked her eyes rapidly to keep them awake.

He saw her walking up to the dorms before he left the dining hall, so why did she drag herself out of her bed up to help him?

"Why are you here, Petra?" He asked suddenly. Petra's head snapped up.

"Pardon, sir?"

"Why are you here?" He repeated. "This isn't required. It's not part of your duty in my squad. You don't get anything out of it."

She didn't reply right away. Levi watched her expression carefully, searching for any crack in her facade. "You came from your bed, just to help me, when you could just sleep. You wouldn't be in trouble. You're going to get less sleep just to wake twenty minutes earlier than you need to. So why are you here, staying up and helping me?"

Recovering from her shock, Petra jumped to her feet. She saluted so fast and hard Levi thought she would punch a hole through the fabric on her shirt. Maybe she heard a hint of suspicion in his voice, because when she spoke, she spoke with as much conviction as she could.

"I swore to serve you in ways you saw fit. Whether that's on the battlefield or off. I noticed that you might need help and offered some. I swore to devote myself to you, and that's what I'm going to do." She said determinedly. "Sir."

He considered her for a moment.

Petra Ral was a kind person; he knew that. Whether her kindness extended to him out of consideration or what she saw as her duty, he had to trust her fully. Which meant taking her word. She hadn't given him any reason to distrust her anyway.

Perhaps it had been so long since someone had been kind just for the sake of being kind that he had grown untrustworthy.

"Alright." He said finally. She didn't move, but he saw her sink slightly with relief. "Is there anything I can say to get you to leave me alone until all this paperwork is done?"

"Uh...no sir."

"Then sit down and help me finish it."

XXX

After he dismissed her, with all the paperwork finally done, Petra fled down the hall to her dorm before her Captain left his office so he wouldn't see the giddy smile on her face. She thought she had been caught, that he noticed, that he would kick her off his squad for inappropriate feelings, because she'd been lying when she said she was only there for his benefit.