You can't force love

Chapter 26 - Survival

When night finally fell, Petra and Levi's muscles were aching from staying in the same position for several hours. During that time, both had slept on shifts, leaning on each other. Petra had observed Levi's relaxed face, smiling and tucking a strand of hair from his forehead.

I'm glad he's not relaxed like this only in sleep anymore... How lonely he had been. I am happy I managed to make him feel better.

Sometimes, she would think she could have done it before. That she could have been more confident and braver, not letting Levi's actions . Constantly she would think how glad she is for making Levi smile, laugh or feel relaxed during exhausting or hard times. And the cognition that it may have turned out to never happen made her sick.

But Nifa had once told her that those thoughts coming from her are only consequences from all that anguish and that she should not worry about it. Since it might also have been those intrusive thoughts that had decided to hit when she is fully happy, trying to make her feel tense and awful.

So Petra would always push them away and try to work harder to occupy herself so she would not think. And then she would tell Levi on occasion. He would always reassure her and tell her it was all in the past and that despite him knowing it as well, he sometimes expresses the same worries and thoughts.

We are in his together, he had told her.

Petra had smiled. We are.

The night had set and crickets sang in the grass. Levi woke Petra up and they stretched for a few minutes until they could move again without struggle.

Once they landed on the other tree, Petra had hollered into the dark.

"Auruo! Eld! Gunther! Where are you?"

Not long after, Eld's voice boomed.

"We are here! Two trees from you!"

"Petra, are you and Captain ok?" Auruo's voice reverberated after.

Petra smiled, a relief flooding over her. "We are! We are coming, stay there!"

Pursing his lips, Levi let out a sight. He didn't know what to do anymore. Auruo was a dear friend of Petra's still, even though she had started doubting his feelings a little just a while ago.

As much as he disliked the notion of him being the reason for the end of their friendship, he couldn't allow Auruo to be too close to her now. As much as he knew they were in grave danger and a dire situation, it would not be fair for them and especially not to Petra if he acts on impulse and shows his feelings.

Sometimes, Levi wondered if he's too cruel.

"Let's go, Levi?" Petra smiled with confidence at him and Levi couldn't help but notice once again how contagious her dazzling energy was.

"Let's."

.

.

.

"So what now?" Gunther said, hands on his hips, scrutinizing glare pointing across the land.

"Look like we'll have to walk," Levi said with a scowl. "Wall Rose is reachable within six hours if we walk. It should be dawn at the best when we reach it."

Eld bent over and stared at the ground, searching for titans. There were none except for one that laid on its stomach, head in bushes.

That one for sure shouldn't see us.

"But we should run some distance then walk," Petra said, turning to Levi. "We have to reach the Wall as fast as possible."

"And not make any break," Eld said standing up. "What do you say, Captain?"