Chapter 3
Survey Corps Barracks. One week later
Levi had seldom spoken to Petra after his confession to her, and this worried her. She would lie awake at night and wonder if his words had been some kind of trick of her mind, a hallucination, and she was afraid that it had never happened at all. Sometimes she would cry into her pillow as she thought herself such a fool to ever think that Levi, humanity’s strongest soldier, would ever love someone as simple as her. Her fears were all swept away though, when she answered a knock on her door late one night. When she opened the door she found Levi standing there, wearing the same suit that he had worn when she had been pushed into him at the tavern.
“C-Captain” Levi stopped her, reaching down and taking her hand in his.
“I told you to call me Levi when it’s only us.” Petra was surprised by his insistence but nodded, a small smile spreading across her face at his hand holding hers, and by the fact that he still wished for her to call him by his first name.
“Levi, what are you doing here, out of uniform?” Levi looked down and took a deep breath.
“We need to talk, somewhere more private I thought, and I need to get out of my uniform for a night.” Petra nodded, grabbing her jacket off of her bed and putting it on. She still had the rest of her uniform on from that day’s duties.
“Lead the way Levi.” she said with a small smile on her face. Levi nodded before turning and walking, his hand slipping from hers and into his pocket as they walked through the halls of the barracks. Levi did love Petra, he loved her truly, but that wasn’t permitted by the Survey Corps, not open displays of love anyway. Levi wanted to be alone when he spoke with her, and so he led her out of the barracks and toward the wall that surrounded Trost. They climbed the steps, Levi now reaching back to hold her hand once more. The Garrison soldiers were usually so lazy that they abandoned their posts this late at night, but Levi wanted to be ready to drop his hand if need be. When they reached the top of the wall Levi began to walk along it with Petra beside him, one hand on his, and the other holding her coat around her, but that didn’t stop a chill from coming through it.
“So, what exactly are we out here to discuss?” Petra asked looking over at Levi, having to look up slightly, as he was just barely taller than her.
“Well, we need to talk about us.” Petra frowned. She believed that he meant that he didn’t love her, and he had to tell her this somewhere where it wouldn’t be heard by anyone else. Upon seeing this Levi stopped and turned, taking both of her hands in his.
“Petra, what I said to you a week ago was not a lie. The only thing is, what we have together is forbidden by the Corps, and if Erwin was to figure out it could have severe repercussions against both of us. I came out here to ask you, are you sure that want this? Are you willing to risk the career that you’ve made as a soldier, and everything else, for me?” Petra was silent for a moment, what Levi was saying was true, she knew that for a fact, but she didn’t care. With a determined look she nodded.
“Yes Levi, I am willing to risk everything to love you.” Levi nodded before leaning down and kissing her cheek quickly.
“Then I’ll take the chance too. I love you Petra, and I want to be with you always.” Petra smiled widely at Levi and threw her arms around him.
“I always want to be with you too Levi” she whispered as he put his own arms around her.
“In that case, would you want to move in with me, my room is big enough for the both of us” Levi said quietly and Petra nodded.
“I would love to Levi” thoughts of pure joy ran through Petra’s mind. They were now officially together, officially a couple, just in secret for now. She would move in with him, and they would live together….living with Levi, sharing a life with him, she had dreamt about this for so long that she was almost convinced that this night itself was a dream.” She looked up at Levi with a smile on her face.
“When we get back I’ll help you move my things up to your room Levi, and then we can figure out anything else we need to figure out.” Levi nodded and kissed her gently, their second kiss was not as electric as their first, but it still sent what felt like shocks to both of their hearts. When they broke the kiss Levi looked down the wall and saw an approaching Garrison soldier.
“I’ll meet you back at the barracks Petra” he said and went one way down the wall, she went the other. Petra didn’t like having to be secretive about their love, but she understood why they had to be, and that made it okay. When Petra arrived back at the barracks she gathered up her things. She was surprised when she turned around, about ready to carry her things up herself, and found Levi standing there, still dressed in his suit, with a small smile on his face.
“You scared me.” She stated, releasing the breath that she had inhaled sharply when she had seen him standing there.
“I didn’t mean to. I hope you know that” Levi said, walking over and picking up the boxes that contained her clothes and a few other personal belongings.
“What’s going to happen when people come looking for me and I’m not in my room anymore?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already got that figured out” Petra nodded, putting complete trust in her lover. She silently followed him up the stairs and opened his door when they got to it. Levi hadn’t been lying when he had said that his room was big enough for the both of them. It was easily double the size of her original room. A queen sized bed was pushed against one wall, while a wardrobe stood in the corner across from it. A table was in the corner directly opposite of the wardrobe and had two chairs at it. A small washroom connected to the room, its doorway directly to the right as you walked in to Levi’s room. Petra set her things down on the table and started to unpack them. After she had everything out she turned to Levi.
“Where can I put my uh….my delicates?” She asked, blushing a deep crimson hue. Levi walked over to the wardrobe and opened two drawers at the bottom of it before returning to where he had been sitting on the bed, turning his face away to allow her privacy. Petra picked up her clothes and carried them over to the drawers, placing them in an organized manner in accordance with the rest of the room, which was spotless from top to bottom. She smiled at this as she shut the drawers, typical of Levi to hold his room to an even higher standard than he did his soldiers’. When she turned back at him Levi was lying back on the bed, his hands on the back of his head. He had removed his jacket and it was now folded across the back of one of the chairs. His cravat lay on top of it, looking very out of place not on Levi’s neck. Petra took off her own jacket and put it in a similar fashion to his over the other chair before taking off her uniform boots and walking over to Levi’s side.
“So, is there somewhere that I should sleep or-“she was cut off when Levi held one hand out to her. She took it and Levi gently pulled her down on the bed with him. He turned on his side to face her and put his arms around her, pulling her into a close embrace. Their bodies seemed to fit together perfectly, like they had been made for each other, and in both of their minds they imagined that it was indeed the case. They had always been meant to be together, and would always be together.
As Petra rested her head against her lover’s chest and slowly drifted off into a peaceful slumber she knew that as long as she was with him she would be safe, and she had nothing to worry about.
