It's complicated: Levi x Petra Lemon

Chapter 23: New Leaf

"Uh babe?" Petra called out squinting at an instruction manual. Levi turned around from on top of the ladders placing his paint brush down into the bucket.

"Yeah?"

"Could you come help me with this. Or maybe we could switch roles I don't know"

Levi broke her off stepping down from the ladders and pressed his lips against her own softly. Petra melted into the kiss and fisted a hand through his hair roughly before pulling away.

"Of course. I got this"

He flexed his arm smirking causing Petra to grin back.

"You sure Mr muscles?"

She teased picking up the paintbrush and climbed up the ladder.

"Hey I fight titans. I'm the alpha male. It's assembling a crib how hard can it be?"

Petra nodded innocently trying not to laugh. Thirty minutes in that's what she had presumed. Only had couldn't have been more wrong. She could have sworn a degree was needed to assemble the damn thing. Needless to say it was a current sore point not at all helped by her growing hormonally emotional state.

"I am sure it is perfectly within your capabilities" she stated trying to keep a straight expression.

He shrugged his shoulders picking up the booklet and scanned it briefly. He scratched his head muttering a selection of profanities Petra couldn't quite make out. It seemed the realisation of how difficult it was had finally struck Levi.

Several minutes of silence ensued. Petra couldn't help but feel how stumped Levi must be to subdue him into silence.

Curiously, she glanced from the corner of her eye and registered the look on Levi's face as it contorted into a frown. The manual lay face down on the floor with the first three pages crumpled in a heap from where he had clearly given up.

What a patient man. He was going to be a great father, she mused.

"Not as easy as it looks is it?"

Levi just groaned in response planting himself cross legged on the floor in deep concentration.

"It's wood and nails. This is bullshit" he grumbled tossing the manual to the other side of the room.

Petra resumed painting not turning around for the fear of her expression and what it may give away.

Levi clicked his tongue impatiently. "I'm sure I can construct this myself. I don't need that waste of paper"

With a new resolve, he rolled up his sleeves and clapped his hands together setting about his new task like a child on Christmas Day.

Petra couldn't help but feel her hands were tied; forget one child, she was raising two.

The ginger resumed painting the wall casting an array of baby pinks and lilacs. Pastel had been the theme since they had discovered it would be a girl. Since Levi was on board, the experience was exciting as she had someone to share it with. The love of her life to hold her hand during scans, to battle through heavy queues in department stores trying to wrangle unique pieces of baby clothing, to read on a night time as she curled up onto his chest while he stroked her stomach and to help her whenever necessary.

Petra reflected back on last week smiling to herself as she applied light strokes of pink onto the wall. Levi was so protective and territorial it never ceased to amaze her. She could just remember the food court incident like it was yesterday...

Ladled with bags to cover every limb, the pair breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the shopping day as they pushed their way through the revolving doors. It was finally over. After two tireless hours of dealing with surges of crowds, Petra could feel herself beginning to tire.