Chapter Text
"Moblit, are you sure that's what the Commander said?" Petra asked, a shade of pink painting her cheeks.
The young man nodded. "His exact words were, 'Captain Levi and miss Ral are requested to come to my office at 7 o'clock'."
Petra’s gulp echoed through the kitchen. The Elite Squad was sitting with their lunches around the table, but the room had gone uncomfortably quiet after Moblit’s strange announcement. Eld and Gunther didn’t seem particularly concerned and were still munching away on their food.
Oruo dropped his fork with a snort and folded his arms over his chest. “Thank you very much, Moblit, it feels so good to be left out!”
Petra's eyes darted to the head of the table, where Captain Levi was sitting, but found no reaction. Her confusion intensified along with her heartbeats.
"But, I... I don't understand." She tried to make sense of the Commander’s order. "Why… Um, why d-does he want me and—"
"We'll be there at seven. Thanks, Moblit," the Captain interrupted her blabbering.
At that, Moblit gave them a curt nod and left, leaving the Elite Squad on their own.
“That’s strange,” Eld noted and sipped on his tea.
Petra hummed in agreement. The only other time that she had been summoned to the Commander’s office was when he announced her promotion to the Elite Squad, three years ago. What could be the reason now? And why only her and Captain Levi?
Commander Erwin, despite having been bestowed with charming features and charismatic wit, was also rather intimidating. His imposing stature compared to Petra’s petite figure was one of the many reasons she felt uncomfortable around him.
After a mostly silent lunch, Eld, Oruo and Gunther headed to their rooms for a short nap. It was the Captain’s turn to wash the dishes.
When they were finally left alone, Petra hesitantly got up from her chair and took small, cautious steps towards the sink.
“Sir? Am I in trouble?” She hated how her voice trembled as she spoke.
Captain Levi looked back at her over his shoulder. “Not that I know of.”
“Oh… So, you don't know what the meeting is about?"
Turning his eyes back towards the dishes, he shrugged nonchalantly. “No idea.”
Great. Not even the Captain knew. Which was odd because he and the Commander seemed to be thick as thieves. However, knowing she wasn’t the only one clueless in this situation pushed some tension away.
"Isn't it weird that the Commander requested just the two of us?" She moved closer to him with newfound confidence.
"Eyebrows does a lot of weird stuff, I can't afford to worry. All we can do is wait for the meeting.”
She supposed he was right. Her curiosity would soon be indulged and she couldn’t do anything about it until then.
“May I help you with the dishes, sir?” she offered with a gentle smile.
The Captain turned to look at her, expressionless. “No need, I’m almost done. Go rest,” he ordered, but it didn’t sound much like an order.
Immediately obeying, Petra left the kitchen thinking that no matter what the Commander had to tell them, Captain Levi’s presence there would be a huge source of support.
"We want you to pretend you are a couple." Erwin's eyes shifted between Levi and Petra.
Levi had never expected the blonde bastard to utter such bullshit with a straight face. “Excuse me?” He sat up from comfortably leaning back against his chair.
“You surely are aware that the Survey Corps is in desperate need of funding. In order to achieve that, we need popularity,” Erwin explained. “The ‘Humanity's Strongest’ trend in the newspapers served us well for a while, but the hype slowly fades out. We need a constant presence in the media.”
Levi blinked. He always hated the political side of things. Public relations was always Erwin’s domain, not his, and yet somehow he was forced to endure publicity for the sake of humanity.
Humanity’s Strongest.
How he hated that title. Indiscreet journalists digging up his past and gossiping about his life was torture, and now Petra would be dragged into that shit pit.
No fucking way. Not if he could help it.
“Erwin, get your head out of your ass. What you ask is absurd.”
He had the audacity to smirk at them. Shitty pig.
Then, the door swung open behind them and a familiar female voice echoed through the room.
“How’s my favorite scout doing?”
Levi didn’t even turn around to face her. Before meeting Abigail Carter, his opinion on journalists had been indifferent. Until Erwin forced him to cooperate with her and spread the ‘Humanity’s Strongest’ story in the newspapers. That was when Levi decided that journalists were blood-thirsty wolves that came out to hunt you. And Abigail was the leader of the pack.
“Abigail, you’re late,” Erwin said blandly and motioned for her to sit.
“So, that’s Petra! Hmm…” her eyes inspected her with rude intensity. “You were right, Erwin. She’s a beauty indeed.”
Levi had heard many people complimenting on Petra’s looks when the whole squad was out for drinks. She’d blush, tuck her hair behind her ear, and say ‘thanks’. But now she wasn’t doing any of that. Levi wasn’t sure if she even heard anything after Eyebrows dropped the bomb.
Levi shot Abigail a glare. “If that fake relationship idea is yours, forget it. There’s no way in hell we’re doing it. We’re soldiers, not your little puppets.”
“I know, I know,” Abigail’s annoying voice sang. “It may sound crazy, but it will work eventually. Levi, you're undoubtedly the face of the Survey Corps. We need to take advantage of your popularity."
"I never asked to be a fucking celebrity in the first place!" he blurted out, smashing his fist against Erwin’s desk.
"If it helps humanity, that's what you'll be," Erwin stated.
When Erwin used that flat tone, it left no room for debate. Levi scoffed and ran his fingers through his raven hair.
Petra was sitting beside him, her amber orbs focused on her lap, her cheeks flushed red. The complete opposite of the feral, confident soldier that had his back outside of the Walls. No doubt she was disgusted by the idea of dating him, even as a farce.
Levi looked Erwin in the eye. "Why Petra?"
The Commander raised an eyebrow.
“There are so many stupid girls out there that would jump on the opportunity of fame,” he added.
Abigail giggled stupidly. "Oh, Levi! Just imagine the titles on the front page! Humanity's Strongest and his beautiful partner fight for a better future! Their love flourishes in and out of the Walls!"
"Tch. Horseshit.”
“Levi, we need a girl that you feel comfortable around,” Erwin explained.
"Um... Commander?" Petra's voice was heard for the first time. He nodded for her to continue. "If that rumor we want to spread was true... then... wouldn't we be expelled from the military for misconduct? I mean, it won't be a believable lie anyway."
That was indeed a clever observation.
Take that, you fucking Eyebrows and you bitch.
"Normally, yes,” Erwin answered. “But you see, I wouldn’t kick out Humanity’s Strongest and an elite soldier like you, miss Ral. Possibly, you’d be transferred to a different squad, but there’s no need now for that.”
“Even so, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Captain Levi has many fangirls and a lot of them would be disappointed to learn he’s taken,” Petra said.
Levi flinched at the word ‘fangirls’. Other men would be flattered by such constant attention, but he hated it.
“That’s a solid point, Petra honey,” Abigail smiled. “However, celebrity couples are good for the press, too. You’d be surprised by how many people want to dig into other people’s relationships.”
Petra nodded and lowered her gaze again, awkwardness reigning on her flustered face.
Abigail patted her on the shoulder. “Darlings, there’s nothing to consider! Your regiment gets funding and supplies, and my newspaper breaks the sales. It’s a win-win,” she said with a wink.
Levi’s patience had reached its limit. With a snarky grunt, he got up from his chair.
“Thanks for the proposal, the answer’s no. Petra, come, we’re leaving.”
Petra would have never expected that turn of events. Lying still on her bed, she tried to force herself to sleep. She needed rest for tomorrow’s training. And yet, every word from the meeting replayed in her mind.
Of course, Captain Levi had no reason to pretend to be her boyfriend, it would humiliate him.
Petra shut her eyes. The Captain’s objection to the plan was the only logical response. Of course. The idea of them together was ridiculous, no matter how many times she had fantasied about it.
She thought her crush on him was over. It had to be! She had choked all her feelings, determined not to let her attraction meddle with her duties as his subordinate. And she thought she did well for a while, thinking about him less and less. But it only took a 15-minute meeting for her sentiments to re-emerge, perhaps even fonder than before.
A small part of her wished the Captain had agreed. Then she’d experience how being by his side felt, even as a lie.
God, you’re unbelievable, she thought to herself as she wrapped the blanket around her more tightly, hoping to trap her feelings under the covers too. If she went down that path again, she’d be doomed.
A shower was exactly what she needed to keep her mind from straying in dangerous directions. Petra jumped out of bed. Too hasty to light a candle, she let the moonlight help her find a towel and underwear in her closet.
She untied the messy ginger bun on her head, and then felt her hair tickling the small of her back. Then, Petra stepped into the shower, gritting her teeth as the freezing water landed on her head. She should have gotten used to it by now, the army wasn’t a spa facility. And besides, they say cold water helps with blood circulation, right?
Ah, positivity could only go so far. Petra turned off the water, not even half a minute in. Showers weren’t supposed to feel like somebody’s smashing you with ice cubes. It wouldn’t surprise her if the next time she opened the faucet snow came out instead of running water.
With a defeated sigh, she sat with her naked butt on the tile floor and buried her face between her knees.
Cold water was the least of their problems. Food shortage, inadequate medical staff, equipment that was ready to fall apart… The Survey Corps was a huge pile of mess lately.
Commander Erwin was right, they needed all the funding they could get.
Levi thought his mind had started playing games with him when he heard a knock on his door. He let his pen drop on the desk, and lifted his eyes from the paperwork he’d spent a couple of hours filling out. Was he that tired that he imagined sounds now? It was too late for anyone to be up, it had to be his imagination. If it weren’t for Petra’s head peeking in, he’d have thought he had lost his sanity.
“Sir?” she whispered.
Was her hair wet?
He did nothing but stare at her for a couple of seconds, before he blurted out, “It’s past curfew.”
“Oh, I know,” she pushed the door fully open and stepped in with a tray in her hands. The sweet aroma of black tea entered along. “I just imagined you’d be awake, and I thought you might need a cup of tea.”
His narrowed eyes clung to her as she crossed the room and left the tray in front of him.
“Spit it out,” he barked.
Her huge amber eyes somehow got bigger. “Sir?”
“This is strange. Why are you here?”
Perhaps a ‘thank you, Petra’ would have been a more appropriate answer. He loved tea, her tea, after all. But she was supposed to be asleep, and he’d be scolding her, kicking her out of his office while shouting that he wouldn’t tolerate yawns in the morning during practice, if he weren’t so curious about why she was here at this hour.
“Why are you here?” he repeated, irritated by her silence.
“I… I told you, sir. To bring you tea!” she gave him one of those smiles that he’d come to recognize meant she KNEW she was in trouble.
Expressionless, he continued piercing her with his stare, until she resigned and her smile dropped.
“Ugh, fine, fine!” she frantically waved her hands in the air. “May I?” she gestured to the chair opposite him. When she sat down, she fidgeted with her fingers a bit before speaking again. “Captain. I want to talk about… the meeting with the Commander.”
Levi had hoped that Erwin’s crazy – maybe even offensive – proposal would be forgotten as soon as they stepped out of his office.
“That issue is settled, you don’t have to worry about that,” he replied dismissively.
“Sir, please, let me talk,” her honey eyes begged. “I know that you’re against it, but I was thinking… Well… My devotion to humanity knows no limit, sir,” she declared with a boldness she rarely showed outside of the battlefield. “I joined the scouts to give my life to their cause. And I'm willing to help our regiment in any way that I can.”
She couldn’t be implying that… No, that was insane. She’d be more stupid than he thought.
“If you don't want to do it, I won't pressure you, of course!” Petra continued. “You already have so much on your shoulders, I can't even begin to understand. However... if your only hesitation about agreeing to this plan is how I feel... then rest assured that I'm willing to do it if you're willing too."
Disbelief clouding his expression, he knitted his eyebrows together. "Petra, you realize this plan is sick. Your whole life would be invaded."
“It’s only going to be for a while, anyway,” she pressed back. “And besides, the Commander is right, we really need the funding. It’s unfair that we can’t cover our basic needs!” She was speaking with passion, the lines on her forehead betraying her tension. “I took a shower before preparing the tea,” she nodded toward the brewing cups that were left untouched, “and I couldn’t stand the cold water, not even for half a minute! And my stomach keeps growling all day, sir! We need more meat in our diet, and—"
“Don’t be such a cry-baby,” Levi cut her off. “Cold water and less food aren’t a big deal.”
“Maybe not for someone who’d grown up in the Underground and toughened up, but for the rest of us it’s a struggle, sir!”
She covered her mouth with her hands before Levi had time to react. Petra murmured a long string of ‘sorry’s’, and a part of him thought that maybe she was right, although he’d never admit it out loud.
“And you think it’s worth it to go so low and play a circus act?” he asked her as she was regaining her composure. “You really want to succumb to that bitch’s wishes in hopes of maybe getting some money for the Survey Corps? Then, you are a fool, Petra. Go to sleep.”
The girl made no move to get up. Levi never gave the same order twice.
Petra lowered her face and whispered weakly: “Anna.”
“What?”
“Anna Becker. She was a friend of mine from the same training bunch. We were split in different squads when we joined the Survey Corps, and since then we drifted apart over the years. But still…” she breathed in deeply, “When I had to hold her hand as she was bleeding to death, my heart broke into a million pieces. I don't want to lose any more friends, sir."
Petra looked up at him and one single tear ran down her face.
"We deserve proper medical equipment,” she leaned closer over the desk and looked him straight in the eye. Now, Levi recognized the dreaded fighter that killed Titans by his side. “We deserve more gas for our gear! And if I have to lie to get it and enhance our chances, I will."
“What if it doesn’t work?”
“Captain, you’ve always said to us that we should trust our superiors. And I do, I trust you with my life!” she proclaimed with fervor, and then her voice softened. “But the same goes for you, you should trust the Commander. And if I may ask, I would like you to trust in me.”
“Splendid! I knew you’d agree eventually,” Abigail grinned.
Petra controlled her laughter when Captain Levi rolled his eyes. Even she couldn’t believe that he changed his mind.
“Levi, this is the right decision,” Commander Erwin said reassuringly. “The Survey Corps will be indebted to both of you,” he alternated his gaze between him and Petra.
Petra nodded. She’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that deep down she was enjoying it.
Abigail Carter went on and explained what would be expected of them. Just as Petra had imagined, she talked about appearances together in public, holding hands while walking, and frequent use of nicknames like ‘love’, ‘sweetheart’ and ‘darling’.
“Tch. I wouldn’t do all that even if it was a real relationship,” the Captain protested.
“That’s irrelevant,” Abigail shook her head. “Just pretend. I bet it won’t be difficult with such a beautiful girl, right?”
Petra felt a weight in her stomach. “Um, not all couples show public affection,” she tried to defend her Captain. Not that she wouldn’t enjoy the romantic gestures, but she’d hate for him to feel uncomfortable.
Abigail scratched her head and ignored her comment completely. “You know, Petra, I was thinking your hair would look absolutely fabulous if we cut it up to chin length!”
“What?” She swallowed. “But I’ve always had my hair long!”
“Trust me, it’s the latest fashion in the capital! And you’ll rock it!”
“It won’t be good for the expeditions. She needs to be able to tie it up,” the Captain interjected, at Petra’s surprise. She hadn’t expected him to notice or care for such details.
“There are other female scouts with short hair, I’m sure miss Ral will handle it fine,” the Commander said with an air of finality.
She wasn’t enthusiastic about getting a new hair-do. Petra never particularly liked changes, but if she had to be more fashionable to gain the press’ attention, she’d do it.
“Now, let’s clear something up,” the Commander continued. "No one can know the truth, not even your closest friends. Only the four of us in this room will know the real situation."
"The men in my squad will also be informed,” Captain Levi said. Abigail cockily raised an eyebrow at him, but that didn’t stop him. “I trust them with my life on the battlefield, I can trust them with this secret too."
A pensive expression painted Commander Erwin’s face. "Levi, there's no need to risk it."
"My men are trustworthy, I vouch for them," the Captain insisted.
“Me too,” Petra said.
Abigail scoffed. "Why do they even have to know?"
With slanted eyes – the same expression he used to scold Oruo when he didn’t clean the toilet up to his standards – Captain Levi turned to her, "I can't lead them and have them believe I'm not professional with my subordinates. This matter concerns them too, we are a team."
A wave of warmth caressed Petra’s heart. She felt so proud hearing those words from the Captain about their squad. Sure, they didn’t start off great, there was often internal drama and quarrels, but they certainly had gone a long way those three years they were together.
Abigail sighed. “Fine, whatever Humanity’s Strongest says!” Her cherry-red lips formed a smile filled with irony. “But they’d better keep their mouths shut, or else—”
“Is that a threat?” The Captain got up from his chair and all but jumped on her.
“Let’s not cause a scene when there’s no need to,” the Commander said sternly.
"Commander Erwin?" Petra raised her hand. Why did she raise her hand? Idiot! "I was wondering… Can I tell my father? I know for a fact he wouldn't approve of me dating my superior officer." She lowered her head and felt self-conscious for a moment.
"Miss Ral, with all due respect, your family should stay out of this.”
"Oi, she's right, Erwin,” Captain Levi said. “Her father entrusted his daughter to us to keep her safe. It’d be irresponsible to deceive him.”
“Anyone else who has to know?” Abigail folded her arms over her chest and frowned in a way so childish that it reminded Petra of Oruo. She giggled at the thought of them together in the same room.
“I think that’s all,” the Commander concluded. “The men in Levi’s squad can learn the truth, and miss Ral’s father, too.”
Petra didn’t have friends outside of her squad, anyway. There was Nifa and Moblit from Hange’s squad that they were on friendly terms with, and had shared a few drinks together, and maybe some of her old classmates from her hometown, but they hadn’t spoken in a while. Knowing she wasn’t going to fool anyone close to her put her mind at ease.
“Great. Then, let our best-selling story begin,” Abigail cracked her knuckles with a wide smirk on her face.