Levi returns from the war, suffering a severe head injury that impairs his memory of Petra and his child with her. Petra works with him day and night to help him regain his memories.
Rating: G
I could write a whole one shot of this, but I hope this suffices 🥺💕
A knock at the door startles Levi awake. Vision blurry, it takes him a second to clear his throat, take in his surroundings, and then answer, “Come in.”
The door opens slowly. Pensive. Then a ginger bob pokes her head in with a small smile and a tray with food. Toast with butter and a piping cup of tea make Levi’s mouth water, and his eyes are drawn more to the food than the woman. His stomach rumbles, unable to remember the last time he ate, and he sits up a bit straighter as she plops the tray onto his lap.
“The tea is hot, so you might want to wait a bit. You always prefer it on the cooler side.”
Petra. That’s her name, the beautiful and enchanting woman who is apparently his wife. He doesn’t remember much of anything besides his name and a few blips of his childhood, having lost his memory in the war. His body has also seen better days; currently, he uses a wheelchair and there are stitches across his eye and face. Petra’s shown him pictures of what he looked like before, and the image is both familiar and unknown.
“I was on your squad, we were friends first before we…” A blush paints her cheeks, and even though Levi doesn’t know her, he swears he could fall in love if he could elicit a reaction like that.
She’s biting her lip and Levi has the insane urge to kiss her. He wants to remember, but the doctors told them it might take some time. A concussion, head trauma, there are too many medical terms for Levi to make sense of, but Petra took diligent notes and distilled the information for him.
They’re staying in an old barrack. Petra tearfully tells him their house was destroyed in The Rumbling since their home was tucked on the outskirts of the city, just by the Walls. Flashes of images and screams sober Levi until his throat bobs with fear. Gently, Petra takes his hand while she gives a furtive smile despite the ring on her finger. A matching one is around his neck—gold—and he isn’t sure if he should put it back on with the missing digits on his left hand.
It’s only been a day since they settled in and Petra pads around him like a wounded animal while she adjusts his pillows.
“Did you have a nice nap? The doctor said you need lots of rest.”
There’s something off. Levi can’t tell what it is; he gets the sense he isn’t great with people by his clipped tone, but Petra’s kind nature has him wondering how he managed to land her. There’s apprehension in her eyes like she wants to say more than pleasantries.
He scoots to the side of the bed, which is big enough for two, and he asks if she’ll be joining him tonight.
Petra stiffens and an adorable yelp escapes her while she smoothes out the nonexistent wrinkles on her skirt. “I don’t want to intrude. The couch is fine.” She waves her hand to the hallway where a dusty set of furniture awaits her.
He can’t help but tease her with a smirk. “I thought we were married.”
“We are,” she says quickly. “But I understand if you don’t want a stranger in your bed—“
“Petra, if I’m going to remember anything, I think having my wife nearby will help.” He means it even if he enjoys catching her off guard and his voice softens. “Can you sit with me and tell me about our life? I want to hear about our wedding.”
A girlish smile escapes Petra and she sits at the edge of the bed. Too far away for Levi’s liking, but she takes her time as she traces patterns into the sheets, her voice laced with honeyed nostalgia.
“It was a quick one. We had it the day we came back from discovering the ocean. It was just Hange and the kids, but it was special. Our honeymoon without worrying about Titans was probably my favorite part.” She giggles then, coughing into her hand, but her eyes harden into solemnity.
“Levi, there’s something else you need to know.” She faces him, her amber eyes like the north star in the light. “After our wedding, I got pregnant.”
And like shattering glass, he feels a part of his heart open into an ache he didn’t know he was missing. Petra is next to him now, her hand atop his into a beautiful smile. “Kuchel is waiting for you. She’s with my parents and she knows you were in Marley. It’s a lot for a three-year-old to handle so I didn’t want to bring her right away or overwhelm you, but it felt strange not saying anything. I don’t expect you to do anything—“
“I have a daughter,” he says in disbelief, his eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar.
“Yes,” she affirms. “She’s beautiful, baby. She has your eyes and my hair and you’re her favorite person in the world. She misses her papa.”
Levi sees her, then. A small infant, his world becoming right in a breathless second, and moments of crying and gurgling hit him like a hurricane.
Levi’s thoughts: I’m trash. I grew up on the streets. I’m blunt and mean. I’m not good with words. I don’t know my own emotions. I can’t express myself. I’m no good. I’m a failure. I don’t deserve love. I’ll pour myself into my work instead, so I don’t suffer in loneliness. They all think I’m Humanity’s Strongest - a famous but easily forgotten town celebrity. No one loves me honestly anyway.
Petra’s thoughts: I do. I know you’re flawed and I know you’re only human. I know you’re good underneath those nonchalant words. I know you’re kind, even if you think you’re not. I have faith in you as a person, not in your abilities. I love you because I chose to. You’re famous, but to me, you’re just Levi.
Levi’s thoughts: Yup, everyone hates me.
Petra thoughts: Boy, I’m about to pull my hair out! Time to accidentally expose myself in a letter to my dad because I’m repressing my emotions, too.
Prompt: Petra doing a lapdance during their wedding like one of those viral tiktok vids 👀
Word Count: 600
Levi had never been drunk in his entire life. Maybe it was an adverseness to being sloppy and clumsy, or whatever gave him superhuman reflexes also translated to his metabolism, but if Levi could bet any moment where he would be drunk, it was his bachelor party.
Well, a sort-of bachelor party. When Petra went through the invitations for their respective last nights as a single man and woman, they quickly realized their guest list was exactly the same. Petra considered her male friends like brothers, and Hange wouldn’t be able to choose which to go to, so they settled on a combined bachelor and bachelorette party.
Petra's voice actress Caitlin Glass recently went live on Instagram and showed us her drawings of Petra and Levi. Also she said that these are her favorite arts.
After Petra’s death, Levi imagines her as a bride if they would have had a romantic relationship (also, her father’s words to him appears in his mind imagining it)
happy friday, here's some angst!
word count: 900
Rating: G
“What do you think about a fall wedding?”
“Tch. You really want to get married when everything is dying around us?”
She whirls around, and her cheeks puff into a petulant scowl that he adores. The golden rays of sunset catch every lock of hair, her freckles prominent in the heat that just died down. He can’t say no, not to her, never to her. So he sighs while Petra swings her legs over the bridge.
“If that’s what you want,” he concedes and takes her hand. “But when we’re old and celebrating our anniversary with leaves and frost, remember that I told you so.”
She pinches his thumb and her smile is blinding. “It’s settled, then. Mid October, right after the expedition. That way we can go on our honeymoon. You’ll ask the commander?”
He grunts and peers to the horizon. “I owe Erwin another Titan capture for a week off.” Then his voice lowers while he smirks, his lips ghosting the shell of her ear. “But it’ll be worth it. You, me, a cabin in the woods alone.”
A shudder washes over Petra, her breath hitching as her legs press together. “That sounds amazing,” she whispers. Levi traces a line from her ear to her cheek, then captures her lips in a kiss. Sixty days. Only sixty more days until they will be husband and wife. Levi never thought he’d be the one for semantics on a piece of paper, but he proposed first. He wants everyone to know that she was his.
And maybe in this shitty world, maybe a declaration of love is daring.
Petra always dared.
Fate had other plans, though. Levi didn’t plan on coming back to the old barracks — a lifetime ago, with the ghosts of comrades in the stray socks and personal items strewn about. He supposes after Stohess, he wants to decompress, and he finds it hard at an inn. There’s comfort in the routine; his tea, the roaring fireplace, where you hang your laundry.
No one talks about the company, though. All of these things are haunting as his footsteps echo the empty halls of the once vibrant Special Ops Barracks. Dust lines every corner, and streaks of light pour through the open curtains. One of Eld’s hair ties is on the sink even though Levi told him to put it away. Gunther’s comb remains in place under the mirror. Oluo’s lotion that he swore by.
Petra’s things aren’t here. That’s in his bathroom after she unofficially moved into his bedroom.
There’s a rap at the door that shakes Levi from his memories. Frowning, unsure of who could be visiting while the Scouts were put on temporary disbandment, he opens the door, his eyes squinting in the sunlight.
There’s a courier with a large white box in his hands.
“Delivery, sir!” the courier says, dropping the box carefully at Levi’s feet. He holds a clipboard out to Levi and procures a pen from his pocket. “Sign here, please.”
“I didn’t order anything,” Levi protests, but lazily scrawls his signature.
“Well, someone did. And we have specific instructions it needed to be delivered by September first. Good day.” He tips his hat and is off before Levi can inquire further.
Levi brings the unlabeled box to the dining room. Cobwebs weave the sconces together, and he viciously bats them away while striking a match to the nearest oil lamp. The box is too large and light to be gear, and all packages like that go through the admin office first. No, this is personal, and a sick feeling of violation churns in his stomach. Whoever’s this is, he can send it to their family, one last gift.
Opening the lid, the air knocks from Levi’s lungs. Vision dizzy, he steadies himself on the table, his palm slapping the wood. It’s bad enough that she haunts his dreams, but seeing this—
It’s Petra’s wedding dress.
He recalls the day she went into Trost with Nifa and Nanaba. Giggling, with coy smiles and puckered lips, she teased him about all the outlandish accessories she was going to buy just to embarrass him.
“You’re embarrassing yourself by marrying me, no amount of gaudiness is going to compare.”
He’d forgotten all about it. She mentioned the seamstress said it would take a while and between Trost and Eren, the only reminder Levi has is her ring around his neck.
Holding the dress out, he can see her form. Her height, just a few inches shy of him. The pink ribbon around the waist, how she admitted to wanting a romantic wedding with roses everywhere. Embarrassed by the fact, Levi assured her no one would lose respect for her over a couple of flowers.
“Go fucking crazy. Get them in your hair. How many times in your life can you order a ton of flowers?”
The veil is simple, and Levi’s throat tightens at the image of roses creating a crown over her. More like a halo now, and he tightly holds the dress to his chest. He closes his eyes.
“I still think she’s a bit young to get married…”
Every father would say that. Levi wasn’t old-fashioned enough to ask for permission, but Petra was overjoyed at the prospect of her father walking her down the aisle.
“He never thought I’d get married with my commitment to the Scouts.” She bats her eyelashes at Levi. “Who would’ve thought I could have both?”
He sways to an aimless tune as he holds the dress. He imagines Petra’s smile, how she would’ve cried and he’d tell her she’s being too sappy even though he’d feel the same way.
The fabric is soft beneath his fingers and he thinks how white is fitting for a bride.
The amount of people hating on Petra in the replies from this tweet is disgusting
Why are they all so pressed? Is it so surprising for the official AOT team to do an official art from one of their official characters (regardless if she's just a side character)??? Like???
If she's so unimportant to you, why do you go out of your way to hate on her? Jeez
