#ask rivetra

Introducing Mr and and Mrs Ackerman

Petra beams at everyone. "So Levi and I are very excited," she eyes her husband with a chuckle "-well Levi is excited on the inside -" she teases, "to tell you all that we are expecting a baby." She wipes away a couple of happy tears. "So I'll be taking up more of an office role but I'll be around more for questions and such."

Levi stares down at the picture, his body growing very still before he snaps out of it and folds the picture and puts it away in his pocket. "You know, you claim you "found" this," he remarks, leaning an elbow on the door frame, "but this looks an awful lot like your artistic style doesn't it?"

His gaze then shifts to the bottom of the door. "And if this is not yours then why would you peek at something clearly not meant for you? Are you a child? Although I'm pretty sure this is yours since the drawing is of Petra and you seem to have some infatuation with her. Am I wrong?"

Petra waves to everyone. "Hi all, I'm sorry I've been gone for so long but the sickness lasted longer than expected. I wasn't really myself for a while even after it passed." She trots into the room and plonks herself down on the sofa where she crosses her legs.

"Levi has been making sure that I rested myself... because I may or may not have tried to get back to training already," she admits with a grin, biting down on her lower lip to stifle a laugh. "You should have seen his face when I showed up at training. Of course Eld and Gunther pretty much protested as well. Oluo showed he cares in his own way - challenging me on how well I was actually feeling. I love my boys but it was disappointing to have to sit out for longer."

She claps her hands together. "And I missed answering you guys' questions too. How are you all? Also," she glances towards the door then smiles mischievously, "the captain has told me not to rush things but I feel more than ready to come back fully so... just to remind you guys that I'm gonna be running like an advice column thing now as well. Not that you have to use it, I'm just putting it out there that I'm not sick anymore so if anyone was holding back because of that... well you don't have to."

"I'd love to know what you guys have been up to. I hear Nataniel was worrying about me. We need to have a tea time session, I think. He's such a sweetheart."

"I see it didn't take you long," Levi observes by the door. Although he wears a mostly neutral expression, his lips have tugged into a smirk especially when Petra jumps and scowls at him.

"Do you have to be so quiet?" she complains although her scowl is quickly fading.

"Yes," Levi answers. He carries two cups of tea and hands one over to her before joining her on the sofa. "Reacquainting yourself with these miscreants then?"

Petra scoffs. "Pretty sure you qualify as a miscreant," she teases her husband who rolls his eyes as he puts his arm around her.

"Tch, you expect that anyone's going to admit to that? Being jealous? Being so insecure that trust in their partner doesn't win out?" Levi lowers his duster and plants one hand on his hip as he stands by the bookshelf. "Jealousy is a waste of emotion. If you can't trust your partner or respect them enough to believe in them then you shouldn't be in a relationship."

Petra pauses in her wiping of one of the library tables. "That's quite harsh. Some jealousy doesn't manifest in toxic ways. Sometimes people can't help but feel it even if they do trust their partner. Sometimes other people just seem like more of a threat, you know?"

Levi lowers his duster on the shelf and folds his arms, tilting his head to look at her. "That sounds like a personal answer."

Petra's cheeks turn pink. "N-no, I'm just saying-"

Levi's frown deepens. He walks towards the anon and leads them out of the room. "The answer is neither of us. We're beyond that." He shuts the door over on them.

However, if the anon listens in, they can just about hear through the door that Levi is speaking to Petra quietly.

"Are you worried about anyone?"

"No! I trust you." Petra's voice sounds particularly small.

"That's not exactly what I asked."

"I'm okay. I just have a bit of experience with a little jealousy. I just... I don't want you to think any of that stuff you said... about me."

There's a pause. Unbeknown to the anon, Levi is kissing Petra gently on the lips. After that pause, he speaks again.