Tumblr is being a brat so I have a lot of time to write tonight since I can't RP at all...so here's the next chapter, as promised :)

So sorry for the long absence!

The song Petra is listening to on her walk is "Safe and Sound" - Landon Austin and Ellie Swisher, just incase you wanted to give it a listen (freaking beautiful)

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The sunlight streaming through the window is what woke Petra the following morning, casting a warmth onto the exposed skin of her arm that was above the covers. Blinking slowly as her eyes adjusted to the light, she let out a long sigh as the memories of the previous day came flooding back to her and she felt her throat constrict when she thought of her father's face and how disappointed he'd looked...had she made the right choice?

The sound of the mattress creaking under the weight of her bedmate as he moved broke into her silent thoughts and a moment later she was overwhelmed by the heat of his skin pressed up to her from behind, his arm coming around to pull her closer by her midsection, nose burying in her hair. Petra remained still, knowing by the weakness in his movements that he wasn't actually awake yet, probably on the verge of coming to, and she listened to the steady sound of his breathing against her neck and felt the beating of his heart against her shoulderblade. Still, her thoughts remained on what she had done...thrown her own father out of her life, and for a man she honestly barely knew; it had only been about two months all together, only a few weeks of actually dating, so was she right to make such a choice?

"Petra," She jerked in surprise at the sound of Auruo's quiet, tender voice in her ears. He'd woken apparently, at which point she didn't know, and he must have sensed the tension in her body from their close contact. His thumb traced along her wrist before he slid his fingers between hers and gave her hand a firm squeeze. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know." It was a quiet, whispered reply, but it was honest: she didn't know how to feel yet. She couldn't gather her thoughts quite yet and she felt unbidden wetness forming in her eyes in response to the inner turmoil and she was horrified at herself when she suddenly let out with a loud, gasping sob as the dam broke.

Auruo's hold on her increased immediately, pulling her onto her back as he pushed up on one elbow to look down at her, eyes soft and sympathetic and searching her face. The soft and worried expression he sported only made Petra's emotions even more rocky and she reached up for him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling at him in an attempt to bring him closer and, to her relief, he granted her wish and relaxed into her hold, allowing his weight to press down on her. Petra took comfort in the heavy warmth of him, feeling so sturdy when she felt so weak, and she clung to him like he was her lifeline...and maybe he was.

"Petra," Auruo's tone was soft and gentle as he finally lifted himself up onto his palms, gazing down at her with an expression she wasn't sure how to read, she hiccuped once and fell silent as she waited for him to continue, "I think we need to talk."

The words settled in her chest and turned to cold dread, spreading through her body until she found she was too numb to even move, her eyes were wide and the crying stopped immediately from her shock. Auruo must have realized how those words had sounded to her and he immediately sat up and pulled her to a sitting position as well and took her face between his hands, giving her a very serious look.

"Hey, hey, it's not what you're thinking!" he assured her quickly, his gaze flicked between both her eyes as if searching for confirmation that she understood him and he was getting through, "Sorry, I didn't mean it to sound so threatening, geez! I just mean we need to get up and around do some serious talking. You know...about..."

"About us?" Petra's voice was barely a whisper, her eyes still fearful underneather her messy bangs.

"Well, yeah, but that's just one of many things," Auruo admitted as he sat back and released his hold on her face and rolled over to the other side of the bed and got up to gather his previously discarded clothes. Easier said than done, considering they were literally thrown haphazardly in all directions, but he eventually managed to gather them all and soon he'd clad his lower half in his jeans once more, leaving Petra feeling a bit disappointed. But she could definitely appreciate his still bare upper half, her honey colored eyes greedily scanning the muscles of his arms as he leaned down and placed his palms on either side of her hips so he could nuzzle her nose with his and give her a cheeky smile. "Come on, get that beautiful ass of yours out of bed. I'll go make breakfast if you promise to eat something."

Oh...he was worried she would fall into a funk if she didn't get moving...and what was worse, she felt as if she did just want to stay in bed and hide from the world. If he wasn't here she wouldn't have even had the desire to raise her head from the pillow. Somehow, looking into his eyes now like this, she felt like maybe everything would be alright after all.

"I will, Auruo," she replied, trying to sound annoyed by his fussing and failing miserably.

"Of course you will," came the smug response, he pulled back just slightly so she could see the mischeivous grin on his face, "If you don't, no more sex for you."

"You do realize that means none for you either, right?" Petra cocked her head and raised a doubtful eyebrow at him, looking highly unimpressed by his threat.

Auruo just squinted in annoyance and sniffed before straightening up and grabbing his shirt off the bed where he'd laid it, yanking it over his head and giving her a look over his shoulder as he made his way towards the doorway.

"You're a brat."

"Thank you."

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Petra finally did roll out of bed, literally, and dragged herself to her closet to choose an outfit for the day, but all the colors and styles seemed to runtogether in her troubled and stressed mind and she blindly grabbed a shirt and a pair of jeans without any further consideration and headed for the bathroom to shower. Auruo, bless him, was exiting the bathroom with a toothbrush still in his mouth when he caught sight of her nakedly stumbling in his direction. His eyebrows raised in delight and he smiled around the object in his mouth before stepping aside and ushering her inside with a bow and a quickly pressed kiss to her bare shoulder as she passed. She slammed the door quickly behind her before she turned around and jumped him right then and there, letting out a long breath before smiling slightly and setting her clothes down so she could hop in the shower.

By the time she finished, washing away the sweat and stale sex smell from her skin, the events of the prior day seemed smaller of an issue and she felt hopeful as she stepped out onto the bathmat and began to towel off her hair. Her father would come around, surely...if he truly loved her, he would give Auruo a chance and maybe even grow to accept him. With this thought in her mind, she pulled on her underwear and the shirt she'd grabbed from the closet and realized she'd grabbed a nightshirt on accident...so she just tossed her jeans on the couch as she passed it on the way to the kitchen.

She was met with the delightful sight of Auruo pushing what smelled like bacon around on the skillet and trying to push Bastard and Idjit both away with his foot as they begged from some of what he was cooking. Bastard jumped up and placed his paws on Auruo's leg and Petra giggled lightly when she saw the claws come uut and dig in demandingly.

"Ah! Damn it, cat, watch your claws! Fuck!"

"Watch your language, Auruo," Petra laughed as she sat down at the table and rest her chin on her palm to watch him work, "Or at least swear in French or something so I don't have to hear your dirty mouth."

"Oh but, Petra dear, you love my dirty mouth," His lecherous smirk and the twinkle in his eyes as he turned his head to look at her made Petra's stomach flip. She realized, sadly, that she had yet to experience those legendary skills he always claimed to have...at least THAT one, anyway. Suddenly, she regretted rushing him so quickly the night before.

"I wouldn't know. Yet." she replied, boldly, meeting his eyes and not even breaking a blush.

To his credit, Auruo didn't press the issue and simply turned back to the bacon he was tending and scooped it out to lay on the plates beside him. A few moments later, Petra found a plate set down in front of her heaping with eggs and bacon and a sliced up orange. Her stomach nearly roared at the sight and smell of it all and she grabbed her fork immediately to dig in. Auruo sat next to her and watched her with an alarmed expression, one eyebrow cocking as he leaned back from her as she shoved eggs into her mouth like a starving person.

"Geez, Petra, take a breath," he scoffed, but it was more amused than it was condescending.

"Sorry, I didn't realize how hungry I was until now!" Petra apologized around her mouthful, making Auruo roll his eyes and make a disapproving sound in his throat. "Great sex makes me ravenous!"

"Great, huh?" There was no mistaking the obvious pride in his tone and Petra just nodded her affirmation before taking another bite of breakfast, leaving him with just that statement to run over and over in his mind like she KNEW he would be. One sideways glance confirmed it because he was staring at absolutely nothing on the table and chewing on the inside of his cheek, she knew that look. Finally, he appeared satisfied with whatever conclusion he'd come to and leaned back in his seat with his coffee mug in his hands, looking at ease as he tipped it to his lips.

"Could have been better though," Petra spoke up and watched with an amused smile as he choked and sputtered into his coffee; she waited patiently as he coughed and set the cup down rather loudly, causing a bit of the contents to spill onto the table.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked loudly, looking very displeased by her comment, "I was planning on it being better but someone had to rush it like a savage."

"Savage?! Excuse me, but you were just as happy to oblige!"

"Well, duh, of course I was! I've been waiting forever for..."

He snapped his mouth shut and blushed, looking away immediately and suddenly becoming very insterested in watching Idjit sniff around on the floor.

"Me too." Petra agreed, earning her a sheepish smile when he looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "And, guess what? You don't have to wait anymore."

He seemed to have just then realized her state of dress, or undress, and she watched as he scanned the length of her bare thigh with his intrigued hazel gaze. His tongue poked out slightly at the corner of his mouth and she wondered if he even noticed he was doing it; she giggled.

"Yeah..." he whispered, reverantly. But he shook his head hard and stood up with a huff, taking her empty plate to the sink and quickly washed it along with the pan before coming back to the table and pulling her chair out, nodding for her to stand up. Petra obeyed and followed his lead to the living room where he plopped down on the couch and pulled her along to sit next to him.

"What's on your mind, Auruo?" she asked, knowing the look he had on his face was serious and thoughtful.

"I just think we should discuss what you're planning on doing now," he replied quickly, "I mean...are you sure you're really alright, Petra? You...basically..."

"Kicked my own father out of my life for a man I've known for a few months?" Petra finished his thoughts flawlessly, her expression was dull and unhappy, "Trust me, I know."

Auruo shifted uncomfortably and stared down at edge of the coffee table to avoid making eye contact with her, he leaned forward with a sigh and rest his elbows on his knees as he slumped in shame.

"I would never have asked you to do that," he mumbled, bitterly.

"Lucky then you didn't have to."

"It's...stupid, Petra." Petra gasped in disbelief and sat back from him with an angry grunt, eyes flashing at his bluntness, he simply turned his head and gave her a no nonsense, sad puppy stare before continuing, "Family is important, and I don't want you to throw it away for me, I'm not worth that."

"You shut up!" Petra snapped, the full fury of her ginger hair and German background were coming to the surface as she stood up and towered over him as much as her short frame would allow. "I'm sick and tired of your bullshit, Auruo Bossard! For your information, my father has never spent half the amount of time and energy with me as you have in the two months we've known eachother and he has never cared about my relationships in the past, so he has no right to start trying to control me now. This isn't just about whether or not you're worth it, and you ARE, it's about me and if I'm willing to roll over to the whims of a father who has NEVER BEEN THERE FOR ME!"

A heavy silence fell between them following her outburst, Auruo looking up at her in complete shock as she stood with her fists clenched at her sides and her whole body shaking from the mental strain of her situation. She had just let it all out, every insecurity she'd kept inside for so long, all those daddy issue spilling over into her furious display, and she suddenly felt weakened by the effort and dropped to her knees to press her face into Auruo's thigh as she began to cry anew. She heard him swallow hard a moment before she felt his hand thread through her hair and she found her head tilted gently back and he looked at her for a long moment, like he was seeing her with new eyes, before he shifted and slid off the couch to the floor to kneel with her, pulling her into his chest without a single word being exchanged.

How long they sat like this, Petra wasn't sure, but she could have remained this way fro the entire day if that had been an option. She just relaxed into him, soaking up the warmth and taking in his scent and listening to the soft sound of his breathing as each exhale ruffled her hair slightly. Auruo was a safe place, she realized, so unlike the others before him and nothing at all like her father.

"Petra, I need to get ready for work," his words finally broke the surreal feel of the moment and Petra pulled back to look at him, "Promise me you'll take a little time to think things through today, alright? Maybe you should just go around town and start learning the area better or something...anything other than stay here and cry."

He was right, she knew he was, no matter how much she wanted to crawl back into bed while he was gone until work that evening, she wanted even more to overcome and move foreward because she had never been one to let circumstances keep her down. She allowed herself to be pulled to her feet as he stood and she looked up at him with shining, yet clear eyes.

"I promise," she agreed with a nod.

Auruo looked for a moment as if he wanted to say more, but he seemed to decide against it and offered a smile instead, bringing the tip of his finger to her nose, still holding her close by her waist, he poked her and held it there for a moment as he gave her a wink.

"That's my girl."

It was a title Petra was more than happy to claim.

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An hour later found the redheaded young woman walking down the sidewalk, with her hands resting comfortably inside the pocket of her hoodie as she breathed in the Autumn air. Earphones hung from her ears, connected to the phone in her pocket as she took in the sounds of acoustic guitar playing and gentle voices...the melancholy tune left her feeling both sad and hopeful as she imagined Auruo singing it to her as she was drifting off to sleep in his arms. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep inhale of the cool afternoon air, it was a beautiful day but even the brightness of the sun and the colors beginning to show on the leaves of the trees lining the street weren't enough to reach to the deeply aching part inside of her.

She took Auruo's advice to heart and she pondered her situation as she wandered past store windows and scanned their contents, the sounds and smells and sights of the city surrounded her, buzzing and filling her with life. In the grand scheme of things, yes, family was important and she had always treasured it while her mother was alive...but was family worth holding onto if they've never really been family at all? Surely family was more than blood?

Her wanderings eventually led her to a section of town she didn't recognize, but somehow felt was familiar for some reason, and she scanned the buildings and street signs in an effort to place why that was. Across the street she noticed a construction site, or rather, a bare slabe of cement with some support beams standing like grim memorials to the building whose skeleton they were intended to form, and she remembered suddenly that this was where Auruo had been working the day of Hanji and Moblit's barbecue. She crossed the street at the crosswalk and headed for the site, not really knowing why, and stepped up onto the massive foundation, scoffing in distaste when she saw it had already been tagged and painted on by the neighborhood artists and gangs. With a sigh, she saw down Indian legged on top of a rather impressively spray painted middle finger and licked through the songs on her playlist to go back to the slow one she'd had on earlier; it fit the mood and she thought maybe it would help her think.

She sat there thinking until her alarm went off on her watch, telling her it was time to head back to the apartment and get ready for work that night, so she stood up with a sigh and stretched the stiffness from her bones. She had decided a few things and she was eager to share her brainstorming session outcomes with Auruo after work so she set off towards home with a bit more bounce in her step.

Everything was going to be alright.

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Wow, so...my writing style has changed a whole lot and my paragraphs seem to be much larger now. But, I'm getting back into the swing of this story so I'm sure the dialogue will come back to me more after I get settled :)

As always, reviews are awesome!