It was a clear morning. In spite of the imminent danger of titan attack, the lush countryside appeared peaceful.
The Special Operations Squad was prepping to go out on a regular patrol, just as they would any other day. Except, today was different-today the squad was to acquire a new member.
Though the team was already firmly established, a new soldier, fresh from her trainee days, had been discovered to have incredible skills in the recent Battle of Trost. Though all on the team but the corporal had yet to meet her, they had heard rumors-that she was an arrogant girl, cold, and a bit deranged, but although they had caught these rumors, only the corporal knew her name-until this fine morning.
In fact, that same man was currently the one pushing her to introduce herself to her future partners. She looked up at him, dismayed. Yes, it was true that she was shorter than him. Her super petite form aided her in speed, but gave her a bouts of anxiety when next to taller soldiers. She honestly didn't know herself why she could handle the titans.
Levi jabbed her between the shoulder blades, causing her to yelp and leap forward. The other squad members, sitting in the courtyard, glanced towards her. Giving a nervous curtsy, she introduced herself.
"Hello! I'm _ _, It is my sincerest pleasure to meet you," she said cheerfully, honey dripping through her words. To her relief, the others smiled and uttered their 'hello's.
` Suddenly, the back of a hand made contact with her face, knocking her a few steps back. _ saw the corporal's agitated face, wondering what she could have possibly done wrong. Her parents were from the aristocratic inner walls, but _ had wanted to become a soldier after watching her brave older brother's mangled body buried in the soil. She was merely trying to make a good impression.
In a voice almost a yell, he said, "What sort of way to introduce yourself is that?" _ sweatdropped, quickly bringing her fist to her heart in a salute. Levi glanced once more at her, then nodded to his squad.
"I should have gotten to know her personality before choosing her," he grumbled in his thoughts. After everyone was mounted on a horse, the team set out onto a dirt path lined with green oak trees. Calmed by the gentle sway of her horse, _ nearly forgot about her previous folly.
The others were thinking about how incorrect the rumors had been. She seemed more like the stereotypical idiot than analytical maniac.
Looking around nervously, the (h/c) girl noticed the towering wall coming into view. "Corporal?"
He turned, staring at her with unaffected eyes.
"Will we be going outside the wall?" _ asked, gesturing to said structure. The corporal nodded, and faced front once more.
_ pouted a bit, puffing out her cheeks in thought. "Well, how was I supposed to know?"
Finally the squad reached the gate, and entered titan territory. Putting on a serious face, the girl prepared herself for battle. She allowed a miniscule smile to slip onto her lips, then melt away quickly like a sugar cube.
They rode awhile before seeing any titans. But, when they did run into them, the were in the middle of an open field-not the most suitable place for 3D Maneuver Gear to operate. It was an Aberrant, running too quickly to be stopped before it came near. Its thundering footsteps echoed across the plain, right through the bones of the small girl near the back of the formation. The hairs on her neck stood up. It was a 15 meter class.
Levi looked to her. "Show me what you can do." _ nodded, determined to prove her worth, especially after earlier.
When the right moment came, _ leapt off her horse, flung herself at the titan, and swung around its grotesque body, her 3DMG cord attached deep in the eyes of the titan. It let out a terrifying howl, and swiped at her. Avoiding the blow, she instead rose the monster's hand to its shoulder, jumped, and gracefully cut the back of its neck, landing gracefully with her swords hanging gently at her sides. Just as the titan's body collapsed and blood spurted out of its neck, _'s blades snapped clean off. She sheathed them, and smirked, pulling out a stopwatch from the inner pocket of her jacket.
"Ooh, nineteen seconds! That's a new record!" She shouted cheerfully. The rest of her team was in shock. Their mouths hung agape at her cheeriness, leaving only Levi unaffected.
Actually, he seemed angry. "You let your horse run off," he scolded, trotting up to the petite soldier.
"Sorry…" She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Guess I'll have to walk now, huh?"
"Here, take my hand," he commanded. _'s eyes met his, blushing. "A-ah…okay…" She took his extended hand, and he yanked her onto his horse with ease. The others in the group muttered their protests.
"Why the hell does the rookie get to ride with the corporal? She should walk!"
Only Petra was being nice. "Good job, _!" She smiled encouragingly.
_ felt quite awkward at the moment, not sure how to position herself. For now she decided to try to scoot back on the saddle as far as she could, avoiding physical contact with her superior as much as possible. A heavy blush dusted her cheeks.
The horse lurched forwards suddenly, and the poor girl was left squirming in her seat to avoid touching Levi.
"Hold on…" he muttered. Reluctantly, _ slid forwards in her seat.
"Y-yes! Pardon me…" she stuttered, unsure of where to put her arms. She decided to wrap them around his abdomen as the horse started off, clinging to Levi for dear life.
Rather than clenching around the thin fabric of his shirt, _ found her hands to be pressed against insanely beautiful abs. Eyes widened, she couldn't resist touching them further. _ traced a finger from his ribcage down to the waistband of his pants, loudly saying "Oh?!" all the while. Thank God that the rest of her group had drifted behind them.
Levi felt soft hands pressing against his stomach, anf glanced back at _. "What are you doing? It's creepy." He deadpanned.
The tiny (h/c) girl's eyes met his, curious (e/c) eyes wide and pink tinged lips a perfect 'o'. Flushing a beet red, she blurted out, "You have amazing abs!"
Levi sweatdropped. "Huh?…"