"You know who's a real looker?" Hanji asked, and Levi took the chance to commend himself on his patience.

The question came out of nowhere during breakfast. Levi was rather sure that Hanji hadn't been speaking at all for the past five minutes - an actual miracle. He'd remember if he was blocking her out.

Hanji looked at him with bright eyes, the slyest of smirks tugging on her lips and Levi didn't answer, already tired of whatever the hell she was playing at.

"I mean a real cute thing. Real sweet." She grinned at him, sipping from her mug again.

Levi sighed, bringing his mug back to his mouth.

"Hanji, I don't care." He sipped, ready to hear it anyway. She was probably talking about one of her stupid titan pets.

"Petra."

Levi's drink caught in his throat and the man was pretty sure he'd burned himself. Hanji didn't take her eyes off him, waiting to see if perhaps he'd sputter and spit out his coffee in shock.

He forced the liquid down and reached for a handkerchief, blotting his mouth and not looking in his comrade's direction. Doing his best to fight down the rising ire within himself, he picked up his mug again, eyes focused squarely on the opposite wall.

"Aw, c'mon. Don't you think she's pretty?"

He ignored her, trying not to set his jaw, but she continued.

"And she's so tiny! It's so cute." There was a short pause as Hanji hummed thoughtfully. "Wow, I bet she hardly takes up any space in her bed."

Levi's eyes strained in his skull and he tried to keep them from popping out.

"What the fuck, Hanji." He said it to himself but, of course, she caught it, and her laughter pounded against his skull as he walked away from her, abandoning his mug at the table.

Now in the near empty dining hall without the Captain to annoy, Hanji sighed, resting her face on her hand.

True, she'd done it to get a reaction out of him - she was tired of how coy he'd act about Petra. Poor girl, the man starved her of attention.

But the blonde really did have such a sweet face. And her hair was so pretty. Soft, too, Hanji imagined. And she smelled of flowers.

"Squad Leader, what in the world are you grinning about?"

"Don't worry, Moblit."

Petra was in her room after breakfast, and alone, luckily enough for Hanji.

Without much preamble, Hanji shut the door to the room and cornered her younger comrade, pitching the idea of perhaps, kissing a bit, and maybe later on, if Petra so desired, making love. Just to see what it would be like.

All with a smile and loud voice.

Petra licked her lips. "Hanji, I uh. Well, I, um, -"

"Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like with another woman?"

The younger woman burned hot red and Hanji thought it was just adorable how she still blushed about these things at her age.

Petra shrank under her gaze. She'd never had anyone be so forward with her before.

"Well, yes, once or twice, but.."

"Alright, then." She sat beside her comrade on the bed, legs criss crossed, eyes bright.

"I don't know, Hanji."

"Is it because of Levi?" Always too blunt. Damn, now she'd back out for sure.

Hanji waited for Petra to start blushing again, maybe deny the implications or just get up and run away. But Petra did not do any of that. Rather, she stilled, dropping her hand from where she'd been twirling her hair around a finger, a flash of annoyance crossing her face.

The blonde did get red in the face, but not from embarrassment.

Hanji felt a jolt when Petra lay her hand over hers and leaned in to whisper.

"Meet me here after dinner, but leave before it gets dark, okay?"

Hanji's smile could split her face if she grinned any harder. She hopped off the bed, only sparing Petra a backward glance as she swung the door open.

"See you after dinner!"

Petra had already removed her gear and was lounging barefoot on her bed when Hanji snuck in after dinner. The brunette shrugged off her jacket and tossed it to the floor, her long legs making the walk to the bed short. She reached a hand out towards Petra when the blonde stopped her.

"Wait." She glanced down into her lap, then back up again. "Have you ever been with a woman?"

Hanji smiled, one hand reaching up and running through the short strawberry blonde hair that fell off her friend's shoulder.

"Petra, I can't disclose that kind of information. I need to be sure your behavior is totally organic. Think of it this way; I'm the control, and you're the variable!"

There wasn't any real experiment, no hypothesis or theorem that needed proving, and they both knew it. Still, it added some more fun to it. Petra could burn right through her skin if Hanji admitted she was just curious what it would be like to kiss her.

"Ready?"

Petra didn't get the chance to respond, struck dumb when she saw that Hanji was leaning closer and closer, the anticipation rising in her chest as their lips drew even nearer together.

Petra shut her eyes just before Hanji's lips brushed over hers, the lightest graze. She felt Hanji's breath more than she felt her skin.

Hanji's eyes were still open and she had to fight back a giggle at the look on Petra's face. So concentrated, so red.

Moving forward just enough, Hanji pressed her mouth against Petra's, cupping her face with one hand.

Wow, Hanji thought. She even tastes like flowers

Hanji ran the tip of her tongue across Petra's bottom lip, tentative and fleeting and sending a hum through her partner. Petra accepted, returned the force of the kiss and did not resist as Hanji leaned forward, pushing her back onto the bed. The mattress creaked under their weight.

Petra sighed lightly and Hanji took the chance to slip her tongue into her mouth, warm and lazy.

Then, without warning, Hanji slipped her hand beneath Petra's shirt, and feeling the hard muscle there, ran her hand across Petra's abdomen.

Petra's skin frosted over with goosebumps, and she yelped into Hanji's mouth, shooting up from her position on the bed. Their foreheads collided as she jumped up in shock.

Hanji took her head in her hands, cradling her forehead and waiting out the pain. Petra rubbed her own forehead as well.

"Jesus, Hanji. You could have warned me first!"

"Sorry. Just wanted to get an honest reaction." Hanji lifted her head from her hands and saw that Petra had her eyes closed. She was leaning back on one arm, the other hand still soothing her forehead, and her neck was stretched out. She leaned back and the line of her body was a graceful roll from her neck to the swell of her chest and down to the dip and flare of her waist. It was as if her self consciousness had disappeared once she shut her eyes.

Hanji took advantage and studied the blotched patterns that rose across her bedmate's neck and face, like blood flowers blooming against snowy skin.

She realized that Petra had tiny flecks, little brown freckles, scattered across her skin, trailing down her collarbones and contrasting with the warm ivory of her flesh. It made her smile.

"You're just delightful, Petra. All peaches and cream!"

Hanji doesn't know what response she expected, but she didn't think she'd receive such a meaningful look, such a sweet smile.

"Thank you." And Petra breathed it out with such sincerity, such a humbled blush on her cheeks that Hanji could not resist the urge to kiss her again. Both her hands cupped Petra's face and she leaned forward again, loving the sensation of cloaking Petra's tiny self with her own body.

Petra responded in kind, returning the kiss with gentle ardor, and did not jump this time when Hanji sucked on her bottom lip.

Petra tucked her hand under the back of Hanji's blouse and ran her fingers up the dip of her spine. The brunette nearly jumped herself and when she looked Petra in the face, her hands still cupping her cheeks, there was a smile there.

It was a wonder they'd missed the creaking whine of the door opening, but they were too caught up in each other. However, they did not miss it when the door slammed shut, slicing through the fog of their quiet breaths.

The Captain stood in the doorway, eyes glinting cold in the dimming sunlight, lips pressed into a severe, thin line.

Huh, that's the look that makes Petra weak at the knees?, Hanji wondered.

They sat in the thick silence for some time and when Hanji looked over, Petra had covered her face with one hand in horror.

It took her a moment to realize that she still had Petra pinned beneath herself, and she backed off, a bit rueful at the lack of warmth. And just when things were getting exciting. Maybe Levi would like to watch?

She glanced back up and saw the man still glowering by the door, his face calm but his eyes cutting her down.

Maybe not.

"Well then!" She clapped her hands together. "You're earlier than I expected. Petra told me you wait until after dark." Not a trace of pink on Hanji's face. "I'll leave you two to it, then."

Levi's mouth pursed, puckering like he'd bitten into a lemon, but he did not speak, watching as Hanji stood from the bed, gathering her jacket from the floor.

The walk to the door was completely silent, Levi's eyes locked only on Petra, who was splayed out on the bed, red and finally having removed her hand from her face. But Hanji knew he was watching her, was counting the seconds until she'd left his peripheral vision.

The door creaked behind her, laughs choked at the back of her throat. God, she'd never forget the shock in Levi's voice.

"What the hell was that?"