It was 'lights out'. Captain Levi wanted everyone in bed by dark with the exception of those on guard duty. Amy lay on her bunk, staring up at the ceiling. Her arms were crooked with her hands behind her head. Since it was bedtime, her hair was down from the bun she usually kept it in. The wavy black strands were slightly spread out behind her.
A quiet sigh escaped her. It was her first night at the castle outpost where the Survey Corps were posted. She still couldn't believe she'd joined them. It felt like a bizarre dream, one where she was watching her life but she wasn't in control of her actions. It had been her goal to join the Survey Corps when she first became a recruit, but after actually facing the titans her resolve had been shaken to the core. The speech that Commander Erwin had given to them hadn't been very encouraging either. It had been rather terrifying, in fact. But something had kept her feet stuck fast to the ground as the others around her walked away. She still wasn't sure what exactly that something was.
A faint stream of moonlight cut through the darkness of the room, giving her just enough light to see blurred shapes. There were two bunks in the room pushed up against opposite walls. Her roommate, Sasha Braus, was a barely distinguishable blob on the other bed. The other girl had spent the night crying and it had made Amy uncomfortable. Not because she thought less of the other girl in any way, but because it made her want to cry too. Eventually, though, Sasha had drifted off to sleep, and now she was quietly snoring. The window in their little room was open to let in the cool, night breeze. But even with that it was uncomfortably warm.
Amy had stripped down to a loose, gray tank top and her plain black panties to sleep in. The girls had all showered together back at the recruits training campus, so she wasn't worried about her modesty around her roommate.
Amy knew she should be sleeping, they would be busy all day tomorrow going over the plans for the mission and doing drills, but her mind just wouldn't let her rest. Despite her very real fears about death, she couldn't help but be excited to be there. Captain Levi had been everything she was expecting, and more. Even though he was shorter than most men, he had a very intimidating and commanding personality. Her admiration had started when she had first thought of joining, and had bloomed into feelings she was sure she shouldn't have for her commanding officer.
He made her feel things she'd never experienced before. It had really hit her earlier that day, when they had officially met him, how much of an effect he had on her. They had just received their uniforms, which were just green cloaks with the Survey Corps wings stitched on the back. He had called out, ordering them to line up and stand at attention. Amy had scrambled with the rest of them to comply with butterflies in her stomach. She was third from the end by the time they had straightened out. Captain Levi stood before them, his eyes scanning each of their faces.
He seemed even more annoyed than usual with how long it had taken them to follow his order and Amy couldn't help blushing as his eyes paused on her. She knew she stood out compared to her fellow graduates. Amy was only five feet tall, and although height didn't make you any worse at killing titans, Captain Levi himself was proof of that, she still couldn't help feeling self-conscious about it. Her blush intensified as he studied her a moment longer before he moved on.
It had been a very mortifying moment. Her embarrassment had been intense. The fact that she knew her face was red only served to embarrass her more, which made her blush more. She was sure by the time he was through studying them and talking that she was red as a tomato. He had glanced at her several times while he'd been speaking to them and she hoped he just thought she was suffering from the heat.
After he'd dismissed them, she'd wasted no time in getting inside and claiming a room. Captain Levi had told them they would be taking the rooms on the first floor that had essentially been the servants quarters. They could choose whichever room they wanted out of those so long as they put up their names on the doors. That way people would not only know that room was claimed, but so he could find them if he needed them for anything. Amy had been happy with her room choice, since she had wanted a room with a window in it. Sasha had simply walked in and placed her things on the other bunk and Amy said nothing about it. She didn't mind sharing the room.
Amy liked Sasha well enough. She was friendly, though a bit formal, and usually had a stash of food. Amy had been hungry enough times in her life to know how to appreciate a slice of bread, or a half of a baked potato.
Amy shifted, rubbing her face tiredly before rolling onto her side. She closed her eyes firmly, determined to try and get some sleep. She wasn't sure how much time had passed before she finally drifted into oblivion. It felt like her eyes had only been closed for a few minutes when she was abruptly pulled from her dreams. Amy was disoriented when she first opened her tired eyes. Sasha sat across from her on her bunk with her uniform already on. She was in the process of pulling on her other boot, but had paused in the middle of the action. Amy realized she was staring at the door and she looked rather nervous.
Still feeling groggy and confused, Amy rolled over enough to look at the door and froze. Her heart felt like it stopped for a beat before resuming at a much faster pace. Standing in the frame of their doorway, was Captain Levi himself. He was staring down at her with a blank expression and Amy blushed madly while scrambling out of bed. Her movement seemed to jolt Sasha from her stupor also, because she stood at the same time Amy did and they both saluted him.
His expression didn't change and Amy could feel the skin of her cheeks and neck flushing red. There she was in her tank top and panties in front of her Commanding Officer, the man she harbored a secret crush on. She wished the floor of the room would open up and swallow her right then. His gaze slid over to Sasha and Amy saw the other girl stiffen.
"You're dismissed, Braus. Go to the mess hall with the others." He ordered quietly before stepping to the side to let her out. Sasha nodded before hurrying out of the room, the laces of her untied boot trailing behind her. Amy stood still and nervous butterflies erupted in her stomach as Captain Levi shut the door behind Sasha, trapping her alone in the room with him.
He turned and leaned back against the door, crossing his arms. He looked distinctly annoyed. "Penrose," he spoke her last name firmly. "I distinctly remember telling everyone to meet at dawn in the mess hall for morning announcements. You and your roommate were the only ones not present. I do not tolerate tardiness. Cadet Braus was at least ready to go, and she will be informed of her punishment later. You, however, were not even awake." His expression turned dark, much to Amy's growing horror. "You have disrespected me by disobeying an order and everyone else by wasting their time. If you cannot follow orders then perhaps I should just send you back to the Garrison. I have no use for someone who can't follow even the simplest of orders."
His words lanced through Amy's heart and shocked her into a stunned silence; all the blood drained from her face. She felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack as he stood there glaring at her, obviously waiting for a response. Her throat constricted with emotion, but she somehow managed to push past it to speak. She dipped into a low bow, her eyes squeezed closed to stop the tears threatening to fall. "Please, Captain. I swear it won't happen again. Just please, please don't send me away."
The silence stretched on and Amy stayed bowed over, trembling. Levi moved forward, the sound of his booted steps echoing slightly on the masonry floor. Amy still didn't move or even open her eyes. She was terrified that he was going to make her leave. She'd never be able to live with the shame of that. It startled her when she felt his rough fingers brush against her chin. He gripped it firmly, though he was surprisingly gentle, and lifted her to face him. His expression hadn't really changed, but somehow she could tell he wasn't angry anymore.
"You have ten minutes to get dressed and get to the mess hall." He started, his tone soft but commanding. "After announcements, you and Cadet Braus will report to me. Do I make myself clear?"
The relief that flooded through her body was so intense she thought she might pass out. "Y-yes, sir." She managed to whisper. Now that the threat of expulsion was no longer immediate, she became distinctly aware of how close he was, of the feeling of his fingers on her chin. The blush that had deserted her earlier slowly began to spread over her cheeks again. He stood watching her a moment longer before he dropped his hand and turned to leave.
"Ten minutes, cadet." He reminded her as the door was closing behind him. As soon as it snapped shut, Amy began to frantically pull on her clothes. She was ready and out the door within five minutes and it only took another minute for her to make it to the mess hall.
To her embarrassment, everyone turned to look at her when she arrived. With her head down, she quickly retrieved her breakfast and sat down at the far table where there were only three others; Sasha, Armin, and Mikasa. She thought the other two would have been with Eren, but when she looked she didn't see him anywhere in the room. Announcements started while she was quietly eating, and soon after everyone was dismissed. Amy reached out to grab Sasha before she could leave.
"We're supposed to report to Captain Levi." She quickly explained. Sasha swallowed loudly before turning towards the table where Levi was still sitting. Amy looked over as well and discovered that he was already watching them. Amy took a deep breath to steel her resolve before leading the way over to him. She could hear Sasha muttering as she followed, but it was too low to make out what exactly the girl was rambling about. She grew quiet as the paused in front of the Captain's table.
"I've thought about how exactly to punish the two of you for your insubordination." He paused, and Amy resisted the urge to shift around nervously. "Braus, you will be on stable cleaning duty for the rest of the week." She groaned. "You will clean the stables daily with no help. If I find out anyone has helped you I will double the length of your term and the one helping you will be similarly punished."
Sasha let out a whimper but eventually saluted. "Yes, sir." She said, obviously not happy about it, but knowing better than to argue. He nodded, "Good, then you are dismissed." Sasha quickly turned and left to join the others in the court-yard. They were still busy cleaning the castle up. With the extra hands from the new recruits it would go faster, but there was still a lot left to do.
Levi turned his attention to Amy, who stood waiting patiently for whatever punishment he decreed. "Penrose, for the rest of the week you will be on laundry duty. You, also, will receive no help. In addition, every day at exactly seven p.m. you will go outside and run five laps around the perimeter of the castle. Trust me when I say I will find out if you shirk out on your duties."
Amy nodded, surprised and relieved at how lenient her punishment actually was. Laundry duty was tedious, and running laps was exhausting, but overall it wasn't that big a deal. "Yes, sir." She said, saluting him. He said she was dismissed then, before he stood and walked away. Amy smiled at his retreating back before heading out to join the others in the courtyard. She spent the next few hours pulling weeds and helping trim the yard. When she was done with that, she headed to the washroom and began laundry. With everyone cleaning, there was plenty of laundry to do and she knew she'd be stuck there for the rest of the day.
Her arms were sore by the time lunch was served, and when she was finished eating she had to go back and do more laundry. By the time dinner was served, her hands felt raw and she could barely grip her spoon. When it was close to seven, she stopped and headed outside to do her laps. Her back hurt, her arms felt numb and her fingers tingled painfully.
She ran, and ran. The steady thump of her boots hitting the ground helped her concentrate. It was growing dark as the sun set when she finished. She was panting heavily, and sweating profusely. She leaned forward and hissed as the rough fabric of her pants rubbed against her raw hands. God, she hurt all over. It was a few minutes before she caught her breath. She headed towards the showers, wincing with each step. Her shower was short, but sweet. The cool water washed over her and she felt better after scrubbing away the dirt and sweat from the day.
Feeling slightly refreshed, but still exhausted, Amy returned to her room for the night. Sasha was already there getting ready for bed. She jumped slightly when Amy walked in but she quickly relaxed. "I'm sorry that I didn't wake you up this morning," Sasha said quietly. "I was already panicking because we were late and all I thought about was that we might miss breakfast. I didn't mean to get you in trouble."
Amy smiled at her and shook her head. "Don't worry about it." She replied while untying and pulling her boots off. "I don't blame you at all." Sasha smiled and looked relieved. The girls finished getting ready for bed and this time Amy made sure to set the small alarm clock on the bedside table they shared. It didn't take Amy long to fall asleep that night.