Chapter 10: Fight & Dance

Five days after and things were still the same. The trumpet woke them, the breakfast was sloppy and the activities were fully physical. Finally, it was Sunday, the 'relaxing' day for the students. They could do whatever they wanted, as long as they made it back in time for curfew. Most took advantage of the day to go out to the beach to have some sandy fun, while others decided to hang around the water park or play at the indoor facility activities. Ymir and Krista just wanted to relax. They had gone on several water park rides, though not all of them, and had managed to score a hefty sum of tickets at the arcade. Ymir was pleasantly surprised to know that she'd really been having fun over the last few days, and it was thanks to Krista.

Said blonde was brushing her soft locks while sitting on the bed. It was morning but it was a bit earlier than the trumpet call. Hannah and Mina were asleep. Krista could honestly say that while Ymir still didn't tolerate the two girls, she didn't despise them as much as she did before. Mina didn't warm up to her as Krista had hoped, but she didn't go out looking for a fight. Hannah was still the same: scared of Ymir and wary of approaching her, however she wasn't afraid of answering Ymir's questions.

Krista put the brush down on the table and glanced over at Ymir, who lied back with her arms behind her head.

"Ymir?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you want to do today?"

Ymir sat up and shrugged. "I don't care, really. Why? Is there something you want to do?"

"No, well, not right now, anyway. It's a night activity and we have all day to relax so why not go to the beach?"

Ymir sighed and lied back down in her previous position. "Whatever."

Krista smiled. She counted down the seconds in her head and grinned when Ymir shot up. "Wait, what? The beach, as in the place where all your moron friends are obviously going to be?"

"They're not morons, Ymir! Armin and Mikasa are very smart and–"

"That's not what I meant, pipsqueak."

Krista flushed and curled her fists. "I'm not a pipsqueak!"

"Yes you are. You're so short. I think you're the shortest person in our grade, no, in our school. Actually, I'd go as far as saying the world–"

"YMIR!"

Krista tackled Ymir and knocked her head against the headboard. "Youass! Why do you keep teasing me like this and you're so mean to me when I try to be nice and you know what? Here, I think a head-butt is a great gift."

"No, Krista, don't– OW! Fuck!"

Krista leaned back and clutched her forehead, but grinned triumphantly. "Take that! I'm not much of a pipsqueak now, huh?"

Ymir groaned and rubbed her face with her palms, as if to soothe her pain with a face massage. "No you're still a pipsqueak," Ymir muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"I said: 'Oh Krista, your head-butts have awakened the kindness that has been buried deep inside me for years! How could I ever repay you? Oh, I know! Marry me, Krista, and we can have beautiful babies!'" Ymir mocked in a false soprano voice.

Krista blushed heavily and smacked Ymir upside the head. Ymir groaned and buried her head under her pillow. "I-idiot!" Krista stuttered, getting off the bed and stomping to her drawers. She picked up an outfit and stomped to the bathroom. She stuck her tongue out at Ymir, then retracted and slammed the door. Ymir held her stomach and bit her bottom lip to stop from laughing, but her shoulders were shaking heavily. Krista was so red Ymir swore she saw steam coming out of her ears.

When the trumpet heralded the beginning of the day, Ymir sighed and covered her ears. Girly shrieks pervaded the morning silence, mainly coming from the boys' dorm. Yeah, things were still the same.

The beach was expansive, stretching from left to right in a grand sandy line. Ymir wouldn't be surprised if it took hours to reach the end of the beach; it was that big.

Eren and Armin were absolutely fascinated with the glimmering ocean water. They had never seen such a thing until the trip, and every time they came by the coast they would sit at the shore, waves licking their toes, and stare down the horizon. Armin would point out facts about the Earth's water reserve and Eren would talk about dreams of exploring every inch of the world. It was a refreshing, optimistic and hopeful point of view, which went strongly against Ymir's realistic and pessimistic philosophy. Krista, on the other hand, was captivated by their ideas and sat beside them to exchange hers. Ymir listened half-heartedly, preferring to stare at the small, gloomy cloud in the distance. She shivered, feeling a foreboding sense come over her. One glance at Krista and the feeling strengthened.

Krista caught her gaze and grinned widely. She held a few pebbles in her hand and put some stones in the brunette's palm. "Hey, Eren, so how we do the stone skipping thing again?"

"Oh, it's easy! Just hold the pebble between your fingers and flick your wrist sideways at the water. If you do it just right the stone will skip across the surface." Krista nodded and pulled Ymir up with her. Ymir rolled her eyes but mimicked her friend, following Eren's instructions. Eren and Armin decided to try as well and skipped stones with the girls.

Mikasa watched with a smile under the shade of a palm tree. Sasha was busily munching on an apple, having been forced to eat healthy at Mikasa's behest. Reiner and Bertholdt were busy swimming in the ocean, Connie was trying to build a sand castle with Marco and Jean and Annie was digging her toes in the warm sand, leaning on her elbows. It was perfect; the temperature, the sun, the breeze – nothing could go wrong.

Until Mikasa caught Annie staring at Eren.

Her lips pulled downward and her cool façade broke. Her fingers twitched. Her body was set on edge. Annie was staring at Eren, her brother, and she was not going to let her get away with it. With a determined glare, she stomped over to Annie, kicking up sand on Sasha's poor apple. The hungry girl cried out in protest but dug in the picnic basket she brought and pulled out another.

When Annie felt a presence loom above her she looked up and raised an eyebrow at Mikasa's thunderous expression. "What do you want?" Annie sneered. She was trying to enjoy the view of Eren's fine and firm backside. But then Mikasa of all people just had to block it!

"I want you to stop ogling my brother," Mikasa grit through her teeth. Annie smirked and stood. She crossed her arms and leaned forward menacingly. Krista's words echoed in her head: 'Just go for it!'

"Oh? What if I don't want to stop? What are you going to do about it?"

Mikasa clenched her fists tightly, narrowing her eyes. "I'll repeat my demand. If you don't back down, there will be consequences. Stop staring at my brother and stay away from him."

"No, and I'll even repeat my question for you: what are you going to do about it?"

Mikasa inhaled and exhaled through her nose, remembering that she shouldn't start a fight and get herself in trouble, especially with Eren right there. "I will do nothing to provoke violence. Once more, Annie, stop what you're doing or there will be consequences."

"No, and nothing you do will stop me. You're not his mother, Mikasa, and he's a big boy now."

Mikasa sucked in a harsh breath, face red with anger. "You have no right to speak that way. You do not know what we went through and how much I treasure Eren's life. You have no right."

Annie's eyes widened slightly but she cooled her expression. "I don't give a damn. That doesn't excuse you babying him. He's a man now, at least let him act like one."

Mikasa's bangs fell forward, shadowing her face. "You leave me no choice."

"What– whoa!" Annie leaped backward at Mikasa's punch. She frowned heavily at Mikasa's firm stance. Legs spread, knees bent slightly, arm stretched out – so she really did want to fight, huh? Annie smirked and brought her fists up to her face. She bounced on her toes and peeked at Mikasa between her clenched hands.

Mikasa retracted her hand and straightened. She adopted a wider stance than Annie's close-footed one. Her left hand was clenched in front of her breast and her right one in front of her face. Her body was twisted slightly and her feet planted firmly on the sand. The girls were wearing loose clothing over their bathing suits, and quickly discarded their shirts for more space. They kept their shorts on, however. Annie and Mikasa had strong abdomen muscles that clenched tightly with anticipation.

Connie looked over at the two super athletes and his mouth dropped. "Oh, hell no. Don't tell me Mikasa finally snapped!"

Jean didn't look up from his atrocious sand castle, scoffing. "Mikasa? Snapped? No way, man, she's like the definition of control and calm. There's no way– oh my god she snapped! Holy shit, Marco, get a camera or something!"

"I'm sorry, Jean, but Eren used up our camera to take pictures of the ocean and–"

"EREN YOU DIRTY BASTARD NOW I'LL ONLY HAVE MY MEMORIES TO REMEMBER THIS GLORIOUS AND EXTREMELY SEXY MOMENT."

Eren looked over at him and flipped him off, enraging him further.

"I HATE YOU EREN JAEGAR!"

"I HATE YOU TOO, ASSHOLE!"

"Oh my god, Eren! Mikasa's fighting Annie!" Krista gasped.

"What?! Armin, let go of me!"

"I'm sorry, Eren, but this is something they need to do. You'll understand later, I promise."

Ymir laughed and put an arm around Krista. "This is gonna be the fight of a lifetime, just watch. I'm gonna start a betting pool: five bucks it's gonna end in a tie."

Eren hesitated. "No, I think Mikasa will win. No, Annie will, um…"

"You're so mean Ymir!" Krista reprimanded, but the girl was already collecting bets from the other teens watching. Krista sighed and bit the inside of her cheek nervously. Would they be all right? This wasn't what she meant when she told Annie to go for it.

The fighters circled each other, awaiting the first move. Finally, Annie pushed forward on one leg, extending her right hand to land a hook on Mikasa's jaw. The oriental girl smacked the fist away and retorted with a round-house kick. The impact wasn't strong enough, due to the sand absorbing her heel's strength. This allowed Annie to block the kick with her forearm and back off, returning to her original stance. Mikasa returned to her stance as well. This time, she decided to land a hit.

Annie dodged the blow to her eye, the swipe at her chin, the fist to her nose and punch to her chest. When Mikasa threw another punch, Annie's fists loosened and she slapped her palms to Mikasa's wrist. The black-haired girl's eyes widened, as did the blonde's smirk. Her hands gripping Mikasa's wrist tightly, she pulled her forward and delivered a head-butt her. They both stumbled back but Mikasa was in much more pain. Annie had kicked her gut for extra measure.

Mikasa grit her teeth and tried to think up a strategy. Obviously, direct hits weren't going to work, so she required a tactic to build up to the ultimate attack. She retook her stance and waited for Annie to strike her. Annie didn't disappoint. However, just as she reached Mikasa, she pivoted on her heel quickly and landed a blow to her side. Mikasa tensed her muscles at the hit and didn't budge. Annie's face contorted into a feared expression for a split second – Mikasa had grabbed her foot tightly.

Annie tried to wrench her foot but Mikasa had already managed to plant her heel in her chest. She flew back onto her back and gasped for air. Her hair came loose from its bun and she struggled to sit up. That kick had literally taken her breath from her, her lungs totally empty. Mikasa approached her smugly, hand on her hip.

Annie glared at her and placed her hands on the sand. Her palms dug into the grainy and warm element. It might not work, but she had to try! With a grunt and a push, Annie spun her body around and kicked Mikasa's shin. The taller girl fell over and Annie rushed to her feet. She wiped her fringe away, body slicked with sweat. She re-entered her stance and awaited Mikasa. The other girl pushed herself up and stood on her feet. She leaned more on the other foot, meaning Annie had successfully injured her shin.

Annie winced at the pain in her chest but tried to keep a neutral expression. She approached Mikasa rapidly with a kick. Mikasa grabbed her and instead of kicking, flipped her over onto her back by strongly twisting her ankle. Annie grunted when Mikasa's foot pressed to her stomach.

"I win."

Faintly, they heard a 'YES!' in the distance, followed by a 'it's not over yet!'.

"No. I'm not done."

"What?"

Annie grunted and pulled on Mikasa's foot. The taller girl fell back into the sand, gasping loudly. Annie stumbled to her feet, shakily entering her stance again. She and Mikasa were breathing heavily as they faced each other once more. Mikasa rushed her with a punch, and, purely on instinct, Annie reached out and clasped her wrist with her hand. A memory of Eren and the dojo flashed briefly through her mind and she kicked Mikasa's legs then quickly flipped her over.

Mikasa landed on her back, squinting against the sunlight. Another 'YES!' was heard in the distance, but she paid it no heed as she pushed herself off the sand another time. She would not lose to the likes of Annie. Annie grit her teeth but nodded her head in respect, Mikasa doing the same. This last blow would finish it. They both rushed at the same time, fists stretched out, and then landed a blow on each other's eye.

They yelled in pain and fell back, clutching their eyes. When they didn't get up after five minutes, a 'PAY UP, BASTARDS!' was heard this time.

Eren rushed to the girls and was torn over who he wanted to comfort. When he saw Armin tending to Mikasa, he decided to go over to Annie. The blonde was groaning in pain, but at the sound of a person kneeling by her, she stopped her noise of pain. She peeked from her good eye and gasped quietly. Eren! Her face reddened slightly but the boy either was oblivious or ignored it.

He helped her sit up and pried her hands away from her eye. It was definitely swollen and bruised, and Eren was sure Mikasa had the same mark to her eye. When he peeked behind him, he saw Mikasa was giving him the saddest and most heartbroken look he'd ever seen from her. Guilt gripped his heart but he couldn't take it anymore. He turned away from Mikasa and helped Annie to her feet. He needed to solve this somehow. He didn't want these two fighting forever.

He pulled Annie to Mikasa, who also sported an impressive black eye. She limped weakly to Eren and placed a hand on his shoulder. Annie did the same. Mikasa stared at Annie for a long, long time before she slowly pulled her hand away and limped to Sasha with Armin's help. The girl greeted her with an ice pack and her loose shirt.

Eren grinned at Annie, who returned his smile with a small one of her own.

Reiner and Bertholdt walked onto the beach, water dripping from their muscular figures, and spotted Ymir throwing various currency bills into the air and laughing wickedly. Krista looked annoyed and disgruntled, muttering to herself. They looked at each other, shrugged, and approached the petite blonde. She glanced up at them and smiled slightly.

Reiner pointed at Ymir. "What's her deal?"

Krista sighed. "Annie and Mikasa got into a fight, Ymir made a bet it would end in a tie and she won the whole betting pool."

Bertholdt and Reiner gasped.

"Annie and Mikasa fought?!"

"You guys had a betting pool without telling me?!"

After the fight, the group decided to eat lunch then head off to prepare for their night outing. Krista forgot to mention that her friends would be coming with them to Ymir. Thus, she spent time trying to convince her to accompany her in-between dressing up. She had bought a short black dress with frills at the bottom, along with a pair of red heels, from one of the boutiques in the establishment. She also forced Ymir to buy a red dress shirt, black tie and black slacks when she refused to buy a dress. However, the taller girl was stubbornly shoving Krista's body away with her foot. The blonde had the shirt, tie and pants over her arm.

"Ymir stop being so stubborn and get dressed! We need to get to the restaurant!" Krista shouted, hand on her hip.

"You didn't mention they would be coming with us!" Ymir argued.

"If I did you wouldn't have agreed!"

"Damn straight I wouldn't!"

"Why not? You barely even talked to them at the beach, there's no difference in the restaurant!"

"Yeah, until you make me communicate with them as part of your friendship and rainbows bullshit."

"It's not bullshit! I want you to come and have a good time, is that so much to ask?"

"Yes, especially when you lied to me–"

"I didn't lie! You're making a big deal out of nothing!"

"Fine, you withheld information from me. Does that sound about right?"

Krista flinched and glared at Ymir. "I'm not the only one withholding information."

Ymir narrowed her eyes and turned her nose up. "I'm not telling you anything, so don't bother."

"I'm not going to. Ymir, please, I'm begging you! Please come with me."

"No."

"What will it take to convince you?"

"I don't want those assholes with us!"

Suddenly, Krista smirked and Ymir was taken aback by her sudden mood change. "Oh, so you want me all to yourself, huh? I guess you really are selfish."

"W-what?! You're deluding yourself!" Ymir's face was bright red, matching her dress shirt and Krista bit the inside of her cheek to push down a giggle.

"Am I, Ymir? Am I really?"

"Give me the damn clothes."

Krista whooped for joy once Ymir snatched the fancy outfit from her and slammed the bathroom door behind her. They were alone in their room since Mina and Hannah had gone out with their friends to the other attractions for the day. Krista rocked back and forth on her heels in excitement. She was wearing her dress already and sat down in order to prevent damage to it. She smoothed the fabric over with her palms and waited with bated breath as Ymir finally exited the bathroom. She looked incredibly handsome. Her hair was still pinned back with the clip Krista had given her and it made the blonde feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Ymir appeared nervous, shifting from one foot to the other and avoiding Krista's eyes. It made the blonde giggle. Ymir rolled her eyes and twirled around in a mocking fashion.

"There, happy?"

Krista nodded. "Very."

The blonde stood and approached the brunette. She reached her hands up to straighten Ymir's crooked tie and held her breath when the brunette touched her hands. She ignored it and tightened the piece of fine fabric. Ymir tightened her hold and Krista looked up into the emotions that swirled in her brown eyes before dissipating. The moment was lost when Ymir dropped her hands and stepped back.

She opened the door for Krista and raised an eyebrow.

"Well? Are we going or not?"

The restaurant was not what the girls were expecting. Instead of being an actual restaurant with a proper seating arrangement, it was designed so that there was a dancing area in the middle and the tables were set up against the walls. Everyone was already there and dressed formally, just as Krista had predicted.

She tugged on Ymir's sleeve and the girl pulled her arm away, rolling up her sleeves. Krista raised an eyebrow. "It's a new shirt. I don't need you wrinkling it from you pulling me everywhere," Ymir explained almost exasperatedly.

Krista giggled and held Ymir's hand instead, ignoring the fluttering of her heart. She dragged her tall friend to the group and greeted them happily. They returned the greeting and awkwardly waved at Ymir, who blatantly ignored them. Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie were looking away pointedly. Ymir rolled her eyes and sat at the chair farthest from those three, but closest to Krista. She laid her head on her arms and watched Krista socialize with the others. She was happy, what with the way she giggled at Sasha's hungry expression and Mikasa's blunt words. Speaking of Mikasa, the girl had her hair styled in a way to cover her eye, while Annie had her bangs swept over her own swollen eye. It was quite comical, since the girls refused to move their hair upon anyone's request.

Surprisingly, Eren wasn't with Mikasa. He was talking to Annie and they were both smiling. Annie, smiling, as hard as that was to believe. Armin joked with Reiner, Bertholdt and Connie, while Marco and Jean were suspiciously missing.

Other guests, both students and resort visitors, were dancing around to a song being played by a pianist in the corner. He was a young man in a smart suit, and his voice filtered through the microphone next to him. His voice was soft, low and sensual, romanticizing the mood. His fingers deftly played the keys under him, and he smiled gently as he watched the other couples dance.

There were waiters who tried to keep themselves invisible and serve the patrons at the same time. They dashed around quietly. The kitchen entrance was behind a counter behind the pianist, but he ignored them and continued to lull the crowd.

Sasha shouted all of a sudden when a waitress brought a basket of fresh Italian bread. She calmed down when Mikasa passed her a loaf and made her sit in front of Ymir. The hungry girl nibbled on her bread quietly and glanced at Ymir nervously. The brunette lifted her head and gave a bored expression, leaning her cheek on her fist. Sasha remained oblivious but stopped looking at Ymir, staring at Mikasa instead. Ymir followed her gaze and smirked, leaning forward.

"Oh, so you're hungry for something else?" she whispered conspiratorially.

Sasha blushed beat red and ducked her head. "N-no!" she stuttered.

"Oh, c'mon, I saw the way you looked at her. Looked like you wanted to nibble on her and not your bread!" Ymir snickered.

Sasha hid her face in her hands and shook her head. "That's not true!" she insisted, peeking between her fingers. Ymir rolled her eyes and leaned back, lacing her fingers behind her head.

"Yep, and Marco's not gay. You're both so obvious it hurts. At least Marco's got balls to get Jean alone with him in a romantic restaurant. You, on the other hand, can't even get Mikasa alone without looking like an oaf."

With each word, Sasha sunk lower and lower into her chair until her forehead was level with the table. Ymir laughed at Sasha's downtrodden expression.

"Then what should I do?"

Ymir shrugged, a sad smile on her lips. "I dunno, don't ask me."

"But you and Krista–"

"There's nothing between us."

Sasha remained quiet, pondering. She lifted herself and sat up straight. "I don't believe you."

"I'm not gonna listen to a potato girl, and you are not interfering in my business."

"Pardon my manners, but I'm certain there's something there. You just don't want to see it or are oblivious. Even I can see it, Ymir, and I'm just a potato girl. If you'll excuse me." Sasha stood from her seat and approached Mikasa, taking her hand and talking to her quietly. Krista smiled from the sidelines and took Sasha's spot, watching the two girls converse.

"I thought I told you to drop the polite attitude," Ymir muttered, crossing her arms. She turned her head to the side but glanced at Krista from the corner of her eye. The girl seemed absolutely captivated by the pianist's gentle melody and the overall mood. She watched as Mikasa blushed slightly and shook her head, Sasha's face a fierce scarlet. She seemed downcast but then Mikasa placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her over her scarf. Sasha pulled her by her wrist to the dance floor and they danced to the slow song being played by the talented musician.

Ymir thought about Krista and what Sasha said. Could there be something more? Was it even possible to have intense feelings for someone other than herself? If the last few weeks weren't proof enough, then Ymir didn't know what was. Their laughs, their worries, their bonds; it was a great accomplishment for someone as broken as Ymir. She's so different, Ymir thought, so full of light and joy and hope – my total opposite. How can we even be something more? Well, we are friends aren't we? But a real relationship? I don't know, our worlds are too different.

All these thoughts ruined her already bad mood and she leaned forward to rest her head on her arms. Krista turned to her with a concerned look but Ymir refused to look at her, opting instead to study the grainy patterns on the wooden table surface. Krista pressed her lips together, wondering what she'd done to piss off the brunette this time. Wasn't she having a good time? The music was beautiful, and though the food hadn't arrived, the scent in the room was enough to make everyone hungry.

So what was Ymir's problem? Only one way to find out.

Krista poked Ymir's bare arm repeatedly, and leaned her head lazily on her palm. Ymir didn't respond, but occasionally she twitched and peeked up from her arm to glare. Finally, she'd had enough and slammed her fists on the table, narrowing her eyes and leaning her face dangerously close to Krista's.

"What."

"Are you okay?"

"Just. Peachy."

"You sure?"

"Does my face look like I'm joking?"

"No."

"Then leave me the hell alone."

"Aw, but." Krista looked around and spotted more couples dancing. An idea came to her suddenly and she grinned, standing up and pulling Ymir up by her wrist.

"Dance with me."

"What? No!"

"Please?"

"No."

"Do I have to beg for everything?"

"I'm not going to dance with you! Just ask Reiner instead."

"But I want you to go with me."

"Goddamn it, Krista, stop asking me!"

Krista pouted and blinked her eyes rapidly, peeking at Ymir from beneath her lashes. Her blue, blue eyes looked teary, and Ymir scoffed and pulled her wrist away. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot against the linoleum floor. Her fancy red shoes helped distract her somewhat, and she turned her eyes away from Krista's gaze. However, the little blonde wasn't close to giving up. She stepped forward, face red and heart racing like mad, and wrapped her arms around Ymir's waist, placing her chin on her crossed arms and staring up. Ymir kept her arms crossed but her face was red and her body trembling. Thanks to Sasha, she was thinking all sorts of things about Krista and her, things she wouldn't have thought before.

Like how nice it felt to have arms wrapped around her, or how Krista's eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue she'd ever seen, or how her lips looked soft and pink.

What.

Ymir coughed and uncrossed her arms, running a hand down her face. No, she did not just think that. She did not just think something totally inappropriate about her friend, who was currently staring up at her innocently and assuming Ymir was denying out of annoyance. Ymir blew a strand of hair away from her steaming face in anger.

Meanwhile, Krista pushed down her smirk and offered an innocent smile instead. She had Ymir right where she wanted, but she was still questioning her own behaviour. What was she doing, exactly? Was she trying to convince her friend to dance with her, or? Or what? Krista didn't understand her own actions. She heard from Sasha that this was how couples flirted, by touching and teasing and other things, but this was her friend she was doing this to. Was this flirting? Did it even count? Did she like Ymir that way?

Krista shook her head and pulled her arms away. She couldn't. She and Ymir weren't like Sasha and Mikasa, who had a comfortable, long yet weird friendship. Sure, they had the comfortable and weird part down, but long certainly wasn't there. Was it possible to develop feelings in just four months? With a friend nonetheless?

Krista decided she didn't care, she didn't want to lose the amazing friendship she already had, and she was still trying to sort out her own feelings regarding her newly-discovered attraction to girls. She didn't want things to go awkward and tense because she thought she had feelings or was selfish enough to act on them without making sure Ymir felt the same way.

She just wanted to dance with Ymir, if only for one night.

She assumed another pleading expression and gently took Ymir's hand in her own. "Please Ymir? Can we go dance, just once?"

Ymir's lips pulled downward in an annoyed grimace, but she sighed, nodding. "Fine, fine! Just one dance."

"Yay!"

The next song was another slow one, but it was far more romantic and aimed at couples. Ymir rolled her eyes at the sheer irony while Krista giggled and placed her hands on Ymir's shoulders. The brunette was unsure what to do with her own, so she reluctantly placed them on the blonde's hips. A shiver flew down Krista's spine and she tried her best not to show it, while Ymir tried to control the trembling and clammy feeling in her palms. They swayed gently, Krista looking up at her tall friend while Ymir stubbornly avoided her gaze and stared at a point above and past Krista's head.

"Wise men say... only fools rush in; but I can't help... falling in love with you."

Krista sighed and placed her hand on Ymir's cheek, pinching it. Ymir scowled in annoyance but complied and looked down at Krista. They were looking into each other's eyes, brown to blue, annoyed to mischievous. Krista giggled and slid her hand back to Ymir's shoulder. They moved their feet side to side. Krista moved one of her hands from Ymir's shoulder and grabbed one of the girl's hand from her hip. She twirled under her arm, failing spectacularly, and they both laughed at the atrocious move.

Couples watched them in amusement but turned away when Ymir glared at them. She held Krista's hand in hers gently and up, sliding her strong arm to the small of the short girl's back. Krista grinned in delight and they took up a more active dance, moving around the floor. It was still relatively slow, in tune to the piano, but it was a much more fun routine.

Finally, the song ended and Ymir kept to her demand, letting go of Krista and stepping back. She slouched on her previous chair and hid a smile in her arms. Krista followed her and sat in front of her, watching the other couples dance. She was grinning like a fool, face red, and immensely happy. Ymir danced with her, and she was sure she enjoyed it just as much as she did. It was so dreamy. Krista felt like she was floating. It was amazing.

Suddenly, she saw Marco and Jean laughing and hugging each other. They were in the centre of the dance floor but moved away to give more space for others. She looked shocked when she saw Marco give Jean a kiss, but smiled warmly at their interaction. Mikasa and Sasha were at another table, with Sasha pulling on Mikasa's arm to dance again. Mikasa was ignoring her, watching Eren dance with Annie and whisper in her ear. Krista felt bad for Mikasa, but was happy for Annie. It was a strange feeling.

There was so much love in the air that it was hard to imagine this trip was ending in a week. Krista glanced at Ymir, wondering if they would have a romance before dismissing the thought entirely.

It was absurd.

Totally impossible.

But another look at Ymir and Krista sighed, clenching the fabric of her dress. No way it was going to happen, not until she knew more about Ymir's past and confessed her true identity. Who knows? Maybe Ymir would hate her for being a liar. Krista wanted to at least make sure they weren't entirely dependent on each other before it came down to that point, such as being in a relationship. It would break her, and Krista was sure it would take years to fix, maybe even a lifetime.

But it was already too late; she was falling far too hard to stop.