This was the holiday special that I never posted...because I'm terrible :(

Holiday Special

Ryder was one to have a lot of patience, but sometimes even her patience wore thin. When she saw the note left by Ella for Levi she was ready to explode. Ryder knew that Levi was not one to entertain the idea of someone else, especially since he was already so difficult with his emotions towards his lifelong partner, but she was annoyed with the fact that Ella was still pursuing Levi even after learning that he was only interested in Ryder.

Meet me on the roof when the moon is at its fullest.

- Ella

Ryder continued to pace in her shared bedroom. Why did Levi have to meet Ella? Didn't she learn her lesson yet? Will Levi actually go to meet her? Should Ryder confront her or Levi? Should she confide in a friend? Ryder ran her hands through her hair once she stopped at the foot of her bed and sat down on the mattress. Ryder continued to scan the piece of paper and began to let her blood boil under her skin. When a knock was heard on the door, her head shot up and she stared at it.

"Come in." Ryder waited until Hanji walked into the room. Ryder's breath escaped her lips – a breath she didn't even know she was holding. "Oh, Hanji. It's just you."

"It is. Were you waiting for Levi? Should I leave?" Hanji began to think that Ryder was waiting for Levi, so they could partake in an intimate interaction.

"No. I just...it's nothing." Ryder sighed. Hanji didn't like the face that Ryder was making, so after sitting on her bed a question surfaced,

"What's wrong? Tell Dr. Hanji." The glasses wearing friend asked.

"It's just...here." Ryder handed Hanji the piece of paper and watched as the familiar eyes scanned over the words.

"I don't understand."

"So basically, Ella has been an actual pain in my ass. She won't leave Levi alone. She's been all over him for months and I thought she would've gotten the message because he never entertains her ridiculous advances, but she won't stop and it's so god damn annoying!" Ryder vented.

"Have you spoken to her?" Hanji asked the black haired girl beside her.

"The thing is, I've tried a couple of times, but she refuses to stop. Then I'm also trying to be political about the whole thing because apparently, Historia trusts me a little too much with the volunteers, so I need to make sure that the general consensus is that they like me. Ripping her a part and hanging her from her toes on a roof will not look good to everyone." Ryder explained. Hanji began to laugh at Ryder's violent thought process when it came to Ella.

"Would you like me to talk to her?" Hanji offered.

"No. It's fine. I'll deal with it." Ryder waved her hand.

"What does Levi think of all this?" Hanji asked.

"He keeps telling me to not be bothered and that I shouldn't work myself up, but it's the principal of the thing!" Ryder threw her hands up dramatically. Hanji understood where Levi was coming from, but Hanji also knew Ryder very well and sometimes her dramatic actions are needed and warranted.

"I will agree with you that the fact this has been going on for months is concerning and should be stopped at once." Hanji's head nodded in agreement as thought began to build inside her brain. "You two aren't very into showing you affections publicly, correct?"

"Yes.." Ryder answered without knowing why the question was asked.

"So I have an idea." Hanji said.

"What is it?" Ryder asked as Hanji stood up and began to walk towards the door.

"Leave it with me. By the end of the day, Ella will know that Levi only has eyes for you and will leave the two of you alone." Those were the last words Ryder heard before Hanji exited the room.

For the rest of the day, everyone had taken notice to Ryder's salty mood. Even though she would smile at people and try to be polite – her smile never quite reached her eyes. The Levi Squad tried to ask Ryder what was bothering her, but immediately retreated once Hanji explained the situation. The younger troops sat at a table in the courtyard conversing about what was happening between two of their superiors.

"I've never actually seen Ryder so mad at someone." Armin said to the group.

"But Ryder knows that she's a hundred times better than Ella, right?" Connie asked his friends.

"Connie, I think you're a little biased." Jean pointed out.

"I am not! Just because I think Ryder is the perfect woman, does not mean that I don't know how to appreciate another woman." Connie defended. "But, if Captain Levi is making Ryder feel insecure then I think she should leave him."

"You don't actually think that, right? Captain Levi only has eyes for Ryder and everyone who is breathing can see that." Armin pointed out.

"I think even people from the dead can see it, too." Even piped in.

"I'm just saying...maybe they're not meant to last." Connie shrugged his shoulders.

"That's enough of that nonsense." Squad Levi all looked towards the voice and saw Hanji walking towards them.

"H-Hanji, I didn't mean-" Connie was trying to defend himself, but never got the chance to once Hanji's hand raised and silence him.

"We all know that Levi and Ryder are two individuals who are meant to be together and who will be together. So I have a plan to show Ryder that Levi can show affection and shut Ella up as well." Hanji proposed.

"Really?" Armin asked.

"Yes, but I'll need your help. Unless you want me to tell Levi that you think they shouldn't be together." Hanji looked towards Connie and he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I support their relationship." Connie managed to say through the fear that was Captain Levi.

Levi's heart thumped in his chest as he began to run down the hallway. Jean came and found him to inform him that Ryder had been hurt in the cafeteria. A fight had broken out and she was dragged into it by mistake, so she was now injured. Levi knew that someone was going to get out of hand eventually and he knew that once he found out who it was then he'd kill them. Levi was going to slowly torture them for hurting Ryder.

Levi rounded a corner and saw the doors to the cafeteria. Jean had never seen Captain Levi move so fast inside the walls, so his limits were being pushed as the two passed multiple people. Levi quickly pushed open the doors and scanned the room. He saw Ryder sitting at a table by herself and quickly ran over.

"Levi?" Ryder looked up and saw the black haired man staring at her.

"What happened? Who hit you? How badly were you injured?" Levi sat in front of her and began to scan over her face. There was no visible distress on Ryder's face and no visible bruising.

"What? No one hit me." Ryder was confused by Levi's flurry of questions and the concern that he visibly displayed. Levi's brain started to put the pieces together. He sat in front of Ryder and felt his whole body begin to relax for a brief moment until he remembered that he had been tricked into running into the cafeteria. Levi's head slowly turned towards the en of the table where his squad and Hanji were all standing.

"Someone lied to me and someone will be punished." Levi threatened the individuals at the end of the table.

"We just wanted to prove a point." Hanji said.

"A point?" Ryder was also confused as to what was happening in front of her at that moment.

"Levi, sometimes Ryder forgets about how much you care about her, so we thought we'd prove to her that you would come running to her rescue." Levi turned his head towards his partner after hearing Hanji's words.

"Do you really forget?" Levi asked. He believed that it was apparent with how much he actually cared.

"No I do know how much you care…I don't really know why they're doing this." Ryder never questioned Levi's love and dedication to her. She was only annoyed at Ella.

"Also, we felt that we should celebrate your ever lasting love." Armin said.

"Celebrate?" Levi asked.

"With this." Connie said. He climbed onto the table while Ryder and Levi both stared at him with confused faces. Once Connie stood behind them, he pulled out a green piece of paper that was cut up and had white fluff balls stuck on the heads. He held the construction above the pairs head.

"What's that?" Ryder asked.

"I'm getting annoyed now." Levi crossed his arms over his chest.

"This is called a mistletoe. I read about it a while ago. Apparently, when two people are under the mistletoe then they have to kiss one another. It's tradition." Armin explained.

"So you want us to kiss?" Ryder asked.

"Well you have to because the plant was blessed, so then anyone who passes underneath it must kiss." Armin said.

"Will anything happen if we don't? I don't believe in nonsense like that." Levi did not seem impressed with what was in front of him.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt and they did go to a lot of trouble." Ryder tried to reason with the black haired man. Levi didn't look at her – he kept his gaze on the people in front of him.

"You will all be punished for doing this." Levi threatened his team.

"You can't punish me." Hanji teased.

"I will also make you clean up horse shit in the stables." Levi's eyes narrowed towards his boss.

"Come on, it's okay." Ryder reached her hand out towards Levi and rested it on the table. Levi turned his head, so he could look at Ryder. She looked at him with soft eyes and Levi felt his anger begin to dissipate. That's what always happened when he looked at Ryder in these situations. She was one that enjoyed making people happy and Levi didn't like to hear her yelling at him whenever she deemed his punishments unreasonable.

A sigh escaped Levi's lips and everyone watched him as he closed his eyes and began to lean to his side. Smiles began to spread across everyone's faces as Ryder leaned over the table and placed a small chaste kiss on his cheek. Squad Levi began to clap and cheer while the other people in the cafeteria watched what was happening. Other staff members – from government officials to soldiers to Ella, were all watching the couple. Ella smiled to herself when she saw that Levi only let Ryder kiss his cheek. She thought that he would've let her kiss him on the lips if they were both under the mistletoe.

"Now we're done with this." Levi announced to the people in front of him.

"Nope. We want a proper kiss." Hanji devilishly smiled at the couple sitting at the table.

"Okay, now I think you're pushing it a bit." Ryder's cheeks began to heat up with everyone watching them and now the pressure of kissing each other in front of the entire cafeteria.

"Kiss. Kiss. Kiss." Hanji began to chant. It didn't take long for the entire cafeteria to chant the word over and over again. Ryder was looking around at everyone in the room and saw that every single person was now looking at them. Levi had his arms folded over his chest and didn't seem affected at all by the current peer pressure. Meanwhile, Ella made her way towards the every growing group. She watched with anticipation. She was ready for Levi to deny Ryder, so she could go in and finally claim him as her own.

Ryder saw Ella standing behind some of the other people that had come towards them. She decided that Ella would finally learn that there was no way she was ever going to come between her and Levi. Ryder leaned over the table and grabbed onto the collar of Levi's shirt. With a tug, Levi looked towards Ryder and felt her lips crash onto his. Cheers erupted and clapping was heard throughout the room. Ella felt her heart break and walked away from the happy scene.

However, no one noticed when Ella walked away, so when Levi and Ryder broke a part everyone saw the million dollar smile on Ryders face as she

rested her forehead on Levi's and closed her eyes. Levi hated public displays of affection like this, but when he saw how happy Ryder was just by having one kiss – the pain was worth it.

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK? CUTE HUH?