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Something warm took hold of your hands, comforting you in your troubled sleep. Grasping whatever it was touching you, you pulled yourself closer to the warmth. Funny, it felt sort of like someone's hands...

Your eyes suddenly opening wide, you found yourself cuddling the hands of whoever it was sitting next to your bed. Eyes tracing up the arms you had stolen, you found yourself staring into stormy eyes, gracing you with a faint trace of concern.

"Corporal Levi!" you exclaimed, jerking away. What a wonderful reason to have to explain to your superior that you cuddled things in your sleep.

Disoriented, you gazed about the small hospital room you were in. How did I get here? you thought vaguely. Then the memories of the trial and the conversation afterwards came rushing back to you. With a groan, you laid back on the flat pillow and covered your face with your hands.

"How long was I out this time?" you asked, almost afraid to know.

"About half a day," he responded curtly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

You sighed, relieved that it hadn't been more than one day. But you were even more happy to realize that the throbbing pain in your head was all but gone. "I'm sorry about grabbing your hands, sir..." you began, feeling very awkward. Why did it have to be HIM of all people? He was your superior officer, a very harsh-looking man who also happened to very attractive...

"Stop saying that you're sorry," he snapped abruptly, causing you to flinch and look away. The corporal added, in a much less angry tone, "You looked like you were about to start ripping the hell out of your hands with your nails again. I pried your hands open and held them that way so you wouldn't further mutilate yourself."

Looking down at your hands, you found them to be wrapped lightly with bandages. Then you inspected your long, sharp nails with distaste. "I'll clip these ASAP, sir. I've been in the hospital too long, and I haven't had the chance to do anything about them."

Wow, was that all I could come up with to say? you thought, feeling both boring and awkward. You wondered whether or not you should say something more.

Corporal Levi stood up from the wooden chair he was sitting on, and he tossed you a knapsack. YOUR knapsack, you realized. He turned to leave the room. "Get dressed," he ordered, "I don't want you looking like slob when we leave today. The nurses here might have bathed you, but they didn't bother to give you fresh clothes." He exited the room,muttering about the decline in the healthcare system.

Hurriedly dressing yourself in your uniform and harness, you found that your new jacket and cloak, as well as a pair of new boots (which, sadly, did not have your knives in them). At least they were much more comfortable than the half-melted ones, you thought optimistically. Tossing on your cloak, you threw the knapsack over your shoulder and rushed out of the room, to find the corporal waiting for you outside of the door.

"That was slow," he stated.

"Sorry, sir, I'll do better next time," you said, fighting the urge to roll your eyes. Corporal Levi was a very confusing man. Kind one minute, in his own way, then an unbearable grouch the next.

As if to prove your assumption right, his thin, taut lips relaxed slightly, and he said, "What's with you calling me 'sir' all of a sudden? You didn't bother the first time we met." He began walking down the hall, not checking to see if you were following him. You hurried to catch up to his astonishingly quick pace, despite his less-than average-height. Granted, you weren't taller than him...

"Is that a joke about me not recognizing you, corporal? In my defense, I never knew what you looked like." Biting your lip, you debated on adding the last thought on your mind.

Your check out was fairly quick. The available nurse gave you a quick look over and sent you on your way. Maybe that was because the corporal was there. The two of you exited the hospital and headed towards the back of the building, where the horses of visitors, patients, and workers were kept. Looking up at the still-dark sky, you realized it there was still several hours until dawn. "Spit it out," he said suddenly, giving you a sideways glance.

"You aren't exactly what I expected from humanity's greatest soldier," you blurted out, not bothering to sugar coat the statement. "When anyone would say the name 'Lance Corporal Levi', I would think of someone who looked more like Commander Erwin."

To your surprise, he let out out a snort of laughter. "The commander IS the ideal soldier. He thinks farther ahead than anyone else. He's much better around people than I am. He even looks the part of the perfect soldier, being tall and kind-faced. But it turns out, none of that matters when it comes to killing titans. People like ME are the best equipped to survive and continue surviving. But you know that already, don't you?"

You nodded, getting his meaning instantly. He was comparing you to himself. The corporal brought out his beautiful horse and began to saddle it. How long had he been waiting here? you wondered vaguely. If he only planned to stay for only an hour so, he wouldn't have unsaddled his horse. Did Erwin order him to watch you?

"Besides," he added, "the image of the ideal soldier didn't matter to you when you proposed."

You burst into laughter. "That was a joke sir, and you know it."

"Do I?" he relied, completely straight-faced.

Rolling your eyes, you decided to play along. "So, have you given any thought to the proposal? You did answer with 'maybe when you're older'."

He waved his left hand as he was turned away. "I don't have the ring, so I guess the engagement was called off."

Pulling the ring out of the pocket of your new jacket, courtesy of your brother, you strode over to the bent corporal, finishing buckling the straps on the horse's saddle. You held the ring in front of his small nose. "I've got it right here," you said, doing your best to keep from smiling, though failing miserably.

He stood up, pushing away your hand. The corporal looked to be about to say something in response. However, a more important thought apparently occurred to him. "How are you going to ride a horse with your head in its current condition?"

The question stumped you. Riding a horse was a very jarring experience, not exactly the first thing someone who has a concussion should be doing. But your head wasn't feeling anything like how it had yesterday. "Believe it or not, the mind-numbing pain in my head is gone. I feel like I'm back to normal."

"Just because you think you're better doesn't mean that you are," he argued, looking lost for what to do.

"How about we try riding, and see what happens?" you suggested.

He didn't look particularly thrilled with the idea. "For where we're going today, you'll need to be able to ride a horse. Tell me immediately if your head starts hurting. I won't risk your life if you aren't healthy enough to ride." With that, he jumped on the horse and held out his hand to you to help you up.

When you took his hand, you were surprised when he pulled you up in front of him. When not holding the reins, you were used to sitting behind the person who was. You felt your cheeks grow hot as his undoubtedly well-muscled arms encircled you to grasp the reins. Luckily for you, you were facing away from him and it was fairly dark.

Very lucky indeed. As you rode quickly through the streets within an uncharacteristically quiet Wall Sina, more often than not, the corporal's chiseled chest was pressed to your back. You felt the rapid rise and fall of his chest in synchronicity with his warm breath on the back of your neck. Whenever the horse would make a sharp turn down another street at Corporal Levi's direction, or suddenly shift its footing on the uneven cobblestone, he would wrap a steadying arm around your waist. You shivered slightly, feeling uncomfortable with how close he was to you and how intimate this situation seemed, yet you didn't particularly mind, either.

The horse slowed its pace considerably, and you felt the corporal lean closer into you. "Are you alright?" he whispered into your ear, his voice soft and concerned.

"N-no...I mean, yeah, I'm fine," you stuttered, face growing redder by the moment. "I'm just, uh, a little cold, that's all."

"You don't feel cold to me," he muttered, urging the horse to gallop at its previous speed. He was right, so very right.

He didn't move his arm away from you after that, letting his hand rest on the curve between your ribs and your hip, pulling you into his chest, as the two of you rode out of Wall Sina. You flushed violently red at the looks of the stupefied soldiers as the corporal flashed his writ of transit at them. You weren't exactly sure they even looked at it, because they stood dumbstruck for a moment, then called for the other soldiers to open the gates, not bothering to read the papers.

Before long, you realized where the two of you were headed. It was a place you had visited several times with your father, and every once in a while with you brother: the Survey Corps HQ. The corporal let the horse canter to the stables, deserted people-wise, and he let go of you to dismount. You were somewhat relieved and disappointed at the same time. You swung your leg over the horse to let yourself side off, but a pair of arms wrapped about your waist and carried you down, causing you to yelp in surprise.

"You don't have to scream," he said, sounding slightly annoyed. "I'm not going to drop you."

When your feet were safely on the ground, you pulled away and turned to face him, trying not to look flustered. Keyword: trying. "I-I would've been fine on my own! You don't need to treat me like a weak child, even if Er-Commander Erwin asked you to-"

"Is that why you think I'm here?" he asked, his voice flat and icy, and his hands dropped to his sides, then he was stiff and motionless. The corporals eyes regained the stormy intensity their color hinted of.

You were confused. Erwin didn't ask him to watch over you? "Why, then? What do you get out of helping me?" you asked, unable to comprehend the reason why the corporal would take such care with you. From what you learned living within Wall Sina, both above ground and in the underground slums, strangers didn't do nice things out of the kindness of their hearts. While you'd had a conversation with him a couple of years ago, he was, by no means, familiar to you.

His expression and body language softened considerably. The corporal led his horse to the water and food troughs and tied it up there, not bothering to put the horse in a stall and give it a feed bag. "I am your commander officer. I need to make sure the soldiers under my command are taken care of. If I think you need help, I'll help you. If you don't want it, that's fine, too. It's your choice, though if I think that you're not thinking clearly, I'll overrule you." He turned back and gave you a sharp look. "But don't mistake my intentions as orders from someone else. I am fully capable of making the decision to help you on my own. Even if you don't trust me, at least trust in my reasoning."

Opening your mouth to respond, you realized he was right. You didn't trust him completely. How could you? You barely knew him! But he was your commanding officer, and Erwin placed his full trust into him too. That counted for something, considering Erwin's trust was hard to earn. You personally knew that, as your brother didn't trust you to take care of yourself. Hmm. Wonder where all those trust issues of mine came from? you thought, groaning inwardly.

Following Corporal Levi around the back of the building, where you had never been before, he entered a cellar door, pausing for a moment to ensure that you were following him. You followed him down the steps that lead down from ground level, finding yourself walking through a long, narrow passageway.

Smart, you thought, looking about with interest. Eren can't transform into a titan in such a narrow space, especially since the walls were made of solid stone. Every once in a while, you'd notice the corporal glance back at you. He probably didn't trust me, either, you figured. The two of you came upon a door, and the corporal tossed it open, revealing a wide room with a low-ceiling. Several men stood inside, including Eren, and there was a smaller woman there in addition. She stood out from the rest of the guys, kind of like how you did with all of your friends and allies.

"So the commander's cherry-picked recruit is alive and well, I see?" said the eldest looking man, who honestly looked like an older version of Jean, with wavier hair. He sounded haughty, but his experience was apparent, both in his tone and in the way he held himself. You stood up straight and saluted smartly, realizing that this room was filled with the elite of the elite in the Scouting Legion.

"No need for that," the corporal said, giving you a sideways glance. "Your competence is on par with theirs. At any rate, you're all on the same team, so you're all equal here."

"You didn't tell us she was cute, Corporal Levi" a blonde man said, giving you a warm, welcoming smile. You relaxed your tense muscles, and you grinned back.

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is that we get going as soon as possible," the corporal said, not batting an eye. However, he didn't say that you weren't cute. Come to think of it, he never outright told you no to the proposal, either. "We'll get to all of the introductions later, when we're safely on our way. Let's go." He brushed past you, heading back the way you came.

Blinking, you turned around and followed suit, not having to wait for Eren, because he had already caught up to you. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly, looking at you with bright, worried teal eyes. "After the corporal carried you off, I didn't know-"

"What do you mean, carried off?" you interrupted.

"Just like it sounds," he said, now walking behind you down the narrow hall. "He gathered you up in his arms and sprinted to the hospital with you. That sure surprised Commander Erwin, who returned minutes later. But anyway, are you better? I was told you had a concussion after the fact yesterday, so I know you aren't completely better, but...still."

"I'm feeling a lot better now. But don't worry about me," you said, pausing to punch him the shoulder lightly. "Worry about yourself, titan-boy. YOU are the one we're taking into hiding, you know. Oh, and I'd really appreciate it if you didn't put me in your mouth again if you decide to go all titan on us. Thanks for the help back then, but seriously, your titan breath stinks."

He snorted with laughter as you both climbed up the narrow flight of stairs, eventually emerging outside in the still-dark surroundings. The corporal didn't look pleased, but whatever it was that annoyed him, he didn't say aloud. He led the way back to the stables, where his deep brown-black horse was still happily eating. The five others, Eren included, all went to specific stalls and began saddling their horses.

You stood back, frowning deeply. You missed your dear horses from your grandparents's ranch. While all the horses had been saved and transported within Wall Rose, you hadn't seen very many of them, as your grandparents were forced to sell most of them. Your own horse hadn't been sold, but it had still been years since you had last seen her. She must've been seven years old by now. Sighing, you whistled the call you had taught your horse Mahira to respond to. She was such a good horse...

The loud, obnoxious neighing and nickering of an obviously unsettled horse broke you from your reverie. Somehow, that sound was oddly familiar. You rushed past the stalls of the other horses, who were mostly thoroughbreds, or utility horses. They were the best type of horse for humanity right now. But the horse causing all the racket was no common horse.

"Mahira!" you called out happily, seeing the cremello Akhal-Teke, an exotic horse breed descended from a small herd your father had escorted back from the far east of Wall Maria some long time ago. You jumped over the gate and hugged the horse, who, upon recognizing you, began nuzzling your cheeks and hair, causing you to giggle uncontrollably.

Looking around her stall at the end of her row in the very far back, you realized all of your own tack was there too, polished and shined to a glossy finish. You patted her down, making sure she was properly fed and taken care of. Apart from being a little on the chubby side, she was perfectly taken care of. Her golden-white hair was carefully brushed, and her snowy white mane was sparse and clean, just like it should be. Even her blue eyes shone brightly in the shade of the stables.

You heard someone run up behind you. "What the-? Is she yours?" Turning your head to the side, you saw the short-haired woman staring at you and your horse. Unable to form words with your mouth, you merely nodded, continuing to cuddle your horse. You pulled away and began to saddle her, though it pained you to do so. You hated saddling the horses, because you always felt it was inhumane, but you continued to do so simply so the horses would be easier to control and keep from harm if they got spooked. But Mahira never caused you any problems, so this was especially painful.

"I've never seen a horse quite like her, right?" the woman asked. You nodded in affirmation, and she continued, "How did you come across her?"

"She's descended from a pair of those horses that were brought within the walls nearly ten years ago," you explained, used to having to do so when it came to Mahira. "Most of her breed are owned by those within Wall Sina, due to their rare coloration, which I think is ridiculous. Horses like her are perfect for the Survey Corps. She's fast, has great endurance, is incredibly loyal, everything one would need for a horse when going on missions on the outside wall." You finished up latching the belts, and you led her out of her stall. The two of you walked to the front of the stables. "But I digress. My fa-" you paused, catching yourself before you completely slipped up and told her who your father was, "-favorite thing is how lucky I was to get her. My father talked to some people, and got me a foal for my ninth birthday."

"You must be from Wall Sina, then," she said, smiling at me, though she looked somewhat detached. Not surprising, since most resented those living in the inner wall.

"Not exactly. I grew up within Wall Maria," you corrected. "My grandparents owned a horse ranch, so they were able to give him some leverage by offering up a trained horse or two. Since I was the one who trained those horses in the first place, it wasn't as if I didn't work for it."

"Ah, so YOU own that beautiful creature," the blonde man said, first to notice you and the woman approaching. He was also the first to have finished saddling up and mounted his horse. He reached out to stroke Mahira's long ear, and she obligingly let him. He gave a low laugh. "She wouldn't let me near her head when she was transported here a week or so ago."

"Yeah, she doesn't really like other people unless I'm around," you laughed. "It's a character trait of her breed, I'm guessing. She's the only one of her kind I've had the pleasure of training."

"Don't get her started," Eren cut in, mounting his own horse with ease. He had better, after all of that time you spent teaching him, along with the rest of your close friends. He gave you a lopsided grin. "Once you get her talking about horses, she never shuts up."

"Screw you, Eren. When someone gets YOU talking about killing titans, you never shut up, either."

"Listen to that sass," the Jean-lookalike said, cantering up to us. "Sounds like we're going to have an interesting ride there."

"Don't be nasty, Auruo," the woman beside me sighed, walking up to her own horse and mounting it. Instantly, it was obvious to you that the two of them did NOT get along. "She doesn't need you giving her grief, on top of everything else that's happened to her."

"Lighten up, Petra," Auruo said, not phased by her cool attitude. "I didn't mean it in a negative way." He turned to you. "You're not upset, are you?"

You shook your head and smiled. "Not at all. I'm used to being called sassy and interesting. Some of my best traits, right there." You jumped up on your horse after signaling to Mahira, savoring the joy that you felt from being able to ride your own horse for the first time in while.

"Save the chit-chat for the ride there," the corporal stated, riding up on his dark horse, followed by the last man, who was black-haired and quiet. His gaze lingered on you before he turned and began to gallop away on his horse. The rest of you followed suit. Deciding to let Mahira warm up a little before urging her to go too fast, you decided to keep towards the back of the group for now.

Petra rode next to you, and she winked. "Seems that the corporal is keeping his eye on someone."

Rolling your eyes, you replied, "I'm more of a nuisance than anything else. He's already made that clear."

The dark-haired man from before slowed his pace to ride next to you. "It takes a special kind of person for him to post-pone a mission and even stay by said person in the hospital until she wakes up."