"Ohshitohshitohshit…." You mumbled to yourself, trying not to start hyperventilating.

The carriage rocked slowly down the cobbled streets, moving at a snail's pace. People were packed tight, desperate to see the festivities. Children rested upon their parent's shoulders and waved wildly. Several people cheered as the carriage turned the corner.

Pulling back the small velvet curtain, you closed your eyes and allowed the sweet spring breeze to dance upon your cheeks. Your scalp tickled, unused to having your hair loose. You kicked off your plain black pumps, flexing your toes in their freedom. You tugged anxiously on the front of your dress, unused to wearing something low-cut. Ugh, why couldn't I just wear my uniform?

Your dress was cut low enough to show a little cleavage, the square neckline enhancing your assets. It was empire line, tucked under your bust and flaring out into a beautiful skirt that fell to your ankles, embroidered with silver thread at the bottom. The sleeves came to your elbow, the ends wide and loose, perfect for cooling you down. A small silver chain hugged your waist, shining against the rich green velvet.

"You doing ok?" Hanji trotted up alongside your open window, her horse sweating in the muggy heat. Her cloak was thrown over one shoulder. "Yeah, I'm fine Hanji, I just...wasn't expecting a huge fuss...I wasn't expecting any of…this…" You pointed discreetly at a group of people who were tossing perfumed flower petals into the air. A small boy broke away from the crowd and ran up to the carriage, slipping through the border of Military Police.

"Miss! Miss! Here, I have a present for you!" His chubby hand strained to reach your face as he struggled to keep up with the carriage. Calling for the driver to stop, you leaned out of the window, signalling to the MPs that all was well. "Hi there. Are you ok?"

The little boy's cheeks were flushed red as he nodded determinedly. "I have a present for you, Miss! Come here!" Smiling, you bent down to him as he fastened a tiny posy of yellow and blue flowers in your hair, using a piece of silver thread to keep it in place. Your young suitor took his job seriously, his pink tongue poking from the corner of his mouth. You stifled a grin, noticing he was missing his two front baby teeth.

The beautiful petals now sat just behind your ear, gleaming like a warm sunrise. The thread glittered in the daylight. "Is that ok Miss? It's not very good but I thought you'd like yellow!"
You opened the carriage door and stepped out, careful not to catch your dress off the steps. Pulling the child to you, you kissed his cheek. "It's beautiful, thank you so very much. It's just what I needed. Thank you for giving me the finishing touch." With an embarrassed giggle, the boy whirled away into the crowd, cheeks burning scarlet. His mother half-waved to you in apology.

"You're going to make him jealous, with all your young admirers, haha!" Hanji's voice pulled you back to reality. Brushing off your bottle-green skirt, you climbed back into the carriage.
Voices called your name, children ran behind the carriage. Old men bowed their heads and women made signs of good luck.

Despite the breeze coming in through the exposed window, you felt yourself starting to sweat.
O, Walls, what am I doing? I'm no good at this kind of thing…I just want to go back to training. Yeah, show the new recruits a thing or two…See if I can annoy Levi again. How can I handle sparring with a half-naked angry little man but I can't handle…this….

You suppressed a laugh as you remembered the last combat training session...

You and Levi, one of your best friends, agreed to a rare sparring match in front of the young recruits. This was a treat for the teenagers. They knew Levi had a chequered past and found it hard to get close to others. Many were, frankly, terrified of the cold Captain. Some believed he didn't know what human emotions were, that he had a rock for a heart.

You knew better. He took a long time to warm up to anyone but once he did, he was fiercely loyal. Once he let someone in, that person knew they had a companion for life.

Whispers surrounded you and Levi as cadets learned how he took you under his wing, personally training you, pushing you harder and harder until you were only outmatched by him. He was 30 and yet, never spoke down to you, despite the 6 year difference. He respected you as an equal, both in training and off the field.

Indeed he was as close to you as he was with his squad and Erwin. Your sparring was legendary among the recruits. Even Erwin would sometimes slip away from his infernal paperwork to watch.

With blood streaming from your faces, one of your eyes puffed up and bruised, you and Levi sweated it out, viciously, showing no mercy. This was another reason why you didn't spar often in front of recruits- many couldn't handle how fast and brutal the fights were. There was no time limit, there was no restriction.

The group groaned loudly when Levi grabbed your ponytail and kneed you in the face, bursting your lip. Reflexively your elbow connected with Levi's nose in retaliation, the solid bone in your arm cracking his cartilage. The raw crunching noise caused two recruits to vomit. Flinching, Levi took a step back, collecting himself. Gasping for breath, his shoulders heaving, he flicked his fringe out of his face, his movements causing drops of blood to sail through the air, landing on the dusty ground like ominous little coins.

He smirked at you. "Lucky shot. That's four times you've done my nose now. Clearly it's my least attractive feature." Shaking your hands, staying loose, you smiled widely at him- "Ha, who says ANY part of you is attractive, Short-Arse?"

His eyes flashed with amusement. No one bar Hanji could swap insults with him like you could.

"Hmph! How would you know what my arse looks like? Alright brat, playtime's over." With a loud growl of effort, Levi expertly charged sideways at you, swinging a fist. Instinctively, you raised your hands, swatting his sore nose. Too late, you realised this was what he had intended- distraction. Your hand barely grazed his face as he twisted away and slithered behind you.

Blood poured freely from Levi's broken nose, spattering onto his bare chest. The onyx-haired man lunged and pinned your arms to your side. His toned arms held you tight, squeezing the breath from your lungs. You felt your sweaty back cling to his rock-hard stomach and chest. Your thighs chafed against his as you both battled for ground.

His pale feet threw up clouds of dust as you struggled to get free. "Oi. Your face has looked better. Had enough?" His breath whispered in your ear, sending shivers down your spine. "You wish, Short-Arse!" you gasped, as you made your next deadly move...