I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Below the Surface

In the water, she found a form floating and was, for the first time, shocked. She expected to find a fat man who failed to pay off debts or a dismembered prostitute who was just too disgusting, that was what those kind associated with, right? No, instead she found a teenage girl bobbing along the surface.

Modern!AU

Work wasn't pleasant, not at all.

Ymir cursed under her breath over the idiocy of her coworker.

Reiner could hardly fill out a properly written, though false, report of inventory to save his life. The boss learned of it, discovered that he was smuggling out booze for himself, and promptly lashed out at all of his workers, Ymir included. She was forced to spend an extra hour or so tending the bar, uttering bullshit under her breath, and serving the customers in disdain. Luckily no one spoke to her, when she was in a foul mood, the patrons knew her well enough to give her space.

She was intimidating enough as she was.

At around midnight she was allowed to leave, she was given Reiner's shift after all. The bar was still open as Bertolt and Annie had taken part in covering the rest of the hours.

Groaning to herself, she slung her shoulder bag over her hip and made her usual route for home. The route consisted of walking several blocks, going through a couple alleyways, and then across the train tracks to where the wharf was. Above her, lamps flickered on and off, and the signs that once hung proudly now either clung to their posts by a screw or were completely torn off.

The scent of the sea, all of its filth really, was what she called home. Cries of some gulls that flew overhead and the distant horns of ships elsewhere was all natural to her. However, she lacked appreciation for them and only yearned for the comfort of her bed.

A yawned escaped her. The trouble Reiner gave her slid off of her shoulder by the time she reached the pier. Her home was tied at the other end apart from the others that were fastened by. No one was up at this hour, not when she eventually arrived; that was what she thought until a large splash caught her ears.

Someone decided to skinny dip now?

She shrugged it away and went on, her body seemed to have dragged her feet.

In the darkness, following the splash, two men dressed in black emerged. They were both gaunt old men whose gazes were fixated ahead, not making contact with her own. One bumped shoulders with her and didn't apologize.

"Fuck you too," Ymir grunted, but she picked up on their intentions when they went into a car in the lot a few yards away and drove off in haste, tires screeching.

She never noticed the car until now. Instinct kicked in, they came here to dump a body. That's pretty low considering where she lived. It was the residential part of the pier, no one would be stupid enough to just dispose evidence where civilians were. Unfortunately for her, they had came from the end of the docks, from where her home was.

Despite her exhaustion, she sprinted down the boardwalk to her ketch. She slung her bag on board and threw herself over as well to fetch a flashlight by the wheel. She leaped back onto the dock and peered over the edge for the dark waters, her flashlight illuminated it to bring on a hue of blue and green; white foam and bubbles at the edge of her light lead her to point it in that direction.

In the water, she found a form floating and was, for the first time, was shocked. She expected to find a fat man who failed to pay off debts or dismembered prostitute who was just too disgusting, that was what those kind associated with, right? No, instead she found a teenage girl bobbing along the surface. She stayed afloat until she suddenly began sinking.

"Holy shit," Ymir muttered as she placed the flashlight down. She quickly got to the floor and reached for the girl's arm, then pulled her close. With great effort, she fought against the water to haul her over. She laid her upon her back and pressed her ear against her soaking wet chest; the sound of a heartbeat signaled life and amazingly she was still breathing.

She was unconscious.

Ymir wasn't one to call the cops, she didn't favor authority much and she definitely wouldn't start asking for their help now.

She couldn't just leave her like this. Those old fucks may come back or maybe one of her "neighbors" would get the wrong idea, after all, the girl looked barely legal. Ymir deliberated on what to do, then reached a conclusion after a minute.

She gathered the young girl in her arms, took the flashlight, and went aboard her boat. She managed to open the hatch that led below deck and skipped two stairs; it wasn't large but it was enough for Ymir to comfortably stand in, though she had to go sideways to ensure the girl she carried would fit with her. The girl was heavy with the amount of water she took in, it bothered Ymir that she was dripping over the floor since she might slip.

She took her into her small loft, which was combined with a kitchen, and placed her upon the sofa. Of course, Ymir brushed away the cans of beer left on the surface, along with a couple porno magazines; they were all tossed to the side and fell to the floor. She reached to the left to turn on the light, she could see her clearly now.

The girl was blond, short, and had flawless skin that put the moon's beauty to shame. She wore a rather nice blouse that, when dry, could compliment her figure but now it clung to her skin, her jeans did as well. Ymir debated on whether to strip her naked, though the thought of doing so to an underage person bothered her.

"We're both girls...and she has a bra on, it should be fine," Ymir told herself.

Fighting through the awkwardness, she pulled off the girl's blouse and tossed it to the sink. She then worked on removing her jeans, thus exposing the girl completely to her. Ymir had to admit, she had quite a pleasing figure, she even gave a small nod of approval but remembered that she had no idea what her age was. As she got the last leg out, something fell out of the back pocket, a wallet.

She picked it up after tossing the jeans.

When she opened it, she found an identification card.

"...Krista Lenz, alright, sounds cute. Hm, hm...eh? Nineteen?!"

Ymir gazed at her again.

The revelation of her age changed her impression of her, and a burning feeling rose in her gut. This girl- no, woman had suddenly caught her attention to the fullest, but for now she had to wait. She had her tastes but it didn't mean she lacked morals. Plus, those men she saw last tried to kill her, she felt something was up for having found a woman that was too pretty for her own good.

She got up and went to the bathroom to fetch several towels, she proceeded to dry her off as best she could, then went back and got a blanket to wrap around her comfortably. Once she was taken cared of, she began to worry for the men again- they might come back eventually. Ymir stalled for a moment, she wanted to go off into the harbor but then they may remember her boat and know who to target- they seen her face but not her home.

In the end, she decided to close the hatch and wait until morning.

She got up, closed the hatch, and went about her daily routine of going to bed.

Along the way to her bed after turning off the lights, she stripped down to her boxers and bra, she scattered her clothes and boots off to the side and collapsed onto her bed. In the darkness, she faced Krista and drifted into sleep.