AN: This is my first attempt at a yandere fanfiction, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes. If you spot any, feel free to let me know!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Soldiers didn't survive the injuries dealt by a Titan. That was a basic truth that Levi had long since accepted, having seen more than his fair share of people die at their hand. Even if the person was lucky enough to escape without the loss of a limb, the internal bleeding would do them in. Crushed ribs and ruptured organs weren't something a medic could heal, and was so painful that some had even asked Levi to finish the titan's work out of mercy.

As far as Levi was concerned, any attempt at saving an injured soldier was foolish. More often than not, it just resulted in more needless death.

He told Erwin as much when the Commander informed him that he would be assigning Squad Levi a medic. Levi didn't care if she was top of her class, or survived a few missions. A medic was another person to keep an eye on, and Levi already had his hands full with that titan-shifter brat.

Erwin had the final say, however, and so here he was. Waiting around for some snot-nosed kid who thought she could keep up with an elite squad of soldiers.

"I think I see her!" Petra exclaimed beside him, her horse prancing in place as they were approached by a handful of supply wagons.

Sure enough, among the wagons was a small woman atop a large gray horse with a bright green cape on her shoulders. Her hair shown like gold in the sunlight, soft curls escaping her French braid and blowing wildly in the wind. The closer the medic got, the more disheveled she looked. The white of her uniform had more than a few spots of mud, and her brow shone with sweat in the hot summer day.

"She's rather short, huh? Even shorter than Petra!" Levi heard a soldier comment behind him, and gave the medic another once over. She couldn't have been much more than five feet tall. The captain's apprehension increased even more. He was in no position to judge a soldier's fighting capacity based on size, but she certainly didn't look athletic. Unlike the other women in Squad Levi, she didn't have the solid muscular build that would give her the edge she needed when enduring a long mission.

"Captain Levi?" She called softly, approaching him before saluting. Her voice was almost musical, although he did detect a tremor of awe and fear as she addressed Humanity's Strongest Soldier. "Lieutenant Celeste Kelly, reporting for duty. Command has sent me to be your squad's new medic."

Levi gave her an indifferent stare. "Oi, brat, don't think that just because you're some useless field medic you'll receive any special treatment. You'll be expected to attend training and do chores like the other members of this squad."

His cold grey gaze examined her nervous features critically, and Levi noted that her eyes were some of the brightest he had ever seen. "Yes, sir! I will do my best." She replied, looking somewhat relieved when Levi started to turn his horse around.

"Change out of that filthy uniform as soon as we arrive at HQ. You look like a fucking mess." Levi called over his shoulder, not waiting to see her reaction to his crass words.

Probably about to cry. Brat.

But something about her nagged at him, something he couldn't quite place. Even as he kicked his horse into full gallop, he could feel her bright blue gaze burning into him like fire.

It wasn't that her eyes shone with intelligence, the way that Commander Erwin or Yeager's blond friend did. Levi didn't think it was because she was particularly striking, either- nearly all the women on his squad were exceptionally good looking, and all were much more toned than this new brat.

It took him a minute, but Levi finally found an answer to why she bothered him so much. That light in her eyes was innocence. She still had an unrealistic expectation about the future, one that was bright and cheerful and entirely unrealistic.

That must be it. She's still naïve, despite being in a few missions.

Levi resigned himself to that. She drew his attention because of the oddly alive glint in her wide blue eyes, nothing more.

Weeks passed, and Celeste was left with the impression that her captain hated her. More so than the other recruits, even. Whenever he spoke to her, his words were always harsh and critical. It was almost as though he couldn't even stand to look at her.

"Celeste! Are you okay? You look like you're brooding over something." Petra called, sitting down next to her with a plate of food. Dinner was just starting, but Celeste had already gotten her rations and was picking at the strange piles of glob mindlessly before gazing up at her friend.

"Oh, it's nothing. Same issues with the head surgeon." Celeste said, before stabbing at the mystery meat a little more violently than necessary. Her issues with Captain Levi were something that she would have to resolve herself- her squad mates all revered him in a way that she couldn't understand. It was best that she didn't voice her distaste of the man. "The doctor still thinks that the daily cleaning of the hospital and all of its supplies would be a waste of resources."

"Does disinfectant really cost that much?" Petra asked, her curiosity piqued as she leaned closer. "The rate that Captain uses it, I wouldn't think it was that expensive."

"It's not so much the cost of the supplies as the amount of labor required." Celeste clarified, abandoning her meal entirely when she spotted something wriggle in the mystery meat. "It would take a lot of effort to do, and the medical ward's staff is already stretched thin with training injuries and the recent flu. We can't afford to relocate any more people, and the doctor thinks that their time is better spent tending to patients then cleaning."

"That sounds logical." Petra said, and Celeste gave a reluctant nod of agreement. "I know it does. But if we don't keep things cleaner, then disease will spread faster and we will risk infection on some of the more serious injuries."

Petra blinked, realizing the conundrum. She gave her friend a sympathetic smile, before raking her brain to think of a solution.

"Why not just order the man to change his methods? Don't you outrank him?"

"No, sadly. I might be assigned to your squad, but as leader of the Survey Corp's medical division he has more weight than I do. The only people who could outrank him here, as far as I know, is Squad Leader Hange and Captain Levi."

"So what will you do?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

What will you do?

The question had been plaguing Celeste for some time, and with every day that passed she worried that her temporary solution would become the permanent one.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Celeste grabbed another scalpel from the sanitizing solution and started rinsing it. She had a few more hours of cleaning that night before she could finally return to bed, and she would certainly need her rest for the intense physical regiment that her squad underwent. After that would be the shift at the medical bay, and Celeste knew she would need all the energy she could get in order to get through it.

As much as she respected Commander Erwin, she sometimes doubted how much he thought she was capable of handling. Part of her wondered if he gave much thought to assignment at all, or was just using it as a way to get various politicians off his back about the high death toll in the Survey Corps. It's what she would do, in his position. A screw-up medic for some peace of mind.

Either way, she was stuck in the middle of two branches. When she wasn't working with Squad Levi, she was working with the medical ward with the other medics and surgeons. To make matters worse, she agreed to taking on extra responsibility at night. She had been trying to prove a point when she told the head surgeon that she would clean the ward herself if no one else would, hoping that others would spring to her aid.

That had been exceptionally foolish. Now she was stuck cleaning supplies in the fading light of a few candles, before moving on to the medical equipment. Tomorrow it would be changing sheets, and the following night it would be moping the floors.

There seemed to be no end of work, and no one willing to help. Celeste couldn't blame them, though. Part of her wanted to throw in the towel, but a pair of dark brown eyes (glazed over, staring at nothing) haunted her mind.

"Quickly, out of the way!" Celeste shouted, helping a few nurses lay a young soldier onto the bed. His face was twisted in agony, and his right leg was mangled beyond recognition.

"Just a little longer until we can get you that morphine, Cadet Sanders." She promised, hailing down a doctor. "You're going to make it. You're going to be okay, I promise."

She burned with pride when she left that medical ward, leaving to rejoin the mission. This boy was going to live because of her. Because she found him in time, and was able to close the wound in his leg before he bled out.

He was going to be the first person she ever saved. After two missions, she would find someone in time to help them survive, instead of comforting them as they died. It was going to be worth all of those bodies she held, all of the blood and the gore- because it meant that this one man would live. Cadet Sanders, not a day over 16, would make it.

"The wound needed to be cleaned before it was bandaged." She murmured, her voice almost silent as she scrubbed dry another needle.

"What do you mean, the wound's infected?" Celeste asked, her voice strangled as she stared at the unconscious boy.

"Everything has to be cleaned, or the wound could get infected." The words were soft, almost like a prayer

"You've got to fight it, Caleb!"

Now she was demanding, grabbing the young cadet's arm tightly. The leg was festering and putrid, but the surgeon didn't dare cut it off in fear that the gangrene would spread. There were tears in her eyes as he tried to smile at her, but couldn't quite mask the fear of his own.

"And infected wounds means dead patients."

Cadet Sanders died. That's what they told her, as she stared at his body. They didn't say how- they didn't need to- but she could still feel the words unspoken as they carted his lifeless form away.

The boy, not a day over 16, died because she was stupid enough to forget to the sulfra powder before bandaging the wound.

That boy's eyes were what kept Celeste up at night, more so than the brutal scenes of violence that nearly every member of the Survey Corp would witness. They were what drove her to work to late at night.

That mistake- that careless, stupid mistake- would not be repeated. Not if Celeste had any say in it. So here she remained, scrubbing everything clean in hopes that it would save someone in a way she couldn't save the boy.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Levi scratched his horse's nose, staring aimlessly though the window of the stall. Although he would never admit it, he enjoyed spending time with the tall black gelding. Something about the animal's presence was calming, the horse having been through much of the same trauma as it's owner. It was enough for Levi to forgive how incredibly messy he was.

A shrill sound outside caught his attention, coming from one of HQ's resident cats. The captain's cold gray eyes spotted the cause of the commotion- one of the spring kittens (to lanky and awkward to be considered a full-fledged cat) was batting around a small bird.

Levi leaned against the window, not terribly interested. The cat would either eat the bird, or play with it until it died. He didn't care one way or another, but it was some kind of entertainment-

"Drop it! Smokey, I said drop it!"

The frantic voice of a woman echoed through the small courtyard, and with some aggravation Levi spotted the insufferable new medic that Erwin forced on him.

She sprinted over to the pair of animals (faster than she ever ran during training, Levi noted darkly), hastily pushing the small cat aside. A look of pure relief reflected in her stupidly-bright eyes, and without a moment of hesitation she pulled off her green cloak.

"Thank the Walls, you're still hanging on." She sighed, carefully scooping up the small bird in the soft fabric. "Any longer, and you would have been cat food."

She lifted the bird closer to her face, examining it in the fading light of evening. After gently coaxing it's wing open, Celeste's face turned pale. "It's broken, I'm afraid. Smokey got you good, huh?" She murmured, and Levi had to strain to spot the depressed resignation on her face.

A broken wing. Levi didn't know much about birds, besides what Isabel had told him when she saved one years ago in the Underground, but he knew that broken wings were hard to heal. If it was up to him, he would wring it's neck and put it out of it's misery. It wasn't worth the effort to fix.

"You're a pretty bird, aren't you?" She said, holding the green bundle carefully as she slowly stood up. "I'll fix you up, good as new."

Levi didn't know whether to be surprised or annoyed at her decision. He should have known that the damn medic wouldn't have the stomach to do what was needed- but if she had enough time to waste of this bird, then she had too much time.

He could solve that.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Celeste raked through the horse's foul hay relentlessly, the mixture of fatigue and stress putting her in a dark mood. She had been coming here often for the last week-either here, or in the kitchens cleaning. With every day that passed, Celeste's annoyance at her commanding officer only continued to increase. It was all she could do to keep from snapping when Eren would talk about how amazing he was in combat, or when Petra would mention how handsome he was shirtless.

Levi was unreasonable, and it irritated her to no end. She was assigned these extra chores for "being so shitty at basic fucking exercises". Somehow, he had gotten it in his mind that Celeste wasn't putting in her full effort during training and was making her suffer for it.

Was it true? Maybe. Not anymore, though.

The only bright point in her life, at the moment, was the mourning dove she had saved. It was healing magnificently, and Celeste figured that a few more weeks was all it would take for it to fully recover. He was situated in the far corner of the stables, nestled away in warm hay and soft blankets. The dove, although initially fearful of her, had softened to the point that it allowed her to stroke it's soft feathers.

Something about saving it lightened the burden Celeste felt. Something about it's soft coos and beautiful gray plumage made her forget the screams and cries of the soldiers she lost.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo

The moon was bright in the sky when Levi finally found the bird. He knew that it would be alone- after some investigation, he discovered that the stupid medic would spend many hours into the night cleaning up HQ's hospital ward.

An unreadable expression twisted his features as he stared down at it, a whirlwind of confusing and conflicting emotions pulling at him.

The dove was sleeping, and peaceful. A fresh white bandage was wrapped around it's body, and a few soft washrags formed a makeshift nest. Food and water, kept in little bowls, were situated in the corner of the box.

The whole setup just screamed of the care and love that this meaningless creature received, and it annoyed Levi to no end.

Despite his best efforts, short of Levi ordering her, the girl had refused to give up on the dove. He even spotted her smuggling it around after he specifically kept her chores away from the stables. And, despite his earlier estimations, the stupid thing was actually thriving under her attention.

Pent-up frustration coming to a boiling point, Levi's hand shot out and wrapped around the bird's neck. Finally, it was awake. He could see the frantic alarm in it's eyes as it made a few pathetic squawks, and he gained some satisfaction at it's fear.

That damn girl can't save you now, you little shit.

Levi was going to kill it. There was no reason why the medic should care about some bird, some useless and wounded animal. It contributed nothing meaningful to the Survey Corps, at any rate, and nature dictated that it should die.

It wasn't that Levi considered himself especially cruel- he was just resigned to knowing how the world worked. The strong survived, and the weak died. Kindness meant nothing.

The thing cooed again, and Levi tightened his grip.

The noise mourning doves made wasn't cheerful or happy, the way that over birds were. It was somber and low, and could barely be considered a pleasant sound.

Just like her.

The sudden thought of the girl singing came to mind. He overheard her one evening as she swept out the medical ward, the song foreign and strange. She sounded like the dove, almost- her voice was breathy and low.

The bird cawed out once more, and Levi dropped it as though he was burned. Some strange feeling had taken over him, his mind swamped with the girl's image. She was just like this damn bird, he reasoned. Small, useless, and entirely too trusting for her own good.

But that wasn't all he was feeling. Something else was stirred within him, something he was quick to smother down.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Celeste yawned tiredly as Petra pulled her out of bed.

"Come on, Celeste, you have to get up. You know how the Captain is when it comes to tardiness." Petra said exasperatedly, throwing a towel and a fresh uniform at the sleepy medic.

"I know, I know," Celeste grumbled, "But I really don't see the point of me getting involve in hand-to-hand combat training. I'm a doctor, not a member of the MP." Petra sighed. "Just hurry up and get a shower so you can grab breakfast before training starts. If you don't want to join in, you can always have a word with Captain Levi. "

Celeste, now alert, frowned at the thought. "I don't want him to hate me even more than he does now." Celeste grabbed her things and headed down to the shower. She made a habit of showering every morning, if she could. It was a habit she had started after her first expedition outside the wall, when she returned drenched in blood. The hot water calmed her down, and she tried to imagine the bad memories of her comrades dying would trickle down the drain with all of the blood.

When she finally reached the girls shower, however, she felt the back of her neck prickle with unease. She felt like she was being watched, despite the fact that the showers were deserted. It was the same feeling she had gotten when she was leaving the stable the night before.

Celeste took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. You're just being paranoid, she told herself. After turning on the water, she stripped down and tried to let the steaming water erase her worries.

"Knowing Captain Levi, I'm probably going to need another hot bath by the end of tonight," Celeste chuckled to herself, putting her discomfort aside as she started to sing some folk song she had learned as a child.

She never noticed the footsteps just outside the hall stop, and a person listening intently by the door.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Celeste stood with the other recruits in the training grounds, her hair still wet in the French braid she had it tied in. She was feeling much better now, the shower having woken her up and set her mind at ease. She found Petra quickly, the small girl being her typical training partner in these sorts of exercises.

"Ready to get your butt kicked?" Petra teased, elbowing her friend playfully. Despite knowing that this would inevitably be the case, given their different training, Celeste still grinned back. "In your dreams, Shorty."

Petra raised an eyebrow. "If I'm a shorty, what does that say about you?" Celeste blushed a bit, but Petra went on before she could reply. "You know, I think you're the only girl here that Levi actually has some height on. Sure, he's half an inch taller than me, but he's got a good three inches on you!"

Celeste snorted indignantly, "I'll have you know that I am five feet and one-eighth of an inch tall. Captain only has some 2.8 inches on me."

The crowd went silent as Levi approached them, sporting his usual cold look.

"Listen up, brats, we are doing some basic hand-to-hand combat training today. If I see anyone slacking off, punishment will be swift. Eren and Jean, if you two little shits get too rough again you'll be mucking the stables together for the next month." Captain Levi said in his usual crass manor. "The groups will be…"

At this point Celeste tuned out, reviewing the little she was taught about hand-to-hand combat in medic training. She and Petra were always paired together, as redhead had proven to be a very good teacher when it came to skills medic training school may have been lacking in-namely killing titans, and fighting.

"Lieutenant Kelly, you will help me demonstrate the skills we will be practicing." Levi's monotone voice called her back to attention, and she stared at him in shock.

"With all due respect, sir, I don't know enough about hand-to-hand combat to be a very effective demonstrator." Celeste said carefully, her cheeks already starting to turn pink from all the eyes on her.

"Is that insubordination?" Levi asked, his calm voice masking the threat that all the recruits knew was there.

"No sir," Celeste said, holding her tongue. She walked forward stiffly. "If you want me to demonstrate, then I shall try to the best of my ability."

The other cadets had paired off and moved a distance around the two, all a bit curious.

Celeste approached her captain cautiously. "What moves are we going to- oomph!" Levi moved like a blur, sweeping her legs out from under her. Celeste landing hard, the air leaving her system before Levi trapped her arms between his legs and grabbed the sides of her collar.

"This move is a chokehold that implements the use of a collar." Levi then jammed his knuckles into her throat. "By holding the collar, the opponent can't move their head. Then you can use your knuckles to crush their windpipe and block air." Celeste's eyes went wide, but before she could become even more panicked Levi stood up off of her.

"Oi, get up!" He said crassly, kicking her side softly. As Celeste struggled to her feet, Levi ordered the rest of the soldiers to take turns practicing.

"Sir?" Celeste said, trying her best to keep the anger out of her voice as she addressed her superior once he finished addressing the soldiers. Levi turned to her. "What is it, brat?"

"I am to practice this move on you, right?" She said, determination in her voice. Levi snorted. "You can try-"

With a loud cry, Celeste sent a sweeping kick to Levi's legs.

Levi blinked at her as it made contact, not so much as wincing. "That was pathetic." Levi said coldly as Celeste turned red with embarrassment.

"The move isn't effective unless your opponent is on the ground, Cadet. Were you taught any self-defense training?"

"Lieutenant, not cadet." Celeste corrected, the annoyance she felt for him finally boiling over. "I'm not 15. In fact, I've been through a few missions myself. The Medic Corp doesn't really value this kind of training, however, given how completely useless it would be against a titan."

The entire courtyard had fallen silent, save a soft "Oh shit," from Jean.

The look on Levi's face was terrifyingly calm, but Celeste was just tired and sore enough not to care.

"And how many titans have you killed, you fucking brat?"

His words were crass, but Celeste didn't so much as blink. "None. My first priority is to save lives."

"And how many lives have you saved, exactly?"

That one sentence drained the fury out Celeste. Those dead brown eyes haunted her, and she couldn't even meet her commanding officer's eyes. She was silent, and Levi took that as the answer.

"Then you're in no position to tell me what the fuck I should be doing, Lieutenant." Levi snapped, giving her a sharp look before turning to the crowd of onlookers. "If you don't go back to practicing right this second, I'll make you little shits run until you fucking die."

He turned back to Celeste, a strange expression shining beneath the annoyance in his narrow grey eyes. "You don't belong on this squad if all you do is make excuses for your complete lack in abilities." He said, although she could tell that he wasn't angry at her the way he was only moments before.

"It is no excuse, sir. And I am more than willing to learn." She said honestly.

"Hmph. Then try attacking me, so I can gauge how shitty you are at this." Levi replied. Celeste obliged, throwing a punch at him. Levi caught it easily, trapping her small hand in his. "Oi, you can't even punch right."

His rough hand gently opened hers, and adjusted her fingers to his satisfaction. The gentleness flipped in a second, however, as he used his grip on her to pull her towards him. Celeste collided with his solid chest for a brief second before Levi flipped her around and trapped her hands behind her.

"Rule number one, brat: Never let your guard down." Levi said in her ear before releasing her. "Go muck out the horse stables, you're making the rest of the cadets worse by sharing the same shitty air."

"Yes, sir!" Celeste saluted, trying to hide her relief. Levi watched her retreat, knowing that when he had her pinned down he felt a piece of bread in her jacket.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

You need to forget that stupid brat.

Levi didn't know what he was thinking, ordering her to train with him. He knew she was complete shit at basic hand to hand combat, and using her as a model made no sense. He wasn't even sure what inspired him to do it.

But now, after the feeling her small, pathetic body squirming underneath his, he couldn't simply ignore it. Her cheeks were flushed pink as she stared up at him, her beautiful eyes flipping between rebellious and perfectly submissive-

Wait, beautiful?

The captain wanted to smack himself, annoyance at letting whatever this was get so far. She was a problem, she distracted him. He didn't really know why, only that it needed to stop before it ended with someone getting killed. Just that morning he had nearly been late to a meeting with Erwin, all because he happened to hear that stupid brat singing in the shower.

I need to convince Erwin to send her back.

Levi sighed deeply, sinking back into his office chair. The Commander could replace the girl with a worm, for all he cared, as long as she wasn't around to influence him like this.

Maybe he was just tired, and that's why he felt so strangely. Maybe if he caught a little sleep….

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Bodies were everywhere- they were piled all around, putrid and rotted. The smell of burning flesh and death poisoned the air, and through the thick fog Levi was just barely able to spot a huge form approaching him.

"I'll get it!"

Isabel's excited voice broke through the silence, and with horror Levi turned to see her racing towards the Abnormal Titan. Beside her was Farlan also headed straight towards his death.

"Stop!" Levi yelled out desperately, kicking his horse after them. He rode as fast as he could, yelling for his friends as loud as he could.

But they never turned back.

The titan finally turned, it's eyes glinting red when it spotted the small soldiers rushing towards them. Even in the dream, Levi knew how this ended.

"Isabel, turn back-!"

"Don't worry, darling,"

All of a sudden, the world fell still. The Titan's hand was only inches away from grabbing Isabel and crushing her, the girl's face frozen into an expression of reluctant bravery. Levi himself could do nothing more than turn his head, searching desperately for the voice's source.

"What's done is done, Levi. They're at peace now."

A warm feeling enveloped him as the voice echoed in his ear, but Levi tried to shake the feeling. His friends, he had to save them before they died-

"It's not your fault, my love."

The world started to fade away. The putrid smells and heavy smoke fell away to a soft light, gentle and soothing. The warmth he felt surrounding him increased, and a naked woman emerged from the light.

"I'm here for you, always." She whispered, her blue eyes holding Heaven itself as she brushed her hand against his cheek. "I love you, my brave soldier. Eternally."

Slowly, gently, she brushed her lips against his. Despite the blood and gore on his uniform, she embraced him against her without hesitation. There was something so pure about her, something that eased the sharp pain he had buried deep within him. She was almost like an angel.

His body moved more on instinct than conscious thought as he tangled his hands in her curly blonde hair, loose and beautiful as it hung against her pale shoulders. He was aware of desperation in his actions as he kissed her back, the tantalizing thought of someone truly loving him more bewitching than he would ever admit.

"Hey, Shorty!"

Her hands unbuttoned his shirt, the beautiful woman trailing kisses down his neck. Desire, the kind of which he had suppressed for so long, came forward with at last.

"Take me, my love."

Levi's hands roamed up and down her body, gasping as her lips reached-

"Shorty, are you asleep?"

Levi's head shot up from his desk, his head jerking back when he realized that Hange's face only inches from his own. She had an annoying smirk on her face, and Levi had to resist the urge to kick the stupid ideas she was forming right out of her head.

"What the hell do you want, Shitty-Glasses?" He shot back, hoping that he wasn't as flushed from the dream as he thought he was.

Judging by the look on her face, it wasn't the case.

"You looked like you were having a nice dream, Levi." She crowed, poking his cheek. "I never thought I would catch you making sounds like that!"

Levi swatted her hand away, a deadly look in his gray eyes. "Shut the hell up, Hange. I don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

"I think you do, Shorty. Judging by how tight your pants are, I think you understand perfectly-"

A sharp knock on the door cut the scientist off, and to Levi's complete horror the woman he had been dreaming of stepped in.

"Captain Levi, I brought you something. As an apology for my conduct earlier, that is- Squad Leader Hange?" Celeste spotted the brunette, a glimmer of surprise flashing through her Walls-damned blue eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you had a meeting."

"We don't! I was just checking up on Shorty, and you won't believe what-"

"Leave, Lieutenant." Levi ordered sharply, and to his relief she placed her box on one of the end tables and did just that. His gaze lingered on her retreating figure for a moment longer than it should have, and to his annoyance he felt a twinge of disappointment when the door closed behind her.

Hange watched the interaction with intense concentration, that annoying smirk getting even wider when she turned back to Levi.

"Shorty's got the hots for even-shorter Shorty!" She cawed, completely undeterred by the murderous glint in Levi's face as he walked over to her.

"Shut it, Shitty-Glasses." He growled, practically shoving the woman towards the door.

"I would have never pegged you as going for the young and innocent type, Levi. Makes me wonder if-"

Levi sighed in relief as the door slammed closed behind the scientist, the soldier trying to calm the odd mix of anger and embarrassment he felt.

"Stupid fucking women," He murmured, before his eyes settled on the unassuming brown package left in his office.

Part of him considered burning the damn thing, but he grabbed it and tore into the paper before he could act on the impulse.

With some apprehension, he drew out a white handkerchief. It was embroidered with a green "L A", with fancy needlework lining the edges.

The stupid brat, how did she even have time to make this?

The captain considered balling it up and tossing it into the trash, but something stopped him. Almost against his will, he folded it up and stuck it into his pocket.

"Erwin needs to fix this shit," He muttered, resigned to make it his mission to get Celeste off the Squad once and for all.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Unsurprisingly, Erwin did not fix anything.

Levi left their meeting totally unsatisfied, a frown making his harsh features all the more daunting to the recruits he passed by. Erwin didn't care if she annoyed him, and there was no Walls-damned way that Levi would ever tell the commander the truth.

That being around her was… intoxicating.

In his mind's eye Levi could still picture her trapped beneath him, breathless as her big blue eyes gazed into his own cold gray. Her mouth was just barely parted, and Levi had felt the strong urge to kiss her and run his hands up and down her body.

Her scent… Levi inhaled it as he held her arms pinned behind her. It was a mixture of the lavender shampoo she used, one he took in strongly when he had watched her shower, and the sterile-clean smell of hospitals.

He was addicted. He needed her.

And she needs me.

The thought suddenly hit Levi.

Celeste was made of porcelain- she was an angel. She was so pure and clean, and didn't understand how to defend herself. She couldn't hurt a human, let along kill a titan. An expedition on Squad Levi is no place for a woman like that. Celeste would die, Levi was sure of it.

The thought of the girl dying cut deeply into Levi, and he knew he wouldn't be able to defend her once they were on a mission. The ghastly bodies of Isabel and Farlan sprung into his mind, and Levi knew he could not stand to see Celeste's sweet face torn up like that.

He would have to cage her, and keep her safe from the cruelty of the outside world. She would thank him for it, once she found out his reasons. He wasn't a fool, and he knew she would initially be against the idea. But she would come around with time, of this he was certain. She would see that he did it for her, and come to love him for it.

It was just like that damn bird that Celeste had rescued. It was scared of her at first, but now it was completely submissive. It was even happy to see Celeste, knowing that the girl who once scared it was now it's protector.

Celeste could be his dove.

Who knew? Maybe his little bird would even sing for him one day.

"Look at you, Levi!" Celeste cooed happily, the shovel and rake long forgotten behind her. The dove cooed as it flapped his wings, finally healed. He had stayed around for a final meal with his healer, but Celeste could tell that the bird wanted to be free. Her heart ached at the thought of never seeing him, but she knew she couldn't keep him tied down forever. "At least Captain Levi found lots of reasons for me to visit you this week, huh? Even if I had to muck the horse stalls out first." Celeste joked softly and she picked up the little bird and walked toward the stable entrance one last time.

The dying rays of the sun streamed through the open doors of the stable, casting a soft orange glow across the pair. She slowly unwrapped her hands around the bird, and held him up.

Levi the dove then took off, not so much as glancing back at her as he took to the sky.

"I guess you have your freedom back, huh?" Celeste said softly as she gazed up at him before turning back to the stables, her hands slipping into her pockets as she felt the soft little feather she had saved from when she first found him.

She crossed back under the entrance of the stables, giggling to herself. "Petra's going to be so confused when I start calling all the doves I see 'Levi'-hmmph!"

A rough hand encircled her from behind her, shoving a rag to her face. Celeste struggled in the ironclad grip for a few desperate moments before her attacker rammed a fist into her stomach, causing her to inhale the stench coming from the towel being held against her.

A few seconds later, and the darkness took over.

Celeste struggled to open her eyes, her mind groggy and confused. She was enveloped in softness, but her head was pounding and her mouth felt coppery.

Where am I?

Celeste thought as she gazed at her surroundings. She was in a large room, light streaming in through a window with a locked bars. She had the distinct feeling that she was in a cabin, given the wooden walls and flooring. It had been furnished nicely, Celeste thought mindlessly as she tried to move her hands to remove the stray locks of hair out her face.

Hair in my face? When did it get out of it's…braid…

Celeste sat up with a start as the events of the night before came crashing in. The attacker… she was kidnapped!

Her uniform was gone, replaced by what she thought was a long white dress. Her hair had been undone, and hung down past her chest in soft curls. Most disturbingly, her hands had been tied tightly in front of her.

Shakily, Celeste tried to push off the heavy comforter that she had been carefully tucked into and get off the bed. As soon as her legs landed on the ground, however, they buckled under the weight of her own body.

She cried out when she hit the ground, her body landing on the wooden floor hard due to her hands being unable to brace her fall.

Thud

Thud

Thud

The sound of heavy footsteps approached the door, and cold fear washed over Celeste. It had to be her attacker, and who knew what they would do with her-

"Captain Levi! Oh, thank the Walls that it is you!" Celeste's negative train of thought was cut short when she saw a familiar figure swing open the door and approach her.

"Someone kidnapped me, Captain! I don't who, but it sure is good to see you!" Celeste exclaimed in a rush, and Levi crouched down next to her.

He frowned as he watched her. "Why did you try to get up, Celeste? You could have seriously hurt yourself."

"Wait, did you already find the kidnapper? What am I saying, of course you did! You're Humanity's Strongest- umph!"

Celeste was cut off when Levi wrapped his arms around her and picked her up, something about the action setting off alarms in the young woman's head.

"I expect you to stay in bed until I return, you need the rest to regain your strength."

"C…Captain?" Celeste's eyes widened as a sudden realization hit her. She shook her head in disbelief. "You.. you're here to rescue me, right? To find the kidnapper?" Celeste asked him cautiously, a note of fear making her words tremble.

Levi didn't turn around, and continued walking towards the door. When she heard a lock click, her rage and fear boiled over.

"You can't just… just leave me here!" She shouted, her mind jumping to the first thing that she could think of. "I'm going to kick down that door if you keep ignoring me!"

Just as she was getting ready to jump down again, the door burst open once more.

Levi stood in the doorway menacingly, everting about him oozing authority. "I will tie you to the bed if I have to, Celeste." Levi said darkly. Celeste's eyes shinned up at him defiantly, and started scooting closer to the edge of the mattress. The older man resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he stormed over, his mind already imagining how he should go about tying Celeste up.

"Don't disobey me, woman-"

Levi was surprised when she launched herself at him, and the small girl managed to knock the captain over. However, his strong arms locked around her in a second and held her struggling form still. He pulled her up to a sitting position against him, his arms never lightening their tight grip.

"Let me go!" Celeste screeched, twisting around in his grasp as a hint of hysteria started to set in. "Look, I'm sorry for being terrible at training! But please, for the love of the Walls don't kill me for it-"

"Dammit, Celeste, just calm down-"

"Do you think I'm a spy or something? I swear to you, I'm not! You don't have to torture me, I would never betray the Survey Corps!"

Levi picked the struggling woman up and threw her over his shoulder, ignoring her shouts as he walked towards the door.

"I'm not going to torture you unless you keep shrieking right in my fucking ear." Levi muttered to himself as he pushed open the kitchen door and set her down. He put a heavy foot on her stomach as soon as she started to crawl away, and grabbed a needle from one of the draws.

Finally, Celeste stilled. "What's that?" She asked, the hysteria in her voice subdued by cold fear as she caught sight of the vial.

"Anesthetics." Levi replied honestly, grabbing an alcohol wipe with one hand and the shot in the other. "So you'll stop acting like a mad woman. Arm or thigh?"

"No way, Captain." Celeste protested as he finally stepped off her, only to crouch down. "I swear, I'll just go back to bed-Keep that thing away from me!" The older man ignored her, wiping a swath of skin on her leg with the alcohol wipe.

Celeste grabbed Levi's wrist tightly, her nails digging into his flesh as she attempted to pry his arm away from her. If the older man was annoyed, he didn't show it.

"Let me go or I'll break your wrist."

"Don't you dare- Fine! Fine, I'll let go!"

Levi's expression was blank when he released her arm, and wasted no time jabbing the needle in Celeste as soon as she loosened her grip.

"Maybe you'll be less annoying the next time you wake up."

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

The tight burn of ropes was what woke Celeste up next, her entire body sore as she struggled to pull herself up from the hard floor.

"I see you're awake."

Captain Levi… he kidnapped me!

Celeste was vaguely away of a pair of boots stopping in front of her, but she found that she couldn't so much as reach out to them. Her body felt completely disconnected from her mind, however, and everything had a dream-like haze surrounding it.

"Whaa…you…" Celeste slurred, her tongue heavy as she tried to interrogate the soldier about the current predicament. "What happened?"

"You were hysterical and I didn't feel like dealing with it." Levi intoned as he crouched beside her, his raven hair falling over his eyes as he examined Celeste's sleepy face. "It was either this or gagging you. It's your fault for being such a brat." He pushed back some of her blonde curls out of her face in a way that Celeste almost thought was gentle, his fingers lingering on a ringlet that was particularly springy.

"If I'm not in trouble with command, then why am I here? Why was I kidnapped-"

"We had a mission coming up, and you were a liability. That's why you're here." Levi dropped her hair and leaned back. "It's in the best interest of the Survey Corps, understand?"

Celeste shook her head, her confusion only growing at his odd behavior.

"No, I don't. How exactly am I a liability?"

"You would have ended up getting yourself killed, and likely the soldiers around you. You're too much of a…"

The older man trailed off, and Celeste could have almost sworn she saw his cheeks turn pink.

"I'm a what?" She pressed.

"A distraction."

Celeste opened her mouth, ready to shoot back something about how she was not weak, or inept, or whatever else she thought her commanding officer was going to say.

"A distraction?" She said, disbelief in her eyes. "To who, exactly? Petra and my other friends aren't stupid enough to let my safety get in the way of a mission!"

"To me."

"And it's not like- wait, to you?" Celeste couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. "How exactly do I distract you, Captain? You hate me."

Levi locked eyes with her, the cold gray giving nothing away. "I'm in love with you." He said, his voice as monotonous as ever.

Celeste blinked. "What?"

"I love you, and knowing you would be in danger would decrease my abilities in combat. It's better if you stay here, out of harm's way."

A surprised laugh escaped from Celeste, and she pegged Levi with an incredulous look. "So that's your plan? Keep me out in the middle of nowhere until the mission is over because you… love me?" She shook her head, the shock of his sudden confession temporarily overwhelming the tension she felt over being tied. "I have to say, Captain, I didn't peg you as the kind of person to pull these kinds of… practical jokes, or whatever. Just send me back to HQ, and I promise that I'll stay out of your way."

If Levi was upset about her laughing, he didn't show it. Instead, he picked up Celeste and carried her back towards the bedroom bridal style.

"No, you're not going back." He finally said when he stood, which cut off any laughter that Celeste had left. "I love you, and I decided that I am going to make you mine. You won't have to worry about the Survey Corps anymore, Celeste, or providing for yourself. I'm going to keep you under my care, and make you love me."

The even way Levi spoke only made his words more chilling, and innately Celeste knew that he was being completely serious. A cold feeling washed over her, a fear completely different from what she felt the day before.

"Are you drunk?"

Levi's eye twitched at her question. "I'm being completely serious, Celeste. I decided that I don't want to share you with anyone else. The sooner you realize that, the better."

"What the fuck is your problem, Captain?!" She snapped, trying to ignore the waver in her own voice. "I'm not your property, and I demand that you take me back to HQ at once! This better be some kind of sick joke, or you can bet that I'll be reporting you to Erwin."

Levi stopped mid-step, looking down at her with a reproachful look in his eyes. "Oi, watch your tone." He said dangerously. "I've let your behavior slide, because I knew you would be disoriented at first, but I've done this for your own good. I won't tolerate any rudeness."

"For my own good? How can this be for my own good?" Celeste said indignantly as Levi once again set her gently on the bed. "You'll be safe from the titans here, my little dove. Safe from this cruel world." Levi said, his tone uncharacteristically soft as he pulled the covers over her.

"What did you call me?" Celeste said, confusion temporarily replacing the look of anger on her features.

"My little dove. So delicate and pure, and with such a pretty song. I do hope you start to sing for me soon, Celeste." Levi said, turning from her and walking to the door once more. Celeste struggled to a sitting positon. "Captain! You can't just leave me here!" She called.

To her horror, he had no intention of doing that. Celeste was soon reminded of the drugs Levi kept on hand, and was forced into sleep once more.