Archive of Our Own ^beta

It's not recommended that you get too close to people in the Survey Corps. This warning is given to anyone who looks like they're getting too friendly with others. A select few disregard it and stick with the logic of, "if you've got it, flaunt it". Many forget it and move on, but still stay very good friends.

She lightly presses her palm into that of the Corporal's, and tilts her head back to look up at the stars.

Some decide to keep it as a little secret.

The days when training is off for the older recruits are the best. It gives them time to relax and do their own thing for a while, and forget about the dangers they face and their responsibilities.

For one particular young lady, it gives her a chance to spend time with the one she loves the most. He may not return - or even know about - her feelings, but just being alone with him is good enough for her.

Even if it's only a cobbled rooftop that has a view of the stars. Stars are romantic.

A lot of the soldiers wonder how their lives would be if they hadn't have joined the military. The vast majority don't regret their decision, but there are still a handful who would give anything just to be a regular civilian.

Petra Ral is not one of the handful. She does not regret joining, fighting, or meeting the people she knows now. Especially not the one she intends to marry.

Despite the high death rate, the Survey Corps still gets a fair few brave soldiers from the trainee squad wanting to join and help humanity. They just have to hope it works out for them.

Nothing can go wrong here. Humanity's Strongest will try and protect her, right?

She'll be safe.

There was no way she was going to join the military and still have the relationship she'd always dreamed of having. She wanted to be loved, get married, have a family - but she also wanted to enrol in the Survey Corps and help defend humanity. She never thought that she'd be picked for the top squad.

Maybe she can achieve two of the three romantic fantasies she'd dreamt of.

Be loved, and get married. If her dad agrees.

His hands trail across her sides as he positions her waist to ensure she balances herself out when using the maneuver gear. She tries her hardest to remain focused, but it's difficult when the man she loves is behind her and holding her steady.

She didn't expect the view from the rooftop to be so lovely. She thought she might just see more chimneys and murky sky, but the stars are all visible and since it's one of the tallest ledges, she can see for what seems like miles. She wonders if they're supposed to be here, and them dismisses it because she knows Levi can talk his way out of pretty much anything.

He threads her fingers through hers, lacing them, and in the dead of the night, something stirs inside him. He smiles, a sight that's rare for anyone to see.

"Petra, we're going out for some forest training today."

Her heart jumps.

"The whole squad, you mean? Where are Auruo and Erd and-"

"Just us. Don't question it; I thought you might want a little extra help. Go and get your gear on, and meet me in the gas room."

She smiles to herself. "Yes, sir."

As much as she wants to keep it all a secret, she knows that it will be brought out at some point, and she feels that when it does she'll be able to publicly show how much she loves him. She hopes he will do the same.

But for now, they have to make do with keeping it between themselves. No hugs, no obvious eye contact - nothing. They can't do anything to let anyone on while they're in public.

The whole point is for them to be quiet.

It's decided upon that the roof is way too risky, and they make their way back to the barracks. Stumbling through the darkness, frantically grabbing each other's clothing in an effort to stick with one another, they finally find the right path. Moving back to the rooms involves a lot of sneaking around. What if the girls knew she'd been gone? The girls from the 104th barely know her, but they're intelligent enough to figure out what's what.

He holds a hand to her waist and guides him to the door of his room. The Corporal's private bedroom, of which nobody goes into except for him. She doesn't refuse, and she doesn't stop.

She keeps walking, and within a matter of seconds the door is closed, locked, and a pair of lips have found their way to hers.

Ten minutes have passed, and Petra hasn't returned to the girl's room. Instead, she's pressed down against the mattress of her lover's bed, trying to control her rapid and somewhat loud breathing as her superior gently nips at the skin below her ear. Both sets of uniform have been carelessly deposited on the floor in messy piles, and the belt systems belonging to the two are tangled together.

She's trying her hardest to be quiet.

The night is humid and warm, and it probably contributes to how heavy she's breathing. She can blame it on that if anyone hears - she was having a restless night and couldn't get to sleep, and the sheets were too warm.

The perfect excuse for the perfect crime.

He clasps a hand over her mouth as she opens it to make a sound, and smirks.

Quiet is not an option and neither of them manage it.