The Girl With The Yellow Ribbon - Attack on Titan

Chapter Fourteen

"Mama, I assure you that I am fine." Petra said, adjusting the yellow ribbon delicately holding her hair. "It's been three days since the incident in the bath, and I fear that if I stay in this house any longer, I'll go mad."

"But, Pet, what if this is just too much?" Mrs. Ral argued from the doorway. "Marie can go help your father in the shop and you can stay here and help me."

"It won't be too much, mama. Besides, the captain hasn't been to the shop yet and I want to be the one to take him." Petra looked away from the vanity and smiled. "Marie can come too, if she likes."

Mrs. Ral sighed heavily before asking, "Are you sure you're well enough?"

"Yes, I am well enough." Petra stood and walked toward Mrs. Ral, stopping at the doorway. "And I even think that fresh air will do me good. Honestly, I think it'd do us all good."

Mrs. Ral gave a soft smile before patting Petra's shoulder gently, saying: "All right, Pet. But please take it easy, I don't want you getting hurt. And keep an eye on Marie, don't let her get into any trouble."

"I won't let her get into any trouble, mama." Petra says through a laugh. "You seem to forget that the captain will be there too, and he of all people could keep her in line."

"Alright. Just be careful, and stay safe."

* * * *

The convenience store at the end of the road run by the Ral family was small and quaint. It had everything anyone could possibly need, as well as an assortment of things they didn't.

Petra's favourite place to work was the register because she could interact with all the costumers, whereas Marie preferred to stock shelves and organize the back room.

Levi, however, took a liking to sweeping every inch of the store.

Petra leaned on the counter, smiling faintly as she subtly watched Levi sweep with great precision, a habit she'd picked up from months of hiding their relationship.

From where she stood, she could see the indent in Levi's cheek from him absentmindedly gnawing at the skin.

Petra loved the way Levi looked when he thought no one was watching; the way his brow seemed to furrow less, the way he clenched his jaw in thought, the way his eyes scrutinized every speck of dust.

"There is supposed to be a product shipment coming in soon," Mr. Ral called from the back room. "Can I leave y'all here to run the shop while I'm gone?"

"Of course, daddy." Marie said, putting a box on the shelf.

"Good." He said.

After shouldering his jacket, he kissed Marie on the head, then Petra, then nodded curtly at Levi.

Watching Mr. Ral exit the shop and making sure he was out of earshot, Marie turned to Levi and gave a sly grin, asking: "Why are you making that face?"

"What face?" Levi asked.

"That face." She pointed at him. "You look angry."

Levi rolled his eyes and huffed. "I always look like this."

"No, you don't." Marie countered. She shrugged before nonchalantly saying: "If you wanna kiss Petra too, you can. I ain't gonna stop you."

Levi's words caught in his throat and Petra watched from the counter in a combination of shock and amusement.

"I don't want to kiss her." Levi snapped. Petra did her best to hide the hurt that came from his words.

"Yes, you do. Do you think I'm blind?" Marie scoffed, placing the last box on the shelf. Over her shoulder, she said in a mocking voice: "You love Petra, you love Petra, you love—"

The bell atop the door jingled, and a man stepped in.

He was tall and lanky with shaggy brown hair that hung over his eyes. There were deep lines around his mouth, evidence of years of frowning.

The man came halfway into the store before speaking.

"Are you Lieutenant Petra Ral and Captain Levi Ackerman?" The man asked harshly.

Levi spoke before Petra, saying slowly: "Yes, we are. What is it to you?"

"I bring an urgent message from Commander Nile Dawk." As the name leaves his mouth, both Levi and Petra's attention is drawn to his uniform--the uniform of the Military Police.

"The Scouting Regiment is being disbanded, and every soldier is being charged with treason." The man scowls, adjusting his jacket donned with the Military Police crest. "If you don't put up a fight, it'll be easier for you both."

"I'm sorry, what?" Petra asked in shock, her palms flat on the counter to steady herself.

The scowl on Levi's face seemed to deepen, but Marie just stood in silence with a box of spices hanging limply in her fingers.

"The scouts are traitors to the king, and in turn are criminals. You will be treated as such." The man rolls his eyes and mutters again, "Like I said, if you play nice, then it'll go easier for the both of us."

"You think we'll go willingly?" Levi reaches around his back, nimble fingers wrapping around the handle of a hidden blade. "If so, you must be out of your damn mind."

The man laughs mockingly, the first sliver of emotion he had shown. "Now, I've heard a great deal about you, Captain Levi. You really built yourself anew, didn't you? It'd be a shame if I sent you back where you came from, especially with your loathing of dirt."

"You best bite your tongue before I cut it out of your mouth." Levi seethes, pulling his blade in the open. "If you've heard so much of me, then you'd know I'm a man of my word, so watch your step."

"Is that any way to address a superior officer?" The man steps forward. "As of this moment, you, Levi Ackerman, are stripped of your rank and above-ground citizenship."

Levi's expression did not falter, not until a blood-curdling wail came from behind.

"You can't do that!" Marie shouts, pushing herself forward to stand beside Levi, the box of spices discarded on the floor. "The captain is more of a soldier than you'll ever be—he's braver and stronger and more of a man than you'll ever be!"

The man steps towards Marie and grabs her face and held firm despite her struggles.

"What do you know about bravery? You're just a little girl, and little girls should know their place. Your place is not beside this rat who crawled from the depths of hell." He squeezes her face tighter. "You ought to keep quiet and know when to bite your tongue, and if you don't then I'll charge you with the same things as him."

"Let her go, please!" Petra grabs Marie's waist and pulls her away from the man, clutching her to her chest. "Please. She's just a baby, you said so yourself. She doesn't know what she's talking about, I swear it."

"Bad things happen when little girls don't bite their tongue." The man seethes, a scowl creeping across his face.

"You bastard!" Marie yells.

The man seems to growl in retaliation, his anger radiating through his uniform.

Turning to Levi, his voice suddenly calm as he says: "You have three days to get your sorry ass out of here before you're forcibly removed." He pauses, a sickening smirk crossing his face before he adds: "And, who knows, if you don't comply, we might skip that part entirely and just kill you on sight." 

I told y'all I knew where this story was going. Sorry for the absence, wattpad was being stupid and I wasn't able to log into my account and then i kinda forgot about it and then i remembered and spent 30 minutes yelling at my computer with my best friend on the phone laughing but anyways, i'm back baby! Also hi damian i think you're literally the only person reading this 

~ M