Levi told Elsie to take her cloak off. He didn't ask for help as he began to push the legs and torso together to fit onto the one the man already wore. She rolled her sleeves up and without meeting Levi's eyes pushed the arm onto the cloak. Together they made a make shift sack to lift and hold him between them to make a silent trek through the trees.
They stopped momentarily when Elsie felt like her arm was going to rip off just like the man's legs. She leaned against a tree and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply before daring to face the world. It was a new day, the sun had risen and taken all the bad monsters with it. Why was so she still scared?
"You good?" Levi asked. He stood feet away and looked into the distance. No doubt hoping another enemy would swing through the trees to stop this conversation.
Elsie pushed her hair behind her ears, "I want to go to bed."
"Me too. Just imagine, we get to sleep the rest of the day away." Levi didn't mention what they had to do to the body first. He bent and fisted his side of the material and Elsie ignored the pin pricks in her arm.
She could imagine sleeping the day away. Elsie focused straight head with one goal in mind and said, "We'll have Hange bring us dinner before she does her patrol. We did all the hard work anyway."
Levi's lips twitch, "Damn."
Eventually - a far way too long time since Elsie took another break - they reached where the horses had been tied before their patrol. Grazing and swinging their tails happily, they had an easy night in the prairie and probably slept the night away knowing their riders would keep them safe. Suni raised her head up and down in greeting and allowed Elsie to lean against her for support, her knees sinking at the relief of not holding her victim anymore.
"How are we the first ones here?" Elsie asked in shock, holding her hand over her face to peer into the woods.
Levi shouldered the sack onto Noir and tied it down, "If they lost her-"
There was no need to worry. Mikasa and Jean held the staggering woman between them, sweat on their brows from keeping her steady. They explained it had taken so long due to her wounds and Historia's shredded cloak proved evidence to how awful she was bleeding. Her pale lids were shut tight in pain and she could not give a wince of pain when she was lifted onto Jean's horse.
"Take her to Hange, Ymir and Historia go with him," The girls nodded bravely and followed Jean. Levi turned to look upon Eren, Mikasa, Connie, and Elsie. "Mikasa and Connie come with me to follow up on the others. Eren and Elsie, head back and report to Commander Erwin what happened."
It makes complete sense. Elsie is a witness to what happened and is the best to retell it but the thought of separating from Levi so soon is not welcomed. She frowned and met his gaze.
"Why don't I ever get to do anything?" Eren grumbled as he walked past to his horse. He shot a painstakingly jealous look at Connie and Mikasa as they linger near the tree line, eyes on the back of Levi as he talks to Elsie privately.
"Take Noir back and I'll get Suni." Levi orders and he's focused on work again. Elsie stopped him from walking away with a tight grip on his arm, holding his dark gaze steady as she tried to memorize the slope of his nose.
"Be back before breakfast." She gives her own order.
Levi grins, "Yes ma'am."
The ride back is torturous. Noir takes to Elsie as Suni would and is a complete doll but the thunk of her victim hitting the horse's swaying hips makes her want to throw up. She sighs in relief at the sight of the castle and doesn't bother taking Noir to the stables. She stops him at the stoop of stairs and slides off the large mount, scratching her head as she stared at the satchel and her gloomy companion.
Erwin expects them and barges out of the doors before she has to worry about finding him. Jean had rode in like a bat out of hell and carried the bleeding woman to the third floor, straight to Hange's room and kicked the door down. The agitated scientist currently found herself stitching a sliced stomach and Erwin's face shadowed at the sight of the bloodied green cloaks tied to Noir.
Sizzling eggs and toast call to Elsie but she can't fathom stomaching food at this moment. She slumps to her room after carrying the remains to the basement with Eren. Neither could bare to meet the other's eyes, horrified at their actions, disgusted with Elsie, and too ashamed to dare a glance at Annie's blank face.
Levi did not return in time and it worried her that something had occurred. Sasha and Armin could handle themselves and quite frankly Sasha would go cave woman before letting herself die. They are most likely going slow due to the prisoner. Hopefully. Mercifully.
Her shirt is splattered in blood from moving the body and she smells of smoke. Elsie stood in the shower for ten minutes with her back turned, head bent and eyes closed. The shower was the only place she could truly remember what she'd done.
Her anxiety grew when Levi had yet to return by the time she dressed in comfortable pajamas. Nothing fancy, shorts and a long shirt. She caught herself and shook her head, disgusted that she was worrying over outfits instead of who laid at the bottom of the castle.
Elsie began to braid her hair as she waited and she barely lifted her hands when the door swung open. Levi slammed it shut and made a point to carry the coffee table in front of the door. He turned back to Elsie, proud of his idea, and she quirked a tired eyebrow.
"Thrifty, I love it. It'll definitely keep Eren out."
Levi did not hold back. He yanked his own bloodied shirt free and tossed it to the laundry bin, unbuckling as he went to the dresser. Elsie uncrossed her legs and scooted to the end of the bed. Levi turned only after he pulled his sweats on and met her intense stare, loosening at the sight of her.
"It'll keep everyone out. Erwin tried to sweet talk me into doing another patrol tonight." Levi snorted at the idea and walked to the edge of the bed.
He once again took the breath from her. She worried only when he arrived that things might be awkward between them. Elsie knew very well he thought he was so smart for having Hange run tests on her blood but he still thought there was a chance of her going home. She'd imagined worst case, threat level ten: Levi telling her it didn't mean anything.
Elsie had nothing to worry about. Levi walked until their knees clicked and he pushed her hair over her shoulder, "Let's go the fuck to sleep, this day was shit."
She nodded in agreement and crawled to her side of the bed. It was strange to watch Levi harshly close the dark curtains and send the room into complete calm, silence. She could see his shadow as he moved from the window to his side, lifting the blanket, and how he turned to roll towards her. Elsie greeted him with open arms, sliding her palms over his scarred shoulder and burying her nose into his chest. She breathed him in and enjoyed the silence, only hearing his heart beat.
"Elsie?"
She hummed, "What?"
"Don't try tonight."
Sleep came but it was impossible to keep. Elsie drifted in and out the entire night, either bundled in Levi's arms or laying on her stomach as he stared at the ceiling. They never spoke if they woke at the same time, either Elsie's hurried breathing rousing Levi or his kicks in his sleep jostling her. They kept each other up, anxious minds and bodies, and eventually gave up on trying to sleep.
Elsie pulled the sheet over their heads, as if to make it safer from the night terrors and guilt, and pressed into his chest. She closed her eyes, the cotton pressing into their smooth hair and cushioning her in with the smell of Levi. He held her waist, foreheads pressed, and slowly she felt him relax with her in the bed.
"It's going to get worse." Elsie whispered. She couldn't help herself. Levi was the only person she could speak to and she wanted him to be prepared.
Levi's eyes remained closed, "Don't talk about that shit under the blanket."
"Oh really?" Elsie is not impressed with his sudden change in character. Where's the over worked captain that she wanted to discuss plans with? "What can we talk about under the blanket then?"
"The past and the future. Only." He adds it as an after thought, already drifting between her and sleep. She stares at his cheeks, his faint freckles, that pesky hair sneaking down his forehead.
Elsie smiles even though he can't see, "I like this."
"I think Hange's going to be a crazy cat lady." He says off-handily to start the round.
Hange standing before a crooked two story house with animals of all sorts were easy to picture in Elsie's mind. She giggled and said, "Erwin's going to run a book store."
Levi's lips tilt upwards and he can see it as clear as she can, "Sasha's going to be banned from all restaurants."
"Eren's going to be a listed stalker."
"Historia's going to be Queen."
"I'm going to stay with you."
Levi's eyes finally open. It is only a game so he has no fear in saying, "We'll live in Karanes next to the garbage dump."
"I'll plant tulips to get rid of the smell. Our neighbors will be jealous of the garden."
"You'll go back to teaching."
Elsie giggles, "You'll own a tea shop."
Levi can't help but join her laughter. They disrupt the silence and the sheets and Levi rips it off their fluffy heads so they can breathe. The mere idea of Levi working in a tea shop and Elsie being a teacher were so far fetched that they could barely hold it. She leaned on his scarred shoulder and sighed at the ceiling, placing her hands on her stomach.
She asked, "Do you think it'll happen one day?"
Levi ran his fingers up her arm, "We're not under the blanket anymore."
Levi's makeshift alarm rattled when Miche knocked on the door. Elsie stepped from the sink, tooth brush in mouth, and waved over Levi's shoulder once he moved the coffee table back.
"Elsie," Miche snickers and has a new expression when he looks at Levi. Shock? Bafflement? "The prisoner has finally woken."
Levi doesn't know her ties to Kenny. The absolute last thing he wants to do is see the old man again but that day was drawing nearer, especially with his right hand man being imprisoned. Elsie hurried spit her tooth paste out and caught the tail end of Miche telling Levi to not be late before the door shut.
"Are you going to interrogate her like Annie?" Elsie tries to keep the demanding tone from her voice. She's already made the bed but she notices Levi has gone and tucked in the corners triangle style as she likes - meaning he probably did his morning attack on her drawer.
Levi realized he doesn't have an extra cloak and fixes his sleeves instead, "Most likely. The bitch did try to stab me, and shoot me."
"Everyone tried to shoot you." Elsie laments and it breaks her heart that once Marley understands his potential they would do anything to drag him down.
"And they all missed," He doesn't mean to shrug it off. He only wants to comfort her in the only way he knew how at the sorrow in her voice, his eyes narrowing. "You're not coming down."
"Alright. What do I do then?" Elsie remembers Fumio trying to keep from seeing the torturing process with Annie. The look in Levi's eye then, so dark and ugly, was not something she wanted to see anytime soon.
Levi shrugged, "Eat dinner then do your daily tasks."
Elsie groaned at the idea of cleaning horse manure in the dark and Levi shifted as if to head out of the room. She lurched to grab him, "Where are you going?"
"To the bathroom you freak," Levi tickles her hand as he removes her grip. "You coming with?"
"Only if you were taking a shower." Elsie admits.
Levi shook his head at her words and can't contain his smile. She's lost in the fact she's see it so much in the past few hours that his words don't penetrate, "You're so horny."
Elsie has the decency to flush and splutters, "You started it first, you're the horndog!"
"Horndog? Stop using make believe words to sound smart." He appreciates her reaction and chuckles to himself on the way to brush his teeth.
No one catches a glimpse of the Squad Leaders or Erwin through out the night. Elsie and the others had risen at five in the afternoon to complete their daily tasks before returning to bed for a somewhat normal sleep schedule. In two days time it would be their turn to patrol again, although Elsie had a feeling with the woman's capture this would not be the plan. Perhaps they would head out to Shiganshina earlier to avoid conflict with the Interior Police.
Elsie lost herself thinking how she could avoid Historia and Eren being kidnapped when a hand grabbing her forearm jostled her. She blinked and realized she'd walked past the great hall to get to the kitchen for snack before bed. Levi tutted at her lack in paying attention and pulled her into the dining hall.
"Did you finish everything?"
Elsie nodded absently, "I'm getting food, are you coming?"
Levi glanced over her shoulder at some unknown person waiting for him, "I said I would patrol the East side again."
Elsie turned and met one of Hange's squad members stare. She waited at the door, impatiently shifting on the balls of her feet, and she was so irrelevant to anything that Elsie wanted. She wanted to tell the girl to fuck off and tell Levi to stay but she swallowed her words and nodded, meeting his eyes in farewell.
Levi pushed her hair behind her ear and said, "Lock the door."
Elsie giggled, knowing he'd be annoyed to get in, and nodded, "Be safe, you asshole."
Levi's hand lingered at her earlobe before he blinked and reminded himself exactly what he was doing. He walked out the door with the woman, didn't look back, and Elsie knew he would be safe. They had caught all the bad guys, right? Five of them missing from Erwin's report in the Capitol.
Elsie told herself she had nothing to stress about as she laid in bed alone that night.