Steam misted the chipped mirror, obscuring Elsie from seeing her flushed face. Bruised lips parted in pleasure, tired eyes hooded as her head tilted further back to the jerking motion of Levi's hands. She briefly pressed the towel against the back of her neck and chest before passing it to Levi to wrap around his waist. Elsie chose to stay naked, keenly aware of his attention on her breasts and flat stomach. Over time it became difficult to keep still on the side table. She began to rub her thighs together and dig her hands between them, biting her bottom lip when nimble fingers plucked the hairs at the nape of her neck. Imagining him taking advantage of her, tilting her head back to catch sight of the lust reddening her cheeks.
"Band," Levi murmured, resting his hand over her shoulder. Her eyes lingered on the creviced lines marking Levi's fingers, licking her lips as she pictured them tickling between her legs.
Elsie needed more once they returned to Paradis. She handed her last hair tie over and asked, "Where are we sleeping?"
He remained silent as he tied the tip of her braid, swinging the end so she could see his work. Elsie met his eyes in the clearing mirror, leaning back so the crown of her head rested against his abdomen. Levi ran his thumbs over her cheeks, letting his head fall to meet her starry eyes. She felt his towel shift beneath her hair, fabric and tantalizing skin rubbing against her pretty braid.
"I managed to get you the luxury room. A view of the stars, king-sized bed-"
She swatted his arm, "Levi!"
"-and heated floors, a real fucking ass clencher."
"Stop," Elsie giggled, shaking her head. Of course, she didn't expect a room to herself, rather the one that Levi currently resided in. "I don't care as long as there's one pillow."
"Oh yeah? I should let it be a surprise..." The corner of his pale lips turned up.
Elsie rolled her eyes, "It's not a broom closet, is it?"
"Even better."
"Oh Freyja, it's a damn shitter."
His would-be smile disappeared. Levi's grip on her cheeks tightened before relaxing, soothing the red imprints he'd left in his anger. Elsie watched the flex of his eyebrow, the tightness of his upper lip, the swallow. A swift change from her Levi to Captain.
"Who is that, Elsie?" He asked carefully, smoothing the skin above her lip. "Freyja? You've said it twice now."
She stiffened before relaxing, realizing lying to him wouldn't make anything better. Her goal remained to stay with him. Keeping secrets only distanced them. She reached for her silk bra, not meeting his eyes while she dressed.
"You remember how I thought the church knew more than they let on? I thought the same about Marley. I became close with the High Priestess," She looked at him briefly, pausing. Thinking of the Tybur's. "Catharina. She talked a lot about their god, Freyja, and she sort of stuck with me."
Don't talk about the nightmares. The feeling that she's a part of you. That she gives you all your gifts.
"What does this Freyja believe in?" He watched her black shirt swallow her head, fraying his braid and sending her baby hairs in odd directions. She bent to hitch her tight pants over her still drying legs.
"Love, prosperity, fertility..." She buttoned her jacket, chin tucked to her chest. "The giver of Titans."
Levi grabbed her elbow, spinning her little body to face him. Badgered against the wall, she had no choice but to meet him in the eye. With only the towel hanging low on his hips, he lacked his usual intimidation and wet her panties more than stroke fear in her heart. Their noses brushed and Elsie shifted, refusing to cower against the wall.
"I don't want to hear that fucking name out of your mouth again. A god meant for the creation of these fucking shits and you're praying to it?" Levi shook her and she wobbled, frowning and trying to shake him off. "We don't know what any of this shit is-" Suddenly remembering Levi's temper, the fights, the grasps, the bed that made it all better.
"Okay, okay," Elsie hurriedly cupped his neck, silencing him with a deep kiss. She hoped he felt her love, her desire, her entire creation focused on him in that one kiss. She held him close, hissing with full promise. "Gone, it's gone. I'm sorry, Levi, it's a habit, I get what you're saying..." Her words faded into soft kisses against his stubbled chin.
The brief fear that dried her throat slowly wore off when he rubbed her lower back. When he turned to dress, muttering about church bull shit, Elsie hugged herself with worry. How could she rid of the side effects of being Lady Seer? Would Freyja leave her once she left Marley? She toyed with her mother's necklace, worried to sleep, to go a day without drinking, to consider actually dealing with the headaches and visions she'd been avoiding.
Levi brushed his damp hair from his forehead before looking back at her with worry clear in his eyes. She tried to smile to make him relieved once more. No such luck. A heavyweight seemed to grow over his shoulders, dragging him to move slowly with buttoning his shirt. Elsie pushed from the door to finish the top half, beginning at his belly button. His hands fell uselessly at his side and his eyes darkened at her proximity.
"Elsie," His eyebrows furrowed, fingers flexing in thought. He considered how to approach and it irked Elsie that a once comfortable action now had him rephrasing sentences in his head. Why didn't he say what was on his mind? "I need you to do something for me."
"Anything," She meant it. Beginning with their accidental crossing in Trost over a year ago, Elsie knew her path led to Levi.
"When we step out of this door," Her hair shifted between his fingers and his eyes never appeared so dark and alluring. His words slowed to a deep drawl that held her at his syllables. A fucking god among men. "You're back to being my shithead soldier, do you understand?"
"Yes," She lost herself in the way his lips formed words so demanding. Her breasts pressed against his stoned chest and it ached that she'd already dressed. If only he would pick her up and take her on the little side bench. "After Erwin questions me every which way till Sunday."
He sighed, "Yes, after that."
"Don't worry, Levi. Everything's been great so far," She clapped his shoulder, ignoring his dangerous look. "Just enjoy the fact that I'm back." Ignoring the way he thought over his sentences before speaking.
Levi buckled his belt and grinned, "Oh, I'll enjoy you later."
She wished to hold him forever, to be the shithead he remembered, but she licked her lips and stepped back. She glanced at the machine she'd been hiding beneath her long sleeve. Levi's dark eyes followed the direction, frowning in confusion.
"I got a new machine..."
Darkness covered Granfer's ship through the somewhat calm Red Sea. Protected lamps were hung over the doorway to the staircase while crewmates carried one near their station. The weather allowed them to be comfortable with the flames. It was hard to distinguish Scout from Granfer's crew, dark silhouettes moving along the rocking boat to help wherever they could. A cold settled over the waves, however, one that made Elsie regret not asking for a Scout cloak.
Holding office with a look of steel, Erwin sat on a corked crate with wide planted feet. Once nervous to be seen around the older cadets, Armin confidently spoke between hunched Hange and Miche. Mirror images; furrowed eyebrows, bright hair to encourage the idea of angelic commander, speaking words of discovery and men's potential. Had she missed him all that much? No. Their eyes met, not that hard to miss as Elsie blankly stood beneath the lamps.
Levi warmed her back with the palm of his hand, ushering her across the wet deck. Granfer's crew worked steadily with bouldering shoulders laboring as they roped knots and slung nets over the side. He'd once explained over drinks he preferred to catch a warm meal from the waves over the frozen crate they'd packed in advance. None of the men considered themselves meal preppers. Once working diligently, heads turned and lips lifted in excitement at seeing a fresh Lady Seer on deck.
"Elsie," Shivers tickled her spine with delight at hearing her name. She stopped before Erwin and Levi stayed at her shoulder, overseeing his own cadets dawdling in the dark. "I cannot express the joy in finding you. We are all relieved to welcome you back into the Scout Regiment and return to our mission. I'm sure you are more than ready to start."
Erwin smiled at the end, poised for Elsie to expectedly say yes. She never ran from a battle, she'd joined the Regiment when she no longer could help through word. The commander's blue eyes drifted to Levi. Levi, blaze and relaxed, knowing without a doubt she would go where he would. Everything she wanted.
"Of course, glad we're on the same page. I missed you guys," Elsie grinned, swinging her arm for a side hug from Hange. She missed the bedraggled lady and all her banshee screaming.
Hange crooned and swaddled Elsie, smelling of an odd incense she couldn't place. Stray hairs poked Elsie and her arms tightened a little too tight around her neck, but it was a hug that she seemed to need after a lack of touch. Miche sniffed and crossed his arms, nodding in awareness, but she understood that her place wasn't one that he complained about to begin with.
Armin shifted between his tiny feet, dwarfed beneath the adults. In the months Elsie had been gone he'd barely grown, still a centimeter or so taller than Levi. A small wave sufficed enough comradery between the two.
"What exactly happened in Shiganshina?" Erwin redirected.
Elsie braved a breath, pulling her own crate to the circle. Levi stood at her back, his knee ever so often brushing her spine when he turned or bent to inspect someone else. Her story lacked change, a rather honest retelling of saving her ass by going to the top of the wall and running into masked Zeke with his contraption. She relayed his plan to change Eldians to titans and they seemed more than disgusted, a nice first reaction to hearing of it. So, Zeke chose what to say to keep them under his control. Rather than beg them to tell their side of the story - trust laid thin with Commander Erwin - she gave what she wanted, trying to keep her own control.
For Freyja's sake, she slept with Levi and at some point the truth would reach her ears. He knew it as well, watching Levi frequently during Elsie's retelling of starving for days on the trip to Liberio. Hange excitedly demanded answers to her neverending questions. Miche asked about the people and shops, the jobs, and how they went about their every day. Levi listened to Elsie's words, reading between the lines for hidden meanings she wouldn't divulge in public. She felt his eyes, Erwin saw his stare, and Hange ignored it for her curiosity. Elsie found herself struggling to focus on the conversation and not where a bottle of wine was.
"How did Zeke know you were Lady Seer by seeing you?" Hange finally got around to wondering. She tapped her chin in thought. "Wouldn't there be a test for next in line?"
Elsie twirled the tip of her braid, suddenly nervous. Hadn't she been relieved at first? Levi finally would accept her place in this world, "It's this family. Seherin. They were scientists for Marley before they decided to travel... to my world, Andere, and have babies and move on. When things were getting bad the Ambassadors of Marley summoned the scientist to help and it was my mother... I look just like her so Zeke instantly recognized me." Elsie grinned sadly, shrugging to end her story.
More than one voice rose to be heard. Elsie shook her head and leaned back, only into the one person with the most to say.
"You're descended from some Marley scientist?" Levi summarized, silencing anyone else. Elsie nodded. "Your mother came here?"
"Yes. All I know about the summoning is that they have the Priestess' of Freyja stand in a room and chant, probably drinking rose tea," Elsie mused, suddenly pondering what the High Priestess currently did. She must be heading for her nightly prayer, an ever-so-routine person. Or who knew, apparently Elsie didn't know all that much about Catharina Tybur.
"What is the Lady Seer's purpose?" Erwin demanded. A flame grew in his pupil. "Your visions?"
"Yes. When no reply came from the original team sent to Paradis Island the Ambassador of Marley grew nervous and had the High Priestess summon me. It went to shit, obviously. I landed in the wrong place," She refused to glance behind her. The people around her knew damn well that it had been a blessing to wake up in Paradis.
"Part of Zeke's story is true," Elsie wanted nothing more than to find her room with Levi and disappear from the hysteria of everyday life. Yet, she continued tiredly. "The whole reason of the attack on Trost was to find the Attack titan. They didn't know if Grisha Jeager was still alive or if he'd passed it on. When none of the original soldiers sent word, Zeke came."
"Took him long enough," Miche scoffed, a toothy grin flashing that surprised Elsie. "By the time he showed up Annie was already training Eren."
Erwin wiggled in his seat like a labrador to ask more questions about her Lady Seer abilities and Elsie dreaded revealing too much. Hange pondered over the idea of alternate dimensions but Elsie's mind stayed on Eren. The teen boy she'd had a strong connection with.
Elsie looked over her shoulder, watching for lurking Eren. He usually managed to hear things that weren't supposed to be for his young, angry mind. Not after everything she's seen him do. Then remembering he murdered innocents and turned around, eyes downcast and veins aching.
Erwin said, "He's chained in a cell. Mikasa and Jean are watching over him."
"Is that the best idea?" Elsie asked sharply, her attention returned.
Erwin's bushy eyebrow twitched, "Why wouldn't it be? Mikasa is quick with reflexes and Jean understands the mission is to retain Eren just as much as her."
"They also have a deep connection to him that he can pull at with one tear. Send Granfer's men to watch him."
"Jean and Mikasa can handle Eren," Hange frowned, dark brown eyes scanning Elsie's strict features. Did she recognize the woman she stared at? Did her tone come off too forward? Elsie relaxed, crossing her legs and rubbing the top of her thighs. "They understand the severity of the situation. We all do. Eren killed innocent people."
"How did you get to Liberio in the first place?" Elsie decided a change of topic was required. Eren made her blood race, her veins squeeze, her skin became cold with sweat. He made her nervous. He scared her at the festival in his titan form. Seeing his teenage face, broken tooth, and still smiling at her in relief, and she didn't know who he was anymore. A child or a murderer.
Erwin examined Elsie before beginning, "Shiganshina has been contained thanks to the bravery and souls given that day. Scouts and Military Police began to work together to return the city to its glory while expeditions were continued further out. It was on our way to the ocean that we discovered Zeke, a man wandering seemingly lost out of the Walls. He told of a story saying that his shipwrecked."
"A bogus story but we couldn't let this specimen slip from our hands," Hange foamed at the mouth. Her body energetically bounced beside Elsie, excited to regale her. "We continued on, intrigued, and we formed a fraud relationship with the man. He claimed to visit Paradis in the discovery of new land. An expedition of his own. We could tell instantly that he liked Eren and there was a sense of him knowing we were playing him."
"It seems our goal to get Eren to Marley aligned," Erwin said in a voice of sorrow, one that wished he could've seen into the future to change the outcome. "Although, I worried for the wrong reason."
"We all thought Zeke was going to eat Eren's shitty ass," Levi duly stated. "Who would've known he'd stomp on people instead?"
"Did they hang out a lot?" Elsie desperately needed to understand. How had Zeke quickly gained trust with the kid? Thinking back, had it been hard for Elsie and Eren to become close?
"Not that we saw," Erwin murmured.
Elsie kneaded the skin of her thigh and said, "This isn't good."
"No fucking shit," Levi drawled, hands in his pocket and staring darkly into the abyss that held the ocean. At least two more days until they reached Paradis Island.
"Where's Zeke?"
"In a cell being watched by Mikasa and Jean," Hange chirpily replied. Elsie's eyes bulged, staring between the two. Miche picked his nose, flicking it overboard. "Oh don't worry, we'll be going down there soon."
Freyja help them all.
"So, scientist?" Erwin asked. The light-hearted laughter that had spread over the children silenced immediately. Elsie met his stare. "What exactly is this Lady Seer? You managed to accomplish quite a lot in one night."
Short and sweet, Elsie told of the church and the social status that came with it. Safe with the somewhat truth, she explained more of her visions than she did with her machine, the one tucked safely within her satchel. Once again, a nerve tangled in her throat and kept her from divulging too much of her knowledge. The position she left behind. She paused, hesitating, and decided to return the conversation to their mission.
"So," Elsie grinned at her beginning. Erwin tried to hide his grin but she could see, no matter how steadily he stared at the floorboards. "Granfer is a friend now, eh? He's a very crafty tradesman." He laughed at Elsie's question.
"He's infatuated with Sasha and seems to be staying for a while," Hange held her hand over her mouth but spoke in normal volume. No secret around here, then. "Told Sasha about Zeke before she met him. They kept their stories straight about a shipwreck and Granfer mentioned there was a reason to come to Paradis in the first place. I assume it has to do with the contraption Zeke had in Shiganshina."
Elsie nodded, relaxed with this conversation, and uncrossed her legs. Before she could speak, loud thunks of boots entered their tight circle. Pink lips pulled into a bright smile, tanned hands holding two battered goblets and a bottle of Marley wine. Elsie's mouth watered instantly.
"My drinking buddy!" Granfer cheered, handing her an empty goblet. Elsie held still as he poured, thanking him before she took a large sip. Coating her throat to her toes, she finally felt as if she was herself again. "I can say that I am honestly pleased to have you aboard. It seems that you did have a soft spot for Paradis." He winked at the end of his sentence.
"Fuck off," Levi said with a tone of indifference. Granfer interrupted a rather important conversation with his more than exuberant personality. A clear feel the room moment. He bent to grab Elsie's full goblet, returning it to a surprised Granfer. "And take the piss water with you."
Elsie dejectedly faced Erwin as Granfer pivoted with a pout. He finished her goblet as he sauntered off and she suddenly wanted to scream and kick the crate in frustration. Had she known when her last drink would be she would've enjoyed it.
"Elsie, what else can you say to help us?"
"I mean there is no good time to bring this up," She leaned forward. "What was your initial mission in Liberio? Other than Zeke eating Eren, you were in Tybur Manor for a reason. Was it to kill Ambassador Tybur?"
Erwin had a sign that gave him away when he was nervous. His bushy eyebrow twitched. The rest of his expression remained cool, ignoring the obvious way Hange leaned back and Levi slightly inched closer. Miche coughed.
"Zeke said that the Lady Seer claimed the return of the Attack Titan. She holds a flock of revolutionists at her beck and call and would do anything to get him. Our only way out of this situation was to kill her," Erwin's blue eyes never appeared so endless. Elsie seemed to lose a sense of reality. "She lived in that Manor."
"Interesting," She pondered where exactly Granfer would put the wine. Return it to the crate? Surely he owned a damn office on this ship. "I need to speak with Granfer."
"About what? Erwin just said we came here to kill you," Levi snapped, chin darkened in the shadows of the flames as he glowered down his nose.
"Of course, we weren't going to kill the Lady Seer," Hange said with exasherpation. "Only kidnap and influence her to see the brighter things of life." Only to be ignored by Levi.
She attempted to sound sympathetic when she said, "Well, you didn't know it was me. For all you knew I died in Shiganshina. And the timeline doesn't add up. Obviously, I was not encouraging a revolution in Marley while I was in Stohess with you lot."
Levi's lips tightened, "No one thought you were dead."
"I told him you were dead countless times," Hange said passively, inspecting the door beneath her nails. She never looked so beautiful with the firelight glistening in her glasses. "Digested in a titan's stomach."
"Very lighthearted Hange, Fr-" Elsie licked her lips and rolled her eyes, turning her body from inspecting eyes and Hange's chesire grin. Wanting to curse to Freyja for an odd reason. "Anyway, you didn't kill me so all's well. Our main goal is refocusing on Eren. He needs to get his fucking shit together."
Hange whistled and Erwin leaned back, "My, Elsie, what a mouth. Liberio must be full of savages," She laughed at that, looking at Levi as if he would understand the comparison between Maggath's words. She sobered instantly at his dull stare. "But yes, protecting Eren is our main objective. We will talk more in the morning. For now, we will releave Mikasa and Jean from duty."
About time, "Good luck." Elsie watched Erwin and Hange depart. Tall and easily swallowed into the darkness. They once more appeared beneath the lamps over the staircase. Levi's sudden abdomen in her face obscured her from watching them disappear.
"Your fucking mom came here?" Levi reiterated, clearly standing with his arms crossed so that she wouldn't leave.
She sighed, really wanting a glass of wine, "Okay, so my time was 2001..."
The flames died in the lanterns above the stairs. Through the dark Elsie followed Levi's footsteps, further down the hallway than the bathroom. Snores filled a wide room, the underside of the boat hollowed to allow dozens of hammocks to hang. They swung to the motion of the waves, a soothing rock that would lure Elsie to sleep in seconds. That is if it weren't for the distraction at her side.
Levi's pointer finger hung between her palm. She clung to the little touch of him, desperate for any affection. When he paused to make sure she stayed close her breasts teasingly rubbed against his shoulder blade. A tantalizing look tossed over his shoulder, he tugged her ahead of him so that his groin pressed against her butt. She stifled any sound with a shit-eating grin. She fell into an odd waddle to allow him to still lead her while she walked ahead, although it was the best short walk she'd experienced in months.
He pointed to an empty hammock in the fourth row to the left. Snores filtered from surrounding cotton cocoons but she ignored them, finding them as background noise mixing with the crashing of water. Levi's dark eyes distracted her more than enough. His burning fingers dragged across her wrist to her elbow before bending to open the fabric. Elsie glanced before tugging her pants off, pushing them to the bottom before climbing in. Levi tutted but said nothing, watching her slight bounce and wiggle to give him room.
For a moment she thought they would touch the floor when Levi plopped beside her. They rolled into each other, Elsie giggling into his ear when her nose dragged across the top of his head. He adjusted them to his liking, pulling her between his legs so he could wrap around her. He inhaled deeply, a sound too loud in the silent room.
Elsie grabbed his hands and wrapped them around her waist, pressing tender kisses against the side of his arm she could reach. Her muscles relaxed in his comforting hold, instantly soothed by the smell of salt and cotton, a faint stinky sock smell coming from who she would assume Sasha. None of it bothered her when his palms pressed against her stomach and his breath warmed the back of her neck.
She smiled to herself. Levi clung to her like a koala bear, adjusting himself against her back before tucking his nose against the crevice of her neck. She pushed her hair over her head and he kissed her cheek once she stilled, a loving one that left a wet mark she didn't want to wipe away.
"I can't live without you either," She whispered to the dark.
Thank you for continuing to read through all the shitty updates! I'm ready for some sexy Levi times, what about you guys... Definitely need it after this latest episode.
Happy Sunday, hope you're all watching the new season!