Chapter Twenty ~ Meeting Christoff Raymond

Reader's prov.

The next morning both Levi and I set out for Shiganshina District, our letters of transfer in the saddle bags along with any belongings and previsions we would need for the trip. Luckily the Military Police barracks, as we were informed, were all full, so Erwin saw to it that we were given a house in the district nearest the villa to use for the time being.
It was a long ride to Shiganshina, we only stopped once and that was for a brief lunch break and to water the horses before setting off again. It was well past midnight by the time we reached the gate at Wall Maria that lead to Shiganshina, which was unmanned so we passed through easily. The horses' hooves clopping loudly on the cobbled road as we made our way through the quiet streets. The only sounds to be heard was the faint sound of music and drunken laughing from the taverns below. It wasn't long before we found the house, simple enough when it was on the same hill that the villa was. It was a small wooden house, much bigger than my home which laid somewhere below. It was big enough to house Levi and I for the time being. The wood creaked as the wind battered the foundations, the glass panes rattling in their frames. The small pathway leading up to the house was carefully trimmed and well loved, flowers in full bloom in the window box under the window. It was rather beautiful from what I could see of it. The moon only giving off a faint glow so it was hard to see in the darkness.

Levi hopped off his horse and unlocked the door whilst I quickly untacked and fed the horses, leaving them in the joining stable. Levi was already inside, taking in the surroundings as I walked through the door, saddle bags in hand. Levi had lit a number of candles so he could see the place, running his fingers along the hard wooden surfaces of the chairs, tables and counters. It was a few minutes before he emerged from the bedroom, grabbing my hand and pulling me into his chest, "Ah, nice to see the Scouts are starting to appreciate my cleaning methods. The place is spotless."
I grinned happily at him, "Does that mean we don't have to clean before bed?" I asked, quirking my eyebrow at him.

"No we don't have to clean, but I would recommend taking a bath before we go to bed, as we both stink of horse," he chuckled, kissing my forehead.

I smiled up at him as he lead me through to the bathroom where a large tub sat in the middle of the room. He turned to hot water on and waited until the water had filled the tub half way before testing the water with his hand. Swirling the liquid around as I grabbed the bath oil from the side and poured it into the bath. Soon the room was filled with the delightful scent of lemon and the surface of the water had disappeared under a blanket of bubbles.
Levi smirked and removed his boots, placing them neatly behind the door. I cocked my head to one side and raised my eyebrows at him, "Since when do you care about where you leave your boots?" I questioned, trying not to smile as he turned his head and peered at me through the gap between his arm and waist.

"Because I have tripped over many times when we have just left our boots lying around. Trust me, it hurts when you bang into something," he muttered as he rose back up to his full height and began to unclasp his buttons. Leaving his shirt on yet open, I could see his abdominal muscles tense as he walked over to me. His fingers tracing down my neck to my buttons where he skilfully unbuttoned my shirt, before moving on to my trousers. He popped the button open and shimmied the material down my legs, tapping my ankles so I could step out of them. He grabbed hold of my thighs and dragged his nose up my skin, all the way to my throat. My breath caught in my throat as his fingers looped into my underwear and ripped them apart, causing a squeal from me.

"What?" He asked, cocking his head to the side, his eyes still hooded.

I pouted, mock sadness playing with my features, "That was my favourite pair of underwear," I lied.

Levi smirked, tapping my nose with his finger, "You don't have a favourite pair of underwear. Besides, I can always buy you more if you are that concerned," he whispered, his arms banding around my chest so he could unhook my bra. Once free from all offending material, he stood back, admiring his handiwork. His fingers stroking his lips, his eyes slowly opening and closing. I shuffled uncomfortably on my feet, I didn't like the way I looked right now. Not with all the bruises and scars marring my skin. However I stayed as still as I could, allowing Levi to take in his fill of me before he instructed me to get into the tub. I obliged, however I was rather reluctant to get into the water without him, "Aren't you joining me?" I asked, turning my head as he quickly took out the hair tie and placed it on the unit beside the sink, allowing my hair to flow around my shoulders as he teased the strands with his fingers.

"Yes," he answered in a monotone voice as he stripped off his shirt and his trousers and boxers in one before sliding in behind me. Once we were both in the tub the water came up to our necks, his hands moving over to the sponge over to the side and he started bathing me gently. His hands gliding over my skin as he pampered me with his touch. He gracefully allowed the sponge to soak up the warm water before placing it against my skin and squeezing it to allow the water to cascade down my skin in rivulets. I hummed with pleasure as he continued this gentle display, feeling the warmth of his legs on either side of my bare thighs. Sighing, I turned around and placed my head over his heart, listening to its rhythmic beats, his arm banding around my shoulders as he leant back into the water. His warm body against mine, my eyes glancing down his side. His ribs were less visible than what they were when he first woke up, and his hip bones were no longer jutting out underneath his skin. His porcelain skin no longer pasty and taunt, but replaced with a healthy glow and supple. I then glanced up to his face, his eyes were closed, his lips parted as he breathed evenly and his raven black hair swayed as his breath caught the loose strands that fell around his face. His cheeks slightly pink from the steam emanating from the water. His cheek bones no longer prominent, his cheeks evened out now, no longer hollowed. The sight of him healthy was definitely good, however I would feel a lot better when his ribs would be covered with the slabs of muscle again. It's rather unsettling to see.
We stayed like this until the water started turning cold before we both scrubbed up and drained the bath. Levi wrapped me up in a long towel, hugging my shivering body close to his. I placed my head again on his chest, this time I glanced at his scar. The edges white while the middle remained pink. I raised my hand to trace it, but was caught by Levi's staring.

"What are you doing?" He whispered as his arms rubbed my shoulders, whether it be to warm me up or dry me off, both were working.

"Nothing," I replied, my voice thick with unspoken sadness. My mind racing with the images of Levi's lifeless face, the blood on my hands that I can still see if I focus too hard. Even though I knew he was standing before me, alive and well, not even he was enough to chase away those images. I didn't hear Levi speak, but I know he muttered something even if I didn't hear it. I quietly removed myself from his grasp and moved to the bed room, taking my saddle bag with me.
As I dried myself, I carefully unpacked all the clothes I had brought along with my gear, in case we were to ever need to use it. Silently I got changed and moved over to the bed.
It was a small double bed, better than the doubles that could be mistaken for two singles pushed together at HQ. The frame was a solid wood, as soon as I sat down on the mattress, the whole bed creaked, making me jump violently. Once my heart had stopped racing, I laid down and pulled the sheets over my cold body. It was a while before I heard Levi come in, I don't know whether he just decided to give me some head space or whether he was off doing something, but sure enough he sat down on the bed, ignoring the loud protests and moved over to huddle up beside me. His warm bare arms wrapped around my waist, his chest flush with my back, his legs tangled themselves in mine. He rested his chin on my shoulder and sighed loudly through his nose, "I'm sorry."

I blinked, unsure of why he was apologising. I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, not knowing what to say, so he filled in the blanks for me, "I know you're still haunted by what happened, or at least that is what I think is wrong. I know it must have been horrible to see that. I should know because I felt like absolute shit, and I'm very surprised you saw anything at all with your eyes blown up like that..." he paused, shaking his head, "Sorry, I know I am shitty with apologies."
A small smile graced my lips as I turned to face him, "You're very shitty with apologies, but I am grateful for it all the same," I whispered, resting my head in the crook of his neck. I heard him hum with approval as he wrapped his strong arms around me as the whole world fell into darkness, his deep breathing lulling me into a deep sleep.

The next morning, I woke up an hour or so before dawn. The room was still dark, yet outside the sky was grey and filled with clouds, even though in such an early hour, it was rather warm which only meant it was going to get hotter as the day progressed. Levi was still sound asleep. His dark hair fell over his face, his eyebrows twitching every so often. His arms wrapped around my waist, his torso receding under the bedsheets and further down his legs were tangled in the white sheet. One of his feet sticking out at the end. I gently wriggled out from his grasp, surprised I hadn't woken him up. I glanced at the dark circles around under his eyes, showing that he clearly wasn't sleeping very well, and I definitely heard him get up once or twice during the night, so I decided to let him sleep a little longer. Silently, I grabbed my uniform and walked to the bathroom, figuring I would make less noise if I was in a separate room. I sat on the edge of the tub and shimmied the white trousers up my thighs, then moved onto my pale olive shirt. I left the first few buttons undone and then moved onto the belts.
As I adjusted the straps along my back, the door burst open, Levi panting in the door frame.
I blinked at the man, taking in his shaken form. His hair dishevelled from sleep, his eyes wary and trained on me, sweat glistened on his brow. I left the strap and moved over toward him. The last time I had seen him this out of breath was when he had fallen out of his bed and couldn't raise himself to get back up.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice laced with concern as my eyebrows pulled over my eyes.

Levi took in a deep breath and pushed himself off the door frame, pulling me into a bone crushing hug, "I woke up and you were gone. I thought you had left," he whispered, panic dripping from his voice. I didn't know what to say so I just held him as he controlled his breathing, his back shuddering with the effort he made to push air in and out of his lungs. Once he was back to normal, I pulled away from him, resting my forehead against his. His brow still sticky from the sweat, "I would never do that. They would have to pry my cold dead hands away from you for me to leave."

As I said this, Levi pulled away, wrinkling his nose in disgust as he raised his head and glowered down at me, "That's disgusting..." he said, but quickly added, "But comforting to know," as he saw my face begin to fall.

I nodded at him, a small smirk creeping across my features as I took in the marvellous specimen in front of me. My eyes gliding over his bulging biceps, his pectorals and down to his rippling abdominal muscles. The only thing covering his modesty, as my eyes snaked down that way, was a very thin pair of undershorts. I ran my hands down his bare torso, blushing as I slowly went down into his underwear. My fingers trailing down through his hair before touching the silky flesh of his erection. He moaned gently, resting his head gently against my shoulder.

I smirked at him before releasing him from my embrace so I could finish getting changed. We were expected at the Raymond residence within the next hour or so. Levi sighed, shaking his head as he grabbed his clothes, "You are such a tease," He muttered, dressing in the bedroom before grumbling under his breath, "I can't believe we have to act like those shitty MPs."

Moving out of the bathroom, I sat on the bed, perched beside him, "I know, it's not ideal at all," I sighed as I kissed his cheek. I knew he hated the MPs, and quite frankly, after what I saw in the Underground, I certainly did as well. There was nothing to justify their actions on leaving a whole population to starve and suffer in such a way. They had the man power to help, or if they were struggling they could easily ask the Garrison's help and increase their presence in the Underground to stop the poverty. I knew the system was flawed. The top titan killers put into the MPs so they wouldn't have to face a single titan, just so they could sit on their arses and watch as the human population dies. The system was wrong, if anything they should put the people who were most likely to be killed by titans into the MPs, just to keep them safe. But that's not what the king wants. In my opinion, I don't think he actually cares about our safety of the human race.

Levi was ready before I knew it, I had to shake the thoughts out of my head before he asked what was the matter. We both grabbed our horses and tacked them up, making sure to lock up the house before we rode for the Raymond Villa at the top of the hill.

Levi's prov.

It was a rather large residence and could easily house more than just one man. But then again I had gotten used to large residences being used for the comforts of just one man. The MP crest burning into my back, wearing this uniform felt wrong, not right at all. I hated even being in connection to the MPs, even if it were only temporary and not even real. Surely Erwin could have found a better pair of soldiers, but that didn't seem to be the case.

Once we arrived at the Villa, a pair of MPs grabbed the horses and took them to the stables before leading us through the grand residence. I was surprised and disgusted with how dirty the place was. It was rather disgusting, dust clung to the air, the walls, along the window panes and even on the carpets. Little plumes of dust kicked up from our boots which made me want to be physically sick. However despite the disgusting dust problem, the décor wasn't that bad, the wooden walls were of a dark wood, large statues and paintings stood on either side of the narrow corridors.

I shook my head as the MPs who lead us through stopped us just before two double doors and went inside, leaving me and (F/N) outside. I turned to her and gave her a tense smile before nodding and sighed. The doors then opened and we came face to face with Christoff Raymond.

He was nothing like either of us expected. We were expecting some sort of mafia boss, who would be rather large, heavily muscled and have scars across his face. But that wasn't the case at all. He was a rather short fellow, about my height if not shorter, very impossibly thin with a head of dark curly hair. Glasses hung off his hooked nose as he glanced out to Shiganshina, and he had a pair of beady golden brown eyes.

He turned and smiled gently, revealing crooked, yellowing teeth, "So you are my new body guards, excellent," He said in a high pitched voice that made me want to laugh in his face. I held back my laugh as I sighed and watched as he introduced himself and gave us our assignments.

...

Over the weeks, we got used to the man. Although not having much brawn, he was definitely a smart thinker, and very capable of running a criminal organisation. Both (F/N) and I gained as much intel as we could on him. Erwin wrote to us every week, giving himself an alias every time and giving different places to where he would collect our reports. However nothing prepared us for what was going to happen within the next few days. The Scouting Regiment had to move out on an expedition at the start of the week. Both (F/N) and I knew what this would entail when they came back, but they would end up coming back far too late.

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