Something Wicked - 4

Yes, I messed with the timeline a little.

"Get up!"

Krista forced her eyes open even though it felt like she had just closed them. It was still in the pre-dawn hours though so she couldn't have been asleep for very long. Her muscles were still sore from being on horseback most of the night and a fraction of the morning.

Even so she swung her legs over the side of the bed, glancing to the door to see an officer standing there. "Come on! Hurry it up!"

Well, she supposed it was a good thing she had been too tired to change out of her uniform this morning. Krista pushed up from the bed, following the officer out of the room and down the hall. She didn't miss the way the officer kept glancing at her with obvious suspicion as they walked.

What was going on?

"Out late last night?"

She glanced to the officer at the sudden question, the accusation behind it. "Yes."

"I didn't see your name on any of the assigned patrols." Definitely accusatory.

"I wasn't-"

Just then the officer threw open the doors to the courtyard and she stared at her fellow recruits as well as soldiers from the Survey Corps, flanked by a few members of the Military Police. "Now that you're here we can begin the investigation." The officer at her side spoke, walking over to the group and indicating for her to join everyone else.

She didn't take a step forward, though. Instead she turned her attention to the officer. "What investigation?" At the very least she would like to know what exactly he had been accusing her of the whole way here and why they were waking up everyone early. Anyone that hadn't been on duty that is.

The officer was silent for a moment, looking at her as if he was expecting her to be joking about a very serious matter. "The investigation of the deaths of the two captured titans. They were killed just an hour ago by one of the people here and we're going to find them. Unless, of course, you would like to confess already."

Krista blinked and felt her jaw clench at the same time. "Confess?" Just who did this guy think he was? Accusing her of something she hadn't even know had happened until now because she had been asleep? Honestly, what other reason would she have for not knowing?

The officer only glared at her though. "You've wasted enough of my time by not being in the recruit barracks like everyone else from your training squad and hiding in that room instead-"

"I earned that room," Krista slipped in. She wasn't about to allow him to accuse her of helping the titan efforts and hindering humanity.

"Regardless if you did or did not. I'm giving you an order to move your equipment back to the barracks. This investigation could have started out smoother if everyone was where they should be. Now get in line with your squad so we can begin."

"Disregard both of those orders."

She turned quickly in the direction of his voice. Levi. She could see Ymir's eyes narrow from her position in the group; she hadn't been able to tell her friend yet that it was fine between him and her now. He had apologized just last night for what he had done that day in the field of weeds. Granted, he hadn't used the exact words, I'm sorry, but he had clearly regretted the actions taken that day.

The officer gave him a quick salute. "Captain Levi. We'll have your soldiers back to you soon. But we do need all of them at the moment to run a proper investigation into the deaths of the titans to find the perpetrator so I'm going to have to insist that this recruit stay here for the time being."

Levi didn't say anything for a moment, stopping in his path to focus on the officer, though she had felt his gaze rest on her for a second before. "So you insist on wasting your own time?"

At this the officer quickly dropped the salute, looking put off by this statement. "No. I insist on finding the person who murdered the titans and since everyone here is a suspect-"

"Everyone that was already here ten minutes ago, you mean. Do stop wasting time and start the investigation already." Levi turned from the officer to look at Krista then. "Follow me."

Before she could take a step forward though the officer had stepped away from the assembled group. "We need to interrogate those present on their whereabouts this morning and then check their gear for unauthorized use. She can't leave before we have that information."

Levi didn't so much as glance at the officer when he responded, still looking at her. "She was with me on patrol this morning and she's had no authorization to use her gear. Check it yourself if you want." He motioned for her to follow him instead of saying the words before turning around to walk away from the group.

The officer looked miffed at this change in his investigation. Maybe because it was only just beginning and was already off to a bad start in his opinion. Either way she didn't care to find out and was already following after Levi when the officer snapped from behind her, "You better be positive she isn't involved or you've just let a criminal walk free."

This made Levi stop and turn to look at the entirety of the Military Police gathered in the courtyard. "Do me a favor; if you can manage it. Find the culprit then run your incompetent ass back to the safety of the city to fatten yourself up into a tasty treat for the titans and become even more of a joke than you already are, swine."

She didn't dare turn to look to see the face of the officer, but she imagined he was red with rage as she turned the corner; finally out of view of everyone that had gathered out there in the courtyard. Krista only stopped walking when Levi turned to face her after entering the stables. Before he could say anything she said a quick, "Thank you, sir."

His lips pinched together a moment after. "For what? I just told them the truth of the matter. Besides, we're low enough on soldiers as it is and I need you to do a task for the Corps. Even with the investigation going on we still have business to attend to." She took his words as they were; a disfigured you're welcome.

Krista gave a swift nod of her head as he explained the task to her as they walked to the stall that held her own horse. With him there to help her saddle the horse the time usually required to do so was easily cut in half.

She paused though before getting onto the horse, holding a pack filled with messages and reports she had to deliver. "When should I be there?"

"Hm?" Levi glanced to her, holding the reins in one hand as he waited for her to get up onto the horse.

"When should I stop by tonight?"

For a second he didn't reply and if it weren't for the mask of indifference he wore she would have sworn he was surprised by her question. "Ten."

/ / /

There was a soft knock on the door that made his head turn to the clock first, checking the time before he bothered to get up and off the couch.

Levi walked over to the door, wrapping his hand around the knob and taking a second to prepare himself to yell at the fourth person who thought it was appropriate to bother him at this time, especially tonight of all nights. He wrenched the door open but the yell stayed stuck in his throat as he drank in the sight of the one person he had been waiting to see since he sent her off earlier that day.

"I'm not too early, am I? I know you said ten, but-" her rambling apology for coming here just five minutes early faded to the back of his mind. Even after she had asked him about what time would be best he hadn't been sure she would show up, and of her own will at that. He had made sure she hadn't taken his suggestion as an order. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel obligated to be here. Beyond that, he finally had a chance to be alone with her without even the assumption that it was completely Survey Corps related. "So what did you need me here for?"

He paused, before his gaze was drawn down the hall. "This way."

Levi left his room, closing the door behind him as he led her down the hall, around a corner into another room. He glanced along the small bend after indicating for her to go in first, checking that no one was in sight before entering the room and closing the door. With a click of his tongue to hide the click of the door he locked it before stepping further inside.

Krista was looking up at one of the old paintings on the wall when he moved toward her. She must have heard the dull thump of his boots as she turned from the painting to face him. "What's-"

He bent down to silence her question with his lips, tilting her chin up with his fingers. His grip tightened in the next second, fingers slipping along the sides of her chin to hold her in place. Levi parted his lips to bite down on her bottom lip, grinning when he got his preferred reaction.

A gasp slipped from her parted lips and he slid his tongue past them into her mouth: tasting, searching, and exploring every corner. She was lovely, really. The skin beneath his fingertips was softer than silk, but he didn't dare move them from their current position to see if her hair was as soft as he imagined it as well. Instead he kept his lips pressed to the pretty pink plump lips that he intended to turn red at the very least by the time he was done kissing her; if not purple from the force he applied to them, occasionally nipping at the tender flesh.

It was with regret that he finally pulled away, keeping a firm hold on her jaw, breath coming faster than usual as his lungs demanded oxygen after he denied them the basic need for so long.

"Does that answer your question?"