HOPE YOU ENJOY

PLEASE VOTE

Side Note: I did upload chapter ten and eleven before this one. Make sure to read them first if you didn't get the notifications for them. 

Side Note 2: This is what a Chinese Knot looks like. The second photo is how it will look liked when cross stitched...

*************************************

The next week passed oddly quick and the morning of the latest expedition had arrived. Levi woke, heading to the bathroom and having his morning bath before changing into his uniform. Stepping out to find Mikasa already dressed in one of her dressed and her scarf tied around her neck.

He gave a small nod, walking over to his bedside table and grabbing his cravat, placing it on as Mikasa walked to the opposite bedside table, grabbing her brush and working on her awful bed hair.

"I've made you a list, I'm going to place it by the bedroom door. If you have one of your .. moments, you'll just need to follow. Written orders if you need them to carry through the day. This is going to be our first long expedition, we're hoping to be outside the walls for five days. We've done over nights one a lot now and everyone's trained to handle sleeping outside the wall and riding back the next day. Now, we push our training to the test. If things go well, we'll be back by the fifth day but if things go bad, we'll be back by the third day" Levi spoke, moving towards the bedroom door and tapping the bit of paper he's stuck to the wall before walking into his office area.

Mikasa kept to her silence, listening to him talk along as she finished up brushing her hair. Running over to her drawler out of the drawlers and grabbing something she needed. She stood still, slowly and carefully platting her long hair before adding the hair tie and stilling a look over her work in the handheld mirror. 

It was a little clumsy but in time, she'd be able to do it neatly again. 

Walking over to the door, stopping by the bit of paper to see Levi orders if she did take a bad turn and go back into her empty shell mode again while he wasn't around and Doctor Jaeger wasn't around. 

1. Wake up

2. Wash bedding if needed, have a bath. 

3. Get dressed, brush hair, put on freshly underwear and clothing. Wear shoes. 

4. Do daily laundry. 

5. Reach food hall at eight am and eat, contently, no rushing or choking yourself. 

6. Return to room, brush your teeth and grab your coat. 

7. Go for a walk around and read your book. 

8. Get on the eleven am cart ride to Shiganshina and get off where Carla will be waiting for you. 

9. Spend the day with Carla, behave for her and eat any meal given to you. 

10. Take the 6pm cart ride back to base and get off at the base.

11. Take a walk around the base before gathering the laundry from the washing line. 

12. Return to my room, fold the laundry and place it away. (Make your sofa if needed)

13. Do the daily bit of work that Hanji has left you until eight thirty. 

14. Change into nightwear and go to sleep.

15. If woken by nightmares, cry it out ... it's okay. 

16. Repeat these orders. 

She shook her head over them but was a little thankful over them. She would be okay if she did take have another moment. She patted the bit of paper with her free hand before stepping into his office, closing the bedroom door behind her. 

She watched as he started putting his gear on, he always did leave a set in his office and today he was putting it on. All clean and doubled checked to make sure it was working and wouldn't give out on him while he was outside the walls. She placed the small object she's been working on, placing it on the sofa before she rushed over to his office door and grabbed her own pair of boots. Sitting on the edge of the sofa and placing them on, glancing to the ticking cloak on the wall above the door making her frown a little. 

"Eren and Armin will be leaving to join the training corps today, are you going to catch the cart ride to wall rose with them. Wave them off? Keith Sadies, gave you permission to visit the training grounds any day you want, perks of being close to Erwin who knows the guy, even if Keith doesn't know that our chat was just us and not actually known over by Erwin at the time. But, you'd be able to step in, even join part of the training if you want and allowed to just leave without any shame. You might enjoy the basic training and if you have as hiccup, Sadies will step you into his office and hide you up until Carla can pick you up. You'll be just fine this week ... right?" Levi ranted a little, throwing in his question first before letting his mind wonder making Mikasa hop down from the sofa.

"Y-You first" Mikasa squeaked out, her voice still dry and shaky as she tried using it but she had spoken much clearer then she did when she first ever spoke to Levi.

"We'll be leaving through the gates of wall Maria, you can watch me leave before heading off to the boys and help Carla drop them off at the training corps. I think they'll like to see you off" Levi mumbled back with a shrug as he walked towards his office door, ready to open it. Mikasa had visited Eren and Armin a couple times over the past week, mostly for an hour before returning with Moblit who took a single horse out to the town. He's always invited Mikasa to join him when he's popped out to gain a supply Hanji needed for her testing and while he shopped, Mikasa saw her friends. 

"Protection" Mikasa spoke again, something white gripped in her left hand while her right grabbed at Levi arm stopping him from opening the door.

"I'll be safe, I'm never the one to die outside those walls" Levi sighed as he turned to her before glancing down to her closed hand.

"My mother, she told me Chinese Knot is protection. I-I .. protect .. you come back ... come back .. alive and .. safe" Mikasa tried speaking again, struggling with a full sentence as her voice stayed scratchy, raspy and low. She lifted Levi hand, placing the white cravat in his hand that held the cross stich paten of a Chinese knot, it was all in blood red with the word "Protection" cross stitched underneath in black. 

Levi stared at the cravat, he did notice he was missing one of his spares, he had three cravats in all and he had noticed he'd only had two of all a sudden. But now he knew why, Mikasa had stolen it and made it into a protection charm for him. He glanced back to the girl, he couldn't help but be a little proud over her trying to speak as much as she has today. 

"Thank you, I'll make sure to keep it close whenever danger lays near" Levi promised as he lifted his hands to the cravat he was wearing before undoing the knot out and pulling the bit of fabric away from his collar. Throwing the clean cravat over towards the sofa before putting the second one on, he noticed the Chinese knot patter was hidden away underneath once he tied it making him frown a little.

"I-I knew .. liked cravat. This way, it ... s-s-stays .. w-wh-white and c-clean. O-Our secret" Mikasa explained why she did the pattern in the place she did. She didn't want Levi feeling embarrassed or being called out for her cross stitching protection, she kept it hidden away but close to him at the same time. She wanted Levi to stay as Levi while she also added her own selfish wish to him. 

"Our little secret" Levi smirked, his eyes falling to her red scarf before he noticed she did her hair up for once.

"You look rather nice with your hair up, look much better now your no longer hiding away" Levi commented as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder before turning away and opening his office door before stepping out. 

He didn't have to turn around to know she was already following a single step behind, a shine in her eyes as she fiddled with the end of her hair a little. 

He didn't have to look back to know he'd have someone waiting for him to return. 

And this time, the thought didn't scare him as much as it did before.