AN: Hi! I'm back with a new fic. I still have one Riren fic I haven't finished, probably someday I will eventually, but now I hope this one will keep you interested. This will be a bit slow-paced like most of my fics.. and will have timeskip as well. Leave me review if you liked it! It will help me out alot.
Life in the underground slums was already hard for him and yet it seems like fate decided to make it harder for him even more. Levi looked at his uncle in utter annoyance as he spouted obscenities the moment he opened the door, too early in the morning. He crossed his legs in front of him in a show of reluctance, sipping his coffee. He isn't going to stand and entertain his bullshit this early.
"What the hell are you thinking old man?" Levi asked in a monotonic voice. He watched as the man shoved non-too gently, what looked like a ten year old boy in shabby clothing and unkempt dark chocolate hair inside their house, making the kid stumble forwards. A mixture of shock and anger adorned his face, and nothing more.
"Don't even think of blaming me! That fucker gave me this brat as collateral. Says he can be a useful to us until he can pay me—do I look like I ran an orphanage or something? That piece of shit—" The tall man replied, adjusting his perfectly placed hat on his head. He really is quite pissed, and he thinks he knows who he is talking about.
"Hannes? That ex-military policeman? Didn't know he's got a son. Doesn't look anything like him." Levi fired back, still scrutinizing the boy in front of him. He doesn't seem to be scared one bit on the current situation he was in, or maybe he just didn't understand it at all. He adjusted himself more comfortably in his seat, eyeing them both.
"No shit. I'll make him work until he paid that entire fucker's debt. Or should I just sell him instead?" The towering man replied, a grin suddenly breaking on his face. Being sold meant being a sex slave to some bastard in the slums, no matter how old you are. Sex sells after all. If the kid wasn't scared before, now he was.
Levi saw the exact moment that it had crossed his large, green eyes as he stiffened on the spot. He reminded him of someone. His gut churned in utter revulsion.
"He's too young. You'll barely get anything from him. I'll make him my errand boy instead." Levi automatically replied before he was able to think twice and stop himself. It only made his uncle grin further, finding the situation rather interesting.
"I see—" The man in black replied shortly.
He looked at his nephew and he can read him like a book. After all, he's the one who practically raised him, and it's pretty easy to make him do what he wants. This one thing right here is a weak point of his. He won't allow selling the kid. Was it pity? Or does he have a hidden agenda? Ahh—No. That's not possible, at least right now. Was it excitement that he's feeling? Should he feel proud? Well.. Kuchel will be proud at least.
How noble, he thought sarcastically. One problem solved.
"Well, you do what you want, I honestly don't want to deal with brats—just don't let him escape or you'll be the one paying me their debt." The tall man continued as he laughed maniacally, turning towards the door to leave once again. Levi clicked his tongue in annoyance, his patience rapidly decreasing. He directed his attention back to the kid once the man was out the door. This is exactly what he wants, doesn't he? That bastard.
"Listen to me shitface. Your old man Hannes owes us big time so I expect you to work for it. Understand?" The boy turned to his angry glare and nodded in response. He cannot tell exactly if he was shaking in fear or in anger, but to him, that was a good sign.
"Don't even try escaping from me because I can sniff you out easily. I know every nook and cranny of this shithole. I'll break one of your bones when I find you." The boy nodded once more, lips sealed tightly. He needs to realize what kind of predicament he was in, and that he isn't bluffing.
"What? Can't find your tongue?"
"I understand." The boy finally said, gluing his eyes on the floor.
"Good. Got a name?"
"Eren.."
"I'm pretty sure you know well how to watch for your own ass in this godforsaken place don't you, Eren? You have survived this long after all."
The boy nodded once more even though in reality he has not been in this place for too long. The truth was, it has only been a year—a year since his father sent him down here with his old friend Hannes. But in this past short year he had seen how ruthless this place was, and how difficult it will be for a kid like him to survive on his own. So he followed everything that Hannes told him, even if it meant going with that towering, intimidating man they call Kenny. He seemed to be a prominent figure in the slums.
The moment he laid his eyes on him he knew he was a dangerous man. And this guy before him now is the same. Even though he's a lot younger, his piercing blue eyes were no doubt ruthless. It looked like he only needs to open his mouth to scathe someone. Both of them looked like the type that will dispose of him in an instant the moment he proven himself worthless. Eren maybe beyond scared, but he isn't that stupid.
He needs to gain the favour of this guy, no matter what. He looked back at his gauging eyes once more and suppressed the urge to flinch.
"First thing first. The underground city might be a shitpile of a place, but I don't want any of that filth inside this house, understand?"
"Yes.."
"Second. Stay away from trouble and do as you're told. I don't want to get my ass involved on saving you. I'm neither your guardian nor your baby sitter."
"Okay."
The guy finally broke his gaze after what felt like an eternity and Eren felt relief flood back to his system. He then stood up from the chair he was sitting, shrugging on the dark coat that hung from its rail. He gave him a final glance before he moved to the front door.
"Stay put and clean this place. I want it dust free when I get back, you hear?" The boy nodded once again and this is when he realized that he didn't even know his name. He felt his nerves get jumbled as he unconsciously called out to him, making the other stop in his tracks.
"Uhhmm—I didn't get your name." Eren uttered as he desperately tried to conceal his nervousness. He half expected to receive a harsh remark, but to his surprise, he answered and just gave him a dismissive look afterwards.
"Levi. Just Levi."
.
Eren found it quite surprising that there was an abundance of cleaning supplies in this tiny house, despite the lack of personal belongings in contrast. Well, it's not like they have that much belongings where they were staying either. He found it hidden and arranged quite neatly under the kitchen cabinets after a bit of inspection. It looked like Levi was really serious when he said he didn't like filth, and it makes him worry considering how clumsy and untidy most of the times he is. Crap. Levi was dressed so neatly after all, isn't he? His white buttoned-up shirt looked impeccable.
He's really at a disadvantage here—just what did Hannes get him into? He swears he's gonna punch his booze-deprived mouth once he gets out of here alive. A couple of hours had passed and he had started wiping and dusting everything in sight in utter paranoia when someone had suddenly barged in, loud voice booming inside the four walls of the tiny shelter.
"Big brother! Look what I found—" The girl exclaimed the moment she stepped inside, but stopped short as she immediately realized that there was no one around except for a kid she had never seen before.
"Huh—? That's weird.. Who are you?" She asked, inquisitive green eyes landing on the startled boy before her.
"I'm Eren."
"And?" She followed, eyebrows quirking upwards.
There were questions written all over her face and Eren wondered if it was a good idea to even be entertaining her. She doesn't look dangerous with her large eyes and short pigtails, but still.
"I'm gonna be living here apparently—" He replied in a small voice, getting extremely wary. What seemed like shock passed her features and she gasped exaggeratedly, mouth open.
"So that was it huh?! He picked up a new underling—but you're too young! How old are you?" Eren cannot make sense of what she was saying and frowned. Should he even bother explaining to her that he was dragged here by force and not of his own volition? He decided against it and continued sweeping the floor instead, noticing how the girl's boots left dirt marks behind. His face contorted in horror.
"Are you ignoring me or what? You're so rude!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest. A frown was brewing on her face and she marched towards the sole table in the room, sitting by the chair.
"I'm eleven years old.. Who are you?" The boy finally replied as he continued to keep his impending doom away. The girl seems to perk up immediately.
"I'm Isabel. I'm big bro's favourite little sister!" She exclaimed proudly, grinning.
"Anyway when is he coming back? I brought him something."
"I don't know.. he didn't say anything." The frown was back in her face.
"What? But it's noon already. Have you eaten yet?" Eren kept his gaze away from her.
"Not yet.."
"Huh—that's weird.. He doesn't let me starve at all. Well, I can't blame him, I'm cuter one!" She exclaimed happily once again. The concern on the boy's face only deepened and Isabel wiped the grin from her face.
"I'm just kidding. Holy hell, do you even know how to smile?" She pushed, cradling her face in her hand. The look of boredom on her face intensified every passing second. Eren wished that she would just stop talking to him. He is beginning to get really irritated and angry on getting dragged into this situation. This isn't funny at all. He felt sick to his stomach in utter frustration and fear of the unknown.
Isabel watched as the boy started shaking before her, confused on what's happening. She then realized that he was desperately trying to hold back his tears, seeing the welling emotions in his equally green eyes. A sudden sense of understanding took over her, and she stood up, approaching the shaking kid. She placed a tentative hand on his tiny shoulder, squeezing gently.
"Hey—cmon' let's go out and eat.. You're hungry right? Big brother won't get angry if we go out for a while."
"I'll scold him if he scolds you, okay?!" She bluffed confidently, even if she knows all too well that he'll chew her out the moment she even tried to run a smart mouth on him. But it seemed to calm the boy a bit and she felt a tiny bit victorious.
"And who exactly are going to scold?"
Isabel stiffened on the spot as the door opened, his unmistakeable voice filling the room. She turned over quickly to greet him, chuckling awkwardly. Levi walked towards the two, raising an eyebrow at the scene before him.
"No one! What are you saying big bro—"
"Really? Why the hell is he crying? Did you make him cry?"
"What? No!" The girl protested immediately, looking genuinely offended. Levi clicked his tongue in response and disregarded her, tossing the bag he was carrying to Eren that was now wiping his tears. He caught it clumsily, confusion mixing in his glum facade. His eyes were so red and he was looking rather pale. He has only been gone for a few hours and he was already like this.
This will be extra hard, wouldn't it? Levi didn't know who he wanted to strangle—that bastard Hannes or his equally bastard of an uncle Kenny? He collected his sanity and sighed. Getting pissed wouldn't help the both of them.
"You can't keep wearing those dirty clothes while you're here. Keep those clean." Levi finally said as he pointed to the bag. He then turned once again to the girl that was now caught in a sense of wonder.
"What are doing here anyway? Did Farlan finally get tired of your shit?"
"You're so mean! I brought you tea!" She huffed, pouting at Levi. He looked a bit taken aback by it, reaching out to pat her head apologetically in response.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go out and eat."
"Okay! Eren, let's go!" She declared happily, tugging the boy by his arm. He didn't speak still, and only nodded at her beneath his bangs.
The lunch was pretty uneventful thankfully, despite the rowdiness inside the bar they frequent in. It will be pretty troublesome if some random scumbags suddenly show up while he was currently baby-sitting two brats after all. Levi scanned the amount of people inside—just the usual patrons.
He wouldn't really worry about Isabel that much, but the squirt seemed to be a bit on the reserved side of the spectrum. He watched as he ate silently beside the energetic girl, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. That is good too if you don't want to attract unnecessary attention, but if he's going to be sending him around the district doing errands, he's gonna need more than that. That old guy Hannes had probably kept him out of harm's way until now. Levi repressed another sigh and averted his gaze from the kid. He looked so uncomfortable he can feel his unease from where he was seated. Can't blame him though, sucks to be in his position.
Eren wished that Levi would stop glaring at him all the time. It was unnerving and it just screams annoyance on his face. He doesn't want to be here either. But can he at least be a bit subtle about it? He seemed kinda nice to Isabel anyway. Not that he wanted to be treated the same way, but he hoped he just stops monitoring every move that he makes. He continued to eat in utter silence and tried to pay him no mind, for he was currently being fed anyway.
.
Eren was once again left to his own devices when they got back, for Levi seemed to be a pretty busy person. He was once again stuck with Isabel, but he guessed having her company around isn't that bad. He felt more comfortable around her now, realizing she wasn't a bad person. It kind of baffled him why she was with dangerous people, but he's not ready to ask yet. But he thinks he could probably use this opportunity to learn about him instead.
"Hey Isabel, how old is Levi?" Eren asked the obviously bored girl sitting on the opposite side of the table.
"He's around twenty now.. I think, or twenty one, and don't call me Isabel—it's big sister." She replied, frowning.
"I'm fifteen okay?"
"Okay.."
Eren hesitated, not really knowing what to say next. The girl only stared back across him, as she seemed to contemplate on something.
"Do you wanna know what he's like?" The boy perked up and nodded in response.
"Well.. He's cool and all but don't make him angry or he'll whack you in the head." She started, grinning unconsciously.
"He likes his stuff clean and organized. He's really strong too! And.. he likes tea—"
"Do you know how to make tea?" She suddenly asked, her equally green eyes searching the boy's. Eren shook his head lightly.
"No.."
"Alright! I'll teach you. Even I can make tea!" She declared in her ever lively tone, standing abruptly. Her eyes seem to sparkle in excitement and it made the boy feel more at ease. He followed her into the small kitchen, watching as she busied herself with a kettle and tea leaves.
"I'm not really into it but big bro likes tea.. And he likes it strong—so just leave it to steep for about three minutes or so. And then you can serve it. Pretty easy, yeah?" Another triumphant look passed on her face as she poured hot water into a cup, the unmistakeable aroma of black tea filling the air. Eren suddenly remembered his father.
"Wanna try it?" She asked after a couple of minutes had passed. Eren took a whiff of it before taking sip and he grimaced. Isabel giggled happily in return.
"I don't like it after all.."
"Of course you don't.. Kids like sweet stuff." There was a visible pout on his face and Isabel found it quite adorable.
"I guess you're quite cute as well. But I'm still number one.." She then said idly. Eren's pout transformed to confusion. It's kinda fun teasing this kid, she thought, seeing the ever changing expressions on his face.
"Alright..?"
"Anyway, remember to serve him tea if you want to get on his good side! Or keep his stuff clean.. It works!" She finally said, grinning once again.
Hours had passed by but outside it still remained dark. And until now, this was the thing that Eren probably might not get used to, for out there, or at the capital above, he could always see the sun rising and setting all year round. He didn't really expect that he'll miss such a simple thing, but thinking about it now, he rarely ever stopped to even admire the heavens once. He really wanted to go back up there, but he can't. The sudden thought stung his eyes again and he held it back firmly. He wouldn't cry for a second time today.
The door had burst open once more, revealing Levi himself and another guy. Eren watched as the raven-haired guy sat heavily by the table across him and Isabel, looking rather exhausted. The other guy followed, giving the girl a stern look.
"When are you planning to go home?" The blonde guy asked, a frown on his face. The girl beside Eren purposefully ignored him, cradling her face in her hand.
"Hey—Isabel I'm talking to you." He followed, annoyance now seeping in his voice. She glared back at him in defiance.
"Hey. Hey—Take your quarrels outside. Leave my house at once." Levi interjected, his impatient eyes and hand motioning for them to go. They both seem to stiffen in response, looking at him warily. Isabel looked like she wanted to protest but she eventually stood up, pouting her way out the door.
The nervousness was back at Eren in full force once the door had shut close. Levi only released a deep sigh.
"I asked you to clean but look at all the dirt those brats drag around with their shoes.. So annoying—I told them so many times already." His blue gaze fell on the silent boy before him and he only remained silent, still. His big green eyes were glued to the table.
"I'm going to take a bath." Levi finally declared, dragging himself sluggishly to the bathroom. He's got no time to figure out what a brat is thinking.
Eren felt a bit of relief. He really doesn't know how to act around him. He doesn't know what to say either. Everything just felt so awkward and he hated every second he was spending in here. He was starting to miss his mother once again and her welcoming presence. Just what is he supposed to do? The faint sound of running tap water pulled him out of his musings. He cannot afford to be useless. He needs to stay alive until then.
.
Levi stepped out of the bath feeling a tad rejuvenated. He was beginning to regret the decision he made back there. He probably shouldn't have interfered and let that old man take care of this kid. Since when had he developed a conscience anyway? He doesn't like troublesome things yet here he was taking in trouble. He walked towards the small living room once more and got hit by utter surprise as he smelled the ever pleasant aroma of black tea. The boy was nowhere to be found and he guessed that he probably decided to hole himself up at the bedroom.
A steaming cup was placed on the small table and he tentatively took it, taking a sip. His eyebrows shoot upwards in response.
"Not bad."
After finishing some small preparations for a job the next morning, Levi finally decided to call it a day. He wanted to rest his limbs so bad. He opened the door to the bedroom gently and slipped in, looking at the curled form of the boy on his bed. He sat quietly at the edge and took a closer look at him. He wanted to sigh yet again.
There was an invisible tug that makes him want to reach out and ruffle his tousled brown hair. He restrained himself and watched his gentle breathing instead. His gaze went to his small face and he noticed his closed eyes that seemed to glisten against the darkness.
He had cried himself to sleep.
"How pitiful."
.