AN: I was kinda having a writing block lately but I still managed.. t_t


Levi arrived later that day and Eren can only look at him in a mixture of utter shock and bewilderment. The rusty-coloured stain on his sleeve made his heart thump hard in his chest. He looked really exhausted. Eren approached him tentatively as he sat by the table, feeling anxious.

"Big brother.. are you alright?" The boy asked, wide eyes trained on the other's emotionless face.

"Yeah—this is nothing."

Levi felt reluctant to look at him, because if he does, he'll remember the face of that woman. Her frightened, angry, and pleading face. Eren's smaller form was in front of him now and he had no other choice but look at him. There was only concern in his young face, his brows knitting closely against each other. He looked like someone had kicked his precious puppy.

"You're hurt.." The boy declared in a small voice.

Well no shit. Levi ran his hand through his face and sighed. He then reached out and patted the boy on his head.

"It's just an accident. This happens more often than you think."

He lied. He'll kill someone who would merely scratch him. That's just the way it always goes, but this time around, he was the one powerless. And he felt angry over it. The worry in Eren's face only deepened.

"Where are those two? Why are you alone?" He continued, shifting the attention away from him.

"They went out to get some food."

"I see—" Levi cannot think of anything else that would probably appease him. He doesn't like it when people make a fuss over him. He repressed another sigh and willed himself to not start getting frustrated.

"Be a good boy then and help me clean this wound. Go get some medicine in the cabinet over there." Levi replied reluctantly, pointing to the cabinet below the sink. The boy seemed to get reassured a bit and he hoped he wouldn't ask any more questions. It makes him feel awful.

He eventually got up himself to remove his shirt and tried to rinse the dried blood on his arm on the sink. Eren only watched silently beside him, a box of supplies in hand. Levi's got a well-built body under that shirt accompanied by some long-healed injuries that marred his otherwise fair complexion. To Eren, it oddly made the sight of him more awe-inspiring. It's like the marks on his body were a decoration that exists only to be admired. Will he grow up to have that kind of physique as well? Eren asked himself, all the other questions in his mind temporarily forgotten. He really hoped so.

Days had passed without any problems and Kenny has not visited him since. Levi does not want to see his face at the moment as well either. They might just end up arguing about the smallest of things. His left arm still hurt like a bitch and just thinking about it annoys him to oblivion. So yes, it was a good idea that he isn't here. That old bastard.

"Eren—" Levi called out as he stood by the opened door. The boy was at his side in an instant.

"I have a delivery for you." He continued eyeing the boy beside him and passed the package to his smaller, waiting hands. He looked nervous once again.

"It's not what you think. Most of these packages are just smuggled medicine. There are no doctors here if you haven't noticed yet. You know what else is rare in here? Spices and tea. So stop imagining bad things."

"I'm not—" Eren defended in a small voice. Yes he did, though. It had always bugged him what's inside those packages that Isabel and Farlan sometimes carried. He mostly thought it is something that was definitely illegal. The look on Levi's face told him he didn't believe his shit either.

"This goes to that bar owner. You know where that is, right? Tell him I sent you. This is already paid for so don't worry about carrying any money on your way back." Eren nodded. He cannot fuck up such a simple job.

Levi fought the urge to worry about him. He's becoming too caught up on this big brother thing. This brat can take care of himself, he thinks. He doesn't need to fuss about him like he was his father. He's done all sorts of things when he was in his age anyway. This is just a walk in the park in comparison. Levi's brows furrowed involuntarily.

"If someone troubles you ask help from the bar owner, okay?"

"Okay!" The boy somehow enthusiastically replied as he went off, running down the steps and into the streets beyond.

The bar was thankfully tame when he came in, only a few crowds of people filling in some of the tables. What caught his immediate attention though was the unmistakeable black coat of a tall man sitting by the bar's counter, a tall mug of beer accompanying him. Eren steeled himself and approached the counter, trying to ignore his intimidating presence. His heartbeat was starting to race.

"I have a delivery for you, Levi sent me." The boy started, tiptoeing a bit to hand the package to the beefy man behind the counter.

"Ahh—I was waiting for this. You're his new boy huh?" The bearded, beefy man commented, studying the boy mildly as he tucked the package under the counter.

"He's a payment to be exact." The tall man suddenly interjected, turning from his stool and facing the both of them. The bar owner seemed intrigued but was only able to mutter "Ohh?" at the matter. He hoped he wouldn't pry much more than that.

"And an expensive one at that. I wonder how much they are willing to pay me to get a hold of you." Kenny remarked further, grinning at the boy.

Eren was unnerved. He cannot ignore him any longer. He cannot refute him either. This is the simple fact of his flickering existence. And it makes him feel utterly cornered and afraid. But he looked at him straight in the eye, still, Levi's words suddenly echoing in his mind.

"What are you gonna do, eh?" The man continued, taking a gulp of his beer.

"Survive until then—"

He's going to bet on all the stars above that he would be able to escape when such a time comes. He's going to hope against all odds that Levi will let him go. He's the one who told him to keep on living, didn't he? And he believed him wholeheartedly. Just when he thought that there was no one else he can turn to, he was there, like a bright beacon against the darkness of the underground. And there was nothing else he can do but cling to him for dear life.

"It seems like my impudent nephew's taking good care of you. I'm warning you though, you brat. Don't drag him into your shit. He can't afford to go soft because of you." The man's eyes were dark and serious.

Eren wanted to protest. He wanted to tell him that he was most probably—already a caring person even before he came here. He takes good care of Isabel and Farlan after all, he doesn't treat them like they're some sort of baggage. He can see it. He was confused at first and had refused to believe it but as days passed by he can clearly tell that they regarded each other like family. And a small part of him wished he regarded him like one as well.

"I won't—"

"Good then. Because if I had to kill you to keep him alive, I will. No hard feelings, yeah?"

Eren understood this completely.

Kenny watched as the boy glumly turned around to leave and wondered what he was thinking behind his angry green eyes. It awfully reminded him of his nephew of all things. Such an angry child he was, always looking for trouble. What he was actually looking for, he really did not know nor understood. And he only did what he thinks might help him survive in this place. If his sister was still around, he probably turned out differently. But she's been long gone, and he had no other choice but to keep his promise to her.

.

Eren returned home feeling absolutely empty. But it soon dissipated as an odd scene greeted him. Levi looked extremely pissed. Isabel on the other hand looked so roughed up, as she sat at the far end of the room. She's got bruises on her face and was covered with dirt on her hair and her clothes. He doesn't know what's going on but they seem to be having an argument.

"I'm asking you who did it?" He heard Levi ask in a stern tone, directed at Isabel.

"It's nothing." She replied immediately, not looking at him. There was an undeniable reluctance on her face.

"Who is it Farlan?" Levi asked once more, eyes now shifting to the blonde guy beside Isabel. If anything, Eren was getting rather scared for Levi looked ready to make someone miserable.

"It's alright big brother, you heard her. I already took care of it anyway. They'll leave us alone."

"Took care of it? What did you do, exactly?" Levi replied in a harsh, unpleasant way. Eren almost flinched from it.

"I talked to them. You can't always resort to violence Levi." Farlan replied in an equally harsh tone, a grimace on his face. He looked rather unfazed as he returned the other's hard glare, and Levi seems to contemplate about it, his menacing demeanour deflating a bit.

"Fine." He finally replied, letting go of the subject. He then seated himself by table looking annoyed. Farlan and Isabel looked relieved in contrast. Eren on the other hand just continued standing there frozen by the door, not taking a single step forward. He wanted to become invisible at the time being.

"Eren, did it go well?" Eren inevitably heard Levi ask, his blue eyes now falling on him. He returned his gaze and moved towards him like a moth to a fire.

"Yes."

"You think you can handle those more often?" Eren nodded, heart thudding wildly in his chest. The frown on Levi's face seems to fade a bit and he sighed in finality. He looked so done more than anything.

Eren can only look at him while he contemplated on what he's going to say. He was just hit with this sudden realization and he felt so awkward with himself for being so slow. He was not able to fight the blush that bloomed on his face. It felt like he's intruding but maybe, he can speak in behalf of them.

Levi's eyebrows shoot upwards as he watched the boy, completely baffled.

"Big brother, please—don't worry too much. I'll do my best, so.." The boy replied and trailed off, eyes sparkling and his flush deepening. Farlan looked surprised for a while but then smiled to himself. Isabel's sullen face brightened.

"Oi. Don't get the wrong idea." Levi replied, eyes narrowing on Farlan's direction. To his own surprise, he ultimately reached out and ruffled the boy's unruly head. His flustered state is just too much to ignore, so he'll save him from his utter embarrassment before he spouts more nonsense.

"You should listen to the boy." Farlan chimed in, sitting on floor near Isabel's chair.

"We might not be as strong as you are, but we can take care of ourselves. You don't have to worry about us on everything."

"I agree!" Isabel added, determination emanating from her ragged state.

"Oi Isabel. You better clean yourself up before you even try to butt in." A pout formed on her face as she was immediately shut off.

"Yeah, yeah—but Eren's right! You better trust us more. We're family! " Eren's heartbeat seemed to skip a beat from hearing those words. He was right, isn't he? They really treat each other like family.

Levi returned his gaze once more to the boy. He says the most unpredictable things, and it always catches him off guard. What's next? Just what is going on with that head of his? He seemed to have recovered his dignity and is now looking pleasantly relieved. What an enigma this boy is.

.

Levi does not want to admit it, but he is getting quite fond of the boy. Even Farlan was commenting on it now, which annoys the hell out of him.

"He seems to like you very much now, doesn't he? I did not expect that at all, you know." The blonde guy said, grinning.

"Huh? Who knows? Stop speculating." Levi replied, trying to dismiss his comment.

"Really? Do you not see how he looks at you recently? It's like—you're his most adored big brother or something. How did it come to this?" Farlan pushed on, chuckling light-heartedly to himself. Levi clicked his tongue in return, icy stares shooting towards the guy beside him.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Stop pestering me about this."

"I'm not. I'm just saying that he's kinda adorable. When you look at him, all you see is his heart laid out in front of you. He cannot hide it, can't he? And it makes you feel that you surely don't want to be that person who causes him heartaches."

Levi already knows this. He already realized it, living with him in a short amount of time. You're a special kind of a bastard if you deliberately hurt such a kid.

"Well, I don't want him here. If he could find an opportunity to leave, that'll be better."

"Seriously though, don't say that out loud in his face alright? He might take it the wrong way."

"I don't mind."

Farlan smiled a bit sadly to himself. Levi might be the last person whom you can ask gentleness from, but he actually meant no harm—at least to the people who felt the same way about him. He just hopes it all goes well for the boy. Since he had learned about his circumstances, he felt quite bad for him.

"There's nothing wrong about acknowledging your true feelings for once. You might regret it someday that you weren't able to say what you really wanted, you know.." Levi stared at him like he grew another head.

"I regret nothing. You're just overanalyzing things again."

"Yeah.. I probably am. But at least I told you what I wanted to say, didn't I?" Farlan replied, shrugging. Levi only stared to the streets beyond the door.

"I'm going to check on them, they're taking too much time."

Farlan smiled once again. He wanted to make another poke at it with that, pointing out how he was right and he was getting worried about the boy just now. But he might get truly pissed and he restrained himself from doing so and just let him go. He surely looked like he wanted to escape their conversation no matter what.

.

Eren was proven wrong when he thought that he couldn't like Levi even more. Everything around him seemed to blur and he was the only one clear thing that he could see. It was apparent that the three guys that ambushed them on their way back regretted their decision to do so as two of them lay bloodied on the dirty ground, faces ashen and confused. The remaining man, even though much larger in size now whimpered in pain as Levi kicked the knife that was buried in his thigh deeper, making him kneel in front of him pitifully.

"How does that feel?" Levi taunted, looking down at the man. He groaned in return, unable to speak properly.

"It's j-just a m-misunderst-anding. P-please let us go—" A grimace formed in Levi's straight face and he received another swift kick on his face. It was a hard blow by the sound of it. He then knelt and plucked the knife out his bloodied thigh, the man now unmoving.

Levi looked at the filthy knife on his hand and then to Eren. He has been tousled up pretty nicely by the looks of it, dirt and bruises adorning his face. His wide green eyes stared back at him. He was shaken. Isabel looked the same way, but this isn't something new to her. He took a step forward and returned the knife that he was unconsciously wiping clean to the boy. Eren took it rather carefully, tucking it away from sight.

"Where did they hit you?" Levi asked, fingers latching to the boy's chin firmly, inspecting his bruises. He had an intense urge to scold him at that instant and ask why he didn't come back to ask for help, when he specifically told him to do so in such a situation. But the words didn't come.

"Just my face—" Eren replied meekly, looking down to the ground. He cannot seem to maintain eye contact with Levi's intense blue eyes.

"Eren you did a great job on helping me you know.." Isabel interjected, closing in to the both of them. She was smiling despite her dishevelled state. Eren met her equally green eyes and felt a bit relieved for he was so scared.

He was so scared that moment that he thought about all the possible bad things that will happen to him and Isabel. Those men looked unforgiving. They seemed to have taken more interest on Isabel as their dirty hands touched her, and she retaliated with all she's got with fury in her eyes. She had yelled for him to run but in that moment, the fear had gone and there was only anger, as he drew the knife that he dreaded using. He managed to hurt the man that yanked at Isabel's hair, but there were three of them, and he received a backhanded blow and a boot on his face for it. If Levi didn't come, who knows what would have happened after.

Eren just ended up nodding in reply to her. He didn't do anything great like she says.

"Let's go back." Levi finally said, not even giving the three men one final look. He couldn't care less for pieces of shit like them. They might think of getting back at them like what always happens, but he'll make them eat dirt like he always does in return.

They were walking briskly with Levi ahead of them and Eren wanted to ask Isabel if everything's fine. She doesn't seem bothered by it, so it's probably is just nothing. When they got home, Farlan bombarded the girl with questions. Eren was still surprised with this even though he already knew they were close. He just didn't realize that two of them were probably closer than he originally thought. They remained there by the door, the blonde guy fussing over her. And he kind of understood why as he heard him ask Isabel sternly—did they touch you? He looked really angry.

"Oi Eren, don't just stand there. Come here and clean your wounds. You don't know what kind of diseases might lurk in the filth outside."

The boy snapped out of his musings and walked over to Levi who has a disgusted expression on his face. He sat by the table, a clean, wet cloth in hand.

"Did you hit your head?"

"No.. I got up but—"

"Yeah, I saw that." Levi replied, immediately cutting him off. This is the very reason why he is constantly worried, yet they ask to him to stop. Just how? This was the second time in a row now. Looks like things are going shittier much faster than ever for the slum people every passing day. He quickly dismissed the thought and vacate his mind. He focused on Eren's face instead. He had a busted lip and some bruising. Nothing that bad.

Somehow, Eren felt like crying as Levi diligently cleaned the scratches on his face, remembering the way his mother would fuss over the smallest of wounds that he gets from playing outside. He didn't like it one bit back then, but now it just felt like some distant memory. His glistening, green eyes settles on the other's face and Eren felt the fingers that held his jaw gently, stiffen.

"Hey, are you crying?" There was a sudden panic that flooded the boy's eyes and Levi found it a bit amusing, like he has been caught doing something naughty behind his back. That, or he might be remembering the nasty wound in his arm that he had helped him with just days ago.

"I'm not!" Eren couldn't tell Levi that he was just thinking about his mom at a moment like this, of all times. He might not want to be compared to a woman.

"What a cry baby—"

If anything, the boy only flushed, and Levi didn't want to admit that he thinks he enjoys teasing this kid. He pushed the thought back out of his mind immediately as he suddenly remembered his uncle, of all people. There is no way in hell that it's the same thing with them. If anything, he bet he enjoys tormenting him. He released the boy at once and called it done. He can do the rest himself when he takes a bath. Eren on the other hand had an urge to touch his face, now that the warm fingers were gone. But he might just end up dirtying it.

"By the way, what happened to go and look for me when you're in a shitty spot?" The boy averted his eyes.

"Uhh—I'm sorry.."

"Well it's not like I'm reprimanding you for helping her. I just want to know why."

"I was afraid.. I—" Eren's brows furrowed.

"I don't want to leave her alone." Levi stayed quiet for a moment before he opened his mouth once again.

"You should worry more about yourself. You're still a kid. She's tougher than you think."

"But—I won't be able to sleep at night if something happened to her!" Eren weakly protested, green eyes now back at him.

Hell—he might as well if something happened to the both of them, Levi thought to himself. But it seemed like there is just no helping it with this boy. He's proving to be the type to be dead set on pursuing something he had decided upon. And Levi wants to get annoyed with himself because he's liking him more.

"Just be careful. It would be a pity otherwise, wouldn't it? You want to get out of here, yes?" Eren's eyes became vibrant and he answered with no hesitation.

"Yes—"

Eren suddenly felt fuzzy inside. He didn't know if the others have seen it, but Levi just smiled a tad bit in front of him. It was the first time he had seen him smile. He liked the look of it a lot. He really liked Levi a lot.

He had found such an awesome big brother.

"That's a good boy."

.