First off- I have to apologize SO much for the wait on this chapter. College has started again, and I just tested for my back belt (I passed)! but long story short, my schedule has been INSANE! Sorry for the wait!
Anyways, this chapter features an incredibly progressive, understanding parent Levi and a paranoid, scared Eren. I hope you enjoy it! :)
Finally, a special thanks to .78 for the idea for this chapter! ;)
"Eren- read over this and summarize it for me, would you?" Levi slid a rather unimportant document across his desk to the 11-year-old. He'd taken the day off to be with Eren yesterday, as he'd been grieving, and as a result he was buried in paperwork today.
Eren looked down at the paper shiftily, before he nodded slowly, warily picking it up and bringing it closer to his face so he could read it.
Levi frowned slightly- Eren had been much quieter since he'd turned ten. His mannerisms had changed, as well, and it was off-putting. Levi didn't want to worry over nothing, but he did wonder what'd happened to make the boy so much more reserved.
Eren frowned, squinting for a moment, before he finished reading the paper. He set it down on the desk and spoke.
"Someone wants to have supply ledgers reviewed. It's boring."
Levi sighed, frustrated, before he ran a hand through his hair. He'd forgotten about that- he'd have to go into the books and retrieve the data he needed to fill out the ledgers. It was monotonous, soul-crushing work. He would've found it relaxing some time ago, but now he had much better things to do- mainly involving raising Eren- and paperwork was hell.
"Can I go in the yard?" Eren spoke up, resting his chin on his fist and looking out the window.
Levi frowned for a moment, before he nodded.
"Stay in the courtyard where I can see you from the window. Understood?"
Eren nodded, before he'd disappeared outside.
Levi peered out the window every now and again- he'd expected Eren to run around and play or something, but instead the boy just sat in the grass, watching the goings on around him.
While it was nice to see the boy so tranquil, Levi couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding- deep down, he knew that peace wouldn't last.
"Dammit!" Eren cursed loudly as he stumbled, snagging his foot on the way into the dining hall for dinner that night. He was growing so rapidly, it was hard for his body to adjust to walking with larger limbs so quickly….
Erwin frowned, looking slightly upset. "Where'd you learn to talk like that, Eren?"
Eren said nothing, simply turning a calculated gaze on the man. He hadn't interacted with Erwin much, but there was something unsettling about the way Eren looked at the blonde man, as though he was sizing him up.
Eren finally decided to ignore the man's query entirely, instead sitting down beside Levi and starting to eat.
"Eren." Erwin leaned forward, placing his elbow on the table. "I asked you a question."
Eren looked up from his food, scrutinizing Erwin carefully from underneath his shaggy chestnut bangs.
"I don't want any trouble." Was all he growled, before he kept eating.
Erwin raised his eyebrows, looking surprised. "I don't want any trouble either, Eren. I just want an answer."
Eren tensed slightly, his grip on his spoon tightening slightly. His posture grew ridged.
Levi looked down at the boy beside him, eyes widening slightly. He didn't understand- why was Eren acting so defensive? When had the bubbly little boy gotten such a cold, calculating stare?
Erwin reached across the table, clapping a hand down on Eren's shoulder. He'd meant to make the boy look at him and speak seriously to him, but as soon as his hand made contact with Eren's shoulder, Eren jumped back. There was a flash of metal before there was a knife in Eren's hand, having been withdrawn from where it'd been hidden in the boy's sleeve.
The room became dead silent for a moment, and Eren glared at Erwin, eyes wide, breath shaky. "I said I don't want any trouble." His voice barely wavered, and he looked ready to attack on a moment's notice.
Erwin blinked, looking completely shocked for a moment.
Before anyone could say anything, Armin spoke up.
"It's alright, Eren- he's one of the good guys."
Eren looked over at his blond friend, hesitant. "How the hell do you know?"
"I've worked with him- Mikasa has too. He's never hurt anybody, and he won't hurt you."
"Promise?" Eren shot a hesitant glance back at Erwin, but Armin bobbed his head, nodding.
"I promise."
Eren nodded, shooting Erwin one last glance before he quietly tucked the knife back into his sleeve, sitting back down at resuming his meal as though nothing had happened.
The room was dead silent for a moment, save for the scraping of Eren's spoon as it made contact with the bowl, before Erwin spoke, looking shocked.
"Where did you get that knife?"
"It's mine." Eren answered between mouthfuls of food, not even bothering to look up.
"It's from the kitchen, isn't it?" Petra asked, looking horrified. "I thought one of the knives had gone missing…."
"It's mine." Eren growled. "I took it- that makes it mine."
"Eren, give me the knife." Erwin's hand was outstretched, his voice leaving no room for negotiation.
Eren looked up, surprised by the man's brazenness, before he snickered. "I don't answer to you."
Erwin blanched for a moment, looking surprised. "I'm an adult…."
"So? You're not my Dad. It's my knife, and I'm not giving it to anyone…."
The room had settled into horrified silence, and Armin spoke up.
"Commander, Sir- please don't discipline him. He's eleven… things were… different… for us, growing up…." Armin struggled to explain himself without going into too much detail about their time in the streets. It was enough for Levi to realize what he was getting at, though, and he et down his spoon, standing.
"Eren- let's go for a walk."
"I'm not giving anyone my knife." Eren said certainly, glaring at Erwin.
"I didn't say you had to- are you coming or no?" Levi raised his eyebrows, trying to act disinterested.
Eren sighed, grabbing his bowl of half-finished food and taking it with him as he followed Levi out into the hallway, leaving a stunned group of soldiers behind them.
Eren ate as he walked beside Levi down the stone halls, hardly looking up from the food. The boy was practically inhaling it.
"Eren… what happened to you after your mother died?"
Eren stopped walking, and Levi did as well. Eren had paled slightly, and he swallowed, letting the spoon fall from his hands back into the bowl.
"We went to Trost. There was hardly any food, so Armin Mikasa and I would find places to sleep…."
"Did you carry a knife then, too?"
"Always." Eren said simply, not looking bothered by the fact.
"Did you fight other kids, Eren?"
Eren nodded, still looking unbothered. "Yeah. There was only a little food- you either fought for it or you starved."
That explained a lot. It explained Eren's sudden reserved attitude, his calculating gaze- the boy had been sizing everyone up, living by his street-knowledge, anticipating everyone as the enemy. He realized with some alarm that within the last night, Eren had realized a lot of harsh realities of living on the street and had started to apply them to his daily life, no matter how out of place it seemed.
It also explained why he'd brought his food with him from the dining hall- food must've become a major priority for him when he'd been living on the streets.
"Would you fight me, Eren?" Levi asked quietly.
Eren's eyes widened, before he shook his head. "No."
"Why not?"
"You'd never hurt me. You take care of me…."
Levi was both touched and surprised at the boy's affirmations. He felt honored that the boy trusted him that much, given his background….
"And I like you. You're cool."
Levi hadn't expected that last part, or the warm feeling of pride that blossomed in his chest after hearing it.
"Alright… then why'd you pull a knife on Erwin?"
"He called me out. He kept asking me questions, and he touched me- nobody touches me. Because first they touch you, but then they grab and hit you…."
Levi frowned. He knew the boy had acquired this knowledge from the school of hard knocks, and while he didn't want to discredit the boy's common sense, the boy couldn't pull knives on adults.
"So what you're saying is, you don't let people touch you."
"Yeah."
Levi said nothing, simply plopping the palm of his hand atop Eren's head and ruffling the boy's chestnut hair with reckless abandon. He grinned when he was done, glad to have made his point- Eren let people touch him, sometimes.
Eren huffed, blowing his bangs out of his face, frustrated. He crossed his arms and stamped his foot. "That's no fair- I already told you that you're the exception!"
Levi grinned. "Really, now? So I get to touch you whenever I want?" He reached over, beginning to ruffle Eren's hair even harder and giving the boy an antagonizing grin.
"Quit it!" Eren protested, slapping at Levi's hands and looking up at Levi angrily.
Levi chuckled slightly, stopping his harassment of the boy. Eren looked angry, but it was honestly quite cute.
"I'll fight you." Eren cautioned him seriously.
It didn't seem like much of a threat when it was being said by and eleven-year-old, and Levi elected to ignore the boy's comment, starting back towards the dining hall.
"While I admire your street smarts, I'm afraid you can't go around pulling knives on people." He spoke.
Eren frowned. "Then don't let them touch me and I won't have to!"
Levi frowned. "You really don't like being touched, do you?"
"If they're close enough to touch me, then they're close enough to hit me." Eren supplied, looking serious. "It's better to stay a bit farther away- less chance you get in a fight."
Yet another piece of knowledge that no eleven-year-old should have to know.
Still, Levi nodded, taking it into stride. Eren was hardly a typical eleven-year-old. "So, nobody touches you, you won't pull your knife out?"
Eren nodded solemnly. "But I won't give it back. It's my knife, now- I might need it."
Levi had been speaking to the boy for a good fifteen minutes, now, and he didn't want to push Eren any farther out of his comfort zone or make him anxious.
"Okay then. I'll make sure no one touches you- and you can carry your knife, but you can't pull it out or use it against someone, understand?"
Eren nodded seriously, agreeing with the compromise.
Levi smiled slightly, glad to have been able to gain some insight into what even on in Eren's head.
They made their way back to the dining hall, entering again.
"Did you get his knife?" Erwin asked seriously, looking at Levi with concern.
"We've reached an agreement." Levi said simply. "Eren won't take his knife out or use it- but nobody is to touch him without his express permission first."
Erwin looked hesitant, and Eren quietly scooted over so his hip was touching Levi's and he was side to side with his guardian. Quietly showing everyone that Levi was privileged- Levi didn't have to worry about Eren pulling his knife on him at all, because Levi kept him safe.
"It's mine." Eren protested, looking over at Levi anxiously. He was clutching his knife by the handle like it was a matter of life and death- and on the streets, it probably had been.
Levi sighed tiredly, nodding. "I know it's important to you, Eren, but you can't sleep with it- it's dangerous. What if you roll onto it or cut yourself while you sleep?"
"I'll be fine!" Eren protested.
Levi sighed. "Eren. I understand that having a knife makes you feel safe, but I won't let you risk injury to yourself."
"I need it!" Eren looked positively desperate, eyes anxious.
Levi pinched the bridge of his nose- he was struggling to balance Eren's safety with the boy's fear of being defenseless, though he could clearly understand why Eren was upset at having his knife taken from him. He was exactly the same way when he'd been on the streets.
"Alright. What if we get you a sheath for it? I can't let you have the blade open while you sleep, it's dangerous. Unless…." Levi reached into his pocket, pulling a small folding knife from within. It was handy to have for small tasks in general- with a simple wooden handle and a three inch blade, the folding knife neatly tucked the sharp edge into the handle, only opening and locking when the user held a small switch.
"How about this? We'll trade, alright? You give me your kitchen knife, and you get this one- it's still a knife, but it's safer- you won't accidentally hurt yourself. And if you suddenly need it in the middle of the night, all you need to do is open it up. See?" Levi demonstrated opening the blade before he closed the knife, extending his hand.
"Well? Want to trade?"
Eren nodded, abandoning his kitchen knife on the sheets and fairly snatching the folding blade from Levi's palm, looking at it happily. It fit into his hand perfectly and was easier to conceal than his kitchen knife- not to mention it was Levi's. That made it better.
Levi quietly took the kitchen knife from the sheets, glad to have the matter settled. "Alright then." He pulled the blankets up over Eren, tucking them around his chin. He ruffled Eren's hair affectionately, before he was blowing out the candle.
"Sleep well, Eren."