Departure
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"Still no?" Asked Levi lowly, his arms crossed in front of him.
Hanji shook her head as she took off her glasses to wipe them clean. She looked at the stats sadly before directing her concerns, "He's been malnourished for too long. There's just no way he can hold up under experiments."
Levi looked over her shoulder at the young child sitting docilely on the lab table, waiting for whatever injection issued to him. He was staring at the Levi hopefully. As soon as the green eyes found the grey, he brightened and peered even harder.
"And…we're running out of funds, Levi." Hanji grimaced, "The authority is not giving us additional resources for this."
"What does he need?"
"All kinds of vitamins for one thing, then calcium…magnesium…"
Levi raised his eyes, "I have money saved up."
He had always saved up, not because it was the sensible thing to do, but because he didn't see the need for materialistic purchases. His everyday needs and necessary weaponry were fulfilled by the military, and that was all his life had been.
"It's not just that." Hanji frowned, "The entire population is on the verge of starvation, Levi. People can hardly fill their stomachs. There's nowhere to buy supplements even if we had funds."
Levi turned his attention back to her and uncrossed his arms, "There must be," He said coldly, "Or we won't be having this conversation."
A small smile appeared on Hanji's exhausted face, "…Well, aren't you sly. I've heard that…the underground black-market deals these."
Subconsciously, Levi's eyes narrowed. He hadn't thought he'd ever go back there again. He had thought he had left that place behind forever. Never would he had imagined he would be returning for the wellbeing of a kid.
"…Done." He stated.
Hanji murmured something along the lines of being careful, but Levi heard no more. He gestured for the boy to come, and Eren immediately jumped off the table and ran towards him.
The colors brightened where Eren touched, and the bleakness that was the dingy lab faded away a little. To the man, this split second; this fraction of time, was worth everything else they had endured together.
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Eren woke up with his head on the man's forearm. The nightmares have subsided, and he was sleeping well again for the first time in a long time. For once in his life, he had some sort of stability, and he savored it as much as he could.
If only he could wake up like this every day, he'd be so happy…even if they had to do all sorts of experiments on him. Although come to think of it, they hadn't really done anything to him since he came back except to measure his height and weight. Eren didn't know why, but he enjoyed it all the same. Yet before he could relish the morning air, a sharp rap came at the door, and immediately, Levi had gotten up to answer it. The swift withdrawal of his arm made Eren's head knock back against the thin mattress, distorting the boy momentarily.
As Eren groggily sat up, rubbing the back of his head, he heard murmured voices in the hallway, both urgent and heated.
"…don't know how long it'll be there." Whispered Hanji.
Levi murmured something back, but all Eren heard was "at once".
When Levi retreated back into the room, his face looked set. Seeing that the boy was awake, he wasted no time in unnecessary commentaries.
Kneeling down in front of Eren so they were eye-level, Levi addressed the boy like an adult, "Eren. I'm leaving for a mission."
"Can I come?"
Levi stiffened. The yearning in those crystalized eyes were tangent, and it pulled at him harder than he thought was possible.
"…No." He said softly, "You have to stay here."
Eren's face fell. He picked at the edge of the sheets absentmindedly, swinging his legs. "So…when are you coming back?" He asked, talking to his feet instead of the man.
"When I can." Replied Levi. "Petra and Hanji will take care of you while I'm gone."
Eren's small mouth scrunched up into a pout. His thick brows furrowed together into a frown as he stared harder at his feet. "…But I wanna come with you." He muttered in a tiny voice.
"You can't. It'll be dangerous."
"Then you shouldn't go either!" Eren cried, jerking his head up. He didn't understand why Levi always had to leave…always. And he was terrified that one of those times would be the last time.
Levi stared into the boy's flushed face expressionlessly. He didn't want to leave Eren alone either, not when his nightmares have finally started to clear up. But this was an opportunity he couldn't risk to forsake. Hanji had finally managed to locate a temporal opening to the underground, but there was no guarantee how long it will remain there. He needed to get those supplements for Eren regardless of how low the possibilities were. He needed the boy to be in good enough shape for the tests. He needed Hanji's experiments on the inhibitor to work before the deadline. He needed the authority to let the boy live, so that he could have a normal life like a normal kid… He needed it desperately like he needed air.
Heaving a light sigh, Levi swallowed back the overbearing pressure. He ruffled the boy's hair lightly without acknowledging his frantic concerns.
"…Be good, Eren."
The boy turned away, his youthful face scrunched up in discontent. But as unhappy as he was, he still nodded compliantly at the man's words.
Levi patted him once again on the head before standing up. Eren watched as the man packed only bare essentials and dressed for his mission. This didn't seem titan-related since Levi did not pack his gear. Did this mean the mission was something like training cadets again? If so, why couldn't Levi bring him? Was it because he caused so much trouble the last time he was brought along…?
Eren chewed the inside of his lip as Levi gave Hanji last-minute instructions on how to maintain him. He furiously debated his choices in his mind.
Levi felt fuddled as he made for the heavily guarded front gates. Ever since the trial, security had doubled, no doubt keeping a closer watch on Eren now. And somehow, leaving Eren behind while he embarked on his past to the underground world didn't seem like a good sign. A small part of him wondered if he would even make it out alive, but then he reminded himself what was at stake, and pure determination overpowered any potential doubt.
The guards nodded to him as he stepped out of the gates, yet mere seconds later, all guns were raised as the entire security team pointed it directly at the small figure conspicuously following Levi.
Levi swung around, slanted eyes widening in surprise at the terrified boy stood frozen among weapons. Anger and fear exploded inside him, for he knew all guards were given instructions to shoot on sight at the slightest sign of violation on Project Eren.
Calmly yet hurriedly, Levi walked back to the boy and stood directly in front of him, hiding Eren from view while facing the sharp ends of the deadly weapons himself.
"Quickly, Eren." He said nonchalantly.
"Corporal, sir, we're under strict orders not to let the test subject leave the premises." One of the guards said.
"I'm in acquirement of supplements to ensure his eligibility in experiment participation. It's in the written report I have submitted to the authority."
The guard looked dubious. "But, sir, we weren't aware you'd be taking the test subject with you."
Levi raised his eyes coldly and surveyed him, "I'm the only one that has managed to hold him down, aren't I? Would you really rather he be left alone here?"
The guards exchanged looks.
Without waiting for a reply, Levi laid a large hand on Eren's back, which was moist with cold sweat, and guided him forwards.
"Walk." He whispered urgently to the boy.
Eren inhaled sharply, stumbled, and quickly picked up his pace.
The guards watched as the man and the boy walked over the threshold of the gates and disappeared into the woods. They didn't want to acquiesce the departure of the titan-shifter, but they didn't want him here in headquarters either – not when they were here too. In the end, they merely let the pair leave.
As Levi made sure they weren't within eyesight or earshot of the guards anymore, he grasped Eren's wrist and swung him around. The boy yelped in surprise and trepidation as he almost lost his balance.
"I told you to stay behind, Eren. This idiotic action could've gotten you killed – gotten the both of us killed! – Do you understand that?"
Eren's lower lip trembled at the harsh accusations. He didn't understand, but he knew he must have messed up again.
"I told you I had a mission. I told you it'd be dangerous, and now I'm not only risking my life, but yours too." Levi said in fury. There were fire burning in his usual placated eyes.
"I'm s-sorry." Wailed the boy in stammers. As frightened as he was, he didn't look away from the death stare of the man, "I-I was scared…that…you wouldn't come back…"
Again, the anger the man had bottled up evaporated into thin air like it was nothing.
"…I would have." He said lowly, letting go of the boy. "It's just a job."
"But I thought –" Eren looked at him helplessly, gathering up the courage to speak up, "I thought – I was your job…"
Levi froze, stunned into silence. He had completely forgotten this aspect. The past few weeks have solely been focused on getting Eren's nightmares to disappear that he ceased to remember what happened before all that. Suddenly the scene in the cabin came crashing back: the look of dread on the boy's face as he stood there, announcing how immaterial the kid was… How long has the poor boy been keeping that to himself? And how could he forget this ever happened…?
Once again, Levi knelt down on one knee, the ghost of wrath no longer present on his face. He stared into those pristine eyes intently, as if seeing all the unspoken words of the child.
"You're not a job." He said softly, locking his gaze, "…You're my kid."
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