Chapter 1: Eyes

Trost was said to be the town of fairytales. After being reconstructed two thousand years ago, following a heated battle against the titans, the town never changed. Even when all the cities within - and outside - the walls opted for more modern structures over the centuries, Trost never did. It was like frozen in time.

For the romantics, it was the most coveted tourist destination yet to date. People came from all over Paradis and Marley to visit it.

Levi Ackerman, on the other hand, didn't understand all the fussing over it. 'It's just a big ass city with some old ass buildings'was his usual response to people who told him:

'you live in Trost? Wow, Trost is so beautiful, you realize how lucky you are?! I wish I lived in Trost!'

It was undeniable that Trost was a city full of beauties, but after living in the town for over three years, the raven haired man stopped noticing them long ago. Not that he cared much to begin with.

He was now going over some document, containing all the information he had gathered about his next victim.

Surely when he started, he couldn't have imagined his private detective work was going to consist in stalking unfaithful spouses sixty percent of the time. He sure hoped Farlan and Isabel had something more exciting in their hands to work on these days.

Without paying attention to the road ahead of himself, he inevitably bumped into someone. Papers and textbooks scattered on the ground, as well as the person in front of him. Levi however, remained with his feet well seated in the ground. He might have been shorter, but he was better built and definitely stronger than an average high school student.

"Damn, my paperwork!"

"I-I'm so sorry sir!" The boy stammered and started collecting Levi's documents hurriedly, while keeping his look down. Levi just stared at him for a brief moment, something in that messy brown hair felt familiar. Then he kneeled and started collecting the high schooler's textbook.

"Ah, my fault kid, I wasn't looking where I was goi…" Levi remained speechless as their eyes met. He knew those eyes. They were different now; the left one was green and the right one amber, but he knew those eyes. Even if they looked docile and ashamed right now, he had no doubt they belonged to Eren Jäger.

"I'm sorry sir, do my eyes creep you out?" the boy said, while lowering his gaze.

"No, no." Levi got up, and offered him a hand. The boy took it reluctantly.

"Not at all." What creeps me out is the lack of the fire they once had. Was the sentence he left unspoken.

"I think these belongs to you, sir." He handed him the papers, still looking down.

"And I believe these are yours." Levi handed him the textbooks, Eren took them hastily, and with a Thank you, sirhe was gone.

Was that really you, Eren?Levi was left wondering as he stared at the boy's slightly hunched back, running away like a scared puppy.

"You've met Eren?! Really? Where? How is he? Does he remember? Is he still the same age? Does he have any birthmarks?" The eccentric chemist's ability to shoot out questions faster than a machine gun was giving the young detective a headache.

"Easy Hanji, I've only seen him for like a minute." he said, then sipped on his black tea. With his friends working elsewhere and his family in another town, these tea dates with Hanji in her office were one of the few likeable social interaction he had these days.

Hanji was the only person he knew from his past life that remembered. She was the only one he could talk to, about things he couldn't talk to anyone about. He just wished she wasn't so enthustiastic about it.

"How is it that I lived in this town way longer than you and you still managed to meet him first?"

"The town is big, And for all we know he could've moved here just recently. He's from Shiganshina, remember?"

"Ah, right. I can't wait to see him again! I hope he remembers too, imagine all the experiments I could do, I mean he was a titan shifter right? It must have affected him in this life too, don't you think?"

"I hope not."

"I hope yes! So where does he live?" she asked, glee and expectation in her eyes.

"Why would I know?"

"At least did you find out what school he attends?"

"No."

Hanji threw her arms in the air, exasperated, "What kind of detective are you?!"

"I'm not stalking the kid, four eyes!"

It was already past midnight when Levi came back to his apartment. Its roominess came in handy when his family came to visit, or when Isabel and Farlan were in town and decided to stay over. But now that he was on his own, it just felt empty. His solitude felt infinite. And solitude was a thing he despised with all his being.

As soon as he let his weight fall dead on the soft mattress, his cellphone ringed. Reading the name Farlanput a smile on his tired face.

"Hello?"

"Hey Levi, what's good?"

"I just got home. How 'bout you?"

"I'm driving to the south of Wall Maria right now."

There was a brief moment of silence, in which Farlan could feel Levi's death glare reaching to him, even over the phone.

"…I do hope you're using earbuds right now." He said, in a stern tone.

"Yeah, yeah, of course I am, dad." Farlan joked, trying to lighten up the mood, but Levi was not at all pleased.

"I'm not fucking joking, you moron."

"I know, I swear I put you on the speaker!"

"Then that's good," Levi said, relieved, "got an interesting case?"

"A cold one… I don't think I'll be able to find out too much."

"Homicide?"

"No, a missing person. Happened more than ten years ago, last seen in a place they call…" Farlan wondered what Levi would have said, had the latter known he had taken his eyes off the road to read the name from his documents, "The Valley of the Wolves,I think?"

"Then they became wolf's shit long ago. You'll be lucky if you can find their bones by now. Unless it's just someone who doesn't want to be found." Levi suggested.

"Yeah, I doubt that. It was a child."

"Ouch. Then I hope you do find the bones. At least the family will have something to bury."

"Hope so too. Well, gotta go now. Bye."

As soon as Farlan hung up, Levi dialed Isabel's number. It didn't take long before she picked up.

"Big bro!" She exclaimed, enthusiastically.

"Hey, Isabel. Did you make it to Orvud safe?"

"No, I died a few times." Levi laughed softly. He found himself smiling and laughing more often than back in the days, when the titans still roamed on Paradis Island. But still, that green eyed brat was one of the few people who was able to make him laugh genuienly.

"You brat." He still used to call her that affectionately, but Isabel was so not a brat anymore. Being able to see her grown into a smart, beautiful young woman was a blessing Levi could never stop being grateful for.

"How 'bout you, big bro? Got anything interesting on your hands?"

"No, same old boring shit."

"Ah, sorry about that. Well, I gotta go now. I'll call you tomorrow, sleep well!"

"You too. Bye."

Sleep. It was a word that rolled so smoothly on one's tongue. But to Levi, it felt as sharp as knives. He eyed the sleeping pills resting on his bedside table. The farmacist said not to take them everyday, just when you need it,he said. Too bad Levi needed it everyday. Without those pills enveloping him in darkness, sleep was just a continuation of his day. His dreams never felt like dreams.

Every single night was always the same. He laid his head on his pillow, closed his eyes, and as soon as morpheus took him, he was there again.

There, on the battlefield. The stench of blood filling his nostrils, chilling screams ringing in his ears. He could feel the ground beneath him shake, or his body flying through the air. He felt Eren's sticky body in his arms, after taking him out of the mouth of the female titan. He felt Eren's hot skin against his own while pulling him out of his own titan. He saw Eren crumbling to the ground, a hand stained with the blood that was gushing from his nose.

Eren.

It wasn't time for sleep yet. Raising himself to a sitting position, he took his laptop and started doing some not work related researches.