Levi Has A Pet
Summary: Levi has a pet, an unusual one, but it's a pet and he likes it with all of his dark little heart. It's small, undemanding and, most of all, clean. But it's a blast from the past and when word gets out, everyone wants it. Levi has to make sure his unique pet remains his and free. Eren, already done with this BS 2000 years ago, gets dragged into it. He's not complaining, despite his complaining.
Zeke's phone rang in the middle of the 'tactical meeting' they were all holding after another brief reunion and a slightly longer argument between Levi's brats and the Jaeger brothers about the seating arrangement, more specifically who would sit next to, around or near Levi. It was hard to tell who Gabi wanted to sock more and the same could be said for Eren. The matter was, ultimately, settled when the Hallucigenia screeched again because it was apparently a massive Eren simp and Falco took the other empty seat next to Levi, Gabi beside him and Hange sitting in front of Levi, who was seated on the couch, thus 'protecting' him from all sides from Zeke. As if Levi wasn't the best equipped to eviscerate a man twice his size with his bare hands on his own just fine.
The debate over who can sit next to Eren was settled when Pieck took the initiative to stop any more monkeying around from Zeke who wanted to sit with his half brother, thus ruining his fun.
After that debacle, Hange had briefly explained what the group had been discussing before they were interrupted and what Eren and now what Zeke know about the 'source of all living matter'.
Zeke, as someone who had had who knows how much time to 'discuss' things with Ymir Fritz before Eren woke up within the Coordinate on that fateful day, had a unique perspective, especially when combined with the things his mother and mentor had taught him in their past life. Ultimately, it didn't answer the question of whether this lone Hallucigenia had developed these powers or if all Hallucigenia could affect other living creatures this way, but ultimately, not even he knew anything more than the rest of them did. Except that the reasons Titans were cannibalistic was because King Fritz had forced his daughters to eat their own mother so it became instinctual for Titans to want to eat humans, because among millions of more or less ordinary humans, there were nine which could return their humanity to them.
Levi was a bit skeptical regarding that, because the Hallucigenia really liked dust - dead skin cells - and it wasn't a Titan, per se. Then again, when Ymir Fritz had taken away all Titan powers two thousand years ago, there's no telling where all that power went. If you go by basic laws of physics, since it was all energy, that energy couldn't have been destroyed. It could have only been converted into something else or relocated.
Perhaps that's why they all reincarnated? The Coordinate was unsteady enough from the Hallucigenia's temporary 'death', but the sudden overflow of power must be what had ultimately triggered the whole reincarnation thing.
Sometimes, Levi really wished scientists actually listened more to all those 'lunatics' who spoke of the supernatural and religious and the such. Who knows, maybe it wasn't all just a bag of bogus? Like, Titans, the Survey Corps and Paradis are all considered legends by the rest of the world, but Levi and this group of people are actual living, breathing evidence to the contrary. They're also living, breathing evidence that reincarnation also isn't just some sort of religious bullshit or something, though why only certain people remembered was another matter altogether.
Anyways, so they were in the middle of discussing how long it might take certain people and their organizations to realize a military or research or coast guard boat sailed at a suspiciously convenient time when Zeke's phone rang and everyone turned suspicious eyes at the blond Jaeger. Well, Eren and Gabi were outright glaring while Levi was busy trying to stop Hange from plunging a hand into the Hallucigenia's container to 'pet' it. He may be used to its hissy fits but that doesn't mean he enjoys them any more than those who are experiencing it for the first time, either.
Zeke, as irritating as ever, casually takes out his phone and looks at the caller ID before giving a long, great sigh.
"Who is it?" Tactless and brave as usual, Sasha asked in place of everyone else.
"My protege, of sorts, Isabel." It's possible no one noticed Levi's reaction, save those sitting right around him, but they all definitely noticed when Hange jerked to attention at that familiar name. Levi ignored her not so subtle glance as Zeke answered. "Hello, Isabel. No, I am perfectly fine, just following a lead. You don't say? Damn Brits. So they're letting the pilots go now? No, don't detain them, go with them. No- Isabel, no, you are not to try and follow them, you are to go with them. Speak with them and tell them you were sent by Mikasa Acker-"
"Azumabito," Mikasa corrected.
"Mikasa Azumabito and the blond man with glasses," Zeke said. "They'll probably take you straight to our location and if not, they'll drop you off somewhere and tell you how to proceed from there. Just come here and don't tell anyone where you are. No, not even Anka or Zophia. Not even Kieth, Isabel! Just come here already." With that, the former Beast Titan ended the call with a resigned, exasperated sigh.
"Who gave you permission to invite whoever you want?" A pissed off Jean demanded, rightfully questioning the security of it all. Usually, Levi would have applauded him for his caution and paranoia but right now all he wants to do is see if it was his Isabel working under Zeke. Well that and stealing her away from him if it was. She'll always be his adopted little sister, first.
"Relax, it's just Isabel! She's like a harmless, less violent, more hyper, innocent female version of Eren, even if she also has slight anger issues and the inclination to mutter 'kill them all' in her sleep, but only if someone messes with her hair!" He was quick to add when he saw the disturbed looks on everyone's faces. "None of that creepiness and homicidal or genocidal intent!"
"Hey! I'm not genocidal!"
"Oh god, I don't hear any denials to the homicidal part," breathed Bertolt and Levi wanted to snort.
"Hey, I've only ever killed in self defense," defended himself Eren. "Or in defense of my friends," he amended just as Mikasa opened her mouth to say something. "It's not like I sat down and plotted the murders I've committed."
"You still came at my kidnappers with the intent to kill," Mikasa replied.
"Murder of Willy Tybur was definitely planned," Reiner pointed out.
"Lara, too," added Pieck.
"Then there's the whole Rumbling, which we can't even tell when you started planning that." That was Annie throwing in her own two cents.
"And didn't you say you wanted to kill your father when you were just a kid?" Asked Connie but Armin said something that shut them all up.
"Well, if you look at the bigger picture, in a convoluted, perverse sense, Eren really was just retaliating from the get go," the blond pointed out. "I mean, there really is no way to determine whether past Attack Titan holders affected Eren or if he affected them or if it was all Ymir Fritz and the Founding Titan or if it was Eren ... My point is, if we give Eren the benefit of a doubt, then he's the victim."
"So the whole world is the perpetrator?" Asked Gabi incredulously.
Levi shrugged. "Isn't that how it always is? Don't give me that look. Humanity is awful. I mean, it's not Titans who invented war. With or without Titans, people always warred with each other. Titans just made it all the more extreme. And obviously obliterating everything is bad, of course. But that's not the topic here. This Isabel," Levi said as he turned to Zeke, only to be interrupted.
"She can be trusted. She's enthusiastic and overzealous but she understands the concept of loyalty and secrets and-"
"Is her last name Magnolia?" Levi, in turn, interrupted his rambles, causing Zeke to squint at him suspiciously, especially when he noticed Hange had an identical hard, assessing stare directed at him as Levi. "Well? Stop looking so fucking constipated and spit it out already?"
"I'm just not sure how to react to the fact that you know, is all," he replied and something in Levi lifted that had been crushing his heart for two lifetimes, if he was being honest, but especially in this one, where he knew people were getting a second chance and he'd always wondered what had happened to his first found family. Now that he'd found Farlan and Isabel, he could relax. They were both living relatively danger-free lifestyles, though he couldn't help but wish that they lived lives that were completely wrapped up in bubble wrap. Then again, you can never be sure what sort of ridiculous danger life might throw your way. And it's especially ridiculous where Eldians are concerned.
With the knowledge of practically everyone he's ever cared about being safe and somewhat happy - his mother had survived her second lung cancer treatment, Kenny seemed to still be alive somewhere out there, his cousins are still kicking, his uncle-in-law was also alive and doing far better, he'd found all of his brats and kids, Hange, Moblit, Erwin, Mike, he knew some other soldiers from other regiments were out there and seemed to be doing fine, Petra and he even had Eren back on their side properly ... - he all but deflated against Eren on his right and Hange in front of himself, who was grinning up at him for finding and soon enough he's going to be encountering his honorary little sister. He just slumped there for a long moment before he regained his self control and composure to straighten back up again, ready once more to take on the world if needed.
"Who's Isabel Magnolia?" Marco asked, looking around the room to find an answer but there was no one who could give it to him but two - well, technically three, but they don't know how much Eren could find out through the Coordinate -of the people present.
Hange beamed. "Isabel Magnolia is a girl from the Underground who used to be a part of Levi's thug gang and practically both his little sister and his adopted daughter, considering he was all but raising her from what we were able to see! When Erwin all but dragged Levi to the surface and into the Survey Corps, two others went with him: Isabel Magnolia and Farlan Church-"
"My chopper pilot and godfather?" Mikasa asked in surprise and Hange gawked at her, clearly not having recognized an older Farlan before they jumped out of the helicopter.
"Yes," Levi answered instead. "Erwin wanted our skills with the 3DM gear and also to use us as pawns to draw out some noble that wanted to shut the Survey Corps down. Long story short, we rode out on one expedition expecting to come back with our ticket to live on the surface but only I returned to the Walls. A freak storm struck out of nowhere, Titans snuck up on our squad. I was the only one who survived."
"And so began the legend of Levi, Humanity's Strongest Soldier," Hange finished with a bittersweet smile. "In just one expedition worth barely two weeks, he managed to match Mike, as the previous 'best soldier', and by the second expedition, Levi had doubled his Titan kill count. And that's as far as we know. Levi was never one to count his kills."
"And I'm infinitely glad I never did. I'd rather not know how many people I've killed." Finding out Titans were actually humans, fellow Eldians, and that he was technically a mass murderer that might even exceed Kenny had been the realization of all of Levi's worst nightmares of becoming a man his mother would be ashed to call her son. It didn't matter that he didn't know, that the Titans were literally nothing more than monsters since the moment they turned. He'd still ended hundreds of lives by his own hands and the blades they wielded. And the worst part is that he'd never once felt an ounce of regret, no matter how much he may have wanted to, because he knew his actions had saved countless other lives. "So, anyways, Isabel was practically a little sister to me. If I find out you've been a shit boss to her, beardo, you can consider yourself deader than you were the last time you were dead."
Zeke actually gulped when he realized that Levi had never been more serious about killing him in either of their lives. Good. He ought to realize Levi is to be as feared now as he was back then.
"So, what? We're seriously just going to invite her over?" Reiner asked, scoffing. Zeke looked hurt by the mistrust. Reiner glared. "Don't give me that look. I don't trust you as far as noodle arms over there can throw you."
"Hey!" Armin shouted in protest when Reiner nodded at him. "I had no reason to train myself this lifetime, so don't give me that shit! Besides, it's been scientifically proven that not everyone can buff up like you, Mr Blond The Rock!"
"Look, Isabel is my protege. I practically took her off the streets, gave her a home, a job, everything. She's completely loyal to me, so she at least won't spill the beans to anyone else about what we're up to! But if I don't tell her where I am, she'll go searching on her own and when the others see her doing that, they'll follow her and it will eventually lead them to us. They know she's somewhat obsessed with knowing my whereabouts, so if she has to look for me, they know I am probably up to something shady and they will want to know what."
"Nice to know you didn't change too much this time around either, Zeke," Pieck commented and Zeke looked extra offended at that implication. Eren snorted. "Should we kidnap Flock, though, is the real question."
"I can actually have that arranged," Mikasa offered casually.
"I doubt that simp would go against Eren, though," Falco said, causing Gabi to choke on her soda she'd just taken a sip of before she started rolling on the floor laughing. Now Eren looked a bit uncomfortable, or at least supremely annoyed. "It was creepy how he wouldn't look away for a second or how he would glare at Mr Levi."
"He did what now?" The once Attack Titan asked, looking a mix of pissed and confused.
Levi, of course, hadn't missed that and he was proud of Falco for being so observant, too. Though it would have been extremely hard to miss. But judging by the two cousin's reactions, it seems they have, or have at least forgotten witnessing it. Probably because everyone has better things to do than note Floch's simping. Though that thought had Levi somewhat worried for Falco if he held onto that memory. And himself, too, but then again, he always noted everything about his surroundings in case something may prove to be a clue to something being a danger. It has saved his life many times, both in the past and in the present.
"Floch could be useful as a distraction," Levi intervened before any more bullshit could go down. "We could have him report a ship is missing from a different harbor or something while we take the ship we were talking about out to sea."
"He would have to change his patrol route," Armin mused.
"I can also arrange that," Mikasa claimed. "You'd be surprised how much of the police is under the yakuza's thumb," she said at the looks she received from nearly everyone in the room.
"You go, Mikasa!" Cheered Eren with a grin and even Levi nodded at her, which seemed to leave her rather pleased with herself.
"So all that's left is for Zeke to do his thing and secure us that ship," Hange summarized and Zeke nodded resolutely when everyone turned their attention to the blond Jaeger.
"Consider it done, really. I mean, I am a world-renowned scientist and, well, Isabel can bullshit like the best of them, if it comes down to that, so she'll definitely be pulling her weight in this," he assured and Levi had to snort, recalling the one time Isabel had to 'bullshit' through a situation, back during that first expedition when she needed to give Levi a reason to linger somewhere where he can keep an eye on Erwin's comings and goings and she came up with a lame-ass excuse of Levi going out so she could 'change'. Even if Erwin hadn't been expecting them as enemy agents, he would have seen through that flimsy excuse, but given who Isabel had been used to fooling, that wasn't half bad. She should have just upped her game. Perhaps, in this life, she has.
"All that's left to do now is wait," commented Connie and so wait they did. And while they waited, they did normal, friendly people things, like, unfortunately, get drunk and Connie even turned out to be a stoner and offered everyone some of his special stuff. Sasha was already busy with food and Annie and Armim had started a Harry Potter debate with Hange that looked pretty serious. Gabi was catching up with Reiner properly, telling him what it was like to have Hange as family and Jean pulled out a Monopoly board, of all things, attracting the attention of Zeke, Pieck, Marco and Falco, who joined him for a game. Mikasa put on some show for background noise that Levi eventually found himself rather invested in.
When he felt a weight leaning against him, he found that Eren had been bored to sleep, an idea he himself might have considered if his nerves weren't singing with the excitement of seeing Isabel and possibly Farlan again, even if they didn't remember. Plus, the show - or was it a movie? - that he was watching was actually decently interesting. Levi had never been as interested in Tuntankhamun's death as much as he was when watching some random scientists - archaeologists, egyptologists, anthropologists, forensics etc - trying to prove or disapprove the rumors of a murder mystery. Bertolt at some point fetched some snacks and joined him, quietly commenting on the show or listening to Levi's own comments in turn. It was peaceful.
Never would have Levi thought that'd he'd be sitting on a couch owned by Mikasa (well, her brother, but that's semantics) with the Colossal Titan who had kicked in the gate in Shiganshina, watching TV together in another life with Eren napping against him and an ancient, supposedly extinct animal as a pet, contently swimming in its container. Life was strange like that, especially if you're an Eldian.
The peaceful moment was broken by a ping from the elevator, signaling that someone was there and asking permission to enter the penthouse. The room fell silent as Mikasa went to let them in, but Levi got off the couch and beat her to it. "In case the monkey screwed us over."
"You can't do much about guns," she pointed out but that's where she's wrong, as Levi can do plenty about guns. But he didn't correct her and instead gave her a look, at which she relented. Somewhat. She still followed him to the door with guns in her hands and a knife prepared as backup. Levi was okay with that. Not that he'd let anyone through to get to her or the others, but if one did slip through, Mikasa has it covered.
"It's probably just Isabel and the others," reasoned Zeke with an exasperated sigh. "There's no need to be so paranoid!" Mikasa, the heir to the biggest yakuza stationed in Tokyo, and Levi, the fugitive who'd managed to stay free because he was always cautious, both arched an eyebrow at the blond man. "Right. Don't tell the Ackermans that they're needlessly paranoid, because they probably aren't."
"No shit, Sherlock," Eren could be heard mumbling and Jean fist-bumped him for that one.
Levi and Mikasa turned their attention to the doors of the elevator as Mikasa pressed the button to accept the waiting party on the other end. As the doors slid open, Levi prepared to see fiery red hair and emerald green eyes, but he also prepared for blond hair and glacier blues under huge eyebrows. The person who stepped through, however, was a young man perhaps Eren and Armin's age with black hair styled in a poorly done undercut that Levi immediately wanted to fix, narrow dark eyes looking incredulously at the stranger in his penthouse with a cocked thin eyebrow, dressed in a sports blazer and khakis that so did not go with the shirt he'd chosen, nor the Jordans he was wearing. He also had a tattoo above his right eyebrow, some sort of snake or something, but it was so small that it looked like a worm. Or a second eyebrow.
Mikasa dropped her guns and regarded what must be her younger brother disapprovingly. "Misaki, what are you doing here? Aren't you doing that thing for mother?"
"Well, I was but then I found out my dearest aneki was staying in my penthouse for some strange reason. My favorite penthouse, may I add. And with a bunch of strange plebeians, to boot," the young man, Misaki Azumabito, answered with a sneer and Levi wanted to slap a bitch.
"Jemand hält mich zurück oder ich werde ihn schlagen," Eren said, sounding twice as pissed, dangerous and aggressive when speaking in German. His voice sounded so rough that Levi almost shivered.
"Que no vale la pena, Eren," Jean retorted and Levi racked his brain for what they might be saying. "Es un dolor en el culo. Solo tienes que ignorarlo."
"It's so unfair you guys speak so many different languages," whined Connie.
When Levi looked over his shoulder to check on his idiots, Eren and Jean were making jazz hands that somehow managed to be both enthusiastic and completely deadpan. "Europe~!" Levi shook his head and turned his attention back to the squabbling siblings, who were speaking rapid Japanese.
"Why are all your loser friends even here, at my penthouse, anyways?" He was asking, if Levi's Japanese was anything to go by. Judging from everyone's frowns, he'd translated it well enough.
"I think you're mistaking my friends for the sorry pathetic excuses for friends that you have, my dearest otouto."
Hange whistled.
"What? What are they saying?" Zeke not so discretely asked and Levi would have snorted if Eren didn't drop a bit of a bombshell when he responded with a perfect translation. Levi and Armin, his roommates who have spent every day with him for at least three weeks in one tiny apartment - or at least three week's only in Levi's case - gawked at this new discovery. Eren shrugged at them. "I had an anime phase, like any normal growing child. Some things stick with you."
"And you talk shit about me for my fandoms!?" Armin almost screeched, which was kind of fascinating. But Eren didn't get the chance to retort. It seems that they have caught Misaki's attention and he was staring in Eren's direction with a thoughtful deadpan look on his face. For reasons unknown, Levi's hackles began rising. He decided he didn't like Mikasa's brother. There was just something ... off about him and no, it wasn't because he was showing an interest in Eren. No, of course not! Levi was actually all too used to people staring at Eren, in the past for being Humanity's Hope and in this modern world because, quite frankly, the man was hot. It drew attention. Not to mention his eyes! So no, Levi was used to the attention Eren gets. That's not what set him on edge about Mikasa's brother.
"What are you staring at, brat?" Eren asked as Misaki moved away from the two (former) distant cousins - or whatever they were back then - and came closer to where everyone was stewern about the living room. He peered down at the seated Eren, who narrowed his eyes in the beginnings of annoyance. "What?"
Misaki's back was now turned towards Levi so he can't see his face or the expressions he might be making, but he did notice the most minute tilting and shifting of Misaki's head and Levi automatically followed the direction he must be discreetly looking in even as he already knew what he'd be met with. He moved at the same time Misaki did, reaching the young man just in time as he pressed the barrel of a gun against Eren's temple. Levi's knife slid comfortably around the guy's neck as Levi all but planted himself against Misaki's back, the sharp edge digging gently into the thin, sensitive skin in a clear and deadly warning.
The room went deathly still.
Translations:
Jemand hält mich zurück oder ich werde ihn schlagen - Someone hold me back or I'll hit him
Que no vale la pena - It's not worth it
Es un dolor en el culo. Solo tienes que ignorarlo - He's a pain in the ass. You just have to endure it
aneki - older sister
otouto - younger brother