Levi
…Levi rolled over and opened his eyes. He didn't know what woke him up. It took him a while to realize it must have been the smell of a bacon, coming from the kitchen. Levi got up on his elbows and rested comfortably against the pillow just as Erwin entered the bedroom. The man was wearing only an unbuttoned white shirt and black underwear.
Levi couldn't decide what was more interesting. The sight of Smith in such skimpy clothing or the breakfast tray the man was carrying.
"Good morning" Erwin said, sitting on the edge of the bed and kissing Levi on the lips. Ackerman couldn't help but smiled slightly. He inhaled the scent of scrambled eggs and fresh bread. Erwin placed the tray in front of Levi. "You finally awake. Enjoy your meal".
"You want me to eat all of this?". Levi looked at the breakfast prepared by Erwin. He saw a plate of scrambled eggs with bacon, sprinkled with cut chives, a bowl of chopped tomatoes, and a mug of tea. A mug he haven't seen before. He raised his eyebrows.
There was a printing on the mug, saying "Blow me. I'm hot".
"Erwin… What the hell is this?".
"I came across this mug in the store yesterday and I thought of you" Smith replied with a smirk. "You don't like it?".
"You know that I hate such sentimental gifts" Levi announced, then reached for the tray and put it on the night table. Erwin looked at him with surprise.
"You're not eating? It will cool down and I have to go soon…"
Levi didn't let him finish. He closed Erwin's mouth with a kiss. Then he put his arms around Erwin's neck and pulled himself up to straddle the man. He didn't have to wait, he immediately felt strong arms encircling him.
"I want to hear it from you" Levi muttered into his lover's mouth, continuing the kiss. Erwin just sighed in response. He slowly ran his hands over Levi's body, who groaned softly as he felt them stopping at his ass cheeks.
Ackerman completely forgot about the breakfast, when he felt the man's fingers slipping inside of him…
Levi was standing in the kitchen, staring at the mug with a nostalgia written on his face.
How could he forget about this mug?
Ackerman was just making himself his morning tea when he spotted it, standing between other cups.
"It was so long ago" Levi thought as he waited for the water to boil. It felt as if ages had passed since that memory.
He and Erwin met in high school. They didn't get along well at the very beginning, but eventually became friends. They came from two different worlds. Erwin grew up in a decent, respected family, while Levi was raised by a man who was not suitable for the role of a parent. Ackerman's mother died early and he never met his father. But for Erwin it didn't matter at all. It was him who encouraged Levi to join the police school, and then to participate in prep courses for the drug enforcement unit.
Levi looked back at the mug.
"Blow me. I'm hot".
"Fortunately, I didn't pull it out of the cupboard last time, in front of the guests" Ackerman thought to himself. An amused smirk twitched his lips. He wondered if Erwin remembered about this mug.
A moment later Levi headed towards the terrace exit, while holding a cup of his favorite tea. Of course, he deactivated the alarm first. He stood with his bare feet on the cold stones and looked up at the sky. Heavy dark clouds hung over Trost. Levi looked there and his thoughts returned to the memory that was occupying his mind a moment ago. He wasn't someone who dwells into the past. He preferred to focus on the present. It was too burdensome and sometimes even too dangerous to reflect on what had passed. He didn't like looking back, especially in that part of his past, which included him and Erwin. Together.
The reason was simple. He didn't want to admit it even to himself, but those were his happiest memories.
They were together for about two years before things started get complicated. Levi didn't exactly know what was the main cause of their break up. It was probably because they get along better as friends. Besides, they were both very young then, inexperienced in serious relationships.
Ackerman wasn't easy to deal with. There were times when you would get burned if you didn't keep your distance from him. He just needed some space. Erwin could never accept that. Smith always tried to infect Levi with his positive energy. They were just too different. One day they agreed that it would be better for them to be just friends.
When they started working in the police force and were assigned as partners, they agreed that it was a good idea.
Levi was surprised at how well they got along over the years. He knew that he would behave professionally himself. However, he did not expected Erwin could handle it so well.
Being with Erwin made Levi realize one more thing about himself. He just wasn't fit for serious relationships.
Ackerman sipped his tea slowly. He suddenly decided to push these strange thoughts away from him. He didn't need sentiments, not today.
This was the day they expected a breakthrough for their investigation.
The day at work had passed quickly, which wasn't a surprise. He and Erwin interrogated a recently detained drug dealer who did not give them any new information. Still, they had to try to get anything out of him. They preferred to look desperate after all. If they would spent only a half an hour with him, it would be too suspicious. Only them and their superiors knew about Eren. Levi had no idea if there were any Grisha's spies among the police officers, but he didn't want to take any chances.
In the afternoon he and Smith drove to the gas station to refuel and wash the car. They also stopped at a roadside bar for a quick dinner. Levi ate in silence, while Erwin looked more and more excited.
"Do you think anything will come out of this?" Smith wanted to know, looking at Levi from under his bushy eyebrows. He pecked his food with a fork, apparently even too excited to eat.
Levi rolled his eyes. In situations like this, Erwin acted like a child.
"I have no idea. It may be as you say or it may as well be just a ruse".
"I hope it will be a breakthrough". Erwin's blue eyes flashed.
Levi hadn't experienced this sight for a long time. Recently, he had the impression that with every day Erwin doubted more and more in their investigation. He had to admit that seeing Erwin that much excited was pleasing to the eye.
Levi mentally agreed with Smith, but said nothing.
An hour later they pulled into a small parking lot belonging to a gray roadside motel. Places like this wasn't visited by decent travelers or those who checked in with an ID. It was a perfect spot for them. Nobody asked any questions. Everyone here was anonymous. If you had enough cash, you could even ask the receptionist to forget about you.
Erwin handed money to a middle-aged woman standing behind an old counter. She was chewing gum noisily.
"One room, for one night. You can keep the rest, just don't let anyone disturb us".
The woman looked at the cash, then glanced back at Erwin. She blew a pink balloon that popped with a snap. Then she held out the key with the room number engraved on it. Erwin took the item and he and Levi went back outside.
"I didn't know this place was that hideous" Levi stared at the building in disgust. He followed Erwin. They used the stairs to go to the second floor that led to the rooms.
"I feel for you" Erwin said, turning to his friend and lifting the corner of his mouth. "I know you are not happy with this, but it's a perfect spot. Have you seen? They don't even have any cameras here".
The men found the right room and went inside. It was no different here, the place did not encourage people to stay in the motel for more than a few seconds. Still, the detectives had a job to do.
Erwin tucked a folded sheet of paper into the gap between the door and the wall so that it protruded from the other side. This was how they wanted to show Eren in which room they were waiting for him. They had to limit phone contact to a minimum.
Levi started looking for the least hideous part of the room. He had to sit down somewhere to take notes. He finally took a seat on an uncomfortable wooden chair. Ackerman pulled out a notebook and a pen. While waiting for the young Yaeger, he stared at the peeling off yellowed wallpaper, at the old curtains hanging from the windows and the bed covered with an old blanket.
"At least we don't have to worry about any eavesdropping" Erwin said, skillfully reading his partner's thoughts. Levi sighed, turning the pen in his hands.
"Let's just get it over with".
They heard knocking on the room. Levi and Erwin exchanged the nervous looks. They both were prepared for a possible attack. After all, it could be that Eren lured them into a trap to impress Grisha.
The door swung open and the men saw a tall, slim figure. Eren wore a leather jacket with an attached hood, a t-shirt and also a dark jeans with holes on the knees.
Levi clenched his lips in disapproval once again that evening. Today's youth and their sense of fashion…
The boy stepped inside, looking around.
"No one have seen you?" Erwin asked, standing next to Eren and closing the door. Although the boy was quite tall, he still lacked a lot for Erwin's height.
Yaeger pulled the hood off, pushed his long hair from his face, and shook his head.
"I don't think so. Nice to see you guys".
"You too". Erwin smiled and gestured Eren to one of the chairs at the table. "Unless you prefer to sit somewhere else".
Eren smiled back at Smith, then started walking toward the table. Then he smiled at Ackerman, but the man's face still held the same annoyed grimace.
"We'd better get straight to the point" Levi muttered, clicking on the pen trigger. "We have a lot of questions for you".
Eren glanced briefly at the bed. He winced slightly and apparently gave up on sitting on it. He reached for one of the pillows, put it on the rug and sat there, crossing his legs and resting his back against the bed.
"I'm ready" the boy said with his eyes fixed on Levi. Ackerman nodded.
"Grisha. He is the brains of the whole operation, about whom we know almost nothing. Tell us everything. How many people he has, what are his plans, how much he knows about us".
"Of course. Maybe I'll start from the very beginning?" Eren lifted the corner of his mouth. "When I was born, almost eighteen years ago…"
No muscle in Ackerman's face twitched, so Eren quickly gave up on trying to loosing up. He sighed and looked up.
"My father always craved for power. Initially, his small company, which employed a dozen or so people, was enough for him. And he was also drilling us, me and Zeke. He wanted us to grow strong and always be able to take care of ourselves. When things started to go bad in the country, everyone went bankrupt, he didn't avoid it either. You can guess that it was back then when he started his other, less legal business. On the one hand, it makes sense, he had to do something to provide for his family. But on the other hand…"
Eren continued, trying not to skip any detail about his father's past. Levi didn't interrupt him, only Erwin asked a question sometimes.
"His hotels, where your mother works... Does your father visits them often?"
"No, since you started treading on his heels. It was his idea for laundering the money, and Carla agreed to help him. Officially, he is now on sick leave, because he will not tell his employees that the police are looking for a hook on him".
"Okay" Levi said finally, putting his notebook aside and rubbing his wrist. It felt a bit like he was sitting in a lecture at the police school again. "I bet you know, kid, that we need something specific for your old man. Some proof that he is in charge of it all. Without it, we can't even get a court order to search his house. By the way, we don't even know where this house is".
Eren leaned back against the bed and fixed Levi with an unmoving gaze.
"You have to know that it won't be easy finding something on Grisha. Before he started his own organization, he watched all those who had fallen because of a weak spot". The boy's green eyes showed a kind of resignation. "He always talked about it to me and Zeke over and over. For example... The bosses didn't do enough to protect their business. They trusted everyone instead of confining themselves to only few. They murdered people in broad daylight, they were just too obvious with their actions. Grisha saw it with his own eyes and he drew some conclusions. Only a few people from within the organization know such details as the boss's exact identity, his family members, where he lives or his hideout. Others know only what they are supposed to know. Grisha has formed a perfect network of contacts. The minor dealers work for the larger ones, and they work for the dealers-managers who own the specific area".
"Shit…" Erwin blurted out. The man was so excited that he could not sit, so throughout Eren's monologue he stood in the place between the bed and the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. Suddenly something occurred to him. "Okay, but what about all the dirty work? All these murders, attacks... When have the dealers even time for this? And who is training them?".
Eren chuckled softly.
"Erwin, we live in the twenty-first century. Have you heard about the outsourcing? To have clean hands, Grisha hired one special group of people. They are well trained professionals, they even have a name. They call themselves the Titans. I have to admit that they get along very well. They even made Grisha their only client. Grisha pays them a lot".
"What about your brother?" Levi asked, raising an eyebrow. "He's not a gang member, but if our information is correct, he has committed several murders".
"Several?" Eren chuckled again. "Okay, let's stick to a several. Well, Zeke is very fascinated by his new acquaintances and he aspires to be one of them. Not that Grisha supports his actions, but… My brother is very hot-tempered. This, however, also has its advantages, this man will do whatever Grisha asks him to do".
Erwin and Levi exchanged glances. Ackerman reached back for his notebook and wrote something.
"Okay... We'll be finishing for today" Levi confessed. His face strangely softened. He met Eren's eyes. "You're doing really well. But we also have to ask about Grisha's exact location. Where we can find him?".
Eren blinked, then his eyes went to Erwin. He must have noticed something on Smith's face as he inhaled loudly and then laughed.
"Guys, are you serious?" The boy patted his knee. "Okay, I guess your superiors want Grisha arrested as soon as possible, but I thought we had an agreement. I won't give out you his location, because tomorrow you can do whatever you want with this information. And our arrangements won't mean anything".
"It's not like that…" Erwin said quickly, but Levi raised his hand.
"You're right, we tried to trick you". Ackerman shrugged as if not surprised at all. "And yes, our commander wants to capture Grisha as soon as possible. He doesn't care about your friends, he wants inidiate results. You didn't think it would be different, did you?".
Eren shook his head.
"No, of course not. I understand that. But you also have to understand that I can't agree to that, not right now. Not until Armin and Mikasa will be safe. And if we want this to happen, more time has to pass, you have to launch some resources… Grisha has to go down. So don't be mad, detectives, but I will be helping you gradually. My father can't find out that I'm conspiring against him. Even if he get arrested now, so what? You have no proof to put him to jail, he is still too powerful. If he somehow ends up behind bars, he still can give the order to kill my friends from there. He has so much money that he can easily find them, even if they leave the country".
"We understand. We had to ask, sorry" Erwin replied. Then he sat on the edge of the bed and put his hand on Eren's shoulder. "We really want to help your friends, believe us".
The three men started preparing to go. The detectives told Eren to leave first. As the boy buttoned his jacket, Erwin pushed the curtain aside to peer out.
"Did you come by bus?".
"No… I got here by car. Can you see that old jeep?" Yaeger replied, standing next to Erwin and pointing to the car parked outside the motel.
Erwin and Levi widened their eyes.
"You drove here by a car?" Ackerman looked at Eren indignantly. "But you don't have a driver's license yet!".
"So what? I had to get here somehow!" Eren didn't seem concerned at all. Quite the contrary, he suddenly smiled with amusement. "What are you gonna do? Arrest me?".
Levi stared at the boy for a moment longer, then relaxed his shoulders. Well, he couldn't argue with that.
He and Erwin hardly spoke to each other as they was driving back to the city. Ackerman listened to the radio and almost fell asleep when suddenly his partner's voice woke him up:
"The boy did a good job. We can do it, Levi."
Erwin said nothing more. Levi closed his eyes. He did not share his friend's enthusiasm. For some reason, however, he felt a strange relief. Listening to Eren's story today and looking at the young man's face, at the emotions hidden behind his green eyes, Levi was almost sure the boy was on their side.
Well, maybe that was an exaggeration.
It wasn't that Eren wanted to be on their side.
Eren certainly still didn't trust them completely. After all, he didn't reveal Grisha's location to them.
However, he didn't want to be on Grisha's side, and only because of that he was ready to join forces with them.
It had to be enough for now.