Zeke

Zeke was sneaking between the cars, trying to stay hidden. The parking lot was empty. Only some lost mutt jumped out of the corner and disappeared in the distance. Yeager frowned. He just hated animals.

Zeke always left his car a bit further from his destination. The main reason was to not to reveal his whereabouts so easily. The only problem was to return back if something went wrong.

Finally Zeke saw his red cadillac and was about to move towards it. Just then he froze in place. Zeke saw something that disturbed him. He quickly hid behind the random car. He peered over just to be sure.

Yet she was still there.

A young woman with glasses, about his age, with her hair tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing an outfit that could only belong to the anti-drug department. The bulletproof vest was far too thick for a regular police force.

Zeke knew that agents from the anti-drug department had been on his heels recently. But he did not think they would be here so quickly. Maybe Grisha was right, maybe his behavior was too reckless lately...

The man smirked and pulled out his gun.

If he's already here, why wouldn't he have some fun? Since he was wanted anyway, he had nothing to lose.

He aimed at the agent with his gun. The woman was staring in a completely different direction. She was unaware of the threat. He aimed straight at her head. He had to admit that she looked quite hot.

"See you on the other side, babe" Zeke whispered, and moved his finger to pull the trigger.

At the same moment he heard a shot, but it could not come from his gun, because it had a silencer.

"Fuck!" he swore as he saw the tall man lean out from behind the big truck. The man was aiming at him.

The woman rushed between the cars and began to move, leaning down.

Zeke didn't want to let them get away with this. He got up and aimed again at the running agent.

At the same moment he heard another shot and felt a sudden pain in the arm. Zeke looked down and saw blood pouring down his shoulder.

Fucking shit!

He hid behind the car, breathing quickly. Did that goddamn agent just shot him?

He touched the bleeding arm, thinking about the next move. The bullet must have stuck inside. There were only two agents now, but not for long. The reinforcements were on the way. If he starts running, they will shoot him. He won't be able to get to the car.

He knew Eren was waiting for him, but the kid would have to deal with it on his own.

Before he could decide what to do, an unknown car suddenly stopped in front of him. The door swung open and Zeke saw Eren sitting at the wheel. He looked... differently. Zeke needed a moment to realize it was because his face was battered.

He did not hesitate any longer, he jumped in the car and slammed the door behind him. Eren floored it, the vehicle started, ramming several cars along the way. They heard a few more gunshots behind them. Then everything went quiet.

Eren

Grisha put the glass of whiskey on the table. Then he looked at Zeke, who was standing close, and slapped him hard.

Mikasa, who was sitting on the couch a bit further, widened her eyes and clenched her hands.

Eren, who was standing behind his brother, gave her a reassuring look.

"Sometimes I wonder if Dina gave her ass to some retarded prick" Grisha muttered, staring at his older son furiously. "I just can't believe that you are my son".

"But nothing happened!" Zeke exclaimed, didn't look too bothered, although a red mark appeared on his cheek. "We lost them. We left the car a bit further and then Ymir picked us up from there".

"I've told you so many times, we don't kill pigs" Grisha drawled, grabbing Zeke by the hair. The young man hissed in pain, baring his teeth. "At least not in broad daylight. Anyone could see you. Why the fuck did you go there anyway?".

"Forster wasn't answering my phone. He was supposed to get two of my people from collar".

Grisha let go of his son and shook his head.

"That much effort because you wanted to beat the shit out of your lawyer? Couldn't you restrain yourself? Send Ymir? Or Kruger?".

"I had to do it myself" Zeke muttered, sounding as if it was obvious. "I wanted to see his face".

Grisha shook his head again. Then his gaze found Eren, who was still standing quietly behind Zeke. Grisha motioned for him.

"Who did this to you?" He asked, studying his younger son's bruised face. Blood continued to drip from the corner of his mouth, but the wound on his eyebrow was all dried up.

"We ran into a bunch of agents" Zeke muttered, touching his hurt arm. In the car, he quickly patched it up with some scarf. "I think they were from the anti-drug department. If you hadn't noticed, I got hit harder".

"You know where to go" Grisha growled, then looked at his younger son again. "I'm surprised you didn't leave that idiot behind".

"He's my brother". Eren shrugged. "I couldn't just leave him".

"I think I'm gonna cry…" Zeke burst out laughing. "But you have to admit, father, that this kid did good job today. He stayed behind so I could sneak out. As they started to surrounding me, he stole the car, so we got out of there before more pigs showed up".

"Good to hear" Grisha stared at Eren for a moment longer. Then he patted his son's shoulder and turned to Mikasa. "My dear, are you ready? The mayor is waiting for us".

Mikasa tensed at the same moment Grisha's eyes fell on her. She nodded and got up from the couch. But something was bothering her.

"We need to patch it up" she said suddenly, pointing to Eren's face. "It has to be cleaned and covered with bandage. I can do it...".

Grisha raised a hand to silence her.

"Eren is a big boy. He will certainly handle himself. It's time for us".

Mikasa gave his friend a worried look. Eren bit his lips.

"Father, I was thinking... I did well today, right? Maybe I could come to this meeting with you?".

Grisha raised his eyebrows and fixed his son with a surprised look. Zeke lifted the corner of his mouth. Mikasa gave Eren a faint, hopeful smile. He knew she would feel safer if he was there with her.

His father, however, put the hand on his son's shoulder and laughed softly.

"Over-zealous as always... You should rest today. Take care of your face, have a drink. But, you're right... Maybe next time? What do you say?".

There was something in Grisha's gaze he was waiting for. Silent pride, quiet approval and respect, only because he took part in a fight with the agent today.

The boy nodded. He watched his father leaving the room, with Mikasa right behind him. The girl exchanged a short, tender look with Eren.

Once they were alone, Zeke looked at him.

"Before I call the doc, I have to get wasted. Are you coming?".

"No, thanks..." Eren replied. Zeke shrugged and walked towards the mini-bar. The boy looked after him.

He hoped they were careful enough and Zeke wouldn't suspect a thing.

Levi

Levi ran his fingers over the green leaves of the zamioculcas. The man's touch was gentle. He didn't want to hurt the plant. He only wanted to feel its texture, that pleasant smoothness and its coolness.

He watered the rest of the flowers and put the pot in the hiding place in the hall. Then he started cleaning the kitchen, although even the most ideal housewife would not find a crumb in it. Levi, however, had his own cleaning standards.

His thoughts were far away. As he was nervously scrubbing the gleaming sink, he wondered if their operation went correctly. He had no idea what consequences it would bring, especially after Zeke being hurt. Was there a chance that the man has guessed their intentions? Weren't they too obvious? Didn't they show up too quick? And finally, will Grisha welcome Eren with open arms or rather was it too late for the redemption?

He only could wait.

He looked at the watch. It was almost ten. His friends should be here in an hour or so. The bathroom, the living room, and now the kitchen, too, were ready and clean. He had to find something else to do.

He walked over to a tall bookcase and picked up a cookbook. As he was flipping the pages, he suddenly heard the back door of his house open.

Levi widened his eyes. The book fell from his hand, as he reached into a side pocket where he kept the gun holstered. After today's action, he didn't want to part with it.

He aimed it at the kitchen door and just then Eren appeared in front of him.

"Come on!" Levi lowered his gun and sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you…"

"How am I supposed to get in? By the front door? I don't think so!".

"What are you even doing here?" Ackerman asked, surprised.

He felt a twinge of guilt again.

Eren's face looked worse than before. The wounds were dried up. The bruise under boy's eye had now the color of a beetroot.

"I had to limit phone contact, so here I am" the boy said. "Everything went as planned. Zeke bought it and Grisha is pleased".

Eren smiled, but that didn't make him look any better. The boy still looked miserable.

Levi shook his head.

"Follow me" he said and led Eren along the living room. He pointed to the couch. "Sit down".

While Eren took his seat, Levi disappeared into the bathroom for a moment. He returned to his visitor with a white box that served him as a first aid kit.

"Why didn't you patch it before?" Ackerman asked, opening the box and taking a cotton pad out of it. He soaked it with disinfectant and stood in front of Eren, leaning over his face.

"Mikasa wanted to, but Grisha was in a hurry. He took her with himself. I hate it when it does that…" Eren's eyes narrowed slightly.

"It can sting a little".

Levi touched Eren's chin to lift his face up a little. He could see now the green eyes staring at him closely. Ackerman put the cotton pad to the the cut on boy's eyebrow. Eren hissed softly in pain, but didn't move even an inch.

"Does it hurt?" Levi asked, trying to concentrate on what he was doing.

"No" Eren replied quickly, looking the detective right in the eyes. Levi lifted the corner of his mouth. Something was telling him that Eren really wanted to act tough.

"I hope that it'll change soon and Grisha will take you to this meetings, instead of Mikasa".

"Yes, I hope so too".

"What exactly did Grisha say?".

Eren closed his eyes. Levi was now cleaning the corner of Yeager's mouth.

"He was really mad with Zeke. He slapped him, which wasn't too hard punishment for my opinion. He could do worse. Then he asked us for the details. When he found out I had a fight with an agent, agreed to be the bait, and in the end I stole someone's car, he seemed surprised. But it's hard to say what he was really thinking. I can't read his mind. But as I said, he seemed pleased".

"What a concern…" Levi sighed. He was putting a bandage on Eren's forehead. "You're lucky the wound isn't too deep. Otherwise we'd have to stitch it up".

"So what? I could handle it" the boy announced, with his eyelids still closed. "Zeke was making a victim of himself as always. You know, because Mike shot him in the arm".

"Yeah. This wasn't the plan. He said he had no choice, Zeke was aiming at Hanji".

"Yes, Grisha was furious about that. He is afraid that someone will start to suspect him of threatening the police. If that would happen, he would lose the support of many people. But it's a good motive for our next operation…".

"Nope, you need to rest now" Levi said, taking a step back. "Okay, finished".

The boy opened his eyes and touched the bandage.

"But why? We can't wait. If Grisha really trusts me again, we can…"

"If, Eren. We'll see what comes next" Levi turned back to his guest. "Come on, I'll give you some ice for those bruises. You can stay for supper if you want. The rest of the team will be here in a moment. Unless you have other plans…"

"I'd love to!" Eren smiled and followed the detective. Levi stopped in front of the refrigerator and handed young Yaeger a plastic bag filled with ice. The boy immediately put it to his cheek and sighed with relief. "That's better…"

Meanwhile, Levi reached for the apron, which he tied around his waist so as not to get dirty. Then he started preparing the dish. He glanced briefly at Eren.

"I hope you won't disturb me..." Levi started cutting vegetables when he suddenly felt that Eren was standing behind him. Really close. Levi's hand tightened on the knife he was holding. He couldn't fight his instinct. But…

Levi was even more surprised when he realized that the boy did not want to attack him, but instead he was doing something with the man's apron. Levi looked behind him. Once again, Ackerman could not help but notice the significant difference in their height.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"That's not how you tie the ribbon" Eren replied. He finished, then he stepped back and put the ice bag on his swollen face again. He lifted the corners of his mouth, but his smile was a little creepy because of the swelling. "That's better!".

Levi snorted, then went back to cutting vegetables. His movements were much calmer now, since he wasn't alone.

Half an hour later, Levi was pouring the guests a second round of red wine. Hanji and Erwin continued the talk about tonight's operation, praising Eren's commitment and Mike's cool-headedness. The mustachioed giant, however, seemed to be in a bad mood.

"I shouldn't have shot Zeke" he muttered, leaning over his glass. "I missed on purpose the first time. But the bastard kept aiming at Hanji. He wanted to shoot her, instead of getting away safe!".

"You had no choice" Eren said. The boy was sitting next to Mike. The giant man glanced at him. "Anyway, he's fine. He got another scar for his collection, which he will brag about to the ladies. And your action makes the operation look more realistic".

"Your face looks the most realistic" Hanji said, reaching over the table and touching Eren's cheek. "Our poor puppy... I hope it doesn't hurt much. Levi, pour him some wine!".

"He is still underage, not a chance" Ackerman said. He didn't think it was a good idea to treat the boy with booze. Levi was a host, so he sat at the end of his rectangular table. He had Eren on his left and Hanji on his right. Mike and Erwin sat facing each other.

"You are too cold!" Hanji made a sad face. "He's eighteen this year!".

"Anyway, I'm not the one who looks underage here…" Eren added, suppressing a burst of laughter. He dodged as Levi threw a salt shaker at him.

"You little shit…".

"He needs to drink with us" Mike said suddenly and then he got up. He walked over to the glass case, where Levi was holding his wine glasses. Mike took one and went back to the table. "We have to raise a toast for today's action".

"I don't really like red wine, but since it's a toast… I won't refuse". Eren smiled broadly. Levi rolled his eyes.

Mike handed Eren a full glass, then grabbed his drink.

"For today's success. And also, for the next one".

"For Eren!" Hanji called. All five of them clinked their glasses and then everyone took a sip. Eren drank all of his drink, while the rest of the team was watching him with silence.

"Wow. Okay…" Erwin said, lifting the corner of his mouth. "Right to the bottom?".

Eren wiped his mouth and spun the empty glass in his hand.

"That's right. That's where Grisha is going to". Eren tapped a finger on the empty glass. "Right to the bottom".

"Ha ha ha! I like it!" Hanji laughed and reached for the bottle. "I think you needed it, Eren. Now you need a refill".

Despite Levi's protests, Hanji poured Eren another glass. After a while, they changed the subject of conversation for other topics. Everyone praised the dish prepared by Levi. It was salmon in a dill sauce, served with mashed potatoes and kale salad.

While eating supper, Mike suddenly leaned over to Eren.

"Hey, Levi mentioned you knew something about the Colossus. What happened to him?".

The boy has just finished eating. He reached for a napkin to wipe his mouth, then nodded.

"Grisha found out that Bert was working with the police. He had him killed to set an example for the rest".

"Shit... He was in touch with me" Mike confessed, sighing softly. Eren looked quickly at the man. "We met twice, we were just starting our cooperation. It's such a shame to hear that. He was quite young, wasn't he?".

Eren was silent for a moment. He was holding cutlery in his hands, but he was not moving. He looked as if he was thinking deeply about something. Mike noticed this and nudged the boy lightly with his shoulder.

"Hey, don't you worry! We will be more careful this time. Nothing will happen to you".

The boy snickered, his laugh was strangely grim, and that made the whole table fell silent. Hanji, who was just chatting aloud about her cotton candy machine, stopped talking and shifted her astonished gaze to Eren.

"It's not kindergarten, Mike" Eren muttered, squinting at his empty plate. "Of course something can happen to me. I am aware of this. Why should I fool myself?".

Mike raised his eyebrows. He looked quickly at Levi, exchanging a surprised look with Ackerman.

"That's not what I meant" replied the mustachioed man quickly. "It's just... You should know that we support you, in every moment. And we will try to help your friends so they can leave the country".

"Not only them, you too" Levi added, lifting his glass and tapping it gently against Eren's. He didn't like the expression on the boy's face. Young Yaeger continued to smile grimly. After a moment he shook his head.

"Thank you for saying that, but that's just bullshit. We all know how this gonna end for me" Eren confessed, then reached for his wine and drank it all. Levi had to admit that he was probably wrong about the boy. He looked like he and the alcohol were good friends.

"So how this gonna end for you?" Erwin asked, staring at Eren without blinking. Levi noticed the man's hands was gripping the cutlery so tight, that his knuckles turned white. Smith looked really moved.

"Well, I won't get out of it alive" the boy replied, then reached for the whole bottle. There was a silence around the table after his words. Eren took off the cork off and then pour the red wine into the glass.

Levi felt a cold shiver run through his body. Eren's battered face, the gloomy tone of his voice, and a pessimistic confession made a very depressive mix, and did not bode well. What if the boy was right?

"Don't say things like that…" Hanji was the first to speak. She smiled charmingly and closed her eyes for a moment. "You can't think that way. You attract bad energy".

"Grisha has bad energy". Eren stared at the scarlet liquid. Then he tilted his glass and drank it all the way again. Levi saw the blush on boy's cheeks, so when Eren reached for the bottle again, Levi took it out of his reach.

"That's enough for you".

To his relief, Eren didn't object.

After the meal, the guests went to the living room, where they continued casual talks. The atmosphere, however, was definitely different. The good mood evaporated. As it started to get late, Erwin called a taxi to return with Hanji and Mike. Eren said goodbye to the detectives and offered Levi his help with cleaning the table. Ackerman was surprised, but agreed to the offer.

After he said goodbye to his friends, Levi returned to the living room and looked around for Eren. He frowned, not seeing the boy anywhere. The kitchen was empty, so was the living room. He wasn't in the toilet either. At the end, Levi checked his bedroom and almost boiled with anger. Eren was asleep curled up again on Levi's bed.

Ackerman was already taking a step towards Eren to wake him up and chase him out of his holy place. But then… he hesitated, seeing Eren's calm and silent face and his closed eyes. He was just lying there, not disturbed by anything. The swelling was clearly visible from where Levi stood.

The man sighed inwardly. He walked over to the boy, reaching out for a gray blanket on the way. He covered the sleeping lad with it and then headed back. Levi turned off the light and closed the door behind him. He leaned his back against the cool wood.

Eren's words were still echoed in his head.

I won't get out of it alive.

Could it be true that if Grisha would find out about his son's betrayal, he would want him dead? Eren had said that the only thing that mattered to him was the safety of Mikasa and Armin, but Levi had no idea that the boy had such depressive thoughts.

Well, their job was to prove Eren that he was wrong.

Levi knew that sometimes it wasn't possible to save everyone, but they had to try.

The man laid back on the couch and closed his eyes.

He fell asleep fast as never before.