Zeke
He opened his eyes and the first thing he felt was a paralyzing headache.
The bad taste in his mouth was next.
Zeke got up on his elbows and blinked. He hated many things in this world. The hangover was certainly one of them.
He brush off the hand of the prostitute, who was sleeping next to him and got up. He reached for the black trousers, which was lying sloppy on the floor. The man pulled them on. Stumbling over empty vodka bottles, he left the room.
Two men with guns were standing in the corridor. Zeke completely ignored them. He only desired one thing at that moment. He ran down the wide stairs and passed through the huge living room to finally arrived in the kitchen. He turned on the tap, leaned over, and began to drink the water. He could feel the drops running down his beard.
As he soothed his thirst, the headache eased a little. Zeke breathed deeply.
Today he was supposed to collect more drops from his dealers and he counted on a painless action.
Collecting the cash has always been only half of the battle. If the money didn't add up, Grisha always blamed him. His father was very specific man if it goes to managing of his drug empire and he did not tolerate such things as "the business costs". Therefore, Zeke was the one who had to handle the unlucky dealer by himself and demand the whole amount of cash. Like that last time, when he took Eren in the field.
Today he also wanted Eren to be his companion.
Zeke threw his arms up to stretch. Suddenly he hissed in pain and looked down at his shoulder. In addition to the web of tattoos covered his skin, he saw the bandage and cursed softly under his nose.
"For fuck's sake…".
He completely forgot about his wound. The stitches were uncomfortable, so he couldn't wait until the next visit of their doctor.
Suddenly something occurred to him.
He needed to contact Reiner to find out about that one detective, was who dared to shot him. Afterwards he will definitely use this information in the best possible way.
Zeke was pondering about his current situation for a little longer and only then turned off the tap.
"Hi. You shouldn't waste water" suddenly, he heard a soft voice.
The man looked in that direction and saw Mikasa entering the kitchen. The girl glanced at him briefly, then went to the refrigerator and started making herself the breakfast. As always, her movements were gentle and stealthy, as if she didn't want to draw any attention.
Zeke's lips twitched slightly. He didn't like this girl. He had no idea what his younger brother saw in her. Ever since she arrived at their house, Eren had been fixated on her, completely ignoring him. Their childhood had changed forever since that little bitch appeared. Zeke also had no idea what was his father doing, with entrusting her with all their family secrets and taking her to the most important meetings.
It was all wrong... It was he who should be in her place.
The girl was wearing a gray dress that emphasized her thinness. Zeke studied her body disapprovingly. He preferred women with more curves. He really coudn't understand Eren.
"I'll do what I want" he replied with a snarl.
Mikasa shrugged. She put cereal into the bowl, then took the teaspoon out of the drawer.
"Isn't Eren with you?" Zeke asked after a while. He was still looking at the girl.
Mikasa shook her head.
"The meeting ended late at night, so Eren didn't wait for me. He's probably at Armin's place".
"Yeah. Maybe so…"
Suddenly an innocent thought appeared in his head. He passed Mikasa by and left the kitchen, heading back to his bedroom.
Eren could have been at Armin's place, that's quite possible. After all, he was crashing over there very often. Zeke, however, thought of another possibility.
The only question was how likely that eventuality was.
Levi
Ackerman was stirring the bacon in the pan when his bedroom door opened.
The man looked in that direction and saw Eren. The boy was wearing the same clothes he had gone to sleep in, with the difference that they were now completely crumpled. Levi grunted softly, trying not to think about having to wash his sheets again… The boy didn't say hello, instead he yawned loudly, revealing his full teeth. Long, brown hair was completely messy, sticking out in all directions. The swelling on his face was still visible from a distance, though it was slowly fading.
"It smells so good" Eren muttered sleepily, rubbing one eye.
"Right?" Levi lifted the corners of his mouth slightly. He put two eggs in the pan and fried them with the bacon. Meanwhile, Eren sat down at the table and looked as if he was slowly waking up.
"I'm sorry I fell asleep" the boy said suddenly, sighing softly. "I think I've drunk too much".
"You can only blame yourself" Levi took the frying pan off the gas and put the hot breakfast on a wide plate. Then he sat down and started to eat. He smiled a little, seeing Eren's surprised look. The boy must have been thinking that Ackerman would share with him.
Eren suddenly laughed.
"Okay, that hurt. Can I also eat something?".
"Now you want sponging food off of me?" Levi raised an eyebrow, slowly chewing on his bacon. "I'm not your nanny. If you are hungry, serve yourself".
Eren nodded, got to his feet and began going through the kitchen cupboards. He also put the kettle on. Finally he found what he was looking for and sat back down at the table. He put a mountain of corn flakes into a bowl full of milk. He set the cereal box, studying the colored label, especially the picture of the smiling child.
"I could advertise it" the boy replied, pointing to the box. He smiled in the same way as the kid was smiling on the picture.
"I doubt it... This supposed to encourage people to buy it, not discourage them" Levi confessed, narrowing his eyes. Eren chuckled softly, then lifted the spoon with the petals to his mouth.
"You wanna get back at me, huh? Okay, fine, another point for you".
"I have no idea what you are talking about".
The water had already boiled, so the boy got up.
"Where do you keep the cups?".
"Second locker on the left" Levi muttered, checking the news on the tablet. He chewed the scrambled eggs slowly.
Eren returned to the table and put the mug of tea on the counter, then sat down and went back to eating his cereal. Levi looked briefly at him, then widened his eyes. The fork almost fell out of his hand. The boy was blowing into his tea to cool it down. He looked up at Levi, blinking innocently. He couldn't help but smile a little.
He was holding a white mug. There was a print on it, saying: "Blow me, I'm hot".
"What?" Eren asked. "I like that mug. Where did you get it?".
Ackerman frowned and shook his head.
"It doesn't matter. It's just... Eh, Hurry up, I have to leave to work soon! I don't remember letting you move in here".
Levi got up from the table and put the plate in the dishwasher. Eren quickly finished his cereal, then looked at Ackerman. He seemed like something was bothering him. He finally found the courage to ask a question.
"Sorry, it's probably none of my business, but... Who are those people in this picture, that is hanging on the wall in your bedroom?" The boy asked carefully. He seemed curious. "It's the second time I had an opportunity to see it and… You look really happy on that picture. Are they detectives too? Are they working on a different case right now?".
Levi froze, staring straight ahead.
After a moment he moved and loudly closed the dishwasher. It was hard to read anything out of his face, it was like a mask.
"You're right, it's none of your business. You should go now".
"Right… Sorry." Eren got to his feet and brushed his long hair back. He reached for his jacket. "I'll use the back door as always, just in case. See you in two weeks?"
"Yes, as we agreed. If Zeke already suspects something, it's best not to give him another reason".
"I doubt it. Grisha is the brains".
"In our profession, we prefer to be safe than sorry".
Eren put on the hood over his head and black glasses over his nose, to finally throw Levi a happy smile.
"Sure. You're the boss, detective".
The boy exited through the back door and disappeared behind the fence.
Before leaving to work, Levi went to his bedroom and looked at the photograph that was hanging on the wall.
He stared at the photo for a moment. Levi's eyelids drooped slightly as his face expressed deep sadness.
After a while, Ackerman turned around and then left the house. It was not time for thinking about the past.
He should focus on the present.
Eren seemed to be in a better mood than yesterday, but Levi still remembered his words. They were ringing in his ears as he was driving to work, and for some reason he couldn't forget them.
Jean
There are situations, in which we summarise our entire life. We do this to answer the question: what went wrong? What's the reason we're now in such a hopeless place?
Thoughts like this were occupying Jean's mind at that moment.
He suddenly felt that the sack on his head is being removed. Someone pushed him forward, forcing him to walk. He was led into a bright hall where he was searched by a tall man who always checked him carefully before entering. If Jean remember it correctly, his nickname was "the Owl".
The Owl nodded to the other two men who had brought him, and they all began to lead him through the building.
Jean ran a hand over his messy hair. He came here with these people, with a sack on his head, so that he would not be able to locate this place. He was carrying a large black bag that had been searched even before he got into the car.
Now he entered a spacious living room, decorated in a modern, highly pretentious style. Young man was sitting in one of the white armchairs. The man was waiting for him.
Zeke Yaeger pursed his lips in something that was apparently meant to be a smile. He was wearing black pants and above waist he was naked. His slim, muscular chest was covered with pale hair, while the man's arms were splattered by dozens of different tattoos.
"It's about time. Do your job, doc".
So much for courtesy. Jean swallowed a sigh that tried to escape his mouth, but knew Zeke might not like it.
He put his bag on a glass, small table and began to taking out the necessary utensils from it. Package with dressing, forceps, scissors, cotton pads…
"I should wash my hands" Jean communicated it more than he asked it, glancing briefly at Zeke and then at one of his bodyguards. Yeager rolled his eyes.
"If you must".
"I don't want it to get infected".
Zeke waved his hand. Two of his men started leading Jean to the bathroom.
As they were walking, suddenly a tall silhouette emerged from behind the corner, almost bumped into Jean.
"Sorry" Kirschtein blurted, and that was the moment when he met the gaze of the blue eyes. Mikasa shook her head.
"No, it's my fault. I didn't watch where I was going" she replied quietly. As usual, she was wearing a dress, this time it was floral and knee-length. She carried a white, mysterious box.
The girl lifted the corners of her mouth gently, almost imperceptibly. Then she passed Jean and two of Grisha's men, and disappeared down the hall. Jean made his way towards the toilet, feeling his heart racing.
His cooperation with the Yaeger family lasted for about a year now, and he appeared at their mansions on average every few weeks. Though the word "cooperation" described their relationship somewhat inaccurately. Cooperation is usually agreed by both sides, without coercion. In his case, coercion was necessary, because if it were up to him, he would never entered any of these estates.
But there was one thing that soothed his nerves during this… let's call it, extra job opportunity. Not thing, but a person. It was the foster daughter of the man he was working for. He had met Mikasa only a few times, and he rarely had a chance to talk to her. But every time he had seen her, everything seemed to fall out of his hands.
As he bent over the sink to wash hands, he was wondering about the reason for her usually sad expression. He guessed the girl wasn't here of her own volition either. Jean was hoping for an opportunity to talk to her so that he could ask if he can do anything for her. He knew it could make him into trouble, but the thought that this girl might be in danger was very hard for him to accept.
Fifteen minutes later, Jean finished the suturing of the wound on Zeke Yaeger's arm. The man sat motionless, waiting for the treatment to be over. He wasn't asking for anything to relieve the pain. Jean sensed through his nose that Zeke must have been heavily anesthetized already. Kirschtein felt a strong alcoholic scent from the man.
Jean glanced at the "bodyguards" who were present in the room. Two men with bored eyes were standing by the wall. Their weapons was clearly visible, two big guns attached to the belts. One man, with dark short hair and a upturned nose, was looking out of the window. The other man was blond, his hair was in an undercut style which was pushed back. He glanced back at Jean.
Kirschtein noticed that they looked very much alike, they had to be brothers. Outside the window, in the courtyard, Jean could see more bodyguards, but they were walking with rifles in their hands.
Whoever would decide to attack the Yaegers would have to be crazy.
"Porco, give me the bottle" Zeke muttered suddenly, extending his hand to the blond. The man walked over to the mini-bar, took a bottle of vodka out of the little refrigerator, then opened it and walked over to Zeke to hand him the item. Yaeger grinned in a rather ghastly manner and took a few sips of the liquor. "All better now. How much longer, doc?".
"I'm done" Jean replied, reaching for the bandage. He wrapped it around the wound and stepped away from Zeke. The smell of alcohol has become less bothersome.
Zeke looked at the dressing and nodded appreciatively. Then he looked at Jean.
"Now you should have a drink with us!" Zeke called, getting up from the armchair and putting his arm around the doctor's neck. "We'll have a barbecue today, there will be girls... Wanna join us?".
"I have to get back to work". Jean took Zeke's hand off his shoulder, suppressing a shudder of disgust. "If you don't remember, I work in a clinic, I can't just take time off out of the blue. For the future, please let me know sooner if you need me. I don't want to get fired".
"Hey, if you get fired, you can work exclusively for us!" Zeke chuckled and patted Jean on the shoulder. "Come on, man, it's so hot today! At least drink something cold. Mikasa, serve the doctor".
Jean widened his eyes at the sound of that name. He looked to the side and saw a dark-haired girl just walking through the corridor again, but now in the other way. She was going back from somewhere. Mikasa was just passing the bodyguards, when Zeke's noticed her.
At Zeke's command, she frowned slightly, but turned on the spot and started walking towards what must have been the kitchen.
"See you next time" Zeke said and waved at Jean. The man didn't answer, just followed Mikasa.
He entered the large, bright kitchen and saw a girl standing at the counter. The white box she had previously held in her hands was placed on the cupboard. Mikasa was pouring cold lemonade into a tall glass. As Jean approached her, she held out the glass to him without meeting his eyes.
"Thank you" the man said softly, taking the glass from the girl. Their hands touched. It wasn't entirely accidental, Jean couldn't help it. However, it caused Mikasa to look at him.
The tall man smiled. He tried to put into this smile all the sympathy and compassion he was feeling at that moment. The girl stared at him, then looked to the side without saying anything. Jean quickly finished his drink.
Well, what else could he expect? Probably because she lived in the male dominated world, Mikasa didn't trust men so easily. He couldn't blame her.
Jean put his glass down on the counter and sighed.
"Wow, so delicious. This was the best lemonade I've ever had".
Mikasa didn't answer, she was still staring to the side. Jean felt as if her face had suddenly turned pale. Could it be that she was so afraid of him?
"I'll better get going. Thank you for the drink…"
He didn't have time to add anything else, because suddenly he saw the girl's eyelids drooping. She lost her balance. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed her in his arms before she hit the floor.
"Mikasa?".
The girl didn't answer, she passed out, so Jean laid her gently on the floor. He took off his jacket, then rolled it up and put it under Mikasa's head. He also checked the belt in her dress and loosened it to make it easier for her to breathe. The belt was definitely too tight. Then Jean grabbed her calves and lifted her legs up, trying not to let the girl's dress slide down too much.
Jean felt the smooth, soft skin under his fingers. He tried to focus on that he was dealing with a regular patient. After a while, he saw Mikasa's pale face begin to regain its previous colors. The girl moved a little and opened her eyes, blinking in surprise. The sight of Jean holding her legs made her eyes widen. She blushed. Jean swiftly lowered the girl's feet to the floor, then offered her a hand.
"You passed out. How are you feeling?" He asked, smiling gently. Mikasa got up on her elbows, then, without his help, she sat on the floor and sighed. Jean crouched down beside her.
"A little weird. I felt dizzy and I don't remember anything else…"
Jean studied her face with concern. Either he was wrong, or the girl was thinner since the last time he saw her.
"Have you eaten today?" He asked, examining her face.
Mikasa shook her head.
"So we already know the reason. You should eat something, right away. Also, your dress was too tight in your waist".
The girl raised her eyebrows and grabbed to her belly. She noticed that her belt was indeed loosened. She didn't blush this time, though, only looked at it sadly.
"He wouldn't like it".
"What?" Jean raised an eyebrow.
Mikasa looked at the man. She didn't answer, instead of that she extended her hand to him. Jean quickly took it and helped her to get back on her feet.
"Are you sure you are okay?"
The girl nodded.
"Yes. I'll eat something and it will be fine".
"What's in that box?" he asked, couldn't help himself. He pointed to the white box.
The girl raised the corners of her mouth. Jean had to admit that it was the most beautiful view he had ever seen in his life. He would have given a lot to see that smile more often.
"You'll laugh at me" she said softly. Jean widened his eyes.
"What? I won't, I promise!".
"It's fish food". The girl looked up at him with her blue eyes. "It's one of the few things here that I can do on my own. One of his men is taking care of the pond, but they let me do at least that much".
"Oh, I see". Jean smiled. He guessed she was talking about Grisha, so he didn't ask about it. "But I think that you should feed yourself first, and only after that feed other beings. Eat a decent meal and drink some water".
The man put his hand on the girl's shoulder, in a natural gesture of concern. He didn't mean anything by it. Mikasa only nodded.
However, the boy who just entered the room perceived it differently. Jean looked in that direction and saw Grisha's younger son, frowning menacingly and clenching his fists as he started walking toward him.
"Hey, get your hands off her!" Eren shouted, pushing him away from Mikasa and covering her with his own body. The girl widened her eyes, completely surprised. She grabbed Eren's arm before he could do something dumber.
"Eren, it's okay! This is Jean Kirschtein, he is a doctor. He came here to see Zeke and... When I passed out a moment ago, he helped me".
"You passed out?" Eren looked at Mikasa. He seemed as if he had completely forgotten about Jean's existence. He hugged Mikasa tenderly and looked at her with concern. "Are you okay?".
"She should eat something" Jean replied instead of the girl, then walked over to the jacket still lying on the floor. He put it on and smoothed the fabric, which had wrinkled in several places. Then he looked at Mikasa. "Take care of yourself, miss".
"Sure. Thank you" the girl smiled slightly. Jean smiled back at her and after that left the room, followed by a hostile glare from Eren.
When Jean was back in the corridor, the Owl handed him the sack. Jean put it on his head and let Grisha's men lead him to the car. He couldn't wait to be finally far away from here.
He knew, however, that his thoughts would keep returning to this place. Especially to the pale smile of one girl.