Hanji
When she felt the warm rays on her face, she opened her eyes. Something was not right. Her own bedroom was faced to the west, so the sun never woke her before... Hanji looked around and suddenly remembered yesterday's evening. She widened her eyes only to see the handsome bartender sleeping next to her.
Naked.
The woman realized that she also didn't have any clothes on herself. Hanji quickly covered her body with the duvet. She felt the blushes on her cheeks and her lips stretched into a broad smile. She couldn't help this strange, inexplicable joy that filled over her entire body.
She and Moblit had dinner in a cozy restaurant. Then they went for a walk to the river, and at the end of the evening the man invited her to his place for a glass of something stronger... And they ended in bed together.
It wasn't the alcohol's fault, Hanji only drank one glass of wine. She must have gotten drunk on something completely different - that damn, mind-boggling happiness she felt every time the handsome bartender smiled at her.
Zoe looked at the sleeping man. His blonde hair stuck up in all directions, but he didn't seem any less attractive. Quite the contrary…
Hanji reached out and stroked his cheek. After a while the man moved a little and opened his eyes. He smiled fondly at her. He didn't say anything, instead he pulled her closer and gived her a soft kiss. Zoe felt her heart beating quicker right away. Moblit hugged her tightly, wrapping his strong arms around her. She laughed as he started kissing her neck, Hanji was the ticklish type.
"Are you free today? Maybe we'll go to the sea?" The man asked, looking into her eyes. "I would like to know you better".
"Better than that? Is that even possible?" Hanji smiled in amusement, then shook her head. "Unfortunately, I'm working today. I have to fly right away, at 10 I have an appointment with my work partner..."
"Seriously? It's 10:30". Moblit blinked in surprise.
Hanji's eyes widened. She quickly reached for the glasses she had left on the night table. She put them on her nose and looked at the phone. Moblit was right.
"Oh, shit!".
Not caring about her own nakedness anymore, Hanji jumped to her feet and started getting dressed. Moblit looked at her with a smile, though a little disappointed.
"When can I see you again?" He asked, grabbing her hand.
"I really don't know! I have a shit ton of work right now!".
"Maybe take the day off, stay with me..." Moblit suggested, revealing the quilt, which was covered him. Hanji looked there and felt her face turning red again. The man's argument was hard, indisputable and extremely convincing, which made Zoe hesitate for a moment.
"It's not fair…" she grunted, buttoning her blue shirt. "It's a blow below the belt. I really have to go, we have a very important meeting with one witness today, perhaps a breakthrough for the investigation. My partner is waiting for me".
"Okay, okay, I get it" Moblit covered himself. "I hope that when you say "partner" you only mean a partner from work".
"Oh, believe me, I do. Almost all the guys I hang out with aren't interested in women".
Hanji bent down and pecked Moblit on the lips, then reached for her bag and then walked to the door.
"I'll call you!".
She gave the man one last look, then ran out of the apartment. The excitement and joy she felt just a moment ago were replaced by a sense of duty and focusing. This day didn't start well, Mike must have wondered what the hell was wrong with her! How could she oversleep?
When she managed to catch the bus, she dialed the man's number. She was surprised that she hadn't gotten any messages from him. Maybe Mike decided not to wait for her and he wanted to talk to the teacher himself?
Hanji concluded that her assumptions might be true because Mike wasn't answering the phone right now. She put her cell back in the pocket. The woman tried to force the bus to run faster with the power of her mind.
As she was walking towards the school, Hanji suddenly stopped.
Mike's car was parked a few blocks from their meeting spot. There was no one inside.
The girl went to the car and suddenly her eyes widened. The car door was open.
When Hanji looked inside, she noticed the keys were still stuck in the ignition. Hanji saw also a briefcase with documents and Mike's wallet lying at the passenger seat. Hanji felt the nervousness rising inside her. Would Mike leave the car like this? Was he in a hurry for some reason?
She closed the door and called the woman they were supposed to meet at 10:00. The woman answered after the fifth ring.
"Hello! It's Hanji Zoe, I have a quick question, is mr Zacharius with you?".
"Are you kidding?" The woman thundered into the receiver. "We had an appointment, you were supposed to be here an hour ago! I can't meet you now, I'm starting the lecture in a moment. If you want to meet with me again, we have to postpone it to the next day".
"Sure, I get it. We are very sorry, miss, our plans changed. I'll call you" Hanji ended the conversation and hung up. The feeling of nervousness did not disappear but only intensified. Zoe dialed Erwin's number. Whatever has happened, she had to talk to Smith.
"Erwin? Is Mike with you?".
"Hey, Han. No, he's not here, you were supposed to meet with that teacher, weren't you?" Erwin's voice was heard in the receiver.
"Yes, but… He's not here. His car is left near the school, completely empty".
"Maybe Mike is already there? Hanji?".
The woman didn't answer. Suddenly she saw something that caught her attention, a small item lying on the sidewalk. Hanji crouched down to look at it. After a moment she picked it up, her eyes widened. She was holding a cigarette in her hand and it looked like it hadn't even been lit.
Mike was the one who was smoking those cigarettes. It must have fallen from his hand.
"Hanji? Are you there".
"Erwin, I...".
Zoe hesitated, but then there was silence on the other side of the receiver as well.
Levi
Ackerman's eyes narrowed as he was staring at the collection of cakes. He was standing in front of the pastry shop he was just passing by. He had very high demands on the food he bought, especially if it was prepared by someone else. He despised artificial, high-calorie food. Sometimes, however, there were times when he allowed himself to have an unhealthy snack. Usually it was some special occasion, for example someone's birthday.
Zoe asked him to choose the cake. The wanted to give it to Eren at their next meeting. After all, the boy was eighteen, it was not just any occasion. Of course, they didn't want to overdo it, it was supposed to be just a small gesture, especially since their relationship was still developing. For some reason, however, Eren became part of their team. Erwin, Mike, Hanji and even Levi accepted him in their group and treated him as an equal. They had a common goal, and despite the age difference, they got along very well. One could say that a real friendship was developing between them. Or so Levi saw it that way.
Ackerman sighed, then entered the pastry shop.
He left the place twenty minutes later, with a medium-sized package in his hand. Levi opted for a fairly classic cake, consisting of a sponge cake layered with whipped cream and chocolate mousse, decorated with roasted almonds and dark chocolate. He hoped that his choice would suit everyone, especially Eren.
Ackerman was surprised when he reached for the phone and saw a missed call from Erwin. He had a day off today, so it had to be connected with Tom Xavier's former colleague, which Hanji and Mike were supposed to meet.
"Erwin? What's up?".
Ackerman's eyes widened. The man stood still for a moment, then ended the call and put the phone back in his pocket. He reached for a different, second cell phone. The one he used to communicate with Eren.
He dialed the correct number and waited. After a few rings he hung up. He tried to call the boy a few more times, but the person on the other side didn't answer. Ackerman cursed under his breath. He put the phone to the pocket.
Levi quickly moved towards his car, which was parked by the street.
He passed a garbage can and dropped there a cake box.
Eren
The woman with dark hair turned the engine off, then looked at Eren. She was wearing a dark pants and a black leather jacket that accentuated her thinness. The jacket revealed her cleavage. The woman's shapely nose was covered with numerous freckles.
She raised an eyebrow as the boy was just sitting there, motionless.
"This is the moment you get out of the car" she muttered.
Eren nodded.
"I know, I just... I don't want to go there".
Ymir chuckled softly.
"Am I hearing right? Do you want to piss off your daddy again?".
"Are you surprised?" Eren asked, pressing the handle. "I hate places like this".
They got out of the car and walked towards the low building. The evening has already fallen. Before entering, Eren and Ymir were searched by silent security guards.
So… it was really happening, that moment has come. He was really here and he had to participate in this mess. Maybe it won't be that bad? After all, Zeke promised him the best moments of his life...
As Eren entered the room, he suddenly wished he could be anywhere else but in this place.
Preferably in a quiet, cozy house full of flowers, that belonged to one handsome detective.
Unfortunately, Grisha rented this club for the whole night. The place was huge, it had the long, high catwalks with steel pipes on it and also the leather sofas for the audience. Deafening music was playing from the loudspeakers installed by the ceiling. The strobe lamps were casting the flashing, colored lights all around, making Eren dizzy. Half-naked women were dancing on the catwalks.
Eren spotted Zeke and the Gaillard brothers sitting side by side, watching one of the dancers. They all had drinks.
The boy approached them, didn't have much choice anyway. Today he was wearing a navy blue shirt and elegant black trousers. His hair was tied up in a chaotic bun as usual. Before going here, he checked his reflection in the mirror. As expected, he looked great, unfortunately it didn't reflect his true feelings. If it was up to him, he would be celebrating his birthday with Armin and Mikasa, but none of his friends received an invitation. Maybe that's better, because neither Armin nor Mikasa would feel comfortable in this place.
He didn't feel comfortable in this place.
"Hi, sweetie" murmured the woman in the pink tight suit. She was at least twice his age. Eren shook his head, then quickly walked over to his brother and sat down in the chair.
"Little brother, you made it!" Zeke called, patting Eren on the back. "Who brought you here? Annie?".
"Ymir. Annie is at the lab today" Eren explained, feeling a little jealous. He would have also preferred to be in the lab tonight rather than this pitiful place. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ymir stroll over to the bar and ordering a drink.
"It's her loss!" The older Yaeger explained, then called for a waitress. "Honey, get us some bottles of vodka! We have to get this puppy drunk. He turns eighteen today!".
Zeke laughed, Porco and Marcel joined him. Eren only raised the corners of his mouth. He wasn't in a mood for drinking, but he couldn't oppose Zeke all the time. When they received their drinks, they raised their glasses to make a toast.
After a quarter of an hour Grisha joined them, surrounded by his bodyguard. The alcohol poured in streams, the waitresses were bringing more and more drinks. Zeke groped half-naked women and seemed to be having the most fun.
At one point, the man grabbed Eren's arm and pulled him towards the door at the end of the dark corridor. The entrance was guarded by a tall, broad-shouldered guy. When he saw Zeke he just nodded.
Zeke led his younger brother into the long corridor. They were passing by the closed doors, still going forward.
"Where are we going?" Eren asked, feeling a little dizzy. He tried to drink slowly, but with Zeke it was very difficult.
"You'll find out soon".
They suddenly stopped in front of one of the doors. Zeke took a stuck of cash from his shirt and slipped it into the pocket of his brother's pants. Then he slapped Eren on the back and finally handed the boy a small item.
Eren raised his eyebrows, only after a moment realizing what it was.
"It's your gift, little brother. Have fun. You can order as much booze as you want. A word of advice: if this little slut starts to resist, try to get her a little wasted too".
Before Eren could reply, Zeke opened the door, pushed Eren in, then slammed it shut with a loud thud.
The boy was too surprised to say anything. He found himself in a small room filled with pale light. He smelled a pleasant scent of women's perfume. He looked around and suddenly froze.
There was a high four-poster bed against the wall. A short girl was sitting on the white sheets. She had fair hair and blue eyes. She was dressed in a short white dress with a large neckline. Long, blonde curls were falling over the girl's shoulders. Eren couldn't help but notice that she was incredibly beautiful. She had to be his age, but it was also possible that she was a little younger.
"Hi..." he stammered, not sure how to act. He suddenly realized that he was still holding a pack of condoms in his hand, so he quickly put them in his pocket.
The girl rose from the bed. She took a few steps towards him. She wasn't looking at him, instead she grabbed his hand.
"I'm at your disposal today" she said softly, and Eren could feel an echo of fear in her voice. "I'll do whatever you want".
As she spoke, she brought Eren's hand toward her and placed it on her bosom. Eren felt the softeness of the girl's breast under his fingers. He quickly took his hand away. Only then the blonde looked at him in surprise.
"I can't believe this. What he got me into…" Eren muttered, more to himself than to the stranger. The girl blinked, not understanding what was going on. "Sorry, but you're not my type. Don't take it personally. If you want, we can sit and talk. Is this okay?".
The girl didn't have time to respond. Eren grabbed her hand and gently pulled her towards the bed. He sat down comfortably and leaned back against the high pillows. The girl also sat down, but across from him, still staring at the stranger uncertainly.
"You really won't hurt me...?" She asked after a moment. The fear was slowly fading from her eyes.
Eren nodded.
"Sure, you don't need to be scared. How old are you? What are you even doing here?".
The girl looked to the side. One of the blond locks fell over her forehead. Eren couldn't get used to the stranger's skimpy clothes, so he quickly took off his shirt. Underneath he was wearing a black tank top. He threw the shirt over the shoulders of the girl. She looked at him, even more surprised.
It was probably only then that she believed that he really had no evil intentions. Tears appeared in her blue eyes and her shoulders started to tremble from sobbing.
"He threatened to throw us out of the house..." she whispered, unable to stop the crying. She tried to wipe the tears away, but there was more and more of them. "He said that this is the only way I can pay off my mother's debt...".
"Hey, take it easy. Don't cry... Who told you that?" Eren asked, reaching out and placing his hand on the girl's shoulder, gently enough not to scare her. He was surprised when she moved towards him and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair soothingly.
If it had been his choice, he would rather be hugging someone else. Someone who was older than him, sarcastic, exaggeratedly pedantic, over-tidied up and… was beyond his range. Still, he had to admit it could have been worse. And the girl's perfume was really pleasant.
"What's your name?" Eren asked after a moment, moving to the side to look at the stranger's face.
"Christa" The girl replied, wiping her face. She had great makeup because her mascara didn't smudge at all.
Eren shook his head.
"No, my dear. Your real name. Not the one they told you to use here".
The stranger swallowed, then sighed heavily.
"My name is Historia. And you?"
"I'm Eren. Nice to meet you".
The boy reached for the box of tissues that was standing on the glass table. He handed one of them to the girl. Historia thanked him and blew her nose loudly.
"Someone made you come here?" Eren asked after a moment. "Do you work here every day?".
Historia shook her head.
"I am here for the first time. It was a special order, an extra paid one. They needed a girl who have never... Well..." The tears appeared again in the girl's blue eyes. "A girl who is still a virgin. You have a birthday today, right? The client paid a special price for a person like me. If I understand correctly, it was your father".
Eren closed his eyes for a moment. He couldn't believe Grisha had really thought of giving him such a gift… He shook his head in disbelief.
"This is just sick. You can't work here. How old are you anyway?".
"I'm seventeen. But… It's none of your business, Eren, I really need this money! I…".
Eren reached into his pocket. The girl widened her eyes at the large amount of cash. The boy pressed the whole thing into her hand.
"I have no idea how much money is here, several thousand for sure. You need this more than me".
"I can't accept it…"
"You can't accept it, but you can work in a place like this? What's worse?" Eren frowned. Then he grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her towards the door. "Over my dead body. This is not the place for you. Change your clothes and I'll call someone".
The boy stuck his head out into the corridor. At the far end he saw a familiar figure patrolling the area. Ymir was clearly supposed to keep an eye on him. Eren waved the woman over.
Ymir walked over to him, raising an eyebrow.
"What do you want?" She asked in an unpleasant tone.
"I need you…" Eren muttered.
Ymir widened her eyes, then grimaced in disgust.
"Ugh ... No way".
Yaeger raised his eyebrows, then laughed.
"Oh no, nothing like that! I have a request, can you take her from here? Do it quietly" Eren stepped to the side so Ymir could see the low silhouette of Historia huddling behind him. She had already put on pants and shoes. She was still wearing a skimpy blouse upstairs.
At the sight of Ymir, Historia wraps herself tighter in Eren's shirt.
Ymir crossed her arms over her chest.
"What's in it for me?".
"My eternal gratitude" Eren blurted out, spreading his hands. "And money for sure, as soon as I get a little cash. Besides, you'll do a good deed by taking away a person who shouldn't be here at all. What do you think?".
History looked at Ymir with hope. Eren did not know if it was something in the eyes of the blonde or if Ymir was just bored. She shrugged.
"Fine, whatever. Come on, honey".
Ymir started walking down the corridor. Historia looked at Eren again. She still seemed surprised by everything that was happening around her.
"Thank you" she whispered, then followed Ymir. Eren watched the blonde for a moment, then returned to his male companies.
Zeke immediately wanted to know how it went. Eren somehow managed to get himself out of this topić, explaining that he prefers to leave the details to himself.
"What happened to your shirt?" Grisha asked, tearing his eyes away from the dancer who was wriggling on the dais in front of him.
Hearing that, Zeke chuckled.
"Don't say that little slut was so rough and she ripped it off!" He called, patting Eren on the back.
The men around the table burst out laughing. Eren didn't have time to answer as Zeke had already started another topic. He spilled more drinks as well. To the boy's relief, about an hour later, Grisha announced that they should be going.
"I'll be back with you" Eren said as he walked over to his father and brother. "Ymir had to… arrange some business".
"Oh, you will definitely coming back with us. We have one more surprise for you" . Grisha smiled and patted Eren on the cheek. "Time to go".
As Eren got out of the car, he saw an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. There was no living soul around, just a few cars they had come with. The boy frowned. He was wearing only a top, so he felt a chill on his bare shoulders. Why were they here? Was it about handing over the territory to him? Or maybe was there a new car waiting for him?
"Where are we?" He asked, looking at Grisha. The man didn't reply, just looked at Zeke. He waved his hand and led them towards the warehouse.
As they entered the warehouse, Zeke flipped a switch. Fluorescent lamps under the ceiling flashed with pale light. The place had several rooms, all of them were almost completely empty, except for cardboard boxes lying around here and there, wooden crates and… a man kneeling on the floor with a sack thrown over his head. He was tied to a wooden pillar.
Eren froze. He felt the terror paralyze his entire body.
Zeke walked over to the man and ripped the sack off his head.
Eren saw Mike's pale, bruised face. The man blinked, trying to adjust his eyes to the sudden light. The front of his shirt was soaked with blood. The detective's mouth was tied with gray tape.
"How are you, Mickey? Still not too eager to talk?" Zeke asked, leaning over. Mike made no move, so Zeke straightened up, then looked at his little brother. "What a stubborn, funny guy he is… Okay, Eren, come over here".
It took Eren a moment to realize that Zeke had said something. He started walking toward his brother, feeling as if he were wading through concrete. As he stood next to Zeke, the blonde reached into his pants. He handed Eren the gun.
"Here you go, brother. It's time to fully become a man".
The weapon gleamed in the dim light. Eren widened his eyes. It couldn't be true, it couldn't be real...
Zeke sighed, apparently annoyed by Eren's silence. He shoved the gun into his brother's hand, then grabbed boy's elbow and aimed the barrel right at Mike's head. The kneeling man widened his eyes and Eren saw the fear in them.
"Eren, this man was in touch with our dear Bertold. Recently, his shitty team was planning an ambush on our Xavier, and besides, that shithead had shot me. Come on, take a revenge for your brother!".
The boy's heart was racing with nervousness. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room focused on him. Marcel, Porco, Pieck, Zeke, Kruger, and Grisha ...
That's it! Grisha!
Eren turned to look at his father. Yaeger were standing there motionless, arms crossed over his chest. His expression was hard to read as always.
"Father, are you allowing this? We were supposed not to get involved in the fight with the police!".
Grisha sighed softly. Pieck, who was standing further, frowned a little.
"You're right. So far, I have avoided any confrontation. I was concerned about what would happen if we were linked to an attack on the police officers. It would be too risky".
Eren was staring at Grisha, with hope flashing in his green eyes.
"However...".
The gleam in Eren's eyes faded.
"Your brother did it for a good purpose" Grisha said, straightening up and hiding his hands in the pockets of his pants. "This man has been making our lives troublesome for months. I think we can make an exception and show the police what will happen to those who want to fight us. Besides, this is indeed a great opportunity for you to become a man".
"Okay, Eren, enough of the small talk. Show me what you got" Zeke added, releasing Eren's hand. Only then the boy felt the full weight of the weapon, which he was holding.
He looked into Mike's terrified eyes. His face… Eren had no idea how long Zeke had been torturing him. He didn't want to think about it. He knew he couldn't let anything happen to this man. So he shook his head and lowered his gun.
"I can't agree with you. We can't kill him, it won't do any good" Eren said, turning to stare at his father. "You can't break your own rule! We don't kill cops, remember? If anyone finds out, we'll be finished!".
Grisha raised his eyebrows. Then he looked at Zeke.
Zeke nodded.
"Eh... Sure, little brother. We understand" Said the bearded Yaeger, then took the weapon from Eren's hand. "You're right, if anyone finds out, we're fucked".
Eren's tense body relaxed a bit. Okay, all that's left to do was to convince everyone to let Mike go free, and then...
Zeke aimed the gun at the kneeling man and pulled the trigger. A loud bang cut the silence, and then Mike's body fell to the ground.
Eren was just standing there, unable to move. Time stopped. The boy widened his eyes very slowly, feeling as if it was him, not Mike, who had been dealt the final blow. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out of his throat. He felt tears under his eyelids.
Zeke sheathed the gun, then looked at his brother.
"I agree on that. No one can find out that it's our doing. Right?" Zeke smiled at Eren one more time, then stepped around him and walked towards the others. "Porco, Marcel, clean up this mess".
Eren looked at the lifeless body of the man who was becoming his friend. He felt only the emptiness.