Sasha

A slender young woman dressed in dark jeans and a gray button-down shirt, closed her laptop and turned around in the swivel chair. Her hair, tied in a ponytail, was swinging sideways.

"Connie! I'm so hungry!" She exclaimed, looking at the man who sat at the desk across from her. His brown hair was cut very short. The man wore gray slacks and a black hoodie, half open, also a white t-shirt underneath. He looked at his watch, wrapped around his wrist, then rolled his eyes.

"Blouse, damn it, we had lunch just an hour ago! Open your computer and finish that article".

"But Connie, I don't feel like it..."

"Neither do I! But I have to edit this material, it has to be ready for tomorrow. Maybe you wanna switch?".

"No... I want to eat".

"Sasha ... You're starting to piss me off".

Suddenly, in the open door of their office, the face of Mina, a short brunette with hair tied back in two ponytails, appeared.

"Connie, Sasha, there are two man in the hall, they want to talk to you".

"We're busy" Connie muttered, giving the newcomer a bored look. "Who are these people? They probably didn't have an appointment?".

"They're cops" Mina added and bit her lip. "I don't know nothing else. I told them to wait in the conference room".

Sasha and Connie exchanged horrified glances. They got up from their desks and walked towards the room where the meetings were held in their office. They saw two male figures waiting by the glass doors. One of the men was tall and broad-shouldered, with his right arm in a sling, the other was shorter and slender. A blond and a brunet.

"What do you think?" Connie whispered as they were slowly approaching the policemen.

"I don't know... We don't confess anything" Sasha whispered to her friend.

Finally, they stopped in front of strangers, looking at them with concern. The taller policeman nodded.

"Hello, my name is Erwin Smith and this is my partner, Levi Ackerman. We're from the anti-drug department and we wanted to talk about your article".

"Oh. About the article?" Sasha shot Connie a quick glance, then smiled. "We're always eager to talk about our work, but… What article are you want to talk about? I mean, do you want to make a complaint, or...".

"That one about Grisha Yaeger" explained the other, shorter man. Sasha saw pretty blue-gray eyes staring down at her. "We just want to ask a few questions. Thought we might talk somewhere else? Maybe even take you out for dinner?

Sasha had to use all her willpower not to let out a happy cry. Well, apparently nobody wanted to arrest them, and moreover, they were going to eat! The woman looked at her friend and saw Connie looking at her irritably. He knew perfectly well what her answer would be.

"I think my friend and I can consider it".

Eren

Eren was sitting in the passenger seat in Zeke's car and watched as the tall glass building appeared before their eyes. His brother stopped the car across the street, then looked at Eren for further instructions.

"We have to wait for them to finish their work" Eren announced, leaning his neck against the chair's headrest. "And then we will follow them".

Zeke also made himself comfortable. He switched off the engine and began drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

Eren stared at the building that housed the newspaper's office. He didn't think about the rightness of his actions, about whether what he was doing was right or wrong. He had been following Grisha's orders for several months without hesitation.

Suddenly he reached down thoughtfully to his neck. He was surprised to find a void there, then cursed in his mind. He had to unlearn it. He still had this habit, when he reached out to the pendant he had received from the detectives.

This part of his life was also a thing of the past. He didn't know what exactly happened to the silver medallion. Most likely, he just lost it. Well, whatever happened, it didn't matter anymore.

Eren gave a slight twitch when Zeke suddenly laughed out loud.

"Fuck, I can see them! We're lucky, little brother. Look, it's them, right?" Zeke asked, then flicked the display of the phone towards Eren. The boy saw a photo of two journalists that they were about to capture. The woman had brown hair, while the man was shorter, with a shaved skull. Sasha Blouse and Connie Springer. The same two people were just leaving the glass building.

Zeke pressed the doorknob and reached for the gun with his other hand.

But then Eren grabbed his arm.

"Wait... look".

The boy pointed to the people who accompanied the journalists. Two detectives they knew very well.

Erwin was following right behind Sasha and Connie, talking to them about something and smiling gently. Levi walked at the end, looking carefully from side to side as if he felt someone was watching him. The Yaeger brothers, however, parked a little further than necessary, as Zeke used to do.

Eren stared silently at Levi's silhouette and tried to calm his own heart, that was beating madly inside his chest. He hasn't seen Ackerman in several months. As expected, the man hasn't changed at all. He looked neat and unapproachable, like always. While he shouldn't be, Eren thought back to his last meeting with the detective, when he kissed Levi goodbye. He still couldn't believe that Levi kissed him back then... But that was where their relationship had to end.

All Eren could do now was to carry that memory in his heart as the greatest treasure. He knew perfectly well that he couldn't get anything more. Now they were officially enemies to each other.

He saw Levi look around the street one last time, then get into one of the cars. Erwin, his arm in a sling, sat in the passenger seat. Their car moved forward, the journalists' vehicle followed them. After a while, both cars disappeared in the distance.

"Fuck. We're late" Zeke growled, then started the engine.

"Well, it can't be helped. Better not to hang around the cops" Eren added, sighing to himself.

"Fine, we'll get them another time" Zeke snorted softly. "Fuck, I just hate those two dickheads. We just got back, and we had to stumble upon them".

"Well, it happens…" Eren said, shrugging.

"That short motherfucker pisses me off the most" Zeke hasn't started the car yet, instead he took a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth, then set it on fire with a lighter. "If I could get my hands on him, I'd show him the real fun".

Eren narrowed his eyebrows trying to look neutral, which was difficult. He looked to the side.

"We better go. I'll have Annie follow them later. Now we have to go back".

"Yeah. Better not be late to the party" Zeke took a drag on his cigarette with a smile, then set off with a screech of tires.

Eren looked at the window, saying nothing.

Levi

Ackerman shook his head. He couldn't believe what he had just heard from journalists. They were sitting in one of Trost's most popular restaurants, he and Erwin on one side, Blouse and Springer on the other. The woman and her friend were just finishing the meal they ordered as soon as they arrived. Erwin and Levi only asked for two glasses of water for themselves.

"I can't believe it..." Levi ran a hand across the length of his face. "So you're saying that you made it all up?".

Sasha wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin and stifled a burp.

"Oh my, sorry. Not everything, we really did an interview with a former hotel employee. And we found out that this Zeke guy was arrested by you. Just, well... The rest is made-up. People love to read about wealthy families. Everyone thinks that if someone is rich, they must have accomplished that doing something illegal".

"Don't say you've never heard of something like this before" It was Connie who joined the conversation. He leaned his elbows on the table and fixed Levi with a hard stare. "Let's be honest, this is how a lot of newspapers work. We publish an article, and in the next issue we include a correction or an apology. But you know, it's published with a little print so that no one could notice it. Our editor told us long ago that the costs of a trial are insignificant, the most important for him are the copies we sold. It's not our fault, it's just how businness works".

"We're not accusing you of anything. This article alerted us" Erwin explained, also leaning against the table. Levi reached for a glass and drank some water. "We're investigating Grisha Yaeger. And, before you ask, no, you can't write anything about it. This time we would have to arrest you, so in your place I would have ask myself if it's worth it".

Sasha and Connie exchanged surprised looks.

"Are you for real?" The woman asked, straightening herself with excitement. "So this whole Yaeger really is suspected of something?".

"My partner is right, you can't write about it" Levi added quickly, looking at Sasha. "Besides... I don't want to scare you, but you walked right into the lion's den. You must be careful from now on. I don't want to suggest anything, but you better buy some weapons. Grisha won't forgive you that easily".

"Oh, I always carry pepper spray with me, and besides, Connie knows a little about self-defense" Sasha confessed, patting her colleague on the shoulder. Springer moved away from her friend.

"Hey, the fact that I did material about it once doesn't mean that I know about this!".

"Oh, you're always too modest. Okay, gentlemen, maybe we'll order some dessert? Everyone's in favor?".

Mikasa

Mikasa watched as the barely clad women circled around with wide trays, handing out tall glasses of champagne and tiny snacks to those present. The party on the terrace was slowly getting started. Monotonous dance music was heard in the background. Pieck and Porco were talking to each other while sitting in the same sun lounger. Marcel was accompanied by one of the escort women, the man just let her massage his arms. After a moment, Mikasa looked towards the liquor table, where their guests from Marley had just stopped by.

The man, whose name was Theo Magath, was talking to Kruger as he slowly sipped his clear drink with ice and lime. The blonde-haired woman, Yelena, on the other hand, was sitting on the edge of the pool and soaking her bare feet in the water. She rolled up her dark pants to the middle of the calves. Feeling Mikasa's gaze on her, the woman looked back at her, so Mikasa quickly glanced the other way.

Mikasa widened her eyes to see Annie stepping onto the terrace, followed by Armin. The girl walked slowly towards them.

Armin noticed her and smiled slightly. He leaned towards Annie and whispered something in her ear. The woman nodded and walked away towards the bar, while Armin headed to Mikasa.

"I didn't know you would be here too" Mikasa said, hugging her friend briefly.

"Honestly, neither am I" replied Armin inconsolably. "I finished my assignement for Grisha, but after that, Annie brought me here. I see there's going to be a bigger party... It's a welcome feast for Eren and Zeke's, right?".

Mikasa nodded.

"Have you talked to him yet?" Armin asked, walking with his friend towards the garden, where was emptily and no one could overhear them.

"Just for a moment. He and Zeke had something to do, they should be back soon" Mikasa replied, her gaze was full of sadness. Armin noticed it immediately.

"Was it that bad?".

"He didn't want to talk to me at all" Mikasa confessed resignedly. "He acts like everything's fine".

"Maybe he doesn't want anyone to hear him. We'll try to talk somewhere safer, don't worry" Armin reached out and placed it on his friend's shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "Besides this, are you okay?".

"Yes" the girl confessed, sighing. "But I wouldn't put it in that way. I mostly do marketing stuff, I go to some stupid meetings. Carla finds me new tasks to do, makes me dress in idiotic clothes... I'd say that she is worse than Grisha, but that wouldn't be entirely true".

After a moment, Mikasa looked at Armin.

"And what about you? Are you okay?".

"Due to the fact that Grisha has two additional people who can do my work, I was able to start my studies" The boy confessed and raised the corner of his mouth. "One element of normality in my fucked up life".

"What about Annie?" Mikasa asked, looking at the blonde. The girl had just left the liquor table, she was holding a colorful drink in her hand.

Armin blushed slightly.

"What about her…? Sometimes we meet, on friendly ground. Annie really wanted to know what exactly my job looked like. At one point, she found that she didn't understand any of this. She just drops in on me for coffee".

Mikasa smiled broadly. Armin's embarrassed gaze and his innocent exmplanations were only a manifestation of something that should be their everyday life. They should meet in the afternoons, exchange comments about new TV series and share with each other the details about their personal lives. Mikasa would ask Armin what gift she should buy for Jean, while Armin would tell her about his meetings with Annie... But their everyday life was different. Unfortunately, the topics of their conversations usually concerned something completely different.

"You're right" Mikasa suddenly admitted, taking Armin by arm. "We'll try to talk to Eren again, the two of said there's a way out of this, I want to know about it".

Armin bit his lip to nod his head after a moment.

Suddenlt, at the same time, they looked towards the entrance of the terrace. The Yaeger brothers have just appeared. Marcel and Porco let out cheers at the sight of them.

Eren followed Zeke, his eyes stopped at Armin and Mikasa, who were standing against the wall, near the garden. He looked at them for a moment, then raised his hand in greeting. Armin returned the gesture, Mikasa just looked at Eren sadly.

"What do you usually do at such meetings?" Armin asked, nervously adjusting his shirt collar.

"I pray that it end as soon as possible" Mikasa replied, narrowing her eyes. "Come on, let's sit down and try to wait out this torment".

The girl pulled Armin towards empty deckchairs, onto which they dropped down with relief. When one of the escort girls approached them at one point, offering them champagne and snacks, they both shook their heads.

Afternoon turned to evening. Time passed slowly, the sky darkened and the lights around the pool flickered more and more. Several of Grisha's partners whom Mikasa knew from banquets joined the meeting. They nodded their heads respectfully when they saw her, but what they all wanted to do was talk to Eren. For the first time, the girl saw with her own eyes her best friend fulfilling the role he had committed to six months ago. He entertained the guests, started the toasts, and took care of the company in the absence of his father. Of course, the guests from Marley got the most of his attention. Besides all of that, Eren looked extremely elegant and handsome. Every now and then one of the women would come up to him, to chat or to flirt, but Eren whispered something in their ear then, or he would just shake his head with a smile, making the girls leave his side.

The highlight of the evening was when Grisha and Carla finally joined the party. The crowd greeted them with short applause, but Grisha immediately silenced them with a wave of his hand, then gestured to his sons.

"If anyone is to be applauded, it's these two gentlemen. Over the past months, they have proven their loyalty and have contributed to changes that will soon affect our entire business. Let's raise a toast to Eren and Zeke!".

This time Armin and Mikasa couldn't refuse the woman dressed in a revealing swim suit, who handed them glasses. Mikasa took a sip, then set her glass down on the table. She was surprised to see Armin finishing the drink, then rubbing his mouth. At his friend's astonished look, he only replied:

"What? I'm an adult, mom".

Mikasa just shook her head with a smile.

Time passed and the guests were slowly becoming more and more relaxed. Mikasa saw the alcohol pouring in streams, rolled spliffs, and here and there also a white powder arranged in a vertical line.

At one point, Armin excused himself for a moment and walked over to Annie, who happened to be sitting alone by the pool, sipping a drink. On the way, he grabbed another glass of champagne from the tray. The boy sat down next to the blonde and began a quiet conversation with her. From this distance Mikasa could see the stealthy smiles they exchanged. She couldn't help but feel a surge of tenderness at the sight of them.

After a long moment, Mikasa came to the bar and poured herself a cold, soft drink. Suddenly Eren appeared right next to her.

"Are you having fun?" He asked, leaning on the counter. He tied his long brown hair up in a bun. Mikasa saw a rolled cigarette in his hand. She hadn't seen him smoking before.

"As you can see" She replied after a moment, turning to face him and lifting the glass to her lips to take a sip. "I can see you're having a great time. Even I have never been so good at the guests service".

"I'm doing what I can" Eren shrugged, then inhaled the smoke. "We have to take care of our guests".

"I'm sure they'll be satisfied after tonights party" Mikasa muttered softly, looking away.

Eren watched her silently. Grisha and Carla stood a short distance away, chatting happily with Magath and Yelena. Zeke and Marcel were sitting by the pool, surrounded by escort girls. Mikasa knew that most men would go to their rooms soon, to spend passionate moments with the hired prostitutes.

"I know you may be angry with me, but believe me, I'm doing it for us" The boy suddenly confessed in a low tone, looking into her eyes. Mikasa returned his gaze, a little surprised at these words. This, however, was not enough for her.

"And how is that supposed to help us?" Mikasa asked, also using a whisper.

"You're safe, I mean, you and Armin" Eren replied. He inhaled the smoke again, and when he released it, he continued, "We can all live at peace. You could start to appreciate it a bit, and not just complain".

Mikasa frowned slightly. Eren's words hurt her a little, but she didn't comment on them. Instead, she leaned closer to her friend, whispering in his ear:

"Armin told me there ' some way to end this. He wouldn't tell me the details, he said I should ask you. Since there's a way, I want to know about it".

She noticed the boy's green eyes widening slightly. Immediately after that his face took on the same indifferent mask, as if he didn't want to admit other feelings. He opened his mouth to reply, but just then someone grabbed his arm in a non-gentle manner. Mikasa and Eren raised their eyebrows when they saw Armin staring at Eren with agitation.

"This is true? Are you killing journalists now?" Armin asked, squinting. Mikasa widened her eyes slightly, then looked at Eren. She didn't know where Armin had this information from, and was far from judging what Eren was doing, but she did think there were limits. She didn't want her friend to end up in prison.

Eren sighed, then tossed his cigarette to the ground and stamped it with his shoe.

"Let me guess. Annie told you about her new assignment?".

"I would find out anyway" Armin muttered, taking another step towards Eren. Mikasa noticed the flushing on her friend's cheeks, guessed that the two drinks Armin drank must have had an awakening effect on him. "Don't you remember? I'm stalking each of your men. Tell me, what do you want to achieve by killing innocent people?".

"It's not your concern" Eren confessed reassuringly and smiled slightly. "We haven't seen each other for so long, I thought you'd be glad to see me".

"I missed my friend, not the man I see right now" Armin confessed in a whisper, his nervous gaze echoing the pain that Mikasa understood too well.

"Well, I guarantee you we're one and the same person" Eren said, then glanced discreetly to the side. Mikasa looked that way as well, she saw that both Zeke and Grisha were staring at them curiously.

Eren suddenly accosted a woman in a swimsuit, who was carrying a tray of drinks. The boy grabbed two glasses. He offered one of them to Armin.

"Here, you should relax today. You've earned it" Eren said, lifting the corner of his mouth. "It's enough that Mikasa has been whining since I got back, so please don't follow in her footsteps. Unless you want me to be fed up with you as well".

Hearing Eren's words, Mikasa felt something inside her snapped.

Armin pursed his lips into a dangerous line. Then, before anyone could say anything, the blond reached out his hand and knocked the glass from Eren's hand.

Glass fell to the floor and shattered with a loud crack. Mikasa jumped in place, not in fear but in surprise.

All the guests looked in their direction. Mikasa heard Zeke's soft whistle. Yaeger chuckled softly, then slowly moved towards them.

"Well, well, someone doesn't like champagne?" Zeke asked, stopping a few steps ahead of them.

Armin's lips twisted and he wanted to make a reply, but then he lost his breath. The reason was very simple. Eren punched him in the stomach, also causing the boy to step back. Mikasa widened her eyes as she saw Eren deliver another blow to the blond, sending a fist straight at his face. The next was a kick to the stomach which made Armin doubled over.

Mikasa saw Annie standing a few steps behind Zeke. The girl's face turned pale and she stared at Eren with a gaze mixed with shock and anger. But she stayed where she was, knowing all too well that being unresponsive in such situations was the best solution.

Armin dropped to his knees, breathing rapidly. Blood was dripping from his nose. Eren patted him on the back, then grabbed his arm and pulled him upwards, helping him to stand up.

"Armin just drank a little too much, right?" Eren asked, lifting the corner of his mouth. Then he looked at Annie. "Will you drove him home? I like those glasses a lot, so I really don't want any more of them to get broken today".

Annie quickly walked over to them and took Armin's arm.

"You want to say something?" Zeke asked coolly, looking at the curled boy.

"I'm s-sorry..." Armin muttered, not looking at Zeke. "Eren's right, I drank too much".

"I'll take him home" Annie announced, right then she and Armin headed for the exit. After a while, all those present returned to their previous activities: to sipping alcohol, to inhaling white powder, to talking or kissing.

Mikasa looked after Armin, afraid that her heart was about to pop out of her chest. She didn't know if it was from nervousness, fear, disappointment, or agitation. She turned her eyes at Eren, who was talking and joking with Zeke as if nothing happened just a moment ago.

She clenched her fists, feeling the anger and helplessness filling her through. She had no idea who this man who looked like Eren was, but it certainly wasn't her friend.

Reiner

Grisha's men brought him to the property and told him to get out of the car. Reiner started walking along the gravel path. He entered the building, where a scantily dressed girl with heavy makeup and styled hair was waiting for him. She took him by the arm and led him to the terrace. Reiner remembered this place, he once had a drinks here with Grisha and his closest employees. It was just before Yaeger had him install a GPS transmitter in Ackerman's car. A transmitter that turned out to be explosives.

The half-naked woman led him outside and pressed a drink into his hand. Then she kissed him on the cheek and disappeared into the crowd. Reiner quickly wiped off the lipstick mark with his hand. Suddenly Zeke came up to him.

"Braun! We were waiting for you. My old man said that you cannot miss our welcome party".

"Yeah… thanks for the invitation" Reiner replied, lifting his glass and taking a sip, the drink was strong. "Good to see you. So, you're staying in Eldia for now?".

"Exactly. Tommorow we're resuming the production in all our locations. That's why we have to party hard today!".

Reiner nodded and tried to smile. Zeke suddenly gestured to a certain person in the crowd. Braun gently widened his eyes at the sight of him.

"Reiner, I finally have a chance to introduce you. You haven't met Eren before, have you?" Zeke asked, stretching his hand towards the tall boy coming up to them. A boy Reiner remembered, a few months ago they had almost bumped into each other in the aisle.

Eren has changed a lot since then, he no longer looked like a lost youth, but like a grown man. His brown hair, tied in a bun, shone in the glare of the pale light, green eyes seemed cold and unapproachable. The black shirt fit tightly over a slender figure.

"Eren, this is our irreplaceable agent, one and only Reiner Braun".

Reiner had the impression that something in the boy's eyes twitched at these words, a feeling that was very deeply hidden. Eren, however, controlled it very quickly.

He held an open hand towards Reiner.

"We can finally get to know each other" The boy confessed in a soft, velvety voice.

"Yeah... Nice to meet you" Braun replied, gently shaking Eren's hand.

"Eren, guess who he works with!" Zeke asked, only to laugh out loud after a moment. "You probably know the answer: with that little fucker, Ackerman. It's thanks to Reiner that we know all about these motherfuckers. But we still don't have any data on the new informant".

Reiner couldn't help it, but the moment Zeke spoke the words, his gaze went straight to Eren's eyes. The boy must have felt something too, because he looked back at him.

The exchange of glances took only a few seconds, but Braun couldn't ignore the tension between them. For some reason he felt that Eren was thinking exactly the same thing right now.

"I know about you."