Chapter 43

Eren

Eren sighed softly in his sleep, and this sound woke him. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room. His eyes widened as he realized where he was. The boy's lips stretched into a smile. So it all really happened...

He was lying in Levi's bedroom, in his bed, covered with dark sheets. He looked to the side and saw the detective's naked back. The man was apparently asleep. The boy felt his heart start to beat faster. Memories from the yesterday's evening hit the surface of his mind with the force of an avalanche. Well... not only the evening, there were also the memories of the previous night and that morning, because they fell asleep only when it started to break the dawn.

Yaeger closed his eyes for a second, remembering the intoxicating moments he had spent with the detective. He couldn't decide which one he liked best. Each position, each kiss, each exchange of glances was unforgettable and he would love more.

He opened his eyes as he heard Levi move. Eren's heart trembled. For some reason, he was afraid of the moment the man would wake up. He was afraid that all this wonderful atmosphere would burst like a bubble, he was afraid that the detective would look at him in embarrassment and that he would see shame in his eyes. He was afraid Levi would regret what had happened between them.

He saw Ackerman roll slowly over to face him. The man stretched drowsily, then opened his eyes and looked at Eren.

Just then his smooth face lit up in a tender smile. The boy watched, enchanted as Levi reached his hand towards him. The detective gently stroked his cheek.

"Good morning," he whispered in a sleepy but extremely soft tone. "Did you sleep well?"

It took Eren a moment to remember how to breathe. He parted his mouth to give some simple answer, but even that suddenly seemed too difficult. His head was filled with just three specific words now, as if he had forgotten the rest.

"I love you".

The words echoed in his mind. He repeated them in his head, wanting so much to articulate them, to throw them out, but he was too afraid of Levi's reaction. He finally managed to speak.

"Y-yeah, I did... And you?"

"Amazingly good" Levi rose on his elbows and leaned towards him to place a tender kiss on his lips. Then he pulled back a little so he could look into Eren's eyes closely. "I'd like to lie here with you a little longer, but I have to go to work soon. And you should go back".

"Sure…" Eren whispered, also getting up a bit. "You're right".

Levi stroked his bare arm, watching him with a smile.

"But I think we'll have time to eat breakfast together. What do you think?" He asked, smiling with incredible tenderness. The same three dangerous words echoed in Eren's mind again. He nodded quickly, so the detective added: "Great. I'll take a shower."

Levi pecked him on the cheek, then got up from the bed. He threw his shirt on his arms to avoid the morning chill, then left the room, obviously on his way to the restroom. Eren watched him go, the blush on his cheeks from the man's nakedness. Yaeger swallowed, then lay comfortably on his back, enjoying the perfect softness of the mattress and the delicate texture of the bedding, and above all the detective scent wafting around.

He dozed for a moment longer, until he heard Levi bustling about the kitchen. This made the boy also get out of bed and go to freshen up. Meanwhile, he checked his phone as well, but neither Zeke nor Grisha tried to contact him.

As Eren walked into the living room, already dressed, Levi was setting plates on the table. They looked at each other, smiling slightly, apparently both touched by this unusual atmosphere of normalcy, the moment when they could spend time together just like that, without any hurtful surprises, without running from the enemy, without hiding.

The boy noticed that the detective had already prepared breakfast: two cups of tea and a colorful salad with goat cheese and dried tomatoes, sprinkled with sunflower seeds. They ate their meal sitting next to each other and exchanging glances stealthily.

"Can I ask you something?" Eren said suddenly, setting his fork aside, then reaching out towards the man. He took his hand and looked into his eyes.

"You just did," Levi muttered, narrowing his eyes but the boy saw amusement in his eyes.

Eren lifted the corner of his mouth. He wrapped his fingers around the detective's hand, unable to believe that Levi really let him do this, that they could sit next to each other and hold hands.

"Will... will we be able to meet like this from now?" He asked uncertainty, staring at the man.

Levi looked back at him calmly. He thought for a moment about the answer.

"The best solution would be to keep contacts to a minimum, at least until you stop working for Grisha. You and your friends must hide soon. I know there are a few more things you want to do before that happens" Levi said with a serious expression, but then his features softened. "Me, you, Erwin and Hanji will meet as usual every now and then to arrange details and exchange information. And when it comes to our time together, only two of us..."

Eren twitched slightly, unable to keep from smiling. He felt the warmth of the blushes on his cheeks. After a while, the detective finished:

"We can see each other if you promise you'll be careful. But it won't happen often".

"I promise. I'll try to be careful" Eren muttered immediately, gripping the detective's hand tighter. "I also have one more question, this time it's about Erwin and Hanji. Will we tell them about us? I mean... I don't know how to behave around them."

Levi blinked, then stared blankly at his teacup. He reached for it with his free hand. He drank his tea, then put the cup back on the table and only answered then.

"They are my friends and I tell them about almost everything, but... This time I'd rather keep it to myself. At least for now. What we're doing, you and me…" Levi paused, and Eren's eyes widened. He thought he saw a very faint blush on the detective's cheeks, but it could also be a reflection of sunlight coming through the window. "I know it's unprofessional of me, but I don't care. I take responsibility for this. If that's okay for you, I don't want to burden them with that knowledge yet."

"Okay. Cool, cool, cool…" Eren said softly, lifting the corners of his mouth in an innocent smile. He withdrew his hand and folded his elbows back against the back of the chair. "No problem. I will control myself... on one condition."

"Oh? That's interesting," said Levi. His one eyebrow went up. "And what is that?".

"You must promise me that you won't flirt with Erwin, at least not when I'm around".

Ackerman looked as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt. He widened his eyes and tightened his muscles slightly, apparently quite surprised by Eren's condition.

"Wh-what?! I don't flirt..." Levi paused, noticing the boy's inconsolable expression. Eren crossed his arms over his chest and gently pouted his lower lip. The detective sighed softly and then added, "Okay, whatever. I won't do anything that could be considered flirting."

"Great." Yaeger smiled, looking pleased.

"But to be honest... I really mean it. I don't flirt with him at all," Levi repeated, then rose from his seat. He scooped two empty plates from the table. He continued with an indifferent voice, not fully considering his choice of words. "Yes, I do see some effort in his behavior, but it's only a matter of sentiment. You don't have to worry about it. Anyway, even when he kissed me one time, it only lasted a short while and it was me who ended it".

This time it was Eren who stared at the man, freezing in place.

"Wait... what? He kissed you?!" Yaeger choked out, clutching the table top as if he had to grab something to keep him from falling.

Levi looked at him in surprise.

"Hey, take it easy. It wasn't anything like that. He was drunk, and so was I."

"Anything like that?" Eren snorted and sat sideways in the chair. "Yeah, you totally don't flirt with him at all, you just kiss each other from time to time..."

Levi narrowed his eyes, still holding the two plates in his hand.

"Can you stop? At least I don't go to the club just to have some stranger give me a head when someone else can hear my moans."

Eren, still sitting at the table, blushed suddenly.

"What...? Hey, that's not fair!" He called, then rose to his feet, staring at the detective. "It was right after you told me that you're not interested in me!"

"Yeah?" Levi puffed up and looked at Eren defiantly. "And Erwin kissed me while you were knocking around somewhere else, working for your old man."

They both fell silent suddenly, feeling that they said a little too much, and that their exchange of arguments had slowly stopped moving towards any consensus. Levi sighed, then smiled stealthily, Eren immediately following in his footsteps.

"Nevermind. Forget it," The boy confessed, sliding back the chair he had been sitting on. "I'll try not to be jealous."

"You have nothing to worry about," Levi shrugged. "Erwin knows I have feelings for someone else. I told him that. He just doesn't know it's about you."

Eren fixed the detective with a completely puzzled look. He grabbed the edge of the table again. It looked as if Levi's confession had turned his entire world upside down.

"You... You do feel something for me...?"

Levi glanced at the boy with a slight surprise, and nodded briefly.

"Yeah, of course. You really think I'd risk my entire career in the police force for someone I don't even like?"

Levi spun on his heels and cleared the dishes from the table. He put everything in the dishwasher, then looked back at Eren.

"Let's leave together. Of course, from two different sides of the house... I'll distract the guys so you can sneak past them. Eren...?"

The boy didn't seem to be listening to Ackerman at all. A dreamy smile appeared on his face. Levi rolled his eyes.

"I really have to get to work... And you should be back. I don't want Zeke asking you where you've been."

"Sure," Eren muttered, then walked over to the man. He put his arms around him, hugging him tightly. Suddenly he asked, whispering straight into Levi's ear: "What exactly do you feel for me?"

Ackerman laughed, but the boy felt the detective's body tremble slightly under his touch.

"Right now I feel annoyed because my informant doesn't allow me to go to work, so that I can put bread on the table."

"Your informant will miss you," Eren muttered softly, closing his eyes and hugging the detective even closer. He felt Levi wrap his arms around him as well. After a moment they looked at each other closely, then brought their lips together in a kiss.

Eren hugged the man, passionately kissing his lips, wanting to remember this moment, to etch it in his mind forever. Their every kiss was like a priceless gift that was never enough. Eren still wanted more. Each time it felt as if he was kissing the man for the first time. After a long moment, they looked into each other's eyes, smiling slightly.

Eren swung his brown jacket over his shoulders, put on his hood, and stepped outside through the patio door. It took him a while to get back to his own car, which was parked a long way from Ackerman's house. Eren tried to get that wide smile off his face, he knew he would have to look worried about Mikasa in front of Zeke, but he was sure it would be difficult.

Annie

She tapped her fingers nervously on the steering wheel when she saw the boy in the gray sweatshirt. The boy she was waiting for. Annie widened her eyes then got out of the car. They were in a covered multi-story parking lot in the city center. Annie briskly walked over to Armin and hugged him, closing her eyes. She felt the boy hugging her tightly. He pressed his face against her hair, then kissed her cheek.

Annie looked at him with unspeakable apprehension. The anxiety was discernible in her blue eyes.

"Did something happen that you wanted to meet me so soon?"

Armin looked back at her. His eyesight didn't herald anything good. He nodded, stroking her cheek. Then he reached into his pocket and handed her a scrap of paper. Annie frowned, unfolded it, and was surprised to see a phone number scrawled on a sheet of paper hastily.

"What is this?"

"It's the phone number of the man who will help you leave. You and your father."

"What?" Annie raised her eyebrows, shaking her head. "What do you mean, leave? Grisha will be looking for us, I'm sure of it..."

"If you stay here, your father will either end up in jail or..." Armin paused, the words refusing to pass through his mouth, so he decided he would leave the rest unspoken. "It's going to be hot soon. Your boss is losing his position, the police are on the trail of most of his accomplices. I suspect Grisha will want to get rid of those people who could tie him to his drug empire. Including your father. That's why you have to run away."

Annie blinked uncertainly, then bit her lip.

"Okay. I understand. But what does a phone number have to do with it?"

"It's a contact number to a man who can help you disappear. The police will hide us, so I had to think of something so that you could escape as well. There's only one problem, this guy is charging a hundred thousand for one person. He won't bargain with you".

The girl widened her eyes.

"Okay, that's gonna be a problem. I don't have that much"

Armin quickly reached into the pocket of his blouse, took out a small envelope and pressed it into the blonde's hand. Annie narrowed her eyes, not understanding.

"What…?"

"I've been collecting it during the time I was working for Grisha. It's about fifty thousand here. You have to borrow the rest. This man will get you new passports and then arrange your transport to a safe place."

Annie shook her head.

"This is crazy... How do you imagine it? What if you will need the money yourself?"

"Annie, please, believe me. This is the best thing you can do right now. I've thought about it carefully, and it's the only option where you both have the best chance of survival."

The girl's fingers tightened on the envelope. She hesitated for a moment longer, struggling with her thoughts. Finally she nodded. She put the envelope in her back pocket, then looked at Armin.

"Will we see each other again?"

The boy looked into her eyes and after a while he reached for the other pocket in his sweatshirt. He took the cell phone out of it and handed it to Annie.

"The pin number is the day we met," Armin said quietly, embracing her hand where he put his cell phone. "You only have one phone number saved here. I'll have a second phone with me. In a few months, when you will be safe, when you settle in your new place and Grisha will be behind bars... I hope... Turn on the phone and send me a message. Write something that only I can understand in case someone somehow takes over this cell phone."

The girl quickly nodded. Even though she had been a realist all her life, had both feet on the ground and was indifferent to weaknesses, at this point she felt torn inside. She knew that since Armin made this decision, he had advised her to flee, so she should do so. That was the only way they'd get a chance to see each other again… The thought of freedom, living some far away from Grisha, seemed abstract to her, but on the other hand, it was more and more likely.

But only if both of them will survive.

Annie looked up at Armin. She put the phone in her other pocket, then embraced the boy's neck and kissed him tenderly. Arlert kissed her back. He hugged her tightly, the fingers of one hand weaving into her hair as if he wanted to remember their touch, their softness. They stood there for a long moment, until it was Armin who broke the moment of intimacy first. He looked at her, and in his eyes the girl saw almost physical pain. She knew perfectly well that what he was doing was not easy for him, and if it were up to him, he would never let her go.

She gave him one last look, then turned on her heel and returned to the car. She started the engine and left Armin alone. She sped up, wanting to get away from this place as quickly as possible before she could change her mind.

She took out her old phone and dialed her father's number.

"Dad? I know it's a strange request, but... Can you pack your things? This is important."

Levi

He stopped the motorcycle in the parking lot outside the police department and took the helmet off his head. He reached for the band on his wrist to make sure it was charged. Shadis got him this device so Levi could communicate with the rest of the officers even easier. In the event of an attack, he could call for help immediately, and the device also transmitted his location to the headquarters. Grisha hadn't made any move yet, but Levi knew it was only a matter of time, especially since they had Mikasa on their side.

Ackerman went through the parking lot and then crossed the threshold of the building. He briefly said hello to Ilsa Langnar, who was sitting at the reception desk today, writing something down in her notebook. As he passed her, the girl stared at him and for some reason didn't respond to his greeting, only followed him with a shocked look. Levi walked alone down the hall toward the office where he was working, frowning slightly. He didn't understand Ilsa's reaction. Was there something dirty on his face? Or between his teeth? Ackerman was terrified by the thought and was about to head towards the toilets, when he suddenly understood.

When he greeted the girl, he smiled at her, which must have been a complete shock to her because he never did it before. Levi felt a blush appear on his cheeks.

Yeah. From the morning he felt a strange lightness in his chest, and for some reason his mouth corners frequently wanted to wander upward. He tried to get rid of the feeling. He chided Eren, telling him to remember to keep a straight face in front of Zeke, but apparently he couldn't control his own reactions. Levi quickly put his thoughts on the right track, especially since he'd just entered the common room.

Erwin and Hanji were already seated at their desks, busy with paperwork.

"Hi there," Levi said, then slumped into his chair, trying to look as neutral as he could. He turned on his computer and felt a surge of panic as he felt the eyes of two friends on him.

"Someone slept well today," Hanji commented, looking at Ackerman curiously. Levi felt a twinge of irritation.

"I don't know what you mean. I slept for about three hours, which is a perfectly normal amount of sleep for me," The man muttered, then stared blankly at the computer screen.

"Maybe so... But I have a feeling like something has changed," added Zoe, resting her chin on her hand, and then she looked at Smith. "Erwin, do you have that impression, too?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Smith replied, then exchanged a brief glance with Levi. Ackerman was grateful for this because he didn't want to continue that specific topic. He was even more relieved when their office door swung open and Marco Bodt burst in.

"Hey, Levi, I have to talk to you..." the man began, and Levi got up in no time. Marco was a little surprised by this immediate reaction.

"What's going on?" Ackerman asked, coming up to the brunet.

"This one man came to me and... He said he knew you, he left a contact," Marco said, then handed Levi the document that was the contact form. "He claims to have information that will be of use to you and is willing to cooperate."

Levi saw a familiar name. So Jean made his decision after all. Ackerman lifted the corner of his mouth, then looked at Bodt.

"Thanks, Marco. I'll contact him today," Levi said, suddenly feeling the cell phone in his pocket vibrate to signal an incoming call. Bodt walked away and Ackerman quickly pulled out the device. It was Reiner who called him. Levi picked up the call. "Yes?"

"Bad news. We don't have much time."

Levi felt a shiver of anxiety run through his body. He immediately guessed what it was about.

Armin

When he returned to his place after meeting Annie, he noticed a car parked under the tenement house. Two men in civilian clothes got out and nodded when they saw him. Armin expected the policemen to wait for him, so he wasn't surprised by their presence. The taller man had long blonde hair that was tied back with a parting, and a slight stubble on his beard. The second officer was a dark-skinned brunet, he had a short crop of brown hair that was kept to a point on the back of his head. They introduced themselves as Eld Jinn and Gunther Schultz. As Levi told him earlier. Everything was like it was supposed to be.

Arlert greeted them briefly.

"I'm already packed. I will bring my things in a moment, wait here" the boy added, pointing with his finger at the door leading to the interior of the tenement house.

"We'll come with you in case someone is waiting for you inside," replied the senior officer, Eld. His partner agreed with him right away. "We've been here for a few minutes and no one has been around, but we'd rather be safe than sorry."

Armin nodded, then went inside with the men. He led them to his apartment and let them in so they could check the spot first. His apartment was empty. Grisha had to be dealing with more urgent matters. Armin feared that when the Yaegers found out about Mikasa's betrayal, they would doubt his own devotion as well, but so far nothing had changed, and Eren didn't report any disturbing signals to him either. At least for now, which is why they had to hurry.

The boy quickly scooped up the most necessary things that he had previously packed into two bags. Then he looked sadly at his apartment. He got used to this place and knew he would miss it. He remembered all the times he had spent here with Eren and Mikasa. He also had new memories of Annie, all those moments they had right here in these four walls.

The boy, however, was willing to pay almost any price to gain freedom.

He returned to the living room where Eld was waiting for him. Gunther stayed in the corridor, monitoring the stairs in case someone unwanted showed up. Armin scanned the familiar interior for the last time, then followed the tall blonde man towards the open door.

They saw officer Schultz, who was gazing calmly down the stairs, and just then there was a loud crack behind him that sounded like a silenced pistol shot.

"Gunther!" Eld exclaimed, watching in horror as his partner's body fell to the floor. Armin also stared at the sight fearfully, completely frozen. Whoever the attackers were, apparently they had to get into the building by some other way and sneak up on them from behind.

Armin suddenly felt Eld grasp him in a tight embrace and pull him to the side, just before more muffled shots rang out. They hid behind the wall, Eld shielding Armin with his own body. Only then did the boy see the wound on the man's right shoulder.

"You're wounded," whispered Arlert in panic as he watched the blood roll from the wound. Eld gasped softly, then transferred the gun to his left hand.

"The bulletproof vest has its weaknesses," the man muttered, and Armin saw physical pain in his gaze. "Look, I doubt they're here to kill you, so..."

A male figure suddenly appeared around the corner and swiftly pointed the gun towards the officer. Eld didn't remain passive, but due to the fact that he was now using his left hand, his reaction was slower. Armin watched in horror as one of the bullets hit the man's head. The boy felt hot blood on his face, and something else he didn't even want to think about. Arlert's hands began to tremble, but he didn't have time to recover as he felt someone grab his arm painfully. He saw Marcel Gaillard's face contorted with anger.

"There you are, traitor. You wanted to run, huh?"

Marcel swung and punched Armin in the stomach, causing the younger boy to flex in pain. Gaillard hit him again, this time right in the face. Arlert heard a soft sound, apparently his glasses just broke. He saw like through a fog another man, Porco Gaillard, spilling some liquid all over the room. Only when he saw the lighter in the man's hand did he understand that it must have been gasoline.

Marcel grabbed Armin's arm and pulled him out of the apartment just as the fire spread across its entire surface. The boy walked on trembling legs, looking at the world with eyes widened with fear. Before they set off, Porco placed Gunther's motionless body in the burning apartment. Then the men led him down the stairs. Older Gaillard still had him at gunpoint.

They left the building, dragging Armin towards one of the cars. Porco put his gun in his jacket pocket so as not to attract attention, while Marcel pressed Arlert tighter against him, thrusting the tip of the pistol into the boy's back, thus leading him to the car. Armin still had time to look back. He saw flames growing slowly in the windows of his apartment. His eyes widened, terrified of what had just happened ...

Just then, a few cars appeared around the bend, which, with a squeal of tires, stopped a short distance from the three men. Police officers got out of the vehicles, armed with pistols, immediately pointing at the Gaillards with their guns.

"Drop your weapons!" they heard a loud shout. Armin was sure Marcel must have heard it, but the man simply ignored the order. His fingers tightened on Armin's arm, pulling the boy back. On the other hand he was holding his pistol. He extended it towards the officers and pulled the trigger.

Loud gunshots slashed through the air. Several pedestrians within sight started to scream in fear, they also scattered in panic.

Armin suddenly felt the pressure on his shoulder loosen. He saw what was the reason: Marcel's chest had been pierced several times by fired cartridges, blood gushed from his wounds. The man looked around him blindly, then slumped to the sidewalk.

"Marcel!" Porco shouted, then returned fire himself. Armin noticed more police cars appeared on the street.

Gaillard grabbed Armin's arm and dragged him along. They hid behind one of the vehicles. Porco tried to fire back, but was in a losing position. Arlert was breathing quickly, touching his head. Suddenly he heard Porco cursing under his breath, the boy immediately guessed what was the reason; The man ran out of bullets.

Porco pondered the strategy for a moment. Then he grabbed Armin's arm and pulled him close. He gripped him tightly, immobilizing the boy and holding him right in front of him. He put his hand over his mouth in such a way that Armin couldn't speak, he could barely breathe. Then Porco put the gun to the boy's head and only then pushed him towards the policemen who were slowly approaching them.

"Let me go, otherwise I'll blow his head off!" Porco yelled, clutching Armin's face tightly and not even giving him a chance to break free. The boy tried to get away, but he didn't have that much strength.

Arlert looked ahead. Though his glasses were damaged, he managed to make out several officers who stopped, guns raised high. They hesitated, but didn't take the Porco off the line of fire. The boy suddenly recognized Levi as one of the people.

Armin widened his eyes, trying to convey his thoughts to the detective in some specific way. He started to blink fast, hoping Ackerman knew Morse code. He watched the detective frown slightly and studied him intensely. Arlert hoped that Levi would understand his message, but the boy repeated it to be sure. Porco was slowly approaching his car and just then Levi took a few steps forward to have better visibility.

"Hey, you there, stop right now!" Porco called, but suddenly he howled loudly in pain as Ackerman's bullet hit his shoulder. Even if Gaillard wanted to hide behind Armin, he couldn't help it: Arlert was much shorter than him and he wasn't that well built. Porco screamed in rage and quickly grabbed his wound to stop the bleeding.

Armin took his chance. He freed himself from the man's grip and started running towards the detectives. He stopped by Levi, who immediately covered him with his body and glared at Gaillard.

Meanwhile, Erwin and Hanji quickly walked over to Porco, then knocked him to the ground. Zoe leaned over the man and handcuffed his hands. At the same time they heard alarm sirens approaching every moment in the distance.

Hanji grabbed the handcuffed man by the shoulders and pulled him straight up. Blood was still flowing from his arm.

"Don't worry, Gaillard, we'll patch you up. Then we can have a nice chat, how about that?" The woman with glasses asked, smiling at Porco. The blond only gritted his teeth in anger. He didn't answer. Instead of that, he looked at his brother's motionless body, and somewhere deep in his eyes something twitched.

Armin watched as ambulances and fire trucks appeared on the spot. Meanwhile, Levi and the other detectives led him towards one of the cars. The boy was still shivering, he felt as if he had a fever. Hanji gently put her arm around him.

"Hey, it's all right now. You're safe."

"I know. Thank you…" Armin whispered, then looked at Ackerman, who was also looking at him. There was genuine concern in the man's gaze. "You understood my message, Levi. I tried to tell you in a Morse code that Porco is harmless and he run out of bullets..."

"Huh?" Ackerman raised one eyebrow gently, then almost smiled. "I have to disappoint you, I don't know Morse code. I just thought that if you were blinking like crazy, there must be a reason behind it and that it was probably about Porco's empty gun."

Armin also smiled slightly, then looked at Erwin. The man was looking at him gently, but suddenly the man's face turned sad.

"Eld and Gunther…?"

Arlert felt his own face turn pale. He shook his head slowly, feeling guilt. He knew that the deaths of two officers wasn't his fault, and yet he had the impression that they had died because of him.

The three detectives exchanged heavy glances. They must have guessed what had happened just by seeing the dried blood on his face. Hanji put a hand on Armin's shoulder, then quickly walked away towards the group of policemen to pass on information about Eld and Gunther.

Erwin and Levi were silent, lost in dark thoughts. Armin timidly broke the silence:

"How did you know I needed help?"

"Well... We got a message from our colleague," Smith replied, then opened the door of the car they were standing by for Armin to get into the car. "He found out today that Zeke and Grisha want to question you about Mikasa. It wouldn't have ended well. Either way, you don't have to worry about anything from now on."

Armin nodded, then sat down on the soft seat. Levi called for one of the paramedics with his hand, apparently wanting someone to examine Arlert's wounds.

Meanwhile, the boy looked towards his apartment. The fire was now slowly dying out, but he suspected that it must have consumed most of his personal belongings. They were probably useless now. But Armin decided it didn't matter.

He took a deep breath, trying to believe that he really was safe. He also felt something else, the next stage of his life had just begun.