Zeke - then
"Ezekiel!" A stern male voice boomed in the hallway. "Ezekiel! Come here now!"
After a short while there was a patter of tiny feet on the stairs. More or less ten-year-old boy with blonde curls ran down the steps and stood at attention in front of the tall man.
"I'm ready, father," The boy spoke, proudly lifting his head and smiling slightly. He was wearing dark trousers and a white button-down shirt. His smile dimmed a little as he caught sight of his father's expression.
Grisha noticed something that made him frown.
"This shirt was ironed, right?" The man asked, pointing at his son's clothes. "Why did you crumple it so badly? And what's that?"
Yaeger pointed to something on the sleeves. Zeke raised his hands up and looked over there, noticing maroon blotches.
"Oh... I don't know when it happened" The boy shrugged.
"You got your shirt dirty at dinner, right? You never think!" Grisha raised a hand and grabbed the boy's wrist. He dragged him towards a long wooden table. Then he looked at his son and nodded at him. "Come on, put your hands out."
"No, please... I won't do it again, I promise!" The boy cried, looking at his father despairingly.
"Do it, right now! I won't tolerate such disobedience!" Grisha shouted.
The boy sobbed sadly, then lifted his little hands and placed them on the table. His father reached for the waistband of his pants. He took the item from his hips, staring sternly at his son. Then he swung the leather belt and slammed it against the boy's hands. He repeated the gesture several times, until the skin on Zeke's skin turned red.
The boy was crying softly, tears streaming down his cheeks. He felt the pain, and while it wasn't unbearable, much worse was the feeling of shame and the fact that his own father was causing this pain.
Grisha looked at his son.
"Pull yourself together. You should endure it, as befits a man. Go and wipe your face. They'll be here soon."
Zeke pivoted on his heel and ran towards the bathroom. He passed the old woman standing in the doorway, who was his daily carer when Grisha was at work. She had been caring for Zeke since his mother passed away. The woman looked at the boy sympathetically and held out her hand, apparently wanting to stroke his head. Zeke, however, looked at her angrily. He was furious that she hadn't looked after him at dinner, and because of that he had stained his shirt as he was eating his soup. His father truly hated such imperfections. The boy walked past the woman and ran into the bathroom.
He stood on tiptoe to wash his face with cold water. Then he looked in the mirror. He saw a small, thin face, a pale, slightly curly strands, and a large gray eyes, slightly red from crying. Zeke exhaled aloud as he tried to calm down. His father was right. He should pull himself together and get over it. He had to set a good example, especially now.
"Ezekiel!"
"I'm coming!" The boy called, and quickly ran out of the bathroom.
He returned to the corridor and saw the door wide open in the distance. There was a tall, brown-haired woman in the doorway, wearing a red dress and a white scarf. Grisha was hugging her, and then kissed her lips tenderly. They met each other's eyes, then moved slightly away from each other, looking at the boy who was standing behind the woman.
The boy had brown hair and green eyes. He was dressed in a plain gray collared t-shirt and denim shorts. Grisha walked over to him and hugged him. The little boy returned the hug with a slight smile.
Then the oldest Yaeger looked at Zeke, who was standing still at a distance.
"Eren, you wanted to meet your brother, right? This is Ezekiel."
Zeke didn't move, not sure what to do next. He had been waiting for this moment for several weeks, and when it did come, he suddenly felt a strange stage fright. The other boy, however, took the initiative, though he was a few years younger than Zeke. He stepped closer and smiled.
"Hi. I am Eren. And you are Ezekiel, right?"
"Yes. But I like being called Zeke more. Nice to meet you at last" The taller boy said and reached out to shake hands.
But Eren ignored the gesture. He took a step towards Zeke and hugged him tightly.
Zeke's eyes widened. For the first seconds he had no idea what was going on. He hadn't experienced this feeling since his mother died a few years ago. He has almost forgotten what it feels to be hugged.
He stood still, too shocked to do anything. Eren moved away after a moment, then looked at his mother.
"Mom, can I play with Zeke?"
The woman took a few steps towards them. Zeke glanced at her and noticed that she was really beautiful. She had long brown hair and a lovely face. Eren looked very much like her, with equally delicate features.
"Hello, Zeke. My name is Carla, I'm glad we can finally meet" The woman reached out and stroked Zeke's hair. Then she looked at Eren. Only now did Zeke see the gold pendant on her neck. Some time ago he saw his father buying it at a jewelry store. So it had to be a gift. "Yes, I think you two can play. We'll be in the living room with your father."
"Cool!" Eren called, then grabbed Zeke's hand and pulled him towards the open door. "I saw there's a big garden here. Can we play there?"
"Yeah..." Zeke muttered, still too shocked to say more. He allowed Eren to lead them outside. He stared at the laughing face of the younger boy, slowly realizing that this wasn't a dream. Eren was real, and he was here, with him.
Grisha had informed him only a few months ago that he had a brother. Zeke was surprised at first, then just excited. He hadn't been able to meet Eren earlier. Grisha was working more than usual lately, and Eren and his mother lived far away with their family. It wasn't until some time ago that Grisha and Carla decided to move in together. They also wanted Eren and Zeke to finally get to know each other.
Zeke felt Eren's little hand squeeze his own hand. He felt happy for the first time in a long time.
x
Eren and Zeke, a couple of years older, stopped side by side on the stairs, staring at the small figure that had just appeared in the holl. Grisha was standing next to the girl they didn't know, throwing off his black coat. He hung it on a hanger, then took the brown jacket off the tiny person's shoulders. Then he looked at his sons and beckoned them with his hand.
"Boys, this is Mikasa. She will live with us from now on. I'll have her guest room ready. Try to make her feel at home, okay?"
With that, Grisha smiled briefly, just with his lips, as was his custom, then disappeared down the hall. Zeke looked at the girl. She must have been about Eren's age, possibly a year or two older. She had shoulder-length black hair and sad gray eyes. She was shaking slightly, she must have been soaked.
"Er... Hi. I'm Zeke, and this is Eren. Maybe you should change your clothes if you're cold. Our mother can find you something, go ask her," Zeke muttered, then looked at his brother. "So, Eren, are we gonna end the game?"
However, his brother didn't seem to be listening to him at all. Eren walked over to the closet that contained winter jackets and clothes. He took out a red scarf from there. It belonged to Carla, but the woman had rarely worn it lately. The boy returned to Mikasa and tied the soft cloth around her neck.
"Is it warmer now?" He asked, studying the girl's pale face.
Mikasa looked at him in surprise, as if she couldn't believe someone had made some kind gesture towards her. Tears suddenly appeared in her eyes. She nodded in response. Eren took her hand and only then looked at Zeke.
"Maybe Mikasa will play with us, what do you think?" He asked, smiling at his older brother.
"But... You need only two players to play Battleships..." Zeke muttered, but Eren was already leading the girl up the stairs.
"If you can't play, we'll teach you. What do you like to play the most?" Eren asked, dragging Mikasa behind him. The older boy clenched his fists, then followed them without a word.
x
Teenage Zeke entered Grisha's office and stood in front of his father. His face was slightly reddened around his right eye. He was wearing his school uniform, and his shoulder-length blonde hair was a little disheveled.
Grisha crossed his arms over his chest and fixed his son with a scolding look.
"Ezekiel, can you tell me what the hell happened? The principal just called me. He claims that they suspended you for a month. You got into a fight again."
Zeke shrugged.
"It was some loser. He asked for it."
The boy widened his eyes as he felt a sudden pain on his cheek. It took a moment to realize that his father had slapped his face. Zeke quickly grabbed his cheek, looking at Grisha indignantly.
"Do you know how much this will cost me? Do you have any idea how many strings I have to pull, so you don't end up in the reformatory? I'm reminding you that I'm trying to change our lives, and that means I have to relate well with certain people... Your behavior is not helping me. If you want to teach someone a lesson, you should do it discreetly, without any witnesses, and meanwhile you're acting like a fucking idiot."
Zeke bit his lip as he fought back the tears that had started to gather under his eyelids. He knew his father hated the weak.
"S-sorry," He stammered without looking at the man.
"Get out of my face. And stop embarrassing me."
The boy turned and left the office quickly. As he was walking down the corridor, he suddenly stumbled upon Eren.
"Zeke, here you are! I was looking for you, we had... What happened?"
"Never mind, give me a break," The older boy muttered and tried to keep walking, but Eren grabbed his hand.
"Did father yell at you?"
"I said, leave me alone!" Zeke exclaimed, and tore his hand free from his brother's grip.
"Why are you swearing?" The younger boy suddenly seemed sad and looked at Zeke fearfully. The look in his eyes made the older Yaeger relax a little.
"Sorry. Father is angry with me because I beat up some boys at school" Zeke confessed, then shrugged.
Eren stared at his brother for a moment, then took Zeke's hand again.
"Don't worry. Let's play, whatever you want!"
Zeke considered that.
"Err... Maybe we assemble these new puzzles that Aunt Faye gave us? The ones she sent us from Marley?"
"Mikasa has already put them together," Eren confessed, smiling amusedly. "It only took her twenty minutes, can you believe it? She is a genius!"
Zeke's eyes widened. He used all his willpower to refrain from cursing loudly. That little bitch... She was always one step ahead of him.
"We can do something else. Maybe we'll finish building this treehouse?" Eren asked, then trotted down the stairs.
Zeke ran after him, but he looked inconsolable.
"Yeah, but only if Mikasa hadn't already done it..."
"Did you say anything?"
"No, nothing. Let's go."
Eren - now
Older Yaeger stared at Ymir blankly. He looked like a predator that lurked on its prey and just one wrong move could provoke him to attack. The man wore dark pants, torn in several places, and a black top, revealing muscular arms, covered with a web of scars and tattoos.
Almost immediately he reached to his pants, from behind which a weapon was sticking out. Eren quickly jumped outside and walked around the car to cover Ymir with himself.
"Zeke, let her go!"
"No, kid. You stand back or you will regret it" Zeke's voice boomed, like a thunderbolt.
The younger Yaeger pursed his lips with all his might, but didn't move. He merely waved his hand at Ymir.
"Get out of here, now."
The woman hesitated for a moment longer, but then she walked briskly towards the car Eren had dropped for her earlier. Zeke immediately aimed his gun at her, but his brother leapt at him and grabbed his wrist, pointing the gun the other way. They began to jostle. A loud shot cut through the silence around them.
"Eren, let me go, goddamn it!" Zeke exclaimed, trying to break free from the younger boy's grip, but Eren steadily steered the muzzle in the opposite direction, away from the car Ymir was getting into.
The younger Yaeger heard the roar of the engine. The car passed them and drove away with dizzying speed. Only then did Eren let go of Zeke's hand and take a step back. The bearded man roared in rage, then fixed his fierce gaze on his brother. He lowered the gun, however, again tucking it behind his jeans.
"What the fuck are you doing!? You know what you just did?" Zeke shook his head in disbelief.
Eren didn't say anything. He returned the blonde's gaze and with each second he felt a growing aggression in himself. They were here, all alone. Just him and Zeke. Nobody would stop them. Maybe that's what it was supposed to be like? It might be easier for detectives to stop Grisha now, since his older son was not at the mansion.
"Why aren't you at the meeting with our father?" Eren finally asked in a low, gloomy tone that heralded the coming storm.
"Take a fucking guess. Because I knew something was up! Tom warned me you were up to something. I was sure you couldn't be far and I was fucking right. Can you explain it to me?" Zeke suddenly took a step towards his little brother and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. He looked at Eren distrustfully.
The younger boy didn't answer. He swung and hit Zeke in the face with his clenched fist.
Surprise flashed through the gray eyes. Zeke had to grab his glasses, and they almost fell off his nose. His face jerked to the side, but he quickly turned his cold gaze back to Eren.
"What the fuck?! Why did you do that?"
Eren's fists clenched even tighter, he was barely controlling himself. His nails dug painfully into his skin, but he didn't care. He had waited a long, damned long time for this moment, and he hadn't even really expected it to come sometime. It tasted much better than he had imagined.
"I don't know... For a start, maybe for killing Mike?"
Zeke narrowed his eyes. He looked like he didn't know what Eren was talking about.
"Who?"
The boy growled in anger, then swung again. Zeke blocked his blow, but Eren punched him with his other fist, right in the stomach. Older Yaeger gasped softly and took a step back. Understanding suddenly appeared on his face.
"Wait... You mean that detective?"
Eren made no reply again, instead he punched Zeke again, then lunged at him. They fell hard to the ground.
"And for all that you did to Levi!" The boy was beating his brother in the face, straddling him. Zeke tried to defend himself, he put his arms around himself, and there was genuine astonishment on his face. He looked as if Eren's words surprised him more than the sudden physical aggression. "And for wanting to shoot Hanji!"
Zeke's eyes widened even more. He stared at Eren in complete disbelief, and his defense weakened a little. This allowed the boy to deliver another blow, right on his brother's jaw. Zeke growled like a furious animal. He lifted his leg and kicked Eren in the stomach, causing the younger man to fall back, but he quickly regained his balance. They both got to their feet and looked at each other hostilely.
"What are you talking about…?" Zeke asked, his breathing quickening. "Oh, please. Don't say Mikasa and Armin dragged you to their side after all?"
Eren laughed darkly, shaking his head slowly from side to side. Zeke's arm muscles tightened as the man clenched his fists with all his might. Eren knew that laughing right into his brother's face would only make Zeke more angry, but he didn't care.
"They dragged me? Oh no, nothing like that. I worked with the police long before we left for Marley. I gave it up for a while because I believed you... I thought that it was the only way I could really protect Armin and Mikasa. But you didn't know, I wanted to protect someone else too. Maybe if you hadn't brought Levi to us, things would have been different. We weren't supposed to touch the police, but as always, you couldn't help yourself."
Zeke frowned again in disbelief. He looked as if his mind understood everything Eren told him, but he somehow refused to accept these facts.
"Tell me it's not true."
"Father is doomed, Zeke. The police are at his place now, at that point they are probably arresting him. And I advise you to give up as well..."
"You fucking shit!"
This time it was the older Yaeger who pounced on the younger one and began to punch him with fists and kicks. Eren didn't remain passive, he wanted to unload all the hatred that had been accumulated so far. After a while, Zeke had a black eye and Eren's mouth was leaking blood. They broke away from each other, but stood ready to resume the attack.
"You're fucking piece of shit, you know?" Zeke hissed, breathing fast because of the adrenaline and indignation. The eyes, glittering behind the round glasses, widened. "You lied to my face the whole time!"
"You left me no choice. Do you really want to live like this? To keep groveling in front of our father and do whatever he tells you to do?" Eren stared at Zeke. "Oh, but no... I almost forgot. You always do things your own way after all. The fact that Levi was kidnapped was also caused by your own initiative. You're just like Grisha. You deal your own cards and play according to your own rules. You don't care about anyone."
"Don't you even piss me off! I told you we could take his place!" Zeke raised his voice and took a step towards Eren. The boy tensed nervously, waiting for the blow, but the older Yaeger continued, "If you were honest with me, we would have come up with something. Together we could make a plan on how to overthrow our father and take over his business. But no, you chose to betray us."
"Zeke, this business has no future. You've gone too far so many times," Eren replied, still prepared for a possible attack. "And if Levi would die because of you..."
"Levi, Levi, Levi…!" Zeke exclaimed in a high-pitched, mocking tone. He quickly approached his brother and screwed up his face in anger. "You sound like a broken record! I can't fucking listen to this. Are you fucking with him or what?"
Eren froze, staring at Zeke's face without a word. The man blinked suddenly, surprised by his brother's silent reaction to this obvious taunt. He must have read the truth from Eren's face, because his eyes suddenly turned into menacing narrow slits and his facial muscles tense dangerously.
"Fuck, I can't fucking believe this..."
The younger boy wanted to say something, but Zeke pounced on him and this time it was he who pushed him to the ground. He started punching Eren with a whole new force, not letting him get up. Still leaning over him, he suddenly grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up, then pushed him back to the ground, causing the boy to hit the back of his head painfully against the hard ground.
Eren felt dizzy. Suddenly he felt like vomiting. He also felt Zeke grab his arm and start pulling him towards the tracks.
"Zeke..." Eren tried to say something, but even that seemed too difficult now. He tried at all costs not to lose consciousness. The last blow to the back of the head must have caused him at least a slight concussion. "Wait..."
"Shut up, you dumb asshole" Zeke muttered, suddenly pulling Eren up and then throwing his body to the ground. The boy gasped in pain as his ribs hit the metal rails on which the man had thrown him. He managed to regain control of his body, however, as he rose unsteadily and looked at his brother.
He aimed at Zeke with the gun he had pulled from behind his brother's pants a moment ago. Older Yaeger widened his eyes in genuine shock and reached back, but met a void. When Eren took the gun from him, he apparently didn't even feel it.
"No, you shut up" Eren growled, knowing that his statement wasn't too clever, but he didn't care. He swung the weapon against his brother's face and hit him at his cheek. Zeke, completely surprised, fell on his back, immediately rising on his elbows, but he was immobilized in place by the muzzle of the gun, which Eren was pointing at his head.
Blood leaked from Zeke's mouth. The man spat out bloody saliva, then wiped his lip with the edge of his hand and glared at his brother.
"Do it. Shoot. Show me what I have taught you," Something dangerous flashed in Zeke's eyes. "I wonder if you told Ackerman about everything we've done at Marley. Probably not. I wonder if he'd be as willing to let you screw him, if he knew about it. Or it's him who's on the top?"
"I told you to shut up," Eren repeated, still in the same menacing tone, but his gaze began to calm down. He knew he shouldn't be influenced by emotions. He kept his gun pointed at Zeke, but his face smoothed out like the ocean after a violent storm. He stared at his brother for a moment longer, but finally lowered the gun. There was a weird noise in the distance, but Eren didn't pay much attention to it. "Your only option now is to turn yourself over to the police. Without Grisha you're helpless."
Eren leaned over and held out his hand to Zeke.
There was an echo of old sentiment in the younger man's eyes, a feeling that seemed to come from another era. So much has happened between them over the years, and especially over the last year, that Eren has almost forgotten what their origins were.
"It's not too late, Zeke. If you give up and confess to everything, you might get a shorter sentence. And even if you don't, at least you'll survive. Only if you cooperate, you..."
Zeke hissed softly and shook Eren's hand away. He got up on his own and looked glower at his brother. At the same time, the strange noise that had been heard a moment ago, repeated itself.
"There's no way I'm going to be a fucking snitch like you," Zeke drawled frostily, fixing Eren with a hateful look.
The boy wanted to say something, but suddenly the ground began to tremble under their feet. Eren froze feeling sudden unease, then turned to see a freight train emerging from the trees, rapidly approaching them. He was sure that the rail tracks in the local area weren't active...
He shifted his weary gaze to Zeke.
"What are you going to do then?" He asked as he stepped off the tracks because the place where they were standing was no longer safe.
Zeke didn't answer, still staring at his brother with the same ferocity caused by the loss of trust. He wanted to move towards him, but suddenly he staggered in place. Eren felt his heart leap in his throat in fear as he saw Zeke's foot wedged under the rail.
"Fuck…" Zeke muttered, trying to get his leg out of the trap. The train was approaching them with terrifying speed. They heard a loud beep of the locomotive. The train driver apparently gave them sign that they needed to get out of the way immediately, otherwise it would end tragically for them.
Eren didn't think for a second. He immediately leapt over to Zeke and grabbed him, trying to help him free the foot. They wrestled for a moment with the older Yaeger's wedged leg, until they finally managed to pull it out from under the rail. The train, however, was already close to them, making a loud whistle and a braking noise. There was no way it would brake in time.
Eren looked up at Zeke for literally a split second. Then he felt his brother grab his shoulders and push him backwards, jumping the other way himself.
The boy flew to the back, once again hitting his body against the hard ground. He let out a painful groan and squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the train pass by. He opened his eyes and saw the machine moving past him, racing forward without stopping. He was breathing fast, all his muscles ached, both from the exertion and from the fight with Zeke. He rose on his elbows, then slowly rose from the ground. He waited for the train to pass because it was on the other side of the tracks, a place where he had no access to a car. Behind him there were only disused warehouses.
There were surprisingly many wagons, but finally the last of them passed him by. Eren walked straight ahead, looking for Zeke, but then he stopped. A feeling of surprise paralyzed his body. Zeke's car was gone, and so was its owner.
Eren pursed his lips, feeling a bitter disappointment somewhere deep within himself. He knew it was very unlikely that Zeke would agree to his offer to surrender, he hadn't planned the gesture himself beforehand. There was too much unspeakable grief between them, and Eren wasn't sure how his friends, Levi and the other detectives would react to Zeke's presence. But he wanted to give him a chance, they were brothers after all... but Zeke decided not to take it.
The boy dragged himself sadly towards his car. He was consoled to think that his father was most likely already detained, and to know that he would be seeing Mikasa, Armin and also Levi very soon.
Zeke
He stopped the car and almost immediately jumped outside, after turning the engine off. Both his face and the ribs were still throbbing with pain from the fight with Eren, but it wasn't the pain that was the worst. He was much more hurt by the betrayal of his younger brother. There were times when he had doubts before, but then there always happened something that made him believe in Eren's involvement. This time he couldn't fool himself anymore. As they say, the truth has been revealed, the milk has been spilled, the cards have been revealed... there was no turning back. Eren was a traitor, a lousy two-faced bastard, and he had to die. Zeke was sure of that.
He looked around for familiar figures and after a while he noticed them nearby. Grisha and Kruger were already at the appointed place. He contacted them moments after he left Eren to exchange information and make an appointment.
The men parked in the shadow of the low building that housed the hangar. Officially, it hasn't been used for many years, or at least since things started to go wrong in their country. Eldia had access to the sea, although it was located in the middle of the continent and was surrounded by other countries. Grisha, however, was not convinced of shipping by sea, so the majority of drugs were shipped by air. It was this abandoned airport that they used many times for their own purposes.
Zeke quickly walked over to his father. There were a few cars, Grisha was still surrounded by a wreath of bodyguards. It was supposed to be like that as long as he still had money to pay them.
The young man stopped a few steps from his father and stared gloomily at him, then said, "It's good that you managed to escape. Did you know they were coming for you?"
"Yes. That's why I was prepared."
"And will... Will they find anything on the spot?"
"Nothing that could drag me down personally," Grisha replied, standing straight with his arms crossed over his chest. Even though he had to evacuate from his own property today, he looked as flawless as ever. With clean, pressed suit trousers and a white shirt he didn't look like a fugitive at all. For some reason he was wearing black latex gloves on his hands.
Kruger, a few steps behind Grisha, was standing with his hands behind his back.
"It's all Eren's fault…" Zeke's voice cracked a little, so the man cleared his throat quickly and assumed his usual irritated expression. His father hated the weak. "He said he has been working with the police for a long time. What are we gonna do now?"
"We have a couple of options. We will consider which of them will be the most favorable" The older Yaeger answered, measuring his son with a colorless glance. Something in his eyes changed, but Zeke didn't notice it. He nodded, then rubbed a hand over his pale chin.
"Anyway, we have to hide for a while. If Eren gives the pigs the locations of all the labs, we'll be left with nothing," Zeke chuckled dissatisfied, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He set fire to one of them and inhaled the smoke. He turned to the direction where his car was, and narrowed his eyes. "I can't believe he really did it. Everything we've built together has been lost. Fucking bastard..."
Grisha took a few steps forward, just to stop right behind his older son.
"Ezekiel... You don't have to worry about that anymore."
Zeke blinked. He couldn't remember the last time Grisha had used this form of his name.
He turned suddenly to ask what his father meant by that, but then the shot of a gun blast broke through the silence surrounding them... first one, the second, and then the third. Zeke's lips parted in surprise, causing the cigarette to fall from his mouth and land on the ground.
Zeke stared shocked at his bullet-riddled chest. He saw blood, a whole sea of blood, and the shots fired from a moment ago were still ringing in his ears. With the last of his strength he looked at his father, who had just lowered his gun. Grisha stared blankly at Zeke, as if he had just performed an ordinary but unpleasant duty. He suddenly handed the gun to Kruger.
"You know what to do with it," The older Yaeger muttered to The Owl.
Grisha's firstborn son stumbled in place, then collapsed to the ground. There was a wheezing noise from his mouth, but it was hard to tell what it meant.
His glasses fell off his nose, and his gray eyes faded forever.