Levi Has A Pet

Summary: Levi has a pet, an unusual one, but it's a pet and he likes it with all of his dark little heart. It's small, undemanding and, most of all, clean. But it's a blast from the past and when word gets out, everyone wants it. Levi has to make sure his unique pet remains his and free. Eren, already done with this BS 2000 years ago, gets dragged into it. He's not complaining, despite his complaining.

A/N: Welp, today is my birthday, so I have one question for y'all: do you want a double update to celebrate? XD

As soon as they were in the abandoned radio station, they started climbing the soot-blackened stairs to the rooftop. The stairs creaked and rattled under their pounding footsteps so Levi forced his brunet companions to slow down and take careful steps lest the stairs collapse under them or attract unwanted attention to the three story building from the outside. Eren was speaking in a hushed, rushed tone to Mikasa over the phone she'd given him and Levi could hear her cursing them out from the other end of the line but Eren took it in stride and explained where they were with Hange's help.

As they stopped on the last floor, Eren hung up and pocketed his phone. "She says she's sending one of her own private helicopters but it will take at least fifteen minutes before it can get to us. We'll have to hunker down and lay low in the meantime."

"I don't think a chopper can land on a building this unstable without it collapsing," Hange observed, looking around at the fire-damaged walls and what was left of the equipment and furniture of the once radio station.

"Not to mention that we don't have clear skies," Levi pointed out grimly. "We need to direct that other chopper to fly away from here and stay away long enough so we can potentially just climb up a ladder to the one Mikasa is sending."

"I think I can be of assistance with that," a new, unexpected but far too familiar voice said and all three of them whirled around, Levi the fastest as he unsheathed a knife and threw it with deadly precision at the unwelcome newcomer. Zeke Jaeger released an unmanly, terrified shriek as he just barely avoided the knife embedding itself into his skull, right between his eyes, but he had no hopes of evading Levi's charge as he tackled him to the ground, the swords he'd drawn from his 3DMG crossed under his neck, nearly strangling and beheading him all at once as Levi stared down at him with dangerous, murderous eyes. Zeke quickly but carefully threw his hands up in a surrendering manner, trying to stop his impending death at the hands of the Ackerman. "No, wait, Levi! Don't be so hasty! I'm not your enemy! I'M NOT YOUR ENEMY!"

"Levi, wait!" Hange called out, carefully approaching the two on the floor. "He remembers-"

"Yes, I can see that, Shitty Glasses, which is why I still haven't skinned him alive, but that won't keep me from doing so for very long unless he explains what the fuck he is doing here, stalking us," he returned in a deadly calm that had Zeke sweating under him like a pig about to be slaughtered. Which wasn't too far from the truth, to be honest. Levi may have had his revenge and fulfilled his promise in their last life, but Zeke had still been part of the hell that was his everyday life for the past two years, so Levi had a whole new grudge against him.

If Zeke turned out to be a danger to Levi, the Hallucigenia or, heavens forbid, his loved ones, there would be no force on this Earth that could prevent Levi from slicing him up to pieces so tiny the wind would be able to scatter the remains as if they were dust.

"If you'd please move your swords away - where the hell did you even get that!? - so I can speak freely without fearing they'll slice into my skin-" Levi pressed his swords into said skin harder, slicing it and causing a trickle of blood to seep out. "Okay! Okay! I wasn't stalking you. Well, technically, I guess you could say that I was, but it's not stalking if you're paid by the government to do so, but that's beside the point," he said hurriedly when he saw Levi was getting pissed. "I'm here to offer my assistance regarding the Hallucigenia. I don't know how much you know about it-"

"We know what it is, what it can and has done and caused, so get to the point," Eren interjected, clearly getting ticked off, too.

"Well, now that we've established that we all remember, as I was saying, I came to offer my help to Levi-"

"Why would I ever accept any assistance or help from you? Especially where the Hallucigenia is concerned?" Levi asked with narrowed eyes. "And why are you suddenly so eager to help? You've spent two years trying to capture me and drag me off to some government secret underground experimentation facility or something and you expect me to believe you've had a sudden change of heart?" He asked with a snort while the only blond present sweated profusely.

"It wasn't sudden. Well, it was when it happened, but that was almost two years ago. At first, when I was chasing you, it was because I thought you didn't remember just like how some other reincarnated Eldians I ran across didn't, like my family and mentor, for instance. And when we first met, I just thought you were some insanely skilled kid who may have been Levi-heichou in his past life but was now just a shadow of him who accidentally made a pet of one of the potentially most dangerous creatures on Earth."

"And what changed your mind?" Hange asked skeptically.

"Well, first, I saw him all but lift an overturned semi truck, trailer and all, off of a couple of my men during a chase gone wrong." Hange and Eren turned towards Levi at that, looking scandalized and hurt that he hadn't shared that story with them. Levi would have rolled his eyes if he wasn't busy still glaring suspiciously down at Zeke at that moment. "Then, a couple of weeks later, we tracked him down to a cafe and I saw him holding his tea cup in that weird way of his. By the way, I'm impressed you've managed to do that with takeout cups without dropping them," he complimented and Levi almost snorted at that. "But I figured that's a mannerism that might have carried over, who knows, right? But I was finally sure a month after that when Dok's and my team planned an ambush at the same time, but they kind of jumped at you first. Let me tell you, it was amazing how he went through them like a warm knife through butter, so my team and I held back as we realized we are seriously undermanned to deal with Levi, and that's when I heard him mutter something about him being sick and tired of ambushes for the next several lives if the Coordinate drags him back to the world of the living again. That's when I started pretending to be after Levi. I mean, I still was, of course, but I only wanted to see just how much he remembers and help him hide with the Hallucigenia in some safe corner of the world where the CIA or other agencies and organizations won't look for him if he lays low. But I definitely wasn't going to hand him over to my superiors or anything. Just like all of you, I presume, I don't want another Titan age."

When the former Beast Titan finally stopped talking, Levi could all but feel Eren and Hange exchange a glance behind his back. "You think he's telling the truth?" The scientist asked the former Attack Titan.

"I don't think he has a reason to lie, at this point," Eren said. "I mean, he came here all by himself and he's not exactly as nearly invincible as he was as a Titan Shifter, and since he remembers, coming here to just piss Levi off would be suicide and he knows it. But you can never be sure with Zeke."

"No, this time, the monkey is telling the truth," Levi said, making all three look at him strangely. "He doesn't want another Titan age and he might not have come here with the intention of taking the Hallucigenia with me, but I still don't trust what he thinks should be the plan on what to do with it."

Zeke arched an eyebrow. "You're ... not going to kill it?"

The Hallucigenia chose that moment to throw its usual temper tantrum when it comes into proximity or contact with a former Shifter, causing Zeke and Hange to flinch while Levi and Eren, too used to this bullshit, didn't even react at all.

"What the hell was that?"

"The Hallucigenia doesn't really like past Shifters besides Eren, well at least at first. It takes some time for it to warm up to them. Most probably because all the other Shifters worked to kill it, one way or another,," Levi replied casually. "It's also more intelligent than we humans can ever imagine, so I figure it was not very happy with your suggestion of its fate," he drawled and was confused when Zeke seemed to let out a relieved breath upon hearing his guess wasn't what the others were planning to do with the ancient animal.

"Oh, good. I really thought you were trying to kill it. I was worried what could have happened to everyone of Eldian heritage if the very source of the Coordinate was suddenly destroyed." Hearing that and seeing that it was an honest, genuine reaction on Zeke's part, Levi finally drew away his swords and got off the taller man. The CIA employed scientist carefully got up to his feet, taking out a handkerchief to wipe away the blood from the shallow cuts Levi had caused. "So, do you guys have an actual plan on what should be done with the Hallucigenia?"

"Levi, are we seriously going to trust him?" Hange asked in a hushed tone when he came to stand by his 100% allies' side, sheathing back his swords.

"We need resources. He can give us that."

"Those same resources can later be used to take the Hallucigenia back at a later date if he's lying," pointed out the former Commander of the Survey Corps and Titan expert wisely.

"I have no reason to lie," defended Zeke with an indignant huff that had all three once Paradis citizens giving him a deadpan stare. "No, seriously! I don't want anyone else getting their hands on the Hallucigenia any more than you do! Do you think I want my mother, baby sister and myself to suddenly one day be experimented on because we possess the blood to turn into Titans? Or to potentially control them?"

"No mention of Grisha, I see," Eren commented in a deadpan voice and Zeke snorted.

"He may have turned out partially redeemable last time around, but this time, I don't know if it's the effect of imprints from the past or if he's just psychotic like that this time around, but he's a real douchebag, a bastard and a fucktard. A real piece of shit, really. He's only ever really kind towards my mother and sister, but I know he cheated on her, considering Eren and all," Zeke said with a nod towards his younger half-brother. "And he may be a good man as anyone who doesn't intimately know him may think, donating to charity and saving lives as a doctor and whatnot, but there are moments when he nearly hit his own old man or when he'd say things to me that don't have a context in this life. He mellowed out a bit after meeting Kruger, I'll admit, and ever since Faye was born, he is all unicorns and rainbows. He even let up a little on the obsession he had with your mother, I'm guessing. Carla, right?" Eren nodded. "Yeah, she might get some real peace from him soon. It's interesting how he never tried to search for you, little brother."

"Yeah, well, that may be because I nearly stabbed him to death as a nine year old after finding out about his other family while going through his phone." Zeke and Hange stared at Eren when he casually said that, turning to see Levi was just as unfazed by it, before both scientists decided it would be best for their peace of mind not to think about it. "I'm guessing you found out about me and my mom while going through his shit, too?"

"Yup."

"He really did turn out to be a bastard this time around," grumbled Eren with a pissed off glare.

"He really, really did. I had high hopes for him for this life, too," Zeke says with a sigh. "Such a disappointment. But oh well! Fuckers will be fuckers, what can I say. That aside, how did you guys meet?"

"Oh shit, here we go again," Levi grumbled to himself so it seems Eren took pity on him and answered all of Zeke's questions. At this point, they both knew the story like the back of their hand and it didn't matter which one of them was telling it. It was funny being able to just watch someone's reaction to the mess that was Levi's life and how he re-acquired his old squad one by one. Of course, the retelling took some time, but at least Eren had insisted Zeke redirect at least his crew to a whole different part of the neighborhood and it seems that the rest of the search force followed. They were all probably spying on each other, anyways, so Levi wasn't too surprised by how quickly others raced to 'get to Levi' before anyone else. He's pretty sure at least three different agencies were currently chasing him, so to have at least the chopper redirected would be a blessing. And speaking of the chopper ... "Bless Mikasa for being as efficiently obsessed with Eren as ever."

"She's just in love," defended Zeke while Eren sputtered some sort of denial, caught off guard by the comment. Levi snorted at both Jaegers.

"Yes, well, Falco was in love with Gabi and he had no problem with calling her out on her bullshit. Same with Moblit and Hange or even Jean and Mikasa, Armin and Annie, Pieck and Porco, I'm guessing, Historia and Ymi-"

"Okay, I get it, sheesh," Zeke grumbled as he followed after Levi with Eren and Hange bringing up the rear, just to make sure there was no monkey business. (Yes, pun fully intended.) "But still, she's an Ackerman, the Ackerbond makes things like feelings a bit more intense, after all."

Levi paused and leveled Zeke with the most deadpan look he's ever made and he's best friends with Hange Zoe for two lifetimes and the babysitter of a dangerous living weapon to boot. "Now that's just bullshit. Ackerbond? Are you talking about the shit Eren spewed to try and make his friends hate him? Because let me tell you right now, that shit ain't real. Just because we care about someone a bit more intensely than others does not make them some sort of 'host' to our powers. Like, the fuck? If I didn't know better, I'd say you two were reading too much fanfiction, but that didn't exist in our time so even that can't excuse your idiocy."

"Wait, Levi, you know about fanfiction?" Hange asked and Levi snorted.

"Armin's a nerd." Eren smacked his own forehead at learning that his best friend had attempted to lure their once Heichou to share his hobby after Eren refused. Levi had honestly been surprised by Armin's daring, too, and the communities the blond had shown him would have probably been a lot more interesting if Levi had had the luxuries of actually keeping up with the rest of the world pop culture wise. He may be knowledgeable about some things - for instance, when he'd discussed the 'Megalodon bullshit' with Eren that first day they'd reunited, but that's some of the rare instances when Levi could stay in motels with internet or good cable or when he had to sneak into a movie theater of all places to avoid pursuers. Though he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thoroughly enjoyed that movie.

"Yeah. Do you know he forced me to watch Hunger Games just so we could discuss who should be with Katniss? As if I haven't seen those movies already! He also tried making me watch the seasons of Game of Thrones that I missed but there was no way in hell I was going to ruin the whole series for myself by watching the last season. I travel a lot; I hear a lot of different opinions. It's a rare good review that I've heard about the last season," Levi said with a huff, getting annoyed all over again as he remembered how insistent Armin had been. It had been annoying. Extremely. "Though I am grateful to him for introducing me to Squid Games. It has a lot of potential. Though I can't get that damn doll-robot's 'song' out of my head."

"Have you watched Stranger Things? Or The Walking Dead? They're great," Zeke said, subtly trying to recommend the shows to the former soldier but Eren shot him a dangerous look at that. Because Eren Jaeger did not need more of 'Armins' in his life, thank you very much. It was almost as bad as the MCU shipwars!

"I actually prefer movies, since I can't really dedicate the time to follow a series through," Levi replied as they finally reached the roof and he kicked the door open. There was a ladder dangling in the middle of the roof and when he looked up, he saw none other than Mikasa waving them up. Her face went dangerously blank when she saw Zeke and even from here, Levi could make out the questioning look she gave him. He shook his head, a silent signal to let it be for the moment, as they approached the ladder. "Though I wish I could have finished Lucifer. I heard that the fourth and fifth season were an emotional roller coaster from hell, pun intended."

"And the sixth?" Hange asked excitedly, obviously an avid fan of the show. Levi wasn't even surprised. Hange liked to question things in life, which is why she had never been even remotely religious. And Lucifer subtly or not so subtly questioned a lot of things about the modern day understanding of faith and God and heaven and hell. And the devil of course.

"There's a lot of mixed opinions, so I don't know what to think. Season five was clearly ended the way it was so they could make a season six but from what I've heard, season four's ending was probably the most realistic and impactful ending the show could have had. Sad, but unforgettable."

"Try more like 'getting stabbed in the heart with the flaming sword'," Zeke scoffed and Hange, who had watched it, had to nod.

"I know, right!? I was so relieved when I saw another season will be coming out, but I guess I have to agree that that ending was the most realistic. Though, Levi, when we watch the last season together to catch you up on things, we better fucking prepare a shit ton of tissues and ice cream, because believe you me, my short and grumpy friend, you'll ba bawling your eyes out, your heart will be in fragments that can never be glued back together again and you'll wish Lucifer ended in season four!"

"Hey, call me when you watch it, you hear?!" Zeke whined and Eren facepalmed. Levi wondered what Eren actually did in his free time to relax if he was so against movies and TV series. Well, no, that's not right. Eren just didn't care enough, not the way Armin did, or Zeke and Hange seemed to. Levi honestly still preferred books, just like he preferred tea over coffee, but even he liked going to the cinema or curling up on a couch and letting his brain rot away while watching something ultimately insignificant for his overall life.

"Can't we finish this discussion some other time?" Eren asked, exasperated, looking pleadingly at Levi, who just shrugged. Hey, they all needed to relax sometime, especially since they constantly kept running around escaping assassination or capture attempts.

"Let's just get back to safety," Levi said and Eren gave a small, sarcastic cheer that had a smirk tugging up the corners of his mouth.

Mikasa, as was expected of her, had Zeke at gunpoint as soon as he climbed into the helicopter. He didn't seem overly fazed as he strapped himself in while the rest of them got to their seats. "What is he doing here?" She asked of Levi, deferring to him even after who knows how many years of him not being her superior officer. Well, it could be that she was deferring to him for some form of sanity, considering his only other companions are Hange and Eren, neither of whom could be called sane. Well, neither was Levi, if he's being honest, but he's so calm and collected people usually mistook it for sanity.

"The monkey's going with us. He remembers and doesn't want the Hallucigenia getting into anyone's hands and he'll help us dump it into the Mariana Trench," he summarized as Zeke waved in a friendly manner to the Azumabito, who only eyed him suspiciously. She did half-hug Hange when the scientist sidled up to her. Eren, as was customary at this point, took a seat next to Levi and they both strapped in.

"So that's the plan?" Mikasa asked and Hange started explaining how they all decided that it was, indeed, the safest way to deal with the Cambrian creature currently acting as Levi's pet. Mikasa shared a look with Levi, both of them somehow silently understanding that they might need to work together again if they want this crazy plan to work, with or without Zeke's assistance in getting to the Trench. There's no way Erwin will fall for Zeke's distraction plan for long, especially when it gets out that a ship equipped with strong sonars sailed off the coast of Japan after Levi's presence was confirmed in Tokyo. "Well, I guess it's a good thing the priest cancelled on us at the last minute and the wedding was postponed for a week."

"Wait, what?" Eren asked, sounding indignant on his once adoptive sister's behalf. "What the hell, Mikasa?! Why are you so chill about this!?"

Zeke, on the other hand, seemed impressed. "Damn, little brother, you're not in Japan for even a week and you already bagged yourself your past life childhood sweetheart! You work fast." Three of the four former Paradis residents gave him a blank stare. "What?"

Hange seemed more interested in interrogating Mikasa about the decor than Zeke's confusion over the groom.

"Zeke, what the actual fuck? She's practically my sister!"

"I'm marrying Jean, you idiot."

"You really need to learn to keep your mouth shut, beardo. You can spew less shit like that."

Zeke looked dumbfounded. Eren cut him off before he could say anything else. "We can talk later. Just shut up or I'll let Levi throw you out over a busy intersection or something. Or better yet, I'll do it myself."

"Okay, geeze, wow!" The only blond present relented and the rest of the ride was spent in relative quiet, only the pilots saying anything as they flew them away. To what turns out to be a private penthouse belonging to Mikasa's younger brother, who was out of town at the moment so he won't be disturbing the Eldians as they plan out how to do what they want to do and lay low in the process.

Just as they were about to land, the pilot seemed to have some problems with flight control. Or whoever was on the radio.

"This is a private aircraft, belonging to the Azumabito family, about to land on a designated private airstrip," he could be heard saying through the speakers in the headphones everyone had to wear. When he continued, it was clear he was used to the family name stopping any further questioning. "Yes, I do have permission from air traffic control. Yes, I do have landing permission. I already told you I have landing permission. Sir- No, you listen to me, sir, you are disrupting the landing protocol." A moment of silence before the pilot seemed to concede. "Very well. We're turning this bird around and heading to the airstrip you assigned us. Over and out." The pilot then turned around and met Mikasa's gaze. "Mikasa-sama, it seems you will have to get out how they got in," he said with a nod towards the four guest passengers. "Some idiot managed to push everyone into doing as he says and he wants all helicopters back to the main airport for some reason. We can hover above the landing strip long enough for you all to quickly get down-"

But Mikasa shook her head. "I'll go with you. That way, you'll have an excuse for flying and they won't discover our man inside." Her eyes turned hard and dangerous. "Not a word about this, to anyone. If I find out so much as a koi knowing about this, your bodies will never be found."

"No worries, Mikasa-sama," the co-pilot reassured with a grin and Levi jolted when he recognized Farlan. Older, nearly in his forties with a slightly receding hairline and a light stubble, but Farlan Church nonetheless. "We'd never even imagine saying anything about the orgy you and your European hubby are planning!"

"I swear I have no idea how you landed this job."

"Don't be like that! I watched you grow up! I grew up with your otou-san! And I'm the best damn chopper pilot in the skies! Of course I got the job."

"You're the most annoying pilot in the skies, that's for sure."

"Don't make me pull out embarrassing childhood stories-"

"Just get out of the damn chopper!" Levi finally snapped, already unstrapped and having thrown out the ladder. "You first, blond bimbo."

"Why do you have to be so rude? Don't you know I'm human, too? Wh-"

"Get the fuck out before I throw you out." Zeke, for once, listened and did as he was told. As he somewhat clumsily clambered down, Levi turned to his once comrades. "Is there any one of you who never exercised on a ladder?" He was surprised that Mikasa raised her hand with Hange. He wasn't surprised Eren didn't. "Right. Mikasa, get on my back. Hange, cling to my front. Eren, here," he said as he thrust his backpack at the brunet man. "We'll go first, since I'm faster, but don't wait to follow us and for fuck's sake, don't take your time."

"Right," Eren replied as he put on the backpack.

"But I said-"

"They can say they were picking you up, instead of dropping you off," Levi countered. "You're from a yakuza, Mikasa. You're allowed and expected to be suspicious and secretive. Now get in the damn position already."

"We'll take care of it, Mikasa-sama," promised both pilots and so the decision was made.

Mikasa and Hange finally both did as they were told, finding ways to cling to Levi without overbalancing him, restraining his limbs or air supply or making the other lose her grip. They did it as quickly and efficiently as they could and just in time, as Zeke had finally reached the ground when Levi checked outside the chopper. "Hold on tight and please don't scream or else I'm tossing your ass off right away."

"No promises!" Hange teasingly sang while Mikasa just nodded.

With that, Levi all but vaulted out of the chopper and Hange did actually scream a little. Even Mikasa tightened her grip on him and he actually heard Zeke shout in fright before Levi maneuvered his body so his hands would catch the hanging ladder and he all but rode the thing down like it was a fireman's pole. It left rather ugly rope burns on his hands but efficiency and haste were of the utmost importance if they didn't want the chopper staying in one place for long enough for the ATC to grow suspicious, or rather whoever was bossing them around. Probably Erwin, or who knows, maybe even Nile? Levi hasn't seen Nile in a long time. He's not as good of a stalker as Zeke and Erwin are.

Eren was also efficiently quick as he climbed down, body trained to use his long limbs for better reach and he jumped off about four meters down and tucked then rolled to rid himself of the additional momentum to spare his legs from injury. Hange and Mikasa had detangled themselves from Levi by then and the former Attack Titan easily handed back the backpack to Levi.

"I can't say I liked that," Hange said, trying to fix her hair which had gone every which way during the hectic trip down. "Why couldn't you have just used the gear instead of doing that near suicidal stunt?"

"Hange, I've done much riskier things with less assurance that I can catch my fall with either the gear or my own hands. Believe me, I know what I was doing. The chances of us being splatters on this roof were so slim not even air could squeeze through," Levi reassured as Mikasa waved off the chopper and then instructed them to follow her. "Let's just get inside. We still have a lot to talk about and a whole lot more planning and explaining to do."

"I'm surprised Armin hasn't said anything," Eren commented as he walked in step with Levi as they all followed Mikasa to the elevator that would take them down to the penthouse.

"We were all a bit busy with the reunions," replied Mikasa to the unvoiced question. "We had to seriously discourage Reiner from forcing Pieck to call Porco so he can apologize to him like there is no tomorrow and possibly his no wiser brother, Marcel. We also had to pry a sobbing Gabi off of Sasha and stop Connie and Jean from panicking that she might shoot her again. Jean made me hide all of the artillery we have in the penthouse, just to be safe. It took up a good portion of our day so far. By the way, where are Moblit, Petra and Mike? Oh, and that redhead Eren simping shitstain?"

"Okay, now I can see the family resemblance." Both Mikasa and Levi rolled their eyes at that comment from, you guessed it, Zeke. "Besides the being scary and strong thing, that is."

"Zeke?" Eren called vaguely questioningly.

"Yes, baby brother?"

"Shut the fuck up."