Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Romance, Comedy, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Urban Fantasy, Human Erwin Smith, Shapeshifting, Cat Shifter Levi Ackerman, Catboy Levi, (literally), Monkey Shifter Zeke Yeager, Bird Shifter Eren Yeager, Colony Rivalries & Territory Control, Minor Violence, clueless Erwin is caught in the middle of this, no this has nothing to do with the movie Blue is the Warmest Color lol

A/N: Thank you to Dyta, my irl 'normie' friend + mother of 2 cats + my alpha reader who has never watched/read AoT before lol; Zei, my beloved beta reader who I met through the matchmaking event; and Janet, the awesome artist who made the equally awesome art for this fic (you can find the art on their Twitter (xshadowgirl89x)). Y'all are such gems!

PS. The story takes place in our modern universe, but I don't want to mention any specific location, which is why they'll be named after canon places.


chapter one


The second words blur under his gaze, Erwin knows it's time for a break.

His navy blue reading glasses come off first and he puts them next to the sales report on the brown walnut desk. Fatigued movement void of grace—a bear mimicking a sloth. He massages the bridge of his nose where the glasses made deep, red marks.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

He lays back on the thick of his brown leather chair, but doesn't let his heavy body sink too deep. Restarting work is harder when you are too comfortable, though he lets his eyes glance at the broad expanse of his office window. He allows himself at least this much.

The yellow on black city lights is a better view than the black on white of the sales report. The haze-covered city doesn't feel as suffocating when seen 700 ft above the ground, especially when raindrops barrage down on it mercilessly like now. Erwin's betting on which raindrop travels down his windowpane fastest. It's the smallest bit of fun he's had that day. He allows himself at least this much.

His phone buzzes.

Erwin grabs the device from his desk and smiles at what he sees on the screen.

"i know its already late and the days almost over but better late than never. so happy birthday pal. marie and the kids send they're regards. we should grab a drink when you come over next time"

There's a great itch to correct Nile's its and days and they're and your amongst other things. Instead, he opts to send a simple Thank you, Nile. I will let you and Marie know when I'm around instead. It's not worth getting scolded by Marie if Nile confided in her over Erwin's teasing.

Erwin's never good at handling Marie, the woman he was betrothed to before she broke it off with him in their shared living room. He no longer has any feelings for his high school sweetheart now. That was twenty years ago. But that doesn't mean her words then don't pierce him still.

"I'm really sorry, Erwin. But I think you love your job more than anything else. More than me, sure, but more importantly, more than yourself. Maybe you should… reconsider your priorities."

The words hurt, but only because they're true. This is the path he has chosen. He may not do this for himself, but these sacrifices are worth everything if it means paying back his father for raising him alone in this foreign land. He'd seen firsthand how much his father had given up for him and his future. It's time for him to return his blood, sweat, and tears now. And if Marie could not understand him, then it wasn't his fault. Marie didn't live the life he lived.

He and his father are living comfortably now, but old habits die hard. It's been twenty years since the breakup and nothing much has changed.

He's forty-five today.

"Happy forty-fifth birthday, Erwin Smith," he whispers to the skyscrapers, the cumulonimbus, and the moving vehicles 700 ft below him.

He gets no reply, but that doesn't matter because he's no stranger to the silence. He's not meant for love. Not built for affection. Kindness is unbecoming of him. And it's all fine because he couldn't have simply given up on his father's dream.

…right?

Erwin puts his glasses back on and continues reviewing the sales report.


"I'm sorry, Sir. Your order's taking longer than expected, so we're gonna have to ask you to pull forward."

There's no car behind him, but he knows better than to be a Karen at 11pm—no matter how much his stomach craves a midnight snack. He wordlessly parks his blue BMW at the waiting bay, scrolling through the news feed on his phone while he waits. His car windows quickly fog up as the warm, heater-induced air licks the cold glass.

Erwin doesn't even know how long he's been waiting, too lost in market updates and news about the company's competitors. But a few knocks on his window finally pull Erwin out of his reverie. He wipes the foggy glass quickly to see the server standing on the other side, Erwin's food in one hand and a green umbrella in the other. Erwin rolls the window down and takes the food with a simple thank you. Should've been a done deal then, but the server stays where he stands, blue eyes searching the ground.

Erwin frowns. "What is it?"

"Do you hear that, Sir?"

Erwin perks his ears only to hear the rain. "I hear nothing, I'm afraid."

"There was a meow just now," the server tilts his head to peek below the undercarriage. "I think… there's a cat hiding under your car, Sir."

Erwin's frown deepens. "What do you mean, there's a cat hiding under my car?"

The server points at a vague space beneath Erwin's car before ducking down and disappearing from his line of sight. It is at that moment that Erwin hears it too—the meow. Or meows, really, as the high-pitched sound repeats. "It's there!" The server exclaims. He then clicks his tongue repeatedly to call the cat. Erwin can hear him snap his fingers, too. "C'mon, buddy. C'mere. Pspspspsps Yup, gotcha—OUCH! It bit me!"

Erwin pulls his window back up before grabbing his own maroon umbrella and joining the server. As he crouches down and peeks below the undercarriage, he sees it: a small, black ball of fur hissing at the two humans. The black cat must've taken shelter from the icy rain under Erwin's BMW—its engine running, providing adequate warmth for the rain-soaked little thing.

The cat's growls and hisses are much louder now that Erwin gravitates closer. Can't pick up if it's fear, anger, hunger, or something else entirely. All Erwin knows is that it's almost midnight and he can't go home if the cat stays under his car, trapping him in the middle of a fast-food restaurant parking lot in the middle of the week. So Erwin reaches out his hand and tries to usher the cat gently, but is met with a scratch. It stings a little and he jerks at that, yet Erwin proceeds. He's now pinching the scruff of the cat's neck and pulling the cat out of the undercarriage.

He notices it immediately as the cat's exposed to the harsh lights, but it is the server who speaks first: "He's bleeding!"

The server's right—fresh, deep red blood. It's gushing out from an injury that looks like a deep cut, carved from above the cat's right eye, all the way to his chin. There's something off about his left hind leg too, bent and twisted slightly to the side. Despite his injuries, the cat still tries his best to scratch and bite Erwin's hand. Growls menacingly at him, too.

Erwin glances at his watch. Almost midnight. He can leave the cat be. He can just drive home now and have enough hours of sleep to wake up energized tomorrow. There's an important internal meeting at 8am he can't afford to be late to. He has no time for this. He has to go home now. It's just a cat.

But then… why can't he bring himself to leave?

Erwin takes a long look at the bloodied cat now and knows that there's only one thing he needs to do. "Do you happen to know any vet clinic nearby?" he asks the server without even looking at him.

"There's one twenty minutes away from here. It's twenty-four-seven," Erwin registers the server's quick response. Something tells him the server must've had a pet on his own.

With another thank you, Erwin places the protesting cat in the car (with great effort) and drives to the address the server gives him.

What, or rather who, first greets him (and the cat) in the clinic is a tall woman manning the empty reception. She has blonde, bowl-cut hair and a pair of blue jeans that are definitely a few sizes too big for her. "Good evening. How may I help you?" She says with a smile so foxy it may imply a dead body beneath her desk.

Erwin fakes a cough. "This cat seems to have injured itself. Can he get treatment at this hour?"

"Why yes, of course. Dr. Onyankopon is currently on shift. Is this your first time here?"

Erwin nods, prompting the woman to fish a sheet of paper from a stack behind her and lay it in front of Erwin. "Just fill this form here." She then casts a quick glance at the cat in Erwin's embrace. "I'll take the cat from you and weigh him."

If Erwin thought the cat would at least cooperate with a vet staff, well… he was wrong. The black cat is still very much adamant in clawing and hissing at any human that comes near. The receptionist—or rather, veterinary technician, as she corrects Erwin with disdain—seems to be experienced at this. She puts on a pair of yellow gloves and brings the cat to a scale in the corner swiftly.

Finally freed from the cat, Erwin studies the form before frowning at one question. "The cat doesn't have a name. I found him in a parking lot."

The woman shrugs. "Feel free to come up with anything. It's just for formality."

Erwin taps the desk repeatedly as he lets his mind wander. Cat is an obvious choice—factual and can also be short for Catherine or Cathy. But the name doesn't fit the feisty black cat somehow. Coal? Black? Night? Dark? No. Erwin realizes he's terrible at this.

When nothing comes to his mind, he glances at the cat and the technician, and sees the printed Levi Strauss & Co. on the waistband of the woman's oversized jeans.

An imaginary lightbulb lights above Erwin's head.

He picks up the pen on the desk and writes Levi.

It's an easy ordeal afterward. Dr. Onyankopon tells Erwin what he already knows—"I'm skeptical we can save his right eye, but we can try"—and what he speculates—"He broke his left rear limb too". Both conditions need surgery and a few days of hospitalization, which Erwin happily complies with.

There is one thing that clouds his mind leading up to his next appointment, though, slipping through every crack of his consciousness even during office hours: There's no microchip nor tattoos, he remembers Dr. Onyankopon said. The little fella might need a place to heal his injury.

"Any word from that second shelter, Mike?" He looks up at the tall man with a homburg hat by his side. They're waiting for the valet to bring Erwin's car to the hotel's portes-cochères. The luxurious hotel is not a typical place to close business deals, but this whale is notoriously difficult and has plenty of side demands—which is why Erwin is called to help. It was nothing he couldn't handle, of course. The client was smiling so widely when Erwin and his team bid him goodbye just now.

"Unfortunately, they're putting you on a waiting list too."

"And that rescue?"

Mike shakes his head.

Erwin sighs. "Are you sure you and your wife don't want another cat?" He asks, even though he already knows the answer because he'd asked the same question a few days ago.

"Apologies, Sir. We'd really love to. But as I've told you before, we're a bit swamped now that our baby's in the picture." Mike hands him his ivy green leather satchel. He sniffs a little as he does that, a habit of his that Erwin noticed long ago. "With all due respect, Sir. Have you… thought of fostering the cat?"

He has. The prospect has been rotting his mind ever since Mike told him the first shelter couldn't take Levi in. He's not even sure why he hesitates. He's Erwin Smith. He can do anything he puts his mind to—always have and always will. And yet… this is different. Completely uncharted territory.

"And risk the cat dying under my care?" Erwin snorts as he takes the satchel. Then he continues with a small voice. "I've never had a pet before." My father's allergic to them and it wouldn't be wise for us to raise a pet that time anyway, he wants to add, but doesn't. It matters not that he's known Mike for almost ten years now. His rough childhood isn't something he feels needed to be disclosed.

Mike shrugs and sniffs again. "We didn't have any pets either when we rescued our first dog."

Erwin is quiet for a while, letting the suggestion marinate his psyche.

There's no reason why he can't foster the cat now. He has the money and energy to do that. He needs to finish what he started. He was the one who brought the cat to the vet in the first place anyway. Fostering him is only an extension of it, at least until they can find him a better place to stay or let him be healed enough to be released.

Just as the thought crystallizes in his mind, his blue BMW enters the portes-cochères, and stops right in front of him. The valet driver gives Erwin back his key, and, in return, receives a thanks and a tip. Erwin is about to enter his car, but he pauses, and looks up at Mike instead. Then, "I think you're right about me fostering the cat, Mike."

A smile blossoms on Mike's face. "You know where to find me if you ever need pet-related advice."

Erwin smiles slightly before settling himself in the driver's seat. "I'll note that. Thank you, Mike."


He's back at the vet now for his next appointment, armed with abundant pet-related advice he got from Mike and from his own research.

The vet clinic is busier today. There are a few pet owners sitting in the reception area, and there are more animals inside the recovery area. He's standing awkwardly in said room where the large, transparent cages line one side of the wall from top to bottom. A rabbit, a monkey, three dogs, one parrot that keeps on shouting 'how are you' to him and Dr. Onyankopon, two cats (one of which is Levi), and a—hold on. Erwin blinks his eyes. Is that a skunk?

"Alright, Levi. Let's move you to your new home, shall we?" Dr. Onyankopon's voice prompts Erwin to turn around. He watches silently as the vet takes Levi out of his blanket-covered cage and into a red, feral cat den on the table in the middle of the room. The cat is wearing an Elizabethan collar now and Erwin finds the contrast between Levi's small, grumpy face and the flower-patterned pink collar amusing.

The cat's struggling against Dr. Onyankopon, but that is to be expected. What Erwin and the vet don't expect, though, is Levi turning his head to one of the other cages and suddenly hisses and growls at it—even much more hostile than he ever did to Erwin or other humans. Erwin peeks inside said cage and notes a monkey with a bandaged neck bundled up at one corner. The monkey's taking in Levi's extreme hostility with fear and anxiety as it visibly shakes.

"Whoa, whoa… what's going on, fella?" Dr. Onyankopon uses his saccharine-laden tone with the feline. It reminds Erwin of how adults like to coo babies. The vet then looks at Erwin as he hands him the den. "He's been quite aggressive to me and Yelena too, but he gets along well with other animals so far. It's strange that he's suddenly aggressive to this new guy."

"Perhaps the monkey did something bad to Levi in his previous life." One corner of Erwin's lips lifts slightly—he likes to think he's funny. He takes the den from Dr. Onyankopon and closes the porthole on it so the cat can't see the monkey. Out of sight, out of mind.

"You should consider writing stories, Mr. Smith. That's one heck of a brain you got inside your skull."

Erwin snorts. "As the youths call it, I'm just full of bullshit. But I suppose that's why I'm working in sales."

Dr. Onyankopon chuckles good-naturedly before ushering Erwin to his office and proceeds to tell him all he needs to know not to let his cat die foolishly post-operation. Tells him to bring the cat in two weeks for neuter and a follow-up appointment, too, and shows him the hallway connecting the clinic to the adjacent pet store.

Erwin quickly gathers everything Levi needs there. He goes through the list Mike had written him: a litter box? Check. Food and water bowls? Check. Special food suggested by the vet? Check. Cat bed? Check. Collar? Check. Toys?

Erwin looks down at the heaps of colorful pet toys filling his basket to the brim.

Check.

He's approaching the cash register when he hears Levi meow loudly. Erwin doesn't think much about it and keeps walking, but the meow repeats. Erwin finally lifts the den up to his line of sight and notices that Levi's been peeking out of his porthole this whole time. "What is it?" He asks, as if Levi can answer.

And to his surprise, he did. Well, as best as a cat can—which is to stare with his one good eye at a specific area behind Erwin and meow again.

Erwin raises an eyebrow before following Levi's stare and finds himself looking at a giant, most extravagant cat tree he has ever seen, with white ropes and stairs and bridges and towers that reach the ceiling. His jaw drops. "Don't tell me you want this," he whispers to himself in disbelief. As if understanding what he just says, Levi meows again. A shorter sound this time, something akin to an affirmation.

Erwin chooses not to dwell on the mystery of how his cat can understand him and peeks at the tag instead. He gulps. $547.46? For a cat that probably won't use it until his leg is healed? For a cat that most likely will leave in a few weeks?

Erwin ignores the tree and walks to the cash register again, but Levi meows louder. Getting frustrated, Erwin lifts the den again and says sternly, "No."

"Meow."

"No."

"Meoowww."

"Your leg is injured."

"Meeeeoooowwwww."

"You're going to leave in a few weeks."

"MEEEEEEOOOOOWWWW!"

Erwin Smith may have had 'Vice President, Sales' printed on his gray, shiny business card and years of sales negotiation experience under his belt.

But today?

He loses a negotiation to a cat.


As if buying and assembling the cursed cat tree aren't enough to dampen his mood that evening, Erwin's apartment's heating breaks down on him. It's not a central thing because his neighbors don't experience it either, but he still can't figure out what's wrong. He tries to ring the building technicians, but it's late and none of them are picking up the call.

Erwin sighs as he puts his phone down. He then looks at Levi, currently laying down inside his cozy peach-colored igloo bed. The cat has just eaten his meal with a dose of pain reliever and antibiotics.

"So, I suppose it's true? Black cats bring bad luck?"

Levi turns to him with a stare that can only be described as a deadpan. He turns his face away within another second.

Erwin sighs again. "I suppose it is better than letting you die that night." He picks up the collar he has bought and sits down on the carpeted floor in front of the cat. "I am aware that you dislike humans, but please try not to scratch me when I put this on you, alright? This is for your own safety."

Erwin doesn't know why he keeps talking to the cat, but he feels that the cat is more intelligent than he thinks—if Levi's previous reactions to him are of any sign.

He prepares a snack, though, trying to come off as friendly and harmless as he can to the cat. He unbuckles the white collar and brings it carefully closer to the cat. Hands ready to retract at any sign of aggression, but it never comes. He encircles the collar behind Levi's Elizabethan one and buckles it back with ease. The bell attached to the collar jiggles with every movement, producing a pleasant sound.

Erwin pulls his hands back in haste, slightly worried that Levi may change his mind and attacks him, but the cat is now lazily staring back at him.

Erwin smiles at his minor success. This feels just like closing a good deal. No, this feels more satisfying than that. "Now we're both white collars," he puns and laughs at his own dad joke. Half expects the cat to meow too, perhaps join him in the laugh as if he understands everything Erwin says.

The cat yawns instead.

Erwin's face sours at the cat's audacity.

Heartbroken from the lack of appreciation of his dad joke, Erwin fishes for his reading glasses and laptop, and climbs onto the bed. He still needs to reply to emails and check his LinkedIn. He does them all with his lower body tucked under the warmth of his thick comforter, but the rest of his body is freezing cold due to exposure to the chill air.

Speaking of chill air, he needs to send Mike a message to let him know he'll be late tomorrow to oversee the heating's repair.

Erwin is just about to hit the send button before he hears a small meow near the bed.

He peers down from its edge to find Levi dragging his injured leg from his bed and stares up at him, his little body shivering slightly. Realization dawns upon Erwin. "Is your bed not warm enough?"

Erwin climbs down from his bed to get an extra blanket from his wardrobe, but stops when he hears Levi meow again. Erwin looks down at him and sees the cat jerking his head towards the bed. "You want to get on the bed with me? I… reckon that should be alright," he mumbles to himself as he silently prays that Levi won't pee or poop on his bed. He's lucky the cat has been faring alright in that department so far.

Erwin picks Levi up from the ground to let him stay beside him beneath the bedcover, positioning him in a way that won't pressure his injured leg. The small creature is plastered on one side of Erwin's hip, his Elizabethan collar poking painfully at Erwin's side. Erwin tries not to mind and continues working on his laptop until drowsiness visits him.

He finally gives up, and puts his laptop and glasses away to slide down the bed, letting himself be buried deeper under the cover. Levi, who's almost asleep, jerks awake at the movement, and repositions himself near the crook of Erwin's neck.

This night Erwin dreams of white collars, monstrous cat trees, and pink Elizabethan collars that keep poking his cheek.


There is someone with him when he opens his eyes.

No. Let's elaborate on that.

There is an unknown man (the guy's morning wood poking his right thigh) curled next to him (the guy's delicate right hand fisted loosely, half-covering his scarred face) on his bed (his slender yet muscular legs wrapping loosely around Erwin's) when he opens his eyes.

Erwin feels his own shaft waking up, too. Body, don't be gay at this hour. I have building technicians to call and broken heating to repair; he thinks to himself.

He moves away from the man slowly to not wake him up but fails. The unknown man shifts slightly before rubbing his eyes with that fisted hand. Takes a while before he uncurls himself, and stretches his body languidly with eyes still closed, arms raised high as they touch the bedframe. Erwin can see his back curving and hear him purr.

Has Erwin told you the man's naked from the tips of his black locks (what are those things protruding from his head?) to the small of his toes?

Yeah. The man's naked. Completely naked as the day he was born.

He finally opens his eye after the stretch and Erwin realizes that his right eye looks cloudy. "I'm hungr—oh. Shit." His eyes widen as he takes in Erwin's even wider ones. The man looks down at himself in shock. "Dammit! I let my guard down." The man instantly moves back a little, body tense. The things on his head rotate to the sides.

Erwin glances briefly to the space on the bed near the man's body, and notes a ripped white collar and an opened Elizabethan collar. Wait. Where is Levi?

Erwin searches around for the tiny ball of fur. No. Levi's nowhere within sight. "Who are you and what did you do to my cat?" His voice is rough. Doesn't know if it comes from a place of anger, or if it's because he has just woken up. He settles for both.

The man growls. "Your cat? Tch. I belong to no one."

He studies the man longer now and takes in the stitches going from his chin to the right side of his forehead. For extra measure, he glances at the man's long legs to find that one of them is bandaged. He connects the dots and stares into the man's eyes—one gray and one cloudy. "Levi?"

"Stop calling me that. My name is meow."

Erwin's frown is so deep it can tutor philosophy. "Meow?"

"No. Not meow, but meow."

Erwin blinks. "So… Meow?"

"No, that's a whole 'nother word! I told you. It's meow!"

Exasperated, Erwin raises his voice slightly this time. "Apologies for butchering your name, but I tried."

The man sighs. "Forget it. You humans are stupid. Just keep calling me Levi, then."

Erwin tries to stay focused on the man, but the moving things above his head keep distracting him. "Are those—are those cat ears?"

He simply asks out of curiosity. He hasn't even tried to reach let alone touch them yet, but the man quickly hides them with his hands. "Don't touch them. They're sensitive. Don't touch my tail either, or you'll die."

Erwin blinks, then shifts a little to look behind the man. There it is. He's right. He doesn't even notice until the man has pointed it out—there's a black tail swishing from side to side. This is absurd. Ridiculous. He has questions. Plenty of questions, actually. There's no logic or scientific explanation for this. He can't help but be skeptical.

"If you think this prank is funny, I assure you, it's not. I request you to return my cat and leave my apartment immediately," he says sternly instead. Of course, Erwin doesn't believe him. This is a stranger—a stranger who might have just murdered his cat and pretended to be… to be said cat. How absurd is that? What kind of lunatic would commit a federal crime of identity theft with a victim of a… of a cat?

Said lunatic rolls his eyes. "It's too late now. I'm out of my colony's territory because you took me here against my will. Going out now in this state is suicide. I need to wait at least until my leg's healed."

There are two things running through Erwin's mind after hearing that: first, is that he finally finds someone whose bullshitting game is as good as his, if not better; second, is that the man knows about him rescuing the cat that night. Does that mean not only that he's an animal abuser and identity thief, but he's also a stalker? Erwin wonders how badly the list can go on, but doesn't want to jinx it.

"I can tell you don't believe me," the man says flatly.

Erwin reaches for his phone quickly and types the police's number. His thumb hovers over the green button but doesn't press. "If you do not leave my apartment, I will call the police."

The man groans loudly. "For dog's sake, you humans are always pissing me off. Fine." The man suddenly bends down and presses his torso on the bed, both arms bent on his sides with palms laid on the sheet. Erwin withdraws to the edge of the bed in case the man is about to pounce at him. That's what it looks like he's about to do.

Only, that's not the case at all.

There's no dramatic sound effects nor smoke nor lights coming down from the sky. Erwin can see it clearly as what it is: the man's form morphing into another. It isn't pretty. The man's no twin-tailed sailor girl doing a bedazzling transformation.

It starts with the tips of his limbs—or paws, perhaps—where they're rapidly covered in a thin layer of black hair. The black hair spread to the rest of the body, except to his chest, where they're white instead. The man's body shrinks and shrinks and shrinks to almost a tenth of his size. His thick locks are shrinking too and suddenly gone, leaving only a thin layer of black hair like the rest of his body. The things on his head stay, though, as do his scars, as well as the gray and cloudy mix of his eyes.

There he is. His black cat.

His Levi.

"Meow."

Erwin feels like a fish out of water. The cat stares back at him with boredom in his eyes. Takes another awkward minute before Erwin finally utters a simple, "I need caffeine." And therapy, he wants to add, but doesn't.

Oh. He still hasn't called the building attendant to repair his heating, either. What an excellent morning this has turned into.


"You owe me big time for this, you fucker." The long-haired brunette on the steering wheel glances down dirty at the primate next to him. He quickly returns his gaze to the road, though. There's no use getting him out of the vet clinic just to get into a car crash.

The monkey leans back onto the red leather of the passenger's seat. Within two breaths, he commands his body to rid his skin off long, brown hairs. Blonde curls suddenly sprout on his crown, and an equally blonde beard frames his chin. He's bigger and taller now, too. Turns his head at the driver next to him and mutters, "Do you bring my glasses, Eren?"

"Storage compartment." Eren jerks his head to it. "Your clothes are there too."

The blonde man fishes said items from the compartment with a small smile. "Aren't you the sweetest brother in the world?" He puts on the clothes with great effort and finally wears his glasses.

Eren cringes. "Fuck you, Zeke. I'm only helping you now because I want the Ackermans gone from our turf, too. You failed."

Zeke's face turns sour as he rubs his bandaged neck. Fear flickers in his eyes as he rewinds what has happened to him a week prior. "It was a mistake. If I'd known he'd be that good, I'd wait for you or the other Jaegers to provide support."

"You're fucking pathetic. You couldn't even win over him when he was alone. And you almost got decapitated."

"I gave him major injuries, though. You'd lose too if you fought him. I already told you. He's that good." Zeke eyes Eren with a warning now and addresses him in a quieter tone. "But if we play our cards right this time, we can get rid of the head of the Ackerman colony for good."

Eren narrows his eyes, but doesn't turn to Zeke. "And how the fuck are we supposed to find him now?"

"He went back with a human last night." Zeke turns his head to the passing scenery now. "The vet called him Mr. Smith. I tried to look at his records and got his full name, but he didn't even put his address in the registration form. Clever guy."

"So, what? Are we going to mindlessly look for this Smith guy around town now?" Instead of replying, Zeke reaches down to take Eren's phone from its holder. "What the fuck do you think you're doing with my phone?" The teen clamors, one hand holding the steering wheel steady, and the other trying to get his phone back.

"Hey. Hey. Eren, chill! Focus on the road!" Zeke tries to swipe away his brother's hand but knows it will only fuel his temper. So he focuses on typing on the phone instead, and quickly shows the screen to Eren when he finds what he's looking for. "There. Erwin Smith's LinkedIn page. He works at that big insurance company downtown. This narrows down our search by a huge margin."

Eren narrows his eyes at the screen before facing forward again. He's calmer now that he knows their aim. "Okay. So we get to Erwin Smith and then Levi Ackerman?"

Zeke faces forward too, eyes full of determination. He cracks his knuckles.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

There's a glint on his glasses and a violent smirk on his face. Then he nods. "We get to Erwin Smith and then Levi Ackerman."


TBC


A/N: This prompt was born back in August after I read a fic about Levi hiding a cat in SC. It made me imagine an AU where Levi's a shapeshifter and Erwin finds him in his cat form, strayed and injured, before nursing him back to health. The initial prompt is very simple, but the story suddenly became quite massive lol. I have a lot of things planned for the next chapters and I'm excited to unravel them!