I don't own SnK

"The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for."
-Bob Marley

~Chapter Fourteen: Clues and Premonition~

There was that incessant, annoying sound. It tore the silence down and replaced it with a familiar ringtone that bounced onto Eren's eardrums.

The brunet knew that he had to tear his eyelids open, no matter how glued they seemed to be on the skin above his cheekbones. He let out a grunt of irritation when the song from his phone didn't get terminated after the first call. Whoever was calling him should have a good reason in stopping him from getting at least four hours of sleep after a freaking Harry Potter marathon, because he wasn't in the mood for any sales talk and he might just chuck his phone across the room.

The thought of where he was prompted him to crack one eye open and the sight that greeted him didn't disappoint. Those black strands sticking out of a sorry excuse of a birds' nest touched Eren's cheeks, and the warmth coming off the lean frame pressed upon his own body had seeped through him. He wondered if it was possibly to stay like that forever, with Levi allowing him to cuddle with him. It was a dream came true; and the urge to take a picture of the face that was turned away from him had light up some buzz of excitement in him. His one opened eye found his phone on the center table, and he internally groaned.

The annoying caller was still calling!

He sighed silently, not daring to wake up the short stature of bad temper and possible strings of curses lying next to him. He tried his best to maneuver around his lover on the couch, carefully lifting his arm up so he wouldn't cause too much rustling or any creaking that could potentially deliver him a blow to his nose. He wondered if his boyfriend had some issues about being woken up; Eren knew what it felt like to suddenly get interrupted in his sleep and the memory of almost elbowing Armin in the nose made him grimace. When he blindly touched the glass table, muscles were straining and would've probably result to some cramps if he weren't fit, and he merely grasped the cool feeling of the surface. When he finally managed to fetch his device off the table, he slowly took back his arm and held his phone near his face, afraid that holding it up high would lead to a bloody nose if he were to drop it on his face.

2 missed calls. Cap. Mike

Green eyes widened as realization sunk in. He had totally forgotten to call Mike last night! He was waiting for his boss's call, especially since it was about the case, but Levi had perfectly distracted him for more than twelve hours, effectively making him forget about Mike. He swallowed the nervous lump in his throat, and his eyes darted toward the older man curled against him. Crap. This was going to be harder than he thought.

As much as he hated texting, he knew that it was the only way to get a message to the blonde FBI agent. And he did just that.

Apparently, sending a text message required too much movement than necessary on Eren's part, because the next thing that greeted him was that pair of gorgeous silver pools staring at him with evidence of bleariness. His mouth parted slightly in surprise, while his hand instantly hid his phone behind his back. He was suddenly glad that they were lying on their sides and that Levi was turned away from him. The last thing he wanted today was for his boyfriend to find out everything that he wasn't meant to find out at all. No, Eren would never allow that.

"Good morning?" he said, the lack of certainty was thick in his voice.

Levi spared one glance to the windows and the lack of sunlight made him raise an elegant eyebrow. "It's actually supposed to be goodnight but we already slept the whole afternoon, so…"

The younger chuckled nervously; his nerves were still a bit rattled after his boyfriend almost caught him with his phone. However, he also knew that Levi was too good at reading his expressions and the slight indication of that was shown by how his eyes narrowed on him.

"What were you doing?"

Eren fidgeted, thinking that maybe if he were to scoot closer to the back of the couch, then his phone would be well hidden. But being away from that comfortable bubble with Levi was not an option for him right now, not when he was practically lying to him.

"You weren't jerking off are you?" His voice was monotone but the brunet knew that there was a hint of teasing in the raven's tone, which caused him to blush slightly. Talking about this topic with Levi wasn't exactly appropriate, especially when he almost had a morning wood earlier. He was surprised though when the grey-eyed man turned to him, and now they were chest-to-chest and face-to-face. Eren resisted the urge to gulp; that would show how wrecked his nerves were and Levi would be able to pull the truth from him.

"I was not. I just woke up."

This perfect man just rolled his eyes and Eren's heart hammered against his chest when Levi put his head on the crook of his neck. He felt the older man yawned then his hand found the younger's nape, fingers were rubbing slow, gentle circles around the skin, making Eren shiver involuntarily.

"Are you alright?" Levi abruptly asked, which also cleared out the foggy thoughts out of the brunet's mind.

"Yeah, why?" he asked. He knew where this was going, and he would be lying if he said that he was completely prepared for this conversation because he obviously was not. He had a talk with Erwin just a few days ago but that night, he wasn't able to talk to Levi because the lawyer had work to do and Eren got a call from Mr. Pixis regarding his next art piece. The next day, his nerves completely betrayed him and the words from his mouth magically disappeared when he saw his boyfriend sitting on one of the tables at their usual café. The minute they parted, he had to put his will on the line because the desire to bash his head on the wall was too great. He couldn't believe that he would chicken out like that. And now that Levi was initiating this discussion about what occurred two weeks ago, Eren knew that he had no way out.

He didn't want to keep hiding things from him anymore.

"Nothing," the older male said. His usual stoic façade was already put up and the slight movement that rose from him gave Eren the inkling that he had to pull his lover towards him. Before Levi could turn around, he grasped his arms and closed the distance between them. Eren brushed his lips on Levi's with all the gentleness that he could muster, before he pulled away to gaze at the man who captured his heart in one go.

"I'm sorry if I'd been a wuss. But you can ask me anything now," he told him sincerely. Levi's eyes widened before they softened to a great extent, something that Eren knew was only reserved for him and him alone.

"Were you scared?" Levi whispered softly, his grey orbs were seeking those Caribbean ones for any signs that could contradict his words.

"Yes," he answered honestly. He still could hear the gunshots and the glass shattering next to him even if many days had already passed. He still could feel himself shaking, curling into a ball of anxiety and fear. He still could see the red on his hands and the warm liquid oozing out of Mike's, threatening to drain away his life. He still could remember the words that his boss revealed about his mother's death, and they remained tattooed in his mind, like a permanent reminder that he couldn't go back to the way his life originally was.

But Levi made it feel like he was allowed to be the Eren Jaeger before that incident. Completely ignorant. Completely safe. Completely careless. Just…him.

"But in the midst of that chaos, there was only one person in my mind," he added breathlessly. He took in the way Levi's eyebrows scrunched a bit, those molten irises never leaving his, and how his lips were slightly parted. The same face had popped in his mind when he was teetering on the edge where his life could be taken away from him.

"It was you."

"Eren…" The way he said his name made the brunet smile softly. Levi leaned his face on his chest, listening to that calm rhythm of his lover's heart and soothing him off his worries and the unnecessary anxieties that he had for the younger. Eren then began telling his story about what happened that night, holding his tongue before it slipped the detail about what he had been keeping from Levi. That was one thing he wouldn't allow his ears to hear, and as much as he knew that Levi wouldn't appreciate being oblivious, he knew that it was the only way to keep him from any harm that was bound to come to Eren one day. Which was probably sooner than he'd realized.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't there for you. I called you, and then you sounded too panicked and I… I was scared," Levi confessed, swallowing audibly at the last part. It made the green-eyed lad pull away from him so he could caress that pale cheek, smooth and warm, just as he had expected it to be.

"I'd rather not see you there with me where you could be in danger," he said. He knew that he was on the verge of saying something to him regarding the other matter, but he didn't let it escape from his lips. He just wanted to let Levi know of his reasons. He just wanted him to know how much he actually meant to him.

Levi glared at him. "I'd rather be the one in your position than let you experience something like that. I'm pretty sure that I'm stronger than you think I am, you know."

The statement made his teal eyes widened a fraction, even though he knew that the raven would definitely say something like that. It was the reason behind his hiding a secret from Levi—he knew that he wouldn't sit back and let Eren stake his life in any situation. Telling Levi was like asking for him to bind his wrists to the couch or something, just so he wouldn't be able to set a foot away from him. It was his boyfriend's nature that made him shut his mouth.

Because he knew that he meant so much to Levi and that he would take the fall for Eren.

"But I don't want to see you hurt."

"Feelings mutual, brat. I've been exposed to many horrid things but you have not, and I'd rather not let you experience something like that. Sometimes, it's better to remain like an innocent kid you are than face this harsh reality."

"I'm not a kid." He didn't want to add another retort to that. He couldn't possibly tell Levi that actually I've been working with Mike and he's letting me into this whole FBI business thing for my mother's case because he knew that the first thing that the grey-eyed man would do was punch Mike in the face.

Eren never thought about the real reasons behind his impulsive actions, but he felt like it was necessary for him, as his mom's son, to find the real reason behind her death. For five years he'd been unnaturally agitated thinking about the night he woke up in the hospital with no recollection of how he'd gotten there; he only remembered Mikasa and her family rushing to him. Then, he remembered how they delivered that gut-punching news to him. Mike had also slipped out that one time at the hospital, saying something about the paramedics getting him and his mom out of the car. He wasn't a genius, but the information that was piling up in the barracks of his brain was enough to signal him that there was something big—a hole—that he was clearly missing. And that if he didn't get to figure that out soon, then he would be the one falling into this dreadful, unknown abyss.

"What are you thinking about?" Levi asked, curiosity in his voice. Eren noticed that the older man didn't bother masking his emotions around him anymore, most of the time anyways. He learned how the sides of Levi's eyes crinkled ever so slightly he could barely see it, whenever he smiled at him. He learned how his eyes reflected most of his feelings—his apprehension, his happiness, his sadness, his fear—and sometimes his lips would quirk downward if he wasn't pleased about something. This was probably one of those times, because a scowl was threatening to be presented to Eren.

"I wouldn't be able to live my life if you were the one bleeding his life away, Levi." The words had already came out of his mouth before he could even stop it, and by how the older's eyes got bigger, he knew that Levi hadn't also expected him to say that.

"What are you talking about, brat?" he asked, concern conspicuously displayed on his face. Eren tugged his shirt, pulling himself closer to the small frame of the raven, successfully squashing both of them together like a sandwich. Yet, it never felt like it was enough.

"Levi…"

"Don't fucking say things like that. I'm not going anywhere, Eren. I'm not going to be apart from you."

His breath hitched in his throat and he had to force down the urge to let out some tears, because goddamn it, Levi just had to say the things that he wanted to hear the most. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders, hiding away the embarrassing almost-crying expression that was probably plastered on his face.

"Thank you, Levi. Thank you," he repeatedly muttered on his soft jet-black hair.

The tightening hold around his waist was the only response he got, but it was more than enough.

Levi was more than enough.

He was perfect for him.

"Mikasa, I'm telling you that I'm fine. There's no need for me to move into your house again."

That was probably the tenth time he had said that to the other person on the phone. Eren was growing a bit frustrated because his best friend had been trying to convince him with all she had that the young man really, really need to be protected at all times, and the only way for that to happen was for the brunet to live with Mikasa's family for the second time.

It wasn't like a really bad idea, but the thing was, Eren's patience was about to snap because there were many people out there who had resorted to babying him. It took one heated argument with Levi before he had stopped treating him like fragile china, but Mikasa had been the only adamant one. He should've known. The woman would probably advice him to keep his own gun next. It shouldn't be a surprise.

"It's just for your safety, Eren," Mikasa pleaded on the other side of the call. He resisted rolling his eyes; after all, she was just worried (extremely at that) for him.

"Levi already got that covered." And he hadn't been lying.

It had been a week since his sleepover with Levi and he still remembered how they went back to scavenge more movies to watch after dinner. They both had fallen asleep halfway the second movie they put on, and he immediately regretted letting the both of them sleep on the couch because their bodies felt like they were soaked with cement. That, and he regretted not being able to sleep on a real bed. Specifically, on Levi's bed—

"He picks me up and drops me off whenever he can," he explained to her, effectively cutting off the direction where his inappropriate thoughts were going.

Yes, Levi was really being protective in his own means without making Eren feel like he was being smothered by a pillow, and he really appreciated that. He also invited him to his house almost everyday and the student was more than happy to accept the invitation. Who in their right mind would pass up the opportunity to spend their time with their hot boyfriend anyway?

"That's good. But my offer still stands," she insisted.

He gave out a sigh and chuckled slightly, "Yes, mom."

He could already imagine Mikasa scrunching her nose in distaste at what he had called her before he heard her reply "I don't remember giving a birth to a stubborn son like you."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't you have a class?" he asked her.

"Yep, but before I go, let me ask you this."

"Mhm?"

"You're not hiding something from me, Eren, right?" Mikasa asked him. There was an underlying tone behind that vague question, but the artist had a feeling that there was something into it. It made his chest squeeze in a painful manner, hoping that his childhood friend had nothing to do with what he was trying to do and that she wouldn't get involved—he just needed to lie again.

"What are you talking about? If you're talking about that one failing class I have, don't worry about it. I'll study for the finals," he told her. He astonished himself when he heard how leveled his voice was, because once upon a time, not one lie had passed Mikasa undetected. Eren wasn't exactly the right person to be given the Best Liar Award.

There was a sigh before she replied to him in a defeated tone, which quickly sent a pang of guilt to his heart because he knew what it was like to be in position of someone who was unaware of important things. He didn't want any of his friends to experience the shock and the anger that seeped through his veins when he found out the truth—but it was completely unavoidable. He'd lose their trust, he knew that from hundreds miles away, but it was better that way.

"Just…be careful. I gotta go. Annie is giving me a ride to school. I'm also gonna ask her about her date with Armin."

"Yeah. Go do that. I also have to talk to Armin about it later." He smiled, his thoughts finally changing from its unwanted course at the thought of his blonde friend who finally gathered his guts to ask the girl he liked to a date. It made him recall that day he spent with Levi at the beach under the starry night, making his smile grow bigger.

He felt some vibration in his phone and he pulled it away from his ear. The name of the caller cut off whatever blissful thoughts he had, like it just pulled away the rugged carpet from underneath him.

"Eren. I'll talk to you later. Be safe." He heard her faint voice before he put his device on his ear again.

"Mhm. Be safe, too."

He ended that call before he picked up the other one that intruded into his conversation. His veins were quickly turning into ice, making him feel rigid cold and his hands tremble the slightest.

"Mike."

"Hey, Eren. Remember the cases that I've mentioned to you last week? You have to come down here to my workplace to review them. They're certified documents. No one will block you when you come in here; Erwin will be there."

"O-Okay. I'll be there in a bit."

"Do you want Erwin to pick you up?"

Did he want to see that intimidating man again? He'd rather not. That would be like pouring more ice-cold water on him, and he'd rather thaw whatever it was in his veins first.

"No, it's fine. I'll take the train. I'll be careful." He quickly added the last line, knowing that the agent would ask that from him anyway. He had been everyone's concern and he really hated the feeling that he was too vulnerable.

"Okay. See you."

There was a soft click before the line went dead. Eren exhaled out the breath that he was holding, unaware that he was actually that tense. He knew that this whole matter was dangerous, that his life could potentially—if not already—be in danger. He could the one who would end up with a bullet-hole on his torso the next time he encountered this group. Yes, he suspected them to be a big group because no single person could pull that shower of gunshots unless they spent their time planting some automatic rifle machines.

His mom's death had been made as an accident and the traces of the real cause were erased like it didn't exist in the first place. He believed the cops when they told him that the one who caused the car crash had probably ran away in order to protect himself, but now Eren knew that it wasn't the case at all.

That accident was a murder.

Who could possibly have a grudge to his mom when she had been nothing but a very caring and loving mother? Who could possibly crash their car like that, knowing that she had family to come back to? Who could possibly that inhumane to leave her to die like that?

Who was it?

What was their motive?

There were so many questions swirling his head and yet there was not even a single answer to put them in place. He could think there for all he wanted, but he would never be able to solve this mystery. He wished that there was someone right there by his side, without him worrying that he would drag them into this mess. He wished that his dad were here.

He jolted at the thought of his dad. He'd never thought of him for a long time because Grisha Jaeger had passed away when he was very young, so he didn't have any vivid memories of him. He just knew that his dad was a doctor and a scientist, which could explain the amount of zeros in his parents' savings account. He must have been nine or ten when it happened, when he had to stand there at the funeral service, hearing that his dad had died in a fire in his lab. He didn't remember that day clearly, but ever since that one member of his family had been ripped away from him, it was only Eren and his mom. She was his anchor, his savior, his everything.

Until that night.

The brunet touched the chain clinging around his neck, fingering the thin metal and contemplating about the reasons why its presence was there. He finally pulled the necklace slowly and his green eyed came in contact with that familiar golden key. It was thin and long, just as he remembered. It was one thing that remained prominent in his memories because his dad would always carry it around him in the house, wherever he went. He used it for something—for some room or safe, maybe—but Eren couldn't grasp that one detail from the file cabinet of his brain. It was so damn frustrating.

"What are you trying to give me, dad?" he mumbled absentmindedly.

But…it was not his dad who gave it to him.

Shit.

So, someone else knew about this.

It couldn't be Mike because he would've had already told him about it if he was the one who delivered the key to him. It wasn't Erwin because he lacked the personal history of Eren's and as intimidating the man was, he didn't strike him as the type to let go of such important piece in this puzzle. So who was it?

He considered calling the shipping company who had unceremoniously dropped off the package in his front door, but it would be futile. There were no other details on the box when he got it besides from that familiar handwriting that spelled out Eren Jaeger.

Before he had the chance to pull his hair out, thinking of impossible questions with no solutions, he grabbed his keys and phone before he finally left his apartment. Being stuck in this hopeless predicament wasn't something he'd asked for, but to sit around and do nothing wasn't an option either.

Mike's workplace was probably the most odd area to be around with, like what is a FBI department doing upstairs of an arcade place? However, it seemed reasonable considering what the members did for a living. He walked passed through the blaring sounds of giant Flappy Bird and Temple Run machines, that DDR platform, and the many kids who were furiously moving the controller of whatever game they were playing. His eyes darted around in a nervous manner, the jumpy feeling in his chest wouldn't go away as if someone was going to gun him down from every corner of the room. The thought was ridiculous, but after that incident at the bakery, everything wasn't impossible anymore. He wouldn't be surprise if his killer were already in a hidden booth somewhere, waiting for the opportunity to stab him with the knife. Thinking about that made his steps feel like lead, too heavy to head towards that familiar blonde mop of hair.

Erwin was leaning on the wall next to a door that said STAFF ONLY and he wondered if the workers inside were polishing weapons or were carrying their burly bodies that could squash Eren on the wall with a splat. He shook his head to get rid off the thoughts; the last thing he wanted was to piss his pants. He had to remind himself that the FBI agents he had met so far were normal (well, Erwin kinda was…).

When he reached the agent, they didn't exchange a word and only entered the room. It was strangely quiet and the picture of scary men dissipated in an instant.

"I heard that you want to know about the other cases," Erwin said, breaking the tense silence between them as he led the two of them through this narrow spiral staircase. The younger almost shoved his face once or twice when his steps faltered on the steps, and he was thankful that he had a vice grip on the railing.

"Yes, Mike said that I should hear about them."

The blonde nodded, as if agreeing silently to his old partner's decision before he spoke, "Yes, I think it's best for you to hear about them. I usually do not agree about letting some outsider into any case, but you are already involved this much."

He swallowed. He didn't like the sound of being "involved this much" and he preferred being on the sidelines, but he couldn't help but feel like he was a main player to this game. Yes, it was like a game and there were obviously two sides to this. He didn't know how powerful their opponent was but they sure were powerful enough to erase all their traces. However, the mention of the other cases that had caught the FBI's attention was proof enough that they weren't perfect as they seemed to be. No, their schemes and plays had holes and if Eren could only find out what they were, he'd dive into them.

The cemented floor he was walking on had turned into white floors with specks of granite in them. They weren't in a small staff room now but inside of a room just as big as the arcade area was. There were lines of desk and strewn papers and opened laptops were placed on them. The surprising part of it was that there were only three people present, and one of them was sitting close to the entrance door, which Erwin had opened for him. Mike put his gaze on his and Eren wondered how could the gentle baker he had once knew, turn into this man with a firm expression on his face.

"Eren, glad that you've made it." His voice sounded tired, something that Eren was finally familiar with. The small smile that was offered to him followed and the young man was grateful that he could at least breathe normally now.

"This is important," he simply said, shrugging. He was gestured to sit on one of the wooden chairs in front of Mike's desk and Erwin took the one on his opposite side. Knowing that he was friends with Levi had put calmness in his chest, because it meant that he could trust the older man not to pull a gun on him. Hopefully.

"Are you familiar with Rod Reiss?"

He definitely remembered seeing the name more than once in his life; he couldn't possibly miss it if it was constantly on one magazine or newspaper after another. Rod Reiss was a successful business tycoon who donated quite a fair share in a lot of charities, told his story about rising from dirt and nothingness to someone as popular as he was now, and many people had dubbed him the "Good Samaritan on Earth." Eren honestly felt like the whole ordeal was pretentious because no one could be that perfect—because anyone whose ground they walked on was practically kissed by everyone else around them, always had dirt on them.

And by how his thoughts were clicking in place with Mike's question, he had every right to doubt Rod Reiss.

"Yes."

Erwin then stated, "Someone tipped us that he has an underground business." A pause. "Apparently, the "Good Samaritan" has been feeding himself off people who seek something to quench their addiction."

It took a few moments before he spoke. "He's a drug lord," Eren uttered in shock. Okay, that one he should've had expected but hearing it was something else entirely. This whole quagmire that he was in could not possibly have anything to do with his mom's death, right?

"A very successful one at that," Mike added. His blonde eyebrows were pulled down to the center of his forehead, looking like he was deep in thought, before he continued, "Two years ago, someone filed a case about this black market and when we were about to investigate, the man had died in his apartment. It looked like he hung himself."

Oh.

He was going to be sick.

The similarities of the two situations were signaling an alarm in his head, threatening to implode. He knew that his mom was clean, he was sure of that and there was no convincing otherwise. So, how come they plotted her murder?

She knew something. And they silenced her.

It was too soon to assume anything but that one thought echoed in his mind like a siren and he could barely think of anything. He was oblivious to the fact that his hands were shaking and they stopped when one memory had presented itself to him.

His green eyes snapped towards Erwin's direction and he tremblingly mumbled, "Levi knows something about Rod Reiss, right?"

Those blue eyes widened, something that cracked his solid composition, and before he could answer, someone's phone tore the heavy atmosphere around them. It was Erwin's, and the agent flicked his gaze away to look at the caller's name. Confusion momentarily passed his expression and Eren's impatience flared. Before he could say something, the blonde placed his gaze on him to silence him down.

"Levi?"

Oh, crap. His anger instantly ebbed away before it got replaced with blinding panic. Why the hell was Erwin answering his phone at this time?! Didn't he know that they had practically sworn to secrecy about this case?

He couldn't hear anything but there was a shift in Erwin's expression that froze Eren's nerves again. He felt cold. He felt like the air was sucked out of his lungs. A few moments later, the older man ended the call. He was still pinning Eren down with his blank stare, before he let some panic finally seep through it.

"What happened?" Mike asked. The brunet couldn't find his voice to say something when the thudding in his chest was very loud against his eardrums. He had a bad feeling about this, and this ominous premonition was going to drive him nuts soon if Erwin still wouldn't open his mouth.

"There was a car accident."

That one statement sent Eren sprinting down the door, almost breaking the door in half and ignoring the shouts from the two men he sat down with just a second ago. He only had one thought in his mind.

No, I'm not gonna lose him too.

A/N: OMG I'm sorry for the cliffer but...yeahh. Thanks for reading and don't forget a review~ :D
-CrimsonHazelEyes/Snowberry