I don't own SnK

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked."

—Bernard Meltzer

~Chapter Twenty-Four: An Impending Danger~

He could see bright orange behind his eyelids and before Levi could process what he was doing, he was already squinting at the brightness of the sunlight that greeted him. He groaned loudly, expressing his extreme displeasure for having his curtains opened like this early in the morning. He noted that he didn't wake up to his alarm clock, which could only mean that he didn't have work today or he completely slept through it. At the latter thought he hastily turned around to face the ceiling, his hand instinctively coming to the other side of his large bed to grab onto something—or someone.

And he didn't think he felt his heart drop so fast until his hand came in contact with the empty bed sheet.

Maybe he just dreamed of it—dreamed of coming to rescue Eren and his Eren telling him everything that he had been dying to know ever since Erwin had finally said something. Maybe it was just his mind coping with the loneliness and the pain that he had been dealing the past few days that it decided to make him think that he had felt Eren around him—his skin rubbing on Levi's, his lips firm and passionate on his, the brush of his eyelashes on his cheeks.

Maybe he actually didn't hear Eren say that he loved him over and over again last night.

Then, his nose suddenly got a whiff of something…

Burning.

Levi got up so fast that he forgot that he would get dizzy so he spent a couple of seconds trying to figure out which foot was to go on the floor first, though that shouldn't really matter because he was running down his staircase with his opposite slippers on. And his eyes widened at the sight of messy brown hair sprinkled with white powder, the person flailing widely as he dropped the pan on the sink in the kitchen. The young man was only clad with black boxers and a white fluffy-looking apron, which Levi raised at eyebrow at because he certainly couldn't remember where the hell did that type of clothing come from but he was certainly not complaining now. He slowly approached the panicked-stricken lad and he awkwardly coughed to his fist.

Eren went stiff as a rod, the muscles of his back visibly went rigid and Levi had to bite his lower lip to keep himself from giving too much away. The brunet was facing the stove, the hum of the vent could be heard, and there were white powdery stuff all over the counter, which Levi suspected was the pancake batter mix. He couldn't even bring himself to be slightly maddened by the mess of what used to be his sparkling kitchen because he was having the best moment of his life after realizing that this was real.

It was not a dream. And Eren was really back in his life.

"L-Levi…"

Eren slowly turned around, which reminded Levi of a robot nervously twisting its head around. He would've laughed already if not for his ever-so-striking personality, and the look of utter horror on Eren's face was too priceless to pass up.

"What are you doing?" Levi asked, doing his best to sound nonchalant and a bit intimidating by crossing his arms over his chest. He remembered that Eren had once tried to cook for the both of them on couple of occasions and the last incident had been the one that put a stop to the bloody idea. He still couldn't fathom how could anyone mess up one fried egg—he could still reminisce how his tongue practically exploded the minute he forked the food into his mouth and oh, he surely heard the sound of his teeth biting down on a particularly hard piece of salt.

So yeah. There was a reason why Eren shouldn't be in the kitchen.

That was Levi's job, but why…

"I-I tried to experiment on cooking some pancakes because I really thought that I wouldn't mess up but I somehow forgot that there's something on the stove while I was mixing stuff in that bowl and this all happened and I'm sorry," Eren talked so fast that Levi could only blink and walked up to the blushing tall guy. His eyes were wondering around, looking at everywhere but Levi and the raven decided that his actions would probably beat his words, so action it is.

"Wait—Levi…" Eren squeaked but Levi ignored it as he went to the island and tore up a piece of pancake. He tried not to cringe when his eyes caught the sight of the undeniably uncooked batter inside, though the outside looked golden brown. The brat couldn't use the stove for the love of his life, but Levi couldn't complain nor did he want to. To wake up with Eren doing his utmost effort to make Levi happy was something that no delicious pancakes or perfect fried eggs could do. He'd eat anything made by this person alone, even if he really did suck at cooking.

He swallowed after chewing the food a couple of times and looked at those shining green eyes. He couldn't help but think sappily, I feel like I'm falling for this kid all over again. Levi had to tear his eyes away to look at the five or so pancakes littered on one big plate and he said, "Eren, will you please get me some tea while I eat these?"

He pretended not to notice the younger's movements as he rubbed his eyes with his fingers before he heard him say, "Yeah, I'll do that for you, Levi."

And Levi finished the food that Eren made for him as he waited for his tea. His heart was filled with content, and he really wouldn't trade this moment for the world.

When Eren had brought Levi to the hidden station of the FBI that Mike ran, he didn't even bat an eyelash and the brunet was on the edge the entire ride going to the place. But what he still couldn't believe was that two of his childhood friends were actually present next to him.

Mikasa was standing there, looking so calm and composed as if this wasn't anything extraordinary at all. And Armin, well… he looked unbelievably high-strung as if he couldn't keep his nerves to himself. If Eren didn't know better, he would've thought that the blonde was super nervous right now and was probably about to bolt out to the bathroom. But Eren understood that jitter around Armin and he could say that he disliked it a bit—because Armin was excited. That little genius was probably formulating some hypotheses on his own the moment they had entered the arcade and he was nodding with a glazed look to Mike when he introduced himself to them.

And Eren thought he was gonna die of tension that he felt was unnecessary in the first place. He thought about it last night—that he should tell his best friends about the whole truth because they were not very far from being involved. He considered Jean's opinion and actually listened to him, because he was right. Maybe he was just trying to selfishly protect those people he loved and maybe they didn't really need to be kept in the dark, and Levi proved that to be true.

Eren was never happy to make a decision in his life before until last night. It was like everything finally made sense when he poured everything to Levi—every truth, every lie he had to tell him, every emotion, and every word that he wasn't able to say that day at the beach where he turned his back on him due to his egoistical purpose. He thought he would be able to do it alone, but that really was not the case at all.

He needed them. He needed his family to give him the strength that was necessary for this battle. He needed his friends to remind him that he was human and that he could get hurt, and if he ever fell down, there would be reaching hands that were ready to support him and haul him back to his feet. And he needed Levi, because he was the only person that could make him believe in being in love and being loved in return.

Mike had explained to them about how confidential this really was but everyone had their mouths already sealed. Eren's heart sped up at the thought that he was actually loved by everyone—to the point that they were willing to bet their lives on this case, just for Eren. Erwin and Hanji showed up an hour later and Mike went over the plan to all of them. He couldn't help but glance at the blue sling that Erwin was carrying around. He wanted to apologize but knew that it wouldn't be necessary because the agent would probably tell him, "It's part of my job."

His boss asked him if it was okay to show the video of his father to them and he nodded in response. Levi's hand was on his thigh in reassurance and he smiled to him; he could see in the corner of his eye that Mikasa and Armin were looking at the two of them and they both had a small, gentle smile on their faces. Jean was sorting through papers, a job that Mike gave him, he said. There were some tense silence besides from the voice of Grisha Jaeger over the speakers and Eren let himself drink in the sight of his dad once more, which was presented by the projector.

They spend a few more hours, devising little plans to take down the Reiss Corporation. Jean's father showed up and the son was the most embarrassed of all them as he gave out his solo monologue about justice and peace and whatnot. Eren had totally forgotten how eccentric Jean's dad was and he couldn't help but laugh. This scene was almost serene except from the very fact that they were discussing on how to free the innocent people trapped under that pretense of a very successful and needed company. There really should be some legal procedure to this but Mike's team—which consisted of Mike, Erwin, and Rico Brzenska, an intelligent-looking woman—seemed to be highly regarded by the others that they could get a good number of professionals on their side with just one call. Eren was glad that he was not on their bad side and that he was actually getting assistance from them.

The plan wasn't grand; they were, of course, reluctant to actually to do this because it was like banging their heads on the wall. Reiss was one of the most influential men they knew and he probably had some tricks up his sleeve, and Eren knew what one of them was. He didn't share to them the idea that maybe he was the loophole—that he could be the bait because after all, he was the one that Rod Reiss had been looking for. Mike and the others would've reasoned out to him that they would go after all of them now because Eren had shared them this information to them. But that was the thing—they were doing a private operation. And he felt like it wasn't sufficient enough.

When they all went home, they were already given specific roles but they were to remain quiet about it. Do not do anything yet, Mike said to them—no, he ordered them to. Eren wanted to protest because Jean was right, they couldn't afford to waste any more time. But Levi was there, and that was enough encouragement that he could still live normally as he wanted before doomsday.

He went to work that night, the first time this week and Ymir and Hitch had asked him if he was sick or something. He merely went on with that excuse and clocked in. Krista was there when he came out, talking to Ymir, and Eren waved her a 'Hi.'

"I heard that you were absent for several days, Eren. Is everything okay?" the little angel asked him and he smiled to her in response.

Even though nothing was really okay, he couldn't let his friends think otherwise. He didn't want to let this situation drag him down.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. How are you?" he asked. He let the conversation flow and soon enough, they were talking about college and old stuff from high school until a customer came and Eren had to go back to his job.

"I'm going, Eren. See you tomorrow," she cheerily said and went out of the store with Ymir. The dark-skinned woman gave him a wave over her shoulder, the object above the door chiming on their wake.

There was only one thing that Levi wanted to do, and that was to run away from his work and leave the rest to his squad. But then again he would feel bad because his thoughts were solely on one audacious young man who happened to be his boyfriend. He couldn't stop his mind from conjuring up ideas—really bad ones—about what could be possibly happening to Eren right at this minute. He really needed to go home. Badly.

When his shift ended, contacting someone higher and telling them that he had some meeting to attend with the FBI agent Erwin Smith, he practically ran to his car. It had only been less than twenty-four hours before he had experienced the best morning of his life and yet, there was only one thing running in his mind right now. He wanted to see Eren. He wanted to make sure that his brat didn't disappear on him again.

When he was nearing the bakery—he insisted that Eren should take the day-off but gave in when the brunet gave him one of his famous lectures about not treating him like fragile china—his phone rang. He put on his earphone after seeing that it was from Erwin; a foreboding feeling was coiling in his stomach. He had been dreading a phone call from the police department or from his FBI friend and acquaintances because they could mean one thing that he didn't want to hear about.

But it looked like Erwin was just going to give him information.

"We've got something."

"Yeah?"

"Looks like Rod Reiss has a family who's been living under a pseudonym."

Levi frowned. The conversation was going to a direction he didn't like.

"What about it?"

"It's his daughter. Her real name is Historia Reiss, but she goes with the name Krista Lenz."

"…And?" Levi gripped the steering wheel harder. There was something in Erwin's tone that told him that he had to brace himself from whatever this impeding doom was, and that name was awfully familiar, like he'd heard of it somewhere recently.

"Krista Lenz, or should I say, Historia Reiss, is Eren's friend. She's one of his high school friends, Levi."

The clock was ticking but Mike was nowhere in sight. He wondered if he was still staying in his office, trying to check up on who would be available to infiltrate the hotel that Rod Reiss was currently staying at. Armin was in charge of hacking their systems related to security cameras and Mikasa and Jean (much to his horror) would be playing as the couple in disguise that would be getting one room—they hadn't yet figured out who was going to pay the bill but Eren had a feeling that Levi would gladly offer. It seemed ridiculous, but they knew that this hotel that Reiss owned had one of the hidden market underground because of its well-known name around the city. How would they expose him? They just needed a direct statement from him regarding his business and the murder of Eren's parents. Then, he would (hopefully) be behind the bars next time they would see him again.

And Eren couldn't wait—couldn't wait to actually get the justice that his parents deserved. He couldn't wait until he heard the whole truth behind his father's death, but what he didn't want was for the death of his mother to come out. He had learned to deal with the hard truth himself, had learned the power of his emotions and what he could be motivated to do, and he was scared—scared that he would do something stupid and scared that Levi would unravel the truth. The truth that his uncle, Kenny Ackerman, was the one who killed Eren's mother.

He was deep in his thoughts as he swept the room, waiting for that silver Maserati to park outside of the shop, that he got startled when he heard a distinct sound from outside.

Gunshot to be exact.

It brought him that dread he felt the day the bakery was first rained with bullets, and he still could remember how much he panicked and how frightened he was when he saw Mike with a bullet on his stomach. It was sickening. It was scary.

And now that he heard that familiar sound again, he couldn't help but run the possibilities inside his head.

Levi was supposed to come pick him up any second now.

That thought alone had spurred his legs to run, dropping the mop with a loud thump in the empty shop, and the next thing he knew, he was running past trees and other closed stores. He almost ran into people and stumbled across the sidewalk and he could see that there was panic ripping across the very few people who had stayed late on the streets. They were curious, but they weren't reckless enough like Eren to actually go to the scene where the gunshots were closely heard. All people here were familiar with gang fights and other crazy stuff that was happening around because it was the city that never slept. Their safety wasn't guaranteed unless they lived in a less-recluse part of the city and unfortunately, this area was one of those parts.

The brunet didn't know what he expected when he rounded off the empty parking lot right behind the plaza but he had the sense to actually duck down the flowerbed. If he were to actually rescue someone—God forbid, it was Levi—then he'd have to be cautious. With adrenaline rushing through his veins, making him feel hot despite the autumn breeze sweeping by, he tried to peek from where his hiding spot and his eyes went wide.

There was a black Mercedes Benz with tinted windows and there were Krista and Ymir. His shorter friend was struggling against a man who was holding her arm, but it didn't look like he was gripping too hard but it didn't halt Ymir from trying to whack the guy upside in the head. A second guy in a black suit suddenly came out of the car and held back Ymir, who resorted to kicking but ended up touching nothing but the air. It looked like that the first man was talking to Krista, but who in their right criminal mind would talk to the victim like this instead of starting to haul them in the car?

There was something odd. Something that he was missing and he squinted, looking for any sign that he could come out with a barrage of fists to them. Levi would definitely whoop his ass once he found out that he was playing hero once again, but there was that thing again, his problem. He was loyal. He would never leave his friends alone if he saw that they were in danger and that he could help. He was afraid that he would regret something if he were to let them alone. It made him think what if that was Armin or Mikasa? Would you be able to bear the thought that you weren't able to help them? And those thoughts were what prompted him to get up and cautiously crept up the wall, letting the shadow of the roof embrace him.

At this range, he could hear Ymir talking.

"Let her go! Bastard! She said she doesn't wanna go with you!"

That got Eren more curious. Does Krista know them? Why do they want to take her?

When he saw the first man busy trying to convince Krista of something and the second man attempting to pacify the violent woman he was trying to hold up, Eren took that chance to deliver a clean kick to the second man's back. Surprise was what he got from both of his friends but Ymir snapped out of it faster and she swung her fist to the guy holding Krista. Eren didn't feel anything but exhilaration as he fought with his friend once more. It happened once during high school and the similarity of both incidents struck him, and he grinned. Krista was looking at them flabbergasted and Eren suddenly remembered that Levi could be panicking right now if he were to step into the shop with Eren nowhere in sight.

When the men couldn't take it anymore and were passed out on the ground. Krista immediately went up to them and threw her arms around Ymir, tip-toeing because of their height.

"You didn't have to do that! Why are you guys always fighting?" she said, but she looked happy to see that both of them were all right. Eren grinned at her and Ymir kissed her forehead.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked, smile was slipping off his face.

The couple nodded and he pressed on, "Why was there a gunshot?"

Ymir was the one who answered that, "Trying to scare me. Of course, that was just a dick-move and I punched him."

"Who are these guys anyway?" Eren asked, nudging one man with his shoe.

Krista winced and Ymir looked at her worriedly before she opened her mouth, but the blonde beat her to it. "My dad has been trying to get me home."

He raised an eyebrow. "Your dad?"

Okay, well, he certainly didn't consider the speculation that maybe Krista Lenz was actually a princess-like character that came from a book seriously. How'd did that information get past his radar? Oh, right. He never talked about personal stuff with them before. But it looked like Ymir knew and Eren was once again reminded of his own relationship with Levi.

"Uh, I have to go!" he told them, backing up and was ready to sprint back to the bakery.

"Oh, yeah. Thank you, Eren!" Krista called out to him.

He turned around from them but his feet stopped working at Ymir's words.

"Rod Reiss is too persistent for his good. Why don't you just march up to him, kick him in the balls, and just say that you'll do whatever you want to do."

His green eyes widened. His mouth dropped in shock. His fingers trembled on his sides before he curled them into tight fists. He turned back to the two women with a new resolve in his mind.

"Did you just say… Rod Reiss?" he asked them slowly.

Krista hesitantly nodded and Ymir gave him a suspicious look. The latter said, "Why? Do you have some grudge against him? Do you want to join me and let's kick his ass, yeah?"

Grudge didn't really cover it. He's the one who killed my parents. But it wasn't like he would be able to tell them that. He wasn't even sure what do these two know and he had to be cautious. His time was ticking and he was sure that Levi was just one second away from calling the cops and the whole special operation squad.

"Eren?" Krista called out and she looked like she was ready to ask him questions but everything went black.

And something in the air that he inhaled inside was terribly odd.

"EREN! LET HIM GO!"

He struggled against the person who was holding him up and he started to choke on the garter around his neck. The sack that was put over his head made it very difficult to breathe and he suddenly felt his consciousness slipping away from his grasp.

No, not yet.

Don't let it end here.

You have to FIGHT.

He fought. He tried to claw the eyes of the person who was gripping his wrists and tried to kick his shins or whatever else he could manage to fracture and deter the person from his objective. But nothing worked. The person was like a large mass of steel boulder and his eyes could no longer see the gaps in between the seams of the fabric sack.

"BASTARD! FUCKING LET GO OF HIM!" He heard Ymir bellow.

He could've sworn that Krista was already crying and shrieking.

"NOOOO! LET GO OF HIM! EREN!"

This guy couldn't possibly hold off his two other friends and just before he lost everything—believed that at that moment, he did—he realized that he would forever regret leaving his friends to these guys.

It was an ambush.

And Eren was almost certain of it.

Then the darkness claimed him.

A/N: Uh please don't kill me. LOL I gave you that last chapter and now this...I know XD And guys, omg. The end is like approaching and this story has approximately six chapters left. And I'm graduating from high school soon... OHGOSH.
-CrimsonHazelEyes