A/N: I DO NOT OWN THE LAST OF US OR ANY PART OF THE NAUGHTY DOG FRANCHISE OR ATTACK ON TITAN. THIS IS SIMPLY FAN WORK.
Petra watched the green-clad backs of Levi and Reiner as they turned and walked in the other direction of the stable. They walked off into a path less treaded by those who lived even in the countryside – mostly because it was a path that led to Wall Rose.
Eren shut the stable doors behind him, locking it with a board of wood in between the handles and a chain. He wrapped a red scarf around himself – a little stretched from the wear but still perfectly warm at his neck and face. Petra raised her hood, and Eren followed after, traversing through the country land again and then back into the city.
The trees in the country were not as tall as they should have been naturally. They were much shorter but still bore ample amounts of fruit and nuts. There was a very distinct area in which the city met the countryside – a sudden change of landscape in which grey rubble laid sprawled across the ground. That was a checkpoint that Levi noted – the line to cross to make it into the city. When Petra and Eren crossed that line, Eren looked all around him, watching buildings grow and grow, shrink, then grow. It was much different in the country, where the buildings remained the same size and the trees and crops were the only things that changed.
Five minutes into crossing the "border" line, Petra led Eren through streets and alleys in a zig-zag fashion, vaulting through broken windows, passing through various doors – Petra and Levi would do this routine every single time they went out of the city; but on their way back to the safe house, they would change their route as a safety measure to keep stalkers and other followers at bay. The sights were the same but in an altered order, so it was all a tedious journey either way.
When they finally came across the citizens of the rubble city, Eren felt a strange gaze locked onto him. He caught a glimpse of his surroundings, just barely turning his head – there were the usual buildings that loomed over him, the usual rubble; but the strangers that stared had bothered him so. There were men eyeing him carefully, noticing that he did not seem familiar in their boundaries compared to Petra. Petra may have been a beautiful, feminine sight to see in the streets, but their attention was drawn to Eren and his unfamiliarity in their little world.
Eren adjusted his scarf, covering his mouth a tad bit. Then, from the corner of his eye, he heard a stranger mocking the general orders soldiers call out to citizens: "'Attention: report any suspicious activity immediately to the nearest sentry.'"
He heard the stranger chuckle and whisper something into another man's ear just before giving him another dirty look. Before reaching the next alleyway to turn into, Petra and Eren were blocked by a wall of burly men. Petra scowled at them, unwilling to deal with such nuisances.
"Well," the tall, tan-skinned one in the middle of the group smirked, "what's going on in this neck of the woods, hmm?"
"A kid and a woman? In these parts?" another man snickered; the rest of the group followed through.
A sense of panic filled Eren's heart, but Petra lashed out at them: "Listen, if you're going to get in my way, you should rethink the next couple of steps you're going to take. "
"Oh?" gleamed a shorter man.
"Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean you have any authority over me." Petra shot daggers through her eyes, mentally stabbing each of them in the face.
They all had craned their necks to look down at her. The man in the middle replied with a quiet snicker, "As far as I can see, you ain't with Levi right now."
Petra sighed. So?
"Pretty-boy ain't gonna pull you out of danger now."
Petra reached under her cloak and wrapped her fingers around the sling of her rifle. She slid it down her arm and cocked it.
"I'm sure he knows I can fend for myself."
The block of men looked at each other, wide-eyed. Shocked by their lack of preparation, they stood speechless at Petra's loaded rifle. With a hesitant foot, they each stepped aside, opening a path for her and her shadow, Eren. She slung the rifle around her shoulder once more, hiding it with her cloak. As she passed the men, she heard one of them speak in a forcibly hushed tone: "Apologize to her, damn it!"
Petra smiled at the strength of her presence while Eren followed along. He too was stunned at the presence she gave to others. It was unexpected – a short but gorgeous woman such as her could strike with a coldness to those around her with a simple movement on a rifle. She never even planned to shoot at them with a heft weapon like that.
How would you like that, huh? She thought, wishing she could say it to Levi. But in reality, she would not have had the guts to utter any of those words. She feared he would think of her as cocky; or, along the lines of his vernacular, a cocky bitch.
After making those numerous turns into alleys and street corners, they at last came to a straight-away leading to a two-story apartment that had long ago sank into a one-story building. The roof had collapsed along with the top floor, but after receiving some help from carpenters, the building was morphed into a one-story apartment but with no buildings. The lobby of the original apartment was turned into a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom; only there were no beds, no stairs, and barely any sort of divider. Almost all physical forms of privacy were taken away, but privacy was certainly something that can easily be managed.
Eren queried while examining the exterior of that modified building, "Where are we going exactly?"
Petra looked over her shoulder. "To a safe house Levi and I live in." She pointed straight ahead. "It's just right over there."
"So you both live in it?"
"Yes." Petra began to think.
"Does that mean you two are a couple or something?"
Petra stopped in her tracks. She whipped around, facing Eren with a redness in her cheeks, "No, it's not like that!"
Eren pouted. "Geez… Maybe I shouldn't have asked."
Petra inhaled deeply and continued walking, collecting herself with every step. "That's okay."
Following beside her, Eren continued, "Do you two smuggle a lot of things?"
"Maybe," she breathed.
"Like… illegal things?"
"Sometimes…" Well, that is what smuggling means though.
"Have you ever smuggled a person before?"
Petra shook her head. "No, actually. This job is going to be the first time that happens. It sorta feels weird…"
As a duo, Levi and Petra smuggled plenty of things: food, ration cards, ammunition, rifles, extra gear, clothes – but never had they have to smuggle a living, breathing thing with them. Smuggling a living person like Eren was definitely a change of pace.
Speaking of which… Petra began, "So what's the deal with you and Reiner anyway?"
Eren hummed in confusion.
"How'd you manage to befriend the leader of the Shift? You're awfully young to be that close to a figure like him.
Eren looked down at the ground with a solemn face. "It's… a long story. And I'm fifteen. I'm not that young."
"Why aren't you with your parents?"
"…My mom was killed by a Titan a long time ago…"
Petra stopped again, looking at Eren.
He too had stopped walking. "As for my dad… Well, I heard he was in Shiganshina… That's all though." He raised his head and shrugged his shoulders, "It's better than nothing, I guess."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Eren," Petra said with compassion.
"Don't worry about it."
"But did you stray from your father or something though?"
"No, he… went off on a trip somewhere. He's a traveling doctor. Then the Titans came and destroyed the whole district. That's when I was separated from everyone, including my friends."
Petra frowned, feeling sorry for the boy. A child such as him going through times like that must have been so hard. Being separated from one parent made life confusing enough. Being separated from both simply made life a huge mess.
She sighed and continued walking again, almost at the door of the safe house.
Eren added, "And just so you know, I'm not allowed to tell you why you're smuggling me, if that's what you're trying to get at."
"I don't need to know right this minute," Petra said calmly.
She pulled a key from her shirt pocket and slid it through the knob. She then pushed the door open, lighting a match immediately upon entry to get a lantern ready.
"This is it," she said. "Shut the door."
"Okay."
The lantern dimly illuminated the first quarter of the building. Petra roamed around in the shape of a square, lighting the different lanterns that sat on various surfaces of chipped furniture.
Petra then sat on the couch near the door and hugged a small red pillow. She then eased her head back, releasing a huge sigh, "I can finally sit down…"
Eren stood by the door, pivoting his head in every direction, observing every nook and cranny inside the room. Everything was so cramped together, and there was very little walking space. The couch seemed faded along with its pillows; the wooden tables were dusty, the dressers were chipped, and the kitchen appliances were beginning to rust over. There was a bathroom in the corner and the kitchen in the opposite corner. It was not the best place to live in, but it served Levi and Petra well. Despite there not being a separate bed for the two of them, sometimes Levi would sleep on the floor with a blanket over him and Petra snoozing soundly on the couch.
Shyly, he leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor. He hugged his knees taut. "You know, something?"
Petra listened.
"I've never been this close before."
"To where?"
"To the outside."
"What do you mean? We're still miles away from the walls."
"I know, but… it's still something."
"Is that right?"
Petra looked at the clock by the kitchen. It was almost sunset by the time they managed to return to the safe house, and Levi had yet to return. He'll be alright, she thought to herself. I'm sure. Reiner's just showing Levi what we need. Nothing more, nothing less.
In truth, she worried about him, fearing that Reiner might not have been true to his word. The world constantly brings surprises to everyone from around any corner. Without surprises in people's daily lives, the world would not be complete. But with surprises also come downsides. Not everything is happy-go-lucky in the world. What if Reiner actually died from his wound and Levi's making his way back with nothing? What if Reiner actually betrayed Levi and did unspeakable things to him? What if both of them died during their trek? Captured by thugs? Imprisoned by soldiers? Mutilated by Titans?
What if?
Petra pinched the bridge of her nose. Why am I just suddenly beginning to doubt you?
Ah.
He'll be fine. I just know it.
"Hey, Petra?" Petra jumped in her seat, snapping out of her thoughts. "Did I say your name right?"
"Yes."
"I'm Eren Jaeger. I never managed to properly introduce myself."
"Nice to meet you, Eren," she said tiredly.
He simply wanted to kill time. Sitting in the same room as a stranger was already awkward enough. Doing so for who knows how long would have felt like hell. Eren scratched his head, staring off into the depths of the dim room.
He then entertained something that was completely out of the ordinary:
"I've always wondered what it would be like…" he said. "Beyond the walls, I mean."
Petra remained silent.
"It can't be any worse out there… can it?"
She was not at a loss for words – she just could not phrase it correctly without possibly offending him. Such an inquisition was not something that would come from a boy his age. It was peculiar to her, but she was nonetheless intrigued by his curiosity.
He went on, "I've heard that there are mountains… oceans… and so much more out there. So much more…"
But what were mountains exactly? What were oceans?
"We don't know a thing about those so-called mountains and oceans… it's all because we're holed up in here. Behind the walls."
Petra hugged her pillow tighter, contemplating Eren's opinions.
"We can't figure anything else out if we're always keeping ourselves from the rest of the world, you know?"
She looked at him grimly, and he frowned slightly.
Petra then replied with a soft voice, "Eren… what do the Shift members want with a young boy like you?"
His eyes sank to the carpet. "I can't answer that."
When the clock's hands turned to the faded seven of its wooden face, Petra and Eren were sound asleep, awaiting Levi's return. They waited patiently, having very many awkward conversations, but they managed to kill time together. It was not a complete waste.
Petra breathed in softly and exhaled through the narrow part in between her lips. She rested her head on her hand as Eren had fallen asleep on the floor. The door beside him then began to rattle lightly, the knob twisting and then pausing for the door to be pushed open with it. Levi entered the room silently, somehow shutting the door behind him without making a single sound. He was startled by Eren's sudden appearance in the bottom right corner of his eye and nudged at him with his foot.
"Wake up, kid." And Eren was suddenly wide awake.
Petra opened her eyes and quickly snapped her head up to see Levi standing beside her. She greeted him with a yawn, "Oh, good evening, Levi."
"Sleeping on the job?"
"N-No…" Maybe. She rubbed her eyes. "How'd it go?"
Levi began to strip off his green cloak. "I've brought something with me. Hard as fuck to smuggle from them though."
He tossed his cloak to the top of the couch, revealing what precious items he had been hiding throughout his trek. What Eren and Petra saw was beyond their belief. Strapped to Levi's sides were long, metallic, blade-filled compartments; handgrips; and oxygen tanks.
Eren jumped onto his feet, dumbfounded at the sight. "No way!"
Petra was speechless.
"That's the 3DM gear!"