He was running again. His feet were pounding against concrete pavement as air went through his nose and out his mouth. Who was on his feet, he had no clue. He was a petty criminal on the run, and no one could stop him. Eren Jaeger had let his rage influence yet another decision of his.
Yeah, Mikasa, was definitely going to be pleased with him. Ever since the tragic death of their mother, she had stepped in loco parentis. Just what he needed, a mother who was his age and a million times stronger than him.
Eren loved his life. It was a wonder he always tested the law. With everything going right for him, one would think that he could be a peaceful teenager and simply go along with life. The thing with that, was that the boy was never peaceful. He was pure and utter rage at its finest, and everything went the opposite of right for him.
Just like his feet, which turned left, carrying him into the wrong alleyway. The person whom he was hoping to see was no where to be seen, he had taken the wrong turn. With that, he lost the perfect getaway that his blond friend had planned out for him. Strategy was not Eren's strongest suit, having never learnt from his failures, the teenager always relied on his friend under the name of Armin for such things. They made a good-no, great-team. Troubles would arise, yet they could tackle them.
Silence held the house. Nanaba and Mike were somewhere, a date of sorts they said, while Hanji and Erwin were researching together, picking targets required lots of discussion. That colloquy was saved for the brightest of minds; Levi came in with attack plans, and even then, his talents were still saved. He was good with murder and thievery. Out of all the lessons the street taught his as a kid, that was something that would always stick as his sharpest skill.
With no one around, the short man found his feet taking him to the coffee shop down the street, The Coffee of Freedom, yes, the corniest name imaginable. He found one of the few teas in their menu quite amazing, whoever had thought of the brew was a genius, at least in his eyes, for a cup and chair outside steadied him. Levi, a calm man, lived in a hectic world, a calming activity was welcomed when he had the time for it.
After he thanked the only barista whom he didn't have to look up to, 'Petra' her name tag read, he took his place a table topped with an umbrella. Nothing out of the ordinary, the way he liked it.
Well.
Nothing was out of the ordinary. The aforementioned teenage 'brat' came running into the man's eyes. Another failed getaway, maybe? Whatever it was, it caused his eyes to contradict Levi's, Frustration, Rage, and Desperation wrote their names in his pupils. He was running again. Nothing could stop him: no civilian, no horse, no one.
"Tch." No one except for Levi. Maybe it was how he blocked Eren's way, maybe it was the glare he pierced him with, or maybe it was just his overall presence, but whatever it was, the taller teenager was on his knees, Levi had his attention, "Oi, brat, come with me," he also had his ear. Bringing him up, only to bring him back down to his level, the stronger one of the two dragged the younger one away from The Coffee of Freedom, and towards the magnanimous headquarters.
The petty criminal wanted to protest and fight against the grasp captivating him, yet couldn't bring himself to it. After all, why should he? Armin was good at more than just planning failed getaway attempts, the kid was also good at researching important people. Members of the Smith Mafia had taken great care to make sure that the public eye wouldn't recognize them; they were good at what they did. Armin, too, was good at what he did, if Eren had paid attention correctly to what his blond friend had uncovered about the unlawful ones, he knew where he was going. Eren Jaeger's ear was in the hand of the infamous Levi Ackerman. Eren was taking a trip to wherever the greatest criminals to walk the streets of Shinigasha met. Boy, was he excited.
Was this some sort of joke? What kind of feared mafia met in a two-story, brick home? Did they think they were on some cheesy sitcom, killing at night and being a family during the day? Eren was not laughing.
He was, however, pushed into the home office after Levi had kicked the doors open. Silence sat suspended between the four. Hanji looked to Levi as Erwin looked to Eren. This was something new. The two didn't know whether it was more shocking to see a new face in their home, or to see that new face brought in by the most introverted of the group.
Stringing words into sentences, Erwin was the first to verbalize his confusion, "Levi, is there a reason you brought this boy to us?"
"Is it you or Mike or who always mumbles the stupid 'eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth,' shit?" Following his words, Levi pushed Eren so that he was in the middle of everyone, on the floor, "We shot all those teenagers at Trost. Brat for a brat, I thought you would want this kid."
Oh. Well. That was something that could be interpreted. Being a thinker, Hanji's mind began to race. Levi did make sense, they, as a group, probably needed to do something to make up for their recent murders. The thing was, Levi was saying this, something that would make more sense to come from Nanaba, there was more reasoning to what he was letting on. Could it be that-
"I would have preferred if you-"
"I found him on the street. I couldn't have informed you beforehand."
"Are you trying to tell me we should accept a teenage law-breaker into our professional mafia?" Erwin cleared his throat, hoping that Levi had more support for his actions. Hanji, on the other hand, had already withdrawn herself from the conversation. While Erwin wanted support, she wanted motives.
"You're to talk, Eyebrows," the short fellow scoffed, "That's almost what you did to me when we were younger."
He felt guilty, that was it. Hanji had come to her conclusion. Why else would Levi bring in a street-rat? His years as a thug must've hit him as he killed all those kids who were living as he did. It was quite possible that he was trying to right that wrong. He concealed his internal self, yet Hanji could read right through him, commonly. She had picked up how to see through his screen more than anyone else had.
Her conclusion stayed only with her internal self, yet she had been silent for long enough. Having figured Levi out, she was on her knees hoping to learn who this kid was. "Off the street, eh?" She started her rapid fire of questions, all of which, she expected answers to, "Eren? As in Eren, what is it, Jaeger? You're the hit-and-run driver and thief that's been on the local news, right? How old are you? Do you actually want to join or are you just here because you're weaker than Shorty?" More questions spewed from her mouth until Shorty took it amongst himself to push Hanji away from the kid with his foot. This was supposed to be a discussion, not an interrogation.
It also wasn't supposed to be a house party, yet that didn't keep the couple from returning from their date. As Erwin began what could be a final answer as to Levi's proposal, the mustached man was quick to assume that the kid on the floor was a possible new member.
Leaving his girlfriend at the front of the room, Mike made his way across the hallway to push Levi out of the way, and tackle the adolescent sitting on his knees in confusion, "COME ON AND,"
"Not this again, Mike. Get your filth off the boy-"
"SLAM TO THE JAM." Without anyone saying that he was to be a new member of the Smith Mafia, Eren Jaeger had already passed what stood as an initiation. Mike's tackles were definitely something, no one, not even the woman who loved him, enjoyed being the subject of them.
Soon enough, six bowls, six spoons, a gallon of milk, and the new box of Cheerios joined the mafia plus Eren at the dining table. Important decisions had to be made in a manner that did not including slamming and jamming. The main point of discussion was how much Eren would be affected by joining. They knew that it would require some adjusting, yet no one was opposed to the teenager. Hanji, who knew of him from the news broadcasts, was quick to convince everyone that he'd be easy to train for their missions. All that was left was making sure of Eren having next to zero personal connections.
"My mom died awhile ago and my dad is barely around. School? Dropped out in November. I rarely talk to anyone from then. Y'know, just when I run into them. Nope. I wasn't really involved in activities... Yeah, I've gone to court before, but it's not like I'm friends with a lawyer or anything."
No mention of Armin or Mikasa. Eren must have really wanted to be accepted to leave out his two best friends. It worked for him. Erwin made an executive decision that Eren Jaeger seemed fit to join, one wrong move and he'd face a bullet to the head, yet if he could last, he would be an official member of the Smith Mafia.
Eren was playing in the big league, now.
The week passed without any more surprises. Erwin wrote out his agenda for what needed to happen and when. Hanji stayed inside of her office, researching the criminals that Erwin felt the need to exterminate. Levi aided in the teaching of Eren how to wield a handgun properly. Mike also taught the boy some tricks of the trade, yet mainly stood next to Erwin in developing an outline of their upcoming mission. Nanaba planned out would be in charge of what. Sure, Levi didnt have as much time for tea breaks, yet otherwise, things were running smoothly; everyone was occupied, and no one was upset. Who would have guessed that peace could hold killers.
Sunday night came quickly. Research and plans were finished and shared, training was evaluated, and dinner was served. A tradition, the night leading up to a mission was always the only night of the week that the family sat down for a meal that didn't include cereal or a microwave. Not everyone had the mind of Hanji, yet they all knew the honest truth. Their line of work was dangerous, obviously. Corrupt deals were made with the local addicts, shots were fired, and the cops had platters saved for their heads. Yes, the five adults were good at what they did, yet that didn't mean that they wouldn't slip up one night. Possibilities were endless, and each and every one of them wanted their last memories to be an inaccurate, yet happy, representation of their life.
"Somebody planning on passing the mashed potatoes this way?"
"Learn what patience is, will you?"
"Who has the salad?"
"I do, but I'm done with it. I can toss it to you!"
"That joke has overstayed its welcome, Four-Eyes."
Yes. A pleasant dinner. That is most definitely what occurred. At least their night was spent in the company of light hearts. Heavy spirits would join them later, they didn't need emotional weight of any sorts in this moment. All was well.
Well.
As a narrator, I am supposed to include specific details to bring characters into the light.
There's just such a sweet moment in the story, though, I believe it's fine that I leave out Eren's anger issues occasionally getting the best of him. Honestly, that's fairly reoccurring. A peaceful note is how this chapter should end, and a peaceful note is how this chapter will end.