END GAME

Chapter 3: Second Case

By Tuesday, three days after first starting the case, it was taken out of their hands and placed into the federal governments so that they could determine what should be done. The feds took everything; all of the copies, the notes, even Masters' body. The only thing left was the flash drive that Levi had returned to Eren, ordering him to keep it safe and to not lose it on what could assumed would be penalty of death.

"No Mikasa, I don't need you to come over. I think I can manage to make spaghetti by myself." Eren stirred the pasta, steam curling up through the air and warming his hand. Mikasa sighed, the noise sounding similar to static over the phone.

"Fine," she murmured. "Do you want to tak about your case at all?" Eren could tell she was still irritated with how Irvin had simply let the feds come in and tear the case away from them without a fight. She probably believed that they should have fought to the death in order to retain hold of the case. Or at least, that was what Eren thought. He had still neglected to tell her about the flash drive; he would get around to that eventually.

"No especially," he said and set down the spoon, watching the curls of steam ascend through the air. "It was just a case. What's so important about it?" It could have been the fact of that Eren had managed to remain more or less calm throughout the entirety of the case that set the alarms in Mikasa's head off. Sometimes she is just too overprotective.

"No reason," Mikasa said, "It's just most people don't get along with Levi when they work cases with him." Eren snorted in amusement. It didn't surprise him that the short man rarely got along with people. If he didn't know better, Eren might have thought that Levi was part thorn bush; pretty to look at but dangerous to touch. Since when was he pretty?

"It was fine. He was fine. Trust me, I would have said something if I couldn't stand him. Besides, I doubt I'm going to get another case with him again. He seems more like the type to deal with murders and crap, stuff that wouldn't deal with hacking for the most part."

"You never know," Mikasa pressed, "Things aren't always as they seem. Plus what if you decide to become a detective? They do make more money than working at a bookstore and occasionally helping out at the station combined."

Damn Mikasa and her logic. Then again, she wouldn't be a prosecutor if she wasn't both intelligent and intuitive. Hell, she could have gotten that basketball scholarship to Maryland if she hadn't insisted on going to the same college as me. "I know, I know, but what does it matter? I'm doing fine right now." He pulled a spoon out and stirred the sauce, hoping that it hadn't burned to the bottom of the pot while he was distracted. Or that the noodles had clumped together in the adjacent pot. "So how is your newest case coming along? You just can't seem to take a break, can you?"

Mikasa scoffed, "Of course not. The case is coming along fine. We've managed to find enough evidence to incriminate both of the perpetrators. When I present it to the judge tomorrow they'll have no chance of walking away without a few years of jail time on them. They aren't going to have a fun time in prison. Rapists very rarely do." Eren laughed a little in agreement; one prisoner had actually killed another when he had found out that the latter had raped someone. "I'm almost tempted to ask whether they're going to give them a false conviction so that they aren't murdered in their sleep."

"That's great. I'm glad your case is going so well Mikasa I hope you get a good turnout. I've got to go now, but I'll text you later okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Eren." Eren punched the 'End Call' button with his thumb and set the phone down on the counter so he could drain the pasta. The last time he had tried to talk on the phone and pour the boiling water into the sink had not ended well. It had instead ended with a slightly molten hunk of useless plastic and electronics and a trip to the phone store to acquire a replacement. He tilted the pot and watched the steam rise, floating upwards and enveloping his face before moving onwards.

He set the pot back down, his mind turning back to the case, and in turn, to Levi. He hadn't seen the detective since the second day on the case, when Levi had come into his apartment and he had passed out on the couch, oblivious to the world. I should probably go down to the station tomorrow… Maybe he's come up with some news leads.

"Levi, loosen up a little!" Hanji chided, poking Levi incessantly in his right arm. He had already moved as far left as he could, but between the wall and Hanji pressing in from the sides and Irvin and Mike in front, their long legs blocking the under-table route, the only way to escape would have been over the back of the booth. That would have been extremely undignified to say the least. Something he would have done years ago, before things had changed. "Levi," Hanji moaned, "Stop spacing out and join the conversation."

Levi glanced at her, his gaze icy as he ran the tip of his finger down his mostly untouched glass, condensation collecting on his finger. "Why would I want to do that? You idiots make enough conversation between yourselves to deafen a crowd." Perhaps he was exaggerating a little, but between the obnoxious patrons in various states of drunken stupors, the heavy thud of music, and the increasing volume of his three companions, a headache was beginning to form. That was with barely having touched any alcohol too. Or maybe it was just the itch for a cigarette that was dragging his mood down; he hadn't had any in three hours and he was feeling fit to murder.

"Oh come on Levi, could you at least tell us what you thought of Eren! Don't tell me that you scared the hell out of him. Although now that I think about it, he seemed to be more irritated or awed with you rather than terrified." Hanji stared at him, her brown eyes stretched wide as she waited on his response. Levi rolled his eyes and sipped at his whiskey. It wasn't his favorite but Irvin had insisted that he get something other than water, especially since bars didn't typically carry coffee or tea during the happy hours.

"What's there to talk about? He's just a little brat who didn't know what the fuck he was doing. I suppose he picks up fast though. Better than some of those other morons you've stuck me with." The last comment was accompanied with an irritated glare at Irvin, who smirked slightly at him.

"People skills are required Levi," he chastised. "A person cannot stay around three people only for the rest of his or her life. You need to broaden your circles and I'm simply trying to help you out."

"Help me out? More like torture me by sticking me with the most irritating people possible."

"Oh really," Hanji said, "You didn't seem to find Petra, Oluo, Gunther, or Erd irritating. And you've hardly said a bad thing about Eren so he must not have been all that bad.' A devious smirk was attached to her face, making her resemble the Cheshire cat in a strange way.

Levi was tempted to argue but it Hanji had backed him into a corner, figuratively and literally. He couldn't deny that none of the five she had mentioned had been so irritating that he refused to associate with them. He was tolerant of Erd, Gunther, Oluo, and Petra, who had come to call themselves the Special Operations Squad, or SOS, ever since they had worked a case with Levi. Eren was an odd exception; he had been infuriating yet intriguing in a way. The boy was hiding something, Levi was certain of it, and he was curious to find out what.

"Hello, earth to Levi," Hanji said, waving a hand in front of his face. Levi blinked several times, his steely gray eyes focusing on her hand. "Seriously Levi, you talk to the squad in the office, so why don't you go talk to Eren. Ask him if he wants to work another case with you."

Levi felt his eye twitch, both in irritation at the autopsy technician and in an increasing need to smoke in order to keep from punching the taller woman. "Hanji let me out." Hanji sighed but moved anyways, slower than what was strictly necessary, but she moved all the same. Levi made his escape from the black and red booth and pushed his way through the crowd of people.

The night air was a relief upon his face, the cool, damp air contrasting with the heat from inside. The cool, dark world outside was deafeningly silent compared to the obnoxious cacophony within the club, which he could still hear faintly through the stained glass windows, which someone had obviously thought would add appeal to the bar. It didn't really work, but the bar still drew in customers all the same.

He extracted a lighter from his pockets and lit the cigarette on the second try. He drew in a deep breath; the smoke flowing into his lungs and remaining there for several long moments before he let the smoke tasting of lemongrass pass his lips, floating into the chilly night air. I really should beat Mike for even suggesting that I try these instead of normal cigarettes. They're too damn addicting to be good for me.

Eren bobbed his head up to the music pulsing from his stereo as he moved throughout his apartment, bouncing and sliding around in time to the music as he grabbed things as he passed by in an effort to straighten up once more. The band who was currently playing, Advancing Giants, was a relatively new one, but they had already topped the charts for three weeks in a row with their first single, "Silent Battlefield." The lead singer, Christa Lenz, had a startlingly strong voice for someone so who was so small and delicate-looking. That was also deceptive, especially considering some of the songs that she had written tended to center around death and destruction.

"Lying here, this cold hard ground
No one around, not a sound
Where did all the people go?
When did things get so low?
There's no escaping now
Trapped here, I'm not sure how
The enemy keeps coming on
Fight now until the dawn!
Don't you dare yield
On this silent battlefield
The hearts we surrender
Never come back to the sender
As you're left here to be killed
On this silent battlefield."

Ymir, the mysterious woman in charge of the electric guitar, leapt into her solo, playing loud and proud, with startling exuberance. Valerie, the drummer, joined in after a short while, the beat of the drums sounding almost like cannon-fire.

Several short, rapid knocks pulled him back to the bitter reality that yes, there were other people aside from himself. Eren moved back across the room and turned the music down till it was barely audible and he moved back to open the door, the chain still on it preventing it from going very far. Slate gray eyes, bored and irritated, turned away from the door and focus on Eren. "Well, are you going to open the door or are you going to have me stand out here all damn day?"

Eren rolled his eyes but slid the chain out anyways, standing back so Levi could push the door open. Eren shut the door behind Levi as the shorter man moved further into the apartment to stand just behind the couch before turning around to stare at Eren. "Do you want me to make some coffee…?" Eren inquired, unsure of what to do.

Levi shook his head, "No need. I'm not planning on staying that long. I, ah, wanted to tell you that you did a decent job on the case. I also wanted to know if you've managed to work the file out yet." Silence stretched out for several long moments as Eren absorbed what Levi had said to him. For the first time since he had met the man, Levi had managed to utter three whole sentences without insulting him… as long as it was looked at somewhat abstractly. Something was definitely up. "Did someone force you into saying that?"

Levi's eyes instantly hardened into an irritated glare, turning an icy blue-gray with his change in mood. "Don't be such a damn uptight brat all the time and learn to take a compliment when it's given. But yeah... Hanji practically held me at gunpoint till I agreed to do this." That's the Levi I know, Eren thought, a grin creeping onto his face. Levi stared at him, a frown on his face and his arms folded across his chest.

Eren's hand crept to the back of his neck, rubbing sheepishly at the bones at the base. "I haven't been able to break whatever sort of encryption Masters put on the file. I'm starting to think it's an eternity code, which takes, well, an eternity to break."

"Lovely," Levi said with a sigh. He leaned back against the back of the couch and titled his head back. "Until you manage to get into it would you like to work another case? If you're interested of course, it's not like I need another idiot trooping after me and screwing up my cases."

A laugh pushed its way past Eren's lips and he nodded. "Sure, I'd love to work another case. Oh, but my shift is starting in an hour or two so I won't be able to start yet. I can write my hours down for you and you can give me the file later." Levi nodded and Eren darted into his room. He yanked one of his desk drawers open, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and wrote carefully but quickly. Levi was still leaning against his couch when he emerged from his room, the piece of paper clutched in one hand.

He passed it to the gray-eyed man, who took it with surprising delicacy for someone with such a crass nature. "I put the hours and days I typically work, along with my cell in case you need to reach me about any new leads you might have."

Levi took it with a nod and pocketed it without paper, which Eren had folded for convenience. "I'll come by and bring you the file after your shift tonight, so don't slack off."

The door clicked shut before Eren could respond, leaving him alone in the quiet apartment once more, the only sounds coming from his pounding heart and the faint sound of music. I must be getting sick, Eren thought, fingers brushing his burning cheeks as an idiotic grin spread across his face.

At three o'clock, two hours after Eren's shift started, Armin walked into the Inkblot, grinning from ear to ear. Eren glanced up when he heard the bell ring and stuck his tongue out at the approaching blonde. "Hey Armin, what happened? Did you get another patent or something?" Armin leaned up against the wooden counter and shook his head.

"No, at least I don't have another yet. But that's not what I came here to talk about. Do you remember Annie Leonhart from college? She was in our Literature class."

Eren rubbed his chin thoughtfully for several long seconds before the connection was made. "You're talking about the Annie that looked like she was a mixed martial arts champion and could bash everyone's face in? Of course I remember her. A lot of people said she was intimidating but she was just really quiet. Almost unnervingly so, but she wasn't so bad once we started talking. Why do you ask?"

Armin nodded, "Yeah, that Annie. Well apparently she moved away after college for some reason but I suppose she's back now. I saw her at Joe's Coffee Shop down on Summerset Avenue. She recognized me and so I asked her if she might want to meet up sometime this week and catch up." A light dusting of pink coated Armin's cheeks as he talked.

Eren grinned deviously, "Looks like someone's got a crush." Armin gave an abashed smile before he buried his face into his hands.

"I can't help it," he said, "She was really nice to me and we really connected in the classes we had together. I always felt bad for not talking to her more but she always disappeared before I could get a chance to catch her."

Eren clapped his hand on Armin's shoulder and grinned at his friend, shaking his head in amusement. "Don't worry about it; I'm sure you'll be fine. Besides, it's not like Annie is going to dropkick you into next week. Just be nice to her and you'll be fine, that's how it usually works."

Armin sighed and let his head hit the top of the counter with a thud. The blonde's head remained there for several long moments before he brought his head back up. "Yeah, I'll try… Anyways, has Irvin given you anything new yet?"

Eren shook his head and rested his elbow on the counter, his wrist underneath his chin. "No, Irvin hasn't given me a new case, but Levi asked me if I wanted to take on another one with him. I agreed to, especially since I don't really have anything else to do."

Armin smiled, "I'm glad you two are getting along now. You really didn't seem to like him when we came over the other day." Eren rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.

"He's… okay once you get past the cactus-like personality. And the more or less constant flow of insults." Eren tapped the desk thoughtfully, "But once you get past all of that, I guess he's not so bad." Armin looked at him for a long time before a smile slowly crept up onto the boy's face. The blonde slapped a hand over his mouth, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

"Eren, I think you might have found a personality to match your own. Alright, I've gotta go now otherwise Rico is going to bite my head off for being late. For an assistant she sure is terrifying. See you later Eren!" The bell attached to the door chimed behind Armin, waving madly at Eren as he left. Eren let his hand fall back to the desk. He picked up a discarded pencil and stared at it a moment before he began to spin it in his fingers, moving from one end to the other and back, again and again. I wonder what he meant by that… Armin is so abstract sometimes.

Eren locked the Inkblot up behind him, the only lights left on inside the store being the emergency lights. The nights were starting to get colder and darker. Soon it would be completely dark at seven o'clock, with only the glow of the city and streetlights giving off light. Thin streams of vapor escaped his lips, floating up into the night air. He pulled out his phone and tapped a button, the soft blue glow washing up his face as he walked towards the end of the street. A text was waiting for him, one from an unknown number. He opened it and scanned the message, an unconscious smile creeping onto his face.

From: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Its Levi. Message me when your shift is finished.
Received: Wed Sept 18, 3:35pm

His fingers danced across the keyboard as he tapped out a message. He hit the send button as the crosswalk light changed to green. As he walked through the streets, no new messages arrived. He walked, white vapor leaking from his lips as he rubbed his numb fingertips together in his pockets. The city had grown quiet, the rumble of cars faded to a soft sound in the distance, the lights muted behind closed curtains.

He turned the last corner and his steps faltered when he saw someone standing in front of his apartment complex, their hands in the pockets of their jacket, their head turned upwards. Eren grinned and approached the ma, glad to see the already-familiar face. "Levi, I see you made it." Levi glanced over at him and shrugged his gray jacket clad shoulders before he looked back at the building.

"You took your sweet time getting here, didn't you?"

Eren rolled his eyes, "Sorry that I had to lock up. Hannah developed a stomach bug before her shift today and it was her day to close, so I offered to close instead. Is that a problem?" Levi sighed and followed Eren as they entered the building and ascended the steps to the third floor. Eren unlocked the door and pushed it open, "After you."

Levi nodded and walked into the room. He dropped the file onto Eren's coffee table and sat down in one of the black chairs, crossing his ankle and knee. Eren picked up the file and glanced at Levi before he opened the blue folder. He scanned the contents of the file.

The victim, a twenty-two year old male by the name of Eric Wilkes, had been found in his apartment earlier in the morning, a bullet wound going through one temple and out the other. It would have been classified as a suicide had it not been for the .45 pistol had been used and its location. Instead of being found in or near the victim's hand, the gun had been found under the couch. They were currently in the process of lifting and matching any prints that might have been left on the gun.

The apartment itself showed signs of a struggle; spots of blood had been left on the floor, but it was unsure of whether it was the attacker's or Wilkes' blood. The door to the apartment itself had been broken, with the lock ripped out of place and the doorframe had strips of wood torn from it. Zoe was handling the autopsy, and it was likely that she had already completed it.

"What time does the morgue close?" "It closed at seven. We'll have to go back in tomorrow, bright and early."

Eren groaned and let his head fall back on the back of the couch, the papers hitting his knees. "But mornings…" Eren moaned, "They're for sleeping in after long nights of watching TV and playing video games, not waking up at the crack of dawn. Especially now that I don't have school anymore!"

He raised his head and was met with a glare. "If you don't want the perpetrator to get away, I advise that you comply with my demands." Eren sighed but nodded all the same. "Should we go see the crime scene first of go to the morgue?"

Levi shrugged, "Probably the scene. The blood tests are expected back around noon, along with the matches for the fingerprints, if any at all were found. It would be more convenient to either be in the morgue or at the station, somewhere where we can get the information as soon as it comes in."

"Alright," Eren said, "So what time do you want to meet up in the morning?" So help me God, if you say five AM, I swear I will murder you.

"Seven AM. If you procrastinate at all I will throw you out a window."

Chapter 3: End

I apologize for the slight delay in the uploading of this chapter. I had four games today and I am about ready to keel over and sleep for twenty-four hours. Chapter 4 will most likely be out on Tuesday, so I certainly hope you can wait that long for another chapter. Thank you for reading and I hope you have a nice night/day/life/existence.