CHAPTER 12

Author's Note

A couple of announcements!

So first of all, even though this story isn't meant to get popular I had a sudden burst of inspiration and decided to go big or go home, lol! So I posted it on AO3 and Wattpad in case anyone prefers those webpages.

Second, something I should've mentioned since the beginning and will be adding to the first chapter is that the ages of various characters are different in this story. Specifically, Levi and Petra but Levi's exact age will be discussed further in future chapters so, we'll leave that topic for another day.

Lastly, I was going back and forth between splitting this chapter in two or not but if I did, it would fuck up the even number of chapters I have for the first half of the fic! (kinda like the end of season 1 type of deal) lmao so, even though I shouldn't… get cozy and grab some popcorn for this long chapter. I'll put stopping points for those that want to read it in parts lol.

\(^.^)/

"Fuck." Levi hissed.

He took out his phone and dialed Moblit all the while looking for a way to get out.

No windows. Sealed shut. Metal walls. Things weren't looking so hot.

As if that weren't enough, the call wouldn't go through. All that could be heard was static. Levi stared daggers at the phone. The warehouse must've been doing something to it.

Ok. Moblit was waiting on an update so surely he would call backup if Levi wouldn't respond. Even so, Levi had to consider that they wouldn't arrive in quite some time and if there was only one exit, there was only one way to enter so he would have to be prepared for anything that would come through that door-

A strange sound echoed through the warehouse. It sounded like gurgling... and it was coming from behind of Levi. The raven slowly turned around. He looked at the viscous substance that had been dumped on the floor. It looked different. At first Levi had thought it to be a purely black slime but now that he took a closer look there were dark purples and reds swimming in it. No wait. They weren't swimming in it. They were actually moving in it. The substance was moving on its own accord.

The pool of liquid was shrinking, forming a more solid matter. It then turned to the shape of a blob. Levi could only observe in horror as two extremities extended from it and grew four little nubs on each one, resembling two arms. It then grew longer to where a distinction could be made between its 'body' and its 'head'. It was around the size of a toddler when the 'head' extended as well, a huge, gaping mouth taking shape. Levi's blood ran ice cold as a whimper -much like that of a baby- escaped the monstrosities mouth.

"What the fuck?" He whispered to himself.

The bodyguard then realized that two more were taking form right behind the first one and that's when he frantically took out his gun. The first creature began dragging itself with its arms towards Levi all the while making those ominous whimpers. The raven promptly responded with a barrage of bullets.

The creature whined and moaned as they pierced its body and for a second it collapsed on the floor, wheezing. The bodyguard would've sighed in relief if it weren't for the fact that it recollected itself and began moving towards him faster than before.

Levi quickly ran to the back of the warehouse in order to make space between himself and whatever those things were. He shot again but to no avail. Moments after the bullets would harm them, the wounds would close up and they would resume slithering their way to the raven-haired man. The worst part was that with every second that passed by they were getting faster and faster.

The bodyguard took a deep breath. It had been a while since he had been this unnerved by something. Guns were not the solution to this problem. Levi ran to the side of the warehouse were some wooden pallets laid on the floor. He proceeded to pick one up and hold it high in the air. His pulse quickened as one of the blobs got closer and closer. Right when the thing was at his feet, he slammed the pallet onto the ground with all his force.

The monster shrieked, its 'body' wriggling in pain. Levi didn't have much time to observe though as the other two were catching up quick. He ran back to where the dead man was. The creature had gone back to its liquid form.

In an instant, Levi ran to where there were more pallets. The blobs were now incredibly swift. Fortunately, Levi had quick reflexes. As soon as they reached him, BAM! They were met with a mortal blow to the face. The monsters sagged down to a liquid form- burbles and whimpers still came from them. The raven thought about taking a sample to give it to Moblit later but he couldn't fathom the idea of getting close to the still bubbling substance.

The gurgling sound settled down. All the raven could hear was his haggard breathing. Chills went up and down his body. He was covered in sweat.

"What the fuck... what the fuck?" He hissed.

Levi took a moment to calm himself. After a couple of deep breathes, the bodyguard steadied himself. He had to push all of what had just happened to the side -as hard as it was- and focused on the door. All Levi wanted at that point was to get the fuck out of there.

He took a few strides towards said exit. The sound of his heavy boots hitting the cement floor echoed through the warehouse. He hit the ground with his shoes once, twice, thrice, four times, five times, six-.

No. The sixth time it wasn't that dry sound. It sounded more like he had splashed in water...

Levi looked down.

One of the blobs was wrapped around his right foot. The raven frantically looked around. The two creatures he had just hit were still puddles on the floor. He whipped his head to look at the first one. It was no longer there.

The bodyguard quickly went to take off his shoe but the blob took no time in engulfing Levi's shin. If he wanted to remove it he would have to touch it. The bodyguard kicked around but it was no use. The creature was stuck like glue. Levi growled. He was so fucking done with these things.

Levi had no other choice. He lunged at the creature and tried to pull it off but even with all of his force he couldn't get the thing to budge. In fact, it kept crawling up Levi's leg and by the gurgling sound rumbling anew, the raven knew the others were coming for him as well.

The raven took out a knife -not even sure if that would do anything- and plunged it into it though not deep enough to hurt himself. The creature shrieked once again and the grasp it had on Levi's leg loosened. Noticing this, the bodyguard plunged the knife a couple more times with one hand and pulled with the other until the monstrosity finally let out.

Much to the raven's dismay, it had let go of his leg but was now sticking to his left hand. As Levi had grabbed it from its back, he now had the pleasure of staring right at its mouth from with the cries were being emitted. Levi flinched as it shrieked from the top of its lungs- did it even have lungs?

His left hand was now useless so all he could do was keep on stabbing it. It was turning a reddish hue though it began oozing a dark liquid. The raven was about to give a final plunge of the knife in hopes that it would finally give up when its mouth lunged for his hand, swallowing his extremity and the knife as well. It was as if the thing was trying to eat him. It sucked in more and more of his hand, extending its body as much as it could. Levi thrashed around. The feeling of something warm crawling up his leg warned him that another one of those monstrosities was sticking to him. Fortunately, he was able to stomp the third one before it attached itself as well- giving him some time before it recuperated itself.

Levi couldn't help but let go of the knife at the feeling of his hand being swallowed. The inside of the monster felt wet and gooey. It made Levi's blood run cold. He was scratching at the insides as best he could when he felt various openings- the ones he had made with the knife. He was pulling and tearing at the tissues when he felt something solid on the inside. The bodyguard's eyes widened. At that point he didn't have any better idea than to try to feel out what the thing was in hopes of it being of any use. His hand felt much more constricted as time went on which only added to Levi's frenzy. Not to mention, the second was at his knee and well on its way to the top.

The moment he felt that hardened material once again, he gripped onto it. It felt like a jagged rock. Solid but smooth. Without knowing what else he could possibly do, he grabbed onto it tight and began pulling. The creature screamed. That only motivated Levi to keep on going. Summoning all the strength he could muster, he tugged and tugged on the material until he heard a ripping sound. A ripping sound of flesh. He had torn it from the creature's body. As soon as he did, the creature released the pressure it had on Levi's arm and cried in pain. Its gelatinous body lost its consistency and turned completely black. The knife that had been stuck inside of it hit the ground with a clamorous sound. The creature melted completely into a liquid that splashed all over the ground. Said liquid expelled a piercing gas. The man took a shaky hand to his eyes, a hand that was now covered in little cuts from the knife.

Levi took a couple of steps back. The third creature was burbling again but there were no indications that the first one was going to regenerate. He looked down at the creature now on his abdomen and then at the rock he had torn from the monstrosities body. It was a small crystal. Though murky with residue of the blob, Levi could tell it would be completely transparent once clean.

The raven took no time in reaching for the weapon and jamming it into the thing. The bodyguard did the same thing he had done with the other one though now with more precision. He hurt the creature until it gave out and the moment Levi was able to pull it from his body, he struck his hand right into the creature's mouth, feeling around for the crystal and tearing it away before the thing even had a moment to react. It too melted away.

The final monster was barely taking form when Levi stomped on it once again. Gashing it with the knife, he tore it apart until he found the third crystal. The blob turned black and perished.

Levi furthered himself from the puddles. He stood on guard expecting them to revive at any moment. One minute passed, two, three. Nothing. They were finally dead.

The gas they secreted caused him to go into a coughing fit. The man walked backwards until his back hit a wall. He took shaky breathes. The bodyguard was covered head to toe in whatever the hell that black substance was. His right hand was covered in gashes from which oozed bright red blood. He held onto one of the crystals. He carefully placed it in one his belts pouches. Maybe Moblit would know what to do with it- that is, if Levi got out of there in the first place.

He went into a coughing fit again. Desperate for clean air, he hurried off to the door. In a moment of panic, he threw down his face mask to inhale whatever oxygen he could get from the outside. With renewed lungs, Levi felt brave enough to look back at the puddles. He wondered what those creatures were.

Then, something caught his eye. A dot. A red glimmering dot. It was up high in the ceiling. Levi knew exactly what it meant. It hadn't been turned on before but much to Levi's luck it was recording him in that very moment. A camera.

Levi threw his face mask back on though he knew it did little to repair what had been done.

Damn, he felt queasy.

"Levi sir! Sir!" Someone was banging on one of the metal walls.

He recognized that voice, "Hello?!"

"Sir! Moblit sent us! It's me Marlo!"

Levi sighed in relief. Marlo was one of the workers of Survey Corps.

"Are you alright sir?!"

The raven stiffened. He didn't even know how to answer that question.

"I will be once I'm out of here... if you can make it quick. I think there's a gas in here that's making me nauseous."

Levi heard the panic in Marlo's voice, "Y-Yes sir! We're on it!"

Just like the creatures, he too melted. He let his body slide down against the door until he was sitting on the floor. The raven did his best to try and inhale whatever clean air was coming from the outside through the small creak in the door.

All he could do at that point was wait.

"Dammit Moblit! I should have been the first person to have been informed!" Petra all but screamed into the phone.

Eren awkwardly sat in the passenger seat in total silence. As soon as Eren had told her about Levi being in danger, she changed into an outfit similar to Levi's uniform and had hopped onto her car. Though she had initially insisted on Eren staying in her home until she got back, the teen had resisted and due to the hurried state she was in, she simply agreed and told him to hop in quickly. Revving up the engine, she dialed someone and had been arguing with said person on the phone ever since.

"Don't... No. Don't listen to him! You know how he is! I'm not out yet. Up until both my feet are out of Sina I expect to be informed of everything like I normally would!"

The brunet twiddled his thumbs. Some of the things he was able to gather from the phone call was that Levi was fortunately alive though he was stuck in a warehouse. Eren knew it was one of the many places where Grisha would keep his 'products' for when they had to be distributed. Three backup members had already arrived and were trying to get him out. The more he pieced together, the more the guilt and shame arose in him. Levi wouldn't have gone to investigate the warehouse if it weren't for Eren. It was all his fault.

"Ugh. We'll talk about this later. I'm close to the site."

Petra parked the car. She stuffed the phone into her belt and quickly got out of the car. It wasn't until she was about to close the door that she saw Eren and remembered his existence, "Oh! Uh- you stay here!"

The green-eyed boy jumped, "Wait! No!" He undid his buckle as well and leapt out of the vehicle, "I-I know about these warehouses. I can help!"

Petra huffed. Her once soft and motherly eyes were now harsh and cold. It terrified Eren as he was actually lying through his teeth. In reality he didn't know much about Grisha's warehouses. He had visited a couple but was left out for the most part of all the distributing operations.

"Fine. You stick to me like glue unless I tell you otherwise, got it? I don't want you even two feet away from me. You'll practically be my shadow."

Eren nodded, "Yes."

"Come here!" She ordered.

He did as she said. Petra grabbed the brunet's wrist and lead him to an alleyway. She turned her back towards him, "Hop on."

Eren was baffled, "W-What?"

"Hop on Eren! Before anyone sees us. Hurry!" She insisted.

Eren looked at Petra sideways. He was so much taller than her. They would probably topple over if he hopped on not to mention it was just weird.

"No offense but I don't think you can carry me."

Petra turned around, "Eren, I've been doing my job for a long time I know what I can or can't do. Just trust me! Okay?"

Eren scratched the back of his head, "How though? I'm like double your size!"

Petra sighed, "Okay, okay, let's do this."

She hurriedly took off her belt and put it on Eren. It had a mechanism to adjust its length so she had no trouble in fitting it to Eren't waist. Without a warning, the blonde jumped onto his back to which he responded with a small shriek of surprise.

"Shhh. It's okay." Petra put a hand to his hip, "Turn your hips a little to the left."

"O-Ok?"

"Great, now try to keep your core and neck tight or else you'll be breaking in two."

"Breaking in two? From what?"

But it was too late. Petra had pressed a button and two cables shot to the rooftop. In an instant, they were lurching towards it. Eren stifled a scream. It wasn't an easy journey (the boy was sure he would be riddled in bruises the next day) but between Eren's persistence and Petra's instructions they were able to arrive to their destination.

When they got there, Eren saw a man and a woman already at the site. The metal gate that surrounded the warehouse had been opened forcefully so the two simply walked in. A huge chunk of rubble blocked the only door on the left side of the building, keeping his bodyguard trapped inside. Petra and Eren had to make their way to the back as that's where the other two were working, presumably to avoid being seen by any passing car though the place was practically deserted.

"Put this on." Petra said to the teen.

She handed him a black face mask while putting on her own. He obeyed and put it on, making sure to follow her closely as she approached the workers who also wore masks.

A woman was cutting away at the metal warehouse with something akin to a torch that was connected to a canister. The man was supervising the process. Upon hearing their footsteps, he turned around to greet them.

"Ms. Ral, everything is under control. We are almost done cutting into the warehouse and we have a third worker on watch. Surely people are on their way to check on the warehouse. Mr. Ackerman informed us that a man was inside when he broke in. The man has been dealt with. Good news is that Mr. Ackerman is well and alive. We'll all be out of here in no time." The man said calmly.

Petra nodded, "Thank you Marlo."

Marlo looked back at Eren and raised an eyebrow, "Is he authorized to be here with us?"

"He's with me. Can Levi hear us?"

Marlo eyed the brunet but said nothing about it, "Yes. He is on the side of the door. We asked him not to get close to the back as the heat of the cutter could harm him."

"How long do you estimate that it'll take to get him out of there?"

"5 minutes max."

"Good. I'll be right back."

She made her way to the rubble, inching as close she could to the door.

"Levi? Are you there?" Petra called out.

"Petra? By the Gods, did Moblit tell you? I'm ok Petra, go home." The man said sternly.

Eren breathed out. He hadn't noticed just how tense he was until he heard the bodyguard voice. Levi Ackerman was alive. He was actually alive.

"It wasn't Moblit. It's..." Petra gave Eren a quizzical look, "it's a long story. But I'm not going anywhere until you're out of there so don't even try to convince me otherwise."

Levi audibly sighed, "Yeah I figured. You can be really stubborn sometimes you know?"

Petra giggled sweetly, "I know."

Eren got the sensation that he shouldn't be listening. He felt as if he were hearing two friends having a private conversation.

"Oh, also Eren's here!" Petra announced.

The blonde had said it with a cheery attitude but it made a pit form in Eren's stomach.

"Oh-uh, hi."

"What the fuck is the brat doing here?!" He was a lot less forgiving to Eren's presence than Petra's.

"Like I said, long story. We'll sort out the details later. For now, you gotta tell me what the hell happened. You're usually so careful with missions like this!"

There was a long pause, "It's also a long story."

"Levi!" she whined.

"It's all kinds of fucked up Petra."

Petra hummed, "How did this rubble even end up here?"

"I don't understand what the hell happened. One moment I was inside fighting with this guy that was here and then suddenly someone closed the door on me. I didn't hear any machinery or anything." There was something about the bodyguard voice, something... agitated? But he was always so unimpressed by everything that Eren found it hard it to believe that the man would actually be distressed by something.

"A lot of things..." The bodyguard spoke so soft that the sound didn't travel through.

"What?! I can't hear you."

"I said a lot of things aren't making sense!" Levi said frustrated, I just..."

"Speak louder!"

"I just gotta get out of here Petra!"

The woman threw a worried glance in Eren's direction, "It's ok! They are almost done! You'll be out of there in no time!"

"Ms. Ral!" It was Marlo jogging towards them, "I just got word that a vehicle is coming our way. 4 men. They're sporting guns. It's probable that a fight will break out when they get here."

Eren was quick to panic and yet Petra took the news as if they had told her the toilet was clogged.

"Tell the lookout to act as a sniper. She can keep informing us of anyone else coming from up there. If she takes at least one out that'll be good enough. With Levi trapped inside there'll only be three of us down here."

Oh. Apparently Eren was so useless he didn't even count. The embarrassment stung. He wanted to be as useful as everyone else.

Marlo saluted her, "Yes Ma'am!" He hurried to the back all he while talking to someone through an ear piece.

"I can kick my way out! All I need is a couple of minutes!" Levi yelled from the other side.

"We don't have a couple of minutes Levi, stay in there. We can take care of this!" Petra yelled back.

"Listen Eren," her voice was much softer, "Take one of my guns, I have another don't worry. Only use it if absolutely necessary okay?"

"You'll need me! These guys aren't fucking around Petra!"

The woman ignored him. She instead grabbed Eren by the shoulder and led him to the back of the building, "Stay put Levi!"

There, the pair of workers were hurriedly putting away their utensils and preparing their weapons. Petra sat Eren down next to where the woman had been cutting.

"If anyone approaches you do not hesitate okay? Otherwise, just sit right here. Don't go anywhere unless I specifically tell you to!"

As the gun touched his hand, his anxiety spiked. He felt that same adrenaline that coursed through his body when the two men had attacked him not too long ago. Petra must have noticed the panic in his eyes as she grabbed one of Eren's hands and squeezed it as if reassuring him that everything would be alright.

Even though Petra was a total stranger, he squeezed back. The brunet nodded to assure Petra that he would follow through with her orders. She gave the teen a sweet smile before turning her attention to the workers.

"Alright, get in position! We'll stay back here until they get close and ambush them."

Eren held the gun close to his chest. He had never used one before but he was well aware of its lethality.

"25 feet away and approaching. I'll take the first opportunity I get to fire a clean shot." The look-out said from the mic Marlo was wearing.

"The moment he takes that shot we go in. No hesitation, got it?" Petra whispered.

Eren focused on the sounds around him. A car approached, the motor clanking loudly through the streets. It screeched to a halt. Doors were being open and shut. Soon, the sound of multiple footsteps got closer and closer until-

PEW!

"What the fuck?"

"Carlos is down!"

"What was that?!"

The three bodyguards jumped into action. A plethora of bullets echoed through the air.

"Another car! Another car is coming! 4 men!" The lookout informed.

"Fuck! We need to spread out or they'll corner us!" Petra ordered.

And in a blink of an eye, Eren was alone. Alone in the middle of a gunfight where everyone knew what they were doing except him. The teen held out the gun, looking frantically to the left and to the right over and over again. The second car that was mentioned accelerated upon hearing all the commotion and unloaded an ungodly amount of ammo.

The harsh sound of metal scraping made Eren jump five feet into the air. It had been nearby but Eren couldn't place where it was coming from. The brunet looked around as lost as a puppy. He heard it again! Then it hit him. It was Levi kicking his way through the metal.

"L-Levi?!" The green-eyed boy's voice was so shaky he could barely say the name.

"What's going on out there brat?! Be my eyes!"

"Uh! Uh! Uhm!" The teen changed position to all fours and crawled his way to the right. He took a deep breath before rapidly poking his head out. In the exact moment he did so, he had the displeasure of seeing one of enemy's head get shot by the sniper, "T-Two down on the right! Both enemies."

Eren proceeded to crawl to the left side and do the same thing. Petra had a dead man by her feet. Despite her small size, she stood there strong and powerful. The woman took a clean shot to one of the man's chest.

"Two down on the left!" The brunet looked back to see that Levi was almost out. He was pushing the thick metal to the side with his bare hands now.

"Give me a hand brat!"

Eren was about to move back to where Levi was when he took one last glance towards Petra. She must've seen what Levi was doing as she was making her way towards them. However, what Eren saw was that the dead body at her feet wasn't as dead as he has previously thought. While she was distracted, the burly man reached out for his gun and pointed it at the blonde.

"Petra!" Eren cried.

Without a second thought, the boy lunged himself towards the woman and threw her onto the floor. The bullet barely missed.

She looked at Eren bewildered and then up at the man that had shot at her. He had stood up, wounded stomach and all and lined up a shot right to Petra's head.

Before he could pull the trigger, a bullet landed right in between his eyes. He went cross-eyed and collapsed on the floor. Both of them looked back at the same time.

It had been Levi.

He hurried towards them to pull them up while simultaneously shooting at another enemy that had spotted them. The raven frantically pushed them behind the building, a deranged look in his eyes. Eren was about to thank him when the bodyguard shot his hooks to the roof of the warehouse and propelled away.

"W-What's he doing? Wha- Ah- What the hell is going on?!" Eren panted frenetically.

Petra looked around to make sure no one else was around. Seeing as the coast was clear, she pulled Eren down to the floor. She took her and Eren's facemask off so they could both breath better.

Eren had never had a mother so he never knew what motherly love was like. However, when Petra pulled Eren's neck and nestled his head onto her chest he wondered if that fuzzy feeling in his heart was it. The woman tenderly stroked his head as a plethora of bullets and horrible screeches went off in the distance.

"It's okay. Levi will take care of it. Just rest here with me." She whispered.

Eren blushed as he felt embarrassed of being treated that way and yet he didn't want to let go.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't follow orders." Was the only thing he could come up with.

"It's okay. You did good. You did good. Thank you." She reassured him.

"I did?" He questioned.

"Mhmm."

Eren couldn't believe it. He wasn't almost double this lady's size but he felt so safe in her arms.

The horrible sounds of violence died off but Eren hadn't noticed until Marlo and his companion found them.

"It's over!" the companion spoke, "Mr. Levi took care of them like it was nothing! I've never seen anything like it!" she acted as if she had just witnessed her favourite rockstar do a show.

Petra looked up at them, "So they're all dead?"

Marlo nodded, "Sandra is wounded but there are no casualties on our part."

Levi landed not too far from Eren, bathed in blood. Eren should've been horrified, petrified even and yet, the green-eyed boy looked up at him in amazement.

He wanted to be as strong as Levi Ackerman and Petra Ral.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Eren, Petra and Levi were in the blonde woman's dining room. The walls were a beautiful beige that mixed well with the dark brown of the mahogany table. The room was bathed in a yellow light coming from the intricate chandelier.

Outside was pitch black though no one in that room was sure of how late it was. Once they had arrived at the house, Petra had taken care of Levi's wounds all the while Eren sat nearby watching. On many occasions, him and the woman had tried to start a conversation but Levi was having none of it. Every time he would shut them down with a 'Zip. Not now. In a minute'.

Eventually, the two had given up and waited for him to begin talking. That had been a while ago. Due to the rectangular nature of the table, Eren was able to sit next to Petra on one of the long sides while Levi sat on the front of the table like a father that was about to have a stern talk with his children. Eren had to admit he was sitting a little too close to Petra but that was because he felt safe around her.

During all that time they had spent in Petra's house, the raven would glance at the brunet now and then. But they weren't normal glances. The way Levi would look at him made Eren's blood run cold. The boy felt he had done something wrong though he wasn't even sure what.

"Levi..." Petra hesitated, "we're gonna have to talk about what happened eventually, you know?"

The bodyguard had taken his belt, his hood and his mask off and he had his black shirt rolled up to his elbows. The dark colors contrasted greatly with his pale skin. He would've been all black and white if it hadn't been for the blood-stained bandage on his right hand. The man rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward, looking sternly at Eren.

The teen froze up.

Levi huffed and then leaned back into the chair, giving Eren some leeway to breathe. Instead, the bodyguard turned to Petra.

"You shouldn't have gone out there Petra."

The blonde rolled her eyes and shook her head, "I wouldn't leave you alone in a situation like that in a million years."

BAM! Levi slammed the table with an injured fist. The sudden sound caused the other two to jump in their seat.

"DAMMIT PETRA! You should. You're just a few days from retiring!" He shouted harshly.

Eren was absolutely horrified. Petra on the other hand recollected herself quickly.

She put a hand on the man's wrist, "I appreciate your worry but this isn't about me right now Levi. I can tell something's bothering you and I can tell it has something to do with Eren. We can work through this if you just talk."

Levi leaned forward again which caused Eren to squeeze back into his chair.

"Drugs." The bodyguard said flatly, "Drugs! There were drugs in the warehouse. No big deal. We work with drug lords all the time." Levi shrugged.

The woman raised an eyebrow "Right."

Levi then pointed at Petra, "I'm used to drugs. But you know what I'm not used to?"

The bodyguard reached into his pocket for something only to slam it against the table a few seconds later. It was a crystal.

Petra stared at Levi like he had lost his damn mind. She then turned her head to see if the boy was just as confused only to find that he was appalled.

"Recognize that? Brat?" Levi's voice came out acidic, "What the fuck is that?!"

The woman shook her head, "Wow, wow. Wait. I'm not understanding a thing. Can someone explain?"

The raven rested an elbow against the table and drew a knuckle to his lips. He thought about what words to use long and hard.

"... I'm sure either Moblit or Marlo already told you but when I entered the warehouse there was a man there. I think he was living in it. There was a bed and everything. I shot him dead no problem. Looked around, found drugs. But then... someone closed the door." Levi looked in the distance, his mind recalling the events one by one.

He ruffled his hair, "Fuck Petra I don't even know how to say this. Someone threw something at the floor before they closed the door... it was like this black goo. But it started shifting and it turned into this... this, this little living creature."

Petra pressed her lips together. She reached for Levi's injured hand, carefully petting it. The bandages were even more colourful than before due to his abrupt movements. However, the bodyguard didn't look at her. He was staring off.

"Oh Levi... you must've had some horrible hallucinations in there. Moblit told me you had mentioned something about a gas. Maybe we should take you to one of our doctors! Better safe than sorry."

The bodyguard lifted his head, "I'm not making it up. I know what I saw and this brat knows what I saw too."

Petra shifted her attention to the teen. He was pale. Petra worried he was on the brink of throwing up.

"Eren?"

Levi freed his hand from Petra's, "Just what kind of fucked up shit did you get dragged into Eren?"

The boy's lips trembled. He didn't know what to say.

"You're scaring him Levi, let him calm down and he'll speak-"

Levi stood abruptly, "ANSWER ME BRAT!"

Eren shrunk in his chair, "I- I never wanted any part in this!"

"Any part of what?" He hissed.

"M-My dad. H-He's the one doing all this shit. He's into the drug business but he also does other stuff... black market type shit like harvesting and selling organs."

Levi picked up the crystal with his delicate fingers and shoved it in Eren's face, "And this?"

A tan hand rose to grab onto the crystal all the while shaking violently. He slowly wrapped his fingers around it, "This..."

Levi dropped his hand back onto the table now that he had given the crystal to Eren.

The boy looked like he was about to cry, "This is just one of his many fucked up projects. My dad... does experiments. Sometimes on plants, sometimes on animals, sometimes on people. He calls these Infants."

The raven narrowed his eyes, "And he uses them to attack people?"

Eren fidgeted with his hands, "Sometimes. They can latch onto people and suffocate them. If there's a lot of them they'll bunch up together on a single person. B-But all it takes is for one to reach your face. If one covers your nostrils and mouth you're done for...

"Usually they are just sold as... well my dad says people buy them as pets."

Levi furrowed his eyebrows, "Pets?! How the hell would those things be pets?!"

"He has a lot of fucked up clients, okay?! And... fucked up people like doing fucked up shit. There's another version of those that aren't aggressive at all. They just sort of fumble around... my dad knows certain people that buy them just to torture them. They get off on that kind of twisted shit." Eren gritted his teeth. Repressed memories flooded his brain like a dam that exploded. He hated them. He hated them. He hated them.

"Fuck. That's why I'm not going back man! I'm tired of their sick games!"

Eren kept his gaze down at his lap where his hands had turned to fists. He could feel the crystal poking the insides of his right palm. Tears spilled from his eyes. They weren't tears of sadness though, they were tears of unadulterated anger.

Petra was all but speechless. She was trying to wrap her head around the idea of engineered blob monsters. She was so puzzled by the whole situation that the blonde couldn't even react properly to Eren's tears. All she could do was look back at Levi. Said man sighed. He didn't try to comfort the teen but he didn't upset him further either. Instead, he sat back in his chair. Levi's silver eyes connected with Petra's brown ones and in that moment he felt a hundred years older.

"It's been a long day. We could all use a break." The man's voice was now soft. It rumbled darkly in the bodyguard's throat, "I asked Marlo to take you home a moment ago. He should be here soon. Go wait for him outside. Scream if anymore of those bastards try to get you."

Eren stared at the bodyguard surprised but said man was looking into the distance. His eyes twinkled with the yellow light of the chandelier.

"S-So you're not mad at me? I mean... you'll keep protecting me?"

Levi waved him off, "We'll talk tomorrow. Get some rest."

The teen frowned but he knew pushing it would only cause him more trouble. Eren stood up and wiped the tears from his eyes. He gave Petra a nod goodbye -who in response gave him a sweet smile- and walked away.

Levi waited until he heard the door being open and then closed that he then slumped into his chair. He was absolutely exhausted.

Petra reached out for his hand, stroking his forearm lovingly. She knew how much Levi loved that -though he would always deny it.

"I'm going to be honest Levi, I'm not sure I understand what's going," her voice was barely above a whisper, "but what I do know is that you don't have to keep protecting him if you don't want to. You can deny him service any time you want."

Levi chuckled though it wasn't an amused one rather it was more like him laughing at his own misery, "I think it's too late for that Petra."

Petra frowned, "What do you mean?"

"There was a camera inside the warehouse. After those things attacked me I was so shaken that I took my mask off without thinking. They got me on film."

The blonde woman pressed her lips together. A pit formed in her stomach.

"We can find a way. We'll just let go of Eren and hide you for a while!"

Levi raised an eyebrow, "We?"

The woman lowered her eyes, "Oh... right."

Levi leaned forward and raised her chin, "It's okay. Trust me. I'll take care of it. You focus on retiring. Don't go thinking about trying to save me... or Eren."

Petra laughed, "Eren? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh come on, how long have I known you now? You gave the kid that stare you give people. That 'I've just found an abandoned puppy that I'm gonna adopt and care for' stare."

She snorted, "Me? By the looks of it, you're the one adopting the puppy. You've gotten yourself quite involved this time, haven't you?"

Petra smirked knowing damn well she was getting on Levi's nerves. The man rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

He got up and walked towards the living room, "I'm crashing on your couch by the way."

She hesitated. A part of her wanted to keep talking but she knew that pushing Levi would cause more harm than good, "Yeah, yeah I figured. Want a cup of wine before bed?"

Levi raised an eyebrow, "Got anything stronger"

"Whisky."

"Now you're speaking my language."