CHAPTER 23

When Eren woke up he was more well-rested than he had been in years. Rising from the bed, he caught his reflection in the mirror. He had messy chocolate locks sticking out every which way, dry drool sticking to his chin and a perfect imprint of the pillows pattern of creases on his cheek. Eren stretched his young body out, enjoying the sensation of the stiffness dissipating. He did his whole morning routine of changing clothes, untangling his hair and brushing his teeth. Luckily there was a small bathroom connected to the bedroom. It had no shower but a sink and a toilet was sufficient for the time being.

The bedroom Eren had spent the night in consisted of a heavenly bed with thick royal blue covers and plump white pillows, a white dressing table with a big mirror to accompany it, and a black closet that Eren hadn't bothered to open yet. The carpet was a fluffy blue with sprinkles of white and grey here and there. Two walls were painted in a lapis lazuli while the other two walls refreshed the pallet with a simple snowfall white. On one of the white walls was a small window from which entered the gentle morning light. A thin curtain prevented the room from being flooded in the brightness, instead letting through enough light to make the room feel warm and peaceful.

Such was the calming nature of the room that Eren found it hard to leave. However, his curiosity had been piqued ever since Levi had taken him to this mysterious place. The bodyguard hadn't said much once they had arrived, instead ushering the young man into his room before Eren had gotten the chance to ask anything.

The brunet creaked the door open ever-so-slightly, an eye peering through the slit. The bedroom was the last in a hallway. Seeing as there was no one in sight, he ventured outside. Walking out of the hallway, he entered the living space. Now with the bright light of the morning sun, he was able to examine the place much better than last night.

Entering from the main entrance, there was a cooking space to the right; not big enough to be a kitchen but not tiny enough to be a kitchenette. The marble counters were supported by dark wood cabinets, both sparkling in cleanliness. A compact table stood a few feet from the kitchen space. The walnut-colored surface allowed enough space for two black chairs on each side. Without any particular thought in mind, the brunet went to touch the smooth surface of the table.

He looked to the other side. To the left of the main entrance was a living room. The far left wall had a huge window built into it. Much to Eren's displeasure, it was covered by a thin beige curtain. However, it must've been cracked opened as a delicate breeze waltzed with the fabric, swaying back and forth rhythmically.

The walls were entirely a silver satin. The big, comfortable couch found in the middle of the room was a much darker grey with forest green and lime pillows brightening it up. It sat in front of a pitch-black flat screen TV perched on a shelf. Two lively plants were placed on the sides of the TV. The living room repeated that same pattern of different shades of grey being broken up by green and even some yellow accents.

The boy's emerald eyes took notice of the lack of intimacy. That is, much like Petra's house, it lacked any family pictures, little trinkets or quirky decorations that reflected the personality of the owner. Then, he noticed something on the black table in the midway between the TV and the couch. Approaching it, he found a black frame holding a picture.

The brunet lifted it up. A young Petra greeted Eren with a huge smile plastered on her face. She appeared to be in the middle of cackling as her eyes were closed and her body slightly bent forward as if the laughter had made her lose control of her balance. Her face was more circular and her body much smaller. She must've been just a teenager, not even that, a pre-teen.

12, maybe 13, Eren thought to himself.

She wore a wrinkly white dress shirt folded up to the elbows and a plated red skirt that ended below her knees. One of her legs was slightly lifted, causing for that ruby flip-flop to be on the verge of falling off her foot. With her delicate hands, she formed bunny ears on the young boy next to her. He wasn't nearly as amused as she was. He stood there with irritated eyes looking to the side and crossed arms. He also wore a white dress shirt though, instead of a red skirt, he wore black dress pants with matching shoes.

Pale skin, jet-black hair, annoyed expression.

It took Eren a moment to realize that that innocent boy was none other than the lethal Levi Ackerman. Bringing the image closer to his eyes, he made out a faint blush in the boy's cheeks. Eren was stunned. He hadn't even thought the bodyguard capable of blushing.

The lock of a door clicked open behind Eren.

"What are you doing, brat?" Levi chastised.

The brunet boy was so amused by the picture he couldn't take his eyes off of it, "Is this you when you were little? Does this mean this is your place or something?"

When Eren diverted his gaze from the picture, his amusement fell to his feet. Panic had taken its place.

Levi had walked out of the bathroom- the bathroom with the shower it would seem as the bodyguard glared at Eren with nothing but a lime green towel hanging around his waist. Steam billowed out from the bathroom and swirled around Levi. Droplets of water would gently slide down Levi's dark hair, hanging onto the points, until they would succumb to gravity and splatter on his shoulders and chest.

The man took long strides towards Eren and practically ripped the picture out of Eren's hands, "Look- just, listen. How good are you at keeping a secret?"

The bodyguard's sharp gaze snapped Eren back into reality, "Huh? Oh, uh. I mean, sheesh. I've been doing a pretty good job at hiding the fact that I can transform into a giant monster. I dunno if that answers your question."

Levi pouted, "Well, that'll have to do..." he muttered more to himself than to the boy, "Look- this-... yes. It is the place I am currently staying at-" Eren made an expression that crossed surprise with excitement, "No, no! Don't say shit! It is the place I am currently staying at but it isn't like, my home or anything so don't get any weird ideas out of all of this. Motel workers are shit at keeping secrets and those shit-heads looking for you are so hot on your trail that I didn't trust leaving you alone somewhere. It was the best solution I could think of on the spot."

Since the bodyguard had said 'don't say shit' Eren had pressed his lips together in an exaggerated fashion. When the bodyguard had finished speaking, Eren's eyes pleaded for any indication that he could now talk.

"Wh- are you waiting on me to tell you you can talk-? Say something!"

The brunet inhaled deeply, opening his mouth wide as he did so.

Levi facepalmed, "Ohseriously..."

"So this is your house?! That..."

"It's not my house..."

Eren ignored him, "... is so cool! You know, now that you say it, this place does feel like you, all eerily clean and perfect and-"

"Yeah, yeah," Levi's forehead was scrunched up in annoyance, "but listen to me carefully. CARE-FUH-LLY! You can't tell anyone I brought you here. It might be hard to explain to people that don't know that we are dealing with literal fucking mutating people. Also, the less people that know about your location, the better. Got it?"

Eren nodded vigorously like a little girl that had promised to not act up when she knew very well she was going to wreak havoc the moment she got a chance, "Mm-hmm!"

"You better. We'll figure something out but for now you'll stay here for a couple of days until..."

The bodyguard kept talking but little by little, Eren lost all interest in his words. Though he tried his best at keeping eye contact with the man, his eyes had other plans as they kept slithering down, no matter how many times the brunet would look back up. He focused in on a drop of water sliding down the bodyguard's forehead, gliding against the curvatures of his eyes and cheeks and past his lips and further to his neck, meeting its end in the crook of Levi's clavicle.

Eren swallowed.

"Stop looking at me like that." Levi snapped.

The boy jumped, "What? Looking at you how?!"

Levi furrowed his eyebrows, "With those eyes."

"What eyes, my eyes? You want me to change them for somebody else's?"

"Stop being a little shit, I'm saying that-"

Knock knock.

Their heads simultaneously swiveled towards the front door. They exchanged a glance. Though no words had been spoken, they both knew they were thinking the same thing.

Could it be Grisha's men?

Levi tip-toed closer to the door, "Who is it?"

They held their breath.

"It's Erwin." A non-threatening voice replied.

Eren relaxed. Levi did the opposite.

"Oh, shit! Fuck!" The raven hissed, "Be there in a moment!"

He sped past the brunet with a firm hand on the towel. He skidded to a stop and turned back to Eren, "Go open the door, it'll be fine. Oh! And remember to not mention you're crashing here."

The bodyguard disappeared into a room. The green-eyed boy glanced at the door, puzzled as to who could fluster Levi in such a way.

He opened the door halfway, sticking his head out curiously. A man stared back at him quizzically. Erwin was a very large man both in width and in height. He kept his hair well combed and parted on the right side. The man had a heavy set of eyebrows and strong facial features yet somehow his blue eyes remained soft, gentle even. He wore an impeccable navy-blue suit with a white dress shirt underneath. There wasn't a single crease in sight.

"Hello..." The man curiously examined Eren, "may I come in?"

The teen was at a loss, "Uhh... sure, sure, go ahead."

He opened the door fully, gesturing at the man to enter. Erwin accepted the offer, making his way to the couch with steady steps.

"Soo... you must be one of Levi's new friends." The man inquired as he sat down.

Eren pulled up a black chair from the dining table, "Ummm... yeah, I guess I am."

Erwin smiled mysteriously. He looked the boy up and down, chuckling to himself, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude it's just that you don't look like the type to be into Levi's... endeavors. I usually meet much more, hm, let's say exuberant types when I come around."

Eren made a face. He thought back to the strange stares he would receive upon meeting people from the Survey Corps. Surely it meant that he was informed about Levi's job as a bodyguard slash hitman. After all, it appeared the man was well-familiarized with the raven.

Eren hummed thoughtfully, "You know, I get the feeling everyone thinks that same thing."

Erwin lifted an eyebrow, "Oh? You've been around for a while?"

"Uhhhh," he thought back to when it all started, "yeah kind of. I've known Levi for like... two months? Give or take."

The man whistled, "I'm surprised. Levi isn't one to keep people around. He must really like you."

Eren's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "Heh. Yeah well it hasn't been easy, I'll tell you that. His temper is hard to deal with sometimes."

The man chuckled, "Hah! I know all about that. Back when we were an item he would get mad at me aalll the time and over eeevvery little thing... I'm not complaining though. It made for great sex."

Eren choked on his own saliva.

"Surely you know all about that by now. For a guy that's so serious you'd never expect him to be such a vigorous lover in bed."

The brunet felt like his face was about to explode from the heat of his own blush.

Erwin continued, "Has he done the thing where he ties you up yet? He loves doing that with his boy toys."

"Ah- no, no!" Eren interrupted.

"No? It's where Levi takes candle-wax and a whip and-"

"No, you're misunderstanding! We are not a couple! Like, AT ALL!" Eren insisted.

The man was puzzled, "If you're not his lover, then what are you doing here?"

"We know each other because of Levi's job."

The man raised an eyebrow, "His job?"

Wait, did that mean he didn't know about Levi being a hitman?!

Eren panicked, "W-Well not his JOB job, more like, I mean, he and I, I saw him- I see him, you know, like, sometimes I see him on his way to work and I-I bumped into him once and uh-"

"I thought you said you were good at lying." Levi appeared next to Eren.

The brunet nearly fell off his chair, "Fucking hell! Geez man, a warning would be nice!"

The bodyguard ignored him, "Erwin, this is Eren, the client I mentioned to you the other day. He's kind of a dumbass but he means well." Eren protested with a small 'hey!', "Dumbass, this is Erwin, the chief of police in the district."

The man gawked at Levi, dumbfounded for a second, before releasing a boastful laughter that filled the room, "Hahaha! I see now, that's why he turned as red as a tomato with all I was telling him!"

Eren felt the heat in his cheeks rise once again. The man doubled over in laughter. The brunet stayed rigid in his chair. Levi just looked back between the two trying to decipher what had happened while he was gone.

"Son of a bitch, Erwin, what did you tell him?"

The man flicked a tear from his eye, "Mind it no trouble. No harm was done, right Eren?"

The brunet nodded. Much harm had been done to his psyche, in fact. The words 'vigorous lover' would now be eternally etched into his brain but he was so desperate to change the subject that he would've agreed to anything in that moment.

The bodyguard accepted defeat with a sigh. He grabbed a chair in similar fashion to Eren. The boy wondered why Levi hadn't sat down on the couch next to Erwin if they were as intimate as the man had accidentally confessed. Watching Levi take a seat, Eren took notice of the raven's new outfit. He had changed into a thin scarlet sweater with a wide neck- wide enough to show off the man's delicate collarbone and pearl-like skin. It was a bit loose on his frame, hiding his toned muscles in a way that made him appear less intimidating- kind of cute, though in Eren's mind 'cute' and 'Levi' were antonyms. Below, the raven sported black skinny jeans and matching shoes. When Eren's stare casually drifted back to Erwin, he noticed the man was also scanning the other man head to toe. There was a glint in the man's eyes that irked Eren. The man was practically undressing his bodyguard with his eyes.

"You got here early, you know that?" Levi started.

"I knew that would bother you." Erwin teased.

Levi huffed, "You always like to annoy me don't you?"

Erwin only offered a smile in response. Levi bit his own smile back though a tiny smirk shined through. Eren, sitting in the middle of all of this, didn't like the strange energy in the air one bit.

"So, why are you here again?" Eren questioned Erwin in a biting tone.

"Ah, yes! Good question. Levi? Care to enlighten us?"

Said man crossed his legs so that the ankle of his right leg was resting on the knee of his left leg, "Well, it's unfortunate. Truth is, yesterday we got sidetracked with some problems and I forgot to arrange everything for today. I barely remembered you were coming over this morning," he paused, "this actually concerns you, Eren. As you know, your case has special circumstances. When problems of a larger scale are known to us, we sometimes partner with the police to deal with them. I asked Erwin to come here today in the hopes that he could talk to us about the possible ways he could help us."

Eren shook his head, "Wait, you called the cops on me? 'Cause I'm not going to any shitty jail cell, if I wanted that I would've called them the moment I ran away-"

Erwin rose a hand, "I see that you aren't a fan of the police. Trust me, I understand why a lot of people hate us but do not worry. Let it be known that any information you share with me will not be taken to my coworkers if you do not wish it. As Levi said, we sometimes partner with the Survey Corps when dealing with larger problems that threaten the whole city. It's a symbiosis of sorts. This way, we get information we would've otherwise missed and, in exchange, we turn a blind eye to certain activities that the Survey Corps don't want us getting involved in.

"Ha, ha! Your face says it all. You must think us corrupt, right? Cops working hand in hand with criminals. While I can't say that this collaboration is 100% pure, I know Levi will back me up when I say that more good than bad has come from it.

"The first time I met Levi, they had asked me to collaborate with them to take down a sex trafficking ring: one of the biggest in the city. A years work was reduced to months; by the end of it, 83 people were back with their families, among them 19 minors that were unjustly taken from their parents.

"That being said, if you do not like what I have to say, we stop it here and we go on with our lives. I tell you all of this so you know two things. One, you can trust that I will do what is best for the common good. And two, you are the one in power here. Not me, not even Levi, just you."

Eren pouted. So aside from being ridiculously handsome, built like a brick house and a successful career man he was also as eloquent as a theatre writer. It pissed him off. Unfortunately, the words had reached him.

"I guess I could hear what you have to say." The brunet crossed his arms.

Erwin nodded gently, "Good. Though I'm gonna need some basic info about this case. I'd be more than glad to help but I at least need to know what we're dealing with."

The brunet nervously turned to his bodyguard. Levi was as cool as a cucumber.

"There are certain topics I can't share with you till I talk them out with Eren, but what I can say is that we have uncovered a Drug Lord; a man that's been taking over little by little."

"What has he been selling? Cocaine? Heroine? LSD?"

"All of it. Plus a new drug. They call it 'Titan'. Every heard of it?"

Erwin exhaled deeply, "Heard of it. I'm sick of it. It was mentioned a couple of months ago and ever since it's been popping up more and more. I fear its effect on society will cause a new drug epidemic. So this man has been selling it, you say?"

"Not just that, he is the main producer of it."

The man slowly leaned forward. He gazed down at his shoes in thought. With his face tilted downward, he shot his eyes up to look at the other two men. His once gentle blue eyes shifted into an icy stare.

"I see." Was all he said.

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Hey, don't look at me like that. Of course we had to to have a classic "walk in on someone with a towel on" scene! It was necessary... for the plot!

What is Erwin's role in all of this? Find out next week ;D

~Gum