Bloodroot - Chapter 14 - SunshineNGunpowder - Shingeki no Kyojin (2024)

Chapter Text

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October 13

“Leevviiii! My bestie! I missed you!”

“Hange, you saw me last night.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t get to talk to you. At least, not one on one.”

“And why would you need to do that?” he asked, lifting his cup to his lips to take a sip.

After sprinting across the warehouse, Hange plopped next to him on the couch nearly making him spill the warm liquid down his front from the jolt. Of course, the glare he aimed at them was like water off a duck's back as they remained cheerfully oblivious.

“Because it’s good to check in on my munchkin to see how he’s settling in. I don’t want to do that in front of everyone. I understand how much of an introvert you are.”

“I’m not an introvert.”

“You are. You’re so quiet, too.”

“I’m not. I talk a lot.”

Hange snorted a laugh and slapped his back a little too rough for his comfort. He was certain they set out with the goal to make him spill his tea today.

“You’re hilarious, truly a comedian among us.”

Levi held back a sigh. It was too early in the morning for this. The night was filled with broken hours of sleep, some periods not even making it 30 minutes before he was up again, tossing and turning. Insomnia was a proper bitch.

Normally, he could still function on some sparse hours of rest, managing to power through the day with a grumpiness to boot. But today was rough, even for him. Eyes half-lidded as he inhaled the steam from his tea, opting for lounge pants and crewneck sweater as he sat cross-legged on the couch, curling in on himself and just wanting sleep.

No way that was going to be possible with Hange breathing down his neck.

“So?”

Remembering what their reasons for being there were, he shrugged. “I’ve been fine.”

Well, that wasn’t entirely true or else Hange wouldn’t be asking in the first place. He’d been an ass before they left for their assignment which made sense for all their pestering currently. Actually, now that he thought about it, it would be a good time to apologize for his piss-poor behavior.

Setting his cup down, Levi glanced to his left where Hange sat, cross-legged as well but facing him fully on the sofa as if he was the only thing in the warehouse worthy of their attention.

“Why are you so creepy?”

A look of shock swept over their face followed by another slap to his arm. “That’s rude to say! I’m not creepy.”

“Right, because it’s normal to stare at someone unblinking when sitting so close, weirdo,” he smirked before turning serious. “Hange, there is something I wanted to tell you. I’ve been a rude bastard the past week and it wasn’t right for me to take out my frustrations on you.”

The cushion shifted as Hange leaned forward, eagerly listening but staying quiet.

Levi scowled, crossing his arms in an attempt to not fidget. Why were they making this uncomfortable?

“So… I just wanted to say, I’m sorry.”

A squeal erupted from Hange as their arms launched in the air at him, but his reflexes were faster. Palm connecting with their forehead caused their head to tilt back as arms continued to flail in the air as if a claw machine trying to wrap around him.

“I want a hug!”

“f*ck off with that.”

“No, you deserve a hug! You did so good apologizing, you should be rewarded!”

“A hug from you is a punishment. I don’t want it!”

“Oooh,” Hange leaned back, dropping their arms into their lap as a knowing grin cracked across their face. “From me, huh? I’m glad you brought up this change of subject.”

Scooting a little closer to the armrest, not trusting the crazy engineer to not launch themselves at him in a moment’s notice, he quirked a brow. “What are you yapping about now?”

“Well, I’ve been gone for a few days for the assignment…” they trailed off.

“So?”

“And the warehouse must have been very quiet and boring…”

“What’s your point?”

“Without so many people around, I wondered how you’d be spending your time. And with who…”

He ignored that last part. “I’ve just been working off my punishment, you know this.”

Hange’s grin was becoming a fixed point, solidifying in place. “There’s that word again. Tell me. Was it really a punishment for you?”

“No, I love working on budgets and filing documents when I could be doing anything else,” he rolled his eyes sarcastically, considering it safe enough to pick up his tea again. It was getting cold.

Hange didn’t immediately comment on his response, only nodded sagely as if he spewed some profound sh*t to them that was scripture.

“Hm, right, right. Makes sense, but I suppose that was the point of your assigned tasks. Or one of them, anyway.” The grin warped into something coy. “I heard some interesting things happened while I was gone… Wanna tell me about them?”

Levi side-eyed them, really wishing he had more energy to deal with this.

“I can’t really say what happened between Erwin and Nile,” he supplied, if only to humor them. “Moblit and I weren’t there during their discussing, but they’re supposed to meet again soon. I’m guessing they must be friends still if that’s the case. Looks like you or Mike will be losing the bet if nothing happens during their next meet-up.”

“Oh,” they giggled, and he looked at them strangely, not understanding which part of his explanation they found funny. “So, it’s Erwin now, is it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing,” they chimed. “Tell me the juicy details of what you know of their meeting.”

“That’s all I know. Moblit knows more than I do, ask him.”

“Sure, but you read people better. No offense to my Mobey-babe.”

Levi raised a brow at that. “Are you two together or something?”

Hange’s eyes widened behind their glasses, and he realized he made a mistake in asking.

“Oh! Levi! There’s nothing more I’d want to do than to share personal gossip with my favorite gremlin in the world--and trust me, I have many things to tell you, but you’re changing the subject,” they sang the last few words in a peppy tune. “My intimate details are only on the table on a trade-for-trade basis. Your ‘this’ for my ‘that’.”

“Right…,” he asked cautiously, wondering where they were going with it, “And what ‘this’ are you wanting in exchange for your ‘that’?”

“I heard from a little bird that you, my adorable violent hobbit, were allegedly flirting with our beefy Commander.”

Levi wasn’t one to lose composure so easily, even in the most shocking of times. Even so, as the words floated freely from Hange’s mouth, it caused him to cough and whip his head in their direction.

“…the hell are you talking about?”

Flirting? With Smith?... Alright, maybe a little, but that was barely anything. It wasn’t like he was picking the man up from a bar or something. Some harmless teasing, that’s it.

Judging by the triumphant grin blinding every living organism within a 10-kilometer radius, Hange got the exact answer they wanted from his reaction. He probably could have produced a 20-page essay listing all the things that went against their suspicions and it would’ve been shoved aside and ignored.

“I said, ‘allegedly’,” they waved off as if he was the one being dramatic. “Just wanted to hear it from you.”

Narrowing his eyes, he looked away and brought his cup to his lips. “Nothing happened, so you can drop that sh*t, right now.”

“Aw, don’t be like that. I think it’s sweet.”

“f*ck off.”

“So defensive. I’ll tell you a little secret, free of charge.”

“Not interested.”

“Oh, I think you’d like this tidbit of info.”

“I’m ignoring you now.”

“Hold on, don’t do that yet,” they whined despite Levi not moving from his spot. It wasn’t like he could really block them out even if he tried. “If you like our dashing leader, I will say he is single.”

Don’t care, Levi told himself, finishing his tea and setting it down. He whipped out his phone to act distracted, hating the fact that he was still listening intently to Hange.

“Not to mention, you are a cutie. Bad attitude and all. Quite the catch…”

Levi flipped open his messages, thumbing to Furlan and Izzy’s last chat they had from the night before.

“Also, Erwin isn’t exactly straight.”

His finger froze over the keyboard, and he berated himself when his head lifted to look at Hange who had a knowing gleam behind their glasses that saw right through him. Thankfully, as if some semblance of the Universe decided to take pity on him, Floch and Nanaba came over to join the pair.

“Hey, guys!” Nanaba smiled with a container of grapes. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, just catching up with Levi here,” Hange laughed, shifting in the cushions to face the tv and better see the two. It felt like a physical weight lifted off him as their attention moved away.

Floch sat down on the opposite side and grabbed the remote to turn on the tv, finding something to watch as Nanaba took the armchair beside Levi.

“How’ve you been, Levi?” Nanaba asked, offering the container to him which he plucked out two grapes.

He shrugged. “Been a little bored to be honest. Where’s your fiancé? I haven’t picked on him in a while.”

Nanaba chortled. “Oh, he’s talking to Erwin in the kitchen. Probably prodding for some last-minute hints on what he wants for his birthday.”

Hange snorted. “Good luck. That man says the same thing every year. That he doesn’t want anything and celebrating is not necessary. He’s almost as big of a prude as you are, Levi.”

Floch chuckled at that, but Levi ignored him.

“Who says I’m a prude?”

“Do you go out to drink?” Hange asked instead.

“I have before. The only reason I didn’t do it more often was because I couldn’t take the risk.”

“Ok. That wasn’t a good question. How about you tell me about a crazy night you had, and we’ll be the judge if it’s prudish or not.”

Levi rolled his eyes. “You know what? I don’t need to prove anything to you.”

“That’s basically you admitting that I’m right.”

“Whatever you say, Four-eyes.” He certainly was not going to entertain this line of questioning. Especially when it could lead to the few low points in his life where he turned to drink and drugs on the days that working with Mitras got really bad. He liked to pretend it was all just a bad dream and never happened to him in the first place. Thankfully, Furlan was in agreement to never bring those horrible nights up.

“I don’t think Levi is a prude,” Nanaba defended, offering the container to him which he helped himself to a couple more grapes. “Plus, it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for. They can get wild.”

“You know what?” Hange started, sitting up a little straighter. “You’re right. This birthday party is the perfect time to measure Levi’s level of prudence. We can even compare it to Erwin! Where’s Moblit? I need to tell him!”

“You’re going to run that poor man ragged,” Levi chided, trying to shift away from any mentions of him and Erwin in the same sentence with Hange. “And don’t get your hopes up. I’m not getting drunk at some birthday party.”

“Sure, sure,” they waved off quickly losing interest.

Nanaba leaned closer to Levi when Hange ignored him and started discussing all the needed booze with Floch. “Don’t bother arguing with them. Besides, Erwin won’t authorize a rager for himself, and Hange will peter out by tomorrow.”

“Tch, I’ve never seen them tire themselves out. I’m beginning to think they could rival the ugly energizer bunny.”

Nanaba laughed at that agreeing that he may have a point.

Just then, Mike opened the door to the warehouse bay, spotting the group huddled by the tv and started to make his way over.

“Hey, hun. Any luck?” Nanaba greeted as he sat on the armrest of the chair and wrapped an arm across her shoulders.

“He said we’re making a bigger deal about it than it needs to be. He wants to prioritize the next part for Paradis so once Nile gets back to him, we’re ready to move.”

Hange blew a raspberry. “That man is such a workaholic. He’d work through every holiday if we weren’t around.”

Floch glanced at Mike, turning away from the television for the first time since it came on. “Where’s he planning us to go next? Does he have another lead?”

“I didn’t ask for details. Sounded like nothing was guaranteed yet.”

“If I had to guess, the only other object we’ve heard of was the one you went to get at the Fritz estate,” Nanaba speculated.

“The tapestry?” Levi clarified.

“Yeah,” Mike answered. “Nan makes a good point. If I had to guess, that may be our next targeted piece.”

“Doesn’t the tapestry move with the Fritz’s when they travel, though?” Levi questioned, careful not to throw Zeke’s name out. The last thing he needed was to sound overly familiar with the strange man. One of the reasons for Lovof wanting Levi to act during the soiree was because Zeke was in London on business, making the tapestry within easier reach rather than jumping borders.

Mike shrugged. “I think so. Erwin knows more than I do.”

Floch pondered on that for a moment before opting to return to the first topic. “We’re still doing something for him for his birthday tomorrow though, right?”

“What kind of best friend would I be if I didn’t go against his wishes and throw something for him,” Mike shook his head with a mischievous smirk. “He’ll get something. I figured we can run into town to get food and I’ll BBQ tomorrow, pull out some games, and I’ll even stop off and get something special to end the night.”

“Nothing too crazy,” Nanaba warned. “Remember two years ago when you went overboard and decided to leap over the firepit naked only to trip and fall into it?”

His face fell into a dry glower as he lightly shoved her shoulders away from him. “Why do you always bring that up?”

Laughing she wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled the giant into her lap. “Because it’s funny!”

“You weren’t the one that got burned.”

“No, but I made it better, didn’t I?” she asked softly, staring up at him.

A toothy grin appeared, and he leaned over her with a low voice to say, “Yeah, you did.”

“Ugh, get a room you two,” Hange snickered interrupting their undisguised ogling.

It was a ridiculous image of Mike sprawled across Nanaba’s lap as they nonverbally reminisced on events from a drunken night. Levi didn’t need details to know where that was heading.

Ignoring them, he thought over the next day, wondering if it would be weird if he got Erwin a present or if it was even expected. Guessing what he’s heard so far, it was safe to assume the others had gotten him something already and he definitely didn’t want to be the only member of the team that skipped out on giving their boss a gift. But what the hell did he give him?

He knew Smith liked books, Paradis, working, basically being a nerd. Levi’s first guess was to get him a high-quality knife that was both beautiful and functional for protection, but he figured that he was projecting what he valued more than what the man genuinely liked. What other options were there for Smith? He liked his old arcade games and sweets...

There was an idea. Perhaps Levi could make him a dessert. Or a dessert for the team? He was pretty decent at baking and could whip up a nice cake for them.

“Is anyone already making the cake for tomorrow?” Levi asked.

Hange shook their head. “There’s a bakery we normally get one from in town.”

Perfect.

“I’ll bake it,” he offered—more like stated— a little too eagerly judging by Hange’s wide grin reappearing, much to his annoyance. The damn thing was like a co*ckroach.

“Can you even cook?” Mike challenged, still sitting in Nanaba’s lap like some bride with his long legs hanging off the armrest. On his stomach rested the container of grapes that Nanaba continued to eat out of. The entire image made Mike’s skepticism equally insulting and hilarious.

“Guess you’ll have to find out.”

“No offense, but isn’t it a bad idea to have a trained assassin cook a birthday cake? Perfect opportunity for us to be poisoned,” Mike retorted, but judging by the smirk he threw at Levi, he could tell it was meant as a joke.

Levi leaned into it, not finding indignation by the jest. “You see right through me, Mike. But to be fair, some would consider the act as poetic.”

Hange barked out a laugh beside him. “I wouldn’t mind going out by cake. As long as it was delicious.”

“There’s worse ways to go,” Nanaba added, chortling as she patted Mike’s thigh.

Finding Floch oddly silent, Levi glanced over, wondering if the kid finally came to terms with not holding a grudge against him. Levi, himself, didn’t have any hard feelings for the brat, only when he opened his mouth to say something degrading about him. That had gotten under his skin after a while, and he knew he didn’t handle it the best way. Regardless, he couldn’t tell for certain if the younger man was letting go of his resentment or if this was only a temporary respite.

He observed Floch typing away on his phone with a blank look on his face, not even paying attention to the show he picked. After a moment of distraction, it drew the others’ attention to the younger man.

“You sure are on your phone a lot. Who’re you talking to? You’re girlfriend?” Mike teased.

Floch was startled at being caught just as Hange scooted closer on the couch. “I wanna see. Do you have a picture?”

Immediately, he locked the phone, looking appalled before pouting. “No, that’s my personal business. I don’t need you gossiping about who I’m seeing.”

“Aw, you shouldn’t be such a killjoy, you’re too young for that! I expect that behavior from my little gremlin over there, but not you.”

Levi flipped them off, earning another grin while Hange blew a kiss back. “Love you, little moon pie.”

“Crazy, hyperactive they-demon,” he muttered, rolling his eyes as Nanaba laughed.

“But I’m your they-demon and you love me.”

Levi just grunted, not willing to hearten their behavior.

Hange turned their attention to Floch again. “Tell me about your beau. Is it new? Is that who you were on the phone with during our assignment? Tell meeeee!”

“Hange, he doesn’t need to tell you sh*t. Let him be.”

“Since when do you take his side?”

Levi didn’t respond, making that mistake number 2.

“Oh, so Erwin really got his point across, did he? What sort of punishment did you have? You’d think if it was enjoyable you’d be looking to relapse and be punished again.”

God, he was about to strangle them.

“Hange, shut the f*ck up.”

“Wait--What are you talking about?” Floch asked with a pinched expression, fully invested in what Hange was spewing.

“Oh nothing, young padawan,” they patted his head. “Just grown-up talk.”

Yup, it was time to remove his presence now. No need to risk Hange spreading this flirting nonsense through the group like the plague they were.

“I’m done listening to you.” Levi stood up and grabbed his teacup. Looking at Mike he motioned for the car near the bay door with a nod. “Did you want to head out soon to get everything for tomorrow? I’d like to come along.”

“Sure,” Mike nodded, giving Nanaba a kiss before heaving himself from the chair, being careful not to crush her. “Give me five minutes to get a list together and I’ll meet you back here.”

“Sounds good.”

“Should I come too?” Hange questioned as they grabbed Levi’s sleeve as he passed. “We never finished our discussion earlier.”

Batting her hand off him, he kept walking. “No. Stay here and out of trouble.”

“Alright, fine, but don’t think this talk is over. I want to hear your side of the story!”

Nanaba shook her head, “What are you even talking about?"

“Sorry, Nana-banana. I can’t say until I hear from shorty first.”

Yeah, that’s not gonna happen, Levi swore to himself.

The rest of the day passed somewhat smoothly. After leaving the compound in the SUV, Mike and Levi made their way into town which was a refreshing experience for Levi. Being in a smaller city a good distance from London certainly eased any of his usual concerns of lurking danger and he found himself enjoying the scenery. The train tracks the warehouse was situated alongside ran through the heart of the town, disappearing behind buildings and a park. The downtown area was charming with brick buildings and unique wide windows showcasing the tiny shops inside. Eventually, Mike turned down another street that led to a newly built section of the city center where a large grocery store was planted.

After the pair went in and plundered the shop for ingredients for dinner and dessert, alongside a few cases of alcohol, they pushed the brimming cart to the SUV and transferred their goods to the back.

“I need to stop off and get stuff for the grand finale,” Mike explained cryptically, closing the back hatch.

“Alright.”

Getting in the vehicle, they started to retrace the streets until they were nearly to the downtown section. It was then that Mike’s frustrations started to resurface when he had searched two different parking lots before disappointment pushed him to move on to a third.

“Why’s it so busy? This town isn’t that big, is it?”

“Farmer’s Market,” Mike grumbled. “I always forget it’s on the weekend. What makes it worse is I think this is the last one of the season, so more people are out.”

Levi perked up a little at that, turning to the window to see the direction the people leaving the car park were heading. Just as Mike pulled down another street to the third parking lot, Levi caught a glimpse of a blocked off road with mismatch-colored canopies filling the block.

He had never been to a Farmer’s Market before. In fact, after hearing about what it was like by Furlan and Izzy, he always wanted to go to check it out. He recalled a few years ago, he had made an effort to attend one, but seeing the crowds had locked his feet in place as if the sidewalk had turned to quicksand. Even now, he remembered standing on the street corner for an abnormally long time, watching people pass him going to and from. Many were leaving with fresh bags of fruit and vegetables, some with gorgeous bouquets of flowers. In the end, however, he couldn’t bring himself to dive into the sea of people for fear of having some bout of anxiety attack.

“I’ll try to make it quick seeing as we have cold stuff in the boot,” Mike explained as he finally parked the vehicle and glanced at Levi. “Are you wanting to stay here? I’ll leave the keys in the ignition for you.”

It took a delayed second for Levi to answer, breaking contact with the view from the window. “I’m going to have a look around.”

Right? He could do that, surely.

Levi turned to the window again. He was in a small semi-rural community, far from Lovof and the usual threats. If anything dangerous did come up, he felt confident he could handle it, though would hate for someone innocent to get caught in the dispute. It helped his reasoning that the streets were less packed than the city center in London. If there was ever a time to attempt the Farmer’s Market, now would be it.

“Ok… that’s fine. Do you have your phone with you?”

Levi nodded absently, releasing himself from the seatbelt and opening the door.

Mike followed suit, shutting and locking the vehicle before crossing the front of the hood to meet Levi on the other side. He seemed a little hesitant about having himself and Levi split up, especially when it was the first time that Levi would technically be outside the compound on his own since joining the Scouts. He didn’t have any reassuring words for Mike, and he was certainly not going to tell the shaggy lamppost that he was curious about the market and using it as an exercise to test the boundaries of his panic attacks.

“Er… I shouldn’t be too long. I’ll let you know when I start heading back to the car, so you can meet me here.”

“Sure.”

“If you have any issues, call me right away.”

“I’ll be fine, stop stressing or your heart will give out, old man,” Levi snarked, stuffing his hands in his pockets and heading off to follow the other visitors leaving the car park.

“You’re hilarious. But seriously, if you get into trouble—I swear I’ll kick your ass.”

“That’s more like it,” Levi called back without sparing him a look, but he could still pick up the frustrated huff from the man.

The late morning was chilly, and Levi hadn’t prepared to walk around the town when they left the warehouse. He wished he brought his jacket, but it couldn’t be helped right now. At least his hands were warm.

As he finished crossing the block to the bustling street full of tents and wares, he took a moment to pause and assess the area. There was a significant number of patrons shifting slowly from one area to the next, yet the way the canopies were spaced out, it left plenty of room to walk through the crowds comfortably. A major improvement from the shoulder bumping and side-stepping that was offered in London.

Taking a breath, he plunged onward, splitting his attention between the vendors and the customers as he shifted through the slow-moving current. Along one end, it looked like there was fresh food produce which made him wish they stopped here first before going to the grocery store. The vegetables certainly looked more appealing. As he reached the end of the aisle, the wares soon turned to fancy olive oil and baked goods, then to art and crafts, before ending in floral arrangements and food trucks. It was a quaint event that he wished he could share with his friends, but for it being his first time, he figured it was nice even when spent alone. Of all the areas of the market, it was the arts and crafts that he found something of interest.

The booth had an older gentleman at the table, greeting everyone with a smile beneath his stylized grey beard. It was only Levi and a couple that were currently looking across the displays of leather and wood carved goods, but the man seemed pleased, nonetheless.

“How are you doing this fine morning?” the old man asked, directed at Levi.

Lifting his head, Levi met his gaze behind small round glasses. “Not too bad. Yourself?”

“Oh, I’m doing great. Woke up with a little less back pain, despite the chill, and had a nice cup of coffee while watching a beautiful sunrise. Can’t complain about that.”

Levi could relate with mornings when your bones ached a little less. Those were always nice.

“So,” he started, running his fingers across the leather belts besides some intricate cutting boards that were made of exotic wood, “You made all this yourself?”

“Sure did. Been into woodworking for a few decades, then decided to try my hand at something softer as I got older.”

Levi nodded as if he understood, but really he had no idea what went into making something with his own hands. He only knew how to dismantle the human body, whether it be intimately or just stopping an organ or two from functioning and cutting off the entire system. Some would say that was a craft in its own right, but he didn’t see it as such. There was no art to it. It was barbaric. Nevertheless, to take the time and control to craft something organic like wood and leather and turn it into a functioning item of quality was different. It was reshaping something that would’ve been thrown aside or wasted and creating a precious object that increased its worth and function, giving it new life.

His thoughts started to drift to Smith, how he had mentioned that he believed Levi had potential to be a painter, how he felt his talents were being wasted in Mitras and he lacked purpose. And then there was the most recent questioning of where he would be right now if he was free of restrictions, in which Levi refused to answer because the man was completely correct. Levi didn’t have anywhere else to go, even in his imaginary world.

He never allowed himself to think of things like that or consider a hobby as an outlet to unwind. It always came down to him sitting quietly in his flat and burying all his frustrations and pain deep under his calm exterior image until he could no longer feel those poisonous emotions. Until numbness set in, and he could rebalance his thoughts before going out and doing the job all over again.

But if Levi did decide to try his hand at making something in his free time, be it painting or leatherwork or something else entirely, he was certain that the blond nerd would be ecstatic and even supportive—which would likely cause Smith to be in the way more than helpful.

Considering all of this, Levi realized that a cake wasn’t going to be enough for Smith. He wanted to genuinely give the man something, even if it was cheesy or out of place. As much as he would’ve liked to deny it, his situation--along with Furlan and Izzy’s—was the safest it’s been since he could ever remember. Lovof was no longer able to have his people stalk his friends and use them as leverage. And what’s more, Levi wasn’t forced to end random lives because his boss had his delicate feelings hurt.

So, why not give Smith something to show his appreciation?

***

October 14

MI6 Headquarters, otherwise known as Vauxhall Cross, was not that spectacular of a building in Erwin’s opinion. There was a significant portion of the edifice that he had yet to see, largely due to his limited security clearance on top of being a private company--which really had no business being there. Regardless of the grandeur eighties epitaph architecture, it had triple glazed windows for security purposes, which was essential with its high traffic area in the heart of London and on the bank of the River Thames. He could not help but to find the facilities a bit pretentious. As Deyan Sudjik said in an article of The Guardian, “The building could be interpreted equally plausibly as a Mayan temple or a piece of clanking art deco machinery.".

Glass walls; the highest security panels on each door, filing cabinet, and work device; security checkpoints scattered all throughout the building to catch anyone who may have squeezed through the first handful of guards.

Indeed, it was obnoxious to come to these rare meetings. Erwin would rather shoot himself if he had to do this process daily.

Pixis’ office was not any better, but one had to of found the laxed protocol of alcohol to be questionable. Particularly, in the possession of someone meant to oversee the protection of the nation and who regularly dealt with the highest classified cases. There certainly was no way that the contraband was snuck in through the multitudes of checkpoints, so there had to be some leeway given to Pixis. After all, no matter what hour of day a private meeting took place, the man was ready to use it as an excuse to open a bottle.

Today’s choice of poison was a bold red wine.

Erwin swirled his tumbler and wondered what quality it was and if the man even bothered with the drink’s value or if he went with the cheapest option. Despite his prestigious title, Pixis didn’t have a decanter with his crystal glasses, choosing to pour straight from the bottle. Perhaps, it had something to do with how quickly he went through a drink rather than the lack of quality.

Taking a sip of the medium, peppery tannins of the Malbec, Erwin faintly reflected on his morning before leaving for London when Levi had surprised him. After Erwin declared the punishment ended, the assassin had taken it upon himself to arrive in the office on his own volition, accompanied with a tray of tea and breakfast.

Seeing the two place settings aroused a slew of questions like a dredge stirring up sediment from the bottom of a lake. Instead of voicing the “why’s”, and “what made you want to have breakfast with me?”, and “did you make this yourself?”, Erwin gave Levi an appreciative smile and thanked him. A part of Erwin was afraid that if he bombarded Levi for answers, it would discourage the man from wanting to do anything like that again. Despite Levi’s snarky and disinterested attitude, there were times when his insecurities peeked through. So, the next twenty minutes of their shared breakfast were intertwined with comfortable silence as they ate with broken moments of a casual conversation.

Obviously, Erwin was aware that Levi knew it was his birthday, and the act was likely his way of offering a kind gesture towards him, but that didn’t take away from how special it was. Levi was starting to come around again and on his own terms. Erwin couldn’t have been happier.

Well, at least until he received the unexpected call from Pixis saying he wanted to meet with him.

Looking out of one of the tall windows, Erwin took in the chilly, dismal day in London, and he could barely make out Buckingham Palace in the distance. The chink of a glass on the walnut desk was followed by a light sigh and creak of leather on the chair.

“I’m pleased with your team’s work in Belgium,” Pixis praised breaking the stillness of the room. "Excellent as always."

Erwin turned, taking a sip from his glass. He could taste the money as it slid down his throat. “Security for dignitaries is simple protocol for the Scouts.”

Pixis leaned back in his chair, looking calm and a little flushed. Again, he was reminded of the man’s privilege to drink heavily on the job. To have the ability to remain insulated from accountability and do whatever the hell he wanted without worry of consequence. If Erwin was honest, it made him a little resentful. People like that had a tendency to abuse their power while people like him and the Scouts were left to deal with the aftermath. Regardless of the man’s love of alcohol, Erwin still liked to think that Pixis was one of the few honest men in that level of hierarchy or else he wouldn’t be doing business with him.

“It’s not the security that I’m impressed with. Anyone with common sense and a gun can do sentinel duty. I’m pleased with the discretion.”

“I’ll pass your appreciation on to the others,” Erwin replied politely, hoping he would get to the point.

Pixis nodded, then smiled with a reflective look that told Erwin the other reason for his visit was about to drop. Possibly in a rather unpleasant way.

“I’m sure you’re curious why I requested to meet you rather than discussing what I needed over the phone. The reason I asked you here is to let you know in person that it is unfortunate that our business arrangement is coming to a close. I felt it only right to tell you over drink than by phone.”

Erwin felt the corner of his lips twitch but managed to keep a frown from sinking in at the unexpected turn of events.

“You won’t be renewing your contract with the Scouts, then?” he clarified, not doing his best to mask his confusion.

The man nodded again. “We’re reaching a point that it is no longer conductive to associate with someone shaking things up in the political structure.”

Oh, so that’s what this was about.

Erwin took another sip, this one deeper. More to brace for the next part than for the enjoyment of the wine. “So, you’ve been in contact with Nile Dok?”

A statement more that a question.

Pixis motioned in the air vaguely. “I’ve known you for a long time, Erwin. Making enemies has never been a skill you’ve lacked in. Even with the Scouts being as discrete as you are, it’s a risk my agency cannot take—as I’m sure you can agree. Dogmatic scandal is the least of our worries if word got out that we were mixing business.” He took a sip of his wine before continuing. “I wanted to express my appreciation for everything you’ve done and to have you understand that I hold your organization in the highest regard. While I’m terminating our agreement now, that’s not to say that I may not be in need of your services in the future. I’d hate for you to think I was dissatisfied with your work.”

Erwin stepped away from the gloomy view of the city and sat in one of the leather chairs across from Pixis at his desk. He made sure to keep a good poker face, despite the urge to drain the rest of his drink in one go.

Just what point was Nile trying to prove by spreading news of their bad blood. Was he really using the scope of their agreement to try to undermine Erwin in another way? He should have anticipated Nile to hold a grudge and have something else up his sleeve after he gave in so easily.

For a brief and rather stupid moment, Erwin considered telling Pixis about the ill intentions done to him by their mutual acquaintance, if only to ensure that Pixis would continue using them for their operations. MI6 was one of the largest clients of their organization and while losing them wouldn’t bankrupt the Scouts, it would certainly tighten their capacity to purchase what they needed. Then again, he wasn’t about to start a new battlefront between the three men when he had larger issues at hand. Quite frankly, as long as Levi’s name didn’t get brought up between Nile and Pixis, he had nothing serious to complain about.

So, instead of voicing his frustrations, he leaned into his ability to maintain the image of unflappable calm and answered with, “That will certainly ease the sting of the contract ending.”

“If you and Nile can settle your differences, or if you stop adding to the list of enemies,” he added jokingly, “then we can review this again. I trust that this is only temporary, and you know what you’re doing. It’s just I cannot take that risk.”

Dealing with corporations and government entities were never clean transactions. They usually took advantage of a combination of lax laws and easily bribed officials. The type that worked deep underground and built metaphorical citadels to keep secrets from escaping. And secrets were an even stickier situation. People in charge that dealt with secrets were usually grouped into a couple different categories. The first were the ones running the show. The second had a vested interest in keeping their secretes from getting released to the public and the rest were the disposable ones…

Pixis fell into the former category. Nile the middle. It was pretty easy to use smaller organizations like the Scouts to do some of their dirty, underhanded work that wouldn’t leave a paper trail in their respectable governmental roles. Less chances for secrets to squeeze through, so long as groups one and two were on the same page.

Erwin was blatantly aware of this, and he chose to profit from it to further the Scout’s goals and international reach. It wasn’t like they were actually doing anything illegal in their jobs, usually something with a member of another country or vice versa that their employer didn’t want the press involved with.

As for the issue of Nile reaching out to cut Erwin’s team off from stable job sources, that only pointed to one troublesome conclusion. He likely knew who was wanting to stop Erwin from progressing further with Paradis, and the fact that his efforts to thwart his headway had failed was incentive to make larger plays. Apparently, it didn't bother Nile when he was able to travel on holiday to Spain with his children and his wife with freshly manicured nails. Such was easy to justify to his ethics on why it was necessary to screw over his friend when it wasn't his pockets being affected.

No, Erwin would not be elaborating on anything nor asking questions, no matter how curious he was to know what Nile told Pixis.

Still, Erwin maintained a cautious demeanor as he clarified Pixis’ terms. “So, settle what I have going on, and I can count on continuing business in the future. Is that the agreement?”

“That’s right.” The bald man drained his glass and set it down. “Tell me, son. What is it that you’re up to? It must be something big if Nile had to set aside his feelings of your brotherhood to reach out to me.”

Erwin looked at the last of his wine, glanced at the bottle on the corner of the desk, feeling like it was a conversation that required more alcohol. “I’m afraid it’s actually a dull story. Just some hard feelings coming up between us. You know these things sort themselves out eventually.”

“Ah, Nile has been a sensitive man at times, but I also know how ambitious you can be. I just hope you’re not overestimating your abilities,” he leaned back in his chair and regarded Erwin for a long moment. The last comment was out of place, indicating that Nile had indeed spilt some details of Erwin’s dealings. It was only confirmed by the next sentence leaving the mustache laden lips. “It would be wise to reevaluate any plans you have in motion to ensure you aren’t adding the wrong person to your list of enemies.”

“Are you saying I haven’t yet made it official in pissing someone off? They’re just penciled in, are they? Not yet put ink to paper?” he smirked mirthlessly. His tone was almost cold, which he never used against Pixis, though the man seemed blasé about the unusual hostility.

“I won’t pretend to know what Nile does. I just know he was concerned over your wellbeing.”

It didn’t escape Erwin that Pixis hadn’t denied there was a threat. But then again, he hadn’t admitted to one either. Which meant Erwin would need to proceed with caution and possibly distance himself from Nile after he retrieved his father’s journal. He was missing an important piece of information and that was not a safe position to be in for him or his people.

***

“Why the hell would he do that? You think he’s trying to prove a point?”

Mike’s affronted voice reached the others in the warehouse as they sat in the makeshift living room. He was pacing on the other side of the floor near the hall that led to Nanaba’s medical station and one of the weapon vaults. Begrudgingly, Levi had yet to be allowed in there to see their array of equipment.

“Well, damn… What do you want us to do?”

The second half of the conversation continued to go voicelessly to the group as whoever was on the other line explained the events to Mike. It was clear that it was Erwin delivering what sounded like bad news from his trip to London, which drew everyone’s’ interest to eavesdrop. They weren’t even trying to be subtle about it either as the video game was paused and all eyes traced Mike’s pacing.

Hange and Floch were blatantly facing the back of the couch like two nosy children, while Levi was watching with a raised brow, finding the image amusing more than anything. He knew he should’ve been concerned with the worrying news that was being discussed, but he really, truly couldn’t pull his gaze from Mike’s appearance.

The giant of a man was pacing near the closed bay doors with some seasoning in one hand, the phone up to his ear in the other, a peach-colored headband holding his hair from his forehead, while wearing an apron with a spatula across it and “Daddio-Patio” in bold letters.

He looks f*cking ridiculous.

“Hey! Don’t be mean,” Nanaba berated, pulling Levi’s attention away from Mike. “I bought him that.”

Oh, did he say that out loud?

Smirking, Levi shrugged and decided to go with it now that it was in the open. “And here I thought you loved him, Nan.”

She tried to deliver a menacing glare, but her mask cracked as a smile tugged upwards. “I think you’re jealous you don’t have one for yourself.” He scoffed, but she ignored him. “Even if you aren’t, I think he’s adorable in it.”

Hange decided then was the best time to add their opinion, not looking away from Mike. “If anything, it gives us a look into your sex life.”

Levi watched as Nanaba blushed before trying to play it off like she wasn’t affected by Hange’s comment. “We have a healthy relationship. Sue me.”

Levi snorted, but mercifully, turned back to watch ‘Daddio’ Mike who was rubbing his temples and had stopped pacing.

“I know, you’re right. This guy is really pissing me off though… I get it.” Mike sighed as Erwin said something else on the line before Mike responded. “Sure. How far out are you? Why? I just want to know.”

Another response before Mike nodded.

“Alright. I’ll see you then.”

Hanging up the phone, his attention immediately landed on the five of them watching his every move. He clearly wasn’t surprised and started heading in their direction.

“What happened?” Hange asked immediately, sitting up on their knees, reminding Levi of a meercat catching sight of something interesting.

Mike heaved a sigh again. “Pixis is out.”

A long, drawn-out pause stretched across the group as he waited for Mike to continue. Levi wasn’t sure what all of this meant for the Scouts.

“What the hell?” Floch finally shattered the silence, “Why?”

“Apparently, Nile started blabbing his mouth and convinced Pixis it was in his best interest to put distance between us. Seems Pixis chose his side and decided to play it safe.”

Levi couldn’t help the slight pang that came from hearing Nile’s involvement in what was apparently a bad outcome for the Scouts. He hoped that his name being mentioned didn’t actually come back to bite him in the ass now. Or better yet, that this wasn’t some result of it. He wasn’t lying when he said he was confident nothing would come up, but when Erwin wasn’t so convinced—even after knowing the extent of Levi’s anonymity—it started to germinate a seed of doubt. Fortunately, Mike’s next explanation seemed to ease a little of his worries that he was the cause of that circ*mstance.

“Apparently, Erwin believes that a third party is putting pressure on Nile, and by extension, Pixis even if it’s not directly.”

“Another party?” Moblit echoed. “From which organization? Government? Or someone else that’s looking of Paradis?”

Mike only shrugged. “Not sure.”

“Well,” Hange shook their head, “Happy birthday to him, huh? What bad timing.”

Mike wasn’t going to sugarcoat it for them. “He’s in a bad mood, but who can blame him. He’ll be here in the next hour, so I’ll finish getting the grill and food prepped before then. Once he gets here, someone come get me and I’ll go talk to him before we surprise him with everything.”

It seemed everyone was in agreement and relieved that they could still move forward with the party, although Levi wasn’t sure it was quite as spectacular as they made it out to be.

As soon as Erwin had left for the meeting, Hange and Moblit brought out two crates full of decorations for the birthday party and pulled Levi and Floch in to help blow up the balloons. They had some sort of grand plan to have the warehouse fully decked out but had significantly underestimated the decoration to bay size ratio.

By the end of emptying the crates out, there were tiny clusters of balloons tied to the structural beams, a few glittery ‘Happy Birthday!’ banners along the walls, and streamers spaced throughout. However, in order to have the full effect (at least to the level that Levi assumed they were trying to do), they needed at least five times as many decorations. Regardless, he kept his opinion to himself and did as he was told, if only to indulge their silly theatrics towards Erwin’s birthday. Everyone was rather pleased with the pitiful results so who was he to bring down the mood?

Meanwhile, Mike and Nanaba had worked to pull out the grill, which was situated at the back where the decommissioned train tracks were, and then proceeded to pull out the games and lawn chairs around a firepit. Two boards were set up in the warehouse with six bags, and outside, next to the abandoned train, had two PVC racks with six pieces of rope with a colored golf ball on either end. Cornhole and ladder ball, Moblit told him, which didn’t do anything in way of explaining how one played but at least he had a name to put to it.

After the decorations and everything was set up, Levi had excused himself to start working on the birthday cake, mixing the ingredients quietly and efficiently until Hange came in, sticking their finger in the batter and being chased out with a wooden spoon. The rest, thankfully went smoothly, especially as Nanaba came to help with the buttercream and glazed chocolate icing when it had all cooled down.

Eventually, the hour sped by as Hange and Nanaba were finishing stuffing the presents under the couch like squirrels preparing for winter, for whatever reason. Moblit gave Levi a quick explanation that Erwin would feel guilty seeing them on a table, especially as he preferred not to be given anything, so they usually hid them until it was time to spring it on the poor man. When Levi asked why they didn’t want to just leave the presents in some room, Moblit chuckled and said that Hange’s decisions on when to give him them are usually spontaneous, and no one wanted to miss out on Erwin opening his gifts while they sprinted off to grab theirs.

It still didn’t make sense to him, seeing as Hange was the common denominator problem to it all, but to each their own. It wasn’t his gift being stuffed under the furniture like dirty laundry. He opted to give his to Smith in private to avoid any embarrassment in front of the others. The only people he’d ever given a gift to before were Furlan and Izzy, and that one time with the knife to Kenny. Despite convincing himself to purchase it, he still felt unsure if Smith would even like the present. Why he was so worried, he wasn’t sure, but the thought that Smith would only accept it out of pity stoked his insecurities further.

Shortly after, the sound of a car pulling up to the building drew their attention to the front of the warehouse just as Hange yelled out for Mike. The man quickly appeared from the back bay door, trotting through the warehouse to go out the font. The others followed, to peer out the window, as Mike approached the vehicle instead of opening the garage door for Erwin.

The driver window rolled down and Mike leaned over to talk to him, the entire conversation still captivating the onlookers even though they couldn’t hear or see what the two men were discussing. It went on for a good two minutes as Floch and Hange muttered their best guesses were to what was being talked about, trying to read the body language to speculate the mood. Eventually, Mike straightened and pulled a small device from his pocket, opening the bay door for Erwin to drive in.

As the car was shut off and Erwin stepped out, he was not at all surprised to see the crowd lingering guiltily by the windows, although Mike was a little displeased that they made it so obvious.

“Uh… Happy Birthday!” Hange yelled out as everyone joined in half-way through ‘Happy’.

The awkwardness didn’t bother Erwin who smiled affectionately and shook his head, blue gaze scanning the warehouse before a brow co*cked upwards.

“You’d think I’d learn to expect your shenanigans by now, but it always surprises me,” he voiced as he came closer. “The balloons are a nice touch.”

“Well, we have to do something different every year!”

“You don’t have to.” His smile remained as he glanced over his team, lingeringly slightly on Levi before he addressed the group, rubbing the back of his head almost bashfully. “Thank you everyone. I really appreciate it, especially after my London trip. I assume Mike’s filled you in on what happened.”

“Enough for us to have an idea,” Nanaba nodded. “Whatever happens, you know we’ll make do without Pixis.”

“If anything,” Mike added, “we can use the break from normal jobs to focus on Paradis.”

“Yeah, what they said! But unless it’s time sensitive, I don’t want you to worry about the rest of it today,” Hange chided, looping an arm through Erwin’s and tugging him toward the back of the warehouse. “Today is your birthday and you’re going to relax! I’m the Commander now!”

“God help us,” Levi muttered but it went unheard by Hange. Smith still picked it up as he tossed that crooked grin in his direction before addressing the mad scientist.

“There’s a few things I should take care of before—”

“No, Erwin! Is it life or death?” Hange asked, halting in the middle of the floor and scrutinizing up at him.

“Er… not exactly.”

“Then you can do it tomorrow. We set up some games, and Mike is cooking a huge spread, and we can get a fire going…” Hange continued to list off all the things they had planned for Erwin as they dragged their hostage along, ignoring the group that trailed behind.

***

The rest of the day went by as much as Levi expected it to. Mike finished cooking the meats and corn as Levi helped Nanaba pull out some tables to place the dozens of plates stacked with food out for everyone’s choosing, while Hange and Floch hauled out the ice chest packed with beer and seltzers. Erwin kept Mike company throughout most of the grilling, looking the complete opposite as he helped flip over some sausages in his suit next to the giant and his ridiculous apron and headband combo.

Once the food was finished, everyone shuffled into line and helped themselves, no one taking the time to argue with Erwin to go first as that was apparently a losing battle, regardless of it being his day. Instead, he stood at the back of the line with Levi who sent him a pointed stare over his shoulder.

“What’s that look for?” Erwin asked, amused by the shorter man.

“Why haven’t you changed… or at least taken off your jacket? That can’t be comfortable.”

“You’re more than welcome to come upstairs and help me pick something else out.”

“What am I? Your butler? You don’t pay me enough to dress you, Smith.”

“Who said you were limited to only dressing me?”

Levi faced forward as the warmth of his neck started to rise. He wanted to retort with something witty, but the taller man was two beers in, and his previous conversation with Hange the day before was still fresh in his mind. Internally, he was battling with the urge to keep it professional—for f*ck’s sake the man was his boss—and yet he selfishly craved giving into the banter and seeing where it went. A dangerous combination when his social skills were, admittedly, lacking in finding the balance.

“You gotta pay extra for that,” he mumbled before he could stop himself. He hoped it was quiet enough to only be heard by himself but the chuckle from Erwin told him otherwise.

“If that's the case, then I think I’ll hold off for now.”

That was a normal response. Too normal.

It made Levi feel bold enough to test the conversation a little more. “Oh, so you don’t want to part with your precious money, Smith?”

“I’d much rather incentivize you another way that wasn’t reliant on money,” he replied without missing a beat, leaving what he was referring to unspoken. “I’m only interested if both parties want it.”

Levi wasn’t sure if he was brave enough to ask him to elaborate so he stayed quiet. Even if he didn’t know exactly what Smith was talking about, his speculation was enough to conjure the possibilities and he, undoubtedly, was intrigued. Perhaps a little too much.

After getting their food, Levi followed the others out to the chairs that circled a metal firepit and sat to eat between Moblit and Erwin. The topics of discussions revolved around the group with hearty stories of past mischief between Mike and Erwin in their earlier years, then of how Nanaba came into the group after Mike was shot. Erwin explained to Levi the embarrassment he felt when he had to run damage control after a drugged Mike wouldn’t shut up and how he really wanted to knock him out.

From there the discussion turned to the others and some of their past experiences before the Scouts, filled with jokes and teases that Levi felt himself chuckling over. Hange tried to pry into Levi’s history a bit, but that was quickly redirected with the right amount of sprinkled facts and his ability to dodge direct answers. Fortunately, they were easily distracted and as soon as another subject caught their attention, the conversation trailed right after.

When the plates were set aside, Mike and Nanaba were eager to maintain their yearly title of cornhole champions by challenging the rest of the group. Levi took the time to maneuver the dirty plates into the kitchen to clean later and by the time he returned, a game was well underway with Erwin and Floch as the challengers.

Hange waved Levi over from their seat next to the cooler and opened it to offer him another beer while they watched.

“Take a seat, munchkin, and enjoy the show.”

He flopped into the old canvas folding chair beside Moblit, hating how it sunk down without proper support. The thing looked ancient with the frayed edges and the drink holder in the armrest was torn at the bottom.

“So, who’s winning?”

“Mike and Nan,” Moblit answered as if it wasn’t a surprise.

“Smith and Floch suck that bad?”

“No. They’re actually decent,” Hange replied as they watched Erwin toss a blue bag that landed on the board with a thump. “Mike and Nana are just that good. They could probably do some tournaments and win if they really wanted to.” As if to prove the point, Mike’s red bag landed directly on Erwin’s.

Levi sipped on his beer and watched how each person made their throw to gain points. How Floch’s bags tended to lack the dramatic arch in the air which caused them to hit the board and skid off the edge. It worked to his advantage once when he knocked Nanaba’s bag off, but his followed right alongside it.

Of course, with his recent track record, it wasn’t long before Levi started to limit his evaluations to one player in particular. The man had shed his suit top and tie, unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt. The bottom was partially untucked from his waist and his sleeves were deliciously rolled up to expose his forearms. Soon enough, even as he brought the bottle to his lips, Levi couldn’t tear his gaze away from how sexy Smith looked. If only he could tousle his hair a little more…

Unsurprisingly to everyone, the couple cheered as Mike’s final bag landed on the board as Floch looked exasperated at another year of loss under his belt.

“Alright, who will challenge us next,” Mike dared while hugging Nanaba and chugging the rest of his drink.

Moblit shook his head as he popped open a new seltzer, kicking his feet out in front of him. “I’m not up for embarrassing myself. I’m good just watching.”

“Hange? Do you want to play?” Mike asked, clearly just looking for fresh meat for his next victory.

“Hmm…” Hange pondered before a mischievous grin unfurled. “How about Shortie and Erwin! I want to see what they can do against you and Nan!”

“Psh, you just saw how Erwin did—”

“Easy now,” Erwin warned jokingly, punching Mike’s arm.

Mike laughed it off. “Well, mate, you still lost.”

Hange looked to Levi who now wished he had paid more attention to the rules of the game instead of the players--or player.

“What do you say? Will you team up with our Commander to dethrone the reigning champs?”

“Er…”

Erwin chuckled as he met Levi’s gaze. “It’s a noble cause, Levi. I could certainly use your help putting Mike in his place.”

“Tch. You don’t even know if I’m good at this. I’ve never played.”

“Never?”

“That’s what I said,” he deadpanned.

Instead of being dissuaded from it, Erwin merely shrugged. “Come on then. I’ll explain the rules.”

Taking his beer with him while the other three refilled with new bottles, Levi took the place where Floch stood previously.

“Hey, Mike,” Erwin started as he came up beside Levi with the three blue bags. Upon closer inspection, he could see they had little lightning bolts on them. “You mind if he throws a few to warm up?”

“Eh… I guess seeing as he’s never played. I’ll allow it.”

“So gracious,” Erwin teased sarcastically, causing Levi to scoff.

Handing him the three square bags, Erwin picked up a red one and stood on the other side of the board. “I’ll be across from you when we’re actually playing but I figured it’d be easier to show you from here. When you toss the bag, you can’t step in front of the board. One bag on the board is one point. A bag in the hole is three.”

Erwin then took a step forward and released the bag, where it sailed through the air and landed on the center of the board. Practically a textbook toss.

“If an opponent lands on the board after yours, it zero’s out the points until either player lands another. The goal is for the team to make it to 21 points first.”

“What happens if you go over?”

“The team that goes over will scratch and have to go back to 11 points while the other team is unaffected. At least, that's our house rules.”

“Right. Easy enough.” Levi took his position and threw his first bag. It landed a few feet short of the board and tumbled across the floor.

“Maybe we should account for his shorter arms,” Mike teased, and Erwin shocked Levi by flipping his friend off. Apparently, tipsy non-working Erwin was a bit of a party-boy. Levi hadn’t expected him to be this loose.

“Leave my teammate alone, asshole.”

Mike only laughed.

Levi ignored him, realizing that when it came to games, the shaggy giant’s competitive side obviously came out. Little did he know that Levi was the same. He almost felt excited to challenge Mike, but knew he severely needed to fix his trajectory before he told Erwin he was ready.

Taking the second bag, he tossed it into the air, adjusting the weight only for the bag to sail over the board completely.

“Don’t worry. We can let you try again after this until you get the feel of it,” Erwin reassured.

Levi didn’t spare him a glance as he tossed the last bag which landed dead center of the hole, not even brushing against the sides.

“Well, damn. That was nice, Levi.”

Preening from the praise, he met Erwin’s gaze and smirked. “I’m ready to start playing.”

“Er… are you sure? You can still toss a couple more times—”

“Nah, I’m dialed in now,” he replied before taking a sip of his beer.

Erwin didn’t seem entirely convinced, but Mike was more than eager to start the new game.

“The man says he’s ready, then let him play.”

Shrugging, he gave Levi an encouraging pat on the shoulder before taking his place on the opposite side where Mike stood. Nanaba then came to take her spot beside Levi and the game began.

To say that it was a close game was an understatement. Mike and Nanaba were just the right amount of tipsy where their brains weren’t overthinking their moves and they still had control over their limbs. Erwin was right alongside them while Levi was a little more sober than not. Even so, the points were creeping between them and barely making it to the double digits from the amount of nullifying taking place. Nanaba would get a bag in the hole and Levi would follow right behind. Then on the board, and his bag would be next to it. The game didn’t change tide until Erwin was able to land a point over Mike’s team meaning that Levi got to go before Nanaba. From there he managed to bury three bags back-to-back in the hole, while Nanaba only managed one, putting their team 6 points in the lead.

After that, the champions were getting into their own heads, even when spouting encouragement to the other when it came to their turn.

“Just in the hole, babe. Just guide it in like you always do,” Mike called out from the other side, leaning forward so his hands were on his knees as if his concentration was enough for the both of them.

“I know, stop distracting me.”

“I’m not distracting you. Only helping.”

“I can get it in the hole without your directions, thank you very much.”

“Is this another peek into your sex life?” Hange called out from the sidelines, cackling.

“Huh?” Mike gave them a weary glance, “what are you talking about?”

“Just ignore them,” Erwin patted his friend's back, but his sh*t-eating grin didn't reassure Mike.

“No, I want to know what they’re talking about with ‘another’. What was the first time?”

“You were on the phone when the discussion came up,” Hange taunted further, despite Moblit shaking his head and pinching their arm to get them to stop. But Hange ignored him.

“What discussion?”

Nanaba straightened her stance and put her hands on her hips with the bag still clutched between her fingers. “Stop fussing over it, babe. I’m trying to throw this and you two are distracting me.”

“But Hange is bringing our sex life into this. I just want to know what’s being said.”

“Well, don’t look at me like that. I didn’t say anything. You know how Hange works things out on their own.”

Mike turned an accusing glare to Hange who was still grinning like crazy.

“Don’t fret, Mikey-boy. Your relationship isn’t the one I’m most interested in.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That you’re not the hot gossip anymore.”

“Wait… who is? Tell me.”

Levi didn’t need to look to know Hange’s attention was on him. He could feel his skin crawl even from there. “Can we focus on the f*cking game? Erwin and I need to throw our bags to win this damn thing.”

“Why the rush, moon pie?” Hange beamed. “Do you two have somewhere to be?”

Moblit lightly tugged on a lock of Hange’s hair, looking suddenly anxious and Levi realized the exact scenario he had spilt to Hange now. No wonder they were so invested in his and Erwin’s… interactions. As if he needed another reminder of the shameless flirting in the car.

“Stop distracting them, Hange, and let them play,” Moblit practically pleaded.

“Mobey, you’re no fun. You just don’t want me to tell Mikey that —”

“Oi, Four-eyes. Make yourself useful and get the damn cake out.”

“Huh?... Oh, right—right! I’ll do that! Be right back!”

Levi took a deep breath before exhaling, thanking whatever universal power out there that Hange was more scatter brained with alcohol added in their system.

Crisis averted. For now.

Looking up, he met Erwin’s blue stare and raised brow, indicating that he was entirely aware that Hange nearly revealed something Levi didn’t want the others to know. Thankfully, the blond only found amusem*nt in it as he shook his head with a smirk.

True to his word, after Nanaba finally threw her bag, not making it in the hole, Levi was quick to cinch the victory for the round, leaving the last two points up to Erwin to claim.

“Don’t f*cking make me lose my first game, Smith,” Levi threatened as Erwin readied for his shot.

“Or else what?”

“I’ll never speak to you again.”

“Ah, well we can’t have that now. No one insults me the way you do, Levi.”

“Wait?” Mike interjected before Erwin threw his bag. “You want to be insulted by the little man?”

Erwin chuckled. “I think the alcohol has hindered your ability to detect sarcasm. But even so, I enjoy Levi’s banter.”

“You’re strange. Everyone else just gets pissed off by it.”

“I’m right here, you know? I can hear you,” Levi grumbled.

“Yeah,” Erwin pouted and playfully shoved Mike. “He’s right there. Don’t be a dick.”

“Wha?? You started it.”

“I’m his teammate. I can get away with it.”

Levi rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “That’s not how that works.”

Nanaba giggled beside him. “Hey, boys, just throw the bags already.”

Erwin shook his head and tossed the first one, landing on the board. Mike’s followed suit, zeroing it out. He tossed a co*cky grin in Erwin’s direction who scowled.

The next one he tossed skidded off the board completely and Levi held back a groan, desperately wanting to not leave an opening for Mike and Nana to pass them. At that rate, Erwin could only get one point if he stuck the board, or if he hit the hole, he’d put them over the points. It looked like it would be up to Levi in the next round to win the game. Or at least, that was until Mike’s bag landed on the board.

sh*t, all they needed was the hole and it was theirs. So long as Mike’s last bag missed the board.

“Come on, Smith. You got this,” Levi encouraged, alcohol softening him as the game progressed.

Erwin perked up at that and adjusted his stance so he was no longer prepared to throw. Instead, he had his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at Levi.

Confused, the hitman tilted his head with brows furrowed. “What are you doing? Throw it.”

“I will,” Erwin reassured slowly. “I’m just trying to work up the motivation, is all.”

“Motivation?... Smith, are you drunk? We can win the game if you make it in the hole.”

Mike chuffed as if insulted. “Unless I make one in the hole, too. I still have a bag left after Erwin, in case you forgot.”

Levi and Erwin ignored the taller man as they stared at each other, Levi’s mismatched gaze narrowing into a glower as the silence stretched while Smith refused to elaborate. He wasn’t sure if it looked like they were trying to communicate telepathically or having a staring contest. Hell, even Levi wasn’t sure what they were doing, but his patience was wearing thin with Smith’s mind games and refusal to just say what was on his mind.

This f*cking grown ass child chose now, of all times, to not talk.

“Are you f*cking serious?” Levi finally broke the uncomfortable moment. When Erwin’s lips quirked up, Levi released all the air from his lungs and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. What motivation do you want?”

f*ck, don’t say something embarrassing, Levi internally prayed.

Pleased that Levi was giving in to his request—cough, demands—Erwin unfolded his arms and tossed the bag straight into the air, catching it as it came down. “I want you to call me by my name the rest of the night.”

“… Yup, you’re drunk,” Levi deadpanned. “In case you forgot, ‘Smith’ is your name, you moron.”

“You know what I mean. Stop being hurtful, Levi, it’s my birthday,” he mock pouted.

“He is making a reasonable request,” Nanaba pointed out, unhelpfully.

Levi pursed his lips, knowing she was right, though still feeling a sting of betrayal from her. By addressing the man as Smith, it helped to mentally distance himself from getting too familiar with him. It kept it professional rather than personable, even if his thoughts ran away from him at times. At least they were just thoughts. It wasn’t like he was acting on them. However, by calling Smith by his first name, it would immediately start to feel more affable and take away yet another barrier Levi used to separate himself.

But that was Smith’s entire point to it though, wasn’t it? He was too smart to make the request for any other reason than to chip at Levi’s well-fortified defenses.

Levi combed his hand through his inky locks, ignoring how the blond across from him watched his every move. “f*ck it. Fine. If you win this game, I’ll call you by your name.”

If Levi expected the man to be pleased with his compliance, he was greatly mistaken. Instead, Smith just stood there, co*cking a brow.

“Oi, did you hear me? I said fine.”

“I want proof.”

“… the sh*t? Proof?”

“Yup.”

Hange, who had returned minutes ago with the cake on the table behind them, snickered. “He wants you to say his name, moon pie. Go on, give it a go. You were saying it yesterday just fine when talking to me.”

That crooked grin stretched a little further on the insufferable blond’s face, and Levi swore he felt his eye twitch as his cheeks warmed. He was starting to regret not putting his usual makeup on his scars. At least then it would hide any rosy tints on his cheeks.

“Shut up, Four-eyes,” he grounded out with a warning glare. But the damage was already done.

“You were talking about me yesterday, Levi? What about?”

“If it was meant for you to know, you would’ve been present,” he sassed, but Erwin was undeterred.

In fact, he left his side of the board and started striding to Levi who suddenly had the urge to take a step back, but remained steadfast under the watchful gaze of the others in the room. He refused to show that he was nervous by the strange tension between him and Smith, only growing more taunt as the distance drained between them until the blond was directly in front. He tried to muster a glare at Smith, to show his annoyance, but he wasn’t sure how well it came across, especially when it took all his focus to remain unmoving as Smith leaned down to whisper in his ear.

“I’m dying to know what you discuss behind my back, Levi.” The roll of his name leaving Smith’s lips fanned warm breath across the shell of his ear. His baritone voice tickled the skin along his neck which had him swallowing unconsciously. “Especially if my name is so easy to come to you. But I’ll settle on just my name for tonight. That’s reasonable, isn’t it?”

Levi took a sharp inhale, forcing an eye roll when he felt Nanaba’s and Mike’s gaze on him, knowing that the simple gesture would make it seem like Smith was being obnoxious and not, in any way, stoking some smoldering heat in the pit of Levi’s stomach. His hands fisted tighter in the fabric of his sleeves as he kept his arms crossed, despite wanting to grip the front of Erwin’s shirt and pull him closer.

Please, to any higher power, don’t let his face be red.

“Answer me, Levi.”

Desperate for this to end before he did something he’d regret, Levi relented, his voice low and quiet so only Smith would hear. “Yes, Erwin.”

Just those two words had Levi’s braincells crashing into one other trying to staunch any internal reactions from leaking through his annoyed mask.

The man leaned back, blue gaze immediately locking on his and there was a cold fire behind the look that had Levi’s stomach dropping like a rollercoaster. This game with Mike and Nan was just background noise to whatever what happening between them with this little bet.

“Alright. I’ll win the game for you.”

And then the bastard had the nerve to wink at Levi before returning to his spot across from them.

Clenching his jaw, the natural glare fell into place as Nanaba snickered beside him.

“What’s so funny?” he snapped harsher than he intended.

Unaffected, she waved a hand in the air. “Just how quickly he can get under your skin. It looked like he insulted your ancestors or something.”

“His entire presence is insulting, only made worse when he opens his mouth,” he muttered, taking a breath to relax a little. At least the others thought it was just another case of Levi being pissy rather than the truth that he was irrevocably turned on. He’d much rather they thought he was a poor sport than know how he really felt about their boss, as scandalous as that was.

“Someone’s co*cky,” Mike smirked as Erwin readied for his throw. “You really think you’ll make this shot?”

The man was all focus and didn’t bother responding to the jab, which only made Levi watch in mild anticipation. Did winning this little challenge really mean that much to Erwin or was this just a personal test for the man?

By the time the bag was released into the air, everyone watched as it hit the board, and skidded into the hole, making it all look effortless.

“Well, f*ck me…” Mike trailed off, eyes wide under his unruly fringe.

Erwin took two steps back as if offering Mike the stage while sipping his beer smugly. He sent another arrogant wink at Levi who was too stunned to even glare. He really hadn’t expected the man to make that.

“Go ahead, mate. Make your throw.”

Mike quickly got over his shock and glared at Erwin hard enough for the both of them. “You’re about to be put in your place.”

“We’ll see.”

Nanaba then started to mimic her fiancé as she stood behind the board. “You can do it, babe. Just cancel them out.”

“I know. I got this.”

Levi snorted and squatted down, perching his elbow on his knee and resting his cheek on his hand. “Any day now.”

“Are you trying to mess with me, shortstack?”

“Maybe. Is it working?”

“Nope. Gotta try harder.”

Levi smirked but stayed where he was beside the board if only to annoy the man. Whether that had anything to do with it or not, it didn’t matter. The bag hit the board and slid, so quickly that it skipped the hole and sailed off the back.

“f*ck!”

“Ha! We won!” Erwin instantly cheered, meeting Levi in the middle and high fiving him.

“Your teammate cheated!”

“f*ck off, Zacharias,” Levi smirked. “How could I have cheated?”

“You sat by the board!”

“There’s no rule against that,” Hange piped in from the sidelines. “You even said it wasn’t bothering you.”

“Well… I lied.” Mike tossed a sour glare at Levi, reminiscent of their earlier interactions. “Beginner’s luck. I want a rematch.”

“It will have to wait,” Erwin interrupted, still wearing that boyish grin as he placed his hand on Levi’s shoulder. “I want some cake. What about you, Levi?”

Just to rub salt in the wound, he nodded. “Yeah, sounds good.”

Hange was still laughing at Mike as Floch joined in on giving the man a hard time. Moblit made sure to keep his opinions to himself saying he had no grounds to stand on when he was total sh*t at the game, much to Levi’s amusem*nt. Who knew the quiet guy would curse more with a few seltzers in him.

After Hange lit the multitude of candles and everyone except Levi sang happy birthday to Erwin, he blew out the candles and started passing out slices of cake.

“What flavors are these?” he asked after bringing the plate up to eye level and inspecting the darker and lighter layers with different icing between.

“Just try it, Smi—Erwin.”

Giving Levi a quick once over after his slip up, Erwin took a bite of it just as Nanaba started to gush beside him.

“Holy crap, Levi. This is amazing!”

Erwin’s eyes widened as he swallowed, looking at Levi with confusion evident across his features. “You made this?”

“Mhm.” Levi avoided eye contact as he chewed his food.

“Well, color me impressed,” Mike stepped beside him and patted Levi’s back roughly almost making him choke. “If you did poison this, I think I wouldn’t mind.”

“I didn’t know you could bake,” Erwin clearly was enthralled as he took another bite, watching as Levi shrugged, not caring for the attention being sent his way.

“It’s not hard to do. Just follow the recipe.”

“What’s the flavors?” he asked again. “Tastes like chocolate and coffee, but I can tell there’s more to it.”

“The first layer is almond sponge cake soaked in coffee syrup, then there’s coffee buttercream, then chocolate ganache. To top it off, it has some glossy dark chocolate icing to keep it from being too sweet.” Levi glanced up at Erwin for the first time since they started eating the dessert to gauge the authenticity of his reaction. “Do you actually like it, or just pulling my leg?”

Erwin took another bite, nodding his head enthusiastically. “I could get used to your baking, for sure. It should be required for every holiday.”

“Hmm, mine birthday’s next month, little man,” Mike informed. “Can you make my cake?”

“It’ll cost you.”

“What? Why? You didn’t charge Erwin.”

“Because you keep calling me short names.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, you’re short.”

“Piss off.”

“Alright, enough bickering!” Hange appeared in the middle of them in that instant with a vibrant glittery bag in hand for Erwin. “Hurry and finish your cake so you can open the presents!”

After being shoved gift after gift, the rest of the evening was filled with more drinking and stories as the sun set across the horizon. Hange kept the firepit going and once it got dark, Mike took to his final event for the night by handing out little sticks with a sandy substance at the end. Levi wasn’t sure what it was, until Erwin looked over at him after a few beats of just staring at the stick puzzled.

“Has it been a while since you’ve used one?” Erwin asked, words coming out lethargic with a slight slur.

Levi found his drunkenness amusing but instead of commenting on it, he answered the blond. “A while? I don’t even know what the f*ck this is.”

Erwin chuckled warmly, his smile gentle. “It’s a sparkler. Here, watch.” He stuck the end of his in the fire and the tip lit up with little embers and flashes of yellow.

“Huh…” Levi repeated what he saw, then looked at it curiously. “And what do I do with it now?”

“Nothing really. You can swing it around and try to write your name,” Erwin demonstrated as he whipped the end through the air with enough speed that it created the illusion of a line.

Levi gave it a go, finding it oddly satisfying to watch. A small smile curled as he flipped it around his fingers as he would his knife, watching the sparks dance as they fell loose. Erwin watched him with something akin to adoration, though Levi was too distracted to notice the warm gaze.

Before he could give Erwin his final opinion on the stick, a loud Bang! jolted him from his thoughts as the sky above lit up in an explosion of colors. In his moment of panic, the sparkler fell from his grasp and Levi’s hands went to the chair, bracing to bolt in any direction.

“Whoa, hey, easy. You alright?” Erwin asked softly realizing that the way Levi was startled was severe enough to not find humor in it. Levi wasn’t one to normal jump at things unnecessarily but for him to look panicked was proof of how bad his fight or flight response was suddenly activated. “It’s just Mike lighting off fireworks.”

Taking a few deep breaths, he nodded, pulling his gaze away from the sky with some effort to look at Erwin.

“I’m fine. Just… I-I wasn’t expecting that,” he murmured, leaning down to pick up his deteriorating sparkler. His attention returned to Mike and barely moved from then on, watching as he lit a cartridge and it shot into the air before another explosion painted a bloom of color across the sky. Floch, Nanaba, and Hange sat at the edge of the concrete pad with their feet dangling off the edge of the tracks while Moblit and Mike cycled a new canister to be ignited.

“Don’t like fireworks?” Erwin ventured carefully, still finding Levi’s reaction concerning.

He offered a stiff shrug. “Not really been around them before.”

He tended to avoid anything with loud noises or explosions, for obvious reasons.

“We can go inside, if you’d like.”

Levi frowned at that, looking to meet Erwin’s blue stare. The amount of concern reflected back did little to ease Levi’s insecurities. “It’s fine, Erwin. I just wasn’t expecting it. You should enjoy the fireworks. Mike went out of his way for them.”

“Hmm, truthfully I think it was more for Mike then for me.”

Levi wouldn’t have been surprised if that was the case. The shaggy lamppost looked like he was having the time of his life lighting the fireworks.

***

As the evening hours crept by, and the energy of the group tapered off, despite more drinks being opened, Erwin’s mood had started to plummet. If Levi had to guess, it was a combination of exhaustion, alcohol, and the stress from Pixis and Nile. No longer was he interested in the last of the fireworks or the conversations buzzing around him. In fact, the man seemed completely distracted from the rest of the group, only stirring after Levi lightly elbowed him in the side to get his attention.

Shortly after that, the man conceded the inevitable and bid everything a good night and an appreciated thank you for throwing a memorable birthday party for him. About 10 minutes after he retired upstairs, the other members started to agree that it was late and turned in for the night.

One-by-one they trickled to their rooms until it was Levi and Mike who remained. Levi decided to stay behind, seeing as he was one of the more sober of the group, and to help clean up the things that couldn’t wait until the morning. Together, the two men worked to hose down the spent casings of fireworks and the remaining embers from the metal pit, followed by packing the leftover food away in the fridge.

“He’s obviously still frustrated, but I didn’t expect anything different,” Mike explained to Levi as he was handed a Pyrex container of green beans to put on the shelf. “The party was a good distraction, but nothing lasts long if his brain is in motion.”

Levi contemplated that, trying to put himself in Smith’s shoes and understand the stress that was on his shoulders. To an extent, it all made sense, though there was still a drive that he lacked when trying to fully empathize with the man. Having different reasons for being there created that natural, albeit unintentional distance between them.

“I don’t blame him,” Levi explained hesitantly. “I just don’t see what he can do about it right now at 1 a.m. on a Monday morning.”

“Doesn’t matter the time. There’s always something that needs planning or doing when you’re in charge of the Scouts.”

“I guess,” Levi replied vacantly.

Putting the rest of the food in the refrigerator, Mike shut the door with a yawn.

“Don’t worry about him. He’ll decide on a plan from here, and then he’ll stop moping like a kicked puppy. It’s always been a pattern since I’ve known him.”

Levi gave him a half shrug as he headed towards the doorway. “Never said I was worried. Just wasn’t sure what to think.”

“I’m just telling you it’s best to not take anything personal. By the way, thanks for helping out with cleanup.”

“Sure. No problem.”

Heading towards the stairs, Levi made his way up to the second floor, mindful of closing the door quietly once he reached the upper hallway. Just as he started to pass Hange’s lab, then Erwin’s bedroom, a strip of light illuminating the bottom of the next door caused Levi’s feet to halt in front of the office.

Seriously? The man was actually working? Levi was beginning to think he had some serious problems.

Huffing out a breath, Levi decided to not allow the man to torture himself further and knocked on the door twice before letting himself in.

Sitting at the desk, Erwin glanced up with half-lidded eyes, not really showing any reaction to Levi’s arrival. That caused Levi to frown as he approached with his arms crossed, dropping his gaze to the brass skeleton key between Smith’s fingers.

“Can’t sleep, blondie?”

A thin smile barely stretched across his lips, almost looking sad. “Thought you’re supposed to call me by my name.”

Levi regarded him quietly, trying to pinpoint just what Erwin was feeling in that moment before he decided how to answer. He could tell Erwin was still feeling tipsy, but there was something somber about him that Levi was unsure how to handle.

“Sorry. Old habits.”

“Hmm.”

A pause bloated between them, uneasy in the way that had the two men hesitant to breach what was on their minds. Curiously, it was Levi who broke the lull.

“Are you feeling alright?” he implored gently, taking a seat in his usual chair and lacing his fingers over his stomach.

Erwin dropped his eyes to the key, still twisting it between his fingers before tapping it twice against the desk. “I’m ok. Just thinking.”

“Yeah? What’s on your mind?”

Erwin huffed a short, breathless laugh. “Are you genuinely asking, Levi? That’s so unlike you.”

Levi shrugged, turning his gaze to the side so he didn’t have to meet Erwin’s ardent stare. “Maybe I’m just trying to be a good teammate and look out for you.”

For a while, neither of them said anything, only retreated to their thoughts as the muffled sound of a door in the warehouse below was shut. After another beat, Erwin sighed in a way that sounded defeated.

“I’ve been going over my past meetings with Nile and Pixis,” Erwin relented, his words coming out slower than normal. “I’ve told you before that when my father was murdered, the first journal was taken.”

Levi nodded to show he recalled.

“Well, when I accused the book of being in the government’s possession, I had hoped I was wrong in my assumptions. But Nile never denied it.”

Blinking, Levi considered just what Erwin was getting at before his brows pinched together. “You think someone in the government set out to silence your father.”

“Hm. To be fair, I think I’ve always secretly suspected it. But after talking with Pixis and after Nile’s reluctant willingness to get my journal, it’s not something I can ignore any longer. It just so happens that it was one of the reasons why I’d been hesitant to cut Nile out of my life up to this point.”

“I don’t see why you would’ve waited until now. You could’ve pressured him about the journal sooner.”

“The reason is actually quite simple. It’s because Nile was the canary. I used our friendship as a tool so he’d inform me if my life was ever in immediate danger—or at least I hoped Nile would. There was always a slight probability that he'd keep the knowledge to himself and hope for the best if anyone was sent after me.” Erwin shook his head and the edges of resentment started to feather in his gaze. “However, the biggest problem I have about Nile isn’t that he went behind my back to hinder the progress with Paradis or that he cut our ties with Pixis. But the fact that my so called ‘friend’ never mentioned anything about my father’s killer. Even if he didn’t know who murdered him, he knew something and chose to withhold it.”

Sighing again, Erwin rested his head in his hands, key still in his grip while fingers parted the front of his hair. Levi could feel the betrayal oozing from Erwin with the bitter undertone of vexation. The late hours and alcohol weren’t doing him any favors and Levi knew he was sh*t company for these moments of vulnerability when empathy should be prioritized. Levi didn’t even give himself the proper outlet for venting or time to process his emotions on intense matters. What made him think he could be there for someone like Erwin?

Nevertheless, he knew he needed to try.

“If what you say is accurate, then I agree. It’s completely f*cked. I don’t know who the hell Pixis is, and I won’t pretend to understand the logistics of the Scout’s clientele, but I don’t like Nile and I know the others aren’t exactly attached to the guy either. Whatever you decide to do from here on out with him, everyone will support you in your decision. On another note, I think you’ve done enough thinking for the day and need to get some rest.”

Levi stood up from the chair, as Erwin removed his head from his hands to gaze up at him. It wasn’t often that Levi was looking down at Erwin, and he couldn’t say he hated the view. He could see the whorl on the crown of his head and just how shiny his golden hair was reflected off the lights. As Levi stepped around the side of the desk, he noticed Erwin’s startling glacial eyes looking more prominent with the redness tinting the whites. He tried to hide his smirk at how ridiculous Smith was by forcing himself to stay awake and stress over matters he couldn’t change.

“Come on, Erwin. Let’s get you to bed and you can look at this sh*t show tomorrow with fresh eyes.”

A shadow of a smile was fleeting as he silently conceded and pushed the chair away from the desk. Setting the key down, he stood to his feet, took two steps and started to sway. Levi quickly dipped into his side and pulled an arm over his shoulders to steady him as the other wrapped around Smith's waist.

“Easy, big guy. Don’t go crashing to the ground or I’ll leave you there.”

Erwin chuckled, glancing down and meeting Levi’s mismatched eyes. “You wouldn’t make me sleep on the floor, would you?”

Levi tried to keep a neutral face, but Smith was so close. Unlike the time in Paris, half of his weight was leaning on Levi for support, causing him to tilt closer into Levi’s personal space. sh*t, all he had to do was close the distance by a few inches and they’d be kissing.

Slightly panicked at the thought of kissing Smith, Levi cleared his throat and focused on guiding the drunk out to the hallway.

“Well, I’m not going to throw my back out from trying to lift you from the ground, if that’s where you land.”

Erwin’s smile grew a little more, but he said nothing as he let Levi haul him to his room. Seeing as he had a free hand, Levi shifted Erwin close to the door so he could fumble with it until he managed to swing it open for them. As he flipped the light on, it washed the room in a brightness to reveal a queen size bed with two end tables, a dresser, and even a futon in front of a tv. Along the wall near the ensuite were two waist high bookshelves, filled from one end to the next. The walls were painted a soft sage, and the trim was white.

And above all else, it was clean.

The damn area didn’t even look like a converted office, but like a master bedroom. How the hell did Levi get to have his area this nice? His was pitiful in comparison.

“Alright, in you go,” Levi spoke as he guided Erwin toward the mattress, trying to maneuver the muscular build so he wasn’t unceremoniously dumping him.

Just before the blond released his hold on his shoulders to settle on his bed, he promptly pulled Levi into his chest, nearly causing him to release a grunt from the unexpected handling. Before he could protest, the distinct feeling of soft lips pressed against his forehead sent all logical thoughts flying out the window.

This wasn’t happening. Was Smith really kissing him?

The firm warmth to his skin and the tickle of hair beneath his breath certainly felt like it as he stared at the man's Adam's apple.

Before he could kickstart his brain, Erwin hummed against him before slumping into bed, unaware of Levi’s stalled response. After blinking owlishly at the sprawled man, Erwin’s words seemed to bring him back to earth.

“Thank you for helping me, Levi.”

Levi blinked again.

“Er… Sure, big guy,” he tried his best to play it off, shelve it away in his mind for later contemplation while repeating that Erwin was just drunk, and that he hadn’t meant the kiss. On the bright side, he was likely too drunk to notice how enflamed Levi’s face was.

Clearing his throat again, he started to untie Smith’s shoes, feeling it would be a crime to leave him fully clothed in his state.

“I had a good time with you today, Levi.”

“Oh yeah?” Levi quirked a brow, his embarrassment giving way to humor. "You enjoyed your birthday then?"

Erwin nodded his head jerkily as his words started to slur a little more as sleep crept in. “My favorite part was having breakfast and tea with you, but don’t tell the others.”

Amused by seeing the usually meticulously, put together Commander silly and drunk, Levi decided to indulge the man. “We can’t have them knowing that, can we?”

Erwin chuckled. “No, they would tease me too much.”

The blond glanced down the length of his body at Levi, watching him as he neatly placed both shoes against the wall and picked up a blanket from the end of the bed.

“You’re really something, Levi. You’re so beautiful.”

The way he said it was so soft that Levi almost had to strain to hear it, and yet it filled the room to the point of almost echoing off the walls.

Shocked, Levi found himself frozen for the second time in the last five minutes. Looking down, he saw Erwin watching him with a gentle smile, eyelids heavy with sleep to the point that the blue was almost hidden beneath his lashes.

Regaining his composure, he stepped beside the bed to drape the blanket across him, not that he needed it. The man was warm enough to rival an oven.

“The drink really did a number on you, huh?” He attempted to keep the topic light, knowing that Erwin probably didn’t know what he was saying.

But Erwin didn’t laugh at the weak attempt at a joke or even bat an eye after Levi put the blanket over him. Instead, he extended a hand outside the fabric, beckoning Levi closer. The shorter man glanced at the hand then to Smith, weighing the options presented. He knew he should just leave--clearly, he was out of his element when trying to handle a drunk Erwin, but something compelled him to sit on the edge of the bed next to him.

Perhaps it was the fact that Erwin was going through a drunken realization that his longtime friend withheld information of his father’s murder. Or maybe it was the way Erwin looked so vulnerable laying there with an unguarded expression and appreciation for Levi that he’d never quite felt outside of his friends. Whatever it was, he soon realized his mistake as the next thing he knew, Erwin had pulled him down to lay next to him.

“Oi—Smith! What are you doing?” Levi grappled the bedding for leverage to pull himself free, but Erwin’s thicker arms weren’t budging from around his torso.

“Please, just stay for a little while.”

The calm request tempered Levi’s frantic attempts, causing him to slacken in the hold. He tried to look at the man from over his shoulder, but he was too close to meet his gaze. “Erwin… you’re drunk.”

“... I know.”

Levi felt Erwin nuzzle the back of his neck as he tentatively pulled him closer. “Just for a little bit. Until I go to sleep.”

Taking a breath, Levi knew his willpower to resist was weakening the longer he lay there. The hold around his waist was warm and the way his body molded into Erwins gave him a level of protection he hadn’t ever felt before. Instantly, he felt his body relax in the embrace as he unwittingly gave in.

“Alright, Erwin. Until you go to sleep.”

Instead of replying, Erwin placed a kiss to the back of Levi’s neck, sending chills down his spine. But damn, did he love the feeling.

For the next 20 minutes, Levi fought with all he had to stay awake, even when Erwin had drifted off to sleep five minutes into wrestling Levi into a spooning position. He just couldn’t bring himself to end the heavenly comfort he was surrounded in. Even with the smell of beer and sweat, Levi loved being surrounded by all that was Erwin. The day’s musk, the faded cologne, the lavender pomade. Even the pillow and blanket were distinctly Erwin, and Levi found himself taking deep inhales repeatedly, filling his lungs as if he could store the essence for later.

However, Levi knew he couldn’t stay there forever. While Levi had been tipsy, he was strictly sober now and waking up in Erwin’s bed in the morning was an ingredient for too many things to go wrong. Not to mention, he knew that while Erwin wanted something while he was drunk, that didn’t mean he would feel the same when sober. And it was the sober thoughts that were the most important, even for the most honest drunks.

After the internal motivational talk of a lifetime, it took heroic effort for Levi to unravel himself from Erwin’s embrace and haul his exhausted body from the mattress. With a final look at Erwin’s disheveled state, tucked under the blanket that didn’t cover his entire body, Levi snuck out of the room to head towards his own.

As he stepped inside, he closed the door and leaned against it, replaying the events in his head. Erwin had called him beautiful. Even when Levi had spent the day without a drop of makeup to cover his scars or even his prosthetic lens, he still looked directly at Levi and complimented him with an earnestness that was unexpected.

Taking a deep breath, his gaze drifted to the small, wrapped gift he got for Smith from the Farmer’s Market. Tapping his finger against his thigh, he chewed on his bottom lip before striding over to pick it up. Before he could think twice, he headed down the hall until he was at Erwin’s door where he opened it with the slightest hesitation before finally committing to his plan.

A large part of him had really hoped Erwin would be awake, if only to beg Levi to get back in bed with him. But when he came to the side of the mattress, the man was just as he left him. Disappointedly, the assassin knew it was actually for the best. He kept telling himself he was being responsible and selfless by leaving Erwin’s bed, yet the little voice in the back of his mind continued to ask what Levi would do if Smith’s intentions were truly the same when sober.

After experiencing the bliss of just lying next to the man, Levi didn’t think he would be able to resist the feeling if Erwin ever offered it again. Allowing himself one more moment of gazing at Smith, Levi decided to extract himself from the room after setting the present down on the side table with the note on top saying ‘Happy Birthday, nerd’.

***

October 15

Levi’s world had imploded within a microsecond.

The target, a heroin addict with outgrown caramel hair, was a squirrely man with glasses. He was a gaunt and twitchy thing that had hacked into Lovof’s accounts to steal from him to pay for his addiction. Smarter than average in societal standards and could have had a bright future had his life not taken a path toward experimentation with narcotics. He proved to be creative and rather allusive for Levi to track down, but after a few days, the assassin had finally zeroed in on the target, finding the man cornered in a concrete parking garage.

With nowhere to go and no one around just after lunch hours, Levi took aim with his gun. He didn’t offer any passing words to the blundering man as he cried out and begged, he merely squeezed the trigger until it hit that barrier where primer met pin. But it was in that microsecond, that miniscule fragment of time, that Levi realized he had acted too late.

The man pressed the small red plunger button, and the parking garage was abruptly reduced to dust and gravel and debris--Everything that Levi had not been aware of as it stirred in its perfect circular path and punched him hard in the chest and slapped him fully in the face. He felt heat lick across his skin, didn’t even register hearing the blast, but his ears were ringing and then things went black.

When he opened his eyes, the flickering light panel overhead was dangling and swinging from what remained of the ceiling. Concrete reduced to dust billowed in clouds that blocked the light momentarily before swirling out, while particles settling across his face like falling snow. Beyond the ringing in his ears, he could faintly make out the sound of car alarms going off, but it could've been white noise for all he cared. There was an unspecific pain that seemed too big for his nerves to comprehend, and it engulfed his entire upper body. The sort of pain that would turn monstrous in the coming seconds.

He was choking. He couldn’t breathe. He tasted blood. Something was wrong with his face. Why could he not see correctly?

Rolling onto his side, he propped up on an elbow and stared down at the liquid he was spilling across the floor. Coughing, more blood came out and panic struck him.

It was an explosion, right? It had to be.

Just the act of moving his head to look at the target took monumental effort, and what he saw churned that panic into a sickness. The center of the blast zone, nearly 30 feet away now, was a floral burst of blood and gristle, like the remnants of a firework in the sky as the smoke settled.

Not good. He shouldn’t be here.

He rolled onto his stomach, tried to rise to his feet, but his legs were made of sand. Useless and immovable and numb. But he couldn’t stay here. He couldn’t be found.

Despite his body not responding, his brain was surprisingly fixed on his next steps. Levi kept struggling as he worked his legs under him and pushed off, stumbling into the concrete wall and over towards the brightest light that was shown through the dust. It had to be the way out. He needed to call Furlan for help. It had to be—

But his thoughts were cut short as the sound of sirens reached through his deafened ears and he knew he had to run.

.

.

.

Levi bolted upright in his sweat drenched mattress, gasping as his hand immediately started to gingerly touch the right side of his face as if anticipating the agony and soft torn flesh to meet his fingers.

After a shaky moment, of letting his one good eye take in the minimally furnished room, Levi plopped back on the bed and spread his arms out as he panted.

What the f*ck?

He hadn’t had that nightmare in months.

“Had to be those damn fireworks,” he grumbled out loud, but the gesture of hearing his hoarse voice in the empty room did little to ground him.

He still felt flighty and the tremble in his limbs had not lessened any. In fact, his heart continued to pound against his chest as if trying to escape its enclosure completely. Nausea simmered its way up his throat, and he felt like he had no blood remaining in his face.

Inhaling shakily, the attempt continued to fail in grounding him as his thoughts continued to float between past and present.

A shower. He needed a shower. That would help.

Swallowing was equivalent to choking down sand and he vaguely recalled that he hadn’t brushed his teeth before going to bed. The lingering taste of sleep and booze weighed on his tongue, doing nothing for his churning gut.

Flipping the covers off of him, Levi kicked his legs off the bed and quickly gathered all the items he needed for a shower. He really wanted to have his own ensuite like Smith, but with all the things going on, he didn’t think it was a realistic priority. For now, he would have to use the group showers downstairs.

Stepping out into the hall, he struggled to put one foot in front of the other without looking like an uncoordinated toddler. The shock of experiencing one of the worst moments of his life never failed to rearrange his otherwise compartmentalized thoughts. As if someone reshuffled the furniture in his flat in the middle of the night and he had to navigate it in the dark. He was so out of focus from his surroundings that he hadn’t noticed Erwin’s bedroom door left open.

Just as he made to pass the room, Erwin caught sight of him and called out.

“Levi. Do you have a moment?”

Blinking the murky fog from his mind, Levi suddenly remembered what had happened hours before in Erwin’s room. Swallowing around the nauseating lump in his throat, he inhaled through his nose and returned to the opened threshold.

Readjusting his items and change of clothes in his arms, he glanced briefly at Erwin who stood in front of his bathroom door, fully dressed for the day, before dragging his gaze to the floor.

“Hey.”

“Good morning, Levi.”

He could hear Smith’s smile without looking.

A wave of awkwardness started to swell in those tiny few feet between them before Erwin cleared his throat. “I… uh, wanted to say thank you for last night, and for the new leather journal. I’ll definitely add it as the next volume for our Paradis discoveries.”

Levi peaked at Erwin in his peripheral, just able to make out how the man’s golden hair was bowed, and he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. Was Smith nervous? Perhaps he was embarrassed after what happened the night before.

Did he regret it?

“Sure. I’m glad you liked it.”

“I love it,” he chuckled. “It means more than you realize.”

Another beat passed as Levi didn’t know how to respond, though luckily Erwin was willing to fill in the gap of conversation, seeming to recover his composer. “Anyway, I wanted to go over some information about my presumptions on the tapestry’s location and—”

Puzzled, Levi glanced up to see what caused Erwin to stop in mid-sentence only to meet an equally unsettled stare.

“Levi, are you feeling alright?” he asked with laden concern while approaching him.

“Er, yeah, fine,” he murmured, trying not to tense as Erwin stopped in front of him.

Without hesitation, or listening to Levi, Erwin reached a cool hand to his forehead, feeling the sweaty skin beneath his damp fringe.

“You feel warm. And you’re extremely pale,” he spoke lightly, his minty breath ghosting over Levi’s face. “I know you didn’t drink that much so it’s not a hangover. You should take it easy for the day. I can call Nanaba up to bring some medicine.”

Distractedly, Levi’s thoughts wandered away from what Erwin said as he recalled Hange telling him that Erwin was not as exactly straight. He wondered if that meant the man was actually bi. What would Levi do with that information? Would he want to pursue whatever this tension was between them? How would that complicate things? Or was he giving this too much thought?

He wasn’t interested in a boss-with-benefits situation as he didn’t trust himself to not get attached in some way if they just had a one-night romp. While he never been in a relationship, for obvious reasons, he knew himself enough to recognize his attraction to Smith as more than just sexual desire. While they got on each other's nerves, at the heart of it, they got along rather well, and it was so easy to be around him. When he factored in the concern he was showing Levi, he found himself appreciating the warming gesture. These soft touches Erwin used on him were addicting, just as the embrace from the night before and Levi found that he didn’t resist or shy away from the contact.

“Levi?”

Oh, yeah, Erwin was waiting on him to say something.

“It’s fine, Smith. I’ll feel better after a shower.”

“Use mine.” He let his hand slide from his forehead before he tucked it in his pocket, “That way you don’t need to go downstairs.”

Levi didn’t move right away but eventually he got his brain working again and started toward the bathroom without any argument. By the time he emerged, felling a tad more human, he found Erwin in the office with a cup of tea and bagel waiting on the desk for him.

After making sure that Levi was feeling better, Erwin let him enjoy his breakfast before Levi spoke up about the tapestry. From there, they discussed what they knew of it and decided the best option to get it was by figuring out where the Fritz were currently at. The only downside was that the pair were international moguls, so the search would require a wide net to figure out where Dina or Zeke were.

Eventually, as the morning progressed, Levi found himself dozing lightly, curled up in the chair. As Erwin worked on reaching out to his contacts to keep a watch for either of the Fritz family members, he continued to steal glances at the assassin, smiling as he realized how adorable the man was when sleeping and wishing he was able to wake up to the view in his arms.

***

October 17

“I don’t think it’s wise for you to attend this meeting,” Erwin repeated with finality. It was the third time telling Levi his thoughts since he received the call that Nile was ready to meet.

Levi’s signature scowl was fixed in place as he glared at Erwin’s back while trailing behind him. No matter what Erwin said, the little assassin was determined to come along with him and Mike to London. Any other time, Erwin would’ve been thrilled over Levi’s eagerness to be involved, but after realizing the risk it posed, he was more inclined to play it safe on this one.

As the three of them stepped into the warehouse, which was empty of any of the other members, Levi spoke again.

“Is this because I told him my name last time?”

Without pausing on his trek to the car, Erwin answered him flatly, “Well, that certainly hasn’t boosted my confidence, but no, it’s not just that. I’d rather be safe and not tempt him in wanting to look into you-- if you haven’t accomplished that already.”

“Seriously? What do you want? An apology? Tch, not gonna happen, blondie.” Well, it didn’t take him long to start pissing Levi off again, did it?

“Well, it’d be a nice start if you did.”

Levi grumbled something about a donkey’s ass under his breath, which Erwin would lie if he said he didn’t find it partially amusing.

Instead of starting an argument with Erwin, knowing it wouldn’t do any good when he was about to leave for London with Mike, Levi proposed a compromise. “Would it make you feel better if I promised not to say anything and just stand there?”

Erwin halted briefly, turning to face Levi as Mike remained quiet beside him. He seemed to contemplate Levi’s offer, scanning his reaction to gauge if he was sincere and had the capacity to hold up his end of the deal. Likely assessing just how heavy the risks stacked up to the benefits.

After a moment, Erwin commented, “You don’t have your contact lens or have your scars covered.”

“What? Does that bother you?” he co*cked a hip to the side, adjusting his weight with his arms still crossed, and Erwin’s previous irritation seemed to melt away at the little angry lightning bolt in front of him. Did Levi know how attractive that stance was?

“Not at all. But I don’t want him to start getting more leads to dig up information on you.”

“You sure seem protective for someone who initially wanted me to get my own official documents for identification.”

“That was before I realized the benefits of you remaining under the radar.” A white lie.

“And what reason would you have to need me to keep that status? Planning to make some people to go missing?”

At that, Erwin chuckled dryly. “If I needed that, I’m more than capable of doing it myself. Maybe having you stay anonymous just makes my job a little easier, especially if we end up doing assignments that break the law.”

Levi couldn’t argue with that, but then he realized they jumped pretty far off topic. “So? Can I come with you guys or not?”

Erwin sighed, then looked to Mike for his thoughts but his friend only shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. It may be nice to have him along in case Nile pulls some sh*t.”

When he glanced at Levi, the shorter man had a raised brow.

“Two conditions.” Erwin finally relented as he held up his fingers. “The first, you hold up your end of the agreement and don’t hand him more information on yourself. Second, I’ll give you five minutes to cover your scars. I don’t want to take chances with how things are deteriorating between Nile and I.”

Nodding, Levi sprinted up the stairs while Mike and Erwin waited in the car outside.

After the two-hour drive to London, followed by a 45-minute detour through the city to avoid the last of the day’s traffic, the trio arrived just at dusk at the meeting point. Apparently, Nile was keen to do this far from his family, which Levi rather preferred given the circ*mstances. However, it was an unspoken message to the others in the car of the increased odds that Nile could have something up his sleeve.

After getting out of the car, Levi glanced around the dark street that offered pools of light from the posts, although were mostly blocked by the mature trees in the park behind them. As he followed Erwin and Mike silently, they headed into the grounds of what he soon realized was a churchyard attached to the St. Pancras mausoleum. Given the late hour and tension with the meeting, Levi couldn’t deny there was an element of eeriness in the chosen location.

“Who chose this meeting spot?” he grumbled beside Mike who walked just a step behind Erwin’s left.

“Nile,” Erwin answered blandly. He didn’t seem all too impressed with the destination either.

“What’s the matter? Spooked?” Mike jested, though he said it with a straight face as his eyes darted around the trees just the same. Putting on a brave face when looking for threats.

“Just f*cking creepy.”

No one had anything else to say about that.

They were walking down the footpath toward the heart of the churchyard where Nile agreed to meet at a memorial. It didn’t take them long to spot it as the path connected with a handful of others with the statue in the center. The Burdett-Coutts memorial was a tall square tower decorated in a Gothic style and topped by a tall limestone pinnacle bearing a sundial. There was an iron, green patina fence that circled it where a lanky figure was propped against. Levi immediately recognized the wiry man as they approached.

As agreed, Erwin closed the distance to Nile as Mike and Levi hung back nearly 5 meters away. Enough to hear but not close enough to be involved.

“Evening, Nile,” Erwin greeted cordially, pulling out his professional mannerisms like he wasn’t brooding in the car anxiously the last three hours.

Nile didn’t return the greeting as he stared at Mike and Levi for a moment longer before tearing his gaze away with a frown. “I thought I told you its best to come alone.”

“You know how Mike is. He refused to listen.”

“Hey, Nile,” Mike acknowledged mildly as if he wasn’t unwanted company.

Nile returned a begrudged nod but gestured to Levi. “And him?”

Erwin didn’t look back to see who he was referring to, even if it was obvious. “He had some business to attend to in London.”

Levi couldn’t help but wonder if Erwin had that lie resting in his back pocket the whole time or not with how quickly he supplied it.

“They could’ve waited in the car.”

“If you’re so anxious to get this over with, I think we should move on,” Erwin redirected.

Nile didn’t take offense to that, only stared at Levi a little longer before placing his full attention on Smith.

The lingering look did little for Levi’s earlier unease about the possibility that he’d underestimated Nile to some extent. Especially, if the taller man was suddenly reserved with his presence.

“I don’t know who your source is, but they were right,” he said conversationally as he pulled out a parchment wrapped journal and handed it to Erwin. “It wasn’t easy to get, and I know I told you that I’d help with other jobs for the Scouts—but I need to lay low. Give me a few weeks. Maybe a month or two before reaching out for anything. Once they notice this missing, there’s going to be an investing—”

“That wasn’t the agreement,” Erwin cut off coldly, unravelling the journal and turning the old leatherbound book in hand, evaluating it as if looking for any damage. The level of hostility was sharp against Nile's demands. "You don't set the time limits, I do."

“f*ck, Erwin, don’t be like this.”

“I could void our agreement altogether and no longer use you as a contact,” he said suddenly.

Mike and Levi exchanged a sideways glance, not expecting their boss to throw out such an ultimatum so casually. Or right away, for that matter. Judging by the gaping mouth of Nile, he hadn’t expected the cut and dry response either.

“Now, hold on a minute. I never said—”

“Oh, do you have a problem with that?” the words came out icily.

“What-yes, I do, actually,” he hissed as his fists clenched at his sides. Levi narrowed his gaze at that but stayed where he was, even though he was ready to move to intervene in a moment’s notice. “Where the f*ck is this coming from?”

“Where?” Erwin repeated with a raised brow, fixing Nile with a look like what he just said was unbelievably ridiculous. He tucked the journal in the inner pocket of his wool coat, then bunched up the parchment in a ball and tossed it back at Nile who managed to catch it despite flinching. “Here I was under the impression that you weren’t wanting anyone to work with the Scouts. Especially when we’re stirring up too much dogmatic commotion and making enemies where we shouldn’t… Or so I was told. But you’d be able to elaborate more about that, wouldn’t you?”

A stricken look of panic flashed across Nile’s face before he managed to regain composure and sneered, “Goddamnit, Erwin. Damn you and damn your ego. I’m trying to contain any problems that arise here and, as always, you’re taking it as a personal attack.”

“You’re playing with fire, Nile,” he stated quietly, taking a looming step forward before stopping. “Let me spell this out for you in case you’ve forgotten the terms of our agreement. You are my informant. Your only job is to get me the information that pertains to Paradis and any intel that the Scouts need for assignments. Now, granted the most recent terms of our agreement has changed to void Paradis, that does not distract from your audacious ability to overstep your role.

You’ve been slipping, Nile. You’ve withheld information, went against my back to hinder our own investigation, and now you’re inserting your unwanted presence in affairs between myself and other business associates.” As if everything that had been boiling the past few months had finally reached its limit and spilt over, Erwin grabbed the front of Nile’s coat and brought him closer as he growled, “And you have the nerve to tell me you have a problem with me cutting you out? You should be relieved that’s the worst you get after the headache you’ve put me through and the danger you added to my team.”

With a violent shove, the thinner framed man stumbled into the iron fence, catching himself with an arm before he could tumble across the grass.

“Hold on, Erwin. Just hear me out,” he pleaded, his prior anger doused in the face of the wildfire blazing before him. “I’m sorry. I am—you’re completely right—I shouldn’t have done any of that. I’m sorry.”

“Congratulations on speaking the obvious. I don’t want your weak apology. I’m done dealing with your pettiness, Nile. It’s gotten old.”

Pushing himself to his feet, Nile stepped forward with his hands in the air in surrender, the ball of parchment laying on the grass forgotten. “Erwin, please hear me out. Please don’t end our agreement.”

“Why should he listen to you?” Mike spoke up as he pinned Nile with a hard glare. “He’s right. You’ve put all of us at risk and now you’re interfering with our livelihoods. Pixis contributed a lot to our organization, and you’ve cut that supply off like you’re preparing to lay siege to an enemy battle camp. How else are we supposed to take that?”

“I don’t know if Erwin’s told you, but this Paradis business has been having the flames fanned for too long. It’s catching. The fuel’s there and people are f*cking making moves. I’m trying to keep as little of this from blowing up as possible and trying to look out for you. My intentions are with your interests in mind, I swear.”

“Your interests are for your own,” Erwin stated flatly, unimpressed with the man’s groveling. “You’ve become a liability and I have no need for deadweight.”

“Erwin. You don’t know what you’re doing. Please, don’t end our agreement over this. I risked so much for your journal, just hear me out.”

Levi shifted uncomfortably as he watched the interaction deteriorate. A part of him had expected to find reassurance in the debacle happening in front of him, but he felt uneasy instead. There were so many factors in motion, too many moving pieces in play with their own trajectory, and the fact that all the competitors continued to dance on the line of legality created a complicated web to navigate.

He was thankful for Mike being there to support Erwin because Levi sure as sh*t had no idea what the best course of action was. Judging by the way Erwin was contemplating Nile’s messy begging, it was clear that there were some repercussions of cutting Nile out completely. What did Smith say a few nights ago? That Nile was his canary to warn of danger from within Parliament? It was hard to justify breaking the bird’s neck when it still had a neck to stick out for you in return.

“Speak then, Nile.”

Taking a shaky breath and raking a hand through his hair, Nile stood a little straighter. “I care for you. You know this. We’ve been friends for how many years? You’re my children’s Godfather, for Christ’s sake! What does that tell you? I would never put someone I trust my children’s lives to in danger. I’m not a monster.”

“It wasn’t just my life you risked though, was it? Not only were we forced to risk ourselves in Paris, but now you’ve cut into the money that puts food on our table. That pays my members and provides equipment we need to ensure we’re prepared to handle any assignment and make it home safely.”

The man had enough sense to look away in shame. “I hadn’t considered any of that when I did what I did. I should’ve looked at the bigger consequences before anything.”

“Would it have really changed anything, though?” Erwin countered rhetorically.

Nile grimaced. “Perhaps. Perhaps not.”

“At least we’re finally having some honesty for once.”

“What I did was wrong. I already told you I felt my intentions were good. But you know the dangers that pursing Paradis entails. It’s only a matter of time before someone gets tired of you and tries to take you out.”

“Enlighten me, then. Who are you talking about that’s such a danger to me? Would it be the same person who killed my father?”

“I… My suspicions say the same party are responsible, but before you ask, I don’t have names. Not from within the government, at least. I have tried to keep an ear out for this sort of thing, but whoever's making these moves is well above my office. Not to mention, it’s hard to ask too many questions and not attract attention. I still have a family to consider.”

“So, you’ve said.” Erwin didn't seem surprised that Nile didn't have information on his father's murderer, but Levi knew there was still that crushed hope inside.

“Look… I still want to work as your informant. I know I’m replaceable in your eyes, and that I’ve f*cked up, but I’m asking you to keep me on.”

“Is this from the goodness of your heart?” Mike challenged. “Or are you attracted to the paycheck.”

The way Nile adverted his gaze was answer enough, even before he murmured quietly, “Of course I care for you guys, but the money also helps.”

When no one said anything about that, Nile cleared his throat and continued to reason with Smith. “You want to know what I know? Fine.” His eyes landed on Levi as he spoke his next two sentences. “Someone important has been looking for your man. I don’t think I need to elaborate who that is.”

Unwillingly, Levi tensed as Mike and Erwin directed their attention to him fleetingly, but he remained impassive aside from the slight tightening of his gaze.

Had Nile finally heard something from the streets about Nicholas Lovof making a move to retrieve Levi?

Before anyone had a chance to question him further, Nile was quick to add, “Erwin, I know you’re not an idiot, but having Levi around isn’t doing you any favors. If you want to complain to me about withholding information, it’d have been nice for you to tell me that those two people who my men are protecting are associated with your new recruit. Why the f*ck do you have a mafia member in the Scouts for? What the hell is that about? What I should be doing is pulling my team off the protection detail and throwing those two back to the wolves after your stunt to pull me into that mess.”

At the threat of Furlan and Izzy being thrown into the fray, Levi unraveled his arms and started towards Nile threateningly before Mike cut him off with an arm blocking him. He didn’t get the chance to shove the man out of his way before Erwin spoke up, ignoring Levi’s approach.

“You’ll do no such thing, Nile. Cry about it all you want regarding what I withheld from you, but you shot yourself in the foot. You even have a nice, shiny medal as a reminder of that. Those two are as much your responsibility to keep safe as they are mine.”

Levi remained where he was even after he shrugged Mike’s arm away from him. Internally, he was teeming with fury that Nile would even think to carelessly speak about his friends in his presence, but as long as Smith was handling it, he’d behave himself. Levi certainly didn’t want to make any of these matters worse.

Nile looked like he wanted to argue, but he couldn’t form the words.

“Tell me,” Erwin pressed when a beat passed. “Has Nicholas Lovof contacted you directly?”

“Lovof?” Nile blinked, momentarily taken aback before he scrutinized Erwin. “Why would you think I was in communication with him?”

Erwin hesitated a split second.

“You know that’s who’s after Furlan and Isabel,” Erwin trailed off as if that explained it all, before adding. "Isn't that why your brought this up?"

“Well, yeah… But that’s not who’s after your guy.”

Hearing that, the atmosphere in the park seemed to pause, not even the wind seemed to exist around them or in the branches overhead.

When he realized that Erwin hadn’t expected that, Nile cursed beneath his breath.

“Do you remember what I told you about the buyers at the Sky Garden? Well, the one after your boy is the Arms Dealer. The very same one that was pissed off with that stolen shield. Apparently, the name ‘Ackerman’ has been floating around in some illegal circles with a bounty on his head. Don’t worry, the bounty is for him alive, but that description of Ackerman’s image certainly bears a striking resemblance to Levi, here.” Nile frowned at Levi who glared back with daggers. Crossing his arms, Nile tossed Erwin a warning look, “If you’re so keen to keep your pet project, you should keep a tight leash on him. Who knows what an Arms Dealer has planned for your recruit, and a mafia thug at that. Maybe it’d be good to ask Levi why someone of that status would be interested in him. I’d hate for you to be blindsided and think I was out to sabotage you again.”

Erwin was oddly still as he absorbed all the information presented, but even Levi could tell he was furious with the new bombshell that was dropped on him. On the outside, he remained nearly unmoved aside from the sharpness of his gaze adding an edge to his chiseled features. “Do you happen to know where this Arms Dealer is currently located?”

Nile sighed, rather dramatically, as he rubbed his face with another curse muffled by the palm of his hands. “Can I have your word that you’ll still pay me to be your informant?”

“If I agree, I need you to understand the consequences will be detrimental to you if I find out you’ve done anything like this again to us…”

“Trust me, Erwin. I’ve learned my lesson.”

No one could tell whether Erwin actually believed him or not. “Fine. Now tell me about the Arms Dealer.”

Nile shook his head in defeat. “Last I heard, he’s in Switzerland. On business. I don’t know how long he’ll be there, though… Why do you ask? Are you going to pick a fight with him?”

The last part was meant as a sarcastic jab, but no one found humor in it.

Erwin certainly wasn’t pleased with the way the evening was shaping out to be, despite being in possession of his father’s lost journal. Perhaps, once he was in the car and able to flip through the pages would the nostalgia recenter him. But until then, he was as taunt as a bow as he stood in front of Nile who seemed more and more at ease once he revealed his valuable knowledge. Clearly, he understood that information was his safety net against Erwin.

“And how did you hear about all of this? The bounty, the man’s location?”

“A guy I worked with mentioned it over dinner. He said the intel had the name flying through the channels a couple times and when he looked into it, he couldn’t find anything on an Ackerman. The only way I put two and two together was when he gave me the description which matched Levi too well to ignore. To be honest, I had only guessed it was the same man, but by Levi's lack of denial with the last name, I think it's safe to say I was correct.”

Another pause swallowed the air, followed by Nile shifting on his feet. The moment was instantly shattered as Nile’s phone started ringing and when he pulled it out of his pocket he cursed.

“Marie’s calling me. I’ve been gone later than she expected.” He lifted his gaze to Erwin. “Are we done for now? I’ll keep you informed on normal jobs, but seriously, I should try to stay low for a while. And no more favors involving Paradis.”

“Very well. Remember what I said, Nile.”

“I will. It won’t happen again.” With a brief nod to Mike and hesitant glance at Levi, Nile turned down the path in the opposite direction and answered his phone, immediately going into an apology to his wife.

Taking a deep breath, Erwin turned around and started trudging down the path. The walk back to the car was blanketed in a strained energy that prickled at Levi’s skin. Something told him the car ride to the compound was going to be an unpleasant one.