Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/10868493.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage, Major_Character
      Death
  Category:
      M/M, Multi, F/M
  Fandom:
      Shingeki_no_Kyojin_|_Attack_on_Titan
  Relationship:
      Levi/Erwin_Smith
  Character:
      Levi, Erwin_Smith, Mike_Zacharias
  Additional Tags:
      Blood_and_Violence, Psychological_Torture, Torture, Explicit_Sexual
      Content, Sexual_Abuse, Sexual_Violence, Murder_Mystery, Alternate
      Universe_-_Modern_Setting, Drug_Abuse, Child_Abuse, Explicit_Language,
      Angst, Hurt, Other_Additional_Tags_to_Be_Added, Disturbing_Themes,
      Noble!Erwin, Dirt!Levi, Master/Slave, Exploitation, hunger, Poverty,
      thieves, Gangs, mafia, Family, Slow_Romance, Drama, Betrayal, Rape, Blood
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-05-10 Updated: 2017-10-01 Chapters: 5/? Words: 11530
****** DIRT ******
by panterrarty
Summary
     For the truly wronged, real satisfaction can only be found in one of
     two places: absolute forgiveness or mortal vindication.
     This is not a story about forgiveness.
     So sit down, grab a drink and let me tell you the story about a man,
     who could not forgive...
     ----
     In this world the elite called "the nobles" holds all the power. They
     live in the big cities, have all the rights to do whatever they want
     to anyone but of course to another noble.
     If you are not a noble you are considered low and have no rights. The
     non-nobles are called "Dirts, who live in slums, trying to survive in
     a place with terrible diseases, constant rape, murder, abuse, hunger,
     thirst.
     To kill, beat or rape a dirt is not considered a crime, because they
     are no human to the elite, just objects to do whatever with.
     If a dirt want to have a better life, that dirt can offer himself up
     as a slave at the trading markets for other nobles. If a noble buys a
     dirt and makes him his slave, that dirt will get an ID and a name
     chosen by his owner. He will live under the roof of that noble, obey
     to every order and please his new master until death.
     Summaries are real shit....ugh...
Notes
     Hello there, it's me again~
     This is my first attempt of a longer fanfic. I tagged some upcoming
     themes, some of them (most of them) won't be featured in the
     prologue, but I wanted to warn you guys before you start reading
     something that will most def turn veeeery dark. Things will be very
     explicit, very disturbing, so if someone is triggered by e.g. rape or
     violence, I recommend not to even start this. This won't be a fluffy
     love story, it will be very emotional. The characters will be dark
     too, well, most of them.
     This AU is pretty dark. So let me introduce you with the world's
     concept :
     In this world the elite called "the nobles" holds all the power. They
     live in the big cities, have all the rights to do whatever they want
     to anyone but of course to another noble.
     If you are not a noble you are considered low and have no rights. The
     non-nobles are called "Dirts, who live in slums, trying to survive in
     a place with terrible diseases, constant rape, murder, abuse, hunger,
     thirst.
     To kill, beat or rape a dirt is not considered a crime, because they
     are no human to the elite, just objects to do whatever with.
     If a dirt want to have a better life, that dirt can offer himself up
     as a slave at the trading markets for other nobles. If a noble buys a
     dirt and makes him his slave, that dirt will get an ID and a name
     chosen by his owner. He will live under the roof of that noble, obey
     to every order and please his new master until death.
     Slaves have the rights to work if the master should allow so. With
     the valid Slave-ID they can enter the cities, work in low paid jobs
     like supermarkets, cleaning services etc. The master decides the job.
     I hope this little info about the world makes sense. It will be very
     important for the story.
     Please consider that I am not a native speaker in English, so a few
     (lot) mistakes might be somewhere hiding from my (pretty tired) eyes.
     Still I hope you enjoy the prologue, which I kept a bit shorter!
     XOXO
     Panterrarty
***** Prologue *****
The room was cold. But he wasn’t freezing. The tobacco smell was in the chilly
air. But he didn’t really care anymore, he had gotten used to it by now. He was
sitting on a basic wooden stool in the middle of an empty room, surrounded only
by darkness and this disgusting smell of tobacco he hated so much since his
childhood days. But today the hatred was fading, becoming a fog, which was
hovering around him like the stinking smoke of the cigarettes in the darkness
of the night.
Dust covered every corner, every windowsill, making everything look abandoned.
The once green wallpaper was ripped, falling off in pieces. The furniture not
even covered with a white blanket like in the rest of the rooms. But this room
wasn’t important after all. The man was staring into the distance, eyes
unfocused, waiting for the conclusive moment.
He sighed, leaning forward. You’re just a dirt! He shut his eyes. You don’t
even have any rights to be here! He rubbed his eyelids, massaging them. A shame
for his family...A small smile formed on his lips. Not out of joy, but more of
resignation. He sighed again standing up and moved closer to the dirty window.
It was a pitch black night, nothing unusual for a new moon, everything covered
in darkness. Just as he liked it most. Everything had to be dark, black...The
darkness had formed him after all, it was his best friend, a steady companion
in his miserable life. And why not? It always had been there, consoling him
when he hadn’t been able to sleep due to misery and pain. It never had taken
away his secret desires and fantasies. With the darkness he could be free, he
could be himself, he could be normal. The darkness of the night had always
welcomed him with open arms, never pushing him away. Without it he couldn’t
exist. It had become his personal drug…well...one of them...
“Junkie”, he laughed out, but stopped immediately, frozen in a moment, a little
memory of the past. It had been a long time since he laughed about himself,
since he let out a genuine laugh. Just for fun, enjoying himself. But maybe he
could laugh more often now...or was it just the irony of his damned life,
repeating itself over and over and over again, never leaving the cycle of
hatred and despise.
He opened the window, cool air filling the room in an instant, refreshing it
from that terrible smell of cigarettes. But still the hatred was there, he
could feel it itching in his fingertips, not ready to let him off the hook just
yet. He inhaled the fresh, cool air deeply before turning on his heel and
seating himself back on the wooden stool, folding his arms in front of his
chest loosely. Do you really think you can make it? He loosened his arms even
more, rubbing his hands, fingers. So sticky. He is so fucked up in his head! He
is a psycho!
His cellphone hummed in the pocket of his black jacket. He didn’t pick it up,
but still put his hand in the pocket, taking the buzzing phone into his hand,
holding it tightly. He knew it would ring again. Hewould try to stop him, he
was sure of that. Maybe it would be nice to hear his deep, rough but still so
charming voice one last time. The phone stopped buzzing, the vibration coming
to a still in his small hand, as he took it out of his pocket and looked at the
screen. Yes, it had been him. Of course, who else would care as much as he did?
But he didn’t want him to care; he wanted him to stop thinking about him. And
yet, it felt so good being the one person who occupied his mind in that moment.
He sighed, knowing that the phone would start buzzing again in a few seconds,
minutes, trying to bring him back to his senses…
Where have you been? All those years! I hate you! Go fuck yourself! He stood up
abruptly, going back to the open window to stick out his head, inhaling the
fresh air again. It smelled so good, felt so chilling on his pale skin, cooling
his mind. At the horizon there could be seen a few hints of stripes of color,
announcing the upcoming sunrise, trying to conquer the darkness and bring back
light and life to the world, joy and love. Far away in the distance the faint
sound of sirens and dim flashing lights in red and blue cut the deceptively
peaceful mood of the dawn.
The buzzing phone in his hand cut off his thoughts. This time he picked up,
holding the small device to his ear. He was able to hear the person on the
other side breathing. Calm. Steady. He wished that he could be here right now,
next to him, close, skin on skin, but on the other hand he wanted him so far
away from him as possible. He knew that it had been a bad idea to pick up the
phone, but his heart, his cold, savage, atrocious heart only started beating
when he was thinking about the only person that mattered to him.
“I don’t need to ask you where you are, do I?”, the perfect voice spoke to him
through the speakers of the phone. It seemed calm, but he could hear the worry
in that flawless baritone voice. He must have blamed himself for everything
that had happened, but honestly nothing was this beautiful man’s fault, never
was, never would be. It already had started before him. It wasn’t his fault
that it got worse after meeting him.
“Probably not.”, he reached out his hand into the air, pinched his eyes. Red.
“Why couldn’t you just let go, my love?”
“I just couldn’t.”
“You were finally free. Had a good life, a better one than before. But
still….”, listening to his voice he put two fingers in his mouth, something he
never would have done, if his mind wasn’t occupied with that voice. Metallic
taste on his tongue.
“What happened, happened. You can’t change the past.”
“No.”, he admitted. “But the future…”
“Levi-!”, hanging up before that tantalizing voice could bring him back to
senses, which were already beyond reach, he took out the phone’s battery pack
and SIM-Cart, taking a swing and tossing them together with the cellphone out
the open window. He wouldn’t need it anymore anyway.
Slowly the rays of the rising sun infiltrated the sky, which was getting
brighter with every passing minute. The darkness had almost been defeated, the
sun was pushing it back so itself could reach the throne, sit on it and shine
bright to bring light and joy to the world.
He turned around, sitting back on the wooden stool and looking down to his
hands, discovering the mess he had made during the night. He closed his eyes,
taking a deep breath a few times. The hatred was slowly fading away, almost
gone, taking every other feeling of sorrow and pain with it. Could he be free
at last? A few quiet moments later he opened his eyes, directed to his small
hands, the sirens becoming louder by the second, disturbing the beautiful,
cheerful songs of the birds in the morning.
His steel eyes were still looking at his hands. Red. Yes, red had always been
his favorite color...until...Erwin Smith…
***** Hello little Thief *****
Chapter Summary
     It had all started with a simple job, not quite easy in execution
     considering the location, but he knew, what he was capable of, so he
     had accepted. Find a way in, steal the desired object, leave without
     being noticed and deliver it to the client. Easy.
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
It had all started with a simple job, not quite easy in execution considering
the location, but he knew, what he was capable of, so he had accepted. Find a
way in, steal the desired object, leave without being noticed and deliver it to
the client. Easy. The small pub in the dirt district was the place to go, if
you needed some extra cash. It was illegal, a perfect place for the nobles to
anonymously offer small jobs, which they themselves could not execute within
legal parameters. The dirt district came in handy, because who would refuse
some extra money to survive? That was of course, if that dirt made it back
alive…
The same question Levi was asking himself right now. Would he make it out
alive, leave the city unnoticed and deliver the package to the clients
requested location? He had planned everything meticulously, he was a very good
occasional thief after all and there was no lock he couldn’t pick, no safe he
wasn’t able to open somehow. His height was his advantage, when it came to
hiding, slipping through tight and narrow places. The long and hard years of
training under bad conditions had made his small body agile, swift and yet
strong. Climbing wasn’t difficult at all, he was quick at it.
But tonight during this job he knew, he had miscalculated something or rather
he hadn’t thought much about a particular factor in his plan: the man he had to
rob.
That blond giant of a man came home early from work that night, which had been
unusual. Levi had watched him for a whole of two weeks, knowing every single
task that man carried out during the mornings, the nights and his workplace. He
was the CEO of one of the largest automotive companies, a noble born into
richness with so much money that he could fill the Pacific Ocean with it. That
man’s schedule was precise. He never went anywhere but from home to work and
back. His dating life seemed shit, or rather non-existing. Pretty sad for a man
with his good looks. But Levi didn’t care; he just made sure he got every
detail of his life right to execute his plan.
He had decided to sneak into his huge villa during night, when his guards
carried out the shift change and the man himself was still at his company in
his office. That was his only chance to get inside to steal the desired object
of his anonymous client. It wasn’t difficult to get in. He was quick, hung up
the golden framed painting in the office, which showed a neat old draft of a
car. It seemed really old, valuable. But nothing he himself would want to own.
After rolling the painting up and putting it into a storage tube, he made his
way out of the office, which had a distinct smell of cleaning products. That
room must have been cleaned recently, and yet he could still smell the old wood
of the furniture, the leather of the office chair, the books in no particular
order sitting on the shelves. But then he heard the man opening the front door
and entering the house. Levi had to hide quickly, but the task deemed itself
more difficult with a dog involved. That moment he wondered where the hell that
dog had come from. He never saw a dog with the CEO, so why now? That animal was
surely no puppy he recently could have purchased. Was he watching that smelly
rug for someone else? He didn’t know. But he knew that he had to be careful
now. Dogs could pick up scents normal people couldn’t, besides that, they
smelled disturbances.
But unfortunately that said dog started barking into his direction, bringing
the attention of the man in the perfectly tailored dark blue suit with those
weird blue eyes and neatly styled hair, towards his location in a second. Levi
realized in that moment, that if he didn’t act quickly he would be caught and
end up being dead in an alleyway. So he moved, ran to the window to open it and
jumped out. He was in luck. The room had been located on the second floor, so
it wasn’t far down. He landed on his feet, rolling forward to stand up and
start running to the fences. The surrounding was in high alert in seconds, the
tall man jumping after him out of the window, something Levi hadn’t been
expecting at all. His eyes widened with realization that he had to run even
faster, because hell that giant was fast! He climbed up the fences, reaching to
the top. The man was shouting, cursing and reached him quickly. An arm extended
out to catch his feet, but Levi was faster to jump of the fence to the other
side just in time to escape his large hand.
Levi didn’t even look back, just started to run again and made his way deep
into the woods. What he didn’t know, was that the man knew these woods better
than his neighbors did. The giant used to jog here during summer time, so he
had no difficulties to run and chase him, after the tall blonde had climbed the
fences, still shouting to his imbecile guards, who now realized what was
actually going on, jumped down and landed not so soft like Levi did before on
the dirty ground of the other side. Levi wasn’t stupid; he had some tricks up
his sleeves just in case of an emergency and now was the time to play some
tricks to get rid of that blonde titan.
Chasing Levi wasn’t easy, he was swift and the CEO tried his best to catch him,
but one false move, a misstep made him fall. So he thought. It actually had
been one of the hidden wire ropes stretched between to trees, which the thief
had placed a few nights before. And they really came in handy. The man fell
forward, not being able to catch himself due to surprise. Levi couldn’t hold
back and stopped for a second, looking back at the man, who was groaning in
pain. Their eyes met for a few moments, steel locking with blue, before Levi
smirked and ran off deeper into the woods.
There was no chance in hell that Levi would get himself caught. He even planned
his escape route out of the city to get back safe and in one piece to the dirt
district he called himself home. What a shitty home it was, but still, a place
he had to live in. His way back was uneventful, no one was following him, so
Levi allowed himself to take of his mask so he was able to breathe in the air,
which was still fresh outside of the dirt district.
Upon arrival at the venue to exchange the stolen good for the proper payment
the smell of the air was getting nauseating by the second. It was close to the
border of the dirt district, so no wonder it smelled shit. Two goonies arrived
ten minutes later to collect the painting, which was resting securely in its
storage tube. They looked him up and down, one of them making a face as if Levi
was the filthiest thing on earth. Well, he was a dirt after all, but still he
probably was cleaner than those two bodyguards. Their shoes were muddy, their
clothes not even ironed, a weird odor of cheap aftershave was surrounding them.
They must have been slaves themselves, former dirts, who tried to have a better
life, to protect the life of a noble who in return wouldn’t even lift a finger,
if something might happen to them.
Levi handed over the tube for inspection. One of the men took it without even
checking the content, he just nodded and handed over a small envelope with the
money in return. Lifting a slim eyebrow Levi looked confused for a second but
if those men were idiots not to check the content, well, it wasn’t his problem.
He just took the money, counted it and gave a satisfied nod before receding. He
left with the money and made his way back to the dirt district, choosing an
underground route through the canalization. This way was more secure for a
person carrying money with him. No one liked the canalization route, of course
not, who would ever love to stomp through human excretions to get to their
desired destination?
And of course Levi hated it, but he had to be smart and not get himself caught
by the countless gangs of the dirt district. The money was important, not just
for buying food and clean water, but for his own secret hobby and small
business of selling custom made poison. Poison was a dirty weapon, but very
effective and deadly, if you wanted it to be and most of his customers needed
it to be exactly that. But he also mixed some other stuff just to inflict some
burning or a little pain. He could offer a range of interesting little
mixtures. His favorite being the one he so lovingly called “The Crow”, its
ability being a very slow and painful death. During the process of dying the
poisoned person would revoke old reminiscences, some of them almost forgotten,
secrets of his dark past or just some sweet memories. It didn’t matter what it
was, but still you could be a witness of some very obscure mysteries. And Levi
loved to watch his victims, if it was him, who had injected them with the Crow.
And besides the love for some fun poison, Levi had a very sensitive nose, he
could smell a variety of different things and pinpoint the exact ingredients of
that scent. This gift was special, inherited from his family, which
unfortunately was already dead. All of them, leaving him alone in this cruel
world. He only knew about on other family, which had the same gift as his: The
Zacharias Family. He met them once or twice, but that was a very long time ago…
But this so called gift could also be a curse, like now. He had to put a cloth
around his mouth and nose to stop the smell of shit and human remains from
seeping into his nose and driving him crazy or throw up. Thank god, he was
quick on his feet and made it through the canalization to the end, where he
climbed up a small ladder to reach a lid and open it. He climbed out, closing
the lid and turned around to check, if he was alone in the short alleyway. The
luck seemed on his side today, he even had made it back without being caught
from that tall giant he just had robbed a few hours ago. He probably didn’t
even need that shit of a painting anyway. Fucking nobles…
Upon reaching the dilapidated building, where his small one room apartment was
located, Levi ran up the stairs to his floor. He could smell the mold, the
decaying wood and blood. He heard a woman screaming, a baby crying, someone
shouting. The everyday sound of the apartment building he lived in for about
five years now. His old apartment couldn’t even be called one. It was so tiny,
not even a table and a bed could fit in. But that hadn’t changed much. His new
flat was a bit bigger, but he still didn’t have a proper bed, just a small
couch he slept on. The rest of the room was occupied with a workstation, where
he mixed the poison and stored all different kinds of ingredients. He had an
area to cook and clean himself. There was no bathroom, just a small toilet. And
even if he had a shower or some kind of sort, the water wouldn’t have been
clean anyway. It was dirty, not suitable for consuming or washing clothes or
the body. Levi knew that the water contained a lot of chemicals and human
waste. So why would he even think about drinking shit like that.
Levi unlocked the door, entered and closed it behind him again. He checked the
locks just to make sure no one could invade his private home. With a sigh he
stripped down to his underwear, threw the garments into a bin so he could wash
them later at the river outside the district. He needed a bath for sure, but
first he would do some work and make a list of what he needed to buy for a
requested mix. The meeting was in two days, so he had to prepare everything in
order to make the poison.
After finishing the list, he put on some fresh clothes, packed his backpack
with the dirty garments and made his way to the market place. His dealer wasn’t
surprised to see him again in such a short period of time, he was the only one
who could smuggle the weird ingredients for Levi after all. Levi didn’t know
exactly, how that man did it and where he got everything from, but he actually
didn’t really care at all. It was just business and nothing more. No one needed
to know the exact details and it should probably stay that way. The order was
correct as always, leaving a satisfied customer and a dealer. Levi could smell
the fresh street food, spicy and aromatic, which made his stomach growl. He
decided to buy steamed corn and a bottle of fresh and clean water. Packing
everything in his backpack, he made his way out of the district to the small
river. It wasn’t actually a river, more like a little stream from near the
forest, which was close to the mountains. He washed all of his clothes,
scrubbed his own skin and dried himself off with a small towel, eating his late
dinner or midnight snack afterwards. It had been a good day, a very successful
one. And Levi allowed himself to relax and enjoy the cool breeze of the night.
He looked up to the stars, which were shining like little diamonds in the dark
night sky, letting his mind wander. He remembered his mother telling him
stories about the stars, he could almost hear her beautiful voice whispering a
melodic ‘Good night, my little bird’ in his hear before kissing his pink little
child cheeks and turning off the lights in his room. He really missed her the
most. His father had always worked his ass off, but still they had managed to
have a family breakfast on Sundays. His weird uncle Kenny would come, his frail
grandfather and his two older cousins with their funny mother, his aunt Lora…
Levi sighed, sat up and collected his belongings to get back to his little
apartment. He had to finish the delivery after all and he knew it would take
him the whole night to produce it. So back at the apartment he immediately
started working. A few hours later Levi had the difficulty to keep his eyes
open, they were burning from fatigue and all the other chemicals he was
currently using. So he decided to brush his teeth and go to sleep. The poison
was completed, so he didn’t need to worry about it anymore. After changing into
his oversize sleeping shirt, he made himself comfortable on the couch,
wriggling around to get into a comfy position. He rolled into a little ball
like a cat, an old habit from his childhood days, and covered himself with a
blanket, which was actually for children but still so soft and besides that, it
kept him warm and was washable easily. Sleep came rather quick and lured him
deep into a weird dream about a shadow with captivating blue eyes.
The next two day he cleaned his apartment, mixed more poison, which made him
feel like a wicked witch to be honest but he didn’t mind. Everyone was wicked
somehow. And he was no different. Levi was no angel, he wasn’t innocent. When
you live in the dirt district, you have to go through some extremes to survive.
He had killed men but no children, had stolen from others, but he never had
raped anyone, but had been raped himself. It was horrible, humiliating, but
better than being killed at least…but he didn’t want to think about such
things. It made his mind go dark and he needed to be focused for tonight. The
delivery was scheduled for midnight in a club for nobles, not a safe place for
a dirt, but he knew the client and that the man would never harm his only
little poisoner. And he paid well. Enough so Levi could buy a whole weeks food
supply for himself. And although he just had earned himself a big sum of cash
from the robbery, it didn’t hurt having more, did it?
The days passed quickly and Levi left his apartment after checking his pockets
and securing his pocketknife in his boot. The way to the club was not quite
easy, he had to climb up some buildings to avoid security guards and reach the
town. He opened a window on the third floor and climbed inside a corridor,
knowing that the client would be coming to the dressing room upstairs after
finishing his gig. The man was a popular musician, but Levi didn’t know exactly
why he would need the venom. Maybe he killed during his free time or just
people who wrote bad critics about him. Who cared? Well, Levi didn’t.
The small man sneaked his way to the dressing rooms, where in one of them his
client would be waiting as usual. The wooden door wasn’t locked, so he just
opened it and went inside. He actually expected one of the bodyguards, but the
room seemed empty. Levi sighed and looked to the big mirror, to check his pale
face. The bags under his eyes were prominent, always had been. Maybe he could
steel some of the makeup from that man. He avoided the perfumes, they smelled
expensive but still weird. The different components not had been mixed
properly, but an average person like his client didn’t seem to mind.
“Hello there, little thief.”, he suddenly heard a deep voice behind him and
froze. He saw a shadow move from behind a screen, on which a few garments were
hung on, and reveal himself. Levi stopped breathing, his silver eyes widening
upon recognition. Bright blue eyes locked with shocked platinum through the
mirror as the man came closer.
“I think, you have something that belongs to me.”, the man continued speaking
in a deep, calm voice and Levi knew that he was fucked…
Chapter End Notes
     puuuh, chapter 1 is up and i hope you guys will enjoy reading it! :)
     Kudos and comments are appreciated and loved as always~! ^^
***** The Fall *****
Chapter Summary
     “I think, you have something that belongs to me.”, the man said and
     came closer. Levi knew he needed to escape this room as quickly as
     possible. His life was in danger and the chance to get away without
     any harm was low.
Chapter Notes
     This is a short one, so sorry >.<'
     But I was very busy with work and studies...I'll try to upload more
     frequently!
     But now, I hope you enjoy this chapter, even though it is a bit
     shorter then I wanted it to be.
     As always, I'm not an English native speaker, so please excuse any
     mistakes! I'll try to get better!
     Comments & Kudos are always appreciated and loved! ♥
     XO
     Panterrarty
“I think, you have something that belongs to me.”, the man said and came
closer. Levi knew he needed to escape this room as quickly as possible. His
life was in danger and the chance to get away without any harm was low. But
honestly, Levi was kind of confused. Why was the man here himself? Why didn’t
he just send out his guards or whatever to capture him? Was that painting more
valuable than he thought?
“How did you find me?”, Levi asked, while trying to get to the window
discreetly, watching the man hawkeyed. The man just shrugged and looked him in
the eyes. Silver clashing icy blue.
“Does it matter?”, he rhetorically asked back and continued stepping closer
until he suddenly extended out his arm and grabbed Levis shoulder to pull him
closer and reach into his pocket. Levi hissed, but the giant light-haired man
still managed to take out his ID. He let go of him, so the shorter male was
able to distance himself again immediately, growling at him while looking up
angrily at the intruder. The blonde turned around the small ID-Card, inspecting
it, before he huffed out a quiet laugh, leaving Levi annoyed.
“I take that your name on this ID is fake, like the thing itself is, isn’t
it?”, the blond said after a few moments of inspecting the card. “Or maybe if
you don’t mind, I could call the stated master, who I actually am friends
with.”
He looked up again. Sure, that name was fake. Why should Levi ever give anyone
his real name? So they could just kill him? Or worse, use him for their
entertainment? He would be valuable for the government…or maybe not…
“Do you want me to call your Master, Ilya? Or would you tell me, where you put
my belongings without me causing a scene involving the police and your certain
death?”, the man asked and took his cellphone out of the pocket of his
perfectly tailored suit pants, waving the device in front of him. Levi narrowed
his eyes, pressing his lips together.
“I don’t care.”, he said. “Call him, if you want. But I’m still not going to
talk. And why would I?”
He would be dead anyway and if he was about to die then he would take a noble
out in the process with him. Levi came closer to the window, but the man wasn’t
stupid. He ran his big hand through his blonde hair and sighed tiredly.
“You can jump, if you want. But you won’t come far. My man are everywhere.”,
the blonde grinned for a second and came even closer, so that Levi didn’t have
any more room and hit the wall with his back, looking up at the blond titan in
displease. As a big hand grabbed him at his collar, lifting him up slightly,
the man narrowed his head and looked him deep in the eyes.
“Tell me, where the fucking painting is, Dirt, or I swear to you, I will –“
“What? You gonna beat me up to hell, until I think I never had bones? You gonna
let your stupid cavemen gang-rape me? Been there, done it, old man.”, Levi
retorted soberly and unimpressed, cutting of the man. “You should have been
more careful with your stuff, dumbass, so little thieves like me can’t steal
from you. But it’s your own fault. Your security is just shit.”
It was true. If the security wasn’t good enough, the house was easily
accessible and welcoming for any thief in the neighborhood. And you would think
that a man as rich as the blonde man would have the very best equipment for an
excellent security system. But it hadn’t been like that at all. Levi had been
surprised to get in so easily and unnoticed. Hadn’t it been for that stupid
dog, he would have made it out as effortlessly and quickly as he got in.
While the man was talking, Levi discreetly grabbed the dark blue cravat the man
was wearing, pulled him down and hit his giant head, not the best idea, but
still the man was surprised and loosened his grip, so Levi was able to kick his
shin and slip through under his legs. Easy escape. He hadn’t thought that the
man was so stupid. But Levi knew, he couldn’t escape through the door. His men
would be there waiting for orders. So he grabbed the wooden stool, tossing it
at the window, which burst into pieces, flying through the air. Crouching down
and grabbing the little flip-knife from his boot, he looked at the man, who had
been trying to cover himself from the splinters from the window. Both men
looked at each other. A small blood trail ran from his temple down, where Levi
had hit his head hard. The blond seemed pissed, so was Levi. Upon seeing the
pocketknife in his small hand, the man realized, what Levi was about to do. The
fresh air circulated the cheap scented, slightly moldy room. It smelled of
rain, heavy clouds. Levi didn’t like rain. It was messy and cold. But right now
he didn’t mind. Dying in the rain wouldn’t be that bad, would it?
“Come on boy! Come at me!”, the blond said mockingly spreading his arms. The
blue of his eyes turned deadly serious. “But if I go down, you will go down
with me!”
“You really want to die?”, Levi grinned. “Perfect.”
And without hesitating Levi got into position and started running towards the
blonde, knife ready to stab him anywhere he could reach. The impact wasn’t that
hard, but he still pushed further, taking them both closer to the broken
window. The blonde tried to hold his ground but as soon as Levis poisoned knife
pierced his ribs, letting a painful scream fall from the giant’s lips, his
resistance fell apart, bringing the man to stumble backwards. Both men fell,
the blond backwards, the shorter still pushing his knife as deep as he could to
damage as much as possible.
Levi gasped, feeling cool air and rain on his cheeks as both men fell out of
the window, preparing himself for the next impact, which of course would be a
hard one, even if he had the giant as an attenuation. He looked up, just to see
that the man was biting his bottom lip, but still looking into his flashing
silver eyes…
The landing was painful, for both of them, but fortunately they didn’t fall on
the hard ground of the back alley, but into a big garbage container. Levi
huffed out, struggling to sit up, just to realize that the man was holding him
close to his own body. He smelled his blood, the trash beneath them. It was
disgusting, so he needed to get out immediately. His body ached, but he didn’t
remember hitting himself somewhere. Levi pushed aside the heavy arms of the man
under him, who seemed unconscious. He needed to escape, but something was
holding him back. The knife was sticking out with the handle out of the man’s
left ribcage; blood was flooding out of the deep wound and turning his white
shirt bright red.
He didn’t know why, but he stood still, instead of just jumping out of the
container and leaving the scene as quickly as possible to save himself. Blue
eyes opened slightly and looked at him, struggling to breathe, the man coughed,
blood spilling from his full lips. Levi still couldn’t say why, but this
picture reminded him of something…someone…so he hesitated. He wasn’t able to
look away, the reason unknown. It wasn’t like, that he had never seen a man die
in front of him or other kinds of messy gore. But the man was different…or did
he know him from somewhere besides the job he did a few days ago? He was so
familiar to him, but yet he couldn’t say from where.
“You fucking dirt!”, someone yelled behind him, grabbing him by his neck. The
strong grip caught him off guard and before he could defend himself, the men
knocked him out, Levi blacking out almost immediately, the smell of rain, a
musky scent, blood and trash in his nose…
***** The Dungeon *****
Chapter Summary
     Levi turned his head around, looked into the bright blue of his eyes,
     which were glowing in the flickering light. He could see the hatred
     and the rejection clearly in them. Levi thought it to be a shame to
     see such hateful emotions in such a pretty color of eyes.
Chapter Notes
     Oh maaaaan! I truly am sorry that you guys had to wait for such a
     loooong ass time for me to update this >.<'
     I'm so so so sorry! Really! Life is a weird tasting cake with a lot
     of stress as sprinkles for me right now. Full time job, part time job
     and university stuff, plus shitty health due to the stress fucked up
     my body and my head.
     But I'll try to update sooner!
     No promises, though. But maybe I'll make the chapters shorter....I
     don't know.....
     But again, here it is, chapter 3! Yeeey~
     Please enjoy, everyone! And thank you for your patients! ♥
     xo
     Panterrarty
                  Chapter_Soundtrack:_What_A_Wonderful_World
 
A bizarre smell was stuck in his delicate nose. Blood, old stones, dampness,
but the worst was the smell of sex. The cold had already reached his bones
though his still dampened clothing, his skin was paler than usual. Violet and
red roses were bruising on his sickly white skin. He was shacking in his half
sleep, mind in constant alarm, ready to wake up and defend himself from those
bastards, even though it didn’t help a bit. But still he didn’t want to show
any signs of weakness. He wouldn’t let them break him, he couldn’t. He wouldn’t
allow them to break through his resistance, no matter what they did to him, he
would stand his ground, show those idiots that he was not like the others. That
he was stronger than all of them. He already had gone through so much shit,
this was nothing in comparison.
His stomach growled, begging for food and water. Levi didn’t know, when he
would get food again, but he knew that they would try to keep him alive.
Barely, but still. They needed him, they needed the information only he could
provide them. But he would be damned, if he said a word…
The sound of the bolts being opened reached his ears, woke him up and made him
alert again. Levi raised his head slightly to look what kind of visitor he
would have today. But to his surprise, it was a completely new person, he never
had seen before. A man in a white coat entered the room…or wherever he was
currently located. The man was a doctor, no doubt. His face was crunched up in
disgust. Levi didn’t blame him, it smelled disgusting in here indeed. But it
wasn’t just the smell, it was Levi, the dirt, he was looking at with that face.
Levi sighed internally, ignoring the guy, who was coming towards him, while
putting on latex gloves. The smaller male was sitting in a corner of the room,
hunched in his position to keep the little bit of warmth he had left in his
small, tortured body. The doctor didn’t pay much attention to him, only here to
do his job, he extended his arm reaching for Levis chin to turn his face
towards him roughly. After examining his face, he checked his pulse, looked
into his eyes with a blinding light and made two little notes on a small
notebook. Levi was a bit confused by the weird and harsh checkup he was being
put through. Either this doctor was a bad one or the Dirt in front of him
didn’t matter enough to be checked out properly. Probably the latter…The doctor
smelled of disinfectant, antibiotics and cheap cologne. After a few minutes he
let go of Levi, stood up and demanded a blanket, warm soup and bread for Levi
before turning around and leaving his dungeon.
Levi blinked a few times, his eyes tired and still flashing after that dumb
light thingy. He was confused, didn’t know what that had been about. What kind
of a doctor was he? Shaking his head lightly, he sighed and looked back up, as
the door was opened again and a man brought a tray with a steaming cup of soup,
bread and fresh water with him, a small blanket under his arm. Levi was
surprised, hadn’t thought that the so called doctor would keep his word. His
stomach growled impatiently and Levi didn’t waste a minute and started eating.
He didn’t even try to enjoy his meal, only devouring it within minutes. It
really felt good, warming up his insides immediately. The blanket wrapped
around is little body was a blessing. But still, he reminded himself not to
give in into this false feeling of safety. He couldn’t allow himself to get
caught up in it. It would be fatal…
Two more days past, in which he had to endure the disgusting smell of those
pigs. His behind was hurting due to the lack of hygiene. Only one bucket was
given to him to do his business, which to this day hadn’t been emptied, so the
smell had filled the entire room. Levi tried not inhale the scent, but it was
hard not to. By the last two days he finally got used to it a little, but
still, it was horrible for his delicate small nose. He had to endure everything
they put him through; he needed to survive, to show them, that he wasn’t weak.
But after a few days his own body was starting to betray him. He got weaker by
the hour, his energy level lower. He had to force himself to not lose his mind,
to not hallucinate.
As the door was opened after two more days, he didn’t even lift his head to
take a look at his visitor. It was pathetic, yes, but he couldn’t find the
energy to do so, he already had reached his limits and started counting this
last days or even hours.
“Hello, Dirt!”, he heard a rough, but still velvety voice. It didn’t sound
threatening like before in the dressing room of the club, yet it was dominant
and present. This time Levi lifted his head only to see how Erwin Smith entered
the room with two of his men, who were helping him to sit in front of him onto
a wooden chair.  He didn’t look healthy at all. No surprise to Levi, who had
had poisoned him a few days ago.
“I hope you are thankful for my hospitality, little rat.”, the man said,
pressing a hand to his wound on his ribs. The bandage seemed fresh, yet the
wound was already festering through it. It definitely didn’t look good. Levi
was amazed that the man was still standing. Others would have been
hallucinating by now and not even able to move much. But this guy seemed
tougher and stronger than the other bastards before him. “You are getting food,
something to drink and are still alive.”
Levi wanted to snort as an answer, but he couldn’t find the energy or
motivation to do so, so instead he chose to keep quiet and ignore the blond
giant.
“Where did you hide the painting?”, the man asked again after sighing quietly,
looking at him. But Levi again ignored him, looking at him with an
expressionless face, like he didn’t give a damn about any word the man was
saying. Another sigh escaped the man’s full lips, who was rubbing his forehead
after leaning forward slightly, groaning sotto voce in pain and pressing his
hand against the bandage. Smith bit is bottom lip, leaning back almost
immediately. The pain was clearly visible in his blue eyes…
“You do know that you won’t get out of here as long as you don’t tell me where
you put my belonging.”, the blond reminded him again about his situation and
got a weak shrug from Levi in return.
“And you fucktard know that I won’t speak as long as you keep me here.”, Levi
replied bored of the man trying to get through to him.
“Look at you…a shivering mess, like a starved kitten. And still you chose to be
stubborn as a mule. You don’t seem to realize in what kind of a situation you
currently are. “, Smith pointed out impassively and snorted softly, clearly
amused.
“You don’t look that sexy yourself, old man.”, Levi replied with a smug grin on
his thin lips. “How is your wound doing?”
Erwin Smith sighed again, shaking his head lightly.
“I wonder, whom I owe this to…”, blue eyes flickered in the dim light. “You
know, it is up to you whether you want to rot in here or not.”
Levi turned his head around, looked into the bright blue of his eyes, which
were glowing in the flickering light. He could see the hatred and the rejection
clearly in them. Levi thought it to be a shame to see such hateful emotions in
such a pretty color of eyes. But yet, he was sure that there was more than just
hate towards the less fortunate people…he was a noble through and through...
“Make a deal with me.”, Levi suddenly offered after a few moments of silence.
But a second after he had spoken, he shook his head. “No, wait, a noble bastard
like you wouldn’t be so honorable to hold his end of the bargain, right? But
you know what, fuck it. Let me starve, let me be tortured, raped, whatever, I
don’t care. I still won’t speak.”
Levi again looked away, not wanting to see those faces of disgust and
disbelief. From the corner of his eyes he could see the man looking frustrated
at him, pain in his face inflicted by the wound. His men were ready, waiting
for a command from their master to act and kill the little dirt, who was daring
to talk disrespectfully with their employee. But Levi still didn’t care. He
already had made peace with his situation and was ready to die, even though he
never wanted to die from hands of disgusting noble pigs. He was a tough nut to
crack, the man must have realized it by now, if he wasn’t dumb like his
bodyguards surrounding him.  
“I truly am sorry to disappoint you, little dirt. But I’m indeed a man of his
word. Not like the ones you are referring to.”, Smith replied and stood up from
his seat, two of his men again supporting him.  The blond grimaced due to the
growing pain near his ribs, pressing a hand to the wound. He took a shaky but
deep breath and looked down at Levi.
“Show me that I can trust you, Dirt, and I will happily make a deal with you.”,
he then offered while leaning down towards Levi closely so the little one was a
few inches away from his face. The blond giant wrinkled his nose in disgust by
the smell that met him, opened his lips slightly to say something as Levis
small hand reached up to his collar instead with surprise, pulling the man
down, even closer to him. The silver of his eyes was flashing in the dim light,
they indeed sparkled dangerously, furiously.  
“No, old man, YOU have to show ME that I can trust you, blondie!”, Levi
growled. “And don’t you dare forget that your stupid life literally lies in my
hands.”, he added icily while looking into the blue of Erwin Smiths eyes, which
were looking back at him with surprise and something else. As Levi was
speaking, he demonstratively pressed two of his fingers into the bandaged wound
at his side, earning a pained gasp from the blond. The fresh and slightly woody
smell of the man, mixed with his blood pierced his nose and brain, making him
slightly dizzy. It awoke a weird feeling inside him, like the night they both
crashed into the garbage container. He couldn’t quite put it in place, name it.
Glowing silver and deep blue seas locked together for a few seconds, which felt
like forever, as they both were looking into each others eyes, both silently
trying to stand their grounds, as Erwin Smith was the first to break the eye
contact, signaling his men not to interfere. Levi leaned back, letting go of
the man’s collar, and looked back at the wall, ignoring the man again, who
raised himself with help and turned away from his little prisoner.
“Bath him, bring a bed down and clean this cell up nicely.”, he commanded
tiredly. “I don’t want our little guest to feel uncomfortable down here. “
And with these words the man let himself be helped up the stairs to his own
world of luxury and wealth, leaving behind Levi with astonishment. The little
raven haired thief couldn’t believe what he had just heard. And again he was
asking himself the same damn question: How important was that stupid painting
for that man? And why, why were those brilliant blue eyes so familiar to him…?
***** The Crow *****
Chapter Summary
     Usually Levi would have said something, would have cursed and yelled
     at them for their rude behaviour, but he lacked the needed energy for
     that and the tiny amount of energy left in his body was needed for
     his survival and to keep his small body intact. He was balancing
     alongside the edge of faint, deadly faint. His body only wanting to
     sleep and…no, he couldn't, he refused to die. He had to live, he had
     to see that bastard die himself before he did...
Chapter Notes
     Hello people~
     I am really sorry for all the wait. But my life is turning upside
     down, right and left.
     My health is shit, stress is fucking me up mentally and physically,
     but I wanted to finish this chapter and it even got a bit longer than
     I planned it to be.
     Please, again, consider that I am not a native in English language
     and if you find any tipos or mistakes, don't hesitate in telling me,
     so I can learn from them. I might come back to correct them. :)
     Besides that, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter ♥
     Xo,
     Panterrarty
After the blond giant had left his little dungeon, two men had come down to
grab and take him to a bathroom. But instead of doing that, they had dragged
the young and weak man out to the garage and put him against the dark
stonewall. They ripped the dirty, smelly clothing from his body, leaving him
bare naked in front of everyone, tossing the clothes away in a small container.
And before he could arm himself, they already had turned on the hosepipe. The
ice cold water hammered down to his aching body, cooling him down furthermore,
while Levi had to cover his face and ears, so no water could harm him in those
particular areas. The rough treatment of the waterjet was merciless, but got
him clean. Well as clean as he could get with just cold water. When the water
was turned off, he looked up with rattling teeth, his body a shivering mess,
numb from the deadly cold. He wanted to ask for some soap so he could clean
himself up properly, but as soon as he opened his mouth, one of the gorillas
tossed a tiny towel in his face and ordered him to move.
 
Usually Levi would have said something, would have cursed and yelled at them
for their rude behaviour, but he lacked the needed energy for that and the tiny
amount of energy left in his body was needed for his survival and to keep his
small body intact. He was balancing alongside the edge of faint, deadly faint.
His body only wanting to sleep and…no, he couldn't, he refused to die. He had
to live, he had to see that bastard die himself before he did.
 
“Was it ok?”, he heard the man behind him mumble to his companion.
 
“What?”, the other asked back annoyed, pushing Levi forward, who was going
weaker every passing minute.
 
“This! Mr. Smith told us to bathe him, right?”, the first one returned to
clarify himself, getting back an amused huff from the second man.
 
“Yeah, sure, but he never said how.”, the second answered mischievously. Levi
rolled his eyes to that answer. He would have cursed, but he huffed quietly
instead. If those men had the freedom of interpreting orders, how they saw fit,
Levi wouldn’t survive much longer.
 
When they arrived back in the cellular, to his own surprise, a bed had been
brought down to his prison. It had everything, from mattress to blanket to
pillow. The bucket for his business had been cleaned up, a new one was standing
in the next corner of the prison, even clothes had been put onto the bed, even
though they definitely were way too big for his little frame. But still, it was
nice to see, that the man at least kept his word for wanting to keep his
prisoner comfortable. The three men down here had done their jobs better than
the two guys who should have given him a proper bath.
 
“Are you honks insane?!”, he suddenly heard a deep and very rough voice growl,
but before Levi could react someone had taken the big blanket to cover his
almost violently shivering body. The soft touch and immediate warmth made him
gasp softly, providing him safety, but still Levi was bracing himself to not
let his guard down. He looked up to see the two guys just shrugging, earning a
loud slap to the face from the tall guy with that weird rough voice. Levi could
see a grotesque scar crossing his throat, like someone had tried to slit his
throat once, leaving an ugly reminder of survival.
 
“I have been gone for a few weeks and you idiots think you can just do whatever
to this man? He may be our prisoner but we don’t treat them like stray dogs!
Not in this house!”, the man with the scar barked pushing Levi slightly to the
bed, letting him sit down.
 
“He stole from the boss!”, the second guy replied angrily, but the scar man
snorted.
 
“Still doesn’t give you the right to treat him like that, even though he is a
dirt!”, the man growled. “Now, get the fuck out of here! I don’t want to see
you guys near him again! Piss off!”
 
And so they did, leaving Levi alone with the tall guy.
 
The smaller male surely didn’t know what the hell to think about what just
happened. Did this guy just defend the non-existing rights of a dirt? Whatever
the fuck that had been about, Levi didn’t let himself stay confused much
longer, climbing onto the bed to find a comfy spot. He just wanted to rest, to
think about nothing else but sleep…but when he saw a giant hand come closer,
his body and mind got into an alarming position again.
 
“D-Don’t f-fucking touch m-me!”, he said through rattling teeth, distancing
himself from the man, who, to his surprise, immediately stopped, apologizing
even.
 
“Forgive me. I didn’t mean to…do you want me to bring you another blanket?”, he
asked after a moment of silence shocking Levi even more. The smaller male
didn’t give an answer, he was to occupied trying to get his body warm again. He
just wanted to sleep, rest, he needed rest, his body and mind needed it so
badly, but everyone kept him from it. The warmth started creeping up his numb
limbs, itching his shaking muscles. But it felt good, oh so good.
 
But yet, he wasn’t dumb. He would give in. it could still be all a trap. And he
would, no, he would give in. Give and take, wasn’t it always like that? The man
gave him warmth, comfort and wanted back the information about his painting.
Everything goes like that. Everything obeyed this rule of this shitty world.
 
“I didn’t know Master Smith had a….guest.”, the man with the scar interrupted
the silence, earning a huff from Levi in return. The man chuckled sadly.
 
“Well, ok, not really a guest guest, I suppose.”, he sighed and cleared his
throat afterwards. “My name is Cenk. And…I guess I should bring you some more
blankets and something warm to fill your probably empty stomach.”, he then
added, nodding once before turning and leaving the cell Levi was kept in.
 
It didn’t take long before the comfortable warmth had wrapped up his small
body, lulling him into a peaceful doz. He was drained, mentally and physically,
so he didn’t even find the energy to arrange his limbs to a better, more
comfortable sleeping position. He fell asleep in a half lying, half sitting
position and well, he just didn’t care right now. His sleep was warm, cosy and
relaxing, yet ink black, no dreams at all. Nothing to bother him, just a pitch
black dream, nothing to remember, nothing to occupy his drained brain.
 
That the man – Cenk – had brought him dinner even slipped right passed him. But
as soon as the smell of freshly steamed vegetables, rice and a chicken soup
reached his delicate nose, his eyes fluttered open, his stomach growled in
anticipation. But as soon as he woke up, the food wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
Had he just imagined it? Hallucinations?
 
Instead the door opened a few minutes later and the doctor entered his little
dungeon. How many days had passed since he fell asleep? Since he had been
captured? He honestly didn’t know. As the doctor walked towards him with the
same disgusted face as on his prior visit, Levi couldn’t control himself
showing a small grin on his thin lips. The doctor however didn’t let himself be
misled by the prisoner, for the time being at least, but as soon as a chuckle
left Levis lips, he raised an eyebrow, looking at the patient in confusion,
stopping in his action trying to check his temperature.
 
“What’s so funny, dirt?”, the doctor asked, holding the thermometer to his
small ear to get his temperature.
 
“You are funny.”, Levi said, grinning a little. He covered his still half naked
body with the blanket. He had forgotten the clothing the man – Cenk – had
brought him a while ago. He made himself a mental note to get dressed after the
doc had left him alone again.
 
“Why is that?”, the doctor wanted to know. Levi shrugged, looking at his nails,
which he had to cut. He hated long fingernails, they got dirty easier and that
was something he didn’t want. Although they called him a dirt, he wasn’t
actually dirty. His nails sure never were.
 
“How is your master doing?”, Levi asked in return, looking at the doctor from
the corner of his eyes. The man was pressing his lips together, averting his
eyes a little. Levi could see that he was hiding something, that something was
bothering the man. And he knew exactly what it was. The failure of a doctor,
that sure it was. Without the right antidote Erwin Smith sure would die in a
very horrible way, so not even a fully skilled and equipped doctor would be
able to save him. And this one right in front of him was a special kind of
stupid and stubborn.
 
“Not so good, huh?”, Levi smirked slightly before leaning back against the
damp, cool wall next to the bed to have a better view of the doctor in front of
him. The doctor licked his bottom lip, biting it before turning to Levi and
looking at him deprecatingly, leaning forward a little.
 
“What did you do to him, you little rat???”, the man hissed at him furiously.
But it only made Levi smirk a bit wider. He was silent for a few moments,
enjoying having the upper hand this time. He knew that they would do anything
to save their master and that meant that they couldn’t kill Levi even if they
wanted to.
 
“I can’t even imagine how it must feel to have studied all those years to still
be so dumb to not even recognise a simple poisoning of a patient. Shame on you,
doctor.”, Levi’s words were dripping with pure hate. He shrugged slightly,
while the doctor’s face turned from angry red to ghost white in one second, his
eyes widening in realization and shock. Levi even could smell the icy sweat of
the doctor’s shock, which had appeared on his forehead.
 
“You…”, came from the lips of the man in the with coat, before he stood up
abruptly and had left the little prison with urgent steps to get back to his
dying patient. Levi just leaned his head back against the cool wall, smiling
faintly. It wouldn’t take much longer before he was out of this prison and on
the streets again. They would be forced to take a deal with him or all of them
would die. Levi didn’t much care about his own life, but he was pretty damn
sure they cared about their own. But would he, Levi, do it? Would he save that
man? He wasn’t so sure about that…he could just kill all of them and die in the
process…shaking his head, trying to get rid of those dark thoughts. He wasn’t a
murderer after all. His parents had taught him to never wish harm to anybody,
not even in tricky and bad situations. And well, now he was sitting here with a
poisoned man above him and mass murder on his mind…
 
Levi sighed and lifted himself up from the bed to reach out to get the neatly
folded clothes, which he put on immediately before the cold air could cool his
skin down furthermore. As he put on the loose shirt he heard rapid footsteps
coming down the stairs, before the door opened and the gorillas stormed. A few
seconds later he was taken upstairs. The treatment was harsh but he didn’t
blame them, they were desperate after all. The doctor had ordered them to take
him to a bedroom. As they arrived in front of a wooden door, which smelled like
old oak and opened immediately, Levi entered a nice bedroom, which had been
refunctioned into a infirmary with medical machines everywhere. In the giant
bed was resting Erwin Smith, who didn’t look good at all. His breathing was
heavy, his skin in a weird colour, sweat all over his body, the blond hair
messy and damp. He didn’t look like the handsome businessman at all. Yet he was
the only one to resist the poison the longest. He seemed stronger in will than
anyone else he ever met. But that didn’t mean anything to him. He was still an
arrogant noble, nothing more.
 
As the doctor approached his patient and revealed the poison infected wound to
him, Levi knew that the man didn’t have much longer to live. If he was lucky,
he would have one more day, or even less.
 
“The blood results didn’t show any signs of poisoning.”, the doctor said with
clear frustration in his voice, while he changed the bandage of the
supplemented wound. “How can it be? What kind of poison did you use?”
 
“Well, not every poison can be detected in the blood system.”, Levi just
shrugged. “But the symptoms are clear as day.”
 
Levi laughed quietly about the stupidity of the so called doctor and approached
the bed himself to have a better look at the pitiful state of the noble. A
bodyguard wanted to hold him back, but in that second Smith opened his eyes and
gasped silently, as dull blue eyes swimming in bloody surrounding found silver
pairs.
 
“Armin…is that Armin?”, came a rough voice from dry lips, whereupon Levi
immediately stopped in his movement and raised a thin brow. The blond man
lifted himself up to a sitting position with much trouble, being defiant
towards his doctor, who tried to bring him back into a more comfortable
position and to lay down.
 
“Bring him to me…”, Erwin Smith demanded quietly and leaned back exhausted. The
bodyguards exchanged a few looks back and forward before doing what they were
told and pushing Levi closer to the bed. When he was standing right in front of
the dying man, a trembling weak hand reached up to him, taking his little one
into the bigger. Levi’s eyes widened as a faint kiss was placed on top of the
back of his hand, confusing him a little.
 
“Hey, Armin…I’m sorry, that I…couldn’t come to the tournament today…”, the
noble apologized to him in his delirium, while his voice was so weak and rough
and yet still charming in the faint back. “I will be better soon, promise.”
 
It was so obvious that the man was hallucinating but still Levi felt something
weird in his stomach while he was watching and listening to the noble. He knew
that he was a father. But it never mattered, not to the burglary. He never
needed information like that, if kids were present, he would choose a time when
they weren’t around. So it never ever mattered, but now… did it matter? Levi
looked him into the dull blue eyes, which were confusing him with his own son.
It was baffling Levi and his conscious. Did he do the right thing? Was it ok to
kill a father? His own was butchered in front of him, something no child should
experience. But was Erwin Smiths life worth it?
 
“Tell your sister…that I love her. You guys have to say with mommy a while
longer…is that ok, my sweet boy?”, Erwin Smith asked with a weak voice,
struggling to stay strong. His callused fingertips brushed over Levis pale
cheek before he yet again kissed the back of his hand. Normally Levi would
never allow a stranger to kiss his hand or even just take it, but this
situation was so different, so bizarre that he couldn’t even really process
what was happening to him. It was twisting his determination to get rid of as
many nobles as possible and left him in a very confusing state. He didn’t know
how to react but to freeze in place. It made him feel so many weird things,
made his old memories scratch at the locked door of his heart. Something in him
reminded him of his own father, who had been taken away from him too soon, it
reminded him of the one thing he missed most: family and love…so did he made
the right choice? Did he want to leave an innocent child in this cruel, damned
world without a loving father like those bastards did with him? Was he that
heartless?
 
“Armin…there is no need to cry, my boy.”, the rough voice cut him out of his
thoughts. Levi looked up, reaching his hand up to his face immediately to check
if he was really crying. But he wasn’t crying, he had no reason to. His pale
face was dry, not a single tear. Levi swallowed hard upon seeing the man spasm
in pain, grimacing, while pressing his pale hand in his own.
 
“Take him away…he doesn’t need to see this…”, he then said after the cramps had
left his body slightly to let him breathe again, even though his breathing
wasn’t normal at all. He tried convulsively to keep his composure, but as a
single drop of blood ran down his nose, Levi growled and pulled his hand away
from the man. He couldn’t do it, no, he wouldn’t! He wanted to see all of those
noble shitheads dead! They all had to die! They…
 
A rough grip tore him out of his murderous thoughts when he realized that the
doctor had grabbed him tightly on the collar of his big shirt and pulled him
away from the bed.
 
“What poison did you use?!” Tell me, so I can help him! Please!”, the man now
begged. “Is this what you want? To see us beg for his life? There you have it!
I beg you! Tell me what poison you have given him!”
 
Levi looked him deeply in the eye, heard in the background how the bodyguards
tried to soothe the coughing and convulsing man. But Levi had already
experienced too much to now change his decision.
 
"No," he said harshly. "I will not help him."
 
The doctor stared at him for a moment stunned in shock, before pulling him
closer to him at his collar.
 
“Why the hell not??? Can’t you see what’s going on here!?”
 
“You’re the doctor. Figure it out yourself how to heal him.”, Levi said, his
voice icy. “I give him maximum one week.”, he added before pulling away from
the doctor. The smaller male looked around to see the bodyguards also stunned
in shock and panic maybe. They all knew that either the staff would be sold to
other houses or send away to the dirt districts if their master died.
 
“Dig a grave for him…and one for each of you.”, so Levi added again, turning
away to face the door, patient to be taken back to his prison in the basement.
 
These were his final words. But the doctor shook his head in disbelief of what
he just heard, so cold and heartless, a true dirt for him.  
 
“Why would you think that we would kill you after you have saved our master?”,
he then asked. “You think that all of the nobles are the same, right? But they
are not… but then again, I didn’t expect more from a dirt. You really live up
to everything people tell about you dirts. And you guys wonder why dirts aren’t
even on the food chain, why people can butcher you like cattle…but you are
wrong about the nobles…at least about him. He is the most…-“
 
“I don’t give a shit about his character.”, Levi interrupted him harshly. The
doctor pressed his lips together slightly, exhaling from his nostrils before
sighing and turning to the bodyguards.
 
“Take him back downstairs.”, he ordered turning away to get back to working on
his patient’s health. Two gorillas grabbed him to drag him down roughly. The
smaller male landed back in his prison, where he sat down on the bed, covering
his body with the warm blanket. But his thoughts didn’t leave him in peace,
still focusing on the man above him in his battle with death. They were
circling around is brain again and again, driving him mad. And to be honest, he
couldn’t believe himself to make such a coldblooded decision, how carefree he
had been able to just say no. It frightened him, frightened him so deeply. But
he couldn’t change his mind now. It was too late…
 
Levi…kill’em with kindness, boy…he heard his mother sweet voice in his head,
but tried to ignore her anyway. What did his parents know anyway! They didn’t
have to endure everything during all those years in the slums. They didn’t have
to survive, to constantly stay alert, protect against burglary, rape, death,
hunger, thirst. They didn’t know anything about his shit life, about this
damned world. They had been all so naïve, so credulous, always friendly to
everyone. And yet in the end it all had been for nothing but death. They died,
in the cruellest way possible, right in front of him, leaving their only child
alone in this world with only darkness as his friend…
 
                             _______-------______
 
One day passed after they had brought the dirt upstairs to Erwin Smiths room.
And Dr. Martin Kolter honestly didn’t know what to do anymore, how to save his
long-time patient and friend. Not even the doctors at the hospital had been
able to help with their knowledge. He was helpless, his hands tied and his
patient so close to death. A terrible fate for his two young children. And
everything was the fault of that…
Dr. Kolter looked up as he heard a soft knock and the door opened. Cenk, the
main bodyguard stepped in, his smile seemed as funny as his grotesque scar at
his throat. The doctor slightly lifted one eyebrow. But the next words of the
tall man robbed him of his breath.
 
“We have a deal.”, Cenk revealed to him passing him a small piece of paper with
an address.
 
Levi had listen to his mother after all…
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