The Once and Future Monster

Chapter 4

Eren scratched dirt out from under his nails with a blunt knife, waiting for his siblings' overlapping questioning to end. They ran back to the base, periodically checking over their shoulders to ensure they weren't being followed even as Eren reminded them that he threw a knife into the guy's thigh so it was doubtful they were being chased. Eren immediately went to his room to lie down on the couch but his siblings followed him, demanding answers for what happened back at the restaurant. Who was that man? How did Eren know him? What did the cop know about them? Why did that man look familiar?

"Spill." Annie dropped her fist onto Eren's head, who whined and dropped his knife to rub away the pain.

"If you'd all stop talking over each other and ask me a question at a time, I'd gladly answer. But you keep yelling questions at me and it's fucking irritating."

Annie glared Reiner and Bert into silence, asking her question first. "Who is that man?"

"His name's Levi." When no more information was given, Annie balled her fists at her side to prevent herself from hitting her brother. "How do you know him?"

Eren was apparently willing to answer so long as the right question was asked, much to his sibling's annoyance. "He used to babysit me when I was a kid until he moved away for college. He was like an older brother to me." Reiner's expression hardened.

"Well he's not anymore," Reiner grumbled, and all three siblings turned to look at him, amusement tipping up the corners of their mouths.

"Of course not. You're the only big brother I want and need. Bert too." Eren rose from the couch and sauntered to the desk Reiner was leaning against. Eren placed his hands on Reiner's chest and slid them up to massage broad shoulders, eliciting a pleasured groan from Reiner.

"Sometimes I wonder about you two," Annie muttered, receiving a cackle from Eren.

"Oh yeah? What about you? All that "training" you and Eren do together, which is basically just you two rolling around on the floor together."

Annie crossed her arms and glared at Reiner, cheeks pink. "Jealous?"

Before Reiner could reply, Bert cut in. "Enough joking around, you both know Eren and I have been together for months. Now, can we get back on topic?" Bert dealt with his siblings bickering often enough to know how to lighten the mood. With one last glare cast in each other's direction from Reiner and Annie, much to Eren's amusement, they picked up the previous conversation and Eren sat down again on the couch.

"So what happened? How much do you think he knows about you, about us? He must know something if he was warning you to stay away from us. Should we get rid of him?"

"There's no need to kill him. He doesn't know anything, trust me." Bert and Reiner accepted Eren's word, but Annie peered at him closely and Eren looked away even though he had no reason to. There was little to no risk of Levi getting the police involved, so there was no reason to kill him, or so Eren reasoned. Levi meant nothing to him now, he was completely honest when he told Levi that earlier, but it didn't mean he wouldn't care if Levi died. Killing men involved in his dark world or who threatened his place to belong was one thing, killing an innocent man was another. Despite what the mafia believed and what his Father desired, Eren did have a line he wouldn't cross, a final tether to his humanity his Father's influence failed to erode.

"Fine. But if he keeps digging into our operation, we'll have to do something. You should mention this to Father."

"Father is busy. This really is nothing. I ran into him last year and it was the first time we saw each other since I was a kid. He's probably just curious what I've been up to."