Mare's Nest (Ereri)

Chapter Two

Erwin and Hanji had dropped me off a disgusting alley, saying I needed to be seen with them as far away from the warehouse as possible. The least they could do was take me to a clean part of town. I was in a working man's clothes, scruffy and grimy, dressed in filth.

The warehouse was a large brick building with faded advertisements. Windows and doors were boarded up, with only a few cracks in the boards. Erwin and Hanji told me to enter through the back door.

Finding the entrance, I turned the knob, the door popping open. I hesitantly walked in.

There was no lighting, besides the small amount of sunlight creeping in through the boards. With the tiny illumination, I could make out cobwebs and dust floating under the sun's rays. Disgusting.

I continued venturing deeper into the pigsty, every floorboard creaking under my weight. No one else inhabited the area I was in, and I couldn't hear any sound of another living being. Hanji and Erwin tricked me, didn't they? I should never have trusted them.

"Who are you?"

I almost jumped out of my skin at the startling voice.

"Who are you?" the voice repeated. "Levi Ackerman," I responded nervously. "What business brings you here?" they asked. "I'm here to join the Peaky Blinders," I said to the darkness.

Silence.

Was it obvious that I was shaking? Did they know I was lying straight through my teeth?

A small light glowed on a platform above. It caught my attention, and I looked up. A lantern was being held by a boy with blond hair. He looked small, almost not fit for any gang activity. The warm illumination reflected in his blue irises.

He began climbing down a wobbly ladder to join me on the ground. "Follow me," he said, starting down a hall. I nodded, walking behind him as he lead me down a maze of hallways and doors, until we stood in a large, brightly lit room filled with people.

Our entrance seemed to attract a lot of attention. All eyes were locked on us. Everyone was dead silent. I scanned the room, noticing a particular set of eyes that wandered up and down my body. One eye was a vibrant emerald green, and the other the color of honey. He had chocolate locks peeking out from under his flat cap, twisting along his tan temples and neck. I couldn't help but stare back.

"Who is this?" he questioned, not taking his eyes off me. "He says his name is Levi Ackerman, he's here to join the Peaky Blinders," the male beside me explained. A few chuckles emitted from the crowd, making my head snap in their direction.

The man with chocolate locks stood from his seat, and walked towards us. He was much taller than I, making me silently curse my short stature. He smiled a mocking smirk -as if he knew I didn't enjoy the height difference- that made my blood boil.

"You can sit down with the others, Armin," he said to the blond male. Armin nodded and ran off to take a seat.

The brunette paced around me, eyeing my form. "Did you bring a knife?" he inquired. I shook my head. He sighed. Rummaging through his pockets, he pulled out a switchblade knife.

"Good thing I have a spare," he handed me the knife, before leaning in to whisper in my ear, "I wouldn't want your pretty little face to get ruined."

My eyes widened at the comment, waiting for him to back away. He did, staring at me for a second, before turning to the crowd in the background. "Reiner, you're up," he demanded as he strolled back to his seat.

A large blond stepped up, stretching to show the pulsing muscles he possessed. I was up against him? My fingers clenched around the blade, trying to think of a strategy to win.

"No fatal stabs, we don't have the equipment to repair such wounds," the brunette said as he sat in his chair. My heart pounded as I gripped the handle, his rule making me uneasy. "Begin."

Reiner started towards me at a startling speed. My reflexes reluctantly kicked in, and I ducked out of the way. It took him only a second for him to come after me again. I was able to dodge him, but I swung my blade at him this time. I missed. He charged at me again, pulling out a blade of his own, swinging it at me. I dodged at the last second, the blade slicing through the air, only inches away from the tip of my nose.

I tried swiping at his arm, but missed again. His foot wrapped around my ankle, and I fell, my head bashing into the floor. He began driving his knife down. I rolled out of the way, his blade lodging into the floorboards. I saw my opening and took it, swiping my blade and slicing the sleeve of his shirt. Drops of blood splashed by Reiner's blade and I smiled in satisfaction.

Claps and footsteps erupted in the room. I looked around, and noticed the only one clapping was the brunette as he walked towards us. "Congratulations," he knelt down beside me. "Welcome to the Peaky Blinders, kid," he said. "Don't call me a kid, I'm nineteen," I declared proudly. "Pretty young to join a gang, kid," he smirked teasingly. I glared at him.

The brunette grabbed Reiner's blade from the floorboards. He stood smiling at the reflection from the metal. "Show him to a room, Marco," he said walking away.

A tall male with black hair and freckles decorating his cheeks approached us. I stood, followed by Reiner. "Follow me, Levi," Marco smiled brightly, gesturing for me to accompany him.

Before exiting the room, I turned my head back to see the brunette staring at me with a predator's smile.

"What made you want to join the Peaky Blinders?" Marco questioned as we walked down a tight hall.

A paying job.

"Gossip on the streets made you seem terrifying, I wanted to see for myself," I shrugged. Marco chuckled. "Do you think we're terrifying?" he asked, a laugh still lingering in his voice. "Not yet," I replied. He shrugged pursing his lips. "Fair enough."

We stopped in front of a small door with a brass knob. I opened it to reveal a dust filled dump. Boxes were unevenly stacked in the corners -collecting dust and cobwebs- looking as if they would topple over at any given moment, the sheets on the bed were stained and were in need of repair, and the room possessed a pungent smell. "Can I get a clean room?" I asked in disgust.

Marco laughed. "This is our cleanest room, if you want it to look nice, fix it yourself," he patted me on the shoulder.

"Say hello to the dust mites for me, Levi," Marco said as he began to saunter down the hall.

"Wait!" I called. He turned back to me, "Yes?"

"When can I meet the founder?" I questioned. Marco's brows stitched together. "You already have," he answered. I cocked my head to the side, trying to recall such an occurrence. Not remembering anything, I shook my head. "Eren Jaegar, he seemed pretty fond of you," he stated.

My mind clicked. That brunette bastard is Eren Jaegar?

"He's pretty young to be the founder of the Peaky Blinders," I said. Marco shrugged, "He was twenty-two when he started the Peaky Blinders, twenty-nine now."

Ten years older? He looks much younger than that.

"But I'd keep my guard up, Levi, I hear Eren can be pretty rough," he added winking slightly. "I'll keep that in mind," I chuckled nervously. "Sleep well," Marco waved as he strolled away.

I waved back before turning and closing the door behind me. Staring at the wall, I smirked This would be an easy job, I practically already had Eren eating out of my hand. He would be paying for my meals until the day I die. My smile broadened.

Thank you, Eren Jaegar.

***

Hehehe
I'm basing everything I know about gangs off Baccano
Hope you enjoyed!