Chapter Two
[Adopted Sons]

The flashing lights of red, white, and blue blinded Jean who had just arrived at the manor. He pushed past the crowd of people who managed to get inside the gate, swarming the crime scene, oblivious of the rain. He was soon escorted by a police when some of the media tried to get near him, instantly bombarding him with questions and camera shots.

Jean's face had no readable expression, but his balled fists were evidence of his struggle to maintain control. It was merely hours ago when he received a call from his brother informing him that their parents were murdered and that their only sister went missing. He spared no second to waste and immediately flew back home in a private chopper.

"Jean!"

The man turned his harsh glare to the guy who called him out, instantly softening up the minute he realized it was his brother. "Eren, are you okay?"

Eren gave a small nod, scratching the bandage wrapped around his head. "I'm fine."

"Where's Mother and Father?" he asked, nearly growling.

Eren looked away. "In the morgue. The police are going to run an autopsy any minute now."

There was a short moment of silence between them before Jean hissed then punched the nearby wall, making the people around them flinch in surprise. Tears were already flowing down through his cheeks and he was grinding his teeth. Droplets of blood from his wounded fist stained the floor but none dared touch him.

"How did this happen?!" he roared, straining to keep his sobs at bay, "Why did this happen?! Mom and Dad are good people! They don't deserve this!" He ground his teeth together, blinking his eyes hard to get rid of his tears before turning to Reiner Braun---a good friend and the police officer who escorted him. "Did you get the suspect?! Do you know who did this?!"

The officer slowly shook his head. "No, Jean. Not yet." He earned a fierce growl from the furious man, but nevertheless, he continued, "But we already have two teams investigating the case. The suspects were very clean, they didn't leave any evidence. The murder weapon is nowhere to be found, either. So we're having quite a hard time."

"And our sister?!" Jean spat.

And again, Reiner shook his head. "She's still missing. But we're doing our best to find her, she might be a great help in identifying the suspects. She's the only witness we have since Eren was also attacked and lost his consciousness."

Jean's jaw tightly clenched in rage, he flashed a threatening glare towards the police officers around. "Focus on the investigation about our parents' death, find the bastards who killed them. I'll have another person take care on finding my sister." Then he turned to his brother who was looking at him intently. "Get Detective Erwin Smith on the phone. We're going to find Alice!"

Eren nodded his head again, fishing his phone out of his pocket. "Okay, right away."

***

Levi Ackerman groaned as he sat on the couch located at the corner of the hospital room. His face was plain, plain steel and impassive, but sleep deprivation was evident in his blue eyes.

He screwed up. He screwed up big.

His gaze darted to the young girl lying unconscious on the hospital bed. A minor damage to the head and some light wounds---that's what the doctor said to him after performing some tests.

"Tch." He ran a hand down his face then dragged his fingers down to his collar, trying to loosen up his tie. He kept on forcing himself to look at the bright side: He didn't get her killed. She was still alive and so he needn't be too hard on himself.

But then staring at the girl, lying there in that bed with bandages all around her head, bruises all over her pale skin, and knowing that it was all because of him---Levi couldn't possibly stop his guilt from eating him up alive. If only he was not a second too late to hit the brakes. If only she didn't appear out of nowhere in the middle of the street...

Wait! What was she doing there in the first place?

The sudden ringing of his phone snapped Levi out of his thoughts. Plucking it out of his pocket, he stared at the caller ID.

Erwin Smith

He checked the time: 12:09AM. It was already late, why was Erwin calling?

He took the call then pressed the mobile on his ear. "Hello."

"Levi, where are you?"

His eyes flicked to the girl then to the clean, white walls of the hospital room. "Why? What do you need?"

"Have you been watching the news?"

Erwin's voice on the other line sounded so serious that it made him frown in wonder. "No. What news?"

It took seconds before Erwin answered, "Meet me at my office in twenty minutes. Then we'll talk."

Before he could even utter a word, Erwin already hung up. Levi lowered his phone then grunted in exasperation. He didn't have any choice but to obey, not just because Erwin was a friend but because he was also his chief.

Orders are orders.

Levi grabbed his wet trench coat then threw the girl one last glance before heading out. He told the nurse in-charge that he'd be gone to take care of some things but would be back immediately, leaving them his contact number in case something comes up. And after that, he exited Trost General Hospital.

He drove in the rain, impatiently groaning at a red light as he made his way to the office. The droplets tapped softly on the hood of his car, the windshield wipers squeaking a little bit as they moved across the glass in fan-like motions. He drove down the freeway in silence without anything to fill his ears but the gentle hum of his engine and the soothing sprinkling of the rain up on his roof---his face plain and a bit hostile from sleep deprivation. His icy gaze was focused on the slippery road ahead of him, careful not to cause another accident again.

Arriving at downtown Trost, Levi parked in front of a five-story building. Slamming his door and locking his vehicle, the man trekked through the rain and mud towards the entrance of the facility.

"Good morning, Ackerman," Erwin greeted rather drily as soon as Levi entered the room, letting the door swung close behind him as he walked towards the blonde man.

"Hey Chief," he started, tousling his moist jet-black hair to the side, "What is this matter that you want to discuss about that I had to drive all the way here at this hour at this filthy weather? I just solved a case yesterday, don't you think I deserve some hours of rest?"

Levi was aware that it was highly confidential since Erwin suggested to talk about it inside his office---the safest place they knew in laying out informations and stuffs. Levi Ackerman was a detective, a rather high-paid one. Despite being only twenty-two, he was already considered one of the best. But still, even he needed rest and some time for himself. Especially at the moment where he was supposed to be somewhere else, taking care of something.

"I called you here as a friend who needs his best friend, Levi," the blonde said, pouring out some hot coffee for his friend, "Helen and Timothy Psiren were murdered."

He nearly gasped at what he heard, eyes awfully wide. "What? When?"

"Just this day, approximately five to six hours ago," Erwin stated simply, his deep voice as grim as his features, "They were killed in their own house, inside their own bedroom."

"And the suspect?" he sputtered.

Erwin shook his head. "The motherfuckers got away."

He stared at his friend's tensing jaw and reddened eyes, then he placed a hand atop his broad shoulder. "I'm sorry, Erwin."

He knew how much the Psiren couple meant to Erwin, they became his second parents after his biological parents died on a tragic plane crash. Without them, Erwin wouldn't be who he was now. The couple sent him to school, gave him everything he needed---including love and concern. Though Erwin didn't live under the same roof as them, they treated him like family. And so Levi knew that the sudden news must've been so hard to accept for his friend. Specially since they didn't just die, they were killed.

Seeing that there was no comment, he proceeded with his questions. "Are you planning on solving their case?"

"No," Erwin murmured darkly, "Their adopted sons hired me to find Alice Psiren, the couple's only child and witness to the crime."

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Author's Note: Fret not about Levi's age, guys. In here, he's twenty-two :) Give him a chance to be young lmao. And besides, this is a fan-fiction, I can do whatever the hell I want with my book ;)

And like bruh, I swear, I can't wait to write fluffy scenes. These first two updates were kind'a hard for me to write, super serious shit! XD If you have read my other books (my fluffy-cheesy books) then I'm sure you know what I mean. But anyway, this fanfiction is a challenge for me and so I'll do my best to provide you with interesting updates. Just please keep on reading and don't hesitate to leave comments! :)