Kenny drummed his fingers on his thigh, eyeing Levi up and down with a horribly concealed look of disapproval. They had been going at it for at least five minutes, Levi staring at him while the elder kept poking at him for details on Erwin.

Eventually, after the ‘longest’ time, Levi sighed and began speaking.

“Met him while he was lost on one of my walks,” Levi began, figuring no real details were necessary. “Told him to find his way home but he didn’t so I ended up helping him. Long story short, he stayed for the night, did chores, and left earlier with some of his friends who picked him up.”

Kenny blanched. The lack of detail, the lack of enthusiasm, the fact that his itty bitty nephew had actually helped someone. Mind boggling!

“What?” Kenny asked dumbly. “You let someone you just met stay the night and not to mention you met him in the forest? How did he get in the forest? Isn’t it fenced? He left earlier? You were wearing a dress earlier, weren’t you? Did he react badly? Say the word and I’ll kill him.”

“The fence was broken and no, you don’t need to kill him,” Levi said, rolling his eyes. “He took it well, I was wearing a dress in the forest so he knew from the start.”

“Oh,” Kenny said slowly, seemingly trying to process if there was anything else he wanted to know, wanted to find out for himself. Surely, Levi wasn’t much of a big talker but there had to be something interesting to hear. “Anything else about this person? You seem to have gained a friendship with him easier than with any other person.”

“Yeah, it’s weird and I’m visiting him next week,” Levi stated calmly but before he could receive a lecture from his oh so dear Uncle, he quickly added another pointer that he knew would successfully steer his conversation. “There’s something else about him you need to know.”

“Oh? Do tell me,” Kenny said, leaning in his chair as he fell for Levi’s trap.

“The only situation with this is that he doesn’t know.”

And that line alone striked such curiosity and the undivided attention in Kenny, he swore he could smell sweetness in the air.

“Oh really? And what is it?”

“He’s the son of the man you killed many years ago. The fingerless man, the man that haunts my dreams like a bitch.”

“Language. You’re grown but you’re still a little boy to me,” Kenny scolded, adding on right after. “Enlighten me more. That’s not enough information for this mystery fingerless man you’ve been crying about for years.”

“His father, Johann Smith. I’m assuming since they have the same last name and description. Remember who? The man that was the town’s mayor at the time?”

Of course he knew the basic details. Not only for the fact that he had seen him once before but because he had asked enough questions as he grew up about the mystery man he had been terrorized by. Just because he didn’t ask what they did to the man, didn’t mean he never asked about them. He hardly ever questioned the random people that appeared but when he felt it necessary, he would ask the odd question but everyone knew the crying, fingerless man was the one person that Levi was intrigued with most.

“Well, what can I do? As long as you don’t tell him his Father’s accident was obviously staged,” Kenny grunted, seeing no way how this problem could deal with him. But the way a little Levi flashed through his mind, eyes always wide and questioning about the weird man. Damn his Father for making him finish the bloody work. “His father pretended to be good and became mayor. He was dealing with drugs and a specific group never received pay so they got our family to deal with him. Just don’t slip and spill or in this case, kiss and tell.”

Kenny laughed boisterously at his remark, receiving nothing but a pillow hitting the side of his head. 

“I never planned any of those things but the inevitable could happen.”

They stayed in silence for a bit. As they say, no matter how well you try to cover your trails, you’ll always be found and in this case, it was a confusing mess of colour of what the outcome would be.

“Are you staying the night?” Levi asked, Kenny examining a knife that he got from lord knows where.

“Nah. I’m heading out in a bit but I just wanted to check up on you. Feel like Kuchel will come haunt me if I don’t check up on you every now and then,” Kenny joked although he’d never admit that it didn’t actually feel like a joke with how much Kuchel loved her son.

“Mother would definitely do that,” Levi smiled, reminiscing in the fond memories of his Mother. “Where’re you going? Out of the country?”

“No. I’m staying in town for a while. I don’t have any plans of going anywhere so expect to see me every now and then,” Kenny grinned wickedly, throwing the pillow that had been lodged at his head back to where it originally was. “Is there anything you need though so I can send it?”

“Erwin says I need to eat more, so maybe a little more food and I think I need another pair of flats. My old ones are starting to fall apart.”

“Erwin? Is that his name? If you’re listening to him then he must really have an effect on you because you never listened to me when I told you to eat more. I’ll have to meet him to see how he is for myself.”

“You have no reason to do that. I believe I can take care of myself, thank you very much,” Levi snapped sharply.

“Whatever. Black as usual?” Kenny asked, getting up from his seat with a stretch that made a disgusting pop in his back.

Levi nodded silently, just watching his Uncle make his way to the front door.

“Well, I’m off. Make sure you get some sleep because if I have to drug you to sleep, then I will.”

“Tch. I know, I know. Erwin told me already.”

“Oh? Well, then I’m gone.”

Levi walked with his Uncle to the front door, waving him off before closing it, the clustering atmosphere going with his strange relative.

“Guess what, Kuchel? Your son seems to have a crush and he hasn’t realized it yet. Before I know it, he’ll be married. Ugh, he’s growing so fast,” Kenny muttered, walking into the night. “You should be here watching your son grow. He needed someone all these years and I wasn’t with him but I’m glad he found someone.”

“Boss, are you talking to yourself?” a female asked as he got closer to where he had left his horse.

“No stupid. I’m having a conversation with my dead sister. Now let’s go. I need to know whether my nephew’s new friend is a good person or not.”

Swinging onto the beast, Kenny rode away, leaving Levi alone in the castle with no one around like he had always lived but this time, the young Ackerman had the clouding thoughts of Erwin Smith.