The story takes place a few days to years after the death of Levi's mother and during the "bad boy" manga about Levi's past. will have a time jump further into the story
This fic contains - Mentions of murder, Prostitution, trafficking, alcohol, poverty, the Ackerman bloodline, relation. (No smut!)
It was the middle of the year 820. Nothing had gotten brighter in the underground and it never seemed to improve, robberies getting more common by the day and trafficking is becoming more of a rumour than a whisper, multiple children or young women going missing, bodies tucked into the alleys after sketching dealing gone wrong. Recently a few mentions went around of a death in one of the most popular brothels hidden further under the streets, a young woman had died. people were not sure how, but the most popular version is she caught an illness and died slowly. Not a pleasant way to go especially since she left a child alone, No father or other family was around, so it was soon forgotten about. But, many saw the infamous "Kenny the ripper" walking around with a young boy who matches the description of the recently deceased woman, teaching the boy to fight and defend himself, rob and attack. The usual the expected from the ripper. Nobody dared ask or even snuck a glance while Kenny was around, fearing their own life and consequences. Only a few days after the woman's death Kenny took the young boy out of his former home and into the streets, fed him, dressed him, but didn't seem to care for him, but that's just what people suspected.
Often Kenny headed into a bar for a drink, but now a less frequent customer with the kid around. On a more of a dinghy day with damp air and no sunshine creeping through the ground above, he headed into "The Phantom's daughter" an old bar which was hidden within a more populated area of the city, vines growing up the sides with the windows dusty and cracked, barley able to see shadows through them, with an old burgundy sign outside with the writing slowly fading thanks to time. He nudged the door with his elbow, walking inside and sitting down in his usual booth to the left of the bar, a small candle burning in the centre of the table, with a glass of dried out flowers beside it. Kenny sat down and pulled the young boy onto the seat, waiting for service.
You walked over with a simple brown and white dress, just touching your knees. The fabric was fairly old and a bit torn to be fair, be did good all these years so you never got rid of it. You immediately recognised Kenny in the booth and headed over, he looked a bit roughed up, bruised knuckles and bloody sleeves, he probably either beat someone up or even worse. But then your eyes shifted to the side and suddenly realising he was sat with a small boy. The poor thing was pale and slim, dressed in dirty rags that were almost falling off of his shoulders. The hesitation in your voice was very clear as you brought up a note pad and a pencil, not really wanting to ask questions or pry but you found it somewhat strange.
"Kenny, I haven't seen you in some time...where have you been?"
Kenny glanced up at you and took off his hat, placing it on the table next to the glass of flowers. He didn't seem the most cheerful, but then again he never did.
"You know I get around...got things to do and I have other places to drink.."
He sounded exhausted, definitely impatient as he tapped his fingers against the wood.
"Yeah, I'm not going to ask for anything else.."
You nodded, not even needing to write down his drink since you've done it too many times. Nothing else was said as you headed behind the bar and grabbed a glass, pouring a beer and putting it to the side. You reach for another glass, fill it with water and take it with you into the kitchen to grab a slice of bread, That boy's face in your mind...he definitely hasn't eaten in a while, or at least today. Slowly you walked back over to the table and put the glasses down, Kenny already sliding over a few coins but stopped when he saw the extra glass and bread, giving you a look..
"what's this? Better not be extra.."
He huffed, sitting back and took a swig of his beer
"On the house, for the boy...what's his name?"
Kenny mumbled while sitting back up, pushing the glass closer to the boy along with the bread, making him sit up.
His nephew? You thought to yourself while taking the coins into your apron pocket, never did you think Kenny had a nephew but then again he kept most of his life private...Levi looked hesitant to eat or even speak, he seemed young... Or looked younger, probably about ten years old. You sat beside Levi watching him eat slowly but not wasting anything. Your hand moved to Levi's face and moved a long black hair away from his eyes, his hair is long and hadn't been cut in a while, slightly matted as well.
"You taking him along on theses... Quests of yours..?"
The atmosphere slowly changed once you spoke, Kenny not looking at you to another sip.
"yeah? Kid needs to know what shit happens in the big world."
"Quite dangerous for the kid don't you think...?if you're staying in town for a bit, why not leave him here? I could take care of him."
Kenny looked slightly surprised at your offer, taking care of the kid? Seriously? Pretty quick of you to recommend such a thing.
"Ha, you're a kid yourself, what are you...17? Can't take care of yourself...let alone a brat."
Kenny had a point, I mean you were only young and had a full time job working as a waitress...You didn't exactly have the time to look after or care for a kid, though you couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"Rude much, I managed to not work at the brothel and I earned a place here... Think I've come far compared to most people my age.
"Well I suppose you got some worth, ah, all I see now is young girls out on the street. I mean I get needs, but not that damn much.."
You frowned at his words, it's true. Many young girls and boys often work within the brothel to earn money as there is nothing else to work for, it's a horrible reality of poverty and power.
"Seriously though, I'd love to watch levi while you are.. busy, I mean he has the whole bar to himself...got my room upstairs so he has a place to rest."
You offered again, kinda smitten by levi as he was just so adorable and you felt sorry for the boy, no parents, starving, you wanted to give him somewhat of a good life even when you can't get one yourself.
"Ah fine, keep bugging me though and you ent getting shit. I'm not paying you either. You feed and clean the brat."
A smile soon took over your worried expression, happy Kenny agreed to something sensible of the sort for once, you're quite glad to know him well enough to convince him. Even though you only knew him by how much he comes into the bar. But something good came out of it, it will be nice to focus on levi instead of all the crime that happens around here.
"why do you wanna take care of the kid anyway? He's my blood"
Kenny scoffed, finishing his drink
"why? Well I don't get to do much around here, it will be nice company... Plus are you really going to bathe him, feed him, teach him? Because I know just by looking at the boy, he's been through a lot...I want him to have some sort of a peaceful childhood.."
"Well it's too late for that, You should just throw the kid into reality. That's how they learn. he can sort himself out."
Yeah that sounded like a very basic answer from Kenny, sure that's how mostly everyone grew up, you get put in a situation, you gotta get out of it. But you wanted to give levi a better start than that, just by looking into his eyes he's seen so much. Just pure distrust and sadness was bubbling up inside him, everyone just turns a deaf ear to it. But you wanted to change that, or at least try to. Hopefully you'll one day see trust in his eyes.
"Hey, waiting for another beer here."
Kenny pushed the empty glass towards you, placing his hand behind his neck and letting his hat lean across the surface of his face, you picked the glass up and headed behind the bar soon interrupted by the cook who was eavesdropping in the conversation.
"Really? you seriously want to let the kid stay here? Kid's an Ackerman...you know we'll get people snooping."
The cook was a fairly old man, always a cigarette in his mouth or some sort of bottle hidden in his apron. Ray you called him, short for Raymond. Hes always got your back, apart from having a screw loose since he was a bit...mental, but it's good enough.
"What? It will be fine ray, it will be nice to have him around...I'll be looking after him so you don't need to worry!"
Ray was not fully convinced of your words but took them with a pinch of salt, He sighed while shaking his head and pouring a second drink for Kenny.
"Ah, well you better look after the kid because I'm not getting involved... especially since he's related to Kenny, you know that's going to be a problem?"
"Please, stop worrying. The poor boy needs some light in his life...I don't want him going down a bad path, especially since I know Kenny won't exactly teach him how to read and write."
"Ah? Ha yeah, kid will be a criminal.."
Raymond's words stuck in your mind, Kenny was a bad influence...I mean you had no right to intervene in what he did with his own nephew...but that feeling in your chest just told you to step in and help, it was like guilt. A sense of fear more like it.
"you don't know that, damn girl...you can't just use a smile and a warm hug to make everything better. It's fucking ridiculous down here in these parts."
You didn't say anything, just taking the drink back to Kenny, You were trying to push away some rising insecurity that hasn't appeared in a while. The sense you can't do anything or make things better. Placing the glass down at the table you looked over at Levi, Kenny waved his hand effortlessly in your face.
"You honestly want to play babysitter?"
"I- yeah I want to help.."
"tsk- fine whatever, don't turn the damn brat soft."
You got your way with a bit of convincing, sitting down with them again and staying sat till the bar closed. Kenny was taking levi with him this time however, but you made sure to give him a small wrapped pouch with some food to have. Levi didn't look at you and avoided the need to speak, but a simple nod from him was all you needed.
Every few days levi would be dropped at the door of the bar, Kenny wasn't there to wait with him, he had things to do. You'd bring levi in and have him eat some food that Raymond had prepared, however Raymond's previous warning was right. Odd men would come into the bar from time to time, looking for someone which was probably Kenny, since word spread he was taking care of the kid who was his blood. Another Ackerman sent fear into those who already knew of the ripper. So hearing he has a nephew he's looking after only made it worse, the kid could be worth a lot and be a dangerous weapon for people to exploit which happens to be the case.
After about a month of levi coming into the bar with or without Kenny, he was slowly getting healthier and it was clear Kenny had been feeding him as well. But something didn't sit right, levi would come in with bruises, split knuckles and even try to hide a sharp object in his pocket when entering the bar. You already figured Kenny was teaching him some self defense, it's more than that though especially when levi got more confident with talking, he sounded like Kenny. You were scared, scared Levi would soon take himself down a path of crime...but to be honest down here, there's really nothing, nothing you can achieve down here. So it's probably pointless trying to show him a better way of life.
Hey guys, thank you for taking the time to read this is only the first part of this short fic I'm writing and I will be adding a lot more, this is more of a "pilot" start, to see if I still have the imagination to write lol. Let me know if there are any mistakes or room to improve!
