(My English isn't exactly amazing but it gets better in later chapters :3 Hope you enjoy! 3 )
It was evening when Levi took Eren to the playground . In the evening no other children where there and the teenagers with drugs and beer had not gotten there yet so it was only him and Eren. The sun shone orange over the withered grass.
" Are you sure that you aren't freezing now?" Levi asked and corrected Erens scarf before he lifted him up to sit on the swing. He went behind the swing and when Eren had a steady grip on the ropes he pulled it up a bit before letting go. Eren laughed and shook his head. " It's not that cold , the sun is shining!"
" That doesn't mean it's not autumn, Eren. " Levi said with a strict tone but Eren didn't care, he nagged about more speed, higher up! Levi didn't raise the swing higher up, he couldn't trust Eren to be able to hold himself steady then. One time he compromised and lifted the swing high but he followed the swing in it's movement to keep Eren safe. Then he slowed down the swing again and let Eren swing on his own for a while.
It was actually becoming colder. Every day was chillier than the last and the frost had begun to find its way up the windows of their apartment. Soon Levi wouldn't be able to bring Eren out to play in the park, his outside wear would cost too much for their already tight budget. Eren would be really insufferable if he had to be inside the apartment all day , especially now that he could no longer play his video games easily.
Levi found no answer to his problems by staring at the sunset so he returned to playing with Eren. Lifted him up to the slide and spun him carefully in the carousel. Played with him until he almost fell asleep in Levis arms.
From early morning Levi was working as a police. He came home to have breakfast and lunch with Eren and some days he would drive him to his doctor appointments. Because of all the breaks Levi had to work long days, otherwise he would not get enough in salary to take care of the two. If he could be home more he would, he hated to have Eren sit at home alone all day .
Every night Levi said to Eren that he didn't need to be awake for breakfast, he could sleep as much as he wanted too so that he wouldn't be alone so much while Levi was working, but the kid insisted to always be awake on time. They sat together and ate, mostly in silence because Levi was not the one who talked a lot at the dinner table. If Eren went to school , they could talk about it together but he didn't. The things they talked about the most was something Eren had played with his action figures or a movie or series that Levi borrowed for Eren to watch.
At lunch Eren was always a bit more eager at talking and he wanted to know everything about what Levi had done at his work so far, although Levi had usually only gotten to the paperwork at that time. When Levi had cleaned up after them he reminded Eren to be dressed when they would go to the doctor, even if Eren never forgot it.
The boy did as he was told which Levi appreciated greatly. Otherwise , everything would have been so much more difficult.
When Eren was little, Levi had been forced to only working short days which affected his salary. Eren was a smart boy. When he grew older he started noticing when they were tight on money by how much food he was getting and by how much Levi was working on their budget. He started insisting that Levi could leave him there by himself and now Levi only had to take him there and pick him up afterwards.
Almost every night when the weather pleased the, Levi took Eren to the park closest to them to play. If Eren didn't get to play outside he would have too much energy left and sit up all night watching TV. Another reason Levi took Eren out to play was because he didn't want Eren to sit inside all day. No child should have to live that way. Not even Levi who had been so malnourished that he didn't grow appropriately had been forced to sit home all day.
Their life followed strict routines. Levi thought it was better that way because then Eren would always know what was going on and what needed to be done. Eren never complained about it.
The summer when Eren turned four Levi decided that he was old enough to play outside. He helped Eren on with his first outside jacket, the arm had been customized so that Eren could be wearing it and Eren had never had such a big smile on his lips. That day not even Levi could help but smile when Eren babbled on about all the things he would do now that he got to play with other children.
" We will build castles in the sandbox , and I'll build the biggest tower because I have the best bucket! " Eren said triumphantly, waving his blue bucket with a Spiderman motif printed on the side. He had a matching shovel that was about to fly out of the bucket by Erens swinging but miraculously stayed in place. "Then we'll go to the swings and I will be swinging the fastest of us all!"
Levi nodded and pulled up the zipper on his jacket, helped him on with the regular and the custom made shoe . Eren already had difficulty walking but he could still do it pretty well. " How are you supposed to swing the fastest if you cant even be bothered to clean up your toys after yourself?"
"Toys are another matter! It 's not a competition!" Eren insisted, swinging his bucket faster. Levi chuckled. Nothing could destroy Erens mood when he was this eager and happy. That he had learned.
"Well , remember that even though your toys aren't protesting, the other children will. So you can't bite them." He said with a rather severe ton. . Eren just hummed quickly before he continued to talk about what they would do and what kind of a sand castle they would build.
They didn't build any sandcastles.
Levi let Eren walk by his side when they walked to the park. Eren didn't want to be carried as it would make him look weak, and Eren refused to look weak because he was sure it would be a bad first impression of him. Levi didn't complain about it, he was glad Eren was trying.
When they came to the park Eren looked eagerly at all the children who were there, he tried to decide what he wanted to do first and when Levi suggested the sandbox he immediately rushed there. It was when he said hello to the children that everything wen wrong. The first child who looked at him noticed his deformed arm and screamed for his mom, his screaming was joined by the other children who saw Eren and they ran to their parents. Mothers and fathers rushed to their children and lifted them up, trying to see what they had become so afraid of, and when they saw Eren they stepped backwards. Gasping and staring at the young boy who could be nothing but perplexed at their behaviour.
Levi went over to Eren and gently patted his head, holding him close. " Eren ... I- "
" How dare you bring such a child here? Do you not see that there are healthy children playing here?" a woman interrupted, wagging her finger furiously at Eren who now hid a bit behind Levis leg. His healthy hand balled up into a trembling fist.
"There's nothing wrong with him , he can play just as well as your- " hissed Levi, but again he was interrupted.
"I do not want my children to...to get that too! Shouldn't he be playing with other children who have it too? He can't be here!"
Levi put his hand on Erens shoulder, held him tight and pulled him closer to protect him . He answered the parents' complaints and fearful glares with cold facts and sharp, bitter words. Told them that parents like them had no right to raise children. Levi was not someone you talked about behind his back and when he walked away with Eren the park was silent.
When they came home Levi helped Eren out of his tailored jacket and custom made shoe. Eren didn't say anything, his body trembling with anger and disappointment. He quietly placed his bucket with the shovel on the desk at the entrance before he went to brush his teeth. It was only when he was lying in his bed and Levi came to tuck him in that Eren started to cry. Levi sat with him on his lap until he fell asleep, then he laid down with Eren and held him close the whole night.
" It will spread if we don't amputate his arm and leg. " the doctor said when Eren had left the room to go play. "As you already know, we have only been able to treat the titanium disease by removing the body parts affected by it. If we continue to let it spread he might lose both his arms, legs and…
Levi quickly nodded and tried to stay calm. He knew that the amputation was needed, Eren couldn't go on suffering his whole life. The problem was that…well, how do you tell a child that he has to loose his arm and leg to be healthy? How do you tell him that he cannot be cured otherwise, even though you have told him repeatedly that there must be a way for him to be recovered from the disease?
"I know. I know it must be done. It's just that we had hoped for something…better" He said. "I'll talk to him about it. "
Levi thanked the doctor and got up to get Eren from the play corner. He said nothing about what they would be forced to do, saved that for when they where at home. Instead he treated Eren with a cupcake that Eren happily accepted. A cupcake wouldn't make the pain any lesser for Eren but it made it a bit easier for Levi. That might be a selfish thought but right now it was all Levi had.