The room was lit up by the natural light leaking in through the window. It was the first time that the sun had revealed itself in days, and a small bit of residual rain dripped from the roof, creating a soft pattering as it hit the window frame.

A thin beam of light leaked into the room, creating a line of direct sunshine on Eren who was posed on all fours.

"Raaaaawr!" Eren exclaimed, smacking a chubby hand forward and hitting the foot of Erwin, who smiled as he watched the toddler.

"You're so good, Eren! You're just like a real tiger!" Erwin praised the baby as he clapped his hands together in delight. "Now... Do you know what sound a dog makes?"

Eren quickly nodded his head, and then, remaining on all fours, stuck his tongue out and made panting noises.

"Woof! Woof!" he barked excited, while toddling around the room on his knees.

Erwin chuckled loudly. "You're so smart, Eren!"

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The door suddenly flung open, taking both Erwin and Eren by surprise.

"What the hell do you think you're doing in here? You're supposed to be cleaning." It was Levi, dressed ever-so fashionably in an over-sized white apron, and bandana to cover his hair. In one hand he held a duster, which he then impatiently pressed against his hip.

Crawling over to Levi, Eren looked up at him with big, lively eyes. "Woof, woof!" he chimed.

Levi knelt down and ruffled his hand through Eren's hair. "This little doggy should be in bed right now." he commented.

Brushing Eren's bangs to the side with his fingers, Levi pressed his wrist against Eren's forehead for a brief second. "Yep. You're still warm, Eren. Back to bed for you."

Eren puffed his bottom lip out into an exagerrated pout. He stood up on his feet and glanced back at Erwin with a grumpy expression.

"Butt." Eren mumbled quietly, before looking away as Levi picked him up and placed him back onto the bed.

Placing his hand over his chin in surprise, Erwin asked, "Was that directed at me?"

"Of course." Levi responded, sounding slightly amused. "You're skipping out on cleaning to come play with him and giving him false hope. It's cruel, isn't it?"

Eren nodded his head while clutching onto Teddy tightly.

Levi pulled the blankets up and tucked Eren in carefully. "I'll bring you food soon, so play with Teddy until then."

Eren nodded his head again, this time solemnly, as he exaggerated another pout.

Standing from the bed, Levi immediately walked over to the window and closed the small crack that was open. "There's water everywhere. I asked you to do one thing and that was clean this room up and now it's an even bigger mess. Honestly."

Erwin stood up from the spot he'd been sitting on the ground. "It's like we're married already." he said, with a small smile. Quickly, he added, "Eren seems a lot more energetic today. He wanted to play and I'd already finished cleaning at that point. Oh- I forgot about closing the window, though. That's my fault."

Crossing his arms, Levi raised his eyebrows while glancing up at Erwin. "We've already been here for two days and we still haven't managed to clean the entire house."

"It's not all bad, we're almost done now." Erwin added, using a cloth from the night stand to wipe away a bit of rain that had managed to spill onto the window sill, creating a small puddle.

"Well, do another cleaning in here. I'll be making food for Eren." Levi stated as he casually left the room.

Later in the afternoon, after the cleaning was finished and after Eren's afternoon nap had finally broken his fever, the weather had taken a turn for the worse and was suddenly down pouring.

Since there was hardly any choice but to stay inside, Erwin had suggested that the babies get a chance to meet and play with each other. Levi agree'd reluctantly, since he wasn't positively certain if Eren was still sick or not.

As neither one of the babies had met another toddler before, it was a confusing but exciting experience for the two.

Mike had brought Armin up to the living room where Eren was loudly playing with Teddy. He walked the baby over and then set him on the floor next to Eren.

The two had stared at each other for a prolonged moment. It was Armin who would be the first to initiate contact.

He reached a small hand forward and touched Eren's cheek. Reacting sourly to the touch, Eren began to cry with frustration, which triggered a fit of tears from Armin as well.

They were separated and comforted for a few moments afterwards, and then, when they were reunited for a second time, they appeared to be getting along just fine. They played together with Armin's toys merrily after that point, giggling and clapping their hands together in joy.

"That's so nice. They're friends now. What a relief, right?" Erwin asked, cocking his head toward Levi.

Levi nodded his head silently.

After a moment of silence, he looked toward Mike and asked, "Why does he still have a pacifier? He's Eren's age, isn't he?"

Mike stared silently at Levi before he returned his gaze to Armin. "He's sixteen months, actually." He began to explain. He looked back at Levi before quietly adding, "He's having a tough time adjusting to this new life, so it would be a bad time to take it away from him."

Levi didn't push on with the subject any longer. He had very quickly received the vibes that it was a sensitive and freshly wounded topic. He understood it well.

"Armin is a very smart baby." Erwin cut in, changing the topic to a more pleasant one. "He knows so many animals noises and is great with the alphabet already."

"Yeah, he's a quick learner." Mike added, watching Armin with a faint smile on his face. "He's pleasant too. Not fussy very often." His voice drifted off slightly, as if he weren't talking to anybody in particular.

Levi wasn't sure if the man just had an aloof personality, or if it was an awkward topic, but he decided to contribute to the conversation regardless.

"Eren is the opposite." Levi responded. "He learns at his own pace- which is pretty slow, and he's always fussy."

For a brief second, Mike seemed slightly taken aback at the fact that Levi has responded to him, but then his expression transformed into a more light-hearted one. With his lips curled into a small smile, he let out a short laugh, which quickly caught Armin's attention.

Entranced by the noise, Armin smiled from ear-to-ear as he toddled towards Mike and threw his hands up towards him. "Daddy!" he cried out.

Mike hooked his hands underneath Armin's armpits and lifted him up. Setting him comfortably on his lap, Mike leaned forward and peppered the baby's cheek in kisses.

Armin giggled loudly at the feeling of Mike's moustache brushing against his skin. He pushed the man's face away playfully, and then leaned in to give him a slobbery kiss on the cheek in return.

"Thank you." Mike said, as he wrapped his arms gently around the baby and hugged him.

Armin responded by wrapping his arms around Mike's neck. He leaned his cheek against Mike's shoulder contently.

"I think I'll start getting him ready for bed now so that we're not in the way when Eren is getting ready." Mike stated, as he stood from the couch and turned towards Eren, who was playing by himself on the floor. "Say goodnight to Eren."

"Bye bye." Armin waved his arm.

Eren reached his arm into the air and waved it enthusiastically in return. "Bye bye!"

With that, Mike and Armin had left the room and it was once again silent, save for the mindless babbling that Eren was performing with Teddy.

The sound of rain smacking against the glass windows grew stronger with the silence, and the large gusts of wind caused the tree branches to scratch against the outside of the house.

Occasionally, when a light roar of thunder could be heard brewing in the sky, Eren would let out a loud screech of disapproval. Mostly, the rain didn't seem to be bothering him too much, so he continued to play with Teddy.

"Levi, may I ask you something?" Erwin suddenly asked, out of the blue.

Levi lifted his chin as he turned his gaze to Erwin. "Go on."

"How would you feel about a public proposal?" Erwin asked, frankly. He quickly continued, "I know not everybody is into them so of course I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Sure." Levi answered, surprisingly quickly. "As long as it's not some big, drawn out thing."

"Really?" Erwin raised his eyebrows in surprised.

Levi shrugged. "I don't see the problem with it."

"Well, my parents are having a dinner party next weekend and they wanted me to bring you. I thought it might be a good time to pop the question because I know that my parents like that sort of thing. The parties they have are always classy so I'm certain you'll have a good time, and you're free to bring Eren too if you'd like."

"I'm not sure how Eren would feel about parties. I might, though."

"Either way is fine, honestly. I'm sure my parents would like the two of you."

"If they're attracted to strangers the same way you are then I'm sure they will." Levi jabbed.

Erwin took the joke gracefully and laughed along. "Well, I hope."

"Raaawr Teddy! Gabba baaaba." Eren was babbling to his Teddy on the floor. He smacked the plush a few times in the stomach with his fist and then grabbed it's arms and smacked himself across the face with them as if he were acting out a play fight.

The two watched Eren's curious form of play momentarily before Erwin resumed the conversation.

"Eren... Is he your only close relative?" Erwin asked, his voice slightly hesitant as he wasn't sure if the topic was sensitive or not.

"Why?" Levi was quick to ask.

"I was just wondering," Erwin started, cupping his chin in thought. "It would have been nice if you had a close relative I could have gone to, to ask permission to marry you."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "It's fine if I just give my permission. I'm an adult, so what does it matter?"

"It's just something the men in my family have always done, but I guess it really can't be helped in this case."

"I only have two relatives, including Eren." Levi explained. "So just ask him."

"Ask Eren?"

"Yeah."

Erwin shot glances between the two for a few seconds. At first, he had thought that Levi was joking by suggesting such a thing but the expression on his face had suggested that he was quite serious.

"Alright then." Erwin chuckled. He shuffled to the end of the couch and leaned forward with his chest pressing against his thighs so that he was more on-level with the toddler. "Eren?"

Eren turned his head around quickly from his play fight with Teddy. With a small scowl on his face, he asked, "What?" in a surprisingly grumpy tone.

"I'm sorry to bother you while you're playing but I want to ask you something." Erwin continued. He used a soft, gentle tone.

Eren simply stared blankly in response, awaiting the question.

"Ah, well," Erwin suddenly felt awkward. He tried to keep his wording simple, so that he wouldn't confuse the baby. "Can I marry your big brother?"

Eren furrowed his tiny eyebrows in confusion and glanced at Levi.

"He wants to marry me." Levi explained, pointing at Erwin. "Marry means that we live together, and kiss each other. That kind of stuff."

At that comment, Eren's mouth immediately flung open in shock. "Gwoss!" he screeched. "No, Beebee, no!"

Eren discarded Teddy on the floor and immediately made his way over to Levi. "Beebee, no! No, no, no, no, no!" he pleaded, tears brimming in his big eyes.

Picking the toddler up and setting him on his lap, Levi tilted his head in Erwins direction. "Well, there you have it. We had a nice run while it lasted."

"Do you not like me, Eren?" Erwin asked, as he scooted closer to the two.

Eren sobbed into Levi's shoulder, and shook his tiny head. "Beebee... no." he evaded the question and continued on with his mumbling.

"Did I do something to upset you?" Erwin continued to press on.

"Erwin." Levi cut in, his brows knit sharply. "He's two. He doesn't understand what you're talking about."

"Ah. I'm sorry if I confused you, Eren." Erwin apologized, his eyes softened slightly. "I'm just surprised to see him react this way."

"It's not really a surprise to me. Babies don't like to share their things."

"I guess you're right. Well, I hope that we can become friends, Eren." Erwin added.

Eren didn't reply. He continued to sob into Levi's chest stubbornly, frustrated at the thought of his older brother spending his time with people than himself.

Levi gently ran his fingers through Eren's messy tufts of hair to soothe him. His sobbing quieted within only a few moments of the method, and muffled down in a soft but steady whimpering instead.

"He's just not used to you yet." Levi commented, continuing to comfort Eren. "He needs time."

"Of course." Erwin responded. "He can take all the time he needs. I don't want to scare him off or anything."

"Well, I'm going to get him ready for bed now." Levi stated with an underlying sense of dread. He stood from the couch, and knelt down to pick up Teddy from the floor. "Say goodnight, Eren."

Eren quickly shook his head. "No!" he cried, defiantly.

Levi simply shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Good night." Erwin waved his hand to the baby, but received no response in return.


The next day, early afternoon, Erwin had arrived home unusually early from work.

Levi was unsure of what the man's actual line of work was, as he had never explicitly stated it allowed. Not that Levi had cared enough to question though, he assumed it was none of his business and that Erwin would tell him if he so desired to.

Making a large ruckus as he entered the house, Erwin slammed the door behind him, causing Eren, who was currently eating his lunch, to become startled and drop his spoon. The baby began to whine loudly.

After getting Eren a new spoon and calming him down, Levi stormed into the entrance hall where Erwin was standing, looking tired and worn, his usually perfect hair sat out of place across his forehead.

"What the hell do yo-" Levi cut himself off as his eyes landed on a large, label-less white box sitting in front of Erwin's feet. "What is that?"

Erwin took a deep breath and brushed hair back to the side with his fingers. "It's a playset, for Eren."

Levi continued to stare without speaking, so Erwin continued.

"He doesn't have one, right? I just so happened to see this kitchen and table playset at the store and got it for him."

"Where did you get it?"

"Toys R Us."

"You just so happened to be at Toys R Us?"

A small chuckle escaped Erwin's lips as he shrugged his shoulder. "It doesn't hurt to spoil a baby every now and again."

"I guess."

"Where is he now?"

Levi extended his thumb, and pointed over his shoulder. "Kitchen. He's eating."

"Perfect. I'll set it up in the living room to surprise him. You keep him busy until I'm done." Erwin said, as he picked up the large box and carried it through the passageway between the entrance and living room.

"Fine." Levi mumbled. "But hurry it up." he added, before disappearing into the kitchen himself.

In the meantime, Levi waited for Eren to finish his meal, then cleaned him up afterwards. The baby began to grow impatient after waiting some time in the kitchen area, but it wasn't long before Erwin called out to the two.

"Alright! It's all ready!"

Eren immediately burst out of Levi's arms and dashed into the living room. When he caught sight of the colourful playset, he let out high-pitched squeals of delight. He immediately ran to the kitchen portion of the set and began to fiddle with the toy phone attached to it's wall.

"Hello? Hello?" he pretended to have a conversation into the phone. He hung the phone up after and began to open all the the strange doors and cabinets that he could.

Erwin knelt down with a gentle smile. "Do you like it?"

"Yes." Eren answered with a cheeky smile. He grabbed the wall phone and held it towards Erwin. "Wiing wiiiing." he mimicked the sound of a phone.

"Who is it?" Erwin asked in mock-surprise tone.

"Beebee."

"Oh!" Erwin grabbed the phone and pressed it against his ear. "Hello? Levi? I haven't spoken to you in so long."

Eren giggled and then looked at Levi expectantly, awaiting his answer.

"I'm right here, stupid." Levi rolled his eyes.

Eren pouted slightly and looked back at Erwin.

"Huh? What? Did you say something? I can't hear you unless you talk into your phone." Erwin continued to go along with the joke, which amused Eren very much.

Sighing impatiently, Levi extended his pinky finger and thumb, and bent his other fingers into the shape of a phone. "What do you want, Erwin?"

"What do I want? You're the one who called me!" Erwin responded in an exaggerated tone.

The last comment was especially entertaining to Eren, who fell onto his bum in a fit of giggles.

"I do have something I want to say to you, though. Will you hold on a moment?"

"Fine."

Erwin lowered the phone slightly and began talking to Eren. "Eren, do you like me?" he asked.

Eren's giggle simmered down slightly and, despite the large grin on his face, shook his head. "Nu-uh."

"Is that so? Because I really do like you." Erwin commented with a fake frown.

His cheeks turning red, Eren shrugged his tiny shoulders. "I 'unno."

"Put him on the phone." Levi commented from across the room.

Erwin handed the toy phone off to Eren, who placed it against his ear. "Hello?"

"Hi, Eren."

"Beebee, hello."

"Are you being mean to Erwin?"

Eren smiled and shook his head. "Nu-uh."

"Are you sure?"

"I 'unno."

"Do you like him?"

Eren giggled quietly. "Yes." he quickly murmured before he let go on the play phone, and left it hanging by the wall. He began to play with the cabinets again.

Grabbing the phone and hooking it back onto the wall, Erwin smiled to himself.

Levi observed the two quietly, realizing that there was a small twinkle of light between the two of them that hadn't been there before.

It wasn't until that moment that Levi began to worry that perhaps he was letting his baby brother become too attached to a man who he wasn't even positive would stay around with them.

He considered the idea of calling things off.