…
Eren mindlessly flipped through the post, as expected a bunch of junk mail addressed to the home owner rather than anything personal. What did surprise him was the amount of hand written letters Marco seemed to be receiving. His family were known for sending care packages on a regular basis but they were usually large parcels that got left 'hidden' behind the bins by the postman, they were never a bombardment of letters.
With a careless shrug Eren threw the letters on the table, jumping slightly at the unexpected clunk as they hit the wood.
In confusion he bent down, grabbing one of the letters and giving it a quick shake, listening to the distinctive sound of money clanging together. He placed the letters back on the table, why would they be sending money unless it was his birthday.
Eren's blood turned cold at the thought, it was Marco's birthday next week. Jean had been going on about it for weeks and Eren had managed to completely forget to get him a present.
Turning on his heel Eren raced up the stairs, grabbing his wallet off his desk before rushing out the house, hoping he could find something nice but ultimately cheap in town.
…
As Eren got bustled around the shopping centre he remembered why he didn't go shopping on Saturdays anymore, too many dawdling old couples, annoying kids running around his ankles, teenagers stopping every five seconds for a gossip and Mum's knocking you down with oversized prams.
Ready to give up and come again on Monday after his lectures finished he noticed a very familiar black haired man ahead of him. But for once, he wasn't on his own, there was a brunette tightly latched onto his arm talking animatedly, well he assumed if her over-exaggerated hand movements were anything to go by.
Eren pushed himself faster, hoping to catch a glimpse of this woman, clearly the one that had called Rivaille the last night they'd spent together. She appeared to be taller than Rivaille, her hair scruffily scrapped back into a ponytail with a pair of glasses framing her eyes.
He watched as the woman dragged Rivaille along, her steps practically bouncing as they entered The Disney Store, why the couple were out shopping for children's toys Eren didn't know but he couldn't stop himself from following.
Inside the shop, Eren found himself caught up in the joy of the store, music playing loudly with a number of kids singing off key, memorabilia and toys from films he'd forgotten he loved.
He'd quickly lost Rivaille and the mystery woman in the mist of people but he found he didn't over care at that moment, his eyes drawn to the large pile of plush toys in the centre of the store. Hesitantly, he made his way over, eyeing up the variety of soft toys.
His eyes found a horse, the label telling him he was from the film Tangled, Eren felt slightly tempted to purchase it as a present for Marco. He'd see the funny side in it and it would piss Jean off no end to have it in Marco's bedroom, it was win win.
As he reached for the toy he noticed Rivaille stood off to the side, looking completely out of place as he sulked, presumably waiting for the woman to return to him. Glancing around to see if she was in sight, Eren made his way over.
Unaware of his presence, Rivaille mindlessly picked up a doll collection on the shelf in front of him, noting down the price with a tut of disgust before placing the item back on the shelves. Eren wondered why he would be looking at dolls, was it possible that he had a daughter with that woman?
Before he could entertain that thought further he spoke up.
"Hi." He said softly, Rivaille's head shooting up suddenly at the sound.
His eyes widened frantically when he noticed who was stood by his side, panic quite evident behind his usual cool demeanour.
"Not now kid, seriously." He hissed, nervously glancing around the shop.
"I was only saying…" Eren started to explain but he was cut off by a shrill cry that caused Rivaille to wince.
"Levi!" The mysterious woman yelled, arriving at his side with her arms filled with toys.
"Alright beautiful, remember you have a three toy minimum." He said, turning his back on Eren as if he didn't exist.
"But Levi, I need them all." She whined, pouting slightly but Rivaille – or as it seemed now Levi – wasn't swayed.
"Hange." He scolded. "Stop whinging or I'm going to reduce you down to two."
Levi crossed his arms at the woman, managing to look down on her despite being a few inches shorter, Eren watched the whole exchange with interest, it was not something he expected from two lovers, rather a father and daughter.
"Fine." Hange admitted defeat.
She dropped her toys to the floor and crouched down, sieving through the pile biting her lip slightly as she debated her choices.
"Well I need Ariel because she sings." Hange explained, holding the box up and pressing the button on her tail so the doll sung inside her box.
"Okay, and what else?" Levi asked, taking the box from her outstretched hand.
"And we need these because it's almost Christmas." She said, grabbing a box of Disney decorations from the bottom of the pile and handing them to Levi.
"One more." He told her, the woman picking up a set of wings in one hand a tiara with the other.
"Which one?" She asked, tilting her head to one side.
"The tiara." Levi decided, grabbing the item out her hand. "The wings would get in the way but the tiara is more every day wear. Now go and put the rest of these back while I go pay."
"Thank you Levi!" She gushed, her smile bright across her cheeks.
Levi turned around to pay, only to be confronted by Eren still stood directly besides him, eyes wide with confusion, trying to piece together all the information.
"Levi?" Eren asked, his voice sounding small.
"Who's this Levi? Why were you hiding him from me?" Hange asked, bounding up to the pair and wrapping her arm around Levi's neck.
"Just someone I know from work." Levi muttered.
"Really? Do you work at the restaurant with Levi?" She questioned, staring at the boy with interest.
"Yeah I do." Eren muttered lamely, he knew it was his perfect moment to out Levi but the glare he was giving him was far too intimidating.
"It's nice to meet you…" She smiled, waiting expectantly for him to fill in the blank but he seemed completely speechless.
"Eren." Levi answered for him.
"You can help me put my things away while Levi pays." She said, reaching forward to grab Eren's wrist.
"Sure." Eren managed to respond.
"Don't you have to buy your horse?" Levi interrupted before the pair could rush away.
"Oh this? Not right now." He casually replied, far more interesting in Hange than his gift for Marco.
"Suit yourself." He shrugged, walking away.
Eren watched him leave, unsure what he was feeling. Levi didn't seem to care he'd been caught, he had no shame about his business and pleasure mixing. It was rather unsettling, Eren had expected more defence, trying to keep Hange as far from him as possible.
"I'm really glad we met, Levi never introduces me to his friends." Hange said, filling his arms with toys.
"Really?"
"Yeah, he's very secretive about work and such." She shrugged, leading Eren around the store. "Is he as grumpy at work as he is at home?"
"Not really." Eren laughed, having only seen an upset Levi once in his life.
"Oh, you're very lucky." She giggled, pulling items from his hands and placing them back on the shelf.
"So you live with Levi?" He asked, having picked on that key nugget of information from her previous question.
"Uh huh." She nodded.
"How long have you known Levi then?" He continued digging.
"For as long as I can remember really. Me and Levi have always been best friends." Hange explained, placing the last toy back in its rightful place.
Eren held onto the fact they were best friends, this woman suddenly becoming no threat to him at all. She was not someone he would have to compete with for Levi's heart. Not that it meant he had any more of a chance than when he thought the pair were a couple.
"Oh Eren! Do you want to come to the park with us? Levi promised to take me after we'd finished shopping." Hange exclaimed, quickly changing the subject and stopping Eren's questioning.
"Sure, I don't see why not." He shrugged.
"Great! It's going to be so much fun." She gushed, dragging him towards the entrance of the shop where Levi now stood, a bright bag clutched in his hand, a slightly pissed off look as he saw that Eren had no intention of leaving Hange anytime soon.
…
"Hold still Hange." Levi complained, struggling to fix the plastic tiara to Hange's head as she bounced hopelessly.
When Hange had invited Eren to the park he'd expected that they'd go to the new one a few roads from him, always full of children fighting for a turn on the various attractions. Instead, they'd gone to the old one that was covered in rust, the one that – bar a few drunk teenagers late at night and if Eren was honest him and his housemates a couple of times – was always empty as most parents had written it off as a health hazard. But he supposed this way the three of them had privacy if it was so needed.
He watched as Levi clipped the tiara to her head, using a set of grips he – for some unknown reason – kept in his wallet. Eren couldn't help but smile at the tender look that was currently gracing Levi's face, the unconditional love present in his eyes, looking at Hange softly as Eren's own mother would often look at him.
"There. Beautiful." Levi complimented, pulling his hands back.
Hange blushed at the comment before running off, eagerly clambering up the climbing frame and bounding across the bridge towards the slide. Eren watching her in slight fear, waiting for her to hurtle over the side in her excitement.
Eren glanced nervously to his side at Levi, whose eyes were fixed forward, almost as if he was denying Eren's presence completely. The younger boy longed to catch the others attention but couldn't think of anything to say, so instead they settled for sitting in silence beyond the occasional call from Hange to 'watch' as she slid down the fireman's pole.
"Just ask already." Levi said, Eren jumping slightly as his annoyed voice broke through the quiet.
"Ask what?" Eren questioned, turning towards the other man who was finally acknowledging him.
"What the fuck is wrong with her." He told him bluntly. "I know you're thinking it."
"I wasn't." He defended.
"Please, how many 30 year old women do you see wearing tiaras on a set of swings?" He scoffed.
"I just thought she was eccentric." Eren offered.
"That's one way of putting it." He laughed bitterly.
The fell into silence again, Eren carefully choosing his next words. He'd seen Levi go on the defence before, put up his walls high to protect himself inside.
"I don't want to force you to talk about anything you don't want to." Eren finally settled on saying.
"Fuck! It's been 11 years kid, I need to talk to someone about it." Levi groaned, dropping his head forward and running his fingers through his hair. "I've just never had anyone to listen."
"I'll listen." Eren said softly, placing his hand on the other man's thigh.
Levi glanced up, uncertainty clouding his eyes, but the gentle smile on Eren's cheeks broke through, finding the smallest crack in the walls and slipping inside.
"Christ, where do I even start?" Levi laughed nervously, sitting up right again.
"At the beginning would be a good idea." Eren joked lightly.
"Yeah, I guess. The beginning." He hummed slightly, getting his memories together before speaking again. "We grew up together, next door neighbours and best friends for as far back as I can remember. Hell, I can't even recall a time when she wasn't in my life. But then she turned 18, decided she wanted to go to university and that's when everything went completely tits up."
"Why?" Eren pressed, gently placing his hand over the tight fist resting on the bench beside Levi.
"She should have gone places, forgotten all about this shitty little town, about me, but the world has a way of fucking up everyone's dream." He muttered bitterly, his whole body tensing.
"What happened?" He asked.
"She was going to study psychology, wanted to see how the brains works. Fucking ironic." He continued to babble, not making sense but the anger seeping through each word.
"Levi." Eren said sternly, effectively stopping the ramblings. "Please tell me what happened."
"It was the morning she was due to leave, I helped pack up the car but refused to go with her. She needed to be free, become something better than who she would be if we stayed together. She had a future, I was a school dropout who was only scrapping by on minimum wage in a shitty apartment above a fish and chip shop."
"Levi!" A cheery voice broke the moment, both men turning towards the sound to see an excited Hange waving from the highest point on the climbing frame.
"Hey gorgeous! You be careful up there." Levi called back, waving in return.
"Of course." She laughed.
"On the way to university there was a crash, some dick not paying attention when he changed lanes and forced them to swerve into oncoming traffic. Her parents died on impact while she sustained serious head trauma. They took her to the hospital where they said it would be surprising if she woke up at all, and if she did she would never be the same." Levi told him, eyes filling up with tears as he talked.
"Levi, you don't have to tell me anymore." Eren soothed, but Levi just firmly shook his head.
"No, I've kept this to myself for so long now. I went to see her every day, talking to her in the hope she'd hear me, know that there was someone waiting for her. Eventually she woke up, but I knew something wasn't right. It was like she was a child again, filled with carefree innocence but this time she'd never grow out of it. She suffered neurological damage, not wired up like the rest of us anymore, it affects her memory most but it shows itself in other ways. She has good days and bad days just like you and me." He told him, not even bothering to stop his tears anymore. "Do you know how hard it is to see her so broken when she's forgotten how to tie her shoelaces? How many times I've had to teach her over the years for her to potentially forget the next day? She doesn't deserve this life."
"Levi?" Hange asked, her voice far closer than before as she stood before the pair.
"Hey princess." Levi forced a smile.
"Why are you crying Levi?" She questioned, sitting down on his lap and gently brushing his tears away.
"Nothing important, just stupid work stuff." He said.
Hange glanced towards Eren, hoping to shed some further light on the situation but he just nodded along with Levi's story, seemingly satisfying the woman's curiosity.
"I'm jealous." Levi spoke up, effectively distracting Hange. "The climbing frame looks fun."
"It is Levi!" She gushed. "Did you see how fast I was on the slide?"
"I did." He laughed.
"Come on." She encouraged, jumping off Levi's lap and grabbing him around the wrist. "Let's go see who can swing highest."
"Alright, I'm coming." Levi grumbled, but it was clear to all there Hange was his entire world, no matter what she asked he would deliver.
…
Eren sat down on the swing next to Levi, Hange soon growing tired as she effortlessly won the swinging contest, although it did seem Levi wasn't giving it his all. Her laughter echoed around the park as she spun on the round-a-bout, Levi watching her with a fond grin.
"There is one thing I still don't understand." Eren said, capturing Levi's attention.
"What's that?" He asked.
"How come you ended up with Hange? Surely a jobless dropout isn't exactly first choice."
"Hey I wasn't jobless, I pulled pints for pocket change at the local." Levi defended himself. "When she woke up she was so confused, so lost, her entire family was just gone like that and she was entirely alone. Sure, she had distant relatives but nobody that stuck around long after the funeral. I was the only person she had left, she felt safe with me so I didn't ever consider any other option. She was coming home with me, I'd support her for as long as she needed. So I got my arse in gear, got a better paid job, got us out of the shit apartment, even if the free chips were a god send, and have been able to keep her happy ever since."
Eren contemplated Levi's words for a while, the same question still floating around since he'd first found out about Hange's past, since he'd first seen this parental side to the elusive Rivaille.
"Why a hooker?" He asked.
"I don't know." Levi shrugged. "I was 19 and suddenly I had to look after a whole other person. I had no skills, no education, no money and I panicked. The only thing I knew I was any good at was sex so I made it my career. So here I am, I think it's served me pretty well."
"I guess so." Eren mumbled, staring down at his feet.
"Without it I would never have met you." Levi teased, reaching his leg out to gently stroke his calf with his foot, Eren jumping slightly at the contact.
"Levi!" Hange whined, running up to the pair and affectively ruining the moment.
"What's wrong?" Levi questioned.
"I want to go home now." She moaned, trying to pull him up off the swing, delicately rubbing her bottom with her other hand from where she'd fallen off the round-about. Explaining her sudden want to go home.
"Okay, okay." He said, standing up and pushing her grabbing hands away. "We can head home."
"Do you want to come with us?" Hange asked, addressing Eren.
"Oh, I…" He started but was quickly cut off by Levi.
"I'm sure he doesn't want to, he's got better things to do." He said, offering Eren an excuse but he didn't want to take it.
"No, I'll come over for a bit." He agreed with a smile.
"Great." Hange cheered, as if the man were doing her a favour but if anything it was the other way around.
He longed to spend more time with Levi, the new personality he was slowly revealing, letting Eren get closer to him than any other person had, beyond Hange of course. He craved the closeness, he knew he had it physically as they were very intimate and familiar with each other's bodies but he needed it emotionally as well.
So Eren let Hange wrap her arm around his neck and lead him towards their shared home, rambling on in his ear about everything they would do together while he just hoped to catch a glimpse of domestic Levi, maybe even in an apron if he was lucky.
…
So the mysterious woman is revealed! Some of you guessed Hange so props to you guys :)