Author's Note: This chapter contains more major spoilers for the most recent, uncompiled manga chapters.

And I honestly think that this chapter is some of my best writing yet. I really hope you all enjoy it.

"Eren."

Eren turned.

"Walk in front so he doesn't see you if he looks up."

The look on Eren's face was pure hurt. Shame bubbled up within him as his gaze lingered on Levi for a moment before he turned forward and started walking. Behind him, desperately clutched in Levi's arms, his son screamed bloody murder. Previous words of betrayal had eventually turned into a garbled mess of screams and sobs. The boy had never cried this hard, had never sounded so inhuman before. He had been a relatively quiet baby and had been good with words from the moment he could speak. But now the volume of his shrieks reminded Levi of a Titan's cry. Maybe the child had inherited Eren's healthy lungs after all.

Back in Zhiganshina, the gate closed behind them, and Eren and Levi began the walk back to their home. The Garrison soldiers guarding the gate watched silently, wondering where the cheerful atmosphere of the morning had gone.

It seemed like all of humanity was out and about in Zhiganshina that afternoon. The roads were crowded, and the shops were full. Early June was a great time for fresh fruits and vegetables as well as a good supply of meat, so the market was hopping with activity. All of Eren's friends were out, too, happily going about their business.

It all came to a screeching halt when Eren and Levi passed through the area. Time seemed to stand still as they walked, and their house seemed to inch further and further away. Eren kept his head down, trying to hide from all of them while Levi's face matched the one he wore after coming back from the failed expedition against the Female Titan. Their son still wailed in Levi's arms, pounding his little fists against Levi's shoulder.

The silence broke when the murmurs started.

"I saw them heading for the gate this morning. They must have taken that child outside."

"Oh my god, what kind of parent puts their child in danger like that?"

"Poor kid must be traumatized."

"If that's not child abuse, it should be. They shouldn't be allowed to keep that kid."

"Those two never should have bred anyway. For all we know, the kid's a freak, too."

"Always knew the Survey Corps was full of crooks and murderers. Never thought it would stoop so low to use children as weapons."

"What if they took him outside to fight? What if they're training him to take over humanity one day?!"

"Why are you calling it 'him?' It's an 'it,' obviously. Don't treat it like a human."

Eren stopped short and glared at the crowd, rage boiling over shame. He went to scream when Levi swiftly pushed him from behind, causing him to trip foreword.

"Ignore them. Just keep going."

Eren turned to shout at his husband until he saw Levi's face. The color had completely drained from it. His jaw was tense, and his eyes were darker than usual. They were wide open while the irises and pupils were very small, and Eren could see a slight tremble that travelled down to Levi's shoulders, where their son had buried his face and was now screaming into it.

Eyes watering, Eren turned forward and started walking again.

Why the hell is everyone suddenly out? he asked himself. Oh, of course, NOW that horse-faced bastard is feeling sympathetic. I don't need your pity, you jerk. There's Armin and is that…? Oh god, don't look like that, Annie, you look like you're about to cry. Goddammit, we don't need your tears, too. This must look really bad if Bertholdt's holding Reiner's hand in public. I can see the sweat from here. Screw all three of you, you're all freaks, too. Freaks and SINNERS. Why am I treated like a criminal when YOU'RE just—! Oh my god, wipe that look off your face, Ymir. You're looking like you knew this would happen. Damn, Historia isn't even looking at us. And there's…oh yeah, Connie and Sasha's baby is due next month. They're gonna bring their own kid into this world.

This cruel, merciless, unforgiving world.

Eren heard a third set of footsteps, this one right next to him.

"I'm walking you back to your house," Mikasa said firmly, looking every bit like the steadfast soldier she was. "I can guess what happened. There are Military Police and Survey Corps opponents in the area. I won't let any of them hurt you."

Any words died in Eren's throat. The tears in his eyes freely flowed as his sister wrapped an arm around him and led him and his family back home.

Screaming. The boy was still screaming.

"Do you need me to stay?" Mikasa asked as Eren followed Levi into the house. "Do you need anything?"

Eren shook his head. "No, thank you." He saw the worried look on her face and frowned. "I mean it, Mikasa, thank you so much. But—"

"No, I understand," she said, "just please try to rest, okay? Your breathing is erratic, and your legs are trembling slightly. Just how long were you in Titan form?"

Her nephew's screaming suddenly stopped.

"Not long," Eren replied, "but I fought a lot of Titans and had to control them while in Titan form."

Mikasa nodded. "That takes a lot of energy. Please try to rest."

"You knew…"

The three adults' attention immediately snapped to the child in Levi's arms. The boy was completely still for a few seconds before turning his head to stare at Mikasa. "You knew," he repeated, remaining still for another second before gagging and thrashing about wildly to the point that Levi had to put him down. The moment Levi did, the boy gagged again and threw up what little food was still in his stomach on the hallway floor.

The adults stood horrified and motionless as they watched the boy cough violently before heaving so hard he couldn't keep himself upright. He wobbled onto his elbows and dropped his head. After a moment of silence, he looked back up at the adults, face full of tears and saliva and vomit. "You knew," he said again, focusing on Mikasa. "If you knew, how many other people know?"

Mikasa swallowed hard, unsure of how to respond.

"Does everyone know?" the boy continued, voice high-pitched and quiet. "Do all our friends know? Uncle Armin and Aunt Annie and Uncle Reiner and Uncle Bertholdt and Uncle Jean and Uncle Connie and Aunt Sasha and Aunt Ymir and Aunt Historia? What about Uncle Erwin and Aunt Hanji? Wait…is that why Aunt Hanji won't hug me? Because she thinks I'm some Titan monster?"

Eren could barely form a sound to respond before his son started screaming again. "DON'T LIE TO ME! DON'T LIE TO ME, I'M NOT STUPID!"

Finally Eren could find it in himself to speak. "We don't think—!"

"YES, YOU DO, THAT'S WHY YOU LIED TO ME!" The boy stopped to cry for a few more seconds before saying, "But maybe I am. Maybe I am stupid. We played Tickle Titan together because you knew I was too stupid to figure out that you actually ARE a Titan…"

Levi found his voice at that. "Don't go spewing nonsense like that! We don't think like that at all!"

The boy stared straight back at him, and Levi actually flinched. Those big, beautiful, green irises that he loved so much were suddenly nothing more than little, black dots in the center of the boy's wide, pink, puffy eyes. They reminded Levi far too much of his own eyes. The dull, black hair riddled with knots and dirt and the mess on the boy's face forced Levi to remember a person he had never wanted to see in the first place and had never wanted to see again, the very person he had always wanted to forget.

His son looked exactly like he had as a child.

"Is that why you could have me?" the boy asked, snapping Levi out of his terrible memories. "I've only seen mommies with babies inside their tummies, like Aunt Sasha. I've never seen a papa look like he was gonna have a baby…"

No one needed to say anything. The silence said it all.

"…I'm angry," the boy said, voice wavering as fresh tears spilled from his eyes. "I'm really angry."

Without another word, he ran upstairs to his room, slammed the door behind him, and started screaming again.

Mikasa left after that, knowing that her presence wouldn't help the situation. Eren thanked her one last time before she left, and she nodded in response. "Any time," she said before closing the front door and heading home.

Eren's legs finally gave out after that. Levi grabbed onto him and kept him upright the best he could, but it was uncomfortable for the 6'5" Eren to lean on the 5'3" Levi. "Let's get you to bed," Levi said, helping his husband up the stairs and into the master bedroom. Across the hall, they heard a loud wail.

Once Eren was set in bed, Levi rushed back downstairs to the front closet, grabbed something out of it, and came back upstairs. "Earmuffs," he said, securing them on Eren's head.

Eren placed a hand over Levi's and took it from the earmuffs to his lips. He kissed it once before Levi took it away and bent down he could kiss his husband's forehead. "Try to sleep," he said as he pulled away.

Eren grabbed his hand before he could go. "This is my worst nightmare," he said quietly as his eyes started to water. "I've had actual nightmares about this, about him finding out this way." The tears fell down his cheeks and disappeared into the pillow.

Levi gently tugged his hand away after a moment of stillness. "Try to sleep, Eren," he repeated, and he left the room.

As soon as he closed the bedroom door, Levi heard a loud crash come from the room across the hall. He winced, realizing that that was probably the rocking chair falling over. It took a moment for his legs to remember how to walk, and he slowly made his way downstairs. How did Kenny's followers end up being the Military Police squad that scouted the area for us this morning before we went out? he asked himself, and then he gasped loudly. At the market! We went out together after those underground thugs attacked us, and I mentioned that we were going to go outside the Walls for our anniversary. Then someone bumped into us and…!

A brick of guilt dropped into Levi's stomach just as he reached the lower floor, and, looking at the mess his son had left, he suddenly felt like he was going to be sick, too. He somehow kept it all down though, and instead went to the hall closet to gather his cleaning supplies.

He worked through the mess slowly, but the mess eventually disappeared, and he put his supplies back in the closet. He took the bandana off his head and then headed into the living room. He knelt before the storage cabinet next to the couch and opened it, pulling out a box. Upon opening it, he pulled out its single treasure: the "accidental" photograph of he and Eren kissing lovingly while their week-old son watched on in curious amazement.

A few drops of clear liquid fell onto the framed photograph.

"Why can't…all our mistakes and problems…be as wonderful as this one?"

Silence.

Where am I? What time is it? the boy lying face down in the middle of his trashed bedroom thought. It's dark so maybe it's nighttime. Then how long have I been lying here like this? I think I'm awake…did I ever sleep? I can't remember.

Pause.

Maybe the day hasn't started yet. Maybe all that was just a nightmare.

Pause.

But, if it was, why does my throat hurt so badly? Why am I so tired? Why does my face feel all sticky? Oh yeah, I was screaming a lot earlier. And then I threw up and kept screaming. And then I came up here and… He looked up and blinked a few times to let his eyes adjust. Slowly he began to sit up until he was on his knees and took in the scene before him. The sheets were torn off his bed. The rocking chair across from it was on its side and slammed up against the wall. All the dresser drawers were open, and clothes were strewn everywhere. All his toys were spread out across the floor. The curtains on his window had been yanked off. Oh wow, I really made a mess. Papa is gonna be really mad at me.

But he found himself not caring.

Instead, he picked himself up entirely and dragged himself to the bed, grabbing the missing sheets along the way. He crawled up to his pillow, set his head down, and was about to go to sleep when he was something smiling at him.

His favorite stuffed Titan toy.

In a rage-filled moment, he scrambled out of bed, grabbed the toy, and threw it against the opposite wall. "WHAT ARE YOU SMILING ABOUT?!" he screamed, but his voice cracked and left him coughing for a good minute. When he finally calmed down, he glared at the toy, and fresh tears began to spill from his eyes. "There's nothing…to smile about." He rubbed his eyes, but the tears still came. "Wow, they must have thought I was really stupid to give you to me. You were Titan Daddy the whole time, and I couldn't figure that out." He gave up trying to rub the tears away and stared at his toy, which just smiled back with its arms widespread, silently offering a hug. Unable to resist, the boy crawled over to it and hugged it, finding a slight bit of comfort in its soft, warm embrace.

This will always protect you.

The boy pulled away once the words echoed in his mind and stared at the toy. His tears stopped. "That's what Daddy and Papa always told me about you. But how could you protect me? You're just…"

He gasped.

Eren and Levi laid in their bed, Eren hugging Levi from behind. The room was quiet save for their breathing, but the moon shone brightly through their window. Levi gently shifted when he heard Eren's voice. "I can't sleep."

Levi shook his head. "Me either."

Knock, knock.

Eren and Levi sat straight up in bed as their door opened, revealing their little boy hanging onto his plush toy. The child glanced at them before looking down at the floor and saying, "Can I come in?"

"Of course," Levi said quickly, moving away from Eren so there was a free space between them. He pat it and said, "Come here." His son did so, and he picked the child up and settled him in the free spot. The boy kept staring at his toy and playing with its hair, but his parents didn't mind. They waited for him to speak.

"You know," he eventually said, "I was growing out my hair so that I matched my toy. I guess I'll match your Titan, too, Daddy."

Eren flinched at that but didn't say anything, as he was in no position to defend himself.

When his son spoke again, the boy's voice trembled. "Why didn't you tell me?"

This time, Eren did speak. "Oh, baby…we don't blame you if you hate us."

"I don't hate you."

Eren and Levi were both certainly wide awake now.

The boy turned so that he was facing them. "I never said that I hated you because I don't. I said that I was angry because I am. I'm…angry and sad and confused and…I just want to know why you didn't tell me."

At this, Levi pat his lap and opened his arms, inviting his son to sit with him. Without hesitation, the boy crawled to him and laid against his chest. Levi wrapped his arms around him and kissed his forehead. It felt amazing to hold his precious baby in his arms again. All three Jaegers needed the comfort. "We were going to tell you when you were older," Levi explained in the calmest, most caring voice he could muster. "We we going to sit you down when you were a teenager and tell you everything. We didn't want you to know as a child because we wanted you to have the most normal childhood possible. Daddy and I had very bad childhoods. Daddy lost his mommy and daddy, your grandma and grandpa, when he was young, just a little bit older than you. I spent my entire childhood in the underground without real parents. I was very poor and hung out with some very bad people and did very bad things to survive." He paused to place another kiss on his son's head. "So, because we didn't have good childhoods, we wanted you to have the happiest childhood possible. We wanted you to run and jump and play and smile and laugh and sing and dance and have a ton of fun without a care in the world." This world is far too cruel, and I wanted you only to see the beautiful part of it. But he left that part out.

The boy contemplated this for a while, quietly relaxed in his papa's arms. He looked at his plush toy and then looked at Eren. "Daddy," he eventually said, "are there other people like you?"

Eren swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes."

"Do I know them?"

"…Yes."

"Oh."

Silence.

"I'm sorry, baby, I won't tell you who they are. If they want to tell you, they can, but I won't invade their privacy."

The boy shrugged. "It's okay. As long as none of them are bad."

Eren shook his head. "No, they're not." Not anymore at least. But he, too, left that part out.

The boy then held up his toy. "This is you, isn't it?"

Eren nodded. "We never expected you to like that toy so much. Hell, we didn't even make it, it was a gift before you were born. But, when we gave it to you, you refused to let it go, so we thought we'd use it to teach you that my Titan wasn't bad. That's why we told you that—"

"It would always protect me, I know. Now I get it," the boy finished, leaning back down against Levi's chest.

"Daddy uses this power to protect the people he loves and help win humanity's freedom," Levi explained, shifting so that he was right next to Eren again. "He's done so much to help us. We have dozens of stories about the great things he's done with his powers. We'll tell them all to you someday. And there are other really great things about his power, too. Daddy gives really great hugs, right? That's because his powers made him big and warm. He doesn't get sick, so he can always take care of us, and he can recover from nearly any injury."

"But the best part about this power," Eren interrupted, gently brushing the hair away from his son's face, "is that it let us have you."

After a beat of silence, a tiny smile appeared on the boy's face, and it was infectious. Eren smiled back at him, and Levi, seeing Eren's smile, managed one of his own. The mood lightening, Eren wrapped his big, warm arms around his husband and his son, and he could have cried with joy. It would take a while to win back their son's trust entirely, but the Jaeger household was at least starting to feel normal.

"Daddy."

"Hm?"

"I'm hungry."

"Oh, I'll make something real quick," Levi said, breaking away and going to get out of bed. He was about to go to his closet to find a bathrobe when he heard a knock on the front door. Cocking an eyebrow, he headed downstairs, opened the front door, shut it after a few minutes, and then reemerged upstairs, shaking his head and saying, "Eren, I swear to Sina, that sister of yours is something else." He took the top off the pot in his hands and said, "She stayed up late making soup for us in case we couldn't eat dinner."

Eren's eyes popped out in shock. "Wha…really?! Mikasa did?!"

Levi nodded and shrugged. "Got damn perfect timing, too. Heh, midnight snack, anyone?"

"Thank you, Aunt Mikasa!" the little boy said, cheer starting to reappear in his voice.

Levi didn't bother commenting on the mess soup would probably make of the master bed. He just set the pot down on a nightstand, got three bowls and spoons from the kitchen, and served the late dinner right there.

With full stomachs and a bit of peace back in their house, all three Jaegers finally slept, the little toy in the child's arms keeping them all safe even as they slept in especially late that next morning.

END

Author's Note: Mikasa Ackerman for Best Aunt 2014.