Author's Notes: Warning! There's some homophobic talk in the beginnings.
Bertholdt couldn't quite get himself comfortable in the back seat of Mr. Leonhart's car.
The first issue was that the car was very small and his legs pressed against the passenger seat painfully. The second was that he had never ridden in this car before and the smell alone made him anxious beyond belief. And the final reason was that they were all headed to a house he had never seen, meeting people he had never met, all because his father thought it would be nice for him to get some other friends.
Bertholdt kept his long limbs tucked tightly to himself as he looked out the side window, listening to the soft music Annie's dad was playing. He didn't really like the song very much, but he'd never say it. Just the thought of speaking made a lump form in his throat.
He really had to stop sweating.
"You said you already met them, right?" Reiner didn't seem to share the anxiousness as he leaned forward in the seat over, talking to Mr. Leonhart with ease.
The man laughed but never let his eyes leave the road. "I did. I couldn't tell much from the little greeting, but I think they're good kids. One of them seemed excited to meet you, Annie." He took a glace at the girl in the passenger seat, but no answer came.
"And Mr. Levi will be there too, right?"
"I think so. And if he isn't, you three still won't have anything to worry about. His husband is very kind as well and wouldn't let anything happen to you."
Bertholdt froze from the mention of a husband, his eyes going straight to Reiner. He knew how his friend's family was, the way they thought. Bertholdt's own father taught him to respect others no matter their differences, but Ms. Braun-
"Don't you mean wife?"
There it was. Bertholdt hated the second-hand embarrassment that always came with it too. Why couldn't Reiner just let the subject go, whether he agreed with it or not?
Mr. Leonhart took a moment before he spoke again. "Listen here. I know what your mom says about the gay people. I've heard her say it myself, but once you step foot on that nice couple's property, you won't speak a word of that...stuff. Understood?"
Reiner sat back, obviously not expecting the harsher tone. Bertholdt felt like sinking into his chair with the tension that hung thick in the air. Why? Why did he always have to be around when stuff like this happened?
"But," Bertholdt silently begged Reiner to stop there. He didn't. "But Mom always says that-"
Annie's head suddenly turned to them, her eyes narrowed but intense. "Says what? That 'good Christians' like you need to correct them?" She scoffed and turned back around, disappearing from view.
"Annie." Mr. Leonhart gave her another look but didn't say more. When he did speak again, his voice was softer. "Reiner, I know you think you're doing what's right by your religion, but these people already know. I'm sure someone else has told them exactly what you would like to, so please just keep it to yourself, okay? You aren't sinning by letting them make their own choices."
Bertholdt's eyes shot between them for a moment, not sure what Reiner was going to do with that. He never responded well to this sort of thing, being told to keep his beliefs to himself...but to the taller boy's surprise, Reiner nodded and sat back.
It was silent for the rest of the ride and Bertholdt was left hoping that his friend would do as he was told.
...
The house wasn't big, exactly, but compared to the apartment Bertholdt lived in, it felt huge! It was fairly wide and although there was only one story, it did have a garage door. Sometimes, he'd forget that real houses had garages. But after living in apartments his whole life, it made sense for him to forget a detail like that.
Mr. Leonhart walked up to the red front door and took the pleasure of knocking. Bertholdt felt the anxiety spread with every second that passed after that. What if they got the wrong house? They'd have to explain why they were here to a complete stranger! And then they'd have to wait longer to recheck the address and-
The front door opened and behind it was a really tall man with blonde hair. He looked neat and almost like some kind of superhero in disguise. He even had a pair of glasses on him, though, they were hanging from the collar of his shirt. Maybe they were reading glasses, like the ones Bertholdt's father used sometimes.
The tall man smiled widely at them and opened the door wider. "Welcome! It's such a pleasure to meet you! Come in and make yourselves at home."
As they walked inside, Bertholdt couldn't help but notice the really strong smell of cleaner. Was this how all rich people's houses smelled? Or maybe he just smelled bad. He really hoped not!
The inside of the house was just as nice as the outside. He could see the Livingroom already and it was pretty wide with a leather couch and the biggest TV Bertholdt had ever seen. The carpet looked really soft. Nothing compared to the twine-like carpet Bertholdt's apartment had.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Leonhart. Sadly, Levi had to leave with Armin for a quick check up, but they should be back soon enough. In the meantime, I can introduce you to my two other children." The tall man gestured toward the house, but Bertholdt hesitated to follow. The others did too.
Mr. Leonhart went first, limping into the Livingroom like he wasn't scared at all. He went all the way to the couch and sat down with a heavy sigh. Annie went with him but she didn't sit. She just stood beside him anxiously.
The tall man nodded and walked down the hall a little ways. "Wait here while I get them, okay?" With that, he left and finally, Bertholdt felt like he could breathe easier.
With this little freedom, Bertholdt walked into the Livingroom as well, but not as far as Annie and Mr. Leonhart. He knew he'd have to come back to the hall to meet the other kids anyway. Reiner ran to stand beside him, looking just as hesitant about this whole situation. At least Bertholdt knew he wasn't alone in the feeling. And with the way his father explained, these kids probably felt the same about them. They were strangers coming to their home and the only similarity was the fact they ended up in that...place.
They came back and Bertholdt took a moment to look over both of the kids. There was a boy and a girl, both looking about Annie's height and age. The girl had short, black hair and was hiding behind her red scarf. Her fingers were wrapped around the end of it anxiously. The boy didn't look like her at all, though. His skin was darker and his hair was more brown than black. He also had really bright eyes and stared openly at them, though, he didn't seem pleased either. Maybe this was a bad idea after all, since none of them even wanted to meet.
"This," The tall man spoke as he knelt down beside the two kids. "is Eren and Mikasa. They're both five and really like superheroes." Bertholdt waved to them, but only the girl -Mikasa- waved back. Eren just stared as if he were angry. And maybe he was.
"I'm Reiner." Bertholdt's head twisted to his friend, not exactly shocked that he of all people were speaking first, but just...surprised. He'd expected Mr. Leonhart to introduce them. "That's Bertholdt Hoover and we're both seven. Annie's only six, though."
A gentle touch to her shoulder and the other two waved again. The tall man stood up and smiled at everyone. "There aren't many house rules to follow, so you're free to play as you please. Just try to keep things as mess-free as you can, alright?" Bertholdt could understand that. Ever since his dad got sick, the boy had to usually clean up after himself a lot. It was hard at first, but it got easier with time.
After a moment, Eren spoke for the first time. "Come on. Our rooms over here." And without another glance, the boy started walking away.
Bertholdt glanced back at Mr. Leonhart. The man chuckled and waved them off. "Go on. I'll be here if you need anything." And that seemed to be all Reiner needed, because he immediately began following after Eren and Mikasa. Bertholdt joined him after another moment, still unsure about this whole thing.
They walked down a long hall but after only one turn to the left, they made it to a larger bedroom. There was a big bunkbed and one smaller one in the corner. Bertholdt had no idea who's bed was who's.
"We can't play heroes, since we only have one cape, but there are other dress ups too." Eren was starting to dig into a blue laundry basked, pulling out different costumes. Bertholdt's eyes widened lightly when he say a sailor hat, but he didn't move to pick it up. He didn't want to seem too excited to play with someone else's stuff.
A green camo jacket landed on the costume pile and Reiner stepped forward, picking it up. "Did you dress up as a soldier for Halloween?" He seemed genuinely interested and Eren stopped his digging.
"No. Papa and Daddy are in the military. They fight bad guys and stuff like that." With a shrug, the boy went back to the basket.
Reiner began putting it on. It was a little small, but that was probably because Eren and Mikasa were only five. "Do they drive tanks?"
Oh no. Bertholdt held his breath and watched Eren's reaction, hoping the boy would just leave the topic. Once Reiner started talking about tanks, he never stopped. It always got annoying and sometimes, Bertholdt wanted to tell him to shut up, but it was too mean. So, he was stuck listening about tanks for their whole play date.
Then again, Reiner hadn't talked about them since they got taken. Not even when they were together in that room. No one talked back then.
"No." Eren raised an eyebrow as he started putting on a pirate hat. "They can shoot guns, though. But Papa won't let me hold them. He says they're too dangerous for little kids, even though I'm not even little!"
"Only teenagers can hold them." Mikasa's voice was almost too soft to hear, but Bertholdt barely caught it. She was now hiding on the top bunk, away from everyone else. It kind of reminded Bertholdt of Annie when they went to birthday parties.
"I know that!" Eren huffed as he took off the hat and put on something else. "But Papa also knows super cool fighting moves too. He taught Mikasa how to punch bad guys and kick super hard."
Reiner picked up another costume. When Eren didn't say anything about it, Bertholdt decided it was safe enough for him to do the same. He put on the sailor hat and looked for the rest of the costume. After another moment, Reiner spoke. "So, what are we gonna play? Do you have any Legos?"
"Not anymore. Papa doesn't like messes, so we had to give them away. But that's okay, because he gets me action figures instead and they don't make as many-"
"Which one of your dads is Papa?" Bertholdt froze again, his eyes darting to Reiner accusingly. The boy raised his hands in defense. "I'm not being mean! I just wanna know!"
Eren didn't seem offended, though, as he responded. "Papa's the shorter one. He can look mean sometimes, but he isn't. And Daddy's taller and looks like Armin."
Shorter and mean looking? That must've been the man who called their parents. He did look mean at first and Bertholdt was scared he'd yell at them or something, but he ended up being really nice. And if he was Eren's papa, then they met the boy's dad just a few minutes ago. But...
"Who's Armin?" Bertholdt meant it more for himself than anyone else, but Eren perked up at the question.
"You're meet him soon! Papa's just taking him to the doctor again, but they'll be back. He's my step-brother!"
Reiner how bad the entire military outfit on and it barely fit him. "Step brother? Wait..." He let out a sigh and Bertholdt felt his throat catch again. "Having two dads it so confusing."
Eren crossed his arms, obviously upset now and Bertholdt wanted to step in, to save them all from the fight that would break out, but he was too late. "It's not confusing at all."
"Yeah it is. You have two dads, but you need a mom to be born. Where's your mom?"
"Reiner-" Bertholdt started, desperately wanting to stop this now.
"She's dead."
It was bad. So bad. But at least Reiner was backing down now. He wasn't being mean anymore and they could just go back to playing- "Then how did your dad and papa get married?"
Eren let out another big huff. "If I tell you, can we start playing dress up?" A moment of pause. Everyone looked to Reiner, who didn't seem bothered at all by the attention he was giving himself. But with a nod, the deal was settled and Eren crossed his arms over his chest like Bertholdt had seen some tired adults do. "Fine!"
So, Eren told them. He told them about his biological mom and dad adopting Mikasa, who couldn't remember her own parents. Then, he told them that they died and got adopted by their papa, who married their dad soon after. He also mentioned that Armin was their dad's biological son, but his mother died. From there, it was a little hard to follow, but Bertholdt got most of it. These two had come from a lot of different families, so having two dads probably wasn't weird for them at all.
After the explanation, they decided to have a little fashion show with the costumes and despite the fact that Bertholdt barely fit into any of them, it was still fun.
He was starting to like these two.
...
Erwin sat on the couch across from Mr. Leonhart. With a cup of tea for each and the worries of their children getting along mostly dulled, they were able to focus on their own conversation.
"I know it may seem insensitive, but...how exactly were those three taken?" This was a conversation Erwin had been waiting quite a while for, mostly just for his own curiosity.
To his credit, Mr. Leonhart didn't falter. He just smiled sadly and set his cup down. "It was...a reckless mistake on our part. I was so caught up in settling Annie into our new home and that Warrior program that..." He paused and rubbed at his eyes. Erwin could remember that feeling. In fact, he often still felt it, late at night. It was the guilt. "I knew Karina and George Hoover before we moved, so we switched off in carpooling the kids from their training. It worked well enough and we thought nothing of it."
"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is the Warrior program? All I've heard are the things Levi's mentioned and...well, he isn't exactly unbias." Erwin took slow sip from his cup, letting the man speak at his own pace now.
Mr. Leonhart nodded slowly, but his expression darkened still. "It's...a mistake, is what it is. The program itself isn't bad; just another scout program open to all genders, but the only reason I make Annie train for it was because of the benefits I'd receive. It's highly competitive and because of it, they offer to move the scouts' families closer, if they wish." Mr. Leonhart lets out a sigh as he sits back. He winces and a hand goes to his knee, but he doesn't complain.
"I wanted to live in a big city, it had always been my dream." He continued. "But because of that careless dream, I neglected to see how the program was shifting how I saw my daughter. I wasn't looking at her like a six year old that needed her father's care, I saw her as a...a warrior."
Erwin nodded slowly. It was understandable. Perhaps the program and Erwin's own military experience weren't the same, but he knew that the longer he stayed commander of the Survey Corps, the less he saw each new recruit as an individual person. They were pawns to be dealt with. People he could use. It was the mindset he needed in order to keep the guilt from crushing him -even though it still did, regardless of how he desensitized himself from death.
"We slipped up on that day." Mr. Leonhart spoke softly now, his eyes looking nowhere but his own hands. "I thought Karina was going to pick them up, George thought I was, and Karina the same." A pause. "We left the three of them alone for three hours. Alone. In a city they still don't even know." His voice broke at the end. "Who does that? Who leaves three children all alone for hours? And the program didn't watch them. None of their instructors made sure to call us. They were just standing there on the street. And someone else took them away, because we were careless."
This, Erwin can completely understand. They were the same, after all. Just like them, he and Levi left their children alone at an age much too young. They slipped up and innocent blood was spilt. There was no apologizing for it, Erwin knew. And he thanked his lucky stars every day that the three of them didn't hate him. Didn't blame him for leaving them unsupervised. Didn't reject every offer of forgiveness he gave.
"There..." Mr. Leonhart's voice drew Erwin back. "There was another kid with them, though. None of us speak about it because...well, we're afraid. Afraid that the kids will hear and it'll trigger something no one can fix."
Erwin sat forward at this. "Another child was with them?"
The older man nodded. "Yes. He wasn't much older. Maybe Eight? His name was Marcel and he hadn't come home either, from what he heard but...when your husband called us, Marcel wasn't there. We still haven't heard that he'd come back either, but I can't ask my daughter. I can't ask her what happened in that horrible place. It's bad enough that she had to live through it because of me. Making her relive it...I can't."
Reaching forward, Erwin put a firm hand on the man's shoulder, only speaking once their eyes met. "Mr. Leonhart, I understand your concern. Levi and I...we haven't dared to question our children either, but not long ago, a bit of the truth came out. It was horrible to hear, even worse to imagine, but these details...they're helping the police solve this case. If you want them to find Marcel, I fear that you may not have a choice but to question them. And if you can't do it, then let the police." When Mr. Leonhart began shaking his head, Erwin held firm. "What happened cannot be left alone for much longer. What will we do when the trafficking circle revives itself and the evidence is all but forgotten?"
They broke eye contact, but Erwin knew he had made an impact. Mr. Leonhart looked down, up, and then down again. There were tears threatening to leave his eyes, but he pushed them back stubbornly. "I...I'll think about it. The others may not like it any more than I do, but I know the Galliards won't rest until their oldest boy is found. The least I can do is give them peace of mind."
"And that is all the police want." Erwin might not have always agreed with the Military Police, but they did good work. If he pulled some strings, he could get someone honorable to take their evidence.
But until then, all they had to worry about was supervising a playdate.
Author's Notes: I'm not gonna lie, most of the time I spent planning this chapter never even came into play. I may be a little slower in writing these too, because I'm still figuring out where I should take this. Rereading through the story made me realize that I can't exactly leave the investigation the way I did and make it feel complete, so I'll definitely address that more. Let me know how you liked this! It's been a while since I updated this and I want to make sure that the feel of this fic is consistent.