Hey readers. Welcome back to another chapter of HSF. Thanks to all of you that are following this story. I really appreciate it and I hope ya'll stay to the end. Now this chapter is the beginning of a double update. I'm posting two of them because I feel the pacing is a bit slow so I figured I'd give you a bunch of chapters focusing on one aspect of the story and then periodically post the chapters that I feel will flow at the right pace. I really can't wait to hear from you all. Following the advice I received from Toyin Oladimeji(thank you), I'm trying to write this whole thoughts in Italics thing. I'm going to try so I'd love to hear what you think. Without further ado…
The sun was high in the sky, shining on the neighbourhood filled with a line of identical blue houses, each on square yards with bright green grass surrounded by white picket fences.
The Ackermans came to a halt outside one of the houses.
"This looks better than I expected," Mikasa said, glancing around the area. It had certainly outdone itself for a place that was housing refugees.
"Is this Grandma and Grandpa's place?" She heard Marie's voice from behind her. She had ridden with Dean and Marie while Junior had ridden with Daniel.
"Yes it is," She responded before turning off the engine.
Just as the Ackermans got off the bikes, the front door to the house swung open, revealing Carla Jaeger.
"Hi everyone!"
"Grandma!" the children shouted before rushing up to her, enveloping their grandmother in a hug.
"Oh look at you kids. You're all so big now," she said in awe, giving the children's cheeks squeezes. She then looked at her eldest grandson, "look at you, already becoming a man, are we?"
"Yeah, I'm even a soldier now."
"…really. That's impressive," Carla responded, concern evident in her tone before looking at the children, "you all go inside and say hi to everyone."
"Okay," the kids said before darting passed her—the twins and Marie darted passed her. Junior walked.
It was now Mikasa's turn to approach the brunette woman and pull her into a hug.
"Mikasa. It's been far too long," she started, obviously trying her best to squeeze her as much as possible, "I thought I was relieved when I spoke to you on phone but now that I've seen your face, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."
"Good to see you too, mom," she responded before pulling away. She couldn't help but take in the appearance of the woman who had looked after her from the time she was a little girl.
Back then. When Mikasa was only nine, fresh from witnessing her parents die in front of her, when the Jaegers took her in to live with them, it was Carla. She was the one to make her feel especially at home. Sure, Eren saved her life and gave her her treasured scarf but that was just Eren being Eren. He just did it out of obligation, no feelings involved.
It was Carla—and Dr Jaeger to some extent—who had welcomed her. The woman did her best to ensure Mikasa was happy, taking her out shopping, bonding with her doing chores, encouraging her when she needed it most. Heck, she dedicated much of her time to helping Mikasa out during her first pregnancy. Carla meant a lot to her.
She missed her own mother too, but Carla had still found a large spot in her heart.
"Well come on in," Carla started, snapping Mikasa out of her thoughts, "everyone's already inside."
"Of course," Mikasa nodded before following her mother inside.
Stepping into the house, Mikasa noticed the way the house was well furnished, somehow still having the same old furniture they possessed at their home in Paradis City. It was rather puzzling.
I should ask mom about it.
Mikasa and Carla finally arrived in the living room where everyone—minus the twins. They'd already ran off—sat in front of the TV.
"Mommy, look. Grandpa gave me this bracelet," Marie squealed, showing off the accessory from her position on said man's lap.
"You look gorgeous," she smiled at her daughter, whose face flushed. She then shifted her gaze to her father, "Hi dad," she said, walking up to him and allowing him to stand and give her a side hug. She then remembered, "Oh and thanks for letting the kids stay with you."
"Oh there's no problem. I actually enjoy having these little balls of energy around," he responded, the sincerity evident in his tired-looking green eyes covered by round spectacles, "it actually reminds us of when you and Eren were still little. It makes me feel a lot younger than I am now."
It was true. Her father had aged a bit over time. His long brown hair had started to grey and his face had developed more wrinkles. Despite this, the man was still more than dedicated to his work and refused to retire. Of course, Much to Carla's displeasure.
"I don't remember being a hyperactive child," Mikasa pointed out, remembering her childhood clearly. And she wasn't the hyper active type.
"That's true, Grisha," Carla added, "she was an independent little girl, more than capable of looking after herself, the house and babysitting Eren and Armin at the same time." she said the last part, pinching Eren's cheek.
"Hey, she never used to babysit us," Eren grumbled in annoyance from his position on the couch, next to Armin, "besides, you didn't even let Mikasa greet us."
"Oh, how could we prevent the Shiganshina Trio from having a proper reunion?' Grisha asked before Mikasa walked over to her best friends and plopped herself in between the them.
"Hey Eren," she ruffled his messy brown hair before turning to Armin, "hey Armin. I didn't know you would be joining us."
"How could he not join us?" Carla started, "he's been a part of this family for a very long time, too."
That was true. Armin's family had known the Jaegers from even before Mikasa joined them so it was actually expected that he was there.
"Why are they called the Shiganshina trio?" Marie asked, failing to pronounce Shiganshina and trio properly, much to everyone's amusement.
"When your mother and uncles were younger, they would do everything together," Grisha started, Marie giving him all her attention, "they would be all over the neighbourhood, getting into all sorts of trouble."
"Wait… mommy was a troublemaker?" Marie asked, glancing at her mother.
Mikasa gulped. Sure she didn't necessarily get into trouble, but she was always the one to get Eren and Armin out of it, ending up getting in trouble herself because she'd often have to beat up a boy or too to save them. But still… she was supposed to be a role model for her little girl and she didn't want to hear stories about Marie beating up half the school football team because they refused to let her crush on the team. Wait…
Why did she even think of that?
While Grisha continued to narrate the tale of the Shiganshina Trio, Mikasa allowed her eyes to fall onto the television where a man, dressed in a priest's robe spoke.
"Now I urge all of you. These forts are the very foundation of our future as Children of Eldia," he explained, clearly to a large crowd in what appeared to be a chapel, "these forts were built because the mighty one's messengers told man to build. To build so that they would be safe from the impending doom after the wicked flock of humanity. Do not worry about the fallen Fort Maria, for it was destined to fall. The mighty one favours those of us in the other forts."
"Is this a new religion?" Mikasa asked, surprised by the man on the screen. For as long as she'd lived, she'd never known of a religion that involved praising the forts.
"Apparently it is," Armin responded, eyes equally focused on the screen, "it's called Eldianism and the followers are called Children of Eldia. Considering that they now have their own religion, these forts could basically be nations of their own at this rate."
The screen then changed one with a newscaster seated at a desk. On her left was a large screen depicting someone that appeared to be…
Jean?
"Welcome to The Daily Petal," the woman started, "I'm Samantha Torres and I'm bringing you news of a commotion that occurred at the Garrison central station."
"Hey look, Horse-face's on TV," Eren chuckled.
The small screen was enlarged and a video began to play.
"What do you mean, you'll search tomorrow?" a stressed out looking Jean shouted at a Garrison guard onscreen, Marco trying to hold him back, "My son's missing!"
Pierre was missing?
"I'm sorry sir but there's nothing we can do today. Most of our soldiers are off duty," the Garrison responded from behind his desk.
"I don't care if they're off duty!" Jean yelled back, "Tell them to get to work and find my son!"
"Relax sir, it's not like we're the ones that lost him."
With a swift motion, Jean had lunged at the man onscreen and briefly after, the screen turned back to the reporter.
"Aw, what? Right when it was getting to the good part," Eren whined, earning him glares from everyone in the room, "jeez."
"Three-year-old Pierre Kirschtein has been reported missing," the reporter explained while a picture of Pierre was shown onscreen, "apparently he was with his father at Rose Park when he suddenly disappeared while playing with other children," she added, "therefore, the Garrison Regiment is asking you, the viewers, to call this number as soon as you identify the young boy or have any clues as to where he could be. Please, help reunite this child with his sad, sad father."
Mikasa couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for she knew how she would've felt if any of her kids had disappeared. Sure Jean could be a pain often times, but no parent needed to go through that kind of pain. The guilt would be unbearable.
Perhaps she would keep an eye out—no, she'd definitely keep an eye out.
"Mommy, Pierre's on TV!" Marie shouted, probably excited to see her friend.
"I can see that sweetie but don't shout," she scolded.
"Sorry…"
Suddenly the TV screen switched from the news to the Sports' Channel, depicting football players running about onscreen, "well that's enough news. Time for some sports," Eren said, getting comfortable in his seat.
Knowing how noisy the boys would get during sports, Mikasa turned to look at her mother, "mom, do you need help in the kitchen?"
Carla then gained a look of realisation, "ah yes. I forgot I was preparing lunch when you got here. I can't believe I left poor Historia alone in the kitchen," she said before turning, "well come on Mikasa."
Mikasa rose to follow her mother.
"Mikasa," she heard her father's voice.
She knew exactly what he was going to ask.
"He's at a meeting. He says he'll pass by if he has time."
"Ah… I see."
"Mhm," she nodded before following her mother into the kitchen.
"Hey Mikasa," Historia greeted as Mikasa entered, from her position at the stove.
"Hello," Mikasa greeted, offering her a brief nod before glancing back at her mother.
"I was just about to marinate the chicken," Carla started, "you could do that while I warm up the oven."
"Of course," Mikasa nodded before walking up to the sink, rolling up her sleeves and giving her hands a good scrubbing. She then turned and walked towards the counter where a transparent basin sat, filled with chicken pieces. Around in were an assortment of seasonings, all ready to be used by masterful hands.
But before she could attack the chicken, she grabbed a chopping board and began to chop up several ingredients, starting with Garlic.
Like a machine, she chopped up the ingredients with precision before placing them in the blender to mince them up.
Shortly after, she took out her mixture and immediately took to massaging the mixture into the flesh.
Even as she did this, she hadn't noticed the amused stares the Carla and Historia gave her, the former already knowing how Mikasa went on autopilot whenever in the kitchen.
After she was done, she grabbed the basin and rushed to place it into the fridge.
Mikasa allowed her eyes to survey the kitchen, searching for what could be a potential task and her eyes landed on a spot where a variety of vegetables rested, "salad?"
"Yes," she heard Carla's voice, prompting her to walk over to vegetables and begin to work.
"Um, Carla," Historia started, "the stew's ready."
"Is it?" Carla asked before walking up next to the blonde and looking over her shoulder, "ah, it's been overcooked and it doesn't look like it's supposed to. Oh my goodness, I can't believe how big these pieces are. How didn't I see that?" Mikasa heard her criticise, "If this is how you cook at your in-laws' house, then I'm afraid to know what you feed my son."
Ah yes, the stereotypical mother-in-law vs daughter-in-law situation. Mikasa sort of felt sorry for the tiny blonde. When Carla meant to be a pain, she could be a serious one and now she was taking it out on poor Historia.
Now that was something she had actually expected of Carla. Living with her, Mikasa had learnt that the woman was very particular when it came to her family, especially Eren. The woman would baby him all the time and try to make sure he stayed out of trouble. She never shied away when it came to cleaning his messes up and scolding him when he misbehaved, be it in public or not. Heck, she'd even told Mikasa to keep watch over Eren whenever they left home.
Maybe that's why Mikasa was so protective of her children.
"But you said they were fine when I finished cutting them up," she heard Historia counter.
"Questioning your mother-in-law in her own home?"
"Of course not. Sorry," she heard Historia sigh.
She knew Carla had a hard time watching her baby boy get married to a blonde stranger. The woman literally bawled her eyes out once they were pronounced husband and wife and especially when he was moving out.
And on neither occasion were they tears of joy.
When Mikasa thought of it, she hadn't been graced with the opportunity to have that sort of experience of her own, battling out with Levi's mother in the kitchen while the both of them strove for his affection—well her mother-in-law would have striven for his affection. Mikasa was just too competitive at times—but alas, Levi had lost his mother at a young age much like herself.
Remembering all the times he'd keep her up at night, telling her all about his mother, Mikasa came to one conclusion about her stoic husband.
He was a mamma's boy.
"This reminds me, Historia," Carla asked, "when am I expecting grandchildren from you and Eren."
"O-Oh, you see. I'm not ready," Historia responded.
"You've been saying that for five years, Historia," Carla responded.
"Understand her mom," Mikasa decided to step in, "She and Eren have only been married for a short time so they may not be ready to add kids yet."
"You were pregnant even before you were married."
"Mom, you knew very well the circumstances of my pregnancy," Mikasa reminded Carla before sighing, "besides, Eren and Historia are soldiers now. They don't have the time to risk bringing a child into this situation." She offered a nod when she noticed Historia mouth her a 'thank you'.
"Alright. Alright I understand you," Carla brushed her off before she changed to topic, "how are things with you and Levi? Last time we spoke you said you were fighting."
Mikasa let out another sigh as she thought about the past year's issues. Ever since the titans showed up, she and Levi had had altercations here and there, especially over their kids. She understood that he cared for them as much as she did but…
He acted carelessly at times.
Still, she had decided to trust in him and let him do things his way.
Perhaps she was just being too overbearing for her own good.
"Mikasa?" Carla's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"O-Oh, right," she spoke, "well… Levi and I have been trying. Of course we've still had our fair share of altercations here and there."
"He better not be hitting you," Carla said, raising her eyebrow.
Mikasa snorted as she shook her head, "mom, Levi would never hit me—unless we were sparring."
"I don't know. That man still gives me an uncomfortable feeling till date," Carla expressed, "he's just too brash at times, he never smiles, he's aggressive with my grandkids, he has a potty mouth…"
Mikasa listened as her mother babbled on. She knew that Carla had never been comfortable with Levi from the time he and Erwin had shown up at their house to tell her that he'd decided to be there for Junior. The whole time, Carla had discouraged Mikasa from being involved with him and almost begged her not to marry him all because she felt uncomfortable around him. Still, Mikasa managed to look beyond what everyone else saw and ended up loving him even more. It was funny. She expected this sort of thing between him and Grisha, but the old man had zero issues with Levi.
Unless when it came to sports. Ugh… men.
"Mom, Levi's a wonderful person that you still refuse to learn to understand. Give him a chance," Mikasa defended her partner, "And oh. There's no way I'd just sit back and watch Levi hit me without putting up a fight. You know that."
"Alright. Whatever you say," Carla surrendered, "but just so you know, you can come home to me in case of anything alright." She offered a smile.
Mikasa returned it, "Of course. Where else could I go?"
"Alright ladies. Enough chit chat," Carla clapped her hands, "we're behind time and we need to ensure that everything's set soon. Come on now, hop to it," she finished before he younger women quickly got back to work.
The women had finally finished the lunch preparations and had just set two tables, one for the children and one for the adults.
"And that looks about done," Mikasa said as she rested her hands on her hips, admiring her handy-work on the nicely decorated table.
"Great job, Mikasa," Carla praised as she looked at the table.
"Thanks," she said before her mother turned went into the living room.
"Lunch's ready," she heard her say before everyone started to pour into the dining room. Marie had already taken her seat at the children's table.
"Why won't you let me sit here?" Junior asked as Mikasa blocked him from taking a seat at the table.
"Sorry Junior but we're saving this spot for your father in case he shows up," Mikasa explained before motioning towards the children's table, "you'll have to sit with your siblings."
"But mom, we don't know if he's showing up," Junior defended, "besides, even if he does come, he'd be a better fit for that table than me, don't you think?"
"Very funny Junior," Mikasa shook her head, "but you'll still have to make do with sitting with your siblings."
"But mom…" he started before pointing at the living room, "how about I eat in the living room?"
"Junior, that'd be rude of you. We're supposed to eat together."
"But mom…"
"Junior…" she glared, forcing her son to retreat to the small, blue, plastic table.
Mikasa then took a seat at the table along with everyone else. Looking at the food suddenly made her stomach rumble.
Everything looked so good.
"Alright. I don't know about all of you but I'm starving," Eren groaned, "can we eat, already."
"The twins aren't here," Carla pointed out and for sure the table that was to occupy four, only had two.
As if on cue, two shouting voices could be heard alongside the thumping of shoes.
"Hey mom, we're hu…" Dean started but stopped when he saw the glare he was given.
"Dean, why did you…" Daniel asked as he came to a stop behind him, equally noticing Mikasa's glare.
"Sit down," Mikasa ordered, the boys immediately complying and rushing over to the table.
"Okay let's eat!" Eren said, grabbing the cutlery.
"Wait."
"Ugh…" Eren groaned.
"What is it, Carla?" Grisha asked from across the table.
"I just want to say that it's great to have you all here," she started, "it's been a while since we got together like this and I must say that it brings me joy to be able to be able to spend time with you all like this. We should definitely do this again soon."
Everyone on the table made sounds of agreement with the woman's suggestion.
"Okay. Now let's eat," Eren started, reaching out to dish himself chicken.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Eren wait," Carla stopped him, much to his chagrin.
"Ugh…" he groaned.
"Eren, can you act like an adult and be patient," Grisha snapped, warning evident in his tone, "it's just food."
Mikasa couldn't help but chuckle along with Armin as Eren huffed and crossed his arms like a child. Seeing him so flustered was just rich.
"Well, is anyone going to open the door?" Grisha asked.
"I'll get it," Carla offered, rising from her seat. She then left the dining room to attend to the door.
Mikasa immediately knew who it was the moment she heard the baritone respond to Carla's greeting. She felt good knowing her entire family would be here to spend time with each other. She then smiled as the feeling she had the previous day flowed through her.
Today is going to be a great day.
Mikasa was confident that because everything seemed to be fine—minus the Petra incident, but still—everything was okay.
"Hey everyone, look who's here," Carla said, trying her best to sound as enthusiastic as possible.
"Hey dad!" youngest three greeted.
"Hi, kids," he greeted his children before looking at the table, locking eyes with the Jaeger patriarch, "Grisha."
"Levi," he nodded.
"Good afternoon, everyone," he greeted everyone.
Mikasa couldn't help but feel amused. That was Levi at his politest. He sometimes tended to act this way whenever he visited. She couldn't wait to hear him try to spend a day without cursing.
"Sorry I'm late. I had to attend a meeting," Levi explained, trying his best to look as sincere as possible.
"It's fine," Carla responded, "you're actually right on time so please… sit."
"Of course… thank you."
Mikasa kept her eyes on him the whole time as he walked and took the empty seat next to her. He gave her a gentle squeeze on her shoulder as he took his seat.
"Hey."
"Hey," she responded before they both looked back at the table.
"Well since everyone's here, now…" Carla started, "we can start eating."
Everyone quickly got to dishing themselves food and soon the ambience of the room changed from the clinging of plates and cutlery to the sound of continuous chatter ranging from small talk to meaningful conversations.
"So Armin," Carla started, "when are you going to bring a beautiful young woman to have dinner with us?"
Armin's face flushed before offering a sheepish smile, "In all honesty, I haven't found anyone yet. There just hasn't been much time, considering all this military work."
"Oh come on, Armin. Before the titans came, you said there wasn't much time because of police work," Carla said, "Even now, you still have an excuse."
"Well that's just how things are," Armin smiled, "I'm too work-minded to actually remember that I have a sex drive sometimes."
"Surely there's someone that caught your attention at the very least," Carla persisted.
Mikasa chuckled as she watched Carla try to pry into Armin's love life. The poor man was being smothered with questions. Armin was being honest. Romance had been the least of his concerns for as long as they'd known each other. Armin preferred to bury his head in mountains of books to spending time gawking at girls with Eren.
Heck, he didn't even show up to their high school prom because of college prep.
"Um no, there haven't been any…" Armin started but was cut off.
"Don't listen to him," Eren burst out, "he's been eyeing this other soldier Annie, for months now."
"Really?" Carla asked, in amusement.
"No…I…Y-Yes," Armin sighed in defeat.
"Oh that's lovely. You have got to tell me about her," Carla continued, "oh my goodness. I'm going to have more grandkids soon."
"Calm down, Carla," Grisha said from his spot, taking a sip of wine from his glass. "don't smother him."
"You just don't understand how much I love my grandchildren. The only one that was nice enough to not keep me waiting so long was Mikasa," Carla spoke, glancing at her daughter.
"Oh come on mom," Eren added, "we'll have little ones of our own running about soon. Just you wait." He then looked down at his wife, "Right, Historia?"
Mikasa shifted her gaze between both Eren and Historia, the former looking enthusiastic while the latter looking uneasy. It looked like the topic of children wasn't out of the question yet for poor Historia. The pressure must've been a little too much for her. Ah well, she knew what she was getting into when she got married so the topic of children shouldn't come as a surprise.
She did understand her though. Historia preferred to do things when she felt the time was right but Eren tended to be impatient.
She let her eyes wander beside her, where Levi had been quiet the whole time, enjoying his meal while minding his own business.
"It's rude to stare, you know?" he said in a voice low enough for only her to hear.
"That's rich, coming from you," she replied, equally quiet.
"is it?"
"Levi," Grisha started, snapping both Ackermans in his direction, "you've been awfully quiet. Surely you couldn't be at a loss of words when surrounded by family. Come on now, bring something to the table."
Mikasa sensed that Levi had slightly tensed up. She knew, very well that Levi wasn't the best conversationalist especially in these sort of gatherings. Often times he'd keep to himself and only speak when spoken to.
Well, this was one of those times.
Levi dabbed his mouth with the napkin before clearing his throat, "You know I'm not a very frequent speaker, Grisha."
"But not too infrequent to at least participate in conversation, correct?" Grisha continued.
"…actually, I do have something to say," Levi started, shooting Mikasa a glance before looking back at Grisha, "thanks for agreeing to look after the kids for the time being."
"Ah well that's no problem, Levi," Grisha nodded, "the little ones are always welcome to live with us. I'm sure the two of you are excited to have some time to yourselves, considering the kids will be with us now."
Now that it had been mentioned, Mikasa came to realise that she and her husband hadn't been…intimate for a while now—minus the previous day's kiss but still…
They hadn't done more than just kiss in a while.
"Well, it's actually not so exciting seeing, Marie won't be able to sleep with us any more," Levi responds, "I, for one, enjoy her company."
He glanced at his daughter when he said the last part and the little girl beamed back at him.
Getting an idea, Mikasa slowly reached downward and placed her palm on his thigh.
Time for some fun.
Mikasa couldn't help but smirk when she noticed him shoot her a look clearly saying.
'The hell are you doing?'
"Is everything okay, Levi?" Grisha asked, visibly curious about the man's sudden shift.
Her smirk growing bigger, Mikasa watched as Levi hesitantly shifted his gaze back to the doctor.
"I'm fine, Grisha," he responded, his voice not betraying anything, "you were saying…"
As everyone in the table broke into conversation, Mikasa continued to get up to more mischief and decided to gently move her hand along his thigh, keeping her eyes above the table the entire time. she chuckled when she heard his breath hitch while Carla was the one speaking. Though if there was one thing both she and her husband were capable of doing…
It was keeping a straight face.
When Mikasa felt she had done enough teasing, she retracted her hand.
"the hell are you stopping for?" Levi whispered to her.
Oh, so he didn't want her to stop eh. Fine, she was going to give him exactly what he wanted.
Without hesitation, Mikasa's hand shot back down, making sure to grab his…
"Shit."
So much for no cursing.
Everyone on the table shot looks in their direction.
"Is there a problem?" he asked, regaining his plain composure as though he hadn't just been groped.
For a man, Levi sure had it under control.
Fortunately, everyone decided to just continue on with their conversation and Mikasa felt rather satisfied in herself and exhaled calmly before deciding to finish her food.
Shooting her husband a smirk, Mikasa finally decided to ask what she had been wondering, "Um dad, how is it that you still have all your old furniture?"
Carla was the one that decided to answer, "your father somehow knew something was going to go wrong and started to make us move a week before the titans first showed up," she started, "I was honestly confused when he brought me to the fort and said we were going to be living in this house."
"I see…" she said, looking at her father, who was calmly finishing up his meal. It wasn't really surprising to hear this sort of news because Grisha had always been a man who got things done in ways no one ever understood.
"Well, I think this lunch has been rather delicious don't you think?" Grisha asked, everyone nodding in agreement, "thank you for the amazing food ladies."
"You're welcome," they all responded in unison before Carla got up.
"Okay, you boys should relax in the living room while we clear everything up and start working on dinner," Carla said and everyone had started to leave, the kids already darting out of the room.
Mikasa rose from her seat to begin collecting the dishes. Right when she was about to pick out the last plate, she felt a hand grip her shoulder.
She turned and came face to face with Levi's piercing blue eyes that were centered on her grey ones. There was something about the way he looked at her though. It was akin to the way a predator would look at its prey when it longed for a meal. Except instead of a look of animalistic hunger, Levi's eyes gave her a look that was more...
Carnal.
"Don't think I'm letting you off the hook so easily," his voice rasped. He then cupped her chin with his hand and brought her face a bit lower to the point where she could feel his hot breath right against her ear. He then spoke again, "After I'm done with you, you won't even be able to walk straight."
Even though Levi was terrible dirty talk, Mikasa still felt shivers go down her spine. There was just something about his voice that always managed to disarm her. Sometimes it would annoy her and other times it would just excite her, especially the way he sounded right then.
He sounded sexy.
"I can't wait," Mikasa responded, connecting their lips for a brief moment before separating.
"Carla," Levi started, "is there anything I can help with in the kitchen?"
"Hmm... actually, I was about to start working on roast," Carla responded from the kitchen.
"Roast's my specialty," Levi started to walk but Mikasa place her hands in his head, stopping him with a low grunt.
Nope. He was going to sit with Grisha whether he liked it or not.
"Oh no you don't" Mikasa shot him a glare, which he equally returned, and then shouted, "don't worry mom. I'll handle this. Levi's tired from the meeting and he needs to... relax." She put emphasis on the last part.
The two of them entered a brief staring—glaring—contest, neither of them backing down.
A full minute had elapsed and it was Carla's calling that snapped them out of it.
"Tch, fine," Levi scoffed before swatting away her hand and turning to walk off.
"Good boy."
"Fuck you."
"Asshole."
"So what's for dinner?" Mikasa asked as she joined the other women in the kitchen, wondering what their next task would be.
"Since you volunteered, you're going to have to work on the roast," Carla explained while chopping up some carrots.
"Okay," she nodded before doing the routine hand washing and got to work.
"You know, Mikasa," Carla started, "I've always wondered why you let Levi do most of the housework at home like cooking and the like."
If there was a topic that never failed to annoy the half-Asian, it was her and Levi's way of running their home. Those conversations often ended up being very offensive.
"Mom, that's just how Levi and I agreed to do things," Mikasa explained, "he chose to look after the house and I chose to get a job to add onto the money we'd receive from the tenants at the apartment building."
"But don't you find it strange?" She asked, "I mean seeing him cleaning and having him cook for you all. there was even that time I found him in an apron when I visited. I was spooked."
"I don't think it's strange," Historia added, "I think it's actually very sweet to see a man lower his pride and decide to take part in house keeping." She then sighed, "I actually admire you. If only Eren would be more willing to help out once in a while. It's so hard to even get him to do the dishes."
"Failing to look after my son, are you?"
"N-No ma'am."
"Thank you Historia," Mikasa acknowledged before looking at her mother, "and for the record, Levi isn't lowering his pride at all. As a matter of fact, he takes great pride in his work. Even though he's heard all sorts of crap from so many people, he doesn't care. As long as his family is happy, he is."
Mikasa sighed, smiling as memories played through her mind, "I even remember the times I'd teach him to cook. At first he just took it lightly and just did it for the sake of doing it but once Junior was born, he made it his goal to make sure to cook as much as his little boy wanted him to. Trust me, he oved it whenever Junior would tell him his food was delicious."
"Aw... that's so sweet," Historia smiled.
"Perhaps I've been wrong about him this entire time," Carla said, "I just remembered how hard the two of you worked to look after Junior. Like the time the boy got sick and you didn't have the funding to help him get the treatment. I remember you told me that he used his rent money to pay for him. I nearly forgot about that."
"Wait. Carla, if Grisha is a Doctor," Historia asked, "why didn't he help them out?"
"He did. he actually did help out as much as he could," Carla explained, "but the only way was to obtain the medicine, which was very expensive."
"What was Junior suffering from?" Historia asked.
"The Doctors said it was some advanced form of malaria that he contracted from our trip to Ragako Islands," Mikasa said, recalling the memory very clearly in her head, "those were some scary times."
"But you kept it together, didn't you?"
"Hah, barely," the half-Asian sighed, "whenever we'd see him in a hospital bed, I'd always break down and I knew Levi only stayed strong because he needed to be there to comfort me." she then smiled, "I'm just glad Junior made it out alive and is big and strong today."
Scratch the strong part.
"Ouch!" Dean shouted from outside.
"Dean?" Mikasa's eyes widened. she felt her pulse quicken, not because it was a playful yell but because it was a shout of pain.
In an instant, Mikasa darted out of the kitchen.
"Fuck you."
"Asshole," he heard her mutter before smirking to himself, having felt pleased with their little exchange. Sure he wasn't up to the fact that he'd be spending time with the likes of Eren but he wouldn't complain.
He was getting laid tonight after all.
He stepped into the living room and found all the guys seated with their eyes glued to the screen, focusing on the teams playing on the screen. Neither of them looked familiar to him at all.
"You're free to sit, you know?" Grisha called out to him.
Levi's decided to walk towards everyone and took a seat next to Junior, whose face was buried in his laptop screen, on the two-seater, crossing his legs as he sat down. He decided to glance over at the laptop screen and saw that Junior was playing one of those shooting games. "what is that? Fortnite?"
"No, it's Call of Duty," Junior responded, not turning his gaze away from the screen.
Feeling the unnatural need to bother his son, Levi reached over and slammed the escape button.
"No, no, no," Junior shook his head as he looked a the screen before looking back at his father, "you can't just do that!"
"Says who?"
"...Says me," his son hesitated.
"Alright, Levi, what're you gonna do about it?"
Levi watched as the boy strugged to come up with an answer, only to give up and restart the game. Levi smirked to himself before throwing his arm of Junior's shoulder, "come on Junior, can't you take a joke?"
Junior ignored him.
Rolling his eyes, Levi shifted his attention to the game being played, "are these new teams?"
"Yes. these are teams currently based within Fort Rose," Grisha explained, keeping his eyes focused on the screen, "don't worry, Levi. I'm not going to make fun of your poor choice in teams.
Please, I'm not the one whose team kept losing for three fucking seasons. Tch, pathetic Founders fans. The Underground's is where its at. Too bad my own son's a fucking traitor.
"Is that so?" Levi asked, holding back his comment and keeping his eyes on the screen for a few minutes before deciding to let his eyes wander around the room, scrutinizing it.
The first thing his eyes landed on were Eren's feet resting on the table. He was able to notice all the smudges and dirt particles that started to cover the spot where his feet rested.
He inwardly cringed, reminding himself that he couldn't make Eren clean up and go for laps at his father's house.
He just had to make do with keeping his mouth shut.
As though he sensed Levi's glare on him, Eren slowly removed his feet from the table, nervously glancing at Levi at the same time.
He's smarter than he comes across as.
Finally feeling comfortable, Levi managed to relax onto the chair and finally start paying attention to the game.
"What a bunch of ametuers," Eren commented as one of the teams seemed to be playing poorly, "I could beat all of them in my sleep."
"Oh come on Eren," Armin responded, "you can clearly see that the players on that team are teenage boys. Obviously, they'd have difficulty playing against fully grown men."
"No way, Uncle Armin. I don't think that's an excuse," Junior responded looking up from his laptop, "I could dribble circles around my dad by the time I was fourteen so basically... uncle Eren's right. they're ametuers."
Though Levi felt the need to retort, he stayed silent.
"Hah. for once, Junior agrees with me," Eren said, proudly, "you know what, this reminds of that match with the Underground Strikers and The Shiganshina Founders. we totally beat those losers to the ground."
Three fucking seasons, Jaeger. That was three fucking seasons ago!
"Oh, yeah. 10-3 was the best win yet."
watch it Ackerman.
"I hope you guys haven't forgotten who's been winning the past three season?" Armin asked, sporting a smirk.
Thank you Arlert.
"Oh shut up traitor!" Eren barked, "the only reason's because our coach's been a total shithead lately. Right Junior?"
Levi glanced at his son.
Fucking Traitor.
"But when you come to think of it," Grisha started, halting the brewing conflict, "aren't teams of teenagers expected to be amateurs?"
He had a point.
Suddenly, the sound of small footsteps could be heard coming from the next room and Levi immediately identified them.
Marie sprinted into the room and right onto her father's lap, burying her face into his chest.
"Marie, what's going on?" he asked, only to notice her quietly whimpering and concern immediately grew within him.
Why was she crying?
He reached downwards and tilted Marie's face to look at him, "hey, Kiddo. why are you crying?"
"I-I wanted to play with the twins and they said no, so I started crying and they told me that only brats cry so I came here to you."
"And you're crying?"
"Yes."
"So you're a brat?"
"...no?"
Levi sighed. if there was one thing he didn't want his kids to grow up into, it was crybabies. So he made sure to toughen each of them up, the best way he could. With Junior, he regularly makes sure to bully-yes bully-him. With Dean he'd purposefully be hard on him at times. However, that may have had a negative impact on him since he had become a bit of a rebel. With Marie, he'd slowly started to give her a bit of the tough love treatment. Meaning no comforting her when she cried for no good reason. As for Daniel...
He was a work in progress. Damn mamma's boy was a softie.
"What did I say about crying for no good reason?"
"...That only brats do that," she lowered her head.
"Good. so I don't want to see you crying like a little brat ever again, alright?"
"Okay daddy."
"Great, now let me wipe your face," he said before pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and beginning to wipe his daughter's face, making sure to clear out all the moisture.
"Thank you daddy," she smiled at him.
Levi returned it, "you're welcome," he responded before allowing her to settle onto his lap, leaning against his chest and beginning to doze off.
"Man, I really can't wait to have that," Eren said, clearly admiring what he saw, "I mean like having a bunch of kids running all over the house, getting into all sorts of crazy shit and then when they make you angry, they easily melt your heart with their cute little faces."
"Well then, what's stopping you?" Grisha asked his son.
"Ugh, the thing is, Historia says we're not yet ready for kids," Eren complained, "she's always saying stuff about how I need to mature first. I mean... I'm a freaking adult. What other maturity could she be talking about."
"First of all Eren. You need to understand that she's the one that'll be carrying the children so you better respect her," Grisha said, looking back at his son.
"I agree," Armin added, "and to support Historia, I think she's talking about how spontaneous you are at times. You act without thinking and lose your temper so much it's worrying, not to mention that you're impatient. Knowing you, you might end up making her have an early child birth just so you could see your kid."
"Raising kids is no walk in the park. you gotta be patient with them and be willing to teach them as much as you can," Levi added, "trust me, as a father of four, I've worked my ass off making sure these kids grow up right. Unfortunately I don't know where I went wrong with the first one."
"Hey!"
"Tch, relax. don't be such a whiny bitch," Levi glared at his son, before looking back down at Marie, giving her sleeping form an affectionate gaze, "you don't have to worry about not loving them enough because once you hold them for the first time, loving them is the only thing you can do. no matter how much they annoy you."
"That's actually very encouraging," Eren sighed, probably satisfied with the advice he had been given.
Soon the ambience of chatter was replaced with the sound of the TV, everyone seemed to have gotten sucked into the game.
No sooner had their peace started than the door burst open, revealing a panting Historia.
"Historia, what's the matter?" Eren asked, clearly concerned for his wife.
"Doctor," she panted, "Dean... Dean's hurt."
Without thinking, Levi was already on his feet holding the now awake Marie in his arms and rushed outside the house. he already found himself panicking as he wondered what could have happened to his son.
When he finally got outside, the first things he saw were Carla and Mikasa's hunched figures right next to Dean, who had tears rolling down his face.
"What happened?" he asked, concern evident in his tone.
"I-I don't know," Mikasa panicked, "I just got here and found him crying and there's a lot of blood..."
Blood? Dean was bleeding?
As if to confirm his thoughts, Levi took a closer look and saw that indeed Dean's leg was, indeed, covered in blood.
"Everyone move. Let me see him," Grisha said, rushing into the scene with a first aid box in hand and beginning to work on the young Ackerman.
Mikasa rose and immediately took refuge next to Levi.
Out of instinct, Levi used his free hand to wrap around his wife for security while they watched Grisha work.
It was only after Grisha had managed to clear up all the blood did they actually see the wound. it was a large cut, the type of cut that could only be carried out by something like a blade. Thoughts began to flow through Levi's mind.
He shifted his gaze towards Daniel and saw him nervously biting his nails.
Oh no...
After Grisha had finally bandaged the boy up and given him a tetanus shot, he allowed him to sit so they could get some information out to him.
"Dean, what happened?" Mikasa asked, sitting next to him, allowing his leg to rest on her lap.
"..." Dean remained silent, avoiding his parents' gazes.
Deciding to help out his wife, Levi put Marie down and crouched in front of the boy.
"Dean, come on," he stared, "tell us what happened."
The boy remained silent, not seeming to be ready to answer questions.
"Dean, we're talking to you," Mikasa urged.
The boy showed signs of breaking but he held strong.
"Tch, Dean. you better look at us when we're talking to you," Levi said before holding Dean's chin and forcing him to look at him. A large part of him wanted him to explain the situation but another part of him was scared to find out the truth because he feared he already knew what it was.
"Dean, can you answer us right now. stop being rude," this time he made sure to make eye contact with the eleven-year-old, giving him a terrifying glare.
Dean gulped.
the moment of truth.
everyone watched as he opened his mouth to speak, "I-I..."
"I'm sorry!"
Everyone turned to face Daniel,who was the one who cut him off, letting tears roll down his cheeks, confusing everyone.
Except Levi.
"Daniel, what are you talking about?" Mikasa asked, confused at his sudden outburst.
"I'm sorry!" he cried.
"Sorry for what?" Mikasa persisted.
"Mommy, Dean made me angry and then I hit him and then we started fighting...and then," he continued to cry.
"Daniel, stop crying and talk to me," Mikasa urged, "why did Dean make you angry? what were you fighting over?"
"My knife."
Mikasa's eyes narrowed, "what knife."
Levi watched as Daniel looked around until he saw a knife on the ground. He slowly picked it up and gave it to his mother.
"This one."
Mikasa went silent as she held onto the blade. I was a simple pocket knife with a grooved red handle and a small blade.
Levi recognized that blade instantly, remembering the consequences of its purchase and the time he gave it to Daniel the night before the graduation. The boy was terrified at first but came to accept it after a few hours of encouragement. If Daniel was to get in trouble, Levi wouldn't shy away from taking the fall, considering he's the one that told him to keep it on him at all times.
"Daniel, I want you to be completely honest with me," Mikasa started, glaring at her son intently. All gentleness escaping her voice, leaving only her cold monotone one, more void of emotions than before.
She already knows the answer to her question
"Y-Yes, mom?" Daniel trembled.
"Where did you get this knife?" her question was short and straight to the point.
Levi watched as his son's eyes shifted between both him and Mikasa. clearly his entire being was at conflict over what to say. He noted the way his hands started to tremble as his breathing quickened. His legs sarted to tremble and so did his hands even though he brought them up to his face. he watched as his son's eyes glanced between the for the last time and he knew what Daniel's decision was going to be.
Mamma's boy.
"Dad gave it to me!" he said, shooting his father an apologetic look.
Mikasa dropped the knife.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Levi knew he had screwed up and in no way was Mikasa going to spare him.
He needed to apologize.
Reaching out to calm her down, Levi placed a hand on her shoulder, "Mikasa, let's talk about this."
Within a blink of an eye, Levi was smacked across the face and stumbled back, stunned by Mikasa's action.
Did she just do that?
Levi finally managed to snap out of his daze quick enough to see her before she lunged at him.
Mikasa dashed at him with speeds akin to that of a bullet and threw a punch at him, aiming right for his face.
Levi easily dodged her attack by side-stepping and standing right behind her.
"Mikasa wait, we need to talk about this," Levi tried to reach out to her but his plea fell on deaf ears as she had already come in for another attack, looking angrier than before.
Levi was still able to dodge her attack easily because he knew one important fact about his wife.
she was reckless when her emotions took control of her.
"Mikasa please just listen me," he called out to her once again, trying to calm her down.
Mikasa stopped her advances.
"You idiot! what the hell were you thinking when you gave our eleven-year old a fucking knife?!"
"Mikasa, calm down and let me explain."
"Calm down? Levi, you expect me to calm down when my son got injured because of your stupidity?"
"Mikasa listen..."
"Levi why the fuck did you give him a bloody knife. Like who does that?"
"Calm down and listen" he reached out.
"Levi I can't believe you. Our son's injured because of you."
"How the hell am I supposed to explain myself when you won't even fucking shut up?" Levi snarled, his temper beginning to rise.
At least Mikasa had finally shut up.
Levi exhaled, trying his best to regain his composure. The stares he was receiving from all around him were unnerving him but he kept a straight face.
"Well, I'm waiting for an answer," Mikasa said, glaring at him.
Levi started to gather his thoughts, trying to find a way to explain something that in no way would make sense.
He had to say something.
"I gave him the knife because he was ready for it."
"Ready for it?" She asked, eyes widened, "what do you mean, ready for it. Is there something I'm missing, is there something I don't know. Was he being prepared for it?"
Levi stayed silent.
"Well answer me, Levi," she stepped forward, coming to a halt right in front of him, "was he receiving some sort of preparations I wasn't aware of."
Now was the time to come clean.
"I've been training him."
"Training him?"
"Yes, I've been training him," Levi explained, staying calm under her glare.
"...you taught him to use a knife?" Mikasa asked, "Levi, I trusted you. I let my conscience beat me up because I thought I was just being too overprotective. I felt like an idiot for failing to trust that my children were safe in their own father's care."
"And there's no reason for you to think otherwise."
"What do you mean there's no reason for me to think otherwise? Clearly you don't care about our kids!"
"Mikasa, I care about our kids as much as you do and you know that."
"If you cared about our kids then you wouldn't have let Daniel run around with a fucking pocket knife!" Mikasa said, waving the knife in front of him after picking it up.
"It was for a good reason," he defended.
"For what good reason would any sensible adult give their child a knife?" Mikasa asked, "in case you've forgotten, our kids aren't street rats!"
In a swift movement, Levi was already holding Mikasa by the scarf, his eyes shooting her a deadly glare.
"The fuck did you just say?" He growled, his mind already being filled by blind rage.
Mikasa had struck a nerve.
Mikasa never responded. She just kept her eyes locked on him the entire time, both of their hectic breathing suddenly in sync.
"Go ahead and do it," she exhaled, "hit me..."
Levi let his eyes wander around. Everyone was watching what had transpired before the two of them.
Armin and Historia looked terrified, Grisha held back Eren and Carla, both looking ready to make him regret his actions.
Not that they even could.
Levi didn't feel himself bothered by the glares he received.
He had been looked at like that more times than he could count.
Levi only felt himself grow uneasy when he saw his children.
All of them looked shaken to their core, wearing terrified looks on their faces. His thoughts ran all over the place trying to figure out what they were thinking.
Though he never liked to entertain the idea, his mind only painted one potential image of him in their minds.
They saw a monster.
Levi felt the sting in his chest, struggling to keep his stoic face but it was very obvious he was struggling to keep it together. He felt the protective walls that his every weakness start to crumble. He didn't need to be seen like this, not by his friends, not by his family and certainly not by his kids.
He had to go
Levi managed to calm himself to the point he could release Mikasa's scarf and let her stand straight. He locked his eyes with hers once more before turning around.
He needed to get out of there fast.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and started to walk off, keeping himself in check while shutting out all the comments he heard Carla mutter from behind his back.
"Daddy!" He heard Marie's little voice call out for him. The voice that always managed to brighten his mood.
Damnit Marie, not now.
He cursed under his breath and kept in walking. He didn't want to face her.
Not while he had lost it.
"Daddy!" She called once more before he felt her tugging on his pants leg.
Levi stopped, still avoiding facing her.
"Marie, go back to mommy," he breathed, his voice monotone and his face looking straight ahead.
"But daddy why are you going?" She asked.
Please Marie. Don't make things hard for me.
Levi still didn't look at her.
"Daddy's tired and going to bed," he answered her question but she still didn't leave. Instead she held up her hands, signaling that she wanted to be carried.
He didn't pick her up.
"Okay, let's go get mommy so we can go together," she persisted.
"Marie, mommy can't come with daddy."
"Why?"
"Listen Marie, it's complicated," he continued, "just go back to mommy."
"But daddy..." she continued, her grey eyes full of concern.
"Marie please listen to me and go back to your mother," Levi said, trying his best to remain calm. He wanted so badly to hold her but he knew better than to hold her while his emotions were a mess.
"Daddy don't go."
"Marie I'm getting very angry right now!" he raised his voice, finally turning to face her, "now please stop acting like a brat and go back to your mother!"
Levi nearly broke down when he saw his daughter's lips quiver as tears started to roll down her cheeks.
His hands were itching to reach out for for her but instead of picking her up, he just shot passed her and into the house.
With quick steps, he was already out the front door.
He stopped for a moment and thoughts began to flood his mind. When he decided to show up for the gathering, he didn't expect to end up leaving as angry as he felt.
He had hoped that things would move smoothly and not leave him feeling so angry, hurt and... embarrassed.
He never expected Mikasa to bring up something he so desperately tried to forget. Sure, his time spent with Erwin had led him to live his life without regretting any of his past, but then his childhood, the times when he was still a thug in the underground city. Those were things he did his best to keep away from his innocent children.
They didn't need to know about how many people he had hurt, how much money he had stolen. Those were the skeletons in his closet and Mikasa...
She just had to bring them out.
"Tch!" Levi scoffed. He looked down at his shoe and saw it covered in soil. Right in front of it were the remains of a flower pot.
Thanks to his darling wife, he looked like shit in front of his family.
Damnit!
Well, he needed to go somewhere. Somewhere where he was sure he wouldn't have to see Mikasa for some time. He couldn't go back to the barracks because well...
They shared a room for fuck's sake.
"I need to make a call," he grumbled to himself before pulling his cellphone from his pocket.
He immediately started to scroll through his contacts.
Erwin... no. He's probably busy planning. Don't wanna bother him with my problems.
Levi sighed. The Commander had been so close to him that they were practically best friends. But then, he just didn't feel like giving the man a ring.
He looked at his next contact.
Miche? No. He's either teaching his kids some stupid trick or is getting freaky with his wives. Sure wouldn't wanna interrupt his family time.
Levi scrolled again.
Hange...
"No," he answered out loud before scrolling once more until he stopped on a particular name.
Petra?
Petra was Levi's ex-girlfriend. Sure the two of them left things on a bad note with both of them feeling heartbroken but the woman he was seeing after several years had changed. She had matured and so had he.
If anything, she's the only other person that knew him as much as his wife and friends did.
Levi presses the dial button and brought the phone to his ear, listening to the continuous beeping.
Petra: Hello, Levi?
Levi: ...Petra. We need to talk.
Petra: you sound upset... okay should I call or...
Levi inhaled, his entire being was sending him red flags but he ignored them completely. He was frustrated and he hoped speaking to Petra would calm his nerves. He hoped speaking to Petra would help set things straight. He hoped speaking to Petra was...
The right thing to do
Levi: listen just... just tell me where you are.
Okay readers. Thanks for reading this very Long... chapter. Like any long chapter, this was very tiring to write but I'm satisfied with the fact that I'm finally done. I really hope you guys are having fun and please to don't feel shy to tell me what you think. Anyways, that was part one of the multiple update and I can't wait to see you in the last part. Anyways...
Peace!
