Parents

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Summary: Rivetra Week 2017 Prompt Day 2

Levi stood in the kitchen, finishing dinner preparations. Hearing the giggling, he looked up to see Petra and Mikasa on the living room floor. His wife was braiding the young girl's long, beautiful hair, laptop open to a video tutorial. He loved hearing them laugh, seeing the joy on their faces.

Only a year ago things had been so much different.

It had been rough for a while there.

Levi's heart hurt, remembering.

When they found out Petra had cancer and the only way to save her life was to remove the uterus before the tumor grew and spread elsewhere, it had been devastating. They'd had dreams of getting married, buying a house, having kids, raising them. They had only just begun their life together.

Petra was understandably heartbroken. They were so eager to have kids. It was a blessing in disguise really, because it ended up saving her life when they'd gone to see if either was incapable of having children. Levi had been worried it was him. Petra always took good care of herself and he had been reckless as a teenager. Then he wished it had been him. The hysterectomy had left his wife depressed for some time. It had been hard but she pulled herself up and he had stood by her. And slowly they healed.

Then Mikasa came along. She was his cousin but he only barely knew her. Her parents had been killed and the poor girl was traumatized and alone.

They were patient with her, kind and loving. Petra and Mikasa were good for each other, helping each other. While the girl never used those terms for them, and they never pushed her to, there was no denying they were her parents. To them, she was their precious child.

The two laughed again. Warm affection filled him, watching them. Levi glanced around the apartment. Filled with toys, books, DVDs, a gaming system, and pictures of Mikasa, it was looking a bit stuffy. Petra's right. It's time to get a house. He smiled, imagining how thrilled their adoptive daughter would be, getting a bigger room, painting and decorating it.

He sat down beside them. "Hey, dinner will be ready soon."

Petra leaned forward, kissing his cheek. "Thanks, honey."

"Petra's doing French braids," Mikasa said.

"Looks very complicated."

"Wanna try it?"

"Sure." He scooted closer. He followed Petra's instructions, getting confused often. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No." Mikasa kept her head still.

"You just need to keep practicing," Petra said.

"There, done," Levi declared proudly. The braid was sloppy, even he could tell. "Not bad for first time, right?"

Mikasa patted it, watching it in the mirror he held up for her. "You need a lot of practice, Levi."

"Go watch up for dinner, sweetie," Petra said. The little girl nodded slowly, careful not to mess up Levi's less than stellar work. Smiling, Petra accepted her husband's hand and stood.

"Their class play is this Thursday, right?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Three o'clock. She's really excited and nervous."

"I'll head to the school straight from work and meet you there." He grabbed the milk out of the fridge. Mikasa was a smart, athletic girl and her many academic and sports achievements were everywhere on the fridge door. She had become very outgoing once they had coaxed her out of her shell with a lot of love and patience.

Mikasa had talent and Levi was convinced she would make varsity for any sport she wanted once she was in high school. Petra would laugh and tell him to slow his roll when he began talking about what times the two of them could train together. He, too, had been quite the athlete in high school and sometimes tended to get ahead of himself, thinking about coaching her.

"And Friday, can you pick up pizza? Mikasa and I going to the bookstore."

"Nerds," Levi teased, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

"Love you, too." She placed her hands on his shoulders and gave him small kisses.

"Hey, so I was thinking about what you said." He brushed her hair from her lovely, serene face, tucking it behind her ear. "We should get a house."

Petra nodded. "We need more space."

"I checked some neighborhoods with good school districts and that were near our workplaces. We've saved up enough to put a downpayment on even the most expensive one."

"It's a good market right now for buying a house, too."

"We're getting a house?" Mikasa ran up to them. She looked eagerly between them. "Are we really getting a house? Is it big? Can I have my own bathroom?"

They exchanged a look. "Well, guess we have no choice now." Levi crouched, frowning lightly. "Hey, my braid got messed up."

"Why don't you go to the dining table and fix it?" Petra suggested. "And I'll bring the food over." She pulled the lasagna out of the oven, letting it cool over the stove. Levi's brow was furrowed, trying to remember what to do. A feeling of pure bliss came over her, watching her family. Carrying the food over, she joined them. "Do you need some help?"

"No," her husband refused stubbornly. "I'll get this." He nodded in satisfaction once he was done.

"It's more stable, I guess. You'll get there," Petra said, patting his shoulder.

"Can we paint my room green?" Mikasa asked eagerly. "No, I want purple! Like a bluish-purple. But more purple. And can we get a dog? And a bird? Sasha has a bird and he's really funny! She says he says bad words, too!" She giggled, eyes bright.

The two smiled indulgently at her as she chattered away.

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