Thanks to again foamiee for helping me edit this and I hope you guys enjoy. (Sorry if we missed any errors)
Warning: I went a little crazy and this is around 4k words.
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"If you keep scowling like that, your face will get stuck that way, Eren,"
"Shut up," he growled, "How can you just sit there and let our daughter be pushed around like that?"
Mikasa rolled her eyes, "She's fine; you're just overreacting. Again."
Eren turned his head away from his wife and looked on in anger at the children playing across the living room. Armin had invited him, Mikasa, and their now four year old daughter, Karlee, for dinner and his three sons had been excited to play with their little cousin.
The problem was that their definition of playing with Karlee involved pulling at her pigtails, pushing her around and telling her that since she was the girl, she had to stay home and watch the children when they played house. The youngest Yeager didn't put up with it though, and smacked, kicked and fought with the boys back.
Eren scowled at the sight and was about to yell out to Karlee and tell her to push Gregor back when Mikasa pinched his bicep.
"Ow!" he hissed, "That fucking hurt, Mikasa!"
"Stop glaring at six year old boys."
"Then tell those six year old brats to leave Karlee alone!"
"I already told you she's fine Eren," Mikasa sighed, "Back when I was seven and lived with my mom and dad, there were these older boys who used to pick on me too."
"So what? You just ignored them?" he asked.
Mikasa looked away, "Well no…One day I snapped, kicked them all and pushed them into a stream…"
Eren he didn't know whether to feel proud or horrified.
"They could swim!" she quickly added in, "But later that day, their mother told my mom what I did and my mom scolded me. Ever since that day, I've learnt not to give into my anger."
"So why won't you let me stop those kids from messing with Karlee?" he grouched, "What if, unlike you, she 'gives into her anger'."
"…She won't," Mikasa said firmly.
As the two continued to bicker on the sofa, Armin sweat-dropped and decided to pretend that he couldn't hear them. He looked worriedly at the children playing, but not because of Karlee, but for his sons instead. Eren and Mikasa hadn't seemed to notice yet, but their daughter had inherited the strongest traits from each parent. With her mother's brute strength and her father's burning temper, he knew the little girl would prove to be more than a handful.
He walked over to Annie, who was silently doing the dishes, and whispered to her, "I think we should break up the kids before things get out of hand."
Annie turned towards her husband, eyes cold and said, "They're fine. No son in my family would ever seriously lay his hand on a woman." And with that, she turned back and continued washing the dishes.
Armin was about to clarify what he meant when a sharp yell came from the parlor. He quickly ran out of the kitchen and, to his horror, came across Karlee holding Kurt in an impressive camel clutch.
Mikasa and Annie ran towards the two children, as Armin gaped and Eren obnoxiously cheered from the sofa.
"So much for not giving into anger huh?" he called out.
Mikasa decided to dismiss that and easily peeled her daughter's hand off of Kurt's face, "You can't attack people like that Karlee!"
"But he kept shoving me, Mommy!" the little girl cried.
"From now on you can't watch wrestling with Daddy anymore," Mikasa said darkly. The four year old began whining, while Eren also started voicing his complaints.
Armin exhaled and watched as Annie calmly picked up their now teary eyed son and strictly said, "No man in this family is going to be humiliated by a four year old girl. I'll start bringing you and your brothers to the dojo with me to train."
"That's right!" Eren called out, "I need to have Karlee start train-"
"NO." Mikasa snapped her voice dark and eyes fearsome.
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Eren was lying on the couch when heard the sounds of footsteps running across the floor upstairs, "Don't wanna!" a voice cried.
"Karlee…" Mikasa sighed, "It's time to go to bed. Now come put your nightg-"
"NO!" the toddler screamed, before running off in another direction. He heard Mikasa groan before chasing after their stubborn toddler and smiled.
Every night after dinner, Mikasa would give their daughter a bath and try to get her dressed and ready for bed. But it always ended up with the four year old running out of the bathroom, screaming about how she wasn't tired yet, and Mikasa running after her.
"Need some help?" Eren called out.
"No!" Mikasa yelled, much like her daughter just did. For some reason that surprised everyone, Karlee had grown to constantly disobey her mother. From throwing fits, running away, and always screeching, "NO!" at the top of her lungs, the little girl didn't hold back when it came to giving her mom headaches.
Truthfully, though Eren found the entire situation hilarious, he did feel bad for his wife sometimes and tried to help, but Mikasa was determined to set her daughter straight by herself.
He watched idly, as the naked child ran down the stairs and leaped under the coffee table. Immediately a very irate Mikasa came running down the stairs as well.
"Where is she?"
Eren silently pointed at the table.
When Mikasa began taking loud, angry steps toward the table, Karlee screeched and dove out of reach, into her father's arms.
"Help daddy!" she said, trying to hide behind his back, "Mommy's gonna get me!"
"Well that's because, you," Eren pinched her tiny nose, "need to go to bed."
The little girl pouted and shook her head, "But I'm not tiiiiiired!"
"You will be once you lie down."
"No I won't!"
"Yes you will. I promise."
She seemed to consider this for a moment and held out her small pinky, "Promise daddy?"
Eren hooked his wide and rough finger against his daughter's and whispered, "Promise."
That seemed to do the trick because Karlee jumped off his lap and skipped towards her mother, "I'm ready to go to bed now!"
Mikasa frowned down at her, "Don't run around after your bath anymore," she chided. A second passed before she firmly added, "Understand."
The little girl nodded and grabbed onto her mother's hand. Mikasa walked them both up the stairs and, a few minutes later, came trudging back into the living room. Eren stood up, opened his arms towards her and shot her a smirk. She glared at him but still made her way over and slumped herself in his hug.
"I thought it got easier after the 'terrible twos'" she murmured.
Eren laughed softly, "It's because you're always so strict."
"Children need guidance," Mikasa said firmly.
"Children need to have some fun," Eren countered.
"I don't understand why she always listens to you though," she grumbled.
Eren moved his head back and looked her in the eye, "It's because I'm the best dad in the world," he said, grinning. Mikasa rolled her eyes and peeled herself from him.
"Don't you feel proud," she muttered.
She made her way to the bedroom and pretended not to see the cocky thumbs up her husband shot her way.
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"I'll think about it," Eren murmured into his cellphone.
"Think about it?" Jean bit out condescendingly, "Think about what? Whether the missus is going to give you permission to go?"
Eren felt a vein pop in his forehead, "It's because I need to make sure I have time this weekend, jackass!"
"Sure…" Jean whispered.
"It's true! And it's not like I need Mikasa's permission to go out!" Eren yelled.
They both know that wasn't entirely true.
"Whatever," Jean sighed, "I need to make dinner before Marco gets home. Anyway him, Connie, Reiner, Bert and even Armin are going dirt bike riding this Saturday. So be there or be square, Yeager."
Eren's eye twitched. "First of all, that phrase hasn't been a thing for like seven years. Secondly, you can bet your ass I'm joining you guys this Saturday. And finally, have fun cooking dinner for your boyfriend."
He heard Jean's embarrassed sputters and ended the call proudly.
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"No," Mikasa said.
"All the guys are going to be there! And there'll be helmets! I'll be fine, Mikasa!"
"No," she repeated firmly.
Eren groaned and ran his hand through his hair. He didn't expect her to say yes right away, but even after ten minutes of his pleading, she still wouldn't budge. After cooking dinner and spending half an hour chasing and trying to convince Karlee to go to bed, Eren thought Mikasa would be too tired to argue. But her face looked determined and Eren felt his annoyance growing.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Things like dirt bike riding are dangerous. You can crash and break your neck. Do you want to break you neck, Eren?" She began to get in his face. "Do you want die and leave me and your daughter all alone? Have you grown tired of your family life? Is that it?"
Eren leaned back as Mikasa's face began to loom into his. Despite the firm expression on her face, her dark eyes looked panicked.
He grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye, "Calm down, Mikasa. I'm not going to die over something as stupid as dirt biking."
"You don't know that," she said, her voice uncharacteristically breaking.
Unconsciously her mind revisited that rainy night, seventeen years ago. Waking up to the sounds of shouting and struggling, diving under her bed as strange men walked in and ransacked her room, and the warm hands of the policeman who found and lifted her from where she was hiding the next morning. Mikasa had spent three months in foster care, before a man, a doctor that had visited her family before, had walked in from the door.
The sensation of a hand running through her hair brought Mikasa out of her grim memories.
"Promise me you won't get hurt," she whispered.
"I'm not a kid," he grumbled, kissing her forehead. He took her hand and wrapped his pinky around hers before smiling cheekily, "But I promise."
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"Karlee come back here!"
"Not until I see Daddy!"
"I told you," Mikasa groaned, "Daddy went to go ride bikes with his friends."
The four year old rounded the corner as her mother chased after her. "When did she get so fast?" Mikasa thought. Suddenly, all of Eren's musings at how his daughter was going to be a top athlete seemed realistic.
But soon enough Mikasa had trapped the little girl into a corner. Wordlessly, she picked her up and started walking towards the bedroom as the child still whined.
"I want daddy!"
"Daddy isn't home, Karlee."
"When will he be back?"
Mikasa walked into Karlee's bedroom and set the girl into her bed. "Daddy will be back," she said, slipping a nightgown over her daughter's head, "while you're still asleep." She was so busy tucking the toddler in and worrying if Eren was alright, that it took her three full seconds to notice when Karlee had yelled "Goddammit!"
Mikasa froze.
Slowly she turned her head toward her daughter, only to find the little girl looking up at her innocently.
"Karlee," she questioned, "Where did you learn that word?" She had a sinking feeling she knew the answer though.
The little girl sat up and happily yelled, "Daddy-"
Of course.
"-says it all the time!"
Mikasa buried her face in her hands and didn't come out for several minutes. It was only when her daughter started tugging at her sleeve and asking what was wrong, that she looked up.
"Don't say that anymore," Mikasa said stringently.
"But Daddy does," the four year old countered.
"That's because Daddy's a big person. If a little girl like you says that, a monster will come to her room and eat her," Mikasa said ominously.
The toddler's eyes widened and began to tear up, "Really?! Is a monster going to eat me, Mommy?!"
Mikasa smiled and hugged her daughter, "No. He only comes if a kid says it more than once."
The little girl's eye watered even more, "But Mommy I already said it before."
"WHAT?" Mikasa yelled, "WHEN?"
"Yesterday, when Daddy took me out for ice cream. When we were driving, we got stuck in this looooooong line, and Daddy yelled it, and then I said it too and then Daddy told me not to say it in front of…oh…" Karlee's eyes widened when she realized her blunder.
Mikasa fought down the urge to break something and tucked Karlee back into bed again. "It's okay. Just don't say it anymore and the monster won't come."
"Promise?"
Mikasa kissed her daughter's hair, "I promise."
"Okay!" the four year old replied, happily.
Mikasa stood up, switched the nightlight on, and walked by the doorframe before pausing.
"Karlee?"
"Yes Mommy?"
"The next time Daddy tells you to keep a secret from Mommy, don't listen to him and tell me anyway."
"…Won't Daddy get mad?"
"He won't," Mikasa said darkly.
"Oh, okay…Then one time we were playing wrestling and he bumped into something and it fell on the floor and broke. He cleaned it up and told me not to tell you," the child added.
Mikasa's grip cracked the doorframe, "What did he break?"
"Um, a tall and skinny pot. It was red and all shiny."
"Our fifty dollar vase…" Mikasa realized, veins popping in her head.
"Goodnight…sweetheart," she called out tightly.
"Goodnight Mommy!" Karlee replied back, happily.