Over the course of February, Levi gradually became used to the constant strain of raising a child.
Not that Eren was a burden but there was a significant difference between babysitting for a few hours to 24/7. It was a skill and he was gradually getting better at balancing time between Eren, work, and assignments. By the end of it all, it meant he was less likely to feel like utter crap at the end of each week.
Of course there were times when he would accidently oversleep, making mornings a hectic flurry of chaos trying to find Eren's constantly misplaced shoes.
Or that one Thursday morning where Eren, after many unsuccessful attempts of trying to wake Levi up, took Levi's phone and somehow managed to ring the alarm right next to his ear, ripping a loud resounding 'fuck' from the startled man. Then Levi spent the whole morning persuading Eren why 'fuck' was a bad word and how he should never repeat it again, much less sing it at the top of his tiny impossible lungs.
Which subsequently lead to a vicious lecture from Ilse when Levi picked Eren up from the daycare. Eren's face was covered in dried tears and snot. When he spotted Levi from the door, the water works started again. He apologized through his blubbering and insisted he would never say that bad word again.
It was chaos but it was becoming a manageable chaos.
Eren's restlessness during the first few weeks after the fire eventually settled. He slept like the rock he used to be. And, in turn, Levi fretted less over Eren's mental well being and focused more on mundane things like making sure the kid ate his vegetables.
0o0o0o0o0o0
On Sunday morning, Eren woke up at his usual time of 6am. He crawled away from Levi's arms, yawning, and proceeded to climb over Levi's body. Levi grunted but Eren paid him no attention; he needed to pee. He hopped off the bed, making his way out the room and into the bathroom.
A toilet flush later, he walked back into the room. Levi was up, groaning and stretching his arms above his head. Eren smiled brightly and jumped onto the bed again, slinging himself over Levi's back.
"Good morning, Levi!" He excitably greeted. Levi grunted back a response that may have been a muffled 'morning'. While Levi was used to getting up in the mornings, by no means did it mean he woke up with the same endless energy Eren had.
"…you kids have an amazing ability." Levi said as he pulled Eren off his back and into his arms.
Eren happily stared at Levi. "I do?"
Levi nodded and stood, walking out the room. "Since today is a special day, you get to choose what we'll be having for breakfast." Levi set Eren on top the chair in the kitchen.
"What day?" Eren asked.
"Think about it. It's the only time beside Christmas where you get gifts."
Levi grabbed the apron hanging from the hook on the wall beside the fridge. Eren sat perfectly still, his brows furrowed together in concentration. Levi leaned against the counter as he watched the small boy. He could see Eren's mind make the connection as he quickly raised his head, eyes widening as a big toothy grin spread on his face.
"MY BIRTHDAY!"
"And has the birthday boy decided on what we'll be eating?"
The pancakes with the white snowflakes on them!" Eren immediately answered, a tiny fist raised in the air.
"French toast?"
"French toast!" Eren repeated. Levi nodded.
"Go grab the eggs in the fridge." Levi said as he reached for the bread. Eren nodded and went to go follow Levi's order.
0o0o0o0o0o0o
It was noon when the doorbell rang. Eren, who was preoccupied with the show on the TV, sprang up from the couch, hauling ass towards the door. He paused, hand barely touching the doorknob as he looked back at Levi.
Levi had yelled at Eren enough time to know to wait for Levi's permission.
"Go 'head." Levi set the book he was reading down. Eren was out the door in a second, his loud tiny footsteps echoing in the narrow hallway. He opened the door downstairs to see Hanji and Erwin.
"Jee!" He shouted, flinging himself towards Hanji. Hanji caught Eren, holding him high in the air. Eren giggled excitably and Erwin merely sighed as he walked up the stairs to the apartment. Hanji and Eren's laugh echoed around him. Upstairs, Levi greeted Erwin by the door.
"Did you get everything?" He asked.
Erwin nodded, "We'll have everything set up by the time you come back."
Hanji came bursting into the living room, Eren riding on her shoulders. She knelt on the ground and he climbed off.
"Jee! It's my birthday!" Eren exclaimed.
"Ah, happy birthday! And how old are you now?"
"Five." He replied.
"Count one more finger." Levi said, looking around for Eren's shoes.
"Six." He said after a pause. Hanji laughed ruffled up his already messy hair. She grabbed him and set Eren on the kitchen counter, amusing herself with his eyebrows.
"Levi, you should play with his eyebrows." She said, squishing and moving his eyebrows around.
"What eyebrows?" Hanji moved aside so Levi could pull on Eren's shoes. "Erwin, you should share some with Eren."
That got a laugh out of Hanji.
"Only if you promise not to share your height with him."
Hanji was leaning against the counter, trying to breathe. Levi settled a particularly heated glare towards the taller man. He was tempted to knock that smug look of his face. But a tug on his shirt from Eren brought his focus back to the birthday boy.
"Where are we going?" Eren asked.
"The aquarium." Eren blinked, his expression somewhat blank until a wide grin shaped his mouth.
"Dolphins?!"
"Yeah."
"And sharks?" He asked.
"Definitely." Levi said as he set Eren down on the floor.
"Are they gonna eat me?"
"I'll throw you in myself." Levi replied. For whatever reason, that made Eren hop around with a smile. "Now go get your coat." Eren bolted for his bedroom.
"Where's Petra?" Levi asked, grabbing his car keys and wallet.
"At work. She'll come back later with the cake."
"Alright." He said. Eren ran back out, coat on, and latched himself to Levi's hand.
"Ready!"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Before they went to the aquarium, Levi went to pick up Armin and Mikasa. As he pulled in front of Armin's grandfather house, the young boy was waiting at the front porch with his granddad, a big box held by his tiny arms. Armin instantly stood up, hopping off the rocking chair and crossing the lawn.
Levi stepped out the car, greeting the small blond.
"Where are we going?" Armin asked.
"The aquarium." Levi replied as he waved towards Armin's approaching grandfather. Those eyes couldn't possibly get any wider with wonder. Levi opened the door for Armin then explained to his grandfather the time he could pick Armin up from the apartment. With that set, Levi returned to the car and drove to Mikasa's house.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Levi went over some ground rules before they entered the aquarium. But he wasn't concerned at all about their behavior. These three were surprisingly well-behaved together. Armin was a quiet and obedient boy. He always had a book in his hands when Levi dropped Eren off at the daycare. He was almost the complete opposite of Eren's in terms of how they acted.
Mikasa was quiet as well but mostly 'cause she didn't seem to like to talk much. Except when it came to Eren, which Levi had noticed when Eren first became friends with the girl.
Then there was Eren who was just simply Eren. Levi didn't want to think Eren was an idiot (although there were many moments where Eren always proved him wrong) but he was well-behaved. Levi didn't have much to worry there.
With the rules went over, Levi helped them out the car at the aquarium's parking lot and they headed towards the large, glass covered building. Eren was practically bouncing with every step.
Levi paid for their entrance fee and they walked through a short hallway, the walls painted with dolphins and fishes, walking into a large, lounge room with a wall of glass right in front of them. On both sides of the room were two hallways leading to different places.
Various schools of fishes swam behind the thick glass. The light that filtered through the water and glass illuminated the lounge, casting the entire room with a soothing shade of blue light, complementing the dimmed lighting of the room. Various schools of fish swam behind the thick glass. Eren immediately ran towards the wall, staring up in complete awe. Armin and Mikasa joined him, both taken aback.
Levi followed right behind them. He hadn't been to an aquarium since middle school. He forgot how amazing the place was.
"Armin! What's that fish!?" Eren pointed at a large, striped fish with many long needles on its body.
"A Lionfish. The books say the needles are dangerous." He answered. They spent many minutes like that; Eren pointing out different fishes and Armin naming most of them. Levi settled on a chair nearby, noticing the building wasn't as full as he thought. It was Sunday after all.
After Eren and Armin were done quizzing each other, Mikasa took their hands and led them back to Levi. "Where can we go next?"
Levi thought for awhile, flipping through the guidebook he took from the entrance. "I promised Eren I would throw him with the sharks."
Three pairs of eyes stared at him with awe. But it was Mikasa who raised the question, "Are you really gonna throw Eren in?"
"Let's find out."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Much to Eren's disappointment, he couldn't swim with the sharks. The aquarium did, however, have a tunnel that went through the shark's tank. Eren was able to see them much closer than he had expected.
From there, they spent the entire afternoon looking at all the exhibits. Levi brought them to a special show about the penguins. At one point, one of the staff chose a few of the kids to help with feeding. Afterwards, they took a quick break and ate in the cafeteria. Not without first passing the gift store and the large plush shark doll that caught Eren's attention.
He brought Eren the shark doll, a penguin doll for Armin, and the orca whale doll Mikasa was not so discreetly eyeing. Towards the last of the exhibits, Levi saved the petting room for last. Armin, Mikasa, and Eren were in a large colorful room, looking at several open displays of crabs, snails, and other sea floor creatures. The three were surrounding a display managed by a staff that housed a horseshoe crab.
The woman was holding the horseshoe crab upside, displaying the many legs underneath. She was gently encouraging Eren to touch the legs, much to the horror of Armin and Mikasa. Levi was sitting with the shark, orca, and penguin. He watched as Eren pulled his hand away as soon as the horseshoe crab moved at his touch.
His phone beeped and Levi pulled it out of his pants. He opened the messenger, noticing it was from Hanji.
Bring the little monsters back. Everything is set
"Eren." He called out. Eren ran towards Levi as Armin tried to boldly touch the strange creature as well.
"Levi! That crab is super scary!" He exclaimed, not even remotely scared.
"Think you could ever eat one?" He asked. Eren quickly shook his head, making a disgusted face. "Let's say goodbye to the crab, Eren. We're going back home." Eren nodded, running back to Armin whom was rubbing his hands on his shirt to dry them. Mikasa was peering at the crab as it swam in its shallow tank. Eren informed them they were leaving and the trio walked towards Levi.
0o00o00o0o0o0
The ride back to Levi's apartment was much more subdued and quiet. But they still chattered with each other like gossiping old bingo-playing grandmothers. When he parked the car at the usual spot in front of the flower shop, Hanji was waiting out front. Seeing Hanji woke Eren up as he scrambled to the door. Mikasa and Armin both trailed after him. Levi gathered the bag of presents from Mikasa and Armin as he stepped out.
"Who's ready for a surprise?" She said, kneeling in front of them.
"I am!" Eren yelled. Hanji grinned and vigorously rubbed Eren's head.
"Let's have Mikasa and Armin go in first." She said. Levi walked over to Hanji and handed her the bag of gifts. "Levi, bring him inside in about a minute."
"Right." He lazily replied, scooping Eren up in his arms as he leaned against the window to the front store. He looked at the sky, watching the red and purple of the sky spread out. Eren was making growling noises, waving the shark around in the air.
Carla always read to Eren from a giant book about all the places on earth to see. The ocean was the place that had interested Eren the most. Even the walls on Eren's old room were painted blue with stickers of different sea creatures. His crib even had a mobile of dolphins and fishes. Carla had mentioned she wanted to take Eren to the aquarium for his birthday.
Since she couldn't be with them, he hoped Eren had plenty of fun.
A shark loomed in front of his vision and Levi looked down at Eren, who had gone quiet.
"Levi, is mama happy watching me in heaven?" Eren asked behind the shark. Levi stared at Eren, eyes slightly wide at the unexpected question.
"She is," He said after a thought. "Mama is always going to be happy so long as you are. Are you happy, Eren?"
Eren quickly nodded, tapping the shark's nose against Levi's. "Levi is here."
"Then mama is happy." Levi patted his Eren's head. "Now let's go see what surprise Hanji left you."
0o0o0o0o00o0
Armin and Mikasa were picked up around 8pm, with stomachs full of cake and near the verge of passing out. Erwin, Petra, Eld, and Hanji stayed after to make sure all the beer they brought was taken care of. Eren had enough of energy to keep playing with the block set he'd received from Hanji while they drank. Levi was at the counter, sitting beside Erwin. Hanji, Petra, and Eld where sitting on the opposite side.
"You freeloaders can go now." Levi said, nursing the 5th bottle in his hands. Hanji grinned and leaned towards Levi from across the counter.
"Ahaha, could it be that you're getting drunk?" She drawled out.
"That would be you." Erwin said, finishing his 10th bottle and not even showing the slight hint of drunkenness. Hanji laughed, sitting back down on the chair. Petra was beside her, head on her forearms. She was slightly snoring. Petra rarely drunk and when she did, 2 to 4 drinks was her limit.
She was the lightest drinker in their group.
"Hanji, give me your keys." Eld said as he stood up. He was the only one who hadn't taken a sip of anything beside water or soda. "I'm taking Petra to the car first." Hanji nodded and fished out her keys from her pants, sliding it towards Eld. He picked up the petite woman, carrying her in his arms, then grabbed the keys and headed out.
Having built a massive tower that somehow remained stable despite the precarious ways the blocks were set up, Eren stood and admired it. Satisfied with his work of art, Eren he walked over to Levi's side. When he neared Levi, Levi automatically picked Eren up and set him on his lap. Curious at all the empty bottles on the counter, Eren made to grab one near Levi but it was pulled away.
"Just because you're six doesn't mean you're old enough for this." Levi said, setting it out of reach.
Hanji leaned back over the counter, "Speaking of, Eren," Eren looked at Hanji. "Got any plans now that you're six?"
"What the he…, he's just a year older. What is he going to do that's different?" Levi asked.
"Doesn't he start 1st grade this year?" Erwin asked.
"Shit." Levi didn't even try to hide that one. Of course there was 1st grade. He needed to make a note to enroll Eren to one of the local schools. He was sure there were papers regarding which one somewhere in his room.
"Here." Erwin handed Levi another bottle.
"Thanks," Levi gratefully took it, drinking half of the bottle in one swing. "And wipe that shitty grin off your face." Erwin raised an eyebrow and Levi settled a glare towards the blond. Thankfully Eren was still thinking about Hanji's question to pick up the foul language.
He didn't need another incident of Eren singing another offensive word.
"I want to make Levi less sad."
Eren's answer stopped whatever response Erwin was going to say. Levi looked down at Eren, surprised. Hanji wasn't smiling anymore and she looked at the child.
"What do you mean?"
Eren opened his mouth to answer but Levi clamped his hand over it. "It's time you guys left." He said. "And you," He looked down at Eren. "Go get changed for bed." Eren nodded, Levi's hand still clamped over his mouth. Levi set him down on the floor and he ran off towards the bed room.
"Ah, you suck." Hanji grumped, grabbing a case from the small stack before she left. Erwin stood as well but not before he stopped by the doorway.
"Are you still thinking about Carla?"
Levi sighed but he nodded. The bastard would know either way if he were lying. And between his few friends, Erwin was the only one who knew he had loved Carla. He didn't have anyone else he could talk or bitch to.
"You did everything you could to save her." He said, waiting. Levi barely nodded, looking away from the older man. From his peripheral, he watched Erwin leave, closing the door behind him. Levi stared at the half empty beer bottle in his hand.
"I know that."
Eren walked back into the kitchen, donning his shark pajamas. Levi took a long look at him, big green eyes expectantly staring back from the mouth of a shark.
"And you..." He started, suddenly moving towards Eren. Eren shrieked, quickly turning on his heels to run. But his legs got tangled with each other and he fell. Levi stopped and watched as Eren get right back up. He peered behind him, pulling down the shark hoodie.
They stared at each other and Levi took a step forward. Eren squealed and ran again, this time managing to stay on his feet. Levi chuckled and followed after him.
"First thing tomorrow, I need to find those damned paper."
0o0o0o0o0o0
{6 years back}
It was by gradual association that Levi found himself working at Carla's flower shop. One morning as he passed her shop to go to school, Carla casually asked if he'd like to work in the afternoon. Levi found himself accepting the offer. Three months later and he realized he didn't hate it at all. For the most part, it was easy work since Carla still did a majority of the flower arrangements.
Levi helped with cleaning the shop and eventually to managing the income of sales. The store only ever got busy during the summer and holidays. Unfortunately for Levi, it was summer and Carla had booked one or two June weddings and, going by her word, they weren't easy.
If he had to compare, it was definitely better than spending the afternoon alone in his large home like he usually did. Or sleeping in Erwin's room.
The flower shop began to feel more like a home than his actual house did.
On a lazy and stupidly hot Friday, Levi was watching the shop while Carla was gone to grab a few supplies from her home. The bell by the door rang and Levi looked up from the book he was reading to see Erwin enter the shop.
"So this is the shop." He commented, looking around as he walked to the counter.
"How'd you find this place?" Levi closed his book.
"Not that hard to find." Erwin replied. Levi sucked his teeth in annoyance.
"Noisy bastard."
Erwin smiled, "Can't help my nature." He leaned over the counter towards Levi, lifting Levi's face so he could see a clear view of his sullen expression. "At least you're fighting less." Erwin took note of the fading bruise on the left side of Levi's face. That was the only evidence of a fight Erwin had to break apart a few weeks back.
"It's not like I ask for 'em." Levi replied, staring back at Erwin's face. He slapped Erwin's hand away from his face when he decided that the older blond teen was touching him for far too long. "What do you want?"
"Wanted to make sure you weren't getting into trouble."
Levi settled a very annoyed glare at Erwin. "I don't need to be looked after. Now get the hell out."
"Right, right." Erwin calmly said, heading towards the door. "I'll see you later tonight."
"Whatever."
For awhile, it was quiet again. A few customers entered the shop to buy; some wanted a delivery to go out. It was the same usual business. As Levi was writing down the recent purchases in a notebook, Carla walked in, carrying the supplies she needed.
"Welcome back." He greeted.
"How was the store?" She asked, setting the box onto of the counter.
"Two pickups and three arrangements were sold."
"Which one?"
"…the ones I made." He admitted. Carla grinned.
"I told you your flower arrangements were beautiful." Levi grumped and said nothing, going back to writing down the transactions.
Levi spent weeks staring at her flower arrangements prior to meeting Carla for the first time. And a month in, when he started working for her, Carla began teaching him about floral designs. Whether it was something he'd picked up by watching, being taught by her, or some innate talent he had, Levi's flower arrangements were always built beautifully.
"You took awhile." He said, hoping to change the flow of the conversation. Praise always left him baffled and speechless. "Did something happen?"
"I stopped to take a pregnancy test." She said, heading towards the back room. Levi looked up, hearing the commotion of boxes being dropped and moved.
That was unexpected. Was she maybe…?
"And?" He asked. It was quiet back there.
Was she really? Levi tried to remember the recent mornings when he'd greet her before heading to school but Carla always seemed fine. But he'd never seen what morning sickness looked like so he couldn't tell. Anxiety was filling his body up. He didn't want to hear her words.
Carla walked back into the front room and her honest, beautiful grin told him everything.
"Levi, I'm going to have a baby."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
It was close to midnight when Levi came limping home.
His clothes were torn and blood stained in places. Already darkening bruises marred his face and arms. Levi was also sure there were more on his stomach and back. At some point, he remembered a bat. He couldn't be sure anymore.
Levi entered his house and was surprised to see a light on in the kitchen. That was new. He didn't remember if his mother had left a note saying if she would return. Cautiously, he approached the threshold to the kitchen.
"You're home."
His mother stopped what she was doing, giving her tattered son a disgusted look over. She went back to looking for some documents she always stored in the kitchen drawer. She still wore her business attire and probably had no intentions of staying the night.
"What're you looking for?" He asked, already knowing her response.
"Nothing that concerns you." She curtly replied. Having found the documents she needed, Levi's mother dropped a thick envelope onto the table. "This is my half of your allowance. Your father will stop by tomorrow to drop the other half off. Try not to look like a disappointment."
With that, she left.
Levi stared at the envelope and left it there. He turned and walked out the kitchen, heading to his bedroom upstairs. When he opened the door, Erwin was waiting for him. The older teen immediately stood as he noticed the limp Levi was walking with.
Levi sighed, letting go of the door and his strength as Erwin caught him before he fell. With his help, Erwin led him to the bed and like a mother hen, began to check over his body.
"What happened?" He asked, helping Levi out of his jacket.
"Isn't it obvious?" Levi asked, raising a brow. Erwin grasped Levi's hands, running his thumb over severely bruised and bloodied knuckles. His face was covered in splotches of bruises. There were even more on his arms. Levi pushed Erwin's hands away and took his shirt off. Right across his abdomen were several red, angry welts, a few which were caked with dried blood. They were already turning an ugly shade of green.
"There was a fight."
"Or several." Erwin replied. He sighed as he stood. "You were doing so well too."
He left the room to get the first aid kit. While Erwin was gone, Levi stripped down to his boxers and sat back down. He'd been through enough fights to know the routine Erwin was gonna have him go through. Aside from more welts and bruises, his legs and knees were relatively unharmed. When Erwin came back to the room with the kit, Levi looked up at him.
"Carla is going to have a baby." He said, bracing his forearms on his knees as he stared at the floor.
"This is why you sought after fights?" Erwin asked and he kneeled in front of Levi. He took out the bottle of antiseptic and hydrogen peroxide and began to clean Levi's hands.
"It wasn't hard." Levi said. And it really wasn't. Since meeting Carla three months ago, he'd stopped seeking fights and avoided all the routes he knew they were waiting to ambush him. It wasn't hard to pick a fight with the local thugs who thought they were the hottest thing around.
"Do you love her that much?" He asked, bandaging Levi's hands now that they were clean. He felt Levi's hands go taunt as he waited for a reply. Levi remained quiet, eyes focused on Erwin's large hands.
He wasn't going to admit his feelings out loud. Not now and definitely not in front of Erwin yet.
Erwin continued his treatment, moving himself on the bed. He turned Levi towards him and held Levi's face in his hands, watching as the younger teen closed his eyes.
Erwin doubted Levi's parents had ever seen this docile side of him. Or even seen Levi smile, which was a hard thing to imagine. Levi's face and usual glare didn't indicate he was capable of smiling. But he was capable of smiling. It was the environment that Levi had grown up in that made those smiles elusive.
Erwin had seen his fair share of Levi's, often cocky, but no less genuine smiles. His parents were close friends with Levi's. They were both raised by nannies and Erwin himself helped raise Levi since he was young. Erwin had an advantage Levi's own parent didn't have.
And that was trust.
Erwin started to clean Levi's face, wiping the dried, smeared blood around his nose and thin lips. When Levi wasn't brooding or glaring, or both, he was actually quite handsome. That Levi would let Erwin get so close spoke volumes on the trust he placed in Erwin.
He leaned closer, to see the lashes on Levi's eyes before he pulled away and sighed, gingerly twisting Levi's head side to side. It was a shame to see Levi's face marred with ugly bruises again.
"I think they pulled a knife on me." Levi said. He steadied himself and stood up, turning his back towards Erwin. Sure enough, he could see several long cuts across his back. They weren't particularly bad or deep cuts. His eyes trailed towards Levi's shoulders where one cut was still bleeding. It seemed to be the only that was deep.
"Just one knife?"
"Fuck if I know." He dryly answered. "I was busy."
Erwin shook his head, grabbing the last clean towel and began to wipe the blood off. It was then that he noticed the cut rang through the wings Levi had tattooed on his back. Although calling them wings were a bit of an understatement.
They were very stylized, just three, thick tapered lines that curved and pointed upwards and a much smaller and shorter tapered line that cured downwards. Levi got those 2 years ago when he was twelve at a shady tattoo shop away from town unbeknownst to both Erwin and Levi's parents. His parents wouldn't have cared either way but Erwin would've protested if he'd known.
"It cut through your right wing." He said, pressing a finger around the cut. Levi shrugged, turning back around to face the blond.
"I'll get it retouched if it needs to."
"At least tell me they didn't get away scratch-free?" Erwin said. Considering how banged up Levi was, he'd hoped it wasn't for nothing.
Sure enough, a cocky smirk shaped Levi's lips, the glint in his glare just a bit too harsh. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to."
"Of course, I won't make that mistake again." Erwin said with a smile. "Start wiping the blood off your chest while I get more bandages."
0o0o0o0o0o0
Levi woke up to a familiar heavy weight on his chest, a cool spot of Eren's drool pooling over his shoulder. He carefully lifted Eren off and back on to the bed. Levi yawned, scratching his ass as he walked out the bedroom, closing the door behind him. .
On autopilot, Levi made himself a cup of coffee and sat by the counter, taking in the aroma of the coffee that was brewing. He heard the door open followed by the tiny pitter patters of Eren's footstep. Eren walked towards Levi and held his arms up in the air. Levi picked up the 6 year old, setting him on the counter.
"Eren, what are you doing up?" He asked. Eren rubbed his eyes, yawning.
"You weren't in bed." He mumbled, head drooping forward then jerking back up.
"Go back to sleep." He said. Eren stubbornly shook his head. Levi stared at the clock hung up on the wall. It was close to 5am and while Eren usually woke up first, he was always energetic and loud.
Right now he looked lackluster and paler than usual. He pressed a hand against Eren's forehead. It was hotter than usual.
Maybe he was getting sick?
"I don't want to go back to bed alone." Eren mumbled.
Levi grabbed Eren off the counter and walked to the living room, sitting down on the black recliner. He took the blanket that was draped over the armrest and covered Eren and himself with it.
"Let's sleep together then." He said. Eren yawned then nodded, head resting against Levi's shoulder. Soon enough, he felt drool dribbling down his shoulder.
"I should start wearing a shirt."
0o0o0o0o0o0
Levi woke up again 3 hours later, late for class.
Eren was still asleep in his arms but he was shivering. Levi shifted Eren around, pressing a hand to Eren's forehead. He was definitely hotter now. He stood and placed Eren down on the couch beside the recliner. He was breathing hard but so far, he wasn't coughing.
Levi went to the kitchen, looking for Eren's medicine in the medicine cabinet but it wasn't there. He checked behind the mirror in the bathroom next. He found the bottle but it was empty.
"Fuck."
He grabbed a clean wash cloth from underneath the sink, wet it then grabbed the thermometer. Levi went to his bedroom to grab his cell phone and walked back out to the living room. He kneeled beside the couch, draping the damp cloth on Eren's forehead. He stuck the thermometer in Eren's mouth and waited.
This wasn't the first time he's ever taken care of a sick Eren.
As a baby, Eren was prone to fevers and was often sick. Carla had made sure she'd beaten in what to do in case Eren ever became sick under his care into Levi's mind. As Eren grew older, he's immunity system got stronger and the number of times he'd get sick because of a fever became less and less. By now, Levi knew what to expect and all the danger signs.
Except for the part of not having Eren's medicine.
Levi checked the thermometer; it was close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It wasn't bad but it could get worse. Eren's fevers had a tendency to spike. But there was no medicine and he couldn't leave Eren alone.
He grabbed his phone and called Erwin. It rang thrice before Erwin picked up.
"…hello?" His gruff morning voice sounded muffled.
"Wake the hell up, I need your help." He said, cutting straight to the point.
"Good morning, Levi." Erwin replied. He heard a rustle and a long groan as Erwin was most likely getting up from bed.
"I need you to come over to pick up Eren's health insurance card then go to the pharmacy to get a refill of his medicine."
"Is he sick?" Erwin sounded more awake and Levi heard more rustling.
"A bit. Eren's fever likes to fuck around with him." He looked back to Eren and pressed his hand against Eren's neck. "Get here as soon as you can."
"Alright." Erwin said. Levi hung up the call and took away the cloth from Eren's forehead. He went back to the kitchen to wet it again, squeezing the cloth of excess water. Cloth in hand, he went back to Eren and placed it back on his forehead.
Levi sat back on the recliner and grabbed his laptop from the coffee table in front of him to send an email to his professor. After that he called the daycare, informing Ilse of Eren's absence. With those two done, he set his laptop back on the table.
He stared at Eren, noticing his breathing had become heavier. His body was telling him he should be doing something more than just watching Eren but at the moment, he'd done all he could. Was this how Carla felt when she took care of Eren? Kind of useless? Levi sighed and cleared his mind.
There was no use entertaining those thoughts. Levi gathered Eren into his arms and took him to bed.
Levi carefully changed Eren into a new set of pajamas and laid him to bed. He took his temperature once more, seeing that it hadn't changed from before. Levi left the room, leaving the door open.
He went to the kitchen and decided to clean the living room. It was better than letting his nerves get the best of him.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
When Erwin rang the doorbell an hour later, Levi grabbed Eren's health insurance card and handed it over to Erwin, sending him right back out before he even had the chance to use the spare key Levi had given him. Erwin returned, an hour later, with the medicine and he sat by the counter as he watched Levi go check on Eren.
Eren's fever still hadn't risen but neither had it dropped. But at least he felt some reassurance knowing he had Eren's medicine in case things took a turn for the worse. He pressed his hand against Eren's flushed face, watching the rise and fall of his chest as he slept.
"How's Eren?" Erwin asked, watching Levi enter the kitchen.
"About the same as before." Levi set a plate of rice and seasoned chicken, along with a bottle of beer in front of Erwin.
"I drink more than just beer."
"Oh, so you want something else?" Levi replied, an eyebrow arched as he reached for the bottle.
"This is fine." Erwin kept his hand at the base of the cold bottle. Levi grabbed his own bottle from the fridge and sat across from Erwin.
"Did Carla ever find out you loved her?" Erwin casually asked. Levi coughed on his drink, quickly setting the bottle down before he dropped it. He wiped his mouth, openly glaring at Erwin's calm face.
"What the hell brought this up?"
"You never told me what happened and seeing you act mother hen over Eren made me a little curious." Erwin replied. "Sometimes it's a bit jarring from how you used to act."
"I was a little shit," Levi said. "I'm fully aware of that."
"And Carla?"
"Why the hell are you asking these questions now?"
"I haven't had you to myself lately." Erwin leaned against the counter, his plate of food nearly empty. Levi was inclined to smack him for that but he sighed instead.
"So I never told you?"
"Never mentioned anything after you came home utterly wrecked that night." Erwin replied.
Levi shoved the bottle aside, reaching behind him to open the fridge for another bottle. He wasn't going out so another wouldn't hurt.
"Mothers are scary." Levi started. "She knew longer than I thought she knew. A week before Eren was due, I was working in the shop while she was on leave and even though her doctor told her to rest, she came in to check."
"What did she say?"
"She didn't apologize." Levi remained quiet until Erwin spoke up.
"That's it?"
Levi nodded. "That's all you need know."
Erwin sighed as he grabbed his empty plate and brought it to the sink. "Well, okay." He stood behind Levi, placing his hands on his shoulders, raising an eyebrow as he felt the tension in those thin shoulders. He was about to comment when Eren's deathly wails alerted them. Levi was gone in an instant to Eren's side.
Erwin sat down on the stool, watching Levi pace around in the hallway with Eren in his arms. Levi was surprisingly maternal. It was probably due to Carla's influence or maybe Eren himself. Erwin knew for sure Levi didn't pick up those instincts from his home.
"You have that stupid look on your face." Levi said, walking towards him with Eren. Eren was slumped against Levi, asleep and dribbling on Levi's shoulder again.
Erwin chuckled. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"That look right there." He pointed to Erwin's face. "Stop it."
"Right." He stood, leaning in close to place a chaste kiss on Levi then leaning away quickly before he was smacked for that. An all too familiar glare bore at him; one Erwin was well used to. "Do you need anything else?"
Levi's glare softened and he shook his head, "Thanks Erwin."
0o0o0o0o0
Eruri gives me life
even tho this is a levi/eren fic
why not both