Last chapter! I had so much fun writing this and am quite sad to be finished. Thank you to everyone who took the time to review, favorite, and follow this fanfic. I do hope you all like the ending!
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Self-Actualization
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Levi approached Erwin and Hanji's humble cottage, carrying a small crate filled with food his wife made in his hands. Upon reaching the entrance, he leant the wooden box on his hip and knocked on the door three times. Listening intently, he heard Erwin yell from somewhere on the other side of the door and then the padding of small footsteps against the stone floor. The door gave a jolt, like someone ran into it, before it creaked open, revealing Erwin and Hanji's four year old son, Theodor. The young boy's hazel eyes widened in recognition, swinging the door open until it hit the wall.
"Uncle Levi!" Theo shouted excitedly. "Dad! Uncle Levi is here!" He heard Erwin's inaudible response and stepped inside, assuming that he told his son to let him in. Theo peered around Levi, face falling in disappointment. "Where's Auntie Mikasa? And Harumi?"
Levi froze, allowing himself to shut the door behind him. "Ah, they're both not feeling very good. I told them to stay at home and rest." Mikasa was really the only one who wasn't feeling well. His daughter, on the other hand, was too timid to face Erwin and Hanji's rambunctious boys that day. And he didn't blame her; he never failed to leave the Smith's household without a headache. Theo and Liam definitely inherited their wild attributes from Hanji. He could only imagine that their next child would turn out the same.
He honestly didn't know how Erwin did it.
Theo easily accepted Levi's explanation, scampering off to the kitchen to join his father. Levi wordlessly followed, dodging stacks of boxes strewn about the residence, greeting his friend before setting the crate onto the table.
"What's in there?" Erwin gestured to the box, eyeing it curiously as he prepared everyone's lunch. Levi lift open the lid, displaying the contents inside to Erwin. "Mikasa felt bad about not being able to come by, so she made you all a treat for your move tomorrow. It's all your favorites. Don't fret, Erwin."
The tall blond salivated as he stared longingly at the copious amounts of onigiri, dango, and anpan Mikasa slaved over making yesterday. "Your wife is seriously the best, Levi. I wish Hanji wasn't such a shit cook." Levi chuckled, shutting the crate and ruffling Theo's sandy blond hair as he sat in the empty chair beside the boy. He recalled one visit sometime after Harumi's first birthday, where Hanji insisted they all have dinner at their house and nearly burnt the building down in the process. Not only were their lives in danger, but she managed to concoct the worst dishes Levi had ever consumed.
"You think she'd be good at it, considering her job, but..." Erwin trailed off and released an exhausted sigh, skillfully slicing up carrots and tossing them into the pot. He cast a sideways glance at Levi. "I just wish I could take a break once in a while. Don't you ever feel that way with Rumi?"
Uncomfortably scratching his fingernails against the short hairs on his nape, Levi's blue stare followed the lines of Theo's sketch as the young boy drew mindlessly. "I uh, used to, but not anymore. It's surprising, I know."
The last trimester of Mikasa's pregnancy and the year after his daughter was born were especially hard for him. The moment Mikasa's stomach began to swell, he began to regret agreeing to have a child with her. Because what kind of father would he be? Even with all things considered, his tainted past constantly reared it's ugly head back into his brain. He was a thief, a killer, a criminal. What right did he have bringing innocence into this world?
But Mikasa never failed to help him forget, pressing affectionate kisses on his lips when her reassurances didn't alleviate his worries.
It took him a year after his daughter's birth to realize he wasn't the same man he was when he was younger.
Months after months of keeping away from Harumi all changed one night when Mikasa was summoned to the capital for her yearly performance review. He didn't realize how much he enjoyed just being in her presence, watching her blue-gray eyes stare up at him in wonder as he fed her for the night. And when she fell asleep beside him, Levi felt a crooked grin creep onto his face as he gently pushed her jet black hair off of her forehead, caressing a light kiss on her temple.
Since then, he could never get enough of his precious daughter, still never understanding how he could stay away from such a perfect creature for so long.
"You? That's funny, considering you didn't want kids in the first place." Erwin's voice woke Levi from his reminiscing. It was true. It wore him out having to take care of Mikasa when she was still a reckless child. He had hoped that that would be the last time he would have to do such a thing, content with just spending the rest of his life devoting himself to his wife. But all those expectations came crashing down when Mikasa brought up starting a family of their own.
Levi rest his chin in his palm. "I may have regretted it then, but I definitely don't feel that way now." He let out a short, sad laugh, picking off a flake of loose paint from the table. "Strange how things turn out."
Erwin's other son, Liam, suddenly ran into the kitchen screaming, hair dripping and clothes damp like he didn't bother to dry off from his bath. Hanji closely followed her son, holding her swollen belly as she scooped up him with one arm and placed him into an unoccupied chair. The pregnant woman straightened up and pushed her glasses up her nose, jumping slightly once her eyes landed on their visitor.
"Levi! I had no idea you were here already. Where's your girls?" She pulled the towel off her shoulder, scrubbing Liam's hair with the cloth until it was dry.
"They're at home. Mikasa's under the weather and Rumi's too shy to come over."
Hanji's booming laugh echoed throughout the kitchen, pulling a comb out of the pocket of her apron and untangling Liam's hair. "Ah, my boys intimidate little Harumi. We'll have to set up a playdate some time after we're done moving. It's not that far from where they live, right Erwin?"
Her husband shook his head, his attention never deviating from the brewing pot of stew. "It's farther, actually."
The brunette frowned, turning her gaze from Erwin and back to Levi. "That's too bad. I'm sure we can still work something out."
"We'll see." His utterance masked the miserable feeling invading his body. Sure, he wouldn't be able to visit Erwin and Hanji as much as before, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be completely devoid of running into them again. So what was with this sudden bout of melancholy? Perhaps it was the overwhelming amount of loss he suffered throughout the years. Even after the final battle, everyone he became close to moved away, save for Erwin and Hanji—until now. It was strange, becoming more than acquaintances with comrades who he once considered to be a threat to him when they were no longer in a hostile environment.
It all started with Kirschtein after he helped Levi save Mikasa. They formed a friendship akin to his and Erwin's once Levi realized the younger man wasn't pining for his beautiful wife anymore. He even, shockingly, assisted him when attempting to reel the Braus girl into going on a date with the awkward man. It wasn't too long before the two were married and traveling up north, deciding they should start a life somewhere far from where they were born. Levi and Mikasa would still occasionally receive a letter from the couple, but it simply wasn't enough.
Levi also managed to befriend Eren and Armin, much to his reluctance at first—Mikasa had to encourage him to merely speak with the two. He was by no means as close to them as much as he was with Mikasa, Erwin, Hanji, and Jean, but it seemed like as soon he made a dent into the friendship with the two, they left. Their desire to explore the world outside the confines of the city overpowered their obligation to stay.
Now his last two friends were moving to another sector of the vast city, not having anymore room in their present home for the daughter growing in Hanji's womb. He understood their motives—hell, he would even do the same—but that didn't mean it hurt any less.
"How much longer?" Levi questioned, gesturing towards Hanji's very swollen belly as she slowly sunk in the seat beside him.
"Any day now, actually! I can't wait," Heanji gushed, squirming in her seat at her inability to contain her excitement. "There's just too many males in this house. Surely you understand how I feel, Levi, considering the two girls in your house and only one of you. I bet they're always pushing you around."
The short man glowered at her. "Shut up, four eyes."
Despite his retort, the bespectacled woman was absolutely right. The two women in his life had him completely enraptured. It wasn't his fault that he would bend to every whim they requested. Humanity's strongest... turning into a pansy. He thought he would never see the day.
The group spent the rest of the afternoon eating and conversing animatedly, regardless of the fact that it was becoming closer and closer to Levi's departing—minutes sooner to their final farewells. Levi glanced down at his watch before downing the rest of the alcohol Erwin offered him earlier. It was nearly six and nearly dark outside. Being mindful of his slightly inebriated state, the raven haired man gradually stood up, stretching his limbs and announcing that it was time for him to leave.
"And I still need to pick up something for Mikasa before the shop closes."
It surprised him when Erwin pulled him into a bone-crushing hug first, then uncomfortably dodging Hanji's pregnant stomach as she embraced him next, then finally relenting when the twins reached up for him. Levi tried not to linger long after, buttoning up his coat and waving at the family before taking his leave.
"Tell Mikasa we said goodbye!" Hanji yelled, head poking out of the entrance and hands cupped around her mouth. One edge of his lips twitched up into a half-smile. He quietly waved her off again before disappearing into the night.
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Levi silently enters through the threshold of his home, shrugging off his coat and loosening his cravat as he hangs the heavy article of clothing on the rack near the door. He's a breath away from announcing his presence when his ears pick up on Mikasa's frustrated voice and Harumi's high-pitched giggles and protests echoing from the kitchen. He leans again the frame of the entrance to the kitchen, remaining in the shadows to watch the scene unfold before him.
"Please eat, Rumi. Mommy's not feeling well. Can you do this for mommy?"
"No!" The little girl yelled, pounding tiny dimpled fists against the table and turning her head away from the spoon Mikasa held in front of her. Levi managed to hold back a chuckle, observing as his wife exasperatedly ran her hands over her face, obviously worn out from spending the entire day alone with their daughter. Harumi peered into her bowl, playing with whatever her mother prepared for her.
"Will you eat it if you feed yourself?" Mikasa queried, a thin eyebrow cocking up slightly like she was about to confess a secret.
"Yes." Rumi replied obediently, slate blue eyes bright and churning with mischief. His wife folded her arms and stared at Harumi expectantly. But after about a minute of sloshing her food around in the bowl, she threw the spoon onto the floor and leant back against her chair, laughing into her hands as the clanging of the metal spoon reverberated throughout the room. Mikasa fumed, and Levi knew that this was his cue to intervene.
"Daddy!" Harumi shouted, hopping off her seat and latching onto his leg once he stepped inside the room. Levi set the tin of tea leaves on top of the table, bending over to lift his daughter into his arms. The little girl wrapped her chubby arms around his neck as he gently pushed her dark bangs out of her eyes. "Have you been giving your mother a hard time? You're a little troublemaker, aren't you?"
Mikasa fixed him with a glare as she cleaned up the mess on the floor, knowing full well he was watching them the entire time. He wasn't going to hear the end of it later.
Harumi's only response was a giggle. "Mommy mad," she blatantly stated, pointing a stubby finger at Mikasa. Levi hummed, glancing at the still indignant Mikasa as she pulled herself up to her feet, dusting off her dress and apron. "Maybe if you ate your food, your mother wouldn't be so angry. She's going to yell at me later because of that, just watch."
"No!" Rumi's eyes began to fill with tears, corners of her lips pointing down in a pout. The little girl protectively pulled her father towards her. "Mommy no hurt daddy." The exhausted mother warily stared at the two, sighing as she set a clean spoon beside the bowl and picked up the tin of moon tea leaves Levi brought for her.
"Feed her, will you?" Her demand fell flat, abruptly turning on her heel to stow the box away in a cabinet.
Levi eyed her curiously. She was acting strange tonight. Never had he seen her so irritated and fatigued since they moved into their home. Sure there were moments where she acted like this, but they were rare and fleeting. This time there was a peculiar aura of dejection surrounding her. Something must have gone wrong while he was away, and he'd have to make sure to ask her about it later. While pulling out the chair Harumi was previously occupying, Levi caught sight of the contents in the bowl. Covering Harumi's ear and carefully pressing her head against the crook of his neck, Levi gestured to the food.
"What the hell is this? No wonder she's not eating it."
"It's just mashed sweet potatoes and corn!" She hotly argued back, not bothering to turn around to face her husband as she began to scrub the dirty dishes in the sink.
"Well, it looks like shit." He set their daughter on top of the table before taking a seat in the empty chair opposite her. Mikasa muttered something under her breath, but Levi didn't have the chance to catch it. Scooping up a small bite, he held it out to Rumi.
"Will you eat your food for me, princess?" His question was as sweet as honey, almost making him sick to use such a fake voice to her. Harumi scrunched her nose and shook her head vigorously, thick shoulder-length onyx hair swishing all over her face. The 'princess' card usually worked on her, but he manages to mask his confusion. Frowning, Levi held her small hand with his fingers, pressing a light kiss to the back of it. "Not even for Prince Papa?"
"King Papa!" She corrected, crossing her arms in a haughty manner. "Too old."
Levi scoffed, feigning offense. "Oh, well forgive me, princess. I had no idea I was too old to be a prince. Now... can you eat your dinner for King Papa? A good princess listens to her father, am I right?"
Her wide eyes fell to the spoon Levi held, contemplating her decision long and hard before allowing one dissatisfied nod. Levi grinned when she finally ate the spoonful, prying the utensil out of his hand to eat on her own. "Was that so bad?"
"Is yummy!" Her response came out gleefully, but once their daughter uttered the words, his wife sneered at them.
"She only ate it because she's afraid of your ugly face."
Levi's forehead creased as he shot her an incredulous stare. "Ugly, you say? You sure didn't think that last night when you were kissing it." Mikasa briefly glanced at him over her shoulder, a small smile playing at her lips as she winked at him. Her mood did a complete one-eighty. Levi swallowed thickly, his pants straining from Mikasa's sultry action. And she knew exactly what she did to him, judging from the secretive laugh that escaped her.
Oh, she's definitely going to get it later.
"Isn't it past your bedtime, Rumi?" Her father wondered, a scolding tone underlying his voice.
"No." She completely disregarded him, focused on finishing the last morsels of her meal. Stubborn like her mother, she was. Levi found himself shaking his head at the thought. Bits of food dribbled down Rumi's chin, and Levi unflinchingly wiped the mess off her face with a cloth napkin. He remembered when he was still getting accustomed to taking care of his daughter—what a disaster that was! It was amusing, to realize the things that previously disgusted him when he was younger no longer revolted him. He supposed he had Mikasa to thank for that.
"Play!" She demanded, incessantly tugging on his sleeve after failing to receive his attention the first time.
Levi sighed in defeat, lifting the little girl into his arms once again and relenting to her wishes.
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It was almost nine when Levi finally made his way into his bedroom. He swore his daughter had a second energy source stored somewhere in that tiny body of hers, considering how hyperactive she was when instead she should have been drowsy and ready for bed. It took twenty minutes of playing with her dolls and three stories to finally have her drift off to sleep. Levi was never quite sure where she inherited her energetic side from.
He found Mikasa standing in their private bathroom, scrutinizing herself in the mirror as she expertly wove her frayed velvet ribbon through braided hair. She was already donning her cotton nightdress, like she had no intention of continuing what she started earlier. And though she appeared perfectly fine, Levi knew her well enough by now to know that her stormy orbs were stirring with carefully concealed sorrow.
Perhaps he could take her mind off of whatever was bothering her?
Silently walking up behind her, he slid his arms around her sides and grasped the edges of the sink, enclosing her in his arms. His chapped lips brushed against her bare shoulder, and he had to hide a smug smirk when she visibly trembled.
"Hello," he murmured against her creamy skin, playfully nipping the succulent area where her neck met her shoulder. Mikasa whined when he untied her hair, the inky tendrils spilling out of it's hold and fanning over her back.
"Levi! That took forever to do."
"I like it better when it's down." He replied, burying his face into her honeyed vanilla scented hair.
Mikasa was having none of that, apparently. Slapping his hands away, she hedged around him to enter their room again. But her husband didn't follow, his blue stare following every movement as he leant against the doorframe. "Did something happen today? What did the doctor say?"
At the mention of the doctor, Mikasa froze, her hand stilling from brushing the strands of her hair. If that didn't indicate there was something wrong, then the slight quiver of her lips had him on full alert.
Levi sat beside her on the bed, the mattress sinking with his added weight, as he tugged her into his side.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed, angrily wiping the tears that barely escaped her smoky eyes. Levi's brows knit together, confused beyond belief but still attempting to soothe his distressed wife. He reached for her quivering hand, pressing tear soaked fingers to his scratchy lips.
"Why are you apologizing?"
"I..." She released a shaky breath, gathering courage to what she was going to say next. "I've been suspecting it for a while now, but I needed the doctor to be sure. But... I'm with child again." Mikasa dared to meet the gaze of her husband when he didn't respond. His mouth was agape, clearly in shock as the announcement sunk in.
They had been careful, or so he thought. Though the moon tea was their go to method of contraception, Levi had always insisted they try another method, concerned that the tea could damage her health. But Mikasa refused, seeing as they didn't have any slip ups over the past six years. This was the last thing he expected, but that didn't necessarily mean it was a bad thing. Their daughter was his world, and he imagined having a son or another daughter would mean the same. He couldn't understand why she apologized to him though, because he was truly elated despite his initial shock.
"You're not angry?" She asked softly after he pulled her into his arms, pressing a lingering kiss on her forehead.
"Why would I be?" He questioned back, fingers threading through her long hair once she rest her head at the crook of his neck.
"I just thought... with the way you were with Harumi at first, I assumed you wouldn't want another."
Levi shrugged. "We'll have another and that's that. You won't hear any protests from me."
Mikasa finally sighed contently as she detached herself from him, tightly grasping the collar of his white button-up to pull him into a kiss.
Later, when they're lying together underneath the covers, Mikasa asks him a question that awakens him from his half-slumber. "Will you pick a name this time?" She inquires innocently, fingernails delicately scratching his toned chest. Did I hear her right? Levi grunts, rubbing his eyes so he could attempt to focus on her. He only hummed in response, a silent request for her to repeat her question.
"I said, will you pick a name this time?"
"Mm, a name? For who?"
"Our unborn child, who else?" She whispered heatedly, appalled that he already forgot.
A throaty chuckle escaped his lips. "Relax, I was kidding. I can tell the hormones are already kicking in."
Mikasa narrowed her eyes at him, fighting back the crimson hue coloring her face as she pinched his side and turned her back to him. Levi jolted from her unexpected retaliation, sighing before nestling her in his arms and urging her closer until his chest is flush to her back. She was still clearly upset, and he had no other choice than to back down and accept her request.
"Fine, I'll pick a name. Please don't be sad."
Mikasa finally spun around to face him again, reaching out to both sides of his head to pull him into a searing kiss. Levi's eyes snapped open in bewilderment, but before he could respond, Mikasa broke the kiss. Her husband groaned in dismay, pushing his face closer to hers in an attempt to steal another kiss. But her palm against his face only made his advances fruitless. It disgruntled him when she teased him like this, especially when he had been looking forward to it all day. When he eventually stills, Mikasa removes her hand before firmly placing her mouth on his in a far more gentler kiss.
So... this is what she wanted, he thought complacently, thoroughly enjoying his wife's strange shifts in foreplay—gentle and then rough and then back to tender again.
"I love you, Levi," she whispered when he parted his lips against hers, her slim fingers sliding her thin dress up her silky legs and torso before discarding it off to the side.
"I love you too, Mikasa," Levi answered, clutching the young woman like she was some sort of lifeline.
That night, he dreamt of the future. He dreamt of Mikasa's arms embracing him in the gardens after he returned home from a particularly grueling expedition, the sound of three kids running around and squealing with laughter in the background.
He dreamt of home.
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Hopefully everyone liked the ending!
And if anyone still hasn't read it, make sure to check out my other Levi/Mikasa fanfic! I'll be updating that a lot more frequently. I'll also be creating sequel to this fanfic in the near future, so keep your eyes out for it!
Thank you for reading! And make sure you review! Even if it's just to tell me you liked it. :)