Pairing: Eren/Mikasa

Setting: Modern AU; They are around twenty four years old here.

Rating: K+ (Light Language)

Words: 2499

Notes: I initially wrote this because I wanted something cute to write while I was at work. I wasn't sure if I was going to post it or not cause it really was just because I wanted something cute but when I saw Childhood on the prompts for the week, this one fit perfectly. I had written baby fics in canon before but never a modern AU and what a shame because Carla would be a wonderful grandma, so I had to write one just for her.

October 10th - Childhood

"I don't even think Mikasa likes this much pink," Grisha said, arching his eyebrows at the very pink tablecloth Carla was placing over another table.

Carla was inclined to agree; Mikasa hadn't ever been much of a girly girl for as long as Carla known her. The tablecloths, the balloons in the corner, the plastic ware on the food table it all was very…pink and not very Mikasa. "Well, her parents seem to be taking this a bit more traditionally." Carla grabbed a purple bag off the floor and placed it on the center of the table. She thought purple and green fit the girl better so Carla did try to get purple streamers, green plates, neutral colored bags, purple cups, and thank God the cake had been left up to her as well. She wanted to keep the sickly sweet layers upon layers of pink and white frosting far away from this baby shower.

"Will you grab the other bags in our room and bring them out please," she asked her husband while she looked around the large sun room trying to see what else needed to get done.

"If I have enough arms."

Carla turned to face him and she could see a smile on his lips. "Grisha Jaeger, this is our first grandbaby from our only son. You bet I'm going to spoil that little girl."

He held his hands up in defense but his smile was still there telling Carla he was just teasing her. "I'm not disagreeing with you, am I?" He stepped up out of the room and back into the house.

Carla looked around the room again; cold food was on the table, warm food was broiling in the kitchen, chairs were set both inside and outside, Grisha was getting the gifts for the table, there were drinks and cups set out…there had to be something else she was forgetting.

She sat down in one of the nearby chairs. It was almost a surreal feeling that seven months had gone by since her twenty four year old son came to tell her and his father that they were having a baby. Carla, naturally, had been overjoyed; it was about time she had some grandchildren after all. It was a bit of a surprise but Eren and Mikasa were both adults with jobs and a home. They were more than capable of raising a baby. Of course, it did help Grisha owned a clinic in his name that both Eren and Mikasa worked at all through school.

Regardless, Carla had never been more excited over a baby shower than this one; her little family was finally growing.

"I just want to ask," Grisha's voice called as he stepped in front of the sun room doorway. "Are you sure you bought them enough?"

Carla nearly snorted in laughter at the sight of him; he had bags hanging from his arms, wrapped up boxes stacked to his face, and one large box he had abandoned on the hall. "Never," she said as she stood up to help take some of the boxes from him.

"She's not even born yet and she's already the most spoiled child I've ever seen." Grisha pulled the bags off his arms placing them on the table.

"Stop acting like I was the only one who bought these things, dear. I'm pretty sure I wasn't alone at the store."

Grisha places the last bag on the table. "Yes, but grandfathers are meant to spoil their granddaughters. It's a law."

Carla rolled her eyes but she couldn't keep a smile off her face. The thought of Grisha holding the little girl was about as heart melting as the thought of Eren holding his little girl was. She opened her mouth to say something to him but the doorbell cut her off. "I'll get it," she said instead, reaching up to place a kiss on her husband's cheek. "Don't forget that one," she said pointing to the large box in the hallway.

She walked through the kitchen that smelled like all the different scents of food cooking and into the hallway that lead to the front door.

"Hello, Carla," Vita Ackerman smiled from behind a crockpot when Carla opened the door. "I figured you'd be fine on food but I wanted to bring something too."

"Oh no, that's wonderful, thank you." Carla stepped aside to let her long time neighbor inside. She was about to ask where Tom was but Carla saw him at the car trying to get some bags and boxes out. With a very knowing smile she followed Vita into the kitchen where she placed the crockpot down.

"It smells delicious in here," Vita breathed.

"Good, as long as you and everyone else eats it and not leave it all here for us to eat." Carla popped her head in the sunroom. "Grisha, can you go help Tom outside?"

He looked up from his seat that he had just sat down in, but pushed himself up again. "I hope they at least know how to restrain themselves."

Carla hit his shoulder as he walked by her.

"Wow," Vita said, stepping into the sunroom herself. "It looks lovely. You did a beautiful job."

"It was nothing," Carla waved her off stepping into the room. "Anything for those kids."

Vita sighed as she sat down in one of the seats. "They still feel like kids to me. It seems like yesterday they were catching bugs in my backyard and now they're having kids themselves. It's just…so fast."

"They're in their mid-twenties, Vita, it's pretty normal for their age." Carla sat down on the couch across from Vita knowing full well she had a harder time coming to terms with her only daughter getting pregnant before Vita thought Mikasa should've. "And you had to have expected it; they lived together since they were in college, Just be thankful it wasn't before this like Grisha always betted on.

"I don't appreciate being made out that I bet my teenage son was going to get his girlfriend pregnant," Grisha said, carrying in another load of bags as Tom carried a large box behind him. "I just knew Eren and his ability to…" Grisha placed the bags down on the table before looking back around. "Never once think about consequences to his actions."

Tom snorted putting the large box next to the other one on the floor. "I'd normally say Mikasa always had the ability to keep him in line in that regard but obviously she doesn't always think with her head either."

"Thomas," Vita said.

"She's my daughter too," Tom shrugged. "But it does take two to tango."

Vita rolled her eyes but Carla could tell she was trying not to laugh. "There are plenty of details in Mikasa's life I don't need to think about."

"Vita," Grisha said. "It's hard not to when she has a baby visibly growing in her stomach."

"I know that," Vita said, but Carla was already laughing. "How'd you take it so calm, Carla. You didn't even bat an eye when they told you."

"Because I always expected it," she answered, crossing one leg over the other. "They were inseparable almost their whole lives and I knew what that was going to turn into. I wasn't surprised when I walked in on them making out in high school, or when Eren told me he was in love with her, or when they moved in together, or when they told me she was pregnant."

"Well, I wasn't either," Vita said. "I just wish there was a 'or when he asked her to marry him' in there somewhere."

"Eren's not an idiot," Grisha said, leaning up against the table. "He will, but I doubt Mikasa'd appreciate a shotgun wedding."

"Her father might," Tom said, though he wasn't looking very serious about it. Carla knew he at least understood they were adults making their own choices, but she was glad for both Eren and Mikasa were older because she could imagine Tom would have a lot more to say if it was his teenage daughter they were talking about.

"I just want them to be kids still," Vita sighed. "I know they're adults but they're so young, they have so much time for babies later."

"It was her choice, Vita, no one made it for her"

"Yeah, but this is Mikasa we are talking about." She turned to face her husband. "She's always wanted to have a family with Eren. What else was she going to choose?"

"You act like that's a bad thing," Carla said, knowing very well it wasn't what Vita meant but the words still fell from her mouth.

"I only meant there wasn't much of a choice when she would always choose him. Don't get me wrong, I love Eren and at this point I couldn't see anyone else with Mikasa but him and that's okay. He takes care of her, what more could a mother ask for? It's just the timing I wish was better, father down the road."

"Well, what's done is done," Grisha said. "So get used to being called Grandma real soon."

Vita sighed but with a laugh signaling she was done fighting the inevitable for now. "Remember when we found Mikasa's diary when she was twelve or thirteen and she wrote about how she wanted to marry Eren and have kids with him?"

"I do believe it was approximately three kids she wanted," Tom added.

"And I tried to tell you, Carla, that Mikasa had a crush on him. You told me the only statement more obvious was the sun is in the sky."

"It's not my fault you refused to see it," Carla laughed at the old memory. "How, I don't know. She pined after him for Christ sake."

"I tried to confront Mikasa too, to tell her this wasn't appropriate behavior, though I knew it was normal for a girl her age to have a crush on a guy friend, especially a neighbor but my first reaction was 'Oh God, no, not him'." She was trying not to laugh. "And Mikasa was so horrified she locked herself in her room for the rest of the night."

"That's a wedding toast story if I ever heard one."

Carla looked up to see both Armin and Eren standing in the doorway.

Eren had a hand to his heart. "Really? Mrs. A, your first response? I'm so wounded."

Armin snorted. "Please, Eren, do you even remember yourself as a kid? Any parent would've thought it."

"C'mon, Jean was always a bigger shithead than me."

"Where's Mikasa?" Carla asked, cutting their bickering off as she pushed herself up to her feet.

"She had to use the bathroom," Eren said as he leaned in to wave at his other parents as well.

"Why don't you two start bringing in food from the kitchen. People will start showing up soon." She ushered them away before turning back. "Well, I do hope that everything is ready now."

"Do you have any games at all?" Vita asked.

Carla shook her head. "It's a jack and jill so I figured those kinda things work better with the women. Though maybe those two will tell us what the named the baby."

"Who says we did already?" Mikasa was carefully walking down the steps into the room when Carla looked over. Mikasa had one hand on her swollen stomach but her eyes were looking around the room. "It's so pretty in here, Aunt Carla, thank you."

"Don't you distract me," Carla said, though she couldn't hold back her smile. "I know Armin knows."

"That's cause he's the godfather." Eren was holding a crockpot in his hands as he walked back in. "He has to get some perk."

"Well, we're the grandparents," Vita gestured to the others in the room. "We deserve some perks too especially when we're the babysitters."

Armin placed the two trays he carried into the room onto the table before turning to look at them. "You'll have to make me an offer I can't refuse."

"Go keep getting food," Carla laughed, lightly shoving Armin back in the direction of the kitchen. "And don't start using the fake Italian accent again."

"I'll help," Tom volunteered, following Armin out of the room; his eyes more on the food than where he was going.

"And no sneaking food either, you hear me," Carla called after them. She was about to go have Grisha help as well when Mikasa leaned in to give her a hug,

"Thank you for doing all this," Mikasa said, her head leaning on Carla's shoulders.

"Of course, sweetheart, anything for my girls. It's about time we have more girls here. We've always been out numbered haven't we?" Carla hugged her, rubbing Mikasa's back. "I'm sorry about the pink. That was all your mother."

"I heard that, Carla."

Mikasa rolled her eyes to Carla but went to go sit down by her mom.

"How many people are you expecting, Mom?" Eren placed more food down on the table. "The entire Roman army?"

"Just family and friends," Carla shrugged, gesturing for Grisha to go help too.

"Mikasa's brother even got leave to come out for this," Vita said.

Eren nearly dropped the crockpot Tom had handed him. "Levi's coming?"

"Yes, he hasn't seen Mikasa the whole time she's been pregnant. He wasn't going to miss her baby shower."

"You mean he wouldn't miss the opportunity to murder me in cold blood."

Armin was licking his fingers from a buffalo wing he ate as he patted Eren on the shoulder. "It really was nice knowing you, buddy."

"Stop being dramatic, Eren." Carla swatted Armin's hand away from more buffalo wings. "Levi's known you since you were nine. He used to baby sit you."

"You do realize you're talking about the guy who would tie me up if he was sick of watching me or who locked me in the closest because I made Mikasa cry."

"To be fair you probably deserved it, son." Grisha passed a dish to Tom in the room. "You weren't exactly an easy child to control."

Carla stepped out of the way when Mikasa, who was trying not to laugh, stood in front of him. Carla couldn't hear what Mikasa was telling him; it made him roll his eyes but also pulled a smile on his lips. It was hard not to see the adoration Eren held for Mikasa every time he looked at her and the happiness when he placed his hands on the sides of her belly. She must've made him laugh because Carla heard it over all the chatter in the room. Vita could think the time was wrong all she wanted because when Carla looked at them, she had to disagree.

The doorbell rang, causing Carla to look away. Grisha motioned that he would get the door as he disappeared around the corner. Well, she hoped everyone was ready for lots of pink.