Chapter Text
It took 20 minutes for Petra to return to their rooms with a doctor in tow, as soon as they arrived the doctor spied Jamie and immediately went to him. Levi was still holding a shaking but significantly calmer Alex in his arms but when the doctor approached his head snapped around, his eyes although brimming with tears were furious.
"Don't touch him" he fumed.
The doctor, a middle aged woman with serious grey eyes and thin lips, pulled her hand away from Jamie to focus on Alex. She didn't smile while she studied him, her eyes never wavering from his for the half a minute she stared.
"My name's Dr Spencer" she said, her voice trying to imitate kindness but falling short. It was obvious to both Levi and Eren that although this woman might be a very good doctor she didn't much like or take to children.
"Don't care... stay away from him" Alex said angrily, his body turning to her from his position in Levi's lap and glaring, his bright blue eyes shining with fury. His hand had reached out in Jamie's direction as if his touch alone could protect his brother from the stranger.
"I'm here to help" she said, her eyes flicking from Alex up to Levi asking for help.
"Hey Alex?" Levi tried softly.
Alex glared at Dr Spencer for a moment longer before turning them on Levi, only slightly less furious and waiting for Levi to continue.
Levi looked at Alex's little face and unfortunately recognised the expression immediately. He was terrified. Terrified of all the strange adults surrounding him and his brother, terrified of where he was and what was happening to them but more than being terrified he was defensive. He looked like he was ready to grab his twin and go at any moment, no matter how far they would actually get, he was ready.
He looked seriously protective of Jamie despite his young age and Levi knew that look, the one that said he couldn't trust Jamie to anyone but himself.
"My name's Levi" he said and Alex blinked looking thrown, "and this is Eren, my husband". Levi gestured over to Eren, who was smiling warmly and rocking Jamie slightly in his arms.
"I know this is scary" Levi continued, "but we only want to help you both, Jamie's pretty sick, right?"
Alex paused before he nodded stiffly, eyes flicking over to Jamie. "He's really hungry" Alex offered, his voice stilted at the confession.
"Must have been awhile since you guys have eaten?" Levi nudged and Alex nodded again.
"I got some bread two days ago" Alex whispered. Levi had to close his eyes briefly, he knew they'd been living on the street but to hear it so clearly from a child so young was heartbreaking.
"You've been taking really good care of him" Eren said, Levi noted how Alex's lip started to wobble.
"He just got sick" Alex said hollowly, eyes starting to brim with tears again, "I tried to get food but- but I couldn't... and he was real cold..."
"I know" Levi said placing his hand on Alex's back and rubbing it slowly, "you did really good, I promise. But I was thinking... how about Eren and I help you a bit? Maybe stay here while Jamie gets better? Have some food and a comfy bed? How does that sound?"
Alex bit his lip, eyes flitting from Eren and Levi over to Jamie and the tears started to spill over again.
"We- we can stay here?" Alex asked roughly.
"Of course" Eren promised, "we need to get Jamie all better, right?"
"Right" Alex agreed.
"Then how about letting Dr Spencer work her magic? I've heard she can fix a lot of things" Levi said, never taking his eyes off the little boy. Alex was obviously fighting desperately against letting anyone near his brother but the idea of Jamie getting better and a real bed and food was winning out.
"She can make him better?" Alex asked seriously.
"I think so" Levi said, "but we should let her try, shouldn't we?" Alex took a moment before he nodded, he pulled his hand back and settled properly on Levi's lap but his eyes, once on his brother, never left.
Dr Spencer took that as her cue to examine Jamie. Eren held him carefully while she went about taking his temperature and checking him over, it was a tense silence broken intermittently by Mia's restless cries and Mikasa and Armin trying to soothe her. She tutted when she reached his dirty foot and saw a swollen red cut there, it was scabbed over but looked inflamed and sore.
"Hmm... just as I thought" she said after a few minutes, "he's got a bad fever, he's severely malnourished and dirty, not to mention the exhaustion... but I believe the worst of it is stemming from an infection".
"An infection?" Levi asked, not just for himself but for Alex. The little guy was staring helplessly at Jamie not understanding much of what Dr Spencer was saying.
"It's the most logical reason, yes" she said, "he'll need a bath and new clothes, if he stays here you're both in for a long, rough couple of days".
"That's fine" Eren said at the same time Levi said, "they're not leaving".
"In that case I can walk you through what needs to happen tonight, there's not a lot I can do after I give him some medicine and treat the wound, in most cases children are better off with their parents... or well, people that really care for them" she said, "I'll pop back in a few times and stay close by but there's not much point in me staying here".
Levi looked over to Eren who nodded and gestured over to Mikasa, Mia and Armin. He got Eren's meaning and then focused back on Alex.
"Eren and I are going to have a chat with Dr Spencer, OK? Can you look after Jamie for a few minutes?" Levi asked and Alex nodded immediately.
Eren stood up slowly and place Jamie back on the lounge, his head on a pillow and his body still wrapped in Levi's cloak. Alex scooted up next to him and stared, his knees drawn up to his chin and his dirt encrusted feet just touching Jamie.
Dr Spencer walked over to the other group with Eren and Levi close behind. Mikasa stood up and passed Mia back to Levi, she instantly grabbed hold of him and pressed her face into his neck not having liked the stressful situation.
"Is it contagious?" Eren asked, he already knew the answer seeing as how only Jamie was sick but he had to be sure for Mia's sake.
"Not likely, I've got to check him over more thoroughly once he's clean so it might be best for the baby to leave for a few hours but I think it's an infection exacerbated by his living conditions and general wellbeing" she said, "with proper medical care, food and a few good nights sleep he should be fine".
"Mikasa?" Eren asked and his sister nodded.
"Armin and I can take her for a few hours" she said, "but are you two sure? We can take them to the clinic and help them there... they're not really your responsibility".
Eren looked over at Levi and they had a pure moment of connecting thought. Both of them thinking the exact same thing in the same moment. Jamie and Alex may not be theirs but they sure as hell weren't turning them out now, even if Levi hadn't promised they could stay, there was no way they were letting them out of their sight. Not yet.
"They're staying" Levi said firmly.
Mikasa just smiled softly, "alright, I'll go grab Mia's bag and we can go?"
"Alright... just, uh, Mikasa? Don't take her out of the palace and we'll send for you guys when we're ready... but if she gets upset or anything just come back, it's not contagious so she can be here" Eren said, Mikasa let out a little laugh..
"You worry too much" she said.
"We'll be fine" Armin reassured them and held his arms out for Mia.
"Hey munchkin" Levi said to Mia, "you want to go spend some time with Auntie Mikasa?"
***
It took ten minutes to settle Mia and send her off with Mikasa and Armin but when she was gone Levi and Eren shared a look, eyes going back to the dirt ridden twins on the lounge. Dr Spencer had been rifling through her bag finding things for them and writing out notes for the night, when she noticed that the others had left she started giving out directions briskly.
"Bath first, they both need a good wash" she said to them, "I'll send for some clean clothes and underwear, you'll need another cot up here for them and food too".
Levi nodded while Eren went off to their bathroom to set up the bath. Levi left Dr Spencer to fuss and went back to the boys, crouching down by them and turning to Alex, "how's he doing?"
Alex shrugged, eyes not moving from Jamie.
"How does a bath sound?" Levi suggested. That stole Alex's attention. He turned away from Jamie to look up at Levi with big blue eyes, desperately wanting to believe him. "Eren's running it now, we thought maybe you two would like to get clean?"
Alex nodded enthusiastically and Levi noticed the little quirk of his lips turning up. It made warmth spread through Levi's body and he smiled at Alex.
"You want to go ahead and I'll carry Jamie?" he asked. Alex hesitated but it seemed Levi had gained his trust for the moment, for while he didn't run ahead he did jump off the lounge and let Levi pick up Jamie before leading them into their bathroom.
The bath was half full when they walked in, Eren shooting the three of them a grin before upending a stream of liquid into the running water making bubbles explode.
"Bubbles!" Alex exclaimed, wide eyed, running over to the edge of the tub to dip his fingers in.
"Shower first" Eren said happily and Levi nodded.
"I'll get the rest of the info from Dr Spencer, you might need to get in with Jamie, he's still pretty out of it" Levi said, passing Jamie over to Eren carefully and then kneeling down by Alex. "We need to get all this dirt off first and then you guys can get in the bath, how does that sound?"
"Can't you stay?" Alex asked quietly, his eyes attached to Levi. The look on his face was so hopeful Levi couldn't turn him down, he was about to trade places with Eren when Dr Spencer poked her head into the bathroom.
"I just got a message about one of my patients so I need to go" she said, "I've left all the information you might need on the table, send me a message when they're clean and fed and in bed and I'll come back and give them both a proper examination. For now though, just keep doing what you're doing".
"Thanks, Dr Spencer" Eren said.
"No problem" she said and offered them a smile, "I'm only a few minutes away if you need me". With that she turned and left them alone with the twins.
They shared a quick look having no idea what they'd gotten themselves into before going back into caretaker mode and offering everything they could to these little boys. Levi stripped down to his underwear and jumped into the shower with Alex first, crouching down so he could help scrub the dirt and grime off him. It poured off him in waves, some a lot harder to scrub off than others, but after ten minutes Alex was slightly pink and looking much cleaner than before.
"Bath time?" Alex asked hopefully.
"Alright, go on" Levi said and Alex actually gave him a smile, "don't run!"
Alex stopped mid stride and slowed down noticeably before walking as fast as he could over to the bath and climbing in. Watching Alex getting into the bath and just sinking into the warm water was about one of the most satisfying things Levi had ever seen. He did however watch Eren and Levi closely as they handled Jamie.
Jamie was slightly more aware now he was inside and warmed up significantly but he was still kind of out of it when they undressed him. Eren had to hold him up in the shower while Levi scrubbed him down, carefully wiping over his cut and cleaning the grime from his face. After he was clean enough Eren carried him over to the bath and sat him in it opposite his brother.
His eyes blinked open a little, his face still flushed with fever, but he spotted Jamie and his eyes flashed with recognition. He even managed a little smile for his twin.
Alex perked up a lot after that, letting Levi wash his hair and soap up his body again. Eren held Jamie up when it was his turn, Levi running practised fingers through the curls and washing the last of the dirt from his body.
They stayed in the bath for twenty minutes, letting the boys soak in the warmth and safety of sitting in warm water, Alex even starting to enjoy the bubbles. But Jamie was fast falling asleep and they needed to get him something to eat, dressed and in bed before that happened. They also needed Dr Spencer to come back and properly treat his cut. Levi grabbed the first towel while Eren picked Jamie up out of the water, he wrapped it around the little boy before Eren held him close and carried him from the room. Alex had climbed out of the bath by himself before Levi could turn around, he smiled hesitantly at Levi and waited quietly while Levi got a second towel and wrapped it securely around Alex.
Levi thought that Alex would want to walk out on his own so it surprised him when he didn't move, waiting for Levi to pick him up. Levi obliged happily, hauling the kid up into his arms and following Eren out.
They were dried off, redressed in clean clothes quickly and settled into Levi and Eren's bed (the cot having not arrived yet). Jamie was propped up sleepily against the pillows and Alex sitting close, Eren had disappeared to find them food so Levi went about cleaning up. Picking up wet towels and hanging them up before grabbing a hairbrush and coming back.
"Can I?" Levi asked as he sat on the edge. Alex nodded and turned slightly so Levi could reach his hair.
"You know" he started as he slowly ran the brush through damp curls, "my daughter has a fascination with red hair".
"Really?" Alex asked, his body stilling slightly.
Levi sighed not knowing what he'd done wrong and said, "oh yeah, she'd love your hair".
Alex hummed softly and then said just as quiet, "where is she?"
"Oh, just down the hall" Levi answered and Alex relaxed a bit, "she's with her auntie while Eren and I look after you two".
It took Alex a minute to speak but when he did it was rough, "she- she doesn't have to stay away... we won't hurt her".
Levi blinked but kept a steady hand on the brush, continuing to unknot the curls while he spoke, "we know that, we just wanted to concentrate on you and Jamie for a bit. Mia's going to come back in a little while if you'd like to meet her".
Alex nodded quickly and turned to look at Levi, "I want to meet her".
"Good" Levi said offering a smile, "but be aware that she probably won't let go of your hair".
"That's OK, I don't mind" Alex said quickly.
"Hey Alex? Can I ask a question?"
"OK..."
"Where are your mum and dad?" Levi said quietly, Alex immediately stiffened but he didn't look away.
"They died" he whispered and Levi closed his eyes briefly, he'd guessed as much but it still hurt.
"Didn't anyone look after you?" he asked.
Alex shook his head, "we went to a big home full of kids but they didn't like us... they thought we were mean".
"Why did they think that?" Levi prodded.
Alex huffed out a big breath and said, "two of 'em was pickin' on Jamie so I pushed one... and he cried and told on me and we got in trouble".
"Did you run away?" Levi asked softly. He was met with wide, distressed eyes as Alex shook his head.
"We were going back home" he said and then sniffed, "but we got lost and it got dark... and then Jamie got sick and we were so hunrgy".
"It's OK, it's alright, I'm not mad" Levi hushed, "just worried that you were outside for so long".
"I looked after him" Alex said, that old fierceness returning to his eyes.
"Yeah, kid, you did" Levi agreed, "when did you leave the big house?"
Alex shrugged and said, "about nine sleeps? I think".
Eren returned before Levi could reply and approached them with a happy smile and a steaming pot in his hand. Levi could smell it and if it smelt amazing to him he could imagine how it smelt to Jamie and Alex. Jamie's eyes even opened wider while Alex's stomach let off a loud growl.
"I'll get some bowls for you guys" Eren said.
"Need a hand" Levi offered.
"Not at all, you stay right where you are" Eren ordered with a grin. The sight of Levi sitting by Alex and brushing out his hair was making his heart trip in his chest, it was such a warm thing to watch that Eren knew he could get used to it very quickly.
Dinner was served quickly after that, Alex tucking in and practically inhaling the food. Eren got him seconds before he had a chance to ask while Levi sat by Jamie and spoon fed him his own food. Jamie didn't eat half of his bowl but it was better than expected and they'd try again in an hour or so.
Dr Spencer returned soon after that and confirmed that Jamie did have an infection from the cut on his foot, she dressed it as best she could and gave him some medicine to help with the fever before leaving again with the promise to return in a few hours to check on them. Jamie fell to sleep pretty quickly after that, he had a mountain of blankets over his shivering body and either Levi or Eren was always close by to keep on eye on him but he was pretty solidly asleep.
Mikasa came back a few hours later with Mia, apologising for not being able to keep her longer but she had a meeting to attend and Mia was starting to get unsettled. Eren took her from his sister, thanking her for everything, and bringing Mia over to their little gathering on their bed. He plopped Mia down and she sat and studied the strange little boys in her parents bed, it took her all of thirty seconds before she saw Alex's hair and her green eyes went wide. She stumbled over to where Alex sat and approached carelessly, Alex sat very still as she climbed on him and reached for his hair.
"Told you" Levi said with a laugh as Mia grabbed a handful of curls and yanked with a delighted giggled.
Alex looked torn between pain and astonishment but eventually scooted down in bed a little more and just let Mia have at his hair until she got bored.
It took her 15 minutes before she got tired of his hair and started to drift off to sleep, Eren picked her up when she started to doze so he could go and give her a bath and dress her for bed. Levi stayed with the boys, chatting idly with Alex and trying to get a little more information out of him. But Alex was tired and not willing to talk, as soon as Mia was picked up Alex moved down on the bed next to Jamie and curled up by his brother in the middle of the bed.
Eren returned a little later with a clean and very sleepy daughter, she had her head rested on Eren's chest and her green eyes closed tight. She seemed to peaceful that neither Levi nor Eren really wanted to move her.
"So..." Eren started with a soft smile, "how would you feel about Mia sleeping with us as well?"
"As well?" Levi asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Well, I can't imagine moving them now" Eren teased. Levi didn't even need to look at the boys to know he agreed with his husband. It seemed like it was going to be a full house in their bed tonight.
"If we sleep on either side it should stop her from rolling off the bed" Levi said making Eren grin.
"Excellent, I really didn't want to put her in her own room" Eren said sounding a little relieved.
Not more than twenty minutes later the five of them were arranged carefully in the bed, the twins in the centre curled up together and Eren and Levi on either side providing a barrier against the children and the floor. Mia was tucked against Eren's chest for the moment with Levi's hand stretched out over the bed to rest on her tummy and feel her steady breathing.
Eren smiled at him across the bed, weary but amused.
"What have we gotten ourselves into?" he asked quietly.
Levi returned the smile and whispered, "a lot of hard work, I'm sure".
Eren snorted softly but nodded in agreement. They were definitely in for it now.
***
It took two days for Jamie to get back to himself and eat a full meal, his fever went down after the first 24 hours and a mischievous glint returned to his eyes not long after that.
Eren had gotten used to Alex, his quietly stubborn personality with his tendency to worry over his brother and in the last few days over Mia and them as well. He was always watching them carefully and Eren could tell he was starting to get protective over them, especially Mia. But now that Jamie was over the worst of his fever and his energy was coming back Eren knew they were in trouble.
Where Alex was quiet, Jamie was loud and where Alex was protective and stubborn, Jamie was outgoing and adventurous. There was an energy returning to Jamie which Eren knew was going to cause them a few headaches; he was definitely the troublesome twin. As soon as Jamie had the strength to get up and out of bed he was off, running around their rooms and exploring every inch of it, most of the time dragging Alex along with him and sometimes Mia as well.
Alex seemed to brighten around Jamie, both of them lighting up whatever space they were in with an excited energy that was hard not to love. Jamie took to Levi and Eren immediately, all they had needed to do was give him a few baths, lots of cuddles and three hot meals a day and they were in. Alex still seemed a little wary but he did seem to gravitate towards Levi more often than Eren while Jamie, full of excitement seemed to latch on to Eren. Levi had told him Jamie must have recognised the same restless spirit in Eren that he had in himself.
But more than taking to Levi and Eren, the twins absolutely adored Mia. They already acted like her brothers, protective but teasing and so patient and kind. Mia took to them just as quickly, Levi thought maybe it was the red hair that got them in so fast but Eren knew their daughter was a happy child and loved being around people. She'd never really had much of a chance to be around a lot of children and now she had two steadfast protectors around her all the time, she probably loved all the attention.
It was three days after they'd taken the boys in when they got an unexpected visit from Armin, he'd knocked on the door and then popped his head in to the room. He was met with five sets of eyes swivelling around to see who was there. All of them were sitting on the lounge with Levi sat up by one side with a twin on his lap and another laying down with his head on Levi's thigh, Eren was sprawled on the lounge with his feet on Levi's lap, a twin laying on his legs and Mia lying on his chest. Levi had a book open and seemed to have paused in the middle of a chapter at Armin's interruption.
Armin couldn't help the smile spreading over his face, it was such a homey sight. One that three years ago he never would have expected, if he'd been told before Eren was married that this is what he'd be seeing now he would have laughed and thought it a lie. But now he was seeing it he didn't think anything could look more right. They looked like a family, a very mix-matched and young family, but a family nonetheless.
"Hey guys, sorry to interrupt" Armin said softly.
Eren waved him off and said, "it's all good, sorry we haven't seen much of you but we've kinda had our hands full".
"I can see that" Armin said, meeting each twins eyes and smiling warmly. "I do have some news though, if you guys have a minute?"
Eren looked to Levi who nodded, marked their page and put the book down. Jamie and Alex were watching the adults with curiosity but as Levi put the book down they both turned to Armin with narrowed eyes, they apparently didn't like the interruption.
"I'm only going to steal them for a minute, promise" he said with a smile.
"Come on, boys, up you get" Levi said and scooted them over a bit.
"Why don't you go and get ready for bed and then you can play in our room?" Eren offered, knowing how much the twins loved his and Levi's bed. They nodded immediately, Jamie jumped up first while Alex had to be tugged by his twin to leave the room. Eren had a feeling that Alex knew they were about to have a conversation about them. When they were gone Eren stood up and moved to the kitchen table with Armin and Levi, Mia still asleep in his arms.
"So, I found the home they ran away from" Armin started.
Eren had asked Armin to look into the boys, try and find out any information about them. They needed to know whether they had any family or whether they'd been mistreated in the group home, and they really needed a clear idea of what they were dealing with so they could figure out what to do next.
"And?" Levi prompted.
"Well, I don't blame them for running away" Armin sighed, "it was overcrowded and loud, the people running the place weren't very kind to the kids while I was there... there seemed to be an emphasis on discipline".
"Right..." Eren sighed, "anything else?"
"I couldn't find their names, they don't have birth certificates or any other legal documents. It seems someone left them on the steps to an orphanage after they were born and ran off- the lady that found them named them and after that they seemed to bounce around a lot of orphanages and group homes" Armin said sadly, "I'm sorry I couldn't find out more but there was nothing else to go on".
"That's OK... so, where do we go from here?" Levi asked.
Armin looked at them both and continued, "the way I see it you have three choices- number 1. You take them back to the group home and forget all about them".
Both Eren and Levi winced at that, Eren said, "second option?"
"You try and find a nice family to adopt them" Armin said, catching their interest, "but I've got to tell you, I've looked into that and it doesn't look promising. You might get lucky but not a lot of family's want to take in 4 year old twin boys- it's a lot to handle".
"Right, so the third option?" Eren asked hopefully.
Armin levelled them with a look and said, "third option is the hardest- it would be you guys taking them in and adopting them. Taking them back to Trost with you and raising them... sorry, but they're the only options I can think of".
"Adopt them?" Eren asked, his face flushing slightly. He glanced at Levi and saw the firm set of his jaw, for once he couldn't tell what Levi was thinking and whether or not that third option was calling to him the way it was calling to Eren.
Jamie and Alex seemed to fit with them. Yes, it had only been three days but to Eren it didn't matter, he didn't want to take them back to the group home only so they could run away again. He didn't want to spend days on end trying to find a good family for them knowing in his heart they'd already come to the right family. He wanted them to stay. He knew adding twins to their little family wasn't practical, they had Mia and god, maybe even another child on its way. But it sat right with him, like Jamie and Alex had found them for a reason.
He looked at Levi and tried to puzzle out his thoughts. Levi had his eyes set on Mia, soft and warm as they took in her sleeping form, and Eren hoped he was considering option three. He didn't know what he would do if Levi didn't want to go down that road, if Levi said no and they had to go with one of the other options. His heart was pounding at the thought, the longer Levi was silent the more Eren's heart clamped around the idea of keeping them.
Finally, Levi met Eren's eyes and smiled softly. He must have understood Eren's thoughts a lot better than Eren was understanding his because he looked over at Armin and said, "so... what would we have to do for option three?"
Eren let out a huge breath and grinned, standing up and coming around the table to kiss Levi firmly.
"You sure?" Eren asked against his lips and Levi smiled.
"As sure as you are" he said and Eren grinned. He was so thankful they were on the same page.
"You do understand what option three entails, right?" Armin asked but he was smiling.
"If it means we'll be adopting twins then yeah, I think I understand" Levi replied.
"You really want to keep them?" Eren asked, his voice quiet and serious, needing to know Levi was in as deep as he was.
"Eren, I don't think we had a single choice from the moment we saw them, do you?" Levi said meeting Eren's eyes with certainty.
"Not at all" Eren grinned and kissed Levi once more for good measure.
"I had a feeling you'd pick that one" Armin sighed, "but I'm not doing anything yet... you guys are in Maria for a few weeks yet, spend some time with them and really think it over. Make sure if you do want to go through with this that it'll actually work and you're ready for it".
"Will do" Eren said, "thanks for this".
"No problem" Armin said, getting up, "oh and don't be surprised if Mikasa whirls through here at some point, she'll want to discuss this all with you as well".
"Looking forward to it" Eren said with and easy laugh, getting up as well to see Armin out.
"Goodnight guys" he said as he walked out and closed the door firmly behind him.
Eren turned back to Levi and caught his eye, they were shining with a happiness Eren had seen on only a few occasions. Times when Levi had been really, truly happy and at peace with a decision. It seemed Levi was in much deeper than Eren himself, Levi wasn't letting those kids out of their lives without a fight. Eren walked back to him and dragged a chair over, so they sat thigh to thigh.
"Did we just agree to raising three kids?" he asked.
Levi let out a huff of laughter, "yepp, I think we did".
"Oh god... what if we get back and Hannah's pregnant as well" Eren groaned goodnaturedly, to him it actually sounded pretty good.
"Then I guess we'll be raising four kids" Levi said simply.
"Four kids is a lot" Eren prompted, he really needed to make sure Levi was completely on board.
"Eren" he said, locking eyes and smiling warmly, "four kids sounds perfect".
Eren grinned and leaned in to kiss Levi properly, his tongue slipping in and his free hand pressing into Levi's neck to push them closer together. Levi responded quickly, kissing him back with enthusiasm before breaking away to take a breath.
"Imagine what the soldiers are going to think now" Eren teased and Levi laughed as well.
"Crazy will definitely be at the top of the list" he said.
"Right next to over confident and possibly drunk" Eren added making Levi laugh again.
"I think I'll take that any day, as long as we get those boys as well" Levi said.
"Me too, I'm more than happy for people to think I'm crazy if we get to keep them" Eren agreed, "but I think maybe we don't tell them yet... not until it's official".
"I agree, plus I think what Armin said was right... we should spend some more time with them, make sure they want to be with us as well" Levi said, "besides we don't know what could happen between now and then and I hate to get their hopes up".
"Alight, deal. We wait until it's official and then we tell them... well, actually maybe we should ask them rather than tell them" Eren said, "they may not want to leave Maria to live with us".
"True" Levi said, his voice dropping a little.
"But that, honey, is a problem for future us" Eren said with a grin, "the present us should start putting our kids to bed".
"I like the sound of that" Levi hummed, standing up to follow Eren into their bedroom. They found the twins curled up in the centre of their bed much like their first night here, Eren looked at Levi and sighed when he saw that same pained expression. They didn't want to move them but five in a bed could get awfully crowded.
"Move them or...?" Eren asked.
Levi sighed and said, "let them stay, it won't be long before they don't even want to be in the same room with us".
They compromised and brought Mia's portable crib into the room for her to sleep in and then shuffled the boys over a bit so they were on Levi's side of the bed. Eren and Levi curled up on the other side, Levi in Eren's arms and warm against his chest while Eren buried his nose in Levi's hair and wound his arm around his waist. They fell asleep to Alex's muffled breathing and Jamie's muttered talking, Mia was breathing heavily and turning over making the crib squeak. It was little noises but it warmed Eren's whole body, the five of them were going to be fine, they would make this work.
Somehow they were going to make all of this OK.