Chapter Text
The woman on the doorstep was young, very freckled, and rather panicked looking. Her hair had evidently been brushed recently into a smooth silkiness which did not come naturally and was now rebelling, escaping in frazzled wisps around her face. She was dressed smartly, in a freshly ironed blouse and relatively crease free skirt. She was carrying a small boy, a little less freckled than she but still with enough resemblance for a casual observer to make the family connection between them. The boy sat placidly in her arms, peering at the man who had answered the door with a half-curious, half-serene sort of expression. The woman opened her mouth, drew in a short breath and shifted from one foot to the other.
“This is going to be really, really short notice but I saw the sign outside and wondered could you possibly, if it’s not too much trouble, watch my son for a few hours?” She paused, sucked on her lower lip, and then, seemingly anticipating a negative reply, she resumed. “He was supposed to go to his aunt’s for the day. But she’s sick - couldn’t even get out of bed to phone me to let me know - and I don’t know anyone else who could…I tried a nursery a few streets away, but they said they couldn’t take him unless he was enrolled there. Please. He won’t be any trouble. Honestly. I know all parents probably say that, but he’s a really good boy, never fusses or anything. It’s just for a few hours, and I can pay you.”
“Its fine,” Levi said, managing to get a word in amidst her frantic pleas. It came out terse, and the woman looked momentarily wary. But necessity urged her. She set the boy down.
“Ok, Marco. Be good, Mummy’ll be back in a couple of hours. Love you.” She bent down, kissed him, stood up again, swiped a kinked lock of hair out of her face. “He hasn’t got any allergies. He didn’t have much for breakfast, I was in a hurry,” she bit her lip and looked down at the ground, “and, well, if you could give him something for lunch I’d be really, really grateful.”
Levi nodded, unsmiling. The worried look he’d glimpsed before flitted across her face, but then she glanced at her watch. “Oh! I’ll be back before five! Thank you so much, really,” she said, in the most earnest of tones, to Levi. She crouched down again, and smiled at the child. “Bye, bye sweetheart.” She patted the little’s boy’s hair.
“Bye bye Mummy,” the youngster replied, in a quiet yet clear voice, and he waved at the woman until she had disappeared out of sight.
Levi shut the door and looked down at the small creature which stared back at him. Levi looked at the small pile of tiny shoes which stood by the door. That’d make it an even dozen now. As he helped Marco take off his shoes, in walked Erwin. Under each arm he carried a child, his arms wrapped around their middles. They were trying in vain to swipe at each other across his broad chest. Levi was unsurprised.
“I wanna play with Mikasa too!”
“Yeah, well she doesn’t want to play with you! She thinks you’re ugly!”
The first child, with a tufted head of ash coloured hair, responded with a yowl like an offended cat and tried to grab hold of the other’s hair. Erwin, apparently oblivious to the battle that was going on around him, asked who had been at the door. Levi directed his attention down to Marco, who was taking refuge beneath the line of coats which hung over the little mountain of shoes, in order to avoid being struck accidentally by the warring infants in Erwin’s arms.
“Another one. What’s your name then?” he said, looming over the boy.
“Marco Bodt,” the child replied, with a slight stammer on his last name. He waved up at Erwin, beaming at him.
“Well then Marco, I’m Erwin, and that’s Levi. And this is Eren,” he lifted the boy in question an inch or so higher, “and this is Jean,” and then lifted the other as well. Marco peered at them both, mumbling a little ‘hello’ of which they took no notice.
“Hey Erwin, I’ve got an idea.” Levi stood up, and rapped Jean lightly on the head. “Oi, Kirstein. You’re going to stop bothering Eren and Mikasa-“
“But-“
“And you’re going to play with Marco here.”
“But I don’t want to! And he’s got stuff all over his face,” the child responded petulantly, shooting a venom filled glare in Levi’s direction. At a signal from Levi, Erwin dropped Jean. Levi picked him up by the back of his shirt, raising him to his level.
“You will play nicely with Marco here, or I’ll make you go play with Christa and Ymir. You remember what happened last time you played with Christa and Ymir, don’t you?”
Jean’s eyes widened, and a far-away look came into them; a look full of terrors past but not forgotten. Levi deposited him back on the floor, next to Marco.
The freckled boy smiled, and reached out to pat Jean on the head lightly. “You have nice hair,” he announced cheerfully. Jean scowled, but said nothing. Levi was watching him. But then, suddenly, he wasn’t. A thought had just occurred to him.
“Erwin…who the hell is watching the kitchen?”