Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The young man sighed and flicked his cigarette on the road, snubbing it with the toe of his shoe. He made sure his car door was locked, although this didn't seem like one of those neighborhoods where that was necessary. He huddled in his hoodie and made his way up the sidewalk and took in the two story house that was his destination. It was smaller than he pictured, considering eleven people lived there.

He walked past the picket fence and into the yard, having to navigate past Nerf guns and Little Tyke toys. The yard clearly needed mowed. He reached the stoop and noticed an abandoned Godzilla toy at his feet. He bent down to pick it up (and throw it in the yard with the rest of the toys) when the door was thrust open buy a tall, lean woman with messy hair and glasses. She smiled largely at him.

"Hi there!" She said, her voice oddly low. "You must be Mr. Levi! I'm Ms. Zoe, and it's so nice to meet you!"

"Just Levi," he said, more curtly than he intended. If she was offended by his tone she didn't show it.

"Of course - come inside! Nap time's almost over." She stepped to side, letting Levi enter the living room.

Levi walked in and realized why Ms. Zoe had been whispering - on the living room floor lay eight children, sleeping with blankets and pillows. No child looked older than ten, although Erwin - Levi's Probation Officer - told him there were two teenagers. Levi figured those two didn't need naps.

He followed Ms. Zoe - Hange? Levi couldn't remember if that was her name - into the kitchen, where she began pulling out paper plates with jungle animals on them and bright colored plastic cups. She then got several apples out and a knife. Levi noticed the kitchen was quite warm and figured the oven was on.

"You can call me Hange," She said, smiling at Levi. "Did I already say that? I don't think so. Anyway, I'm Hange, and after nap time we have lunch. Oh - sorry about the yard; I hired a kid to mow it but he hasn't showed up yet. I'm sorry to put you to work the minute you get here, but can you slice these apples for me - well, for the kids?" She giggled nervously and Levi noticed her cheeks blushing softly. "I'm sorry, I talk a bit when I'm around new people. And if I ever talk to you like a toddler, I apologize."

"Aren't there two teenagers here?" Levi asked quickly, panic shooting in his chest.

"Oh - yes, there are. One, however," Hange said, raising her eyebrows. "May as well be a toddler - as a matter of fact, it's Jean's job to be doing this. Let me find him."

Hange left in a huff, and Levi heard her stomping up the stairs. Levi remembered how he was as a teenager, so he didn't mind helping the guy out. He set the toy on the counter - which was cluttered with mail and newspapers - and began slicing the apples diagonally. Although it was a simple process, it was something he had never done for a child - let alone eight - and he felt oddly nervous.

When he was finished cutting up the apples, he wiped his hands on a paper towel and awkwardly stood in the kitchen. He could hear Hange's voice and a deeper one, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Levi was burning up, but underneath his hoodie he wore a T-shirt, making his full arm sleeve visible. He quite liked his tattoo, but he was never around kids and wasn't sure how they'd react. He was going to be volunteering here (against his will) eighteen hours a week for six weeks, and the children being scared of him certainly wasn't going to make it easier.

Levi heard footsteps coming down the stairs and turned to see a tall, freckled boy in a work uniform. He was whistling to himself as he tucked his shirt into his khakis. There's no way this is the kid she was talking about, he thought.

Upon seeing him the kid smiled. "Hey there! How are you?"

"I'm fine. Yourself?" The kid seemed nice, but Levi wasn't one for conversation in the morning.

"Pretty great. Hey - thanks for doing this. I hate mowing."

"W- uh, pardon?" Levi wasn't used to using such proper language, but he figured his first conversation with this kid shouldn't have the question, what the fuck are you talking about?

The kid looked a little startled and his cheeks darkened, highlighting his freckles. "Uh...you're the kid mowing...right?"

Levi took a breath. He was used to people mistaking him as a younger man due to his height - 5 foot 3 - and his young face that wouldn't grow a full beard, so he wasn't bothered by the kids innocent assumption.

"No. I'm the volunteer."

"O-oh! I'm sorry dude - uh - I'm Marco!"

Marco smiled nervously, sticking his hand out to the shorter man in front of him. Levi shook his hand, but wondered if the kid was nervous due to the mix up, or if he had heard what Levi had done to end up here.

"Nice to meet you."

"You too - uh, sorry Jean wasn't down here to cut those," Marco said shyly, indicating the apples. "Um...you're not used to cutting food for kids, are you?"

"Honestly, no. Did I do something wrong?" Levi asked, wondering how in the hell he could slice apples wrong.

"It's alright; I doubt Mama Hange told you. The kids could get choked on the big slices so we need to cut them diagonally, then horizontally, kinda into cubes. But don't worry - you did an awesome job!"

The kid got the knife and began cutting the slices, putting several onto the jungle animal plates. Levi figured Hange wasn't the only one used to talking to toddlers, but Marco seemed nice. The oven went off, startling them both.

"Oh, can you get that?" Marco asked. "The oven mit is...uh, somewhere. Sorry for the mess."

Levi found the oven mit under a pile of coupons and an unopened package. He turned the oven off and pulled out chicken nuggets on a cookie sheet. He carefully laid them beside the forgotten Godzilla toy, taking off the oven mit and picking up the toy.

"Hey, you found Eren's Zilla. He threw a fit earlier, saying he couldn't sleep without - "

Suddenly, a messy haired toddler padded into the kitchen, rubbing one of his eyes. He stopped at the sight of Levi, but a smile brightened his face at the sight of what was in Levi's hand.

"Zilla!" he screamed, running with his arms outstretched - and stumbling, falling onto the floor. "Owie," the child said sadly.

Marco dropped the knife on the counter and scooped up the child just as his sniffles began. "Shhh," Marco cooed. "It's okay Eren. Did you get happy when you saw Zilla?"

"Uh huh," Eren said, rubbing his eyes, leaning his head onto Marco's chest.

"Well, Mr. Levi found it for you. Can you say hi to Mr. Levi?"

The child looked shyly at the man in front of him and Levi tried to smile.

"Hi, Misser 'Evi."

"Hello," Levi said, stepping forward to hand the child his toy. The childs face lit up as he reached one hand for the toy, and the other hand to grab Levi's forearm, bringing it into a hug.

"Than's Misser!" Eren said, smiling widely. Levi tensed at the child's touch, flinching a little.

"Uh, Eren, buddy, some people don't like hugs, okay?" Marco said, calmly.

"O-ay, I sowwy," the child apologized. "Ca' I get chi-en nuggeths?"

"Soon, buddy," Marco chuckled. "We have to wait for everyone else to get up first! Can you introduce yourself to Mr. Levi?"

Shyness seemed to creep into the child again, and he adverted his eyes from Levi and nervously played with his Godzilla toy. He seemed to sink into Marco's chest as he spoke. "Hi Misser 'Evi. I'm Ewen an'...uh, I'm thwee."

"Hello there, Eren. You can call me Levi, and I'm thirty."

"Wow!" Eren exclaimed. "Tha's old!"

Pink flushed in Marco's cheeks, but Levi tried to smile. "Yes, it is."

Marco released the child to wake the others, apologizing for Eren's comment. Before Levi could reply, footsteps echoed down the stairs as Hange and the boy Levi assumed was Jean entered the kitchen. Neither Jean nor Marco made eye contact, but Levi could sense some sort of tension. Levi hoped he wouldn't be breaking up any fights here.

Jean wore a My Chemical Romance shirt and black skinny jeans. His jeans were long, so Levi couldn't tell if his Converse were high tops or not. Jean's hair was two toned and messy; not the kind that was made on purpose, but the kind of messy that could only come from not brushing it in several days. A silver stud glinted from the center of his lower lip and his bright eyes were scrawling. Jean walked past Levi, not glancing at the short man. He made his way to the living room, bumping Marco along the way. However, this bump was rather...gentle, more like Jean was rubbing his shoulder against the freckled teen. Neither teen made eye contact, but Marco smiled a little larger than he was before.

"That was Jean," Hange said in an apologetic tone. "I see you've met Marco. Are the kids up?"

"Eren's waking them up," Marco replied. "Sorry Jean's so grumpy we - ah, uh - he, uh, he didn't get much sleep last night. I guess! I mean, I was asleep. So..." Marco laughed nervously.

"I see," Hange said, turning her back to Marco to put chicken nuggets on plates - and to fight back a laugh. Before Levi could start to wonder what was going on, sleepy eyed children began to trail into the kitchen. Levi stood off to the side, but every child took notice of him. Most smiled at him, and Levi tried to smile back. Once every child was seated at the kitchen table and lunch and orange juice was distributed, Hange began introductions.

Levi had already met Eren, who was sandwiched between a blonde - boy or girl, Levi couldn't tell - and a girl who looked somewhat ethnic and carried a scarf with her. The girl's name was Mikasa, and the blonde was Armin (the name did not help Levi identify the child's gender). Next to Armin sat a bald child with a rather large head named Connie. Hange ran beside him to the girl he sat next to. She had dark hair and had shoved all her chicken nuggets in her mouth at once. Hange scolded her while Marco informed Levi her name was Sasha, and she had an unsatisfied appetite. Next to Sasha was Bertl, a dark haired boy with a kind face. Beside him, Levi was informed, was the oldest, Reiner, who was six. Levi was surprised; he looked eight or so. He had short blonde hair and looked pissed off, much like the girl he sat next to. The girl who sat beside him was Annie, who played with her apple slices. Annie and Reiner were the only two that didn't smile at Levi when they walked in.

Hange gave up trying to scald Sasha; the child had already swallowed the nuggets and there was nothing Hange could do. Hange then informed Levi of all their ages: Reiner, Levi already knew was six, Bertl was four, Sasha and Connie were five, Annie, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa were three, and Marco and Jean were seventeen. Hange introduced Levi, calling him their "helper" and instructed the children to treat him no different than they treated her. All the children shook their heads except Sasha, who was eyeing Bertl's last chicken nugget.

Hange offered Levi a snack, but he declined. Marco ate an apple, standing by the sink.

"Marco, honey, you can take a seat. You don't leave for work for a half hour."

"No! - Ah, I'm fine. Really. I'm okay," he laughed nervously.

"Alright then," Hange said, turning away and rolling her eyes. Jean heard this brief conversation in the living room as he picked up the pillows and blankets and Jean smirked to himself, prideful.

"Uh, hey man, you can take off your hoodie if you want. We keep it warm so the kids don't get sick," Marco said to Levi, trying to advert attention elsewhere.

"I'm alright," Levi said. Marco turned and reached for a paper towel - and Sasha swiped the last chicken nugget off Bertl's plate. She shoved the whole thing in her mouth while the most pitiful look broke out on Bertl's face. His lip quivered, looking at Levi and pointing accusingly at Sasha. "Uh...Sasha just stole Bertl's food." Marco sighed, obviously not surprised.

"Di' not!" Sasha cried, half chewed chicken nugget visible in her mouth. Marco chided her, saying she couldn't have cookies after dinner. Bertl still looked pathetically sad, but Reiner split his last chicken nugget in half, giving a half to Bertl. The dark haired child smiled at the elder, and Reiner smiled back.

Once the living room was picked up and lunch was finished, the children went to the bathroom to brush their teeth. When Hange stated the rule of "ladies first" and Armin didn't get up, Levi felt safe assuming the child was a boy. Marco followed the girls into the next room - a playroom - and opened a door that lead to a bathroom. Levi heard Marco instructing them to get their stools and make sure they got their toothbrush, not someone else's.

In the kitchen, the boys stacked all the paper plates together and threw them away in a garbage can that was beginning to overflow. The boys went to the bathroom to wait their turn while Marco reminded the girls to get their back teeth, too.

"Levi do you mind taking the garbage out? The cans are on the back porch, right outside the kitchen."

Mikasa came into the kitchen, arms outstretched for Hange to pick her up. Hange obliged, and Mikasa snuggled her face into Hange's neck.

"Uh, yeah, I don't care to take out the garbage, but do you mind if while I'm out there I..." Levi's eyes fell on Mikasa and for some reason he didn't want to say "smoke" in front of her, so he lifted to fingers to his lips.

"Oh, not at all! But do you mind only doing that outside?"

"No problem," Levi said, walking to the garbage can. He lifted the bag out and tied the ends together and took it outside, throwing it in a large, black can outside. Levi withdrew his pack of cigarettes from his hoodie pocket, wishing he could wash his hands. He stepped off the back porch and made sure he was away from a window before he brought the cigarette to his lips and lit it.

Levi inhaled deeply, enjoying the nicotine coursing through his veins. He was trying to quit, but the week in jail nearly drove him mad, so he decided to quit by slacking off bit by bit. The back door slammed shut, but the footsteps were too heavy to be a child's.

"Dude, can I get one of those off you?" Levi had not heard Jean speak but knew it was him without turning around.

"Not a chance in hell, dude," Levi said flicking his ashes.

"Ah, come on, I wont tell Mama Hange," the pierced teen practically whined.

"Can't do it. Already got into enough trouble with minors," Levi said offhandedly. Jean's eyes went wide and Levi realized what he said. "I-it's not what you think. I didn't bang some teenage girl; nothing like that." Levi turned, slightly embarrassed, hoping the teen didn't think he was a pedophile. Jean shrugged his shoulders.

"It's cool. Mama Hange explained what happened to me an' Marco. I just didn't think you'd bring it up to be honest."

"I'd rather not."

"I understand, but dude, I would have done the same thing. It's pretty fucked up they charged him as a minor."

"Yep," Levi said curtly, turning away from the teen, hoping he would drop the subject. Jean did, going back inside, leaving Levi to finish his cigarette in peace.

Chapter Text

Before Levi knew it, it was time for him to leave. His volunteer hours were from two to six on the weekends and two-thirty to five on weekdays, but he had been informed if he showed up at two on Sunday, he could leave at four to get him used to working there.

Levi told the children goodbye, except for Marco, who had left for work. Jean sulked in the playroom with the children, his arms crossed and his lip nearly pouting. Alone in the living room, Hange whispered to Levi, "Don't take it personal. He didn't get to tell Marco goodbye."

Levi figured he wouldn't be breaking up any fights between them, and wondered how good of friends the teens were.

Outside, it took Levi three tries to get his '91 Nissan Sentra started. He hated the damn thing and he hated driving standard, but it was all he could afford considering it was pretty decent on gas. Plus - Levi would never openly admit this - he fit comfortably inside the small interior, making it easy for him to drive.

Levi drove twenty minutes south to his apartment, hoping to get a snack and nap in before work. His landlord had been on his ass about paying rent; since he got arrested he was now two months behind and wouldn't get paid until next week. His landlord usually did odd jobs and hung around the main entrance, so once Levi arrived he parked behind his apartment building and entered through the emergency exit.

He climbed up two flights of stairs, only to receive an eviction notice on his apartment door. He tried putting his key in the lock, but wasn't surprised when it wouldn't fit. His landlord hadn't even given his time to pack his belongings, but Levi knew how to get them.

Outside again, Levi climbed the fire escape and wiggled open his kitchen window; he knew the lock didn't work and often worried someone would break into his apartment. What irony, Levi thought as he crawled onto his counter and jumped off. Levi knew if anyone did call the police for a suspected B and E, the police often took their time getting to these parts of the neighborhood. His electricity and power hadn't been disconnected yet, so he began making a sandwich.

Levi's shitty apartment consisted of one large room that sufficed as both a living room and kitchen, and one bedroom and bathroom off to the side. Despite it's cramped size, Levi kept the apartment clean and quiet. The neighbors to his right were constantly fucking and the neighbors on his left were always fighting, and Levi wasn't sure which he preferred hearing at three in the morning.

Levi took a shower when he was done eating, not knowing when or where his next one would be. He dressed in clean pants and a blue collared shirt with his name embroidered on the left breast, and "O'Hama's Bar and Grill" on the right. He found an old backpack and filled it with clothes, knowing he would have to make several trips up and down the fire escape to collect everything he wanted to keep.

It took him two trips for his clothes, then two more for miscellaneous things such as his pillow, a small blanket, his toothbrush, and, at last minute, a first aid kit. The last thing he got was a small photograph, tucking it safely into the backpack without glancing at it.

~~~

Levi arrived to work early, having no where else to go. All his things were in his trunk so no one could tell he was living in his car from just walking by.

Although he was early, the bartender on duty - Miranda or Meredith, Levi didn't remember or care - was very glad to see him.

"Oh Levi!" She cooed. "I'm so glad to see you! I could use your help!"

"Yeah, just take your money out of the tip jar," Levi instructed, damned if she was taking any of his tips. From the nasty look Levi received, that may have been her plan. Despite her having worked six hours, she had four dollars worth of tips to show for it.

Indeed, her drinks were that bad.

Levi took over, telling her she didn't have to clock out and he didn't clock in. Within an hour, Levi had over eleven dollars in tips and he wasn't on duty yet.

Levi was the best bartender at O'Hama's, and he was the only one who had a mixology degree, which is the only reason he got the job with his arm sleeve. He never smiled, but most people didn't mind. His best tippers were middle aged women who drunkenly asked him to take his shirt off or if he'd like to do a body shot. He never would, but in their drunken state they often tipped him a ten or twenty.

By the end of the night, Levi had a total of fifty nine dollars in tips. He turned on his phone to see he had a voice mail from Erwin, asking how his first day had gone. Although it was late, Levi left him a message saying all was well. He then called a motel and was informed one night was twenty five dollars, but since it was so late he could stay until one the next afternoon for the same price.

He drove to the motel, pulling his bag and pillow out of the trunk. Once he got to his room he collapsed on the twin size bed, too tired to remove his shoes. Levi had eaten some wings during his break so he wasn't that hungry. Levi dozed off, trying to ignore the feeling growing in his chest that could only come from apprehension.

Chapter Text

Levi woke up at ten the next morning. He showered and got ready to go to the orphanage, but by the time he was ready it was only eleven thirty. He idly flipped through the channels; he couldn't remember the last time he had cable. There was nothing on that he particularly liked, so he settled on hockey.

He left at one, stopping by McDonald's. Even if it was offered, taking food from an orphanage seemed wrong to Levi.

He arrived shortly after, taking the last drink from his soda and one more hit from his cigarette. He walked through the yard, noting that it was much cleaner. Before he reached the door, it was thrown open by Hange.

"Levi!" She said, out of breath. "Thank God you're early; I forgot to tell you the schedule on the weekdays - uh, okay, the pre school lets out at two thirty, which is where I'm heading now. Trost Elementary lets out at three, so I go straight there after. Saint Alice lets out at two thirty also, so Marco and Jean should be here before me."

Levi felt bombarded by the information he was taking in all at once, but he stepped to the side to let Hange by. She quickly passed him and all but ran to the minivan, but quickly turned, almost upsetting her balance.

"Oh - and do you mind starting the laundry?" She turned to smile at Levi, her feet awkwardly crossed from almost losing her footing. "You can just go to the bedrooms and get the dirty clothes and wash them? If it's on the floor just assume it's dirty, okay?"

"Uh...ye-yeah, I can do that," Levi said, watching her smile brighter. A small gust of wind blew, making a few strands of her bun loose, which blew around her face.

She giggled out of embarrassment, wondering if Levi thought she was disorganized and ditzy. He quickly turned and went inside, and she figured he thought she was annoying as well.

Levi had to turn away because, for some reason, he wanted to tuck the strands of her hair behind her ears.

~~~

Levi entered the quiet house, removing his hoodie and folding it gently over the couch. Behind the stairway was a washer and dryer; Levi could figure it out. He picked up an empty laundry basket and headed upstairs. He hadn't been given a tour of the house the day before, so when he went upstairs and opened the first door on the left, he was surprised to see the children's room pretty clean.

Judging by the princess bed sheets that decorated the two sets of bunk beds, Levi figured it was the girl's room. A small toy chest sat between the beds, and a circular table covered in paper and crayons sat by the door. There were two very small pajama bottoms in the floor, so Levi plucked them up and put them in the laundry basket.

While he was at it, he figured he may as well pick up the toys in the floor and put them away and stack the paper on the table in one pile and do the best he could with the crayons. Some of the crayons had teeth marks on them; Sasha, Levi thought. One piece of paper had a drawing on it: two stick figures, one with dark hair, with "SAshA" written above it. The other stick figure had "CONY" written above it, and a sloppy pink heart was drawn between them. Sasha had what looked like a potato in one of her hands, and Levi wasn't sure what to make of that.

The next room on the left was Hange's room. It was horrifically messy, and Levi noticed a shirt in the floor. He bent to pick it up and discovered a pink, lacy bra underneath the shirt. Embarrassed, Levi dropped the shirt and decided to pretend he hadn't seen it.

The first room on the right was oddly empty, save for a bare twin size bed that sat in one corner. Shutting the door, Levi opened the door next to the empty room.

Levi could only imagine this being Jean and Marco's room. Two twin size beds sat on each side of the room, bedside tables next to them. The bed closest to the door was neatly made, the only thing on the dusted table was a bookmarked copy of Hamlet.

The other side of the room clearly belonged to Jean, and it was not a pleasant sight. Clothes littered the floor and Levi wondered of the kid knew what a damn closet was for. Crushed soda and energy drink cans covered every inch of the table. Levi began putting clothes in the laundry basket, having to stoop and reach under Jean's bed to get the clothes.

Levi wondered why the the two shared a room when there was an empty one, but Levi soon found out.

Reaching under the bed for clothes, Levi's hands fell on a box. Figuring it was garbage, Levi pulled it out, only to discover it was an almost empty box of condoms. Levi wasn't shocked; Jean seemed like the type of kid to get around, so at least he was wearing protection. Levi had set the laundry basket on the floor and was on his knees, making sure there was no more clothes under the bed. Feeling against the wall, Levi found a sock - and what had the shape of a liquor sampler. Levi pulled it out and found that the bottle was plastic and the liquid inside was thick and clear as well. Levi flipped the bottle over to read the label.

"H2O Anal Lubrication."

Levi dropped the bottle of lube, his eyes falling on the box of condoms and then glancing to Marco's bed, quickly putting two and two together. Levi put the condoms and lube back where he found them, deciding to keep what he discovered to himself, holding no judgement to either boy. Levi quickly stood and made his way to the door, but he glanced at Marco's bed again. It was made neat, but something seemed...off. Levi stepped closer to the bed, placing his hand on the comforter. The blanket was stiff and dusty, but the pillow was soft and clean.

Levi smiled to himself, wondering how often Marco helped keep Jean's side of the room messy.

Exiting the room and making his way down the hall, Levi found the bathroom and picked up the clothes that were scattered across the floor. The last room was the younger boy's room, which was - save for the unmade beds - surprisingly spotless.

With a full laundry basket, Levi headed downstairs to the small laundry room. He began loading the washer when he heard the front door open and slam shut followed by...giggles. Levi heard unsteady footsteps and poked his head around the corner and wished he hadn't.

Jean stumbled into the kitchen, carrying Marco and setting him on the kitchen island. Marco wrapped his legs around Jean's waist and Jean twirled Marco's hair.

"Alone at last," Jean whispered, and their lips met with a force. Their hands found each others faces and they sloppily kissed, loud enough for Levi to hear ten feet away. Suddenly, Jean pinned Marco's hands to the island and their lips parted, but not before Marco flicked his tongue across Jean's glinting stud.

"You know how fucking sexy you look in your school uniform?" Jean growled.

"Not as sexy as you," Marco giggled, teasingly grinding himself against his lover.

"God I want you right here, right fucking now," Jean said, nipping the boy's neck harshly.

"J-Jean! People eat here!" Marco said, giggling but making no move to push Jean away. "Plus I'm still sore from the night before last."

Jean untyed Marco's tie and quickly unbuttoned his lover shirt, revealing his toned, freckled chest. Marco tilted his head back and moaned as Jean's tongue found Marco's neck. Jean gently nudged his lover, who fully laid back on the island. Jean left a trail of light kisses down Marco chest and stomach, then nipped Marco's clothed erection. The freckled boy moaned loudly, throwing one of his legs over his lovers shoulder.

All this time, Levi had been frozen in the laundry room, unsure what to do. Staying in the laundry room and hearing the teens fuck in the kitchen certainly wasn't an option, but Levi didn't want to come off as angry; he had been young once. For some reason Levi though it would be best to act natural, but instead of loudly clearing his throat, he simply walked out of the laundry room, past the couple and opened the closest cabinet. He didn't look at the couple, but made sure they took notice of him.

Levi wasn't sure who screamed, but Jean ended up getting kicked in the jaw and Marco jumped off the island with such a force he landed on his pierced lover, knocking them both over.

"Sorry," Levi said, casually. "I was wanting a drink. I...didn't mean to interrupt."

"Two cabinets over," Marco squeaked behind his hands, which covered his face.

"Thanks," Levi said, getting a glass and turning on the tap. "I was doing laundry," Levi said, by means of explanation. He walked pass the island, seeing the couple sitting on the floor. Marco's hands were shaking and Jean was quickly buttoning Marco's shirt.

"W-we for-rgot you were here," Marco mumbled, sounding near tears. If looks could kill, Levi would have been murdered by Jean's glare.

How dare this short, tattooed man make his freckled darling cry.

"Uh - hey, it's okay," Levi said, as nicely as possible. "I'm not judgmental, if you're worried about that. And uh, I don't plan on telling Hange."

Jean's glare softened, but only slightly. "You mean that?"

"Of course. You guys are teenagers who have the home to yourselves. I was young and horny once, too."

Marco giggled, making Jean's gaze soften completely.

"Yeah, but...we're..." Jean looked down and Marco did as well, both looking ashamed.

"You're both guys, I see that," Levi said, sounding bored. "That doesn't make what you guys want or feel any different."

Jean stood, helping his lover up as well. Marco leaned on Jean, despite being taller than the two toned teen.

"Yeah, but we go to a Catholic school and Mama Hange got so much shit for adopting off Ymir and Krista to a lesbian couple last year," Jean practically spat, Marco shaking his head in agreement. "We...don't wanna make it harder for Mama Hange, y'know?"

Levi shook his head, sadly understanding. "So she doesn't know?"

Both teens shook their heads, and the front door slammed open. Marco jumped away from Jean, and Levi hated how Jean's hand flinched towards Marco's, as if he wanted to grab it and hold it, but couldn't. Levi quickly made his way to the laundry room, turning on the washer. He stepped out of the room and accidentally bumped Eren, who fell back and landed on his butt.

"Oh! Sorry buddy," Levi said, reaching his hand to the small child before he realized his sleeve was completely visible. Eren's teal eyes lit up and his mouth went agape.

"Wow-ie!" The child said, tugging himself upward by Levi's arm. "Ca' I see it all Misser?" Eren sounded excited, not scared.

Hearing Eren's exclamations, the other children ran to the playroom to see what all the excitement was about, with Hange trailing behind them. All the children crowded around Levi, slightly embarrassing him.

"Sorry," he mouthed to Hange, who merely shrugged her shoulders with a smile. She looked at Levi's sleeve with interest as well.

Levi's sleeve consisted of rounded grey swirls, almost tribal like. On his forearm was a skull, a rose coming out of it's mouth. Another skull decorated his bicep, a rose coming out of it's eye. The skulls were encased in two different quotes and the roses were blood red, the only color on Levi's arm.

The girls gently touched the roses as if they were real and the boys traced the tribal swirls. Levi felt a gentle tug on his shirt and turned to see Armin's big blue eyes staring into his.

"Mister," Armin said, rather clearly and politely. "Can you tell me what the words say, please?"

"I'll tell you," Reiner said, prideful that he was the only one who could read. However, the words were written in script, making it difficult for the child to read. Hange asked if perhaps Levi could read the "interesting words."

"Uh, well, this one," Levi said, indicating the bottom one. "Says, "Show me a hero, and I'll write you a tragedy." This top one says, "Wear your tragedies as armour, not shackles." "

The kids "oh"ed and "ah"ed, not fully grasping the words, but Levi didn't expect them too. Once Hange got the kids to go upstairs and change into play clothes, Levi made his way to the kitchen where Jean and Marco were unloading the dishwasher.

"You don't seem like a reader," Marco commented.

"Sorry?"

"The "show me a hero," quote? That's Fitzgerald."

"Oh," Levi said, feeling ignorant. "It's uh...these quotes were something I heard and just thought they went well together." He hoped Marco wouldn't ask where he heard them, and luckily he didn't.

The kids went out to play, and Levi followed Hange, hoping to give the teens a few minutes of privacy. Amidst a game of tag, Annie fell and skinned both palms on impact. All the children paused their game as Hange rushed to the blonde girl, who was staring at her bleeding palms but not crying.

"Hey," Levi called. "I have a first aid kit in my car."

Levi didn't know Hange followed him, carrying the injured child, until he opened his trunk and heard her gasp.

"Levi," she said, concern thick in her voice. "Are you...?"

Levi didn't answer the implied question. He pushed away his pillow and blanket and found the kit and shut the trunk, motioning for Hange to set the child on the closed trunk lid.

Levi gently swabbed the child's tiny palms with alcohol, promising it wouldn't burn long. Once cleaned, Levi put band aids over the scraps and gently lifted the girl by her armpits and set her on the ground, where she ran back to the fray.

"Levi," Hange said sternly.

"I got evicted yesterday, but I'm staying at a motel," Levi said, half honest. He didn't work on Mondays, so he wasn't sure if he could afford another night.

"Well, we have a spare room here," Hange said calmly. Levi looked at her as if she were crazy. "What? No offense, but considering you're on probation, it's not like you're going to cause much trouble. I expect you to help pay rent and utilities, but I know you're a bartender and money fluctuates, so I'm willing to work with you as long as you're honest with me."

Levi didn't want to stay, but Hange was rather persistent. Levi called Erwin, telling him where to find him if he was needed. Later that night Levi offered to help Marco and Jean cook, but they both declined. Levi was thankful; he had only offered to be polite. Levi couldn't cook to save his life.

The kids were either doing homework or coloring, so Hange told him she didn't need help. Levi sat at the kitchen table while the teens cooked, idly going through his emails. Levi glanced at the two boys.

Marco had made meatloaf and was now putting it in the oven. Jean hadn't helped Marco at all. He stared at his freckled boyfriend, loving how cute he looked in oven mitts and an apron. Once the meatloaf started baking, however, Marco gave Jean the task of making the macaroni and cheese. Jean knew how to make mac and cheese - it was one of the only things he knew how to make - but he purposely stirred near the top.

"Jean, the noodles are going to stick," Marco warned. "Let the spoon go to the bottom."

"Hm?" Jean asked innocently. Marco sighed, stepping behind him. He wrapped his hand over Jean's, his face close to his lovers.

"Like this," Marco said softly, not removing his hand. Jean turned, and their lips were an inch apart - and Hange walked by the kitchen.

"Smells good!" She called, laughing to herself as the teens jumped apart, Jean letting out a cry. Both boys bent their red faces down, but Levi still had something to say.

"Didn't take you for a screamer, Jean," Levi mumbled.

"Fuck you," Jean said, fighting back a smile.

~~~

After dinner, Levi got his things and brought them to the empty room next to Jean and Marco's. Once settled, he went to the bathroom down the hall. During dinner, Levi had offered to help bathe the children. Hange said she bathed the girls in her bathroom and Jean bathed the older boys in the bathroom downstairs, so Levi would help Marco bath the younger boys upstairs.

Levi knocked on the bathroom door, although it was partially open. He gently pushed open the door to see giant pink bubbles covering three naked boys, all playing with Power Ranger toys and making sound effects with them. Marco leaned on the counter, reading a tattered copy of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. He looked up and smiled brightly at Levi.

"School?" Levi asked, indicating the book.

"No; just for fun," Marco said with a laugh. "I usually let the kids play for a while, but I think it's time to start the bath part, now." He marked his book and put it down, and Eren, Armin, and Bertl squealed.

Marco handed Levi a cup with dinosaurs on it and instructed him to fill it with water from the tap. Levi did Eren first, who was closest to him. Levi cupped the crown of Eren's forehead so water wouldn't drip in his eyes, then cupped the boys ears so water wouldn't go in them. Levi swapped the cup for baby shampoo, but poured only a small dollop in his palm, knowing baby shampoo lathered well. He gently massaged the boy's scalp, working his fingers gently through the tangles.

"This isn't your first time bathing a kid, is it?" Marco asked, surprised.

"No," Levi replied, an edge in his voice. Marco dropped the subject as he began wetting the other boy's hair.

Once the children's hair was washed, Marco informed Levi that each child had their own washcloth: Eren's was a duck, Bertl's a bear with it's tongue out, and Armin's a sleeping lamb. The cloths were put on like sock puppets and lathered very well. Once all the boy's were washed and clean, Marco laid a towel on the floor and the children were plucked out of the tub, placed on the towel, and dried off. Marco helped them into their superhero underwear and Levi wrestled them into their footie pajamas. Marco gently combed their hair as the children began to yawn and Armin rubbed his eyes, leaning against Levi's legs.

They all walked to the boys room, Reiner and Connie already in the top bunks. Bertl crawled in the bunk underneath Reiner's and Armin and Eren crawled in the opposite bunk together. Marco gave out bedtime hugs and kisses, and Levi awkwardly stood in the doorway. Armin remained sitting up after his hug and kiss from Marco and reached for the short, dark haired man. Levi hugged the blonde child gently, and Armin whispered, "Are you an orphan, too?"

Levi's felt his stomach drop, but he tried to smile. "Yeah, I am," Levi answered honestly.

Levi and Marco exited the room, and Levi was informed that the girls were probably in bed too, so now it was time for the adults to bathe. Hange showered in her bathroom, and Marco told Levi he could shower in the bathroom upstairs, or the bathroom downstairs. When Levi learned the downstairs bathroom was kept cleaner for guests, Levi chose that one.

Levi got a fresh pair of underwear, sleeping bottoms, and slippers. He then decided to get a shirt as well; he hated sleeping in shirts but it seemed wrong to walk around shirtless with so many kids and a lady around.

He showered quickly, realizing too late that he had forgotten his razor. Although he didn't grow facial hair well, he was still prone to stubble decorating his jawline and chin. When he washed his face, he knew he would have to shave tomorrow morning. Levi washed his chest, watching the soap slide down the script that couldn't be washed off; the names were inked over his heart forever. Levi didn't grow chest hair, so he thought the tattoo looked nice. His first tattoo was on his back and he often forgot it was there.

Once he was finished he made his way upstairs and noticed Hange's bedroom door was closed. The bathroom door opened and both Jean and Marco emerged. Marco donned a light blue pajama set with fluffy blue slippers, while Jean merely had a thin towel tied sloppily around his waist. Marco flushed when he saw Levi, embarrassed at being caught showering together. Jean smirked at the short man.

"Don't tell me you sleep in clothes, too."

"Couldn't bring myself to walk around shirtless," Levi said, returning the smirk.

Jean laughed and - after making sure Hange's door was shut - playfully smacked Marco's tush.

"Alright, babe, time to get out of your fancy jammies."

"Jean!" Marco cried, face now flushing scarlet and looking terrified. Levi smiled and bid them goodnight, going to his own room.

Levi plugged his phone into his charger and laid back on his bed, until he heard a soft knock on his door. He rose and opened the door, his breath hitching.

Hange greeted him, her hair down and still wet at the tips. Her hair went past her bust; much longer than Levi thought it was. Her face looked scrubbed clean and she wasn't wearing glasses. Hange wore a large, grey shirt and black boxers.

"Sorry!" She said, and Levi realized she was holding a phone. "Um, I'm sending an email to inform state officials that you're living here, and I actually forgot your last name! And I should probably give them your phone number, too."

She smiled apologetically, and Levi wondered if her eyes had always been such a soft shade of brown.

"Ackerman," Levi said, staring upward at her face that looked clean - and soft.

"Great!" She said, typing it in. "And your number...?"

Levi told her, then said, "You can keep that, if you want."

Jesus Christ why did I say that -

"Oh that's a good idea!" Hange said. "In case of an emergency, you know? I'll text you my number in a second. Sorry to bother you - goodnight!" She turned and scurried to her room, leaving behind the smell of lilacs.

Levi closed his door and removed his shirt. He laid on the bed, then picked up his phone when he heard it vibrate.

It's Hange! Goodnight, and thanks for all your help :)

It took Levi a moment to realize he was smiling. He saved her number and shut off the light, but all he could see behind his eyelids was Hange.

In her room, Hange had removed her shirt as well and snuggled under her covers after sending the text. She tried relaxing, but all she could think of was Levi.

Was sending the smiley face too much? Too immature? Did Levi think she was weird?

Why did she care?

She shut off her lamp and rolled around, trying to get comfortable. She was nervous about what the state officials would say about Levi living there. He had been found guilty - but who could walk by what was happening and do nothing? But the state officials wouldn't see it that way and she knew it.

She rolled some more, determined to think happy thoughts...like Reiner being able to read by himself...Sasha drawing pictures...Armin being ticklish...Levi smiling -

Hange's eyes snapped open; why had she thought of him?

She had noticed that Levi's pajama bottoms were much more worn than his shirt, and she imagined Levi slept shirtless. Hange could feel herself drifting off, and the vision of Levi shirtless helped her fall asleep.

Chapter Text

He had one arm casually on the steering wheel, the other propped against the door. He was smiling, but starting to get annoyed.

Farlan was in the fetal position in the passenger seat, his head between his knees and moaning. Levi knew he had had way too much to drink and was going to have a hangover from hell tomorrow.

Isabel was drunk too, and she was shouting, "Lightweight, lightweight!" at the men in the front of the car. Levi wanted to remind her he only had one shot, but knew she wouldn't listen. Levi heard her unbuckle her seatbelt and she was practically perched on the middle console a moment later.

"Big brothers!" She had shouted, making Farland groan. "It's my bir'daaayyy!"

"We know!" Levi said. "Sit down before you get me pulled over!"

He was worried about getting a ticket, of all things.

He didn't even notice the car that ran the red light.

The crunch was the worst part.

He woke up and his left arm was through his window. Pieces of glass were sticking out everywhere, but he didn't feel it. He turned his head and screamed in pain; he must have pulled or even torn a few muscles. He moved his arm and slowly inched his way to the left.

He saw Isabel's dress, lifted up to her waist. He wanted to tell her to pull her dress down; everyone could see her underwear. But his eyes fell on the windshield, which had been busted by her head.

Blood was everywhere.

Levi smelled urine and vomit, and he inched his way to the left a little more.

Farlan had vomited, and it was still leaking from his lips. His shirt had a terrible stain that was going to be a bitch to get out; Levi knew that was Farlan's favorite shirt. Levi tried saying their names, but nothing came out. His throat was horrifically dry. He lifted his head just a bit to see Farlan's face.

His eyes were still open, but there was no light in them. Something was sticking out of his ribs; a part of the car? A part of the door had pierced through his lungs, how was that even possible, that doesn't happen, none of this was supposed to happen -

~~~

Levi jerked awake, grabbing his arm. His thoughts were foggy, but he knew there was no glass sticking out of his arm, even the scars had been covered by his sleeve. He closed his eyes and willed himself to relax, wondering what had even woken him up to begin with.

Suddenly, sharp smack hit his bedroom door, followed by, "Misser 'Evi it time to go now!"

Levi groaned and rubbed his eyes. He got out of bed despite hearing Hange tell Eren that Levi was a big boy and didn't need to leave this early.

Levi opened his bedroom door and became quite aware he hadn't put on a shirt.

All eight children donned coats, boots, and book bags so tiny Levi couldn't imagine what would even fit in them and they practically ran to the short man, squeezing his legs in tight hugs. He was still half asleep and wasn't sure what to do, so he awkwardly patted each child's head. All the children let go after a few seconds, except Eren, who squeezed harder and smiled widely at Levi.

"Misser 'Evi I gotta go school now," the child said.

"Uh, yeah. Have fun," Levi awkwardly scratched the back of his head, becoming aware that all the children were trailing downstairs and Hange was staring at him. Levi suddenly wondered how bad his stubble and bedhead was. "Alright buddy, it's time to leave, okay?"

"But...I stay?"

Eren's teal eyes had somehow appeared to grow larger and his bottom lip began to pout. "Misser 'Evi, I stay wi'h you today?"

Hange sensed the calm before the storm and took a careful step forward.

"No Eren," She said calmly. "You have to go to school today. Don't you want to paint?"

The child now seemed conflicted. His lip pouted more, and his grip on Levi's leg tightened. "I...I c'n paint wi'h Misser 'Evi...?"

"No, Eren," Hange said, her tone now with an edge. "You need to go to school."

"Sorry buddy," Levi said kindly when Eren looked at him. "You need to go to school."

Hange lunged forward, but she wasn't quick enough. In an instant, Eren's grip went from around Levi's leg to clutching Levi's pajama bottoms. With a force that seemed too powerful for such a small child, Eren let out a wail and yanked down Levi's pajama's.

Hange scooped the child up and smacked his bottom, quickly turning away from the nearly naked man in front of her. Hange told Eren he was in big trouble when he got home, apologized to Levi as he quickly pulled up his pajama bottoms, and raced down the stairs with Eren in tow.

Levi figured she must be running late now, but Hange had ran so fast to keep her eyes off Levi's beautifully sculpted thighs and crotch.

Levi's face was burning, thankful no one else had saw - and glad he was in new underwear. The bedroom door next to him slowly opened, and Marco stepped out, smiling and tying his tie.

"Did Eren get you?" He asked politely.

"Uh...I guess. What the hell was that?"

Marco laughed as he finished with his tie. "When he gets mad he's pretty prone to either scream and pants people, or start screaming "I don't like you anymore!" Don't worry; he's done it to everyone."

Levi chuckled. "Pretty brutal."

"Yeah, but like I said, he's done it to everyone. Welcome to the family, I guess." Levi smiled, telling himself it was just a phrase. "Hey - Jean hurry up, we're going to be late!"

"I'm coming!" Jean yelled back, emerging from the bathroom. His hair clearly wasn't brushed and his tie was noticeably crooked. Marco sighed, then began tying the tie for his lover.

"Is it alright if I go to the bathroom now?" Levi asked the couple, hating the taste in his mouth. After receiving an answer in the affirmative, Levi went to his room to get his toothbrush. Marco and Jean were sharing a kiss in the hallway as he walked by, but Jean pulled away when he saw Levi's back.

"Cool, you have more?" Jean asked, indicating Levi's tattoos.

"Yes," Levi said simply, continuing his way to the bathroom.

"What kind of wings are those?"

Levi stopped and took a breath; at least he was asking about the one on his back. "Just...wings. Nothing too fancy."

"Looks good."

"Thanks." Levi took another step, but of course Jean had something else to say.

"So...those names on your chest...? Is that, like, your ex and your kid?"

"Jean!"

"What?! It's just a question!"

Levi chuckled, silencing the couple. He was expecting Jean to ask about the tattoo, but he hadn't expected that question.

"Ah, no - no kids. These were my brother and sister."

Pink reached Marco's cheeks, understanding the word choice. Of course, it flew over Jean's head.

"So you gotta brother and sister?" He asked, smiling. It pained Levi's heart, but he knew the teen meant nothing by it.

"Not anymore," Levi said quietly, making his way to the bathroom and shutting the door.

~~~

By the time Levi was finished brushing his hair and teeth, washing his face and shaving -  nicking his jawline in the process - the teens had left for school. Levi felt comfortable walking around shirtless, so he made his way downstairs to get something to drink. On the small white board on the refrigerator, "Sorry dude," was written in red marker. Levi smiled, not upset at the teen.

After drinking a glass of water, Levi headed back upstairs to get properly dressed. He didn't have many clothes, but he still wasn't sure what shirt to wear. He had a black button down that looked nice, despite being a little too small and worn. But he had to work this afternoon and his work shirt was decent looking, but what if Hange thought he was too eager to go to work?

Why was he thinking of Hange's opinion?

Frustrated with himself, he pulled his work shirt over his bare chest and made his way back downstairs. Due to the incident with Eren, Levi had not been told to do anything, but after seeing the kitchen after breakfast Levi decided to take it upon himself to clean the kitchen.

Pancake batter was still wet in a bowl and the mix had been left out, as well as ten sticky plates and ten empty cups. It took Levi a moment to realize that, judging by the number of plates, Hange hadn't eaten breakfast. He wasn't sure why that bothered him, but it did.

Levi got to work immediately, rinsing off the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. He found cleaning supplies under the sink and began wiping off the counter, stove, and even the sink before cleaning the table and pushing in the chairs. Levi then got the vacuum out of the laundry room and vacuumed the crumbs in the floor, then decided to vacuum the living room as well.

Levi thought it would be a good idea to vacuum the couch and couch cushions, but decided to pull out the cushions to make sure there was nothing that would damage the vacuum in the couch.

Army figures, Lincoln Logs, Hot Wheels, and Barbie shoes lay forgotten amidst the couch cushions. Levi removed all this, along with $7.59 in change and a crumbled piece of paper. Curiosity got the better of Levi and he unwrinkled the page and began reading, soon realizing it was a conversation between Jean and Marco.

hey

We can talk, I'm sure the kids won't wake up

Mama Hange's in the kitchen

Oh. What's up?

My dick.

For God's sake Jean.

Haha just kidding.

No you're not I see it! >:(

Why you staring ;)

Jean I really need to study

Sorry. You twirl your hair when you're focused 

That gives you an erection?

No, but you twirl my hair when I go down on you. Just making an association...

Jean.

You're so cute when you blush.

JEAN.

You blush when I suck you off, but not when you do me. Why?

Are you trying to get me to talk dirty via paper and pencil?

Maybe.

Let me finish this chapter.

MARCOOOOOOOOO

WHAT Jean?????

I love you.

I love you too.

I can't wait to take you upstairs Marco.

Oh?

I'm going to suck your collarbone how you like and when you start begging I'l -

The note stopped abruptly, and Levi could only imagine Hange walking in and Jean shoving the paper between the cushions and forgetting about it. Levi re crumpled the paper and threw it away, smiling. For the first time in a long time, Levi felt happy for someone else - or just happy in general.

Levi vacuumed the couch and floor, not hearing Hange open the door.

If Hange didn't find Levi attractive before, seeing him clean certainly did the trick. She could see partially into the kitchen and saw that it was clean as well. Levi turned off the vacuum when he saw Hange. She smiled at him, holding up a McDonalds bag and two small coffees.

"Um, I wasn't sure what time you got up, so I thought...maybe I would get us some breakfast." She giggled nervously.

Levi thanked her and they sat at the table to eat after he put away the vacuum and washed his hands. Hange thanked Levi for cleaning, but he shrugged it off, saying cleaning was more of a hobby for him.

"Wow, you must hate me then," Hange said lightly.

"No," Levi said. "I can't have someone tell me how to clean, so I prefer being the only one to do it."

Hange giggled, adding cream and enough sugar to give her diabetes to her coffee. Levi didn't care much for coffee; during his drinking days it was all he could hold down the morning's he was hungover. Levi sipped the coffee Hange bought him anyway.

"Yeah, I'm not much of a cleaner. It's hard with eight kids and whatnot - but Jean and Marco try to help, so...ugh, I feel like I forgot something - don't you hate that? I kinda always feel like that though - ugh, I'm rambling again. Sorry."

"It's okay," Levi said, enjoying her light blush. Was her blush usually that light, or was she wearing foundation? Levi stole another glance and wondered if her eyelashes had been that dark the night before. Levi chided himself; why did it even matter?

They finished their breakfast and spent the next hour or so cleaning the playroom and making light conversation. As it turns out, Hange was paid by the state for each child. The youngest were the "most profitable", as was Jean, since he was considered a "problem child."

"Are you okay?" Levi asked, taking notice of her scrawl and the way she started throwing things in the box harshly.

"It pisses me off that the state sees them as paychecks," she said through gritted teeth. "It's like these kids are objects, objects that don't see or hear or feel." Hange's voice was rising. "I-if I loose them they'll just be tossed around in the state for the rest of their lives and all because their parents are either dead or worthless and the state doesn't care! These kids didn't ask to be born, much less to be born in the mess they're in! I - all these kids have is me and each other a-and they can't lose anymore! They've already lost so much and they don't even know it!"

Hange was screaming and hysterical by this point. Levi approached her slowly, putting his hands on her high shoulders. She began sobbing into her hands and Levi coaxed her to sit on the ground where she cried on him. He awkwardly rubbed her shoulders, trying to sooth her. "Hange? What's this talk of you losing the kids?"

"I-I adopted two girls a while ago to a same sex couple. We went through all the paperwork and stuff, but since same sex marriage isn't legal here, they legally only had a domestic partnership; but they had been married four years, over the age 26, etc. The courts didn't recognize the marriage in this state, so I may as well have adopted them to a single parent - something that's really frowned upon. We spent eight months in court and we won the case, but the state's really been on my ass and trying to find reasons to shut this place down. I sent that email about you staying here, and a state official wants to come over tomorrow and - fuck, Levi I'm scared."

"I'll leave," Levi said simply, apprehension rising in his chest with each word of Hange's rant.

"I already sent it and said you'd be here awhile. I didn't think..." She began crying again, and Levi felt a little more comfortable putting his arms around her again.

"Just - say we're dating."

Hange hiccuped and pulled away from Levi. "You think that'll work?"

"Maybe."

"You'd do that for the kids?"

"Yes. And - and you," Levi said with a smile. "You need them as much as they need you, it seems."

She laughed, wiping her tears away and Levi had to force himself not to swipe the pads of his thumbs over her tear stained cheeks.

"They just mean so much to me," she said softly. "They could get adopted at any time, especially the little ones. I make them call me Mama Hange so if...you know, so they won't get confused." Hange smiled sadly. "Ymir was four and Krista was three. I saw them just a few weeks ago...they didn't remember who I was."

"Hange-"

"No," she interrupted. "It's just a part of what I do. I'm kinda glad, I guess. No kid deserves to remember being in an orphanage."

"So, do the kids...know?"

Hange sighed. "Not really. Mikasa's parents were murdered when she was six months old, so she's been here since. Armin's legal guardian was his grandfather, but he passed away when Armin was a year old. He was put in foster care for a while, but no one found his parents so he ended up here. Eren's mother died around the same time as Armin's grandfather, and his dad had never been in his life, so he came here as well. Other than Marco and Jean, they were the first one's here, so those three are pretty close. I couldn't imagine them being separated."

"What about the other kids?" Levi asked, oddly curious.

"Well...Marco was the first to get here. He was thirteen and I was only twenty-four, so he and I were both at awkward stages in our lives. His mother had died of cancer and his father was horrifically abusive, so he didn't have parental rights. Jean..." Her voice trailed off.

"It's none of my business," Levi said quickly.

"No, if we say we're dating, they might ask about this," Hange took a deep breath, and Levi wanted to hold her hand. Instead, he shifted slightly so one of his knees brushed against hers. "Jean. His mother migrated here from France when she was pregnant with him. I guess his father didn't come; there aren't any records of him even having a father. When Jean was ten, his mother...she hung herself. Jean...he was the one who found her. He had no family in the states and no records of any family in France, so he moved from foster home to foster home and started getting into trouble; running away and the like. He ended up here when he was thirteen, not too long after Marco arrived. Oh gosh, Marco was so afraid of Jean, and Jean thought Marco was nothing but a goody two shoes." She laughed a little. "But when Mikasa came, Jean loved her. He would get up in the middle of the night to change and feed her. He and Marco began helping me take care of her, and then Eren and Armin arrived later and..." Hange giggled, covering her face. Levi smiled to himself.

"About...two years ago, maybe? I woke up one night and went to check on all the children. Jean and Marco weren't in their rooms, but since it was summer I didn't think anything of it. I went downstairs and saw them on the couch and Jean was crying, but he was letting Marco wipe away his tears and even twirl his hair - something Marco does when he's nervous or something. But they looked at each other and just...kissed." She and Levi both smiled. "It, uh, it was pretty awkward. They pulled away and both looked unsure, but Jean leaned in and kissed him again. I went back upstairs and never mentioned it, but as more kids came they eventually asked to room together, and how could I say no?"

There was a quiet moment and Hange was smiling to herself, and Levi knew she was happy for both Jean and Marco. She laughed again.

"Anyway, after Mikasa and the two boys came Connie. His parents were - and still are - in prison for murder and other smaller things and figured their son would have a better life if they gave up their rights to him; Sasha's case is similar except her father killed her mother."

"Jesus," Levi said, in disbelief over the stories and the way Hange told them nonchalantly.

"Yeah, well...Reiner and Annie are siblings, and Bertl is their cousin. Bertl had been adopted as a sibling into their family, but no one has found records showing why. From what it seems, their parents just...abandoned them. They were found walking on the side of the road, but they said they had been dropped off at a park. They stayed with a foster family for a while, but since Reiner was the oldest and only five, there wasn't much to go on until they found Bertl's adoption papers. They had the parents names and found them eventually, and they're going to rot in prison as long as I have any say in it."

Levi felt anger building inside himself. "Why? Why would a parent do that?"

"The same reason all parents do," Hange said, shrugging her shoulders and avoiding his eye. "Children aren't what they expected. Children and babies aren't toys you can pull out when you're bored and toss to the side when you don't feel like being a parent. Not everyone realizes that."

"Yeah, I kn - " Levi said before catching himself. There was a silence and Levi avoided her gaze.

"Levi...I had to do a full background check before you could volunteer here, and um...the, car accident? I, uh, I...know. And I'm really sorry." Levi's mouth was a thin line and he curtly nodded his head. "And your parents - "

"Okay, I get it," Levi snapped. "Can we drop the subject?"

Hange, this time, was the one to bring Levi into a hug. Levi tightened out of reflex, but Hange was soft and smelled like soap. He hugged her back gently; she was warm too. They slowly pulled away, but froze when they realized they had turned their faces the same way and their lips were a pucker apart.

Hange's cell phone went off, startling the adults. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and read a text.

"That's odd - Marco never gets sick."

"Is he okay?"

"Jean said he was vomiting, but wants to stay. I'm going to pick him up though. So..."

Levi and Hange awkwardly stood, telling each other goodbye. Levi was glad to have a moment to himself to clear his thoughts, but Hange was back before she had even left.

"Uh, remember when I said I forgot something? Yeah, I kinda forgot to get gas." She bent her head down, but Levi could still see pink tainting her cheeks.

"It's okay - can you drive stick?"

Hange's blank expression answered. "Um, if I call and say I'm busy and that you're my boyfriend, you should be able too - I mean, if you want."

"That sounds fine," Levi said. "I can pick up some gas, too; I got a can in my car."

After Hange thanked him twice, Levi left, needing no directions to Saint Alice Catholic. It was one of the best private schools in the state and only about fifteen miles away.

Levi drove to pick up Marco and discovered a park was within walking distance from the orphanage, and a Goodwill and Emergency Room were both no more than a mile away. The orphanage seemed to be located in the perfect spot and the kids had a perfect foster mother, and Levi was going to try his best to keep it that way.

Chapter Text

Levi pulled into the school parking lot and walked into the building. Lockers stretched down the long hall and and there was a stairway at the end. There was a small door labeled "office" across from the main doors Levi walked in from.

Levi walked into the office to see several overstuffed chairs facing several desks, and a student sat in one. She frowned at Levi, eyeing his tattoos.

"Marco Bodt?" She asked, as if the name offended her.

"Yes, I'm - "

"Yeah, short guy with tattoos," she said, picking up a phone on the desk and dialed a number. Levi wasn't upset but rather amused Hange had described him in such a way and he turned away from the student to smile. The only thing on the wall was a crucifix.

The place looked depressing, and Levi figured this was why Jean hated it.

Marco walked in a minute later, his arms over his tummy. The girl at the desk pulled out a binder and instructed both men to sign their names and date, and Levi noticed Marco - who was usually friendly - was avoiding this girls eye.

They left the office and slowly made their way to Levi's car, Levi offering to carry Marco's bookbag and Marco declining. Once Marco got in the front seat he doubled over and Levi's stomach jolted.

"Uh, you can lay in the backseat if you want," Levi said as he turned on the engine, thankful for the Nissan's automatic seatbelts. Marco straightened up and leaned against the door, shaking his head. "We need to stop by the gas station. You need anything?" Again, Marco shook his head.

The car ride was a silent one, the only noise coming from Marco occasionally shifting. At the gas station, Levi bought Marco a Ginger Ale, a drink his little sister loved when her stomach hurt. He handed the drink to Marco after he got the gas.

"Mama Hange forget gas?" Marco asked as he sipped his soda.

"Yeah. No big deal."

"Thanks for picking me up."

"Don't worry about it." The ride was silent again, and for some reason this bothered Levi. "So, uh, that girl? In the office? Did uh, did you know her?"

"Unfortunately," Marco said, his face scrunching in a way that Levi knew had nothing to do with being sick.

"You don't like her?" Levi said, surprised. "I don't think I've ever heard you say a bad thing about anyone."

"She doesn't like Jean or me. Think's orphans are Satan's work, or something."

"Seriously?"

Marco shrugged his shoulders. "Something like that. We're orphan's cause God hated our parents."

"Jesus - she's said that?" Levi asked, his anger rising.

Again, Marco shrugged his shoulders. "No. But she and other kids don't have to say it. Jean and I know."

They pulled into the driveway shortly after, and Marco said he could walk inside by himself. Levi pulled out his pack of cigarettes and realized that he had not wanted to smoke all day until then. Levi didn't enjoy smoking, but it was the only thing aside from drinking that seemed to calm his nerves, and for the longest time his nerves were shot. But today...Levi felt distracted, in a nice way.

Levi smoked a cigarette anyway and filled Hange's gas tank when he was finished. He walked inside the house to find Marco on the couch and the smell of vomit. Hange was putting a thermometer in the teen's mouth and a damp washcloth over his eyes.

"I'm not mad, honey," She whispered. "I just want you to feel better, okay?"

Marco moaned in response. Hange stayed with him and Levi cleaned the vomit. It was in the kitchen floor so it was easy to mop up. He heard Hange run upstairs and went to check on the sick teen, only to find him shivering. Hange returned with her bed comforter, and she gently covered Marco and tucked him in. He tried to thank her, but she shushed him, telling him to get some rest. Levi and Hange shut off the light for him and they quietly made their way upstairs.

"He's never sick," Hange said, concerned. "I might take him to the ER later."

"I can watch the kids," Levi offered. "I can take a night off from work."

"Oh, no!" Hange exclaimed, seeming embarrassed. "His temperature isn't that high, so I might wait until tonight. What time do you get off?"

"Eleven, but it's on the other side of town. I could ask to leave early."

Before Hange could disagree, Marco yelled, "Mom!"

Hange froze, having never been called such a title before. After hearing Marco moan, she bolted downstairs, Levi behind her.

Marco was kicking away the comforter and trying to undo his tie. His uniform shirt was drenched in sweat. "Mama, I'm hot," he said pitifully. Hange ran to rewet his washcloth and Levi helped Marco take off his tie. Hange returned with the washcloth and Marco was clumsily trying to unbutton his shirt, claiming his fingers were swollen. Hange told the teen she would get him some pajamas, but Marco asked for "a Jean shirt."

Levi helped the freckled teen unbutton his shirt, ignoring the multiple fading hickies that were scattered across his chest and stomach. Levi felt a little awkward removing Marco's clothes but at the same time he was too worried about the teen to care. Levi unbuckled and unbuttoned Marco's belt and uniform pants, but left them on until Hange returned with a pair of gym shorts and an MCR shirt Levi recognized.

Hange redressed Marco, only to be informed that he was now cold. He was re-tucked and fell into a fitful slumber. Hange and Levi stayed in the kitchen and continued their conversation from before in low voices. Levi put his hand over Hange's by means of comfort and she did not shake it off. However, the time came to pick up the children and Hange promised to return quickly as possible.

Shortly after, Marco woke up and asked for Jean. Marco's phone vibrated shortly after and he asked Levi to read the text for him, saying the light hurt his eyes. Levi picked up his phone and read the text out loud:

Hey sunshine. hope ur feelin better & hope u know ur JeanBo loves u!

Marco smiled sleepily. "I love him."

"He loves you, too," Levi said, hoping to make him feel somewhat better. The freckled boy lazily pulled the shirt up to his nose and inhaled. True to Jean's word, Jean arrived three minutes after sending the text, nearly taking out the mailbox pulling in. Levi figured this was why Marco drove.

Jean ran inside the house, immediately snuggling his sick boyfriend and muttering in his ear.

Hange arrived with the children not too long after and Levi did his best to help with them. He and Hange had to keep them away from the sick teen, as they all wanted to play Doctor and give him imaginary shots and put band aids and stickers on Marco's arms and hands. Both adults were afraid of the children getting sick, but Hange said she would take them to get their flu shots that weekend.

When Levi left for work, he was exhausted. He told his boss - simply known as O'Hama - he may need to leave early, and O'Hama was more than happy to let Levi go when he needed.

O'Hama was an older, balding man with a kind face. Last year, a drunk gunman tried to rob the bar, but Levi ended up throwing a Vodka bottle at the man's temple and knocked him unconscious - while his boss cried. Neither mentioned the event, but Levi received a ten dollar raise and O'Hama never had anything bad to say about the tattooed sourpuss.

Levi worked hard to try to distract himself, but on his first break he sent a quick text to Hange before he could find a million reasons not to.

How's freckles holding up?

Surprisingly, she text back rather quickly.

Still puking, but his knight his here.

Hange hoped she didn't send the text too quickly.

That's good :)

Levi regretted sending the message the moment he did. He couldn't believe he sent a smiley face like a teenage girl.

Still wanting to take him to the ER. When can u get here? :)

Hange wasn't sure if she was supposed to reply with a smiley as well, but figured it couldn't hurt.

Be there at 10:30

Did that sound harsh? Why did Levi care?

Great! Can't wait to see u!

Hange couldn't believe she sent that and wanted to die of embarrassment, but Levi smiled when he read it. He started to type, "can't wait to see you either," but erased it. He went back inside to work and realized he didn't want to smoke.

~~~

Levi walked inside the house just in time to see Marco vomit on Jean's lap. Marco covered his face, apologizing repeatedly. Jean laughed and rubbed Marco's hair. "Don't worry about it - I've had your bodily fluids on me before."

Levi, needing no further elaboration, got Marco a glass of water and damp washcloth while Jean changed. Hange thanked Levi for coming home early and told him all the children were asleep, so she and the teens would be back as soon as possible.

At the house, Levi paced nervously, unsure of what to do. He decided to check on the children, and on his way upstairs he heard a bedroom door open.

Little Armin was rubbing his eyes as he stumbled out of the boy's room and upon seeing Levi, asked if Mama Hange took Marco to the doctor.

"Yeah," Levi answered quietly. "Why are you up so late, little guy?"

Armin confided in Levi that he had to go potty, but couldn't reach the light switch. Levi helped the blonde boy, only to discover the child needed assistance again - in the bathroom, Armin pulled his pajama bottoms and underwear down, but raised his arms to be lifted onto the toilet. Levi helped the toddler, and smiled to himself when the child began swinging his feet. Levi helped him down when he was finished, then helped Armin wash his hands.

When Levi walked the sleepy child back to his room, he was surprised to see Mikasa snuggled to Eren. Armin didn't seem surprised at all and cuddled next to the girl.

Eren had his Zilla toy and Mikasa was laying on her scarf like a pillow. Armin gripped a tiny, stuffed duck and Connie snuggled a green blankie. Reiner had a brown and white teddy bear tucked under one arm and Bertl fleetingly sucked a blue binky. Levi caught himself smiling, feeling so...at peace.

"Mister Levi?"

"Yeah, Armin?"

"Come here," the child whispered, and Levi could tell the toddler was smiling. Levi bent down close to the blonde boy - and received a quick peck on the cheek. "Night night, Mister Levi."

"Night night," Levi whispered, wishing he could stay in the room forever. He closed the door behind him, touching his cheek where the child had placed his kiss. Levi went to check on the girls and discovered Sasha and Annie fast asleep.

Sasha had her thumb in her mouth, but was not sucking, resulting in saliva coating her hand and pillow. Annie looked peaceful, her face relaxed and her little lips parted. Her legs jerked momentarily as if she were running, and Levi wondered if she were playing tag in her dream. Annie was clutching a stuffed lion by it's tattered mane. The stuffed animal was obviously old, it's eyes mismatched and the color well faded.

Annie didn't seem the type to need to sleep with a stuffed animal, but neither did Reiner and Levi never would have guessed Bertl still sucked a binky. Levi smiled to himself again, assuming everyone needed a security blanket at some point.

Chapter Text

Levi was used to the yelling, but he hated seeing it. He didn't know which he disliked more - his father screaming, or his mother cowering. Levi was aware of his sisters sobs and his brothers unnatural silence.

Suddenly, Isabel was thrown in the floor - by her hair. Two kicks were delivered to her side before Levi could even register what was happening. Levi jolted off the couch, his fist clenched.

"Don't touch her!" he screamed, hating how his prepubescent voice cracked, but hating more how his mother looked at him, begging him to stop defying his father. No matter what happened, his mother would never speak out against him.

Levi's father saw his son's fist and smirked.

Levi was only twelve and had been in school yard scuffles, but had never been so hard he lost consciousness until then.

Levi slowly woke up, seeing blurred flashes of his sister holding a red cloth to his head - no, the cloth was white, was he bleeding? He didn't care, he was more worried about his sister crying.

"Big brother? You gotta get up so me an' Farlan can clean."

Levi saw his brother at the corner of his eye, sweeping up glass with a broom and dust pan, and Farlan told his sister to go sit back on the couch before she stepped on glass.

Their father came into Levi's line of sight, carrying a small bag. Levi felt sick when he saw his mother carrying a bag as well.

His mother continued walking toward him and Levi saw her hand reaching, reaching toward Levi - and past him.

Levi realized when his father hit him, he landed into his mother's china cabinet. Years before, his mothers china cabinet had been full and beautiful, but over the years the china had been sold and pawned one by one until a few remained. His mother reached into the cabinet to get a teacup.

However, once she grabbed the teacup, she discovered the cup was now chipped and cracked - worthless to sell.

"You break everything you touch, don't you?"

~~~

Levi jolted awake, his heart thudding. Light was not coming through his window, so he figured he must have woken up early. Not wanting to go back to sleep, he threw on a shirt and walked out of his room to find the children coming upstairs to brush their teeth after breakfast.

This morning, the children seemed tired. Even Eren seemed sluggish and merely waved at seeing the short man. Hange guided them to the upstairs bathroom and she and Levi made sure the children brushed their teeth properly. Marco was still not feeling well and Jean was in bed with him, so Levi helped the boys into their school clothes.

Reiner could dress himself and Connie almost could, save for putting his shirt on backwards. Bertl dressed slowly and had trouble buttoning his pants, while Armin was afraid of zipping his fingers in his pants zipper. Eren had to be persuaded to wear socks, and even then he wanted to wear one blue one and one with a T-Rex on it.

The boys were unusually quiet, and after the children were herded downstairs, Hange sighed as Levi followed her.

"The meeting is today," She whispered. "At eleven."

"Don't worry, okay?" Levi wasn't sure what to say by means of comfort, but he hoped it was enough.

Levi went upstairs to shower, thankful he didn't need to shave but felt somewhat uneasy about the nick on his jawline from shaving the day before. He hoped it wasn't noticeable. He brushed his teeth and dressed in dark jeans and his black button down.

He gently knocked on the teens door and peeked in to check on Marco. The boys were spooning in Jean's bed, Jean being the larger spoon. Marco had all the covers, but luckily Jean was wearing boxers. Levi shut the door quietly, briefly remembering how it felt to share a bed with someone.

Levi went downstairs and began cleaning the kitchen, trying not to think of her.

He thought of her from time to time, especially when he was alone. They had broken up four years ago; she tried putting up with his drinking and grief, but in the end it wasn't for her. He woke up hungover one morning and found her clothes gone and her engagement ring on the dresser. Reality hit shortly after - he was soon kicked out of the apartment and was homeless for a while.

On a lighter note, being truly alone for the first time in his life sobered him up quickly. A local homeless shelter helped him with his addiction and helped him set up job interviews, although having a mixology degree was really only useful for bartending. Nonetheless, he started working at O'Hama's and within two months he was living in the shitty apartment he was just evicted from and even bought a new car. It was a shitty, used car, but it was new to him. He tried making things work with her - Petra - but a year or so after their break up he saw her eating dinner at O'Hama's with some guy who looked years older than her. But what could Levi say?

They kept in touch somewhat over the years, but Levi found out through other people she had married the older looking guy six months ago. Over time, he wasn't quite as bothered by it as he usually was, and his memories of her grew more fuzzy.

As Levi cleaned the kitchen, he tried thinking of the good times with her, the way they would snuggle and he loved the way she smelled of lilacs -

Levi paused, almost dropping a plate in the sink.

Petra did not smell of lilacs.

Hange did.

Levi recovered, rinsing off the plate and putting in the dishwasher. He tried remembering what Petra smelled like, but he couldn't. He couldn't even remember what perfume she used, although he had liked it at the time. Although he had no romantic feelings toward Petra, it confused Levi that he could not remember what she smelled like, although he knew what soap Hange used.

What if he fell in love with Hange? What if he fell in love and she left him, too?

Levi scalded himself, but could not meet Hange's eye when she came home and ran upstairs, saying she had to change.

Levi finished cleaning the kitchen as Hange descended downstairs, and Levi glanced in her direction. Beautiful was the first word that came to his mind.

Her hair was down, covering half of her pink and white blouse. She wore black dress pants that flattered her long legs and black flats. She wore no make up, but she still looked -

"Beautiful."

"Thanks! Not too bad yourself," Hange said, turning to take out the garbage so Levi wouldn't see her blush. It took the short man a moment to realize he said the compliment out loud.

"Uh - I'll take that," he said, trying to recover from embarrassment. Hange let him lift the garbage bag, but she gently touched his jawline, making him flinch.

"Sorry! You - uh, you have a cut. Shaving?"

"Yeah," he said, quickly tying the bag and heading outside.

Outside, Levi put the garbage in the can and touched his jawline in hopes of keeping Hange's warmth there. After a few moments he returned inside and helped Hange clean the rest of the house in silence.

Hange had informed the teens of the days events the night before, so Jean cleaned his side of the room quietly while Marco slept. When he was finished, Jean leaned over his freckled lover, loving how Marco's hair was every which way and how his pretty pink lips were parted. Jean felt his forehead - still warm, but not terribly so - and kissed his cheek, wishing he could take away Marco's pain. Marco hadn't taken away the pain Jean felt from losing his mother, but Marco helped lift the weight off his shoulders and heart and gave him a sense of hope and security. Jean's stomach twisted at the thought of them living in different homes.

By eleven, Marco was awake and had washed his face and brushed his teeth, but remained in his pajamas. Jean wore his school uniform, it being his best outfit. They all four sat at the kitchen table and jumped when the doorbell rang. Hange quickly answered the door and was greeted by a balding man not much taller than Levi. He had several folders in his hand and shook Hange's hand with the other.

"Ms. Zoe?"

"Yes, please come in," she said with a smile.

He walked into the house and into the kitchen, taking quick notice of the three gentlemen at the table.

"Why aren't these kids at school?" he asked, sounding amused.

"I'm sick," Marco stated bluntly, his voice scratchy.

"I see. And I suppose you're sick as well?" The man asked Jean with a condescending smile. Jean stared him in the eye and coughed pathetically, not even trying to make it sound real.

"Once you turn sixteen, legal guardians can not force their children to go to school," Levi said calmly. Hange sat next to Levi, folding her hands on the table.

The man sat down across from Levi, setting his folders down. "You must be Mr. Ackerman. I'm Mr. Bracey."

"Levi."

"Of course," Mr. Bracey said, sounding bored as he opened a folder. Levi placed one of his hands gently over Hange's and, judging by the teens faces, Hange must have forgotten to mention this detail. "So, Levi, can you tell me why you're living here?"

"I was evicted for not paying rent the week I was in jail. Hange - my girlfriend - offered me a place to sleep here. I'm paying rent and helping with the children, so it's not effecting my community service hours."

"And just how long have you been a couple?"

"That's irrelevant," Hange snapped, despite her pounding heart.

"Forgive me. I'll get to that part later," The bald man picked up a paper and went over it, although everyone at the table knew he was already aware what was on it. "So, Levi, could you go into detail about why you felt the need to assault a minor?"

Levi could feel his face burning, but Hange's touch helped keep his temper. "He was taking advantage of a drunk girl."

"And you knew this how?" Mr. Bracey was smiling, and Levi knew everything was in his police records. He took a breath, knowing the asshole was trying to get him angry.

"He had her against the stairway wall outside my apartment. She was wearing a dress and he was penetrating her with his fingers while pinning her against the wall with his forearm across her chest. She was crying and obviously trying to push him away, but was too intoxicated."

"So you played hero instead of calling the police?"

"I've seen police take forty-five minutes to arrive to a murder on that side of town," Levi said harshly. "It took fifteen minutes for an ambulance to arrive for him, and the police took another ten."

Mr. Bracey glanced through the paper in front of him, then set it down. "So you then proceeded to grab the young man, kick him down the stairway, then jump on his chest and stomp his face nine times, giving him a broken nose, wrist, and rib, along with three bruised ribs and a fractured jaw?"

"That's correct."

"Could you tell me how old these two people were?"

"The boy was almost eighteen. The girl was thirteen," Levi responded, anger rising in his chest. Hange squeezed Levi's hand and Levi glanced at her, noticing her mouth was set in a thin line.

"Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but this young man got off pretty easily."

"He got charged with public intoxication, had to pay some fines and got community service as well."

At Levi's statement, the bald man smiled. "Had you called the police, he could have been charged with rape and spent years in prison."

"Do you know how long rape trials take?" Hange said, much louder than she intended. Mr. Bracey's smile widened.

"No," he admitted. "But I'm sure you do."

Before Levi could comprehend what he said, Marco had jumped up, knocking over his chair.

"You shut your damn mouth!" The freckled teen said through gritted teeth.

There was a silence, punctuated only by Marco's unsettled breathing. Slowly, Jean rose and slipped his fingers between Marco's.

"Let's go upstairs," Jean whispered. The teens left quickly, still holding hands as they made their way upstairs. The state official watched them leave and was clearly shocked.

"This is about Levi and I," Hange said, calmly. "I believe you got off topic."

The state official cleared his throat, then began going over legal documentation. Basically, Levi living there wasn't illegal as long as he had never been charged with pedophila or other sexual charges, and if he and Hange were a couple. However, there was one problem.

Once someone moved into the orphanage to take the role of foster mother/father, legal documentation of a marriage must be sent to appropriate state officials within ninety days.

"That won't be a problem," Levi said calmly. Obviously irritated, the state official then said the children's dental and vision check ups were late, only to be told Hange was waiting until Thanksgiving break to take them so they wouldn't miss school.

Finding no other issues, Mr. Bracey left shortly after, promising to check up on them soon. Once he had left, Hange's facial expression broke. Levi tried to hug her, but she pushed him away.

"I-if we get marr-ried then divorced they'll just s-say I'm unstable," she sobbed, tears cascading down her cheeks. Levi hated seeing her cry; it made him feel sick. He pulled her to him, the act a little awkward since she was taller than him by four inches or so. Too emotional to care, she snuggled against the crook of his neck and cried there. Levi patted her hair, surprised at it's softness.

"Who said we'd get divorced?" Levi asked quietly. "Let's just focus on now, okay? Let's get married, then take it one step at a time, alright?"

Hange lifted her head, her glasses smudged. "Get married - like, now?"

"If you want. I don't see the point in waiting, but - " Levi's sentence was cut off by Hange's arms encircling Levi's throat in a death grip hug. After accepting a multitude of thanks, Levi was finally able to breathe when she pulled away. It was five till noon, so there was plenty of time to drive to the courthouse before the kids needed to be picked up.

"We look alright," Levi said. "But you might want to wipe off your shitty glasses."

She giggled, and despite her smudged and slightly askewed glasses, wet cheeks, and snotty nose, Levi thought he could have kissed her.

After Hange went upstairs while Levi went outside to start his car. Levi wasn't sure what she said to the teens, but she was making her way to Levi's Nissan in less than three minutes after Levi started it.

They drove to the courthouse in silence. Once there, Levi bought a marriage license and signed proper documents several minutes later. The woman at the desk where they signed the papers smiled brightly at them.

"Rings?"

"Ah - no," Levi said.

"Vows?"

"No," Levi said again, feeling oddly disappointed. As Hange signed the papers, Levi realized she kept her last name - not that he expected any different. Once the papers were signed by the woman, she handed them back to the newlyweds - and pulled out a Polaroid Automatic from the depths of her desk.

"Okay!" She said, quite overzealous. "You're now husband and wife! Can I get a kiss?"

Both Levi and Hange blushed. They turned to one another and, for some reason, seeing that the other was just as embarrassed made them feel more confident. Levi pulled her to him, one arm around her waist and the other cupping her jaw. Unashamed, he went on his tip toes and met her lips with his.

Surprisingly, their lips matched well together. Tingles exploded in Hange's veins and endorphin raced through Levi's. Their lips parted together and their heads turned in opposite directions. Hange's hands sneaked up Levi's undercut and Levi pulled her closer, cupping the back of her head. Hange shifted, making Levi's hands shake. Nothing mattered except each other.

Hange wanted to flick her tongue against Levi's at the same time Levi wanted to let his hands travel lower. However, they pulled apart slowly, their faces pink and kiss swollen.

They turned to see the woman who had married them smiling brightly, and their photograph becoming clear on the desk.

How long were we kissing? Levi thought, his face now turning red.

Hange and Levi took their documents and picture, leaving quickly and not meeting each others eye. They drove home in silence, not having much to say. Sure, there was plenty to say, but both were worried the other had felt nothing. When they made it to the orphanage, Levi realized it was only one. What were they going to talk about for the next hour and a half?

When Levi opened the door for Hange, they were greeted by Jean and Marco.

"Mama Hange - " Jean started, sounding determined.

"How did it go?" Marco interrupted. Both adults blushed.

"We have the proper documentation," Levi said simply. Hange's heart faltered, but she hid it well.

"That's good," Jean said. "But Marco and I - "

"Oh, congrats! Well, I guess." Marco was smiling, but kept wringing his hands.

"Marco is there something you'd like to say?" Hange asked.

"Yes!" Jean cried before the freckled teen could respond. There was a silence while Jean tried to make words. He flushed instead and bent his head down. There were a few more seconds of silence, until Marco wrapped his arm around Jean's shoulder - and bent his head to kiss Jean's lips.

The kiss was a gentle one; an innocent peck of the lips. But the small kiss spoke all the words they wanted to say, and they both turned to Hange to see her reaction.

"Oh my God," she said, faking disgust. "Get a room."

The boys smiled, relieved - and Marco coughed. After Hange explained that, although she was happy for both the boys they still needed rest, the teens headed upstairs, followed by Levi and Hange, who both muttered excuses of needing to use the bathroom or change.

Levi changed, his head fuzzy. His hands shook trying to unbutton his shirt and after the fourth attempt on the fifth button, he yanked the material over his head and threw it on the floor.

He kissed Hange. He kissed Hange and didn't want to stop. He wanted to keep kissing her and - he growled and rubbed his face, trying to get her out of his head.

Hange leaned against her closed bedroom door, rubbing her temples.

She kissed Levi. She kissed Levi and didn't want to stop. Levi - some guy she just met, a guy she knew nothing about -

He could be a drug addict, she thought. Or an alcoholic; he works at a bar. Or a drug dealer.

But how ridiculous were these thoughts? Hange supposed she was more confused than anything. Relationships were never a concern; the children always came first, and if she were being honest, there was probably more about her that Levi didn't know.

Before she could dwell on it any longer, her cell phone rang. After digging through the hell she called a purse, she was surprised to see the daycare calling.

After a brief conversation, Hange's already sick stomach was now in knots. She called the elementary school, saying she was picking up Reiner, Sasha and Connie early. She knew she had to tell Levi, and her heart began thudding at the thought - but her children needed her.

She knocked on Levi's door and he opened it partially, only poking his head out. Hange did not have time to wonder if he was shirtless or not.

"Levi, I got a call from the daycare," she said simply, hating how her voice cracked.

"And?" Levi hated how worried he sounded.

"We have a little problem."

Chapter Text

Levi felt sick the entire time he waited on Hange's arrival. Both teens were fast asleep and he didn't want to wake them, but he had the urge to feel Marco's forehead. Levi gently touched the teens forehead with his wrist and felt that it was warm, but it was cooler than what Levi expected.

Marco seemed to sleep gracefully, laying in his side with one arm under the pillow, while Jean lay on his back with his legs wide apart, taking up most of the bed. Jean snored, but not in an even tone.

Carefully - hoping to not wake up either teen - Levi reached across Marco to feel Jean's forehead as well.

Jean was warmer than Marco.

Shit, Levi thought.

He left quietly, wanting to send Hange a text but not wanting to worry her - or have her text while she was driving. Instead, he walked back to his room and layed down, trying to ease his aching head while he had the time. He knew when Hange came back he was going to be extremely busy.

~~~

A little while later, Levi opened the door for Hange, who was carrying Eren. Levi reached for the child and snuggled him against his chest. The child's face was pale, and his eyes slowly opened.

"Hey misser," the child said pathetically.

"Hey buddy," Levi whispered. "You feelin' bad?"

Eren began dry heaving, and before Levi could get to the bathroom, the child vomited on his shoulder.

As Levi cleaned up Eren, he heard Hange and the rest of the kids enter the house and make their way upstairs. Eren was crying softly as Levi washed his face with a damp washcloth; promising he wasn't mad at the child, he didn't like the shirt anyway.

As it turns out, all the children were ill with what Marco had, including Jean. The children lay in their beds, too exhausted to be excited about their early dismissal from school and daycare. For the next several hours, Levi was in charge of wiping noses, re-wetting wash cloths, and trying to convince the children to take cough syrup and Tylenol.

Reiner took the medicine without much persuasion; he was sick but seemed more tired than anything. Bertl cried, asking if he was going to die. Levi, Hange, and Marco all had to reassure the dark haired child no one was dying. Bertl took the medicine and Levi hated the way the child's nose scrunched up, and he rubbed Bertl's back. The child responded by snuggling his body to the man's chest - and wiping his nose and eyes on Levi's shirt.

By the end of the day, the shirt Eren vomited on and the shirt Bertl (and all the other children) wiped their noses on were both ruined, but he didn't care. He enjoyed helping the children feel better, even if it was just a little. He read stories and even painted the girl's toenails to the best of his ability.

Jean, however, was a different story. He was quite grumpy and complained non stop, and refused help from anyone other than Marco. The freckled teen was feeling much better and helped his boyfriend and the kids as much as he could.

When Levi finally crawled into bed that night, he was exhausted. He was thankful he had that night and the next night off; he had never worked so hard in his life. Based off how Marco felt, it seemed to just be a little stomach bug. Marco felt better in less than two days, but it was hard to tell how the children would feel the next day.

Levi bundled in his covers, quickly dozing off. Later in the night, however, Levi woke up to the sound of his door closing. He was pretty tired and at first wasn't sure what had even woken him up until something tugged the blanket by his feet.

Despite what Hange would say the next morning, Levi did not scream like a six year old girl, although two teenagers - and some of the toddlers - would disagree.

After a minute or so of fear and confusion, it was discovered that Sasha had had a bad dream, but Hange's door was locked. Hearing Levi scream, Hange had rushed to the man's bedroom to find Sasha crying at the foot of Levi's bed, and Levi obviously confused.

Hange explained that she had forgotten to unlock her door after she changed into pajamas due to exhaustion, and that the children always came to her when they had nightmares. Once that was cleared up, Hange reached for the still sleepy child, only for Sasha to shake her head.

"I wanna sleep wit' Misser Levi to'ight," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. Hange and Levi's eyes met and he shrugged his shoulders, slightly taken aback that Sasha wanted to sleep with him, but wasn't against it. After all, how bad could it be?

Once Hange had kissed the child goodnight, Sasha had no problem making herself comfortable in Levi's bed. She crawled under the blankets and pulled the pillow - the only pillow Levi had - to her and cuddled it while she laid her head down. Somehow, the tiny child took up over half the bed and managed to steal all the covers as she thrashed about for a few moments, creating some sort of blanket burrito by the likes that Levi had never seen. In a matter of moments, Levi only had room to lay on his side and had been robbed of a blanket and pillow by a child who barely reached his hip and sucked her thumb.

Despite being tired and now uncomfortable, Levi lifted his arm to lay on it and smiled. "Goodnight, Sasha," he whispered.

~~~

The next morning, Sasha was out of the bed when Levi woke up. He was crowded in the corner of the bed, and his shirt and pajama pants were soaked with sweat. Fuck, he thought when he felt his stomach churn. He sat up slowly and felt his mouth go dry. He didn't have time to make it out of bed before he vomited on his bedsheets.

Luckily, the children didn't have school that day and Levi didn't have to work, so while Hange changed his bedsheets and made him soup, she was still distracted by the children. Levi had not been taken care of since he had been engaged to Petra, and he wasn't sure how he would feel about being cared for, even if he was sick.

The children - who were feeling better but still had slight fevers - desperately wanted to play Doctor with Levi. Levi didn't mind, so long as they didn't stay in his room too long.

Within ten minutes, Levi had a pencil placed under his tongue (eraser side) as a thermometer, a small Hello Kitty flashlight shined in his ears, mouth, and nose, four Barbie and six Dinosaur band aids and countless stickers placed on his arms, chin, hands, and feet, and all the children placed their head against his chest and mocked his heartbeat in deep voices.

When it was naptime, all the children gave Levi different a diagnosis: Reiner told him he was sick but it was probably because he was old, but Bertl told Levi he was sick because he didn't wear mittens even though it was cold outside. Annie and Mikasa both agreed Levi just needed a tea party, while Sasha and Connie said he needed more soup. Eren told Levi he needed a bubble bath and offered to let him play with his Zilla. Armin snuggled Levi's chest and kissed his cheek, swearing kisses made everything better.

Hange quickly got the kids out of Levi's room, trying not to stare at the sick man. Sure he was attractive, but the fact that he was covered in stickers and Band Aids and didn't seem to care made him all the more appealing to her. Once she was sure all the children were asleep a little while later, she gently opened Levi's bedroom door.

Levi lay on his back in the same position she had left him in, but his eyes were now closed and his breathing was slow and even. Although she knew it was wrong and a little creepy, Hange stepped inside the room and slowly made her way to Levi.

Levi's face was relaxed, and Hange was surprised at how young he looked without his eyebrows furrowed. He still had stickers and Band Aids all over him, and it made him look...adorable. Before Hange could realize what she was doing, she gently touched his cheek. He was softer than she imagined, and she became overwhelmed with emotion swelling in her chest.

She bent forward until her lips brushed his. It was a gentle, quick kiss, but the emotion trapped in her chest seemed to burst. She wanted to kiss him again, kiss him until she was intoxicated enough to crawl on top of him and let his hands explore her body as hers explored his, and she knew she wouldn't sleep well until she knew how her name tasted on his lips.

She wanted to make love - truly make love - to Levi, and she had never felt this way before. She wondered if this was how Jean and Marco felt towards each other, and she suddenly became aware that she was not a teenager - she was an adult with ten children who depended on her. She closed her eyes and took a breath, demanding the emotion - love? infatuation? - to leave.

She knew what she felt couldn't be easily tucked away and forgotten, but for the moment she was calm and that was all she cared about. She opened her eyes and was surprised when a tear trickled down her cheek.

She had never pictured herself falling for anyone, let alone a tattooed man four inches shorter than her, and she certainly never pictured confessing her feelings to said man while he was covered in Band Aids and stickers asleep, but her lips seemed to part against her will.

"Thank you," she whispered, the words hardly coming out at all. "Thank you for showing me what love feels like."

She quickly exited the room, knowing she could never tell him how she truly felt. How could she - he would just reject her; after all, they had married for the children and nothing more, and she needed to remind herself of that.

Although Hange did not slam the door closed, she did not shut it quietly and Levi's sleep was disturbed. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see his room empty. He closed his eyes and rolled over - and realized his room smelled slightly of lilacs. He smiled sleepily to himself and whispered her name, wishing he was sharing a blanket with her and wondering why his lips felt like they had chapstick on them...

Chapter Text

Once Levi and the children felt better, Levi and Hange went back to avoiding each other and focused instead on Jean and Marco's relationship. The two teens came out to the children, explaining that they were together like Mama Hange and Levi, even though they were both boys. The children were quiet, then shook their heads and murmured, "okay," in uninterested tones. The children were either coloring or writing the alphabet and hardly had the time to worry about the teen's relationship.

Later that night, Armin asked Marco if he loved Jean.

"Of course," the freckled teen responded with a smile.

"Does Mama Hange love Levi?"

"Uh...yeah, yes she does."

"I think I love Annie," the blonde child said, his voice more serious than Marco thought possible for a three year old to have.

"You do?" Marco asked, a little amused. The toddler shook his head fiercely.

"Her hair reminds me of sunshine and I want to give her all my marshmallows when I have Lucky Charms."

The freckled teen was stunned. If that wasn't love to a three year old, Marco didn't know what was.

When the kids would play outside, Armin would dig for rocks with a gardening shovel, usually accompanied by Eren and Mikasa and occasionally Hange (as long as she was certain none of the children would sneak bugs in the house - or, on one occasion, a garden snake.) However, Annie joined the group every now and then and would give Armin the best rocks she could find. The blonde boy would then put all the rocks in his pockets, usually resulting in his pants being weighed down to the point of his underwear showing.

Everyone questioned what Armin did with the rocks, but they assumed he threw them away or lost them. One morning, a few days before Thanksgiving break, Levi washed the kids' bedsheets. When he lifted Armin's pillow, Levi was greeted by a multitude of rocks, all still gritty with dirt.

While he washed the bedsheets, Levi carefully washed and dried each rock, placing them in a spare bowl. Armin came home from daycare while Levi was washing his rocks and became distressed when he realized his rocks were being placed elsewhere.

" Mister L-levi," Armin said, near tears. "If I don't sl-leep with my rocks I won't dream of Annie!"

Levi confirmed that the child would still dream of the blonde girl, and after a multitude of hugs and kisses, Armin felt better.

Later that night, the kids sat at the table eating dinner, and the adults and teens ate at the counter. The kids were whispering amongst themselves, but the whispers between Eren and Reiner grew louder.

"You ask him!"

"I don' wanna!"

"You!"

"Is the question for me?" Levi asked, although he figured it was by the way all the kids had been stealing glances at him. Levi hoped the question wasn't, why is the sky blue?

Eren turned in his seat, his hands over the top of the chair and he was sitting on his knees. His big teal eyes looked unsure.

"Misser Levi? You wit- Mama Han-i now...marri-d?"

"Yes."

"Do that make you Papa Levi now?"

Eren's teal eyes filled with hope. All eyes were on the short man, and instead of feeling flustered, he felt warmth spread through his chest.

"Uh, yeah. You can call me Papa - if you want."

Eren's eyes lit up and he squealed and clapped. All the children smiled, including Jean and Marco.

Later that night, Eren requested a night hug from Papa Levi. Levi sat on the bed and Eren crawled into his lap, wrapping his tiny arms around Levi's neck as Levi gently embraced the child. Eren lifted his head to Levi's ear.

"I alw-ys wanned a Papa," he whispered, snuggling to the man's chest. Levi hugged the child a little tighter.

~~~

By the time Thanksgiving break rolled around, Hange and Levi were comfortable with each other. They didn't speak about their wedding day or Hange's stolen kiss, but the tensioned lessoned to the point where it was bearable.

Thanksgiving dinner went well, and Levi found out Armin had turned three earlier that month, which resulted in all the children stating their birthdays - and asking about Levi's.

"Well - when is Mama Hange's?" The short man asked, hoping to direct the children's attention elsewhere.

"September ninth," She stated, smiling. "Why don't you tell the children when your birthday is?"

Levi realized she must know his birthday from the background check she did.

Damn.

"December twenty-fifth," he said simply, focusing on his mashed potatoes. Marco and Jean looked rather surprised, but none of the kids seemed to realize the importance of the date, much to the short man's delight. Hange, however, wanted the children to know how special Levi's birthday was.

"Levi's birthday is Christmas!" She announced loudly. All the children smiled and stated how lucky he was. Levi forced a smile, but wasn't very hungry anymore. Hange sensed his tension and changed the subject.

Later that night, Hange visited Levi after after all the children were in bed. She wanted to apologize for making him uncomfortable, but, much to her surprise, he invited her in his room.

Levi wasn't sure what made him start talking, but he began telling her how he never had a birthday party or birthday cake. When he was younger he had gotten Christmas cakes, but nothing after he was eight. Levi never felt that his birthday was important.

Before he knew it, Levi had spent damn near an hour talking about his pathetic childhood. He covered his face, his elbows resting on his knees. Hange sat next to him - so close - on the bed and put her hand on his shoulder. After a moment, Levi put one of his hands on hers.

"Levi, there are things I've been meaning to talk to you ab - " She was cut off by the sound of an opening door, followed by the pitter patter of tiny feet. "The kids must be up," she whispered. Levi checked his phone; it was a little after midnight.

The two rose and quietly left the room. They peeked down the staircase, seeing a light that could only mean the refrigerator was open. The adults looked at each other, a knowing glance passed between them.

The day before, the children had a dentist appointment. Reiner had one cavity on one of his back teeth, more than likely from not reaching the tooth properly while brushing. The other children were all fine except Mikasa, who had a grand total of three cavities. They were filled and the dentist said it was possible she could have sensitive teeth, but upon the adults decent downstairs, they discovered the real reason behind Mikasa's cavities.

The refrigerator was open; Mikasa's scarf was laced through the handle. Together, Eren and Armin were on their tip toes, lifting a gallon of milk into the refrigerator. Mikasa sat on her tush in the glow of the refrigerator light - happily sucking a sippy cup full of milk. The boys closed the door and pulled out Mikasas' scarf and sat next to the girl. They snuggled next to her, Armin wrapping the scarf around Mikasa. She suckled the sippy slower, twirling a strand of her black hair around her finger, her eyes becoming heavy lidded.

"Be - er, Kasa?" Eren whispered. She shook her head, then laid it on his tiny shoulder, still sucking her sippy cup. Armin scooted closer and kissed the girl's cheek.

Despite the cuteness of this scene, Mikasa's dental health was at stake, so Hange flicked on the kitchen light. The boys jumped, but Mikasa simply stared at the adults, too tired to care if she was in trouble.

"Kasa wanned mulk!" Eren said defensively, Armin shaking his head in agreement, too scared to talk. Mikasa tipped her sippy cup back, finishing off the milk.

Considering there was nothing either adult could do, Levi took the boys upstairs to bed while Hange went to help brush Mikasa's teeth. Levi tucked the boys in in their bed, and he wasn't sure what to say when the boys asked for Mikasa. To appease the children, Hange tucked the girl in bed between the boys, telling her it was only for tonight. The adults both knew it was a lie.

Hange closed the bedroom door, and Levi reached for her hand.

"Was there something you wanted to tell me?" He asked, his voice just over a whisper. He couldn't believe he was holding her hand.

"Yeah, but it's late..." She was struggling not to lace her fingers through his.

Hange had a loose hair curling around the edge of her glasses and Levi tucked it behind her ear with his free hand. He gently trailed his fingers from her ear and over her jawline. Levi wasn't sure when, but at some point what little space was between them had been filled by each other.

"Levi," Hange whispered, closing her eyes while Levi traced the outline of her lips. Why did Levi's lips part? Why did he feel the urge to close his eyes?

Levi traced his finger upward to the tiny curve of her nose. She smiled and opened her eyes, and God Levi could drown in the brown abyss -

A door opened and Jean stumbled into them, rubbing his eyes.

"Fuck! Sorry, gotta piss," he mumbled, still rubbing his eyes and adjusting his twisted boxers.

The two adults quickly bid each other goodnight and all but ran to their rooms. Jean finished in the bathroom, stumbling back into his and Marco's bedroom and snuggling his boyfriend. Marco snuggled back, half awake.

"Mhm, think mom an' Levi gotta thing for each other," Jean muttered in his freckled lover's ear, falling asleep shortly after. Marco smiled sleepily, an idea blooming in his tired mind.

~~~

The next day was a busy one, so Levi and Hange were rather distracted. Hange had not asked the short man to accompany her to the children's annual check up or eye exam, but she knew she would need all the help she could get.

Since Hange's minivan could only fit seven (with Reiner in the front seat) Levi said he would ride with the teens in Marco's truck. Surprisingly, when Levi got in the truck, he was greeted by both teenagers in glasses. He had seen Marco in his frameless rectangular glasses several times before, but Levi had never seen Jean in glasses. His were rectangular as well, but the frame was black and plastic and rather thick, and Levi had a pair of glasses just like that - not that he wore them, ever.

The doctor came first, and the large fray received quite a few looks from those in the waiting room, but Levi wasn't surprised. What did surprise him, however, were the looks the teens got.

Jean, clearly nervous, had his head on Marco's shoulder. Marco had one of his arms wrapped around Jean's shoulders and idly played with his phone, but occasionally gave Jean a kiss on the forehead.

What pissed Levi off the most was that the children in the waiting room were not the ones looking at the teens questionably, but rather the adults. Marco and Jean weren't that bothered; they had expected it and were trying to ignore it. It didn't take long for the parents to begin reading magazines or going through their phones as well - anything to get the short, tattooed man and the woman that came in with him to stop glaring at them in ways that insured torture.

The four toddlers were called first, and both adults went with them. They were all healthy, but needed a vaccine before they could start Kindergarten. The doctor returned with four stickers, Blow Pops, and syringes. Since Annie was the last to get her check up, she was still on the examination table. The doctor picked up a syringe and began filling it with the vaccine, planning on doing Annie first. Armin, however, didn't like this idea at all.

"No!" he shouted. "Please don't give her a shot!"

When Levi informed the toddler she would have to get the shot regardless, he asked if he could get the shot first. Armin was picked up and sat next to Annie, who held his hand as his tiny arm was assaulted by the needle. His face scrunched up but he didn't cry, and before he knew it a Band Aid was being placed over the boo-boo and he was given a cherry flavored Blow Pop.

All the toddlers received shots and Blow Pops, and since Sasha, Connie, and Reiner were all in school they needed no vaccine, but still got Blow Pops.

Marco and Jean needed no personal assistance, but since they were both under eighteen, a guardian had to be informed of the, "peculiar, circular purple and red bruises along the both teens shoulders, chest, and abdomen."

The teens received condoms.

The eye doctor went well. Marco and Jean needed new glasses, but Armin needed glasses as well, and he didn't like that idea at all. Levi squatted next to the blonde child and told him he had glasses too, and he would show Armin them when they got home. This made Armin feel a little better and he picked out frames similar to Hange's, although the eye doctor was concerned that, even when the glasses came in and were adjusted, they may be a little too big for the child's face.

True to Levi's word, he showed the children his glasses before their nap time. All the children tried them on and by the time Levi got them back, he could barely see through them due to the fingerprints and smudges.

While the children slept, Levi went out to purchase each child a small flashlight, as the weather was calling for severe thunderstorms and power outages.

That night, the teens and adults got all the children's mattresses into the living room floor and told them they all would be sleeping in the living room in case the power went out.

The power went out less than an hour later.

The kids were tired by this point, but still fought over who would sleep where. Due to the lack of space, Hange and Levi slept horizontally to the tops of the mattresses and watched as the children finally agreed on a sleeping arrangements: Connie and Sasha snuggled beside Marco, who slept next to Jean, who had Bertl and Reiner cuddled next to him; although Annie and Eren all but screamed over Armin, they decided to sleep on either side of him while Mikasa slept with her arm thrown over Eren.

The adults tried getting comfortable on the floor, accidentally shifting against each other several times. Eventually they got in comfortable positions facing each other - closely. Neither shifted away, both somehow comforted by each others presence. They caught each others gaze, and no other words were needed.

Levi cupped Hange's face, running his thumb over her cheek. She reached over to him and began running her fingers through his hair, her palm resting gently on his cheek.

"You look cute in glasses," she whispered with a smile. Heat met her palm, and Levi was thankful for the darkness.

"You look cute all the time," he responded, and wanted to kick himself in the face before the sentence was fully out of his mouth. He felt like an idiot, until Hange's lips met his.

He kissed her back, his hand now cupping the back of her head. She wanted to kiss him; Levi finally knew for sure. Their mouths opened together, she moaned quietly against his lips -

Suddenly, a light assaulted their faces, followed by Eren screaming, "Mama Han - i and Papa Levi are kissing!"

The child giggled while both adults blushed, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, the children that did wake up to Eren's statement didn't care and quickly fell back asleep, but Marco had to get Eren to go to sleep with the promise of bacon the next morning.

Hange and Levi didn't kiss again, but did fall asleep holding hands. Marco smiled to himself and snuggled his lover, excited for his plan.

Chapter Text

The next day, Levi awoke to the smell of bacon - and feet.

When Hange had gotten up, the kids got up to go potty, but went back to bed and fought over Hange's warm spot next to Papa Levi. All eight children snuggled to Levi and fell asleep, with Reiner laying horizontal to Levi's face. A month ago, Levi would have been disgusted by having a six year old's feet in his face, but this morning he didn't think of swatting them away - he considered tickling them.

He got up, realizing the teens were awake as well but not in the kitchen. The electricity was back on, and Hange was cooking at the stove, her back to Levi. He quietly walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled, putting one of her hands over his.

"Good morning," she whispered, slightly turning. Levi stood on his tip toes to kiss her cheek.

"Good morning," he said with a light smile, just as bacon grease popped on his arm. "Ah - fuck," he exclaimed, quickly stepping back and shaking his arm. Of course, Eren had decided to stumble into the kitchen.

"Papa Levi! Dassa bad wo-d!" Eren gasped, shocked his papa had such a filthy vocabulary. For the first time in his life, Levi was embarrassed for saying the F-word. He turned to Hange and she smiled, so he figured he wasn't in trouble.

After breakfast and teeth brushing, the kids played in the playroom while Levi and Hange cleaned the kitchen, both making shy glances at one another.

Around noon the sky finally cleared up, and Marco dropped obvious hints about taking the kids to the park after lunch. Hange finally agreed, as long as they dressed warmly and Jean rode in the back of the truck with them. She began getting out lunch meat to make sandwiches for the children, but Marco stopped her.

"Uh, I actually was wondering if you could do me a favor?" His cheeks were blushing lightly and he gripped several folded bills in his hand.

"Of course, dear!" Hange said, surprised. It was rare for Marco to ask for anything, and Hange couldn't remember him asking for anything that had to do with money.

"I uh, got paid yesterday so, um, do you think you could take this money to the school for mine and Jean's prom tickets? And - uh - while you're out you should check out Goodwill! You haven't in a few months and C-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s is coming up, so...yeah - oh, and I'll make the kids lunch; don't worry about that."

His face was flushing and he was wringing his hands nervously. Hange figured there was more to his idea than what he was telling her, but Hange decided to humor him - and, if she was being honest, she wouldn't mind an hour or so alone with Levi.

She and Levi took the minivan to the teens' school in silence. When Hange walked into the school, Levi took a deep breath. He had been just a foot or less away from Hange, and it was like he had to force himself to stop from reaching out to hold her hand.

Hange returned a few minutes later with two receipts. Levi watched as the wind blew her bangs around her face. Levi made sure to avoid eye contact with her when she entered the minivan.

"I'm so glad they're going to prom," Hange said as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"Are they - I mean, do you think...?"

"They haven't said anything," Hange admitted, sounding somewhat disappointed. "Marco isn't the one for PDA, but...I'm worried for what the kids at school will say." Levi reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, and she smiled. "Let's shop a little, I guess. I mean, they're seniors, so they only have a few months left. I'm not worried about college."

"They've been accepted into college?" Levi asked, more surprised at Jean's acceptance than Marco's. Hange smiled weakly.

"Well...Marco got accepted into LRU on merit. Jean applied and got accepted because...well..."

"He's an orphan," Levi finished gently.

Hange sighed. "Yeah. But, they both basically got in for free. They have to pay for their books and such, but their room and board are covered every year and they only have to pay ten percent of their tuition. That's still a loan, but a small one. Oh!" She blushed and began to giggle. "I called and spent two hours talking to different people, but I got it worked out so they have a room together their first year. After their first year they can decide who they want to room with, so...so, uh..."

Hange continued smiling, but as they pulled into the Goodwill parking lot, a tear broke over. An odd feeling spread over Levi's chest as he watched Hange quickly wipe her tears away with her fingertips while her smile never faltered. Levi unbuckled his seat belt and wrapped his arms around her, a wave of affection spreading throughout him.

Hange accepted the short mans embrace and laid her head on his chest. Levi wondered how many times he had seen his mother and sister cry and had felt useless. Levi squeezed her and gently kissed her forehead. She wrapped her arms around him, apologizing for her tears. She lifted her head and tried to get out of Levi's arms, figuring she must look like a mess. Levi let her out of his grasp, but brought his lips to hers.

Levi wasn't sure what he was feeling. Attraction, affection? He wasn't disgusted by the wetness of her face, he was hungry for it, hungry for her, he wanted to take away the heaviness she felt in her heart and to let her know how alive she made him feel -

Fuck, he thought, as he felt her tongue press against his lower lip. I love her.

~~~

It took several minutes for them to pull themselves together and walk into the store, holding hands. Hange discussed Christmas plans and Levi discovered the children were getting a trampoline - once Hange paid off the last sixty dollars in layaway. She refused any money from Levi, but he planned on getting it with his next paycheck anyway.

Hange planned on getting the teens a game system, but plans changed as the couple made their way to the back of the store.

Near the back of the store was a gently used queen size bed, complete with a mattress, box spring, memory foam cover, and even a fitting sheet and thin comforter. The couple glanced at the bed, then at each other.

"Well," Hange said, sounding defeated. "They already share a bed, and I'm sure a twin size bed is uncomfortable."

"There's no headboard," Levi observed, making Hange giggle. Her giggle stopped when they checked the price.

Levi squeezed her hand and let go of it, but asked her to give him a moment. Levi made his way to the check out counter, taking his wallet out of his back pocket and removing his debit card. He explained what he wanted to purchase to the cashier and swiped his card.

Since Levi's raise, he saved the extra money just for Christmas, and while this wasn't what he planned on buying, it was going to the same cause, considering the circumstances.

Hange was waiting by the bed when Levi returned with a worker, who Sharpied "SOLD" over the price sticker. Hange's mouth dropped as the worker walked away.

"We could ask to borrow Marco's truck," Levi said. "Or something. I guess it depends on how much of a secret you want to keep it."

Hange was silent as they made their way out of the store and into the van, in a state of shock.

"You - you just paid for that?"

"Yeah," Levi said as he buckled himself in, slightly uncomfortable. "I got a raise a little while ago and had no idea what to do with the money. I saved most of it and figured around Christmas time I would buy shit and donate it to the homeless shelter that helped me out."

Levi didn't meet Hange's eye. He was worried she thought he was telling her this to try to impress her. She was quiet as she started the van and began driving home.

"If you don't mind me asking, how much...?"

"About...six hundred and fifty? I'm not exactly sure; but I filled two shopping carts at Toys-R-Us - almost fought a woman over a princess Barbie," Levi added, his cheeks turning pink. He wasn't familiar with Disney princesses, but this one was a mermaid with bright red hair that reminded him of his sister. As silly as it sounds, Levi considered keeping the doll after he bought it, but figured it would mean more to a little girl than it would for him.

"What all did you buy?" Hange asked in awe.

"Oh - just, you know. Barbies and Lego's, books. I got some shoes and clothes, but I'm not too great at clothes shopping so I got two fifty dollar gift cards to Target. A few skateboards and helmets, and I got two bikes. One pink, one blue. I couldn't imagine anyone small enough to ride the damn things, but...you know."

Levi was thankful when they pulled into the driveway, ending his chatter. In the driveway, the adults found the children bundled up and impatiently waiting in the bed of the truck with Jean. Once the van was parked, Marco walked out of the house, carefully closing the door.

Marco tried hiding a smile as he tossed his hand up at the couple and quickly got into his truck. Eren called out, "Ha' fun!"

Questioningly, Hange and Levi exited the van and opened the front door.

Rose petals scattered as Hange opened the door. Other than the petals that were by the door, a sloppy trail led to the kitchen, where the couple discovered the table had two plates with spaghetti and meatballs. By each plate was a wine glass filled with sparkling water and silverware on a napkin. In the middle of the table was a small, lit candle.

Hange was clearly embarrassed, but Levi stepped in front of her and pulled the closest chair back for her to sit in it. He wondered if it was too cliche, but Hange blushed darker, feeling special.

Hange dove into their lunch, spaghetti being her favorite meal. Spaghetti was one of Levi's least favorite meals; it was incredulously messy. However, he endured this sloppiness for Hange's sake.

"I love spaghetti!" Hange proclaimed. "It's so fun!"

Of course, Levi thought, smiling. They ate in silence for a while, until Levi reached across the table to hold Hange's hand.

"Is this a date?" Hange asked quietly, uncertain.

"I think it's the best date we could have with ten kids," Levi said, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. She smiled and Levi smiled back, thankful for his time with her.

Once they were done eating, Levi picked up both their plates and informed Hange she had sauce on her cheek. He rinsed off the plates and silverware and turned back to Hange, only to discover she had wiped the wrong cheek.

"Did I get it?"

"Other cheek."

"Now?"

"Uh, you completely missed. Here - let me..."

Levi stepped closer to her and brushed his thumb over the sauce. Two months ago, he would have been disgusted at wiping food off someones face - let alone doing it with his bare thumb - but his only thought today was how in the hell she had gotten sauce that high; it was damn near on her cheek bone.

Hange blew out the candle and stood, embracing Levi. Their lips found each others again, and within minutes they were in Hange's room, kissing deeply on her bed. Hands went from hair to their bodies in a matter of minutes.

With blood quickly going to the wrong head, Levi's hand dropped from Hange's shoulder to her bust, caressing one of her breasts. She moaned, but stiffened. Despite his arousal, Levi pulled his hand and face away.

"Are you alright?" Levi asked gently. Hange's pupils were dilated and she was stroking his chest, but her hand trembled.

"I...I'm not sure, Levi," she said, sounding confused. Her hand dropped from his chest to the hem of his shirt, slowly lifting it up. Levi let her take off his shirt and trace the outline of his pecks and what used to be his six pack. He kept his hands off Hange, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

She kissed his neck, and he bit his tongue to stop from moaning. Levi let her push him back on the bed and lower her kisses to his chest, and she gently touched his clothed arousal.

Levi gripped the bedsheets on contact, hating how he jolted. He opened his eyes to see Hange remove her hand quickly, as if she had touched something that hurt her.

"Hange, we don't have to do this," Levi whispered, his eyes meeting hers. Levi sat up and Hange covered her face, apologizing again and again. Levi wrapped his arms around her, kissing her temple and rubbing her back.

"Hange, it's alright. I'm pretty nervous, too," Levi admitted. "I haven't...been with anyone in four years."

Hange removed her hands, staring disbelievingly at the man in front of her. He was attractive and worked at a bar; surely he got hit on. Hange smiled sadly.

"I haven't been with anyone since my since college. My sophomore year." Hange giggled nervously, then it all came out. "I was pretty awkward in college and didn't talk much, but this guy - he was so attractive, tall, blonde, you know - he said he liked me and invited me to a party. He was finishing his classes that semester and going to med school, and I thought he was the coolest guy ever. I hadn't drank before, but he promised it would be fun."

Levi's stomach began to turn.

"I...I got pretty drunk, and, uh, he raped me. In the bathroom. I said I was going to throw up and he took me to the bathroom. I didn't get sick but said I wanted to go back to my dorm and he started kissing me and...I - I don't remember much."

"Hange, it's okay," Levi said, trying to keep calm. "You don't have to tell me everything."

"No," she said quietly. "I want to." She took a deep breath and shifted; Levi held both her hands. "I think I blacked out. I remember trying to fight him off, then feeling like I was being torn in two. He had me on the counter and was holding me down, pr-promising me it would feel good in a minute. Then I remember falling, or my legs giving out. His...it was dripping down my thighs. I mean, I knew what it looked like, but I didn't understand why it was red. He lifted me and laid me in the bathtub and closed the shower curtains. I passed out again but when I woke up, the party was over. I was still a little drunk and I woke up vomiting, and I was extremely sore and no one seemed to be home, so...I called an ambulance. I obviously couldn't lie about why I was bleeding and before I knew it, I was in a nine month rape trial."

"And?" Levi asked, feeling as though he was going to be sick.

"I was drunk," Hange said simply. "That was that."

Levi felt as if the walls were closing in, but Hange squeezed his hands.

"However, last year I was offered a retrial. This doctor had been caught abusing a patient who was under. If I succeeded in the retrial he could have had more charges, but I had the kids and I wanted them to come first. They didn't need my help anyway; he easily got thirty years and can never work with the public again." She giggled nervously, squeezing Levi's hands again. "Anyway, sex and boys...well, you can imagine."

"I understand," Levi said. "And I'm really sorry. Isabel...she was attacked once. He didn't rape her, but he fucked with her hair and her clothes. She got away before he could do anymore damage. I...I almost killed him," Levi admitted, lowering his eyes. "He obviously didn't press charges."

"I'm sorry," Hange said. "But...why her hair?"

"Oh, she had pretty red hair - actually, I'll show you," Levi said, standing and leading Hange to his room. There, he pulled a photograph out of his backpack.

It was the only photograph he had of he and his siblings, and it was taken by Petra the day they died. It was Isabel's birthday, and she, Levi, and Farlan had ridiculous party hats on. Isabel was on Levi's left, clinging to his neck. Farlan was on his right, and he had his arms around them both, trying to lift them. He handed the photo to Hange, who smiled.

"She did have pretty hair," Hange said. She stared at the picture a minute longer, then squinted her eyes and looked at the picture closer. Levi cursed to himself.

"Levi...do you have dimples?"

She looked up at him and smiled, and how could he be mad?

"I do," he admitted. "When I smile big - and when I have more weight on my face."

"Well," Hange said, handing the photo back. "I'll have to make sure you get more than enough to eat, and make sure you're very happy."

Levi smiled and kissed her.

"I already am."

Chapter Text

The next several days passed uneventfully. The kids were excited for Christmas - except Reiner, who had come home from school to say one of his friends informed him Santa did not exist.

Later that night Levi and Hange were discussing Christmas plans while Levi rubbed her feet. After much discussion, it was agreed that the teens old beds could be set in Levi's room to make way for their new bed, and Levi would start sleeping in Hange's room.

And Levi would dress up as Santa.

That weekend, they all got up early to go Christmas shopping at the mall. The trip was mainly for the teens, but Hange promised to buy the kids something small, too.

Levi had been working overtime at the bar to help buy the children more Christmas gifts and help Hange pay utilities, and the night before he had gotten three hours of sleep. On top of that, he was trying to quit smoking, and had only had two cigarettes the day before.

Nevertheless, Levi walked through the mall holding Eren with one arm and holding Armin's hand, who was holding Annie's hand with his other. Marco carried Bertl (who was afraid of getting lost) and Jean held Mikasa. Reiner held Hange's hand as well as Connie's, and Connie held Sasha's hand.

Levi hated Christmas, but he did love how Eren's eyes seemed to light up and the child's grip around his neck tightened every time they passed a store window.

The kids were good for the most part, until they passed a candy store. Sasha nearly threw a tantrum after being denied the privilege of going into the store. However, the child slipped out of Connie's hand, claiming it was sweaty. Several moments later, she was gone.

It took Hange a minute to do another head count and realize the child was gone. Although everyone figured where she had gone, Levi's stomach twisted in knots.

In the store, Sasha drooled over the gummy bears, chocolate chips, sprinkles, and gum drops. Her little fingers smudged the glass that separated her from the candy and a concerned worker approached the small child.

"Excuse me," the woman said, kindly as possible. "Is your mommy or daddy in the store?"

Although the woman was smiling and in no way appeared threatening, she was much taller than the toddler and that frightened Sasha. The toddler had always been told not to speak to strangers, so she nervously popped her thumb in her mouth and suckled. Before the worker could say anything else, Levi skidded into the store, Eren all but thrown over his shoulder.

"Sasha!" he yelled. The child happily popped her thumb out of her mouth as Levi hastily set Eren down - and smacked Sasha's tush three times. "Do not run from Mama and Papa!"

Levi wondered how he could feel relieved and angry at the same time.

Sasha began to wail as the rest of the family showed up. Levi, feeling terrible for having to spank Sasha, picked the child up and was rather surprised when he received a kick in the stomach.

"No!" Sasha wailed. "Pa-a Levi hates me!"

"Sasha, honey, no, you just can't - "

"Papa, you say you hold me!" Eren interrupted with a stomp, crying as well.

"Eren, you can walk for a little while," Hange said, trying to console the child as she pet Sasha's hair.

"But he p-omised!" Eren said louder, punctuating his shout with a stomp.

Everyone in the store - everyone in the mall it felt like - stared at Levi as if he were the worst father in the world, and, needless to say, the family left shortly after.

~~~

Before Levi knew it, he was outside outside the house, pulling on a rented Santa costume.

The week before Hange and Levi asked the teens if they wanted their gift early. The adults borrowed Marco's truck and the teens were rather surprised at the gift, but they quickly helped move the beds and had been going to bed rather early together.

Sleeping in the same bed as Hange was awkward and still was; Levi was a cuddler and Hange wasn't used to waking up with someone's breath on her neck and Levi wasn't used to waking up with all the covers gone, but they managed.

Hange had promised Levi she would make sure the children would be far from any windows as he put on his costume. Since it was his birthday, Hange told the children he wanted to sleep in.

Levi dressed over his clothes and his small feet easily fit in the large boots. Although Levi hardly passed for Santa even with the hat and fake beard, he hoped the children would be still be fooled. Due to Reiners constant declarations of Santa not existing, the children woke up to see no gifts under the tree.

Levi lifted the burlap sack that contained the childrens gifts and headed for the front door.Levi could hear the children crying as he knocked on the door, and he wondered if this had been a good idea or not.

Before Levi could ponder long - or put on his persona - Reiner threw open the door.

"Santa's here!" Reiner screamed, smiling despite his tear stained cheeks and snotty nose. All the children ran to the door and began screaming in joy and reached for hugs - and the gift bag.

Levi eventually got through the front door and began passing out their gifts. The trampoline had been set up late the night before by Levi and the teens while the children slept. It took four hours, but Levi hoped the children liked it.

The children loved their gifts and screamed when Levi led them outside to their trampoline. All the children ran to play on it except Eren, who hugged Levi's leg and asked, "San-a? You got Papa Levi somethin' too?"

Hange promised Papa Levi had a gift as well, and the teens led the boy outside.

Making sure the children were safely distracted, Levi pulled off the beard.

"This is hot as hell," he stated, going upstairs to fully take off the outfit and Hange followed behind him. Levi opened their bedroom door and was literally at a loss for words.

The bedroom was cleaned - which was a shock - and the bed had fresh sheets. A banner that read "Happy Birthday!" hung above the bed. At least twenty balloons scattered across the floor and a cake sat on the bedside table.

Levi removed the rest of his costume as Hange lit the candles on the cake. They both sat on the bed, Levi unsure of what to say.

The cake was actually a birthday cake. It was rectangular with white icing and blue trim. "Happy Birthday, Levi" was written in script across the cake, and number candles rested above them, a 3 and 1. Levi stared at his first birthday cake until Hange impatiently said, "Make a wish!"

Levi did and blew out the candles. Hange had paper plates as well as plastic forks on the table as well, and once the cake was sloppily cut, he discovered it was marble.

"I didn't know if you prefer chocolate or vanilla," Hange explained. "And I wasn't sure if you wanted ice cream, but I know you don't sweets, so - "

Levi cut her off with a kiss. "Hange, this is perfect," he said, hoping he wasn't blushing. He wanted to say thank you, but was too afraid of blushing, so instead he said, "Did you pull this out of your ass or what?"

Hange laughed, and as they ate she explained she had been planning this for some time now, and she had blown up the balloons last night while he was setting up the trampoline and hid them in the closet. The cake had been hid in the freezer for four days, which explained Hange's sudden desire to do all the cooking and make sure Levi stayed out of the kitchen entirely.

Once they were finished eating, Levi took a deep breath and finally told Hange thank you. Hange smiled, and pulled a green envelope from between the mattress and boxspring.

"I wasn't sure what to get you," Hange said apologetically.

Levi opened the envelope to reveal a birthday card.

"Happy Birthday, Dad!" was written on the cover. The inside was blank, except for signatures.

"That one's Eren's," Hange said, pointing to a dark, vertical scribble that took up a the entire side of the card. "He didn't want help writing his name."

The other children obviously had help, but it was clear they had written their names themselves. Jean signed at the top, "Thanks for not being a fag. HAHA. -JK (my initials, not an apology.) "

Marco signed underneath, "He loves you, and I do too. Thanks for everything. Happy birthday, and I hope I get to sign more of these!! - Marco :) ".

Levi smiled, his eyes beginning to water against his will. Next was Hange's signature, hastily written in the corner, "Happy birthday. I love you - Shitty Glasses."

Levi glanced at her and smiled as she blushed. "I mean that, Levi," she whispered, her own eyes watering as well. Levi stood and walked to the sack that had the childrens gifts in it and pulled out one last box and handed it to Hange. "Levi, you didn't have too," she said, but after a moment she all but ripped the box out of his hand.

"It's for both of us," Levi said quietly as she unwrapped the gift, revealing a small, white box. Hange opened it and began to cry.

Levi leaned forward to kiss her forehead and wipe away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. He then pulled the thinner ring out of the box and picked up her left hand, sliding the wedding band on her fourth finger. He gently kissed her hand.

Crying, Hange picked up the wedding band in the box and slid it on Levi's fourth finger as well. He cupped her face and looked into her brown eyes.

"I love you, too."

They did not make love that night. After dinner and the children were in bed, they went to bed themselves. They kissed and explored each others mouths, touching each other with quiet permission. Slowly but surely, their pajamas were shed. They lay on the bed, and Levi's hands were in Hange's hair, and he was trying to not touch her with his arousal or stare at her chest.

However, Hange pulled one of Levi's hands down to bust and softly moaned as his thumb brushed her nipple. Her breasts were small, fitting perfectly in his cupped hand. Levi didn't mind the size; his only thought was how her skin could be so soft. He squeezed her breast softly and her back arched to him, his arousal rubbing her abdomen. He tried pulling away, but she trailed her hand down his chest and abdomen.

She touched his arousal gently and looked at Levi through half-lidded eyes.

"Levi," she whispered. "I...I mean, can I...?"

"Yes," Levi said quickly, not even sure what he was agreeing too.

Her delicate fingers wrapped around him. Her thumb brushed his tip, smearing the liquid that had beaded at the head, causing his penis to jerk. He tried biting back his gasp, but failed. He knew she wasn't trying to please him; she was tracing a white scar.

"Levi...?" She didn't need to finish the question.

"I - uh - I had a piercing," he said as she stroked him gently, causing his words to slur. "I w's goin' through a phase, an' um...uh, I w-was in a rush one morning an - and uh - uh...ah, God Hange stop!"

Hange quickly stopped and Levi covered the tip of his penis as fast as he could, but some of his ejaculation still got on Hange. His breath came out in labored gasps and he was horrified at his quick finish. He turned to the bedside table and got a napkin that was there from the earlier birthday party and wiped Hange, then his soiled hand.

"Hange - I am so sorry," he muttered, his face red, avoiding her eye.

"No, I am - God, I'm an idiot, I - "

"You're not an idiot," Levi said. "I...I enjoyed it." There was a silence and Levi looked at his wife. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. It just happened really fast - n-not that - oh God, I'm sorry," Hange covered her crimson cheeks. "I didn't mean that in a bad way."

Levi laughed, feeling a little better knowing Hange was just as nervous. He kissed her, and he wanted her in a terrible way. He didn't just want to make love to her, he wanted to make her feel as good as she made him feel but sex...sex was something neither of them were ready for.

Once they began kissing again, Levi lowered his hand to the tender flesh above Hange's opening. It took much longer for her to finish than Levi, but he didn't mind. When Hange finished, Levi fell in love with her all over again: the way her back arched, her cheeks flushed, her thighs turned to steel, and the way her fingers twisted in the bedsheets and how she moaned his name so sweetly.

Levi kissed her deeply when she finished, and he kissed her nose, cheeks, and forehead. After a few minutes Levi got up and dressed in boxers, then began dressing Hange, letting her bask in her afterglow as long as possible.

"Is that what I've been missing?" She mumbled, half asleep.

Levi smiled as he cuddled her. He kissed her one last time and played with her hair until she fell asleep.

Chapter Text

The rest of December went well. The children tried to stay up late on New Years Eve, but by the time the ball dropped, eight children lay sleeping on the living room floor while two couples kissed deeply. Although they had decided to sleep in the living room, Marco and Jean bid their foster parents goodnight and began heading upstairs.

"I can't believe they want sore asses on New Years," Levi said, loud enough for the couple to hear. Marco blushed and covered his face, but Jean turned as he was walking and smiled.

"Don't worry - I'm gentle."

"Jean!"

With a laugh, Jean picked his lover up and quickly made his way to their bedroom.

Starting the new year, Levi and Hange fell asleep together, surrounded by children. Earlier in their relationship Levi told Hange of his previous engagement but never mentioned why it ended, and Hange never asked. However, there were times when insecurity and jealousy bit at her.

"Levi?"

"Mh?"

"Are you...happy? With me - and the kids?"

Levi opened his eyes and gave her a small smile.

"Happier than I've ever been. I couldn't imagine life without any of you."

~~~

Four days later, Hange received a phone call. Levi was half asleep, and he didn't sense her tension until she got off the phone.

"Levi."

"Hm?"

"Levi," her voice sounded dull, as if she could feel no emotion at all. Levi turned to see her back to him. "Someone filed an application."

"O-okay?" Levi rose and scooted beside her so he could see her face. Her dull, lifeless expression made him sick.

"An application for Eren."

"What?" Levi's heart skipped and his palms began to sweat.

"Someone filed an application for Eren. It was viewed by my superiors and they were interviewed by them. They scheduled an appointment for me to meet them, and for them to meet Eren."

Hange stated these facts in a monotone, and Levi could barely hear her over the pounding in his ears.

"No," he said, surprised at how quickly tears stung his eyes. "No. They can't."

Hange sobbed dryly, dropping her phone in the floor and bringing her fists to her chest. Levi hugged Hange tightly, hugged her the way he wanted to be embraced everytime he was hurting and alone: tight enough to almost believe someone was taking away your pain.

Levi eyes teared and Hange's heart broke as they embraced each other silently.

"He's not our son," Hange said brokenly.

Levi wept.

~~~

Four days passed too quickly. Marco and Jean were informed of what would be happening to Eren, and they took the kids out to a cafe to eat while Levi and Hange silently dressed the toddler in a little suit and combed his hair.

"Mama Han-i, why can't-ed I go?" he asked, his teal eyes staring into Hange's with confusion.

"Because, dear," Hange said, trying to sound cheery. "A man and woman want to meet you. They want to be your forever mommy and daddy."

Eren's eyebrows scrunched, looking at Hange and to Levi, who slumped against the bathtub, wishing the Coke he was drinking was vodka.

"But...I thought you's and Papa Le-i was my forewer mommy an' daddy?"

Eren sounded more hurt than confused. Hange didn't know what to say, so she smiled and shook her head. Levi went to the bedroom to cry.

~~~

Ten minutes later, Levi, Eren, and Hange sat in front of a married couple in their mid thirties. They smiled politely at the adults, and the woman practically cooed at the toddler.

"Hi there!" she said, her voice terribly high. "What's your name?"

Eren did not smile and seemed to sink into his seat.

"Ewen. You know's that," he said, narrowing his eyes at the woman. He was not fooled by her kindness; Eren knew her motives. The woman's smile dropped, obviously shocked at the toddler's bluntness. Levi smirked to himself, a quote from Fred Rogers passing through his mind: Kids can spot a phony from a mile away.

"Well," the woman said, trying to recover. "I'm Megan and this is Brian, but you can call us mommy and daddy!"

Hange and Levi's hearts dropped as Eren's lips curled.

"No."

There was a moment of silence that seemed to drag on. Levi wasn't sure whether to laugh or not, but Hange cleared her throat.

"Eren's a bit grumpy today," she said with an apologetic smile. "Why don't we adults talk?"

Eren scooted out of his seat and began walking out of the kitchen, but turned and ran to Hange with a smile.

"Kissy!" he said happily, throwing his arms around Hange's leg.

Hange quickly kissed the child's forehead and he giggled, releasing her leg and making his way to the playroom.

"He's a very sweet boy," Brian said softly, his eyes never leaving the toddler. "He must be a little scared. We read on his photolisting he's been here since he was a baby."

"Yes," Hange said quickly, pulling out a folder decorated with dinosaur stickers and "Yeager, Eren" in the left corner. Levi wasn't sure what was in the folder, but it was surprisingly thick with papers. Levi wondered why a three year old would need so much information. Hange opened the folder and silently went through a few documents. "Well, as you know, his mother passed away."

Hange passed a few papers to the couple across the table. Megan grabbed them greedily and began reading them while Brian smiled at Levi and Hange.

"So, he has a little lisp?" He asked quietly.

"Yes," Hange said. "He takes speech therapy at daycare, but he's going to need a few more years."

"I see. And his tantrums?"

"They've been happening less frequently. I think he's finally growing out of his Terrible Two's."

Levi knew where this information came from. Hange had informed him of her adoption website for the children, which showed a recent photograph of each child and a description of them. Levi had not read them; it made him sick to think anyone could look up these children's photos and read about their likes and dislikes and how well they did in school any time they wanted.

Brian smiled politely, but his wife was going over the documents Hange had given her and did not look happy. Levi could hear Eren kicking a soccer ball in the next room.

"So his mother's dead, but his father isn't?" Megan asked curtly.

"Uh - that's correct," Hange said, taken aback at the question. "His father was incarcerated - "

"For drug possession," Megan stated harshly, leaving no room for question.

"Uh - yes. He was in prison for several years, and even before that he was pretty shakey when it came to parenting. He signed his rights over after Eren's mother died."

"And she died of colorectal cancer?"

Levi felt as though he was in court again. He wasn't sure what Megan's problem was, but she was firing these questions and facts as if they were incriminating to Eren.

"That's correct," Hange said slowly, recognizing the pattern in her questions that Levi didn't.

"And..." Megan flipped through a few papers and handed several to her husband. He looked through them as well, and his smile slowly drifted from polite to strained. "His father was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder?"

"That's correct."

Levi was beginning to understand the woman's questions and he grinded his teeth.

Megan sighed and rubbed her forehead, and Brian shook his head sadly. They glanced at one another, and for some reason, anxiety and relief filled Levi's chest.

"Is there a problem?" Hange asked, knowing well that there was.

"Well..." Megan raised her eyebrows and took a breath, trying to find a proper way to word what was on her mind. Brian took her hand and spoke for her.

"Bipolar disorder is extremely hereditary," he said quietly, so Eren in the next room wouldn't hear. Levi suddenly became aware he hadn't heard Eren play for a few minutes. "And, although it's possible Eren could just have normal temper tantrums that all toddlers have, it could also be Early-Onset Bipolar disorder. And, even then..."

Brian sighed, and Megan squeezed his hand. Brian avoided Hange and Levi's gaze.

"Even then, Bipolar disorder...you can't cure it. It's something that tends to get worse over time and...well, colon cancer as well..."

"I see," Hange said quietly after a minute or so of silence.

"He is adorable," Megan said quickly, almost as an apology. "I saw his picture and just fell in love with his big eyes and messy hair, and he looks like a sweetheart."

"He's not a puppy," Levi said quietly, his fists balled under the table. Megan and Brian both glanced at the short man, shocked at hearing him speak for the first time. "You can't adopt a child because they're cute and expect them to never grow up and have problems. If you can't handle a child that might develop cancer or have a mental disorder, you don't deserve to be a parent."

An odd, tense silence followed, interrupted by the sound of a jack-in-the-box popping open. Levi hated the damn thing and wondered what the hell children found amusing about a clown randomly popping out of a box.

Brian's mouth hung open and Megan's face was pink, as if she had been slapped. Hange's palms were sweating and she was worried of what would happen. Before anything else could be said, the front door was thrown open.

"Mama Hannie!" Sasha cried, unaware - or uncaring - of the stranger's in the kitchen. "Armin puked everywhere!"

Hange and Levi both jumped up as Marco carried Armin in, whose shirt was covered in still-wet vomit.

"I don't feel well," he mumbled, reaching for Hange.

Much to the older couple's shock, Hange took the blonde child in her arms and snuggled him, his vomit smearing on her own shirt.

"I'm sorry baby," she cooed, wiping a bit of vomit on his chin with her bare hand.

Jean came into the kitchen with the rest of the children, tossing his hand up and the adults at the table. The children, who weren't shy in the least, ran up to the couple.

"Who are you?" Connie asked, giddy. "Wanna see what I can do?" Before getting an answer, the child's fingers gripped his eyelids and flipped them inside out.

"I can do it too!" Sasha nearly screamed, flipping her eyelids as well.

Marco was busy explaining how Armin had gotten sick in the van and Jean was patting his pants dry - which the child had vomited on as well - and Levi was quickly searching for a thermometer, leaving the rest of the children to crowd Megan and Brian.

Sasha and Connie cackled as they flipped their eyelids back and forth, and Bertl and Reiner got a little too close to the adults. They were both nursing colds, and Bertl coughed heavily - onto Megan; the child wasn't used to coughing into his hand yet. Megan jumped back, as if the child was going to give her a deadly disease. Reiner sneezed, causing a line of snot to exit his left nostril. Brian looked as if he were going to vomit as the blonde boy wiped his nose, only to discover the line of snot had spread across his nose and now on the back of his hand.

"Papa Levi!" Reiner called. "I snotted again."

Levi was busy checking the other blonde boy's temperature and promised he'd be there in a moment. Bertl - only trying to help - took the sleeve of his shirt and wiped Reiners nose, smearing the snot worse.

Megan and Brian slowly rose from the kitchen table, anxiety filling their chests. Marco was now in the playroom, trying to stop a fight between Annie and Eren.

"It MY Jack Box!" Eren screamed, yanking it from Annie's hand.

"You FUCKER!" The small girl screamed, yanking the boys hair, causing him to shriek.

Marco popped the girl on the bottom and yanked the two apart while Levi and Hange both screamed at the girl while glaring at Jean, knowing where the child had learned that language. Jean blushed as he wiped Bertl and Reiner, trying to get the snot off the children.

"Uh - we - we're going to go now," Megan said, her palms sweaty.

"Are you sure?" Hange asked, gently throwing Armin over her shoulder and rubbing his back. Levi was washing the tip of the thermometer and looking for stomach medicine.

"Uh..." Megan's voice trailed off as her eyes met Mikasa's, who was tugging at her skirt. "Uh, hi..."

Mikasa's dark eyes were dull and narrowed, and her grip on the woman's skirt tightened.

"You not take Ewen," Mikasa whispered, and for a moment both Megan and Brian were terrified. Swiftly, the young girl stomped the womans foot so hard it would cause a bruise for the next several weeks.

Megan screamed and Brian jumped back, afraid he would receive a kick as well.

"Mikasa!" Hange shouted, rushing to the couple and child. Hange apologized repeatedly, and the couple quickly made their way to the door, saying they had an appointment to attend.

"Well, you have three days to contact me!" Hange reminded them - as Armin vomited on her chest.

Levi rushed to her aid with a wet paper towel as the couple looked at them in horror. Hange inspected her vomit covered blouse carefully.

"When did we have spaghetti?" She asked, pointing to a chunk on her bust.

"That might be meatloaf," Marco called from the kitchen.

"That's what it is," she said as Levi patted Armin's chin with the paper towel. "It's meatloaf, Levi."

"Meatloaf?" Levi asked, concerned. "Was my meatloaf that bad?"

Despite having just vomited, Armin giggled.

"It's better than when Connie had diarrhea in bed," she chided.

"That's true," Levi admitted.

Both Levi and Hange glanced upward when they heard the front door slam shut, signifying Megan and Brian's departure.

"I think we scared them off," Hange whispered, laughing to herself.

~~~

Three days passed, and Megan and Brian did not call or email Hange. The adults had mixed feelings, but it was obvious Megan and Brian were not ready to be parents, so they were happy Eren had not been adopted.

Levi and Hange lay in bed one night, both exhausted. Levi's probation was officially over and he and Hange had spent two hours filing paperwork, and all the children were sick again with whatever Armin had caught.

The two heard the door open and were surprised to see Eren in his onesie pajamas enter their room.

"What's up, buddy?" Levi asked. When it was bedtime, the children often stayed in their beds (except Mikasa, but no one talked about that).

Eren looked at his feet and twiddled his hands.

"Uhm...did I do somethin' w-ong?"

"When?" Levi asked, confused. Hange rose and walked to the toddler.

"W-en that man and woman was here. Do they not want me anymore?"

Hange embraced the child and picked him up. She carried him to the bed and laid him between Levi and her. Levi brushed the boys bangs out of his sleepy eyes.

"Sometimes adults aren't ready for kids," he explained slowly. "It wasn't you. You did nothing wrong."

Hange kissed the boys cheek in agreement.

"Wanna sleep in here?" She asked, and he shook his head.

Levi tucked the boy in between them and shut off the lights. After a few minutes both Hange and Eren had fallen asleep. Levi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. After a half hour, Levi got his phone and opened the browser.

It had been bugging him for almost a week now, and he felt that he had to know what people were reading about his foster children.

After a few minutes, Levi was on the website Hange had told him about, and he found the link to her orphanage and pulled up the photo gallery.

The first two to pop up were, of course, Marco and Jean. Being the oldest, they were most in need of adoptive families. Hange had informed Levi she let those two write their own bios.

Marco's photo was his senior photograph and below it, Levi read:

Good looks and brains?! It's hard to believe, but Marco has both! He's seventh in his class and was recently accepted to LRU, where he plans to study child development. Marco is a rather shy young man, but he is very caring and loving, and loves children and animals. His dream is to be a loving husband and father with as many children as he can have, while owning a daycare center and three dogs.

Levi smiled to himself and scrolled down. He was a little surprised to see Jean's photo was him in a button down shirt, his hair combed back and his lip ring out. He wasn't smiling, but he didn't look angry either.

At the ripe age of seventeen, Jean (pronounced similar to John - it's French; Google it) is a loving young man. He enjoys playing video games and watching T.V, but he's very helpful around the house and with kids. Despite his troubled childhood, Jean does rather well in school and was accepted to LRU earlier this year. Jean has a rather rough exterior, but deep down he is a kind young man whose dream is to co-own a daycare center with his best friend and high school sweetheart.

Levi continued to read the children's bios and smiling at their photos. Armin's picture was of him laughing, wearing a straw hat much too large for him, and his bio commented on his intelligence. Reiner, Bertl, and Annie were a sibling set, and their picture was of them all hugging one another. Mikasa's photo was of her showing off a colored picture, and her bio talked about how she loved her scarf. Connie's picture was his school picture, and his bio admitted that, although he was a bit hyperactive, he was an intelligent boy. In Sasha's photo, her hair was braided, and her bio stated her favorite thing to do was eat, and that she had a loving heart.

Last but not least was Eren's. His photo was of him hugging his Zilla toy, smiling brightly, his eyes shining. Levi read his bio carefully.

What's not to love about little Eren? His eyes, hair, and dimples draw quite a bit of attention, but what catches people's hearts are his love for others and his unstoppable imagination. He wants to be a superhero when he grows up, as well as a racecar driver, firefighter, and own a farm of cats. He has a little lisp and has been known to throw a tantrum or two, but he is an overall wonderful, loving child. He has been in Ms. Hange's home since he was a baby, so he's ready to have a forever family! Any family would be lucky to have him as a son.

Levi exited his browser and set his phone down. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling and feeling a mix of emotions. He felt Eren shift next to him, and Eren cuddled Levi's arm.

Levi turned his head, kissing the boys forehead gently.

"You're my child," he stated quietly. "You all are."

Chapter Text

The tenth of February was Mikasa's fourth birthday. Having never been to a child's birthday party before, Levi was quite nervous about what he was supposed to do, so Hange left him in charge of handing out cake slices and ice cream scoops.

By the time the party was over, Mikasa, Annie, and Bertl had vomited in empty gift bags, Reiner and Eren had to be escorted outside to play on the trampoline to stop them from destroying the house, Armin had crashed from his sugar high and lay sleeping in the living room, and Connie and Sasha had devoured eight cake slices and twelve scoops of ice cream in total. Levi had figured the children knew how much they could handle and gave them as much cake and ice cream that they asked for.

Hange wasn't angry at her husband and told him it was better than Armin's birthday: Reiner had blown out the candle and Armin cried, saying Reiner had stolen his wish. Eren, infuriated at seeing his friend cry, smashed Reiner's face in the cake. Armin then cried harder, stating that his cake was ruined as well.

Levi still felt terrible, until Mikasa tugged at his jeans. Despite her clammy skin, she smiled at the man.

"I have fun. Papa have fun?"

~~~

The next night Levi went to work, still secretly happy Mikasa had called him Papa. Mikasa and Annie were the quiet ones in the group and weren't ones to express their emotions often, so it was very special to the short man that Mikasa had smiled at him and honored him with such a title.

Mikasa could be adopted at any time, but Levi didn't think about it. He enjoyed caring for the children and even enjoyed going to work now and now talked to some of the customers and would even give a few customers a smile.

Levi walked into O'Hama's to find a man at the end of the bar, heavily intoxicated. The bartender on duty had stopped serving him, but had left the hard part to Levi: kicking the guy out.

Levi had kicked many people out in his time, and it was a task that usually resulted in being spat on, sworn at, being called a midget, or all three. This man was no different, other than being drunkenly violent.

Levi put up a good fight, but still got kicked in the knee - and vomited on. Nothing was broken, but his knee swelled so bad he couldn't stand on his leg.

Hange picked him up from work after promising all the children were asleep. When they got home, she helped Levi up the stairs and out of his vomit stained clothes, and insisted on drawing him a bath.

"There's no way you can shower on one leg," she stated, and her tone left no room for argument.

In the bathroom, Levi told her when the water was warm enough, and Hange easily lifted the short man, bridal style. Levi protested, but she placed him carefully in the tub.

Levi relaxed once he was in the water; the warmth easing his throbbing knee. Levi leaned his head back and relaxed, until Hange reached for a loofa and her lavender body wash.

"No," Levi said, jerking away from her touch. "Just...no, okay?"

"You don't want me to help you bathe?" Hange asked, sounding both hurt and confused. Levi sighed, trying to think of a way to explain.

"My ex used to help me bathe, when I was drunk or hungover."

"And? It...it reminds you of her?"

Levi shook his head.

"When she did this, I just felt pathetic, and - "

"You're not pathetic," Hange stated harshly. "I'm going to help you bathe. I'll just do it differently."

With that she stood, quickly removing her clothes. She stepped into the tub, careful to avoid Levi's injured knee. Once she was settled between Levi's legs, she began washing his hair and tenderly washed his chest, arms, and legs. When she was finished, Levi shifted his weight to begin washing her.

He carefully washed Hange's long hair, his arousal obvious. He took his time washing her shoulders and breasts, becoming intoxicated from the heat and scent of lavender.

When the bath was finished, Hange pulled the stopper out and dried herself off, but she did not dress. She wrapped a towel around Levi's waist and lifted him bridal style out of the tub and onto the bed, laying him down gently.

Although Levi and Hange had shared more than one intimate moment together, they had never made love. However, they had discussed that level of intimacy before and had even bought a box of condoms, but left it unopened in Hange's bedside table.

That night, the box was opened.

Levi carefully rolled the condom on. Due to his knee he was forced to stay on his back, but he didn't let that position stop him from kissing and touching Hange. Levi wanted to make sure she would be in as little pain as possible, but after a half hour of foreplay Hange felt as if she were going to combust with want.

Hange lowered herself onto Levi, surprised at how little pain she felt. Levi massaged her abdomen and rubbed small circles in her hips, telling her to relax and just do what felt natural.

Hange set a careful pace, both taking their time. There was no need to rush and they both knew that. Hange and Levi explored each others bodies with their hands and lips, cherishing each other and their first time. They whispered broken promises of love and other sweet nothings as they came to their finishes.

They lay together for a long time after Levi took off and tied the condom. They stared at one another, faces flushed and eyelids heavy, and wondered if it were possible to fall in love with someone twice.

Chapter Text

The next several weeks passed in beautiful normalicy. The kids went to school, Levi and Hange cleaned during the day - among other things - and Levi passed out goodnight hugs and kisses before he left for work. At the age of 31, Levi wasn't where he imagined he would be in life when he was younger.

He never had "dreams" so to speak, but he never pictured living in a home with ten children. He never thought there would be never ending piles of laundry, senseless temper tantrums, and all the things get in the way of saving money.

Levi knew kids were expensive, but he never imagined a child would outgrow three different pairs of shoes in two months. And in those two months, the vacuum cleaner broke, the transmission on Marco's truck went out (causing the teen to lose his job), and the microwave caught on fire and was destroyed. While Hange had a bank account for emergencies, Levi couldn't imagine her doing all of this alone with no financial help.

Most nights, Levi went to bed early, almost too exhausted to brush his teeth. He did not shower every night, and finding time to shave or keep his hair trimmed proved to be almost impossible. On nights he worked, he came home late and tried entering the home quietly, but at least one child was always awake and wanted a drink or hug or to go potty, and once that was taken care of, he still had to shove Hange this way and that on the bed for room and covers.

And every night, Levi smiled before he fell asleep.

~~~

About a month after Levi and Hange's first time making love, Levi drove the kids to school and daycare when Hange woke up sick.

Levi was nervous while he drove, and images of Hange clutching her stomach with clammy skin kept flashing in his mind.

Is it the flu? Levi thought, beginning to panic. But she's never sick. Dear God - what if she's pregnant?

By the time Levi made it home, his palms were sweaty but he knew there was nothing to worry about. He quickly entered the house and made his way to his and Hange's room.

She was in the bathroom - in an old, raggedy pair of boxer shorts, her pajama bottoms and panties soaking in the sink.

Levi, obviously unfamiliar with this ritual, looked questionably at his wife.

"I'm on my period," Hange said, sounding exhausted. She was in too much pain to be embarrassed and lathered her hands in soap, beginning to wash her stained clothing.

"I got it," Levi said, stepping forward and placing his arms on Hange's shoulders. "You go rest, okay?"

Hange was a little taken aback, but didn't need to be told twice.

For the next three hours, Levi was in charge of finding and preparing the heating pad, foot massages, forehead kisses, painting toe nails, and distributing Advil, as well as doing all the house chores alone. It was exhausting, but Levi cringed when he thought of one of his internal organs shedding itself so he didn't complain.

Around eleven, Hange got a call from the high school. Levi was downstairs drying her clothes, so he had not heard the conversation.

"Levi!" Hange screamed, causing Levi to jump in a way that made him thankful he was alone.

He rushed upstairs to find Hange crying in bed.

"What's wrong?" Levi asked, practically jumping on the bed next to his wife.

"I got a call from the high school," she mumbled, her hands shaking. "The boys are in trouble for PDA."

"Just PDA?" Levi asked, feeling relieved. "That's not so bad, okay? I'll go to the school and work it out, alright? You stay here and rest."

Once Levi had placed a bottle of Advil, a soda, crackers, and a damp washcloth on the bedside table, Levi kissed his wife goodbye - and promised to pick up pads before he came home.

~~~

Marco and Jean seemed to be getting closer as the days went by. Since coming out to Hange and the rest of their family, they were able to show as much love and affection as they wanted at home, but school was a different story.

The teens had to switch desks in classes to Jean sitting in front of Marco so they boys wouldn't blatantly stare at one another. When they walked side by side, they had to clinch their hands in fists to stop from reaching for the others hand. It didn't seem so bad, but they were so needy they were making love nearly every night. Hickies and bites snaked up their necks (which every child had asked about at least once, much to Hange and Levi's disapproval), and both boys were always sore and tired.

On this particular day, Jean was already antsy because Hange was sick, and on top of that his ass was sore and he had little sleep, and Marco had his eyes squinted and his tongue poking out slightly between his lips as he twirled their locker combination and God Jean wanted to suck the freckled boys tongue.

Right now.

In front of everyone.

Jean grabbed Marco by the back of his shirt and turned him around, grabbing his collar and slammed his lover against the locker. The hallway went silent, followed by the typical, "Fight, fight!"

Marco looked startled for a moment, then understood. Jean saw his lips part and his heart fluttered when he saw Marco's lip tremble with want. Teachers were coming down the hall, and Jean didn't want to miss his chance, so he went on his tip toes and kissed his lover.

An opened mouthed, tongues touching, hair pulling kiss.

A euphoric feeling fell over both of them and they ignored the stunned silence. They pulled away and Marco nipped Jean's lower lip at the departure - just as the principal grabbed each boy's wrist and pulled them in the office.

~~~

Twenty minutes later, Levi settled himself between Jean and Marco in front of their principal, Mr. Jainee. Levi recognized the man immediately but held his tongue, figuring the man in front of him was just doing his job.

Mr. Jainee looked at Levi, unimpressed at his stature and tattoos.

"You're legally these boy's guardian?"

"Yes, sir."

"Are you aware they're homosexuals?" The man practically spat the question.

"You weren't?" Levi snapped. This conversation already wasn't going well, and Levi could tell it probably wasn't going to end well either. The principal's face was red and he looked as if he were biting his tongue more than Levi.

"These boys were making out in the hallway like animals!"

Mr. Jainee's face continued to get darker, and Levi noticed when he began raising his voice that the principal had left his door open. Levi planned to use that to his advantage if he needed to.

Levi didn't have to wait long.

"I'm not surprised at this sort of behavior from Jean, but Marco? You're seventh in the class!" Mr. Jainee sounded outraged. "I-I can't believe this!"

"What's hard to understand?" Levi asked, hating how both boy's heads were bent down, as if they were defeated.

"Homosexuality is wrong," the principal explained, his voice soft and patronizing, as if he were speaking to an ignorant child.

Levi was quiet for a moment, then asked, much loudly than necessary, "How do you feel about adultery, sir? Is a man cheating on his wife wrong?"

All the red in the man's face drained surprisingly quickly and although his mouth fell open, no words came out. Levi continued, raising his voice to the point of almost shouting.

"If I'm not mistaken - and I'm certain I'm not, your three dollar haircut is easy to remember - you were at O'Hama's Bar and Grill last night, putting your wedding band in your pocket before greeting a young woman - a very young woman; about how old was she? - and began drooling and practically dry humping her in the booth - "

"Enough!" the man screamed, his hands shaking. Sweat beaded his forehead. "I...we can work something out. Some form of punishment that doesn't affect their school work or attendance."

"That sounds marvelous," Levi responded, his voice flat.

"I apologize for my overreaction," Mr. Jainee said, sounding more nervous than apologetic. "I saw what they were doing and didn't approve - the PDA, of course - so I grabbed them and took - "

In an instant, Levi was out of his seat and slamming his hands against the desk, upsetting several items. Levi's eyes were wide, his pupils dilated by a quick burst of adrenaline and his nose was practically touching the other man's.

"You," Levi said, slowly and accusingly, frothing with disgust. "Put. Your filthy hands. On my sons."

The entire desk was trembling under Levi's hands and violent images erupted in his mind as his nails dug into the glossed wood; Levi knew he was snarling like an animal -

"If you kill him, we'd probably have to switch schools," Marco whispered, worried for his academic career.

Still maintaining eye contact, Levi took a breath and relaxed his grip.

"When do you graduate?" Levi asked calmly.

"Seventy two days," Jean responded quickly. "And that's counting weekends, too."

Levi stood slowly, careful not to break eye contact.

"Until then," Levi whispered. "The boys will come home with me. Consider this a half-day suspension, if you will. They will pick up their homework and leave, then be back tomorrow."

Levi, Marco, and Jean left the office, ignoring the frightened looks from the people that had been crowded outside the office door. Levi followed each boy to their class and once all their homework was retrieved, they headed for Levi's car.

The car ride was silent, until the boys noticed they had pulled into a drug store parking lot.

"What are we doing here?" Jean asked, wanting to lay down and sleep. Levi sighed.

"I'm hoping you boys know more about feminine products than I do."

For the next ten minutes, all three men picked up every box of pads at least twice and argued over which would best suit Hange (Jean's argument being the worst - "She's tall, so she probably needs extra long. With wings. Wings make everything cool.") until Marco had the bright idea of, "Levi? Why don't you just call her and ask what she wants?"

Five minutes later the boys headed home with the proper products ("I told you she'd want wings.") as well as candy bars, soda, and a bouquet of roses.

~~~

That weekend, all the children were happy Mama Hange was feeling better, so they decided to pick her flowers. Levi and Marco were outside with the children, talking about college and what a pretty spring day it was, until Armin screamed.

Levi had never heard the blonde child scream before; normally he was collected and calm, so hearing his high pitched wail gave Levi goosebumps. Before Levi could process what was going on, Reiner fell.

Levi and Marco ran to the child, Marco saying, "Bees, bees, bees - "

Sure enough, one of Reiners fingers were pink and swollen - along with his neck.

"I - I don't know where his Epi-Pen is!" Marco screamed, starting to panic.

With out a word, Levi lifted Reiner in his arms and started running.

The emergency room wasn't far, but Levi's knee still gave him problems and Reiner's body seemed to be getting heavier. Levi held the child against his chest, one arm pressed against his back and the other hand against the back of Reiner's head.

Levi did not look at Reiner's face until he ran into the E.R parking lot.

Reiner was blue.

Levi ran into the emergency room, pushing people out of his way until he could lay Reiner on the front desk in front of two nurses.

"I need an Epi-Pen," Levi said, trying to remain calm. Reiner wasn't breathing but he still seemed conscious. The last thing Levi wanted was to scare him.

One nurse jumped up and ran to another room while the other nurse looked carefully at the boy's neck and face.

"Does he have insurance?"

Levi was floored by the question, unable to comprehend how something as small as money could mean anything in a situation like this.

"My son is dying you fucking cunt!" Levi screamed. The other nurse returned with an Epi-Pen and injected the young boy in his inner thigh. Reiner fell back and Levi caught him, rubbing the boys forehead.

Reiner's swelling went down and he began to breathe, but a doctor still wanted to see him, so Levi carried the boy to an empty room, Reiner's arms snugly around the mans neck. The doctor checked the boy's pupils and vital signs, then began asking him questions.

"What's your name?" the doctor asked kindly.

"Reiner Braun," he whispered, his voice raspy.

"How old are you?"

"Six."

"Do you know who I am?"

"A..doctor?"

"Very good! What about the man there?" he asked, pointing to Levi. Reiner smiled.

"That's my daddy."

~~~

When the doctor deemed Reiner well enough to return home, Levi carried him to the lobby where Hange ran to them and hugged and kissed them both. Reiner accepted the hugs and kisses, but made no move to leave Levi's arms.

Hange drove them home, and Levi sat in the backseat with the child, who still snuggled with Levi despite the seatbelts. When they got home all the kids were excited he was alright, but were exhausted and needed naps. Levi had carried Reiner in the house and did not put him down until it was nap time.

Once Levi was certain all the kids were asleep, Levi retreated to his and Hange's room, where he began to cry.

Hange hugged him tightly from behind.

"Levi, it wasn't your fault," she whispered.

Levi shook his head.

"Hange...he called me daddy."

Chapter Text

Although the bee sting was put behind them, Levi had nightmares for the next several weeks about Reiner's blue face. Levi hated waking up in a cold sweat almost every night and decided to try exercising to make sure if he needed to run to the ER again, he would easily be able to.

Levi exercised in the mornings and soon remembered why he started exercising years ago: despite the sweat and pain, it was relaxing.

Levi preferred to exercise alone, but one morning Eren woke up with a fever and sore throat. Hange let him stay home and Levi tucked him in on the couch and let the child watch cartoons while he began his work out. Eren watched the bare chested, tattooed man with interest.

"What you doin'?" Eren questioned.

"Stretching." Levi straightened one arm while the other looped around his raised calf, bringing his calf to his tush.

"Why?"

"So when I work out I don't hurt myself."

"Ca- I work owt?"

"Not today, buddy, you're sick."

After switching legs, Levi sat down and spread his legs, lowering his upper body between them.

"Ca- I help?"

Levi sighed and agreed, knowing Eren wouldn't stop asking questions until Levi let him do something.

Levi did fifty sit ups while Eren sat on his feet and did seventy push ups while Eren laid on his back, his arms loosely around Levi's neck. Last but not least, Levi let the child tie his shoes, then jogged with Eren piggy back style around the block.

"Go Daddy, go!" Eren screamed while Levi jogged. "You ca- do it!"

Levi smiled, and for the first time since he started working out the sweat didn't bother him.

When they returned home, Levi poured them both water while they waited on Hange to get home so Levi could shower. Eren eventually got sleepy and asked to be rocked, and how could Levi say no?

When Hange returned, she was quite thankful women could not get physical erections.

Levi was shirtless and sweat gleamed off his skin. His hair was pushed back from his tanned face, and Hange noticed how his darkened skin brought out his eyes. On top of all that, Levi was rocking Eren back and forth, although the child was clearly asleep.

Hange made her way to her husband and kissed him after gently picking up the child. Once Eren was in bed, Levi and Hange made love quickly and quietly, careful not to wake up the child across the hall.

Hange redressed and began to doze while Levi showered, until there was a tiny knock on the door.

Hange let Eren in, who proceed to cuddle with her in bed. Hange rubbed his belly.

"Ca- I ask somethin'?"

"Of course."

"Why cain't you an- Daddy be my for'ver mommy and daddy?"

Eren looked at Hange with pitiful, teal eyes, and Hange wasn't sure what to say.

"Well, there are many things Levi and I have to do."

"So do them."

Hange sighed.

"These things take a long time. We have to be patient, okay?"

It was Eren's turn to sigh; patience was not a virtue to any toddler.

"How long?"

"Hmm...can you wait about three more years?"

"Dassa long time!" Eren nearly screamed.

"I know," Hange said, snuggling the child to her bust. "But a lot can change until then."

There was a silence after that, and both of them began to doze.

"I don' want anythin' to change," Eren whispered.

"We don't either," Hange whispered back, kissing Eren on the forehead as he fell asleep.

~~~

Two months passed, and Jean and Marco nervously dressed in tuxedos, prepping for prom. Jean let Marco tie his tie, but both their hands shook. Marco had a matching bow tie; neither liked corsages. Last but not least, Jean carefully gelled his hair back, and Marco decided to keep his natural.

After taking at least fifty photos, both teens promised to be home before one in the morning.

Unfortunately, neither Jean nor Marco were impressed by the prom venue, and the only song they danced to was "All Of Me" by John Legend. After the song, Jean kissed Marco on the shell of his ear.

"Lets blow this popsicle stand," he whispered, poking his tongue against Marco's earlobe.

"Are you sure?" Marco asked, blush creeping into his cheeks.

"I'd rather blow you."

The teens left quickly after that, and instead of going home they went to the park.

At night the park was a local make out spot amongst teenagers, but due to prom they had the park to themselves. They parked in the back, far from the main road.

After a rather intense make out session, tuxedos were being pulled off and condoms - which Jean conveniently had in his wallet - were being pulled over both members to avoid uncanny stains.

Jean shoved the seat back as far as it would go and Marco straddled his lap. Marco had a small bottle of lube in the glove compartment and once he was prepared, he lowered himself onto his lover.

To take Marco's mind off the pain, Jean feathered kisses across his lovers chest and neck. Marco bit his lip, suppressing a moan. While Marco tended to keep silent during lovemaking for obvious reasons, tonight they were alone.

"I want to hear you," Jean almost begged. Marco complied and began rocking his hips. Both teens moaned and gasped as Marco set a vigorous pace. Since they were alone, bite and scratch marks began to cover their bodies, moans escalated to near screams, and they both forgot everything but each others names.

Marco finished first, but Jean finished shortly after. They held one another tightly, and they savored the serenity of their peaks and one another. Jean came to first, and he gently pulled the condom off Marco and tied it. He opened the truck door and tossed it as far as he could, briefly hoping horny teenagers found their used condoms and not a kid. The cool air seemed to help Marco and he raised himself off his lover, and Jean performed the same procedure with his condom as well. Jean opened the glove box to put the lube back and get a few napkins to wipe sweat and come off one another.

Behind the seat was a blanket and Jean made a sloppy pillow out of it and laid it on his lap. Marco rested his head on the makeshift pillow and curled his legs while Jean played with his hair.

Marco dozed off and Jean laid his head against the window, anxiety spreading across his chest. He would let Marco sleep, and then he would ask. First, Jean would close his eyes, just for a moment...

Jean jerked awake. His cell phone was ringing and he found it in the floorboard. Levi was calling - and it was 1:24 AM.

It's not that late, Jean thought as he answered.

"He-"

"Where are you?!" Levi screamed. Jean could hear Hange crying in the background. "Your prom venue's only ten minutes away; you should be home by now!"

"I - we're comin' home now," Jean mumbled, as Marco rose.

"Wha' time is it?" Marco asked loudly.

There was a silence on the other end of the line, and Jean heard a soft thud; probably a door closing.

"Jean, are you two drunk?" Levi asked, his voice low.

"Wha'? No, no, - "

"Just tell me, okay? I'll pick you up; Hange and I aren't upset - "

"Daaaad," Jean whined. "Marco and I fell asleep."

Levi was too worried to notice that Jean called him dad - something all the kids were doing by this point except the teens.

"You fell asleep," he said, not trying to hide the disbelief in his voice.

"Yes! Marco and I had sex in his truck and we fell asleep."

"Jean!" Marco yelped, pulling on his underwear.

"Get home, now," Levi said, his voice low. "You horny brats worried your mother and I sick!"

Before Jean could reply, Levi hung up. Marco was pulling on his tuxedo pants and muttering things about being in trouble. Jean's palms began to sweat; it was now or never.

Jean pulled his boxers on after setting his phone down. Marco was putting on his undershirt, but Jean touched his hand.

"Marco, I need to ask you something."

"Okay?"

"I - I mean, I love you. A lot."

"I love you too," Marco said with a smile.

"Marco, the past few years we've been together - ever since I've known you, really - have been the best years of my life. I never thought I'd be this happy."

Marco's heart skipped.

"I...don't ever want to lose this feeling. Ever. I know we fuss sometimes, and going to college and getting jobs or whatever's going to be difficult but...I can't imagine life without you." Jeans eyes were tearing; he promised himself he wouldn't cry.

"Jean, what are you saying?" Marco whispered, his voice wavering. Jean leaned forward and shifted so he was in Marco's lap and deeply kissed him. When they pulled away, Jean laid his forehead against Marco's.

"I want us to eat cheap noodles and drink cheap beer together in college. I want us to fuss over stupid shit and have makeup sex and do it again the next day. I want us to graduate and open our own daycare center, and we can fuss over what toys and books to buy, and I want us to go home and play with our cats and dogs until we decide we're ready for a child, or five. I want us to watch our kids grow up and graduate and fall in love too, and I want us to complain about getting wrinkles and grey hair, but we'll still be as in love as we are now. I - I love you, Marco Bodt. Will you marry me?"

Marco could feel his heart pounding, and it took him a moment to comprehend everything Jean had said. Marco held each side of Jean's face with his hands and kissed his nose.

"Jean Kirschtein, I will gladly marry you," Marco whispered, kissing his lover - his fiance - deeply.

The two men giggled as they dressed and drove home, excited and nervous about telling Hange and Levi.

When they got home, Hange and Levi were in the living room. The teens began to apologize, but the older couple admitted they had overreacted and were just glad the boys were okay.

"There was something we wanted to tell you," Hange said quietly. "We were going to wait until morning, but all the kids are asleep so..."

There was a quiet moment, and Levi reached for her hand.

"Hange and I have been thinking for a few months now, and we've decided that, in three years, we're going to legally adopt the children."

"All eight?" Jean asked in disbelief.

"Legally, once a child has been a ward of the state and living in the same home for three years, and the foster mother and father have been married for at least three years, the wards of the state are "free" to the guardians," Hange said, cringing when she had to put a price on them.

"That's great!" Marco said, and Jean took his hand. Before the two could make their announcement, Hange continued.

"Levi and I can't...you know..."

"You can't adopt us," Marco said simply with a smile. "Jean turned eighteen last month and I turn eighteen next month. We get it."

"Besides, that would sort of spoil a few plans for us," Jean said quietly.

"Oh?" Hange asked, her voice catching.

"I asked Marco to marry me."

After seeing their shocked faces, Marco added, "A-after college, of course."

The three longest seconds of the teens life passed before Hange squealed and clapped her hands and Levi smiled.

Armin and Sasha awoke to hearing Hange squeal, and Sasha woke up Annie out of fear. The two made their way out of the bedroom to discover Armin had opened up the boy's bedroom door and poked his head out.

"I hear mommy crying," Armin whispered, and together the three children woke up the rest of the kids and carefully made their way downstairs.

The children walked into the living room to see their parents and older brothers in the floor, hugging one another and crying. When Levi saw the children, he let go of his wife and opened his arms to the rest of his children.

"Come hug with us," he said. "It's a family hug."

One by one the children snuggled against the adults, getting comfortable as they could in such a tight knit group. They were all a little concerned at seeing their parents and brothers cry, but sleepiness was beginning to take over.

"Is everything okay?" Armin asked, snug between Eren and Mikasa and he could feel himself dozing off.

"Everything's fine," Hange said, smiling through her tears. "We're all going to be a family really soon."

"We a family?" Eren asked, wrapping his hand around Levi's pinky.

"Soon," he promised. "But I think of us as a family now, and I hope you all do too."

"All of us?" Eren asked, wanting to be certain. "All in the family?"

Levi kissed Eren, then Armin, then Mikasa. Hange began kissing Reiner and Annie, and Jean and Marco passed kisses out as well. Within minutes there wasn't a child who wasn't kissed by all the adults at least once, and soon the kids began giving back kisses as well.

Kisses were over when the children yawned sleepily and Hange began to fret; it was 2 am and all the children were still up.

Before the adults carried the kids upstairs to bed, Levi brought all of them - including his wife and oldest sons - into a hug.

"We're all in the family," Levi promised.

And it was a promise he would keep.

Chapter Text

Three years passed more quickly than anyone expected. Jean and Marco graduated high school, then worked their way through college, both wanting to get Bachelor's in Child Care. The November of the boys' junior year made Hange and Levi's three year anniversary, but with Jean and Marco two hours away they decided to wait one more month to finalize the adoption.

Over the years, Hange and Levi were careful to explain to the children about the adoption. As the kids got older, they began referring to Hange and Levi as their parents and, over time, began to refer to one another as siblings.

Once all the children were enrolled in school, Hange took a part time job at a local daycare center to earn a little extra money. She and Levi knew once the adoption was finalized they would no longer receive a monthly check for the children and wanted to save up as much money as they could ahead of time.

In three years, Levi was promoted to head bartender, then promoted to assistant manager, despite having no experience in that field. O'Hama was patient with Levi and taught him all he needed to know concerning hiring, firing, inventory, and pay, and Levi was now more comfortable with the job - and an extra ninety dollars every payday.

Levi and Hange both missed Jean and Marco, but every holiday they got they spent it at home. Christmas break began December twelfth, and Jean and Marco were grateful to be home after the exams. What made this break so special, however, was the fact that they would be present for the finalization of the adoptions.

December thirteenth, everyone woke up early. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were just as close as ever, as were Annie, Bertl, and Reiner. Connie and Sasha were all but partners in crime, especially in matters concerning random disappearances of food. Because of this, Hange made sure to keep the party treats out of reach and would not pick up the cake until later that day.

Once breakfast was over, the adults helped the kids dress in dresses and suits, combing back their hair and putting bows in the girls hair.

It was a quiet ride to the courthouse. Jean and Marco drove themselves, both excited for what the future had in store for their parents and siblings. The kids in the minivan were quiet, oddly nervous. They knew what was going to happen, but they were still unsure of what it all meant. Secretly, the younger children were afraid that they would be treated differently now that they were adopted, but they knew their fears were silly.

At the courthouse, Hange gagged.

"Are you alright?" Levi asked quickly, reaching over to touch her hand. Hange took a few shallow breaths and smiled. She squeezed his hand and opened her door.

Marco and Jean slid open the side door and nervous children slowly made their way out of the mini van. Although Hange and Levi were unbuckled and had opened their doors, they paused and met each others eye.

"You ready?" Hange whispered.

"As I'll ever be," he responded with a nervous smile. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I have the flu, dear," Hange said with a coy grin. Levi rolled his eyes.

"You can't keep that up," he whispered. "You've told them you've had the "morning flu" for two weeks now." The kids outside were getting antsy and kept looking at their parents.

"Tonight," she whispered, stepping out of the car.

~~~

Once they were in the courthouse, Levi and the others patiently waited for Hange as she signed other paperwork. After about twenty minutes, she met them in the hall.

"Well?" Levi asked, trying to not sound as excited as he felt.

"I have to go to the DMV and such to change it on my drivers license, but I'm officially Mrs. Ackerman," she said, showing her husband the documents.

After several "oohs" and "ahs" from the kids and a kiss from Levi, it was time to finish what they came for.

The children impatiently waited as their parents signed paperwork, Jean and Marco trying to keep the kids decent enough to take a picture in. Connie had already pulled Sasha's bow out and Reiner managed to get a stain on his shirt, but other than that the kids looked fine. Mikasa had been allowed to wear her scarf, so long as she wore it the way Levi tied it - which was much more fashionable than Mikasa thought, and she planned on asking her father to teach her how to do it tomorrow.

One by one, Levi signed a document and passed it to Hange, who signed it and passed it to Jean and Marco, who were signing as witnesses. One by one, the children went from orphans to family, with two parents and nine siblings.

One by one, their names were changed.

The past few months Levi and Hange had tiptoed around asking the kids if they wanted their last names changed, but they told the children a week before that they needed to decide. Levi and Hange explained they had the option to fully change their last name, get their last name hyphenated, or not changed at all. Either way, Levi and Hange promised their love for them wouldn't change.

That morning, all the children said they wanted their last name changed - and Reiner asked if he could change his first name, but that option was kindly shot down.

On the documents, it asked for the ward of the state's name after adoption, and one by one Levi filled it out and signed.

Reiner Michael Ackerman.

Sasha Winifred Ackerman.

Connie Jay Ackerman.

Bertolt Ryan Ackerman.

Annie Elizabeth Ackerman.

Mikasa Rose Ackerman.

Armin Russell Ackerman.

Eren Leon Ackerman.

Underneath each child's new name were the signatures of their parents and eldest siblings.

Levi Thomas Ackerman.

Hange Leigh Ackerman.

Jean Mon Cheri Kirschtein.

Marco Gabriel Bodt.

After several excruciatingly long minutes, the adoption papers were approved. After asking several people, the family huddled together for their first "official" family picture. Hange and Levi were both smiling and crying (Levi's dimples were rather prominent), Jean and Marco were smiling and holding hands, squatting to get to the children's level. Surprisingly, none of the children made silly faces or stuck out their tongues; the children looked more presentable than the adults.

Once the photo was taken and Hange got her camera back, Levi hugged her and, despite knowing it was far too early to feel any fetal movements, rubbed her belly.

"Tonight?" he asked, a smile playing on his lips.

"I'll tell them tonight," she promised, kissing her husband and placing her hand over his on her still small stomach.

Once the children were in the van and they headed home, Hange couldn't stop staring at their picture.

"Is it going on the Family Wall?" Eren shouted from the back seat.

"It certainly is," Hange said, turning and smiling. "Why don't we take a few more pictures to get developed with this one?"

While Hange had taken several pictures of the children growing up, she tried not to get attached to them because they could be adopted. The past three years were quite different in the matters concerning picture taking.

Hange and Levi purchased a Nikon D3200 shortly after deciding to adopt the children, and there wasn't a single day where the camera wasn't used at least once, and every month they had the photos developed.

To most people, the photos weren't anything special. There were no professional or staged photos on the playroom - now the "family room" - wall. Rather, the pictures were of the children sleeping, playing, bathing, showing off missing teeth, or going to school. Although Jean and Marco were at college, they were included on the wall as well, and their photos were even more random. Because Hange (and Levi) were so desperate to have photos of them, there were photos of the men playing video games in their boxers, Jean and Marco getting their first tattoos (matching anchors on their backs), and even pictures of them eating.

While the kids liked taking pictures of Levi and Hange, all of the pictures of them and the majority of the photos of the children went in a scrapbook together. The only picture of Levi and Hange was the picture of their wedding day, as well as Levi's picture with his siblings. They hung side by side in the middle of the pictures of their children, in between a plaque that read, "I will love my children for who they are - not for who I want them to be. I will give my children space to grow, to dream, to succeed - and to sometimes fail."

While Hange and Levi were certain most families didn't have over forty seven framed photographs of their children, they were proud of their family room and would show it to anyone that entered their home. The Family Wall was evidence of their children's "forever family" as well as proof that it was possible to have a loving, healthy family.

As Hange looked at the photo again, her hand fell on her stomach. Because the Family Wall was pretty crowded, Hange and Levi had decided to expand it to the other walls in the family room as well.

After all, once Isabel or Farlan is born, Hange and Levi are going to need all the room they can get.