Chapter Text
If Marco had his way, he would never, ever, have to leave his bed. He’d never have to touch the cold dark wood of his room and he’d never have to stop having such a wonderful dream about warm smiles and caramel coffee. But Marco was an adult. An adult who had responsibilities.
‘Knock knock’
Responsibilities that were at his door.
“Papa?”
Responsibilities that were currently wearing pale pink night gowns.
“Papa!”
Responsibilities that he’d love till the end of time and he'd do anything for.
“Papa, get up! You said you would make pancakes!”
And of course there were the responsibilities that he groaned at, and one of them was trying to bake the perfect pancakes for two very picky food critics.
“Papa!” The little voice squeaked again as his bed shifted slightly. “Get up! Up up up!”
Marco cracked an eye open to peer at two bleary shapes, who were trying with all their might to shake his shoulders, not noticing his open eye yet. He felt the smile grow on his face, before throwing his arm over his face with a dramatic groan. “But I don’t wanna get out of bed! Its soooo warm and comfy! Nooo I think I just stay and sleep.”
“You promised Papa! We want pancakes!” The little menaces started jumping up and down on his bed, in an attempt to wake him, while chanting. “Pan-cakes! Pan-cakes! Pan-cakes!”
Marco smiled as he looked at the two from under the shadow of his elbow. He let them continue for a few seconds more before he sprang up and wrapped his arms around them. The shouts were cut off and replaced by laughing squeals as Marco dragged them to his chest and riddled their faces and hair with kisses.
And if Marco had his way, he’d stay here, in this moment, with his baby girls, in the warmth and smiles and laughs. But the adult world was calling, and if he wanted to pay the bills, then he had no choice but answer. But first, he had pancakes to make.
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Dressed in the finest of pajamas-(which consisted of sweat pants and and a loose t-shirt)-Marco Bodt happily sang along to the little radio, which stuck out like a sore thumb in the modern kitchen surrounds, thanks to the princess and cartoon characters stuck all around it. The modern house was accompanied by toys of various colors and sizes, thanks to the two little girls that were laughing and singing as well as pointing at him.
“Ivory Bodt!” Marco gave an over dramatic gasp to one of the freckled little ones as he flipped another pancake. “Are you laughing at my singing?”
“Papa's so silly!” Ivory giggled again, her sister, joining in.
“Papa can sing! But you can’t dance!” Demetra laughed as she clutched her panda bear to her chest.
“Well I beg to differ!” Marco huffed as he turned in a full circle, spatula turning into a makeshift microphone as the tempo sped up and the words got louder. “Come on! Come on! Jump a little higher!” The girls joined in and the off key kitchen band returned to its full swing.
"Accidentally in love." Marco sang as he moved the plates to the counter where the girls were. He shut off the radio and pulled up a seat of his own. “So how'd I do?"
“Good." Ivory spoke slowly as she chewed. “But it needs more sap!"
“Papa?” Demetra spoke up, her freckles bunching up as she scrunched her nose in thought. “Do you have to go work?”
Marco sighed as he got up to grab the syrup. “Yes, Demi, but not until late. Mikasa will be here for you tonight. I’m sorry baby.”
“Why are you working so much?” Ivory asked so soft, Marco almost missed it. Then her head snapped up. “Is it ‘cause of Granny?”
Marco so caught off guard that he almost dropped the bottle. He looked at his daughters, and realized once again, that kids pick up on so much more than people realize. He carefully thought over his answer as he drowned Ivory’s pancakes in syrup. “Papa just….Papa just needs to work some things out, ok?” When the girls gave small nods, he smiled again. “Hey, don’t let these pancake go to waste now, eat up!”
The girls backed off and ate in a relative peace. But it only lasted until the plates were put into the sink and the girls had nothing to distract them.
“It is her.” Ivory decided, her mind stearing back to their earlier conversation. “Why is Granny so mean? Why does she hate us so much now?”
“Ivy, your Grandmother doesn't hate you two.” Marco promised, grabbing their small hands in his large, calloused ones. Looking down at them he almost lost himself in memories. He squeezed their hands softly to ground himself back to the world. “Ganny’s….just very sad.”
“Cause of mama?” Demi whispered, her head lowered.
Marco squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head. Taking a deep breath, Marco rubbed circles into the girls hands. “Yeah...Granny’s sad mama is….is gone.”
“That doesn't mean she has to be so mean!” Ivy snapped, grabbing onto his hand with both of hers. “I don't wanna go! I wanna live with Papa! Her house is smelly and scary and her little doggy is mean and- and-! And I wanna stay with Papa!”
“Me too!” Demi cried out, tears escaping the corner of her eyes. With practiced ease, Marco swiftly lifted both girls into his arms, and held them close.
“She is not taking you.” Marco hated it. It wasn't fair. He hated that his life is a war, and that he had to fight for his heart and soul, both of which sat crying into his neck at the moment. He hated that this was happening to often for comfort, and that Marco had to spend too much time at some job to fix it. He hated how hard it was to believe himself sometimes. But he wouldn't-no he couldn't- stop fighting. “She won’t. I won’t let her.”
Sobs turned to hiccups, which turned into sniffles. For Marco, it wasn't enough. He wanted smiles and bright unworried eyes. So, with a smile of his own, he set them on the ground and squatted to their height. “Hey…” He waited till they were both looking at him, and then his smile blossomed into one of playfulness. “Wanna go to the park?”
The look of pure excitement brightened made every worry disappear from the front of his mind, though it nagged at him still. But for today, he’d do something right and take his girls to the park.
The park was only walking distance from their cozy two story home, and it took little to no time with the girls practically dragging him down the street. To be fair, he had made them wait until four in the afternoon to go, so they had the right to be excited.
“Come on Papa!" Demi cried as she pulled on his hands. “I wanna slide!"
“And swing!" Ivy chimed. Marco laughed and let himself have a minute to look at the girls. They looked a lot like him, brown eyes, black hair, and freckles spread from cheek to cheek. He noted that Ivory was in a yellow jacket and jeans with yellow boots, and Demi was in a little green hoodie with her favorite blue dress underneath, her small white shoes already untied. Demi was in (uneven) pigtails but Ivy had refused that he put her hair up...probably because he had trouble with it...hence the uneven part.
“So yellow jacket and green hoodie." Marco mumbled to himself as he opened the gate to the play area. The playground area wasn't large, and was closed off from the parks only entrance, but the back was wide open with forests an, and he knew how easy it could be for someones child to disappear in the crowd, so there'd be no taking chances. He resigned himself to the nearest bench and let the girls loose with a cry of ‘Stay in the park!’
He sat watching and waving off invitations to join for several minutes, enjoying the peace, until a voice broke through.
“Well I'll be damned." He'd know that voice anywhere. “Marco Bodt."
Turning to look over his shoulder, he spotted the woman just in time to see her be swatted in the arm by a blond.
“Ymir! There are innocent ears around." Christa scolded her wife, hopping slightly as the toddler in her arms wiggled.
“Im sorry baby. I didn't mean to hurt your innocent ears." Ymir teased, even as she kissed both her wife and her child's head.
“What are you two doing way over here?" Marco asked as he hugged them.
“We're house shopping." Krista grinned as she rubbed circles into Adams back. “The old ones getting small now that there are three people.”
“And so we were in the neighborhood, checkin’ out the park. And then, surprise, I saw you, just sittin’ on a bench. So we thought we'd stop by and say hi to my little baby brother!" Ymir laughed as she locked him in a headlock and messed with his hair.
“Ymir! We’re both adults and parents here!” Marco cried, though he was smiling. She let him go with a smirk that almost screamed; ‘I don’t give two flying fucks.’
“Hey, Adam, lookie lookie!" Ymir's tone changed completely into one of baby talk as she turned to the blond boy who was tiredly opening his eyes. “It's your uncle Marky!"
Adam blinked once, before yawning out a small. “Hi...Uncle Marky." before he simply laid his head back on his mother's shoulder.
“Its been an exciting day for him." Krista sighed, patting down the boys hair.
“Im going to assume, from you glances at the park, and the fact you three are attached at the hip, that the girls are here?" Ymir spoke up again, poking Marco’s cheek, just as a yellow blur ran up to them.
“Aunty Miri! Aunty Krisy!" Ivy cried as she raced to meet her aunts, running up and hugging Ymir legs.
“You are correct." Marco laughed as he scanned the playground again. ‘Green hoodie, white shoes.’
“Hey kiddo! Great to see you!" Ymir grinned as she picked up her niece.
“Hey baby." Krista cooed, petting the black curls on Ivy's head. “What have you been up to lately?"
“Papa made us pancakes this morning!" Ivory grinned like she was showing off a trophy. “And sat down and ate with us!"
“Did he now?" Ymir grinned bouncing the girl on her hip before raising an eyebrow at Marco. “How nice of him…..Marco?"
But Marco had his eyes on the playground. ‘Green hoodie, white shoes, pigtails. Green hoodie white shoes, pigtails.'
Ymir picked up on his worry right away and knew exactly what was wrong. “Ivory where's your sister?"
“I dunno." Ivy shrugged, the serious tone making her shy away.
“Stay with her.” Marco was walking towards the area faster than he could blink, his mind a chant of ‘Green hoodie, white shoes, pigtails, green hoodie, white shoes, pigtails'
“Demetra! Demetra Madison Bodt!" There's seemed to a thousand people suddenly, and in the blur of faces and colors, he couldn't spot the colors or face he needed to see. “Demi!" But no matter how loud he called, no matter how hard he searched, he knew.
Demi was no longer on the playground.
And he was going to have a heart attack.
She hadn't meant to get lost. She just was chasing a butterfly, and didn't notice how far she was, until she looked to show her daddy the pretty insect, and realised she was in a new area completely and no one was around. She could barely see over the grass. Instantly she quieted up, playing with the edge of her skirt.
“Papa?" She called out hesitantly, hoping he'd come to her rescue like always. When nothing happened, she gripped the edge of her skirt harder and started to walk back the way she thought she came from.
She cried out as she suddenly tripped over her shoelaces, landing on her hands. She felt the tears overflow as she scraped her knees and hands on the dusty ground. Now she was scared, and in pain. So she did what any lost five year old would do.
She cried for her Papa.
She wasn't wailing for long when she heard the rustling of grass. “P-papa?"
A man almost stepped over her as he walked through the grass. “Oh! Um....no...I'm not your uh...your dad kid....are you....um...are you lost or...?" The man asked, crouching down to get a better look.
She nodded,sniffling before her tears coming back full force. “I want Papa!"
“Woah woah woah! N-nononono don't do that! Stopit Stopit!" The man stammered, waving his hands around frantically. “Look look I'll help you find your dad kid! Just don't do that! Please stop!"
“You....you mean it?" She whispered.
“Yeah." He blinked, as though he was just as surprised as she was.
She glanced around skeptically, before holding out her pinkie finger. “Promise?"
He blinked again, before sighing and rolling his eyes skyward. “Are you fucking serious?"
Demi ignored the strange word to instead thrust her pinkie in front of his face. “Promise?"
The man sighed again, before wrapping his own pinkie finger around hers. “Yes, small child, I promise."
She huffed as she let go of his finger, before holding her arms out to be picked up. “I'm Demi!" She beamed as he picked her up with another eye roll. "Whats your name?"
Looking at her from the corner of his eye, he huffed again before smirking. “Jean. My name is Jean."