Work Text:
Most mornings start off with Armin’s whines filtering through the baby monitor. Though this morning he wakes up to the sound of his phone ringing. Confusion settles in since the routine is thrown off but then logic takes over...Erwin must have gotten Armin up. Slowly his eyes peel open and he can see the sunlight streaming through the window Erwin must have opened when he woke up. With a grunt he reaches over to grab his phone and squints at the unknown number but ultimately hits decline and lays the phone right back on the nightstand.
Armin had a bad night last night which meant he was up nearly every hour whining. Levi refuses to cave into Erwin’s suggestion of letting him sleep in their bed because he knows the habits that creates. He had slept in bed with his mother as a young boy, so when she died and he had to go live with Kenny...it was a rude awakening. Not to mention he enjoys having the space from the one year old. Armin was one of the greatest joys in his life but that didn’t mean he intended to have the kid around him 24/7. He needed for the bedroom to just be his and Erwin’s space, but he will admit on the nights that Armin is fussy there is a brief moment when he considers just caving.
He’s a couple seconds from falling back asleep when the phone rings again. He growls as the sleep is ripped from him and he grabs the phone, “For fucks sake…” It’s the same number and he wants to chew whoever it is out for messing with his sleep but the odds of it being some automated voice is high. He’ll just be wasting his breath. After pressing the green button he holds the phone to his ear, “Hello?” His voice is laced with sleep and obviously irritated. There’s a brief silence on the end before the person speaks.
“Yes, hello,” it’s a woman, “Is this a Mr….Ackerman-Smith?”
HIs brows furrow and he’s running a hand over his face before sighing, “Yes, this is he, but you can just call me Mr. Smith. Who is this?” He questions right back because if this was some sort of scam he was going to scream.
“Right, Mr. Smith, my name is Petra Ral and I’m a social worker. I was calling with a few questions for you.”
That sentence is enough to make his heart drop to his stomach. A social worker? Was this about Armin? Anxiety flooded his veins as he sat up in bed and lifted a hand to his hair. He tugged at the roots gently before swallowing, “Are you calling about my son?”
The woman is silent before she offers a small laugh, “No sir. I realize my statement can sound scary as a parent, my apologies. I’m actually calling for a different reason. Mr. Smith, are you aware that you have a younger cousin?” He was relieved this wasn’t about Armin but the other question left him puzzled. Did he? For a moment he ran through the relatives he knew of and only came up with his mom and Kenny. His dad was never in the picture so he never knew that side and growing up with a prostitute mother didn’t exactly warrant trips to grandma’s.
“I can’t say that I was aware,” he clears his throat and chews on his cheek, “I’ll be honest the only relatives I’m aware of are my mother and my uncle.” The woman on the other end of the line hums before sighing.
“Well, I’m assuming the uncle in question is a Kenny Ackerman...we didn’t even bother to call him and I’m sure you can understand why,” the woman sounds exasperated just talking about Kenny and it makes Levi chuckle the smallest bit because he could understand fully, “Anyways, you seem to be the only relative we can get in contact with or that isn’t dead or in prison.”
Levi nods even though he knew the woman couldn’t see him, “Okay, well what is all of this about?”
“Right,” she quips and there was a shuffling of papers in the background, “Well, as of 10:30 this morning your cousin, Mikasa Ackerman, was found hiding in the living room of her home. It appears that the home was broken into. They killed and robbed the Ackerman’s but Mikasa was hidden well enough for them to not find her. This was all brought to our attention by Dr. Grisha Jaeger. He was scheduled to visit them at their home but upon his arrival he saw the front door was cracked open. He went in and found Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman in the kitchen but his son found Mikasa hiding. Currently she’s with the Jaegers and they agreed to take her until we could find a relative or a home for her.”
As the story was laid out for him, he could feel his mouth go dry. It seemed like bad fortune followed the Ackerman’s around like a dark cloud.
“How old is she?” he found himself asking with a soft voice.
A sigh cuts through before Petra speaks, “She’s four.”
His eyes clench shut as he shakes his head, “Shit, okay...what do you need?”
The woman on the other end clears her throat before typing something on a computer, “We like to put children in these situations with relatives because it keeps them out of the foster system. So we would like to house her with you and your husband with the hopes that you will take her in; however, I know that you have a son of your own...so this is all up to you Mr. Smith.”
He’s quiet for a couple seconds after she speaks and it isn’t until she calls his name again that he comes back, “Of course...yes we’ll come get her. We can come get her around 2. Would you mind sending the Jaeger's address?”
Even though they can’t see each other he knows there is instant relief flooding through the woman when he said they would come and get her, “Yes! I will send it to you. 2 o’clock would be perfect. I can meet you over at their house and then tomorrow we can come to the office to actually sort everything else out. You and your husband passed with flying colors during the process of trying to adopt your son so with Mikasa this will be much easier. Since you are a relative you can easily have legal guardianship or we can go through with the adoption process. Either way you know that there will be regular home visits and things like that until everything is legal.”
Levi was well aware of the process. It had been a long one with Armin so he figured going through it again wouldn’t be much different. He just grunts and rubs the sleep from his eyes, “Sounds great. I’ll meet you there at two.” With that he hangs up the line and sits there for a moment. Everything takes a moment to process and then he’s bolting up out of the bed to find Erwin. His phone vibrates in his hand as he races down the stairs. The kitchen turns up empty so he heads for the living room next.
He finds the two laying on the couch together. Armin resting on Erwin’s chest fast asleep with his face tucked into the blond’s neck. It was a cute sight to walk into and on any other morning he would have snapped a quick picture; however, this morning he didn’t have time.
He walks quickly into the living room and snatches the remote off the coffee table to pause the Star Trek movie Erwin was invested in. This got a confused look from his partner who was about to say something but Levi just held up a hand to silence him. Armin was asleep on the other and Ewin speaking would be a surefire way of waking him up. The larger blond nods and Levi goes to sit on the couch by Erwin.
How was he going to say all this to Erwin?
Erwin looks at him patiently and waits for Levi to speak, but in the end the smaller man just looks at the sleeping kid. His hand lifts so he could lightly brush hair from Armin’s face, “A social worker just called me. It isn’t about Armin, but apparently I have a younger cousin.” He began and like always Erwin gave him the space and time to speak.
“Her parents were killed this morning and a doctor found them but his kid found her,” he sighs with a shake of his head, “Anyways, I told her we would come by and take her in. She’s currently with the doctor and his family. We need to be there by two.” For the first time this morning he actually looks at a clock and saw that it was already noon. He had slept longer than expected.
His eyes looked back to his shocked husband who was processing everything Levi had just told him. Erwin places a gentle hand on Armin and sits up before laying the boy down where his back had previously been resting. The boy didn’t wake up and instead nuzzles into the warm spot where Erwin had been laying. With a gentle hand Erwin stands and pulls Levi with him so that they can go talk in the kitchen.
The walk is silent and once they reach a good distance away Erwin speaks, “How old is she?”
Levi leans his back against one of the counters and folds his arms over his chest, “She’s four.” He can hear Erwin curse and he almost laughs at their similar line of questioning and reaction. Instead he just rubs at his left temple with his hand, “Anyways, I might be her last option before going to a home. I can’t just let that happen since I know what the system is like…”
Erwin is quick to come over and cups Levi’s face in his larger hands, “I know...and I’m not saying no. We did vaguely talk about adding another addition to our family a few weeks ago since it might be good for Armin to have a sibling. We aren’t hurting to support what we already have so adding the girl won’t hurt.” His words are soft and make a small amount of his anxiety melt away. With a heavy sigh he lets his eyes slip shut and just basked in the warmth of Erwin’s hands.
“I’m going to go check the spare room and see if it’s clean,” they both know it’s clean but the anxiety is making him restless already, “So you start to get the little demon awake and dressed so we can head to the Jaegers on time.” For a few seconds he just stands there and it doesn’t take long before Erwin lets go of his face to instead wrap his arms around Levi’s smaller frame.
Erwin nuzzles into Levi’s hair and presses a kiss there, “You’re doing a good thing here Levi...try not to worry. I know this probably is a badly familiar feeling for you but just think about the fact that she’s going to get a good chance because you’re doing this for her.”
The words are so sincere and real that they choke Levi up for a moment. Erwin is right as always. He clenches his eyes shut and nods as he presses into Erwin’s chest, “I know...but I can’t imagine what she must have heard.” That made Erwin hold him tighter. He didn’t understand a lot of what Levi had endured throughout his life considering his home and family life had been perfect. Regardless he tries to understand to an extent and that allowed him to actually see Levi.
Most saw Levi as cold and calculating. They wondered how someone like him could be a father to a one year old and better yet be married to a man like Erwin Smith. Though Erwin knew that Levi was none of that. He was the most caring person he had ever encountered. Levi cared and felt deeply for people he was close to. Would be loyal to those he saw worthy until the day he died and so Erwin wasn’t shocked that Levi was worried about this girl who was almost just like him.
With a sigh Erwin did pull away and went to tilt Levi’s chin up, “I know, sweetheart, and we’ll find a good children’s therapist for her to go see so that we can get a hold of these issues now rather than later. Though right now we need to get the spare room ready and dress our son that you just called a demon.” A small smile forms on Levi’s lips as he nods and shakes his head.
“After last night he might actually be part banshee.”
They arrive at the Jaeger residence at 2 pm on the dot considering Levi is an anxious mess and won’t stop passenger seat driving. While Erwin loves his husband immensely and would go to the ends of the earth for him...when he gets antsy like this he just wants to duct tape his mouth shut. For most of the ride Levi had sat with his hands fidgeting in his lap, fingers picking at the skin around his nails or scratching at his knuckles. Luckily Armin stayed passed out in the car seat so they didn’t have to worry about him being fussy during the short ride.
Levi is the first out of the car so he can make his way to grab Armin from his car seat. He needs to do something with his hands or else he might make the skin of his cuticles bleed. Erwin waits for Levi to get Armin out of the car seat with a patient smile since it was all he could do at the moment. No amount of comforting words could soothe the smaller man and he knew as much. So instead he just settles a hand on the small of Levi’s back and ushers him towards the front door of the house.
The house was quaint and appears to be a decent family home. There were a few stray toys around the front of the house which let them know that kids did in fact live here. Erwin is the one to knock on the door, but it didn’t take long for the door to open.
A woman with a low ponytail and green eyes opens the door only to offer them a welcoming smile, “I’m Carla Jaeger...you must be the Smith’s. Please come in.” When she steps aside Erwin offers his own polite greeting only to step through the threshold with Levi following after him.
As the door shuts behind them the sound of a TV and a few shouts can be heard somewhere in the house and the normalcy of it puts Levi to ease the slightest bit. Carla clears her throat and then walks towards another doorway, “If you’ll come this way I can show you to the dinning room where my husband and the social worker are at. Mikasa is in the den with the boys so once we finish talking I can take you to see her.”
“Thank you, we really appreciate you taking her for the time being,” Erwin speaks and once again settles a gentle hand on Levi’s back to push him in the right direction. They both know without the shove he would stand in the foyer the entire time. The walk is short and soon enough he sees a brunet man with glasses sitting at a table with a ginger woman.
The pair look up and the woman smiles before standing, “It’s so good to see you. Please have a seat so we can discuss everything.” Levi moves silently and stiffly to the chair across from the woman since he’s the relative and most of this will fall on him. Though he feels bad because he doesn’t hear anything she says to him. His mind is so fogged up with worries that he can’t grasp anything she’s saying to him. Thankfully he knows Erwin is listening for the both of them and will fill in what Levi hadn’t heard. Her voice filters in one ear and then goes out the other.
“Does all of that make sense Mr. Smith?” She questions and that stirs Levi from his stupor enough to finally blink.
“Levi. There’s two Mr. Smith’s so please just call me Levi,” he corrects and then looks to Erwin before handing Armin over to him, “But yea. I get it...can I go see her now?” His voice is timid as he asks the question and lets his eyes stay settled on his sleeping son who hadn’t been bothered this entire time. He nuzzles into Erwin’s chest and usually seeing that would make his heart melt but right now he just feels like throwing up.
Petra nods before going to stand up, “Of course. She doesn’t seem to be very talkative but it looks like she’s taken a liking to the youngest son...he’s the one who found her so she might have bonded to him already, but the Jaegers already said that Mikasa is more than welcome to come over any time to play with Eren since they seem so attached already.” That makes Levi snort a bit and smile since he knows what it’s like to be bonded to someone to the point you don’t want to leave them.
“She already reminds me of me,” He responds and follows Petra and Carla out of the dining room and through the hallway towards the den. All of the noises from the TV that had previously been muffled were now louder and Levi realizes they were playing some Super Mario game.
“Come on Zeke! You have to beat him or else we can’t move onto the next level!” A loud voice whines and he figures that one is Eren. When the three of them finally make it to the den his eyes sweep over the room before settling on the trio sitting in front of the TV. There’s an older blond kid with round glasses sitting with a concentrated look on his face while his fingers mash buttons in an attempt to win whatever level they’re playing. Next to him is a younger boy with brown hair and green eyes just like his mother though the intense look on his face nearly knocks Levi back considering the kid has to be the same age as Mikasa. His brows are set into a furrow and his lips are set into a deep scowl as he goes to latch onto his brother’s back, small arms wrapping around his neck. Mikasa is the last to catch his eye and he sucks in a breath at how alike they look. She has the same dark hair and fair skin. He also can’t miss the blank look on her face that Erwin has dubbed the Ackerman stare.
The older boy Zeke wins against the boss which gets a loud cheer from Eren, who nearly chokes the blond out in a crushing hug. Carla’s eyes widen and she rushes to grab Eren off his brother who struggles before settling down and looking up at her and then to Levi. His eyes narrow at him and for once in his life Levi has never felt so offended by a child.
“You’re here to take Mikasa away!” His voice is loud and makes the remaining pair in front of the TV look in their direction. Zeke just rolls his eyes and Mikasa just stares and averts her eyes like she wants to hide.
With a sigh Carla lifts a hand to gently smooth over Eren’s hair, “Be nice Eren. Mr. Smith is Mikasa’s cousin...she needs to be with her family. Now why don’t you and Zeke go play outside so that he and Mikasa can talk for a little while.” It’s obvious that the boy isn’t happy and just sticks his tongue out in Levi’s direction before wiggling out of his mom’s hold and bounding down the hall with loud footsteps. In that moment he takes back everything he’s ever said about Armin being a handful...he couldn’t imagine dealing with that kid all day every day. Carla offers a smile to him as an apology but he just waves a hand in dismissal.
Zeke stands up and stretches before looking down at Mikasa and then to Levi. He doesn’t say anything but walks past them and out the room leaving the three adults and Mikasa. Petra shifts before clearing her throat, “We’ll let you two have some privacy...just call if you need anything.”
All too soon it’s just the two of them left in the room and really he isn’t sure what to do. What do you even say to a kid that heard their parents get murdered in the room over? He could sympathize considering he watched his mom die in the room with him but she had died of illness. A sigh flutters out of his lips as he decides to just sit down next to her on the floor. Neither of them say anything and instead he sits there to give her the time to adjust to his presence. It’s what he would want in her situation
Social interaction had always been draining for him and most of the time he just liked to sit and exist with people instead of going out or being bombarded with conversation. Mikasa seemed the same way so for a while they just sat there in silence to adjust to each other’s presence. After a while it was her that breaks the silence.
“Who are you?”
His eyes shift down to the girl who is more interested in the pattern on the rug than to make eye contact with him. She’s wearing pink socks with rabbits on them and a grey dress with white daisies. Despite her cool exterior he thinks the socks suit her and it makes him smile the slightest bit. With a hum he looks to the window so she doesn’t feel uncomfortable, “My name is Levi...I’m your cousin. I imagine your dad was probably my mother’s brother, but I don’t really know my family so honestly I didn’t know you existed until today. You’re going to come stay with me for a while if that’s okay?”
He eventually looks down to gauge her reaction. The wheels in her head are turning and he takes note of the mild panic that manifests externally. Mikasa’s eyes widen and she snaps her eyes up at him and her bottom lip trembles.
“But I don’t want to leave Eren!”
The small outburst shocks him a bit and he blinks before extending a hand slowly so she has the opportunity to back away if she wants to. She doesn’t so he lets his fingers tuck some hair behind her ear, “You don’t have to leave him forever. Mrs. Jaeger said that you and Eren are welcome to play over here any time you want. He doesn’t seem to want you to go either.” He notes the way she looks at her lap and that must have been enough to satisfy her for now. She just fists her hands into the skirt of her dress.
“I know this is hard for you,” he starts and is once again looking out the window to avoid how pitiful she looks, “I had to watch my mom die when I was young like you...so I know how much it hurts but I want to help you. If you want to live with me and my family then we are more than happy to have you.”
Silence lingers between them save for the soft music of the video game. He gives her all the time she needs to work through her thoughts though Mikasa goes to stand up which draws Levi’s attention to her. The girl is looking down at her socks before she’s extending a hand to him, “Okay...I can live with you. Does this mean I’ll have to have a new mommy?”
It’s an innocent question but it takes everything in him to not laugh. He imagines that she’s only ever really been exposed to traditional family units so of course he doesn’t take the assumption to heart. Levi shifts so he’s kneeling in front of her before taking the hand in both of his. With a hum he squeezes the hand before clearing his throat, “Well...no. Your mommy and daddy will always be number one to you so once the house is okay for us to go back in we’ll get all the pictures and things you want from there so you can remember them.” That seems to sate some of her anxieties judging by the way her shoulders drop the slightest bit.
How is he supposed to tell a four year old he isn’t married to a woman? Will she care? For a moment he mulls a few different sentences round before just sighing, “Mikasa...I’m married to a man. So you will most definitely not have to have a new mommy.” She looks up at him when he says that and he waits with bated breath to see what she’ll say.
“Okay good because I don’t want a new mommy,” is all she says and that makes a smile tug on his lips.
“I’m glad...now if you want to we can go back in there so you can meet him and our son?” His knees start to hurt on the floor so he goes to stand up and holds her hand with one of his. Mikasa nods and the pair set off down the hall and back to the dining table where the rest of the adults are seated. Erwin notices them first and he sees the way they’re holding hands and he smiles. The two stop at the doorway and Erwin gives Carla the sleeping kid in his arms. She seems content to hold him judging by the wide smile on her lips and the soft coos she gives.
Erwin stands up and walks over to the two Ackermans before dropping down onto one knee so he’s able to be closer to Mikasa’s height. A gentle smile settles on his lips and he clears his throat before speaking, “Hello Mikasa...I’m Erwin.” She’s quiet and Levi can tell she’s nervous by the way she shifts a centimeter closer to his leg. He squeezes her hand in reassurance which seems to do something since she nods.
“Am I going to be living with you too?”
Erwin gives a slow nod before reaching out a hand for her to take if she wants, “Is that okay with you?”
The question makes her pause before looking up to Levi and then down to the hand Erwin has extended out to her. Her bottom lip pulls between her teeth and slowly she reaches out with her other hand, “Yea...I guess that’s okay.”
The rest of the day flashes by and all too soon Levi is sinking into the soft mattress of their bed with a grunt and a headache. Erwin had been a saint and took to tending to Armin since he knew that today had been exponentially stressful for Levi.
For the most part he had dealt with an adjusting Mikasa who seemed to get more and more distant the longer she was in their house. At first she had looked around with curious eyes but as time passed Levi could tell the girl was miserable. It was an entirely new environment with people she had never met before. Thankfully Armin hadn’t been fussy and was content to be playing on the floor with his blocks while Erwin and Levi situated the house. Mikasa sat on the couch with the TV on for a while but Levi could tell she wasn’t watching the cartoons. Instead her gaze was glassy and distant to the point that she seemed to just be staring right through the TV.
By the time Levi had settled her into the spare room across from Armin’s, took a bath, and lotioned up his skin, he was ready to drop dead. His muscles were wound up tighter than a spring and his head was pounding. With a huff he pulls the blankets over his head and pushes his face into his pillow in an attempt to keep the outside world from getting in. It works until Erwin came into the room to go through his own night routine.
The sounds of him moving around the bathroom and the bedroom grate at the last of his nerves until he’s yanking the blankets off of his body and narrowing his eyes in the direction of the noise, “Can you be any louder?” His voice is terse and unyielding as he glares at his husband who is looking at him like a deer caught in headlights.
Erwin is only in a pair of sweatpants with his toothbrush in his mouth and a hand running through his hair to break up some of the stiffness from the product. He simply blinks a couple of times before returning to his tasks. That alone irritates Levi even more but he just decides to glare in the direction of the other since he doesn’t really want to pick a fight. The blond finishes up with his teeth and grabs a few things from the bathroom before making his way to the bed. He settles into his spot and sets the objects on his nightstand, “Come here.”
At the request Levi doesn’t budge so Erwin just sighs and reaches over to grab Levi and pull him to his body. Gently, Erwin easily tucks Levi’s smaller body between his legs with his back pressed against his chest. Neither of them say anything as Erwin shifts to grab the warm rag to fold it and then lay it over grey eyes, “it’s been a long day...let me take care of you.”
Instantly guilt bubbles up in Levi but he doesn’t make a move to apologize. He knows Erwin has already forgiven him.
Strong hands move up to run through damp black hair until fingers settle at his temples. Gentle pressure is applied to the area and soon enough he’s rubbing the tension away. A small groan escapes his lips at the feeling and Levi just sinks back into the solid chest. A gentle kiss is pressed to the crown of his head and the feeling of a smile lingers against the spot.
“She’ll be okay,” Erwin speaks after a moment and then presses a kiss behind his ear, “These things just take time…”
“I know,” Levi sighs and clicks his tongue, “She just looks so...miserable. It just reminds me a lot of me.”
The rise and fall of Erwin’s breathing mixed with the feeling of his heartbeat slowly relaxes the tension in his muscles to the point he feels boneless against him. Already the rag gets cooler and he grunts before lifting a hand to pull it from his face and then drop it back on the nightstand.
Levi tilts his head back to catch a look at the other and takes note of the slight smile on his husband’s lips. The pair just look at each other for a few silent seconds before Erwin is leaning down to kiss his nose, “you’re a good dad.” The mumbled affirmation causes a warmth to settle in Levi’s chest and like always he’s eternally grateful to have Erwin in his life.
“Yea?” he hums and lets his eyes slip shut as Erwin reaches over to turn the lamp off and then shifts them both so they’re laying down in bed. Levi’s back stays pressed against the broad chest and it feels like being wrapped in a warm blanket.
“Of course,” Erwin presses a kiss to the back of his neck and then nuzzles into the hair of his undercut, “You work from home and have to handle Armin more than I do. I’m always so in awe of how well you balance everything. I know that it would be hard for me to do all of the things you do. I know all of this with Mikasa is stressing you out but remember that you’re a good dad and she’ll come around...just be there for her.”
Everything Erwin says allows more relaxation to filter through him until sleep is threatening to swallow him whole. With eyes slipping shut and his body sinking into the mattress, Levi just manages a grunt in response.
“Goodnight Levi,” The words are soft as they’re mumbled into his hair and it’s the last thing he hears before letting himself succumb to the sleep he desperately needs.