Chapter Text
“Come on. Dad-da. Say Dad-da.”
Erwin’s head leaned against the back of the couch. His large, careful hands were underneath Mikasa’s arms and he was lifting her slightly into the air, though the brunt of her body was leaning against Erwin’s bended knees. Her beautiful brown eyes were gazing at him with more focus. Some hair dared to obstruct them but it wasn’t quite long enough to do that, yet. Erwin had always marveled at how much hair the ten-month old had. From his own baby pictures, he’d had very fair blonde hair but it was hard to tell if it was even there. Levi had very few baby pictures to reference but he supposed it didn’t matter. Mikasa wasn’t theirs by blood, unless one was to count the distant blood relation between Levi and Mikasa. Erwin could see the resemblance the more the baby girl grew. While Mikasa was a happy baby, her neutral face held the same stoicism as Levi’s did. Many of their features, in fact, were the same. It garnered Levi many compliments when they were out in public; compliments which Levi never knew how to take. Nevertheless, it was nice to have their status as a family reaffirmed.
Mikasa’s back was supported by Erwin’s knees and thighs. Her head was inclined forward toward Erwin, utterly engaged in her father’s words and his kind tone. She was smiling and trying to mimic the movements of his mouth. She’d always babbled but was now starting to mimic word sounds. It had been about a month since she’d started making little noises to echo the speech patterns and words of the adults around her. It utterly delighted their friends. Hanji had spent hours the other weekend holding Mikasa and talking to her about everything and anything, beaming and thrilled when Mikasa would crack a smile and say something completely unintelligible. Levi had made an off-handed joke that at least someone would listen to Hanji’s scientific ramblings now.
Now that Mikasa was starting to get better at mimicking sounds, Erwin was determined to have her get as close as possible to her first words. He knew she could do it. According to the pediatrician, Mikasa’s growth was in the top percentiles and she was even advancing through her milestones. Just as she was getting comfortable with mimicking words, she was starting to consider walking as well. She was doing exceptionally at crawling and even was getting brave at climbing up the first sets of stairs in the house. The pediatrician said he wouldn’t be surprised if she was walking before her first birthday.
“Dad-da,” Erwin repeated, smiling when Mikasa waved her hands. He leaned in and kissed her cheek, blowing a raspberry on her skin. He felt her turn her head toward his and giggle that rare, blissful giggle. “Come on, sweetheart. Dad-da.”
“Ah!” Mikasa replied, her voice hitching into almost a chirp. Her little hands swatted her father’s face. “Ah, ah, ah!”
“Wrong vowel, but close.” Erwin tickled her chin, bringing forth more giggles. “Dad-da.”
Mikasa’s head shook in a wild “no”, surprising Erwin. “Hey,” he scolded playfully. He watched as Mikasa’s smile lit up her whole face and she leaned against him, turning her head to the side. Her little body shook with another giggle. Erwin rubbed her back. “You absolutely know what you’re doing, don’t you?”
The front door opened and shut, drawing Erwin’s attention. Mikasa still laid against his chest though her eyes widened at the sound of someone new coming in. Levi soon appeared in the living room, throwing his keys on the coffee table. His face was reddened and damp with sweat. He exhaled and braced his hands on his lower back, opening his lungs. He lifted his chin and momentarily frowned. “Thought you were grading papers.”
“I decided to take a break.” Erwin had been going at grading midterm papers all morning. He’d made a place in his office for Mikasa to play so he could keep an eye on her while Levi was at the gym. He rubbed his daughter’s back and said, “Say hi to Dad.”
“Have we decided what she’s going to call us? Because if she calls both of us Dad, it’ll be confusing. Won’t know who the hell she’s talking to.” Levi stretched his arms above his head. His fingers waggled when Mikasa looked at him. “Comfy there, kid?”
“I’ve been trying to get her to say ‘Dadda’ to me. Some off-shoot of that, probably.” Erwin moved his hand to Mikasa’s hair, stroking through the strands. “You call yourself ‘Dad’ in front of her. Just stick with that.”
“Won’t it be confusing to her?” Levi shook his head and lowered his arms. He’d caught his breath enough by now. “Whatever. Her problem, not ours.”
“She’s a baby, Levi. And what she calls us isn’t the most concerning thing in the world.” Erwin took a moment to appreciate his husband’s physique. “What’d you do today?”
“Upper body and arms. A bit of kickboxing.” Levi exhaled again. His brows knit together as he coughed. “Son of a bitch.” His lungs were still adjusting to his cool down. Levi also had a mild case of asthma when he’d been younger and sometimes heavy exercise exacerbated it. It was mild enough for him to deal with on his own.
Mikasa picked up her head and gave Levi a pleading look. Her body stretched toward him and was supported by Erwin the entire time. “No, Dad needs to take a shower,” Erwin told her. Even still, Mikasa whined at Levi.
“I’m sweaty, kid. Give me twenty-minutes and I’m all yours,” Levi bargained. He nodded his chin toward Erwin again. “Progress on the ‘Dad-da’ thing?”
The blonde shook his head. “Not quite. Anything but ‘D’ sounds. Sometimes she’ll act as if she will but I think she’s trying to get a rise out of me.”
“Well, at least she’s trying.” Levi picked up his keys again. “Showering. I’ll take her after. Did she eat?”
“Not yet. She needs to in half an hour,” Erwin responded, trying to keep Mikasa from leaning too far toward Levi. “Mikasa, let Dad shower.”
Levi’s eyes squinted at Erwin and then at Mikasa. “You really don’t want me to hold you right now.”
In response, Mikasa whined more desperately. She began to strain out of Erwin’s firm grasp and let out a pleading cry. Erwin lauded Levi a look. “Two seconds.”
“Erwin, if I don’t shower I think I’m going to crawl out of my skin.” Levi glared at him.
Another whine and cry came from Mikasa’s mouth. Erwin stood up and held her on his hip, watching her lean for Levi. His head tilted to the side as he aimed a stern look at his husband.
Levi sighed in defeat. He put his keys down and walked over to take Mikasa into his arms, holding her on his hip as well. “Happy?” He asked the baby once she stopped crying. He pushed the strands of hair off her forehead and bounced her twice. “Happy now?”
Mikasa was, in fact, very happy. She waved her hand and managed to smack Levi’s sternum four times. “Bah, bah, bah,” she babbled. “Bah, bah!”
“What the hell does that mean?” Levi bounced her again, engaged in this foreign dialogue. “Does that mean, ‘Yes, Dad, I’m happy I’m keeping you from doing what you need to do?’.”
Erwin’s hands went to his hips as he watched his husband’s playful banter with their daughter. “I think it is,” he confirmed.
“Little shit,” Levi responded, tickling her neck. Mikasa giggled and folded, leaning against Levi’s shoulder. He gave in more and kissed her forehead. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
“If ‘shit’ is her first word, I’m going to be furious,” Erwin informed.
“Yeah, well I’ll be the one getting shit for it and not you.” Levi shrugged his shoulders. He looked at Mikasa and rubbed her cheek with his finger. “If you say ‘shit’ as your first word, I will pay for everything in your life.”
“We’re already paying for everything,” Erwin pointed out.
Levi’s eyes narrowed. “And?”
The taller man shook his head and walked over to take Mikasa back. She made a noise of protest and nuzzled her head against Levi. “Come on, Dad’s got to shower.” He took her, ignoring her wriggling and cries. “You’ll see him after.”
“If you want me, you’ve gotta walk,” Levi bargained. He took his keys, waved his hand, and started backing away, watching Mikasa’s face and hearing her crying. “What? Sorry, can’t understand what you’re saying. Got to walk, got to talk.” He waved his hand and headed upstairs.
Erwin shook his head and bounced Mikasa, shushing her. “Want to go see what’s outside? You like looking outside,” he suggested. Slowly he bent over and lowered Mikasa until she was standing on her feet. Erwin let her hold onto his fingers and assisted her in walking toward the window. Mikasa was good at walking assisted. Her feet were flat on the floor and her confidence had been building day-by-day. Sometimes, he and Levi even got her to hold one of their hands and walk. It was truly only a matter of time that she walked on her own. Or, at least, took a few steps unassisted and then fell. Erwin would certainly consider that walking.
He walked Mikasa to the window, praising her all the way and counting the steps for her sake. Once they got there, Erwin scooped her up and settled her against their hip. “Dad’s got a point,” he told the baby, “you’re so close. I know you can do it by yourself.” He pressed a kiss to her head and watched the baby become distracted by the sight of the sunny day outside. She gazed at the trees and birds outside then pressed her palm against the window. Mikasa ceased crying and slapped her hand against the window, smiling contently at this new distraction.
“Bah, bah,” she babbled.
Erwin’s head shook as he watched her. “Close enough. Birds. There are birds out there.”
Mikasa repeated, “Buh-bah.” She leaned forward, pressing her face against the window to get a closer look.
Erwin’s head shook as he saw the face print left behind. “Dad’s not going to be happy about this. You going to clean that up so I don’t get in trouble?”
“Ah-buh!” Mikasa responded, looking at him. She grinned and bashfully hid her face in Erwin’s neck.
His eyes rolled and he wrapped his arms around her. “Yeah, of course you won’t.”
When Levi stepped out of the shower, he heard the sound of footsteps in the room. Securing the towel around his waist, he paused and waited as the sound came closer toward the door. Sure enough, the door was pushed open and he was greeted by Mikasa’s head and smiling face peeking around the door.
It was too precious for him not to smile and be the least bit impressed. “How’d you make your way here, huh?” Levi made sure the bottoms of his feet were dried on the bathmat before stepping nearer to his daughter. She was obviously crawling and made her way in before sitting back on her haunches and looking up at Levi with a wide, bright smile. Levi acquiesced and picked her up, holding her against him. “Couldn’t keep away, could you?”
Holding his daughter, Levi stepped into the bedroom which was connected to the bathroom. Erwin was standing by the bed, watching his husband and daughter come back in. “Guess you found Dad, huh?” The taller man asked Mikasa, his arms folded and head inclined toward her. In response, the baby girl beamed mischievously and leaned his head against Levi’s damp chest.
Levi rubbed her back and walked over to the dresser then the closet, pulling out clean clothes. He handed a shirt to Mikasa to hold onto, giving her something to do while he perused his options. After finding his clothes, he put Mikasa on the bed beside Erwin so he could get dressed. It was Sunday and the tea shop was closed. Therefore, he could afford to be casual. He put on a pair of black jeans and a black shirt, not entirely committing to a spiffed up image. It was the weekend, after all, and he’d learned quickly after gaining custody over Mikasa that babies didn’t give a damn whether one had to look nice for work. It was especially true now that Mikasa was teething and drooling over everything even more than she did months prior. It wasn’t abnormal for Levi and Erwin to do three loads of laundry consisting of stained and spat-up upon shirts.
Once dressed, Levi put the towel in the laundry basket and ran a hand through his wet hair, content on letting it air dry. When he looked over, Erwin was reclining on the bed with Mikasa once more. He was balancing her on his shines and knees and holding onto her tiny shoulders. Mikasa was giggling softly as Erwin’s knees lightly bounced her then lowered her so he could blow raspberries on her cheek, causing shrieks of laughter that Levi had never known possible until now.
“I can’t wait for the day she throws up on your face,” Levi commented, going over to the bed and laying beside his husband and daughter. He reached his hand over and tickled his fingers under Mikasa’s chin, watching as she wriggled and laughed again. He was glad she was more vocal. Sometimes Mikasa could be so quiet and pensive that Levi wondered if she was okay. Then again, he wondered if that was just a family trait they both shared.
Erwin’s head turned toward Levi. His hands remained spotting Mikasa where she balanced. “She has already. You just weren’t home and I cleaned it up quite well.” His attention returned to Mikasa and, fluidly, he took her off his knees and brought her to his chest. Mikasa’s head leaned into the space underneath Erwin’s chin and she cuddled into the spot. Her brown eyes brightened as she looked at Levi then at the space above and around his head, taking in her surroundings.
Levi’s pinky extended to tickle his daughter’s cheek and chin once again. “She’s lucky she’s cute,” he commented.
Erwin’s hand rubbed Mikasa’s back. “That she is. And smart, too.” His blue eyes gazed at the top of his daughter’s head. “She’s going to start walking and talking any day now. I feel it.”
“Another gut feeling?” Levi’s body turned on its side facing his family. His fingers continued caressing his daughter’s face then her hair. He watched as Mikasa’s eyes fixated on his and how her tiny fingers held onto Erwin’s shirt. He was glad she felt safe with Erwin. With himself, too, but especially Erwin. Seven months ago, Levi hadn’t been so sure. But now, it was as if Mikasa had been with them from day one.
“A large gut feeling,” Erwin responded. “Hey, Mikasa. Dad-da? Say Dad-da?”
Levi watched his daughter recognize Erwin’s voice but still remain looking at him. Her mouth turned upward into a smile and she hid her face into Erwin’s chest. She was funny in that way. Levi was amazed at how her personality had developed. Sometimes she could be so serious and pensive. Other times she could have a sense of humor and seemingly play such a silly game with her parents.
“Hey, kid, Dadda asked you a question.” His index finger extended to tap Mikasa’s nose. In response, the baby quietly giggled and tucked her face into Erwin’s chest once again. “Say ‘Dad-da’. Save me from my misery of hearing him repeat that for the next however many weeks.”
“Ba-bah! Buh-bah,” Mikasa responded, picking up her head and bumping Erwin’s chin. “Buh-bah.”
“You’re two sounds off,” Levi informed her as if he were speaking to any other person. “Dad-da. Not too hard.”
Mikasa’s lips silently formed the word sound but nothing came out. Erwin was utterly entertained by watching his husband try to bargain with their daughter, seeing how quickly cross he became. “She’s not going to get it in one minutes.”
“You’re the one trying to get her to say it,” Levi pointed out. “I’m just trying to help you out.”
“She’ll say it in her own time. I’m just...eagerly encouraging her,” Erwin reminded him. He dragged his fingers through the strands of Mikasa’s hair.
Levi rolled his eyes and slung his arm across Erwin’s torso and Mikasa’s back. “At least the sound. Duh-Duh-Duh. Make the sound, kid.”
Mikasa merely smiled at Levi. The darker-haired man shook his head and closed his eyes. “I give up.”
He heard Erwin’s hum of laughter and felt the man’s arm go around him. Levi’s head, with hair still damp from his shower, pressed against Erwin’s shoulder as he permitted himself to enjoy this moment of quiet. With his normal routine plus a baby on the verge of walking and talking, Levi hadn’t realized how exhausted he’d been lately. Quiet moments were few and far between. Now he felt able to think, to take a chance to enjoy the quiet and the peace. Levi felt Mikasa’s back rise and fall underneath his arm. Never in his life could he have imagined such peace and happiness. It was unreal that this was his life.
Levi’s eyes opened and he met his daughter’s eyes again. She had that look in her eyes that she did when she was heading toward a nap; tired and far-reaching. As if she was seeing something Levi and Erwin simply couldn’t. Then he looked up at Erwin, who was looking at the top of their daughter’s head. Levi lifted his head, leaning up on his elbow. It caught Erwin’s attention. His head turned and brows raised in a silent question. Instead of speaking, Levi only smiled at him and shook his head.
“What?” Erwin asked quietly.
Again, Levi shook his head and smiled. He didn’t need to say anything.
Erwin’s eyes watched him curiously. Then he, too, smiled. “You, too.”
Their mouths met in a gentle kiss and Levi, for a moment, kept his head against Erwin’s. “Want me to take her so you can get grading done?”
“In a bit,” Erwin responded. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll get back to it.”
“A strict ten?” Levi asked, pulling his head back.
Erwin’s eyes opened and he nodded in confirmation. “Strict ten. No more, no less.”
Making a visual note of the time on his phone, Levi set it between them so he had a reminder. “Ten minutes,” he confirmed, leaning his head back down on Erwin’s shoulder. He felt the strong arm wrap around him in response to settling down. As long as Mikasa was relaxed then Levi felt he could relax. She was often so active that times like this, where they all laid down together, were few and far between.
Levi spared a thought to his mother. His memories of her were still hazy but, he assumed, they must have had moments like this. Vaguely he remembered her holding him before he went to bed. Had he laid on her chest so easily and safely as Mikasa now laid on Erwin’s? When Levi thought of his mother, he vaguely remembered a warmth. Was it her smile that was warm or was it how she bundled him up in a blanket and held him against her? The few pictures Levi had received showed himself being held by his mother with a certain white blanket wrapped around him. Those were baby pictures, certainly, but it jogged something in his memory.
His dark eyes watched Mikasa’s, seeing how they slowly blinked and grew heavier with each rise and fall of Erwin’s chest as well as the soothing motion of his hand on her back. Levi leaned in and kissed her cheek, pressing his forehead against hers for the moment then laying back down in his previous position. He was pleased to see it didn’t unsettle her. Sometimes it could be a gamble showing Mikasa affection when she was in a soothed state like this. Luckily, she seemed calm and content enough to keep at what she was doing.
Ten minutes moved on and Mikasa’s eyes were entirely closed. Levi checked his phone and whispered, “Alright, you’ve got to get up,” to Erwin.
Erwin’s own eyes opened. He hadn’t been sleeping but he definitely seemed to have rested. Good. Sometimes Levi thought that Erwin worked too hard. He was determined to be a good teacher, husband, and father as well as friend. He took on so many roles that Levi wondered if he would ever find time for himself. Then again, Levi was the same way. He liked being busy and mindfully taking time for himself was difficult. It had to be seamlessly integrated into his day otherwise Levi would avoid it like the plague. Becoming a father had helped him figure out his limits. Even still, Levi knew he walked the fine line of running himself ragged. Erwin was the same way some of the time.
“Right,” responded the blond. His tone was quiet as to not disturb their sleeping daughter. “Hand-off?”
Levi slowly rose, careful not to disturb the mattress too much. “Yeah,” he whispered in a similar tone. “I’ll take her back. Just slowly ease her over.”
It was an effort for Erwin to ease up to the sitting position, keeping Mikasa against his torso with one arm. He twisted his torso toward Levi and waited until the man had his hands on Mikasa’s back and upper body before he leaned forward, easing her into Levi’s arms. They paused at a point when Mikasa seemed roused out of her rest but they’d come too far now to go back. Levi’s lips mouthed “go” and they completed the handover. Levi’s arms surrounded Mikasa, keeping her warm and secure in his own hold.
“Nice,” Levi whispered, tucking Mikasa’s head under his chin.
Erwin stared at the sight, scanning his daughter’s back.
Frowning upon noticing, Levi asked, “What?”
“—She’s almost the length of your entire upper body,” Erwin commented.
The glare with which Erwin was given could surely kill any other man. “Fuck you,” Levi whispered harshly.
Erwin slid out of bed, careful not to make too much noise. “I’ll be in my office,” he informed Levi. “I’ll try to be done in two hours at the most.”
“Yeah, well I hope it takes three hours,” Levi shot back. He leaned back against the propped up pillows and found his phone. As he lifted it up, he extended his middle finger to flip Erwin off.
Shaking his head, Erwin left the room for his office down the hall. At least Mikasa was asleep and he could get his work done. Once finished, he would have the rest of the day and the evening to attend to his daughter.
It was an hour later that Erwin heard sounds from down the hall. At first, he truly didn’t think anything of it. Mikasa was likely awake by now and Levi could handle her. If anything, she probably needed to eat and then they would go play until Erwin was done.
He finished the comments in the margin of one of his student’s papers and flipped to the end page, totaling the grade and writing overall comments. Then, he heard Levi’s low voice increase in volume. Erwin frowned as he tried to detect the tone. It didn’t seem panicked, no, but it wasn’t his typical calm self. Levi’s voice was followed by the certain sound of Mikasa whining and getting upset. Surely, this was the start of a small fit Mikasa was prone to throw. It wasn’t a hint of any behavioral issue, like Erwin had witnessed Nile complaining about time and time again with his daughters. Babies were babies; they would cry and throw fits because, especially at Mikasa’s age, they couldn’t communicate like older children and adults could.
Erwin put the graded paper in the appropriate stack and leaned back in his chair, scrubbing his hands over his face. Again came another whine and the sound of the floorboards creaking, despite the carpet. Levi’s low voice sounded again followed by another long whine which turned into a cry. Erwin turned his head toward his door and considered getting up to see what was going on. He could take another break; that wasn’t an issue.
As he readied himself to get out of his chair and go see his daughter, Levi’s voice called him. “Erwin!” The raised tone was followed by the sound of a sharp cry and a wobbling voice.
Levi rarely raised his voice like this. It caught Erwin off-guard at the tone. His initial reaction was that Levi’s voice sounded almost panicked. Immediately, Erwin’s brain went into overdrive and into over-planning. He constructed three different possibilities; Mikasa had fallen off the bed, Mikasa wasn’t feeling well, Mikasa had fallen down the stairs. He acknowledged that all of those possibilities were worst-case scenario but why else would Levi sound like that?
Immediately, Erwin got out of his chair and quickly went down the hall back to their bedroom. With a worried expression, he got to the door and opened it with a concerned, “Is everything oka—?”
Levi was kneeling by Mikasa, who was standing before him. Her face was reddened and her eyes filled with tears which rolled down her cheeks. She was wailing and facing a wide-eyed Levi, gripping onto his offered hands. Her head turned as she recognized Erwin’s voice.
Then, Mikasa reached forward and took a supported step toward him. “Dadda!”
Erwin’s eyes widened. His lips parted and jaw went slack. His brain had to process what had just happened before he believed it. Levi’s face, too, was utterly shocked. He leaned forward as Mikasa tried to step toward Erwin, reaching for him with splayed fingers. “Dadda,” Mikasa cried again. She strained against Levi’s hand and bent her knees in frustration, nearly bouncing in place.
Erwin went down to his knees, keeping his eyes on Mikasa the entire time. “Did she just—?”
Levi nodded in shock. He walked on his knees over to Mikasa, making sure she wasn’t straining against his hold anymore. His free hand raised to wipe her eyes and try to soothe her. “Dadda’s here,” he assured, “see? He’s still here.” He looked up at Erwin then at their daughter in utter awe. “—Are you going to walk to him? He’s right there.”
Mikasa sniffled and reached for Erwin, who moved a little bit to close the gap and make it easier for the baby to walk over if she wanted to. He extended his hand toward her. “Dadda’s right here,” Erwin reassured. “Right here.” His calm demeanor masked his excitement and shock that Mikasa had actually said it. Of course, she could have just been babbling. Then again, she’d looked right at him and spoken. She’d meant to communicate with him.
Levi’s hands let go as Mikasa took a few wobbly steps forward. He raised them and stared intently at Mikasa as she seemed to debate whether to crawl or to walk the very short distance to Erwin. Sure enough, she took one step then the other. In all, Mikasa took four steps before falling into Erwin’s waiting arms.
Immediately, his arms surrounded Mikasa and Erwin held her to his chest. He pressed his mouth against her hair in utter shock. “Good job, Mikasa,” he praised, stroking her hair and then her face. She was still crying and upset, after all. Erwin looked down at her and kissed her cheek then wiped her tears. “You did it. You did it, sweetheart.”
Levi slowly moved over by their sides and put his hand on Mikasa’s back. “Holy shit, kid, you did it,” he marveled. He moved his hand to her hair, too, and stroked it to comfort her.
Slowly, with the help of her fathers’ loving words and touches, Mikasa’s sniffles and whimpers subsided and she nuzzled against Erwin. “Dadda.”
Erwin laughed a bit and nodded. “Yeah, you’ve got it. That’s so great, Mikasa.” His mouth spread in a wide, aching smile. He looked up at Levi, who was still shocked and in utter amazement of what they had both witnessed.
Levi finally said, “I think our kid is a prodigy. First words and first steps at the same time.”
Mikasa turned her head against Erwin’s chest and looked at Levi. She reached her hand to him as well. “Da.”
Now it was Levi’s turn to have a visceral, emotional reaction. There was a sharp intake of breath and a muttered, “Shit,” before he extended his fingers and curled them around Mikasa’s hand. “You’re really here to break our hearts, aren’t you kid?” He shifted closer and leaned in to kiss her head, closing his eyes as he did. Then he lifted his chin and rested it atop her head as he looked at Erwin. His expression was an amalgamation of emotions; pride being the predominant emotion. He was more than glad to see the same look on Erwin’s face.
Levi’s head shook and a small laugh came form his mouth at Erwin’s reaction. “If you tell anyone this is how I reacted—.” He started to warn without weight.
Erwin cupped his face. “Not at all.” He carded his hand through Levi’s hair then he looked back down at Mikasa. “Go give Dad a hug. He needs it.”
Levi squinted at him but accepted Mikasa into his arms, holding her against his chest and gently rocking her. “Proud of you, kid,” he muttered. “Good for you.”
Mikasa leaned her ear against Levi’s heart and sniffled. “Da-Da,” she whimpered.
“Yeah, you’ve got both of us,” reassured Levi. He smiled down at her. “Prodigy. A damn prodigy.”
A laugh came from Erwin. “You say that and now she’ll never do it again.”
“She’d better. No reason we’re getting all worked up if she does it once.” Levi tickled Mikasa’s cheek again, causing her to hide her face in his chest once more. “We’ve got a walker and talker, now.”
As he gazed at his daughter and husband, Erwin was curious to realize he wasn’t anxious over this new development. He recalled back to when Nile and Marie’s first child had started walking; how they fussed and fretted over the potential issues which would arise and how worried they were for accidents to happen. Erwin, on the other hand, didn’t feel as if that was applicable to himself and Levi. Both of them were adaptable, for starters. Certainly neither of them were experts at being parents but they were able to easily adapt to each situation which arose and reached out for other sources when they had no idea what they were doing.
“We do,” Erwin confirmed. “Well, when you’re feeling better, why don’t we try walking again. Maybe go visit those birds again?” He asked Mikasa, tilting his head to the side and regarding her.
Mikasa said nothing. She was only content to stare at Erwin and listen to Levi’s beating heart.
Days passed and Mikasa continued with her talking. She babbled, smiled, and giggled when her fathers showered her with praise and approval. Erwin didn’t remember ever seeing Levi smile so much in such a consistent span of time than he did when Mikasa reached for him and called for him in her more coherent babbles. Even the slapping of her hand to his face didn’t seem to phase Levi when Mikasa called him “Da-da.”
They soon discovered how to tell who Mikasa was talking about. “Dadda”, with the sounds rushed together, was Erwin while “Da-da” was Levi; with the sounds being separated by a considerate pause. Neither of them knew how Mikasa knew to differentiate but they didn’t complain. It delighted them to have their little girl speaking and recognizing them.
Now, it was the walking which took a bit longer to become as consistent as speaking. Even though she was more than capable of doing it, Mikasa seemed to get a kick out of not walking when her parents wanted. It was when their backs were turned or when something was occupying either of their attentions that Mikasa would rise and shakily toddle forward until she fell to her hands and knees. Sometimes, this ended up in tears and quite a significant amount of time with Mikasa cuddling into either Levi or Erwin’s chest. Though Levi began to suspect this had become a game after seeing how Mikasa whimpered yet smiled to the side when Erwin picked her up after a fall. After that, Levi set a light rule that Mikasa had to learn to walk; even if that meant she took a tumble or two and cried.
One Saturday, after watching her commit to crawling around the house all morning, Levi and Erwin finally convinced Mikasa to get up and practice walking. This time, as she did, she began babbling happily as she walked back and forth from one parent to the other. And, by walking, that meant taking three to four steps unassisted, then falling into either Erwin or Levi’s arms. Mikasa did not seem to mind it at all. In fact, she had begun to see it as a rather exciting game. As she went from Levi to Erwin, she laughed loudly as she fell into their arms. It drew laughter from Erwin and amused shakes of the head from Levi. Any hope Erwin had of getting ahead on his work was dashed. He was more than content, however, to continue this little game. And even when they had to bring Mikasa down the stairs to eat, they continued the little game and encouraged her to speak more. Their enthusiasm lasted longer than Mikasa’s. By the end of feeding her lunch, Mikasa had ceased finding the little game funny and only stared at Levi and Erwin with her unimpressed expression which so resembled Levi.
“She’s definitely your daughter,” Erwin noted, wiping Mikasa’s face with a wet wipe. It was proving to be an effort as Mikasa strained and leaned her body away from the wipe, whining and waving sticky hands all the while.
Levi scoffed and put the little dishes and utensils in the dishwasher. He dried his hands and filled a little sip cup with water from a gallon bottle. He brought it over to Mikasa and set it on the tray before her. Erwin’s hand retracted so Mikasa could grab the cup by the handles and take a long, exaggerated drink. It amazed Erwin that a baby could drink down so much water.
Both of them watched her drink. When she was finished, Mikasa put the bottle down on the tray and smacked her lips together. “Ah,” she sighed, smiling at her parents.
Levi looked at Erwin with narrowed eyes. “I hate when she does that,” he remarked.
Erwin had taught Mikasa to sigh after she drank from her bottle after they’d first introduced her the sip cup. After that, it had become a staple occurrence; a loud, exaggerated sigh after extended drinking from either a bottle or sip cup.
In response, Erwin shrugged and looked back at Mikasa. He shared a sly look with his daughter. “Go on.” He mimicked the noise again to spite Levi, earning a little laugh from Mikasa. Again, she drank from the bottle until there was nothing but air. Again, she sighed a loud sigh together with Erwin. “Good girl,” Erwin praised, leaning in and lightly bumping his nose to Mikasa’s.
“The two of you are on my shit list,” Levi warned, cleaning up the counter and organizing the bottles and cups on the drying rack.
Erwin unbuckled Mikasa from her seat and picked her up, balancing her on his hip and giving a little bounce. “Tell Dad he’s being mean,” he instructed Mikasa.
“Don’t gang up on me because you taught her something obnoxious.” Levi braced his hands against the counter, eyeing the two as they came to the opposite side facing him. He narrowed his eyes at Mikasa. “Don’t go favoring him, now.”
Mikasa smiled innocently and leaned forward. “Da, da, da,” she babbled. Erwin ended up putting her on the counter, letting her sit on the top, much to Levi’s chagrin.
“There you go teaching her another bad habit to spite me,” Levi scolded. Even still, he leaned in and let Mikasa reach for his face. He was unfazed as Mikasa’s little hand gripped his lips, his nose, and smacked his cheek rather harshly. It was all part of the job. His eyes moved sideways to Erwin and he shook his head, his hair moving side-to-side. Playfully, to Mikasa’s benefit, he blew air into her hand and used the opportunity to lift his chin away from her reach. “See? Bad manners. And now she knows exactly how to manipulate us.”
Erwin’s hands were spotting Mikasa’s torso as she sat on the counter. “That may be,” he remarked, “but I think she’s still the best girl in the world.”
“Yeah, not that you’d be biased or anything.” Levi squinted as Mikasa reached forward to bat his face again.
Erwin looked around Mikasa to get a look at her face. She was smiling and engaged in interacting with Levi. She was babbling and patted her little hands on Levi’s face, certainly leaving red marks in her wake. Even still, Levi didn’t pull back. In fact, he was smiling and utterly enraptured by what was going on. “Not that you’re biased, either,” Erwin pointed out fondly.
“No,” Levi responded thoughtfully. He raised his eyes to Erwin and smiled. “Not biased at all.”