Work Text:
“Are we there yet?” Eren whined petulantly from the back seat of the car, his legs slamming against the back of Levi’s chair as if punctuating his sentence.
Levi breathed in deeply through his nose, counting to ten like Hange had instructed him to before they had ventured out for the day. The scowl remained dark on his features, however, as the counting ceased. He aimed a swear at the woman in the passenger seat for good measure.
It had been her idea in the first place. It was always her idea. This time, in particular, she had risen abruptly from her seat at the table, gathering the attention of their six children in an instant. Levi knew right then and there, as he placed his fork back down on his plate, that whatever idea she had come up with this time was going to nothing less than hell for him.
She announced that she had been inspired by one of her co-workers who had recently taken a brief trip for the day. She decided that they should do the same. Armin had meekly purposed they visit the beach, and that was all it took for Hange to immediately agree.
They hadn’t been to a beach since they were much younger; Levi had learned his lesson after Sasha had been swept away by the current after he had told her not to venture in too deep into the water. Each one of them had stubborn resolves that hadn’t seemed to burn out as they grew older, which is why Levi refused to take them anywhere they could get into mischief.
Levi knew his protests would be futile; after all, it was seven to one—so here he was, a mere three days later, almost three hours into their drive to the beach. Eren had begun to get agitated around half an hour ago, a stream of complaints tumbling from his lips as he fidgeted and kicked impatiently against Levi’s seat. Levi wished without an ounce of remorse that they sold a muzzle for children.
Besides his youngest son, the other five kids had been surprisingly quiet throughout the trip—not without a few mishaps along the way, but that was almost to be expected. Now Mikasa sat silently beside Eren, her head lulled to the side, as her gray gaze focused primarily on the trees they were currently whipping past.
Armin also sat in the back row beside them, humming quietly under his breath as he dutifully colored in the pages of the coloring book Hange had purchased each of them at one of the pit stops they had stopped at earlier. Jean, Connie, and Sasha had worn themselves out quickly, as when they had first begun their road trip, an argument had begun quickly, which then proceeded a lot of shouting and random objects thrown, aimed at each other’s heads. Thankfully, they each fell quiet once Hange threatened she would make Levi turn the car right back around if they didn’t stop.
They were now fast asleep, soft snores drifting from Sasha’s open mouth, her hand clutching around a half-eaten candy bar she had begged and bargained for Hange to purchase at the convenience store.
“Stop it, you brat.” Levi sighed in thinly concealed irritation as Eren once again threw a kick towards his seat. He snuck a glance into the rearview mirror, not surprised in the least, to see the six-year-old hadn’t listened to him, pretending to not hear him at all.
“Eren, stop kicking your feet into your father’s seat,” Hange warned as she turned around to look at the little boy, a stern expression painting her features.
“But my feet hurt,” he whined loudly with a pout, nonetheless stopping the movement of his feet. The continued noise eventually caused Jean to stir in his sleep.
“I know, Eren, just a few more minutes, then you can stretch your legs as much as you please.” She promised before turning back around and adjusting herself back in her seat. Levi couldn’t help but snort dryly at her words; it would take another hour, at least before they were anywhere near where they needed to be.
Hange snuck a glance at him, noting his darkened expression before she lightheartedly slapped his shoulder. “Lighten up, Shorty, moments like these are meant to be cherished.”
Levi shook his head in disbelief at her words, daring to take a short glance at her. Her brown hair was tied up haphazardly in a bun atop her head, a horrendously tie-dyed tank top and jean shorts adorned her figure, the glasses that sat perched on her crooked nose smudged and dirty as they always were. He stomped down the fondness he felt at the sight of her, still upset by the current turn of events that had led him into this situation.
“Yes, I’m sure I’ll look back one day and fondly remember Armin violently puking all over our freshly scrubbed car carpets.” At Levi’s dry statement, the blond child sheepishly slid down further in his seat as Eren laughed at the memory.
“Armin didn’t mean to,” Mikasa calmly came to her brother’s defense, her gaze not straying away from the window. Levi forced himself to nod once, sighing at the thought of having to wash the carpet for the third time that week. He had spent hours trying to get out the dirt that Jean had trailed in as he returned from baseball practice just a few days before.
“Yeah!” Sasha, who had been previously asleep now apparently wide awake, exclaimed in agreement. “He only threw up because Connie and I were competing to see who could stuff the most goldfish crackers in our mouth at once.
“Who won?” Eren asked curiously, having been distracted by Armin’s retching to watch the competition.
Sasha proudly pointed a finger to her chest, her wide grin proudly showcasing the missing front tooth she had lost the week prior, her expression full of pride at her accomplishment. Levi grimaced in response, knowing he and Hange would likely be shaken awake by the little girl with complaints about a tummy ache. A fantastic way to end what he knew would be an undoubtedly eventful day, he thought blankly.
*
Almost an entire hour later, they had arrived at their destination.
Hange leaped out of the vehicle as soon as he turned the ignition off. She seemed just as exhilarated as the children in the backseat, if not more. Levi hid his amusement, reaching to unbuckle his seatbelt.
“Are we here?” Connie asked with a yawn, sleepily prying his eyelids open as he stretched his limbs as far as they would go in the restricted back seat of their van. He then watched as both Mikasa and Eren were assisted out of the car.
“Yes, baby,” Hange confirmed softly, reaching to pull him out of the car next. He grunted in protest as he was lifted and then swiftly put back onto solid ground, still disoriented from his nap. Sasha, on the other hand, was bouncing on the heels of her feet, her excitement contagious and barely contained as her smile stretched across her face.
Levi placed himself in front of her, leaning down to reach her height with his hands braced on his knees, his expression stern. “I’m only going to say this once, so listen carefully, got it? We are not going to have a repeat of what happened the last time we visited the beach. You will listen to me or your mother when we tell you something, and you will not wander off on your own, do you understand?”
She met his gaze and slowly nodded in response, seemingly aware of how serious he was. “Okay, good, you can go and get your things now,” Levi said with a huff, brushing his fingers briefly through her hair before patting her gently on the head as they approached the trunk of the car together.
“Mom.” Jean attempted to whisper urgently, successfully gaining the attention of Hange, who stood beside him. “I need to pee. Like, really badly. Really, really badly.” He whimpered out, subtly bouncing on his feet with a wince.
Hange scanned the other five children who remained lined up near their car, nodding her head in understanding. “Okay, I needed to get some stuff from the store anyway. It should only be a few feet away from here. Come along with me. You can pee there.” She reached out her hand instinctively, fully expecting him to grab onto it.
Jean remained in place with a grimace, refusing to grab onto her hand. “I’m nine years old now, mom. I don’t need to hold your hand anymore.”
Hange faltered briefly before nodding, her hand swinging back down to her side. “Of course, but let's just hurry before you burst. We don't wanna have to deal with another one of those incidents again.” She said sincerely, pointedly ignoring Eren’s cackle and Jean’s heated glare that attempted to cover his embarrassment towards Eren in response.
“Mikasa, help me, please.” Levi requested once the pair had walked away, his head emerging from the trunk to see his oldest daughter standing there. He scanned the area behind her, watching as his remaining children ran around each other in what he assumed was an impromptu game of tag.
“Just help me carry our towels and the few toys you all brought along.” He instructed his hands already full with a bottle of sunscreen, the bright rainbow umbrella the kids had chosen, Hange's tote bag that was filled to the brim with snacks, a first aid kit, her journal, a few pencils, and Eren’s titan plush he refused to leave home without.
“Okay,” she agreed without complaint as she began to gather their towels in her small arms, grabbing at the several plastic shovels and buckets she and her siblings had picked out specifically for this occasion. Once she had gotten everything she was told to, she paused in thought. “Um, when we were in the car, Eren told me he was going to catch a shark,” she revealed quietly as if she were spilling top-secret information.
Levi raised an eyebrow in response. Eren sure was something else.
Her expression remained uneasy as she shifted on her feet. “You’re going to stop him, right?” She asked as her gaze shifted to the very child they were currently talking about.
Levi nodded along, knowing better to say or do anything that would indicate otherwise. “Trust me, he isn’t going to be catching anything today.” He said dryly.
He then turned and struggled with closing the trunk, hoping to get some leverage by standing on the tips of his toes, blatantly ignoring the look of amusement stemming from Mikasa.
With a huff, he jumped and managed to grab the top of the trunk, slamming it shut before turning to the five children left under his supervision. “Follow and stay close to me.” He said as he gestured for them to follow him, moving to walk down the short boardwalk that led to the beach.
Once the beach came into view, he scanned the area with a narrowed gaze, feeling himself grimace as broken shells dug painfully into the bottom of his feet. His eyes met sweaty sunburnt bodies, seagulls swooping in to snatch leftover food, and drunkards making a racket playing volleyball. This was his worst nightmare; he was sure of it, he thought with a swift glance behind him, habitually counting heads before continuing forward.
“Ew, the sand is stuck in between my toes,” Connie whined, his face already reddened from the heat. “It feels weird.”
“I like it! It’s warm.” Sasha responded happily with a smile, wiggling her toes so they sunk further in the grains of sand.
Levi searched for a bit before finally spotting a desolated spot further down. It was at least fifty feet away from any other noisy, sweaty weirdos, thankfully, obviously, he would have preferred a further distance, but he would take what he could get.
He dropped the stuff from his hands once they reached it, silently lodging the brightly colored umbrella in the sand before moving and laying down their towels under it. Armin scurried under the shade, gasping in awe as he stared up at the colors of the rainbow. “It’s just like looking up at the sky!” He exclaimed excitedly, “except your eyes don’t burn after a few seconds.”
Levi shooed the child off, placing himself in the spot he previously occupied once Armin retreated. “Line up, all of you.” He ordered sternly, watching and ready to intervene as Eren bounced on the heels of his feet excitedly, his gaze strictly set on the waves in front of them.
He would undoubtedly have to watch Eren’s every move while they were here; the young boy was nothing short of mischievous and determined, there was no doubt in Levi’s mind that he would think he was completely capable of swimming in the ocean without any help. On a positive note, at least Mikasa remained attached to his hip, as she was almost always the voice of reason in these circumstances.
He grabbed the bottle of sunscreen, flipping open the cap as he spoke. “I’m going to list the rules once and only once, and if one of you breaks them, you’ll spend the entire ride home stuffed in the trunk next to the cooler and umbrella, understood?” That was a bluff, but they didn’t know that, so he used it to his advantage, disregarding the looks of horror the other parents threw his way.
At their rare instance of silence, he continued, “so, here they are; no eating the sand or any creatures you find in the sand.” He pointedly glared at Sasha, who meekly smiled back. “No rubbing the sand into your skin or in your eyes, do not even attempt nearing that water without Hange or me supervising you, and you're not allowed to drink it either.”
You might be thinking, ‘these rules are almost entirely common sense, why must they be put in place?’ Simply because the children he was raising had no common sense. He wouldn’t put it past Jean daring Eren to chug a bucket full of saltwater and him agreeing to it because he wasn’t a coward.
Connie plopped down in front of him, sitting relatively still as Levi rubbed the sunscreen along his back, legs, and arms. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure nobody gets in any trouble today!” He told Levi determinedly; Levi might have believed him if he weren’t the cause of most of the trouble.
“I’m sure you will.” He said as he shooed the young boy away, Mikasa dutifully taking his place. “I’m trusting you to make sure that Eren doesn’t do anything stupid.” Levi sighed as he smeared the lotion along her pale skin. She nodded contemplatively in response, her brow furrowing in childish determination. “And don’t let Sasha dig into anyone else's coolers.”
He briefly recalled the last time they had gone to the movie theaters. Sasha had wandered off in the darkened theater without anyone noticing, plopping down next to an older lady a few rows away from them. She then buried her face in the stranger's bucket of popcorn.
And that was all before the movie had even begun.
Gesturing for her to leave, Armin sat in front of him, instead. “Are there any crabs around here?” He asked in a curious tone, his gaze sweeping the ground in front of them. “Or maybe… maybe turtles?” He breathed out in wonder.
Levi glanced up after he finished, shrugging his shoulders as he didn’t have an exact answer. “You’ll have to ask Hange. She knows more than I do.” He answered the child honestly. While Mikasa was undoubtedly his shadow, Armin (and Jean, as well) was Hange’s. Intelligent, curious about how the world worked, always asking questions. Levi often found himself watching the two interact, which was often.
Armin left without having to be told he was finished, which led to Eren unceremoniously throwing himself into his lap. Levi grunted at the unexpected impact, lifting the child and sitting him properly in front of him. “You’re such a brat.” Levi sighed out as he brushed the sweaty bangs off the child’s forehead.
Eren grinned slyly in response, fidgeting in excitement as he spoke. “Dad, do you think there are any sharks in the water?”
Levi subtly shook his head, rubbing the sunscreen into the boy's tanned skin. “No, I don’t think there are any sharks in the water, Eren.”
“Well, I think there is, and I’m gonna protect the beach by catching it.” He stated matter-a-factly, frowning as Levi forced him to turn around to get his back. “Would you help me?”
“Sure, if you find a shark, I’ll be the first one reeling him in,” Levi mumbled dryly, deciding to play along, knowing if he said no, Eren would spend the next few hours whining until he agreed in the end anyways. Besides, there was no harm in indulging the huge imagination Eren possessed; the last thing he wanted to do was ruin his day by saying no to him.
Eren beamed brightly as soon as he agreed, bursting forward and springing towards Mikasa to inform her of the news. Levi watched him for a bit before turning his gaze towards the youngest of the six children, who was currently using a shovel to dig a hole near one of the towels he had laid down. “Come here, I need to put this on you so you don’t get sunburnt.”
She shook her head in response, more or less ignoring his entire existence as she continued to dig. “Mommy already put some on me.”
Levi raised a brow at the words, not believing her for one second. “I don’t believe you.”
“She did, I promise.” She finally tore her gaze away from the sand to look up at him, her lips formed in a pout.
“Mhm.” He hummed as he crawled over to her.
Upon seeing him approach, Sasha dropped the shovel and bolted off with an ear-piercing scream. “I don’t wanna!” She yelled as she ducked and dived between other beach-goers setups, her arms flailing behind her.
Levi swore and dashed after her, not bothering to apologize to the people he nearly trampled over in his haste to get to the youngest. “Get back here right now.” He growled out, his forehead beaded with sweat as the unforgiving sun bared down upon him.
He found an opening when he noticed her get briefly distracted by a lady holding a cup of fruit salad; with a grunt, he launched himself forward, successfully tackling her to the ground by grabbing at her leg. “No! No, let me go!” She cried out, kicking in his grasp as he lifted her and tossed her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes.
Once they were back at their station, he forcibly sat her down and wrestled with her, struggling to smear a thick layer of sunscreen over her. “I hate it, I feel all yucky and sticky now!” She whined loudly, banging and kicking her feet in clear frustration.
He reached over and dug his hand into Hange’s bag, pulling out a bag of apple slices and throwing them to her in a truce. “And if you think of running away again, you’re forbidden from eating anything that’s not healthy for the remainder of the trip.” He told her with a firm glare before leaning back and scanning his surroundings.
Connie and Armin sat a little ways away, strategizing on how exactly they wanted to go about building their intricate sandcastle. Eren and Mikasa were just barely at the border where the waves gently grazed the sand, enticed by the way the water grazed their toes before pulling away.
Levi grimaced with a swallow as the heat finally caught up to him. He spared a glance down towards his white t-shirt and gray swimming trunks, seeing how the fabric clung to him due to sweat. He was uncomfortably damp. This was one of his worst nightmares.
Screw Hange and all of her ideas.
Think of the devil, and they shall appear, he thought as she plopped down next to him. “Hi, sorry for taking a while. There was a decent line for the bathroom. How did things go over here? Hopefully, no one drowned,” she teased with a small smile, watching as Sasha stumbled over to Jean. The oldest took her small hand and padded out to the water with her, watching as she giggled at the waves.
Levi pulled his gaze from them and shook his head in response. “Not yet, but so far, Eren’s planning a shark heist, Sasha bolted for freedom, and Connie has been surprisingly quiet, which is never a good sign.” He summarized as Hange leaned over to ruffle his hair, not bothering to hide her amused chuckle.
“Ah, so, it seems like it's been a typical day in the life.” She stretched out, her long legs placed in front of her. “One where you’re just fawning over all six of them as they try and make your life a living hell,” She said with a poke to his side, reaching for one of the drinks they had in their cooler.
“Trying? They’ve already accomplished that.” He sighed, taking the sip she offered him.
“You love them with the entirety of your being, no matter how constipated you look on the outside.” She watched as he rolled his eyes, pulling her glasses off in one swift motion, cleaning them with one of the towels they kept in their bag.
“Debatable.” He frowned, carefully sliding the frames back up her nose.
“Eren!” Mikasa screamed frantically and, within seconds, both Levi and Hange were on their feet and bolting at the sound of her panicked voice. Levi did a quick scan of the water that was currently sweeping against the sand and saw a head full of brown hair just barely submerged. Eren barely even knew how to swim in a children’s pool, he realized with dread.
His chest felt frozen over, blood pounding in his ears as he forced himself to move towards the little boy who struggled to gain his footing as yet another wave washed over him. From the corner of his eye, he saw Hange pull Mikasa away from the water before she could do anything drastic, which he was thankful for. He did not need two kids in danger; one was more than enough.
He sprinted into the water, managing to grab the boy who remained head down in the water, by his swimming trunks. He pulled Eren towards his chest, placing him upright just before an aggressive wave washed over the two of them. He winced at the impact, the water forcing him to sag forward. He spat, despising the taste of salt in his mouth. He eventually opened his eyes, his vision blurred and eyes stinging as he attempted to re-focus them. The ocean had calmed significantly, fortunately, as he made his way out of the water and back towards the sand.
Eren’s eyes remained clenched shut, his hands a death grip around the front of Levi’s shirt, which was now soaked through and through. Levi shifted him in his arms, cradling him near his chest as he jogged over to where their towels were. He placed him down before kneeling in front of him, hastily looking him over for any injuries, thankful when his eyes found none. The six-year-old just looked spooked and overwhelmed.
“What did I tell you Eren?” He spoke through gritted teeth, his heart still pounding wildly against his chest. “Did every word I say go in through one ear and out through the other one? You were not supposed to take a single step into that water without me being right next to you. You barely know how to swim in a children's pool yet, much less in the god damn ocean.” He hissed out, feeling the adrenaline still running through his veins.
Hange brought the shaken boy into her lap, using a dry towel to wipe his eyes and face. The other kids all crowded around them, their eyes blown wide with concern as they watched their father blow out a shaky breath. “Eren, what were you thinking? You could have floated away and never came back.” Connie exclaimed loudly. Jean shushed him as he spoke.
“I just- I just wanted-“ He couldn’t finish his sentence before tears filled his eyes and his bottom lip started trembling. Mikasa turned to glare darkly at the water behind them as if it were alive and breathing.
Jean let out a huff, ushering the rest of the kids away from Eren. “I’m gonna go take them to look for crabs in the sand. Eren, once your ready, you can come and join us.” He said as they walked off, Sasha glancing worriedly over her shoulder as she followed them.
Mikasa, however, remained where she stood, her little hands balled tightly into fists near her sides. “I told you not to go out that far,” she stated calmly despite her angry exterior.
“Shut up, Mikasa!” Eren snarled at her words, brows furrowed forward with anger. “Just leave me alone!” He barked out loudly.
Hange fixed her son with a look, “that’s not nice, Eren. Mikasa is only looking out for you.” She smoothed a hand down the back of his head, fingers combing through his wet locks of hair. “Besides, everything is okay now. Nobody was hurt.” She said, sneaking a glance at Levi who still looked winded despite his best efforts. “Everything is okay.” She said again, more firmly as she shot him a reassuring look.
Eren nodded slowly, seemingly still in a slight daze as crawled out of Hange’s lap. “Yeah, I’m okay.” He said as he watched the rest of his siblings chase Connie around with a crab. “I think I’m gonna go play now,” he told his parents, walking up to Armin who brandished a purple shell to him as a gift.
Levi waited until both Mikasa and Eren had walked away before sinking to his knees; he was already done with the day, and it had barely even begun.
*
An hour had passed, and Levi now sat back and watched as Hange splashed around and played in the waves. Sasha was perched safely on her hip while Connie clung to her other leg. Jean laughed loudly at her antics, a little further off from her, slightly struggling to stay firmly upright against the current. He held Armin’s hand tightly within his own, the blond child looking on in wonder at the sights before him.
Mikasa sat near him, content to draw pictures in the sand. Eren, however, slept quietly under their umbrella, having never slept in the car. He was also no doubt worn out from his earlier incident. Levi much preferred him asleep, regardless of the reason.
“Why do you look so angry all the time?” Mikasa voiced, curiosity coloring her tone as she looked up at him.
Levi redirected his gaze to the raven-haired child next to him. “That’s what happens when you get older.” He responded shortly, watching as she took in his words.
“No, cause Mom doesn’t look angry like you do. I think you’re just weird.” She wrinkled her nose before scooping some sand into her bucket.
Levi stared blankly at her in silence, slightly offended by her nonchalant insult. “Little brat,” he said with narrowed eyes, poking her in the side in an effort to annoy her.
*
Connie grinned mischievously, scooping up a bucket full of sand as Jean continued to stomp both of his feet down on the sandcastle the rest of them had put a lot of effort into.
Eren glanced behind Jean in the midst of yelling at him, directly towards Connie; he was doing a good job at keeping their oldest brother distracted by continuing to feverishly argue with him, Connie inwardly approved.
“I can’t believe you did that, you fucking asshole!” Eren shouted as he watched Jean continually dig the heels of his feet into the well-crafted architecture of their sandcastle.
“Eren?!” Hange’s mouth fell open before she immediately turned to glare daggers at the man beside her, who in turn looked away and avoided her heated gaze.
Connie stuck out his tongue in concentration as his hands reached out to grasp Jean's swimming trunk waistline. He managed to peel the material away from his skin just enough so he could reach for the bucket full of sand and unceremoniously dump it all down the inside of his pants.
Jean immediately reacted by jumping away from the both of them, wiggling hastily in an attempt to free the sand that had now made its way down places that sand should not be.
“You little sh-“ Jean started as he angrily reached to grab the both of them, yet his path was blocked by Mikasa, who had placed herself firmly in front of Eren. Mikasa’s eyes narrowed as she glared up at her oldest brother, her glare so dark it almost made Jean flinch away. Almost.
Before he could do anything, however, Hange pulled the three of them apart. “This is supposed to be a fun family get-out, not WWE.” She told them with a firm stare, her hands still lightly grasping their swimwear. “Apologies now, or we are going home, and you know I’m not bluffing because your father would be more than happy to leave.”
Eren blew a loud raspberry at Jean, who in turn narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists at his childish behavior. “I’ll never understand how you and Mikasa were raised together. Mom and Dad must have paid Mikasa way more attention than you because she’s both stronger and smarter than you'll ever be.” He smirked as Eren’s face quickly contorted into anger, feeling a semblance of satisfaction.
“Yeah, well, at least I don’t look like Applejack from My Little pony.” Eren tried to retort, only for his response to be drowned out by Hange loudly scolding them both.
In the meantime, Connie slipped away from the scene unscathed, settling next to Levi as he watched his siblings bicker back and forth with glee.
“What makes you think you’re off the hook?” Levi lifted his sunglasses off his nose, the corner of his lips tilted up in a smirk.
“Well, I didn’t hear anyone calling my name, so,” he said with a cheeky smile, leaning back on the towel and reaching up to cradle his head, happily soaking up the sun.
*
“Hey, Mika!” Sasha called out, waving her small arms around in an attempt to catch her older sister’s attention. It worked, she thought triumphantly, as she watched Mikasa turn towards her.
“What do you want?” Mikasa asked as she walked slowly over to the four-year-old, a bored expression painting her features.
“Let’s go get some ice cream!” She grinned as she spoke, her brown eyes gleaming at the very idea. Mikasa could have sworn she was practically drooling at the thought of the frozen treat.
Mikasa shook her head at the idea, crossing her arms over her chest. “We can’t get ice cream by ourselves. We don’t have any money.”
“That’s okay!” Sasha hurriedly reassured her older sister, reaching forward and pulling her towards the larger crowd of people a few feet away. “There’s a nice couple over here who do!”
Mikasa didn’t bother resisting, slightly curious as to what her little sister was planning. “You want to steal money?” She asked incredulously with a frown, watching as Sasha shook her head frantically.
She gasped, “no, Mika! That’s bad!” She even seemed a bit offended that her sister thought she was capable of being such a bad person! “I only want to steal their ice cream.” She continued simply, still trudging forward.
“No, Sasha, papa said you aren’t allowed to steal food anymore.” The raven-haired girl sighed out almost exasperatedly, knowing she couldn’t turn back now and leave her youngest sibling alone. The four-year-old was determined to go through with her plan no matter what; nothing Mikasa said would make her change her mind.
“Okay, so here’s the plan, I’ll go and talk to them because I like talking and you go and grab the ice cream because you’re good at being quiet!” She said cheerfully, slowing down as they reached their destination.
Mikasa reluctantly nodded along to her plan, thinking it seemed easy enough. Though, honestly, she was sure that if Sasha had just asked for ice cream from their parents, they would have bought it without any fuss. It just seemed like Sasha loved sneaking around, though, like it was a fun little game she liked to play whenever they were out and about.
Soon, they stopped right behind an elderly couple; their backs turned to them. Mikasa quietly peered into the icebox that was just to the side of them, almost out of the elderly couple’s sight, and sure enough, in there laid brightly colored popsicles of every flavor.
Mikasa watched as Sasha approached the strangers with a bright smile, her hands cheekily behind her back as she engaged them in conversation. They seemed kind enough, Mikasa thought as she snuck her hand into the cooler. She flinched a bit when it came into contact with the ice.
She almost felt bad for stealing from them, she thought with pursed lips as she reached forward and grabbed onto the plastic wrapping of the cold treat.
She hurriedly tucked the cold treats into her arms once they were firmly in her grasp, swiftly turning and beginning to walk back towards where their own family still sat. She looked back and subtly gestured with a nod of her head for Sasha to follow her, watching from the corner of her eyes as the little girl hurriedly bid the couple goodbye.
Hopefully, this would be enough for Sasha to remain quiet and content for the rest of the day, but that was a long shot.
Once they had returned, both of them had hurriedly come up with the story that they had been offered ice cream from the nice old people a bit further down. Levi had eyed them both but let it pass as he watched them messily devour their ice creams respectively; after all, he doubted they had the capabilities to steal anything.
Not even ten minutes later, he was proven miserably wrong as an elderly couple approached them. They brandished at least ten popsicles in every flavor, reassuring his two girls that they ‘didn’t have to resort to stealing, they had plenty to go around.'
Once the couple had passed the ice cream around to the remainder of his children, they turned to Levi and Hange with unconcealed pity in their eyes, saying they too, could relate to not having ‘enough’ when their own children were little.
Of course, they had thought that Levi and Hange were struggling with money, because why else would their children have ever felt the need to scavenge through other tourists' coolers for dessert?
Because their children were wanted criminals in the making, Levi answered his theoretical question, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Levi and Hange were both left mortified as they watched the elderly couple retreat. They both instantly agreed that it was time to pack up and leave.
*
Almost an hour into the drive home, Armin stirred awake.
“I don’t feel good,” he whined out, his hands cradling his belly with a wince of pain.
Hange hurriedly turned in her seat, wearing a concerned expression. “Are you okay, honey? Do you feel like you have to throw up again?” She asked worriedly, glancing around the car in search of a bag of some sort, not wanting a repeat of this morning's event.
She cringed visibly and braced herself as she watched him gag loudly and then lean forward and retch, emptying the contents of his stomach on the carpet for the second time that day. Levi sighed heavily from beside her but remained silent otherwise.
“I think I feel better now,” the little boy groaned out as he laid back down, his eyes fluttering closed once more.
“Well,” she started, “no more beach trips, at least until they get a bit older.” She said with a laugh, recalling everything that had happened within the span of a few hours.
The family she had managed to make was a strange one, that was for certain.
Levi’s grip tightened around the steering wheel at her words. “That’s what you said last time.” He reminded her dryly. “I don’t think they’re ever going to change, no matter how old they are.”
Hange seemed to contemplate his words before nodding in agreement. “You have to admit today was fun, even if it was a bit chaotic.”
Levi snorted, his light eyes flickering over to glance at her. “Which part? When Eren almost met Poseidon or when Sasha convinced those elderly people we were homeless?”
Hange leaned back in her seat and cackled, shaking her head fondly. Levi subtly smiled at the noise. “The part where Eren wanted to be held by you while he napped, or the part where you helped Armin look for turtles and seashells, or the part where you and Jean-“
“Okay, okay.” He huffed, interrupting her, “I did enjoy today.” He admitted slowly, “well, most of it,” he corrected with a frown.
“It’s nice spending time together, huh?” Hange prodded with a smile, feeling her smile widen even further once Levi nodded in return. “So… I guess you wouldn’t be opposed to going to-
“If you say Disneyland, I will toss you out of this car.” Levi threatened with a glare.
"But Levi-“
"No."
"But-"
"No."
"Come on-"
"No."