Chapter Text
It’s hard for Mikasa to ever say no—with big green eyes that sparkle like little gem stones, filled with all the joy in the world that have yet to be tainted by the realities of the world, the biggest dimpled grin, and a face that’s as sweet as sugar—it’s one of her hardest difficulties as a parent, even for things as miniscule as extra chocolate before bedtime.
“Okay, that’s enough chocolate for you sweetie,” Mikasa finally musters up the courage to say, though she really shouldn’t have to, she is the parent here.
Noa’s face forms into a pout, remnants of chocolate still around her mouth, and the big green eyes that look just like Eren’s go wide, filling with so much sadness, it’s almost enough to make her take it all back. “Okay, Mommy,” she replies softly.
Mikasa sighs, wiping at the sides of Noa’s mouth with her thumb. If saying no to a two-year-old is this hard now, what will she do when Noa’s older? “Tomorrow, you can have more, okay?” She says with a smile on her face in attempts to cheer her up, “Now go to your room, I’ll be there in a bit so we can read your bedtime story.”
Green eyes go wide once again, but this time with glee. “Okay, Mommy!” She says with only the excitement a small child could possess before running off to her room. Mikasa stands, dusting off her pants, and placing the bag of candy high where Noa can’t reach it, knowing she has tendencies much like her father once did to get into trouble.
“I’m proud of you for saying no,” a deep voice who could belong to no one other than Eren, says from behind her. She hadn’t realized he’d been standing there watching them, too enthralled in their conversation to notice his presence.
Her face scrunches into a scowl—this is the same person who had spent all of last Saturday building a princess playhouse saying this. “Like you’re any better,” she says, rolling her eyes.
“I actually think I am,” he muses.
“Sure you are, Eren. But c’mon, we have bedtime stories to go read.”
꩜꩜꩜
Eren wakes up to the feeling of small fingers poking against his face—light taps repeatedly on his nose, cheeks, and forehead. He tries to ignore them at first, thinking it’s merely him dreaming, but they become so rampant, he’s certain it must be something within the realm of reality.
His eyes flutter open to the sight of a tiny body riddled with bed hair, and big green eyes much like his own, staring back at him. Her face looks tired, she has one sock missing, her pajamas disheveled, one pant leg rising up her tiny leg, and her little stuffed cow in hand—in other words, looking a mess.
Eren glances at the clock, 12:55, before he sits up, trying not to wake Mikasa. “Noa, sweetheart, what’s wrong? Why are you awake?” He whispers.
“I had a bad dream,” she whispers through hiccups, big eyes starting to well up with tears.
Eren’s quick to gather her in his arms, attempting to comfort her, running his hands against her back. “Do you wanna sleep in here?” He whispers.
“I don’t wanna go back to sleep.”
He sighs, knowing this means he’ll probably be up for a while, but relents, nonetheless. “Okay, but let’s go to the living room so we don’t wake up Mommy, okay?” He whispers back, carefully removing himself from the bed.
Eren picks up Noa and her small stuffed toy, before motioning for her to be quiet. He carefully closes their bedroom door, and heads towards the living room when Noa speaks up.
“Daddy, can I get a glass of water, please?” She asks.
“Yea, of course,” he says, taking them to the kitchen. He flicks on the light before placing her and her toy onto the counter while he grabs one of her little pink cups, filling it with water and handing it to her. “Here you go, sweetheart.”
“Thank you, Daddy,” she says in between sips.
“Do you wanna talk about your nightmare?” Eren asks, as he runs his hands through her hair trying to smooth it out.
Her face scrunches, just the way Mikasa’s does when she’s upset.“It was scary, Daddy. There were these big monsters and they looked like people, and they wanted to try to eat me,” she says quietly, her voice filled with fear.
Eren presses a kiss to the top of her head, before leaning down so they’re eye level. “I’m sorry you had a bad dream, those are never fun. But it’s okay because they’re just dreams, alright? You’re safe here with me and Mommy, okay?”
“Okay,” Noa says, nodding her head, mostly convinced. “I love you, Daddy,” a tiny smile forming on her face.
“I love you too, Noa,” he says, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Do you feel a little better now? Do you want anything else before you go back to bed?”
The innocent smile on her face, the one that’s filled with so much sweetness, with tiny dimples and a face that could resemble nothing but all that is pure, quickly flashes into something that reminds Eren a bit too much of his childhood self.
“Well…” She starts, a smile on her face. “Can I have some chocolate please, Daddy?”
꩜꩜꩜
Mikasa stirs in the bed, unable to get comfortable. She reaches for Eren, knowing she’ll find comfort in him, only to find an emptiness beside her, which normally wouldn’t ring any alarms in her head, except for the fact that the bed, usually warm, feels cold. Her eyes flash open, scanning for him within their room, knowing sometimes he’ll go on the chair in the corner of their room, only to come up empty.
She sits up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, when she notices light coming from beneath their bedroom door. Mikasa sighs, thinking that maybe Noa might’ve woken up Eren, since she’s been having trouble sleeping through the night. She pulls the covers off herself, interested to see what the two of them could have possibly gotten themselves into, and another part of her wanting to relieve her own late night sweets craving.
Mikasa opens the bedroom door quietly, attempting to not make much noise, and heads towards the kitchen where she can see the light coming from. As she walks towards the kitchen, she can hear little giggles, whispers, and the rustling of plastic wrappers.
“Shhh, Noa, you’ll wake up Mommy,” she can make out Eren say.
“Sorry, Daddy,” Noa’s voice says through failed whispers and giggles.
Mikasa turns the corner to see Noa on the kitchen counter, chocolate on her face, and Eren standing in front of her placing pieces of said chocolate into her mouth, before indulging in some of his own.
“But Mommy is already awake,” Mikasa says, crossing her arms. The two of them turn to face her, same emerald eyes wide, looking as if they’ve been caught in the worst act. Mikasa turns to face Eren, her brow raised, “What happened to saying no?”
“She had a nightmare!” He says defensively.
Mikasa sighs, walking towards the two of them before ripping off her own piece of chocolate. “Well… I guess it is technically tomorrow.”