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“Well…” Reiner looks down at the swarm of kittens circling around his feet, completely defeated on how he’s going to manage to choose just one for Falco and Gabi. It was Christmas Eve, and he’d promised Levi and Erwin that he’d be the one to gift the two the kitten they’d been absolutely begging for. Levi had told him that Gabi had spent an entire day saying “please” to him over and over and over, and that she’d hardly said a word outside of that. Despite hating the idea of having to clean up after an animal and two kids, Levi had told Reiner that yes, he could get them a kitten. “... I’m really only supposed to be getting one. Are there any that can be taken alone?”
“Well…” The shelter worker had been nothing but kind and helpful to Reiner, and he felt a little bad asking for more. He was rather sure that Levi would absolutely kill him if he brought an entire litter of kittens into his home. “Not really. These ones don’t have to stick together, but they’re pretty much bonded in trios. Now, we do have a bonded pair, if you’d like to meet them instead. They’re a little older, but still very much kittens.”
“Sure. I could probably take two.” He follows her to a separate cage, where two balls of fluff were curled up together inside of it. When she unlocked the cage, the two kitten’s heads popped up from where they were sleeping, blinking slowly at him. One of them was a light grey, and the other a mottled brown, and both as fluffy as could be. If he hadn’t been looking for a gift for Falco and Gabi, he might have just kept them for himself. “... Yeah, they’re perfect. I’ll take them.”
The morning of Christmas, Reiner showed up on Levi and Erwin’s doorstep with a gift box in hand. The sides had hidden holes poked in it, and the lid was just loosely sitting on top. He had to sit in his car for several minutes to let the kittens calm down before he could set them in the box (where he’d set a blanket and several treats inside) long enough to take the gift inside for the two to open. When he knocks, it’s Erwin who opens the door, much to Reiner’s surprise. “Ah, Reiner! Welcome. Levi was wondering when you were going to show up.” His smile is big and welcoming, stepping out of the way to let Reiner inside. When he is, he gives a look around the hall before he leans a little closer, keeping his voice low. “... is this the special gift?”
“Yes, it is. Had a hell of a time getting them sleepy enough to settle down in the box.” Reiner lifts the lid enough for Erwin to see some of the fur of one of the kittens before he slides the lid back into place. “Are they in the living room?”
“Of course.” Reiner follows after Erwin, unable to help admiring their small, quaint home. Every wall was decorated and each shelf filled, but everything looked immaculate and spotless. Levi sure runs a tight ship. Their living room was the most open room in the entire house. The fireplace was decorated with a few stockings, and their tree was small but decorated adorably. Falco and Gabi were in the middle of opening their presents, wrapping paper strewn about the room. A few other people had made it before him- Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean- but that was about it. He was sure that the others were probably just running late, as was usual. More Christmas cookies for me. “Hey, everyone.”
Falco and Gabi stopped in their present opening to run up to Reiner for a huge hug after he sat their present out of the way. “Reiner!” Gabi laughs as Reiner rubs both of their heads, happy to see such bright smiles on their faces. It was a far cry from how withdrawn and forlorn they’d been when they’d first been fostered by the Ackermans. “This has been the best Christmas ever! I got a bow as one of my gifts!”
Reiner sends a questionable look towards Eren, who pretends he’s not looking at all. “... What about you, Falco? Did you get anything that you really liked?”
“Well…” Much more reserved than Gabi, he takes a moment to contemplate. “I think I like them all. It’s too hard to choose, really. I did get some really nice clothes, though…”
“I’m glad you’re both enjoying it so much.” Reiner laughs now too, prying them off. “How about you finish opening up everyone else’s presents? You can open mine up at the end. Best for last, of course.”
They scamper off again, and Reiner moves over towards Levi. The man was sitting in a plush armchair, a blanket across his crossed legs. Despite his scarred face, Levi held a pleasant expression as he watched the two open up a few more gifts among the chatter between the adults. “Hey, old man.” Levi immediately scowls at the name, marring his previously-pretty face. “I got the gift. How’s your leg holding up?”
“It’s fine. I haven’t been needing to use the wheelchair here at home as much, but we bring it when we go out, just in case. A cane’s been my go to when the days aren’t that bad.” Levi settles back in again, crossing his arms as he looks up at Reiner. He has his bad eye closed, his remaining dark one glittering with the reflection of the fire. “What do I owe you for the gift?”
“What? Nothing at all. It’s a gift, Levi. Just because you gave me the idea for it doesn’t mean you need to pay me back.” Erwin comes up behind them, standing behind Levi’s chair. He reaches one of his hands over the back to rest on Levi’s shoulder as the two talk. “Besides, the shelter fees weren’t even that much. I was happy to adopt and pay for them myself, so don’t worry.”
“... Fine.” Reiner can tell it’s a reluctant agreement, but it’s an agreement all the same. Levi doesn't seem to catch on to the plural of “them”, unlike Erwin who seemed to have caught on when they'd talked earlier. “Thank you, Reiner. They're going to love it.”
“That they are.” Everyone falls into happy talk while the rest of the presents are opened, mingling and sharing updates on lives. Everyone else finally shows up, dropping off and trading the last of the presents to each other. When things are starting to die down, Reiner finally brings the last present over- which, of course, he'd made sure to check on the kittens from time to time. “Alright, you two. This is for both of you, so I want you to open it up together.”
“Okay!” Gabi nods, so she and Falco come to sit next to each other. Reiner sets the gift down in front of them before he stands back, arms crossed, watching them both. “Alright, go ahead.”
They both grasp the lid of the present, looking at each other before lifting it. There's a shared gasp between them as the kittens popped their heads up from the box, hair fluffed up. Gabi immediately picks one up and hands it to Falco, lifting the other one up for herself. “Oh, my gosh… Reiner! This is amazing ! Me and Falco have wanted kittens for so long …”
“Thank you so much…” Falco looks like he's going to cry as he cuddles the kitten underneath his chin, stroking its back and between its ears. Both kittens immediately cling to the kids, purring away- everyone else in the room could hear it, too. “I…” He sniffles. “I love them…”
“... I thought we agreed on just one cat, Reiner.” Levi catches the blonde’s attention, and Erwin gives a little chuckle behind him. “One cat's hair was going to be enough of an menace. Now to deal with two …”
“They were a bonded pair, I couldn't just take one without the other. Besides- two kids, two cats. I think it works out, don't you?” Levi's glare could kill a man. “Look, they're so happy …”
“He's right, Levi. Look how happy they both are. Now they don't have to worry about splitting up one kitten’s attention between the two of them.” Erwin kneads his hands into Levi's shoulders, getting him to relax out of such a tense state. “It'll be alright. Falco's good at cleaning up messes, and we'll teach them how to take care of the cats. The pet hair won't be that bad, I promise.”
“Hmph… If you say so.” Levi just sighs, relaxing back against the chair again. With Levi now appeased, Reiner turns back to the two, still cuddling their kittens.
“I'm glad you two like ‘em so much. I've got the other stuff you need out in the car.” Reiner ruffles their hair again. “What are you gonna name them?”
“Mm… I'm gonna name mine Optimus. Like the Transformer!” Gabi grins ear to ear, lifting her cat up above her head. Reiner can only roll his eyes, turning to Falco. “What about you, Falco? Do you wanna name yours, like… Ratchet? Or Bumblebee?”
“Um… No, I don't.” Falco chuckles, still cradling his cat. “I think I'm gonna name him… Grayson. Cus he's gray.”
“... That sucks.” Gabi snorts. “You could do so much better.”
“Says the girl who named her cat Optimus- ”
“Okay, okay, both of you quit it. They're both good names.” Reiner sighs, shaking his head. “Merry Christmas. Take good care of them, okay? And don't drive Levi too crazy with the mess.”
“Okay!” Both kids agree, and Reiner gives them one last smile before he stands up. He's more than happy to see them happy, and everyone else at the party loved it, too. The mingling and party starts again, the joy all coming from the two with their brand new pets, keeping everyone bright and happy for the rest of the day.