Ackerman's Sister || Levi x Sister Reader x Erwin

Chapter 3 || Kenny

Kenny...That's the name the man told you to call him. Of course, you had a lot of names you'd rather call him, but none would've gotten you anywhere good.

Like most adults in the Underground, he'd never been exactly 'warm' in personality- hell, not even an ounce- yet despite how harsh he remained, there was a foreign care to his actions that you could never quite wrap your head around.

Upon first meeting you and Levi, he had given a stern command to follow him without any explanation. To your utter surprise, he ordered you both big bowls of soup and loafs of bread from the pub down the street without asking for anything in return; an action completely unheard of in your given environment. When you questioned his motives, he irked his brow and asked if you'd rather go back to starving on the streets. After that, he merely sipped on beer as you wipe off Levi's face, begging him to eat slower or else he'd make himself sick.

Feeding the two of you that day wasn't the only shocking action Kenny made because from that day on, he became a type of caregiver for you. Instead of returning to your makeshift home on the cold pavement, Levi and yourself were allowed to stay at Kenny's apartment where he provided not only shelter, but a steady supply of food, a few new pairs of clothes that were far nicer than your mother's old dresses that you had both worn, and lessons on how to fight which you had been relucent to take part in until realizing you'd need whatever skills you could to protect your little brother from the dangers of the world around you.

On the outside, Kenny actions might've made him seem like a caring old man with a heart of goal, after all, who else would take in two street rats? Of course, you didn't think that to be true. Attitude wise, Kenny always remained the same from the moment you had first met. Unlike your mother who offered endless words of affection and praise, Kenny kept his distance aside from getting angry here and there. Perhaps it didn't help that you carry a similar stubbornness in your bones.

To say the least, you and Kenny butted heads frequently. He'd tell you to fix your stance when swinging a knife and you'd reply with some snark comment that would earn a knock to the back of the head with a 'don't be a smartass with me, brat'. The joke was on him, though. His remarks with you only gave you further access to a curse word library you could use in arguments with him whenever Levi wasn't around to hear.

Speaking of which, Levi had always had a better relationship with Kenny in terms of respect. Being more timid with his own personality, your brother would rarely argue against the man's instructions. He worked tirelessly to please him, a desire you assumed was fueled by Kenny's constant comments about him being a 'runt' and looking 'weak'. Any child would be determined to prove those assumptions wrong especially when they come from the only male role model in their life, which was why you though Levi saw Kenny's advice and mentoring in such a high light. The problem is you and Kenny had far different ideas on how to raise a child, something you soon learned in an upsetting way.

It all began the day you saw the two walk through the apartment door, Levi's face bloody from a large gash above his eyebrow and his nose leaking. Despite the blank expression he attempted to hold, you could tell instantly that he was on the verge of tears with his lip quivering and eyes twinkling. Originally, you had feared Kenny had done it, but when an explanation was demanded, he merely brushed you off with the answer that Levi had gotten into a 'tussle' with some guys at the pub. Of course, that only made your anger flare as did the sobs that finally dropped from Levi's month. While he could stay strong around his cold caretaker, such strength dried up when in the comforting arms of his sister.

Levi remained latched to your side that night as you and Kenny got into argument which soon became a routine very quickly. Time and time again, he would egg on your brother into fighting someone be it other kids or several adults three times his size. They'd then return home, the two of you would get into a shouting match over what's best for Levi, and the night would end with Kenny marching out to go to the pub while you cleaned your brother's wounds.

Things only grew worse when Levi began to sink further into Kenny's influence, abandoning his once timid nature in favor of a cold and harsh demeanor you didn't recognize. Soon, he began taking Kenny's side in arguments, pushing you away when you tried to bandage him up while protesting that he can take care of himself. Needless to say, the shift in your brother's personality along with the unnecessarily risk of his safety were beginning to push you over the edge, something Kenny began to take notice to.

Perhaps this was most obvious the night when you sat at the dinner table, tapping your fingers against the wood in an offbeat pattern as you glared out the window in complete disregard of the man across from you. Once again, Levi had returned home with more injuries which you sent him off to get cleaned if he insisted he could take care of himself so well. That left you and Kenny alone in a tense atmosphere that could be cut with a knife.

At one point, you glanced at him, finding your thoughts once again beginning to wonder over to why he even takes care of you both in the first place. He isn't a kind person, neither of you give him anything in return, no one's paying him at least that you know of...so why? What does he have to gain by caring for two street rats?

You had your theories, one in particular that always stuck to the back of your mind, but you usually kept it to yourself. Because you don't want it to be true or are just scared it might not be, you don't know, but at last, you decided to face that possible reality that night.

"Are you one of our dads?"

Kenny had spat his beer at your sudden question, his face morphed into a look disgust," tsk, what makes ya' think I'm your dad, huh?!"

For some unknown reason, you hesitated to answer against the harshness of his own question," you...you knew our mom and I don't see any other reason why you would take care of us unless...maybe..."

"Hate to break it to ya', but I ain't your dad, kid, nor am I your brother's. Don't go filling your head with such ridiculous ideas," his lips return to the mug he's been nursing on, ignoring the way your eyes cast down to your hands in a failed attempt at masking your own hurt. Within a few short seconds, you tried to convince yourself you should be celebrating Kenny not being your dad. Why the hell should you be happy to relate to him anyways?

"Then why? Why take care of us? And don't try telling me it's out of 'the goodness of your own heart' or some other bullshit like that. I refuse to believe you of all people would take care of us because of that."

Unlike before where he had been very quick to shut down your question, Kenny took his time to think over his answer before voicing it," you're right. It's 'cuz I made a promise to Kuncel. I would've broken it if I left her kids on the street without any good chance of survival...That's the only reason I'm doing any of this. Once I'm sure you both can do fine on your own, I'll be taking my leave so don't go getting attached or anything."

You had opened your mouth but didn't say anything. You still weren't sure how his words were making you feel. Part of you wanted to make a snide comment about how much better you'd be once he leaves, but at the same time, your hidden side wanted to argue, demanding to know how he could just come into your lives for several years, be the only father figure you'd ever know, then plan to just leave.

Of course, you stubbornly muzzled yourself back then, assuming he was just trying to push you back at arm's length to ensure you got that thought of him being related to either of you out of your head.

...But it wasn't just talk.

You remember turning to the sound of a door opening, smiling to see Levi's figure standing there in the light. While his nose was bleeding and his face was scratched, he appeared otherwise fine, that was, until you caught sight of his eyes.

There was a sadness to them that immediately raised worry in your chest, thinking that perhaps he took a really bad beating you'd have to go return to someone, but when you put a hand to his cheek, making him look up at you as you fussed over his injuries, he mumbled the words that explained everything despite their lack of context.

"...He left..."

That had been the last time you admitted to yourself that you respected Kenny and with Levi's words that sliver of hope inside your heart that thought of the man as a father-figure died...