Family Ties(Erwin x Levi)

Tough Conversations II

Mikasa's face turned into a frown. "Why did I look like that?" Her fingers jabbed at the screen on her father's phone, pausing the video.

Erwin couldn't resist laughing. "Because you were very little. You were only four months old, or so. Not all babies look like they do in advertisements. It takes them a few months to look like that."

He tapped out of the video and found another one. In this, it was their first trip to the beach. Mikasa was about six and a half months old and sitting between Erwin's legs as they both sat at the edge of the water. Erwin played the video and he could hear his own voice narrating to Mikasa as the waves washed to them. Levi's voice, from behind the camera, had made a comment about if they were safe there and Erwin calmly assured they were fine. He smiled as he watched how Mikasa's face turned into one of shock at the cool water washing up on her. There was a couple of seconds before she looked toward the camera, where Levi was hiding behind, and then at Erwin as she decided she didn't like it and began crying. On the video, Erwin laughed sympathetically and pulled her into his chest as she stood, kissing her cheek and adjusting the small hat on her head. "Oh, sweetheart, it's alright! Honey—"

Back in the present, Mikasa giggled and looked at Erwin. "But I like the water now."

"You do," Erwin acknowledged. "But it was new to you. You know how new things are scary, sometimes?"

"Oh, yeah. So that was scary to me," Mikasa concluded.

Erwin hummed. "You got used to it. It was a very good first trip. We took you everywhere. It's all in your baby book. I'll have to get that out."

They were on Erwin and Levi's bed. Levi was downstairs on the phone with Hanji, convincing them to come over. Isabel was sick with the flu and Farlan was taking care of her so they couldn't watch Mikasa. Hanji usually never passed up an opportunity to visit their niece and Moblit would tag along if he wasn't busy.

It was midmorning on a Sunday and their little family had fallen asleep together in the very bed Erwin and Mikasa were now relaxing in. After last night's conversation, it was only fair. Erwin had called Grisha and Carla earlier to ask if they could have a conversation with Zeke. Luckily, Zeke was home visiting from college and he wouldn't be leaving back to campus until the next day. There was plenty of time to talk about what he'd said and why.

Erwin wasn't sure exactly how the conversation would go. They'd known the Jaegers for five-and-a-half years now. Zeke had been a teenager when they'd become family friends and his situation was rather precarious. Erwin wasn't a psychiatrist or psychologist but even he could see how tense Zeke was around Grisha and Carla. He seemed fine when he was around Eren. In fact, years prior, he'd absolutely doted on Eren and liked Mikasa well enough. But it was clear to anyone that he loved Eren and loved being his brother.

Levi had always been skeptical of Zeke. Erwin couldn't understand it at first but once Levi pointed out how he acted around his parents, it was hard to ignore. Granted, Carla wasn't his biological mother. But that was a tender topic that neither family brought up. It just wasn't appropriate.

Erwin sighed and leaned his head against Mikasa's as she watched the video and scrolled to the next one. He was glad she'd asked to hear more about when she'd been a baby. Bonding over these memories was something he'd always wanted to do. Whenever he looked at a photograph, Erwin felt himself immediately reliving those memories. It didn't matter if it was a photo from the day prior or two decades prior. He loved reminiscing and passing on those memories. Memories were precious keepsakes that, unfortunately, did fade over time with age. But with videos and photos, they remained fresher than ever.

Mikasa seemed lighter this morning. She seemed happier and more comfortable. Levi had made her pancakes and Erwin had let her sneak in some chocolate chips into the batter when he hadn't been looking. It ended up being a fun morning. Now he was glad to be spending a little time with Mikasa before they had to go have this conversation with Zeke.