Same, but Different

•Chapter VII•

Levi

"Where the fuck is Eren?" I asked. Lately, Eren had been disappearing every night and not showing up until when the kids were almost home the next day. However, this time, he hadn't even managed that and I had to leave work early to make sure Aki and Tobias were properly cared for and fed.

"Dinner is delicious, Papa..." Aki said quietly, eating her stir fry.

Tobias poked at his food uncharacteristically, a surprising lack of appetite for the first time. "I... I never eat without Daddy."

"Please?" Aki asked. "I want you to eat with me, Titan."

The boy seemed to have an internal conflict with himself before stabbing some of the stir fry and eating it. "Tastes good." He said, unenthusiastic.

"Thank you." I ate with them. "I hoped you'd like it. You probably prefer Eren's cooking."

"I like your cooking, Papa. The rice is perfectly cooked and so is the steak," Aki complimented, trying to keep our spirits up.

"I like your cooking, Mr. Lev-" The front door opened loudly, a familiar voice groaning. "Daddy!" Titan quickly bolted towards the door.

"Hey, Ty," Eren said, "sorry I'm late."

"It's okay, you're here now." Titan sounded enthusiastic again. "Daddy... you smell a little funny."

"I... had a little to drink last night, I'm so sorry." Eren apologized quietly.

I stood up and began to clean.

Eren came into the kitchen, Tobias wrapped around his leg. "Levi... I'm sorry."

"Shut up. Just eat."

He nodded slowly, biting his lip and sitting down. He ate quickly, looking at me every now and then with shame in his eyes. "It tastes good." He said, keeping his voice down as if he were frightened.

"Mr. Levi... you're scaring Daddy."

"Mr. Eren pissed Papa off," Aki responded, handing me her plate and grabbing bleach, a mask, and some paper towels to clean off the counters. "I found some gray hairs when I was brushing his hair yesterday."

"You make it sound like it was Daddy's fault," Tobias snapped back, glaring at Aki. "Daddy doesn't do things that hurt people, Daddy has always done what kept the most people safe and happy. He wouldn't annoy Mr. Levi without a reason!"

"Hey, Titan, it's okay." Eren nudged his son. "I was late home, so it's my fault."

"But you're never late!" Titan replied, "You always come home on time, and you're never late so something must've happened. You were sad too before, so what happened? Tell me!"

"It was an accident, okay. He didn't mean to hurt or stress Papa out, but he did. He didn't mean to make Papa cry, but he did. It was all an accident, and he didn't mean it, but that's what happened. Nobody is perfect and will hurt people by accident. Mr. Eren is a good person, Titan, but good people aren't angelic. They sin. Everyone sins." Aki cried, continuing to clean.

"Aki, honey, do you want to sleep with me tonight?" I asked quietly.

"I wanted to sleep with Titan because I didn't know if Mr. Eren was going to come home, but... I guess I'll just sleep by myself." She wiped her eyes, finishing her chore before running off.

I continued to clean and unload the dishwasher.

"Mr. Levi hurt Daddy too," Tobias muttered before following Aki upstairs, most likely to try and cheer her up.