47Papa Heichou is Best Heichou
Chapter 1
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There was something terrifying about the flames that engulfed the house.
Levi couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight, as wood spilt, twisted, and darkened under the intense heat of the flames. The black smoke rising from the house melded into the dark, starless night. More parts of the house became enveloped in the hot flames. There was a loud screech and the roof caved in, shattering the windows on the 2nd floor.
Everything at once became loud and focused; people screaming at him, the wailing sirens of fire trucks, and ear shattering crying.
A hand grabbed Levi's shoulder and he was roughly pulled away from the burning house. A group of firefighters ran past him, shouting instructions at each other. Levi stared at the man who pulled him away from the house; a friend whom happened to be a volunteer firefighter.
"Levi, are you hurt anywhere?" Erwin asked, looking him over.
His clothes were singed and tattered and there was a deep cut on his leg but he was fine. The crying got louder and Levi's world focused on the child in his arms, clinging to him. The child was alright, maybe just a few singed hairs but Levi had pulled him out of the fire moments before it got worse. Levi clutched the child closer to his chest, the adrenaline leaving his body and causing his legs to buckle.
Levi didn't cry. He knelt on the ground, holding the child tighter to his chest as everything but the child's crying fell away from his world. Behind him, the fire consumed the house like an unstoppable monster.
"…I'm sorry, Eren."
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That night, Eren Jaeger lost his parents; Carla and Grisha Jaeger.
Levi and Eren spent the night in Erwin's apartment. Eren fell asleep after he had exhausted himself and Levi only managed an hour of sleep. He mostly stayed up, getting update texts from Erwin. From what Erwin told him, the fire originated in the basement where it had plenty of materials to spread and burn. It was a faulty propane tank that had caused the fire to escalate even more.
Levi stared at his phone, exiting from Erwin's text as more of the few friends he had texted their concern. He set the phone aside on the kitchen counter, going to the fridge for water. He didn't feel like eating much.
Levi knew Carla and Grisha before Eren was born, when he was around 14 years old. Clara owned a small flower shop that was on his route when he walked to school every day. He would always stop to look at the various arrangements displayed on the window. To him, the arrangement of flowers always looked beautiful but he never once stepped inside the shop.
It was Carla who befriended Levi first. He was walking back home, approaching the flower shop when he noticed Carla standing in front of her shop with a potted plant. He politely greeted her but kept on walking. Carla had waved her hands towards him, beckoning him closer.
"I've noticed you always stop by to stare at the flowers." She said. Levi remained silent. Carla simply smiled and walked towards him. "I feel flattered that you enjoy the flowers so much. If you like, I'd love if you took this plant with you."
Levi, still choosing to remain quiet, stared at the woman. He stepped closer and grabbed the pot, making Carla smile.
"I'm Carla." She greeted.
"…Levi."
From there, Levi slowly got to know Carla. Eventually, he found himself staying at her flower shop for hours after school, to the point that Carla had hired him. One way or another, he became intergraded into her life. And Levi, who hated being too social, didn't mind at all.
Carla was what Levi always imagined a functional family to feel like.
"Levi?"
Eren's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Levi stared at Eren, the kids' face covered in snot and dried tears, still dressed in last night soot-covered clothes. Levi stood up and picked Eren up, walking over to the sink and setting the 5-year old on the counter. He grabbed a paper towel, wet it, and began to clean Eren's face.
"Where's mama?" He asked.
Levi's face darkened as he finished cleaning Eren's face. Expecting and tired teal-green eyes watched Levi, waiting for an answer.
"Eren, your mom and dad died last night in the fire." Levi could see the connections that Eren was associating with the word. He patiently waited.
"Mama and Papa are gone?"
Levi nodded, "They're gone to a faraway place and we can't see them again." Tears began to weld at the corners of Eren's eyes, bubbling over as he began to cry. He reached for Levi and Levi gathered Eren into his arms. Tiny hands clung to his shirt.
"Is Levi gonna go away forever too?" He asked through his crying. Levi's heart painfully throbbed and he held Eren tighter.
"I'm not going anywhere, Eren." Levi's voice came out hoarse. "I promise I'm not going anywhere."
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Over the next few days, there was a flurry of paper work Levi had to look over in order to adopt Eren. Carla and Grisha eloped so they didn't have any close relative take cake of Eren and even if they did, Levi would've refused them. The transition was easier when Carla's lawyer read the will. And with Erwin's help, whom was vastly more knowledgeable in the fancy garble of legal words, everything Levi wanted to do regarding Eren was handled smoothly.
Of course, this meant a major change in Levi's life.
Levi lived far from where Eren used to live. He decided to move out of his apartment and moved to the flower shop Carla owned. There was a small studio apartment on the 2nd floor of the building. Levi also wanted to keep Carla's flower shop open. In the 6 years he'd know and worked for Carla, he knew how to run the business side of the shop after learning and working the shop when Carla was pregnant with Eren.
It was a sentimental move but Levi didn't want to the flower shop to disappear as well.
A few of Eren's clothes managed to survive the fire, along with a small decorative key that belonged to Grisha.
A week after the incident and with everything settled, Levi moved into the flower shop with Eren.
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The first order of business was cleaning the 2nd floor. Carla rarely used the 2nd floor and when she did, it was mostly to store things that wouldn't fit in the back room downstairs. The 2nd floor was decent in size. Two bedrooms, a medium sized bathroom and the main living room with an extruding counter from the wall that separated the kitchen made up the entire 2nd floor. Aside from the dust, which seemed to be the biggest problem, cleaning wouldn't be too much work.
Eren was mimicking Levi's cleaning outfit, clumsily trying to tie an apron behind his back with fierce determination. Levi leaned on his mop, watching with amusement before he decided to step in.
"Oi, Eren."
Eren looked up from his task. He walked over to Levi, turning his back towards Levi.
"What're going to clean first?" He asked as he finished tying the knot. Eren quickly turned around, hoisting the cloth he held in the air.
"The tables!" He exclaimed, running towards the living room. Levi set aside the mop and grabbed the room to begin sweeping the floor. That was how the two spent most of the morning. By noon, most of the house was spotless. Levi pulled off the bandana he wore then took out his cell phone. Hanji was late and he hadn't heard word from her. He was about to dial her number when he heard several loud car beeps from outside.
There she was.
And there went Eren, running towards the door that led downstairs.
"Eren, don't fuckin-, I mean, dammit." Levi followed after Eren, reminding himself to keep his swearing in check around Eren. He could hear Hanji's loud voice and Eren's squeals as he was picked up by the brown-haired woman. She easily tossed him into the air, catching the child and swinging him around. Petra walked around the pair and greeted Levi.
"How are things?" She asked.
"Better. We finished cleaning the house upstairs."
"And Eren?" She asked, looking towards Hanji and Eren. "You mentioned he wasn't sleeping well."
"He's getting better at sleeping." Levi replied, the permanent furrow between his brows slightly deepening. Hanji had Eren on her shoulders, Eren pointing direction for her to run at.
"Hey, you know you can rely on us, right." Petra said, raising her arm and flexing it. Levi's expression softened and he nodded.
"Hanji," He called out, walking towards them. "Quit tossing him so high." Hanji grinned and pulled Eren of her shoulders, handing him back to Levi. Eren was wearing her square-framed glasses, eyes wide and out of focused. Levi took them off as Eren blinked a few times.
"You sure this is all you're going to need." Hanji said as she walked towards the back of her truck. She pulled open the doors, where a few boxes and furniture were loaded on the back. Most were his clothes and new clothes he bought for Eren, a desk, a couch, his tv, and a few chairs. And boxes full of college materials and personal matters.
As well as several potted impatiens he'd grown.
Levi nodded, "Most of my furniture was rented either way."
Hanji nodded and waved over Petra. "C'mon, let's unpack these things. Levi's treating us to a round tonight!"
"Hey, when did I-" But his words were cut off as Hanji began to laugh over his words. Levi sighed and he stepped aside as Petra came to help with the couch.
Eren squirmed in his grasp until Levi set him down on the ground. He diligently looked up at Levi, holding out his arms. "I wanna help!"
Levi looked into the truck, searching for anything Eren might be able to carry. He leaned in and grabbed the smallest pot of various purple shaded impatiens. "Think you can handle this?"
Eren vigorously nodded. Levi kneeled in front of Eren and handed to pot to him. With his tiny arms and hands, Eren clung to the pot like his life depended on it and began walking towards the stairs.
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Later that night, Levi found himself at a relatively quiet bar with Erwin, Hanji, and Petra. It was a bar they frequently visited on the weekends. They sat in a booth, Hanji and Petra downing in drinks while Erwin sat next to Levi. And Eren sat on Levi's lap, shoveling the cheese-covered French fries into his mouth.
"Everything's finally settled?" Erwin asked.
Levi nodded, pulling Eren's face back to wipe all the excess cheese around his mouth then setting his head free so Eren could continue his annihilation of the cheesy fries. Hanji grinned, gently elbowing Petra's side as she pointed at him.
"Somehow, I feel like I should preserve this image." She said, slowly reaching for her cell phone. Levi glared at her but Hanji was long used to those glares. She grinned as she took his picture. "I'll forward it to you later so you can see for yourself."
"Did you change your schedule for the new semester?"
Levi nodded, once gain pulling Eren's head back to wipe the cheese off his face. "I managed to change the hours for all my class to the morning. It gives me plenty of time to pick up Eren up at the daycare." At the mention of his name, Eren looked up at Levi. He reached for a fry and held it up for Levi, thinking Levi called his name for a French fry.
Levi leaned over and ate the fry, staring down at a beaming Eren. When he came back up, his three friends were desperately trying to hold back their laughter. Levi rolled his eyes, "You bastards." He muttered.
The three laughed loudly while Levi just ignored their idiocy.
The rest of the night continued in that warm atmosphere.
Levi enjoyed nights like these. He had very few friends for most his life. He knew Erwin the longest, since he was a child. He met Hanji and Petra in high school, along with a few others. For the most part, people generally stayed away from Levi. He's heard all the excuses many times.
"Doesn't Levi look scary?"
"He rarely takes. You never know what he might be thinking."
"I hear he's gotten into dozens of fight. You should just stay away from him."
"What a creep."
He's heard everything. And while all of it was lies, there was truth behind each. For one, he couldn't really change how he looked so there was no helping the matter of how his appearance came across. He had no real desire to attempt to change for other people's acceptance. Levi also wasn't much of a social talker and he didn't open himself up to many people.
But he did talk a lot. Only a few, like Erwin, Hanji, or Petra knew that Levi was a talker. And all of the fights he'd ever been in were initiated by the attacking party.
In the end, Levi just let them say whatever they wanted. He knew he probably should've done something to quell the rumors over the years but Levi didn't care enough. Either they liked him or they didn't.
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It was near midnight when Levi arrived home with Eren. Eren was sleeping, head resting on Levi's shoulder. Levi opened the door to the apartment, heading start to his room. He set Eren on the bed then went to go find his pajamas.
Once he had Eren changed, Levi simply removed his shirt and belt and climbed onto bed beside Eren. He pulled the covers closer and watched as Eren slowly shuffled closer towards Levi's body. He was whimpering, body twisting side to side.
"Eren, I'm sorry I couldn't save Carla and Grisha. I promise I'll protect you from here on out." He pulled Eren closer, gently patting his head until Eren settled down.
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Levi woke up with a heavy weight on his chest. He groaned, lightly swatting the thing that was on him. Eren giggled, grasping Levi's hand. He glanced towards his alarm clock., the red numbers lazily telling him it was six in the morning. Levi groaned again and slowly sat upright.
Kids had an unholy power of being able to wake up at the crack of dawn with full energy.
"Levi! Mikasa and Armin are waiting!"
"Right, the daycare." Levi mumbled. He yawned, stretching his arms above his arms. Eren smiled and he jumped off the bed, running towards the kitchen.
"Eren, your teeth!" Levi called out.
"Right!" Eren replied and Levi could hear Eren's pitter patter as he ran back towards the bathroom. Levi left the room, joining Eren in the bathroom. Eren stepped on the small plastic step so he could reach the sink. He grabbed his tooth brush, holding it out to Levi as he squeezed out the tooth paste for him and himself. When Eren was done, he hopped off the step and sat on top of the toilet lid, watching as Levi shaved the sparse morning stubble.
"Make sure you have everything in your backpack." Levi said, wiping off the excess shaving cream. Eren nodded and ran off towards his own room. Levi left the bathroom and walked to the kitchen, starting on breakfast.
It was a normal morning for them. Levi has always been Eren's baby sitter when Carla needed him. In fact, he was sure Carla was taking advantage of his services. But he never minded even if she was. Levi, whom hated kids, didn't hate Eren. Even when Eren was a chubby-faced crying machine, he didn't mind it at all.
"Levi, you're actually a gentle person, aren't you."
Carla's voice ringed in his mind. He shook his head, clearing his mind just in time to notice the pancake he was making was burning.
"Shit!" He quickly flipped over the pancake, the side coming up nearly black.
Eren's mess of a hair and those sparse eyebrows of his were peeping around the corner of the kitchen, big eyes focused on Levi. One look from Levi sent Eren running back to his room, giggling. He really needed to watch his language around Eren.
With breakfast, a stack of pancakes and eggs, done; Levi set the plates on the counter. Eren wandered into the kitchen when he smelled the food, somewhat decently dressed. He was missing a sock and his shit was on backwards.
"Eren come here." Levi said, kneeling on the floor. "You have your shirt backwards."
"Ah." Eren looked down at his shirt.
"Lift your arms." Levi said. Eren nodded and lifted his arms as he was told, watching Levi.
"Levi?"
"Yeah?" He replied, pulling back down Eren's shirt.
"You look sad." He said. Eren grabbed Levi's hand, clutching his fingers with both of his tiny hands. "Don't look sad. I will take care of you!"
Eren was staring at Levi with the same fierce determination he wore when he tied his own shoes. Levi couldn't help but chuckle, lightly flicking Eren's forehead. He picked him up and set him down on his chair.
"You're 13 years too early to worry about me." He said, sitting beside Eren. "But, I'll be in your care then."
Eren grinned, happy to see the sadness no longer on Levi's face.
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Levi dropped Eren off at the daycare at 9am. Eren nearly smashed through the car door when he spotted Mikasa and Armin standing in front of the entrance of the colorful building, waving to him when they saw Eren through the window. Levi parked the car and unlocked Eren's side of the door.
"Be careful." Levi said. Eren nodded and opened the door, nearly sprinting towards Mikasa and Armin. Levi stepped out, closing his door and grabbing Eren's backpack from the passenger seat. The woman by the entrance, watching out for the other kids who were arriving, greeted him as he entered. Inside he was met with the sounds of many high-pitched children voices.
Eren had run off with his friends to the back of the large room with all the toys. Levi looked around and spotted the head daycare woman. She was talking to a mother and Levi waited nearby until she was done.
"Good morning, Ilse." He greeted once the mother was gone.
"Good morning, Levi. It's good to see Eren back." She said. Levi nodded, scanning the room until he spotted Eren reading a large picture book with Armin and Mikasa. "How has he been?"
"For the most part he's been okay. He's been gradually sleeping well since the accident. But can you please keep an eye out when he falls asleep."
"I'll make sure to watch him." Ilse said. "What about you? Carla always said you were like a son to her."
"I'm alright." He said. And he said no more than that but Ilse seemed to understand. Another parent was walking towards her and she excused herself. "I'll see you later then." She said as she left.
Levi walked over to where Eren was. The picture book was abandoned in favor of clutching a stuffed dinosaur doll that was nearly his size. "Eren, go put your backpack away." He said as he held out the backpack. Eren handed the dinosaur to Mikasa as he grabbed his backpack from Levi and went to put it in the cubby with his name on it.
"I'll see you later, Eren." Levi said, ruffling to the top of Eren's head.
"Right!"
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From there Levi drove to the university.
This was his second semester as a liberal arts major. Erwin had, much to Levi's annoyance, tried to persuade him into switching to a criminal justice major. But Levi held no love for that career path. Hanji was a genetics major and a semester before she was neurobiology major. And without her knowing, Levi and Erwin were placing bets whether she would change her major again by the time the spring semester started.
Erwin placed bets on her staying with the same major while Levi thought otherwise.
Levi spotted Hanji by one of the entrance to the building, grinning and holding up to cups of coffee. He quickened his pace. Either Erwin was an idiot or he under estimated how truly spontaneous Hanji really was.
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The rest of the week passed by quickly but was difficult.
On Tuesday, he worked at a furniture shop, mainly doing heavy lifting and deliveries. By 4pm, he'd picked Eren up and from there they went home. Levi cooked dinner while Eren recounted his whole day to him then gravitated towards the TV. After dinner, they showered and both fell asleep afterwards.
The next day was the same as Monday, with the slight change of only attending one class that only lasted for two hours. After that, Levi had enough to time to go to a café and sit in his favorite corner while he finished some of his assignments.
From Thursday on, it was just work, pick up Eren, then put him to bed when it was his bed time while Levi stayed up to finish the rest of his assignments. By Saturday afternoon, having picked up Eren from Armin's house, Levi was exhausted. He'd tossed himself on the sofa and heaved a big sigh. He was thankful for Sunday being his day off of work.
Eren was digging through Levi's bag, fussing around until he found the movie Armin said he needed to watch. Case in hand, he walked over to the TV, inserting the DVD into the player and turning the TV on. He plopped himself right down in front of the large screen and the screen flickered to life.
"I've told you not to sit so close."
Eren found himself being lifted into Levi's arms and pulled away, sitting on the sofa instead. The movie began playing and Eren's attention was instantly captivated by the cartoon. After a small pause, Levi ruffled up Eren's hair and went to the kitchen to start on dinner.
From here on out, it was just the two of them.
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you don't know how badly i've wanted this fic in my life
like, i searched and searched and read and read but just couldn't find a levi/eren fic that met my needs
so i took matters into my own hands
also because papa heichou is indeed the best heichou