Chapter Text
Eren felt the smile creep onto his face as home came into view, he pressed his heels into his horse and urged her to go a little faster desperately needing to get home.
He finally felt happy in a way he hadn't in quite a few months, the news Levi had given him this morning had been hard to hear and yet necessary. It was like waking up from a strange dream and knowing the bad parts weren't coming back... he was finally awake and safe.
Historia rode close behind him on her smaller bay horse, keeping up with his increased pace eager to get home as well. Because she called Trost Military Base home now too and she had herself figured out for the most part. She had taken Eren up on his offer to join him in his work and following that decision everything else seemed to fall into place in her life.
She was amazing at her job as well, bright and charming and honest. She tended to shock their clients and coworkers initially but everyone who had taken the time to get to know her were easily converted and loved how she spoke her mind and didn't shy away from the truth. She was an essential part of their team and was Eren's main liaison to the few girls he had living there now.
They had been wary of him to begin with but not Historia. They welcomed her like a sister and Eren knew that without her it would have been a lot of hard work and long hours to gain the trust and respect they had in Historia- simply because she was a living, breathing, healthy example of their future. They had three girls living with them at the moment but the couple they'd met with was the first on the other side.
Couples willing to undergo surrogacy were few and far between but never more so than in a businesses early years. Eren had been struggling for months to find couples interested in going forward and while a lot were interested, none were willing to take the first step. Not until today.
The couple they'd met today were exactly what Eren had been hoping for. They were kind and loving and wanted a child more than anything- they had been trying unsuccessfully for the last ten years before giving up knowing it wasn't going to happen for them. They'd told Eren that the week after they'd made their decision to move on had been the night of the ball and Eren and Levi's announcement.
It was only after Mia had been born had they seriously considered going ahead but what with Eren and Levi all but consumed by their new daughter and then the kidnapping it had never been the right time to approach. And when they did Eren and Historia had welcomed them easily and talked them through everything, from each side, so that the hopeful parents knew exactly what to expect.
Everything had been relatively smooth and pain free and they'd parted ways happily, each one of them excited at the prospect of what their future held. They had the promise of another meeting soon and then the expectation that they would get to meet their surrogate as well... which left Eren and Historia the difficult task of deciding which girl was the best fit for the couple.
Eren had one girl in mind. Her name was Nicole, she was a slight 23 year old with red hair and freckles and a chronically ill brother she needed to care for. A baby was the last thing she wanted, a good job and money for medicine was more than enough compensation for those nine months of her life. She was bright and funny and Eren had liked her as soon as he'd met her, knowing she was going to make the right couple completely at ease.
He finally reached the stables with Historia right behind him, they both dismounted quickly and handed over their reins to the stable boy who took their horse away to brush them down.
"I've been thinking about who'd be best" Historia said excitedly as they exited the stable.
"Me too" Eren said with a grin, "I think I know as well".
"Nicole?" Historia guessed and Eren nodded happily.
"She's perfect, right?" Eren gushed.
"Completely" Historia agreed, "best example for the other girls to follow".
"I mean, they'll have to meet but if they're compatible we could probably get started in a month or so" Eren said, his words rushing out of his mouth.
"This is so exciting!" Historia exclaimed, "I'm gonna go tell Ymir".
"Yeah! I have to tell Levi" Eren said, "Bye!"
"See you later!" she called back as she ran from the stables and towards the residential housing where her and Ymir now lived.
Eren watched her go, smiling as he saw her reach her front door and seeing Ymir come out to greet her with a kiss. They had reunited rather quickly after Mia was returned home and moved in together as soon as Ymir and the other cadets had graduated. They now lived in their own little flat with Sasha and Connie on one side and Jean and Marco on the other, the other recently graduated cadets lived in the same building with Reiner, Bert and Annie all having their own places but they'd requested to be next door to each other.
As the sun went down Eren started to make his way back up to his rooms where he knew Levi and Mia were waiting for him. He saw Hange, Erwin and Levi's squad training hard on the grounds, they were all paired up and fighting hard, Petra and Olou with their blades, Eld and Gunther with fists and Hange and Erwin seemed to be fighting a manic battle with both. They were all grinning though and dancing around the other and Eren paused to watch as Erwin landed a blow on Hange just before she swiped his feet out from under him.
He'd never seen Erwin fight before but he'd guessed he must be something pretty amazing and he wasn't letting Eren down, he was quick and agile and seemed to know everything the Hange might do at least a minute before she did. As if, like in strategy he was always at least five steps ahead of his enemy.
Eren waved at them and the six of them made sure to stop and turn to him in response, Levi's squad waved back while Erwin just nodded, it was Hange that dropped her blades and ran over to him in excitement.
"EREN! Are we going to be up and running soon? Levi said you had a meeting with some wannabe parents?" Hange exclaimed, her voice loud enough that it carried back to the others.
"Yeah it went great!" Eren said back matching her excitement, "they're poor with like nothing but their house and jobs to their name but they're good people and I think it's a nice way to start".
"That's incredible! You picked a girl yet?" Hange exclaimed.
"Historia and I are thinking of Nicole" Eren said, his eyes bright and nervous hoping that Hange agreed.
"Oh, she'd be perfect to start" Hange gasped.
"I know, right?!" Eren said excitedly, "we just have to let them all meet and see if they're compatible".
"Excellent! Let me know how it goes!" Hange said.
"Definitely, I'll be needing you anyway for the medical part" Eren said with a laugh.
"Oh right! Man, I'm so excited for this!" Hange said, her voice rising higher the more excited she got.
"Me too! Anyway, I've gotta run... gotta tell Levi how everything went" Eren said but at the mention of Levi's name Hange grinned wolfishly.
"About Levi..." she smirked and Eren paused not sure if he wanted to hear this at all, "you and him thinking of more kids? I like the idea of Levi with children hanging off him at all times".
Yepp, thought Eren, didn't need to hear that one. He felt his face flush red and shook his head quickly before she could say another word, he could however see the rest of them grinning and laughing at the idea and although he hated to admit it Eren loved that idea as well.
"Hange, Mia isn't even a year old yet... we're not thinking about more kids" Eren said defiantly, he didn't let them know however that in the quiet hours of the night when Mia was finally asleep and his own head was rested on Levi's chest he'd think about it. Think about having a little boy with Levi's hair and eyes or another girl with Levi's slight figure and inhuman fighting abilities - he'd imagine a time in the future where they had a house full of kids running under their feet, most of whom looked nothing like them at all but were happy living with them.
He'd think about it and smile but as he felt Levi's soft breathing he'd start to worry not knowing if Levi even wanted more kids and then he'd let it go. Like he'd said, Mia wasn't even a year old and besides, he wasn't very old either- Levi still had so much to do for the military, his own surrogacy agency would only take up more time the busier it got and kids should be the last thing he was thinking about after everything that had happened in the last two years.
"Eren? Eren?" Hange said and Eren blinked, realizing someone was talking to him.
"Sorry, spaced out" Eren said with a guilty smile.
"You were totally thinking about Levi with kids hanging off him weren't you?" Hange teased.
"Well, can you blame me?" Eren said trying for teasing, "it's pretty fucking adorable".
"That it is" Hange laughed, "and Eren?"
"Yeah?" Eren asked, tilting his head to the side.
"I reckon Levi's probably been thinking something similar" Hange said with a touch of sincerity.
"You think?" Eren asked not even worried that he sounded genuinely interested in her answer.
"Well, I may have overheard a little conversation he was having with Mia" Hange teased, "something about a sibling or two to boss around".
"Seriously?!" Eren asked.
"If the way he blushed meant anything when he realized I'd heard him then yes, I'd say he was serious" Hange laughed. Eren just blinked stupidly, a grin spreading over his face at the realization that he might be able to actually have what he wanted. He never thought he'd be the one to want lots of kids but after Mia he didn't think he'd be able to stop, she was so beautiful and she brought so much life to both him and Levi and he wanted more.
He started to let himself hope for more.
"OK" Eren breathed out, still grinning, "I really gotta go then... gotta tell Levi about the thing... and that other thing".
He could hear Hange and Petra laughing behind him, Olou and Gunther snorting their amusement and could almost feel the smiles that were probably spreading over Erwin and Eld's face as he picked up his pace and started running into the building toward his rooms.
He'd talk to Levi. They'd make a plan. Not for another year or so at least but they would plan for the future. Plan children and careers and life... and Eren felt so light and free as he burst through his own front door because he could plan now. There was no looming threat, nothing holding him back, nothing to worry about except small, mundane, everyday things and it was the best feeling in the world.
He found Levi in their loungeroom with Mia on the floor by his feet playing with a set of plastic keys that jingled, Levi was sitting on the floor with a book he was ignoring in favour of watching Mia with a fond smile. He looked up as soon as Eren came in and watched in amusement as Eren rushed over to him, knelt on the floor and moved in to kiss him deeply.
Eren kissed him until neither of them could breathe and they had to break away from each other to get a little air.
"I love you, you know that, right?" Eren breathed out.
"I kinda figured" Levi said with a smirk and pulled Eren back in to kiss him again.
"Do you want more kids?" Eren blurted out, not really worried anymore about Levi's answer.
Levi raised a thin eyebrow but his smile stayed in place, "yeah, you?"
"Definitely" Eren said with a grin, his stomach doing a little loop at Levi's easy answer.
"Not until Mia's at least two though" Levi said, "I can't have the first one finally sleeping through the night only to have a newborn again".
"Definitely plus I need to have a solid few years with just the two of you" Eren agreed, "we really don't need any added stress to our lives".
"Yeah, especially when things have just calmed down" Levi said.
"But when Mia's two? Then we can?" Eren asked with a grin.
"When Mia's two" Levi agreed and Eren couldn't help but throw himself on his husband and kiss him, his arms wrapping around Levi's neck and his legs now on either side of Levi's body. He made sure to move his hands slowly, dragging them up from Levi's hip to his ribs and listening as Levi's breath stumbled each time he applied even the smallest amount of pressure.
"I love her but can we get someone to babysit for like an hour?" Levi managed to breath out, he was starting to get flushed and Eren could definitely feel the hardness in his pants and knew they either needed to stop what they were doing or remove the impressionable baby.
"Whose turn is it?" Eren asked roughly but with amusement clear in his voice.
"Petra" Levi said, "we can take her to Petra".
"She's training with the others" Eren said with a laugh.
"Trust me, she's been at me forever to babysit, she'll jump at the chance" Levi replied.
"Alright then, you get her a blanket, I'll grab some toys and then I'll take her down" Eren said, he shifted away from Levi and turned to pick Mia up, "how about it, munchkin? You gonna give your daddies some privacy so we can finally get some?"
"Eren!" Levi chided.
"What?" Eren laughed, "it's not like she really understands what that means yet".
"Whatever, I'd rather you not tell our daughter her dad's are passing her off so they can fuck in the other room" Levi said and then swore as he realized his words were much worse than Eren's, Eren was just laughing loudly at Levi's annoyance.
"There will be fucking though, right?" Eren teased, his voice a whisper in Levi's ear. Levi let out a long sigh, knowing they really couldn't say much worse than they already have.
"Yes, Eren, there'll be fucking" Levi sighed but smirked slightly at Eren's excitement, "now take her to someone more responsible before we can corrupt her any further".
Eren stood up but bent down to Levi, kissing him softly, "get me her blanket and I'll be back in ten".
Levi rolled his eyes but smiled, "don't take too long".
"Not with you waiting" Eren grinned.
***
Petra returned Mia after dinner, she was dozing in Petra's arms and wrapped in her blanket when Eren answered the door. He was only wearing his sweatpants not having bothered with a shirt after he and Levi had gotten out of the shower, Levi was still rustling around in their bedroom taking the sheets off the bed and putting their dirty clothes in the laundry basket. Eren gave Petra a guilty smile as he took his daughter off her but she only smiled cheerily in return.
"How was she?" Eren asked, shifting Mia so she was comfortable against him.
"Perfect" Petra said, "we went to the library and then she joined all of us for dinner... she's a very popular young lady".
"I bet" Eren said with a small grin.
"You two had fun, I expect" Petra asked, raising an eyebrow in a very familiar way that Eren knew she must have learnt from her Captain.
"So much fun" Eren said lightly, not caring that his ears had turned bright red, he was so relaxed and happy he wasn't in control of what he was saying.
"I bet" Petra repeated with a smirk and the two of them laughed a little before Petra waved and walked away.
"Come on, Princess, it's bedtime" Eren said softly to his sleepy daughter.
Eren walked her to their bathroom where they had a baby bath set up which Levi had actually started to fill in preparation for her, Eren undressed Mia, passing her clothes to Levi and then lowered her gently into the water, holding her steady. Levi returned a few minutes later after putting Mia's clothes in the laundry and finding new ones for her to wear to bed. Eren smiled softly at him and Levi returned it before going over to them and helping to wash her hair and body, both of them happy in the silence surrounding the bathroom.
Eren dressed her in her soft pyjamas and then sat down in the rocking chair in the corner of the room, Levi following them in and pottering around the room, cleaning up clothes and emptying the rubbish while Eren settled into his chair and rocked Mia back and forth to soothe her back in to her doze. When Eren started to talk Levi did what he always did- he stopped cleaning and went to them taking his spot on the floor by Eren's feet and closing his eyes to listen.
"Once upon a time in a far away Kingdom there lived a Prince. He was scared and damaged and although he had his sister and best friend, he felt all alone in the world. His Kingdom was in the middle of a war, a terrible war that started a long time ago, and in order to finally bring it to an end a plan was made. The young Prince would marry a Soldier and bind their two Kingdoms together in an alliance that would bring all of them some peace.
The prince agreed knowing it was the only way to save them all, he didn't know what lay ahead but he trusted that it couldn't be any worse than what he was leaving behind. So he packed his bags and accepted his fate. The Prince was told a lot about his intended husband, he was told he was a legend, a soldier and a great man- that he was the strongest man in the world and that he would be an honorable and worthy match for a Prince.
But on the day of his wedding as the Prince made his way to the church he hoped for only one thing... he wished for the man to be kind.
He walked into that church, holding his breath and clutching at his sister, more anxious than he'd ever felt in his life but as he looked at the man standing at the end he felt, for the first time in a long time, that his wish was coming true.
The Prince was going to get his wish but more than that he was going to get everything he'd never dared to dream of, he was going to get love and happiness and a life full of kindness. He was going to find his place in the world and be surrounded by people he loved and that loved him in return, he was going to help fix both Kingdoms and bring some peace to the world and best of all he was going to become a father.
Because the day that the Prince married a soldier became the second best day in his life... next only to the day his daughter was born.
And after a few bumps in the road the Prince, the Soldier and the little girl lived happily ever after".
"Happily ever after, huh?" Levi murmured, his eyes still closed and a smile pulling his lips up, "a few bumps in the road?" Eren laughed softly and stood up carefully, Mia completely asleep in his arms after his story, he walked over to her cot and put her down gently.
"I can't very well tell her the whole truth now, can I?" Eren said softly as he wandered back to Levi and held out his hand to help his husband up off the floor.
"Yeah... not yet, at least" Levi murmured.
With their fingers laced together they retired to their room, not worried about work or cleaning or anything other than their huge, warm bed waiting to embrace them. Eren fell into bed first with Levi crashing down next to him only seconds later, they both managed to crawl over to the head where their pillows were and slowly slide underneath clean sheets.
"Levi?" Eren whispered into the darkness.
"Yeah?" Levi murmured, he managed to stretch out his hand to find Eren's body and with what little motivation he had left pulled them together so that Eren was lying half on top of him as usual.
"I was telling the truth, you know" Eren continued softly, "the day I met you? Best day of my life".
"Next to Mia of course" Levi muttered with a smile.
"Yeah but only just... besides without you I wouldn't have Mia" Eren said softly.
"Me too, Eren" Levi replied after a long pause, he opened his eyes to look over at his husband, "best day of my life too..."
"Next to Mia" Eren repeated only to hear soft laughter from Levi in return.
"That day's going to get pushed back quite a bit if we have any more" Levi teased gently.
"It'll be worth it" Eren said with a grin, his voice getting quieter the closer he got to sleep.
"Definitely" Levi agreed.
And together they fell asleep with thoughts of their future- the idea of more children, more laughter and much happier days to come.
THE END