#ackerbaby

“He’s just excited to meet his new sibling, aren’t you my little bread loaf?” Nigel shot Levi a triumphant look as he curled his tail round, nestling further into the knitted blanket draped over Petra’s stomach. “Hey maybe he’s kneading at me so much coz he knows I’ve got a bun in the oven? Eh, geddit?”

Levi rolled his eyes. He could hardly talk though. Since Petra had announced her pregnancy, Levi had doted on her. It had revealed his most tender side; rubbing her back during the bouts of morning sickness (which Levi grimly found out weren’t just a morning thing), putting lotion on her stretch marks, massaging her feet when they got sore. Turns out her only major craving had been carrots, but Levi made sure to keep a good stock in the fridge.

The first scan, he was woe to admit, he nearly cried at. Seeing their baby for the first time on the fuzzy ultrasound screen and hearing the sound of its heartbeat opened up a part of his heart he hadn’t been introduced to until that moment.

Sure he was nervous. Not having a father figure in their life would affect any new dad - and no, Kenny didn’t count. But he’d had a strong as hell mother to raise him to be the man he was this present day. He was determined to raise his own kid giving it all the love his mom had poured into his upbringing without the worries over basic shit like he’d had growing up.

Petra eagerly accepted the herbal tea off her husband, “Thanks, I think I overdid it earlier”

Levi gave her a chastising look, “You’re supposed to rest until the brat makes an appearance. Doctor’s orders”

“The baby’s due in just over a week, I think I’m past the point of going into premature labour sweetie”

Levi grumbled under his breath as he settled onto the couch next to her.

***

Since being condemned to bed rest a month ago, Petra has gone into full on nesting mode. More than once Levi had come home to a completely reorganised apartment, the contents of cupboards spilled out across their home as Petra frantically rearranged and re-sorted their belongings. “It just didn’t feel right - I just reorganised a few things!”, Levi stared in exasperation at the now completely re-stacked bookshelf and empty bottles of windex littering the living room. He decided to ignore the rickety ass stepladder propped up against the wall.

“Tch, definitely my kid”

***

They cuddled on the sofa as the rain continued tapping the windows. Spencer rolled in, sporting a small knitted hat as its brushes whirred across the laminate. Levi gave a withering look to his wife.

Petra answered with her own beaming smile, “Oh don’t look at me like that, he just wants to feel festive”

“It’s a fucking Roomba!”

Petra kissed up his jaw, “Shh, don’t shout at the pregnant person”.

____________________

The rain had continued to pour into the next morning. Levi looked out at the miserable sky with distaste before turning back to his wife in annoyance.

Petra scowled back, “Levi seriously it’s just Braxton Hicks, you need to stop fussing”

“And you need to take it easy, stop trying to move furniture!”

“It was getting dusty behind the crib!”

“That’s what the robot vacuum’s for!”. Levi stomped back into the living room.

Petra waddled after her husband, determined to prove that she wasn’t an invalid. Getting her best pout on, she was ready to unleash a month’s worth of bed ridden pregnancy hormones, but stopped when she caught Levi staring at the TV. A local news reporter channel. She watched as horror slowly spread across his face.

“-devastating scenes of Karanes trailer park this morning as flood water swept through the area leaving hundreds without power or-”

Petra gaped at the distressing scenes pictured on the television screen. She opened her mouth to say something but Levi was already rushing to the hallway, digging through the closet for some boots.

Petra shouted down the hallway, “Levi at least call her! Search and rescue might already-!”

But he was gone.

____________________

A few hours later Levi had returned, soaked to his skin but thankfully with a relatively unharmed Kuchel and a small bag of her belongings in tow.

Now the three of them sat at the kitchen table, steaming mugs of tea in hand. Levi’s foot tapped against the tiles as he prepared for the incoming argument.

Kuchel set her cup down on the coaster, “You don’t have to fuss honey, I really am fine”. He would have believed his mother if she hadn’t started sneezing immediately after. He offered her the tissue box, “Tch like hell you are, I told you that something like this would happen eventually”. He muttered darkly about ‘damn idiots building on flood plains’ as he went to refill their mugs.

Petra reached across the table to hold her mother in law’s hand, “It really wouldn’t be any trouble Kuchel, we’d love to have you and we’d definitely feel better knowing you’re safe and dry in the apartment rather than in a trailer park prone to flooding”.

“I know what you’re saying sweetheart, but I really can’t impose on you like this. You’re gonna have a little one to take care of very soon and the last thing you need is for me to be in the way”

As if to prove a point, Petra winced as the baby kicked.

Levi’s jaw tensed. He turned back to his mother.

“You’re staying here”, Kuchel opened her mouth to protest but Levi held up his hand and carried on.

“The park is flooded with no electricity and by the time it dries out it’s gonna be damp for weeks, maybe months if the heating doesn’t kick back in. You’ll get sick. You’re staying with us until I deem the trailer inhabitable for you or you find an apartment. End of discussion.”

Kuchel’s eyes softened towards her son, “Thank you sweetie, though I could always give Kenny a ring”

“You are not living with that psycho”. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he exhaled deeply, sliding back onto the wooden chair, “Just let yourself be taken care of for once, please”. Petra’s hand squeezed his knee under the table.

Petra turned to the older woman, “Look, let’s talk more about this in the morning. It’s been a tough day for everyone and the main thing is that you’re safe and dry and more than welcome to spend the holidays with us at the very least ok?”.

Kuchel smiled at her daughter in law, conceding the argument for the evening, “Only until I find an apartment”.

Three empty mugs later and one mother settled onto the pull out sofa for the night, Levi finally rolled into bed with Petra. Sleep didn’t come. His mom was incredibly caring and grateful, but stubborn. She was too used to working herself into the ground if necessary for the things she had and Levi hated it.

The alarm clock ticked its steady rhythm.

He shut his eyes and fell into restless slumber.

_____________________

The next morning, brought little resolution. Every avenue they looked into pointed to one blaring conclusion. They were gonna need a bigger boat. Or in more actualistic terms, a fucking mortgage and more square footage. Visions of sleazy estate agents trying to glaze over poorly hidden structural issues flooded Levi’s mind. Petra had spent the morning trying to soothe her husband’s nerves.

“You know it could actually be a blessing, we could find a house with a garden”. Petra stretched her back, “And it’s not as if there’s a massive amount of stuff between us all, we could always have a garage sale…minus the garage”.

Levi leant against the counter and let out a heavy sigh. It was true that they would certainly be hard pressed for space if his mother came to live with them and there was definitely going to be arguments about how stuff was done around the home. They’d have to set clear boundaries and rethink the nursery to accommodate a spare bed while they searched for a house. But the thought of having his mother go back to the ruined mobile home with no guarantee that it wouldn’t flood again made bile claw up his throat. No. His mom had had it rough raising him on her own. She’d sacrificed so much for him growing up. All the clothes she’d mended, the jobs she’d worked, the jewellery she’d pawned to make sure they always had food on the table. She’d even sold her car to help pay for his tuition to get into a good college. No way. He was not gonna send her back to some damp ass trailer no matter how much she protested. It was the least he could do.

A loud splash broke him out of his thoughts.

“Damn cat! Knocking shit over”, he groused as he grabbed the tea towel to mop up the mess.

He paused.

Something was off with the scene in front of him. He’d expected to be met with a mess on the table cloth, maybe even a chipped glass, and a startled cat. However Nigel was perched on top of the fridge, innocently cleaning his asshole. The table cloth remained intact, no stain to be seen. Petra’s empty breakfast bowl sat on the placemat ready to be washed up.

The full glass of water sat resolutely on the table.

Levi’s eyes tracked down to the puddle on the floor directly under Petra’s feet now soaking into her slippers.

He watched as his wife doubled over letting out a hiss of pain.

Oh.

Fuck.

_____________________

The next few hours seemed to happen in a millisecond and in slow motion all at once.

The drive to the hospital was a blur. Then there was the checking in and the anxious phone calls from his mother. Then the waiting. And the waiting. And the waiting…

And finally, in the late hours of Christmas Eve, Rowan Ackerman entered the world.

Levi sat in the chair next to the hospital bed as Petra slept, cradling his son. He pulled back the blanket a little as the infant squirmed, a little tuft of jet black hair sticking out. The baby yawned and tiny amber eyes gazed up at him briefly before settling back into slumber. God he couldn’t stop staring. Minute fingers curled themselves round his own as Levi readjusted the blanket (lovingly knitted by the newly appointed Grandma). The colours were a little uneven and the edges were stretched to an odd shape but it didn’t matter. ‘This way I can give my Grandbaby a hug every night’, Kuchel had told him as she handed it over at Petra’s baby shower.

Anxiety at his mother’s (and by proxy their own) living situation tried to claw its way up but found no purchase. For the first time in the last 48 hours Levi found nothing but peace staring back at him. It would all work out. Levi looked at his family and his heart filled over.

Between all the drama and happiness and hurt and surprises along the way, they would be still be here.

And Levi couldn’t be fucking happier.

END

Ackerbaby’s name is in no way a reference to any sort of big ass trees. No sir.

If you’re still following this silly little AU of mine then welcome back! Sorry for the mini hiatus but life got BUSY (much like Levi and Petra’s is about to here ha)

The day started off normally. He woke up to Petra peppering kisses down his neck, greeting him a Happy Father's Day. The twins—Luke and Philip—then came bouncing in, both boys eager to show him the cards they drew for him.

He came down to Izzy brewing tea—a blend his daughter bought for him as a gift—and greeting him with a hug. He'd have to admit that it's been nice to be coddled by his family.

Then came dinner time.

He noticed that Izzy had been uneasy the past few days, and all those nerves seemed to have culminated during dinner. The brat had been on edge the whole day that he had to snap at her to just spill it.

It first started with an off-hand comment about how there will be a ceremony the next day for new military recruits. He sees his wife give Izzy an encouraging look from the corner of his eyes as she stumbles through her words.

Izzy, who's not much of a great liar to begin with, quickly muttered 'I signed up for the military.' and refused to meet his eyes.

"What?"

"I know that you might not agree now and that you and mom had been through a lot," Izzy starts to explain in a rush. "But I know this is what I'm meant for dad! I think there's not going to be a lot of battles to fight and it's more just—"

"No," he cuts off.

Her squeaking words quickly turned into a hiss, and it only got worse when he demanded that he drop her spot.

Soon, Petra was ushering their twins up to the second floor, knowing how arguments between father and daughter can get nasty.

"This is not fair!"

"The answer is no, Izzy," he said, matching his teenage daughter's tone. He rolls his wheelchair to follow her all the way to their house's front door, hearing her rage around the house. "Oi brat, what did I say about banging on the fucking furniture?"

He distinctly hears Petra scold, "Language, Levi!" from upstairs, but both father and daughter ignores her.

"I'm 16 now, dad," she snaps back, ignoring his last comment. "You can't tell me what to do."

Izzy finally turns around to face him, never one to back down. She's looking at him now with fury in her eyes and a retort ready on her lips.

Definitely her father's daughter.

"Do you even know what you're doing, Izzy?" He said, voice finally softening as he takes in the loaded backpack on her back. He feels the weight of her decision then.

"I wouldn't have signed if I didn't."

He'd always had a hunch that Izzy was fond of the military. Too fond for his taste, if he's going to be honest about it.

Guilt pinches him a bit whenever he thinks back to his promise that he would stand by his children no matter the choices they make. Even at the age of 56, he remains steadfast to his belief to live a life with no regrets.

But he'd be damned before he even allows any of his children to enlist.

So the first time she daydreamed of becoming a soldier at the tender age of eight, he had quickly shut down the idea.

"Here, girls like dolls right?" he had said as he pushed the plushie to her arms. He doesn't really give a damn whether she likes toys that are meant more for girls or boys. He'd buy her anything she asks for, budget permitting. But for some reason, that moment had settled uneasily in his gut. "I bought this for you today."

"But I want that one!" she'd screech, pointing at the display of two toy dual broadswords.

Petra had reprimanded him, telling him that he shouldn't discourage their child just because of their experiences. He could only give his wife a worried look in return.

Izzy was 11 the next time she approached the topic, asking him about his time as Captain Levi Ackerman. While he and Petra had moved out of Paradis since the Battle of Heaven and Earth, never even thinking of looking back, Petra was able to keep a few portraits of their team and the other Scout veterans.

Izzy, the curious young teen that she was, found them.

"See, it says here that you were a captain!" Izzy exclaims, eyes sparkling with excitement and reverence. She'd been bouncing to and from the box with the portraits and other memorabilia during his and Petra's time in the Scouts. She then settled down, looking from the portrait of a younger version of Levi with Erwin to her father's scarred face now. Levi feels his hands clenching on the armrests of his wheelchair, his vision starting to blur the more he looks at his former commander's face.

"It's so cool that you were in the military. And that you even had a high position! Do you think I'll also become a captain in the future? Maybe you can train me so I can reach that level! Please dad, can you tell me more? Is that why you have that badass scar? Mom won't tell me anything—"

Brat didn't know that he was there until the end. He doesn't know what they teach in history classes to children nowadays, but he and Petra had agreed that there's no sense in mentioning their time as soldiers and the literal hell they've been through to any of their children.

Not really a good bedtime story for kids.

The thought of his own child witnessing the same shit he and Petra went through was enough to give him a new set of nightmares every night.

"She's young, Levi," Petra consoles him after he sat up sweating from a nightmare. Tears were also streaming down her cheeks as she clings on to his bare shoulder. "She might still change her mind."

The last time Izzy mentioned it, she was 14. Everything was starting to pick up again during that time. Paradis' military, unsurprisingly, was the strongest.

Armin came over to tell them that a new order will be established—a neutral party from different nations that they all hope would promote and retain the fragile facade of peace they all had before one side goes batshit crazy. Arlert had been the same level-headed young man that he was since Levi had to revive his charred ass back in Shiganshina as he explained everything to the former captain.

With this change came a new branch of military for implementation.

Izzy had been starry eyed since then.

"This might be the world's chance to truly fix things," she babbled on that whole day—a mixture of rants about the current state and how everything is being handled, and reverence at the possible future this change might bring.

"Imagine... Imagine being a part of that..." Izzy had trailed off then, eyes faraway but lit up with optimism.

All Levi can hear and see is another Isabel from years past.

Back then, he'd chalked it all up to the fanciful thinking of a child who doesn't know any better. Now, Levi desperately wants to believe that maybe this is just a rebellious teenage phase. He'd been around a lot of teenagers during his time and he'd witnessed how crazy they can get.

Like Eren and—

He tears himself away from the memory before his mind fucks him up further. He and Petra already deals with it on an almost nightly basis, and it's a thought he'd rather not dwell on during his waking hours.

The living room was quiet for a moment as both father and daughter stare each other down. Levi looks at his first-born now—committed and kind like Petra, blunt and fearless like him. The best of his and his wife's qualities mixed together.

But who knows when shit will go down again? Things were shaky enough in this damned world as it is. While he and Petra were able to find their own safe spot to raise their children in, one can never be too complacent.

He'd already lost too much, and most days he wakes up thinking that even his family is temporary. There one day, gone the next.

"I can do my part this way, dad," Izzy finally replies, drawing her father back to the present. She sighs, dropping down her bag and kneels on one side of his wheelchair so they'd be at the same level. "Like what you did. Like what you and mom did."

He remains quiet as he takes in the determination in her eyes. It's the same look Petra would have more than two decades ago when she saves another soldier from being titan shit. The same look his daughter would have whenever she refuses to let go of a toy before bath time back when she was a toddler.

He knows then that there's no swaying her from her decision.

"You're too much like your mother," Levi says, resigned. They even have the same strawberry-blonde bob, he notes. Izzy gives him a sad smile then.

"You're just too old to 'deal with my teenage bullshit', dad," Izzy retorts to lighten the mood, doing her best to imitate her father's previous rants.

He doesn't tell her that maybe what he's too old for is the possibility of losing another person he holds dear.

- - - -

When he sees her off the next morning, already in the uniform issued by the military, he decides that he'd rest easier at night knowing that Izzy believes he's there to support her. He fought for Paradis' freedom for half his life. Why would he rob his daughter from her freedom to choose the path she wants?

"I'm proud of you, Izzy," Levi whispers against her ear as she hugs him tightly, fighting against his desire to beg her to not to go. It may be uncharacteristic of him to want to sob out and cling further to her but damn it, this is his daughter.

But Izzy's breath hitches at his words, and tears soon started to fall. His own arm encircles tightly around her while he supports himself with a crutch. She looks at him gratefully, true joy in her eyes, and that was enough to stop him from forbidding her further.

"You're not allowed to die," he mutters instead—so similar to the 'encouraging words' he gave the young recruits he guided before.

Izzy laughs through her sobs and teases him, "Is that an order, 'captain'?"