Never Let You Go ▶A Levi Ackerman X Reader◀

Chapter Fifty-Nine

The sun comes up before I close my eyes. It isn't long before I hear the sound of small voices.

I can hear the footfalls of small feet, and then a knock on my door.

"Daddy!"

Before I can get up to open the door, the knob turns and Hajime comes running in. A member of the military police calls his name.

"Stand down. I got him. Where's Kuchel?" I call down the hall.

The young woman emerges at the top of the stairs, Kuchel in arm. I take the sleeping child from her and bring her to my room, tucking her in.

"Is there anything that you need, Captain?" She asks.

"No, everything is fine. You're free to go." I respond.

I can hear her boots against the hardwood floor as she leaves. For once, I don't care about dirt on the floor.

I scoop Hajime up and hug him tight.

"Where's mommy?" He asks, his bright eyes full of curiosity. He has (Y/n)'s eyes.

I sit down on the edge of the bed, my mind racing as I try to come up with an explanation of where she is. I barely remember when my mother died when I was young. I know I didn't understand what had happened. Neither will he.

"She... went away for a little while."

"When's she coming back?"

"I don't know, buddy." I try to think of a way to change the subject. "Are you hungry?"

"That lady gave me apples. And porridge." He says.

"Okay, Hajime. Do you want to play?"

"Yes, daddy." He says, grinning.

I set him on the floor and get up. I walk to the next room, my movements feeling slow and mechanical, and grab the toy box in the corner of the room. I bring it to my room and set it on the floor, closing the door behind me.

I lie on the bed on my stomach and watch Hajime play with his toys. Having the kids around comforts me.

"M-mommy." Kuchel whimpers from under the blankets. I lift them and curl up beside her, holding her close.

"Mommy's not here." I tell her softly, stroking her hair. That's what (Y/n) always did to calm her.

The same helpless feeling washes over. I am going to have to accept that I am a single father, now. When they call for 'mommy' I'm going to have to be the one that responds.

I gently kiss her head, stroking her silky black hair. She settles, closing her eyes again.

I peer over the end of the bed, watching Hajime play on the floor. He picks up a little figure and puts it in a wooden carriage.

It isn't long before Kuchel stirs again, this time asking for something to eat.

"Alright buddy, let's move downstairs." I tell Hajime.

I step into the open kitchen. My footsteps sound loud in the silent room. I open the ice box, finding some bacon and eggs. I pull them out and set them on the counter.

Next I move to the wood stove. It's still warm. I put a cast iron frying pan on the surface.

I never cook. It was always (Y/n), since I worked long nights. I would always come home to hot food on the table.

I pick up an egg and crack it into the pan. It starts to sizzle. I toss the eggshell into the compost bucket before adding another egg to the pan.

I lay a couple strips of bacon beside the eggs. The smoky aroma quickly fills the room.

I pull some plates down from the cupboard and set them up on the kids high chairs before serving them some food. I cut the bacon into little bite sized pieces.

Kuchel hungrily digs in. But Hajime just plays with his egg.

I feel exhausted. I pour some water into the kettle and place it where the frying pan was. I make a steaming mug of black tea.

"How's lunch?" I ask the kids while I sit beside them at the table.

"Yummy." Kuchel says, her mouth full of food. Normally we try to encourage good manners, but at the moment I don't care.

I rest my head in my hands and close my eyes. All I can see if the image of her dead body lying in my arms. I whip my head up, gasping, my eyes wide. Tears fill my eyes without warning.

Hajime peers over at me. I swallow hard, blinking rapidly.