Long Time, No See - Levi x Reader (Modern!AU)

10 - Familial Matters

Four people stood in the room, but we might as well have all been statues made of marble, mute and still, for the way we reacted to Eren's words. As we were now, we were closer to being marvels of art crafted with great time and care and an incredible attention to detail than we were to being living, breathing humans. 

The statement from Eren was simple enough, but for our two new parents, it was confusing, and for me it was equally so, but for a different reason.

The reason it was confusing for them was because they didn't know who Mikasa was. Was it a... pet? No, because the orphanage wouldn't allow kids to have individual pets. And even if there was a pet, one kid wouldn't take it home once they were adopted, right? Probably. Either way, it was a strange thing to just forget.

Was it a toy? If so, that was an easy fix, mostly. Someone would just have to drive back there and pick it up, or otherwise it could be mailed over. Or, perhaps even easier than that, a new one could be bought. 

But because they didn't know what – or who – Mikasa was, they were confused about the significance of it, and of Eren getting it back.

I was confused because for the life of me I could not figure out how she had slipped both of our minds during... well, everything. It wasn't as though she'd been adopted separately. No, I think she was just upstairs with some of the other kids and just... hadn't realized or heard what was going on.

It was already surprising enough that Mikasa had slipped from Eren's mind. But for me to forget about their connection, too? The two were very rarely apart from each other. For all of Eren's insistence that he was independent and did not need her hovering around him all the time, he knew that what they had was special.

They'd been through so much together and I couldn't imagine how it felt for them to be apart now. I couldn't even compare it to how close I was with Levi. Levi and I were close, yes, but it was different. Eren and Mikasa had been through so much on their own and had grown stronger together because they had to.

They were no more than strangers, once, but now... family. Their love ran deep. Even I could see that. In this world, they had each other to count on and little more than that and so to suddenly be without that person... It was tough. I could only imagine how Eren was feeling right now.

And poor Mikasa... The poor girl had already lost one family and found another in Eren's, only to lose that one as well. And now Eren was gone, too.

"Who is Mikasa?" Mrs. Williams said, crouching down slightly to get to Eren's level.

Eren's bottom lip began to quiver, and his eyes began to water. "My, um... She's my best friend."

"Your..." Mrs. Williams trailed off. "Your best friend? Oh, honey, I'm sure she'll be-"

"They're like family," I interjected quietly, looking at her. Both parents turned to look at me, confused. Eren began to wipe at his eyes and I figured it was a good enough time to mention: "Not by blood. Mikasa's been left at the orphanage more than once. Eren's family took her in after she lost her first family."

I hoped that would be sufficient enough as an explanation. It would have to be. It wasn't my place to say more.

"I see," Mrs. Williams said. "Ms. Fields didn't mention that."

"I get it," Mr. Williams said. He looked down at his wife then, a million questions dancing in his eyes. I'm sure that her eyes were the same, reflecting all the hesitation and confusion in them.

I'm sure I could guess why they were hesitant, why they were confused. What were they to do now? 

They opted only for one child. But now they had two already. But if Eren had a sister, or clearly someone who was worth far more to him than a title like that, then it was only right to keep them together. Nobody wanted to be the person to rip families apart. But if that was the case, why did Ms. Fields not... Well, that's why I supposed they were wearing the expressions currently on their faces.