The Red String of Fate

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Following their wedding night, Levi and Anya spent the next two weeks living their normal lives - there was no honeymoon, as Nathalie had her on a strict regimen and daily check ups, and thus they couldn't travel.

Levi would barely let her do anything around their quaint little home. He cleaned the whole house, top to bottom, and refused to let her lift a finger to help or even go near any cleaning products. He did all of the laundry, and only let her help with ironing things and putting them away. He still allowed her to cook, but Nathalie had her on a strict diet that would provide all of the nutrition she needed for herself and for those precious babies growing inside her. Her cravings were intensifying while her nausea slowly subsided but never really disappeared completely, and Levi was happy to send Mikasa or Jean to get her anything her heart, and her stomach, desired.

And every night since they found out she was to bear his children, bringing those sweet little lives into this world, he had fallen asleep cradling her belly after singing lullabies, wondering if they could hear him, or recognize their father's voice. Sometimes, during the day, he would stop what he was doing to kneel down and plant a kiss where he knew those perfect combinations of the two of them were growing, being nurtured by her. In their moments of rest and relaxation, when Anya would lay on the couch or the bed and read, Levi had taken to resting between her legs with his head on her hip as he talked to them, sang to them, and lay his bare palm on her bare belly - hoping to feel a kick, or even just the smallest movement.

When Anya would be nauseated, he would talk to them and ask them in the kindest tone to stop being brats to their mother - which surprisingly, on more than one occasion, worked. When she was fatigued, he would plant a soft kiss on her belly before carrying her to bed and holding her while she rested. As much as he was an insomniac before, now he was content napping with her throughout the day - knowing she, and thus the babies, were sleeping more soundly when she was wrapped up in his arms. When her mood would rapidly change, he'd rub her shoulders to help her calm. When her back hurt, and her belly began to grow, he would have her sit up in his lap while he massaged her aching back and released the tension she'd felt.

He took every opportunity to feel their little kicks, and everytime Anya felt one, she would rush to his side so he could feel it too. Be it for just a few fleeting moments or for upwards of twenty minutes, he would wrap his arms around her and feel as little feet kicked her belly and met his hand. He went to every doctor's appointment, and was always sorely disappointed when Nathalie refused to let either of them see the sonogram and ultrasound screens. He made sure Anya followed every bit of the routine Nathalie set forth for her, and read every book he could find on pregnancy and on being a father - after all, his only role model was Kenny, and what he provided wasn't Levi's idea of an ideal childhood.

When it was time to decorate the nursery, they picked out three cribs and bassinets - each in a different color - one grey, one green, and one yellow. He wouldn't allow her to put together any of the furniture, and when it came time to paint the room he entrusted Sarina, Connie, and Hitch to do the painting while he took Anya out of the house so she wouldn't breath in the harsh fumes - he later regretted not doing it himself, when he found paint splatters on the hardwood floors and discovered they had somehow painted the baseboards and crown moulding different color, while also managing to paint two accent walls instead of one. It looked like a messy, green and grey nightmare. He was sure he would have to have someone competent, like Mikasa and Jean, repaint it for them.

When Anya cried at the revelation of their children's room being painted haphazardly, her hormones a wreck from the pregnancy and her body in pain from carrying triplets, Levi stopped her from banning Sarina, Connie, and Hitch from their home and their childrens' lives, but being sure to never minimize her feelings - he knew that she was feeling everything a million times more than she ever had before, and even though he would be the first to admit some of the things she had said and done were truly ridiculous and downright comical, he also knew that his sweet wife was going through more than he could ever fathom.