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Chapter Text

There were nights when Eren just got so aggravated and needed an outlet to relieve his anger. That relief ended up being Mikasa. Not to say she didn’t enjoy it. Sometimes, he just got so frustrated with the world and being a teenage boy, he had certain needs, and those certain needs relieved some of his anger, and when he needed to relieve himself, Mikasa was there, just like she’d been for the rest of his life, as loyal as ever.

They were just young, dumb teenagers living in a messed up world who were forced every day to fight for survival. As a teenager, Eren rarely actually thought his actions through and that’s exactly what brought them to this situation.

Eren sat down outside the door of a nearby doctor’s house, hugging his knees. He and Mikasa had managed to leave the Scouting Legion’s quarters for a bit. How could they have even brought themselves to this situation? He had a goal to kill all the Titans and being a father wasn’t a plan along the way of accomplishing this task. He was so angry with himself. He’d watched his mother be devoured by those beasts; he had to destroy them to avenge her death and give humans back the freedom they truly deserved. How could he have made such a dumb mistake?

Suddenly, the door slowly pulled back and Mikasa stepped onto the pebbled ground. She had a grim expression on her face. With one look, Eren already knew the answer. He slowly came to his feet. The whole world seemed to be running in slow-motion. They stared at each other for a few moments. Neither knew quite what to say. They just knew that they’d messed up so, so badly.

He spread his arms open, inviting her to embrace him. She grasped onto him without hesitation. Her arms held onto him tightly as she buried her face into his chest. It was probably the hormones her body was now producing, but tears slipped one by one down her cheeks, soaking Eren’s shirt. He only hugged her back, rustling his face into her hair, taking in her scent. He felt his own eyes burn, but he was going to be strong for her. She’d been there for him throughout the years and it was his turn to return the favor. They stayed that way—in the middle of the back alley behind the doctor’s house—for a long while.

Neither had a clue of what they should do next. They were just fifteen and they were soldiers raging in a war against unstoppable beasts. There wasn’t room for a baby in their lives. Though, there was a nagging thought that there were dwindling numbers in humanity’s population and many would consider this a blessing, but it would be a great loss if she were to be pulled back from fighting because of one life. They both knew that. Would they even want to bring a child into a world where it would be just like a farm animal, trapped in a world of life or death?

“They’re going to be looking for us if we don’t get back soon.”

“Just a minute, please; let me just hold you for a couple more minutes.”

“Mikasa.”

With glossy eyes, she looked to him, waiting for him to continue. An arm still draped around her, he brushed her bangs out of her eyes and kissed her forehead. She buried her face once again into his chest. She felt safe in his arms. She didn’t want to return, to make the moment stop, to suffer the consequences that were sure to come in time.

She just wanted to be with Eren. That’s all she ever really wanted. It was that devotion that brought them into this mess and she would be damned if she let anything happen to this life their love had created.

Chapter Text

Mikasa was tired by the time they returned to their quarters, so with some reluctance, she and Eren parted their ways upon return. Eren completely ignored the fact that he was supposed to go back into the boys' barracks and went to the training grounds that were there for practice. He knew no one would be there, so it would be a good place to finally let his emotions set free.

When he finally thought about the situation again, it hit him hard. Mikasa—his childhood friend, his adoptive sister—was pregnant, carrying his child. There were so many things wrong with this situation and all of those reasons pissed him off. He glared at one of the training dummies used for hand-to-hand combat practice. (In the case where no one was available for actual combat practice.)

Wham!

His fist collided with the dummy's head. He felt the sting of the collision vibrate through his hand. It hurt, but somehow it made him feel better.

Crash!

He was just fifteen with a clear goal in mind. Why did he let his hormones get in the way of that? A baby was the last thing he needed, especially in a hellish world like theirs.

Bam!

Not only had he fucked up things for himself, he really fucked things up for Mikasa…And the fate of humanity.

Boom!

He was fifteen. Fifteen-year-olds were in no position to be having children, let alone fifteen-year-old soldiers fighting against man-eating beasts.

Ka-pow!

How could he have let himself be so stupid?

He collapsed onto the ground. He huffed and struggled to catch his breath. He hunched over, forearms resting on his knees, holding up his head. Even with no one around, he still hid his face to hide the tears. He pulled an am out from underneath his head and with pent-up anger, delivered another blow, this time to the ground beneath his feet.

He was angry at himself. He was angry how selfish he had been. He was angry he let his hormones get in the way of his one true goal. Part of him was angry that Mikasa let him have his way with her, but he knew he was to blame, too. Overall, he was just angry. He felt angry and stupid.

“Eren?”

The boy slowly lifted his head and turned it towards the direction of the voice. Armin stood there with a stunned expression on his face. It wasn’t long before the blond took note of the brunet’s blood fists, rushing over to his friend to examine the wounds. Hands lightly graced over the blood to assess the damage. Armin pulled a handkerchief from a pocket in his jacket, wiping away the dark mess on his friend’s hands. Eren slapped the other’s hand away and growled, “I can do it myself.” He hastily wiped it away, leaving behind residue of the thick liquid, throwing the cloth on the ground. He stood up rather quickly and started to leave the training grounds.

“Wait, Eren,” Armin exclaimed as he reached forward, hand grasping onto the other’s jacket, to halt his friend, “What’s wrong?” His expression was filled with concern and sympathy. He cared about his friends; he would be devastated if something were to happen to any of them, any more than what had already occurred.

Eren whipped around. His eyes were filled with tears once again. He thought he had gotten it out of his system for now, but he was wrong. “It’s Mikasa,” Eren mumbled as he plopped down onto the ground, “She’s pregnant.”

Armin’s expression softened and he made his way behind Eren, kneeling down and rubbing his back in a soothing manner as the other boy once again let his tears flow. He wanted to assure his friend that everything would be alright, that everything would turn out fine in the end. Armin just wasn’t quite sure how they would get through it at that moment, so he just let Eren express himself as much as he needed.

The blond asked hesitantly, “It’s yours, right?”

Eren’s head snapped up, getting ready to hit Armin for even asking a question like that. “Of course it’s mine,” He sneered, “Who else’s could it be?”

“I just wanted to make sure. I mean, I didn’t realize that you two…” The blond replied, a sense of hurt in his voice.

“Oh.”

There was a moment of silence between them, neither not quite being able to carry on the conversation. Armin finally spoke up after about ten minutes of this silence, “If they find out it’s yours, they’re going to want to experiment on her. They’re not going to let her fight either.”

“I won’t let her fight either!” Eren quickly retorted, growing silent once again, “But, experimenting on her? You really think they’ll go that far.”

A simple nod came from the blond. “It’s likely they’ll run tests on her, to see what happens when she’s carrying the child of a Titan,” He replied and started into a mumble, “Not to mention what they’ll want to do to the baby. It’s not going to end up nicely, Eren.”

The brunet stared angrily ahead of him. He scratched his hand against the ground, snarling. “They won’t lay a hand on her, or the baby. I won’t let them.”

Armin frowned, hugging his friend against him. “I’ll figure something out. Just hide it for a bit. I’ll think of something.”

Eren relaxed a bit and nodded in agreement. He trusted Armin. He was one of his best friends—other than Mikasa, of course, and with Mikasa, it was a different, slightly deeper connection. Armin would help them figure it out, just like he had done many times throughout the years. He would help them through this no matter what it took and Eren trusted him to help them somehow in this situation.

Chapter Text

So many things were weighing on Mikasa’s mind. On one hand, she was glad Eren was hers. It was obvious he cared, that he was going to take part in parenting, right by her side, and that he was ready and willing to make everything alright.

Still…even with him by her side, they were still so young and they were soldiers. She was pregnant. She was a fifteen-year-old, pregnant soldier, bringing a baby into a world where it would have to fear of attack from the beasts on the other side of the wall.

She wasn’t prepared to be a mother. She was still so attached to being by Eren’s side. They were by no means mature enough. She had spent the past six years chasing after the same boy who was prone to get into fights.

He had a strong goal in mind, yes, but it was a highly unlikely goal. She never wanted to think that way, yet, how likely was it that with just two Titan Shifters on their side that they would eradicate the threat to humanity? As much as they both wanted it, it was still a childish thought. There were so many Titans all over the world. Then they had made the stupid mistake of starting a family in the middle of it all, the mother being one of the Scouting Legion’s strongest soldiers (most likely right behind Captain Levi) and the father being a major key to fixing it all. They couldn’t possibly afford to be distracted with a baby, could they? Humanity’s fate was in their hands—along with all the other members of the Scouting Legion—and here Mikasa and Eren were on their way to becoming teen parents.

Her hormones were working at her again as tears started to slip down her cheeks once again that day. She let them slip down quietly. All the other girls’ in the barracks were asleep and she wasn’t going to bother them with this. The only person she wanted to comfort her was Eren. He was probably asleep, though, so she forced herself to fall asleep, to let the world slip away for a while, maybe forget about the whole thing for a few short hours. Unfortunately, she did not get to escape her worries for her dreams had been plagued with the concerns of her future with Eren and their child.
--
The next morning, Mikasa met up with Eren and Armin in the mess hall for breakfast. The three sat by themselves, just like their days in training. Mikasa picked and prodded with her food. She did not feel too well. The new news was still fresh on her mind and not only that, her stomach was a mess. She felt as if she were going to vomit, but there was barely anything inside for her to do so. Eren looked at her in concern. “You okay Mikasa?”

“You really need to eat,” Armin chimed in, “A pregnant woman is supposed to have an extra three-hundred calories a day.”

She disregarded why Armin knew that information and simply mumbled, “I’m not hungry.”

Eren looked as if he were going to have a fit. He growled under his breath, “Mikasa, you’re eating for two now. You need to eat.”

She turned her head and looked him in the eyes. He saw just how tired she was. He could also tell that she obviously wasn’t feeling well. After a moment of silence between them, she finally spoke up, “I’ll eat if you want me to.”

She once again picked at her food, slowly bringing it to her mouth. She looked ready to gag, but swallowed hard, forcing the food down. She continued this until she finished what little was on her plate. Eren shoved his plate over to her as well, which contained half of his portion. “Here, eat this, too.”

Mikasa just stared at him and shook her head. “Eren, no, I can’t.” She pushed the plate back. Suddenly, she was hit with a sudden wave of nausea. She quickly got up from the bench with a hand over her mouth and ran out the door.

The whole mess hall went quiet, staring where she had just left. It was quite the commotion. Eren stared for a moment, along with Armin, until both made their way after her.

They found her within a couple of minutes as she was hunched over, coughing up the last bits. Eren helped stable her and rubbed her back in a soothing manner.

They wanted to hide the pregnancy as long as they could. They had no clue what would happen if it was exposed. But, after that morning’s episode, could they really hide it for much longer? The entirety of the soldiers in the mess hall that morning had watched as Mikasa had rushed out in a hurry. There was something wrong with her; it was undeniable. It was only a matter of time before she would really start to show. They would get suspicious. Others would find out soon. How much longer could they possibly hide it?

Chapter Text

It was not long before she started to show. It was nothing too obvious at first, but it was there. The swell of her stomach got slightly bigger with each passing day. It soon became very apparent in her shirts.

Eren frowned as he watched Mikasa struggling with the buttons on her shirt. The bottom ones did not want to come together. She tried and tried, being careful not to tear the fabric, but the two sides would not meet. When she realized it was useless, her gray eyes met his green eyes. “Now what?”

He rustled through his stuff; he pulled one of his shirts out and handed it to her. “Here, will this work?”

She looked at it. Eren was letting her borrow his shirt? She took into it her hands, pulling it up to her face and burying it into the fabric, taking in the scent. It smelled just like he did. She lightly smiled. “Thank you.”

She unbuttoned the top buttons of her shirt and slipped it off of her shoulders. She shrugged Eren’s shirt on, buttoning them. It was not much better, but it would do to keep them going. They could only hope it would hold the secret a little bit longer. She embraced him in a hug, holding him tightly. He returned the gesture and whispered, “We’ll make it through this. I promise. I’ll do whatever I have to to make sure you two are safe.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Even with Eren lending her some of his baggier, but somewhat bigger, spare shirts, it was becoming glaringly obvious Mikasa Ackerman was pregnant. There was only so much they could do to hide it. Their secret would slip in time. They could not hide it forever.

As time went on, her breasts ached; she needed to use the bathroom more often; her appetite increased. She still insisted to push herself. Eren couldn't possibly stop her. He tried his best to get her to take it easy, but they could not afford to let anymore suspicion surround them and she kept to her usual routines.

Eventually, the next trip outside the walls was proposed. It was absolutely necessary to Eren that Mikasa did not go on that mission. That was one of his biggest concerns. She wanted to go to protect him, but he put his foot down and told her that was not an option.

They were on the verge of being exposed. Mikasa was nearing her fifth month and it was becoming harder and harder for them to keep the secret any longer. Eren was already worrying about her doing too much, but she continued on, causing a part of him to wish they would be found out, for hers and the baby’s safety.

A couple of nights after the next mission was announced, Armin approached them with a possible solution. They were running out of time and they had to act fast. They tried their best to hold off as long as possible, but it was becoming a necessity to figure out a plan. There was no time left.

“Have you thought of something?” Eren asked in desperation. He didn’t want to leave Mikasa’s side, but he was worried for her safety…both of their safety.

Armin frowned, nodding. “I don’t know how much you’re going to like it, though.”

“We’re running out choices, Armin,” Mikasa replied and clutched onto Eren’s arm tighter, “You always have the best strategy, so we trust you.”

Despite the situation, it made Armin happy to hear that. They had done so much for them over the years, so it was the least he could do in return. They were his best friends and he would do whatever he could to keep everyone involved safe. He took a breath and started, “If they know the father is Eren, who knows what the military will want to do? Will they want to hand her over to the Military Police and exterminate a possible threat before it’s born? The Scouting Legion is already in pretty deep after our first mission. Even if they don’t kill them, they’ll experiment until it happens, which is why, we’ll tell them that,” He paused, not sure if he wanted to say it, “We’ll tell them I’m the father.”

Chapter Text

“What?” Eren exclaimed. He was confused, shocked. Why?

Armin closed his eyes and repeated, “We’ll tell them I’m the father.”

Eren had just listened to the reasoning behind it, but he was still a little confused.

“When they find out she’s pregnant, they’re going to want to know who the father is. If you tell them the truth, they’re going to want to experiment on her and the baby, or even worse, kill them. We can’t let them do that. Who knows how far they’ll take it?”

Eren and Mikasa exchanged glances. Could it really work? Would they believe Armin was the father?

"It's our only choice," Mikasa said, placing a hand on Eren's shoulder, "I don't like it any more than you do, but it's for the baby's sake."

Eren looked to Armin. Green eyes were filled with worry and concern. He trusted Armin, but... "Do you really think this will work?"

"We can only try."

There was only so much they could do. They were already going to be in deep trouble. They were soldiers living in a world that needed to be saved. There wasn’t time for them to be messing around like they had, so they had to make the best of an awful situation.

“We’ll do it.”
--
“You’re such a shitty brat, you know that?” Levi asked with venom in his voice. He glared at Eren as he walked past the teenager. Eren said nothing and let the older man reprimand him. “My ass was already on the line when you became part of the Survey Corps and you want me to cover for you again?”

Eren looked from his lap. He looked up and met eye to eye with Levi as he hovered over his seat. Levi may have been short, but he was also threatening, terrifying even. Eren knew of the power this little man possessed and he knew he was absolutely not afraid to use that power against him at any time.

Levi took Eren’s collar into his fist, lifting him off of his seat. Eren could just see the fury in the captain’s eyes. “What were you thinking?”

Eren choked a bit, but he did not let himself get distracted. “I thought,” He looked around the almost empty room for a second—trying to find the right words—and went back to speaking, “I thought you could help us so Mikasa wouldn’t be sent away. If we tell the higher-ups that Armin’s the dad, she wouldn’t be tested on and everything will be alright and-“

Levi scoffed; he threw Eren back down to where he had been sitting. “You’re an idiot.”

Eren only watched as the older man continued. He walked away while still going on with scolding the boy.

“We barely got away with letting you live. You couldn’t hide the fact that you’re a Titan. Do you really think that they wouldn’t find out you impregnated a girl? That that child might be a Titan as well?”

“That’s-that’s why we’re going to say Armin is the dad then-“

Levi pivoted on his heels and came back face to face with Eren. “Even so, they’ll send her away. There’s no room for a family on the battlefield.”

“That’s why I came to you. I thought maybe you could help me,” He finally sniffed as his mask started to crack. His eyes burned with tears that were ready to fall. He had tried so hard to be strong, but he could no longer hold it. The thought of losing Mikasa was too much to bear. “I thought maybe you could convince them to keep her nearby and…and maybe Hanji could keep an eye on her to make sure none of my Titan genes in the baby will do anything to hurt her and-“

“You expect a lot of people, don’t you? Don’t you know that you can’t be so careless? You’re so immature. You think you can just let your emotions get in the way of everything else? What about your goal? You hate the Titans, don’t you? Are you going to let your emotions and your hormones get in the way of being a soldier? Don’t you want to kill them all?”

“I do, but-“

“But what?”

Levi was so close now that Eren could feel him breathing on him, the heat built up from his anger radiating off of him. Eren was almost too afraid to speak. He had to, though. He needed to do what he came here to do.

“But, even though I’ve made a mistake, Mikasa means the world to me and I can’t let anything happen to her.”

“You’re pathetic,” Levi scoffed once more and walked away towards the door, “I’ll help you, though. Don’t expect anything else.” And with that, the captain left the boy to his own devices.

Chapter Text

It was getting to the point where they had no way to hide it anymore. They decided to just come clean and not wait any longer. It had been hard to hide the pregnancy for the previous two months, but it was getting too hard. They just could not do it any longer; admitting the truth seemed like it would have a better outcome.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Eren asked, ghosting a hand over Mikasa’s cheek. She smiled lightly and nodded the best she could as they lay facing one another. “If it means I can stay with you, we can tell them.”

She trusted him all the way. She always had. When he had told her what he had negotiated with Levi, she trusted that Eren knew what he was doing. She did not want to trust Levi, but if he was going to help Eren and if Eren trusted him, she would trust Eren’s instincts.

She had one hand unconsciously draped over her swollen abdomen. The baby was calm at the moment, but it was still comforting. Her other hand was laced with one of Eren’s in between them. His free hand reached out and lightly lay atop hers. He smiled at her; she reciprocated the gesture. His eyes trailed down to her belly.

He still had a hard time believing that their child was growing in there. It might not have been a good time for such an occurrence, but part of him was happy that it happened. He loved Mikasa. She was all that he had left and this baby…it was proof of their love.

Suddenly, a little thump happened right underneath their palms. He smiled wider. He let go of her hands and scooted down in front of where their child resided.

She smiled at his excitement. It had been a while since she had seen him so happy. She pulled herself up into a sitting position to give him better access to their baby. He sat up as well and sat on his feet, leaning over her swollen stomach. His hands lightly touched as he put his ear up next to the stretched skin. Disappointed he didn’t hear anything, he instead settled for talking to his unborn child.

Mikasa smiled as Eren softly spoke to her growing belly. She ran her hands through his hair and watched blissfully as he seemed to let the world around him disappear. He spoke about how much he would love the child; how he would do whatever he could to make sure it grew up in a world without worry of an oncoming Titan attack; how he and its “mommy” would do whatever they could to make it happy. She felt a smirk grace upon her lips as she continued to watch him speak to their baby. In between different promises, he would reach down and press his lips against the swell.

After it seemed he had said his piece, he pulled himself away from her abdomen and crawled up next to her. He embraced her in a hug. "Thank you, Mikasa."

"Huh?" She asked, pulling away. What was he thanking her for? She blinked and waited for him to answer. Instead, he shook his head; he then went onto wrapping his arms around her again. "Thank you."

She decided not to question it. She would just appreciate the moment while it lasted because at that time, she truly felt happy.

Of course, it could not last long. In the morning, she and Armin were going to confess of her pregnancy. And as much as she trusted Eren, she had no clue of what was going to happen after she came clean. So for the time being, she decided to bask in the moment and enjoy her time with Eren while it lasted.

Chapter Text

There was a court hearing, reminiscent to Eren's, but not on quite as large a scale. Even with Erwin's sympathy (thanks to Levi's help), the higher-ups still had to go through with allowing Mikasa to take off for hers and the child's safety. The hope in the situation seemed dim. Mikasa was the Scouting Legion's second strongest soldier and the sect was already under scrutiny. She was much needed, so it seemed far-fetched to allow her leave to have the child.

There was a quick meeting before the hearing to discuss strategy. Everyone seemed to be a bit nervous from the whole situation.

“And you plan to plan to return after you give birth?” Erwin sat at the head of the table. He had his hand balled up in front of him, resting his elbow on the hard surface and his face against his hand.

“Of course,” Mikasa replied with a solemn nod, “I need to help Eren.”

“Wait a minute!” Eren interrupted as he stood up. He looked almost angry. “Mikasa, what about the baby? It needs its mother and-“

She whipped her head in his direction and had a serious look on her face. “I have a job to do, Eren; I need to protect you.”

“I can take care of myself! The baby won’t be able to do that!”

“I can do both.”

“Are you crazy? What are you-“

Levi strutted over to the two teenagers, pushing them back from their heated argument. “Enough. We are not here for you two to bicker over parenting; we’re here to make sure you know what to say so you don’t fuck up everything even more.”

“We don’t have time for it, anyway,” Armin chimed in somewhat sheepishly, “We really need to go over everything.”

“Arlert’s right,” Erwin agreed, “Time is running out and I would really hate to lose the second strongest soldier in this force.” He let himself smile a bit, trying to ease up the tension.

“I’d be more than happy to have Mikasa work with me on research until she needs to stop for a while.” Zoe smiled, eyeing Mikasa’s baby bump with an overly fascinated look that only a scientist could possess. “I really want to know the effects a child with Titan genes would have on a human.”

“You won’t hurt her, will you?” Eren asked. He looked scared. He sounded scared as well, but he tried his best to hide it. The squad leader sensed this and replied cheerily, “Ah, of course not!”

“Hanji, down, it’s not the time for this,” Levi scolded, arms crossed over his chest. He huffed and continued speaking, “You are willing to have her help with researching, though? It could prove she won’t be completely useless at the moment.”

“I can fight!” Mikasa slammed her hands against the table as she leaned against it. Her swollen stomach brushed against the edge, reminding her that she not only had herself and Eren to take care of anymore. She pulled back a bit with a frown. Still, she kept up a strong front.

“You cannot!” Eren retorted, gently pushing her back down in her seat.

She stood once more, her face getting closer to his. “I’m pregnant; I’m not incompetent.”

“Enough!” Levi was on top of mediating things once again. “We need to set up the plan of action.”

The short man swore under his breath, beginning to regret ever agreeing to help these kids. All that was getting done was bickering and nothing close to the real matter at hand. At this rate, he would have gotten himself involved with nothing to prove.

“We already know what we need to do,” Eren muttered as he plopped back into his own seat. He leaned back, lifting the front two feet of the chair off the ground, in an attempt to get comfortable and calm himself down a bit. “We make sure they think Armin’s the father and we just get them to let Mikasa work with Hanji for now until the baby’s born.”

Levi lifted Eren up by the collar of his shirt, the chair falling down the floor, the sound breaking the room’s silence. “Listen here, you little brat, I’m getting tired of your shit. Don’t get so cocky. It’s not that simple. You’re already asking a lot of us and you really need to clean up your act. You’re going to be a father soon; you can’t expect everything to still just be handed to you. You need to have a little respect, so sit the fuck down and listen for once.” He dropped the boy onto the floor and went back to the wall, leaning against it.

Zoe frowned. “Levi, you didn’t have to be so hard on him. He’s just a kid.”

“He needs to grow up,” Levi responded coldly.

The room went silent. Eren picked himself up from the floor, pulling the chair up as well. He plopped down on it and scooted closer to Mikasa. He pulled her in a hug, wondering if he would get a chance to do this anytime soon. What if they sent her off on her own instead of letting her stay with them and helping out the best she could in her condition? What if they decided that it was a stupid move to make—being that she was such an excellent soldier—that should not make such a foolish mistake? What if they made her continue fighting, despite the disadvantages she was currently experiencing? Eren did not even want to think about that. He could lose both Mikasa and their child; he could not even bear the thought.

It was only a matter of time before they would call them to the hearing. Eren could only hope that this was not the last time that he got to hold Mikasa like this. It was mere moments before someone would open the door and tell them that they needed to be present. He could not even bring himself to check if they knew all that they need to know, that they had their stance placed as firmly as they could. He only found himself worrying about his future with his growing family. He held on to Mikasa for as long as he could.

Erwin went over the plan again to make sure everyone knew what they were doing, but Eren did not even hear him, lost in his own thoughts and worries. Nothing mattered to him in that moment except for Mikasa. He loved her more than anything, along with their unborn child, and he could not help but worry if all of that would be taken away from him. He would do everything in his power to keep them safe, but how much could he do?

Levi must have been listening closely because suddenly, he tapped Eren on the shoulder. “Oi, they’re coming. Let go or this will never work.”

The boy immediately pulled back. He did not want to, but he did not want suspicions to arise. They had to have people convinced that Armin was the father of the child and if Eren was caught cuddling Mikasa, it would never work, and they had to make this work.

The door creaked open and one of the people from the hearing walked into the small room. “Everything is ready. Please proceed this way.”

Everyone nodded, standing up or straightening up from wherever they were. As the others made their way out first, Eren grabbed one of Mikasa’s hands, squeezing it. She turned around to face him. They stared at each other for a moment before he spoke softly, “Remember no matter what happens, I love you so much.”

She allowed herself to lightly smile at him. “I love you, too.”

He pulled her in for a quick, but passionate kiss. Once they let go, his face was full of confidence. “Let’s make the best of this, okay?” She nodded in agreement.

They were then off for their growing family’s fate to be decided.

Chapter Text

Eren was tense. They were waiting for things to actually start and he could only feel himself worry. They had to let Mikasa take off; she could not possibly keep fighting. He had been cocky about it when they were discussing their strategy, but he was really just worried.

So much could happen. He wanted a good outcome. How likely was it, though? Mikasa was one of the Scouting Legion’s best soldiers. She was needed. Yet, she was pregnant. Eren knew that they had made a mistake; they both knew it. They were just kids…having a kid of their own.

It took all of his self-control to hold back his tears, to hold back from doing something drastic and stupid. It was a silly thought, but he wondered if he could just transform and take Mikasa away from there. His mind raced with a million thoughts, all ending in awful outcomes.

He was so worried. He cared so much for her and he did not want to see her harm’s way. They could not possibly let her continue on in the force for the time being, could they? If they did not let her continue, would they eradicate her from the Scouting Legion? What would happen then? Would they send her off on her own? Would Eren be able to help her through this? Would he get to see his child? He loved them so much and the thought of losing Mikasa or his unborn child, it was all too much to bear.

“Calm down.”

“Huh?”

Eren was brought out of his stupor as Levi placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked down to the shorter man.

“Worrying will get you nowhere.” Eren was about to interject, but Levi would have none of it. “I told you I would help you, didn’t I? You have to trust me on this.”

Shivers went up Eren’s spine. Could he trust the captain? His thoughts flashed back to the last time he had trusted people in a critical situation. Levi took note of this and muttered, “Don’t think about that.”

Eren just went silent. Did he have any choice but to trust Levi?

The courtroom went silent as things started.

“Mikasa Ackerman.”

Mikasa stood up and nodded in acknowledgement.

“You’re asking for maternity leave from the Scouting Legion?”

“Yes, sir,” She replied. A hand unconsciously came to rest upon her swollen stomach as she felt the baby make small movements from within. She quietly hushed her child, hoping it would calm down some. She was already a ball of nerves—though she hid it well—and the little kicks were not helping.

“Are you aware of the potential you hold for the Scouting Legion?”

“Yes.”

“Yet you still wish to take leave?”

She felt numb. How could she be asked these things? She was only doing what she could to protect her child. Did they not see that? She just wanted to bring her child into the world as safely as she could, and this was being questioned.

“Yes, sir, for the sake of my child.”

Dallis studied her expression. "Is that so?"

"Yes."

Anger boiled inside of her. How hard was it to see she was doing whatever she could to protect her child? Even though it had not yet seen the light of day, she loved the baby. It was created from her love with Eren and she would do whatever she could to protect it, along with its father. How hard was it to see that she was just trying to look out for her growing family? Eren and the baby were all that she had left in the world and it angered her that they could not understand her intent to protect her family.

Still, she kept her composure. It was best not to do anything drastic. One wrong move and she knew it could all crumble. It was what they worked against doing; she could not ruin that.

He still did not seem convinced, no matter what she tried. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Eren start to seethe. She knew he was angry as well—and for good reason—but they had to keep calm. She sent him a threatening glance just as Levi hit him from behind.

"Since it's likely he's from the sect, who is the father? Assuming you know who he is."

Eren was almost over the edge. Levi once again had to quietly reprimand him. How dare he think Mikasa had no clue of their child's parentage? What did they think she was? Did they think she had no clue of with whom she had sex? Eren was red with anger and Levi had to hold back the boy.

Mikasa took a breath, trying to ignore the scene that Eren was trying to start. She looked up confidently to Dallis and firmly told her lie: "Armin Arlert."

That was it. Armin quickly prepared himself mentally. He said he would do it and he was ready to take the blame if it meant that Mikasa and the baby could be safe from the experimentation that would be bound to happen if the truth slipped.

"Armin Arlert."

Armin quickly saluted, spitting out, "Yes, sir."

"What do you have to say about this?"

"I'm a hormonal teenage boy with needs."

It was silent. The question arose if he, too, would be punished in some way as well. He had committed to this and there was no backing out now. He would have to be strong, be brave.

Dallis looked back and forth between Mikasa and Armin. What was best for humanity’s sake? Humanity was on the brink of extinction, so a new life, a new little being, was a wonderful thing, yet Mikasa was an excellent soldier and the Scouting Legion needed her. They were just kids, though, kids that made a mistake.

“Ackerman.”

Mikasa brought her attention to him.

“Do you plan on leaving the Legion?”

“Absolutely not; I only ask for my absence on missions outside the wall for the time being until my child is born. I’m willing to do whatever I can from inside.”

He glanced over to the rest of the group. His eyes landed on Zoe. “I suppose that’s why you’re here, Squad Leader Hanji.”

“Yes,” She answered, “I would be happy to let Mikasa help with my research until she can return to the field. This way research can even continue while I’m out with the rest of the Legion.”

“Commander.” Attention was brought to Erwin. “How do you feel about letting Miss Ackerman having leave?”

“I feel it is in her best interest.”

“Very well.”

There was more silence. Dallis appeared to be thinking over things. The atmosphere was tense as the result was being decided.

“Mikasa Ackerman.”

The tension intensified. This was it. This was when they found out it if things were over or if everything could be okay.

“Humanity is already at the brink in population and we cannot stand to risk losing a new life. You are hereby allowed maternity leave.”

Chapter Text

The kids were ecstatic. They thought that, for once, maybe things would turn out okay. Eren took the first chance he had out of critical eyes to embrace Mikasa in a deep, passionate kiss; he whispered how much he loved her and how glad he was that she would be okay, along with their unborn child. They wiped away each other’s tears of happiness. They were so grateful for the outcome of the trial.

Things seemed to be great for a while. The other new recruits from the 104th were a little surprised when the secret was no longer a secret, and for good reason: Mikasa and Armin? She was so devoted to Eren and to find out that Armin was the father was very surprising. It was best not to risk letting it slip that Eren was really the father in case word somehow got out; they would not risk harm to either mother or child in any way, even if it meant keeping the truth from their other friends.

As Mikasa’s pregnancy progressed and her belly grew, it really began to set into their minds that they were indeed going to become parents. It then really set in that they were only fifteen years old. All they really had in the world was each other. Her parents were dead and his mother was dead; neither had a clue where his father was, leaving them with only one another. It began to set in their minds that they were so young. They had no help from family members. They had no idea to be parents. Eren was not quite worried as Mikasa was since he was sure he would figure it out somehow, but her hormones were really taking over her emotions, no matter how much she tried to suppress it. Still, she tried her best to hide her worries from Eren.

The due date seemed to approach faster and faster each day and Mikasa’s worries of becoming a mother intensified. She could only worry that she would not know what to do with the baby once it arrived.

“Hanji?”

“Hm?” The older woman hummed as she scribbled various notes in a notebook. Mikasa watched from the side. Honestly, Zoe did not need much help in the lab. It seemed that she enjoyed the company, though, and Levi had asked Mikasa to make sure Zoe did not run herself ragged, which was all that Mikasa really found herself doing.

“The Titans are like your children, right?”

Her attention was immediately diverted as she looked up to Mikasa, glasses shining, covering the excitement in her eyes. “Of course,” She answered. She smiled. “What do you want to know about them? Something about Eren you want to know or…?”

Mikasa began to regret asking. Zoe was the only older woman she could really think of talking to and she knew that she might not be of the greatest help with the situation.

“I,” Mikasa paused, trying to find the right words to dismiss the topic completely, but only sputtered out, “Never mind.”

Zoe’s expression dimmed. She caught on, though; she knew that Mikasa had changed her mind about talking about whatever was bothering her and she would not push the subject. Instead, she tried to lighten the tension that had set on the room.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, you’re not feeling anything unusual, are you? We’ve got to make sure there are no drawbacks to carrying the spawn of a Titan.” Zoe’s eyes filled with glee once again.

“Titan shifter,” Mikasa mumbled in correction. (She did not want to show disrespect to someone of a higher rank, but she refused to think of Eren as a Titan. He could just shift into a Titan; he was not a Titan.) But she tried shaking it off and answered the question. “You mean other than the bloating and extra pressure?”

Zoe laughed. “Don’t be so negative, Mikasa! That baby could be the hope for tomorrow! Maybe it will be able to help with getting rid of the Titans!”

Mikasa frowned. Her hands traced over her swollen stomach. She was not sure if she would want that for her child. She did not want it to feel the pressure that she felt as a soldier, that Eren felt being a Titan shifter. She only wanted the best for her child; she did not want to think of it coming in harm’s way. After all, this was the little life that she and Eren had created together they were talking about.

Zoe reached a hand out, resting it on Mikasa’s shoulder. A reassuring smile spread across the older woman’s face. “Don’t worry. Who knows? Maybe it won’t even be a shifter! We don’t know how this works yet and we’ll get to figure out thanks to you and Eren, so don’t fret it too much, alright?”

Mikasa relaxed a bit. Zoe may not have been helpful with her mothering worries, but she did mean well and that made Mikasa feel much better.
--
Eren took note of the way Mikasa made her way to the bed that night. She was walking different; she was…waddling. He smirked a bit. It was kind of funny to see her that way, but he would not let her catch on to his amusement. She did not let it on, though Eren could see she was suffering a bit, whether from her changing appearance or the backlash of pregnancy symptoms.

He put out the candle and lay down with Mikasa. He closed his eyes, ready to drift off to sleep, when she suddenly asked, “Do you think I’ll be a good mother?”

Her voice did not seem any different. Still, something seemed off about this. It was not like her to question something like that, but he could only think that as they were getting closer to the birth, she was starting to worry. Her anxieties were absolutely justified; he was worried as well. It just seemed strange that she would ask that.

Eren chuckled in an attempt to calm her nerves. “If you baby it anything like me, you’ll be just fine.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

It went silent.

He realized that she was legitimately concerned that she would be a bad mother. The subject of their parenting skills had never once come up during the past months of their journey and he realized how real the matter really was: they were going to have a baby. It had crossed their minds many times since finding out about the pregnancy, but it had never seriously set. It seemed more like an idea than anything most of the time. It almost felt like it was just something they planned to do, yet it was a real issue.

“I’m just worried,” She mumbled, tugging at her scarf. (Eren wondered how she could stand sleeping with it on, but he would not try to separate her from it.) “We’re doing this on our own.”

She was right. They were on their own. He was sure that some of their friends in the Scouting Legion would help them since they were like family, but how would they learn all that they needed? Would they know what the child needed? What was bothering it? Would they know how to change diapers or to feed it? Would it come as instinct?

It was then the silence was broken by a quiet, muffled sniffle. Mikasa had tried so hard to keep her emotions in check; her hormones worked against that. A signal tear fell down her cheek.

“I just wish Mom was here.”

Eren had no clue if she meant her biological mother or the mother she had come to love within Carla. It did not matter, though. She wished she had someone to guide her on the situation. She was just a young girl and she had not had much experience with children, let alone babies. Yet, there she was, getting ready to become a mother.

Eren hushed her, pulling himself up and her into his lap. She seemed so vulnerable at that moment. It seemed so foreign that she would let down her walls. She was curled up as much as she could with their unborn baby in between them. He slowly rocked back in forth in a calming manner, hoping to settle her nerves.

“We can get through it,” He whispered, “We’ve made it through so much already and we’ll get through this. I promised, didn’t I?”

She did not say anything. She only buried herself into his chest and he pulled her closer. He brushed her hair back behind her ear, leaning down to whisper into it. “I love you, so trust me that we can do this, okay?”

She nodded. She pulled her arms out from between them and wrapped them around him. Her head rested against his shoulder as she slowly started to nod off to sleep. Eren was almost afraid to move, so he settled to lean against the headboard and hold her like that throughout the night.

Chapter Text

As the weeks passed by and Mikasa's pregnancy was coming to an end, it seemed that everyone was on edge. Eren was constantly asking her how she felt and Zoe kept an eye out for anything unusual during the day while Mikasa worked with her. Eren was constantly distracted, causing either Armin or Levi to snap him back into reality.

"Hanji will come tell you if anything's happening," Levi insisted.

Still, this did not calm Eren; he was getting more and more nervous by the day. His thoughts were filled with worries about becoming a father. He worried about his ability to care for their child. When the day was done, he would not allow Mikasa to be by herself in fear he would miss something. She would insist she was fine, but he was not convinced.

Mikasa was reaching her thirty-eighth week when it all started. She had been helping Zoe in the lab when she felt her stomach clench a bit. Her hands immediately came to her abdomen and she held it in surprise for a few moments.

"You okay?" Zoe asked, looking away from her research.

"I don't know."

Mikasa honestly had no clue if everything was okay. She had never felt something like that before. Was it a sign she was going into labor? Would the baby be there soon? She did not know. She had no clue why her body was doing what it was if it was not ready to deliver.

Zoe saw the teen's discomfort and hurriedly ushered her to sit.

"Do you think you're going into labor? Do you want me to get Eren?"

Mikasa only nodded, still stunned from the sudden clench. She was still left in shock as Zoe left the room. She had a hard time believing that everything was coming to an end. She hated to admit it, but she was nervous. She was afraid of all that would be happening.

It was not long before Eren was by her side. He rubbed her shoulders soothingly and whispered, "Don't worry; it'll be okay."

"You should probably get checked by the midwife," Zoe said, watching the two. She smiled. "Go home and get comfortable. I'll deal with Levi."

"Are you sure?" Mikasa asked.

Eren helped her up from her seat and steadied her. "Mikasa, you're going to have the baby. You need to get rest."

"Listen to him: go home and get some rest. It will be fine."

Eren agreed, leading Mikasa out of the room. "Good luck!"
--
"What?!"

The midwife only laughed. "You're having false contractions. It's just preparation for the real thing."

"Are you sure?" Eren asked.

"Yes, she'll be fine. Call for me whenever it actually happens."

Mikasa and Eren watched as the midwife left. Mikasa turned to him, sighing. "I'm sorry. I thought-"

"Sh," He hushed, pulling her into a hug, "It's fine."

She hugged him in return. It felt good to be in his embrace. Her nerves were all worked up and having Eren there was all she could ask. She was scared; she did not know what was going on with her body and it helped having him with her.

After a while, they let go from one another. He directed her to lay down on the bed, tucking the covers over her. He kissed her forehead. "I want you to rest, okay? I'm sure Levi will have a fit if I don't go back, but you stay here. You need to relax. Is there anything you need before I go?"

She wanted to argue, to tell him that she was fine. Yet, she did not feel fine. She knew that he was right and that she did need rest. He was worried for her. She could tell. He was scared as well. It was hard to reassure the other when both had fears themselves.

She reached out, clasping one of his hands in both of hers. "Stay with me," She mumbled, "Please."

"Alright." He smiled, crawling into bed with her. He had to savor these moments alone with her. Zoe could calm Levi if he had a problem.
--
A couple of days later, Mikasa once again felt her stomach clench. It was in the middle of the night and it had woken her from her slumber. It took her a moment to process, but as soon as she did, she felt this time was the real thing.

"Eren."

He groaned. He flipped over to his other side, facing her, but still fast asleep.

"Eren, wake up."

His eyes slowly opened; he blinked a few times. "What's wrong, Mikasa?" He mumbled as he sat up and rubbed at his eyes.

"I think the baby's coming."

Eren had never seen such terror in her eyes. He had known she was nervous, though the extent of it he did not. He was scared, too—he could not deny it—but everything seemed so wrong seeing Mikasa afraid. She was a strong woman who held her own. It was not often he saw her like this and he hated the feeling he got from her fear.

He pulled her forward, her forehead resting on his shoulder. She breathed heavily to calm herself some. It took a while, but another contraction came. And another. Many contractions came, each increasing in intensity, and he held her through them.

It was the real thing this time.