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Moblit was stressed. Very stressed, and it all had to do with Hanji. No, they didn’t blow anything up or set something on fire. It would be their birthday in just a few days. He was still in the clouds over their reunion and everything that followed after, but their reunion happened only a few days before their birthday. That left him with very little time to find the perfect gift. While one could wonder if they would even remember their own birthday with how chaotic they were, he still wanted to make them happy.
He was glad he wasn’t the only one with the problem though, cause Erwin and Levi also didn’t know what to get them yet. Also how would he be able to buy them a gift if they refused to leave his side for anything besides bathroom breaks? He wanted to surprise them, so he had to find a way to keep them distracted so he could embark on his quest to find the perfect gift.
But keeping Hanji distracted would be a quest on its own. He needed help with that if he even wanted to have a shot at it. That’s why he now found himself begging to Levi in the hallways, having told his students that he needed to take care of something important.
Levi eyed him unimpressed however, not really ecstatic at the idea of having to entertain Hanji for God knows how long. “How much do you offer?”
Moblit blinked in confusion at that. Did Levi really ask for money? Was it really such a pain for him to spend some time with them? “Well… I didn’t think you would ask for money, so how much do you want?” Honestly he was starting to get a little desperate.
The short man laughed at him then, shaking his head. “Relax, I’m just messing with you. I’m not going to ask you for money. Of course I’ll help you.” Moblit was his family after all and they all promised each other that they would always help each other.
He let out a sigh of relief at that. He should have known that Levi was only messing with him, but all the stress was getting to him, he supposed. “Thank you so much.”
“It’s alright. Do you have a plan?” Levi asked.
“I was thinking that you could ask them to come with you to the mall for advice on cleaning products, since Hanji knows all about chemicals and you want to know which are the safest and environmental friendly.” He was pretty sure Hanji wouldn’t want to miss out on an opportunity to rant about chemicals.
Levi looked thoughtful at that for a moment before smiling. That actually sounded like a pretty good plan. “You know, I always used the cheapest, cause I didn’t have much money. That’s no problem anymore since Erwin and I share our incomes. I could definitely use a better cleaning product.”
Moblit finally smiled too then, cause Levi approved of his plan. He knew Levi could be very picky about cleaning, so he would keep Hanji distracted for a couple of hours. “So it’s definitely a win-win situation then.”
“You could say that. Do you have any idea what to get them yet?” He asked as he continued his cleaning. Those windows wouldn’t clean themselves.
“No, not really. I want to give them something special, but I have no idea what. Hanji is special and I want to show them that.” Moblit explained anxiously.
Special wasn’t his first thought when he thought of Hanji. Mental seemed closer in his opinion. Maybe he should get them some nicely, coloured tape for on their mouth. It would save him a lot of headaches probably. Sadly Erwin probably wouldn’t approve of his choice. He just wanted to give it to tease them and see their reaction. If he was being honest with himself then they were definitely special. He always knew it, but it became especially clear to him after Shiganshina. The strength they carried themselves with was something he deeply admired.
“They deserve the best, but don’t stress yourself too much over it. They probably forgot their own birthday again and will be happy we remembered. Besides I think you and your love for them are the greatest gifts they ever received, in this life and the previous. They’ll be happy with whatever you give them.” He explained carefully, trying to get his stress levels down a bit.
Moblit blushed at that and nodded. He felt instantly calmer at that. He was thankful for Levi’s down to earth mentality in this. “Thank you. I feel a lot better now.”
“No problem. Maybe you could take Erwin with you? If you get stressed he can help you out and he needs to find gifts as well for them from us. The big loaf loves being part of a good plan.” Honestly he didn’t want to deal with a pouting Erwin, who would whine about being left out.
Moblit laughed at that. Levi’s casual insults never seized to amaze him. He did it to Hanji and Erwin all the time and it made him wonder why Levi never insulted him. “It would definitely be nice to have Erwin come along. I’d like that.” He couldn’t help but fidget as his mind kept wondering why he never got insulted.
Levi’s sharp eyes noticed his fidgeting immediately and it made him wonder what got the man stressed this time. Maybe he just needed to take a shit. “Why are you fidgeting like that? Spit it out.”
“Well I w-was wondering why you n-never insult me? You do it to Hanji and Erwin a-all the t-time.” He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear the answer, but there was no turning back now.
Levi blinked in confusion at that. He didn’t see that one coming. “I guess it’s because I know Hanji and Erwin just laugh it off. I worry I will actually hurt your feelings. I mean I can be kind of a dick and you are so kind. It would feel wrong to insult you. Also Hanji would probably punch me in the face if I insulted you.”
“I s-see…”
Levi shook his head and pulled him into a hug. “Listen, you idiot. You are loved. I don’t know what happened to you that made you so insecure about that, but you can always rely on me. I could call you egghead if that would make you feel better.”
A strangled sob left his throat then and he felt Levi react immediately by hugging him tighter. He didn’t know how Levi did it, but he seemed to be able to read people’s deepest pains. Maybe it was because he had suffered a great deal too in this life and the previous. He let his tears fall then, cause he felt safe in Levi’s embrace.
Levi gently rubbed his back and felt his heart ache for the kind man. “That’s it. Just let it out. It’s all okay.”
He cried some more and then managed to calm down. It felt good to have let that out. “Thank you…”
Levi made him look at him then. “You don’t have to tell me why you’re so insecure, but maybe it will help you, don’t you think?”
Moblit nodded at him and took a deep breath. “Whenever I m-made friends they suddenly a-a-abandoned me. I don’t k-know what I did wrong. They j-just found other people t-they liked better than m-me. They would t-talk to me, but w-when I suggested to d-d-do something nice, they suddenly b-broke all c-contact. It happened in b-both lives…”
For a moment he didn’t know how to react to that. How could people be so cruel? Especially to someone as kind as Moblit? “Fuck them for not appreciating you. You did nothing wrong. You’re amazing, you hear me? You deserve the best. We will never abandon you. We love you and appreciate you. Don’t be scared to suggest something either. Even if your idea is stupid, that doesn’t mean we will leave you, okay?”
Hearing Levi say that, made him feel so much better. Like a heavy weight fell off his shoulders. “Thank you. I’m happy you’re my friend.”
“We’re more than friends. We’re family. Don’t you forget that, egghead.” Levi ruffled his hair, causing him to smile.
“I won’t. Why egghead though?” He wondered.
“Hanji once said that your head is kinda shaped like one. They thinks it’s cute.” He explained. He couldn’t help but to agree with them.
Moblit laughed at that and shook his head. “I guess it kinda does look like an egg, now that you mention it.”
“I’m glad you can laugh again.” He took a tissue from his pocket and handed it to him. “Here. Dry your face off those tears. You look better without them.”
He dried his face with it and then put it in the trashcan. “I better get back to class now then. Thank you again. See you at lunch.”
Levi was glad Moblit had opened up to him. That probably wasn’t easy for him to do. He understood that quite well. Now that he had the three of them back he felt like he could tell them everything. There was no need any more to keep secrets or hide feelings. He had made Moblit understand that, he was sure of it. He hoped Erwin and Hanji realised it too that it was safe in this world to open up about everything. If they didn’t realise that, then he would make them.
He continued cleaning until the bell for lunch rang, put his cleaning supplies away, and made his way over to the staff room. He could already hear Hanji’s loud voice as he turned the corner. Erwin and Moblit were there too already and he could see Hanji frantically cupping Moblit’s face and interrogating him. Maybe he should just turn around. He was in no mood for Hanji’s drama.
“I can see you’ve cried! Who made you cry?!” They asked Moblit frantically.
“I’m f-fine. Levi, he-”
Moblit didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence as Hanji had stormed over to Levi to demand answers.
“What did you do to Moblit?!” Hanji pulled him up by his collar and glared angrily at him.
He had forgotten how insanely strong they were when they were angry. He tried to pry their hands away without hurting them, but they wouldn’t budge. “Calm your tiny tits, four eyes. I did nothing to him!”
Hanji’s glare only intensified. “What was that about my tits?!”
Moblit knew that if he didn’t intervene quickly, then they would punch Levi’s lights out, get fired, and most likely also get arrested. “Hanji! Please calm down! Levi didn’t do anything bad! He helped me!”
They let go of Levi then, unceremoniously dropping him to the floor. “Oh, why didn’t you say so before, sweetie?”
“I was trying to, but you were jumping to conclusions.” He sighed deeply. The last time he had seen them so angry, they nearly threw someone off Wall Rose. He didn’t need a repeat of that.
“For fuck’s sake, you bloody four eyes…” He was still on the floor, scrambling to get up.
Hanji offered their hand to quickly pull him up. “I’m so sorry, Levi!” They pulled him to his feet and hung their head in shame.
“I’ll forgive you. You were only trying to stand up for Moblit after all.” He could appreciate that in them. He was highly protective of Erwin too. He had been insulted enough in his previous life. He wouldn’t let that happen here.
“Can I do anything to make it up to you? I’ll keep feeling bad about it otherwise.” They felt like an idiot for jumping to conclusions like that.
“There is. I’ll tell you about it later, okay?” This was the perfect excuse to get them coming along to the mall for those cleaning products in case they refused.
Erwin decided to speak up then. “Why don’t we all calmly sit down and then Moblit can tell us what happened.”
They all agreed on that and got into the staff room to eat their lunches and let Moblit tell his story. He didn’t like telling it again, but telling it again did help him to cope with it better.
Hanji couldn’t believe their ears. People should be glad to have someone like Moblit in their lives. “What a bunch of fuckers. If you ever run into any of them again, be it from this life or the previous, tell me and I’ll gladly give them the finger.”
“Thanks, honey.” He pressed a soft kiss to their cheek.
“Anything for you. I’ll gladly kick the asses of anyone who’s mean to you.” They declared determined.
“Does that include yourself?” Erwin wondered.
“What do you mean? I’m never mean to Moblit.”
“Really? During the expedition when we found Ilse Langnar’s notebook, you were trying to convince me to let you capture some titans quite stubbornly. Moblit tried to tell you not to take such tone with me, but you told him to shut it.” Erwin recalled clearly.
Hanji replayed the moment in their head and then their mouth fell open, cause Erwin was right, much to their horror. “Oh, God! I’m so sorry, Moblit! I didn’t mean to!”
“It’s alright. I know you didn’t mean it.” He didn’t want them to feel bad about it after all this time. He had practically forgotten it after a few minutes, cause they were already causing other trouble.
“But you were always there for me and I had the nerve to tell you to shut it…”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s really alright. Now stop sulking and give me a hug.” He opened his arms for them and they gladly dove right into his chest. He wrapped his arms around them and hugged them tight. “You’re a handful and sometimes you say things without thinking, but you have a big heart and I love you.”
They tightly hugged him too. “I love you too, sweetie.”
“God, you two are so sappy.” Levi complained.
They just stuck their tongue out at him and received an eye roll in return. “Now what was the thing that I can make it up to you with?”
“I’m looking for better cleaning products and since you’re a fucking science nerd you know all about chemicals, so you can help me out picking something good after school.” He said as he took a bite from his sandwich.
“But I wanted to spend time with Moblit.” They pouted.
Moblit smiled softly and was glad that they loved him so much, but he really needed them to go with Levi. “Don’t go back on your word now, Hanji. Besides I have a lot of grading to do, so cuddling would have to wait until tonight anyway.”
“Fine.” They whined. “You better give me lots of cuddles tonight then.”
He couldn’t help but laugh at that. They sure were needy. “I will. Don’t worry. Also behave yourself. I don’t want to have to pick you up at the police station, okay?”
“I’ll be good!” They promised.
“That’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told.” Levi couldn’t help but to point that out. They all knew they would be throwing petty insults at each other within minutes.
Hanji crossed their arms defensively at that. “We’ll be fine as long as we don’t get ourselves arrested.”
“Sometimes you remind me of two little kids.” Erwin shook his head at them.
Hanji grinned at that. “Well one of us has the size, so I can see you confusing us for kids.”
“Fuck you, you stupid four eyes.” Levi glared at them. How was he going to survive this afternoon? They weren’t even on their way to the mall yet and they were already at it.
Moblit and Erwin sighed deeply. This would be a long afternoon. It was for a good cause, but Moblit wished it didn’t give him so much stress. He worried he would forget something important. He knew he shouldn’t stress so much about it, but he couldn’t help it. It was just part of him and it was hard to turn it off.
He quickly texted Erwin while Hanji was distracted by stuffing their face with the sandwich he had made for them this morning. Erwin texted back immediately and Moblit was glad he wanted to come along with him to go gift shopping. Erwin had always been a good planner and that put his mind at ease. With Erwin there he didn’t have doubts about forgetting something anymore.
After lunch they all continued their work until the school day ended and then they met at the exit. Levi rolled his eyes as Hanji was dramatically hugging Moblit and saying how much they would miss him while helping Levi out. It was almost vomit inducing to him and he made sure Hanji saw what he thought of it.
Hanji just stuck their tongue out at him. “I feel sorry for Erwin with you being so unromantic.”
“I’m not unromantic. You’re just being overly dramatic in public displays of affection.” He was glad Erwin wasn’t so damn sappy.
Erwin stared longingly at Levi then. He was starting to grow jealous of all that affection in front of him and he wanted it too. “Levi…”
He turned to look at Erwin then to see a pitiful pout on his face and he knew he was utterly fucked. How could he refuse such a face? “Fine, you big baby.” He walked over to the tall blond and wrapped his arms around him. “Happy now?”
Erwin’s face lit up immediately and he hugged Levi back tightly. “Very.”
Levi felt himself being lifted from the floor and groaned. Why did he have to be more dramatic than Hanji? “Put me down, you big idiot.”
“Just a few more seconds, Levi.” He loved embarrassing him a bit, cause he would get to see him blushing. Levi tried to hide his blush but Erwin just lifted him a bit higher so he could take it all in.
“Fucking sap.” He was complaining, but secretly he loved this side of Erwin. The side that only a few people saw in their previous lives and now he could be like that whenever he wanted. He had always wished for that, so he wouldn’t deny him and getting embarrassed was worth it to see his big, blond idiot happy.
Erwin put him down then and smiled brightly at him. “Love you too, Lee.”
Levi’s cheeks flushed brightly at the nickname. “Yeah, love you too, dork.” Then he turned to Hanji, who had been laughing at their exchange the whole time. “Will you shut up?”
They stopped laughing then and grinned at him instead. “Alright, Leelee.”
He glared at them then, not appreciating that nickname. “Why are you like this? Did you get dropped on your head as a baby?”
Hanji didn’t take offense and decided to indulge him instead. “Who knows? Maybe that’s why my vision isn’t that great either.”
Moblit just sighed. He felt like he was working in a kindergarten instead of a high school with those two. “How about you two be nice now and go to the mall? You can even take my car if you want.”
“You trust me with your car, burrito?” Hanji beamed at him happily.
“Well you have your license and your own car, so I don’t see why not. Besides trust is important in a relationship. More importantly, why are you calling me burrito?” Were they all conspiring to give him food nicknames or something?
“Your name in Japanese is Moburitto and it sounds like burrito. I think it’s cute!” They explained excitedly.
He smiled at that and kissed the top of their head. “I like it.”
“How will you get home then without your car?” They didn’t want to inconvenience him by taking his car.
“I will take him home with my car. It’s no problem.” Erwin offered.
“Thank you, Erwin. So don’t worry and just take my car, honey.” Moblit handed them the key and they took it gratefully.
After some more hugs Hanji and Levi finally left for the mall. After making sure they were out of sight Moblit and Erwin made their way there too. Levi would make sure Hanji wouldn’t leave the store, so they wouldn’t run into each other. Moblit was glad Erwin had suggested letting Hanji use his car. That way they both had a car for their shopping spree, cause Levi would probably buy more cleaning products than they could take home without a car.
Moblit was content being in the passenger seat for once and let his thoughts go over what he needed to buy. He pulled a list from his pocket and let his eyes roam over it to check if he could think of something else he might need. “Thank you for coming with me. I hope it’s not inconvenient.”
Erwin smiled at him when they had to wait for a traffic light. “It’s no problem at all. I need to find gifts for them from Levi and me too. Besides I’m glad we can spend time together.”
His face lit up at hearing that. He was really happy that Erwin felt happy spending time with him. “Me too. I was content with the life I had before I got my memories and you guys back, but I always felt like something was missing. Part of me always felt a little lonely.”
“I understand what you mean. But none of us has to have that feeling anymore of being incomplete. You don’t have to feel alone anymore and that’s great. We should all do fun things together. Anything we couldn’t do back then.” That would be a lot of things. Things they probably had done on their own already, but sharing is caring after all.
“Like all of us going to see the ocean. It’s weird suddenly feeling all those needs. I mean I’ve been there a couple of times and it wasn’t special, except maybe when I was little. Everything just seemed so normal here, but now with all those memories I’m really grateful for this new life.” Honestly he wondered what Hanji and Levi were thinking when they saw it. Were they thinking of them?
“I feel the same way. But it also gives us other feelings than gratefulness. Negative feelings, because we went through hell there. Comparing yourself from then and now. Wishing some things didn’t repeat themselves. Like you being abandoned by people who you thought were your friends.” Erwin watched him from the corner of his eye to see his reaction to that.
Moblit nodded quietly at that. “I thought something was wrong with me, so I’m glad I told you guys and you all assured me it’s not my fault.”
“I’m glad you realise that now. I think all of us should sit down sometime and talk about our previous lives. We suddenly have a lot of emotional memories, maybe insecurities, fears and other unpleasant feelings. It’s not good to deal with that alone. We did that back then, but now we can open up about it.” He felt like he owed Levi that. He kept so much hidden from him. Not on purpose of course, but he wanted to be fully open now.
“I agree, but maybe some of us need some more time to process all those memories better for themselves first. None of us should feel forced to talk about something they’re not ready for.” It would break his heart if anyone had a major breakdown. He was sure there would be breakdowns, but he wanted to avoid the type that got to the point that couldn’t be calmed down.
“You’re absolutely right. We should all take the time we need. But enough about negative feelings now. We’re here.” Erwin parked the car and got out. Once Moblit was out too, he locked it and they started walking towards the mall entrance.
Moblit suggested going to buy the food, drinks and decorations first, so they didn’t have to worry about that later anymore. He wanted to make Hanji a cake instead of buying one to show them how special they’re to him. So they went to get baking ingredients, snacks and drinks first and after that they bought garlands, balloons and confetti. Moblit was sure Hanji would abuse the hell out of the confetti, meaning he would find it everywhere for weeks to come, but it would be all worth it if it made them happy. They brought it all back to the car to have their hands free again for the more difficult task of actually finding presents.
“How are you going to make that cake without Hanji finding out?” Erwin wondered.
“We were talking about going to the ocean this weekend, because of the beautiful weather, right? I’ll just say it will be a celebration cake for that.” If he just acted natural then Hanji wouldn’t suspect a thing.
Erwin nodded at that and made his way into a bookstore with him. Hanji had a lot of books on science in their previous lives, so he didn’t doubt that they would still like books about that. He didn’t plan on buying one immediately, he wanted to check out other stores first to see if there was something else they might like. They could always come back here later.
After browsing some more they made their way to different stores. Game stores, jewellery stores, beauty stores and all sorts of other stores were visited. Moblit was sure they basically visited every store in the mall at this point. Not without success thankfully. They both had found multiple gifts for Hanji. They couldn’t just pick one. They both thought they deserved to be spoiled.
Moblit was so relieved that he had found gifts. He sure hoped Hanji would be happy with them. He felt all the stress of the day leave him and he let out a contented sigh. All he had to worry about was finding an excuse to sneak away Friday and let Erwin and Levi bring Hanji to his home, while he quickly decorated and put the final details to the cake. Well maybe he had to worry about when to congratulate them. That still bugged him.
Erwin couldn’t help but notice that Moblit’s face looked worried again. “What’s wrong? Did we forget about something?”
He shook his head at that. “I can’t decide when we have to congratulate them. They always forgot about their birthday in our previous lives, but what if that’s not the case here? I don’t want them to think I forgot about it.”
“There’s no guarantee to know if they forgot about it or not. Not even calling their mother would help. Even if they always forgot, they might suddenly remember it now cause they reunited with us so soon before their birthday.” He couldn’t help but to feel sorry for Moblit. Surprises were always hard to arrange.
Moblit nodded quietly. That was not the answer he was hoping for, but he appreciated Erwin gave him his honest opinion on the matter. “What would you do?”
“I think I would carefully check if there are any changes in their mood or behaviour. If you suspect they know it’s their birthday, cause they’re looking sad or giving you some sort of hint, then you should congratulate them. Also I would give one of the gifts already to show that they didn’t help you remember, but you already knew.” The best scenario for the surprise would be that they had no clue about their birthday, but this was second best, he supposed.
“That’s probably the best idea. Thank you. I should have thought of that myself, but instead my mind likes to come up with every little thing that could go wrong.” Honestly he was glad they had stocked up on alcohol. He sure needed it to relax once the surprise was revealed.
“Don’t worry about it anymore, okay? It’s going to be fine. They’re going to love your gifts.” Erwin parked the car in front of Moblit’s home and got out to retrieve everything they bought from the trunk.
Moblit was glad Erwin helped him carry everything inside. It would be quite hard to see where he was going if he had everything piled up in his arms. Also opening the door would be quite the challenge. “I’m not sure if I can turn off my worries, but I’ll try.”
Erwin smiled at that and followed him inside as soon as the door was unlocked and placed everything on the dinner table. “Where do you want these?”
“Ah, don’t worry about that. You’ve already helped me so much.” He replied while offering Erwin a glass of orange juice.
Erwin thanked him for the drink and took a sip. “It’s no problem at all.”
Moblit nodded thankfully and finished his own drink. “All the drinks can go in the fridge.”
Together they stored everything in their rightful place after Erwin had finished his drink. Moblit hid the gifts and decorations in his atelier behind a few boxes. He was sure Hanji wouldn’t venture there without his permission.
After that it was time for Erwin to go home. They wouldn’t risk Hanji finding him here and asking questions. “We should definitely do this more often. I had a great time.”
Moblit nodded in agreement. “Without you, I would have been super stressed. I still was, but thanks to you it reduced a lot.”
“I hope you can relax a bit now that we have everything.” He gave Moblit a tight hug.
He was surprised for a moment, but then gladly returned the hug. “I think I can. Don’t worry.”
He saw Erwin out then and took a seat at the table. Having to grade things hadn’t been a total lie. He still had a small stack of drawings from yesterday that needed to be graded. The sooner he was done with that the better.
Meanwhile Levi and Hanji were still in the cleaning products aisle of the biggest supermarket in the mall. Levi made sure that they would compare every type of product, to buy Moblit and Erwin enough time to find presents. If he was being honest with himself then this was being much more enjoyable than he initially thought. Maybe it was because this was simple and uncomplicated. Things they couldn’t enjoy often in their previous lives.
He was shaken out of his thoughts when Hanji presented him a spray bottle mere inches from his face with a happy smile. “Not so close, idiot. I can’t see it properly like that.”
“Ah, sorry. I think this one is really good, though. Probably the best.” They handed him the bottle so he could take a look.
Levi read the backside of the bottle intently. Hanji had taught him what was good and what was bad. After some reading he could agree that they were right. This one was just perfect. Environmental friendly and the smell was good too. “This is great. Thanks, Hanji.”
Hanji nodded excitedly at him and then their eye fell on another product of the same brand. “Look, Levi! They have so many products of the brand! For washing clothes too!”
He followed their gaze and saw that they were right. They had something for every surface in the house and the best of it was that it wasn’t as terribly expensive as he had feared. Sure he and Erwin shared their salary now, but that didn’t mean that he should suddenly start spending irresponsibly. He didn’t think that would be fair towards Erwin either. But with these prices he didn’t have to worry about that.
The only worry he had now was that they suddenly had everything and he didn’t have any solid reason left to keep Hanji here any longer. They had been here for hours already. He had to text Erwin that they would probably leave here in ten minutes max. As he fished his phone out of his pocket it started to buzz. As he unlocked it he noticed there was a message from Erwin. To his relief the text said that he just arrived home, so that Levi could go home too. He texted back that they would go home soon too.
“We’ll take one of each.” Levi declared and started loading the products into their shopping cart.
Hanji helped him and once everything was loaded in they went to pay. The cashier gave them a strange look and Levi thought she probably wondered if they were going to clean a junkyard. It made him wonder if Hanji’s home resembled one, knowing how their lab looked if he didn’t come by to clean. After paying they went to the parking lot to load everything into the car and then they were off to Erwin’s home. Well it was his home too now, he supposed. That thought made him smile.
Hanji couldn’t help but notice. “Look who’s all happy instead of grumpy for once.”
“Well life is good. I never thought I would say that after everything I’ve been through in both lives. But now I feel like I have everything I wished for. I have my mother and you three. Sure it would be nice to find more people from our previous lives, but I’m not going to get greedy and ungrateful.” He knew better than that after everything. Greed only ever led to trouble for everyone.
“I completely agree with you. Feels weird saying that, cause we usually bicker about everything and disagree.” They stopped for a red traffic light and took that opportunity to smile at Levi.
“I’m sure we’ll find plenty of things we can still bicker about.” He grinned.
“Probably. But you know it’s alright to wish for things. Just because we have a better life now doesn’t mean we’re not allowed to dream anymore.”
“What are your dreams then? Please don’t say you want some weird creepy pet. Your titan experiments were enough for unlimited lifetimes. Besides your crazy ideas wouldn’t be legal in this world anyway.” He had never been so grateful for the law in this life.
“Oh, don’t worry. It’s nothing like that. I mean I would really like to marry Moblit one day and start a family.” The smile on their face grew and their cheeks warmed at the thought.
He eyed them curiously. Sure they had mentioned earlier that they had wanted kids, but he thought it was just a joke to embarrass Moblit. “You’re really serious about that, aren’t you?”
“I know you probably think I’m not the type to settle down so much and start a family, but after everything we’ve been through I want a normal life full with happiness and Moblit will be the best father in the world. Just imagine having a tiny Moblit around. Just the thought makes my chest feel warm. As for me, I think my experience with my titan projects will surely come in handy while taking care of kids.” They smiled brightly at him, looking for his approval.
Levi’s mouth fell slightly open. He couldn’t believe they just said that. “You’re a fucking idiot if you think that taking care of titan experiments and children is the same thing. As for that tiny Moblit, you might end up with a tiny you. I’ll pray for Moblit’s sanity if that will be the case.”
Hanji laughed loudly at that and hit the gas again once the light turned green. “I just meant that I will be just as dedicated. I hadn’t thought about a mini me yet. I’m sure that will be fun too.”
“I think a mini you would be the death of me.” He groaned loudly at the trouble that child would get themselves into. Not to mention the trouble they would give him.
“Don’t be so dramatic. Whatever kind of kid we’ll have, they’ll love you to the moon and back, just like we do.”
That made him smile. “I’ll love them too even if they’ll be a troublesome brat like you.”
“Do you… do you think I’ll be a good mother?” They asked nervously.
It wasn’t often that he saw them so insecure and it made his heart ache. He had to make sure they didn’t doubt themselves so much. “I think the only bad parents are those who don’t love their children. You’ll love them so much and treasure everything about them, so don’t worry if you make mistakes. You don’t have to do it alone.”
Their face lit up at that, relief washing over them. “Thank you, Levi! How about you? Want to get married and have kids?”
He hadn’t given that much thought yet, but he should have expected the question. “I think I want to get married, yeah. As for kids, I think I’ll be able to survive having one. I don’t want a whole bunch. Too much of a mess to clean up.”
“Maybe the kid will be a clean freak like you. But yeah, the first few years the kid will be messy. It’s great though that this world is so medically advanced that same gender couples can have children.” They knew Levi had always doubted himself, cause he couldn’t give Erwin children. Now he didn’t have to worry about that anymore.
“Yeah, totally looking forward to nine months of hell. We’ll definitely wait a couple of years. I think we should live our own lives first. Do the things we want. Some things are hard with children. We’re a lot younger here still. We’re all in our early twenties, so we have plenty of time.” They deserved to live their own lives first and made sure they had a nice home and everything else they needed to raise children.
They nodded in agreement. There were plenty of things they still wanted to do first. Moblit surely wouldn’t allow them to go skydiving with their baby. “You know, I’ve been wanting to ask you something ever since we got our memories back, but we were never alone and I didn’t want Moblit or Erwin to worry.”
Levi raised his eyebrows at that, wondering what they were talking about. The look on their face had suddenly gone gloomy. “You’re creeping me out. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Even though I have my memories back, I know I didn’t get all of them back. After we first saw the ocean, everything starts to get blurry. I have no idea how and when I died. Do you know how I died?” It had truly been bothering them for a while now, as it didn’t make sense to only get part of your memories back.
“I… have no idea.” He hadn’t given it much thought, but just like Hanji, his memories started to blur too after having seen the ocean. “I don’t know about myself either. It’s an unpleasant feeling to not know.”
Hanji nodded solemnly. It was not the answer they were hoping for. They couldn’t stand it that they didn’t know. They always wanted to know everything. “I agree it’s an unpleasant feeling. Maybe it will come back later. Everything before the ocean was already a lot to take in. Maybe it would have been too much if we got all those other memories at the same time too.”
“Maybe. What I mostly remember is that I wanted to kill the Beast Titan.” He wanted to kill him so much, that practically nothing else mattered to him. Suddenly that thought scared him a lot. “Hanji… What if I ignored one of your orders concerning killing the Beast Titan and with it caused your death…? What if that’s why we don’t remember?” The thought of being responsible for Hanji’s death sickened him, but he had to know what they thought about it, if it would later turn out to be true.
Disbelief and shock were clearly visible on their face as they eyed Levi. They got startled when someone honked at her. Another traffic light they were waiting for had turned green and the people behind them got impatient with them not stepping on the gas. They were glad they lost their attention while standing still, so it didn’t have any serious consequences.
“Fuck… Levi, don’t say such shocking things when I’m driving. I don’t want any accidents.” Honestly they didn’t know how to answer him. It was too cruel.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked, but I need to know.”
They didn’t want to think about it, but it wouldn’t surprise them if it turned out to be true. Levi’s grief had been so strong and they had always known that Erwin came above all else to him. “Maybe it happened and maybe it didn’t. But that’s not what you want to know. What you want to know is if I would hate you for it, am I right?”
Levi nodded uncertainly. Why did he have to come up with this? Even if they never remembered, the thought of what if wouldn’t leave them alone anymore. Just when they were all so happy at having being reunited and making plans for the future, he just had to ruin it with his stupid thoughts. He wished Hanji never asked about their memories, but it wouldn’t be fair to blame his own thoughts on them.
“I would deserve your hate. My selfishness had caused you enough grief already.”
“Maybe I would’ve been the same if the Colossal Titan had gotten away. He killed Moblit after all and if we weren’t planning on using him to be eaten then I might have gone berserk too and slowly and painfully killed him. If he had gotten away I think I would have wanted to kill him too.”
“But you’re different. You wouldn’t selfishly go after him to kill him. Only if you had gotten a good opportunity and it didn’t involve other people’s lives.”
“Maybe, but we all know I have a major temper and if that gets the best of me I need to be stopped too. Usually Moblit was there to stop me when I lost control, but he couldn’t anymore of course.” His death had made them irrational for quite some time too. They broke a lot of furniture to take their anger out on.
“I guess so. But that still doesn’t answer my question.”
They smiled then and shook their head. “Is it still not clear to you? I definitely won’t be happy about it if it would turn out to be true, but I wouldn’t hate you. Maybe I would kick you in the dick as payback, though. I know you would feel guilty and devastated as fuck. Besides it could also be the other way around. Maybe a bad decision on my part could have costed you your life too.”
Relief washed over him at hearing their words. The last thing he wanted was for them to hate him. “I’m glad to hear that. I wouldn’t hate you either. We might never recover those memories, but I don’t need them to know that none of us would harm the other on purpose.”
“We’re family and I love you. I can’t hate you even if you do stupid or selfish things.”
“Well you’re the expert on doing stupid things.” Levi grinned.
“Don’t make me kick you out of the car, you tiny jerk.” They grinned too, glad they were back at their usual banter.
It didn’t take long after that to arrive at Erwin’s apartment. Levi was glad that Hanji had offered to help him carry everything inside. If he was being honest with himself, he went a little overboard with buying all those cleaning products. Erwin would probably have a smug look on his face. They carried everything inside together and as soon as Erwin spotted the amount Levi had bought, his face went smug, just like Levi predicted. Levi just rolled his eyes at him.
“Looks like Hanji has been a great help.” Erwin commented. “I hope we still have money left to feed ourselves, though.” The grin on his face only grew wider.
“Very funny, Dickwin.”
“That hurts my feelings, Levi.” Erwin pouted.
“Oh, are we having the first lovers quarrel here? Let me get some popcorn.” It earned them a glare from Levi, but they just laughed it off. They were by no means intimidated.
“Thanks for your help, Hanji. I guess we could, you know… well maybe… hang out together more like that?” He could feel Erwin smirking at his embarrassment. He would deal with him later.
“Ah, look at how much effort it takes you to let me know you like spending time with me. So cute!” They were mocking him and they loved every second of it. “I love spending time with you too, shorty.”
He really should have known that Hanji would make fun of him, but he meant what he said. “You’re such a headache.”
Hanji walked over to him and hugged him tight. “Love you too, you stubborn, little thing.”
The short man hugged back tightly, ignoring the remark about his height. “Yeah, love you too, four eyes. Now go home and cuddle with Moblit like you wanted.”
“I will, but not before giving Erwin a hug too.” They walked over to Erwin then and hugged him tightly too. “Love you.”
Erwin hugged back tightly too. “Love you too. See you tomorrow.”
Hanji left then, leaving Levi and Erwin alone. It was suddenly very quiet. It was always a major change in atmosphere when Hanji left. Sure they were loud and hyper, but also full of life and Levi liked that about them. It was probably good for him, cause he was the opposite and he could use some positive energy and Hanji had plenty of that to share.
Erwin wrapped his arms around him then from behind, resting his head on his shoulder. “We got all the presents. They’re going to have an amazing birthday. They deserve it so much.”
“They sure do. You on the other hand deserve a kick. How dare you take Hanji’s side? You’re supposed to choose mine.” He knew he was being petty, but Erwin clearly didn’t know how relationships worked. He needed to be educated.
“I’m so sorry, darling. It won’t happen again.”
“That’s a fucking lie and you know it.” Honestly if he didn’t know any better he would think that Erwin and Hanji were actual siblings. Both too damn smart and too damn cheeky.
Erwin chuckled at that. “I’m sorry, but you’re just so easy to rile up. You know we love you, right?”
“Yeah, you are forgiven. Now come here, I missed you.” He turned around so he could hug him and Erwin gladly hugged back. Sure he teased Hanji with their clinginess to Moblit, but if he was being honest he felt the same way.
That’s why he was happy to prepare dinner together and spend the rest of the evening cuddled up on the couch, watching a movie together. He supposed that Hanji and Moblit were doing the same thing and maybe even watching the same movie. It was nice to be able to enjoy these things. He used to get restless in the evenings, cause there was no training or other important things. He just cleaned until he grew tired and then managed to sleep for a few hours. Now he didn’t feel the need to clean that strongly anymore.
Before they all knew it, it was Friday. Moblit’s alarm started blaring and he groaned. Hanji groaned even louder, begging for five more minutes. He was about to scold them, but then remembered what day it was and softly kissed their forehead, saying it was okay just this once. He got into the bathroom and after he was finished he really had to urge Hanji to go in, or they would be late.
With mild sounds of protest they finally made their way to the bathroom and Moblit started on breakfast. He wanted to make something tasty, but was careful not to overdo it, cause he didn’t want them to remember their birthday. As of now they just seemed too sleepy to care what kind of day it was, so that was good.
Hanji greatly enjoyed the breakfast and didn’t ask why they got pancakes instead of something healthy. He got them a little something extra at lunch too and he was glad they just happily wolfed it down and didn’t ask any questions. He was growing a bit nervous after lunch, cause he wouldn’t see them anymore before the surprise. He would leave alone, while Erwin and Levi would buy a little time and then take them to his home with an excuse. He just hoped they didn’t get worried or angry at him for leaving.
As soon as the final bell rang, he quickly put all his stuff in his bag, locked the classroom door and made his way towards the parking lot, making sure he didn’t run into them. Once he was in his car and drove off, he felt nervous again, cause it felt wrong to leave the school without them. He had to tell himself that it was all for a good cause and it wouldn’t take too long for them to be reunited again. Once his car was parked, he quickly got inside to hang up the garlands and blow up balloons, place the presents on the table and do the final decorations on the cake.
Meanwhile Hanji was frantically searching for Moblit. Usually the one who got finished locking up first would go to the other’s classroom or they would meet halfway in the hallway. But now they hadn’t run into each other and they were faced with a locked up art classroom. Where could he be? This wasn’t like him at all. They shouldn’t panic, they just had to check their phone. There was probably a perfectly fine explanation for this and he had left them a message to explain where he was.
There was no such message from him, but there was one from Levi that said to meet them in front of the entrance. They sighed in relief at that. Moblit had probably told them to go to the entrance while they were still groggy in the morning and had completely forgotten about it. So they hurried there, but to their surprise Moblit wasn’t there either. Just Erwin and Levi.
Hanji frowned, not liking it one bit that Moblit wasn’t there. “Guys, where’s Moblit? Have you seen him?”
“You’re coming with us.” Levi declared.
“I’m not leaving without Moblit, so if you want us to come with you, then you’ll have to wait.” Why weren’t they concerned that Moblit wasn’t there? What was going on?
“Don’t worry about Moblit, he’s fine. You’ll have to come with us, cause something came up and he had to leave in a hurry.” Erwin explained, without giving the surprise away.
They frowned at that, but knew Erwin and Levi would never lie to them about Moblit’s wellbeing. They had no idea what was going on, but they didn’t seem worried at all, so it probably wasn’t something that they should worry about either. “Alright. You wouldn’t hide it from me if something was wrong with Moblit, right?”
“Nothing’s wrong at all, I promise. He just discovered he had to pick up something for our weekend trip and the store is closing early today, so he rushed to get there. He wanted to text you, but saw us and asked if we could pass on the message.” Erwin hoped they would buy the excuse and would stop questioning them. He didn’t like keeping secrets, even if they were for a good cause.
“Ooooh, I see! Why didn’t you say so before? So will you guys, drop me off at Moblit’s home then?”
“Yeah, we won’t let you walk home. You’ll be too tired to drive tomorrow.” Levi said.
“Is that the only reason you guys are taking me home?” A pout was starting to form on their face.
Erwin laughed and shook his head. “Of course not, Hanji. We’ll bring you home whenever we can.”
Their face lit up at that and they followed them to the car. Levi got a text that Moblit was done preparing everything and gave a subtle thumbs up to Erwin, to let him know they didn’t need to buy any more time. The ride didn’t take long and when they arrived at Moblit’s home Erwin and Levi lifted a few bags out of the car. Hanji didn’t question them on it and just assumed it was stuff for the weekend trip they wanted to show.
Hanji opened the door and made their way into the living room completely unprepared and un-expecting. There was Moblit, a kind smile on his face and surrounded by presents and decorations. It finally hit them what day it was.
“Surprise and happy birthday, my dear Hanji!” Moblit excitedly said.
They were stunned into silence for a while, suddenly understanding where all of Moblit’s extra kind gestures came from today. Also it was obvious now that Erwin and Levi had been in on it all along. They always forgot their own birthday, but maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing, cause this was quite a nice surprise.
They walked up to Moblit and wrapped their arms around him, hugging him tight. “Thank you! You guys sure all tricked me good!”
Moblit hugged them back, glad they were happy with the surprise. “It sure wasn’t easy getting this all prepared. That’s why Levi needed your help with the cleaning products, so Erwin and I could get gifts, decorations and food.”
“You guys are the best!”
“Come on, lets open your presents. After all our efforts you better love them.” Levi said.
“Of course I will! Hand over those presents!” They excitedly pumped their fist into the air.
From Erwin they got a book on science and Just Dance, that both get them excited. From Levi they got Mario Kart and a WALL-E figure, that they thought was adorable. These gifts made them really happy, cause it was just what they liked and for them to be able to find such good gifts after only being reunited after a few days, made it extra special. They hadn’t had that much time yet to talk about hobbies. They hugged them both tightly, being more than happy with these great gifts.
It made them wonder what Moblit got them. Their eyes locked with his and they could see that he was kinda nervous about giving them the gifts. “It’s your turn, my sweet potato.”
Moblit rolled his eyes at the nickname, that surely was about the shape of his head again. “If I’m a potato then you’re a pineapple with your hair sticking up.”
“Fine by me.” They grinned.
“Alright, close your eyes.”
Hanji did as told and felt Moblit’s hands moving their hair out of the way and when they were allowed to open their eyes again, they stared down at a beautiful necklace of the molecule for dopamine; standing for love and passion. It looked really expensive and professionally crafted. This was by no means some cheap mass production, that you could get on any online market site.
“This is really beautiful… This is amazing.”
Moblit smiled at that, glad it made them happy. He had never seen them wear any jewellery, so he wasn’t sure if they liked to wear any. He supposed they were the type to only like jewellery with a deep meaning. “There are more gifts waiting to be opened.”
“For real? But this must have been a small fortune already.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He handed them another gift, that they could open themselves this time.
After getting rid of the wrapping paper, they held a bag filled with beauty products. They opened one of the caps to smell and it smelled delicious. Cherry blossom and rice milk. “This smells really nice.”
“Ah, I’m glad you’re not offended. I got them because you deserve the best care for your body. Not because Levi said you smell or something.” He wanted to make that clear, just in case.
They had to laugh at that. “Don’t worry, I’m not offended. Levi doesn’t have to worry that much about my old bathing habits anymore. I swear I bathe more regularly now.”
Levi sighed in relief. “Looks like this world has a God after all.”
“I’ll kick your ass in Mario Kart, you little shit.” Hanji stuck their tongue out at him.
“I’d like to see you try.” He was not impressed at all by their statement.
Moblit sighed at that, wishing they could behave just this once. “I have one more gift for you.” He made Hanji sit down on the couch and he took the seat next to them.
“Moblit, you really shouldn’t have.” They said as they started opening the package. Inside was a plush bear, but not just any bear. This one resembled Moblit. He even had hair just like him. Their cheeks coloured pink, cause this was such a sweet gift.
“Do you like it? You’ve made it very clear that you hate it to be separated from me, but sometimes it just can’t be helped. So if you miss me during those moments, I hope this bear can give you some comfort.” He was glad that he remembered this store. It seemed like a good idea.
“You kidding? I freaking love it! It’s so cute and so thoughtful of you! I’ll call him Mobear!” They hugged the bear to their chest. He was soft and warm, just like the real Moblit.
He smiled at that, liking the name. “I’m glad you’re happy with your gifts.”
Hanji’s eyes sparkled excitedly. They had never been so spoilt in their whole life and it made them very happy. So happy that they kissed Moblit deeply, not caring at all that they had an audience.
Moblit was taken aback by it for a moment and was very glad he was sitting, cause he felt himself getting weak in the knees. He kissed them back eagerly and cupped the back of their head to draw them even closer to him.
When they were out of air, Hanji slowly moved away from him and cupped his face. “Thank you so much, Moblit. I love you so much.”
He was still catching his breath and the flush in his cheeks only increased by Hanji’s loving words. “…I love you too. I would do anything to make you happy.”
Levi rolled his eyes at the romantic display. “If you guys are done with making your very own romantic movie, then maybe we can have some cake.”
Moblit’s cheeks became incredibly hot, having forgotten that they were not alone in the room. “Yes… o-of course, c-cake.” He stammered as he pulled himself and Hanji to their feet.
Hanji watched excitedly as Moblit lit all the candles on the beautiful cake and told them to make a wish. After thinking about it for a moment, their face lit up and then they blew out all the candles in one go. “Let’s dig in!”
Everyone enjoyed their cake with a glass of wine and Hanji couldn’t help abusing the confetti, just like Moblit had predicted. Everyone’s hair was full of it. After that Hanji insisted to try out both of the games. It wasn’t a wise idea to try a difficult dance first on Just Dance, cause they all failed miserably and were laughing about it way more than they should, thanks to the alcohol they hadn’t stopped drinking. They all decided to just try the easy dances for now, so they wouldn’t make a complete fool out of themselves. They all did pretty good on the easy dances and decided they would decide to try the more difficult ones when they weren’t intoxicated.
After that they tried their hands on Mario Kart. Hanji was doing well with beating Levi in Mario Kart. They were an expert in using the banana’s at the right moment. It made Levi swear loudly every single time and Hanji doubled over in laughter. Erwin couldn’t help but to laugh as well, cause it was really funny after all. Levi couldn’t appreciate it and made sure to toss something at his kart. It made Erwin pout. Moblit was glad everyone enjoyed themselves. Even Levi let go of his sour mood once he managed to let Hanji slip on a banana too.
They stopped playing the game after a while, cause the alcohol made their motions a bit sloppy. Instead Hanji started snooping around a bit, checking the shelves in a closed cabinet. Usually they wouldn’t intrude like this, but the alcohol made them forget their manners. They pulled out a big book and opened it. The content made them squeal excitedly and Moblit came to check out what they were doing.
Once Moblit saw what they were looking at, his face became slightly panicked. “Hanji! Please put that back!”
“But you are so cuteeeeeee!” They whined in protest.
Levi and Erwin came to check out what the ruckus was all about and Moblit couldn’t prevent them from looking. Great. Now everyone was looking at his pictures from when he was small.
Erwin smiled at the pictures. “Moblit, this is nothing to be ashamed of. Hanji is right. You’re really cute in these pictures. I didn’t expect otherwise.”
“Yeah, four eyes is right. You were definitely a cute kid.” Levi added.
Moblit sighed in defeat. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. He worried that they would tease him with it, but instead they commented how cute he was at every picture. “I guess you’re right.”
Hanji squealed more after every picture. “Look at your chubby cheeks! You were a cute, little hamster!”
“How many nicknames are you going to give me?” He wondered.
“It’s your fault for being so cute. I can’t help myself. I promise you can see my pictures too.”
“I want to see everyone’s pictures, since you all get to see mine.” It was too much effort to stop them from checking all his albums. His whole youth was on full display for them all, so it was only fair if he got to see theirs as well.
“You can see all my pictures. It’s nice to share our childhoods.” Erwin said.
“I definitely want to see a tiny you. It’s hard to imagine, since we always have to look up, you big ass tree.” Levi knew what he would do as soon as they got back at Erwin’s home on Sunday.
Erwin had to laugh at that. He supposed it would be strange indeed to see him small. “I’m looking forward to your pictures too. I bet you’re adorably tiny.”
The sort man shook his head at that and sighed. “Don’t make me kick you.”
Hanji stared longingly at Moblit’s pictures. It made them wish that they could have grown up together. “You know what would be nice? If we get reborn again that we can all grow up together. It would be awesome.”
“I bet you would get us into all sorts of trouble with your curiosity. We might not survive childhood.” Levi teasingly said.
Hanji didn’t care about his remark at all. “At least we would still have had fun.”
Erwin nodded at that. “How about we all agree on finding each other in the next life as kids or maybe even sooner as babies? If we all wish for it then maybe it will happen.”
“You really think it works that way, Erwin?” Levi couldn’t help but to be sceptical about it.
“I think all of us wished for a happy life together the last time and I think now that we’ve found each other, that wish came true. Why wouldn’t it work another time?”
“Well maybe because our previous life was shit. That’s why we got another chance. Who’s to say that we get infinite rebirths?” As much as he wanted it to be true, they had no way of knowing that.
“Of course we have no way of knowing that and we should live this life to the fullest. But we’re allowed to wish for things. Besides it’s not like we know where we ended up after dying. We obviously didn’t get a rebirth here immediately, cause Moblit and I would have been at least a couple of years older than you and Hanji. But you’re a little older than Moblit, Levi.” He was surprised he could still come up with all of this after all that alcohol.
Levi huffed at that, cause he should have known Erwin would always find a logical explanation for everything. Even something as bizarre as their rebirths. “As always you have solid reasoning. I do wonder where our spirits were then in between our two lives.”
“Probably in heaven. It’s weird we don’t know, but maybe we are only allowed those memories when we’re actually there. We’ll find out one day.” He didn’t want that day to come soon. As much as he loved mysteries, he wanted to grow old this time.
They all nodded at that, all agreeing that it didn’t matter if they never knew the answers. As long as they could stay together somewhere, whether it was alive or as a spirit, then everything was fine.
They all got snapped out of their thoughts as Hanji’s phone started to ring. After locating where they left their phone, they smiled at the display and picked up. “Hi, mom.”
“Happy birthday, baby! I hope you’re having a good one! Or did you forget again and locked yourself in your home with an experiment?” She knew how scatter-brained their child could be. Ever since they turned 18 they started to forget their own birthday, not caring much about it anymore, cause the excitement of what gifts they would get as a kid had faded away.
Hanji smiled at that. Their mother knew them too well. “Thanks mom! I did forget again, but don’t worry, I’m not alone. I’m with some very dear friends. They gave me a surprise party.”
“Oh, how wonderful! I’m sorry I can’t be with you or could have called earlier. All the meetings and the time difference are such a pain. I hope to be home soon again, so I can give you a gift.” These were the days that she wished she didn’t agree on promoting their science department internationally. She barely had time for her child these days.
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. It’s only temporarily. I’m having an amazing birthday.” Probably the best they ever had. It made them wish their mom could have been here too, cause then it would have been perfect.
“Do I know these very dear friends? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you referring to someone like that before.” Her child hadn’t been short on friends during their life, but they had been worried the last few years. Hanji was only studying and their social life collapsed mostly thanks to that. They didn’t have anyone left whom they could call a dear friend.
They laughed nervously at that. They really should have worded it differently, cause how could they explain that they knew them from another life? “It’s a bit complicated. We got reunited at the high school. I’ll explain it to you another time, okay?”
“Could you video call me? I would love to see the people who make you so happy.” Hanji made her way too curious and she wouldn’t pass up on this chance.
“If it’s fine by everyone. Would you guys be okay with video calling my mom?” They received nods from all three men and had to smile at Moblit’s nervous nod. Of course he wanted to make a good impression. They made the connection then and made sure everyone was visible.
Hanji’s mother waved friendly at them. “Hello, everyone! Thank you for giving my child an amazing birthday!”
“Mom, this giant blondie here is Erwin.” Erwin politely greeted. “This grumpy shorty here is Levi.” Levi grumbled, before politely greeting too. “And this sweetie here is Moblit. He’s my boyfriend.”
Moblit hadn’t expected them to just announce so casually that they’re a couple and he turned bright red. “Hello, it’s n-nice to m-meet you…”
Excited screeching came from Hanji’s mother then at her child’s declaration. “Hanji, I’m so happy for you! I was worried, cause you were so busy with your research projects all the time, that you would be lonely. But you seem to have wonderful friends and even a boyfriend! He’s a real cutie too!”
Hanji was not surprised by their mother’s outburst. They took after her after all. “Moblit is adorable and such a sweetheart. So are Erwin and Levi. You should all meet them in person soon.”
“I definitely will! I have to go now, baby. I have another meeting in half an hour and I need to freshen up a bit. Enjoy the rest of your evening! Love you!” She waved at Hanji, wishing she could hug them instead.
“Love you too, mom!” They waved back and then ended the call. All eyes were on them and they knew they all wanted to say something about this exchange.
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Erwin said with a smirk on his face. “You’re a lot like your mom. In looks and personality.”
“I get that a lot.” They grinned.
“I think your mother is really sweet. It’s obvious she loves you a lot.” Moblit could see how close they were from just that short conversation.
“We only had each other to rely on, so naturally we grew very close. I’m glad I have her here. She died when I was four in our previous lives. I didn’t have many memories of her back then.” They often wished they had their mother back then, to ask for advice or just a hug.
Levi nodded in understanding. He had lost his mother way too soon too. “I’m glad we all have at least one loving parent alive this time.”
They all agreed on that and decided to continue celebrating. Hanji couldn’t stop their snooping around and found some traditional games stored in a box. They pulled out twister and insisted that everyone would play. It really wasn’t a good idea to play this while intoxicated, since their balance was awful right now. Despite that it was a lot of fun.
It was Hanji’s turn to spin and they were greatly enjoying the impossible angles the boys had gotten themselves in. “Alright, left hand on red.”
“Fuck this shit.” Levi muttered. He was having the most trouble as the shortest and it didn’t help that Hanji burst out laughing every time he had to stretch a limb to reach the right colour. “Just you wait, four eyes. I’ll have my revenge.”
Hanji just laughed harder at that, not concerned at all. “Don’t be so stingy, Levi. Right foot on green.”
Levi grumbled and moved his foot and thanked his flexible body, that he hadn’t pulled a muscle yet. Just when he thought he was save, Erwin lost his balance and landed on top of him. He didn’t have the energy to give him a scolding. He didn’t do it on purpose after all. Erwin was just very heavy and he was taking his damn sweet time to get off of him.
“Cause of death; crushed by a titan.” Levi groaned. “Get your heavy ass off of me, Erwin. Today please.”
Erwin managed to get off him then and profusely apologised. He didn’t mean to land on his tiny boyfriend and crush him. “I’m so sorry, Levi! Are you okay?”
“Fine. Now I’m not only short but flat too.”
Hanji fell off their chair then, their laughter reaching new levels. They completely lost it at Levi’s titan and flat comments. They held their stomach and rolled over the floor, tears streaming down their face.
“It’s great to know I can always count on you to laugh at my misfortune.” Levi’s words dripped with sarcasm, but even he had to admit the situation was rather funny. He was glad they could laugh so carefree in this life and that made him smile too.
They wiped at their tears then, slowly getting up, their body still shaking a bit with laughter. “I’m sorry, Levi, but that was hilarious! Also your comments were priceless!” They went over to hug him then, not wanting him to be upset about it. “I think you did great. You won a few games too.”
“It’s fine, Hanji. I’m glad you’re having a great time.” He hugged them back and smiled.
“But I want you guys to have a great time too!”
“Don’t worry, we’re all having a great time. How about one more round of twister? But now I want to spin. I’ve been crushed enough.” He released Hanji and gave Erwin a kiss on his cheek to let him know there were no hard feelings about being crushed.
That last game wasn’t a good idea, cause they kept losing their balance and burst out laughing every time. Hanji managed to land on top of Moblit and instead of getting off of him, they just laughed and hugged him. Moblit didn’t mind the weight on him and getting the air knocked out of him, cause seeing Hanji so happy was worth it. So he just hugged back and kissed their forehead. They both got up then and decided they should stop playing before someone hurt themselves.
Hanji made their way back to the table to refill their glass with alcohol, but got pulled back by Moblit. “What is it? I want my drink.”
“I think you’ve had enough. You’re constantly giggling and bumping into everything.” He had to admit that it was a rather cute sight, but he didn’t want to have to stop the car every five minutes tomorrow, because they had to puke.
“But it’s my birthday! I want to drink! Why can’t I have more?” They whined and reached for the bottle again only to be pulled back again.
“Well… you see…” He was struggling to find the right words.
“It’s because last time you were totally wasted, you were convinced that you had grown a penis and wanted to show it to everyone.” Levi bluntly spoke out what Moblit thought.
That made them giggle. “Really? I can’t remember. So did I really pull my pants down then?”
“No, I knocked you out to spare everyone the trauma.” It was probably his best decision ever.
“How mean.” They pouted. “Fine, I’ll stop drinking now then. Guess I’ll go to the toilet and check if I’ve grown one this time.” With that said they were off to the toilet and a sigh of collected relief washed over the room.
Moblit let himself fall down in the seat of the couch next to Erwin. “For a moment there I feared they might have to be knocked out again.”
Erwin wrapped an arm around him in support. “I’m glad it didn’t have to come to it. I think we should all stop drinking. We should drink some water and eat some snacks and then go to bed.”
Moblit nodded in agreement and yawned. He was getting tired and they had to get up early for their trip tomorrow. “Hanji, sure takes long on the toilet. I hope they haven’t fallen asleep or worse...” What if they felt sick from all the alcohol?
Levi got up then, not wanting Moblit to worry. “I’ll check on them. You just sit back and relax. You’ve done more than enough the last few days.”
He made his way to the toilet and knocked on the door. “Found that penis yet?”
A loud giggle left their throat at that. “Nope! Still looking for it! But seriously can’t I pee in peace here?”
“Moblit was worried that you’d fallen asleep or were puking from all the alcohol, so I came to check on you, cause he has done enough already.” He was glad they were just taking their sweet time peeing and was okay. Dealing with a puking Hanji was not something he enjoyed.
Hearing that, they quickly finished their business and went to wash their hands. They didn’t want Moblit to worry. Once they had dried them, they opened the door and followed Levi back to the living room. There they were greeted with an adorable sight. Moblit’s head was on Erwin’s shoulder and he was peacefully sleeping.
“Fuck, I need a picture.” Hanji quickly fished their phone out of their pocket and took a picture of Moblit and Erwin. “You two really look like brothers like this.”
Erwin nodded and smiled. “I love him like that. None of us has real siblings, so it’s nice to love each other like that.”
They excitedly nodded and launched themselves at Erwin. “It’s nice to have a big brother like you! I love you!”
It startled him a bit, but he was used to their excited outbursts and hugged them with his free arm. “I love you too.” He felt it made Moblit stir and after looking to his right, he could confirm he was awake now. “Sorry, Hanji wanted a hug.”
Moblit rubbed his eyes and looked to his left to see Erwin and Hanji hugging. “I fell asleep? For how long?”
“Just a few minutes, sweetie. Don’t worry about it. You looked really cute, so I took a picture.” They pulled out their phone and showed him the picture, which made him smile.
“It’s nice to make memories like these.”
Hanji nodded in agreement. “I wish we had phones in our previous lives. Or at least had those cameras they had in Marley. You always drew everyone and I was glad to find a self-portrait in your belongings. I was always scared to forget your face.”
“I made that self-portrait in hopes of someone caring enough about me to remember me by, so I’m glad it helped you.”
They released Erwin then and embraced Moblit. “You silly. We all care about you so much. Not a day went by without me remembering you.”
A soft smile graced his face at hearing that and he hugged them back tightly. Sometimes it still baffled him how much his death had impacted them. “I’m here to stay and grow old with you this time.”
Levi couldn’t help but to smile at them. It was really endearing. “You hear that, Erwin? You better promise me that too. I don’t want to be widowed again in my early thirties.”
“We were never married…” The look he received at that made him quickly promise everything Levi ever wanted. “Yes, dear. I promise. No need to look at me as if I just broke your favourite broom. Yeesh.”
Hanji and Moblit couldn’t help but to laugh at them. Their banter always put a smile on their faces. They all ate some snacks together and drank some water to sober up a bit and then decided it was time for bed. Erwin and Levi would stay in the guest room, cause it was easier to be together already for their early morning trip to the ocean.
Hanji cuddled up to Moblit in bed and placed kiss after kiss on his face, which made him flush heavily. “Thank you for today. You’re the sweetest.”
He gently cupped their face in response. “I’m glad it made you happy. Seeing that beautiful smile on your beautiful face, makes my heart race.”
It was their turn to get their face flushed now, cause his words were just so pure and from the heart. They had always been afraid to fall in love, but God did it feel great now that they experienced it with Moblit alive. It had hurt like hell when they lost him, cause it had made them realise their feelings. But the pain had been worth it, cause now they could be in love together.
As they kissed each other goodnight, their thoughts returned to the wish they had made while blowing out the candles. They had wished for a long and happy life with Moblit, Erwin and Levi. As far as they were concerned, that wish was already in full effect. With that thought in mind, they drifted off to sleep with a smile on their face, excited about their trip to the ocean that they could finally make together.