{LeviHan} A Father's Love

Chapter 20: Unsurprising Surprise

Hanji's POV

Since Levi acts pretty much like a cat- a clean-freak and... well, that's it. He's very tidy and gets very grumpy when someone disturbs him. One aspect of him that didn't seem very cat-like was his sleep schedule. Cats are known to sleep majority of the time- he gets very little sleep. I know that he sleeps pretty rarely... 

"Pretty kitties!" Iris says, giggling through the cages. The cats were slowly wandering in their cages, mewing softly.

"Be careful, Iris." I say softly, chuckling a bit. Eren was busy taking a look at the dogs- he even tried to pet a puppy. "Remember, we don't want to scare the cats. Else they get grumpy."

"Like Daddy?" When I first heard her calling Levi as her father... I was stunned. Sometimes, I would get confused between her calling her biological father and Levi. But in this case... she refers to Erwin as father, but not dad.

I smiled softly, nodding my head. "Exactly like him."

"He wants a kitty?"

"It fits him doesn't it?" I say softly, turning back to Eren. "Eren! Come back here!" The little boy wanders back to me, giggling a bit. "What do you say? Get your dad a little cat for his birthday present? Do you think he'll like it?"

Eren's small shoulders shrugged a bit. "I-I don't know, Miss Hanji... Daddy says that we shouldn't have a pet because we don't know if the kids that he rescues have pet allergies..."

"Ah..." Then there was a small smirk coming on my face- "What about fish? Would he like fish for his present? You can't be allergic to fish in a tank... not to my knowledge. Sadly... it won't be a surprise if we call him up and ask if it's okay... don't want to make the grumpy, old man even more grumpy, aren't I right?"

Eren giggles softly, nodding his head. "Yeah!"

I quickly dialed for Levi's phone, hearing a few rings go here and there. For what felt an eternity, he finally picks up. "What is it this time?"

"How would you like it if we got a few fish for home?"

Holding in my snickers, Levi went silent- almost to the point where I thought he actually hung up on me. Perhaps it was my immaturity that could've pushed him over the edge. Thankfully, it wasn't like that. I guess he was still trying to process my answer. "You want... what?"

"Fish, Levi, fish."

"Like... food fish?"

"Pet fish."

"H-Hanji... I..." I couldn't stop chuckling at his reaction. If I could see him, he would be hunched over his desk, sighing and having his head in his hand. "Fish? Where are you guys right now?"

"At the pet store- since Eren says that you guys can't exactly have a cat for allergies reason, a fish should be somewhat harmless, aren't I correct?"

He sighed heavily once more, "Fine. Go get what you guys want. I don't care. Just as long as the kids promise to take responsibilities in taking care of these fish. Make sure they understand that, alright?"

"Okay, okay. I'll get it through them."

"Good- and... Hanji?"

"Yeah?"

"Actually propose it to me before you go somewhere. I don't want the kids to have the feeling of getting something and they won't get it at all. What was with the sudden topic of pet fish? I don't recall us having any kind of conversation related to pets."

"W-Well..." My foot began to tap out of nervousness. The kids were too busy looking at the cats, clicking their tongues to lure the cats closer to them. "I-I was trying to make it a surprise for you... wanted to get a cat for you... but uh... Eren told me about the allergy problem if you're gonna make the house a safe house. So we wanted to get some fish for you. But... I didn't want you angry at me for bringing home a few fishes."

There was an unexpected soft chuckle. "Hanji, I could never be mad at you. Upset- yes. But it won't last long. Thanks for the unsurprising surprise. Just don't spend an unexpected large amount of money for these fish."

"Like I would play with money."

"Just have fun."

"I'll get a fish specifically for you."

Levi gave a soft chuckle before wishing me goodbye and hanging up. The kids were too eagerly looking at the cats, hearing them purr softly. I smiled softly, taking both of their hands. Confusion filled their little innocent faces... but I could never forget the beauty of happiness on their face when I had revealed to them that we were getting fish.