Daddy Ackerman

Hello Shingeki No Kyojin/Attack on Titan fandom! This is the first of several works I have created in this little universe of mine.

A couple things you should know going in to this: No, I am not bashing on Eren. He's a stupid, horny puppy. Don't even sorta kinda think that I'm bashing him by making him act stupid. He is stupid. And yes, I do ship him with Levi. Their glorious, 22 year age gap amuses me.

My friend and I came up with a theory that Levi is actually Mikasa's father. More information on that theory will be posted on my profile. Don't like that theory, then don't read this fic. That headcannon is pretty much set in my mind.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this work of fiction, with the exception of Grant Johnson. Even then, it's just his name.

Life as an Ackerman was one of many challenges. His father, Kenny, had taught him that the hard way when he was forced to shoot him at the age of 25. His fling in college had taught him that when he knocked up the freshman daughter of his then-current drug boss. When nine months passed and their daughter's birth caused her mother's death, Levi quickly learned that fatherhood meant taking on those challenges with his daughter in mind.

So as he followed Mikasa into the dress store, he prepared himself for yet another challenge.

Senior prom shopping.

His daughter was his life. She had been from the moment that the doctor had placed her tiny, innocent and defenseless body in his arms and informed him that unfortunately, his girlfriend hadn't made it. He joined the military for her future. He forced himself through the pains of drug rehabilitation so that he could keep legal custody of her. He did that after he had spent every penny he had ever earned, both legally and illegally, to get full custody of her from her tyrannical grandfather.

So when Mikasa had asked him last week if he would go dress shopping with her, how could he say no? She had never asked him for anything. The things that he had bought her over the years had been indirect money that was forwarded to the Jaegers as he was out on tour, defending their homeland so that she could have a safe and happy future.

Well, that wasn't exactly true. She had asked him for something once. When he had ended his last active tour in the June of last year, he took her out for the day. Their typical bonding activities of the gun range and the gym took place, and that night he took her to some fancy restaurant known for its fine, French cuisine. They had caught up on one another's lives in person, and when Mikasa had failed to finish her desert, he had frowned and asked her what was wrong.

"If I asked you to stick around for my senior year of high school, would you?" Mikasa had asked him, her dark eyes meeting his.

"Yes." His simple answer had been. Before he could inquire what brought that on, however, Mikasa's expression broke his heart. A light tint of pink colored her pale cheeks as she covered her mouth to hide an elated giggle, her eyes glowing with affection.

"That makes me really happy, Dad. To know that you would be willing to become involved in the important events of my life means a lot to me." She had said, not realizing how badly those words could be interpreted. Levi bit his tongue against the onslaught of questions he wanted to ask her. Had she felt as if he had neglected her? How long had she wanted him to be more involved? Was she being neglected with Grisha? Did she feel as if he didn't care?

When they returned home that night, the two had set up a horror movie marathon in his room. His large, rarely used queen sized mattress was the best location in his house for things like this. She fell asleep halfway through the second movie, curled up at his side. He had simply muted the movie and watched her for a while. He took note of all of the changes that had happened since he had last seen her. With a quiet curse, he rose from the bed and grabbed his phone and cigarettes, walking out on to the balcony.

He had called his boss, Commander Erwin.

"Mikasa needs me for at least the next year. Can I take that vacation you keep trying to shove down my fucking throat?"

After their conversation, he had returned to his bed, turning off the TV on his way in. Once he was lying down, Mikasa curled closer to him, a content sound leaving her as she settled back in to her sleep. As he had brushed aside her dark bangs and pressed a kiss to her forehead, he knew that this was the right thing to do.

So now, as he and Mikasa navigated this store that was so foreign to both of them, he knew that his struggles of the past year had been worth it. Being away from his squad had been terribly trying on him, but waking up every morning to Mikasa's quiet greetings and warm pots of coffee had been great, even when they were at the Jaeger house and Eren, her surrogate brother, would come clambering down the stairs to greet him next, a flush high in his youthful cheeks, or when Grisha would ask him weird ass questions about his plans for Mikasa's future or what their plans for the day were.

"What is my budget?" Mikasa asked as they stopped in front of a line of dresses her size.

"You don't have a budget." Levi snorted, reaching out to ruffle her hair. She grinned a bit before turning back to the dresses in front of her.

As Mikasa searched for the perfect dress, Levi sat down on a nearby bench, pulling out his phone to check his emails. For the next four hours, Mikasa searched and searched, asking her father's opinion on dozens of dresses. Levi answered them honestly, not afraid of offending his daughter by pointing out that certain dresses were generally unflattering or that some made her ass look way too big or that others were too slutty and therefore degrading to her. She listened attentively, making changes when needed. Finally, they settled on a lovely red chiffon, beaded dress that had a low dipping bust line but was high enough in the back that it draped over her ass.

"Thanks." She said, bumping shoulders with him as they walked. He returned her bump, nodding.

"Anytime, Mikasa. When is this thing, anyway?" He asked, holding open the door for her as they exited the store.

"In two weeks. Apparently I was supposed to do this shopping a long time ago." She added with a roll of her eyes. "Annie and Sasha started teasing me once Grant bought me the ticket –"

"Who the fuck is Grant?" Levi interrupted a frown on his face. Mikasa sent him an irritated glare.

"My date?" She said as he unlocked his car. Levi's grey eyes narrowed as he opened his own door. "Dad?" Mikasa asked as she climbed in to the car as well. Levi shook his head, gripping on to the steering wheel tightly.

"You're not going with Eren?" He eventually asked. Mikasa shook her head, caught between offended that he assumed she couldn't get a date and concerned by his weird reaction.

"No." She said. Levi let out a long sigh, resting the back of his head against his seat. Mikasa continued to watch him, even as she sent out pictures of her dress to her friends.

"This kid better realize how fucking lucky he is." Levi finally said, as they pulled in to the Jaeger's driveway. Mikasa rolled her eyes at that, even if it made her smile a little.

"Hey Levi!" Eren called out as he approached the two. Her father ignored the taller boy, pulling out his pack of cigs. When Armin exited the house as well, Mikasa gave him a small wave and pulled out her dress. Leaving Eren to her father, the two entered the house. Once they were safely in her room, Armin began his observation questions.

"Why is Levi smoking?" He asked. Having known both Eren and Mikasa from the tender age of 3, he knew all of their parent's stress signals. Grisha would cook. When Carla was alive, she would clean. Levi smoked.

"He found out about Grant and it caught him off guard. I think he expected me to be with you and Eren the rest of my life." She huffed as she put away her dress and pulled out her homework, passing the grammar work to Armin to look over, and leaving the math for her father. Armin laughed at that, collapsing on to her bed.

"Is he still oblivious to the fact that Eren wants a different Ackerman?" Armin questioned. Mikasa shrugged, nodding at Eren when he entered the room, still grinning from ear to ear and practically glowing, which meant that her father had tolerated him better than he typically did.

"I doubt it. He probably doesn't care." She shrugged, holding her hands out for Eren's homework. Armin simply shook his head at that, sending Eren a placating smile when he began to question what they were talking about.

That situation was an entirely different can of worms.

If there was one thing in this world that confused the Ackerman duo, it was shoes. Mikasa's first pair hadn't been a cutesy pair of baby sneakers. In fact, only a handful of her baby clothes had been frilly and pink. Her wardrobe was mostly infant versions of Levi's clothing. The senior clothing designer for the military had started the baby line because of her, and it was highly successful to this day.

But her first pair of shoes had been baby versions of Levi's military combat boots. They even had his numbers engraved in the internal sole. Whenever she needed a bigger size, she got the exact same pair, or Carla left her in socks. When she had grown a bit older, she switched them out for military tennis shoes, and the trend continued to this day.

So Levi felt very stupid when she brought up that she needed a pair of heels. Of course she did. How in the hell could he have missed that?

"Shit. Do you know where to go?" He asked over breakfast that morning. Grisha frowned at the language, but didn't comment as he folded up his morning paper. Eren perked up at the sound of Levi's voice, watching him.

"Yeah, Krista suggested a place to go." She explained, giving Levi the name of the shop. Running a hand through his semi-messy hair, Levi sighed and nodded.

"Eren, what do you little shits do after school?" He asked. Eren's green eyes grew wide at being addressed for once and he beamed.

"With prom so close, most of our clubs are suspended, so nothing." He explained, taking a breath so that he could give Levi his personal schedule. Levi turned away from him, returning his attention to Mikasa.

"We'll go today, then. Inform Armin." He said, rising from the table. After ruffling her dark hair, he left to shower. Mikasa reached out and grabbed Eren's wrist when he stood up to follow, glaring him back in to his seat before she turned to Grisha.

"Are you coming along as well?" She asked. He shook his head, taking a drink of his coffee.

"No. I am actually flying out tonight for a conference in our neighboring nation. I'll return the day before prom. Eren will stay at your father's house with the two of you this weekend." He informed her, closing his eyes in exasperation when Eren practically began bouncing in his seat at the news. Mikasa nodded, returning to her breakfast as she stole her father's morning report, reading over it as silence returned to the kitchen, save for Eren's frantic texting to Armin and Grisha turning the pages of his paper.

As they climbed out of Levi's car that afternoon, Mikasa led the way as Armin and Levi wrapped up their conversation. Armin's advanced history class was doing a case study on military life and drugs, and was asking Levi about it.

"I did that shit when I was young. Hell, I sold and made it. I didn't stop until the day that Mikasa was born." He explained.

"Is it a common problem amongst your squad, present or past?" Armin asked as they entered the store. Levi shook his head.

"It tries to be, but I put a firm stop to it. I don't want anyone dependent on that shit. What if one of the times you brats came to visit, we got attacked? If any of them were intoxicated, and something had happened to Mikasa, I would have slit their fucking useless throats myself.

The major difference between being drunk and being drugged is that being drunk wears off with enough food and vomit, and copious other cures. Depending on the drug, it not only slows down your reflexes, but could also lower your instincts. One of those fuckups could have let the terrorists in to the camp because they didn't use what little brains they have." He explained.

"So is drinking the outlet?" Armin asked, making a note on his phone. Levi nodded, shoving his hand in his pocket to wrap around his pack of cigs, using that to bite back his urges. Talking about his squad was making him anxious.

"We use it. At this point, it doesn't do too much for me, for too long, so I don't bother when I'm alone." He said. Armin nodded, thanking him for his time as they reached the aisle.

Mikasa paused, looking at Armin and Eren expectantly. The two shared an excited grin and quickly went to work to find her the perfect pair of heels. She stepped back to her father's side, the two watching the growing mess with matching horror filled expressions – Levi's for the mess, and Mikasa's for the fear that she was going to have to try them on.

"…can I walk in heels?" She asked him quietly. He stiffened before turning to her and grasping her shoulders.

"…I have confidence that you can at least fake it." He promised. She nodded, determination filling her expression. Together, they returned their attention to the boys.

Nearly 20 minutes later, Mikasa was trying on her first pair of heels. Her father watched, and discreetly took pictures, as she attempted to walk in them, just to be caught by her two best friends when she began to fall. It took a few tries, but eventually she got the hang of it. She walked over to her father, staring down at him with wicked eyes at their even more noticeable height difference. He scowled in return, and swept out his leg so that she would fall. She let out an indignant sound as he caught her, glaring up at him as the boys burst out laughing.

"Dad." She grumbled, climbing out of his arms. He simply shrugged and went back to being a silent observer.

Eventually, they presented three pairs of shoes to Levi. He raised a sardonic brow at them, even as he took in the shoes.

Armin was presenting a pair of red, high heeled ankle boots. The heel itself looked to be hazardous by itself, with how thin it was.

Eren presented a pair of boots with black buttons up the side, with a folded down top. The heel was a bit thicker, with would help stabilize Mikasa as she walked.

Mikasa was holding a pair of red boots. Their lack of anything creative proved to him how much they didn't know about shoes. With a sigh, he nodded at Eren's pair.

"Those are the best. Why boots?" He asked as Mikasa took the pair from a giddy Eren. "Boys, clean up this mess." He added when his daughter joined him once more.

"They said they would trick my feet in to thinking that I was wearing regular shoes. It's the closed off thing." She explained. Levi nodded, watching with stern eyes as the boys picked up the entire aisle way, placing the shoes back on to the rack. Several times employees would approach, insisting that the boys didn't have to do that. They were immediately shooed away.

After everything was clean, and the shoes had been bought, they returned to the Jaeger house. They entered the house to the smell of pizza. Three of them were sitting on the table with a note from Grisha, stating that he was going out drinking with his friend Hannes.

"I'm probably going to see Erwin and Hanji." Levi commented as they took their pieces of pizza. Mikasa nodded.

"Okay. Are you coming back later tonight?" She asked. He nodded, herding the children in to the living room.

"Yeah, but I'm locking down the house first. Be good, you three." He added. He ruffled Eren's hair as he passed the group to head upstairs and lock the windows. Mikasa and Armin smothered his girlish squeals moments later.

"Levi!" Hanji's voice managed to carry through the throngs of people in The Rose Wall, one of the more popular bars in town. Levi waited for his friend to reach him, a grin on Hanji's face.

"Hey there bud, it's been a whole month!" Levi rolled his eyes as an arm was slung around his shoulders, and the two headed towards their usual booth. Sure enough, there sat Erwin, tracing the rim of his glass as he eyed the menu. When he saw his friend's approaching, his eyes lit up and he waved. Levi and Hanji slid in to the opposite booth as Erwin waved over their waitress. After ordering his drink, Levi allowed himself to relax a bit.

They carried on casual conversation as they waited for their food to arrive. After the waitress had left them, Levi sat up a bit, sighing.

"What's wrong? Is it your squad?" Erwin asked. Levi shrugged, taking another sip of his beverage.

"I'd be lying if I said that didn't play a part of it. Eld's report the other day helped me relax a bit."

"You're biggest stressor is Mikasa's prom, isn't it?" Hanji asked around bites of the burger. Levi nodded, cutting his steak as he pondered how to bring up his issue to his friends. Eventually, Erwin began to ask questions.

"Who is she going with? The Jaeger boy and the little blond?" He asked.

"Eren and Armin, jeesh Erwin, remember names!" Hanji immediately corrected. Levi shook his head.

"No. Apparently someone invited her. His name is Grant." His friends' eyes widened in surprise, which irked him. "Mikasa is my child. I'm sure that she has many people fawning over her. This one just had the balls to ask her out." He snapped. Hanji burst in to laughter as Erwin quickly assured him that they didn't mean to insult her.

"Mikasa is a beautiful young woman, Levi. We were just surprised that she accepted." Erwin soothed, reaching out to touch his hand. When Levi moved to grab his knife and fork again, he awkwardly grabbed for the spare napkins.

"So she got a date. Is the guy sketchy? Ugly? Pompous? Dirty?" Hanji asked a sly grin in place. Levi's eyes widened in horror at the thought of his daughter touching a filthy person before Hanji gripped his shoulder, giving him a light shake. "I'm just kidding, Levi. I'm sure he's a nice kid. At least he will be after he meets you."

"Hanji, please, be serious. Something about this situation is clearly bothering Levi. Did something happen while you were shopping?" Erwin asked, his concerned expression causing Levi to become uncomfortable. He sat up a bit, letting out another sigh.

"It's not that so much as it is I'm not sure how to do the shopping. I'm not sure what dresses are in fashion or what kinds of shoes girls wear. She will obviously need more things for this, like necklaces and bracelets, make up and god knows what else. Thank god that Carla was alive long enough to introduce Mikasa to bras!" He exclaimed. Hanji placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder as Erwin took his hand, successfully this time. "I don't understand any of this. The more she tells me she needs, the more I feel as if I'm a fuck up of a parent. I had hoped that leaving her with the Jaegers, a stable home with a stable set of people, would have been a better alternative to a life constantly on the move, but was it really if I'm just as bad at being her Dad here? Fuck!" He swore, leaning back against his seat as he tried to regain control.

The Jaeger family had entered their lives when Mikasa was four months old. Carla and two month old Eren had bumped into the two in the grocery store. It came out that Grisha was to be the new medical expert in Levi's squad. Carla offered to watch Mikasa when he was out in the field, or needed a moment to breath. Two months later and Mikasa was staying with Carla during the days, and returning home with Levi at nights. When he got promoted six months later, around the time Mikasa turned 1, he was informed that the Jaegers were going to settle down in a quiet little military town.

Three months in to being a full time parent and military man quickly proved to be too much of a challenge. He was barely sleeping, so was she, and both were missing the Jaegers. So on his next break, he appeared at their new house. Carla had ushered them in, bundled them up, and left them to the bedroom that would later become his. There, he made his decision.

"I think you'd be happier here, Mikasa. You'd get a nice, safe and stable family. A playmate. A house."

"Dada."

"Heh. Yeah, I'll be here sometimes too."

And so, two weeks later he had kissed her little chubby cheeks goodbye. Carla had driven them both to the airport to see him off. She promised to take good care of his little angel, and it was one that she had kept. When he returned to them about once every month, at least for the first few years, he had been met with his daughter's small grins and tight hugs, with Eren's wide smiles and loud laughter, Carla's gentle doting's and Grisha's quiet support.

He had thought their little family had worked well over the years. And now, with this challenge he was facing…

"I just don't think I'm cut out for this parenting thing." He admitted quietly.

"Oh stop that, Levi!" Hanji exclaimed, irritation filling the brunette's brown eyes. "Do you or do you not love your daughter?" He snorted.

"Of course I love Mikasa."

"Did you or did you not answer every single phone call she made to you, regardless of where you were or what you were doing?"

"Yes, but –"

"Didn't a few of those break more than a few military codes of conduct?" Erwin chimed in, catching on to Hanji's train of thought.

"Well, yeah, but –"

"Didn't you drive 16 hours straight to get home because Eren's first attempt at driving ended up with all three of them in a hospital, despite the fact that you were in the middle of a crucial interrogation?"

"Ugh, how long are you two going to keep this up?"

"As long as it takes! What about that time that Mikasa ran away from home because of a fight she and Eren had had, and you nearly ripped apart the city trying to find her?"

"Or that time that you called her and she passed out from her fever, which had you panicking until an amused Carla picked up the phone, explaining the situation?"

"And if memory serves, you sent her a care package of soup and chocolate that lasted her for months. In fact, you made Erwin deliver it."

"And Mikasa had been so happy about it that she wrote you the little thank you note you keep next to her picture in your wallet." Erwin added a small, affectionate smile on his face. Levi sighed, giving Hanji a dirty look when the hand on his shoulder became an arm around him.

"See? You might not know what to do with a few of the situations Mikasa ends up in, at least those relating to her gender, but you nailed everything else, Levi. You're a really great dad." Hanji promised. Levi nodded, a small smile crossing his lips at that.

"Yeah?" He asked his friends, feeling the self-loathing from earlier leaving him. Both of his friends nodded, offering him encouraging grins. He sat up a bit, shaking them off of him. "Okay. So I didn't fuck up her life. Great, go me. Now, how do I get to be an active supporter of this prom thing? I can't do her hair or make up like a woman would, and I could paint my nails with her, but it would be a little more than awkward –"

"Heh, rainbows on the Corporal's toes, it sure would make the new recruits quiver with fear." Hanji giggled.

"The point is, how do I get involved?" He asked. Both of his friends fell silent at that as the three thought about what to do. Eventually, Erwin offered a solution.

"Well, why don't you buy her something that she doesn't ask for? Take a look through a prom catalogue for ideas, and if something catches your eye, then it surely would have caught hers." Erwin pointed out. Levi agreed with that. Their tastes were surprisingly similar.

"If you have questions, text one of us." Hanji added.

"Okay. Shit, what time is it?" He asked, reaching for his phone.

"A little after one. Why?" Erwin asked. Levi shrugged, pulling out his wallet to leave the tip.

"I wanted to head back before two." He said. Erwin and Hanji shared curious glances before waving goodbye to Levi.

As he left the bar, he felt a bit better. Maybe he wasn't as much of a fuck up dad. Maybe this prom thing was just too damned different.

When he got home, he found the three asleep on the couch. He scooped up Mikasa, tossed a blanket over the boys, and made his way upstairs. After tucking her in, he checked the locks on her windows and wished her a quiet good night before returning to his own bed.

He fell asleep to ideas of what he could get her.

Eren tagged along with the two for the last shopping trip. He was oddly quiet on the way there, much to Mikasa's concern and Levi's relief. That changed once they entered the shop. His eyes grew wide and he grinned, grabbing Mikasa's wrist and dragging her over to the shiny jewelry. Levi followed behind the two, casually grabbing on of the 'prom essentials' checklists as he passed the stand.

Eren's personality leaked in to his choices for Mikasa. He wanted flashy and large pieces of jewelry that everyone would instantly notice. Mikasa, on the other hand, insisted on subtle jewelry that wouldn't distract people from her dress. Levi stepped in with the compromise.

"How about this? It's still flashy, Eren, and the earrings don't dangle." He presented to them a diamond necklace with two connecting teardrops on each side that connect to a larger one that would dangle on its own. It came with a set of pearl studded earrings. The two surrogate siblings gave the set a critical once over with their eyes before sharing a glance. They returned their attention to Levi and nodded their agreement. He shooed them away so that he could get a set from the woman behind the counter.

And so they three continued their journey to the aisle full of clutches. Mikasa pulled up a picture of her dress and Eren grabbed a handful of clutches. Levi ignored both of them and pulled out his phone to text Erwin and Hanji.

To: Erwin S., Hanji

I'm not finding anything.

From: Erwin S.

Have patience.

From: Hanji

Geez, Levi, look harder! Moby suggests something for her hair, like a pin or headset!

That was a thought. As Mikasa tried to tell Eren that she didn't want the sparklingly, rainbow bedazzled purse, Levi stepped away from the two to find the hair accessory section.

He instantly regretted that suggestion. Most of the things women wore confused him. What the fuck was the point of feathers? Did it bring out your eye color? And what the fuck was up with oversized hats? Frustrated, he attempted to imagine Mikasa actually wearing any of these things.

And then he found it.

He found the perfect gift. Wearing a proud smirk, he returned to the purse aisle as Mikasa and Eren exited it.

"Did you find it?" He asked. Mikasa nodded, wordlessly holding up a simple red clutch. Eren grinned up at him, rambling on and on about their search. As they headed towards the check-out area, Levi grabbed Eren's shoulder, forcing him to match his pace.

"Distract Mikasa until I give you the signal." He murmured in his ear. Despite the blush on his cheeks, Eren's green eyes flashed with determination.

"Okay. Mikasa!" He screamed, turning towards the dark haired girl. Mikasa appeared at his side in an instance, glaring.

"Eren, remember what your mother taught you about your inside voice?" She asked. Leaving the two to their fight, Levi slipped back to the hair accessory section. After grabbing the new item, he quickly snuck back and took Mikasa's clutch from her, leaving them to their argument. Quickly, he had them rung up and paid for.

"Oi, brats, let's go." He called at the entrance. Mikasa shot Eren a dirty look and together the two joined Levi.

As they rode home, Levi kept the bag in the trunk, once they were home, he hopped on to it and smoked to prevent Mikasa from getting in to it. Only once she was in the shower that night, did he take out the bag and hide his present.

He sent pictures of it to Hanji and Erwin, and deleted the picture and messages afterwards. As he climbed in to bed, for the first time in a long time, he knew that he had done something right.

The big night arrived without any sort of fanfare.

Well, unless you counted Levi sitting in the middle of the room with a lot of teenage girls in fancy dresses as fanfare. Then the answer would be yes. It had all started when Annie asked if they could use Mikasa's house as their meeting place. It had seemed like a good idea to Levi.

This way, he could meet Grant.

…he didn't realize that Mikasa had so many female friends. Krista was the one he got along with best. She was shy and quiet and kept to herself or stayed attached to her stern girlfriend, Ymir. Sasha had brought a bag of snacks, and didn't seem to mind that they were ruining her nails (and his freshly vacuumed carpet). Annie kept to herself, brooding on his couch.

When Eren and Armin arrived with some freckled kid named Marco and some asshole named Jean, Levi decided to check on Mikasa. He first grabbed her present before approaching her door.

"Mikasa." He knocked. When he heard her quiet come in, he entered her room.

It was certainly an odd sight. The dress itself wasn't a shock. After all, he had already seen her in it. When she turned to look at him, the necklace glittered on her chest, subtle but obvious, just as they had planned. Her pearl earrings were revealed when she nervously pushed her hand behind her ear.

The make-up was the thing that bothered him the most. His daughter, who used to be so tiny and small, with chubby baby cheeks and happy grins, had grown in to a quiet and stoic woman. And yet…he didn't realize how much she had grown until he looked at her here and now. The mascara and eyeliner brought out her dark eyes, while a pale blush emphasized her cheek bones. The lip gloss was just odd and different.

Levi didn't like these changes at all. However, he shrugged it off and shut the door.

"I'm almost done." Mikasa offered, turning back to the mirror. Levi nodded, thinking about the best way to give her the present. Finally, he let out a sigh and walked over to her.

"Do you remember the first time that you met Hanji?" He asked. Mikasa nodded, turning to look at him.

"Independence Day. I was 11." She replied. Levi nodded.

"Hanji warned me that my 'pretty little princess' was going to grow up to be a beautiful woman someday. I didn't realize that it had already happened." He said. He crouched down in front of her, the bag containing her present hanging loosely in his hands. Mikasa raised a curious brow at it, but kept silent.

"This year hasn't been easy on your old man. It was an adjustment, realizing that you weren't the little girl that used to come running to me every time I returned home for a few months. It was tough being away from the playing field after 16 years of dominating it. A few times, I wasn't sure I could handle it. Yet…" Levi paused, gathering his thoughts. Since when did talking to Mikasa become so fucking hard? "I got to see so much of you this year. I didn't realize how much I missed that until you spent that weekend at Annie's. So for all the anxiety I had over being away from my squad, you more than made up for it by being with me. I do love you a hell of a lot, kid. You realize that, right?" He asked, looking up to meet her eyes. Mikasa nodded, reaching out a hand to place on his shoulder.

"You stuck around because I asked. You went prom shopping with me, despite this isn't a thing either one of us know a thing about. You didn't have to, but you did. I know how much you love me, Dad. I love you too. Thank you for everything." She said, squeezing his shoulder.

"When did you grow up on me, Mikasa? When did that happen?" He sighed. A bitter smile crossed her face.

"Around the time Carla died, if I had to guess. It was the worst two weeks of my life." She murmured. Levi grimaced at that. Her death had been sudden and unexpected. When it had happened, he had been deep in an African infiltration and his phone had been snapped in half. When he finally got out, it was to six missed calls from Mikasa, one for each day after her death. He had returned home immediately, but hadn't stayed for longer than a month. He had thought she was grieving. Apparently it had been more than that.

"To the point, just like I taught you." He smirked a bit. Mikasa shook her head.

"Just like you raised me. Us against the world, remember?" She asked, and for the first time in nearly a decade, Mikasa offered him a warm grin that lit up her face.

"Oi, Mikasa, no matter what anyone says, we are the best. It's us against the world, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy!"

"Fuck. You brat, come here." Levi demanded, tugging her in to his arms. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, snuggling close. It was rare that they hugged like this. In the last few years, even when he was leaving for another tour, she'd wish him luck by squeezing his hand and that would be that. The last time he had received any form of hug from her had been when he had left after Carla's funeral.

They weren't the affectionate type.

So as he pulled back and kissed her forehead, he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. If she thought he was doing alright, that was all that mattered.

"I got you a present." He said, motioning to the bag on the floor. Mikasa reached for it, bringing it on to her lap before digging through it. When she pulled out a tiara, her eyes widened with surprise. "Read the engraving on the back of the main stone." He encouraged, a sly smirk crossing his face as he rose to his feet. She did so, squinting in to take a closer look at the silver.

They were his numbers. They were in every pair of shoes she owned, including the new heels she had bought for prom. She had a set of his tags hanging in her car, and another set in her wallet. Hell, she wrote them down in all of her notebooks.

They had become a part of her identity over the years, and she hadn't realized it until recently. How in the hell had he known? Seeing the question in her eyes, he let out a confident chuckle.

"Now I'll feel better about you going to prom with some guy named Grant. That marks you as my little princess." He declared. Mikasa rolled her eyes, turning back to the mirror to place in on her head and arrange her hair around it. When she was finished, she stood up and turned to him.

"Well?" She asked. He nodded his approval, pulling out his phone to take pictures so that he could send them to Grisha, Hanji, and Erwin.

"You look great. Let's head back to the others before Eren and that asshole Jean break anything." He said. Mikasa nodded, and together they returned to the group.

Eventually, everyone arrived. As they waited for their parents to arrive so that they could take obligatory pictures, Levi met Mikasa's date.

He was a skinny kid with no redeeming qualities. He smiled at everything everyone said, and had generic answers to most questions. If Levi had to pick one thing about him that was unique, it would be the glasses on his face, but that was about it. His dull brown eyes and black hair certainly didn't stand out.

Yet Mikasa was obviously (at least to him, it seemed) smitten with this boring piece of shit kid.

After Mikasa had introduced him, Levi's dislike grew.

"Good evening, Mister Ackerman. My name is Pomegranate Johnson, but everyone calls me Grant. It's nice to finally meet you." He said with a smile on his face. Levi stared down at the offered hand in surprise.

Pomegranate? Who the fuck named their kid Pomegranate? And what in the hell was up with his common surname?

Levi resisted the urge to crush the kid's hand. That or he was just obeying his daughter's glares. It could go either way, really. As the parents showed up and pictures were taken, he attempted to figure out why Mikasa liked him. How could she stand him? He was just so boring and typical.

After the pictures were taken, Grant asked Levi if they could speak in private. He agreed, and led the runt to his office. For once, Grant showed an emotion other than annoyingly happy. He was the proper level of nervous, which pleased Levi.

"Sir, I really enjoy spending time with your daughter. She's a great girl, and is always so polite. With your permission, I would like to ask her to be my girlfriend, sir." Grant stammered. Levi raised a sardonic brow as he leaned against his desk, scrutinizing the kid.

Well, apparently he had balls. Who knew? And who was he to tell the kid no? What was the worst that could happen? Mikasa would turn him down? The kid was obviously doing things the old fashion way, and he could respect that on some level. As a man of ritual and habit, this was an acceptable course of action.

"Grant. I give you permission to ask my daughter out. However, I want you to know that if she is harmed in any way from this union, you will have the entire military force of this country after your generic ass. If I, or my colleagues get wind that she was upset over you, you don't have to worry about her kicking your ass. You should worry about that, too. In fact, worry about both happening. She will kick your ass, and I will flay it raw. With that in mind, do you still wish to form a relationship with Mikasa Ackerman, the first true military baby of this country?" He asked, his grey eyes gleaming sadistically.

Grant nervously gulped, but his dull eyes hardened a bit and he nodded.

"Yes sir." He said. Levi disliked him a bit less for having the balls to say that. So he nodded, clapping him harshly on the shoulder as he exited the office.

"Don't keep my daughter waiting, Pomegranate." He ordered over his shoulder.

"Yes sir!" Grant said as he followed after him quickly. Mikasa's eyes narrowed suspiciously as they reappeared together. Levi shrugged and Grant offered her a smile and she decided to let it go for now.

When the limousines arrived, Levi pulled Mikasa aside. He adjusted her necklace and hair, and offered her a proud smirk.

"Kick this prom's ass, kid." He ordered. She nodded, giving him a fake salute.

"Sir, yes sir." She said eyes serious. His expression softened a bit and he took her hand.

"Be careful. I'll be there to pick the three of you up at three, from the location of your after prom, but if something comes up, call me. Be safe." He ordered. Mikasa squeezed his hand, nodding.

"We will, Dad. You raised me right, remember?" She teased. He snorted and he gently pushed her towards her ride.

"Get your ass in there and have fun." He said, rolling his eyes. Mikasa stifled a chuckle as she climbed in.

As the limos drove off, he pulled out a cigarette, but let it sit on his lips. For the first time in a very long time, he felt slightly relaxed. He had successfully managed to prepare his daughter for prom, without the aid of a woman, and even managed to not fuck up her potential relationship.

Hell, apparently he had not fucked up her childhood.

And to him, that was what most important.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this fic! I love Daddy!Levi. He is pretty much my favorite Dad atm. I will be posting more little oneshots in this universe I created. All of them will be titled *Blank* Ackerman. I full list will be posted on my profile under the line "The Ackerman Chronicles." If there are any situations you would like to see, feel free to PM me, or even just put it in the reviews.

- Kida-Asumi