Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan!

A/N: Remy is 13, Ava is 8. This one is a bit less fluffy than some of my other Levihan fics, but there will still be some fluffiness! It's also multi-chaptered, so wooo!

Blood Red Roses

Chapter 1

Hanji woke up as the floorboards creaked, signaling that one of the kids had invaded her and Levi's room. Since Remy was thirteen now and would rather die than come into their bedroom, that meant Ava was here. She had probably had a nightmare or something or maybe she was just cold. It was deep winter now, and sometimes the house got chilly no matter how many times they fed the fire during the night.

Levi stirred and put his hand against her back, having obviously heard Ava as well. It wasn't like anything was going to escape him.

"Mom?" came Ava's voice, fainter than usual. She must have stopped at the foot of the bed, which was odd. Normally, she just climbed onto the bed and situated herself in-between them or curled up beside one of them.

"Yeah, baby?"

"Can you open the window in my room? I can't get it unlocked," she whispered, tugging a little on the blanket. "It's too hot."

No, it wasn't. The air was cool in here, and it would be the same way in Ava's room. Hanji sat up and reached for her glasses even as the covers flew back. Levi was already on the move. She turned up the wick of the bedside lantern to get more light into the room while Levi knelt next to Ava, his wrist pressed against her forehead.

"She's burning up, Hanji," he said, his eyes dark as he looked up at her. He picked up the petite eight-year-old and set her on the bed, brushing her hair back from her face and neck. Hanji could see a gleam of sweat on her pale skin. "Why didn't tell us you didn't feel well?"

"I'm just hot," she said, scooting back away from him, bumping into Hanji's legs before Hanji moved, too, gathering her daughter to her. Levi was right. Holding Ava was like trying to hug a small furnace. Levi reached for her again, and she weakly batted at his hand, her little face grumpy. "I'm okay, Papa. Don't fuss."

"Stop lying."

She flinched but didn't deny it.

"You're definitely sick, kiddo," Hanji said, running her hands up Ava's arms before resting her fingers lightly on her daughter's neck. Her skin was radiating heat. Hanji looked over at Levi as Ava huddled against her, her hand circled around Hanji's arm. "We need something for her fever."

"I know," he said, his voice stony. "Ava, does anything hurt?"

Ava squirmed but finally nodded. "When I breathe, sometimes it hurts a little," she said.

"I'll get the medicine," Levi said, his eyes locked on both of them before he left, heading downstairs to the cabinet where they stored their medical supplies.

"Is he mad at me?" Ava asked, looking at the door like Levi wasn't coming back at all.

Hanji smiled faintly and shook her head. "He's just worried. Come on, let's go back to your room."

"Okay..."

Hanji picked her up, settled her on her hip, and headed back to Ava's room, taking the bedside lamp with her. Levi wasn't the only one who was concerned. It wasn't like Ava had never been sick before, it was just that she seemed so hot. A high fever could be seriously dangerous for a kid, but Ava was tough, in her own way. She just happened to be on the small and skinny side.

Hanji put Ava down on her bed and then climbed over her to sit on the other side against the window, her back against the headboard.

Ava scooted around and rested her head on Hanji's leg. "Are you mad?"

"Nope." She squeezed each one of Ava's fingers in turn. "I just wish you'd told us earlier."

"I didn't feel bad earlier." She closed her eyes for a second. "Just when I woke up."

"Were you tired or anything today?" Hanji asked, both the mother and the scientist in her wanting to know. The more information she had, the quicker she and Levi could help Ava get better. She hadn't seemed any different that day, but maybe Hanji had just missed the signs.

"I don't know. Maybe a bit." She rolled over onto her side and hugged Hanji's knee. "Lacey wasn't feeling well at school today. She went home early, her grandma came and got her."

"She did?" Hanji frowned and gently pulled her fingers through Ava's hair. "Has anyone else at school been sick?"

Ava nodded. "Kae said that Ethan was sick. Her papa is a doctor, and he saw Ethan at the hospital."

So she had probably caught whatever this sickness was from one of the kids at school. It seemed like it was something that was going around her classroom, though hearing that one of the kids was in the hospital didn't sit well with Hanji.

She ran her hand up and down Ava's back, letting her rest. She could hear a faint rasp as her daughter breathed in and out, like each breath was a little harder to take than the last.

Finally Levi appeared at the door with a tray that held a bowl, couple of bottles, and a glass. He walked over to the side of the bed and set everything down on the nightstand. The bowl was full of water and there was a hand towel laying over the rim. He quickly opened one of the bottles and poured the thick brown liquid into the cap.

"Ava, sit up. You have to drink this." To anyone else, it would have been hard to pick up on the tension in his voice, but to Hanji it was loud and clear. On a normal day, Levi was fiercely protective of his family, but really, if one of them was hurt or sick, that need to keep them safe always went into overdrive.

As if eager to make sure he wasn't upset with her, Ava sat up quickly and took the cap from Levi when he handed it to her. Even in the low lamp light, it was easy to see how flushed her face and neck were. She eyed the cap full of medicine for a suspicious moment, her eyes flicking to Levi and Hanji before downing it. Her face crumpled, and she stuck her tongue out. "That's disgusting. My tongue feels all fuzzy now."

"Yeah, but it's good for you. This one, too." He held out the cap from the second bottle. This time the medicine was clear, but it smelled almost metallic.

"Does it taste as bad as the other one?" Ava said, leaning away from it.

Levi took her hand, pushing the cap into her fingers. "Don't make me pour it down your throat. You can have some water after you drink that."

Ava muttered something about them trying to poison her, but she ended up finishing off that capful of medicine as well. She shivered and looked as if she might throw up. Hanji took the glass of water from the tray and handed it to her so she could try to get the taste out of her mouth. The eight-year-old took a few sips and handed it back before curling up into a little ball and yanking one of the pillows over her head.

Levi met Hanji's eyes, and she tried to smile at him, a reassurance that things weren't as bad as he thought. She knew he had seen kids die from sickness often down in the underground, but they had medicine and access to a doctor if they needed one. Plus Ava was normally a healthy, well-fed kid who could bounce back from things like this.

This was different.

Levi sat down on the edge of the bed before he reached over and gently pulled Ava over to him, plucking the pillow away from her face. "Sorry those tasted terrible," he said quietly, running his finger over her cheek, "They'll help you feel better, chatterbox."

She just nodded and leaned into his touch before grabbing his hand and splaying it across her face.

"What're you—"

"Your hand's cold. It's nice."

"One of us could just stick you out the window and dangle you from your ankle," Hanji teased, getting a tiny smile out of Ava, "Then you'd turn into an Ava-cicle."

"That'd be nice," Ava said. She grabbed Levi's other hand and pressed it to her forehead.

He shook his head at her. "I think a wet cloth would work better."

"No, I like this."

Hanji smirked a little as she leaned over both of them to get to the bowl of water, her shoulder bumping against Levi. When she pulled back, she noticed something on Ava's skin, barely showing at the neckline of her nightshirt.

Setting the bowl in her lap, she turned back to Ava and pulled her neckline down a little to reveal a coin-sized red splotch on her collarbone. It looked like a young rosebud, and that chilled Hanji to the core quicker than if she had jumped into the frozen river.

"Levi."

He had noticed what she was looking at, and he had his head bowed, his hair falling into his eyes. He knew what that was. "I'm going to get a doctor." There was steel in his voice.