Chasing Stars {Ereri/Riren}

11. Bartenders and Mushrooms

(Disclaimer: Although it may seem like it throughout the story, there will NOT be ErenxPetra)

Hanji's hands were white from pressing against her nose so hard. I leaned back into the soft cushion foam of our seat, my tongue numb. Petra gazed blankly, pale hands folded neatly in her lap. The bartender sighed and grinned, her hands slapping against the polished wood as she leaned forward.

"Eren," Hanji murmured with relish. "You kissed Levi."

I lifted my arm over the edge of the back of my side on the booth. Upon realizing that it was a trait I'd picked up on from Levi, I narrowed my eyes and lowered the arm. "I guess."

She cocked her head. "You guess?"

"Did you even know his last name at the time?" Petra chimed in quietly.

I blanched. "Uh..."

"His age?" I averted my gaze, trying to will moisture back into my mouth.

"Why don't you continue the story?" Hanji suggested slyly.

I shook my head tersely. "I'm half dead from talking for almost five hours."

"Wow, is it 11:30 already?" Petra cried, an almost scary ghost of my words last night.

My eyes went wide as I watched her. "Miss? Is there something wrong?"

Hanji wailed in the corner about "How much more formal you are to Miss Petra than me!" while the amber woman kneaded her fingers. She gnawed at her lips. "Well...I forgot to lock up shop."

Petra owned a shop?" I instantly blurted, "I'll go with you."

Petra's eyebrows creased, and Hanji frowned. "Huh?" They asked harmoniously.

"I'll go help Petra 'lock up shop'." The declaration was so plain, yet insanely complex in detail. It was almost midnight, and a lady like her couldn't be going alone. Alas, I only knew her for one day. How could I be sure if she had a safe ride there or not, like her car?

To my surprise, Petra smiled. "Alright. Are you going too, Hanji?"

The woman jumped up, hiding what looked like mushrooms in a purse. "No, no, my shift is next." She plucked at her glasses- or, more accurately, goggles. "I use these when I'm working, to help concentrate."

"I'm sorry but- did you just stash mushrooms in your purse?" I inquired incredulously.

Hanji gasped. "C-coming!" She escaped the booth to assist the current bartender. The bald man smiled briefly at her before chugging a beer.

I was startled. "Is he- is he allowed to drink on the job?!"

Hanji looked back slowly, laughing strangely. "Dot Pixis does whatever he wants!"

Petra stood calmly. "We ought to go before it gets any later." I nodded once and we left the bar.

It was almost calmer today, less windy. Rather than yesterday, I enjoyed the white fire that shone upon everything. Petra glanced up at me.

"It's only about a block or so away. Are you sure? The next bus doesn't come for another half hour."

I shook my head. "My pleasure."

She hummed in agreement, and it was quiet for a few minutes. Cars drove past occasionally, and the lights in certain hole-in-the-wall shops winked out around us. Then: "Levi must be really lucky to have a nice guy like you. We should meet one day."

I almost choked. Instead, coughing filled my lungs. When my breathing had gone back to normal, I chuckled in spite of myself. "Yeah. I'll always belong to him."

Petra stopped in front of a door. I attempted to peer inside, but it was dark and only the silhouettes of assorted plants greeted me. On the glass door wrote Florist Ral's. Along the outer wall of the shop were multiple trees, only a year, maybe.

"Is this your shop?" I asked as she pulled a pair of keys from her coat.

"Aye," she responded, jiggling a key in the lock. Petra pulled it out then and looked up at me for the longest time. "That should do it." Then she looked down as her fingers twiddled around. My eyebrows furrowed when she lifted a necklace, one of her keys on it, and dropped it around my neck. I was too stunned to protest.

"A spare," Petra explained simply.

My fingertips brushed it softly. "Why...?" I trailed off.

In a flash, the girl had stepped forward, wrapping her arms around me and pressing amber hair into my chest. My arms froze in mmidair, eyes wide.

"We're all broken, Eren," Petra whispered. "You've dealt with more loss than most people have, including me. Your eyes don't lie." My hands felt her shoulderblades, and I closed my eyes.

"Please don't protect us when you need protecting as is," she continued. "If you need a friend or some peace, come here at any time, me here or not."

I didn't realize I'd been crying until I noticed in the dim light Petra's hair darkening from wetness. "We don't even know each other," I mumbled.

She laughed, a faint thrum over my heart. "Oh, Eren. What did I tell you? I know my strangers."

I sniffled, overwhelmed by the foreign kindness. "I think I hear the bus."

She pulled away, some weight off my chest. A car, probably Petra's, beeped in the distance. "I think my ride is waiting, too," she grinned, wiggling her keys.

I tipped my head and smiled. We moved off in opposite directions, both headed home. As I neared the vacant bus stop, my hand enclosed the key protectively, warm to my touch.

And I thought, maybe life did still have a purpose.

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A//N: Please, no Petra puns. Then again, I woodn't expect any of you guys to leaf her alone. Poor Petra, all of this teasing is probably petrafying.

I was thinking about doing half chapters. Not the actual chapter itself being half, but the chapter name. Like, for instance, the one after this, if I did it, would be 11.5. It would be in third person, and take place where Eren is telling the story. It would be scenes that he wouldn't tell Hanji or Petra, like kissing scenes, or... mature... scenes...

I dunno if I made this clear at all or not, but I try to focus my chapter updates on Friday and Saturday nights, according to my time schedule and time zone. Gosh, every time I update, it feels like it'd been forever and a half.

Video: ereri: G.U.Y by Besanii Chan. Warning: Prepare your ovaries, ladies.

Over 2K views?! Wtf this just makes me so happy when I see you guys loving my Ereri.

~Tātorutaruto~