The Ereri Project!

Bus

A/N: I hate the bus! The 6-8th graders are annoying as fuck and the high scholars complain how there's no room for them to sit when they have 12 FUCKING SEATS TO THEMSELVES!

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Eren is awake an entire hour before he even has to wake Petra up.

He watches TV to try and keep his mind off what he's going to have to do later but he can't so he lays there and frowns and stares at the TV but absorbs nothing.

Levi comes down fifteen minutes before they have to wake Petra up. "You poor baby," he says, sitting beside Eren.

"Shut up," Eren mutters, "I'm just sad, okay?"

"I know, I'll probably be feeling that later too," Levi says.

Levi finger-combs Eren's hair, waiting to see if he'll cry early or not. It's looking like not but he has very little faith in his husband keeping it together.

They hear little girl feet running around upstairs and they know Petra must've woken herself up; whether with anxiety or excitement they don't know yet.

Eren just knows he wishes he could've been up there to hug her right after she got up.

They listen while she goes into the bathroom to wash up so Levi gets up. "Guess I'll start breakfast," he says. "What do you want?"

"Oreos," Eren mutters in reply.

Levi shakes his head, chuckling. "You can't have Oreos for breakfast."

"Not with that attitude."

"Fine," Levi says.

A few minutes later there's a stack of Oreos on a napkin for Eren and Levi is making pancakes for himself and Petra.

Eren goes upstairs to see if Petra is getting dressed. "Morning Papa!" she says when he peeks into her room.

"Morning sweetie," he replies. She's still in her pajamas but the outfit she wants to wear today is laid out on her bed.

He checks quickly to make sure all her clothes match (she's only five, he can trust her to dress herself but picking her own clothes is iffy) but they do so he stays in the doorway.

"Daddy's making you pancakes for breakfast."

"Yay!" she says excitedly, stripping in a way only a little kid can so she can get dressed.

"We'll be waiting downstairs for you, alright?"

"Okay Papa," she grins at him and he almost cries; not for the last time today.

Eren sits in the kitchen with Levi and lowers his head onto the table. "Ugh," he says.

Levi rubs Eren's back while he waits to flip this batch of pancakes. "It'll be fine," he says.

"No it's not," Eren says. "After this is first grade, then middle school, then high school, and then she'll expect us to let her move out! This is all moving too fast for me Levi~"

"Yes because a five year old is suddenly going to jump into being a full grown adult who can manage her own household."

Eren frowns at him. "Don't act like you're not upset."

"I am," Levi says. "But one of has to at least pretend to be rational."

Eren rests his head back on the table as Petra starts making her way downstairs. "Morning Daddy," she says as she walks into the kitchen.

Levi bites the inside of his cheek to keep from "Aww-ing" at how cute her outfit is; a black, white, and red tiered skirt with a matching long-sleeve shirt and headband with a bow on it. "Morning hazelnut," he replies.

She sits across from Eren and kicks her feet while she waits for her pancakes. "Wassamatter Papa?" she asks.

"Nothing," he says, putting on a fake smile as he sits up to look at her. "I'm just still tired."

"Then you should go back to sleep," she says, matter-of-factly. "Daddy can take me to the bus stop."

"Daddy doesn't want to take you alone," Levi says, giving her a plate on pancakes already cut up for her.

She starts eating. "That's silly Daddy, you know the way home from the bus stop."

Eren glances at Levi who is taking longer than he should to bring his own pancakes to the table. "It's okay sweetheart," Eren says. "I want to go anyway."

They eat mostly in silence, save for the crunch of Eren's cookies. When it's time to go, Levi and Eren almost get up at the exact same time.

Levi gets her lunchbox and Eren gets her backpack from the closet before they walk outside together.

Petra is very much unbothered while both of her parents are this much closer to losing it with each step they take away from the house.

The wait in like torture, Petra looks for bugs under rocks while she waits but both of her parents lean on each other in sad silence, Eren makes sure he's already holding the camera so he doesn't forget to take pictures.

When the bus finally rolls up, Petra takes her backpack and her lunch and kisses each of her fathers' happily. "Bye bye," she says and runs to the bus.

Eren only has the presence of mind to snap one picture, when she turns to wave at them from the steps, before she's gone.

He takes Levi hand and immediately starts crying as Levi pulls him back toward home.

Levi doesn't cry until they're sitting on the couch with Petra's favorite show on at the exact wrong moment.

"This sucks," Eren says.

"Absolutely," Levi replies.

"You better not leave me to go to work today."

"I'm not."

On the other side of the room, Levi's cell phone dings with a text message from Erwin.

Since you haven't called yet I'll just assume you aren't coming in today. Have Petra call me when she gets home, I need to know if she saw you two cry this morning.