The Ereri Project!

Friends

"We should've just gone out to eat," Levi mutters as he cleans the coffee table for the second time today.

Isabel giggles as she finishes folding the blankets she and Farlan had slept with the night before.

"Chill out, Levi. You act like he's never been to your apartment before."

"That's different," he replies.

"How?" she asks, carrying the stack of blankets back to the closet she got them from.

"He's never met you guys before."

Farlan rolls his eyes; he's in the kitchen making dinner for everyone. "You did tell him we're here, right?"

"That's the entire reason he planned to come tonight, yeah."

"Then everything should be fine," Isabel says, reclaiming her seat on the couch.

Levi groans and puts his cleaning supplies away. "Do we need anything else before he gets here?"

Both of his friends think for a moment. "Well," Isabel says. "I think the three of us finished off your last bottle of wine last night."

"Great."

"I can walk to the liquor store if you want," Farlan says.

"No, you need to cook, I'll go," Isabel replies.

Levi sighs, putting his shoes on. "It'll be quicker to drive and you don't have a license."

"You sure you don't want me to go?" Farlan asks.

"You finish cooking, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Isabel chuckles. "What?" Farlan asks.

"He's just so antsy," she replies. "He must really like this guy."

"I'd say so," the blonde man says. "Especially if he wants us to meet him. It's one thing to have him meet Erwin or Hanji or Petra, they're around all the time, but us? He hates having the time he gets with us interrupted."

Isabel grins. "And he's a real cutie too. You saw the picture he sent us of the kid, right?"

Farlan chuckles. "Yeah."

Isabel almost says something else but there's a knock on the door. She bolts up excitedly. "That must be him!"

"Answer it then," Farlan says.

Isabel swings the door open and smiles. "You must be Eren!" she says.

The brunette boy takes a step back, mildly startled. "Yeah, I am," he says with a hesitant smile.

She grabs his hand and pulls his inside. "Come in, Levi will be right back. He just went to pick up some wine."

"He actually ran out?"

"Yeah," Isabel drawls. "We kinda drank a lot last night."

Farlan walks out from the kitchen and holds out his hand. "In case Levi didn't tell you, I'm Farlan."

Eren shakes his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Isabel drapes herself over Eren's shoulders. "And I'm Isabel."

Farlan resumes his place in the kitchen while Isabel drags Eren over to the couch. "So tell me," he says. "What's Levi like in a relationship?"

Eren blushes. "What?"

"Isabel, don't be rude," Farlan says.

She frowns. "Well you're curious too," she says.

"I am, but I'm not asking strange questions to someone who only just met us."

"Fine," she whines. She looks at Eren again. "Has Levi told you how the three of us know each other?"

"No, he hasn't," Eren replies, getting comfortable.

"Well, you must already know he's adopted, right?"

Eren nods.

"Well, when the three of us were babies we were all put up at the same time. We grew up at the orphanage together, which was kind of a problem when were around three to five years old because there were people who wanted us individually but not as a group like we wanted. But by the time we were around six or seven, someone wanted both me and Farlan but not Levi. By then we were all sort of aware of how bad it was that we were living there so Levi told us not to complain and just leave him."

"That noble son of a bitch," Farlan mutters. Eren giggles. "We were pen pals and just talked on the phone with each other for a long time after that."

"Yeah, we didn't see him in person again until college."

"You guys sound pretty close," Eren says with a smile.

"But not close enough to consider dating him," Isabel says. "So what's it like to be in a relationship with Levi?"

"Isabel."

"Shh, I think he's gonna answer this time!"

Levi pulls on one of her ponytails. "Don't hassle my boyfriend with silly questions," he says.

She grins and turns to look at him. "I have to, you don't tell us anything."

Farlan smiles and shakes his head. "Dinnertime," he says.

Isabel goes to sit down and Eren gets up. Levi pulls him over for a kiss immediately. "Hope they weren't too much trouble," he says quietly.

Eren blushes when he realizes Farlan saw that just now. "None at all," he says. "They're both really nice."

Eren sees something like relief in Levi's eyes. "Good, now come eat. Farlan's probably one of the best chefs I know."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," Eren says. "I brought a cake but I left it in my car."

"Cake?" Isabel asks.

"Yeah, Eren likes baking," Levi says, sitting down.

"I'll go get it," Eren says.

"No, dinner first," Farlan says. "You gotta eat this hot."

Eren smiles; Levi seems like the loner type but he really has the best people as friends.