The Music Room - Ereri/Riren (SNK)

-Day 7-

The next time I make the journey to Eren's room, I again find it to be open and full of people. This time, however, he isn't surrounded by doctors, but five children of varying demeanor and appearance and a dark-haired, amber-eyed woman.

He's sitting in the chair, wrapped up in a blanket with a blonde girl who can't be over the age of three or four curled up with him. She's smiling, her big blue eyes sparkling in delight as the remainder of the children are scattered about, ranging from what I presume to be ages five to about fifteen. The woman is poised on the bed. An aimless conversation takes place between the seven of them, and they don't notice me ghosting in the doorway.

It takes me all of two seconds to figure out this is Eren's family - his mother and all those foster siblings he told me about. It takes about another two seconds for me to make the decision to leave. Eren had simply asked me to meet him; he hadn't specified where or when, and I had made the decision to find him on my own accord. He was busy and I have no place to interfere, so I turn on my heel as silently as possible to make my way back to my room...

...only to be stopped by Eren's familiar voice calling my name. I peek back in the doorway. He hasn't moved, but he's beaming in my direction like I've done something to make his whole week. His siblings, however, have all swiveled their heads to look at me, too. In one instant, my heart squeezes and my stomach clenches.

"Hey," Eren says. "Where were you going?"

"Nowhere," I mumble, "Just, uh, back to my room. I can see you're busy and I don't want to intrude."

"Nonsense." It's his mother who says this, a smile uncannily resembling the one Eren wears gracing her feminine features. "Come on in."

I relent at the seven pairs of eyes on me, watching and waiting. I should leave, go back to my room and let Eren have time with his family for likely one of the last times ever. I know I really have no place here...

"It's okay," Eren assures. "Come on."

And so I move quietly into the room, trying unsuccessfully to refrain from twitching in discomfort under so many youthful stares.

"Guys, this is Levi," Eren introduces almost proudly. "Levi, this is Christa-" he pats the girl in his lap on the back "-Marco-" he gestures to the freckled boy who's got a gameboy or something of the sort in his hands, cuddled up closely to his mother; he looks about five or six, maybe seven "-Sasha-" a girl about ten on the floor next to Marco; she smiles at me "-Mikasa-" a raven-headed Asian girl, fourteen or fifteen with a very reserved expression and dark eyes near Sasha "-and Armin." The last is a blond teenager probably a few years younger than Eren, leaving him to be about sixteen or so. He, too, casts me a smile and murmurs hello. "And this is my mom, Carla." He nods in the woman's direction. If not for the freckled boy clinging to her side (who's gone back to his video game), I'm almost certain she would stand up and shake my hand. Instead, she settles for a friendly smile and a "so nice to meet you."

The idle chatter builds back up as I find a comfortable position leaning against the wall, hands hidden away in my pockets as usual. Eren's almost a perfect big brother, asking each of his siblings how school is, how things are coming, and listening intently to each of their answers. Eventually, the little one in his lap falls asleep. He questions his mom about a few things, and she returns the gesture. I'm included in a few of the conversations, though never without a prompt or invitation.

The strong bond his family bears is plain as day to see. They're close, and it's no doubt at least partially caused by Eren's sickness. It's difficult to tell, though, if each of them knows exactly what's happening to their big brother - if they understand he's essentially being robbed of his life from the inside out. Surely they understand most of it, and the two eldest are more than aware of it by the sad undertone in each of their eyes.