The Ereri Project (#2)

Twenty-First

"You're twenty-first birthday's coming up soon, what do you wanna do?"

Petra thinks for a moment before looking up at Eren. "Could you and Dad take me to Vegas?"

Eren cocks a surprised eyebrow. "You want us to take you?"

Petra shrugs. "My friends don't know how to drink responsibly. All I really wanna do there is like shop and go to shows and see what the night life is all about. The drinking is just what you do when you eat, gamble, or laze around."

Levi peeks into the living room from where he was standing, cooking dinner. "Really?"

Petra nods with a smile. "It would be cool if you Hanji and Erwin and everyone too."

Thus, they ended up at the airport a few months later headed to Nevada. Petra checks the itinerary she set up for the three of them excitedly. Eren is honestly surprised she's not quadruple checking for the tickets to all the shows she managed to get Levi to pay for them to see.

They invited the others, of course, but those of them who decided to tag along (Erwin, Hanji, Mikasa, and Annie) also decided to make their own plans for what they're doing once they get there.

Today is her actual birthday but she's spent all of it packing, double-checking, and waiting at an airport. Levi's glad she sees happy about it, at least. Eventually she hands her planner off to Eren to hold and gets up with her camera so she can go film a vlog. Levi throws an arm around Eren's shoulders. "Twenty-one years hasn't been long enough for me."

"Me neither," Eren replies. "I'm just glad she's still happy to let us go places with her."

"When I was her age I barely ever called home, much less went back happy to be there."

Eren breathes a laugh and pats Levi's hand. "That's cause we always let her do what she wants."

"Which isn't hard because she's never been very demanding or rebellious. The worst she got was that incredibly short phase when she only wanted to walk to her friend's houses instead of having us drive her."

Eren laughs. Erwin peeks over from where he's seating on the other side of their seats. "Are we talking about Petra?"

"Always," Eren replies.

"Did she really ask you two to go to Vegas with her?"

Eren nods. "She did. I expected her to go alone or with friends but she wanted us."

"No expenses spared for our first family trip in years," Levi adds.

"Shut up, I know you're as excited as she is to go to Cirque du Soleil and to see if Brittany Spears' show is as much of a train wreck as you think it will be."

"And you don't think it'll be a train wreck?"

"I'm being optimistic," Eren replies. "When her first album came out I loved her so much I was almost straight."

Levi barks a laugh. "Yeah right."

"All I'm saying is, she can't be too far from being as great as she was then."

Levi shakes his head. "Whatever."

Petra comes back just as their section is called to board. "Did I miss anything?" she asks, picking up her carry-on.

Eren shakes his head. "Just a bunch of old people chit-chatting."

"And Papa being a dork," Levi adds.

Eren shoots Levi a look which makes Petra laugh.

She's never been afraid of flying really, it just makes her anxious. Which surprises her every time she makes a long trip in one. When she boards this time, seated between her parents, she finds there's no nerves at all. Something about having her Dad and Papa there was making her stay settled.

It's the best she's ever slept while flying.