Be My Salvation (Ereri/Riren)

XIII

I'm actually really happy with the way this chapter turned out. I hope you guys like it, too~

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Levi could feel Eren pressing close to his back as they inched down the aisle to exit the train. He'd woken the boy up not five minutes earlier to inform him they'd reached their destination and he could tell Eren wasn't completely awake yet.

As soon as he stepped onto the sidewalk, Levi's eyes, squinted against the light of the late afternoon sun, were scouting out the faces of the people he'd seen in a photo Petra had showed him a few days prior. When he spotted the dark buzz-cut next to a shorter, chestnut head, he headed in that direction, subconsciously keeping track of Eren as he went.

As soon as the woman saw them headed right in their direction, a large smile broke out across her features and she brought her hands together in front of her. "You must be Levi!" she said almost too excitedly. "And Eren!"

The boys each allowed a handshake after the lady introduced herself as Hannah and the tall, buzz-cut man beside her as Franz.

"It's nice to meet you boys. Petra's told us quite a bit," Franz said, smiling.

"Yeah. You, too," Levi said, internally clawing away his discomfort at the awkward social interaction with people he barely met by continually reminding himself this trip was for Eren, who continued to remain close to his side.

Franz and Hannah continually spoke as the other two followed them down the sidewalk to a small, shiny dark blue car parallel parked against the curb - things like 'don't be afraid to make yourselves at home' and 'if there's anything at all you need, don't hesitate to ask'. Levi took a beat of silence as an opportunity to announce he was going to call Petra and was mildly grateful for the continued quiet, save for the sound of the car, as he had the phone pressed against his ear.

His half of the conversation with their foster mother was brief; he merely informed her they were safely with Franz and Hannah and that the train ride was fine before she asked to speak to Eren, who, seemingly reluctantly, took the phone and spoke to her in a small, almost timid voice. Levi didn't pretend not to notice, either, and raised a brow at the kid when the phone was handed back, already hung up. Eren only shook his head and his lips thinned into a small smile, but it didn't touch his eyes.

The drive wasn't long, much to Levi's relief; he was exhausted enough from riding the train for an entire day. Outwardly, the little house, literally enclosed by a white picket fence, was small and quaint, painted a subtle yellow with white trim, a green lawn and a tree sporting several ripening reddish-green apples standing off-center.

"Petra told me you two already share a room," Hannah was saying as she stood behind her husband who was working on unlocking the door. When Levi nodded in affirmation, she smiled and continued, "If it's alright, you'll have to share a room here, too, and a bed. But if you're not comfortable with that, the couch is pretty comfortable, too. And Eren, she told me you're fond of animals, but the best we've got is a large fish tank in the living room." She chuckled apologetically.

"Oh...it's okay," Eren said softly, that same, forced smile pressed into his features. While Levi saw right through it, Hannah bought it and returned it.

"Franz loves fish and he's allergic to dander so we can't have any other house pets, unfortunately." She gestured around her to the small, cozy living room they'd stepped into. "It's not much, but I hope you'll be comfortable anyway. As I said before, make yourselves at home. Anything in the kitchen is free reign. Let me show you to your room."

They followed the woman down a short hallway and took a right into a bedroom with a single, queen-sized bed made up with light blue bed clothes, a night table sporting a lamp on each side, and a dresser.