Pastry Hearts /ereri/

Chap 5 - 911

He sat patiently, waiting for the baker boy to return. He felt a singe of guilt in his chest about getting this food free of charge, but it wasn't him who had offered; I was the boy... Eren. Yeah. That was his name.

Levi didn't really know what to make of Eren. He found him sort of spontaneous, and rather thoughtful. He found it to be luck that brought his back to that wired fence, a dozen feet from the wall separating the two boys. Watching Eren scurry towards the alleyway, Levi sighed into the frigid air."I bet he's as sweet as the treats he's selling." Levi said to himself, referring to Eren's personality.

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"What was I thinking?" Eren scolded himself as he walked into the bakery. The air was warm inside. He thought about letting the young man rest in the safety and comfort of the store for a second, but instead smacked his hand to his forehead. "What were you thinking?" he repeated softly. "You didn't even ask for his name!"

Eren started across the tiled floor to the back where they kept the scraps... But suddenly, a shrill scream resonated in his ears. Stopping in his tracks, he ran upstairs, recognizing his mother's voice.

Climbing the frail wooden steps, Eren shook in fear. He'd never heard his mother's voice this coarse and raw before. Displaying a look of alarm on his face and fright in his eyes, he thought of her. "Damn," he cursed, reaching the top of the stairs. "She said she was feeling sick right after she ate my supper! This is all my fault!"

His mother wailed again, sending waves of panic within Eren's body. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he remembered the soothing songs his mother used to sing to him back when Eren was a only a little boy... Back when Mikasa was still at home, and when he was so small he needed to stand on a stool to reach the counter. He remembered how calm her voice was, and how she always curled whisps of her dark hair behind her ear as she kneaded the bread. Those were the times before broken boys were forced into the streets, and before his father had left them. Before his mother ever felt the need to scream so loudly.

He remembered how his father would come home late at night with a briefcase in one hand and good news in the other, bending to kiss his wife on the forehead. Eren remembered how the second his father left them, the bakery went sour rather than sweet... And a sudden drop of determination squeezed its way into his heart and sprang into his step.

He ran to his mother's bedroom and swung open the door. The hinges cried in pain, but not nearly as loud as the screams coming from his mother's mouth. His mother... Carla had rolled onto the floor in cold sweat, a blue hue of light patched onto her skin from the open window above her. Her hands were grasping her stomach and her eyes were shut in agony. The bedspread was sticking to her body as she groaned in pain.

"Mom!!!" Eren yelled, rushing to her side. Thoughts were pooling into his mind; most terrifying. "What hurts?!" He screamed, his voice cracking. Carla had no response. She just winced even without Eren touching her. "Shit!" he exclaimed, running out of the room and down the stairs again. He grabbed the phone that rested on the counter and dialed 9-1-1.

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Levi's head shot right up as he heard a painstaking scream from the window ahead of him. He could recognize that scream... He had once been in that position. Shaking off all those memories he staggered to his feet and limped towards the alleyway. It's funny how easily he found himself turning into hero mode.

"What if he's hurt?" Levi thought worriedly. He suddenly snapped out of it, alarmed as he realized he had never felt like he had to protect someone before. "I'll just go check on him." He reassured his mind as he hugged is sides.

The alleyway was narrow and eerie. Not to mention how the screams reached it, echoing loudly from wall to wall. Levi hurried his pace, exiting and turning a sharp left.