The Ereri Project!

Devotion

"Whatcha got there Petra?"

The little girl looks from her place on the couch with a heavy book on her lap up to her Uncle Erwin. "Armin gave me a dictionary for my birthday and I'm using to look for words to describe my family."

It was date night so Eren and Levi left Erwin in change of Petra. Which was a pretty good thing all around because their daughter was more attached to the tall blonde than anyone else they knew.

Erwin sits on the couch beside Petra and she gets up to resituate herself on his lap. "What words have you found so far?" he asks.

"I think the word jubilant is a really good word for Auntie Hanji, and refined is a good word for Uncle Armin, and I was looking at this word for Daddy and Papa."

"Daddy and Papa don't get separate words?"

"Why would they?"

Erwin couldn't respond to that.

He looked at where her tiny fingers were on the page. "Devotion?"

Petra nods. "Most of the definitions are about religious worship but I think it works for them anyway, but that's not the only word I was thinking of for them."

"What else?"

He watches while she flips through the pages as though she has the numbers memorized. "This one."

Erwin almost laughs when he sees she's pointing to 'love'. "Of course Daddy and Papa love each other, they love you too."

Petra shakes her head. "I know, I just didn't know what this words really meant until I found it in here and now I know it's a perfect word for them."

"Daddy and Papa are love and devotion huh?"

Petra nods and out her book down, turning around so she can face him on his lap. "Even though it doesn't look as strong as Daddy and Papa, I think that Mike and Nanaba, Auntie Mikasa and Aunt Annie, and Marco and Mr. Jean all have that too. Why don't you have that Uncle Erwin?"

He smiles mirthlessly at her. "I've never met anyone I wanted to share that with the way the others do."

Petra frowns at him. "I'll love you Uncle Erwin."

Erwin almost laughs when he thinks about what Levi would say if he heard that. "You're a little bit too young for me sweetheart."

"So? I'm growing up. And it's only until I can convince Uncle Armin to ask you out anyway."

"Uncle Armin?"

Petra grins and nods at him. "Uncle Armin really likes you Uncle Erwin, and I think you would really like him too if you got to talk to him by yourself."

Erwin wonders how it's possible he's having this conversation with a seven year old. "Uncle Armin's a little young for me too."

Petra shakes her head. "I asked Papa and he says there's only two more year's age difference between you and Uncle Armin as there is between him and Daddy."

"We'll talk about this later, are you ready to go out for dinner?"

Petra jumps off his lap excitedly. "We're going to Friendly's right?"

Erwin is glad he knows how to distract children.