The Ereri Project!

Café

A/N: Italicized dialogue is French.

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Eren giggles giddily.

"What?" Levi asks, smirking and holding Eren's hand.

"We're in Paris," Eren replies, grinning.

Levi rolls his eyes. "You've been here before."

"Not with you and not feeling this clean with this much spending money."

"Gross."

"Says the guy who let me fuck him before I even had a shower when I got home."

"Yeah well, being horny and lonely does that to a guy."

They are seated outdoors at a café to eat lunch, Levi orders for both of them. "Know what I think's a little strange?" Eren asks.

"Hm?"

"That you decided to learn French even though you had no intention of ever coming to France."

Levi shrugs. "You say that like I'm not also fluent in German, Dutch, Italian, Mandarin, and Japanese."

Eren frowns at him. "I still wanna know where you found the time and patience to learn all that."

When Levi doesn't reply right away, Eren looks him. "Levi?"

Levi is staring past him at something. Something that has seriously caught him off guard.

Eren turns to see he's been staring at a woman. She doesn't look very old, but she's let her long hair grow in white and silver.

She's thin and dignified but she looks pretty short, even sitting a few tables away, reading and sipping at her drink. She's dressed all in black with bright red shoes and a red hat.

There's something distinctly familiar about her. Those eyes. That face.

Eren gasps, turning sharply back to Levi. "Is she-?"

Levi nods, completely unable to move.

Eren looks back at her, and then smiles at Levi. "You look a lot like her."

Levi takes a deep breath. "The last picture I saw of her, her hair was still black and she was a little heavier."

"Are you gonna talk to her?"

"I don't know." Levi really can't take his eyes off her. Eren bites his lip and stands up. "Eren," he says sharply.

Eren keeps moving, based on Levi's tone he's not very worried.

Levi watches as Eren sits down across from his mother. Eren smiles when he speak and somehow Levi knows he's being as obnoxiously charming as he always is toward older women.

Their waiter comes back with their coffee so Levi looks away from them for a moment.

When he looks back up his heart almost stops because she's walking toward him. Eren has stayed behind at her table. "Levi?" She asks, her voice is heavily accented and exactly what he was expecting.

Levi almost cries. "Mom."

She smiles at him and suddenly he's on his feet hugging her. He doesn't see Eren grinning and taking pictures in the background.

"Did you get my letters?" she asks as they sit down.

"I did but my new parents told me it would be better if I didn't write you back myself. Did you stop writing them because I wasn't replying?"

"I thought you didn't want to hear from me, darling."

Levi frowns. "Can you tell me why?"

"Why I put you up for adoption?"

Levi nods.

She sighs. "My dear, I didn't want to, trust me. It's just, I left your father right before I found out I was pregnant, I barely had enough to eat myself. I couldn't have taken care of you all alone like that. I wanted you back all the time but you were already settled in America and I had given up my parental rights. I really regretted it when I found out a few years later it was a fluke that I'd even gotten pregnant with you, there was such a slim chance I could have another child I had to give up."

"Are you married?"

She smiles. "Darling, I can't have children, why would I bother having a husband when I can have any number of lovers I want."

Levi laughs. "I was just married two days ago."

"That young man over there? He's cute. Very messy French, but I admire his enthusiasm."

"I didn't think he knew any at all."

They laugh together and she looks at him with eyes he's wished to be on the receiving end of for his entire life. "Are you happy, my love?"

"More than happy," Levi replies, glancing past her at Eren.

She turns back and motions for Eren to come over. He sits down and smiles at her. She looks at Levi. "Translate for me." Levi nods so she looks back at Eren.

"My name is Celia Bellamy, Levi's birth mother, as you know. As his mother, I would like to be sure my baby is taken care of, so I'm leaving that up to you. Please take care of my Levi for me, and make sure you keep him happy in the future."

Levi repeats that back in English for Eren, smiling.

Eren's cheeks flush. "It would be my pleasure, ma'am. I love him."

Levi ears heat up as he repeats that back in French for his mother.

She grins and kisses each of them on the forehead. She takes the paper bookmark out of her book and writes something down. "Call me, darling, I want to hear from you when you go home." She stands up then.

"I have an appointment to make, so I have to go, but I come here every day at noon, if you'd like to meet me again tomorrow."

"We'll be here," Levi replies.

She waves and walks away. "She seems very nice," Eren says.

Levi grabs Eren by the collar or his shirt and kisses him. "I love you so much."

Eren just blinks at him. "What?"

Levi smiles and shakes his head as the waiter comes back with their food.