The Ereri Project!

Pie

Levi peeks into the kitchen for the tenth time in the last half hour, worried about Eren.

Eren, covered in flour and pie filling (despite his very cute apron), is trying to roll up a bag of mini marshmallows. "Seriously Eren," Levi says. "You need to sleep. The contest is tomorrow and-"

"That's exactly why I'm still up, Levi," Eren says, laying the crust over another pie. "I have to get this perfect."

Levi makes a face. "Every pie you make is perfect." Eren huffs and puts the newly made pie in the oven. "At least go sit down until this one comes out."

"Yeah, yeah," Eren says, covering up a yawn.

"I swear," Levi says. "You're gonna wake Petra up with all this great pie smell."

"At least she doesn't have school tomorrow if she does wa..."

Levi looks over to see Eren fell asleep as soon as he sat down on the couch. He smiles and walks around the kitchen, wiping up flour and putting bowls in the sink to wash when he's done sweeping.

The oven beeps before Levi gets to the dishes so he takes the last pie out and sits it on the table. If he's being honest, it's the best looking pie all day (which is saying something because he's seen a lot of beautiful pie today) and he really wants to take a bite even though he knows it isn't cool yet.

It's a sweet potato pie, if Levi remembers hearing from Eren correctly and the entire top in covered in a mini-marshmallow crust that semi melted and browned in enough places to actually cover the sweet potato filling.

Levi kind of wants to mash his own face in it.

But he goes to wash the dishes. "Daddy?"

Levi turns to see Petra standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He smiles softly at her. "Go back to bed Hazelnut," he says.

She blinks sleep out of her eyes, holding her blankie closer, eyeing the sweet potato pie on the table. "Is that the pie Papa's gonna bake tomorrow?"

Levi nods, turning back to the dishes. "Probably, neither of us have tasted it yet."

She sits herself up on one of the stools at the table. "Can I try it?"

"We both can as soon as I'm done the dishes."

True to his word, once the last dish is away Levi carries a knife to the table to cut a slice of pie for him a Petra to share.

They take their first bites at the same time and stare at each other.

"This is best pie to ever have pied in the history of pie," Petra says, her mouth still savoring the bite she took.

Levi nods, humming.

"Papa's gonna win," she says.

Levi nods.

...

Levi can tell how nervous Eren is at the contest, because his hands were shaking nearly the entire the time.

Petra, sporting her new green dress with little pies with happy faces on them, cheering him on excitedly the entire time (as though baking were an actual sport).

There are forty-nine other contestants, all set up around the giant "kitchen" all with different ovens so Levi suspects the air conditioning in the building must be kicked all the way up because he isn't hit in the least.

Levi and Petra are allowed over into Eren's kitchen area once the judging starts and, if Levi may be so biased, he think this pie looks even better than last night.

Eren is ringing his hands together. "What if they hate it?" he asks.

"They can't hate it," Levi says. "You're a great baker."

"What if I don't place though? No one will ever come to the bakery again."

"Stop worrying Papa," Petra says, hugging his legs. "You're good at this, really."

He plays with her hair just as the judges walk up; a young man, an elderly, if stern looking woman, and a middle aged woman. The middle aged woman smiles at them, looking between Levi and Eren before settling on Eren. "You're Eren Jaeger?" she asks.

"Yes ma'am," Eren replies, smiling.

"I can tell you're a better baker than some others in here, your station is clean but your clothes certainly aren't."

He blushes. "Sorry, I work at a bakery so I'm used to keep surfaces clean instead of myself."

She and the other two judges write on their clipboards, judging visuals before each taking a bite, writing some more, and walking toward the next.

"This is so nerve wracking," Eren groans.

Roughly an hour and a half later, all the contestants were called over with their pies.

Arbitrary awards were called out first, like the Best Tasting Ugly Pie and things like that. Next were the five runners up who all got gift cards to culinary stores. And then finally, the top three. "In third place, with her apple pie, Ms.Valerie Sanders."

A perky blonde with a tattoo on her neck grinned the entire walk over to take her place at the winners table.

"In second place, with her coconut custard pie, Ms. Lulu Hunterson."

An old woman with lilac hair took her place beside Valerie.

"And in first place, with his sweet potato pie, Mr. Eren Jaeger."

Eren couldn't believe it for a moment. It took a kind shove from another contestant to even get him moving but he took his place at the table and received his ribbon like the two women beside him.

He was grinning so hard he cheeks were starting to hurt but he couldn't stop (which was good because the winners all had their picture taken together with their pies).

"Congratulations," Valerie told him.

He got a pat on the back from Lulu.

"PAPA!"

Suddenly he had his arms full of Petra who was kissing all over his forehead. "I knew you could do it," she says excitedly.

He smiles and head-butts her gently before turning to kiss Levi.

"Can I go take a nap now?" he asks.

Levi laughs. "Yeah, c'mon."