Just This Once || Erenxreaderxjean

22

3 years ago...

The brunette walked up the steps of the large house. It was a cozy looking home, with a neat looking yard, and inviting lights strung about the porch, illuminating a small area for Eren to see in the surrounding darkness.

This house had always felt familar to Eren. Hell, he had been climbing these steps since he was about 3 years old.

The front door was a deep mahogany color. It had been painted about two years ago after Eren and Jean had ruined the finish after a Halloween decoration gone wrong. The memory made Eren let out a breathy laugh as he grasped the handle.

As soon as Eren pushed the door open, his nose was met with a mouth watering smell. Mrs. Kirstein was cooking.

Eren kicked his shoes off by the door, and made his way through the house, already knowing its twists and turns like the back of his hand.

When he reached the large kitchen, the sound of him entering alerted the woman stirring a pot at the stove. She turned her head over her shoulder, and when her eyes were met with a pair of green ones, her face broke out into the warmest of smiles.

"Oh Eren! You're here!"

The woman quickly set down her ladle, and made her way over to the boy, who by this time had a smile of his own playing along his lips.

"Hey Mrs. Kirstein, sorry for barging in. Is it cool if I stay for dinner?"

Eren's father hadn't come home tonight.

Again.

He often spent his spare time at Jean's house, but he found himself wandering over to the Kirstein's more and more as his dad started coming home less and less. Eren hated having to eat dinner alone.

Mrs. Kirstein grabbed Eren's face between her palms, and caressed his cheeks with her thumbs, brushing a few stray locks of hair aside. She had to look up at the boy, as he had grown much taller in recent years.

Mrs. Kirstein didn't mind having Eren over one bit. In fact, she and him both knew that he never had to ask if he was welcome to stay for dinner, he only did so to be polite. Ever since Eren's mother, her most dear friend, had passed away, Mrs. Kirstein had taken to looking after Eren as if he were her own son. She couldn't imagine how hard it was to grow up without a mother, and if she could could offer her love, or a hug when it mattered, then she would.

"Oh Eren, you know you're always welcome here", she ruffled his hair a bit, and gestured for the boy to sit at the kitchen counter. 

"Yeah, thanks Mrs. Kirstein", Eren replied , offering the woman a sheepish smile.

"Tell me about your day, hun. Jean said you two went to that diner on Main Street this morning with Connie. How was that?", she asked as she resumed her cooking atop the stove.

"It was great. We got up early so we could go before we hit the beach. Connie got some stupid waffle tower, though. The waiter was really confused when he ordered it. Must've had like five layers of whipped cream."

"That sounds like Connie, alright", she chuckled. "That child confuses me sometimes. When Jean first brought him over to the house, I thought that he was -", Mrs. Kirstein brought her thumb and pointer finger pinched together to her mouth, immitating holding a joint.

Eren threw his head back and laughed at this, not wanting to tell her that it was a very real possibility that Connie had been high the first time they had met.