Once Levi left them, Eren immediately turned to his social worker and whispered hoarsely, “Are you going to leave soon?”
"As soon as the paperwork is signed," Petra confirms. She must sense his hesitation, as she follows up with, "I can try to stay a little longer."
Shaking his head, Eren listens for Levi’s return, only replying when he is satisfied that the foster parent isn’t yet on his way back to the living room.
Petra looks at him with disbelief in her eyes, but says nothing as they hear Levi return.
"Thanks," Eren murmurs, accepting the juice with both hands and taking a long sip. His eyes dart away from the grownups as Petra begins the finalization speech. It always made him nervous, these last steps to seal the deal of fostering. Irrational though it is, Eren feared that at the last moment he would be rejected and returned on the spot, forced to go through displacement and replacement all over again. As Eren’s eyes roam nervously about the room, he spies his new guardian looking at him and gesturing to join him on the couch.
Suddenly, Eren is overcome with shyness. He is used to an abundance of enthusiasm, an overkill of jubilation that invariably makes him squeamish and angry, eager to bolt and put up defenses. Levi’s quiet acceptance and inclusion was completely new territory for the boy.
Silently, Eren slowly makes his way around the room, a roundabout path to the couch where he pauses, feigns contemplation before sidling up on the cushion next to Levi - just at arms length.
Petra looked over at him. “Eren, do you have any questions for Levi?”
What a loaded question that was; Eren’s brain reeled with dozens upon dozens of inquiries. Eren knew it was time to ask the hard-hitting questions weighing on his mind.
"Do you have any pets?" Eren asked after taking a long sip of juice. "Or a pool?" He suddenly beamed, showing off his latest missing tooth. "Can we go to Disneyland?"