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ackerfics · 2 years

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pahinga (lock pt. 2) — eren jaeger

— eren jaeger x female reader (modern au | lock au)

— content: both a mother's and father's day special <3 just family time with the lock family without the chaos

— summary: pahingá [noun] rest; repose; a safe haven where you can feel the most peaceful, for some it is a place but for most, it takes the form of the person you want to see at the end of the day — someone that can make you forget the exhausting world. comes from the root word, hingá, which means breathe. (used in a sentence: ikaw ang aking pahingá.)

— word count: 7.2k

— notes: for those who want lock pt. 2, here it is !!! though, it doesn't contain the chaotic side of this family, it still shows the dynamic between parents and kids. i, for one, feel better when my mom or dad is willing to listen to me (when i don't find their moods disheartening, that is). fun fact: all of these scenarios happened to me in real life except for one (it's obvious which one it is dhjddj). this was supposed to be posted on mother's day but with me being preoccupied because of uni, i never got to finish it. soooo, enjoy reading this and have an amazing day <33

lock can be read here !!

reblogs and feedback are greatly appreciated !! masterlist

Everybody was already picked up by their parents but Ezra was still waiting by one of the canopied benches lining his elementary school.

Tumultuous raindrops fell on the roof of his little shelter as he was staring at a single point his entire wait. It has been an hour since his classes were postponed because of the unexpected storm. His classmates were gone so long ago and all little Ezra could do was sit by himself, praying that his dad or mom’s car rolled into the parking lot of the school. The top of his head became wet from running all the way to the front of the huge double door entrance because he left his raincoat by their living room’s low table. Ezra sniffed, his tears spilling on his cheeks like how the rain continuously pounded on the ground, and his fists wrapped around the straps of his Pochacco backpack while thinking of the worst things imaginable.

Did his mom forget about him? Was it because his younger brothers needed her more than him?

Ezra sobbed now. He knew that by entering elementary school, he would spend less time with his parents, the very people who he looked up to. He didn’t want to be far from you and Eren.

Aran was in his last year of pre-school and Caspian just started zooming through every corner of the house. Ezra was the only one among his brothers whose school was so far away from home. Was this going to be the day his parents left him behind? He continued crying, his fists covering his eyes and his sobs drowned out by the rain. It was getting cold and he wanted nothing more than to cuddle close to you, his mom.

He jumped at a sudden flash of light in the sky, covering his ears when the clap of thunder shook the earth.

“Ezra, sweetheart!”

Your voice was quiet in the thunder but Ezra heard it the moment you uttered the first syllable of his name.

The little boy looked up and saw you running towards him with a clear umbrella over your head. It looked like you came straight from work. Your appearance was frazzled — hair askew from the tidy bun you always sported every single day, locks of it tumbling over your shoulder unbound, and your suit jacket hastily put on your person. You looked so distraught at the sight of your baby sitting alone under a canopy with his wet clothes and teary face. Curse one of the higher-ups in your office for breathing over your neck every minute. You didn’t even manage to send a text to Eren because of your boss’ policy of no phones during work hours. With the storm slowly becoming destructive as the afternoon passed by, your boss had no choice but to relieve everyone from work. Which was why you hastily went out of your office, the first thing in your mind was Ezra. It was a stroke of luck that Aran didn’t have any class for the day. Thank his teacher for predicting the future.

Despite your frantic state, Ezra felt safe. “Mommy!” He cried while opening his arms and hopping off the bench.

You immediately kneeled under the canopy and let Ezra run in your arms. He cried on your shoulder, wrenching your heart in the worst way possible. You repeatedly kissed his temple, whispering, “Mommy’s here. I got you, sweetie.”

“I’m scared,” he kept saying.

You rubbed his back in rhythmic circles. “I know, I know. I’m so sorry for not coming sooner.” Ezra’s cries didn’t stop so you pulled away from the hug to meet his eyes. You cupped his chubby cheek with your palm and smiled. “Hey, baby, you don’t have to worry — I’m right here now. Follow my breathing, okay?” He nodded at your words. Then, you took a deep breath in, the little boy following your actions, and you exhaled alongside him. Even though it was a shaky sigh, he managed to calm down almost instantly. You repeated the actions until his breaths no longer trembled. “You’re doing so good, sweetie.” Your hands never stopped running over his arms, transferring heat from your palms to his icy skin. “Let’s go home, yeah?”

Ezra nodded with a small yet bright smile.

“Give me your bag and put this jacket on. Come here.” The boy wrapped his arms around your neck after you put on his backpack. With a steady hand over his bottom and head, you lifted him in your arms. “Up you go. Now, does hot chocolate sound awesome?”

“Yeah!”

“Hold tight on Mommy, okay?”

“Mhm.”

“Then, to home, we go!”

“Relax, honey,” Eren whispered to you, his large hand covering your shaking one. “If you’re going to cry, I’m crying, too. I don’t think these people will appreciate the two of us sobbing at our son’s graduation.” He stopped talking when he heard someone cry behind him. Guess it was okay to cry at this event, then.

“Look at him, Ren.” You wiped your teary eyes with your hand.

Eren followed your finger to Aran standing at the side of the stage clad in his elementary uniform thrown underneath his deep emerald graduation gown. The brunet grinned at the scene of his second eldest trying to straighten his graduation gown. Your husband knew that you were about to cry because this is the second time any of your children would have to go to a farther school. The more he stared at Aran talking to one of his classmates in the line for elementary diplomas, the more he understood your sentiments.

And it was all because of your hard work as the mother of his children that another one would be taking the stage as the valedictorian.

Very much like how you help Ezra with his homework and projects, you helped Aran with his schoolwork throughout elementary school despite having a full-time job at the local city hall. Not only did you teach them how to study, but you also reminded them that someday they'll have to do this alone — studying for their academics. You were never hard on them when they made a mistake in calculating their divisions or fractions nor were you too drilling about the theories necessary for a sixth-grader. Instead, Eren watched you by the counter island, a loving smile on his lips while you maintained patience like no other. (That was until Caspian banged one of the frying pans while waiting for dinner did Eren stop staring at you like a lovesick fool.)

“I’m so proud of him, Ren,” you gushed, hand on your chest. “I know we saw Ez up there a year ago but I think that fact made me even more emotional.”

Eren chuckled. “I know, Liebe.” He pressed a kiss on your temple. “Middle school may be a different world but that’s the thing. They’re growing up now.”

That alone made you pout. “They’re growing up, huh?”

“Yeah,” Eren agreed, rubbing his hand on your arm.

“I just wish I could prevent them from doing so.”

��Me, too, Liebe. Me, too.”

Aran met your gaze from the side of the stage. The boy brightened at you and enthusiastically raised his arm in the air to give you a wave. You returned the gesture with a warm smile. Satisfied with your response, he went back to talking to his classmate, the elated glint in his eyes reflecting his father’s.

Then, the graduation started.

Because J was a later letter, you could hear one of your kids whining even without them doing it yet.

“Mommy, how much longer?” Caspian complained beside you. He planted his head on your lap, which earned a squawk from Ezra, who’s beside him since his feet would dangle on his older brother’s carefully-ironed pants.

You laughed at his puffy cheeks, pinching them while answering, “Just wait a little bit, okay?”

“Will we go to that fancy restaurant with the tall ice cream sundaes after this?”

“Of course, it’s a celebration after all.” You ran your fingers through Caspian’s hair, making him nuzzle more onto your lap. That fancy restaurant was where you and your family frequented whenever there was something worthy of a celebration. Usually, your and Eren’s friends also tagged along, especially since the owner was an ex-boyfriend of one of your best friends. Some might say it was going to be awkward but Sasha was passed that and was happily dating Mikasa, not to mention Niccolo was such a sweetheart since you were in college. Plus, he offered free sides and dishes — you could say it was a win.

“It’s already the letter H, little man,” Eren chimed, leaning over you to poke his youngest’s nose. “You can have your ice cream parfaits sooner than expected.”

“Jaeger, Aran.”

Cheers erupted in your row. Connie, Jean, and Sasha all stood up and whooped with their hands cupped at the sides of their mouths. Mikasa even joined in the cheers, preferring to sit rather than follow her girlfriend and friends’ example. You and Eren laughed at the standing ovation while Armin only shook his head, still clapping nonetheless. Ezra managed a chuckle, thankful that he wasn’t the one looking at the crowd with an embarrassed face this time around. Cassie, on the other hand, jumped at the loud cheers and glared at the three who disrupted his dozing moment. Eren cupped his hands over his son’s ears because it looked like the little boy was plotting on using his toy soldiers against them. People were looking at your group as if they ate something remotely sour. As Connie said, it sucked to be them.

Aran shakily smiled at all of you after transferring his string to the other side of his cap. You could see that his cheeks were flaming at the whoops emanating from his aunts and uncles.

As the names dwindled to the last person in Aran’s batch list, it was now time for the top students’ speeches. Eren perked up in his seat, with you putting a hand on his arm while preventing a laugh. Your husband took out his phone, ready to record every single word of your son’s well-crafted speech (it was made with the help of Ezra, who took perfection to the next level among your children). Everybody in your friend group was excited to hear the valedictory address.

“And now for this batch’s valedictorian — please, kindly take the stage, Aran Jaeger.”

Polite applause enveloped the venue. Aran felt his chest pound along with every step he took towards the stage and at every clap echoing around him. His hands were clammy and he was gulping faster in a minute. The butterflies in his stomach were anything but fluttering, nerves pooling in every crevice of his body. His mind opened and his speech flew out of his head with the ticking hands of his wristwatch. It worsened when he finally stood behind the podium, hundreds of faces staring up at him in anticipation. Aran could see Ezra raising his thumb next to his face, an encouraging smile on his big brother’s lips. That didn't help.

So, he turned to the one person he knew would quell the woes of public speaking from his system — you.

Your warm gaze, a color that was similar to his yet so different at the same time, was trained on him. Aran knew he only stood there for mere seconds but time seemed to slow down as you presented him with a gentle, tender smile. You took a deep breath in and a knowing spark tickled his chest. He followed the action as silently as possible. The nervousness that he felt minutes prior with an exhale — magic only you could conjure without lifting a hand or uttering any incantations.

The microphone picked up the small gasp he did while closing his eyes.

Aran parted his mouth and started speaking.

“Mommy,” Caspian murmured, tugging on the edge of your blouse.

“Yes, pumpkin?” You faced your youngest after talking to one of the mothers attending the soccer tournament.

He fiddled with his gloved hands. “I can’t do this.”

“Oh, pumpkin,” you placed a hand over his fidgeting ones and looked him in the eye. “Why do you think so?”

Caspian looked around the grassy field that was transformed for the soccer game thrown by his elementary school. There were so many third-grade kids mingling with each other, sharing stories about how they got the newest Nerf guns or the latest phones in their matching uniforms. They all looked confident enough for this game. He then tilted down his head to stare at his cleats, brows furrowed and pout visible on his lips. “What if I mess up? What if we lose because of me?”

You turned to Eren, who was beside you, only to find him preoccupied with Aran’s Rubix cube and Ezra leaning against him while reading an assigned book from his English class. As much as the sight endeared you, you needed his help because he was the one who played a lot of sports the entirety of his life (well, since the moment he entered elementary school, that is). Letting your husband and other kids are, you focused your attention on your gloomy son. You cup his cheek, your thumb stroking the skin underneath his eye.

“Do you trust Mommy?” you asked him.

Caspian adorably nodded his head.

With your smile widening at his response, you continued, “I know you’re going to be so amazing out there. You practiced a lot with Daddy, right?” He nodded again. “Didn’t he tell you so many compliments because you caught every single ball he kicked? We’ve seen you play in so many practices, pumpkin, and there’s never a moment that we thought you were going to mess it up.” At your every word, Caspian’s face brightened until he was beaming in front of you. “Now, how does our little ace feel?”

Caspian giggled when you tickled his sides. “Better!”

Your son’s coach was doing the role call. There was no trace of nervousness on Caspian’s face when he faced you again, his puppy dog eyes staring at you with anticipation instead. You took a deep breath in and he followed the action. Both of you exhaled at the same time and you couldn’t have felt so proud in your life. “Are you ready, pumpkin?”

He looked so alive after the little gesture you two shared. “Yeah!”

You chuckled and showered his cheeks with so many kisses. “That’s my boy.”

Eren popped his head over your shoulder. “Hey, little man, are you feeling alright?”

Caspian’s hair bounced as he nodded. “Mommy helped me calm down, Dad.”

“How about this? After this game, we’re going to eat your favorite ice cream sundae.”

“Really?!”

“As many orders as you want, Cassie.”

“You’re the best, Dad!” Caspian exclaimed before kissing your cheek and Eren’s. “I love you, Mommy!” He then ran towards his coach.

You slowly turned to Eren, who was wearing a smile while looking at his mini-me. “I can’t believe he called you the best just because you offered to buy him all the ice cream sundaes for the afternoon.” Despite your words, your face looked amused.

Eren chuckled, leaning in to plant a kiss on your temple. “Nah, your encouragement for our little Cassie is definitely the best. I just used the most obvious tactic to make him even happier.” He sighed, a smile present on his lips. Eren placed his chin on your shoulder, humming a made-up tune while watching the first few minutes of the game. You both could hear Aran shout ‘go, Cassie’, Ezra joining him even though he was holding the camera. Eren grinned at his two other sons. “Look, our baby boy never takes his eyes off the ball. That’s our Cassie!” He lifted his head from your shoulder to yell the cheer.

And when you happily watched your son play the goalkeeper. He might not save every ball this time but you knew that he gave it his best. Your heart swelled with summer butterflies when Caspian’s brilliant viridian eyes met yours, pure happiness radiating around him.

There was no distinct chorus of ‘I’m home’ coming from the front door when Ezra and Aran came home from school.

As the door closed, pounding footsteps ran up the stairs. You were about to check what was wrong when Aran slowly walked under the opened arch of the kitchen with a troubled look on his face. You wiped your hands on your apron. “What’s wrong, sunshine?”

Aran gulped, not meeting your eyes as he stared down at the smooth wooden panels of the floor. His bag was still on his shoulders and his sock-covered feet shuffled as if he was buying time. “Uh.” He accidentally caught Caspian looking in his direction from one of the counter stools of the kitchen island, the younger boy expressing his curiosity with thick furrowed eyebrows and a frown. Aran only pursed his lips to answer the boy’s silent question. “You see, Mom, uhm.”

“Did something happen at school?” You carefully asked, giving Aran your full attention.

Your second eldest rubbed the back of his neck. “I think it has something to do with their honors list. Their class just got theirs.”

Your mouth formed an ‘oh’ in understanding. You quickly turned back to the kitchen cupboards, opening up shelves and taking out the necessary ingredients to make a certain snack. “Thank you for telling me, sunshine,” you told him over your shoulder. “You can use the TV to play games today, just make sure you’re wearing your glasses!” You shouted when you heard his footsteps receding and heading towards the family room. Aran yelled a ‘yes, Mom’, a reply that you found satisfactory before you busy yourself with making macaroni and cheese.

Usually, you weren’t around the house when the kids got home from school but when you were, you refrained from cooking anything at that hour because you would be at the grocery store in preparation for dinner and breakfast the next morning. Today was one of those rare days where you had an early off-time and Eren volunteered to do the grocery shopping. You also had more time on your hands since your higher-ups in the city hall didn’t assign that much paperwork for the rest of the weekend. While you waited for the macaroni and cheese to finish baking, you felt a homely embrace wrap around your waist, the smell of cinnamon and sandalwood making you smile as you cut some garlic bread. Eren’s chuckle tickled your right ear, with him burying his face in the crook of your neck. His smile on your skin ignited a swarm of monarchs inside your ribcage even after years of being married to him. He swayed you to the humming of a love song he just heard on the radio on the way home.

“I’m home, Liebling,” Eren tenderly murmured to your ear, his lips brushing over your earlobe.

“Welcome home, darling,” you replied with a huge smile.

Eren’s grin lit up his eyes. He dipped his head down and met your lips with his as if they were puzzle pieces that were made to fit with each other. His hold on you tightened, pulling you closer to his chest until you could feel his heartbeat on your back. The both of you separated for air, centimeters as the distance between your lips. The warmth on your face spread as Eren leaned again to slant his lips with yours. He playfully bit your bottom lip before speaking close to you so that you could feel his breath, “God, I love you so fucking much, Liebling.”

“I love you just as much, darling,” you hummed.

Eren giggled, flowers erupting inside him at those words. He watched you cut the garlic bread, his chin resting on your shoulder as if it belonged there. “What are you making? It’s too early to start cooking dinner.”

“This is for Ezra,” you answered, putting the cut bread pieces on a small platter.

Eren turned to her with a worried scrunch on his face. “What happened?”

“Their honors list came out.”

“Usually, he’d tell us if it did.”

You paused with your hands resting on the counter idly. “Well, this time, he went straight up to his room.”

Understanding dawned on Eren. Without you telling him outright about the results of the honors list, he could tell from your concerned expression that they didn’t align with Ezra’s expectations at all. He sighed, slumping on you more now that he knew the reason why you were cooking a container of baked macaroni and cheese. The smell was mouthwatering and it was still in the oven, for God’s sake. “Do you want me to talk to him?”

The look on your face was enough to make Eren swoon. Your eyes widened in a way that reminded him of an adorable cat — pupils blown and entire facial features set in a soft, cuddly state that had him clutching his chest in his mind. “Really? You would do that?”

“Well, you already cooked him his favorite food, I might as well let you rest.”

“Thank you, Ren.”

“Anything for our little family, Liebe.”

With that, Eren went up the stairs with a tray of macaroni and cheese, garlic bread, and a tall glass of iced tea (with a slice of lemon pinching the rim) half an hour later. He wasn’t one to talk to his boys when they were upset. It was mainly you. Which meant that they gained a much closer relationship with you rather than him. It broke his heart a little but it was downright heartwarming seeing Ezra, Aran, and Caspian cuddle up to you for random moments of comfort. He vividly remembered jokingly asking them which parent they would choose while preparing to drive to Disneyland in two cars. The three of them chose you. It was safe to say that Eren stood in front of the family’s second car with a pained smile on his face. In the end, you told him you five were riding in the same car anyway so he shouldn’t beat himself up over it even though he dug his grave.

However, that didn’t mean he never knew how to talk to his boys.

He stopped in front of Ezra’s door and tried to grasp the tray with one arm. With a full minute of him making sure that your hard work didn’t topple from the tray, Eren knocked on his eldest son’s door. The wait wasn’t that long because he heard a faint, “It’s unlocked,” from inside the room.

The sight that welcomed Eren upon entering Ezra’s room pinched the former’s heart.

Ezra rarely cried. It was something Eren observed on him ever since he outgrew the phase where the little boy mostly spent his nights between you and him in the master bedroom, especially on thundering, stormy ones. On days that he felt the need to let out a tear or two, the boy would simply look into space until he couldn’t feel the burning behind his eyes and throat. Most of the time, Eren would rub his back and in the rest of those times, your arm was wrapped around your eldest in a comforting manner. Eren never understood the concept of bottling up emotions and older siblings since he was the youngest in his family. One thing he did see though was Zeke and Mikasa doing the exact thing as Ezra — never showing emotions even when they knew it was perfectly okay to spill them, knowing that their home would be more than willing to catch them. Now, Eren respected his older siblings but he didn’t want their mannerisms plastered on his son. It hurt him just thinking about it.

However, the moment Eren closed the door with a push of his back, Ezra hastily sniffed and wiped his eyes. The teenage boy turned so that his back was facing his father.

Without saying a word, Eren walked toward his son’s bed. He let him be while placing the tray of food on Ezra’s nightstand. A small sigh came out of the brunet. This would be a tough afternoon. The bed’s mattress dipped at Eren’s weight. Ezra’s silent sobs colored the entire room blue and Eren knew it was better if he let him cry it out until he had no energy to. He simply raked his fingers through his soft hair — a thing he did for his boys when they were younger and dozed off on his chest in the family room. The entire time, his body was angled so that he was giving Ezra apt attention. If the man had to brag about something, it would be his patience because raising three boys with you would ultimately require it.

“You okay, buddy?” Eren asked Ezra once the boy sat against the headboard.

Ezra sniffed, staring at his lap with his fingers fidgeting. “Are you disappointed in me?”

The man sat up straight, his face blatantly showing how perplexed he was.

“I know I disappointed my teachers.” Ezra glanced at Eren from the corner of his eye. “They told me they couldn’t believe it.” Fresh tears start building up in Ezra’s eyes. “I mean … I couldn’t believe it either.” There was a pause and the boy’s voice wavered, “I studied so hard this semester.” I don’t know where I went wrong. I worked so hard, and knowing that it wasn’t enough in the end … It hurts so much, Dad. I’m so angry at the teachers, and my classmates who earned their spot on the honors list, but above all, I’m so angry at myself for not pushing myself harder to be there with them. All I want is to make you and Mom proud.”

Eren placed a hand on the back of Ezra’s head. “Buddy, buddy.” The boy was hyperventilating while spewing out words that made Eren’s chest clench. His son’s distinct irises met with his. Eren whispered, “Breathe, buddy.”

The two of them inhaled and exhaled at the same time.

“One more time, bud,” Eren told him.

Ezra followed his father’s rhythm of breathing until he felt freer than earlier.

“Better?” The man asked. Ezra nodded and that was enough for him to pull his son in a side hug. The boy leaned his head on his shoulders. “Can I tell you something?” A hum was what Eren received as a reply. “You always make me and your mom proud. Every single day since you were born — you are our pride and joy. Nothing can change that, especially a list of students from your school.”

Eren rubbed the teenager’s shoulder with a firm squeeze.

“We know that academic achievement is the main focus, seeing as you’re in school and all, and it’s true that you’re required to do well so that you can have a secure educational background in the future. But, Ez,” Eren locked eyes with a teary Ezra, “you are so much more than some measly remarks from your teachers or your grades. They don’t define who you are as a person. I, for one, think you’re the most hardworking kid out there and your teachers don’t see that — to hell with them. The fact that you stay up all night trying to learn a mathematical equation or memorize the entire periodic table, the fact that you do well and do not get distracted, and the fact that you also help your little brothers in their classes — I could not possibly be prouder.

“Now, are we cool? Are you feeling any better?”

Ezra’s lips wobbled but he still managed a smile. “You’re so awesome, Dad.”

The brunet’s heart swelled and a large smile became the result of it. He leaned down and kissed Ezra on the forehead. “And you’re so amazing, our little bean. Oh, and before I forget, your mom made some mac and cheese.”

Ezra had stars in his eyes. “Really?”

“Yeah!” Eren handed him the bowl of mac and cheese. “She whipped it up the moment you got home.”

The boy stuffed his face with a spoonful of his comfort food. “She makes the best mac and cheese ever.”

“I know, right?”

“You wanna have a bite, Dad?”

“Nah, it’s your bowl — you deserve to have it all to yourself.”

Ezra was having none of that so he rolled his eyes. “Here you go, Dad.”

Eren laughed at a spoon filled with mac and cheese hovering in front of his mouth. He was about to decline but the teenager narrowed his eyes at him. “Okay, okay.” Your cooking never fails to feel like home. “Mmm. Still delicious the first time I tried it in her college dormitory.”

From beyond the door, you smiled, forehead pressed on the doorframe and hand feeling the mellow song being played in your heart. Tears were shed, feelings were bared, but you knew that they would be alright in the end. The person who held your heart was someone who loved too much and he would do anything for those who he showered them to, that included your children — most especially your children with him. All was well and it was because of Eren Jaeger.

“Mister Jaeger, this is the school doctor. I just wanted to let you know that Caspian sprained his left foot and wrist earlier during lunch. You’re his emergency contact in the student records and he requested to have you pick him up. Thank you.”

He was borderline going over the speed limit. The frantic, tumultuous beating inside his chest never calmed even as he overtook a truck in front of him. Maybe that contributed to how fast his heartbeat was. The polaroid of his family and air freshener was swaying like a pendulum at his speed. There was no way he was going to slow down when he received a call from the school about Caspian. Eren thanked the deities above that there was no traffic even though it was lunchtime. He definitely didn’t want the rush hour to make him late when his son was hurting inside his school’s clinic.

Eren already contacted you about the situation. He had to lower the volume in the car because you shouted so loud in worry, threatening one of your officemates to let you off work just to pick Caspian up. Your husband had to calm you down in a steady voice, telling you that he got it covered. He felt the same way as you but Eren was more on the frustrated side. Of course, his top priority was his son’s safety but the impulsivity from when he was young told him to bring this matter to the principal’s office. Caspian was the most careful child there was. Being the baby in the family, he was more on the sheltered side. With a doting mother, protective dad, and attentive older brothers, it was safe to say that Caspian was the most loved kid in the city. It was even a miracle that he joined the sports team in his school. The number of times you fuss over his injuries because he tried blocking a soccer ball using his face.

So, while walking towards the clinic in his dress shirt, his tie discarded before getting out of the car, he was plotting to hunt down the kid who hurt his little boy.

“Oh, no,” Eren breathed out.

On one of the many blinding white clinic beds was a little boy of ten. Tears kept making tracks on his chubby face, his hiccups coming every so often as he cried for his parents to be there faster. Caspian’s wrist and foot were encased in compression wrap, with his arm snug in a sling. It was seen that every little movement hurt him because he let out tiny yelps while trying to make himself comfortable on the clinic bed. His butt was starting to hurt waiting for his dad to come barging into the clinic. Right when he was about to sob, Caspian heard the door open with a bang, pants coming from the clinic’s entrance rang out the large room.

Caspian looked up from the daisy sticker on his compression wrap. “Papa,” he cried, which caught the attention of the school doctor.

“Mister Jaeger, you’re finally here,” the doctor greeted him.

“Yeah,” the said man numbly nodded, his eyes never straying from Caspian’s. He sighed while making a beeline to his son. “Oh, little man.” He sat on his hunches in front of Caspian, looking up at him with downturned eyebrows. “What happened?” Eren wiped the tears flowing on his son’s fluffy cheeks.

“It hurts, Papa,” Caspian cried. It has been a while since Cassie called him that. The boy claimed he was too old for it. As much as the term tickled his heart, reaching his lips in a smile; he knew that it was at the expense of his son’s safety. “I want this to stop.”

Eren nodded, his hand rubbing the back of Caspian’s head. “I know, I know, little man.”

He saw that Caspian was starting to lose air from crying too much so he cupped both of the boy’s cheeks with his large palms. The warmth from his hands made Caspian stare into the same viridian eyes you love seeing on Eren every day when you wake up to strawberry skies. Eren breathed in, holding it in for a few seconds before exhaling it through his mouth. It would be unconventional to have Caspian follow through with breathing with the nose since the boy has been crying since before he came to his aid. The breathing exercises managed to stop Caspian’s hyperventilation, the drops of starlight dripping from the boy’s eyes turned into drying tracks as he shared a mirrored smile with his father.

The brunet man affectionately pinched Caspian’s chin. “Does it still hurt so badly?”

Caspian sniffled. “A little bit,” he murmured under his breath in a pout.

Eren lowly laughed. “Can you handle it?”

The boy nodded, the pout still present on his lips. “Now that you’re here, Papa, I can handle it.”

“That’s my boy,” Eren softly told him. “Can you wait a few minutes so that I can talk to the doctor?” Caspian once again nodded and Eren stood up straight from his hunches. He ruffled his son’s hair as tenderly as possible, pinching his ear just like when he pinched his chin. Eren sat down on the chair angled in front of the doctor’s desk. “What exactly happened?” He asked the man in the blinding white laboratory coat.

“He was pushed on the stairs, Mister Jaeger,” the doctor informed. “That’s what the witnesses gathered. Caspian’s class was going to the gym for P.E. and you know how rowdy elementary school kids are. One thing led to another, Caspian was pushed by one of his classmates while transferring to the gymnasium. It was a nasty fall, Mister Jaeger. He could’ve broken his foot if he didn’t prevent his fall with his hand.”

Eren’s eyes became hooded. “Who was the kid who pushed my son?”

“Don’t worry, Mister Jaeger, he is currently facing the principal for this matter. Most likely, he would be suspended from school for a month maximum. If it weren’t an accident, it would be a direct expulsion.”

“Hmm.” Eren crossed his arms over his chest, his arms straining inside his dress shirt.

“The child will be facing punishment, Mister Jaeger. As for Caspian, you can make an ice bath for his feet and constantly apply a cold compress on his wrist. Don’t let him do strenuous activities to prevent the injury from getting worse. The healing process should be within two weeks to a month.”

“Got it, Doc.”

“Caspian is excused for the entire day. You can bring him home now.”

Eren nodded before standing up, his hands patting his slacks from invisible dust. “Thank you for patching him up, Doc.”

“You’re welcome, Mister Jaeger. It’s just my job.”

The brunet smiled at the doctor. He then made his way towards Caspian and went back to sitting on his hunches to meet his boy’s eyes. “You ready to go home, little man? Is it alright if I carry you? Okay, up we go.”

Eren was a tall man with the right muscles sculpting his body. Carrying a ten-year-old kid who wasn’t that bigger than him when he was that age proved to be an easy feat in itself. With Caspian’s bag slung on one of his shoulders, Eren made sure he wouldn’t jostle Caspian’s injury. Even as he placed him in the passenger seat and securely put the seatbelt on him, Eren was still gentle. The entire time, he could see that his mini-me had been warily glancing at him, most likely expecting him to explode and scold him for being reckless again. Eren wanted none of that. Yes, Caspian needed someone to tell him to be more careful but he was hurt this time. Real bad. And Eren was supposed to be the cool dad who never got angry unless his kids really did something horrendous like blow up a school building. Thank God that would never happen. (Except that one time Aran caused a fire in his year’s science laboratory. That was a different story. It was you who went to the school, not Eren.) His little boy needed comfort and probably more pampering from you.

The brunet regarded Caspian with a small smile. “How about we’ll order some takeout from the restaurant you love? We’ll get it with their ice sundae. How does that sound, little man?”

“With extra bananas and cherries?”

Eren grinned, pinching his son’s chin lightly. “With extra bananas and cherries.”

The first days of school were the worst.

Aran was jittering with nerves as he stared at the looming building at the end of the tree-lined pathway. It was imposing in the best and worst way possible. There was no other way to phrase it but it made Aran shake with anxiety. Middle school was a pretty big jump from elementary school. It felt so surreal to think that he was standing at the gates of one of the most prestigious institutions in their city. Aran couldn’t even fathom how he could pass such a difficult series of tests and applications (this school boasted two entrance examinations and two interviews — it was a wild yet horrific experience that had Aran crying inside the car by the time he finished the grueling second interview). These admissions were justified simply because it was the most sought educational institution in their state. It was more than just a science-based school, it was also an extension of the University of Paradis.

This school was pretty big time.

Not to mention that Ezra’s part of the student body and a member of the brightest batch of students to ever grace the school.

Technically, it wasn’t the first day of school but it was the first time he would step inside the gates without worrying about exams and interviews. The worry was more directed at keeping a brave face because Aran is freaking terrified of new beginnings. The school wasn’t even that far from their house (roughly a fifteen-minute drive) but it felt so far away from home at the same time … if that made any sense.

“Ezra, over here!”

Aran was jolted from his trance by a shout of his brother’s name.

Ezra waved a hand to his classmate. “Yeah, yeah, I’m going there!”

“Hurry up because the science club is gathering their members for the orientation! They’re looking for you — it seems like you’re the only one missing.”

The older boy huffed, hopping so that his bag was snugger on his shoulder. He looked up to Eren with a sheepish smile, “Dad, I’ll be going in first.”

“Go ahead, bean. Don’t run!” Eren shouted when Ezra started dashing towards the building, his backpack bouncing at every step.

“I’m not a kid anymore, Dad,” was Ezra’s loud reply.

The man pouted. “But you’re still my little kid.” Speaking of his kids, his secondborn was awfully quiet since they left the house for the new academic year’s orientation. One look from Aran and Eren could tell he was overwhelmed with nerves — Aran looked constipated as hell. Eren smiled a little while placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder. He pulled him in a side hug, “You okay there, nugget?”

“I’m nervous, Dad.”

“First days of school always got me, too, nugget.”

“Really?” Aran stared at the wistful air surrounding his father. There was a reminiscent facade creeping on Eren’s face as if he was viewing something that nobody could see — a highlight reel that only he could see. One thing that rang true to Aran was those reels might’ve included you and your years with him.

“Yeah,” Eren replied, pulling Aran into a walk underneath the canopy of trees creating tendrils of daylight between its leaves. “Your grandma had to calm me down every time. Apparently, I looked constipated while looking at the intimidating school I’m going to enroll in. Middle school was the worst, too. But your mom made it better. We went to the same school together, you see, along with your Aunt Mikasa and Uncle Armin. They made everything so easy. And when I thought I couldn’t last a day in my school, I think of them going through the same things, and instantly, my day would be better. Maybe you will find people in this school the exact way I found my lifelong friends — [Name], Mikasa, and Armin.”

“But it’s just so scary, Dad.”

“Change is always scary, nugget. But I like to think it’s only in the beginning. Once you adjust to this new school, you’re going to feel like you belong here. It might take you a long while or maybe a few days but trust me, when you do believe that everything is not as scary as it seems, it would feel so awesome.

“Now,” Eren beamed so wide that other people started seeing the sun up close as they glanced in the father-son duo’s way, “let’s take in the clean air in this part of the city and inhale,” he inhaled a large portion of air that the trees rustled with him and Aran, “and exhale it back so that the plants can make their food.” As Eren exhaled, Aran also expelled a large gust of air from his mouth before sharing the former’s large smile. “You feel like going inside there now?” He nodded at the building, which is just a step away.

Aran never noticed that they were getting nearer and nearer until his father pointed it out. His dad really had a way of making time flow faster than it already was. Aran intently stared at the pillars holding up the building, the name, Paradis Middle and High School of Science, gleaming against the just-right sunlight. He breathed deeply once again, his eyes closed, imagining you were here (you were at Caspian’s orientation). Feeling relieved, Aran looked up at Eren. “Yeah, Dad.”

“Then, let’s go!”

“Yeah!”

“You know, nugget, I’m looking forward to lunch. Do you think this orientation thing lasts for the entire morning or not?”

“Dad, we’re still walking towards the auditorium and you want this to end already?”

“Well…”

A lighthearted sigh came out of Aran. His dad is definitely the coolest out there.

It's safe to say that your three kids find solace in you and Eren. And it will stay timeless, very much like the love the three of them have for you two — a love that's reciprocated unconditionally and infinitely as the pinpricks of light in the endless midnight canvas of universes.

#rorywrites #lock/encanto universe ✨#aot x reader #attack on titan x reader #attack on titan imagines #eren x reader #eren x fem!reader #eren x y/n #eren x you #eren jaeger x reader #eren yaeger x reader #eren fluff #dilf eren #eren jaeger x y/n #eren yaeger imagine

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