Easy jobs | Dad!Erwin x Mom!Reader | Modern AU

A/N: After finishing, please read the description. Enjoy!


The alarm wakes you up, too early. It's always too early. The time shows 7:15 as you switch the screen off. What a pain in the ass, but, you did want to make sure there's enough time to get everything ready.

Exciting day today. Nerve wrecking, sure, but also so very nice. The long waited field trip with your class is finally happening. The teens are certainly excited to get a few days off to enjoy the south of the country, and in all honesty, you've been waiting to get away from the ordinary schedule for a quite some time, too.

Carefully, you glance over your shoulder. Your beloved mountain of a husband lies beside you, the blanket tugged under his arm, his blond hair messy from sleep. The alarm didn't wake him, and you take it as a good thing. He didn't come home until after midnight, and there's no need to wake him up just yet. You watch him breathe, itching to land a kiss at the back of his neck, but you end up looking away.

Let him have his precious rest, you decide, and carefully shift your legs over the mattress, arm reaching out to the pile of clothes you set ready on the nearby drawer before going to sleep. You grab the shirt on top.

"How long until you leave?"

You drop your arms.

So, he did wake up after all. Of course he did, now that you think of it. His senses are sharp both at work and home. You smile, and look behind. Your husband rolls on his other side with a bit of effort, squinting to catch a sight of you.

"Before nine." you say, letting a yawn stretch your jaws as you look forward again. "Go back to sleep." you suggest with a soft voice, now working to get the shirt over your head.

"I was planning to." the blonde one admits, and along with a tired groan, he makes himself comfortable again. "I just wanted to make sure you're not sneaking out without saying goodbye."

"Sneak out? Without you knowing? In what universe would that be possible?" you chuckle, arching your back as you sink your legs in a pair of dark jeans.

A big hand rises to caress your back in a loving manner.

"I'm gonna miss you." he says.

"It's just four days."

"A long time that is. I might not survive."

"Erwin..." you playfully scold him as you stand up to pull the jeans over your hips. You sit beside the half sleeping man again, incing close enough to feel his warmth. "I'm gonna be surrounded by teenagers. It's me who might not make it." you correct the facts with the best serious face you can act up.

The blonde one dares to grin, and for this you narrow your eyes as a warning. He extends his arm along with a quiet "come here", and your face melts into a loving smile as you gladly accept his invitation. You lean to kiss the foolish man, sinking into his warm hug, not ever wanting to leave now that he managed to lure you in. But, you have to, and the fact makes you groan in protest.

"I have to go get everything ready." you tell Erwin as you, reluctantly, slither away from his embrace.

Your husband lets you go, even though the look in his eyes tells you he wanted the moment to last a bit longer. "I'm gonna get up soon." Erwin promises as he watches you leave.

You smile shortly for what he said, and with a nod, you exit the room in silence.

You set the coffee maker and check the bags waiting for you by the front door. Pleased to see all is good, you turn on your heels to take over the bathroom next.

The bright light flickers on. One look into the mirror, and you know that one cup of coffee won't be enough to brighten up that face. With a deep breath through your nose, you reach for the toothbrush.

A door opens somewhere beyond your sight, but you don't have to guess twice to know who it is.

"Mommy?" your four-year-old daughter calls out with a gentle voice.

You spit out the spearmint. "I'm here, Ellie." you inform from where you stand, smiling at the sound of her bare feet tapping towards the bathroom door.
 
Tiny fingers appear to pull the door more open, and you meet the younger version of yourself from behind it. The long night wear shows her feet from knees below, and the beloved stuffed wolf she loves so much is, as always, hanging from her grip. She looks at you with her blue eyes, and you can tell there's a thousand questions lined up behind the stare.

"Are you leaving, mommy?" she asks, sadness present in her tone.

"Not yet, honey." you assure her that there's still time. "Come brush your teeth. We can make something good for breakfast then. What would you like to have?" you change the subject, hoping it to distract her from feeling sad that you're going away.

"I want toast and apples." she tells.

"All right." you nod.

"Can I have juice?"

"Sure."

Ellie then puckers her lips as she wonders. "Can I have ice cream?"

You chuckle. "That's not for breakfast, honey, you know that."

Ellie's eyebrows knit together, and you know that face means trouble if you don't handle it right. In any other case you'd definitely say no, but as you already miss her, you can't help but to melt before her adorable glare.

"Eat your bread first, and after that you can get the ice cream." you promise her, and you can almost see sparkles in Ellie's eyes in response. "Come brush your teeth now."

Ellie rushes in, steps on the tiny stool that grants her more reach, and snatches her toothbrush from the mug.




You pace around the kitchen, collecting breakfast ingredients on the table. The TV is open, playing cartoons for Ellie's entertainment, but the little girl finds your doings more interesting to follow. She stands behind the dining table, watching you like a hawk. She's more quiet than usual, and you know it's because she's unsure about you going away. Well, she has always been a bit more of a mommy's girl, after all.

Not that she doesn't love her dad, of course she does. It's the brightest moment of her day to see Erwin come home from work. They share a special bond, and it's only a good thing Ellie gets to spend a few days just with him. And, it's also a nice challenge for Erwin, now that you wont be around to help - or should you say, save the situation.

Serves him right, you so playfully think. He needs to man up as a parent. Too many times you find him only spoiling Ellie and letting her have her way, all though it's only understandable. He wants to make up the absence for working so much.

Right. Work.

You check the clock on the wall. There's plenty of time, but you still have so much to do.

"Ellie?" you speak while placing slices of bread on a serving plate. "Would you do mommy a favor?" you glance at her over your shoulder. "Go wake your dad."

Ellie's gaze has a whole new focus now. "Doesn't daddy have to sleep?" she's not convinced, knowing from a habit that her father sometimes works late and he needs to sleep through the early hours.

You shake your head, turning to face your daughter. "Don't you remember, honey? Daddy is on a vacation for a few days and he's gonna stay home with you until I get back." you smirk playfully.

Ellie frowns. "He's not going to work?"

You shake your head.

"Do I need to go to the daycare?"

You crack a chuckle. "No."

You need to say no more. Ellie immediately storms towards the bedroom, and you can only giggle at the sight. You turn back preparing breakfast, listening Ellie working the bedroom door open.

"Daddy! Wake up!" your daughter beams from the distance.

A short silence. Calm before storm.

Your husband sounds a sharp cough of pain. Ellie just jumped on him, you know this without seeing it. You've had your share of the human cannonball wake-ups yourself.

"No, Ellie, wait, stop -"

"Wake uuuup!" the child's loud demand fills the entire house.

"All right, All right. I'm awake, see?" a short groan marks the man's struggle of getting up. "You can stop jumping now... Ellie, you hear me?"

"No!" you can detect the little devil side of Ellie from the tone of her voice.

"Are you talking back to me, young lady?"

"Yeees." comes Ellie's sassy answer.

"Oh, that's how it is, huh?" Erwin's challenging, but yet so playful voice grows in tone.

Ellie screams.

Ellie laughs.

You pour yourself some coffee, listening the interaction of your loved ones, lips curled up as you absolutely adore the sound of Ellie having fun.

Bare feet stroll down the hallway and you turn around just in time to witness Erwin stepping past the corner, little Ellie locked up against his hip like a sack of potatoes. Poor Ellie is about to choke in her laughter, and Erwin takes the squirming girl into the living room, where he lets her slip down on the couch.

"I woke him up, mommy!" Ellie announces proudly as she pushes herself to sit upright.

"Good job." you praise her with a smirk, taking note that Erwin sends a blaming glare in your direction.

Erwin leaves Ellie on the couch and rubs his ribs as he comes at where you stand leaning your hips against the counter.

"When did she get so heavy?" the tired blonde wonders as he steps to the sink, where he pours himself a glass of water as he always does first in the morning.

You only chuckle, watching Ellie jump on the couch in unison with the cartoon character on the TV. You turn your head. Erwin finishes his drink and puts the glass down. Something catches Erwin's attention, and he now stares through the window in front of his face. He, in slightly awkward manner, lifts an arm to wave at someone. The act lights up your interest and you step next to him so you can look outside.

The old lady living next door looks out her living room window, waving back good mornings to her, no doubt, most favorite neighbor. Her smile is a bit too deeply carved to her face to be just polite, and you snicker.

"You better put a shirt on before poor mrs. Zackly's old heart has a rush she wont survive."

Erwin blinks at you, and then down at his bare torso.

"Oh dear." Erwin hides the awkward situation behind a casual smile, which he flashes one more time at the old lady, before he smoothly steps away from the window.

"Can I pick the shirt?" Ellie asks from the couch as she heard the conversation.

"Sure. Go ahead." Erwin mentions quickly, knowing how much Ellie appreciates it when she gets to be the fashion boss. It's a girl thing, he thinks, and lets her do what she loves.

Also, it spares him from taking extra steps first in the morning.

Ellie, an excited look in her eyes, runs across the floor and goes to the bedroom once again. Taking the opportunity of having a moment of privacy, both from Ellie and old neighbors, Erwin turns to you, a meaningful spark present in his eyes. You know that look, and you lower the cup of coffee on the counter as Erwin steps in front of you.

"You look nice." he tells as his hands find a comfortable place from your hips and he brings his face before yours.

"M-hm." you allow yourself to melt into his touch, shifting your own palms to trace up his bare abdomen. "You make me wish there was still a few extra hours left to spare." you whisper, now kissing him.

A soft rumble sounds from the distance, breaking the spell. In the short following silence, you break the kiss and listen. A quiet "Uh-oh" is all you hear, and you look your husband in the eye, a laughter itching to escape your pinned lips. Erwin closes his eyes in silent defeat, the mental image showing his clothes scattered around the floor.

Footsteps approach, and you break the touch so you can both face the corner where Ellie would show up at any second. The steps go silent, and she peeks over the corner.

"Uh," she begins as soon as she realizes you both heard her. "It was an accident." she admits making the mess since she knows there's no way of hiding it.

"We'll clean it up later." Erwin says, using a calm tone to assure her no one's angry with her. "What did you pick for me?" he then asks, brushing the mess topic aside.

Ellie grins, hurries off the corner and shows him the gray T-shirt she holds in her extended arms. Erwin reaches out his hand to accept the wear, but Ellie pulls her arms back.

"No, I want." she suddenly insists.

Erwin, with raised eyebrows, stares down at the blue eyes looking back to him. The demand in her gaze is unbreakable. Erwin snorts at her attitude, lets her win this battle, and crouches. Ellie begins to roll the large piece of fabric in search of the the neck hole, and Erwin waits patiently.

You watch the two of them, chuckling softly at Ellie's focused frown as she keeps turning the shirt. As you pick up your cup from the counter, Ellie moves to push the shirt through Erwin's head. Looks easier than it is, Ellie soon finds out as the neck gets stuck at Erwin's ears. You pin your lips together, shoulders twitching in silent laughter as Ellie grunts and tries to get the job done.

"Dad, your head is too big!" Ellie complains.

Erwin doesn't argue with that.

You snicker.

Ellie doesn't give up, and finally the hard work pays off and the shirt plops through.

The shirt is backwards, Erwin realizes as the wash tag pops out at the front, but he doesn't care to mention it. "Good job." he praises. "I think I can manage from here." he adds before standing up.

You watch your husband pull his arms in the sleeves, and then look down at your smirking daughter, feeling sad as you miss them both already.




As expected, your leaving was hard for Ellie. She cried. A lot. It took Erwin a great deal to make Ellie calm down after you eventually closed the door behind. Finally, Erwin got Ellie to calm down by promising her a new toy once they'd go to the town, and after he tickled her until she could barely breath from laughing so much.

Erwin enjoyed a nice morning, playing and relaxing. They cooked together, they made a mess, and they cleaned. Erwin had just started to truly enjoy himself at home, when suddenly, his phone rang...



"You're sure?" Erwin speaks on the phone he keeps in place with the help of his shoulder as his hands are busy with wiping Ellie's face.

The officer continues insisting his presence at the station as a couple of crucial forms needs his approval and signing. The information failed to reach him in time due a jam in the network, and now there are cases and other issues that remains stuck without his appearance in person.

"All right, I understand. I'll be there shortly." Erwin complies at the end of the colleague's matter.

Erwin drops the hand towel next to Ellie's half finished lunch, and ends the call. His thumb automatically scrolls down the contacts. He can't just drop Ellie in the daycare with such a short warning, even though his matter would only take a short while. He has to rely on the few people he trusts to look after her, but then, he realizes it himself.

He only has to handle some paperwork. It wouldn't take long. He could as well bring Ellie with him.

Erwin meets Ellie's face as he lifts his chin. Her expression reveals that she's concerned about what he said on the phone.

"Do you have to go to work?" Ellie then asks, as Erwin thought she would.

"Yes. I must visit the station real quick." Erwin says as he takes the leftovers and walks to the sink. "Go get your shoes, we can't let them wait, can we?" he then adds, and looks at his daughter over his shoulder.

Ellie gasps. "I can come, too?"

"It'll only take a minute." Erwin explains. "Why not."

Ellie turns on the chair. "Can I take Wolfie, too?" she hopes to bring the beloved toy along.

"If you promise me not to lose it." Erwin leaves the sink and gestures Ellie to jump off and move towards the front door.

"I won't." Ellie promises. "Can Wolfie go see the officer dogs with the vests?" she shoots another question as she hurries to the pointed direction.

"Officer dogs..." Erwin repeats her words with a chuckle. "I'm afraid all the dogs are with the units driving in the city."

Ellie puckers her lips in disappointment. She drops the wolf on the floor and sits down to put her shoes on. "Do the dogs live in the station?" she goes on with the topic.

Erwin picks up the car keys from the jacket he plans to leave behind for this trip. "No. They live with the handler and their families." he explains while crouching down to help her get the shoe over her ankle.

"Do the dogs wear seat belts in the car?"

"No. They hop in a cage in the back seat where they travel safely."

"What are the dogs' names?"

"Uh, there's so many I can't possibly remember." Erwin stands up to pick Ellie's summer hat from the upper shelf. "You can ask Mike if we see him at the station."

"Who's Mike?"

"He works with me. Well, in a different unit, but --"

"Does Mike have a dog?"

"Yes."

"Does the dog work with him?"

Erwin plops the hat on Ellie's head. "No, his dog is no longer on duty."

"Why not?" Ellie asks, looking up waiting for Erwin to open the door.

"The dog served for many years. Then she got old and now she's retired." Erwin explains as he takes a final glance around the house before opening the door.

Ellie picks up Wolfie and turns to exit the door. "What does she do now? What is retired?"

Erwin has to count to five in order to catch his breath in the flood of questions. He waits until Ellie hops through the doorway into the warm summer day, before he locks the door behind him. "Mike's dog probably enjoys her days doing nothing but sleeping, eating and playing. Once someone gets retired, it means they no longer have to go to work."

With a pondering frown, Ellie follows her father down the path leading to the second car parked in front of the garage. "Can you and mom retire, too?"

Yet another chuckle comes in reaction to her words. Erwin unlocks the car, opens the back door and assists Ellie onto her seat. "I'm sorry to tell you, but that won't happen any time soon. We still have many years left to work before we can retire. And when that happens, you'll be all grown up by then, Ellie."

Ellie lets her father work the seat belt on. She looks at him with a serious face, but she has no more questions for the matter. The said words only left her sink deep into her thoughts. She sighs through her nose and blinks her gaze at the view outside. As Erwin clicks the belt in, Ellie opens her mouth again.

"Can I have a dog?"

Erwin freezes for a split second. The shock passes, and he fixes the pokerface back on. There are many things he'd give her daughter, but dog isn't one of them.

"Uh, that's a really big responsibility, Ellie." Erwin tries to prepare a nice way to say no. He backs away from the narrow space and looks at her daughter's dreamy eyes from outside. "Perhaps later, when you're a bit older."

Erwin decides it's maybe best not to crush her dreams completely and make her sad - especially now when they're heading out. After his quick answer, Erwin closes the door and moves to step behind the wheel. His hand already grasps the door handle, when suddenly -

"Good day, mr. Smith!" old mrs. Zackly chirps from her side of the yard. "Hot day today, isn't it?"

Oh no, not now, Erwin curses his life as he sees the old woman stepping closer.

Erwin fights to present a polite smile. "It is indeed." he mentions quickly, and opens the door in hope of sending a message that he doesn't have time for small talk right now.

"I saw (Name) leave with bags this morning." she goes on. "I hope there's nothing wrong." she adds with a concerned face.

Ah, of course, nothing goes past her eyes in this neighborhood.

"No, not at all. She left to take her class on a field trip and she'll be back in a few days." Erwin clears up the detail, sneaking one leg inside the car.

"Oh, I see." mrs. Zackly breathes out and places her palm over her chest. "Good to know. You see, I spoke with this nice lady at the doctor's office just yesterday about how terrible it is nowadays when families are tearing apart. So many problems these people seems to have. Things were so different when I was young. You met one man and that's it. Problems were sorted out by talking, not running away--"

Erwin nods, pretending to take interest in her matter. "Yes, yes, indeed." he tries to wrap up the conversation. "Times change, I suppose. But, no need to worry about us, mrs. Zackly. Everything's fine in this family." Erwin flashes her a bright smile.

"Oh, no doubt about that." the old lady melts under his smile, as always. "Such a handsome couple you are, and with good, proper jobs. And little Ellie, such a pretty thing. You'll raise a good kid, I'm sure." she compliments the man.

"Ah, well, thank you." the situation is beginning to grow too awkward for Erwin's taste, and he mentally begs Ellie to lose her patience so he'd have a good excuse to leave. "Anyway, I'm afraid we have to --"

"Oh, now that (Name) is gone -"

Oh, she wasn't done yet.

"Who is going to water your plants? You know, the flowers need good care on hot days like this." she cranes her neck to look over the yard.

"I'll take care of it, thank you for mentioning about it." Erwin decides to be a rude just for this once, and lowers himself on the seat before she gets to ask another question.

"I can ask my husband to water them." mrs. Zackly keeps talking. "He won't mind. You know how much he enjoys the gardening. Always going on and abound with his hoses." she tells joyfully.

"Yes. I know, but no, thank you. There's no need." Erwin insists, now waving a hand for a goodbye. "Have a lovely day."

"I'll go tell Darius. He should be done with his tea already. Good day to you, mr. Smith." she tells with a raised voice to assure Erwin hears her - along with the rest of the neighborhood, no doubt.

She probably didn't hear him say no, or she ignored his words. Either way, Erwin doesn't care enough to say anything else. He just wants to leave, and with that thought, he closes the door and starts the engine, watching mrs. Zackly's back as she plods back to her house.

Erwin heaves in a deep breath. He checks on Ellie from the rear view mirror. She seems to be in her own world, and it leaves Erwin wonder.

"What's on your mind, Ellie?"

Ellie stops fidgeting Wolfie's ears and looks up to meet Erwin's eyes from the reflection. In most innocent voice, she says, "What kind of dog I can have when I grow up?"

Erwin blinks. He blinks again, and slowly looks back forward, regretting he ever asked.

"We can ask mommy when she comes back." he promises, turns the radio on, and backs off the yard.