Every Sunday, the soldiers are allowed leave. Many pack for a day trip and head off to the surrounding villages and towns to visit family or friends or do a bit of shopping. Levi, with no family or friends to speak of and nothing to spend his money on, stays behind and cleans his office. Maybe if he's feeling adventurous he'll kick Erwin out of his and clean it for him. That is the extent of his Sunday leave, has been since he joined the Corps.

His soldiers keep themselves busy on their Sundays, cherishing the short time they have off. Early in the morning, each of them will pack their bags, saddle their horses, and ride off before the sun has even peeked over the horizon. As close as they were, they always elected to spend it away from each other; as he heard Erd tell once, after he had lost a Saturday night card game, "I spend every minute of every day with all of you assholes and this day is my only goddamn chance to get away from it," before there was indignant, muffled yelling from Petra.

Gunter, he knows, will visit his grandmother and father and sister, just to remind them that he is still alive. He'll bring things he can't pack into his bag, stories of the lands outside the walls, a home cooked dinner, his smile, warmth, love.

Erd has parents who he will visit first, help with their market stall and the morning rush, then after lunch he will gallop off to where his fiancee lives, and Levi does not like to think what they get up to in the evening.

Auruo, with a great number of siblings, always leaves with his bags clinking. He straps it on so safely and does not stop for anyone until he reaches home, where he tucks it away into a jar on the mantle, holds his invalid mother's hand, and carefully instructs the second-eldest of his siblings on how to spend the money. Levi isn't sure if Auruo notices that his wages are slightly higher than the rest of his squad members, or if anyone notices that Levi's go down on the same day they are paid.

Petra's father lives further away from headquarters than Erd's or Gunter's or Auruo's family. The distance allows her only a short time with her father, the only family she has to his knowledge, so he allows her to leave late on Saturday and ride through the night. He's not sure if she's allowed or if he has the authority to give her permission to do that, but if there's a problem then Erwin hasn't bothered to do shit about it. She'll return late on Sunday, sometimes pushing it past curfew, but she wakes in the morning with so much energy and takes on training like she's had all the sleep in the world so he doesn't really care.

Yes, all Sunday's were the same and spent apart from one another, so he doesn't expect this week to be any different. He retired early to his office but their talk and laughter travels through the walls clearly. Before he left, Gunter busted out his playing cards, so he expects to hear yelling from Auruo soon about his loss. An excited squeal, undeniably Petra, echoes through the hallway, and he snorts to himself. Sounds like Petra is the victor of tonight's game. At least Auruo will have all of tomorrow to get over it. The chatter gradually dies down and footsteps sound through the halls, doors are opened and shut (quietly - he's snapped at them all more than once about slamming doors) and silence settles throughout headquarters. He considers calling it a night himself when there's a knock on his door. Half-expecting it to be Petra, asking permission to leave even though he has said multiple times that it's fine, he flings it open. To his surprise, Erd stands there. His second in command looks strangely uncertain, a look that doesn't suit him at all. Levi steps back and studies him for a moment, noticing a white envelope in his hand. He clears his throat. "Do you need something?"

"Uh...no. See, my wedding's tomorrow."

"Congratulations." Levi says, and he means it. "Really. But I don't see why this is relevant to me, Erd."

"I wanted to invite you, Captain."

Levi blinks. He stares at the envelope, now offered to him, then back up at Erd. The younger man looks slightly uncomfortable under his gaze, but he stands firm in his decision.

"Oh. Thanks." Levi says. Gingerly, he accepts it, turning it over in his hands. "Is that all?"

Erd nods. It's imperceptible, but Levi sees him deflate slightly at his unenthusiastic response. But that is all he came for, and he turns to leave. "Thank you, Captain."

Shutting the door gently behind him, Levi evaluates the fancy envelope, tearing it open. It formally requests the pleasure of his presence to to the wonderful, humble union of Erd Gin and Natalie Fennborn, at twelve in the afternoon, at a small church in the Trost district.

Marriage, when you're a soldier, has always seemed a very bad idea to Levi. Marriage to a Survey Corps soldier had to be up there in one of the most unnecessary things someone could do. What was the point when the chance of dying was so high? Even the most experienced soldiers could falter for a second and it would be enough. The only thing a serious soldier should be married to is his job. Hanji told him once that he only says that because he can't get any woman to marry him. He promptly told her to fuck off because she was single and the sole reason that they knew everything they knew about Titans.

Perhaps it is because they could die anytime, he mused. If you were bound to be cut short, why not take every risk you could? It wouldn't matter because you'd be dead. The only difference is that it would be so much more painful for someone living.

This woman must love him very much.

Erd. His faithful second-in-command. The one he can count on to order the others if he's absent for any reason. Diligent, strong, impressive. Funny, too; he's found himself amused at some of his comments. His loyalty rivalled even Petra's at times. He devoted himself to his job, his squad, and to Levi himself.

Admittedly, his upcoming Sunday was the busiest it had ever been; Erwin had placed his coffee on his desk without using a coaster and Levi was going to scrub the mark clean. But maybe he could make an exception, just for once.

Early the next morning, he watches his squad saddle their horses, each dressed in comfortable riding gear with another bag looped through the stirrup. They're all laughing and joking, acting like carefree idiots, and it almost makes him smile.

Just as Auruo and Gunter open the barrack gates, Erd looks up to Levi's window. Automatically, he retreats behind the curtain, twitching it closed. For a moment, Erd looks downcast before Petra claps him on the back and tugs him to his horse, saying something Levi can't decipher from behind his window. Whatever it is, Erd grins at her, suddenly invigorated, and he leads the others out of the gates. For the first time, they all head in the same direction.

He figures they're leaving to set up or some other wedding-related shit. He wouldn't know what to do anyway. So he rubs the sleep from his eyes, signs off a stupid letter to Dok, and fishes his old suit from his closet.

Erwin raises an eyebrow at him when Levi shuffles into the mess hall on his way to the stable. "Interesting clothing choice for cleaning, isn't it?" Erwin remarks, a small smile twitching on his lips.

Levi scowls. "Sometimes I want to feel fucking pretty."

Mike, seated opposite him and hunched over a map, snorts out of his big nose. Just as Levi is about to escape to the stables, Hanji emerges from the kitchen, hands wrapped around a mug. Here we fucking go is the only thought that crosses his mind before Hanji cackles with laughter. "Why didn't you tell me there was a noble coming in to see us today?" She says, turning to Erwin. "Such a small lady too! I would've dressed for occasion." She rests her elbow on Levi's shoulder and picks up his jacket cuff to inspect the stitching.

"Get- argh- fuck off Hanji!" He shoves her away forcefully. Still giggling, she adjusts her glasses. "Where are you going dressed so fancy?"

"A...wedding. Erd's. Gin."

Erwin's giant caterpillar eyebrow arches higher. "Well, have a good time." He returns to his map.

Levi stares hard at him, trying to decipher what he means because everything means something else with the Commander. Without looking up, Erwin says, "You don't want to be late now, do you?"

Levi's never been more relieved to see his horse, thanking whatever deity is up there that horses can't talk so he can't hear any more bullshit until he reaches the church.

The church is bustling with people dressed in their best finary. Levi feels awkward and out of place; Titans are far easier to navigate than strangers. Discreetly, he tries looking around for any of his squad members. None of them could be seen and he idly wonders if he's wandered into the wrong wedding. There are a few familiar faces, fellow soldiers who Erd must be friends with, but he doesn't know them well enough to strike up a conversation. Hell, he can't even strike up a conversation with people he's close to, anyway. As quick as he can, he finds a seat in the pews on what he assumes - hopes, actually, because it'll be real fucking awkward if it isn't - is Erd's side of the church. As more and more people file into the church, he notices that Erd's side is significantly smaller than his fiancee's; a handful of friends and an even smaller group of family members. He's thankful for the space when a lady and a very small boy (Erd's nephew? Cousins?) seat themselves all the way on the other end of the pew. The boy sniffles loud enough so Levi can hear it from all the way down the row, and the lady keeps wiping his nose with a very grubby handkerchief. He cringes inwardly.

A lone fiddler at the front suddenly strikes up a jaunty tune. The bustling chatter dies down immediately. A pastor takes his place at the altar, and everyone turns towards the entrance as Erd's men march through the doors. And it is no surprise at all that Erd's groomsmens - and woman - are the proud members of the Special Ops Squad.

Gunter, Auruo and Petra are all dressed in black suits. Gunter and Auruo's suits fit them smartly, clearly owned, worn and loved by the men. Petra's dark suit jacket hangs off her narrow shoulders and almost swallows her whole, and as the procession nears he sees that she wears her military shirt underneath. Her pants have been pinned up so the cuffs don't trail on the floor. Almost her entire outfit is ill-fitting but the with the proud, bright expression she wears, it's almost impossible to look at anything else. As she leads the procession down the aisle, he hears a very masculine woman - or is she a very feminine man? - mutter something about a woman wearing pants. He refrains himself from kicking her -him -them in the middle of their back.

The three take their place at the front, to the left of the altar. Then, after a brief pause, Erd follows through. Every item of clothing is smartly pressed, his shoes shined to perfection, his long hair scraped and gelled into place. Levi's seen Erd fight fifteen metre Titans with the greatest of ease, but this is what makes the man look unconfident for the first time in his life?

He'll never understand a man in love.

Erd joins the other three up next to the altar. They nod at him reassuringly, and Levi watches Erd take a deep breath. A cluster of bridesmaids make their way down the aisle, clutching bouquets of white flowers, daisies entwined in their hair. Then, the entire crowd takes a sharp intake of breath and rise to their feet. The bride, Natalie, wears a crown of daisies in her loose, long hair and a flowing white dress. Her face is obscured by a sheer veil.

At the front, he sees Erd inhale sharply, his eyes trained on his bride. Slowly, slowly, she makes her way up the aisle and stands opposite Erd. The pastor nods, and everyone sits.

The semantics of the wedding, Levi is embarrassed to admit, are lost on him. This is the first wedding he's ever attended and he finds that it is quite long. He finds his legs falling asleep and his hands twitching with pins and needles as the pastor talks on about the ins and outs of marriage. But he tries hard to focus again, for Erd's sake. The pastor then asks them to recite their vows, and with eyes only for each other, they begin.

Natalie's speech is full of wonderful things, a few inside jokes that make her close friends laugh, and her love for Erd shines through with every word. Never once does she take her eyes off him and Erd is almost falling apart by the end of it. Auruo and Petra are falling apart by this point but a sharp nudge from Gunter fixes it quickly. Erd takes a deep breath and stares at her through her veil, and he opens his mouth to begin.

"Natalie, the first time we met I knew immediately that I wanted to spend the rest of my life - however short - with you. The first time we met you helped me, after I stupidly got lost down a simple, simple street."

When he started, his voice was shaky. But as Erd continues, his voice growing more confident with each word, more and more people reach for handkerchiefs. Auruo is a blubbering mess at this point, dabbing his tears with his cravat. Petra is slightly more dignified, pulling a small piece of cloth from her pocket. Only Gunter is dry-faced, but he is the happiest Levi has ever seen him. From where he is seated, he can see Natalie's hands shaking with emotion. And Erd, Levi's strong, level-headed second in command, has never looked more radiant. He is beaming when he ends, his eyes shining with unshed tears, and the pastor takes a moment to recollect himself before he asks for any objections. After a short silence, the pastor nods at the pair. "Do you, Erd Gin, take Natalie Fennborn to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Erd nods. He only has eyes for her. "I do."

"Do you, Natalie Fennborn, take Erd Gin to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." It comes out as almost a whisper, but it is there and firm. Silently, they slide the rings onto each others fingers.

The pastor nods at the two. "I now pronounce you husband and wife." He announces to the whole church. "You may now-"

Erd has already thrown Natalie's veil over her head and grasped her around the waist before the the pastor had even finished. And as they kiss, the whole church erupts into noisy cheering. His squad collapse into emotional, happy tears; as Erd pulls back from his new wife, radiating nothing but warmth and love and complete, utter, happiness, Levi feels the warmest he's felt in a long time.

For someone who's last name is Gin, Erd can't hold his liquor.

Seriously. They're one drink in. Even Petra is standing steady after downing her glass. But Erd is swaying slightly from side to side already. His arm stays tight around Natalie's waist though, and Levi suspects that it'll stay that way for the rest of the time they have together, no matter how wasted he gets.

After the ceremony, all the guests flooded out of the church. Erd and Natalie couldn't leave without being bombarded by congratulations from every damn person so Levi retreated to the back of the crowd and waited. It was Petra who found him first, having spotted him in the crowd, and called over Gunter and Auruo. They saluted fiercely at first before Levi shot them a look.

By the time the crowd finally thinned out and Petra had talked him through everything that went wrong early in the morning when they arrived to help set up (including a food poisoning scare, a torn bridesmaid dress, and a missing relative) Erd had wandered over to them. Natalie was tight against his side.

"Captain!" Erd says, taken aback. His arm comes free very briefly to salute. Levi can feel Petra behind his back motion silently for Erd to drop the salute. "At ease." Levi says simply.

Relaxing, Erd had thanked him deeply for attending, still slightly dazed. Natalie surprised them all by shaking Levi's hand warmly and thanking him for keeping her husband in line. Levi surprised them all even more by not wiping his hand right after.

Maybe it's because of this that Erd invited him to stay in the small church courtyard for food, drinks and the cutting of the cake. The cake must be the sweetest, richest thing that Levi has ever eaten in his life and he tries to be discreet about the all the water he consumes after to wash the taste away. Then Auruo proposes a toast to the new couple and their baby - it's only now he notices a baby bump under her dress - and Erd tosses back his and Natalie's drink. She watches him sway from side to side fondly and announces that she must speak to her family, briefly leaving his squad alone.

"Captain," Erd begins, "I really wanted to say thank you for coming, you know I didn't think you would because you're always so moody-"

Levi snorts from behind his full drink- he despises the taste - and waves it off. Erd, thankfully, catches on and shifts his blurry attention. "And you all, all of you, for helping and coming through." His long arms encompass Petra and Auruo. "My friends. My family. Well," His eyes jerk towards the manly lady/lady man Levi spied earlier and a tall gentleman. "My other family."

"Stop it, Erd," Petra says, whacking him across the arm good-naturedly. Her voice is thick with emotion and she reaches up to pull him into a hug. "Anything for family."

She extends her arms out; Auruo and Gunter join in as well. Levi stands at the edge, content to watch the sentimental fools hug it out, when Erd reaches out and tugs Levi into the hug as well. And the giant tipsy bastard shoves him to the middle so he can't fight out.

"Alright, idiots, back up." Levi says firmly. "Moment's over, alright? Back up."

"Okay, okay," Erd grumbles. His eyes are starting to clear up slightly. "You know, Petra was going to ask you if she could wear your suit jacket because you're so similar in size-"

"Erd!"

He has to repeat over and over that it would be morally wrong to kill a man on his own wedding day.

"Alright ladies!" Natalie calls from the front of the yard, standing on a chair. She turns her back to a cluster of women gathered near her, bridesmaids and guests alike. "You know what time it is! One, two...three!" She launches her bouquet high into the air. But she's overshot, whatever she was trying to do, and it arcs above the women's heads and Levi sees it come down near their little group. So he raises his arm and catches it in one hand. Levi turns the flowers over in his hand, glancing up to see his men struggling to keep a straight face. Next to him, Petra chokes on a gasp, and the men start to snigger. The group of women glare at him angrily. Natalie begins to laugh, almost choking on her giggles.

"Oi, what? Do you what your shi- flowers back?" Levi asks. At this, Erd bursts into noisy laughter, close to tears.

"Captain, when the bride throws the bouquet...whoever catches it is the next to get married!"

It's morally wrong, he reminds himself, but he bets that it would feel so good.

The sun is beginning to peak below the horizon. The decorations have long been packed, the church emptied; only a handful of people remain, late night revellers who wish the couple farewell. All his men have changed out of their suits and into their normal, civilian clothing, straddling up their horses and ready to ride off to the compound. Erd, now out of his suit, stares wistfully at Natalie's face, holding her close to him. Natalie is very understanding, already knew that he couldn't stay any longer, but Levi sees the hesitation in removing her arms from around him. Understanding wouldn't lesson the pain.

"Erd." Levi starts, and Erd snaps his attention to his superior immediately. "Sir. My apologies." Without a second's dely he's on his horse, gathering the reins in his hands. Natalie stands next to him, a hand resting on her stomach.

"Tomorrow, I wanted to go over the backup formation for training." Levi says.

His squad knows what he means perfectly. In the case of an injury and one member can't attend the expeditation, the backup formation is used. "Obviously it's a four person exercise. I don't think I have any use for you seeing as you're the one most prone to injuries."

That title actually goes to Auruo, but Erd catches on immediately.

"Oh, of course sir! I wouldn't want to cause any inconvenience for what you have planned tomorrow."

"Right. We'll finish that exercise by late noon, then we're going over the one planned for this upcoming expedition. I want you back no later than two, understand?"

"Perfectly, sir!" Erd is already sliding off his horse and retreating back to the building. "Two o'clock. Crystal clear. Peak condition. Got it."

"Glad we're on the same page." Levi urges his horse towards the main road, turning one last time to see the happy couple. Erd has all his attention on his wife, but she catches Levi's eye and mouths thank you.

As his remaining squad members hit the road, Levi decides that he likes his normal Sunday's, cleaning alone, but spending it with family is not too bad either.

a/n: never attended a wedding in my life. had to research wedding vows. might be wrong. might've completely messed up a wedding. thats how it be sometimes