"I didn't know Hanji is so fancy about flowers."
"Well, you should've guessed it, she's majoring in Biology."
"Ah." Petra muttered as they made their way through the crowd where people seemed to be chatting, drinking, eating, and Levi hated it.
He always hated crowds, he didn't belong there. But then Petra took his hand and squeezed it, making him feeling a little better.
"Don't forget to smile, Best Man." She said with a sly smile.
Best Man. He couldn't believe both of his best friends were getting married—okay they technically had married—to each other. Well, he saw them practically in love with each other long before they knew it. He saw them holding hands and kissing—ew—and probably had done other things he'd like not to go into details.
He was happy for them, he really was. But it was so weird to see them… married.
"You look—" Levi's voice trailed off as Petra turned to him, tilting her head to one side, and waiting for him to continue.
Beautiful, he thought, but the word didn't come up to his mouth. Whenever he wanted to give some compliment to her, the words didn't seem right. It was either too cheesy or the way he'd say it would make her laugh instead of smiling and saying thank you and then he'd get a kiss.
Okay maybe he imagined them both kissing too much.
Still, they've been together for, like, 4 years. And add the time when they'd known each other but not friends yet because he wasn't an easy person to befriend with, he should've known how to say things to her.
Or maybe because she was too beautiful he even wondered why would she want to be with him. Petra smiled as if knowing his thought—at this point, he wouldn't be surprised if she could.
"Petra!" She turned her head to the voice.
"I've got to go. The bride needs the bridesmaid. See you later?" He kissed her on the cheek for an answer.
As he watched her walking towar Hanji, he cursed himself under his breathe. Hell, he thought, how am I supposed to say this without even being able to say it?
"What's the matter, Levi? Couldn't throw your shit away this morning? You look like you haven't pooped in three days." Levi looked at Erwin without so much expression—you could never tell he was joking or not.
"That was one of my best jokes, Erwin." Erwin took a sip of wine from his glass as he glanced across the room. Levi didn't have to tell who he was looking at.
"So," Erwin started. "When are you going to say it, Levi?" "
What? When am I going to say what?" Erwin looked down at him and Levi always hated the fact that he was shorter than Erwin. He was shorter than anyone else except Petra, which was a bonus for him so he didn't have to tiptoe to kiss her. And he also enjoyed it when she did that to him—or when she pulled him by the collar of his neck—not that he wanted to admit it, even to her.
"Hanji told me about the ring."
Damn shitty four-eyes. Levi tried to keep his face calm. He loved and trusted Hanji enough to make himself asking her if she could do him a favor. Apparently, she wasn't trusted enough now, now that she had told—
"She's my wife now, Levi, and we're not supposed to keep secrets from each other—"
"Damn you and your wife." Levi hissed. "This is my secret, Erwin! What if your wife"—he said the word in a mocking tone—"told her?!"
He was being hysterical, but he didn't care. He might be being looked at for shouting the groom, but he didn't care (and he tried to keep his voice down).
"She won't." Erwin put his glass on the table. "Married or not, we're both still your best friends, Levi. Why didn't you tell me you're going to propose Petra? You know I've done that before—proposing to a woman."
Levi could feel himself flushed for the rush he felt for being mad at Erwin, and for being embarrassed at his saying; propose.
He was going to propose Petra. He was going to ask her if she wanted to marry him.
He was going to freak out now.
He put a hand in his pocket and—there, he could feel a little box. He hold and rub it. That little box had a ring in it. A nice ring that he'd know she'd like it. He didn't know how or why, he just assumed she'd like it.
Good God, he was going to freak out like a mad in his best friends' wedding, wasn't he?
"Hey," From the corner of his eye, he could see Erwin drinking again from his glass, certainly trying to hold back a laugh when Petra greeted them.
"Hanji told me about the flower." Erwin pointed at the one Petra was holding.
"Oh yes, this. She told me about this luck from the bride to the women who get anything from the bride. She wanted to throw the bouquet, but then she said it wasn't fair to everyone and decided that every women will get one flower from her bouquet." She held out the flower to Levi. "Mind holding this for a second for me?"
He did as what she said.
She looked at him again and frowned. "Are you okay, Levi?" She held out a hand to touch his cheek and forehead.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little bit hot in here." He replied. He still could see Erwin trying not to laugh.
"I better go now. My wife is waiting for me." Erwin said.
Levi growled. "For fuck's sake if you keep saying the W-word I—"
"Go ahead, she really is." Petra cut him off. Erwin nodded at her and shot Levi a knowingly look. He knew what that look meant.
"W-word?" Petra turned at Levi. "What are you? A high school girl?"
He just rolled his eyes and didn't answer. He realized he was still holding her flower.
He looked down at it and couldn't help but letting his mind gazing anywhere. He could imagine she had some flowers and took a great care of them—she did, actually, in her apartment. But he could imagine her doing the same thing in their house. He could see a house and they could make it as their home. He could hear their laughter filled the house. He could see him, exhausted from work, got home and saw her waiting for him with a smile and—surprised—their child.
He could see it. And he suddenly longed for it.
He also remembered how her presence would make him calm. Like a few minutes ago when he was about to burst out but then she came and then he felt okay.
She was always there for him even without realizing it. It felt natural, like breathing.
And he was 100% sure she felt the same way.
He could still feel the little box in his pocket. He looked to her, eyes searching for her blue, bright eyes. The eyes that always looked at him with happiness, or worry, or even sad. The eyes that he wouldn't mind to look at to everyday. He pulled out the box out of his pocket.