"I should be done in… let's say… four to five days? I still have a few drawings to do, and I think it's better to see each other before I put the colors on and all. You know, in case I need to change anything. Yeah… Okay, sure! See ya!"

Eren hung up the phone and stretched from his desk chair, feeling a few bones pop because of the bent position he had been in for the last few hours. It was always like this when he was drawing. He would get lost in his own world and forget the one around him, to the point he wouldn't even realize his back hurt before he stopped to take a break.

His lips curved into a smile, feeling proud of the progress he had made so far and looking forward to his next meeting with Armin. He was one of his best friends since they had met in art school and was also the co-author of his illustration book, Attack on Titan. Or should he say books, since they were now working on the third volume. They had worked on the first one during their school years, and had been allowed to publish another one thanks to its success. They were a really good team, with Eren drawing the illustrations and Armin writing the text parts.

Nothing would have made Eren happier than publishing these books. It had been one of his childhood dreams, and being able to spread the story he had grown up with to others made him feel delighted. It was, after all, part of his story, even if he recalled nothing of it. He still stood with what he had said to Levi seven years ago: he didn't really care not remembering. He was content with what he had.

The soft click of a door being opened drew him out of his daze and a huge smile appeared on his face. Correction to what he had been thinking earlier: this, was what made him the happiest. Having a wonderful partner to share his daily life with, seeing his face every day and waking up next to him in the morning. It was the best thing in his life right now and there wasn't a day he didn't thank his lucky star to have been blessed like he was.

"Levi! Welcome home!"

Eren stood up from his chair and excitedly made a beeline for the entrance in order to welcome properly his boyfriend. They had started living together right after they graduated from their respective schools in Trost, and ever since, embracing his lover the moment he got home was his favorite part of the day. Or waking up next to him. Or cuddling on the couch. Or… Well, okay, he had a lot of share moments with Levi he appreciated, probably all of them, but who cared? He was happy.

"Hey, babe! Sorry, I'm late today."

The brunet laughed quietly at that. It wasn't like he had noticed Levi being late anyway since he had been engrossed in his work, but it was a habit the raven had. Even if he was five minutes late, he would apologize. But Eren didn't really mind, it always put a grin on his face from the obvious care his boyfriend was showing when apologizing for such a petty thing.

His smile disappeared instantly the moment he saw the state Levi was in. His black hair was slick with water and sticking to his forehead, and his clothes had dark patches almost everywhere, especially on his legs and shoulders.

Eren watched his boyfriend removing his shoes and coat without moving an inch, still surprised by his appearance, when he heard the sound of heavy rain hitting the windows. How come he hadn't noticed the weather before with how loud it was?

"What happened to you!? You're completely drenched!"

Eren finally broke off his staring and rushed to take a towel from the bathroom to try to dry his shivering boyfriend. He started with his hair, still trying to figure out in his head what had happened. Technically speaking, there was no reason for Levi to be wet like this. The office he worked in had an underground parking, as well as the building they were living in. There was no reason for him to go outside, especially in this weather, if it were for him just going home.

"I had somewhere to go on my way home." Levi answered his question.

"What's so important for you to go out in this weather?" Eren asked exasperated, but only because he was worried.

"You." Levi had spoken so quietly Eren wasn't even sure he had heard him right.

"What?"

Eren had stopped rubbing the raven's hair, confused, and Levi removed his hands gently to let the towel fall on his shoulders. He looked straight into his green eyes, a serious expression on his face, and Eren's heart stopped for a second. He had absolutely no idea what was going on or passing through his lover's head, and his confusion increased when the latter took both of his hands with his.

"Eren…" Levi started before stopping, and Eren swallowed nervously but didn't interrupt him, waiting for him to continue. "I have something important to tell you… Will you listen to it?"

His nervousness grew even more with the raven's words, but he tried to ward off his concerns in order to nod, letting him know he could go on. It took Levi a few minutes to collect himself before speaking again.

"Ten years ago, I made a mistake and pushed you away. There was not a day since then when I haven't blamed myself for this and regretted it. I was a stupid and immature kid, who was trying to run away from his feelings, and I'm still sorry I hurt you that way."

"Levi-" He was immediately cut off, Levi letting him know he wasn't done yet and asking him to let him finish.

"That day, when you went missing… I know it's stupid and probably self-centered, but I blamed myself for it. I thought that maybe if I hadn't stopped talking to you, this wouldn't have happened. I was so worried about you. I went out looking for you because it was the only way for me to ease my guilt and make it up to you. And when I saw your clothes on the ground, I…"

Levi stopped, looking down for a second before staring back again at Eren when he squeezed his hands in comfort, in a silent way to let him know he could take his time and go on when he was ready. The raven returned his soft smile and cleared his throat before speaking once more:

"I thought I was too late and realized what a fool I had been. I realized I didn't want to be apart from you anymore, that I wanted to talk to you again, and I promised myself to do it if you ever came back. And then, I found you. It wasn't exactly how I had pictured our reunion, but at least you were there, alive, and you needed help. I saw that as my chance to make it up to you and I swore to myself I would do my best to get you back to normal.

"Then we spent all this time together, but I had no idea how to act around you anymore. As much as I had claimed you hadn't changed, you had, and it terrified me. I realized how much time we had spent apart and how all of it was my fault. I didn't know how to tell you the truth and I was scared of your reaction if I told you how I felt. But then…"

"You fell." Eren said in a whisper, his mind strolling down memory lane and going back to that particular day.

"I fell." Levi agreed with a soft voice of his own. "But when it happened, all I could think about was you. How I didn't want you to be hurt. How I wanted to protect you."

"And you did."

"Yeah, and you protected me too."

Levi smiled at that, and Eren couldn't help but return his smile, his heart beating so fast he didn't know what to do. He had no idea why his boyfriend was telling him all of this now, but he was happy to know how he had felt in that moment. He knew it was difficult for him to talk about his feelings, and was always grateful when it happened.

"When I woke up and saw how much you had been worried about me, I realized I didn't need to hide my feelings anymore. For the first time, I knew I could tell you and you wouldn't hate me for it. That you might actually feel the same. I had tried to convince myself otherwise after listening to you and Hanji, that I had probably understood it the wrong way only because it was what I wanted, but… I didn't want to have any more regrets. I told you that, and I still think it's true."

He put one hand on Eren's cheek, much like when they had first kissed, and the loving look he gave him melted the brunet's heart. How could he have ended up with such a caring man as his boyfriend? He was feeling like the luckiest man on earth.

"When it comes to you, I don't want to regret anything." Levi told him again.

Eren was trying very hard to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall out of his eyes. He was feeling completely overwhelmed, both by Levi's words and Levi's expressions, but all his efforts were completely blown away when he saw Levi put a hand inside his pocket and take a small black box out of it, which he carefully put inside his palm. His dark blue eyes were looking intensely at him again, but this time he could discern a hint of nervousness in them. The next thing he said was what broke the dam of his overbearing emotions:

"Eren, will you marry me?"

Levi didn't get down on one knee like you could see in movies, but Eren didn't care because it allowed him to see Levi's face from a smaller distance and with it all of the emotions passing on his face. Like how his features softened when he realized Eren was crying, right after he had opened the box to reveal one shiny silver ring with a small blue gemstone in the middle of it.

The way he softly brushed his tears away brought him back to his senses and made him realize he had stopped breathing for a moment, and also that it was his turn to talk now. However, everything he wanted to tell him in return was blocked inside his throat and he could only manage to let out a small whine when he opened his mouth.

Desperate to give him an answer, he gripped his lover's hand placed on his cheek and nodded furiously, trying to convey what he couldn't phrase. Levi seemed to completely relax at his reaction, his shoulder dropping down and losing their tenseness. He carefully took Eren's left hand and gently put the ring on his finger, looking happily at it before turning his attention again to his now fiancé.

The moment the ring was safely put on his finger, Eren threw himself into Levi's arms, making him loose his balance for a moment because of the surprise, before he could feel him embracing him back. The brunet's shoulders were now shaking because of the unstoppable flow which was falling out of his eyes, and Levi tenderly kissed his neck and drew circles on his back to soothe him.

He was feeling so overwhelmingly happy that he didn't know how to stop crying. He had never thought his lover would propose to him. It had never crossed his mind, even if he had dreamed of them spending their life together. It was the only possible outcome of their relationship for him, but now that Levi had made it official he wanted the same, he felt like he was soaring.

It took him a few minutes to calm down, but he managed to do it and took this opportunity to verbally convey his feelings.

"Yes… Yes. Of course I'll marry you! I love you so so much."

He moved back a little to be able to look at his fiancé in the eye, and smiled when he saw the look of pure bliss on his face and the way his eyes were shining with happy tears. Eren kissed him first on his forehead, then on his eyelids, his nose, his cheeks, before kissing him passionately on his lips. Levi eagerly kissed him back before pressing their forehead together, a hand gently stroking his long brown hair.

"I love you too, little lover."