Author's Note: I know I usually do my spiel up here at the top of the chapter, but this week, it'll be down at the bottom. If the start seems confusing, go back and re-read chapter 33, because I'm picking up from where that chapter left off (Eren's perspective) rather than from where 34 ended (Levi's perspective). PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE BOTTOM WHEN YOU'RE DONE WITH THE NEW CHAPTER BECAUSE THERE ARE IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS! See you at the bottom!
...
Around 10:00 AM, a knock comes at Eren's door and Carla pokes her head in.
"Oh, I didn't realize you were- Oh my goodness, are you okay, sweetie?"
"Wha?"
"Your eyes are red and puffy, not to mention the dark bags under your eyes. Did you sleep at all last night?"
"Barely. I maybe got three hours of sleep?"
"Were you having nightmares?"
"Yeah…"
I spent all night thinking about how horrible I am and how Levi could break up with me. He should find someone better than me, who won't cause him such worry and heartache. He's literally saved my ass more than three times now, and I haven't done anything for him. Hell, I can't even offer him pleasure with my body because my mom refuses to let me be with him sexually… Why does he stay with me? He could do so much better…
"I can see about getting you some sort of sleep aid to help you stay asleep if you want."
"No thanks. Let me try another night or two before we resort to that."
"Okay, whatever you want sweetie. I just want you to be healthy and comfortable."
"Thank you, mom."
"What do you want for breakfast this morning, sweetheart?"
"I'm not that hungry… Maybe I'll get something later."
"Are you sure?" Carla asks, concerned because Eren almost never refuses food.
"Yeah."
"Do you need help changing out of your pajamas?"
"I'm comfortable, so not right now. Thank you though."
"Okay then… If you need anything, don't hesitate to call for me, okay sweetheart?"
"Got it."
Carla gives Eren a weak smile before leaving, quietly closing the door behind her. Eren flops back onto his pillows, staring at the ceiling finding and trying not to cry again. After he settles down a little, he sighs heavily before heaving himself out of bed. He uses the walker to get up and go over to his dresser, pulling out a worn, black t-shirt and faded blue jeans before taking them back to his bed. He sits down carefully, allowing himself a minute of rest before attempting to change clothes. Undressing himself is easy; the sleep shirt he's wearing is the kind that buttons down the front, and it doesn't take a lot of effort to lift his hips to slide the pajama pants off his legs, but getting dressed is a different story. Eren struggles with pulling on his jeans, and by the time Eren's done putting on his shirt, his arms are burning uncomfortably, but he's proud that he managed to do something for himself.
Now that he's properly dressed, Eren does his morning exercises, pushing himself to do a little more than what was prescribed to him to do because he wants a fast recovery. In need of a distraction after he finishes, Eren grabs his book off his nightstand and slowly makes his way out to the living room, plopping down on the couch and trying to ignore the protests of his taxed legs. He's just cracked his book open when the doorbell rings. Eren turns his head from his position on the couch as Carla rushes into the room, muttering to herself.
"Jeez, he's early. I still have to help Eren get dressed…" Carla says under her breath, but when she notices Eren sitting on the couch, fully dressed, she does a double take.
"When did-?"
"I got dressed myself and came out here just a minute ago. Who's at the door?"
Please let it not be Levi, please not Levi, please not Levi…
"You'll see in a moment." Carla says with a playful wink and turns back toward the door.
Eren instinctively ducks his head out of sight, listening intently as Carla opens the door.
"Good morning, Mrs. Jaeger!" Armin chirps.
"Good morning to you too, Armin. Please come inside."
Eren breathes an audible sigh of relief then sits up properly, greeting his best friend from his seat on the couch.
"Hey Armin! What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to help tutor you. I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but you've got a month's worth of classwork to catch up on. I'm sure that the teachers won't expect you to make up all the assignments you missed, but they're not going to have a lot of time to help you catch up, so I'll help you out."
"You don't have to. I know you have other things that are more important to do than walk me through all of this…" Eren mumbles.
"Nothing is more important than being there for family and friends, Eren. It doesn't mean I'll help you cheat on a test, but it does mean that I'll tutor you on the things you don't understand. Besides, it'll help me study for midterms."
"Thanks…" Eren mutters.
"Don't mention it." Armin beams, his smile warming a spot in Eren's chest.
Armin kicks off his shoes by the door before coming to sit down by Eren on the couch, pulling out a textbook, two notebooks, some pens, and a calculator. Eren eyes the textbook Armin pulled out and groans.
"Do we have to start with fucking calculus?"
"Eren, language!" Carla reprimands from the other room, making Armin chuckle.
"Sorry, mom…" Eren calls back.
"We're starting with calculus because it's best to start with the hardest thing and then work your way down to the easier things."
"What ever happened to easing into things slowly?"
"You'll thank me later."
"Uggghhh…"
"C'mon, let's start with indefinite integrals. You should be familiar with those already, so we'll start with that before moving onto the new stuff: definite integrals!"
"Armin, stop sounding so fucking excited…" Eren groans.
"Eren Jaeger, language!" Carla yells again, and Armin laughs even harder.
"I'm excited because it's cool. Let's start with this, okay?" Armin opens on of the notebooks and writes a problem down on the paper.
Evaluate x2+x-6 dx.
Eren ponders the problems for a minute, but his mind draws a blank.
"Refresh me on indefinite integrals, Armin?"
"The long way or the short way?"
"What do you think?"
"Ok, short way then. Do you remember how to take the derivative of the function?"
"Yeah, for a polynomial, you roll forward the exponent and multiply it by the coefficient when it's applicable, and constants become zero? So for the function x2+x-6, the derivative would be 2x+1."
"Yes, that's correct. So in the case of indefinite integrals, otherwise known as antiderivatives, you work backwards. You add one to the exponent and divide the coefficient by the new exponent power. For constants, you just multiply them by the variable."
"So the antiderivative for this would be… 13x3+12x2-6x?"
"Since the antiderivative is actually a family of functions rather than a single function, you would have to add the constant c to your answer, but yes, you are correct."
"Great! Give me another?"
"Hey, Eren?" Carla interrupts, standing at the door with her purse.
"What is it mom?"
"I have a lunch date with Petra. Will you two be alright here by yourselves?"
"We'll be fine, Mrs. Jaeger."
"Yeah. Have fun with Petra."
"All right then! I'll be back in an hour or two. Don't hesitate to call me if something comes up, okay?"
Eren flinches involuntarily, and Armin notices, but he doesn't say anything.
"Ok, bye mom!"
"Bye, Mrs. Jaeger."
"Bye, boys!" Carla chirps, exiting into the garage, getting in the car and then driving off.
Armin watches her car until it's out of sight before turning back to Eren.
"Eren, what's bothering you?"
"W-what? Nothing is bothering me..."
"I can tell something is bothering you, so you might as well tell me."
Eren remains silent, refusing to make eye contact with Armin. His best friend stares him down for a solid five minutes, trying to get him to crack, but when he is returned with no progress, he sighs audibly.
"I guess I can't force you to tell me, but for the record, I know something is going on. Whenever you are ready to talk, you know where to find me. Now, where were we?"
…
"I think you've finally got the hang of using the Trapezoidal Rule to approximate the area under the curve. I guess this means you are now all caught up!" Armin complements.
"It's all because of you, Armin. Thanks for writing down all the formulas and rules for me too. It's not all going to stick the first time, but I'll have the notes you made for reference. I'll make a point to practice on my own-"
Eren is interrupted mid-sentence by his phone ringing.
"This is probably my mom; hold on one sec." Eren apologizes as he answers the call and bringing the phone to his ear.
"Hello?" Eren says.
"Good afternoon, Eren." Levi's deep voice comes through the speaker, and Eren freezes.
"Good afternoon to you, too." Eren replies, trying his best to keep his voice even.
Armin casts Eren a worried look, but Eren ignores him.
"The reason I called is because I need to talk to you about something important." Levi says slowly, his voice a bit uncertain, as if he's nervous.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"I can't talk to you like this- I mean, I'd rather talk to you face-to-face, if that's all right?"
"Umm… S-sure?" Eren stammers, beginning to panic.
"Can we meet at Sina Cucina at 6:00?"
"I'll have to ask my mom…"
"I already asked her, and she said that it was fine. Is 6:00 okay with you?"
"6:00 is… swell."
"Great, I'll see you at 6:00 then. Bye!" Levi sounds super relieved, quickly hanging up the phone.
"Eren, who was that?" Armin questions as Eren pulls the phone away from his ear.
"That was Levi."
"Why did you sound so upset? Did you guys get in a fight or something?"
"Sorta…"
"Is that what's bothering you?"
Eren nods, his eyes fixed on the floor.
"What happened?"
"It's a long story…" Eren sighs.
"I've got time."
"I'm not ready to talk about it yet..."
Armin sighs, annoyed with Eren's childish avoidance of the subject.
"Knowing you Eren, I'd be willing to bet that you're making this much worse for yourself than you need to make it. You have a tendency to blow things out of proportion unnecessarily, and you just make yourself miserable."
"But I-"
"Talk to him about it. I'd be willing to bet that the situation isn't as bad as you think, Eren."
"I doubt it-"
"Please, Eren? Just talk to him. If not for yourself, do it for me. I can't bare to see you act like this, especially towards Levi of all people. I know you love him with all of your being. Don't let one misunderstanding call off your relationship."
"Alright, I'll do it tonight. He says there's something he has to talk to me about anyway…"
"See? You guys are probably looking to talk about the same thing. He wants to make it work and resolve the problem!"
"I hope you're right, Armin. I hope you're right…"
...
6:00 rolls around and there's no Levi in sight. Eren is nervously playing with the hem of his shirt as he sits in the waiting area at the front of the restaurant. He checks the time every two minutes, dreading having to face Levi, but at the same time impatient and wanting to just get it over with already.
"Are you excited, Eren?" Carla asks, noticing Eren's fidgety behavior.
"I'm actually kinda nervous… Levi said he wanted to talk to me about something important, but he wouldn't tell me what it was…"
"Oh sweetie, don't be nervous. It's probably not what you think it is." Carla assures, smiling sweetly down at her son.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Call it a mother's intuition- Oh, Levi, over here!" Carla calls, waving her hand at Levi who just walked through the doors.
Levi's attention immediately catches on Carla, and he changes direction, making a beeline toward the nervous boy and his mother.
"Good evening. Sorry that I'm late… There was a little bit of traffic." Levi apologizes, straightening his sports jacket.
"No worries. I gotta go, but I'll see you at around 7:30, okay sweetie? That should be plenty of time." Carla says, kissing Eren on the forehead, before turning and leaving.
"Okay... Love you, mom."
Eren casts Carla a pleading look, but she misses it, already out of sight.
"Are you hungry, Eren?" Levi asks, giving Eren a nervous smile.
"A little…" Eren lies, his own nervousness and worry ruling out any of his hunger.
"Let's go sit down, then."
Levi goes up to the hostess and confirms his reservation, and when a waitress appears to take Eren and Levi back to their table, Levi turns back to go help Eren, only to find Eren right behind him. Levi offers Eren a warm smile, his eyes twinkling with excitement and happy surprise, before following the waitress back to the table. Eren struggles a little bit to keep up, but Levi slows down his pace so as not to lose Eren in the busy restaurant. When they arrive, he pulls out a chair for Eren and helps him get situated before sliding into the seat opposite him. The waitress gives them their menus before disappearing back into the fray of the restaurant.
"What are you thinking about, Eren?" Levi asks, looking over his tall menu, but the way Eren is holding his blocks his face from view.
"I'm not sure… Maybe a Caesar salad?" Eren mumbles, scanning over the menu and looking for the cheapest option.
Levi frowns, figuring something is seriously off about Eren. The Eren that he knows would be looking at the most decadent dishes, but the fact that Eren is considering something small and relatively light like a salad is… unnerving, to say the least.
"Did you see that the special today is the five-cheese lasagna? That actually sounds pretty good. Or maybe the Penne Margherita? Petra recommended that one to me." Levi suggests.
"I'm not in the mood for that tonight…"
Okay, shit. Something is seriously wrong. I can't even tempt him with food. The only time he rejects food is when he's depressed. I need to find out what's bothering him, but how do I approach it delicately?
Levi tries to find the right words, but before he can say anything, the waitress come to take their orders. Eren ends up ordering a small Caesar salad and Levi absently decides on the Penne Margherita, but he's distracted by the downcast look on Eren's face, and it eats at him to know that something is bothering Eren. Once the waitress has left, Levi tries to find out what's wrong in the most subtle way he can.
"How was your day yesterday? The walker's new, did you go see a physical therapist?"
"Yeah, Hanji."
"How was the appointment?"
"Oh, uh, fine, I guess… I now have daily exercises to do to help rebuild my muscles, and so hopefully that will make a noticeable difference soon…"
"Is it frustrating?"
"A little, but being able to do things for myself again has made it worth it."
"I'm glad that it isn't getting you down too much, then."
"Yeah…"
An awkward silence falls between them, a first in their relationship thus far.
What could it be that Levi wanted to talk to me about? He's clearly beating around the bush, like he's trying to avoid the subject… Shit… could it be?
Levi opens his mouth to finally say something, but Eren cuts him off quickly, a look of panic in his eyes.
"Excuse me for a moment, I need to go use the restroom." Eren lies, quickly rising from his seat and grabbing his walker.
"Do you need-"
"No." Eren replies curtly, walking away as fast as he can.
Levi watches Eren's retreating back and takes in a shuddering breath. One hand falls into his pocket while his other hand snakes up to his neck, feeling his racing pulse, before taking some deep breaths to calm himself and regain his shaken composure.
…
In the bathroom, Eren goes to the sink and runs some cold water, splashing it all over his face to cool off and calm down.
I should have known… There was likely bound to be a day like this eventually, but I never thought that it would have come so soon. Part of me hoped, no, dreamed, that this day wouldn't come, but it's here and it's too soon! I can't believe he's going to break up with me…
Eren looks at himself in the mirror, eyes red and puffy, his tears indistinguishable from the water droplets adorning his face. He smacks himself, leaving a faint red welt on his cheek, then another.
Stop it! Stop crying! This won't be the end of the world… right?
Eren splashes more water on his face and takes some deep breaths, trying to slow his heart rate, but to little avail. Eventually he gives up, figuring that he's taking too long and that his face is back to normal even if his heart isn't. He quickly dries his face then exits the bathroom, slowly making his way back to the table, his legs shaking slightly from standing so long. Levi's eyes were on him from the moment he left the bathroom, and they don't flicker away from Eren for even a second until he sits down.
"You were gone for a while; did you have to take a shit or something?" Levi tries to joke.
"Yeah." Eren mutters, and Levi's attempt at a joke falls flat, darkening the mood even more.
Levi opens his mouth to try again, but the waitress arrives at this moment with their food, interrupting anything Levi was going to say. She serves them their food before swiftly exiting to attend to other customers. Levi and Eren begin to eat in silence, Levi glancing up at Eren increasingly more often as Eren just pushes the salad around in his bowl, occasionally taking a bite, but barely making any progress. After a few minutes, Levi stops eating all together, putting his fork down and wiping his hands on the napkin.
"Eren, I can't stand to beat around the bush anymore. What's bothering you?"
Eren swallows thickly, taking a sip of his water before mumbling an unconvincing "Nothing."
"I refuse to believe that, Eren."
"Didn't you want to talk to me about something? Isn't that why we're here?" Eren says, finally making direct eye contact with Levi.
"Yes, but-"
"Then just tell me."
Levi takes a shuddering breath, followed by a three much steadier ones and then a sip of water. His hands fall to his lap and he rubs his hands against his pants legs, trying to dry them off.
"Can I just start by saying this is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, so please be patient with me and listen until I'm done, okay?"
Eren nods, and Levi takes another deep breath.
"Eren, I'm going to try my best to keep this prologue brief and get straight to the point, for your sake and mine. Ever since I met you back in January, I feel like I've been on a rollercoaster with you - at first you don't remember me, and then you do, but after that comes one problem after another, from your near raping, to Mikasa having a hard time accepting me, to your mom trying to keep us apart, and then the thing with Erwin…" Levi shudders slightly at the thought, and Eren begins to panic, quietly hyperventilating as Levi continues.
"And then of course, your kidnapping. You were gone for a whole month, without a word of any kind, only to almost magically reappear one day. Yesterday, I had some time to think about what happened, and think about us. I've decided what I want for my future, and I only hope that you will accept it. Maybe we're moving too fast. Maybe you're not ready. Hell, maybe I'm not ready, but I feel like this is for the best. I couldn't wait anymore, and so I have to do this today."
Eren's facade of relative calmness quickly crumbles, tears welling in his eyes and quietly spilling onto his cheeks, no matter how much he tries to keep them at bay.
This… This is it! Levi's breaking up with me, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. He's made up his mind…
"Eren, are you crying? Shit, you're crying. I didn't mean to make you cry." Levi whispers, getting up from his seat to wipe at Eren's tears.
Recognizing his own crying, Eren cries even harder, drawing the attention from neighboring tables. Levi gets up and goes to Eren's side, doing his best to try to shush and settle Eren, and Eren quiets down, if only to keep eyes away from him at his lowest moment.
"I really didn't mean to make you cry. Shit, why do I suck at this so much?" Levi grumbles, reprimanding himself.
Levi sucks in another breath and then finishes drying Eren's face, looking straight into Eren's eyes.
"Will you be okay if I continue?" Levi practically whispers.
Eren doesn't want to, but he feels himself nodding his head, just wanting to get it over with.
"Ok, so I know this is poorly timed, and to be perfectly honest, this wasn't how I imagined this playing out, but…"
Levi takes one last deep breath before sticking his hand into his pocket and pulling out a small box. He slowly gets down on one knee and opens up the box to reveal a shining, silverish ring, a tight knot pattern running around the center of the simple band. Eren gasps, and his hand flies to cover his mouth as his brain tries to frantically process what's unfolding before him.
"Eren Jaeger, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"
The loud din of the restaurant suddenly dies down, and all eyes are on the two men in the center of the restaurant, but the silence goes unnoticed by Levi and Eren. Levi keeps his eyes locked on Eren's, holding his breath and waiting for an answer. Eren's eyes flick from the ring, to Levi, and back, his heart thumping a million miles a minute. Eren opens and closes his mouth, words failing him for a long moment before he manages to stutter something out.
"B-b-but I thought… I-I was sure that... y-you were b-br- breaking up with me…"
"I would never even dream of it."
"A-are you sure? Y-you'd want to marry a b-burden like m-me?"
"Oh, Eren. You're not a burden to me. You are the light of my life, my joy, my sunshine, the air in my lungs, my everything. Seeing you smile melts my heart, and seeing you cry breaks it. I would do anything for you, and a life without you is grey and meaningless. When I met you, my whole world was turned on its head and I've been absolutely and completely in love with you ever since, and that absolute admiration and devotion has not faltered for even a second. I think - no, I know - that I can't spend another day alive without you by my side, so I'm going to ask you again: Eren, will you marry me?"
Eren's eyes widen with shock as Levi goes on, hardly able to believe what he's hearing, but Levi's conviction and the sparkle in Levi's eyes tells him that Levi is speaking from the heart. Before he can realize what's happening, he's crying all over again, but with happy tears this time. He slowly nods his head, as he waits for his words to catch up to him.
"Yes. Yes. Yes, Levi, I will marry you!"
Levi's face splits with the biggest smile Eren's ever seen, and Levi removes the ring from its place in the box and takes Eren's left hand, sliding the ring slowly onto Eren's ring finger. Eren's face lights up with a bright smile that leaves Levi absolutely breathless. He pulls his new fiance out of his chair and into his strong embrace to kiss him passionately, pouring his love into the kiss and sealing the engagement.
"Levi, I love you so much…" Eren breathes.
"I love you too, Eren."
Levi initiates another kiss, with Levi going so far as to dip Eren as they kiss sweetly. When Levi finally rights Eren and they finally pull away from each other, the applause echoing about the restaurant finally reaches their ears, and they beam at the other customers, Levi's arm securely wrapped around Eren's waist to keep him close and keep him from falling. Once the applause dies down, Levi helps Eren to sit down again before taking his own seat, neither smile faltering for a second.
"Hey, Eren?"
"What is it, Levi?"
"I'm so happy that I could cry right now. Not only did you accept my proposal but also… You're smiling again. I haven't seen you smile once since you were found, and now… Oh, shit…" Levi murmurs, moisture pooling in his eyes and finally spilling down his face.
"Hey, you're not supposed to be crying over something like this…" Eren teases.
"Shut up, you hypocrite."
"But I'm your hypocrite now, aren't I?"
"Goddamnit, brat, are you trying to make me cry even harder?"
"No."
Levi gives him a weak glare, and Eren laughs softly.
"Okay, maybe just a little."
"Eren, you're so beautiful. First your smile, and then your laughter… I wish I could just stop time right here."
"Whatever happened to getting married, hmm?"
"You make a fair point. Fine, I'll let time go on."
"Let time? You say that like you can control time or something."
"For all you know, I can."
"I somehow seriously doubt that."
"You doubt me? Your fiance?"
"I don't doubt that you love me. Or at least, not anymore..."
"That reminds me, what the hell did you get into your head that made you think that I was going to break up with you?"
"Well, uh… Remember the whole Erwin misunderstanding? Umm… I found all the phone messages you'd left me. I'd already been feeling pretty guilty about not being able to do anything for myself and then spilling everything on you like that, and then realizing that I'd stormed out like that and then disappeared for a month, inflicting all sorts of pain on you… I felt like the scum of the earth. I still kinda do, actually. I'm not worthy-"
"Stop. You are worthy. None of it was your fault."
"But I-"
"I was the one who was in that position, and even though I wasn't the one who got us there, I was the one appearing to cheat on you. If I were in your shoes, I'd be just as pissed, if not more so, and I'd definitely not want to talk to you about it right away either. And it definitely wasn't your fault that you were kidnapped, that you were tortured, that some bastard scarred you for life and temporarily crippled you. You're working very hard to return to normal, and for now, that's all I'd ask of you, that's what anyone would ask of you. As for dumping all your miseries on me, I may be your fiance now, but as it stands, I'm still your therapist, so it's my job to listen to your problems and council you. You've come so far, Eren. This is just a temporary setback in the grand scheme of things, and from here on out, I'll be with you every step of the way." Levi declares, taking Eren's hand from across the table, rubbing his thumb across Eren's knuckles and new ring.
"So… Are we going to put the whole Erwin incident behind us, no hard feelings?"
"I really ought to be asking you, not the other way around. Of course I want to put the whole thing behind us. Consider it water under the fucking metaphorical bridge."
"Great… So he really jumped you?"
"Yeah, the damn bastard."
"Y'know, technically speaking, he's still your best friend. It's okay to be mad at him for a while, but eventually you need to forgive him, okay?"
"I figure I would have an easier time forgiving him faster if he either got himself a significant other or you slugged him a new one."
"I think I could arrange for something like that to happen."
"Which one?"
"If I can, both. I have a plan…"
"You going to let me in on that plan?"
"Not right now, but definitely later." Eren says with a wink.
"Partners in life and partners in crime, huh?"
"I wouldn't want it any other way. Speaking of which, do you have a ring of your own, or do I need to get you one?" Eren asks, eying the ring on his own finger.
"Well, traditionally speaking, the guy gets the girl a ring, but he doesn't wear one. I figure though since we're both guys and I got you a ring that I should have one too. Don't worry, I have one already; it's out in my car. It's the same as yours except the engraving is different."
"It's engraved?"
"Custom engraved on the inside. Yours says 'für immer' and mine says 'toujours.' Both mean forever, but to distinguish them and make them special, yours is in German and mine is in French to match our heritage. I know they're not super fancy and they don't have some beautiful rock set in them, but I couldn't find one that was right. None of the emeralds I looked at were the same stunning shade of green as your eyes, so I decided to pass on the gem all together. Besides, I was also kinda afraid that you'd find a jewel too girly, and I want this ring to be something you want to wear everyday."
"Jeez, are you trying to make me cry? I love the ring Levi. It's bold and personalized, and with an engraving like that, it's clear that you put some thought into making it special. It's actually kinda heavier than I expected, but I like that because it makes me notice it and it reminds me of the weight of your love for me. And while gemstones are pretty and all, I'd be worried about it falling out of the ring. Besides, why do I need an emerald or some other rock when I've got a gem right in front of me who's tougher than any diamond and shines brighter than any star? But do you want to know what the best thing about this ring is? The best part is the fact that this ring is from you." Eren says earnestly, a soft smile on his face.
"You damn sappy brat…" Levi growls, rubbing at his eyes.
"Levi, are you crying?"
"No, I'm just having an allergic reaction from all your sappiness."
Levi pulls his hand away from his face and Eren can still see a faint wetness under Levi's eyes. Eren smiles even wider than before, and Levi returns his smile with one of his own as they stare into each other's eyes.
Suddenly, Eren's stomach growls obnoxiously, and Eren remembers he's hardly eaten all day. He picks up his fork and Levi watches in amused delight as Eren scarfs down his salad like the starved man that he is. Eren finishes the salad in record time, and when he realizes what he's done, he has the decency to be embarrassed by his actions.
"Sorry…" Eren apologizes, flushing bright red.
Levi just chuckles, amused with Eren's rather sudden embarrassment.
"You still hungry?"
Eren nods, trying his best not to look to eager. Levi scoops a forkful of his pasta onto his fork and then holds it out to Eren.
"I know it's not exactly hot anymore, but you can have it now as opposed to having to wait for something to be made…"
Eren's face lights up and he bites the pasta off of Levi's fork, chewing happily. Levi smiles and shakes his head as he offers Eren another bite, and ends up feeding the boy the rest of the bowl like a puppy.
Even after eating his dinner and half of Levi's, Eren is still somehow hungry, so they split a chocolate lava cake for dessert, Eren blushing madly the whole time as he remembers what happened last time they shared chocolate lava cake. Levi remembers as well and sends Eren teasing smiles across the table, sucking on his spoon to get all the ganache off and making Eren flush even brighter shades of red.
"As much as I'd like to, we probably shouldn't have a repeat of last time…" Eren remarks, and Levi smiles softly, any lustful look in his eyes gone.
"As you wish, my love."
"You're too perfect. What did I ever to deserve a man like you, hmm?"
"Well, for starters-"
"That was a rhetorical question, Levi."
Levi shrugs in reply. Their waitress stops by their table to drop off the check for the meal, but before she leaves she pipes up with a comment.
"Congratulations on the engagement, you two. You make a really cute couple."
"Thanks. I'm thankful that I can relax a little more now that I know that all the guys and girls that look Eren's way can't touch him. He's mine now, and I don't share well with others."
Eren splutters and squeaks as he blushes bright red, and the waitress, unable to respond to that, just smiles and shakes her head before leaving the two lovebirds to their antics. Levi pulls out his debit card and puts it with the bill, making Eren whine.
"You shouldn't have to pay for dinner! First the rings, and now this?"
"Yep, I want to treat you."
"But Levi…"
"No buts. Besides, you hardly ate anything."
"But I ate my meal and half of yours!"
"Which for you, is barely anything."
"Hey!"
Eren makes a grab for the check, but Levi is faster, snatching up the check and holding it out of Eren's reach. The waitress just so happens to pass by at that moment, and seeing the scene, grabs the check out of Levi's hand, much to Eren's chagrin.
"Not fair…"
Levi chuckles good naturedly, sending the waitress a wink when she brings the check back with Levi's card.
"Have a wonderful evening and a wonderful wedding, you two!" The waitress chirps before departing, and Levi makes a point to leave her an extra large tip.
"Well, shall we go?" Levi asks, and Eren nods.
Levi helps Eren to his feet, but lets him walk on his own, slowing his walking speed to match Eren's. Levi also helps Eren into his car, folding Eren's walker and putting it in the back seat. He slips into the front seat, puts his key into the ignition then stops before he can turn the key.
"What's wrong, Levi?"
Levi doesn't reply, reaching across Eren for the glove box. He opens the compartment and pulls out another small box, identical to the one he had earlier, and Eren realizes that it must be Levi's ring. Levi hands him the box, and Eren carefully opens it, smiling down at the ring nestled in the pillow in the bottom of the box. He pulls out the ring, taking a quick peek at the engraving inside to see that, sure enough, 'toujors' is engraved in a loopy cursive script. Eren takes Levi's left hand in his and slides the band onto Levi's ring finger before raising Levi's hand to his lips and kissing the ring.
"Now it's official. You now belong to me as much as I belong to you." Eren declares.
"I belonged to you from the start."
Eren pulls on Levi's hand to close the distance between them for a kiss. What started out with the intention of being a single kiss before Levi takes Eren home turns into a heated ten-minute makeout session. At one point, Levi climbs into Eren's lap for a more comfortable position, straddling Eren's slender hips in order to kiss him better. He occasionally halts the intense love-making of their tongues to suck on Eren's neck, giving the boy a chance to breathe a little, enjoying Eren's tiny moans as he nips the sensitive flesh. When they both decide that they are satisfied, they pull apart a little, panting and exhausted. They gaze at each other lovingly and admire their partner's flushed cheeks and bruised lips.
"I should probably take you home now, shouldn't I?"
"Yeah, probably. My mom's probably waiting- Holy shit!"
"What is it, Eren? What's wrong?"
"I can't believe I forgot! I mean it was all kind of a surprise to me, but still! What's my mom going to think?"
"About what?"
"The ring? The fact that I'm engaged? I'm still a high-school student and I'm engaged! Not to mention we've only known each other in this life for less than half a year? My mom's going to flip her shit!"
Levi stiffens in his seat and bites his lip, his earlier smile falling back into his usual mask.
"Then I guess I better take you home now so you can get this all straightened out. I wouldn't want you to get chewed out for being late."
Levi starts up the car and pulls out of the parking lot as Eren falls deep into thought.
Shit, what do I tell her? Could I try to hide it? No, no, that'll only make it that much worse when she finds out. I'm in such deep shit right now! I know it caught me off guard, but I should have at least thought to ask my mom about this first! I know she accepts Levi, but does she accept him enough to let me agree to his engagement? I'm her only child and for me to get engaged so early in my life? No doubt that she'll disapprove! She'll say something about how it's "too soon" and that I should "try to meet more people first." Will she make me give the ring back? I haven't even had it for much more than an hour and I already love it; I don't want to give it back! How can I convince her that this is what I really want?
All too soon, Levi is pulling up out front of the Jaeger household.
No, no, not yet! I'm not ready, dammit!
"Levi… No matter what happens when my mom finds out, I love you, okay? I love you with all my heart."
"Do you remember my promise to you, Eren?"
"But if she finds out, she won't let me see you ever again, even on accident!" Eren whimpers, panicked.
"If she does that, then I'll come in the night and kidnap you, my princess. I promise you that." Levi whispers huskily in Eren's ear, sending shivers down his spine.
"Yeah… I remember." Eren replies, blushing at the memory.
"I fully intend on keeping that promise in the worst case scenario."
"Thank you, Levi."
Eren leans over and grants Levi one last kiss before Levi gets out of the car, pulling Eren's walker out of the back and helping Eren get situated with it. Together, they walk up to the front door and ring the doorbell, Levi placing his hand reassuringly over Eren's as they wait for Carla to open the door.
"Oh, you're back! How was it? Did you two talk about what you needed to talk about?" Carla asks, looking between the pair.
"Can we come inside first?" Eren asks, and Carla gasps.
"Oh, yes, of course! Pardon my rudeness!"
Eren and Levi step over the threshold and Carla shuts the door behind them.
"Soooooo?"
"I had a great time, and we did get a chance to talk about what we needed to…"
"And make-out a little too I see. Is that why you're ten minutes late?"
"Yeah. Hey, listen…"
"What is it, baby?" Carla frowns, concerned by Eren's downcast face.
"I have something to tell you… Please don't be mad…" Eren says, taking a deep breath before blurting out the truth. "Levi proposed to me tonight and I said yes and I'm so sorry because I didn't ask for your permission first!"
A heavy silence falls, and Eren refuses to look his mother in the eye. After a tense moment, Carla breaks the silence with a small snort that quickly turns into full blown laughter.
"Wh-what?" Eren asks, shocked, staring wide-eyed at his mother then looking to Levi to see a small smirk adorning his lips.
"What's going on? What are you not telling me?" Eren asks, looking between the two.
"Oh, sweetpea, Levi didn't tell you? He dropped in on my lunch with Petra to ask for my blessing. Levi, you let him think that you didn't ask? You're too cruel!" Carla downright cackles, enjoying Levi's evil smirk and the look of utter astonishment on her son's face.
"Levi!" Eren yells, throwing himself at Levi and pounding his chest with his fists.
Levi just laughs, hugging Eren close to trap Eren's arms so he can't hit Levi anymore and to hold him up.
"You jerk…"
"But you said yes to this jerk, so I'm your jerk now…"
"I hate you."
"I somehow seriously doubt that. You'll get back at me someday, I know it." Levi replies, kissing Eren's forehead and releasing him, standing up his walker again and placing it in front of Eren.
"Fun and games aside, Eren, I'm happy that you were concerned about getting my permission, even if you didn't think about it until after the fact. It shows that you're not going to up and abandon your poor mother even after you get married. Speaking of which, I talked to Levi about this already, and we came to an agreement. You can get married just about whenever you want, but I get to be involved with wedding preparations, and you can't move in with him until you finish high school, got it?"
"I can live with that." Eren replies, looking over at Levi as he takes his hand, their rings flashing in the light.
"Oooh, ooh! Let me see the ring, let me see the ring!" Carla squeals, and Eren releases Levi's hand to show Carla the ring.
"I know I already saw it when Levi showed me pictures, but it looks so much better in person! Props to you Levi for a good choice of ring, and good work with the proposal! It was so cute!"
"You were there?" Levi asks, albeit shocked.
"Of course! What'd you think I was going to do when you told me that you were proposing to my son? I wouldn't miss it for the world! I even got in on video, so I can watch it again and again!"
"Mom!"
"My darling little boy is engaged and going to get married! When did you grow up so suddenly?" Carla asks, tears welling in her eyes as reality suddenly catches up to her.
"Mom, don't cry. I'm not going anywhere for a while."
"You better not…"
…
Later, after Levi has left and Eren has changed into his pajamas and has laid down in his bed, he looks down at his ring, then over at the small ring box that Levi gave him sitting on his dresser. He absentmindedly rubs the smooth band with his right hand as he stares up at the ceiling.
This is it, huh? We're going to get married one day, and spend the rest of our lives together. It's like a dream come true! Levi, I can't wait to spend the next chapter of my life with you…
…
Author's Note: YAY THEY'RE FINALLY ENGAGED DAMMIT! SURPRISE EVERYONE! So uh, yeah, I've totally been planning this for a while now, and when I say that I mean that I've been planning on getting them engaged since the very beginning of the fic, and I've been planning on Levi proposing like this since I had Eren kidnapped in chapter 27… Literally, I was about fit to burst while writing this because three of my friends read this story and it's been hard as fuck not to tell them that I was planning this, so yeah, if any of you guys are reading this (Rainbow Hair, Hai-chan, and Neko-chan, you all know who you are), you now know why the fuck I've been so excited for the past two weeks because I was writing this super fluffy shit. Anyway, I've been leading you all on and then suddenly threw you guys all for the ultimate curve ball and whala! Marriage! I figure that this should just about make up for all the shit I've put you guys through since chapter 26 and it will reward you for making my follower count pass 100 followers (combined with the Christmas special one-shot Because of You and if you haven't read it yet you need to GO READ IT! Also PS Today's my birthday so also happy birthday to me! I wished for adorable super-fluffy marriage proposal and I gave it to myself so woohoo!). I'm literally too proud of myself right now because I aim to throw curveballs at you guys to keep you on your toes and I'm pretty sure that you guys would have figured that Levi wasn't going to break up with Eren but I'm 95% sure that no one was able to predict that there was going to be a proposal involved (and I did subtly hint at it in this chapter and the last). Please, please review everyone because I'm pretty damn sure that you guys got feels from this because I got feels from this. I fucking cried and squealed while writing this chapter and I'm the writer! (That being said, I now realize I am a total sap and I've been listening to this song called Eine Kleine by Yonezu Kenshi and it's so angsty sweet! I need help, but I seriously recommend this song because wow.) If I didn't make you cry somehow, I'm sure you screamed, and if still not, then I'm pretty sure you aren't human because WTF man. No excuses not to review this time!
So… next chapter! I'M NOT ENDING THIS FIC JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE ENGAGED, BECAUSE FUCK THAT SHIT, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE THEIR HAPPY WEDDING AND YOU'RE GOING TO READ IT AND LIKE IT DAMMIT! The wedding will happen, but probably not for a little while. Next chapter, do you want me to go back and flesh out what happened at Petra's and Carla's lunch date and how Levi got Carla's approval? I have ideas, but I don't know if you guys want to read about it or not… Please tell me when you review! I WILL NOT UPDATE UNTIL SOMEONE TELLS ME WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT THIS TO HAPPEN. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Now for the usual shit: Thank you everyone for reading this far! It's been a blast, and I hope you'll continue to read as I move forward with the story. Last week, I said that the follower count finally passed 100, and now the review count has as well! I'll do another special surprise if you can make the favorite count pass 100 (and it's close!). I already have an idea for what I want to do, but I'll only write it out and post it when the counter passes 100, and trust me, you'll want this one (it'll probably be two parts). This week's chapter has once again broken my record for longest chapter at roughly 7,300 words. Damn. It's like each chapter is longer than the last. I remember when I first started, I updated every other day with 1,000 word chapters, and now I update every week or two with usually at least 3,000 word chapters. I feel like my writing quality has improved since I started too. Please note that I'm planning on changing which day of the week I update soon. I'll probably switch from Fridays to Mondays (or maybe Sundays?), but I'll let you know for sure the next time I update. Sorry for the super long author's note and all the cussing (I think Levi is rubbing off on me), but please follow, favorite, and review! Thanks so much, and I'll see you in a week or two!
The Ring (if anyone wants to see it):
etsy website, followed by this string: /listing/127617510/personalized-tungsten-carbide-brushed?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_b-jewelry-rings-bands&utm_custom1=b9aed8fd-fd6a-420a-af58-f59c29346026&gclid=CKeN2MP25MoCFUVsfgodXVIGGw
or google search "tungsten carbide celtic knot pattern custom engraved 7 mm" and it should be suggested off to the right for shopping
the font is the English Script, für immer for Eren and toujours for Levi
P.S. Sorry about the math stuff near the beginning of the chapter; if didn't publish properly. It should be Evaluate the definite integral of x squared plus x minus 6 dx for the first equation, and the second should be one third x cubed plus one half x squared minus six x (plus c).