Levi originally thought Eren's most endearing moments were when he spoke to him quietly in the hushed atmosphere of his room together when they could manage to sneak away, when he promised him all sorts of sweet things that any man in love wants to hear. Or when he did kind things for the people around him: give a beggar they passed on the streets a coin, donating to the poor houses, or making sure his father's employees didn't work too hard or long, things his father often seemed to neglect because well, in his words, "they're just Irish and Italian dogs with no families here, they need the money and I need the labor."

And all of those things were wonderful, but Levi absolutely melted inside when Eren caught sight of a poster saying that Barnum and Bailey was going to be in town at the end of spring and started jumping up and down right there in the middle of the street. He was making all sorts of strange excited sounds, little squeals and exclamations of his name while he gripped his upper arms, very nearly taking him in the air with him.

"Oh my God, the circus Levi!" he was babbling. "I haven't been to the circus since I was a kid! We simply have to go or I'll just die!"

"I have a feeling my arms will too if you hold them any tighter," Levi quipped.

Eren just said, "You don't need arms to watch a circus, you old grump. You just need to have an open mind and to have fun! It's the most magical even the world and- oh Levi please, you have to go with me."

Why did Levi have the feeling that he was looking at what Eren might have been like if he were ten years younger and instead pulling on his father's waistcoat? He rolled his eyes fondly and said with a smile, "Of course you goose, we'll go. It'll be fun. The last time I went I was very little. It was one of my first memories, actually. So it'll be good to get some fresher memories."

"Do you think it would be okay if we brought Mikasa too?" Eren asked. "She loves the circus, and she hasn't been since we were little either."

Levi could hardly see the sullen, apathetic Mikasa enjoying anything, much less a circus, but if Eren said so, then he would believe him. So, he agreed, "Of course. It'll be nice to have at least one sane person there with us."

Well, at that, Eren had pushed his hat over his eyes and taken off down the street, leaving Levi to chase after him while the boy laughed his fool head off.

So, when the circus was officially in town, off they went, Eren skipping next to him and around him like a child that had never been to the circus before and had been told all about how wonderful it was. He wouldn't stop babbling either, and Levi only heard half of it, but he couldn't stop smiling. Even if he didn't hear everything Eren said, he still loved listening to him. Nothing was better than seeing his boy so excited.

"The circus is just so magical, Levi," he was saying. "It's the inspiration for a lot of my art. I always try and emulate the bright colors that I remember, and all the sparkling lights and the fun and dreamy atmosphere. This is going to be so amazing. Oh, every time I'd ask father to go when I was younger after the first time he wouldn't take me again because he said I had to 'grow up.' I know if my mother were here she would have taken me…"

"Well, we're going now," Mikasa assured him, clutching the arm of a young man she had met just a couple of months ago, the son of one his father's medical associates. His name was Benjamin, and he was a pretty successful guy, on his way to becoming a doctor himself. Eren wasn't sure if she genuinely liked this man or if she was succumbing to the pressure that their father was putting on them. He was being just as hard on her lately as she was on him, perhaps even more sometimes because she was a woman, and it was far more disgraceful for her to be unmarried than it was for him. But at least Benjamin seemed nice enough, if a little daft sometimes. He was treating his sister well, and that was all that mattered. They were currently courting, and if they ended up marrying, he supposed he wouldn't complain.

"When was the last time you went to the circus?" she asked Benjamin.

"Oh, a couple years ago with my little sister," he said. "She just loves it, and"-

Levi stopped listening right after that, too enthralled with watching Eren bounce around him like an excited puppy. Besides, a tiny part of him resented Benjamin, and this had just started lately. It wasn't anything that the other man had done, per say. He just hated that he could openly flaunt the fact that he was with his chosen partner. He could hold her hand, he could let her hold his arm. He could shield her from the breeze as it picked up with his coat, or even lend her his coat if she said she was too cold. He so terribly wanted to do those things for Eren as well, and even if some of them were innocuous and innocent and things friends might do for each other, if two men did it for each other, it would have been strange. It just hurt that the most intimate they could be with each other in public was to hug, and even then, it couldn't be too long or too tight, and they had to appear as if they really didn't want to. So many silly social rules, and he was so sick of it.

He shook his head. He couldn't dwell on these sorts of things, not when Eren was in such a good mood. When they made it up to the ticket booth after almost a half hour of waiting in the long line, Eren automatically reached for his money, but Levi slapped his hands away.

"Oh no," he chided. "You always pay for everything. I think you forget that I work too, you know. I can get this."

"Levi"-

"No, now hush." He added in a lower tone, "I can afford it just fine, Aurora."

At the name, Eren's face broke into a blinding grin. He loved hearing Levi call him that. It was like the older man was telling him that he loved him in a single word, and it was inconspicuous enough that if anyone heard him call him that, they wouldn't understand the deeper meaning behind it.

Once they had paid, they were given back their tickets with little holes punched in them, and Levi knew immediately that he was going to save his ticket forever. They found their way to a couple of seats among the packed stands. Families were clamoring already, excited beyond belief for the show that was coming. Levi supposed he couldn't blame them. Now that they were inside the dimly lit tent and gazing at the empty, dusty stage, his excitement was piquing as well. He sat beside Eren, naturally, while Mikasa sat next to him and Benjamin sat on the end. But evidently there was almost very little point, because Eren kept standing up and fidgeting like a racehorse in the starting gate. It got to the point where Levi grabbed him by the back of his coat and yanked him back down, the wooden seat vibrating as his butt hit it.

"You're making me nervous," Levi told him, though not unkindly. "You really are like a little kid, my Aurora."

"I know, I'm sorry," Eren said, though he didn't sound too sorry. His eyes were still sparkling in the low light and he was glancing all around with wide eyes, as if searching, waiting for the performers to appear already.

Next to them, Mikasa, who had been chatting with Benjamin as animatedly as Levi had ever seen her do, stopped her conversation to place a hand on Eren's shoulder and told him, "Listen to him, Eren. If you bounce around anymore you're going to break the stands and send us all tumbling to the ground. Levi already survived a fire, he doesn't need to be crushed to death."

Levi snorted at Eren's cross expression. His pout when he glared at her was adorable, and he playfully pushed at his other shoulder.

It was a few more minutes of bantering later before the lights went out completely and a hush fell over the crowd. Eren reached over and practically shook Levi until his teeth rattled, saying in a high pitched, ecstatic voice, "It's happening, Levi it's happening!"

Levi blew against the side of his face in an attempt to get him to back away, but Eren still didn't let go. Of course he didn't. He was so far gone in his excitement that he couldn't see anything past what was in front of him. It only grew exponentially when the music began, one long, low note of several brass instruments that thrummed through their bones, vibrating in the air around them. And then, over the sounds of the instruments, a voice boomed from the middle of the darkened stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" came the voice, "Be formally welcomed to the Ringling Brothers circus! And what a show we have for you tonight!"

The crowd absolutely roared, everyone standing up and cheering and clapping. Levi felt like he was going to go deaf by the end of the night if not in the next ten minutes. Eren of course was right there with the children behind them, absolutely screaming. He had legitimately never seen him so excited before, and he thought briefly that the other boy was going to explode into rainbows.

Now that would have been a show unto itself.

But soon enough, the excitement was infecting Levi, because the room suddenly exploded into a multitude of colors and music, like a garden blooming all at once to the sound of a symphony. Lights flashed on to illuminate the ring master, one of the Ringling brothers himself no doubt, though which one he couldn't be sure at this distance. White horses trotted out from backstage with women in sparkly, puffy dresses balanced either on their hands or on one foot on their saddles. While they did this, fire breathers appeared right behind the ringmaster, blowing multi-colored flames at each other, the flames balancing on red and white sticks.

From then on, it was a blur of nonstop movement and action. Levi and Eren found themselves holding each other without thinking when the acrobats appeared and began swinging thousands of feet above the stage. They watched with huge eyes as they flipped and spun through the air, gasping with the crowd every time it looked like they wouldn't make it. There was a safety net just in case, but at the same time, there was always that chance that they could fall. The same thing happened when the knife thrower came out and threw huge knives at a young lady standing spread eagle in front of a target. Each knife Levi expected to go into the girl's body, but luckily none of them did.

Of course, Levi and Eren's favorite parts were the animals. There were so many of them, all doing things they could scarcely believe animals could do. There were dogs setting off tiny cannons and riding on little bikes. There were horses performing jumping tricks with clowns and cowboys dressed in sparkling outfits. There were lions and tigers jumping through flaming hoops and being told to bow, or rear up and roar for the crowd. There was even a bear in a tutu dancing. The best part was the elephants that strode around the arena and in the aisles, some had riders on their backs, while others didn't. They were made to stand on a large ball and balance on it, the audience holding their collective breath and waiting. Luckily, the trick was pulled off without a hitch, and everything ended well.

Even after the show was over, the entertainment continued, because after the sun went down, Barnum and Bailey opened up their tent behind the main performance tent where the sideshow "freaks" resided. Eren and Levi were obsessed with the strange and bizarre, and throughout the whole show they had been dying to see these individuals as well. Mikasa seemed less enthusiastic, but Benjamin talked her into it, saying it was a once in a lifetime sort of thing.

And it certainly didn't disappoint.

There was the bearded lady, the Siamese twins, the world's smallest man and the world's tallest. So many different wonders of the world, things that had them both gasping in wonder, and they even found themselves striking up conversations with some of the people. It was adorable, Levi thought as he watched Eren carry on and on with the bearded lady about different parts of the world she had been to and some of the places Eren would love to see as well.

On the way home, in a way that only Levi would be able to fully understand, Eren told his partner, "It's not just the show itself that I love about circuses. I love the performers because I feel like we're not so different than they are. People think they're strange or that they don't belong in civilized company, but they're normal people and they deserve respect and acceptance."

He glanced down at Levi meaningfully, green eyes sparkling at him, while Levi smiled and nodded at him. "Well put."

Mikasa ended up snorting. "Well, they're certainly more civilized than you are, Eren. I'm sure that at least the Siamese twins clean up after themselves when they leave the dinner table and down spend all hours of the night out at a gentleman's club."

Eren narrowed his eyes at her while Benjamin laughed. He then looked over at Levi, clearly searching for support, but all the older man had to say was, "She has a point. We've been friends for almost a year and I'm already tired of cleaning up your share of the dishes, or fixing up your deplorable room for you. I'm not your mother nor am I your wife."

At that, Eren wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at him, causing Levi's face to heat up. It was a look that said, "But you'd make a great wife for sure."

He didn't know how much more of this boy he could take.

When they got home, Levi was not surprised at all to find Eren splayed out on his belly on his bed, pencil flying like crazy over the pages in the sketchbook Levi had given him for his birthday. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that he was drawing the acrobats, the lines messy as he depicted their fast, fluid movement from memory. It was endearing to see, the fact that he was this excited over something generally meant for children.

As if Levi couldn't love him anymore.

"I guess this means I'll have to add a circus scene into my story," Levi said from the doorway.

His response was an emphatic, "You better. A story without a circus is not one I want to read."

"Of course not."

000

Eren had been to more weddings than he cared to remember. Very few of them he did in fact remember because he pushed them out of his head. His father had dragged him around from wedding to wedding to wedding of people that Eren knew and didn't know. Most of them he didn't know because they were patients of his father's that were so grateful he had saved the life of one of their family members that he was invited to watch a distant relative of theirs get married. It drove Eren crazy because especially as a child, he had been bored stiff. There were a few kids present at these weddings, but during most of it he wasn't allowed to play with them, instead being forced to sit perfectly still and be quiet during the ceremony. Grisha had always told Eren to pay attention to what was going on because someday soon that was going to be him up there at the altar getting married to a wonderful woman.

Levi too had been to his fair share of weddings, dragged along by his parents. But they were more somber affairs, things that took place directly after the funerals of the bride's previous husbands. He always thought it was ridiculous that they moved on so fast, but his mother reassured him that it was because in order to have income, the women had to have a husband as quickly as possible. And she hoped that when he grew up he would find someone as young and fresh as he was. The last thing he needed was the emotional baggage of a widow that had already been used by another man.

He very much hated women being described like that, especially by his mother of all people, and now that he was older and was friends with so many women who weren't interested in being with a man, much less having a man take care of them, he hated it even more.

However, though Eren had attended weddings at the Laughing Fox, Levi had not, and it was a wedding unlike any other.

"A wedding between inverts?" Levi had said when he opened the invitation. "Is that even possible?"

They were in the privacy of Eren's room looking at it, and it was quite interesting to see. It looked just like a normal wedding invitation. But the names on the invitation were Erwin's and Armin's, rather than a man's and a woman's. It certainly lifted Levi's heart, but it was strange at the same time.

"Well, yes," Eren told him, sitting next to him on the bed and looking at the piece of paper over the top of the other man's head. "It's not a wedding in the traditional sense. There's no official court that will recognize it of course, and no priest to wed us. Plus, our families won't see it. The only witnesses to the wedding are the people at the pub, and it's more for ceremony than it is for anything official. Many of the inverts that have gotten married at the pub for example are also married to other officially recognized spouses of the opposite sex. The only people that recognize these marriages are us. Some do it for fun, some do it seriously, and I'd say based on these invitations, Armin and Erwin are doing this for the latter reason."

Levi blinked, turning the invitation over, but there was nothing on the back. He said somewhat slowly, "Do you think after this they'll be moving away? If they do, how are we going to keep affording to rent out that space at the pub?"

Eren "aww-ed" at him, pulling him close and kissing the side of his head. He assured him, "Don't you worry. There are still some of us that have some means. Christa's family is the richest one in town, full of old money. She said she'd cover Erwin's costs, and of course the rest of us will pitch in. If he leaves, we'll manage to hold onto the pub."

That made Levi feel more relieved than he could imagine. The pub had become a sacred place outside of Eren's home, a haven where he could be himself in front of a group of people that he had become closer to than he could have ever imagined himself becoming. He had gone from having one friend that was only there when she could take a break from her busy schedule to see him, to having dozens of them, as well as a dog that could keep him company and a partner that loved him more than anything.

He had said it to the boy several times, but he felt the need to say it again. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Eren."

Eren snorted, having no idea where that was coming from, but he'd take the compliment, even if he didn't understand what he had done to deserve it. So he teased, "I know."

It sent Levi into a fit of giggles followed up by him shoving Eren hard enough so that he fell over onto the bed.

Just a couple weeks later, they were waiting in one of the big leather chairs down at the pub. All of the furniture had been turned to face one side of the room, like church pews. The room had been decorated a bit, by Hanji, if Levi were to guess, because there was no rhyme or reason to where the bouquets of flowers were placed or the grains of rice were tossed. The decorations were a mish mash of colors and white, probably the only things they could sneak in on such short notice. But still, it was charming in its own…Hanji sort of way, but he had the feeling that no one would ever put her in charge of the decorating committee ever again.

There was a sense of excitement vibrating in the air around them, much like the sense he got in the stands at the circus. Hange was already standing there at the front of the room having also been appointed as the vicar for the evening, beaming at the back of the room where the two grooms were standing for now, waiting for their cue. On the grand piano sat Bertholt, who looked tall even sitting down. Also in the back of the room, there was a camera, certainly an odd sight. Levi had only seen those occasionally, and wondered if the two men were going to get their picture taken today. There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen, but he supposed those were unnecessary in this situation. Eren explained to him that in a way, they were all bridesmaids and groomsmen to the two grooms, and that went without saying, so there was no reason for them to stand up there beside him. All of their friends were chatting amongst themselves in the seats, waiting for it to start.

It finally did at Hanji's signal. She nodded towards Bertholt, and he began playing the wedding march on the piano, jauntily and happily. Almost as soon as the music began, Erwin and Armin got up from their seats and met in the middle. They faced towards the path that had been made for them in between the rows of furniture, took each other by the arm, and guided each other slowly up the path. They were smiling everywhere, at practically everything. They smiled at each other, looked completely besotted, before looking down and smiling at their friends in their seats. Levi would have found it amusing if he didn't understand their excitement so well. Both Erwin and Armin were dressed in some of the nicest suits they had, Armin in navy blue with silver buttons, something that Erwin had clearly bought for him because there was no way he would have been able to afford that on a librarian's salary. Erwin was in a black suit that gripped his broad shoulders, gold buttons gleaming, looking like there was nowhere else he would rather be.

They reached the end of the aisle, and the music stopped on a long, cheerful note. But Erwin and Armin didn't separate, not entirely. They let go of each other's arms, but kept their hands joined as they turned to face each other. Armin, who happened to be facing Levi's direction, glanced over at the dark haired man and Eren and beamed at the both of them, as if he could believe his luck. Eren grinned back, while Levi offered him a softer, more subtle smile. Armin straightened back up, trying to keep from bouncing in place like an excited puppy.

Hanji began with her speech about why they were gathered there, and Levi was just pleased that he could openly take Eren's hand and hold it in his lap, stroking his bony knuckles. Upon looking around, he saw that the other couples were holding each other's hands as well; Jean and Marco, Ymir and Christa, Sasha, Annie and Connie, Eld, Gunter and Auruo…it was just so nice to witness. So nice to see them all being themselves when they were forced to cover up who they were during the day. He wondered how many of them wished that they were the ones up there getting married to their true loves.

When Erwin and Armin were prompted to read their vows to each other, Erwin began with, "Armin, I know it hasn't been easy being with me. I know we've sacrificed a lot. I know I've been extremely selfish in asking you to change who you are just to stay with me. But I'm beyond thankful that you've tolerated not only that, but who I am as a person. I'm glad that we're able to share what I'm considered our true wedding with our good friends before we get married officially in front of our family. Here, we will get married and become husband and husband. In front of our family, we will lie in front of not only them but God about who we are and become husband and wife to fulfill their own selfish needs. You're a blessing in my life that I don't deserve, but I hope to work every day to become someone who does eventually deserve you."

Moving words, Levi thought. He could tell that Erwin meant every word. The older man flicked his eyes over towards Eren, and clucked with sympathy when he saw that he was crying openly, the poor thing. He reached up and stroked his cheeks, wiping away his tears. He pulled the boy against him, holding him tight with one arm.

Armin smiled at Erwin in a long suffering, fond sort of way, as if he had heard those words hundreds of times before, before he began with, "Erwin…you're going to drive me to an early grave, you silly old goat." There was laughter from the crowd, and he paused to let it peter out, before he continued, "My love for you goes beyond any ridiculous societal conventions. It goes beyond anything present on Earth. If it meant I could stay with you, I would do a lot more than change who I am. I promise to be the best husband and wife I possibly can be and treat you to all the love and respect that you deserve. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, and to start a new life with you. Yes, I'll miss the life we have here dearly, but it's worth it to spend it with my true love."

"And it doesn't have to be forever," Hanji reassured him.

Her advice was taken seriously, both men nodded at her, as she was perpetuating the same lie that they were about to. And perhaps someday she would take that extra step and wed Petra. But for now, Erwin and Armin looked back at each other, and Erwin repeated, "Yes of course. It doesn't have to be forever. We can come back and visit here whenever we'd like."

Hanji smiled hugely with approval. "It's a promise then. And with that, I pronounce you husband and husband. Here's to a long life full of prosperity and love for the two of you."

Eagerly, they gazed at each other, before Armin practically leapt up and threw himself at the taller man, Erwin catching him in his arms, squeezing him tightly as they kissed. Applause rose up from everyone, as well as cheers. Over the noise, Eren leaned over to Levi and said, "They deserve this. They've been together for almost five years, it's about time they got married."

Levi nodded in agreement. Though he hadn't known them that long in comparison, it was easy to see the devotion they held towards each other, and it stirred something deep within him. Was this what his and Eren's relationship was going to look like down the line? Was it going to be this deep? Were they going to become this inseparable? Would they be this willing to do whatever it took to stay together?

Erwin picked up Armin and carried him down the aisle, the younger boy laughing. Bertholt had begun to play the piano again, creating a nice, joyful ambience as they took their first steps together as a married couple.

After that, Reiner hopped up, guiding them over to sit on one of the nicer leather sofas that they had, before positioning the camera in front of them. They ended up sitting next to each other, Erwin holding Armin around the shoulders, the two of them leaning in close to each other. It was an innocent enough position to anyone who would happen to pick up the photo. They wouldn't be able to accuse them of anything personally. But to those that knew them, it would be much different. They could scarcely keep the smiles off their faces, but knew they had to. They were going to have to sit perfectly still in front of this camera for a long time, so if they decided to smile, their faces were going to hurt pretty bad.

When Reiner deemed that they were in the perfect position and the camera was centered, he disappeared under the large cloth that covered the giant contraption and squeezed the trigger that to Levi looked like a bike horn. After that, there was a bright spark and a puff of thick smoke that made Reiner wiggle out from underneath the cloth, hacking and waving his hand in front of his face.

And of course, Eren and Levi took it all in, both of them having more fun as this wedding than any one they had been to. As he sat there with his love, he couldn't help but imagine themselves being in Erwin and Armin's place. The idea made him so happy he could hardly contain himself.

Maybe someday, he thought to himself. Someday.