"Uh, first question. When did the two of you get married?"
"8th of May."
"May 7th."
Eren alternately looked between the husband and wife, clearly puzzled on what to put in his interview notes.
Petra shot an irritated look at her husband, and slightly pinching the side of his thighs, he then spoke in a small voice, "May 8th."
The other day, Eren and two of his classmates—one of which is her husband's distant cousin—asked Petra if they can interview her and her husband about their marriage life. It was for a school project and she happily agreed, because there was no harm to accepting and she's happy with her married life.
Petra informed Levi about the interview last night during dinner, and he shrugged off the topic. Knowing full well that her husband has a knack for remembering things well, she never expected him to get their marriage date wrong. (Considering how he always told her how happy and lucky he was that he got to marry her. Hmph. Men. What they say is different from what they do.)
The interview turned out well after that. Some questions were fun to answer, while some made her emotional.
Levi had been unusually talkative during the next questions, occasionally glancing at her like he was asking if he's saying the right things. Secretly, Petra knew that this was his way of making her forget about his mistake a while ago.
When the interview ended, she left Levi to bid goodbye to the three kids. Entering their house again, she noticed that Levi was gone.
She found him in their room, searching for something inside his coat. "So..." she trailed, "you were very chatty a while ago, Mr. Ackerman. Why is that?" she asked playfully.
He looked at her briefly and continued to busy himself with his coat. Was this his way of evading her questions?
But Petra knew her husband. He doesn't like evading problems, especially if they concern about their relationship. Finally, Levi took his wallet out of his coat.
"Now, you're being silent." She hugged him from the back and felt the heat of his body. If he's ignoring her because he's guilty, it's alright. But she wasn't really angry at him.
Okay, that was a lie. She was mad, but only a little.
"I wasn't wrong." Levi faced her then put one arm around her shoulders. His other hand, however, was holding a picture that he took from his wallet.
She gasped when she saw the photograph and took it from his hands.
"I wasn't wrong earlier." He repeated. "Well, technically, none of us are wrong so if you're thinking I was chatty because I'm guilty of—"
She interrupted Levi by kissing him and she felt him smirk on her lips before kissing her back.
"You remembered..." she said tearfully.
"I never forget."
He couldn't sleep.
For starters, he doesn't usually sleep. Being awake in the middle of the night was already part of his system. Tonight, however, he couldn't particularly sleep because of the weird feeling inside his stomach. Like there was some creature in there partying and playing with his guts. Gross.
If Petra were here, she would probably tell him stupid things like, "Oh, it's called having 'butterflies in your stomach'. Well, not technically but you get it. Congrats for experiencing another normal human emotion, Levi!"
He unconsciously smiled as he pictured Petra Ral inside his mind.
Petra Ral, huh. He couldn't believe he's going to marry her tomorrow. No, scratch that. He couldn't believe that she even noticed him in the first place. But yeah, life is unpredictable. He has her now, and honestly, he couldn't wait for tomorrow to marry her. If only he could marry her right now...
And then a stupid idea came to his mind.
Still on his sleeping clothes, he hastily grabbed his keys and jacket then headed straight to his car parked outside his home.
Half an hour later, he found himself still inside his car, watching her fiancèe as she crossed the road and entered his car. He was greeted by a soft kiss followed by a more passionate one.
"You're freezing," he told her.
"I forgot to put on a thicker robe," Levi noticed how thin her robe was and he draped his jacket over her thin cover. "But first, why did you call me? Is there something wrong?" She looked worried.
"No. I just missed you." He kissed her again. "I just had this stupid idea of wanting to marry you right now. It sucks because it's already 11 pm and I think all the priests are asleep by now."
Petra stared at him and laughed so hard he almost regretted telling her his stupid idea. "You know what, I was also thinking the same thing!" Her orange eyes glowed as she spoke, "I couldn't sleep, maybe because I'm too excited. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. Well, not technically, but you get it." See? He knew her too well. "I was tossing and turning on my bed and I wanted to see you so bad but Mom said that it's bad luck to see your fiancè the day before the. wedding, so I didn't message you because I knew that I'd be tempted to see you."
By the time she was finished, Levi had this stupid grin plastered on his face, delighted to know that she wanted to marry him as much as he wanted to marry her.
If she wanted to marry him now, and he wanted the same, then what's stopping the both of them?
He strapped Petra's seatbelt, the woman slightly surprised when he told her to "Hang on," as he started driving his car.
They arrived in front of a small and quiet chapel. No one else was around except for the stray cats and dogs sleeping on the long chairs of the sacred establishment. The lights are still on and they assumed that the caretakers of the chapel are somewhere inside, peacefully sleeping and completely unaware as two people clad in their sleeping clothes entered the building.
Hands clasped together, Levi led her to the front and center of the chapel.
"Levi," Petra said in a hushed tone, "are we seriously doing this?" There was a cheeky grin on her face.
"Why? You don't want to?" he replied in an equally hushed tone.
"I want it," she giggled, "Just afraid that people might see us and mistake us for robbers."
"Good then. They'll be witnesses for our wedding."
He captured her lips, but Petra placed her finger on his mouth, "You can't kiss the bride yet. Ceremony first, remember?"
Levi settled for a peck on her cheeks. "Alright, Ms. Ral," she smiled when she heard her last name, "tell me how do we do this?"
Petra removed his jacket and robe that was on her shoulder, leaving only her silk nightgown. She looked lovely right there, standing in the chapel, about to be married to him in a few moments. He asked her if she's cold and she assured him that she's fine and that it's not for too long.
"Stay here." Petra guided him to his position, letting him stand on the right-front part of the small altar of the chapel. She fixed his hair and straightened his thin shirt. "Very handsome, Mr. Ackerman." He rolled his eyes at her cheesy compliment.
Levi watched her walked back to the chapel's entryway. She hand combed her short hair, fixed the thin straps of her nightgown, and smiled at him. She mouthed the word "Ready?" to him, and he nodded.
He never had a normal childhood. He never experienced being tucked away in a comfortable bed after being told a fairy tale. But something tells him, that the eleven pm cold wind blowing on his skin, the white and yellow lights inside the chapel, the quietness that surrounds them, and Petra Ral slowly walking on the chapel's aisle towards him was the definition of a fairy tale.
His eyes started to water. Stupid wind. He tried blinking many times, willing whatever the fuck it was in his eyes to go away. Levi doesn't want to cry—because he never cried. And if he did, he won't be able to see Petra clearly.
She was still walking. Slowly. Very slowly. It was like she's teasing him, and he confirmed this theory when she saw her signature cheeky grin on her face. God, she was ethereal.
A cold and slightly stronger breeze damped his face that forced him to close his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he saw something that he could never forget.
Chin and lips quivering, eyes wet from tears, Petra looked heavenly as she was illuminated by orange light from what he thought was a shooting star falling behind her head outside the chapel. It took Levi's breath away. He had always thought of her as an angel, but God decided to show him that she is indeed one when he made a show of putting that fancy shooting star whilst she walked the chapel.
That's right. You owe me for all those hard years I lived, God. Now, let me marry your most beautiful angel.
It was never awkward between the two of them, but now that she was in front of him, he didn't know what to do. Petra took his hand then, and he was surprised when she kissed his lips.
"I thought we weren't supposed to kiss yet. Ceremony first, remember?" he said, copying the tone she used earlier.
"It's an exception if the bride wanted it. Besides, I missed you."
"Yeah? So, what do we do now, Ms. Bride-who's-an-exception?" he said, teasing her.
"We say our vows. I'll go first."
Squeezing his hands, Petra took a deep breath before opening her mouth.
"Levi Ackerman," she started, "when I first saw you in the Sina University's hallway, I already hated you. So much."
"Wow. We're not yet even married but you're already looking for a reason to get a divorce."
"You can't speak!" Petra tugged both of his arms.
"Yeah. Okay, okay," he groaned.
She cleared her throat before continuing, "You removed the Art Club poster I spent days making so you can put your ugly Mathematics Club poster on the bulletin. You didn't know how furious I am that time, but because I was an angel," he nodded because it was true, "I didn't get mad at you. But you were so rude to me when I tried talking to you about it and long story short, you are a grumpy little boy back in high school and I think I am messed up somewhere in my head because I find that hot and attractive."
She grinned at him and he grinned back because they both knew that high school was one of the highlights of their relationship.
"I had a crush on you since then," she admitted, although she had told him that fact countless times before. "And when I found out that we're going to the same college, I was thrilled. We started hanging around together in our second year and when you suddenly kissed me one night when we were both drunk at your dorm, I was half-delighted and half-afraid," he saw the shine of tears in her eyes, "because what if you didn't like me? And what if that's just you being influenced by alcohol? But then," she continued, "morning came and I saw you cooking breakfast for me." She sniffed, "And I realized then that I want to marry you."
Petra sniffed again and laughed at the same time.
"I just think I am so into you," she spoke breathlessly. "I am so weak for you and I think that's not okay because men are supposed to love women more, right? Not the other way around?"
Squeezing his hands once again, she continued, "But I say, fuck it. I love you, Levi." He saw the sincerity in her eyes, "I don't care if I love you more or the other way around. Love isn't supposed to be measured, right? If you love someone, you love them. It doesn't matter how much. What's important is you love them with all your heart."
He hasn't said a single thing yet, but he was already breathless. There was something on his throat that made it hard to swallow, there was something on his knees that made them weak. He was overwhelmed by her words, and his heart ached at the reality of how hard and deep this woman loved him. Are people supposed to be this happy?
"So, Levi..." Petra guided his hands on her waist and placed hers on his neck after, "You are that someone I love and will love in the future. I got it hard for you, Mr. Ackerman. I think you put me in a spell," she said jokingly.
"I love you." She kissed his lips again and he accepted it, "I love you, and I want to devote myself to you."
Petra put her forehead in his, and they stayed there for a minute, just letting the wonderful moment consume them. He didn't want it to end, but at last, he needed to say his vows as well.
"That was a long-ass vow. Kind of wished I said mine first before yours."
It was a good thing that there were no other people in the chapel besides the two of them. There he could confidently say what he wanted to tell her. For a moment, he pondered on what to say, and Petra is waiting patiently because she knew that he wasn't good with words.
"Petra," he squeezed her waist, "I don't want you to devote yourself to me."
He saw her puzzled face, "I mean...well, you could still do that. But," he was looking for the next words, "I want you to devote it for the both of us," he said, and she understood. "More than anything, I want you to love yourself as much as you did with me because that's what you did to me."
"I didn't know anything about love because I hated people around me and I hated myself," Petra caressed his cheeks, "but...during our time together, I started looking forward to what the next day may bring. That's stupid. And weird. Well, for me at least. I started taking care of my body, because I know that if I did, someday, this same body will protect you. And cherish you..."
"So, the point is...you made me love myself. You said you got it hard for me, but I got it harder for you. You even made me love myself. That's a feat." Never in his wildest dream did he ever saw himself saying things as he loved himself and he loved someone in this shitty world.
"It was good." He nodded to himself like he was convincing his own body that what he felt was true. "It was good to be loved by yourself and to be loved by the reason why you love yourself." He felt stupid. Was he making any sense? "Well, you get it. Point is, I love you. And I want you to love yourself too. In our marriage, it's you and me. It's loving yourself and me. If some days you cannot love yourself, I'll love it for you. I know you'd do the same. That's how we're going to spend our days forever."
By the time he was done, Petra is a sobbing mess on his chest. He let her cry, let her sobbed because he felt the same. But they can't have the both of them crying at the same time. He kissed the crown of her head.
"What do we do now, Ms. Ral?" he whispered in her ear.
"Uhm..." she wiped her tears, "We say those things they always say at the end."
"Alright."
Levi knew that he will never say those words again. To her. Or to anyone. He wasn't vocal. When he loved something, he showed affection in his own way. He didn't believe with words. He only gave action and gestures.
Petra glowed under the yellow and white lights of the chapel. With an evident blush on her cheeks and a pounding heart, she declared, "I, Petra Ral, take you, Levi Ackerman to be my husband." She looked straight into his eyes, "For better, for worse," she put her arms around his shoulders, "For richer, for poorer," she pressed her forehead on his, "In sickness and in health," she brushed her nose with his own, "To love and to cherish," a tear escaped her eyes, "Till death us part."
Ah. That was it, Levi thought. She was his. And it will stay that way until their last days.
"I, Levi Ackerman," he started, "Take you, Petra Ral to be my wife." He wiped the tears in her face, "For better, for worse. For richer, for poorer." He whispered the words to the flesh of her tear-stained cheeks, "In sickness and in health. To love and to cherish," Levi embraced his wife as tight as he could. As tight it would ever be, "Till death do us part."
And just like that, they were married. Some people might think that this was the most stupid way to get married. It was supposed to be one of the most special occasions in someone's life. Yet here they were. Both in their sleeping clothes, both sneaked in a chapel, both shivering from the late-night cold wind.
Both happy.
And that's the only thing that matters.
"You can kiss me now you know." She joked.
"Yeah. I know, Mrs. Ackerman."
"Go ahead then, Mr. Ackerman. You can kiss the bride."
Levi captured her lips. They were soft, as soft as he remembered them when they first kissed years ago. He kissed her again and again and again until they were both breathless.
Hand in hand, they go back to his car again. Petra took a picture of them as a remembrance of their marriage. There were no rings, but the love and happiness they have that night were greater than any wedding bands in the world.
He started his car again and he noticed the time and date on his car screen. 11:58 pm, May 7th.
It was late. And it was time to go home to get some sleep for tomorrow's wedding.
A/N: Hi, everyone! This fic is cross posted from Ao3. I also have a Tumblr account under the same name. (Just a heads up in case y'all want to read my other fics.)
I've been receiving a lot of love from all of you and I just wanted to say that I can see your comments, and I appreciate them so much 3