Hi! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's nothing but fluff with a small, itty-bitty, barely there, hint of angst, and kind of a filler chapter before the big wedding. So, have fun! Happy reading! ~HeartQueenVivaldi

The Choice We Make

Chapter 5

Levi ended up doing a lot of wedding planning by himself, even though Eren had wanted to do it. Eren was extra busy with schoolwork this semester, and on top of it, he had to put together his senior portfolio and project. There were some days he only got a few hours of sleep. He was especially stressed out about what he would be putting in the senior art show that he was required to enter into.

Levi was fine doing the planning. He had nothing better to do in their little apartment. He didn't have his piano, and he got frustrated with the keyboard quickly. So, when he did, he switched to wedding and honeymoon plans, though he wouldn't tell Eren about the latter.

The only thing Eren insisted on being involved with was picking the date and venue. So, they had done that early on. They chose a reception center with three big rooms. They decided to book one, and the outside area that went with it. If all went as they hoped, they would be married in the gardens outside. If not, they had the room to set up in. Levi was willing to pay for one of the two, but Carla and Grisha wouldn't let him. They booked for May 23rd, exactly one week before Eren's birthday.

Levi was left to do much of the rest. He put together the order for flowers with Carla's help. She came to the apartment for days on end on a frequent basis to help Levi plan, and so that Levi couldn't get away with paying for anything. Levi finally gave up trying.

Between the two of them, they were able to put together most of the wedding, with Eren pitching in when he had a few minutes and approving everything before it was finalized. Levi chose Erwin as his best man quickly, and he was willing to help as well, though he had to help mostly over the phone.

By the time the senior art show came around, almost everything was done. Only one thing was missing: the suits for the grooms. Levi knew that could wait, though. He switched his focus to helping Eren get through finals and making sure the itinerary for their honeymoon was well in hand.

The night of the show found Levi and Eren standing side by side in the bathroom putting the last touches on their outfits. They were going to meet Carla, Grisha, Mikasa, and Armin at the show. Eren had won second place in oil paints, and he was thrilled. So was everyone he knew. And they were all incredibly proud of him.

Jean had similarly won third place in the charcoal category, and the two unlikely friends had been excited to celebrate their night. Jean still made Levi jealous on occasion, but he ultimately decided that he had nothing to worry about. Eren and Jean were, and always would be, just friends. They fought too much to ever be anything more. So, he didn't mind Eren hanging around with the horse face.

The art show went smoothly, and Eren was given an award and high praise from the art staff at the university. He was given many hugs, high-fives, and pats on the back for his hard work and incredible talent.

They wandered the show for an hour, looking through all of the other art, praising the artists as they saw them. Really, they were all incredible, but Levi could easily see why Eren won second place. The colors he had used blended beautifully and the imaginary landscape he had created was breathtaking.

When it was over, the group decided to go out to dinner to celebrate Eren's victory. And he only had one final left to complete before graduation. Levi was glad of that, because it meant that Eren could help him with the last few wedding plans. He was still amazed that Eren hadn't said anything about a Honeymoon. Levi had told Carla about his Honeymoon plans, and she had said Eren hadn't said anything to her about a honeymoon. Knowing Eren, he probably had totally forgotten that was a thing, and will likely remember in the middle of the reception. No one would put it past him.

Eren chose his favorite Italian restaurant to eat at and they all sat around the table enjoying their meal and talking about anything and everything. Levi was deep into a conversation with Grisha when he looked up and noticed the last person that he thought he would ever see there: Kenny.

"Oh my God." Levi interrupted Grisha in favor of staring at his uncle, dressed nicely in a suit, his hair cut and combed back, sans his usual hat, and accompanied by Nanaba. "You' have got to be shitting me." He said quietly then nudged Eren's arm with his elbow.

"What?" Eren turned to him from talking to Armin and Mikasa. Levi just pointed at Kenny.

"Is that who I think it is? Why is he with Nanaba. I thought she would have more sense than that."

"Yes, that's Kenny. I never thought I'd catch him dead in a suit, but here he is. I'm not really sure what I'm looking at, actually." Levi confirmed.

"Should we go talk to them?" Eren asked.

Levi looked at Eren like he was crazy.

Eren sighed. "What? I'm not scared of Nanaba, and he would be crazy to try and start something in the middle of a busy restaurant. Maybe we should."

Grisha piped up. "Who are you talking about?"

"My uncle." Levi answered. "He's the one who raised me after my mother died, but he was a drunk and highly abusive. I have no good memories of him at all. The last time I saw him he tried to kill me, or at least seriously injure me. But he's here, looking sober in a nice suit with one of the kindest women I've ever met."

"Eren's right. Maybe this is a good time to talk to him." Grisha said.

Levi groaned a little and looked over at Kenny and Nanaba being led by a hostess to a table close by. He looked over to Eren, who gave him an encouraging nod. "We didn't have Nanaba's address anyways, and you wanted to give her an invitation. This saves you a trip to your hometown. It's a good excuse just to see what's going on."

Levi took the invitation that Eren seemed to produce out of nowhere and straightened up. He adjusted his tie and stood to walk over there. He took one step and turned back around. "I'll just go visit Nanaba when Kenny's not around. I don't want to see him."

Eren glared at him and Levi turned back around, "here goes nothing." He said, more to himself than anything, and walked purposefully over to their table. He stopped close by and cleared his throat.

Nanaba looked up and a huge grin broke out across her face. "Levi! Oh, my gosh, how are you? I can't believe we ran into you here of all places."

"I certainly didn't expect to see you. You're a long way from home." Levi accepted the massive hug she jumped up to give him. He always liked Nanaba a whole awful lot. She had always been so kind to him, even in his worst days. "I wanted to come over to give this to you. I would have just sent it in the mail, but we didn't have your address. I was going to come visit you, but I figured this was as good an opportunity as any.

Nanaba opened the envelope that Levi handed to her and gasped. "Oh, Levi! I'm so happy for you. Of course, I'll be there. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Is he here?" She looked around the restaurant.

Levi nodded and pointed toward his table where Eren sat smiling at them. He waved when they looked over. Levi looked back at Nanaba. "We are very excited."

"I should hope so. He's very cute. I thought so the first time I saw him. I knew he'd be the one. He's good for you, and it's obvious. Congratulations." Nanaba then fell quiet, probably realizing who else was there and what came next.

The air around them became thick with tension as Levi basically refused to acknowledge Kenny's entire presence. Nanaba looked between the two and then said, "well, I think I'll go say hello to your fiancé. You two have some talking to do." Then Nanaba walked away, leaving Kenny and Levi there awkwardly.

Kenny made the first move. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"That would be your fault." Levi said fairly viciously.

Kenny sighed and collapsed backwards in his chair. Levi finally looked down at him and couldn't help but notice how tired he looked, and how old. The old man looked Levi straight in the eyes for perhaps the first time ever with no malice behind it at all. "I think I have some explaining to do. Will you please sit?"

"You're asking and not telling? Who are you?" Levi asked, but did as Kenny requested, sitting in Nanaba's seat for a moment.

Kenny chuckled a bit and said, "not who I used to be, that's for sure. I've been trying to find you and Eric actually. There're some things I've wanted to say, but I didn't know how to find you. You've cut all contact with everyone, and those few that I'm sure you still contact won't talk to me or give me any information. And Nanaba said I needed to figure this out on my own. I'm kind of glad we ran into you here."

Levi raised one eyebrow. "Are you? Why? What could you possibly have to say to me that I don't already know? You've made it clear my whole life that I mean nothing to you, and that you don't approve of my very existence, so what else could you have to say?"

"That I'm sorry." Kenny said quickly, like if he didn't say it right then, he wouldn't say it at all. That he would lose the nerve. "I know that doesn't change anything, but I felt like I have to say it before I can't anymore. I don't expect you to ever forgive me, or trust me, or like me. I know that's not possible after all I've done to you and your brother. But I still wanted to say it."

"What do you mean 'before I can't anymore'? That doesn't make any sense." Levi latched onto that part, but still amazed that Kenny would apologize at all.

"About three months ago I got really sick. I was taken to the hospital. They thought I had alcohol poisoning, but nothing turned up on the scans. My liver was fine, well as fine as it can be for an alcoholic. They decided to do some more extensive testing and a month later found a brain tumor. It's cancerous. I will get tests back this week to find out if it's spread to anywhere else in my body. If not, they will do a dangerous procedure to have the tumor removed. But if it has… well, I don't like to think about that."

"You would probably die…" Levi knew that the prospect of death can change one's priorities, but he had never seen in in action until now. Kenny's entire being changed at the thought of death. He probably quit drinking, decided to pursue a woman he was interested in, and try to find the only family he has left. Dying tends to put things into perspective.

Kenny nodded and sighed deeply. "I might die anyways, and that scares the shit out of me, Levi. But if that's the case, then I wanted to at least try to make things right before I die. You have a cute fiancé, and I really hope things turn out right for you. I'm glad to see you seem to be doing well."

Levi hummed in thought. Now what? He couldn't really just ignore that. If it was true and Kenny really was dying, this would be his chance to have a little more family in his life. But every time he looked at Kenny, the only thing he could see was fists raining down on him, the smell of alcohol surrounding him, and the sound of angry, drunk yelling. Levi already struggled with trust in the best of situations, and this was probably the worst situation. Truthfully, Kenny would never be a father figure to him. It was too late for that. But maybe it wasn't too late to have an uncle.

"Kenny, if you would like to accompany Nanaba to my wedding, you may. But you must be sober, wear a suit, and behave. And you must stay with Nanaba the whole time. If you can't promise that, then I withdraw my invitation. Eric will be there. It would be your chance to apologize to him as well. I'm not saying I forgive you. You'll have to earn that, but I'm willing to give you a chance. But only one. One mistake, one problem, and that'll be the end of it. No more chances. Do I make myself clear?" Levi kept his voice firm, yet not too harsh.

"Crystal. I can't drink with my current medication anyways. I would be honored to attend your wedding. I'll never leave Nanaba's side, and you have my word. I'll behave. If I truly have a chance to earn your forgiveness, I want to take that chance." Kenny looked relieved and grateful.

"I'm not saying you will ever gain my trust or forgiveness but try if you must. Here's my phone number." Levi wrote his number down on a napkin with a pen he grabbed from a passing server. "You can call or text me any time. I'll tell Eric you'll be there. But he won't be as forgiving as I am."

"I know that. He's stubborn. I guess he gets that from me a little. You both do."

"Alright, I'm going to rejoin my fiancé and his family for dinner. I'll see you at the wedding." Levi stood and Kenny smiled at him.

"Thank you, Levi. I mean that." Kenny grinned up at Levi.

"Just don't blow it." Levi said as he walked away.

When Levi approached his own table, he found them all laughing and enjoying themselves. Nanaba fit right in with their group, actually. Nanaba saw him coming and got out of his seat, then said to everyone "It was nice to meet all of you. I'll see you all at the wedding." She turned to face Levi. "Well?"

"I'll let him tell you what happened. But tell me, are you two an item or something?" Levi asked curiously.

"Kind of. He's really changed Levi. I know that's hard to believe, but it's true. I'll leave you to have your dinner. Have a good night Levi. I'll see you at your wedding." She gave Levi one last hug then meandered back over to her own table with Kenny.

Levi sat back down next to Eren. The whole table looked at him expectantly. "I barely recognized him. That's not the same man I grew up with."

"Why the change?" Eren asked.

"He's dying. Well, maybe. He has a cancerous brain tumor. He doesn't know if the cancer has spread yet, but either way, there's a good chance he'll die from it." Levi explained.

Grisha piped in with an explanation. "If it hasn't spread it can be removed and problem solved. If it has, there's multiple options. The most likely is to remove the tumor and go through an entire round of intense Chemotherapy and radiation. Either option is potentially fatal, especially since he's an alcoholic. It makes his immune system weak as it is, and then Chemo will totally destroy it."

Levi nodded. "He wanted to apologize before it's too late. I invited him to the wedding so long as he behaves and stays with Nanaba the entire time. If he's going to earn my forgiveness, I need to give him the chance to."

"That's brave." Eren said. Levi just nodded in agreement.

…

A few weeks later and Eren was having a freak out. "Levi!" He came bursting into the music room. They had moved back to the house when Eren had finished his finals and had walked for graduation. There was still one month of rent to pay on the apartment, but Levi didn't care. He was ready to be in his own home.

Levi looked up from the music he was writing. He had his glasses on that Eren thought were sexy. "Levi, we don't have suits! We can't get married without suits!"

Levi shook his head and put his papers down. "Actually, I ordered our suits last week. We need to go try them on tomorrow, separately, of course, but all that's left is to make sure they are tailored perfectly. I've got it handled, Honey, so calm down a bit."

"You got the ones I liked?" Eren asked.

"Yes." Levi turned back to his music.

"Wait… did you just call me honey?" Eren paused when he realized it.

Levi looked up again. "yes… am I not allowed to call you pet names?"

"That's not it at all. You just usually call me babe or sexy. And those are rare anyways." Eren sat down on the couch closest to Levi.

"Well, it fits." Levi took his glasses off. He had lost concentration anyways.

"Why?"

"Because you're as sweet as honey, even when you're freaking out over something I've already finished." Levi joined Eren on the couch and pulled him into his lap.

Eren just stuck his tongue out at Levi, then settled into his chest. "Very funny, and cheesy."

"I like cheese." Levi kissed Eren on top of the head.

"You know what I like?" Eren asked, and Levi hummed in response. "Days like these. Nothing we have to do, or guests to prepare for. Wedding plans are over, and we can just enjoy each other, just like this. It's my favorite kind of day."

"I couldn't agree more, Love. Days like these really are the very best of them."