♡ Eternal Bond ♡ {EreRi | RiRen}

EPILOGUE

And briefly, he remembered that he was making his mother proud. He succeeded... and he was happy to assure her that he would be just fine after this... He wouldn't let her worry anymore.

The brunette half expected for everyone to jump up and throw their graduation hats at that moment, and his hand was already halfway reaching to take hold of his own...

But.

He stilled when he heard a weirdly soothing music blast from the speakers around the stage. It opposed the cheery music it had on earlier when their names were being called... and somehow, even the sea of graduates silenced to a whisper.

He started to panic when he saw Armin and Mikasa sniffling in their seats... but what really shocked him... was when the graduates started clearing out to form a large pathway... and at the end of it, he saw....

Sleek, black hair, those sharp eyes that would bore into his soul, and a suit ironed into pristine condition...

He let out a long breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. That man...

"...L-Levi...?"

His hands dropped to his sides, and his mouth felt dry. Levi wasted no time and took steady steps toward him. Soon, the man was directly below him from the stage.

Levi's lips were pulled into a small smile.

"?!" Eren suddenly found himself in the warm and strong hold of his lover and he was carried down from the stage. Levi was gentle... as he set him on the ground.

"Hey, kid..."

Eren couldn't stop the small choked laugh that left his mouth. He didn't know why... but he felt so many mixed emotions fly through him at once. He was so happy to see Levi... he hadn't noticed how much his heart ached for the man until he saw him in person... and yet he also wondered what he was doing here.

"I...I thought you were on a business trip...?" Eren asked meekly, his cheeks felt hot for some reason... and he didn't know why he was feeling so shy all of a sudden.

The crowd was forgotten.

"I'm sorry Eren... I lied about that." Levi started slowly.

"Why...?" Eren found himself asking despite not really caring about the details.

He was so content to have Levi there with him. His heart felt like it would burst.

"I wanted to surprise you.... Moreover...."

And that was the second time that day when Eren felt his heart stop, breath caught in his throat.

Levi had reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box... It couldn't be... Eren could hardly believe his own eyes. Was this a dream?

"Eren..." Levi's sweet voice caressed his ears as he knelt down on one knee.

"Eren..." the man repeated, and it was only now that Eren noticed the slight tremble in his lover's figure. Was Levi nervous...? There was something heartwarming about the way Levi's eyes looked into his own.

"It's... been a rollercoaster of events ever since I met you... and even though everything seemed like a coincidence at the beginning, you've helped me realize that it was fate... and I know that you are the right one for me. I know that the bond we have is eternal and it lives on no matter where we are... We were bound together by a single promise in the past, but now we're together because of something much stronger than that. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you... I hope you feel the same way too. Let's continue off what we couldn't in the past..."

By now, a steady stream of tears rolled down his cheeks as he felt all his emotions burst out along with Levi's confession; his love for the man, his adoration, admiration...everything. Everything Levi had said meant so much to him and he knew it would be etched into his heart forever...

"So, Eren..." he could see Levi take a subtle, shallow breath...

"Will you marry me?"

And he broke out in sobs as Levi took hold of his hand. He could feel a wide smile on his face and he sniffled happily with a frantic nod of his head.

"Yes... YES!"

Sure, they had been through a lot in this life and the past... and even though there were many times when he almost gave up on their love, thinking that they weren't meant to be, he now knew that as long as he was with Levi, he could get through anything. Their love was all that mattered.

They had an eternal bond... and that was all he needed.

THE END