The Day Before the Wedding of Armin Arlert and Annie Leonhardt, Groom's Room.
Levi sighed as he listened to the arguments of the rest of the men in the room, while keeping his hand on Armin's shoulder as the younger man cried. "I'm sorry, Armin. But it seems these dumbasses have us cornered." he mumbled as he looked at the group - Falco, Connie, Reiner, Jean, and now even Sarina was there after having decided the men's night out sounded much more fun than what the girls had planned. "Until Niccolo gets here, we're simply outnumbered."
"B-but... I don't want to. I-Its so unfair to Annie and the other girls! And for those poor women too..." Armin stuttered, as he felt Levi's grip on his shoulder tighten. He heard another sigh out of Levi, "I-it's my wedding! Isn't this supposed to be about me!" he demanded while looking at the other guys, and Sarina.
"Oh wahh" Sarina mocked, "look at me, I'm Armin and I'm a sweet innocent boy who's afraid of seeing a naked woman"
"I-it's not like that!" Armin exclaimed. "I just think it's unfair to women, and it would be unfair to Annie. Besides! I thought we agreed on staying in and playing cards and..."
"No," Connie interrupted. "You and the Captain decided we were staying stuffed up here on your last night to live a little"
"I'm not your Captain anymore," Levi corrected them, "and I agree with Armin, sex workers are treated unfairly and -"
He was quickly cut off by Jean, "OK but, when is the next time Armin is going to get a pretty girl to dance on him?"
Levi could feel the anger boiling inside him. He brought his voice back down to a deadpan, and looked at Jean. "Are you saying my cousin isn't pretty? you want a pretty girl to dance on you?" He mocked him with his tone and words, and they cut Jean to the core. "Tch. I'm sure Mikasa would love that. In fact, let's go tell Mikasa what you all want to do tonight! Oh! - and Annie, we can't forget about the bride, I'm sure she'll be pleased to know you all are coercing her sweet fiancee..." He turned his eyes to Reiner, who was trying to act neutral to the situation, "lets not forget about sweet little Pieck! She's possessive, right Reiner? After the whole Historia incident?" Levi smiled as he turned to Falco, "let's not forget about Gabi..."
He could see their Adam's apples bobbing as they swallowed, he could practically see the sweat on their foreheads in fear that he and Armin were going to out them for their planned escapades. "And while you all get railed by your respective partners, Armin and I will be up here, enjoying playing cards and spending time with each other - instead of distracting the girls from what's supposed to be the calmest evening they've ever had." Levi turned and looked at Armin, who still had tears in his eyes but now was smiling. "I'm sure the strong, beautiful, insane women we chose to be with- the only women who can handle us, let me remind you - will be thrilled by the prospect of missing their peaceful, relaxing evening together"
Sarina huffed, and deepened her voice, "Oh, Look at me, the great Captain Levi, ever the moral compass! So virtuous! I totally didn't kill two men the other night..." she chuckled, and went back to her normal voice - "Good for me then, that Hitch doesn't care what I do!" She shot Connie a glance before leaning her weight on him, "C'mon, you know she won't care what either of us do."
"Sarina! They don't know!" Connie hissed as he pushed her off him. The room's gaze had been averted from Levi's scolding to the two of them, tipsy and awkwardly standing in the corner of the room.
"Don't know what?" Jean asked, looking at them with confusion. "You tell me everything Connie, we're like brothers..."
Connie gulped, his eyes darting between Jean and Sarina. "So... we were going to wait to make it official but last night they decided..."
"We're together." Sarina interrupted as she took a swig from her flask.
"I thought you and Hitch were a thing?" Jean asked Sarina before turning his gaze to Connie. "And also that you and Hitch were a thing." The rest of the room, save for Jean, turned back to whatever they were doing before Sarina opened her mouth.
"We are" both Sarina and Connie said in unison. "And so are we" Sarina said with a smile, pulling Connie in for a kiss, leaving Jean slack jawed for a moment, before he turned around.
"Are you all seeing this?" Jean asked, everyone nodding disinterestedly in response. "DID YOU ALL KNOW?" He asked the room, to which they all nodded.
Levi let out a huff of air and a smile, "well considering I'm in the room next to them, and I can hear them all night..." he didn't fail to notice the blush on Connie's cheeks, "tch. My poor, lovely Anya has had to hear the most atrocious things coming from her own sister's filthy mouth"
Sarina glared at Levi, the rest of the boys turning to watch them stare at each other with amusement. "Oh, Levi - You're not the only ones who hear filthy, disgusting things from the next room" She grinned, a glint of evilness in her eyes "Who would have thought that for someone who's such a clean freak, you'd be so into such dirty things."
A hush fell over the room, Sarina walking closer and kneeling down to look Levi in the eye as his face displayed a hint of pink. "I never knew my dear sister, the crown princess of celibacy herself, could have such a high sex drive and such a filthy mouth " Sarina began mocking Anya's moans and laughing, making Levi's embarrassment turn to anger. He reached behind him for his cane and hit Sarina in the ankles so hard she tripped, landing on the ground with her outstretched palms.
"Jeesh, I'm kidding Corporal no-fun." Sarina said as she brushed herself off and sat on the ground, giving a mocking salute. "Anyway, I'm totally down for whatever as long I get booze and get laid tonight"
"Well, that's one for our side" Armin said as he looked at Levi, who still had a hint of a blush on his cheeks. "I was actually thinking, maybe we could go to the museum that Historia had built? And then - and then maybe we could go to that new restaurant in town!" Armin suggested with a smile, as Levi ruffled his hair lovingly.
"Anything for you, Armin," Levi smiled, and cast a glare at the rest of the room. "Right, brats?"
"Yes sir" the rest nodded and said in an annoyed chorus.
The girls had left the Palace hours prior, and left the princess in Levi and Armin's care after hearing about the relatively calm night they had planned. While everyone except himself and Armin got too drunk, too fast, Levi and Armin slipped away with the princess to the royal gardens.
"Ok, so what do we do when uncle Levi gets on his knee?" Armin asked with a smile, as he watched the princess pull the ring box out of the basket of flowers she was going to keep it hidden in. "Right! Good job princess!" Armin exclaimed, happy to be able to be part of the planning even if he and Annie would already be gone by the time Levi pulled Anya to this exact spot.
Levi smiled, he couldn't help but see how well Armin interacted with the young girl and imagined what an amazing father he would make. "And then what?" Levi asked, as the princess handed him the box and began throwing flower petals in the air.
"No no sweetie!" Armin corrected, "We wait to see if she says yes before you throw the flowers."
Levi sighed, and they tried again - and again, and again, and then one more time just to make sure. Once they had confidence that everything would go according to plan, Armin handed Frieda to the nanny to get her ready for bed, and found Levi sitting in the garden - in the exact spot he had left him in.
"What's on your mind?" Armin asked, taking a seat next to Levi and looking at the scattered flower petals. He had chosen pink and red rose petals, with baby's breath and the occasional white rose petal, for Frieda to throw in the air.
Levi groaned, and put his head in his hands. "Earlier, you said if she says yes..." Levi began, his thoughts spiraling again. He had been so sure of every decision he'd make in the past, but this - this scared him. The possibility of her saying no. He was sure she was the one for him, but yet so terrified of the rejection he could face.
"Oh" Armin said, looking at the man in front of him, "you know, I was scared when I asked Annie. I thought she was going to say no, and leave me. I thought I'd never see her again if I didn't make everything perfect."
Levi nodded, sighing as he raised his head from his hands, looking up at the stars in the sky as he ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back on one side. "How did you get over the fear?" he asked, "how did you know she was going to say yes?"
Armin let out a laugh, "I didn't!" he exclaimed, "I was scared shitless when I asked her. I thought that it would only go two ways - she'd marry me or she'd leave me." he hummed as he looked up in the same way Levi was. "But I guess, I thought - hey, I used to fight titans. I was a titan! If I could do that, surely I could ask Annie to marry me?"
"So you just... stopped being afraid?" Levi asked, doubt penetrating his voice
"Oh, no!" Armin corrected him. "I was scared the whole time, right up until I heard her say yes. But when I heard her say yes, it was like every fear I've ever had just - faded away. Like everything in the whole world was right, it was perfect." Armin sighed, letting the silence linger for a moment, "you know, my dad died when I was really young...so did my grandfather"
Levi raised an eyebrow as he looked at Armin, "Yeah, I know."
Armin smiled and looked at Levi, "I don't really think anyone taught me how to be a man, until you came along. You're like the father I always wanted. So... Do you think you'll be able to stand next to me when I watch her walk down the aisle?"
"Only if you do the same for me" Levi responded, grinning as he pulled Armin into a hug, "You know, you'd be the same age as my kid if she hadn't lost the first one. I think I've always seen you as the son I wanted, the child I lost," He chuckled. "I later realized, I hadn't lost anything. I ended up with seven noisy brats in my squad,"
Armin smiled, unsure of what to say as a tear slipped down his cheek. "Thanks... dad, " He chuckled. He couldn't remember the last time he had called somebody that.
Anya stepped out onto the balcony of the hotel suite, uninterested in the elaborate story Gabi was telling while the rest of the girls got ready for bed. She sighed, realizing it was her first night away from Levi, aside from that night - Since he came back to her. She hadn't slept and not been next to him, curled up with him and feeling so safe, so warm, so blissful, in now two months, and she missed his presence. She missed sharing their last cup of tea before bed, where she'd be wrapped up in a blanket on his lap reading, while he stroked her hair and read over her shoulder. She missed breathing in his scent, and the sound of his heartbeat. She was tempted to go to Historia and ask to leave and go back to the palace, but she didn't want to insult the other girls. She was so lost in the thoughts, she didn't notice Annie joining her on the balcony.
"You miss him, right?" Annie asked as she made her way next to Anya, Leaning against the railing and looking at her. Anya nodded, and sighed.
"I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep without him," she confessed, "I hate being away from him. I hate it so much. Don't get me wrong, I love all of you - I love being here with you, I just miss him" Anya explained, as Annie nodded.
"I get it" Annie said softly, "I miss Armin, I don't think I've spent a single night away from him since I came out of that damn crystal. He never left my side once..." Her tone softened, and she shifted her weight."Whenever I'm away from him, I miss even the silliest little things, like the way he kisses me on the cheek to wake me up, or how sleepy he looks while he drinks his coffee,"
Anya smiled, "Yeah, I understand that. It sounds weird but I even miss his scent..."
Annie reached a hand out for Anyas, and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, "This might sound weird, but considering we're both feeling this way... do you want to share the bed tonight? I know we each have our own suites..."
Anya perked up at the suggestion. "Yes! Oh god, yes - pleeeaaaase. I am so afraid to be alone after what... happened" she confessed, holding back tears. "I didn't want to have to be alone in case of the nightmares..." Annie reached out for a hug, which Anya willingly gave.
"Can we kick them out and go to bed then?" Annie asked, grinning "you have no idea how exhausting it is to be a bride."
Anya smiled, and broke their hug as she took a step inside. "OKAY, TIMES UP! GET OUT!" she hollered at everyone except Historia, "The bride needs some sleep!"
After much groaning and complaining, Anya wrangled the girls up and into their respective rooms, and made her way back to Annie's suite. Mikasa was passed out on one side of the elaborate and large bed, and Annie was in the middle of the bed. There were two steaming cups of tea placed on the bedside table, and Anya smiled as she climbed next to Annie and handed her a cup of tea, taking a sip of her own.
"So, do you think anyone's going to propose at the wedding tomorrow?" Annie asked with a sly grin, "its seems like everyones in a relationship except Historia"
"And Sarina, but I have suspicions..." Anya added, humming in response. "I don't know, I don't think so. It's kind of disrespectful to propose at a wedding right?"
"Not if the bride and groom are already gone, and approve of the couple" Annie responded, winking at Anya. "besides! It's a time for love, and happiness, and it's the perfect atmosphere..."
Anya scoffed "who do you think is gonna propose?" Anya asked, curiously looking at Mikasa and imagining Jean proposing to her "Maybe Jean will ask Mikasa?"
"Who knows?" Annie shrugged as she averted her eyes back to her book, trying not to give anything away, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see"