Notes:
Guys! I'm sorry this took a while to update, the story has pretty much concluded since Chapter 44, but I felt like it needed this one last chapter to really seal things off. Enjoy!
Chapter 45: Promise Everlasting
That evening, you twirled in front of your mirror in an elegant baby pink dress and white heels. The dress was sleeveless and had a v-neckline that drew attention to your collarbones and revealed a slight cleavage. The length reached all the way down to your ankles and was nicely cinched at the waist, embracing your curves in all the right places.
You bought this dress from a neighbourhood dress shop a few months ago, as your wardrobe was begging to be filled with some decent clothes. After the Rumbling, you wore the most basic of outfits and reused the same few pieces of clothing repeatedly. It was only after people started producing garments again that you finally got the luxury to wear other types of outfits.
Your eyes fall on Levi, who's wearing a white collared shirt with a black blazer and a pair of black trousers. He's holding a bouquet of red and pink roses. Huh.
"Whoa," you mumble out before you could stop yourself.
"For you," Levi smiles tenderly, handing the bouquet to you. They were beautiful. You take the roses from him, cheeks suddenly feeling warm and tingly.
"Thank you. This is.. unlike you," you smelled the roses.
"I realised I have never gotten you flowers before. Well, not like there was any after the Rumbling," Levi snorts.
You fought back a laugh. "You idiot."
"Shall we?" Levi offers his arm.
"Yes, please."
Levi took you to a cozy, elegant-looking diner near the beach that served good quality seafood. The restaurant was crowded with patrons, mostly couples and groups of friends. Everyone was dressed nicely, munching on seafood platters and sipping on wine. When the waiter took your order and asked if you'd both like to be served their specialty wine, you and Levi opted out. For some reason, your appetite for wine never returned after what happened years ago. You and Levi ordered gin and tonic instead.
Your seafood platter came pretty quickly, a mesmerising plate of grilled shrimp, lobsters, and fresh clams. You recalled the first time that you tasted seafood in Paradis. Niccolo had cooked up a bunch of strange dishes and you had crinkle your nose at the alien-like creatures (they were just squid and clams). When you first tasted a clam, you nearly threw it up. It tasted briny, salty, and fishy. It had a distinctive taste that you couldn't describe. Some seafood tasted fishier than others, with lobsters and shrimp being the most tolerable and clams being the most difficult to get used to.
Levi wasn't a fan of seafood at the start either, but over time, you both learnt to appreciate the taste. It was definitely an acquired taste. You were glad that you got started on eating seafood back in Paradis, otherwise, you would have had a really hard time eating after the Rumbling when seafood became one of your main food sources. Now, you liked seafood enough that you actually crave for it at times.
You and Levi talked about your day today and discussed some idle gossip you heard from your tea shop patrons.
"Heard Luca got a girlfriend," Levi said while chewing on his shrimp.
"Oh, yes he did!" you said. "He met this nice Marleyan girl at his training centre with Doctor Richter. Apparently it's another trainee medic."
"You've met her?"
You nodded. "Tall girl. Dark hair, pixie cut, sharp eyes, sharp tongue. Didn't think she'd be Luca's type but he's head over heels for her!"
"Good for him," Levi shrugged, reaching for a clam. "How's the food?"
"It's really good. Super fresh. Love the buttery lobster," you grinned.
"Yeah? Want to get dessert after this?"
Your eyes sparkled with excitement. "What dessert?"
"This restaurant serves good lemon ice cream, apparently."
"Lemon.. ice cream?" you cocked your head to the side. "Never heard of that before.
"I heard from Onyankopon that before the Rumbling, they had all sorts of ice cream flavours. Even tea-flavoured ice cream," Levi said. There was a flash of interest in his eyes. "I want to eat earl grey ice cream."
"Do they have that here?"
".. Yes. That's another reason why I brought you here."
You let out a laugh. "Look at you, hunting for tea-flavoured ice cream!"
"If it's good, maybe we should consider bringing tea-flavoured ice cream to our menu."
"Hey, not a bad idea," you hummed.
You and Levi ate in comfortable silence for the rest of the meal. You immersed yourself in the lighthearted, cozy scenery of the diner. Just years ago, you were at your favourite restaurant and cafe miles away in Paradis, wondering if you'd ever get a chance to have more moments like that with Levi. Now he's in front of you, all sparkling and handsome, with what feels like an eternity ahead of you.
When you finish your main course, Levi puts in his order for one cup of earl grey ice cream and lemon ice cream. They arrive quickly, and you dig in fast.
Levi's eyes widened the moment he tasted his earl grey ice cream. From the way he licks his lips and his eyebrows are furrowed, you can tell that he loves it. When you've known someone for years, you really do get to know their body language by heart.
"It's.. good," Levi says. That's the most you could probably get out of Levi when it comes to a compliment on anything. "It's fragrant, not too sweet. Tastes like sweetened tea but.. cold."
Your lemon ice cream wasn't too bad either. Surprising and.. confusing? But good.
"I'm not sure how to feel about mine," you licked our lips and tried it again. "It's good. Weird, but good. Like lemon but.. cold."
You both chuckled together at your half-assed reviews of your ice cream.
"I think we should bring this to our tea shop," Levi sets his empty cup of ice cream on the table.
"Gotta learn how to make ice cream first though," you said.
"What other tea options can we mix with ice cream?"
"Anything we want, actually. Maybe black tea ice cream? Green tea ice cream?"
"Green tea ice cream.." Levi looks like he's trying really hard to imagine the taste.
When you finished your dinner, you started walking around the area with Levi, pointing out at stars in the night sky and observing the new bars that just opened up in the area.
"Those stars.. the constellation kind of looks like a heart," you squint your eyes at the dark night sky. Levi furrows his brows, looking unamused. Sure, there were visible stars, but he can't fathom how they formed the shape of a heart at all.
"A heart?"
"Not a heart shape. Like, a literal heart as in, the organ."
"Looks more like a deformed piece of shit to me," Levi says with a deadpan face.
"Really?" you snort. "Did you really have to say that? Reminds me of back then when you said that our canelé looked like a piece of shit too."
Levi lets out a little laugh and you feel your heart flutter a little. It's rare to hear Levi laugh, and you loved to hear it. He's been doing more of that since the Rumbling ended and you had Ezekiel.
"You want to find more shapes?" Levi asks, looking up at the night sky and then at you. "We could go somewhere with less light."
"Yes!" you grinned. Levi takes your hand, and off you go.
It took some effort to get to where you are now – on a hilltop. You had to ditch the heels and hold up your dress, but it was not at all a bother for an ex-soldier like you. The view was completely worth it.
You and Levi sat down on a hilltop in an area far away from the town's bustle and light pollution. The air was just the right amount of cool, the atmosphere still and serene. A thousand stars lit up and glittered across the night sky. You could get used to stargazing.
"That one.. looks like a stethoscope," you mumble. "See the two separate lines merging into one?"
"I don't see it," Levi answers.
"And that one over there looks like it could be a femur."
"Can you actually point out a normal shape for once?"
You blinked. "They are normal."
Levi puts an arm around your shoulder. "You miss being a doctor, don't you?"
You smile gently. "I do, yeah. Back in Paradis, I was Section Commander of the Military Doctors. A budding orthopaedic surgeon. Here, I'm just..."
Levi stays quiet as he watches your expression turn a little wistful and longing, waiting for you to continue.
"Here, I'm just a war veteran. A refugee. I'm Ezie's mother. A tea shop owner," you stared up at the night sky. "Don't get me wrong, I'm really grateful with how things are and what we've achieved.. but I won't lie and say it was easy to think of myself as anything other than a doctor."
You feel Levi's hand squeeze your shoulder, it was his way of showing support.
"All my life, I've always been a doctor," you continued. "But now, I barely understand medicine anymore. The world is a hundred years ahead of Paradis and I have much to catch up on. I'm torn between being fully focused on Ezie and investing time in studying medicine again, but it's difficult to do both."
"Hey, if you want to go and study with Luca and Doctor Richter, by all means, I fully support you," Levi says. "I can handle Ezie."
"I can't let you do that," you lean your head on Levi's shoulder. "We're both in this together. You have the tea shop to manage as well, and I won't ditch you on that either."
"Tch, think I can't run a tea shop on my own?" Levi snorts.
You giggled. "It's not about your skills! I guess.. I just realised how different things are once you become a parent. Your time is not your own anymore, and suddenly, your entire identity changes and it now revolves around your child."
Levi seems to be thinking about your words deeply, as he doesn't say anything.
"I-I'm just rambling. It's been in my head for a while. Of course, this doesn't change anything. I love Ezie with all my heart and I'd do anything for him, and I wouldn't have changed a thing," you looked at Levi intently.
"Hey, calm down," Levi says. "What you're saying makes sense and I.. feel it too. I felt lost for a while after all of thatended. Spent my whole damn life fighting and being a soldier and suddenly, I'm not needed anymore."
Your shoulders relaxed with relief. "Yeah. That's exactly how I.. feel. I mean, well, doctors are still needed even now, but there's not much I can do compared to the modern Marleyan doctors here. But anyway, I'm glad you get it."
"Honestly, I didn't even know what the hell I was supposed to do for the rest of my life when the Rumbling ended," Levi said. "No more Survey Corps, no more Titans. For a while, it's like I forgot how to live. Didn't know my purpose anymore. But then.. during my darkest moments in that hospital room and nearly damn losing my leg, you were there. Despite the shitty food, shitty deserted land, and the shitty apocalyptic condition we were in, as long as I had you, I felt like I could keep going. I felt like.. I wanted to keep going. For once, I felt like I wanted to fucking live, not just survive."
You feel your eyes water at hearing this, and you let out a shaky exhale.
"I don't know how I would've survived this without you and Ezie," Levi says, and suddenly, he turns to you. Intense granite eyes meet yours, looking at you intently and with tender love. "I fucking love you so much and I would give my life to you. I need you. I need you and I can't imagine not being with you for the rest of my life."
You bit your lower lip to stop yourself from letting out a cry. You were so overwhelmed by emotions that you barely noticed when Levi rummages through his pocket and takes out a tiny, black-coloured box. You're both still sitting on the grass, and he opens the box.
"So marry me," Levi says, his voice a whisper of promise. Cradled in the box was a beautiful silver band with a single, radiant, tanzanite gem in the middle. The gem was dainty and small, just the way you liked your jewellery.
Your lips part a little. A part of you had suspected he might propose, but you were still caught off-guard.
"I promise you I'd do it right, didn't I?" Levi says. "I know you say that titles don't matter and we act like we're married anyway, but I wanted to do this properly. I want this.. for real. I know I made you wait for long, but I really did just get this ring yesterday and I wanted to ask you as soon as I got it."
"Levi.." you started.
"I'd get down on one knee, but Doctor Richter might scold me for that," Levi stutters out. "Also, they just started mining for fine metals and gems very recently, and I knew I had to be the first to get this."
Levi is rambling. He's nervous. Oh my god. He's adorable.
"Tanzanite was the only gem they could find so far, but it's still a precious gem and the blue suits you so I thought I'd just go for that. I mean, I just know it'll look beautiful on you–"
"Levi!" you stopped him. "You don't have to explain, of course I will marry you!"
Your eyes start to fill with tears, and you launch yourself in his arms.
"I'll marry you," you mumbled between happy tears. "I'll marry you! I love you too, by the way."
"Hey, hey, watch it," Levi chuckles. "I'm not losing this ring!"
You giggle and compose yourself, allowing Levi to take out the precious silver band and fit it nicely on your ring finger. The tanzanite was a beautiful, alluring shade of violet blue. Your chest swells and your eyes glisten with tears again.
In a second, you grab Levi's face and kiss him on the mouth passionately. Levi stumbles backward to the grass, and you both kiss each other under the gentle illumination of the moonlight and the thousands of stars that blanketed the sky.
"I have a husband now," you giggle in-between kisses.
"And you, my wife," Levi smirks in the kiss.
"I love the ring, Levi. It's beautiful," you hugged him.
"I'm glad," Levi sighs.
"So.. who's going to be our officiant?" you asked.
"Some official officiant in Marley. All I know is that now, we have a legal system and we can officiate marriages," Levi grins and you nearly roll your eyes at "official officiant".
"I want a small wedding," you said. "If you're alright with that. Or should we just elope?"
"Small wedding is fine," he smiles. Unable to contain your emotions, you envelop him into a crushing hug, tears streaming down your face.
–
You and Levi held a small, intimate wedding months later by the beach. You set up tents, flowers, and tables and chairs for your guests. You invited your friends, who were more than ecstatic to find out about your engagement and wedding. It felt unreal to be celebrating this month, you'd never thought you'd actually live to experience getting married with Levi.
You're wearing a simple white gown with a slim fit. Hange helped you pick out the gown, and you thought it was the perfect dress. The dress was sleeveless and had a sweetheart neckline. It flowed beautifully down your legs, accentuating your figure nicely. Sasha helped with your hair and pinned flowers in it too. Levi was gorgeous. He's in a black suit, he got it from a tailor that Onyankopon recommended.
The soft golden hues of the setting sun painted the sky. The scent of saltwater mingled with the sweet fragrance of flower decorations. Under a simple arch adorned with billowing white fabric and delicate flowers, you and Levi stood, exchanging vows and sharing a kiss.
"Levi," you breathed out. "You've been my partner in battle and partner in life for a while now, and I promise to continue standing by your side through all of this, until the very end. We've been through a lot, to hell and back, and now, I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life peacefully with you."
You hear a sniffle coming from the crowd. It's Hange. Seeing Hange cry makes you want to cry. Another sniffle. This time, it's from Connie and Jean.
"I promise to always be your greatest ally and together, with our son, Ezekiel, I promise to create a home for us together filled with love and laughter," you said.
When it's Levi's turn to make his vow, you could almost combust at his strained, embarrassed expression. Levi is never one to express his feelings so openly, not especially in front of a crowd like this.
"During my time in the Survey Corps, you were the light to my dark days and miserable nights," Levi started. "Literally, because you started off as my sleep therapist and I was actually able to sleep better because of your advice."
You hear laughter emerging from the crowd, and you couldn't help but giggle as well.
"For years, you've supported me and our comrades in the Survey Corps, always willing to put yourself on the line and care for others. I guess that comes second nature to you, as a doctor. However, I always wondered, who will be the one to save you? I was determined to always protect you and keep you out of harm's way, and today, I just want to say how grateful I am that you're standing before me here, ready to be my wife."
You inhale deeply, heart pounding with emotions.
"I vow to be your steadfast companion, and protect you and Ezekiel with my life, always," Levi says, eyes steady with resolve and love. "I promise to forever cherish you and pledge my love and loyalty as your husband."
A tear emerges from your eyes, streaming down your face. The officiant wraps up your vows, and you seal off the ceremony with a passionate kiss. Confetti explodes and the crowd cheers as Levi puts the ring on your finger. Levi grabs Ezekiel and the three of you gather for a photograph together.
Amongst the intimate circle of friends, you shared this joyous celebration together. Seagulls overhead seemed to join in the applause. Niccolo and Sasha's family brings out a buffet spread of delicious food for you all to enjoy, and the party comes in full swing.
"I just want to say–" Hange sobbed happily. "I am so, so happy for you guys!"
She pulls you and Levi into a crushing hug.
"Congratulations, you two!" Onyankopon smiles, handing a wedding gift to you and Levi.
"Thank you, Onyankopon!" you gushed.
"Miss Doctor! Mister Levi!" Falco shouts. "Congratulations on your wedding!"
"Yeah, congratulations!" Gabi exclaims. "We made you handmade seashell bracelets for your wedding gift! Oh, one for Ezie too!"
Your eyes light up at the sweet bracelets made of tiny white seashells. Your heart melts. "Gabi, this is so sweet!"
"Thanks kids," Levi smiles warmly, patting each of them on the head.
"Captain!"
You turn your head to see Jean, Sasha, Connie, Armin, and Luca approaching you. They all shared their heartfelt congratulations to you and Levi.
"Captain I'm—I'm so happy for you!" Connie choked. "I never thought I'd see you–"
"See me what?" Levi crosses his arms.
"Captain! This wedding is the best thing that's happened to me in years," Jean cries out. "Congratulations to you two!"
"Please accept my wedding gift to you two," Armin gushes, handing you a gift box. "And congratulations!"
"Congratulations! You two should try the lobster. Niccolo really outdid himself today," Sasha said, munching on a calamari ring. "Oh! We also got you a wedding gift. We got you some coffee cups and mugs, you could use it for your new cafe-clinic!"
"Oh yeah, how's the progress on it?" Armin asked excitedly.
"It's all coming together! The renovations have started and we should be able to open within the next few months," you said.
"You can count on me to look for talented recruits," Luca beams. "Doctor Richter knows a bunch of willing doctors and nurses!"
"You're the best, Luca," you grin.
"Where did you even get the idea of opening a cafe-clinic from?" Jean asks. "It's so creative."
At this, you smiled wistfully. "It was actually Mario's dream, he's always wanted to open one. Now, I'm glad that I get to fulfil it for him."
"Awh, that's so... so..." Sasha whines. "So emotional and touching!"
"Hey, hey, don't start crying from sadness at my wedding now!" you teased.
The group cackles with laughter. You sigh with happiness and indulge yourself in the hustle and bustle of the wedding. Silently, you wished Mario was here with you. He would have been so happy for you and Levi, and you can't help but imagine the entertaining things he would do today. The wedding was beautiful and intimate, and it ended off with you going home drunk and Levi nagging as he carried Ezie with him.
In your home, in bed, you take Levi's hand and admire the wedding ring on his finger. He grips your hand tightly, pulling it into his lips and kissing it tenderly. As long as you're with Levi, you feel like you can take on anything.
Years ago, it felt like your lives were ending. Now, you find yourself starting a new beginning.
Notes:
Omg Be Kind has finally ended, thank you so much to everyone who read my story and finished it. It's my first ever fanfiction which I started as a fun thing in 2020, but only decided to really take it seriously and finish it off in 2023. It has been such a rollercoaster as my first longfic and because of Be Kind, I realized that I have a huge passion in writing and made me want to continue writing stories!
There's honestly a lot of things I wished I improved on, such as the medical scenes or plot, but as a first fic, I would think this is permissible enough for me 😂 I was fifty-fifty on Reader getting pregnant because I don't really like reading pregnancy tropes in general, but for Be Kind's ending, I have always seen Reader and Levi having a family from the very beginning, so I had to go through with it. I've always wanted Levi to have a family of his own :')
Anyway, I write other fics too such as Love & Deepspace and may create Jujutsu Kaisen fics in the future, so do check out my other works! 🥺 Once again, thank you for reading Be Kind and I appreciate your support so, so much!