0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The summer days regrettably dwindled down and Eren found himself back in school at the start of September. As the lingering effects of summer vacation faded as classes resumed, Eren couldn't help but notice an almost out of body experience. When the words 'senior year' slipped through the mouths of his teachers, he consciously realized it was his last year. There was a future he had to think about.

Eren already knew what he was pursuing. He was still working on his portfolio to the university. The deadline to submit his portfolio for review was at the end of February next year. He had taken more recent pictures of places and people as suggested by his guidance consoler, Rico, but he still had to sort them out, picking the best one to develop even further. When he thought of that, Eren couldn't help the sense of panic that washed over him, like a heavy cloak.

Mikasa's choice of study was an athletics university that Shadis from her boxing gym had recommended. She was thrilled with the idea of becoming a personal trainer and eventually opening up her own gym. Shadis also introduced her to an ex-MMA fighter as a mentor and since then had not stopped talking about the sport or her new training regimen.

Armin was still looking for colleges, or rather, applying for everyone that caught his interest. He was torn between archeology and oceanography and there was only one university in Sina that taught both. He was a nervous bundle and both Mikasa and Eren reassured him that with his grades, he'd probably get accepted into all of the colleges and probably be offered a scholarship. He wasn't the top student just for show.

When Eren thought what left he had to do, as well as Mikasa and Armin's, everything seemed like it was speeding up and slowing down at the same time. It was terrifying but Eren felt excited at the same time. He spent his days after school in the darkroom they had at school to develop his photos, Mikasa studied and trained, and Armin wrote the required personal essays for each of the universities he applied to.

And Levi was also just as busy as Eren, devoting a majority of his attention to Marie's wedding.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

It became routine for Eren to pass out in the living room as soon as he got home. As he opened the door, his bag was ceremoniously dropped by the door but a beautiful woman sitting at the counter stopped him from tossing his body on the couch. She was putting her coat on, unaware of Eren until she turned around.

"Oh, hello, you must be Eren." She said with a gentle smile.

Eren slowly nodded. "Um, hi…"

"Are you just going to stand there with your mouth open?" Eren nearly jumped out his skin as he quickly dashed away from the door. Levi stared at him, sighing once before he let himself in.

"Here's the catalogue of flowers available and their prices." Levi said, walking over to the woman with a book. "Pick the flowers you like then call me so we can narrow down your choices."

"Oh, so you already know I'll probably pick all of them." She said with a teasing tone.

"I've learned from experience." Levi replied. The woman chuckled as she took the book.

"Thank you, Levi. I really appreciate your help in this."

"It's not a problem, Marie," He replied. "I can have Erwin in my debt for awhile so it works out for the both of us." Marie laughed and she grabbed her purse, heading towards the door.

"I'll call you next week with my choices." She said. Levi nodded and she left.

"Who was that?" Eren asked as soon as she was gone.

"Marie Dok, soon-to-be wife of Erwin's friend, Nile." Levi said. He ran a hand through his hair, untying the shop's apron and draping it over the back of a chair. "You would have met here earlier if you weren't holed up at the school."

"Is that who you've been working with these past few months?" He asked, making his way to the couch now that Marie was gone. He's heard Levi speak over the phone with her about venues for the reception, the size, the type of wedding she wanted. It concerned Eren for a while, but Levi reassured him that she was the only bride client he was working with. And with Nifa working the shop as his assistant, Levi wasn't stretching himself thin.

While Levi wasn't an official wedding planner, he had arranged the flowers for many weddings, gaining experience over the years, and had an excellent sense of aesthesis to those types of things.

"You're not overworking, right?" Eren asked.

"Of course not." Levi replied. He grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and tossed one to Eren. "I could say the same to you. You're starting to live at the school."

"The portfolio requires a minimum of ten photos but I've picked twenty of my best ones and I still need to get rid of at least five and I just-" Eren groaned and he laid on the couch, hands covering his face as he continued to curse the portfolio and the university in explicit detail.

"Cut that shit out," Levi said, tossing the half empty bottle of water at the back of Eren's head with a satisfying thud. "I'm not in the mood to cook tonight so we're having take out. What do you want?"

"Pizza!" was his immediate response. Levi grabbed his phone and dialed Erwin's number, knowing he was on his way home from work. As the phone rang, Levi walked over to the couch to get his bottle back.

"Oi, what kind do you-" In the span that it took Levi to take his phone, Eren had fallen asleep. Levi sighed, amazed at his ability to just sleep anywhere. Levi grabbed the blanket draped over the back of the couch and placed it over Eren's body. As he looked closer, Levi noticed small pieces of film stuck on Eren's face, hands smudged with black stuff, and very noticeable bags under his eyes.

"Levi?" Erwin spoke into his ear. Levi made sure the blanket wouldn't slip off Eren's body and he walked away, telling Erwin to get their favorite feta cheese pizza.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Ready?"

"Wait, Eren, stop moving." Mikasa said, placing a hand on Eren's.

"Eren, you know you really are hopeless romantic." Armin said with a sigh. Eren grumbled and pouted, bumping his hips against Armin's. But he quickly grinned and looked up at the dark night sky. The fireworks were about to go off at any moment and the winter weather was actually agreeable enough to the point that they didn't need to bundle up in layers and layers.

"This is our last year as high school students. I think a toast is a pretty good way to celebrate." He said, looking down at the glass of champagne in his hand. Levi had given them the sweet kind, keeping the harder stuff to himself.

Eren stared down at the ground, swirling the drink in his hand. It was all dwindling down to their last few months. Armin and Mikasa had already sent in their applications and Eren was putting the finally touches to his portfolio.

"Do you guys want to live together in Sina?" Eren asked as he stared at the night sky.

Mikasa and Armin both shared a look and their silence made Eren blush as he stared at them. "I mean..! It's just… since we're all going to study in Sina, I figured it'll be cheaper… CAN YOU STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!?"

Both Mikasa and Armin fell into a bout of laughter, much to Eren's embarrassment. He muttered angrily at them, ready to tell them to stop when a sharp noise rang in the air in the distance. The noise dimmed and a second later, the sky was lit with colors. Mikasa stepped closer to Eren, clinking her glass to his.

"Armin's already way ahead of you." She said, leaning in to kiss him. He looked to the blond whom smiled like the cunning devil he was.

"I started to look at some studio apartments." He said, walking closer to Eren. "Your college is closer to the inner part of the city, Mikasa's is further away and the one I really want to be accepted in is near the outer edge of the city. I've already found a few places where it would be convenient for us, transportation-wise."

Eren blinked as he stared at the blond. "Armin, you're incredible!" He pulled the blond into a hug, planting a kiss on his forehead. Armin smiled and tapped his glass against Mikasa and Eren's glass.

"Let's have another good year." He said, smiling at his two most loved ones. Eren and Mikasa leaned in, kissing Armin on either side of his cheek. Then Eren blew a raspberry against the blond's cheek, laughing as he half heartedly glared at him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

It was towards the end of February when Eren was satisfied with his portfolio and had managed to send it off, with just a few days to spare before he went past the deadline. All he needed to do now was wait for the reply back. While Eren wasn't a patient character, he had classes, work in the shop, and more fights with Annie at the gym to keep him preoccupied.

Levi himself was finding most of his days to be incredible busy. Marie's wedding was two months away. She already picked the reception area; a beautiful hotel in Sina that Erwin managed. With the blueprints of the hall, Levi knew the layout of the large room and with Marie, they talked over where the tables were going to be placed, the decoration on each table, the amount of guest, the sculptured she commissioned, nothing was left unexplored.

Eren was worried over him, he really didn't want to see Levi overwork himself again, but the many swats to his head by the older man reassured him he was well. And if Eren watched Levi as he talked with Marie over the phone or in person when she came over to the apartment for last minute things, he could tell Levi was enjoying his work. When he brought that up, Levi eyes widened a fraction, a light blush spreading over the top of his ear.

It earned him a solid thwack to the head as Levi grumbled something or another about him being an idiot.

Their days continued in that matter; Levi worked and Eren waited impatiently.

For his birthday, Eren spent it quietly in his home with Mikasa and Armin, binge-watching of horror films. An assortment of snacks like pop corn, chocolate, half a pie of feta cheese pizza, and a bottle of Smirnoff littered the table in front of the trio. The three sat on the same couch, Mikasa pressed up against Eren's side, her head resting on his right shoulder. Armin sat on his left, his hand gripping Eren's as he shut his eyes at scary moments. At some point, the three had fallen asleep because when Eren woke up again, Mikasa's head was resting on his lap and Armin was slumped against his side. The TV was off and the clock on the wall read it was well past 2am.

He gently shook Mikasa's shoulder, slowly stirring her awake. She woke up, turning her head to look up Eren. "…move to bed?"

Eren smiled and nodded, running his hand through her soft tousled hair. She yawned, slowly sitting upright as Eren held Armin steady. Their movements began to wake Armin and he sleepily stared at them.

"We moving?" He mumbled, gazing towards the two. Eren chuckled and he nodded, standing now. Armin nodded and he lifted his arms.

"Carry me." He demanded.

"Hah? Shouldn't I be saying that instead, since it's my birthday?" Eren asked. Armin grinned lazily and shook his head.

"Because it's your birthday, you should carry me." He retorted. Before Eren could roll his eyes, Mikasa stood in front of Armin, who still had his arms raised, and picked up the lithe man. Armin stared a Mikasa for a second before a grin spilt his lips, securing his arms around her neck, praising her incredible strength and trash talked Eren as if he wasn't in the room.

"He's going in first." She said. Eren nodded as she left and he started to pick up the trash on the table. He was nearly done when Mikasa stepped back out his room, wearing one of his large t-shirts. She helped with the rest, throwing the remainder of the trash in the can as Eren placed the dishes into the sink.

"Armin and I didn't bring a change of clothes, so I borrowed some of your shirts."

"That's fine." He said. Everything was cleaned up in a matter of minutes with Mikasa's help. The door rattled and they both looked up when Erwin and Levi walked into the apartment. Erwin was supporting Levi up by his waist. His face looked flushed and he was breathing harder than usual.

"Erwin, is he okay?" Eren asked, stepping closer to Levi.

"I'm fine." Levi replied, gripping Erwin's hand as he straightened up. "Migraine, but listen, I'm gonna to need muscle for Marie's wedding."

"Were you with her tonight?" Eren asked. Erwin nodded and he brought Levi to the counter, letting him sit on the bar stool as he looked for the Tylenol.

"A few last minute things we needed to sort out." Levi said. "I need one more person to help; can you ask one of your friends? Tell them they'll get paid."

Eren nodded, watching Levi take the pills and swallow them. He gentle messaged the bridge of his nose, waiting for his head to stop pounding so loudly. He felt a large hand, Erwin's, press against his forehead. His cool flesh felt nice and he sighed, noticing the pounding was steadily lessening. He slowly stood, pulling Erwin's head away to level a look at Mikasa and Eren.

"If the three are you are going to have sex, make sure you keep quiet." Levi said as he began walking towards his own room with Erwin in tow. Eren stuttered, brain short circuiting.

"…um, Levi.. what do you mean…?" He asked nervously.

Levi stopped and looked behind him. "Exactly what I meant. Am I wrong to think that the three are you of dating?"

Eren shook his head. "…We are. H-how…?"

"The three of you aren't as discrete as you think you are." Erwin said with a wise smile. Eren felt his face heat up in mortification. He had planned on telling Levi about the three of them but had put it off because he was scared at his reaction. He was aware that the relationship they had was definitely not normal and very few of their friends knew. Eren looked down at the floor, feeling Mikasa step next to him and grasp his hand.

Mikasa started to speak but Levi quickly shushed her. "I'm not opposed to it." He said. Eren looked up from the floor, surprised. "If anything, I owe shitty glasses money."

Eren stammered, "You… there was a bet?"

Levi nodded, digging his pinkie into his ear. "I'd be a fucking awful person if I didn't let you date who you want. And if its Mikasa and Armin, I can trust them to you. But," He stopped and Eren steeled himself. "I have a headache tonight and if I hear anything come out that room, I'm kicking your ass."

With that, Levi walked into his room with Erwin, closing the door behind him. Eren and Mikasa were left standing there, both dazed as to what just happened. They looked to each other and fell into a silent fit of laughter as they headed into Eren's bedroom.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

The day of Marie's wedding came; a beautiful Saturday that favored the day. Nile and Marie were at the church, preparing to walk the isle to exchange their vows and become husband and wife. Levi was with her while she was being dressed in her gorgeous gown; a strapless dress that clung to her figure, gradually fanning out towards the bottom. The veil she wore was just as long as her dress, small white beads woven along the edges in an intricate pattern.

"I knew you'd look beautiful in that dress." Levi said. Marie smiled as she smoothed her hands down the front of her dress. They'd become close friends in the months they spent together planning her wedding and he was with her when she was shopping for dresses.

"After you criticized the life out of the first three I picked." She teased. Levi huffed, arms crossed over his chest.

"There is such a thing as too much frills." Levi replied. He glanced at the clock on the wall, noticing the time. "Marie, I need to head the reception hall to help with arranging the flowers."

Marie nodded and she walked towards him, grasping his hands as she neared him. "Thank you again, Levi. You really made this whole experience so much easier to handle. Are you sure you don't want to become a wedding planner?"

Levi shook his head. While he liked the idea and he did like planning, what he ultimately loved was the cozy flower shop that waited from him every day. "I'll stick to my flowers. I'll see you at the reception hall."

Levi left her room and exited the building, making his way to the car parked in front of the church. The drive to the hotel wasn't far, a fifteen minute ride, and as he parked he saw his volunteers on the side road near the grand building, standing in front of the two large vans with the flowers. He parked his car in the spot he reserved and got out.

"Did you unpack the vans?" He asked as he neared the group. The usual three suspects nodded.

"Is there another van coming?" Eren asked as the two idled vans drove away after Levi waved to the drivers.

"There's one more." Levi said just as the mentioned van began to drive up towards them. "Mikasa, stay here with Eren to unload this van. Armin, you come with me so we can start setting up the tables."

"Yes, sir!" The three said in unison. Armin ran ahead of him, entering the reception hall. Levi tailed after him when he felt a pair of arms slip around his shoulders and a considerable amount of weight leaned against his back.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the wedding?" Levi asked, tilting his head back.

"Niles will be fine." He said.

"Well, make yourself useful." He said, shrugging off those arms.

It took two hours to get the reception hall ready. All the tables had been set with mini-bouquets, the wedding cake was surrounded by small arrangements Levi had made to accent the cake. Levi double checked everything when they were done, making sure nothing was misplaced. When he was satisfied, Levi gave them a nod, and the group collectively sighed in relief just as the first guests were starting to wander in.

"Good work, today." Levi said. He fished out his car keys and tossed them to Eren. "Go start my car and wait for me. We'll head home early." They nodded and walked off, body aching.

Levi felt those arms around him again, a kissed pressed against his forehead. He leaned back against Erwin, sighing as he felt utter exhaustion wash over him. As much as he enjoyed planning the wedding, it wore him down and he was glad that it was over.

"The hall looks beautiful." Erwin said.

"Of course it does. I don't half-ass anything." There was pride in his tone. Erwin chuckled and he stayed where he was, watching as Marie and Nile's family and friends filled the hall.

"Levi!"

The smaller man looked to see Marie waving towards him. She smiled and looked beautiful and stunning and incredibly happy. Erwin patted Levi's shoulder as he walked towards Nile, pulling the man into a hug. Marie peeked into the reception hall, completely blown away by the presentation.

"It's better than I imagined," She said with awe. She turned towards the man and grasped his hands. "Thank you so much, Levi."

"It's not a problem, Marie. Since you're pleased, I'm going to head out early."

"Right," Marie smiled brightly and tightly gripped his hands. "Let's hang out again another day."

Levi watched her leave, joining her husband as they entered the hall. While he was sure he had no intentions of becoming a wedding planner, Levi was telling the truth when he told Marie the flower shop was all he needed, but he was definitely more open to accepting more jobs. He looked down at his hand, running a finger over the silver ring on his ring finger.

"Levi." He looked up to the giant blond he was in love with.

Maybe it was the exhaustion or the fluffy atmosphere but he had an irrationally urge to throw himself at him. Instead, he walked over to the man and grabbed him by the shirt to pull him down and kissed him.

"Let's go home."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The day Eren's acceptance letter came in was a rather messy day.

When he sent the letter, Eren had vigorously checked the mail even though he knew it was ridiculously too early. As the months passed, he became less preoccupied, worrying about his finals and graduation until he all but forgot, mind completely focused on the last week of exams.

Eren was walking home alone from graduation practice when he checked the mail, sorting the spam from the actual mail until he saw the stamp of the university he applied to. Eren's eyes widened and he immediately dashed down the alley way beside the flower shop, practically barging his way upstairs to the entrance.

"Levi! IT'S HERE!"

Eren dashed towards the living room, jumping over the back of the sofa, hands gripping the letter. Both Erwin and Levi looked at him, literally seeing the eyes sparkle in his teal eyes. Levi sighed and turned himself around, settling down on Erwin's lap. Eren was too blind to see he'd barged in on them making out.

"Well, let's see it."

Eren looked down at the letter, suddenly scared of what was inside. Levi stood up and set himself beside the young man. He gave Eren's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"You won't find out if you don't open it."

"Yeah." He replied. He took a deep breath and opened the envelope. He was glad that Levi was beside him, his presence there made him feel calm. He read the letter, read the letter again, and then lowered his hands.

"Well?" Levi said, reclining back.

"I… I got in." Eren said in a whisper. He looked back at the letter, rereading the sentence. "Dear Eren Jaeger, we are glad to inform you of your acceptance into The Arts University of Sina…" He paused, to steady his voice as he continued. "The committee was impressed with your portfolio and submission piece to the summer contest during your stay in the open house last year. As such, we are pleased to offer you a scholarship for your photography major. We hope to hear your reply…"

Eren stopped, tears spilling over his eyes. Levi draped his arm over Eren's shoulder, letting him cry on his shoulder. "I got in, Levi. I really got in…"

"Good job, Eren."

Eren nodded, biting his lips as he read the letter again through his tears. Levi stayed by his side, gently patting his shoulder as Eren ran through his emotions. Levi could feel a swell of pride within him, for Eren, for Carla's sake.

"Levi, I want to tell ma." Eren said, wiping away the tears from his face. "Can you come with me?"

"Sure." Levi said, standing up. He looked to Erwin but the older man shook his head.

"You two go ahead."

Levi nodded and they both headed out. It wasn't a long way to the graveyard and along the way, Levi and Eren reminisced. Mostly, Levi kept teasing about small stories and retelling moments when he worked with Carla.

"I did not!" Eren protested when Levi mentioned a time when Eren very boldly ran out naked to the living room full, baring all to Levi's friend one night.

Levi chuckled as grinned. "I was trying to give you a bathe 'cause you were filthy but you slipped right by me and to the living room. I'm pretty sure Hanji took some picture I could show you."

Eren groaned, regretting his six-year old self. But he huffed up and looked at Levi, a sly grin shaping his lips. "Well, I got stories too."

Levi scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Anything you say won't bother me." He replied confidently. And it was true and Levi knew Eren didn't have much on him. Levi wasn't a man who was easily embarrassed. But when Eren reminded Levi of the time he saw Levi play with Corporal when he was a kitten, the man pointedly frown, face turning slightly red. Eren grinned, pleased with himself as Levi walked just a little bit faster.

Eren laughed as he easily caught up to him. It wasn't long before they reached the gravestone of Carla and Grisha and Eren fell silent.

Levi stood beside Eren as he kneeled in front their graves. Eren held out the letter in front of the gravestones, his grin as bright as the setting sun. "Ma, dad, I got into the university I wanted. And that picture I submitted for the contest helped me get a scholarship. I'm going to work hard to make sure I become the type of son you can be proud of."

Levi's fist lightly tapped the top of his head. "I'm pretty sure they already would be." He said, ruffling up Eren's mess of a hair. Eren smiled, nodding in agreement. Levi kneeled beside Eren as he placed the bouquet he had arranged in-between their graves. Eren placed the letter within the colorful petals of impatiens. He stood back up, staying silent as he stared at their graves.

"Are you proud?" Eren asked, looking up at Levi.

Levi glanced down at Eren, meeting expectant eyes that already knew what Levi would say. But Levi didn't mind repeating himself. This was Eren's shining moment. He could spoil him more than usual.

"I'm proud of you, Eren," Levi said. "You worked hard for it. It was worth all the hours of labor."

Eren blinked, eyes slightly wide as he began to laugh, clutching his stomach as he shook. "You didn't… give birth to me though…." He managed to squeeze out.

"I might as well had; Carla spent nine hours pushing your fathead out. I sat through the whole thing. Even Grisha fainted once despite being a doctor."

"I'll make sure to pay you all back with my hard work."

"I'll settle for a penthouse so work hard." Levi said. Eren chuckled as he followed Levi down the path that lead out the cemetery. They were out the graveyard when Eren stopped walking. He looked to the man that had raised him and took him and unconditionally loved him in place of the parents he lost. He remembered thinking Levi was so strong and brave, that his shoulders looked broad and steady whenever he used to look up at him when he was younger.

"Eren?" Levi stopped and looked back, noticing that Eren had stopped.

Eren focused on the man in front of him. "Thank you for raising me."

Levi stared at him and, if it were anyone else, they probably would've been intimidated. Levi really had a face that was hard to read. But Eren knew he was thinking and choosing his words. After a moment Levi sighed, and walked in front of Eren, looking up at him.

"You don't have to thank me for that." Levi said. "Whether that fire happened or not, I would have always been in your life. Rather than thanking me, show me. You still have a hell of a lot of growing up to do but the differences between now and then is that you're capable."

"And taller." Eren added. He couldn't resist.

At that, Levi's eyebrow twitched. He glared at Eren before turning heel and briskly walking away, "And still a little shit."

Eren grinned, easily catching up to Levi, comfortably walking back home together. In his mind, he thanked Levi again, because he would always be grateful towards Levi being in his life.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE

this concludes papa heichou and this chapter was stuck in editing limbo but i finally took some time to do the editing thing so hopefully it flows a hell of a lot better than it was