Ereri - A Loving Mistake - Eren x Levi - Attack on Titan Yaoi

The Shorline

(Trigger warning- discusses child abuse)

A few hours later, Levi sat on a stone ledge on the side of Lake Michigan in Chicago, holding a small, white box in his hand. He stared at it, his grey eyes full of joy and a hint of nervousness. He had bought the ring, and then decided to spend some much needed alone time in downtown Chicago. Most of Chicago was busy, people swarming the sidewalks, taxis, traffic, blaring car horns, towering skyscrapers, and hundreds of tourists, but right on the shoreline, everything seemed calmer. Across the lake, with the waves crashing on the shore right before him, he could faintly see the towering buildings through the fog. It was a sunny day for late November, but still incredibly chilly. Seagulls flew overhead, waiting for one of the people walking or biking along the shore to drop food or something. All he could hear were the muffled conversations of the few people around him, children giggling, the waves crashing against the cement ledge before him, and the wind blowing, stinging his eyes as he squinted. He was originally planning on visiting Navy Pier but had decided against it, due to the fact that he would freeze his ass off on the top of a ferris wheel in November, plus there was no point since he was alone. (AN- I included a photo at the top so you can see. This is one of my favorite places in Chicago.)

But here, right here, in Chicago, was where he wanted to propse to Eren.

Why?

Because, he grew up in this city. The burnt remains of his old house were less than a mile away. Sure, he had a lot of bad memories in this city, like being bullied and pickpocketed and even abandoned by his own family, but this was where he went to escape. He could still remember, after he found his sister, murdered, her bloody body lying, crumpled, on the bloodstainded carpet, nobody could find the killer. Levi was sleeping in his room when he came downstairs to find her with a bullet through her skull. She was eight years old. Only eight. Levi's parents, who had always been cruel, absolutely snapped after that. They took beer bottles, hitting him over the head, screaming about how her death was because of him, saying Levi was a killer, calling him a peice of shit... His father beat him until he was covered in blood, sobbing, pleading for them to stop. He almost killed him one time, slamming a vase into Levi's head and stomping on him until he was unconcious. Then, they literally left him. just got up, taking their belongings, leaving him lying in his room, when he was just a kid. Erwin and his mom found him still lying in his room two days later, freezing, hungry, cold, and abandoned, and took him in. But, every single day, he ran down the street, tears streaming down his face, to this exact ledge, and he would sit there, sobbing, until the sun went down, and Erwin and his mom came to get him. After a few years, throughout middle school and highschool, he didn't have any friends. He never showed emotion. He learned to hide everything he felt, unless he was talking to Erwin. Once he was eighteen, he moved an hour away from Chicago, in a suburban area, and had lived there since. But,, right here, on the ledge, was where he talked to Erwin, where he let his feelings free, and it was where he first met Hanji after she and Erwin started dating.

This was the one place of happiness. Navy Pier was also a getway every now and then, when he saved up the money. He would sit on the ferris wheel, watching the people walking around below him, as the sun set and everyone turned on the lights and the city filled with life as people went out clubbing and sightseeing. He knew exactly how he was going to propose, but... All he could think about where all the things standing in his way.

 When would he be able to propose? When would it become legal? And, god, would Eren say yes? The kid was only eighteen, and Levi was soon going to be twenty two. It wasn't illegal age wise, but, two guys? If they married... What if they were harassed, attacked or ridiculed? There's no avoiding criticism, no matter what you are, but two married men... Eren was honestly rather weak, emotionally and somewhat physically. It worried him. What effect could it have on him, or both of them, for that matter?

Sighing, he tucked the ring safely into the inside breast pocket of his black hoodie. He ran a hand through his hair, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now. He felt like he wanted to cry again, but he just... couldn't allow himself to. He sniffed, rubbing his eyes slightly.

Just as he did so, he felt his phone vibrate. Pulling it clumsily from his pocket, he looked at the screen.

"Text from Jean- "Yo, Levi, shouldn't you get Mikasa's blessing, or, ya know, tell her?""

Levi froze, staring at his phone screen. Holy shit, he was right. Why hadn't Levi thought of this himself? Technically speaking, Mikasa was Eren's legal gaurdian, and one of his only living relatives. He couldn't just go on and propose without asking her, or at least letting her know.

But, wait... Oh god, did Eren come out to her? Did she know Eren was dating someone? Did Eren even talk to her anymore? Levi knew almost nothing about Mikasa. The only think he knew was that she and Eren had a tense relationship and nearly hated eachother. What would even happen if she knew...

Panickedly, he texted Jean back.

"Dude, how do I even contact her? Does she know that Eren is gay?"

In a matter of seconds, he had a response. "Look, can we just discuss this in person? Tell me where you are, I'll meet you, as long as you aren't with Eren."

Levi sent Jean his location.

AUTHOR NOTE- Just a short little update. Next one will be out soon, I promise. But seriously, I love the shoreline of Chicago and Navy Pier more than anything else. If you ever visit there, make sure to check them out. Oooh, also, be sure to check out Manny's Deli. Best resturaunt in the whole country in my opinion, even though I can't go very often anymore. But in the next few chapters, I will probably include a lot of my favorite parts of Chicago, because, damn, I love the place so much. So many memories on so many different places... It's so amazingggggg. Museams are great too. That's probably just because I'm a total history nut though. Anyways, sorry about my constant Chicago rambling... Despite the fact that it's incredibly INCREDIBLY dangerous in many areas, full of a lot of poverty and shootings, its also gorgeous, because the people who have grown up there have been through a whole lot, most of the time, and theres so many different people and such an incredible combination of culture. 

Okay, okay, I'm done for now. Have a good day.

~Volume