Chapter Text
Starting a new job can be exciting, but a familiar undercurrent of anxiety tempers your enthusiasm. Each job is different, you think to yourself, and you never know in advance what you’ll be forced to see or be asked to do.
You began working as a medic toward the end of the Marley Mid-East War, and your earliest memories on the job are of binding soldiers’ wounds, administering fluids, and covering the faces of the dead with shrouds. Many times, when your shift ended you were too exhausted to go home right away. Instead, you would sit on the darkened curb, looking up at the stars until your hands stopped shaking and your tears ran dry.
A lot changed after the Battle of Heaven and Earth - some changes were obvious, like the absence of the Walls that once protected the citizens of Paradis from the Titan threat. With the Walls gone, new towns and homesteads seemed to pop up every day, and you next worked as a traveling nurse in these burgeoning communities. You still witnessed illness and death, but you also delivered babies and set the broken bones of children whose roughhousing went a step too far. The fresh air of the countryside revitalized you, and the world began to seem colorful, even hopeful, once again.
Now, you step off the streetcar and begin following the directions hastily scrawled on the note in your hand. You are here in Mitras because you recently accepted a temporary placement as a home health assistant. The details were sparse, but based on the opulence of the neighborhood in which you find yourself, it seems likely that the patient is a retired government official or soldier. One of the only things you know for sure is the timeframe - the placement service said that the position would only be needed for one month.
Your directions lead you to a two-story townhouse in a quiet residential area. The house is one of the largest dwellings you’ve ever visited, but it is also the smallest building on the street. A high stone wall wraps around one side of the house, and through a wrought-iron gate you can see flowers blooming in a private garden. At your knock, the front door opens to reveal a petite young woman with flowing black hair.
“Welcome!” she says, opening the door fully to invite you in. “You must be from the placement service, right?”
“Yes, I’m Y/N,” you answer, and she introduces herself as Gabi Grice.
“Here, let me show you where you can put that,” Gabi offers, gesturing to the hefty bag slung on your shoulder. She takes you directly upstairs and shows you to a modest guest room. Once you put down your things, Gabi begins walking you through the house and shows you the parlor, study, dining room, and kitchen.
As you go, Gabi explains that she is newly married, and today she and her husband will be leaving for their honeymoon. The husband she mentioned, Falco, materializes shortly thereafter with a suitcase in each hand. He greets you briefly before returning to his last-minute preparations for their trip.
“It sounds like you’re going to have a lovely time,” you tell Gabi. “But are you saying that the house will be… vacant while you’re away?” You’re starting to worry that what Gabi and Falco really need is a housesitter, not a nurse, but then Gabi explains:
“No, no, our housemate will be staying behind.”
“Oh, so your housemate is my patient?” you ask, noting that Gabi winces slightly at your usage of the term ‘patient.’
“Yes, that’s right,” Gabi answers. “His name is Levi Ackerman. He was hurt pretty badly during his time with the corps, and he’s doing really well now, but…” Here, Gabi’s voice drops to a whisper. “…We would spend the whole trip worrying if he were left here alone.”
“I completely understand,” you say, giving Gabi’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “And I promise you, he will be in good hands. Now, did you want to introduce us before you go?” Falco came into the room while you and Gabi were talking, and you see him exchange a look with his wife.
“He’s… not exactly happy about all this,” Falco responds. “And, honestly, we are already running a bit late as it is. He is out in the garden right now so, if it’s alright, we may just tell him goodbye and let him know you’ve arrived.”
~~~~~
This is utter bullshit, Levi thinks to himself. He is seated in the garden, a walking stick propped up on the chair beside him as he takes in the afternoon sun. Some people say that spending time outdoors is good for the soul, but Levi is just getting more and more pissed off the longer he sits here.
On some level, Levi can recognize that Gabi and Falco are coming from a good place. It was a battle to get them to take this trip at all, and then it took weeks for Levi to convince the newlyweds that they really, truly could go without him. He thought that would be the end of it, but instead they went behind his back and hired a NURSE to stay in the house with him. Levi’s been stewing over it since he found out.
Can’t Gabi and Falco see how well I’m doing? he rages to himself. Do they think if they aren’t here, I’m going to forget how to wipe my own ass all of the sudden?
Even after all this time, it’s like they don’t believe that he can be independent. They still think he needs handholding on a daily basis. And it fucking hurts.
~~~~~
It’s been a while since Gabi and Falco left, and through the kitchen window you can see that the man in the garden hasn’t moved. It’s going to be awkward, you think, but finally you decide to break the tension. You open the side door and walk up the path towards where Levi sits with his back to you. He speaks first:
“Listen, I’m sure you are great at what you do, but as far as I’m concerned this is going to be a waste of your time.”
Levi turns around to look you in the face and continues, “You’ll get paid either way, so you may as well just go to the bar and get trashed tonight. I don’t need you here.”
The dismissiveness in his eyes and the disdain on his face stop you in your tracks for a moment, but you won’t give up so easily.
“Let’s not get off on the wrong foot, sir,” you reply in your kindest tone. “I was hired to do a job and I intend to earn my pay.”
“Good for you,” Levi mutters. You ignore this comment and continue:
“Why don’t we start over, you and I — what can I call you?”
The man looks like he would rather be fighting a fifty-meter Wall Titan than having this conversation right now, but after a long moment he responds. “I’m Levi Ackerman.”
“It’s great to meet you, Levi,” you respond. “I’m Y/N Zoe.”