A psychiatrist is a wonderful thing to be, unless you have Corporal Levi Ackerman for a patient. Levi is… difficult. I had been seeing him for two months, yet I still knew nothing more about him than what his military medical file said. "PTSD, stress-induced OCD, and difficulty sleeping." He wouldn't talk to me; would just limp his way over to my sofa, snagging one of my many books on the way, and read. It was painfully obvious Levi didn't want to be here. On his third visit, I asked him why he bothered coming. He told me that while he had been deployed in Krovla, he was shot. The doctor said it would take at least a year and a half before it would fully heal, since the bullet chipped his femur. Due to that, the Army thought it would be best if Levi was honorably discharged. Apparently though, his superior officer "Commander Eyebrows," gave Levi a bit of an ultimatum. Said that unless he visits me for the year and a half recovery period, he wouldn't receive a pension. Since the state of his leg prevents him from having a decent job, he appears in my office once a week.

"Commander Eyebrows," commonly called Erwin Smith by everyone but Levi, is a friend of mine. We both went to Mitras University; shared a few anatomy classes. I wanted anatomy because of my love for science, while Erwin thought it would be useful in making terrorists give up information. I had laughed at him when he first told me that. I later realized that he had been serious.

After graduating, Erwin joined the Army, climbing the ranks to Command Sergeant Major faster than seemed humanly possible. After Levi told me that Erwin specifically told him to visit me, I decided to call the Commander and question him as to why he was forcing this grumpy little Corporal to visit me.

Erwin—being the secretive bastard that he is—refused to answer any of my questions, simply stating that he considered Levi a friend and knew I could help him. He said that something happened when Levi was shot in Krovla. He didn't say what, and I appreciated that. Levi needed to get to the point where he would trust me enough to tell me himself.

That didn't mean I wasn't itching to know though. An injury in the Army would certainly explain the PTSD and trouble sleeping, but his antisocial personality disorder and stress-induced OCD were mysteries to me. Levi's OCD manifested itself in an obsession with cleanliness. For the two months I'd been seeing him, he would come into my office with his hands dried out from over-washing, fingertips red and raw from scrubbing things. He carried a mini bottle of hand-sanitizer in his left coat pocket, and refused to use the restroom in my office because it was "nasty." I can't ask him about it directly though. Whenever I try that tactic, he closes off even more than usual. So we just sit and read, occasionally discussing our books, talking about our week, and debating whether my office is truly clean or not.

It was the last day in November, a Friday, and Levi would be coming in for our ninth session together. I had arrived at the office early, and was rushing around trying to dust off my bookshelves. The trash had been taken out, and I had vacuumed the Asian rug the previous Wednesday. I had started this weekly cleaning ritual after only a few meetings with Levi. I didn't want to give him a chance to use my messy office as a stalling tactic to avoid discussing more personal things.

Since yesterday had been Thanksgiving, I was hoping that Levi might be in a better mood, however impossible that seemed. Maybe I would be able to get him to talk about any family or friends that had visited yesterday.

I glanced up at the clock as I ran my rag over one of the many stacks of books that I didn't have shelf space for. I had run out of bookshelf room both in my apartment and here in my office. I'm still not entirely sure how I managed to do so, considering how every wall in both places were covered in floor-to-celling shelves.

The time said 2:55, so I packed up my cleaning supplies and took a last glance around the room, making sure there were no greasy smudges on the leather couch from where I ate Moo Goo Gai Pan the day before. Finally satisfied, I plopped down in my easy chair and grabbed my current read from an end table.

Before I could get more than a page in though, Levi swung the door open, breaking my concentration. He looked more exhausted than usual, with dark bags under his bored looking eyes. I could see the tell-tale bulge of his hand sanitizer in the pocket of his dark jeans. With barely a glance in my direction, he limped his way to the sofa and started reading through the titles.

"Hey Levi! How are you today?"

"Doing fine." He was closely examining a fairly large book I had recently purchased. It was a collection of Edgar Allan Poe's work, and had a beautiful image of a raven on the dust jacket. Poetry wasn't a genre I typically enjoyed, but I had heard a lot of good things about Poe's short stories.

"You a fan of Poe?" I asked, hoping to get a conversation started.

Levi gave a non-committal grunt and—after inspecting the state of the sofa—gingerly lowered himself onto it, keeping his injured leg extended. He cast a slightly disgusted look around the room, eyes lingering briefly on the papers scattered on my mahogany desk, disapprovingly glancing at some crumbs gathered on the carpet that had escaped my notice up 'till now.

"Did you have a good Thanksgiving?"

He simply hummed and cracked open the tome in his hands.

I chuckled a bit. "Ok, fine. You can read for a bit, but you will tell me about your week before I let you go." I emphasized my words with a sharp poke of my finger in his direction. Getting Levi to talk could be like pulling teeth. I had told Erwin as much when I talked to him last, but the man seemed convinced that somehow I would be able to reach him.

Levi sighed and turned a page. This man will be the death of me. I had always considered myself to be a very patient and understanding person; I was so fascinated by the human nature that I was perfectly willing to put up with a lot of crap if it meant that I could learn more about humanity in general. Levi though, he tested me in ways I hadn't thought possible. I had never known another person like him. With an almost silent groan, I leaned over and picked up my own novel as well, quickly loosing myself in a world of art thieves, drug scandals, and friendship.

Several chapters later, I was jerked out of my fictional world by Levi's shuffling. I watched as he gingerly readjusted his legs. He glanced up at me and quickly looked back down as soon as we'd made eye contact. A minute later, he scooted closer to the center of the couch and gave another quick look at me. Then he gave a deep sigh.

It was strange. Levi never moved this much normally, instead sitting as still as possible, almost as if he was trying to blend in with the sofa in the hopes that I would forget he was there. Assuming that if he really wanted something he'd ask, I returned my eyes to the story in front of me.

When Levi dropped his book into his lap with a hitched breath, I gave into my curiosity.

"What's bothering you?" I closed my book around my finger to mark my place.

"I, uh…" Levi swallowed thickly. He started tapping his fingers methodically on his knee. "My great-grandparents are coming from France to stay with me for the month of December. It's my grandfather's 100th birthday soon, and he wants to spend Christmas with me."

"Is that causing you a lot of stress that you feel like you need to talk about?"

"No, that's not it. Actually, I," He paused, finally meeting my eyes, "I need your help."

My finger slipped out of its place, loosing my page as I jerked forward in my seat to be closer to Levi. "Really? What can I do for you?"

This was a big step for Levi. Requesting my help wasn't something he had ever done before. Maybe he was getting more comfortable around me? Trusting that I really could help him? I could only hope.

He winced, fingers tapping faster. "They think I'm married."

"Okay," I dragged the word out in confusion. "Why do they think that?"

"Because I told them I was, you idiot!" He snapped, finally making eye contact before quickly looking down again. "My grandmother has no sense of personal space and keeps calling me since I've been discharged, asking if I have a girlfriend, what job I'm going to get once my leg heals, whether my pension is enough to live on. She just won't stop. I finally just told the woman I was married, hoping she'd leave me alone, but no! Of course not! Now she's decided to drag my ancient grandfather all the way over here from Stochess to meet my wife!"

By the time he'd finished his little rant, his cheeks were flushed and one hand was clenched into a tiny fist while the other twitched rapidly on his leg. "Will you pretend to be my wife? Trust me, I'd rather ask anybody else."

I couldn't help but get distracted by the sheer volume of what Levi had said. He'd just spoken more then he had in all our previous sessions together combined.

"If I'm the last person you want to ask, then why are you asking me?" I asked, finally grasping what he had actually said.

He shot me a glare. "Because you are the only person I know who isn't deployed in Krovla."

Wow. He had been back in Trost for two months, and didn't know anybody? No friendly mailman, or any neighbors? Not only that, but he didn't have any old college friends? No one? I was shocked, but then again, Levi was an introvert. I was the opposite; I needed people to survive. I guess he didn't.

The full realization of what he was asking me to do finally sank in. He wanted me to help him lie to his great-grandparents? That was awful! From the things Levi said, his great grandmother was just concerned about his wellbeing. Would I be allowing his physical and mental health to decline by agreeing to this? Or would the stress of his family discovering his lies push him past his breaking point? Either I enable him in continuing to block people out instead of letting them help, or I let him face the consequences of his actions and potentially risk his having a break down from the stress that comes with being caught spinning a web of falsehoods.

Neither option was good. Damn him. He'd boxed me into a corner without even realizing it. Now granted, if I refused, Levi might very well be ok. His grandparents could be accepting, and forgive him. But still. Could I take that risk? What if they reacted poorly and left? Then he'd be left alone, with nothing but regrets and whatever monsters lurk in his memories. That wouldn't end well.

But on the other hand, if I did help him, if I did play along with this lie, what would result from that? Eventually, his great-grandparents would learn the truth. This wasn't something that could be kept secret forever. They would ultimately learn the truth and it would hurt so much worse, potentially causing even more damage to their relationship than it would otherwise.

"Hanji, I need an answer! They come in tomorrow!"

"What?! You waited until the day before they arrive to ask me? And you called me the idiot?" I looked up at him, noticing how his narrow eyes had widened, giving him a desperate look that was unusual to see.

Levi sighed, sounding completely exhausted. "They didn't tell me they were coming until last night. Didn't want me to have time to invent an excuse as to why they couldn't."

"Well I guess that explains the dark circles under your eyes." I mutter more to myself than him.

Family was not my strong suit. Would I even be able to pretend to be somebody's partner? How exactly does one be a wife? Having never had a good example of one outside of books and television, I had no idea. When in doubt though, I could always just fall back on stereotypes, as much as that thought pained me.

"I… I know I'm going to regret this, but I have a few conditions before I'll agree to help."

Levi groaned in annoyance.

"Hey, if you want my help, shut up and listen," I snapped. "I won't take time off from work to hang out with your family. You'd also have to pay someone to keep an eye on my pets because I'm assuming you wouldn't want me to bring them?"

He looked wary. "That depends on the kind of pets."

"Pythons. Sonny is an acid morph ball python, and Bean is a blood python. I can't just leave them, unfortunately. Their tanks have to be kept at the right temperatures with a very specific moisture content. They'll need to be fed a few times as well." I should probably be able to ask Eren to keep an eye on them. He'd always seemed interested in having pet snakes of his own, and his guardian Hannes was always very encouraging towards whatever hobbies he developed.

"Hell yeah, I'll pay for a snake sitter. You're not bringing them anywhere near my apartment. Do you know who you're gonna ask?"

"Uh, yeah I think so."

"Good. You have my address from the patient file, right?" He asked as he gingerly stood, leaning heavily to the right.

Casting a quick glance at the clock, I saw we still had fifteen minutes left.

"Wait! You can't go yet." I called. "Our session isn't over, and you still haven't told me about your Thanksgiving."

Levi gave me his signature dead-pan expression. "You are a horrible person, Hanji."

"I know, but I happen to be the only person you know in Trost, right? You have to like me somewhat, especially considering you just proposed." My mouth stretched into a huge Cheshire-Cat grin as I leaned back in my chair.

"I did not propose." He huffed, crossing his arms and looking for all the world like a pouting teenager.

"So…?" I prompted.

"Thanksgiving was fine."

"No no no, not nearly good enough. Details, Levi. What did you eat? Anybody call you? What'd you do?"

His head dropped a little. "I ate leftover Mexican food and cleaned the entire apartment twice. You already know my grandparents called. So did Commander Eyebrows."

Apparently I made a face, because Levi got irritated. "Don't give me that look! I don't want pity, sympathy, or whatever the hell that face means. I enjoyed myself very much."

Pulling himself to his feet again, he continued. "Their plane lands at nine am, so you should show up no later than eight to get your stuff settled in." He turned to leave.

"Do you want me to bring the Poe compilation?" I called teasingly. He seemed to be really enjoying the book.

Levi stared at me for a moment, glancing briefly to the book, then back to me. "Yes. That'd be nice." He said blandly before turning and slowly walking out.

I let out a big sigh as soon as the door swung shut behind him. What had I just done? Was I really willing to spend a month with Levi, pretending to be his wife, lying to his family? They obviously cared about him. They didn't deserve this. But… A thought struck me. Yes, while helping would be enabling a destructive behavior in Levi, it would also get me closer to him. I would be spending an entire month living with him. During that time, I was bound to learn more about him, which in turn would help me get through to him better. And yet, family was something precious—sacred even. It was a gift that not everyone was given, and Levi's scheme could do some very serious damage to his. Someone to love you unconditionally, wanting nothing in return, willing to walk with you through the darkest paths of life; Levi had that. He had that, and was willing to risk it in order to avoid a few questions from someone who cared.

I finally stood from my chair, realizing I had been staring into space since Levi left. My patient schedule gave me twenty minutes of time after each session, reserved purely for recording our conversations and taking notes on new developments. Walking over my desk, I dropped gracelessly into my rolling chair and began to update my notes on Levi. His document was the smallest out of all my patient files. After typing in the date, I wrote out a transcript of all we said. My eidetic memory was both a blessing and a curse; I could clearly remember all my sessions—making my fellow doctors at the Trost Psychiatric Clinic jealous, seeing as how they had to record all their sessions—and yet I also was unable to forget things that would be much better forgotten.

"Still antagonistic. Willing to lie to get others to leave him alone. Has he lied to me?" I doubted he would have been able to; I prided myself in my ability to read others, after all. "Need to go over every previous transcript to look for inconsistencies. Has only Erwin Smith, outside of grandparents. Where is rest of family? So far has made no efforts to adjust back to civilian life; still isolating himself. Why?"

LINEBREAK

I finished up with the rest of my patients and made it back to my apartment by 7pm. After heating the remnants of my moo goo gai pan, I started packing the basics for my stay at Levi's.

No need to bring a pillow or towel. Levi should have plenty of those. Besides, having one towel or pillow case that didn't match the rest could hint to the grandparents that something was up. After shoving all my underwear into the largest suitcase I owned, I went over to the closet. A fancy outfit or two, maybe a pair of grungy cloths, four sets of pajamas, and enough clothes to last two weeks without washing.

After setting out all the toiletries I thought I'd need, I noticed that my stash of feminine products was incredibly low. My period was typically light and short, but it was accompanied by cramps so severe that it caused vomiting. I was hoping I'd skip this coming month as I frequently did, but just in case I made a mental note to pick up some more tampons.

As I worked, my mind kept coming up with ways this little adventure of mine could go terribly wrong. It really wasn't the smartest decision I've ever made, that much was obvious. I was going to shack up with a guy I hardly knew. What if he was secretly a creepy rapist? Maybe he tortured puppies for fun on the weekends? Or he could be a mobster. Levi did look like he could be a mobster, or at least a thug of some sort. There would certainly be times that his family wasn't around, leaving just him and me alone in his house with plenty of time for him to reveal that he moonlights as a serial killer.

Shaking my head, I banished my overdramatic, worst-case-scenario thoughts. I was very, very good at reading people. Not to mention, Erwin was friends with him, and Erwin was the cleverest, least gullible person I knew. I would be completely safe. In an effort to boost the confidence that had been damaged by my traitorous thoughts, I sent Levi a quick text just to give him my number. I had made note earlier of his address and cell number when I was working on his file.

Finally deciding that I was done stressing for the night, I slipped into bet with my laptop, determined to finish watching an anime I'd started months previously yet never actually had time to watch. I couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting something though.