A/N: I'd like to take a moment to thank the person who left a review on AO3 giving this fic a happy birthday! It's been a year since I first posted this, and I'm so happy to see how much it's grown and how I've gotten to talk to such awesome people from it. :) I don't talk on FF as much, just because the messaging system isn't easy, but I do with AO3 and I try here as well (I really suck at responding). You people are all so awesome and I want to thank you all for such awesome responses to my slow, fluffy fic baby. :3 I also want to apologize for the gap in updates. I've been moving and working full time, so it's been a little tiring. I'm back though, and I plan to work hard!

Incoming for the countdown to the final chapter is underway!

-Misty

The Change You Wish to See

(Original summary, but screw the stupid character limits) Levi's never put much care into things. He doesn't put much care into things at all. Nothing ever peaks his interest. Well, that's until he meets Eren Jaeger. Levi isn't sure what it is that's so interesting about him, and it irritates him to feel these feelings he's never felt before. Regardless, he goes to talk to the boy. When he doesn't receive an answer, he just thinks that the boy is rude; however, he understands why when Eren doesn't answer him. Eren is deaf.

Rated M for sexual content, adult language, some violence, mild character death
Main pairing: Riren with some side pairs
Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack on Titan)

Chapter Twenty Two: Apology Accepted

Mikasa had been standing outside Eren's hospital room when Levi returned from his x-rays. It'd been a long hour and a half waiting for Eren to be taken in for his EEG, leaving her a mess of inner turmoil. She couldn't sit still, couldn't think or focus on their conversation, and more importantly, it showed. She couldn't be like that in front of Eren, not if it meant keeping him relaxed, so she left the room to calm down.

She'd been watching her brother and Armin sign back and forth endlessly to each other through the hospital window, eyes on them carefully through the curtains. They weren't talking about anything inappropriate or bad, just their usual boy talk that she could never make sense of. Boy talk was another language entirely. She had seen him return through the reflection in the glass, eyes quickly darting over to look at him properly. He hadn't seemed to notice her until she turned back to look at him. Then and only then, when he felt a cold gaze on his form burning holes into his head, he looked her way.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked her as he limped the rest of the way over to her side, to the window where he could look over Eren.

"What's going on with your leg?" She asked quietly, her voice apathetic.

"Ah, well the doctor said I've got a hairline fracture in my femur. She also said that I have a loose kneecap, but that isn't from the car. Apparently they're just like that." Levi looked down at his leg and wiggled it a bit. "She gave me a prescription for some medicine I can't afford, but that's all that can be done. I just have to stay off of it as much as I can and let it rest."

"And that's it?" She asked coldly as she turned from the window.

"The doctor said she can't do anything about my complex personality. Sorry for the terrible news." Levi retorted and looked into the room. "What about him? Has he gotten his tests yet?"

"No, not yet," She shook her head as she looked to her siblings. They looked so calm and happy, so relaxed. Not a care in the world. That was how it was always supposed to be.

"Did they say how long it would be?" Levi asked. Mikasa's eyes trailed from the figure of her younger brother lying in a hospital bed to Levi. She looked at him, watching the way his breathing seemed off, or the way his eyes looked tinted, like he was about to cry. He wasn't one to cry, but it was just her take on the look within his eyes.

She noticed the subtle shake in Levi's hands as he kept them against the glass, and the need to speak, the questions bubbling up inside of her threatening to escape, was getting worse. She couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"... What have you been doing with my brother?" She asked quietly. Levi's shaking seemed to subside as he looked up at her, as if the question was just that much of a shock to him.

"What...?"

"Every time Eren comes home, it's Levi this and Levi that..." His sister began. "And he says you're just friends, but I know when Eren lies; his ears turn red when he lies..."

"What's your point?" Levi asked, using a tone of annoyance to prove his irritation. Why did she feel the need to question every little thing about him and their relationship, and at a time and place that was so wrong? They'd already caused enough trouble today. It didn't need to continue.

"Is there something more to this, that... You?" She asked. "Are you sleeping with him?"

Levi's first mistake was looking away. He looked back into the room where Eren was, his hands clenched tightly into fists against the glass. His second mistake was actually taking a moment to answer her.

"... I don't see why you need to know that." He mumbled under his breath, but not so quiet that she didn't hear him.

"You are..." The answer was clear to her. He didn't need to say it, write it out, or even sign it for her to figure it out. "Look, I don't know what kind of game you're trying to pull here, but Eren has feelings. I'll put you in this hospital myself, and I don't care if that lands me in jail. I won't let him get hurt by you." She warned.

"What makes you think I'm trying to hurt him?" Levi asked, finally stepping away from the glass. "Why can't you think that maybe I actually care for him?"

"Because he's him, and you're you. Because you're in your thirties and don't seem interested in anyone your age." She accused. "Because you seem like the type of person who doesn't have interest in relationships at all."

"You think I wanted to fall for a kid? You think I wanted to feel the way I feel about some nineteen year old? Well I don't!" Levi's voice rose with anger. "I don't want these feelings, and I'm fully aware of how it looks to the rest of the damn world, but it's too late for me..."

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying you won't let him go?" Mikasa questioned and stepped up to him.

"It'd be better for Eren if he did go. He doesn't need to be held down by someone like me, especially me, but I don't want him to. He's young and has a long future ahead of him, and someone like me wouldn't help him in that life. If he leaves then I'll let him, but I don't want him to go."

"You aren't making any sense!" She barked at him. "Eren is young, so of course he won't leave!"

"You keep treating him like he is, but you don't actually see how old Eren really is!" Levi knew he was pushing his boundaries, but it needed to be said. He was tired of Eren being treated this way by none other than his sister. She needed to hear it whether she wanted to or not.

"Shut up..."

"Eren is nineteen! He wants to go out like any other teenager! He wants to go out and shop for groceries or buy some stupid shit a kid like him would want, but you won't even let him out of the house!"

"Stop it..."

"Eren wants to be treated like he isn't deaf! He wants to be treated like an adult, and if you opened your eyes and see what I've seen, you'd realize he's a lot more mature than you're letting him be!"

"Shut up!" Mikasa's voice splintered, broken apart by tears. It wasn't hard for Levi to realize that his yelling, or maybe it was the truth, had brought her to the fragile edge she'd been avoiding. He stopped, deterred and a little breathless. He couldn't remember the last time he had yelled like that, and now he fully regretted it. His throat ached in ways he hadn't felt in ages.

More so, he was surprised to see her fall apart. Maybe the idea of what she did, what she always did to him, hung over her head more than he realized. Maybe it weighed more on her shoulders than he knew, because, as she fell to the floor, ears covered and head hidden behind her knees, he was reminded that she was still suffering the responsibilities of an adult at only nineteen.

He needed to reprimand himself for this. She was still just a kid, just a baby compared to him. She was still a teenager with too much over her head, too much stress and too much pain of a world she shouldn't have been dealing with right now. She was still a kid, still a girl who was just as fragile as the rest.

He needed to remember that.

"Shut up…" Her whimpers were hidden away by her heavy sleeping pants, her face pressed firmly into her thighs. She was hiding as much as he could, and oh, what a sight that was. Someone as strong, as capable as Mikasa Ackerman in the throes of pain. He couldn't be proud of this.

"Listen…" The older man began and kneeled down, mindful of his leg. Mikasa scooted away and sat back against the wall, head still hidden away. "I didn't mean to upset you like that. I shouldn't be bringing this shit up while we're here, or at all for that matter. So I'm sorry…"

"I know I do it…" She spoke up, her knees lifting for an even tighter grip. She lifted her head and settled her cheek against her knees, eyes red and cheeks damp from tears she tried to hide by means of hiding them behind her bangs. Her black eyes spoke a story of different means entirely, however. "We've had this discussion a million times over, and every time I'm sure I'll never treat him like a child again, but I always do. I've been doing it since we were kids..."

"Old habits die hard, right?" Levi asked as he sat down beside her.

"I can't help it. Ever since the car accident, I'm so afraid I'll lose him. It doesn't help that people are such assholes who have no care in the world for anyone but themselves." Mikasa rubbed at her eyes again, as if something besides her tears was irritating them.

She hadn't bothered crying in front of anyone in a really long time. It had only been once within the past few months, but that was in front of Armin. He was usually good about keeping things like that quiet.

"Car accident...?" Levi questioned, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Was that what killed his mother?"

"Yeah, and what killed his hearing..." Mikasa looked up with her red eyes, seeming confused by his lack of knowledge on the subject. "Didn't... Didn't Eren ever tell you what happened?"

"No, he always said it was just an accident..." Levi couldn't understand it. Why hadn't Eren told him? Come to think of it, why hadn't Eren told him anything about his past? They were pretty far into their relationship, and while Levi hadn't said or asked much on the subject matter, he would have thought it would come about relatively soon.

"Figures... Eren doesn't like talking about it."

"What happened...?" Levi asked her.

"If he hasn't said anything yet, I think it's best if it comes from him. He wouldn't be happy if I talked about it with you, and he has his reasons for holding it back, so..." The teen readjusted her position on the floor to something more comfortable, more relaxed. "It's better to talk to him about it."

"Right..." Levi wouldn't push her for the answers.

"... I-I'm sorry, by the way." She abruptly said. "For throwing a punch at you, and... For everything else."

"As you should be." Levi stated. "But I get it."

"I'm protective of him. I go overboard and I know it, but that didn't make hitting you right... Or calling you a pedophile." She flushed and rubbed at the back of her neck. "I was really freaked out when Armin said you guys were at the hospital. I got scared and I overreacted."

"I'd like to point out that I'm the one who couldn't wake him up." The older man stated bluntly. "Your apology is accepted though. I was scared this morning too, and I'm not too fond of hospitals, so I wasn't in the best of moods either."

"Why's that?"

"... My sister used to be very sick. We'd be in and out of here a lot." Levi admitted with hesitancy. He hadn't bothered mentioning this to anyone, but if anyone would understand, it would be Eren's sister.

"Oh..."

"I was pretty protective of her too, so yeah, I know where you're coming from." The older man's head bobbed in agreement a few times before he slowly stood. "And honestly, there's not much you can do to me that hasn't already been thrown my way. I've dealt with it all."

"So you really do get it... I'm sorry."

"I already said your apology was accepted. The only time I was really ever mad at you was when you treated Eren like a child." Levi held out his hand, an offering to help Mikasa onto her feet. "I know you do it out of love though. I can't really blame you."

Mikasa looked down at his hand for a moment, as if contemplating the offer. It was a short moment of questioning before she took it up, more so the gesture behind it than being helped up.

"So, for Eren's sake, can we try to get along?"

"I'd like that..." She answered in a small voice.

"If this seizure was really caused by stress, I think it's best if we try to make friends. It might help him out a little."

"Yeah, I think so too." She agreed and nodded her head. Levi squeezed her hand as a small affirmation just before the door to Eren's room opened up. The two of them looked back and saw Armin standing in the doorway, eyebrows furrowed and expression heavy with concern.

"Hey, is everything okay?" He asked worriedly. "I heard yelling..."

"It took you that long to respond to our bitch fest?" Levi asked, not intending the sarcasm. It came out regardless of his ideas.

"I didn't want to worry Eren." The blonde explained and leaned against the doorway.

"It's okay out here," Mikasa said and looked back at Levi. "We were just talking about Eren's postponed vacation."

Mikasa was smart, so of course she wasn't going to admit what really happened. Of course she'd execute a flawless lie. However, Armin was smart too. He could see right through the lie the moment she looked away.

It wasn't just Eren who had a tick when he lied. Mikasa had a few ticks to herself when she lied too.

"Alright... Are you coming back in?"

"Just a moment." Levi told him. Mikasa shot him a quick glance, as if to quietly ask why he chose that response. Levi ignored it, however, and waved him off. "We'll be back in, in a moment."

"Okay..." Armin was extremely skeptical, and after what happened earlier, it was easy to tell he didn't want to leave them alone.

"It's alright, Armin." Mikasa assured him. Armin put a smile back on his lips before walking back into his hospital room, acting like nothing was wrong. He didn't want Eren worrying. "What was that for?" The teen asked and turned to Levi.

"If you must know, yes, Eren and I are dating." He told her bluntly. It was like ripping off a band aid, and if she meant what she said earlier, she'd accept this. She would cringe and grind her teeth, but she would accept it regardless.

They needed to make things right for Eren's sake.

"... For how long...?" She asked hesitantly. There was a part of her that was genuinely curious, but another part of her that wasn't. She did and didn't want to know.

"Since October... November? It's been a few months." The older man clarified.

"And...?" She wasn't stupid. She knew there was more to this than what he was letting on about.

"... And last night was the first time we slept together."

Just like ripping off a band aid.

Mikasa breathed in deeply, her black eyes looking back into the room to look at her brother. Yeah, even before he admitted to it, she suspected that. She hoped for another answer, but she expected the worst. It wasn't entirely easy to hear either. Her brother, though they weren't related by blood, and younger by a few months, had lost his virginity. He lost it before her to a man in his thirties who was slowly working his way into their lives, whether he meant it or not.

"We haven't done anything before last night though. Some light kissing, but that's it."

"And that's the truth?"

Levi had to take that in for a moment. The only answer he could think up of, which was another question to answer hers, was 'Why would I make that up?'

"Yes," He said simply. He wasn't going to retort with sarcasm. Mikasa still seemed a little shell shocked, her body still and eyes looking into the room. She didn't seem to have anything in particular in her field of vision; she was just looking at nothing and everything. Her mind was too lost in thought to process anything more.

"… You better not hurt him." She said to him, eyes darting to look at him without moving her head. It was an effective glare. "Eren cares about you. A lot. You're as important to him as we are now, so if you hurt him-"

"Our deal still stands." Levi spoke up. "You have every right to come after me, and I'll make sure it's stated in my will that you shouldn't be charged with my murder." He hoped that the light joke (He was sure she took it serious to some degree) would lessen the tension, but that didn't seem to be right.

"This isn't a joke." She said and quickly stepped up to him. "You've broken his heart once already. If you've come this far, this isn't some light hearted relationship anymore. Take it seriously and take care of him."

That was the last she had to speak of on the subject. She wasn't playing around, but she wasn't going to stay to hear out his answer.

Mikasa walked back into the room, forcing a quick and small smile on her lips to ward off any suspicions. This left Levi alone in the hallway, still taking in and processing her words. They had serious meaning to them, meaning that needed to be taken into consideration, and hadn't he already?

Levi figured it out hours ago that any chances of them separating had dwindled into the single digits. He was in love with him, and that much was obvious. Mikasa was right about this no longer being some small fling. It was the real deal, and real relationships needed to be taken seriously. He knew that already, so he didn't need to be told about it anymore.

"What makes you think I won't…?" He asked quietly, but it wasn't heard by anyone other than himself.

A/N: Alright, here's a test! Who remembers (if you follow me there) seeing this on tumblr when I posted the first preview of this fanfic?