A/N: So I think I confused a whole bunch of people last week when talking about Japan. I'm not moving there, guys. I'm moving around here in America, but not to there. I'm only visiting next week. ^^' Which, being said, means there may not be an update for a week or two. I'm going to try really hard, but with work picking up finally, it's a little difficult. I'll try though!

-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 Four: Implants

"So it's stress induced?"

"That's what the first test has determined."

It was later into the evening when they'd finally heard from the doctor. Levi had gone to the bathroom at the worst possible time, but Mikasa was outside his hospital room, simply waiting to give him the news.

Eren and Armin were still in the hospital room, laughing up a storm to one of Eren's favorite comedies. With subtitles on, he could follow along with Armin and enjoy himself, any concerns now gone from his mind. He could relax from an already stressful day and take his time to clear his mind of any worries.

"Are you going to continue on with the next test?" Levi was leaning against the wall beside the bench Mikasa sat in. It wasn't the best of his ideas, knowing the weight wasn't good for his leg. However, despite their truce, they still walked a very thin line. The ice was weak and could break at any moment, so it was best he kept his distance.

One little step at a time.

"No," Mikasa took a sip of her soda before continuing. "There's no point to it. He's fine, he's healthy. Waiting lord knows how long for another expensive test isn't worth the time or our sanity."

Levi really did hate hearing her talk like this. She was nineteen. She worked a full time job, had college courses (he'd done that shit once or twice), and had the world crumbling on her shoulders.

She was still a kid. She should have been out partying, being a stupid brat, and making mistakes. This was the time for it after all. She didn't need this stress.

"Right..." The older man wouldn't rock the boat by disagreeing with her.

"And you...?" The teen asked.

"What about me?"

"What about your leg...?" She inquired carefully.

"Like I said, there's not much to do for it besides painkillers. I've gotten all of the paperwork filled out and I finished selling my soul to the devil. Not much else to do besides rest."

"Right..." She agreed quietly.

"All that paperwork and bullshit."

"Mhm..."

After that, a sort of peaceful silence fell over them. Every now and again it'd be interrupted by someone, a doctor or a patient, walking down the halls. They'd wave, say hi, or do nothing but walk right past them. That was fine though. Both of them were the type of people who appreciated a small bit of silence. Between the two of them, it was slightly awkward, but harsh comments and threats against one another's life weren't being made, therefor it was peaceful.

They were making progress. It was a long way to go before they'd get anywhere near a healthy relationship, but they were on mutual grounds. For now that was all that mattered.

"Hey, Levi..." Mikasa piped up, but her voice was still small. Levi had to double take to make sure it was her speaking, and that it was him she was speaking too. Not once had she ever said his name without a 'pipsqueak' or 'pedophile' in lieu of it.

"Yeah...?" He questioned skeptically. There was still a part of him that didn't believe it was her.

"Has Eren ever... Has he ever mentioned implants before?" She asked, dark eyes cast to the floor in deep thought. Or maybe she just didn't feel like looking at him.

"Implants...?"

"Yeah like... Like hearing implants." She paraphrased.

"Hearing aids you mean?" Levi tried to understand.

"No, they're called Cochlear implants. They're put in surgically, and they don't come out."

"I didn't even know that was a thing. What are they exactly?"

"They're sort of like hearing aids, except they aren't for hard of hearing. They're meant for people who can barely hear anything, or for people who can't hear anything at all, like Eren." The teen girl explain, her eyes finally lifting to look at him. She needed to make sure he was telling the truth, and to do that, she needed to look in his eyes.

"No, never heard of it."

"Oh..." To that, she seemed downtrodden.

"Is that something you can get?"

"Well, Eren had brought it up earlier while we were talking to the doctor. We've never heard of it either, but he said it's something Eren can try."

"Really...?" This was news, even to the older man. Never had he thought that Eren could get another chance at hearing, but now the chance was presented to them. It had been right there in front of their faces, but there had to have been a catch. Mikasa wouldn't be so relaxed if there wasn't. "So what's stopping us from doing it right now?"

"They're expensive." She stated bluntly. She must have been waiting for that question. "Like, really expensive. Like a small house expensive, and we don't have any insurance to pay for it."

"That bad...?" Now he realized why she seemed so defeated. He couldn't help feeling the anxiety deflate so fast.

"That would be just for one ear too. The only plus side is that the money covers everything. Physical and speech therapy, the surgery, the implants themselves. Everything."

"So... If money wasn't an issue, Eren could get his hearing back?" Levi asked for confirmation.

"The doctor said there's a small chance it could corrupt any possibilities of getting his hearing back, but the technology for it has grown. The percentages have slimmed down, but... Well, Eren's dealt with chances before and they've never been on his side."

"Mikasa, it's still something. It's still an option."

"I guess... It'd take us years to raise that money though."

"If that's what it takes then okay." Levi moved to sit down beside her. He knew he shouldn't have, but if they were to be with each other and not against one another, that meant he had to be there for her. "Hey, we didn't know that Eren would ever hear again. We've got a chance, and I say we take it."

"What if it destroys his hearing?"

"And what if we don't try? Then we spend the rest of our lives wondering what could have happened had we gone for it. If we don't do it, he'll never hear again. We can't live our lives wondering what would have happened. There's only two outcomes from this, and if it works, Eren can hear."

Mikasa's black eyes were on him like an animal looking at its prey. Hungry, but eating up every single word he spoke. He was so honest about it, so serious. She had only brought up the idea to find out if Eren had known of it beforehand, because he seemed to have an idea of them. She didn't think she'd hear this kind of talk from him, and yet here she was taking it all to heart.

"I say we go for it."

"... I'm sorry."

"Huh...?" He wasn't expecting that response.

"I didn't mean to get your hopes up so fast. I just wanted to know if you knew, that's all."

"You don't need to apologize for that." The older man reprimanded her.

"Right..."

"Hey, I'm serious here." Levi said and nudged at the teens shoulder. "Don't apologize. I've got a reason to actually work now."

"W-Wait, you can't ser-"

"You must not understand the whole dating thing." The man growled irritably. "He's my boyfriend. I know you don't like hearing that, but it's true. That means I'll do whatever it takes to make him happy."

Once again, Mikasa found herself quiet and staring.

She must not have understood it then. She worked so much that Levi doubted she dated, or even thought of anyone else besides Eren and Armin. He wasn't going to play match maker with her, but she really needed someone in her life.

"... Alright." The teen didn't seem to have much argument left in her. She seemed too tired, and who wouldn't be? He hadn't gotten much sleep last night either (he'd blame Eren for that later). As far as he could see it, everyone needed to be home, in bed, and resting. "I'm sorry..."

"Why do you keep apologizing?" Levi couldn't help but ask.

"Because..." The older man waited, but it seemed as if she wasn't going to continue that sentence.

"Because what?"

"I've never heard of Eren mentioning them before. I thought maybe it was something you two talked about..."

"Oh..." Levi hummed. "No, he's never mentioned it to me."

"Do you have any ideas of where he could have found out?"

"No, not a clue. Maybe he looked it up with Armin's computer?" The older man suggested and stood. His leg didn't appreciate the gesture at all, but he felt that he'd made his point. There was no reason to sit beside her anymore.

"Maybe. He just..."

"Just what?"

"He seemed so heartbroken. When the doctor told him how much it would be for him... It was like his biggest dreams had been crushed into tiny pieces. It's just not fair." Mikasa spoke as if her own dreams had been ruined too. While Eren wanted nothing more than to hear again, it put pressure on his family. They wanted his hearing back too, and it hurt them to know they couldn't afford it.

"We'll get them, Mikasa. We just have to work for it."

"What more can we do that we aren't doing already? Armin and I can't drop out of school."

"And you won't." Levi assured her. "You'll finish school and get your education."

"My dad came out of you on that one..." She whispered under we breath, but Levi still managed to hear it.

"That's because I'm an old man." He remarked and put his weight to his good leg. He thought he saw the barest hint of a smirk on her lips before he noticed a nurse coming up to them, wheelchair in hand.

"Looks like Eren's chariot has arrived." Mikasa remarked dryly and stood up. Levi nodded his head as her and the nurse made their way into the room. The laughter from inside died down, but only a moment later did he hear Eren sigh absurdly. Relief probably.

He waited for a moment, because he knew what would follow would be a few things. They'd unhook him from machines, they'd pull the IV out of him (a sight he never much appreciated), and then he'd sit down in his chair. It was nothing exciting, but he knew his ulterior motives. He knew he just didn't like the sight of it, and now that Eren was aware of it, he understood, more or less, that even though he loved him, it was hard to participate in hospital antics.

He waited patiently, hearing the chatter from within the room, hearing Eren groan as he got up and sat down. He was still pretty sore, and Levi would lie and say that was from the seizure. He wasn't about to take the credit for it while his sister was around.

After another few moments, Armin came out of the room first, bright eyed and smiling. He was just as relieved as he was that Eren was leaving the hospital. The nurse came through next, and soon to follow was Mikasa pushing Eren out with the use of his wheelchair.

Levi tried to mask the sudden ache in his heart.

The brunette looked up at him and smiled, seemingly relaxed for the moment. He knew though. He knew seeing him like this upset him greatly, so he wasn't about to make him worry. If he had it his way, he'd be walking out of here, but damn was he sore. Mikasa and Armin were pretty adamant about it as well.

"Levy," He said and lifted his hand. The bandaging on his hand had Levi swallowing painfully, but he took it up regardless.

"You okay...?" Levi asked, his free hand barely able to sign it.

"Mhm..." Eren hummed. The older man smiled lightly, a small smile, but it was something. He patted his head carefully before Mikasa started pushing him forward, but it was a short ride. "Mikasa..." He mumbled.

"Yeah...?" She asked and stopped. Once again Eren waved her forward, his attempt at being inconspicuous. The problem with it, however, was that Eren didn't have privacy from Armin and Levi who could read sign language.

"I want to talk to you."

That was their instant sign to walk away.

Levi and Armin stepped back, but Levi found his curiosity to peak again. He didn't know why he couldn't control himself lately, but he couldn't help his wandering eyes.

"You better hope they don't notice." Armin said with a mocking tone. He was all knowing and all seeing.

"They aren't going to notice." Levi waved him off like what he was doing wasn't a bad thing.

"What is it, Eren?"

When the two of them knew they were out of ear shot (it didn't help their case though), their conversation began.

"Mikasa... I'm sorry about before."

"About what?"

"Just... Everything. I don't want to push you away anymore. I just..." Eren seemed to trip over his words. This wasn't easy for him to admit, but they all knew that he was a prideful person. He didn't like to admit to his faults.

"You get on my nerves sometimes, Mikasa. You irritate me to no end, but I still love you. You know that, right?"

Suffice it to say, Levi had never seen Mikasa look so shocked before.

"Of course I do."

"Sometimes I feel like I push too much, and then I say shit that doesn't come out right or I don't mean-"

"You've done that forever, Eren. Are you just realizing that now?"

"Shut up..." Eren grumbled, his hands already feeling an ache. "I mean it though. I'm sorry, and I want to have a better relationship with you and be more honest with you. I..."

"I'd like that too." She told him after a moment, but she knew this wasn't over. There was still plenty more to talk about, at least right now. Eren had something to say.

"So I want to tell you something..."

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" His sister asked with a frown. She already knew what was coming though.

"... Levi and I started dating again... Months back even... And I'm sorry for never telling you."

Levi could see even from where he and Armin stood that Eren's hands were trembling. He didn't know that Mikasa already knew this, or even knew that they slept together last night. He was afraid to start a fight between them again, but maybe now that she knew, there was a bit of wiggle room for talking instead of arguing.

"... I figured as much." She admitted weakly.

"Huh...?" Eren sounded out loud.

"You talk about him so frequently that it wasn't hard to guess." She stated bluntly.

"O-Oh..." Eren looked down into his lap, golden eyes on his fingers as they fidgeted against his legs. There was more to say, and if she already knew of their dating behind her back, she probably had an idea of what else was going on. "That's not all..."

"Really...?"

"Yeah..." Eren shifted in his chair, the wheels rubbing against the floor being the only sound within the hall for the time being. He wasn't really going to tell her this in the middle of a hospital, was he? "I... I slept with Levi last night."

"You're lucky you're in a hospital already." Armin said from where he stood, a chuckle lacing his tone.

It wasn't just him that was eavesdropping then.

Levi shot him a look, but it was only for a moment. He couldn't take his eyes off of the two, wondering what it was that was being said between them, and to know that, he had to follow their hands.

"... I see." She responded, much too calm for anyone's liking. Even Eren could see it, and seeing her so relaxed by the statement wasn't natural.

"... And?"

"And what?"

"Well, aren't you angry? Or even sad or something?" Eren asked. Now he was the one who was upset.

"Not really..."

"You aren't anything? I just told you I had sex wit-"

"Don't say it again." His sister interrupted him.

"I knew that bothered you." Eren signed with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Yeah... But it's your life. I can't keep butting in anymore unless I want to push you away." She told him.

The brunette's eyes widened in surprise.

They'd talked about this before. They'd talked about this after arguments and fights, saying how much they wanted to fix things between them. There was never a permanent resolution, just a temporary fix.

However, the look in his sister's black eyes spoke differently this time around. What words failed to produce was spoken, more honesty held deep within them. There was an understanding, a certain emotion he just didn't know of. She wasn't a person who wore her emotions on her sleeve as the saying went, but something said something different this time around, and he wasn't sure what.

"You aren't the only one who wants a better relationship, Eren." She signed, a smile tugging at her lips. "You're my little brother after all. I'd hate to think that I drove us apart."

"... I'm only a few months younger." Eren corrected her. Mikasa rolled her eyes before flicking her forefinger and thumb against his forehead. He whined as he rubbed at the stinging area, slowly turning red, but it seemed that their conversation had come to an end.

Levi stayed behind for a moment, watching his boyfriend whine at her in a language only he seemed to understand. Armin was soon joining them, hands in his pockets as he laughed at the two of them. Whatever it was he was saying, whether morphed or a gargled version of English, it had his siblings smiling and laughing, and that was enough for him.

He liked seeing this a lot more than seeing the arguing. He liked seeing them happy, and for once him being there wasn't causing any problems.

He liked this a lot.

"It's your fault, Eren."

"It's not my fault!" Levi recognized their hands as they continued to speak, but even as he read on, his mind began to wander. It began to wander to the idea of Eren mentioning implants. How he wanted them, and how much it would cost.

What started that though? Where did Eren learn about Cochlear implants and why did he want them now? That was a rhetorical question, but it still remained. Even when he knew that Eren had never been comfortable without his hearing, he thought he had a pretty good grasp on his life without it. He couldn't see any other reasons for him to want one, except maybe one.

'I want to hear you say you love me, not read it!'

Remembering those words had Levi physically stop in his tracks, left behind to watch the others walk away with smiles and laughter.

This had something to do with him, didn't it? That was a stupid question, and he knew it. It had everything to do with him. He didn't want to think so high and mighty, to let his ego boost, but the idea was more than likely true.

This was because of him.

A/N: If you look closely, you can once again see plot developing.