A/N: Whoop. Dere it is. I was actually so bummed when I put this on my computer. I thought it was such a long chapter, and it's not. *Sighs* Working on it.

-Misty

Song of the day: Cheer Up By Twice (Because this is all I listened to while writing this. No questions.)

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 Thirty Three: For Once, Something Good

There was a timid knock at his door, prompting the blonde to look up and away from the paperwork on his desk.

"Come in," He called out. He looked down briefly to close the yellow folder, but when he looked up again, his smiled widened at the sight of his new employee. "Oh, Armin. Come on in," He offered.

The teen shut the door behind him quietly and padded further into the room, eyes staring just slightly to the right of his boss. Erwin was a nice man, but he had an intimidating aura. Had it not been for what Levi had said, Armin would almost back out of this and pretend the idea never came to mind, but at least he had some reassurance.

"Hi Mr. Smith," He greeted politely.

"Armin, please. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Erwin before your finally pick it up?" The man berated with a small laugh and motioned for the blonde to take a seat.

"Sorry, Erwin..." He corrected himself before sitting down in front of him. "I feel odd referring to my boss by his first name."

"Well then I can yell at you for something. For instance, you didn't dot your I here. How dare you?" Erwin's way of soothing his frayed nerves worked well, but he couldn't help but feel like he was being talked to as if he were a child. Maybe that came from the way he spoke to his children.

"I'm horrible. I'm so sorry, sir." Armin mocked his apology with a lazy roll of his eyes. Erwin took nothing by it and simply sat back in his seat.

"So what can I help you with, Armin?" The older man asked of him. "Usually you're heading out by now."

"I actually had something to ask you." The blonde said, eyes adverting away again.

He was afraid to bring this up. What if he said no? What if he refused? What were they going to do if he didn't start making a better paycheck?

"Ask away then." His boss offered.

The teen hesitated for a moment, taking in a deep breath. His odd behavior didn't go unnoticed for long, but before Erwin could question it, he began to speak.

"So, the people I live with..." He felt it odd to refer to Eren and Mikasa as simply people. They were his family, but sometimes people read too much into their situation for him to sit down for an hour and explain it to them. "Well, Mikasa lost her job yesterday, and... Well, her paycheck was most of our income. Without her, we aren't going to be able to afford our house or bills, so I was wondering if I could start working more hours?"

Blue eyes lifted just a moment to meet a matching set, but Erwin's face was his typical, stern look he wore when he wasn't joking around. It made his swallow a dry lump in his throat.

"If possible, if you're willing to work around my school hours until summer, I could work full time?"

There was a short pause. For a moment Armin feared he'd made a terrible decision by speaking of the idea, but that was until Erwin leaned forward in his seat.

"Of course, Armin..." He said while his hands sat sternly on his desk. "I know it must be hard having to suddenly take up that responsibility. Are you sure you're okay to make that kind of commitment though? That's almost forty hours a week plus your education."

"I can manage." Armin quickly replied. He wouldn't be looked at as weak or incapable. If it was for his family, he'd do it. He had to do it. "Maybe Mikasa will get another job faster than expected. It's just to help out."

"I admire your work ethic, Armin. I wish I had more employees just like you." Erwin praised as he leaned back into his chair again. "Yes, we'll look at your schedule and see where I can place you around your school times. I can always use more of your help."

"That'd be wonderful..." The teen said with a sigh of relief following quickly after.

"It's not a problem, Armin. I know a very minimal about your situation from you, and from Levi." The blonde gave his boss a look of confusion. "Well every time we speak, Eren pops into the conversation. I've only heard small things though, no worries."

No worries indeed. This felt like a two hundred pound weight was suddenly lifted off of his shoulders. He felt like the world wasn't crushing him. It wasn't going to be easy handling a full time job and school, but if Mikasa could do it, then so could he. He had to. Their home, the lives depended on him now.

"How long do you think you'll be working full time?" Erwin inquired.

"Well, since school is almost up, I thought I'd simply start now and continue during the summer. I-If that's alright, of course." He suddenly stammered at his idea. He hadn't even brought if duration of his temporary employment, and he had forgotten that Erwin was the one who called the shots.

"It's not a problem at all. I figured I'd ask in the slim chance you wanted to make it more permanent." His boss said and stood up.

"Well, I haven't thought that far yet. I'm just trying to survive for now," He admitted weakly and rubbed at the back of his neck.

"I completely understand. Hey, if you decided to make it something you'd like to keep, we can always make the accommodations. We can even go over the benefit plans the company has as well."

For a moment, the idea of benefits didn't matter to him much, just the money. However, it settled in his head in a way that made something click into place.

"Benefits, sir?" He asked.

"Oh yes. The company had a wonderful dental and vision plan. The medical insurance is incredible too."

That caught his attention.

"Medical insurance?"

"Mhm," Erwin responded and stood up to return the folder back to its original filing cabinet.

"Uhm... How good? W-Would you say it is?"

"Like I said, incredible. Covers pretty much anything, minus plastic surgery and things like that. You know, the cosmetic changes." Erwin said in a hushed tone, as if he was telling him a secret.

"Do you think... Uhm..." He faltered.

Was it possible? Surely not.

"Hmm...?"

"Could it possibly cover medical expenses like... Like a broken leg? Or maybe... Cochlear Implants?"

"Cochlear implants?" Erwin repeated and paused to think. "Well the broken leg, sure. Those, I don't think I've come across it. Never needed it really. I don't see why not though. That type of surgery is covered by most insurance companies, and I don't see why ours would be an exception."

The sudden news made his heart lurch hard in his chest.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, but give a call to our help desk to be sure. I don't see any reasons why it wouldn't though."

The call he made. He made it the minute he left Erwin's office, dashing to his desk to find the number left on a sticky note to call. Each person he talked to, leading him in the right (and sometimes wrong) direction, just for his answer.

It was true.

Their insurance covered Cochlear Implants.

He never thought the idea possible. Mikasa's previous job lacked any form of insurance, so the idea never crossed his mind. He never bothered to think of something as simple as health insurance would be the answer to their problems. Well, not problems per say, but it'd make things a whole lot more interesting.

He tried to stay calm. He really did. He left the office with a goodbye to Erwin, a promise they'd figure out his schedule another day, and paced himself to his car. He got in, barely remembering to turn it on before he tried to drive away.

The whole way home he thought about it.

Was it really possible? Could he really get the insurance to cover for Eren? Sure, they'd have to wait. It took three months to kick in, and then the whole process of getting the implants could take several doctors' visits, surgeries, and therapy. It could take even longer. A year even? It'd be a while.

Still, he thought, the idea was suddenly in reach. It was right there. They just needed to wait.

Why did that idea suddenly seem so farfetched?

He barely registered that he was home until he was suddenly darting up the steps and stumbling into the door. Actually stumbling into it. It was locked, and apparently it didn't automatically open like he wished just this once it would. He ran inside and into the living room, where Eren sat with a very groggy Levi by his side. Levi spent a lot of his time at their place during the day now. It wouldn't surprise him if he just started sleeping over, but he wasn't sure how Mikasa would fair with that.

"Eren-!" He began, but curse his lack of balance and the rug that obviously grabbed at his feet. He fell so hard into the ground that someone dead would have felt that, and Eren was no exception. He darted back to see the blonde trying to pick himself up again, hand covering his nose, and blood.

He gave himself a bloody nose. Something, despite seeming to be a very typical thing he would do, he was still surprised by this.

"Armin!" Eren jumped up from the couch in surprise and ran over, Levi following, barely even awake. Armin was sure he would have fallen and stayed asleep had he not come barging in, but this was enough to keep him up.

Good thing they weren't having sex. Armin wasn't to keep that idea locked away for now.

"You okay, kid?" Levi asked and helped the teen to his feet with the brunette's help. Armin staggered, hand on his nose to stop the bleeding, but was that really important? He had such incredible news for them.

"Armin, you need tissues." Eren spoke softly and started guiding him to the kitchen.

The blonde tried very hard to protest, but the sudden knock to his head and lack of blood had him momentarily forget his good news. Not so much the news, but he didn't want to pass out before he suddenly forgot.

"No, he needs help. Massive help." He didn't miss the way Levi spoke sarcastically. He didn't mean an ambulance; he meant he just needed to seek help.

"Stop it," Armin whined and shoved lightly at Eren's shoulder, because God forbid and help him if he got blood on Levi's work shirt. "I gotta tell you something!"

"It can wait, Armin." Eren reprimanded him lightly and placed a paper towel on his nose.

"No- Ouch!" He suddenly yipped at the pressure against his skin. Was Eren truly not aware of how much that hurt? "Eren, knock it off!"

"Armin, what is with you today?" The brunette suddenly growled, setting the towel down beside him.

"Really, Armin. I think Erwin is working you too hard." Levi suggested.

"N-No! He said I can work longer hours, but he said I get benefits, and-" Armin's signing had become so fast that even Eren could hardly follow him.

"Armin, slow down." Eren told him and held his shoulders. "I can't understand you."

Well that was a first.

"I'll get medical insurance!" He suddenly yipped, forgetting to sign, but he knew Eren was reading his lips. "I can get you your Cochlear Implants!"

The room suddenly fell quiet. Levi was so stunned into silence that it was alarming.

Eren may not have understood have of what he just said, but he got the gist of it. He read the part about benefits, about medical insurance, but most importantly, he read Cochlear Implants on Armin's lips.

"Just give me six, maybe seven months. Once it kicks in, we can go see a specialist about getting you your hearing back!"

Armin's fingers managed to slow into a more cognizant form that resembled sign language again, and Eren's heart suddenly thumped wildly in his chest.

"Is that true?" Levi asked him, eyes wide in astonishment.

"Yes!" Armin grabbed at the forgotten paper towel to blot at the slowly falling blood at his nose. "I tried to tell you, but the rug tripped me..."

"You've lost a lot of blood if you think that rug tripped you."

"That's besides the point!" The blonde argued and looked back to Eren, but stopped short at the sight of him.

Eren had taken a step back, maybe due to the numbness in his legs. He wasn't sure if he could feel them or not. One hand clutched at the counter top to keep himself stead, or maybe keep a grip on reality. The other covered his mouth, but for what he wasn't sure. He knew he wasn't talking, wasn't making a sound. He only took a deep breath and held it, forgetting to breathe it out.

Getting his hearing back? They'd talked about it plenty of times, even said they'd start earning the money for it, but it had simply been an idea, a goal. Suddenly this dream of his was within reach, barely there and present for him. It was there, ready and waiting, and all he had to do was wait as patiently as he could for it all to take effect. Well, patient didn't seem to be a good word to use at the moment, but it was as close as it could come for him.

The years had been hard on all of them. On their own with just their little makeshift family, barely holding on to their home and making ends meet, trying hard to find even some of the worst jobs, and finally, finally, for once something good was happening. It was almost too surreal to think possible.

He honestly figured this was a mean practical joke, that this would somehow backfire. He didn't want to get his hopes up, because he knew what happened when he did that, and yet he wanted it to be real. To be tangible. To just be there and happen, for once in their lives for something to go right.

Would it be so much to ask for when it was so close to happening?

A/N: Here. Have some progress in plot. *Tosses it at you* We're getting close.