Chapter Text
"Homemaking is strategy. It's like going to war but you are going to war every single day in your household. Yes, the difficult battles come and go! But you always need to be ready! You need to consider time! Resources! The division of labor!"
The division of labor.
Years of school had jaded Levi enough to know that although all groupworks were a division of labor, they were never really a fair one.
Levi was looking forward to a homemaking class, completely aware that his passions lay there. The realization that he had to cooperate with someone and entrust half his grade on that person, almost completely destroyed the excitement he initially held for the subject.
He looked around him to see his classmates were as confused about the new project Mr. Shadis was prattling on about. Home Economics had a solid reputation as the most useless class offered. Most people in their school had plans of going to college in his school and no one really asked in college entrance exams what the difference of baking soda and baking flour is.
They were in their 3rd year of high school though and their homeroom teacher Keith Shadis dropped a bomb, a very important yet painful fact in front of them. That year, their home economics class was going to be incorporated into every subject and their performance was going to play a huge part in determining their grade average at the end of the year.
Levi had no problem having his cleaning skills or cooking skills tested. In fact, he was sure his school performance would get a great pick up from whatever they were going to be doing in that class.
But really? I need to do it with a partner?
A small bag was being passed around the class. Levi looked around him to see that everyone had pulled a piece of paper from the bag. He dug deep into it (for good luck) and pulled out the first one he could grab at the bottom.
Levi opened the paper to see the number seven messily scrawled on the paper. What does this mean? Levi couldn't help but note that seven was a lucky number, and a superstitious side within him was optimistic for a moment.
“Who got number seven?”
Suddenly the room was in chaos as people stood from their seats and said their names out loud. Levi stayed frozen on his seat. He had recognized the owner of the other number seven from the other side of the room.
Her voice was too loud, piercing and distinct. Of course it would be distinct, he had been her classmate for years and had been a victim of her tirades always in class, about taxonomies, photosynthesis and research projects. Everyone else had found her amazing, had called her a genius if not eccentric. Levi on the other hand had been unimpressed, too unimpressed that avoiding her seemed like the best option.
Levi had tried to keep himself a fair distance away from her since with the impression she gave most people at first glance, Levi had concluded a long time ago that they would just not get along as close friends. Would he have preferred any other partner? Most likely.
“Here…” Levi muttered, as he raised his hand half way up.
“Levi! So I guess it’s going to be you and me the whole year huh?”
Levi choked. “The whole year?”
“Didn’t you hear Mr. Shadis, this is a year long project." Hange grinned. "Well, at least we’re both working with a friend.”
At the least, Levi had tried to keep himself a fair distance away. He and Hange had known each other for years, having gone to the same grade school, middle school and high school. It was unavoidable that he had had to work together with her multiple times.They had a long and unavoidable history. Oddly though, that was enough for Hange to assume that they were friends.
Levi was quick to dismiss her rapid assumptions on her closeness with people based on history, as his thoughts flew to what could be the start of a professional relationship between them. They were going to work together for a whole year after all.
Hange was not a bad groupmate. In fact, she was studious and grade conscious enough to produce quality outputs. That was the only point that Levi could bring to the table as he felt that itch of what could have been dread inside him as Hange settled on the seat next to him.
Shadis only confirmed Hange’s statement and the fear within Levi. “Be friendly, or at the least civil. You will be working with your partner for the whole school year.”
Levi briefly side glanced to the empty seat next to him. For a second he held on to a glimmer of hope that his actual partner was sitting next to him and the interaction with Hange had been a misunderstanding on his end or a bad dream, maybe the groupmate she referred to as a friend was someone else. Within a few seconds, he had ended up looking back at Hange in defeat and he had started to accept the bleak situation set up in front of him.
Shadis narrowed his eyes. “Mind you, this project holds a huge chunk of your grade for every single subject. Don’t take this project for granted if you want to graduate.
“We started this project to help you juniors prepare for the real world. The past years, we have noticed a lot of our fresh high school graduates knew nothing about responsibilities that awaited them outside high school and even college. Many students do not master budgeting, taxes, household planning, loans and we hope to raise a generation who can navigate the adult world without the consequences of bad decisions you are bound to make going in blindly....”
It was their academics coordinator Erwin who had explained the whole project to them, an adult simulation project which required them to make decisions in a simulated setting on top of school work.
And the first topic that came into question was occupation. There was not much to decide upon though, the teachers had used the results of their career test to determine the occupations they would be taking up. The results were written out on papers distributed to everyone in the class with the mean wage which they were to be planning their lives around.
"Computer programmer?" Levi raised his eyebrows at the paper in front of him.
“You have the option to work with the two incomes as a couple or you can choose to have one person work while the other stays at home. Note, both options will have consequences.”
There were murmurs among their classmates. The only conversation Levi could pick up was that between Eren and MIkasa.
"Mikasa… you got doctor. What else would you want?" To her right, Eren looked nervous as if the fate of their project was on the line with Mikasa's question. It probably was.
"I just think someone should stay at home and manage the house. I'll work freelance," Mikasa said.
"I'll manage the house!”
Mikasa shook her head. "I don't want you to have to give up your dreams for this." Her expression was so serious, for a second Levi had forgotten that this was a school project.
Erwin smiled. "That's a good way to look at things Mikasa." He turned to the class. "You have the option to build on a one income household if you feel that's best."
"What do you think Levi?" Hange asked.
Working with two incomes seemed like the logical option. Note, both options will have consequences. The way Erwin had said it made it seem like both decisions were going to be bad either way. Levi shrugged. If he was going to make potentially bad decisions, might as well do what he would have done in real life."I'll stay at home." He didn't like the idea of working as a computer programmer anyway.
"That works,” Hange said, her eyes fixed on the paper in front of her.
From his angle, Levi could see Hange fiddling with her phone under the table. “You seem confident about us working with just your income. What job did you get?”
Hange slid the paper towards Levi face up. Freelance Researcher: $3,788/month.
Levi had know idea how much his own uncle made but $3,788 a month seemed like a decent amount to make a month. He looked to Hange who had already started doing her own research under the table and taking notes.
Erwin had started writing on the board the next few steps. Buy a house. Design the house. Have a kid...
“Wait, do we have to have a kid?” It was Connie who had popped the question a majority of the class had wanted to ask.
Erwin looked back at them and smiled. “That’s a good question.”
Levi could not help but notice a glimpse of sadism in that smile.