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The first time he comes into A&E it’s a Friday night at the end of a hot summer day, and Levi is so busy he doesn’t fully take him in. The combination of the start of the weekend and a blazingly hot day has led a whole host of people to make stupid drunk decisions that have cost them a night in Levi’s care. He turfs out the latest dopey idiot with a row of stitches in his knee and a harsh word about climbing up things that aren’t supposed to be climbed.
Levi’s fully expecting the next person to be dumped into his examination room to be another drunk, so is already snapping on a fresh pair of gloves and barely glancing at the man who enters.
“So, Mr Smith, what’ve you done to yourself to land you here?” Levi asks with a few taps on his computer to bring up Mr Smith’s file.
“Was a klutz.”
Levi snorts. That’s the MO of everyone in A&E tonight it seems. He spins his desk chair around to face his next patient and draws up short.
Mr Smith is six foot two of pure firefighter fantasy, like something straight out of the terrible bodice rippers Farlan likes. He’s got ruffled blonde hair and smudges of soot on his hands, imprints that must’ve come from his equipment mask red on his face. He’s got his heavy jacket slung in the crook of his arm in deference to the heat of the evening, and is holding his other arm cradled to his chest. His eyes are very blue. Levi swallows.
“So… not a wild night out then?” Levi asks, a little breathless and impressed with himself that he’s even managed to string words together at all. It’s not like he never gets any attractive patients, but by god, this man is something else.
Erwin chuckles.
“Nope. And I can’t say it was a feat of daring bravery either. Cleared the house and then tripped on the street.”
He grins boyishly and then winces as the action pulls at his split lip.
“Idiot,” Levi teases before snapping his mouth shut in horror. The jibe had just come out in the face of Erwin’s playful good looks before Levi could remember he’s his goddamn doctor.
But Erwin just laughs and nods his head in agreement.
“Alright,” Levi flounders, centering himself back into a more professional headspace with a clap of his hands, “let’s take a look at you.”
Mr Smith’s wrist is warm in Levi’s hands as he describes how exactly he got the injury. Levi hums as he listens, looking intently at the wrist in question and very carefully feeling around it. He tries very hard not to think about the contrast of the lush gold of Erwin’s skin against the stark paleness of his own.
“Well from your description of the fall it could just be a bad sprain,” Levi says with a sigh, releasing the wrist and sitting down heavily in his chair to peck out a few things on his computer. “But we’ll of course give you an x-ray to make sure. In the meantime we’ll stick a cast on it so you don’t damage it further if it is broken. Ready to go?”
Levi turns back to Mr Smith who seems taken aback that their initial consultation has all happened so quickly, but in Levi's experience breaks are always pretty procedural unless they’ve broken the skin or something vital.
“Sure,” he stands and hefts his jacket more securely into his good arm.
“Why don’t you leave that here?” Levi asks, offering a hand for the jacket. “We’ll need to come back to sort out your lip anyway.”
“Oh,” Mr Smith says, “sure, thank you.”
“No problem, Mr Smith.”
“Erwin, please.”
Levi blinks but firmly pushes aside the warm feeling that rises with the offered name and smile that Mr Smith – Erwin offers him. He nods.
Erwin hands over the jacket and Levi is momentarily caught off guard by how heavy it is, but quickly recovers. He tosses it on the hooks by the door before swinging out into the hallway, only giving Erwin the barest of glances to check he’s following. Trotting along obediently ever so slightly behind him, Erwin looks even larger in motion. The broad spread of his shoulders are clothed in a navy tee, and he’s even wearing the fucking suspenders firefighters use to hold up their work trousers. Levi faces firmly forwards.
It is of course, not usual for a doctor to accompany their patient between departments. But Levi maintains that he needs to stretch his legs and Erwin will probably appreciate the guide rather than just following the signs. All strictly professional reasons of course.
The corridors get less busy as they head down to x-ray, away from the waiting room and into the main body of the hospital. Levi’s greeted by other staff and as a junior doctor gives him a tight smile as she hurries past, Levi makes a mental note to check how the students are holding up with the mayhem of a weekend on A&E.
“Sorry to come in at such a busy time for you,” Erwin says, apparently reading his mind.
“Not at all,” Levi says with a shake of his head as he pushes through a swinging double door and holds it open for Erwin. “It’s not like you can choose when you have an accident. Besides, with this heat I imagine you’re busy too.”
“Ah, yeah,” Erwin sighs. “It’ll be a bugger if my wrist is banged up bad, the team needs everyone on call at the moment.”
Levi hums in agreement and firmly pushes the thought of Erwin sweating away on a hot summer day while sliding down a firehouse pole into a little box marked Inappropriate in his head. Honestly though, do firestations intentionally make everything erotic or has Levi just not gotten any in that long?
There’s an x-ray room conveniently free when they get down there, and the technician, Hitch, ushers them in with cursory manners, as much of a people person as Levi is. But Levi makes the effort to ensure Erwin is sorted, knowing the sparse grey room is unsettling. Erwin takes it all in his stride, but his eyes take in everything with a studious curiosity.
“We’re going to step outside while the machine’s on, but there’s nothing for you to worry about,” Levi explains. “It’s only to prevent us from repeat exposure, there’s no risk to you.”
“Don’t worry, Doc,” Erwin says with a devastating smile that has Levi hiding his hands in his coat pockets to stop them doing something inappropriate, “I know it’s all safe enough.”
“Good,” Levi says with a nod, and he turns towards Hitch as she makes the final adjustments.
The whole thing is very routine, though Levi finds himself tapping his foot as he waits to reenter the room. Erwin is of course fine when he does, and happily nods along to Hitch’s explanation of when he should expect to receive his results. Levi places a gentle hand on his back to guide him out of the room.
They return to Levi’s examination room and Erwin sits himself up on the table as Levi busies himself preparing his kit for stitches. A nurse comes in to assist him – Marco, Levi thinks his name is, so young that he has to resist babying the man.
Levi takes a breath as he lays a hand against Erwin’s jaw, which is sharp enough that Levi has the absurd urge to lean forward and test its edge. With his mouth. Erwin smells like charcoal and exertion.
Levi purses his lips and extends his hand towards Marco for the needle.
“You’ll feel a bit of a pinch,” Levi explains as he lines up the shot, eyes flicking up to Erwin’s. They’re even more startlingly blue this close up, and Levi feels his breath catch. But Erwin just gives him a small nod, somewhat hindered by Levi’s grip.
The injection is standard, and Levi sits back in his chair as they wait for the local anaesthetic to take effect. Erwin seems happy enough, already having been fed some pills for his wrist and looking around the room and asking questions about what it’s like to work in A&E. He’s very curious about Levi in general, asking how long he’s been a doctor – since he graduated seven years ago, four if you don't count when he was on the ward as a medical student, and where he’s from – France originally before moving to London.
“You don’t have much of an accent,” Erwin observes, before making a face at the thick movement of his tongue, poking it around his lip. “Oh.”
“Yes oh,” Levi agrees, standing. “Feeling okay?”
Levi has to suppress a smile at the adorable face Erwin’s making, a little mew between his brows.
“Feels funny,” Erwin says, voice a little clumsy.
“Yes it will do for a while.”
Levi would be distracted by having to touch Erwin’s mouth again, but stitching skin is hardly sexy, and he’s able to do it with a straight face.
“There,” Levi says as he steps back to eye his work. Erwin’s mouth is still swollen, the inflammation now spread to his jaw too, but at least it’s all sewn up.
“Thank you, Doc,” Erwin mumbles carefully, fingers coming up to hover over his stitched lip.
“It’s Levi, please,” Levi says, returning the familiarity Erwin offered earlier. Erwin lights up in a way that Levi thinks is a little extreme for the gesture, and sits happily as they clean up his arm and prepare it for a cast.
“Okay then,” Levi says in his usual manner, once Erwin’s all bandaged and slung up. “We’ll call you with your x-ray results and take the cast off if needed. Do let us know if there’s any unexpected swelling or pus around your stitches, or anything else you find concerning. Other than that I think you’re good to go.”
Talking about pus is a sure way to firmly decapitate any tension he imagines may have been building between them. Though the little smirk Marco’s wearing as he takes his leave could mean it’s been noticeable enough anyway.
When Levi looks up from his computer, Erwin is hovering; his coat back in the crook of his good elbow and an unfamiliar uncertainty hanging around the man who had seemed so perfectly confident until now.
“Thanks, you’ve… taken good care of me,” he says, bashful all of a sudden.
“No problem, happy to help our firefighters,” Levi replies, plucking a prescription of pain medication for Erwin’s wrist from the printer and holding it out.
Erwin accepts it and then opens his mouth, hesitates, then blurts out, “would you like to come to the fundraiser we’re having?”
Levi blinks, taken off guard.
“A – what?”
“A fundraiser,” Erwin says on a breath, eyes bouncing back up to him. “For the station. It’s happening this weekend and I figured you might like… as a thank you. It’s a good time, sort of like a fair.”
Levi considers, ignoring the very loud internal voice screaming for a chance to see this hot, seemingly kind man a second time. But it’s not like he has many plans this weekend beyond his usual time spent with Farlan and Isobel.
“Okay,” he says, allowing a small, rare smile to break through. “That’d be nice.”
“Great,” Erwin says in a rush, again lighting up like a Christmas tree. “It’s at the station on Kent Road, starts at twelve but don’t feel like you have to be there from the beginning.”
“Sounds good,” Levi agrees, allowing a little warmth to flicker inside him at the thought of a lovely summer day spent in Erwin’s company. He’s not thrilled by the idea of the large crowd that will come with it, but it’s better than letting him walk out and risk never seeing him again.
“Bring friends if you like,” Erwin continues, backing up towards the door, awkwardly juggling his jacket and prescription in his good hand while trying to reach the handle before Levi intervenes to help. “Thanks.”
“No problem, see you Saturday,” Levi says in what he hopes is a professional and neutrally friendly voice.
“Great,” Erwin says again, before offering one last dazzling smile and taking his leave.
Levi spends a good five minutes sitting in his desk chair staring off into space before the next patient brings him back down to earth.
As it turns out, inviting Farlan and Isobel along to the fundraiser was unavoidable. As soon as the pair of them heard “firefighters” there was no stopping them.
“So which one is yours?” Isobel asks as they join the throng of people entering the station’s yard.
“He’s not mine,” Levi insists. “And I don’t know.”
It’s true he doesn’t know where Erwin is, but the longer he can keep the poor man from Isobel the better.
“Good lord this place is a lot,” Farlan says in a faint voice as he watches a firefighter even larger than Erwin heft a huge bucket of ice up into his arms, muscles bulging and glowing with a healthy sweat under the bright sun.
“Close your mouth, you savage,” Isobel snickers, poking Farlan in the ribs and making him jump. “Though I am in fact considering committing arson to get some of these boys round, my god.”
“You’re both an embarrassment to our species,” Levi says drily and heads off towards the drinks table without checking to see if they’re following.
The firetrucks are exactly how they look on TV, all shiny and red, lined up behind the rolled back station doors so the public can get a good look. The scent of barbecue rolls over the chattering crowds, the shrieks and laughter of children blending with music from large speakers. There’s a friendly looking woman in a firefighter uniform gathering kids so they can each have a go at sliding down the pole. The station staff in general seem to be throwing themselves into the task of keeping the crowd happy.
Levi manages to swipe a few lagers and pay for them while Farlan and Isobel continue to bicker. He hooks his arms around their necks and swerves them towards some of the fold out chairs dotted around the yard's perimeter.
They sit in the pleasantly cool shade, chatting and sharing jibes, their usual dynamic settling easily into the new setting. When Levi does spot Erwin, he’s relaxed enough that the sight of the man easily hefting three children up into his arms like hay bales doesn’t make him faint. The children are shrieking with delight, their parents laughing. And Erwin looks so dazzling and perfect in that moment that Levi almost feels himself shrink a little, pale and grumpy, a dark little splotch compared to this sunshine of a man. But then Erwin turns, catches sight of him, and the smile he greets Levi with is enough to blast away the feeling entirely.
Erwin deposits the children, says something to their parents, laughs and then turns to make his way over. Isobel goes abruptly silent mid-sentence. And then punches Levi hard enough on the arm that he feels it go numb.
“Ow! What the–”
“You didn’t tell me your firefighter is literally Adonis, what the fuck, Ackerman?” Isobel hisses, eyes very wide as she watches Erwin stride towards them.
“Well he’s bound to be built like that, they all are,” Levi points out, moodily rubbing his arm.
“They are not all built like him, holy fuck.”
The conversation is mercifully cut short because at that moment Erwin steps within earshot.
“Levi!” he greets, all glowing pleasantness just like last time. “Glad you made it. And you bought friends, hi!”
Isobel gives a slightly dazed smile while Farlan snickers and stands to offer his hand.
“Hi, I’m Farlan, you must be Erwin.”
“Isobel,” Isobel offers, abruptly finding her feet and voice. Levi stands too with a sigh.
“Yes these two idiots were quite excited by the idea,” he says, offering Erwin a rare smile. “How’s it going?”
Erwin nods and glances around.
“Good enough, plenty of the people we wanted are here so hopefully we can work the charm enough that they dish out. And the kids seem to be having fun. Are you all good for drinks? Food?”
Levi nods, waving his lager.
“Good,” Erwin says, catching sight of an excitable looking woman with glasses and crazy hair waving at him. “Ah, I better go, but try the barbecue, Nanaba’s done her short ribs and they’re amazing.”
“We’ll have to check that out,” Levi agrees.
“Mhmm…” Isobel hums, clearly checking out something else entirely as her eyes sweep over Erwin as he turns away, throwing a final “see ya” over his shoulder.
Levi pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs.
A short distance away Zoe Hange, firefighter and pain in Erwin’s arse, is doing a little jig.
“Erwin!” they crow as he approaches. “Is that your doctor! God he’s tiny, why didn’t you say he’s so small?”
“Because, Hange, that’d be rude,” Erwin points out, coming to settle leant against a table with an assortment of firefighter related merchandise for sale. “These are cute, who made the keyrings?”
“Don’t change the subject!” Hange hisses as Mike joins them, slightly out of breath from all the heavy lifting he’s been doing.
“What’s the subject?” Mike asks, cracking open a beer.
“Erwin’s doctor boyfriend,” Hange offers before Erwin can intercept.
Erwin gives a long suffering sigh and resigns himself to his fate. Honestly he shouldn’t have said anything about the hot doctor when he returned to the station, arm in cast, but he couldn’t help it. Levi was… enticing wasn’t even the right word. The weight of his presence, the gravitas he carried was hard to explain. All Erwin knew was that it was irresistible and of course he’d blabbed to these tools.
“Ah,” Mike says, peering at where Hange is nodding completely unsubtly to Levi and his group. “Is he the black haired one? Good lord he’s tiny. Erwin you can’t date him, you’ll break him in two.”
Erwin contemplates a swift death as a result of sunstroke as he tips his head back to absorb the rays.
“That’s what I said!” Hange agrees, nodding frantically. “But I think they could work, imagine how cute they’d look. Erwin could carry him around, a little pocket boyfriend.”
“Alright,” Erwin says, pushing himself upright and making the merch table shake slightly in his haste. “Enough of this, Mike go bother Nanaba, and Hange help me convince Nile to play something other than his awful playlist.”
Hange perks up at the idea of bullying Nile and takes off without Erwin towards their new victim. Mike claps a hand on his shoulder.
“Regardless of our teasing, you should go for it,” Mike offers with a grin. “I’ve never seen you so excited about someone.”
“Thanks, Mike,” Erwin sighs. “I will eventually, just think it’ll take a little time. Levi’s… well he seems a little stiff and I’m his patient.”
Mike laughs at this, clearly having noticed Levi’s perpetual frown, but squeezes his shoulder and takes his leave without further comment.
Erwin does want to at least get to know Levi better. And as the day wears on he gets his chance, laughing at Levi’s scowl when he offers him a game's airgun to shoot the targets, and even managing to win him a stuffed animal when Erwin takes a swing at the high striker. Levi’s eyes go satisfyingly large when the bell lets out a loud gong after Erwin’s struck, making him grins as he offers Levi the prize. This shakes the stunned look from Levi’s face, and he rolls his eyes and accepts the stuffed tiger.
Between Erwin’s schmoozing of potential donors, he’s pleased he manages to seek Levi out so often, his friends making him laugh with their acerbic humour and playful arguing with one another. All three of them sign Erwin’s cast, Levi’s just his name, Farlan a smiley face, and Isobel a indecipherable doodle that’s obviously lewd. They get hotdogs and do indeed have some of Nanaba’s short ribs, though Farlan declares that he’s now a vegetarian and instead picks a halloumi wrap as Isobel rips the shit out of him.
In fact, Levi stays all the way until the end of the day, which surprises Erwin. He wasn’t even sure the doctor would come, let alone stay so long. But Erwin’s happy nonetheless, especially as he gets to watch the fireworks with him, their glittering sprays somewhat muted by the lightness of the summer evening.
“Any problems with the wrist?” Levi asks, nodding to Erwin’s arm as he takes a swig of cider.
“None at all, you did a good job.”
Levi nods, apparently satisfied, and Erwin decides right then to take the plunge.
“Hey, could I, er, get your number?” he asks, then fumbles. “You know, it’s been nice getting to know you today, so if you ever wanna, hangout or something?”
He sounds ridiculously unsure of himself, but it’s worth it for the look of surprise and then the nod that Levi gives. Erwin grins as Levi fishes out his phone, offering it to Erwin before texting him off it. Erwin has to resist breaking out into dance right there.
Over the next couple of weeks, Erwin fills Levi’s phone with bubbly chatter. Levi doesn’t know what to think of it, but is pleased nonetheless. The selfie of Erwin with his cast off is particularly good, golden forearm wrapped in medical tape to protect the sprained joint. Levi quickly saves the image and shoves his phone into his coat pocket as a nurse swings into his room.
The next time Erwin’s admitted to Levi’s care it’s a lot more serious. The triage nurse scoops him out of the waiting room and into the ward proper as she picks up on signs of Erwin going into shock. But it’s Petra that comes to get Levi.
“It’s Erwin,” is all she says, having been filled in on Levi’s firefighter and teasing until she was shown a photo.
Levi is already running.
He catches sight of a distraught looking Mike hovering at the boundary of the examination room Erwin’s in, and offers him a reassuring smile before he hurries inside.
Once again Erwin is in his uniform, but his jacket still hangs over him and his arm is at an awkward, unnatural angle. His hand looks purple. Levi feels the floor tilt under him at the sight.
“Levi,” Erwin mutters, and Levi doesn’t like the slight slur to the word.
“Hi there, Erwin, how are we doing?”
“Sore,” Erwin says decisively and Levi nods sympathetically.
“We’re going to have to remove your jacket I’m afraid,” he says, wincing at the thought of jostling Erwin’s arm. “I don’t think we can cut through material that thick without moving you anyway.”
Erwin hums in agreement and starts to shrug off the jacket himself, before giving a little cry of pain and turning a worrying shade of green.
“Wow, easy there, easy, let us help,” Levi says in a rush, nodding to Petra to get in position on the other side of Erwin so they can ease the jacket off together.
It’s actually not too bad getting Erwin free of the jacket, it’s somewhat loose fit helping it slide off. Levi can smell the scent of smoke heavy on the fabric, in Erwin’s hair. Once Erwin’s arm is free of it Levi can see the extent of the damage. The arm’s been crushed, instantaneous bruises blossoming across the skin and bones not sitting right at all. The skin is at least free of any burns, Erwin’s uniform doing it’s job and protecting him from the heat. Levi feels his professional demeanour settle comfortingly around him, and it’s surprisingly easy to shut up the panicked little voice that’s reminding him it's Erwin.
“Can you lie back for me?” Levi asks as another nurse wheels in an IV stand with two bags on it, one for the shock, another for the pain.
“Sure, would do anything… for...” Erwin slurs and lies back clumsily, his skin a sickly pallor against the sheets.
“Good,” Levi says, unable to help how relieved he sounds as he helps Petra prop some cushions below Erwin’s legs to elevate them. “My colleague here is going to put an IV in your arm, but she’s very good at her job, so it shouldn’t hurt too much, okay?”
Erwin nods lazily, content to watch Petra as she prepares the IV and lines it up with his good arm.
“Ow,” Erwin says with a little frown at Petra when the needle goes in. The fact that he can focus on any other kind of pain when his other arm looks how it does is a marvel.
After that it’s all pretty standard. The drugs take swift effect, and soon Erwin is looking a little less pale and a lot more loopy. Levi is concerned by the extent of the damage to Erwin’s arm, but after an initial examination he suspects they won’t have to amputate. But there will be a lot of pins needed to hold it together.
There’s a bit of a wait for x-ray this time, during which they splint Erwin’s arm to make sure he doesn’t damage it in his drugged state.
“Levi…” Erwin mumbles while Levi makes notes on his chart and rattles off a list of instructions to Petra.
“Yes?” Levi asks, immediately abandoning his task in favour of drawing close to Erwin, worried something is wrong.
“How… how’re you so… so…?” Erwin seems to forget his question, simply staring at Levi instead, then says very softly, “wow.”
Petra snorts an unflattering laugh as Levi’s face immediately turns pink.
“Um, how about some quiet time, m’kay Erwin?” Levi asks, still blushing as he tries to look absorbed by his chart.
“‘Kay…” Erwin says, but then frowns and struggles to sit up. Petra and Levi are quick to push him gently back down, as Erwin says in a panicked voice, “You won’t leave me right?”
“Of course not,” Levi agrees, abandoning all hope of getting to his other patients any time soon. “I’ll stay right here.”
“Good,” Erwin says, apparently pleased as he settles happily back against the pillows. “Right here.”
He then continues to stare at Levi while he works, a contented smile looking far too fond on his face. Levi does his best to ignore him.
After Erwin’s x-ray he’s booked in for surgery. He spends a few hours waiting for it, drugged up and apparently unbothered, during which Levi does his best to keep him bed bound and well watered though he can’t eat. He manages to escape Erwin’s close attention for a moment to let Mike know about the x-ray and surgery, the big man breathing a sigh of relief that Erwin’s doing okay.
“God,” Mike sighs, sinking onto a chair. “Fuck.”
“Quite,” Levi agrees. “Can you tell me what happened? Erwin was too out of it.”
Mike nods, running a hand through his hair with a frown.
“We were on a normal call, nothing unexpected,” he starts, rubbing his hands together anxiously between his knees. “But there must have been rot or woodworm in the rafters, because while we were clearing the house one of the beams came down, took part of the ceiling with it, pinned Erwin. I couldn’t… I couldn’t get it off him.”
The haunted look on Mike’s face is almost enough to make Levi reach out and touch him, averse to such things as he is.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to go on,” Levi says softly.
Mike shakes his head.
“S’okay,” he says. “The guys came in and together we were able to hoist him free. But he looked… his arm…”
Levi nods, understanding completely.
“You should go home,” he says decisively, no room for argument in his tone. “Erwin won’t be able to have visitors for hours yet, and I’ll be here with him until he goes into surgery.”
Mike opens his mouth, looking like he’s going to object.
“I’m sure Erwin would appreciate having a change of clothes when he wakes up,” Levi offers.
Mike shuts his mouth.
“Okay,” he says then. “I should check on Nanaba too. She was beside herself. Need to let her know he’s okay.”
Levi nods as Mike stands and they exchange numbers.
“Thanks, Levi,” Mike says, clapping him briefly on the shoulder, almost hard enough to send Levi tumbling if he hadn’t braced for it.
“No problem,” Levi agrees. “Go, I’ll call when he’s out.”
Mike nods and takes his leave, looking tired but a little less strained as he walks away.
The hours before Erwin’s surgery are spent with Levi at his bedside. He’s grateful that the A&E seems to be able to manage without him for a little while, not as crazy busy as the first time Erwin came in. Erwin himself vacillates between spacing out and chatting absolute nonsense. He seems intent on making sure Levi understands how “absolutely stunning you are, Levi, you just… I’ve just never… I’m so… you…” and Levi suffers the hours with a very red face and uncontainable glee that Erwin thinks he’s pretty. Not a word Levi would have ascribed to himself, inclined for perhaps a more masculine descriptor, but Erwin insists.
Levi’s given up on denying that he’s ridiculously attracted to this man. Not that there was ever anything wrong with it, Levi’s just not the trusting type. And Erwin just seemed too good to be true. But the starstruck way he looks at Levi now in his completely honest, vulnerable state shows Levi that the feeling at least appears mutual.
When Erwin's called for surgery, Levi’s torn between relief in escape from the incessant compliments and dreamy stares Erwin’s giving him, and a worried little tug at being apart. He throws himself back into work on the ward in the hours Erwin spends in theatre, getting through twice as much paperwork and showing a scary efficiency with his patients which they seem both taken aback by and a little scared of. Excluding Levi’s shoddy bedside manner, all is well by the time a completely conked out Erwin is wheeled up into the overnight ward.
Levi’s shift is over, but he scales the stairs up to the ward he does not belong on and quickly locates the sleeping Erwin.
The ward is calm this late, patients sleeping or idly doing quiet activities like reading. Erwin’s by a window, lit by the late setting sun and a little lamp. Levi stands at the end of his bed for a long while just watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest, how calm he looks in sleep, if a little pale. Eventually he rouses himself to check Erwin’s chart, comforted by the familiar standard of the information there. Then he makes sure all of Erwin’s possessions have found their way up to the right bed, his uniform and boots stacked in the bedside table’s cupboard, his phone on top. The sight of it reminds Levi that he promised to contact Mike, and shoots him off a text to let him know that Erwin’s surgery went well and he’ll be ready for visitors tomorrow.
With not much else to do, Levi hesitates. Then, unable to stop himself, he reaches out and smoothes Erwin’s pale hair back into place, his touch lingering on his cheekbone.
“Night, Erwin,” he says eventually, and leaves to start the drudge home.
When Erwin wakes the next day it’s with a dry mouth and a heavy, aching arm. The heaviness is due to a cast that stretches all the way from just under his shoulder down to his fingers. He blinks a few times, struggles to sit up, and then concedes to pressing the call button for a nurse.
After he’s fed and watered by a vaguely familiar nurse who introduces himself as Marco, he learns that he’ll be discharged later today after a visit from his doctor. Erwin thanks Marco, who’s a sweet kid and young enough to make Erwin feel ancient that this boy has a professional career.
He wonders where Levi’s got to, brief snippets from yesterday coming and going in his mind. He knows he saw Levi, but that he’s on a different ward to the one he usually works on. Nevertheless he hopes Levi will be the doctor Marco spoke of. His memory of the day before is spotty at best. Not much after the extreme pain and sharp clarity of the drive to the hospital remains.
His ward-mates seem to be an okay bunch, visible since Marco pulled back the curtain around his bed. None of them are causing much of a fuss and their injuries aren’t too distressing, so Erwin feels pleasantly relaxed. The scent of the hospital wing isn’t off putting either, mostly just citrusy cleaning products, though there’s the undeniable strangeness of fresh plastic and something medicinal underneath.
Mike and Nanaba come in around noon, all smiles and clearly very relieved he’s okay. Erwin can tell Mike is shaken by the whole thing, and the large man sits as a steady comforting presence at his side while Nanaba flits around. She smiles at the man in the bed next to Erwin and makes smalltalk with him as he doesn’t have any visitors.
The mystery of Levi is solved later on, when he comes in looking exhausted and a little sweaty. He manages to give Erwin a smile when he sees him though, and immediately sheds himself of his white coat and sinks into the chair Mike had previously occupied.
“Rough day?” Erwin teases, and Levi rolls his eyes.
“A&E is never not rough even on quiet days. How’re you doing?”
“Well enough.”
Levi raises an eyebrow at him.
“Okay my arm is sore,” Erwin concedes.
Levi nods as though this is exactly what he suspected all along and rises to check Erwin’s drip.
“Doctor been by to see you?” he asks.
“Well you’re here…” Erwin teases, thrilled by the eye roll and ever so slight uptick to the corner of Levi’s thin lips.
“Tch. Your chart said Hannes, I’ll find out where that useless man is.”
“Don’t,” Erwin says, almost reaching out with his right arm before he remembers with a grimace of pain.
Levi frowns and flicks the IV line.
“Stay,” Erwin continues, settling back into his pillows.
Levi hesitates, and then sinks back down into his chair.
“Bored?” he asks, cocking one devastating eyebrow at Erwin and making his heart beat a little faster. He’s just glad he’s not hooked up to a monitor for that.
“Something like that.”
In truth Erwin is just basking in Levi’s company. They’ve exchanged texts, Erwin’s effusive and enthusiastic, Levi’s short but with enough playfulness to them that Erwin’s not deterred. Being in Levi’s immediate orbit is mesmerising, that quiet weight of his presence like a stone dropped into Erwin’s centre, sending ripples through him until he is no longer impassive.
Erwin sneaks a look around the rest of the ward, but while it’s quiet, the other patients are not paying attention to them. He could do it now. Ask Levi out properly, for a drink, not a fundraiser.
When he looks back to Levi he finds the other man watching him. And there is something in his eyes, maybe almost expectant.
“So,” Erwin starts.
“So,” Levi repeats.
Erwin chuckles and Levi’s mouth does that little uptick that Erwin so wants to chase with his own.
“I was wondering…”
Erwin flounders for a moment. He has the sudden feeling his stomach is going to come up through his throat. Fuck, he should of done this by text. Staring Levi down is terrifying enough without asking him out.
Levi’s grey eyes search his face for a moment, and Erwin feels like he’s seeing straight through him.
“I think,” Levi says when it becomes clear that Erwin is not going to continue, “it would be nice to see each other outside of this place. Maybe coffee?”
Erwin lets out a huge breath he didn’t realise he was holding. And with it comes a laugh.
“Yes,” he agrees, feeling the stretch of an impossibly big smile. “Yes I’d like that a lot.”
Levi smiles, a proper one this time.
“Me too.”