Chapter Text
Levi, though he is a small man standing at 160 cm and weighing around 60 kg, is very strong. But when Erwin found out that he'd gotten hit by a drunk driver going 95 mph, he was horrified. He constantly visited him, only feeling relief when a nurse would inform him that Levi was okay, eating, and speaking.
Levi may have only been his neighbor, but Erwin was very fond of the man, even if he was a cranky little spitfire. Erwin found it really hard to have a peaceful day without seeing Levi tending to his garden in the early mornings. Erwin sometimes got up a little earlier to sit out on the porch and watch Levi water, trim, and feed his plants like they were his babies. On Erwin's weekends, sometimes he stayed home and tried to have a conversation with Levi. Levi wasn't much of a talker, not very polite, and sometimes he got short with Erwin if he thought he was asking too many questions. Heh. Short.
To say Erwin liked him would be an understatement.
He was head-over-heels for the man and the thought that Levi was suffering was unbearable.
Yeah, sure, Levi was married and of course, his husband would take care of him, but Erwin knew the man was always working late, and he wouldn't take time off his beloved job to care for Levi. Erwin never even saw the man at the hospital while his husband was in a coma for a week. How could he trust that the guy would be there when Levi needed him?! He couldn't. That's exactly why Erwin is going to take care of Levi himself.
He waited until Levi was discharged, then he waited a few days just to be modest, and then on a rainy Thursday when Erwin could see that Levi's driveway was empty, he walked the short distance to Levi's front door. He knocked, but didn't hear anything, then he knocked again, and that's when he started to hear noises leading up to the door. The door opened to a paler-than-usual Levi wearing only a huge t-shirt with crutches underneath his arms and a full leg brace on his right leg.
“Erwin? What do you want?” He dead panned, his thin brows furrowed as usual.
“I wanted to see how you were doing,” Erwin smiled down at Levi charmingly, unarming himself, so-to-speak. “May I come in? It's cold.”
“I'm fine. Why don't you go home?”
“Because I wanted to see you.”
Levi hops back and hobbles away from the still-open door, which is Levi's very polite way of saying come in. The house is nearly as immaculate as Levi would normally have it, but even Erwin can see the things out of place that Levi would not normally allow. Poor thing. It must be hard for him to just sit at home with nothing to do while his husband doesn't even mind leaving him like this.
“I'd offer you tea, but my hands are shit,” Levi hops his way to the couch in the living room with Erwin following behind him slowly.
“That's fine,” Erwin watches Levi sit down on the couch, plopping down with difficulty because of having to maintain the straightness of his right leg. Erwin has to ask. “Does it hurt?”
Levi grabs a decorative pillow, places it on the coffee table in front of him and tries to lift his leg, as heavy as it looks, and sloppily props his foot up on it. “Like a bitch.”
“Didn't they prescribe you any pain killers?”
“Yeah,” Levi nods. “But they're upstairs. Obviously, I'm in no position to go up the stairs.”
“I can get them for you,” Erwin tells him, smiling at Levi to assure him that it's no bother. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Yes, only if it isn't a burden on you though.”
“Nonesense,” Erwin would never view Levi as a burden, and he'd love to help, that much he tries to convey. “I'd love to give you a hand, Levi. Tell me anything you want.”
“Well, if you insist, it'd be really nice to have a cup of tea.”
So, Erwin makes Levi tea. He knows it isn't according to his standards, but Levi smiles and thanks him anyway. They chat for awhile. After that, he helps Levi stand up so that he could go to the bathroom. Then after that and more light conversation, he carries Levi up the stairs to his bedroom, being very mindful of his legs, then he turns on the TV and hands him the remote. Levi is modest and kinda prideful so he doesn't ask, but Erwin is aware of what Levi wants. Levi wants to bathe, obviously, and then he's going to want more tea, and then he's going to try to go to sleep, but because Levi is an insomiac, it will fail and he will be awake, lonely and in pain until his husband comes home around 10 pm. Nope, Erwin isn't allowing that.
“Thank you, Erwin, " Levi’s sweet smile reappears as he tries to adjust himself comfortably on the bed. “You don't have to babysit me anymore. Go home.”
“Are you sure?” Erwin looks at the time on his phone. “It's only 6, I can stay until your husband comes home. I really don't mind.”
“No, that's ok, you've done enough. Thank you.”
“Then I'll get going. Please let me know if you need anything.”
They exchange numbers, and Erwin leaves, feeling happy and proud of himself for being the good Samaritan. Maybe Levi will call him, maybe not, but he's not betting on it. In the rare case that Levi does ask for his assistance, Erwin will happily help, but he knows that isn't likely, with Levi being the stubborn man that he is.
Though surprisingly, only the next day when Levi’s husband is again at work with no time for his spouse, Levi calls his neighbor.
“Hey, could you come over?”
Erwin is over the moon in excitement, that much he must convey when he happily replies yes to Levi.