Levi x Deaf!Reader - Voice - [AU]

Levi perked his ears as he heard the front door being opened. He was tiered of cleaning the house alone, and was ready for (first)'s company. She didn't say a word, no 'Hi Levi' or 'Hey I'm home.' She simply put her keys on the counter, an indifferent look plastered on her face. This was defiantly off from (first)'s typical upbeat personality. She had just returned from a doctor's visit, and he knew there was something terribly wrong. He placed his broom against the kitchen counter, and made his way over to her. She couldn't look him in the eye, her eyes were glued to the ground.

"(First)..." He spoke, raising your chin to meet his gaze.

"(First), what happened?"

"...it's gonna happen sooner than expected. My hearing will be completely gone in about five to six weeks." You said, voice cracking as tears rolled down your face.

You couldn't hold it back anymore, and latched tightly onto Levi. You cried into his arms, letting out all of the bitter emotion you had inside you. He wrapped his arms around you and rubbed your back soothingly. He was never good at the touchy-feely bullshit, but you were hurt. The last thing you wanted to happen was forget what Levi's smooth voice sounded like. 

"(First), please stop crying. Please, it's the worst sound in the world to me." He whispered gently in your ear.

You tried to choke back your cries, but they still found their way out of your throat. He whipped you tears with his thumbs, and kissed each of your cheeks softly.

"What....what are we gonna do Levi? How are we even going to communicate? I can hardly read lips and y-you don't know sign language."

"Teach me. I'll learn enough for us to get by in a few weeks. Every day after we both get home, I want you to sit down and teach me all you know."

"...You'd really do all the for me? Levi, it's going to be a burden on you. If you left me, I-"

"Don't you dare fucking finish that sentence," He interrupted harshly. "...Because I'd never leave you. I only have one person who's capable of dealing with me, and that you." He flicked your forehead, causing you to slightly wince.

You sniffed, and took steady, heavy breaths.

"Ok...I'll tech you sign language then. Did you wanna get started tonight?"

"Yes." He said immediately after you spoke.

"...Ok then. Proper nouns are always spelled out, so why don't we start with the alphabet?"

Levi nodded, and watched you intently.

--

Each day Levi would learn more and more signs from you. You would graciously teach him, and his brain would absorb it like a sponge. You two even began to sign while talking normally, it's just became a habit to prepare for the future. Over the weeks, your hearing slowly decreased until one morning you woke up to absolute silence. You began to bawl upon this realization, and Levi stayed home from work that day just to comfort you. At this point he knew enough sign to keep up with you, so you two were at least about to communicate decently. He tried to cheer you up by watching (favorite movie) with you in closed captions and make you cookies. It did make you feel slightly better. Levi was faithful to you the entire day and never left your side. You were happy that even though you were going through hell, he was right there with you.

Life had changed a lot for you since that day. You had to quit your job due to being unable to communicate with your coworkers and boss. However, when life closes a door, it opens a window. Levi was in need of a new personal assistant at his job, so he decided to hire you instead. Who knows his needs better than his own girlfriend right? Luckily, you were a diligent worker as well so he didn't have to worry about you slacking off on the job. A lot of the people there looked at you though, the way you two would sign back and forth. It would make you feel like an outcast, as if people were judging and looking down on you for your disability. But it did have it's advantages. You and Levi could openly sign about Erwin's giant eyebrows and nobody would have a clue what you were saying. Levi had also learned to show more expression on his face so that way you could understand his signs better, even though he still rarely smiled. It was a bit of a transition for him, but he quickly caught on. He still acted like a blunt asshole, he just communicated that with his hands now. You still loved him the same though, more than before actually.