nurseperriestyles-blog

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

The Nightshift

Summary: Ghost Hunter AU. Perrie Styles is an overworked ER nurse, and Levi Ackerman is a grumpy ghost hunter. He offers her a ride home one night, and accidentally drags her into the not so merry world of killin’ ghosts.

Word Count: 5,208 (oops)

A/N: This is one of my favorite pieces..ever. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

--

Perrie Styles was sleep deprived and grumpy. Her twelve hour shift had morphed into a fifteen hour monster that absolutely kicked her ass, and she was so over it. It had become both a blessing and a curse to work at the busiest (and most understaffed) hospital in the city of Trost; she always had a healthy paycheck, though she was perpetually exhausted and overworked.

Trauma after trauma had spilled through the ER doors that night: drunk drivers had painted themselves and others across the highway, stupid teenagers with guns put holes in each other in grimy, damp alleyways, and a man decided his wife would look prettier with a broken nose and two black eyes. Not to mention that for the past few weeks, it seemed as if the number of car crashes had tripled.

The night seemed endless.

So, when Perrie was paged to triage as she was just about to clock out, her University of Maria sweater pulled over her scrub top, she muttered every curse word she could think of the whole way to the triage room.

Sitting in the black and grey plastic seat, his foot tapping impatiently on the cream tiled floor, was Levi Ackerman. Levi was a familiar face around Trost General Hospital; he and his strange group of friends always found themselves in some kind of battered state, and Perrie was often the one to treat them.

They hardly ever had anything too serious, usually just superficial injuries and a concussion here or there, with the occasional broken bone peppered in. Every now and then, however, Perrie would notice sloppy stitch work or messy, faded scars that suggested sketchy, at home repairs. The sights always concerned Perrie, but after Levi almost ripped her head off for asking the first time, she never asked again. She had no idea what these people did, but whatever it was, it kicked their assses.  

She figured it was gang related, though sometimes they had wounds that looked like they were inflicted by animals. It was the strangest shit Perrie had ever seen. She was a professional, though, and never judged or pushed for answers.           

Perrie was almost never bothered by Levi or his friends, but tonight, of all nights, the sight of him pissed her off..a lot.

“What the fuck is wrong with you people?” Perrie blurted, earning her a nasty scowl from the banged up man. She was sick of their mysterious injuries and their inability to give any kind of information on what caused them.

His lip was busted and he had a huge bruise on his clavicle, peeking out from the collar of his black T-shirt. Every inch of him was gritty and disheveled. He even reeked of smoke.

“What that fuck is wrong with you?” he countered. He shifted in his chair, trying to hide his discomfort as he did so. Perrie noticed, though, and immediately felt guilty for snapping at him.

Perrie sighed. “Sorry. It’s been a long night.”

She pulled out the chair at the computer desk and shook the mouse lazily, waking the machine up. After logging into the system, she turned to her left to face him. After taking his blood pressure and vitals, she went back to the computer.

“What brings you here tonight, Mr. Ackerman?”

After several moments of eyeing her, he replied, “I need an X-ray. Ribs. Pain level--ah, 4.”

Perrie began typing as he spoke, both of them having been through this a hundred times. She knew his level four was any normal person’s level eight.

“Any other injuries I should know about? Did you hit your head?”

Levi shook his head softy. “Just the ribs. I have a few scrapes and bruises, but I’m okay otherwise.”

As soon as she finished typing, Perrie sighed and turned to face Levi again.

“I know I’ve said this before, but you really should stop putting your body through all of this shit. You, Erwin, Eren. All of you freaks.”

Levi smirked. “And I know I’ve said this before, but we can’t.”

And he had said it before, and it always left Perrie so confused. Why? Why couldn’t they stop?

Erwin was one of the most intelligent, charismatic men she had ever met. Eren was just an awkward, gawky teenager that hadn’t even graduated high school yet. And, yeah, Levi was a grumpy asshole, but he was smart and even pretty handsome. There was no reason any of them should be doing such dangerous things.

They regarded each other and Perrie nodded.

“Yeah, yeah. Right. You’re in the system. Go sit. Water?” Perrie got up and walked across the triage room and reached into the mini fridge. Levi caught the water bottle she tossed to him without flinching, like usual.

--

The lobby was unusually quiet tonight. The only sound came from the chunky, outdated TV mounted in the corner of the room. On a screen fuzzy with static, some old basketball game was playing, and Levi tried to focus on the blurry little players instead of the pain in his temples.

He absentmindedly fiddled with his cell phone, thankful that it was completely dead. Hange was probably trying to blow it up with a ton of questions about the job, questions his head was throbbing too badly to even consider answering.

When the lobby doors finally creaked open, and the little nurse walked through them, he frowned. She had obviously been ready to go home when he had arrived; she had had her keys in her hand and a Maria U sweatshirt on over her scrub top. There was no reason for her to still be there.

“I thought you were going home.” he said as she held out a packet of paper.

Levi took his X-ray results from the nurse,a little annoyed that he had been waiting close to two hours for the them. For some reason, everything in this shithole hospital took ten times longer than normal.

Perrie shrugged and stifled a yawn. She was probably running on over fifteen hours, and she looked like she was going to pass out any moment. It made Levi nervous. He knew the things that go bump in the night liked easy prey.

“I was until you drug your ass in here.” she replied, causing Levi to roll his eyes before he scanned the results she had handed him.

“Cracked, not broken. There is a prescription for a mild painkiller. Ice packs help. You know the drill, I don’t know why I’m still talking.” Perrie’s eyes were half open and the pinkness of her sclera made her icy blue eyes look totally grey. Her voice was thick with sleep and Levi figured she fell asleep waiting for his results.

Stubborn brat.

“You should have gone home after checking me in.” Levi scolded her as he balled up the X-ray results and tossed them into the trash.

“You’re my patient, and I can’t bail on a patient, Mr. Ackerman.” Perrie closed her eyes as she tilted her head and gave a small smile. She was like a kid.

“You can’t drive home like this.”

“I take the bus.”

Levi cringed. Ghouls particularly liked the buses. They could take on the appearance of the route regulars they had snacked on and no one would ever suspect anything weird. Erwin and Mike had to bust up a pack of them a few years ago. Fucking ghouls.

Perrie would be an easy target in the shape she was currently in. He wondered how many bus rides she took like that, where she was dead on her feet and hardly aware of her surroundings. It was a miracle she hadn’t been eaten already.

“I have a car, I’ll drive you.”

There was an awkward silence as Perrie tried to figure out if she had heard Levi correctly. Once she realized she had, she stared at him, bewildered.

“Now how do I know you aren’t some serial killer, and that’s why you have so many strange injuries?”

Levi stared at her with an unamused expression, one brow quirked. “Don’t be an idiot, nurse.”

Perrie glanced around the lobby nervously, but it was completely empty. Probably because it was almost three in the morning and all the crazies were either asleep or sedated.

“Fine, but if you murder me, I’m gonna be pissed.”

--

“I borrowed it from a friend.” Levi mumbled when he noticed Perrie looking warily at the banged up Civic. Any other time he would be in his own car, but after having to pin a werewolf against a brick wall with it, it was in Mike’s shop.

The Civic was a pitiful sight, really: the green paint was sun bleached and peeling. Dents marred the bumpers and doors, and duct tape was holding the left headlight in place. Not to mention it was a fucking dinosaur and probably the ugliest car in existence.

“That’s probably code for ‘I murdered someone and stole their car.’” Perrie sighed as she opened the door and plopped into the passenger’s seat, which was surprisingly void of any trash. Levi rolled his eyes.

Inside, the car was cramped and full junk, and smelled strongly of old coffee and something herbal. A myriad of books filled the tiny backseat. From huge leather bound tomes that looked ancient, to children’s fairy tales, to even the obnoxious yellow covers of the ‘For Dummies’ books. Perrie even noticed, under a pile of stained, yellowed handwritten pages, a couple of medical textbooks.

In the floorboard, her feet had to fight for room against crumpled Monster cans, empty cigarette cartons and cheeseburger wrappers. The cupholders were stuffed with empty Starbucks cups and scraps of paper with addresses and phone numbers hastily scribbled on them. A rosary dangled from the rearview mirror, and Perrie noticed the picture of a grinning, freckle faced boy in the dash, beside the speedometer.

“Don’t say a word, nurse.” Levi warned when she trained her wide eyes on him.

“At least I know it isn’t stolen.” she said, wrapping her arms around herself. Apparently the Civic lacked a working heater, and though it wasn’t winter, Perrie was cold natured and the nights were getting cooler.

“What makes you so sure?”

“No one but you and your merry little band of misfits would own this kind of shit.” she waved her hand about.

Levi let out an amused snort, and Perrie smiled to herself.  

--

The nurse was able to mumble her address to Levi before curling up in the passenger’s seat, her head cradled in the shoulder strap of her seat belt. After asking her permission, Levi punched the address into her phone, since his was still dead as shit in his pocket. The nurse was out cold within two minutes. Even though it wasn’t even cold, each time she shivered in her sleep, he felt a tad guilty about the heat not working. Fucking Jean and his shitty car.

Perrie’s house was twenty minutes away from the hospital, in a little neighborhood north of town. It was one of the nicer parts of Trost, but nothing too ritzy; it was a good starting point for the nurse. He wouldn’t have been comfortable with her living in one of the shittier neighborhoods...for whatever reason.

The city of Trost slowly begins to melt into suburbs and cul-de-sacs the further from the heart of the city one gets. Perrie’s neighborhood was between the fancy, gated communities and the poor, shat upon inner city homes that oozed with the supernatural. He had been worried she was going to give him the address to some grey, crumbling apartment building in South Trost that he frequented while working.

He was relieved that her neighborhood was relatively safe. The only time he had ever been in that part of town on a job was to bust up a witch coven. A few bored housewives got a little too buddy-buddy with some dark magic.

He followed the GPS on her phone until he pulled into her driveway.

The nurse lived in a small, older bungalow. It was a squat, pleasant looking little place, nothing fancy. What stood out to Levi, though, was the amount of plants and flowers.

Even in the moonlight, Levi could see how vibrant and colorful Perrie’s flower beds were. Giant ferns and pink, dangling flowers fountained out of their hanging pots on the porch, hydrangea bushes peeked around each corner of the house, and wine red rose bushes flanked the front steps. Several other different flowers and plants were dotted about, decorating the front porch and flower bed in front of it. Flowers poured out of the mouths of delicate flower pots all over the porch.

Levi had never seen such a flourishing garden, and it made him incredibly uneasy. There was no way this kind of garden could be grown without some kind of witchcraft. Especially when the gardener was such a busy nurse who couldn’t possibly have the time to tend to it.

A sigh escaped Levi as he glanced over at the sleeping girl. She certainly didn’t look like a witch. She looked like a starving child if anything. Her hair was a mass of messy, tangled waves. It was pulled back by some clip that had been long gobbled up by the tangles. The dark circles under her eyes mirrored his own, and her lips were chapped and the bottom one had a hole in it where she constantly chewed on it.

She was ridiculously thin, too. Levi figured sleep wasn’t the only thing she missed out on more often than not. He wondered when her last real meal had been before deciding he probably didn’t want to know. It pissed him off when people skipped meals when there were so many people who had no choice but to go without..

He shook the thought from his head and chided himself. He knew the nurse was extremely selfless, ignoring her own needs to tend to others and help them in anyway she could. He had seen it several times at the hospital. Hell, he had seen it tonight.

“You’re staring at me. It’s creepy.”

Levi jumped at the sound of her cracked voice and flushed slightly.

“Sorry, didn’t know how to wake you.” he grumbled.

Perrie stretched and let out an obnoxious yawn before sitting up and staring at her house.

“Thanks for the ride, Mr. Ackerman.” she said with a sheepish smile.

“Just Levi. You’re welcome.” he replied, drumming his fingers lightly on the steering wheel. Discomfort started to settle on his shoulders; Levi excelled in decapitating vampires, but he could not do small talk. Perrie began to open the door and dangled her legs out, sparing him from the awkwardness.

“I’m sure I’ll see you later, then. Have a good night and be careful. Make sure you take your medicine. Oh, and don’t forget to use an ice pack.” she rambled on, looking back at him over her shoulder as she posed herself to hop out of the car, causing Levi to roll his eyes.

“Fine, fine. Goodnight, nurse.”

“Goodnight Le--oh shit, that lady looks pissed.”

Levi snapped his head to his left to where Perrie was looking over his shoulder.

On the sidewalk, about twenty yards away, was the fucking spirit of Bea White, the woman whose remains he had just salted and burned. The fucking spirit that had kicked his ass earlier that night.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” he sputtered, scrambling out of the Civic. “Get in the house now.”

Perrie’s eyes widened as she watched him sprint around the car to grab her arm and pull her across her yard. By the time they skidded to a stop at her front door, the face of Bea White twisted into a grotesque snarl and she began screaming at them.

Perrie’s hands shook as she jammed the key in her door and twisted it open. Levi shoved her through the threshold and slammed the door shut behind them.

“Do you have salt?” he questioned, causing Perrie to gape at him. Levi scowled at her. “I need salt, nurse. Tell me where it is.” he said slowly, trying to pull her out of her shock.

“Kitchen. Cabinet above the stove.” she said with a shake of her head. Levi pushed past her, squeezing her arm as he passed. He stomped through her living room only stopping at her fireplace to grab an iron poker before entering the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, Levi, but did you know that woman?” Perrie wrung her hands and followed him, wondering why the hell a woman was standing in her yard screaming and why Levi Ackerman was running around her house with a fire poker.

“Kind of.” Levi replied gruffly.

“I don’t know if it was the darkness or my lack of sleep, but she looked..” Perrie trailed off, remembering the faces of so many battered, mangled faces she had seen in her career. The woman in her yard resembled car wreck victims Perrie coded almost every night.

“Yeah.” was Levi’s only reply as he popped the Morton’s salt tab open. He met Perrie’s eye and sighed. “I’m gonna make a mess, but I promise, I’ll clean it up.”

The two stood in the middle of Perrie’s kitchen, not breaking eye contact. Perrie’s sluggish, sleep deprived mind was working hard to catch up, to make sense of what exactly was happening. Levi’s was racing a mile a minute, trying to figure out why the shit Bea White was not finally dead, and why she was now glaring at him from over Perrie’s shoulder, her screams echoing off of the kitchen walls.

Perrie made a sort of squeak as Bea grabbed her by the hair. Levi dropped the salt and jabbed at Bea with the poker, causing her to drop Perrie as she dissipated with an anguished howl.

The smack of linoleum against Perrie’s cheek dazed her, and she felt her lip split under the pressure of her teeth. When she peeled her eyes open, she watched Levi’s deft hand grab the Morton’s container off of the floor, and she heard the shifting of salt being dumped out.

She didn’t hear the woman screaming anymore, so she figured Levi probably subdued her somehow.

“You ok?” Levi asked as he completed the salt circle around the nurse. From the floor, she gave a thumbs up, but didn’t rise.

“I’m gonna need more than a thumbs up to believe you. You’re not concussed, are you?”

“I’m just fine.”she replied sarcastically, making Levi nod to himself. If she was being a pain in the ass, then she was gonna be okay.

“Then I’m going to need you to get up. She’ll be back any minute and you need to be able to defend yourself. Salt circles can only do so much.” Levi plundered through her kitchen drawers, looking for anything the girl could defend herself with.

“Don’t you have anything else made of iron?” he hissed as he slammed her last draw shut.

“I have some cast iron skillets. Stop slamming shit.” Perrie was now sitting cross legged on the floor, her nose scrunched in distaste. When she noticed the salt circle, she threw her hands up. “What are you doing to my kitchen?”

Levi pulled out one of her skillets and sighed. “I told you I’d clean it.” he handed her the skillet, which she took hesitantly. “This will have to do. If the circle breaks and she comes at you, just smack her ugly face in with this.”

Perrie took the skillet from him. Her face contorted with confusion and horror.

“I can’t just bash someone in the face with a skillet, dude!” she argued, earning her a groan of frustration.

“Look, she isn’t a ‘someone.’ Not anymore. She’s a vengeful spirit and she wants to rip our faces off. Now, if you want to keep your face, I suggest you get used to the idea of bashing in some faces until I can figure out what the hell she’s attached to.”

Perrie and Levi glared at each other for several seconds.

“A vengeful spirit. Like. You’re actually telling me that we’re being attacked by a ghost? A dead person?” she spoke slowly, her face scrunched in confusion.

Levi rubbed his forehead and tried not to lose what little patience he had left. It wasn’t her fault she didn’t understand. She didn’t know about his world until five minutes ago when he led a fucking murderous ghost into her house.

“Yes, that’s what I’m telling you. I know it’s completely unbelievable, and you think I’m crazy, and that’s fine. You’ll never have to worry about me again after this. But I need you to trust me for now, and let me kill this bitch.”

Perrie only hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Fine. But you’re going to tell me everything after. Got it?”

Levi clenched his fists. He didn’t want to drag her into his shit life, but how could he not after tonight? He had already pushed her head first into it.

“Got it.” he agreed and Perrie smiled up at him.

“So, now what?” she asked, glancing around the room. She was calm now, despite the fact that an actual ghost was trying to kill her. Levi supposed she still didn’t quite believe him.

“I’m trying to think. Usually, vengeful spirits are attached to some kind of object, thus making it impossible for them to move on, even after their remains are salted and burned..”

“What caused her to become a vengeful spirit?” Perrie asked, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous she sounded.

“A drunk driver killed her and her best friend--ah, shit, that’s what she’s attached to.” Levi patted his pockets down before shoving his hand into one and pulling out a set of keys.

Perrie craned her neck to see as Levi held up a keychain, handmade out of rainbow colored plastic beads. Between the rainbow beads were white block beads with “BFFs” painted on them.

“The bitch has been haunting the intersection she died at, causing people to drive off of the road and crash. I thought she was just a regular spirit and wasn’t meaning to hurt the people driving. Salting and burning a ghost’s remains puts them to rest. I didn’t realize she was a vengeful spirit and doing it all on purpose until she showed up here.”

Perrie gazed at Levi as he spoke, holding the keys away from him as if they could bite him. She tried to imagine a ghost actually, really killing people, but she couldn’t wrap her mind around it. Perrie was a woman of science and reason, and the supernatural just didn’t fit into her world.

Levi noticed her staring at him and frowned. “I realize you don’t believe any of this, but I’m being completely serious. I hunt shit like this, and so does Erwin and Eren and all the others you’ve had to fix up. That’s why we can’t tell anyone what actually happens to us. What doctor is going to believe that a succubus beat the shit out of Mikasa last week, that it wasn’t Eren? Or that Eren’s dog bite was from--” Levi took a deep breath and shook his head and Perrie stood up.

“What do we do next?” she asked simply, and Levi sighed.

“We salt and burn this keychain.”

“Let’s fire up the grill, then.” she said with pep, a smile on her face. She grabbed the salt and, with her skillet in the other hand, started towards the backdoor.

Levi, iron poker in hand, followed Perrie through the back of the house. He was mildly impressed with how clean and neat her home was. There was no clutter or trash anywhere to be seen; everything in Perrie’s house had a place. Her decor was mostly flowers and plants. She favored pastel colors and cream. It was refreshing for Levi, who hung out with the biggest slobs in the world. He couldn’t force himself to step foot into Jean’s place until Marco moved in, and he still refused to enter Hange’s house.

The two stepped out of Perrie’s back door and onto the back patio, where there was a small, practical grill tucked in the corner. The backyard was small, but hosted a garden even more impressive than the front. Levi glanced at it with apprehension, hoping that the nurse wasn’t using any kind of magic to keep such a lovely garden.

“Do we just light it up, or is there some kind of, like, ritual..” Perrie’s voice trailed off uncertainty and Levi fought a smile.

“I’ll just salt it and light it up. Stand back and watch out. She’s sure to reappear when she notices what we’re doing.”

Perrie nodded and stumbled away from the grill as Levi raised the lid and chucked the keys inside. She handed him the salt, and he pulled a box of matches out of his pocket. That was as far as he got before Bea’s skeletal fingers gripped Perrie’s upper arms.

The spirit’s face was bloody and enraged, just inches away from Perrie’s own. The weeping cuts along her cheeks sparkled with what looked like glass, and the part of her head that was cracked and exposed bleed freely. Bea screamed a strangled, piercing scream that made Perrie’s ears ring. Her fingernails threatened to break the skin on Perrie’s arms.

Over Bea’s shoulder, Perrie could see Levi’s conflicted face. She could tell he didn’t know if he should help Perrie or hurry and burn the keychain.

“Do it! She wants to distract you!” Perrie shouted. She then gripped Bea’s arms back, and threw all of her weight towards the ground. The two tumbled into the grass of Perrie’s yard, and Perrie held on tight as the spirit struggled against her.

When Bea realized Levi wasn’t coming to Perrie’s aid, she let out a howl and began to thrash violently. Perrie held on, though, and maneuvered herself so she was straddling Bea.

“Do you know how many psychos I’ve had to restrain in my ER? I don’t give a shit if you’re dead or alive, you’re not going anywhere.” Perrie panted as she caught Bea’s wrists, holding her face out of the woman’s reach.

Suddenly, Bea’s angry howls turned into pain-filled sobs and groans, and Perrie felt Levi’s hands grab her hips and pull her backwards. Within seconds, the woman broke out into flames and with one final scream, became a smoldering pile of ashes.

Perrie and Levi sat on the edge of her patio, side by side. Perrie panted and began to tremble as the adrenaline took over.

“You okay, nurse?” Levi asked.

Perrie laughed softly. “I mean, my whole understanding of the world was just completely upended, but other than that..”

Levi’s small laugh surprised Perrie.

“The world is just the same. There’s just more shit in it than you thought, that’s all.”

“And you hunt and kill that shit?”

Levi shrugged. “Yeah.”

“You, Erwin and all those kids?”

“Yeah.” Levi’s voice was distant, and Perrie frowned as she studied his face.

“Because shit like this,” she gestured towards the ashes of Bea White. “Hurt each of you, somehow?”

Levi met Perrie’s eyes and scowled. “Yeah.”

Perrie bristled at Levi’s shortness.

“Okay, then. Great fucking talk. I’m going to bed.” she snapped and stood up, brushing her dirty hands on her scrub bottoms and she turned on her heel back into her house. Levi swore under his breath as he jumped up and followed her.

“Look,” he began, following her through the house, cringing at the dirt they were tracking across her clean, hardwood floor. “It’s just not easy to talk about, and their stories aren’t mine to tell.”

Perrie ignored him and walked into a room to their right, leaving the door open behind her. Levi followed her and stopped short when he realized it was her bedroom.

It was just as clean as the rest of her house, except for a pile of dirty clothes in front of the closet. Her bed was unmade as well, which irritated Levi, but he forced himself to ignore it. Instead, he watched as she opened the chest at the foot of her bed and pulled out a blanket. She then grabbed a pillow from her bed.

“Are you just ignoring me now?” he asked, his voice harsh. Perrie hardly glanced at him as she shoved past him and back into the hallway.

Levi, confused, followed her back into the living room and glared at her when he realized that she was making a place for him to sleep on her couch.

“I’m not staying here.” he protested, but Perrie, once again, ignored him. “Seriously.”

Once she was satisfied with the couch, she walked into the kitchen and opened a drawer, pulling out a hand towel. After spreading the towel out on her counter, she opened the freezer and popped a handful of ice out of a pink plastic ice tray. Levi fought a groan as she wrapped the ice in the hand towel and opened a different cabinet, pulling out a glass. She filled the glass with water and then went back to the fridge and stood on her tippy toes, grabbing a bottle of ibuprofen from on top of it.  

Perrie blew her bangs out of her eyes and held out the pills and glass of water. The pain in his ribs, the pain he had been able to ignore up until now, gnawed at his side and caused him to accept the medicine and water. Perrie walked back into the kitchen to get the ice pack and handed it to him.

She took a deep breath before speaking.

“Thank you for giving me a ride home, and for not letting that ghost kill me tonight.” she said it as if she had been reciting it in her head the whole time she wasn’t speaking to him. “Now it’s late and you still have cracked ribs, which I’m sure are starting to hurt now that you’ve been running around and the medicine has probably worn off.”

Levi refused to meet her eye, choosing instead to focus on the vase of white peonies on her coffee table. She continued, despite his pouting.

“I would really like for you to sleep here tonight. I’m off tomorrow and I’ll make you breakfast if you don’t disappear before I wake up, like the mysterious guys in movies do. Okay?”

“You’re a stubborn brat, you know that?” Levi crossed his arms and glared at Perrie.

Perrie grinned. “I know. Now, there’s a bathroom down the hall from my room, the last door on the right. I have some PJ pants you can wear, and I’ll wash your clothes.”

Levi hesitated, but Perrie’s stern look kept him from arguing.

After accepting the green and black plaid PJ bottoms, Levi made his way into the guest bathroom for a much needed shower. 

On his way back to his makeshift bed, he paused at Perrie’s bedroom door. Squinting up at the door frame, he could just make out a small symbol carved into the wood. 

A protection ward.

His mind reeled and Levi wondered just who Perrie Styles really was.

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

Perrie Styles

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

Perrie Styles

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

How To: Develop Your Characters

I think we’ve all been in the situation where we want to write about a specific character but have no idea how to approach it. For some reason, despite them being your own character, you have no idea how they would act or what they would say in a certain situation. Sometimes, if you even write about your character(s) at all, when you read it back they seem fake or 2-Dimensional. Unrealistic, if you’d prefer.

In this post, I am going to give you some exercises to get past hollow characters and help develop your writing. 

1) Empty Their Pockets

Pretty simple. Think of what your characters would have in their pockets on a day-to-day basis. It doesn’t have to be anything super extraordinary, of course. Just start writing some everyday items down and think about whether your character would have these items in their pockets. 

Let’s take a look at one I did for my characters earlier. (sorry that just sounded like something from Blue Peter)

For example:

Character A’s Pockets Contained:

pack of gum, empty pack of cigarettes, library card, NOKIA brick phone

So, here a few things you can tell about Character A simply through the items in their pockets. They visit the library often, meaning that they probably have a high interest in reading (this also could be a sign of intelligence). Judging by the fact Character A has both a pack of gum and cigarettes this could indicate a potential smoking habit, chewing gum is a known way for helping people quit smoking. The pack of cigarettes could show that they are not very good at restricting themselves and could in fact be addicted and finding it hard to cope with smoking. Finally, the NOKIA brick phone shows how they may want to feel connected to people or want to allow their friends/family members/whoever to be able to contact them but have no desire to get the latest model of phone or perhaps believe that having such a device would distract them unnecessarily. 

When doing this exercise, think about key objects which portray certain details about your character! Try not to overthink it too much, write whatever comes to mind and put it down on the page! After writing down a couple objects, go back through them and feel free to edit out items you think are unnecessary or add items which you think would suit the character. 

2) Go Through Their Daily Routine

Again, another easily explained exercise. Go through a regular day in your character’s life, try and do this exercise as if it was happening before whatever events occur in your story or novel. This way it makes it easier to understand your character before they met a secondary character in the novel or before whatever events happened in your writing which may affect their routine. You don’t need to include every single detail in your description, just brief notes or key events which occur during their day would be fine. You can make it as short or as long as you wish, maybe don’t just do it for one day in your character’s week perhaps do it for multiple days. 

Does their routine change during the week? What time do they wake up? What time do they go to sleep? Are they punctual with going to work? Do they do any other activities outside their day-job? These are the kind of things you may want to ask yourself when writing it. 

3) Give Them Fears/Phobias

Everyone fears something: whether it be a phobia of spiders or oblivion, everyone has a fear. Giving your character a phobia makes them seem more realistic, it allows your reader to easily relate to your character.

However, just having a phobia for the sake of it doesn’t help develop your character at all. If you give them a terrible phobia of snakes and they come across a snake and suddenly within moments are able to get over their fear just like that, it’s not a phobia. It’s more of a mild inconvenience than anything else. The reader needs to feel convinced by their fears, they would feel more dissatisfied with your writing if they felt the character could dismiss anything and everything than knowing them being confronted by their fears could be a possible problem. Besides, it would give them no reason to motivate or encourage the character if they knew it was impossible for them to be defeated by anything. Still, this does not mean that your character has to be destroyed by their fear. There is a very big difference between simply dismissing your character’s fear and perhaps overcoming it in the future.

An easy way to write your character possibly overcoming their fear in the future is that when they first encounter that fear, add an element of chance or fate into it. For example, if a character were to move to get away from the creature which may be coming towards them; in the process of getting up, they could slip which could cause their legs to lash out towards the creature. The sudden movement may just be enough to scare the creature away, this way it does not appear to the reader as ridiculous or uncharacteristic courage but instead accidental bravery. This sudden revelation that the character’s horrible fear may not be as all powerful as they first thought could be the first step for them to slowly overcome that fear.

Don’t believe me? Let’s think about this for a moment. Imagine your character, let’s call them the Protagonist™, is stuck in a terrible situation. It doesn’t matter what the situation is but let’s say it’s something which involves them being trapped in a room with a snake. I’m going to give you two examples, both involving the same situation.

Example #1: Protagonist watched with wide eyes as the snake slowly slithered towards them. The snake paused for a moment, it hissed lowly as it waited for Protagonist to move, waiting for the right moment to strike.  Not hesitating for a single moment, they suddenly realised how dire the situation was and jumped to their feet. Their heart pumping wildly as their body was filled with adrenaline, they were terrified yet they had to do something. Protagonist grabbed the nearest thing to them and stepped towards the snake.

“Get away!” They threatened, “Get away!”

Example #2:

Protagonist watched with wide eyes as the snake slowly slithered towards them. The snake paused for a moment, it hissed lowly as it waited for Protagonist to move, waiting for the right moment to strike. The blood in Protagonist’s veins ran cold as the snake grew closer and closer, Protagonist couldn’t move. They begged and screamed on the inside to move away, to get away as far as possible. They had lost all control of their movement, their fear had consumed them. They were frozen to the spot and could only watch as the snake widened it’s jaw, ready to bite down on it’s prey. It widened it’s jaw once, twice - suddenly, Protagonist gained back their instincts. Fleeing seemed like the only realistic option and seconds before the snake could chomp down on their ankle, Protagonist stumbled to their feet. They stumbled backwards into a puddle of water which had pooled behind them and their ankle rolled as they slipped, their legs accidentally lashing out towards the predator. The snake recoiled backwards in shock before deciding that the risk wasn’t worth it: it quickly retreated back to it’s nest, disappearing from Protagonist’s view.

Now, hopefully you see what I mean. I think we can all agree that the second example is a lot better than the first one. 

4) Create Their Flaws/Bad Habits

No one is perfect, this includes your characters. 

If you’re finding it challenging to think of any flaws, try to think of some bad habits. It doesn’t have to be anything so terribly bad that’s it’s illegal. Think simple when it comes to this exercise. It can range from anything between chewing their nails to swearing. 

It might help to try and develop these bad habits into possible flaws or weaknesses. If your character keeps biting their nails that might be a sign of nervousness or anxiety. So, creating bad habits might be a good way to show a certain trait your character may possess. 

Flaws are important as well. Let’s be realistic, if no character had any flaws then every single book we read would be filled with a bunch of characters which are exactly the same. Besides, what’s a hero without it’s villain? 

So, to give you a few ideas, let’s go back to superheroes. Maybe a hero is so set on doing the right thing that they lose sight of what they want? Perhaps it gets to a certain point where they can’t handle that hollow feeling inside of them that they grow arrogant, selfish or even stubborn? There’s a story for you right there. 

Not only that, by giving your characters flaws it is possible that you could work that into your story somehow. This way, not only will you get to show off your amazing character development, but it could also be an exciting point in your storyline.

Write down some ideas, think of flawed personality traits and just write them down! Try to write down at least five straight off the bat, for each one you don’t like you should think about why it doesn’t suit your character. You’re bound to find one flaw you’re happy with!

5) Write Some Scenarios

Now that you’ve developed your characters, go ahead and write them in your story! If you think you still need a bit of practice, try writing something about them being in a certain scenario. It could be anything from ordering their favourite coffee to being trapped in a prison: just write it! Try not to think about it too much, just do whatever feels write (I unintentionally made that pun but i’m not deleting it). 

It doesn’t have to be long either, just a couple paragraphs would be fine. Try to focus on body movements and interior thoughts, it would be ideal if your character was on their own in the situation: that way you can get to know the character on their own a lot better. No other characters means no distractions. It’s just you, the wonderful author, and your character - there is an endless amount of possibilities for you! 

Have faith in yourself too! Nobody knows your brilliantly developed characters better than you do, so here’s your chance to show them off! If you’d like a second opinion, write something about them and give it to a friend/parent/random stranger etc. to read! If they don’t want to, make them read it anyway! 

I hope this helps you all in developing your characters! 

Happy writing!

- jess

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

Meow

A/N: @misa-mi requested this from the list of prompts. I haven’t had any inspiration to write lately, which sucks because I have so many ideas that I just can’t write out. Hopefully I’ll be able to get back into it, and this piece gave me a boost, even if it’s short. 

--

“You’re too weak for this, I don’t know why the Captain insisted you of all people help me.” Eren grumbled as he bumped Perrie out of the way and picked up the bail of hay she was struggling to lift.

Perrie sneezed and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. The two had spent the last hour and a half cleaning the stables, and Perrie’s lack of strength and stamina was seriously hindering their progress.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Instead of lifting weights, I spend all of my free time studying medicine so I don’t fuck up when someone’s open skull is on my table.” she replied with a sniffle.

Eren tossed a handful of straw at her in response and rolled his eyes.

“I’m sure Captain Levi will have you do some kind of exercising while you’re here. You’ll be running around with a bunch of the best soldiers, after all.”

Perrie scowled. “I look forward to that.”

Eren chuckled to himself and when he heard Perrie sneeze for the millionth time that afternoon, he looked at her with an annoyed look.

“Are you allergic to straw or something, Pear?” he questioned, watching as she walked into the last stall to clean.

“Nah, I’m only allergic to--fuck! Help!” Perrie jumped out of the stall with a loud, high pitch shout and Eren’s protective instinct kicked in. Perrie waved her hand at the stall, her other hand covering her mouth. Her eyes were wide and held a frantic, scared look in them.

Expecting a ferocious animal, or even some murderer hiding out, waiting to kill them, he rushed to the stall and pushed Perrie behind him, shielding her from whatever was lurking in the stall. He didn’t have any weapons, but he had his fists, and his Titan powers if it came to it..

The fat, half asleep barn cat was not what Eren had been expecting at all.

It lay in the far corner of the stall, on top of a pile of hay. Its yellow eyes blinked at the pair lazily, and its bushy tail twitched impatiently at them.

It took several moments for Eren to turn and face Perrie, and once he met her eye, the laughter overcame him.

“It’s...a...stup--id..cat!” he howled, one hand on her shoulder, his other arm wrapped around his stomach.

Perrie’s face instantly turned bright red and she shook his hand off of her shoulder. But before she could rip him a new one, the last person she wanted to see in that moment walked into the barn.

“I heard a scream. Wanted to make sure the kid didn’t change and rip your head off.” Levi didn’t sound particularly concerned with the state of Perrie’s head, and the look on his face made it obvious that he wanted to leave the nasty barn as soon as he could. He frowned when Perrie sneezed.

When he noticed the state of Eren, who was now on his back on the ground laughing, and the mixture of embarrassment and murderous intent on Perrie’s face, Levi became a little more interested.

“What the hell is going on?” he asked and Eren pointed at Perrie.

The nurse was standing with her shoulders slouched and her arms crossed. Her hair was full of straw, she was chewing on her lip, and her nose was running. She was pitiful.

“There’s a cat.” she mumbled, gesturing towards the stall they stood in front of.

Levi shook his head slightly. Surely he misheard her.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“A cat. In the stall.”

“That’s why you screamed?”

Perrie refused to meet his eye, and Levi fought the urge to smirk. She was completely embarrassed.

“Yes.”

A whole new round of laughter began for Eren, who was crying at that point. Perrie began to kick at him, but he rolled out of her reach. They were a couple of children.

“Well, get rid of it.” Levi said.

The look on Perrie’s face was a mixture of terror and disbelief.

“I can’t.” she sneezed again and pointed at the stall. “I can’t go near it!”

“It’s just a cat.” Levi crossed his arms and glared at the defiant girl.

Perrie took a step towards him and shook her head.

“You don’t understand.” she began earnestly. “Cats are evil and I cannot touch it.”

Levi met her gaze and held it, neither backing down until a violent sneeze caused Perrie to turn away.

“You’re allergic.” Levi said, realizing her distaste for the animal.

“I’d argue that my body just physically reacts to the evil cats emit. But sure, we’ll say I’m allergic.”

Levi almost laughed. Almost.

“Fine, it’ll just live here. It can take care of the rats and shit.” Levi shrugged and Perrie scrunched her nose up.

“We’ll I’m not going anywhere near it again.”

“Shame. I was going to let it sleep in your room.”

“Don’t be an asshole..asshole.”

Levi shot her a glare to shut her up, but she simply stuck her tongue out at him.

“You’re a child. You know that, right?” Levi sighed as he walked over to Eren, who still hadn’t gotten ahold of himself. Perrie sneezed again as Levi grabbed Eren’s shirt collar and drug him out of the barn. “Go find something else to clean, nurse. But be careful, Petra said there are some bunnies in the attic.”

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

Ahhhh, we’ve all been there (my inspiration comes and goes sooo much these days...) But how about #101

It’s been sooo bad! But I’ll start working on that now! It might take a hot minute to finish, though, but I’m determined to get back into my groove! Thanks for the request <333

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

Ya’ll my inspiration got hit by a car and is dying in a ditch. Maybe some of these will help revive it!

Drabble Challenge: 1-150

Rules: Followers send a number to your ask and you write a drabble using that sentence/prompt in your piece. Try to keep up! Expect a TON of requests!

“The skirt is supposed to be this short.”

“How long have you been standing there?”

“I may be an idiot, but I’m not stupid.”

“Who gave you that black eye?”

“You haven’t even touched your food. What’s going on?”

“I just like proving you wrong.”

“Everyone keeps telling me you’re the bad guy.”

“Forget it. You fucking suck.”

“Quit it or I’ll bite.”

“If you use up all the hot water again, I swear to god! You’re on the couch for a month!!”

“If I die, I’m going to haunt your ass.”

“I’m pregnant.”

“Looks like we’re gonna be stuck here for a while.”

“Take. It. Off.”

“Well, you’re coming home with me whether you like it or not.”

“I’ll kick his ass if you want me to.”

“Stop it! It tickles!”

“It’s okay to cry…”

“And that’s how you ruin a life. Congratulations.”

“D..did you just make that noise?”

“He’s a bad kisser.”

“You can scream if you want.”

“I didn’t know we were keeping track.”

“We’re playing checkers. If you don’t like it, leave.”

“One of them’s missing.”

“Save some for me.”

“Oh, fuck off.”

“You’re still mad?”

“Come over here and make me.”

“You better watch yourself.”

“Eat your lunch and you wouldn’t be hungry.”

“Why did we have to have kids?”

“Call on Line 1”

“He creeped me out. I’m not gonna lie.”

“I’m done! You can fix it!”

“Can we just watch a movie and fall asleep on the couch?”

“Where did he go?”

“You leave whenever you feel like it.”

“I forgot I was a single parent.”

“Don’t apologize if you don’t mean it.”

“You’re going out dressed like that?”

“For the hundredth time, I’m not your babysitter.”  

“Frost the damn cupcakes.”

“Well that’s the second biggest news I’ve heard all day.”

“You look pretty hot in plaid.”  

“I thought you were dead!”

“I thought it was a one-night-stand…and now we’re married…”

“We’ve become the clingy couple that you used to complain about.”

“Quit touching me. Your feet are cold.”

“You know you want it, sweetheart.”

“I’m your husband. It’s my job.”  

“You just wanted them because the light up.”

“That wasn’t very subtle.”

“He thinks he’s a mind reader.”  

“It’s just you and me tonight. I was thinking we could have a little fun.”

“I don’t do hugs.”

“Don’t talk anymore.”

“I’m just a guy with a wife, two kids, and a Harley.”

“How do I even put up with you?”

“I said get rid of it.”

“They didn’t just find out. They already knew!”

“You’re not as quiet as you think you are.”

“Can you just man up and change his diaper?”

“Just don’t buy a goat. I don’t care what you do, just no goats.”

“I have a secret.”

“I won’t let you get hurt.”

“You’re strong, baby. You have to be.”

“He’s four years old!!”

“I’ve had enough! I want to be alone!”

“I can’t stand seeing you like this.”

“Me and the boys will handle it.”

“You’re competitive and so am I, and it’s going to lead to a fight.”

“Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?”

“You’re a dork, just like your father.”

“Mind if I join you?”

“Daddy!”

“I lost our child.”

“That’s my shirt. So is that..wait?”

“My name isn’t Leslie…who’s Leslie?”

“There’s a surprise upstairs for you.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“I’m not your boss? Well then who is?”

“You can’t eat solids, only liquids until Thursday.”

“Come on, baby, up to bed.”

“They got you a present. Isn’t it sweet?”

“Am I scaring you?”

“Run! You said you’d work out with me!”

“After everything…I’d still choose you.”

“And when did you plan on telling me about this?”

“Trust me.”

“Scoot over a little bit, please.”

“You’re so clingy, I love it.”

“You didn’t just wake me up at 2am because you were ‘in the mood’.”

“Did they hurt you?”

“You’re cute when you’re all worried.”

“Stop being grumpy. It’s lame.”

“I don’t need a hero, I need a husband.”

“Don’t shut me out.”

“You got a cute butt.”

“I just got out of the shower, I can’t dance. What if my towel falls off?”

“Don’t be an asshole. Asshole.”

“Do you really think I could ever replace you?”

“Sharing is caring. Now give me your fries.”

“…or we can chill in our underwear.”

“You can’t make up for it by giving me a tic-tac.”

“Keep pedaling and don’t stop, okay?”

“You, me, popcorn, two liter Dr. Pepper, and a movie. You in?”

“Have you seen my contacts?”

“Life is a highway, and I’m always drunk. So I’m not driving.”

“Quit stalling. Where’s your father?”

“You can’t just hug me and think everything’s okay.”

“Is he coming home?”

“I prefer blondes.”

“No more dogs. How hard it it to understand?”

“I let you win.”

“I broke your nose, and I’m sorry for that. But what you’re doing isn’t fair.”

“Can I do your hair?”

“Your favorite superhero can’t be a villain.”

“I told you not to jump on the bed!”

“He’s pampering me, let him be.”

“Ready or not, here I come.”

“I’m worried about losing my job!”

“Oh, did I scare you, big boy?”

“Happy new year!”

“Quit moving, I’m trying to sleep. Wait…are you…what?!”

“You nap, I’ll stay awake.”

“It’s turbulence. It’s normal.”

“Don’t touch me. We’re fighting.”

“I’ll give you a massage.”

“You fell asleep in the tub?!”

“Are you doodling?”

“We’re not playing strip poker. I don’t care what I said when I was drunk.”

“Slushies aren’t just for kids, fuck society.”

“Are you scared…Then why won’t you look at the screen?”

“Enough with the pillow talk, I’m tired.”

“You had a nightmare, tell me what it was about so I can fix it.”

“We need groceries, not just junk food. You’re worse than the kids.”

“Is this our closet? Or your closet?”

“If I win, you do dishes for a week.”

“Fist bumps are cooler than high-fives…”

“Use your words.”

“Hold my hand so he gets jealous.”

“Ew, your hand is sweaty.”

“Get out of my face before I hit you.”

“I don’t care if your 4 or 40, you don’t hit people.”

“You only care about football, beer, and raking leaves.”

“Look! Fireflies!”

“Why do you only kiss me when I’m sleeping?”

“I just need ten minutes.”

*Make Your Own*

Happy Writing! Visit @prompt-bank for more prompts!

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

[AOT x CHESS] by:winni (permission to upload kindly granted by artist)

Black set

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

Masterlist

Perrie Styles:

Bio 1

Bio 2

Bio 3

Bio 4

Perrie’s Story:

The Fall

Captain

Pear

Confrontation and Strawberries

Five Years Later, Another Fall

On Her Bloody Knees

Don’t Look Down

Useless

Unexpected Things

Commander Erwin Smith

The Lying Game

She’s Leaving Home

Pointing Fingers

Clean

Other:

Only Angel: Halloween, Modern AU  Stumble: Dialogue prompts Cramped Spaces: Dialogue prompts

Updated 11/13

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

Cramped Spaces

Another request from @misa-misa-chi (whom I love dearly btw)

Prompt: “Watch me.”

--

Perrie stood in the pantry, chewing her lip and glaring at a can of peas on the top shelf, too high for her to reach.

And thanks to Captain Levi's anal cleaning and tidying, there were no crates or boxes that Perrie could stand on. Levi had made sure that no clutter of any kind lingered.

She had considered climbing the shelves; however, the side of her that dreaded knocking boxes and cans over (and causing Levi to have a fit) combined with the nurse side of her that dreaded falling and hurting herself, so she refrained.

"Need a boost, little lady?"

Perrie jumped out of her skin and bit a deeper hole in her lip than usual, causing Reiner Braun to quickly apologize for scaring her.

"I'm sorry, Perrie! Are you okay? Your lip is bleeding."

Perrie dabbed her lip with her finger and sighed.

"It's okay, Reiner. I was just too focused on that absurdly high shelf and didn't notice you walk up." Perrie waved her hand at him, trying to erase the apologetic look on his face.

"How about I lift you up to make up for scaring you."

Before Perrie could protest, Reiner's large hands gently took hold of her waist, and he effortlessly lifted her eye level to the top shelf.

Her face flushed slightly as she felt the warmth of his hands on her waist. Perrie was by no means used to men touching her, and she was girlishly nervous about it.

I'm such a child. She thought to herself and she quickly plucked the peas off the shelf.

No. He's a child. Shit, he's way too young to be making me blush.

Reiner gently placed Perrie back on her feet and smiled down at her.

"Thanks." She smiled sheepishly and waved the can awkwardly.

Reiner Braun was handsome, strong, tall, and charismatic. He was almost every girl’s dream guy. Perrie wasn’t blind to that, which is why she found herself blushing deeply at his touch, and the way he smiled at her. He was too young, though, almost ten years her junior.

I’m a fucking creep.

Reiner smiled softly, but then his brow creased and his hand reached for her lip. Perrie froze as he wiped blood away and brushed it on his pants.

"What the fuck are you two doing?"

The hair on the back of Perrie's neck stood up and she turned around to see Levi's cold eyes on her.

Her face went from pink to neon red as she realized how the scene before the Captain must look: Perrie and Reiner stuffed closely together in a tiny, dimly lit pantry, her lips swollen and bleeding.

"Perrie just needed help getting something off the top shelf, sir." Reiner saluted Levi, and jostled Perrie a bit in the cramped space, causing her go drop the can of peas. Reiner and Perrie watched it roll towards Levi’s boots, but Levi’s cold, narrow eyes never left Reiner.

Levi said nothing, but stared at the two with a bored expression, though Perrie thought she could see something else lingering in his eyes, the tiniest bit of a very intense emotion. Probably disgust towards her for being in such a skeevy situation.

Holy hell, he probably thinks I'm a fucking pervert. He's not gonna leave me alone with the boys anymore.

"Whatever. Braun, go clean the stables. They're filthy and I haven't seen you do anything all day." Levi crossed his arms and stepped aside, letting Reiner scramble out of the pantry.

Once he was gone, Levi picked up the can and held it out to Perrie.

"Thank you, Captain." she muttered as she took it from him.

"Braun, eh? Didn't realize you were into cradle robbing."

Perrie's mouth fell open. "It--its's not like that at all!" She stammered.

"Tch. Save it for someone who cares. Though I will say, it's not very professional to mingle with patients."

Perrie's embarrassment slid into annoyance.

He just can't let things go, can he?

"I don't mingle with patients, sir." she replied firmly.

The two faced each other; Perrie's glare met Levi's blasé frown for several moments before he shrugged.

"Like I said, I don't care. Chase after him if you must." He stepped aside, freeing the doorway for her.

“Fine! Watch me.” Perrie balled her hands into fists and stomped her foot, but didn’t push past the captain. There was no way she was going after Reiner, even if just to prove a point. Her hesitation made Levi smirk knowingly walk away, leaving Perrie alone.

"Asshole." She hissed as she deflated.

"I heard that, nurse." Levi's voice snaked around the corner and Perrie sighed.

As he walked around a corner, Levi’s hands curled into fists so tight, they ached.

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

Stumble

Requested by @misa-misa-chi :D 

Prompt: “Are You Drunk?”

--

Perrie had noticed their odd behavior right off the bat.

She had spotted Jean, Reiner and Eren with their heads leaned in close to each other, speaking in excited whispers. Jean and Eren, of all people, sharing secrets. Sasha’s doe eyes were bright and shifty, more so than usual; her pockets bulged more than usual as well. Connie buzzed with energy, completely unable to sit still for five seconds. Armin wouldn’t even meet Perrie’s eyes. When she walked around a corner and almost smacked into him, he nearly jumped out of his skin and hurried away, stammering and stuttering all along the way.

Hange nor Levi seemed to notice; they were too busy with whatever important shit they did. Either that or they simply didn’t care. Either way, Perrie was curious.

So, she went to the one person she knew would tell her what was up.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Mikasa deadpanned, causing Perrie to cross her arms and huff.

“Oh, come on! Tell me!” she begged. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

Mikasa’s cool expression didn’t change at all as Perrie pleaded.

“There’s nothing to tell.” she replied with a nonchalant shrug. Mikasa turned to walk out of the bathroom (where Perrie had shamelessly cornered the poor girl), and as the door was closing behind her, Perrie heard:

“There is absolutely nothing happening in the basement tonight. Nothing at all.”

--

Sasha had found ale hidden in a far corner of the pantry. She had Eren and Jean and Connie carry the whole crate down to the dank, gloomy basement. Her pockets had been full of snacks and even a deck of cards. The cadets of the 104th were sitting in a circle on the stone floor, bottles littered about them.

Perrie watched from the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, fighting an amused smirk.

Connie noticed her first.

“Who told!” he jabbed a finger in her direction, eyes wide.

Heads snapped towards her. Mixtures of fear and surprise painted most of their features, except for Mikasa, who looked bored, her cheeks a bit pink. Armin looked like he wanted to cry.

“You freaks were acting weird all day, don’t act surprised someone noticed. You’re just lucky it was me and not--”

“Her boyfriend.” Jean was already a bit drunk and thought he was whispering, but he wasn’t. He was slumped against Reiner, who was overtaken by a fit of giggles. 

“I don’t have a boyfriend.” Perrie furrowed her brow, completely clueless as to what he meant. She had no idea that they had a bet on weather or not her and Levi were a thing; Perrie would have died of embarrassment and then rose from the dead to kill them all.

“Perrie has never had a boyfriend.” Eren drunkenly pointed out, causing her to blush fiercely.

“Never?” Connie gaped at her.

“As if you’ve ever had a girlfriend, asshole!” she shot back defensively, sounding like a child.

Everyone but Armin and Mikasa guffawed, causing Connie to bristle.

“Hey! I have to!” he argued.

“Yeah, right!” Eren laughed.

“Well, neither have you.” Mikasa’s quiet voice sliced into Eren, and he turned red.

“Oh, I know! Let’s play Never Have I Ever!” Sasha blurted, throwing her hands in the air in excitement. “Perrie, come sit down!”

Perrie hesitated, not knowing if she should or not.

“You work too hard, Perrie. You deserve a break.” Krista’s sweet voice chimed like a bell from her spot next to Ymir.

As Perrie contemplated, everyone stared up at her with hopeful, expectant eyes.

“Ah, fuck it.” Perrie sighed, causing the kids to cheer.

--

“Those fuckin’ b-brats.” Perrie’s words slurred to herself as she bounced drunkenly through the castle’s dark hallways. The only light source was the weak light being cast by the small sliver of moon outside. The darkness combined with the fact that her head was spinning wildly made her walk even longer and harder.

Not only had they purposefully sabotaged the games in order to get her drunk (for the first time), but they also refused to help her back to her room since it was on the same side of the castle as Levi’s and the punks didn’t want to get caught. Krista had kindly offered, but Ymir quickly interjected and refused to let her.

Perrie was almost to her room when the door to Levi’s room swung open and smacked her right in the face, causing her to fall right on her ass with a loud yelp.

“What the fuck?” he sounded annoyed already.

“Yeah, whaa’the fuck?” Perrie used what she deemed her best Levi impression as she rubbed her forehead, sprawled out on the floor on her back.

Levi looked down at the girl, her hair tangled and spread out on the floor around her head. She had a deep flush across her cheeks and she seemed…

“Are you drunk?” Levi’s voice was a mixture of annoyance and amusement. He watched with raised brows as she struggled to sit up.

“Ew, no.”

Levi couldn’t help but let a microscopic laugh escape his lips at her ridiculous reply. He knelt down and took her hands, which were draped across her stomach. She had given up on getting off of the floor it seemed.

“Sit up, nurse.” he ordered, gently tugging her arms up. Perrie shook her head and scrunched her face.

“Nope. I’m juss gonna sleep here.” she sighed.

Levi rolled his eyes. “You’re in the floor.”

“‘S’fine.”

“It’s disgusting.”

“You keep this place s-so clean, I could perform open heart surgery on it.” her words were jumbled and messy, causing Levi’s patience to wain.

“Stand up now, Perrie.” he growled, squeezing her hands.

Perrie’s eyes shot open and she sat up quickly, startling Levi a bit. Her face was inches from his, her eyes wide and searching. He gave her an expectant look as she stared at him.

They stared at each other for several seconds, her expression strange and unreadable. Levi supposed she was just too drunk.

“Sasha stole the ale, everyone else arranged the get together in the basement.” she finally spoke, and Levi sighed through his nose.

“Big surprise.” he said dryly, pulling her to her feet and wrapping her arm around his shoulders. He began walking towards her room slowly. “Why are you telling on them?”

“They did this to me and then abandoned me.” Perrie answered bitterly, dramatically waving her free arm around.

“Some friends they are.” Levi smirked and Perrie huffed.

“They knew I’ve never done a lot of things so we played Never Have I Ever.”

“You should have won, then, stupid.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Those bastards are sneaky, though. They ganged up on me.”

They arrived at Perrie’s room and Levi opened the door, taking Perrie’s arm off of him and leading her to the bed. Perrie wobbled a bit as he sat her on it and kneeled down to take off her shoes. After he pulled them off, Perrie flopped back onto her pillow with a sigh. He stood and leaned over her, examining her forehead where the door had hit her. There was just a red mark, no serious bruising or anything.

“This sucks.” she said, making Levi laugh. Again, she looked up at him with that weird look on her face.

“What?” he asked harshly. Levi normally didn’t feel bothered by people staring at him, but the way she was looking at him made him feel scrutinized and exposed. He could practically feel her steely eyes peeling back his skin and getting a good look at what was inside.

“You laughed.” she stated, bewildered.

Levi glared at her and crossed his arms.

“Just go to bed, Perrie.” he said, pointing at the pillow behind her raised head.

A gasp escaped her mouth and she pointed at him. 

“And you called me ‘Perrie’..twice! Not ‘nurse’ or ‘brat’ or--” she fumbled for another word and ended up going ‘bleh.’ She was talking with her hands waving around, looking like a child and annoying the hell out of Levi.

“Well, it doesn't matter. You won’t remember it tomorrow anyway. So, shut up and go to sleep, nurse.”

He yanked the covers out from under her and lay it across her. Covering her face with his hand, he shoved her back against the pillow.

“Jerk.” she mumbled, turning away from him and snuggling into the bed.

“Brat.” he shot back, walking towards the door.

“Thaaanks, Levi.” he heard her call out to him as he slipped out.

He found it hard to fight a smile.

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

Ohhh 18 and 43 please 💕

KAY I’LL WORK ON THEM NOWWW. THANK YOU!!! <3 (I’m kinda excited, sorry ‘bout it)

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

Y’all feel free to request some of these! I’d love to write some for Perrie ^.^

50 Dialogue Prompts

“It’s really not that complicated.”

“Close the door.”

“It’s three in the morning.”

“I should have told you a long time ago.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“You have to leave right now.”

“Just trust me.”

“I’ve been waiting a long time.”

“You’re in love with her.”

“Come here.”

“We could get arrested for this.”

“What are you thinking about?”

“I thought you were dead.”

“You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

“Was that supposed to hurt?”

“I can explain.”

“Love is overrated.”

“Watch me.”

“I’ve missed this.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Sometimes, being a complete nerd comes in handy.”

“I don’t owe you an explanation.”

“We have to be quiet.”

“You’re trembling.”

“I want an answer, goddammit!”

“It was you the whole time.”

“Tell me again.”

“This is why we can’t have nice things.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“You don’t see me.”

“I can’t keep kissing strangers and pretending that they’re you.”

“You could have died.”

“Prove it.”

“I might never get another chance to say this.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

“Lie to me then.”

“You’ve thought about this, haven’t you?”

“We need to talk about what happened last night.”

“I never stood a chance, did I?”

“I feel like I can’t breathe.”

“I’m only here to establish an alibi.”

“Are you drunk?”

“I still remember the way you taste.”

“How much of that did you hear?”

“What happens if I do this?”

“Why are you whispering?”

“You make me want things I can’t have.”

“I don’t want to screw this up.”

“People are staring.”

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

Levi Ackerman

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

Masterlist

Perrie Styles:

Bio 1

Bio 2

Bio 3

Bio 4

Perrie’s Story:

The Fall

Captain

Pear

Confrontation and Strawberries

Five Years Later, Another Fall

On Her Bloody Knees

Don’t Look Down

Useless

Unexpected Things

Commander Erwin Smith

The Lying Game

She’s Leaving Home

Pointing Fingers

Clean

Other:

Only Angel: Halloween, Modern AU 

Updated 11/9

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

Only Angel

A/N: Man oh man it took me forever to write this. I love Halloween and really wanted to post it, though, even if it’s late. Sorry for any mistakes or typos. Halloween, modern AU. <33

--

It was cold and damp and misty. The streetlights looming over the road bathed the wet asphalt in orange light, making it look as if it were glowing. The moon was hidden behind a thick wall of clouds that seldom broke apart. The trick-or-treaters had long since gone home, leaving the sidewalks empty except for discarded candy wrappers and the occasional group of teenagers that had somehow eluded a curfew.   

Every now and then, about one hundred yards away, one of the streetlight’s bulbs would overheat and the light would go out, draping that section of road in darkness before flickering on again after several minutes.

Levi kept his eyes on that spot of road, wondering if he watched long enough, when the light burst back to life, someone or something might suddenly be standing there. It was unlikely and too much like a bad movie, but the thought kept him from focusing too much on his impatience.

Hange had told him she would pick him up fifteen minutes ago, but she was nowhere to be seen.

He considered turning around and walking back into his apartment, but he didn’t want to walk all the way back outside when Hange decided to arrive, so he stayed put, eyeing the streetlight that refused to stay lit. At the moment, it was off, and Levi couldn’t pull his eyes from the twenty yard wide void.

Levi heaved a sigh and found comfort in the way the cold air stung his lungs. It made him almost miss smoking, a habit he had picked up as an angsty, rebellious teenager. He’d had several different foster parents by the age of seventeen, but the last family he had was especially maddening and he did almost anything he could possibly do to piss them off. When he found out that his foster ‘dad’ had been cigarette free for twenty years, he made sure to leave cartons lying about in not so subtle places, or he’d smoke two cigarettes right before entering the house everyday after school, just to fuck with the man, but he never said a word..which Levi supposed was worse.

Not that they were abusive or cruel or anything particularly horrible; they were nice people. The only decent family any of the social workers had bothered to find him. He supposed that’s why he had hated them so much. He had never belonged with that kind of family. Levi was not that kind of person.

A pair of headlights broke Levi from his thoughts.At first, his hopes had grown, thinking it was Hange; then he realized that Hange would be coming from the opposite way. The headlights sliced through the absence of light underneath the faulty lamp, and the nerve-grating sound of rubber sliding to a sudden halt met Levi's ears. He couldn't make out exactly what was happening, for the headlights were the god forsaken bright blue LED lights that the cocksure, meat-headed young men favored. They caused Levi to squint his eyes and wince slightly, all while muttering curses under his breath.

He was going to kill Hange when she pulled up.

Levi could hear loud music spilling out of the car when the passenger's side door swung open, and he could hear a feminine voice hurling the word 'fuck' at whoever was driving. Suddenly, the door slammed shut and the car peeled out, the tires almost losing traction on the wet road. Levi watched as the car, a brand new Ford Mustang, zipped past him with windows tinted so dark, he couldn't see inside. He could tell, though, by the ridiculous rims and spoiler, that the driver was probably a sharp-jawed dim-wit who addressed people as 'bro.'

When Levi looked back down the road, the light popped back on, and an angel was standing there.

It was movie-esque, really, the way she was just..there. He couldn't make out details from so far away, but she was unmistakably an angel. White,feathered wings sprouted from her back, a halo made with yellow glitter was alight from the lamp above her. The white dress she wore was glowing with an ethereal look that was almost unnerving.

She had her arms crossed over her middle, rubbing her hands up and down her undoubtedly cold arms, and she watched as the Mustang sped away. She stilled when she noticed Levi, and with an awkward wave, Levi finally recognized her.

Perrie Styles had been living in the same apartment complex as Levi for a year now, though he had never properly spoken to her. Any communication they had was either a smile smile as they crossed paths, or a 'how are you' if they were in the public laundry room at the same time. Sometimes, if the washing machine ate her quarters, he’d hear a slew of “fucks” and “shits” spilling out of her mouth. He knew that she was an ER nurse, not that he was stalking her or anything. She usually always wore scrubs and an ER name tag.

From the first time he saw her, he was only a bit enchanted by her, and a bit annoyed. She was polite, sweet and friendly to everyone, including Levi. She always smiled and said hello, she called people ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ and she never lost her patience with people when she spoke to them. He hated when she was nice to him; he didn’t deserve that.

Perrie slowly made her way towards Levi, taking deliberate steps to gauge his reaction. At his slightest twitch of discomfort, she would probably find a way to awkwardly play it off and walk back into the apartment building behind them. Levi, not wanting to scare her off, gently pivoted his body towards her, letting her know she was more than welcome to approach him.

As she came closer, he could make out her sheepish expression. He wondered why she had been dropped off on the side of the road like an unwanted animal. The thought irked him.

“Vampire?” she peeled one arm off the top of the other to point at him. He supposed the small trickle of blood on his chin tipped her off since he was only donning his everyday clothes.

He bared his teeth to her, letting her see the fake vampire fangs he had slipped over his cuspids. His eyes showed his disdain for the ‘costume’; it had been forced on him by Mike and Erwin, who were hosting the party Hange was supposed to be picking him up for. They had informed him that he were to dress up on his own, or the group was going to jump him at the party and force some horrid Wal-Mart face paint on him, and god knew Levi was not going to allow that. His skin crawled at the thought of all of their nasty hands smearing that goop on his face.

“I love it.” Perrie beamed.

“I like yours, too.” he stated, nodding towards her.

Perrie thanked him through a tight lipped smile, causing him to frown.

“Your night seems to have been cut short.” Levi cringed at how awkward he sounded, but Perrie simply shrugged.

“He was an asshole, so I made him bring me home before we even got to the party we were going to. That’s the last time I’ll ever let my cousin set me up on a date.” she sighed and shook her head, her eyes staring down the road.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Levi said sincerely, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets, looking up at the streetlight above him.

“It’s fine..” Perrie trailed, looking back at Levi and smiling. “So, are you turning tricks out here or what?”

Levi blinked at her, causing her to blush slightly.

“You’re just standing on the side of the road..at night..all alone..” she explained slowly, avoiding his eyes and feeling silly. Levi realized what she had meant and chuckled, feeling like an ass.

“Oh, no. I’m waiting on my friend. We’re going to a party and she’s supposed to pick me up..” Levi glanced back down the road, his irritation with Hange for being late struggling with his reluctance to stop talking to Perrie.

“Why are you waiting on the side of the road?” Perrie inquired.

“She told me she was out here..twenty-five minutes ago.” Levi muttered, causing Perrie to snort.

“Oh, man. You need better friends.” Perrie laughed.

“You have absolutely no idea.” Levi ran a hand through his hair and smiled softly to himself. His friends were total assholes, but he wasn’t really sure what he’d do without them. They were the ones that needed a better friend than him.

“Hey, if you think she’ll be much longer, I have some hot chocolate I can make, if you’d wanna--oh, wait, here comes someone now.” Perrie pointed over Levi’s shoulder, and when he turned to look (all while praying to whatever god was listening that it was not Hange) he saw the familiar silver Volkswagen bug pulling up beside them.

Hange rolled down the window, a grin spread across the entirety of her face. Levi noticed she was wearing glasses larger than her usual ones, and an orange turtleneck. Her hair was down for once, and he assumed she was supposed to be Velma from Scooby Doo.

“This your date? You didn’t tell anyone!”

Had Levi not known how to control his face so well, it would have turned beet red.

Moblit leaned over her from the passenger’s side, a look of surprise and awe on his face.

“She’s an angel.” he said dumbly, causing Perrie to laugh.

“Hardly.” she replied, waving her hand at him.

“She isn’t my date, just my neighbor.” Levi wanted to cut his own tongue out for being so blunt, almost more than he wanted to rip Hange’s face off.

“So, she isn’t coming?” Hange and Moblit both looked crestfallen, and an idea suddenly struck Levi.

“Would you want to?” he asked, turning to her and catching her off guard.

She looked nervously between the three of them, unsure of what to say.

“I-I really don’t want to impose..” Levi felt bad for putting her on the spot like that, but for some stupid, nagging reason, he hoped against hope he could convince her to agree.

“You wouldn't be imposing at all. Please, let us take you out. It’ll make up for your bad date, and you wouldn’t have had to get all dressed up for no reason.” Levi was able to keep his voice neutral, not wanting to freak her out or anything. She hardly knew him, and didn’t know his friends at all.

Perrie mulled it over, rocking back and forth on her feet. A few strands of her messy blonde hair began to wrap themselves around the stem of her halo as a chilly breeze began to blow, and Levi tried not to stare at her too much..even though he was completely transfixed.

“Okay, fine. But you have to promise me you’re not all a bunch of douchebag, frat boys that have no respect for--”

“Angels.” Hange finished for her with a wink, causing Perrie to giggle. “Alrighty, then, let’s go! Moblit, out, out, out!”

Seeing as Hange drove the smallest car known to mankind, fitting four adults inside was a bit of a game of Tetris. Moblit unfolded himself from the front seat, allowing Levi and Perrie to see his costume for the first time.

“Giddy up.” Perrie piped with a smile.

Moblit flushed and moved his cowboy hat and lasso out of the back seat so Perrie could squeeze in.

“It was last minute..” Moblit replied, avoiding her eyes.

“Isn’t it adorable? He was supposed to be my Scooby, but I think this is cuter.’” Hange gushed, causing Moblit’s face to turn even more red. Levi let out the slightest snort of amusement before shuffling into the car behind Perrie, trying not to ruin her wings. There were already a few loose feathers in the seat beside her. As Moblit got back into the front seat, Levi and Perrie struggled to adjust themselves, neither one wanting to smush the other. Luckily, Perrie was about the size of a ten year old child, except her wings were poking his arm in an awkward manner.

“Lean up and let me put it behind you. Then you can lean back against it. It won’t matter if they bend or anything.” Perrie instructed, and Levi did as she said, resulting in her shimming closer to him to where there was hardly any space between them. Levi caught Hange’s smug grin in the rearview mirror and he had to resist kicking her seat.

“So, I’m Hange Zoe and this here is Moblit Berner. What’s your name?” Hange asked in a sing-song voice.

“Perrie Styles.”

“And Levi said you’re his neighbor? Are you two...close?” the implication in Hange’s voice earned her a glare from Levi and a blush from Perrie.

“Actually, I think tonight is the first time we’ve properly spoken.” Perrie responded, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her dress anxiously. Levi noticed her run her tongue over her lip in the spot he knew she chewed (not that he stalked her); he figured she was refraining from biting it so she didn’t ruin her perfect pink lipstick.

As Hange continued to interrogate Perrie, Levi tried to focus on the world whizzing past the car and not the smell of Perrie’s candy-like perfume, or the way her knee would bumps his as Hange hit potholes.

“Levi said you had a bad date tonight, didn’t he?” Levi rolled his eyes at how rude Hange could be sometimes.

“That’s not really any of your--” he started, but he felt Perrie shrug against his shoulder.

“Nah, it’s fine. My cousin Ty set me up with one of his shit-head friends. He tried feeling me up on the ride there without even bothering to be like, ‘hey, can I finger blast ya real quick?’”

Hange and Moblit burst into laughter and Perrie chuckled to herself. Even Levi tilted his head back as a sudden bubble of laughter made its way out of him.

For the rest of the ride, he stayed silent and listened to the three of them get to know each other, and he realized that each of them were good people, better people than him; he tried not to pay attention to that fucking voice in his head that told him he wasn’t anywhere good enough to be in the same car with these people, much less be friends with them. It was there though, and his mood was starting to sour.

“Will there be a lot of people here?” Perrie’s soft voice pulled Levi back inside of the car and he shrugged.

“Maybe not even twenty. Just our close friends.” he said, looking over at her. He tried not to jerk back when he noticed how close their faces were, but his heart slammed against his ribs nonetheless.

Her gray-blue eyes were wide and full of nerves, and she was biting her lip.

And for some reason, some absolutely fucking insane reason, he reached his hand towards her face, and with his index finger tilting her chin up, he used his thumb to pop her lip out from between her teeth.

Her brows were slightly raised in surprise, their eyes locked on each other for several tense seconds. Levi fought to control his face, keeping his bored expression locked and unwavering, despite the anxiety bubbling underneath his skin.

This girl is never going to speak to me again.

He tried to will the thoughts away, tried to ignore them, but he couldn’t. He had just crossed so many lines, and at the worst possible moment.

Who the fuck are you to touch her? She’s a goddamn angel.

She had literally just told them how she ended a date because a guy touched her without her consent, and now here he was, touching her. He scowled on the inside, thinking that if anyone had touched his mouth with their grubby finger, he’d have ripped it off and shoved it up their ass.

But..then she grinned, a blush dusting her pale cheeks and causing Levi to almost drop dead right there in Hange’s backseat.

Levi cocked his head to the side, relief jetting throughout his veins, and allowed  a small smirk to break the mask.

“We’re heeeere!” Hange’s shrill, nerve-wracking voice snaked itself between Levi and Perrie, effectively breaking them apart and ending the moment.

Levi sighed and waited for Moblit to get out of the car and pull the front seat forward, freeing them. As Perrie tried to maneuver herself out of the car without hurting her wings, Levi stepped forward and held the passenger’s seat belt out of her way, and held his other hand out for her to take.

He felt fire spread across his skin at the contact of her dainty, cold hand.

You don’t deserve this.

Levi watched the way she kept close to him as they made their way into Erwin’s house; she smiled at everyone she saw, but also averted her eyes when she noticed someone staring curiously at her.

The first to greet them was Connie, Jean and Sasha, who were standing on Erwin’s front porch daring each other do be the first to do a keg stand. When the trio caught sight of Hange and Moblit, they waved and gushed at their costumes.

Jean, who was dressed in a black pinstriped vest and pants, a felt black hat on his head, was obviously a 20’s gangster. He noticed Perrie first, but was surprisingly smart enough not to make a comment about her to Levi. Much to everyone’s amusement, Connie was dressed as a flapper girl, dress and all, after he had lost a bet with Jean, but he was much too drunk by now to be remotely embarrassed. Sasha sported a red cape with a hood and a basket in her hand, obviously Little Red Riding Hood; she was the one to mention Perrie first.

“Levi brought a date?” she was more than a little tipsy, and she sloppily pointed at Perrie, who was standing just behind Levi for protection. He liked the thought of that.

“Just a friend.” he corrected in an icy tone that would have shut the girl up had she been sober. Unfortunately, she was not.

“She’s hot, why isn’t she your date?”

Jean stifled a laugh and Levi sneered, but Hange stepped in before he could lay into the poor girl.

“Hey, who was going to do that keg stand?” she asked, drawing Sasha’s attention away from Perrie and Levi.

At least she’s good for something.

Levi glanced back at Perrie, who was smiling as she watched Jean and Sasha debate who would go first, while Hange and Moblit made sure Connie didn’t vomit all over himself.

“Wanna go inside? The rest of them are a little less..” he trailed off, nodding towards the group on the porch.

“Nosey?” Perrie finished for him as she began walking towards the door.

“I was going to say stupid, but that works, too.” Levi quipped, making Perrie laugh.

Levi led her inside, where the sound of music and chatter filled the air.

Erwin’s house was fairly large, so everyone was spread out in clusters. Levi noticed Mikasa and Armin in one corner of the living room, watching as someone in a horse mask (who he assumed was Eren) tried to do shots through the mask’s elongated mouth. Mikasa was dressed as Wednesday Addams, her dark hair in two braids and wearing a black dress with chunky black boots. Armin was simply wearing devil horns and a red T-shirt. Mikasa and Armin looked shocked when they saw Levi with Perrie, but they kept their distance.

“Oh, cool. It’s Sandy and Danny.” Levi heard Perrie say, and he looked across the room and saw Historia and Ymir. Historia had shed her usual innocent, coy look for the night and was wearing the classic black body suit from Grease. Her blonde hair was a mass of kinky curls, and she had a striking red lipstick on. Ymir was in a leather jacket and black pants, her hair slicked back. Her face was wearing its usual ‘fuck off’ expression.

“Want to get something to drink?” Levi pointed to the kitchen, hoping that no one else would notice them until he had at least some alcohol in his system. When Perrie nodded, he gently lay his hand on the small of her back and led her toward the kitchen.

“Oi, Levi!”

Oh, fuck me.

Levi stopped midway through the room and looked in the direction of his name.

“You didn’t tell me you were bringing someone.” Erwin Smith stood tall above Levi and Perrie, his eyes sparkling with a mischief Levi knew all too well.

“It was last minute.” Levi replied, hoping that Perrie wasn’t growing annoyed by all of the attention she was getting.

“I see. Erwin Smith, nice to meet you.” Erwin was all smiles and charm as he held his hand out to Perrie, who meekly shook it.

“Perrie Styles.” her voice was small. Levi assumed she was a bit intimidated by Erwin, who had the ability to fill an entire room with his presence. He was dressed as some kind of king or someone royal, in crimson and gold, Levi didn’t know exactly who he was supposed to be. His right hand was wrapped in bloody cloth, making it appear as if it had been cut off.

“You look almost exactly like him, except for the eyes.” Perrie commented, gesturing at Erwin’s costume. This caused Erwin to raise his brows.

“I had thought about doing green contacts, but decided against it.” Erwin said with a shrug.

“It’s still a great costume, nonetheless. Jaime Lannister is a great character. Book Jaime, that is.”

“I agree. Levi, where’d you get this one? I like her?” Erwin’s sly smile caused Levi to roll his eyes.

“The side of the road.” Perrie offered, and Erwin guffawed.

“Alright then. I’ll let you two enjoy the party. It’s nice to meet you, Perrie.” Erwin winked at Levi before walking off to join Hange and Moblit, who were now in the center of the living room talking to Mike.

Levi took Perrie’s hand and led her into the kitchen, hoping it would be empty and they would be spared a second alone.

Unfortunately, Annie, Reiner and Bertolt were standing at the bar, pouring shots for themselves. Reiner was topless and wearing torn up, bloody shorts. His face was painted like a wolf, and he had in yellow contacts. Bertolt had his face painted green, and bolts suck out of his neck, an obvious Frankenstein. Annie didn’t even bother to dress up at all.

“Hey, Levi! Want a--oh, shit. That’s a chick.” Reiner’s grin fell when he saw Perrie, a surprised look replacing it. Annie rolled her eyes and pushed herself off of the bar, excusing herself from the room; she had less patience than Levi.

“Hi, I’m Perrie.” she waved at the two gaping idiots and Reiner began to grin again, while Bertolt shyly averted his gaze.

“I’m Reiner.”

“Bertolt.”

“I’m sure she’s charmed, now scram.” Levi jerked his thumb towards the door and they two quickly grabbed their shots and hurried back into the living room. Perrie smiled at them as they waved at her.

“You must not bring many girls around them.” she said when they were alone.

“With good reason.” Levi replied, grabbing two Solo cups. “What would you like to drink?”

Perrie examined the bar. It was full of assorted snacks and drinks on one end, and bottles and cans of alcohol on the other.

“Red Bull and Vodka.”

Levi began mixing her drink and handed it to her, earning him a sweet ‘thank you.’

“Sorry they’re so annoying.” Levi sighed after making his own drink. Perrie shrugged.

“They’re just curious.”

“And rude.”

Perrie laughed and nodded. “Just a bit.”

Levi watched from the doorway as Mikasa tried to prevent Eren from doing something stupid, tugging on his arm and glaring at the back of his head. Erwin was nodding as Mike (who was dressed as a pirate, a fake parrot on his shoulder) talked animatedly, almost hitting Moblit in the face with the back of his hand. Ymir was listening to something Historia was whispering in her ear, and she suddenly looked towards the kitchen, probably trying to get a look at Perrie. Connie, Jean and Sasha had rejoined the mix, all stumbling and laughing loudly. Even little Armin was lazily swaying to the music.

“We can go back out there, if you want.” Levi said, nodding towards the rest of the group.

Perrie shook her head.

“I’m fine here, if you are.” she said, and Levi fought a smile. They were both leaning against the bar, her wing touching his shoulder.

“I’m fine here, too.”

--

“Thank you for inviting me. I had a nice time.”

Perrie and Levi were back on the sidewalk in front of their apartment complex after being dropped off by Hange. It was around two in the morning, the party having ended when Eren announced that he was dressed up as Jean, and the two began to brawl in Erwin’s front yard.

Until that point, though, the night had gone well. Everyone eventually got too drunk to care that Levi had brought a girl, and they treated Perrie as if she was an old friend. Though it took a bit for her to open up and have fun, she eventually joined them in drinking games and even a little bit of dancing at the insistence of Sasha and Connie.

“I’m glad you had fun.” Levi responded, shoving his hands in his pockets. He felt awkward and unsure and too tipsy to think clearly. He had really enjoyed the night, too, but with each drink, his self doubt and that fucking voice in the back of his mind grew.

Perrie was a sweet girl. She was smart, kind and brilliant. She had a quick wit that could keep up with Erwin, she had a sense of humor that made Reiner blush, and she wasn’t afraid to be herself at all. She was all of those kind, nice things that everyone had slurred drunkenly about her to Levi when she wasn’t in earshot. She was a good person.

And Levi didn’t deserve that.

They stood on the damp sidewalk, the cold air nipping at their skin. Perrie was smiling, because of course she was, and Levi was staring at the faulty lamp again, wishing he was better.

“I still have that hot chocolate, if you wanna come in.”

Perrie’s voice was nervous and unsure, but her pretty pink smile stayed in place. He stared at her for a moment and watched as she chewed her lip.

She had long since abandoned her halo and wings, they now dangled in her hand. Her hair was an absolute mess and had something Levi assumed was red lipstick in it. Her under eyes were smudged with purple and she looked tipsy and worn out. He wanted to kiss her then, under that faulty street light, but he didn’t.

Instead, he nodded, because she was good and kind and wonderful.

And she made him want to try to be, too.

[nurseperriestyles-blog]

ya’lllll

I have a Perrie x Levi Halloween piece that I’m working on that is SO late, but I’ve written a lot of it, so I’m gonna post it anyway. It’ll probably be finished tonight..

Or tomorrow.

Or next Halloween. Who knows. I’m awful.