sorry to be a broken record every month but christ menstruation is a stupid concept. oooooh excuse me for not getting pregnant, why the fuck is there goo falling out of me about it? grow the fuck up and reabsorb that shit for nutrients.
I have a LevixReader one shot idea. It's based on a song and is emotionally devastating. I haven't written it yet but I did cry in the shower imagining it.
Do you guys want it? Because I am happy to spread the emotional damage if so!âĄ
Oo thanks for the tag, @bitchymanlet! What a pretty art style.
Tagging (with no pressure): @veratrance, @nightthawkss, @mrsackxrman, @lissamaylee, @sire-levi, @deliriously-donna, @amywritesthings, @thechaoticarchivist, @jlle-marie, @alizha, @arthurmorganist, @levisbrat25 + anyone who sees this and wants to join along :)
Summary: After an injury causes you to lose your spot in the World Figure Skating Championship your last hope falls into the hands of Levi Ackerman, a former Olympic competitor.
Pairing: Coach!Levi x Injured fem!Reader
CW: Injury, major themes of depression and hopelessness. 18+ mdni
wc: 3.2k
a/n: Starting off with a huge thank you to @tobbi-loves-levi for helping me throughout the process of making this fic and always listening to me yap about my ideas. This is my first chaptered fanfic and I'm very excited to share it~
dedicated song - dividers 1/2 - masterlist
You cry out as your hip collides with the ground. Rolling into a sitting position you pull your left leg up by the knee. Just resting your blade on the ice sends another shock of pain through your ankle and up your leg. You let out a hiss and squeeze your eyes shut.Â
You refuse to believe it, deep down you know you just sustained a serious injury. You tell yourself it's not that bad.
get up.
walk it off.Â
Come on.Â
Your breathing staggers as you twist your body and pull yourself into a kneel, your good foot anchoring on the ice ready to stand back up. The pain is excruciating.Â
âStay Down!â your coach shouts as she races towards you. âSit back down.â She demands, and you listen, carefully pulling your weight onto your left hip, carefully settling back down onto the ice.Â
Coach Tarasov bends down, instructing you to extend your leg out. When you do she carefully applies light pressure to your boot, only nudging it a little to confirm her fears. Your hand immediately flies over your mouth, you curse and wince in pain. âNot good,â She breathes out âLetâs get you up and off the iceâ she says, her voice stern and serious, you know now that itâs really bad, you don't want to believe it.
âCoach,â your lip quivers as you look up at her, you feel destroyed. Panic fills your body and your throat is burning. â...Worlds-â Part of you is humiliated. Sure, youâve cried in front of Coach Tarasov before; during long sessions that never seemed to end, practicing jumps you couldn't land no matter how many times you tried, watching your peers excel on your bad days. This was different.
This was devastating.
Mid February, four weeks before the World Figure Skating Championship. It was just like any other practice. today you were doing triple toe loops and landed wrong.
You canât contain your sobs as your coach helps you up. She urges you to hold your foot up while she pulls you to the rinkâs exit. When you finally sit down on the bench you notice how tight your boot feels. Holding back your sobs causes you to shake as Coach Tarasov kneels in front of you to untie your skate. âIâm just going to look at it.â She tries to sound comforting, but you can hear the disappointment that laces her words, the acceptance in her tone. Like she knew you were done right then and there without even seeing it.Â
Your panicked sob catches in your throat as she pulls the boot off, every surge of pain was just as bad as the last. You can't look, you keep your eyes on your coach. When she peels back your nylon sock she stops and stares for a second before letting out a sigh and dropping her head down in defeat. âYou need an X-ray,â she says plainly, only confirming your worst fear. âYou can't drive, I'll call an ambulance.â she leans back and requests an ice pack from the rink employee standing over the two of you, observing. You're only just now noticing he was there.
âStay calm, we don't know anything yet.â You know she's lying. You pick your head up and see your fellow competitors have stopped to watch. Most look shocked, some seem to be showing pity. You lock eyes with your friend and fellow contestant Mikasa Ackerman, her eyes well with tears as she watches you. Thatâs when you finally accept that your dreams are ruined.Â
***
You stare up at the blinding lights of the emergency room ceiling, waiting for the results the X-ray ordered to rule out a fracture. Arms folded over your chest, you simmer in the acceptance that everything you worked for your whole life is gone.
This was your first year qualifying and being invited to participate in the World Championship, you knew after your performances in the Grand Prix and Nationals that you had secured your place and a chance to take gold at Worlds. Competitive skaters everywhere spend their lives training and competing for the chance to get where you were, just as you had, only for one accident to take it all away from you and hand it off to the next person.Â
You blink back more tears, easily warding them off since the initial shock of everything drained you. The uncertainty of your career plagued your mind. The excitement and determination to compete was gone, replaced with the dread of agonizing failure. All you wanted to do was go home and sulk. An apartment you rented in the city chosen to host this seasonâs training sessions with a handful of competitors. Everything reminded you of your loss, even the place designed for you to decompress at the end of the day, your apartment was a representation of the things you endured and achieved to make it to the World Championship to begin with, now itâs just a roof over your head to house you while you heal and watch your dreams slip through your fingers like sand. You're wiping away tears with the sleeve of your shirt as the doctor enters the room.Â
He strides into the room, greeting you as he pinned your X-ray up and flicked the light on to illuminate the image. You pull yourself upright on the bed, even in this moment your chest fills with hope for good news. âItâs not fractured,â he says, pulling a pen from his breast pocket. You sigh out in relief. A fracture or break was the worst case scenario, and at least youâre safe from that. He lifts his arm, extending his pen out to the board and pointing at the areas of your ankle with speckled white spots âwhat youâre looking at is a grade two moderate ankle sprain, you have some torn ligamentsâ he explains, slowly circling his pen over the white spots highlighted by the bright glow behind the picture. âBased on your X-Ray, swelling, and pain level at intake, weâll have you in a boot for two to four weeks.â Your heart sinks again, itâs not like you forgot that this injury took something from you, but you got excited too fast hearing it wasnât as bad as you originally feared. You listen and nod as he goes through the details of the first phase of healing, just as you imagined, stay off of it, never put pressure on it, keep it iced and elevated. âAfter the boot comes off, youâll start immediately with physical therapy. They will determine when you have the green light to return to your usual activities.âÂ
You stare at him, feeling it all come back. âPhysical therapy? Isnât that a little intense for just a sprain?â You plead, your voice shaking again.Â
He points again to your X-ray, and those damned white streaks on your ankle. âThis is not an injury to be taken lightly, I strongly recommend you stick to your treatment plan to prevent possible irreversible damage. Especially as an athlete.â He warns.Â
You get your boot, and youâre promptly discharged and wheeled out to coach Tarasovâs car. They help you into the passenger seat and thatâs it. Youâre left to face this all on your own now.Â
Before you leave, you hand coach your discharge documents and lean your head on the window. The sound of the pages turning as she skims through sends pangs straight to your chest. She rests a hand on your shoulder but you refuse to face her. âIâll make the calls, I need copies of this and your X-raysâ she said with caution.Â
You cried the entire drive home.Â
***
The three weeks of recovery before youâre cleared to take the boot off could be described as nothing less than hell. You barely left your bed for the first five days, you ignored calls, you didnât take care of yourself. Your parents found out online, you only answered their persistent calls so they would stop worrying. Days started blending together quickly, when you werenât crying you felt nothing, even your phone proved itself a shitty distraction. Your name was everywhere, the news of your injury and drop from the championship chased you on every app you used.Â
After a week you deleted all your social media.
The start of the second week it dawned on you that the competition was just over two weeks away, and you wouldnât be there. It made you sick to even think about watching it and keeping up with the scores. Several times a day you wonder how you would have done had your injury never happened. Would you have taken gold? Thinking on it now, if you knew this was the alternative you would have been happy to place at all, just to be there. You took it all for granted, high on success.Â
At the end of the third week, youâre out of the boot and booked to start physical therapy, just this week you started eating and taking care of yourself again, you leave the blinds and windows open to let in some fresh air. Every step you take still reminds you of what you couldâve had, you walk with a limp.Â
***
You decide to watch the Womenâs singles program only, anything more would have only twisted the knife. You watch with a bottle of wine and a box of tissues.Â
You feel genuinely happy to watch Mikasa perform, part of you was living through her as you watched. Mostly youâre happy she gets to experience this for herself, you know how much it means to her.
She placed 6th overall, you cried tears of joy for her.
***
Youâre given an estimate of eight to twelve weeks of physical therapy. when you do the math, you canât hold back your grin. Even the longest course of recovery would have you back on ice just in time for the start of the next skating season. You decide right then that youâll be back on the ice competing in next year's World Championship no matter what it took.
Mid April you finish the first phase of physical therapy, three weeks of balance training taking a decent chunk of confidence from you. to put it bluntly, it was horrible. The pain was almost completely gone, it only hurt during specific exercises. Your balance was abysmal, any added weight beyond walking had your ankle shaking. You knew you could do it, you just had to make it past this part.Â
Early May, during strength training with your physical therapist, your phone buzzes in your pocket. After your program you excuse yourself for a much needed break and check your phone to see a text from Mikasa, you catch yourself smiling. Itâs been weeks since anyone reached out to you.Â
Mikasa â¸ď¸đ¨
âBeen too long, I miss you! Free for a quick lunch today?âÂ
You can barely contain your happiness, it shocks you how quickly you text back, letting her know what time youâd be available, and to your surprise it works out. You agree on a location and after your session you rush home to get ready, taking extra time to ensure you donât look like a husk of your former self when you see her for the first time in over two months.Â
When you approach her at the table, she stands up and immediately pulls you into a tight hug, gripping your shirt in her fists as she squeezes. You congratulate her on her placement in the championship and quickly youâre catching up on everything the two of you missed during your time apart.Â
âSo, howâs that going?â Mikasa asks about your physical therapy after you mention that you're about half way through, almost cleared to begin off-ice sport specific exercises.Â
You look down, biting your lip before you respond âhonestly? Not well.â You begin explaining how youâve felt the past couple of weeks, even mentioning that you decided to return to competitive skating this upcoming July. âIt doesn't feel like itâs enough. My ankle is still shit, itâs enough to gain back mobility but I can tell Iâm not where I need to be.â Your voice shakes a little. Mikasa is a wonderful listener, she never breaks eye contact or interrupts, she lets you unload all your grief. âI know I can do better, they wonât let me push myself, my home based exercises are strict.â You explain.Â
Mikasa doesnât say much, and thatâs okay, you were happy just to be here with her after weeks of seclusion, only leaving your apartment for physical therapy. It took weight off your shoulders to talk with someone about what you were going through, and no one could understand you better in this moment than Mikasa.Â
When your lunch arrives the conversation dulls down to casual pleasant tidbits of information of Mikasaâs life post competition, eventually she tells you that sheâs recompeting herself. You couldnât be more happy for her.Â
Somewhere in the endless chatting you can tell something is on her mind, she detaches from the conversation a couple times, staring down at the table before snapping out of it and apologizing. Eventually she excuses herself. âSorry, Iâll be right backâ she promises and makes her way outside. Your brows stay knit as you crane your body to watch her walk out until sheâs just out of view. You sigh when you turn back, that was definitely odd, but you decide maybe itâs best not to press when she comes back.Â
Sheâs gone for no longer than five minutes, when she sits back down itâs like nothing was ever bothering her to begin with. Youâre tempted to ask but it couldnât be too bad if she looked this relieved coming back. The two of you finish your meals and send your bills off to be paid, she grins at you from across the table.Â
âWhat?â You ask, crossing your arms over your chest.
Mikasa quickly reaches in her bag, grabbing her planner and pen from the bottom and dropping it on the table, she quickly flips to one of the back pages and scribbles something down fast. âHere.â She says, ripping the sheet from its binding and sliding it across the table towards you.Â
You raise a brow and stare at the page thatâs text side down. After a moment you finally bite âwhat is this?â You ask, pulling it towards you and lifting it up, looking back towards Mikasa.Â
âMy cousin is a rehabilitation coach,â she begins, letting her excitement take over. âFor competitive figure skaters. He agreed to work with you for me.âÂ
You have no words, you just blink at her. When you finally take a quick glance at the page you notice a phone number and email address written across the page âMikasa, this is..â you donât know how to feel, this came up so quick âI donât know-.. I appreciate-âÂ
She cuts you off âPlease take the offer, I insist. He has an opening.â She says âLeviâs great, high success rate. I can get you more information if you need it.âÂ
Your heart drops into the pit of your stomach âLevi..Ackerman..?â you breathe out, now staring down at the paper in your hands. You should have known he was related to Mikasa. Hell, you donât even know why you never thought about it to begin with. They share the same last name. âHe was injured at the Olympics all those years ago.â you think aloud, unable to take your eyes off the page.Â
âThatâs the one,â Mikasa beams âand he doesnât like to talk about it. So maybe donât start with that when you call him later.âÂ
You look up from the page at Mikasa âI donât know what to say.â Truthfully you didnât even know rehabilitation coaches even existed, your current coach and physical therapist never mentioned that as an option.Â
âDonât say anything. Just call him later, and tell me how that goes.â Her voice was firm, but her eyes were nothing but gentle.Â
When the two of you eventually get up and walk out together you stop in the parking lot to give Mikasa one final hug before you split again. âThank you so much.â you whisper.
âDonât mention it,â she replies, pulling back and letting her hands rest just above your elbows, âand donât be a stranger anymore.â
***
When you arrive home, you catch yourself staring down at the contact information that was given to you. Nervousness didnât even begin to describe how you felt. This wasnât just any coach, or another physical therapist. It was Levi Ackerman. He was a part of the best figure skating pairs, finally making it to The Olympics with his partner before the accident.Â
You havenât even come close to a skating rink since nearly breaking your ankle almost three months ago now. Working with a rehabilitation coach to get to your previous level of skating wasnât even a fleeting thought. Hell, you didnât even know those kinds of coaches existed until today. What if you were just wasting his time? Surely a coach like him is a privilege, right? Letting your nerves get the best of you, the contact info sits idly on your bedside table as you drift off into a world of ice and gold medals.Â
***
The next morning, your dream fresh in your mind, you grab the contact from your nightstand. Ignoring the blaring anxiety, you dial the number without too much thought. The more you think about it, the more inviting backing out feels. The dial tone sounds, causing you to begin pacing your apartment. No more blaming the injury, no more blaming the physical therapy program. You couldnât just keep sitting around, wondering about the what ifs when you were handed a golden ticket. Youâd be crazy to pass this up, even if it was just a chance.Â
âTook you long enough.â A rich warm voice answers the phone, stopping you dead in your tracks in the kitchen. How the hell did he even know it was you? How were you even meant to respond to a greeting like that anyway. âI was beginning to think you changed your mind.â He states
âUh, no.â You reply quickly, tapping your fingers on the kitchen counter to give your free hand something to do. âNo I didnât change my mind, Iâm interested.â you cursed yourself, trying to sound so formal. This was the type of thing coach Tarasov always took care of, you were completely out of your element.Â
âGreat,â he says, you have trouble reading his tone but you try not to think too much of it. Over the phone you hear a series of keyboard clicks and your phone buzzes against your ear âI sent a couple things to your email,â did Mikasa already give him your information? âGo ahead and authorize your physical therapy records over, send me copies of your X-rays and prescribed treatment plan, and sign the following documents.â He lists off âafter that, Iâll work up a schedule compatible with your PT, Iâll be in contact.âÂ
If you were nervous before there wasnât a word to describe how you feel now. âThank you, I look forward to working with you.âÂ
âHave a nice day.â he says in the same tone, your phone beeps to indicate the call has ended.
Taglist: @amywritesthings @littlerequiem @humanitys-strongest-bamf @hideandgopeep (please let me know if i missed you and ill add you on to ch 2)