Don't Write Me Notes || Levi x Reader

5. it doesn't count if it's dance practice

"That's so good to hear," Kuchel says with a smile, taking some of the bowls you'd been using and moving them to the dishwasher. You move to help her. "I- I tried my best to raise him into the best man I could, but sometimes I worry that it's not enough. Or that his stepfather..."

She trails off. You try to figure out what to say. Eventually, you come up with, "you know, he- he really doesn't talk about home much. About- about here," you say, gesturing around you as if to indicate the house. "But... but whenever you come up, he talks about you in such a good light, and..."

Now some truth is leaking into your web of lies. "And my mother sometimes isn't the best," you admit, stacking more dishes so you don't have to look at Kuchel. "So, hearing him talk about you so positively, it's- it's really sweet."

You glance at her; her gaze is soft. You notice, in that moment, that Levi has his mother's eyes. 

"He's a good man," you say, and you believe it. "He really is."

She smiles. "I'll never be able to describe how happy I am to hear that."

"You truly never heard anything about us."

You and Kuchel both turn, looking to the far doorway. Lovof, Levi's stepfather, is leaning against the side of the door frame, a pipe pinched in his lips. You glance at Kuchel, but she's gone rigid. "I- no, I hadn't heard much," you admit, turning back to Lovof. "Levi told me some vague things about you, but not specifics."

His glare is stern. "Such as?"

"Uh- that you, you married his mother when he was nine," you say, looking to Kuchel, who's moved enough to go back to working on filling the dishwasher. "And that he- he never knew his father. And that you're into politics, I think."

"That's it?"

You pause. "...Am I being quizzed?"

"You didn't know I was wealthy," he says.

Does he think you're only dating Levi for his money? That's not possible: for one, you're not even dating, and two, he never told you. He mentioned him being rich, yes, but not butler level rich. "Not really, no," you admit.

Lovof scoffs. "Hard to believe."

Now, you don't know what to say. You glance at Kuchel, who pinches her lips together and turns to her husband. "Be kind," she says softly. "She's lovely."

"Apparently." He crosses his arms. "I bet he fooled you, working a job while he's got this to come back to. Does he actually work? Why does he bother? With a major like that, what kind of job can he get? I told him to go into business and he could intern with my firm for experience, but no- computer science."

He's complaining about computer science? Any other parent would be thrilled to have their kid studying computer science. Besides, he's a double major, with business too- which you're now realizing is Levi's stepfather's doing. He likely wouldn't be doing it otherwise.

You really don't want to risk pissing off the man who's letting you stay under his roof, but you're pretty sure a good girlfriend wouldn't sit back and listen to their boyfriend get insulted. "He's one of the hardest workers I know," you say carefully. You really hope that's true. "And he's double majoring, which I think is incredible. That's hard to do."

"Really?" Lovof says dryly. "You-"

"Can I borrow my girlfriend?"

You pivot to face the other side of the room, surprised at how much relief seeing Levi fills you with. He's not even looking at you, he's glaring at his stepfather, and you feel like something of a toy that a dog uses in a tug of war. Not really here, not really cared for- just something being fought over.