Gentle Winter

2.2

When Levi had finally calmed down, you had Mike bring in a portable x-ray machine, and he quickly took scans of the shivering boy's injured ankle. You had a feeling it would be nothing but a sprain, but you had to make sure for Levi's sake. You wanted to hit every possible treatment route to make sure he was okay. He deserved the extra mile in your eyes because it seemed like he had been failed many, many times before.

"You two sit tight, and I'll come back when the scans are up." Mike instructed while rolling the machine through the door. "Do you all want anything before I go?" He questioned politely, quirking an eyebrow at you specifically.

You ran your thumb over the back of Levi's hand soothingly, "Yeah, actually. Can we have some hot chocolate?" You gave Mike a smile, "I'm a little chilly, and I'm sure Levi is too." At the mention of his name, the small boy tried to shrink into himself even more, slumping his shoulders deeper.

"Of course. I'll be right back." And with that, Mike stepped away from the room, traveling down the hall to the small cafe they had put in a few years ago. You took the time to rub Levi's shoulder, grateful for the alone time.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" You asked him gently, hoping to get some sort of reply out of the boy. You knew all he wanted to do was go home and probably to bed. Having anxiety attacks will certainly make anyone exhausted, and with Levi being so frail, you were sure he was exhausted down to his bones.

"I- I'm better... I'm... I'm so sorry about- about e-earlier." He whispered to you, his head down in shame. You could feel his tremors increase just a tad. Out of fear or the cold, you didn't know.

"There's no need to apologize." You told him soothingly. "I'm glad you're feeling a bit better. When Mike comes back with the results of your x-ray, we can get out of here, go back home, and snuggle with Drax. How's that sound?" You had realized over the last twenty-four hours Levi had been with you that he extremely enjoyed Drax's company. Plus, Drax absolutely loved the boy, and you loved seeing the two of them together.

"That's... That sounds g-great. Yes, please." He replied instantly, and you smiled.

"That's wonderful!" You exclaimed. "I know Drax is already looking forward to cuddling with you. I swear, I've never seen Drax warm up to someone so fast, not even my brother!" You chattered happily, providing Levi with praises and with more information about yourself. You hoped in turn, he would open up as well.

"You... have a brother?" Fell gently out of the raven's mouth, hesitant, but so, so curious to know. You could see him unwinding just a bit, letting himself relax into your shoulder, head resting almost weightless on the limb.

"Armin, is his name. He's a little bit older than you, and he's just about the sweetest thing. You'll meet him one day, I'll be sure of it. You'll like him a lot." You slightly got lost in thought about your little brother; you just couldn't help thinking back to the times he was still living with you. You had always been close, closer than normal siblings because you had practically raised the boy after your parents' and grandparents' deaths. Armin and you both had to grow up fairly quickly, but Armin always seemed to be able to bring out the childishness in you. As a duo, you had many living room fort building sessions and sleepovers, snowball fights in the winter, and homemade water slides in the summer. Memories you'd never forget to cherish especially now that he had moved away to college.

"O-oh." Levi chirped. "If- if he's as nice as you... I-I know I will." He let a little compliment slip out, and you saw his face turn pink. How utterly adorable. You thought to yourself, cooing at the small boy.

"You're so sweet, Levi. Armin will love you." You told the boy, rubbing a hand down his arm soothingly. You had felt him beginning to relax even more, getting lost in your conversation enough to stop worrying. You watched the boy's cheeks turn red at your words, and you softly ruffled his hair. So, so sweet.

In that moment, a knock at the door was heard and Mike popped his head into the room. "Got your drinks." He came in with a smile, holding two styrofoam coffee cups with lids on them. They also had straws stuck in them for convenience. You appreciated the gesture from Mike because the straw will make it a little bit easier for Levi to drink, and the hot drinks would calm his nerves even more.

"Thank you so much, Mike." You told the man wholeheartedly, giving him an appreciative smile. You heard Levi mumble a quiet "thank you" as well while you took the cups from the tall doctor. Mike left the room as quickly as he came, and you guessed he was heading down to the lab to check on the scans of Levi's ankle.

"Here you are, darling. There's a straw for you too." You instructed the boy softly, placing the cup in his hand. Once he took it with a soft "thank you", you let yourself take a few sips of the delicious warm drink. It instantly fought off the remaining chill you felt, and you hoped it did the same for Levi.

"D-do you think m- my ankle is broken?" You heard the quiet question from the boy next to you, and it surprised you. It was one of the first times Levi had spoken up about something on his own without being promoted to. You figured he must've been really worried- enough for him to voice his concerns.

"Hmmm, well-" You started nonchalantly, "- If we consider the way you've been handling the pain and the fact that you were walking on it when I found you... I'd say it's just sprained. But we can never be too careful, especially when it comes to you, sweet boy." You ended your answer on a positive note, reaching one hand over the boy's shoulders to give him a slight hug. "You'll be alright regardless of what happens."

You heard him sniffle slightly, and his hands trembled just a little. "Thank you." His tiny voice quivered, and you saw two small tears make ripples in his hot chocolate as they met the surface with a small splash.

"Anything for you, Levi." And you meant it.

___

word count: 1120
published: March 12, 2022

notes:
short, short chap just because i wanted to get this published. and just to say : IM STILL HERE! i see all the comments, all the votes, all the love given to this story, and i'm so happy.

updates are going to be super slow but i am not giving up on this story. i have plans for this.

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