Gentle Winter

2.0

"Levi, are you alright?" You spared a glance over at him as you sat at the exit of your driveway. Your car's heat was blowing very strongly to diminish the cold you both had brought into the vehicle while getting in.

It was the next morning, and the snow didn't seem to be letting up at all. You had hoped Levi wasn't too cold since you wrapped him in extra clothing. That morning you helped Levi step into some insulated under clothing- they were actually yours because your brother's were too big- along with thick sweatpants, a sweater, a jacket, scarf, mittens, and a hat to top it off. On his feet two pairs of socks and your grey house boots. Unfortunately, you didn't have any real shoes that fit him properly.

The small raven haired teen sat with his head angled down, and his mitten covered fingers were toying with each other with a slight tremble in them. You frowned slightly; over the course of the night, you had noticed Levi's trembling had decreased just a tad, but it seemed to be back to how it was. It was understandable, of course. Levi was most likely on guard.

"Honey?" You questioned again after getting no response. To gain his attention, you placed a soft hand on his shaking knee, to which he seemed to jump out of his skin in reaction. His shoulder slammed into the car door that was next to him, and he started to blurt out stuttered apologies. Your hand left his knee, but you were quick to silence him as you began speaking.

"Hey, hey..." You coo-ed quietly, putting your car in park to face him. "It's okay, hon. Are you okay? Do you want to do this another day?" You hesitantly lifted your hand, but ultimately decided not to touch him again. You needed to remember to announce yourself before touching him, from then on.

Levi turned his body around in the seat, almost completely facing you. You watched as his hands came up, crossed, and each one gripped the opposite shoulder. His grip on the jacket covering him was tight, and the fabric was bunched up in his fists.

"No, no!" He shook his head as well, for good measure. "We- We can do it today- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to seem ungrateful... I was th-thinking, is all. I'm so, so sorry, ___." The way he stuttered your name out made your heart drop into your stomach. Ungrateful...? What-? You didn't understand what he meant. His head dropped as you were processing his words; he seemed to deflate before your eyes, and you saw his face go pale. What is going on? You asked yourself. He seems so freaked out, and I can't think of why?

"Levi, honeybun..." You started, still trying to form the words that were flying through your mind. No questions, not now. "It's okay. I was only worried when you didn't answer the first time, I'm not angry, and you aren't being ungrateful, sweetie. I just want to do what makes you comfortable. If you truly want to stay here, that's okay. We can do whatever you want." You tried to say all of the right things and keep anything other than comfort out of your tone.

"Whatever I wa-want?" He repeated what you said, his face still angled down. You could almost see the gears turning in his head as you watched him think about what you said.

You opened your mouth to reply before his soft voice filtered out into the car, "We... We can go today, if- if that's still okay?" You shut your mouth with a small smile directed at him.

"Yeah, we can do that, love. That's perfect." You slipped your car back into drive before turning out onto the road, "And you'll get to meet my friend, Mike! He's really goofy; you'll like him." You added happily, unaware of the intense nervousness that was splayed across Levi's thin face.

As you drove, Levi seemed to become more and more nervous. He avoided lifting his head, and one of his hands gripped the seatbelt going across his chest while the other held onto his knee tightly. When you noticed his expression, you became more concerned for the boy, and you felt curiosity overcome you.