Be Kind (Doctor Reader x Levi Ackerman)

Chapter 4: The Captain and the Doctor

Chapter 4: The Captain and the Doctor

Something warm and soft brushed against the top of Levi's hand, snapping him out of his dark thoughts. He looked up and felt his breath hitch a little the moment he realised that it was your hand on top of his.

With wide eyes, he looked at you and your apologetic expression, lips pressed together and eyes staring vacantly at his hands. A tingling sensation made its way to his head, chest, everything, and it burst into rapid thumping, overwhelming him. This feeling was too foreign for him and he tensed up immediately, causing you to snap out of the moment as well. When the sudden realisation of what you just did washed over you, you retracted your hand abruptly as if you just touched a boiling kettle.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," you stifled, feeling your cheeks grow hot. "It's a habit of mine. I do this a lot when comforting my patients."

I want to die. You cringed inwardly. What were you thinking, holding the Captain's hand like that? He's not some terminally ill, old woman who needs comforting – he's Humanity's Strongest for god's sake!

You were also surprised that he allowed you to touch him in the first place. He looked a little taken aback and wary. When you heard no response from Levi and saw him staring blankly at you, you scrambled for more words, "Sir, I did that on instinct, I swear, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," he managed to croak out, the leftovers of the tingling sensation still dancing on top of his hand, still a little shaken at how you touched him so casually. "Do you want some tea?" he asked as he stood up from his desk.

"Huh?"

—

You finally calmed down after the embarrassing episode and now you're drinking black tea with the Captain. You weren't sure if you were hallucinating, or if you really saw a reddish hue across the Captain's face and ears. You didn't really catch it though, as he quickly turned away from you to brew the tea.

You took a closer notice of the Captain holding his teacup weirdly by its rims. You had noticed it before during your late nights staring at the Captain in the mess hall, but seeing it up close was more fascinating. Doesn't it burn his fingers?

You didn't bother to ask as you were afraid to offend him, so you quickly moved on to a different topic and started discussing your solutions to Levi to treat his disorder. You concluded that the main source of his terrible sleep cycle stemmed from psychological trauma, which eventually grew into a habit that was difficult to reverse – but habits are not impossible to reverse.

You proposed that he limit his daily tea intake, and to opt for tea with less caffeine content once the time goes beyond 3pm. You had half a mind to bring up your caffeine-free five year old black tea, but pushed it away for now.

You also suggested that he avoid work before bedtime, sleep without a candle and his curtains shut tight, try aromatherapy, and do some basic breathing and relaxation techniques.

"The key is to trick your body into thinking you're ready to sleep, even when your mind thinks otherwise," you explained. "Some doctors use cognitive behavioural therapy to treat insomnia, but I'll have to study that first. Insomnia is tricky business."

"You still study?" Levi asks you, although he already knew the answer. He often saw you studying in the mess hall anyway, it was just a conversation starter.

"Of course, us doctors never stop studying. There's just too much to know," you smiled at him. Levi grew more and more impressed by your character every minute. Not only were you adept at your profession, but you were humble and diligent too. He would never admit it out loud, but he had actually been enjoying this whole session with you.