Sinful (WICKED #2) | ✓

47

WHEN THE DOOR FELL shut behind him, Levi almost felt like he was being locked up. He knew he had chosen to come here himself and yet he couldn't help but feel it had been a bad choice. Why was he opening himself up again? For what? To be disappointed again? And yet, when he looked at Kai, he couldn't bring it in himself to walk away. It was eery in a way how alike their eyes were. Somehow it felt like he was looking at himself. He didn't know how to feel about it.

Kai scraped his throat then, evading his gaze. Perhaps he found it just as confronting to stare in a mirror.

"How are you?"

It was a strange question, because Levi didn't feel like there was room for casual pleasantries between them. He didn't leave much room for that with people to begin with, because frankly, it took a lot of effort, but especially not with his long lost brother who turned out to be an experienced criminal. Kai glanced back up again when he didn't reply at once, a somewhat sad smile appearing on his lips.

"My bad," he said," you're right, I can't show up after all these years and start the conversation like nothing happened."

"I didn't say anything," Levi remarked.

"You didn't need to," Kai shrugged," we both have the same father, you think I don't know a disappointed look when I see one?"

It wasn't accusing, a slight joking note to his voice to make everything sound lighter, even though the situation absolutely wasn't anywhere near light. The mention of his father almost let shivers run down Levi's spine, but he swallowed whatever ball of twisted emotions that man had placed in his throat. He never had been family to him, but his mother had tried, as much as she could. Perhaps now he had another chance.

His conversation with his mother flashed in front of his eyes then, the way she had leaned over to him with her thin hands and soft smile, the one which always looked like it was ready to crack into grief and tears. These days she was getting better, but it was continuing on that way which proved difficult. Levi was hopeful though, even if it was stupid to even allow himself to feel anything of the sort in case he got hurt, but she was clean for the longest time since she had gotten into rehab. Her expression was more radiant, her weight gain such a pleasant sight in comparison to the pale, sickly ill woman she had been before. When he had told her about Kai that brightness had dimmed at once, not because she was sad Levi had mentioned him, just because she hadn't told him herself.

"I'm sorry, Levi," she had whispered," I was young, irresponsible, I didn't want a child, not with that man. I wanted him to have a better future."

"You don't need to apologize," he had replied," I get it."

He truly did. His mother had wanted to give Kai a chance to escape, but nothing was that easy in this world. When she had looked at him with tears in her eyes and squeezed his hand, all he had wanted was to hug her. It was a strange feeling, the desire to feel protected and alright. Until a year or two ago, it hadn't even been an emotion he had permitted himself to have. When he had hugged his mother, it still felt like he was the one protecting her, but somehow it was also soothing.

If Will heard anything about this though, he knew his friend would practically tackle him in a hug, so he was going to keep it silent for as long as humanly possible.

"I'm sorry," Kai said.

He looked a lot livelier in comparison to before. That sight of him, pale and bleeding, had kept Levi awake at night, the image haunting his heart. Never before had he even wondered about having a sibling or thought he could have a normal family setting, but here was this man who suddenly turned out to be his brother, and then before Levi had even been able to say anything at all he had saved him. He knew no one would have pressured him to go to the hospital, but he had to go. Not just because the man had received a knife wound while protecting him, but also because a childish part of him, the one which wished for someone who wouldn't abandon him, couldn't help but want to know him.