He's still over five minutes out, but he'd rather get any stray petals out before getting to the cottage. Levi has seen him laid low and at his worst before, but Erwin isn't crazy about repeating the experience.
"Can you get the kettle going? These petals keep scratching my throat."
He does halt for a moment, worry warring with trust, and in the end (as it often does) trust wins out.
"...fine," he says, sullenly, and abandons his preparations to go back toward the kitchen. "But if you're not here soon I'm coming out anyway. Why didn't you call me when it started?"
If Erwin can drag himself back into battle after a titan attack and field amputation, he can handle a cough on the walk home. That's what he's telling himself, anyway. This would be a lot easier if he had Star here to ride.
"I was helping Jean." And he'd thought, foolishly, that trauma-dumping on the kid would make the petals go away. "It eased off a little after talking to him, but then it came back."
He can see the cottage now, and trudges a little faster. "I'm almost there."
Drastic measures on the battlefield are one thing, Erwin. If your husband is just a call away to come get you, that's another.
Why talking to Jean would help with puking up flower petals, Levi can't begin to puzzle out in the moment, and just assumes maybe Erwin's getting delirious as well.
He's got the kettle going and tea measured out (herbal, with a little honey), and goes to retrieve one of his face coverings from the cupboard. "How's Jean?" Presumably not dead or turned into a plant.
"He's fine. He stopped coughing and went home." Erwin pauses for a moment to catch his breath, then continues. "Has he ever told you about a cadet named Marco? He apparently died at Trost."
This will all be relevant, he swears. Also, please notice and praise Erwin for taking care of the one of the kids!
Erwin finally drags himself to the cottage door, but he has to stop and cough up another wad of flower petals into the bushes beside the mailbox. At least he managed to do that before coming inside.
Then he shoves the door open and enters the cottage, bringing a gust of cold air in with him.
"I'm home!" he calls, and ends the phone connection.
There's a brief pause. "Not directly." It's possible Jean has told him at some point in his future, but it's not a memory he possesses. The name isn't wholly unfamiliar, though, as he's overheard bits and pieces of conversation between the 104th cohorts. If there was more to it than a close comrade that had died, he didn't know it.
Hearing Erwin close in, Levi disconnects the device and leaves it on the counter, meeting Erwin at the door with a cloth mask tied around the lower part of his face and handing him one of his own.
"Put this on." There's also a few handkerchiefs that get set on the bench. He's not having Erwin cough up...flowers...just...into his hand.
Gross.
He reaches up to press the back of his palm to Erwin's forehead, feeling for a fever.
"He died at Trost. We never met him. But it seems like he meant a lot to the kids." Beyond that, Levi will have to ask Jean himself; Erwin figures what he's said so far is basic enough to not be betraying Jean's confidence.
Erwin ties on the mask willingly enough, and stoops to let Levi feel his forehead. He doesn't feel overheated, but he was also just out in the snow. In reality, he's burning up, and the flush in his cheeks isn't just from being outside.
"I need to wash my hands." Since he's been spitting flowers into them until now. Erwin works at getting out of his coat, but it gets hung up on his right arm and he can't get it free. Huh... maybe he's in worse shape than he thought.
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no subject
He's still over five minutes out, but he'd rather get any stray petals out before getting to the cottage. Levi has seen him laid low and at his worst before, but Erwin isn't crazy about repeating the experience.
"Can you get the kettle going? These petals keep scratching my throat."
no subject
"...fine," he says, sullenly, and abandons his preparations to go back toward the kitchen. "But if you're not here soon I'm coming out anyway. Why didn't you call me when it started?"
no subject
"I was helping Jean." And he'd thought, foolishly, that trauma-dumping on the kid would make the petals go away. "It eased off a little after talking to him, but then it came back."
He can see the cottage now, and trudges a little faster. "I'm almost there."
no subject
Why talking to Jean would help with puking up flower petals, Levi can't begin to puzzle out in the moment, and just assumes maybe Erwin's getting delirious as well.
He's got the kettle going and tea measured out (herbal, with a little honey), and goes to retrieve one of his face coverings from the cupboard. "How's Jean?" Presumably not dead or turned into a plant.
no subject
This will all be relevant, he swears. Also, please notice and praise Erwin for taking care of the one of the kids!
Erwin finally drags himself to the cottage door, but he has to stop and cough up another wad of flower petals into the bushes beside the mailbox. At least he managed to do that before coming inside.
Then he shoves the door open and enters the cottage, bringing a gust of cold air in with him.
"I'm home!" he calls, and ends the phone connection.
no subject
Hearing Erwin close in, Levi disconnects the device and leaves it on the counter, meeting Erwin at the door with a cloth mask tied around the lower part of his face and handing him one of his own.
"Put this on." There's also a few handkerchiefs that get set on the bench. He's not having Erwin cough up...flowers...just...into his hand.
Gross.
He reaches up to press the back of his palm to Erwin's forehead, feeling for a fever.
no subject
Erwin ties on the mask willingly enough, and stoops to let Levi feel his forehead. He doesn't feel overheated, but he was also just out in the snow. In reality, he's burning up, and the flush in his cheeks isn't just from being outside.
"I need to wash my hands." Since he's been spitting flowers into them until now. Erwin works at getting out of his coat, but it gets hung up on his right arm and he can't get it free. Huh... maybe he's in worse shape than he thought.