Second Advent | December 5th, 2021: Of Needles and Yarn (link to ao3)
“I saw your boyfriend knitting.”
“What?” Levi’s stops typing on the computer and looks up at Taryn, who has a smug smile on her lips. She sets down a large file on the nurses’ station counter and leans over, looking down from her nose and laughs right in Levi’s face.
“You heard me,” she says. “I was passing by the attending’s lounge — totally not looking for anyone named Meredith Grey — and I saw Nico. Knitting.”
“Knitting?” He echoes, in disbelief. “Knitting?”
Taryn picks up another tablet and shrugs, walking away. “Are your sex lives that boring that he has to resort to knitting?”
He hears some laughter from the interns and shoots them a vicious glare. And Levi thinks seriously about demoting Taryn’s status as his best friend in the whole entire world and to the wench who has an unhealthy obsession with their boss. But that thought is quickly replaced by the image of Nico Kim — his taekwondo practicing, orthopaedic surgeon, six foot tall boyfriend — knitting.
*
Levi’s still thinking about it. Even after a very un-boring, very exciting, very hot night of sex life activities, thank you very much.
He’s thinking about Nico knitting and why. But most importantly, why he hasn’t told Levi about it.
A million and twelve reasons flash through Levi’s mind. Maybe Nico’s knitting because he really is bored. Or maybe he’s secretly a crafter that goes to their local yarn shop on his days off and hangs out with old ladies and fabulous men with great fashion sense. Oh god, he hopes it’s really not because of their boring sex life.
Nico’s fast asleep, his head tucked into the crook of Levi’s neck and an arm draped over his chest. He’s warm and heavy and keeps Levi anchored and out of the tangled mess of yarn thoughts he’s made for himself.
“Or maybe he just likes it, you dummy,” Levi whispers to himself in the dark. Nico makes a noise (That’s cute, Levi thinks) and rolls over on his other side.
Good. Now he can get up to use the bathroom without waking Nico up. And maybe he’ll walk by Nico’s bag and maybe he’ll accidentally trip on it and maybe it’ll accidentally open and everything inside comes out. And maybe, maybe, maybe, Levi, ever the good samaritan, will put everything back inside and happen, by chance, to see what Nico’s knitting.
Before he knows it, Levi’s crouched over Nico’s bag and pulling out, not one, but several balls of yarn and needles. What’s attached to the needles puzzles Levi though: it’s not more than a foot long and wide. It could be a scarf but the edges are all crooked and wonky. And the yarn is as stiff as a board. Just what the hell is Nico —
“What are you doing?”
Yarn and needles catch air and meet the wall, much to Levi’s embarrassment. He curses to himself and avoiding eye contact with Nico, sheepishly walks over to pick back up the poor knitted thing.
“Sorry,” Levi says, quietly. He cradles everything in his arms in shame, shoulders drooping.
A sigh then Nico says, “Come here.”
Levi immediately looks up and goes to Nico, who doesn’t look that disappointed at his boyfriend, but Levi’s determined not to dwell on it as he collapses into Nico’s open arms.
“Oof, watch where you point those things.”
“Sorry, again!” Levi almost cries and pushes the knitting off of them and just buries himself deeper into Nico’s bare chest. God, why is he the way he is? Now Nico’s really never going to tell him why he’s knitting and maybe he’ll run off with one of those well-dressed knitting grandpas.
“I’m not going to run off with a well-dressed knitting grandpa, Levi.”
What? Fuck.
“I said that out loud, didn’t I?” Levi says and he feels Nico nod and chuckle. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be looking in your bag—“
“Yea, you’re right. You shouldn’t be.”
“—But Taryn saw you knitting and said our sex life must be boring and—
“Boring? Sex life?”
“What if you are and that’s why you didn’t tell me you’re secretly knitting? Why are you knitting anyway? What are you knitting? It looks —
Two hands grab a hold of his head and Levi’s forced to face Nico. He looks so serious but also so calm.
“Shut up.”
Levi blinks and blurts out, “W-what?”
“Levi.”
“Okay, I’ll shut up.”
“Levi.”
It takes every neuron in his brain working hand in hand with no breaks and overtime to not open his mouth and say something.
Nico waits a beat and then smiles. He’s still got Levi’s face in his hands, his cheeks squished up and lips puckered out in defeat.
“My halmoni taught me and Nadia how to knit when we were kids. And I heard knitting can help with improving dexterity so I thought I’d pick it back up again. I didn’t tell you because it’s almost Christmas and the scarf is for you.”
“It’s a sca—?” He’s shushed immediately.
“Yes, it’s a scarf. And yes, I know it looks like shit. Knitting is hard. And no, our sex life is far from boring. Don’t listen to Taryn. Or Link, if you see him.”
Nico releases his head, finally, and kisses him. Levi forgets where and who he is for a moment, completely engulfed by Nico’s kiss.
“Satisfied?” Nico asks when he pulls away.
Levi nods, feeling his body turn to mush and mould into the shape of Nico.
“Wait. What did Link say?”
*
It’s Saturday night and two grown men are wrapped in blankets on the couch, needles in their hands and balls of yarn between them. A hockey game is playing on the TV but it’s mostly being ignored. Levi and Taryn are by the stove, heating up a kettle for hot chocolate. Seattle just needs to grace them with some rare snowfall along with the biting chill that’s passing through and it would almost be the perfect holiday evening.
“Just how many stitches did you drop, Nico? Are you making a scarf for the summer or the winter? These holes aren’t going to help with the cold at all.”
“Give it back. I can fix it myself.”
“As if. Your boyfriend's gonna get frostbite and it’ll be all your fault.”
“I should’ve just googled how to knit instead of asking you.”
“You’re welcome, Kim.”
“Never said thank you, Atticus.”
Levi can hear Nico grumbling under his breath and he has to cover his laughter as he watches Nico fake jab Link behind his back with knitting needles.
“I heard Dr. Grey knows how to knit too. Do you think all the great surgeons know how? You think we need to learn too?” Taryn asks as she pours some marshmallows in her cup.
Levi’s smile instantly disappears. “Shit. I think we do.”
The hot chocolate is abandoned as all four surgical doctors gather around, with the utmost seriousness and determination, and learns to knit together.
