I Have An Objection! [ Levi x OC ] [ Moderate Editing ]

Ch. 23: The Ackerman-Westbrook Intervention Pt. Two

"Levi, don't fall asleep on the newspaper; you'll end up with ink all over your face."

"I'm up," the raven-haired man slurred as he jolted his body up from its slouched position.

Even with coffee in his system, Levi constantly kept dozing off at the kitchen table. Albeit the two of us were awake most of the night, I would have assumed he slept the remainder of the hours soundly, but apparently that wasn't the case. However, it was a recurring situation for Levi, and I had grown used to the idea of his sleep deprivation.

"Not enough sleep again, I take it?" I asked, cleaning the dishes from breakfast as I spoke to him.

"I can't live on less than three hours a night," Levi confessed, one hand cradling the side of his head and the other drawing circles on the maple-wood table. "If it keeps up, I'll be more cranky, considering how unbearable I am already."

"Well, unbearable is an overstatement in my opinion," I rebuffed with a smile. "But, if it's becoming a interference and burden in your life, perhaps you should think about seeing a doctor and getting him to prescribe you something."

Echoed footsteps scampered down the hallway before a familiar brunet skidded to a halt at the kitchen doorway, an accusatory index pointed at me as they yelped, "Roxanne! You know better than to feed your boyfriend lies!"

Setting down a dried plate, I glared at my brother, knowing all to well the nonsense he was about to babble on about. Levi, on the other hand, was too busy processing Robin's absurd remark, a baffled look afflicting his features that undeniably masked something more terrified or annoyed regarding my brother.

"You should have realized by now that sleeping pills are nothing but medication the government creates to control our unconscious minds!" Robin continued, a wary glimmer in his olive hues. "Like Hell I would allow you to even put that thought it poor Levi's mind! As your older brother and protector, I am ashamed of you, young lady!"

Humming an irritated moan, I pursed my lips and watched as Levi rolled up the newspaper and stood up, only to walk over to my brother and whack him on the head like a misbehaving dog. Robin whimpered at the impact, his almond eyes squinted shut and small pout pulling at his lips. Although, it was entertaining to spectate someone shorter than Robin hit him so harshly, especially since the weapon of choice was a freshly-printed newspaper.

"Even if she is your sister, she's still my girlfriend, and I would appreciate it if you didn't screech at her like that," Levi was quick to admonish of Robin.

"But she's corrupting your mind with fallacies," Robin whined, his hands rubbing the spot where Levi had so apathetically smacked him.

"No, you're the one trying to fill his brain with those silly conspiracies," I stated, drying my hands on a small towel hooked around one of the counter drawers' handle. "It's too early for your hysterical mumbo-jumbo, Robin."

"Oh, maybe we should give him some slack," Levi offered, wagging the newspaper in my direction when he glanced over at me. "You have to admit, he's a bit like a small child, with a malleable mind and all. Kinda cute actually."

"I see nothing cute about my deadbeat of a brother," I insulted, padding over to Levi in order to address the two of them better. "He normally doesn't wake up until one in the afternoon, he mooches of mom and dad way more than he should, and his career choices are nothing noteworthy. On top of that, he has the worst luck when it comes to women."

"What a horrible thing to say about your sibling," scoffed Levi, who then decided to tap me on the head with the newspaper.

Robin merely chuckled and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his worn-out jeans, explaining, "No need to defend me, I'm used to it by now. Roxanne's a feisty woman, and I'm pretty sure she gains pleasure from degrading me whenever she gets the chance! Sometimes I can't help but believe she's a sadist down in the depths of her hear—!"