(Sorry for the long delay and poor writing. I've had writers block. @excon-anatoly and @handmadecyanide)
He hesitated for a second, surprised, before wrapping his arms around her, drawing her closer.
She mumbled something into his chest before sucking in a shaky breath, her entire body quivering.
"Is everything alright?" He asked as he shifted, trying to keep them both balanced and upright. "Well, I mean, obviously...did something happen?" He cleared his throat, uncomfortable in the silence that followed. "Xena?" He tried for a moment to let go of her, to pull her away from him slightly. A choked squeak escaped from her throat, and she tightened her grip, refusing to be pulled away.
Giving up, tolya sighed. He wrapped an arm under the girl's knees, lifting her as he stood. Cali jumped to the floor with a disgruntled yelp.
Slowly, he made his way to the couch, before clumsily trying to maneuver them both into a comfortable position.
"Xena?" He tried again, whispering this time.
Another choked squeak escaped her, and she hid her face further in his chest.
Tolya froze in his panic for a moment. This was new territory for him. He had agreed to babysit for Kveto that evening. He had done everything that was asked of him. He fed the kids, got them ready for bed, did dishes. But he hadn't been warned about this. Kveto had told him what to do if Junior refused to eat his dinner, if Xena dissapeared in the middle of the evening, if Rosy refused to go to bed, but he had not given any instructions to him regarding what to do should he find himself cradling a shaking, shivering mess of a teenager.
More choked sounds came from Xena, interrupting his thoughts.
Before he knew what he was doing, he had awkwardly begun to pat her back, whispering gentle words to her.
He hoped and prayed to every higher power he could think of that Kveto would return home soon.
Tolya had been so wrapped up in Xena and her breakdown that he hadn't kept a close eye on the other Ekel children.
Rosy climbed onto the couch on one side of him, staring at Xena with an out of place, worried look. She leaned over, laying on xena, stretching her arms and giving the biggest hug she could.
Junior clambered up on the other side of him, pausing for a moment before yanking the blanket off the back of the couch and trying to cover xena in it.
"Cold? Shaking?" He was trying to help in the only way he knew how.
He also huddled with them, laying across Xena and Tolya's laps.
"...want dad" xena eventually whispered, her voice breathy and strained.
"He'll be back soon." Tolya promised. "He only left for the evening. He'll be back."
Was that what all this was about? Was she worried about Kveto dissapearing again?
He was very confused and very out of his comfort zone and very uneasy. But he couldn't deal with any of that right now, as he had three children laying across him.
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