Eerie’s wrack of chills had returned, making him stir to look up like a newborn pup looking for its mother. He shuffled over to Levi, then plopped his head down on hus lap and upper leg. All Eerie cared about it that it was warm enough for his shivers to subside.
Levi let Eerie lounge on his lap but did nothing that encouraged him to move. All this casual touching was strange. Nice, but strange. "Are you okay?" He asked, shifting into a more comfortable position. He wanted to be sure that Eerie was comfortable because he was a good soldier. "Do you need anything?"
Eerie shifted onto Levi’s tummy. “Mmmm coolld…” He whined this softly into his stomach, curling up closer into him with small noises. Levi’s tummy was too comfortable to say no to. Sleepy Eerie didn’t care about moving off or making Levi uncomfortable, he just wanted more sleep.
Levi automatically pulled the blanket over Eerie, staring bemusedly at the boy nuzzling his stomach. He exercised so much he was surprised there was anything left to nuzzle. Part of the reason Eerie was so comfortable was the fact that he was squishy. Levi turned his thoughts back to more serious matters. "People will think we slept together."
Eerie glanced up at Levi, looking slightly amused but tired. “We’re married. It’s natural, no one’ll care…” He set his head back down on Levi’s squishy tummy.
“You should try and relax. We’re living life of comfort now. I don’t need you to act like my servant, I want you to act like my husband.”
"Okay." Levi forced himself to relax, loosening all his limbs with a few deep breaths. He supposed husbands sleeping together wasn't a very big deal. He turned to the second most serious matter, getting to know his husband. He needed to know his husband. His father had impressed upon him the importance of knowing Eerie. "Tell me about yourself."
Eerie curled closer to Levi, unaware of his musings. “I get cold really easily. All of my stuff is custom made with insulators so I don't shiver all the time. Sorry if my hands were unpleasant to hold at the wedding…” Eerie lost track of what he was saying by his second sentence and he started to ramble about how cold he could get, and how obvious it was.
Levi nodded. That made sense. Eerie had been shivering up a storm in bed. "They were fine. I'm used to the cold." He held Eerie a bit closer, suddenly glad he ran hot. His husband could use that extra body heat. "Tell me something else."
Eerie thought for a few moments. “I like guinea pigs. They’re so small and squishy… you just gotta love them…” He used to have a heard of guinea pigs when he was a kid. Whenever he let them out for floor time, they’d crawl all over his lap and warm him up.
"Guinea pigs are so… fragile." Levi had never had a pet. There was never enough time and he always ended up hurting them. He hoped Eerie would prove less breakable. Humans were supposed to be tough. "Another." Learning all of this was… fun. He enjoyed it. He supposed it made for a pretty sad commentary on his life.
“I want a reptile. I relate to them and how cold they get.” Eerie shifted around so he was sitting up, but leaning into Levi for warmth. He didn’t want to ask Levi anythjng about himself in case he started to… Eerie, to be completeley honest, wasn’t sure how he would act.
Levi nodded. He'd had a snake once. The only animal he'd ever kept successfully. She was a sweet little thing names Coral, and she used to curl up around his arm when he freaked out around her. "I had a snake once. She was… fun."
“Was it? What was it like?” He looked at Levi, looking interested but ridiculous with his hair spiked out. He didn’t seem to care about his hair, though. Just wanted to know about Levi’s snake.
(Sorry I've been off! I have robotics on Fridays and it really tires me out. I crashed at home and just woke up.)
Levi smiled, remembering his favorite pet. "Her name was Coral. She was a cute little grass snake. Very sweet. She liked to curl around my arms or neck while we were together and made little hissy noises when people yelled at me."
(That’s alright!)
Eerie gazed up at him, grinning slightly at the look on Levi’s face. “We should get a snake. It’d be a nice thing to bond over.”
Levi tilted his head, thinking the offer over. He would like another snake. And he needed to make Eerie happy. "That would be interesting. What kind of snake would you like?"
Eeire leaned his head on Levi’s shoulder. “A ball python would be nice. I’ve always wanted one, but mum’s afraid of them.” He sighed deeply. “It took a lot of convincing to get me a herd of guinea pigs.”
Levi smiled in amusement. "I think a ball python is a bit extreme. I would prefer a small snake." Small snakes were better because they could curl around an arm without crushing it.
Eerie frowned a bit. “I guess we could get a grass snake like you had?” He tilted his head to look at Levi again.
Levi stared off into the distance, head playing a monologue of all the good times he'd had with Coral. He snapped out of it rather quickly. He needed to make Eerie happy. His needs were secondary. "If you'd like that."
Eerie shook his head. “Don’t think about just me. I’m thinking about you, too. A grass snake would be cheaper to take care of, though…”
Levi nodded. "They're less likely to eat you in your sleep." Plus grass snakes were sweeter and kinder and gentler and- maybe he was a bit biased now that he thought about it. "Uh, I'd like to get a grass snake."
Eerie hummed gently. “Then we’ll get a grass snake. To make you happy.” He grinned a little. Levi deserved to be somewhat happy too.
Levi ducked his head because… what? His happiness wasn't really a priority to anyone. It was always country first or honor fist or family first or… anything but him. He could feel an embarrassed flush creeping up his cheeks. When he tried to speak, his voice was far too soft. "What do you want to name it?"
Eerie shrugged a little, half-closing his eyes comfortably. Levi’s sudden grow in warmth made him sleepy.
“Whatever you want. I don't care.”
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