Bonds of Steel and Blood

CHAPTER 39 - Promise of Tomorrow

When one sleeps with one eye open for most of their life, waking up and feeling the warmth of another body behind them isn't exactly comforting. Reinae's hand, always under her pillow as she slept, searched for the blade. Only after moments of panic did she realize she was not in her bed. And after remembering the previous night, her memory still full of blackouts, she tensed for other reasons than feeling threatened.

          "It was what you wanted," Levi muttered into her hair. His morning voice was even lower and raspier than usual. He'd probably sensed how Rei's body became rigid and realized she'd woken up.

          "When I said you're not sleeping on the sofa, I wasn't implying I want morning cuddles."

          "You rolled on my side of the bed," Levi said as if it was explanatory of why he was pressed against her back, one of his arms resting on Rei's hip.

          "So you hugged me?"

          "I wanted to."

Rei bit her lip. She hadn't rolled out of his grasp because she realized she wasn't wearing any underwear. And because she felt a hardness against her ass. She didn't have to think twice to know what it was.

          "You must really like cuddling," she said, trying to keep her voice flat, struggling not to tease him.

          "It's a natural occurrence when one wakes up," Levi replied, his voice hinting at amusement.

          "Oh, like you've just woken up," Rei said, rolling her eyes. "Considering your sleeping habits, you've been awake for at least two hours."

          "You know me so well."

Rei felt her heart skip a beat. He was so relaxed, laying there beside her. And she was surprised how natural it felt for her, too. How comfortable it was to feel his breath against her hair. How comforting the lazy circling of his finger on her hip felt.

She turned, facing him. His deep gray eyes met hers. The flinch of his eyebrows betrayed that he was readying himself for a scolding. But Rei didn't say anything, just watched him.

          "You're surprisingly compliant this morning," he mused.

Their faces were inches apart. A million snarky replies came to Rei's mind, but for once, she bit her tongue. She remained looking into those eyes of his, and the way his gaze seemed to see right through her did not scare her for the first time. And all that was weighing over her heart washed away.

          "Yeah." Her voice was soft, calm. "This is nice."

And then she smiled at him. Softly. Heartfeltly. Honestly. A smile Levi had longed for ever since he first saw it on her face. He'd always wished she'd smile at him that way. So when she did, it felt like a boulder rolled off his heart. And the only thing that came to his mind was to kiss her. So he did.

And Rei kissed him back. She kissed him a way she'd never known she could. That kiss was something she'd never dared to imagine before, something she'd deny herself from having. And Levi felt every part of it, his own heart beating against his ribcage. They deepened the kiss but kept it soft. They let it tell everything unsaid.

When their lips parted, and their eyes met, Rei suddenly felt really hot and uncomfortable. Levi scanned her face, raising a single eyebrow.

          "Reinae Agnar, are you blushing?" he asked carefully.

The hot and uncomfortable feeling suddenly had a name. Embarrassment.

          "I am not!" she protested eagerly, covering her cheeks.