"How long do you plan on standing there? There's a draft."
Ignoring Levi, I continued to watch snowflakes drift down from the sky and collect in large piles stories below. My breath fogged up the window, and the occasional frigid torrent would wrap around me, but it was worth it. I would never give up an opportunity to watch a winter wonderland being created around me.
Levi crept up and gently pulled my head back so I was looking into his grey eyes. I hadn't realized how cold my face was until now. I could barely feel my nose. "Are you listening to me?"
I smiled up at him and nodded slightly, "But it's so pretty."
"It's been three hours, you've seen it snow for ten minutes you've seen it all. How old are you?"
"Come watch with me." Levi wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. Warmth from his slender frame slowly seeped into my and I pressed my back against his chest. He started when I slipped my cold hands under his and his reflection frowned. "You're fucking freezing."
I pouted when he pulled away and watched his reflection cross back to the kitchen. A soft sigh escaped me as I turned from the window. I dragged the huge blanket off the back of the couch and sat on the floor in the middle of the living room. I was close enough to the window where I could still clearly watch the snow, but far away enough so the cold air seeping in from the glass couldn't get to me. Warm air circulating around the fireplace and blasting out of the various vents placed around the apartment lazily wrapped around me, gradually returning the feeling to cold appendages.
Levi returned carrying two mugs and handed one to me, "Careful, it's hot."
I nodded absentmindedly, warming my hands with the mug. I had already returned to watching snow fall. When finally realizing he had said something I glanced to where he was sitting and asked, "What?" I took a small sip and ended up burning my tongue and throat. Sliding the mug onto the coffee table, I cleared my throat a few times, "It's hot."
Levi's eyes narrowed slightly and he sarcastically replied, "It's not like I just made it or anything."
"Really? I didn't know."
He sighed softly and grabbed a tuft of hair again, swaying my head back and forth. "I just told you. I think your brain turned to snow and melted."
I leaned against him and smiled. Sometimes it felt like that when I was with him, but all the slushiness was worth it. "Will you stay home tomorrow if it doesn't stop? I'd feel better knowing you don't have to drive."
He glanced over at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "I'll be fine."
I sighed softly and hugged my knees to my chest, shying away from him. I couldn't really be mad at him for saying no. His work was as important as mine was… well more than mine. A lot more. But I got nervous when bad weather rolled around and he was off on one of his trips or something. I liked knowing he was safe, but especially in the snow. "Armin, come on."
I shrugged. "It's fine, I get it. Next time."
He inched closer to me again to close the distance I had place between us. I managed a small smile and took another sip of hot chocolate. Now that my tongue was burned I couldn't really taste it, but it gave me something to do. I didn't want him to stay home just because I wanted him to; especially if he was going to regret it. I hoped he wouldn't do the same thing for me either. After a particularly loud gust of wind he slowly continued, "I guess one sick day can't hurt. I have to use them by the end of the year anyway."
He moved his hand to the side of my face and I leaned into it, placing my hand over his once again. "Maybe you can read my new chapter too."
Levi rolled his eyes and busied himself fixing the blanket. "Not if you're still writing trashy romances."
He waited for me to get settled in his lap and rested his head atop mine. "But don't you want to see your character? I think you'd like him."
Levi slowly worked his fingers through my hair. I could feel his warmth slowly spreading through me again and sighed contently. "I think I'll pass. I've seen enough strong silent types to last a life time."
I glanced up at him and tried to feign innocence. It worked most of the time. "But he's different from the others. He's not silent. Stoic. But definitely not silent. I could make you a girl next time."
"That has nothing to do with it."
"You're going to end up reading it anyway."
He brushed hair from my face and leaned backwards. "Depends on what draft this is. I refuse to read anything under five."
"Third… but it's really good this time, I'm not going to end up redoing it anytime soon… maybe. It depends on how fast Annie gets back to me with her notes. But I already started the next one!"
Levi rolled his eyes and took another sip from his mug. "You're brain has definitely turned into fucking mush. I think we might have to watch another horror movie."
A chill ran through me at the thought of him picking another gory movie for movie night. But at the same time I was struck with a bough of inspiration and unintentionally smacked his arm. "Ghost romance!"
He groaned and buried his face in my back. "That is not what I meant in even the slightest."
"But think about it! You meet the girl of your dreams only to find out she's dead! Burned to death after a tragic accident on her sprawling plantation. Now she's stuck aimlessly wandering the grounds until one of her descendants inherits the land and decided to-
Levi silence me with a long, lingering kiss and squeezed my face in-between his hands. "Stop."
I huffed as my train of thought was forcibly derailed to plummet of a cliff and crinkled my nose in frustration. I thought it was a good idea. "But I was on a roll!"
He kissed the tip of my nose and bundled me against his chest again. "Now you're not. It's too late for this."
"It's never too late! Creativity never takes a vacation!"
"It does if you ignore it long enough."
"You can't do that! I can't write when I ignore all the little inklings that pop into my head because then it feels like nothing it going on upstairs and I freeze."
He smirked and kissed the palm of my hand. "I don't think there's ever anything going on upstairs."
I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him into another kiss. His lips tasted like chocolate and liquor, leaving me with the faintest of clues that he had been planning on staying home the whole time. I winced when he tried slipping his tongue into my mouth and pulled away. "My mouth still hurts."
He kissed the tip of my nose and brushed back my hair again. "Keep your head out of the clouds then." Levi trailed kissed along the side of my face then stopped to nuzzle my neck. He pulled me flat against his chest. "Stay down here with me."
Smiling I rested my forehead against his. "Of course, where else would I go? Birds are scary."
His teeth grazed my bottom lip before he shifted so his head was in my lap. I ran my fingers through his hair and went back to staring out the window. "I don't like them either."
