The newest place that they had to stay was out on the country side. That meant that Red had plenty to show Liz while they were there. Of course, sleep had to come first. This was the first place that had two beds that wouldn't break at any moment. Liz took one while Red went to the other. She fell asleep almost instantly. Red was another story.
He tossed and turned, unsure of what was keeping him awake. The bed was soft how he liked it. The pillows were perfectly fluffed. The room was even a good temperature. What was missing?
Finally, a thought crossed his mind. It wasn't what was missing. It was WHO was missing. He and Liz had shared a bed for the past three weeks. He'd grown accustomed to her warmth next to him.
Now, he had to figure out how to fix the problem. If he just laid down next to her, she'd freak out in the morning. Of course, he snored like a freight train. So, she'd probably wake up the second he fell asleep. His only choice was to wake her up and tell her what was going on. Sighing, he stood up and made his way to her room.
He found her sleeping, slightly snoring. There was a slight annoyance at the fact that she hadn't developed the same problem as him. That managed to lessen the guilt of waking her up. He shook her by the shoulder until she woke up and looked at him with bleary eyes.
"Huh?" She asked, rubbing her eye with the heel of her palm.
"Can I sleep in here?" He questioned, and she nodded. Red crawled under the covers and sighed. This felt so much better. Liz shifted until her head was on his shoulder.
"Why couldn't you sleep?" She asked, voice soft from sleepiness. "Was there something wrong with your bed?"
"... you could say that," Red responded. Before Liz could say anything else, he added, "let's not worry about it right now."
Liz nodded before snuggling closer. Apparently, she was more affectionate when she was sleepy. He could use this to his advantage some day. Not now though. He wanted sleep.
...
"I really don't see what's wrong with this bed," Liz stated. She'd done everything she could think of to see what could have kept Red awake. "It's warm, soft, and just about the most comfortable thing I've ever felt."
"I don't know what to tell you, Lizzie," he replied. It was kind of doubtful that he should tell the truth right now.
"Is there a spring loose?" She questioned before laying back on the bed.
"I don't think so," Red answered. She motioned for him to lay down next to her. He did as instructed and stared up at the ceiling.
"I don't feel anything wrong. Do you?"
"No," he said. Liz turned her head to look at him. She furrowed her brow at how uncomfortable he looked.
"Do you know what was wrong with it?" She asked which only resulted in silence. "Red?"
"You wouldn't understand," he finally snapped.
"Try me."
"...You weren't here," he confessed. This only seemed to make her more irritated.
"Just because I wasn't here doesn't mean that I wouldn't understand!" She said and leaned over him. "Now, tell me what was wro-... you just did, didn't you?"
Red avoided her eyes while a blush crept over both of their cheeks. They stayed quiet before Liz grinned. She leaned against his shoulder and laughed.
"I swear, Red, you are so cute sometimes," she said. The blush crept farther across his face.
"I am NOT cute!" He snapped. They'd been over this. Cute criminals get shot a lot sooner.
"Hmm, you're right. You're adorable," she countered. He groaned in annoyance. That wasn't any better. "So, you admit that one?"
"I am not adorable either," he growled before trying to turn away from her. That stopped when she threw a leg over him and straddled his waist. "What are you doing?"
"I'll let you go as soon as you admit that you're cute," she stated and Red rolled his eyes.
"Well, I'm not cute. So, we're gonna be here a while," he said. "... What exactly is so cute about me anyway?"
"You couldn't sleep without me."
"So, I'm cute because I'm clingy?"
"That's not what I meant," Liz responded. She paused for a moment. "You've got a cute little paunch," she added before poking him in the belly. Red gave a sudden look of realization.
"Of course! That's it! I'm cute because I'm clingy and fat," he exclaimed sarcastically.
"I didn't say you were fat. I said you had a little paunch."
"Try something else."
"... Your laughter lines?"
"Now, I'm clingy, fat, and old. What's next, Lizzie? That I'm bald?" Red questioned while Liz hung her head in defeat. He chuckled and ran his hands up her arms before squeezing her shoulders. "Lizzie, I'll say that I'm cute if you'll stop tying to compliment me."
"... deal."