Prompt: When Henry isn't there, the only way Elizabeth can sleep is to make a cocoon of her blankets, with just her nose poking out.
Henry sighed as he walked into the home he shared with Elizabeth and their children, dropping his shoulder bag next to his desk. He exhaled heavily; he was very glad to be home after an unscheduled trip that he had been really reluctant to go on in the first place. Luckily, he'd been able to wrap things up a day earlier than he'd anticipated, putting him home a day ahead of schedule, but in the middle of the night. He glanced at his watch, finding that it was nearly two a.m.
The house was still and quiet, and Henry took a moment to walk through, reveling in the soft lights that Elizabeth had left on, the stray blanket over the back of the couch, the warmth and familiarity of home. When he'd finished his slow walkthrough of the downstairs, Henry took off his shoes and slowly climbed the stairs. He stopped in the doorway of Stevie's bedroom; her door was open, and his eldest was sleeping in her bed. Henry smiled slightly at the sight before moving on to Alison's bedroom; she, too, was home for the weekend, and as Henry watched her she shifted under her blankets. He pushed Jason's door open and chuckled to himself at the way Jason was splayed out across the mattress, his limbs tangled in the sheets. When Henry moved away from his youngest's room, he was thinking of breakfast the next morning; pancakes and syrup with all of the kids. He'd missed that, and he was even more grateful he'd gotten home early so that he could spend time with them.
He wandered down the hallway and into the bedroom he shared with Elizabeth, stopping in the doorway and smiling slightly as he viewed the scene spread out before him. Elizabeth was in their bed, situated in the center of the mattress. All of their sheets and blankets were wrapped around her like a cocoon. If he looked closely, he could see her nose poking out from her bundle of blankets, and he smiled to himself.
Henry quietly settled on the edge of the bed and leaned forward, pressing a light kiss to the tip of Elizabeth's nose. She didn't stir, so Henry gently pushed the blankets back from her head, exposing messy blonde locks of hair. She started to wake, slowly opening her eyes, and as he watched, her expression changed. She went from sleepy confusion to the warm, happy expression that she often wore when she was looking at Henry. It made him feel warm inside just looking at her, especially after the trip he'd just taken.
"Henry," she mumbled softly, and Henry smiled at her as he leaned in to press his lips gently against hers.
"Hi, baby," he said quietly as he collapsed onto the mattress with a soft grunt.
"You're home," she said. "I didn't think you were coming home until tomorrow."
"I know," he replied as he started to unravel her from the mess of blankets. "I got to come home early."
He chuckled as she squirmed in a half-asleep attempt to help him untangle her.
"Can I ask why you're all cocooned in these blankets?" he inquired, watching as his wife's cheeks flushed almost imperceptibly.
"It's easier to sleep that way," she replied. He stared at her, pausing in his actions. He knew that Elizabeth couldn't stand blankets wrapped around her half the time, so in spite of how adorable the sight had been to come home to, he was definitely suspicious.
Elizabeth sighed under his gaze.
"I do it when you're not here," she admitted. "Because it makes me feel safer. Happy now?"
Henry smiled tenderly at his wife as he tugged the last of the blankets out from under her and then immediately crawled under them with her, tugging her against his chest. She sighed contentedly and he nuzzled his nose against her hair, tousled from the blankets.
"How about now?" he asked in a low voice.
"Hmm?" Elizabeth hummed as she rolled over so that she was curled up facing him with her head nestled in the crook of his neck.
"Feel safe now?" he asked, pressing his lips against her forehead.
"With my big strong Marine-turned-professor?" she asked rhetorically as she cuddled closer to him.
"Very safe," she said as she looked up at him with a sweet smile.