.:Navy Seals:.

“Please, take a pamphlet.” Her friendliness was starting to dissipate from exhaustion and sheer boredom, but Anastasia still managed to smile. “We all adore new faces.”

"It wasn't an easy decision to just up and leave paradise, you know? But circumstances were what they were and this seemed like a town to better suit me and my boys." It was a bit more complicated than that, but nothing he'd willingly speak of right now. "You managed to 'get out'? Is there something I should know about the town?" The selkie raised both brows, a friendly smile playing at his lips.

"Morgan," he repeated. "Pleasure."

“Yeah, let’s not talk about that. I’m surprised you don’t have more permanent souvenirs from that round. ” Carefully, the ice pack was reapplied to Anders’ left eye socket and Levi braced his other elbow on the back of the couch. Beads of water had dripped off of Ander’s wet hair and was making little rivelets down the back of the hand Levi had at the back of his neck. It was a good thing he wasn’t ticklish, he thought to himself. A soft snort left the older selkie at Ander’s griping.

“Annoying it may be but it’ll keep your knuckles from getting infected or excess scar tissue from building up.” Levi pointed out, frowning a little. Having Anders insist on thanking him for taking care of him stung, strangely enough and brought memories of Morgan ordering him to be close right to the surface. Before the selkie even realized it, he was talking.

“Well don’t.” Levi fell quiet, shocked at his own sharp tone of voice.

“I just mean…”

An exasperated sigh hissed past the sculptor’s teeth, realizing how odd what he had said was.

“You’re close as blood to me. You never need to thank me for what I do. I…” Catching himself, Levi pinched his lips shut. I like being close to you, went unsaid. It just seemed cruel to say that when the last thing Levi could even think of was reciprocating Anders’ feelings, let alone bring up his missing skin and the beautiful monster that had stolen it. Blunt white teeth dug into his lower lip and Levi pressed his face into the arm he had propped against the back of the couch. 

"Maybe lost a few brain cells with that one. Not as many as you from those paint fumes or anything." Anders smirked, trying to turn to look at Levi. Levi was probably smarter than him in some regards, including that he'd not only finished high school, but went on to university. Anders accepted that much as fact, though he wouldn't admit that anytime soon.

"Well, that's a point, yeah, but it only might help. Nothing for sure, yeah?"

Anders was honestly taken aback by Levi's tone. It was so unlike him to use that tone with anyone, let alone his best friend. He attempted to turn again to look at Levi, but was again prevented by the ice pack. He said nothing, letting Levi talk, but even now there was something too serious about his tone that contrasted the joking that they'd just been doing. It was a bit unsettling, and Anders nodded a bit in response. 

“If you believe Min-Kyu is the only one who’d side with me, you don’t know the boys as well as you think you do. My fantastic face commands a lotta respect.” The sculptor said imperiously. 

Surprise blossomed over the young man’s face when his phone was pulled from his fingers and he blinked blankly for a second. For a second, the selkie’s heart quickened and he tried to remember what the last thing Morgan had texted him was. Since ne had taken Levi’s skin, ne had taken to calling him magically, rather than on the phone these days.

“You’re such an ass,” Levi growled, bracing a hand on the grass by Ander’s shoulder as his other made a grab for the phone.

"I'm the ass? You're the one sitting on top of me." He jerked back in attempts to keep the phone from Levi's hands, smirking up at him.

“You want your proof? Ask anyone. Go ask some of the Navy Seals. They all think my face is fantastic,” Levi sighed with all the drama of someone burdened with such tremendous beauty. He didn’t press any further when Anders simply said his current status was “friend”. Folding his arms over his chest, he breathed a sigh and looked over how Anders was crouched over him. Of course he wouldn’t let the younger selkie alone for long. Bringing his hands down, he touched the tips of his fingers to Ander’s knees and dragged them open to tickle him again. He heaved himself up suddenly, wrapping an arm around his friend and flipping them over so Anders was on his back in the grass.

"I win." He declared. 

Anders yelped as he was tickled and flipped, letting out a soft 'oomph' when he landed in the grass.

"Are you seriously about to start this bullshit? You win?" Anders scoffed at the thought of losing a wrestling game to Levi. To spite him, he reached up and snatched away Levi's phone, trying to look at his messages. 

"Who're you texting?" he asked, trying to roll to his stomach beneath Levi. "Got yourself a girlfriend?"

Catching Anders’ hand as the younger selkie smacked at his chest, Levi darted a hand of his own out to poke Anders in the ribs. He pulled an innocent expression and quickly released Anders’ hand and held his own hands up over his head in surrender before Anders could retaliate. 

Anders squeaked and jerked away, glaring, but not retaliating. He would save retaliation for later when Levi was unguarded. 

Outside, ne wasn’t grimacing. Instead ne smiled again, before chuckling while dropping something into the basket in nirs hands. “Glad I could help — it’s a mistake a lot of new people in town make.” Morgan half turned to Anders, and licked nirs lips before adding, quickly, putting on an act as if he cared and this was all spontaneous instead of thought out and meticulous, “I’m sorry, I just assumed you were new since I haven’t seen you before. But then again, I’ve been out of town for a few years now.”

"And trust me," ne added, trying to make nirs voice sound like honey, Morgan’s smile soft but open. "I would remember someone like you."

"I am new in town, yeah. More or less," he clarified, nodding. "Me and a couple of my boys came here from Hawai'i," he said, nodding. "So you live around here?" he asked. He wasn't all together that interested, still being hung up on Levi, but his interest was piqued. Especially if this guy was hitting on him. His cheeks lightly coloured, but he extended his hand anyway. 

"I'm positive I would've remembered seeing you, too. I'm Anders."

“You should switch up to southpaw more. Throw your opponents off,” Levi muttered, though his focus was more on tending to his friend’s wounds than on giving Anders tips on his fighting. One of his rough sculptor’s hands lightly cupped the back of Anders’ head to steady him as the ice pack was gently pressed over his left eye and held in place. Anders’ wet hair was cold and ticklish against the skin on the back of his hand but didn’t move his hand away.

“You know the drill, fifteen minutes in the soak n’ I can put some salve over your knuckles…”

Shaking his head a little, Levi flashed his friend a smile he was unable to see with the icepack blocking Anders’ view.

“You don’t have to thank me. Someone’s gotta take care of you.” Levi murmured and he meant it. There were times he felt guilty for being unable to reciprocate the kind of love that Anders had for him but it wasn’t guilt that brought Levi back to Anders’ house after every fight. He did love Anders and this was a way he could show it. It might not be the way Anders would like but it was the best Levi could do.

"I would throw my opponents off, yeah, but then I might win and throw the bet. You gotta admit that I'm pretty decently uninjured for throwing a fight. If you remember--I know I barely do--a couple weeks ago I was not quite so okay. So, be happy I learned how to take a punch." Anders smirked from behind the ice pack smugly.

Anders shrugged a shoulder. "Eh. I feel like I need to thank you. It's not something I do a lot. And, you know, I could take care of myself. I'm a big boy now." He knew everything that had just left his mouth was about seventy-five per cent bullshit, but he meant that he should be thanking Levi. It wasn't something he did enough and Levi was honestly fantastic to him, even if it wasn't what he wanted from him. He let that thought stop short, trying his best to not think about this more-than-a-crush he had on Levi.

"Whatever. My face is fantastic," The artist declared. 

Releasing his hold on Ander’s cheeks to avoid getting swatted, Levi folded his hands behind his head and watched as his friend pouted. He pulled a mock sympathetic expression and nodded his head in agreement to Anders’ statement. 

"You poor baby… you sure do got it hard," Levi cooed, "You were just sitting there, all innocent and minding your own business…" 

A frown drew Levi’s brows together and he tilted his head as realization dawned over his features.

He smacked Levi's chest lightly. "Don't be an ass. I didn't do anything to you. You're the weirdo swearing at your phone and torturing your best friend. I should demote you to friend status."

The taller selkie smiled with his threat, shaking his head. "I'm not the fuckin' basketcase. You are."

Pushing off from where he leaned against the doorframe, the selkie nodded his head.

“Okay, just hurry up before it gets cold.” He turned away and headed back to the kitchen to finish tidying up. There wasn’t a lot Levi had to put away but there was no shortage of things for him to do while Anders was getting dressed. Grabbing the hem of his sweater, the selkie pulled it off over his head and tossed it onto the far end of the kitchen counter before turning on the hot and cold taps. Everything he had taken out was already put back where it had come from but there were dirty dishes that could be done.

Levi let out a quiet grunt of annoyance as he looked over the pile in the sink, really only noticing it now that he was done preparing the treatment for Anders’ hands. By the time he heard Anders return to the living room, a good third of the dishes were washed and set in the drying rack.

“Go ahead and stick your hands in the soak-” He called over his shoulder as he washed his hands clean. “I’ll be right there.” 

Wiping his hands off on a dish towel, Levi turned back to the fridge and opened the freezer. He emptied the ice trays into a reusable ice pack and carried it out with him as he returned to the living room. Chuckling under his breath, he looked over the soak and the icepack, trying to think of how to balance both. 

He hastily got dried and dressed, not wanting to keep Levi waiting. Anders honestly enjoyed this bit, and he knew Levi went to lengths to take care of him. Letting him do it before the stuff got cold was the least Anders could do to repay him. The hair could wait until after this soak.

The boxer set himself down and obeyed Levi silently, putting his hands in the soak. It was just about the perfect temperature that he wouldn't complain one way or another about it being too hot or cold. "My left eye, probably. Fucker was definitely right handed." 

Anders looked over at Levi, a calculating expression crossing his face. "Thanks for doing this every time. I don't think I thank you enough or something. Don't let that go to your head, though. Your head's big enough." The seriousness of the expression melted away as he teased, and he grinned at his friend.

“Just got a little dizzy is all. I haven’t had anything to eat today is all,” He said. Levi frowned at the ground for a moment before flashing his friend what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

“It’s all ticketyboo, daddy-o,” Levi added, though his playful tone was forced, “And green tomatoes are delicious.” He walked on a few steps more, though he didn’t feel comfortable enough to keep sipping at his milkshake. Wanting to avoid talking about his sudden sickness or swimming or the sea, Levi changed the subject.

“Y’know…I just realized…If you’re not going to the grocer…where are you getting your groceries from?”

"Well, why haven't you eaten? Jesus, man, you look like death right now. Sit down as soon as we get inside, yeah? We don't need you passing out or anything." Anders shook his head and ignored the smile. The veil of being okay was thin and Anders saw straight through it. He didn't even question what 'ticketyboo meant or where Levi had learned such a stupid phrase. He was beyond questioning at the moment.

“Not my face-! Not my money maker!” Levi cried out in mock distress. He raised his hands up by his head and let Anders flip them over into the grass even as his voice melted into more peals of laughter. It felt so good just to relax and play like they used to. He didn’t even realize they hadn’t been this close since they had moved from the island.

The selkie smiled up at his friend from where he lay in the grass, looking over Anders thoughtfully before reaching his hands up and pinching Anders’ cheeks gently between thumb and forefinger. Smirking, he pulled Anders’ cheeks away from the selkie’s face to make him look ridiculous.

“You proud of yourself, you big bully? Getting your way by threatening bodily harm.” He asked.

Once his cheeks were between Levi's fingers, the scowl on his face--however distorted it was at this point--deepened. "If you're not fuckin' careful, I'll cut those hands of yours off," he grumbled, swatting Levi's hands away from his face. He wasn't honestly mad--he enjoyed any time he got with Levi now--but his bottom lip jut out slightly and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"If either of us is a bully, it's you. I hate you. Asshole."