#(understandable)

Ryland Grace swears in the book exactly one (1) time and it's when he sees Rocky's ship

yet somehow, lying beside you eases that, if only a little. on nights when he’d normally go without a wink of sleep, he manages to catch brief moments of rest, usually in the early hours before dawn. most nights, he stays in bed with you until you’re sound asleep, lingering for a while to soak in the quiet comfort before slipping away to tend to other tasks. on the rare nights when luck is on his side, he falls asleep soundly beside you

one night, the two of you are curled up together in bed, ready to sleep. you notice his eyes are closed, his breathing steady and calm, and for a moment, you think he’s already drifted off. it’s such a rare sight to see Levi asleep before you that a warm, giddy feeling blooms in your chest.

so you lean closer and press a gentle kiss to his forehead, then snuggle closer to his warmth, settling in for sleep yourself

but what you don’t realize is that as soon as your gaze turns away, Levi’s eyes slowly open. he wasn’t asleep at all, and he surely felt the sweetness of your kiss. he feels weirdly flustered as he glances at your peaceful face, and he quickly shuts his eyes again, pretending to be asleep

the next night, Levi finds himself pretending to fall asleep first all over again

👁️👁️