Can I ask you to combine 6 and 30 for me? Eruri ofc :p
Thank! I combined these two because they felt similar. They were: 6. For warmth 17. With snow outside, and 30. Out of necessity.
And the air was a whip, lashing and unforgiving.
Levi’s back curved in, until his chin met his knees, untilthe violent tremor of his jaw vibrated through his toes. Curled tight. Givingno quarter to the wind. Giving no quarter to his thoughts. Every fiber, everyatom focused on shutting out the cold.
The stone walls whistled, their crumbling mortar little morethan a taunt, a suggestion as to their intended purpose.
And the snow fell. Collecting in every corner, coating theground with silence. With finality.
Winter never reached the Underground. Levi had never becomeaccustomed to the change of seasons. It shocked and intrigued him, springblooming from the filth, summer scorching speckled patterns into his nose andshoulders, autumn dazzling in its rainbow plumage. And winter. Always winter,destroying everything that had come before, smothering the color, the light,the life from the world with its heavy shroud.
The soft knock on his door went unnoticed, too quiet to beheard over the chatter of teeth and through the thin blanket wrapped around histightly-wound body. With a creak just as quiet, the door opened, then closed assomeone stepped inside. They moved over to the small bed. Unfolding their gift,a second blanket, they laid it over the shaking bundle huddled as close to theinner wall.
And the storm continued, but its claws were blunted morewith every scrape over the building’s stones.
Levi stirred, the shock of dark hair and pale forehead allthat was visible as he adjusted his blanket, wordlessly letting Erwin pull theend from beneath him and fold long legs onto the narrow mattress.
“What are you doing here? It’s late.” Levi muttered into theblanket, sharp words blunted by the way his body unfurled, accommodating Erwin’sarms and legs as they wrapped him into an embrace.
“You’re cold.” Came a simple answer, a slight squeeze, awarm nose pressed behind his ear to huff gently. Countering the draft,shielding with wide shoulders. The familiar heaviness of muscles weighing downhis own, the calming beat marked by warm air exhaled into his hair, slowlythawed frozen fingers. Levi’s toes uncurled, his legs molding to fit into Erwin’ships and thighs as they eased away from his chin.
And the storm slipped far away, into a world separate fromthis one.
Separate from this haven of warmth.
Two bodies curled together: quotation marks for words thatneeded no voice.