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Levi hated to sleep. He had developed symptoms of insomnia at a young age, and was diagnosed with chronic insomnia by the age of seventeen. The doctors attributed it to stress, his medications, and his alcohol consumption. But it wasn’t that Levi couldn’t fall asleep once he was in bed, it was that he didn’t want to. It hurt, to be awake for long periods of time without being able to get any rest, but it hurt more to slow himself down, to relax, and to try and stop for a few hours.
There were a few things, though, that he didn’t mind about sleeping. At night, he would crawl into bed with Erwin, regardless of whether he would rest or not, and snuggle up against him. Whenever Erwin slept, he was warm. His body would curl up around Levi’s, and he would let his arm drape over the smaller man’s chest, while Levi tucked his head between Erwin’s face and his shoulder.
Levi’s back ached, and he could never get comfortable, but Erwin, before he fell asleep, would plant kisses down his lover’s spine. His skin tingled, and he smiled into his pillow as Erwin tried to make him relax. His hands massaged Levi’s shoulders, and he inched closer to Erwin, trying to preserve the warmth that was radiating near him.
Erwin, on the other hand, loved the way Levi’s body fit against his, or the sound of his evened out breathing when he finally fell asleep. When the smaller man couldn’t fall asleep, he would play with Erwin’s hair, and kiss along his cheekbones. His skin tingled at the gentle pressure of Levi’s mouth, yearning for more.
There was something innocent about the way Levi moved around him. They had lived together for years, but Levi’s hands explored his body like they were lying together for the first time, like he had never seen Erwin like this before.
Levi rolled his tongue over Erwin’s collarbone, and rolled over so that he was on top of him, hands on either side of the larger man’s head.
“Mff, Levi,” he heard Erwin mumble, but didn’t respond. Instead, he kissed him on the mouth, and received a tongue brushing over his lips in response. “You’re beautiful.”
“Quiet, Erwin.”
“Are you tired?” Erwin’s voice came out in slurred, quiet bits that Levi had to strain himself to hear. The smaller man moved his hands around, feeling at the waistband of his lover’s pajama pants. If it were earlier, he would have fucked him, but he knew that Erwin was struggling to stay awake, so he moved his hands to Erwin’s back and massaged the skin and muscle that resided there.
“No, not really,” Levi murmured back, voice vibrating against Erwin’s chest. That was a lie, but there was no way he was anywhere near falling asleep.
“We can have a cup of tea, if you’d like.” The doctors had told him to try and drink herbal teas before bed to calm his nerves, and Erwin seemed to agree with that. Still, he didn’t want to move. Erwin was warm. Erwin was safety.
“No, I don’t want you to get up,” Levi murmured, but Erwin laughed airily and kissed him.
“I don’t have work tomorrow, remember?”
Still, Levi rolled off of him, and kissed Erwin again. “Doesn’t matter, you look exhausted.”
Erwin blinked his eyes open, and smiled at the smaller man. “You won’t sleep, though,” he hummed, and ran his hand through Levi’s hair. Slowly, he sat himself up, and tried to flatten his own hair the best he could.
“Stay in bed, I’ll get the tea.”
Levi crawled out of bed and slipped on a sweater, and returned a few minutes later with two hot cups of tea. Erwin smiled and took one of the cups into his hands. “Thank you, Levi.”
“I’m cold,” Levi said simply, and moved back under the covers.
They sipped their tea in silence until they were finished, and Levi put the cups on the bedside table. Erwin kept his eyes on him, smiling gently whenever they made eye contact. He hated how fucking sappy the blond was, but it was endearing. Levi scowled. He hated sleeping. If he could, he would have stayed awake forever. But even he was beginning to reach his limit. It hurt to keep his eyes open, but when they were shut, he could feel them begin to water.
Erwin massaged one of Levi’s thighs while the smaller man moved up against his lover. He saw the blond’s eyes begin to droop, and he let him slump back into the bed and fall asleep. He had worked overtime today, and had barely made it through the door before looking like he was going to collapse.
Levi curled up against Erwin’s torso, moving his head back into its normal spot. Circles were beginning to form under the blond’s eyes, and Levi frowned, brushing his fingers over the discolored skin. He felt bad, that Erwin was so tired.
Levi wasn’t sure when it was that he had fallen asleep, but it couldn’t have been very long ago, because he cracked his eyes open and was greeted with his usual splitting headache. Sleep deprivation clouded his ability to think straight, and he sat himself up. Erwin was still pressed against him, fast asleep.
He envied the larger man, for being able to rest so easily. He sighed, and ran his fingers through Erwin’s hair. Beautiful. Levi slipped back under the covers, rolled over, and felt Erwin adjust ever so slightly. His arm draped back around Levi’s waist, pulling him close.
Levi hated sleeping, but he loved the way Erwin held him. When he was in bed with Erwin, under the covers and in the dark, he felt safe. Enveloped in warmth, he felt like his lover swallowed him up and protected him.
Even if he couldn’t sleep, he could stay in bed for hours to feel Erwin’s body close to his, and to have his steady breathing tickle against his back.
Levi shut his eyes, and laced his fingers with Erwin’s. He wasn’t exhausted, but he could convince himself to stay put and relax until his lover woke up.