Due to the Cleanser's thorough cleansing of both their bodies and clothes earlier today, the two men only washed their teeth and left the shower for the morning after. Noah had found an extra toothbrush in his cupboard, and graciously offered it to Levi. Levi eyed the two toothbrushes standing side by side within the same cup and couldn't help but feel extremely pleased by the image.
Afterward, Noah, as usual, wore an oversized t-shirt to bed, and Levi… Noah averted his eyes from his brother-in-law's naked torso, "Brother… I have several t-shirts here that should fit you–"
"No need," Levi interrupted, "It's fine; I usually sleep like this."
Noah swallowed down the rest of his words. There… there was nothing strange with men only sleeping in their boxers… In his previous life on Cradle, he totally knew a lot of guys who slept only in their boxers… It's just… it's just… how come when his brother-in-law did it, he got a strange feeling? Like it wasn't quite proper?
Bah, he was clearly confused due to the lack of sleep! What was improper about two bros sleeping in their boxers? It's not like he hadn't already seen his brother-in-law's fine 8-pack when they went swimming.
Wait…! Back then…
Noah's eyes curved playfully, "Brother, didn't we conclude that your future wife wouldn't want others to see you half-naked?"
Levi silently stared at the mentioned future wife, who had yet to realize his title, for several long seconds, "No. We concluded your future husband wouldn't want others to see you half-naked." Then he meaningfully glanced downwards to Noah's very-much-not-naked torso.
Noah interpreted that glance as 'Since your upper half is not naked, all is fine,' while, in reality, the true meaning was 'Tsk. Why are you hiding your body from your own husband?'
For a moment, Noah felt torn between whether he should point out the double standards or the fact he wasn't gay, but in the end, he just chuckled and shook his head. When all was said and done, neither of the two topics were worth quibbling about.
Soon enough, the two men were, once again, lying side by side on Noah's large and comfy bed.
Noah laid with his arms crossed behind his head, looking at the simulation of the starry night sky flickering on the ceiling of his bedroom. Levi, of course, laid on his side, staring at Noah with a gaze that seemed to be affectionate on the surface but hid a bottomless pool of enraptured obsession beneath. Of course, his eyes stayed on his baby's clothed upper half. No matter how much he wanted to see those long, white, naked, slender legs, he didn't dare glance downwards. Otherwise, even the thick blanket he was already using to cover his own lower half wouldn't be enough to hide his bulge.
"Now then, brother, is there something else that's bothering you?" Noah glanced away from the ceiling towards his brother-in-law.
Levi's eyebrows shot up in alarm, don't tell him his baby noticed how pent up he felt??
Interpreting Levi's tension as confusion, Noah elaborated, "Everything has its cause and effect. What happened today wasn't a random misfortune. You said it yourself – you destroyed the manor due to a nightmare. Cause and effect. Then, why did you suddenly have a nightmare?"
Levi did not respond. Or rather, he couldn't respond. How could he tell his baby the real contents of his nightmare?
Even if he steeled his heart to prematurely confess his feelings, this wasn't something that could be fixed. He, Astar Levi, would forever be terrified of losing him, his precious treasure. Even if he married him, tied him to his side, locked him in the safest bunker in the world, he would still remain afraid.
The future was full of uncertainty. No matter how Levi tried to control every variable, he was only a mortal. There were too many things out of his control. From today to the end of this life of his, he would never be able to put down this fear.
It could be temporarily appeased, but it would always be there, omnipresent, lurking in the back of his consciousness.
It was just the way things were.
The more you treasured something, the more afraid you were of losing it.
Levi did not respond, but his silence wasn't enough to elude Noah. He vividly remembered how tightly Levi had hugged him yesterday after the second terrorist attack. And that was more than enough to deduce what had been left unspoken.
Other than recognizing the difference between intimate brotherhood and romantic love, Noah was very sharp when it came to perceiving the feelings and thoughts of others. His soul grew up inside a stunningly beautiful shell, with no family or home, with nothing but his identity of a worldborn to protect him. It could no longer be considered as emotional sensitivity or natural intuition – it was a basic survival instinct.
Ironically, it was this worldborn identity, which had protected him for 20 years, that had pitted him this time – he had taken too many things for granted.
Things that might not work in the ways he expected them to.
"This nightmare… the thing that's bothering you… is it about what happened yesterday?" Noah turned to fully face Levi.
Noah took Levi's silence as tacit approval.
"Brother… are you worried about losing your loved ones?"
Blackie's shard form nearly doubled over in shock. His host could shoot blind and still hit the bullseye?!? This was unscientific!!
Blackie wasn't the only one shocked by the accuracy of Noah's deduction, Levi's pupils shrunk, and his body stiffened, thus confirming Noah's guess.
"Brother…" Noah gently sighed, "How many assassination attempts did your parents already go through? And they are perfectly fine. Just like they've survived up to now, they shall survive in the future."
Levi's mouth twitched into a sneer, "Who is worried about them? My folks are so well protected in Astarea, even a mosquito wouldn't be able to bite them!"
Noah gaped at that unexpected reaction; it was as if Levi disdained the mere idea of someone trying to off his parents. "Then… are you worried about sister?" Noah guessed, "Actually, due to the vulnerability of the patients inside, the central hospital is one of the best-protected places in Concordia. First-class security."
Levi couldn't prevent a snort from escaping him, "Why should I worry about an S-rank Healer? Even if half of her body got blown up, she'd still live through it. I can die, you can die, but she definitely won't die."
Noah's mouth fell open, and his mind couldn't help but come up with a bold conjecture, "Then… are you worried about me?"
Sure enough, Levi once again fell silent and started to avoid his eyes.
Noah's heart inexplicably skipped a beat. He felt something warm bubble up within his chest. A bit sweet, a bit sour, but all parts moved.
To have someone worry about himself, to care about himself to the point of having a nightmare, to the point of accidentally demolishing their manor… how would he not feel touched??
Even a millennium-old iceberg would melt into a puddle, ok?!