A Night In
The two of had decided on a quiet evening in, a sleepover. Howdy had originally wanted to take you out to another restaurant, but after talking about it both of you decided to have an evening inside.
"What do you want for dinner?" You asked, turning from the chill of the open fridge to look at Howdy. He at a stool at the kitchen island, nursing a glass of milk with a cookie dunked in the milk.
"Didn't I tell you no milk and cookies until after dinner?" Your voice was teasing yet stern as he put the soaked cookie in his mouth, his tongue stuck out to catch the stray drips of milk. He smiled and shrugged, his upper set of arms up in an I surrender, but I'm not sorry sort of way. His other pair of hands made quick work of putting the cookies and milk away, probably for later.
He cleared his throat and chuckled nervously. His bottom set of arms were fiddling, rolling the hem of his shirt between his fingers. "Sorry?" He mused, grinning with yellow tinted cheeks.
You grinned and sighed, turning back to fridge. "What do you want for dinner?" You asked again. Howdy hummed and walked over, crossing the room in only a few strides. He looked over your shoulder, one hand on the fridge door, another on your shoulder and one on your waist. His final hand was on his hip, his antennas shifting a little as he thought.
He paused and lifted his hand from the fridge door, hooking a finger under your chin and tilting your head back so you'd look at him. "What about lasagna?" He quipped, his chest rumbling against your head as he spoke though you barely registered it. You hummed, your face scrunching up in thought. "Eh, maybe. Macaroni 'n hotdogs? Just lookin' for somethin' simple." You put in, looking up at him to see his reaction.
Howdy hummed, pressing a light kiss to your forehead, "Sounds good to me, Dove."
You looked up at him, expression blank, before a grin curled your lips, and you giggled. "Dove? Where did that one come from?" You took pride in watching as his cheeks flushed and he laughed nervously, "Just felt right, and well," he paused, glancing at the wall before looking back down at you, a warm smile on his lips, "it means 'gentle or innocent person' and you're my love, so."
You snorted, unable to help the wide smile on your lips as you pushed his side. "That's so cheesy!" You groaned, feeling a warmth in your chest as he pretended to be moved with your shove.
He huffed, wrapping his arms around you and holding you against him, lifting you to be level with him. "Only cheesy for you, Dove," he murmured with a cheeky smirk.
You chuckled, shaking your head. "You're lucky you're cute, you know that right?" you said, pretending to be unamused, yet a smile tugged traitorously at the corners of your lips. You kicked your legs, a vain attempt to make him set you down.
He chuckled, leaning down to nuzzle your nose in am Eskimo kiss. "So are you! Like a sweet, cuddly thing," he teased, that glint in his eye that said he liked watching your cheeks get warm. He hoisted you up, crossing his lower set of arms under your bum as he held you up.
You huffed, sticking your tongue out at him. You watched as he glanced away from you, perking up slightly. His antenna shifted, tilting towards the living room. His grin widened into a smile.
"Howdy, what are you planning?" you asked slowly as he took two slow steps towards the couch. "Howdy?" You asked again ehen he didn't respond. In mere seconds, you were falling and watching him smile like a cat who got the cream.
You landed with an umph on the couch, a throw pillow under your head, another falling off the couch. As soon as you tried to sit up, you fell back down, Howdy’s weight settling on you like a blanket. You watched, amused, as he nuzzled your stomach before blowing a raspberry into your skin, making you squeal and push his head away.
He laughed, loud and joyful. He moved his head away from your belly, instead resting his chin on it, looking up at you with gentle eyes.
"I love you," he murmured softly, like a gently spoken secret.
Your heart skipped a beat at his words. It always did when he said it, but it felt like it skipped two now. You smiled back, lightly pinching his nose as you responded woth your own low whisper, "I love you too."
I'm not dead. Just dying from the heat. And procrastination. And work.
