☆ Day 5 of Domaystic | Pillow fort | Event by @domaystic
☆ Summary: Levi says you're childish for building a pillow fort. He still can't help himself from fixing it.
☆ Pairing: Levi Ackerman x Gender-Neutral Reader
☆ Genre/Tags: Modern AU, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff
☆ Word Count: 0.9k
☆ Check out the other days!
☆ AO3 Link
[ Art by _hashino_ on Twitter ]
You’re already dragging a blanket off the back of the couch before Levi fully registers what you’re doing. You step into the middle of the living room with a level of determination that immediately makes him suspicious.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
You don’t even look at him. “Nothing.”
“You sure about that?”
You grab a pillow next, then another, then a few chairs to prop up the blanket. You end up building something that vaguely resembles a structure. It doesn’t really look stable, but it doesn’t need to be perfect.
“I’m building a pillow fort,” you say.
There’s a long pause. Then Levi says, “We have a perfectly functional couch. And a bed.”
You ignore him, tossing another blanket over the top, where it promptly caves in the entire thing. You freeze. Minor setback. No problem.
Behind you, Levi puffs air out through his nose. “This is ridiculous.”
“It’s cozy,” you say, already trying again to prop up the blankets.
“It’s stupid.”
“You’re stupid.”
“Watch it.”
“Yeah, whatever,” you mutter, adjusting a pillow that will absolutely not stay where you want it to. There’s another moment of silence. You can feel his eyes on you, judgement stinging your back, but you refuse to even acknowledge it.
One of the blankets shifts slightly. You reach out to fix it, but before your fingers even graze the blanket, the entire top collapses. Blankets fall. Pillows scatter. Your masterpiece is reduced to a pile of plush defeat in under five seconds. You stare at it.
Levi sighs. “Move.”
You turn toward him. “What?”
“Move,” he repeats, already stepping forward, rolling his sleeves up. You move back, watching as he crouches down, picking up one of the fallen pillows. “This wouldn’t hold for more than a minute.”
“It held for at least thirty seconds.”
“What an achievement.”
You swat his arm, but you don’t intend to stop him. You smile at the fact that Levi, out of all people, is willingly participating in this. He gets to work with a zeal that catches you off guard, anchoring the blankets properly and stacking the pillows in a way that actually makes structural sense. You watch him, chin resting on your fist.
“You’re really into this,” you say lightly.
“I’m doing this so you won’t whine about it falling on top of you.”
“Sure you are.”
He ignores that, but he doesn’t stop. You watch him work, and before you know it, he’s done. And when he is done, the fort actually looks impressive. It looks stable enough. You stare at it, then at him.
“Okay, that’s way better than mine,” you say.
Levi hums, like that was obvious from the start. You crawl inside immediately. The space is small, but it’s definitely big enough for two people to fit. You don’t know how much convincing it’s going to take to get Levi in here though. You settle in, shifting until you’re comfortable. Levi flips up the edge of a blanket to look at you. You pat the space beside you expectantly. He doesn’t move.
“We’re not staying in there,” he says.
You tilt your head. “Why not?”
“It’s unnecessary.”
“Funny way to say comfortable.”
“We have furniture.”
You lean back slightly, letting your expression soften just enough to look hopeful. Levi’s eyes flick to yours. There’s a pause.
“...Don’t,” he says softly. You say nothing. You just keep looking at him. A good twenty seconds pass before he sighs. “Tch.”
He ducks inside. You grin and move to make room as he lays down beside you with far more reluctance than the situation probably calls for, his leg brushing against yours in the limited space. You lie down with him and trace circles onto his chest.
“You’re weak,” you whisper.
“Don’t get used to it,” he says.
You absolutely will.
At some point, it becomes more comfortable than you had expected. The space feels smaller, but not in a bad way. It feels intimate. Levi turns to face you, his arm resting loosely near you, not quite touching you. You shift a little closer, and he doesn’t move away. You rarely get moments like this, where you can both just exist calmly in each other’s presence or do something so ridiculous that it would have him questioning if you ever really grew up at all.
“We should get out,” he says after a while.
“No,” you say immediately.
“We have things to do.”
“No we don’t.”
He sighs, already tired of your antics. “You’re not staying in here all night.”
You hum. “I could.”
“You won’t.”
“I’m not leaving.”
Levi goes quiet for a second. Then, he says, “Fine.”
You stare at him, surprised. “Fine?”
“I’m not dragging you out of this,” he mutters. “If you want to sit in a blanket pile, that’s your problem.”
“But you’re staying?”
He doesn’t answer that. He doesn’t have to. Because he’s already adjusted slightly, already more comfortable now. You win. You lean gently into him, resting your hand on his hip, testing the space. He still doesn’t move away.
“This is stupid,” he mutters.
“Mm.”
“It’s childish.”
“Mhm.”
“It’s a waste of time.”
“Mhmmm.”
There’s a long period of stillness, and then his arm shifts—just slightly—wrapping around you to pull you slightly closer. You go still for a second, just taking the moment to feel his warmth.
“We’re not doing this again,” he adds.
“Okay.”
You already know that’s not true. And judging by the way he doesn’t move, doesn’t pull away, doesn’t make any real effort to leave, he knows it too.
Well, it's bare, cold and a bit bleak outside, so we're bringing a bit of colour into play in today's 5th door, and it's green - even if the lady in question is still very young, she's still an eye-catcher. The Alexander von Humboldt II
Alexander von Humboldt II
A bit more about her and her predecessor:
The Alexander von Humboldt II is a german steel barque that was only built in Bremerhaven in 2011. Like her predecessor, she is clad in green and now serves as a youth and training ship.
Her predecessor, the Alexander von Humboldt, also known as "Alex" for short, is a steel German barque that was built in 1906 as a lightship under the name Reserve Sonderburg (she is of the same type as the Europa). She was decommissioned as a lightship in 1986, converted into a sailing ship and was used as a youth and training ship from 1988 until October 2011.
She attracted international attention as an advertising ship for "Beck's Bier". Today, the Alexander von Humboldt is used as a hotel and catering ship in Bremen.
