Page 45 of Finn's Solace

"I'm just glad Fate brought me back to you."

"Me too. Can we... can we just stay here today?" I asked, then hid my face in his neck. Penny would be going back to college this evening. I should've wanted to spend time with her, shouldn't I? Was I a bad brother for wanting to stay here when I didn't know how long it would be until I saw her again?

"Of course. Do you not want to go outside or be around people?" he asked, and I frowned, not expecting the question. I gave it some thought, and realized it was the first one.

"I just want to stay here," I murmured, and Levi hummed.

"Okay, then how about this? I'll make us some breakfast, and we can eat in bed like we planned to. And after lunch, we can invite Penny and the guys over to hang out here for a while. How does that sound?"

"Perfect," I said, the hitch in my voice clear. Levi squeezed me again, then pressed a kiss against my temple.

"All right. You wanna join me in the kitchen while I make us some pancakes? I'm sure Greta's wondering where we are."

"Yeah," I said, then pulled back and slid off his lap as I stood up.

"Gin," Levi said as he stood up, and I paused, turning to look at him.

"Yeah?"

Levi stepped up to me, then leaned up on his tiptoes and pulled me into a kiss as his hands fell to my hips, holding me close. I kissed him back, and the million different thoughts and emotions that had been fluttering through my head ever since I woke up quieted down one by one until all I could think about was how fast I was falling for this man.

He pulled back before I was ready to let go, and I chased after him, pulling him into another kiss as I pressed our bodies together, needing to feel him against me. The nightmare from last night still lingered in my mind, and I ran my palms up and down his arms, reminding myself he wasn't stone, or bleeding.

"Okay, okay," Levi said as he pulled back, a smile in his voice. He gazed at me, his blue eyes twinkling. "Let's get some food in us, and then we can make out some more if you want, okay?"

I huffed, but agreed, and he took my hand as we made our way to the kitchen. Greta spotted us as we were walking past the living room and chased after us.

Levi let go of my hand once we were in the kitchen, and I scooped Greta up into my arms as I hopped up onto the counter out of Levi's way.

Greta settled on my lap with a chirp, and Levi shot us a smile. "Aww, my two favorite people all cuddled up together? I love it."

Butterflies took flight in my belly at his comment, and I hoped my cheeks weren't as red as they felt. Judging by the smile on his face, it was a vain hope.

Levi started grabbing stuff to make pancakes, and when I offered to help, he told me I could help by "Sitting there and looking pretty for me," and to "Let me take care of you, Gin."

So I sat there and played with Greta as Levi stirred the batter and then made us some fluffy pancakes.

We ate on the counter, and I drew the line when Levi tried to feed me. Instead, we ended up feeding each other and making a mess of things.

Once we were finished, we went right back to kissing and licking the syrup off each others' lips until there was none left.

By the time we jumped into the shower together, my nightmare was nothing but a fading memory, and I was feeling lighter than I ever had so soon after an episode.

I could see why people liked getting taken care of. It felt amazing.

Levi

By the time we got out of the shower, Finn seemed to be doing a lot better.

Since his clothes were still in a pile in the bathroom, I gave him more of my clothes to wear and put his stuff in the wash. I imagined he wouldn't want to be wearing my clothes when we had company, no matter how much I would prefer it. Finn had texted the others while I started the laundry, and they'd all said they'd be here. I was looking forward to seeing Milesand Mateo again after all this time, and seeing Ames and Penny again.

Somehow, we found ourselves back in bed. I sat with my back against the headboard and Finn in my lap, his knees on either side of my hips. His hands slid under my t-shirt as I cupped his face with mine, and he touched me all over as we kissed, his fingers smooth and firm against my skin.

He played with my nipples, making me hum into the kiss. My nipples weren't the most sensitive, but Finn's touch still felt good on them. So very good.

We made out for a while longer, but didn't go further. I wasn't sure if I was just taking it slow or still reacting from what happened last night, but Finn didn't push for more either.

Afterward, we lay in bed, holding each other as we talked. Finn told me a little about his nightmares, and about how he'd gotten over the closet thing for a while but it'd started again since Dean left for college. Throwing meeting me again in the mix couldn't have helped, but Finn insisted it wasn't because of me, though I was pretty sure the nightmare he'd had last night had involved me.

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