Delighted by both Rat's invitation and the arm draped around his shoulder, Marius scoots in closer, small grin plastered on his face. He snuggles up close to Rat, letting out a contented sigh before bringing his gaze to the book.

Rat is warm, and soft, and he has his arms around Marius the way no one ever held him as a child. He could remain like this for a fair amount of time and be content.

He switches between reading along and catching glimpses of Rat's face, not wanting to miss the way his expressions change with each voice.