Chapter Text
"Hey, man, you fallin' asleep on me?"
Toya hums, cheek smushed into Akito's shoulder. His expression peaceful, his hands loosely holding his boyfriend's, he's well on his way to dreamland.
An giggles across from them. "He looks like a cat basking in the sun."
Kohane echoes her amusement next to her.
Toya smiles himself, sleepy and dopey.
"I never would've thought he liked being in the sun so much," Akito muses as Toya shifts, practically sitting in his lap now and hanging off the back of his shoulder, arms draped around his neck.
An gasps in mock surprise. "Aren't you his boyfriend, Akito? You're supposed to know these things."
"Shut up, An."
Kohane smiles at Toya. "Aoyagi-kun looks so peaceful when he sleeps," she remarks.
"Yeah, and so soft, like one of those baby ads or something," An agrees.
"I dunno about peaceful," Akito replies, raising an eyebrow. "And... whatever An said. He sure does love his sleep though."
Kohane meets his eyes, tilting her head in question, then a look of realization crosses her face.
"Ah, you probably can't see his face, Shinonome-kun... here," she takes out her phone and snaps a quick picture, showing the phone to Akito.
From the angle of the snapshot, Toya's face is clearly seen, cheek smushed against Akito's shoulder, making his lips pout a little. His long, straight eyelashes rest against his cheeks, expression relaxed.
That's the thing that shocks Akito. He'd gotten used to seeing his partner asleep over the course of their relationship, used to the ever-so-slightly noticable pinch in Toya's brows, the tightness in the shut of his eyes, the slight downturn of his mouth, clenched even at a time that was supposed to be relaxing. It always gave Akito's heart a pinch of its own, but he'd adjusted, as much as he wanted to change it, somehow.
How was it so different today?
Was it because they were sitting in Crase Cafe on idle time? Was it the two cookies he'd eaten with his lunch?
"Oh," is all that Akito can muster, feeling all too much at once.
"I'll delete it right away, of course," Kohane says, turning the phone back around.
Akito's eyes widen. Abruptly, he reaches out to stop the action before it happens. "No, wait-"
He jostles Toya and compromises his boyfriend's slumber, although Toya is a heavy sleeper and just mumbles, readjusting and resuming.
"Uh- sorry," Akito mutters, half to Kohane, half to Toya. He sits back carefully. "Could you- send it to me first."
Kohane smiles warmly at him. "Of course!"
A tap or two and she puts the phone back down, looking back up. "It's sent."
"Thanks."
Later, at night when the two of them are tucked into Akito's bed, he pulls up the picture in his and Kohane's messages and saves it.
He probably stares at it for a whole ten minutes. Studying every detail of Toya's expression as he dozed.
He really did look peaceful. Such a feeling of comfort on his face was much prettier than his usual sleep-frown.
Akito puts his phone down. He should go to sleep- after all, he's got the real thing right in front of him.
Setting his phone on his desk beside his bed, he shuffles closer to Toya, who'd probably been asleep for a half-hour now.
Even in the dark, Akito can still see the match-up of every detail, almost as if it's mirrored straight from the photo- the priceless way Toya looked so angelic.
Feeling himself break into a soft smile, Akito lifts his hand to carefully brush back his partner's bangs, leaning up and over to press a kiss to his cheek with the same softness.
Akito snuggles closer, wrapping that same arm around Toya's back and holding him close. He's comforted to sleep by the knowledge he's been doing something right, with the person he loves the most happily aslumber in his arms.