Chapter Text
It’s not particularly late in the evening, and neither of them have hero work or grading to do, the week having been fairly calm. So it’s a little unusual for either to be passed out on the couch at 7 PM.
Though, Shouta did have a knack for falling into slumber at any time and in any place.
Hizashi, on the other hand, not so much.
This is why Shouta is surprised, when he finishes the chapter of the book he’s holding, to look over at where his husband had been stretched out on the remainder of the couch scrolling through an article on his tablet, his toes tucked under Shouta’s thigh for warmth, to see that Hizashi is no longer reading. His tablet is powered down, case closed, and sitting on his slowly rising chest. Shouta watches the tablet slide an inch as Hizashi lets out a breath. His eyes tick up from the blond’s chest to his face, tilted sideways, hair fanning out around him on the armrest, his mouth slack as he snoozes.
Shouta smiles at the sight.
He closes his book and leans forward to set it on the coffee table, careful not to let it drop out of his hands and wake the other man. Hizashi wasn’t a light sleeper by any means, but he had set odd rules for himself when it came to appropriate times to close his eyes. While he encouraged Shouta to doze off as much as he wanted, Hizashi would insist on staying up no matter how exhausted he was.
Shouta wasn’t about to disturb the peaceful look on his husband’s face.
That being said, he also didn’t like the way Hizashi’s knees were bent and his body was hunched over, squished into the half of their small sofa that Shout wasn’t occupying. Shouta pushes up off the couch and Hizashi immediately brings his legs in closer, his feet and toes curling up at the cold air. He frowns a bit in his sleep.
Shouta moves to stand beside the blond, taking the tablet off his body and setting it on the table, then bending down, slipping one hand and arm beneath Hizashi’s shoulders and behind his back, while the other he tucks underneath Hizashi’s knees. Shouta goes painstakingly slow, straightening his posture and lifting the other man up off the couch, bringing him in close to lean against Shouta’s chest. One of Hizashi’s arms is lying across his stomach, and now his hand is resting against Shouta’s. As he begins walking toward their bedroom, he feels Hizashi’s fingers loosely grip his shirt.
Shouta turns to bump his hip against their half open door, holding Hizashi a little tighter as he does so. The blond mumbles something, but Shouta can’t understand it. When he looks down, Hizashi’s eyes are still closed and his mouth is still hanging open.
He walks over to their bed and pauses for a moment to try and figure out how he’s going to manage getting Hizashi under the blanket. Thankfully, the other man had already taken a shower and changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt when they’d returned home from work. Shouta opts for using his foot, biting his lip as he balances on one foot and nudges the blankets down enough to fit Hizashi with the other. He nearly loses it at one point, having to stop pushing the comforter to steady himself, but Hizashi stays calm and unaware.
Sighing in relief, Shouta gently lays his husband’s body on the bed. Knowing Hizashi likes to sleep on his side the best, Shouta guides him off his back. The slumbering voice hero snuggles into his pillow immediately. Fighting back a laugh, Shouta brings the blankets up over his shoulders.
It would be so easy for Shouta to just go back into the living room, curl up with the throw blanket that had slid off the back of the couch when he’d lifted Hizashi from the cushions, and go back to reading.
It would be easy.
Instead, he chooses to walk around the couch and pluck his novel from the coffee table, tucking it underneath his arm, and continuing down the hall toward the bedroom. He steps inside, shutting the door quietly behind him, and carefully sits on the edge of the mattress. He inches his way onto the bed until he reaches the headboard, propping up a pillow behind his back so he can more comfortably sit against it. He reaches over to turn the lamp on the nightstand to the lowest setting and opens up his book.
Shouta holds the pages flat with one hand and the other he gently rests atop Hizashi’s head. He cards his fingers through the loose strands that aren’t trapped beneath the other man’s shoulders.
It’s not often that Hizashi takes naps, usually too busy or too tightly wound with energy and excitement to relax to this point. He’d once told Shouta that he hated being the first one asleep, feeling like he was missing out on something if he was.
Shouta, on the other hand, loved to nap, loved to be relaxed, loved to know he was drifting off with his head in Hizashi’s lap, knowing the blond would keep him safe as he hummed soft melodies above Shouta’s tranquil body.
He flips a page in the book and begins the song Hizashi has sung to him so many times before, the one that always pushed him right to the brink of sleep. Shouta feels Hizashi’s head shift slightly underneath his hand and looks down to see the blond nuzzling his face a little deeper into the pillow.
A small, serene smile sprouts on Hizashi’s lips.