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A sound and paired vibration caught Ryo’s attention, eyes drawn from the screen on his lap to the screen on the cushion. Curiously, he picked it up, the words “Akira Fudo" fading as he unlocked his phone. Akira rarely used his phone, rather barging into Ryo’s apartment unannounced, so the blonde was definitely interested.
Akira Fudo: hey, cant sleep. Can I come over?
Ryo chuckled briefly, amused by Akira's sudden considerateness and typed a quick “sure” back. Somehow, he didn't expect anything else from a random text from Akira.
On the other side of the city, said man lie flat in bed, limbs extended and dark eyes staring up at the ceiling. It was only nine, but from a mix of restlessness and nightmares, he couldn't seem to settle down and sleep.
When the phone beside him buzzed, he shot up and fumbled for it. “Sure" the text read, and a smile cracked its way onto Akira's lips. For some reason Ryo seemed like the only answer he could come to to solve his night-time boredom.
Standing up from his bed, Akira stretched and his bones cracked, black shirt riding up his stomach. Clothes tossed around the room, Akira dug until he found the desired hoodie, and with a swift and unorganized motion pulled it over his head. He didn't want to seem missing in the morning so he quietly crept down the stairs, peeking behind a corner as to not wake anyone else up. Only Miki’s little brother was asleep, but everyone else was in their room.
“I'm heading to Ryo’s, he's going to show me something with my phone so I'll just stay the night,” Akira called into Mr. and Mrs. Makimura’s room. He realized it was a bad excuse and hurried out before they could ask any questions, swiping his keys as he sped by. Only once outside did he pause to realize he had assumed he'd be spending the night. Shrugging, Akira shoved his phone in his pocket and swung his leg over the bike.
When he arrived at the imposing building, Akira didn’t save his coutrosey and walked straight into Ryo’s apartment, leaving his slip ons dutifully at the door. The respective owner sat on his couch, legs propped and ghostly white fingers typing away on the equally white laptop.
“Hey,” Akira said, simply and flatley, shoving his hands into the pockets of his joggers. Ryo didn’t look up and he frowned, itching his leg with the other foot.
Ryo must have picked up on the odd atmosphere around Akira because he looked up then, even stopping from typing. “Hey. So, couldn’t sleep? It’s not very late, you know,” Sharp blue eyes looked his guest up and down, from the heather gray fabric of his too-good looking joggers to the mess of black hair that obviously hadn’t been even thought about.
Akira shrugged and wandered forward, though awkwardly keeping his distance. “Eh, yeah. I was tired. Couldn’t sleep, stuff kept bothering me..”
“But Miki is right under you?”
Akira stood quietly for a minute, like he hadn’t thought about it, because admittedly, he didn’t.
“I guess… I just… wanted you.”
This made Ryo’s chest fill, with pride or some other warm feelings he wasn’t sure, but he didn’t let on externally. It took all his might not to slip into a sly smirk, and instead closed his laptop and slowly slid it to the coffee table.
“I… were you going to bed soon? I don’t mean to disrupt you.” Akira rubbed the back of his neck, taking steps toward the staircase where he knew Ryo’s bedroom resided. “Just ignore me, I just wanted a change of scenery. I won’t even bother you.”
Ryo stood, walking towards Akira. “I’ve finished all I need for today. Besides, sounds like you could use some company,” He smiled, unusually warm and filled with a fondness Akira only caught a glimpse of on accident every once in a while. That alone settled his unexplainable nerves.
Akira reflected the smile with sincerity, eyes softening. “Thanks,” he said quietly, though that didn’t seem like the right word.
“Relaxed sport is a good look on you, by the way,” added Ryo as he passed by. Akira paused a moment, the line marinating in his head as he watched thin fingers run along the rail ahead of him.
He jogged up to meet him at the top of the stairs and nudged him teasingly, “Maybe if you did some sports yourself you could rock the muscle look too,” Ryo made a face, but Akira didn’t catch it as he laughed and ran ahead to the bedroom.
As the collection of blacks and greys flopped onto the pristine bed, Ryo took his time undressing and pulling pajamas from his closet. Akira peeked over from the covers, pursing his lips as he propped his cheek on his hand.
“Even your pj’s are white? We should go shopping, at least get a print.”
“Why? I’m perfectly happy with what I have.” Ryo stood shirtless, blonde strands rustling as he looked over his shoulder to Akira. He cut off the other when he opened his mouth, “Don’t you dare tell me about my fashion when all you wear is black. Amon didn’t do that.”
Akira blinked and effectively shut his mouth, ending the conversation there. He shuffled under the covers and got comfy, arms crossed behind his head as he watched Ryo button a silk shirt over his breasts. His patience wore thin and he turned away from Ryo, burying his side into the bed and pulling up the covers. Ryo’s bed was softer than he could ever dream his to be and felt more at ease immediately.
The mattress dipped as Ryo climbed in from the other side, blankets and pillows shifting as he made himself comfortable. They lie facing each other, Akira moving a little closer when he felt Ryo had stopped. After a few moments in silence, Akira opened his eyes to meet Ryo’s looking back at him. Akira smiled, not knowing what else to do.
Ryo laughed quietly in response, “Feel better then? You're not a hard one to please.”
“I've never thought of myself as being complicated, just sincere,” Akira replied with a hint of pride, but mostly quiet satisfaction. “And yeah. Maybe your bed’s just comfier.”
“Oh, I wouldn't debate with that,” Ryo’s smile continued as he turned onto his back.
“I should just move in here, a pool, a nice bed, great view,“ Akira smiled as he joked, but his voice took a gentler tone as he continued. “Yeah. This feels right. Thanks for letting me come over, Ryo.”
Said man looked over and studied Akira’s face. Behind his dark eyes and silly smile was a sentence waiting to be said. It was always there, and some days it felt closer than others. Ryo wondered if Akira knew he could see it.
“Yeah,” he replied, eye contact never wavering, “it's no problem at all.”
Ryo turned toward Akira again and shut his eyes, arms folded underneath the blanket. Akira grumbled something about forgetting the light, and after a thump of something being thrown the room went dark.
Breaths synced and calmed, close in the quiet of the room. Some time a little later in the night, Akira wrapped his arm around Ryo and pulled him closer. Ryo was still awake and was surprised by the sudden move, face suddenly a lot closer to Akira’s rising chest. Startled, he looked up but was only met by Akira’s sleeping face. Something told him he wasn't completely asleep though.
Ryo contemplated for a moment his position. He didn't actually hate where he was, in fact quietly relished in it, for reasons he wouldn't admit and had a harder time expressing. In the dark of the room, the outline of Akira still stood out to Ryo’s adjusted eyes, the poof of his hair most obvious. Biting his lip, Ryo closed his eyes and sighed. Why not indulge himself, and if Akira was awake, give him a little nudge.
Inching his way higher to a more equal level with Akira, Ryo draped his arm over Akira’s side and under his arm, which rested over himself. Left hand resting against the fabric of Akira’s hoodie, Ryo leaned his head against the shoulder in front of him and nuzzled close. Akira was warm and firm, and even more satisfying than Ryo imagined. The thought that Akira chose himself over Miki echoed again in his head, and he smiled into the soft fabric.
It seemed they were starting to finally echo on the same frequency, and Ryo would be the first to admit this had been the happiest he'd been in a while. And with his face pressed into the warmth of Akira’s sweater, he couldn't help but agree with his friend as he finally drifted off. This did feel right.