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When Akira said he’s great with his hands, Goro must have completely misunderstood the message.
While he’d love to test that theory one day, the brunette hopes he made it perfectly clear that as much as he’s looking forward to sharing the bed with Akira, sleeping is the only thing he’ll allow for quite some time. That, and an infinite amount of cuddles he’s already been subjected to for the last few weeks.
He shouldn’t feel as nervous as he is, it’s not the first time they will be spending the night together. But it’s the first night he can take for granted, knowing that when they wake up in the morning both of them will be safe in each other’s arms. That Akira won’t have to put himself in danger on a daily basis so he can help other people, and Goro will not be forced to hurt anyone anymore.
Although he will have to reconsider his life choices when he comes out of the bathroom in his pajamas, only to find Akira burst into laughter at the sight of it. Goro is very fond of bunnies and won’t let anyone disrespect them. But he can agree that light pink isn’t a particularly popular color among young man.
“I’m sleeping on the couch.” Goro says, making a show of grabbing his quilt and feigning a hurt expression. While he knows it’s not going to stop Akira from getting as close to him as he possibly can, they both agreed to have their own covers for now.
“No no no, come on!” Akira catches the cover and tugs at it to keep Goro in place. “I’ll learn to love the bunnies as much as you, just give me some time.” he exclaims dramatically. Goro can’t stay mad at him for too long, turning back and putting the quilt on the bed. He sits down on the edge of the bed, Akira already laying down and patting the place next to him.
From what Goro observed during the short time they spend together after their reunion, Akira is way too energetic whenever Goro is in sight, and the brunette knows that any attempt at sleeping immediately after laying down is an unachievable dream. And yet he dares to hope as he lays down next to Akira, covering himself and snuggling his covers, Akira clearly upset about the attention he’s not getting.
“Goodnight, Akira.” Goro says unceremoniously, closing his eyes and knowing full well that he’s leaving himself open to a cuddle attack coming his way.
“Goodnight.”
What?
When a minute passes and Goro remains unhugged, he opens his eyes to notice Akira propped up on his elbow and staring at him with a dreamy smile. He quickly closes his eyes, tucking himself in even further to hide the blush spreading on his cheeks. “Go to sleep, Akira.”
“I thought we left Morgana at Futaba’s.” Akira replies matter-of-factly. Goro groans, suspecting that the ravenette won’t rest unless he’s as close to him as humanly possible. He uncovers himself slightly, enough for Akira to take it as an invitation. But leave it to Akira to eat the whole cake instead of taking one bite.
When he spots an opening, Akira swiftly dives under the quilt and wraps his arms around Goro, the brunette suddenly feeling way too hot to protest. It doesn’t help that Akira completely discarded his shirt, leaving him naked from the waist up and ruining Goro’s plans of falling asleep as quickly as he can. When Akira squirms to get comfortable and finally settles down with his head under Goro’s chin, there is only so much the brunette can do not to bolt from under the covers to splash some cold water on his face to avoid further embarrassment.
While he doesn’t mind Akira’s clinginess during the day, often seeking it himself, it’s different during the night when Goro knows Akira won’t detach himself from him for the next few hours. And it’s not like he doesn’t appreciate the attention, but the years spent in isolation and the life in which he was deprived of any form of physical affection made him unused to the feeling, tensing under Akira’s arms involuntarily.
Sensing his uneasiness, Akira shifts his head to lay it on the pillow. “Too much?” he asks, smiling smugly. Like he doesn’t know the answer already.
Not to be underestimated, Goro replies, “No, it’s fine.” while his muscles tense even more. He feels Akira’s arms leaving him, missing the warmth already despite his body’s protests.
“Are you sure? You’re quite tense.” Goro hates that he’s the reason for the worry in Akira’s tone, ruining even such a simple thing he should be used to by now.
Goro feels Akira’s hand going up his arm and right up to his shoulder, the brunette allowing himself to relax slightly at the light touches. “I can give you a massage if you want.” Akira offers with a smirk, causing Goro’s mind to overheat in a second.
That’s a tragedy in the making.
Goro is sweating just at the thought of Akira’s hands roaming over his body, the idea that it will somehow release the tension is ludicrous. It would be better if he could just turn around and pretend Akira isn’t there for the well-being of his mental health.
But Akira is waiting for his reply, so Goro makes sure to let him know that there is a line he doesn’t want to cross yet. “Sure.” he says, being a complete moron and letting himself be manipulated by the grey eyes watching him attentively.
Akira smiles widely, the smugness finally leaving him. “Turn around.”
Goro pales, wondering if it’s too late to change his mind but following Akira’s instructions anyway. He lays down on his stomach, resting his head on his arms until he hears Akira again.
“Pull your shirt up.” Goro turns his head around to look at Akira, but before he can argue the ravenette adds, “Trust me.” putting his hands up as if to show he’s intentions are pure. Goro bites his lip, deciding to take off his shirt instead. It’s only going to get in his way. Once the unnecessary obstruction has been removed, Goro quickly lays back down to not expose himself more than necessary, avoiding Akira’s gaze by burying his head in his arms.
Goro hears Akira snickering quietly, glad the ravenette can’t see the furious blush that’s already spreading to his ears and neck. He suspects that for the next few minutes he’ll be fighting his own body and force it to relax under Akira’s ministrations, only to be proven wrong when he finally feels the hands massaging his back.
All thoughts leave Goro when the knots covering his body are gently loosened, the brunette sinking deeper into the mattress as Akira’s hands work magic on his tense shoulders. He doesn’t mind them anymore, feeling them leave his upper body only to travel down to his lower back, Goro sighing in delight as his mind drifts away.
When the brunette allows himself to think he made a right decision in the end, Akira subverts his expectations in a moment when the firm touch of his hands is replaced by the feather light caress of his fingers on Goro’s sides. He jerks to the side with a gasp, turning his head around to see Akira grinning mischievously with his hands ready for the next attack.
Before Goro has a chance to question him, Akira launches at the brunette and starts tickling him. Unfortunately, being as sensitive as he is, the ravenette gains an upper hand without much struggle, Goro trying to curl up and protect himself while laughing uncontrollably, Akira grinning at him and clearly having too much fun tormenting the brunette.
But when the competitive streak hits, Goro knows that it’s his turn to get his revenge. When Akira shifts and tries to get more comfortable, Goro swats his hands away and moves in for the kill. The ravenette is too confident in his victory, so when the brunette jumps at him it’s easy enough to pin him down with one arm, the other busy with tickling his sides the same way Akira did to him. Goro drinks in the sound of Akira’s tortured laugh, being only slightly remorseful at the sight of the tears in his eyes caused by Goro’s cruel hands.
But even through the obvious struggle Akira is able to lift himself off the bed, grabbing Goro’s arms and prying them away from himself, leaping at Goro once again. But before he has a chance to lay his hands on him, Goro finds himself losing his balance and tilting to the side unexpectedly. It seems he miscalculated the size of the battlefield, moving his knee only to find no surface under it, the faint light of the lamp deceiving him into thinking he can plan his move properly.
Bracing himself for the inevitable meeting with the floor, Goro tries to curl up to lessen the impact. But it never comes, the brunette feeling the hands which only brought him suffering for the last minute catching him and saving him from the fall. He has no time to recoil, being at Akira’s mercy and accepting his fate only to be pulled into a kiss, the ravenette’s hands leaving his own and moving up to cradle his face.
As hectic as the encounter was so far, the next moment is everything but. Once Goro feels Akira’s lips moving against his own his mind blanks out, forgetting about the fight and burying his hands in the black locks, feeling Akira smile against him. He does the same, still feeling the remaining sensations of the ravenette’s hands on him, realizing that he made the right decision after all.
Once they calm down enough to pull away, still laughing and holding hands, Akira speaks up, “Are you okay?”
Goro can’t imagine a scenario in which he isn’t, “Is sleep a foreign concept to you?” he asks with amusement.
“If you’re around.” Akira replies with a smirk.
“Good. Because I’m not done.” Before Akira has a chance to react, Goro grabs the pillow with his free hand and punches the ravenette straight in his face.
And so the battle resumes, both boys making sure to take frequent breaks such as this one, only to find out that they enjoy the breaks way more than the tickling. They fall on the bed next to each other, sweating and breathing heavily from exhaustion, still chuckling and stealing small kisses in between the laughs.
With the stress from a while ago entirely forgotten, Goro finds himself struggling with keeping his eyes open, leaving them half-lidded if only to return Akira’s gaze, the younger boy still not spent enough to close his own. It seems he’s entertained enough to at least agree to come back under his own covers, still looking at Goro with affection and whispering “Goodnight, love.”
Goro smiles, returning the gaze as much as he can with his tired eyes and replying. “Goodnight.”
When Goro wakes up the next morning only to find Akira’s quilt laying on the floor and the boy himself nuzzling into his neck, he realizes he doesn’t want to sleep alone ever again.