Work Text:
“Sorry for intruding….”
The door of the dojo easily slides open, and the very first second Anzu steps in, she’s immediately taken aback by the unusual emptiness, silence and stillness of a regularly rowdy building. There’s even a strange sort of coziness to the empty room, oranged and warmed up by the early setting sun of fall.
Anzu finds herself in such a state of wonder over the dojo’s relaxed atmosphere that she even checks her phone to make sure she’s around at the usual busy hours, and hums to herself in confusion when she sees there’s no mistake. This is definitely the right weekday, and after-school activities should be out and about this time of day.
“Tetora-kun?” She calls, “Kuro-san?”
There’s nobody to be seen on a general peek, but the boys might still be hiding away somewhere, and as luck would have it, a bit of a step around the dojo has the producer actually find them at the corner of the room. Anzu can’t help but smile when she notices neither of them even bothered to change out of karate get-up in order to nap.
Tetora is, for starters, snoring his head off while curled up. His backpack serves him as a pillow, and while that doesn’t look the most comfortable, the boy’s drooling and mumbly sleep-talking suggests he finds little to no problem with his position. Anzu doesn’t even think as she’s overcome with sisterly urges that have her take off her blazer to put it over him-- not the best blanket, but it does a good enough job.
And right next to the sleepy student is, of course, the somehow sleepier teacher slumped against the wall.
Anzu leans down to get a view up-close of what looks like the impossible, and her smile turns fond.
It’s amazing, really, how tame Kuro can manage to look every now and then. At the same time, even more amazingly so, there’s still a bit of a frown in his expression even while deep in sleep; all as if he somehow managed to keep his guard up even in dreams. What kind of things could he dream of that made him so wary?
The producer has a bit of a chuckle to herself, endeared and amused at once at Kuro’s nearly grumpy expression. She considers leaving her sweater-vest over his shoulders and ask for it the next day, but Kuro’s back begins sliding to the side before she has a chance to reach for it. An alarmed Anzu immediately holds his shoulders for support, and right as she tries to help him back to how he was, strong arms wrap tight around her waist.
“K-Kuro-san!” Anzu goes, an embarrassed whisper to spare the sleepy Tetora next to them.
But she gets no reply. Kuro, instead, half-snores as he props his chin over Anzu’s shoulder without loosening his grip in the slightest.
The girl’s cheeks are as red as his hair now, and her arms are soon cramping so much she finds no option but to place them around his shoulders, pressing and keeping him close as a result. ‘Compromising’ doesn’t even begin to explain her current situation, but she decides to roll with it for as long as it could be needed.
--
Fifteen minutes later, Anzu re-examines her situation and decides that enough is enough. Mostly for the numbness, heat and embarrassment of it all, as Tetora could also wake up any moment and find her like this.
So it is with a firmness that she needs to build up that she pats Kuro’s back a few times, tentative and gentle at first.
“Kuro-san…?” She tries. “Hey, can you hear me?”
What was once answered with a snore is now a deep sigh-- good enough for now, and Anzu takes it as her cue to keep talking.
“Listen, I know you’re tired, but I’m kind of…” She pauses, looking for a way to sugarcoat it, but nothing comes to mind. She sighs as well, though hers is far lighter. “...Really, really uncomfortable, honestly. I don’t mind being hugged, but the clinging’s gone on long enough, don’t you think?”
She thinks she’s going to have to struggle with negotiation for another fifteen minutes, but as soon as she’s done explaining her situation, the grip around her loosens significantly. Then, a mumble comes from her shoulder.
“...’msorry.” Kuro’s grouchy, sleepy whisper tells her. “You okay now?”
A little chuckle overcomes Anzu just then. That was way easier than expected.
“Yeah, thank you. Are you awake now?”
A low hum sort of tells Anzu he’s probably not sure himself.
“All I know is I was hurting you, and I don’t want that.”
That makes a little color rise up to Anzu’s cheek, and this time she’s sure it’s not from the heat of being held so close. She chuckles again, leaning her head over Kuro’s.
“It’s okay, I want us all to be comfortable.”
“All of us?”
“Mhm.” She glances to the side. “Tetora-kun’s here too. That’s why I’m talking so quietly.”
Kuro’s next hum sounds sort of like a complaint--a whine, even if a low one.
“Then that means I’ve gotta get back up soon to train...and not let him see this.”
This time, even to Anzu’s own surprise, she’s the one to hold him a little tighter.
“No, it just means you’re both exhausted.” She says. “So...rest up for a couple more minutes, okay? I’ll take care of letting you know when time’s up. I’ll even nudge you if Tetora-kun wakes up first.”
Kuro’s warm laugh sends a light tickle over the side of Anzu’s neck.
“Okay. I’m really glad you’ve got my pride in mind when it comes to these things.”
“How could I not when you make such a big deal out of these things?”
His agreement comes with another laugh; a shorter one that melts into a yawn. Anzu adjusts her grip--and his, in the meantime-- so that they can both be comfortable for their reminder of the break.
A break that, embarrassingly enough, Anzu also ends up taking part in. She wakes up to a darkened dojo all to herself and the red-headed boy, and a brand new phone wallpaper featuring what should be a private cuddle session with Kuro.
Well. All things considered, Tetora’s training must be going very well if he can manage to sneak around so much without freaking out in embarrassment or being noticed.
...Or she just happened to be just as exhausted as Kuro.