Archive of Our Own

2017

Ashiya Ryōko

"Remind me again why we're hikin' through the snow?"

"You've been cooped up in my apartment, so we're here to take a break!"

It wasn't really a break even though the view was great and all. Despite her initial complaints, her boyfriend had dragged her out for their date. She'd rather they'd remained indoors because she wasn't in the mood to walk.

If I hadn't agreed in the first place, I would've smacked him for dragging me out here.

Their first date just happened to fall on the day she started her blood flow, and she regretted following him out into the cold.

Perfect weather to accompany us on our first date, she pursed her lips as she squeezed his fingers in complaint.

It was odd to say they were in a relationship considering how they hadn't really changed in the three years they'd been together, but it was the truth, and the truth was that she was a tad bit nervous just how things would play out—she was pretty sure this was his first date as well, and considering how she'd been preoccupied with her studies, she should've had the mind to look up others' experiences with their first dates just so she wouldn't be alone in feeling this way.

"We're almost there!"

Startled, she shifted her head to peer past her boyfriend and noticed the looming gate just ahead of them. Heisuke hadn't turned back to face her, but she could see his dimples which meant that he was smiling, and if she had to take a guess, then she'd say he was beaming at the idea that they were near their destination.

Huffing in laughter, she brushed aside her nerves. At the end of the day, he'd still be the same ridiculous fool who'd avert his gaze whenever he caught sight of her staring his way. How did I fall for him again? she hummed as she tilted her head in wonder. Giving her shoulder a light pat, she brushed aside the stray thought and adjusted her scarf to breathe in the cold air.

As they continued to walk up the steps, she noted that the place was void of others. As far as she could see, there was not a hint of another human being in their vicinity, and she huffed at the thought that they could've taken the cable car instead of bypassing it to take in the view.

In spite of her delight with taking in the wondrous sight, she was tempted to take a break where she stood because her legs had been aching and the cold was making it worse. Besides, she didn't want to complain and waste her breath when she could be walking up the darned steps.

With a sigh, she glanced down at their intertwined hands slick with sweat—even though they both had mittens, for some inane reason her boyfriend had insisted on leading the way with their bare hands clasped together.

She didn't really mind the display of affection, but she'd rather have their affection be behind closed doors—it was difficult enough keeping an eye out for their surroundings (who knew if she had overlooked another hiker while she was admiring the view?), but she had to keep track of where they tread because she didn't want to slip at all.

It was a coincidence their breaks fell on the same week this term. With both of their schedules being freed up, she'd decided it'd be a nice surprise to visit him. Besides, she was finally making use of the key he'd given her two years ago.

After she'd driven all the way to his apartment, she had huddled down and waited for his return. To her delight, he hadn't been around when she let herself in. She didn't think she could ever forget his reaction: her greeting had been aborted because he'd tugged her into his arms and pressed her head against his shoulder as if he didn't believe she was truly there hours after she'd texted him she was going somewhere.

Had it been spontaneous? Yes. Would she do it again if given the choice? Yes. Did she have the foresight to pack her essentials considering she expected her period to arrive the following week? No, but did she need to worry? Also no. When she realized her underwear had been ruined, she had her boyfriend go out and buy some pads for her while she hogged the bathroom in a clean new pair.

She just wished he understood the annoyance of menstruating because she had not rested long enough to be spending the day outside.

"Ne, senpai—"

How many times does this make it? She sucked in her complaints but still warned him by the call of his name. They'd discussed it a couple years back when their breaks had overlapped, but it seemed to be taking far longer than she'd expected for him to get used to calling her name.

"Ah?" It was a murmur but loud enough for her to hear as she walked in his footsteps. "Ah-ano, Ashiya-san..."

Mn, that's better. It was more or less the best he would do before he ended up biting his tongue (trust her, he'd tried before and hadn't dared to look her in the eyes for days after he'd failed that first attempt). If she didn't constantly remind him, he'd probably end up calling her 'senpai' for the rest of their lives.

Who knows when he'll call me Ryōko, ah? she lamented. Well…I'll forgive him this time, she grinned wryly as he turned his head back in her direction—the tip of his nose was beginning to resemble the way his fingers had become from holding the ice pack all those years ago and her shoulders shook with mirth at the reminder.

"There's ice here. Please be careful?"

Of course, she huffed as she adjusted her scarf—it was a lovely thing she coordinated her outfits with, and it probably didn't help that she'd buy clothes just so she could pair them with the darker shade of red.

"You'll protect me though, won't you?" Such cheesy lines; I wouldn't say 'em if he didn't enjoy them. "And you wouldn't want to break your promise, would you?" Besides, she didn't have a thousand needles to make him swallow if he did intentionally break it, so she'd be letting him off unpunished and it wouldn't be pretty for either of them.

Back when he'd confessed to her, he'd also promised to protect her. While his confession hadn't been grand or anything (at least when she had to compare with her fellow peers and the tales they'd shared in private), he'd been sincere, and he'd confessed with the intent of marriage. Had she not recognized the slight changes in his demeanour before his confession, she wouldn't have thought twice before rejecting him.

Heh. He's still an overly energetic pup, she thought as her lips quirked up. Watching him face the front, her gaze landed on his back and drifted to his shoulders—they weren't exactly broad, but she wouldn't call them narrow either; if she had to compare his back to an object, she'd have to say it resembled a hefty shield because it was capable of protecting her while she dealt with the world beyond its range.

I might need that break, she pursed her lips as she glanced down at the ground. Her mind had run rampant and she wasn't making much sense anymore, and you know what was hilarious? Her comparison still made sense in her head after she thought it over again.

Had she not glanced down then; her boyfriend would've knocked headfirst onto the stone pathway. If he did, he'd have bled against the snow and required emergency care, so she was glad she'd been watching their footing in that moment because it wouldn't do for both of them to bleed—she only knew how to deal with one bloody situation and it certainly didn't involve head wounds.

Sure she dealt with wound care, but her cases involved people coming in for physical therapy—unless Heisuke had a traumatic brain injury, then his would-be wound wouldn't fall under her scope of practice.

I forgot. She would smack her forehead if she wasn't preoccupied, but sue her for panicking and forgetting basic first aid. Thankfully, she didn't need to apply that knowledge because she prevented him from falling in the first place, but she would be sure to remember if there was a next time.

Shaking her head, she inwardly scolded her boyfriend. You tell me to be careful but you yourself aren't careful. With a huff, she hauled him up, and thanked herself for not losing her balance even though her knees were on the verge of buckling underneath the physical strain. In order to prevent either of them from crashing to the ground, she drew him close and stabilized their footing.

Had she not held him up then, she was pretty damn sure he would've slipped and fallen down because the steps were covered in ice and he'd flail around trying to gain solid footing. I would like my boyfriend in one whole piece, thank you very much.

Now that she thought about it, they both needed that break.

Riseki Heisuke

Although he'd been careful from the very start, nothing seemed to be going his way. If he had to place the blame, it'd be his fault because he'd been deprived of sleep. In order to prepare for their official first date, he'd stayed awake in order to jot their plans (in secret of course—need he be reminded that his girlfriend was just a wall away?), so it was his fault he'd been off-balance.

He'd been so caught up in his keenness to lead the way that he truly hadn't noticed his legs giving way right when they reached the Niomon Gate. Had he not been so careless (enough to forgo the warnings of fatigue), then maybe, just maybe, he would've been able to avoid losing face in front of his girlfriend.

His stomach churned as he stumbled over the thought—the idea that they were in a relationship where they called each other their partner. Despite dating for three years (in three months, they'd be closing in on their fourth year), he couldn't help but simp after her.

He'd been the one to proclaim his affection for her in the first place. What does she even see in me? he couldn't help but wonder as his gaze drifted to the ends of her scarf, the one he'd gifted her the year before.

The corners of his lips rose as his heart beat a tiny bit louder at the sight; it warmed him to see her adoring the gift since she had to love it enough to wear it out. Initially, he hadn't thought she'd like his gift since he knew that she had a ton of scarves stuffed in the back of her drawers, but his mother had managed to convince him to get it (It won't be as bad as you're making it out to be, would it? She'll love it, or are you doubting your sense of her tastes?) and he only caved because he didn't know how to respond to that.

"Should we head back?"

Huh? With a startle, he glanced up.

Neither of them were smiling anymore.

If there was a means of describing just how he felt at that moment, it would be that he'd just discovered he'd been falling from a plane with absolutely no idea how he'd gotten on it in the first place. In that very moment, he discovered he had zero materials on hand, but even if he did have a parachute, he wouldn't know how to operate it and land anyway. He was on his own and there was nobody around to save him from his impending doom.

I knew I would ruin it—he choked on his thoughts as he numbly nodded.

All his plans were dashed as he hunched his shoulders and trudged after her imprints in the snow. There was nowhere else they'd go to now that they were returning to his apartment—a gift on behalf of his parents since he was studying at the university nearby.

Similar to his parents, his girlfriend's parents had gifted her an apartment in Gunma. He'd first learned about it when he'd been invited over for oyatsu. To his distress, he'd been taken aback by their first meeting because it was sudden and he hadn't been able to prepare for anything, but they had eased him into lowering his guard after asking him to share tidbits of their relationship, his goals in life, and everything in-between.

His girlfriend, he recalled, had escaped to her living room because they'd been sitting at the kitchen table during the confrontation, and he remembered envying the stuffed toy she'd been hugging. According to her parents, it was a Totoro plushie they'd gotten her after she'd been admitted into Takasaki, and then the conversation derailed to the point that none of them could pinpoint when it began. Needless to say, his initial worries about not being liked by her parents were unfounded because they had kindly demanded that he drop by for a visit when he visited Ashiya.

His girlfriend (senpai at the time) would commute to Amagasaki every school day, and he couldn't help but lament the idea that if he'd known about her commuting schedule, he would've stayed back just to keep her company and help out with the clean-up and miscellaneous activities—he could've accompanied her until she got off at her stop since they took the same route (even though she would've gotten off two stops earlier than he did, it still would've been a nice memory he could've had of their high school days).

Honestly recalling all of this had him shaking his head. Even though her parents had called her unconventional, he would say the same about them—the thought that he'd be kicked out if they found even a single strand of hair out of place had weighed heavily on him (and he had many considering how his hair defied gravity), but they hadn't reprimanded him for any of his shortcomings.

Instead, they had entertained him with a variety of facts, though he had it in mind that they'd been subtly testing his knowledge on how well he knew their daughter. He wasn't even sure if he'd passed their test because they'd been together for three years, but only then was he finding out things he hadn't ever thought to question before.

One trivial fact was that his girlfriend didn't drink coffee because she preferred herbal tea. By the time they started sharing the other half of the sponge cake he'd brought over (a customary gift for their afternoon snack time), he had reminded himself that it was normal for everyone to have different tastes. He certainly didn't mind the taste of coffee, but if it made her happy, then he wouldn't mind cutting down on the caffeinated drink anyway.

Herbal tea's the way to go. Oh! I should look up that shop they mentioned! He fondly recalled the looks on their faces when they told him of the sponge cake they liked. It seemed to be a family favourite, and he wanted to see his girlfriend bask in her favourite delicacies since they were going to be busier than ever, and they wouldn't be able to meet as frequently as they did before.

A couple of months earlier, an agent from VC Kanagawa had scouted him onto their team. He'd been worried that he'd have to quit school because of the move, but they had allowed him to graduate first since they weren't short on players, but they had mentioned that they'd prefer he be available as soon as possible which meant that he shouldn't slack off during practices.

Apparently, they had seen him play for his university's men's volleyball team, and contacted him because they'd seen promise during his games. He had to admit that it'd been a complete and utter shock because he wasn't that good of a player compared to the others on his team, but he was glad that they hadn't passed him up because it meant that he was good enough to be scouted professionally.

As for his girlfriend...he didn't have a clue as to where she would go and what her plans were for the future (no matter how much he tried to pry, she would leave him puffing in defeat because she'd zip her lips and ignore him until he changed the topic to something else other than her graduation plans). He could only assume that she'd be too busy to bother with him, or worse, she'll dump me because I ruined our first date.

Was he thinking of this more seriously than he should be? Yes, but how could he not? He'd been pining after her back in his first year of high school. Ever since she brought him to the infirmary, his crush on her only grew. If he hadn't observed the way his parents acted around each other when he wasn't around and thought that he could see them acting the same way, then his crush probably would've remained a high school infatuation. It was mindless at first, but he had acknowledged that she was more than who he'd initially fallen for because he'd grown to see her for all her faults, accomplishments, and the in-between.

"Heisuke, what's on your mind?"

Ah? When did we...when did we...walk into the living room? He stared around his own unit before he caught sight of the mess he'd forgotten to clean that morning. Quickly abandoning his rampant thoughts, he rushed over to shove the sheets he'd discarded atop the coffee table behind his back. "I—" he gulped and turned around with the pieces scrunched inside his fists, "it's nothing…" he whispered, chickening out.

There was no reason she needed to know he'd berated himself for messing up their first date.

"Heisuke."

Whether it was the way she'd narrowed her eyes, the way he'd been deprived of sleep, or whatever possible reason his mind could supply him with, he gave into the pressure. "I just!—wanted to go on our first date," he lamely murmured after his initial hype in answering her worries.

If it hadn't been for his excessive enthusiasm, he could've saved some face and continued on with their date, but he hadn't been able to do or say anything the entire trip back, thoroughly lost in his thoughts as an attempt to disrupt his moment of self-blame.

If he had the opportunity to turn back time, he would've forced himself to put his phone down when night fell because the amount of time he had spent surfing the web had cut into the amount of time he would've gotten of sleep—by the time the sun shone, the amount of tabs he'd opened had tripled in number and he could only regret the trail of curiosity that had welled in him because that lack of sleep had interfered with his first official date.

Even if I did put away my phone, I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway. The countless nights where he'd remain restless and unable to sleep had him resigned to just staying awake because he knew he wouldn't be able to stay asleep for long.

Did he try to sleep? Sure, but would he give up when the hours passed him by, and he found himself still awake? Yes.

"Heisuke, wouldya look at me?"

The brewing guilt combined with the impending anticipation over being dumped had him standing motion still as he refused to look up. If she was going to dump him, he didn't want to look and see whatever expression she had on her face—he'd rather not see the disappointment and regret she had of him, and he even resorted to shutting his eyes when she tried to lift his chin.

Ashiya Ryōko

Oh Heisuke.

She really didn't know what to think, but she couldn't resist puffing her cheeks as she indulged in his rare expression of a defeated pup.

After that visit to the infirmary in her second year of high school, she'd noticed that he'd begun to keep a tight leash on his facial expressions because he seemed to resent appearing as immature as the others his age. Sure, he would weep during practice matches and official games (especially when he'd return to warming the bench), but he wouldn't consciously act that way in front of her. It was only when he was unaware of her presence that she'd see his childish side, and she had to admit that while it was cute how hard he was trying to act mature for his age, she also thought that he was fine not being someone else because it would be an embarrassing memory if he ever looked back to his high school days.

Ridiculous—she couldn't help but shake her head with a wry smile. "Heisuke, I'll ask again...wouldya look up...please?" she whispered by the end. It took her entire will to keep her hands by her side because they itched to squish his cheeks in retaliation for the pain he was putting himself through. She had already tried earlier when he refused to look up, but he'd avoided her touch, so she didn't want to try that again and watch him close off from her.

She dearly wished he saw himself the way she saw him. He lacked confidence in himself and it showed in his continual bouts of hesitation. He was capable, she knew, but she wasn't sure if he knew.

"Senpai—"

Nope—this has to stop, she sighed deeply before taking a seat on the floor right where she stood.

While it wasn't what she had in mind, it seemed to do the trick of snapping him out of his stupor because she could see his eyelids part up and reveal his bewilder. Even when he tried to tug her up by her palms, she forced herself to remain seated on the not-so-comfy floorboards. When he tried again, she used his strength to tug him down, so he had no choice but to sit beside her. "We're gonna talk, you hear me?" she hummed as convincingly as she could.

The last time they had a talk had been roughly two to three years ago, and the focal point of that topic had been his unnecessary use of honorifics when they were well beyond the senpai-kouhai relationship.

She just hoped they would get through this together instead of having separate thoughts because that wouldn't fare well for their relationship. It was either their entire being or an avalanche of misunderstandings. I'd rather work this out than have it fester inside him.

Besides, they were bound to have a talk anyway. While they had both matured over the years, she had noticed that he'd be stuck inside his head whenever he found himself hitting a mental block, and it was killing him in a way she couldn't bear to see because it wouldn't be hurting just him alone.

With an inaudible sigh, she couldn't help but lament just how difficult it would be to talk it out—it seemed so simple when Inori would relay how quick her conflicts were resolved anytime she discovered she wasn't on the same page as her partner—but it was necessary because they needed to have this conversation. Sure, it would take some time until they were both comfortable and unilaterally confident in each other and themselves, but until then, she'd be the one taking the initiative to make him speak with her.

"Heisuke, what's on your mind? I won't know unless you tell me, alright?"

Despite both of their palms overheating from their nerves going haywire, she refused to release her grasp on him because it was her effort to ground them both—it wouldn't be the first time nor would it be the last that they needed the physical comfort, and she'd stick with him through it all because goddammit, I'm invested in making sure our relationship works.

She rested her head against his shoulder and silently noted how his fingers had twitched in her hold. Listening to the way his breaths were steadily slowing down; she resisted the urge to tug him into a hug. He's sorting his thoughts. I'll distract him.

Riseki Heisuke

He wasn't all too sure where they were going with this, but he knew that she was waiting for him.

I even told myself I'd change, he scoffed inwardly as he stared down at their hands—woven together like the scarf he'd gifted her. I've been getting better, haven't I? he wondered, and suddenly became conscious of the fact that he'd been gritting his teeth for an unknown period of time.

It was irrational, but the swarming sensation buzzing around his stomach had him unclenching his jaw as he mimicked the act of a yawn. As he turned his focus to the numbing sensation of his ankles trapped against hardwood flooring, he swallowed hard and found that he couldn't spout a thing even though he'd been trying to clear his throat.

He knew what he wanted to say, but his throat had clogged up and he could barely breathe through it all. Was it that difficult to open up? He wanted to say no, but his nostrils flared in his next attempt. He held back from trying in order to get a better handle on himself.

After a hot minute, he tried again and found that he was capable of producing sound.

"I—" he inhaled as much oxygen as he could before slowly breathing through his nose. With another start, he shut his eyes and silently apologized to his girlfriend when he tightened his grip on her hand to ground himself. It wasn't easy talking. He knew that he needed to share his thoughts, but knowing and actually going through with it were two different things, and he needed time.

It was time he was forcing upon himself though. At the forefront of his mind, he'd be glad that he wouldn't be keeping the burden to himself, but another part of him resented sharing his thoughts because it just wasn't him—the him that he'd been trying to be: strong, capable, and mentally sound.

"I haven't been able to sleep well," he managed to say. Despite it being a fraction of what he wanted to say, it was still better than not saying a thing, wasn't it? "I know—that, but I… I just...can't sleep. It's not like it's an issue or anything, but I have too much on my mind and well…I can't seem to shut my mind when I try to sleep." He paused, releasing his grip so that he wasn't crushing her hand.

She sat through the pain, he frowned to himself.

Shifting his head, he pressed his cheek against the crown of her head and breathed in what seemed to be her floral-scented shampoo. As she hummed for him to continue, he tried to get his thoughts together in a coherent manner. There were a lot of issues he had in mind, and he wasn't even sure what his problem was, but even if he did, he wasn't sure he could voice them out to her without feeling like a fool.

Why can't this be easier? He was overcomplicating everything and it annoyed him to no end.

"There's no need to rush. Take your time. I'm here."

Ashiya Ryōko

The floor was warm, but her legs were prickling in discomfort and she wanted to stretch her legs, but she didn't want to ruin their moment.

It had been necessary to say because he needed to hear it, and she would repeat it as much as she could because he needed to know and remember that they had time, that she'd still be there for him. They both needed to hear that because communication wasn't a one-way road. Right now, however, they were dealing with his insecurities, so she'd be there for him with her undivided attention.

Nope—I need to move.

As she shifted her knees from the pin-prickling numbness; she chanced a glance at the clock across from them and squinted her eyes because the lights weren't on. Had they been that preoccupied that they hadn't noticed the sun setting outside?

It hasn't been that long, has it? she wondered as she craned her neck and got rid of the uncomfortable crick. The clock proved her wrong, however, because it'd been much longer than an hour. I'd say we've been sitting closer to three? she considered with a raised brow as she compared the placement of the little hand with the time before she'd plopped herself down.

"I'm afraid. And lost."

Her attention returned to her boyfriend and she felt her lips quirk when he finally found his voice. "Yeah?"

"I don't know what you see in me. Honestly? I want to stay together, but I'm afraid you'll leave me for somebody better because I'm a disappointment."

Oh Heisuke, that's not true.

In an effort to comfort him, she turned his hand around so that she could gently stroke the character for person against his palm. They used to do it back in high school, and though they weren't in front of an audience that required them to calm their nerves, the idea behind it would still help them throughout their lives.

"I wanted to keep it a surprise in case I didn't get in, but my parents helped me find an apartment in Odawara. I was going to ask you to move in with me even if I didn't get my admission letter since I wanted to be closer to you while you played for VC Kanagawa. I didn't realize it was making you question yourself."

She should've at least dropped him hints when he'd asked her what she was going to do once she graduated, but she had been determined in keeping it a secret so that she could watch his reaction when she popped the question of having him move in with her. Had she known what he'd thought of her not telling him her plans for the future, she would've scrapped the surprise and told him straight up that they were going to live together.

She hadn't even considered the idea that he'd refuse because he was smitten with her and she knew that because she was smitten with him.

"I haven't...did I already tell you?"

Oops. She'd forgotten she'd been told to keep it a secret that she knew because she'd been informed by her best friend who'd overheard the coaches of their alma mater congratulate Heisuke on becoming a professional player with VC Kanagawa during a rare visit back. She had been elated that her boyfriend had been scouted, and had been patiently waiting for him to tell her the grand news, but today happened and she decided she needed to reveal her surprise even though it involved his surprise if only because it would soothe a part of his worries.

"Inori overheard when she visited the school. I wanted to surprise you once you told me, but...here we are," she grinned sheepishly as she lifted her head and took in his confuzzled look.

After smoothening the wrinkles that had appeared on his forehead, she lightly tapped the bridge of his nose and softened the pressure on her cheeks as she continued to smile up at him. "I'm proud of you, you know. I also want to be together. You're not a disappointment, and I'll tell you this anytime you want to hear it because you aren't. You're you and I'm proud of you."

Sue her for being sappy but she could already see them spending the rest of their lives together, and if that included sharing oyatsu with her parents while they joked around and told him embarrassing stories of when she was much younger, then so be it. She could already see their combined living space being a mix of their belongings, and that was an image she wanted to have come true.

"Together?"

She raised her arm and linked their pinkies as he returned her smile.

There were more days to come and though they managed to get through today's mishap, neither of them were willing to let their issues fester and spiral into a whirlpool of miscommunication. After all, once you've committed, you stay committed.

Extra: Inemuri

It was the last day she'd be staying over, so they decided to spend the day resting inside. The drive back to Takasaki would take her approximately seven to eight hours (of course, with breaks in-between since she'd be the only one driving), so she didn't want to exhaust herself with any outside activities.

She'd already packed all her things, not that she brought much in the first place since she'd kept spares at his place, so she was relaxing against the couch when she felt the seat dip further beside her. When she peered over without moving her head, it was to her astonishment that she noted the luck her boyfriend seemed to have when he'd fallen asleep because he'd landed on her shoulder rather than the floor.

Yours truly, she snorted inwardly, and with a wry grin, she glanced past him to see that his phone was on the verge of falling off the armrest. She didn't bother to make a grab for it, however, since it wouldn't fall onto the floor. Her boyfriend would probably jolt awake if it fell on him though, but she'll let him deal with the aftermath if it ever happened.

With a quiet huff of laughter, she mentally shook her head and tried to keep as still as she could while she mindlessly scrolled through her phone. There were games she could pass the time with, but none of them were as fun as she thought they would be, so she went in and out of several before sticking to a single puzzle game that she had the prequel to and finished completely.

I had five lives. How'd I lose them so quickly? she scowled at her screen. Even though she knew there was a pattern she could follow, filling 20-by-20 boards was a hassle she couldn't bear to get through peacefully. Besides, she wasn't the type to immediately click on replay whenever she chanced across a red cross—that was Heisuke's thing, and he was asleep, so she couldn't even hoist it off to him and have him play in her stead.

Sighing, she shifted her head so that she would be leaning against his forehead and backed out of the puzzle to try another one. She had made it easier for herself since she had both the auto check and auto fill turned on, but even then she couldn't escape the repetitious mistakes. How would she remember whether the spot she tapped would be correct or not? It wasn't like she was keeping track of the moves she'd made before she clicked on the replay button.

Every mistake would take another life from her, and she couldn't put her phone down even though she was annoyed with the resentful crosses telling her she'd made yet another mistake that would decrease the amount of hearts she had at the start of each game. Who knows what this picture even is? She just wanted to finish the game and call it a day.

As the clock continued to tick in the background, she found that she was barely able to keep her eyes open. I'll just…keep 'em shut for a while, she yawned, and the warmth beneath her chin combined with the steady rise and fall of her chest eventually lulled her to sleep.

Had she not fallen into a deep slumber; she would've shut her phone instead of leaving it on. Thankfully, she had been charging her phone, so she didn't need to worry about it dying on her, but the fact remained that it was an issue she'd berate herself for—even if she was in a safe place, it wouldn't do to leave her screen on where she could accidentally pressed anything in her sleep.

The last time she'd fallen asleep with her phone on, she had ended up pressing on an ad which redirected her to her main browser where it then decided to open up more tabs without pause. She hadn't known what to do so she had shut her phone down and restarted it in hopes that she didn't have to deal with the annoyances anymore.

Riseki Heisuke

Mindlessly staring out at his living room, he slowly blinked to the thundering alarms ringing into his ears. When he became aware that their alarms were still ringing, and that it wasn't what he'd assumed to be background noise, he sat up in shock and quickly turned to shake his girlfriend awake while keeping an eye out for their phones.

She didn't stir an inch.

Initially, he'd planned to see her off when she set out in the afternoon (the drive back would be tedious—he'd looked up the route she said she'd take on her way back, and it felt like they hadn't just spent a week together because the time was short and he just wanted to be with her longer), but it was way past evening and their phones were nowhere to be found even though he could still hear them ringing.

"—Ryōko?"

Covering his mouth, he blinked back the tears that were threatening to obey gravity. It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, and calling her by name served to wake him up more effectively than anything else he would've tried, not that he'd know of their effectiveness since he hadn't tried them out.

Biting the insides of his cheeks, he contemplated shaking her again when he found himself reacting to the way her head began to tilt away from him.

Soft.

Gulping, he righted her against the couch and slowly withdrew his palm before he nervously rubbed his fingers in an attempt to dispel the burning heat emitting from his fingertips. "Ryōko, wake up?" he tried again.

It was nerve-racking just how smooth her name rolled off his tongue, but he sure wouldn't be able to think the same had she been awake, this he knew for certain. Swallowing his nerves, he glanced over to the clock and rolled the inside of his cheek between his teeth as he planned out how he could convince her to stay for another night.

He didn't get the chance to consider anything more than the initial thought because he turned back and found her blearily staring up at him. With a jolt, he realized that she'd probably been watching him for who knew how long, and he backtracked as he held his hands up with a sheepish smile.

Did she hear me? he wondered, and his smile turned into a grimace upon that dreadful thought—she would probably end up teasing him for not calling her by her name when she knew he could, and he wouldn't be able to not call her by name since she'd insist on hearing her name from his lips.

Sure they were boyfriend and girlfriend, but he was still shy about it. There were times he found himself confident enough to say her name, but that was all inside his head. He'd chicken out as soon as he tried to say it out loud in the presence of her anticipation.

"Heisuke, it's late. Let's go to sleep?"

The consequences of hearing that and knowing his mind had jumped straight into the gutter was an issue he'd deal with another time. Right now, he had a mattress and duvet to roll out in his room for her, so he brushed aside his thoughts and headed straight for his bedroom to prepare her bedding.

I'm screwed, he lamented when she bid him good night and entered his room.

Having stayed behind, he returned to the oh-so-familiar couch and grabbed one of the cushions to fluff it into his pillow. Oh. There's her phone. Was she playing a game? He tapped the screen and slid down as he readied himself for yet another sleepless night.

It wasn't like he could sleep anyway.