Work Text:
“Gakushu blinked, thinking back to three hours ago when his actions weren’t limited to blinking and rolling over. He hated this. This was torture, however it was significantly less stressful now that Akabane had gone into the wash. Yes the wash.
Gakushu was done spending his time in that dreadful machine, the one that would’ve killed him had it not been for his new… texture? The dryer would’ve also done much more damage if it wasn’t for his new cotton like skin- if you could call it skin, Asano wanted to call it skin. Despite finding the now quiet room somewhat peaceful, he was waiting patiently for Karma to finish getting cleaned so he could express his hatred for the redhead while there was someone to listen. It was no fun complaining to the cabinet or the pillows, because none of them spoke back. In some odd way, he missed Karma.
Asano was about to doze off when he caught a glimpse of the maid’s hands, she was opening the dryer. Karma was finally done, and not a moment too soon. Gakushu was in a state of panic after overthinking the consequences of falling asleep in his new form. What if he never woke up? What a terrible thought. He watched as the maid spread Karma out and began to fold his thin body. He was folded in the same way that Gakushu had been folded a cycle ago. Karma didn’t understand why he was washed after Asano though, they were almost the same colour, they had the same texture and were stuck in the same unfortunate situation- though being washed with a (practically) naked Asano in the wash wasn’t on the top of his to-do list.
Once Karma was folded and hit, the maid placed him on top of Gakushu. On top. This was wonderful. He was still warm.
“Remind me to hand wash all my clothes,” Karma said, breaking the silence. If Gakushu had a mouth he would’ve frowned, but instead he spoke through the fabric of his being?
“I take it the wash cycle wasn’t kind to you either?”
“No,” Karma said slowly, shifting froths spot on top of Gakushu, “what’s your plan?”
“Excuse me?”
“Excused.”
If Gakushu had feet, he could’ve kicked Karma in the balls- ah, if he had those too. Instead the younger boy settled for sighing.
“Asano,” Karma pestered on, “I’m serious.” Serious? He was serious?
“Oh really? DOES THAT HELP? IS THE FACT THAT YOU’RE SERIOUS GOING TO MAGICALLY FIX US? IS IT SO RARE FOR YOU TO BE SERIOUS THAT THE UNIVERSE HAS BEEN MOMENTARILY PHASED? FOR LONG ENOUGH FOR YOUR SERIOUSNESS TO TURN US BACK INTO PEOPLE?”
“I,” he paused, “that’s not helping either.” So he was trying to be the voice of reason.
“You? You what? Go on Akabane. Give me one of your award winning ideas, blow me away.”
“I can’t blow you if we’re stuck like this Asano-kun,” Karma rolled his eyes, the only organ that he still partially had.
“Shut up,” he snapped, already mentally writing a suicide note, “shut up.”
“Guess I’m the top after all,” Karma remarked, wanting a reaction from the shorter male, and boy did he get one. Asano used all his saved strength mixed with whatever power he got from his rage to move to the side just enough for him and Karma to fall from their place on the cabinet. They fell with less than a thud.
“Something soft broke my fall,” Karma said, smiling despite not having a mouth.
“Shut up, we have to get to my book,” Gakushu said, concentrating all his energy on not trying to fight Karma right then and there.
“How? You gonna carry me?”
“Yes now be quiet,” with that he heaved himself and Karma forward. It was one of the biggest accomplishments in Gakushu’s like really. He had moved them 2 centimetres! Two whole centimetres. Had he known how difficult this would be, he would’ve planned their fall a bit more to make sure they landed as close as possible to the opened door. He painted before trying to move again, but he wasn’t fortunate enough to make it that far this time. They barely moved- actually with Karma’s squirming they might’ve moved back a bit.
Gakushu made a mental note to never take his limbs for granted again. He missed his fingers, oh and his toes, even his uvula. Oh and his ears! He took a deep breath before trying again. He was about to scoot forward a bit more when Karma spoke up.
“I’m dreaming,” he was talking to himself more than he was with Gakushu, but it distracted the blond boy enough to make him stop what he was doing and look up at the redhead.
“Yes Karma. Now go to sleep again so you get a better dream,” he said, without thinking about his moment of panic earlier about falling asleep and staying a blanket forever.
“I’m not convinced,” Karma said, he sounded like he was just fine. Like he wasn’t a piece of fabric laying on the floor. That irritated Gakushu more than his words could explain, and Gakushu knew plenty words.
“Why is that?” He asked, pulling them both forward again. By one centimetre this time.
“You sound too realistic to be Shū in my dreams,” he explained, revealing the fact that Gakushu did appear in his dreams. Asano would’ve laughed at and mocked him if he wasn’t saving his strength for the next scoot.
Karma took his silence as an opportunity to continue, “he’d be way more obedient and less angry all the time. You see, the Asano that appears in my dreams gets the right amount of sleep.”
“Would it kill you to shut up?”
“And risk forgetting how to speak?” Karma scoffed, though it was obvious he was amused. That was how Karma convinced Gakushu to listen to his senseless rambling for longer.
“Carry on.”
“How did this happen again?” He asked as he was pulled forward with the blanket under him. This time they had moved two centimetres again! Ah the progress.
“We read that one passage in the book,” he was panting again.
“I didn’t think anything would happen,” Karma said, he honestly didn’t think the book Gakushu found under his bed after hosting a small party at home with his father’s former colleagues would lead to this, but life was filled with surprises. This wasn’t even weirder than the time Gakushu confessed his undying love for Karma- well, that’s how Karma saw it. If you asked Gakushu, he’d say he bought Karma some chocolates on Valentine’s day and said he liked him more than others.
“Neither did I,” Gakushu said before moving again. They were now five centimetres away from their initial landing spot and seven centimetres away from the door.
“Who even came over? For that party?”
“My father’s friends,” Gakushu sighed, decided he’d take a break. He as nearly halfway there anyways.
“One of them has got to be a witch or something,” Karma concluded, shaking his nonexistent head, so he was really rubbing his fabric against Gakushu’s.
“Stop moving.”
“Huh?” Karma stopped, “okay well why would they leave a book like this under your bed?”
“If I knew we wouldn’t be in this position.”
”Well,” Karma thought about it, “was there any way they could’ve mistaken your room for your father’s? Someone might have a personal grudge.”
”How am I supposed to know?” Gakushu said without missing a beat, but started thinking about it after. Who didn’t have a grudge on Gakuho was a better question, but who was mad enough to try to curse him? Ah. His mother was at their party wasn’t she.
Gakushu frowned. He did sleep in what used to be their old room. Gakuho insisted he took the master bedroom because of the bad memories his mother and him had in that room. Gakushu assumed the bad memories were the love making that lead to his birth. He took the room anyways. It was barely bigger than his father’s, and had a worse window view.
“and why was there even a party?” Gakushu hadn’t noticed Karma’s questions, having been lost in thought. So instead of answering the insufferable red head’s questions, he cleared his (non existent) throat.
”It was my mother. Don’t ask.” He mustered up all the strength he could once more and scooted forward. Two centimetres again. Great.
“Your mother? What? Why? I’ve never seen her around is-”
”If you’re not going to be helpful- you are quite literally dead weight, you can be quiet.”
”Would you rather I cheer you on?” No response, Karma smirked, “you go babe!” He sniggered, “try harder. Harder!” Gakushu rolled his eyes and pulled them closer to the door frame again. Almost there...
They were now three centimetres away from the door, so close... Gakushu was filled with hope. His desire to get through the door was enough to help him block out Akabane’s ridiculous cheers. They were redundant and awful. ‘Go baby! You’ve got this! Wooo! Faster dear!’
Gakushu took another deep breath and scooted forward again. Third time in a row that he got them two centimetres, and he was proud of that. He never thought he’d be proud of two centimetres- in any context. He was a centimetre away. One more. Then he’d be in the door frame... then he just needed to get across the room and on to the table- oh. Oh no. He groaned.
”Shu? Why’d you stop?” Karma asked, looking down at the orange blanket under him.
“I’m going to sleep,” Gakushu stated, his voice sounded off, he was tired and...
”What? But we’re almost out the door!”
”I just need to rest my,” Gakushu took a breath, “yes, rest,” he said, closing his eyes. Then the eyes disappeared. Karma began to panic.
Was Gakushu ever going to wake up? Why was he suddenly tired? His eyelids were getting heavier, and he wasn’t even doing any work. This was sorcery... oh but, Gakushu was so comfy. His fabric was soft and there was still that warmth from the dryer passing between them.
Karma could only stay awake for another two minutes before his eyes betrayed him and slowly closed. As they did, he was somehow sure that they would never open again.
They never did. After an hour or so, the maid came back to do another load, and found the blankets on the ground. They were inanimate, dead. She folded them back up and put them on the cabinet, thinking that they were just placed too close to the edge last time. After that she went along with her day, doing more laundry, thinking nothing of the red and orange cotton blankets on the cabinet.”
(what if all inanimate objects were once just cursed people? No one would know.)
Gakushu read it out loud then stared at Karma, then back at his screen.
The redhead wasn’t sure what to expect when his boss- and husband, asked to see his screen, but he didn’t expect for him to read his latest... work, out loud. He didn’t know what to expect, but he definitely didn’t expect what came next. He never could’ve.
They were in a meeting room, Karma had finished his presentation and everyone was taking notes about the company’s financial position when Gakushu came up from behind him to see what Karma was writing down. The rest of the executive team tried not to listen in, knowing that whatever it was must’ve been between the CEO and CFO personally, or else Gakushu would’ve brought it to their attention. They all went back to their work, barely hearing Gakushū’s small reading voice. They only all looked back up when they heard their boss... laughing?
“Did you write this? During this meeting?” He asked between fits of laughter like no one in the room but Akabane had heard before, “this whole?” He caught his breath and cleared his throat.
“You won’t fire me for it babe?” Gakushu took another moment before answering that, shaking his head.
”Not unless you fix the ending,” he wiped a tear from his eye, “and please Karma. Refrain from calling my mother a witch when we have dinner with her next week.”
Karma smiled and rolled his eyes. Maybe Gakushu reading one of his terribly written fanfics wasnt such a bad thing. Even if it was, it was worth hearing his husband laughing so loudly during a meeting like that.
”Does this mean I get a raise Asano-sama?”
“No no,” his voice was more put together, but he was still smiling, “but you don’t have to attend the gala if you don’t want to.” Fair enough.
It was a win-win, at least to them. The rest of the executive em on the other hand- they were as confused as ever.
“Yes,” Karma said, changing the tab on his laptop, “did you guess the moral of the story?”
“Moral?” Gakushu raised both eyebrows, “oh god no. But,” he smiled before going back to his seat, “this gives me a new perspective. I’m thankful for my limbs.”
“As you should be. How else would you hug me?”
“Ahem! Alright,” Asano addressed the whole room again, “you’re free to go. New reports in a fortnight,” he clapped, dismissing the group.
Once they were all gone, him and Karma went to the mall just outside of the building. They were going to buy blankets, and they were going to hand wash them. The perfect date.