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Yaku was exhausted. It had been one of those days; he had sat down at his desk, straightening and straining his back to make up for the height he didn't have, typing diligently on his laptop for hours and hours on end at the office, without feeling like he had done any work at all. He felt as though he hadn't accomplished anything, and the feeling was soul-crushing. He often thought that he wasn't doing enough, that the company didn't really need him and that many people could do so much better in his place, which his boyfriend always dismissed in an instant.
He would tell him, in that sweet-as-sugar could-melt-butter voice of his, that Yaku was in fact the backbone of the entire company, that he worked harder than anyone else and that he just didn't notice it because he held such high standards for himself. Much too high, he would say. "A tiny person like you can only do so much!" He had quipped chirpily, laughing quite loudly before wrapping those gangly limbs of his around Yaku in a heart-warming embrace. He remembered how much jabs at his height used to bother him, having yelled and lashed out at people for the comments even if they were unintentional. However, he had grown up. Lev never meant any harm by it, and over the years, he had realised he had found it quite endearing. So at that, he had simply let out a chuckle, admitted that his too-tall-for-his-own-good boyfriend was right and melted into his arms.
That was something he wanted, no, needed, to do now. That had been one of the only things keeping him going all day; the thought of coming back home and curling up in his boyfriend's embrace like it was nothing at all, looking forward to feeling Lev's tall and hot body warming up his own from behind as they spooned together, as they usually did. He found himself in a daze, lost in thought about the idea even then as he opened up the door to his home, a dumb smile plastered on his face.
But the hazy, dreamy feeling of love and relief didn't last long. Yaku always knew when something was wrong; call it a boyfriend's intuition. As soon as it kicked in, Yaku's smile dropped from his face faster than Hinata's freak quick attack and was replaced with a frown that was laced with seriousness and concern. Lev was usually always downstairs. As soon as Yaku came home from work, he would spring up from the sofa and rush to him like an excitable puppy, wanting to be the centre of Yaku's attention from that point onwards until he fell asleep out of pure exhaustion. But as the small male looked around the landing of the house, he could see no one, hear no pattering of feet on the carpeted floors, hear no static or chattering from the TV. However, what he could hear was a noise that echoed throughout the house, sending a strike of pain and terror right through his heart.
It was deep and guttural, although broken up in several places, as though the thing that was making it was on the verge of tears. The noise soon sounded again, and again, and again, meaning it took Yaku a short while to comprehend what was happening. As soon as the realisation hit him, a horrible and intense feeling of guilt rushed through his body.
It had taken him far too long to understand the situation at hand, even after all the time he had spent and lived with Lev. Knowing that each passing second without his comfort and care was leaving his boyfriend in distress, Yaku wasted no time in scrambling up the carpeted steps (Lev was far too clumsy for wood or paneled; the amount of times he had tripped and skinned his knee or thigh or wherever else the step could reach was somewhat impressive) and swinging open their shared bedroom door as fast as he could, trying desperately not to make any extra noise in the process as that would only distress him more.
Thankfully yet unfortunately, the conclusion that Yaku had come to was right. Lev was sat in the middle of their shared bed. His usually gorgeously soft light ashen hair was bedraggled and stuck down to his forehead with sweat, his big, jade-green, feline-like eyes glazed over with the shimmer of tears, the trails of which lingered on his cheeks. His arms were wrapped around his knees, his hands clasped together in front of them as if in prayer as he rocked back and forth on his heels, making the bed gently creak underneath him. In any other situation, seeing someone of Lev's size even attempting to rock back and forth on their heels like that would have been hilarious to Yaku, but right now? It was heart-wrenching, especially when Lev continued to make the guttural sound from the back of his throat, broken up by the threats of cries and sobs, tears leaking down the cheeks of his fuchsia tinted face. Yaku felt more than a few tears pricking his own eyes and threatening to break the dam that was his tear glands, meaning it would overspill onto the peach coloured flesh below, but he dashed them away with a blink of his eye and a stroke of his hand. He needed to stay calm, for Lev's sake, regardless of how much it hurt him to see his sweet-hearted boyfriend in so much pain.
Slowly, making sure that he didn't touch him or disturb him in any way, he knelt down on the edge of the bed and clasped his hands in his lap the same way that Lev was clasping his own by his knees. He knew that him mimicking his boyfriend's actions would make him feel more safe and secure, would let him know that what he was doing was perfectly normal and that he wasn't being weird or overreacting somehow. That would only make him feel so much worse, would make him feel like he was a freak and didn't belong, even though he was in the place that he belonged the most; in their shared bed, in their shared house, next to the love of his life. "Lev, are you okay?" Yaku asked, in a steady and clear voice. It was decently loud, which made Lev flinch and in turn made Yaku feel awful for frightening him, but he knew that he had to gain his attention in some way. Lev said nothing, nor moved his head, but the volume of the guttural noises increased and that was enough for Yaku. Lev knew and understood that he was there. That was always the first step.
Yaku swept his dirty blond hair out of his face and watched Lev with a hint of concern in his soft brown eyes, spending every spare second watching for any changes of expression on Lev's face, for the better or for worse. "Do you want the lights out?" His clear and steady voice rang out across the room again, although he was able to be a little quieter since Lev was already trying to focus his attention on his presence. It soothed him to be near Yaku. So this time, Lev was able to simply nod and before Yaku knew it, he had already jumped off of the bed and had turned off the big overhead light in their room, so that Lev was sat in complete darkness. The guttural noises declined in volume somewhat, and Yaku knew that he was beginning to settle down. He opened his mouth to ask Lev to count down from ten, something simple that would take his mind off of whatever was panicking him, but Lev cut him off with his own interjection. "Prog-gram- Cancelled-" The silver haired boy managed to stutter out desperately in between breaths, and Yaku didn't even have to skip a beat to piece the puzzle together.
Every night, at 5:30pm exactly, Lev's favourite show aired on TV. It was about cats; his comfort animal that he had hyperfixated on for years now. It was one of those RSPCA programs about cats being rescued from abusive owners, getting their wounds and medical issues treated and then eventually finding them a good home, which always left Lev in a happy mood, although he would grill Yaku for hours sometimes afterwards about when they could get a kitten. Yaku usually got home around 5:45pm, just as he had done today, and so would come in halfway through the program. Lev then would catch him up to speed about what had gone on in the first half, before they would watch the second half together, snuggled up on the sofa together in silence, enjoying each other's company and the program. But since the program had gotten cancelled for that night, it had broken Lev's evening routine, and had caused him to have this big meltdown. It all made sense, and Yaku's heart clenched and ached with sympathy for him.
"Oh, Lev, honey..." He whispered, his voice laced with nothing but caring and sweetness for the bawling ace in front of him. "It's alright. Look, I'll be back in a second. I'll just be next door, not far away at all. If you need me, just call." He told him, gently but clearly, before he left their room altogether and wandered into their guest room. It was very plain; all cream walls and white bedsheets, but it was in good taste. At least, Yaku thought so. Lev declared the room was simply 'boring', but at least half of his clothing attire was full of neon colours and fluorescent fabrics that would make anyone else's eyes fall out or at least make them go into a flash-induced seizure from looking at them too long. But that wasn't what he was here for. He opened up the wardrobe and saw it almost immediately, taking it off of the hanger. It was a onesie, an adorably fluffy one at that. It resembled a ginger and white tabby cat, with sweet little pointed ears on the hood and a sleek tail that hung down at the rear so that it swished elegantly whenever you took a step. Secretly, Yaku loved wearing it. But Lev wasn't to know that, not just yet.
Yaku stripped himself of all his clothes, bar his boxer shorts, and discarded them onto the floor carelessly. Lev was his utmost priority. He simply didn't have any time to waste when he knew just how much his boyfriend needed him. He slipped his body, limb by limb, into the fluffy cat onesie. He zipped it up all the way to his neck, taking a moment to revel in how comfy and delightful it felt to have on. It was fluffy, oh so fluffy, even on the inside, and he took a moment to nuzzle into the cozy warmth surrounding him. He knew Lev would love it and he was right, which was why it was now the go-to plan when Lev had his meltdowns. He slowly creeped to the doorway of their room once more, seeing Lev rocking a little slower now. That was good. He had a set rhythm, a gentle pace, and that meant that it was almost over. Or at least, the worst had passed.
Yaku entered the room and shut the door as carefully as he could behind him, walking over to Lev and kneeling down beside him so that they were at the same height. "Hey. Are you ready for Mr. Kittycat now?" He asked him, in that sweet and soft tone of voice, and Lev was quick to respond. "Y-Yes plea-ase..." He croaked hoarsely, the guttural noise still echoing from the back of his throat as he eagerly nodded his head up and down, making his hair fan out on his forehead, shiny and sticky with sweat from the effort of what he was going through and trying to calm himself down. With that, Yaku swiftly climbed over the bed and sat himself down in Lev's lap, loosely hooking his arms around his neck. He buried his face into Lev's broad chest and began to make soft and gentle purrs under his breath, right from the back of his throat, almost like a real cat.
At this, Lev's guttural noises stuttered and faltered as he heard the soothing sound from Yaku, his hands reaching out and planting themselves in the fake fur. It felt incredibly soft and warm between his fingers, the texture so comforting and homely to him that he couldn't stop touching it, rolling it between his fingers. Knowing that Lev was a great deal calmer now, Yaku made another purr and let Lev fist at the fake fur, tugging it upwards, then left, then downwards, then right, before he let go, grabbed another section of the fur in his large hand and repeated the cycle. He grew relaxed and calm by following this pattern, Yaku helping him along by nuzzling his cheek against his own and even gently licking up the side of his cheek as feline, and in this case, human, displays of affection. What felt like hours passed, although in reality it was no more than perhaps half an hour, and they had ended up with Lev curled around Yaku, his long arms wrapped around Yaku's soft and fluffy cat belly as Yaku's head rested itself in the crevice of Lev's chest. Everything was quiet. Everything was calm. Their breathing cycles had become the same, their hearts beating together in sync. It was comforting, to say the least.
"Yaku-san." Lev suddenly spoke up in his still raspy voice, breaking the seemingly everlasting (but comfortable) silence of the room. He looked down at Yaku and gently planted a kiss to his forehead, before resting his chin on the onesie hoodie and playing with the ears, flicking them backwards and forwards gently to show his contentment. "Thank you." He whispered, then leaning over him, albeit a little awkwardly, and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He was okay. Yaku was okay. Everything was right with their own little world. It just went to show, all they needed was each other. And occasionally, a little help from Mr. Kittycat never went amiss either.