Work Text:
Rhythm Link's office. It wasn't the first time Kuro had been in the office today, but he was surprised to come back at the evening hour. He came back for someone that doesn't even work for them.
Kuro steps out of the elevator when it hits his floor and releases him. He walks down the halls, darting his eyes all around to try and find where someone might be. He looks around the corner to a little lounge area, perking up at what he sees.
"Hey," Kuro says, peeking his head around the corner. "Morisawa."
Chiaki is quick to look up at him and smile. "Kiryu! Hey! I hope you don't mind that I got here first," he says.
"No, of course not. You're a punctual guy," Kuro says. He plops himself down on the couch next to Chiaki. "Sometimes."
"What's that 'sometimes' for?!"
"Because sometimes you're punctual. It's kind of the sentence I said already." Chiaki pushes Kuro on the arm. He doesn't even react. "Okay, Morisawa, what you got me here for?"
"Oh! The thing I asked you to come here for," Chiaki remembers. "Well, Ryuseitai has this project coming up."
"Uhh-huh."
"And I need to come up with an idea for what we're going to do!"
"Brainstorming, then."
"Exactly! The proposal is due by the end of the week, but I'd like to get it out of the way now," Chiaki hums. "Then I'll have myself a little bit of free time."
"Wooah. Free time for you? I bet it's gonna be a whole three minutes this time."
Chiaki whips his head around, a goofy smile plastered on his face. "Do you think so?!"
Kuro tilts his head. "Wish they'd give you more."
"I know, but," Chiaki cuts himself off with a yawn. "It makes sense that I'm busy. I'm pretty important to Ryuseitai. It's a two-way street."
"I wouldn't be able to pull off what you've got on your plate. I'm glad the passion can get you through, at least."
"I can't believe you're saying that! You've kept yourself stupid busy for forever by now." Chiaki rests his head on one hand, he looks back to make eye contact with Kuro. "You do everything. I find it hard to believe you couldn't do what I do and more."
"I'm garbage at communication, though."
"Then you bluff your way through, and that's all there is to it! Have some confidence in yourself for once."
Kuro crosses his arms. "What if I say no?"
"Then I'll," Chiaki yawns again. "Then I'll kill you. You'd have to die."
"Genuinely, I wanna see you try."
Chiaki chases his last yawn with another one. "No you don't."
"Knock it off, stop trying to infect me with your yawns."
"Hm? Yawns?"
"You know what a yawn is."
Chiaki cocks his head to the side. "Was I doing that, though?"
Kuro nods. "A lot."
"Well, I'm not doing anything wrong. I don't know what those are about. I slept last night, I swear."
"Uh-huh. Sure. Doesn't sound like a defensive statement at all."
Chiaki smiles. "You find the dumbest stuff to bother me about."
"Yeah, yeah." Kuro puts his arm around Chiaki's shoulder to get a closer look at what he's holding. "Walk me through what we're doin', sleepy."
ーー
"Wait." Kuro points at Chiaki's notebook. "I don't think this is gonna work."
"Which part?" Chiaki asks.
"This one." Kuro puts his finger right on the paper. "I don't think you can do that while everyone is dancing."
"Ah, that's true. Alright, how about," Chiaki pinches the bridge of his nose before he scribbles something down. "What if we did it like this? I think it could work, maybe if I put a little more depth into it."
Kuro scrutinizes Chiaki rather than the paper. "What is this?" He asks, all but ignoring the question.
Chiaki looks over. "What? What is what," he asks back.
"This." Kuro pinches the bridge of his nose, too. "Like, what's," he squeezes his eyes shut and pinches again. "What's that? What's that all about. That's what I'm asking."
Chiaki rubs his forehead and sighs. "Um… I don't know, really."
Kuro points his finger at him. "That too. The forehead rub is weird."
Chiaki turns to glare at Kuro. "Don't be mean to me," he pouts, as if it was possible for Kuro to take that cute pout seriously. "I'm just tired, I think."
"I think you're becoming an actual adult way too fast here. Do you even relax anymore?"
"I dunno… I'm busy," Chiaki smiles. "It's fun being busy, like, it's really fulfilling. I feel full. To bursting, at times. Like a…" His hands fall to his lap. He cranes his neck to look at the ceiling. "Food coma. It's exactly like a food coma."
"So where are those food coma naps at? Remember naps? Taking any lately?"
Chiaki puffs his cheeks, just a little. "Mmnn… Not on purpose."
"Morisawa."
"Yeah, I fell asleep talking to people about work a few times. Passed out, out cold."
Kuro throws an arm around Chiaki's shoulder. "You said there's nothing else you have to do today besides brainstorm this, right?"
"That's right. Of course, though, there are plenty of things I should do! I can always find a dozen of those. Should-dos make the world spin in a big steady circle!"
"Well, I think you shouldn't do them." Kuro abruptly yanks Chiaki closer. He wrestles Chiaki in a headlock to rest his head on shoulder. "Nap time, buddy. Party of Morisawa."
"Noooo!" Chiaki tries to back away, reminiscent of a dog trying to pull out of its collar. "No naps! I'm not tired! I have things to do, this has to be done by the end of the week!"
"It's Wednesday."
"That doesn't mean anything, the deadline is almost here!"
" 'End of the week' is Sunday, not Friday." Kuro squeezes tighter. "Naaaaaap."
"But there's a lot of work left, so that time is really impor…" Chiaki cuts himself off with a yawn. "tant…"
Kuro grins. "You think I'm gonna listen to you when I've already listened to dozens of yawns come outta'ya?" He painstakingly reaches past Chiaki to the other side of the couch. "And when I got this blankie. If you don't want me to say something like 'it's got your name on it', I can embroider it on so it's more literal."
"Don't tell me you prepared this blanket, Kiryu."
"I happened to leave it here yesterday. You know me."
Chiaki stares at Kuro's hand as it pulls the blanket over him. Clumsily, as it's a one-handed endeavor. "When did you get this stubborn?"
"Learned it from someone. Someone loud, stubborn and self-destructive," Kuro releases Chiaki to hug him on his side. "Gives all of him to everyone else and doesn't leave any left for himself." Or for me, sits at the tip of Kuro's tongue. It's not something he should say. It's not an appropriate thing to say ever, but especially not when he's wrenching his attention with heavy hands.
That is why he's doing it, though.
He's been on such a selfish streak.
"I don't think it's going to be easy to fall asleep leaning on you, but I'll try. Since you're making me," Chiaki nuzzles his face into Kuro's shoulder. He makes his position more cozy, including throwing the blanket across Kuro's body. "But could you wake me up in ten minutes?"
"Appointment?" Kuro asks.
"No, I just don't want to be out so long."
"Sure, ten minutes," Kuro lies.
Chiaki shuts his eyes tight. He relaxes his whole body into Kuro. The weight of his body pressing down on him has a soft, fluffy feeling, less literal and more from the heart. Warmth, too. Though it's a little too late for Kuro to get embarrassed about being so forward. He finds it too sweet that Chiaki took no issue with resting against him at all. As usual.
"Morisawa," Kuro risks. "Will you sleep better if I hold you?"
No response. Kuro leans the slightest bit to get a look at Chiaki's face. His eyes are closed, his mouth relaxed enough for his lips to parse.
"Morisawa?" Kuro whispers. He doesn't even stir. Kuro smiles. Tries not to chuckle. "Might be hard for you to fall asleep like this, you say." He rubs Chiaki's back. "Looks like you went out like a light to me."
Chiaki's consciousness stays out. His breathing is calm and steady, safe and protected under Kuro's arm. His body is getting heavier by the minute. The only thing keeping him from free falling into Kuro's lap is that arm holding him still. His head is practically against Kuro's chest. Kuro leans forward to rest with his cheek nuzzled to Chiaki's hair.
He's resisting the urge to yawn. His eyelids feel so heavy.
Slowly, Kuro lets go of Chiaki to ease him down as he tries to get himself down onto the couch without waking him up. He lays down half on his back and half against the backrest. Chiaki, stirring only the slightest bit to say nonsense and pass back out, is settled in front of Kuro, facing him at the edge of the cushions. His arms curl up and rest on Kuro's stomach, his head on his chest. Kuro promptly buries the both of them in blankets so he can hold him again.
Chiaki is warm enough where the blanket feels excessive. It feels like a nine-hundred dollar electric bill of luxurious comfort. Kuro covers Chiaki's head the rest of the way not only because it turns out he could get used to that comfort, but because blocking out the florescent light of the office will surely help him rest soundly. Kuro hears the loud clack of footsteps coming into the room.
"Kiryu?" Keito says as he notices him on the couch. "What are you…"
"Shh!" Kuro looks down at the blankets, then back at Keito. "He's sleeping," he whispers.
Keito shakes his head. "In the office, Kiryu?"
"Some opportunities you just gotta take," Kuro concedes.
Keito gives his head another shake as he walks off to wherever he was going. "Don't get yourself in trouble for loitering."
"Yeah, yeah." Kuro flings his arm over Chiaki to hold him close. "Loiterin' on a couch where I work is definitely a pressing issue," he sarcastically whispers. A yawn builds up as he speaks which he instantly releases.
Kuro settles himself deep into the couch. He gets cozy, he rests his head down as his eyelids grow unbearably heavy. His eyes flutter open a few times when he gets too close to drifting off, up until sleep finally takes him.
ーー
Chiaki opens his eyes to darkness. He looks around to try and make something out. His hands push into whatever he's holding, which definitely seems like flesh. He shuffles around restlessly until a light pours in from a new gap in the blanket he's apparently under. He pulls it over his head without a second thought, clenching his eyes shut at the sudden and bright light. Eventually, he manages to open them enough to see what's in front of him; Kuro, sleeping.
"You. Mmnn…" Chiaki rubs his eyes. "You're sleeping… supposed to wake me up…" He props himself up with one arm. "Piloted a big robot in my dream, and you were better at it than me…" He looks downward and stares at Kuro. He blinks unevenly as his brain turns on, one section at a time. "You look sweet when you're sleeping." Chiaki sits upright. "Oh. Did I really just say that out loud? Maybe I shouldn't talk to an unconscious person so much." He checks his watch, recoiling in surprise right away. "Six-twentyー He's an unconscious liar! That does not look like ten minutes to me!"
Chiaki turns back pouting, but quickly smiles at Kuro's sleepy face.
"You really needed the rest too, didn't you, Kiryu. Thanks. I'm really glad I took a nap with you." Chiaki rubs Kuro from over the blanket. "I've been missing out on these kinds of things for so long it might actually be killing me, you know, but you went and did this for me even though you had no idea how much it would mean to me."
Chiaki gets up to kneel down a few feet over in front of his backpack, from which he takes out a book. He sits back on the couch at Kuro's feet. He gently settles his glasses on his face.
"Well, the least I could do is stay with you until you wake up so I can say that to your face," Chiaki smiles.