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Dappled sunlight filled the room with all the brightness of the sun right before it began to set. You had drifted in and out of sleep for the past few minutes. ‘Just a little nap… just twenty-five minutes or so,’ you’d thought. But when your phone alarm blared, you silenced it and went back to sleep.
Adjusting your position to be a bit more comfortable, you cracked your eyes open for a moment. A window you opened prior to laying down was still open, allowing a bit of the winter chill into the room. With you being smothered in the warm, dark sheets and comforter of the bed, it was the perfect temperature. It was almost the perfect sleeping conditions, too, but…
He wasn’t here. Not yet, anyways (you were glad he attended unit practice without someone threatening him into it, nowadays). And it wasn’t like you had much of anything else to do right now but wait, so you closed your eyes again and tumbled headfirst into a peaceful slumber. A bit longer one.
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Some indeterminate length of time had passed, and your body finally had its fill of warm oblivion for the day. As you drifted back into the waking world, you sensed a familiar presence near you. In your still sleep-addled mind, one thought emerged: ‘He’s here.’
Ritsu hummed inquisitively, “Are you awake, Sleeping Beauty?”
He chuckled quietly as your lips curved into a smile, and you felt his breath on your forehead. You scrunched your nose in amusement rather than replying and kept your eyes closed. You were only so good at teasing him back, since you got flustered so easily, but it was fun trying nonetheless.
A second later, the covers shifted around you as he leaned closer. Smooth lips, though a bit dry, pressed against your own, and you responded in kind. As he moved back to see your face better, your eyes fluttered open.
“Good morning, my prince,” you whisper, your voice a bit hoarse from your nap.
Though he’s a creature of the night, sunlight looks gorgeous on him. It illuminates the adoring glint in his ruby red eyes and the sharpness of his fangs as he smiles an adorable, charming grin at you. Your heart squeezed, overwhelmed with tender affection.
“Hmm~ such a sneaky little princess, waiting to ambush me in my very own castle~” he teased. It was true; having finished your producer duties for the day, you took a well-deserved break. You were urgently in need of a nap, and what better place for that than Ritsu’s bed? Your own was nice, but you loved the Gothic aesthetics of the Sakuma mansion. Ritsu, the prince of sleep itself, had the best bed on the planet, probably. And it smelled like him (as well as having a fairly high rate of encountering him—he joked that you seemed to use, and enjoy using, his bed more than he did sometimes).
You nuzzled into his chest, shifting a bit until you were smushed into the crook of his neck—your favorite place. You heard his laugh as his arms wrapped around you and gave you a firm squeeze. You giggled a bit as well, pleased with his strength. Despite his slight build and nonchalant way of life, he did give really nice hugs. Anytime he put just a bit more force into one, it made you swoon a bit—and he knew this well (from the first time it happened, actually…. Your knees had buckled, and you were speechless beyond a shaky “Wow…wow…” for a few minutes. That had been an unexpected reaction to his little test, done half in jest to see how you’d react. He was pretty concerned, but after a moment of assessing your dazed expression, his lips quirked into a knowing smirk).
The two of you lay there for a while. He patiently waited as you woke up fully, something else you loved him for. He understood the thing with being chronically tired and yet more active at night all too well. Being suddenly awakened was a real pain in the ass, but even worse was being expected-–if not forced-–to immediately operate at full brainpower. Ritsu seemed to go from awake to asleep and vice versa fairly quickly despite his irritability at being rudely awakened (you’d been confused at everyone’s shocked reactions when Ritsu always woke up so easily once you were on the job. All it took were a few little things and a bit of sympathy; indulging him for a bit was no bother at all for you). You, on the other hand, needed ten minutes to an hour and a half (it depended on the length of your nap) to be back to full operating speed. Ritsu understood. And he always encouraged you to rest when you needed it, especially if that meant taking a nap with you to ensure that you got it.
Now fully awake and energized by his presence, you shifted in his grip. He released you but stayed close, and you sat up. The covers clung to your shoulders, though a bit of the warmth slipped out. Ritsu slowly rose as well, stretching and releasing a large yawn. Internally, you cooed a bit (and resisted the tempting urge to stick your finger in his mouth just to see what he’d do).
He gazed tenderly into your eyes. You reached up to smooth out his silky-soft bedhead before rearranging your own.
“Where do you want to go~?” He half-sang, and you giggled again. If he wanted to serenade you with the entirety of Little Romance , you’d gladly let him, but you’d love to go on a little date with him even more. “Hungry?” he questioned.
You made a little thoughtful hum and glanced away for a second in thought. You cleared your throat for a second before speaking.
“Boba tea? I want some karaage, too…”
“Mm, sounds good.”
He reached for your hand, intertwining his long fingers with yours. He brought your hand to his lips, and placed a chaste kiss to the back of it. Your heart fluttered. Ritsu had stolen your heart like a mischievous cat taking food from its owner’s plate, but he seemed happy to give you everything he had in return. You leaned up to brush your lips against his cheek. Your destination decided, the two of you set out as the sun slipped below the horizon. With your matching smiles and clasped hands, it really did feel like a fairy tale ending.