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[I can't draw to save my life but I figured this hastily put together thing is better than me trying to describe how they are sitting together]
It was a dark moonless night. Insects had grown silent in the cool night air. Suddenly, a gust of air tore through the trees outside an open window causing a pink haired figure inside to jump slightly as branches clattered against one another. The brawny lump under him made a tired murmur of complaint from the movement of weight on top of him. It was late. The room was only dimly lit by a TV playing another shitty horror film chosen for the spirit of the season. Kojiro shifted on the couch and extended his limbs in a huge stretch. It was his sad attempt to stay awake. Laying on his side with his knees slightly bent he almost looked like a giant dog, one one might find curled around their owner. His motion had disturbed the pair of legs that were draped crosswise over his own. Kaoru glanced down at his friend from his upright position and squeezed Kojiro's legs beneath his own.
“Are you going to make it this time?” He murmured.
Kojiro let out a huge yawn and squeezed Kaoru's legs in return. A silent affectionate gesture of affirmation. It was probably a strange sight seeing 2 people sitting like that but that’s just how they tended to watch movies together. It almost became ritualistic in nature. Old movies became background noise while they did homework and new ones were an easy way to unwind when skateboarding wasn't an option. Kojiro blamed Kaoru for this new habit that got even worse when he decided he wanted to code late in the evenings. Even when he wanted to stay awake, he found it incredibly difficult. Now anything they put on tended to knock Kojiro out like a lullaby. It didn’t help that while he was laying on his side, Kaoru would always come over and wedge himself into a sitting position right behind the crook of his knees. Regardless of their sitting arrangement, Kaoru's icy feet were always eventually stuffed under him for "his own personal heating source" leading to a surprised yelp that always brought a grin to the others face. As they got settled, a blanket would be pulled from the back of the couch to drape over them. It wasn't fair. Between the warmth and human contact, the movie always was the finishing blow.
On most nights Kaoru would be the last one up and would hit the lights and turn off the TV. He usually left Kojiro sleeping on the couch. It was hard waking him and if Kojiro found himself too uncomfortable, he’d wake up and climb into his own bed. The upper bunk anyway. Kaoru always claimed Kojiro's usual lower bunk whenever he stayed over and Kojiro didn’t mind nearly as much as Kaoru did on who got what bed.
Tonight Kojiro woke up. He glanced over at the alarm clock sitting on his nightstand and sighed when he saw the time. A little past 1 a.m. wasn't bad. If it was too close to morning, he would have just let himself fall back asleep, but since he had most of the night to enjoy a more comfortable bed, he reluctantly rolled and let his limbs fall over the side of the couch. Careful to not make too much noise and rouse Kaoru, he climbed up into the top bunk and almost fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Kojiro was like that. It was easy for him to fall asleep and stay asleep. He could sleep through about anything... as long as he actually put his head on a pillow that is. A reluctant night owl. His issue was that he had a tendency to feel anxious at night, like he hadn’t accomplished enough during the daytime. He'd read books, play video games, work on hobbies, anything. Nowadays though, the movies and shows Kaoru always threw on drew Kojiros wandering mind to one focus point. Since he always found himself eventually laying down while watching them, it solved his problem. His pink haired friend didn't have it so easy. He had a hard time falling and staying asleep. Tonight was one of those nights but unlike most nights, Kojiro woke back up.
A soft sobbing pulled him back into consciousness and a pitch black room. At first he thought he was dreaming because as he struggled awake, he heard nothing. He let his eyes droop but listen regardless as sleep tried to claim him again. For a long stretch of time he heard nothing and was afraid he might have really just been dreaming until the sound came again, this time even more muffled. His eyes snapped back open. It was quiet but now he knew he wasn't imagining things. His best friend was crying below him and he didn't have a single clue why.
He tried to rack his sleep fogged brain for something he might have done to cause this. Or maybe it was an unexpected event, bad news, relationship problems? No, nothing of the sort came to mind. The sniffles continuing to come from below felt like a stab to the heart and Kojiro clenched his jaw as he debated on what he should do. Kaoru hated crying in front of people, even in front of him. Sometimes people wanted their own solace in an attempt not to feel weak. He could respect that because everyone had those moments. Even if he wouldn't admit it, Kaoru used to have a tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve. A trait that he desperately tried to quell under a hard emotioned persona, punk attire, and piercings galore.
Kojiro knew all of this but despite his desire to respect Kaoru's privacy, this felt different. Kojiro squeezed his eyes shut, praying he wasn’t making a mistake. “Kaoru,” he called down softly “Are you okay?”.
The muffled crying stopped immediately and a deafening silence filled the room.
Kojiro cursed at himself but now Kaoru knew that he knew. There was no going back so Kojiro hesitantly pressed again. “Kaoru, hey man, I just want to know if you’re okay down there."
Nothing.
"I’ll leave you alone if you want me to... All you have to do is give me a nudge so I know that you’re okay.”
Kojiro braced his back and waited for the inevitable kick to his mattress and his friend telling him to piss off.
A long silence followed until Kaoru finally responded. His voice seemed to be steady as he said in a nonchalant voice. “Go back to bed idiot”, his voice hiccuped at the end “I’m f-fine.”
Kojiro sat up slowly and leaned over the railing straining his ears in the darkness. He could finally make out Kaoru's muffled but panicked breathing in the silent room. He made up his mind. Rather than confront Kaoru he wordlessly climbed back down the loft.
Kaoru said nothing as his friend moved around in the darkness. A swear fell from Kojiro's lips as his foot collided with the nose of his skateboard and it rammed into his dresser. Blindly he continued to reach around until he found the TV remote. He flipped it on and turned it to Netflix. Careful to avoid his tripping hazard a 2nd time, he crawled back onto the couch. Unconsciously flipping through the menu, he found himself choosing a nature documentary. The voice of the narrator and the beauty of the footage always seemed soothing to him, so maybe it might help his friend. He laid on his side and pretended to be engrossed in the episode. In all honesty, Kojiro wasn’t paying attention to the narrator at all, instead straining his ears for Kaoru's panic breathing and silently praying that it would slow down. As much as he wanted to put his friend in a bear hug, he knew the well intended gesture wouldn't necessarily be a welcome one. Kaoru had become much less inclined for physical affection as he grew older. Like a cat, that affection usually came on his own terms. Anyone, especially with strangers, that neglected to understand that tended to get Kaoru's verbal and sometimes physical "claws". Kojiro knew this more than most. His history and friendship status gave him some clemency but because he constantly pressed that limit and went too far over the line, he was regularly on the receiving end. On particularly vicious attacks he'd tease Kaoru and tell him he was just keeping him from going totally feral to humans. Most people were smart enough not to force themselves onto a panicking or wounded animal. Kojiro was still considering it.
After about 10 minutes of British narration Kaoru finally spoke. “It was a nightmare," he stammered, "I was hearing voices in it and I-“
Kojiro propped himself on his elbow and finally turned around, the TV lighting up his face and his soft expression. He patted the spot where Kaoru normally sat and the pink haired man wordlessly climbed in behind him. It was then that he felt Kaoru trembling against him and Kojiro fought with himself if he should press Kaoru a bit more. Finally, he decided against it. If Kaoru wanted to elaborate, he would have done so already. It was late. He was still half asleep and he was afraid he’d give horrible advice on whatever was troubling his friend at the moment. He’d always be an ear willing to listen and for now, that seemed to be enough for Kaoru who squeezed Kojiro's legs in his own in a silent thanks. For now, this was enough.
As it came to a close, the credits began rolling and a softer version of the opening song began playing. "This episode of Planet Earth was brought to you by BBC Natural History Unit and was narrated by David Attenborough and Carla Weaver."
Kojiro absentmindedly began humming the tune in his deep warm tone.
"I could listen to them all night." Kaoru murmured.
Autoplay granted his wish. As the next episode continued on, Kaoru eventually laid down on his side, intertwining his legs in his friends. Kojiro grabbed the blanket that had fallen onto the floor and draped it over the both of them. His eyes were unwillingly drooping when he noticed that Kaoru's trembling had finally subsided. As much as he struggled to stay up and keep an eye on his friend, he was no match for an exhausting day, Kaoru's warm body pressed up against his, and those damn British narrators.