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Over the course of his twenty-five years alive, Jae-ha had learned to appreciate the little things. For example, there was how cute his roommates were. Even as the almost-asleep Kija and the near-blind Shinah clung to his arms, making it terribly difficult for him to walk, they were adorable. Shinah, with so many festival masks miraculously stacked over his ears and face, obediently kept his steps in time with Jae-ha’s, not once hesitating on the trip to the apartment. It was pretty admirable, but mostly rather cute, since he squeaked every time he tripped and he held onto Jae-ha like a lifeline. Kija, meanwhile, rested his tired head against Jae-ha’s shoulder, his steps sluggish and stumbling. He could barely keep pace, even with Zeno—who had decided to tag along with them—keeping his hands on Kija’s back to push him forward.
Another thing Jae-ha appreciated was how Zeno, in spite of his nature as a limitless ball of energy, had apparently decided to stay as calm and quiet as possible. Sure, he could barely remain still during the elevator ride to the apartment floor. Sure, Jae-ha had to kick his ankle to make him stand still. But when they finally made it to the apartment, Zeno entered without any of his usual fanfare. Instead, he grabbed Shinah by the arm and led him to the couch to help him get ready for bed. While Shinah was perfectly capable of changing into his pajamas, the multitude of masks he works and his lack of familiarity with the obi would certainly impede his change if he didn’t have help. Jae-ha mumbled, “Thanks,” to Zeno as he passed the couch and approached Kija’s room.
"Try not to sleep in your yukata,” he warned while he shook the weary Kija from his arm. To be completely honest, Jae-ha could care less if Kija managed to put on his silk pajamas and go to bed. In all likelihood, he would pass out before he even made it to his mattress. But Jae-ha had to be at his job in less than five hours. He was not about to help anyone.
The trip to his own bed was agonizingly slow. First, he had to peel his day clothes off, exposing tired, tattooed skin to the refreshing breeze from the air conditioner. Next, he had to pull on a T-shirt, so he wouldn’t freeze his poor nipples. Without bothering to pull on pants, he collapsed onto the mattress. Finally, he sloppily tugged the blankets over his lower half, forgot to turn off the bedside lamp, and sunk into sleepy bliss.
His mind floated. Between consciousness and a dead-weight state, dreams began to breach. Cute girls in colorful yukata. . . Dancers greeting him with playful smiles. . . No responsibilities. . . Bliss……………………….. His bed shifted. A headache sprung upon him at the sudden pull back to reality. Grumbling, he buried his face into the pillow and ignored the warmth pressed against his side. Irritation swelled inside him, particularly when a hand was placed on his back and fingernails dug into his skin with the added weight of a human being.
Jae-ha’s eyelids snapped open. He turned his head to face the rude perpetrator. Above him was Kija, with prominent bags under his eyes and a silk pajama shirt hanging loosely off his back.
“What are you doing here…?” Jae-ha mumbled.
Kija smiled sleepily, his appearance angelic even in the dull yellow lamplight. “I gave Zeno and Shinah my bed,” he whispered. “The couch is too hard to sleep on after a long day.”
Jae-ha grunted and placed a tired hand on Kija’s back. “Aren’t you going to leave the light on to read? You always read before you sleep.”
Kija slowly shook his head before he leaned down to kiss Jae-ha’s cheek, turning off the light as he did so. “It’s too late at night for that.” Like a practiced dance, they rolled over together, collapsing in each other’s arms. Jae-ha, with an arm wrapped tightly around Kija’s waist, snuggled his roommate’s chest while Kija, with an arm draped lazily over Jae-ha’s shoulders, hummed contently into Jae-ha’s hair.
Warmth enveloped them, like a blanket made of the most perfect love. Call him sentimental, but this was his favorite place to be. Kija’s leg slid over one of Jae-ha’s, finding a proper place to rest, and he felt so safe. Serenity blessed his weary heart every time he came near the smell of Kija—it was a uniquely flawless mix of his flowery soap, the strong stench of his shaving cream, the sweat of a long day, and the beauty of diligence. He sighed away his exhaustion, and took in everything he could.
The next time he woke, it was to the sound of stumbling thumps and Zeno cheering Shinah on. The bedside lamp was on, practically blinding Jae-ha when he opened his eyes. Begrudgingly, he removed himself from Kija and lifted himself with one arm. On the other side of the bed were Shinah and Zeno. Shinah was kneeling on what was presumably the mattress from Kija’s bedroom, and he was setting up a variety of pillows. Zeno cheerily declared things like, “Yeah, Seiryuu, put the pillow there” as he carried at least three blankets.
Only one thought crossed Jae-ha’s mind.
“…Why…?”
Zeno finally noticed the rudely awakened Jae-ha. “Oh, good morning, Ryoukuryuu!” he greeted. “Seiryuu didn’t want to sleep in Hakuryuu’s room without Hakuryuu, so we decided to move in here!” Zeno laughed, as though two boys taking a mattress from one bedroom into another simply so one of the boys could sleep near his older brother figure was completely normal.
Jae-ha officially kind of hated his friend group.
“…Do you… mind…?” Shinah asked. He was successfully free of his masks and yukata, and he had replaced them with his regular pair of sunglasses and a cute set of duck pajamas. While Jae-ha stared at Shinah and his little frown of worry, he found that he couldn’t exactly be mad. Besides, he reasoned, he had to be at work in a few hours. Anger would be a waste of precious energy.
“…Fine. I don’t really care…” Jae-ha mumbled. Without another second to pass, he clicked the bedside lamp off and burrowed himself back into Kija’s arms. The sound of rusting, and Zeno’s chuckles and Shinah’s whispers, followed, soon to be ensued by silence. Jae-ha hummed, and drifted back into slumber.