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It was late in the night when Jouno was woken up to the sound of fireworks. He’d forgotten a holiday was coming up, and that people would celebrate in such a way. Most of the time, he would keep an eye on the dates, wearing headphones to bed to avoid having to hear the sound. It was like his ears were right against the fireworks, due to his sensitive hearing.
Knowing he wouldn’t be going back to sleep, for at least a few hours, if at all, he pulled his headphones out of the drawer they were kept in. Then, he got up, blanket resting on his shoulders as he exited his room, putting a hand on the wall, and dragging it along to find the next door. Turning the handle, he walked into Tecchou’s room, going over to his bed, and sitting down.
Not much later, Tecchou walked in, smelling of shampoo, and body wash. It was obvious he’d just had a shower, and was getting ready for bed, despite it being near midnight. He didn’t usually get to bed early, sleeping around midnight, and then waking up around eight in the morning.
Noticing the other Hunting Dog in his bed, he realized that something was wrong. It didn’t take much thought to realize there were fireworks going off outside, which meant Jouno had been woken up by them. Coming to Tecchou for comfort, or to have company, maybe even both.
Sitting down beside him, Tecchou reached out, and took Jouno’s hand in his own. Squeezing lightly to tell him it was alright, before gently pulling him down to the bed. So they’d both be laying, while waiting for the fireworks to end. Jouno wasn’t used to not hearing Tecchou’s heartbeat, so he put a hand on his wrist and felt his pulse.
Not sure how to properly comfort someone who is overwhelmed, Tecchou just laid there and let Jouno slowly get closer. Going from just the touch on his wrist, to snuggling closer, and hiding his face in the fabric of Tecchou’s shirt. He ended up staying cuddled close for the next hour, just the two of them lying in silence, with the occasional boom of fireworks in the distance.
Jouno was waiting for Tecchou to tell him that the fireworks were done. He didn’t want to hear them again, but he wasn’t sure that his partner knew that was what he was waiting for. So, he decided to ask, after cuddling in silence for so long.
“Are the fireworks over?” Jouno asked, yawning partway through his sentence, tiredness beginning to return.
His headphone were carefully removed, and laid on the nearby bedside table, “I think so, it’s been quiet for a while.”
Nodding, he rested his head against Tecchou’s chest, hearing his heart beat loudly, “That’s good, since it’s getting rather late, we should probably get some sleep soon, or else we’ll be late for breakfast.”
“Maybe we could stay up a little later…? Sorry, I know you’re probably tired, it’s just… nice, laying here with you,” Tecchou admitted.
“Alright, you dork, we can stay up a bit later, but it’s your fault if we don’t get up on time.”
After telling him that, Jouno ended up being the one who kept them up until the sun was rising. Their relationship was rather secret, so they didn’t get to spend much time together, just enjoying the other’s company. They spent the night talking, cuddling, and exchanging the occasional kiss.
Neither of them had known how much the other wanted to spend quality time together. Both of them were yawning, when they realized they’d stayed up far too late. An hour of sleep could be squeezed in, but it wouldn’t be likely that either of them would wake up on time. So, they laid there for the remaining hour, before getting up, with Jouno returning to his own room to get dressed.
As he was exiting Tecchou’s room, he heard a wolf whistle, followed by Teruko commenting, “Damn, what were you two getting up to last night?”
His entire face turned red at the suggestion, “It was nothing like that, you menace. I just couldn’t sleep last night because of the fireworks, that’s all.”
“Oh~, so you went to Tecchou because he’s the only one who could help you sleep?” she theorized, hitting the nail on the head.
“Shut up, I’m going to get dressed for the day,” Jouno grumbled, heading into his room.
Tecchou heard the whole conversation, and was blushing at the thought because the idea was absurd to him. He and Jouno were more for cuddling, and doing little romantic things, than sexual acts. It just wasn’t them. They were unimaginably soft, something no one else would ever see.
When he pulled on his uniform, he headed to the kitchen, seeing Jouno coming down the hall a minute later. Light eyebags from the lack of sleep the night before. Upon entering the kitchen, Jouno just wanted to walk over and hug Tecchou from behind, but Teruko and Fukuchi were there. It would show weakness, even though it wasn’t insane for either of them to crave romantic relationships.
Knowing he couldn’t show affection in an obvious, open way, Jouno bumped Tecchou’s shoulder as he walked past him to grab the leftovers. Some food from the night before, that he just had to heat up. The microwave luckily had braille, but it didn’t come with it. Tecchou had added it to make it easier for Jouno, after watching him struggle with it during his first few weeks.
Smiling to himself, he pressed the buttons, and then waited. The beeping had also been disabled, after an incident where it nearly got sliced in two. No one dared to startle a sleepy Jouno after that.
As he pulled his food out, after the sound of the microwave running stopped, he walked to the table. Sitting in the seat beside Tecchou, who once again was eating one of his accursed food combos. This time in was corn and yellow pepper, dipped in mustard. Holding back from commenting on the food, Jouno dug into his own, a tired fog still clinging to him.
The day might’ve felt like the longest ever, with his exhaustion from no sleep weighing him down, but when he crawled into Tecchou’s bed again that night, he knew it had been worth it. Wrapped up in warmth, and a familiar presence. A soft kiss to the forehead, the last thing he felt before drifting off.