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Sometimes the night was too quiet.
The days were much easier to fill with noise, to become lost in the routine of life. Listening to Beni and Huracan argue while Ren tried to keep the peace between them, Aoba cooking at the stove and smacking Koujaku’s hands away from the fruit that would soon adorn the pancakes he was making. A warm cup of coffee and idle breakfast chatter, and at dusk it was much the same for supper, only with “How was your day”s replacing sleepy good morning greetings.
The night left too much room for reflection, for thought. For remembrance, for longing of things that could have and very well should have been, but by nothing but the cruelty of men weren’t.
The night is when sadness crawls up your throat, leaves you gasping for breath in sobs when you wake from a dream where things that had occurred never happened and everything was right. Only to have to watch it burn again.
Though those nightmares occurred less and less, they still came, and it was on those nights when Mink found himself wandering the cabin in the dark. Sometimes Huracan accompanied him, silent except for the whir of his motors, his weight oddly comforting on Mink’s shoulders.
Mink would find a way to busy himself, use the excuse of being up to finish more of his crafts, ignoring the way Huracan looked at him from whichever surface he’d perched. It was if the darn machine could tell why he was so hesitant to return to bed, that part of him was afraid he’d be thrust into the world where his family lived and his village thrived. Mink wanted that world to be true, and when it all had been torn from him initially he pretended that it all had been a nightmare, and the fleeting and pleasant dreams were his waking world.
But even a waking hell could be heaven sometimes.
Evidence of such was the other two occupants of the cabin, those that had pulled him from his despair and saw more to him than just the machine he’d become to achieve his final purpose of vengeance. A machine that had no qualms of steamrolling all in it’s path towards said goal, and then towards it’s own destruction.
Aoba, with his power, he’d prevented him from that fate. From becoming a husk further rusted and cold, from truly dying, and only with three words.
“You are alive.”
He’d had doubted at first if that was true, even when Aoba and even Koujaku had insisted. But in the end, he’d listened, and those three words followed him even when he left the island to return to this place. Back to the cabin left frozen in time, another empty husk also waiting to be given purpose, to be full of life again…
A creak in the wooden floor outside his work room brought Mink out from his thoughts, and out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Aoba hovering just on the edges of the crack of light streaming into the dark of the hallway.
“You should be in bed, not sneaking around at this hour.” Mink said gently, focusing on his materials before him, glasses perched on the end of his nose as he picked and sorted beads.
The door only protested with a soft creak when Aoba opened it wider in response, “And you shouldn’t be working this late.”
Mink only hummed, saying nothing, hoping that a lack of conversation would bore his lover and chase him back off to bed. However, the sound of bare feet padding softly across the wooden floor met his ears and then pale arms were being draped around his shoulders. He felt Aoba rest his cheek against the top of his head.
“You know that we know, right?” Aoba’s voice was so soft, barely a whisper, and when Mink deigned to keep silent he only continued, “When you actually sleep…You call out for them sometimes.”
Aoba simply held onto Mink as he processed his words, his arms tightening around his shoulders when they slumped in defeat, nuzzling his face into Mink’s hair. Mink only leant onto his desk with his thumb and pointer finger pinching the bridge of his nose, glasses now askew before he suddenly moved to take them off. He folded them a little roughly, perhaps tossing them onto the desk with a bit more force than needed.
Aoba only moved his hands up to Mink’s shoulders as Mink let out a heavy sigh, beginning to gently rub the tension from his shoulders as he hummed tunelessly. Eventually Mink turned and Aoba went to him, letting Mink pull him into his lap.
Aoba cradled his head to his chest, running his hand soothingly through long brown hair, pressing a kiss to the top of his head for further comfort. Both of them soon heard the floorboards creak again, this time Koujaku appearing in the doorway. Sleepy red eyes regarded the scene before him before he made his way over to them, draping his form over the two of them, pulling them both into a hug. Curling around them almost protectively.
“You both left me all alone.” Koujaku grumbled, “You both should be in bed.”
“Dumb hippo.” Aoba murmured fondly, gently stroking Koujaku’s jaw, “But you’re right.”
Mink himself only closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth radiating from both of his lovers. Aoba’s soft heartbeat calming him and Koujaku leant down to press a kiss to the side of his face.
“Can’t sleep?” Koujaku asked softly, his hand joining Aoba’s to gently run his fingers through Mink’s hair, face sympathetic.
If anyone understood what it was like to relive the past over and over again within night terrors, it was Koujaku.
“…Not at all.” Mink eventually answered.
Koujaku hummed, hugging both of them tighter to him, “How about you both come back to bed then.” he tapped his knuckles against the top of Mink’s head lightly, “You especially. Or else I’ll drag you.”
While it would be interesting to see Koujaku try, Mink would rather not. Wordlessly he stood, Aoba clinging to him in surprise as he was lifted along. He didn't make to protest however, only settled more into Mink’s arms, and Mink let Koujaku lead them back to their shared bedroom. Soon enough all three of them were cuddled up under the covers, Aoba snug between them, head against Mink’s chest as Koujaku cradled him in his arms from behind.
Naturally Aoba was the first to fall asleep, his breathing soft and light, the smallest smile on his face. Mink only watched his face, running his fingers through those beautiful blue locks, the touch featherlight. He knew Koujaku was watching him, words on the tip of his tongue. Koujaku wasn't one to be so blunt with his words however, so Mink would say nothing until Koujaku decided to. His patience proved true.
“You know we’re here for you, yeah?” Koujaku said, voice so low Mink had to strain to hear, especially since he knew Koujaku was only speaking like that to avoid rousing Aoba, “I mean, Aoba has literally been in your head. It’s not like he’s not going to understand, or that I won’t for that matter.”
Mink only flicked his gaze from Aoba’s sleeping face to meet Koujaku’s, and Koujaku continued, “We’ve all been through some things. If you ever want to talk, about anything, we’ll listen.”
Mink only nodded, and Koujaku offered him a small smile before he raised himself onto an elbow, leaning over Aoba carefully. Mink was urged up to mirror him by scarred knuckles gently tracing his jaw, and Koujaku pressed a kiss to his lips.
“Now, please get some sleep.”
Not long after, Koujaku fell into slumber as well. Mink had long since thrown an arm over the both of them, holding them close. The only noises to permeate the silence was Aoba’s soft breathing, Koujaku’s snoring, and the soft mechanical whir of the allmates that had settled into their own small cuddle pile. Outside the wind rustled the leaves.
Eventually, the sounds of the night was enough to lull even Mink to sleep.