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They barely even heard the knock of the front door over the loud noise of their game blaring into their headphones.
“Huh?” Mizuki blinked, slipping their headphones off and pausing their game. Dragging their mouse to the bottom of the screen, they checked the time.
It was just gone 3am. Wow, they had been gaming for a while. No wonder they’d started to feel so tired during their previous match of PvP. Their shooting really wasn’t as good as it could be, even if the other team were better than they expected - it took every ounce of self control they had to not cuss them out in the chat. They couldn’t get another account banned, after all.
Another knock pulled them from their small train of thought. Oh, right. The front door.
Slipping on their hoodie and fluffy pink slippers, they shuffled from their bedroom and down the hallway to the front door.
It was weird that someone was knocking at 3 in the morning, but Mizuki’s sleepy mind wasn’t alert enough to be aware of any danger opening this door could cause. Anyone could be behind there; a crazy stalker, an axe murderer, a skilled house robber -
But no. As Mizuki opened the door, they came almost face to face with an equally tired looking Mafuyu.
“Eh? Mafuyu, what are you-?”
“Can I stay the night?” Mafuyu mumbled, shifting from one foot to the other; eyes downcast to the floor. “Please.”
Wordlessly, Mizuki nodded, stepping aside to let the other in.
Mafuyu shuffled inside, slipping off his purple high-tops and leaving them neatly next to the door. He muttered a ‘thank you’ that was far too quiet for Mizuki to hear.
“Is… Is everything okay?” Mizuki asked, softly; watching as the boy hung his coat up.
Mafuyu turned to them and gave a half shrug. “I don’t know anymore. I just… Need somewhere to stay tonight. This is… um… the only address I could remember.”
“I see.” Mizuki frowned, eyes casting over Mafuyu’s form. He certainly wasn’t dressed for the harsh winter weather; he was wearing a loose pair of light blue pyjama pants and a shirt to match.
It was as if he’d just grabbed his coat and gone. He wasn’t even wearing socks.
“Do you, um-“ Mizuki paused. “… Did you eat dinner?”
Another shrug. Mafuyu picked at the skin around his nails.
“Right… Well, c’mon.” Mizuki offered their hand out to him. They watched as Mafuyu’s eyes flickered from his hands to theirs; and then up to their face, hesitating for a moment before taking a hold of their hand.
His hands were freezing, colder than they usually would be.
Mizuki resisted the urge to comment on it as they dragged Mafuyu down the short hallway and into the kitchen.
“I don’t think we have much in,” they mused, letting go of Mafuyu’s hand as they opened the cupboards, “I have… A lot of ramen. Let’s see… We have chicken, beef… A spicy one, if you’d like that? Why do I even have that… Must’a picked it up by mistake.” They glanced over their shoulder to Mafuyu, who at this point was lingering in the doorway; eyes fixated on the floor in front of him.
He gave a half shrug to their words.“Whatever is easiest. It’s not like I’ll be able to taste it.”
“Hm… Spicy it is, then~ Maybe you’ll be able to feel the, uh, sensation? On your tongue?”
Mizuki got up on their tip toes, grabbing the cup of spicy ramen (and a chicken one for themselves), putting them on the counter as they filled up the kettle; soon putting it on to boil.
Leaning against the counter, they watched Mafuyu as they waited for the water to heat up; studying his body language for any hint at what had happened to him tonight.
He looked tired; more so than usual. Dark bags were cast under his eyes to the point they were almost black, his skin was pale; eyes somehow lifeless despite the slow rise and fall of his chest.
They wanted to badly to pry at what was clearly eating him up inside, but talking to Mafuyu about things like feelings always proved to be hard. Even Kanade couldn’t pry certain things out of the boy, so Mizuki assumed they would have little to no chance.
“I like your pyjamas.” They commented, trying to fill the void of silence between them. “They look comfortable.”
“I guess.” Mafuyu mumbled, a hand coming up to rub at his elbow; almost hugging himself slightly. “Not very useful for the cold, though.”
“Hmm… Oh!” Mizuki smiled to themselves, slipping their hoodie off over their head and tossing it to Mafuyu (Which, to both of their surprise, he caught) “You can borrow this. Should warm you up~”
Mafuyu blinked, holding the pink hoodie close to his chest. His eyes were fixated on it, fingers clenching around the soft, warm fabric before he looked at Mizuki.
“Won’t you be cold?” He asked, head tilting as his fingers brushed against the soft, warm fabric in his hands.
Mizuki was now just in an oversized grey t-shirt that had faded text on it, along with a pair of pink sweatpants. It was the most casual he’d ever seen Mizuki in his life.
They gave a shrug, turning to attend to the kettle which was now whistling away for attention.
“I have other hoodies.” They mused, pouring water into both of their cups and putting the cover over them. “I just wanted you to have a warm one.”
“… Thank you.” Mafuyu said, quietly; pulling the hoodie over himself. He inhaled deeply; it smelled like lavender - it smelt like Mizuki. It immediately washed comfort over his body, and for the first time that evening he truly felt safe.
“It suits you, you know.” Mizuki smiled at him. “It’s… Nice to see you in colours that are a little bit brighter. Goes nice with your, er- hair.”
Pale cheeks dusted a light pink as Mizuki’s words sunk in. He wasn’t sure what to say to that - compliments at this point washed over him with little to no effect; but something about Mizuki’s words in that moment made his legs feel like jelly.
He mumbled another thanks, trying to ignore the way Mizuki’s words had made his heart race more than it probably should.
Mizuki had made a quick work of turning their back to him - their own cheeks having gone a bright shade of red. The words… They’d just slipped out! And it was such a lame comment! Ugh!
“So uh…” They stumbled, trying to save face. “This’ll be done in… a minute or two. You wanna go sit on the couch and I’ll bring them in?”
“Oh. Okay.” Mafuyu gave a short nod to himself more than anyone, before he turned on his heel and wandered down the hallway.
He entered the living room - a small area with a couch, a tv, and a couple of shelves. He took a seat on the couch, sitting all the way in the far right corner; arm resting on the side. The room was silent save for the quiet ticking of a clock.
It was the first time that evening he’d had a moment to himself.
He let out a shaky exhale, eyes glued to the carpet floor in front of him. God… This truly had been a night. He’d never seen his mother so angry in his entire life, nor heard her scream at him like that before. There were tears, cursing and if his memory serves him correctly, a plate was thrown.
Though, luckily for Mafuyu, by the time that had happened, he’d already escaped to his room.
He stayed in their for hours, too afraid to go out and face the world. But he needed to get out - he couldn’t stay here. It wasn’t safe. He wasn’t safe.
So, he managed to creepy his way downstairs, and grab his shoes before slipping out the front door with nothing but his pyjamas and coat. Hell, he didn’t even put his shoes on till he was half way down the street - just in case she heard him.
Everything had happened so quick - the words had fallen so easily from his lips that he couldn’t have stopped himself even if he wanted to.
Before he could spiral too much inside his own head, Mafuyu was thankfully pulled from his thoughts by Mizuki entering the room.
“Here ya go~” They handed him the cup; the warmth of the paper was a pleasant contrast to the ice cold of his hands.
“Thank you.” He said, blowing on it as the steam rose up into his nose. Mizuki had already stuck a pair of chopsticks into his cup for him.
“You’re welcome.” They gave him a half smile, digging into their own cup. “Mm~ I don’t know what they put in these things, but this is tasty. No wonder Kanade lives off of them. Here-“
They got a sizeable amount of noodles on their chopsticks, holding it in front of Mafuyu.
He blinked, head tilting as he opened his mouth; letting the noodles go inside as he chewed slowly. He couldn’t taste a thing, did Mizuki forget that in the moment?
“Good, right?” They asked, slurping up some more of their own noodles; completely unbothered by the fact they’d just fed him.
Mafuyu gave a half shrug. “Tastes okay to me.” He mumbled, poking at his own cup and grabbing a couple of strands on his own sticks.
He still couldn’t taste anything, but Mizuki was right - he could feel the slight tingling sensation on his tongue. It was nice, if he was honest - a change of pace from the mundane reality of tastelessness.
The pair sat in silence, the only noise accompanying the ticking of the clock being the soft noises of two people enjoying a meal together. Mizuki’s couch wasn’t very big, so their knees touched slightly as they sat and ate - but if it bothered them, neither said a word.
“… I came out to my mom.” Mafuyu said, suddenly, between slurps of noodles.
Mizuki almost choked on their own food, but the managed to swallow it down and style it off. The sudden declaration was something they certainly were not expecting at all, let alone this early into the night.
“… And I take it didn’t go well?” They asked, poking at a noodle with their fork.
Mafuyu shook his head, frowning. “No it. It did not but- But that’s okay, right? Because I’m… I’m here now. I’m safe. Right?”
Desperate eyes met Mizuki’s; silently pleading with them. This was a side of Mafuyu they’d never seen before.
“Of course.” They said, trying to sound certain. Well, he was safe with them. It’s just… if his mother found out where he was, surly she would come to find him? But Mizuki would be here. They would be strong enough for both of them. “I won’t open that door to anyone, ya here?”
Mafuyu let out a long, deep exhale as Mizuki’s words sank in. Finally, he felt like he could relax; his shoulders sinking down as he let his back rest against the couch.
“Thank you, Amia.” He said, eyes meeting theirs. “For this. For letting me stay.”
“Heh, don’t mention it, ‘fuyu. You’re one of my best friends, after all. My home is your home, as long as you need~” They knocked their knees together, offering him a cheeky grin - trying to ignore the way their heart ached to call him anything but a best friend.
They wanted more. They knew that much; those small, nagging feelings in the back of their mind that flared up whenever Mafuyu was around. They were in love, they were sure of it, with Mafuyu - probably the worst person they could have fallen for. He just had… so much going on, all the time that romance or anything close to it was probably so far off the table for him.
Mizuki wasn’t going to bring it up, no. It wouldn’t be right. Not with the bombshell he just dropped on them. All they needed to do right now was be a good friend to Mafuyu, and that’s exactly what they were going to do.
It was the most loving thing they could do.
Silence fell over them once more as they ate. Despite the circumstances, this whole interaction felt so normal to the pair. They’d often be on call, as a group, into the early hours of the morning anyway - so sharing this space at such an odd hour wasn’t exactly foreign to the pair. If anything, it just felt a little more domestic; sharing a meal, knees touching, in the warmth of Mizuki’s home.
Once their pots were thoroughly empty, Mizuki gave a yawn; stretching out their arms, shoulder popping as they did so.
“Man, I am beat. You wanna hit the hay?” They asked, looking over at Mafuyu who, unsurprisingly, shrugged.
“Sure. I could sleep. I am feeling a little tired.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Hm, then let’s go!” Mizuki got up, bouncing slightly on the balls of their feet. For someone who was tired, they still seemed to have a lot of energy. “Just follow me, ‘Fuyu~” They gave a slight grin, before walking off - with Mafuyu following in tow.
Mizuki’s room was exactly what you would expect from them - it was covered in pink and all things cute. Their pc was still on, paused on the game they’d been playing; which they soon switched off upon entering.
“Let me just see if I can find the futon anywhere-“ Mizuki mumbled, rummaging around in their closet. Man, did they always have this many clothes? They really needed to have a clear out one of these days. Surly Rui could find use for some of these outfits they weren’t too keen on anymore, right?
“… Can I sleep in the bed with you?” Mafuyu asked, quietly, voice just loud enough for Mizuki to make out.
“Hm?” Mizuki looked over their shoulder at him. Seeing Mafuyu like this was heartbreaking. “Of course. I’m sure we’ll both be a lot warmer that way~” They tried to add a playful tone to their voice, trying to put Mafuyu at ease and calm their own blush that had spread across their cheeks and nose bridge. “I would offer you some pyjamas, but it seems you’re all set on that.”
It was at that exact moment that Mizuki became very aware that Mafuyu was wearing their clothes - their hoodie. It was big on Mizuki, so it was big on Mafuyu; the sleeves being bunched a little at the bottom so his hands could be free, with the actual hem on the bottom of the hoodie stopping mid way down his thigh.
Their breath hitched in their throat for a moment. Fuck. He looked so cute - and now Mizuki was going to have to share a bed with him? It… It was going to be a long night.
As they both clambered into Mizuki’s bed (Which, was easier said than done, as Mizuki had to painstaking move their pile of plushies to somewhere else in the room, muttering apologies to the stuffed toys under their breath), it was at that moment they both became very aware of how close they really would be tonight.
Mizuki really was trying to keep some space between them - really, they were! It’s not their fault that their bed was built for one, not two.
With Mafuyu taking the right, Mizuki had no choice but to face him - they couldn’t sleep facing the wall. Something about it just made them feel so boxed in, so afraid - so all they could do is hope and pray Mafuyu would roll over and give them his back.
But he didn’t. He kept himself facing towards the middle - and their eyes met, faces far too close. Even in the dark of the room, Mizuki could make out the smaller features of Mafuyu’s face. For one, those little freckles he had that were so faint you could only see them if you were this close to him.
“Eheh… Seems we both like to face the inside, huh?” Mizuki said, awkwardly chuckling.
“Mhm. I can face outwards, if you want.” Mafuyu went to move, but Mizuki’s hand reached out, gently grabbing onto the fabric of the hoodie.
“No-!” The words came out a little too quick, a little too desperate. “I-I mean. Just sleep however you’re comfortable! Eheh…”
“Alright.” He repositioned himself, facing Mizuki once more. “Goodnight then, Amia.” He said, closing his eyes.
“Goodnight, Yuki…” Mizuki closed their own eyes too, trying to let their mind settle and ignore how close their bodies were to one another.
Their eyes didn’t stay closed for long, thought; before blinking open. They couldn’t sleep, they just couldn’t. Mafuyu was so close, so so close - and he felt so warm, which was odd as Mafuyu usually ran impossibly cold. Maybe their hoodie really had warmed him up?
He looked so peaceful in this moment, and Mizuki wanted it to last forever; his face was relaxed, all the little worry lines having melted away. His lips were slightly parted as soft breathes left them in time with the slow rise and fall on his chest. He’d tucked on arm under the pillow, face pressed slightly into it - he was clearly comfortable. A few stray strands of purple hair had found themselves on his face, and Mizuki had to resist the urge to brush them away.
They shifted closer - the shouldn’t, really. They should just go to sleep. But they couldn’t help themselves. Just a few inches closer wouldn’t hurt, right?
Knees brushed against each other, and Mizuki held their breath - no reaction from Mafuyu, thankfully.
… An extra inch couldn’t hurt, right? Just a little more, a small scooch… Now their knees were definitely touching; cap to cap contact.
Again, Mafuyu didn’t react.
Now, they would have tried to push their luck and move even closer - but every part of their mind was screaming at them to not do that and just be content with this, and content they were.
Having a crush on Mafuyu was. Hard, to say the least. You’d never know if liked you back or not unless he explicitly said it, because his face was always the neutral face of displeasure. Impossible to read unless he was really strongly feeling an emotion in that moment. Mizuki was sure they didn’t have a chance with him at all, and that this would just be one of those crushes you’ll always have, but will never go anywhere at all.
“I can feel you staring.” Mafuyu mumbled, cracking one eye open slightly; dull purple meeting pink as Mizuki’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Something on your mind?”
“O-Oh I- No, sorry. I was just. You looked so peaceful and I- I couldn’t help but admire you.” Mizuki stumbled out, face heating up a fierce shade of red upon being caught. Jeez, how did Mafuyu always do things like that? He always seemed to know exactly what was going on.
“Oh?” Both of his eyes opened, now; blinking away the remnants of a light sleep. “You were… admiring me?” Now that’s something he hasn’t heard before.
Cheeks burning red, Mizuki gave a meek nod. They’d made this bed, now it was time to lie in it.
“Hm.” He pursed his lips slightly, processing the information; though he didn’t miss the way Mizuki’s eyes flickered down to his mouth as he did that.
The cogs were slowly turning in his head, until, everything clicked in place. Ah. Now it was his turn to blush; though only the tips of his ears went red.
“If I ask you a question, will you be honest with me?” He asked, eyes scanning Mizuki’s face for an hint of dishonesty. He already knew what he wanted to ask, and he was sure of what Mizuki’s answer would be.
“Yes.” They breathed out, heart thumping loudly in their ears as they felt Mafuyu move closer.
“Do you want to kiss me?” His words came out soft; quiet, a nervous undertone to them as his eyes drifted slightly away from Mizuki’s.
“Please.” It came out as more of a whine than anything else; almost begging. God, their face really couldn’t get any redder.
It’s seems that was all Mafuyu needed for something to ignite inside him. His hand came up, grabbing roughly at Mizuki’s shirt and pulling them in close; crashing their lips together in a heated mess.
Mizuki squeaked in surprise, though their mind soon quickly caught up to what was happening. Their hands grasped at the hoodie Mafuyu was wearing, fingers gripping at the fabric as they pulled him in closer.
Teeth clashed against each other as they got impossibly close; bodies pressed against one another as Mafuyu tilted his head slightly to deepen the kiss, with Mizuki’s tongue soon slipping into his mouth. Their legs became a tangled mess as they kept trying to get closer and closer, even though no space remained between their hot, sweating bodies - if they could, they would melt into each other, if it meant being closer.
He wasn’t sure what had come over him; he felt like he was drunk, his mind a haze as all he could think about was Mizuki and how good they felt in his mouth. His own tongue brushed against theirs, and that seemed to spark something in Mizuki as they let out the softest of whines into his mouth.
Mizuki’s body felt like it was on fire; Mafuyu’s touch was like electricity that coursed through their entire being as his grip on their shirt tightened.
They eventually had to part, breathes mingling together as their foreheads pressed against one another; heavy pants filling their air around them.
But Mafuyu wasn’t done. Now that he’d had a taste of Mizuki, he wanted more. He needed more.
A little bit of drool had dribbled down Mizuki’s chin, but Mafuyu leant close and swiped it up with the tip of his tongue - a shudder ran down Mizuki’s spine.
He soon buried his face into their neck, kissing softly at the skin, the tip of his tongue lightly grazing against it.
“ Mafuyu-” They whined, head tilted back to give him better access. Was this real? Was this actually happening, or had they died and gone to Heaven? Their hands travelled up, finding themselves tangling in long locks of purple hair.
Pressing soft kisses across their neck, his lips found their pulse point; and he bit down - hard.
Mizuki groaned, fingers pulling at Mafuyu’s hair as they felt him suck on their neck. He gave a slight grunt in response to this, but their actions only seemed to fuel him more as his sucking deepened; this was sure to leave a lovely mark on their neck once he was done.
Once he was satisfied he’d left his mark, he pulled back; looking up at Mizuki.
Their pupils were full blown and dilated; their hand still in his hair, though now more so cradling his head rather than holding on to it. Their mind felt like a pile of mush.
“Satisfied?” He asked between soft pants, loosening his grip on their T-shirt, now. He, instead, wrapped his arms around their neck.
“Y… Yes.” They stuttered out, mentally playing catch up to process what the last five minutes of their life had actually been.
“Do you think you can sleep now?” His head tilted ever so slightly, with that adorable look that he got whenever he truly was curious about something.
What… What sort of question was that?! How was anyone supposed to feel sleepy after THAT?!
“I…” Mizuki began. “… Can we. Um.” God, why did they feel so shy all of a sudden? They’d literally just had their tongues down each others throats. “… Can we cuddle? That… Might make me feel sleepier…”
“Of course.” He pulled his arms back, though holding them open. “Come here.”
“Jeez… When did you get so good at… this sort of thing?” Mizuki mumbled, moving into his arms; immediately relaxing as they wrapped around them. Their own arms, in turn, hooked around his waist. Their face buried into his chest - god, their hoodie smelled like him now. That nice mix of mint and paper; with a hint of sweet body spray.
“I’ve been… doing my research.” He said, softly; chin resting on top of Mizuki’s head. “I’ll assume I… I did well.”
Mizuki giggled, muffled slightly against the others body. “Yes, yes… You did perfect. But… You didn’t just do that to make me happy, right?”
“What? No. I. Hm. Been wanting to… do that for a while. Just… needed the right moment. I guess you gave me that…” His hands lightly trailed across the others back. “Guess every cloud has its silver lining. If I didn’t come here tonight… Who knows if this would have ever happened?”
“Mhm… Well, I’m… I’m glad you feel the same as I do.” They had the biggest, stupidest grin on their face right now; and they were thankful Mafuyu wasn’t able to see how much of an absolute dork they were being. “So… What does this make us?”
“Mm… I’m not too sure. Let’s… Figure that out in the morning, okay? We’ll be able to think better with clear heads…” He let out a soft yawn, nuzzling his nose into the soft of Mizuki’s hair. That signature lavender smell engulfed his senses as he let out a deep exhale.
“Yeah, yeah… You’re right… But, um…” Well, it really was now or possibly never. “I… I love you, you know? Very, very much. I don’t know what it is about you but I just… I just adore you.”
Mafuyu’s eyes went wide, his breath hitching in his throat slightly as Mizuki’s words sunk in.
Adoration. He’d never known anyone to feel that way about him in a way that truly mattered; but now? All he wanted to do was be absolutely and positively adored by Mizuki for the rest of this life - and give them that same love back.
He’d made up his mind. He was now, without a doubt, most definitely in love with Akiyama Mizuki.
“You don’t have to say it back.” They added, quickly. “I just… Wanted you to know.” They punctuated their sentence by pressed a soft, gentle kiss to a bit of exposed skin on his neck.
“… Thank you, Mizuki… I… I will keep it in mind. I… Care for you. Very deeply.” He was struggling to find the words, but he knew Mizuki would understand - they always seemed to, no matter what.
“Heh. I know. Well… Goodnight, Yuki. Sleep well.” Another kiss. Just one more couldn’t hurt.
“Goodnight, Amia.”