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Sprawled on the couch they laid, stomach down and face planting into the dusty, ragged couch cushions. Too tired to move and absolutely too sore from fighting an overblot.
The others had magic, all they had was their physics skills and grim.
Their legs ached. They couldn’t move. And God, it was freezing in this sad excuse of a house.
So they just laid on their couch while grim snored away and drifted in and out of consciousness; they didn't even flinch when they heard the door creak open.
“Herbivore?”
They groaned.
Earlier, their conversation with the savanaclaw dorm leader hadn’t been the most pleasant and they were certain that this confrontation would go the same place it usually does: nowhere.
“What.” They mumbled. The sound was muffled and quiet due to their head being buried in pillows but they knew he heard it.
Keen senses and whatnot.
The footsteps gradually got louder and came to a stop.
“Wow you look like shi-“
“If you came here just to jab at and annoy me I'm not in the mood.”
You'd think someone would be a bit more grateful after you literally pulled them from the depths of their despair, risking your own life in the process.
Guess not.
“Look I- I didn't come here to tease you or make fun of you.“
“Sure.”
“I came here,” he said more firmly
“to thank you.”
Yuu whipped their head to the side and found themself face to face with Leona who was kneeling by the couch.
How’d you not notice he was that close to you? Was he speaking that softly to begin with? Above that was he really kneeling on the ground?? Him???
“Guess I hit you a bit too hard huh”
He sighed in what you could only imagine was frustration.
But his eyes told a different story.
Grief.
“No I’m being serious. I should've told you earlier but- I didn't. Herbi- no, Prefect, thank you for saving me. Thank you for fighting to bring me back even though being here has done nothing for you. Even though I didn’t do anything to deserve being saved.”
His voice got impossibly quiet at the end.
“Thank you for saying I was number one”
Now you really were too shocked to speak. So you just flipped your head back into the pillows and sighed.
“You're welcome.”
“A tad bit shallow of a response but I guess that's what I get.”
“As much as I’d love to be all serious now and actually face you. I can't move.”
“What?” He sounded shocked for once.
“That jump I took to slap you back to your senses messed up my legs. Which is why I'm opting to sleep on this God awful couch.”
He went silent for a few minutes, thank god. Maybe Yuu could finally fall asleep.
Suddenly, without warning, you were flipped over onto your back.
Their legs ached slightly but it was better than if they were to force themself to flip over.
“WHAT are you DOING-“
“Taking you to bed.” he responded flatly.
He bent down and threw their upper half to face behind him so they were slung over his shoulder.
Not the most graceful but definitely the least painful.
He silently carried them up the crumbling stairs, there wasn’t a word spoken between the two. But it felt like there was nothing that had to be said.
He placed them gently on the rickety bed- one of the few surfaces that weren’t covered in dust.
Grim stirred a little and broke the silence, something about tuna, before he promptly fell back asleep.
They huffed as he pulled the sheets over them. If it was any brighter they'd see the soft look on his face. A rare sight.
“Want me to stay until you fall asleep?”
The question was said in his usual voice but lacking its edge.
By the time their eyes adjusted he was already on the bedroom floor, leaning against the nightstand, his head near their own.
“You sure you’re not the one who wants to stay?”
He chuckled.
“Like anyone, much less a prince, would stay in an old shack like this willingly.”
A faint smile fell upon them as they yawned and turned their head away.
“Do as you wish.”
They’d wake up to the second prince of Sunset Savanna on the other side of their bed. Head resting against a patched-up pillow and tail curled around their midsection.
Oh, they were gonna tease him about this forever.