Work Text:
Satoru hasn't seen Suguru in three days. Normally that wouldn't be very strange, as Suguru holes himself in his room, studying, shut off from the outside world until he's finished. The strange part is Suguru's appearance; he hadn't been acting like himself when Satoru left for a mission; he seemed troubled and looked like he hadn't slept very well the night before. He was quieter than usual, not rising to joke with Satoru like he usually does. When Satoru came back and Suguru wasn't there to welcome him back, he began to make his way to Suguru's dorm.
When he knocks, Suguru doesn't answer. It's quiet in his room; there's no sound of movement. Satoru tests the knob; finding it unlocked, he lets himself in. Suguru's room is dark; the only light is the setting sun peeking in through Suguru's black-out curtains. Satoru would think Suguru wasn't there if he hadn't seen a small shuffle from the corner of his eye in the direction of Suguru's bed. He makes his way over and sees Suguru bundled tightly in his comforter; he's paler than normal, the dark circles under his eyes have worsened since Satoru last saw him, and his hair is tangled, which is more shocking than the rest of Suguru's haggard appearance.
Suguru always took care of his hair; even if he wasn't feeling well, he made sure to wash and brush it, wearing it up in a tight bun so it wouldn't bother him. Seeing him so unkempt unsettled Satoru more than it should've. Satoru decided he wasn't going to ask Suguru what was wrong when he let himself in; it was unlikely he'd tell him anyway. If Suguru had something he wanted to tell him, he would. Satoru gently brushes Suguru's bangs out of his eyes, pulling his hand back when Suguru lightly flinches, not expecting Satoru's touch.
Satoru moves out of Suguru's space when he makes the move to raise up. He looks at Satoru expectantly, as if waiting for Satoru to make a joke; he wouldn't. Not when Suguru looks so out of sorts. Satoru says nothing; he just grabs Suguru's brush and crawls into bed with Suguru to sit beside him. Suguru doesn't hide his surprise when Satoru starts gently working out the tangles in his hair with his brush. He's being gentler than he needs to be; he's softly combing through the smaller knots with his fingers. Suguru visibly relaxes and hums when Satoru cards through his hair with his hands. He leans more into Satoru, seemingly falling asleep as Satoru continues his ministrations.
He finished brushing out the tangles five minutes ago, but Suguru looks more relaxed than he had when Satoru saw him before his mission, so he continues brushing Suguru's hair while Suguru nods off, never quite falling asleep. "Do you want to talk about it?" Satoru whispers, not wanting to disturb the peace they created. "Not now; I'm so tired, Satoru." Suguru says it so desperately, like even considering it causes him great anguish. Satoru nods, not wanting to further upset Suguru and sensing the delicacy of the situation. Satoru has a feeling it's about Riko; he's been avoiding thinking about it. Suguru wouldn't tell him what they talked about before she died, and Satoru isn't going to pry when Suguru got so angry when he tried to ask about it.
Satoru starts braiding Suguru's hair. Satoru didn't know how to braid hair until Shoko taught him how in the summer, when Suguru broke his wrist and wasn't able to put his hair up himself as easily. When Satoru ties off the braid, Suguru leans fully into him, his back against Satoru's chest. Satoru decides to be brave and holds Suguru's hand, fearing he may push him away. Suguru squeezes Satoru's hand, head resting on Satoru's shoulder, nose to his neck. Satoru absent-mindedly hums songs he hears on the radio. Satoru has never felt so unsure of himself; he doesn't know how to make this situation better for Suguru. Satoru shoves his feelings as far down as he can to not show weakness; he feels like he's on uneven ground here.
It's unlike Suguru to be vulnerable around anyone, let alone Satoru. He's been handed something very delicate, and he won't mess it up. When Suguru looks ready to collapse back into unconsciousness, Satoru puts Suguru's brush on the nightstand and gently maneuvers them into lying down. He pulls Suguru's comforter over them and wraps his arm around Suguru's front, pulling Suguru's back to his chest and laying his forehead against Suguru's nape. He presses a kiss between Suguru's shoulder blades, discussing what's been going on with Suguru. It can wait until morning. Suguru rolls over to face Satoru and whispers something so quiet that Satoru almost misses it: "Thank you." Satoru's surprised; he wasn't expecting it. "For what, Suguru?" he responds, a little shocked. "Being here, you've been on mission after mission; it feels like I haven't seen you in weeks; if you're not on a mission, I am, and Shoko is so caught up working." Suguru answers almost too quietly; his voice is raspy from disuse, like he hasn't said a word in the days Satoru hasn't seen him. "We should get takoyaki tomorrow." Satoru hums, "What? Where did that come from?" Suguru asks, bemused. "Well, we haven't gotten to hang out properly in weeks, and I'm really craving takoyaki; we can even make Shoko come with us!" Satoru proposes excitedly. Suguru huffs a laugh and rests his head on Satoru's sternum as Satoru brushes the strands of hair that fell out of Suguru's braid out of Suguru's face so he can look at him better.
Satoru spares a look at the window; it's dark now that the sun has fully set. He absently wonders how long he's been laying here with Suguru and finds he doesn't mind just quietly lying here with him. Satoru looks down at Suguru finding him fast asleep breathing softly against Satoru's chest, Satoru sighs and presses a kiss to Suguru's scalp before drifting off to sleep with him.