Work Text:
Sometimes, Aira felt like he must be so lucky, getting to share a dorm with not one, but two of his favorite idols.
Other times… not so much.
Rei and Eichi had been making passive-aggressive snipes at each other for the past few hours, and Aira was sick of it. He didn't even know what prompted the argument this time, it seemed like he just got home from dinner one day to find the two glaring at each other through the partition.
This wasn't too unusual for them, in and of itself. Sometimes, they would even act extra friendly towards Aira when this happened, in an attempt to win him over to their respective side. It was nice, if a bit overwhelming, to be doted on by people he idolized.
He couldn't handle it anymore, though. Any spoiling from his senpais was ruined by the downright unsettling vibes permeating the atmosphere. He was hoping they would have finished by now, but no luck. It was now 11pm, and even though they were quiet, and Aira was facing away, he somehow still felt the two glaring at each other, as if the negative energy alone was enough to dampen the entire room. It was time to check out his other options.
Oftentimes, Kohaku's dorm had a free bed, since Hiyori would drag Jun to his dorm whenever his roommates were out (which wasn't uncommon, as Rinne still stayed at Niki's apartment half the time, and Kanata was known to invade Chiaki's dorm occasionally to cuddle. Or he would just sleep in the bathtub.) Of course, it was just as common for Hiyori to kick Kohaku out of his own dorm, at which point Aira would at least have an excuse to invite him over for a sleepover. At least then he wouldn't be alone in this suffocating atmosphere.
He took out his phone, and shot Kohaku a text.
11:23PM - DM with sakuramber
loveswan: hey u up??
There was silence for a solid five minutes, before a response.
sakuramber: sorry cant talk. DF work rn
loveswan: its the middle of the night?? O.O iirc u shouldnt have any lives today right???
sakuramber is typing…
The typing indicator disappeared, then reappeared. This happened a few times, as if Kohaku was carefully deliberating a long, measured response. Aira waited patiently, as the minutes dragged on.
sakuramber: ya
sakuramber is offline.
Well then. There goes that idea.
Aira skimmed over his other contacts. Who else would even be awake at this time? Admittedly it wasn't that late, but…
He noticed a green "online" indicator next to Hiiro's icon. Huh, he usually wakes up early, doesn't he? What's he up to….?
11:46PM - DM with hiro-kun
loveswan: hiro-kun?? what r u doing up??
hiro-kun is typing…
hiro-kun: i couldnt sleep
loveswan: u dummy!! we have school tmrw, ur gonna be sleepy!!
hiro-kun: then why are you up, aira?
Aira didn't have a good answer for that. He decided to change the subject.
loveswan: are any of your roommates there?
hiro-kun: no, shiina-senpai is staying at his apartment tonight, and hinata-kun is doing a variety show right now, so he won't be back until next week.
loveswan: im coming over
Aira got up without waiting for a response. He packed a small bag with basic necessities, came up with a quick excuse to his seniors on where he was going, and made his way to Hiiro's dorm.
He was so relieved to get out of the stifling air of the dorm room, he hadn't bothered waiting for Hiiro's response. But now, as he was walking through the halls, he was starting to have some doubts. Maybe Hiiro didn't want him to come over actually? He was already having trouble sleeping, maybe this would only make it harder for him…
His thoughts were cut off when he realized he was standing in front of Hiiro's door. Maybe this was a bad idea. Before he could turn around though, the door swung open.
Hiiro was standing there, with hair even more ruffled than usual, squinting his eyes as he adjusted to the bright lights of the hallways. Aira couldn't help but stare. Unlike himself, who just slept in his usual practice clothes, Hiiro had an adorable set of lemon-patterned pjs (probably a gift from Niki) and an even cuter pair of bunny slippers (Aira belatedly recognized them as promotional merch from back when Hiiro had been in the Easter-themed shuffle unit).
After Aira had spent an embarrassing amount of time staring at his unfairly cute unitmate, Hiiro had apparently had enough of standing there, and dragged Aira inside before shutting the door.
"Eh– Hiiro-kun?!" Aira exclaimed, startled. Hiiro responded with nothing but an absentminded "umu" as he dragged Aira back to his bed. What?? Huh???
Before Aira could say anything else. Hiiro had already laid back down on the bed, and was now burying his face into Aira's chest, while his arms wrapped tightly around Aira in a sort of death-grip. Huh?? What?? Huh??? Hiiro sighed a contented "umu" as he nuzzled further in. HUH???
"Hiro-kun!" Aira hissed, trying to hide how his heart raced. "What are you doing?"
Hiiro mumbled grumpily, before lifting his head slightly to look at Aira. "I thought you came over to help me sleep…?"
Aira was flabbergasted. "How is this helping you sleep??" Personally, with how his heart raced, Aira was sure he was never going to sleep again after this.
Hiiro looked away again, finally having the decency to look somewhat embarrassed. "I had a nightmare… I was back home, and everyone was mad at me for failing… failing to bring home my brother, failing to be a good leader, failing to even leave properly…" His voice wavered, and Aira suddenly felt guilty for questioning him in the first place, but he continued, "... I was all alone again… and then I woke up, and I was all alone here too… I couldn't fall back asleep."
Aira's anger melted away, replaced by some other emotion he couldn't quite name. Something warm, and impossibly fond. "You big baby…" he began, almost shocked at how utterly smitten his voice came out. Hiiro was normally so headstrong. insisting on how he would be the one to protect Aira, the smaller and weaker of the pair, but now here he was, curling up in his arms, as if Aira was the strong one who could protect him from his fears.
Well, Aira supposed. I guess I can.
"I promise, you'll never be alone again." he hugged Hiiro properly again, squeezing him slightly and pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head. Hiiro nuzzled back into the crook of his neck, and let out a happy sigh, before his breaths gradually slowed, eventually morphing into light snores.
Aira giggled to himself, and let himself relax into Hiiro's hold. I guess I can fall asleep like this, after all…