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the windows are closed, and the heat is on, yet riku’s bedroom feels too cold to bare. even under the blankets in fuzzy pajamas, there’s a chill on his skin and a quiet ache in his chest as he lies in bed, staring at the ceiling, willing sleep to come. he’s already tried the usual tricks―listening to music, counting sheep, scrolling aimlessly on his phone for something to lull him to sleep. none of it helps. the bed feels too big and the air too heavy.
it’s not a big deal to walk. yushi’s place isn’t far, just a few train stops. except the trains are shut, so that means riku does have to walk, but it’s kind of nice being out in the quiet peace of the night. even if it’s below freezing. he would call, but yushi went to sleep hours ago, and he really doesn’t want to wake him up. besides, he still has the door code yushi gave him months ago. he’ll just sneak in, join yushi in bed, and finally be able to get some sleep.
except now, standing outside the door, heart pounding as he hears the incessant beeping of a security alarm coming from inside the apartment, riku realizes just how bad of an idea this was.
nothing to do now but stand helplessly outside the door, cheeks numb from the cold, coat zipped up to his chin over his pajamas, starting to feel like he might look as stupid as he feels. he glances at the keypad, the red light blinking angrily at him, and curses under his breath. he’d forgotten the code. completely.
inside, riku can hear the muffled sound of footsteps through the sound of the continued beeping―the hushed voices of yushi and sion. he winces a little. there’s a pause when the footsteps arrive at the door, then the sound of typing on a keypad, and the door opens.
yushi is standing in an oversized hoodie, hair sticking up in every direction, eyes still wide and full of alarm. sion right behind him, holding what seems to be a mug as a weapon of choice against the potential intruder, his expression somewhere between disappointed and exhausted.
riku just stands still in his coat and kuromi pajama pants, looking, he imagines, a bit stupid. he opens his mouth to explain, but nothing comes out. instead, he gives a sheepish little wave, as if that will fix everything.
“riku?” yushi’s voice cracks, disbelief and something softer bleeding into it.
“uh… surprise?” riku tries, but it sounds lame even to him.
sion groans, dragging a hand down his face. “you’ve got to be kidding me.”
yushi stares at him for a long moment, the silence stretching between the three of them, before sighing, tugging riku inside by his arm.
he shuffles in, avoiding sion’s pointed glare, and slips off his shoes. the apartment is warm, and it smells faintly of the vanilla candle yushi likes and maybe a little of whatever was cooked for dinner. it feels like yushi, like home, and riku’s shoulders sag in relief.
“was calling not an option?” sion asks, setting the mug back down on the counter. “you had to try and break in?”
“i have the code. i just… i forgot it. i dunno,” riku admits, scratching the back of his neck.
yushi let go of riku’s arm once he was inside, his arms crossed now, his face unreadable. riku hates when he does that, goes all quiet and hard to read. it makes his stomach twist.
“you set off the alarm,” yushi finally says, his voice soft but not unkind.
“since when do you have an alarm?” riku retorts, like that absolves his responsibility in the situation.
yushi glances at sion, and sion looks back at him, then at the slightly open door to his room. riku swears he can see that his ears, contrasted against his blonde hair, are almost definitely red.
“since recently,” sion mutters, shrugging like it’s not a big deal. “crime in the area. it’s good to be safe.”
riku tilts his head, unconvinced. “crime in the area?”
sion sighs. “yeah, people’s weird boyfriends breaking into apartments. big problem lately,” he says, deciding now to start retreating back to his room. “call next time.”
the door to sion’s room clicks shut, but not before riku catches a glimpse―a head of black hair, just barely peeking out. longer than sion’s, and it definitely belonged to another person.
“who?” riku questions, staring at the closed door for a moment longer.
yushi shakes his head, like it’s better not to ask. “i’ll explain later,” he says, steering the conversation back. “more importantly, what the fuck?”
riku turns back to yushi, who is still watching him, his head tilted slightly like he can’t quite figure him out. his expression is softer than his words, so that puts riku at ease.
“i’m sorry,” he says, shrugging, and he means it. “i just… i couldn’t sleep. i didn’t want to be alone.”
yushi’s expression softens even more at that. he steps closer, his hand pressing gently to riku’s cheek, still bitten red from the cold. “you walked all the way here?” he asks, his hand pushing up to cover riku’s ear, which is still partially numb. “it’s really cold outside. you should have worn a hat.”
“oh. i guess i didn’t think of it.”
yushi sighs, but this time it sounds less frustrated, more resigned. his eyes trail down riku’s body, back up to his face, the corner of his mouth turning to half a smile. “you walked here in the kuromi pajamas?”
riku’s face defrosts a little bit with the heat of sudden embarrassment. “there wasn’t really anyone else outside.”
yushi laughs, soft and warm, and it’s the kind of sound that makes riku’s chest loosen completely. “come on,” he says, tugging riku gently toward his room. “if you’re staying, you’re staying. but i have to be up early, so we’re going to sleep.”
“okay,” riku says, his heart a little lighter now.
yushi’s bed is warm and messy, and riku crawls in without hesitation, pulling the blanket up around himself like a shield from everything outside this room. yushi slides in beside him, close but not quite touching, the space between them small enough to feel intentional. riku turns to face him in the dim light, his voice hesitant but quiet.
“are you mad at me?”
yushi shakes his head, his hand moving to pull the blanket higher over riku’s shoulder before brushing his knuckle against his cheek. the touch is soft, grounding. “i think you’re stupid,” yushi says, his voice gentle, “but i’m not mad. you could have called, though.”
“you were sleeping.”
“you woke me up anyway. was your plan to just break in and never wake me up?”
riku presses his lips in a thin line, averting his eyes before looking back. “i didn’t think that far.”
yushi exhales through his nose, closing his eyes briefly, nodding. “seems like it.”
“sorry,” riku murmurs, his hand reaching up to cover yushi’s where it still rests against his cheek. his fingers curl over it slightly, grounding himself in the warmth. “come closer. i’m still cold.”
yushi nods and they shift around in the bed, a quiet, unspoken rhythm between them as they find the right angles, the right spaces to fit. their legs tangle together under the blanket as they fit together, where they fall so naturally now. the room is quiet, save for the faint hum of the heater and the rustle of wind against the window.
it’s warm, impossibly warm, and riku feels his chest loosen fully for the first time all night.
yushi’s hand slides over his arm, the touch light at first, then firmer, more deliberate, like he’s making sure riku is real and here. it’s always like this with yushi―careful, intentional. riku leans into it, his head tilting slightly, closing the space between them and kissing him.
it’s soft, just a press of lips at first, but yushi responds quickly, tilting his chin up to meet him halfway. riku smiles against his mouth, and they kiss again, slower this time, sinking into it. there’s no urgency, no need to rush. just warmth and the quiet buzz of being so close.
riku pulls back first, their faces inches apart, and his eyes flutter open to find yushi already looking at him. the soft light from the window catches on the edges of his hair, his eyes half-lidded and tired but clear. he’s so pretty. riku could go the rest of his life without sleep to look at him forever.
yushi nudges their noses together before finding riku’s mouth again. the kiss is still slow and languid and sleepy, both just finding each other again and again. yushi’s teeth catch lightly on riku’s bottom lip, and when riku instinctively parts his mouth just slightly, yushi takes the opportunity to slip his tongue inside, languid and sure. riku presses closer, a soft sound escaping him, his body reacting without thought. it feels warmer under the blanket now, but this still doesn’t really hold plans of going anywhere further. it just feels so nice to be together in the quiet space that’s just theirs.
“thought we were sleeping,” riku mumbles when the kiss breaks momentarily, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as yushi kisses against the line of his jaw.
“we are,” yushi murmurs, his voice low and quiet. “warmer now?”
riku feels a shiver down his spine, but his eyes flutter shut despite it. he nods, his fingers curling into the edge of yushi’s hoodie. “much.”
yushi kisses gently below riku’s ear before pressing his face against his neck, inhaling slowly. they lie there like that for a while, the silence wrapping around them, comfortable and easy. riku’s fingers trace the fabric of yushi’s sleeve absentmindedly, his mind blissfully blank for the first time in hours.
and then yushi speaks, his voice cutting gently through the quiet. “have you ever thought about living together?”
riku‘s mind stalls momentarily, his hand slowing against yushi’s arm but not quite stopping. the words hang in the air, unexpected but not heavy, and he takes a breath before speaking.
“what?” riku says, his voice barely above a whisper.
yushi doesn’t seem to be put off kilter by the question. “living together,” he repeats, like it’s the simplest thing in the world. “have you ever thought about it?”
“here?”
“maybe. maybe our own place. i don’t have the logistics down yet.”
riku hesitates, his fingers still fidgeting with yushi’s sleeve. he wants that, wants a place that’s just their own, wants yushi to be the first thing he sees in the morning and the last before he falls asleep. its just not something they’ve ever talked about before. “i just didn’t know you wanted that,” he says finally. “you never brought it up.”
“well, i’m bringing it up now,” yushi says, and there’s a softness in his tone that makes riku’s chest feel like the words are seeping through his skin as yushi’s breath splays against it. “i think about it a lot, actually. especially when you do stuff like this.”
“like what?” riku asks, feigning innocence.
yushi pulls back enough so they’re facing each other again, raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “like attempting to sneak into my apartment in the middle of the night because you don’t want to sleep alone.”
“i guess,” riku mutters, a small smile tugging at his lips despite himself. “but… you’re serious?”
yushi nods, his fingers brushing lightly against riku’s. “yeah, i’m serious. i think we’d be good at it. living together, i mean.”
riku feels something warm and steady settle in his chest at those words. he’s thought about it, on those nights he dreads when they say goodnight and go separate ways, when he hangs up the phone and yushi’s voice lingers in his ear before he turns over to an empty pillow beside him.
“you really think so?”
“i know so,” yushi says, and the confidence in his voice is enough to make riku believe it, too.
riku lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, his lips curving into a small, shy smile. “okay,” he says, his voice soft but certain. “yeah. i wanna live together.”
yushi’s smile is slow, deliberate, and it makes riku’s stomach flip in the best way. “yeah?”
“yeah,” riku says, leaning in to press another kiss to yushi‘s lips. this one is slower, sweeter, and when they pull apart, yushi rests his forehead against riku’s. “but i don’t think we can live here. sion hates me now.”
yushi laughs at that, soft and warm, even if riku isn’t kidding. “sion doesn’t hate you. he likes you a lot. he’s just grumpy if he gets woken up in the middle of the night because someone set off the alarm.”
riku pouts slightly, the embarrassment creeping back in. “it was an accident.”
“i know, honey,” yushi whispers, his voice gentle and teasing as his hand smooths over riku’s hip. “i’m glad you’re here. i missed you.”
“really?” riku’s voice is soft, almost unsure, and yushi catches the edge of it, the way it dips into something vulnerable.
“yeah, i always miss you the nights you’re not here. i was sending telepathic messages for you to come over.”
riku huffs a quiet laugh, burying his face against yushi’s shoulder to hide the way his cheeks flush. “guess i got the message.”
“guess so,” yushi murmurs, his hand trailing up to tangle gently in riku’s hair. “when we live together i won’t have to use my telepathy anymore.”
the words make riku smile again, even as exhaustion starts pulling him in again. “i’ll dream about it, yuu-chan.”
it’s quiet again, the kind of stillness that feels like a cocoon, warm and safe, and riku lets himself sink into it, lets his body relax fully against yushi’s as the weight of the conversation melts into something warm and promising. riku closes his eyes, the steady rhythm of yushi’s breathing lulling him, and already, he feels entirely, completely at home.