Work Text:
It’s almost midnight. Your eyes are half-lidded, your movements languid as you make your way silently to your bedroom. You slide the door open slowly, just enough for you to slip inside. You cringe from the loud grating sound of the wood. Your eyes dart to the bed, hoping not to have disturbed Ayato from his sleep… except the bed is still perfectly made and completely untouched. You suck in a breath and sigh. You can already imagine the mess on Ayato’s desk where he will undoubtedly be working tirelessly on papers.
Instead of letting someone else fill out the endless paperwork, he insists on doing it himself. For integrity, he tells you, but it’s simply too much for one person to handle. You constantly remind him to take breaks. Sure enough, as you approach his office, there’s the sound of a brush meeting paper with as much vigor as one would expect to hear from an overworked, tired Yashiro Commissioner. You wait behind the separating screen before entering out of habit.
“Dear?” You ask.
“..Hm? Yes, come in.” You slip around the corner, to lay eyes on the source of this predicament that is preventing you from being in bed at the moment. His body is hunched over his current document, his hand lazily holding onto his brush, and a few stacks of paper on either side of his desk. A strand of hair fell over his face at some point, and you can see a pink hue beneath his eyes from rubbing.
“Do you know what time it is?” You cross your arms and gaze down at him.
“Not exactly.. I still have some paperwork to-”
“It’s past midnight. It’s time to rest.” You walk behind the desk and take the brush out of his hand then place it down neatly. “Come to bed. You need sleep,” you say, concern tracing your voice. You kneel beside him and brush some hair out of his eyes.
“There’s still so much to do..” He sighs and straightens the stack of papers in front of him. His head tilts in your direction and his weary eyes find yours. His hair drapes loosely around his face, the soft glow of light resting on his skin. You conclude that he is definitely more exhausted than you could imagine at the moment. He gives you a helpless look before placing a hand to your waist and pulling himself closer. His head finds itself on your shoulder, and your arms come up to hold him there.
Neither of you move for a good while. You can hear him breathing, and feel each rise of his body in your arms. It’s quiet. It’s peaceful.
Then his arms curl further around you, and he manages to pull you onto his lap, to your surprise. How he is capable of doing anything at all while so exhausted is beyond you. You let him lean into you and the edge of his desk pokes into your back. You run a hand through Ayato’s hair, stroking it gently while he decompresses. His breathing evens out, and you’re content to watch his peaceful expression. You’re trying to figure out if he’s asleep or not when he slumps forward into your arms, finally giving in. You smile at the feeling of holding your lover like this, but quickly realize your predicament. With the desk hitting your back, it starts to ache after a few minutes. While you love Ayato, it’s not an ideal spot to be passing out. You can’t exactly leave him asleep at his desk, and dragging him across the floor isn’t an option..
You reluctantly attempt to nudge him awake. “Ayato.. let’s go to bed.” After a pause, he gives you a small hum and wraps his arms around you tighter.
“You go to bed before me. If I pick this back up in the morning I’m afraid I’ll lose my train of thought.” He says and lifts his head up, giving you a reassuring look. It has little effect on you. You’ve learned not to be fooled by his charming demeanor by now.
“I’ve been going to bed before you for the past week at least. I want to go to bed together.”
He chuckles guiltily and gives you an apologetic smile. “Ah.. I suppose you aren’t wrong about that.. my apologies.” you can tell he’s formulating another excuse, “but I shou–”
“No. And I don’t want to hear anything about your train of thought either, because you’ve already gotten distracted at this point. Either way, you can’t work efficiently when you’re fatigued. All it does is create more problems.” You give him a pat on the shoulder. “Come on. Up. I want you in bed. Now.”
Ayato narrows his eyes. “Ordering the head of the Kamisato Clan around like a dog now, are we? How bold..” Despite his complaining, he has a small smile on his face. Suddenly, he’s standing up. One arm under your knees, and another keeps you cradled close, bridal style. You loop your arms around his neck as he takes you out of the office. You can feel him gripping onto you tight, and you’re suddenly reminded that he’s half asleep.
“Aren’t you tired? I can walk by myself..” you glance down, admittedly more worried that he might drop you.
“It’s called chivalry, dear. You aren’t difficult to lift.” He replies, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“I see you still have enough energy to banter, at least.” He chuckles at that, and stops in front of the bedroom door. You reach and slide open the door before he can say anything, and he turns to let you shut it once you make it inside the dark room. He places you down neatly onto the bed, and shuffles off to the wardrobe to get changed.
Finally in bed, you turn onto your side to curl up under the sheets. You can hear the sounds of fabric dropping, then shuffling as Ayato slides into his night robe. The empty space behind you is then promptly filled as he tucks you into an embrace. You melt in the gentle warmth from his body, his hot breath soothing on your neck. He places a small kiss there before tightening his arms around you slightly, and he relaxes. You can feel his chest on your back and his legs behind yours. You sink a little further into him and close your heavy eyelids, and listen to his breaths as he quickly begins to fall back asleep. No matter how hard he might try to conceal it, his work will eventually catch up to him, it seems. He’s due for a day off, the more you think about it. With all the seasonal festivals coming up, it would be a pleasant excursion. Fireworks lighting the sky as you watch.. perhaps Ayaka and Thoma would join you as well. Your thoughts drift off, floating between possibilities until the heavy blanket of sleep settles over you.
You have a sweet dream that night.