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Rei Sakuma was dreaming.
He was laid out in the sun, yet he didn’t feel the usual fatigue that came with it – no, he only felt warmth, comfort, a gentle breeze accompanied by the fragrant scent of chamomile and bergamot.
Unusual, he thought. To feel peace like this in broad daylight. This could only be... His consciousness rumbled, shifting from sleep to half-wake.
Slowly, he became aware of the dip in his mattress, the warmth from being under his thick comforter. He squeezed the heated body pillow in his arms tighter, refusing to let go of his blissful dream-like state.
A moment passed, then another. He felt the grip of sleep beginning to drag him back once more. Then, a thought. One that made his eyes shoot open and his mind revert to full alertness in a split second.
I don’t own a heated body pillow. Does such a thing even exist?
…What exactly am I holding?
Now wide awake, Rei Sakuma confronted reality – centimeters from his face, was another. Eichi Tenshouin, blonde hair mussed, breathing slow and deep, undoubtedly in a dream of his own. Rei’s arms still clutched his thin waist as if he would slip away into nothingness once they parted.
Rei couldn’t hold in the gasp that bubbled up within him, facing this wake-up call – the two roommates had slept in the same bed, and he couldn’t remember how they’d gotten here.
Rei and Eichi were not close friends, not exactly – certainly not close enough to casually sleep in each other’s beds. They had history of course, but they didn’t hate each other like many seemed to believe – every conversation between the two of them was less a genuine argument and more a mock battle of wits. Their relationship was a bit strained, complicated, yet it was somehow still thrilling, stimulating.
On top of that…Rei had to admit that Eichi’s face wasn’t bad to look at. A little bird (or two) had informed him that Eichi reciprocated that feeling, as much as he tried to hide it. Rei would notice it sometimes – Eichi stealing glances at him every now and then, when he thought Rei wasn’t looking (but of course Rei was looking, he was just more subtle about it). And although the two roommates had a partition between their beds, ostensibly to prevent them from seeing each other’s faces first thing in the morning…well, perhaps there was a subconscious reason the partition was almost fully see-through.
But even though they shared a quasi-fondness for each other, Rei couldn’t imagine why they’d be sharing a bed. As he continued attempting to sort out his thoughts, Eichi stirred, his eyes fluttering open.
“...Sakuma-kun, you’re already awake.” he murmured, as if waking up next to each other was as natural as the sun rising and setting.
“I…uh, y-yes. I am.” Rei couldn’t help but stutter, his face growing hot. Why was Eichi so calm? Did he remember the events of last night? Did something…happen?
Eichi noted his roommate’s flustered expression immediately, despite having just woken up himself. A smug smile crossed his angelic face. “What’s wrong, Sakuma-kun? Don’t tell me you don’t remember…” He inched his face ever so slightly closer to Rei, voice dropping to a whisper. “After what you did, I hope you’ll take responsibility.”
“?!?!” Rei spluttered and shot upright, unsure of how to interpret such an obviously suggestive comment. “A-are you saying, we…” His question trailed off as a searing headache suddenly hit.
“Ow!” Rei clutched his head as he waited for the pain to subside. Well, at least that reminded him of one detail – drinking. He had definitely been drinking.
He had turned 20 not long ago, and soon thereafter he decided to make wine his whole personality. It fit his vampiric image, and drinks with the higher-ups always ended up leading to some sort of perk, so why not?
This is why not , his body protested in response. And this…situation. I surely wouldn’t have invited Tenshouin-kun to sleep with me if I was sober. Right?
“Pfft…” the blonde in question tittered, seeming to take pleasure in Rei’s confusion. “Is it coming back to you yet? I’ll help – when I came home late last night, you were wine-drunk on the couch, nearly half-asleep…”
The image spurred Rei’s memory slightly. “Yes…I was surprised to see you. And I thought, what good timing. I had just wanted to move to my bed, but couldn’t muster the energy…”
“You asked me to carry you there,” Eichi continued. “Really…what a shameless thing to ask of your roommate. But you looked so helpless, lying there on the couch, flushed pink all over…I took pity on you, I suppose.”
Rei laid back down on his bed with a thump, wanting to sink into the mattress from embarrassment. Right, right. I’m now remembering Tenshouin-kun princess carrying me to my bed. And me wrapping my arms around his neck. And me leaning in closer to him, until I whispered into his ear…
“Tenshouin-kun…won’t you sleep with me tonight? This old man is awfully lonely…waking up to a cute, angelic face like yours could heal me of all my sorrows…” Eichi did his best Rei impression, archaic language and all – confirming, unfortunately, that what Rei just remembered had actually happened.
“...Okay.” Rei covered his face with both hands, accepting defeat. “OkayyesIsaidthat.” He paused for a moment, then turned to look at Eichi. “But…you didn’t have to actually comply, did you? Why not just leave me be, and go off to your own bed?”
Eichi’s eyes darted away for a brief moment, then returned to meet Rei’s once more. “Well, you had a death grip on me. I’m not sure if you would have ever let go if I didn’t agree.”
Rei cocked an eyebrow. “I guess I believe you on that, but…you could have slipped away once I fell asleep, no?”
For once, it was Eichi’s turn to get flustered. Heat crept up his cheeks as he muttered, “It wasn’t that easy.”
“No? Why not?”
Eichi seemed to consider something, then sighed in resignation. “Once I laid down next to you, you were…hugging me, holding my waist. Caressing my hair. It was hard for me not to fall asleep, too. Plus…”
“Plus?”
“You – no, your bed, your cologne or shampoo or lotion – whatever it is, it smells really good. It’s…soothing.” Eichi pulled the comforter closer to him as if to prove his point. Vanilla and strawberries. A hint of patchouli.
Rei froze for a second, unsure of how to react. Was Eichi just teasing him again? But seeing the blonde’s flushed face hiding behind the dark blankets, Rei knew he wasn’t. “Ah, I see. I didn’t know you had such thoughts, Tenshouin-kun.” Rei broke into a smile. “So basically you’re saying…you slept with me because you liked it?”
“...Ugh. I knew I shouldn’t have been honest with you.” Eichi huffed and turned away from Rei, ready to finally get out of the cushy, gothic bed.
“Wait.” Rei grabbed Eichi’s wrist, forcing him to look his way again. “If you actually did like it…maybe we could do it again sometime?” He put on his best puppy dog eyes, for added effect. “I mean…my dreams were pleasant and warm, for once.”
Eichi’s gaze shook slightly, then quickly refocused. “You know acting cute doesn’t work on me, Sakuma-kun. I won’t promise you anything. However…” he smirked slightly before breaking free, getting out of bed for good this time. “I happened to have a nice dream last night as well. So, if you ever get drunk like that again…” There was a hint of something like fondness in his voice. “I’ll be sure to come take care of you.”