Work Text:
Life was very busy day for the Film Appreciation Cafe. There was talk about an upcoming prequel spin-off for the Human Earthworm franchise, so Junpei decided to have a limited edition collab event. Special drinks, exclusive coasters... All to promote the new installment of a popular horror movie series. Luckily both Megumi and Mahito were happy to help out.
But after about a week, exhaustion started to settle in. With just a staff of three (four if you count Kuro), it was hard to keep up with the excitement of usual customers and newcomers alike. Things got so bad that on one particular evening, Megumi noticed the ever-upbeat owner was struggling to stay awake.
"You go on ahead upstairs. I'll close up for you."
With those words, Junpei wearily nodded before heading towards the stairs. Thankfully with Megumi's silent command, Kuro followed the brunette to make sure he got some comfort. So with that taken care of, Megumi was able to close up shop without any troubles.
Until one particular trouble ran towards him.
"Where's daddy, Uncle Megumi?" Mahito asked.
"He's sleeping," Megumi answered. "Guess he couldn't keep up with today's shifts."
"Awww..." Mahito pouted. He looked up at the lone adult in the room. "Are you gonna leave now?"
"Not yet," Megumi corrected. He bent down to pick up the toddler-shaped curse. "Might as well make take care of you first. Wouldn't want you to disturb your dad while he's sleeping."
Mahito was about to protest, but once he was carried by Megumi, he let out a huge yawn as the black-haired man walked towards the stairs. Even little baby curses need their sleep, after all.
After Mahito was bathed and put to bed, Megumi decided to make one last stop at Junpei's bedroom for a quick check. What he did not expect was to see the brunette young adult collapsed across his bed on his stomach, still in his cafe uniform with his hair slipping out from his ponytail. It seemed to be a very uncomfortable position.
But that wasn't what Megumi was thinking.
Ever since he started volunteering at the cafe, his life turned around. Junpei saved him by introducing him to this casual lifestyle. Megumi didn't even know how peaceful things can get without having to worry about constant curse attacks. And it was all thanks to this sleeping brunette man who was...so...very...
...pretty?
Megumi bit his inner lip to avoid a blush. There were those pesky thoughts from his teenage years. He always thought Junpei was surprisingly attractive. Smooth hair, soft-looking eyes, a thin waist... And he even matched his type for unshakeable personalities. Unfortunately, he had to keep his mouth shut back then, since Junpei's crush on Yuji was very noticeable.
Was it even okay to pursue a relationship after ten years? It seemed Junpei had moved on from his initial crush. But that wasn't the only thing that changed. He was calmer and his smiles were very frequent. Yet it seemed that carefree smile was absent tonight, his face distorted into slight discomfort. This clearly wasn't a comfortable sleeping position.
That had to be fixed.
Megumi walked over to the bed and reached towards Junpei, but his hand hesitated ever so slightly. Then with a small sigh, he removed the bandages that held the brunette's ponytail in place. A familiar cascade of long, silky locks fell to Junpei's shoulders, a style Megumi still envied after all these years. But now wasn't the time for admiration, so the black-haired man carefully repositioned Junpei's body so he was sleeping properly on his back with his head on a pillow. Those small gestures seemed to work wonders since Junpei's discomfort slowly changed to a small smile.
Why did this man have to be too pretty?
Megumi was tempted to join Junpei into his now-peaceful slumber, but a nudge from Kuro's snout helped him resist. It was too soon for him to act this way when his feelings resurfaced after so long. So with a silent head pat for his Demon Dog companion, Megumi left the bedroom with the intent to head back to his apartment. After all, they had another big day tomorrow. The busy cafe owner needed all the extra sleep he could get.