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The room was quiet.
Not completely.
The soft ticking of the wall clock counted each passing second with relentless consistency, while distant traffic drifted in through the crack of the bedroom window. From the room next to his, Akito could faintly hear the muffled sound of Ena complaining about something. It was all so ordinary.
Too ordinary.
Akito stared at the ceiling.
His blanket rested over him, warm enough to make anyone else comfortable. His body ached from the afternoon's performance, every muscle protesting the moment he shifted even slightly beneath the covers. His legs were sore from hours upon hours of dancing. His throat still burned from singing. Even lifting an arm felt strangely heavy.
By all accounts, he should have been unconscious by now.
Instead, his leg bounced beneath the blanket.
He forced it to stop. Yet even then, a few seconds later, it started again. His fingers began drumming absentmindedly against the mattress while his thoughts refused to slow down.
I should practice. The thought appeared almost automatically. Just for a bit.
Akito frowned and squeezed his eyes shut.
No.
An had practically threatened him before they'd left. Kohane had looked genuinely worried. Even Toya—especially Toya.
His gaze slowly drifted sideways.
Moonlight spilled gently through the curtains, illuminating the figure sleeping peacefully on his bed. Toya had stayed over. Normally they would've stayed awake for another hour, watching videos they'd found online or talking about songs they wanted to learn next.
Tonight had been different.
The moment they'd gotten home, Toya had insisted on staying. Not just because he wanted to, but also because he wanted to make sure Akito actually rested.
Akito felt warmth creep into his ears. "...Dumbass," he muttered under his breath as he turned onto his side, facing the wall. There wasn't even a hint of annoyance in his voice.
He tried closing his eyes again.
Maybe if he just stayed still...
Maybe—
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
His thoughts buzzed beneath his skin like electricity.
He wanted to run.
Wanted to sing.
Wanted to practice.
Wanted to do something.
Anything.
His body felt like it'd been hit by a truck. His mind refused to believe it and let it rest. How could he rest when he was so far behind?
With a careful sigh, Akito slowly pushed himself upright, making sure not to make too much noise. Maybe he'd just stretch, just for five minutes—that didn't count as practicing.
The mattress gave a quiet creak beneath him. Behind him, soft fabric rustled. A sleepy little hum broke the silence. "Mm..."
Akito froze in place.
A familiar voice drifted quietly through the darkness.
"...Akito?" Toya murmured sleepily as he blinked one eye open, his hair adorably messy from sleep. He looked as though waking up had required every ounce of energy he possessed.
Akito immediately turned around before rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Sorry," he whispered apologetically. "Didn't mean to wake ya up."
Toya blinked once. His eyelids immediately began drooping shut. After another quiet yawn, he looked at Akito through barely-open eyes before speaking in a voice softened by exhaustion. "Couldn't... sleep?" he asked gently, his words slurring together adorably.
Akito hesitated.
"Nah," he answered a little too quickly as he looked away. He searched desperately for something believable before weakly gesturing toward the bedside table. "I was just... gonna get some water."
Without saying a word, Toya slowly shifted his gaze toward the completely full water bottle sitting beside Akito's bed.
Then he looked back at Akito. "Mhmm."
The sleepy little hum somehow communicated complete disbelief at Akito's uncharacteristically half-hearted excuse.
Akito scratched awkwardly at his cheek before letting out a defeated sigh. "'Kay," he admitted sheepishly. "Maybe not."
Toya didn't press him.
He simply continued watching him in silence, waiting. Akito rested his elbows on his knees before staring down at the floorboards, evidently much better than looking at his partner while having this conversation.
"I dunno," he confessed quietly as he flexed one sore hand. "I'm tired. My brain won't shut up n' It keeps tellin' me I should practice..."
Toya simply let out another sleepy little hum. His eyes had almost drifted shut again. Then, after another enormous adorable yawn, he rubbed one eye with the back of his hand before mumbling something so quietly Akito almost missed it.
"Do you..." Toya began before pausing to yawn once more. He blinked slowly, clearly trying to gather enough consciousness to finish his sentence. "...Want a hug?"
Akito's brain immediately stopped functioning. "...H-Hah?" he blurted out as he stared at Toya in complete disbelief.
Heat rushed to his face so quickly it almost hurt.
"A-a what?!" he stammered, his voice cracking just enough to make the embarrassment infinitely worse.
Toya looked mildly puzzled by the reaction. "A hug," he repeated softly, tilting his head just a little. His expression remained completely innocent, as though he'd suggested something as ordinary as drinking water.
Akito could physically hear his heartbeat.
His best friend.
His ridiculously kind...
Stupidly handsome...
Best friend.
Who he absolutely, definitely—did not under any circumstances—have a crush on.
Wanted to cuddle.
"I-I..." Akito mumbled as he looked literally anywhere except Toya's face. His ears burned so fiercely he was convinced they were glowing red in the dark somehow. "I mean... if ya want."
A tiny smile appeared on Toya's face. One of those soft, sleepy smiles someone wore moments before drifting back to sleep. "I do," he answered simply.
Before Akito could process those two words, Toya sat up. Still looking as though he might fall asleep at any second, he sleepily shuffled the short distance between the futon and the bed. Akito remained completely frozen.
The mattress dipped beneath Toya's weight.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, Toya gently wrapped both arms around him.
It wasn't a tight hug. It was simply...
Warm... comfortable... almost natural how well their bodies fit together this way.
Akito's entire body locked up. His heart hammered against his ribs so violently he was convinced Toya had to be able to hear it.
Toya rested his chin lightly against Akito's shoulder before giving him the gentlest squeeze. "Relax," he mumbled softly, his voice barely louder than a whisper as sleep continued pulling at every word. "You've worked hard."
Akito swallowed hard.
"I..." he began quietly before the rest of the sentence died somewhere in his throat.
Eventually, he managed the smallest response.
"...Yeah."
Neither of them spoke after that. There wasn't really anything left to say.
Little by little, Akito became aware of things he'd never really noticed before. Toya's sleep shirt was unbelievably soft beneath his fingertips. His embrace wasn't restrictive in the slightest. His breathing had already slowed into a calm, steady rhythm against Akito's shoulder. He smelled faintly of his shampoo that Akito complimented on the smell once before.
His hands were cold—yet comforting.
Without even realizing it, the tension trapped inside Akito's shoulders slowly began melting away.
His bouncing leg finally stopped. The restless feeling clawing beneath his skin gradually quieted.
The urge to get up.
To run.
To practice.
To keep pushing himself until he collapsed.
It all drifted farther and farther away.
His eyelids suddenly felt much heavier than they had only moments ago, a yawn escaped him before he could stop it.
Feeling the movement, Toya shifted slightly against him before mumbling another sleepy question. "You sleepy?" he asked quietly, his words barely understandable through his exhaustion.
Akito let out a sheepish little grunt before ducking his head in embarrassment.
A tiny smile returned to Toya's face.
"I knew it," he murmured softly without even opening his eyes.
Akito couldn't stop the tiny laugh that escaped him. "...Yeah."
Trying very hard not to think about what he was doing, he slowly lifted one arm before awkwardly wrapping it around Toya in return.
The hug was stiff. A little hesitant, since obviously, two completely platonic teenage boys don't normally cuddle in bed together to sleep... together.
But the comfort it gave was completely genuine.
Toya made a quiet, content little hum in response, and Akito's heart threatened to explode all over again.
He's gonna kill me someday.
With a tired sigh, Akito carefully rested his forehead against Toya's shoulder. His eyes slowly drifted shut.
For the first time that night, his thoughts finally became quiet.
By then, Toya had already fallen completely asleep, still holding Akito with the unconscious certainty of someone who had never questioned whether comfort should simply be given whenever it was needed.
A few minutes later, Akito's breathing slowed until it matched Toya's.
The two exhausted teenagers finally found the rest they'd both needed, one peacefully tucked into the other's gentle embrace.
After hours—even days—of refusing to let himself stop...
Akito's mind finally surrendered to sleep in the comforts of his beloved partner.