Work Text:
Yuno lazily suckled away at his tube treat as though it were the nectar of life, making another fruitless pass over the audio waves as they began to blur before him. An abrupt message notification jingle gave him a revitalizing jolt, and he whipped towards his second monitor to find none other than Nonoka’s profile icon with a red number one displayed in the top corner. Yuno directed his cursor towards the stylized bunny with noticeable urgency, leaving his masterpiece in an indefinite neglected limbo. He hovered for a few seconds, inhaling sharply before making the fated double click.
Yuno-chan!!! Nono-chan is soooo bored and lonelies!!! T_T Let’s hang out in vspace! >w<
Nonoka’s typical overeager greeting was accompanied by a selfie of her sitting at her desk, with the fleece bunny eared hood of her pajama top pulled over her head as she flashed a peace sign and goofy grin. At the sight, Yuno bit down so hard on the soggy plastic between his lips that what remained of the sugary paste shot right down his throat. His eyes went wide as he burst into a sputtering choking fit, the chewed-up tube joining the abyss of snack wrappers yet to be cleaned up at his feet while he haphazardly grabbed at the cluster of energy drinks to find which one was still full.
Yuno hastily guzzled the lukewarm beverage, his fit settling with a few stray coughs and the clearing of his throat. He wiped what dripped down his chin with the back of his hand before turning back, met with a newly added message of “Yuno-chaaaaaan?!” Scooting closer, he poised his fingertips over the keyboard, hovering in determined deliberation before bursting into a flurry of clicks and clacks.
can’t right now. working on the new song.
Yuno swiveled around, opting to face the opposite wall while he waited for a reply. Watching that dreaded typing status couldn’t have been good for his heart; an ironic excuse considering the mini fridge stacked with flashy neon pink cans that stared back at him now. Once the beckoning jingle rang out again, he spun back with such vigor that his knee nearly smashed into the desk leg.
Ehhh?! But Yuno-chan’s been at it all day! >x< Dr. Nono-chan says overworking is a no-no! You should take a rest!
Yuno exhaled a begrudged sigh, knowing full well she had a point. Just above Nonoka’s selfie and initial message sat a wall of periodic check-ins from her starting early that morning, all met with the same brief “still at it” or “patience, I’ll show you soon” from Yuno. As he glanced back and forth between the two monitors, it was clear which one displayed the more appealing option right now.
Yuno moved the cursor back to his workspace, saving his project several times over and closing out the disorganized mess of open windows that was coherent to him alone. In his preoccupation, he neglected to notice Nonoka’s typing bubble disappear as he moved to type out another reply.
alright, fine. but I wanna lay down, don’t got the energy for vspace. sorry.
Just before Yuno could shut down the PC entirely, one last message came through to freeze him at the ‘power options’ menu.
Yayyy! Nono-chan victory! \>w</ that’s a good boy! Nono-chan doesn’t mind at all, as long as you’re recharging! But she’d also like to keep talking to Yuno-chan here like this, if that’s okie-dokies! >:3
Instead of moving the mouse again, Yuno fished in his mesh shorts pocket and opened their same conversation from his phone instead.
yeah, that’s fine.
Yuno swiftly clicked ‘shut down’ before another message could come in, releasing a winded exhale and slumping back in his chair for a breather. He slapped his hands over his flushed face and dragged down, unable to tell anymore if he were blushing furiously or his closet office was just too stuffy. As his dropped phone started to vibrate against his thigh, he finally hoisted himself up to retreat to bed for the night, nearly stumbling forward from just how long he’d been sedimentary.
… Maybe he really should take “Dr. Nono-chan’s” advice more often, huh?
****
Yuno kept just one tired eye open now, stubbornly refusing to allow himself to drift off to sleep. While his body ached for reprieve, he couldn’t help but linger in this peaceful space he found himself in with Nonoka, going back and forth in seemingly mindless drivel. It was a foreign feeling, the faint sense of companionship emanating from the dim phone screen light. The only time he’d felt anything reminiscent of it was the time he shared a bed with Koharu during an impromptu sleepover with the old band; a night that he’d never been able to forget no matter how hard he tried.
Recalling the sensation of faint warmth pressed to his side and a limp arm haphazardly draped over his torso stirred a slumbering ache deep in Yuno’s heart. He hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep back then, laying with the stillness of a statue as he etched every sensation of the moment into his wildly thumping heart while his clueless best friend snored right in his ear.
For a long time, Yuno thought he wouldn’t need – couldn’t want, anything more than that memory; convinced that bittersweet snapshot would be enough to sustain him through a lifetime of laying by his lonesome in a shoddy, unmade bed for one.
But now… ever since he’d met her…
Before Yuno could lose himself further in muddied melancholy, the idle screen brightened again with the arrival of a new text from the girl in question.
Y’know, come to think of it, Nono-chan doesn’t think she has any selfies from Yuno-chan…
Yuno stiffened, opening his other eye and clutching his phone tighter as he typed away.
nope. no chance. don’t even try.
Nonoka’s reply came through quick like a smoothly received ping-pong ball.
Uuuuu… Nono-chan just wants to be able to see Yuno-chan even when we’re far apart… >x<
Yuno buried his face in his sad envelope of a pillow with a flustered groan. After a few long seconds, he peeked back to find Nonoka’s typing bubble popping in and out erratically.
that’s what promo photos are for, right?
As Yuno’s next message was sent and read instantly, the bubble disappeared completely. He maintained laser focus on the bottom corner of the screen, and once Nonoka finally resumed typing, exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
That’s not the same! Nono-chan wants to see the real Yuno-chan! Like the kinds of special pictures Nono-chan takes just for him! :3
Yuno hesitated, staring pensively at the loaded text box. Not entirely sure of what possessed him to do so, he swiped out of their chat and opened his front camera. His hooded eyes and their rough ruby irises were cradled by heavy eye-bags, and his tousled hair stuck off every which way. Yuno had never been the type to put much care into his appearance, but for whatever reason found himself absentmindedly fiddling with the unruly pink tufts, shifting his phone to check different angles. He even ground his teeth slightly in attempt to artificially sharpen his jawline, though the awkward straining just made him appear more constipated than chiseled.
But even if he did achieve the distinct look of those enviously androgynous, handsome influencers he were unconsciously trying to emulate, that wasn’t what Nonoka asked for, was it?
Yuno finally let his arm fall and rolled over, staring directly into the camera. In spite of his smushed cheek and ambigulously stained graphic tee that peeked out from the top of his blankets, he snapped a candid shot that captured his usual aloof, tired expression. Giving himself no time to hesitate, and in hopes to catch Nonoka again before she dozed off herself, Yuno tabbed back to their messages and attached the requested photo.
does this fit the bill? it’s the only one you’re getting, so I hope it does.
His shaky thumb pressed down on the send button, transmitting a window into his most vulnerable, intimate state to where Nonoka was laying in her own bed. The read notification was illuminated and Nonoka started typing, sending a rush of anticipation rippling through Yuno’s legs as his heart pounded like a bass drum against his ribcage.
… He really had forgotten just how intense it could be when someone drove your whole body haywire.
Nonoka’s reply popped up swiftly, finally granting the overloaded circuits of Yuno’s nervous system a refreshing cooldown period.
SOOOOOO CUTE AND HANDSOME YUNO-CHAN!!! >///< Nono-chan absolutely LOVES it!!! THANK YOUUUU MWAH!!! >:3 she’s gonna stare at Yuno-chan’s sleepy face every night before she goes to bed now, hehe! <3 is that alright?
Yuno still hadn’t registered the lopsided grin plastered over his face as he bashfully curled forward, hiding up to his nose beneath the covers.
do whatever you want.
After hitting send, his fingers hovered hesitantly for a few seconds before adding another.
... I’m glad it made you happy. Now go to bed, dummy.
Yuno locked his phone screen, tossing it somewhere in the abyss of bedding. He quickly rolled over, scrambling to pull the covers fully over his head before letting out a muffled, incoherent screech.
****
Nonoka squealed with glee, giddily kicking her feet as she thrashed around. She gingerly cradled her phone as though it really were Yuno’s face, finally settling down and moving her hand to rest against her absurdly fluffy cushion. Staring fondly into his adorably groggy eyes, Nonoka couldn’t help but wonder what it’d feel like to lay beside Yuno for real; In certain ways, it seemed as though the previously impassable screen between them remained persistently stubborn. After a long moment of reflective pondering, she tapped the text box again to type out one last message.
… You know, Nono-chan wishes she could be there snuggling with Yuno-chan right now.
Nonoka rapidly shook her head, erasing the bold confession. She glanced back up at the priceless photo, the corner of her lips tugging up as a familiar, reassuring warmth spread through her chest.
There wasn’t a doubt left in Nonoka’s mind that one day her wish would be granted, and they’d come together when the time was right. For now, this was more than enough, more than she could have ever dreamed of even just a year ago. She’d wait for her precious Yuno-chan for as long as she had to, even if it took the rest of their lives.
Feeling her eyelids start to droop, Nonoka lazily typed out and sent her actual final message before nodding off into a peaceful slumber.
Hehe, fineee.~ Good night, Yuno-chan. Sweet dreams :3 <3