Sunrise

[senselessness]

Harsh light across his eyes forces Yukimura to open them, and he makes to get up and close the curtains, but a tightness holding fast across his chest makes that unviable for now. For just the tiniest second, the way his body won't bend to his will scares him with cold familiarity, but it's easy to set aside once he actually sees what's going on.

There's a red mop clinging to him, and all of its limbs are, too. For a minute, the coziness weighs on his eyelids, but the ever bubbling-under panic about Himawari gives him the strength to reach the baby monitor on the bedside table.

And it shows such a vision of a serene sleeping angel that Yukimura really can't fight the warmth of the surprise snuggle. It is not what he expected to follow last night's... well, that was warm, too, in the same way that the boy was a 'good' tennis player. The technical truthfulness didn't fully express the understatement.

But this was... extra. Unforeseen. Yukimura was used to things getting hot and heavy between friends-- even when nothing came of it, looks passed, thoughts were had. It was the softness that was different. The way the heat cooled but didn't die. His occasional rendezvous with Atobe gave them a fonder tolerance for each other, but Marui was giving him every impression right now of never letting go.

And it wasn't wholly unwelcome to him. This wasn't a bad way to wake up. Even if last night had just been a hard collapse after a long day, this... would have made it worth it. This little enclosure where Yukimura felt oddly cherished. Where admiration wasn't distant and impersonal, but real and present. Where he could feel it and let it kindle something reciprocal in him.

The baby monitor was on, the children could wake them if they needed to. Yukimura just wanted to enjoy this as long as it lasted.

Comments

[volleygenius]

Keita is only half paying attention to the conversation, having gotten distracted almost immediately after 'Yes' back to thinking about the problem that prompted his question in the first place.

He doesn't actually know he can't fit in between them. He hasn't tried yet. They're both where he wants to be.

In a move that could have come straight from his father, he simply makes a go for it, and starts squirming his way down between them.

"I want a hug sandwich."

[senselessness]

Yukimura can't help a sudden, gentle laugh, and rolls onto his side to try and make some room.

"Uh-huh. Do you think you go in the middle? Or do you want to be the bread part?"

[volleygenius]

This actually makes Keita stop for a second, because he'd absolutely just assumed he should be the middle part of the sandwich. But then he remembers Yukimura's answer to his question.

The crawling continues, now over Yukimura to his other side, where Keita settles and hugs around his middle. His arms don't reach very far.

"Yukimura-san can be the middle. Because he dreamed bad too."

[senselessness]

There's only one obvious response to that, right? He rolls over again to face Keita and hugs him, too. Because he can reach all the way around.

And Marui's gotten enough of his attention for right now. And that feeling of being cherished is still glowing inside him, after Keita's very thoughtful response to a little joke he'd hardly thought twice about.

[volleygenius]

It's a proud moment for Bunta. Keita is learning to think more about the feelings and needs of other people.

"That's very kind of you, Keita. Well done. I'll help, too. Let's hug alllll the bad dreams out of him!"

"You have to help or it won't be a hug sandwich." Keita the blanket-covered mound points out. But he does his part and tries to squeeze those bad dreams loose. Thankfully he isn't very strong, and Bunta doesn't need to be told it's important for Yukimura to breathe.