hugtopia_logs | [Closed] Let me tell you something

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[Closed] Let me tell you something

♥ Who: Shinji and Kaito
♥ Where: Kai's house
♥ When: End of Ohnir
♥ What: Getting some quality zzz's
♥ Rating: PGish? for now, will update accordingly if things change.

About halfway through the month, Kaito had caught Shinji in a pretty poor state sleep-wise, and after strong-arming him into a nap, insisted that he should let Kai know if things got bad again. It's a very nice idea, in theory, though Shinji's not the type to go out of his way to seek help. How much use would he realistically get out of the offer? Well...

For the most part, he can deal with nights of little sleep, just as long as he can get some meaningful rest most nights. However once he found himself on his own once more, that unexplained, unexpected figure started creeping back into his typical dreams and nightmares. As it shows up more and more, Shinji finds himself once again getting less and less substantial sleep, simply becoming a just little too anxious about it. If his inability to calm his nerves enough to relax his exhausted body are any indication, tonight seems like it will be another difficult night. Before it gets to be too late, Shinji, mercifully, makes himself confront this inevitability sleepless night, and what he should be doing about it.

He doesn't want to bother Kai, even if the other assured him that coming over for some rest wouldn't be a hassle. But, if he runs into him again looking as worn down as he feels, he's sure there's no way it wouldn't be cause another fuss. If he at least sends Kai a message, then that pretty much obligates him to show up, no matter how much he might be wavering now. Do that much, and he has no reason to back out. So, that's how, as nighttime overtakes Havenwell, Shinji's otherwise empty and quiet house finds itself a little busier as the boy paces about, staring down his communicator and slowly gathering up the resolve to send out a simple message.

'Are you busy right now?'

And, before he can second-guess himself yet again, he sends it off.

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With enough time, or the right prompting, Shinji's bound to let some information start slipping. Sooner or later.

That, too, is a nice sentiment. He really doesn't like the idea of having to resort to something like that, but should he find himself needing to put some distance between himself and Kai, at least that's an option. You know, for Kai's own good, probably.

"I'll... keep it in mind." Just in case. "Honestly, I haven't thought that I want you to back off, though."

Maybe that can provide Kai his own little peace of mind.

Not yet.

It was still easy for the thought to float to the top of his mind. To sit there at the tip of his tongue and just wait for the inevitable. That's just how these things worked. There wasn't nearly enough contrary evidence to start changing his baseline just yet.

But he could keep the thought quiet and swallow it back down. Even if it would change later, Shinji's sentiment was just as nice in the moment.

"Ha, well, that's good to know. I'll try not to wear out my welcome. Was there anything else you wanted to ask while you've got the floor?"

Thank you for not immediately rebuffing his attempts to find some kind of solace in the presence of another person! It is greatly appreciated.

"Nothing I can think of." Nothing that might not come up later organically, or are so pressing he'd like an answer right away, anyway. Questions like why Kai seems to be going out of his way for him might be on his mind pretty frequently when they're hanging out, but if it's something that's going to be asked, he'll want to ask it in a situation where they should both be getting sleep instead.

For now, he's good.

There was another low hum from behind his shoulder, and Kai gave a slow nod of his head against the pillow. "Alright."

With no more immediate questions on the horizon, the full sleepy was in effect. He wasn't sure how much of this blanket being pulled over his thoughts was because he'd already been tired, or because of the new comfort that came with having someone curled up with him, but man it sure was there.

"Wake me if you need anythin'," he rumbled softly, letting his eyes sink closed.

Shinji hums back a soft confirmation, no need to disrupt the sleepy waves slowly settling their way over the pair more than that.

He's not quite as ready to drop off to sleep as quickly, but as Kai quiets down and settles in, he follows suit. Eyes closed, he is at least finding it easier to relax in this environment than when he was on his own. If this plan continues to work out, it's gonna be tough to deny the appeal of having a roommate in the long run. He can put that thought aside for now, for the sake of helping to doze off. No need to confront that right now.

For now, we rest.

Sweet dreams, boys.

Maybe. A good night for Kai usually meant there weren't many dreams to be had. Just the comfort of nothingness between sleeping and waking. Tonight wasn't quite that. Tonight was trees dappled with evening sunlight, and hands he didn't want to let go of. It didn't even really matter whose they were, because it was nice.

It didn't take long for the octopus cuddling to re-engage through the night. All his sleep brain knew was that there was something warm and soft that felt nice to hold on to, something that had been kind of sort of missing since the nap. It was like finding a bruise you didn't know about-- the ache was there, but only when you noticed.

At least with it being the middle of the night, it meant the room was chillier than the sick room had been. A warm bundle of limbs were more convenient this time around.

A quiet, dreamless night really would be ideal. He hasn't been so lucky in that regard this month, with the unusual insistence of dreams showing up every time he manages to catch some sleep. Once more, the trick of having a partner to doze off with keeps them in the realm of familiar, which still makes the night a little rough, but in a more bearable way.

Despite all of Kai's efforts in creating a warm, comfy presence, Shinji can't quite manage the rest of the night without waking up a handful of times. Thoughts playing through his mind of being restrained, pulled down into an inky blackness, only to wake with a gasp to a room that... well, it was definitely very similar to the one he'd taken as 'his', but distinctly different. The fact that there's someone else around, encroaching more and more into his personal space, is plenty to jog his memories of where he is, what he's attempting to do, so with a deep, sleepy sigh, and slight adjustments for his own comfort, he can reclaim that cozy haze of sleep for his own yet again.

Perhaps not the greatest night of sleep he could be getting, but one that is much, much more full than he's managed to piece together on his own since arriving in Havenwell.

Sharing a space was a learning process no matter the proximity. This was very much still an adjustment phase to fiddle with. How much was too much, maybe it'd be more comfortable over all if Shinji were the big spoon, what even to do with blankets. It wa a process of trial and error and who could say how many chances they would actually have?

Even if more of them probably meant better and better odds that they'd both get some pretty good sleep, huh. Maybe they'd even start to help with all these gasps in the night. Kai hadn't said anything, but here and there he'd wake and just. Listen. If Shinji was able to drift back to sleep, then everything was fine enough for now, but just in case...

He didn't really know, but he was on standby all the same until sleep would take him back too.

At least by morning he'd become slightly less of an octopus, only sort of sprawled against Shinji instead of all wrapped up.

The problem with acclimating yourself to functioning on very little sleep means that, even when handed all the tools for a nice, long night of rest, the chances of actually achieving that outcome are very small.

When Shinji finally comes to a more meaningful awakening, it's still quite early in the morning. It doesn't come from a startling dream, at least, and not from a place of being too uncomfortable, but simply from his mind going, 'Okay, that's enough now.'

He doesn't attempt to make any sort of escape right away, though. Besides a more familiar draw to just... stay in bed for a while instead of facing the day, there's something undeniably comforting about being able to share space quietly like this. No conversational obligations, no clumsy attempts to cut through tension or awkwardness, no real risk of boundaries being pushed too far. It's... it's peaceful. He wants to enjoy it while he can.

As long as he can is really only going to last him until he starts feeling a little more alert and a little like he's taking advantage of Kai's hospitality by not, like, doing anything.

Being significantly less tangled up this time around, will careful actions be enough to let him slip out of the room undetected...?

Shinji's stealth check rolled successfully. Nice one!

As such, Kai just curled up a bit tighter in the pillows in Shinji's absence. He was the flipside, where sometimes when you hit that rare moment of deep sleep after being without it for so long you were just out. He was still pretty out, and might be for at least a tiny while.

This was? Your Chance?

time

to abscond

bye kai

sike he's just going to hit the bathroom, splash some water on his face to finish shaking off those last dregs of sleep, you know the score. He's still careful to be quiet, not wanting to wake Kai up as he contemplates his next move. He had figured making something to eat would be good compensation for the trouble of letting him stay the night, but... he also hadn't actually gotten around to figuring out what Kai might actually like, not even taking into account the limitations on what the food replicators can provide ingredient-wise. Make.... something? Maybe a couple of different somethings? And hope for the best??

That. Is a plan he could follow.

One last peek is made into the bedroom - getting permission to use the kitchen would be nice, but not something he'd be too hung up on if it would mean disrupting that Good Sleep.

w

o

w

(Not that he'd be surprised.)

Shinji's peeking would yield that Kai did look a little more awake than when he left. Maybe? He'd rolled over, at least. Oh, look, he was rubbing a hand on his face.

You could ask, if you wanted. Or you could raid that kitchen.

For just a moment, he watches Kai, weighing his options, and deciding...

...

He sneaks on past. The kitchen will be r a i d e d.

There's something to be said about the convenience of the replicators and their seemingly endless supply of stuff. Even if the quality isn't always the greatest, Shinji can't feel too bad about using up resources if they can essentially produce whatever they need whenever they need it.

Let's get cooking.

Don't be alarmed if you hit a button and a whole plate of omurice pops out. He paid for that.

It was Kai's turn to do the cozy morning lay arounds. It really hadn't been a surprise to find that the bed had been empty when he woke up, and he felt too rested to really feel any sort of sting. Which would have been stupid if he had, because this whole thing was so Shinji could come and go as he pleased.

It had been pretty nice though? He'd have to examine that later.

For now he was just going to stretch and roll himself out of bed finally, sleepily following the sounds of something or another coming from the kitchen.

... Wait.

Huh??

He's gonna feel pretty silly if he manages to accidentally a plate of omurice while he's trying to make something else!

His plan of 'something else' is using up a lot of the same ingredients, though, with the stovetop burners being taken up by one (1) pot of rice steaming, and one (1) pan that Shinji's attending to more closely. A good look, or perhaps a good enough smell from the kitchen's doorway will tell Kai that this meal includes tamagoyaki! Wao!

But Shinji's very absorbed in what he's doing, so much so that he doesn't notice that he has company. Looks like everyone here is sneaking around today.

Was it the sweet kind. It smelled like the sweet kind. It smelled way better than the majority of Kai's attempts.

Everyone is so sneaky, but honestly Kai just needed a moment to lean on the door frame and absorb this whole thing. This was just kinda... new. This also felt? Like a weirdly domestic morning after situation? H...uh.

Kai gave the wall a light knock. "It's gettin' real domestic in here."

If you're hoping for the sweet kind, you'll surely be pleased with the result!

He jumps a little at the knock, you sure did sneak up on him, Kai!

"I... didn't hear you come in."

gonna just ignore the 'domestic' comment huh shinji

Hell yeah.

Everyone's bein' so sneaky this morning, sneaking in and out of rooms and sneaking past domesticity. He grinned a bit. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." That's what the knock had been for!

Now he was here and Shinji knew it, so Kai went ahead and shuffled over to get a look at what was happening over here. "Whatcha up to?"

He leans off to the side a bit, allowing Kai a better look at his work. You see that, right there in the pan? Eggs. Cooking. Incredible.

"I thought I'd make breakfast," simple as that. "The replicator ingredients can be kind of tricky to use, but this usually comes out pretty well."

Mhmm, s'cuse him, he's taking a peek. Wow, that smell matched the sight alright. Eggs! Cooking!

"H'ohh. It smells really good."

Eggcellent.

"Yeah...?" He sounds... kind of hopeful? That bodes well, right? A good choice on his part? "I'll have it done in just a little bit."

And then, they will eat.

"Mmm."

Kai gave the other boy a considering look out of the corner of his eye. Then-- watch out!-- he reached over for an encore of the Hair Ruffle as he moved behind Shinji to get at the counter. No escape.

"Sounds good. You want coffee or anything?"

Ah. The Hair Ruffle™

His previous encounter with it taught him nothing. He is unprepared, letting out a small squeak of surprise once it is executed, and quickly smoothing his hair back down once it's over.

Another thing he may have to get used to, huh?

"Coffee... sounds good." He may have even had it in mind to make some once the food was ready, if Kaito hadn't beaten him to it.

Oh. That had been an unexpectedly cute(???) reaction, like a mrrp from an unsuspecting cat. Kai kept a little grin to himself, doing the slow mug gather shuffle. "Sure, sure."

Shinji had sealed his fate.

"You do this kind of thing often? Make breakfast for people?"

He mulls over how best to answer that for a moment. His response is a little measured, but an otherwise straightforward one, even if the feelings tied up in it are less so.

"My last guardian was really bad at cooking." Like. really bad. It feels kind of mean-spirited to be recalling her bad points like this, considering... everything, but it's true!! "I ended up making our meals most days, but I've only been cooking for myself since I got here."

No roommates, no group meals. You're the first one he's gotten to do this for, Kai, how lucky!

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