[ he has the full space of a minute to think that arakita's given up on it.
-- and then the sound of the other boy treading closer is all the warning he gets before arakita suddenly scoops him up into his arms, blanket and all. there's a startled little yip as he gets swept clean off the couch, both hands immediately trying to secure a safehold on arakita's shoulders to steady himself. ]
[Arakita doesn't answer even, he just bundles Sugawara to his chest and sways briefly, before he carries him back to the bedroom with a slow sag to his steps. It's not that Suga's heavy, but lifting to dunk and lifting to carry are two very different functions. Finally getting all the way to the edge of the bed and thumping him down, Arakita leans down to set his hands on either side as he bends to get eye to eye.
[ he oofs a little as he gets thumped down on the edge of the bed, just barely resisting the (childish) impulse to try turning his face away. it's not that he doesn't appreciate the gesture or the effort, because he does, but...! and besides, it'd be unfair to end up dumping all of this in arakita's lap after he's already done so much to help him out.
... but all of that gets abruptly lost at the sound of his own first name, eyes widening. and the startled blink that follows is hard enough to send the twin tears lingering at the corners of his eyes spilling down his cheeks. ]
[Ah, shit, he's crying more because of it?? Arakita reaches up without really thinking to wipe them away with his thumbs, tipping his head slightly - it's such a dog-like move and he doesn't even realize it, because now his thoughts are about i fucked up.]
You want me to stick to Sugawara? I'm just - used it to make you talk. [Grumbling and mumbling and his ears are coloring because he's aware about how using first names can be too much.]
[ he shakes his head quickly in response to the question, leaning a little into one of those hands that come up to brush over his cheeks. and now he's smiling, even despite the fact that his eyes are still shining with unshed tears, shoulders relaxing a little. ]
I don't mind. It just surprised me, that's all.
[ ... the temptation to try reaching up for a hug is pretty real, but. he settles with just twining his fingers into arakita's shirt, instead. teasing, but it's soft. ] I'd say that I think it's cute, but you'd probably get mad at me.
You need to stop using the word "cute" with me, 'm really not by any definition "cute".
[Letting out a breath he forgot he was holding, Arakita just wipes his face again before he leans in at those fingers curling against his shirt, dipping in to set his chin on Sugawara's shoulder and snort.]
So instead of me bitching and grumbling, talk. Are you missin home?
You're cute to me. I'd know that better than anyone else, right?
[ ... but when arakita leans in, the last little bit of his resistance crumbles. which is why he reaches up to slide his arms slowly around the other boy, turning to bury his face in arakita's shoulder. he can't quite get the words out, say i wanna go home out loud, but...
there is a nod, punctuated by the little hiccup of a smothered sob. ]
[He's right, hilariously enough. He hasn't been this soft to literally anyone before, so Arakita can't even argue about that. He just lets himself get involved in Sugawara's problems though, lets him cling on and lifts a hand to rub his back slowly when the tears start again.]
Walking with the people you know and shit not being weird as hell, the whole atmosphere around here fuckin sucks most of the time. [In the end, Arakita is thinking about it too. While Toudou's frequent nagging and general personality keep Arakita from genuinely feeling too homesick, he still thinks about his other two friends.
Shinkai always trying to get him to eat something new, or Fukutomi giving him some new goal without needing to say a word. Idiots he's attached to. Not so much that he's upset he can't see them, but their presence or their words were always ... there. For the last three years.]
[ it's a little embarrassing, crying into arakita's shirt like this. the other boy's already done more than enough to try and help him out; he's let suga sleep over on his couch for the past few days without a single word of complaint, and he even trudged down to midas to take a stab at fixing mei's ceiling when suga mentioned off-handedly how worried he was about it. and besides that, he keeps bringing home takeout with portions that are clearly enough for two, even if arakita never admits to it outright.
it... means a lot. especially coming from someone he doesn't even know all that well, someone who doesn't have a single obligation in the world to him. and, as a result, the last thing he wants to do is be even more of a burden, but... here he is. the middle of the night, sobbing into arakita's shoulder instead of letting him sleep.
he should apologize. or... try to explain, or maybe pull away and wipe his eyes and insist that he's fine. but this is the first time in amoi that he's really, really let himself cry -- over how much he misses home, over daichi, over any of it, and... now that the dam has broken, it's like he can't piece it back together again. he can't even get the words out to agree, just... pushes his face a little further into arakita's shoulder to muffle the sounds of his sobbing, shoulders hitching on every broken breath. ]
[While his own last month of being here has been moderately easy, Arakita is well aware that Sugawara's start wasn't nearly as good as his. It's stupid, how it's just about hair color. Reaching up to idly stroke through those paler locks, continuing to rub his back with his other hand, he just lets him cry as he talks about nothing in particular. All he really knows about comforting people is that letting them cry it out is usually best. Usually.
This is a good case of needing to cry it out, he can tell that much. His nose doesn't lie that often.]
I almost kind of miss the routine I had goin before I got here, you know? Kick Shinkai out of our shared bathroom because he's primping and I need to take a shit, go to class, hassle Fuku-chan to let me copy his homework and get into some annoying song and dance with Toudou about how I need to learn on my own.
[ it's actually... just what he needs, oddly enough. the petting through his hair and the feeling of arakita's strong hand running up and down his back are both incredibly soothing, and his voice is a comforting, steady rumble up through his chest. if they were sitting in total silence, it'd be awkward enough to make him feel like clamming up. and if arakita was pushing him to talk about what was wrong, it'd only end up digging up even more of what's upsetting him.
... sometimes, it just feels good to cry it out, a little.
but his sobs start breaking up like cloud cover, beginning to trail off into little hiccuping breaths as he focuses more on what arakita is saying to him. ... and eventually he turns his head a little, just to make sure his voice isn't too muffled to be understood when he speaks. ] ... those are your friends back home?
[ punctuated by a little sniffle, but. he hopes it's enough to prompt him to keep talking. ]
[Tucking longer strands of hair behind Sugawara's ear while continuing to sooth his back and hair, Arakita hums an affirmative sound, shifting to reach and tug him into sitting up enough that he can wipe his face again with the bottom of his shirt.]
Aa, they are. Well. Toudou's here. He might be an unreasonable nag, but he's still Hakogaku's ace climber. If I can keep his annoying ass out of trouble, it'll be worth it going home and saying I did shit instead of leaving him to fend for himself.
[ it's a little strange!! being the one fussed over... but it's also nice, especially now. so he just closes his eyes and leans into it as arakita wipes his face, tipping his chin up obediently to make it a little easier. ]
Mm... see? [ cracking open his eyes a little, enough to flash a (slightly watery) smile up at arakita. ]
I almost want to be around while you try to tell Toudou that, because he'll deny it about as much as I do.
[Dipping his head in to bump their foreheads together briefly, Arakita drops his shirt enough to wipe Suga's wet face with his fingers again, tching softly.]
Shinkai might agree with you though, for some ungodly reason.
[ he mms at the feeling of arakita's fingers on his skin, closing his eyes with a little puffed sigh of contentment. yeah, it definitely feels nice just to get a little affection, even if arakita would probably deny calling it that outright. ]
Shinkai's obviously the smartest. [ grinning, even though the weariness is more than obvious around the edges. crying always takes a lot out of you, doesn't it? he feels... a little wrung out, but in a good way. ] It's easy to see who's the brains of the operation.
He's not the brains, Fuku-chan is. Shinkai isn't even the vice captain, Toudou is - I think it's cause he didn't feel like taking on the responsibility, but no one calls him out on being lazy, noo, it's always Arakita who is the lazy one.
[Finishing wiping as much of those tears as he can without rubbing Suga's skin too hard, Arakita sits him up better and lets him stay seated while he inspects the wet mess of his shirt now. Welp. He'll at least turn away when he peels it up over his head, dumping it to the floor and going to the closet to get a new one.]
But I guess you remind me of him - Shinkai, I mean. Laid back and generally friendly to everyone he meets, but he's got a demon side he only lets out when racing. Demon of the Straight Line, that's his nickname on the road.
[ he can't but laugh a little at that, forcing his eyes back open again as arakita steps away. it's... surprisingly harder than he would have expected. but there's something soothing about listening to arakita talk about his friends back home, and he's worn out from crying.
... he should probably head back to the couch soon, but. not yet. he feels too warm and heavy to move right away.
but he blinks drowsily at that last bit, snorting a little half-laugh. ]
So you're saying that you think I have a secret demon streak? [ ehehe. ] I'm not sure where you got that idea.
[Pulling a new t-shirt on and scratching his side as he starts coming back, Arakita can't help this snort and a little, amused smirk when he leans down in front of Sugawara, bumping foreheads again when he speaks.]
Dunno, you do have that devil side you teased me with back when we met. We had a whole conversation about which I liked more, angels or devils, I think it applies here.
[Drawing away if only to pull back the blankets again, Arakita comes back if only to reach and drag Sugawara up from the edge of the bed to the clear middle and roll him over, scooting in beside him and pulling the blankets over them both.
Really, if Sugawara thought for a second after all those tears that he was going to sleep on the couch again, he's sorely mistaken.]
[ alkjg. okay!! he's gotten a little bit more used to amoi and the way all of this works, but... the mention of when we first met is still enough to make his cheeks redden up a little. ]
Ah, hey! That was a little diff --
[ but! he gets cut off by a startled squawk as arakita drags him unceremoniously back towards the center of the bed, tumbling backwards onto the mattress as he's hauled underneath the mattress.
... oh. does this mean...?
oh.
... there's a few seconds devoted to an almost shy silence, and then... he wriggles a little closer, cuddling up against arakita's side. ] ... you don't mind?
[Settling down and stretching an arm around Sugawara's shoulders to let him cuddle right in close, Arakita closes his eyes and idly reaches up, stroking through soft fluffy hair again with just his fingertips.]
Go to sleep. If you want to talk about it more, let's do that in the morning with some breakfast.
[ that arm around his shoulders is all the invitation he needs to snuggle himself up as close as possible, burrowing up against arakita's side until he's able to rest his cheek on the cyclist's chest. already, this is a million dollar improvement above the couch -- arakita's warm and nice to cuddle into, and being close like this makes the apartment feel way less lonely. the other boy's heartbeat is steady in his ear, the slow rise and fall of his chest as soothing as an odd sort of lullaby.
... so he rubs his cheek up against him affectionately, sleepily tangling the fingers of one hand into arakita's shirt. ]
G'night, Arakita. [ ... and then another a moment or two of quiet: ] You really are a good guy, you know?
[He's warm in this bed without layering up for probably the first night he's slept here. Sugawara just being close was expected, but the way he cuddled right up until he was essentially using Arakita for a pillow ... it wasn't bad. Smiling quietly in the darkness of the room, he let his hand keep idly petting Suga's hair, breathing in deep and exhaling slowly.]
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ninetydegrees
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on 2016-04-07 06:43 pm (UTC)-- and then the sound of the other boy treading closer is all the warning he gets before arakita suddenly scoops him up into his arms, blanket and all. there's a startled little yip as he gets swept clean off the couch, both hands immediately trying to secure a safehold on arakita's shoulders to steady himself. ]
Ah, wha --?! Arakita, hey!
no subject
on 2016-04-07 06:57 pm (UTC)All he can do is frown with concern.]
Talk, Koushi. I'll listen.
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on 2016-04-07 07:08 pm (UTC)... but all of that gets abruptly lost at the sound of his own first name, eyes widening. and the startled blink that follows is hard enough to send the twin tears lingering at the corners of his eyes spilling down his cheeks. ]
... you called me Koushi.
no subject
on 2016-04-07 07:12 pm (UTC)[Ah, shit, he's crying more because of it?? Arakita reaches up without really thinking to wipe them away with his thumbs, tipping his head slightly - it's such a dog-like move and he doesn't even realize it, because now his thoughts are about i fucked up.]
You want me to stick to Sugawara? I'm just - used it to make you talk. [Grumbling and mumbling and his ears are coloring because he's aware about how using first names can be too much.]
no subject
on 2016-04-07 07:21 pm (UTC)I don't mind. It just surprised me, that's all.
[ ... the temptation to try reaching up for a hug is pretty real, but. he settles with just twining his fingers into arakita's shirt, instead. teasing, but it's soft. ] I'd say that I think it's cute, but you'd probably get mad at me.
no subject
on 2016-04-07 07:24 pm (UTC)[Letting out a breath he forgot he was holding, Arakita just wipes his face again before he leans in at those fingers curling against his shirt, dipping in to set his chin on Sugawara's shoulder and snort.]
So instead of me bitching and grumbling, talk. Are you missin home?
no subject
on 2016-04-07 07:28 pm (UTC)[ ... but when arakita leans in, the last little bit of his resistance crumbles. which is why he reaches up to slide his arms slowly around the other boy, turning to bury his face in arakita's shoulder. he can't quite get the words out, say i wanna go home out loud, but...
there is a nod, punctuated by the little hiccup of a smothered sob. ]
no subject
on 2016-04-07 07:36 pm (UTC)Walking with the people you know and shit not being weird as hell, the whole atmosphere around here fuckin sucks most of the time. [In the end, Arakita is thinking about it too. While Toudou's frequent nagging and general personality keep Arakita from genuinely feeling too homesick, he still thinks about his other two friends.
Shinkai always trying to get him to eat something new, or Fukutomi giving him some new goal without needing to say a word. Idiots he's attached to. Not so much that he's upset he can't see them, but their presence or their words were always ... there. For the last three years.]
no subject
on 2016-04-08 03:05 am (UTC)it... means a lot. especially coming from someone he doesn't even know all that well, someone who doesn't have a single obligation in the world to him. and, as a result, the last thing he wants to do is be even more of a burden, but... here he is. the middle of the night, sobbing into arakita's shoulder instead of letting him sleep.
he should apologize. or... try to explain, or maybe pull away and wipe his eyes and insist that he's fine. but this is the first time in amoi that he's really, really let himself cry -- over how much he misses home, over daichi, over any of it, and... now that the dam has broken, it's like he can't piece it back together again. he can't even get the words out to agree, just... pushes his face a little further into arakita's shoulder to muffle the sounds of his sobbing, shoulders hitching on every broken breath. ]
no subject
on 2016-04-08 03:18 am (UTC)This is a good case of needing to cry it out, he can tell that much. His nose doesn't lie that often.]
I almost kind of miss the routine I had goin before I got here, you know? Kick Shinkai out of our shared bathroom because he's primping and I need to take a shit, go to class, hassle Fuku-chan to let me copy his homework and get into some annoying song and dance with Toudou about how I need to learn on my own.
no subject
on 2016-04-08 04:19 am (UTC)... sometimes, it just feels good to cry it out, a little.
but his sobs start breaking up like cloud cover, beginning to trail off into little hiccuping breaths as he focuses more on what arakita is saying to him. ... and eventually he turns his head a little, just to make sure his voice isn't too muffled to be understood when he speaks. ] ... those are your friends back home?
[ punctuated by a little sniffle, but. he hopes it's enough to prompt him to keep talking. ]
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on 2016-04-08 04:28 am (UTC)Aa, they are. Well. Toudou's here. He might be an unreasonable nag, but he's still Hakogaku's ace climber. If I can keep his annoying ass out of trouble, it'll be worth it going home and saying I did shit instead of leaving him to fend for himself.
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on 2016-04-08 04:52 am (UTC)Mm... see? [ cracking open his eyes a little, enough to flash a (slightly watery) smile up at arakita. ]
You're really sweet. I told you so.
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on 2016-04-08 05:00 am (UTC)[Dipping his head in to bump their foreheads together briefly, Arakita drops his shirt enough to wipe Suga's wet face with his fingers again, tching softly.]
Shinkai might agree with you though, for some ungodly reason.
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on 2016-04-08 05:21 am (UTC)Shinkai's obviously the smartest. [ grinning, even though the weariness is more than obvious around the edges. crying always takes a lot out of you, doesn't it? he feels... a little wrung out, but in a good way. ] It's easy to see who's the brains of the operation.
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on 2016-04-08 05:25 am (UTC)[Finishing wiping as much of those tears as he can without rubbing Suga's skin too hard, Arakita sits him up better and lets him stay seated while he inspects the wet mess of his shirt now. Welp. He'll at least turn away when he peels it up over his head, dumping it to the floor and going to the closet to get a new one.]
But I guess you remind me of him - Shinkai, I mean. Laid back and generally friendly to everyone he meets, but he's got a demon side he only lets out when racing. Demon of the Straight Line, that's his nickname on the road.
no subject
on 2016-04-08 06:03 am (UTC)... he should probably head back to the couch soon, but. not yet. he feels too warm and heavy to move right away.
but he blinks drowsily at that last bit, snorting a little half-laugh. ]
So you're saying that you think I have a secret demon streak? [ ehehe. ] I'm not sure where you got that idea.
no subject
on 2016-04-08 06:15 am (UTC)Dunno, you do have that devil side you teased me with back when we met. We had a whole conversation about which I liked more, angels or devils, I think it applies here.
[Drawing away if only to pull back the blankets again, Arakita comes back if only to reach and drag Sugawara up from the edge of the bed to the clear middle and roll him over, scooting in beside him and pulling the blankets over them both.
Really, if Sugawara thought for a second after all those tears that he was going to sleep on the couch again, he's sorely mistaken.]
no subject
on 2016-04-08 06:37 am (UTC)Ah, hey! That was a little diff --
[ but! he gets cut off by a startled squawk as arakita drags him unceremoniously back towards the center of the bed, tumbling backwards onto the mattress as he's hauled underneath the mattress.
... oh. does this mean...?
oh.
... there's a few seconds devoted to an almost shy silence, and then... he wriggles a little closer, cuddling up against arakita's side. ] ... you don't mind?
no subject
on 2016-04-08 06:44 am (UTC)[Settling down and stretching an arm around Sugawara's shoulders to let him cuddle right in close, Arakita closes his eyes and idly reaches up, stroking through soft fluffy hair again with just his fingertips.]
Go to sleep. If you want to talk about it more, let's do that in the morning with some breakfast.
no subject
on 2016-04-08 06:59 am (UTC)... so he rubs his cheek up against him affectionately, sleepily tangling the fingers of one hand into arakita's shirt. ]
G'night, Arakita. [ ... and then another a moment or two of quiet: ] You really are a good guy, you know?
i like this icon too much
on 2016-04-08 07:03 am (UTC)[He's warm in this bed without layering up for probably the first night he's slept here. Sugawara just being close was expected, but the way he cuddled right up until he was essentially using Arakita for a pillow ... it wasn't bad. Smiling quietly in the darkness of the room, he let his hand keep idly petting Suga's hair, breathing in deep and exhaling slowly.]
Night.