It wasn’t pain, exactly, that pulled him from sleep—it was more like discomfort mixed with a foreign sensation.
Hair.
Hair in his mouth.
He gagged a little on instinct, sputtering quietly as he tried to sit up only to realize that something—someone—was tangled around him like ivy.
Ichinose.
Her long hair had become a blanket of its own, draped across his face and neck, some of it clinging to his lips, while her body was half-turned in sleep, pressed gently up against his chest. At some point in the night, they’d rolled over, completely taking over the bed’s center. Their legs were a mess of entanglement—her calf hooked lightly around his, her foot against his shin.
Maruki stared into the middle distance.
Hungover.
Too warm.
Still foggy from sleep.
But... not entirely unhappy.
He remembered Morning's words still. Touch-starved. Strange. The idea of him being starved of it...
He carefully lifted a handful of her hair and draped it across the pillow behind her, gently untangling what he could without waking her. It was everywhere—he couldn’t not smile faintly at the sheer chaos of it. She looked so small and peaceful like that, curled up under the blanket, her features soft in sleep, lips parted slightly as she breathed against his shoulder.
He blinked at her.
Then blinked again, clearing his eyes as he finally—carefully—slipped himself free from her.
His feet touched the floor with a soft thump as he stood, ruffling his hair back into something that looked marginally human. He reached for his glasses on the nightstand, slipping them on with a sigh. He was still contemplating the mild dehydration and a night of unexpected cuddling.
He stretched, bones cracking faintly in protest.
Then he checked his phone.
No urgent texts. A few missed notifs. An email from a classmate timestamped 3:21 AM. He squinted at that and made a mental note to flag it later.
And he was barefoot good god, he was an animal. He needed to get his shit together.
A few hours after Ichinose would see a pile of clothes at his side of the bed, tailored accordingly for her. A simple long white dress shirt paired with leggings. Why does he have women's clothing on him? Well, that was a mystery that Kuon was free to address.
There's a simple text on her phone. Left a change of clothes if you want to use them. If you are feeling cold there's my hoodie in the closet.
2/2
Maruki blinked awake.
It wasn’t pain, exactly, that pulled him from sleep—it was more like discomfort mixed with a foreign sensation.
Hair.
Hair in his mouth.
He gagged a little on instinct, sputtering quietly as he tried to sit up only to realize that something—someone—was tangled around him like ivy.
Ichinose.
Her long hair had become a blanket of its own, draped across his face and neck, some of it clinging to his lips, while her body was half-turned in sleep, pressed gently up against his chest. At some point in the night, they’d rolled over, completely taking over the bed’s center. Their legs were a mess of entanglement—her calf hooked lightly around his, her foot against his shin.
Maruki stared into the middle distance.
Hungover.
Too warm.
Still foggy from sleep.
But... not entirely unhappy.
He remembered Morning's words still. Touch-starved. Strange. The idea of him being starved of it...
He carefully lifted a handful of her hair and draped it across the pillow behind her, gently untangling what he could without waking her. It was everywhere—he couldn’t not smile faintly at the sheer chaos of it. She looked so small and peaceful like that, curled up under the blanket, her features soft in sleep, lips parted slightly as she breathed against his shoulder.
He blinked at her.
Then blinked again, clearing his eyes as he finally—carefully—slipped himself free from her.
His feet touched the floor with a soft thump as he stood, ruffling his hair back into something that looked marginally human. He reached for his glasses on the nightstand, slipping them on with a sigh. He was still contemplating the mild dehydration and a night of unexpected cuddling.
He stretched, bones cracking faintly in protest.
Then he checked his phone.
No urgent texts. A few missed notifs. An email from a classmate timestamped 3:21 AM. He squinted at that and made a mental note to flag it later.
And he was barefoot good god, he was an animal. He needed to get his shit together.
A few hours after Ichinose would see a pile of clothes at his side of the bed, tailored accordingly for her. A simple long white dress shirt paired with leggings. Why does he have women's clothing on him? Well, that was a mystery that Kuon was free to address.
There's a simple text on her phone. Left a change of clothes if you want to use them. If you are feeling cold there's my hoodie in the closet.