Chapter Text
Clear
I wake up at the usual time, and caaarefully wiggle myself out of Aoba's arms.
“Hrm…”
Hearing his sleepy grumbles always makes me smile.
“Good morning, Aoba.”, I whisper before giving my husband's cheek a small peck, then I get up off our bed.
Aoba would usually wake up when I do, mostly due to my attempts to free myself. But, without fail, he would immediately fall back asleep. I'm not even sure if he remembers waking up most of the time, or clinging to me in his sleep like that...
I quietly pull my clothes for the day from the wardrobe before I go to the bathroom to wash up and get changed, then I immediately go downstairs to make breakfast.
“Good morning, Tae-san!”
Tae-san is sitting in the kitchen, eating a light meal and drinking tea.
“Good morning, Clear. Did Aoba tell you you won't have to cook breakfast for me today? I'll be off in a bit.”
“Oh, he didn't, he was already asleep when I came home from work… May I ask where to?”
“Visiting an old friend, haven't seen him in a while.”
We talk for a bit, until she finishes her meal and stands up to get ready to leave.
“Do you know when you'll be back?” I put her dishes in the sink before preparing everything for making breakfast.
“Hm...by 2 pm, I think.”
“Alright, until this evening, then, Tae-san!”
After following her to the door to say goodbye, I quickly go back and start cooking.
It doesn't take long until the kitchen is filled with the smell of food, not just our breakfast, but also a few things for me to put into Aoba's bento for him to take with him. Since my shift starts relatively early today, I won't be able to bring him his bento to work…
Trying not to forget the time, I turn off the stove, set the bento ingredients aside for now, wash my hands again, and then set the table for two.
Everything's ready, now only Aoba is missing!
I take off my apron and go upstairs, knocking on our bedroom-door by habit. There is no answer, neither from Aoba nor Ren, so I open the door. Aoba is still laying in bed, sprawled out now, all limbs stretched away from him. Briefly, I wonder if this is how he always slept, before I came back, or before we met, even. Back in Glitter, he seemed to sleep more curled up, or on his back…
He looks so peaceful. His chest rises and falls, rises and falls… Oh, there is a strand of his bright blue hair, right on his face, swaying with each breath! Smiling, I kneel in front of the bed and pick up that strand of hair, twirling it around my fingers, careful not to get it caught in my ring and accidentally pulling on it. Even if at this point, the feeling in them had faded pretty much completely, it would still hurt him if I pulled a few individual hairs. That’s how it would be for most people, though, I still don't quite understand why Aoba even had feeling in his hair the way he used to, and neither does he, apparently… But he doesn't seem to mind that it's gone.
I keep twirling his hair, lost in the feeling of the smooth strands between my fingers; there are four rings on my hand now, three blue and one gold.
I blinked awake, got up and rolled up my futon, putting it away. Before getting fresh clothes, I looked at Aoba-san as he slept; all fours stretched from him, and snoring a little.
“...like a starfish...”, I chuckled and poked Aoba-san's cheek, only to have him grumble and twitch his nose. “Aoba-san, what would you like for breakfast?”
More muttering, and a hand weakly trying to swat at mine, but missing. I caught it and laced our fingers.
“Aoba-san, you said you wanted to wake up earlier than usual today.”
“...hmwake...”
“What was that~?”
“I'm...'wake...”
“...”
I replaced my finger with my lips, and Aoba-san jolted awake.
“Uwah!”
A blush creeped up my face from the bold act I had just committed…
“Good morning, Aoba-san!”
“Good morning...”
Our hands were still entwined.
While I'm still deep in thought, I feel a tugging at my fingers; Aoba is waking up!
I untangle my fingers from his hair, as his eyelids flutter open.
“Good morning, Aoba.”, I say again, kissing his cheek, because I can never do that enough. “Breakfast is ready.”
“...Good morning, Clear…”, he stretches, still lying down, and for a moment, it looks like he just wants to sink further into the mattress again.
“Aoba, you really need to wake up…”
“I'm awake…”, his limbs look heavy as he sits up and rubs the sleep from his eyes. The pillow left crinkles on his face, and I pet them with a finger as if smoothing them over…
His eyes close again!
“Aoba, breakfast is getting cooold!”, I whine.
“I'm awake!”, his eyes rip open suddenly and I laugh. “What's so funny…”
I pinch his cheek and he pouts.
While Aoba is getting ready, I get our breakfast finished to serve it. He's still taking a while, so I already started making his bento.
“Um, where's granny?”, Aoba's voice rings behind me, and I wipe my hands clean.
“Tae-san is visiting a friend, she left already.”, after setting the bento aside to finish later, I turn towards him, “She said she told you..?”
“Oh, yeah, I think she mentioned something like that yesterday…” He sets Ren onto the floor, then sits down on his chair, and I move to sit as well. “Oh, crap, I was supposed to tell you! I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine, no harm done…I mean, you don’t have to stay up waiting for me if you’re tired.”
“...could’ve sent you a message…”, Aoba looks oddly guilty for something so small…I’m really not mad, and neither was Tae-san!
Ren looks up and says, “Maybe you're just not quite used to Clear having a Coil yet, Aoba.”
Aoba smirks at that, but I think he still feels a little bad. But once we both finally dig into our breakfast, Aoba’s mood improves more with every mouthful, and we talk about this and that.
After taking my last bite, I put my chopsticks down with a clack and fold my hands on the table. “Aoba, I've been thinking about something today…”
“Hm?”
My husband's mouth is still stuffed full of rice, I reach out to brush a stray grain off his chin. "Maybe we should get a bigger bed?"
He swallows, and seems a bit bewildered. “What? Why?”
“You seem to like sprawling out on it.”
“...when did I ever…”
I chuckle at that, his confused pout makes me want to poke his cheek again. “Almost every morning!”
“...but the room is very small…”
“It is.”
“We'd have to get one that's bigger but not too big, and has storage.”
“Yes.”
“Ah…and it's not gonna be cheap…”
“We don't have other big expenses coming up, do we?”
Our wedding and honeymoon were quite expensive, even though it was a small wedding, and we only went to the mainland for a few days… But! I'm working more hours, still just part-time though…but it does mean that I earn more now, so we should be fine getting a new bed, I think.
“No, I guess it would be okay…”
Aoba
Clear is still at work as I sit huddled behind my PC, scouring the Internet. I've already looked through a few furniture stores while I was on break at work, and pickings are getting slim. But I don't seem to be able to find exactly what we need!
“Not this one, either…”
“What is it, Aoba?” Ren's voice pulls me from my thoughts.
“I'm looking for a bigger bed, but...”, I sigh and put my face into my hands in frustration.
“Most are too big, or their drawers are on both sides, not just one...”, scratching my head, I lean back, “We'll have to move the other furniture around anyway, but, still, there's only so much space in here… We can't put the bed in the middle of the room horizontally, I don't think. And then, there’s the prices…”
My room, of course, was always small, but it had the exact right size for me. But now, it isn't just my room anymore, it really hasn't been for quite a while.
“Should I help you look for something, Aoba?”
“That would be nice of you, Ren…”
He sits up and climbs down the dog-stairs pushed up against the bed, then makes his way to me and plops his fluffy behind on my lap. With his paw, he points at the notes I had written down, “These are the measurements?”
“Yeah, that one is our bed currently, and that one is how big it can be at most. And that's our budget...”
“...”, Ren goes silent, while he searches the Internet himself.
Meanwhile, I keep searching as well.
“Aoba, I've sent a few options to you, on your Coil.”
“Thanks!”, Ren is a godsend! I don't know how he did it, maybe my searching skills are just lacking or something, but he found at least three that seemed promising. As I check those out, Ren sends me a couple more.
“That's all I can find.”
I carefully pick Ren up and snuggle him to myself.
After we decided on one of the beds and double checked if we could spare the money, we ordered it. It arrived quickly enough, but we’ll have to assemble it ourselves, so the boxes had to stand around for a few days, until Clear and I had a day off together. But now, we're carrying them into the bedroom, ready to disassemble my old bed.
“Ah, where are my bits…”, I rarely need my electric screwdriver, and while it is where it should be, I can't say the same for its accessories… I searched all the drawers and boxes in the room already, but no luck.
“Could they be in the closet?”, Ren asks, laying on his pillow, at a safe distance from the chaos Clear and I are about to unleash. At his suggestion, I'm practically climbing into the closet, looking for that damn box.
Meanwhile, Clear has cut the cardboard box open and now goes straight for the instruction manual and the pack of screws.
“One, two, three, four, five…” He opened the packet and puts the screws in a cup one by one, counting. “Oh no, I think there's a screw miss- ouch! Found it...”
At that, I look up from the closet, “Did you get hurt?”
“I'm fine, no worries...”, with a grimace, Clear peels a screw from the bottom of his foot. Luckily, his socks are thick, and the screw wasn't on its head! While I was fishing around in the closet for where I put the screwdriver-bits some more, Clear kneeled down and took one of the boards. He unfolds the instruction-leaflet further, turning the board this way and that way, looking back and forth between it, the others and the instructions.
“So, it starts like this, huh...”, he blinks a few times, “Is this really the right side up..?”
At last, I hold the box of bits in my hand and close the closet, then look over his shoulder at the instructions. “It is. I think?”
“But it looks...odd.”
“Maybe that's just the schematic being drawn weird?”
“I guess?”
“We should just go for it!” I try to do my best impression of Clear's determinate face, and he mirrors it.
“Yes!”
I used the electric screwdriver to start disassembling the old bed, while behind me, Clear neatly put all the screws of the first boards to where they have to go, so I only had to screw them in. Like this, we spent the whole afternoon, carrying the parts of the old bed downstairs, putting the new bed together, minutely following the instructions…we did mess up a few times, but to be fair, that manual could've been a bit more precise…
Finally, finally , the frame stood where it should, and we put in the drawers, testing how well they glide.
My arms and legs ache a bit from all the carrying; Clear could've carried everything himself easily, but we had to bring the boards and old mattress downstairs , so I insisted on helping him, while he insisted on doing it himself…
“Now, only the mattress…”
“Okay!”, he pushes the drawer back in and jumps up, making his way to where the new mattress is, rolled up. It nearly looks like he's dancing, the way he avoids all the stuff on the floor causing his hips to sway…then, he picks up the roll with one arm and puts it down on the frame, beaming up at me.
Clear, how are you this energetic…
“Aoba, would you like to open it?”
“Alright!”, I grab the carpet knife to slice the plastic open, careful not to cut up the mattress itself. Clear holds it shut, probably thinking it might just spring open. Could it? I've never done this before…
At last, the mattress is on the bed, covered in a linen sheet, our pillows are where they should be, only the blanket is still elsewhere until we tested the mattress. I see Clear pick up the dog-stairs and lining them up with the bed from the corner of my eyes, before he stands next to me, his hands in his hips triumphantly. He's so cute, I can't help it, and kiss his nose, causing him to blush and sputter.
“Ready to test the bed?”
“Yes!”
We sit down on the edge of the bed, and Ren looks up at us.
“How is it?”, he asks, then gets up from his pillow to walk towards the stairs.
“Weird…it's only a little bigger, but it does make the room feel very different.”, I say, bouncing a bit where I sit.
“Mhm…”, Clear leans back, letting himself drop onto it. I follow suit, our legs still draped over the edge.
“I believe you should lie down properly to see if the mattress is alright for you.” Ren’s little paws pad on the stairs as he ascends. Once he’s on the top, he paws the mattress, his eyes closed in concentration.
Clear rolls on the bed, eventually lying on his back, so I crawl up next to him, and lie down on my belly.
“It’s nice…”, I sigh into my pillow.
“Yeah…not too firm, but I won’t just sink in, either.”
I reach for his hand and grasp it in mine, and suddenly hear a clinking of metal on metal. Clear makes a sound like a soft gasp, and I know he heard it, too. But it was our rings, touching.
It hadn't been that long since Clear started to work part-time at Mizuki’s, nor since he was in his new body. That day, he had the evening shift, and by the time he came home from work, I was already in bed. I heard him walk up to the bedroom, and turned around sluggishly when he opened the door.
“...welcome home, Clear.”
“I’m home, Aoba-san.”, he smiled at me, tired, “I’m sorry, did I wake you?”
“...silly, don’t worry about that…”, I wasn’t quite asleep yet, just almost, no big deal.
Clear nodded, and took his pyjamas that I had already put out of the wardrobe for him, then left for the bathroom. By the time he came back, I had almost fallen asleep, but I tried to stay awake. I wanted to wish him goodnight.
With him, the scent of his shower gel and shampoo entered the bedroom.
“...how was your day?”
“Ah…some customers were a bit…troublesome.”, he chuckled, and I could guess that ‘troublesome’ was an understatement.
“I bet you handled them just fine.”
“Ehehe…” I couldn’t see in the dark, but I’m sure Clear’s face was red. “And your’s, Aoba-san?”
“The usual…though, the Trio really outdid themselves today…poor Bonjin-kun…”
He chuckled at that and walked up to the closet, to pull the futon out, no doubt. Something about the sight bothered me, so I turned away on my bed. The sound of the closet door sliding rang behind me, and Clear was humming a tune as he reached inside.
“You don't have to roll out the futon all the time, Clear…”
“Eh?”
“W- we're a couple...and, yeah, my bed isn't that big, but...b- big enough.”
Why was I the one who seemed to feel nervous? I would've thought it to be Clear, and that he would insist that it's fine, and then roll it out anyway.
But instead, I heard a bit of shuffling, the closet sliding shut again - and then, soft steps walking up to the bed.
Clear's weight dipped the mattress, before he laid down behind me, pulling the blanket over us both.
“Good night, Aoba-San.”
“Good night, Clear…”
After a few moments, Clear shifted a bit, and his arm tentatively reached over my side under the blanket, before sinking down. I took Clear's hand in mine, and without thinking, we snuggled up closer to each other. I felt his gentle breath on my nape, the comfortable warmth of his chest against my back.I shivered.
“I- it's gotten cold these nights, huh…” I whispered.
“You think so, Aoba-san?”
“...well, not anymore.”
Suddenly, something soft and warm wiggles between our palms.
“Ren!”, Clear says happily, while Ren rests his head in our hands, his eyes closed, tongue out like always.
“I think it's time for a break.”, he says, making himself comfortable.
“Guess we deserve a rest, huh?”