Love Blossom
mortify
His eyes slowly open, but he shuts them once again when he stares right into the light bulb above him. Not his smartest move.
A few minutes later, Yakumo tries again and notices that he's alone in the living room. Tugging the blanket closer, he wonders who had put it on him while he napped, but knows it could only be her.
His face relaxes when he hears her gentle laugh wave through the air. As it slowly grows louder, he follows the sound down the hall and into a doorway.
But the moment he sees what she is holding on to, he turns back around.
"Get back in here!" he hears from behind.
"How did you even get that?"
"Isshin-san," she answers simply.
His mind instantly curses his uncle. Everyone knew the man was too kind, but Yakumo suspects that his uncle's more sinister side was at fault here. He had probably been the one to offer it to her.
Leaning on the frame of the door, he decides on a plan of action. "There's a case. You can come with me, I have to—"
"No, we're staying here," she speaks with no room for objection.
Taking careful steps towards the bed that Haruka sits on, he leers over the photo album that she is engrossed in.
The discomfort sets in even further when he sees his own face staring back.
"You were such a cute child," she coos, not even paying Yakumo a glance.
His hand instantly reaches to dig in his hair as the heat floods his face, "Stop being creepy."
Haruka points to one picture and giggles lightly, "Look! There you are on the playground. Your smile is so wide."
He is still too tired for this so he sits down beside her, his mind is whirring. He is sure he could probably call for Nao to act as a distraction and then hide the photos, but she went out with Uncle while Yakumo and Haruka house-sat.
"Just look at your cheeks, they're huge!"
Yakumo is ready to burn the album. His uncle was going to hear it later.
He leans his head down to her shoulder and groans, "Put it away so we can leave already."
Haruka reaches backward, gently patting his head. The gesture is half-comforting and half-mocking, just like her words, "We're at your uncle's, Yakumo. There's no place like home."
"You always make yourself troublesome," he sighs.
Deciding it would be easier to live through this moment while asleep, Yakumo lies down beside her as she flips through the pages, her giggles never-ending. Until they do end.
"Hey, Yakumo?" she asks, after several moments of silence.
He moves his arm away from his eyes and opens one, concerned at the quiet tone in her voice.
"Can I take this one for myself? It's too cute to resist."
Yakumo groans again and rolls over, ready for sleep to take him away.
A/N: It should probably be obvious that I like putting Yakumo at a disadvantage (aka making Yakumo suffer).
