Disclaimer: None of the characters depicted in this story belong to me, this is simply fanwork and gives me no profit.
Warnings: This is BL, as in Boys love, as in you can get it from there. But if you have a problem with this than honestly, stop looking at Gravitation fan fiction. Really.
You could tell a lot about a person by the way they slept.
Yes, Shuichi was aware of how odd that sounded.
Once in a while Shuichi came upon Yuki asleep when he arrived home late. Sometimes he'd be on the couch with the T.V. on, laptop perched precariously on his knees. Luckily, he always came home just in time to snatch it before the device broke. (Which he knew would lead to an invariably crankier-than-normal Eiri Yuki, and nobody wanted to see that.) Other times Shuichi came across him actually asleep in his chair in his office with his hand supporting his head. Shuichi found this the most amusing way to catch Yuki asleep, as his glasses were tilted askew on his head, and his mouth was open in a wonderfully comical way. Of course, Shuichi knew that couldn't be good for his back to sleep sitting up, so he always woke him and guided the half-asleep writer to his bed. Shuichi had considered chiding him for this bad habit, but decided just not to mention it at all.
But there were certain characteristics of the way Yuki slept, ones that he hadn't even noticed until he had really thought about it. The most noticeable out of the habits was the almost angelic look of his face when he dozed off. It seemed like he was at peace with everything, perfectly content only in unconsciousness. It was a complete contrast of how he acted when he was awake. When he was awake, Yuki was brash, sarcastic, short and occasionally hurtful. But Shuichi loved how wonderfully pure he looked in his dreams. It was such a polar opposite of his normal attitude that it was almost ethereal. Sometimes Shuichi almost felt like he was intruding on his world when the novelist slept, like he was peeking through a door better left shut.
Another thing was the way he unconsciously curls up in his sleep. It was almost like he was defending himself, like he wanted to stay in that wonderful dream world forever. To Shuichi, this was definitely Adorable Thing About Yuki #172. He'd never say so to Yuki, as it would automatically irritate the man to know Shuichi had watched him when he slept and no doubt put him on the defensive. In spite of this, Shuichi was of the opinion that when he was sleeping, Yuki resembled a kitten: Adorable, serene and completely helpless. But, once again, this was so completely out of character for Yuki in his awakened state that it really wasn't worth remarking about. Even though it might just be a natural instinct for Yuki to be that way, watching him slumber always made him a little sad. It depressed him to think that even whilst he slept that the poor man was so insecure looking. But that was silly. He's probably just cold or something.
Aside from all this, Shuichi knew that his favorite part about when Yuki slept was whenever he kissed his cheek as he left in the morning, his lips would quirk up in that lovely way, like he was trying not to laugh. Whenever Shuichi whispered "I love you" right before he closed the door, Yuki would mumble in his sleep, turning over on his side. Shuichi liked to think he was saying, "I love you, too." He knew it was silly, but it always made him giggle.
Yeah, that was definitely his favorite part.
You could tell a lot about a person by the way they slept.
Yuki had read that somewhere and at the time thought it was complete crap. Of course, that was before he had seen Shuichi for the first time after reading that article.
He never normally watched the brat sleep. Most of the time he was up so late typing that he would eventually fall asleep, but somehow end up in his bed by the morning. Yuki figured that he sleepwalked, and didn't waste much more thought on the subject. But the first time he'd seen Shuichi sleeping after reading that article, it surprised him.
It was his normal routine at night. Type, smoke a few cigarettes, type, smoke, type a little more, and smoke a little more. …And maybe have a beer. He didn't know why he decided to check on the brat, he just wanted to for some reason. Stretching, he glanced at the clock, the flashing red digital clock reading 12:42. He rubbed his eyes, suppressing a yawn. The writer stood up and left his office, vision slowly adjusting to the dark hallway. He quietly headed towards his lover's routine sleeping place: His couch.
Thin lips quirked bemusedly at the sight. Shuichi's arms curled around his blanket, his breath steady and even with each rise and fall of his chest. Yuki considered the sight for a moment. He'd never thought about it before, but there was a certain look that Shuichi got when he dreamt. It wasn't exactly peaceful, nor tortured or sad… he just seemed satisfied. Satisfied with his life, satisfied with all of his surroundings, satisfied with himself. Yes, that was exactly the way his dozing smile came across.
Yuki reached towards the younger man's face, fingertips brushing over his cheeks. Shuichi's lips curled up into a smile, sighing happily. Yuki ran his fingers through the soft pink hairs, the boy leaning in to his touch.
"Yuki…" A near silent whispers in darkness.
At the time, Yuki had pulled his hand back in shock. It's not as if it should have been much of a surprise, but it seemed like a bit of a realization to him. He had accepted the fact that because of his fame, because of his looks, because of his riches, when people said "I love you" to him they never meant it. It was a little bit amazing how only when Shuichi was unconscious Yuki could see that. Yuki wasn't sure whether the thought was depressing or touching.
Still, even though the thought would probably bother him later, Yuki ignored it. All he could do was watch the gentle, peaceful breaths of somebody who had inadvertently become the most important person in his life. Even in his dreams, he still loved the writer. Despite his insults, despite his indifference, despite all of his bad habits and faults, even in his sleep this boy loved him. With a feather light touch of lips, the man retired to his room.
Yeah, that was definitely his favorite part.
Author's note: Yes, I can't help it. The idea came into my head and I couldn't resist it. Sorry if I rotted your teeth there. Oh well.