When Jyushi finally arrived back in Nagoya after a month and a half long tour, the sky was a soft shade of indigo, the first few cracks of sunlight already bleeding into the dark velvet. He couldn't be bothered to check his phone for the exact time, but based on the hues in the sky and how long he'd already been awake, he guessed it was close to five in the morning. He rubbed the last few traces of mascara and dark eyeshadow from his eyes, thick clumps of black and glitter clinging to his long lashes - why did his bandmates think it would be a good idea to return home on the exact same night as their last show, again? Jyushi felt like a zombie, and he really wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for the next ten years or so. He could feel layers of sweat adhering to his skin, his dark hair thick with grease, and as awful as it made him feel, he was too exhausted to deal with it right away. He'd just shower when he woke up. Maybe take a bath with Kuko, even.
Speaking of Kuko, the monk clearly wasn't still awake. Jyushi had texted him as soon as the plane landed, and again as he got into the Uber. Though he was too out of it to actively check his phone, he left the ringer on in case Kuko replied - that was nearly an hour ago, and Jyushi had yet to hear back from him. It was fine, though; Jyushi hadn't expected his boyfriend to wait up for him. He would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to coming home and immediately being met with a loving embrace from Kuko, but that was before his flight got delayed and he ended up at home hours later than predicted. He knew that Kuko would have passed out by now.
Once he had finally been dropped off, Jyushi trudged up the stairs to their front door, grateful that he had found the time to change out of his uncomfortable stage garb before boarding the flight. His suspicions about Kuko being asleep were confirmed when he opened the door, pouring the dim lights of dawn into what was otherwise a pitch dark apartment. The flat hum of the air conditioner was the only sound to break through the silence of their home, its cold caress a much-needed and refreshing contrast to the heat of the summer air outside. Jyushi left his suitcase and bag by the front door as he kicked off his boots, then shrugged out of his hoodie and tossed it aside, letting it hang limply on a nearby chair. He would put all his shit away tomorrow. With a stretch and a yawn, Jyushi popped his joints, then started down the hall.
Once he stopped in front of their room, Jyushi could hear Kuko's snoring even behind the closed door. He found the habit to be rather irritating at first, but now, it was the most comforting sound in the world to him.
He opened the door just a crack and slipped into the room, trying to be as silent as possible. Instantly, he noted that Kuko was asleep on Jyushi's side of the bed rather than his own. The musician's heart erratically thumped in his chest at this revelation.
Creeping closer, he peeled back the covers just a bit so he could get a closer look at his boyfriend. A spot of drool was hanging from Kuko's lips, but Jyushi found it more endearing than he was disgusted by it. Kuko was also, obviously, wearing one of Jyushi's hoodies. It was black with the logo of one of Jyushi's favorite visual kei bands emblazoned on the chest, and it was already oversized on Jyushi when he wore it, but on Kuko it was practically a ball gown, the hem of it hanging around his knees. Jyushi bit his lip, his face cracking into a girlish smile. Kuko was just so damn cute. The way he slept was cute. It was cute how small he was. How did Jyushi get so lucky to end up with such an all-around cute person?
Jyushi slipped into the empty space next to the monk, curling an arm around his waist and drawing him closer. Suddenly, he no longer cared about whether or not he would wake Kuko up. Maybe it was the sight of Kuko asleep in the space that Jyushi usually occupied, maybe it was how he was practically drowning in Jyushi's sweatshirt, maybe it was the smell of Kuko that hit Jyushi's senses as he snuggled up to him. But Jyushi quickly realized just how much he had actually missed Kuko, and he really, really needed to shower him in affection right now. As he held him tighter, a barrage of soft kisses rained down against Kuko's cheek, his neck, his eyelids, his ears.
The monk stirred at the contact, a golden eye slowly blinking open. "Mmhh… Jyushi?"
"Hi." Jyushi slid his lips along his jawline. "I'm home, Kuko."
"Welcome back." Kuko turned around to face him, their lips coming to connect in a kiss that wasn't too hard or too fervent, but full of feeling all the same. Both of them were too drunk off of sleep to engage in a passionate makeout session, but just the delicate brushing of their lips against each other was enough for them to understand how much they had missed this, how long they had been desperately waiting to feel the other's touch again.
"How was the tour?" Kuko asked when their lips finally departed.
"It was great. I'll tell you everything in the morning."
"It is the morning, though."
"You know what I mean, Kuko."
"I don't wanna wait til tomorrow, though. It's been nearly a whole two months since I've seen ya or heard your voice in person. You can't expect me to wait a few more hours now that you're here."
"You're still tired, though," Jyushi pointed out, dipping his lips down to brush across the fluffy red spikes of Kuko's head.
"Was tired til you got here. Now I'm wide awake." The slurring in Kuko's voice and the limpness of his body as his head lolled against Jyushi's chest betrayed his words.
"Mhm, sure. I'm sleepy, though. So you're gonna have to be a good boy and wait."
"Fine, fine." Kuko's words became increasingly hazy as he rubbed his cheek against Jyushi's torso, obstructing his voice. "You've worked hard this past month. You deserve some rest."
Jyushi hugged him closer. "Mhm. And I've been looking forward to falling asleep by your side again all month. Don't take that from me."
Kuko chuckled lightly at this. "Is this better than being on a lumpy mattress in the back of a musty tour bus?"
"By a country mile." Jyushi kissed Kuko's forehead.
Kuko sat up, leaning back and cupping the younger boy's face. He wasn't planning on staying up much longer, but he wanted to really get a good look at Jyushi before he fell asleep. A blur of black-blonde hair and snowy pale skin swam into focus in the darkness of their room - his hair was damp with sweat, and the bags that hung beneath his tired eyes mingled with the residual smears of eyeliner. All in all, Jyushi's appearance seemed to be the very embodiment of fatigue and jadedness. He looked like he hadn't showered in days, or slept in weeks.
But he was still the most beautiful person in the world to Kuko.
Kuko dipped down to kiss him one more time, long and slow. Jyushi coiled his long arms around Kuko's waist, the smaller boy's body settling with ease on top of his.
"I love you," Jyushi whispered.
"Love you too," Kuko mumbled out in reply. "So much. More than you'll ever understand."
"Are we playing this game right now?" Kuko could feel Jyushi grin against the top of his head. "I love you to the moon and back."
"Love you to the sun and back."
"I love you to Mars and back."
"Hm. I love you to Mercury and back."
"Mercury is closer to earth than Mars is, my dear."
"Is it really?"
Jyushi nodded, and giggled when Kuko groaned in frustration. The singer brought a hand up to stroke the other boy's hair - head pets from Jyushi were pretty much Kuko's favorite thing in the world, and after over a month of being deprived, he felt like his eyes were about to roll back into his head from the sensation.
"Fine. Then I love you to the edges of the universe and back. And then some," Kuko huffed.
"Okay, okay, you win tonight." Glossy black nails lightly scratched at Kuko's scalp, and Jyushi relished in the little hum of pleasure Kuko gave him in response. "Goodnight, Kuko."
"Night, Jyushi."
All Jyushi's thoughts of work and how mentally and physically drained he was from the tour completely melted from his body as he and Kuko embraced each other for the first time in what felt like a century. He had been waiting so long to be able to reach out and touch his boyfriend, to see his face and hear his voice in person rather than through the screen of a phone. Those lonely nights spent longing for the warmth of Kuko's skin against his completely evaporated from Jyushi's memories as Kuko's breathing slipped into heavy snores once again.
The wait had been worth it. Being away from Kuko didn't seem so painful anymore if the feeling of finally getting to be with him was going to be this rewarding. Jyushi would wait a thousand years for Kuko if he needed to (though frankly, he would be inclined to go mad if separated from his boyfriend for that long).
"Mm… you're so warm, Jyushi," was the last thing Kuko breathed out before sleep took him.
"You make me warm," the singer whispered back, holding him tighter. "You make me glow, darling."
Sunlight trickled in through their window as the two boys slowly slipped into dreamland, nothing but the tangle of their own limbs to keep each other company. There was nowhere in the world Jyushi would rather be than here in bed with his very best friend.