A/N: Yay, prompt two! This one is cuddling somewhere. Ooooh. Trying to keep the A/N on the shorter side this time, as all the introductions are out of the way, so remember to give hugs and love!
Audience: "You suck."
Labrys walked down the street to Makoto's apartment with a literal skip in her step. After a long week of work, the two of them had a day off, which they planned to spend together. Labrys had been waiting for it for the whole week, and now that it had finally come, she couldn't be in a better mood. A whole day with Makoto! She was absolutely giddy. Today would be the first day she got to spend with her boyfriend in quite some time, after all, and in his apartment no less. She'd never been to his home before, so she was quite curious. The short walk felt like a marathon before she finally made it to his apartment building.
She didn't have time to wait. She rushed up the stairs as quickly as possible, managing to clear all the levels in record time without breaking a sweat. Anyone else would've taken a few minutes, but she got there within seconds. Just one of the perks of being an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon. It took her a few minutes to actually find Makoto's apartment, but she located it eventually. Without a second thought, she knocked on the door, letting out an enthusiastic "Hellooooo?" She absolutely couldn't wait for whatever Makoto had planned. Surely he's put together a romantic evening. Maybe a date, or star-gazing, or karaoke again. . . Ooh, I can't wait! He was kind of slow on answering the door, though. What's keeping him?
She put her ear to the door to see if she could hear anything. The only thing she noticed was a quiet curse and then the rustling and bustling of bed sheets. After several minutes of obvious preparation, Makoto answered. He'd just rolled out of bed. His hair was a mess, and his clothes were clearly just the first thing he saw in the closet as he got up. He wore a white t-shirt with a blue collar and sleeves, and a pair of black jeans with one white and one black sock on. His eyelids drooped and he looked like he could pass out any second. He topped off his sleepy look with a long, tired yawn. Labrys wasn't sure if she was capable of processing just how adorable Makoto was right now. This was a side of Makoto she'd never seen, but she sure was glad she was seeing it now.
"H-Hey," he said, clearly embarrassed. Labrys had never seen him blush before, so she made a note to take a mental picture to swoon over later. It wasn't a common occurrence, after all. "Come on in." He stepped aside and allowed her to enter, shutting the door behind the two of them.
"Thanks." Labrys looked around the small apartment in amazement at just how small it was. It was one room, with a closet. Makoto's bed was in the corner (and as she had assumed, his pajamas were rather poorly hidden underneath it) and next to it was his desk. Next to the desk sat all of his computer essentials: a laptop carrying case, cables, video-game consoles. There was a flat-screen TV on one of the walls (thanks to Mitsuru), with two chairs and a small table in front of it. It clearly didn't see as much use as the computer, a thin film of dust adorning the top of the device. On the other side of the apartment was the kitchen, with all of the basic appliances one would need to survive. It was nothing special, but with the white walls and the light blue carpet, she thought it suited Makoto rather well. "It's a nice place. It really fits ya'."
"Mmhm." He still hadn't quite shaken off his drowsy daze as he walked towards the kitchen. "I'll get us something to eat. Toast sound good?"
Labrys smiled happily. They both knew she didn't need to eat, but he clearly knew that she liked it when she was treated that way, as if she was any normal girl. That was one of the many things she loved about him; he always knew what to say and do to make her happy, even half awake. "Yeah, sure." She took a seat on his bed, pulling her boots off. "You seem tired. Everythin' alright? Try your best not to pass out, 'kay?"
Makoto not-so-casually shrugged off her comment. "I'm wide awake." He put the pieces of bread he'd been preparing into the toaster, resting his chin in his hands, elbows on the counter. She could clearly tell he was dozing off, with his eyes fluttering shut every now and then. He surely was up late last night playing some game or doing some work for Mitsuru or Akihiko. Either way, she thought it was cute. The toaster popping up startled him back into his awake state. After collecting himself, he hurriedly buttered their toast. Labrys had to watch him carefully to make sure he didn't mess up with the knife. It was just a butter knife, but she didn't think anyone would be surprised if Makoto could accidentally turn it into a lethal weapon.
"What kept you up so late?" She leaned back in the bed, resting on the palms of her hand to get more comfortable.
"Work. . ." He yawned, dropping the knife into the sink. "Mitsuru had a last minute job for me to do last night." He started to walk towards her, seemingly haven woken up a little.
"What'd you have to take care of?"
"Kikuno-san needed help with weapon maintenance." He had stayed at the base for several hours last night as the two of them tested weapons and vehicles to ensure they were in optimal condition. It wasn't so bothersome at the time, but when he got home at four in the morning and still had to type up a report about the event, it became slightly more frustrating. He hadn't gotten to bed until quite late, so he wasn't in the best mood this morning. He had thought he'd be ready to wake up early this morning, but he slept through his alarm.
"Y'know, if you wanna' go back to bed, I ain't gonna' stop you." She wanted to spend time with her boyfriend, but if it was going to make him miserable, she didn't mind postponing. "You're a real wreck there," she said, extending her hand for her plate. He sat next to her on the bed, a quiet sigh escaping him. Labrys was thoroughly enjoying herself here. "How many hours of sleep'd ya' get anyways?"
He began to count the hours on his fingers, eliciting a laugh from Labrys. "Uh. . . Two-and-a-half hours," he said, looking miserable all the while. Labrys almost felt a twang of guilt for enjoying herself, but it disappeared as she watched him childishly devour his toast. It was cute. He cleared his throat, before speaking. "I'm really sorry. . . We've had this planned for a while now, so I should've been ready-"
She interrupted him. "Oh, don't be, don't be!" She set her toast on the floor, standing up and taking his plate out of his hand to place next to hers. "It's important to get your sleep, y'know. You've gotta' get to bed sometime or you'll run yourself into the ground." She tussled up his hair and pulled down the covers for him. "C'mon. Off to bed you go. If you don't get to bed, I won't talk to you for a whole day." Labrys was thoroughly enjoying the motherly act.
He groaned. "That's not fair."
Labrys started her silent act, ignoring him as she examined her fingers.
With that, Makoto stopped complaining. He worked his way under the covers, a yawn escaping his lips. Labrys's heart did a little dance at how cute he looked. She knew she shouldn't expect this in the future, but she was enjoying it for the time being. Makoto struggled to get comfortable in the bed, eventually finding a favorable position. He pulled the covers all the way up to his face and wriggled around a bit, before patting the bed next to him. "Get in."
Labrys was a little shocked at first. Before she had even fully processed the sentence, she was blushing furiously. "W-Wait, what!?" The bold gesture completely caught her off guard.
"If I'm going back to bed, you're going to keep me company. I promised to spend this day with you after all."
"U-Uh, I don't really think that's necessary, y'know? We've only been together a few months, so. . ." She fiddled with her hands, trying to find some way to dispel the awkward situation.
Makoto made eye contact with her, an expectant and hopeful gaze across his face. That gaze had the power to melt a glacier in mere seconds. She couldn't even find a way to refuse. It's not like she wanted to, anyways.
Without the strength to protest anymore, she climbed into the bed, wrapping herself in the covers. Her face was only several inches from Makoto's. She could feel his breath every time he inhaled and exhaled, his arms wrapping around her back as he pulled her closer. The embrace filled her with a strange warmth as she awkwardly reciprocated, wrapping her hands around Makoto's neck as they lay in the bed together. For several moments, they laid there, neither saying or doing anything. Labrys stared at Makoto's face, not sure how to go about the whole "cuddling" thing.
"This is nice," he said, eyes closing slowly as he prepared to sleep.
"Y-Yeah. Nice. . ." Labrys's emotions on the matter were conflicting. While for the most part, she was happy that she could spend time with Makoto, the situation felt awkward. Especially considering. . .
"Is something wrong?" Makoto asked, as if sensing the disturbance in his girlfriend. He opened his eyes, concern on his tired face.
"I-It's just . . ." She fidgeted. "Is this really comfortable for you?" After all, Labrys was made of metal and parts, not flesh. And while her design was advanced, and very humanoid, she still felt that she might be making Makoto uncomfortable.
Makoto poked her nose.
Labrys calmed down almost instantly. There was no exchange of words to go alongside the gesture; it was just a simple nose poke, but for whatever reason, it conveyed exactly what he wanted to say in exactly the right way. Makoto truly was an example of "actions speaking louder than words". She understood exactly what he meant by the poke, even if it was just a childish poke. He was saying, "You're fine the way you are."
No longer nervous or afraid, Labrys fully welcomed the hug and returned it with a warm embrace of her own, the two being less than inches apart. There was no where in the world Labrys would rather be. As the two shared this warm and loving gesture, completely intertwined, Labrys could feel the warm coaxing her to sleep as she let all her worries disappear into the arms of her lover.
Labrys rubbed her eyes as she awakened, stretching her arms over her head with a light yawn. She didn't need to stretch, but she did. The first thing she noticed was the lack of Makoto in the bed next to her, so she looked around the dark room for signs of him. It turned out he wasn't that hard to find.
He sat in his desk chair in a white, long-sleeve shirt and some black pajama pants. Evidently he'd changed. She blushed at the notion of him changing in the same room as her before continuing her observation. He'd brushed his hair since last she saw him, and there he sat, idly clicking about his computer with one hand on the mouse, the other resting his chin in his palm, propped up on the desk. The dim light emanating from the monitor made him look almost ghostly, combined with his pale skin and dark hair. He looked like he could disappear any second.
"What time is it?" She asked, yawning groggily. Makoto's bed was pretty comfortable. She enjoyed sleeping in it more than she thought she would. She propped herself up on her elbows to get a better look at Makoto.
"Six o'clock in the morning. We've got to get to Mitsuru's in about an hour." He once again clicked the mouth, letting out a short sigh. Labrys grew concerned.
"Hey, ya' alright?" Labrys asked.
"Yeah." It was a shorter-than-usual reply, meaning, no, he was not okay.
"You sure?" She asked, sitting up further in the bed. "You don't seem like you're in the best mood."
Makoto let out a sigh. "It's nothing, really. Just . . . tired." No matter how much he slept, he couldn't seem to shake how tired he was. He really was working himself into the ground after all. Even now he sifted through documents, confirming requests from department chairs and scheduling meetings and missions. It felt like it had been months since he slept properly, even though he'd been keeping a rather effective sleep schedule. Maybe he just couldn't handle all the stress.
Labrys pursed her lips. "C'mere. I wanna' tell you somethin'."
"Why can't you tell me from over there?" Makoto asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"Just c'mere." Makoto, knowing better than to argue, approached the bed and sat down next to her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into the bed, pulling the covers up to his neck. "Today, you are going to take a well deserved day off. The Shadow Operatives will just have to hold the fort down without you."
Makoto frowned quizzically. "We'll get in trouble."
"Shh. Don't worry 'bout it, just take a day off. I'll take care of everything." Labrys smiled radiantly, with an effect that Makoto could only properly describe as contagious. He couldn't help it. Soon he found himself with a big grin on his face as well, shifting his position to get more comfortable in the bed. Eh, how much trouble can it be.
"Alright. Just one day, maybe." The two of them shared a short laugh before adjusting their positions in the bed to be more comfortable. "Though you might wind up being a bad influence."
"Why, I would never!" Labrys giggled playfully and rested her head in the crook of Makoto's neck, her arms wrapped tightly around his torso.
The pair laid like that all day, sleeping and enjoying the company of their significant other. It felt as though the whole world had given them a vacation, the only things on their mind being each other.
For the first time in a long while, Makoto felt as if he'd gotten the rest he deserved.
A/N: Challenge Prompt 2, complete! We got to see a different side of Makoto today. Even Messiahs have to deal with the problems of the 21st century business world! So Labrys gets to comfort him through his funk. I thought it was a nice way to incorporate cuddling into the prompt, didn't you?
Audience: "You suck."
Man, you guys just get funnier and funnier! Anyways, favorite if it's your favorite! Follow it if it's your only lead to finding the killer of your husband/wife and you need revenge while also working as a Private Investigator in the dirty streets of (insert dirty city here). Or if you just wanna' read more.
Ramble over!