She immediately sensed something was wrong as soon as he returned to their apartment shortly after she'd had her dinner. His expression was solum and it looked like his bag was filled with heavy rocks, his shoulders down and back hunched, betraying his usual straight posture.
"I'm home, Rise" Yu called out. He tried to feign a façade of happiness, but the hollowness in his voice let her know he wasn't feeling that way.
"Welcome home sweetie" she smiled at him, bounding over for a hug and a kiss. She could feel the strength of his grip on her, the tight hug showing he clearly missed and yearned for her that day. Their kiss was gentle and slow as he savored her for every single second he could as if it was the last time he'd ever get to do so.
"I'm happy you're back. Did you eat when you were out?" she asked.
"I did, thanks" he said as he now made his way over to their study to unpack his belongings. She was tempted to inquire about his day but left it for now. She knew him, and she knew that asking him that right now wasn't going to get her anywhere. He would talk when he was ready, or rather he would talk when he was comfortable enough to be vulnerable with her.
"How's your day been?" he asked as he now returned to the main living room. Luckily, she had some good news she hoped would bring some life back to him.
"I wrote a few songs today. My label really liked one of them, and they might use it for Kanami's new album" she smiled.
"That's great. You're such a talented writer, congratulations!" he smiled as he came over to her and gave her another kiss, this time with much more vigor.
"Oh cmon, it's not that big a deal anymore. They use my songs all the time" she blushed, still as easily affected by his words even after all these years.
"It's still an amazing accomplishment. I'm so proud of you" he smiled as she hugged him, his body relaxing as her arms coiled around his midsection, hugging him for a while in excitement.
"I think I'm gonna have a shower and then go to bed. I'm… tired" he said after a while.
She simply nodded and squeezed him before letting him go. Even if he didn't do it on purpose, tired was codeword for him being sad, anxious or stressed. She didn't want to push him to talk yet. She had to let him have a bit of breathing room to stew in his emotions before trying to comfort him, even if it was difficult for her to see him like this.
With their slumber imminent, she went around their place shutting things off and getting it ready for the rest of the night. She was just shutting off her laptop as he got out of the shower. He walked into their room, and she took this as cue to turn off the lights in the other rooms and go join him. When she arrived, he was already lying in bed with a tired expression on his face, but she had a feeling it wasn't just from physical fatigue. She crawled under the sheets and joined him, coming in from behind him to make him little spoon. Her arms wrapped around his chest to ensure it would work with their height difference. Now that he was secure in her grasp, she felt it was the right time to ask the question.
"Is everything ok?" she asked as she nestled her chin onto his shoulder, pulling him closer to her chest. He hesitated a little at first but eventually gave in and the gap between them closed.
"Today was… rough" he sighed. She hugged him tighter and began to plant soft pecks onto whatever piece of him she could access, his back, shoulders and neck getting the best of it.
"I think I bombed my psychology exam. And then I got yelled at by customers all day at work because we were out of merch stock, as if I have control over that" he lamented.
"I'm so sorry, Yu" she said sadly. As nice as this position was, she wanted to be as intimate as possible with him so she could comfort him.
"Roll over" she told him as she temporarily loosened her grip on him. He turned himself over so they now faced each other face-to-face. Their foreheads pressed together as they looked into each other's eyes. He was so gorgeous, but the defeated expression on his face broke her heart. She felt a pang of desperation to make him feel better.
"You don't deserve any of that. You're just trying your best, and that's more than enough" she reassured him.
"Not enough to pass my exam apparently…" he sighed.
"You don't know yet. And even if you did, it's ok to have bad days. You don't have to be perfect all the time. Just because you fail some things sometimes, doesn't mean you're a failure" she told him. She knew he knew that already; he just needed to be reassured and given some encouragement sometimes.
"I know… I just… I'm sorry. I'm just really bad at dealing with my emotions sometimes."
"You have nothing to apologise for! I'm really proud of you for being able to talk about these things with me; I know it's hard for you" she said before she tenderly kissed him, hoping to pass on some of her energy and happiness to him.
"I'll always be here for you. You can do or be whatever you want to with me. You're always there for me every moment of the way. I want to do the same for you" she said.
"Thank you, Rise. I couldn't ask for a better girlfriend" he said.
"Aww! I love you so much, Yu. You're so sweet and kind and funny and smart and handsome and you're such a good boy. I'm so proud of you for everything you do" she told him. She absolutely loved lavishing him with praise and attention, and even though he didn't react in such a dramatic way as she did when he praised her, the slight pigmentation on his face and the softening of his brows told her he liked it too.
"I love you more than anything, Rise" he said. The sincerity in his voice made her heart race. The look he gave her was a needy one she rarely saw from him. His eyes were wide but his gaze was soft, only fixated on her. It was obvious how much he craved to be with her as he began to rest his head on her décolleté. To her surprise he began to nuzzle her, clearly indicating a want for physical attention.
"Aww, someone's needy" she cooed as she teased him with forehead kisses.
"Rise!" he whined, obviously secretly loving every second of attention he got.
"Don't worry, I think you're adorable" she smiled reassuringly, hoping to reinforce to him that it was perfectly ok for him to be vulnerable. They both tightly held onto each other as they showed love to each other with kisses and cuddles. She refused to let up, giving him non-stop kisses all over his face and occasional head pats.
The moment was so beautiful to her. It made her so happy to see him so comfortable and vulnerable with her, and that she could soothe his pain and help him feel better. He planted kisses on her neck and shoulders as she kissed the top of his head. She felt so warm and safe as if they were sealed in a little bubble away from the rest of life. Here they could just be happy lovers, entranced with each other in a way they could never be with others.
She could feel his body relax and his kisses getting sloppier as it began to become more difficult for her to stay awake or focused. She felt fuzzy as happy emotions washed over her like a light ocean tide, seeping into her brain and body as she drifted closer to sleep. His movements had stopped, and he was sleeping peacefully now.
"Sweet dreams" she whispered as she gave one final kiss to the top of his head. She drifted off shortly after, their dreams filled with more beautiful moments with each other.