And now, a series of vignettes:
♖: Having their hair washed by your muse
“Ah, be careful, Hattori…” Hakuba muttered, wincing, though he leaned forward in defeat as the strong, gentle hands worked through his hair. Despite the earlier knock on the head, the touch was appreciated, and offered a great deal of reassurance. Besides, it wasn’t as though he could wash his own hair with his shoulder as banged up as it was.
♗: Your muse falling asleep with their head in my muse’s lap.
He slept soundly, cheek pressed against the warm leg while Heiji stroked his hair. Though Hakuba was missing the pay-per-view historical drama that they’d rented for the room, Heiji let him sleep. Hakuba was so easily worn ragged these days… but it’s not as though it had been an easy battle for either of them. Fighting demons was exhausting no matter where you fought them, even at hot springs. And, honestly, it wasn’t like the Osakan hadn’t fallen asleep during the last half of the movie, either.
♙: Sharing a bed
The resort had comfortable beds, which was good for the two detectives. Of the two queens, one became the holder of suitcases, while they slept in the other, nestled under the sheets, close and warm. Both liked the room cold for sleeping, which made snuggling together all the more important.
♚: Head scratches
Morning had Hakuba sleeping in late, which was usual after a battle. He woke up to gentle head scratching, blinking up at Heiji, who nodded at the tray on the bed. Breakfast. He pushed up with a grimace and sidled up against him so that they could eat together, though as usual, Hakuba ended up just holding a cup of tea to sip with one hand, and let his fingers skritch Heiji’s head in return, lightly dozing while they sort-of watched the morning news.
♝: Reading a book together
Rain drummed against the sliding glass door of their room, and Hakuba mumbled something about wanting to go back to sleep, but Heiji prodded him until he sat back up. They still had clients to meet later that day, and Hakuba would never get up if he went back to sleep then. Though, he did anyway, nestled against Heiji’s side while the Osakan read Black Beauty out loud for the hundredth time for him.
♟: Patching up a wound
Under the overhang on the porch was not the best place to be sewing sutures, but the power was out and Hakuba wasn’t willing to wait for it to come back. Even though it was just a break in the storm, there was more than enough light to work by, and the porch was mostly dry. “You really ought to take some painkillers, Hattori…” he sighed, threading the needle back and forth with practiced, dextrous hands. “And don’t give me that look: I know that you’re a badass, you’ve nothing to prove to me, you nut.”
♤: Taking a bath together
The power was still out after dinner, and with the wind shaking the trees and shutters, the pair decided there was really nothing left to do but take a bath. “S’just like that scene in Totoro, yeah?” Heiji asked, and Hakuba snorted in agreement. “Yes, just like.” They huddled together in the traditional bath in the dark, watching the storm through the window. Other than having to make sure that their new bandages didn’t get wet, it was perfectly safe and comfortable to wait right there, soaking their troubles away…
♡: Accidentally falling asleep together
…Hakuba woke up first, for once, because the water had finally gotten cold. Shivering, he nudged Heiji and whined until the Osakan got up so that they could both find their bath robes and run through the rain back to their room. “Why did we think this was a good idea, again?!” The half-brit cried as they streaked past the maintenance worker who looked up from under his umbrella at them, shaking his head. “Crazy kids…”
♢: Forehead or cheek kisses
“I’ll get the heater go-” Hakuba stopped mid-sentence to look around their room, which was dark and cold. “Or, nevermind, there’s still no power, Hattori…” To which Heiji replied, kissing his cheek. “Guess we’ll have ta get warm th’ old-fashioned way.”
♠: Your muse adjusting their jewelry/neck tie/ etc.
Once all of the blankets from the supply room had been gathered, both Hakuba and Heiji nestled into the comfortable nest and carefully rearranged blankets to make certain that every inch of them was covered. It took quite a bit of wiggling, but they managed, and soon were able to just lie there and listen to the rain and rolling thunder. Hakuba tugged at one of the blankets to cover a bit more of Heiji’s shoulder, then leaned on him sleepily.
♣: Back scratches
The power came back on sometime in the middle of the night with a whirring thud, waking both of them up, but only long enough to express their disapproval before going back to sleep. By morning, the rain had lightened to a drizzle, and the rising sun lit up their window in a pleasant, gentle glow. Hakuba stretched and rolled over onto Heiji, where he’d sprawled out, and lazily scratched his back while waiting for him to wake up. For once, he felt well-rested, probably because they’d both slept most of the evening and all night. Sighing, he nuzzled against the section of skin between Heiji’s shoulderblades, and traced the contours of muscle ever so gently with his fingertips.
…it didn’t take long for him to drift off again, though.
[x]
