𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝙳𝚊𝚢 𝙵𝚘𝚘𝚕 - 𝙺. 𝚂𝚊𝚔𝚞𝚜𝚊 𝚡 𝙾𝙲

Chapter Thirty - How 'Bout Now?

Chapter Thirty

Waking up beside someone was a completely new feeling to Sakusa, but waking up beside someone trying to get out of bed without disturbing him left him with mixed feelings. He reached out and wrapped his arm around Sajima's waist to pull her back to nestle against him as a little spoon, his gravelly morning voice mumbling in her ear. "Are you okay? I didn't...overdo it, did I?" He kissed the back of her shoulder. "You should rest."

"You should know by now that I'm an early riser, Kiyo," she hummed with a sleepy smile. Sajima knew this was new to him and had been worried he hadn't slept well. She wanted to ensure he had adequate rest, which she knew could be problematic when sleeping in the same bed with someone else.

"I both love and hate that about you," he grumbled.

Sajima quietly laughed and rested her hands on the arm holding her snug. "There's still an hour before you normally wake up, and I'm sure it was hard sleeping next to me, so get some quality rest, and we'll have breakfast after your run as usual."

"No."

"No? There's no reason to stray from your routine. Structure is important to you. We both know I'll find somewhere to drag you to later anyway."

The truth of the matter was that Sakusa didn't have a rough sleep at all. In fact, it was one of the most restful nights he'd had in a long time, and while having sex after a drought likely contributed to that, the warmth and softness of Sajima's body pressed against him was soothing. It was nearly therapeutic to fall asleep feeling cared for and wake up to that same emotion. Sakusa didn't want her to leave, and remembering they'd be returning her things to her apartment today only made him hold her tighter. He wanted to make the moment last as long as possible. "No, it wasn't hard sleeping next to you. It was more restful to have you here."

Sajima's lips curled genuinely, though she couldn't help but tease him. "Sounds like you shouldn't have rejected me pretty much every night this week, huh?"

"Sounds like you're forgetting that last week you collapsed in the middle of a sidewalk and got a concussion from overworking yourself, as I warned you on multiple occasions." Sakusa sighed, guilt still at the bottom of his stomach for not doing more to stop that from happening. His voice lowered into a whisper. "Of course, I wouldn't do anything to risk you overexerting yourself so soon. Even last night, I should have restrained myself."

Guilt laced every word he hushed in her ear, and Sajima couldn't help feeling the same. She should have been the one showing restraint. "Thank you for caring so much about me. You really don't half-ass anything, do you?" She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before continuing. "I know I can be a bit reckless, but the doctor said that the dehydration was treated by the two days of fluids I received while I was there, and they weren't concerned about the concussion anymore. I haven't really been concerned because I feel okay."

"I regret not doing more to prevent things from getting that bad, but I'm glad you've been feeling better," Sakusa admitted. There was no sense in stifling himself anymore when he was no longer concerned with where her heart lay.

"What happened to me was my fault and mine alone. You even locked me up in my apartment and stood guard to make sure I actually slept, Kiyo." She shifted to face him, her legs tangling with his. "I can't imagine anyone else doing something so dramatic just for me."

Sakusa scoffed. "I am not dramatic."

Sajima grinned up at him and nodded. "Threatening to carry me out of Jump Start if I didn't comply was certainly dramatic. And then insisting on staying t–"