Chapter Text
A nervous Yusuke was quite a sight. The boy tended to march to the beat of his own drum, so he really was never too worried about his own actions, but at the moment, he was clearly nervous, and while it was kind of cute, it was also counterproductive to what they were trying to accomplish.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Akira asks. Perhaps what he had voiced last weekend had been more impulsive than either of them had realized.
Yusuke nods. “I want to do this. I see the good it does for you, and I can’t stop the thought of how much I want to be the child that I was never allowed to be.”
Well then, how could he doubt that kind of resolve. “First, you have to relax,” Akira said. “Can you think of anything that will help you calm down?”
“Art is the first thing that comes to mind.”
“That won’t work, at least not at the start. It has to be something that is different from the way you normally relax, just so you can feel the difference and associate it less with your everyday self.”
Yusuke thought for a moment, pacing within the room, until his gaze fell on the television. “I don’t frequently watch television, but it was calming when I watched cartoons, and cuddled with you.”
Akira nodded. “That’s a good idea.” With that he turned on the television, and put in a movie. Then he sat on the bed, and patted the spot beside him. “We can cuddle if you want.”
Yusuke seemed to consider, and then nodded. After a little bit of movement, they found a good position that allowed both of them to see the movie. Akira was against the wall, and laid on his side, and Yusuke, scooted down the bed a little to even their heights, and curled up with him.
“Can I touch your hair?” Akira asked softly.
“Yes,” Yusuke answered, and that made Akira smile, because it was clear that he was curious why, but trusted Akira too much to question it before giving permission.
“I find that, for me, it helps to be treated as young as I feel. Little touches are something that helps to ground me.” Akira explained, while combing his fingers through Yusuke’s hair.
“This is nice,” Yusuke said slowly, clearly moments from falling asleep.
“Rest now,” Akira whispered, and Yusuke did.
~
When Yusuke woke up, he was in an odd state. It was similar to being consumed by an idea for his art, but far less frantic.
He rubbed at his eyes, and found Akira asleep beside him.
The sound of footsteps made him look towards the stairs. “Go back to sleep,” Sojiro said softly.
Yusuke blinked a few times, but continued to watch him.
Sojiro came closer, and pulled the blanket over the two boys, thankfully they had been dressed for bed before laying down. Sojiro reached for Akira, and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face, then looked at Yusuke for a moment, with a rather curious expression, before doing the same to him.
Yusuke blinked up at him, confused, but happy. Sojiro gave him a small smile, mouthed the words ‘good night’, and left the room.
Yusuke stared after him for a moment, thinking about what had just happened, before snuggling closer to Akira, and going back to sleep.