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The room was silent, save for the electric hum of the new refrigerator he had just received today. Claude laid sprawled on a futon in the middle of the hardwood floor of his humble apartment, not particularly thinking about anything, yet his mind was racing nonetheless. Rest never came easy for him. His fingers trembled with the urge to keep moving, check off his endless to-do list, find the next distraction, until he was pushed to his physical limits. Only then, would he allow himself to sleep.
Claude sighed again, as if the walls would ask him what’s wrong. As of late, he had fulfilled the bulk of his obligations among other numerous life developments, making major progress with settling into an entirely new country and furthering his career. Though these achievements lifted a huge weight off his chest, nothing could alleviate the constant, crushing pressure of simply existing. Why can’t I just be? Why is it never enough?
Just as Claude’s thoughts began to spiral, his phone rang from its spot inches away from his head. He reluctantly swiped for the device, not in the mood to speak to anyone, but he didn’t hesitate long after seeing whose name flashed on the screen–leo ♡.
“Hey.” He picked up.
“Bro! What are you up to? I was thinking… Do you want to grab dinner with me tonight? Umm… again?” Leo’s eager voice boomed from the speaker, despite his sheepish tone.
Claude's lips quirked into a small smile, knowing he could never deny Leo anything. His duo seemed to have a special sense for seeking him out when he was at his loneliest, craving the company of someone else.
He cleared his throat, “Yeah, of course. What are you feeling?”
“Let’s get ramen! It’s been so cold; we need hot soup to warm us up!”
“Alright. Text me the place. I’ll meet you there,” Claude chuckled.
“See you soon! Bye-bye. Mwah!” Leo punctuated the call with a noisy, exaggerated kiss.
Before Claude could grumble, he felt his cheeks heat up in response to Leo's silly antics. For some reason, only Leo could fluster him with the simplest joke. Fuck, I really am whipped, he thought, shaking his head in disbelief.
With a grunt, he hauled himself up to prepare for an impromptu dinner date.
⋆꙳•̩̩͙ ❅*̩̩͙‧͙❆
Claude sighed contentedly, puffs of breath forming clouds in the frigid chill of winter air as he ducked out of the ramen shop’s exit. He could even see crystal snowflakes begin to twinkle in the street light, but fortunately, he was immune to the cold’s embrace. Aside from his internal temperature always running hot, his body was more than sufficiently heated through to the tips of his fingertips by a belly full of broth. He might as well have turned into a furnace at this point.
The stillness of the night was interrupted by faint rustling as Leo emerged from the restaurant behind him. Pink eyes locked onto the man in front of him and immediately crinkled into crescents, and a cheesy grin bloomed on his face. Unlike Claude, Leo was the picture of a Christmas rom-com movie protagonist, fit for the festive season. He was bundled into a large coat, outfit complete with fuzzy white ear muffs and a scarf neatly tied into a ribbon (Claude helped), resembling a giant marshmallow. He closed the small distance between them and linked their elbows together, tugging Claude forward as they fell into step.
“Heh, wasn’t that ramen super yummy? I’m so stuffed! I swear I’ve been eating so much with you around. I always wanna pass out afterwards,” Leo groaned loudly, resting his head on Claude’s shoulder and patting his stomach with his free hand.
Claude huffed and instinctively tilted his head to nuzzle the soft grey locks grazing his cheek, giving an amused hum of agreement, “Good. That’s what I want to hear.”
Leo giggled, leaning his full weight against the other, “What now, coach? Your place…” The slender digits wrapped around Claude’s bicep slid down the length of his arm and nestled against the palm of his hand instead, “...or mine?”
Claude shuddered involuntarily–imperceptibly–beneath the layers of clothing shielding him from the wind. If anything, he could blame the weather. But part of him also wanted Leo to know the effect he had on him, to reassure him that the full force of his affection was reciprocated.
Resigned to Leo’s whims, Claude interlaced their fingers properly and held on tightly. No matter where they were, they naturally anchored to each other at all times like magnets. He spoke just loudly enough that Leo could make out the vibration of his voice rumbling against his ear, “...Let’s just go to mine. I didn’t want to invite anyone over yet ‘cause it’s bare… but, I don’t mind if it's you.” He pressed a soft kiss to the top of Leo’s head and led the way back home.
⋆꙳•̩̩͙ ❅*̩̩͙‧͙❆
Back at the apartment, the duo shuffled inside and swiftly shed their outerwear, removing their shoes at the door. Claude padded to the kitchen, where he clicked on the electric kettle.
“Yo. Do you want something to drink? I don’t have much, but I picked up some tea… instant coffee… hot chocolate?”
He felt a presence slink up behind him, and a pair of arms wrapped around his waist to hug him close. Leo’s words were muffled where his face was now smushed into Claude’s broad back, “No, I just want you! Let's get ready for bed… Sooooo sleepy. Eepy time… now.”
Helpless to his partner’s whining, Claude easily acquiesced to the demand.
Most days, Claude would need to find a way to burn off all this excess energy thrumming in his veins, to the point of exhaustion. The opportunity often presented itself in late-night Valo matches with Leo; however, said duo–freshly showered, the curled ends of his hair still damp–was currently worming his way into his arms at the moment, so he didn’t have much of a choice but to fall into a different routine tonight.
“Comfortable?” Claude snorted at Leo's insistent squirming, who finally settled down and pillowed his head on Claude’s wide chest, happily nestling his face in between firm pecs.
“Mmhm. I’m exactly where I need to be,” Leo mumbled in agreement and guided Claude’s hand to the crown of his head, his intentions clear. His eyelids began to droop closed as obedient fingers mindlessly combed through soft ashen hair, petting him until he was thoroughly content.
Claude also found the repetitive motion a soothing act. The soft atmosphere blanketed them in a comfortable bubble, dispelling any worries and quieting the buzz under his skin. Relief loosened his limbs, and for once, he didn’t fight his fading consciousness.
He couldn’t remember the last time he woke up so well-rested.
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Claude was disintegrating. In a good way. This is so… awesome, he thought to himself as he submerged himself into the onsen. He felt the bone-deep stress built up over the past few weeks dissolve into the hot water, along with the tension lining his muscles. He almost even let out a loud groan to fully express his satisfaction, but that was probably an act of public indecency.
To his right, someone chuckled, and he felt a lock of hair be swept out of his face and tucked behind his ear. With his vision less obscured, he eyed the only person he ever allowed to get away with such blatant teasing. Instead, his breath caught in his throat–met with the sight of a terribly fond smile spreading across Leo’s face, he immediately had to avert his gaze again, in an attempt to ignore the feelings stirring his heart into a frenzy. He knew full well the damage was already done, as his heart rate began to speed up, and his face flushed a deep rosy pink. Even holding eye contact felt too intimate, in addition to sharing a hot, steamy bath.
That same hand lingered against his cheek and cupped the side of his face. Claude resolutely stared at the steam rising from the spring water, but tilted his head into the palm of Leo’s hand anyway. He pouted, “What’s funny?”
Leo strokes the soft skin under his thumb, and giggles again, “Pfft, nothing, silly. You just looked like a cat melting into a puddle. Now you’re acting like one, too.” He gently kisses the bridge of Claude’s nose. “I like to see you relax for once.”
Claude hmms in acceptance and lets his eyes fall shut for a moment, acknowledging that he had admittedly worn himself thin. But being here, where Leo was physically in his reach, already made everything much more bearable. Leo was still stroking his hair, an action that was grounding for the both of them, burying his hand deeper into thick blond and purple hair, nails lightly scratching at his scalp. My discord kitten, Leo thought and smirked to himself as he watched Claude continue to nuzzle into the hand cradling his jaw.
Leo leans in to plant a kiss at the corner of Claude’s mouth, right where an enticing beauty mark graced his pretty face. Time slowed around them while the couple continued to simmer in their own tenderness, until their skin began to prune from the water. Afterwards, they both cooled down with some obligatory post-bath strawberry milk and savored the sweet taste on each other's tongue, lost in their own world.
⋆꙳•̩̩͙ ❅*̩̩͙‧͙❆
Left to his own devices, Leo tended to lose track of time, especially when he was fixated on a game. Claude let out an exasperated sigh as he stared down at his duo slumped over his keyboard, nearly slipping off of the desk chair.
Though, recently, he hadn’t been much of a duo to Leo—his usual spot beside him had been occupied by Leo’s new friend, Kuya Dubby—as Leo called him—instead. He was well aware that the two had spent the majority of the past twenty-four hours together grinding Valorant, and he couldn’t help that it stung to feel replaced, even if temporarily. He knew he wasn’t being rational or fair, since he really couldn’t help the fact that he was suddenly confronted with new projects heaped onto his schedule and consequently had less time to spend with Leo, as much as he wanted to.
Shaking these petty thoughts out of his head, Claude carefully bent down and scooped Leo up into his arms, supporting his back and legs in a princess carry. He almost thought Leo was too lightweight, but he could actually feel the month’s difference in his effort to eat more with Claude’s encouragement. He quietly prided himself in being the one to impact Leo’s lifestyle for the better. Still, he was worried at the prospect that Leo hadn't eaten properly in his absence, leaving Leo to neglect his health. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t fend for himself, but Claude wanted Leo to be in nothing but the best condition, to keep pace with him, and to have the strength to take on anything with each other.
He gently set Leo down onto the bed, making sure he was arranged comfortably among copious pillows and rumpled sheets. Gazing at his relaxed face, Claude couldn't find it in him to stay jealous, reassured by the knowledge that only Claude was privy to Leo's most soft and vulnerable expressions. He pushed back the curtain of hair over his forehead and brushed a self-indulgent kiss against the beauty mark underneath Leo’s right eye. Before he could retract his arm, he felt something loosely grip his sleeve.
“Mmm…” Leo murmurs drowsily in his barely-conscious state, “Clau…de… stay… ”
Claude closed his eyes and took a deep, measured breath, lest he exploded from affection. How can my boyfriend be so cute? Mentally, he fist pumped. As if he hadn’t already been in this exact predicament several times since he arrived in Japan. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure when he would become fully accustomed to it, but he would never be able to revert back to the days where he could only drift to sleep to the tone of Leo’s voice on the other end of the phone, separated by thousands of miles. Not after he had been spoiled by Leo’s warm touch.
Happily accepting his fate as Leo’s body pillow, he was lured by the temptation of snuggling in his boyfriend’s arms. After hastily preparing for bed, Claude settled into his place next to Leo and pulled the covers over to cocoon them both. Though he was reluctant to disturb him, he threw one arm around Leo’s waist and tugged him in, close enough to count each individual lash that fanned across Leo’s cheekbones. Whenever they were face-to-face like this, Claude made a habit of memorizing the contours of Leo’s lovely visage, so the image could grant him energy later, when he needed the motivation to keep on going. Claude admired his duo until his eyes grew too heavy to remain open, and he was lulled to sleep by the synchronized rhythm of their hearts beating as one.
This is where I belong. With you.