kai-chan-riida told me to take my turn so here i am. \o/ have ~1k of jurishin snuggles.
“We need to talk about your hair,” Shintaro says, flopping onto Juri’s bed like it’s his own and shoving Juri over to make room.
Used to this, Juri just scoots to the side and tries to look at his bangs without crossing his eyes. “What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s boring,” Shintaro says bluntly, settling next to Juri until he’s comfortable.
Juri shoves at him. “You’re boring.”
“Your mom’s boring,” Shintaro shoots back, unmoving.
“I’ll be sure to tell her you said that,” Juri says, laughing when Shintaro frowns. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of ‘yo mama’ jokes someday.”
“It’s hard when I actually like your mom,” Shintaro grumbles, and Juri bites his tongue because making the obvious joke would probably hurt him more than Shintaro. “Whatever.”
Shintaro flops halfway on Juri, presumably out of defeat, but Juri just pets his head and goes back to scrolling through his phone. Shintaro stays right where he is, flipping through the TV channels until he finds something sci-fi and tosses the remote aimlessly toward the end of the bed. Juri’s not sure why Shintaro had even bothered looking for something to watch if he was just going to close his eyes, turning onto his side to curl up against Juri like Juri’s the most comfortable thing in the world.
“Tired?” Juri asks, frowning when Shintaro shakes his head. “Cold?”
A snort answers him, and for good reason since Shintaro’s the one providing the warmth in this arrangement. Juri had been wearing a long-sleeved shirt and now it’s almost too much, Shintaro’s body heat spreading throughout all of his limbs from where it accumulates against his side.
“Can you just...” Shintaro trails off, sighing in frustration as he burrows his face into Juri’s chest and Juri’s fiercely reminded of a puppy begging for attention.
Tentatively, Juri returns his hand to Shintaro’s head and lightly strokes his hair. Unlike Juri’s stick-straight strands, Shintaro’s has a bit of wave and Juri wonders if that’s why Shintaro thinks his hair is boring. It feels thicker than his own, his fingers sinking into it as he drops his phone to the side and brings up his other arm to wrap around the weight attached to him.
That was the right thing to do, because Shintaro makes a faint noise of contentment that has Juri feeling even warmer, braver. He squeezes Shintaro in a small hug, his hand falling lazily down Shintaro’s arm that is bare because he’s the only moron who walks around in short sleeves in the middle of winter. He shivers like he’s cold but Juri still feels nothing but warmth, amazed to find goose bumps when his knuckles brush along the skin.
He stares down at Shintaro’s face, watching dark eyelashes flutter along full cheeks, enamored by the sight. All day long he watches Shintaro work so hard with endless energy and dedication that seeing him quiet and still now is surreal. Even the great Morimoto Shintaro has to relax sometime. Juri can feel Shintaro’s heartbeat, slow and calm just like his own, and it makes him feel closer to Shintaro than anyone he’s actually dated.
“I like you,” Shintaro says clearly, his arm stretching across Juri’s chest not to hug him but to accept more of Juri’s light touches, which Juri thoughtlessly provides. “I don’t know why, but I do.”
“I guess you’re all right too,” Juri replies, grinning at Shintaro’s muffled scoff. “Move for a second, I’m burning up.”
Shintaro’s whine is unsurpassed as he reluctantly pushes himself up on his elbow while Juri pulls the suffocating garment over his head. He’s wearing a sleeveless shirt underneath, which would ordinarily leave him freezing if not for the human heater pressed against his side, who seems to have no intention of leaving anytime soon. He presses even closer upon Juri’s return and any doubts Juri might have had about Shintaro’s feelings are squeezed right out of him.
“Feels nice,” Shintaro breathes when Juri’s fingers find his arm again, tracing the muscles and weaving aimless patterns through the hair.
Juri says nothing, focusing on the flashes and beeps on the television since he can’t see Shintaro’s face anymore. Shintaro couldn’t get any closer to him if he rolled over on top of him; it’s perfect as it is, just enough without being too much, and Juri’s other arm slides down to embrace him fully. It should feel weird to hold someone who’s technically bigger than him, but they fit together well enough and Shintaro doesn’t appear to have any complaints.
The movie ends and another one starts, something about robots that doesn’t grab Juri’s attention, though Juri’s favorite band could be playing a show right here in his bedroom and he doesn’t think he could be lured away from whatever’s happening here with Shintaro. He’s not quick to define it, his mind oddly clear and disinterested in thinking too hard about it, content to just enjoy the feeling instead of analyzing it. Shintaro’s so calm that it bleeds over to Juri, not a care or worry penetrating the bliss in his head or the warmth in his arms.
Not everything is black and white, he thinks later after Shintaro pries himself away to go home. Juri had invited him to stay, but Shintaro has something to do in the morning and besides, it’s fine as it is. Juri tries to think about it and finds that he really has nowhere to start, just Shintaro’s confession and their impromptu cuddle session that may just be the most intimate Juri has ever felt with another person.
Shintaro is simple and complicated at the same time, the shades of gray adding more and more possibilities to the cut-or-dry are-we or aren’t-we. It doesn’t have to be one or the other, Juri realizes with a smile and a calm heartbeat as he pulls back on his long-sleeved shirt and looks forward to discovering all fifty shades.
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chankapana