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Minoru is always beautiful, but it’s rare to see him like this.
His head rests in Yutaka’s lap, eyes closed, breath slowing gradually into the rhythm of sleep. Yutaka wonders at how peaceful he looks, his brow smooth for once, his lips barely parted. The light of the living room lamp paints his profile into a map of curves. Yutaka has begun to memorize them, already: the bow of his nose, the jut of his Adam’s apple, the contour of his ear. He follows that contour to his earlobe, where a piercing glints; its presence, too, is familiar, characteristic. (Though Yutaka has realized, by now, that the ever-present piercing is actually many different piercings; that Minoru switches them every few days.
Wait.)
“Minoru?” Yutaka resists the urge to shift around, cautious of jostling him too suddenly. This position, Minoru trusting him with the weight of his form, is another new, rare thing, only just becoming familiar. “Minoru, um, your earring is still in. Aren’t you supposed to take it out before you sleep?”
“Hmphfh.” Minoru shifts lazily, mutters something that gets muffled in Yutaka’s lap.
“Sorry, once more?”
“C’d’you take’t out.”
“Could I - Oh.” Yutaka considers it. “I’ve never…taken out a piercing before. I wouldn’t want to hurt you, or damage the earring, or…something…”
Snorting, Minoru shimmies again until he’s in a more comfortable position. “ ’S not like it’s dangerous. Just…grab and…pull.”
“You’re sure?”
“Mm.”
It’s oddly intimate, Yutaka finds; his own touch in this obscure part of Minoru’s body, Minoru’s slow and even breath. As it turns out, removing the earring is as simple as Minoru said, his fingers easily grasping the front and backing and pulling them apart.
When it’s done, he’s surprised at the sense of bareness left behind, the way his eyes are drawn to the earring’s absence. Like the furrowed brow and pursed lips, Minoru looks younger without it.
Yutaka fits the two metal bits back together and holds the thing in his palm a moment, looking at it.
“They were Mum’s, y’know.”
He starts lightly. Minoru is looking up at him, eyes still half-lidded with the nearness of sleep.
“They…?”
“My piercings. All of them.”
“Oh.”
He doesn’t know if he should say more. The warm, cottony feeling of this moment hangs around them, and he’s afraid that even a whisper would disturb it. But Minoru speaks, his voice low and stable.
“I got my ears pierced in high school. For the look, you know. Eventually, I fell out of the habit, but…when she died…I remember just knowing I would wear hers.” Minoru yawns, letting his head tilt to the side and his eyes fall closed. “I realized later…people must see me with piercings now and think I’m a bit immature - still trying to look cool, or rebellious, or something. But I don’t really mind. Mostly, it just…makes me feel close to her.” The trace of a frown touches his features. “Sorry. ’s not a fun story.”
Yutaka hums a soft negation, shakes his head. “I’m glad you told me. Minoru.” He brings a hand to Minoru’s chest, laying it lightly over Minoru's own, and watches until his face is peaceful once more.
In Yutaka’s other palm is the earring, glinting and tiny. He sets it down on the table, where it stands out brightly against the grain of the wood. After a moment of consideration, Yutaka removes his watch and sets it down, too, an uneven circle with the earring resting in the centre.
Minoru shifts, letting out a long sigh laden with sleep. He buries his face in the fabric at Yutaka’s stomach, and when he speaks, his words come out muffled again. It’s not until a moment later that Yutaka understands what it is he’s said. Like everything else, the words he repeats back are at once new and familiar.
“I love you too, Minoru.”