The past week had been a bit of a disaster, if Kento was to be asked.

First his and Satoru’s date the past weekend had been interrupted by snooping teenagers with nothing better to do than to try and stalk their teacher and mentor (though it was pretty entertaining watching Itadori trip over a trash can in his attempt to follow the two adults quickly but discreetly, and still think they hadn’t been noticed, he had to admit).

Second, the izakaya him and Shoko frequented had ended up with a curse souring the entire experience, making him work even after hours (it was fine, the izakaya was worth it, him and Shoko decided. But still. It was the principle of the thing. He did not like working overtime).

Third, Satoru was called away on a very impromptu mission he couldn’t refuse, leaving the apartment empty and a whole lot more quiet.

Kento told himself it wasn’t lonely, he had simply gotten used to the noise of his partner.

So by the time Saturday evening rolled around, Kento wasn’t in the best mood. The dark and dreary weather of a storm right outside the windows didn’t help very much.

The smattering of rain was loud against the window, and Kento felt like the remains of his energy circled down the sewer drain along with it.

He was ready to call it a night by the time he heard the subtle noise of a teleportation circle in the hallway, and he leaned back where he stood in the kitchen cleaning the last of his dishes to look.

Satoru was dripping wet, puddles quickly forming where he stood. Clearly whatever mission he had been sent on hadn’t let him see better weather compared to Tokyo.

“Satoru.”

Satoru’s head snapped up, and Kento didn’t have the heart to stop him from coming right to his side to wrap his arms around him, cold face burying in his neck, lips warming against his collarbone. “I missed you,” Satoru’s voice came muffled against his skin. “So much.”

“I missed you too,” Kento let the man stand there a few seconds longer, answering the hug, but soon he felt himself growing far too damp. “I do think you need to take a shower though, or you’re going to catch a cold.”

“I don’t catch colds,” Satoru denied, but he still pried himself off Kento’s body, catching sight of how much of a mess he’d made of his boyfriend. “Oops. I didn’t realise I was that wet.”

“I don’t mind. But do I need to remind you of that time you caught Fushiguro’s cold a few years back? Go warm up.”

Satoru pressed his lips to Kento’s in a chaste kiss. “Aye aye, sir. I’ll be right back. Unless you wanna join me in there?”

Kento took a look at Satoru’s disshevelled form, eyes carrying bags that could rival Yuta’s, hair plastered to his head. “Not tonight,” he said as he pushed the hair sticking to Satoru’s forehead out of the way. “Don’t fall asleep in there, I’m making hot chocolate.”

“With marshmallows and cream?” Satoru’s tired face lit up a fraction.

“Of course.” 

“You’re spoiling me, Kento,” Satoru said, cupping his own face like a lovestruck schoolgirl. “I love you, Keeento.”

“I love you too, very much.” Kento’s lips cracked into a soft smile and he gave the white-haired man a firm kiss on the forehead. “Now off you go,” he reminded, making a shooing motion as emphasis.

He turned to the fridge to get the milk, listening to Satoru’s steps leading into the bathroom.

While the milk was heating up, Kento took the time to wipe the floor dry and change into less damp pajamas. He could hear the shower going, and the lack of singing made it obvious just how exhausted Satoru really was.

He added the sugar into the drink, and once it was dissolved, he added the chocolate, stirring it carefully to catch any pieces that were a little slow on melting. Adding cinnamon and cream, he was pouring the drink into the misshapen mugs they had made on a ceramics class date a year ago when he heard the bathroom door open. Satoru had painstakingly painted little miniatures of themselves holding hands on the side of one. Kento on the other hand had decided on simple flowers. They both looked terrible but were still Kento’s favourites.

He heard soft footsteps coming closer as he poured everything into their mugs, and when arms wrapped around his waist he leaned back against the warm body behind him. Satoru pressed his nose against the crook of Kento’s neck, breathing deeply.

“Done already?” Kento asked as he set the empty pot on a cold burner on the stove. He put his hand in Satoru’s damp hair, little drops of water falling onto him where Satoru’s fringe met his skin.

“Yeah. Wasn’t dirty, just kinda cold.” Satoru lifted his head again, pressing a kiss to Kento’s neck. “I’ll get the marshmallows,” he said as he withdrew his arms. Kento fetched the can of whipped cream out of the fridge, shaking it as he followed Satoru’s path to the pantry with his eyes.

“When was the last time you slept?”

Satoru’s eyes paused their search for the marshmallows for a second, moving upwards as he thought it over. “Four days ago? Five maybe?”

“Satoru, that’s terrible.” No wonder he looked so bad. Reverse Cursed Technique could only go so far when it came to lack of sleep. It helped Satoru last longer than others would, but he still needed to sleep in the long run. “I’m sending you right to bed after you’re done with your chocolate.”

“So bossy,” Satoru complained, but there was a fond look on his face. “I like when you’re bossy with me.”

“I’m aware. Now go to the couch and I’ll be with you in a moment.”

“Will do. Don’t take too long or I might have to come hunt you down for my cuddles.”

“Oh no, we can’t have that, can we?”

Even with how tired he was, Satoru had just enough energy in him to cackle.

A few moments later, Kento heard a loud gasp, followed by a quiet ‘oh fuck, fuuuuck’.

He called out, picking up their cups to head into the living room. “What? Are you alright, Satoru?”

Satoru looked up from where he had dropped down onto the couch just minutes ago, although he avoided looking directly into Kento’s eye. “Oh, oh, yeah, I’m fine, I just accidentally accepted a timed mission.”

For a moment Kento got really concerned, before he caught sight of the handheld video game console in the other man’s hands. “Why are you even playing video games in the first place? I thought you told me you hadn’t slept in days?”

Satoru at least had the sense to look a little bit sheepish. “I was just gonna play for a couple of minutes, I didn’t think the mailman was gonna ask me to find his packages on a time crunch.”

“The who?”

Satoru scooched over in his seat as Kento sat down next to him, setting their mugs on the table. He flipped the console over to show him the screen. “The mailman, Nanami.” He tapped the screen to show him exactly where to look. “He wants me looking for his stuff on the beach. I suck at finding stuff on the beach.”

Kento looked at the screen, watching the little avatar wobble around where it stood. “I thought you said you’d been playing that farming game lately, I don’t remember the items being hidden there.”

“This is a different game. You’re a scout helping out ghost bears. My favourite is the one who thinks she’s a tree.” Satoru’s avatar walked over to something that did indeed look like a bear with bark instead of fur. “Anyway, the colours are the same on the beach so it’s hard to find stuff there and I am not asking Charlotte for help.”

“Can’t you just continue playing later? If you’re up for much longer you’re going to be the one thinking you’re a tree.”

“Hardy-har-har, very funny.” Satoru rolled his eyes and flopped down to rest his head on Kento’s lap. By the looks of it the quick motion made his brain scrambled, as he pinched his eyes shut for a few seconds. When he opened his eyes again it was to move the screen of his game so he could look at it. “I am legally obligated to finish the mission now that it’s started.”

“I doubt there’s any laws about that.”

“You don’t get it, I can’t relax unless I finish it.”

“I think you should tell your therapist about that.” 

There was a short pause as Satoru looked up at him in consideration. “I’m telling you about it right now though?”

“A real therapist.” They’d talked about Satoru’s need for therapy a few times before, but it hadn’t led anywhere so far. For as much as Satoru liked to pretend he was fearless, he proved otherwise when it came to opening up about his mental health. Physical health? No problem, he had that covered. Mental health? Let’s just say that it wasn’t exactly something the Gojo clan Simply Did, in Satoru’s own words.

Satoru rolled over onto his side, pressing his cheek against Kento’s thigh. His eyes stayed firmly glued to the screen of the video game, though Kento noticed the little avatar wasn’t walking anymore. “I don’t know how to talk to therapists. They always wanna talk about childhood shit.”

Kento gently carded his fingers through Satoru’s hair. “It’s an important part of your life to talk about.” He kept his eyes on Satoru, who finally looked up to meet them. His eyes were bloodshot, the rims red. He looked beyond exhausted. “How about this,” Kento nudged at Satoru to get him to move around until he was sitting, leaning heavily against Kento’s side. He plucked the console from between the other man’s fingers, a mild ‘hey’ leaving Satoru in protest. “I’ll find the letters for you, we cuddle in bed, and we talk about therapy after you’ve had some proper sleep.”

For a few moments it looked like Satoru was going to protest, before he heaved a sigh, sliding down in his seat so he could press his cheek against Kento’s shoulder. He knew just as well as Kento did that he’d have to go to therapy sooner or later. He could only delay the inevitable for so long. “...Only if I can be the small spoon.”

That made Kento smile. “Absolutely.” He lowered the game into his lap to hand Satoru his mug. “Now drink your chocolate before it gets cold.”

Satoru pressed a kiss to Kento’s shoulder before taking the mug in both his hands. He took a slow swig of the drink. The heat and his comfortable spot with his body tucked against Kento’s seemed to be making him drowsy, because as soon as the cup was empty he was out like a light.

While he slept, head on Kento’s shoulder, Kento picked up the game. He quickly got the hang of it, finding the items Satoru was looking for in a matter of minutes. When he finally found and talked to the mailman, he shut off the screen, placing it on the table next to their empty mugs.

He smiled as Satoru nuzzled his face against his arm when he shifted, and when he stood to carry him to bed he found Satoru’s eyes flutter open. The older man managed to get on his feet, albeit wobbling where he stood. He took Kento’s hand, leading him into the bedroom.

There, he collapsed onto the bed on his back, pulling Kento down with him, the blond managing to prop himself up in time so he didn’t fully land on the other. A soft giggle escaped Satoru’s throat as he looked at his partner, and he ran is fingers across Kento’s lips.

Kento leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to Satoru’s lips before he moved to his side of the bed, tugging their blankets over them. Satoru scooted closer, face burying in Kento’s chest.

Kento wrapped his arms around Satoru, pulling him closer. the feeling of their bodies fitting against each other like they were made to slot perfectly together thrummed strong in his chest, making him feel warm.

In the morning, they would have a conversation that would no doubt take a lot out of both of them. But for now, they slept, dead to the world.

Notes

This was originally written for my much longer NanaGo fic but it didn't fit in when I decided on, uh, that ending, cus dates were a lot more important in that one, and the video game mentioned is too new for that. It's called Cozy Grove btw, I find it very cute. The 'farming game' is Stardew Valley.

Title is from the song "It's been a long, long time" by Betty Johnson.

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