Slow but firm shakes woke Tristan. Quickly he sat up, looking around to gain his bearings. For a moment he only recognised Hibiki and the interior of the car. Pale white light shone in through the windows. He could see concrete pillars and rows of parked cars around them.

"Huh?" He stammered still half-asleep, knowing something was off but not what. Hibiki smiled in response, and pointed him towards the door that Kazuo was about to open.

It was only when he stood up, and rather wobbly at that, inside the parking garage that he realised it was Hibiki's place – and then he remembered that he had agreed to go there.

A tug on his sleeve from Hibiki pulled him back into the present, albeit with his thoughts sluggish and messy. He saw Kazuo take his backpack from the boot of the car, and while Hibiki led him upstairs the man trailed behind them.

The inside of Hibiki’s apartment was warm, and well lit. The sight of it put Tristan at ease: finally he was somewhere familiar. It had begun to rain, and the heavy drops glistened in the golden light as they rolled down the tall windows. While he let himself fall on the couch, he heard Maki’s paws tap on the stairs. The dog came up to him, and he absentmindedly ran both hands over and behind Maki’s ears.

Meanwhile Hibiki took his backpack from Kazuo, before using a few signs and a motion that was suspiciously much like the ‘shoo’ gesture, to dismiss him. Kazuo responded with a bow, and a few Japanese words of goodnight. The door hadn’t even fallen closed yet when Hibiki walked over to Tristan

Hibiki flopped down onto the couch beside him, and looked at him with a slight smile – it appeared that Maki had some competition vying for his attention. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Tristan moved one of his hands to the side of Hibiki’s neck and face, using his thumb to caress his cheek. Hibiki’s slight smile turned into a wide grin now he got what he wanted. For a little while things stayed like that, but inevitably he needed more.

A few gestures from Hibiki were enough to send Maki away, so he could get all the attention he craved. Tristan just let him, and watched while Hibiki moved onto his lap, facing him. With both hands Hibiki undid the buttons on his coat, and he didn’t mind much since he would have to take it off sooner or later anyway. Once all the buttons had come undone, he shrugged the coat off of him, too tired to care that it wasn’t the most elegant way of removing a piece of clothing.

He felt Hibiki’s hands on his neck, the touch slightly cold, but he got used to it quickly enough. He closed his eyes, and let Hibiki have his way with him. Not content with feeling up the bare skin of his neck, Hibiki’s fingertips slowly snuck their way into the back of his jumper. He answered by placing both his arms around Hibiki’s waist and pulling him in closer.

A soft kiss was planted on his lips, rather careful at first to test the boundaries. But it had been several days too long since he had last been kissed, and he longed to get lost in a loving interaction – so he opened his mouth slightly and gripped Hibiki’s back firmer. Hibiki eagerly filled in the empty space, holding him tight. The kisses turned needy, and he was kept in place while Hibiki wordlessly craved him. It dazed him in the best way possible.

The kiss lasted at least a minute, before Hibiki pulled away again. A satisfied smile played around his lips even while taking deep breaths. The sight of it made Tristan’s heart leap in his chest, its pounding the only thing he could hear. He was about to speak, when a second, short kiss drew his voice from him.

He leant forward, and buried himself into Hibiki’s chest, letting out a deep sigh. This time he did manage to get the words out: “I missed you too.”

He smiled when Hibiki held him a bit tighter in response. A deep yawn betrayed him however.

He felt Hibiki lean back slightly, his hands drifting from his back to his shoulders instead. His smile turned somewhat guilty when he looked up and saw Hibiki tilt his head to one side curiously.

“Sorry, I’ve barely slept.”

Before he could say anything else, Hibiki shut him up by laying two fingers on his lips, and then pointed upstairs towards the loft. Realising he was told to go to bed, he agreed.

Hibiki moved off of his lap, and held out two hands so he could pull himself up. Gladly he took the offer and stood up. Too tired to think much, he moved towards the guest bedroom on autopilot, but a hand on his wrist held him back. Confused he looked back at Hibiki. With a smile he pointed up again, and Tristan threw a glance up before looking back at.

“Oh…” He responded sheepishly, a slight blush spreading on his cheeks – but he didn’t reject the offer. Hibiki’s smile grew wider, and a mere moment later he was already getting led up the stairs.

It felt ever so awkward to sit on Hibiki’s bed, and the nerves were the only thing that kept him awake at that point. Hibiki on the other hand didn’t appear to mind him there all that much, and proceeded to pull his hoodie off over his head. Underneath he wore a loose shirt, and the motion tugged that up slightly as well. For just a second the round scars on his stomach and side were visible, and several even lines spaced equal distances apart on the other side: they were frighteningly familiar, and while Tristan thought of ways how they could have happened, one of his hands inadvertently grabbed his own wrist. He looked away at his knees, realising that if Hibiki wanted to tell him about it, he would probably just do so.

The mattress shifted slightly when weight was put on it from behind. A moment later he felt two arms around his waist, and Hibiki laid his chin on his shoulder. It pushed what he had seen to the back of his mind, knowing it wasn’t that important in the moment – and he was probably too tired to deal with it in any constructive way. One of Hibiki’s hands left him for a short moment, only to return holding his phone with a message.

‘You can shower first’

Tristan shook his head and yawned again.

“It’s fine… maybe in the morning…” He responded between deep, exhausted breaths. Hibiki nodded against his shoulder, and gave him a small kiss in his neck, before pointing at the bathroom door.

“Yeah, go ahead.” Tristan nodded, and he felt Hibiki leave him.

The weight shifted off of the mattress, and he couldn’t help but glance over at Hibiki as he walked towards the bathroom. His look wasn’t coveted enough however, and Hibiki saw him when he opened the door. A grin spread across his face, and he winked while making a heart gesture. Tristan immediately felt his cheeks turn bright red, gripping his knees and looking away.

Even after Hibiki had closed the bathroom door, he was still blushing, but he didn’t mind as much as he believed he should. It felt nice to be there – everything felt nice, even his embarrassment had lost its sharp edge, and he didn’t know how to deal with comfort like that. With a soft, wavering sigh he took off his jumper, leaving on the dress shirt underneath for the night. In the other room he heard the shower turn on, and he listened to the sound of clattering water while he rested his head on the soft pillow. The knowledge that Hibiki was right there made him smile. Even in a bed not his own, he felt like he belonged.

Mere seconds later, he had fallen asleep again.