Continuation of the first part. Many Eve-Puns again. Enjoy.
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Tossing and turning was made audible through the sound of the thick, fluffy covers moving frequently, stopping eventually, only to start again.
A sigh sounded throughout the small bedroom of Sou's own apartment, the lanterns from outside illuminating the brunette's surroundings.
It has been a while since he was back in Tokyo again after his long and exhausting tour.
He still remembers the day where he came home, Eve picking him up at the station, carrying him home because he was too tired to move-
All the feelings he felt back then were coming up again at the thought of it.
... That's why a faint blush decorated his cheeks now.
He also remembered the things he did in his sleepy state.
He couldn't resist burying his head in his pillow out of shame.
He kind of regretted the things he had done back then, as he didn't know whether it was right or wrong to do such things to a friend, but also didn't feel bad at all, as all he had done was from his genuine feelings towards him.
The problem was just that Eve didn't know about his feelings towards him, and part of him tried to convince him that it was better if he kept silent.
The other part though couldn't wait to tell him.
He wanted to let his feelings go.
Especially since that night...
Eve had told him all his feelings, thinking the younger was asleep.
But he wasn't.
And now Sou was clueless as to what to do.
It was one thing to listen to someone confess, but confessing was a whole other world.
He felt tears brimming at his eyes, frustrated because he couldn't sleep for some goddamn reason.
Then, his smartphone lit up, signaling him that it was now fully charged.
That's when he also saw the current time, 1:30 in the morning.
A weird, sudden idea crossed his mind.
If he was to call Eve, would he pick up? Would he actually bother to talk to him at such an ungodly hour?
He could, of course, be awake.
But what if he was to wake him from his sleep?
What if-
He already had his phone in his hand, scrolling through his contacts.
If he would stay awake for any longer, the frustration would make him cry for real.
So instead of staying awake and contemplaining about his life to himself, he would just hope to talk to Eve about it.
Maybe he's even brave enough to confess to him?
... Just a joke.
The more he thought about it, the less confident he became in actually calling him.
But his other choice would be crying himself to sleep until who-knows-when, so hearing the elder's voice for even just a minute, as he expected it, does sound like the better option.
With that, he dialed his number, holding the phone to his right ear.
"Hello?"
Upon hearing the voice of his beloved, his heart started to beat faster.
"H-Hey Eve-san!"
"Sou? Are you okay? Why aren't you sleeping?"
He didn't ask why he called.
He didn't want to hear a specific reason.
All he did was worry for him.
"I- I can't sleep... That's why I called. Did I wake you...?"
"It's fine, I was awake anyways."
"Th-That's good, then..."
Awkward silence.
Sou could feel the lump in his throat.
"Say..."
He perked up at the elder's voice, letting him finish.
"... Are you okay, though?"
"Huh? Of course! It's just a stupid night, we all have those- Ahaha... You should sleep soon, though, Eve! Ha!"
His rambling was interrupted by a thud from the other side, and rustling, before Eve's voice sounded in his ears again.
"... I'm coming over."
"Huh?"
"I'm ready, so I'll be there in a few minutes. Stay put and get dressed. We're going out."
"Huuuuh!?"
Without any further information, Eve hang up the call, leaving Sou dumbfounded.
Nevertheless, he complied.
He stood up, not tired at all, and put on his shoes.
He was done within a minute, leaving him wondering and panicking the rest of the time.
He was going to come over.
Eve was going out of his way to come over to his place in the middle of the night.
To take him out.
Or just go out?
He didn't know.
What he did know was that he was touched to the heart, sitting on the floor in his jacket with a soft fur-lined hood and snow boots.
He didn't know what it looked like outside, it currently wasn't snowing, but he didn't want to underestimate the weather.
After all, he wanted to be prepared for his time outside with Eve.
As he later noticed, though, it was a mistake to already put on his jacket.
He had to wait a few more minutes, getting comfortable in the warmth - Later dying in the cold outside.
That aside, he still was grateful to Eve for putting up with him.
What if he hadn't been there?
Sure, Sou would have one less problem - his huge crush and lingering feelings.
But he would also lose his best friend.
The doorbell knocked him out of his, once again, deep thoughts.
Hastily, as to not keep Eve waiting, he got up and opened the door quietly, still respecting his neighbours' sleep.
The steps in the staircase became louder as they approached him.
"You... Actually came."
He was looking at him in wonder, meeting his casual expression, as if he just hadn't walked all the way to his apartment at such a time.
"Hm? Of course I did."
"Huh..."
"What?"
"N-Nothing... Do you want to come in?"
"Let's just go. You're ready, right?"
"I am, yes. But where are we going?"
He saw Eve ruffle his already puffy hair nervously.
"Nowhere in particular. We'll just walk. If that won't make you tired, then I don't know what will."
Sou grinned.
He really did all that just for him.
"Okay, then let's go! Oh, and... I might have to tell you something later...?"
"? Okay. Then let's go."
…………………………
Not too long after, the two found themselves walking along a path near his apartment complex.
Before they went out, it had snowed, and as noone bothered to be out this late, the layer of snow was still fresh, making satisfying sounds whenever it *cronched* beneath their shoes.
"Isn't the sky a bit too clear? Look!"
Excited at the stars, sou pointed at the sky, which, after the snow, had cleared up nicely.
Eve was happy seeing his little friend excited once in a while.
He was cute, of course he was.
But he didn't show excitement often despite what everyone was thinking.
So it's natural that Eve enjoyed moments like these.
He wanted these moments of Sou and him to be theirs only.
No one could steal these precious memories from them.
He would lock them in his heart, protecting it from all evil, never letting anyone than Sou near it.
Snapping back to reality, he saw Sou laying down on the grass by a small lake, looking up at the stars.
"What are you thinking? Eve rything is covered in snow, don't lay down so carelessly."
Normally, he wouldn't be that worried about anyone.
But it was no secret that he loved him dearly.
At least to him.
Since that day, he was a bit calmer regarding his crush on Sou, but of course, the pining and longing never stopped.
Soon, he was sitting beside his laying form.
"If you're not careful, you'll catch a cold."
"But now you're sitting beside me, Eve-san!"
"That's... True..."
He hasn't eve n notieved that he moved to his side.
Just by talking to him, he felt the need to be beside him.
"But, if you insist on me not laying entirely in the snow..."
He heard him shuffle eve n closer, and before he knew it, he felt something cold on his lap.
"Now I'm not completely in the snow, eve rything is solved now."
His head was placed on Eve's thigh, as he continued looking up at the sky.
"Sou..."
Eve's mind was running wild with thoughts.
He couldn't think straight, no matter what he tried.
'Sou is resting his head on my thigh...', was all he could think of.
"Sou... You're a naughty boy, aren't you?"
"Ehhh~ Meee? Neveeer~"
"You sure you're not sleepy? Because you definitely need sleep now."
He looked down at the younger, watching his expression turn dark.
"I'm really not tired... Please don't leave me alone..."
With that being heard, Eve didn't hesitate to put his hand on the younger's slightly wet, cold hair, as he had been laying in the snow like the child he was at heart.
But seeing him like this hurt him.
"I won't. I would never. Don't worry, eve rything is okay."
'I just hope there isn't a particular reason why he can't sleep...'
"We will stay up for as long as needed for you to sleep."
……………………………
They walked and talked about various things, from Sou's studies, over their work as an utaite to food.
It has always been like this.
These two could talk about literally anything.
Eve escorteved Sou through nearly the whole city, occasionally stopping at a konbini, small shop or vending machine to buy food and drinks.
They then continued their stroll, continuing wherever they left off talking.
Their conversations never ended.
Small smiles and short, but comfortable silences were existent here and there, but neither of them minded.
With each other, they could be themselves.
They didn't have to smile all the time.
Nor did they have to frequently talk to be happy.
Just being by the other made them content.
Soon enough, they found themselves in front of Sou's apartment door, with the younger fumbling for his keveys (keys).
"I swear I put them in my pocket... Ah! Found them!"
Rustling with the kiwis, he opened the door to his apartement, gesturing Eve to enter, what he gladly did.
Still polite, he took Eve his coat and shoes, placing them in their usual locations.
Sou followed closevely, yawning while doing the same.
"At least I won't have to change.", he chuckled lightly before heading towards his room, but stopping after, turning around.
"You... You're going to stay... Right? You won't leave?"
He sounded so uncertain, Eve was sure he could feel his own heart shatter into pieces just from the desperate tone of his voice.
He wanted to hug him.
Badly.
But he settled on something else.
"Of course. I'll be in the living room."
He quickly made his way there, taking off his sweater, where he was wearing a loose shirt underneath, and hung it over a chair in the living room, and made himself at home as usual.
Sleveping in the same bed as him would only drive him more into insanity than he already was.
"Okay, then... Goodnight..."
"Goodnight."
Sou was disappointed.
Eve did stay at his place, but he'd rather sleep on a uncomfortable sofa than by his side.
He clenched his heart.
Did he mishear the things Eve said while he was supposedly asleep?
Did he misinterpret?
He didn't want to think about it.
Instead, he accepted the fact and quickly went to sleep.
There was one problem though.
He couldn't.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fall asleep.
He felt lonely.
'There's only one thing to do...'
Extremely tired and in desperate need of sleep, he saw his only chance in paying Eve a visit in the living room.
He didn't know how long he had been lying in his bed, but as he arrived in the living room and didn't hear a sound, therefore concluded that Eve was asleep, he figured he had been trying to fall asleep for quite some time now.
Just then, he felt bad for the elder.
The window was half-opened, which one instantly felt when entering the room, as it was freezing cold.
It was, for Sou, at least.
If he was being dramatic, he would have said that the cold in the room matched the one in his heart.
Instead, he just took the sweater that he thought he himself had forgotten on the chair.
As he slipped it over his head, two things hit him, though.
The sweater was slightly larger than the ones he usually wore, and it smelled of...
He really didn't have to mention the person's name.
It was already clear as crystal.
It caused him to bury his nose deeper in it's collar, though.
He couldn't help it.
As quiet as possible, he made his way to the couch to see Eve fast asleep.
He was laying on his back, one arm nestled behind his head for comfort.
He seemed calm, serene, and not even slightly bothered by the cold.
That's when he forgot that Eve was practically a walking heater.
How coneveient.
The younger tip-toed over to the couch, making sure not the wake the grey-haired man.
Settling down beside him, he admired his features, like the elder did with him last time.
He was distracted for a moment, but soon his extreme tiredness kicked in again. (same)
He glanced at Eve lying there, vulnerable, literally asking to be hugged and snuggled up against.
He, trying to get closer to him, soon realised that he was nearly falling off the couch, and would definitely fall if he fell asleep.
He made a new plan.
Carefully, he lifted the covers off of him, already feeling a wave of warmth hit him, and climbed under them, settling down on top of him, scooting down a bit so that his head was at chest level, where most of the warmth radiated from, he just discovered.
He pulled the covers over the both of them now, not caring whether he woke him up or not.
What mattered now was that he felt warm, safe, and able to sleep.
He sighed contently, wrapping his arms around him loosely, burying his face in his chest.
"Ngh... Huh?"
He pretended not to notice, but Sou knew that Eve had woken up just now.
Eve was startled at first, seeing and feeling a sudden weight on him, but he soon relaxed again, not minding Sou snuggling against him.
In fact, he enjoyed the new warmth and being near his beloved.
Instead of facing him, he just pressed against him tighter, his grip around him tightening as well.
The feeling was oddly comforting.
Something he has been longing to feel for such a long time now.
Even though it's his first time doing this, it felt like the two of them have been doing this for the longest time.
He really felt at home now, like he was being protected.
Eve didn't want to wake the younger, so he decided to go to sleep again, too.
But the younger had other plans.
He gathered up all his courage to open up a conversation.
"Mh... Eve?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sleepy..."
"Then sleep, Sou. Everything's okay, I'm right here. I won't go away. You're safe, so please sleep now."
His heart melted upon hearing these words and eve n Eve was surprised at his sudden outburst of emotional support.
"I... Forgot to tell you something."
"Oh, right. You did mention that. What is it? Don't you want to sleep first and tell me tomorrow?"
"No.", the brunette said sternly.
Eve was taken aback, but calmed down again.
"I mean... No, I have to tell you now. Or else I can't sleep."
"Okay. I'm all ears."
"You see... Where do I even begin..."
He pondered for a moment, searching for the right words.
"I... Last time, after you picked me up from the train station... I-I was so tired, but you still offered to escort me home. I even-"
He paused, again remembering his not-so-thought-out actions back then.
"Did... Well... You know too well what I did, but I actually... Kind of meant to do it?"
He yawned, trailing off, not daring to look at him just yet.
"I guess it's obvious what i'm trying to do. But I need to tell you... I wasn't asleep when you were talking about me to... Well... Me. At least I hope it wasn't a dream. If it was, then..."
That's what he couldn't bear to think about.
What if he was walking on thin ice? What if he actually is on the wrong path?
He had to stop for a moment, trying not to cry while irrational fears hit him.
"... Then feel free to go away, and ignore this conversation, fall asleep and pretend it never happened if you want to, but I really have to- Uh, say this."
His words got slower, and more enhanced, as if he was trying to keep his voice steady.
"I really, really like you. I know, it's obvious, but I needed to tell you..."
He turned his head to the side, looking downwards, away from him.
Then, he tried to lighten the mood by chuckling quietly.
"You may sleep now... Goodnight, sorry for keeping you awake."
"Sou..."
He quickly got up, trying his best not to make the situation awkward or hurt the elder in any way.
He had one foot on the ground already when Eve grabbed his wrist softly but tightly.
"Sou, please listen to me."
Sou stopped in his tracks, listening to what he had to say.
"I... It wasn't a dream. I didn't know you were awake, but oh well... Now you know. And... You just confessed right? So we feel the same right?"
"I-I guess we do?"
"Do you even know how happy I am to hear you say that?"
The next thing Eve saw was Sou crying, looking at him with an unreadable expression.
"So... It's a 'yes'?"
After Eve nodded, Sou started sobbing, wiping his tears with the hand whose wrist Eve was still holding.
Clueless on what to do, the other gently pulled the younger's hand away from his face, smiling up at him, feeling a few tears about to come as well, but managing to keep them down.
As he let Sou cry out eve rything, with the younger starting to feel too weak to keep himself up and opting for resting on top of the elder, Eve allowed himself to wrap his arms around him gently. One hand landed on his back, rubbing up and down slowly, and the other rested on the back of his head.
"Shhh, it's okay... I love you, Sou. I will always love you, no matter what happens, okay? And I'll always be there for you. Give me midnight-calls whenever you need me, even if I may be asleep, I'll wake up in a second for you. I know, it may sound exaggarated, but dammit, Sou, I'd literally die for you, do you understand that?"
Sou's tears didn't stop.
With every word the elder said to him, more and more tear drops streamed down.
"Listen, you don't have to say anything, okay? If you fall asleep, I'll be here in the morning. Feel free to."
When the elder stopped talking, Sou's painful sobbing was the only thing that filled the peaceful silence of the winter night.
Until Sou tried talking.
"I was so- I thought I misunderstood you- I was afraid you didn't like me back, Eve I-"
He stopped yet again to cry for a small, mere moment.
"I've been wanting this for so long, I think this was one of the reasons I couldn't- Sleep-"
He choked on his own words, hiccuping in between a few times.
"I really really love you. I love you-"
"Sou, it's okay, please. I love you too, I really do. Get some rest now, okay? I won't be gone. I'll stay here. Even for a few days if you want me to. I'll do anything for you, so please try to sleep."
The younger didn't have any energy left, so he just nodded.
Laying his head on Eve's chest again and listening to his heartbeat, he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Eve waited until he was sure that Sou was sleeping and lifted his hand to stroke his hair.
"I promise, I'm never gonna leave you. Please believe me... I love you, Sou."
With that, Eve, too, closed his eyes and eagerly awaited the new days with his now-boyfriend and best friend.