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Akutagawa woke slowly to fingers carding through his hair and a warm weight pressed against his side. The room was still dim, curtains barely cracked enough to let in the gray-blue light of morning, and he could hear rain tapping softly against the apartment windows. Usually, he would already be awake by now. Usually, Chuuya would be halfway through a cigarette and grumbling at emails. Instead, there was only warmth, the smell of expensive cologne mixed with sleep, and Chuuya’s voice dropping low and syrupy sweet above him.
“Morning, baby.”
Akutagawa blinked once, sluggish. His body felt heavy in the pleasant way sleep sometimes left it, thoughts still cottony and unfocused. Chuuya’s hand moved from his hair to stroke gently across his cheekbone.
“There’s my sweet boy,” Chuuya murmured. “Still sleepy?”
A faint sound escaped Akutagawa before he could stop it, more hum than word. Chuuya smiled instantly, the expression soft enough to hurt.
“Yeah? Wanna stay little today?”
That made Akutagawa’s lashes flutter. Normally, embarrassment would’ve snapped him awake immediately, sharp and defensive, but Chuuya’s voice wrapped around him too carefully for that. He sank deeper into the blankets instead, pressing his face against Chuuya’s shoulder. The vibration of Chuuya’s quiet laugh rumbled beneath his cheek.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Gentle hands coaxed him upright little by little. Chuuya talked the entire time, voice dipped into exaggerated sweetness that should have been humiliating and somehow only made Akutagawa’s chest feel warm and fuzzy.
“C’mon, sweetheart, gotta wake up properly. Can’t spend all day snoozing.” He pressed a kiss into Akutagawa’s messy hair. “My pretty baby’s all cuddly this morning.”
Akutagawa let himself be maneuvered without protest, eyes still half-lidded. Chuuya slipped one of his hoodies over Akutagawa’s head after peeling off his sleep shirt, the sleeves hanging absurdly past his hands. Then came thick socks with little black stars on them because Chuuya insisted that his baby’s feet stay warm, not cold. By the time Akutagawa was settled against a pile of pillows on the couch, holding a bottle Chuuya had warmed for him, the world felt pleasantly far away.
Chuuya sat beside him with his coffee, one socked foot tucked under himself. “Look at you,” he cooed. “Tiny already.”
Akutagawa sucked quietly at the bottle and leaned against Chuuya’s arm. The praise made warmth bloom under his skin. He couldn’t really think enough to answer properly, only made a small pleased noise in his throat.
“Cute,” Chuuya said immediately.
The rain kept tapping softly outside while Chuuya flipped through TV channels one-handed. Akutagawa ended up halfway sprawled across him after finishing the bottle, hoodie sleeves bunched around his fingers. Chuuya rubbed absent circles against his back.
After a while, Chuuya nudged his cheek lightly. “Wanna play for me, baby?”
Akutagawa blinked at him.
“I got your blocks out.”
That got a tiny reaction. Chuuya could always tell because Akutagawa’s eyes sharpened just slightly with interest before going hazy again. It was adorable every single time.
“C’mon.” Chuuya kissed his forehead. “Let’s do tummy time first, yeah?”
Akutagawa made a faint whining sound immediately.
“I know, I know,” Chuuya laughed. “But it’s good for you.”
The blanket Chuuya spread on the floor was ridiculously soft. Akutagawa got settled onto his stomach with obvious reluctance, arms tucked beneath him while Chuuya stretched out beside him.
“There we go,” Chuuya praised. “Strong baby.”
Akutagawa glared weakly at him for approximately three seconds before his attention wandered toward the colorful stacking blocks nearby. Chuuya watched fondly as Akutagawa reached slowly for one, fingers clumsy with lingering sleepiness.
“You’re so little today,” Chuuya murmured.
Akutagawa hummed.
He managed to stack two blocks before immediately trying to mouth the third. Chuuya intercepted him instantly.
“Ah-ah. No eating the blocks.”
Akutagawa frowned around nothing, clearly offended.
“Those aren’t snacks, sweetheart.” Chuuya tapped his nose gently. “Use your hands.”
A soft grumble bubbled out of Akutagawa as he accepted the block back. He squinted at it like reconsidering whether it might secretly be edible anyway.
Chuuya snorted. “I can literally see you thinking about it.”
Another hum.
They stayed like that for almost an hour. Akutagawa stacked blocks only to knock them over immediately afterward, fascinated every single time. Chuuya clapped dramatically whenever he built something taller than three blocks high. Akutagawa’s cheeks pinked faintly each time.
“Good job!” Chuuya beamed after a particularly wobbly tower survived more than five seconds. “That’s my smart baby.”
Akutagawa ducked his face into the blanket with a tiny embarrassed noise.
“Oh, there’s the shy thing again.” Chuuya gently rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re too cute, Ryuu.”
Eventually, Akutagawa abandoned the blocks entirely in favor of crawling directly into Chuuya’s lap. Chuuya welcomed him without hesitation, adjusting them both until Akutagawa was curled comfortably against his chest.
“Tired?”
A sleepy nod.
“Mm. Thought so.”
Chuuya rocked him slowly while scrolling through his phone. Akutagawa sucked absentmindedly on the sleeve of the oversized hoodie, eyes drooping.
“Baby,” Chuuya said softly after a moment.
Akutagawa looked up.
“Don’t chew the hoodie.”
A pause.
Then Akutagawa very deliberately put the sleeve back in his mouth.
Chuuya barked out a laugh. “Brat.”
Akutagawa’s eyes gleamed faintly with sleepy satisfaction.
“Yeah, yeah, I see you.” Chuuya tugged the damp sleeve away and replaced it with a pacifier from beside the couch instead. “Here. Better choice.”
That was accepted immediately. Akutagawa settled back down with a quiet hum, all traces of mischief gone as quickly as they’d come.
The peacefulness lasted until Chuuya felt the familiar crinkle against his thigh.
“Oh,” he said lightly. “Somebody needs changed.”
Akutagawa immediately buried his face against Chuuya’s chest.
“Don’t hide now.” Chuuya stroked through his hair. “It’s okay, sweetheart.”
A faint whine answered him.
“You know I’ll take care of you.”
That finally got Akutagawa to relax enough to be carried to the bedroom. Chuuya laid him carefully on the bed atop the changing mat, hands warm and efficient as he worked. He kept talking the whole time because Akutagawa always relaxed more when he did.
“My needy baby,” Chuuya murmured. “Got so busy playing he forgot to tell me, huh?”
Akutagawa covered part of his face with his sleeves.
“There’s no reason to be embarrassed.” Chuuya kissed his wrist gently. “I’ve got you.”
Akutagawa peeked at him through dark bangs while Chuuya fastened a fresh diaper into place. The look in his eyes was soft and vulnerable enough to make Chuuya ache.
“There,” Chuuya said quietly. “All clean.”
Akutagawa reached up immediately afterward in silent request.
Chuuya smiled and scooped him close. “Clingy thing.”
The rain never stopped. By afternoon, the apartment felt cocooned away from the rest of Yokohama entirely. Chuuya made grilled cheese cut into little stars because Akutagawa always ate more when the food was “fun,” and afterward they built a blanket fort in the living room.
Akutagawa spent most of it curled against Chuuya with his head tucked beneath Chuuya’s chin. Occasionally he babbled something soft and unintelligible, and Chuuya answered every time like it was a real conversation.
“Really?” Chuuya gasped at one point. “That’s crazy.”
Akutagawa blinked up at him seriously. “Mmhm.”
“No way.”
A sleepy giggle escaped him then, quiet and raspy from disuse. Chuuya looked immediately delighted.
“There’s my baby.”
Akutagawa hid his face again, which only made Chuuya laugh harder.
By evening, regression weighed visibly on him. His movements turned slower, eyes glassy with exhaustion as he pushed weakly at a stuffed dinosaur Chuuya had placed in his lap.
“You’re sleepy,” Chuuya said softly.
Akutagawa nodded once.
“Bath first, then bedtime?”
Another nod.
The bath ended with Akutagawa nearly asleep against Chuuya’s shoulder while warm water sloshed around them. Chuuya washed his hair carefully, fingertips gentle against his scalp.
“So good for me today,” he murmured. “Played so nice.”
Akutagawa made a tiny pleased sound.
“And no eating blocks.”
A pause.
“…Mostly.”
That got another sleepy giggle.
After pajamas and one last bottle warmed just right, Chuuya carried him back to bed. Akutagawa curled close immediately, practically melting against him beneath the blankets. Chuuya rubbed slow circles against his back while the rain whispered outside.
“You had a good baby day?” he asked quietly.
Akutagawa nodded against his chest.
“Yeah?”
“Mmh.”
Chuuya smiled into his hair. “Good. You deserve soft days too, y’know.”
Akutagawa didn’t answer this time. His breathing had already begun to even out, small hands curled loosely in the front of Chuuya’s shirt.
Chuuya stayed awake a little longer just holding him, thumb stroking gently along Akutagawa’s spine. Even asleep, Akutagawa instinctively pressed closer every few minutes, seeking warmth and reassurance without ever fully waking.
“Sweet boy,” Chuuya whispered.
Outside, the rain kept falling softly against the windows, and tucked safely against Chuuya’s heartbeat, Akutagawa slept.