[Ch.42] Crawling Into Bed

Panzram watched as the little rabbit forced himself to go into his own room.

He was slightly amused by Ryu's obvious disappointment.

As Panzram lay in bed, he told himself that this was a good thing. He and Ryu were getting much too close. Panzram had led a miserable life until he met Ryu. He never had anyone he could rely on. When he met Ryu, he started to feel that change.

However, this terrified him.

He was afraid of being betrayed by letting someone get too close. Even if this man were intoxicating, he could not let him get too close.

Panzram lay in bed for a few hours before he opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. He could not sleep one bit. Although he always made sure to sleep while still being aware of his surroundings, he found himself even incapable of doing that.

Could it be that he really did need Ryu to fall asleep?

He covered his face and groaned slightly.

He froze abruptly as soon as he heard the shuffling of footsteps outside his door. He lowered his arms and closed his eyes pretending to sleep. Was this an intruder? Were they planning on attacking him? Perhaps it was one of the people he fought with earlier.

Then should he attack first?

Or catch them off-guard?

He heard the door open and someone stumble in. The door was then closed and the footsteps now stepped closer to him.

He silently reached for his katana beside his bed. The person stumbled around the room quietly before suddenly smacking into the dresser and letting out a gasp of pain. Before Panzram could pull out his katana, someone flopped onto his body, hugging him tightly. The smell of spring flowers and morning dew permeated his nose.

He recognized this smell.

Panzram looked down in surprise, "Ryu?"

Ryu was hugging him tightly as he slept peacefully. His long eyelashes reflected the moonlight as he smiled with a goofy expression.

Ryu must have slept walked into his room.

Perhaps this little rabbit could not handle sleeping alone either.

Panzram carefully reached out and ran his hand through Ryu's silky hair. The feeling was particularly soothing and relaxing to both men. Ryu smiled warmly in his sleep and nuzzled into Panzram's large hand which stroked his hair.

Panzram sighed in defeat and reluctantly decided to let the little rabbit have his way tonight. Plus, it was better to be in the same room in case someone would attack.

...Right?

Panzram gave in to the little white rabbit's desire to use him as a body pillow. As he closed his eyes, he deeply breathed in Ryu's scent. He wanted to memorize this intoxicating smell.

Panzram quickly fell asleep as he took in Ryu's smell greedily.

The next morning, Ryu woke up hugging something tightly. His eyes squinted open to see Panzram's handsome face in front of him. He blushed instantly as he watched Panzram's eyes open. Ryu looked into those inky dark eyes and could not help but gulp in admiration.

Ryu forced on a dazzling smile, "Did I… Sneak into your room while I was asleep?"

"Mn." Panzram gave a nod.

"And I… Got into your bed?"

"Mn."

"I see…" Ryu glanced around anxiously, then turned to Panzram with a bright smile, "Good morning."

Panzram's hoarse voice answered, "Good morning."

Ryu blinked at Panzram's morning face still clinging on to him as if he was a body pillow. When he heard Panzram's raspy morning voice so close to his ear, he felt a strange feeling stir inside his chest. He did not understand what it meant, but he also did not dislike the feeling.

As he pondered it, Panzram raised an eyebrow.

Did Ryu have no intentions of getting off of him?

Just how long did he intend to stay on top of him like some kind of sticky blanket?

Panzram's lips twitched, threatening to turn into a smile. He felt oddly uplifted waking up to such a refreshing face clinging to him.

Panzram wrapped his arms around Ryu and pinched his waist. Ryu blushed instantly and looked at Panzram in surprise. His body tensed up instinctively as he stared into those inky dark eyes.

Panzram whispered in an alluring tone, "Just how long do you intend to lay on top of me?"

Ryu scrambled off of him, flustered by his own intimate actions. He fiddled with his sleeves anxiously, "L-Let me go ask for some breakfast."

Panzram sat up with a smirk as he watched the little rabbit run away.

He licked his lips subconsciously.

Some things tasted better than food.

...

Ryu and Panzram sat at a table in their room eating their breakfast.

Ryu blushed as he nibbled on his food. Panzram watched him with a cold stare with hints of warmth. Even though he had a scowl on his face, he was enjoying watching the little white rabbit turn pink.

He decided he should tease him more often.

Ryu was embarrassed to find himself embracing Panzram in his sleep so suggestively. He did not know what suddenly overcame his sleeping self to go and do that.

However, Ryu had no idea that he had been doing this all along. He was usually a deep sleeper and Panzram would always get up before Ryu woke up, so he had never figured it out.

...Until now.

It was just that this time, Panzram chose to let Ryu continue to embrace him. He was feeling greedy and wanted more time stroking his pet rabbit's fur. He was also curious to see Ryu's reaction when he found out he had climbed into his bed.

And Panzram was not disappointed.

After a while, Panzram spoke. "I am curious about something."

"Hmm?" Ryu perked up.

Panzram asked, "How did you know something was going to happen before the fire started?"

This question had been on Panzram's mind recently. Before the attack, Ryu had suddenly woken up and hinted that something bad was about to happen. Then the town suddenly was set on fire and the mercenaries broke in to attack.

So how did he know?

Ryu looked at the plate in front of him with a strange expression, "Oh… Well, I sensed malicious intent and just knew."

This was how Ryu had survived up to this point without Panzram. Although he seemed defenseless, he was not. He was not good at coming up with plans or thinking things through, but his instincts were always correct.

However, he was not particularly fond of sharing just how exactly he knew. Panzram noticed his reluctance and decided not to push further.

After a while, there was a knock at their door. A worker spoke, "Valued customers. Manager Tenma would like to know if you will join him for tea this morning."

Ryu spoke without a second thought, "Is it free?"

The worker pursed her lips before speaking politely, "Of course, valued customer. Manager Tenma has personally said so."

Ryu stood up with a smile, "Then, let's go."

Panzram smiled ever so slightly. He had to admire the dedication of this freeloader. Panzram followed Ryu downstairs as they were led to a private room by the worker. They sat down at the table and joined Nezu and Tenma for tea.

The atmosphere was still tense, but Ryu and Tenma did not notice as they continued to talk to each other.

Tenma smiled handsomely, "So? Did you have a good sleep last night? I hope our rooms were up to your expectations."

Ryu smiled as he spoke, "The rooms were wonderful! I've never slept better!"