A/N: (I had to Google Translate because unfortunately I don’t speak Russian ^^’ I think it’s something like... your writing is beautiful, and I want to ask for something with Nitori because I feel like there’s not a lot written about him. Good luck!) ((IF THIS IS WRONG I’M SORRY D: ))
Thank you for this sweet message, I’m glad you like my writing! I agree that there is a Disappointing Lack of Free! fics with Nitori in them. I hope you enjoy!!
Rin was tired, to put it simply. He had been putting himself into overdrive for the past month or so, and in more than one thing. He was trying to improve his swimming even further; he had been practicing with even more vigour that usual (how that was even possible, the rest of the swim team didn’t know,) and working twice as hard to get his grades back up after a few bad tests had brought his average down.
He was so ready to get to his dorm room, plop down on his bed, and conk out for a good fourteen or so hours.
When he arrived at his room and opened the door, he was shocked to find that his bottom bunk was already occupied.
Nitori was fast asleep on Rin’s bed, curled into a ball with a towel still draped across his shoulders. Judging from the way the smaller boy’s hair was sticking up, Rin assumed Nitori had fallen asleep right after taking a shower, but before letting his hair dry completely. Fallen asleep on Rin’s bunk instead of his own top bunk, more specifically.
Rin sighed, but couldn’t really bring himself to be mad.
Rin walked over to the bed and gently poked the younger boy’s cheek, smiling to himself when it made Nitori scrunch up his nose and roll onto his stomach, a quiet breath whistling from his nostrils.
He’s so cute.
But really, Rin was tired, and he supposed he could just leave Nitori alone and sleep on the top bunk, but he had really grown accustomed to his own bed and knew he would never get as good of a sleep if he slept in Nitori’s.
“Ai. I’m sorry bud, but you’re gonna have to get up.” Rin gently scratched a lone fingernail on the back of Nitori’s knee, bare because Ai had to wear shorts to bed or he wouldn’t be able to sleep (“it gets too hot, senpai!”) and jumped back in surprise when the younger boy flinched so hard he nearly hit his head on the damn bunk above him.
“W-what’s going on?” Nitori asked sleepily — as though hadn’t given Rin a heart attack from his freaking spaz, what even was that — rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand.
When he saw Rin standing next to the bunk, looking down at him with a mixed expression of surprise and amusement, his look of confusion was quickly replaced by one of horror and embarrassment.
“Ahh, Rin-senpai! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to fall asleep on your bunk! I was just so tired...”
The smaller boy rambled on and on, desperately trying to sit up enough to get off the bed. He was so wild-eyed and embarrassed that he did hit his head on the bunk above him during his scrambling, yelping before grabbing his head in pain. “Ouch! Ouch ouch ouch...”
Rin rolled his eyes, trying to hold back a chuckle so the boy didn’t feel even more humiliated.
“Ai, it’s okay. I know you didn’t mean to,” Rin reassured him, also sitting on the bed as Nitori rubbed his head where he had hit it. “Besides, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Nitori continued to ramble out apologies and excuses, and he just looked so embarrassed and so tired. Rin frowned when he noticed how big and dark the circles were under Nitori’s eyes.
Yeah, Rin was tired. He had been working hard physically and mentally, and he could feel the toll it took on his body and mind.
But Nitori had been working in overdrive, too.
He had also been practicing much harder and more often than usual. Rin was used to having to crank his training up a notch every once in awhile, he’d done it before; but Nitori had never done that. His body wasn’t used to sudden physicality increases.
And yes, Rin’s grades had been slipping and he’d been working to bring them back up; but that was nothing compared to how low Nitori’s grades had gotten, and how much extra studying he had been putting into his academics to improve his scores.
He just looked so tired. Rin really did feel bad for him.
“Ai,” Rin said, interrupting the younger boy with a gentle flick to the forehead, “when was the last time you had a good night’s sleep? Or felt actually rested?”
Nitori looked a little surprised at the question, but stopped rambling and sat still while he thought. “Mmm... three weeks ago? Three and a half, maybe?”
Seeing the incredulous look on Rin’s face, Nitori waved his hands out in from of him and stammered out reassurances.
“D-don’t worry, everything’s okay! I’m plenty rested, you don’t need to worry about me!”
“Ai.”
“I’ve just been so busy with practice and school, it’s been hard to sleep, but nothing to worry about! You have your own studies to think about and —“
“Ai.”
“— and you’ve been practicing so hard, much harder than me, and I really didn’t mean to fall asleep on your bed, I never —“
“Aiichiro!”
Startling at Rin’s agressive tone, Nitori stopped talking and looked up and the older boy, blushing at the hard look he was given. “S-sorry, Senpai.”
Rin looked at him a little longer before he let out a long sigh. He wasn’t mad at the kid or anything; like, yeah, sometimes Nitori could be a little annoying when he would ramble out of nervousness, but that wasn’t bothering Rin this time.
What was bothering him was that he could tell Nitori needed rest. Desperately. And he felt bad because he didn’t know how to help him.
“You don’t have to apologize, Ai. It’s not like you did anything wrong.”
Nitori only looked down, embarrassed, rubbing his nose on his shoulder. Rin scooted closer to his roommate and placed a hand on his knee. “If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know. I’m serious, man — it’s what I’m here for.”
He gently squeezed Nitori’s knee in what he meant to be a reassuring gesture, letting go in surprise when Nitori’s leg jerked and he made a strangled sound.
And it only took Rin a moment before he realized why. He was an older brother, after all; Growing up with Gou, whom was never very good at hiding emotions or reactions, meant that Rin knew the telltale signs of lots of things.
The telltale sign, for example, of one being ticklish.
This also reminded him of something he used to do to tire out his dear little sister, back when they were kids and she had too much energy to go to bed.
“Y’know,” Rin purred, sides of his mouth slowly rising as Nitori squirmed in place, too wary of the older boy’s suddenly playful expression to make an escape attempt, “I think the best place to start is for you to have a long, deep, uninterrupted sleep.”
Moving so fast poor Nitori barely had time to squeak, Rin grabbed him by the hips and pulled him closer, smirking in a way that flustered Nitori like nothing else (he looked like a predator, for crying out loud).
Now on his back, Nitori could only blink up at the older boy. “R-Rin-senpai? Why are you — ah! H-hey!”
Too tired to try and compose himself, Nitori burst into giggles, squeaky and stuttery and loud, clawing desperately at Rin’s hands which had attached themselves to the boy’s flanks and were squeezing mercilessly. “Wait!”
Rin moved his hands to Nitori’s ribs, grinning mischievously. “Ticklish, Ai?”
Nitori could only nod, eyes squeezed shut and mouth wide open as he couldn’t help but laugh. “Senpai!”
Rin wiggled his fingers down the boy’s sides and dug into his hips, laughing himself when it made Nitori scream louder and try to lift up his legs to protect himself, shaking his head madly.
“I used to do this to tire out Gou. She was quite the handful when she was small, y’know? Too much energy, would never go to sleep. This usually did the trick, though.”
I believe it ran through Nitori’s head, but his mouth was too full of bubbling laughter to make room for mere words.
When Rin decided to start squeezing at his friend’s thighs and knees, Nitori seemed to give up on fighting. His hands were uselessly waving in front of his face and his laughter morphed into desperate cackles as Rin continued tickling.
When Rin was convinced he was thorough enough, he released Nitori and looked down fondly as the other boy rolled onto his side, giggling softly. He looked much more relaxed than when Rin had woken him up, and he had a pleasantly sleepy expression on his face.
Rin grinned at him. “Tired?”
Nitori looked up and giggled. “Yeah. Thanks, Senpai.” He was interrupted by the yawn of the century, attempting to right himself so he could climb up onto his own bunk.
“Nah, stay there,” Rin offered, “just go to sleep now, okay? We’ll start figuring everything out tomorrow, after you’re well-rested.
Nitori nodded sweetly, eyes closing. “Thanks,” he mumbled again, already being pulled into the warmness of sleep. “G’night.”
“Goodnight, Ai.”
Rin supposed he could give up his bed for one night.
