The first thing Yuu became aware of was warmth—too much warmth. Not the kind of warmth that came from blankets or the morning sun creeping through the curtains. No, this was solid warmth, something firm pressed against her back, something exhaling softly near the shell of her ear.


    Then the second thing hit her.


    That something was Azul.


    Her mind caught up in sluggish horror, piecing together last night. The exhaustion. The venom removals. The memories. The crying.


    Oh, no.


    Embarrassment seized her as she tried to shift, but that only made things worse. Azul’s grip instinctively tightened around her waist, his fingers flexing on her hip. A very quiet, very content hum rumbled against her back. The soft, slow vibration sent a warm, tingling sensation through her, letting her know exactly where they’d ended up in the night.


    Azul’s legs had ended up tangled with hers, locking her in place. His calf rested over hers, a quiet, natural possessiveness that he had probably not even realized in sleep. One of her feet was tucked over one of his, curved into his arch like the smaller of a matching set. Her hips were tucked neatly into his, pressed into the sheets by the weight of his own. One arm laid around her torso, and his hand had somehow found its way beneath the fabric, which she hadn’t realized until his fingers had pulled into the line of her waist, keeping her there.


    Heart picking up a little faster than was comfortable when waking up, she tried again, more forcefully this time, to shift away—only for Azul to stir at last. His grip loosened for a second before his fingers curled into the inner fabric of her shirt, anchoring himself before—


    Oh no.


    A slow, delicious breath ghosted against her nape as Azul shifted—not away, but closer. His nose brushed against her hair, his lips grazing just shy of the sensitive skin where her neck met her shoulder. A sigh left him, slow, indulgent, as if her presence was something he could simply breathe in.


    Yuu was about to launch herself into the next dimension when Azul tensed, pinning her much harder to the bed for half a breath before—


    There was a sharp inhale, a second of silence, and then—


    "…Oh no."


    The shift in Azul’s posture was immediate—his muscles stiffened, his arm flew away from her as if she had caught fire, and in his panic, he rolled back too fast.


    Which would’ve been fine, if they weren’t both at the edge of the bed, and if the sheets hadn’t managed to knot them both solidly together.


    With a loud thud, Azul hit the floor. Unfortunately, she was pulled right after him, the sheets somehow tightening around them like a noose as they fell.


    His hair was an absolute mess, one sock had slipped halfway off, and she… well, she probably looked worse.


    For a moment that seemed like it would never end, neither of them spoke.


    And then—


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Good morning," Yuu said weakly, tugging at the sheets like they might somehow protect her from the mortification. They neither protected her, nor loosened. In fact, she had succeeded in making things immeasurably worse.


    Yuu had already landed flush against Azul, her hands splayed over his chest, the solid warmth of him burning through the thin fabric of his nightshirt—also silk, because, of course it was. He always seemed to show up to these situations nicely dressed, and she—she was in a hand-me-down t-shirt big enough to be a nightgown. Her legs were tangled with his, her knees bracketing his hips. His hands—she wasn’t sure if he meant to do it, if it was just reflex, but they settled firm on her waist, fingers digging in for balance.


    Azul’s mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. A deep breath—his usual composure snapped back into place like a second skin, but his ears were pink, his glasses askew as he cleared his throat.


    The air between them felt thick, too hot for comfort.


    Azul sucked in a breath through his teeth. The way his chest rose and fell against hers was not helping. At all.


    "…Well." His voice was lower than usual, rough around the edges. "This is a development."


    “Is there—is there an etiquette book somewhere for situations like this?” Yuu croaked, her voice not yet awake.


    Inevitably, her face got the memo and began to heat. Unfortunately, so did the rest of her, especially the places touching Azul.


    Etiquette book? Of course not! No one in their right mind is going to write ‘How to Be Polite When You’re on Top of Someone,’ Yuu! And even if someone did, who would read it? Everyone with a brain just…just knows, right? How do they learn? Did…did Azul know?


    If such a thing existed, he probably did.


    Floundering and sleep-addled, Yuu knew she should move. Any second now, she should push herself up, roll off of him, anything to put some safe, respectable distance between them.


    And yet.


    Yet.


    The moment stretched, unbearably charged, because Azul was watching her. His silver-blue eyes were wide, just slightly dilated, flitting from her face to her parted lips like some part of him had forgotten how to think.


    His fingers flexed on her waist.


    A shiver ran up her spine, and suddenly, though Yuu didn’t know what should be done, she very much knew that she wanted to feel that again. She stopped fighting the pull of the sheets, and clumsily, her arms fell, letting her in closer to his sleepy expression, the softness of his scent.


    That snapped him out of it.


    Azul swallowed hard, his jaw tightening as he forcibly dragged his hands away from her waist, pressing them flat against the floor instead. A retreat.


    "If you don’t get off of me in the next five seconds," he warned, his voice tight, "I am going to do something incredibly stupid."


    The admission knocked the air from her lungs.


    For half a second, she almost tested him.


    Then—


    A loud, obnoxious banging on the door shattered the moment like stage glass.


    "OI, BOSS! YOU AWAKE YET?!"


    Floyd’s voice shattered the moment, and Azul’s expression twisted in a way that was almost pained.


    Yuu made a choked noise, shoving herself off him as quickly as possible, definitely not thinking about the way his chest had felt under her hands, and tumbling clumsily away from him as he assisted her in unknotting the sheet—how had it even ended up like that, anyway?


    “How does he know you’re here?” she whispered, tugging her nightshirt down as far as it would go.


    “They both scent-track,” Azul muttered, keeping his voice low.


    “Both…” she hushed, voice tight, just as Jade burst into the room.