cuddles - mairi

three

dedicated to yikesitsmairi

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the first time they spooned was special to kairi. he thought it represented their unique friendship and their inseparable bond. it's a memory he could never forget and one he'll cherish for the rest of his life.

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sophomore year brought a lot of new experiences, good and bad. growing up was hard, anyone could tell you that. but what nobody can prepare you for, is the separation of your parents.

looking back, kairi felt nothing but pure pity for himself.

it was something he always kind of knew was coming and had tried to mentally prepare himself for, but when it came down to it, it was still one of the hardest parts of his adolescence. it was too much for his sheltered, naïve mind. he found himself running extra laps after practice, studying for subjects he didn't need to study for at the library, and loitering at places like the mall, parking lots, and the skate park purely so he wouldn't have to sit in his room and hear his parents arguing about who deserved custody or who was taking the living room flat screen.

but most often, he found himself relishing in mattia's blue comforter. today, he was allowing himself to indulge on listening to mattia angrily cuss in his native tongue at his xbox.

his bed smelled like a mix of all the manly colognes mattia wore daily and his irish spring bar soap but also another scent that was purely mattia polibio. It was a scent kairi only got to bask in on three occasions.

the first was times like now, kairi swaddled up in mattias bed whenever he was feeling down. this was the most common but also were the mattia scent was at its faintest. kairi took pride in his ability to sniff out which pillow mattia had used last while hiding his creepy habit from said boy.

the second was when mattia hugged kairi. kairi hugged mattia every chance he got. the twig arms wrapped around kairi and made him feel completely secure and safe. kairi adored hugging him and breathing in the scent around his neck, even if it lasted less than a few seconds. every hug was distinctive and noteworthy to the asain boy. mattia hugs were some of life's greatest pleasures and kairi made sure to gratefully take in and savor every single one.

the third occasion where kairi would get to smell mattia was when they cuddled. if you ever asked kairi what heaven felt like and then asked him what his 'batti boy snuggles' felt like, you'd notice he gave the same answer twice. nothing would ever compare to the pure ecstasy kairi felt with his face all smushed up against mattias neck with an unlimited supply of the aroma and the smooth rhythm mattias heart drummed against the palm of kairi's hand. mattia would sometimes softly rub the boys back which he had quickly learned was his best friends 'off switch.' kairi never lasted more than 5 minutes awake when mattia held his wrist to make sure kairis hand never left his chest and caress his back with his free hand. curling up with mattia brought kairi a pleasure he supposed words could never do justice, it was truly just something you had to experience to fully appreciate.

"vaffanculo!" his best friend yelled into the mic. kairi giggled to himself quietly as he watched his italian friend powerfully yell words that meant essentially nothing to kairi at the screen he sat absurdly close to.

kairi didn't know what game that was. now that he thought about it, he'd been a little absent from his friend group lately. not physically, as mattia somehow always made sure plans aligned with whatever obstacles kairi was facing. he was grateful for that. without his friends, kairi wouldn't have much to lean on right now. the entire support system he'd had since birth was being ripped apart at its seams right now just a few minutes drive from mattias house. god, he was lucky for mattia, ale, alvaro, roshaun and robert. they'd done nothing but hug him while he cried and remind him that things would work out. he couldn't help feeling guilty. he couldn't even remember the inside joke they spent all lunch laughing at yesterday.