Reimu had already laid out the futon and was all set to dive beneath the covers when a loud rattling noise echoed from the other end of the shrine. Her sense of obligation and her desire not to spend a moment longer shivering upright warred with each other, but eventually she groaned and went to investigate.
By the time she was back, muttering about stupid fairy pranks and making plans to put up a dozen wall hangings in hopes they would muffle out any noises coming from outside, her futon was already occupied.
She frowned at the long golden hair spilling over her futon cover. "Get up."
Yukari didn't get up. Instead, she imitated a hedgehog by curling herself up more tightly beneath the covers.
Reimu surveyed the lump beneath the blanket. Upon locating Yukari's shin, she gave it a small kick. "You're not going to hibernate in my futon."
"It's only a nap." Yukari's voice was groggy, but Reimu would've bet an entire small coin that she was only feigning tiredness. "I will be gone in the morning."
"What about me?"
"You have a spare futon, don't you?"
Reimu did have one, yes, even if it had seen better days. In fact, it had already seen better days back when she had been small enough to count the years of her life with the fingers of one hand. More crucially, however, the thought of having to do one more task, no matter how small, before getting to lay her head down for the night made her want to scream.
She glared at Yukari, who was too busy enjoying her ill-gained warmth and comfort to pay attention to it, then came to a rapid decision. She circled to the other side of the futon. "Make room."
She raised one corner of the cover and slipped beneath it.
It took some manoeuvring, both in terms of elbowing Yukari pointedly enough to make her cede some ground and in terms of folding her body to fit Yukari's like a puzzle piece, but finally, she was lying sideways with her entire body comfortably enough on the futon. She closed her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Now, is this truly wise?" Yukari no longer sounded drowsy.
"It's the best idea I've had the whole week. Quit hogging the blanket."
Reimu had no intentions of saying more that night. Instead, she focused on slowly breathing in and out, hoping this wasn't one of those nights when exhaustion made sleep more elusive despite all common sense suggesting they were a perfect match.
Some time later, she sensed an intent gaze boring into her forehead. She opened her eyes to frown.
Yukari's eyes were fully open. It was too dark for Reimu to tell which colour they were just then, but their gaze was quietly contemplative. "You of all people must know the risks of sharing a bed with a youkai."
Her tone was as light as usual when she made jests, but the very softness with which she spoke the words made them sound almost serious.
Reimu considered her response for a moment, then closed her eyes again. "I'm not afraid of you."
Yukari chuckled and leaned closer to press a kiss against Reimu's hairline. "I love you too."
She stayed close, her breath ghosting against Reimu's forehead. In mere moments, the quality of her breathing changed, softer and somehow more remote even though she hadn't moved.
Reimu cracked one eye open to see Yukari had gone out like a snuffed candle. Smiling, she settled herself more comfortably in the crook of Yukari's arm. As soon as she relaxed again, the familiar pull of slumber began to drag her down.
The last thing she remembered thinking before falling asleep struck her as silly, but she was too tired to berate herself for it. Therefore, she drifted off hoping that Yukari's face was the first thing she saw waking up as well.