#while he sleeps in random places because he snores and it prevents me from functioning let alone sleeping

[mayspicer]

He keeps me company while I work

[real-life-pine-tree]

Rehabilitation: Yuto’s Knightly Transitioning (8/?)

Side effects may include a loss of self-identity and individuality, frequent nightmares, questioning your own existence, severe mental trauma, constant panic attacks, spontaneous crying at random moments, and a strong desire to stay with loved ones at all cost. Co-written with @violetganache42​​​​​. Takes place between Chapters 6 and 7 of Arc-V Aftermath.

The next morning, after a busy day of the Sakaki-Osaku family attending the Faire, Yugo and Rin moving out of the orphanage, Yuri joining the Duel Academy gardening club, and Celina transferring to Paradise Prep, everything was finally starting to return to normal for the Obsidians, who had spent the past couple days readjusting to their daily lives. It felt like forever since they last did anything at their house prior to the Invasion, so they have been readjusting to whatever they missed on their schedules…besides the haircuts and bath treatments.

At exactly 7am, the robot maids entered the individual rooms of the family members to wake them up. Lulu, on the other hand, woke up to her former nursemaid's voice.

"GOOD MORNING, MISTRESS LULU," Lillybot said. "SHALL I PREPARE YOUR MORNING TEA?"

Lulu sat up in her bed and politely yawned. "Of course," she answered as she got out of bed, ready for her morning shower.

Meanwhile, in the guest bedroom, Yuto was still asleep…and his snores that were coming out of his wide open mouth were quite voluminous. Aside from that, the clothes he usually wears to bed looked untidy, with the bottom of the shirt exposing his lower torso, the left sleeve pulled down to reveal his shoulder, and the sleeves of his sweatpants slightly rolled up. His position made even appeared to have his legs spread out with his knees bent, his right arm over his head as it lies on the bed and the left arm over the edge. It’s also worth noting that the pillows were tossed all over the bed and the blanket was messed up—half-on and half-off the mattress. Speaking of which, it was the most comfortable mattress he has ever slept on. He wasn’t used to these at all, so this might be the best sleep he has ever had.

While Yuto slept, Orbital entered the room and approached the sleeping teen. "GOOD MORNING, MASTER Y-YUTO," the head robo-butler said. "IT IS TIME FOR YOU-"

BONK!

Yuto had used the left arm that was dangling from the edge of the bed to turn off the alarm clock, but there was a slight problem: there was no alarm clock. The only piece of technology that was in the room besides the lights was Orbital 7, the Obsidians’ robotic head butler, who had just been mistaken for an alarm clock.

"MASTER Y-YUTO?" Orbital asked, but the eggplant-haired teen shifted in his sleep, not waking up at all.

Meanwhile, Lulu was already inside her personal bathroom, taking a shower. Ever since she was a toddler, she was given lessons and techniques on how to properly maintain a long and beautiful hairstyle, which she still does to this day. She even had to take care of it during the Invasion, but it was more difficult for her because trying to find places with decently functioning plumbing was a challenge. At least she was lucky enough to find water for the Resistance to drink and for her to wet and style her hair; with Heartland City destroyed at the time, it was improbable for anyone to shower, so she had to make due with what there was. So when she finally washed it thanks to Julia, she was so happy that her hair remained long and beautiful even after not bathing for months.

While Lulu was washing her hair with FeatherSoft shampoo, she heard a knock on the door. "Come in," she said, wondering who wanted to see her since Lillybot was currently brewing her morning tea.

Orbital entered the bathroom. "MISTRESS L-LULU, MASTER Y-YUTO IS NOT WAKING UP," he reported.

"Oh?" Lulu asked.

"I SUSPECT IT IS BECAUSE OF HIS NEW BED IN THE GUEST BEDROOM," Orbital guessed.

Lulu let out a small, polite laugh. "Of course," she said. "He must be used to the same type of mattresses Zuzu uses."

"SO CAN YOU MAKE SURE HE WAKES UP?" Orbital asked.

"I'll see him once I finish my shower," Lulu said.

Some time later, Lulu had just gotten out of the shower and was wearing a light yellow bathrobe with a light blue towel wrapped around her head to help absorb some of the water in her hair before properly drying it and had on a pair of sleepwear slippers. She exited her room and walked over to the guest bedroom where Yuto slept for the night. The door was opened just a tiny bit and has been that way ever since Orbital wasn’t successful at waking him up. She slowly pushed it to check in on him, and sure enough, he was still on the bed in a deep slumber. He must have turned around and was now on his left side facing the doorway shortly after the robo-butler left, and Lulu couldn’t help but find him adorable as he slept. His legs were now closed, but the pant legs were still rolled up and his shoulder was still exposed; however, he was holding one of the pillows near his body. He must really like the mattress her family has.

Letting out a small giggle, Lulu approached her sleeping boyfriend. "Yuto..." she said, gently touching his cheek. "It's time to wake up..."

However, Yuto stopped snoring and moaned a bit from the slight contact. "Yuto...?" Lulu asked.

"Mom..." Yuto muttered in his sleep.

Lulu smiled softly, realizing he was dreaming about his mom. However, his content expression became that of fear.

"Yuto?" Lulu repeated, starting to sound concerned.

"Mom, don't leave me..." Yuto said in his sleep. "Please... Don't..." His eyes shot wide open. "MOM!"

Lulu was surprised, seeing her boyfriend heaving as he sat up. "Did you have a bad dream?" she asked.

Yuto looked around the room, confused. "...Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in the guest bedroom," Lulu answered. "You moved in last night after returning from a Renaissance Faire with the Sakakis."

Yuto looked around the bedroom to see that he had indeed moved in last night. There was luggage next to the closet that contained his clothes he had packed, along with the Sword of Nobles hung up on the wall parallel to the bed and a small shrine on the right nightstand that contained the framed selfie of him and Lono, which was made last night in memory of her.

"Right..." Yuto said. "I forgot about that."

"But did you really need to bring that sword with you?" Lulu asked. "It looks pretty dangerous."

"It's something I won at the Renaissance Faire," Yuto explained. "Only true Knights with the kindest of hearts can wield the Sword of Nobles. It's a reminder that I really belong here, among your kind."

Lulu let out a small giggle and gave Yuto a 'good morning' kiss. "We can discuss this later," she said. "Right now, you need to freshen up."

"Oh, right," Yuto said. He got out of bed. "Sorry for oversleeping."

As Yuto walked over to the private bathroom in the room, Lillybot entered holding a teacup with a small plate. "YOUR MORNING TEA IS READY," she told Lulu. "PLEASE REMEMBER TO SIP IT SLOWLY."

"Thanks Lillybot," Lulu said as Lillybot gave her the teacup.

"Morning tea?" Yuto repeated. "You drink tea every morning?"

"Mother said the time I take to drink from this teacup is the same amount of time needed to properly remove extra water from my hair," Lulu explained. She took a sip from the teacup. "So I started drinking a special tea blend every morning a few years ago."

"That's pretty interesting to hear," Yuto remarked before he closed the private bathroom door.

Upon turning around, he saw his reflection in the mirror and noticed how much of a sleepy mess he was. Aside from his rolled up pants and his shoulder poking out from the neck hole of his large shirt, he had a severe case of bed head as a result of him oversleeping. It was a good thing he was about to take his shower and he caught on how nicer it was when compared to his old bathroom and Yuya’s in fact, everything about this bathroom had a nice appearance. It just so happened to be his reaction when he first moved in—he loved everything about the house when he first saw it…that is, until one of the maidbots gave him a forced spa treatment because she thought he was a visitor of some sort. Because of that, special 'pampering-prevention' protocols had to be activated. Who would have ever thought that such simple programs designed to avoid unnecessary grooming would come in handy?

Yuto noticed several bottles of shampoo on the bathroom counter. Curious, he picked up one of them and read the label. "Uh, Lulu?" he called out. "What kind of shampoo is 'MoonShine'?"

"It's a special kind of shampoo focusing on a type of spa treatment called hair-therapy," Lulu explained from outside the bathroom. "The kind my family buys focuses on detangling hair."

Detangling hair? It does make sense since hair was vulnerable to getting tangled up in snarls and knots, as seen with Yuto’s bed head; he switched his sight between MoonShine, his messy hair, and the shampoo-stocked counter. Man, they sure do have a lot of shampoo brands, he thought to himself. And I’m just used to using only one. How do they even know who uses what?

Well, it shouldn’t matter to him regardless because as long as he continues using his Spike and Curl, he’ll be fine in terms of shampoo usage. …But dang, they seriously have a lot for their respective hair care regimens and spa treatments. Dandruff control. Silky and soft results. You name it. Some of the most expensive brands they bought were used to treat any familial hair issue, so it was nice that they were prepared, but do they really need several of them? Yuto assumed it must be a perk of being born in a wealthy, elite, and high-class environment and decided to carry on with his shower.

Once Yuto took off his sleepwear and put it in a nearby hamper, he stepped into the shower with the bottle of MoonShine he was holding and turned on the water. Standing underneath the shower hose, he let the warm water pour down from above and soak his hair and entire body; a multitude of droplets sprinkle onto the eggplant-shaped locks and flowed down the tangled strands while the rest made impact on his skin and slid down to the ground. Even though he was already clean from his spa treatment, he wanted to freshen up on his own without the hassle of maidbots catching him off guard and giving him one.

With him now soaking wet, he took the bottle of MoonShine and applied the same amount he typically uses with his shampoo brand. He caught a whiff of its scent—and found it to be quite sweet—before lathering it all over his hair. The scrubbing of his hands through the strands and on the scalp created foamy suds on top of his head. If he was going to be honest, it felt a little weird not using his own shampoo brand, but it does detangle hair, so he’ll be fine with it as long as it gets rid of his bed head. Will it still retain the same spiky results? Yuto asked himself. Guess there’s only one way to find out.

"Look at you, Mr. Big-Shot. You're finally livin' the good life."

Yuto let out a chuckle as he applied some lavender-scented soap to his body. "Good morning to you too, Zarc," he said.

"So what's the plan for today? A fun swim in the luxury pool? Being fed grapes as you get a manicure? Dueling with a diamond-encrusted Duel Disk?"

"Actually, Mr. Obsidian gave me my new weekend schedule last night," Yuto answered. "After breakfast, I'm supposed to begin my training as a wealthy person."

"Pfft. You don't need training for that! All you need to get started is a huge bath of gold coins to swim in!"

"Zarc, this isn't like those old American cartoons," Yuto said. "Apparently being wealthy involves a lot of hard work, especially with looking absolutely perfect."

"So you have to take boring lessons so you can marry your girlfriend? That doesn't sound like fun."

"It kind of is," Yuto said. "One of my lessons is ballroom dancing. I even have some time to work in the family gym."

"Okay, maybe some of those things are fun, especially the dancing bit."

Several minutes passed and Yuto had finished with his morning shower. His hair was already soaked from the water, but at least it took care of his bed head. But one look in the mirror revealed a new dilemma.

"Stop laughing," Yuto told Zarc.

"But your hair is all flat! How could I not find that funny?!"

Zarc was right about Yuto's hair looking completely flat; his light purple bangs were covering his eyes in a similar manner to how they behaved when he was a child, only they now left some gaps in between for him to see through. To top it all off, the black locks were flat enough to almost mirror Yuya’s hairstyle. Apparently, MoonShine doesn’t work well with spiky hair yet it does work for other types of hair, so that was kind of ironic to say the least.

"This is why I also have to use a hairdryer," Yuto said. Luckily he found a hairdryer on the bathroom counter, so he plugged it in and used it and a brush to make sure his hair was dry and nicely brushed.

"Didn't you used to have shorter hair?"

"Yes," Yuto answered.

"Then if managing that uncontrollable mess of hair is a problem, why not cut it short again?"

"Because I actually like this style," Yuto answered. "It helps emphasize my most attractive features."

"Oh right, I forgot you're the one with the massive ego."

"I don't have an ego," Yuto explained. "I simply like it when other people tell me how handsome I look."

"Well if those memories of your childhood are any indication, it looks like that's part of you being a mama's boy."

Yuto blushed out of embarrassment after hearing that comment. It’s not his fault he grew up as an only child for most of his life and without a father. In fact, he has never known about his father throughout his entire life, so with the lack of knowledge on his identity and spending so much time with Lono, it was understandable on why he would enjoy other people’s compliments. And with Yuto being constantly smothered by love without a father figure, no wonder people would call him a mama's boy.

"You are right," Yuto said. He finished blow drying/brushing his hair into its usual spiky style and wrapped a towel around his waist. "I did grow up without a father fig-"

"Eep!"

Yuto stopped walking to see Lulu sitting in the guest bedroom’s chair right as he exited the private bathroom. She had abruptly paused with drinking her morning tea because she wasn’t expecting to see him shirtless. Her cheeks quickly flooded with a pink hue as her eyes were already locked onto his torso…and she could not look away from it.

Yuto smirked. "Like what you see, princess?" he asked, flexing his arm.

"Peeeehhhh... Haaaaaaa..." Lulu stammered, her fingers twitching slightly. Ultimately she snapped out of it and quickly looked away as she stood up. "Breakfast is currently being prepared. You should get dressed and meet us in the dining room."

But before Yuto could reply, Lulu quickly left the guest bedroom, leaving the eggplant-haired teen confused. "Oh come on, Lulu!" he called out. "I saw you staring!"

"Congratulations, Romeo. You just broke your girlfriend's brain."

Yuto didn’t mean to; it’s like he said before: when people say he’s handsome, he knows it. Besides, he can’t help it if his figure is slightly more built than his counterparts. It was thanks to the Invasion that his muscles on his arms and chest were subtlety developing. Regardless, Lulu was right; with breakfast being made, they should get dressed. Now with complete privacy, Yuto got changed into his light gray tank top, dark gray, short-sleeved, button-up shirt, and dark jeans with his black belt along with his glasses while Lulu donned into the clothes she wore before the Invasion struck: a light yellow dress over a whitish-pale blue neck shirt, and a pair of white heeled shoes. She even tied her hair into her trademark bow-shaped hairstyle with her wing-shaped barrette.

When Yuto met up with Lulu in the hallway, he smiled softly at her. "What?" she asked.

"You should braid your hair more often," Yuto suggested. "Braids make you look super cute."

Lulu let out a small giggle. "Maybe tomorrow," she said.

"I'm serious," Yuto said as the two headed for the dining room. "I remember seeing you with braided hair during the Leo Corporation dance. I kid you not when I say you look absolutely adorable with braids."

"Oh, stop," Lulu playfully said.

"But it's true," Yuto said. He placed his hand on Lulu's waist. "All that beautiful long hair done in a single braid is an amazing look for you."

"I do like braids, but they're a hassle to make," Lulu explained. "Especially since I refuse to let anyone else touch my hair."

"I know," Yuto said, making sure his hand wasn't near the long locks. "But you would still look adorable."

Lulu giggled once again, with her cheeks that were bright pink earlier in the guest bedroom becoming a lighter rosy tint. Although it was difficult to do braids herself, she actually might consider trying to do them more often; at least it’ll help her improve on braiding her hair. With her brain already keeping that in mind, she and Yuto headed downstairs and towards the dining room. He wasn’t sure where it was located since he just moved in, but it was a good thing he can follow her to wherever it was somewhere on the first floor. Upon arriving, they saw Shay, Kameron, and Astra at the dining room getting ready to have their breakfast once it was done cooking.

"Good morning, Lulu," Astra said.

"Good morning, dearest family," Lulu replied with a small curtsey.

Yuto noticed Shay was wearing a black muscle shirt and dark grey shorts. "What's with the getup?" the Phantom Knights user asked.

"This is what I wear when I go to the family gym for my workout routine," Shay answered.

"But Shay, your weekend schedule starts with an hour and a half of business studies," Kameron informed.

"I'm aware of that, father," Shay said. "But Crow called me this morning. He wants a Turbo Duel rematch this afternoon."

"A Turbo Duel?" Astra asked, confused and alarmed. "Since when did you get a Duel Runner license?"

"I didn't," Shay answered. "But I was given a Duel Runner during my time in the Synchro Dimension."

"And this Crow person wants to duel you?" Kameron asked.

"Precisely," Shay answered.

"But son, being the CEO of a major company is important," Kameron said. "You have to understand that business normally comes first."

"Your father is right," Astra agreed. "We worked hard to make this company possible, and we need you to keep it running when we retire."

"But surely I'll have enough time to-" Shay started to say, but then some robot maids entered the dining room with food.

"YOUR BREAKFAST IS READY, OBSIDIAN FAMILY," a robot maid said. "TODAY'S BREAKFAST IS PANCAKES AND GREASE-FREE BACON. ENJOY."

As a few robot maids exited the kitchen to bring out plates of pancakes and bacon, Yuto was left surprised by what he witnessed. He has heard stuff about how wealthy parents normally treat their children, but it didn’t apply here because Kameron and Shay were quite civil with discussing their disagreements. Does that mean this family functions like a genuine family even though they live in a high class environment and are taught elite manners?

As the family (and Yuto) sat down to eat their breakfast, the discussion resumed. "As I was saying, father," Shay continued. "Surely I'll have enough time to duel Crow."

Kameron thought about that idea. "That could work," he said. "While I am unhappy with how you received a Duel Runner, we could have the duel take place during your resting hour from 5pm to 6pm. Is that alright?"

"Of course," Shay answered. "Thank you for understanding."

Astra noticed Yuto's surprised expression. "Oh my goodness," she said. "I'm sorry you had to witness that unfortunate squabble."

Yuto was even more baffled. The way Astra apologized sounded like he saw a hostile argument. "You're very civil about disagreements," he remarked.

"Of course we are," Kameron said. "Why argue when we can settle disputes with compromises?"

"Father is right, Yuto," Lulu said. "We compromise about a lot of things. Why would you think otherwise?"

Yuto took a bite out of his provided pancakes. "Because while my mom was usually very loving, we often had arguments," he explained. "It was mostly about how I wandered off in public places when I was younger. Apparently it had something to do with 'unexpected bursts of rage' as she called it-" He stopped himself upon realizing what that meant. "Which would explain a lot."

This epiphany made Yuto feel like his entire life felt somewhat different. His first time Awakening wasn’t from his mother’s sacrifice; according to faint memories he was now remembering, it actually happened on occasion throughout his childhood. Could that explain why he was always alone as a child? Why he was initially the outcast among the citizens of Heartland? Why he was drawn more towards the darkness? Why he chose the Phantom Knights as his archetype…and became knightly himself?

"No wonder mom always wanted me to smile," Yuto realized.

"Well you don't have to worry about that now," Lulu reassured after swallowing a mouthful of pancake. "Zarc's gone. You have nothing to worry about."

"Seriously Yuto? You still didn't tell your girlfriend about me? Does she even know Ray's in her head?"

"You're right," Yuto told Lulu. He held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry for freaking out."

"Whatever. I'm gonna go see what Yuya's up to. Hopefully it's a lot more interesting than snobby rich stuff."

That being said, Zarc finished his mental communication with Yuto and vanished from his XYZ reincarnation’s mind. Well, he didn’t exactly vanish; not only can he talk to more than one of his reincarnations, but he can freely travel between all four of their minds to talk with them, which was he was doing right now. Surely, Yuya must be doing something interesting right now after returning from the Faire.

"So with that set aside, can you please change your clothing after breakfast?" Kameron asked Shay. "You know your time in the family gym is at exactly noon."

"Certainly, father," Shay replied.

"Noon?" Yuto asked. "That's when I'm supposed to use the family gym."

"Precisely," Astra said. "I figured Shay could help get you started today. Which reminds me..." She looked over at Lulu, who was cutting her bacon into small pieces. "Lulu, I would like you to accompany Yuto for his ballroom dance lessons at 10:30am."

"But why?" Lulu asked. "I have archery practice during that time."

"For comfort reasons," Astra answered. "I know you and Shay are used to the robot dance coach, but Yuto probably isn't. Perhaps having his dance lessons with you could help him relax."

Yuto took a bite out of his pancakes, blushing heavily. "Very well, mother," Lulu agreed. "But what about my archery lessons?"

"They will occur starting at precisely 12:05pm," Astra answered.

Yuto couldn’t believe what was happening. He just moved in last night, had the most comfortable sleep of his life, and he’s already receiving scheduled lessons…and his first one is with his girlfriend! Fortunately, the revelation of Lulu’s archery practice subsided his heavy blushing a little; he never knew she did archery, but why was she being taught lessons about it in the first place?

"I didn't know you do archery," Yuto remarked.

"It's my way of getting exercise," Lulu explained. "Mother said a gym is no place for a proper lady."

"Precisely," Astra chimed in. "Especially with your hair getting sweaty, and I'm aware of how long it takes for you to wash it."

Ever since she was a toddler, Lulu always wanted to have long hair after watching several movies where actresses have long hair themselves. Astra reprogrammed Lillybot to not give out her daughter’s old haircut schedule and gave her lessons on how to take care of it over the years; as a result, she has adapted to it marvelously. Although the hair care regimen includes delicate brushing and thorough shampooing and conditioning, one of the benefits is styling it into ponytails, pigtails, braids, buns, and so on. It was rather mind-boggling on how Lulu was still able to maintain a luxurious hairstyle when water, plumbing, and hair products were scarce during the Invasion, but she definitely wasn’t a big fan of greasy hair. With that in mind, it was safe to say she doesn’t enjoy having sweaty hair either whether it is due to pumped-up adrenaline or a hot day.

"So that's why I take archery," Lulu said. "It isn't a very active sport, but it's perfect for strengthening the right amount of arm muscle."

"I could tell," Yuto noted, glancing at her arms.

A few hours later, at exactly 10:30 AM, both Yuto and Lulu arrived at the ballroom for his first ever lesson. He wasn’t sure what the Obsidians’ robotic coach is like or how these lessons go, so he felt a bit uneasy. More so, they were going to be spent with his girlfriend and he couldn’t help but feel somewhat flustered.

When Yuto and Lulu arrived at the ballroom, they were greeted by what was probably the robotic coach. "GREETINGS MASTER YUTO," he said. "ARE YOU READY TO BEGIN YOUR FIRST DANCE LESSON?"

"Of course," Yuto answered.

"EXCELLENT," the robotic coach said. "TODAY'S LESSON WILL BE A BASIC WALTZ, SO PLEASE GET INTO POSITION WITH MISTRESS LULU."

That confused Yuto. "Position...?" he asked.

"Just follow my lead," Lulu said. "Well technically you'll be the one leading me, but hopefully you get the picture."

Yuto has never done a waltz before and wasn’t sure if he remembers seeing it on television due to his personality change over the last few years. At least he now has a good reason to try and watch Waltzing with the Idols just so he can understand how it is done. He followed what Lulu did and got into his starting position; little did he know, both waltzers have to start off by standing in close proximity, leaving him madly blushing.

"Are you alright?" Lulu asked, noticing Yuto's blushy face.

"I'm fine," Yuto lied, tightening his grip on Lulu's waist. "So how does this work?"

"Well for starters, you take the lead," Lulu explained. "Now take a step forward, then to your right."

"Alright," Yuto said, subtly glancing at his feet.

"Don't look at your feet, you goof," Lulu playfully said, brushing a hand through her boyfriend's hair. "Look at me."

Yuto was unable to stop himself from blushing as he felt her hand combing the light purple and black, thick strands. When she removed her hand from his head, they proceeded with the given lesson. They stared into each other’s eyes, with Yuto attempting to maintain his composure and relax the best he could, but a part of him was glad he can finally see her magenta eyes in person and being separated from his counterparts once again. After spending so much time searching for her, adjusting with sharing Yuya’s mind with Yugo and Yuri, and nearly escaping a mind merge, this was honestly all he wanted: being with his girlfriend. Because of Yuto’s deep gaze into Lulu’s eyes, he didn’t notice his feet had moved one step forward and one step to the right.

"That's it," Lulu happily said, moving along with the music. "Now repeat the steps, but this time glide me across the floor."

"Of course, dearest princess," Yuto said, half-paying attention due to him being so happy to see her in person.

With one hand on her back and the other holding her hand, he let his feet do the moving and carried on with sliding to the rhythm of the music with Lulu following suit. The progressing waltz melody guided them across the ballroom floor with mirroring steps and, surprisingly, the basic steps of performing this smooth dance: Yuto’s left foot and Lulu’s right foot moving together and vice versa, doing left and foot changes, box steps, forward progressives, and promenades. The robot coach was dumbfounded by the sight of the two pulling off the basics in a short amount of time.

"MY GOODNESS," the robotic coach said. "YOU ARE A QUICK LEARNER, MASTER YUTO."

"What can I say?" Yuto asked in response. "I'm only feeling the flow of the music."

"Feeling the flow?" Lulu repeated. "I never heard you say that phrase before."

"I just feel really happy to see you," Yuto said as he gracefully twirled her around. "You're so pretty and perfect. I missed you so much and I want to spend so much time with you." An unusually wide grin appeared on his face. "Being with you just makes me want to high-five the sky!"

At that moment, his eyes shot wide open and he clapped both hands over his mouth, realizing what he just exclaimed. To be more specific, on how he blurted it out. He is usually never this enthusiastic and overly happy, which was better suited for Yugo, so what could have caused him to become so energetic all of a sudden?

"Are you alright?" Lulu asked, sounding a bit concern.

"I'm not sure," Yuto admitted, calming down from his little excitement moment. "I haven't seen you in such a long time. It must have given me a boost of adrenaline."

"But you saw me during the LDS dance," Lulu pointed out as she and Yuto got back into position to resume their waltz.

"While we were in Yuya and Zuzu's bodies," Yuto corrected. "I get that we were able to swap places with them, but it felt a bit off. Now I can actually feel your skin, see your pretty face, and even smell the sweet scent coming from your hair."

A light pink tint developed on Lulu’s cheeks for two good reasons. First off, she was flattered about the compliments Yuto made about her skin, face, and hair. Second of all, and more importantly, she soon realized he was right about what he explained. Although she got to reunite with him at the LID dance, it was because their souls were merged in their Pendulum counterparts’ bodies; now that their physical bodies were recovered, they could finally be with each other once again without the threat of Duel Academy catching them off guard.

"You're right," Lulu said. "I can feel actual warmth coming from your hands." She pressed her forehead against Yuto's as the two continued their waltz lessons. "I guess being trapped within someone else's body made me miss the actual feeling of touch."

"I know," Yuto agreed. He gave Lulu a brief yet loving kiss. "Being back in my body makes me want to cuddle with you every evening."

Lulu let out a small laugh. "I didn't know you're a bedtime cuddler," she remarked.

"I never grew out of that habit," Yuto admitted. "I even remember those nights when I would have a hard time sleeping due to either thunderstorms or nightmares. When that happened, I would head over to my mom's room and she would let me cuddle with her. When I got older, she gave me a body pillow as a substitute, which always proved to be effective."

He quickly reassured her that it was a blank body pillow instead of those body pillows, which she had a feeling it was. She then put two and two together and soon concluded why he had that severe case of bed head, snored loudly, and was in an overly-comfortable sleeping position. Without something or someone to cuddle with, he tends to have a difficult time going to sleep; he was lucky to have that mattress to give him one heck of a slumber.

"How about you move in to my room?" Lulu suggested, the two never breaking concentration from the waltz.

"Huh?" Yuto asked, confused.

"If you needed a body pillow to sleep, maybe I could be that pillow," Lulu explained.

Yuto nearly dropped Lulu in shock, his face turning red. He was so embarrassed that he couldn't speak properly. "Uh..."

"I mean, you can cuddle with me," Lulu explained. "I'll clear out some stuff in my room so you could have room for your stuff."

"Are you sure?" Yuto asked. "It feels kind of weird..."

"But it would be nice practice for when we get married," Lulu explained. "We will share a bed together. It wouldn't hurt to get used to that feeling."

She does have a point; because they are arranged to get married in the future, it’s never too late to begin adapting to a paired lifestyle, even if one of them involves sharing a bed. Besides, it’ll help make Yuto fall asleep faster if he moves in with her. She didn’t want to think about the amount of sleep he had during the Invasion and when he was merged with his counterparts, so at least that can also reduce the risk of restless nights he may get.

Feeling calm about this information, Yuto resumed his practice waltz with Lulu. "Alright," he agreed. "I'll sleep with you at night. Hopefully your parents have no problem with that."

"Don't worry," Lulu said. "I'm sure everything will turn out alright."