Chapter Text
Dreaming felt quite surreal in this reality—it was a big mashup of both your past and your new present—old fragments of your last moments alive mingled with that same terror of facing the death games that welcomed you afterward. You twisted and turned pretty much the entire night, the heat of two bodies surrounding you leaving you uncomfortably warm (yet this was all you ever wanted—so it was worth any discomfort.)
Around the time the first flashes of golden light flickered through the thin gap in the curtain, you were wide awake with your eyes remaining closed. You could feel the second that Chishiya awoke—his body stiffened almost immediately once he gained consciousness and recognized where he was. Your stomach did a backflip as you felt his gaze rake over your body. After a few seconds of delirious realization, he pushed himself from the warm mattress. You could feel the heat of his body disappear as you listened to the soft sound of him slipping on his shoes and shuffling through the room. Had you not already been awake, you’d never notice him leaving. He was stealthy and quiet.
Your eyes only opened as the door clicked shut.
With a deep sigh you tried not to be disappointed—this was something you knew would happen. There wasn’t even a sliver of hope that he’d be there when you awoke, but you had wished you wouldn’t be awake to witness him going. You paused for a second before climbing from the bed yourself, quiet as to not disturb a sleeping Kuina, and trudged to the bathroom. After relieving yourself and brushing your teeth, you started preparing for your day by doing slow stretches. Your body felt as stiff as a board despite resting between your (once fictional) favorite people. Maybe it was because subconsciously you knew it would never happen again, and instead of enjoying it and allowing yourself to sleep, your brain decided to torture you with that little reminder throughout the night.
Distantly, you wondered what Chishiya was doing right now. Whether he had chosen to go back to sleep after his long night in a game or if he had moved on from sleep completely, optimizing his morning by scheming instead (or whatever devious cat-like individuals like to do at this hour). You wonder if Kuina had made him uncomfortable by dragging him to your room. Perhaps he will stay even farther away from now on.
An even larger thought quickly shadowed that one.
Tonight is game night for you.
Game night—which could literally entail anything under the sun—and you didn’t feel a lick prepared for it. Your body was still tense even after the stretching, and your mind was too focused on last night to focus on the present moment, which was dangerous. Breathing exercises couldn’t shake your mind off the soft sound of Chishiya’s snores and the way he subconsciously rubs at his face whilst he sleeps.
You’ve already seen way more than what you had planned, and gotten more attached then you already had been. The nightstand, where Kuina had placed the water bottle and extra pain medicine, was empty. Chishiya had at least taken those, then.
Sighing, you shrugged on your comfort jacket and exited the room quietly. You needed a breath of fresh air and there was no way you’d get any more sleep, so you headed outside where a cool breeze greeted you. The air was so crisp, more so than it probably ever had been, you assume. Especially with the lack of pollution. The sun was bright and casted a white glow on the resort, providing just enough heat to be comforting as you trailed near the pool. There was only one other person out here—a younger woman who seemed pretty fit—and she gave you a curt nod before starting her laps. Smart, to stay in shape. She was undoubtedly a Spades player (and almost reminded you of Usagi, had it not been for the long hair that nearly touched her waist).
Speaking of Usagi, you wondered just how much you’d come into contact with the level-headed woman. She was admirable just as much as the others, for her groundedness, sharp decision-making and loyalty to those she deems kind-hearted. Usagi knew how to handle her emotions in a way that you heavily admired—you almost wanted to ask her how she contained herself so well in the face of certain death. Unlike Chishiya, though, she was kind and did care for others, especially Arisu. She was balanced between using her head and her heart to make decisions. Chishiya only made decisions that ensured his own survival, which you have made a bad habit of forgetting, unfortunately.
The silence of the area was a stark contrast to the usually bustling crowds surrounding the pool. The thought of dipping your feet in crossed your mind—and quickly left, because who knows what has gone on in that water. You grimace and make your way back inside the resort to the dining hall. There was hardly anyone moving about the hallways at this hour. The sound of clattering utensils from the cooks echoed from within the room. The second you pushed open the doors, a hooded figure clad in all white greeted your line of sight.
Chishiya is already there. In fact, aside from the designated cooks, he is the only one there.
The scent of coffee warms the room. He glances at you briefly, as if confirming his suspicions, and makes it a point to stare back down at his mug. Noted. He doesn’t want to talk with you. Ironically, though, he’s sat at the usual table the three of you inhabit, right by the coffee station. You’ll have to get close to make your coffee anyways, so you skip breakfast and head straight for him.
It’s hard to ignore the dark circles under his eyes, despite how nonchalant he presents himself as. Knowing how he looked in the series compared to now…it’s different. He’s different. Well, he’s human.
Detached as always, he takes another sip of his mug and pretends to not be swamped with exhaustion. You allow him to pretend and start making your own mug of coffee. The smell is the only thing that reminds you of normalcy in this cruel place. You inhale as deeply as you can as you pour the dark liquid to the top, leaving just enough room for powdered creamer. All the good stuff has already expired. After adding your usual amount of creamer and sugar, you turn towards the table, hesitating as you decide whether it’s a death sentence to sit beside him. He—of course—feels your stare.
“Just sit,” he sighs, not turning around.
You say nothing, but take the seat to his right. Blowing on the steamy liquid to cool it down, you take a small sip of the slightly-bitter liquid and turn to him. “Did you get enough sleep?”
He stares ahead at the doors instead of meeting your eyes. “I feel fine.”
“Okay.” You don’t press the issue—you know it’s unlikely that he’ll open up and admit any sort of hindrance. “That’s good, then. I figured you did. Especially with all that snoring. I woke up thinking the building was collapsing this morning.”
He shoots you a look, but you couldn’t miss the way his lip twitches. He wants to smile. “Nothing could combat your hovering. You radiate heat—it’s ridiculous.”
“The bed was meant for two, what can I say.”
“I have a feeling you’d hover regardless.”
“Yeah? Feel like finding out?”
“When? Tonight?” Chishiya chuckles dryly. “I doubt you’ll survive your game.”
“Mean,” you huff. “You’re just so mean. Who raised you? Thanos?”
“Thanos was hardly cruel.”
A grin breaks across your face. “You got my reference?”
“Unfortunately, I’ve gotten all of your references.”
“So, who's your favorite hero then?” you question, suddenly very intrigued and thankful the awkwardness has dissipated faster than you thought.
“Don’t have one. They’re all self-sacrificing idiots.”
“Who saved half the universe.”
“You’re aware they’re just fictional characters, I hope.”
Yeah. Yeah. But also maybe not. Maybe the line between fiction and non-fiction has become a little unclear. But you say: “Duh. You still watched the movies. You enjoyed that shit, don’t lie.”
He deflects. “Was Kuina still asleep?”
“Yeah.” You take another sip. “I couldn’t sleep much. I didn’t want to wake her up. Sleep is muy importante, you know.”
He hums. “For some.”
“For everyone.” You gently move without thinking and tap his shaking hand. “No more coffee today. You should really get more sleep if you can.”
“Are you worried about me?” He asks with a sly smirk.
“Irrelevant.” You shake your head. He doesn’t need to know that he’s always on your mind—even during rest—and that last night was soft and warm and something you wish could happen every night. He’d probably be escaping at lightening speed if you said anything along those lines. “I just can’t have my second favorite escape artist sleep-deprived.”
He scoffs softly. “Second favorite, mm?”
“Kuina calls me pretty.”
His onyx eyes trail over your features. His voice is scratchy as he responds. “You’re alright, I guess.”
“See? This is why you're my second favorite.”
You can’t deny that the way he looks at you sends heat curling in your gut. Those black eyes must see right through you—especially given the way they sparkle with amusement at the pink hue on your cheeks. He’s caught you, but lucky for you, he’s too tired to tease you much more than: “If I call you pretty, I’ll be your favorite?”
“Hm. Maybe.” You avoid those searching eyes, solely focused back on the coffee. That kind of attention from him may as well be explosive material.
“I suppose you are pretty…” he says slowly, not tearing his eyes away. The heaviness of his gaze makes you swallow. “Pretty stupid.”
“Wow.” The rudeness causes you to laugh, eyes crinkling as you smile. “You’re just terrible.”
He shrugs half-heartedly. “I am what I am.”
“I call you pretty.”
He raises an eyebrow. “And?”
“It’s nice to be complimented, right? Everyone likes that.”
“I don’t search for validation from others.”
“God, you would say some shit like that.” A hollow laugh leaves your mouth. “It’s not about needing validation. It just feels nice sometimes.”
“Sounds like you want me to compliment you.” He hums, moving to take the last sip of his coffee. You tap his wrist again and shake your head. Surprisingly, he shakily sets the mug back on the table.
“The day you freely hand out compliments we’ll all be doomed—but I won’t deny one.”
He inhales, amused, and stands from his seat to place his mug on the rack for dirty dishes. He doesn’t move to sit back down. “I’ll meet you before your game tonight in your room. There’s something better than a compliment I’ve been working on for you.”
You cup your hand over your mouth. “Chishiya. You’re dirty as hell.”
His dark eyes squint. “Says the one who misinterprets everything I say.”
“It’s hard not to when you talk like that.” You cast him a little wink. “But I’ll wait for you.”
“Every day I regret involving you in this.” He sighs, pushing his hands into the pocket of his white jacket.
“You can’t deny I’m the comedic relief.”
“You’re entertaining occasionally.”
“Was that a compliment?”
He shrugs. Empty eyes scan your seated figure once more. “I don’t do second place.”
“Interesting. You’ll have to do better than that, then.”
He gives you a parting half-lipped smirk. “Something tells me you’ll change your mind. Kuina calls you pretty.” He turns to walk away, hovering near your table. Just loud enough for you to hear, he says, “I can do much better than that.”