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1.
It’s been a few days since they’ve beaten the Ten of Hearts game and found the deceased dealers. So far, there’s been no sign of any other games, and the visas on their phones have frozen. At this point, Arisu is lost. Even Chishiya, who usually seems to be five steps ahead of everyone, has been eerily silent on the matter. Still no sign of any face cards, and yet, they’re still trapped here in limbo.
They don’t speak much about it. Not after the first couple of days, at least. Kuina has been gnawing on her fake cigarette more than usual, and making far fewer jokes than before.
Usagi, who has always been the most active, has been going on runs every couple of hours like she’s training for the Olympics. Arisu wants to connect with her again, but after the events at the Beach, she has distanced herself from him. He knows she can’t forgive Chishiya for turning them over and betraying them.
He honestly doesn’t know how he’s managed to forgive and forget so easily. It’s just - something about Chishiya intrigues him. He forgets to be angry at him.
Arisu stares at the crackling campfire in front of him, the hiss and pops of the wood being oddly soothing. The fluid movements of the flames are entrancing. He watched them weave back and forth, up and down, sometimes growing larger and sometimes nearly dying out before he added another stick to the pile. There’s genuinely nothing better to be doing. He’s proven to be shit at catching rabbits, so Usagi asked him kindly to stay behind and tend this fire. So, here he is. Tending the fire. He can do that.
Kuina claimed she needed to stay in shape, so she had followed Usagi to help hunt. Now, only Arisu and Chishiya were left at the campsite.
It was growing colder in the Borderlands with every passing day. The seasons worked differently here. During the day, it was easy to assume they were still in the late summertime, but the nights were unforgiving. Even the slightest of breezes felt like a knife’s edge to his exposed skin. He wrapped the blanket he had stolen - would it even be considered stolen anymore? - tighter around his thin frame. The lack of substance was also causing him to lose weight quickly; the stores had pretty much all been raided of food at this point.
Chishiya remained silent on the opposite side of the campfire, using a pocket knife to whittle one of the sticks into an unsettlingly sharp point. Arisu would occasionally sneak a glance at him, curiosity gnawing at his insides. He wanted desperately to say something, anything, to start a conversation.
There was so much he wanted to know about the blond. What his life was like, how he kept his appearance consistently neat and tidy, when he became so detached…
“You’re staring,” Chishiya says, voice indifferent.
Arisu blinks. “Oh, uh - sorry.”
“Just say what you want to say to me, Arisu.”
Arisu parts his lips, about to defend himself, before his shoulders drop in defeat. This is his chance to finally ask what’s been weighing on his mind. There’s no point in pretending he isn’t curious.
He fiddles with the rubix cube in his hands to take the edge off. “Chishiya…” he hesitates, trying to decide how he wants to come across. “At the beach… Why did you choose Usagi and I for your plan?”
Chishiya raises an eyebrow, flipping the pocket knife in his slender hands. “Do you want my honest answer?”
Arisu nods. His heart is beating wildly in his chest, waiting for the answer to the question that plagues not only his but also Usagi’s thoughts. There is a part of him that hopes for some semblance of remorse in Chishiya’s eyes, but he finds none.
“During the five of Spades, you risked your life to help the other players,” Chishiya states. He maintains eye contact with Arisu, his face devoid of any emotion. “That was the first time I had witnessed another player do something like that. I thought you were incredibly stupid…. except. When you beat me to the door, I realized you were smarter than I had given you credit for. You showed potential.”
“But… how? How did you know I was going to go along with your plan to steal the cards?”
“Simple. You wanted to save Usagi. You have a big heart, Arisu. It has saved your life, but it is also your weakness. You trusted me without even knowing me, and I knew I could trick you into doing whatever I wanted. It wasn’t personal. You were smart enough to execute my plan, and gullible enough to not see my true intentions.”
A deep ache settled in Arisu’s chest. “Yeah, that makes sense.”
Chishiya was silent for a few minutes before adding, “I didn’t know they’d keep you alive, though. I knew you’d most likely die, but - the torture. I didn’t know they would do that to you.”
Arisu swallows thickly. “It was… it was awful. I couldn’t breathe. They had taped my entire face - and the smoke from the fires…”
“ Like I said, it wasn’t personal.”
It’s the closest to an apology he’d probably ever get.
“I forgive you,” he murmured.
“You shouldn’t. If I had to, I would do it again.”
“I know.”
“Then why…” Chishiya huffed in disbelief. “I take back what I said. You are incredibly stupid.”
“Hey,” Arisu complains. “I’m just saying — I get it. You just want to survive. So does everyone else here. We just have different morals, I guess, but our goal is the same. Usagi, though, I don’t think she’ll ever forgive you. I don’t blame her.”
“She’s smart,” Chishiya mused. He drops the stick he carefully whittled into the fire. The flames spark, casting a beautiful reflection in Chishiya’s dark eyes. “I’d advise you to learn from her.”
“She is,” he nods. “She saved my life multiple times.”
“I don’t doubt that,” the blond smirks, standing up from the log he had been sitting on. He brushes off the dirt from his sweatpants and makes his way around the fire to return to his tent.
Arisu opens his mouth to make a defensive remark when his eyes fixate on Chishiya’s untied shoelace. Before he can warn him, however, the blond is already tumbling forward. Arisu gasps, attempting to reach out and catch him, but it’s too late.
The fall was almost surreal — a stark departure from Chishiya’s typically refined, calculating presence. He hits the moist ground with the amount of grace of a football player, a grunt leaving his lips.
Arisu quickly clamps his hand over his mouth to hide the shock and bubbling laughter building in his stomach.
He’s kind of worried that if he laughs, Chishiya might make quick work of killing him and leaving his body for the girls to find.
“Are you—“ Arisu tries to ask if he’s okay, but he feels lightheaded from trying to hold back his smile.
“Don’t say a word,” Chishiya threatens, pushing himself up from the soil and smoothly making his way back to the tent. His pristine white jacket is smudged with dirt and even for Chishiya he looks utterly defeated.
The second the tent is zipped up, Arisu loses his composure and lets out a muffled laugh into the palm of his hand. It’s the first time he’s seen Chishiya act even remotely human, and it’s a damn relief to know that even Chishiya of all people is susceptible to awkwardness. He ignores the flutter in his chest at the interaction, desperately trying to remind himself that even though Chishiya is human, he’s dangerous.
2.
Out of both respect and terror, he doesn’t tell the girls about Chishiya’s humanity.
Time passes on as it did before, both fast and slow at the same time, and they both pretend it never happened. Arisu doesn’t really understand why Chishiya still hangs around them if he’s so adamant about not trusting other people, but he figures there’s got to be a good, logical explanation for it.
Regardless, he finds that he enjoys Chishiya’s presence, which is - according to Usagi - downright idiotic. It doesn’t bother him that everyone views him as such. He likes to think he can see a bit beyond the surface - or maybe he just relies too heavily on his heart. It’s gotten him pretty far here in this world, though, despite everyone predicting his inevitable death. Perhaps the part of him that longs for his best friends is desperately trying to make up for their absence. He hates to admit it, but this little group of theirs has grown on him.
By now, it’s been two weeks since Witch Hunt.
The girls have gotten pretty great at hunting, and they’ve mainly been surviving off of whatever they can bring back to camp - squirrels, rabbits and once even a deer.
That had lasted them a few days, but today was not a good day. Kuina and Usagi had come back to camp looking irritated and empty-handed. Usagi was too prideful to say anything, but Kuina gave them a sad smile and confirmed, “Nothing tonight.”
Chishiya raised an eyebrow, but nodded. He stood from his spot on the log he had been sitting on (it’s pretty much his spot at this point, no one else dares to sit there, even though it’s the most comfortable) and motions for Arisu to follow him.
“Huh?” Arisu asks dumbly.
Chishiya rolls his eyes. “Come on. It’s our turn to find something to eat.”
He nods, scrambling up from his seat and grabbing his hoodie. It’s black and two sizes too big for him, but it keeps him warm, so he can’t complain. He pulls it hastily over his head, matting his hair down to his face, and follows after the blond.
For someone so short, Chishiya walks fast. He doesn’t stop to wait for Arisu for even a second.
“Where are we gonna go?” Arisu implored, his voice clearly exhausted.
Chishiya shrugged, “We’ll find something.”
He seems so sure of himself that Arisu doesn’t question him further, and the two drop into an uncomfortable silence. Well, uncomfortable for Arisu. Chishiya seems as unbothered as usual.
He directs his attention to their surroundings instead. The greenery is rapidly blanketing the city. Thick vines curl their way up the concrete buildings; nature is once again taking control of the Earth, like it should be, he supposes. Regardless, it’s an unsettling sight.
He remembers how the city looked before all of this. Once bright and lively, with hundreds of tourists and natives alike. It was always so loud in Tokyo. He misses the lights, the crowds and the noise. He misses technology – being able to play games, which is kind of ironic. Video games, of course. Back before his life was on the line if he lost.
It had been two weeks since the games had ceased. Two weeks since they had encountered another player. It almost felt like they were the last remaining alive, although that seemed far-fetched considering the number of survivors from the Beach. He wonders about Ann and Tatta, where they are, if they’re still okay. He figures Ann could easily survive on her own, but he’s not as certain about Tatta.
He shakes the overactive thoughts in his mind away when Chishiya finds an old convenience store. The glass windows are untouched, which is a pretty good sign. The inside was a little less pristine, though.
None of the shelves had been pushed over or damaged, unlike some of the other shops they had tried to scavenge supplies from.
Layers of dust covered every surface.
“Bingo,” Chishiya says, sounding pleased with himself as he finds a stash of biscuits and other chips.
Arisu’s eyes crinkled in amusement. “You’re very lucky, Chishiya.”
Chishiya hums, snatching a tote bag from behind the counter and trailing back over to the snacks, piling them all into the bag. Arisu refrains from helping him, if only because he doesn’t want to lose his hand.
As Chishiya swipes the last bag of biscuits from the back of the shelf, his jacket brushes through a layer of dust and sends flurries of it right into his face.
He grimaced in annoyance, wiping his cheek. Arisu watches as his hand pauses for a second, and then —
achoo!
A soft, kitten-like sneeze escaped him, barely more than a whisper of a sound.
The sneeze is so meek; it’s easily the cutest sneeze Arisu had ever heard.
Arisu can’t control the bright grin that breaks out on his face, eyes wide with awe. “Chishiya, your sneeze—“
“Shut up,” Chishiya glowers, wiping the rest of the dust off his face. His dark eyes find Arisu and his frown deepens at his delighted expression.
“—is so cute!”
“It’s not,” Chishiya huffs.
“It is,” Arisu presses, “I love it.”
Chishiya avoids his gaze, turning his cheek.
He sneezes twice more on the way back to their camp, and Arisu’s heart explodes with each one.
He’s decided he absolutely adores these little displays of human nature from Chishiya, and he’s absolutely forgetting the danger of that fact.
3.
At the beginning of week three, they all had begun forming their own little hobbies to pass the time.
Kuina had taken up yoga with Usagi.
They found a book full of poses to practice with, and Arisu was pretty impressed by how flexible they were (not in a weird way, of course.) He tried a couple of the poses with them - after their insistence of the importance of staying active and stretching - but he was hardly as impressive. He was able to get down the “cat and cow” and “downward dog,” but it pretty much ended there.
He had gotten back into playing games, except this time there was no technology involved. He had solved the rubix cube multiple times over and was now able to solve it in under two minutes. He had also found a book of word puzzles and other challenging mind games. While the girls were staying active physically, he was staying active mentally.
He had convinced Chishiya to play a couple games of chess; it was a battle he knew he could never win. Chishiya beat him every time, but he kept playing because he enjoyed the way Chishiya’s tongue would swipe over his lips in concentration, and the way his lips would form a little smirk every time he got to drawl, “Checkmate, again, Arisu.”
It was getting slightly hard to ignore the flutter in his stomach every time he noticed some new, human feature of Chishiya’s. It had been enough time now that he had memorized what time Chishiya wakes up in the mornings, what time he goes to sleep, how he holds his water bottles, how he plays chess, how he eats —
Yeah. It was getting really hard to hide his frustration.
His heart beat rapidly in his chest, like the sound of a drum, every time Chishiya’s eyes met his.
They were so knowing, so calculating.
He knew Chishiya had probably caught onto his little crush by now. Even the girls had made a few passing comments at him to chill out because he was acting too awkward and it was getting to all of them.
He fiddled anxiously with his fingers as he once again found himself staring into the bright orange flames of the campfire. The crackling soothed his anxiety, but only slightly. He inhaled the smoky scent deeper into his lungs despite feeling like he’d choke.
He was so annoyed at himself.
Why can’t I just forget about this stupid crush?
That’s all it was. A stupid crush.
He wasn’t sure what caused it.
Obviously, for one, Chishiya was inhumanely attractive. He always kept himself clean and tidy. His clothes always smelled of something sweet, some sort of cologne he had probably stolen (still not technically stealing, he reminded himself). His hair always tucked behind his ears aside from the two soft strands that covered his cheeks.
So, yeah, obviously Chishiya was attractive.
However, it didn’t feel right to claim his crush was based on looks. Kuina and Usagi were beautiful as well, but he felt nothing for them romantically as he does for Chishiya.
Maybe it was the fact that Chishiya could never want him back.
Karube and Chota used to always tease him that he picked the worst people to fall in love with. He always chose people that were way out of his league, who never showed any interest back at him. Both women (and only ever one man) alike, they were smart, sarcastic and sort of an asshole. Chishiya pretty much fits the description of his type to a tee.
It didn’t help that they had been stuck in close proximity for three weeks now, learning the ins and outs of each other.
Chishiya knew all about Arisu - he wasn’t very good at keeping secrets about himself - but Arisu knew nothing of Chishiya and his past. The only thing he had gathered was that Chishiya had been a medical student, and the only reason he had found that out was when he had sliced his finger while helping the girls skin a squirrel. Chishiya had meticulously stitched him up, with the precision that only someone well-versed in the art of medicine could achieve.
Chishiya approached Arisu by the fire, a soft frown on his lips. He was becoming more expressive. Another thing that Arisu had taken a liking to.
“Arisu,” he says, catching his attention.
Arisu glanced up from the flames, giving Chishiya his full attention. “Hm - yeah?”
He looked defeated. He was always so meticulous, so collected, and yet here he was, staring at the mason jar in his hands he was unable to unscrew, frustration written on his usually impenetrable gaze.
He said nothing, holding out the mason jar for Arisu to take.
Arisu’s cheeks hurt from the smile on his face. “Aren’t you going to ask me to open it for you?”
“No.”
“So rude,” Arisu teases, unscrewing the lid after a few tries. He holds the jar out for Chishiya to take. Chishiya accepts it with a small nod, which Arisu knows means ‘thank you’.
“My hands were slippery,” Chishiya lies casually.
“I’m sure,” Arisu snickers. He watches as Chishiya pauses, like he’s going to say something else. His eyes are filled with something unreadable, flitting over Arisu’s facial features before quickly avoiding his gaze and going back to his tent to finish whatever it was that he did in there.
Arisu’s stomach churns once more. At this point, all caution had gone to the wind, and he was just praying that he survived this long, interesting game with Chishiya.
4.
When it had finally hit one month of no games, Arisu was uncomfortably restless. He had finished the entire book of crosswords, could solve the rubix cube in under one minute, had actually gotten down quite a few yoga poses, and once had even come close to beating Chishiya in a game of chess (somewhat).
He laid on his stomach on the plush grass, head resting heavy on his arms. There was absolutely nothing to do except lay here and explore the recesses of his own mind. He was driving himself crazy with all of these feelings about the blond.
Chishiya was confusing.
Just the other day, when Arisu had been trying out crocheting, he had chosen, willingly, to sit next to Arisu and just watch.
His dark eyes trained on Arisu’s every movement, occasionally tossing out a few critiques of his work. There was something softer about him, though. His words sounded less condescending and more… he doesn’t know.
At one point, Chishiya had even reached out and touched his hand, guiding him in the right direction. Every molecule of Arisu’s body had come alive in that split second, even the hairs on his arms standing.
He wants. So badly, he wants Chishiya. His lower belly clenched anytime the blond was near. He knows that Chishiya knows. Even a fool would be able to see that Arisu had hopelessly fallen for him.
The girls gave him gentle, pitying looks every so often when they knew he was struggling. Arisu’s heart was so big, so loving and gentle. Usagi had whispered to him one night, “Arisu, I think you’re in over your head. You need to remember what he has done. What he would still do to you if he had to.”
That had made him reconsider everything, for about an hour, until Chishiya had brought him a bottle of water out of the blue just because, and every mushy feeling returned tenfold.
He dropped his head back on his arms in annoyance, silently praying for his mind to cease existence. He was so exhausted from the overthinking, the lack of sleep and lack of substance. They were pretty much always hungry at this point, always thirsty and savoring every bit of energy they had.
The biting air nipped at his cheeks.
He should probably get off the cold grass and go back into his tent, which acted as a shield from the cold winds, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.
“You’re going to catch a cold,” Chishiya says, voice amused but also - concerned? No, not possible. “You should get inside your tent.”
“Mmmph,” Arisu replied into the fabric of his hoodie, shutting his eyes tightly. He’s only out here because the cold helps him focus less on his brain and more on his physical body. Anything to help him stop thinking.
A warm weight settles on his back, making him flinch. He peeled an eye open and lifted his head to see Chishiya had laid his own blanket over Arisu’s shivering frame.
Chishiya glances away when Arisu looks at him, and holy shit, is he blushing?
“Oh, uh - thank you,” Arisu breathed.
“It’s fine,” Chishiya shrugs. “I didn’t want to have to play doctor again.”
Arisu snorts. “You’re a liar.”
A small, almost imperceptible smile tugs at the corner of Chishiya’s mouth, gone as quickly as it came, but Arisu knows it was real. He had broken through that icy demeanor and he doesn’t even know how.
“Maybe,” Chishiya said, voice low.
He moves to walk away, but Arisu reaches out and grasps the sleeve of his white jacket before he can. Chishiya’s body goes rigid for a second, as if the touch had completely caught him off guard. He takes a quick breath, glancing down at Arisu’s pale hand.
Arisu drops his hand - fearing for his life all of a sudden - but blurting, “Stay.”
Chishiya pauses, probably debating on whether or not it was worth it to enable Arisu’s yearning for his presence. His shoulders relax and he moves to take a seat on the grass next to Arisu.
“Thank you,” Arisu mumbles, suddenly shy. He doesn’t know exactly what he was expecting out of this. His cheeks are rosy and he hopes Chishiya blames it on the icy weather, but he knows better.
After about ten minutes of comfortable - yes, comfortable, silence, Arisu sits up and dares to wrap the blanket around Chishiya.
“You look cold, too.”
“Do I?” Chishiya quips, a distant smile gracing his lips as he stares forward at the overgrown city.
“I just want to be close to you,” Arisu murmurs.
“I know.”
Arisu examines the expression on Chishiya’s face, trying desperately to get a read on what he’s feeling - or, if he feels anything at all.
Chishiya eyes lock onto his, and instead of quickly looking away as he usually does, he lets himself really take a look at Arisu. His gaze, usually sharp and intimidating, has lost the hostility and melted into something else entirely.
“You’re softer,” Arisu tells him, and almost regrets it.
“Softer?” Chishiya muses.
“Yeah,” he nods. “You’ve changed.”
“Perhaps I have.”
5.
At the end of the month, their dynamic has shifted. Chishiya no longer avoids Arisu during the day, and instead has started actively seeking him out.
Usagi and Kuina share a bewildered look at the first few times they see Chishiya letting his guard down. The blond went as far as asking Usagi to teach him how to hunt.
On their first hunt together, Chishiya apologizes.
It’s a quick and stilted, “I’m sorry,” with no further explanation, but Usagi knows exactly what he’s talking about, and she gives him a small nod. She may not forgive him, not completely, but it’s a step towards respect and mutual understanding.
Kuina leans back on her arms, bathing in the sunlight and letting her feet rock from side to side languidly. She still wears her bikini top from the Beach, which Chishiya teases her for occasionally. “Chishiya,” she starts. “You’ve been acting awfully strange.”
“Hm?” Chishiya hums, distracted by making another bomb. He’s grown quite the collection (Arisu finally knows why he had been spending so much time in that tent) and claims it’s for fun. Not because they’re all still waiting for the metaphorical bomb (the games) to drop.
“Around Arisu,” she quips, a knowing smile on her lip. “I think you know what I mean.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Hah!” she laughs. “Come on. Give me something. Anything. I’m dying for something interesting to happen.”
Chishiya stares at her, halting his movements. “Fine.”
“Come on — wait, what?”
“Fine. I’ll give you something interesting,” Chishiya says, a slow and devious smirk forming on his lips. Kuina loses her smile, suddenly worried he might set off that bomb in his hands for entertainment, but Chishiya simply rises from his spot and walks straight over to Arisu’s tent.
She sits up straight, lips parting. She’s never been more intrigued in her life, and that’s saying something.
“Arisu,” Chishiya demands.
It takes a second, but Arisu unzips his tent, and like an obedient puppy, sticks his head out and smiles stupidly. “Yeah? Is everything okay?”
“No,” Chishiya smiles. He leans forward and brushes a loose strand of Arisu’s dark hair from his cheek. It had grown quite long after so much time without a haircut.
Arisu’s cheeks turn blood red. “What—“
“You look… surprisingly good today. What’s the occasion?” His tone is teasing, watching Arisu’s reaction.
Arisu’s eyes darted back and forth from Kuina to Chishiya, clearly struggling to respond.
“Is something wrong? You seem a bit red,” Chishiya says, voice low.
“What is happening right now?” Kuina asks, bewildered and amazed. “Are you two dating?!”
“What? No—!” Arisu gapes.
Chishiya sends him a wink, his cheek turned so that only Arisu would be able to see it. He only kind of gets what’s happening now, and shakes his head. “Uh, I mean…”
“We are,” Chishiya lies with ease, grasping Arisu’s chin with a grip that’s both gentle and firm. His tone remains deadpan, but his eyes are sparkling with amusement. “We have been for a few days. You really didn’t notice, Kuina?”
“Holy shit!” Kuina exclaims, jumping up from her spot on the grass and running off in the direction of the nearby pasture. “USAGI! I WIN!”
“They bet on us?” Arisu scoffs in disbelief, and then seems to realize what just happened. “Uh — Chishiya…”
Chishiya moves to come into Arisu’s tent, zipping it shut behind himself. He loses the playful smirk, and replaces it with a tense, focused gaze, making it clear that this is no longer a game.
“Arisu,” he starts. His hands tremble slightly. “I know I’ve been… distant.”
Arisu hasn’t even been awake long enough to process what’s happening, and he fights the urge to interrupt and ask what the hell’s gotten into him. The look on Chishiya’s face — so shy and incredibly vulnerable — silences him completely.
His words are carefully chosen as he continues. “But I was waiting for these - these emotions to dissipate. I’m not — I’m not good for you. I’m not good for anyone.”
“Chi—“
“Please,” Chishiya stops him, closing his eyes in desperation. “Let me finish.”
“I’m sorry,” Arisu whispers. This is the kind of thing he had been waiting for for a month - to know what’s been on Chishiya’s mind this entire time. He can’t believe he’s even considered interrupting.
“I am not used to the feeling of wanting something for myself,” Chishiya swallows, staring down at Arisu’s hands that rest in his lap. “I have rarely ever wanted anything at all. You have to understand - I don’t let myself feel the way you do. The way you’re so open… It's dangerous, Arisu. It’s dangerous.”
“But, fuck,” and it’s the first time he’s ever heard Chishiya curse. “I have been more interested in you and your heart than I have been in any other endeavor of my life. I have felt more fear in the past few days than in any of the games we have played here.”
Arisu’s brown eyes soften with understanding, yearning to reach out and hold the blond. As incredibly astounding as this confession of feeling is, Chishiya looks so, so lost.
“You are so naive, Arisu — so blazen with your feelings and wants. You haven’t hidden your desire for me for a second.”
“How could I?” Arisu whispers, meek. “That’s not who I am.”
“I know,” Chishiya hisses, reaching out and dipping his thumb into the curve of Arisu’s hip. He can feel the heat and power of his touch all the way through the thick sweatshirt he’s wearing.
He’s so close, so fucking close and Arisu’s eyes are welling up with pure overwhelm.
“You drive me insane,” Chishiya mutters, softer. “But I can’t deny that you have shifted my perspective. I have always hated selflessness. It’s probably because I was jealous. They all had something I was missing. It was like… they could always see what a pathetic and small-minded person I really was…”
He inhales sharply, but continues, unable to look Arisu in the eyes. “I was always afraid.”
“I get you,” Arisu murmurs, carefully reaching out and letting his fingertips rest on Chishiya’s arm.
Chishiya lets out a huff of air, his eyes crinkling. He meets Arisu’s eyes, “I knew you’d be the one to understand.”
His cold demeanor has cracked, and inside lies a beautiful, vulnerable man who has no idea how to handle such emotion. Arisu sees right through him, sees how worthy he is, and tentatively shifts forward until his forehead rests against Chishiya’s.
Chishiya breathes in shakily, unsure of where to put his hands.
It’s the most human Arisu has ever seen him.
“You’re beautiful.”
Chishiya presses his lips to Arisu’s, and it’s the catalyst for a deep sensation of understanding. Arisu can feel every bit of uncertainty coming off of Chishiya in waves, and he soothes it all away with the deliberate glide of his lips against Chishiya’s own.
“It’s okay,” Arisu whispers in-between the tender kisses, “It’s okay.”
Chishiya nods, eyes closed tightly. He’s so nervous, so shy and hesitant with what he wants.
Their next kiss is infused with quiet intensity. Chishiya tastes sweet, just like he’d imagined on his restless nights. Sweet, but still musky. The only sound between them is Chishiya’s quiet gasps and the fabric of Arisu’s sweatshirt brushing against Chishiya’s jacket.
When Arisu finally parts, Chishiya’s lips are wet and swollen and his dark eyes - usually so impenetrable - are soft and shining with lust.
He lets out a shaky breath with a disbelieving smile.
The kisses, though brief, leave a lingering sensation of trust and honesty palpable in the air.
“Thank you,” Chishiya says, voice quiet. “For giving me this.”
Arisu laughs, eyes crinkling. “I’ve wanted this for a long time, ‘Shiya.”
His eyebrows raise at the nickname, but Arisu can tell by the flush of his cheeks that he liked it.
The thundering sound of something akin to a bomb going off shakes the entire tent, breaking their silence and having them scrambling to see what’s causing it.
The second the tent is unzipped, the unmistakable glow of fireworks covers the entire city. A mix of every color, beautiful and vibrant, moves the ground beneath them. Usagi and Kuina are already sprinting to the campsite, voices panicked and loud.
The tallest building nearest to them lights up, bright white. An eerily familiar voice rings out, reading the text that shows: GAME CLEAR. CONGRATULATIONS.