Nyctophilia

Two of Spades

LIFE WAS A FRAGILE THING, EVER FLEEING AND NEVER STAYING. You understood that clearly, yet you never could fathom why these people would party every day and throughout the night, without rest. They're partying as if the world was completely fine and they're not in an apocalypse world where you're forced to play games to survive just for someone else's enjoyment.

Due to the rules here at the Beach, some people were not afraid to make out and...you know, out in public. Walking past a young couple doing the deed, you almost puked right then and there. Luckily for you, Kuina simply continued dragging you to the cafeteria, ignoring those couples and saying hi to some of her friends. As she reached the cafeteria, she immediately made a beeline for the lunch menu, dragging you along like a dog being forced somewhere by the leash. Your arm was starting to hurt by now, but you didn't mind. All you could think about was having some nice, warm, soothing ramen.

After getting your instant ramen cup and Kuina getting some pancakes (in the afternoon???), the two of you made your way to your room. You insisted on that because you hated eating in the bustling cafeteria full of people she can't bother to deal with. Kuina agreed, and so they found themselves sitting on the floor of her room, facing each other. While digging into the food and making small talk in between bites, you heard a knock on your door.

You got up and opened a small crack in the door and peeked through. You were startled, to say the least, of the sight you saw through the tiny crack. Bamboozled almost. Standing there on the other side of the door was the man from last night. His blonde, almost silver, dyed hair reminded you of the one server from a volleyball anime. Kenma. 'Kenma' just smirked seeing your small peek, and opened his mouth to speak.

"May I come in?" Oh god, his voice sent shivers down your spine. His tone was delivered in a way that was always planned, prepared, and pretty damn hot. Before you could find an answer, Kuina shouted over your shoulder. "Chishiya! Come in!" Since she seemed like she was expecting him, you hesitantly opened your door wider so he could walk in. You've never had this many people in your room before, much less a man. Your usual silence settled in as Kuina started introducing us.

"Chishiya, this is Y/N. She's a hearts and diamonds player. And he is-" Kuina introduced me to him before she was about to introduce the man, but was interrupted by said man. "Chishiya. Chishiya Shuntarō." Kenma- or rather, Chishiya introduced himself. You locked eyes with him and slowly nodded. You were unsure about this man, and had rather mixed opinions.

The Chishiya you saw last night was different from this Chishiya. Last night his eyes were sincere, the stars reflected in his honey brown eyes. But this Chishiya was cold, unreadable, and unwavering. You were quite awkward around new people, and shy. The sides of his lips lifted as he gave you a smirk. You felt your cheeks warm up but refused to let your face give anything away, suppressing the butterflies rising from deep within your stomach.

He joined them for the meal, but kept quiet for most of the time. Only adding comments here and there. You were the same. With him around, it felt a little awkward, but Kuina was there to diffuse it a little. You were grateful for having her as a friend. She could tear down the awkward walls of people with just a few of her friendly conversations.

Once they had finished their food, Kuina decided to take out the trash and give us some time to 'get to know each other,' as she calls it, but you know it will only be awkward silence between the two of you. You both seemed like the quiet type anyways.

As expected, the moment Kuina left the room, the awkward tension thickened. Even a social person would be found speechless if they were to walk in right now. Except for Kuina of course. You only stared the floor and fiddled with you fingers.

Chishiya had eventually found his way to the comfy chair in the corner of your room. Seeing him start to settle in, you decided to get up and sit on your bed. You sigh. Maybe you should skip out on dinner and just shower and go straight to bed. Okay, you made up your mind.

You awkwardly glance at Chishiya, who was sitting on your chair, flipping through a novel you had on your bookshelf. '(Your favorite book).' "Good choice," you spoke up. Although it was very quiet, Chishiya still heard. The silence of the room allowed your voice to carry through. He looked at you and nodded, focusing back to the novel in hand. "...I think I'm gonna shower. You can read any of the books if you want." You said hesitantly.

It might have seemed rude to go shower while a guest was in your room, but you had to make it out of this awkwardness somehow. The bathroom felt like an escape. You grabbed your pajamas and hid a new pair of bra and underwear under your folded pj's. You can't walk out of the shower naked, after all.

After a quick shower and washing your hair, you leave the bathroom dressed in your pajamas and with a small towel over your shoulders. Kuina had returned from her little trip during your shower and was now nagging Chishiya about something, although it was hushed so you didn't hear what she was nagging him about. When you had reached them, Chishiya just told her to shut up and she complied, whining about how he was such a party pooper. You giggled a bit at her cuteness.

Chishiya's eyes darted towards the source of the sound, scanning her choice of outfit and raised a brow, "Going to bed already?" He questioned. You shrugged, "It's what I do for most of the day," your hushed voice was gentle on his ears, unlike the loud party people and people like Hatter or Niragi's voices. They really annoyed him. But you? Oh your voice was like heaven to him. Soft, gentle, as if afraid to hurt someone.

Yet how could someone do angelic, be a hearts player? He heard about your achievements from Kuina before. About how you brought an 8 of hearts, 6 of hearts, 3 of hearts, 10 of clubs, and a 7 of spades when you first came to the Beach. Those accomplishments alone were enough to boost you to an executive, yet you refused the position, saying it was too much work for you. You played all those games even though you had only been in this world for three days. It was miraculous how you survived so many hearts games back to back. Yet you never revealed how.

Who knows, you might even be a psychopath underneath your angelic mask. He chuckled at the thought, bringing you to tilt your head in a questioning manner. He smirked back. He would be lying if he said he didn't think you were cute. Wait, why is he having these thoughts?

Trying to shake away those thoughts, Chishiya then said, "Well then, we should leave you to your rest. Let's go Kuina," he gestured for the woman to follow, but she raised a brow in confusion. "Why would you want to sleep so early? You still haven't even had dinner yet," the woman with dreadlocks protested, "Besides, don't we all have to play games tonight?" Kuina triggered the horrid reminder that you had to play a game tonight, which will probably lead to multiple.

You only sigh. "...She has a point, you know." Chishiya spoke up. "I would rather not. Besides, I have enough visa days to last me a whole month. One night without games is fine." Kuina looked unsure, but gave in nonetheless. "Fine...We'll tell Hatter when we come back for you." You smiled at her and thanked her.

Once they left, you turned away from the door and plopped on your bed, sinking into absolute bliss. You shivered slightly at the cold fabric and stuffed yourself under the blanket, wrapping you in a cocoon of warmth. Settling in and warming up, you curled into a ball and slept like a rock.

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1418 words