Down the Rabbit Hole

Chapter 10: Cheshire Grin

The reassurance that you friends were alive and well did little to aid you in your sleep. Karube insisted on pulling Arisu and Chota away for at least the first night at the beach so that they would be able to acclimate well. It made sense since they were all grown men, but there was still that small part of you that was scared they would disappear entirely once they turned away from you. Usagi was fast to leave when she was given her room. She would have sprinted away if she wasn't being watched from all angles as the other beach members were also curiously looking at the newcomers. Aguni gave you one fast hug before pushing you away to your room to keep his tough exterior for the public.

A persistent knock on your door was what woke you up from your poor sleep. At first, it was a noise that melted to the background of your dream, almost serving as a beat to your dream state. As they grew louder and angrier, you finally realized they were from the real world and not part of your lousy dream. Tiredly putting a sweater over your already loose tank top, you swung your door open to see Chishiya on the other side. His impatient face transitioned to a teasing one when he realized that he woke you up, but he sauntered into the room despite it.

He sat on your bed with familiarity, making himself comfortable as you sat at the center of it and stared at him. His usual sweater that did little to cover his chest was replaced by a large tank top that did little to serve its purpose. It was an open arm one that most would wear to a traditional beach setting, but his happened to be a size too large and would show everything with one swoop. His usual shorts were also gone and replaced by shorter ones. This was all probably to accommodate the slightly warmer weather that followed during the nights, but you couldn't recall ever seeing Chishiya in something out of character for him. Even his hair was different. He would usually wear it down and let it flow in the air, but today he had it in a half updo, letting you see his playful grin.

"Looking at anything in particular? Did your mother ever teach you that it's not kind to stare?" he joked, yet another thing was off today. You rolled your eyes at his questions fully knowing that he just wanted to get under your skin. After all, you had caught him staring at you in your training outfits once or twice and never questioned him. Kuina would also stare so you came to the conclusion that it was curiosity rather than anything else. "No need to get hissy with me, Ann sent me up. She was ever so concerned about you but is held up with something."

"There is no point in you lying Chishiya. Ann already talked to me last night before bed, so she knows how I am doing." you replied, already shaking off your sweater. It was clear that he was here out of his own accord, his own concern, but he would never say it out loud even when in private. The man would rather pay you off than face the embarrassment of actually communicating with you. It was one of his detrimental factors but it also made it easier to work with him at times.

"Woah... no need to undress... unless that's what you want to do?"

"Just check my injuries and stop beating around the bush, dumbass," you retorted. Your face was heating up due to the implications he made. To anybody else it would have come off that way since there was no warning, but with Chishiya you felt comfortable in doing so. He had seen you at your messiest, your lowest for some. Every failed exam, miss of vein, lecture from a higher up, and being hit on by strangers - he had witnessed it all, and laughed at your misery each time. Maybe it was less the idea of being comfortable around him and rather the fact that you held no shame in doing so. "Hey... remember Kaori? Short, bob cut, new hire. I think she was also a medical student but she always had flower pins on hand to hold her bangs back."

Chishiya was raising your arm, carefully analyzing each scratch he came across and making a mental note of anything that looked wrong. Sure, your nursing skills already gave you the upper hand in caring for your own injuries but it was nice to have someone else's opinion. "Yeah I do. She was annoying." It was known throughout the entire hospital that you were the unfortunate partner to Chishiya's duo. When there was something that needed to be communicated with him, they would come to you in order to relay the information. Whether it was fear or plain old laziness that stopped them from talking to Chishiya directly, Kaori was the first to break that mold. She made it a point to go on break to join him, to be practicing on a patient near him, to follow him around in her free time and even asking you for information on his likes and dislikes.