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Tosaki was woken up by the sudden feeling that something was wrong. He didn't know what exactly, but his gut feelings were usually right. And he also, really needed to pee.
He untangled himself from his blanket and listened closely for any kind of disturbance. He didn't hear anything and he figured that, with Izumi being a light sleeper, she would have woken him up by now had something been the matter.
He gets out of bed anyway and makes his way into the hallway, staying on high alert as he scanned the area for anything dangerous. Still, he didn't notice anything. He suddenly remembered why he got up in the first place and makes a beeline for the toilet.
Now that his head was more clear he decided to check the other's rooms, just to be sure. (He was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep if he didn't know for sure that everyone was safe).
Yuu had checked on nearly everyone, and it had overall been a very uneventful trip, fortunately (Kou had pushed his blankets off of himself, so Tosaki had gone in to tuck him in properly, This is only so he isn't too sore for training tomorrow, nothing more, he tells himself)
He only had Nagai left. He kind of felt like spacing it, he knew Nagai wouldn't take kindly to Tosaki entering his room like that, but as he neared the door that led to the younger boy's room, he swears he hears a small whimper.
That's all it takes for Tosaki to burst into the room.
He scans every corner for anything out of place but … the only person in the room is Nagai, who is currently whimpering as he tangles himself further into his sheets.
His first instinct is to wake Nagai up, free him from his nightmare, but he holds himself back. He knows the Ajin well enough to know that this would probably damage Nagai’s pride.
But he really can’t bring himself to think about that when the teen in front of him won’t stop whimpering.
He closes the distance between the doorframe he was standing in and the troubled teen in a few strides. Now that he’s standing closer to the Ajin, he notices the beads of sweat forming on Nagai’s brows.
He reaches for his shoulder with the intent to shake him lightly, but he doesn’t make it far before Nagai’s eyes suddenly snap open, but the way they're glossed over suggests that they don't seem to be registering anything.
“Nagai?”
Nagai flinches at the sound of his voice and sits upright with his knees pulled to his chin, wrapping his arms around his legs and breathing heavily.
God, how he wishes Izumi was here right now.
Tosaki wrecks his brain for something to say, anything, but no comforting words reach his mind. So, he falls back on something even he knows how to do.
“Do you… want some tea?”
Nagai eyes drift over to him and he nods, albeit slowly, he still seems a little dazed from the events that happened priorly.
Tosaki left the room, Nagai walking closely behind him. As they're walking, Tosaki tries to think of what kind of nightmare the teen had that had made him react like that.
It only took a second for him to find out.
He knows, because he had been there.
Guilt hits him like a bullet to the chest.
Because he isn't a government official right now, no, right now, he's Yuu Tosaki, and he's trying to comfort a teen who has gone through things nobody should have gone through.
God, he's never felt this guilty.
They make it to the kitchen in silence, once they're there Tosaki instantly busies himself with the kettle to avoid having to face the awkward tension. Kei is still standing in the doorway when he turns around to grab some cups. He looks so awfully young like this, he thinks.
That's because he is, his mind supplies.
The kettle hasn't whistled yet and he has nothing left to do (besides talking to Kei) so he turns around to face Nagai, leaning on the counter.
Tosaki decides to break the silence, “You can sit if you want to,”
Kei hums absentmindedly and takes a seat on the counter opposite of him, folding one of his legs underneath him.
“Do you want to.. talk about it?”
(It's not as if he has too though, because Tosaki already knows)
Kei shakes his head and Tosaki wishes, for the umpteenth time that night, that Izumi was there. She would've known exactly what to do, she had been blessed with motherly instincts afterall.
They fall into silence again but it's quickly broken when, Thank God, the kettle whistles. Tosaki immediately busies himself with preparing tea again and tries to ignore how Kei flinched at the sound.
He was tempted to ask Kei what kind of tea he'd like until he opens the cupboard and notices they only have one type, he sighs internally and grabs two teabags for both of them before adding the scalding hot water. He adds half a teaspoon of sugar to his own cup and hesitates when he gets to Kei's, “Sugar?”
“Two teaspoons, please,” Kei says as he busies himself with the loose threads hanging from his t-shirt.
Tosaki hums and does as he's asked, then he carefully grabs his cup and hands Nagai his own, who muthers out a quiet “Thank you”.
They continue sitting in silence, Tosaki blows the steam of his mug while Kei just stares into his own.
Tosaki's wishing for Izumi to walk into the kitchen when Kei breaks the (albeit a little awkward) silence.
“I have the same nightmare every night,” Tosaki's breath hitches in his throat.
“Nagai, I-”
“I've gotten used to it,” Kei says with such resolution it must be something he has long since come to terms with, “But this night... it was different.”
Kei takes the first sip of his tea, Tosaki wonders whether it's to stall time or to still the trembling in his hands.
It remains silent for a little too long and Tosaki's relatively sure this is all he's gonna get out of the younger boy until-
“I... I wasn't the only one on the table- Kai- Kai was there too,” Nagai chokes out, his hands are trembling violently now as he sets his cup down next to him before hugging his knees to his chest.
Even with his head buried in between his chest and knees, Tosaki hears his quiet sobs.
Tosaki, really, really wonders if he's even allowed to comfort the boy when he was the one that stood by as it happened, who tried to get him on that table again. (even if he's starting to question his own morals and deeds now.)
“I..” He starts, but he doesn't know what to say, how to comfort, he hasn't done that in a very, very long time.
He moves forward and tentatively puts a hand on the Ajin’s shoulder, as if to ask, Is this okay?
Kei seemingly gets it, because he nods his head and leans into the touch. Suddenly, Tosaki's hit with the irony of the situation. Him, Tosaki Yuu, comforting an ajin, Ajin Nagai Kei, at 3 in the morning.
God, how his life has changed.
(But I can't really complain about change, can I? While Nagai Kei, the boy whose life has changed so much in less than a month, is sitting right in front of me?)
And Tosaki has about a goddamn stroke when Kei clutches onto the back off his T-Shirt and clings onto him while the tears still cascade down his cheeks in steady streams.
(Even when he's about bawling his eyes out, Kei barely makes a sound, Tosaki wonders why.)
He hesitantly returns the hug, rubbing awkward circles on the boy's back.
He wishes he could reassure the other, tell him it's okay, but how can he do that when it really, really isn't?
(When Kei stops crying, Tosaki brings him back to his room. He stays just long enough to make sure he doesn't have another nightmare again. After that, he returns to the main room and sits down at one of the tables.)
(He didn't sleep much that night.)