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Hisoka has been told that he is surprisingly perceptive when it comes to smaller details—minuscule things that most wouldn't pick up on. Maybe it was true; it wasn't as if he did so on purpose, though. It could've been a habit from his past, or just a natural talent of his… either way, he didn't care all that much.
When you live with people, catching the smallest differences in their behavior becomes almost too easy. Whether they feel under the weather or are nervous about something, it is always easy to pick up on based on the little changes in their mannerisms—at least, it's obvious enough to Hisoka.
So, of course, it only made sense that he would notice Itaru's odd behavior.
The difference was minimal, really; Hisoka could tell that he was exceptionally good at presenting himself exactly the way he wants to. Even if he allowed himself to loosen up a bit at Mankai, Hisoka has heard from others in the Spring Troupe how he still tends to keep his problems to himself.
Despite the attempts to hide it, though, Hisoka noticed. How his fingers tapped at his phone just the slightest bit slower, or how he occasionally spaced out while watching the screen. Of course, the expression hidden in his eyes was one that Hisoka could recognize easily; exhaustion.
Plus, it made sense—Itaru was both a businessman and a gamer. Such a combination was practically a recipe for sleep deprivation. Still, seeing people struggle to sleep was something that always troubled Hisoka, because it was a feeling he understood all too well. Times when he'd force himself to stay awake, fearful of the dreams and memories he might encounter… Of course, he doubted Itaru's situation was that severe, but such knowledge didn't alleviate the bad feeling it gave Hisoka.
He wanted to help. Once before he had worked to help Masumi get some rest, so it only made sense to do the same for Itaru. Which, really, was quite a tall order—convincing an avid gamer to sleep—but he didn't worry about it. Azuma once told him that he had a relaxing presence, enough to even make those around him sleepy, so maybe that would work in his favor.
Plus, he had an extra weapon in his repertoire that he didn't have back when Masumi was struggling to sleep: Penpen. Hisoka, master of sleeping that he was, knew for a fact that cuddling helped sleep come easier. Something about comfort and stress-relief, Azuma once explained, but Hisoka dozed off before he could finish listening. Well, he understood enough to know that Penpen would definitely help Itaru rest.
With that, he began his mission.
… If one could even call it that, anyways. Hisoka wasn't one to dance around a subject or beat around the bush. He simply walked himself to room 103 at around eleven o'clock at night (he made sure to go for a time he knew Chikage would be out, because he knew the man would barely even let him into the room, let alone make it to Itaru), Penpen in tow, and knocked at the door.
For a few moments, he was met with distant shuffling. Hisoka wondered if his knock was too quiet, and considered attempting another, but—soon enough the door opened, and there Itaru stood. His fringe tied up and clad in a simple jacket, t-shirt, and sweatpants. The room behind him was dark, save for the glow of a computer screen.
At the sight of Hisoka, he blinked a few times, looking as if he briefly wondered if he was hallucinating or not. Well, might as well save him the trouble of sorting out his game-addled brain.
"Can I come in?" Hisoka asked, holding back a yawn. He'd hopefully be asleep soon enough anyways.
Itaru merely raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I guess. Senpai isn't here, though, and I'm just grinding in Kniroun, so…"
"'m not here for Chikage. He's annoying." Stepping past him, Hisoka immediately went for the couch, paying no mind to how messy Itaru's side of the room was. Falling asleep practically anywhere was his talent, after all.
At his words, Itaru chuckled, shutting the door. "He sure is something," he agreed, and Hisoka was a bit grossed out by how fondly he smiled as he spoke about Chikage. Really, he couldn't fathom what Itaru saw in him.
Itaru moved to return to his computer, but paused when he looked at Hisoka again. "Oh, that's the penguin I got from that arcade machine, isn't it?"
The older nodded, holding the plush a bit closer to his chest. "Mm. Penpen. I brought him here to help you."
"...Huh?"
"You're tired," Hisoka explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It looks like you haven't been sleeping well, so Penpen and I wanna help."
Immediately, Itaru waved him off, shaking his head as he spoke. "No no, I'm fine, don't worry. Work is just busier than usual, I guess."
"Which is why we're gonna sleep. At least a nap."
"Really, I—"
Itaru was promptly cut off when Hisoka reached out and grabbed his wrist, tugging him towards the couch.
"Wow, wow, okay, you're surprisingly strong. I'm coming, I'm sitting down."
Once the two of them were seated, Hisoka gave a small partial smile, and Itaru just sighed before mumbling something about the deepening lore of a LN character. Hisoka decided he was alright with not knowing what that meant.
"Y'know, you're surprisingly forceful when you want to be," Itaru pointed out, pulling out his hair tie and tossing it onto a nearby table. "I'm just taking a nap, though. I doubt Senpai will be very happy if he comes back and sees you sleeping in here anyways."
Hisoka shrugged, watching the other lay down on the couch and move to find a comfortable position. "''s fine. I don't care what he thinks anyways."
Once Itaru stopped his shifting, Hisoka laid down alongside him, partially draped along his back. Really, Itaru was a good pillow… Falling asleep here would be easy.
"You comfy?" Hisoka asked. The man beside him hummed for a moment.
"Yeah," he responded, and it was clear that he finally allowed his own exhaustion to seep into his voice.
The two laid like that for a few minutes, silent. Hisoka could tell that he wasn't quite used to sleeping with other people like this, but his body became less and less tense with each passing moment, so that was a good sign. Before Hisoka could allow himself to drift off, though, Itaru spoke.
"...Do you know where Senpai goes off to so late at night?" He asked, his voice quiet—Hisoka had never heard him speak in such a tone. In that moment, though, he finally realized the true cause of Itaru's lack of sleep.
"My memory about that is still too fuzzy… Sorry."
"Nah, it's alright. Pretend I never even asked."
Hisoka sighed silently, loosely wrapping an arm around Itaru. His response… was partially a lie. He did know where the hideout was, though still unaware of what Chikage's current work specifically entailed. But… Hisoka didn't really want Itaru knowing anything about such a world, and knew that Chikage felt the same. So, he'd keep any and all details to himself.
It was probably better that way, even if it hurt Itaru.
Soon enough, Hisoka could feel his breathing slow to a natural pace. With that, he allowed himself to slip into the comfort of slumber as well, pleased by the success of his mission.
♡♡♡
"Hey. Sleepyhead."
Hisoka woke up to the subtle smell of marshmallows and the sound of a voice—except, the scent became far less appealing the second he recognized the owner of said voice. Sure, he had anticipated this, considering this room did belong to two and Chikage was most definitely not kind enough to let Hisoka spend the night sleeping peacefully in his bedroom, but. Well. It was still annoying nonetheless.
Without waiting for a verbal response, Chikage continued, cruelly pulling the marshmallow out of Hisoka's reach in the process.
"Why are you in here, and why are you cuddling with my roommate."
And, just as he pointed out, Itaru was still there. It was a bit surprising, actually—Hisoka had half expected him to wake up after an hour or two to play one of his games again. But instead, the younger still remained laid beneath him, his face partially hidden by Penpen.
Even while asleep, Itaru still made a good pillow. Hisoka would keep that in mind.
Finally, after languidly rubbing at his eye and yawning, Hisoka graced Chikage with a response. "What, jealous?"
An irritated sigh immediately followed. "As if. It's just incredibly odd to see Chigasaki asleep as early as two in the morning, and even weirder to see you in here with him."
Hisoka simply clicked his tongue, wordlessly untangling himself from the sleeping man—gently, of course, as to not disturb him. Not everyone was as heavy a sleeper as himself. Once he was on his feet, Hisoka merely gestured towards the door, plucking the marshmallow from Chikage's hand and silently stepping past him.
He followed without complaint, thankfully; maybe, even despite his irritating disposition, he didn't want to disturb Itaru either.
"So?" Chikage prompted the moment they were out the door, watching Hisoka as he leaned against the wall and yawned again. Really, how annoyingly pushy—though it probably came from a part deep within him that was, on some level, concerned for Itaru, so Hisoka chose not to comment on it. At least, not this time.
"He's been having trouble sleeping lately. I can tell."
"Chigasaki has always stayed up rather late, if that's what you're referring to."
Hisoka took a moment to quietly chew on his marshmallow, sighing inwardly. He deserved far more than one measly snack for putting up with this. "I know. But he's definitely more tired than usual lately." Finally, he looked over at Chikage, watching him with a blank expression. "I'm sure you've noticed, too."
That, surprisingly, was met with silence. So he had realized, then.
Hisoka took the opportunity to continue. "I dunno if it's work or gaming related, but either way, I hate seeing people unable to sleep. So, I thought I'd help."
"That's surprisingly thoughtful, for a Sleepyhead."
Ignoring the sarcasm, he just shrugged. "I know how it feels not being able to sleep. It sucks. And," he turned away towards the courtyard, "it's a little sad being alone at night, too. Thought I'd keep him company."
"...Is that supposed to be a jab at me? You know I have work." The irritation in Chikage's tone proved that he had hit a nerve—good. Maybe it'd knock a bit of sense into him.
"I know. But for someone who acts so nonchalant about anything that isn't games, Itaru's surprisingly… I dunno, caring?" Hisoka closed his eyes, thinking for a moment before continuing. "He pretends not to care, but he's always concerned for us. I think."
Chikage sighed, though this one was a bit heavier than his previous, irritated ones. Once again, it seemed they both had picked up on the same thing. "I know. He always stays up waiting for me."
"His concern isn't unfounded."
"I know," Chikage repeated, a bit harsher this time. "But he deflects me every time I ask him about it."
Hisoka couldn't help but give the smallest smile, watching the ground as he spoke. "It's a familiar feeling."
"...Yeah. Maybe that's why it bothers me so much."
Hisoka supposed, if he was in Chikage's situation, he might feel similarly. Before now, the only person that had shown them such selfless, bordering-meddlesome concern was…
"August used to stay up until we came home from our missions without him," Chikage recalled, voicing both of their thoughts. Hisoka pulled his gray jacket tighter around himself, not looking up from the ground.
"Mm. Itaru is nothing like August on the outside, though."
At that, Chikage breathed out a laugh. "Obviously. Their only similarity is being foolishly concerned with others, even when said people aren't deserving of their concern."
There was a bit of underlying bitterness to Chikage's tone, and Hisoka understood—his knowledge on the situation was scarce, but he at least knew that Itaru had reconnected with someone who had hurt him in high school after the KniRoun play. Hisoka could tell that it never quite sat right with Chikage.
"Itaru is at least smart about it, though. It isn't like he trusts others readily."
Hisoka hummed in reply. "You pay a lot of attention to him."
"I– That's… it's just because we're roommates."
"Mmhm," he responded, knowing it most certainly went far deeper than that. Really, though, it wasn't his problem at all, so he left it at that. Briefly, he wondered if he should bring up the question Itaru asked earlier—Chikage probably deserved to know, but then again, Hisoka wasn't too keen on getting involved in their… relationship. Whatever that was. It was far too complicated.
Luckily, he was saved by the quiet sound of the doorknob turning. Instinctively, both of them turned towards the source, watching as the door opened and Itaru stuck his head out.
"Oh, good, you're still here. I didn't want you to leave this behind." As he spoke, he held Penpen out towards Hisoka, who immediately accepted it and clutched the plushie to his chest.
"Thanks," he mumbled, a yawn soon following. "I'm gonna go to Azuma's room instead, since somebody was mean enough to wake me up."
Chikage simply sighed and shook his head in response.
"Night. And, uh– thanks." Itaru mumbled the last bit, his eyes flickering away for a moment. Hisoka could tell there was more he wanted to say, but didn't pry. He was content just helping the man sleep.
With that, he gave a small wave and smile before heading off, leaving the other two to their own devices.
Chikage was the first to move, stepping past Itaru and into their room. Seeing his roommate interact with Hisoka in such a friendly manner… it caused emotions he didn't want to deal with stir within him.
Itaru's voice was what pulled him from his thoughts—he couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing, though.
"Y'know, Hisoka has a surprisingly relaxing vibe," he began, stepping over to his computer. It had gone into sleep mode after spending a few hours untouched, so Itaru had to boot it back up. "Like he has some kind of power that inflicts a sleeping status effect on others."
"Is that so," Chikage responded, though it hardly sounded like a question.
"Yeah. Maybe he's a cheat character just like you, Senpai. Or, well… nah, his LN protag energy is just too strong."
"Glad to know I am still the sole holder of my title, then."
Itaru turned back towards him, giving a teasing grin. "You'll always be the most game-breaking cheat character, Senpai, don't worry."
God, he was ridiculous. Chikage just gave a quiet laugh in response, shaking his head and shrugging his coat off. It really was ridiculous, and even more ridiculous how such banter could fill him with familiarity and fondness.
...He knew Hisoka was right earlier. Itaru was too meddlesome for his own good, even if it was in his own, subtle way—staying up waiting for Chikage under the guise of playing games, making comments whenever he left for another mission… He never outright asked for answers, but—
"Hey, Senpai. Wanna play?" Itaru asked suddenly, interrupting Chikage's train of thought. He held up a controller, watching his senior with a curious expression. "Or you can watch, at least. I'm playing KniRoun."
He gave a thoughtful hum. "Which one?"
"IV. I'm almost to the final dungeon mid-boss, and you know how that is."
"...I'll watch for a bit, then. Watching you mess up the first few times will be funny."
Itaru's expression immediately twisted into a frown, eliciting a laugh from Chikage. "I could do that battle with my eyes closed, Senpai. Don't test me."
The two settled on the couch fairly quickly—admittedly, this was not the first time they'd sat down and played a game together, even if Chikage denied it around others. Itaru tied his fringe up, mumbling something about really needing a haircut, before grabbing his controller and picking up where he had left off.
Chikage considered asking why he was playing KniRoun IV of all games, but ultimately decided against it. There were very few reasons as to why, considering he had unlocked every hidden scene and found every secret item in the game, so Chikage could probably take a guess anyways.
Watching Itaru shift around the items in Gawain's inventory, he held back a sigh. Maybe he'd try and find a replacement for his next mission with the Organization.
The rest of the night went smoothly. Even when Chikage had jokingly covered Itaru's eyes during the boss battle, who in turn yelled probably a bit too loud and threatened to hit him over the head with his controller.
( "I thought you said you could do it with your eyes closed," Chikage teased, and earned an elbow to the ribcage alongside the accusation of being a 'cruel senior'. Itaru's following laughter was worth it, though. )
It wasn't until he felt a bit of pressure on his side towards the end of a cutscene when Chikage looked over and found Itaru slumped against him, his head falling onto his shoulder. His breathing evened into a quiet, peaceful pace, tied-up hair brushing against Chikage's neck. As silently as possible, he sighed at the sight.
"You should have gone back to sleep if you were still tired," Chikage mumbled, reaching up and gently pulling the hair tie from his fringe. Sleeping with his hair up always gave him horrible bedhead—he recalled the last time Itaru had complained about it, chuckling at the thought.
Carrying him up to his bed would be far too troublesome… sure, he could do it, but Chikage wasn't the best at being gentle and all the movement would surely wake Itaru. So, accepting his fate for the night, he simply moved the controller away, placed his glasses aside, and grabbed a blanket from the edge of the couch, draping it over the both of them.
"Rest well, Chigasaki," he whispered, leaning into the warmth of the other and allowing himself to relax.
For once, he stayed asleep throughout the night, and even nearly slept in. Itaru was a hassle to wake up, too, complaining about his back hurting and his eyes getting dried out by his contacts, but—Chikage didn't mind all that much.
It was hard to feel annoyed at all when Itaru, despite all his complaining, smiled so warmly when his eyes met Chikage's own.