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Himiko stretched out an arm in the direction of the nightstand, fumbling around and meeting only the smooth wooden surface, the corner of a book, a tube of chapstick...No glass or bottle. Ugh. She knew she’d been forgetting something before she went to bed. The dryness in her throat was bothersome enough that she knew she probably wouldn’t be able to drift off again easily either.
So she’d have to get up and get some water. Leaving the warmth of the covers in the middle of the night wasn’t too appealing, not to mention the other warmth at her side. Kiyo was sound asleep, their steady breathing the only faint sound in the room. They used to be an incredibly light sleeper, so much so that the slightest movement on her part would wake them.
There was a good deal of bickering about that back when they first started dating, unused to sleeping in the same room. Everyone was in desperate need of proper rest, something hard to come by with nightmares from the killing game plaguing them. Kiyo was worse than most in that sense. Their trauma stemmed not just from the game itself, but their entire fabricated life. The PTSD was deep-seated, and they frequently went without sleep for long periods of time.
Things were getting better, slowly but surely. It had only been around a year since the end, less than that since the beginning of their relationship, but they trusted her enough to rest easily. It would be okay if she got up.
Still, just because she could, she leaned over and kissed their forehead before slowly, carefully wriggling her way out of their embrace. Still not a single move from them. Good. Shivering at the cold air, she crept out of the bedroom and down the hall, hoping she wouldn’t end up disturbing anyone else on the way to the kitchen. There were problems like that sometimes, with so many people living in one house.
When she reached the kitchen, however, she didn’t find the empty room she expected. Even before she flicked a light on, only moonlight coming in the windows, she saw a silhouette standing by the counter. She kind of wished she just drank from the bathroom sink now instead of coming all the way downstairs.
“Shuichi?” she asked tiredly, face already heating up as she crept towards the fridge in the dark, not wanting to bother him with extra light. “What are you doing up at this hour?” The glowing numbers on the microwave and stove both read 4:02. Hardly a reasonable time to be standing around in the kitchen.
Despite her attempts at being careful, he startled anyway, the flinch visible.
“O-oh, Himiko. Sorry. I couldn’t sleep, so I was just down here to get a drink.” He turned towards her, and then she could see the glass in his hand.
“Didn’t mean to startle you,” she murmured apologetically. “Yeah, I was thirsty too. Just gonna get some water and go back to bed.”
Even as he calmed down from that brief fright, Himiko noticed that he seemed a little flustered and uncomfortable, not quite meeting her eyes in the dim light. She frowned, moving to grab a glass from the cupboard. It was only when she was pouring the water that he spoke up again, making the whole situation make more sense.
“You and Shinguuji...er, Kiyo...are really close these days, huh?” he ventured, taking a sip from his own glass. “I suppose I’m still getting used to it.”
It clicked. She glanced down at herself, face reddening as she remembered what exactly she was wearing. A t-shirt of theirs, noticeably oversized on her smaller frame, fell to her thighs, the hem of her shorts barely visible beneath it. It certainly wasn’t anything inappropriate, but it was a public display of affection of the sort they hadn’t engaged in much. A noticeable sign of their relationship.
“Ah, yeah,” she murmured, smiling despite her own embarrassment. “We are. It’s good.”
Shuichi smiled back, looking away for a moment before meeting her eyes again. “I’m glad. I hope it isn’t strange for me to say this, but you two are cute together.”
“Thanks. I think they’re cuter than me though.” She giggled, leaning back against the fridge as she took her last few sips of water.
“I’ll let you get back to sleep,” he said when she was finished. “Good night. Or...good morning?”
“Hey,” Kiyo murmured when she got back to their room, the bedside lamp illuminating the space with soft, warm light. “I woke up and you weren’t here.”
“Sorry if I worried you.” She climbed back into bed next to them, winding her arms around their waist. “I just went to the kitchen to get some water. You didn’t have a bad dream, did you?” She gave them a little smooch on the cheek, skin warm and smooth against her lips.
“No, no. I’m alright. Did you bring me anything?” they asked playfully, giving her a sleepy smirk.
“Mm, I brought you myself. Isn’t that a good enough gift?”
“Always. I can think of no better prize.”
“Lucky you then.” She laughed softly, careful to keep quiet. She still hadn’t forgotten what time it was, nor the fact that people were probably asleep — or at least trying to sleep — in the neighboring rooms. “You got exactly what you wanted.”
“You do seem to be quite good at accomplishing that for me, don’t you? How about accomplishing some more sleep before morning properly arrives, hmm?” They turned their head to give her a kiss in return, gently tugging her down against the pillows and tucking her in.
“Gladly.”