Chapter Text
The dorms are quieter than they’ve ever been before.
On most days, twenty-six pairs of feet walk the halls, twenty-six mouths chatter on and on about nothing and everything. On most nights, the dorms sing music under its breath, clinking cups of sake, creaking floorboards.
Today, though, it’s quiet. There usually aren’t many people who stay at the dorms for Christmas, but it’s emptier than ever this year. Chikage and Hisoka are both out, visiting remnants of their past, and Izumi is making up for lost time with her father, which leaves only Sakuya and Azuma alone in dorms that are too large for only two people.
The television plays on in the background, though Sakuya isn’t paying much attention to it. It’s ambient noise, more than anything – something to play in the background so it isn’t as quiet as it would be otherwise. A generic kind of Christmas movie that Sakuya’s never seen before, but that he can probably guess the trajectory of. They’ve made a sort of fort in the lounge, pillows and blankets piled around to make a large, soft bed.
“Sakuya? I hope you haven’t fallen asleep on me,” Azuma teases. She walks in from the kitchen, holding two mugs of hot chocolate in her hands. Sakuya scoots over to make space for her, and she places the mugs on the table as she settles down beside him.
“I’m awake, Azuma-san!” Sakuya says, leaning over to take a mug of chocolate into his hands. A small handful of mini marshmallows float on top of the warm drink, bumping into Sakuya’s lips when he takes a little sip.
Azuma laughs lightly, grabbing one of the loose pillows and hugging it close to her chest. “It’s only a few more minutes before midnight,” she says, leaning in close. She cups his cheek in her hand and wipes off a bit of chocolate from his upper lip, still smiling. She gives his head a little pat.
Sakuya’s cheek flushes with warmth. “Y-yeah,” he says, smiling a little unsteadily. He looks around, half-expecting someone to come crashing into the conversation like he’s grown used to over the years. Instead, there’s nothing but silence. “It’s really quiet when it’s just the two of us.”
Azuma hums. “The dorms are too big for just two people,” she says softly.
Sakuya knows. He still remembers before, when it was only Matsukawa and Sakuya living under this roof, when even just the single bedroom was too big for one person. He still remembers walking silently down empty corridors in the middle of the night when he couldn’t fall asleep, footsteps echoing in his ears.
“Yeah,” Sakuya agrees softly, and he turns to give Azuma a little smile. “But I’m glad that I can spend some time with you, Azuma-san!”
Azuma laughs lightly, patting Sakuya’s head with her free hand. “I’m glad to be spending time with you, too,” she says, leaning over to grab her own mug of chocolate. She doesn’t drink from it, instead holding it carefully in her hands, cradling it. Sakuya watches her eyes follow the trail of steam up, disappearing into the cool air.
Sakuya leans against her, focusing his gaze on the movie playing on the television. He doesn’t know what’s going on. Something about a girl and a boy, and a Christmas dinner with a big family, and another smaller dinner in a one-bedroom apartment, and Sakuya thinks he can relate with all of it and none of it.
Azuma’s arm comes around Sakuya’s shoulders, pulling him a little closer. “Don’t worry,” she says softly, though Sakuya doesn’t remember saying he was worried about anything at all. She adjusts the blanket around his shoulders, holding it close in front of him with one hand. “They’ll all come home soon enough. Until then, let’s watch some more trashy Christmas movies and sleep until noon, alright?”
Sakuya nods, looking down into the marshmallows of his hot chocolate and finding that he’s drunk half the mug without realizing. “Mmh,” he agrees. “I’m glad to be spending Christmas with you, Azuma-san! I hope Sakyo-san doesn’t get mad when he finds out we’re keeping the television on all evening.”
Azuma laughs, and holds a finger to her lips. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” she says with a little wink. “We’ll keep this a secret between us, alright?”
Sakuya grins. “Promise!”