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Gundham clicked the door shut behind him and let out a tired sigh, perching on the edge of his bed. He'd just returned from a trip to the vending machine, having retrieved a sugar-free cereal bar for his hamsters to share. Cham-P had broken into the Devas' regular food supply earlier that evening, leaving the other three hungry, and giving Gundham no choice but to find them something else to snack on. He usually preferred to feed them fresh fruit or sunflower seeds from the school's kitchen, but it was currently the middle of the night, so the kitchen was closed, and a cereal bar would have to do.
He unwrapped the plastic packaging, causing all four Devas to chirp in excitement. He held Cham-P back for a moment, giving the others a head start on the meal, but soon gave up, chuckling to himself as he set the greedy hamster down on the blanket with his siblings and let him eat.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, making Gundham and the Devas jump. The animals forgot the interruption in a matter of seconds, quickly diving back into their meal, but Gundham found himself too curious to ignore it - it couldn't be Sonia, she would've warned him if she planned to visit this late... But if it wasn't Sonia, then who was it?
Gundham cautiously made his way across the room, and upon opening the door, he was met with the pitiful sight of Kazuichi Soda. The mechanic was slouching timidly, his eyes too shy to meet Gundham's gaze and instead focusing on the floor. He was wearing a matching set of pastel blue pajamas, as well as a pair of thick framed glasses, and his hair was tied back with a flimsy elastic band.
"Hi," he whispered, seemingly afraid of disturbing any other students despite the soundproof walls, "I uh, I didn't wake you up or anythin', did I?"
Gundham shook his head, his eyebrows furrowed in suspicion. Why on earth would Kazuichi of all people be at his door?
"Good," Kazuichi sighed, briefly looking up and giving Gundham a glimpse at the dark circles under his eyes. "Well, I... I need your help with something. C-could you come to my room for a couple minutes?"
Gundham folded his arms and squinted, scanning the other boy's seemingly innocent expression. This was probably the longest Kazuichi had ever gone without insulting or threatening him, there had to be some sort of ulterior motive. He must be planning an attack of some sort. "How pathetic," Gundham scoffed, "You truly believed that I, Tanaka the Forbidden One, would fall for such an obvious charade? I can see through your lies, foolish mechanic."
"Huh? I-I'm being serious man," Kazuichi stuttered, a little hurt by the accusation. "What would I be lyin' about?"
"Your hatred for me is no secret, fiend. To summon me in the midst of the witching hour, the only logical explanation is that you wish to harm me in some way! If it is a battle to the death you seek, then so be it. Your power pales in comparison to mine, you are nothing but a lowly mortal, I will destroy y-"
"D-dude, chill out," Kazuichi interrupted, a horrified expression on his face, "Geez, you're so dramatic! I don't wanna fight you or nothin', I just need some help, I swear." He shuffled uncomfortably on his feet for a moment, before taking a deep breath and deciding to be honest. "There's a spider in my room, okay? A-and I don't like spiders, like, really don't, so I was wonderin' if you could come and put it outside or something, since you're so good with animals! Much better than me at least, and I can't sleep with it just sittin' there, so uh... please?"
"Oh. I see."
Gundham pondered for a moment, eventually relaxing his posture and letting his arms drop to his sides. "It wouldn't hurt to polish my skills on a creature other than my beloved Devas of Destruction, I suppose," he remarked, turning to the hamsters in question and giving them a hushed goodbye. "I shall help you. However," he continued, craning his neck to glare back at Kazuichi, "If I was in fact correct, and you do intend to harm me, you must prepare to face the wrath of my hellfire! Overlords such as myself do not take threats to their safety lightly."
"No hellfire needed," Kazuichi laughed, scratching the side of his face, "I-it'll just take a minute, I promise!"
They headed down the corridor without the need for conversation, the only sound the dull thudding of Gundham's boots and the quiet shuffling of Kazuichi's socks. Their silence was unexpectedly refreshing, a much welcome change from their usual childish bickering.
After about thirty seconds of walking, they had reached their destination. Kazuichi ushered Gundham into his room, grabbing the sleeve of his coat and impatiently tugging him inside.
Gundham hadn't been in Kazuichi's dorm before, but it wasn't any different from what he'd expected. The floor was littered with dirty clothes, empty soda cans and various half finished mechanical projects, and as his eyes scanned the room, he noticed that the desk and chest of drawers were in a similar state.
"It's over there," Kazuichi hissed, as if he was scared that the creature would hear him, "Next to my bed."
Gundham's gaze followed Kazuichi's, and sure enough, just to the left of the headboard was the spider, albeit a lot less menacing than he'd first assumed. Based on the fact that Kazuichi had felt the need come to his self-proclaimed enemy for help, Gundham had pictured something the size of a tarantula, but instead it was barely larger than a fly.
He smirked. He couldn't help but find Kazuichi's cowardice somewhat endearing.
He shook off the hand still latched onto his sleeve and tiptoed across the carpet, making sure to not break any of Kazuichi's belongings or slip on any garbage. As he approached the bed, he spotted a stuffed animal on the crumpled blanket - a cat, its purple fur faded and its tired button eyes attached by just a few scraggly threads - and carefully moved it onto the pillow, before kneeling on the mattress. He leaned forwards, cupping his hands around the spider and scooping it up with ease, winning an impressed gasp from Kazuichi. He stood up again and marched over to the window, tilting his head towards in a wordless request for the other boy to open it.
Muttering a quiet 'sure', Kazuichi stumbled forwards to undo the latch, causing a light breeze to flow into the room. Gundham quickly placed the spider on the outer ledge, and after watching it scuttle off into the darkness, he closed the window again.
As he turned back around, he saw that Kazuichi had already climbed into bed, his glasses placed on the bedside table and the blanket pulled over his lap.
"Thank you," he said quietly, hugging his teddy tightly against his chest and stroking its matted fabric, "I appreciate it man. I never coulda done that."
"It is no trouble," Gundham replied, "I'm glad my talent could be of assistance. I... apologise for my doubtful reaction at first."
"'S alright man. I'm not exactly friendly to ya, am I? So I don't blame you for not trustin' me," Kazuichi chuckled light-heartedly, his lips forming a crooked grin. "You really aren't all that bad though. Maybe I should try a li'l harder to be nice."
Gundham couldn't help but smile back at him - he looked so vulnerable compared to the tough persona he normally tried to portray. A few strands of hair had slipped out of their elastic band, delicately framing his face, and a handful of freckles were dotted across the bridge of his nose, something Gundham wouldn't've previously cared to notice. His eyes were much softer without his typical sharp makeup, and his natural irises were a warm chestnut brown, practically sparkling up at the other boy. He looked sweet. Gentle.
Gundham cleared his throat, tearing himself away from the unintentional staring contest and fighting to ignore the blush creeping into his cheeks. "I shan't disturb your slumber any longer," he mumbled, pulling his scarf up over the lower half of his face.
"O-okay, sure!" Kazuichi shuffled further under the covers, pulling them up over his shoulders. "Could ya turn the light off on your way out?"
Gundham nodded, swiftly retreating to the entrance and flicking the switch, leaving the room in complete darkness until he opened the door, casting the hallway's light around his silhouette.
"One more thing before you go!"
Gundham twisted back around to face Kazuichi, his hand resting on the doorframe.
"Could you not tell Miss Sonia 'bout this please? She... probably wouldn't think I was very brave if she knew I couldn't handle a spider. Don't want her to think I'm a scaredy-cat or nothin'."
"Of course," Gundham answered sincerely, "The Dark Queen shan't hear a word of our interaction."
"Thanks man, that means a lot. I stand by what I said just now, you're really not that bad... I mean, you're actually pretty cool if I look past the whole totally-stealing-my-girl thing!"
Gundham rolled his eyes sarcastically, earning a giggle from the other boy. "I bid you goodnight, dear mechanic."
"Alright, fine," Kazuichi yawned, giving him a sleepy wave and one final grin before planting his head on his pillow. "See you tomorrow, ya big dork."
As he stepped out into the corridor, Gundham softly pulled the door shut behind him. After a moment of contemplation, he returned to his own dorm room, a strange but pleasant warmth seeping into his chest.