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You've been living at the Beach for almost a month now, it took some getting used to the odd behavior and people but you feel like you've settled into your own little routine by now. You had started to expect certain things: Hatter's obnoxious speeches in the main hall right before a game was about to start, Kuina’s friendly smile from across the cafeteria while she chewed on the smoke aid and laughed at her many friends, Aguni's dangerous aura when he walked past you at the pool with his group of clinically insane followers behind him, Niragi's threads and curses that he throws at you when you push his buttons just a little too far, and more little quirks from the most noteworthy Beach members.
There is one person though, that you could not predict at all. Before coming here you would've categorized yourself as a hearts player instantly to whoever asked. You were proud of that title, that identity. Not in a cruel way, of course, it’s not like you enjoyed betrayal and death but you always took pride in being able to read people and predict situations. You knew how to charm your way around a group of people and win their trust, you could think logically when needed and you could lie like a professional poker player, it’s true to say that you were confident in your ability as a heart player.
Chishiya changed that confidence.
You were still one of the best in the heart games, especially at the Beach, you were able to predict actions and words from people before they knew what they were going to say. The only person in the building who could give you a run for your money when it came to these games was Mira, but you had already figured out that there was far more to her than she believed. Now though, every time you called yourself a hearts player you hesitated just a bit. Every time you went to utter the words, your mind flashed to him, and you were unable to read him properly.
You never really know what he's thinking, you did things that you predicted would piss him off or at least get a reaction out of him but instead, most of the time he just looked mildly amused, or he just ignored your antics entirely.
You would say that you’re a playful person. It was kind of a hobby to watch the interesting people and see where their boundaries and loyalties lie. It was fun for you to go up to them with everything that you learned and see how far you could go until they got annoyed enough to snap. Someone might say that you’re a freak for seeking out danger so much, and well maybe you were. But there was always a small whisper at the back of your mind that reassured you. You knew these people, you observed them and you knew exactly which buttons that you could push and how much you could get away with. Of course, you considered that this little habit might leave you with a bullet in your skull but you trusted your ability and intuition enough to risk your life for it.
Although it was different from Chishiya, you just couldn’t figure out what made him go on, what made him willing to stay fighting, and what made him the person that you see today. It’s not that you were completely blind to his true nature. You had played enough games with him to know that he was incredibly smart. He was always strategizing, and you knew from the thoughtful gaze he wore most of the time that his games didn't stop in the arena. He was always looking at everyone like he was planning something. The thing was that you just couldn’t figure out what .
And maybe if you were observing yourself instead you would’ve noticed that your obsession with trying to figure out what makes the nonchalant diamond player tick, you would’ve noticed that your admiration ran deeper than just curiosity. But that was not the case, instead, you were oblivious to the obvious. You kept on watching the blond as he moved around the Beach with ease as if none of this bothered him. You called him nicknames and touched his hand to see what his reaction would be but to your fastly increasing annoyance, he merely looked at you with a smirk and let you be.
That was until a particular Friday night. You were trying to sleep but the nightmares about yet another gruesome death game kept you up. It didn’t matter how much you tossed or turned, every time you closed your eyes all you could see was blood. This was why you decided to get out of your room and climb up the stairs leading up to the rooftop.
It was not like you were the only one awake at night, there was an around-the-clock party outside to prove that. But it was rare for you to be out of bed at this hour, you were someone who needed their sleep and frankly, the party didn’t interest you at all. It was all just a bunch of drunk, sweaty people dancing and groping each other with way too loud and overwhelming music in the background. Not really your scene.
But sometimes, when things got too much you found comfort in sitting on the rooftops, watching the stars until the night disappeared and you got pulled back to reality. You were planning to do just that tonight. But after going up all the stairs and sneaking through the emergency exit building onto the rooftop of the luxurious hotel, you saw a scene that you had not experienced before.
There was a figure, sitting on your spot.
Well, it wasn’t your spot, not truly. But still, someone was here.
You quickly considered turning around and letting the person have their moment but then you were reminded of the constant night terrors and decided that if someone wants to sit on your spot, they can deal with you too.
Walking over to the edge of the rooftop, you quickly realized that it was rather chilly. The goosebumps decorated your arms and you mentally cursed yourself for going outside at night in a bathing suit, and then you mentally cursed Hatter for coming up with the stupid rule in the first place. Well, no turning back now.
As you approached the figure, you recognized the white hoodie almost instantly. It was not just anyone who was sitting here, in the dark under the moonlight. It was Chishiya. And maybe that was worse than it being some random person you had never met, or maybe it was a sign.
So after again slightly hesitating you made your presence known by sitting beside him.
He didn’t even acknowledge your presence as you mostly expected. He didn’t react when you sat close to him, unintentionally searching out his body heat as a cold night wind breezed past you. You watched the stars in silence together, it was weirdly intimate, you had laid a head on his shoulder and it only distracted him for a moment before ignoring it and looking into the distance again. It was weird to be this close to someone and feel no tension at all.
After what felt like ages in the cold, your body began shivering. You tried to make it stop, not wanting this weirdly comfortable moment to break, but your attempts were no success. It felt like if you moved too much, the man on your left would realize the situation he was in and be disgusted, regret it, or just leave. And for some reason, you really didn’t want this to end. Seriously curse Hatter and his stupid rules.
Instead of ruining the moment like you expected it to do, Chishiya finally looked at you when you shivered again and raised an eyebrow. He had an amused look in his eye as he realized just why you were so cold and seemed to think for a moment. You didn’t know what, obviously but still he seemed to zone out for a bit and you continued watching the stars.
His shoulder shifted and you were pulled out of your thoughts. Your head jerked up trying to see what the other man was doing. Had he finally decided to end your fantasy? Was he going to leave?
Apparently not, you watched in confusion as Chishiya removed his iconic white hoodie, leaving only him in a thin white shirt. Why would he take off his hoodie when it was so cold outside? He looked at you with his usual neutral expression and stretched out his hand with the hoodie in it. After meeting your confused eyes he smiled softly.
“Just take it.” He whispered in the night, his eyes shined beautifully under the starlight and you realized that maybe there was another reason Chishiya became so important to you over the last months. Maybe it was more than curiosity, it surprised you how you hadn’t seen it earlier.
You took the white hoodie and put it on, instantly comforted by the stark contrast the new warmth provided. You looked back at the blonde man and smiled.
“Thank you.” You whispered back, laying your head back on his shoulder as his hand fell on your thighs. It felt almost like a fantasy, a dream. But as you two continued watching the night sky until the sun painted it in the early morning, you found that you could finally say with confidence that if Chishiya was a mystery, you were okay with never solving it.
And if moments like these were a dream, you were okay with waking up if that meant you could go back to sleep at the end of the day.