Friends With Benefits | Chishiya x Reader

Chapter Eleven

☆ In which there is a lot of snark and not enough stars. ☆

Chishiya does not come to the roof until the next night.  

You'd waited for about twenty minutes before giving up, the moon gazing dolefully out at you as you sat there alone. You hadn't seen Chishiya today either, for according to Kuina he had been occupied with a strenuously long executive meeting. Still, you tried your luck again the next night, where you were somewhat relieved to find the blonde sitting on the edge of the roof like normal.

"Do you ever sleep?" You yawn as you stumble onto the rooftop. "I do need some rest from time to time, you know."

"I never asked you to come here," Chishiya says coldly. Today he doesn't even glance in your direction when you come in, his eyes laser-focused on the neon lights. You blink, but sit down next to Chishiya anyway. 

"I know that," you say as you dangle your legs over the roof's edge. "I was trying to start a light banter." Your bandaged arm rests on your lap and you lean back on your other arm. The wound gives you a slight difficulty of moving your left arm, but nothing more. 

When Chishiya does not respond, you wonder if you upset him with the coffee the other day. Fragile as his ego must be if that is the case, you doubt he was jilted by the fact the Beach could not serve better coffee. Your mind whirs as you try to pin down the situation at hand. There is always the fact that playing hot-and-cold is a popular manipulation technique - you remember the countless times your friend's ex lavished affection upon her only to leave her on read for the next few weeks. The 'treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen' tactic was kind of cheap, but taking into consideration Chishiya's personality you wouldn't put it past him. However, you could barely call your relationship with Chishiya a relationship, let alone an affectionate one. And what sort of use would it be to use on you? It's not like you have anything he needs.

"Are you withdrawing, Chishiya?" You ask him, eliciting a snort from the blonde man.

"And what would I be withdrawing from?" he asks, his tone condescending. "Do tell."

"Must you be snarky as well as sulky?" You give a resigned sigh. You almost reach out to poke him, but under the white of the moonlight he looks highly explosive. 

And so you draw a line through the first guess on your list. 

Judging by the way his eyes are angled downwards, you decide that he must be dwelling on something that happened long ago. Perhaps the best way to go about the situation would be to mollify him. 

You wince as you raise your arm, the slight jolt of pain shooting up your forearm from the movement. Chishiya, although not facing you, speaks wryly. "Don't move your arm too much. It'll take a lot longer for the wound to heal if you accidentally reopen it."

 "Thank you, doctor," you say sarcastically. Chishiya's eyes flicker at the jibe, but he says nothing more. 

You wait for a few moments before you reach out again, this time more slowly to ease the pain in your arm. You tap Chishiya's hand softly with your index finger. You expect him to move it away in irritation, but to your surprise he opens his palm to allow you to hold it. He lets out an exasperated sigh as you lace your fingers with his. The stars that usually appear when you touch Chishiya now seem to collect around your chest as well, twinkling warmth around your heart. For a brief moment, you wonder if he can feel the stars too.

"Is something the matter?" you ask quietly. "You didn't come here yesterday."

"I have no obligations to come here," he replies smoothly. You shrug the right side of your shoulder.

"That may be true," you say, "but do let a friend know so they won't be waiting in the cold."

"We're not friends."

"Oho! And so the nonsense returns," you retort with a laugh. "You said it yourself the other day, did you not?"

Chishiya's gaze lowers to the Beach's pool. His face slips briefly into the expression of someone who looks as if they regrets every decision they've ever made. "I must be out of my mind," he murmurs. 

"It's quite alright to be shy, Chishiya."

He gives a mirthless laugh. 

You study his face. He truly is gifted at controlling his expression - his lips are not pressed together, yet not parted, and his eyes are half-lidded - the perfect mask crafted for someone who does not care. 

After a moment's thought, you speak again. 

"You know," you say to no one in particular, "it is the duty of a good friend to comfort a friend in times of trouble." You lightly squeeze Chishiya's hand, and Setsuko flashes through your mind. "You don't have to tell me anything," you mumble to the moon. "I'm not pretentious enough to act like I know everything about you. I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Oh? I thought friends had to tell each other everything," he snips. This time you do poke him, and he finally responds with his usual smirk. You breathe a small sigh of relief - the situation has been diffused. He notices this, and his smirk grows wider. 

"You're quite the sweet talker," he remarks with a chuckle. Here is the light banter you were hoping for earlier.

You snort. "If that's what you think sweet talking is, you're wildly incorrect."

He hums in amusement. The conversation seems to have come to a close and he stands up to leave, disentangling your hand from his in the process. 

"Hey, wait a second!" You get to your feet too, and Chishiya stops to look at you. The timing feels off, but better late than never. You hesitantly hold out your arms, the left arm slightly lower. Chishiya stares at you, brow raised, and you can't help but laugh. "I'm trying to hug you, crazy."

"Oh."

Chishiya doesn't move, and so you take the initiative to step forward and gently wrap your arms around his torso. Your arms slip under his and your head rests in the crook of his neck. The white fabric of his hoodie is soft, his neck warm. He stiffens when you touch him, and you can tell how he wants to pull away. You hug him softly, preparing for him to push you off.

"I told you, didn't I?" You whisper. "Friends comfort each other like this."

The man is unresponsive and so you loosen your grip, starting to pull away. 

But he stops you.

You almost can't believe it when his arms move uncertainly around your waist, reciprocating your embrace. The stars that burst from his fingertips glow pink and blue at your back. They fizzle everywhere, turning your body into a nebula. You are incredibly aware of how his hands touch loosely against your sides, how his head seems to tilt forward ever so slightly so that his chin rests lightly on the top of your head. Pressed into Chishiya's shoulder, the helpless smile returns to your face. 

"So we're friends again now, hm?"

He rolls his eyes. "Don't push it."

You laugh. "I'll take that as a yes."