Friends With Benefits | Chishiya x Reader

Chapter Seventeen

☆ In which you engage in some riveting Idle Chitchat. ☆

The Spades player lowers the gun and throws it down, the weapon clattering to the space between the bodies on the floor. You look at him, dazed. The woman's blood blooms crimson over the white floor. 

No one speaks.

Without a word, Chishiya peels himself away from the wall and steps over the scatter of red petals. He kneels by the table and peers under it, humming softly when he finds what he is looking for. He withdraws the Seven of Hearts card from the underside of the table and slowly gets to his feet. The blonde draws closer to you and the Spades player and you watch as he silently holds the card out to the scarred man, the corner of his mouth quirked upwards. 

The Spades player stares at the card blankly for a moment, then accepts it with a cursory nod in Chishiya's direction. After this solemn interaction you expect him to trudge away, but the man only looks at you with a somewhat expectant expression. Well? His eyes say. You blink, and then realise he seems to be waiting for some kind of appreciatory gesture from you.

"Thanks," you offer with a faint smile. "Nice job out there." 

Chishiya coughs, a badly concealed laugh, and the Spades player limps away with the card and your congratulations in hand like a trophy. The Clubs girl scurries after him. 

You throw a glance over your shoulder at the high schooler, who trembles in her shoes. For a girl with a knife up her sleeve, she seems to be quite lacking in gumption. She twists her fingers around the hem of her sleeve again and something inside you softens. You want to say something to her, but you don't know what. 

Quiet footsteps tell you Chishiya is walking away. He stops at the door to the building without turning around, waiting for you to follow. 

With one last look at the high schooler, you pad after Chishiya. 

The doors swing shut as Chishiya materialises on the rooftop. It's one of the few times you arrive before he does, and the crescent moon acknowledges this by shining a spotlight on the latecomer. You briefly wonder where he'd been - the minute you'd arrived back at the Beach after today's game he had disappeared, not to be seen again for the rest of the day. The somewhat heavy feeling you left the Hearts game with earlier lifts away as you turn to look at him.

You're in the mood for some Idle Chitchat Among Friends tonight, and so you skip the greetings. "Do you have any nicknames, Chishiya?" you ask, dangling your legs over the edge of the roof. He gives you a weird look, settling down next to you. 

"That's a sudden question." He says, brows raised in true Chishiya fashion. He pretends to sigh as you reach for his hand and you pretend not to see the way his eyes turn to honey, gazing down at your lap to hide your small smile. You shrug and fold your fingers between his, anticipating the shower of stars that always come without fail upon contact. 

"Some friends have cute nicknames for each other," you explain. The expression Chishiya makes is nothing short of severely unenthusiastic, and your smile widens to a grin. 

"How sweet," he says sarcastically. "I don't want a nickname."

"Everyone needs a nickname." You pause. "But do you have any?"

"No."

"Really?" You tilt your head, your mouth curving into a more jesting smile. "Then, shall I give you one?" You lower your eyes thoughtfully. "Short for Chishiya...how about...Chish?" 

Your proposition is met with a moonlit grimace, and you can't help but laugh at the disgusted look on the man's face. "No? Then, how about..Chi? Shiya? Ya?" You deliberate. "Come to think of it, your name is kind of weird."

"What about you?" he asks drily, eager to move away from the topic of his nickname. "How about...'Pain in my Neck'? Wow, sounds great."

You snort. "No, thanks. Don't change the subject, Chish." You squint. "Ah, wait, that doesn't sound quite right." 

"How about, 'Chishiya'? Because that's my actual name." He suggests, opening the palm of his free hand to indicate that this idea is in fact a great one. 

You pretend to mull it over, eyes sparkling. "That's not cute though." 

He scoffs. "Who said it needed to be cute?"

"I did! Nicknames are meant to be fun. Oh!" You tap your index finger against your cheek. "How about your first name? What was it again? Something like Shunichiro."

"Shuntaro," the blonde grumbles. "It's Shuntaro."

Since you can't clasp your hands together at the moment, you squeeze Chishiya's hand cheerfully instead. "Shuntaro? That's much cuter! Makes the whole nickname business a lot easier, hm?" you tease. Chishiya flaps a hand of indifference.

"It's just a name," he says flatly.

"Yes, but it's your name," you argue lightly, the note of amusement apparent in your voice. "Shuntaro...then, how about Shun? Or Taro? Taro!" you brighten. "Taro's cute, isn't it? How about it?"

"Absolutely not." Chishiya replies adamantly, and looks away. "Don't call me that."

"You like it, don't you! Taro." You prod his shoulder. He refuses to look at you, so you lean forward slightly to get a full view of his face. "You do like it! I can see you smiling."

"I'm not smiling." 

"You're a filthy liar, Taro."