018

Nothing weird happened last night.

When Chuuya woke up, the morning sun was barely seeping through the thin hotel curtains. The room was quiet, still carrying the faint scent of shampoo and steam from the shared bathroom.

He blinked a few times, adjusting to the light.

Then he noticed. The bed beside him was empty.

He sat up slowly, messy red hair falling over his eyes.

You were already up. Of course you were. Sitting at the tiny desk with your back to him, flipping through the mission files with the same quiet, unreadable air you always had.

Chuuya rubbed the back of his neck, sighing.

“You ever sleep at all?” he asked, voice still groggy.

You didn’t look up. “I did.”

“Yeah? For how long? Five minutes?”

You turned your head slightly, gaze shifting toward him with that same deadpan stare. “Longer than that.”

Chuuya sweat dropped. 'Well, no shit. This guy doesn't know how to take a joke.'

There was a beat of silence. He stood up, running a hand through his tangled hair, still grumbling as he grabbed his coat and started dressing.

Then you spoke again. “Let’s go.”

That snapped him out of his half-asleep state. “What, already? Mori told us to take our time. It’s not like this job’s urgent.”

“There’s nothing else to do here.”

Chuuya paused, glancing at you. “And here I thought you might actually try sightseeing or something.”

You blinked slowly. “No.”

“Right. Of course not.” He scoffed lightly. “Forget I said anything.”

"...We'll buy some souvenirs on the way." You added softly.

Just as he thought you have some fun in you, he deadpanned. "That's just because boss ordered us to, right?"

You stood, smooth and calm, already buttoning up your coat with surgical precision.

The files were tucked away before Chuuya even had both boots on.

“I simply follow orders,” you said simply.

Chuuya adjusted his gloves, then straightened his fedora. “Man, you’re really something else.”

He didn’t mean it unkindly. In fact, there was something like respect buried beneath his exasperation.

He’d always heard you were Mori’s favorite. Cold as ice, efficient to a fault, always obeying without hesitation. He had expected you to be…detached. But not this much.

Detached, but oddly human in the smallest, most inconvenient ways.

Chuuya fell into step beside you as the two of you exited the hotel.

The morning air was crisp, a thin fog curling through the streets.

“So, what’s the plan?” he asked, hands stuffed in his pockets.

“Recon. Confirm intel. Dispose of the problem if necessary.”

Chuuya raised a brow. “You make it sound so casual.”

“It is.”

“Y’know, for someone who barely talks, you’ve got a damn sharp way of putting things.”

You didn’t respond.

Chuuya sighed and looked away, watching a bird flutter past a lamppost.

“…Hey,” he said after a while, quieter now. “You really don’t think Mori’s being weird about this mission?”

You paused for a split second. Then resumed walking. “Explain.”

“He told us to take our time. You don’t send two of your stronger members across the sea for a low-stakes job and then tell them to make it a vacation. Feels off.”

You didn’t answer right away. Your eyes, always unreadable, flicked to the side before returning forward.

“I thought the same.”

“Huh.”

You stopped at a corner and waited for a car to pass. Then added, “A subordinate of mine mentioned a group called Mimic. Their movements match what we’ve been briefed to investigate.”

Chuuya narrowed his eyes. “Mimic… That sounds familiar. Foreign mercs, right?”

You nodded once. “If they’re involved, then Mori knows more than he told us.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time he kept us in the dark.” Chuuya clicked his tongue. “Still. Sending you out here with me? Either he’s trying to keep you out of the way… or he knows you’ll clean it up before it spreads.”

You glanced at him. “You don’t mind being a pawn?”

Chuuya laughed once, dry and humorless. “If I threw a fit every time Mori used me, I’d be hoarse by now.”

He looked at you again, curious. “You?”

“I don’t think about it.”

“Of course you don’t,” he muttered. “You’re built different.”

To be more precise, you're born to be this way.

You gave no reaction. The two of you kept walking, the silence stretching again, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Just quiet. Focused.

Eventually, Chuuya broke it again. “So… about last night.”

You didn’t stop walking. “What about it?”

“Nothing happened, but… That whole ‘one bed’ thing? I swear it felt like the universe was playing a joke.”

You tilted your head. “It didn’t bother me.”

“That’s what makes it worse!” Chuuya groaned. “You walk around half-naked with that deadpan stare like it’s nothing—and I’m just supposed to ignore it?”

You blinked, expression unreadable. “You’re the one who looked.”

Chuuya nearly tripped. “That’s not the point!”

You truly don't get what the fuss was about.

You don't get why he's uncomfortable sharing a bed with you. If it's because you're a man, wouldn't it be worse if you're a woman?

You did hear from Sada that two of the opposite sex sharing a bed would create a baby. But you're both men, nothing like a baby will pop out of thin air.

You don't get why he's uncomfortable with you being half naked. It's not like you left your dick out bare for him to see. Mori told you once years ago not to do that since it makes people uncomfortable.

You'll need to ask why Sada when you return.

You walked a little faster, purposefully, clearly ending the conversation.

Chuuya grumbled under his breath but followed, still tugging at his collar like the memory clung to him.

‘This guy’s gonna be the death of me…’

But even as he grumbled, he stayed close. Half a step behind you, sharp eyes scanning the street corners, the shadows, the alleys.

Because whatever else he thought about you, there was one thing Chuuya knew for sure.

He trusted you.