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The room was chilled, nigh frozen, the air quiet but not awkward in Ken’s room. That pleasant quiet that seemed to occupy the space between him and Kazutoshi whenever they were in a comfortable parallel to each other. Both quietly preparing for bed after Kazutoshi had – despite lengthy searching – been unable to turn up his dorm room key and been given refuge by his friend.
“Alright, if that’s everything. Goodnight, tomorrow will be colder so we need to get some rest.” Ken prompted with concern laced in his tone, his mind occupied with how they’d be able to deal with the dropping temperatures together.
“Dude, are you about to sleep on the floor?” Kazutoshi leaned up from the bed, looking over at Ken as he tugged his sleep shirt over his head.
“Y-yes? Is that a problem?” Ken fiddled with the hem of his shirt awkwardly, the tips of his ears flushing red.
“Yes it’s a fucking problem Ken. I’m not about to steal your bed and make you sleep on the floor, let alone that you were the one who offered it to me in the first place since I’m locked out of my room, so, get in here.” Kazutoshi lifted up the piles of blankets he was under. “…it’s not anything weird okay, and you’ll be warmer like this anyway too.”
“…Alright. Yeah, sorry, you’re right.” Ken shuffled towards the edge of the bed, seating himself on the mattress before slowly tucking himself under the covers. Heavy, cold from being exposed to the open air, but at least warmer that he was before, though that was not a high bar to clear.
He was hyperaware of Kazutoshi’s presence next to him, shivering, even in his two shirts long pants and plenty of blankets piled on top of him. Though the boy was content to try ignore the way his bones and teeth rattled with the chill.
“Kazutoshi you’re freezing. W-would it be okay if I…” Ken slowly turned his head towards Kazutoshi, gripping the top of the blanket with white tipped fingers and knuckles.
“What?” Kazutoshi eyed him closely.
“I-I was just thinking… if it’s not warm enough under the blankets. Would you mind if we uhm… shared our body heat? We would heat up a lot faster that way.” Ken said unassumingly, contrast to how Kazutoshi seemed to stare at him quietly while he thought about how to respond.
“It’s a normal part of cold survival if you’re… worried. I want to help you Kazutoshi, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, we don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Ken awkwardly continued in respond to Kazutoshi’s quiet eyes.
“Fuck, at this point, if it’s gonna make us any warmer than we are. Sure.” Kazutoshi swallowed down the heavy feeling building up in his throat as he tried to ignore the quiet thrum in his chest.
“Alright.” Ken affirmed softly, very slowly shuffling across the bed. Kazutoshi’s smaller stature fit snugly against him, hands moving so slowly to hold onto each other.
“I thought this would be a little quicker, you’re cold as hell too.” Kazutoshi deadpanned.
“Well, it might take a little while to warm up. Did you know humans actually share their body heat best when touching skin on skin? Fabric doesn’t conduct heat nearly as well as human skin does, so it’s much easier to absorb warmth from someone else’s body with no clothes in the way.” Ken mentioned factually, letting what he said process in his mind for a moment, soaking in Kazutoshi’s quiet breath hitch in response to his comment.
“-I mean that just in an informative way! We’ll warm up just fine like this I promise!” Ken buried his face in the top of Kazutoshi’s head in embarrassment, the tips of his ears flushing red in embarrassment.
“Got any other heat related facts that aren’t as, yknow…” Intimate.
“Well penguins huddle for warmth similarly, except in massive groups, in the freezing arctic, the centre of their huddles can frequently reach up to thirty-seven degrees Celsius. Penguins will frequently move in and out of the huddles as to not overheat”
“Thank you trivia boy, I’ve been appeased.” Kazutoshi huffed, pressing his face into Ken’s collar. He had long since stopped shivering, the weight of their body’s flush together as well as the blankets holding them down let them foster warmth between the two of them.
“Do you feel a little warmer now?”
“…Yeah. It’s more bearable like this. I’m so fucking done with this damn motive, I do not even wanna think about how it’s going to be when it gets colder.” Kazutoshi’s fingers seemed to grip the back of Ken’s shirt tighter, as if trying to pull the warmth closer to himself, his fingertips frigid like ice.
“Yeah, same. And the longer the motive goes on for, the more… anxious, I get. I’m scared, that at this point death is inevitable no matter who it is. It’s not as if there have been moments where I’m totally calm but, I hate this impatient fear.” Ken’s breath seemed to shake.
“I get it, yeah. I mean so far, the last motives didn’t last too long right? Not weird to think that the more days go by, the closer someone is to kicking the bucket.” Kazutoshi mentioned calmly.
“That is exactly what I was thinking but with a little more tact.” Ken whispered.
“Got any theories on whose going next?”
“Ideally not you or me.”
“I’ve got a couple people I wouldn’t mind.”
“Oh I’m sure you do.”
A short beat of silence passed for a moment.
“…I’m tired, we gotta sleep, energy for whatever crap is in store tomorrow I guess.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Goodnight Kazutoshi.”
The two seemed only to try snuggling a little closer, arms and legs intertwined, Kazutoshi’s head resting right over Ken’s chest, his heartbeat thrumming rhythmically in his ears, lulling him to sleep. Kazutoshi wouldn’t be able to recall when the last time he was held like this was, it would’ve been so long ago. It filled his aching heart with a sense of security, like as long as he faced tomorrow with Ken, he could face anything.
Arms wrapped tightly around the other’s frail body, Ken drawing close someone who sometimes he was scared would crack like a porcelain doll. But in his arms, he felt heavy and real, a reminder that made his heart beat in his throat, a beat so strong he could feel it pulse in his swollen lip he had been biting earlier that day in his anxiety.
Kazutoshi looked up, transfixed on his friend’s calm and blissful face as he breathed slowly. Eyes lingering perhaps a little too long on his lip, entertaining silly thoughts in his mind. That maybe if they survived or escaped or won or anything, maybe even after all that, then maybe Kazutoshi might find the courage to—
He squished the thought, eyes flicking back down. He nestled back into his spot under Ken’s chin, his hammering heart keeping the hot blood beneath his skin rushing.