Chapter Text
The digital clock on Yoshiki’s phone had clicked over to exactly 3:00 AM right as they stepped off the curb of Hikaru’s driveway.
The Devil’s Hour.
To Yoshiki, walking through the suburban streets in total, suffocating darkness at this time of night was pure insanity.
His internal monologue was already a rapid fire of sporadic, paranoid thoughts.
Three in the morning.
Why did I agree to three in the morning?
Even the raccoons are probably asleep right now.
If something possessed jumps out of the bushes, I’m throwing Hikaru at it and running full speed back to his house.
He shoved his left hand deep into his jacket pocket, his fingers frantically brushing against his pill bottle, another silent prayer that his stomach doesn’t act up and can settle tonight.
"Hikaru, I am entirely serious," Yoshiki grumbled in a sharp whisper, his teeth chattering slightly against the freezing night air.
"Walking to a cursed playground at three in the morning is begging for a death wish. We should just go back and sleep."
On his left, Hikaru was walking with a relaxed, lazy stride, his hands shoved deep into his hoodie pockets.
His phone was tucked away for now, but his messy, snow-white hair seemed to practically glow under the flickering orange streetlights.
He didn't even look over, a soft, amused giggle escaping his chest.
"Awh, come on, Yoshi! The comments section specifically requested a Devil's Hour special!" Hikaru teased happily, his voice a cheerful sing-song.
"If we want to hit that fifteen thousand subscriber count, we have to give the people what they want. You aren't superstitious, are you?"
"I'm not superstitious, I'm rational," Yoshiki hissed back, his white-knuckled grip tightening around his pill bottle in his hoodie.
"There's a massive difference between being brave and being an idiot. You happen to be both."
Hikaru just let out another burst of breezy, airy laughter, deliberately bumping his shoulder against Yoshiki’s in the dark.
"ThErE's A mAsSiVe DiFfErEnCe BeTwEeN bEiNg BrAvE aNd BeInG aN iDiOt," Hikaru mocked in a high-pitched falsetto, repeating his words.
"You're just grumpy because you're up past your bedtime, nerd.”
"Shut up, jackass,” Yoshiki huffed out in a rasp.
They bickered back and forth for twenty agonizingly long minutes, their hushed arguments echoing quietly off the dark, empty houses.
But the teasing instantly died out the moment they reached the perimeter of their destination.
Yoshiki froze dead in his tracks, his breath hitching violently in his throat.
An intense, icy chill shot straight down his spine as his eyes settled on the barren children’s playground.
The playground sets looked entirely frozen in time, decaying slowly under the pale, eerie moonlight.
Yoshiki let out a shaky sigh, grabbing the flashlight from his back pocket, clicking it on with a flickering light, before the beam settled normally onto the eerie, quiet, chilling rusting playground sets.
Hikaru smoothly reached into his oversized hoodie’s pocket, pulling out the cheap plastic selfie stick with a sharp, fluid click, snapping his phone into it before his thumb tapped the record button, his face instantly transforming into his signature toothy grin.
"What's up, Ghostfacers! Welcome to our special three-A-M edition!" Hikaru whispered loudly into the lens, flashing his toothy grin and a quick peace sign.
"The algorithm demanded the Devil's Hour, so we are currently trespassing at the local barren children’s park!"
Yoshiki’s jaw locked up tight, his eyes rolling aggressively behind his bangs as his internal monologue flared right back up.
Here we go again.
Every single weekend, I get dragged into another one of these death traps for views.
Hikaru tilted the selfie stick, smoothly panning the lens to capture Yoshiki’s rigid posture and wide, intense eyes.
"As you can see, our looovely Yoshiki is currently staring at the swings like he’s about to cry," Hikaru purred mockingly, his red pupils glinting under the moonlight.
"Don't worry, viewers! If a playground demon tries to steal his soul, I'll make sure to record it in high definition!"
"I’m not crying, you idiot," Yoshiki snapped in a sharp, quiet yelp, his face flushing a hot, flustered pink at the camera callout.
"I’m trying to calculate how many diseases we’re going to get from getting anywhere close to those rusting playsets."
Hikaru just let out a few quiet, airy giggles, shifting his weight as he pointed his flashlight beam toward the center of the playground.
The light cut through the dense shadows, illuminating a row of old, rusting swing sets.
The heavy iron chains swayed slightly, creaking aggressively back and forth in the cold night wind despite being completely empty.
Beside the swings, a massive, steep plastic slide loomed in the darkness, its overgrown weeds swallowing the tiny toddler playhouses underneath it.
"Let's check out the slide first, Yoshi," Hikaru hummed, starting to walk forward with a completely relaxed, fearless stride.
"I bet there's a killer clown hiding in the tunnel. What do you think?"
Yoshiki didn't say a word, but his free hand instantly flew into his hoodie pocket, his fingers wrapped tightly into a fist as his stomach gave a sudden, warning twist of pure dread.
He forced his sneakers to move, walking slowly and keeping a strict, protective distance exactly three paces behind his chaotic tormentor.
Yoshiki made a conscious effort to walk precisely in Hikaru’s footsteps, carefully dodging any overgrown weeds or dark patches on the ground.
His eyes darted erratically from the low-hanging chains of the swing set to the thick, metal guardrails of the main playset.
He bent his fingers inward, refusing to let his hands touch any of the grime-covered surfaces that had likely been handled by hundreds of sticky, unclean toddlers years ago.
If I get tetanus out here, I am never forgiving him.
I’d rather face a ghost than a hospital needle.
Hikaru, completely oblivious to Yoshiki’s internal hygiene crisis, strode casually toward the small set of plastic stairs leading up to the main slide platform.
He didn't care about the rust or the dirt, holding the selfie stick high to frame the ominous dark tunnel above them.
Suddenly, the silence of the night was pierced by a sharp, distinct crunch.
Hikaru’s sneakers had stepped directly onto a large, shattered piece of glass hidden in the weeds at the base of the stairs.
Yoshiki reacted instantly, a quiet gasp escaping his throat as his body gave a sudden, involuntary jump backward.
His fists clenched tightly in his pockets, his wide, intense eyes darting down to the ground, terrified that they had just tripped another hidden wire.
The phone camera, still angled slightly toward them, perfectly captured Yoshiki's frantic little leap in high definition.
Hikaru stopped walking, tilting his flashlight beam down to look at the shattered green shards beneath his sneaker.
He let out a soft, irritated huff, his usual playful expression dropping for a brief second as his red pupils narrowed.
"Who the hell leaves broken glass in a children's playground?" Hikaru questioned, his voice straining slightly with a genuine, unscripted annoyance.
"That's just trashy. Someone could really get hurt."
Yoshiki let out a long, ragged breath, trying to calm his hammering heart as he stared at the back of Hikaru's messy white hair.
The realization that it was just litter brought a sudden wave of relief to his churning stomach.
"Idiots, that's who," Yoshiki rasped quietly, his face still a little flustered from his jump scare.
"Which means you'd fit right in with them. Now watch where you're stepping."
“Ugh, Yoshiki, I don't litter! Don’t rope me into that branch of idiots. I’m a smart idiot,” Hikaru huffed with a pout before sweeping the broken glass off to the side, continuing up the stairs.
The hollow plastic steps let out a dull, heavy thud under the weight of Hikaru’s sneakers.
Yoshiki hesitated at the bottom of the structure for a single, agonizing second.
He stared at the dirty handrails, his jaw locking tight as he reluctantly forced himself to climb.
He refused to hold onto the metal bars, balancing his weight carefully as his rapid, sporadic thoughts flared up.
Don't fall.
If I fall out here, I'm landing face-first in years of dirt and broken glass.
They finally reached the top platform, standing right at the entrance of the massive, tube-shaped plastic tunnel slide.
The opening of the slide was pitch black, swallowing the beam of Hikaru's flashlight like a black hole.
Hikaru eagerly leaned closer to the dark opening, holding the selfie stick out to pan the camera lens inside the tube.
"Alright, Ghostfacers, we are at the mouth of the beast," Hikaru whispered dramatically into the lens.
"It's completely pitch black in there. Yoshi, why don't you stick your head inside and see if any spirits are sleeping?"
"Absolutely not," Yoshiki deadpanned instantly, his voice cracking slightly from the freezing mountain air.
"I am not putting my face inside a giant plastic tube that probably contains spiders and sleeping bats."
Hikaru turned the phone camera back onto Yoshiki's completely serious, unblinking face, letting out a soft, airy giggle.
"Awh, come on! Where's your sense of adventure, squeaky emo? The subscribers want to see—"
Suddenly, Hikaru’s voice was violently cut short.
From deep within the pitch-black plastic tunnel slide, a distinct, rhythmic tap-tap-tap echoed through the tube.
It sounded like heavy fingernails or sharp claws slowly scratching against the plastic walls, moving upward toward the opening.
Yoshiki’s entire body stiffened as if he’d been struck by lightning, his breath hitching violently in his chest.
Instinct took over, and before he could even process what he was doing, Yoshiki lunged forward and locked onto the back of Hikaru's oversized hoodie.
He grabbed a firm fistful of the fabric, pulling Hikaru slightly backward while his wide, intense eyes stared at the dark hole.
The phone camera, vibrating wildly from the sudden movement, perfectly captured the pure, unadulterated terror on Yoshiki’s pale face.
Hikaru's face went completely pale under the moonlight, a bead of cold sweat forming on the back of his neck.
The quiet, breezy giggles completely vanished from his throat as his red pupils remained locked on the pitch-black opening.
He took a slow, shallow breath, a nervous chuckle finally slipping past his lips to break the heavy silence.
"O-Okay, change of plans, Ghostfacers," Hikaru whispered, his voice straining slightly with unscripted discomfort.
"Yoshiki’s currently trying to rip my hoodie off, so we're just going to use the selfie stick to get a good look at whatever's inside."
Hikaru slowly pulled the plastic stick back, his fingers trembling just a fraction against the handle.
He tapped the screen to switch the phone's camera, turning it into a rear-facing lens so they could observe what was inside the slide's tunnel from a safe distance.
Yoshiki didn't let go of his grip for a single second, leaning his shoulder heavily against Hikaru's back.
He used the solid, warm weight of his best friend to anchor his hammering heart, his teeth grinding together to keep from making a sound.
Don't look.
Don't look.
Please let it just be a raccoon.
A rat.
A snake.
Anything realistic.
I don’t need another Hikaru situation on my hands...
Hikaru slowly extended the plastic selfie stick forward, pushing the phone's glowing screen right into the dark mouth of the tube.
Both of their wide, intense eyes glued themselves to the phone screen, watching the live video feed in absolute, suffocating silence.
The bright beam of Hikaru's flashlight illuminated the plastic interior of the tunnel on the screen.
The tapping sound grew louder, a sharp, echoing scritch-scratch that traveled up the tube.
On the screen, a small, dark shadow began to emerge from the bend of the slide, moving steadily upward toward the lens.
The shadow on the screen grew larger and more defined as it hit the direct beam of the flashlight.
Yoshiki held his breath, his knuckles turning pure white as he squeezed Hikaru's hoodie fabric, bracing for a phantom.
Then, the creature finally crawled into full view on the glowing glass screen.
It was a massive, monstrously centipede, its dozens of legs rippling in a sickening wave as it scrambled right toward the lens.
Because of the plastic tunnel's echo, its tiny footsteps had sounded like heavy, clawed dog paws scratching the walls of the tunnel.
Hikaru’s brain completely short-circuited in a split second.
"OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" Hikaru shrieked at a pitch that could have shattered glass, his previous pale fear instantly twisting into absolute, unadulterated horror.
"IT'S A GIANT CENTIPEDE! YOSHIKI, LET ME GO! LET ME THE FUCK GO!"
Hikaru violently tried to scramble backward, his knees buckling in pure panic as he attempted to sprint down the plastic stairs.
But he couldn't move an inch.
Yoshiki was still planted firmly behind him, his tight, unyielding grip on the hoodie acting like a literal anchor that pinned Hikaru to the spot.
Yoshiki blinked blankly, his wide eyes tracking the bug on the screen before looking up at his hyperventilating friend.
He didn't think the bug was pleasant, but compared to a demon or a corpse-snatcher, it was completely harmless.
"Hikaru, calm down, it's just a bug," Yoshiki deadpanned, his voice a sharp contrast to Hikaru's screaming.
"LET ME GO! IT'S LOOKING AT ME! IT'S COMING OUT OF THE TUBE!" Hikaru wailed frantically, his legs buckling as the phone camera whipped around wildly in his shaking hand, recording a chaotic blur of the night sky and his own terrified face.
"YOSHIKI, I SWEAR TO GOD, IF THAT THING JUMPS ON MY FACE I AM SACRIFICING YOU TO THE ENTIRE NETHERWORLD!"
“Shut up, Hikaru! Jeez, you’re gonna wake up the neighborhood with your girly screaming! It's a harmless bug, calm your shit!” Yoshiki yelled with an annoyed rasp.
He quickly covered Hikaru’s mouth with his hand until he stopped his nonsensical screaming, although his hand was now covered in Hikaru’s spit as he began licking Yoshiki’s hand to get him to remove it.
“Ugh, gross... I’ll put it in the grass if it’ll make you feel better,” Yoshiki huffed quietly, feeling Hikaru quickly nod against his hand.
Yoshiki aggressively wiped his saliva-covered hand against the front of Hikaru’s oversized hoodie with a look of pure, unadulterated disgust.
"You're a literal animal," Yoshiki grumbled, his face heating up with a flustered crimson as his rapid, sporadic thoughts momentarily drifted.
I can't believe he actually just licked me...
He was practically lapping at my hand.
And on camera.
I could feel the texture of his tongue against my hand...
Nope!
Not thinking about that anymore.
Yoshiki forced his hands to remain steady as walked around Hikaru, nudging the massive centipede onto his hand, swiftly walking down the small stairs as it scuttled into the overgrown grass, disappearing completely into the shadows.
The moment the creature vanished, the terrified tension on the platform finally dissolved into a heavy, awkward silence, the only sound being Yoshiki walking back up the small plastic stairs.
Hikaru slumped forward, resting his forehead flat against the plastic guardrail of the playset as his chest heaved with deep, dramatic breaths.
His messy, snow-white hair fell over his face, completely covering his red pupils as he let out a tiny, pathetic whine.
"My heart... My heart literally stopped, Yoshi," Hikaru whimpered into the plastic railing, his fearless persona totally crushed.
"That thing was a prehistoric monster. It had a million legs. It was definitely trying to eat my soul."
Yoshiki rolled his eyes behind his bangs, a slow, malicious smirk gradually breaking through his irritation as he stepped down the stairs.
"You're a horror fanatic who was practically crying over a harmless centipede," Yoshiki deadpanned, his tone dripping with satisfaction.
"Make sure to leave that part unedited, Ghostfacer. The viewers are going to make piss-baby compilations about you."
Hikaru lifted his head slowly, his face flushed a bright, burning red as he weakly adjusted his grip on the cheap plastic selfie stick.
He pouted heavily into the lens, his eyes crinkling in total defeat as he panned the camera between them.
"Ughhh! Shut up, Yoshiki!" Hikaru whined mockingly into the microphone, trying to salvage whatever dignity he had left.
“Are you going to call it quits already over a little bug?” Yoshiki teased with a small sigh, handing an open hand to Hikaru.
“C’mon, get up. We still have a few spots to explore.”
Hikaru stared blankly at Yoshiki’s open palm for a few quiet, agonizingly still seconds.
His red pupils slowly shifted from Yoshiki's hand up to his face, a sudden warmth crinkling the corners of his eyes.
A massive, toothy grin broke right back onto his face, completely erasing his previous terror.
"Awwwhh, look at you being a protective gentleman, Yoshi!" Hikaru chirped happily, his voice bouncing back to its usual soft, playful purr.
He didn't hesitate to reach out and slap his hand into Yoshiki’s palm, gripping it tightly as he hauled himself up from the plastic guardrail.
"See, viewers? Yoshiki is officially my designated knight in shining armor! He's my hero!"
"Shut up before I throw you into the bug-infested grass," Yoshiki snapped in a sharp rasp, his face violently erupting into a burning crimson.
He ripped his hand away the second Hikaru was stable, forcefully shoving both of his fists deep into his hoodie pockets.
“You would never! You looove your bestest best friend in the entire world!” Hikaru teased, clasping his hands together against the selfie stick in a sickly lovey-dovey way.
Yoshiki quickly cringed, although his face flushed crimson in the moonlight.
“Sure, whatever... If that’s what you wanna think...” Yoshiki grunted, rolling his eyes playfully.
Hikaru adjusted his grip on the selfie stick, completely ignoring Yoshiki's playful disgust as he marched over to the other side of the playset.
His flashlight beam cut through the dark, landing on a tight, enclosed plastic spiral slide that was clearly designed for small children.
"Alright, Ghostfacers, watch closely," Hikaru hummed happily, spinning around and aggressively shoving the plastic selfie stick right into Yoshiki’s chest.
"Yoshi, hold the camera. The viewers are about to see a professional stuntman at work."
Yoshiki’s hands flew out of his pockets to instinctively catch the plastic stick, his jaw locking tight in instant bewilderment.
"Hikaru, don't do that. You are way too big to fit on there," Yoshiki deadpanned, his voice cracking from the freezing air.
"Pssh! I'm a flexible king, just watch," Hikaru dismissed casually, giving a toothy grin to the lens before climbing onto the platform.
He didn't even hesitate as he crammed his long legs into the mouth of the spiralling metal, sliding down the edges.
For about three seconds, it actually seemed like he was going to make it.
Then, a sudden, heavy plastic thud echoed from inside the tube, followed by the immediate sound of fabric friction violently stopping.
Hikaru adjusted his grip on the selfie stick, completely ignoring Yoshiki's playful disgust as he marched over to the edge of the playset platform.
His flashlight beam cut through the dark, landing on a tight, vertical spiral coil ladder–the kind made of a single looping metal bar that looked like a giant spring.
"Alright, Ghostfacers, watch closely," Hikaru hummed happily, spinning around and aggressively shoving the plastic selfie stick right into Yoshiki’s chest.
"Yoshi, hold the camera. The viewers are about to see a professional stuntman at work."
Yoshiki’s hands flew out of his pockets to instinctively catch the plastic stick, his jaw locking tight in instant bewilderment.
"Hikaru, don't do that. You are way too tall for that thing," Yoshiki deadpanned, his voice cracking from the freezing air.
"Pssh! I'm a flexible king, just watch," Hikaru dismissed casually, giving a toothy grin to the lens before stepping onto the edge of the platform.
He didn't even hesitate as he stepped into the center of the vertical spring, threading his long legs through the metal loops, planning to slide down the center pole.
For about three seconds, it actually seemed like he was going to drop smoothly to the ground.
Then, a sudden, heavy metallic clang echoed from the structure, followed by the immediate sound of fabric stretching violently as he stopped dead in his tracks.
Dead silence fell over the playground.
Yoshiki walked slowly to the edge of the playset, angling the phone camera down through the center of the vertical coil ladder.
Hikaru was stuck halfway down the tight metal loops, his knees wedged awkwardly against one coil and the lower half of his oversized hoodie firmly tangled around the loop above him.
He began squirming uncomfortably, his sneakers squeaking loudly against the metal bars as he tried to wiggle himself loose, but the spring structure just shook and rattled loudly with every move.
"Uh... Yoshi?" Hikaru’s slightly strained voice drifted up from the center of the metal coils, his usual confident purr entirely gone.
"I think my jacket pocket is... hooked on the edge of this loop. I can't move."
Yoshiki stared down into the coils, his wide eyes blinking fast as his silent panic broke down into something else entirely.
He tried to stifle his laughter, clamping his hand firmly over his mouth, but he failed horribly.
A loud, high-pitched snort escaped his nose, followed immediately by an absolute burst of genuine, breathy laughter.
"Oh my god," Yoshiki wheezed, his shoulders shaking violently as he made sure to angle the phone camera perfectly to capture Hikaru's trapped, wriggling posture.
"The professional stuntman is stuck. The flexible king is trapped in a toddler spring ladder."
"Please, Yoshiiiaaah! Help me out!" Hikaru whined dramatically, his lower lip puffing out into an exaggerated pout as he squirmed against the cold iron.
"My jacket is literally going to rip! Do you want your bestest friend to freeze to death?!"
Yoshiki didn't answer right away.
He just stood at the top of the platform, the selfie stick shaking in his hand as he let out a few more quiet, breathless chuckles.
He spent a few more delightful moments watching the fearless horror fanatic in front of him look thoroughly defeated, tangled up like a puppet in a giant metal spring.
"Karma really is a bitch, isn't it?" Yoshiki teased, his tone dripping with sweet, malicious satisfaction.
"I think I'll leave you there for the remaining thirty minutes. The subscribers would probably find it highly educational."
"Nooooo! Yoshi, please!" Hikaru cried out playfully, wriggling his legs uncomfortably as the metal structure rattled and clanged.
Yoshiki finally managed to get over his laughing fit, wiping a small tear from the corner of his eye as he took a deep breath.
He carefully set his plastic flashlight down on the plastic surface, angling the bright beam straight into the coils.
Right next to it, he carefully propped up the selfie stick, making sure the phone's lens was still actively recording both of them.
Yoshiki stepped toward the edge of the platform and knelt down at the edge of the structure, his jaw tensing slightly as his rapid, sporadic thoughts gave a tiny whisper.
Don't slip.
If you fall forward, you're both crashing into the dirt.
"Stop moving, idiot, or you're going to make it worse," Yoshiki muttered, his voice cracking slightly in the freezing air.
He leaned over the opening of the vertical spring ladder, reaching both of his open hands down into the center of the coils toward his friend.
Hikaru immediately looked up, his red pupils crinkling at the corners as a wide, relieved grin instantly broke across his face.
He didn't hesitate for a single split second, unlocking his hands from the metal bars and reaching straight up to slap his palms firmly into Yoshiki’s.
Yoshiki gripped his hands tightly, bracing his boots against the plastic platform.
He dug his fingers into Hikaru's palms, using all of his strength to violently haul the white-haired boy straight up through the tight metal loops.
Yoshiki pulled back with a heavy, aggressive grunt, using every ounce of his strength to lift the white-haired boy.
With a final, sharp tug, Hikaru's tangled jacket pocket popped completely free from the metal latch.
The sudden release of tension caught them both completely off guard.
Their boots lost all traction on the slick plastic, and before Yoshiki could even process what was happening, his balance vanished entirely.
They tumbled backwards onto the plastic platform in a chaotic, heavy blur of limbs.
Yoshiki hit the ground first with a dull thud, his hands slipping completely from Hikaru's palms.
A split second later, Hikaru crashed directly over him with a soft breath, his weight pinning Yoshiki flat against the cold platform floor.
Dead silence instantly crashed over the barren children's playground.
The distorted wind howled softly through the trees, but on the platform, everything felt completely frozen in time.
There were a few, agonizingly long moments of silent, unblinking staring.
Hikaru was propped up on his forearms, his messy, snow-white hair dangling forward, framing his face completely.
His red pupils were dilated, wide and intense as he stared straight down into Yoshiki’s eyes from just inches away.
Yoshiki’s entire brain completely short-circuited into a violent, screaming siren of sporadic, panicked thoughts.
He's too close.
He's way too close.
I can feel the warmth of his breath on my cheek.
Why is he staring at me like that?
Oh my god, I can't breathe.
My heart is going to burst right out of my chest.
His entire face instantly flashed a violent, burning crimson that felt hot enough to melt the plastic beneath them.
Realizing he was completely trapped under his best friend's weight, a sharp panic took over, and Yoshiki started squirming uncomfortably beneath him.
"Get... Get off already, idiot!" Yoshiki gasped out, his voice cracking wildly from a mix of pure embarrassment and sudden suffocation.
He aggressively brought his right hand up, flattening his palm right over Hikaru's face and forcefully pushing his nose and forehead away to break the intense eye contact.
Hikaru let out a small, muffled "ow" against Yoshiki's palm as his head was pushed back.
He didn't argue or tease.
He simply allowed the force of Yoshiki's hand to guide him away, quietly shuffling off of Yoshiki's body until he was sitting on his knees on the cold plastic floor.
Yoshiki quickly scrambled to sit up, scrambling backward until his spine hit the opposite guardrail, his chest heaving as he tried to pull air back into his lungs.
They sat directly in front of each other in the dark, the heavy silence of the playground crashing right back down over them.
Hikaru stared at Yoshiki for another few agonizingly long seconds, his red pupils fixed unblinkingly on Yoshiki's bright red face.
Then, Hikaru blinked quickly, his eyes widening slightly as if he had suddenly been snapped out of a deep, complicated thought.
He lifted a hand, quietly rubbing the back of his neck in a wave of playful, awkward nervousness that Yoshiki had never seen from him before.
He let out a very quiet, breathy chuckle, his gaze dropping down to the plastic floorboards between his knees.
"Ah... Aha, well... I guess I'm not a flexible king after all," Hikaru murmured, his voice incredibly small and lacking its usual teasing edge.
He skipped entirely over the fact that they had just been staring at each other in a silence that felt far too intimate to Yoshiki.
Yoshiki felt his heart give another violent, heavy thump against his ribs, his hands clenching into tight fists inside his hoodie pockets as he tried to process the sudden awkwardness.
What was that?
Why is he being so quiet?
My face feels like it's on fire...
Yoshiki swallowed the dry lump in his throat, forcing his tense jaw to unlock as he reached over and grabbed his flashlight and selfie stick from the floor.
"Yeah. You're an idiot," Yoshiki responded nervously, his voice remaining small and quiet, mirroring Hikaru's sudden change in tone.
Hikaru just nervously nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on the dirt below the playset as they both carefully climbed back down the stairs.
For the rest of their time out in the children's playground, the relentless teasing and high-pitched mockery completely vanished.
They walked side-by-side in a hushed, tentative quiet, the cold night wind whistling through the rusting swing sets as the hour finally bled away.
When Hikaru finally lifted the phone to end the video, he didn't do a cheerful peace sign or crack a joke.
He just gave a small, quiet wave to the lens, his red eyes briefly flickering over to Yoshiki’s brooding frame before tapping the screen, leaving them both alone in the suffocating darkness of the Devil's Hour.