Hazel eyes widened in shock as he felt someone grab him from behind and Jack was about to perform a krav maga move to counter the 'attack' when he heard a voice and realized it was only Hanako. He was so startled, he forgot to chastise his roommate for sneaking up on him. Not that he would have anyway, he realized. It wasn't like Hanako could have known how paranoid and wary Jack was about being snuck up on or what had made him that way. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled and then exhaled slowly before awkwardly trying to curl his arm around to try to pat any part of Hanako behind him that he could reach. He supposed the dishes could wait to be washed until later. "Alright, then," the redhead said, smiling fondly as he turned away from the dishes and the sink. "Want to warm up on the couch? Or in bed? You're probably pretty tired, huh?"
"' pretty tired' , is an understatement" he said, leaning away as jack turned away from the sink. His arms loosely wrapped around jack's sides" you've probably slept less than I did. You choose"
Jack smiled in wonder again at Hanako - had he always been this thoughtful about others? Probably, but he had also probably struggled harder to hide it - and thought about it a moment. "Alright. Bed, then. It'll be bigger so we can warm each other up." And keep each other close. To make up for all the worrying yesterday, he added mentally.
Hanako nods, letting go of his hug on Jack to grasp his hand, intending to lead the way to Jack's room unless Jack stopped him
Jack was really starting to get concerned over Hanako's mental state. He had thought when Hanako had stopped hugging him, that would have been the end of it, but instead, he took his hand and led him toward his room, which Jack didn't oppose. He was being very...meek and forward at the same time. And again, Jack couldn't help but think it was adorable. He might have wanted to make some playful comment about Hanako wanting to go into Jack's room instead of his own, but after all they had both been through regarding something that had just started off as some playful joking around, he didn't feel like it just then. So he simply followed Hanako in silence, squeezing his hand briefly once.
Once they were both in the room, Hanako merely let go of Jack's hand to remove the jacket he was wearing. One that jack had given him while they ate a meal. Once that was done- he couldn't even have the energy to fold it or hang it with a hanger as per usual. Just loosely folding it and placing it to the nearest surface. He hadn't hesitated to lay down on one side of Jack's bed, taking only a moment to breathe - letting it sink in that he was home and safe before opening his eyes again. Proping himself up with his elbows , he looked around the room briefly. " Huh.. it's still clean" he commented regarding Jack's room. " Where did you keep it?"
Jack was surprised Hanako actually folded the jacket at all and was about to tell him he didn't have to, but he had already done it before placing it on Jack's desk. When he lay down on Jack's bed and propped himself up on his elbows, the redhead blushed and looked away. The sight seemed especially intimate to him, making him feel shy. "...If you're talking about the cosplay, I put it away," Jack answered, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared off into a corner of his room. "I was thinking about returning it since it caused us so much trouble. Unless...you want to have it."
" haha.. 'do I want to keep the costume that made me crash out yesterday..'? You'd let me keep it if I asked? "
"Well...yeah," Jack mumbled, wonder if, from the way Hanako put his sentence, if he thought it had been a stupid or offensive thing to wonder if Hana might have wanted to keep the cosplay. "Not that you have to. I wasn't sure if you would find it offensive ro anything like that. But I did technically get it for you." It had been more to tease him than for his sake, really, but Hanako had still been the reason he had purchased and worn it in the first place.
he sat up from laying down on the bed with a light tired laugh " did you really get the whole set for me?"
"No, I only got half," Jack said sarcastically with a deadpan face. "Who do you think I got the whole set for?"
Hanako laughed, amused . " crash out aside, I find it hard to believe you'd go that far for a prank. Do you even know much about that guy before you spent money to look like him?" he teased
"Not enough, obviously," Jack sighed. "I didn't think there was all that much to him. Boy, was I wrong."
" ahahah... yeah that's probably what he'd want everyone to think" he mumbled, before laying back down on the bed. " How long are you going to stand there? I'm still cold. "
"You mean like you?" Jack asked before slipping into bed alongside Hanako. "Hold your horses, I'm coming."
" yeah well... I had a reason for liking him. If you want to find out, you should just play the game. See for yourself" he retorted sleepily Hanako made room for Jack, laying on his side with one elbow propping him up. Assessing Jack for a moment. " Do you do this with all your cold roomates?"
"Even if I played the game, I doubt I'd understand what your reason would be unless it's because he seems unattainable and keeps pushing you away." Yawning, he blinked when he noticed Hanako assessing him. When he heard his question, though, he gave a tired laugh. "No. Then again, I can't remember the last time I had a cold roommate." Reaching over, he tried to tug on the arm that was propping Hanako up. "Get some sleep."
" he does actually do just that on Day 7", he smirked, " not sure what the ending will be though... I missed too many chatrooms since yesterday. Doubt I can reach a checkpoint and get his good ending. Shame.." " what about non-roomates?" He asked after that. When jack tugged on his arm, hanako sighed. " I'm not sleepy yet" he mumbled sleepily. But rested his arms and laid his head on the pillow.
"Well maybe if you'd kept your phone charged, that wouldn't have been a problem," Jack mumbled. At the question about non-roommates, his eyes went wide and he blushed, but quickly turned out the light. "No," he said. "'Cept maybe in school when we were younger. Why?" Smirking at Hanako's insistence he wasn't sleepy, Jack shook his head and curled up on his side facing Hanako, watching him.
he laughed softly. " Yeah yeah.. I'll be more careful about leaving the house with a charged phone. But to be fair I didn't think there was anyone waiting for a reply back" " trying to figure out how your brain works" he said simply. " isn't there a saying something like the more you do something, the less important it is to you? Is you ... " he restrained himself from laughing too loud, but couldnt help but let out a softly teasing tone. " ' sharing warmth with roomates and non-roomates' something like that? " Despite the darkness that shrouded them, Hanako could vaguely feel Jack's stare. " what? Worried I'd run off again?" He joked in a whispered tone.
"A reply back...? You didn't think I was? Or that maybe your virtual boyfriend was in your chat room with him, at least?" he asked, confused. "Yeah, I'm trying to figure out how you think, too," Jack admitted. "And I know what you're getting at. But it wasn't that it was less important to me. It just...means something different when you're younger. You're more innocent, so...your brain doesn't...tend to think of things it shouldn't...like about sharing a bed with someone." He rolled over in exasperation, turning his back to Hanako. "Ugh. Nevermind. This was stupid...I only suggested this because we're both tired. Don't overthink it." "..." For a time, he didn't answer Hanako's last question. "...Maybe..." he murmured into the darkness at last.
he harshly but briefly tugged at the pillow Jack was using for his head. " Shuddup don't call him my virtual boyfriend. Besides..I.. I don't know.. I guess.. I was just thinking if today was the day you have enough reasons to be fed up with me. Imagine my suprise to see 12 texts and 5 missed calls~" he hummed. Hanako didn't need to be told twice about not overthinking it. Just as Jack had enough of facing Hanako, he scooted closer , just barely. " Fine.. fine.. no overthinking. I'll tell you what I think though.." Hanako scooted close enough to wrap an arm around Jacks side, hugging him from behind just like earlier in the kitchen. " I think that if we're going to simply share warmth, this is the best position to do it. Don't you think?"
"What? Isn't that what he is, though?" he asked, not turning around. He didn't comment on the other things Hanako said. At least up until his last question. "...Yeah..." he whispered back, putting his arm over Hanako's around his side. He could feel himself heating up plenty. "...Probably."
" in the game or in my delusional head?" With a vague acceptance from Jack, Hanako pressed himself slightly closer to Jack. Enough to fully feel the heat of Jack's back if Jack didn't pull away. " hm..? You have a better idea?"
"In...both?" he guessed. "...No..." Jack murmured, heat radiating off him in waves as his heart beat fast.
With one arm slung over jack's side, he used that hand to gently poke right where he though Jack's ribcage ended. Where he thought was a common ticklish side. " I'm not that delusional. " he defended, " Besides.... I got rejected by him in the game. Thats where I last left off. It was pretty embarrassing. I almost quit the game" He could feel Jack's heart beat match his own, ignoring the urge to scoot away. " You know you have to relax to get some sleep, right?"
Exhaling a breath of laughter at the ticklish poke, Jack swatted Hanako's hand. "Cut that out. Anyway, you're the persistant sort. I'm sure being rejected once isn't enough to put you off. Even if you don't get him this time, I'm sure you'll keep trying until you win him over." His breath caught when his roommate mentioned he had to relax. "I...I know. It's...just going to take a little time. That's all."
He laughed a little at his hand being swatted, but continues back to hugging Jack. " Hahah.. hm.. I don't know... it's been a little weird with this certain guy. Maybe it's cause he only started pushing the player away when he realises he care for them. I prefer it when they're distant from the start. The jarring difference between who he was, and who he claims to be deep down is... I dont know.." " Is there something I can do do to speed up the process?"
"Hmmm...I think the Japanese call that moe when there's a gap between what characters are and what they seem to be and that gap is part of what makes them attractive," Jack commented. "Not sure, though. I could be wrong." He smirked as Hanako asked if there was something he could do to speed up the process. "You could stop talking," he suggested as he closed his eyes.
" A gap moe?" He lightly laughed at that, like it was an inside joke. " That would've been news to me if 7 hasn't mentioned it first like... 2 days ago I think" Hanako went quiet for a moment as if thinking. " Do you get what makes a gap moe attractive?" " On the contrary..~" he hummed, hugging Jack closer. " I think yapping helps quite a bit. Now then...which folklore or fairytail story shall I story tell and potentially completely butcher because I can't clearly remember how the story goes? Children like that don't they? "
The redhead thought for a minute. "I think...it might be getting to know someone well enough that you see how they're different from how the world sees them. So you feel special for being able to see them for how they really are rather than how they seem to be to everyone else, especially those who don't know them. But...again, I'm not sure." He blushed harder when Hanako hugged him closer. "If you hadn't yapped so much, maybe I wouldn't have felt so self-concious in the first place," he muttered under his breath. "But fine. You sure you want to tell a story and not me to?"
Hanako was quiet for a moment. " I think 7 would like to date you" he hummed, before morphing in a teasing tone. " Shall I put on the 7 cosplay you have and see if I make your heart race?" " Oh yes because cuddling like this in silence will make it much easier to relax" he hummed sarcastically before gently blowing air right behind Jack's ear. " Oho... trading bed time stories?"
Jack opened his eyes halfway to stare incredulously at the wall across from him. "No." He shivered when Hanako blew air behind his ear and turn over to glare at him, though not whole-heartedly. "Do you want a story or not?"
" hahah.. okayy~" Hanako's heart almost lurched out of his chest as Jack suddenly turned around. Scooting a little further as if his confidence of getting close to Jack faltered when Jack was facing him. " hmhm~!" he nodded in the darkness, " You first "
" oh oh.. can you name the main character of your story after me?" he suggested with a softly playful tone, as if trying to push through the fatigue just to add that tidbit.
Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Once upon a time, there was a fox and a cat. They both heard some hunting dogs coming, so they tried to figure out what to do. The cat climbed up a tree and the fox, seeing this, said, 'you only know one trick, cat, but I know a hundred.' However, the fox knew so many that he couldn't pick which trick to use to escape the dogs. He was so indecisive that the dogs caught him before he could choose one to use. And the moral of that story is the common sense of a single,practiced, practical plan is better than a hundred untested strategies. The end."
".....this is not the real life soothing asmr bed time story I envisioned"
"is there a part two"
"You didn't say that was what you wanted," Jack chuckled. "Why don't you tell a story, then? That was one of Aesop's Fables. You can make part two if you like."
" Oh oh wait - can we do those story games where we take a sentence from the story, and partly finish another sentence, and the other person finishes it - and starts the next sentence and then... have it loop?" _he laughs a bit sheepishly, as if embarrassed. " Or - you know- whatever, I just...thought if I wasn't getting a live cozy bed time story asmr .... this is another option. We can set a limit to how many sentences we reach... or stubbornly.. never finish until one of us gives in to slumber..." he shrugged. " .....or... we could go back to our position a while ago.."
"Uh...okay. If that's...what you want...?" He reddened again at the mention of the position but said nothing of it.
Hana grinned, eager to quell the earlier nervousness that plagued him." okayokay ummm let me think..." he takes back his hand from jack's side, placing the other hand in between them for a more comfortable position. His palm facing up, opening and closing like he expects Jack to give him something. Still he kept talking. " hm... im thinkinnngg... just give me a minute"
Jack looked from the hand that kept opening and closing back to its owner, raising a brow. Then, experimentally, he grasped it.
His point in all this was relatively simple: distraction. Games and stories were the simplest forms of distraction that he felt Jack would appreciate or at least feel more relaxed with. Hana wouldn't have been freaking out if Jack's heart wasn't as relaxed as it should be. The jump on the game was instant and immediate. Rush of excitement that he hasn't felt in a long time. Usually obstructed by his ego or pride. The chance at a game he had fond memories of doing. In bed, with a half awake brain, and hand holding. The last part he had forgotten completely even if his body had remembered while his last remaining brain cells tried to play the game. Though, when Jack grasped it Hanako paused. Frozen, really. Grateful for the darkness to hide however his face might've looked. When was the last time he felt comfortable being in someone elses bed enough? Enough to let his guard down that much? The best Jack could possibly notice was the sharp inhale of breath when their hand were grasped. Soon enough, reluctantly Hanako felt safe enough to smile. Hoping the darkness was enough to conceal it. If Jack allowed it, Hanako would intertwine their hands together. Briefly caressing the back of Jack's hand. His thumb innocently brushing the crook between Jack's index finger and his thumb. " ..... actually- I think I'm ready to conk out. Maybe next time. Goodnight Jack" he said softly, not very willing to let go of Jack's hand. But if the other pulled away, Hanako would let it go easily.
Jack seemed to hold his breath when his roommate froze, unsure if Hanako would pull away or not. Maybe he hadn't had his hand out for Jack to grasp in the first place. But when the Japanese young man intertwined their fingers and used his thumb to brush between Jack's own, he couldn't help but smile to himself in the dark, too. "What a lame story start. It ended before it even began," he criticized, though his smile was audible in his voice. Instead of letting go or pulling away, Jack briefly squeezed Hanako's hand. "Good night, Hanako," he said finally, using his roommate's first name for once.
flowykid
