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It is a cold winter evening in room 103 (and the rest of Veludo, but that is not only irrelevant but also deductible). Chikage doesn't particularly mind the cold, especially since he has a bed to lie on and a blanket to cover him. His roommate, however, could and would not say the same.
"Senpai," said roommate calls out, "I'm cold."
Chikage sighs for what must be the seventh time. He's been counting, after all. "Put on pants," he repeats, for the seventh time. "Go cuddle your boyfriend."
Itaru sighs loudly. "But both of them are too far away (and Sakyo-san would yell at me about the second one)."
How did he speak a parenthetical out loud, Chikage briefly ruminates. He turns onto his side. "Then perish."
"Harsh," Itaru replies. "What would Spring Troupe do without my beautiful face?"
Chikage thinks for only a moment. "Put makeup on Masumi."
"You're right but you could've at least pretended I'm a vital part of this family. You just fed into my fear of estrangement that developed in my formative years that has never quite gone away, but only been bandaged over in my adult life. While I am learning that I do indeed belong, you have ruined weeks of progress with a single sentence. GG, Senpai."
"I'll pay for your next therapy session," Chikage offers.
There's the sound of sheets moving as Itaru seemingly shifts sleeping positions. "I don't go to therapy but I'll take the cash."
"Deal."
Another standstill. The evening breeze (and possibly Misumi hopping across the roof) whistles in the night.
"Senpai," Itaru calls out. "I'm cold."
"I know, Chigasaki."
"And my pants are too far away."
"I know, Chigasaki."
"And my boyfriend provides a surprising amount of warmth considering his frame, but he's even farther away."
"A bit too much information at the beginning, but I know, Chigasaki."
"I'm coming over."
"I know, Chiga – what?"
Suddenly, there's a boney clatter followed by a loud oof as Itaru clumsily forward-rolls into Chikage's bed. He proceeds to slither like a snake to turn his body in the correct sleeping direction. Chikage isn't sure whether to be disgusted or impressed.
"Ow," Itaru says. "I don't think my spine will ever be the same again."
Chikage blinks. "How did you not hit the ceiling?"
Itaru reaches over the barrier to tug over his comforter. "My spine can do strange things, Senpai. It's an office worker thing."
Chikage blinks again. "I'm an office worker."
Itaru laughs. "We all know that isn't the real genre of your life, Senpai."
Chikage opens his mouth to retort, but instead yelps as Itaru's ice-cold limbs latch around him like some sort of octopus from the depths of the Arctic. As Itaru pushes his face between his shoulder blades, Chikage says the only thing he can say: "Were you refrigerated?"
"Only in a one-off dream as a child," Itaru mumbles, getting comfortable behind him. "I'm going to sleep now, good night."
Chikage grimaces. "Good night, I guess."
Itaru murmurs sleepily.
Outside their window, the winter night continues. Although Chikage can't see them from his ice prison that is his roommate, the stars shine brightly in the dark blue sky. The light from the moon washes over Mankai dorms like a spotlight, or a spirit, or some sort of metaphorical being symbolizing hope and protection. And although Chikage can't see it, a shadow passes over their window, suspiciously looking like the silhouette of one man holding another man's legs as the first man opens the window from the outside.
Chikage's eyes widen as the sound of the window opening reaches his ears, followed by the briefest of giggles before a body tumbles out onto the floor. The window is, thankfully, closed – it's cold out, after all – as the body cheerfully springs up from the floor.
"Itarun?" the intruder quietly calls out, climbing up the ladder to Itaru's bed. "I brought my blanket and myself! I figured you were cold tonight…" The intruder reaches the top of the ladder and freezes at the sight of an empty bed. "Itarun?"
Chikage doesn't dare breathe.
Then the intruder pulls out their phone, turning on the flashlight. It blinds Chikage worse than any interrogation lamp. The intruder gasps loudly as the light lands on the left bed. "Itarun?!" they shout.
Itaru finally stirs. "Kazunari…?"
Kazunari unceremoniously crawls into Itaru's bed before crossing over the barrier, nearly kneeing Chikage in the knee. "What are you doing cuddling… cuddling… that?!?"
"Rude," Chikage mutters.
"Kazu – "
Kazunari bulldozes on. "You have a perfectly good boyfriend willing to be tossed by his bestie through your window, who – "
Itaru rubs his eye. "Wait, what do you mean tossed – "
" – you know is just a phone call away, Frooch-san be damned – "
"DON'T LET HIM HEAR YOU," Chikage and Itaru whisper-yell.
" – and yet I find you settling for Chikachon, of all people? And you call me a two-timer!"
"Excuse you, cuddling is totally different than business materials!" Itaru argues, finally sitting up. Chikage gratefully takes all three blankets for himself, including the one loosely held in Kazunari's hands. "There's an inherent homoeroticism to sharing one's office work to create aesthetically pleasing marketing fare!"
"And you're going to tell me cuddling doesn't have that?" Kazunari shouts.
"Yes!" Itaru shouts back.
There's a loud bang on the wall adjacent to the end of the bed. All three of them immediately freeze. They shiver just at the thought of Masumi's wrath.
Kazunari speaks, much quieter than before. "So you're telling me this is platonic cuddling?"
"Yes," Itaru answers.
"… In your boxers?"
"Yes," Itaru answers.
Kazunari tiredly brings his hat over his face.
"Wait," Chikage cuts in, "how did your hat not fall off?"
"Eh?" Kazunari asks, pushing his hat back up. "When?"
Chikage waves his hand vaguely. "When you got tossed through the window."
"Oh!" Kazunari chirps. He puts both hands on top of his hat, elbows bent in toward his head. "I just went like this when I forward-rolled across the floor."
Chikage lets his hand drop. "Didn't that hurt?"
Kazunari shrugs, also lowering his hands. "Nah, my spine can do strange things. It's a uni student thing."
Before Chikage can ask for further clarification, Itaru reaches out his hand, gently tugging on Kazunari's shirt. "Kazunari," he whispers softly, "come hold me."
Chikage gags.
Kazunari looks away with a pout. "I thought this was platonic cuddling."
Itaru tugs again. "It's always romantic with you."
Kazunari's pout visibly melts. It's absolutely disgusting. "O-okay, Itarun. But this doesn't mean I forgive you!"
"Mm," Itaru hums as Kazunari lightly flings himself to be behind Itaru, snuggling up to his back. "I love you, Kazunari."
Kazunari giggles. "I love you, too, Itarun."
"So are you not leaving my bed," Chikage deadpans. Itaru's leg tightens around him. Reluctantly, Chikage tosses some of the blankets over the two bodies behind him. "I hate you both," he says. They both snore in reply.
There are many things to look forward to in the morning. The crisp sunshine. Omi's cooking. Tragic news reports.
When Chikage wakes up, he is greeted by none of these.
"Ikaruga?" Chikage asks, staring straight into his orange eyes. Wait, why is he so close?
Misumi balances precariously on the ladder. If it were literally anyone else, Chikage would be worried. "Why didn't you tell me it was cuddling night, Chikage?" Misumi whines, pointing accusingly at Itaru and Kazunari still snoring behind him. "I would have followed Kazu through the window!"
Chikage's face softens. "Trust me," he says, "it wasn't supposed to be cuddling night."
"It better not have!"
Behind him, the lovebirds (more like love stones, with how they sleep) finally start to blink awake. "Sumi…?" Kazunari mumbles, tilting his head upward. His hat finally falls off. "What are you doing here?"
Misumi impossibly stomps his feet like a child while still on the ladder. "Chikage is two-timing me!"
"Chikachon is – he's what?"
"Two-timing!"
Chikage presses his face into his mattress.
"Wait," Kazunari continues, "to be two-timing you, that means – you – he – "
"And then they were boyfriends," Itaru murmurs, still half-asleep.
Kazunari's gaze is somewhere far, far away. "Oh my god they were boyfriends."
Chikage manages to smack both of them on the back of the head. "Was this really the appropriate time for an outdated yet arguably timeless internet reference that changed fan groups forever?"
Kazunari sighs. "I guess not…"
"And why are you still in my bed?!?"