Prey and Predator

Hey. You guys probably don't care but I do and Tada I'm alive.

Enjoy. ;)

The room had fallen into a thick, heavy silence after Half-n'-Half left, and all I could hear was the sound of Deku's soft breathing filling the space. I stayed seated by his side, my gaze fixed on the steady rise and fall of his chest. I didn't know what I was supposed to feel—relief that he was finally resting or frustration that I'd been so clueless. The ache in my chest, that gnawing feeling of helplessness, wouldn't go away. My ears flattened slightly against my head in annoyance as my thoughts circled back to whatever it was he was hiding.

Minutes dragged into what felt like hours. I could barely bring myself to look away from him, even though the strain on his face had finally eased. His hand rested close to mine, and without thinking, I gently wrapped my fingers around his, careful not to wake him. In his sleep, his ears twitched, and his hand instinctively tightened around mine. It was such a small, insignificant thing, but somehow, it eased that ache in my chest a little.

This was how he always handled things—putting everyone else before himself, hiding any sign of pain until he couldn't anymore. I hated it. But what I hated even more was that he thought he had to go through it alone.

Suddenly, his body shifted beside me, and I turned to him. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open—bleary and unfocused. "Kacchan...?" he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

"Yeah?" I asked softly. Those pretty emerald eyes traced the sound of my voice until they found me.

"Why... you're still awake?" he asked groggily.

"I was worried about you, you stupid nerd," I whispered back. "Whatever's going on has to be important. And it's not helping that everyone seems to know except me," I added, frustration creeping into my voice.

I turned to look at him fully, only to see his eyes downcast and filled with unshed tears. His ears, normally upright and cheerful, were flat and unmoving, twitching only every now and then. "You should be asleep right now," I pointed out, letting go of his hand as I stood up. My tail hung low, a sure sign of how exhausted I felt.

I was about to head over to the futon on the floor when I felt something—or rather someone—grab the end of my tail. A shiver rolled through me, unbidden and unwanted. God, that felt goo—no, weird. Deku touching my tail felt weird. I mentally yelled at myself for even thinking that way about him.

I turned back to look at him. His ears were still flat, and he was staring down at the sheets. "Will you sleep with me?" he asked quietly.