i'll get by with a little bit of hope and all

[etudes]

[ WHO ]: Battler and Kotomi
[[ WHERE ]: 410, Battler's room
[[ WHEN ]: From evening on and then into the night!
[[ OPEN/CLOSED? ]: Closed
[[ RATING ]: Probably.. PG.. Maybe PG-13 if Battler gets inappropriate we're watching you, Battler..
[[ WARNINGS ]: Aside from Battler nothing.
[[ NOTES ]: Sleepover! Fun times in a not so fun place.

[ Well, it's a good thing that Kotomi is so oblivious. It also makes her oblivious to about 90% of what's going on in the apartments at any given time, including the many ghosts. Thanks to some warnings from other people she does steer clear from the ghosts and monsters, and sometimes she gets a little help too, but.. she just really is a hopeless case. She has noticed though that something is weird about the apartment she shares with Kai, especially at night, but that's probably why the slumber party Battler promised her is taking place here in Battler's room rather than in Kotomi's own room.

Not that she minds. Despite her obliviousness, even Kotomi herself can't escape the faint sense of dread hanging in this place, and it does scare her from time to time. And with some people (looking at you, Kai) being just as scary as the ghosts, she doesn't have anyone to confide in. Again. But Battler's different - he.. promised to be her knight, right? He promised to help her out, that he'd protect her.. so she feels safe whenever she's near him. She's sure she'll sleep so well as long as it's near him.. since surely he can fight off anything that appears.

So Kotomi is just sitting as neatly as possible on her knees on the floor in Battler's room, looking at him with her usual blank, but slightly curious expression. ]

So.. Battler-kun.. what do we do now?

Comments

[chestboard]

[with her right against him like that, he slowly reaches out to her, an arm moving around her, he does it hesitantly but... he eventually just rests it there, able to pull her closer so she really is up against him. he can feel her, even her chest against his own and it makes him blush even more.]

I don't think I've... ever felt like this, really, with anyone else.... [it's true, only with her.]

[etudes]

[ .. Only with her? It surprises her for a moment. Sure, she's never really felt like this before, never this warm, but then again, she's literally known nobody in her life but her parents and Tomoya, and even that was mostly when she was really little.. it's much different from this feeling she hasn't had since her parents died and not even as much as now before that.

It's nice and warm, so.. she doesn't want to lose it.. ]

Battler-kun.. it's.. okay for me to stay like this, right..? [ For him to keep holding her.. ]

[chestboard]

It's fine.

[his voice was but a whisper now, and he might have already been closing his eyes, enjoying this a little too much, and it almost felt right to him.]

...It's completely fine.

[etudes]

Then.. I don't want to leave for now..

[ Her own voice is getting softer by now too, either way. It's happening slowly but surely, like she's falling asleep at the same rate as him. It's only natural to fall asleep with this warmth near, right..? ]

.. I'll.. stay here.. with Battler-kun...