It was after watching a rerun the first episode of the brand new anime adaption at two in the morning that he decided that he needs to have a conversation with Satoru Fujinuma.

Kenya didn't really know why he was doing this, slowly dialing the numbers on his phone, bathed by the dim glow of a TV displaying infomercials. The volume was on mute, there was a slight hum from the fan, and he had the day off tomorrow. This was okay for him to do a whim.

He pressed the phone close to his, closing his eyes as he waited for a response. He didn't expect one, and if he did receive one, he expected an angry one. He waited and waited and waited and then –

"Hello?"

His heart skipped exactly two beats. Kenya kept his eyes closed, letting Satoru's voice completely register in his dazed and tired mind. He envisioned Satoru in bed: no glasses, hair unkempt, character designs scattered all over the floor.

"Hey, Satoru," he replied a little too breathily and a little too softly. "Am I bothering you?"

"No, not really. I couldn't get to sleep anyway, so it's okay."

"Okay. Are you alright?"

"Hm? Yeah – a bit on the sleepy side." There was a short moment of silence between them. Kenya placed a hand on his sweat-slicked forehead. It was hot, extremely hot to the point where he was clad in nothing but boxer shorts.

"Are you okay?" Satoru asked, breaking the silence. Kenya slowly opened his eyes and blinked. Yeah, he was okay, and that was just it. Nothing out of the ordinary, he mentally told himself. Yeah, yeah, Kenya Kobayashi was, at this particular moment, feeling an emotion akin to a simple "okay".

"Mm-hmm," he responded lazily.

"You sure? It's not like you to call at two in the morning. Would you like me to call – "

"Satoru, it's hot," Kenya moaned, almost whined. "I'm hot, and my fan is useless."

Another short silence passed, followed by a slow and quiet chuckle from Satoru. Kenya sighed. He'd always like that kind of laughter that was unique to Satoru: a bit on what you call the dreamy side, but not quite severing Kenya from the hustle and bustle of reality. He laughed too.

"I've never known you to complain so childishly, Kenya."

"You've also never known me to call friends late at night. Your recklessness is rubbing off on me."

"Good."

"Not good."

Kenya didn't like these momentary periods of quiet. It made him feel alone; he wanted every second of the night to be filled with his voice. And Kenya would listen and listen and listen.

Kenya spoke first this time.

"I guess I should tell you why I called."

"I assumed you had a reason," Satoru responded, and Kenya was sure that he had a smirk plastered on his face. His heart skipped another beat; his response did not.

"I wanted to hear your voice, if you don't mind me saying that."

"I don't mind at all."

The light from the TV suddenly bothered him. Kenya rolled over and grabbed the remote and pressed the power button, immediately cloaking himself in darkness. He laid his stomach now, one leg dangling lazily off the bed, heart beating fast and hard.

"I really don't mind if you're thinking otherwise," Satoru reassured. "It's nice to hear your voice, too. Listen, why don't I come over later, when the sun is out? I can spare some free time, and I know you aren't doing anything."

"I'd like that, Satoru. I think we should go to bed, then."

"Good idea."

"Satoru?" Kenya closed his eyes, knowing his dark-haired friend would catch the shakiness in his voice.

"Yeah, Kenya?"

"…I love you."

A short gasp was heard, then: "I love you, too."

Kenya felt the corners of his lips turn up. "Good night, Satoru."

"Good night, Kenya."

A warm feeling surged through Kenya's chest. He rolled over onto his back, eyes adjusting to the darkness. The dial tone buzzed as his thumb hovered over the end button. Kenya Kobayashi was okay. Yeah, yeah, Kenya Kobayashi was, at this particular moment, feeling an emotion akin to a simple "okay".

Click.

Hey, 'tis be Inuyasha with her first Erased fanfiction, and I'm 110% sure I didn't capture Kenya and Satoru's personalities right, but I tried. The ending is a bit on the rushed side, but I didn't want this particular piece to be quite long, and I was experiencing some trouble as to how to end it. I'm still in my Erased feels and I ship these two so hard and I felt the urge to write something, anything.

I hope you enjoyed it. See ya!