Colors swirled in every direction and every shade. They made different shapes, they became people. Eventually, his vision evened out and the memory became clear. Kei's dream had put him back when he was first beginning to survive with Tadashi. Two days, maybe three, after Akiteru had left. Back when everything was still chaos, when no one knew anything. When it was still easy to be killed.

Kei didn't remember exactly what memory it was, but he knew it was a memory.

They had found an old friend of Tadashi's, who was running from Ghosts, unsure of what to do. Despite Kei's irritation with Hikaru, they had teamed up, trying to escape the big city filled with Ghosts. (In hindsight, Kei knew it was a bad idea.)

Tadashi got along well with him. Kei hated it, but it didn't matter. They worked together, dodging and running from the Ghosts to get to the outer area of the city. Everything had been going fine until they were cornered by an unusually hostile raid of seven Ghosts. (Kei wanted to yell to his dream self that they shouldn't go that way. But it never worked. Without fail, his memory continued.)

They were surrounded. They tried to get away, but they were literally backed up against a wall. Kei's mind had worked in overdrive, trying to think how they could survive that without any weapons. Nothing. The only piece of information that popped into his mind was that there was a man going around, saving people and killing Ghosts. They called him the King of the Ghosts.

(Kei was never religious, but he remembered in that moment that he prayed to all the gods he could think of.) Save us. Save Tadashi. It doesn't matter if you save me, but God, please save Tadashi. King of the Ghosts.

Anyone.

The Ghosts stumbled forward, readying to attack their group of three. A gunshot. Then another, and another. Ghosts fell to the ground, bleeding out. Kei closed his eyes. He couldn't bear to see the carnage, he didn't want to see what would happen, what was happening. There was six gunshots that Kei counted, leaving one Ghost alive.

"Fuck!" a panicked voice yelled. Kei remembered instantly disliking the voice, without much reason. "I'm out of bullets! One of you has got to get the last one!"

Kei opened his eyes, looking around. The voice was right, they had to kill the last Ghost if they wanted to get out of there alive. (Kei should have been the one to kill the Ghost. He could have saved -) Hikaru bellowed a war cry, and jumped on the back of the remaining Ghost. He had no weapons, but he could still crack the Ghost's skull.

It was over within a minute. Hikaru had bashed the Ghost's skull in. But he didn't come out of the fight unphased. Kei remembered Tadashi gasping next to him, and he followed his gaze to Hikaru's arm. There was a bit of flesh ripped off, and an indent of teeth.

No. NO.

Kei felt faint.

"You've got to kill him," the voice from before said. A man, around their age, stepped forward. The shadows from the trees obscured his face, but Kei knew it was the King of the Ghosts. There wasn't anyone else it could be. "You've got to kill him, before he changes."

Tadashi looked stricken. (Kei knew, now, that that face would become a regular expression. He hated it, but it was there.) He looked back and forth, between his friends. He stared at the flesh off of Hikaru. He stared at Hikaru. Tadashi shook his head, mumbling, "No … I can't do that. Hikaru …"

"Tadashi," Hikaru said, shooting him an incredibly fake smile. He glared at the flesh missing from his arm. It was obvious that he knew what needed to happen, but it was hard to accept death. Death. He'd have to die. "You need to kill me. I don't want to hurt anyone else, but I'm glad I could save you, Tadashi. Even you, Kei."

Hikaru chuckled at his own joke, trying to lighten the mood.

It didn't work.

"Hurry up, before he changes," the King of the Ghosts interrupted. Kei felt a flare of irritation at this man, this teenage boy. How dare he? How dare he try to rush such a delicate moment? Tadashi's friend was about to be killed, and this asshole had the nerve to try to hurry it up?

No one moved, and no one said anything. Hikaru was silently crying, tears streaming down his face. (Kei should have been nicer to him.) The King of the Ghosts sighed and huffed, stepping forward. He had a knife in his hand and snarled, "If none of you are going to kill him, then I will."

It happened so quickly that Kei wasn't sure he saw it. Hikaru was on the ground, a slash on his throat bleeding profusely. Tadashi let out a sob, standing still in the same position he had since they got into that mess.

Kei hated The King of the Ghosts. He hated him, from the very bottom of his soul. The man could have been so much better, he could have been more sensitive, he could have given the group more time to say goodbye. But he didn't. He slashed Hikaru's throat without so much as an 'I'm sorry' or 'Goodbye'.

Kei felt Tadashi tremble next to him, and he pulled him to his side. They held each other, Kei staring at Hikaru's now lifeless body. His tears had begun to dry up, and the blood stopped flowing. Kei ripped his gaze from the body and instead glared at the murderer who had finally stepped out of the shadows. The King of the Ghosts slowly turned to face the couple. It was unmistakable who it was.

"Kageyama!" Kei snarled the second he woke up. Tadashi blinked wearily from his place in the sleeping bag, obviously confused. He watched as Kei stood up and stalked over to Kageyama's sleeping bag. Kei kicked the lump in the sleeping bag much harder than necessary and screamed, "You killed Hikaru, you son of a bitch!"

Tadashi was at his side within seconds, and the entire gym began to wake up slowly. He slipped his hand into Kei's, but he ripped it away. Tadashi's face fell, but quickly changed his expression to be neutral. Kageyama had sat up, standing to be at Kei's eye level. Tadashi ignored him. "What happened, Kei?"

"This … this asshole here, he's King of the Ghosts," Kei growled, pointing angrily at Kageyama. He waited patiently for the idea to click in Tadashi's mind. Realization dawned on him, and Tadashi's expression twisted in emotion. Kei hated it. "He killed Hikaru!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

Kageyama rubbed his eyes, preparing to fight Kei, but he had no idea what was going on. The rest of Karasuno had woken up and Daichi was doing his best to push past the group and be captain.

"May 10th, you fucking bastard. You were already going around on your high horse, saving people and killing Ghosts. Well, guess what? You failed that day, and you killed one of our friends. You … you're a murderer," Kei answered angrily, his hands wildly waving in the air.

Kageyama's face darkened, and Kei knew he had hit a cord. But it didn't matter. He was The King of the Ghosts and Kei was pissed.

Daichi stepped in between Kageyama and Kei, obviously to stop the fight, but Suga had pulled him back. Out of the corner of his eyes, Kei could see Suga shake his head no. Kei puffed his chest out, knowing that he would be able to handle this mess without repercussions. He continued his rant, annoyed with the shrillness of his voice, "Hikaru got bitten by a Ghost you didn't kill, and you know what you did? You didn't let us say goodbye, you slashed his fucking throat."

Kageyama didn't respond. He looked away, ignoring that a crowd had formed around their confrontation. He could feel Kei's glare, and they stood silent for what felt like forever. Tadashi whimpered, but covered it up with a cough and broke the silence.

"You know, Kei, that he had to die," Tadashi said sympathetically. He held hands with Kei again, and this time, he wasn't rejected. Thankfully. Maybe yelling got his emotions out of his system. Tadashi had never seen Kei this angry. He rubbed his thumb over Kei's knuckles and smiled softly when his breath evened out. "You know that, right? Deep down. It was better that Kageyama took care of him. You know neither of us could have done it."

Daichi sensed the change in the atmosphere and quickly pushed everyone away. It became really intimate and he knew he shouldn't let everyone trample on such a moment. He shooed everyone away, threatening extra chores to Tanaka and Nishinoya if they didn't leave them alone.

Tadashi sighed, grateful. He watched Kei with calculating eyes and took a step closer to his best friend. In a soft voice, he continued, "Kei. He's not the only one with blood on his hands. Kageyama saved us from those Ghosts that one time, and that's that. He saved us, even if that meant killing Hikaru. Please, Kei, leave it alone."

Kei huffed, dropping his glare from Kageyama. They were quiet again for a while, and Kei turned to leave. He was stopped by Kageyama's voice.

"I'm sorry, you know. I didn't want to kill him, but neither of you were going to."

Kei paused. He didn't bother turning back to Kageyama to answer. Turning his head slightly, Kei mumbled, "Just because I'm not beating the shit out of you doesn't mean I forgive you."

"Believe me, I know," Kageyama huffed lightly. He nodded towards Tadashi, who forced a smile back at him. Kei began to walk away, and Kageyama called after him, "I've changed, if that means anything to you."

"It doesn't," Kei replied over his shoulder, and he was gone, somewhere away from the gymnasium.

A knock on the lockers caught Kei's attention, and he looked up to see Tadashi. He turned his attention back to glaring a hole in the lockers. After his confrontation with Kageyama, he had wandered the area. He had found the locker rooms, the bathrooms, and a few offices. Eventually he settled down in the locker room, resting peacefully.

"Did you do that?" Tadashi asked, referring to the dick drawn on Kageyama's locker.

Well, maybe not entirely peacefully.

Kei nodded once, hiding his smile. Tadashi laughed, a sound Kei was sure he hadn't heard in weeks. He missed it so much. He missed the times before Z-Day, when everything was fine and the most he had to worry about was test scores. He missed when Tadashi laughed and insincerely told him he was sorry. He missed telling Tadashi to shut up, when really, Kei was just embarrassed.

Tadashi walked over to him, sitting down on the bench. He leaned his head on Kei's shoulder, and let out a heavy sigh. Breathing slowly, Tadashi murmured, "I miss it too."

Kei raised his eyebrows in surprise. It figured that he knew what was going on in Kei's mind. They had known each other for the majority of their lives. They knew each other back and forth, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch to be psychic.

"I'm not psychic," Tadashi grinned, "Your emotions are showing, Kei."

He scowled in response, trying to seem uninterested by everything. Tadashi just laughed again. A second laugh, that was rare. "What are you so happy for?"

"Well, we're alive right now. Is that not a reason to be happy?" Tadashi answered without looking at Kei. He picked at his fingernails anxiously, obviously trying to figure out what to say next. Kei stayed silent, letting his friend pick his words wisely. "It's just … this place is perfect for us. We can survive winter easily if we stay here with these people."

Kei didn't respond. He rarely responded, and Tadashi knew that. Tadashi sighed and removed his head from his best friend's shoulder. He patted Kei's shoulder lightly and told him, "Yachi made food. Apparently, she made her famous casseroles, whatever that means. Please come and eat, Kei."

When Kei still didn't respond, refusing to meet Tadashi's eyes, he sighed again. He watched Kei for a moment with a sad smile and turned away, hoping for him to call out for him to wait. No such thing came, and Tadashi frowned. He left, unhappy once more.

Kei waited a few moments in silence, staring at his hands. He opened and closed them. Blood still flowed through his bodies. His extremities still worked. He was alive, and so was Tadashi. Standing up, he wandered back to the gym, hiding behind the half-shut door. He watched Tadashi as he floated around, helping people in whatever way he could, a smile on his face. Kei knew it was a fake smile.

Then again, was there time for real smiles?

Kei watched as Tadashi sat down to dinner, chattering excitedly to Hinata and Yachi about something. Even from his position hidden by the door, Kei could see lingering sadness in Tadashi's eyes. Then, Hinata said something, and just for a moment, Tadashi really smiled. Moments later, he laughed at a joke told by Tanaka who had joined their little group.

Tadashi ate his dinner. He even got seconds. Suga handed out brownies, god-knows-where he got them from. People trickled back from their mission to scour the city for food and other supplies. Slowly but surely, Karasuno huddled in a group, eating and exchanging stories. They looked like a family, and Tadashi fit in perfectly. He was happy, or as happy as one could be in such a situation.

Kei could feel a smile tugging at his lips watching his best friend be so cheerful.

Daichi appeared next to Kei out of nowhere. It took all of his self control not to jump and squeal like a little girl. He scowled, automatically putting on his irritated act. Which, to be fair, was hardly an act at the very moment. "What do you want?"

"Nothing, really," Daichi answered, a suspicious smile on his face. He dug around in the plastic bag he was caring and held out a little box for Kei. Kei opened the box and was surprised to see a charger that was compatible with his iPod. "It's for you. Kind of like a welcoming gift, I guess. I was told you like listening to music, but your charger cable recently broke. So …"

Daichi trailed off awkwardly. It was obvious he wasn't used to being so generous, especially about something like a charger. He scratched the back of his neck and shrugged, walking away. Kei called after him, "Thank you. For this."

Daichi waved his hand in the air dismissively and walked away to join Suga, who leaned over and whispered something. Kei watched as Daichi turned an interesting shade of red. He wondered what Suga had told him, but it didn't really matter.

Kei turned his gaze to the charger in his hands, and then to Tadashi grinning like an idiot. The previous smile came back, tugging at the sides of his lips. Maybe it wouldn't be that awful here, even with Kageyama wandering around. He could always beat him up later if he wanted to.

Tadashi called out Kei's name and waved him over. He smiled brightly, handing him a plateful of food that looked ridiculously delicious. Kei sat down and began to eat, acutely aware of the gazes of many different people. But then he gobbled the food up, and the group broke into appreciative grins. Apparently, he had passed some sort of test. Whatever. It didn't matter, the food was the best he had had in ages.

And Tadashi was beaming.

That's all that mattered, really. Tadashi deserved to be happy, and if he was happy with this bunch of misfits, then they would stay the winter. Kei shook his head to himself, and let himself be dragged into the conversation.

Good morning, and hello! You're listening to the daily report. Today is Tuesday, December 1st. Happy first day of December, everyone at the daily report hopes you all will survive the winter. The weather, as expected of the beginning of December, will be dropping. During the day, it'll be chilly, but once the sun sets it will be getting dangerously cold.

Be careful!

According to Shiratorizawa Information Depot, the percentage of humans being turned into Ghosts are at an all time low, thanks to all the information of what can turn a person into a Ghost. There are only approximately thirty thousand people being turned into Ghosts across the country per month, a significant decrease since Z-Day. Shiratorizawa's Captain, Ushiwaka also says that if the defense groups keep up their good work, and people avoid being turned, that the Ghosts should be eradicated in the next six months.

Let's hope so!

For the mid-week Ghost report, the Seijou Division moved out to retake Sector 4 and are currently in heated battle. The Fukurodani Division completed their mission to defeat the Ghosts of Sector 14, and the Sector is clear to travel through. The unnamed Division from last week, we now know as Karasuno has completely finished eradicating Sector 13, including the remnants of Ghosts from the outer Districts.

I repeat, Sector 13 and 14 are clear.

That is all the updates as of today. Remember to check back in tomorrow for more updates on the Defense Divisions. Have a good day, and remember, don't die -

Daichi turned the radio off, looking more irritable than usual. He hated the ending of the daily report too, and suddenly, Kei appreciated him more than ever. Everyone turned expectantly to Kei, even Tadashi who was standing next to him, and he felt a twinge of scrutiny.

But it was fine. They were welcome here.

"So…" Kei started, looking over the majority of the group called Karasuno who had gathered to listen to the daily report. The group had finished scouring the city for extra supplies the day before, and Kei was finally ready to be apart of the group. He always got jumpy if he wasn't productive. The habit had probably formed from always being on the run. "If Tadashi and I are going to be apart of Karasuno, I need to know everyone and their specialities."

Daichi looked around, and when no one stepped up to talk to Kei, he sighed. "As you know, I'm the captain. I contact the other defense groups, the information depot, and the daily report, letting them know how our group is coming. I also make up the plans and I have a walkie talkie with me at all times so I can let the fighters know what's going on. We have several different types of fighters, but we prefer to use bows and arrows, since it's possible to reuse arrows."

"That's why you had ribbons attached to them!" Tadashi gasped, understanding. It was a genius idea. "Are the colors coordinated to a specific person?"

"Yup. White are Suga's arrows, and black are Ennoshita's arrows. They're our best archers," Daichi explained, pointing to the two men respectively. Tadashi was wide-eyed and nodded. Kei just listened with interest. If he was going to be in the group, he wanted to know everything. Daichi continued his introduction of the group, gesturing to each person as necessary. "Asahi, Narita, and Kinoshita are our medics. They all specialize in different areas, though they all know basics of first aid. Tanaka and Nishinoya are in charge of distractions and explosions."

Kei raised an eyebrow, wondering aloud, "Were they the ones who came up with the idea of blinding the Ghosts with the car headlights?"

"Yup, that was us!" Two voices chimed in obnoxiously, hitting Kei on the back entirely too hard. He scowled and took a few steps away from them, closer to Daichi. He had already noticed that though Daichi seemed caring, he definitely wasn't a pushover. The entire group both listened to him and respected him. That was hard to find in a leader.

Kei gestured for the captain to continue.

"Kageyama and Hinata are our newest additions, but they are both valuable. Kageyama is a sniper, the only one who really uses guns. Hinata, ah, as you noticed, is extremely skilled in hand-to-hand combat. They work well together, almost as a duo. Kageyama watches from above so Hinata doesn't have to worry, and focus on his hand-to-hand combat skills." Hinata blushed, happy with the compliments, mumbling something that was probably stupid. Kageyama only looked proud, Kei noted. He still hated him, but he would have to co-exist with him if they wanted to stay for the winter. Daichi finished his explanation with the girls of Karasuno. "Yachi is our main cook, though Kinoshita helps as well. Kiyoko, well, she's our engineer. She makes everything, fixes everything. Karasuno couldn't survive without her."

He pointed to a beautiful woman in the corner of the gym, busy with something or another. Kei wondered if it was hard to be a girl with so much testosterone in one place. Apparently, not that difficult. He watched as Tanaka and Nishinoya crept over to her, trying to seem manly. She ignored them, and he could audibly hear their heart's break and the life being sucked out of them, while Tanaka wailed about how it turned him on to be ignored by Kiyoko.

Kei smirked. He liked her already.

"What are you two good at?" Kageyama asked, frowning slightly and watching Kei with contempt. It was a good question, and Daichi would have asked it, but the way Kageyama asked it made Kei irritated.

"I'm good at everything," Kei drawled in response, starting a silent challenge. He raised a single eyebrow to provoke him. When Kageyama didn't respond, he huffed and continued, "I kill Ghosts. What else is there?"

There was a hostile pause.

"Um, I'm pretty good with a bow and arrow, I guess," Tadashi said quickly, trying to switch the conversation over to him. Who knows what would happen if Kei and Kageyama went at it again. Daichi turned to him, interested. "Uh, but I think my arrows are slightly different. Um. Yeah. It doesn't matter, though, I can do anything to help."

Karasuno was quiet, watching both newcomers with mild interest. Daichi smiled and stepped forward once again. He looked behind him, and at once, the group bowed politely. (Kei had to stop himself from laughing when Suga pushed Kageyama's head down). In unison, they announced, "Welcome to Karasuno!"

Kei looked sideways at his best friend, surprised to see him blushing and overemotional. Well, that was okay, he guessed. As long as Tadashi was happy, Kei could endure anything and anyone. After all, he had made a promise.

That night, after Tadashi had went around introducing himself, Kei sat on the stoops of the gym. He watched the night, small critters running around. The sky was extraordinarily beautiful that night. Crisp and beautiful. No clouds, pollution had been lessening, away from lights. He hadn't seen the stars that beautiful since Akiteru took him camping. No, he told himself, you can't reminisce about the past. Not when all you have left is the future. So he did what he did best. He frowned, crossed his arms, and hated the world.

He didn't know how long he had sat outside. Long enough for him to get cold. Winter really was coming. Kei hated the winter, it was cold and snow was a nightmare. Maybe he should just sit out here and die of hypothermia. That'd get him away from this messed up world. But he can't think that way. Not when he has something to live for.

Someone to live for.

Tadashi.

His reason for living was his best friend. The only person he had ever loved besides his family. At this point, he didn't even know what type of love. There were more important things to worry about. Such as the apocalypse. He just knew it was love. Sometimes, he wished he was strong enough to actually tell Tadashi that.

I love you.

Were those words really that hard?

Did it matter what type of love it was?

Suddenly, Kei understood all those poems and songs about having an existential crisis at night. There was something about the stars, so pure, that made Kei want to tell everyone the truth. To appreciate people. Honestly, he had no fucking clue what he was doing in life. Even before the Ghosts, he didn't know where he was going to college. What he wanted to be. Who he was.

All he knew was that he would make sure Tadashi would live. Even if it killed him. Someone that nice, that pure, they deserved to live. Kei couldn't protect Tadashi before, but he would now. That's the reason he would live. He couldn't die of hypothermia quite yet.

Kei stretched his legs out and decided he could stay outside for a bit longer. It was better that way. Farther away from Kageyama. Completely silent. Until a soft, charming voice spoke.

"Mind if I sit with you?"

He looked up. Suga. There wasn't an official title of vice-captain, not in a Ghost killing division. But if there was, Suga would have it. He seemed like such a sweetheart, nice and timid. Kei had heard from Nishinoya and Narita that Suga was actually the one to be scared of. Daichi was responsible and the captain, but Suga was the only one that could sass him.

"Sure."

Kei scooted over on the stairs, leaving plenty of space between them. Suga sat down, legs stretched out, one ankle resting on the other. His hands were palm down on the concrete behind him. He looked as if he didn't have a care in the world.

Unlikely, given the circumstances.

"Nice night, isn't it?" Suga asked conversationally. He took a deep breath, inhaling the specific scent of winter. Kei just nodded: he didn't know them yet, he couldn't gauge what type of person he was. It was especially uncomfortable when Suga stared at him, trying to do the same thing. Unfortunately, Suga had more luck. He smiled slowly and gave Kei a look that was both comforting and pitying. Trying again at conversation, Suga asked, "Do you know any of the constellations? I barely even know the North Star."

Kei snorted. It was an obvious ploy for getting him to talk. A good ploy, though. He extended his arm to the sky, pointing out different constellations. Cetus. Pisces. Aries. Eridanus. He traced each constellation with his fingers, drawing the stars together. Kei doubted Suga actually saw the constellations he was pointing out, but it was still nice.

"There's also Canis Major. It kind of looks like a fucked up firework," Kei said, tracing the shape of the constellation. He let his hand fall. It was cold, and he was tired. "These are only the autumn and winter constellations though. They're different in the spring and summer."

"Mm," Suga hummed, happy just to watch the stars. He turned towards Kei and smiled. "So you know a lot about space and astronomy, huh?"

Kei shifted uncomfortably and rubbed his hands together for warmth. He could have easily gotten up and went inside, but somehow, this was nice. Who knows when he'd ever be able to show off his knowledge of astronomy? There wasn't time for thinking about trivial things like that. He'd have to enjoy this while it lasts.

"I had a telescope when I was a kid. And …" Kei trailed off, a bad memory surfacing. Even the good memories of his brother would be bad. He scowled, and Suga put a comforting hand on his shoulder. There was something about Suga that made him want to open up. So he did. "And my brother took me camping a lot. We'd lie under the stars in our sleeping bags after eating s'mores. He'd point out the constellations, telling me stories about them. To this day, I still don't know if those stories were true or not."

Suga looked at him sympathetically. He was quiet for a second, before asking, "Did you lose your brother?"

Kei blew a long breath out. The temperature had dropped enough that he could see his breath. He took another deep breath and said, "Yeah. I did. One of the firsts."

"I'm sorry," Suga said. But it wasn't annoying unlike when everyone else apologized. He meant those words from deep down in his soul. Kei nodded his thanks, which were actually sincere. Suga looked away from him, staring out at nothing. "I lost someone too. A lot of people, actually. My entire family. My close friend, Michimiya. I even lost my dog, however silly that seems. Daichi is the only one that I still have. From before."

"What about Asahi? Aren't you guys close?"

Suga laughed, a weird noise in the silence of the night. He nodded and smiled, looking wistful. "Daichi and I met Asahi the day after Z-Day. So he's the second person I've known the longest. But there's something about knowing someone before, rather than after, you know?"

Kei nodded again. He did know. He knew plenty. There were two Tadashis he knew. One was pre-Z-Day Tadashi, his upbeat, childhood friend. The other was post-Z-Day Tadashi, who was quieter than ever, sunken and sad eyes. Yes, he knew what the difference was.

He decided he liked Suga.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes until the cold got unbearable. Kei smiled softly at Suga then stood and went inside. Much warmer, but not better. Suga didn't come inside with him. Rather, he stayed out side, his eyes sad and full of nostalgia. Kei watched as Daichi went outside and sat down with him, wrapping an arm around Suga.

Kei wanted that, too. He didn't know what time it was, but he knew it was late. Nearly everyone was asleep already, including Tadashi. He tiptoed around the sleeping area, careful not to step on anyone.

(Except Kageyama. He may have stepped on his fingers.)

Settling down on his spot next to Tadashi, he realized he was still cold. Kei scooted closer to Tadashi and slipped his hand underneath his shirt. When his cold fingers met bare skin, Tadashi yelped and jerked awake.

"Shh, don't wake everyone up, jeez," Kei said, trying not to smirk.

Tadashi turned to him and crossed his arms, pouting. He hmph'd and punched Kei playfully. "You're such a jerk, Kei."

"Go back to bed, Tadashi," Kei said.

Tadashi followed his direction and laid back down in his sleeping bag. Kei laid down as well, scooting close enough for that to be called spooning. His face heated up while the rest of his body stayed cold. He wrapped his arms around Tadashi. For warmth. Of course. Just warmth.

"Is this okay? I'm cold. You're like, a walking heater."

Kei felt Tadashi relax a bit in his arms and mumble something into his pillow. He nudged his friend, telling him to be louder. Tadashi turned in his arms to face Kei. Suddenly, he was too close. But Kei couldn't bring himself to move. Tadashi's face was red, and he was so cute.

So cute.

"Yeah, Kei. This is fine."

The words were playfully, and Tadashi grinned at his friend. Perhaps they were way too close. Maybe they couldn't cuddle like that if they were just friends. But then Tadashi laughed, and Kei didn't know how he felt. He knew that his laugh was one of Kei's favorite sounds, but he didn't know it like that.

Then it clicked.

Oh god.

I'm in a fucking zombie apocalypse and I'm in love with my best friend.