#lin writes

Kaito blinks again, then jerks his hand back. Ah, of course you’re busy! You’re the inspector, after all! You don’t miss the quick flash of disappointment before he beams at you again, all sunshine and bright in the cold of his room. He makes no move to get off the bed, though, and neither do you – you bite back a smile when he flashes a glance at you again, almost guilty. You sure you can’t stay? 

Luca pulls away slightly. He was already a gentlemanly distance away from you on the bed, of course, but the silent shift backwards almost feels like a permission to leave. Before you can swing your feet off the bed, however, his fingers curl around your wrist. I do wish you could stay. 

Alan sits up. His grey sleep shirt is wrinkled from where he was slouched against his pillows, half-turned towards you as you talked. He shifts his hand from where it is burning in gentle touch against yours, and runs it through his hair instead. I’ll walk you back, he says, gruffly, but neither of you move from under the warmth of his covers. Neither of you want to. 

Leo snorts. Cancel, he suggests, blithely. What can be so important that you’d have to leave this early? What can be so important that you’d have to leave his side? He hooks his pinky into yours. You’re already wearing my pajamas. You can use my bathtub if you need to shower later. You can borrow a uniform from me tomorrow if you need to. What for go back to your crappy old dorm? 

Sho frowns. He takes your hand in his own, thumb brushing over the top of your knuckles. What do you have on? When you tell him, he tugs you closer to him, making you roll onto your side so your faces are barely inches away from each other’s. That sounds stupid, he murmurs. His eyes flicker away from your lips. Tell you what, if you stay, I’ll make you breakfast tomorrow. Deal? 

Haru groans and throws his head back. Don’t remind me, he mumbles to the ceiling. You see his mental to-do list slowly getting longer as he comes back down to reality, cataloguing all the tasks around Jabberwock yet to be finished, but he suddenly looks over at you. His hand brushes yours again, almost shy in the way it lingers. I can wake you up at sunrise. Stay the night? 

Towa pouts immediately, and rolls over so quickly he almost flattens you underneath him. His arms snake around you as he tucks his face into the crook of your neck. He smells like earth, like rain, like the way flowers kiss the ground as they wilt. Don’t leave, Dandelion. His arms tighten around you. Don’t go. 

Ren frowns, and suddenly the warmth of his hand milimetres away from yours disappears. He crosses his arms tightly, looking out the window. Is it that Vagastrom mission? he says. There is something in his voice you can’t place, but his face is turned too far from you for you to figure it out. Just leave early tomorrow, what’s the big deal? 

Taiga blinks, and there is a dip on his side of the bed before you feel his head resting on your shoulder. My, my, kitty-cat, he drawls. He intertwines his fingers with yours, turning your hand this way and that. Trying to escape me early? He knows you’d never, but he turns to press his nose to your shoulder. Bet they’ll text you tomorrow morning to cancel, anyway. 

Romeo huffs. What for? then, That’s stupid, when you tell him. You can’t read his facial expression from under the pale white clay mask he has on, but the warning look that flashes in his eyes is full of affectionate disdain. Go late, he tells you, then waves off your protest. We still have sheet masks to do after this, or your skin is going to crack and you’re going to waste all my effort– 

Ritsu nods, and you see him blink away the dredges of drowsiness from the corner of his eyes before he turns to you. It’s late, he agrees, voice soft, raw. His hand does not move from where it is frozen against yours, touch melting against your fingers in hope that you will not notice. Perhaps… perhaps next time we can schedule this for when we have nothing on the next day. 

Subaru starts. Of course, he says, and bows his head. I’m sorry to have kept you so late– The warmth of dim lamp light frames the smooth of his cheek, the curve of his fringe, but does nothing to hide the way his eyes soften when you assure him that no, you did want to stay for as long as you did, you want to stay longer, in fact– Stay, then, he murmurs, sudden and fierce. Please. 

Haku laughs, warm and low. What for? When you tell him he just hums. I’ll walk you there tomorrow. His fingers brush against yours again, then curl around your own, steady, sure. When you look over at him his eyes glow gold in the gentle leftover of moonlight that has diffused through the rain and spilled in through his screen door. It wraps you in starlight, in muted resin, in the irresistible want to have this moment with him last forever. It’s late, princess, he says, softly. His lips brush your ear as he leans in. Stay with me. 

Zenji makes a noise of surprise, eyes flickering out the window of the cathedral to look at the moon. Oh, of course, my dear, he exclaims, and hovers slightly above your bed. I completely lost track of time, it was so entrancing just talking to you… He worries noisily after you and your schedule for a moment before he pauses, wringing the doll between his hands. If you don’t mind… can I… can I stay? 

Ed yawns and stretches. You humans and your schedules. You’re always so busy with things so insignificant… He leans over, gazing at you through half-lidded eyes. His pale face is lit only by the cold white of his iPad screen, now left forgotten in the space between you. He searches your face for a moment, before saying, Wouldn’t you rather stay with me? 

Rui jerks back, then forces a chuckle. Sorry I lost track of time, you know I don’t really sleep… You bite your lip. The warmth of his hand, even if it was through the blanket and his glove, felt so real, so– Rui extracts himself from under the blanket. The laugh he gives you as he shifts away is pained, almost, but hopeful. It’s a long walk back from Obscuary to your dorm, though. We’ve got so many guests rooms… Stay, won’t you? 

Lyca scrunches his nose. Fine– he starts to say, but stops. He glances at you, almost shy, before his eyes dart back to the soft of his covers. You watch him twist the blanket between his fingers for a moment before he grumbles, still not looking at you, What do you have so early, anyway? Just ask that blonde gigolo to do it for you. 

Yuri sniffs. He sneaks a glance at you, almost as if he is calculating how much you mean it, how probable it is that you’d leave his side. Walking back to the health hazard you call a cathedral will take far too long and take too much of your precious sleep time, he decides, then shifts so the flush climbing up his ears is nearly completely submerged under his own covers. Stay, he huffs, and shuts his eyes tight. Goodnight. 

Jiro glances over at you. And? He watches impassively as you try to explain that you have to leave now so you’d get enough sleep, before a small smile creeps up his lips. His pinky brushes yours again, a little less accidental, a little more warm. You can just stay in Mortkranken, he says. We’ll just wake up earlier tomorrow to make up for it. 

first time trying this hc format 0: kinda like the prose this time ngl lmk what u think!