Friends With Benefits | Chishiya x Reader

Chapter Twenty-Four

☆ In which many changes occur, and you remember another promise made but under a rather watery moon this time. ☆

After Niragi's words comes silence, then the rise of a perfect halo of noise. 

There is something dull resting in the open palms of your hands. You realise your hands are balled into fists, and you wonder whether what you are holding so desperately onto are not your curled fingertips but the last shreds of hope that things will not change. 

You force yourself to relax. Aguni is the new leader? Great. Wonderful. You can live with that as long as the rooftop remains, with all its stars and neon lights and conversations under the moon with Chishiya Shuntaro. 

 "What the fuck is with all the noise?" Niragi spits, and whacks the railing again. He sighs, a harsh, irritable breath of air, and leans his head back in a show of dissatisfaction. The halo descends as quickly as it rose, for those in a right state of mind know better than to get on the nerves of a volatile sniper. He juts his chin out and smiles an easy smile, as if he needed to add extra height to look down on the people below him even more. 

"It appears that Hatter failed his game and couldn't return," Niragi continues, as if he hadn't almost cracked his rifle on the concrete railing a few seconds ago. "Through majority vote among the executive members, it's been decided that Aguni will be the new Number One." He motions again to Aguni, who continues to betray no emotion but the constant furrow of his brow. "Now, let's hear from Aguni," Niragi says, and the person beside you makes a rather choked sound. "You guys better listen properly."

The weight in your palms grows heavier, even though your hands are no longer in fists. Aguni assumes the position at the front of the podium, hands planted on the railing in what you think is meant to be an intimidating manner. You welcome the distraction. Despite the deep sense of dread the man brings with him, you are actually rather interested to hear what he has to say.

After all, whatever he says now will determine how long it would take for the Beach's meticulously crafted structure to crumble to dust.

"Now," Aguni begins, "what Niragi said is everything."  You haven't heard Aguni speak much until now, and the roughness in his voice does not surprise you.

However, something feels off. Aguni does not carry himself like a man victorious, like you would expect one to after they had just been handed over a hotel full of people and the right to leave the Borderlands first. His fists are clenched, just like yours had been, and a prominent vein is visible on the inside of his forearm. You cannot see his eyes from where you are, which is a shame, because those would be telltale of inner turmoil. From what you can see, Aguni displays the signs of anger, defeat, and regret all at once. 

Perhaps you are meant to pity the man who stands above you now, who may have not wanted this at all.

"I now have full control over the Beach," Aguni says, his voice like the drone of a swarm of bees. "Follow my orders, live for me, and die for me."

You decide that if someone is going to pity him, you are not the one to be doing it.

You arch a brow; considering Aguni's only recent appointment as Number One, the statement felt slightly outrageous. Hatter, at least, had the sense to pull a couple of doves out of a hat to gain the respect of the audience. But you suppose this is the way to go about creating the fear the militants crave far more than commonplace respect. And for the record, it is rather difficult to imagine Aguni drawing birds from the depths of a fedora in front of a hundred plus people in swimsuits. 

Aguni appears to have finished his speech, and backs away from the edge of the podium. Cautious murmurs arise as a result, and swell to conversation as the group of militants' attention is brought elsewhere. Aguni turns in the direction of the pillar aligning the right wall, and something blonde appears at the edge of it. For a second, the festering weight you hold in both hands dissipate like clouds of fine mist.