You sat cross-legged on your bed, staring right at him as he stood by the window in his human form, arms crossed, mask resting on your desk. He wasn’t looking at you — he never did when he was pretending not to care.
“Let’s play 20 Questions,” you announced.
He froze. Slowly turned his head toward you. “…Why.”
“Because it’s fun.”
“It is not fun,” he corrected, “It is an interrogation disguised as a game.”
You grinned. “Exactly. Sit.”
He sighed — dramatic, annoyed, but absolutely sitting down anyway. His long red hair fell over his shoulder as he settled stiffly beside you, trying to seem unaffected.
You lifted a finger. “First question: do you even like being here—”
He cut in immediately. “I cannot lie.”
You blinked. “Huh?”
He looked away, jaw tightening like he regretted speaking. “It’s part of reaper law,” he said lowly. “We are bound to truth. We may refuse an answer, but we cannot fabricate one.”
“Oooohh,” you said, leaning closer, “so you can dodge questions, but not lie?”
“I prefer the term ‘precise selective silence,’” he muttered.
You smirked. “Okay then. Do you like being here?”
A long silence.
His eyes shifted. His fingers tapped his knee. The tips of his ears turned the faintest shade of red.
“…Next question.”
You laughed. “That’s not an answer!”
“It is an answer,” he argued. “I am invoking my right to avoid questions that compromise my… status.”
“You mean your feelings?”
He went completely still. “…Next question.”
You leaned in, teasing. “You’re the one bending the rules for me anyway.”
He stiffened harder, glaring at the wall like it offended him. “I bend nothing. I simply… adjust. Slightly. In your vicinity.”
“So you do like being here?”
His eyes flickered to yours — quick, sharp, unmistakably soft for half a second.
“I cannot lie,” he said quietly, “and I am choosing silence.”
Your grin widened. “Which means yes.”
He groaned and stood up abruptly, covering his face with his glove.
“This game is intolerable.”
“You love it.”
“I tolerate you,” he corrected, voice low. “That is… different.”
You laughed, and even though he pretended to be annoyed, he didn’t leave. Not even when you started Question #2.