Beyond sat at the desk, his long fingers drumming idly against the wooden surface, his dark eyes fixed on the pages of an open textbook, but the tension in the room was palpable. It always was when he was around. You were lying across the room on the bed, with a book in your lap, attempting to focus but ultimately failing. It was difficult to focus with him there, your academic rival, your roommate.

It hadn’t been your choice to share a space with Beyond, and you could only assume it wasn’t his either. Wammy’s House had decided that two brilliant minds, always neck and neck in their pursuit of solving impossible puzzles, should live together for the final stretch of your studies. It was torture. Beyond - B, as he sometimes insisted on being called - was weird. Really weird. He was unpredictable, unhinged even, and it made him dangerous - both to your academic standing and, you sometimes felt, to your peace of mind. Tonight was no different.

“I wonder. Why you’re always so tense around me.” Beyond mused, his gaze shifting from his textbook to you. Since the moment both of you arrived at Wammy's House, there had been rivalry between you and Beyond. However, living with him had added another layer to it. It unnerved you, this closeness, this forced intimacy of sharing space with someone you were supposed to hate.

He stood up then, moving with a languid grace as he crossed the small room. He leaned against the edge of the bed, too close, his presence overwhelming.

“You’re different from the others. You always have been. That’s why I hate you.” He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. This wasn’t the kind of confession you’d ever expected. It was twisted, complicated, and utterly him. Beyond didn’t operate in normal emotions, normal connections. No, for him, everything was a puzzle to be solved. And you? You were the one piece he hadn’t been able to figure out. "And I hate that, somewhere along the way, I’ve come to need you here. But that’s the problem, isn’t it?"