No Shame

The morning sun barely peeked through the half-closed blinds of their dorm room, casting long shadows across the floor. Kikidori groggily sat up in bed, scratching his head and yawning as he reached for his phone.

7:12 AM. Way too early for functioning.

He stretched, cracking his back, and stood up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Ere'ana was already awake—he could hear the shower running in their shared bathroom. Not surprising, considering she was always up before him, somehow having the energy to function like a normal human being.

Kikidori, on the other hand, operated on pure stubborn willpower until noon.

Yawning again, he shuffled over to his dresser, lazily pulling out some clothes for the day. He peeled off his shirt, then dropped his shorts, standing in nothing but his boxers as he grabbed a fresh pair of jeans.

Right as he was stepping into them, the bathroom door swung open.

Steam billowed into the room as Ere'ana stepped out, completely naked, rubbing a towel through her damp hair. She walked past him like he wasn't even there, heading straight for her dresser.

Kikidori glanced up, taking exactly half a second to acknowledge her existence before pulling his jeans up the rest of the way. "Morning."

"Morning," she replied casually, still drying her hair.

She opened her drawer, pulled out some underwear, and dropped her towel.

Kikidori buttoned his jeans, grabbed a fresh shirt, and pulled it over his head without a second thought. Neither of them reacted. Neither of them cared.

This was normal.

They had been like this for years—completely unfazed by each other's presence, even in situations that would make literally anyone else uncomfortable. But after growing up together, sharing everything from toys to food to the occasional bed, nudity had lost its shock factor somewhere along the way.

Ere'ana pulled on a pair of shorts, grabbed a tank top, and stretched. "What's for breakfast?"

Kikidori flopped back onto the bed, grabbing his phone again. "Dunno. Didn't check the cafeteria menu yet."

She sighed. "If they have that nasty-ass powdered egg shit again, I'm skipping."

"They always have that nasty-ass powdered egg shit," Kikidori muttered.

Ere'ana groaned. "Guess I'm stealing your cereal again."

He smirked. "I already hid it."

She shot him a look. "You little bitch."

"Should've thought about that before eating my last bowl yesterday."

Ere'ana flicked a hair tie at his face, then sat down on the bed next to him, still towel-drying her hair. "You ever realize how weird we are?"

Kikidori raised an eyebrow. "You're just realizing this now?"

"No, I mean—" She gestured vaguely between them. "Other people don't do this."

"No shit."

"Like, Renji would have a fucking stroke if he saw that just now."

Kikidori snorted. "He would. That dude still gets flustered when Hitomi hugs him for too long."

Ere'ana laughed. "God, you're right. He'd probably explode if she ever sat on his lap."

"Meanwhile, you've literally used me as a human pillow for years."

"And you love it."

He rolled his eyes but didn't deny it.

Ere'ana tied her damp hair up in a messy bun, then stood, stretching again. "Alright, let's go find food before I get too lazy to leave."

Kikidori sighed dramatically. "Guess I have no choice but to follow you."

"You never do."

She grabbed his arm, pulling him up, and they walked out together like they hadn't just casually seen each other naked five minutes ago.

Because, honestly? It wasn't even worth making a big deal about.