Chapter Text
Hinata Hajime, Reserve Course student, wasn’t really sure how he’d gotten here, but he was absolutely aware of low his enthusiasm was for being here.
It couldn’t be more obvious that this was nothing more than a pity invite. This wasn’t even a party for his class. Yukizome had been the only person willing to talk to him on a regular basis, and he allowed it--she must’ve thought he was desperately lonely.
Yet, when she’d asked him to attend a “class gathering”, although he’d replied with a grumbled “uh...I don’t know…”, he still showed up. Why?
From the moment he’d walked in, everyone being an intimidating Ultimate aside, it had been obvious that this was a group of people who had already bonded, and he likely wouldn’t be seen as more than an intruder. There wasn’t any easy way to make conversation...not that he’d ever been good at that sort of thing, anyway.
True, he’d been milling around the corner by the snack table for about half an hour now, and a few people had attempted to engage with him, so it wasn’t like they were ignoring him on purpose. A blonde girl (the one he’d dubbed Sparkle Sparkle Blondie while sitting at the fountain--she was somehow even more luminescent up close) asked him which class he was from, he’d replied with a “I don’t know” because he couldn’t think of a quick replacement for “reserve course student” and panicked, and the girl had looked a bit bemused before replying gracefully with “oh! You seem to have forgotten, right? Let me know if you happen to remember. I am quite curious,” leaving with a regal wave of her hand.
A guy with unneeded pink hair had approached him (or rather, approached the Cheetos he happened to be standing by) and asked him whose boyfriend he was. He seemed rather nervous about the blonde girl, stuttering out “hey, do you know Sonia? Are you guys close?”. When Hinata assured him he hadn’t even known her name was Sonia, Pinkie seemed to calm down a bit, saying “Oh, well...if that’s how it is...y’know, be careful! Sonia’s bad news, you know? I didn’t think her type was someone like you anyways...alright, see ya!”.
Hinata felt awkward.
Yukizome had been all “these little gatherings are a great place to make friends, Hinata-kun! Everyone’s incredibly friendly, and easy to get along with! You’ll fit right in!”.
Yeah, right. He could only hope she didn’t go as far to tell everyone a Reserve Course student was coming. If that was the case, it was only a matter of time before someone tried to start a conversation with him out of pity. Maybe Sonia had already known which class he was in, and was just asking him to try to start a dialogue.
It’s probably best that I screwed it up.
Surveying the room one more time, looking for some opening, any opening to attempt to salvage this wreck of an experience, he found one other student that wasn’t in a group. A white haired...eccentric looking boy, keeping to himself in the corner opposite from his own.
It took a moment for it to dawn on Hinata that the white haired kid was actually Poofy Marshmallow Boy--Komaeda--from the lightning bird incident a few days ago. He had different clothes on than his school uniform. Hinata didn’t fail to notice that the jacket he was wearing had unnecessary, ‘edgy’ cut-outs as it trailed off his body, and that his footwear of choice had...zippers on them. Further judgement made him wonder, yet again, if Komaeda had even ever brushed his own hair.
Well, you won’t make many friends looking like that. I guess he’s not someone who cares about fitting in, all things considered.
Admittedly, Hinata had felt a growing, strange curiosity brewing in his stomach surrounding that incident, and by proxy, this boy. That feeling had been only bolstered by his previous talk with Yukizome. If nothing else, this party gave him a chance to finally ask questions to the source. However stupid a talent like Ultimate Luck was, it was a talent, more than Hinata himself could ever have. He wouldn’t be put in the same space as these people ever again. He wouldn’t get another chance to sate his lingering curiosty.
He made his way through the room, to the opposite side, with little commotion. This put him that much closer to Komaeda.
Nice. I did it.
... except...not nice, I didn’t do it, because I have no idea what to say. God…
If I can’t even talk to normal people, how am I gonna start a conversation with this guy?!
“Ahhhhhuuughhh…” Hinata groaned under his breath, staring at his shoes.
I just want to know what the hell happened…
“Ah...Hinata-kun, right?” said a voice extremely close to his ear.
“W-Whoa,” Hinata spluttered out, involuntarily, turning to find Poofy Marshmallow Boy, standing near him, invading his personal space.
“Get out of my personal space…” Hinata said, raising a hand up in defense, while simultaneously thinking on how he should’ve said something more inviting.
He startled me, though.
“Ah...perhaps I am a bit too close...but you seemed to be deep in thought, or fascinated by your own shoes, and I wasn’t quite sure how to get your attention!” Komaeda replied, thankfully seemingly unoffended. “My name is Komaeda Nagito. Parties like this can be a bit overwhelming, huh?”
“Y-Yeah...I’m not even in this class, so...it’s kinda..a lot,” Hinata responded. He already knows you’re not in his class, Hajime. He literally...attends his class all the time.
“I see...I don’t think I’ve seen you around before, either. Well, this is a party, right? Somebody here must’ve invited you from another class? Maybe I can guess which class you’re in! No, even better: I can guess what your talent is! It could be a fun game to pass the time. Sound fair?”
Hinata was uncomfortable--not just because he really, really didn’t want to be outed as a reserve course student, but there was something in Komaeda’s tone of voice that had shifted, that invited unease. He couldn’t place his finger on it, but the words coming from his mouth now felt...weighted.
“I dunno. That doesn’t sound like much fun.”
“That’s a good point, um...ah...what’s your name again?”
“Oh...Hinata Hajime.”
“That’s a good point there, Hinata-kun! Here’s what we should do, then, make it a tad more interesting: I’ll get five chances to guess what your talent is. I can’t ask you directly, but I’ll ask questions that should give me hints.”
“That’s still not--”
“And in return, since I’m assuming you don’t know my talent either, you can ask me five questions, too. I’ll even put you at an advantage, and let you go first,” Komaeda said, punctuating the end of his sentence with a smile.
Hinata was silent for a moment, thinking his options over, deciding if he even had options at all. “Um…”
Komaeda sighed. “...Or, of course, I could always just ask you what your talent is straight out. My apologies for being so forward...it probably wasn’t actually that fun of a game, right? My mistake.”
“No, uh--no, that’s fine, we can play the game.” I’ll just pretend I’m a...uh...Ultimate...UFO Catcher...Player…? Whatever, it’ll be hard to guess. Maybe I can at least use my questions to kinda ask about the whole luck thing?
“So...um...first question...what are your hobbies? Like, in your free time?”
Komaeda tapped his chin, apparently in deep thought. “Well...I spend most of my spare time avoiding any and all dangerous situations. That is to say, I don’t have a lot of spare time, as I have to be on my guard due to my very nature! I do enjoy cleaning though--it’s the one thing I’m good at. Hmm, so my turn, huh…? Let me think…”
Hinata stared at him, trying to make sense of the babble he’d just heard. His only hobby is a...chore? Well, I mean, I guess that makes sense based on what Yukizome-sensei told me, but...yikes.
“Alright, Hinata-kun...how about this? What is your goal in life?”
“That’s...um...a pretty heady question to start off with, don’t you think?”
“Ah, but it’s my choice. We never decided on any parameters, so….”
My goal in life…? I don’t even know...uh…
“My goal in life...is to become the best person I can be.”
“That’s an amazingly vague answer, Hinata-kun!”
“Thank...you? Well, I don’t really have anything else to say...” Hinata mumbled, scratching the back of his head.
Komaeda nodded. “Alright then, your turn.”
“Um...what’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you?”
If he says the bird thing, maybe Yukizome-sensei was exaggerating, and this sort of thing doesn’t happen to him all the time. If he says something else...well, I’m curious. How bad can his luck get?
“That’s a deep question...and not very easy to answer! You see, awful things happen to me all the time...literally every day, if I’m not careful! But...I suppose I’d have to say...the day my dog died.”
“Just...just your dog dying? What about…?”
Komaeda simply looked down, and said nothing.
Maybe I offended him…? Whatever, he shouldn’t be so sensitive…getting struck by lightning is definitely worse than your dog dying.
“I’m sorry to hear your dog died, then,” said Hinata, not sure what else there was to be said.
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about someone like me. I have no one to blame but myself!” Komaeda replied cheerfully, immediately regaining his usual demeanor.
“Huh…?” What, did he kill his own dog…?
“Anyways, Hinata-kun, I believe it’s my turn once again. How about...let’s do the reverse of your question! What’s your fondest memory?”
My fondest memory, huh…? Hinata looked inwardly, scanned through years of studying and lectures and listening to music, staring up at his ceiling, always wondering what he could do to be more. Fond was a hard word for him, one that implied warm feelings and gentle, reflective melancholy, emotions he had little experience with.
“I’m...not sure I know how to answer that.”
Komaeda tilted his head off to the side. “Hmm, really? It’s a fairly easy question…”
“I...just don’t know how to answer,” Hinata shrugged. The unease he’d felt at the start of this conversation wasn’t going away, and the last thing he wanted from Komaeda was pity.
“Ah...I see...you know...in that case...I don’t think I need another two questions. I think the answer I’ve been looking for is very clear, even to someone like me!”
There’s that “someone like me” comment again...what does he even mean by that…?
Regardless of Hinata’s confusion, there was a light in Komaeda’s eyes, something deep within their depths twisting and dancing. It made him uneasy. Could this guy...have actually guessed…?
“Well, I don’t think you need to confirm my talent, if you already know, and I already know,” said Hinata, hoping to avoid this confrontation all together.
“Hmmm...but how can I be sure unless either I say it, or you tell me? And it’s not fair if you just tell me, not after all this back and forth! So...let me use my only guess. I’d have to say…someone like you...with no happy memories, even after over a decade and a half of life...someone who doesn’t know what to say, or how to say it, and might be a bit slow in the mind, to put it politely...”
Hinata bristled as Komaeda trailed off for a moment, tapping his chin, feigning deep thought.
“...Super High School Level UFO Catcher,” he spat out. “That’s me. Are you happy?”
Komaeda blinked.
“Yep,” Hinata said, trying to sound confident. “I’m really good at...crane games. I might be...the best there ever was.”
Komaeda did nothing but stare. “Are you sure you're not just a nobody? Like myself? After all, kin recognizes kin, Hinata-kun…” he said, his eyes darkening even further.
…so blunt! He won't even go along with it…?
“Well...you know...it's a little rude to call someone labeled Super High School Level UFO Catcher a nobody , but I guess I can see where you're coming from…” said Hinata, grasping at straws, panicking a little. If I don't admit it, it'll make it that much harder to call me out...
Komaeda’s slight, ever pleasant smile faltered, but bounced back again just as quickly as it had flickered. “Ah, my apologies! I DO tend to speak out of turn--a bad habit my useless self can't quite seem to kick! I didn't mean to offend. Do forgive me, Hinata-kun….” he replied, his tone marred with a soft lilt.
“Yeah. I mean, it's not much better of a talent than being Super High School Level Luck. I don't really see where you have the right to poke fun at me, considering your talent can't even really be proven,” said Hinata, the twinges of panic not leaving his veins.
“...Oh?” said Komaeda, genuine curiosity in his voice. “You don't believe my luck is legitimate? Well, I suppose I haven't exactly explained it very well, so that's on me for providing such a poor synopsis of my life...but it's very real, without a doubt.”
Hinata was grateful for the momentary diversion, and decided to capitalize on it. “Well? Can you prove it? Like, at will? A talent you can't even command can't really be a talent.”
“Hmm...well, I suppose I DO have some influence over my luck, in a way…” After a few moments of silence, Komaeda snapped his fingers. “Oh! I know! Let's play a game, shall we? Why don't we gather everyone up and take a field trip to the local arcade? This party is dragging a bit, and it’s just a few blocks down from here...let's face each other on the first crane machine we see. If I can match you, the superior crane game master , won't my luck be proven? After all...you are the best.”
Wait...huh?! No way I want things to go this far...I was curious about his luck, but...I don't want to find out like this!
“Uhhh. Um. I don't know about that. I'm pretty tired. I was gonna leave after talking to you, anyways.”
“Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud. Everyone will get a kick out of it, seeing you in action! I know I will. You seem very interesting, Hinata-kun. I feel we may be similar, you know? This could be an excellent start to a future friendship! If I'm not being too forward, that is…” he said, rambling, already beginning to move towards the entrance.
Hinata felt dumbfounded and at a complete loss. There wasn't any way to back himself out of this corner he'd gotten himself into. Komaeda’s energy had changed drastically since they'd first started speaking; his enthusiasm was too forceful. Too excited. If he just admitted he lied and had no talent...he didn't feel he could trust Komaeda not to tell everyone, not to mention how humiliating that would be, after putting on this long of a charade. Yukizome would certainly regret ever taking pity on him in the first place if he ruined the mood of the party, even if Komaeda was the instigator.
At least, with the crane game...he had a chance. Maybe some of Komaeda’s luck would rub off on him. There wasn't an easy out here, so he should at least choose the option with a shred of hope to it. Maybe he could even just blame it on an off day, if he couldn't catch anything.
Maybe he could just casually disappear into the crowd afterwards, and never put himself in a situation like this again.
Never put myself in a situation like this again...well…
He found himself imagining a version of himself that could easily master a crane game, master talking to those with talent, master talking to anyone at all, and much, much more.
A version of himself that didn't make him feel like he had to hide under obvious lies and cheap conversational diversions.
A Hajime Hinata he could be proud of.
Well.
There's not much more to say here, is there?
Komaeda was already talking to a few students (he'd tried to talk to the pink haired dude first, but Pinkie had backed away from him unabashedly, Cheetos slipping from his grasp and decorating the floor, Komaeda didn't seem to be very popular). There wasn't really a way out now.
Fine. If I'm embarrassed...at least it'll be for the last time.