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“W-Well, we’re...here...”
Mikan Tsumiki stepped into Nezumi Park, the smells of amusement style candy and food filling her nostrils. She let it bring back the rare good memories of her times at parks just like it.
“How wonderful. What a truly hopeful atmosphere this place gives off.”
Nagito entered underneath the park arcs just as the nurse did. He had some bad memories of these types of theme parks, mostly associated with his luck and a rollercoaster á la Final Destination. But, his crush really wanted to go. He figured why not?: he’d love to walk around with her. She had so much dormant hope lying within her, he figured going on a date would help her realize it.
“Well, what should we do first?”
He stepped next to her, and she reflexively shrinked from his approach. She still hadn’t gotten used to having someone who actually wanted to do stuff around her, so she was always afraid around him.
“W-We should...check a-around,”
She stuttered, feeling a rush of excitement as she looked at all the, well, amusements.
“Well, if I’m being honest, I think we could easily get lost around here,”
Komaeda observed, making his first move. If she wasn’t going to show her hope, he’d do it for her,
“Would you like to hold hands so we won’t?”
Mikan’s cheeks flushed, and she started hemming and hawing in anxiety.
“Huh? Wha? Why?”
She buried her face into her hands before slowly letting one drop to her side, holding it out for Nagito to grab. He smiled, reaching out and grabbing it.
“S-S-Sounds like...a-a great i-idea,”
She managed to force out, feeling the futile efforts to cover her blush become apparent to her crush. They slowly intertwined fingers, squeezing one another as they started to walk around.
“W-Wanna ride the r-rollercoaster?”
While not a fan of the hair-raising thrills it promised, she’d though someone like him would like it.
“Only if you’d want to, Tsumiki,”
he responded, looking away from the coaster as the memories of the horrible accident came back. He definitely didn’t want to chance another freak accident, and take the life of someone worth so much more. She saw his hesitance, sighing in relief that he seemed reluctant as well.
“W-Well, then l-l-let’s try s-something else,”
She said, before her eye caught the snack stand close by.
“Yay!”
she cheered like a little girl, rushing over to the stand and dragging Nagito behind her.
“C-Cotton Candy! Popcorn! Oh, I love this stuff!”
she couldn’t contain her excitement, making Komaeda laugh. She froze up, remembering she was with another person.
“O-Oh, I’m sorry...”
she immediately apologized, feeling her annoyance must’ve pissed Nagito off.
“No no, it’s quite alright. I like the snacks here just as much,”
he said, smiling at her as he broke their hold.
“Cotton candy?”
He asked, going over to the machine and grabbing two sticks.
“Y-Yes, please,”
She requested, and he happily obliged. Swirling the sugary substance upon the sticks, he created two impossibly oversized cotton confections, and sighed.
“Ah, of course I’d have the bad luck to get too much.”
“N-Nonsense. W-We can just share o-one, if y-you’d like.”
Tsumiki couldn’t believe her forwardness, immediately opposing it with
“N-Not that you’d want to sh-share with someone like me.”
Nagito put one away, moving back to obvious crush and reuniting their hands. He held the cotton candy out to her, saying
“I wouldn’t mind at all. In fact, I’d be honored.”
The nurse couldn’t believe her luck, moving her head forward and taking a chunk out of the pink cloud. It melted in her mouth, letting her savor it with her tastebuds as the the boy did the same.
Pretty soon, the found themselves sitting at one on the park’s stone benches, talking about nothing in particular. A passerby would hear flirtatious comments and embarrassed denials, as if the two were defending the other more than themselves.
“Oh, you’re too cute, Tsumiki.”
“M-Me? C-Cute? As if. Y-You’re the only c-cute one in...in this entire area...”
“No, that’s wrong. As if trash like me could ever compare to beauty like you.”
The two quickly reached a level that only couples usually talk at, letting the day pass them by.
Without meaning to, Mikan let out a yawn. Being so excited for the event she was at now, she barely slept a wink the night prior. She immediately apologized, asking the boy to forgive her exhaustion. He smiled, taking his jacket off and laying it on his lap like a pillow.
“You’re welcome to rest here, if you don’t mind sleeping on garbage,”
he offered, smiling a gently. The nurse’s entire face grew red, and she nodded before shifting her body and placing her head upon his lap. It felt much comfier than she expected, the warmth of his lower half radiating against her. She felt his hand rest upon the top of her head, and had a moment of shock. Oh no, he’s finally gonna do something. He’s gonna force me down there. She winced, bracing for the worst.
Nagito, however, didn’t do anything like that, much to her surprise. Instead, he gently let his hand run along the length of her head and shoulders, moving back to the top and starting it again. Tsumiki realized he was simply petting her, soothing her with his touch as she rested upon him. She smiled, snuggling in closer as he continued the pat.
“T-That feels...nice...”
she let herself admit, feeling safer than she’d ever felt in her life. Komaeda smiled to himself now, glad he could make her feel nice in such a simple way. The nurse sighed again, though this time it was in happiness. They continued this in silence, not wanting to break this special moment.
Finally, Nagito spoke.
“I really am the luckiest guy in the world, huh?”
he thought aloud, and Tsumiki turned her body to face him, puzzled.
“W-What do you m-mean?”
“I mean, how could a loser like me even have a chance at a date with such an amazing person without my Ultimate Luck?
The nurse blushed at his inadvertent compliment before denying his claim.
“It w-wasn’t your l-luck that made me f-f-fall for you, K-Komaeda,”
she admitted, and now it was the lucky one’s turn to blush.
“Fall for me? A-Are you saying you like me, Tsumiki?”
he couldn’t believe it: she shared his feelings? I mean, the chances he’d fall for anyone were already so low, but the possibility that the same person would match them was astounding.
“M-Maybe... u-u-unless you don’t want me to! I-I’m sorry, it just came out!”
Mikan nearly burst into tears, moving off his lap and sitting up straight. How could I be such an idiot! She buried her face into her hands, beating herself up internally.
A hand upon her head stopped these negative thoughts, and she turned to the owner of said hand. He was smiling again, his care making the girl smile back.
“I like you a lot, Mikan. Don’t ever think I don’t. You mean a whole lot to me, honest.”
It was this statement that made the boy realize something: this wasn’t about hope.
No, nothing like that at all. This was about love.
“In fact, I’d be honored to have the privilege of calling you girlfriend,”
Tsumiki couldn’t handle the news, squealing as she brought him face to face.
“Y-You mean that? Y-Y-You’re not just u-using me? You l-like me too?”
her questions flew from her mouth quickly, and she realized she was being too forward again. She looked away in embarrassment.
“Of course I do. And I know how I can prove it.”
Without warning, he gently moved his hand to the side of her face, cupping it. She nestled into it, letting him turn her towards him again. Of course she knew what he was gonna do; it was way obvious with the buildup. In preparation, she closed her eyes, puckering her lips slightly. Nagito chuckled at this, saying
“Well, I guess it won’t be such a surprise anymore, huh?”
before he too closed his eyes, moving forward to make contact with her. In no time at all, their lips connected. They both couldn’t believe how amazing just that one simple kiss felt.
Mikan had plenty of “boyfriends” who’d just used her as a toy. She could barely remember her first kiss, as it was drowned within her other foul memories. This one, however, she could feel being a part of her forever. It felt like her true first kiss, as if she’d been reborn by the white-haired boy of immense hope and luck.
Nagito had plenty of kisses that were by complete accident, chalked up to his Ultimate Luck screwing everything up, but he never had a real first kiss from someone he’d fallen in love with. It felt wonderful, making him feel for once in his life that he was in control of his fate, that he could steer it to better both of them.
They stayed like this for longer than either of them anticipated, letting their emotions flow forward before finally releasing from one another. Tsumiki realized she was crying, the fresh tears causing wet streaks to form on her cheeks. She wiped them away, sniffling as Komaeda consoled her.
“I’m sorry. Are you alright?”
Ah, I blew it again, didn’t I? he thought to himself, taking her within his arms in a hug as he gently pet the back of her head.
“N-No, it’s just... I-I-I’ve never felt like this b-before. Y-You’re the o-only boyfriend t-throughout my entire life that I-I can s-say I share f-f-feelings with.”
She was a sniveling mess: she’d stopped suppressing the tears and let them flow into Nagito’s shoulder, knowing she was making a mess and apologizing for it along with her statement.
“Don’t say you’re sorry, Mikan. I don’t mind. Let it all out.”
She continued to sob, feeling a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time: true love. So, she did it. She let out her suppressed memories, her sad stories of abandonment, abuse; the scars she kept hidden, everything came up in that conversation. She apologized for boring him with such a horrid story after every telling, to which Nagito denied and listened in silence. She saved her gruesome details of past relationships, not wanting him to truly hate her.
“I-I just don’t w-want anyone to h-hate me. A-Anything but that,”
She pleaded to nobody, the burns of cigarette butts and the cuts on her skin coming back to haunt her. Those pains were vanquished by the jacket-wearing boy, who reassured her and continued his comforting.
“I would never let anyone do that to you now.”
She’d been told those words numerous times by liars who just wanted her body. However, she felt those words reach her soul, healing the mental scars she kept hidden from the world. They gave her a newfound sense of safety, a sense of belonging, a sense of...hope.
“T-Thank you,”
she managed to say, looking back at her new boyfriend with that feeling she seldom felt. She smiled weakly at him, which he returned gladly.
“W-Well, if your m-mission was to put some h-hope in me, y-you succeeded, heh,”
Tsumiki joked, making the lucky boy chuckle in return.
“I may have wanted that at first, I’ll admit. However, now it’s a completely different story. I want you, Mikan, not the hope inside of you.”
She blushed, placing her hands behind his head and pulling him in for another kiss. He was caught by surprise this time, but quickly accepted it and joined his lips with hers. They released reluctantly, their hearts aflutter from the feeling it brought.
“T-Thank you.”
It was beginning to feel like her new catchphrase. One thing for sure, it was better than “I’m sorry.”
They stayed there for the rest of the evening before returning to dinner at the first island. For everyone else, it was just another dinner at first. For our two, it was their first event as a couple, Komaeda and Tsumiki were eager to sit next to each other, and (much to everyone’s surprise) Komaeda didn’t drone on about hope and despair like he usually did. Instead, he ate quietly and participated in conversations like normal, making everyone immediately suspicious. They were cautious the entire dinner, waiting for him to say something creepy, to no avail.
So, the day ended like normal. Sure, it was life changing for our couple, but they knew every day after this would be just as-if not more-amazing, as long as they knew they had someone to love that loved them back.