Chapter Text
The despair disease... That’s what Monokuma had called it anyway. He’d popped up one morning when everyone was in the dining hall, Mioda, Owari and Komaeda acting obviously off
“So, your motive today is the despair disease!” The black and white bear announced “Ibuki’s form of this disease is that she’s super gullible, Akane is a coward, and Nagito here is a liar! Enjoy murdering, my cuties!” Monokuma chanted before he whisked himself away not to be seen again until the next murder occurred.
Despair disease? Honestly, to Hajime it just made everything just that itty bit more annoying. He was already pissed enough with all of the class trials and friends dying, but now this? Jesus Christ.
Owari was crying all over the floor, saying something about how she wasn’t good enough, Mioda was just believing anything she was told, and Komaeda was prattling on about despair.
All in all, it really was just a fantastic experience.
It had only been a few days since Pekoyama’s trial, so it’s not like everyone was in good spirits anyway, but to find this happening? None of them really could catch a break.
A feverish looking Komaeda stumbled his way over to Hajime, his eyes almost swirling like they had in the first trial. (Hajime preferred not to think about that. Komaeda was basically a killer, in that regard, yet Hajime still had spent days of his free time with him.)
“Hinata-kun!! Oh boy do I feel amazing! Never have I seen it clearer! Despair... wait-“ He paused- “That is what I meant to say, yes! Despair! Yes! This is great!” Komaeda laughed, breathing heavily
“You good?” Hajime asked incredulously
He got his answer by Komaeda collapsing into him, his knees buckling, the white-haired boy looking dazed and confused, his eyes wide.
“U-Um... we have to take the p-people affected by the disease to the hospital!! Ah... Hinata-k-kun, can you..?” Tsumiki looked to the woozy Komaeda draped in Hajime’s arms.
“Alright! I’ll carry Komaeda.” Hajime nodded, scooping the other up into his arms and bridal style carrying him. Hajime was lucky Komaeda was light, otherwise he’d definitely be having a much harder time right now
“Hhhh” Komaeda moaned, his eyes closing. It sounded like he was in pain
“Hurry! W-we don’t know if it’s contagious yet!” Tsumiki ordered, Hajime nodding and trudging off towards the hospital
After the trek to the hospital, Hajime eventually laid the other on the bed and slumped into the hospital chair, already exhausted. Komaeda had been unconscious for the entirety of the walk there and showed no signs of stirring, so Hajime decided to take a nap and wait until Tsumiki came and checked up on him
“H-he’s got a pretty bad t-temperature b-but he’s becoming conscious... u-um. Can you take care of him when h-he wakes up please?” Tsumiki stuttered
She probably had enough on her plate, so Hajime agreed, nodding his head as Tsumiki thanked him over and over
“P-please call me if he gets worse!!” Tsumiki squeaked. And then she was gone.
Hajime didn’t like Komaeda- he literally tried to kill someone! But Hajime didn’t like the idea of him or any of the other people affected dying, so he would try his hardest to help Tsumiki with all of the patients.
“Hngnnn” Komaeda groaned, his eyes cracking open, his gaze flickering to the brunette, orbs suddenly wide, almost fish like
“Hinata-kun!! I’ve worked it all out!!”
“You good?” Hajime asked, already confused and tired by the white haired boy’s antics
“I feel fantastic...” Komaeda mumbled, sitting up “hold on... that’s what...Huh? Yes! That’s right!” He suddenly declared
“Great then.” Hajime huffed, offering the other boy a glass of water
God why did he even care? This guy was basically a murderer.
The gaunt boy finished the glass and slumped back into the bed, his thin frame making the hospital gown hang off him. Hajime felt like he was invading the other boy’s privacy by looking at him like this, in a position where he was so vulnerable. So different from the terrifying, swirling eyes of the first trial
“I'll go now, seeming you’re fine” Hajime began to get up, Komaeda’s face filled with panic, his flushed cheeks paling slightly
“Yes!! Leave! Go and never come back. I never want to see your disgusting face again.” Komaeda said loudly, his voice breaking.
“Jesus Christ. Fine then. “ Hajime sighed, annoyed with how hurt his voice came out.
“Yes yes yes!! Leave! Leaaaave Hajime! Please leave!”
Komaeda’s choir of pleads followed Hajime throughout the door, Hajime slamming it behind him and letting out a deep breath.
That sucked.
On the door, a page displaying Komaeda’s information caught Hajime’s eye. Some of it was boring- Hajime already knew how tall the other was, there were short comments on him being underweight- not by much, thankfully, but the most interesting piece of info was Nagito’s diagnosis ‘ Liars Disease” ... what did that mean? He should go ask Tsumiki.
He guessed she’d be in the accompanying hospital rooms so he wandered down the halls and peered through the window of each one, finally finding the plum haired girl five or so doors down. Mioda was asleep on the bed the Ultimate Nurse was tending to.
“Tsumiki? Do you have a minute?” Hajime asked, the girl startling
“Eeek! Ah... Hinata-kun. It’s you. S-sorry!!” Tsumiki scrambled her stuff together and looked around to face Hajime. He’d come to like Tsumiki- she was nice and seemed to genuinely care about her patients. Some part of him refused to like her purely out of pity. She was more than that, so he liked her for being a good person, even though her excessive apologising was tiring.
“On Komaeda’s door... it says he has liars disease? What does that mean?” Hajime inquired, almost wishing he’d bitten back his words. He had to keep reminding himself that Komaeda had basically ended two of his friend’s lives (even if Hanamura had been annoying)
“O-oh! Liars disease... I-I think it’s that everything Komaeda-kun says is.. um. The opposite?” Tsumiki took a gulp “b-but I could be wrong! Aah I’m so useless and awful I’m soooo sorrryyyy Hinata-kun! You can do whatever you want to-“
“No.” Hajime said instinctively, Tsumiki flinching “I... I think you’re right. Sorry for bothering you.” Hajime took a short bow, trying to let Tsumiki know that he did very much appreciate her. Though, really, he was panicking. If what Tsumiki said was true he’d just been an absolute asshole to Komaeda. Which normally would probably be fine, but the other boy was sick.
Or maybe Hajime actually cared?
No. That wasn’t a good idea. Komaeda was easily the most dangerous person on this island, and while spending time with him definitely made it harder to not care about Komaeda, Hajime knew he was unhinged. Should he even go back?
God... this was hard. Fuck it.
Hajime opened Komaeda’s door, and was greeted with a somewhat unpleasant sight
Komaeda was crying. Sobbing, more like.
“K-komaeda?” Hajime asked hesitantly, pissed that his voice came out so concerned
“Hinata-kun?” The white haired boy looked up from where he was crying into his knees, face ruddy.
“I’m here. Are you alright? Just nod or shake your head. I’m not dealing with the weird liars shit right now” Hajime asked, Komaeda shaking his head vigorously.
“I feel great!” He said, his eyes saying the opposite
“I’m.. I’m sorry I left. I think trusting you is a bad idea but at the same time, it was a dick move to leave you.” Hajime said, Komaeda nodding slowly, clearly wanting to say something, but knowing that his words would come out warped
“Do you want paper or something? Are you strong enough to write?” Hajime asked
Komaeda sighed, then shook his head.
“I’m awesome, huh?” Komaeda then laughed, his cackles turning into wheezing coughs
Of course he’d find the irony funny. Everything he said was the opposite of what he meant, which meant his self deprecating comments too
“It’s not funny, Komaeda” Hajime frowned, Komaeda raising his eyebrows, a few more painful sounding coughs erupting from his shallow chest, giving Hajime a weak smile that said ‘ yes it is’ , his eyes closing slightly. Hajime put his hand on the other boy’s forehead. It was hot. Far too hot.
“Jesus Christ! You should have said you have a fever! I would have gotten you something like a wet towel way earlier.” Hajime exclaimed, getting a towel and hurried over to the sink, giving it to the sick teen
“Ah well I’m definitely deserved of your disgusting awful presence! I would have loved to burden you with my illness too,” Komaeda mumbled, sweat dripping down his face. Hajime was about to retort but then nearly slapped himself for what felt like the third time. The opposite was that he didn’t want to burden Hajime with any of his issues. The feverish looking boy was awake, but his eyes were still taking on that glassy quality. He mumbled something unintelligible, his breathing shallow
“Go to sleep, Komaeda.” Hajime said softly, stroking the cotton-like tufts of the other’s hair, almost instantly withdrawing once he realised what he was doing
“Please leave. Please. I hate you Hajime... I love this... I feel amazing” Komaeda murmured, pain quite evident in his voice, his eyes half lidded and barely open.
He... hated Hajime? No... Everything was the opposite, right? The opposite of Hate was...
Oh.
What? How could that even be the case? What? Hajime kept pulling blanks. He wasn’t even sure if he liked Komaeda as a friend- no definitely not- that would be an awful idea, seeing he was quite clearly deranged...yet.
“I won’t leave, don’t worry.” Hajime said firmly, shuffling his chair closer to the bed, Komaeda coughing once and closing his eyes
He’ll think about what was implied from those few words once Komaeda was better. He was sick, his brain was probably muddled. It made next to no sense as to why he would even have feelings of any kind towards Hajime, especially seeing that Hajime was... well. He was himself and Komaeda was a guy who could technically be classified as a murderer. It wouldn’t really work that well.
Hajime’s own feelings towards the white haired boy was something even he didn’t really want to go through. They hadn’t know each other long but Hajime was annoyingly drawn to try and understand Komaeda for who he was. It didn’t mean he liked him- right? He just wanted to see as to why he acted how he did. Hajime admitted, before all of the murdering began and the school trip took such a left turn, he had genuinely liked Komaeda. He seemed like a really nice guy. And... maybe he still was? He hadn’t really done anything in the past few days that seemed all that suspicious, and when Hajime had spent time with him (begrudgingly) he seemed like he’d mostly reverted to that amicable if not unreliable guy who just wanted to help everyone be happy (or hopeful. Hajime wanted to throw up every time he heard that word. Hope? Komaeda seemed to have a very different definition of it)
Honestly it really was quite confusing. Normally Hajime was kinda good at understanding what made someone tick but Komaeda? Who knew?? Certainly not him. He felt as dense as a pile of bricks because of him.
Hajime was probably the only person on the island other than Chiaki who didn’t hate Komaeda. He didn’t really like him either, but there was an inexplicable something between them. Something like a mutual want for understanding, perhaps. He wouldn’t trust the other if they were alone together. That was for certain.
Yet here he was. Alone with him.
There were a lot of extenuating circumstances here, but the reality was just the same. Hajime felt completely safe. And god he hated that.