Work Text:
“Itsuki-kun,” she began, like always, “are you busy tonight?”
Her coworker, Nozomi Itsuki stared at her, a little confused. Despite how readable he originally seemed, there was something more to him.
He wasn’t as naive as he acted, she thought.
“Not really,” Nozomi answered. “Why, did something come up?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to go on a date, Itsuki-kun,” she smiled.
“A… date?” Nozomi repeated, blinking at her. “It seems a little sudden.”
She stared at him, hoping that her eyes were pleading. “You never get out, Itsuki-kun, you have to live at least a little!”
He frowned at her, looking towards the manilla folder that she had given him a couple of days ago.
“Fine,” Nozomi concluded. “It couldn’t hurt.”
“Thank you, Itsuki-kun!” she said cheerfully. “I’ll make this a night you won’t forget!”
He frowned slightly at the folder once more, a bit of regret shining in his eyes.
“Alright, Usagi-san,” Nozomi said. “Let’s get back to work.”
She nodded in agreement, falling into the easy routine they had both established.
It seemed like a nice respite, despite what had ever happened to both of them. There had to be more to Nozomi Itsuki, but during the time they had worked, she had kept those thoughts to herself.
A people pleaser, Usagi had decided was the best description of Nozomi. Despite how hard he had tried to push people away he had this sort of magnetic quality to him.
It was nice, Usagi would find herself thinking.
“For tonight’s date,” Itsuki had begun hesitantly as they made their way out of the building. “Do you want to meet up anywhere?”
“There’s a cafe by my apartment,” Usagi said easily. “You might want to dress a bit more casual.”
“I’ll text you my address once I get to my apartment, Itsuki-kun! Don’t worry about a thing.”
Nozomi nodded, not saying anything more as he left.
True to her word, Usagi opened up a chat as soon as she was in the safety of her apartment.
Usagi: itsuki-kun!!! are you excited?
Usagi has linked an address.
Usagi: this place has the best coffee and cakes!
Itsuki: What time are we meeting up?
Usagi: straight to the point, itsuki-kun?
Usagi: um, maybe in an hour or so???
Itsuki: Alright. I’ll see you then.
Usagi frowned at her phone, despite knowing her coworker wasn’t much for conversation it was still at least a little disappointing that he didn’t want to talk more.
She didn’t know much about him, other than the fact that he had a slight obsession with the remnants.
Which was odd in and of itself, as far as she knew Nozomi was never a student in Hope’s Peak Academy.
He had no real reason to know, or care, about any of them.
And yet despite his passive denials of her suspicions he kept a tab on all of them. Especially Ishimaru Kiyotaka.
There was a story to that, Usagi was sure of.
When they had met up at the cafe, Usagi was a little surprised to see Nozomi in a sweatshirt and sweatpants.
It was a positive change, Usagi had decided.
“You’re still wearing your gloves, Itsuki-kun?” Usagi asked as they had sat down. “They must be attached to your skin or something, huh?”
“Something like that,” Nozomi said. “Do you have any recommendations for their cakes?”
“Of course I do Itsuki-kun!” Usagi said, faking outrage. “Who do you take me for?”
For a moment, Usagi was sure he had cracked a smile, a slight bit of light in his overall dark demeanor.
After they had gone up and ordered Usagi decided it was time to begin her questioning session.
“Itsuki-kun,” Usagi began, “what was your life before the tragedy?”
Nozomi froze for a moment, “what do you mean?”
“Exactly what I asked, Itsuki-kun,” Usagi said. “Jeez, is that really a hard question?”
Nozomi frowned, licking his lips before he responded. “It was nothing special, Usagi-san, I didn’t really have any goals for the future.”
“Huh?” Usagi said, a little thrown off. “You didn’t have any goals?”
“Is that so surprising?” Nozomi asked, staring at his coffee. “I was at least a little carefree back then.”
Usagi had almost asked what had happened, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out what had changed him.
“Oh,” Usagi said ineloquently.
“I’m assuming you had goals for your future, Usagi-san?” Nozomi had asked, frowning slightly.
Usagi blinked, remembering stained hands and painted canvases. A woman’s soft, but proud voice telling her that she was her pride and joy.
Her newest art piece, a portrait of her mother, her true supporter despite all the hardship they had faced, complete.
Only a week later that would all be ruined, red blood mixing and staining her first and last picture of her mother.
“I was the same,” Usagi said lamely, looking away. “I mean kids aren’t supposed to worry about those things, right?”
“Right,” Nozomi had said as if he had seen right through her. “They aren’t.”
There was something more to that, Usagi thought.
“Well,” Nozomi said, finally drinking the coffee he had stared so heavily at. “Did you have any hobbies?”
“I don’t remember,” Usagi lied. “It seems like such a long time ago from now, don’t you think?”
Nozomi nodded, “still, it might be at least a good exercise to do something you used to do.”
“I know the past is far behind us,” Nozomi continued. “But we don’t have to change for the worse because of it.”
“Huh…?” Usagi asked. “I mean, yeah, Itsuki-kun, you’re not wrong.”
He stared at her, before giving her a faint smile. “But, we don’t have to talk about something so serious right now.”
“We are on a date, aren’t we?”
Usagi was thankful for the obvious segue and quickly changed the tone to something happier.
It might be fake but it’s better than nothing, she decided.
When the date ends, as all dates do, Usagi found that she actually enjoyed her time with Nozomi.
“Itsuki,” she began, right before they were supposed to depart. “We should do this again.”
He stared at her with an unreadable emotion in his eyes.
If she had to guess it was acceptance, but of what she couldn’t be sure.
“Yeah,” he somewhat smiles. “It was… fun.”
Usagi smiles, beaming at him as they depart.
When Usagi enters her apartment for that final time that night she notices that it feels a little empty.
She remembered her mother chiding her for giving up so easily on her art when it didn’t go perfectly.
“You’re in Hope’s Peak,” she had said frowning at the girl. “Decorate your room with your style, give it a little more life!”
“It’s just a dorm room,” Usagi said sheepishly. “Does it really matter?”
“You’re going to be living here for a while,” her mother rebuked. “Living so dull will only upset you.”
“It’s good to surround yourself with things you love, Usagi,” her mother added softly, staring at her pleadingly.
“I’ll think about it,” Usagi conceded and her mother smiled brightly at her.
“I just don’t want you to live alone,” her mother said, finishing that line of conversation.
It’d been a long time since then, that was for sure.
Opening her phone she did something that she never thought she’d do again.
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