Chapter Text
Nagito clenched his fist in victory as Hajime choked a laugh. He had been thinking of that line the entire way to the brunet’s dorm, it felt good to have his efforts rewarded. How lucky! Hajime was a boy armored with a tough exterior, laughters were either sarcastic, awkward, or too small to notice. This time, he had to turn his head and take a few seconds to silence his outburst.
The white haired boy clenched his digits together harder, murmuring a small “Yes.”. That proud feeling would stay in his stomach forever.
Or so he believed until he turned to his friend, his eyebrow raised and confusion marking his face.
Nagito’s anxiety spiked, and his mind rushed for an excuse for his sudden behavior. So, he blurted out the first thing on his mind. “My apologies! I was just thinking of crushing a worthless bug in my hand!”
As the cringe rang louder in Hajime’s mouth, a drill went deeper in the white haired boy's stomach.
“RUN OVER ME!!”
The scream only made Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko run faster towards their friend, who laid face down on the asphalt of the road. “What are you doing!?” Screeched the mechanic.
Nagito did not reply as he buried his face into the ground.
“Hey.” The familiar voice dragged Nagito’s attention to the classroom door.
There was standing the brunet, making the white haired boy’s heart skip a beat. “Hinata-kun! Good morning!”
Everyone else in the room, from Gundham making his hamsters do tricks to Teruteru reading a foreign cooking book, turns to the Reserve Course student, prompting them to greet him as well.
“Good morning guys.” The brunet smiled.
Nagito wanted to speak up, asking if it would be alright to accompany Hajime back to his dorm like yesterday.
Alas, Kazuichi was faster. “Hey soul friend! Do you mind if you could help me with my bike after school? I need someone to test it!”
Hajime sighed. “Still working on this street threat?” He shook his head, a small grin on his face. “Alright. The usual place and time right?”
“Yep!”
Nagito kept his breath. Guess Hajime now had better than yet another trash to guide him home, but an amazing creation of the Ultimate Mechanic. The confidence he scrambled to get together for 3 years took a hit, like an end level boss in Chiaki’s way. He would just have to agonize over that moment for the entire night and try again the next day. The usual.
Kazuichi was right, crushes sucked.
“Komaeda.”
Or maybe not?
Hajime walked up to him, hands in his pocket grasping an object inside. “Here.”
He showed his palm to reveal a small four leaf clover pin inside. The Lucky Student could not find the words to reply to the gentle gesture before Hajime continued.
“Found it for a handful of yen this morning, thought it could be a good gift for you.” The brunet casually explained.
The air caught in Nagito’s throat as his shaking hand reached out. “I- I can have this?”
“Of course.” Hajime shrugged.
He did not fight the wide smile appearing on his face, as well as the drool coming out of said smile. “My word! I’m so happy, I might get wet!”
The silence that followed made the white haired boy realize his own words. The thumbs up from Teruteru was the final nail in the coffin.
Fuyuhiko grabbed Nagito’s legs. “What are you doing you dumbfuck!?”
“You wouldn’t let me defenestrate myself, so I’m trying my luck on the roof!” Declared the Lucky Student, his darkened eyes fixating the metal fence he tried to climb.
The white haired teen’s hand shook as he struck the match against its box. His first attempt was fruitless, sounding slight panic into his mind as the light of the last firework shone on the ground. Ibuki insisted on being the one right before him to send her creation, leaving him as “the best for last”, such pressure! But he could not disappoint the Ultimates, especially with a pair of certain green eyes fixated on the night sky in the plain a mile down.
The second scratch lit the match. He smiled. He kneeled down and lit the fuse which sparkled towards the wrapped up firework.
Nagito took a step back and covered his ears in preparation for the loud bang about to follow. It flew into the air at ludicrous speed, the lucky boy blinking at the fast light soaring to the sky prepared for the colorful explosion.
Except it didn’t explode. It reached peak altitude, and then fell back down a few feet away from Nagito.
“Uh-oh.”
The rubbing of Hajime’s handkerchief against his left cheek was forceful, but the hand on his right stroke gently. “You moron, why didn’t you run away when you saw something was wrong?!”
Quite distracted by the feeling of the brunet’s warm palm against his face, he chuckled.
“Komaeda!” Hajime clicked his tongue.
Fuyuhiko, waiting for the others to arrive, back against a tree, grinned. “Here’s a thing that’ll catch his attention.” He gestured towards Nagito. “Did’ja know he was the first one to notice and run to you?”
Happiness shot up from inside the lucky boy’s chest. “You did!?”
The brunet furiously blushed. “I’m being observant and considerate!”
Nagito held himself in his arms. “Ah~ I’m so flattered! You’re so kind Hinata-kun!”
His reply only made the color on the other teen’s face grow brighter. He did not reply, and only grit his teeth, hiding his embarrassment.
The strokes on Nagito’s cheeks were still just as gentle however.
“No, that sounds wrong…” Nagito snatched the paper off the table, crumbling it into a ball and throwing it without even looking, knowing full well it would land into the trash can along with the… around 34 other papers. He lost count, but that was the last number he remembered.
He pulled out another paper, slapping it on his desk with a vigor long gone. His frustration burned in his chest, a fire he cooled with the thought of handing a certain brunet a sweet lavender perfumed love letter as he played with a familiar 4 leaf clover pin.
He let out a longing sigh, picked up his pen, and dove back in.
With a slight of hand, he started his letter with the stable and reliable: To Hinata Hajime
My apologies for this horrendous letter in my horrendous handwriting, but I beg you to read this until the end.
“Beg”? Maybe it was a bit much. The brunet usually got uncomfortable at that type of grandiose heavy words.
I ask you to read this until the end.
“I sound so pretentious…” Nagito grunted. His fingers reached for the paper again to make yet another projectile towards his poor innocent bin.
But he stopped, a familiar sentence echoing in his brain: “I hate to admit that, but with how smart you are, I would feel better if you bragged about it than put yourself down. If you’re an idiot then what am I?”
His hand immobilized itself in the air, slowly coming back down onto his knee. Maybe it could stay the way it was.
His wet hair covered his disappointed eyes, only leaving his fake smile perceivable, fooling everyone into believing he was alright with his clothing and bag being soaked to the brim in the rain. Adding on being frozen by his wet hands in his pocket, one holding the paper he had desperately tried to save.
He had still found shelter in the main building, all of the other students preparing themselves and leaving for their class, leaving him behind.
Aside from a single person running into the hall with a uniform different from everyone else’s, protecting himself with his bag. His steps sounded damp against the polished ground as he wheezed to catch his breath, having tried his best to avoid most of the torrential rain.
“Good-” He caught his breath. “Good morning Komaeda.”
The white haired teen ignored the pain in his body and kept his smile. “Good morning Hinata-kun. May I ask why you went into the main building first thing in the morning?”
The brunet waved his hand. “Koizumi had forgotten something in the reserve building.” He took one good look at the other, not failing to notice the fact he found himself unable to see Nagito’s eyes.
In his clueless, blunt, kind glory, he slid his hand under the lucky boy’s hair against his forehead. The sudden warmth transformed Nagito into a statue, the thought of struggling against the gentle gesture not even crossing his mind.
Hajime flipped the white locks back, revealing Nagito’s red tired wet eyes surrounded by black washed up eyeliner. The brunet’s gaze softened, as if he was expecting the sight. “You should go to the infirmary, at least to wash yourself up.”
Nagito tried to argue, after all, why should trash like him take care of himself after just a little soaking?
However, the smaller teen stare dragged itself to the other’s wet pockets. Knowing the basic human body’s capacity of getting colder at the extremities, he reached for Nagito’s left hand trapped within a cold wet clothing. “You’ll get even colder with your hands wet-”
In that second, Nagito’s brain kicked into high gear as it reminded itself of what was in this exact pocket, stuck to his fingers. The realization prompted him to flinch as reflex.
Hajime stopped his action, immediately feeling bad understanding how invasive he had just been. “Sorry…”
Nagito smiled, rearranging his hair with his other hand. “It’s alright! It’s just…” He weakly pulled out the damp, ink infused pink paper, dripping onto his hand and the floor.
“Oh…”
Nagito would’ve gotten angry or disappointed at the pity sliding into Hajime’s eyes, but he was right to feel that way. Who wouldn’t at a drenched letter infused in blue from cold rain? The white haired teen laughed again. “Just my luck… I spent time and good fortune to build the courage to write it, only for it to be destroyed. I should’ve known! Don’t feel bad, this is the usual!” Even if it was indeed the usual, the spike of pain in his stomach still dug deep in his body.
Hajime stayed silent, the gears clearly turning in his brain before asking the golden question. “Who was it for?”
The enticing softness of his voice almost made Nagito crack, but he shook his head, refusing to humiliate himself any further. “It doesn’t matter. They wouldn’t accept this trash anyways.” He declared, shoving the paper back in his pocket.
“I would.”
Nagito’s eyes shot to the smaller teen, hiding his shock.
Hajime awkwardly readjusted his tie, smiling awkwardly. “I mean… You put work into it, even if it’s ruined the thought still counts right?” He shrugged. “If you give it to them and they refuse it even after you explain you put a lot of work into it, then that’s a big fat red flag. So… yeah.”
He took a step forward, a considerate smile on his face.
“If they wouldn’t take it, I would.” He fiddled with his tie even more, a blush forming on his cheeks. “If you’d be willing of course…”
That was all it took to make Nagito’s heart burst in flames, it took all of his will power to not just melt into flush, sweat, drool and squee at such kindness. That resistance translated to a dust of pink across his face, shaking limbs, and a stupid grin forcing itself on his lips.
“Are you okay?” The brunet closed the distance. “You’re red as hell, you’re really gonna catch a cold.” He placed himself next to the other, giving him a slight pat on the back. “Come on, let’s go dry up.”
Nagito finally managed to raise his gaze to the other’s eyes, nodding in agreement with renewed joy. “Let’s.”
While drying off their clothes, he slid the letter in Hajime’s back pocket. The hair ruffle and chuckle he got afterwards made everything worth it.