Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tensions were high. It was the moment of truth. Now or never.

He had typed in the numbers and all he had to do was press the button. Steeling his nerves, he clicked on it. A few rings and someone responded.

“Hey mom, good morning.” He greeted her.

“Good morning, Hajime.” A response came through the speakers.

“Mom. Are you free tomorrow?” A certain ahoge haired boy asked through the phone.

“Yes, why?” The woman responded. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes. yes. I’m alright. Nothing to worry about.” He reassured his mother.

The voice on the other end hummed. “Then, what’s the matter dear? Is school not going so well? You know you can come back this weekend instead of staying over at your dorm. In fact, have you been eating well? Does your cafeteria serve nutritious meals? How about your clothes? You didn’t brin-”

“Mom, stop!” He had to interrupt her to sustain his own pride. If the soft giggling across his room was any sign, it didn’t work. He sighed and continued. “The meals here are calculated so they maximize the most amount of vitamins possible. My classmate actually does the cooking for that. No worries.”

“Hajime, you know I’m always going to worry about you…” Her concerns made his heart soften. “You can really overwork yourself, especially now that you’re in Hope’s Peak.”

“Yeah, yeah. It wasn’t even that bad.” He dismissed her.

“Hajime Hinata.” That made him freeze. Wrong move. “I have seen you collapsed on your desk reading peer reviewed studies on psychology. It was that bad.”

“Hehehe… moving on!” He wasn’t going to win that talk.

“So sweetie, why did you want to call?”

“Umm… U-Um!” He looked towards the other person in the room. She nodded her head violently. “I-I…”

“You’re…?”

“I’mbringingagirlhomethisweekend!” He took in a large gulp of air. The girl that leaned against his wall was starting to redden up, she clutched her camera tight.

“Can you repeat that? Slower this time.” His mom asked.

“I-” He calmed his nerves to prepare himself.

“Yep. Go on~.” She definitely knew.

“I’m bringing a girl home this weekend…” He slumped.

“HAJIME! I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!” Her scream almost broke his speaker. He can hear the static of her screams. “HOW COME YOU’VE NEVER TOLD ME ABOUT HER?!”

“Because we decided to keep it secret with everyone, teachers, friends. We just kinda decided it was time, at least for our parents to know.” Scratching his ear.

“Oh my gosh, I didn’t think I’d see the day!” She continued with her high energy.

“Mom! What does that mean?!” He fired back, insulted.

“Hajime, you never really seemed that into getting into a relationship. You’re too focused on your studies.” 

“Well… I really wanted to be good at something so I had to try y’know?”

“Yeah, I’m glad your hard work paid off. But we’re getting side tracked.” She hummed. “What’s her name?”

“Mahiru Koizumi, she’s the Ultimate Photographer.” He answered.

“Ooh, she sounds pretty. She’s a photographer too huh. Guess I won’t have to worry about family photos anymore.”

“MOM!” He cried. “You’re embarrassing us!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll save more for tomorrow.” She definitely winked on the other side. He can only dread what she’s concocting in her head. “Can I see a picture of her or do I have to patiently wait?”

“Uhh, she’s here with me so I can video call if you want.” He suggested.

“That works!” She agreed.

“Hajime, no!” The redhead protested. “I’m not ready!”

“Aww, she sounds adorable!” His mom teased. “I can’t wait! Hajime hit accept!”

“NO!” She ran towards his bed and wrapped herself in his blankets.

The video feed popped up and he saw his mother’s face. It seemed like she was still in the kitchen preparing breakfast but put it off for the call.

“Uhh, mom, she’s hiding in there.” Pointing his camera towards his bed.

“This wasn’t how it was supposed to go!” She yelled underneath the sheets. “Ma’am, can you please give me time to prepare myself?”

“Sweetie~, you don’t have to call me that. Maya-san is fine since I’m expecting you kids to tie the knot one day.” She seemed proud of herself.

“AHHH!!!” That simply got the photographer flustered.

“Mom! Don’t make it harder on her!” He defended.

“But I can’t help it! I’ve been wanting to do this for so long, I’m not going to waste my opportunity like that.” She answered.

He sighed. “I don’t think she’ll ever come out until I hang up. You pushed her too far with that comment.”

“Awn, that’s too bad then.” She pouted. “Alright, I’ll see you and your girl tomorrow, you both better dress to impress.”

He hung up.

“She’s gone.” He tugged at the blankets. “Oi, Mahiru, she won’t terrorize us anymore. Not until tomorrow that is…”

A groan came from the inside, she unraveled her defenses. “That was something… I didn’t expect her to be like that.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” He curiously asked.

“A weird thing. Are you sure she was the one who raised you? How did you turn into this?”

“Hey! What does that mean?” He complained.

She giggled. “You’re so cynical compared to her. It’s just so weird. She’s so bubbly! Is your dad like that too?”

“More or less… though if he has to be serious, he can get scary.”

“I guess some of it comes from him. You can get scarily serious.”

“Yeah, I noticed…” He coughed.

“She also referenced something that caught my attention.” Crossing her arms.

“Oh boy… here it comes.” He braced for a scolding.

“Even back then, Hajime?” She grilled him. “Can you please not exhaust yourself to the point of missing classes?”

“It ain’t that bad… compared to back then at least.”

“Hajime, you have missed a total of eleven classes.” She claimed.

“You counted?”

“Yes, I did. That’s only counting this year too. Last year was even worse.”

“Well, old habits die hard?” He chuckled with unease.

“You haven't changed have you? You still overwork yourself, studying and confronting people.” She hugged him. “I get that it’s your talent but you also have to take care of yourself.”

“I know…” He wrapped his hands around her. “I’ll try to lessen it but since exams are coming, I can’t say I can honor that for now.”

“But promise me you will after.” She whispered.

“I promise.” He took in her warmth.

A moment passed, only the two of them in their own bubble.

“Hey.” He patted her head.

“Hm?” She still had yet to let go.

“You wanna cuddle before class?” 

“Did you have to ask?” She grinned, hugging him tighter while moving towards the bed.

Chapter Text

Here they were. At his front door, lights were on indicating that everything was prepared. The arena of battle was laid out and they were at the gates.

They were trembling at their feet and holding each other’s hands. The cold breeze of autumn passed by making her shiver. Her man pulled her closer. That made her blush.

“Hajime, I don’t think I can do this…” Mahiru admitted to her boyfriend.

“It’s kinda too late to back out now.” Hajime responded. “If you were getting cold feet, you should’ve told me before we decided to call my mom yesterday.”

“Shut up, don’t you dare use logic against me.” She pouted.

He chuckled. “C’mon, let's go in before we freeze to death out here.”

“I’d honestly have that instead of seeing your parents.”

“Nope, I’m dragging you in if you try to run away.” He leaned and whispered. “I’m not letting you go.” Tightening his hold on her.

“Fine! Let’s go then.” She gathered up her courage and rang the doorbell.

A few seconds later, they heard footsteps behind the door before being opened by a lax looking man. He had short, spiky hair much like her boyfriend. The man was adorned with a blue suit that was lacking a tie and a pair of slacks.

“Oh, you must be the lady of honor.” The Hinata patriarch greeted. “Good evening.”

“Good evening, sir.” She bowed lightly.

“No need for that really. Come on in, I don’t want any of you to get a cold.” He invited them. Opening the door further and backing up. They stopped inside and removed their shoes. The man closed it afterwards.

“Nice to meet you, I’m this guy’s dad. Tatsuya Hinata.” He offered a hand to which she accepted.

“I’m Mahiru Koizumi, this guy’s girlfriend.” She smiled. “Nice to meet you, Hinata-san.”

“Please, call me Tatsuya instead.” He insisted. “To cause less confusion later on since we’re all Hinatas here.”

“I’d be glad to.”

“Excellent, excellent.” He nodded.

‘First impressions are everything, don’t butcher this Mahiru…’

“I’d like to welcome you to our humble abode.” Stretching his arms out. “It’s nothing special but we try our best to make it cozy.” He walked towards the kitchen, the two followed.

She observed around and saw a very simple household. To her left was the living room, a tv, couch and table. To her right were staircases that presumably lead to the rooms. And in front was the kitchen and bathroom. There were also framed photos of the family and a single one caught her eye.

“Aww!” She exclaimed. “Look at you, Hajime!”

The photo in question was Hajime holding a balloon with a propeller hat. He probably didn't hit double digits yet. The boy had a pouty look on his face.

“Oh, yeah, that day was funny.” 

“Dad, no.” Hajime protested.

“We were at the amusement park.” Tatsuya-san ignored his son’s pleas. “It was about lunch time but Hajime wanted to ride a roller coaster before it so we fell in line. Took us a couple minutes and the person in charge measured Hajime’s height.”

“I’m guessing he wasn’t tall enough?”

“Bang on. Now here comes the funny part.” The man snorted.

“Please, don’t continue this.” He begged.

“You can’t stop me.” Sticking his tongue out. “So, he removes his hat, spits on his hand and gathers up his hair into a spike.”

“That’s adorable!” She pinched his cheek.

“It’s not…” He whispered to her.

“That cowlick still stands strong to this day.” The man pointed at his son’s hair.

“How come he never tried to groom it?”

“Trust me, I’ve tried. It always comes back.” He buried his face in his hand.

“So that's where the ahoge spike comes from.” She poked the stick, Hajime tried to swat it away.

“I suppose it’s time we move to the table.” The man moved on. “I’ll show you more later, don’t worry.”

“Please~.” She had starry eyes.

All Hajime could do was sigh.

All three entered the kitchen through the hallway. Maya Hinata had her back facing towards them. Her long locks of hair reached her lower back. She was dressed in such a casual fit compared to her husband. Sweatpants, hoodie and an apron.

“Oh, you guys! Dinner’s almost ready! Please come sit down.” She said cutting the last part of the meal.

Mahiru pulled her chair and sat down. Tatsuya-san went to collect the plates, glasses and utensils for the table. She made note of the delicious smell coming from the pan. Hajime approached her mother and kissed her on the cheek, and she returned it warmly on his forehead. That certainly made her jealous.

Not being able to see her mom for years before coming back she comes back after months of being on the field. She knows how important her mom’s job is, documenting the wars of this world for everyone to see and realize that it was never the answer.

Cooking for yourself came with the territory of being independent. Like her unreliable dad would even touch the stove for anything-

‘Nope, straighten up, Mahiru. This isn’t going to be your pity party.’ She mentally slapped herself. ‘This is to set the record straight, this is for my relationship with Hajime, not for me…’

“Mahiru, you okay?” The calming voice broke through her thoughts. “You look a bit pale.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She answered. “I think not wearing a scarf came back to bite me.”

“I can give you my scarf before we leave if you want. You can keep it too.” He smiled.

That made her blush. Her wearing Hajime’s scarf? They were close enough to hold hands but they’ve never kissed… at least on the lips. Now she was going to smell her own boyfriend’s scent all the time, her reddening was getting worse.

“I-I’d like that…” Looking away in embarrassment.

“Oof, look at my kid being smooth. Never would I have predicted this.” Tatsuya-san commented. “Guess I did rub off on you.”

“What does that even mean?” He fidgeted with his spoon.

“Did you not know that your dad was a playboy in college?” His mother said.

“Really? Him? Dad?? I refuse to believe that.” He denied.

She couldn’t see it as well. The man seemed like an introverted jokester. Only showing his real side to the people he knew he could trust.

“Oh my god do I have to tell more stories about college…” Tatsuya-san huffed. “I was the wildest student you can find.”

“But now you’ve mellowed out. You fell off.” Hajime grinned as he fired a shot.

“You mean fell in love?” He deflected with ease. “Your mom showed me the error of my ways.”

“Oh stop you…” The woman flicked the man’s forehead and laid down the bowl of food in the middle of the table.

The dinner was curry and Mahiru couldn’t wait to taste it. Maya-san went back and grabbed a big bowl full of rice and served it on everyone’s plates. 

“Careful everyone, it’s still hot. So make sure to blow on it.” She finally sat down and Mahiru got a good look at her face.

Maya Hinata was the definition of pretty. With her tresses flowing gracefully to the side, it gave way for her face to get exposed. Her eyes were emerald green that carried a glean, the soft expression gave way to her clear skin. She smiled as the photographer studied her face.

Mahiru decided to ask her later for a photoshoot.

“Thanks for the food!” They said in harmony.

Pouring the curry over her rice, she can taste the curry just from smell alone. And safe to say, her mouth was watering. She blew on the smoking spoon a few times and before taking a bite. The curry and rice practically melted on her tongue.

She looked around to see if the others had this reaction. They looked neutral! How were they not showering Maya-san with compliments?! This was an outrage! She can practically cook like Hanamura.

“You look mad, sweetie. Is something the matter?” Hajime’s mother noticed her passion. Second time someone noticed her inner pangs, this household was too observant.

“It’s just…”

“The curry wasn’t up to your standard?” The woman looked deflated comedically.

“God no, it’s the best I’ve ever eaten. You could’ve gotten to Hope's Peak with this kind of cooking.” She explained.

“I don’t think it’s as good as you think it is.” She retorted. “I only cook in the house, nowhere else.”

“But why are those two not are not reacting at all? It’s beyond me.” The redhead pointed out.

“I’ve eaten this way too many times as a kid, it’s just a regular dinner for me.” Hajime simply shrugged.

“Same here, been eating this woman’s cooking for the better part of two decades.” Tatsuya-san said before chomping on another bite.

‘You don’t realize how lucky you two are…’ She shook her head.

“Leave them be, Mahiru-chan. Boys will be boys, they don’t pay attention to the minor stuff.” She winked. “Speaking of stuff.”

“Oh boy…” Hajime massaged his temple. “Here it comes…”

“We’ll start easy, don't worry.” Tatsuya-san said. “We’re not grilling just yet…”

“How did you two get close?” Maya-san started.

“Hmm, I guess Hajime being the only other normal human being in class helps.” Mahiru described.

“Care to elaborate?” The father raised an eyebrow.

“I haven’t told you guys but our class is filled to the brim with insane people.”

“We’re the most chaotic one in all of Hope's Peak…” She hid her face.

“Our class destroys property like it's nothing.” He recounted. “We’ve accidentally drugged ourselves, one of us even tried to make a bomb threat so we can skip exam day…”

“Oh my…” His mother held her hold over her lips.

“Haha! Sounds exciting!” Tatsuya-san hollered.

“Dad, it isn’t. It’s very stressful to keep them all in check.” Scratching the back of his head.

“I’m assuming you guys are class rep and deputy?” The woman asked.

“Nope, we only have one class rep. Don’t worry though, she’s the only one that can handle it without losing her mind.” Mahiru blesses Nanami-chan’s heart.

“For how much I dread going inside the classroom, it’s always exciting to see what dumb things will happen that day.” Hajime drank a gulp of water.

“I need to hear some of these stories, one day. For now, we move onto the next question. So, Mahiru-chan, which of you confessed first?”

She reddened at that question, remembering that day always has. Bright starry sky, under the moonlight, at the rooftop of the school, she met with him to finally face their own feelings. It was quiet and the only thing they could hear was the wind. It took them so long to arrive at this stage.

Months of talking back and forth and ignoring that warmth that she felt when she was in proximity. But when the time came to finally confront the truth, she didn’t regret anything. They simply hugged under the stars until they had to sleep.

However, to answer the question. “It was him.” She admitted.

“Wow, Hajime.” His father clapped contentment.

“Good job, Hajime!” His mother grinned. “You nabbed yourself a girl with that confidence.”

“To be fair… I covered her face so I could say it first.” He admitted.

His mother gasped. “How dare you cheat!”

“I didn’t!” He retorted. “I just thought she’d reject me immediately so I confessed first and got it over with.”

“Like ripping off a band-aid, I getcha.” His dad patted his back.

“Yeah, it was so nerve racking.”

“For all your expertise in psychology, you can be pretty dense, y’know that?” Mahiru giggled at his defeated reaction.

“A woman’s heart will always be a mystery.” Tatsuya-san commented. “One of the facts in life that never changes.”

“Agreed. I couldn’t even tell she liked me at all.”

“No, that’s wrong!” The two women tag teamed.

“Just admit that you’re both dense as a rock.” The matriarch shook her head.

“Guys just never notice our signs, I swear.” She did the same.

“No, we're not!” They both rebutted.

“Your signs are so vague, no one can ever tell what goes on in your heads.” Hajime pointed at them.

“That’s just how it goes for us.” The patriarch flicked his nose. “It’s a constant struggle between overthinking and being optimistic.”

Both groups looked at each other with intensity, defending their own perception of the situation. Electricity sparked from both sides and collided. A long moment passed before they eventually yielded.

“Moving on~.” The woman transitioned. “With honesty, how far have you two gone?”

“Huh?!” Her face was emulating her own hair.

“W-What?!” Her boyfriend was appalled. “Mom! Why are you asking that?!”

“Because I’m curious and care about your safety!” Mahiru likened her face to a ravenous wolf. “If I’m going to be invested in this relationship, I have to know every detail.”

“No you don’t!” He leered. “Dad, can you stop mom from doing this?”

“I’m hands off here, pal. You know I can’t do anything to stop her.”

“Now… answer me.” A scary aura was radiating from the woman. “How. Far.”

“Hehehe…” The redhead chuckled. “We’ve…”

“You have…?”

“Kissedonthecheeks!” She said abruptly.

“Okay.” Maya-san sighed and calmed down. “I don't need to give you the talk yet.”

“You mean ever?” Hajime specified.

“Nope, once you’ve reached a certain point. I’m sitting you both down.” She smirked with malice. “A mother’s guidance is invaluable in this moment in your life.”

‘Why is she so scary!?’

“You two are safe from her wrath right now.” Tatsuya-san said.

“Next question!” Mahiru hurriedly requested.

“Fine~, do you think you’re going to marry each other?” She asked blankly.

“Mom! That’s too early to ask. We just started dating!” Her boy

“Hajime’s right! We can’t think about those things right now. Focusing on our studies is invaluable for a better future.” She added.

“And we haven’t even gotten far into this, who knows if we’re even going to stay together past school.”

“C’mon now Hajime, you don’t think you scored a good one?” Tatsuya egged on. “She’s smart and responsible. Don’t you wanna keep her to yourself?”

“She’s adorable. I mean not only is she a redhead, she has freckles! She’s too cute!”

“I know she is!” Hajime made a fist. “You didn’t have to mention that. She’s the prettiest girl in Hope’s Peak! She’s responsible, level-headed and intelligent. Just seeing her face warms my heart. I can’t go without a day of thinking of her! But I can’t think of marriage just yet.”

Mahiru was way past her hair’s color at this point. She was steaming from the compliments she was getting.

“Then how come you don’t think you will?”

“Cuz I’m not ready yet! We’re not ready to tackle that.”

“Good answer!” His mom congratulated, stopping her interrogation.

Hajime was breathing hard from the bombardment he threw her way. His face was beet red from going all in on the offensive.

“See Mahiru-chan? He loves you very much so don’t treat him too harshly.” She smiled gently this time. “He’s a really good boy, I know he’ll treat you right. Please do the same.”

“I-I will.” Holding her hand over her heart.

At this point, the halfway eaten curry has gone cold.

[-x-]

“I’ll see you guys another time. Take care!” Mahiru waved.

“Thank you for visiting, Mahiru-chan! Remember, you’re always welcome here!” Maya-san waved with both her hands.

“If Hajime ever does anything to you, just tell me. I’ll teach him not to mess with his lady.” Tatsuya-san pumped his fists.

“Thank you so much for welcoming me.” She bowed.

“No need for that, you’re practically family already.” The woman patted her shoulder.

“R-Really?” She blushed.

“Yep, I can tell my boy is attached to you.” The brunette pulled her in for a hug. “Thanks for giving us hope.”

“Huh?” Confused at the remark.

“We never thought Hajime would get a girlfriend, much less a great one.” His father said.

“Hey! The hell did I do to you guys?”

“Make us lose hope on getting grandchildren. Now, we have a chance back, we're not wasting it.”

“WHAT?!” The couple yelled. 

“You can ignore that. Safe travels, kids!”

“Mom, please, you’re going to give her a heart attack.” Hajime pleaded.

“Relax~. She’s fine. Look at her!”

She was simply frozen from the comment. The reddest she’s ever been in her life. Shaking and chuckling to herself.

“K-K-K-Kids! HAHAHAH-” Her soul left her body.

To be continued…