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“thank you.”
it comes out of nowhere, and it takes mahiru aback for a moment. the two were simply walking around the halls (mahiru more pushed around by fuuta), having light conversation about their whole fucked up situation, and the simple two words make mahiru pause and look up at fuuta.
“hm? what do you mean, fuuta?” she says, smiling confusedly at the boy. he looks at her in the eyes for a moment, before his face turns almost as red as his hair and he drops his gaze.
“i just… i dunno. you were one of the few people to treat me like…a human in here. in my life.” he mumbles out, stopping their walking and putting his hands in his pockets. he seems to debate with himself for a moment, and mahiru waits patiently. with some difficulty, she even moves her chair to face him more easily, to give her full attention.
he ignores the way his heart races at her looking at him, like he’s her whole universe. he knows it's just because she's wondering when he'll get to the fucking point.
“back at home, my parents aren't…the best. and even here, besides kazui, i haven't felt like anybody's even looked at me twice. and people like kotoko, and the warden, they just see me as some sort of murdering bully, who doesn't even deserve a chance.” he says all this in one breath, actually wringing his hands nervously. it warms mahiru’s heart to see him all nervous talking to her.
“but you, mappi..you actually take the time to listen to what i say. you're always so nice to me, even when i don't deserve it according to everybody else, you're the kindest person i've ever met. so, thank you…for treating me like a person.” as his speech comes to a close, he finally, finally makes eye contact again with mahiru, who is staring at him with all the adoration of the world.
“fuuta…” she says, almost breathlessly, smiling wider than anything. she hasn't felt this giddy, this lightheaded over someone since…well, since her first love.
“come here, come closer.” mahiru beckons to him with her uninjured hand, smiling with her own secrets. fuuta steps closer to her, and as he kneels down to be eye-level with mahiru, she holds the side of his face and looks at him, absorbing his features into her retinas forever.
she moves forward to him. though it pains her a bit to do so, she doesn't mind, and kisses him quickly. it isn't anything too showy, but fuuta could swear his heart stops for a moment. the girl of his dreams, the girl that he first saw when coming into this hellhole of a human rights violation. the girl that, for the first time ever, has made his heart beat like that of a madman, just kissed him and is…anxiously looking for a response in him.
he leans in towards her for another, and she gladly accepts.