Chapter Text
He's clumsy, but Nagito thinks that aspect of him is adorable, if a little frustrating at times.
December
Nagito looks fondly at the spiky-haired boy as he snuggles into the former's army green jacket. He's pretty sure Hajime's unaware of how cute he looks at the moment, but he keeps his mouth shut out of fear of making the situation awkward.
The silence is broken anyway, by the snuggler himself.
"Hey, Komaeda," he murmurs. It doesn't take Nagito long to notice that the brunet is embarrassed — he wears his facial expressions as plain as day, after all. He can see the faint blush on Hajime's tanned cheeks, as well as the way he's deliberately averting his gaze from Nagito's own.
Adorable.
"Yes?" Nagito answers. He shuffles in his seat, resisting the temptation to move closer to the boy seated on his right.
"Thanks," Hajime continues. "For lending me your jacket, I mean."
Nagito hums. "You're welcome. But if you don't mind me asking, why didn't you bring your own? You know this library is cold."
Hajime coughs and pretends not to notice Nagito's amused expression. Instead, he buries his face deeper in his book and tries to change the subject.
"I... I forgot, okay? A-anyway, that's not important right now. C'mon, let's study. The test is tomorrow."
Hajime looks so endearing in his jacket, Nagito thinks. It's a bit big on him, but that just makes him look all the more adorable.
Nagito fights the urge to lean in and kiss the brunet on the cheek right there and then.
The next day is the day of the test, and it's only when they're seated at their desks in the classroom that Hajime realizes he's forgotten to bring his pencil case.
His eye twitches, and he's about to lean towards Fuyuhiko who's sitting beside him when a poke from behind catches his attention.
Startled, Hajime turns around to face his attacker.
"Komaeda?" He asks, eyes wide.
Nagito says nothing, just hands him two pens and an amused expression. Hajime smiles sheepishly and turns back to face the front, thereafter biting his lip in anticipation of the test.
"How did you find the test, Hinata-kun?" Nagito asks brightly. School's dismissed, and they're walking to the bus stop.
"It was pretty easy," Hajime replies. "Except for two of the questions." He reaches into his pocket and retrieves the pens that were lent to him earlier.
"That reminds me, thanks for lending me your pens earlier, Komaeda," Hajime says, a grateful look on his face.
"Sure thing! But really, how did you forget to bring your pencil case?" Nagito asks curiously.
Hajime bites his lip, and Nagito internally swoons.
"Hey, it's fine. Just don't be so careless tomorrow, okay?"
"..."
A crowded bus arrives, and they somehow just barely manage to make it on board.
A few stops later and the pair has been mercilessly pushed by the stream of passengers toward the back of the bus. As the vehicle moves, it's difficult for them to keep their balance, and people keep stepping on one another's feet and apologizing shortly after.
Nagito grabs tightly onto one of the handles along the overhead railing of the bus, depending on the plastic material and nothing else for stability. He tries to keep his focus, but the noise is distracting. That, and the fact that Hajime is pressed up against his chest. He knows that there isn't much space, and that the brunet is kind of stuck at the moment, but still, the close proximity...
He wonders whether, should he tilt his head downwards and Hajime tilt his upwards, their lips will collide.
But he decides against the homosexual contemplation and refuses to look down — effectively missing the sight of his flustered classmate.
Suddenly, the bus jerks violently, and Hajime crashes into Nagito's chest, thrusting him forward.
Nagito tenses and holds onto the handle tighter, his grip on the plastic the only thing that saves him and Hajime from completely falling over.
Nagito winces. "H-hey, you okay?" He chokes out, looking down at Hajime. The latter is clutching onto the back of shirt tightly for support, and Nagito has to bite his lip to suppress his gay thoughts once more. Reluctantly, he turns his head to the side and steadies himself, allowing Hajime to let go and regain his balance as well.
Hajime nods, shakily, and as the bus stops some of the passengers slowly begin to file out.
Minutes later, they alight at their stop and go their separate ways.
The next day, Nagito finds himself waiting outside Hajime's house for longer than usual.
Nagito figures the brunet has overslept, and he's right. So he gives him a call, and he hears his set ringtone blasting from he upper floor of Hajime's house, followed by a loud thud and series of "FUCK!"s.
It's not normally like Hajime to oversleep, but every once in a while, it does happen, so Nagito doesn't really think much of it. After all, it isn't as if he's not guilty of the same crime as well.
Fifteen minutes later, a panting Hajime greets a bemused Nagito on the front porch, his hair tousled and his breathing heavy.
"Hey, sorry," Hajime apologizes. "For being such a mess lately. Let's go."
Nagito frowns. "Are you sure you're alright?" His eyes are filled with concern.
Hajime bites his lip and looks down. "Just been thinking a lot."
Nagito raises an eyebrow but ceases any further questioning, though he does toss Hajime a look that says 'we'll discuss this eventually'.
Hajime shrugs and begins to walk down the pavement when Nagito calls out, "Hinata-kun, your shoes are mismatched, you know?"
Instantly, Hajime turns around, makes a beeline for his house and disappears through the door. He reappears a minute later, cheeks pink, donning his usual matching pair of red-and-white sneakers instead of the mismatching green and blue shoes from earlier.
"Let's go," Hajime insists, embarrassed.
Nagito smiles and walks closer to him.
"One more thing," the taller boy says. Nagito leans forward, does a forgotten button on Hinata's shirt and finally, reaches around the brunet's neck to fix his collar and tie.
When he pulls back, he's pleased to note that Hajime's cheeks are dusted a bright shade of pink.
"Your second button was unbuttoned," Nagito explains, signaling for Hajime to walk alongside him. "And your collar and tie were a mess."
Frowning, Hajime straightens his own tie and collar once more. "They were fine!" He protests, though he ceases his grumbling almost instantly. "Thank you, though."
"Don't mention it."
They spent the rest of the journey to school talking about various things.
January 1st
"How forgetful do you have to be to not even remember your own birthday?" Nagito laughs as Hajime takes the parcel from him.
Hajime laughs sheepishly in return. "I dunno. I was just too excited for the New Year celebrations," he says.
Nagito doubts that.
Hajime seems to be out of it nowadays — more often than usual. He's always been clumsy, Nagito knows that; but lately it seems like his entire mind's been out of focus.
He's been wanting to ask him about it, but it never seems to be the right time.
Nagito decides to brush away his concerns for now. As of now they're standing outside Hajime's house, pounding mochi in celebration of the new year.
It's tradition for Nagito and Hajime to pound mochi like this every year, sometimes with a bunch of their other friends like Chiaki or Fuyuhiko. This year, though, it's just the both of them, since everyone else was busy.
Every year, one of them handles the kine — the wooden mallet for pounding the mochi — while the other wets and turns the glutinous rice in the wooden mortar, or usu.
They alternate their roles every year, and this year, Hajime works the kine while Nagito is in charge of the usu.
They have always worked well as a team, and this is something they always look forward to. They've been doing this since they were kids, after all.
One pounds the mochi, waits a second for the other to turn and wet it, repeat.
It's always been that way between them.
Truthfully, though, this time Nagito's a little worried. It isn't that he doesn't trust Hajime with the mallet or anything — he trusts Hajime with his life! — it's just that...
With Hajime being so out of it lately, he wouldn't be surprised if an accident were to occur.
"Ah, careful, Hinata-kun!" He calls out as he turns the glutinous rice once more. "Don't pound my ha—"
Hajime pounds his hand.
Nagito writhes in pain.
Well, he should've expected this.
"I'm sorry, Ko," Hajime apologizes for the umpteenth time later that day.
Nagito's eyes flicker to his throbbing hand then back to Hajime.
"Just shut up and eat your damn kusamochi, birthday boy," Nagito says in a haughty tone.
Hajime knows he's joking, that he's not really mad, but still.
He unknowingly pouts and pops a piece of mochi into his mouth, eyes sparkling with delight at the taste.
Hajime then picks up another piece.
"H-here," he says, raising the mochi to Nagito's mouth. "Say 'ah'."
Nagito says 'ah' and allows his adorable best friend to feed him.
Maybe the day wasn't so bad after all.
February 14th
Hajime's been avoiding him all day.
At precisely 11pm the previous night Hajime messaged him asking him to go to school without him the next day — today, so Nagito had to walk to school alone.
But not only that. Even when he made it to class, Hajime was ignoring him. He refused to lock eyes with the white-haired boy, only muttering an unsure "Good Morning" as opposed to his usual bright and cheerful greeting.
And during lunch break, before Nagito could even try to talk to him, Hajime dashed out of the classroom. Nagito sighed and decided to just go to his locker.
Now, Nagito sits at his desk once more, except this time with a pile of pink, white and red envelopes in front of him. Love letters. He'd retrieved them from his locker.
It's Valentine's Day, after all.
One by one, he opens them.
They're all love confessions from girls he doesn't have the eyes for.
He sighs — he'll have to return them all chocolates on White Day.
Nagito then rests his head on his desk amidst the mountain of cards.
If only the one he truly did like would give him a card like that.
Instead, no, he's been avoiding him like the bloody plague the whole day.
Nagito groans.
The rest of the day passes by similarly, with no sign of Hajime wanting to talk to him at all.
Nagito wishes he could just get the day done and over with.
It's only when class is dismissed that something happens.
When Nagito looks around the classroom after packing his things, he sees that Hajime is long gone. Figuring he doesn't want to walk home with him today, Nagito sighs and picks up his bag, getting ready to depart the school grounds for the day.
And that's when it happens.
Kazuichi approaches Nagito and hands him a a green envelope.
"What's this?" Nagito asks curiously.
Kazuichi scratches the back of his head. "Mm, I dunno. I'm guessing it's a love letter or something. It was addressed to you, but somehow it ended up in my locker instead."
Nagito blinks.
"Ah, whatever. Good for you, Komaeda! Looks like you've got another admirer. Bye now," Kazuichi laughs, waving goodbye before exiting the classroom.
Nagito stares at the envelope.
It's green.
... Could it be?
Cautiously, he opens the envelope, taking extra care not to tear the letter inside.
He retrieves the letter and rereads it twice.
Ko:
Meet me @ the back gate at 3.15?
There's... Something I went to tell you. It's important.
There's only one person who calls him Ko.
Nagito glances at the classroom clock.
It's 3.29.
Fuck.
Nagito thinks he's never run this fast in his entire life.
It's 3.34 by the time he makes it to the back gate, and Nagito has to lean against the wall to catch his breath. He doesn't have the best stamina, but if the sender of the letter is who he thinks — hopes — it is, then...
Panting, he looks around, but there's no Hajime in sight.
Shit. Did he miss him? He's really late, after all.
Nagito coughs, and slumps down against the wall.
He closes his eyes, and after what feels like forever, he hears a familiar voice.
"You came," comes the voice. Its owner sounds like he's going to cry.
Nagito's eyes flutter open.
"Hinata-kun," he whispers. "Hi. I'm sorry I'm so late."
Hajime's cheeks are tinted red. "I thought you wouldn't come."
Nagito smiles. "And I thought you were ignoring me."
Hajime furrows his brows in concentration.
"I wasn't ignoring you. I just.."
Nagito waits for him to continue.
"Alright, so maybe I was ignoring you," Hajime confesses. "But I was just afraid you'd ask me about the letter I left in your locker, since I put it there yesterday..."
Nagito's face goes blank.
Hajime pales. "W-what?"
The last thing the brunet expects is for Nagito to burst out laughing.
"H-hey! Wha—"
"Hinata-kun," Nagito giggles. "You didn't put it in my locker. You put it in Souda-kun's. I just got it from him a few minutes ago. It's why I was late."
Hajime's jaw drops. "Are you fucking kidding me."
"Nope."
Groaning, Hajime hits his head against the wall. "Dammit, and I'd been planning this for ages!"
Nagito's eyes widen. "Wait, is... this why you've been spacing out so much lately?"
Hajime sighs and shakes his head. "It's not... This exactly. The Valentine's thing, I mean."
Nagito pats his back out of concern. "Then, what's been bothering you, Hinata-kun?"
Hajime turns to face Nagito, and without so much as another word, he leans in to press his soft lips against Nagito's own.
The touch is fleeting, and ends just as it begins.
Hajime pulls away, his face bright red, and immediately looks down to avoid having to make eye contact with Nagito.
Nagito wonders if Hajime's heart is pounding against his chest, because his definitely is. He's speechless, his face a lovely shade of pink; he puts his fingers to his lips, as if in doing so he'll be able to feel Hajime's lips on his again.
...
Wow, he thinks. He really has to stop being so damned gay.
"T-that," Hajime stammers, his voice barely audible. "I was... Thinking about how I should do that. Or if I ever should."
Nagito swallows hard. "I... I'm glad you did, though."
Hajime looks up and smiles shyly at him. "Really? That's... Good to know. I was afraid you'd hate me after that."
Hesitantly, Nagito wraps his arms around Hajime, pulling him in a warm embrace. "I...I could never hate you, Hinata-kun," he whispers. "What ever gave you that idea?"
Hajime hugs him back tightly. "Well. I'm really clumsy, and... I always make stupid mistakes. I'm impulsive sometimes and I'm not particularly good at anything, no matter how hard I try. I'm not like you or Souda or Nanami. I figured you'd never like me that way, and I just... I didn't want to lose you, Ko."
He pauses to laugh a little. "In fact, even now, I'm terrified. I'm scared that you're just being nice to me because you pity me."
Softly, slowly, Nagito kisses Hajime on the cheek, enjoying the way the brunet bites his lip and blushes.
"Don't be," the taller boy whispers. "I've loved you ever since we entered middle school, Hinata-kun. And I'm not really good at anything either. All I've got are weird bouts of luck."
He smiles fondly at Hajime and gently wipes a threatening tear away from his left eye. "But you know, Hinata-kun. You're amazing. Please don't think you aren't. You're... Just like your name, y'know. You're my sun, the light of my life — you always cheer me up and make me smile even when no one else can. And besides. Your clumsiness is adorable. So please, Hinata-kun. Slowly, at least try... To gain a bit of confidence in yourself. I'll be here beside you along the way. I'll help you."
Hajime giggles, snuggling against Nagito.
Nagito thinks Hajime snuggling with him is ten times better than the latter doing it with his jacket.
Hajime looks into Nagito's eyes.
"I don't think being clumsy is something to be proud of, but... Thank you, Ko. I like you too," he confirms, pulling Nagito in for another kiss.
Being the clumsy guy he is, Hajime misses this time, and ends up mashing his lips against the side of Nagito's mouth.
They both burst out laughing, and after certain more words are exchanged, Hajime and Nagito leave the school and began to walk home.
Together.
Just as they should be.