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It was only thanks to his luck that he was there. The heating in his room had stopped working, again , and he couldn't afford to be sick, again , not when everyone was working so hard in order to bring Hope to the world. He was still mortified to ask some help from an Ultimate, especially someone as amazing as Naegi, but he had specifically asked Komaeda to come to him if there was a problem.
So it was just his luck. Without his luck, he wouldn't have been there, in front of Naegi's office, and able to listen to his and his sister's conversation. Not that Nagito was eavesdropping, but the siblings were clearly very happy to see each others again, and obviously didn't think that someone could be just there, hearing things.
« How are you doing, Komaru ? » Naegi asked, a smile in his voice. « I feel like you grew up since the last time I saw you ! »
« Come on, I've been gone for a month, two at most, I didn't grow up that much that you could see it right away ! Maybe you are getting smaller ? Be careful, people are going to step on you if reach the size of an insect ! »
He heard two carefree laughters. Then there was a silence.
« I'm happy to have you back » Naegi said. « You did a great job in Towa. Now we can start to rebuild the city as much as possible. »
« Thanks ! » Naegi's sister chipped . « But you know, I couldn’t have done it without Toko ! She is the one who managed to catch Monaca, she was amazing ! »
« You two make a great team, that's good to know. »
Komaeda had thought so too, when he met them, two years ago. An unlikely team, maybe, but an unbeatable one, that was for sure. He leaned again the door a little more. Alright, maybe he was eavesdropping a little, but nothing they were talking about seemed to be dangerous. It was just some warm reunion between two siblings. That was a nice thought, having someone who cared about you, unconditionally.
He was somehow relieved that he didn't have any sibling. Hinata kept telling him that he ( or more precisely Kamukura ) was able to negate his luck and that he had nothing to fear anymore. And while his luck hadn't been too terrible lately, he was still wary, waiting for the next catastrophe to strike. Because, it would strike, eventually, and it would be a lot more terrible than a broken heater. And when it would, well, he was happy to not have any sibling who would suffers through it. The next wave was going to be crazy, he could almost taste it, and was giddy with anticipation.
Unaware of his thoughts, Naegi and his sister were still talking on the other side of the door.
« So, where is she ? Where is Monaca ? » Naegi's sister asked. « I suppose she isn't allowed to roam free in the headquarter, right ? »
« No, no, god , of course she isn't »
Komaeda tried to guess Naegi's expression – probably very serious at this moment, proving that he considered Monaca as a true threat. He hadn't seen the girl since he had waken up from the Neo World Program, but he remembered that her devotion toward Enoshima ( only thinking about her name made him shiver ) was so interesting . A devotion he had kept alive, unfortunately. Another thing it was pointless to feel guilty about, Hinata would say, and he would be right.
All busy he was thinking about his disgusting past, he missed some of the conversation. Naegi's sister's trembling voice brought him back to the present.
« Is it... really necessary ? » she asked.
« Yes, unfortunately. She is responsible for... well, I'm actually not sure about the exact number. A certain amount of death, as you know. I couldn't do anything. »
« But if it was possible to let someone like Komaeda go... ( this one blinked behind the door, surprised to hear his name in the conversation ) »
« They weren't happy to let them go, believe me. But we managed to portray the 77 th class as victims, which is impossible with her. She has to assume her own choices, as hard as the consequences may be. »
There was another silence, this time not as cheerful as the previous one.
« I'm sorry, Komaru. »
« It's just... death ? She is so young, that doesn't seem right. »
Komaeda moved away from the door. They were going to kill Monaca now that they had caught her and Naegi claimed that he couldn't do anything to stop it ? But that didn't make any sense. He had made terrible things in his life too, and everything couldn't be blamed on Enoshima. He could remembered the long discussions he had with Monaca after Towa's failure, how he pushed her toward Despair, how he told her, again and again, that this was the only path she could walk on, all for the sake of Hope.
Someone else would die because of him. And Naegi wouldn't fight for her, he said, and while he could understand he just...
… No, it made sense. Naegi couldn't risk Future Foundation's unity over his mistakes.
If he wanted something done, he would have to do it by himself.
*
On his way to his bedroom, he thought about everything he would have to take care before sneaking into the prison where Monaca was. There was a lot of security. Cameras, of course, and he would have to deactivate them without anyone noticing him. During the day, so many people worked there, and Monaca was probably a well-known figure by now, so he could only act at night. But he was sure there was some night patrol too, and he had not bothered to learn their pattern – a grave oversight from his part, but it was too late to learn it now. He didn't know when Monaca would get executed, he had to act fast.
He also needed to say goodbye to Hinata, just in case. He counted on his luck to help him through his mission, of course, but maybe the bad luck he expected was about to happen. He wouldn't say it to Hinata face to face, because Hinata could be so perceptive sometimes, especially with him, and he didn't want to implicate Hinata into this mess.
Easier said than done, for when he arrived to his bedroom, Hinata was lying on his bed, quietly reading a book. He raised his head when he heard the door's open, and smiled lazily at him, filling Komaeda's stomach with butterflies.
« Hey » Hinata said, without changing his position at all.
He seemed at ease, his mismatched ( beautiful ) eyes running through the book's pages faster than it was humanly possible. And any other day, he would have been thrilled to find him there, for each moment spent with Hinata was always the best one of his day. But as soon as he remembered his mission, and the time he would need to prepare it, he tried to come up with a plan to make him go away.
« Hey » he answered, moving a little closer, trying his best to pretend that everything was fine « What are you doing here ? »
« I was bored » Hinata explained, and he rolled over the bed to give Komaeda enough space to sit. And he did, but soon realized that being so close wasn't going to help him think about a plan and he stayed silent for a short while. Frowning, Hinata sat up, and suddenly their face was way closer than needed.
« Togami is an asshole » Hinata kept going. « He was on my back all day, I really wanted to throw him through the window, you know. »
« Ah... it doesn't seem like something you should do, Hinata-kun » Komaeda answered, still too confused about their proximity to really spit out something more interesting.
He always tried to keep his conversation interesting, with Hinata. He wasn't Kamukura, exactly, but there was still this light deep in his eyes, telling him that Kamukura was still there, somewhere, and the day he would get bored of Komaeda, Hinata would just stop talking to him. And there would be nothing he could do.
Despite his stupid remark, he only received a chuckle and a teasing nudge.
« I know that, thank you oh-great-advicer, what would I do without you ? » he said, obviously amused. Komaeda lowered his head, thinking about the question again and again without finding any answer which proved any positive impact he had on Hinata's life.
« Okay, stupid question » Hinata decided. « I could make you a list of why my life is better with you in it but you wouldn't believe any of it, so drop it. »
Komaeda looked at Hinata, so close he could touch him , wondering how selfish and self-centered he would seem if he asked him to give him this list. It didn't matter if he agreed with him or not, but knowing that something in him held Hinata's attention, no matter how incorrect and misleading it was, might destroy this lingering feeling that the boy beside him would soon be done with him.
He had a mission. He could not think about Hinata now.
« I'm sorry Togami-san was so harsh on you, but I'm tired today. I couldn't sleep because of the heater, you know, it broke again. I wanted to catch up some rest, so maybe we could talk later ? » Komaeda said, as innocently as possible.
And it absolutely didn't work. Hinata's expression suddenly darkened, and he could almost discern Kamukura's shadow behind Hinata's golden soul. In one second, his whole posture changed, and suddenly he was leaning heavily on him, his lips almost touching Komaeda's ears.
« Alright, out with it. » he whispered. « What are you up to ? »
Komaeda tried to get away, cursing his friend's observation skills, but Hinata rolled them over until he was pinned between the bed's cover and Hinata's body. The position they were in was so... suggestive, he felt his face burning, and he knew Hinata could see it too.
« I... » Komaeda stammered. « I didn't know you wanted to add a new layer to our relationship, Hinata-kun. Frankly, I feel like I should be consulted before but I guess if you want to... »
« Shut. Up. » Hinata cut him off, looking at him with narrowed, suspicious eyes. « I can't read your mind, but I'm not letting you go until you tell me what you are planning. »
Komaeda struggled frantically under Hinata's weight, trying to find an opening to escape.
« It's... nothing important. » he said, avoiding eye contact.
« If it's nothing important then why are you not telling me what it is ? » Hinata replied.
Komaeda felt his eyes starting to hurt, as they always did before the tears came up. He was so pathetic , not even able to protect the only person who cared, if only a little, about him, having to lie to Hinata again and again, and not even doing it correctly, and he was just so weak .
« It's embarrassing, I don't want to tell you! » he spat, trying to put enough strength in his voice to regain some control over the situation.
Hinata didn't let him go but a mischievous light appeared in his eyes. He was still deadly serious, set on making Komaeda admit everything, but now that it was obvious that Komaeda wouldn't be able to escape his grip before he decided to let him go, he seemed a lot less angry.
« Embarassing, huh ? » he said. « I can do embarrassing. Say Komaeda... »
He slowly leaned forward, destroying the distance between their face. It was impossible for Hinata to miss his crazy heartbeat, what was happening ? He was still looking for a way to get away, but with the other so close, his gaze travelled toward Hinata's mouth, still stretched in a smirk.
« … If you don't say anything, I'm going to kiss you » he warned him, stopping so close he could almost feel his breath against his lips.
Komaeda stopped struggling, and stayed there, wide-eyed, surprised by Hinata's 'threat' and somehow... hurt. Stupidly so.
As much as he liked to pretend that Hinata was the most oblivious person on earth, it wasn't true, and this whole situation was proof enough of that. And well, despite his best efforts, it wasn't possible that he didn't know about Komaeda's ugly crush, but he had thought Hinata too nice and too considerate to ever say anything about that, and as long as Komaeda didn't bother him too much with it. He had been wrong.
When he didn't say anything, Hinata threw him a look saying 'well, you asked for it' and started to lean forward.
It's not how it's supposed to be, it's not how I want my first kiss with Hinata, it's not...
Except it was the only reason Hinata would ever kiss him, to punish him for his lies ( and for his feelings too, because why would he chose this specific kind of torture ), and he closed his eyelids as tightly as possible, until it hurt, until he wasn't able to see anything. He knew he wasn't allowed to enjoy it. Make it quick , he thought, make it terrible, painful, please .
Nothing happened. One moment later, Hinata's warm body was gone, and he was free to move. When he opened his eyes, he saw him, on the other side of the bed, a worried look on his face.
« Are you okay ? » Hinata asked him, urgently. « I'm sorry I didn't think... huh. That was really stupid ? Sorry, you should have said something, you know. I'm not going to do anything if you don't want me to, you know that ? »
And here he was, the stuttering, flustered Hinata he cherished so much. He seemed genuinely ashamed, but Komaeda wasn't sure why .
« You told me what would happen if I didn't talk. You warned me, and I didn't say anything, so you had every right to follow through on your threat, Hinata-kun. It seemed fair to me »
Hinata frowned et run a hand through his hair, a nervous tic he had developed recently.
« You say stuff like that but... » he started and then cut himself, frustrated. « Nevermind. I guess I still don't understand what's happening in your little brain, right ? »
Which was a relief, in Komaeda's opinion, but to be fair, Hinata's mind could be just as intricated, so there was something pleasant about this forced equality.
« It's fine » Komaeda said, deciding to use Hinata's sudden change of heart to his benefit. Maybe he would be able to guilt him into leaving him alone, long enough for him to get Monaca. He looked at the clock on the wall, nervous : he just lost half-an-hour with Hinata, and it was unacceptable. He needed to be ready to break into Monaca's jail before nightfall, and he had so little time to do so.
« But I'm tired, so can you go ? Please ? »
« Yes, of course I can. Whatever embarrassing stuff you're doing, I won't pry. I was just a little worried, alright ? Can you just... promise me that it's not dangerous ? ( and when Komaeda opened his mouth to give an answer : ) Especially for you ? »
Komaeda closed his mouth. It was fine, another lie, which Hinata would be ready to accept. It's fine, Hinata-kun, of course it's not dangerous, what are you thinking about ? But his friend was just looking at him, worried. Caring .
« I... It's worth it » He settled for. « I know what I'm doing. »
Hinata nodded, resigned.
« Alright then. See you tomorrow, Komaeda. »
And then he was gone and Komaeda could finally breath . He stayed still for a couple of minutes, enjoying Hinata's lingering scent which clung to him and his bed. To care too much was a terrifying thing, he thought, before he sat up.
« Alright. Time to care of those cameras. »
*
Ten more minutes and the prison's doors would be closed. After Hinata was gone, he had sneaked into the archives and stolen a couple of videotapes, all of them displaying the prison, at night. The harder part had still to come : he needed to replace the current recording with a previous one, so that no one would notice him or Monaca before it was too late.
He had checked the tasks' list for the day, and he knew Gekkogahara was the one in charge of the surveillance room. He didn't know her that well, but she seemed to be nice enough for his plan to work. The surveillance room was small , and there was no way for him to do anything if she stayed there. He had to get her out of there, and the easiest way to succeed was for her to use the toilets. He had clogged the third and second floor's toilets, and even if Gekkogahara used the elevator, he would get a couple of minutes to replace the recording.
« Gekkogahara-san ! » he called her, his factice smile in place, when he entered the surveillance room, pushing a trail with a cup and a teapot filled with her favorite tea in it. « I thought about the hard work you are doing here, at Future Foundation, all for the sake of hope , and I wanted to support your beautiful crusade against despair by bringing you this tea ! »
The young woman turned her wheelchair toward him. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying, but Komaeda didn't dare to make any assumption and he pretended to not notice and held the teapot over the cup, pouring the warm tea.
« Komaeda-san » she greeted him placidly. « You aren't allowed to be here, please leave or I'll have to talk to Naegi-san about it. »
He nodded frantically.
« Don't worry, I'm already gone, I'm just leaving the tea here, even though I would understand if you didn't want to drink anything I've prepared and... »
It was a bet, reminding her that he could be dangerous , but he knew that Gekkogahara had worked on the Neo World Program. Which means she had a pure heart, just like Naegi, and she tended to see the good in people. He wasn't surprised to see her sigh and pick up the cup before swallowing a mouthful of tea.
« That's delicious, thank you » she said politely.
He thanked her and left, and once he was in the corridor, the only thing to do was to wait . He hid himself behind the corner, in a shadow, just in case someone would come there, and checked his bag again, making sure he had the clothes for Monaca – she would be too easily caught with his prisoner's clothes – and some chips – not her favorites but she wasn't too picky and if he could lift up her mood a little it would make things easier.
After twenty minutes, the surveillance room's door slid open and Gekkogahara rolled out of the room, moving toward the next ( clogged ) toilets, and as soon as she was in there, Komaeda sprung out of the corner where he was and started to work as quickly as possible on these recordings. He could do it. He had time, he sort-of knew how to do it. He managed to convince his body that he could do it, so that his hands didn't shake, and he was done before Gekkogahara came back. Once he accomplished his task,, he scanned the room to be sure he hadn’t left anything behind and left the room, moving silently toward the stairs : the prisons were underground, and he had four floors to go through, but he couldn't take the risk to cross path with the Ultimate Therapist. The stairs would do, as long as he could avoid the security guards or the other members from Future Foundation.
Was it thanks to his luck or thanks to an inadequate security system, but Komaeda managed to reach the prison without seeing anyone, which he wasn't about to complain. But then came another difficulty : the lock to access the prison area. He had a toolkit, but he hadn't studied the door's opening and couldn't find any hole to insert a key.
« Oh come on » he mumbled, annoyed at himself. « Don't tell me I couldn't even do that... »
Almost in a desperate move, he pushed the door... and it opened without problem or noise. Komaeda blinked, wondering if, again, his luck was trying to help him to save Monaca, but it seemed like something more active , somehow. This help from he-didn't-know-where was scaring him a little. He hesitated but... did he have the choice to back track ? After everything he went through ? He took a deep breath and entered the prison.
The prison's corridor was dark and silent, with jails on each side of it and he didn't know how he would be able to wake Monaca, and only Monaca . But he couldn't alert everyone else, working cameras or not : if someone were to describe a 'white-haired trespasser', everyone would know he had been there.
Damn his hair. He should have hidden it. Too late, something else his wretched brain didn't think about in time. He strolled down the place, trying to watch through the little opening on every door if he could guess which shadow was Monaca's silhouette. Most of the cells seemed to be empty, but it was hard to see anything, even in the occupied ones.
« Is someone there ? »
The voice was a masculine one and came from behind a door, near the end of the corridor. Komaeda stopped moving, tried to stop breathing .
« I'm sure I've heard someone » the voice repeated. « Show yourself, you're already trapped like a rat, these bastards are monitoring the whole room. »
« Will you shut your mouth ? » someone else complained. « I can't sleep ! »
Komaeda's eyes widened. He knew that voice ! It was Monaca, and she was not that far away from where he was. He breathed slowly while the two inmates kept arguing with each other.
« Don't worry, doll, you'll have all the rest you want once you're dead. Shouldn't be that long » snickered the guy.
« Better be dead than being you, you piece of trash, you adult » Komaeda smiled when he heard the venom in Monaca's voice. She was a complicated child – even more than the others - and in her teens, she didn't seem to have lost her bite.
The guy started to grumble something that didn't sound really nice but that he couldn't quite make out, and after a couple of minutes, he stopped making noises. Slowly, Komaeda moved toward Monaca's cell and used his screwdriver to tap on the edge of the door's opening. The noise was weak, enough to attract the girl's attention – he hoped – but not strong enough to alarm the other man, who might still be awake.
After a few seconds, he heard a movement inside the cell and then Monaca was standing in front of him, completely shocked by his sudden apparition. He put a finger on his mouth to ask her to stay silent and she nodded slowly in disbelief. Good, she was in a cooperative mood.
The cell's lock was the normal kind, and he managed to open it without too much difficulties. It still took him a little more than ten minutes and during this time, Monaca's shock had worn out and she was impatiently pacing inside her cell.
The lock relinquished with a metallic sound and Komaeda made sure that everyone was still sleeping before he opened Monaca's cell, took the girl's hand and flew away from the prison's corridor as quickly as possible.
Once they were out, still in a dangerous territory, for Future Foundation's headquarters were probably the worst place for them to be right now, Monaca frowned and looked at Komaeda, and the first words she addressed him after years without seeing each other were :
« Well you took your time, stupid Servant ! »
*
Monaca ate her chips, pleased that he remembered her favorite brand ( as if he hadn't been in charge of buying everything she wanted when he was in Towa ) and her mood improved quite a bit, so much that she listened Komaeda's explanations ( and didn't even comment on his apologies for his lateness, grumbling a 'it's fine, what should I have expected anyway ?' ).
« So», she said while they were making their way upstairs, avoiding the cameras without too much trouble ( he needed to talk to Naegi about their security system ) « What's happening to me now ? They destroyed my castle, these girls destroyed everything. I don't think I can go back to Towa, now. »
She sounded upset, but it made sense for her to be attached to Towa. Komaeda didn't think she had ever lived somewhere else. He was about to answer when… he noticed something, on the other side of the hallway.
« Light » he whispered. « Security guards » They needed to get away, now .
Monaca froze, looking at the new light's source, not that far away from them. Quickly, he lead the girl toward the next door and pushed them inside the room. It was a small room, used for professional meetings, with nowhere to hide beside...
« Quick » he said « Hide inside the cupboard ».
Monaca obeyed without a word, while Komaeda was still listening. Not now , he thought. Not after everything. Finally, he just decided to trust his luck. Maybe the guard would be distracted and wouldn't check this room. But if he did... he picked the knife he had taken with him, deep in his bag. He would be careful to not kill anyone, of course, but he needed to get rid off this person if he wanted to help Monaca. The Warriors of Hope were already waiting for them on the roof, after all.
He saw the door's handle move, and at the exact moment where the person opened the door, he jumped him, aiming for the shoulder with his knife... but the other one moved so fast he barely saw him, bending his arm painfully behind his back until he was forced to let the other go.
« What the hell, Komaeda ? » a voice he knew very well erupted through the room.
« Hi... Hinata-kun ? »
Hinata let him go and he collapsed on the ground, watching a very angry Hinata collect his knife and slide it into his pocket. Then he turned toward him.
« An embarrassing thing , right ? I swear you better tell me what the fuck you are doing at almost midnight, on a floor that isn't yours, and with a knife ? » he shouted-whispered, exasperated but aware of the danger to scream in their situation.
Komaeda really did his best to not smile. He didn’t want to anger Hinata even more, but just having him there, being worried enough to put himself in danger, and just having him there, crashing his little mission and screaming at him, and being so beautiful in the semi-darkness… it just filled him with a strange sense of happiness, that Hinata couldn’t understand.
Which didn’t change the fact that...
« Why are you here Hinata ? » he asked. « You shouldn't be here, you're going to get in trouble... »
« Hi pot, I'm kettle » he replied with a unamused face. « I was worried about you, what do you think, with your it's worth it deal. I went to see you earlier but you weren't in your room, and no matter how long I waited, you didn't come back, so I decided to look for you. And great idea, because... »
Achoo !
Monaca's sneeze cut Hinata in the middle of his sentence.
« What was that ? » he asked, looking in the direction of the noise. « Is there someone else here ? »
« Hum... » Komaeda hesitated « Maybe ? Please, Hinata-kun, I have to do it by myself, this is my responsibility. »
« Yes, yes, whatever. » Hinata replied. He walked past Komaeda and opened the cupboard, revealing Monaca Towa, crouched among the dusty books and files, glaring at him. He would have to talk to Naegi about the cleaning of the rooms too, seemed like it.
« Who are you ? » Hinata inquired. « You are not part of Future Foundation, are you ? »
« Yeah, right, as if I would join these losers » she snickered. « And I'm pretty sure you're supposed to introduce yourself first , aren't you a grown-up or something ? »
Hinata and Monaca held each other's gaze for a short eternity until Komaeda decided to intervene.
« Ah, I should make the introductions. Monaca-san, this is Hinata-kun, he is my friend, so please, be nice to him. Hinata-kun, this is Monaca-san. I took care of her and her friends when I lived in Towa. She is a bright young person with a wonderful future » he said.
« You didn't take care of us » Monaca protested. « You were our servant ! Also it's so weird to think you have friends, ugh. ( she looked at Hinata ). What is wrong with you ? »
Hinata ignored her and turned his attention toward him.
« What are you doing with this girl ? What is she doing there ? »
« Ah... well, I guess the proper term is that I'm saving her ? » he said. « I'm sorry for not telling you, Hinata-kun, but Monaca-san will receive the death penalty if she stays here, and I feel responsible for leading her into the path of despair. I encouraged her to follow Junko Enoshima's steps, so that she would become Hope's stepping stone and... »
« Oh please no, someone kills me » Monaca whined. « I don't give a crap about despair or hope anymore, you crazy twat ! I just want people to let me alone, alright ? Stop destroying my castle . »
« See ? » Komaeda said. « She isn't dangerous. And just like us she deserves a second chance, don't you think so, Hinata-kun ? »
Hinata looked at the teenage girl, who was busy to glare at the clothes Komaeda picked for her ( he had forced her to change in one of the toilet's cabin ) with apparent distaste, cursing about Komaeda's lack of style.
« I don't know » he muttered. « I mean... I guess it wouldn't be right to kill her, but still... »
« Hey ?! Who is there ? »
Someone was shooting in the hallway. Someone had heard them. Komaeda shared one panicked look with Hinata and both hurried toward the closet, trying to fit all of them in the tight space. Monaca was crushed against the door and he prayed that it wouldn't open under the pressure, while him and Hinata tried to find some way to fit among the mess.
« Shh, quiet » Hinata whispered. « Maybe he won't check the closet »
They heard someone entering the room and held their breath.
« Is someone there ? » the voice asked again. « Show yourself if you know what's good for you. »
It was Sakakura, noticed Komaeda. As most of the Radicals, he hated the ex-Remnants of Despair, and actually, even in the hypothesis where he would be as nice and forgiving as Naegi, it wouldn't make a big difference considering they were trying to escape with a criminal. The steps were getting closer and closer, and Komaeda wondered if Sakakura could somehow hear his heartbeat. The steps stopped right behind the door and he felt Hinata's hand sliding into his, hurrying him to not do anything. It was so strange : six hours sooner Hinata almost kissed him, and there he was, about to be caught rescuing a criminal and Hinata would be punished too, because no one would believe Komaeda when he would say it was all his idea.
And then…
Ice Ice Baby Vanilla, Ice Ice Baby Vanilla
Ice Ice Baby Vanilla, Ice Ice Baby Vanilla
« What the... » Sakakura let out, surprised, and the three people hidden in the cupboard heard him curse profusely while he was trying to find his cellphone.
« Sakakura here- ? Oh, Gekkogahara, what do you want ? »
« … »
« I'm not angry » he replied, angrily. « Yukizome thought it was a good idea to change my phone's ringtone. Whatever, you know how she is, I'll talk to her. »
« … »
« First floor, you're sure ? »
« ... »
« Alright, I'll check it out. »
Click .
« First floor... ? » Sakukura mumbled. « Got you, asshole. »
He stormed out of the room, and only a few second later, the closet's door gave way under Monaca's pressure and all three ended up in a jumbled mess, spread out on the floor. Komaeda blushed when he noticed that Hinata was still holding his hand and didn't seem ready to let him go.
« I can't believe we survived » Hinata chuckled, relieved. « Komaeda, your luck may be the crappiest talent ever, but without it we were screwed . Though now I wonder what's happening on the first floor. »
« Who cares ? » Monaca replied, standing up. « We are not sticking around to find out about it ».
« Right » Komaeda said. « The Warriors of Hope are waiting for us on the roof, we should hurry. »
Monaca shook her head, displeased by this turn of event.
« I don't want to see them, I hate them, and they hate me too, they are a bunch of stupid idiots, and they are working for Future Foundations anyway, they will totally sell me out. »
« They won't, they are actually ready to forgive you as long as you apologize to them » Komaeda said. « Also you wouldn't be able to survive by yourself. »
Monaca stayed silent.
« Of course » he continued, as genuine as he could pretend to be « if you really don't want to go with them, you can stay in my room until we find another solution. I would be happy to have you with me for a couple of weeks, or even months and... »
« Okay, I get it, let's hurry, we don't want to make them wait » Monaca decided, hurrying out of the room.
Komaeda's eyes followed her, smiling. It was nice to know he still able to understand her very well. He would miss her, as weird as it sounded.
He felt Hinata's hand tighten around his. And without hesitation, he squeezed it back.
*
It was almost 2 A.M and they were still walking in the middle of a forbidden territories, but now that Monaca wasn't with them anymore, they were a lot more relaxed. They still needed to do one thing before the end of their mission : to go back to the surveillance room and fix the recording before anyone could see it had been messed with.
« You sure you can do it ? » Hinata said, looking at the surveillance room. « I mean, wouldn't it be less suspicious if I was the one to do it ? »
« It will be fine, and since you accepted to help me, it won't be suspicious at all » Komaeda told him, smiling confidently. « I need to do it myself, you understand, right ? »
« No, I really don't » he stated, slowly. « But that doesn't matter, does it ? I guess I should be used to with you, right ? Not understanding. »
It should have been a reproach, but there was a touch of amazement in Hinata's voice. He also had this weird light in his eyes that made Komaeda feel like he was the only thing that mattered for him. It was... thrilling to say the least. Like a fever-induced dream where everything became possible.
« Haha, I'm sorry Hinata-kun » he replied, praying for the darkness to hide his blush. « I'll see you soon. »
« Sure. Please try to not get caught without me ? » Hinata said, half-serious, half-teasing.
« I've been told to be lucky, I'll be fine. »
He watched Hinata walk down the hallway until he couldn't see him anymore then entered the surveillance room, drawing Gekkogahara's attention on him. She seemed a little more friendly than a couple of hours before. Maybe she was the exact opposite of Hinata and tended to become nicer when she was tired ? She didn't even threatened him to talk to Naegi.
« Hello again, Komaeda. Shouldn't you be asleep ? » she said, going back to looking at the cameras.
« Ah, no, I'm here for a whole different matter. I wish to enlist you help as the Ultimate Therapist ! Oh, not for me of course, but Hinata-kun seems to be upset about something, I think he had a nightmare about Izuru Kamukura. »
« Really ? » Gekkogahara frowned. Komaeda wasn't proud of himelf for using Hinata's past as an excuse, but he said it was okay. « Can't it wait ? »
« I'm scared not. Of course it has been me... »
She waved it off, cutting him short in his self-deprecating monologue.
« I see. Don't worry, Komaeda, I get it. Can you stay here while I'm away from the surveillance room ? »
« Of course, Gekkogahara-san. I'll do my best to help you. »
She nodded, distracted, and moved her wheelchair until the door. Once there, she stopped and look behind her, with the first genuine smile he had ever seen her with.
« For all it's worth, Komaeda, I'm happy I took part in the Neo World Program. I can't say I never doubted... but it was the good decision. »
Komaeda nodded, confused on what prompted this outburst, and then she was gone. It was... awkaward, to say the least, to be congratulated by such incredible pillar of hope after he helped Monaca to run away from the headquarters. Gekkogahara had saved him, and not only him, but everyone else and Hinata, and for that, he hoped he would be able to help her, just a little , one day, as a display of gratitude.
Maybe he should bring her her favorite tea anytime she was on surveillance duty ?
*
END