Chapter Text
"Big bro Hinata, hurry up!" Saionji tugged at his sleeve impatiently as they walked across the bridge connecting the second island to the central island.
“I’m walking as fast as I can,” He muttered, glancing at Koizumi, whom the eager girl was also dragging along, but instead of gripping the sleeve of her jacket she was being pulled along by the hand. Koizumi shot him an apologetic glance, and shook her head with a slight smile. They both knew that it was pointless to try and tell the girl to slow down, so they just tried to keep up as well as they could and not stumble on the slightly uneven planks of the bridge.
When they had first awoken on Jabberwock Island, it was clear that the few flyers and brochures they found in the simulation that hinted at the real state of the island were not fake. While very similar to its appearance in the virtual world, there were several key differences between the two versions of the island. Most obviously, the six islands that made up the small archipelago were not connected by bridges, making travel between the islands very difficult. When Jabberwock Island had served as a resort, people had reached the outlying islands by a short trip in one of the several ferries that were operated by the resort staff. However, when they had woken up in the large administration building on the central island, there were no boats in sight. The Future Foundation had later provided them with several small rowboats to help them access the other islands without swimming, but this was not a perfect solution either. The boats were small, and could only hold four to five people each. They could be easily capsized by large waves, and were completely man-powered. It was much less tiring than swimming to the other islands, but it still took a good twenty minutes of rowing to reach their destination.
And so, they had decided to rebuild the bridges that had connected the island in the simulation. To their surprise, apparently before the resort was shut down work had already begun to construct bridges, as they found most of the basic structural supports had already been installed. All that remained was to strengthen the supports wherever necessary and pave the bridge so that it could be put to use. Unfortunately, they couldn’t find enough concrete to cover the whole thing, so the surface of the bridge was comprised of a thin, slotted layer of concrete covered with wooden planks. After they had returned from their mission helping the Future Foundation, they had made completion of the bridge connecting the central island to the first island their top priority. Naegi had been informed of this, and along with food he periodically sent them shipments of building supplies. In the few months since they had arrived back on the island, they had already completed construction of the first and second bridges. They had all worked hard so that they could resume life like they had grown used to in the simulation. At first Hinata was skeptical of the bridge’s safety, and its rough and uneven appearance did nothing to help his concerns. However, Souda ensured all of them that it was structurally sound, and therefore completely safe. This was proven further as he spectated several fights that occurred on the bridge between Owari and Nidai. If they could brawl and the bridge somehow remain intact, it would easily support his own weight.
He had spent most of the day on the second island with Saionji and Koizumi. They had hung out talking and reading in the library, and had cooked lunch for themselves in the diner. Others had come and gone, but for the most part they were all suspiciously absent. The girls had been insistent that he remained on the second island with them for the whole day. He wordlessly complied, suppressing a knowing smile. It was obvious they were planning something, but he decided to not ask questions and just wait to see what was to come.
As they stepped down from the bridge and walked into the park on the central island, Hinata couldn’t help but gaze upwards in awe at the administration building that towered above them. Even though he had spent much more time here than in the simulation’s version of the island, the building still felt out of place. He guessed that the others felt so too, as they had spent little time in the offices apart from the initial exploration after waking up. Even though this building had dozens of cozy, well-furnished condos built to house the hotel staff and several grand dining halls and meeting rooms, the hotel on the first island had remained their main headquarters. Old habits die hard, he supposed.
By the time they reached the first island, it was almost dark. A slight chill had begun to creep into the air, and Hinata was thankful for his jacket. Though they lived on a tropical island, it wasn’t completely sunny all the time, which was a harsh contrast to the endless clear skies and summer heat they had originally grown accustomed to. They were currently in the middle of the winter months, and while it was never very cold, things could get a bit chilly after the sun had set or during a stormy day. The skies had been remarkably clear today, which was a welcome change after nearly a week straight of rainy weather. As he gazed up at the sky, lost in thought, he didn’t even realize he had nearly bumped right into Souda until he felt a harsh tug on his sleeve.
“Ugh, watch where you’re going!” Saionji huffed, pulling him out of the way and narrowly avoiding a collision.
Hinata snapped his gaze forwards, trying to regain his balance as the girl shoved him out of the way. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you there, Souda.”
It didn’t look like Souda was watching where he was going either, judging by the surprise on his face. “Oh...Hinata! There you are....I was wondering where you went...” The other boy panted, scratching his head with a grin. His breath came in short gasps, and even in the dim light Hinata could see a glimmer of sweat on his forehead. Had he ran all the way here? And from where? Again Hinata shook his head with a small smile, deciding it would be best not to ask.
“Hey, Souda. We were just heading to the hotel lobby. Care to join us, or are you still busy?” Koizumi spoke up, shooting him a meaningful glance which Hinata pretended not to notice.
“Er...yeah I think that should be fine!” He glanced at his watch, and smiled triumphantly. “Let’s go, guys!”
It only took about five more minutes to reach the hotel, though by the time they arrived the sun had completely set. Hinata had to remind himself that even though it felt like a typical fall evening out it was really the middle of winter, and so the sky was completely dark in less than half an hour. Finally letting go of Hinata’s sleeve, Saionji took a step forward and opened the gate that surrounded the cottages. It really was dark, all the lights inside the cottages had been turned off and the only reason he didn’t trip was the soft light of the half moon that hovered up above. They finally stopped before the wide doors of the hotel lobby. Even the lights inside there had been turned off. If Hinata didn’t know better, he would say it was completely deserted.
“Go on, open the door,” Koizumi put a hand on her hip, the other still being held by Saionji.
Hinata stepped up to the door and paused, placing a hand on the handle. He thought he could hear giggling from within, and he smiled, resisting the urge to chuckle himself.
“Just open it! Don’t tell me you’re scared of the dark,” Saionji sneered. Her words were harsh as usual, but he could clearly make out thinly veiled humor and excitement in her tone.
“Okay okay, I’m opening it…” Hinata sighed. He slowly creaked open the door, and peeked his head inside.
“SURPRISE! ! !” Everybody in the room cheered. The lights flicked on, and Hinata was immediately hit in the face with a blast of confetti. Spluttering, he stepped through the doorway and was greeted with the sight of his friends sitting on the stairs that led up to the restaurant, beaming widely. He was hit by several more blasts of confetti, and was almost knocked off his feet when tackled from behind by an ecstatic Mioda.
“Happy birthday Hajime-chan!! And happy new year too! Ibuki gets to celebrate two holidays at once, kyahaha! This is going to be fantastic!” Mioda hugged him tightly, and Hinata struggled to breathe under the girl’s vice grip around his chest.
“Th-thanks Mioda,” He managed to choke out. “Thank you, everybody. This is...you didn’t have to do all this for me.” His hands helplessly scrabbled against the girl’s arms wrapped around him. Apparently she didn’t understand the meaning of a tap out. Her excitement was sweet, but Hinata was beginning to feel seriously lightheaded.
Kuzuryuu stepped forward, and helped Hinata gently pry off the clingy girl. He then clapped Hinata on the back, looking to the side with slight embarrassment. “It’s nothing. This is the least we could do. Most of us wouldn’t even be standing here right now if not for you. So...thanks.”
“Yeah, what baby gangster said! Thanks to you we get to eat that huge feast Hanamura made!” Ignoring Kuzuryuu’s grumbled curses Owari ruffled his hair, causing several pieces of confetti to flutter down.
At the mention of his name, Hanamura stepped forward and puffed his chest out proudly. “It’s my pleasure. Due to our current situation I haven’t been able to be as extravagant with the dishes I’ve created, but I still hope it will be to your tastes. And if it happens to be a different dish you crave...just say the word…”
“Gross, pervert!” Saionji hissed in disgust, stepping out of the doorway to stand beside Hinata. Koizumi and Souda followed. Before long, almost everyone had gathered in a circle around Hinata, talking loudly and laughing. Hinata let out a content sigh, gazing at his friends with affection. It was amazing that even after all that had happened they had managed to stick together and help each other through this. Even though what happened to them at Hope’s Peak and in the simulation was a horrifying, traumatic mistake, the bonds they had made had been very real. Even Tsumiki, normally quiet and anxious and trembling with fear, had come forward to cheer and thank Hinata with the rest of the group. After a few minutes of excited chatter Hanamura announced that it was time to begin eating, and once again everybody rushed to the stairs, many of them pushing past Hinata in the rush to be the first upstairs. He was fine with that, and lingered at the bottom of the staircase with a faint smile, watching them all make their way up the stairs with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
However, he noticed one person missing from the crowd. He scanned the room, slightly concerned. That was worrying, they all seemed to be getting along so well and yet Komaeda had hung back from the festivities. He spotted the boy in question sitting in a corner, over by the pool table. Even though he had been sitting well away from the doorway, he had somehow managed to get confetti in his hair.
Hinata made his way over to the boy. He was gazing down at the ground, and didn’t even notice his approach.
“You’ve got something in your hair,” He remarked, reaching out a hand and plucking a scrap of colorful paper from his curled, messy white locks.
Komaeda looked up in surprise. “Oh, Hinata-kun. What are you doing over here? Didn’t everybody else head upstairs?”
Hinata rolled his eyes, crumpling the bit of paper into a ball and flicking it at Komaeda. “I’m here to get you, of course. I noticed you didn’t join in with the rest of the group and was worried. Is everything alright?” Perhaps Komaeda was feeling left out. Hinata thought they had all finally gotten to the point where past mistakes had been forgiven, but perhaps this was wishful thinking and they didn’t make much of an effort to include him.
Komaeda looked away, nervously fiddling with the sleeve of his coat. He was obviously troubled, but he still gave Hinata a reassuring smile. “No need to worry, everything is fine. I spent most of the day cleaning the lobby and helping Hanamura-kun prepare the food. I’m just...a bit tired, that’s all. Parties aren’t really my thing.”
Hinata let out a soft sigh of relief. So the others had included him in their preparations. He felt a little guilty for doubting them in the first place, but the reassurance that everybody was working well together was good. He also couldn’t help but notice the similarity of what Komaeda had described and the events of the first party held in the simulation. A small pang of painful emotions ran through him at the thought, but he quickly shoved that aside. Komaeda and Hanamura had certainly noticed the parallel as well, and the fact that they had been able to move on from that and work together proved how much they had all changed for the better by learning to forgive each other and learn from their mistakes. “Yeah, honestly I’ve never been much of a party person myself. I never went to those huge parties people would sometimes host in their dorms back at Hope’s Peak. They were far too loud and chaotic for my taste. This is nice though.” Hinata smiled, reaching a hand out to Komaeda. “Let’s go join the others. I heard that Mioda challenged Owari to an eating contest, so if we don’t hurry I doubt there will be any food left.”
Komaeda chuckled, gazing at him warmly. “Lead the way, Hinata-kun.” He allowed himself to be pulled up by the hand, and they momentarily stood there, faces just inches apart.
Hinata’s eyes widened, and he felt his face grow hot, but he didn’t step away or let go of his hand. On impulse, he reached up with his free hand and flicked another piece of confetti out of the boy’s hair. He caught himself lingering bit too long, running the soft strands through his fingers for a few moments before he dropped his hand and jumped back, embarrassed.
“Really Hinata-kun, does the confetti bother you that much?” Komaeda murmured, his amusement evident.
Great job Hinata, you just ruined the moment, he chided himself. “Sh-shut up.” If by ‘bother him’ he meant ‘made the other boy look irresistibly cute’, then yes. “How did you even manage to get so much in your hair anyways? I didn’t see you anywhere nearby when the party poppers went off,” he muttered.
“Honestly, I have no clue either.” Komaeda smiled ruefully. Once he would have brought up his luck, but ever since he had awoken his luck cycle had been much more toned down. It had become a minor inconvenience or pleasant surprise, not a cruel, extreme factor that ruled his life. Since Kamukura had ultimate luck too, it was likely that the two forces had ended up cancelling each other out. As long as he was around Hinata, he could live a normal life. He smiled at the thought.
They were still holding hands, and neither of them had made a move to break apart or bring up the subject, so together they made their way up the stairs, bantering and grinning and blushing like the clueless idiots they were.