"Na- Nanami!" Mikan called, getting a quick wave in response before the other girl returned to rapidly mashing the buttons on her Game Girl Advance. "Have you been playing that since class ended? Y- you need to eat something."
Chiaki nodded slightly, still staring intensely at the game. "I will..."
Mikan itched to keep pushing her point but instead hesitantly sat down next to Chiaki, making sure there was a suitable amount of space between them. Neither of them talked, listening to the upbeat music and beeping coming from her game. Finally, just as Mikan was getting restless, Chiaki breathed out heavily and turned to her with a grin.
"New high score!" she announced.
"Eh?" Mikan blinked rapidly at the sudden volume of Chiaki's voice but managed a small smile in return. "Well done, Nanami. But now you really should eat something.'
Chiaki nodded slowly, glancing at her bag. "Thanks for reminding me, I get caught up in my games so easily..."
Mikan could understand. When she was with her patients she concentrated fully on them, sometimes forgetting to look after herself. "Do your parents remind you when you're at home?"
"They sorta just stay out of my way. That's why I always have so much time to play games," Chiaki said, offering the bento she'd just pulled out her bag to Mikan. "Want some?"
"N- No! I couldn't! Besides, I a-already ate something," she said quickly.
"Okay, I don't really have that much anyway. I'm not a very good cook," Chiaki said, eating slowly.
"I'm sure Hanamura would be happy to make you something," Mikan said.
"Maybe... we might have to keep an eye on him while he cooks though," Chiaki said.
"W-w-we?" Mikan stuttered.
Chiaki tilted her head. "We're hanging out now, aren't we?"
"But you want to h-hang out again?" Mikan asked hesitantly.
"We're friends," Chiaki said, looking confused. "Why wouldn't we?"
"No one's wa-wanted to be my f-friend before," Mikan said quietly, feeling tears in her eyes.
Chiaki tilted her head even more. "But everyone in the class is your friend."
Mikan fiddled with her bandage, lost for words. "E-everyone?"
"Yep. Hiyoko's... a little bad at showing it but even she's your friend," Chiaki said, nodding confidently as if that sealed her point.
"Thank you, Nanami," Mikan said softly.
Chiaki grabbed Mikan's hand and smiled. "Call me Chiaki, okay Mikan?"
Mikan's cheeks flushed pink, glancing between their hands. "O-okay, Ch-Chiaki..."
The next day Mikan was walking past Chiaki's desk a little after class had ended when she tripped, spilling the contents of Chiaki's bag everywhere and having her own skirt and shirt ride up dangerously. Chiaki looked up from her game console in surprise while the few people still in the class looked away quickly, Hiyoko making sure to make a rude remark first.
"Ah! Chiaki, I'm s-s-so sorry!" Mikan whimpered, sparing no time to clean herself up as she fumbled to pick up Chiaki's things.
Chiaki shook her head quickly, slipping from her chair and putting her hands on Mikan's. "It's okay, it was an accident. I'll pick everything up and you fix your clothes."
Mikan nodded, whimpering another apology as she followed Chiaki's instructions. Chiaki examined a game console carefully before stuffing everything else lazily into her bag. Mikan waited anxiously, prepared for Chiaki to get mad at her but was instead surprised with a smile.
"Nothing broke so it's okay," Chiaki reassured, softly grabbing Mikan's hand and helped her up.
Mikan pulled her hand away quickly once they were both on their feet and frantically bowed her head. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," she insisted. "You were leaving, right? Do you mind if I come with you?"
"Eh?! Y- You want to c-come?" Mikan stammered.
"Is that a problem?" Chiaki asked.
"No!" Mikan said quickly. "But I w-was just going for a walk so if you're not interested that's okay."
"Then let's go." Chiaki smiled brightly.
"O- Okay," she murmured, leading Chiaki out of the classroom. "Is there anywhere you wanted to go?"
Chiaki frowned. "I'm not very good at making decisions in real life."
"What if you pretend we're in a game?" Mikan asked.
"Hmm? I guess... if this was a game it'd probably be a dating sim," Chiaki said thoughtfully, causing Mikan's face to heat up in record time. "If you get a to pick a date location then it gives you choices and you can get more points if you choose the one your date likes best. Since we still have to go back to class later we should stay at school but there are still a lot of choices..."
She hummed, looking deep in thought, while Mikan walked next to her with a racing heart. Was this a date?!
"What if we go to one of the science buildings?" Chiaki asked finally. "You can show me all the medical things... if you want."
She ended her sentence hesitantly, looking uncertainly at Mikan. Mikan nodded quickly. "I- If that's what y-you want."
Mikan led the way, knowing the route off by heart from the amount of time she'd spent there. Chiaki was following, happily talking about a game that Mikan had never heard of but still tried her best to answer whenever Chiaki directly asked her something.
"To be honest I haven't really gone here as much recently," Mikan admitted as they climbed the stairs to the second floor. "Although there is a lot of medical equipment in these labs I've been spending more time in the infirmary."
Chiaki frowned. "Did I pick the wrong place?"
"What?! O- Of course not! I'm glad you chose here because you gave me a reason to come back!" Mikan insisted quickly, spinning around and waving her hands only to trip over her feet and fall towards Chiaki.
They both let out surprised screams as Chiaki stumbled to catch Mikan but they both ended up falling down the stairs, Mikan being slightly cushioned by landing on Chiaki.
"O- Ow," Chiaki moaned, reaching up to touch her head. Mikan panicked.
"Chiaki! Wh- What did I d-do!? Can you tell me what day it is?" she asked, pushing herself off of Chiaki without hesitation and looking over her face and head carefully.
"Tuesday," Chiaki answered.
"How's your vision? Can you see my face alright?" she pestered.
"Mhm," Chiaki hummed and Mikan shook her head quickly.
"Could you please say it out loud?" she asked.
"I can see your face," Chiaki said, and Mikan let herself relax slightly.
"I need you to sit up, I just want to make sure you're okay," Mikan said and Chiaki complied. "Have you got any headaches?"
"Only a little bit," Chiaki insisted.
Mikan shuffled behind Chiaki, looking for any sign of injury as she interrupted Chiaki. "Stay sitting here, I'll get you a drink of water. Keep focused on something while I'm gone, okay?"
She stumbled to her feet and rushed back up the stairs, being extra careful as she made her way up to the third floor.
"M- Matsuda!" she called.
She got a blank stare in return from the dark haired boy sitting at a desk a few tables away from her. "Tsumiki. I didn't take you for the loud type."
Her face flushed but she hurried over to him. "Do you have a drink? Of water? Th- there was an accident."
"That explains that then," he muttered, spinning on his chair and rustled through a draw. "I got this."
He chucked her a clear bottle and she squealed, grabbing at air as it fell to the ground at her feet. Matsuda shot her a final unimpressed glance before returning to his work and she quickly went back to Chiaki.
"Drink this," she said, kneeling down in front of Chiaki who had been fiddling with her bag.
"Thank you Mikan," Chiaki said, smiling softly as she sipped from the bottle.
"N- No, don't thank me," Mikan said. "It's m-my fault."
Chiaki shook her head slowly. "It's not your fault you're clumsy."
"But I'm a-always like this," Mikan sniffed.
Chiaki reached out, patting Mikan head with a surprised squeak from Mikan. "It's okay. Besides, you were really good at looking after me."
Mikan wrung her fingers slightly, a small tint of pink colouring her cheeks. "I'm sorry I ruined our... d-date..."
"Date?" Chiaki repeated.
"A- Aah! I'm sorry! I assumed something I shouldn't have!" Mikan quickly apologised, stubbornly ignoring the pang in her chest. "I took what you said too seriously, I'm sorry!"
Chiaki didn't respond, turning her head away, and Mikan panicked.
"Uwah! Y- You hate me now, right? Being on a date with someone as d-disg-"
Chiaki leaned forward quickly, dropping the water bottle in favour of holding Mikan's hands. "No, that's not it. I was- I'd like it if this was a date."
She smiled shyly, a soft blush on her face, and Mikan knew her own blush was much worse from the heat alone. "Are y-you sure?"
"Yep. I really like you Mikan," Chiaki said brightly, and Mikan felt herself fall just a little more in love.
"I l-like you too," Mikan replied, looking down at their hands meekly and allowed herself to smile.
I was gonna write more but I didn't know how to so enjoy your 1,608 words of adorable (?) Nanamiki. I ship these two so passionately, you don't understand, they are my actual OTP, so the lack of Nanamiki fics is an outrage. Four on here, thirty-seven on AO3. This a pure ship and I demand that it be acknowledged. I miiiiight write a fic based on them playing video games in Chapter Two but it depends on whether or not I have any ideas.
Also Matsuda's presence may seem random but I love my DR0 children and needed one of them to appear in my fics.