Day 7: Cuddling/Lazy Day
Chapter Summary: There are some days when you feel like you can take on the whole world.
Then there are some days when you feel like you had enough of the whole world and just want to rest and soliloquize your reminiscences.
A/N: This is the despair I promised you all!
Bright yellow streaks burned through the window blinds and into Hajime's eyelids, making him regret his decision to place the futon in a horrible spot as he shifted his arm for it to be roasted instead of his face. This movement now stirred the drowsiness out of him - the day must have told him to get up and smell the fresh tropical air outside. However, the weight of his thoughts and human wants proved to be too much for the former Ultimate Hope to handle - well, that and the tangles upon tangles of black silicone rubber wires and a soft fluffy heaviness binding him to the mocha, silky quilted mattress. The future constantly beckoned him to rise and be productive for the foundation dedicated to leading the world towards it, but Hajime chose to deviate and remain bound to this crumpled mess, to which he deemed paradise.
Fate tended to be so irrational that his analytical talents could not determine what it wants to do with him. Perhaps, trying to do so requires him to be an irrational person, so he gave up trying to simplify this complexity and decided to simply "go with the flow" of this stagnant river.
But this heat needs to be extinguished. Untangling himself from the clingy vine-like wires, he freed himself out of that mess only to be slammed back to the soft mat by a surprisingly powerful pull.
"…Mmmm…stay…"
Ah…
There was one more *inconvenience* to deal with it, and he frowned at the realization that he had to sneak himself out of her slowly creeping arms to close the blinds. His many talents should make this easy-
"…Ngghh…you move too much…" her face scrunched up; very frustrated and the patterns of her soft facial muscles shifted to an expression he can't quite describe - for the most deceptive and momentous millionth upon the million microseconds of a second, the deep recesses of his brain caught and latched on to a tell before it slipped back into dark matter. "…Keep still…so I can catch you…"
His companion shifted amongst the messy mesh of wires and blankets to shift all her weight unto his body, wrapping him into a ball with her arms and legs all while attaching herself to him for some unfathomable reason. His arms were now completely paralyzed and so was his…well…every limb that he required to get up. This less than ideal situation made him think that he was being rendered immobile by industrial kelp, drowning in this sea of quilt, fluffiness and wires. Not only that, but their faces were extremely closer than he preferred. He could feel and taste every breath that she exhaled; any centimeter closer and he would have to lock lips with this sleepy gamer.
Curses…! If Chiaki only knew that he was the reason she wasn't being assaulted by that infernal tropical sun outside, then she wouldn't be acting this way. Why now while it's so unbearably hot did she want to cuddle with him?! Still…he couldn't help but read whatever thoughts ran in her mind as she murmured his name clearer and louder than the nigh silent incoherences that escaped her lips.
Her reasons should have been clear from the beginning.
The fear of waking up alone…
The fear of waking up and suddenly thinking that every happy moment, every cherished memory, every dear memento held close to your heart was all just a conjured fantasy to trick you…
The fear of every single thing you considered real transforming into fiction…
The fear of a single lie breaking you down…leaving you like a broken doll, tossed, forgotten…
The fear…of nearly losing the one you loved with all your heart…
That fear…was enough to drive her to that sickening sensation they all experienced once…
Heartbreak…
Denial…
Grief…
Nihil…
Despair…
She was afraid…wasn't she…?
He won't leave her, then. He'll take the sun's rays and stay with Chiaki, holding her close and kissing her forehead, like a parent caring for their infant. While he was around, he'll make sure that she'll no longer feel Death's hand crushing her soul and spirit - betrayed, broken and sad.
He'll be her hope - her Ultimate Hope, if it comes to that.
That nothing that should have been beside her will now become something…
…Something to remind her that he, she, and everyone else…is real, breathing, alive.
A thick raincloud floated by. It soon covered the bright blue sky above with a dark overcast, threatening everyone who was outside with rain. Not long after, the pitter-patter struck the glass and the roof of their shared cottage and quickened its lulling rhythm to the sound of Jabberwock Island being showered by heavy rain. Going outside didn't look like a great idea anymore but the room was starting to get cold. He felt his companion shiver slightly and tighten her embrace on his body for warmth. With his free hand, he grabbed the discarded covers and wrapped themselves under its fuzzy warmth as they resumed to huddle closer for more heat.
His fingers mindlessly caressed her cheek and slid all the way to her back. Unprompted, he began to slowly and gently massage her back. She still snored and drooled, indicating that she broke all connections to the outside world to focus on her dream world. However, he could still hear her murmur his name and feel her body warm up. Her chest heaved in sync with her steady heartbeat at rest and her breathing tingled with his skin and hummed a soothing melody to his ears. Everything she did appealed to all his senses.
A rare smile drove his apathetic expression away and stayed there as her soft breathing and the tapping of raindrops lulled him back to that hazy imaginary world once his eyelids had fully closed. The mist and melodies of their breaths mixed together and entranced the whole cottage with a sleepy atmosphere that fitted the rainy lazy day.
A/N: So…did you feel it? Did you feel the despair from having your hopes up for some Ultimate Angst? If so, then I have accomplished my mission!
If not…well…
…Continue reading.
This particular entry was inspired by Dispel in Expansion Pack by @The_Apocryphal_One . I really liked their interpretation of Chiaki's nightmares in that chapter. I won't delve too much into its details for reasons I won't specify, but if you are interested in Chiaki's character like me and most of my readers, I suggest that you read Extra Life then Expansion Pack, both are by the same author, if you haven't already.
Had I not read those two, I wouldn't be here writing Danganronpa fics. This game's series is, without a doubt, one of the best visual novel series out there. It targets the reader's expectations to see their favorite character live or be in a romantic relationship with the protagonist, and it kills them off with fantastic and heart-crushing delivery. I don't think I need to specify which death affected me the most. It should be obvious by now.
Anyways, I really regret coming into this fandom when it has already reached its peak, especially for the second game. I would have loved to experience this thrill ride with a lot more people and partake in some discussions about the game but because of my crappy intuition for finding gems, it held me back.
It really bummed out. I don't think I'll have the same amount of motivation to post these other ideas I have in my mind.
…Hell, there might even come a time where I just drift away from this fandom and be forgotten forever…
…So, about this last entry, I'm thinking of taking a stab at exploring this AU, or just any other AU where Chiaki lives, but I have to admit, I think I'm oversaturating myself with Hinanami, haha. I have its first chapter already done and its sitting there, just waiting to be revealed. I just want to post it at the right time, where I'm driven enough to make it a full series, like how I intended for it to be.
For now, I'll just fly away into my dragon den and continue lurking. Hahahaha…
*sigh*