A single shout jolted it's way through the cracking in the raging flurry of sounds of danger, a shout that shattered Hinata's daze of utter confusion in the midst of the chaos. Various people up and down the city streets screamed in horror, sirens blared, signalling the approaching fire trucks, and the inferno before him and Komaeda roared like a crazed bear.

"You two, hurry! Run!" Hinata was shaken from behind by his terrified mother, who began dragging him and Komaeda away from the scorching tree fort. Both of them alike were frozen on the spot, rendered useless as all they could do was fruitlessly watch as their beloved tree house went up in merciless scarlet flames.

When Hinata slowly regained his senses, he did as instructed and ran, taking Komaeda's hand before doing so. A flaming barrage of dry wood tumbled from the fort and crushed the ground they were previously standing on prior to them taking action. Hinata swore loudly to himself.

The pair remained in the front yard as firefighters chugged past them like a determined herd of charging rhinos. Hinata's eyes flew to Komaeda, and looked him over with extensive care and concern.

"You're alright, right? You're not hurt, Nagito? Were you burned at all?" Hinata panted from their panicked run.

"I'm fine, Hajime…" He whispered. In any situation, even one as dire as this, Komaeda could sound calm regardless of what was going on, if baffled and out of breath.

Hinata grit his teeth. "No, you're not, look at your hand. It's scratched and bleeding, Nagito…" he huffed with anger and distinct annoyance. How could he let this happen to Komaeda?

"It's just a minor scrape, what about you, Hajime… oh no, your arm is burned!" Komaeda gasped, taking Hinata's arm softly. Hinata winced at the touch.

"It's fine…" Hinata muttered dismissively, before flinching from Komaeda's cold fingers on the burnt skin.

"It's not, Hajime… I'm so, so sorry… this is my fault…"

"Shut it, Nagito, it was my fault, why the hell would I suggest trying to make s'mores anyways… stupid, stupid…"

"Because it would have been fine if it wasn't for my luck, Hajime! What are the chances of a normally sturdy tree branch just happening to fall, right on top of the fire, but still be connected to the tree to ignite the whole thing? This is not a thing that just happens, Hajime. I did this, please don't blame yourself!"

"Your luck, right I forgot, damn…" Hinata growled with resentment at the whole thing.

The roasting tree was finally put out, and Komaeda coughed with sharp pain on the lingering smoke. "... Hajime, I wouldn't blame you if…"

Hinata sighed, and looked over to the other boy. "If what, Nagito?"

"If because of my luck… you didn't want to hang out with me anymore. I don't know why you do to begin with, really… "

Hinata grumbled, and swiftly took hold of Komaeda's shoulders. "Nagito."

"...Yes?"

Hinata brought his eyes to level with Komaeda's and stared deeply into the dull silver irises before him. "That's insulting that you'd think that. You'd done so much for me, that there's no way I could ever abandon you. I'll be here for you Nagito, all the way till the day you pass away, I promise."

Komaeda chuckled sadly. "Lucky for you, that won't be that long, haha…"

A wave of disdain washed through Hinata's body, causing him to shake with utter discomfort. "Nagito, please… don't."

"But Haj-"

"Just don't."

"...Mm."

They sat for awhile in silence, watching the firefighters move out and leave after questioning the pair and Hinata's parents. The pair were told strictly to avoid the backyard while the smoke clears out, but a handful of hours later they snuck in.

The fort was barely recognizable. There were only a few wood boards remaining in the tree, most of which were heavily burnt and decayed. Komaeda watched with puzzlement as Hinata lifted himself into the remains of the tree. Everything within it remaining was washed over with a depressing black and gray. Hinata took something from a pile of ash, which was a heavily scorched piece of paper. It was hard to make out, but he realized it was the remnants of the poster of Hope's Peak. Hinata wheezed with sorrow, looking back to the ground at the boy watching him curiously, whose hair and grey eyes blended easily with the ashen remains on the ground. He leapt back down, leaving the poster where it was.

They scanned the rest of the ashes, unable to find any of their old belongings in the rubble. The way the burnt-black tree branches jagged this way and that troubled Hinata, as it looked as if it was almost the skeletal remains of their special tree fort. Finally after giving in, Komaeda spoke up.

"Hey, Hajime?"

"Hrm?"

"The thing you had said… did you mean it?"

"What thing…?" Hinata sighed for about the fiftieth time today.

"You know… where you said you'd always stay with me?"

Hinata turned around and faced Komaeda with an adamant expression. "Of course, Nagito. I wouldn't joke about that."

"Until one of us dies?"

"Exactly."

Komaeda played with his hands, twiddling his thumbs in thought. "So what you're saying…" He muttered deep in thought… "Is a marriage proposal!" he giggled.

"Pfffffff- aaahahahaha!" Hinata didn't think it was possible to make him laugh this much in a situation like this, at the lifeless husk of a beloved childhood memory that literally went up in flames, but this was Komaeda. The pair of them snickered and laughed for a solid few minutes, amazed at how much better they already felt.

"Eheheh… oh god, Nagito..." Hinata chuckled, "You're hilarious, but… although I'm sure we're not getting married right now, heh, there's one thing I do know…"

"Hehe… what would that be?"

Hinata swooped Komaeda in for a sudden surprise kiss, taking Komaeda completely off guard. "That I love you, Nagito." he finished.

"Ha… h-hajime… you…?" Komaeda blushed profusely, unsure how to respond.

"You heard me." Hinata offered a reassuring smile.

All at once, all the feelings about Hinata that Komaeda attempted to ignore before flooded through his mind like a tidal wave through a shattered dam. "W...well I'm sorry, Hajime, but… I-I love you too!" he stuttered shakily and awkwardly.

Hinata smirked. "Why are you sorry about that?"

"B...because I-I could never… never deserve…"

"Nah, Nagito. You've got that wrong."

Komaeda looked around with disdain. "But Hajime, our tree fort-"

"It sucks, yes, but I don't need the tree fort to be happy, Nagito."

"Eh…?"

"You're all I need to be happy."

The pair closed in for another kiss, this one longer and more soothing than the first. They pulled apart sharing a grin. The pair smiled together, standing tall in the ashen ruins of their closest shared memories, knowing as long as they had one another, there will always be more memories to make, together.