Chapter Text
An entire week passed with no serious complications. Hajime learned how to start a fire and shoot a bow and arrow, as well as less-practical tasks like carving soap and weaving friendship bracelets. Nagito seemed happier, or at least more content. He still didn’t eat breakfast or lunch, but he would join Hajime and the others in the dining hall for dinner and occasionally slip his hand under the table and rest it on Hajime’s. It was a weird, unofficial relationship that nobody acknowledged, including Hajime and Nagito themselves. Just silent hand-holding and shared smiles across the dinner table.
When dinner ended on Friday, Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi let them know that they would be at the bonfire for a bit. Hajime and Nagito opted to just stay home by themselves, which didn’t seem to bother anyone.
The cabin was lit dimly with the overhead fan and sun setting in the south. Warm, orange light filled the room and blanketed over the hardwood floor and ceiling. Nagito yawned and stretched his arms out like a cat, humming and sitting back in bed. Hajime climbed down and sat next to him.
“What’s up?” Hajime asked, leaning over on Nagito’s shoulder.
“Nothing.” He pulled his sweater sleeves over his hands, sighing.
“Don’t you ever get hot in those clothes? I mean, I’ve literally never seen you wear a T-shirt. It’s summer, Nagito!” Hajime pushed him lightly. Nagito shook his head fondly.
“I just don’t feel comfortable in something that shows so much skin.”
“That’s okay. I mean, I get it. But if you feel comfortable, you can always wear a t-shirt when it’s just us. I don’t care, I won’t judge you or anything.”
Nagito took a long, deep breath.
“Can we kiss again?” He whispered, barely audible. “I mean, o-only if you want to! Aha, what am I saying, of course you don’t want to, I’m so sorry for saying that it was immature of me please feel free to-!”
Hajime cut him off with a kiss, cupping his face with his hands. Nagito relaxed his shoulders, melting into Hajime’s embrace and hooking his arms under Hajime’s.
“God, are you sure you haven’t done this before?” Hajime whispered under his breath.
“Of course I haven’t.” Nagito whispered back.
“Okay, well, you’re really good at it.” Hajime mumbled, brushing his hands over Nagito’s neck gently. “Like, really good at it.”
“Sorry…”
“Don’t be. I- I like it.”
Hajime leaned in and kissed him again, their foreheads bumping together. Nagito sighed contentedly, pale eyelashes fluttering closed. Hajime pulled away, and he opened his eyes again.
“Do you wear lip gloss?” Hajime chuckled.
“Chapstick.” Nagito admitted. “Is that bad?”
“No, just… didn’t expect it. What flavor is that?”
“Um, peaches and cream.”
“Jesus Christ, Nagito.”
“Don’t use the Lord’s name in vain.”
“Oh, um, sorry…”
“I’m kidding, Hajime.”
Nagito giggled and went back to kissing him, tangling his hands in his hair. Hajime dropped his hands down to Nagito’s waist, pushing him back on the bed so that his head rested on the pillows. He looked up at Hajime with a concerned expression.
“S-sorry, should I-?”
“No, keep going.” Nagito confirmed, nodding his head.
“Okay, cool…”
Hajime lowered himself back onto the other, pushing his hair out of his face and resting his thumbs on his cheeks. Nagito hummed happily into Hajime’s lips, giggling lightly at the hair tickling his eyes. Hajime laughed, too, biting his lip and going back to kissing Nagito gently.
***
Hajime sighed, packing his toothbrush back into his duffel bag. He was wearing one of Nagito’s turtlenecks, since all of his shirts were packed away. He was apprehensive about wearing the garment, especially because it looked so expensive, but Nagito insisted that he keep it.
“You know, I never thought I’d say it, but I kinda wish I was staying longer.” Hajime admitted, smiling awkwardly at Nagito, who was leaning on the doorframe of the bathroom.
“Hm.”
“What’s up, Nags? You seem down.”
“I’m just feeling weird.” Nagito sighed. “Camp is going to be boring without you here.”
Hajime leaned in and ruffled his hair.
“You’re gonna miss me that much?”
Nagito scoffed.
“Yeah, is that so surprising?” He let out a deep breath, taking Hajime’s hands in his own. “Who am I going to talk to about Sparkle! Magic Kitty Girls?”
“Well, my sister probably wouldn’t mind that.” Hajime bumped their foreheads together. “And for the record, neither would I. We can still text, you know.”
“My parents are probably going to end up taking that away when they find out.”
“So we’ll use a different messaging app.”
“And when they find that one?”
“We’ll do something else. Write letters.”
“You think you can write letters for a whole year?”
“For you, maybe.”
Nagito shook his head, chuckling. He bit his lip and smiled, gazing up at Hajime and pressing a kiss to his lips. Hajime hummed contentedly, hooking his arms around Nagito’s waist and pulling him in tighter.
“It’s only a year. And it’s not like we won’t ever talk.” Hajime assured him.
“What if you meet a boy at school?”
“Then I’ll say to him, ‘Sorry, sir, but I have a handsome, funny, charming boyfriend already that I have to see this summer.’”
“What if he’s funnier and handsomer and charming-er than me?”
“Not possible.”
“Well, I trust you, Hajime.” Nagito smiled. “I’m going to miss you so much.”
“I know. I’m going to miss you, too.”
Hajime leaned in and bumped the tips of their noses together.
“Ugh, stop with that!” Kazuichi interrupted them, throwing a sock in Hajime’s direction. He had swung open the bathroom door and was practically fuming out of his ears. Nagito pulled away, embarrassed, his hands clasped in front of him. Fuyuhiko peeked through the doorway, standing on his toes to get a better view.
“What?” Hajime whined.
“We’re here, too, asshole!” Fuyuhiko shouted. “What about us?”
“What about you? Do you guys want kisses, too?”
“No, man!” Kazuichi shook his head. “What we want is a proper goodbye from our soul-bro!”
“Dude, soul-bro is dumb.” Fuyuhiko hissed.
“No it isn’t!” Kazuichi hissed back. “Soul friends sounds like a hippie band! Or a gay porno!”
Hajime leaned in and hugged both of them individually. Fuyuhiko grimaced, and Kazuichi smiled widely, patting his back.
“Text?” Kazuichi asked.
“Of course, man.” Hajime responded. “My mom and my brother are waiting at the gate, if you want to come meet them.”
“Nah, we’re good.” Fuyuhiko grabbed Kazuichi’s arm and shook his head. “Take your boyfriend.”
“I’d be glad to join.” Nagito smiled. Hajime took his hand.
***
“Hajime!”
A small woman in scrubs came running towards him, enveloping him in a hug. Her hair was tied low on her back in a ponytail, her green eyes wrinkled at the edges. She had a nice face, one that Nagito wanted to imagine his birth mother had. She kissed Hajime on the cheeks and ruffled his hair.
“Ugh, mom!” Hajime laughed, pushing her off.
“What, I can’t be excited to see my baby boy after so long?” She pouted. Nagito noticed her accent; very subtle, but noticeable if you paid enough attention to it.
“Oh, who is this?” She stared over at Nagito, who waved politely.
“Hajime, do you see that?” She smiled knowingly, and Hajime flushed red. She walked over to Nagito, holding out her hand. He took it, bowing his head.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Hinata.”
“You’re so polite, aren’t you? What’s your name?”
“Nagito Komaeda, ma’am.”
“Wow, Hajime.” She smiled. Hajime covered his face in his hands. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, too, Nagito. I take it you’re Hajime’s boyfriend?”
“U-um…”
“I’m only kidding, now.” She ruffled Nagito’s hair. “Come, Izuru, say hi.”
A boy around Hajime’s age walked out from behind her, phone in hand. His dark hair was pulled into a messy bun, his red eyes empty and bored. He looked up from his screen to nod in Nagito’s direction, immediately going back to whatever he was doing. Hajime’s mother clicked her tongue at him.
“Sorry about him, niño.” She sighed. “Come on, boys, we have to leave soon!”
Hajime and Izuru rushed to her side. She sighed and nodded, clicking her car keys. She turned around and waved to Nagito, walking back to the side of the road. Izuru followed her, but Hajime stayed put.
“I guess I’ll see you next summer?” Hajime smiled. Nagito nodded.
“Yeah. See you.” Nagito handed him a tube of chapstick, which he quickly applied to his lips and shoved in his pocket.
Hajime reached around and hugged Nagito.
Hajime quickly leaned in and kissed his lips, running to his mom’s car and waving goodbye over his shoulder. Nagito watched as the car drove away, Hajime waving frantically out the window to him.
“Bye, Nagito!”
Nagito waved back, pressing his other hand to his lips gently and tracing over where Hajime had kissed him. It tasted like peaches and cream.
“Bye, Hajime!"