Commission for @softfuzzyships [Tumblr, you jerk-] of their OT3 w/ Komaeda and Hinata!
If you enjoy this, maybe consider commissioning me?
tw for: self harm mentions
Breathe in, to the point the lungs ached...breathe out again, feeling the swift release that followed. The sun was slowly making its way to set, Zach had been sitting on the beach for a long while now, but... They couldn’t find it in themselves to move.
It had been a long, tiring day. Depression had already sapped most of their energy, but trying to do more things? The metaphorical jar was empty now. They felt empty. Staring blankly at their jean-covered thighs and arms, thinking about times that hurt.
...It’s weird to think that pain can bring relief. Shouldn’t make sense...but it did.
Tears blurred their vision and they sighed, reaching a hand up to wipe away the coming tears. Why was this even coming back now? They’d been doing better, right? No more hurt, no more sneaking off to get the distracting, oddly pleasant pain....
So why did their heart hurt? Why were these thoughts coming back? Weren’t they getting better? It was so....frustrating!!!
A soft rustling sounded off someone had come walking over, Zach hesitantly looking for the shoes next to them. No shoes, but a familiar pair of slacks... Hajime. He probably took off his shoes before coming down the beach. Their eyes moved away from the sight, frowning a little. Hajime waited a moment more, before eventually seating himself into the sand when he realized Zach wasn’t going to comment on his sudden appearance.
“...Nagito has been looking for you,” he says, quietly.
“Yeah?”
“Mhm.” Zach can see him nod in the faint corners of their vision. They don’t know if they want to look at him or not. “He got pretty worried, but... I figured we’d find you on one of these beaches, eventually.” Okay, they have to admit...Zach gives a snort at that one, much to Hajime’s amusement.
“...Where is he?”
“I told him to go back home, but he’ll probably come running over here in no time,” he says, saying his head. Zach finally looks at him then, if only to stare at the waving ahoge in the wind, shaken about by Hajime. “You know how he is.”
“Mhm.”
It’s quiet for awhile more. The sound of the waves, the wind rushing in their ears... Even a few seagulls cry out in the growing colors of the sunset. Zach’s still blankly staring at Hajime’s ahoge before realizing that they’re being stared at.
“...What?”
“Zach...are you alright?” Their heart seemed to freeze, then. A chill running through their veins. Do they admit to it? It’s okay to, right? It’s one of those days when the doubt seeps in... “Hey, it’s okay... C’mere.”
They didn’t even realize when the control slipped. Tears bubbling up despite fussing over “inconveniencing others” and the old self-harm thoughts... Still, Hajime pulled them into a hug, Zach half-leaning into it...before their mind started working again, arms slowly wrapping around their boyfriend.
“...Just...remembering when I used to self-harm,” they admitted quietly. “Don’t know why, but... Kinda messed me up. I’ve been doing so well and to have them come back, it’s..... I don’t know.” They sniffed, curling closer to Hajime as his warm lips pressed against Zach’s forehead comfortingly.
“I see...but it’s okay to think about that, you know. I mean, I’ve known you long enough to know you can’t help it sometimes. You’re your own worst enemy sometimes, but... Isn’t that why Nagito and I are here?” He laughs softly, only stopping when more footsteps approach. Zach can see enough to watch thin, pale arms encircle their waist, smiling a little wider at another familiar sight.
Perhaps it’s his luck, but Nagito has joined in, right on time.
“I know I’m not the best at it,” he pipes in, voice clearly heard with his chin resting on Zach’s shoulder, “but Hajime is right! We’re here to help comfort you no matter what.”
“If you need a distraction or just want to talk,” Hajime agrees, nodding a little. Zach can only laugh shakily, feeling tears well up in their eyes as they hug him a little tighter. Feeling and absorbing the warmth and comfort of not only the setting sun, but of the two warm bodies around them. The safety, feeling treasured....
“So... It’s okay the thoughts came back...?”
“Of course it is,” Nagito says, a pouty tone entering his voice. “After all, I’m the same... No, we’re the same! Hajime and I do our best, but we think dark thoughts, too! But it’s okay... We don’t act on them and we have help in each other. That kind of hope is stronger than any other, I’d say.” He’s awfully pleased with himself by the end of that sentence and it’s by feeling alone Zach knows Hajime is rolling his eyes.
“You’re right, but that doesn’t make you right,” Hajime says, shaking his head before leaning forward. Zach gasps when they hear a kiss noise, sitting up straighter and pouting. Nagito’s face lights up like the sun itself, while Hajime bursts into laughter.
“I-I want kisses!!!” They demand, only making Hajime laugh more. He couldn’t-!! It was too cute! What the heck!!!!!
“Anything for you,” Nagito hums happily, kissing Zach with a smile on his lips. Even when he pulls away, letting their foreheads touch for a little longer. “Hajime... I know that was cute, but please. Zach needs your kisses, too!!”
“Mhm! It’d be a crime if you didn’t!” Zach agrees, nodding enthusiastically. It still takes Hajime a moment, but he does eventually sit back up straight, saying, “Well, geez, alright... Wouldn’t want to be caught by the kisses police. I hear they’re tough.”
“The toughest around,” Nagito agrees with a nod, watching with a smile when Zach gets their well-deserved kiss from a still-barely-grinning Hajime. He’s seconds away from laughing again, the goof.
“...Thanks,” they murmur at last, moving around in the sand so one arm can loop around Hajime’s, with the other wrapping around Nagito’s arm. “Um, but why was Nagito looking for me...?”
“Oh!!!” Nagito goes wide-eyed again, straightening up. “That’s right! The mail finally came in!! Hajime and I each have a 3DS now! We can all play that animal villager game together, now!!!”
“Oh, Animal Crossing?! You guys got it???”
“Yes!!” And so the trio left the beach not long later, Zach excitedly ready to see how their boyfriends would build their town, create their character....only to find out they’d bought the system. And not the game with the system.
...This is why internet connections are a useful invention. As well as the distraction providing the perfect closure for the end of such a mentally tiring day. Can’t be too upset with your boyfriends being rather thrilled over the prospect of running a town with cute animal friends, right?
