rebirth. [danganronpa oneshots] DISCONT.

chimukuro // safe space.

{ og post date: february 14th, 2021. sfw. word count: 1,394. }

~

gray clouds were brewing up in the sky as chihiro looked out the window, hand gripping onto the curtain he'd soon draw to hide the incoming storm. he hated it when it rained, the thunder and lightning frightened him and made him believe he was in danger. it wasn't like he could control this irrational fear, he'd much prefer to be able to enjoy storms like his sister, chiaki - that won't happen anytime soon, however.

hearing footsteps, chihiro let go of the curtain and turned towards the direction where his bedroom door was, open and anticipating someone to loom in the doorway. as expected, mukuro stopped in her tracks stiffly; in her hand was a glass of water, a lemon slice sunken to the bottom of the cup. "your father insisted i have fruit in my drink." she started, her face void of an expression. he assumed she didn't want the lemon.

"that's how some people drink their water, does it taste good?" asked chihiro, as he strolled to his bed and held his hands in front of him.
"it's... different, and gross." she set the glass down on his desk, an indicator that she would purposely forget about it and never touch it again. that's what chihiro likes about mukuro, she doesn't go out of her way to imply anything and have him figure it out.

chihiro got on the bed and gave her a small smile. "sometimes i just ask for the slice on the side and sneak it into chiaki's water." he explained briefly of the cursed sibling dynamic they had, which made mukuro nod in interest. she doesn't have much of a noticeable relationship with her sister, junko- they never do anything worth noting, nor do they talk much with each other in or out of school. she isn't jealous of chihiro and chiaki's relationship, though, definitely not.

mukuro joined him on the bed and laid back on her side, appearing like she turned into stone once she got comfortable. despite this cold nature, chihiro could feel the heat come off her as he pressed his back against her front. there was a moment of silence before mukuro made a noise, rustled around, and pulled a plush toy out from under her. it was a squishy raccoon, one more than likely used to cuddle with.

"ah... sorry, i guess my stuffed animals are in the way," apologized chihiro, who had turned his head to see what disturbed their relaxing time. mukuro simply shook her head and put it aside, then slipped an arm around his thin waist.
"i have a few, it's okay. you do have more than me... it's impressive." she replied in a softer tone, her eyes checking out each individual toy.

the programmer took a quick glance at a random plush, bringing a hand up and running his fingertips against the fur of it. the one he touched was a white bear with a red scarf, which he appropriately named mx. pixel.
"um, well, i do have this deer-" he picked it up and showed her- "that matches with the raccoon. you can keep it, if you want."

mukuro kept a tense stare on the deer, debating whether or not to accept his offer. don't other couples own matching items, too? she's seen it before in real life and in books, maybe this will make their relationship more official. with a nod, she grabbed the deer plush then turned her torso so it was closer to the edge of the bed; she placed it down on top of a small bag she brought, so she wouldn't forget her new friend.

"thanks," mumbled mukuro, as she shifted closer to him and nuzzled her face into the back of his head. his hair smelled like his strawberry vanilla shampoo, which she noticed in the bathroom a few times whenever she went in there. the assumption she made was the scent would help add onto his femininity, and to pass more like a girl - soon she'd like to help him get out of this mindset that it is necessary to be one due to his appearance.

just as the two were relaxing once more, there was a light rumble of thunder from outside, resulting in chihiro to tense into himself. the immediate reaction caused mukuro to lift her head from the pillow under her, and check his facial expression. raised eyebrows, widened eyes, thinned lips. he was scared, this isn't surprising to her, she usued to compare him to a meek bunny rabbit whenever she first met him.

silently, she tightened her grip around him, to reassure him she was there and he was okay. even as the rain came down fast, the thunder cracked loud, the lightning flashed bright, mukuro kept both arms around the small boy. she was protecting him from what he thought would hurt him. chihiro had been breathing heavily, not acknowledging the tears that spilled from his eyes and down to the bedsheets.

he tried to focus on the burning feeling of his girlfriend securing him in her, his shaking form subtle like an earthquake. for once, he wasn't alone during a thunderstorm - there were times his dad or chiaki stayed with him, but as time went on, they didn't think he'd react this badly anymore. it was pathetic to chihiro, wanting to be strong yet being terrified of storms, he has to face his fears at some point.

another hit of lightning, followed by thunder that sounded as if someone was bashing kitchenware together to intentionally bother the neighborhood. jumping at it all, chihiro whipped around and buried himself in mukuro, wanting to hide and hide forever. he took in a deep breath, smelling mukuro's light scent similar to mud and clean towels; it wasn't bad to him but rather comforting. thinking about it, she is an outside person, so the mud made sense.

his thoughts about how she could smell like towels drowned out the ongoing storm, mukuro feeling the noticeable relaxed state of his body. regardless, she refused to let go or lessen her grip until the activity outside ceased to be extreme. her focus on being committed to her task to keep chihiro safe, or reassure him he is safe, made her lose track of time; especially when the lightning and thunder stopped, and the rain became quieter.

"mukuro?" piped up chihiro, his words muffled as his face was still in her chest. snapping out of it, she realized the change in weather and released the intense grasp on him. how long had they been there in complete silence?
"it stopped. how are you feeling, chihiro?" she asked and pulled away in order to see his face. a calm look replaced the previous expression, which was a good sign.

he smiled to show he was better than before, slowly lifting himself up and leaning all his weight onto his elbow. "sleepy, once i covered my face i felt as though i wasn't here, but in a good way. like my brain didn't recognize what the heck a storm is," stated chihiro, as he made unsure faces since he did not know how to properly explain what he felt. whatever happened had helped him.
"i sort of experienced the same. i was so keen on comforting you that i clocked out of reality."

"really?" he asked, glancing past her shoulder to see what time it was. "it must've been going on for a while, it's close to supper time! come on, let's go see if my dad is out there." wiggling his way out of bed, he hopped to his feet and tugged on the cuff of mukuro's jeans. she rolled over on her back then sat up, her hair just as messy as chihiro's; the pair would possibly be mistaken for just waking up from a nap.

the rain eventually did come to a wrap as dinner went on, mukuro more-so focused on that than whatever conversation was happening between the family. chihiro noticed her staring at the nearest window and found it cute, like she was a guard who watches out for him and will carry him away from any threat. what's nice is taichi liked mukuro, mainly since she was an introvert like the three of them, but because she is someone reliable. as chiaki says, she's a keeper.