Grey Beach (Hajime Hinata x Fem! Reader x Nagito Komaeda)

Afraid

The second I stepped into the old building, I was greeted by Byakuya standing in front of me with folded arms.

"Um... hello?" I greeted, confused as to why he was standing there. Hajime entered a few seconds later, looking equally confused.

"I have to body check you guys before you enter," he explained. I turned to Hajime and shot him a confused look.

"I'll go first," he offered, and I watched as the blonde boy patted him down. Next it was my turn, and after a few brief pats we were both clear to go to the party room.

"Komaeda-Kun did an awesome job decorating this place!" Hajime declared as soon as we entered. He was right-- the room was spotless, decorated appropriately with multiple tables covered in white table cloth. But it wasn't the time to marvel at the room- I had to find out a way to foil Komaeda's plan, whatever it may be.

Seconds later, Byakuya entered the room and assigned Chiaki and Peko to be on lookout for Monokuma and Fuyuhiko. Once we were decided, Teruteru carted in some food and the party began.

"Hey, (y/n)-chan," Hajime called, holding a glass of orange juice in his hand. I turned to him and met concerned eyes, accompanied by upturned eyebrows. "Are you alright? You seem worried about something."

I glanced over at Komaeda, who was eyeing me suspiciously. "Yeah! I'm fine! Don't worry!"

Hajime patted me on the head, causing my face to flush slightly pink. "Then loosen up a bit, 'k? It's a party, let's try to enjoy ourselves."

"You're right," I agreed with a small smile. I grabbed a cup of my own beverage and joined in a conversation with him, Mahiru, and Nekomaru.

Suddenly, the lights flickered off. Angry and confused shouts filled the room, as it seemed like a fuse blew out. I felt someone grab me by the hand, pulling me closer to them. My heart thumped, but thankfully that was all that happened to me. We heard shouts and shuffling, though the power came back to life mere minutes later.

Once I could see again, I realized that it was Hajime who pulled me closer to him. I turned bright red, and he also became embarrassed. "Sorry (y/n)-chan... I was just worried you were going to get hurt, is all."

"No, t-thank you," I mumbled nervously in response. However, our slightly intimate moment came to a screeching halt. Screams filled the room, as everyone's attention was focused on something underneath a back table. We ran over, and what we discovered was downright horrifying.

Byakuya was lying face down in a pool of his own blood, clearly not breathing. I fell to the ground in shock, letting out a loud gasp. Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes. It's all my fault.

The monitors flickered on as Monokuma explained the concept of the class trial. We had a short period of time to investigate the scene before it occurred. I wobbled up to my feet, bracing myself on a nearby table for balance. Everything was going so well... how could this have happened?

After a short period of time, I found myself inside the trial room. Komaeda admitted to committing the crime, which put us all in disbelief. Ultimately, it was determined that Komaeda did not kill him (despite attempting to) and that Teruteru was the true murderer. We all watched in horror as he was executed, bringing the number of us on the island down by one. And with that, the class trial was finished.

By the time we were free to go, it was already the middle of the night. Once I went back to my cottage to lay down, I couldn't sleep for the life of me. I tossed and turned, scarred by the events today. I couldn't help but beat myself up over the trial; it was my fault Byakuya was dead. Sighing, I walked out onto the porch of my cottage, sitting on the railing overlooking the pool. I wasn't worried about someone finding me; if I was killed, then so be it.

"(Y/n)-chan... what are you doing?" A voice yelled. I turned to my right and saw Hajime out on his porch, a concerned look on his face. I waved wordlessly, though his expression remained unaltered. "It's 3 am, shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I could ask you the same thing," I murmured in reply, kicking my legs underneath me. Despite feigning happiness, I felt like bursting into tears. Hajime sighed and hopped over his porch railing, then hopping over mine.

"Don't worry, there's no way I'm gonna hurt you," he assured me as he sat next to me. "What's keeping you up?"

"The trial..." I murmured in reply. "I don't know if I should be telling you this, but I caught Komaeda-Kun when he was putting the knife under the table. He pulled it on me and threatened to hurt me if I told anyone, so I didn't. I feel like... it's all my fault..."

"Shhhh, no no no no no," he whispered, though it was too late. Tears began to stain the ground. He pulled me into an embrace, calming me down slightly. He smelled fragrantly of the ocean, which made my heart race. "It's ok. It's not your fault."

"I... I'm so sorry," I giggled slightly as he pulled away, and I wiped my tears with my sleeve. He merely shook his head dismissively.

"Don't apologize, (y/n)-chan. You can't blame yourself for this. It's only Teruteru's and Komaeda's faults. You were afraid, and anyone would have done the same thing if put in your situation."

"I-I guess," I nodded in agreement. We sat there for a few more minutes, focused intently on the stars, before Hajime had to head back into his cottage. I followed suit, lulling into a restful sleep as soon as I lied down in my bed.

((Sorry this chapter was more Hajime focused. it'll be different next chapter. I just love him.

PS this is the best story I've ever written, at least in my opinion, so please show it some love.  It motivates me so much.  I love you guys))