On the Beach at Night [Nagito x Reader]

Chapter 22: Clouds

Nagito couldn't help but worry about (Y/N). Something about her was off. Like showing up at his door uninvited with evidence of recent tears still lingering on her face. Or the sadness in her voice whenever she spoke. Any attempt she made to mask it only made it more noticeable. Their conversation about dreams also seemed out of the ordinary compared to their usual topics. He tried not to read too much into it, but he couldn't help but let his mind wander to the possibility that there was some deeper meaning behind it. Was she having dreams lately? Nightmares, maybe? He felt almost guilty because the idea of her mind being plagued by some sort of despair was comforting to him. It meant he wasn't alone. He thought that maybe he could open up to her a little more, but he quickly brushed that thought away.

Don't scare her away, he repeated over and over in his head. But why was this time different? He was used to scaring people away. His luck cycle had taken so much away from him that he found it hard to mourn the losses anymore. Instead, everything bad in his life just felt like another inevitable occurrence. Another opportunity for hope to shine brighter. But for some reason, the thought of losing her felt so...hopeless. So much that he didn't want to imagine it any longer. He knew she would be gone from him sooner or later, but he decided for now to enjoy every second he had with her. He just hoped that whatever unlucky circumstances eventually tore them apart would at least end well for her.

His pondering was interrupted by the shivering body that was seated next to him on the park bench. He felt (Y/N) lean her head against his shoulder, slowly sliding one of her arms through the unzipped opening of his jacket and around his torso, clinging to him for warmth. He could feel her cold hand against his back, causing him to shudder for a moment.

"It's colder out than I expected," she spoke through clattering teeth. "It's not supposed to be winter yet."

"Let's go somewhere else then?" he suggested.

"S-sure. Any ideas?"

"Well..." he hesitated, "I still really want to hear you play music, if I'm being honest." Her expression looked pained for a moment before she lightened up.

"I guess I could do that...I think the music hall should be empty this weekend."

--

It wasn't a long way back to the academy and the warmth of being indoors was welcoming. They finally made it to the music hall, which was empty as expected. (Y/N) was silent almost the entire way there, which Nagito felt a bit responsible for. She didn't seem too excited at the idea of playing in front of him, but she insisted it was fine. Still, she held his hand as they walked, unsure if it was because she really wanted to or if she was just cold. She led him up on the stage where the piano was located off to the side. He stood there, unknowing if he should sit next to her on the bench, but she turned her head up at him slightly, eyeballing the empty space beside her.

"I'm not really good at playing in front of other people, so I'll probably mess up a lot. I'm sorry...." her voice trailed off, but before he could respond, she began playing. The melody was cool and crisp, almost like the frosty winter air. Her playing was gentle and reserved, but there was a certain sorrowful sound afflicting it. It was almost nostalgic to him, even though there were no memories to go along with it. Nagito closed his eyes for a moment to fully take in the sound, letting it wash over him like a cold shower.

"That was Chopin." he said as soon as she finished playing. "Nocturne?"

"Yes, do you like Chopin?" her eyes lit up for a moment.

"I..." he tripped on his words. He had no knowledge of classical music; it never even interested him. He maybe could recognize some familiar pieces, but there was no way he could know them by name, let alone the composer's name. So why did he know this one? "I don't really know."