On the Beach at Night [Nagito x Reader]

Chapter 23: Destroy

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Nagito had planned out all the different scenarios in his head a million times before. It was supposed to be a freakish accident, or something out of his control. Best case scenario, she would have left him for somebody better and moved on to live a happy life. She was always going to leave him, he was so sure of that. Losing everything and everyone he ever cared about was a constant in his life. But why did it happen like this?

He watched helplessly as she let herself fall, smiling as she lifted her toes off the ledge. He wanted to reach out to her, but instead he was frozen in place. His knees buckled underneath him, and he crumbled to the floor, gasping for air. There was a tightness in his chest that made it feel like his heart might implode. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to hold it together, but instead he just choked on what might have been a sob if he was able to produce tears. But there were none. He replayed the scene of her final moment in his head over and over. Her smile looked so tranquil, like she had fully accepted her decision and was trying to reassure him everything was okay.

He couldn't help but wonder if there was something he could have done differently to stop her. If he just ran a little faster or said something differently. Maybe he could have reacted quicker or held onto her tighter before she could even try to run away. It almost felt as if this wasn't a result of bad luck. He felt like he had control over the outcome. He could have stopped her, but he didn't. Completely and utterly useless.

By now, he expected to be hearing the screams of bystanders. The paramedics would be on their way. Part of him wanted walk closer to the edge. To see her one last time, even if she looked like an tiny speck on the pavement. He shakily picked himself up off the ground and dragged himself over to the ledge. Each step he took made his stomach turn and he resisted the urge to start dry-heaving at the thought of seeing her lifeless body from above.

There was nothing. The sidewalk was busy with pedestrians, scurrying along to their destinations like a colony of ants. There was no ambulance, no sirens, no screams. No (Y/N). She was gone without a trace. The only thing Nagito could do was laugh, even though nothing about the situation was humorous. His body convulsed as he laughed hysterically, making his lungs ache as they pushed out every last bit of air.

He almost didn't notice that the partly-clouded blue sky above him had darkened. It wasn't the dark color of storm clouds. It looked as if the clouds were made out of black tar. The air was thick with smoke and ashes fell like snowflakes. The buildings around him had been reduced to rubble, and whatever was left standing was up in flames. The world had transformed to total chaos in just a blink of an eye. The only building that remained untouched was the one he was currently standing on. But that didn't last for long. He felt the foundation shaking beneath him. Hope's Peak Academy was crumbling right under his feet. All he could do was close his eyes and think of her one more time. Her last smile. It was inviting him.

--

Heavy. Everything felt heavy. He was pinned down by the rubble of the building, but he felt no pain. Using all the strength he could muster, he pulled himself out from underneath the wreckage. He looked down to see he was now wearing something different than he remembered. It was a familiar green jacket, coupled with a t-shirt and black jeans. Across from him stood a figure that he almost didn't recognize behind the sporadic red pixels that were flashing all over it.

"World destruction complete." He heard the person say. Almost instantly, the chaotic world around him changed to an empty white room. Calling it a room might have been the wrong word choice, because as far as he could tell, there were no walls. It was just endless white. Now he could clearly see the face standing before him. It only took a second before everything became clear.