Worthy of Love (Hajime Hinata x Reader Fanfiction)

Chapter 4

  It turned out that Hajime was an absolute god at arcade games. You expected him to have some previous experience, but his ability blew you away.

  "And you say you have no talent. Look at that!" you exclaimed as you watched him perfectly time the multi-ball drop machine, winning the jackpot. Virtual tickets were awarded to a credit-card-esque game pass you obtained beforehand.

  "Once you know the trick, it's pretty easy. These machines are the same no matter where you go." The flashing lights of the machine reflected in his eyes. "Do you come to arcades often?"

  "Every now and then. I usually only come with friends, if they want to go."

  "I like to come here a lot. It's pretty relaxing."

  You looked around at the colossal, vibrant machines, emitting loud noises and being swarmed by crowds of all ages. "You and I must have very different definitions of 'relaxing', then."

  "I guess so." He laughed. "Alright, we've got enough tokens for one more game. What do you want?"

  The two of you had already cleared a majority of the machines in the arcade, so your options were limited. Taking note of the few tokens you had left, you decided to settle on a simple claw machine to finish up.

  "Let's do a claw machine."

  You led him to one of the many varieties of machines. Inside the glass box was a heap of stuffed animals, pillows, bags, and other little trinkets. You scanned the pile to find the most optimal prize.

  "Find something you like?" Hajime stood next to you.

  "Yeah. I'm looking at that keychain. You see it?" You pressed your index finger against the glass, pointing to the object as best as you could. The keychain was a simple navy blue leather tassle and you found it much preferable to the school-issued heavy baton keychain that was currently attached to your dorm key. The chain was encased in a plastic box, making it a bit easier to pick up.

  "Risky." Hajime smiled. "A smaller target is definitely going to be harder."

  "Well, I'll try my best." You swiped the card in a terminal on the machine to begin. Above the terminal was a joystick and a descension button.

  A little introduction jingle played, then the claw was free for movement. You placed your right hand on the joystick and hovered your left above the button, your eyes darting between the claw and the object of interest. Hajime moved to stand behind you.

  The claw swayed as you moved it to line up with your target. You craned your neck this way and that to see it from all angles, making little adjustments to the position. "Is it lined up?" you asked quietly, wanting a second opinion.

  "It is," Hajime said with an unexpected amount of confidence. His demeanor gave you more hope.

  "Okay." You took a few moments to allow the claw to stop swaying so much, then pressed the descent button with your left hand.

  "Keep it down." Hajime's left hand suddenly landed on top of your own, forcing your hand to stay where it was. His posture somewhat mimicked yours and he had to stand close to you to reach the button.

  "Wh-what?" Your initial reaction was to pull away, but his sudden strength and a quick realization as to what he was doing stopped you from retreating. His hand was strong, but not frightening. Warmth from it seeped into you and your heartrate immediately skyrocketed in response. His face hovered next to yours and his steady breathing was clear in your ear. You saw his reflection in the glass, staring at his determined eyes focused on the machine.