orphan | komahina

9

i sat on the hard, uncomfortable bed, trying my hardest to stop sobbing. i was forced into the basement just when i thought i was going to get out of here. i was foolish to think there was even a small chance of escape.

my throat was killing me and my head was pounding. i wanted to sleep. i needed to sleep. but this bed was so painful to lay down on. it was probably nicer on the floor. besides, i was terrified that a rat or a spider was going to crawl on me if i did manage to get even a wink of sleep.

i sighed and just tried to accept the fact that i'd be pulling an all nighter down here. an all nighter doing absolutely nothing in this cold, eerie basement. this is going to be a long night.

i started to cautiously look around to see if there was some old junk down there to entertain myself with. i thought maybe i'd find some old toys or some books or something. i'd been looking for about ten minutes when i heard the door rattle. probably a draft.

i continued rooting through the boxes until i heard it rattle again. and this time, the door was opened. what if it's a caretaker? am i making too much noise?

i stood frozen in my place, too terrified to even take a breath. i felt like my inevitable demise was just around the corner. please don't yell at me, i've had enough of that tonight.

"nagito?" i heard a hushed voice call. to my joy and surprise hajime entered my line of sight, the last person i expected to see down here. is this a dream? or a hallucination? has this place finally made me lose my mind?

"are you okay?" he asked gently as he jogged over to me. he put his hands on my upper arms and gazed into my eyes as he waited patiently for a response. i could have lied. but what was the point? i shook my head and i could feel tears stinging my eyes once more.

"how come you're here?" i asked with a shaky breath.

"i'm going to be staying here a few nights. it's part of my work experience." this started to seem a lot less like the work of my brain. this was real. he was really here. i may not know this guy well but i'm glad someone's here. especially someone as nice as him.

"i couldn't really sleep. i was still wide awake when i heard a commotion outside. when i went out to investigate it i saw byakuya dragging you to this room. luckily he left the key in the door so when he finally left i came down to see how you were." thank god he was stupid and left the key behind. otherwise hajime wouldn't have been standing there at that moment.

"why did he put you in here?" i shook my head, not having the energy to talk about it. he just gave me a small smile and nodded in understanding.

"you don't wanna talk about it. that's fine. and he expects you to sleep down here? in this dump?" i nodded.

"for how long?" i shrugged my shoulders. the original threat made a while ago was one night, but given the fact that i punched mondo and also attempted to leave the orphanage, it would probably be longer than that.

"well...i can't help you out the days i'm not here but i can help you tonight." i stared at him in confusion as he began to walk away from me.

"come with me. and be quiet." he whispered to me. what was his plan? what were his intentions? i saw no harm in following him however and proceeded to follow his order, making sure i was extra careful when i took my steps.

cautiously we left the room, hajime closing the door behind him but not putting the wood in the hole as not to alert the caretakers. he led me away from the dreaded basement and i tentatively followed his every move. together we walked up the stairs, terrified that they would creak as soon as i placed my feet upon them.

we reached the halfway point of the staircase and manoeuvred our way through a corridor lined with several rooms. a lot of them seemed to be empty for some reason. hajime stopped at the one at the very end and presented a key that he pulled from his pocket. as quickly and as quietly as he could he placed the key in the keyhole and opened the door, instantly telling me to go inside. i did as he asked, entering the room with no hesitation and watching him close and lock the door behind him.

"you can sleep in here tonight. i'm sorry this is all i can do." he acted like it was a small favour but it meant the world to me. even if it was just for tonight, that's one less night i have to spend in a dingy dark basement with vermin and creepy crawlies.

"thank you so much, really...but where will you sleep?" i queried. he looked down at the floor, seemingly a little embarrassed.

"well my beds a double, so i just figured we would share it. unless that makes you uncomfortable." i wasn't quite sure why but i found my face getting hot at the suggestion. should i be uncomfortable with this?

"it's totally fine! besides, i have no right to complain when you willingly got me out of there at the risk of getting yourself in trouble." he walked over to the bed and sat down on what i was assuming was his side.

"i knew something was wrong. and i didn't want to ignore it. i couldn't sleep knowing you were stuck down there." i beamed at him, not sure how to show my immense gratitude.

"so uh...where are your night clothes?" shit.

"they're in the bathroom upstairs...the one next to my dorm room. i'll go get them-"

"don't." hajime grabbed my wrist tightly, preventing me from leaving.

"it's too risky. you can see if some of mine will fit you." given the fact that i was slightly taller than hajime, i was worried about his clothes being short on me. better than nothing i guess.

time skip

"i don't think i can wear these." hajime couldn't stop himself from letting out a little giggle.

"that shirt looks like a crop top on you. you make it work though." it was a silly compliment that was obviously a joke but it made my heart skip a beat anyway. ridiculous.

"your night clothes don't fit me and mine are upstairs...what do i do?"

"i guess you have to sleep in what you're wearing now...but you could always sleep in your underwear." hajime responded, still laughing a little. his comment made my face turn hot once more. please don't notice.

"u-um...are you okay with that?" i inquired nervously. he looked over at me with slightly widened eyes.

"uh...i was joking but if you want to sleep in your underwear then that's fine by me. those clothes look uncomfortable anyway." i felt like an absolute fool. i tried my best to hide my flustered face. i'm acting like such an idiot right now.

"yeah...they are uncomfortable." why did i say that?! all hajime did was smile at me, switch the light off and then get into bed since he was already in his night clothes. i stood at the side of the bed awkwardly, not quite sure what to do.

"don't worry, i can't see you." i let out a sigh of relief and with that removed my clothing apart from my boxers. i don't want him to see me like this, i'm hideous.

once i was done i carefully got into the bed beside him, trying not to touch and disturb him. i lay down, resting my head on the soft pillow. this bed is way more comfortable than mine.

"goodnight." hajime called sweetly. his kindness and generosity brought a smile to my face.

"night."