Fanfiction: Nagito Komaeda Makes Everyone Uncomfortable and Possibly Sleeps With Them All (SDR2)
About half of the scenes in this have been posted to this journal before, but the other half are brand new! I thought I'd gather together all my old Project Komaeda scenes and fill in the gaps so I could post them to AO3. Komaeda's the worst and I love him.
I was going to say 'this is the worst fic title I've ever had' and then remembered that I named my Pokémon/Merlin crossover 'Gotta Camelotch Them All'.
Title: Nagito Komaeda Makes Everyone Uncomfortable and Possibly Sleeps With Them All
Fandom: Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Rating: R
Pairing: Komaeda/everyone
Wordcount: 6,300
Summary: Komaeda gets very close to a lot of people on the island. Hinata has to see more of it than he'd like.
“Ah, Togami-kun!” Komaeda exclaims. “Here to check on the preparations for the party? I’m sure someone else could have done a better job, but I hope this is adequate.”
Togami looks around the room and nods. “This will do.”
Komaeda takes a moment to admire him. Such poise; such determination; such confidence, both in his own talent and in his ability to protect his classmates. A magnificent leader for a group of magnificent people. His hope will be a beacon for all of them.
It’s a shame that Komaeda won’t have the opportunity to see it.
Sometimes, Komaeda almost wavers in his determination to be the first victim. In part, it’s because the role is so much more than he deserves: can he really be the spark that sets everything aflame? But much of it is more selfish than that, as expected of such a base creature.
He wants to spend more time with his classmates. He wants to stand with them as they combat despair. He wants... not to sully them with his touch (it’s unforgivably egotistic, isn’t it, to think that someone as insignificant as him could somehow leave a mark on such talent?), but to allow their touch to raise him above his place in the gutter, just for a moment.
“You’re staring,” Togami says. “Although I understand the temptation.”
Komaeda laughs. “Am I? I suppose I was just admiring your resolve, Togami-kun. Everyone’s heard of the Togami heir, of course, but in person you’re even more impressive than I imagined.”
Togami looks startled, just for a moment.
“Well, of course the stories don’t do justice to the reality,” he mutters, adjusting his glasses.
It still feels strange and alien, being able to interact with such talented people. Watching them react to things he says and does. How can he be expected to stop staring?
Komaeda adjusts the fall of the cloth over the table with the knife. Is he really going to die tonight, without getting to know Togami better? Without getting to know any of them?
Well, he’ll have to see what happens. He has his luck, after all.
He’s looking forward to it.
-
Just for a moment, Hanamura doesn’t care that he’s probably lost his mind and imagined the last couple of days. He doesn’t care that, if this is real (but it can’t be, it can’t be), he’s trapped in a nightmare with a serious danger of being murdered and no idea of what’s happening back home. He doesn’t even care that he’s probably getting splinters from the lodge’s terribly-maintained wooden floor.
He doesn’t care about any of these things because he is finally, finally, finally getting laid.
Komaeda might not be Sonia, but when Hanamura made a flirtatious comment about them being alone in the lodge together he actually flirted back, and as far as Hanamura is concerned that makes him the greatest person on this island. Possibly in the world. Apart from Mom, obviously, but now really isn’t the time to be thinking about her.
His eyes fly open as he gasps and bucks into Komaeda’s hand, and - and - huh?
It’s hard to focus on anything right now, but Hanamura tries. Something isn’t right.
They’ve ended up half-under one of the tables; the tablecloth’s edge is draped heavily over Komaeda’s back, light getting in through the gap to illuminate one side of his face. The underside of the table is directly in Hanamura’s eyeline, and... why is part of it glowing green?
“Wh-” How is he meant to talk in a situation like this? “Wh - Komaeda, ah, -kun, what’s...?”
“Ah, this?” Komaeda asks breathlessly, reaching up with his free hand to tap the green glow. “This, this is just so I can find the knife.”
“Th-” but it finishes in a gasp and no, no, getting laid can actually wait for once, there are questions he really needs to ask.
“I’ll tell you about it later,” Komaeda murmurs, sounding strangely fond, and Hanamura can feel the smile in his kiss.
-
The Dark Lord seeks out his rival once the trial is concluded.
“You are a fine manipulator of humanity,” he concedes, reluctantly. “You placed your pawns with fiendish skill. Their removal from our game is a testament to your ability.”
His rival’s light laugh gives away nothing of the evil mind behind it. “Tanaka-san, you shouldn’t flatter me. I really had very little to do with it. Hinata-kun is the one you should pay attention to; did you see how he followed his hope to save you all?”
“Make no mistake; this is not a gesture of comradeship. We are enemies. You take lives to achieve your goals. I understand that beings like us must spare the lives of the petty mortals, so they can serve us when they recognise our true role as their overlords.”
His rival looks perplexed. Good; that gives the Dark Lord the power in their meeting, as it ever should be.
“A blood oath,” the Dark Lord declares. “To bind us together eternally in enmity.”
His rival hesitates. “I don’t deserve such an honour.”
“You will drink of my blood,” the Dark Lord says, holding out his arm, “and I of yours.” He gives a command. San-D scampers down from his shoulder and nips through the skin of his palm.
For a moment, silence reigns.
“Well,” his rival says, ultimately, “I don’t entirely understand, but I can’t snub an opportunity to be so close to a person of such talent.”
“An interdimensional being of such talent,” the Dark Lord corrects him.
“An interdimensional being,” his rival agrees.
-
“Oh, my God.” Souda presses a fist to his mouth. “Did you kill him? Is he dead? There’s gonna be a trial. Oh, my God, am I an accomplice?”
“He’s breathing,” Nidai says, stooping over Komaeda. “I was too violent. I should not have hit him.”
“No shit.” Souda hops from foot to foot; he couldn’t stay still right now if you promised him a tank for it. “He’s probably bleeding inside his head right now, and I’ll nudge him and he’ll die and I’ll be the one who gets executed for it, even though you’re the one who thought it was a great idea to put your fist in his face. What do we do?”
There’s a long pause.
“Well,” Souda says, eventually, “he’s definitely still weird, and he could still be dangerous, and if we’ve just got him lying here, y’know...”
So they drag him to the lodge. Nidai vanishes for a while (leaving Souda alone with Komaeda, thanks for that) and returns with assorted ropes and chains. Souda decides he doesn’t want to know where they came from.
There’s a stirring as Souda rolls Komaeda onto his side, and a groan, and then a pause. “Souda-kun?”
Oh, shit. They haven’t tied him up yet. “Knock him out again!”
Nidai shakes his head. “I should never have struck a classmate.”
“Well, you did, and we can’t change that, and to be honest it’d make things a lot easier if you just struck him again,” Souda hisses.
“I could have done permanent damage. Are you well, Komaeda?”
“He’s gonna escape!”
“Ah, you’re imprisoning me,” Komaeda murmurs. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”
Souda throws his arms up to shield his face, preparing himself for Komaeda to fight or run. Maybe he’ll just run. If they’re lucky, he’ll run.
“How did you want to tie me up?” Komaeda asks.
“Uh,” Souda says. “Tightly?”
“Just my hands and feet? Or did you want to bind my hands to my feet? Did you want to tie a bag over my head? I’d rather you didn’t. How should I lie?”
Okay, this is really creepy. Maybe fighting wouldn’t be so bad.
“Are you sure you don’t want to knock him out again?” Souda asks, pleading.
“You could choke me,” Komaeda suggests, “if Nidai-kun is unwilling.” He shrugs, as well as he can when he’s lying on his side on the floor. “I’d prefer to be free and amongst our classmates, but I could endure it for you.”
Souda shudders.
-
Komaeda’s eyes light up when he sees her. “Tsumiki-san! Someone like you came to visit me? Or” - he laughs - “I suppose you were just sent to make sure I hadn’t escaped, weren’t you? You don’t have to worry; I’m still here!”
She approaches him, a couple of small steps, although he hasn’t given her permission. “Um...”
“But, really, it’s good just to see your face,” Komaeda says. “I’m happy to be tied up if it’ll make everyone else happy, but it is a little lonely in here.”
“I - I wanted to check your bonds,” she says. “If, um, if that’s - if you don’t mind.”
There’s a bitter edge to Komaeda’s laugh. “Of course. I think they’re quite secure, but I can understand that my word isn’t worth much.”
He shifts further onto his side to give her access, and she kneels to examine the chain around his hands.
“It’s not too tight,” she says, relieved. “I was worried about your circulation.”
He twists around to look at her in surprise. “You shouldn’t waste your time worrying about me.”
She starts back. “I - I - I’m sorry!”
“But, to be honest,” he says, after a moment, “I’m happy to hear that.”
She’s encouraged by that. “R-really, you shouldn’t be trapped in here at all. You’re not getting any vitamin D from the sunlight, and it’s not, ah, it’s not good for your joints to be in the same position for so long.”
“Well,” Komaeda says, “I certainly wouldn’t complain if you decided to let me go.”
Tsumiki hesitates. “Wouldn’t... wouldn’t the others be angry?”
And there is something satisfying about having a patient who can’t leave, even if they’re usually immobilised by illness rather than ropes and chains.
But the patient’s health should come first, she knows. She shouldn’t be selfish. She’s always been a selfish girl.
“I suppose I could... ask permission,” she says, reluctantly. She’ll probably be beaten for asking, but...
“Who will you ask permission from?” Komaeda asks. “Who has authority on this island?”
“Ahem.”
Tsumiki yelps and scrambles backwards. She hates that Monobear always appears so suddenly.
“I’m here to remind you I’m in charge, as you seem to have forgotten,” Monobear says. “And I think you should let him go as soon as possible. What sort of school trip would this be without the hope Komaeda-san brings? And what sort of nurse are you, valuing your own welfare above your patient’s?”
Tsumiki bows as the bear disappears. “Y-yes!”
She drops to her knees at once and starts untying Komaeda’s legs. She can feel heat in her cheeks, and her eyes are burning with the effort of holding back tears. Monobear is right. She should be ashamed of herself. She deserves to be punished.
“He shouldn’t have said that to you,” Komaeda says, after a moment.
Tsumiki’s fingers fumble on the rope. He sounds angry. She doesn’t know what she’s done to make him angry. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re a supremely talented nurse. He has no place criticising you.”
Tsumiki ducks her head and concentrates on the knots, blushing harder than ever.
When Komaeda is free, he stands and rubs his wrists, sighing. “Thank you, Tsumiki-san.”
“Your wrists look a little raw,” she says. “I have a salve, if you’d... if you’d like.”
Komaeda smiles. “You’re very kind. Yes, thank you.”
She stands as well, bringing the little pot out of her pocket, and takes his hand in hers.
Komaeda half-closes his eyes while she’s rubbing the salve onto his wrists, but when she leans in to kiss him he stops her sharply with a hand on her shoulder.
She was wrong. She was wrong, she was wrong, she didn’t read what he wanted from her properly, she’s so stupid...
She can feel the tears creeping into her eyes again. She’s been told so many times never to cry. It’s just another way she’s always failed. “I’m not good enough.”
Komaeda’s eyes have gone hard and scary. “People have taken advantage of you. I’m not going to be one of them. There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect.”
But later she hears of his exploits with the other students on the island, and she knows she’s the only one who isn’t good enough for him.
-
Pekoyama is practising stances on the beach when she becomes aware that she isn’t alone. She turns sharply. Komaeda.
Pekoyama looks him up and down. “You’ve been released. Or did you escape?”
“Monobear let me go,” he says. “Are you going to put me back there?”
If the bear that commands the Monobeasts wants him free, it’s probably not a decision to struggle against. “Do you serve the bear? Is that why he freed you?”
He takes a step back. “Of course not. Don’t ask me that.”
“But your goals are the same. You want us to kill each other.”
Komaeda frowns. “I don’t want you to kill each other. I want you to overcome despair.”
She knows her life has been far from normal, and it’s difficult for her to judge how normal other people are. But Komaeda is strange. “You orchestrated a murder.”
Komaeda smiles and shakes his head. “Pekoyama-san, how can you overcome despair if there’s no despair to overcome?”
“I won’t pretend to understand your philosophy,” Pekoyama says. “But I will not allow you to cause more deaths.” The more killings there are, the more paranoid and suspicious people become, the more danger the young master is in. They’ve seen the last murder on this island. She’ll make sure of it.
“I’m sure you don’t need me to cause anything. I only helped to set you on a path. What unfolds from here...” He sighs wistfully, turning to gaze out over the ocean. “It will be your own creation. I’m happy just to watch.”
-
Hinata’s been through almost the entire library now, looking for books in Japanese, but he can’t find a single one. Monomi said she prepared this place herself; who would set up a library for a load of Japanese students and then fill it with books in European languages? How does she expect anyone to believe a word she says when she makes her lies so obvious?
Not that he’d be inclined to trust the robotic rabbit who dragged them here anyway, but she’s really not helping her case.
He’s distracted from his thoughts when the door opens, and he turns around instantly to see who’s come in; since Togami’s murder, he’s been careful to stay aware of the presence of others. It’s Sonia, which means he can relax at least slightly; Sonia is one of the less murderous-seeming people on this island. Even if she can be a little strange sometimes.
“Good morning, Hinata-san!” Sonia calls. She starts looking through the magazine stacks, humming to herself.
“You seem like you’re in a good mood,” Hinata says. He tries not to make it sound too scornful; there’s a part of him that resents anyone who can stay upbeat in a situation like this, but if he can’t control that resentment he’s going to be the next corpse, killed by chronic exposure to Ibuki. “Did something happen?”
Sonia beams at him. “It would be improper to tell!”
“Okay,” Hinata says, returning his attention to the shelves.
She’s watching him; he can feel it. She’s obviously dying to be asked exactly what happened, but he’s not going to play her game. Even if he’s a little curious.
Okay, he’s really curious.
“Tell me anyway,” he says, giving in.
“If you insist,” Sonia says, utterly failing to hide her delight. “Komaeda-san visited my room last night.”
What? “Oh, God, did he hurt you?”
“No, no, he did no such thing! He merely wished to become better acquainted.”
“You know you can’t trust him, right?” Hinata asks. “I don’t... I don’t need to tell you that, right?” A horrible suspicion is beginning to creep over him. “Uh, so why would that put you in such a good mood?”
“Ah,” Sonia says, with a coy smile. “Tell no one of this, but... perhaps we spent the night together.”
There's a twist in Hinata's gut that he really doesn't want to analyse. “Seriously? Komaeda?”
“And why should I not?” Sonia asks. “I felt so sheltered in my home country. Now that I am amongst other students, I want the normal experiences of a student. I told him as much.”
Hinata supposes that makes a kind of sense. Still. Komaeda? If Souda finds out about this, they’ll have another murder on their hands.
Sonia clasps her hands behind her back, gazing dreamily up at the higher tiers. “For a princess to fall for an ordinary person... it’s exactly the story that would appear in a film, is it not?”
A horror film, maybe. “I’m not sure I’d call Komaeda an ‘ordinary person’,” Hinata says. “Are you sure you know what you’re getting into? Hanamura and Togami are dead because of him.”
Of course, with the way Sonia talks about serial killers, that might actually be a turn-on for her. That’s a disturbing thought.
“Komaeda-san has done some... curious things,” Sonia admits. “But he was exceedingly gentle when we were together.”
“Sonia,” Hinata says, “I don’t really want to hear it.”
Sonia tilts her head to one side, looking thoughtful. “Perhaps too gentle?”
Hinata presses his hands over his face. “Sonia...”
“But it seems so... uncouth, somehow, to tell him I wish him to be rougher with me,” Sonia says, with a slight frown. Her eyes light up. “If you could ask him on my behalf-”
Sonia may be one of the less murderous-seeming people on this island, but Hinata would rather share a room with Komaeda and Saionji than stay in this conversation for a second longer. “Look,” he says, “I have to...” and he can’t think of how to finish that sentence, so he just leaves so abruptly it’d probably be considered treason in Novoselic.
That night, he has more trouble sleeping than he did the night after the trial.
-
Komaeda’s in the restaurant, picking at a plate of food. She drops into the seat opposite him and kicks his shin under the table.
His wince is quickly covered up with a smile. “Saionji-san.”
“You want someone to kill you, right?” she asks.
That sick light comes into his eyes, the one she sees in her patrons, the one that says I want you to step on me and I’ll enjoy every moment of it. “Would you like my help with your plan?”
“I’m not helping you with your weird fantasies. I’m asking, what if I don’t kill you? What if I just break your legs? What if I smash all your fingers? Would you just sit there and let me do that?”
He flinches. “Ah... I’m happy to serve you in the name of hope, but I don’t know that that would really help our cause.”
“Your cause. Don’t drag me into your messed-up world.” She plants her elbows on the table and rests her chin on her hands. “You only exist to serve talented people, right? So serve me. This is what I want.”
Komaeda wraps his arms across his chest, like he’s trying to protect himself. She knew he was full of crap with his whole ‘oh, I’d do anything for you guys’ thing. A moment later, though, he drops the shield.
“You and Koizumi-san are close, aren’t you?” he asks.
What does big sis Koizumi have to do with this? “She’s really nice,” Saionji says, warily.
“Don’t you want to help her escape the island? What if you mutilated me, but Koizumi-san struck the killing blow?”
Saionji pulls a face. “Big sis Koizumi isn’t a murderer. Don’t pretend she’s like Hanamura. Or you.”
“You would look like the culprit. Our classmates would try their best, of course; I would expect nothing less. But together I’m sure you and Koizumi-san could overcome adversity.”
“Yeah, and I’d be dead.”
“But Koizumi-san would be safe,” Komaeda says. “You would have given your life to help a friend achieve her hope. It’s a beautiful thing to do.”
“Wow, you really are a freak,” Saionji says. “I just want to break your fingers. Don’t make it weird.”
-
She’s made it very clear that this is just stress relief, a way to forget about the last few days for a while, and he’d better not think she’s about to develop feelings for him. He agreed so quickly that it’s... kind of pathetic.
Not that she cares about that right now.
She’s close, so close, writhing on the blanket and digging her fingers into the sand, and that’s when she catches movement at the corner of her eye and her entire body goes cold and she presses a hand hard over Komaeda’s mouth. She’s in just her skirt, which is bad, and she’s with Komaeda, which is worse, and she really, really, really cannot be seen right now.
Komaeda, in response to the impromptu gagging, looks slightly confused but mostly into this. She should probably have anticipated that.
“Just stay quiet,” Mahiru whispers, letting her hand drop. “Hinata’s over there.”
Hinata - what is he doing here? - is wandering along the top of the sand dune they’re behind, looking out towards the ocean. She doesn’t think he’s noticed them yet, and it needs to stay that way. So long as he keeps looking at the water, it should be okay. If he looks away, though, down the dune...
“Ah, Hinata-kun!” Komaeda exclaims, waving enthusiastically. “Good morning!”
Wait. What?
Mahiru’s first desperate instinct is to retract Komaeda’s greeting somehow, go back in time and scrub it out, and by the time she remembers that’s impossible it’s too late to do anything; Hinata has glanced in their direction with an irritable grunt of acknowledgement and then done a double-take and then looked away so sharply he’s probably pulled a muscle in his neck.
Oh, God. Oh, God. Mahiru wraps her arms across her chest. She can feel herself rapidly turning the same colour as her hair.
“Komaeda,” Hinata hisses, equally scarlet. For several drawn-out seconds he seems to search helplessly for something to follow that, eventually settling on, “Why?”
Komaeda tilts his head, apparently entirely unconcerned by his own nudity. “Why what, Hinata-kun?”
Mahiru kicks him. His gasp is not entirely a gasp of pain.
“Sorry,” Hinata mutters. He’s still looking away. It’s not helping Mahiru feel any less exposed. “I’m really, really sorry.”
“That’s perfectly all right, Hinata-kun!” Komaeda exclaims.
“I wasn’t-” Hinata begins, high-pitched and incredulous, almost turning to glare at Komaeda before obviously remembering that’s a bad idea. He looks pointedly up at the sky and takes a breath. “I’m sorry, Koizumi.”
“Why were you out here, anyway?” Mahiru demands, because anger is the only emotion that can do anything to drown out her soul-shreddingly intense humiliation right now. Her voice isn’t as steady as she wants it to be. “It’s five in the morning!” She almost demands he take his clothes off as well, for fairness, but catches herself. Would that make this situation less embarrassing? Probably not.
“Couldn’t sleep,” Hinata says, staring at the sky like he’s trying to bore a hole through it. “Can we talk about this later? Or... never?”
“That - that sounds good,” Mahiru agrees, after a brief hesitation, and Hinata lets out a desperate breath and stumbles away as fast as the sand will let him.
Mahiru looks at Komaeda.
“Ah,” Komaeda breathes, watching him go. “What a shame he couldn’t have stayed longer.”
For the first time since they arrived on this island, she’s genuinely tempted to murder someone.
-
When the door of the hotel’s small gym opens, Nidai is expecting Owari - the rest of their classmates show an outrageous disregard for the gym; sometimes he’s not sure they even know it exists - and he’s surprised to see Komaeda there instead.
“Nidai-kun,” Komaeda says, hovering in the doorway. “May I come in?”
Nidai nods, setting down his weights. Komaeda is not an easy presence for a man to tolerate, but he has a certain passion, and Nidai can respect that. Perhaps it can be channelled into something more constructive than attempted murder. “Did you come here for training?”
“Oh, no, Nidai-kun,” Komaeda says with a self-effacing laugh, letting the door fall shut behind him; “your talent would be wasted on me! I can train all I like, but it won’t make me amount to anything.”
This is exactly the sort of attitude that Nidai cannot stand. For an instant his mind goes blank and the next moment he’s pinning Komaeda against the wall with one hand, breathing hard, and Komaeda... Komaeda’s just smiling.
“You’re so strong,” Komaeda breathes. “I truly am lucky, to experience the power of a Super High-school Level Coach firsthand.”
“You could be strong as well,” Nidai snarls. “Don’t give me that ‘won’t amount to anything’ shit. With hard work and application-”
“You can hurt me, if you want,” Komaeda says. “I won’t mind. It wouldn’t be my place to mind.”
Nidai stares at him. “What?”
“Unless you want me to mind?” He closes his eyes, making no visible effort to brace himself. “Just tell me if I should scream.”
Nidai stares for a moment longer, and then he has to force himself to step back; if he stays where he is, he might actually hit him again.
Komaeda opens his eyes. “No? Well, if there’s any way someone like me can make you feel better, you only have to ask.”
“You can use your body’s potential,” Nidai growls. “Don’t make excuses. If you put in the effort, you could be great.”
Komaeda laughs. “Your task as a coach is to give people hope, isn’t it?” he asks. “What a wonderful talent. I’d like to see your session with Owari-san later, if you can bear to have me around.”
Nidai considers him. “You can stay if you train,” he says.
“You really shouldn’t waste your effort on me,” Komaeda says, with a shrug and a smile, “but I’ll train if you want me to.”
-
“Wait, what the hell is this?” Souda demands. “Nanami! I thought we had something special!”
Nanami looks slightly put out. “Souda-kun, I already finished your route.”
“And Komaeda? This guy? You’re ditching me for this guy?”
“It makes sense to go in difficulty order, doesn’t it? So Hanamura-kun, then you, then Komaeda-kun, I think.” She looks thoughtful. “I’m not sure who would be next, though. Maybe Hinata-kun? Mioda-san?”
“Hanamura?” Souda shrieks. “Hanamura?”
Nanami sighs, climbing off Komaeda’s lap. “I’m sorry. The mood’s not right, is it?”
Komaeda was enjoying himself, but the appearance of another such talented person isn’t exactly a disappointment. “Well, I’m very happy to be of use to you whenever you feel it is! So you’ve been doing this with everyone, Nanami-san?”
“Here in this island setting, with a full cast of characters... I thought this was the perfect chance to practise my dating-sim skills.” She looks abashed. “I’m... I’m not very good at them. So I thought I’d try to complete all the routes. Is that all right? I didn’t realise it would upset Souda-kun.”
“It’s fine!” Komaeda says, with a laugh. “I seem to be doing something similar myself, actually.”
They look over at Souda, who is curled up and sobbing into the sand.
“This is Souda-kun’s bad ending, I think,” Nanami says, frowning slightly. “But you have to get the bad endings as well for full completion, don’t you?”
-
Okay! Nagito-chan is weird, weird, weird. But Ibuki has been hearing stories, and she’s feeling left out. It’s not fair.
“Good morning, Mioda-sa- mmph?”
Ibuki leaps into his arms, so they can keep kissing with her legs wrapped around his waist and it’ll be super sexy and romantic, but Nagito-chan stumbles back and slips and Ibuki yelps as they both crash into the hotel pool. It’s not too deep here, though, so they can both stand up.
“Are you okay, Mioda-san?” Nagito-chan asks, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes. “I, ah, I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I should’ve kissed Nekomaru-chan instead,” Ibuki grumbles. “I bet he would’ve been able to hold me up.”
Nagito-chan looks away slightly. “Well, I’m sorry I’m a disappointment to you.”
“Hey, we’re not giving up now!” Ibuki starts pushing him over to the side of the pool, with single-minded focus. Halfway there she stops to drag her sodden T-shirt over her head. “I know about you and the others! Ibuki’s gonna go further than all those others. She’s gonna win this. Wait, maybe you can hold me up now that we’re in the water, right?”
Nagito-chan hesitates. “I’m not sure if I’m strong en-”
“Catch!” Ibuki launches herself into his arms again, and there’s a moment when he wobbles, but he’s able to hold her with the water helping out. He braces his back against the side of the pool, and this time when she kisses him he manages to get it together and kiss back.
It’s awesome. Ibuki’s awesome. She’s definitely, definitely kicking the ass of everyone else Nagito-chan has been with, yes.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Ooh. Hajime-chan’s come out of his cabin. “Good morning, Hajime-chan!” Ibuki calls, before going right back to what she was doing.
“Why do I keep - why is everyone-” Hajime-chan waves his hands in their direction. “He’s Komaeda. I’m not the only person who can see this is Komaeda, right?”
“What’s this?” Ibuki asks, disengaging again. “What’s this, what’s this, what’s this? Is Hajime-chan feeling jealous?”
Hajime-chan flushes. “I’m not jealous. I just... I could really do without any more of the guy who wants us to kill each other making out with everyone on the island.”
“Well,” Ibuki says, “if you’re feeling left out, we’re both here, and you’re here, and we could create a real scandal in this hotel! The tabloids will be talking about us for years to come!” She pulls her arms from around Nagito-chan to clap her hands together. Nagito-chan nearly drops her. “Hey, we could invite all the others as well!”
Nagito-chan laughs. “I wouldn’t be unwilling.”
“I’m going back to my room,” Hajime-chan says. “I’ve given today a try. It hasn’t worked. Someone wake me up tomorrow.”
-
Owari hasn’t really been paying much attention to this Komaeda guy. He can’t feed her and he can’t fight her, so he’s not all that interesting. But he’s here in the restaurant and talking to her, so she guesses she should probably listen.
“What was that?” she asks.
“Nidai-kun,” Komaeda says. “I was expressing my sympathy.”
Owari looks down at her plate. She doesn’t want to talk about Nidai.
“But you’re lucky, you know,” Komaeda says. “Nidai-kun was prepared to sacrifice himself in the hope that it would save you. And he could still live. You should believe in that possibility.”
“Whatever,” Owari mumbles.
“I know I shouldn’t impose. But I thought you needed to know.”
Owari pushes her chicken around her plate with her chopsticks.
“You got the cook killed, right?” she asks, abruptly. “Or you had something to do with it, anyway. Not sure I can forgive you for that.”
Komaeda sighs. “I don’t need you to forgive me. I don’t...” He pauses. “I don’t even need you to like me. But I do wish you and the others would at least try to understand what I’ve done for you.”
“I haven’t understood a thing that’s happened since the bunny showed up,” Owari says. “For all I know, you could be right with your... whatever your thing is. Maybe there is a good reason for all the killing and stuff. I don’t know.”
“I want to help you achieve your full potential,” Komaeda says. “I want to bring out the hope that sleeps inside you. This despair is only-”
“I don’t care,” Owari interrupts him. “I’m just saying, maybe you’re right.”
Komaeda pauses.
“That means a lot to me,” he says, quietly.
“Can I get back to my food?” Owari asks.
-
Somehow Kuzuryuu’s found himself at the library, of all places, paging through photo books. It feels like he’s just killing time until the next murder, whenever it is, whoever it is. He hates it.
He looks up from the table when he hears the door opening. Maybe it’d be good to have someone to talk to. He tries to keep any eagerness off his face.
It’s pretty easy not to look eager when he realises who it is.
“Kuzuryuu-kun,” Komaeda says. “I’m glad I found you.”
This guy was looking for him? “Did someone die?”
Komaeda shakes his head. “I wanted to speak to you about Pekoyama-san. I didn’t have the chance when I was... unwell. And I wanted you to know how valuable her sacrifice was to us.”
Every reminder of her is a knife in his ribs. He slams the book he was looking at shut. “Suck my cock, Komaeda. I don’t want to hear any of your bullshit about how she ‘died for hope’.”
Komaeda falls silent. Probably won’t be for long enough, but it’s something. He comes closer to Kuzuryuu’s table, and then... gets to his knees, because he’s fucking weird.
Kuzuryuu shifts his chair away slightly. “What are you doing?”
“Is it really something you want?” Komaeda asks.
“Maybe I’ll answer you if you start making any fucking sense.”
“You asked me to...” Komaeda winces. “‘Suck your cock’ sounds so vulgar, doesn’t it?”
Kuzuryuu stares at him. At Komaeda, on his knees, on the library floor.
“When I say it, I mean,” Komaeda clarifies. “It suits you. Your manner of speaking. Your talent.”
Kuzuryuu can feel himself starting to shake. “Are you mocking me?”
“I have nothing but respect for you and your family,” Komaeda says. “And I’d like to do this for you. But only if it’s something you want.”
There’s a cold prickling down Kuzuryuu’s back. His hands are curled into tight fists on his knees. He tries to unclench them. He can’t do it.
“I’m not gay,” he says.
Komaeda laughs. “I didn’t think you were. But that doesn’t answer my question.”
The prickling is creeping over his body. He’s thinking of all that time growing up, knowing someone else had complete power in his family. He’s always known he’s expected to come into power someday, but he’s never really tasted it himself. Peko was the only one who would follow his orders, and he always tried to avoid giving her any.
And he says ‘suck my cock’, and this guy falls straight to his knees.
Is he supposed to just... not be affected by that?
Kuzuryuu wets his lips. Swallows.
“Nobody finds out about this,” he says. His own breathing sounds humiliatingly loud in the library. “I’ll kill everyone on this island if I have to. There’ll be no one left to do your precious hoping. Don’t mention a fucking thing.”
Komaeda smiles. “Is that an order?”
The bastard can see straight through him. “Everything I say in this room is an order. Take off my belt.”
-
“I still love you, you know,” Komaeda says. “Even knowing what you are. Isn’t that strange?”
Hinata wants to get away, but there’s a wall at his back and Komaeda’s too close and there’s nowhere to go. “You...?”
Komaeda sighs. “I suppose it’s just more evidence of how worthless I truly am. A stronger person would find it in himself to kill you directly.”
Hinata shoves him away, takes a couple of stumbling steps towards the warehouse door. The islands have felt small since the moment he realised they were trapped here, but they’ve never felt smaller than now. No matter where he goes, he’ll never be far enough from Komaeda. “Kill me? What, for being a reserve student?”
“You have no idea, do you?” Komaeda breathes.
“I really don’t,” Hinata says. “I’m guessing you’re not going to tell me what you’re talking about.”
Komaeda takes a step towards him. Hinata takes a step back.
Komaeda stops moving, and for some reason Hinata doesn’t take the chance to run, although he keeps his distance. There’s still some part of him, some part that must be as insane as Komaeda himself, dreaming that maybe some day he’ll get some kind of real answer from this guy.
“You said you’re not going to kill me,” he says, just to be sure.
Komaeda shakes his head. “Pitiful, isn’t it?”
“Maybe you’ll find this hard to believe, but I actually find you easier to tolerate when you’re not getting people killed.”
“Why should I care whether a talentless person like you can tolerate me?”
Hinata wouldn’t ever have expected it, but he actually misses the creepy worship.
He draws breath. This is a bad idea. “Because you said you loved me.”
For a moment Komaeda raises his hand, as if to stroke Hinata’s face, although there are still several paces between them and Hinata’s getting the fuck out of there if he even looks like he’s getting within face-stroking distance.
“They’re just my feelings,” Komaeda says, his eyes hardening again. “They don’t matter any more than you do.”
-
They’re servants of despair, all but one of them. They should mean nothing to him. And yet all he can think of as he dies is how precious his time with them felt. He admired and adored every one of them, those he made love to, those he could only yearn for. Those feelings haven’t changed.
He doesn’t know whether there’s life after this. Even if there is, it’s probably only for the talented; they won’t want him there. But he can’t stop hoping that he’ll see them again.
It’s a twisted, perverse hope. These people turned their beautiful talents towards the worst possible cause. But it’s still hope, of a sort, and he’s always wanted his last thought to be a hopeful one.
I was going to say 'this is the worst fic title I've ever had' and then remembered that I named my Pokémon/Merlin crossover 'Gotta Camelotch Them All'.
Title: Nagito Komaeda Makes Everyone Uncomfortable and Possibly Sleeps With Them All
Fandom: Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Rating: R
Pairing: Komaeda/everyone
Wordcount: 6,300
Summary: Komaeda gets very close to a lot of people on the island. Hinata has to see more of it than he'd like.
“Ah, Togami-kun!” Komaeda exclaims. “Here to check on the preparations for the party? I’m sure someone else could have done a better job, but I hope this is adequate.”
Togami looks around the room and nods. “This will do.”
Komaeda takes a moment to admire him. Such poise; such determination; such confidence, both in his own talent and in his ability to protect his classmates. A magnificent leader for a group of magnificent people. His hope will be a beacon for all of them.
It’s a shame that Komaeda won’t have the opportunity to see it.
Sometimes, Komaeda almost wavers in his determination to be the first victim. In part, it’s because the role is so much more than he deserves: can he really be the spark that sets everything aflame? But much of it is more selfish than that, as expected of such a base creature.
He wants to spend more time with his classmates. He wants to stand with them as they combat despair. He wants... not to sully them with his touch (it’s unforgivably egotistic, isn’t it, to think that someone as insignificant as him could somehow leave a mark on such talent?), but to allow their touch to raise him above his place in the gutter, just for a moment.
“You’re staring,” Togami says. “Although I understand the temptation.”
Komaeda laughs. “Am I? I suppose I was just admiring your resolve, Togami-kun. Everyone’s heard of the Togami heir, of course, but in person you’re even more impressive than I imagined.”
Togami looks startled, just for a moment.
“Well, of course the stories don’t do justice to the reality,” he mutters, adjusting his glasses.
It still feels strange and alien, being able to interact with such talented people. Watching them react to things he says and does. How can he be expected to stop staring?
Komaeda adjusts the fall of the cloth over the table with the knife. Is he really going to die tonight, without getting to know Togami better? Without getting to know any of them?
Well, he’ll have to see what happens. He has his luck, after all.
He’s looking forward to it.
-
Just for a moment, Hanamura doesn’t care that he’s probably lost his mind and imagined the last couple of days. He doesn’t care that, if this is real (but it can’t be, it can’t be), he’s trapped in a nightmare with a serious danger of being murdered and no idea of what’s happening back home. He doesn’t even care that he’s probably getting splinters from the lodge’s terribly-maintained wooden floor.
He doesn’t care about any of these things because he is finally, finally, finally getting laid.
Komaeda might not be Sonia, but when Hanamura made a flirtatious comment about them being alone in the lodge together he actually flirted back, and as far as Hanamura is concerned that makes him the greatest person on this island. Possibly in the world. Apart from Mom, obviously, but now really isn’t the time to be thinking about her.
His eyes fly open as he gasps and bucks into Komaeda’s hand, and - and - huh?
It’s hard to focus on anything right now, but Hanamura tries. Something isn’t right.
They’ve ended up half-under one of the tables; the tablecloth’s edge is draped heavily over Komaeda’s back, light getting in through the gap to illuminate one side of his face. The underside of the table is directly in Hanamura’s eyeline, and... why is part of it glowing green?
“Wh-” How is he meant to talk in a situation like this? “Wh - Komaeda, ah, -kun, what’s...?”
“Ah, this?” Komaeda asks breathlessly, reaching up with his free hand to tap the green glow. “This, this is just so I can find the knife.”
“Th-” but it finishes in a gasp and no, no, getting laid can actually wait for once, there are questions he really needs to ask.
“I’ll tell you about it later,” Komaeda murmurs, sounding strangely fond, and Hanamura can feel the smile in his kiss.
-
The Dark Lord seeks out his rival once the trial is concluded.
“You are a fine manipulator of humanity,” he concedes, reluctantly. “You placed your pawns with fiendish skill. Their removal from our game is a testament to your ability.”
His rival’s light laugh gives away nothing of the evil mind behind it. “Tanaka-san, you shouldn’t flatter me. I really had very little to do with it. Hinata-kun is the one you should pay attention to; did you see how he followed his hope to save you all?”
“Make no mistake; this is not a gesture of comradeship. We are enemies. You take lives to achieve your goals. I understand that beings like us must spare the lives of the petty mortals, so they can serve us when they recognise our true role as their overlords.”
His rival looks perplexed. Good; that gives the Dark Lord the power in their meeting, as it ever should be.
“A blood oath,” the Dark Lord declares. “To bind us together eternally in enmity.”
His rival hesitates. “I don’t deserve such an honour.”
“You will drink of my blood,” the Dark Lord says, holding out his arm, “and I of yours.” He gives a command. San-D scampers down from his shoulder and nips through the skin of his palm.
For a moment, silence reigns.
“Well,” his rival says, ultimately, “I don’t entirely understand, but I can’t snub an opportunity to be so close to a person of such talent.”
“An interdimensional being of such talent,” the Dark Lord corrects him.
“An interdimensional being,” his rival agrees.
-
“Oh, my God.” Souda presses a fist to his mouth. “Did you kill him? Is he dead? There’s gonna be a trial. Oh, my God, am I an accomplice?”
“He’s breathing,” Nidai says, stooping over Komaeda. “I was too violent. I should not have hit him.”
“No shit.” Souda hops from foot to foot; he couldn’t stay still right now if you promised him a tank for it. “He’s probably bleeding inside his head right now, and I’ll nudge him and he’ll die and I’ll be the one who gets executed for it, even though you’re the one who thought it was a great idea to put your fist in his face. What do we do?”
There’s a long pause.
“Well,” Souda says, eventually, “he’s definitely still weird, and he could still be dangerous, and if we’ve just got him lying here, y’know...”
So they drag him to the lodge. Nidai vanishes for a while (leaving Souda alone with Komaeda, thanks for that) and returns with assorted ropes and chains. Souda decides he doesn’t want to know where they came from.
There’s a stirring as Souda rolls Komaeda onto his side, and a groan, and then a pause. “Souda-kun?”
Oh, shit. They haven’t tied him up yet. “Knock him out again!”
Nidai shakes his head. “I should never have struck a classmate.”
“Well, you did, and we can’t change that, and to be honest it’d make things a lot easier if you just struck him again,” Souda hisses.
“I could have done permanent damage. Are you well, Komaeda?”
“He’s gonna escape!”
“Ah, you’re imprisoning me,” Komaeda murmurs. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”
Souda throws his arms up to shield his face, preparing himself for Komaeda to fight or run. Maybe he’ll just run. If they’re lucky, he’ll run.
“How did you want to tie me up?” Komaeda asks.
“Uh,” Souda says. “Tightly?”
“Just my hands and feet? Or did you want to bind my hands to my feet? Did you want to tie a bag over my head? I’d rather you didn’t. How should I lie?”
Okay, this is really creepy. Maybe fighting wouldn’t be so bad.
“Are you sure you don’t want to knock him out again?” Souda asks, pleading.
“You could choke me,” Komaeda suggests, “if Nidai-kun is unwilling.” He shrugs, as well as he can when he’s lying on his side on the floor. “I’d prefer to be free and amongst our classmates, but I could endure it for you.”
Souda shudders.
-
Komaeda’s eyes light up when he sees her. “Tsumiki-san! Someone like you came to visit me? Or” - he laughs - “I suppose you were just sent to make sure I hadn’t escaped, weren’t you? You don’t have to worry; I’m still here!”
She approaches him, a couple of small steps, although he hasn’t given her permission. “Um...”
“But, really, it’s good just to see your face,” Komaeda says. “I’m happy to be tied up if it’ll make everyone else happy, but it is a little lonely in here.”
“I - I wanted to check your bonds,” she says. “If, um, if that’s - if you don’t mind.”
There’s a bitter edge to Komaeda’s laugh. “Of course. I think they’re quite secure, but I can understand that my word isn’t worth much.”
He shifts further onto his side to give her access, and she kneels to examine the chain around his hands.
“It’s not too tight,” she says, relieved. “I was worried about your circulation.”
He twists around to look at her in surprise. “You shouldn’t waste your time worrying about me.”
She starts back. “I - I - I’m sorry!”
“But, to be honest,” he says, after a moment, “I’m happy to hear that.”
She’s encouraged by that. “R-really, you shouldn’t be trapped in here at all. You’re not getting any vitamin D from the sunlight, and it’s not, ah, it’s not good for your joints to be in the same position for so long.”
“Well,” Komaeda says, “I certainly wouldn’t complain if you decided to let me go.”
Tsumiki hesitates. “Wouldn’t... wouldn’t the others be angry?”
And there is something satisfying about having a patient who can’t leave, even if they’re usually immobilised by illness rather than ropes and chains.
But the patient’s health should come first, she knows. She shouldn’t be selfish. She’s always been a selfish girl.
“I suppose I could... ask permission,” she says, reluctantly. She’ll probably be beaten for asking, but...
“Who will you ask permission from?” Komaeda asks. “Who has authority on this island?”
“Ahem.”
Tsumiki yelps and scrambles backwards. She hates that Monobear always appears so suddenly.
“I’m here to remind you I’m in charge, as you seem to have forgotten,” Monobear says. “And I think you should let him go as soon as possible. What sort of school trip would this be without the hope Komaeda-san brings? And what sort of nurse are you, valuing your own welfare above your patient’s?”
Tsumiki bows as the bear disappears. “Y-yes!”
She drops to her knees at once and starts untying Komaeda’s legs. She can feel heat in her cheeks, and her eyes are burning with the effort of holding back tears. Monobear is right. She should be ashamed of herself. She deserves to be punished.
“He shouldn’t have said that to you,” Komaeda says, after a moment.
Tsumiki’s fingers fumble on the rope. He sounds angry. She doesn’t know what she’s done to make him angry. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re a supremely talented nurse. He has no place criticising you.”
Tsumiki ducks her head and concentrates on the knots, blushing harder than ever.
When Komaeda is free, he stands and rubs his wrists, sighing. “Thank you, Tsumiki-san.”
“Your wrists look a little raw,” she says. “I have a salve, if you’d... if you’d like.”
Komaeda smiles. “You’re very kind. Yes, thank you.”
She stands as well, bringing the little pot out of her pocket, and takes his hand in hers.
Komaeda half-closes his eyes while she’s rubbing the salve onto his wrists, but when she leans in to kiss him he stops her sharply with a hand on her shoulder.
She was wrong. She was wrong, she was wrong, she didn’t read what he wanted from her properly, she’s so stupid...
She can feel the tears creeping into her eyes again. She’s been told so many times never to cry. It’s just another way she’s always failed. “I’m not good enough.”
Komaeda’s eyes have gone hard and scary. “People have taken advantage of you. I’m not going to be one of them. There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect.”
But later she hears of his exploits with the other students on the island, and she knows she’s the only one who isn’t good enough for him.
-
Pekoyama is practising stances on the beach when she becomes aware that she isn’t alone. She turns sharply. Komaeda.
Pekoyama looks him up and down. “You’ve been released. Or did you escape?”
“Monobear let me go,” he says. “Are you going to put me back there?”
If the bear that commands the Monobeasts wants him free, it’s probably not a decision to struggle against. “Do you serve the bear? Is that why he freed you?”
He takes a step back. “Of course not. Don’t ask me that.”
“But your goals are the same. You want us to kill each other.”
Komaeda frowns. “I don’t want you to kill each other. I want you to overcome despair.”
She knows her life has been far from normal, and it’s difficult for her to judge how normal other people are. But Komaeda is strange. “You orchestrated a murder.”
Komaeda smiles and shakes his head. “Pekoyama-san, how can you overcome despair if there’s no despair to overcome?”
“I won’t pretend to understand your philosophy,” Pekoyama says. “But I will not allow you to cause more deaths.” The more killings there are, the more paranoid and suspicious people become, the more danger the young master is in. They’ve seen the last murder on this island. She’ll make sure of it.
“I’m sure you don’t need me to cause anything. I only helped to set you on a path. What unfolds from here...” He sighs wistfully, turning to gaze out over the ocean. “It will be your own creation. I’m happy just to watch.”
-
Hinata’s been through almost the entire library now, looking for books in Japanese, but he can’t find a single one. Monomi said she prepared this place herself; who would set up a library for a load of Japanese students and then fill it with books in European languages? How does she expect anyone to believe a word she says when she makes her lies so obvious?
Not that he’d be inclined to trust the robotic rabbit who dragged them here anyway, but she’s really not helping her case.
He’s distracted from his thoughts when the door opens, and he turns around instantly to see who’s come in; since Togami’s murder, he’s been careful to stay aware of the presence of others. It’s Sonia, which means he can relax at least slightly; Sonia is one of the less murderous-seeming people on this island. Even if she can be a little strange sometimes.
“Good morning, Hinata-san!” Sonia calls. She starts looking through the magazine stacks, humming to herself.
“You seem like you’re in a good mood,” Hinata says. He tries not to make it sound too scornful; there’s a part of him that resents anyone who can stay upbeat in a situation like this, but if he can’t control that resentment he’s going to be the next corpse, killed by chronic exposure to Ibuki. “Did something happen?”
Sonia beams at him. “It would be improper to tell!”
“Okay,” Hinata says, returning his attention to the shelves.
She’s watching him; he can feel it. She’s obviously dying to be asked exactly what happened, but he’s not going to play her game. Even if he’s a little curious.
Okay, he’s really curious.
“Tell me anyway,” he says, giving in.
“If you insist,” Sonia says, utterly failing to hide her delight. “Komaeda-san visited my room last night.”
What? “Oh, God, did he hurt you?”
“No, no, he did no such thing! He merely wished to become better acquainted.”
“You know you can’t trust him, right?” Hinata asks. “I don’t... I don’t need to tell you that, right?” A horrible suspicion is beginning to creep over him. “Uh, so why would that put you in such a good mood?”
“Ah,” Sonia says, with a coy smile. “Tell no one of this, but... perhaps we spent the night together.”
There's a twist in Hinata's gut that he really doesn't want to analyse. “Seriously? Komaeda?”
“And why should I not?” Sonia asks. “I felt so sheltered in my home country. Now that I am amongst other students, I want the normal experiences of a student. I told him as much.”
Hinata supposes that makes a kind of sense. Still. Komaeda? If Souda finds out about this, they’ll have another murder on their hands.
Sonia clasps her hands behind her back, gazing dreamily up at the higher tiers. “For a princess to fall for an ordinary person... it’s exactly the story that would appear in a film, is it not?”
A horror film, maybe. “I’m not sure I’d call Komaeda an ‘ordinary person’,” Hinata says. “Are you sure you know what you’re getting into? Hanamura and Togami are dead because of him.”
Of course, with the way Sonia talks about serial killers, that might actually be a turn-on for her. That’s a disturbing thought.
“Komaeda-san has done some... curious things,” Sonia admits. “But he was exceedingly gentle when we were together.”
“Sonia,” Hinata says, “I don’t really want to hear it.”
Sonia tilts her head to one side, looking thoughtful. “Perhaps too gentle?”
Hinata presses his hands over his face. “Sonia...”
“But it seems so... uncouth, somehow, to tell him I wish him to be rougher with me,” Sonia says, with a slight frown. Her eyes light up. “If you could ask him on my behalf-”
Sonia may be one of the less murderous-seeming people on this island, but Hinata would rather share a room with Komaeda and Saionji than stay in this conversation for a second longer. “Look,” he says, “I have to...” and he can’t think of how to finish that sentence, so he just leaves so abruptly it’d probably be considered treason in Novoselic.
That night, he has more trouble sleeping than he did the night after the trial.
-
Komaeda’s in the restaurant, picking at a plate of food. She drops into the seat opposite him and kicks his shin under the table.
His wince is quickly covered up with a smile. “Saionji-san.”
“You want someone to kill you, right?” she asks.
That sick light comes into his eyes, the one she sees in her patrons, the one that says I want you to step on me and I’ll enjoy every moment of it. “Would you like my help with your plan?”
“I’m not helping you with your weird fantasies. I’m asking, what if I don’t kill you? What if I just break your legs? What if I smash all your fingers? Would you just sit there and let me do that?”
He flinches. “Ah... I’m happy to serve you in the name of hope, but I don’t know that that would really help our cause.”
“Your cause. Don’t drag me into your messed-up world.” She plants her elbows on the table and rests her chin on her hands. “You only exist to serve talented people, right? So serve me. This is what I want.”
Komaeda wraps his arms across his chest, like he’s trying to protect himself. She knew he was full of crap with his whole ‘oh, I’d do anything for you guys’ thing. A moment later, though, he drops the shield.
“You and Koizumi-san are close, aren’t you?” he asks.
What does big sis Koizumi have to do with this? “She’s really nice,” Saionji says, warily.
“Don’t you want to help her escape the island? What if you mutilated me, but Koizumi-san struck the killing blow?”
Saionji pulls a face. “Big sis Koizumi isn’t a murderer. Don’t pretend she’s like Hanamura. Or you.”
“You would look like the culprit. Our classmates would try their best, of course; I would expect nothing less. But together I’m sure you and Koizumi-san could overcome adversity.”
“Yeah, and I’d be dead.”
“But Koizumi-san would be safe,” Komaeda says. “You would have given your life to help a friend achieve her hope. It’s a beautiful thing to do.”
“Wow, you really are a freak,” Saionji says. “I just want to break your fingers. Don’t make it weird.”
-
She’s made it very clear that this is just stress relief, a way to forget about the last few days for a while, and he’d better not think she’s about to develop feelings for him. He agreed so quickly that it’s... kind of pathetic.
Not that she cares about that right now.
She’s close, so close, writhing on the blanket and digging her fingers into the sand, and that’s when she catches movement at the corner of her eye and her entire body goes cold and she presses a hand hard over Komaeda’s mouth. She’s in just her skirt, which is bad, and she’s with Komaeda, which is worse, and she really, really, really cannot be seen right now.
Komaeda, in response to the impromptu gagging, looks slightly confused but mostly into this. She should probably have anticipated that.
“Just stay quiet,” Mahiru whispers, letting her hand drop. “Hinata’s over there.”
Hinata - what is he doing here? - is wandering along the top of the sand dune they’re behind, looking out towards the ocean. She doesn’t think he’s noticed them yet, and it needs to stay that way. So long as he keeps looking at the water, it should be okay. If he looks away, though, down the dune...
“Ah, Hinata-kun!” Komaeda exclaims, waving enthusiastically. “Good morning!”
Wait. What?
Mahiru’s first desperate instinct is to retract Komaeda’s greeting somehow, go back in time and scrub it out, and by the time she remembers that’s impossible it’s too late to do anything; Hinata has glanced in their direction with an irritable grunt of acknowledgement and then done a double-take and then looked away so sharply he’s probably pulled a muscle in his neck.
Oh, God. Oh, God. Mahiru wraps her arms across her chest. She can feel herself rapidly turning the same colour as her hair.
“Komaeda,” Hinata hisses, equally scarlet. For several drawn-out seconds he seems to search helplessly for something to follow that, eventually settling on, “Why?”
Komaeda tilts his head, apparently entirely unconcerned by his own nudity. “Why what, Hinata-kun?”
Mahiru kicks him. His gasp is not entirely a gasp of pain.
“Sorry,” Hinata mutters. He’s still looking away. It’s not helping Mahiru feel any less exposed. “I’m really, really sorry.”
“That’s perfectly all right, Hinata-kun!” Komaeda exclaims.
“I wasn’t-” Hinata begins, high-pitched and incredulous, almost turning to glare at Komaeda before obviously remembering that’s a bad idea. He looks pointedly up at the sky and takes a breath. “I’m sorry, Koizumi.”
“Why were you out here, anyway?” Mahiru demands, because anger is the only emotion that can do anything to drown out her soul-shreddingly intense humiliation right now. Her voice isn’t as steady as she wants it to be. “It’s five in the morning!” She almost demands he take his clothes off as well, for fairness, but catches herself. Would that make this situation less embarrassing? Probably not.
“Couldn’t sleep,” Hinata says, staring at the sky like he’s trying to bore a hole through it. “Can we talk about this later? Or... never?”
“That - that sounds good,” Mahiru agrees, after a brief hesitation, and Hinata lets out a desperate breath and stumbles away as fast as the sand will let him.
Mahiru looks at Komaeda.
“Ah,” Komaeda breathes, watching him go. “What a shame he couldn’t have stayed longer.”
For the first time since they arrived on this island, she’s genuinely tempted to murder someone.
-
When the door of the hotel’s small gym opens, Nidai is expecting Owari - the rest of their classmates show an outrageous disregard for the gym; sometimes he’s not sure they even know it exists - and he’s surprised to see Komaeda there instead.
“Nidai-kun,” Komaeda says, hovering in the doorway. “May I come in?”
Nidai nods, setting down his weights. Komaeda is not an easy presence for a man to tolerate, but he has a certain passion, and Nidai can respect that. Perhaps it can be channelled into something more constructive than attempted murder. “Did you come here for training?”
“Oh, no, Nidai-kun,” Komaeda says with a self-effacing laugh, letting the door fall shut behind him; “your talent would be wasted on me! I can train all I like, but it won’t make me amount to anything.”
This is exactly the sort of attitude that Nidai cannot stand. For an instant his mind goes blank and the next moment he’s pinning Komaeda against the wall with one hand, breathing hard, and Komaeda... Komaeda’s just smiling.
“You’re so strong,” Komaeda breathes. “I truly am lucky, to experience the power of a Super High-school Level Coach firsthand.”
“You could be strong as well,” Nidai snarls. “Don’t give me that ‘won’t amount to anything’ shit. With hard work and application-”
“You can hurt me, if you want,” Komaeda says. “I won’t mind. It wouldn’t be my place to mind.”
Nidai stares at him. “What?”
“Unless you want me to mind?” He closes his eyes, making no visible effort to brace himself. “Just tell me if I should scream.”
Nidai stares for a moment longer, and then he has to force himself to step back; if he stays where he is, he might actually hit him again.
Komaeda opens his eyes. “No? Well, if there’s any way someone like me can make you feel better, you only have to ask.”
“You can use your body’s potential,” Nidai growls. “Don’t make excuses. If you put in the effort, you could be great.”
Komaeda laughs. “Your task as a coach is to give people hope, isn’t it?” he asks. “What a wonderful talent. I’d like to see your session with Owari-san later, if you can bear to have me around.”
Nidai considers him. “You can stay if you train,” he says.
“You really shouldn’t waste your effort on me,” Komaeda says, with a shrug and a smile, “but I’ll train if you want me to.”
-
“Wait, what the hell is this?” Souda demands. “Nanami! I thought we had something special!”
Nanami looks slightly put out. “Souda-kun, I already finished your route.”
“And Komaeda? This guy? You’re ditching me for this guy?”
“It makes sense to go in difficulty order, doesn’t it? So Hanamura-kun, then you, then Komaeda-kun, I think.” She looks thoughtful. “I’m not sure who would be next, though. Maybe Hinata-kun? Mioda-san?”
“Hanamura?” Souda shrieks. “Hanamura?”
Nanami sighs, climbing off Komaeda’s lap. “I’m sorry. The mood’s not right, is it?”
Komaeda was enjoying himself, but the appearance of another such talented person isn’t exactly a disappointment. “Well, I’m very happy to be of use to you whenever you feel it is! So you’ve been doing this with everyone, Nanami-san?”
“Here in this island setting, with a full cast of characters... I thought this was the perfect chance to practise my dating-sim skills.” She looks abashed. “I’m... I’m not very good at them. So I thought I’d try to complete all the routes. Is that all right? I didn’t realise it would upset Souda-kun.”
“It’s fine!” Komaeda says, with a laugh. “I seem to be doing something similar myself, actually.”
They look over at Souda, who is curled up and sobbing into the sand.
“This is Souda-kun’s bad ending, I think,” Nanami says, frowning slightly. “But you have to get the bad endings as well for full completion, don’t you?”
-
Okay! Nagito-chan is weird, weird, weird. But Ibuki has been hearing stories, and she’s feeling left out. It’s not fair.
“Good morning, Mioda-sa- mmph?”
Ibuki leaps into his arms, so they can keep kissing with her legs wrapped around his waist and it’ll be super sexy and romantic, but Nagito-chan stumbles back and slips and Ibuki yelps as they both crash into the hotel pool. It’s not too deep here, though, so they can both stand up.
“Are you okay, Mioda-san?” Nagito-chan asks, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes. “I, ah, I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I should’ve kissed Nekomaru-chan instead,” Ibuki grumbles. “I bet he would’ve been able to hold me up.”
Nagito-chan looks away slightly. “Well, I’m sorry I’m a disappointment to you.”
“Hey, we’re not giving up now!” Ibuki starts pushing him over to the side of the pool, with single-minded focus. Halfway there she stops to drag her sodden T-shirt over her head. “I know about you and the others! Ibuki’s gonna go further than all those others. She’s gonna win this. Wait, maybe you can hold me up now that we’re in the water, right?”
Nagito-chan hesitates. “I’m not sure if I’m strong en-”
“Catch!” Ibuki launches herself into his arms again, and there’s a moment when he wobbles, but he’s able to hold her with the water helping out. He braces his back against the side of the pool, and this time when she kisses him he manages to get it together and kiss back.
It’s awesome. Ibuki’s awesome. She’s definitely, definitely kicking the ass of everyone else Nagito-chan has been with, yes.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Ooh. Hajime-chan’s come out of his cabin. “Good morning, Hajime-chan!” Ibuki calls, before going right back to what she was doing.
“Why do I keep - why is everyone-” Hajime-chan waves his hands in their direction. “He’s Komaeda. I’m not the only person who can see this is Komaeda, right?”
“What’s this?” Ibuki asks, disengaging again. “What’s this, what’s this, what’s this? Is Hajime-chan feeling jealous?”
Hajime-chan flushes. “I’m not jealous. I just... I could really do without any more of the guy who wants us to kill each other making out with everyone on the island.”
“Well,” Ibuki says, “if you’re feeling left out, we’re both here, and you’re here, and we could create a real scandal in this hotel! The tabloids will be talking about us for years to come!” She pulls her arms from around Nagito-chan to clap her hands together. Nagito-chan nearly drops her. “Hey, we could invite all the others as well!”
Nagito-chan laughs. “I wouldn’t be unwilling.”
“I’m going back to my room,” Hajime-chan says. “I’ve given today a try. It hasn’t worked. Someone wake me up tomorrow.”
-
Owari hasn’t really been paying much attention to this Komaeda guy. He can’t feed her and he can’t fight her, so he’s not all that interesting. But he’s here in the restaurant and talking to her, so she guesses she should probably listen.
“What was that?” she asks.
“Nidai-kun,” Komaeda says. “I was expressing my sympathy.”
Owari looks down at her plate. She doesn’t want to talk about Nidai.
“But you’re lucky, you know,” Komaeda says. “Nidai-kun was prepared to sacrifice himself in the hope that it would save you. And he could still live. You should believe in that possibility.”
“Whatever,” Owari mumbles.
“I know I shouldn’t impose. But I thought you needed to know.”
Owari pushes her chicken around her plate with her chopsticks.
“You got the cook killed, right?” she asks, abruptly. “Or you had something to do with it, anyway. Not sure I can forgive you for that.”
Komaeda sighs. “I don’t need you to forgive me. I don’t...” He pauses. “I don’t even need you to like me. But I do wish you and the others would at least try to understand what I’ve done for you.”
“I haven’t understood a thing that’s happened since the bunny showed up,” Owari says. “For all I know, you could be right with your... whatever your thing is. Maybe there is a good reason for all the killing and stuff. I don’t know.”
“I want to help you achieve your full potential,” Komaeda says. “I want to bring out the hope that sleeps inside you. This despair is only-”
“I don’t care,” Owari interrupts him. “I’m just saying, maybe you’re right.”
Komaeda pauses.
“That means a lot to me,” he says, quietly.
“Can I get back to my food?” Owari asks.
-
Somehow Kuzuryuu’s found himself at the library, of all places, paging through photo books. It feels like he’s just killing time until the next murder, whenever it is, whoever it is. He hates it.
He looks up from the table when he hears the door opening. Maybe it’d be good to have someone to talk to. He tries to keep any eagerness off his face.
It’s pretty easy not to look eager when he realises who it is.
“Kuzuryuu-kun,” Komaeda says. “I’m glad I found you.”
This guy was looking for him? “Did someone die?”
Komaeda shakes his head. “I wanted to speak to you about Pekoyama-san. I didn’t have the chance when I was... unwell. And I wanted you to know how valuable her sacrifice was to us.”
Every reminder of her is a knife in his ribs. He slams the book he was looking at shut. “Suck my cock, Komaeda. I don’t want to hear any of your bullshit about how she ‘died for hope’.”
Komaeda falls silent. Probably won’t be for long enough, but it’s something. He comes closer to Kuzuryuu’s table, and then... gets to his knees, because he’s fucking weird.
Kuzuryuu shifts his chair away slightly. “What are you doing?”
“Is it really something you want?” Komaeda asks.
“Maybe I’ll answer you if you start making any fucking sense.”
“You asked me to...” Komaeda winces. “‘Suck your cock’ sounds so vulgar, doesn’t it?”
Kuzuryuu stares at him. At Komaeda, on his knees, on the library floor.
“When I say it, I mean,” Komaeda clarifies. “It suits you. Your manner of speaking. Your talent.”
Kuzuryuu can feel himself starting to shake. “Are you mocking me?”
“I have nothing but respect for you and your family,” Komaeda says. “And I’d like to do this for you. But only if it’s something you want.”
There’s a cold prickling down Kuzuryuu’s back. His hands are curled into tight fists on his knees. He tries to unclench them. He can’t do it.
“I’m not gay,” he says.
Komaeda laughs. “I didn’t think you were. But that doesn’t answer my question.”
The prickling is creeping over his body. He’s thinking of all that time growing up, knowing someone else had complete power in his family. He’s always known he’s expected to come into power someday, but he’s never really tasted it himself. Peko was the only one who would follow his orders, and he always tried to avoid giving her any.
And he says ‘suck my cock’, and this guy falls straight to his knees.
Is he supposed to just... not be affected by that?
Kuzuryuu wets his lips. Swallows.
“Nobody finds out about this,” he says. His own breathing sounds humiliatingly loud in the library. “I’ll kill everyone on this island if I have to. There’ll be no one left to do your precious hoping. Don’t mention a fucking thing.”
Komaeda smiles. “Is that an order?”
The bastard can see straight through him. “Everything I say in this room is an order. Take off my belt.”
-
“I still love you, you know,” Komaeda says. “Even knowing what you are. Isn’t that strange?”
Hinata wants to get away, but there’s a wall at his back and Komaeda’s too close and there’s nowhere to go. “You...?”
Komaeda sighs. “I suppose it’s just more evidence of how worthless I truly am. A stronger person would find it in himself to kill you directly.”
Hinata shoves him away, takes a couple of stumbling steps towards the warehouse door. The islands have felt small since the moment he realised they were trapped here, but they’ve never felt smaller than now. No matter where he goes, he’ll never be far enough from Komaeda. “Kill me? What, for being a reserve student?”
“You have no idea, do you?” Komaeda breathes.
“I really don’t,” Hinata says. “I’m guessing you’re not going to tell me what you’re talking about.”
Komaeda takes a step towards him. Hinata takes a step back.
Komaeda stops moving, and for some reason Hinata doesn’t take the chance to run, although he keeps his distance. There’s still some part of him, some part that must be as insane as Komaeda himself, dreaming that maybe some day he’ll get some kind of real answer from this guy.
“You said you’re not going to kill me,” he says, just to be sure.
Komaeda shakes his head. “Pitiful, isn’t it?”
“Maybe you’ll find this hard to believe, but I actually find you easier to tolerate when you’re not getting people killed.”
“Why should I care whether a talentless person like you can tolerate me?”
Hinata wouldn’t ever have expected it, but he actually misses the creepy worship.
He draws breath. This is a bad idea. “Because you said you loved me.”
For a moment Komaeda raises his hand, as if to stroke Hinata’s face, although there are still several paces between them and Hinata’s getting the fuck out of there if he even looks like he’s getting within face-stroking distance.
“They’re just my feelings,” Komaeda says, his eyes hardening again. “They don’t matter any more than you do.”
-
They’re servants of despair, all but one of them. They should mean nothing to him. And yet all he can think of as he dies is how precious his time with them felt. He admired and adored every one of them, those he made love to, those he could only yearn for. Those feelings haven’t changed.
He doesn’t know whether there’s life after this. Even if there is, it’s probably only for the talented; they won’t want him there. But he can’t stop hoping that he’ll see them again.
It’s a twisted, perverse hope. These people turned their beautiful talents towards the worst possible cause. But it’s still hope, of a sort, and he’s always wanted his last thought to be a hopeful one.