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one-way-dream · 1 year

Text

Cast In Gold (Commission)

Rating: General

Words: 4700+

Media: Danganronpa, Super Danganronpa 2, Pokemon, Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Characters/Pairings: Hajime Hinata/Nagito Komaeda, Hajime Hinata, Nagito Komaeda, Chiaki Nanami, Professor Levanton (Mentioned)

Tags: Alternate Universe - Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Crossover AU, Fluff, Comfort, Friendship, Developing Relationship, Developing Feelings, Snowstorms & Blizzards, First Meetings

Warnings: N/A

Chapter: 1/1

Link to the original work

AO3 Summary/Except:

Hajime stared into his earnest eyes, a cool silver that contrasted with the bright warm gleam coming from the fire, and suddenly he was in the middle of the snowstorm again.

Strangely enough, he didn't find himself wanting to seek shelter from it this time.

Author's Notes:

Commission for Crunchy/Beau (@crunchycat6 on Tumblr and CrunchyCat16 on Twitter) for xyr KomaHina/Pokemon Legends: Arceus AU! ❤ Thank you very much! This was fun to write! :]

If you like my work and are interested in commissioning me, please check out my post here!

Hajime wakes up irritably to the sound of incessant banging on his front door. He rolls over in bed, tucking himself further into the sandy beige comforter, barely catching his Shinx purring in his sleep, curled up in the farthest corner of the bedroom away from Hajime.

It’s rare enough to hear him be so content in Hajime’s presence, enough that the boy finds himself smiling in his half-asleep state despite himself, not even picking up on the sound of his front door clicking open.

A few moments pass before he starts to drift off again, the warm morning sunlight lulling him back to sleep. Everything feels alright for a while until his bedroom door painfully creaks at the rusty hinges, startling both the trainer and his Pokémon. Hajime flipped over in his annoyance, sleepy face to drowsy face with Chiaki, his Survey Corps teammate and best friend, who stood in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest and a look of mild frustration in the form of a pout. One that he’d seen far too often with her to be bothered about, but he’d at least try and humour her.

“You’ve really got to change your front door lock.”

Chiaki strolls over and yanks the comforter off of him, earning an irritated grumble as Hajime flails his arms in a pathetic attempt to cover himself again. His Shinx perks up with a quiet chirrup, seemingly interested in his trainer’s misery. Hajime shoots him a glare from where he lay on the bed, but its carefully groomed baby blue and black fur wasn’t even the slightest bit bristled. He sighs, grumbling to himself about how he should know better than to expect him to back down that easily. It’s then Chiaki’s turn to sigh as she looks between them, her own Munna peeking out from behind her leg and squeaking up at her curiously. She looks down with a resigned smile, finally plopping down on the bed beside her best friend.

“You two still can’t get along, huh?” She chuckles, shifting a little to get a better look at his scrunched-up face blocking out the sun, “Well, maybe this expedition will help you two bond a little!”

Expedition…?

Well, that sure got his attention.

At the sight of his confused expression, Chiaki’s face immediately fell into a frown. “You… do remember that we were supposed to head up north for our next assignment, right?”

Hajime immediately bolted upright in his bed, startling everyone in the room with a slight jolt, “Oh crap… I—”

“I mean! You’re fine!” Chiaki immediately grabbed his shoulders, trying to keep him from panicking, “Professor Laventon said we could leave whenever we wanted, but I just thought that you might like to head out a little early since it’s so far. Trust me, I’m not happy to be up this early either.” And as if to exaggerate her point, a loud yawn was ripped out of her as she rubbed the residual sleep from her eyes. Or maybe it was permanent – after all, Hajime had never not seen her be moments away from passing out at any given point. One time he even had to rescue her from a charging wild Wyrdeer while she was blissfully napping under a tree in the Cobalt Coastlands.

Hajime lets out a huff and lets his shoulders droop, “Besides the fact that I’m not important enough to get a message from the commander, I thought you had another assignment ongoing?”

“I do, but it’s here in the fields, so it shouldn’t take long. I’ll let you beat me just this once and get a head start, and then I’ll catch up to you in the village by tomorrow morning, I think.”

He smiles, giving her a playful nudge as affirmation as he shuffles off the wrinkled sheets of the cot. Chiaki spent the next half hour helping him pack, occasionally taking over for him whenever he’d have to leave to get dressed. The two of them were like two peas in a pod, able to read each other effortlessly; let alone preparing for a treacherous trek in the mountains, he’d trust her with his life in a stampede of aggressive Pokémon.

“Alright, since you’ve got all your research stuff ready, I’ve packed some extra hearty grains to get you through the fields and Aspear berries for the cold. I wasn’t really sure what’d help as an offering, but I added extra mushrooms just in case.” Chiaki rambled as she hoisted the heavy bag onto the table, making the photo frames of her and Hajime rattle slightly at the thud. Hajime nodded as a thank you, setting out plates for the two of them filled to the brim with food – they’d need all their energy today and then some.

They ate over light chatter about their latest work and hobbies, occasionally interrupted by the sounds of their Pokémon partners playing with each other. Hajime looks away from Chiaki at the two of them a little enviously, wondering how her Munna got closer to his Shinx over the span of two years compared to his seven. He suddenly feels a poke in his cheek, looking over to find Chiaki’s finger jabbed into his face. Of course she caught him looking stupid.

“Hey, hey, don’t take it to heart,” Her words soothe him a little, although the bitterness still lingers a little, “They’re probably more alike than we’d ever know or understand – just be glad that they like each other to begin with, y’know? And besides…”

Chiaki leaned back into her seat, an air of heartfelt confidence coming about her as she placed a hand over her chest, “It’s a longer trip with the two of you all alone, so maybe just hope that things will change for the better this time,” She smiles, unwavering in her stance, “And maybe you’ll get lucky.”

The Obsidian Fieldlands were Hajime’s home, and thankfully, also his favourite place to be. Everything in Jubilife Village from the verdant blades of grass littered with flowers and stray berries to the Pokémon grazing in the fields or napping under cool spots of shade filled his heart with unexplainable joy. Travelling, while tiring, had always been one of his favourite parts of doing these research projects.

That, and the fact that he got to research wild Pokémon for a living, made it all worth it.

Despite not being a very good trainer, he could pride himself a little on the fact that he was a rather thorough person – always willing to go the extra mile to document every little new thing he comes across, even if it means staying longer than the assignment suggests. Sure, these Pokémon would be heading to the lab eventually, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t look into them himself.

This time, his assignment was to research a Hisuian Absol that lived far in the more remote areas of the Coronet Highlands – a Pokémon noble that went by the name of Lady Absol. Strangely enough, he’d heard nothing but suspicious rumours about her warden, some of them going as far as to exclaim that they wrought disaster and tragedy in their every waking moment, not unlike Lady Absol herself. Hajime couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the village gossip at times; he knew better than to trust the words of old ladies that did nothing but perch themselves under the shade of their home all day, but it was a little hard to avoid when everyone knew everyone, and gossip swept up as easily as dust on a hot summer day.

Hajime frowned at his own thoughts, pressing on as he crossed the bridge to the other side of the fieldlands, making sure to have his coat ready within the next few hours once he reached the summit. So far his trip had been uneventful, besides a few Pokémon giving him the stink eye – but strangely enough, none of them had charged at him as they usually would have, which ultimately did feel lucky considering that he wanted to burn as little daylight as possible.

Feeling generous, he even left a few bushels of hearty grains on his path for the next lucky Pokémon to encounter it. Not like he would need it, after all – he’d be entering the colder region soon enough, making it one of the handful of times he’d ever had to go up Mount Coronet, and the first time venturing into a remote area, even if he’d be staying in a nearby village over the course of the assignment.

As he eventually reaches the end of the grassy meadows and slips on his jacket, Hajime starts to feel the strain in his calves from the incline; his heavy boots, while good at securing his footing, do no favours for his legs as he scales the mountain a bit at a time. The weather keeps getting harsher, colder, as he nears Cloudcap Pass, not helped by the fact that his lungs and legs ached for rest after hours of walking.

He spots a Graveller in the distance with its back turned to him right as his foot slips on one of the steeper rocks, and his heart shoots up into his throat as it begins to turn around. He immediately takes shelter behind a conveniently wide-enough tree and gets to praying to the God of Time, God of Space, absolutely anything in between to please not let it come charging at him while he was struggling and heaving his way up the chilly mountainside. No matter how fit he thought himself to be, it was only just barely enough to outrun a Snorlax at top speed; apparently his endurance wasn’t cut out for high-altitude hiking.

In hindsight, maybe taking the shortcut to avoid longer travel times wasn’t such a good idea.

His Shinx on the other hand, had absolutely no qualms about trotting up the mountainside, seeming to revel in the cool breeze that occasionally stung Hajime’s eyes, not even bothering to look behind him at his partner fighting his way up. He tried his best not to let his behaviour get to him – as sour as it made him feel, at the end of the day, it was probably Hajime’s failures as a trainer that made his partner hate him to the extent that he does.

Soon enough, the two of them reached a clearing where the ground was flat, seemingly on the outskirts of Cloudcap Pass, and Hajime didn’t catch the snowstorm until it was blasted in his face.

One moment he feels like he's being watched, and in the next, his vision is full of nothing but white, the frigid wind stinging his cheeks and nose until they went numb. Immediately, his mind jumps to his partner who had pushed on ahead, and Hajime’s heart rate starts pounding in his ears when he can no longer see a bundle of blue and black up ahead.

He stops and turns around, head whipping from left to right until he finally spots them off to the side, huddled up for warmth against a rock. Hajime runs over, the adrenaline fading from his system as he scoops him up into his arms.

“You’re… you’re cold…” He whispers to him, fear lacing his voice as he begins brushing the snow out of his fur, “I’m so sorry. Stay with me, okay?”

Piercing gold eyes meet his, and for a moment he wonders how he never realised that they both had gold irises. Fondness sweeps over him despite their situation, immediately replaced by desperation as he zipped his coat open and bundled up his partner in his green scarf, tucking him into his jacket.

It isn’t until they make a little more headway that Hajime trips in the snow, visibility reduced to nil, causing the contents of his bag to spill out into the thick blanket of snow that was far too deep to fish through – more importantly, he can't seem to spot a single Aspear berry for his companion, who was burrowing further into whatever remained of Hajime’s body heat. He slugs the bag over his shoulder and curses under his breath, feeling frustration boil up within him. Had the elders really been right about Lady Absol all along?

It’s no use , he thinks, curling his shivering Shinx closer to his chest as he pushes forward despite the snowstorm being unrelenting in its assault. Hajime grits his teeth to keep them from chattering, almost missing out on the voice calling out to him in the distance.

“ …ey! Can you hear me? ”

Hajime swears that he’s looking at a ghost, but slowly the voice gets louder, closer.

“Are you okay?!” They call out to him, and Hajime can barely make out their figure – though, he’s surprised he can see anything at all. As if on cue, the storm eases a little, revealing a single large log cabin a little further in the distance. He can already feel the warmth in his fingertips as the stranger motions to follow him in. Stranger danger was irrelevant at this point – he was far too tired, cold, and fed up to care.

The stranger holds the door open for him, but Hajime barely catches how he looks, too preoccupied with batting snowflakes out of his eyes. A gentle heat wraps around him as soon as he steps into the spacious cabin, filled with everything one would need to comfortably survive, and a whole lot of heavy-looking books.

“Boy, that was close!” Hajime jumped at the voice coming from behind him, before immediately wanting to slap himself for forgetting about the kind stranger who let some wandering boy into his home, “I was worried that you were a goner – good thing you didn’t die out there! It’s a little hard to find bodies in the snow, after all.”

A little unnerved by that last part, Hajime turns around to face the owner. The moment he lays eyes on them he feels genuinely startled for some reason, like he wasn’t mistaken the first time and that the pale and sickly looking individual (boy?) in front of him really was a ghost. It takes every ounce of self-control in Hajime not to shake in fear, but his act quickly falls apart when the other’s expression falls into one of concern.

“Are you sure you’re alright? You’re shaking like a leaf…” They frown, looking Hajime up and down which he’s sure is just to check for injuries, but he can’t help but feel flustered anyway. They (he?) finally looked up, a determined spark in his eyes as he brought a fist down into his palm, “I’ve got just the thing that’ll comfort you.”

Hajime stared into his earnest eyes, a cool silver that contrasted with the bright warm gleam coming from the fire, and suddenly he was in the middle of the snowstorm again. Strangely enough, he didn't find himself wanting to seek shelter from it this time.

Suddenly, he finds himself being led by their joined hands to the couch by the firepit, until the stranger pulls away to offer a seat and place a neatly folded checkered blanket on the armrest. He graciously takes it with a nod, especially since it was probably the warmest spot in the entire house besides the ornate looking lavender rug laid out in front, but that was already preoccupied by an oddly blue-coloured Typhlosian, comfortably curled up and snoozing without a care in the world. Hajime can’t quite decide if he feels offended or pleased by the fact that his presence is soothing enough to be unnoticeable. Or maybe he was just unimportant, he mentally supplied.

As he drapes the blanket over his shoulders, the inside of his jacket shifts, purring punctuated by shivers that Hajime felt against his ribcage. His heart dropped looking at his partner, eyes shut with his fur still damp from the icy snow. Before he could take him out of there, the stranger briskly crossed the room again with something clasped in their palms. “Here, these berries should help your Pokémon recover from the cold,” The stranger smiled brightly and revealed a few Aspear berries, of which Hajime took two, “And as for you, I just set a kettle of water to boil for a hot drink – I have a pretty good selection of herbal teas, if you’re interested!”

Hajime’s mouth pressed into a thin line.

“…Why are you doing all this?”

The stranger blinks in surprise, and rightfully so – even Hajime doesn’t know why he said that all of a sudden, but something about this stranger’s hospitality seemed so over-the-top to him. Maybe he just wasn’t used to this kind of treatment, but something about them felt different. He can’t quite say it’s in a bad way.

“Well, I have enough to worry about in life and taking care of someone isn’t a burden to me; it’s a pleasure to be able to help and serve others. Besides, I can’t bring myself to leave someone out to freeze to death like that, you know. It’s a rather painful way to go out.” Hajime finds himself bearing witness to another carefree smile, even after making a heavy remark like that. Their voice grows a little quieter, as if they didn’t want Hajime to really hear, “And I… don’t mind the company.”

Their eyes grow sombre, steady gaze off of Hajime and on the hot water pouring from the kettle. Steam billows like clouds, and somehow Hajime can’t help but compare it to the stranger’s hair. A rustle from his jacket makes him realise that his partner is awake, pawing at the zip to be let out. He quickly unzips it and lets him hop out onto the carpet, but not before feeding two berries.

For a second there, their eyes meet, and something akin to understanding flashes between them before they break eye contact again, going their separate ways as it were.

“Ah, my name is Nagito Komaeda, by the way. I’m sorry for not introducing myself earlier.”

Hajime jolts slightly in his seat, mildly aware of the strange weight on his leg as he sits upright, recalling what a fumbling idiot he’s been to not even thank him for his hospitality, “N-no, it’s fine. Thank you – I mean… My name is Hajime Hinata.”

Nagito suddenly pulls a 180° and smiles something mischievous, as he picks up the tray and sets it on the table directly in front of Hajime. As their eyes meet from up close, Hajime begrudgingly notices that he’s… not bad looking, actually. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a name that simple sounding before.”

Never mind, he’s a jerk.

Confusion flashes over his features for a moment before an apologetic look slaps itself on, “I was joking! I was joking, I apologise. I meant that it’s nice and easy to remember.” He laughs nervously, hands in false surrender, “I… don’t have many people come by my place so…”

“…Socialising is hard, huh?”

Nagito meekly nods, an embarrassed but pleasant blush dusting his cheeks. Hajime hums in affirmation, shifting to the other seat instead of sitting in the middle like a jerk. He pats the seat next to him, a little self-conscious about the fact that he was inviting someone he just met to sit that close to him, but then again it was his house. The strange boy eagerly takes his seat, turning to face Hajime while cradling a ceramic pink cup in his hands. Sure, there was definitely a lack of social skills, but it was undeniable that there was also a mysterious air about him. At the very least, Hajime could say for certain that he was a kind soul through and through.

“Hey…” Hajime starts, taking a sip from his cup and savouring the rich and citrusy accents of his drink, “Why were you outside in the snowstorm to begin with?”

“Actually, I… didn’t realise it was snowing until I stepped out and saw you. I was on my way to give my offerings to Lady Absol for the day.”

Hajime’s eyes light up with recognition at the name, catching Nagito off-guard with his eager smile, “Lady Absol?! Are you… her warden?”

The other shifts in his seat as well, sitting upright with what Hajime could tell was the slightest hint of pride in his smile. His happiness felt outright contagious, fluttering in his chest, “Why yes, that would be me! She and I are quite close, you know?”

“What a coincidence. I’m actually in the Survey Corps down in Jubilife; my assignment this time around was to research a Hisuian Absol with my friend Chiaki who’ll be joining me in the village later, but I got lost. I guess this turned out to be lucky, but…”

“Oh!” Nagito interjects, eyes brimming with enthusiasm, as he clasps Hajime’s hands within his own. “Then why don’t you join me for the offering?”

Hajime flusters, face burning from the touch as he leans back the slightest bit. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure if telling the warden of a noble that he was hesitant to accompany them on a visit was a particularly wise thing to do, but the last thing Hajime needed right now was another natural disaster or stroke of bad luck cursing him.

“I… think I’m good. I planned to watch from afar, anyway. Besides, the snowstorm is still going, isn’t it?”

Nagito laughs, and the sound gets to Hajime’s head more than he’d like to admit. He pointed out the window behind him, and sure enough, there wasn’t a stray snowflake drifting about in the air, “Not at all.”

He stands up, pulling Hajime up with him by the hand. The weight on his foot shifts as he’s forced to stand up, trailing behind Nagito to the door, emptied pink and brown teacups abandoned on the tray. The snoozing Typhlosian wakes up with a big stretch, trotting to the door with vivid pink and violet flames flickering behind it. Like his Shinx, he doesn’t pay much attention to Hajime, which annoyingly makes two Pokémon who can’t be bothered with him. He sighs, earning a look of confusion from Nagito that he doesn’t catch, before scanning the room for his partner. Before he can start looking around, he feels a rumble against his leg, a warmth that he’s never felt before; he looks down, only to find that his partner was pressed up against his calf and seemed… rather happy?

Well, that’s definitely something .

Not only did his Pokémon for once tolerate being within three feet of him, but pressed up against his leg? Maybe he rescued the wrong Shinx after all. Whatever.

Still… he had more pressing matters.

“Nagito, are you sure it’s a good idea to visit?” Hajime’s voice is laced with hesitation, too nervous to meet Nagito’s eyes as they adjusted their scarves and stepped out the front door. “You know about the rumours, don’t you? I’m just… worried about the disaster and misfortune and all.”

The boy in question stops and turns around to face the other, and suddenly there’s a knot of dread fixated in his stomach.

But Nagito thankfully doesn’t seem angry as the elders would’ve been if their authority was questioned, just contemplative as he brings a hand to his chin.

“Hm… I know why you’d think that, given that you were brought up in a small village and all…” Hajime knows he’s speaking objectively, but it still stings a little anyway, “But the fact is that if you’re really that afraid of her, then you wouldn’t have lasted a second around me.”

Hajime’s mind goes blank. “What… do you mean?”

“I mean that we’re cut from the same cloth; that I too, am a child of misfortune and disaster, and that I also drive away those around me. I always believed that that was why it was better that I ended up in the past, away from those I love.” Hajime opened his mouth to ask more questions, but Nagito beat him to it, “However, our key difference lies in the fact that I truly am cursed, while she is misunderstood.”

In a heartbeat, the air shifts as Nagito places his hands on Hajime’s shoulders, firm yet gentle – grounding, really. He beams at the other boy like he’d brought new meaning to his life, like he’d brought the stars down to earth just for him.

“But look at you – it looks like your hope outshines us both! Truthfully, I don’t believe that you have anything to worry about around her. I just want you to understand, that’s all. And call it mere intuition, but I have a feeling that you’re probably a good person, at least from the way I see your partner loves you dearly and how you care for him in return.”

Ah… that managed to dampen Hajime’s spirit a little.

“That… can’t be it, he can’t stand me.” Hajime scoffs, grumbling under his voice. Nagito’s expression melts into one of sympathy, but instead of pity, he hears, “I find that hard to believe. He didn’t leave your side for a moment while we were inside.”

And as soon as he says that, it suddenly strikes Hajime with widened eyes that his partner was the mysterious weight he felt on his foot the whole time.

Nagito smiles at the stunned reaction, watching the other’s small smile grow fond as he looks down at his small companion, “Shall we get going?”

Once the two of them start walking, a hand slips into Hajime’s once he has his eyes on the snow-covered path ahead of him. He sharply looks to the side in surprise, only to be met with a sweet smile and a light squeeze of their joined hands, “Wouldn’t want you to get lost again, now would we?”

Hajime didn’t bother answering that, far too busy trying to put out the fire on his face.

The walk doesn’t take very long, maybe five minutes give or take, before they find themselves face to face with the infamous Lady Absol curled up gracefully under a berry tree. Nagito waved at her with his free hand, and it’s only then that Hajime realised that they still hadn’t let go.

Not that he really minded, anyway.

She stands up, lush white fur picking up on clumps of snow as she trudges over through the ankle-deep frost. Hajime feels his throat close up, but before he can say anything, Nagito beats him to it again.

“You know, the truth is that Absols are actually wonderful creatures that want nothing more than to protect the life around them.” He says quietly, gently and playfully swinging their linked hands back and forth as if to get rid of Hajime’s nerves, “They foretell disasters to those around them, only to be blamed for them instead. As such, they live in isolation, away from other beings – besides those that truly understand them, of course.”

Their hands slowly still, each swing more gentle than the last.

“I… understand such a feeling. I’m from a different time, after all, like I’m sure many are. We thankfully managed to resolve these rumours in the future, but it still hurts to see them like this.”

She stopped a foot away from them, pristine fur absolutely glowing in the sunset’s golden light. Hajime looked to his side, breath catching in his throat at the sight of Nagito glowing in the same way. Nagito reached his free hand out, combing a hand through the curls behind her ear.

“She trusts you Hajime.” He smiled hopefully, looking between Hajime and his Shinx partner, “Be brave.”

Lady Absol lowered her head, an open invitation. At the sight of his partner and Nagito’s smile, a spark of courage ignites within Hajime as he swallows his misconceptions and fears, gently grazing the top of her head until it finally rests. A rush of glee pumps through his veins, heart pounding in his ribcage out of sheer happiness.

It’s then that he decided his future.

He would do it. He would clear their name for good.

For Nagito, for Lady Absol, and for his partner, he would tear down the walls between humans and their Pokémon companions.

#dr #sdr2 #pokemon #pokemon legends arceus #crossover au #hajime hinata #nagito komaeda #chiaki nanami #professor laventon #shinx pokemon #absol pokemon #pkmn #komahina #hikoma #fic commissions #fanfiction #ok i think thats it htank god #<- hates tagging #my work

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