@casecmplx: “ i’m not giving up on you. not ever. ” ( saya for mm!naegi bc pain ) // sent from: prompts for your feels
THEY ARE IRRESISTABLE, THEY ARE INDESTRUCTIBLE !
THEY WERE MEANT FOR EACH OTHER !
pledges of fidelity weren’t foreign to his tongue but from hers, their tired sound received renewed appreciation and became music to his ears ---- melodious and undeniably addictive, a siren song of harmony amidst a sea of discord. from the beginning of the killing game had maizono been in his proverbial corner and supported his vision of hope, unifying logic with empathetic intelligence to become his most treasured ally within the courtroom and elsewhere. she understood him in a way that no one else could and their simpatico relationship only strengthened with every passing day. she was everything that he’d hoped that she’d be, and so much more.
she had come so far since the early days of the killing game, exchanging niceties with him and nostalgically reminiscing of their time in middle school --- until the first motive prompted a panic-stricken reaction that he hadn’t thoroughly prepared for. frequently did naegi revisit the memory of her close call with kuwata in his dorm room, her blind state of hysteria and her narrow escape from death in the safety of his shower; that fateful night was eye-opening and reaffirmed the risk that she constantly faced. it was at that point that he knew that he needed to do better, for her sake and his. despite his role as the overarching orchestrator of the killing game, there existed a number of variables at play which he could never control but naegi was determined to curtail their influence on the game’s outcome. a vow was made to protect her and it needed to be upheld, no matter what.
to know that the loyalty was still mutual left him overjoyed. even after the final trial and his identity as the mastermind was revealed with grandiose theatrics, she stood by him and he was enraptured yet again by the strength of her character. in the end, no one else held a candle to her.
❝ hearing that from you ----- it just means so much to me. ❞
a long hum of satisfaction dragged across the air and a smile bloomed in its wake, wide and unabashed. his partiality for her had never been discreet and in the aftermath of the killing game, it was made even more apparent. there was no point in hiding how smitten he was with her, not when she’d made it abundantly clear that she reciprocated his feelings during the final trial. finally was he liberated of inhibitions and finally could he pay her the attention she deserved.
❝ i wouldn’t have blamed you if you had turned your back on me like the others did, you know. you must have felt so betrayed, so confused about what i did. you should’ve hated me for it, but you didn’t. ❞ calmly did his index finger lift off the table to curl around the ends of one of her twin tails, a serpentine coil that ducked and dipped around the strands with an air of playfulness as lidded eyes surveyed her with love-stricken fondness. ❝ i’ve always trusted you the most and knowing what i know now, maybe i should have told you everything from the start. you would’ve let me explain myself and kept an open mind about everything. you would’ve known that i was telling the truth when i told you that your well-being was still my priority. you would’ve understood me. ❞
although hazel eyes didn’t stray from hers, his softened gaze suddenly became distant as if they were looking straight through her ----- unfocused and unresponsive to his surroundings. the hypothetical scenario was only contemplated for a moment or two, infatuated by a vision of an alternate reality in which she embraced his honesty and they confessed their love for each other much sooner. as appealing as it was, however, the beat of silence passed and focus returned to his glazed-over stare. no longer was there any point in losing himself in the realm of fantasy when all of his wildest dreams had already actualized in reality.
❝ anyway, it doesn’t matter now. what matters is that you’re still here with me, in spite of it all. you’ve given me so much hope, and i want to share it all with you --- every day, for as long as we’re together. ❞ her hair was freed from his touch as his hand dropped to take hers, drawing it upwards to meet his mouth in a kiss along her knuckles. the simple gesture understated the extent of his gratitude but it sufficed for the time being. they didn’t need to overcompensate with ostentatious displays of love to make it known; they were already compatible in every meaningful way. ❝ i guess what i’m trying to say is ... thank you for giving me a chance, sayaka. you won’t regret it. ❞