Worthy of Love (Hajime Hinata x Reader Fanfiction)

Chapter 17

  "I-I don't..." He hyperventilated, struggling to stay focused on you.

  "Breathe, Hajime. You need to get a hold of yourself."

  He dropped the sheets and clung to you, reaching behind and pulling you close to him. Your air was stolen from your lungs as he squeezed your body closer to his, grasping at your shirt with the same ferocity he did the sheets. His breathing was now tighter and raspy, but failed to slow in tempo.

  "Hajime-" His overwhelming strength pressing you into him made it difficult to complete a sentence. You laced your arms around him, hoping your acceptance of his embrace would soothe him.

  "I c-can't..."

  "Can't what?" You latched onto the few words he mustered out.

  "Can't take it anymore." He buried his head in your shoulder.

  Upon noticing that his breathing was beginning to slow, you gave him a bit of time to recover. Any attempt to pull back only result in his grip strengthening. It was painful, but you bore through it and waited for him.

  "Hajime, what happened?"

  He sighed, finally relaxing his hold on you. You kept embracing, though a little more comfortably than before. "I'm sorry."

  "Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. I just want to know what happened."

  "...Nothing. Just a nightmare."

  "Are you sure? I want to make sure you're okay."

  "I'm okay." He leaned back, tilting his head backwards. His face was somber, distorted by a crippling pain in his heart.

  "Hajime, tell me what's going on."

  He took your hand, sandwiching it between his own two. "Nothing is going on. I just had a bad dream."

  You couldn't believe that was all there was to it. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. I'd rather you tell me the truth, though, than pretend like everything is fine."

  "I know," he lied. "I promise I'll tell you if there's an issue. Everything is fine right now."

  I just don't believe you. "Okay. You promise with all your heart?"

  He interlaced his fingers with yours and held your hand up by his chest. "With all my heart."

  You stayed close to him until both of you fell asleep, wrapped in each other's warmth. You listened to his heartbeat slow down to a regular tempo while his breaths remained slow and deep.

 
  The following morning, it was as if the entire situation had never happened. You had somehow separated during the night, ending up on opposite sides of the bed. Hajime was awake before you, remaining motionless on his half of the bed.

  "Good morning," you mumbled.

  "Good morning," he echoed.

  "How are you?" You held yourself up on your elbows.

  "I'm doing well."

  "Are you sure?" You couldn't meet his eyes, but remained confident enough to address the issue. 

  "Yes. I'm sorry if I concerned you." Slight culpability was heard in his tone. 

  "You did, just a little." Sitting up, you mirrored his position on the bed.

  "Well, let's forget about it. We've still got a lot of time before our flight back. Come on, what do you want to do today?"

  A few hours later, you found yourself parasailing high above the ocean water with Hajime. The single sailor piloting the boat was an ant now, his small movements almost indiscernible. Gusts of wind tore through your hair and billowed the parachute behind you.