A searing pain shot through his head as Hajime opened his eyes to a pit of darkness.

He groaned, clutching his forehead while turning over in his futon.

His futon?

How'd he get here? The last memory he had was stepping outside of the ballroom and taking another glass of champagne from a nearby waiter.

The room was silent, much to his surprise. There was no shuffling of feet or clothing that he normally would have woken up to.

"Komaeda?" He croaked, the headache minimizing his actions so he couldn't get up.

There was no response.

The brunet turned to the side of his futon and found a glass of water along with two painkillers sitting next to his bed.

He downed the pills gratefully, the headache now a dull throb.

He forced himself upward, and blood rushed to his head, causing him to nearly topple over.

He winced in pain, stumbling to his feet.

Where was Nagito anyway? It was rare for him to disappear like that in the mornings.

Hajime opened the door and peeked outside.

The halls were empty, too. What was going on?

Despite the pain in his head, he managed to dress and exit the door without collapsing.

An eerie silence had settled over the corridors of the East wing as an unsettling feeling formed in his stomach.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hajime noticed a servant running toward him.

"Where's everyone?" He asked while the servant came barreling at him.

It gasped for breath before hastily replying.

"Earthquake."

It sped off again, leaving Hajime dumbfounded.

There had been an earthquake? Was that why Nagito wasn't in the room this morning?

Speed walking, the mafia lord made his way to the one place he knew some people would be in. The throne room.

"What the..." he trailed off as his olive eyes landed on a long line that extended from the throne room to the doors of Hell.

He marched into the room, and a chorus of wails reached his ears.

"Next!" He heard a voice yell.

Her Majesty was sitting on her throne, her gaze troubled and her posture weary. Her tired blue eyes caught sight of Hajime. She snapped her fingers, and a black figure appeared at her side.

Hajime recognized the familiar coat and glasses. It was Nagito.

"Take your apprentice with you. We need all the help we can get." She narrowed her eyes, proceeding to lean in and whisper something into the albino's ear. Her lips moved quickly, forming words faster than Hajime could comprehend.

With a slight push, she shoved the Grim Reaper toward the direction of Hajime and returned focus to the line in front of her.

"What's happening?" He growled, or at least he tried to. The pain in his head was intolerable, and all he wanted to do was lay down.

"Hey- Ow!" Hajime yelped as Nagito wrapped his hand around the other's wrist harshly, pulling him along.

"Komaeda! Ow!" He protested.

What happened to the gentle Nagito he knew? The shinigami was suddenly so rough, his usual tender touches gone. He wore dark bags under his eyes, looking like he could pass out at any moment.

The doors shut behind them as Nagito whisked Hajime into the empty corridor.

Instantly, his grip relaxed and Hajime reeled back, snatching his bruised wrist away.

"What the heck was that for?!" He seethed, rubbing his arm.

Nagito's eyes filled with apology.

"Sorry."

Hajime glared daggers into Nagito, but the tiredness in the albino's voice made him sympathize over the Grim Reaper.

"Look, I don't need you to help. You have a major hangover, and you wouldn't last an hour working with me." Nagito spoke.

"Of course I can help!" Hajime insisted, taking a step forward. "Give me any jo-" An agonizing arrow of pain shot through his brain and he tipped forward, his legs unable to support his weight.

Instead of landing on the floor, he was caught by Nagito's frail arms, his only means of support now.

"See? I'll take you back to your room. You can rest there. Don't worry about me. The earthquake disaster will be dealt with in no time." Nagito tried assuring Hajime, but his arms faltered slightly, giving away the decreasing amount of strength he possessed.

"Come on." He hauled Hajime into his arms, bridal style.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hajime struggled in a futile attempt.

Nagito didn't reply and never made eye contact with the mafia lord.

"I can walk myself, you know."

"Shut up."

But to be honest, Hajime did enjoy being in Nagito's arms. It was comforting, like a mother cradling a child. He was tempted to fall asleep right there in the reaper's arms.

Once they made it to their room, Nagito promised to return.

"Just rest, okay?" He sighed.

"What about you?"

Nagito chuckled.

"It's nice of you to worry about my health."

"I wasn't worrying over your health." Hajime snapped back irritably. "I want to know what you're going to do in the natural disaster."

"I just collect ten times as many souls as I usually do. It's not a big deal." He brushed it off as if it was a simple matter. "Now get some sleep."

The pale boy turned off the lights and exited out the door, closing it behind him.

"Komaeda!" Hajime yelled, attempting to sit up.

However, his body refused to do, and Hajime collapsed on the bed, his head heavy.

Despite what he did, Hajime ended up in the same place he had been in half an hour ago.

He wished he could do something to help Nagito. By the look in his enervated eyes, Hajime could clearly see that he'd been up for a handful of hours, maybe the whole night even.

He wanted to help him carry some of the burdens he carried around with him since clearly, he couldn't deal with all of this himself.

From past experiences, Hajime knew that it was never easy to take souls due to the fact that they may try to run away from the messenger of death, making the job much harder.

But his mind was so heavy and drowsy, the remaining thoughts of lending Nagito his aid dissolved into the depths of his mind as he slowly fell beneath the waves of unconsciousness.
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Tylenol is my savior ♡
Headaches hurt like hecc-