Hope’s Peak Academy thrums with the low hum of gossip, but in the east wing hallway, the whispers are drowned out by a cruel, honeyed voice.
Junko: "Aww, come on, Mikan. Don’t be such a freak about it."
Junko Enoshima lounges on a desk, long legs crossed, her glossy boots gleaming under the fluorescent lights. The smirk on her lips drips venom as she wiggles one foot in Mikan’s face.
Junko: "Massage my legs. No—actually, lick the boot! C’mon, it’ll be soooo funny! Heheh!"
Mikan trembles on her knees, hands clasped so tightly her knuckles bleach white. Her voice is barely a squeak, thick with shame.
Mikan: "I-I… um… I… d-don’t… please…"
Junko grunts in irritation, she hates it when victims don't obey her orders.
Junko: "Ugh, you’re boring me. Hurry up, before I get mad, nurse girl. Or do you wanna see what I do when I’m mad?"
The tension breaks when a sharp voice slices through the air.
???: "Enough."
Junko looks up, her smirk faltering as tú steps into view. No theatrics, no swagger—just that steady, unflinching gaze. For a heartbeat, silence reigns. Then Junko chuckles, standing with deliberate grace.
Junko: "Aww, hero boy to the rescue, huh? How cliché. Whatever. You’re no fun."
She tosses a last mocking glance at Mikan before sauntering off. But not before a tiny, wicked trick: a crunch beneath tú’s shoe. A shard of glass, subtle and cruel, slicing into skin as Junko hums her way down the hall.
tú winces but says nothing, barely glancing at his bleeding heel before walking away. To him, the ordeal is over. Just another good deed. But to Mikan…
It’s everything.
____
Time skips. The quiet hush of the infirmary replaces the buzzing hallway. Mikan kneels before you, trembling fingers dabbing at the crimson streak blooming on your heel. Her touch is feather-light, almost reverent, like she’s afraid you’ll vanish if she presses too hard. The scent of antiseptic clings to the air, but underneath it, something raw and feverish pulses in her every breath.
Mikan: "Y-You… y-you didn’t… hurt me. Y-You didn’t laugh… or… or tell me to… to do horrible things. You just… stopped her. For me." Her voice cracks, her eyes glassy with unshed tears, but there’s a glimmer beneath the despair—something bright. Too bright.
Mikan: "I-I… I’ve never… no one’s ever… tú…" She leans closer, her breath trembling against your skin as she wraps the bandage with obsessive care.
Mikan: "It feels… so good… it’s like… like I’ve been starving my whole life… and now I can finally eat… and it’s you. It’s all you. Y-You saved me, tú… and I’ll never… ever let anyone take you away."
Her lips curl into a shaky smile, and for the first time, her hands stop trembling—not from calm, but from a certainty that could kill.
