#i think mahiru and shidou deserve to have a talk about losing their partners

[amugoffandoms]

DAY NINE OF MILGRAMTOBER!!! yippee!!!

Shidou fiddles with a piece of paper, trying to fold it into an animal.

He needs to do something with his hands, so he decided to make paper animals.

He remembers how to make a few of them when his children–...

When his children were around.

So, he's trying to remember how to fold and make them again, which is a little hard.

Shidou tried making a horse for Haruka, but he seemed very confused and thought it was a dog.

...that was a little embarrassing.

It helps, at least, having to do something with his hands. The numb feeling in his hands never leave, but at least there's some sensation.

Sighing, he pockets the paper. (It was supposed to be a crane. It looks like a boat.) Perhaps he should just do something else, like walk around.

So, that's what he does. Shidou leaves his cell and starts walking around.

...It's been awfully quiet in the panopticon in the past hour. Where is everyone?

Maybe they're eating...? Though, it's a little late for lunch. The group had already eaten as well.

Either way, Shidou might as well check.

Pulling open the panopticon doors, he walks through the quiet hallway and stops right in front of the dining room.

Shidou almost pushes the door open when he hears conversation in the room across. He turns around and glances at the common room doors.

What would everyone be doing there? Shidou wonders as he walks across the hallway and pushes open the common room doors.

Right in the center of the room is Mahiru and most of the other prisoners. Mahiru waves her hands around, animatedly.

...the way everyone is just listening to Mahiru seems so familiar as if he remembers this exact thing happening before.

It is. It is. It's how his wife told a story to his kids.

Shaking the feeling away, Shidou walks up to the group and sits at a table near the group.

"...so, that's how the small group of friends escaped the forest!" Mahiru smiles before her face becomes serious. "Except they never escaped the killer."

Fuuta sputters. "Hah–?!"

"Oh, wow..." Kazui blinks, a little shocked.

"Mappi, what the–" Mikoto stares.

"Hehe, that was fun~" Mahiru hums.

"Mahiru, why did you end it like that...? It was so scary." Muu cries.

"I seriously didn't expect that." Yuno laughs as she tries to comfort Muu.

"Well, that's why it's a scary story~" Mahiru laughs. "I think I have another one, but it really isn't that bad! Do you guys want to hear it?"

"Um... I do." Haruka speaks up.

Everyone else nods or agrees with Haruka.

As Shidou looks around, he doesn't see Amane. He really shouldn't be surprised, considering Amane doesn't seem to be interested in group gatherings or anything. However, it's still something kids would enjoy. Kazui is even here!

So, where is she...?

"Okay~" Mahiru nods. "Oh, hi, Shidou!"

Shidou blinks before realizing Mahiru noticed him. "Ah... Hello, Shiina."

"Oi, what are you doing sitting over there?" Fuuta looks over at Shidou.

"I was wondering where everyone had gone. I guess you all came here." Shidou gives an awkward smile.

"Oh, yeah, Mappi said she had some stories to tell, so I grabbed Muu and Haruka. I think Kazui came from the dining room. Yuno and Fuuta came here by themselves eventually." Mikoto explains.

"I see." Shidou nods and stands up. "Well, I should let you all get back to your story, hm?"

"Oh, come on, Shidou~" Mahiru sings. "The next story has a doctor in it! I'm sure you'll like it."

"Ah, but—" Shidou sighs and sits back down. "Alright, alright. What's the story?"

"Yay~!" Mahiru cheers. "Okay, so this one I studied in college for a little bit. I think it's called Frankenstein?"

"I don't think the person in the story actually had a degree." Fuuta mumbles.

"Hey, how'd you know that??" Mahiru huffs. "Oh... wait, that's true. Well, just pretend~"

Fuuta mutters something about having to study it in high school, but Shidou ignores the specifics. Instead he asks Mahiru a question.

"'Frankenstein?'" Shidou blinks. "I don't believe I've heard of that one..."

Maybe he has and he forgot. The name doesn't sound familiar...

...And, guessing from the faces on everyone, he really should know this story.

"Shidou, you don't know it??" Yuno stares at him with a shocked look on her face.

"Am I supposed to...?" Shidou nervously laughs.

"Oh, well then, I'll tell the story!" Mahiru grins. "Okay, so there's this man..."

"...and the Creature disappears, drifting on an ice raft, never to be seen again." Mahiru finishes.

Shidou and everyone else claps as Mahiru gives her thanks.

"That was wonderful, Mappi!" Mikoto smiles.

"Even if it was still a little disturbing... what's with all the murder?!" Fuuta huffs.

"Well, we all are murderers..." Yuno shrugs.

"Y-Yeah, Muu thinks it was really scary..." Muu mumbles. "It's not even close to Halloween...!"

"Halloween...?" Haruka confusedly states. "That, um... sounds familiar? I think. That's when we go in costumes, right?"

"Mhm!" Muu nods.

Kazui stands up and stretches. "Well, I'll have to start on dinner now. Mikoto, I believe you asked to learn how to cook some meals?"

"Oh, right! Thank you, Kazu!" Mikoto jumps up.

"Of course." Kazui nods and walks off with Mikoto asking questions about cooking.

"Yuno, come! We gotta convince Es to let us have Halloween in the prison!" Muu jumps up and grabs Yuno and Haruka by the hand and starts running.

"Huh– Woah–!" Yuno quickly tries to catch herself and manages to run.

"H-Hey...!" Haruka almost trips as Muu pulls him up and starts running.

The three of them run out the room, leaving Mahiru, Shidou, and Fuuta confused.

"I better go find out what they're doing..." Fuuta sighs and runs out the room after getting up.

Shidou blinks and looks at Mahiru, who seems to be humming to herself as she fixed her uniform.

"Shiina?"

"Hmm?? Yes?" Mahiru looks over.

"Why did that story remind you of me?"

"Oh. I guess it's because some other versions of Frankenstein were a doctor." Mahiru shrugs.

"Ah..." Shidou nods.

...it's funny how he related to Victor Frankenstein a lot. He lost someone and buried himself in his grief. He tried to bring someone back from the brink of death.

But, Shidou didn't save his wife; he never could.

Frankenstein at least brought someone to life.

"Why? Did you think there were other reasons...?" Mahiru asks, a little quiet as if it were a sensitive topic to ask.

It was, unfortunately.

"Ah... I suppose. Mostly the grief, I guess." Shidou tugs on his gloves, trying to forget about his wife's dead body for a moment.

"Oh." Mahiru nods. "I understand. Sometimes, when you're grieving, you believe in something so much that you think it's true and right... Then, you're wrong... It hurts all the more."

Shidou blinks. He didn't expect Mahiru to say something like that, but she certainly is full of surprises. "...Yes, that's true." He exhales. "I'm glad you understand."

"Mhm." Mahiru hums quietly.

The two of them are left in silence for a couple of minutes, Shidou fidgeting with his gloves and Mahiru staring at the wall.

"...if you're wondering," Mahiru speaks up, "I lost someone close to me, too, because I loved them."

Oh.

Oh.

"...Ah... I'm sorry for your loss." Shidou tries to swallow the small bit of grief that comes. "I lost someone close to me, too. I loved her a lot. I just... I don't know what went wrong when I tried saving her."

Mahiru gives an understanding nod. "Things just don't go the way you hope when you love someone."

"Yeah."

"...I guess that's why we're both here, hm?"

"...I suppose."

"Then, I hope you can stick to your beliefs. We can get through what happened, right?" Mahiru gives him a soft smile.

Shidou blinks before smiling back.

"Of course."

#mug writes #milgram #milgramtober2023 #milgram fanfic #milgram fanfiction #shidou kirisaki #kirisaki shidou #mahiru shiina #shiina mahiru #okay so i did follow Mary Shelley's version of Frankenstein because i think it works well! #Victor Frankenstein (consumed by grief) put himself into work #Work that was related to bringing someone back fro the deax #Very similar to how Shidou tried to save his wife #so yeah ^^ #i think mahiru and shidou deserve to have a talk about losing their partners #and kazui as well!