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Chapter Text

Ever since you got here you swear it's been raining
    
It's been dark and rainy ever since you got transferred to Hope's peak high. Usually you'd take this as a bad omen, but you were already tired and angry about moving. So you chose to let it go, not wanting to rile yourself up further and make your mood worse.

With the rest of your unpacking and half assed redecorating done, you decided to drink what ever you had in the fridge to get your mind off things.

After a while of staring at nothing and sipping your drink, you decided it'd just be best if you went to sleep early tonight.
                                                                  
You made sure the house was locked up and the key was under the mat before you finally made your way to your room and laid down.

A sigh escaped you as you got lost in your thoughts.

You hoped that by the time you woke up for school it'd stop raining.

.

You felt your body chill as you jolted up from your bed.

You woke up in a cold sweat...

'A nightmare... great.'

After a few minutes of laying in bed dreading having to get up. You finally got up and started getting ready for school.

You couldn't help but feel like something was off the second you  walked through the door.

You arrived on school grounds partially wet from the rain you encountered at the very end your walk. After drying the little water you had on you, you began to search for your "friends".

Despite being relatively new at Hope's peak, it didn't take very long for you to fit in with the population kids.

You were the ultimate manipulator after all, you felt as if it'd be a waste of your ultimate if you weren't at least acquainted.

Kaede akamatsu, kaito momota, rantaro amami, and maki harukawa. The most popular at Hope's peak, so they were the first people you chose to "befriend".

After a while of walking around a mostly empty school for a few minutes, you found them. Already in their clique. You internally groaned at having to group up with them this early in the morning, but you did have to keep up your social status after all.

Sucking it up, you put on a cheerful expression and happily greeted them.

Since it was early and you all didn't have anything better to do, you all decided to walk around school grounds to burn time until class started. Usually students weren't allowed to do this, but thankfully being most teachers favorite student gave you some serious perks.

After spending a good amount of time thinking about how you should manage your ultimate better to avoid suspicion, you decided to stop zoning out and listen to the others talk. Maybe they could give you some good info on other students.

Rantaro and kaede were walking a little bit ahead of you while maki and kaito were lagging behind.

While listening to rantaro and kaede you cringed, hearing a certain name they didn't want to hear in kaede's gossiping mouth.  

Tsumugi.

You covered your bitterness with a sweet tone is you butted in.

"Ah, I think I've heard of her"

You mused trying you best to hide the fact that you didn't want to hear kaede bad mouth her.

"Wait, really? Because I heard that she...and that she was a freak that...and that everyone she hangs out with is..."

You began to tune her out. Not only would this gossip be useless to you, but it was also gossip about of one of your genuine friends. You really didn't want to hear about it.

You'd also have to tell tsumugi about this later so it wont get too out of hand, for her sake. Then as soon as you were ready to block them out again, you heard something that piqued your interest.

"I heard she hangs out with the kid Kaito messes with. I think his name was kimchi, or Kokichi, I think"

A light smile spread across your face as began to try and pry more info out of kaede.

You were bored and there was new person that Tsumugi never told you about, more than enough reason for you to go and see how they are for yourself.

Perhaps gossip was more helpful than you thought.

Chapter Text

Lunch was all you could think about.

Despite your wishes for it to come sooner, it felt as if it took hours for it to come. As soon as the bell rang you bolted, skillfully managing to avoid members of your 'clique'.

Once you were in the clear, you thought about what you wanted to do.

The first thing you wanted to do was find Tsumugi, you hoped that after finding her it'd be easier to find Kokichi. You also reminded yourself that you needed to make sleepover plans with Tsu. It was almost tradition at this point after all.

 After jumping down flights of stairs to get to the cafeteria and weaving around other students, you finally managed to find Tsumugi.

"Hey!" 

Tsumugi sucked in her breath, startled by your sudden, and loud, appearance. 

"Oh, hey... You seem pretty energetic today-"

A timid smile showed as you let out a small laugh. You were partially embarrassed that she noticed, but you couldn't bring yourself to mind. She was the only one that would ever notice such a thing.

"Yeah, yeah I am. Can you please tell me the fastest way from here to the track" 

You saw her give a small smile back, an eye brow raised at your seemingly out of the normal mood shift.

" Uh, yeah, go to the doors near stairwell B and you should be-"

You took this as your cue to run off.

"Thanks, Tsu! I really owe you one. Don't forget sleepover at 8!"

You said speeding off, leaving a shock and bewildered Tsumugi behind.

You quickly made your way though the halls and down the stairs, coming to a rough halt as you reached the track doors.

Panting heavily, you made your way just outside the track doors. After catching your breath and wishing you worked out more you began to look around for Ouma.

As you discretely searched for him, your mind wandered.

Unfortunately you didn't have much to go off of. Most of the info you had at the moment was from Kaede, an unreliable source, so you didn't even know if the information you had was entirely correct.

The information you got from Tsugumi was reliable, but small. So you were basically free-balling it.

The only things you knew for certain was that he was small in stature, somewhat pale, has purple hair, and usually sat near the tracks to eat lunch. Not much, but definitely a good start for sure.

After a few seconds of looking you finally spotted him. For a second, you froze. Uncertainty finally getting to you.

Your ultimate would usually grant you safety from awkwardness in conversation, but you had nothing to go off of this time, no speech patterns, ideals, nothing.

For the first time in a while, you felt genuinely uncertain.

You let out a small huff as you thought more in depth.

'How am I gonna introduce myself...'

Despite the initial worry, it didn't take you long to figure out what you'd do.

You didn't have food to share or offer, so the second best option was to just settle for small talk. Easy, nothing you haven't done before.

Taking a deep breath, you began making your way over to him. Prepping yourself to use a gentle voice to not seem like an immediate threat.

On your way over you couldn't help but notice that the closer you got the more disheveled the boy seemed to get.

He noticed you sooner than you thought.

Though it was unplanned, this didn't discourage you. Putting on a soft half genuine smile, you quietly spoke

"Hey"

The boy flinched.

His voice shook as he responded.

"H...Hi"

He looked painfully tense and ready to run at a moments notice.

Swallowing hard, he tightly clutched his bento box and kept his gaze down.

A part of you deeply pitied him when you saw him like this. Looking so small and frail, you wanted to change that someway somehow, purely for his wellbeing.

That being said, a part of you relished the fact that he appeared so weak. A persons physicality could tell you quite a bit about their mentality if you looked for the right mannerisms, and he had all the ones you'd want for an easy job. The more vulnerable he is, the easier he'll be to guide to do whatever you willed.

You eyes narrowed as you silently shunned your toxic thoughts, continuing your conversation before too much awkwardness could set in. 

"Sorry for the out of the blue question, but what classes do you have?"

As useful as they could be, you hated having to resort to such basic questions like that. But, unfortunately, at the moment that's all you had.

You noticed the boy kept his gaze on the ground the boy answered.

"um... Tsuchigomori 1st, Kaname 3rd..." 

Upon hearing his voice more steady, you mentally sighed in relief at the break of tension.

While of talking you found out he had more classes with you than you thought. It was only two, if early bird even counts as a legitimate class. Even with such a small number it still shocked you, how'd you never notice him?

After a few minutes of talking you found out a good amount of info without even using your ultimate... you think.

When the school chime rang you quickly, and politely, said your goodbyes to Kokichi. As much as you were sympathetic towards him, your new found "popular kid" status would be at risk if you were to be seen with him. As dramatic as it sounds, who ever hung out with Kokichi would almost have an immediate target placed on them and you'd like to avoid that. 

With your new found connection to Ouma, you guess you couldn't call him 'the boy' anymore...

Chapter Text

After meeting Ouma your day continued as normal. Eating, sleeping, waking up for school, dealing with people you barely tolerated, then staring at the clock until class was over.

You let out a sigh of relief while looking at the clock in the corner of the classroom, school was finally over. Packing up your things you made your way to exit door, running into your "friend" group on the way out. While walking, you chatted with them, learning trivial things and small details.

Eventually you split up with your group because, thankfully, you walked a different route from them. They walked the shorter way to your house, but you took the longer one instead. You wanted an excuse to get away from them, just to relax. Plus they knew where you lived, they were just so used to you taking a different route that they didn't pay attention to it.

While on your way home you decided to stop to get some udon takeout on the way. You were going near the restaurant anyway so it made sense for you to get food for you and Tsumugi. While paying you glanced to the side. That's when you saw him, Ouma. You felt your heart skip a beat.

'Calm down, I just need to not get spotted'

This wasn't supposed to happen, you weren't meant to see him out of school. Once you looked in the other direction your heart your heart dropped, there was another group of kids, all wearing your school uniform. You could practically feel the stress of the situation gnawing at on your nerves. Knowing this, you tried to quickly pay for your food. Key word tried.

' Just my luck'

You didn't have enough cash, just two dollars short. Your eyes began to drift between Ouma and the group.

' Why am I worrying so much anyway, he's a social outcast'

He was sitting in a corner after all. He hasn't even notice you... But what if he does? At this point you've decided. You have to manipulate the cashier. Usually you didn't use your ultimate on meaningless things, it was too risky and half of the time unmoral. You had no idea how'd it effect who ever is getting manipulated, hell, you didn't even know if the two dollars would come out of the cashiers check if they got caught or not. But this was an exception, this could be harmful to your reputation at school. As extra as it was, you didn't want nor had the patience to start over at square one again.

'U-um are you okay?"

Enough thinking, more tricking.

You replaced your default soft smile with a slight frown.

"Ah, sorry I didn't... I don't have anymore" lowing your voice with each word, you pretended to be let down, with a mix of embarrassment for good measure.

Out of your corner of your eyes you could see the cashiers expression begin to falter. Their mouth turned into a small frown. Good. You were pretty sure you got a new employee, and you were admittedly glad you did.

' I have to speed this up'

Before you could continue your façade, the cashier spoke up.

"I-it's okay! you can have it, you're not missing much anyways." The cashier sent a understanding(?) smile.

'score'

You made your face light up at the workers sentence. A light hearted smile came to your face.

"Thank you! ill be forever grateful"

You swiftly but gently grabbed your food and discreetly sped walked out of the restaurant. Once you were a good block away, you sat down on the curb and took a deep breath. Not only was it risky to try and fool the worker with a lack of information, that situation could've ended badly for you. If Ouma saw you and decided to talk to you he could've drawn attention to your connection. That not only would've made you a target for bullying teasing , it would've taken way away your peer benefits. Even if you managed to save yourself by lying it'd almost entirely ruin your new connection with Ouma. Why you cared so much about it, you didn't know. Not only that it's also......

'what?'

You moved from the curb into some near by shrubbery and squinted.

'Ouma? what was he doing here?'

Why was he walking in the direction of your route? As much as you felt you shouldn't, you had to find out. Brushing off some loose leaves from you and your food, you began to follow him. Half way in you realized how creepy you were being, but you needed to know why he was walking your route. Hopefully he didn't live near you-. After following him for a few minutes he stopped at a small house near the middle of the row of houses. He lived a block away from you... A genuine look of disbelief was visible on your face

How'd you not notice

Chapter Text

You let out a heavy sigh. Not only did you almost run into Ouma earlier, you also found out he lives on the block right next to yours. you closed your eyes and pinched the bridge of your nose. You were undeniably a little frustrated.

'At least things couldn't get any worse, right?'

You felt a drop of water land on your head.

'immediately jinxed'

Another sigh left your mouth, with the way the day was going you'd exhale enough to feed the every plant in the amazon jungle. Sprinting through yards to avoid getting you and your, almost forgotten, food drenched. You made it home, only partially wet. After you changed your clothes, you put your udon on the table and checked your phone. 4:48 pm. Surprisingly early since you got out of school around three.

You took a few moments to relax, just a small break before Tsumugi comes over for your sleepover. Unfortunately, your brain didn't get the hint to relax and began to wonder... What made being friends with Tsu any different from being friends with Ouma? Of course tsu wasn't as rejected or bullied as Ouma was, but she wasn't the most popular either. In fact, her ultimate was routinely mocked behind her back. Even despite the huge advantage it could give to the correct user. You guess that's what made them so different. tsu's ultimate could be legitimately helpful, while well, you didn't even know what Ouma's was.

you wondered what it was, with that train of thought you pondered for the next few hours. Maybe he was fooling everyone at Hopes Peak. Maybe his ultimate was really helpful but had a bad stigma attached to it, like you and Maki's. Or maybe his ultimate was useless like Ishimaru's. . . . . . . Okay, maybe you were still holding a grudge because he almost made you get detention, but still, its hard to find a practical use for-

After another hour of thinking you checked your time again. 8:25 pm. Huh, usually Tsumugi isn't that late, especially to your sleepovers. She'd text you a heads up that she would be late at least. 8:35 pm. Now you were starting to get worried, no text, no call, nothing. Before you could try to look for her you heard your doorbell ring. You rushed over to the door and looked through the peephole and as you hoped, it was Tsu. A wave of relief washed over you, she was safe. You opened the door with a bright, unfeigned, smile on your face. There was no reason to hide your to emotions from Tsu at this point because it was only you two, right?

Wrong. Life wasn't giving you a break today. Much to your utter dismay Tsumugi wasn't the only one behind the door when you opened it, so was Ouma. You were speechless, maybe this bad luck was karma finally catching up to you. That was the only way for you to rationalize this unfortunate series of events.

Snapping out of your surprised state you looked down from Ouma up to Tsumugi , guilty was written on her face. Since Ouma was still there you couldn't really show as wide of a range of emotions, but you still shot Tsumugi the most 'How could you' glare you could discreetly manage. She quickly noticed and gave you an apologetic look back. You swore if she wasn't such a close friend she would've gotten a hard arm punch by now. Breaking the silence Tsu spoke

"Heeeeey... sorry for being so late, I was stopping to get a friend"

Another half joking glare was sent her was before you spoke in a soft voice

"Don't worry, i'm just glad you made it. plus, the more the merrier!"

A soft smile came to your face as you turned to Ouma at the end. He looked up at you seemingly startled at your voice.

'Wait did she not tell him they were coming over-'

You had to stop yourself before glared at Tsu another time. It could wait, you had to get them inside first. Talking to Ouma was one thing, welcoming him inside your house was another. Just imagining the rumors gave you a headache. You quickly ushered them in, sitting them at the kitchen table.

"Would you like some tea?"

thankfully, the second best thing you were good at was hospitality. Tsu nodded her head, caught between laughing at your antics and apologizing. Ouma, or Kokichi now you guess, noticeably flushed and shook his head no. too bad for him you didn't care, he looked like he needed all the sustenance he could get.

"Tsu, can you help me for a sec?" It sounded more like a question then a demand but Tsu got the hint, and much to Kokichi's panic, she obliged.

The second she entered the kitchen she was met with a whisper-scream, and a soft arm slap

"Why-" before you could finish a soft laugh escaped her

"sorry" a closed mouth smile present on her face

"Well that's not very genuine- did you at least tell him where you were taking him!" You responded a smile growing on your face as well.

"I was in a rush!"

"He isn't even that far" You immediately fired back, thankfully she didn't question your statement. Laughs came from both of you, you truly cherished times like this. By time your guys banter ended the water was near boiling. You hummed as you poured the water into fancy teacups.

"breaking out the guest cups, I see" Tsumugi teased

"Oh shut it" you playfully snapped back

Maybe it won't be as be as it seems

Chapter Text

Finally finished with making the tea, you and Tsumugi made your way to the table. As you placed the teacups down Kokichi seemed shocked to received one. When he looked up to look at you, you flashed him a caring smile, making him flush and look back down at his full teacup. It got a small laugh from you, maybe you were becoming fonder of him.  or fonder of his vulnerability... feeling more comfortable you began chatting with Tsu in front of Kokichi without much worry. It's not like anyone would believe him anyway.

Eventually, over time chatting turned into eating, eating turned into gaming, and gaming turned into watching anime for cosplay ideas. It was surprisingly relaxing despite Kokichi's presence. Maybe he wasn't so bad. At around 1 am everyone decided to go to sleep, partially because Kokichi was barely staying awake. You took out blankets and pillows and set them all up. You and Tsu an one couch and Kokichi on one of the recliners. You managed to drift into a tranquil sleep.

-Time skip-

After the sleepover you found yourself growing more fond of Kokichi's weakness personality. At least every two days a week you, Tsu, and Kokichi would hang out at your house and relax. With each passing day you saw how much more trusting he was for you. No flinching when you were near, less stuttering, the whole show. You were glad he was... coming out of his shell. Though you tried to avoid him at school it was bound that you'd get dragged into something...

It was afterschool hours when you were walking through the halls. You had a teacher vent to you about numerous problems. Good for blackmail, yes. Good for when you wanted to go home, no. While thinking about what you were going to do with the new found information you heard a loud bang against the lockers. You didn't even have to look to know what was happening. You peeked around the corner and saw exactly wat you expected, but didn't want to see. Kokichi getting roughed up by Kaito's jock friends. 

'Can't they pick on someone their own size' your bias freely being shown in your thoughts

As much as you'd like to step in, you refused to throw away the progress you made with either side. You took a different route out of the school. You had a... safer idea. After walking out of the school you stopped just before the turn to your block. If you wait here, there was a greater chance you'd run into Kokichi. You'd pretend like you didn't expect to see him and patch him up at your house once you saw him. A simple win-win plan for everybody.

After waiting for a while you began to worry. Surely Kokichi wasn't so badly hurt that he wouldn't be able to make the walk back to his house, right? After sitting for a while longer you got to your feet. As important as you considered your reputation you had to bite the bullet and realize it wasn't worth getting a questionably close friend seriously injured. Walking a few more blocks back you found Kokichi resting, no, passed out against a row of fences near the sidewalk. Wither it was because of his injuries or his malnutrition you didn't know.

' Christ-' 

You expected him to be a little beat up, but this was second degree assault. Oops, maybe you shouldn't have waited as long to find him... You move your backpack to one of your shoulders as preparation to carry him. Much to your concern, he was easy to carry, light even. with him on your shoulders, you cut through yards to get home faster. For both of your sakes.

Once you were home you gently placed Kokichi on the couch and went to grab a med-kit out of the bathroom. You avoided looking at yourself in the mirror. It was already hard enough to deal with the weight of your decisions, you didn't need to look yourself in the eyes while doing so. when you returned with the med-kit Kokichi was still out cold. a small sigh escaped your mouth as you began to patch him up to the best of your abilities. And as much as you hate to admit it you felt flustered when having to remove his shirt.

Props to Mikan for being able to do it so easily...

Your silent embarrassment didn't last long though as you heard a knock at the door. To say your heart dropped would be a drastic understatement. You made your way to the door silently, trying to make sure the person at the door didn't hear you. Looking out the peephole you silently prayed it was Tsumugi or even a random ding-dong ditcher. Unfortunately, god put your prayer on hold. kaede was right outside and having Kokichi shirtless on your couch definitely wasn't a good look for either of you.

How much worse could your luck get

Chapter Text

(Quick a/n: italicized and underlined words are a substitute for crossed out text-)

'Fuck-'

Was the only thought that ran through your mind. Seeing Kaede at your door almost broke you. You'd probably even laugh at your bad luck if you weren't on the verge of fainting. After a few seconds of regaining your sanity, you decided there were three options. One, try to hide kokichi and let Kaede in. Two, put Kokichi in the backyard and pray that he doesn't wake up until kaede leaves. Or three, give up and cry.

As much as you wanted to go with three, you couldn't. As satisfying as it would be, it wasn't worth it in the long run. One would be too risky for you and everything you worked for. Two would be the smart option, right?...

...So why couldn't you bring yourself to do it?...

You couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration and disappointment in yourself as you began to quietly make your way from the door over to Kokichi. This was beyond risky and stupid to do, if she even caught a glimpse of him it'd be over. But you couldn't just leave him outside in the cold, bruised and half patched up. You guess this was how you could make it up to him for getting him so badly hurt. you didn't know why you cared in the first place

You picked Kokichi up on your back and tried your best to clean up any proof anyone besides you was there.

"I'll be there in a second!"

You silently hoped that yelling that would give you more time and it look less suspicious for taking so long. You hastily put the med-kit back and moved Kokichi to your room. As embarrassing as it was probably the safest place to put him for the time being. A long sigh escaped your mouth as you tried to prepare yourself for what situation you put yourself into.

Swallowing your anxiety you opened the door with a fake smile.

"Hey, kae-"

Before you could get any words out Kaede was in your arms.

'Huh?'

"Ka...Kaede?"

The only response you got was a whimper...

You felt something wet begin seeping into your night shirt. Kaede looked at you with tear filled eyes and a shaking frown. Out of all the things you expected this wasn't one of them. Never in a thousand years would you've thought Kaede Akamatsu, queen bee of hopes peak academy, would be crying in your arms at God knows what time. In your shock, you almost forgot about Kokichi entirely.

After a few moments of stunned silence, you lead Kaede over to your couch and sat her down. She trusted you enough to come to you, but even then you had no idea if you should ask about what happened.

"Uhm, Would you like some tea before we talked?"

As awkward as the sentence felt, it was the only thing you could say without any prior knowledge about what happened. Kaede woefully nodded, staying silent even when you parted from her to walk into the kitchen.

Once you were in the kitchen you took a breather and tried to gain your bearings. Kokichi was knocked out, halfed bandaged, in you room. Kaede came to you house, unannounced, and started crying... while looking into to the boiling water you couldn't help but wonder.

'How am I supposed to deal with this?'

Silently groaning at the heavy thought, you prepared the tea and walked back out to the living room. In her hands, Kaede was fiddling around with a stray bandage. The sight made you quietly gasp. You made an excuse.

"Ah, sorry. I was repacking my med-kit earlier today."

As slack as the excuse seemed to you, kaede simply nodded as she continued to run the bandage through her fingers. You set kaede's tea cup on the table in front of her and kept yours firmly in your hands. A minute of silence passed before either of you spoke. You decided to break the silence.

"So... do you mind telling me what happened?"

Despite you saying it as softly as you could Kaede still burst into tears.

"I-I don't know... I just-  He just s-suddenly broke up with me. I... I-"

She began to cry again before she could continue...

'Huh so thats what's this about.'

Another wave of silence washed over you and Kaede as she continued to cry on your shoulder. Out of all of the reasons you thought she might've been crying for Rantaro breaking up with her was, admittedly, not one you thought of. In fact, you thought they were doing well. Though you guess outward looks don't mean everything. Before you could contemplate about it more Kaede began to speak again.

"I... I just don't know what hap-happened. I tho-thought we were doing good..."

'Huh. I wonder why then?'

She got quieter with each word she spoke. You hated to admit it but you genuinely felt bad for her. By just looking at her you could tell she was truly heartbroken because of this. The fact that you knew she didn't open up easily, let alone date anybody easily, only fueled your feelings of sympathy towards her. And made you a little cross with Rantaro...You softly rubbed you hand on her back and began to try and comfort her as best as you could.

"Don't worry about it Kaede, im sure he just wanted a break. He'll come back"
You softly stated

"Bu-but what if he do-doesn't"
Kaede responded sniffling

"I can assure you, Kaede, he'll come back. You're a great girlfriend, he'll start to miss y-"

Thunk

"..."

"..."

"Sorry, ill see what fell"

' Oh God I forgot about Kokichi-'

You got up and tried your best to not look immediately suspicious. The second you were out of Kaede's sight you quietly sprinted to your room.  Once you opened the door, the first thing you did was lock the door behind you. You let out a sigh of relief, though it was short lived when you saw the sight ahead of you.

Kokichi was on the floor with his head in his hands, groaning in pain. You hastily rushed over to him to see if he was okay, or at least not bleeding. The second you got close he noticed you, for a split second he looked horrified. Given the fact he had no idea what was going on you didn't blame him, but now wasn't the time. Before he could react you quickly put your hand over his mouth.

"Be quiet for a second."

Your statement had came out more hostile than you had wanted it too. And given his reaction of visible confusion and fear you decided to rephrase yourself.

"Sorry, but can you be quiet? Kaede is in the other room and I don't want her to hear you"

Much to your dismay his reaction only seemed to worsen. Though there wasn't much you could say without telling a half-truth or completely lying. Which you don't think would work out in this situation. You started to speak again, but in a calmer, and more gentle voice.

"Don't yell okay?"

You waited a few seconds before taking your hand away from his mouth. Thankfully he complied.

"I'll explain everything once she leaves, okay. I just need you stay quiet for me until then, you'll stay quiet right?"

Much to your steadily worsening dismay your question sounded more like a command, but even then he didn't hesitate before nodding.

"Thank you, I need to go now but ill be back soon"

Wanting to waste as little time as possible, you quickly made your way to the door before he could respond.

"H-hey wait where's my shirt"

Your face flushed as you walked out even faster, pretending you didn't hear him. You'd explain it to him later anyways.

Once you made it back to the living room, you saw Kaede sleeping on your couch. You only took two minutes at most, so you were surprised to see her sleeping. You guess the walk to your house and all of the crying really took a toll on her. You sighed as you picked up your phone, you had no idea who to call to come pick her up. Usually Rantaro was the go to one to call, but something told you that wouldn't be the best idea.

After a few minutes of thinking you decided to call Kaito, he knew where she lived and was in the "friend group". Plus, he probably wouldn't ask any questions if you said you both were drinking and she just fell asleep drunk.

After texting Kaito, it was basically a waiting game from then on. Kokichi was quiet in the room, Kaede was sleeping, and soon enough once Kaede was gone you could probably enjoy some peace and quiet. Especially with Kokichi there. Even with Kokichi there.

After twenty minutes or so of waiting your door bell rang and you brought Kaede, still out cold, to the door. You once again thanked Kaito before handing her off and saying goodnight.

A deep sigh of relief left your mouth as soon as you closed the door. You managed to come out of the situation unscathed. Though you weren't entirely enthusiastic to have to explain to Kokichi everything that happened. Or why his shirt was off-.

But still, you were glad to have the world spare a little mercy

Chapter Text

As much as you wanted a break before explaining everything to kokichi, you decided it'd be best to get it over with as soon as possible. Once again you got out your med-kit and made your way to your bedroom. Kokichi was laying silently on your bed, with his eyes closed. You couldn't tell if he was resting or not. You made your way over to your bed, crouching down near his face.

"Hey, you up?"

After no response, you began to gently nudge him. He groaned and slowly sat up.

"Morning sleepy head, did you have a good nap?"

Kokichi only groaned again as a response, though thats what you expected. He hadn't taken any painkillers and was half bandaged up after all. A part of you felt bad for not giving then to him when he first woke up, but the past was in the past now.

"Alright, let's finish patching you up"

You propped Kokichi up on the headboard of your bed as you began to finish bandaging him. It remained quiet the entire time, you couldn't tell if he was dozing off or was just silently suffering. When you looked up to see his face he was looking away from you, visibly flushed pink.

At first you didn't understand why; if you didn't know any better you'd brush it off as him just being embarrassed that he was shirtless. Then you thought about how jarring this must be for him. Even if waking up half taken care of in a friend's house and the Kaede situation was ignored, it'd still probably feel bizarre being so attentively cared for. At least for him anyway, he was practically bullied and mistreated everyday after all. A frown made it's way to your face at the reoccurring thought. Hopefully you could change that soon...

After you finished bandaging him up and finally give back his shirt, you started to explain everything that happened. From when you "randomly" found him passed out to when kaede left. Though you left out the breakup part. Once you were done explaining everything, it fell quiet once again. Then, much to your surprise, Kokichi broke the silence.

"W-why?"

'Huh, why? What does he mean "why"?'

Another short moment of panic stirred inside of you.

'What does he mean by that? Oh God what if he saw me walk away when he was being bullied-'

Apparently the confusion on your face was visible enough for him to notice. He continued.

"I...I meant why did you take c-care of me. You could've just left"

Oh, that was surprisingly better than you expected. You didn't really know how to respond though. You can't just tell the truth and say "I was waiting for you to stumble back only half beaten, but the bullies did more of a toll on you than I thought. Sorry!"
...
Well actually you could, you doubt Kokichi would leave because of it, but it still wasn't a good look.

"Ah, I mean I couldn't just leave you there. You were badly hurt."

You took his hands into yours, put on a soft smile, and looked up at Kokichi.

"Plus, what type of friend would I be if I left you all hurt and alone?"

His face flushed almost immediately. A genuine smile showed on your face when you saw his reaction, you thought was funny how easily you could make him blush. Maybe even guilty pleasure.

"Y-yeah"

His embarrassed stutter got a small laugh from you. You loved liked seeing his reactions more than you could admit. Though, unfortunately, making him blush more would have to wait. You have to make sure he eats. He hadn't had anything to eat after lunch up until now, and it was pretty late.

"Hey, can you stand?"

You asked tenderly. You didn't bother asking if he was hungry or not since you knew he'd say no out of politeness.

He nodded and, with a little bit of your help, stood up. You lead him to the couch and sat him down. You could tell he was still in a bit of pain when he winced once he fully sat. At least he could take the pain medicine with his food. You made your way to the kitchen and began to search for some leftovers. As much as you cared about Kokichi, you were tired and didn't want to cook a whole meal for him.

After rummaging around you found some leftover Yaki onigiri and yakisoba you and Kokichi could eat. It wasn't much but it was enough for you both to be full. You warmed up the food and set the plates. Kokichi got more food on his than yours because you thought he needed it. When you brought out the plates you could see his eyes brighten at the food. A small smile crossed your face, you were glad you put extra on his plate. You began placing the plates down as Kokichi began speaking.

"Y-you didn't have to do all of this for me, r-really"

"Nonsense, its polite to have friends eat when over. Besides I wanted to do this anyway"

His face became flushed again, and as much as you wanted to indulge in his reaction you felt like you couldn't. This really felt like the bare minimum to you and to see him react like it was above and beyond tugged at your heartstrings a bit. You sighed and smiled

"I'll get us drinks, okay"

He nodded and you made your way back in the kitchen. You didn't feel like waiting for tea this time so you picked out some sodas. You grabbed a random one while you specifically grabbed a grape panta for Kokichi. You remembered him saying he liked them in conversation once. You started to walk back to the living room but before you could even exit the kitchen you got a text.

Usually you would just continue what you were doing and check the text later, but this time you wanted to check it now so it wouldn't ruin your time with Kokichi. You set the drinks down and grabbed your phone out of your pocket. Much to your surprise the text was from Rantaro. Maybe he was finally regretting breaking up with Kaede.

Hey, you still up?
11:23

You silently sighed and responded

yep why need something?
11:24

He responded back almost immediately

Yeah, I wanted to ask you something
11:24

ask me what?
11:24

Much to your annoyance, he didn't respond back as fast this time. You tapped your feet in impatience.

Would you mind coming to talk with me tomorrow?
At a café?
11:26

It took all of your will power to not just drop your phone and pretend you didn't see the message. At first you were going to turn you phone off and answer later.

But you didn't want to make assumptions. Maybe he just wanted to talk to you about getting Kaede back and wanted to be more formal instead of going to your house or visa versa.

A heavy sight left your mouth as you responded.

sure just give me a time and place
11:27

Nice, ill text it to you tomorrow
11:27

alright goodnight
11:27

Goodnight
11:27

You didn't even know what to do for a second. You just agreed to go to a café. With Rantaro. Right after he broke up with Kaede. You took a few seconds to get your thoughts together before grabbing your drinks and walking to the living room.

"Sorry for taking so long! It took me a while to decide what drinks to get"

"O-oh it's no problem"

You sat the drinks down and began to eat with Kokichi

°you didn't want to deal with what tomorrow had to bring°

Chapter Text

As the night continued, you and Kokichi ate and finished your food bit by bit. At around twelve you both finished completely and you took the plates to the kitchen to be washed later. After putting the plates in the sink, you made your way back to the living room and sat next to Kokichi. A hum passed your lips as you looked at him and thought. Kokichi was completely focused on the TV.

While he wasn't paying attention you took in more of his appearance. Pale, still bruised, bandaged skin. Purple, unwashed hair. And still dirty, probably uncomfortable, clothes. You doubted that it'd get any better once he went home. Maybe if you could convince him, he'd stay the night. For his sake and your satisfaction.

"Hey Kokichi, do you mind staying the night?"

He did a double take with a flushed face. You'd be lying if you said you didn't laugh at his reaction.

"Don't feel pressured to do it if you don't wanna, I just thought it'd be fun to have a sleepover with just the two of us"

The more you spoke the more he seemed to blush, and once again a smile found its way to your face. You continued

"We can even walk to school together, so are you gonna stay?"

He blushed pinker than you ever saw before, you think he reached a new record even. He began to stutter out words

"I...I don't know if I should"

"Awww, why?"

You notice his blush quickly die down as he paled

"I, uh...My parents would get ma-mad if I came home messy"

Your thoughts came out of your mouth before you could stop them.

"Your appearance says otherwise"

'FUCK-'

Out of all the things you said in your thoughts of course this was the thought that slipped out. You tried your best to quickly recover from what you said.

"Besides you don't have to worry about it, you can use my shower and washing machine"

You tried your best to play it off without sounding too nervous. And much to your surprise it actually seemed to work. Kokichi nodded but his expression was unreadable. It wasn't a loss but it wasn't exactly a win either. After a excruciating few minutes of silence with TV background noise, Kokich began to speak.

"D-Do you mind if I get re-ready to shower n-now"

You noticed his stuttering was coming back, but you choose not to mention it. Hoping that it was just because of embarrassment.

"I don't mind, ill get a towel and clothes for you. My shower is in the hallway to the left"

"O-okay"

Kokichi mumbled. You hope you didn't come across as impatient to him...

You gathered a fresh towel and a wash cloth with some of your clothes that might fit him and handed them to him.

"T-Thanks"

"No problem"

You flashed a soft smile, just in case.

While Kokichi was in the bathroom you got ready for bed, skipping your shower this time since Kokichi was already in it. Once you slipped into your night clothes he came out of the shower not long after.

You cupped his face in your hands with a small smile.

"See, much better!"

Kokichi's face flushed a deep shade of pink as he looked away from you. You  removed your hands from his face as a bigger smile began to make its way to yours.

"Anyway its late, we should be going to bed soon. Ah also, I'll be right back; need to brush my teeth"

You left Kokichi speechless in your bedroom as you walked to your bathroom. The bathroom was still a bit steamy when you walked in. You closed the door behind you and fully stretched out. As much as you loved hanging out with Kokichi, it didn't take away your fatigue from earlier today. After a stretch and a yawn, you began to reach for your toothbrush.

'?'

Your toothbrush wasn't there. You looked around the entire bathroom but it was nowhere to be found.

'Maybe i threw it out by accident?'

That unfortunately happens more than you want to admit.

After a few more seconds of fruitless searching, you decided to just grab another one out of the pack in the cabinet. Though you couldn't help but wonder where your toothbrush went...

Once you were done brushing your teeth, you made you way back to your room. Kokichi was sitting on the floor, rummaging through his backpack. He flinched when you came in and quickly zipped his backpack back up. At first you were going to ask what he was hiding, then you just didn't care to know. You had nothing particularly expensive in your room and you doubt it was your toothbrush. A small chuckle came from your mouth, as if. You don't put anything past anybody, but Kokichi was an exception.

Brushing off the thought, you fell back onto your bed and pat the spot next besides you.

"Why are you sitting on the floor? Come on up"

Kokichi awkwardly stood up and stiffly sat down next to you. He sucked in a sharp breath as you pulled him down on the bed and looked at him with a smile. He flashed a small smile back to you, but you saw him wince.

"Ah, sorry, I forgot to bandage you back up"

You began to sit up, but before you could you were pulled back down.

"Wait, you don't have to-"

Kokichi's voice caught in his throat once you looked back at him in shock. His quickly withdrew his hand from your arm and began to stutter out an apology.

"W-wait please don't go i di-didn't mean to-"

"Its fine, Kokichi, I promise"

You interrupted him before he could continue. Honestly out of concern. You'd definitely have to talk about this later, but for now sleep seemed like the better option.

"How about we go to sleep for now"

Kokichi, facing away from you, hesitantly nodded and began to get off of the bed. Just like how he did you, you pulled him back down

"You can sleep on my bed, it big enough for the both of us"

Despite your best efforts, the words came out barely above a whisper as you struggled to find the right words to say. Still facing away from you, he nodded and silently laid down.

Even as you both fell to sleep, it felt as if something still remained unsaid.

¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎

You weakly opened your eyes as the noise of your phone alarm assaulted your ears. A tired groan escaped your lips as you remembered it was a still a school day. You'd gotten barely any sleep at night, though you couldn't seem to remember why... After a minute of laying and thinking you shoot up from your bed looked besides you. Kokichi was still there, sleeping. You didn't know whether to let out a sigh of relief or exhaustion.

You carefully turned to face Kokichi, he looked a lot better than yesterday to be honest. Maybe you could skip school today. Maybe you both could, it was Friday after all. Even if you did miss something you could just use your ultimate to get out of it. You stretched and got out of bed, making sure to not wake Kokichi up. After brushing your teeth and putting on more comfortable house clothes, you put a delivery order for some breakfast food. You ordered enough food for you and Kokichi, he was still your guest after all.

You guessed what Kokichi would want and put your order in. You began making some tea and began to check your phone. Your phone buzzed in your hand.

'Fuck, I forgot about Rantaro'

Hey you still meeting me at the café?
8:15

As much as you wanted to say no you decided to suck it up and deal with it. For Kaede.You didn't even know why you cared.

yeah! where are we going though?
8:16

Rantaro texted you the location, the café wasn't that bad, it actually looked pretty good. Though, that didn't help you want to go anymore than you wanted to in the first place.

nice :D ill meet you there
8:17

Sounds good
8:18

You sighed as you put your phone down and poured your tea. Why where you even doing this? It'd be easier to not associate at all, but then you remembered. Social status. Social tie management.

"Ugh"

You rubbed your eyes and finished making your tea. You heard a few thuds and your door open. Kokichi came stumbling out.

"I, uh-"

"Good morning Kokichi"

You flashed him a smile as he made his way to the table. You pushed him over a cup of tea.

"T-Thanks"

He flashed a small smile back as he began to drink his tea, a few moments of comfortable silence went by. You began to speak

"We're skipping school today"

You heard him choke on his tea. He quickly looked up at you.

"Huh-"

"We're skipping school today, its a Friday no one will notice"

He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again.

"Its fine if you don't want to, I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do"

You kept your face neutral and your eyes focused on your tea. You didn't want him to feel like you were putting him on the spot or anything like that.

"Uh... is it okay if I go to school instead?"

"Of course! I completely understand"

You showed him a sympathetic smile. As much as you didn't want him to go back, you understood his decision.

"Will you be okay going by yourself"

"Yeah"

Before you could respond you heard the door bell ring.

'Ah that must be the food'

You got up and answered the door, once you got your food you headed back to the table and handed Kokichi his food.

"Take this for lunch or something"

He looked surprised at the food but didn't question it.

"T-thank you for the food"

'So formal'

You nodded at him as you sat back down at the table as he began to gathered his stuff. Once he had all his stuff and made his way to your door you wished him a fair well. After he left, you sat and ate your breakfast in silence.

Since you decided to skip school, you mostly did random things throughout the day until your meeting with Rantaro. Despite your meeting being around 3:45, at 3:12 you got dressed and made your way to the café. You still wanted to keep up your good friend façade after all.

After a brisk walk you got to the café. As you walked in you saw Rantaro already waiting to be seated. You checked your clock, 3:29. You guess he had the same idea as you. You cordially walked up to Rantaro and greeted him, he did the same to you. Once the waiter seated you, and you both ordered your drinks the real talk began.

"So, have you came here before?"

It was terribly cheesy, but there wasn't anything else to ask so you'd let it pass. You put on honeyed voice with a soft smile and began to respond.

"Ah, I can't say I have but I'm glad you've brought me here. It's nice"

"I'm glad you like it"

From then on your conversation was pointless small talk for at least ten minutes, until you finally got tired of it and asked a question you wanted answered.

"Sorry if this sounds out of the blue, but why'd you invite me out to a café all of a sudden?"

As much as you wanted to, you didn't hear the answer you wanted.

"I just wanted to get to know more about you, you're an interesting person ya know"

It took all of your will power to not just stand up and leave, it took even more to not subconsciously narrow your eyes at him. Maybe you were making assumptions, but it was just too perfectly timed to be just a coincidence. He just broke up with Kaede and he suddenly wanted to know more about you? Yeah no, you had to rap this up asap.

"I could say the same for you"

You showed him a warm smile, though the persona was getting harder to keep up with each passing minute.

You continued to converse until 4:25, at this point you were over it. You could honestly see why Kaede fell for him, he was mostly genuine and charismatic, even down right caring. But you just couldn't forgive what he did to Kaede, he could've at least waited a few months before asking you out. You sighed mentally before making an excuse to leave

"Ah, Rantaro, its getting late. Would you mind if I went home before it got to dark?"

You saw a faint blush appear on his face.

'Huh, have I not used his first name before? Oops. Well that's not gonna change anything'

Rantaro chuckled and answered

"Sure, would you like me to walk you home?"

You desperately wanted to say no, but it was actually getting somewhat dark out and you didn't want to be mugged or something; so you reluctantly said yes.

While walking home you both had more small talk. He told you more about his sisters, which you thought was nice. You were still holding a grudge though. Once you got home you exchanged goodbyes, but before you could get in you house he asked you something. With his hand on the back of his neck he asked.

"Do you wanna go out again sometime?"

You inwardly cringed at the words 'go out', God you felt guilty for going out with a kinda close friends ex-. You quickly thought of an excuse.

"Hopefully we can go out again soon! But I don't know when we can.."

He softly looked at you and asked why. It almost caught you off guard.

"My father is coming back from his business trip soon and I want to be home when he gets back, ill try to meet up with you again soon though!"

A small smile rested on Rantaro's face.

"Alright, ill see ya next time"

He smiled and waved a goodbye as he turned to walk away from your house. You smiled and waved back as he walked away. As soon as you closed and locked the door behind you plopped on your bed and let out a groan. A unrequited romance subplot was the last thing you needed right now. A sigh left your lips.

《The audacity of that guy》

A/N- The chapter feels so long but its only 2470 words- also sorry if it seems like this was dragged out or had hard transitions, I wrote this over like four days and was struggling-

Chapter Text

You woke up in your bed disoriented. You don't exactly remember when you went to sleep, but you guess you don't mind. Once you got did your morning routine, you decided go out for lunch. It was around 12:00, so it was the perfect time to do so. You made sure to grab everything you needed and set out to find a good lunch spot.

As soon as you turned the corner of your block you ran into someone. Thankfully you didn't fall back, but the other person did.

'Great not even ten minutes out of the house'

You quickly recovered from the slight shock and tried to help the person up. As you held out your hand and mumbled an apology, you took in his features. He had blue hair under his hat and looked slightly taller than you. Before you could take in anymore details, he took your hand. It was surprisingly soft. Snapping out of your thoughts, you apologized once again.

"I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, sorry"

When you looked to see the boy's reaction to your apology you could see he wasn't paying attention to what you were saying. Instead he was looking at your hoodie with a smile on his face. It was black and white with the team Danganronpa symbol in the middle. You honestly didn't think much of it. You watched the show from time to time, but you were only a casual fan. But the boy in front of you was not just casual, he was a fanatic.

"So do you like Danganronpa too!"

Unfortunately, you didn't know that until it was too late. So you sealed your temporary fate with one answer.

"Yeah, im assuming you do too huh"

Now, fifteen minutes  and a ramble later, you were being dragged to one of his friends house. How the situation escalated so fast in such a short amount of time? You had no clue. Did you mention how he never let go of your hand? You never felt so unfortunate in your life. Of course you could just kick him and run for it, but you needed to see where he was going.

As stupid as it seemed, he was going back from where you came. You needed to know which one of your neighbors to avoid, the last thing you needed was to get involved with another burden.

You couldn't help but feel your blood chill once you both turned to Kokichi's Street. No way. You had to ask.

"Hey, is the person's house we're going to named Kokichi?"

A excited wide smile spread across his face as he turned to you.

"Great! You already know him, you even used his first name so you two must be close maybe we can-"

You tuned him out before you hear his rambling. Kokichi knows this guy? Why, how, most importantly where. God you hoped he wouldn't pester you if he went to your school. Before you could get any farther into your thoughts you were at the front of Kokichi's house. Your nerves began to catch up with you as the blue haired boy rung the doorbell. The blue haired boy was actually quiet for a few seconds. The silence felt so loud.

After a few seconds of silence the door opened. Much to your surprise, kokichi didn't look too worse for wear. Though he did look visibly shocked, but you can't blame him you would be too. Before you or Kokichi could get a word out blue began to speak. You were listening to none of it, you were too focused on Kokichi's expression.

He was looking down, but not at the ground. He was looking at blue and yours, still for some reason, intertwined hands. His was expressionless, even his breathing seemed to still. Before you could ask if  Kokichi was okay, blue caught both of your attention.

"So are you coming?"

Kokichi slightly flinched and answered.

"Uh, yeah"

Kokichi stepped out if his house and closed the door behind him. You began your journey to God knows where. Throughout the walk you kept discreetly glacing at Kokichi. He seemed bothered by your handholding. Though thankfully as if on cue, blue let go if your hand. Man, you needed to learn his name soon

"Oh sorry about that, I forgot that I grabbed your hand"

Usually you'd think that's a hard thing to do, but with his constant rambling it seemed plausible. You noticed that Kokichi seemed less tense as well. You saw this as a perfect opportunity to mess with him. After a few seconds of blue letting go of your hand, you grabbed Kokichi's. Much to your astonishment his face didn't completely flush as you were use to. He just partially flushed as he squeezed your hand. At brought a small blush to your face.

You were subtlety shocked. He's never acted like that before and it completely caught you off guard.

"We're here!"

Blue spoke excitedly.

You looked around, you were so caughtup in everything else that you didn't fully pay attentionto your surroundings. You were in front of a big house in a rich neighborhood.

'?'

What were you doing where? Your question was quickly answered once he pulled out, presumably, his key.

'Oh, so not only is he a fanboy, he's a rich one at that. Spectacular.'

You looked at Kokichi to see his reaction, he looked completely use to it. Ignoring your small pang of jealousy you made you way into the house. It looked even bigger on the inside than it did on the outside. You kept your awe on the inside. Blue led you and Kokichi to his room.

His room was almost as big as your living room. It was surprisingly clean as well. As soon as you sat down blue asked you a question.

"So who's your favorite character? Mine is Kirigiri because.... her character arc is..... even her character design..."

You were only partially listening as you whispered a question to Kokichi.

"What's his name? He never told me"

A look of shock flashed on his face before he answered.

"It's Saihara, Shuichi Saihara"

'Nice name'

Though as nice as you thought his name was you dreaded the fact that you were going to be stuck here for a, presumably, long time. You quietly groaned as you rested your head on your hand.

°Maybe you should've taken a detour°

Chapter Text

While Saihara was rambling about Kyoko, you silently took in your surroundings. Thanks to his window there was a good amount of light in the room. He had several pieces of merch with kirigiri on it, and you wouldn't be surprised if he had a shrine somewhere. His bed was plush and, in general, his room was extremely clean. You couldn't help but wonder if his family was really rich enough to have maids.

After taking in the room, you began to look at Saihara. Blue hair, tall but lean frame, and an eye catching face. 'A rich pretty boy thats obsessed with Danganronpa' is one of the more flattering ways you could describe him. Though, admittedly, you weren't complaining, a part of you was even slightly grateful. After browsing through Danganronpa forums, you knew how bad fans could get. Thankfully Saihara wasn't anything like the ones you've seen at the grimy recesses of the forum.

He sat facing away from you, slightly slouched in his computer chair. He was on his laptop typing or looking for something. Despite his ranting, you admit he had a incredibly nice voice. Though that could've been just because you've been sitting here for the past hour listening to it.

Once you were done looking at Saihara your eyes drifted over to Kokichi, who had his head on your shoulder. You were surprised you didn't notice. Before you could look at him anymore he made eye contact with you. To which you panicked and flashed him a nervous smile, looking away right after as you felt your face heat up in a bit of embarrassment.

Before you could recover from your partial embarrassment, Saihara caught you off guard by asking you a question.

"So what season are you on? I'm on season 35 but I wouldn't want to spoil anything for you"

The laptop screen behind him displayed all of the seasons in the Danganronpa franchise.

'Ah, so thats what he was looking for'

Since no big time streaming service in their right mind would host the show, it was usually put on sketchy, borderline illegal, websites. After that short train of thought, you smoothly responded.

"Oh, im on season 16. I haven't gotten too far yet"

As far you were concerned, Danganronpa was almost the same as one piece. It has numerous seasons and was way long for you to just binge watch. That amplified by the fact that you couldn't watch it on any mainstream media. So you had no shame when admitting you were only 16 seasons deep into a 53 season franchise.

Though much to your surprise, Saihara almost seemed pleased that you haven't watched much. A wide smile spread on his face.

"Then we can binge watch it together"

He grabbed your hand before you could fully process what he said.

"Come on, the living room has better screening"

He began to lead you out the room. Though before he could completely pull you off the bed you grabbed Kokichi's hand by instinct.

Saihara dragged you and Kokichi out of his room and straight to the living room. He wasted no time getting everything set up while you and Kokichi got settled on the couch. While you were getting settled, you could feel a burning leer on your back. At first you thought it was Saihara waiting for you to finish getting comfortable, but once you tried to look at him he was still setting up the laptop to the tv.

You then looked to Kokichi. Even though he was staring at you, his light borderline gentle gaze didn't feel anything like the searing one you felt trained on you at first. He gave you a small nervous smile when you made eye contact, you gave him a sweet smile back... suddenly you didn't feel as settled as you once did.

A shiver made it's way down your spine. Surely Saihara has finished connecting every, right; So why is it so quiet? When you looked over to see what he was doing he seemed to be having problems. The deafening silence only seemed to unsettle you more.

'Great.'

You were in an large unfamiliar house, with barely an acquaintance, a close but frail friend, and God knows what glaring at you. The air almost felt oppressive to you. If you didn't know any better you'd ask where the bathroom was and go take a breather there. Even as tempting as it was to be able to take a break from socialization, there was no way you were going anywhere alone in this house. Then you thought of a great idea.

You grabbed Kokichi's hand and stood up. It was past noon, so this should work perfectly.

"Is it okay if we get snacks? We haven't eaten anything yet."

Saihara looked up from fumbling with his laptop and carelessly responded.

"Oh sure, we need snack to binge watch after all!"

He told you where the kitchen was with a grin. You gave him a thankful smile in return.

"Thanks"

You followed his directions and led Kokichi to the kitchen. As soon as you walked into the kitchen you felt less tense. While the gaze was long gone by now, it was still bit of a relief to be able to separate from Saihara and breathe. As you both rummage through the kitchen, you couldn't help but look around.

His kitchen was just as lavish as the rest of his house. The appliances were all updated with a sleek black exterior and the counters were smooth marble. The kitchen even had an island in the middle with a dangling light. The amount of food was an different story. Chips, melon pan, umaibo, and even some handmade itotemari candy; not even mentioning the actual food they have stored. Before you could get lost in more details, Kokichi caught your attention.

"Hey, are you listening?"

'Huh?'

You so caught up in taking in details and looking for snacks that you didn't hear him talking to you. Oops.

"Ah sorry, I was distracted. What were you saying?"

You heard a quiet sigh come from across the kitchen.

"I...I was asking what you thought Shuichi so far"

The question lowkey caught you off guard. As much as you remarked about him in your head, you never really thought about your opinion on Saihara.

"I think he's a cool guy, nice of him to let us look in his kitchen like this"

You heard Kokichi become quiet on the other side of the kitchen. You guess the nonchalant tone of your response threw him off. A few moments of silence passed...

"Do you like him?"

If you weren't so shocked by his cold tone, you'd probably do a double take. Where'd he get that from? You guys literally only met a few hours ago after all. Maybe you were overdoing the friendliness or something?

"Uh, no?"

Usually you didn't like short answers but what else were you supposed to say to that question? At first you were going to explain, but before you could get any words out he continued.

"And you won't stop hanging out with me, right?"

Your answer to this easy question was immediate.

"Of course not, why would I?"

Shock was evident in your voice. Why'd he think that?

"Okay..."

' okay... just 'okay' thats it-'

The sound of shuffling resumed on his side while you were still baffled at the short exchange you just had. You grabbed a few snacks as you mulled through what happened. Out of all of the problems you thought Kokichi had, you didn't think abandonment issues was one of them. Even then you'd probably try and work through it.

A sigh left your lips as you and Kokichi wordlessly made your way back to the living room. By now Saihara, or now Shuichi you guess, had solved the problem and gotten everything set up. You and Kokichi say down once Shuichi pressed the play button, though the tv was the last thing you were thinking about.

While you had no reason to doubt or really fear Kokichi, you weren't gonna play dumb either. You were no idiot, you could definitely tell when someone was acting out of character. Maybe it's the issues, maybe it's him getting anxious, but even then you can't just excuse the seemingly random actions.

•°♧hopefully he was just envious°•
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(A/N: my chapters are usually 1000-1000+ words yet have barely any plot development, punching the air rn- i know i said slow burn but damn)

Chapter Text

Even when looking directly at the screen, the gore filled show fails to distract you. What happened in the kitchen disoriented you, and your ultimate wasn't helping.

Because of your ultimate you were use to overanalyzing even the smallest things, even if you didn't exactly want to. Usually it wouldn't be a problem, at worse you'd just learn an unwanted fact about someone. But this time it was different.

While you could ultimately discern platonic from romantic feelings, it wasn't the easiest thing for you to do. Because you and your parents moved so often, you never bothered having any real connections. You kept almost every one, besides your parents, at arms length.

The only true examples of platonic love you had was your parents, the only examples of romantic love you knew was mostly fiction. Because of your lack of experience, the line could get blurry. Which is why you're stressing over this so much.

If Kokichi said what he said in a platonic way, everything was fine and dandy. If Kokichi said what he said in a romantic way, it could become a serious problem. You weren't above flirting to get what you needed, and as much as you hated to admit it, you've had to pull that card more than once.

But if Kokichi liked you, you have to stop doing it. Your ultimate might be "bad" but you weren't an asshole, tampering with raw emotions was too scummy for you to do. Even if push came to shove, you could just let him down slowly.

Though you didn't want to resort to that yet, there's a chance could mess up your... friendship?... with Kokichi. Thats the only reason why, no other reason.

A quiet but heavy sigh left your mouth as you continue to mull over what happened. Subconsciously while thinking, you glanced at Kokichi and Shuichi. You didn't realize how close they were to you until now.

Shuichi was leaning against you, smiling wide while watching the tv. Kokichi on the other hand didn't look like he was doing so good. A small frown was visible on his face, he kept his eyes trained on the floor or tv, not taking a chance to make eye contact with you or Shuichi. He almost looked nervous. A sigh left your lips as you decided.

You were nipping this in the bud before it got inconvenient.

You grabbed Kokichi's hand and stood up.

"You mind if we get some drinks?"

You felt Kokichi tense up. Thankfully Shuichi responded before, Kokichi could speak any protests.

"Sure, just hurry up or you'll miss the best part of the season!"

A quick smile and thanks is all you did before making your way to the kitchen. Once you entered the kitchen you immediately turned to Kokichi. At first, it was hard to find the right words. Thankfully Kokichi started for you.

"Why did you bring me to the kitchen"

His tone seemingly surprised both of you, it sounded more assertive than you were use to hearing coming out of his mouth, but you didn't let it deter you.

"I wanted to talk to you about what you said in the kitchen"

You expected him to respond, but once you were met with silence you continued.

"I mean... What was that? The things you said, they kinda confused me"

A moment of silence passed over. You couldn't help but discreetly shift uncomfortably, you weren't use to telling others how you felt. Especially when it came to confusion. Thankfully he responded before you could wallow in your discomfort.

"It was..."

You could hear him hesitating.

"Nothing...It was nothing"

.
.
.

"Nothing?"

The disbelief was audible in your voice.

"That's not just-"

You bit your tongue. Here wasn't the best place to do this. Your voice was quieter once you spoke again.

"We'll talk about this later"

You randomly grabbed three drinks out of the fridge and began to walk back to the living room, Kokichi trailing slowly behind you.

Once you made it back to the couch an awkward silence settled over you and Kokichi, to the point were Shuichi noticed.

As soon as the episode you were watching ended, you turned on your phone to check the time. 9:45. You stood up and brushed yourself off, you needed a break.

"Its about time for me to go home"

Shuichi and Kokichi looked slightly shocked at what you said. You quickly gave a reason before they could protest.

"I wanna get home before it gets too dark"

Shuichi seemed to accept your answer, Kokichi didn't.

"I can walk you back-"

"No, its fine"

You flashed a half-smile as you thank Shuichi for his hospitality. You said your goodbyes as you made your way out the door, not bothering to look back.

The walk back to your house felt exhausting.

The second you walked in your house, you yelled out of frustration. Not only were you mad at Kokichi, you were mad at yourself for handling it how you did. Soon enough your internal anger turned into external ranting

"Nothing? Just nothing?! No explanation, no 'can we talk about it later' just NOTHING. I totally didn't ask because I care about you?!. I just wanted you to say NOTHING..."

You buried your face in your pillows as you regret everything you did.

¤you wish you wore a different hoodie today¤

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(A/N: Please ignore how trash this chapter is, i'm trying to get back into writing chapters more often...)

Chapter Text

A deep frown remained firmly planted on your face as you remained face down on your pillows. Your anger passed, but a dreadful headache took its place.

Not knowing where the headache came from, you reluctantly stood up and made your way to the kitchen to try and fix it. You were practically dragging your feet the entire way. Your fatigue and hunger was getting to you.

Rubbing your eyes, you got medicine out of your medicine drawer and some food out of the fridge. You filled a glass of water as well. You put the food in the microwave as you took the medicine. After you popped the pain medicine in your mouth and took a swig of water to help it down, you couldn't help but look at yourself in the reflection in the water.

A tired sigh left your mouth. Was this really how you were going to spend your weekend? Wasting it by sitting in your house resenting your decisions. You rolled your eyes as you continued to look into the glass. There's no way you're going to waste your entire weekend over a small conflict.

You grabbed your food out of the microwave and began making your way to your room as you decided what to do with the rest of your night. You left Shuichi's house at around nine and got back at nine thirty-ish. By now it was eleven so you had some time left in the night to do something.

Sitting comfortably on your bed, you began eating. To try and occupy yourself while eating you began to browse on your phone. While browsing a text popped up. Much to your surprise, it was from Tsumugi.

What happened? T_T
11:25

A flash of confusion went through you.

Wdym?
11:26

I mean what happened between you and Kokichi (・・ ) ?
11:26

A groan left you, this was the last thing you wanted to talk about.

Just a little argument
It wasn't anything
Srry if I worried you
11:27

You reluctantly clicked off your phone after you responded. You'd deal with the whole situation tomorrow, for now you just wanted to relax. Maybe you could watch some anime instead.

Before you could reach the remote your phone buzzed again. At first you were just going to ignore it, but you knew your conscious would kill you if you did. Even if you wanted to you could ignore your best friend, so you turned on your phone to respond.

Except, it wasn't Tsumugi texting you this time.

An unfamiliar, and quite unwanted, number showed up in your messages.

I'm sorry
11:31

You rolled your eyes as you responded to the text

Sorry, wrong number
11:31

Before you could turn your phone off they responded.

It's Kokichi
11:32

Oh...
Oh no.

You racked you brain to come up with a response. No matter how hard you thought your mind blanked. So, you went with the most familiar option.

You don't have to apologize
Its not your fault.
11:37

A part of you hoped it would end there. He would read your text, accept it, and you'd move on. For a minute you thought that was how it was going to go. Until

Can I come over? It's completely fine if you don't want me to after what happened. I just want to talk to you about it. I understand if you don't wanna me to though. It's fine if you don't.
11:39

You sat in shock for a second. You didn't really expect him to respond back, let alone type a whole paragraph. He had good grammar though-

Sure I dont mind
11:40

You clicked off your phone as soon as you responded. You had to take a second to process what happened. When did he get a phone? Most importantly how'd he get your number. Admittedly it was probably Tsu since she texted you just before, but still you thought she'd at least text you before doing that.

A sigh left you lips as you placed your empty plate on your bed. You guess it was just a waiting game then. Once you were done making yourself look decent, you sat and waited for him to arrive...

After about 40 minutes of waiting anxiety began to stir within you. At first you were concerned something happened to him, it was pitch black after all. Though, thankfully, as soon as you were going to call him you heard a low knock on your door.

With a relieved sigh you let him in.

For a few moments your meeting was muted, neither of you wanting to speak first. Wanting to avoid any tension before it arise, you began to speak.

"So... What you'd exactly wanna talk about"

The few seconds of silence passed before he responded to you.

"I guess I just wanted to say sorry in person"

He awkwardly placed his hand on the back of neck as you let out a gentle sigh.

"I already told you, you don't have to apologize for anything. I could've handled the situation better."

Despite your seemingly nonchalant response, a tinge of nervousness was still audible in your voice. You couldn't help but feel as if that wasn't the only thing he came to say. It just didn't make sense for him to come all the way from, probably, Shuichi's house just to say sorry.

A nervous laugh escaped from him as his face faintly flushed a pink before he responded.

"That's not the only thing I came say"

'Called it'

"I wanted to say that I-"

You both tensed as you heard the door being unlocked. At first you tensed in shock, not knowing who would be opening the door, let alone having the key to it. Then you tensed in fear, knowing exactly who was behind the door and how badly you'd be scolded.

You needed to act fast, at least if you wanted to avoid a lecture. You grabbed Kokichi's hand and swiftly made your way to your bedroom. You silently signaled for him to be quiet as you pushed him in. You quickly closed the door before he could ask you any questions.

As you made your way back to the front door, you couldn't help but wonder how many times you'll have to resort to hiding him in your room.

As soon as you made it to the door, it opened.

As you expected you were met with warm smiles from your mothers. A warm hug followed. A small smile made it's way to your face. It would be undeniably bigger if you weren't nervous over hiding a whole other person in your room.

Mayumi, your first mother, released you from her hug as she began to speak.

"Ah, I hope we weren't gone for too long"

You smiled and shook your head

"Nope, not at all"

Jasmine, your second mother, happily hummed at your answer as she kicked her shoes off and made her way to the kitchen.

Mayumi got back your attention by gently ruffling your hair.

"We're having dinner at the table tonight, so don't spend too long in your room, alright?"

She gave you a quick peck on your head before flitting to the kitchen as well.

'...'

'Oh no?'

While family dinners weren't a problem by themselves, you weren't sure how well they'd mix with hiding a person in your room. If you didn't have a window screen on all of your windows you'd probably just tell Kokichi to jump out of one of them and to talk to you later, but unfortunately your life could never be that simple.

While thinking of a plan, you quietly made your way to your room. Opening the door you were met with nothing. For a few moments you panicked, not knowing where he went.

"Kokichi-"

As soon as you whisper-yelled his name he peaked his head out of your closet. A sigh of relief left you, good, he was still in the room. A part of you was even glad he was hiding just incase your parents came in instead of you.

You softly pulled him out of the closet as you began to explain the situation.

"My parents want a family dinner tonight" You whispered.

"What?!" He whispered in return.

"I said my parents wan-"

"I heard you-!"

Was this a good time to mess with him? No. Was even more entertaining than usual? Yes. A small smile rested on your face as you continued to whisper.

"I just need to stay here and be quiet"

"How many times will I have to do this"

The only response you gave was a small shrug and a small lighthearted smile. Despite the dim light, you saw him room his eyes and smile back. You began to make your way back to the door.

"I'll bring you some food back okay"

You, once again, closed the door before he could say anything.

You made your way to the kitchen and watched your parents cook.

You didn't know how this would go, but at least your headache was gone

Chapter Text

plate, fork, knife, napkin.
plate, fork, knife, napkin.
plate, fork, knife, napkin.

..
...
You weren't use to setting the table...

Usually you and your parents would have family dinners in the living room, but apparently this time was different. Your nerves couldn't help but calm with each plate and utensil set on the table. A content sigh left your mouth as you admired your "work".

'Nice'

Even though it was a small task, it still filled you with a tinge blissful joy. You were snapped out of your thoughts by a gentle hand on your shoulder.

"You did a good job"

Mayumi gave you a soft smile, and you returned one back. Jasmine gently ruffled your hair as she started to put the food on the plates. Once you were all seated, your family dinner began...

With the exception of forks clinking on plates, it was deafeningly quiet. Your nerves began to act up again. After another minute of quiet, Mayumi was the first to break the ice.

"Uhm, so we've heard from your teacher that you've been making new friends at school."

You visibly choked on your food, coughing as you did so. How'd they know, and most importantly, why were they bringing it up? You could see your mom start getting nervous.

"Oh you dont have worry, we just want to know who your hanging around"

While you appreciated her being upfront about it, but you still didn't want to exactly talk about it. Especially with a certain someone in your room. You started to play with your food as you began speaking.

"He's just a close friend"

"He's?"

'... oops'

You overestimated, they didn't know nearly as much as you thought they did. You tried to start to defend yourself, but before you could Jasmine began to tease. She rested her head on her hand as she began.

"Aw, you didn't even introduce us to your new boyfriend"

"MOM-"

A flush rose on your face as you tried your best to stop your mom from saying anything you didn't want Kokichi could hear. Unfortunately you forgot you had more than one to stop.

"We just wanted to get to meet them"

You shot a playful glare towards mayumi. Both of your moms laughed at your embarrassed reaction. Teasing was practically ritual whenever family dinners were had, but it was different when the other person was in the house. Unfortunately for you, the teasing didn't die down until the end of dinner. Even despite the banter and seemingly endless teasing, you still couldn't help but laugh and tease back. By the end of dinner a genuine smile was stuck to your face.

After everything was cleaned after dinner and hugs were exchanged, you happily made your way to your room, sneaking some food in with you. Once you opened your room door your smile couldn't help but begin to drop. Kokichi was sitting on your bed, visibly troubled. Once you made your presence known he quickly tried to cover it; as per usual, you easily noticed.

"Hey..."

A weak smile stayed on your face as you began making your way towards him. You sat down next to him, giving him the food in the process. Even when he took it, he still had an empty stare.

"Hey... you okay?"

You softly put your hand on his shoulder. Even with your gentleness he still flinched under your touch. As soon as he flinched your smile was wiped off your face. You swiftly removed you hand as your worry doubled.

For a few seconds you sat in silence, not knowing exactly what to say. You felt him shift as he began to speak.

"I..."

You heard his voice crack as he cut himself off. His lips began to shake into a frown as you saw tears begin to fall down his face. You couldn't help but tense at the sudden sight. You quickly regained your posture and began to comfort him. Your voice subconsciously softened as you began.

"Hey, its okay. You're safe."

You slowly took his hands into yours, softly running your thumbs over the back of his hands. He placed his forehead on your shoulder as he began to quietly sob. When it came to comforting him, you genuinely couldn't tell if you were doing an awful job or a great one. You couldn't help but deeply hope he'd stop you if you were making it worse.

You both sat there for a few minutes until he calmed down. Eventually his sobs turned into mere sniffles and his abundance of tears turned into a few drops. Much to your surprise, Kokichi sat up, wiped his eyes, and began to speak.

"Why..."

His voice was so hoarse and faint, you almost didn't hear him. Before you could ask him what he meant by that he beat you to the punch.

"Why are you so nice..."

You couldn't help but stay silent as he continued.

"Your parents love you..."

His voice cracked once again as another sniffle sounded from his body

"You go out of your way just to bring me food... you let me come over even after we argued... you even took care of me once... why? Why are you so-"

Once you finally came to your senses, you once again took his hands into yours and swiftly retorted.

"Because I care about you, why else?"

The true weight of those words to Kokichi didn't register for you. In fact, only half of what he said even registered with you at all. The shock of even being put in such a position completely disarmed you. You've never had someone cry so close to you before. Ever. In your mind, he was completely vulnerable. He'd practically poured his heart out to you.

And in a way, you felt as if you did too.

As soon as you said what you said, you realized how much you were actually saying to him. How much he actually meant to you. As soon as you realized that, you could feel wariness form in the pit of your stomach.

A part of you wanted to walk out now, to not get even remotely attached. but that didn't stop you from continuing.

"You've only been nice to me ever since we've met, so its natural I'd care for you in return?"

The words felt clumsy in your mouth, but you didn't know what else to say. Even though it sounded more like a question than a statement, it was the only thing you could come up with.

You were pulled out of your thoughts by the feeling of his hands squeezing yours. You almost forgot you were hand in hand.

Unaware that you were staring at your hands for half of the time, you quickly turned your head up to meet his gaze. The second you made direct eye contact you could almost feel your heart practically shatter. His eyes were filled to the brim with misery, a part of you was scared he'd fall into despair if you didn't take the right steps.

You knew he wanted comfort, but how? You couldn't tell if he wanted verbal or physical comfort. You hated guessing, but you had no choice.

As you separated your hands, you could see confusion brush across his face. Then you opened your arms and pulled him into a tender hug. You felt him tense in your arms. After a few seconds of silence you felt him relax, you couldnt help but let out a breath you didn't know you were holding.

For a few moments, you both sat in complete silence unaware of what to do next. So, you both stayed in each other's warm embrace.

After comfortably resting in one another's arms, Kokichi began to speak. His voice barely above a wisper.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Your response was immediate.

"Of course"

A few seconds of hesitation passed before he continued.

"You... you'd never replace me, right?"

"No of course not, why would I?"

"You have so many better options-"

You cut him off.

"That doesn't matter"

After your response a heavy silence, once again, laid over the both of you. You felt Kokichi's hug tighten around you.

"Can... can we stay like this... just for a while..."

You felt your heart flutter in your chest. Your answer came out of your mouth before you could stop it.

"Sure"

You felt your face heat up, partially embarrassed at how fast you responded.

You both relaxed and calmly laid there.

Maybe this isn't as bad as it seems...

Chapter Text

A faint groan left your mouth as you began stir.

As soon as you opened your eyes they were met with a beam of light. A quiet hiss of discomfort left you as you went to shield your tired eyes. While trying to shield your eyes, you felt your arm brush against something soft. You wearily gazed down as a soft smile crossed your face, he was still there.

Even with you being wide awake, Kokichi was soundly sleeping comfortably in your arms. You let your arm gently fall back down onto the bed as you closed your eyes. It was four am, maybe you could rest a while longer.

After minutes of silently laying, you opened your eyes and began to look around. Usually restlessness wasn't a problem for you, especially in your own home, but today seemed to differ. The longer you laid down, the more aware you were of Kokichi's presence. While it didn't completely bother you, it wasn't quite familiar either... Why didn't it bother you?

You were never one for close contact. Hugs and things of that nature usually weren't your cup of tea, but here you were, practically cradling a classmate.

Classmate?

That wasn't right. At this point, Kokichi was way past just a classmate. Classmate was too formal, you refused to let boyfriend cross your mind, and friend... Friend felt too misplaced. Normal friends don't hold each other as close. Normal friends don't sleep in each other's arms. Normal friends don't do what you two do, they have more boundaries.

Right?

As much as you hate to admit, you had no experience with how close friends could, or should, become. You'd move so often that having real friends seemed pointless to you, not to mention the hurt the constant separation would cause. Even now with your permanent home you had trouble making new, genuine, friends.

Tsumugi was the only person you considered a real friend. She was nice to you as soon as you walked into the school. Even before you put on your persona. Kaede and the others though, they befriended your persona, not you. But what made Kokichi any different?

Perhaps its because Tsumugi closed the gap between you two, or maybe its because you kept him around longer than you intended.

Even then, Kokichi seemed more than just a close friend to you.

A small frown crossed your face as you rubbed your eyes as groaned. You felt more awake and aware than ever before. Getting into your own head never bothered you like this before. Before you could continue your thoughts, you stilled. You felt Kokichi begin to stir.

You heard a mute whine come from him as he stretched. At first you thought he was going to wake up calmly. You were quickly proven wrong by him shooting up from off the bed, almost falling when the blanket got caught around his leg. You sat up and rested your head on your hand, you new exactly what was coming next.

"I-... sorry"

As you expected.

"You didn't do anything that warrants an apology. You don't have to keep apologizing to me for nothing"

You made your way off your bed as you awaited his response. You were met with silence. After a moment of quiet he finally spoke up.

"I... I should go home"

A look of confusion was visible on your face as you began to speak.

"This early? We just woke up a few minutes ago."

A sigh left him as he looked away from your gaze. He continued.

"I...I need to get home before my parents notice I'm gone"

You had to stop yourself from showing visible disdain.

You bit your tongue as you felt bitterness fill your senses. While you agreed with the sentiment, you didn't agree with who it was for. As far as you were concerned, he shouldn't go home. Ever. He'd be better off with anyone but them.

But alas, you had no say in what he did. Usually.

As much as you wanted to, you couldn't use your ultimate on him. His parents were probably manipulative enough as is, you didn't want to add to his burden. So you reluctantly bite your tongue and agree. But that won't stop you from trying to stall him.

"You should at least eat something before you go."

You both were aware resistance was futile. He was going home with food in his hands whether he liked it or not. So he accepted. You both quietly made your way down to your kitchen. As you entered you kitchen Kokichi followed suit. He caught you off guard at first, but you quickly adjusted to it.

You went into your cabinets and pulled out some rice, iyokan, and black tea. You also grabbed some yogurt from the fridge. After you grabbed all of your ingredients you made some Gohan with yogurt and iyokan as a side. you gave Kokichi the black tea in a thermos.

A light flush rose on his face. You couldn't help but let a small smile cross yours as he stumbled out a surprised thanks. You only nodded in response. No matter how much he did it you'd never get tired of it.

After you gave him his food you both made your way to the front door. Your smile faltered as you exchanged goodbyes. You couldn't help but watch him as he walked away. As soon as he was out of sight you closed the door. Before you could begin moping around a thought crossed your mind.

'I wonder if ill ever get that thermos back?'

A small laugh escaped you as you shook your head. Probably not, but you didn't mind. You had plenty, he probably needed one anyway.

A smile remained on your face as you began lounging around the house waiting for you parents to wake. After making breakfast for Kokichi you realized you ran out of a lot of things.

As soon as you parents woke up, you told them you were going to the store. At first they were apprehensive, but since it was still early, you managed to sooth their concerns.

A breeze of cool morning air hit you as soon as you walked out the door. You let a small relieved sigh escaped your lips as you began walking. While the store was no where near by, you didn't feel like dealing with the creeps at the train station this early in the morning.

About halfway through the walk you checked your phone. 6:37. You should be home before noon.

'Nice'

As soon as you entered the store you made a beeline for what you needed. You admittedly might need to take the train back home because of the amount of food you were getting, but you'd deal with that later. After grabbing everything you needed, you made your way to checkout.

On your way out of the store, you saw a familiar shade of purple hair in one of the isles. At first you were going to ignore it, there's a good chance it wasn't Kokichi. But your curiosity took over, and sure enough it was him. You made your way over to say hey.

"Kokichi"

As soon as his name came out of your mouth you saw him jump a little. You couldn't help but giggle at his reaction. He quickly turned around and hid what he had behind his back. He stuttered out a nervous response.

"O-oh Hi"

'?'

You couldn't help but wonder what he was hiding. You internally sighed as you decided to leave it alone. He probably has a good reason for hiding it, you trusted him enough to at least believe that. You pushed the thought away as you smiled and began speaking.

"I didn't expect to see you here"

"S-Same for me, hey ca-can you wait outside for me?"

He was looking, and sounding, more nervous by the second. You were starting to become concerned by the second, but before you could ask he practically decided what you would do with one word.

"Please?"

You internally sighed as you gave in, said sure, and made your way to the door. As soon as you stepped out the door you groaned and leaned next to the door. You couldn't help but wonder what happened to your spine, or apparently, lack thereof. If anyone else would've said that you probably would've just said 'no' or 'why', but apparently with Kokichi that just wasn't the case.

You were snapped out of your thoughts by the sound of Kokichi's voice calling you. You made your way over and began to walk with him. For a while, you were both just mindlessly talking and walking. It was until Kokichi stopped walking that you realized where you two were. You were at a park a few miles away from your house.

'We're at a park...'

'On a sunny day...'

'Under a cherry blossom tree...'

'...'

'WAIT-'

To say you were bewildered would be a drastic understatement. You couldn't help but hope he wasn't going to do what you think he's going to do... At least not now.

A light blush spread across his face as he began to speak.

"I... I have something for you"

'Please don't be a confession letter please don't be a confession letter please don't be a confession letter-'

While you don't actually know know how common love letters actually were in Japan because of your lack of exposure to Japan's romantic culture, you still couldn't help but fear it. Or any romantic confession at all. Admittedly you weren't opposed to the idea of dating him, you just didn't want your first confession to be after a grocery trip.

Then, much to your relief and slight disappointment, what he pulled from out of his bag wasn't a confession letter but a stuffed plushie.

"I-I know you have a few stuffed animals on your bed, s-so I wanted to give this as thanks"

You swear you felt your heart fluttering around your chest. You couldn't help but begin blushing yourself, you were beyond thankful he couldn't see you blushing. A wide smile unknowingly made it's way to your face as you received your gift from him. You laughed at how much more intense his blush got after your hands grazed one another's. Your wide smile remained on your face as you began to thank him.

"Thank you!"

He quickly, but clumsily, responded.

"I-It's no problem"

"Want to stay for a while longer?"

Even with your arms full of groceries and a stuffed plush, you still wanted to stay with him a bit longer.

"Are you sure thats okay? You still have your-"

"Its fine, i don't have anything that needs to be cold away"

"S-sure then"

You both happily made your way to a near by bench. As soon as you sat down you heard a dull thunk.

'?'

He still had something. You inquired about the sound before you could stop yourself.

"Whats that?"

Kokichi quickly reached back and grabbed the source of the noise. A camera.

"Oh i- ...its just a camera I got."

Your eyes couldn't help but light up again as you began to speak.

"Cool! I have a camera too, I can help you set up yours if it isn't already"

As soon as your proposition was met with a warm acceptance, you began to put your groceries on the bench, temporarily leaving them to help set up the camera.

Within a minute of working with the camera, you managed to get it working. It was a Polaroid camera, while it wasn't the brand you had you were still pretty familiar with the functions.

You were both excited once the first picture you snapped came out without any errors. As soon as the picture came out, Kokichi turned to you and asked you a question.

"Do... Do you mind if I take a picture of you?"

For a second you were shocked, no one really asked you that before. Then you gained your bearings and processed the question. You weren't really fond of pictures, in fact you weren't the most photogenic. But you pushed the thoughts out of your head as you responded.

"Sure"

Even though you weren't the most photogenic, you didn't mind. As long as he was the one taking the picture you probably never would. You put a joyful smile on your face as he pointed the camera towards you.

After you heard the click, you looked over to see how I came out. Much to your surprise it actually came out pretty well.

"Wow! It looks really amazing"

"Of course it looks amazing, y-you're in the picture"

Despite his words becoming quite in the end you heard him loud and clear. Another wave of warmth made it's way to your face.

"Thanks, Kokichi"

After another hour of talking you both finally said your goodbyes and parted ways.

Once you got home you put the groceries up and swiftly made your way to your room. As soon as you closed the door behind you, you laid in bed, put some anime on, and kept the stuffed plushie close in your arms.

Maybe a love confession wouldn't be that bad

Gohan: steamed rice, Iyokan: Japanese citrus fruit kinda like an orange)

Chapter Text

Ping.
.
.
.
Ping.
Ping.
Ping.

You quickly sat up and began rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, reaching for your phone while doing so.

Who was texting you this late at night?

After adjusting your plushie and letting your eyes get use to the light, you unlocked your phone and looked at the messages.

Hey
11:33

You up
Wanna vc
I'm pulling an all-nighter but I'm bord
*bored
11:35

You squinted as you read the messages, who was this?

Shuichi?
11:36

Yeah
11:36

Oh.
Well that explains it

I was just checking
also sure I guess
11:37

You sat up and stretched, a sigh escaping as you did so. You couldn't help but wonder why he decided to call you out of, well, literally anybody else. You doubt that he wasn't on any forums, you also doubted that he didn't know anyone else that liked Danganronpa. Though he might be calling you for convenience. You pushed the thought out of your head as you grabbed your headphones and turned on your computer.

Usually you wouldn't be caught dead talking to anyone at this time, but this was an exception. You knew you weren't going back to sleep anytime soon, so there's really no reason not to. Besides you were 90% sure he'd be doing most of the talking anyway.

After getting use to the computer light assaulting your eyes, you click on discable, accepted his friend request, and waited for a call. Since he, apparently, already had your number you weren't quite suprized that he had your user as well. Though you do have to have a talk with Tsumugi and Kokichi about just giving your number to people.

Before you could start to get lost on that train of thought, you heard a familiar ring tone. You put on your headphones and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey! I'm glad you're awake-"

You cut him off before he could start rambling.

"Why are you up so late?"

"I'm just having trouble sleeping"

'?'

You couldn't help but let your face change in confusion. He was talking so... normally. Maybe it was just because of his first impression, but it caught you off guard. You were half expecting him to say he was up because of something Danganronpa related, but you guess no one can always be right.

As your conversation continued it settled in how normal shuichi really was, at least outside of Danganronpa.

"Actually I'm suprized you don't find me weird"

"Huh, why would I find you weird?"

You chose to pretend the entirety of your first meeting didn't happen

"Most people actually say I'm off-putting"

'You are'

"Ah, I don't see why, you seem pretty normal to me?"

You heard him let out mellow chuckle, you could tell he was smiling.

"I'm glad you think so!"

A small hum of acknowledgement left you. He continued

"Also I've been meaning to ask you something"

"About what?"

"Your ultimate, I'm curious."

'Huh'

Thankfully you planned for this question ahead of time. You knew it was a matter of time, through admittedly you didn't think he'd be the one asking.

"Oh, i'm the ultimate therapist"

You heard another small chuckle come from Shuichi before he began speaking.

"Figures"

"Huh?"

"Y-"

Before he could finish speaking a noise cut him off.

Thunk
Thunk
Thunk

"What was that-"

"I'll call you back later, bye Shuichi"

You quickly shut your laptop as you turned to face your window. Someone was knocking on it.

'Who in the fuck?'

You quickly glanced at your phone. 12:54.
Either there was a serial killer out your window or someone being chased by one. Either way you didn't want to be involved.

Thunk
Thunk
Thunk

Unfortunately that didn't seem like an option.

Grabbing the nearest weapon you could get your hands on, you slowly made your way to the window.

The closer you got to the window the more you could hear what was on the other side.
Sniffling.

'?'

You couldn't help but double take at the sound. In a state of confusion you continued making your way to your window. With your weapon you slowly lifted up the blinds.

You didn't see anyone.

"P-please... let me i-in"

You couldn't help but jump at the sound of a familiar voice. You lifted the window as you responded.

"Kokichi?"

A broken wimper was the only response you got.

A quiet sigh left your lips as you closed the window and swiftly made your way over to your door. As soon as you opened it you peered out to see if you could spot him. Once you did, you calmly made your way over to him.

"Kokichi?"

As soon as you uttered his name he wrapped his arms around you. He was freezing.

"I-im s-so sorry"

"Its fine, let's get you inside for now"

Shivers racked his body as you both made your way to the door.

As soon as you both made it through the door, you felt him put all his weight on you. It wasn't a lot. A heavy sense of worry laid over you as you both quietly made your way to your room.

You wanted to start warming him up as soon as possible. As soon as Kokichi was sat on your bed, still shivering, you went to the kitchen to grab anything warm you could find. After a moment of searching, you settled for some tea and a heat pack you found.

Once you returned and gave Kokichi the items to keep warm, you began questioning.

"What happened"

After a shaky sigh, he responded.

"I le-left..."

A moment of silence passed, as you stood momentarily shocked.

"I... what happened?"

You couldn't help but repeat yourself in shock. Everything was fine a few hours ago. When you both parted ways everything was calm and light-hearted. You couldn't dare imagine what must've happened in those few hours to cause this. So, in shocked silence you let him continue.

You could see his eyes begin watering more with each passing second.

"I came to you because... because you always comfort me i guess..."

"..."

"A-and I know you're probably tired of me and I'm being a b-burden but you're the only person I could come to-"

With a worried sigh you responded.

"I'm not tired of you and you're not a burden. In fact, im glad you came to me."

To avoid getting too sentimental, you abruptly stopped yourself and changed the subject.

"-but before we can talk about that we might need to talk about what we're gonna do in a few hours..."

Sniffling, he responded.

"A few hours?"

"We have to go to school in 6 hours"

His eyes widened in suprized. You couldn't blame him for not knowing the time, especially in his situation.

"I-"

You cut him off before he could say another unnecessary apology.

"Its fine, no need to apologize. Let's just get some rest, okay?"

He reluctantly nodded and shifted on the bed. Moments of silence passed before you continued.

"...We can lay together like we did last time, if that makes you feel better?"

Even in the dimmly lit room you could see a light blush spread on his face as he nodded.

A light yawn left you as you sat on the bed and opened your arms. He hesitantly went into your embrace.

As you both were laying, Kokichi began to wisper.

"You still have the plush I gave you"

A small laugh escaped you as you responded.

"Of course i do, i wouldn't just throw it away"

A few seconds of silence passed before he began to talk once more.

"Can... Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"could you stay with me during the day?"

You felt your words get caught in your throat as you hesitated. At first you thought about your reputation. All of the effort you put into making sure no one knew you knew him.

Then, you came to your senses.

You, rationally, decided he'd be with you for as long as he wanted, whether they liked it or not.

"Of course, that's the least I can do"

You could tell he was smiling as he spoke.

"Thank you"

After a few moments of comfortable silence you both drifted off to sleep.
.....................................................................

When you woke up it was around 4am. While usually you wouldn't wake up this early, you had to avoid your parents finding out he was here.

After stretching, you sat up from your bed and looked next to you. As you gazed over a soft smile crossed your face, he was still there. Another second of gazing passed before you quietly got off your bed and began getting ready for school. You figured you'd let him sleep a while longer before walking him up to get ready. Once you were finished getting ready you woke him up.

At first he only stirred, but after a few more nudges he awoke.

"Hey, wake up its time to get ready"

A groan left him before sat up. You could tell he was still tired. As lazy smile crossed your face as you both started your day.

After Kokichi got himself together, you both quietly make your ways out the door. Despite your usual ritual of making food whenever Kokichi came over, you decided to grab food on your way to school. Making food at home would be too little risky, the last thing you wanted to do so early in the morning is explain to your parents is why you were cooking food for a seemingly random person.

A sigh left your mouth as you push the thoughts out of your mind and stepped into the train. Because you both woke up so early the train car was mostly empty save for the two of you and a few other passengers. Majority of the ride was quiet until you heard kokichi beginning to wisper to you.

"You're still going to stay with me during the day, right?"

You responded with no hesitation

"Of course"

You saw a faint smile grow on his face before everything grew silent once again.

Once you were both off the train car, you made your ways to a near corner store to get breakfast. As you stepped in you took in your surroundings.

'Almost empty.'

Given the early time, you expected the store to be almost empty. Even so, you expected other people to be there, even the number of employees seemed sparse. You rid your head of the thoughts as you turned your attention towards Kokichi. His gaze wandered from shelf to shelf, though you couldn't help but notice he looked somewhat nervous.

Side by side you both browsed, occasionally pointing out snacks that the other might like. After a while of browsing you noticed that Kokichi wasn't picking anything, even his favorite foods remained untouched. As time continued the urge to ask what was bothering him grew. Your silent contemplation came to an end as your worry overrode it.

"Is something bothering you? You haven't picked anything yet"

A small pin of anxiety went through you. As much as you cared for him you learned to just expect the worse. Usually with any one else could assume they were just having a bad day. But with him, knowing what you know, you couldn't assume that. He silently responded by discretely nodding his head in a direction.

Once you looked that way you understood.

Two of Kaito's friends were in the corner of the store doing something. Though, they were seemingly too in their own bubble to notice the two of you, at least not yet. A tired sigh left you, you could tell you'd have to put your ultimate to work today.

You uttered reassurance, flashing a soft smile as reinforcement.

"I'm sure we'll be fine"

"I dont think ill be..."

'Oh-'

His response caught you off guard, but it wasn't unwelcome. At least he showed how bad he thought the situation was, now you could deal with it accordingly.

"I'll just pay at the desk then, so you don't have to worry too much"

With those words spoken you started to grab some of the foods you knew he liked. He began to protest.

"Wa-wait you can't pay for my-"

Before he could finish, you gently cut him off

"Dont worry about it, think of it as payback for the gift you gave me"

A light blush settled on his face as you turned to walk to the front desk.

You silently greeted the cashier as you began paying for your snacks. Everything was going smoothly, up until one of Kaito's friends noticed you.

"Suprized to see you here"

You put on a fake smile as you ,reluctantly, responded.

"Ah I could say the same for you"

What ever hope you had of the conversation ending sooner than later was squashed once he continued.

"Actually i wanted to ask how you were doing, since you've been so busy and all"

You couldn't help but internally sigh. Idle chit chat was the last thing you wanted, especially now. Thankfully excuse were your forte.

"Actually I'm doing pretty good. Sorry to cut this short but I have to get school"

"This early?"

"Yep! Before school activities, etcetera"

"Wait but-"

With a smile and a wave you quickly made your way out of the store, making sure Kokichi followed after you once Kaito's friends weren't looking. A sigh of relief left the both of you, grateful that you managed to get through it with ease.

Thankfully, for the both of you, the rest of the trip to school was uneventful.
-----------------‐-----------‐------------------------------------

As hopes peak slowly came into view, you felt Kokichi's eyes rest on you. He began to speak.

"Are..."

He paused before quietly continuing

"Are we eating together?"

You responded with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah, I promised to spend the day with you, remember?"

A light pink appeared on his face as he quickly responded.

"Of course I remember! i was just checking"

A genuine smile made it's way to your face as you saw his face flush with embarrassment. You knew he hadn't forgotten, but teasing him was something you'd never get tired of. After fooling around for a few for minutes, you both sat down and began eating.

The next hour was tranquil.

Because you both arrived so early no other student, or many teachers for that matter, were there. The lack of peers and supervisors practically dissolved all of the worries you had previously.

For the first time in a while, you felt truly care free.

Even with Tsumugi, your dearest friend, you still felt the need too keep up with your 'good friend' reputation. Though that was admittedly your fault, it was still nice to have a true break.

So you savored the moment.

Even though the sun was barely out and it was still chilly outside, you still adored this small moment.

Though, even good things must come to an end.

As time passed and it became closer to the normal time to come to school, students and teachers began to come in.

A disappointed sigh left you as you began to murmur.

"Its about time we go, right?"

He silently nodded, seemingly disappointed as well.

You both got up and threw away your trash as you made your ways to early bird.

With each step your dissatisfaction grew. Early bird was the last thing you wanted to do so early in the morning, in fact you usually only stay for attendance and sneak out after. But, you made a promise, and you didn't plan on breaking it so easily. Especially since you definitely owed him for what you've put him through-

Much to your pleasure, early bird was almost uneventful, save for some teasing remarks thrown Kokichi's way that you quickly shut down.

Besides early bird and Social Studies, which was at the end of the day, you and Kokichi shared no other classes. So, reluctantly, you parted ways, planning to meet up at lunch.

After you parted, you paid no attention to class. Because of your first impression, none of your teachers called on you, believing that you were paying attention and 'eager to learn'. Most of your classmates in your earlier classes didn't talk to you either, with the exception of small chat and occasional questions. For once you were grateful for the ridiculously early time.

After a few hours, lunch finally arrived.

As soon as the teacher dismissed the class, you were the first one out the door. You swiftly made your way down the hall, making sure to avoid anyone you knew for convenience sake. After a while of walking you found your way to your planned meeting spot. Then you waited

And waited

And waited

And waited.

After ten minutes of waiting you got up and began searching. Normally you would wait longer, assuming the person got held behind, but with Kokichi you found out that wasn't the best idea.

After ten minutes of searching, your nerves began to become irritated. You'd be lying if you said you knew him like the back of your hand, but you definitely knew he wasn't one to be late. Your patience began to run thin as you continued to search for Kokichi, or rather the person holding him up.

As you turned the corner of the hallway, your felt your anger die and your blood chill out of shear suprize.

'Oh, oh no-'

Out of all the people you wanted Kokichi to run into the least, it had to be Rantaro. Maybe it was because you didn't want to deal with the awkwardness, maybe it was because he wasn't the most easily swayed, either way his presence was unexpected and largely unwanted.

With an irritated exhale you made your way over to the two of them.

The closer you got the more irritated you became. The suppressed panic in Kokichi's eyes was evident, and with each step so was your anger.

Even so, out of habit, you put on a honeyed voice and began speaking.

"Ah, Rantaro, excuse me but can you spare Kokichi for a sec, I need him"

They both seemed to jump at your voice, suprized by you. Before you could say or do anything else, Rantaro recovered from the small shock and quickly responded.

"Uh yeah just give us a few minutes, we're still talking"

"Sorry but a teacher needs him a soon as possible."

A moment of tense silence passed  before he finally spoke again.

"Sure, he's all yours"

You began to walk away as Kokichi quickly followed behind.

"Thanks, see ya later!"

'As if'

Much to your annoyance he seemed to perk up at your words.

"Oh, uh yeah see you later"

You suppressed a scowl as you made sure Kokichi wasn't to far behind you.

So much for tranquility.

Chapter Text

(Bc you guys need something after my long hiatus-) 
Mc: main character/you 

Chapter 1 (purple haired boy)
When kokichi first met you, he wasn't as afraid of you as he was afraid of the people you were friends with. Before you began talking to him he assumed you'd be the same and bully/tease him. 

The reason he clutched his bento box when he came by is because bullies would often knock his food out of his hands when they would see him eating. 

Chapter 2 (how did I not notice)
Mc and Kokichi have most definitely seen each other when walking to school. The reason Mc didn't know he lived so close is because they just didn't pay attention. Kokichi on the other hand just avoided them because he knew who they hung out with. 

Mc has dips in morality sometime hence the following Kokichi home. 

Chap 3 (unlucky day)
Mc fell at least once when running through the rain to get home faster. 

When going to your house with Tsumugi, Kokichi didn't know where they were going. They were planning to hang out, but Tsumugi never told him where. 

Chap 4 (development)
When Mc gave Kokichi tea despite him refusing it, that's when he started to think of mc as more of a friend rather than a scary acquaintance. 

Before the incident with Kokichi Mc was prone to lapses in morality, after Mc was sure to check themselves before making a decision. 

When tending to Kokichi Mc debated just taking care of the visible injuries, but decided it was too risky for an infection to happen if they did. 

Chap 5 (mercy)
When Kokichi fell, it was because he was trying to get to mc. 

The reason Kokichi panicked more when you told him Kaede was in the other room was because he was worried for you, forgetting you and Kaede were technically friends in his just waking up confusion. 

Chap 6 (unfortunate future)
When you were finishing Kokichi's bandaging is when he started to develop feeling for you. 

Kokichi was use to taking care of his own injuries by himself, so when you did it for him he was nervous you be rough. But once he found out you knew what you were doing and were gentler than him, he didn't worry. 

When making food for Kokichi, his feelings developed further. 

Chap 7 (audacity)
The only reason Kokichi almost rejected staying at your house with you was because he didn't want you to get in trouble. He knew his parents would be mad at him regardless no matter how or when he came home, he just didn't want you to get dragged into it. 

Kokichi has your toothbrush. He felt guilty for taking it, but he wanted to have something of yours to remember you by and that was the closest and most discreet thing he could get. 

Mc didn't want Kokichi to got to school mostly because they knew they wouldn't be there to stop his Kokichi's bullies from messing with him. 

Rantaro gained a crush on you while dating Keade and figured he'd rather just break up with than be a cheater 

Chap 8 (detour)
The reason Kokichi was looking at you and Shuichi holding hands was because he didn't like it. He got jealous because he thought Shuichi could take you away from him, especially since in such a small amount of time you two were already holding hands. 

The jealousy gave Kokichi a temporary confidence boost for the rest of the chapter. 

The fact that you didn't know Shuichi's name but still held his hand for that long worsened Kokichi's jealousy 

Chap 9 (envy)
Kokichi leaned his head on you to get closer to you and to ease his jealousy, it didn't work because he saw you staring at Shuichi. 

If Mc wouldn't have grabbed Kokichi's hand when Shuichi was leading them to the living room, he would've been infuriated, but since Mc did it eased his jealousy because it showed you were still thinking about him enough to grab him at least. 

Kokichi was the one staring at you. He was initially glaring at Shuichi and looked over to look at you just for a few seconds. Once you looked back at him he didn't want you to think he was angry with you so he stopped glaring. After that he just happened to keep looking at you, and you just kept picking up every time he would look. 

The reason Kokichi asked Mc those questions instead of just internalizing them was because of the boosted confidence 

Chap 10 (different hoodie)
None (ask if you can think of any ^^) 

Chap 11 (headache)
Kokich felt the need to write a paragraph when apologizing because he truly didn't want you to be mad at him or to lose you. 

Kokichi came from Shuichi house to apologize and to tell you how important you are to him 

Mc isn't really adopted. Jasmine is mc's aunt and Mayumi is Jasmine wife. Mc's parents just didn't want/feel ready to raise Mc so they gave custody to Jasmine, since they knew Jasmine and Mayumi could provide better for them. Mc calls Jasmine mom instead of aunt because Jasmine was more of a motherly figure to them than their actual mother. 

Chap 12 (T is for trauma)
Despite being away most of the time mc's parents still try to check up on Mc and how they're doing at school. 

Kokichi began crying because hearing you and your parents light and playful teasing made him realize how much better of a homelife you had. He felt as if you were out of his league and could offer nothing too you in a friendship or a relationship. 

(Half kinda fact: because of Kokichi's traumas and mc's situation, I view kokichi as having an anxious attachment style and Mc having an avoident attachment style. It shows at the end of the chapter when Mc wants to sperate from Kokichi and when kokich asks if Mc would ever leave/replace him. This fact is purely self indulgent bc I had a psychology phase-) 

Chapt 13 (pining)
You took up a habit of cooking for him to show you care. 

Mc is usually more observant with people they know but with Kokichi they aren't. 

At this point you wouldn't mind kokichi giving you a confession letter, it just caught you off guard and you wanted a chance to prepare. Because your ultimate is manipulation you're use to being prepared for anything, unfortunately confessions don't fall under that. 

Kokichi kept to photo, its with the toothbrush. 

Chapt 14 (tranquility)
Because you were on of the few people that weren't harsh on his love for Danganronpa and personality, Shuichi began to like you. Even some of the people he thought of as good friends with would make passive aggressive comments about him or his liking for Danganronpa, so for you to not do either made him interested in you. 

Its kokichi endgame, but between kokichi, rantaro, and Shuichi liking you, you most definitely have a reverse harem at this point. 

If Kaito's friends would've seen Kokichi, you would've caused a scene if they tried to put their hand on him. 

You and Kokichi truly relax around each other. 

When the kids in early bird were making snide comments about Kokichi, he had to stop you from butting heads with them when they continued. 

Fun facts (general, optionally canon)
Because you lived in America before you moved to Japan, you would tell Kokichi stories about living there. Unbeknownst to you each of your stories slightly concern him, especially the Halloween razor blade candy.
(Do you guys also remember that, maybe I'm going insane but istg I saw it on the news numerous times-) 

Kokichi tried to play the pocky game, but got interrupted before he could even ask. 

Usually Kokichi doesn't get much sleep at his house because of his parents, when he sleeps at yours he actually feels rested. 

Every few days you'll wash and comb Kokichi's hair because it gets tangled easily. Those days can easily be the highlight of his week. 

Even the smallest actions you do make Kokichi fall deeper in love with you.

Chapter Text

A heavy sigh left you as you rounded the corner. After a few moments of silent rushed walking, you turned your head and began to speak.

"Are you okay?"

Three words you were getting too use to saying.

"Y...Yeah I'm alright"

Three words you were getting tired of hearing.

A heavy sigh left your mouth as you looked at him. While he wasn't harmed physically, you could tell he was shaken up by what happened.

A dissatisfied hum left you as you looked at him once again. Gently, you placed your index and thumb under his chin, carefully turning and examining his face, making sure you didn't miss any scrapes or new forming bruises.

Though, admittedly, the brightening hue of his blush was making it harder to see.

He grabbed your arm and looked away, bashful. Despite grabbing your arm, he didn't make any move to take your hand from his face.

"I-I'm fine i promise"

After a second of hesitation, you reluctantly removed your hand from his face. Soon replying quietly.

"Alright, I just wanted to make sure... you were...okay..."

You couldn't help but let your words drift off as you took in the sight behind Kokichi.

Rantaro walking your way.

Whether he was coming to apologize or not was irrelevant to you, all you wanted to was get far away from him as soon as possible.

You swiftly grabbed his hand and began walking in the other direction.

"Wait where are we going-"

"Somewhere..."

Slowly but surely, you began to pick up your pace, not wanting any further confrontation.

Once you lost sight of Rantaro, you decided to continue speed walking to the school gates. Your concern was gnawing at you, whatever they were talking about before you came along was something you needed to know.

The second you reached the school gates you stopped in your tracks and turned around, only to be met with Kokichi's troubled expression.

As much as you wanted to explain, you figured it could wait till after you two talked about what happened.

"I...Sorry, I know this seems sudden, but what happened?"

A dreadfully long moment of silence passed. The longer the silence held, the more your worry was left festering.

With a small grimace, he began to speak, his words quiet and calculated.

"He...He saw us at the park..."

You sat in stunned silence, speechless. You quickly came back to your senses after realizing you didn't catch even a glimpse of Rantaro up until you had to take Kokichi from him.

"I- What- when did he see us?"

"I dont know..."

Tense silence smothered the two of you as it passed, concern swiftly following behind.

Both of you heavily concerned for different reasons.

Before you could speak, the tense silence was cut by Kokichi.

"I-im sorry I shouldn't have walked you to the park in the first place y-you were busy an-and I was bothering you I should've just given it to you l-later it was-"

A tired sigh left you as you tried your best to gently cut him off.

"It's fine, Kokichi. Its not your fault. Can we just go right now? School doesn't seem like the best place to stay for now"

Apprehension laced his words as he responded.

"I dont know..."

"It'll be safer i promise"

"But what about our stuff? W-what if we get in trouble"

A small frown took form on your face as you gently cupped his face with your hands.

"Trust me just this one time, please."

A light flush overtook his pale skin as his words got stuck in his throat. You desperately wanted to indulge in his reaction, to smile and tease him, but you couldn't find it in you to do so. Too many thoughts were swarming your head. The lack of a response made you continue.

"Will you?"

He opened his mouth to speak before closing it again and swallowing hard. Trying again he responded.

"I-I will"

A small content smile formed on your face as you spoke.

"Thank you"

Removing your hands from his face, you grabbed his hand and began making your way out the school gate.

A tense silence made it's way between the both of you.

With each step away from the school you felt your nerves calm, and Kokichi's worsen.

In a attempt to calm his nerves, you began to speak.

"Well, since we're out, do you wanna do anything?"

His eyes reminded focused on the ground as he quietly replied.

"Can we just stay at your house...please"

With a small smile you spoke.

"If thats what you wanna do sure, ah and if you don't mind, I'd like to get food on the way. Sounds good?"

"Mhm"

With that confirmation, you began to make your way to a near by restaurant. The same one where you tried to hide from Kokichi in fact, you couldn't help but find it incredibly ironic.

While on your way to the restaurant, you pulled out your phone to make a to-go order. you doubt Kokichi would want to stand and wait for long, so you decided to make it easier for the both of you.

As soon as you unlocked your phone a message popped up. You suppressed a sigh as you looked at the text.

'Of course its from Rantaro'

Can we talk?
11:34 am

You couldn't help but roll your eyes as you responded.

I'm busy right now
11:35 am

After the text sent you called the restaurant, not wanting to have your attention away from Kokichi for too long. Once you put your orders in, you turned off your phone.

The entire way to the restaurant, you were ignoring the near incessant buzzing of your phone. You refused to deal with Rantaro, not right now at the very least.

The pickup went flawlessly, and much to your delight, you got to talk to the same cashier that cut you a break the last time you were there. You couldn't help but let a small, but genuine, smile show on your face as you made your way home.

When you approached your house, you noticed the drive way was empty. 

Kokichi seemed to notice the lack of car as well.

"Are you sure your parents won't get mad at you skipping-"

A small hum escaped you before you responded

"Mhm, they know I wouldn't skip without a reason"

Walking up to the door, you pressed in the code and unlocked the door.

Once inside you made quick work of setting the food down and getting ready to eat. A comfortable silence laid over you and Kokichi as you did so. Quietly, you both began eating.

Kokichi was, surprisingly, the first to break the silence.

"Uhm... so when are we planning to get our stuff back?"

After using your phone to quickly check the time, and ignoring the 23 text notifications, you responded

"School should be ending soon so we could get it now or after eating"

A moment of hesitation passed before Kokichi responded

"Do you mind if we get it now... I-its fine if you want to wait, I just-"

You grabbed his hand as you started to stand, closing your food with the other. With your fingers intertwined he followed suit.

"I just..."

A pink hue began to dust his face as he fumbled his way through his sentence. You couldn't help but tease him, even if only for a moment of relief.

"Its okay, take your time"

Much to your delight your soft, but playful tone, only seemed to deepen the flush on his face. You couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape you.

On your way out of the house he continued trying to finish his sentence, all of his attempts were in vain, but it was still entertaining none the less.

The lighthearted mood of your walk began to fade the more your school came into view. With each step closer to the school you could feel the once comfortable silence you shared with kokichi turn tense.

Once again noticing his worry, you were the first one to break the silence

"I'm sure we'll be fine, any excuse would be good enough to get us out of any absences"

A small frown found its way on Kokichi's face as he responded

"But what if we get in trouble?"

"I can promise you I won't, besides even if someone stops us we'll probably just get a slap on the wrist "

Despite your best effort to sooth him with your words, apprehension still coated his words.

"If you say so..."

After he spoke, silence remained untouched until you both reached the school.

Upon arriving at the gate, you observed your surroundings. Though you weren't as cautious about being seen with Kokichi as you use to be, you didn't want to deal with the consequences of your, now strained, friend group seeing you with him.

Keeping him close by, you weaved your way through the crowds of students leaving. Fortunately with no problems.

Without a hitch both of you managed to get your stuff back unscathed, leaving the school as quickly as you could once you did.

The walk back to your house was just as quiet as the walk to school.

Once you got to your block, Kokichi began to speak, his voice quiet as if he didn't want you to hear him at all.

"Um... can I ask you a question?"

Noticing his unusually hushed tone, you gently responded.

"Sure, go for it"

"Do... uh do you mind if I stay at your place. Ju-just for another night if you don't mind"

Flashing him a smile, you responded

"Of course, I don't mind at all"

You heard him let out a small sigh of relief, before he continued. A small smile resting on his face.

"Thank you"

A small hum of acknowledgement left you as you unlocked your front door stepping inside, Kokichi following behind.

With your parents gone and Kokichi spending the night over, you decided to spend the rest of the day relaxing.

You and Kokichi spent the rest of the day lazing around and laughing at each other's antics. In the back of your minds, you both knew it wouldn't last forever. Sooner or later Kokichi would have to go back home and had to deal with whatever was waiting for him, and Sooner or later you'd be alone again in your house, eventually having to deal with Rantaro. But despite what was awaiting both of you in the future, you both still relished the blissful hours you spent together.

Once you both began to struggle to stay awake, you decided it was time to finally go to sleep.

You both began to get ready for bed. The usually tedious routine became a little less boring with Kokichi around. While starting to brush your teeth, you heard kokichi call you name. You let out a muffled response.

"Hm? What do you need?"

Turning to face the bathroom door you saw him walk up to it, his eyes nervously planted on the floor.

"I uh don't have any night clothes to wear..."

"Oh, don't worry I'm sure I have something, just give me a sec"

After brushing your teeth, you made your way to your bedroom and began to look for any spare clothes he could wear.

Unlike before, you weren't as lucky when it came to finding clothes for Kokichi to wear. All of your night clothes were too big to even try and fit him in. After a few moments of mildly frustrating searching, you found something that fit him. One of your hoodies.

While it wasn't intended to be sleepwear it could still be slept in comfortably, you doubt he'd mind much anyway.

You searched a little more and found some old night shorts you had. They were big, but they had a drawstring so you figured it wouldn't be too big of an issue. With the clothes in hand, you called to him.

"Kokichi, I found you some clothes!"

Despite your call, you were met with silence. After calling his name another time with no response you began to look for him. As you neared the bathroom you heard your shower running. A small hum escaped you as you stood near the door, there was no real reason for him not to take a shower, but it was unexpected nonetheless.

You quietly opened the door and put the clothes you found for him on the sink countertop.

Since you were already done with your nightly routine you sat patiently waiting for him to come out the shower. After a few moments of waiting, you heard your bedroom door open. What you saw couldn't help but bring a small smile to your face.

Kokichi walked in the room, a light blush covering his face. The clothes you gave him enveloped his comparatively smaller figure. Even though the clothes were too big, thanks to the drawstring, they still managed to fit well enough to where he could still wear them.

Trying your best to cover up the forming smile on your face, you began to speak.

"Do the clothes fit well?"

Making his way to the bed, he quietly responded.

"Y-yeah they fit well, th-thanks"

A light hum of acknowledgement left you as you laid down, Kokichi soon doing the same.

Slowly but surely, you both managed to drift off into a peaceful sleep.
......................................................................
A small groan leaves you as you sit up. Quietly you turned on your phone and looked at the time, 6:57.

Rubbing your eyes you looked over to your other side, being met with a familiar sight. Kokichi laying peacefully asleep right next to you. A tired smile forms as you look at him, it was such a familiar sight, but the feelings it brought never faded.

Softly, you began to nudge him. At first the only response you got was him turning the other way, but with enough prodding, you managed to wake him. With both of you awake, you calmly started your day.

Getting ready in the morning, thankfully, went smoothly. Aka no missing toothbrushes or searching for clothes. After getting ready, you idly checked the time on your phone. Thankfully you found you had more than enough time to make something for breakfast.

While Kokichi was still getting ready, you silently made your way to the kitchen. You went to your cabinets and pulled out rice and yarrow tea, grabbing eggs out the fridge as well. Once you grabbed all of your ingredients you began making egg rolls, onigiri, and yarrow tea. It was simple, but it could still satisfy you until lunch.

You were finished making breakfast by time Kokichi emerged from the hallway, finished with his routine.

Kokichi quietly sat at the table as you prepped both of your plates, making sure to put more food on his plate as per usual. Once everything was in place you both began eating. While eating, you couldn't help but notice something about Kokichi.

He was finally getting use to your cooking.

Before, he would be modest. Against the thought that you should cook for him despite your insistence. When you gave him his food, his face would flush and he'd stutter nothing but thanks for the first half of the meal. Now, little to no resistance was put up when you suggested food. He could even talk to you without a single stutter, though his constant streams of thanks stayed the same.

Of course, you wouldn't dare mention it, the last thing you wanted was for him revert back into his old habits. If anything the change was welcomed, all it showed was that he was getting more comfortable with you. But alas, you couldn't help but feel a little tinge of sadness that you wouldn't see those reactions again. Well, not without having working to get them. Though you wouldn't mind having to work a little harder if that meant he was more comfortable.

By time your train of thought ended, you were both finished with breakfast. Kokichi mumbled another thanks as you picked up his dishes and put them in the sink.

With both of you finished with breakfast, you both began your day.
......................................................................
Much to your pleasure, the walk to school was peaceful.

With the events that happened yesterday you thought Rantaro would interfere, but thankfully you were proven wrong.

After saying goodbye, you separated from Kokichi for your respective classes. Much to your suprize, your day went without a hitch. Class was easy, no upcoming test or quizzes, and no homework. You even got a chance to hang out with Tsumugi, and despite her endless teasing about how close you and Kokichi had gotten, you enjoyed every minute of it. For the first time in a while, you genuinely smiled in a normal setting.

A part of you wished it could've stayed that way.

During last period, you noticed Kokichi wasn't present. In the back of your mind you were worried sick. Kokichi was apprehensive to skip school for a good reason, you couldn't imagine him skipping a class because something good happened. But, trying to not worry yourself sick, you pushed it to the back of your mind and decided to look for him.

Raising your hand you asked to go to restroom. Once you got the pass, you began to wonder the halls in search of Kokichi.

Despite checking the hallways and bathrooms for any sign of him, you turned up empty. No trace.

Swallowing your worry, you begrudgingly made your way back to class. You'd search for him after school.

You were the first out the door once class ended.

Thoroughly, you searched the school. Searching you're entire grade floor, plus the grade floors ubove and below you.

Your stomach twisted once the school bell rang for a second time, you swiftly made your way outside. All of the club kids were making their way to the gate, Kokichi wasn't there.

Worry laid thick in your throat as you quickly made your way back home in a last ditch effort to find Kokichi. If he wasn't there, you weren't above searching until you found him.

A wave of relief washed over you as your house came into view. Never have you been so thankful that Kokichi had such a noticeable hair color.

A relieved sigh left you as you slowed your pace, until you saw the state Kokichi was in.

You picked up your pace as you made your way to your front porch. From what you could see at your distance he had new bandages, ones that were in places that the ones you put weren't in.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened, that was the part that you hated the most.

Not a word was spoken as you immediately brought him inside. You couldn't help but let a bitter look show on your face as you turned to get your med-kit. At this point, whoever was bullying Kokichi had to watch their backs. You didn't care who they were or what they did, the next time you saw the slightest disrespect you were fighting back. Whether it was physical or verbal didn't matter anymore, you were throwing hands with whoever tested Kokichi, and by association you.

Despite your now soured attitude, your face softened once you saw kokichi. Your anger could wait for later, for now you had to take care of the problem at hand.

By looking closer, you could tell his bandages were wrapped too loosely. Not only that, but they seemed strained, stretched out farther than they should be for proper coverage.

A frown made it's way on your face as you softly asked to re-do his bandages. He nods his head and let's you.

A rigid silence remained between the both of you as you re-did his wrapping. You wanted to asked what happened, but it was obvious he didn't want to talk about it. Even worse, you began to notice bruises and scrapes you didn't notice before. You felt your heart sink as you wondered where they came from.

Before you could get caught up in your concern, Kokichi broke the silence. It started you, but it was welcomed, you didn't know how much longer you could take the silence.

At first you thought he was going to open up about how he got his injuries, which you braced yourself for. The last thing you wanted was to get irritated and have him think your anger is because of him. So you sat quietly continuing to tend to his injuries as he began to speak, awaiting a talk about his bullies, or God forbid, his parents.

"You know, I got a confession today..."

Hearing those words almost made you choke on air. To say you were shocked would be a drastic understatement, seeing a car in the tank of an aquarium would be less shocking to you at the moment.

Words caught in your throat as you tried to respond as normally as you could.

"I uh... what happened? Did you accept or anything?"

If you weren't so shocked, you'd be worried. Knowing Kokichi's reputation in the school you could assume the worse about the intentions of whoever confessed to Kokichi. Of course they could be like you, they could feel bad with the constant misfortune Kokichi seems to have, but at this point assuming the best wouldn't be too smart.

That and you couldn't imagine Kokichi with somebody that wasn't, well, you. Platonicly or, now finally accepted, romantically.

"No, I rejected them..."

Now you were really floored. You didn't think he'd say yes, but he never came off as the type to reject someone either. Before you could stop yourself you asked.

"Why?"

Should you care why if he said no? Probably not. But are you confused and so thrown off guard that you had to ask? Yes.

You couldn't help but hear a hint of hesitation in his voice before he responded.

"I...I just didn't feel the same way for them"

While the answer he gave wasn't as satisfying as you wanted it to be, you knew it was a good enough reason, quietly you responded.

"Huh, thats fair enough"

As dull as you thought your response was you couldn't think of anything else to say. You didn't want to pry for information and seem rude. Another silence laid over you both once again. Despite it being lighter than the other one, it was still off putting.

After a few more moments of silence, Kokichi spoke one again. His voice hesitant, as if he were testing the waters.

"...have you ever had that happen to you?"

You couldn't help but roll your eyes. You have. Numerous times in fact. But ultimately, it meant nothing to you. You held no interest in whoever confessed to, so much so to where in some places it would become a joke. At most the people that confessed would be friends, at least the people that confessed to you would just be people that were just barely acquainted with you.

You had no clue why people kept confessing, and it annoyed you to no end. A sigh laced with frustration left you as you responded.

"Yeah, a few times."

His eyes immediately snapped to you, partial shock in his expression. You guess should caught him off guard.

"A...A few?"

"Yep, a few times. They didn't really matter much back then, I barely wanted to be friends with them let alone date. In all honesty I didn't really care for dating back then either..."

He quickly responded.

"Would you ever date now?-"

A silent moment of contemplation came before you spoke. Since you were finally somewhere you'd permanently stay you guess you had to reason to not consider it.

"Ha, probably I'm not all that opposed to it now"

A long moment of one sided comfortable silence passed. Kokichi continued.

"Do...Do you have a crush on anyone?"

"..."

"..."

A part of you was still in denial that you had feelings for Kokichi at all, another part of you was fearful of rejection or ruining the friendship you already had. You weren't blind, you knew you both were closer than just friends. Even Tsumugi pointed it out. But the thought of being rejected was devastating. You didn't care how long you had to wait, but you couldn't be the first to confess, you had to wait for him.

So you covered it up and responded.

"I mean, I don't know. I never really though about it I guess"

You heard a weak laugh came from him as he responded.

"I guess I understand... can I ask you a question?"

"Sure"

"If you were in my situation what would you do?"

A quiet hum escaped you as you thought about your response. Once again you neutrally responded.

"Well, depending on who it was id accepted it, 9 times outta 10 I'd probably say no though"

"Ah, I understand..."

You hummed a small hum of acknowledgement as you finished up fixing his bandaids. You could tell he was curious who you'd say to, but if he didn't say anything you most definitely weren't. As soon as you finished the last bandages, he opened his mouth to speak. Before he could get a word out, the sharp tone of your ring tone cut him off before he could even get started.

Thinking it was your parents, you said a quick apology and began to move away.

"Ah! Sorry I'll be right back"

As you made your way to your room, you failed to notice look of disappointment visible on his face.

Once you made it into your room you answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sorry, it's Rantaro"

You had to physically stop yourself from groaning at the sound of his voice, what a bother. You let your thoughts hold your anger as you tried your best to respond with some decency.

"What is it you need?"

"I just wanted to say in sorry for how I acted at school yesterday-"

'Damn right you're sorry'

"- I didn't mean to come off as aggressive-"

'You had him cornered, what did you think you were gonna come off as, friendly??'

"- I just wanted to ask him questions and it didn't happen like I intended it too, im sorry"

'What did you intend it to go like?'

After pushing all of your comments to the back of you mind and suppressing the obvious attitude you had, you responded.

"While I appreciate you apologizing, im not really the one you should be apologizing to..."

You heard a quiet sigh come from him before he continued

"I know, I just... wanted to make sure you knew I guess"

"Oh, okay. If thats all you needed I'll be going now"

"Wait-"

"What."

"Can we at least talk about it-?"

"We already did. Its whatever"

"Then why did you avoid all of us the entire day?"

"Ugh, whatever, im too busy to worry about this right now"

"What are you so busy with then?"

You couldn't help but let your anger rise in you, as if he had the right to ask you such a question. Bitterness filled your tone as you responded.

"Something more important than something as petty as this"

You could tell your tone caught him off guard, as if you cared.

"Wait can you just listen"

"Dont tell me to listen when you have nothing important to say"

You didn't care what he had to say and you'd make sure he knew it.

Immediately after you responded you hung up. There was no reason to deal with this, especially not now of all the times.

With a bitter taste in your mouth, you stood quietly in your room to calm yourself down.

Chapter Text

A heavy sigh leaves your lips as they stand in there room. You're pissed, but your fear or concerning Kokichi overrode your anger. You wanted to take more time to calm down, but the last thing you wanted to do is keep him waiting.

Taking another deep breath, you stepped out of your room and made your way down the hall.

The first sight you were met with was as soon as you entered the living room was kokichi. Though unlike before, he had his head down biting his nails. He seemed too far into his own world to notice you. You knew he was nervous before, but in the brief time you were gone it seemed to tripled.

Your small frown deepened as worry filled your thoughts.

Trying not to startle him, you began speaking. Your voice as soft as you could be without whispering.

"Kokichi?"

Despite your attempt to not startle him, he flinches at your sound, hard. As if he didn't expect you in your own house. Your frown deepened, there wasn't much time for something to go wrong, so what happened?

Usually, you wouldn't mention it, not wanting to make him feel worse than he already felt. But to you,

This nervousness felt different.

As long as you've known him, you couldn't remember a time he was nervous like this. Fear, awkwardness, that was his usual. Ones you've grown use too. This was quiet, apprehensive. You've never seen him like that before, and you didn't want to start now.

You'll admit, you don't know him deeply. So far, the most you knew was his mannerisms and moral code. Even then you didn't need those to know he was acting out of the usual.

You forced your lips into a thin line, the last thing you wanted was to make this seemingly bad situation worse. A small moment on silence laid over the both of you as you thought about what to do next. You rather be safe than sorry, but you had no clue how sorry getting closer could make you.

During your silent contemplation, he looked at you.

For a short moment, you both locked eyes. Unfortunately you didn't need to stare for long to see harsh confliction in his eyes.

He was hesitating.

With worry melting its way into your voice, you continued in the same hush voice as you once used before.

"Hey... you okay?"

At first, you had considered consoling him. You had no clue whats wrong, but whatever it was you could probably stand through together. You almost did, until he started speaking.

"I..."

A deep frown formed as he hesitated.

"nevermind"

He chickened out.

Your expression soured, it wasn't like him to not tell you something. Not at this point. For the first time in a while, you forcefully neutralized your voice.

"Ah, alright"

You bit your tongue as you grabbed his bandages once again. Even though you thought you both passed the phase of anxiety, you didn't ask him about it. You couldn't help but figure it was the stress from getting hurt and a confession in the same day that was weighing on him. At least you hope that was it...

Reluctantly, you didn't question him further and continued to work on his bandages.

While making the final touches on the bandages, he stays silent. Fidgeting every time your hand touches his skin.

Once you were finished, you offered him food, he was quiet for a moment before he agreed.

Steady hums came from you as you made your way to the kitchen, Kokichi following behind you.

You quickly fell into routine once you made it into the kitchen. Despite being behind you, it didn't take words for you to feel his discomfort. So, as out of character and out of comfort zone as it was, you decided to try and cheer him up.

Reaching into the cabinet you grabbed Mochiko, red bean paste, sugar, and cornstarch. If you remembered correctly, he liked sweet things, making something you knew he liked was the least you could do. you made your way over to the stove where Kokichi was standing.

Standing close together, you flashed him a soft smile and began to speak.

"Do you wanna help me cook this time?"

You almost laughed as you saw his eyes widen. The blush on his face only wanted to make you laugh more.

"Uh- I think I should be getting home now"

The wide smile you gave him, only deepened his blush.

You proceeded to spend majority of your time in the kitchen trying to convince him not to leave early out of embarrassment. You couldn't help but enjoy the lighthearted moment.

After convincing him to stay, you both got your food and sat at the table. While eating he tried to leave again.

Why is he trying to leave so fast?
(You hope you aren't making him uncomfortable)

Not knowing what happened to him in the first place, you insisted on him staying, wanting to make sure he says safe or at least where you can stop anything bad from happening. Kokichi gave in but still acted off. You noticed but didn't say anything in fear of making him uncomfortable. The eating continued awkwardly, you tried to hold a painfully awkward conversation, it didn't work. Then you began eating in silence.

While eating you get another notification, you almost don't answer until you see the message is from Tsu. Thinking something is wrong you look at the text. The text reads

'Are you going (・・ ) ?'
10:17 pm
'...?'

Going where?
10:18 pm

The party!
You know the one R's throwing
10:18 pm

... you knew its been a while since you talked to your old friend group, but there's no way it could've been that long-

Though the more you thought about it the more it didn't matter.

At first, there might've been a chance. But now that you know rantaros' the host, there was no chance. none. zero. Zilch. And as much as you wanted to, you definitely weren't going tell tsu what happened, so you tried to wiggle your way out of it.

No, sorry I'll be busy this weekend (^ .^٥)

10:21 pm

Unfortunately for you she knows you too well and immediately caught your lie

Liar you aren't gonna be doing anything! Beside you have to come with me I can't be alone!!!
10:22 pm

A sigh left you, you owe it to tsu. As much as you hated it, she's done a lot for you, even when she didn't want to.

Reluctantly you typed back

Sure... but don't expect me to talk to anyone-
10:24 pm

Despite your unwillingness, her response brought a smile smile to your face

Thanks ill see you there!! (⌒▽⌒)
10:24 pm

You smiled as you clicked off your phone...

Wait you didn't know what time it was at-

After a few seconds you decided you were too lazy to check, you could probably just come later and be just fine.

"Uhm... is everything alright?"

You guess you went completely silent. In all honesty, you most forgot Kokichi was there-

"Uh yeah everything's good..."

You paused for a second, a part of you wondered if he'd be going as well. You doubt it, but there's (presumably) no harm in asking.

"Also, are you going to that party?"

Confusion was visible in his face.

"Huh what party?"

You were glad you weren't the only one, but there was no way in hell you'd tell him who was throwing it.

"Ah, just a random one being thrown"

His face went blank. You figured he was still confused. It felt oddly tense

Trying to defuse the tension, you put on a soft smile as you explained further.

"Tsu's gonna go so i'll have to go too. Can't leave my best friend all alone ya know..."

Something flash in his eyes. Usually you were good at catching things like it, but it this time it wasn't one you recognized. Before you could ask, he immediately responded.

"N-No I won't be going. Sorry..."

Just as you expected.

"Ah don't worry about it, I just wanted to ask"

In all honesty, it was for the better. After all the last thing you wanted was for a scene to happen at the party.

Much to your suprize, you both didn't fall into silence after your question.

With concern lacing his voice he continued

"So you're going alone? Tsu's staying with you, right?"

You found his concern endearing, but you being alone was the last thing he needed to worry about.

"Of course she'll be staying with me, I wouldn't be going if she wasnt"

You flashed him a smile of reassurance before you continued.

"You don't have to worry, ill be fine, I promise"

Despite your efforts to calm him, he only seemed to get more nervous.

"I dont think you should go- who's throwing it anyway..."

You had to let use all the force in your body to not grimace, of course he had to ask the one question you were dreading.

Maybe focusing on the unwanted question would stop you from wondering why he wanted you to stay so badly.

Swallowing your nerves, you answered.

"No one you know. Besides, the last thing you need to do is worry about me. You're the one hurt, please, worry about yourself"

You saw his face fall

"But-"

"No 'buts'. I promise ill be fine"

As soon as he opened his mouth again, you knew he wasn't going to let this go without a fight. But before it could go any further, you came up with an idea.

Cutting him off with a small sigh, you began to speak.

"I understand you're concerned but I promise ill be fine, no need to worry, really"

The firm tone you had made him aware your decision was final.

As much as it pained you to see his face fall in defeat, you couldn't leave Tsumugi all alone by herself at a party, especially one she asked you to accompany her with.

Another sigh escaped you as your face softened. In the most consoling voice you could muster you negotiated.

"If you want to, you can stay here until I come back? That way if anything goes wrong you'll be the first to know"

Despite your best effort to convince him, you could still see hesitation to accept the offer you gave him. After a few seconds of silence he quietly responded.

"I guess... But promise you'll come home before 12. Ple-please?"

A small smile of relief made its way on your face, you're just glad he accepted in the first place.

"Of course"

A soft smile stayed on your face as you took a quick glance to a clock.

'4:36...'

Your smile faltered as you thought. The last thing you wanted was to be late and keep Tsu waiting, besides as far as you were aware parties usually started at 5 or later, no harm in showing up on time.

You put back on your soft smile as you turned your gaze back to Kokichi.

"Speaking of the party, I think it's time for me to go"

For a brief moment you saw a glimpse of apprehension in his eyes.

"Th-this soon? You still have time to stay here"

You flashed an empathetic smile as you explained.

"I know, but I don't want to keep Tsu waiting"

Disappointment laced his voice as he spoke.

"A-ah alright"

You felt bad. You didn't want to leave him, especially in the state he was in, but letting him monopolize your time wasn't possible.

You chirped out as small apology ad you started getting ready to leave, kokichi following behind you like a lost puppy the entire time.

After telling him where all the necessities were and to call you if you needed anything, you made your way out of the house.

You said your farewells and went on your way to the party.

You let out a deep breath as you thought.

Maybe this party will be tolerable

Chapter Text

Mc/reader/you
(The start)
Beginning: animal-sir chole

(Around T for Trauma- Headache)
Progression: real men- mitski

(Around pining)
Progression: a new kind of love- lildeath (slowed)

(Most recent chapters)
Progression: I will-mitski

Relevant character relationship song: too close- sir chloe (rantaro-reader)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Kokichi
(The start)
Beginning: only everyone can judge me- crywank

(Around T for trauma)
Progression: telephones- vacations

( Around Pining)
Progression: ILYIS pt. 2

(Most recent chapters)
Progression: dark red-steve lacy (make of this what you will, especially with the 3rd and 5th verses-)

Relevant character relationship song: be your own pet- Becky (kokichi-rantaro) [also make of this what you will, minus the last 4 verses]

Small key:
"-" stands for interaction

Chapter Text

Much to your relief, your walk is peaceful. The silence serene, with cool air and endless dark blue skies, a nice change of pace from what you've gotten use to. A small frown rested apon your face as you tried to remember the last time you felt so relaxed by yourself, too long ago to remember.

So much time spent worrying about Kokichi, and you couldn't bring yourself to regret any of it.

Sure, it more exhaustive than your previous way of life, but in all honesty it was the happiest you've ever been. You lived a life of detachment, alone surrounded by people, uncaring as long as everything went your way. Until you waltz his way, just another boy to you then. A meaningless risk you were willing to take to cure your boredom.

As selfish as it was, but you couldn't bring yourself to change a thing about it. Despite your beginning selfish intent, despite how long it took you to grow accustom to one another, you wouldn't change a thing.

Despite everything, you were his safe haven as he was yours.

A small laugh escaped you as you realized the irony. You came to him, practically swearing to yourself your relationship would be shallow at best, to now. Almost as close as you and Tsu. A small bittersweet smile rested on your face as you caught sight of the park near your house.

The now empty park serving as a trip down memory lane. A small hum escaped you as you remembered the stuffie Kokichi gave you, mostly remembering how you almost gave yourself a heart attack over it.

How that park was a blessing and a curse.

Maybe if everything happened at another day at another time, rantaro would've never saw you both there. Maybe you would've both been spared from the unnecessary burden of having another problem pile up on a thousand others. Even then, you couldn't find it in you to dislike the park. You found yourself much more forgiving than you once remember yourself.

You small smile grew as you let out a soft laugh in disbelief

Deep down a part of you didn't want to believe you changed so much. But at the end of the day you knew it was needed, bound to happen eventually.

Your smile lightened as you thought.

'How time flies...'

As you grew closer to the park, you couldn't help but slow your pace to take in the scenery a bit more. You figured a few more moments to you and memories alone couldnt hurt.

Your change of pace was abrupt but, at least for now, it wasn't important. It wasn't like there was anyone to judge your awkward movements. At least you thought so, until you heard something.

At first you saw nothing abnormal with it, until you processed what it really was

A second pair of footsteps trying to rematch the sound of yours.

Your heart stilled as you felt your blood run cold. You could've heard wrong, but there wasn't a chance in hell you'd take the chance to find out.

With clenched fists, you turned. Prepared for the worst case scenario.

Your hairs stood on end as you looked behind you.

.
.
.
.

Nothing...
You turned to see nothing...

Surprised, shocked, bamboozled. None of these could get close to capturing how you felt.

'There's no way...'

You heard something, no, someone loud and clear. But your vision proved otherwise, crystal clear, void of any odd apparition or dark silhouette you swear you saw out of the corner in your eye.

You took a step back, breath quivering. If one think living in America ever indirectly taught you, it was that you needed to leave and go somewhere crowded, now.

Continuing to walk backwards you turned, picked up your pace as you essentially ran to the nearest train station, your skin crawing as you swear you felt eyes on you the entire way.

A small grumble escaped you as you hurried to the station.

'So much for a peaceful walk'

A sigh of relief escaped you as lights came to view. The sanctuary of the train closer than before.

After practically running to the train station, it was an understatement to say you were beyond relieved to see it come into view. Better yet, there was someone making their way to it as well.

Keeping you pace steady, you made your way closer, thankful to not be completely alone. Stanger or not, somethings better than nothing.

With each step closer you couldn't help but feel a familiar feeling, on closer inspection, you couldn't help but think you recognized the person ahead of you.

Walking not far behind, you silently considered your options. One one hand, after your most recent mini heart attack you just had, it wouldn't hurt to at least stay close to whoever was in front of you. On the other hand, you could be running out of danger only to circle right into more.

After a few moments of silently walking behind and considering your options, you quit and made up your mind. Cautiously, you calmed your nerves and walked up greet the, seemingly, familiar person.

Preemptively fixing the nervous tinge in your voice, you walked up and spoke.

"Uh, hey..."

You mumbled an awkward greeting as you looked to meet the eyes of the person.

"Shuichi?"

A lazy smile crossed his face as he answered back, his voice giving a warm greeting.

"Hey, didn't expect to see you here"

Considering the amount of unpleasant people you could've bumped into, this was a pleasant surprise. You could almost feel a weight being lifted off your chest.

You give a proper greeting and begin to walk with him, chatting casually along the way. As much as you didn't want to admit it, it was nice to have him walk with you. Well, at least for now.

While listening to shuichi talk, you couldn't help but notice something... He was really close. Not close enough for you to mention it, but just enough for you to notice. As if he was testing the waters.

You internally sighed as you shoved the creeping accusation out of your mind. Not everyone had an ulterior motive when they're closer than usual; and, as far as you know, you had no reason to really distrust shuichi at this point specifically.

He hasn't done anything wrong and as much as you didn't want to admit it, he was actively offering you a temporary save space from whatever was looking at you whether he knew it or not.

You felt a small frown slip onto you face as you stepped on the bus, half listening to shuichi ramble and half into your own thoughts. You reminded silent as he continued.

As you both waited on the train, you had to suppress a shutter.

he's close. Very close...

'Ugh... get a better tolerance'

You couldn't help but send a quick jab to yourself as unwanted doubt filled your mind again.

You had to remind yourself, he wasn't exactly the most normal person.

It wasn't the first time he forgot personal space existed, and you doubt it'd be the last. Hell, the first time you met him he held your hand for a good fifteen minutes before realizing he was even holding it in the first place. This made you realize expecting personal space, from specifically him, was unrealistic to say the least.

A small light hearted sigh escaped you as you thought about it, oh how past you would frown down at you for your current actions-

After dragging yourself out of your thoughts, you keyed back into whatever Shuichi was saying with feigned interested. You considered your talent to tone him out a skill... you tone him out more than you use your ultimate at this point.

"Anyway enough about that, how are you doing?"

In the bottom of you bones you could feel hell freezing over. Completely over.

What a hellish time to actually pay attention to what he's saying...

Ever since you met him he's only talked about danganronpa. Whether it was about the characters, plot, or even bonus content it was always about danganronpa to some extent. You never thought you'd see the day where he'd actually talk about anything else, let alone be asked a question about yourself.

Before the silence got too long you choked out an answer.

"Um- good, you?"

He gave you another warm smile as you both stepped off the train.

"Ah, my day got much better once you showed up, I was bored out of my mind earlier on! Even the forums I usually browse couldn't catch my attention."

Ah, yep 100% totally normal. Just a normal conversation with a totally normal person.

Your brain was scrambling trying to make sense of things. It wasn't a big deal, really if anything, it was normally a welcomed thing. And if it wasn't for your ultimate it relly would be. But much to your dismay, you just can't have it easy and your ultimate was making this a bigger issue than it should be.

This was an complete 180 from what you were use to, and your ultimate wasn't too fond of that. Much to your even worse dismay and mental rot, shuichi didn't give you much of a break to piece things together either, practically bombarding you with questions.

"What have you been up to anything lately?"
"Sleeping well?"
"Have you eaten today?"

Unfortunately about of all of those questions, the only one you really remember responding to is

"Have you eaten today?"

an unusually timid chuckle left you as you responded.

"Uh, yeah kinda?"

You gave a shallow answer not expecting him to go any further with it, but to further your shock he did. His smile getting brighter as he responded.

"Do you wanna eat at the new danganronpa restaurant that popped up? I haven't heard much about it since it's fairly new, but I've heard the foods actually pretty good. Oh! And don't worry about paying, my treat"

Totally ignoring the information overload you received, you took a moment to think about it. On one hand, you should say no and go to the party even if you didn't know the time. On the other hand, you were hungry and there was no way in hell you'd be early to specifically rantaro's party.

So you want with the obvious choice.

"Uh, yeah sure why not"

Thankfully the was you were already going was, apparently, pretty much a beeline to the restaurant he was talking about.

At first, your walk was quiet, both of you checking your phones to fill the semi-one sided comfortable silence. Then after checking everything you could on your phone, you decided to just silently take in your surroundings.

Shuichi was still on his phone doing God knows what, nothing out of the usual.

If you ignored how close he was to you.

For the first time in a while, you felt a pang of nervousness settle in the back of your chest. Up until now kokichi was the only one who would even remotely walk this close to you. Now Shuichis even closer than that. A part of you was sure you'd both stumble if either one of you got even a little closer to the other.

You mentally buried your thoughts as you sighed, this was the man that held your hand upon your first meeting. Of course he didn't have much personal space, common sense...nothing special...

"What's wrong?"

You repressed a flinch as you halted your thoughts to mumbled out a quick response.

"Yeah im fine- no need to worry about me"

Despite your rushed answer you were pleased at the lack of awkwardness.

As you turned to look at him, you could see a confused concerned? look worn on his face.

A small worried smile settled on his face as he questioned you again, his voice more light hearted than before.

"I dont think 'yeah im fine' is how your supposed to respond to 'whats wrong' y'know. Probably more something along the lines of 'nothing'?"

Apparently your response was more awkward than you thought. You felt embarrassed heat seep it's way into your face as you tried to save your response.

"Ah sorry, I was just distracted"

"By what?"

"Uhhh nothing much just my own thoughts y'know, im fine"

You notice his frown slightly deepen

"Are you sure? That sigh sounded really genuine"

A fond tone was audible in his voice... you don't think you liked it.

"Yeah im sure..."

Much to your relief he seemed to drop it after that, thankfully taking your word for it. (Or just not wanting to pry more)

Unfortunately with dropping his concern for you he continued to ask questions and pry about something else.

Question after personal question kept flowing out of him as you tried to answer him as quickly and 'safely' as possible.

It was unusual and you knew it was unusual, but you really had no reason to question him.

At a point the questions caught you so off guard that you found yourself actually displaying how you felt with your face. You were sure you looked bewildered, but you hopefully caught yourself fast enough before he could notice.

As much as you wanted to blindly trust him you couldn't help but fall back on old habits. You reminded yourself of another thing.

You hardly knew him

Knowing him through tsu would be one thing, knowing him through Kokichi was another.

Kokichi was the one exception you made, and you were determined to make him the last. No if, and's, or but's about it.

You knew one day you'd eventually come to trust him unconditionally, but unfortunately that day wasn't today.

With that placed in the back of your mind, you put on a half hearted smile. At most you'd have to use your ultimate haphazardly, but at the moment it didn't matter.

As your walk continued, you flippantly answered any questions he threw your way, purposefully leaving out small bits of information you werent fully comfortable with him knowing.

After a longer than anticipated walk, you finally got to the restaurant. Much to your relief as soon as you stepped foot through the door Shuichi's questions slowed, fading back into his normal danganronpa oriented rambling. You felt like a weight was lifted off you.

'Good...'

Thankfully because of the quick service, it didnt take long for you both to get seated and order your food. You couldnt help but assume it was a slow day web your drinks came out almost immediately after you ordered them.

You couldn't help but feel a faint hint of happiness that everything seemed to come fast.

But, much to your dismay, shuichi started to ask about you again.

As you were washing your despair down with your drink, he started asking more questions.

The more you listened the more you couldn't help but notice the questions flowing from his mouth was a weird mix of your personal interest and danganronpa.

Stuff like 'what was your favorite food again? Ah! Just like *insert danganronpa character*'

Nothing bad, just odd.

The questions were seemingly endless. Not that you mind too much, since you were only half answering him anyway.

As soon as you though about half-assing the rest of the conversation, he asked you something that needed a direct answer.

"Do you wanna come over again? I'm usually use to watching danganronpa alone but it was actually pretty fun having you over!"

For once in the entire conversation you actually focused on him instead of blankly staring at the decor.

His face was nothing but genuine, not malicious intent or ill will against you. Just a genuine invitation to come over again.

For the slightest moment you hesitated, you assume Kokichi wouldnt be there leaving only you and him alone in his mini mansion. It wasn't a raw deal, but being completely alone with him was highly questionable by itself.

At first you were going to say no, but then you once again saw the genuineness in his face. Maybe, just maybe after all of this is over you'll actually go and try to be independently social without using your ultimate...

...Man you think his pretty privilege is working.

You sigh as you answered.

"Sure, I don't see why not"

You saw his face slightly light up at your response. His smile almost made you feel less nervous about it.

Almost.

Your food almost came soon after your response and, thankfully, there was little talking in between you eating.

After more down time, Shuichi offered to buy you desert.

It didn't take much convincing for you to say sure.

He ordered and it came out just as quick as everything else.

On the menu it said it was shareable, so as any normal person would, you thought you'd get your own spoon and eat it separately.

Apparently you were dead wrong.

It wasn't until Shuichi took a scoop and held it out to you and tells you 'here' that you realized there wasn't another spoon for you and you actually had to share one with him.

For a second you froze, you barely shared food with Kokichi, let alone people you didn't consider very, very, close. Not even considering the germs.

After another moment of hesitation, slowly opened your mouth and took the bute he handed to you. Did you think of every way to get out of it? Yes. But did it look delicous and were you also craving sugar to the point of stooping so low to eat it off of a shared spoon? Absolutely.

Throwing whatever was left of your pride away, you begin eating with him. occasionally you'd catch shuichi giving a smile or two at you. You chose to ignore it.

As soon as everything was eaten and paid off, you tried to leave as soon as you got the slightest chance to.

But before you could, Shuichi decided to ask the hardest question he honestly could have yet.

"Are you looking to the party?"

'The party... wait was he actually invited to the party??'

You knew the party definitely wasnt invite only when Tsumugi told you about it, but how big was it gonna be if Shuichi out of all people knew about it as well?

You suppressed a cringe as you thought about it, you would definitely be working your ultimate if it was anything like you thought it was.

You responded vaguely, half too stuck in your own apprehension to respond with anything more.

" eh, kinda, usually not my thing"

But after you answered it seemed like he had more interest in you than partying.

Asking another question, he started.

"Anytime we can hang out? I have plenty of free time this week"

Figuring it's faster to just let him decide and go, you let out another reluctant half response.

"anytime you want"

A bright smile crossed shuichis's face as he heard your answer, you could hear the smile in his voice.

"I'm looking forward to it"

Trying to complete ignore how happy you seemed to make him, you continued walking until you noticed he wasn't following you.

you paused and turned, apparently your confusion was visible enough for him to answer without you saying anything.

He gave you a sweet smile as sweet as honey as he answered, a slight hum in his voice audible.

"Ah, I have to drop something off before I go, I'll meet you there"

'Oh... huh'

This late? That's... technically not weird you are friends after all, in all reality you probably just sidetracked each other.

Trust... just this once you'll trust him and take his word that he's doing something normal. You needed to work on your semi- trust issues anyway, wasn't your fault Kokichi was making you soft-

You get out of your thoughts as you give a quick half hearted smile back, continuing to make your way to Rantaro's house.

'6:45...'

Despite the unnecessary detour you were grateful for it. Now you definitely won't be too early. Thankfully Tsu wasn't the early type either, no shame in being a little late.

At first you were fine. You pace steady and unbothered but, you couldn't help but start dragging your feet the closer you got.

You wanted to support Tsu, but you dreaded even being in the same place as Rantaro. From the beginning he was always nice to you, never snobbish despite his wealth and was family oriented. Sweet if you didn't know as much as you did about him. Without a doubt your feelings were mixed, to the point where the smallest part of you in the deepest depth of your heart almost missed how detached you were from them in the old days... Almost.

A sigh left you as you saw his house come into view, of course you had to have an emotional crisis when you were essentially outside his door.

The closer you got the more you reminded yourself why you were here in the first place. Tsu... that was actually it but still, you owed her one.

Silently you stood in front of his house. You knew you couldn't stand here forever, but you couldn't help but need a moment to make your final decision.

You bit down a sigh as you sucked up your emotions and knocked on the door,

You only had so much to lose...

Chapter Text

You knocked and waited...

The longer you spent waiting the less you wanted to go.

The more you thought about it, the more details you noticed that made you wanna go even less.

You saw almost no one and heard little to no noise, it was almost like no one was there at all-

Before you could back up and reconsider your decision, the door opened. A suprized hum was heard as you froze.

A face as shocked as yours greeted you at the open door.

"Huh, oh I'm sorry I wasn't expecting you to show up"

If you could chose a time to die, it would be right here and now.

Usually, in situations like these, you were confident. If not in the situation, you could at least find comfort in knowing you could get yourself out of nearly everything.

This, however, you knew would go south as soon as he opened the door. At this rate it was beyond inevitable for this to go wrong.

But you sure as hell wasn't gonna let it go south now, you needed to at least hold out until Tsu got there. You could at least do that.

You swallowed your internal anguish and spoke, trying your hardest to not let your honeyed voice slip.

"Uh, yeah I heard about the party and I just wanted to see what it was all about..."

"Ah so you came early?"

'...?'

Early? What did he mean early? It was at least 7 by now, if anything you were late.

"Uhm, did i?"

Hearing the confusion in your voice, he clarified further

"Yeah, I uh set it back to start a little later than before "

What.

You went to check your time.

Seven. What party starts after seven? Who would go to a party so late? Why???

You looked at your clock in horror as you read the time. God knows how early you came, or how long you'd even have to stay.

Your thoughts raced as you thought. Why didn't Tsu tell you that the time changed? Why did the party start so late? Just how long do you have to be alone with him?

A cold sweat came over you as you spoke, trying your best to get yourself out of the situation you dig yourself in

"Oh... ha sorry I'll just come back later then"

You started to turn but we're halted by his hand grabbing your wrist.

You turned back to face him. More than ready to let down your act and let your irration show.

Only to be met with a sorry expression, upon looking at him. The most worried you've ever seen him look.

Your shock prevented you from saying a word as he began to speak. His voice uncertain and quieter than usual.

"If you didn't mind I was actually hoping to talk to you today. Y'know about what I said and... stuff"

He could barely meet your eyes. God he looked pathetic.

Your response was delayed as you stood near deadpan, trying your best to remind yourself why you even came in the first place.

You would've responded, but at that moment you couldn't try to say anything without your resentment being very audible.

You felt your mouth twitch, your face almost forming into a grimace before you stopped it. Despite your overwhelming want to leave and never look back, you stood firm on the ground below you and swallowed your bitter hostility to respond as normally as you could.

You started steadily, making sure your voice was quiet to hide whatever emotion slip through unknowingly.

"I don't think that'd be the best idea, Amami"

You saw a glimpse of hurt flash in his face.

You were on first name bias for a while, to hear you call him by his last name definitely hurt him in some capacity, as if you cared. You tugged on his hold on your wrist, ready to just leave and convince Tsu to do anything else.

His voice was laced with desperation as he tried to save the situation you already considered long gone.

"Wait- I just- please just hear me out"

You felt anger boil under your skin. What right did he have to tell you to listen when he never truly heard you for at least two weeks prior? He didn't listen when he left kaede sobbing because she didn't want to break up. He didn't listen when he was cornering Kokichi before you arrived. And he sure as hell didn't listen when you told him not speak.

He definitely struck a nerve.

You felt your throat close in anger as your emotions clearly appeared on your face, albeit less intense then they actually were. You looked as though he just insulted you, and he could very clearly see it on your face.

Before either of you could say anything, a calm voice cut through the thick tension.

"Is everything alright?"

Your emotions stopped at once as you turned around, not missing how Rantaro finally dropped his grip on you.

Maki... without Kaito?

Your anger was completely snuffed out at this point as you tried to answer and comprehend at the same time.

"Uh yeah we were just talking before the party, i was just making my way inside"

You flashed a small smile and she returned it, ready to go in behind you.

You turned back around and swallowed your near rekindled anger. No reason to get Maki involved in this. You instinctively rubbed your wrist and walked past Rantaro.

You brush past him and mumbled.

"Lucky break..."

Out of the corner of your eye you saw his frown deepen, he heard you. Good.

As you walked in further you took in the scenery of the near masnion he lived in. Since you didn't really accept any outside of school invitations to hang out with your 'old' 'friend' group you were only partially familiar with the layout of his house. It was relatively quiet so you assumed his siblings and parents were gone somewhere.

You practically dropped yourself on the couch when attempting to sit down. You couldn't help but think that being in Rantaro's near vicinity aged you.

Maki soon sat right next you, though way more civized and less exhausted of everything. Rantaro was soon to follow behind her, but for the sake of your blood pressure you decided to keep your focus on her.

Maki Harukawa. A stoic but nice girl that you honestly never had any qualms with through the entirety of knowing her, which is an accomplishment on her part. One of the only people out of the entire group that you could probably sit in comfortable silence with.

Essentially your guiding light in this dark tunnel of an experience.

A sight left you as you begrudgingly turned to look back at Rantaro. You knew you couldn't exactly stare at Maki forever, but it didn't make you any more willing to face your most annoying problem yet.

By time you tried to look at him he was already gone. Judging by the sounds he was probably in the kitchen, preparing something. Wow, what a good host.

A light silence hung between you and Maki, neither of you feeling the need to fill the silence.

"What happened to you?"

'...huh'

You'd be lying if you said you didn't expect to sit in silence for a while longer. The suddenness genuinely caught you off guard. You couldn't help but stutter out an answer.

"Uh, what do you mean?"

Maki's question was obvious, you both knew what it was referring to. It was clean cut and you both knew it.

You swallowed your anxiety as she elaborated.

"You... you don't come around anymore"

She paused as if she was thinking carefully, aiming to be as delicate as possible.

"I know you didnt talk much outside of school, but even at school you don't sit with us anymore. We barely see you, its almost like you disappeared"

Her voice grew faint at the end, a deep frown clear on her face.

A flash of guilt overcomes you as you look at her.

You never thought about what the others were thinking, a part of you thought they wouldn't have cared in the first place.

But you guess you were wrong.

You felt yourself soften as you started to talk to her. You didn't owe much to anyone in your old friend group, but you owe Maki at least this much since she actually seemed to care about your disappearance in the group.

So you had a small heart to heart conversation with her. Of course, you still only said what was necessary, leaving out whatever you deemed too risky to say. All of what you cut out was out of concern for Kokichi and their semi new group of friends. You didn't want your old and new group to mingle under any circumstances.

When rantaro comes back out, he has a distinct look on his face. He was listening to you, and you could tell.

Rantaro was eavesdropping, you didn't know exactly how much he heard, but you knew it was more than it should've been.

You're only telling half the truth and you both know that but for some reason, he says nothing. Whether it was out of concern for you and what's left of your relationship with him or saving his own ass you didnt care. It left less of a mess for you to clean up either way.

Phone in hand, he comes back with various snacks, some of which you actually really like. You guess he remembered.

He sits next to you on the couch, making you in the middle. It's uncomfortable, but for the sake of Maki you don't say anything.

He ask if you and Maki want to watch anything while you both waited. Desperate for any distraction, you easily opted to watch anything. Rantaro asked you what you wanted to watch, but not wanting him to target and only talk to you for the entire unbearable time, you let Maki decide.

She decided on a slasher, you were extremely pleased with this.

It made you wonder if she liked Danganronpa, but that's something you shouldn't ask normally unless you wanted weird stares. So you held off.

Suprizingly you all sat for a while in relatively comfortable silence, the slasher taking all tension away from the situation.

And because of the lack of tension, you made your first mistake. Getting up alone to get a specific snack you wanted.

In your mind at the time, it was no big deal. Just another action you do everyday. You only realize your error when you suddenly found yourself in the kitchen with Rantaro.

Alone.

For the sake of Maki and your blood pressure, you kept your back turned on him, hoping that if he was in here for the same reason you were he'd take the hint and not  utter a single word to you.

Unfortunately for you what ever divine being watching over you hated you with a buring fervor.

You didn't need to turn around to know he was coming your way, his waning gaze and hushed steps were more than enough.

He stopped a few steps behind you, presumably for your comfort. You couldn't help but let a sarcastic thought run through your mind.

'Wow acknowledging boundaries, at least he has that going for him'

To make matters worse for you, he stood and waited as if he was waiting for you to take the lead.

God knows how long he'd stand there waiting. And you weren't going to find out.

So, suppressing a deep sigh, you stopped looking for the snack you were getting and turned to face him. A slight scowl visible on your face as you began to speak.

"Need something?"

Your emotions were painfully obvious in your voice. Your tone was unwelcoming damn near spiteful, but that didn't seem to hinder him.

"Like I said before, i just wanted to talk"

He looked pathetic, so much so that you almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

Subconsciously your tone softened, probably because of your interactions with Kokichi.

"Like I said before, I don't want to"

Despite your softened tone, your words were still sharp, getting the point across as well as it could.

A silent plea for understanding flashed on his face as he let out a small whisper.

"Please"

For your entire 'friendship' with Rantaro you've never seen him so... low.

He was suave, always carrying an air of laid-back confidence around him. Not once have you seen Rantaro beg or plead to anyone.

Even when he was with Kaede you never saw him show such raw emotion. Yet here he was with you, showing such vulnerability.

It honestly caught you off guard.

A deep sigh left you as you reluctantly responded.

"Fine, say what you need to say and get it over with"

For a brief moment, you saw hope flash in his eyes. Much to your suprize even despite your reluctant response, his entire demeanor lightened.

You rolled your eyes as you realized you'll be stuck listening to him for God knows how long. He started.

"I... I'm sorry"

His voice wavered. You suppressed a scoff as you spoke. Your voice sharper than before.

"For what?"

He responded as quickly as he could.

"Everything, I'm sorry for everythi-"

You promptly cut him off, talking louder with a roughness in your voice.

"I said."

Your tone was beyond disdainful, but you couldn't care less.

"For what, Amami? For what you did to me, kaede, or kokichi? God, if youre gonna apologize for something being specific is the least you can do."

The look on his face was priceless, if you weren't so irritated you honestly might've laughed.

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. You guess you made him speechless. Good, less work for you.

The shock on his face didn't waver even as you pushed past him with your food in your hand.

You left him with bitter words as you walked away.

"I'm smarter than you think you know?"

A sigh left you as you started to make you way out of the kitchen, but much to your anger you didn't make it far before he grabbed your wrist once again.

You turned back, beyond enraged at him.

"What's your problem now-"

Your spiteful words were cut short as he pulled you back to the counter where you once stood, putting each of his hands on one side of you. Effectively caging you between his arms.

You damn near dropped your food and punched him.

"Im sorry!"

He started. If he started any later he would've been dealing with a broken nose.

"I'm sorry for all of it. I'm sorry for talking to Kokichi that way and I'm sorry for hurting kaede like I did."

He paused and took a breath, sounding defeated as he continued.

"And I'm sorry for doing all of this to you. I should've apologized sooner and I shouldn't have pushed and bothered you when you didn't want to speak to me..."

Now you were the one rendered speechless.

His apology was genuine. You could tell from his posture and overall demeanor that he truly meant what he was saying. With him even closer, he looked more pathetic than before.

A heavy sigh left you.

In your opinion, you should still be able to at least slap him for practically dragging you halfway across the kitchen and trapping you like this.

That, and the fact that apologies don't fix everything. Truly he only apologized to you, not kaede and Kokichi, and you barely exepted his apology as is.

But, once again for the sake of Maki, (and only Maki, you were incredibly ready to fight him) you decided to throw him a bone.

"Fine."

You muttered, pushing past him for a second time.

"I'll remember your apology. But that's it."

You heard a sigh of relief come from behind you as you made your way out of the kitchen.

"I'm just glad that I got to apologize"

You could tell he was smiling by the way he sounded. You hoped he wasn't mistaking your acknowledgement for forgiveness.

The only way you'd ever forgive him is if Kaede and Kokichi did, but you couldnt help but doubt that, especially if either of them knew all that he did.

By time you both left the kitchen, a good amount of the movie had passed. You left a few minutes after the half way point and it was almost over.

You sat back down and acted as if everything was normal, no need to drag Maki into something that didn't concern her.

When you turned to Maki to try and talk to her, you could see she was visibly flushed, trying her best to look straight ahead.

A pang of confusion hit you. You couldn't help but wonder if something happened while you and Rantaro were away. Your voice turned into a light whisper as you turned to speak to her.

"You okay?"

Her face immediately got redder as she responded to you.

"Yeah, perfectly fine"

Something obviously happened while you were gone. So you decided to pry more.

"Are you sure? Did something while I was gone?"

She responded immediately.

"You know you could've told me right? Like I would've have judged you or anything I would've understood..."

Her whisper-yelling threw you off guard. A small bit of worry settled in you, did she hear what you and Rantaro were talking about? Were you both really that loud?

You quickly began to question her.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You guys were taking a while to come out of the kitchen so I went to go check up on you, I really didn't mean to..."

...

This was about when he trapped you against the counter wasn't it...

You felt your face twitch in annoyance, of course she had to walk in without either of you noticing at that specific time why wouldn't she. You had to set this straight immediately.

A light, friendly, tone took place in your voice as you spoke.

"No no you have the wrong idea! We weren't doing anything, swear. We were just talking"

You saw a small amount of doubt cross Maki's face as you responded. You couldn't and quite frankly didn't want to imagine how that must've looked from a different perspective. You had to just hope that she would just believe you.

Thankfully after a few more seconds of seeing your expression, the doubt left her expression and she relented and accepted your truth.

Good, you couldn't begin to imagine how badly that could've gone.

The rest of the movie was thankfully peaceful.

After the first one ended, it was your turn to pick a new one. It was finally getting dark outside, so you went the same route as Maki and picked another horror movie to watch. Maki seemed pleased with your choice and you couldn't care less about Rantaro's opinion on your choice.

While the movie was beginning, the door bell rang. You felt a weight being lifted off your shoulders as you watched Rantaro get up to answer the door. People were probably finally showing up to the party.

You look back near the door only to see familiar faces. Kaito, and suprizingly, kaede.

'??'

You felt a frown form on your face, why were only people you knew coming?

With a hushed voice you turned and began talking to Maki.

"When's everyone else coming?"

She seemed to be as confused as you, her answer as reluctantly and hushed as yours.

"He canceled it?..."

"What? When??"

You could barely resist a grimace as you processed what she said. Your situation went from bad to worse. Having others show up was essentially the only relief you had in this situation, and now they weren't showing up at all. To make it even worse you were stuck with people you seemingly randomly ghosted.

Great.

Pushing down your own anguish, you began to listen to Maki

"I know. I'm just as suprized as you are... I only found out once Kaito texted me. Apparently he also found out last minute when he was on his way."

You couldn't help but feel relieved at Maki's shared feelings on this. You were glad you weren't the only one that thought it was strange. At least you weren't completely alone now, with Maki and Kaede here you definitely had support to fall back on if anything happened.

You let out a sigh as you responded.

"Could be worse I guess, less annoying small talk for us"

You gave Maki a small warm smile, making her smile as well. Your small quip getting a laugh out of her.

At least you'd have this small moment of peace.

While you were reminiscing about not being there you felt arms wrap around your shoulders from the back of the couch. Before you could turn your head to see who it was, they began speaking.

"At first I thought you weren't gonna be here, I'm so glad you are!"

Oh, Kaede. Good

You mentally sighed in relief as you heard her voice, it happened to fast that you almost thought it was Rantaro.

You responded happily as you turned your head up to look at her.

"Uh yeah, I almost didn't, but I decided to stop by still! I haven't been able to hang out with you in a while"

You saw her face light up as she quickly made her way to sit next to you, elated that you wanted to hang out with her.

When she took her place next to you, you were almost happier than she was. Much to your pleasure, with her sitting there Rantaro couldn't sit next to you anymore. A great relief for you.

The movie continued as you began to talk to Kaede and Maki, finding relief in their presence.

After a while of talking you ran out of snacks once again. At first you hesitated, not wanting Rantaro to follow you again. You calmed yourself as you considered your options, if he started to you could just ask Kaede or Maki to help you look for something.

Before getting up you asked if they wanted anything from the kitchen. Maki asked for Maple fudge or jelly balls and Kaede asked for Greek yogurt or jelly balls as well.

After joking with Kaede about wanting Greek yogurt and making her fake mad at you, you made you way to the kitchen.

While in the kitchen you grabbed what everyone wanted including yourself, on the way out you were stopped by

"KYAAAAAAA"

You nearly dropped your food as you were startled. You quickly rushed out the kitchen to see what went happened.

Everyone was gathered at the door, Kaito shielding Maki behind him, Kaede backed away from the door horrified, and Rantaro by the door looking disgusted and mortified.

You braced yourself as you walked to the door, partially scared of what caused their reaction. You peeked over Rantaros shoulder before anyone could stop you.

A fleshy mass sat near the door.

A heart.

A genuine, bloody, seemingly warm heart with a note stuck to it.

It smelt foul.

You swallowed your throw up and you looked closer to read the note.

'Kaede Aakamatsu
Kaito Momota
Maki Harukawa
Rantaro Amami'

The silence was deafening.

You rushed pass and closed the door with a slam, not being able to bare the sight anymore.

You all sat in horrified silence until Rantaro started to speak.

"We... we should call 110"

"Yeah no shit Rantaro"

"But what if we get in trouble instead"

"Oh for what having a heart on my own property?"

"I don't know what type of fucking heart that is"

"Either way we should call the police dumbass"

"And tell them what, oh yeah 110 there's a literal heart at our door can you stop by to help?!"

"Oh what you think they aren't gonna believe us? There's literally a heart at the door with our names on it there's no way they could think we're lying"

Kaito's face was twisted in silent disagreement

Rantaro scoffed in disbelief.

"What do you want me to take a fucking picture of it incase it magically walks away? Fine."

You move out of Rantaro's way as he opens the door again, only to be met with the sight of the heart gone.

Everyone began to panic more.

Kaede started to sob uncontrollably, tightly holding on to you.

Rantaro quickly closed the door back and locked it.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck"

"Oh great what should we do now smart-ass"

"I don't fucking know if you have so much to say what do you think we should do"

Before they could argue again, Maki cut in. Her voice wavering.

"We should leave. It's not safe to stay here"

"Where will we go. Especially at this time of night"

There was no malice in his voice, is voice was practically drenched in desperation.

"There was only one name that wasn't on the list, and it was their's. That's the safest place we could go right now."

Your house? Your house?????

You immediately cut in.

"Wait what? There's no way in hell you're coming to my house"

"We have to"

"What, so whoever did that can try and target me next"

Your voice turned into a whisper yell.

"Unlike you guys I practically live alone. If you lead them to my house I'm literally fucked. I have no one to help me, I'm actally walking target"

"Please-"

"Don't give me that shit, this is literally the worse idea. They could be someone stalking me for all i know."

"Fine, then... then you can stay with one of us for a while"

"That's really not any better you know. I'll never feel safe in my own house again."

"Please... please..."

You were cornered, all of them especially voting to go to your house. You almost hung your mouth open in disbelief.

"Fine, then what after. I'll just stay in one your houses forever? Or I'll just constantly be in fear that I'll be the next heart showing up at someone's door?"

"Whoever did this won't just stop after this, they'll have to do something else and we can get them caught then."

"You don't know that, if anything they might take forever to do anything ever again."

Everyone sat in silence, they understood your concerns. They new they were well founded and justified. They all looked pitiful. You wanted to bite your tongue as you relented.

"Fine. Fine. I'll let you come to my house, but I'm not staying with you. One of you have to stay at my house."

Everyone looked relieved at once, like a weight was lifted off their shoulders. As if they didn't put all that weight on yours.

Everyone remained silent as you opened the door, cautiously walking out with everyone following close behind you.

All of you making sure to step around the bloodstained concrete below you.

You all made sure to stay close to one another.

The walk to the train unbearable.

As you all stepped onto the last train, the silence was thick enough to be cut with a knife.

You shuttered.

You put your head in your hand as you felt the sway of the train.

...It couldn't get worse...

Chapter Text

Light taps of rain could be heard against the bedroom window as he laid quietly on your bed. Only one of you lay asleep, staying blissfully unaware of the others predicament.

Kokichi lays in your bed, staring at the ceiling, you laying close by. 

An empty feeling burrowing its way in his chest.

Looking over, he could feel the once empty feeling change to something lighter, something more fuzzy and dizzying.

Something he loved the feeling of.

His breath stilled as he turned to you, afraid of accidentally waking you up. 

As you laid peacefully asleep, he took in your features. Thoughts swarmed his mind as he thought about your futures...

With all things considered, he'd be lucky if you even stayed in contact with him during summer. For all you knew about him, he barely knew the smallest things about you.

Well, what he couldn't find out through his own means anyway.

He loved you. He knew he loved you. So much more than you could know...

But he didn't need you to know. As long as he was by your side he was content with where he was. In all honesty, when he thought about it, he was happy to even be in your bed in the first place.

How many had this luxury before him?

He couldn't imagine many have, if any at all. Especially considering how seemingly private you seemed.

A soft smile grew on his face as he continued to gaze at you. 

He's probably one of the few people that got close enough to see this side of you. After all the only people you really invited into your personal life was him and Tsumugi.

He even managed to give you a plush you liked.

He'll never forget the way you looked at the park that day.

The lighting made you look heavenly. A divine being that came to bless him with your glowing radiant presence. 

The way you smiled back then made his heart flutter with adoration. To him, it could out do even the most beautiful sights the earth has to offer.

No photo or video he could take of you could ever hold a candle to you in person. The closest thing to it was the first photo he took of you at the park. 

In that, your smile was near blinding. Pink petals fell perfectly around you in the background, and the light seemed to only make you look more radiant than you already were. 

You looked perfect.

Even then, it seemed lacking compared to you in front of him.

A gentle flush rose to his face as his thoughts cleared, his mind focusing on you and you alone.

Even thought most pictures seemed lackluster, it was far from the last he'll take.

Even the bare minimum is better than nothing at all.

But with you here in front of him, he couldn't imagine settling for anything less. 

You've seen so much of each other recently, he couldn't imagine what it'd be like if you didn't. 

His world would be so dark. So empty. Just like how it was before you blessed his life with your presence.

He quietly made his way closer to you, keeping a modest distance in case you woke up.

A sigh passed his lips as he smiled. Even if you woke up you probably wouldn't bat an eye at him, even if he was closer than usual.

No matter what, you always seemed to forgive him. Always protecting him and keeping him close by your side, taking him under your wing. 

He inched his way closer to you.

He wonders if you'll ever truly hug him. If you'll ever hold his hand in the way he wished you would...

Caught in his own thoughts, he failed to notice you awake.

What he didn't fail to notice was the look of hate you threw him as you quickly shot up and moved away. 

A sharp pang stabbed his heart as he sat up with you.

His mind searched for an excuse.

Maybe you just had a nightmare and were just reacting to that, surely that... look... wasn't meant for him. 

Before he could speak to ask, you quickly moved back farther away from him. Seemingly revolted at his very existence. 

Your voice burned with malice as you began to speak.

"Ugh get away you creep"

Condecing and spiteful. Your words were intentional, and you made sure he knew it.

He felt his body chill to the core.

Creep? You called him a creep. Why? 

Kokchi felt a sharp pain on his stomach as he feel on the floor, almost clutching his stomach in pain.

His gaze shot back to you as he realized what happened. 

You kicked him off the bed.

Your face contorted in disgust.

He felt his heart sink as you continued your brage of insults.

"You're so pathetic, you're lucky I even put up with you."

No.

"Maybe I should stay at Rantaro's, better with him than having to see you anyways."

No. No no no no no no. This wasn't supposed to be happening. 

"Do I really have to do everything for you? You're useless, you know that right? I hope so or you'll make yourself more of a burden than you already are."

He knows, but you always forgive him. You make him forget how useless he is, he hates when you remind him. He hates that he relies on you to fix him time and time again, but he can't help it. He needs you to truly stop hurting.

"You can't run, you can't scream, hell you can't even defend yourself right. God, what would you do without me?"

He knows. He knows he can't do anything without you. He knows without you he'd be living in a hell he couldnt bare just like he was doing before. 

But he couldn't help it, he had to be selfish. He doesn't think he could go back to living the way he was before he met you.

He could only hope you'd forgive him for his selfishness.

As if you could hear his thoughts, your gaze burning harsher with hate.

Before he could plead with you, you spoke bitterly.

"I hate you"

He jolted awake in a cold sweat, tears pricking his eyes.

His breath quivered as he look around for you.

Gone, you were gone.

He held his head in clammy hands as he steadied his breathing.

Right, you were gone. 

You left. 

You went... somewhere. 

Somewhere he didn't know. 

Maybe if he ran fast enough he could still catch you...

After getting himself together he got up

He stumbled out of your room and walked out into the hallway, he missed hearing your sounds.

He felt dizzy, but he persisted, slowly making his way to the living room, he let out a small sigh. It felt so much emptier without you.

He slipped on his shoes as he practically limped out the door. His injuries still ached even after you wrapped them, but he didn't want to take any medicine while you were away. It made him feel better physically, but it trashed him mentally whenever he was alone with it.

Besides, he hated taking it alone, I made him feel worse than if he didn't take any at all. 

So he'd just wait for you to be with him to take it, you helped him feel better physically and mentally.

He ignored his throbbing head ache as he continued down the road. After what felt like hours of walking, he reached the park.

Your park.

A sigh of relief left him as he sat down on the play ground, exhausted. Despite the cold nip in the air, he still felt hot. 

He leaned back, sweating.

He knew nothing was infected, with the exception of one time, you both took great care into making sure his wounds were always clean.

Maybe everything was finally catching up to him...

No matter what, it wouldn't stop him from finding you eventually.

Instead of leaning he decided to lay down completely. He needed to cool off, he figured looking for you would be pointless if he passed out half way.

Cold air blew over him as he stared at the sky.

This park meant the world to him. He couldn't help but hoped it meant as much to you.

Before he could get lost any futher into his own thoughts, he heard quicked hushed steps. Multiple of them.

He held his breath as he slipped back further in the playground, grimacing as he dragged against the ground.

It was loud, or at least loud enough for whoever was walking to hear him.

His blood ran cold as he heard the footsteps stop dead in their tracks.

whispers soon took their place.

"HEY COME OUT YOU FUCKING COWARD"

Kokchi almost covered his ears out of instinct.

Kaito? Why was he even out at a time like this, let alone yelling at this time of night.

Kaito could barely pay attention to things happening in front of him, let alone hear him when he was basically crawling away.

Why was it different now, who was with him?

"Y-YEAH SHOW YOURSELF"

He flinched this time.

Kaede. 

The more he though about it the worse his situation got. 

Under normal circumstances, kaede and kaito would never hang around each other alone. If they were both together, that means either Rantaro or Maki was there at least, essentially making it a group outing.

And with the amount of footsteps he heard, he thinks he's right...

As lightly as he could, he readied himself to run.

In the best case scenario they wouldn't find him at all, or maybe they'd see the condition he's in and let him leave with a few harsh words.

But with the way they yelled he doesn't think that'd be the case.

Despite his dizziness, if push came to shove he'd have to run. 

Tears pricked his eyes as he remembered his dream.

He was already hurt and you were the one that had to deal with it. He'd feel bad if he was more of a burden for you than he already is.

He wiped his eyes as he steadied himself to run.

To find you and forget all of this ever happened.

As soon as he finished wiping his eyes he heard footsteps coming his way, quiet and calculated. He listened intently, trying to time when to run.

But it was hard to hear when they stepped so softly.

Before he knew it, a figure was in front of him. 

He panicked and tried to dash out as quick as he could, quickly moving around the figure.

It was futile as the figure grabbed him, causing both of you to fall.

Wood chips scratched him as he tried to pick himself back up. Judging by a hiss of pain behind him, whoever tried to grab him fell as hard as he did. 

He managed to get on his knees as he prepared to run again.

Before he could fully recover to run away, he looked at who stopped him.

You.

He felt his breath leave his body.

You were looking him in the face, shivering from the cold, seemingly as startled and freak out as he was.

It was the first time he ever saw you like that.

He didn't have time to apologize before you grabbed hold of him, giving him a near bone crushing hug.

He didn't mind at all.

It felt like just the two of you as you sat on the wood chips, hugging each other as if you'd never see one another again.

His pain was nothing more than a second thought in his head as he sat in your embrace. 

It was worth it, everything was worth it.

His moment of bliss quickly came to an end as he heard a voice cut in.

"Is everything alright?"

It felt like his perfect world cracked. 

An unwanted presence loomed over the both of you, he knew exactly who it was.

Rantaro.

He felt himself tense as you pulled away from him.

He wishes Rantaro would disappear.

Your gentle voice stopped him from getting lost in his hateful monolog. 

"Yes, of course. We should get going though"

He locked eyes with Rantaro as you gave him a hand up. 

"He's coming back with us"

It didn't take good sight to see the small scowl Rantaro tried to hide on his face.

But it seemed like he was the only one that noticed.

"Alright, better as a group than alone..."

He felt you tense. You gave a small frown, nearly invisible in the dark. He was glad he wasn't the only one that heard Rantaro bitter tone.

He was so glad you were here.

You shook your head as you brushed past Rantaro, holding Kokichi's hand tightly in yours.

Your voice came out as a near whisper.

"Yeah."

Kokichi felt a warm smile form on his face. 

You were completely unreceptive to Rantaro.

Good. That's what he deserved.

His gaze drifted to where you were leading him. To the others, just as he predicted.

Kaede, kaito, and maki. Usually his daily tormentors.

But despite his predicament, he was content.

You were home early, meaning more time with you. Even if it meant you had others bothering the two of you, just being with you is all he could ask for.

The others barely matter to him while someone divine as you was near him, let alone holding his hand.

He hid his smile as you got closer to the group.

His luck couldnt get any better

Chapter Text

Coarse sand crunched underneath his feet as he continued obediently following your lead.

It didn't take long for you both to get in view of the others. As soon as you did kokichi couldn't help but find himself relishing it. A thick cloud of guilty silence hung over the group, and kokchi loved every second of it.

The look on their faces as you came into view tenderly holding his hand was priceless. He almost wished he brought his camera with him just to snap a photo.

A rare moment of victory. If he wasn't so close to them, he probably would've smiled. 

"Come on, let's go"

With your quiet command the group started moving. None of you daring to mention the truth lingering right beside you all.

A light sigh escaped him as he walked behind you, you were talking to the others. He wished you weren't, but he didn't have a say in what you did. 

Your voice was a clear as day to him, he wished it'd always stay that way. 

With each step he felt himself getting increasingly out of breath, like the air was getting thinner, as if breathing eluded him.

He felt himself start to sway.

He kept his eyes on the ground, focusing on every step. The walk to your house felt way longer than expected. 

He felt sweat form again. He wished his symptoms took longer to come back.

His bit his cheek as he continued to try and stop his swaying to no avail. It was hard for him to keep up, but the last thing he want to do was slow you down.

So he gritted his teeth and dealt with it.

After a painstaking while of tilting and swaying, he felt an arm wrap around his waist. At first, he flinched at the touch. Then he realized it was yours.

He suppressed a relieved sigh as you pressed yourself closer to him. You were hoping to give him support to properly walk with you, but at the moment he couldn't care less about being able to walk at all.

He held your support tighter as you continued walking to keep up with the group. He relished in your touch. So warm, so soft, so comforting. A part of him wished he could fall asleep like this.

He began to dread seeing your house as it came closer into view. The trip was suddenly much shorter than he wanted it to be.

As soon as your feet hit your patio, you wasted no time trying to hastily open your door.

With the click of two locks he was let into your house he was so familiar with.

You walked him in before saying anything, your voice being a low mumble once you spoke. 

"make yourselves at home..."

A tinge of sarcasm audible in your voice.

If he wasn't in so much dull pain he probably would've been wondering why this situation was going on the first place.

But first he needed to lay down. Far, far away from the others. 

His voice was almost below a whisper as he spoke to you. Wanting you and only you to hear him.

"Can I lay down...? Uhm in your bed, ple-please?"

Your once exhausted eyes softened as you whispered just as softly back.

"Of course, you don't have to ask with the shape your in"

Kokichi felt his breath catch in his throat as he heard the warmth in your response.

You... you were making his temperature rise.

He rushed out a small thanks, as you gently helped him to your bed. The others eyes focused on you two the entire way.

With each step closer to your room he felt his exhaustion lift. Once you both stepped through the door he almost didn't feel tired at all.

Almost.

He couldn't help but sigh once you closed your room door. He was finally somewhere he was truly familiar with, somewhere he could fully relax. Most importantly he finally go some alone time with you, without any prying eyes.

He followed your lead as you took him to your bed, you made sure to lay him down carefully.

He wished you lay beside him.

He gulped as he quietly thought about it. You didn't mind laying next to him before, maybe if he asked you'd actually say yes. He felt his palms get clammy as he turned to fully face you.

Before he could get the courage to ask you turned away from him, muttering an quiet apology.

"Sorry, I'll be back"

You didn't give him a chance to respond before you left. He watched the door as it closed. A sigh left him as he let his head fall back down onto the pillow.

So much for courage.

After a while of sitting and twiddling with his thumbs, he scooted his way over to the wall next to your bed. 

After hearing your parents for the first time, he learned that if listened hard enough he could hear what was happening in the living room. He didn't want to pry, but his curiosity was nipping at him. He wanted to know why you were gone for so long.

At first he expected to hear nothing, having to strain his ears. But after a moment he was quickly proven wrong.

He heard a faint scoff, your voice condescending on who ever was unfortunate enough to bring it onto themselves.

"Figure that shit out yourselves, you're already in my house in the first place that more than enough from me"

A pause, he couldn't hear the other person as well as he could hear you. You must be somewhere near the kitchen or front door.

He strained more as he tried to hear the other person, pushing his face harder into the wall.

"We .... worry ... him right now, ... ere's bigger ... that we ... ... deal with"

Deal with...? What did you have to deal with?

He couldn't think about it for too long before your voice hissed back an angry response as if you'd been insulted.

"Like I said. Your. Problem. And what? what do you want me to do? Just leave him there barely walking with no help? Fuck off"

After that everything went quiet. Or at least quiet enough for him not to hear it through the wall.

It was obvious you were talking about him, but what did the person mean by bigger (presumably) issues to deal with besides him?

But juding by how you reacted, it didn't seem like it'd be the best idea to bring it up now.

He quickly scooted away from the wall as he waited for your return. He didn't want to get caught eavesdropping, especially after you've done nothing but help him.

It didn't take long until you came back.

He heard you let out a huff as you opened your room door. You didn't meet his eyes as you dropped stuff onto your desk. 

Medical supplies, and medication.

Both of which he needed.

Kokichi watched as you took what you needed for the moment, and made your way over to him.

He adored how gracefully you moved.

You stood in front of him and quickly got to undoing his old bandages, he couldn't help but shiver at your touch. You payed no mind to it.

He watched you as you cleaned and re-wrapped his bandages in silence. He could tell something was running rampant in your mind.

But he couldn't bring himself to ask what. 

The fear of you becoming cross with him was one that overwhelmed all of his senses at the very thought. He couldn't even imagine what he'd do if it ever happened.

So he bit his tounge as he stayed quiet, as you continued to care for him. It wasnt until you held meditation in your hands that you chose to break the silence. Your voice unwavering, almost normal despite our troubled expression.

"Did you eat anything while I was gone?"

Your sudden question startled him, he didn't expect you to say anything at all let alone ask him a question he was expecting to respond to.

He quickly spoke a clumsy sentence in response.

"Oh, uh, no I don't think so? I didn't want to touch anything while you were gone"

He saw you frown as you continued tending to him. 

You opened you mouth, but paused. Your frown deepened as you started to speak again.

"I'll... I'll make you something later. Alright?"

Kokichi felt nervousness stir in him. What was making you this way?

You would treat him softly before, but now you were nearly treating him like glass whenever he spoke. 

Something changed you, and he didn't have the slightest clue what. Knowing that, he felt his heart sink.

He quietly watched as you finished cleaning him, putting all of the supplies back on the table once you were done. After that, for a moment, you stalled. Standing in the same spot unmoving, your eyes firmly planted on the table stacked with medical supplies. 

You voice came low, quiet enough to almost be considered a whisper.

"Hey kokichi"

Despite your low tone, you nearly gave him a heart attack. With how deep in thought you were, he didn't expect you to speak to him at all. He let out a meak response, rushing to answer you.

"Uh yes?"

Usually you'd tease him for his shy responses, but even now it seemed like your somber mood couldn't be fixed. You asked your question dull and straight to the point.

"Do you... no, how long have they been messing with you? "

His blood chilled in his bones. He felt frozen as you ambled over to the bed, laying down as if you didn't ask a horrible question. 

He felt your gaze rest over him as you waited for his answer, this question wasn't one he could avoid. He gulped and answered

"I... usually only just Kaito and maybe kaede but the others don-"

"I asked how long, not who."

You voice was sharp but patient. He knew you'd sit here for as long as you needed to.

It only made him feel more skittish.

He couldn't avoid this. So, he braced himself as he answered. His voice almost trembling.

"Not...long really? Uh, it was a while before you came"... before heaven sent you to help cleanse the filth he called his life.

If only he could add the last part, but he doubted it would do any good.

He looked at you, your face morphing onto an emotion he couldn't quite grasp.

He saw the fabric give into your nails as you grabbed the edge of your bed tighter, yet you voice stayed as smooth and perfect as it was.

"Did?..."

He saw you almost choke on your words as you forced yourself to continue.

"Did it get worse after I came?"

For the first time ever, he heard your voice waver. Your expression more complicated than before, completely indecipherable with a clash of emotions.

It nearly made his heart shatter.

He wanted to do anything that would make you stop feeling that way. He wanted to comfort you, he wanted to hug you, he wanted to tell you that it didn't matter as long as you were there by his side.

"No. No! Of course not you're-"

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the sounds of your creaking door.

At first, before he turned to face the door, he fully expected Rantaro. It almost seemed like wherever you went he would be close to follow. It was almost unbearable.

But his assumption was sorely mistaken.

Peeking in the door frame was Akamatsu, standing more timidly than he'd ever thought he see her standing before.

Someone usually oozing confidence and arrogance is now cautiously peeling through the door, as if they were a child about to get scolded.

What happened?

Kokichi's eyes shot over to yours, desperately trying to search for an answer, but to no avail.

You were propped up on your elbows, looking as if Akamatsu just interrupted a normal run of the mill conversation you were having with him. 

You effectivly managing to scrub all of your inner turmoil of you face before she could've even gotten a glimpse.

Suddenly he felt worse than before.

He let himself drop his dead weight onto the bed as Akamatsu started to talk.

"Hey... uh it was quiet s...so I just wanted to check up on you..."

Without a hitch in your voice, you spoke, your tone as uncannily friendly as it was before.

"Yeah, we're good. Sorry to worry you guys"

He watched as you formed an empty smile like you always did when someone bothered you two. 

He tried to push himself deeper into the bed, he hated the lengths you'd go to be normal around them. Even more, he hated how he seemed to be the only one that noticed.

He begrudgingly watched as Akamatsu opened the door fully, taking a hesitant step in. 

"Uhm actually can we talk about something?"

He watched as your expression changed from your usual default to one of slight suprize. Probably because Akamatsu didn't seem to care that he was there while you two talked.

It didn't take long for you to collect yourself and reply. 

"Sure, I don't see why not"

Your voice fading into a mumble by the end.

Akamatsu swiftly entered and locked the door behind her, suprizing the both of you.

You squeaked out a nervous response.

"Kaede??"

He still couldn't believe you were on first name basis with them.

Before he could get lost in his spiteful thoughts, Akamatsu interrupted him by sliding down the door and sobbing.

He suppressed a tired groan as he heard her cries.

He just wanted to spend time with you alone, what an inconvenience.

Chapter Text

He wasn't always that way, so filled with shame and resentment.

Before you came into the picture, way back then, Kokichi was a very different person...

Kokichi use to be more sly than he was now. A silver tounge and the slightest air of confidence around him. He could manage himself well enough to pass by without any issues daring to stop him.

Back then, Rantaro was also different.

He was much quieter than he is now. Usually staying quiet and only talking when spoken to, prefeing to view things in silence. A nice, but quiet bystander. But, of course, he also had his moments of slyness and silent confidence. Noth of their general attitudes being was why him and Kokichi got along so well when they were younger.

He and Rantaro have a extensive history, going as far back as they could remember. They were as close as you and kokichi were, practically sticking to each others sides. Slumber parties, casually hanging out, but most importantly constantly watching Danganronpa together.

Later on in life while rantaro branched out and grew to have more friends and interests, Kokichi seemed to do the opposite. Opting to stick with old friends and interests, too stubborn to go any farther.

Over time the two seemed to differ.

With small snarls, Kokchi would often mention to Rantaro how he felt as if he was leaving everyone, and everything, they once knew behind. Leaving it behind in favor for somthing newer. Rantaro would passively brush him off, paying him and his small quips no mind.

Inevitably, it lead to an argument between the two. 

One day in school, Danganronpa came up as a topic, Rantaro quietly detested it while Kokichi admitted to watching it. Everyone that could hear them agreed with Rantaro, subtly shunning Kokichi's views.

Kokichi took the betrayal quietly.

Despite him taking it quietly, he didn't take well to Rantaro's unprompted lying, calling him out on it as soon as he could semi privately.

Rantaro soon admitted he didn't want people to know he watched it, he didn't even want to be around people who watched it. 

Kokchi called bullshit and they argued, loudly.

Word quickly got out about the argument and Kokich got ridiculed for it. Only Kokichi. Everyone began looking away or looking down at Kokichi for watching it. Over time it made him an easy Target.

He grew to hate almost everyone for it, believing they were all hypocrites forcing themselves to believe their own lies. 

After this, he stuck with the people he knew, and Rantaro stuck with his new friends.

Kokichi grew to expect harshness from anyone he didn't know personally, expecting even worse from well liked people. The best people were his worst enemies.

While he couldn't say anything bitter outright without immediate backlash, he could and would often curse them in his head.

His hate and ridicule only growing when they would beat and shame him.

Even though they grew yards apart, Kokichi couldn't bring himself to completely hate Rantaro. He continued to hold on to even the bare minimum. 

The only think Kokichi could still bring himself to admire about Rantaro was that he never joined in bad talk about him. He wouldn't detest it, but he didn't condone it either.

They were no longer friends, but he still appreciated it.

After a while of constant bullying and torment, he heard of a new transfer.

You.

When you came along he definitely expected you be the harshest bully he'd have. 

Despite being new everyone loved you. You shot up the social latter and stayed happily at the top without even trying. Effortlessly being adored by everyone that came across you.

Not only that, but to him (and many others) you were like an angel. 

Unlike the others, you weren't stingy with your kindness. You'd often help others, teachers and students alike. Reserve course or not you'd never shun anyone.

Within reason, you'd even bend over backwards for any one that came to you for help.

That's why he was scared of you.

The more reputation a person had, the more they had to hide. That, and the vast lengths they'd go to keep the skeletons in their closet.

The nicest people to others were the cruelest to him, that's how it was for him at Hope's Peak.

So when you came over to him that faithful day he expected the worst. He near expected you to come to him just to make his day a living hell.

But he didn't get anything near what he expected. 

He got what everyone saw you as, he got an angel. 

A kindness that wasn't native to earth. One that he got the pleasure of experiencing.

He never thought he'd get such a mercy, especially one as giving as you.

No matter how hurt he was, you'd always be there to patch him up. No matter how hungry he was, you'd always be there to feed him.

You were always there to care for him no matter what.

That's why he loved you.

You cared about him, and he cared about you. It was something he'd never take for granted, especially when it could leave at any second.

So when Rantaro decided to worm his way back into your life, Kokichi wouldn't stand for it.

He knew you were friends with him, he didn't mind that. You were your own person, he didn't have the right to be around you in general, let alone to dictate who you meet.

But when he saw you out with Rantaro at a restaurant, he couldn't help but feel his blood boil.

What else was Rantaro going to take from him. What else could he possibly rip from his hands to make his life more miserable than it already was.

It didn't take long for him to confront Rantaro about it, albeit unintentionally.

He was already nervous about how he had to deal with Rantaro, and now with Shuichi being around you he was practically driving himself up the wall with paranoia. So when Rantaro pulled him aside to talk he wasn't in the best of moods.

Regardless, he stood and "listened" to him.

Not even half way through, he started to zone off. He couldn't care less about what he said, and in all honesty, he was more worried about being late to see you.

That was until he said something about seeing you both at the park.

He couldn't help but let his face twist in irritation, as if his very soul was irked at Rantaro's admission.

How dare he.

How dare he intrude on your moments together. A precious moment that he didn't want sullied by anyone, especially a traitor.

He was furious, yet Rantaro seemed unbothered. It only pissed him off more.

He refused to be the only one affected by his intrusion.

So, he started to talk about you. Talk about how much you stay with him, how much you talk to him, how much you care for him, how much you love him. 

It bothered Rantaro, but he remained passive. 

Then, just to get under his skin, he talked about how much you enjoyed watching Danganronpa with him.

It touched a nerve.

Kokichi barely had time to register that Rantaro got closer before he was practically slammed against the wall.

Beyond winded, he let out a harsh cough, not expecting the initial blow.

It was the first time Kokichi ever saw such a harsh scowl on rantaro's face. 

Rantaro wasted no time telling Kokichi how 'fucked up it was for him to expose you to it'

If he could roll his eyes any harder they'd be in the back of his head. 

Like he didn't watch it himself, like he was better than everyone who did.

Rantaro continued to rip into him, but Kokichi couldn't care less. Why would he?

It was only once Rantaro got closer that he worried. He never fought anybody in general, let alone somebody as mildly athletic as Rantaro, and judging by his last hit he can hit harder than he thought.

He began to panic a little.

Before any thing could escalate further, you spoke.

Your voice caught both of them off guard, both of them flinching at your soft voice. They both knew you were angry, and lucky for Kokichi he knew Rantaro would take the brunt of it. 

You didn't spend much time talking to him, in fact you seemed almost polite to him. But despite your looks, he could hear it. In the slightest change in tonation of your voice, he could tell you were near infuriated.

You grabbed Kokichi and left, Kokichi being, stressed, but happy for the entire way.

Chapter Text

Your heart sunk as you saw kaede curled up. Her head in between her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

Kokichi was sick in your bed with God knows what, kaede was crying on your floor, and not even a few hours ago there was a literal heart barely a few feet away from you. Even with your ultimate, a stressful situation like this was almost too overwhelming.

Almost.

For a split second you took a moment to look around and consider if using your ultimate would make things better or worse in this already bad situation. 

You basically already knew how Kaede was feeling, but you had little to no clue about how Kokichi was feeling. So, as discretely as you could, you cast a quick glance over to Kokichi. He was laying down so far into your bed that it looked like he was getting absorbed into it. He had an indecipherable dark expression on his face... You never seen one like that before?

A harsh chill racked your body, an unconscious grimace forming on your face.

You couldn't put your finger on it exactly, but you knew he wasn't the most enthusiastic about what was happening. You should probably should end this a soon as possible. If not for yourself, for-

Before you could finish your thought, you were nearly knocked down by Kaede. Her arms wrapped around you, nearly giving you a heart attack.

"Kaede-"

Your words halted as Kaede spoke, her voice wavering and wispy as if she was trying to avoid the others from hearing her.

"I can't take this anymore!... every.. everyones..."

Trying to fight through her sobs, she tried her best to talk to you, her words slurring after her first sentence. You couldn't help but soften at her distress.

"Hey hey, take your time and breath. I promise I'm not going anywhere"

She nods her head as she takes a shaky breath and tries to continue.

"Everyone's arguing... nones listening to anything I say-" Her voice gets caught in her throat and she pauses for a moment to breath. "...they're still talking about the heart- and they're so mad-"

A slight panic rose in your chest as you listened to what she said. If it was Maki, this could get incredibly ugly very very quick. 

"Who? Who was mad?"

Her voice trembles as she answers 

"Ran...Rantaro and Kaito are mad"

The room fell silent for a moment. Rantaro and Kaito?

What... what were they even arguing about?

You hesitated before speaking.

"W...Why? What were they arguing about?"

She sniffles and whines out a response.

"Everything.. at first it was just about the heart b-but then they started to talk about you"

That only made you more confused, 

"Me? Why were they talking about me?"

Kaede nervously bites her lip as she cast a shy glance behind you. At first you were lost, then without having to turn around, you realized exactly what she meant. They were talking about Kokich.

Unfortunately for the both you, despite Kaede's discreetness, it seemed like Kokichi caught onto Kaede's glance just as well as you had. 

You didn't need to turn around to feel his gaze burning through the both of you. It didn't discourage you in the slightest.

You voice softened as you spoke to Kaede, your pity only deepened as you realized the situation she was put in.

"What were they talking about?"

Her eyes widened and shot up to look at you; Her expression a mix of slight horror and awe as she realized you had no intention of backing down. Her voice quivered as she hesitantly started.

"They... they were talking about how he was here..."

At first, you had half the mind to resist the temptation to scowl at what she said. Your logical side's last ditch effort to cling to a false persona that you so carefully crafted. Then, you realized that at this point nothing mattered and you couldnt care less about anything until what ever was going on was resolved. 

A flood gate of emotions poured out on your face as you let your irration freely show as she spoke, your thoughts only running more rampant than they once were before. One question completely swarming your mind:

What was Rantaro's problem with Kokichi? 

The first, and only, time you ever heard Kokichi's name spoken in the group was when Kaede first brought him up as a side topic when talking about Tsumugi. Now, after that one time Rantaro saw you at the park with Kokichi, he hasn't stopped bothering either of you since. 

Your anger started to boil over as you bitterly spoke through gritted teeth.

"What is his problem?"

With this, Kokichi wasted no time sitting up as fast as he physically could. Practically jumping off the bed doing so. Near scrambling to stop whatever answer Kaede was going to give. If you weren't seeing red you'd question it, but now that was the least you could care about. A deep scowl remained on your face as you quickly turned to face Kokichi, planning to immediately shut down anything he was going to do before you got your answers. 

"Don't"

The bitterness in your voice stopped them both. For a brief moment Kaede's tears stop as she winced at your tone, suprized by the harshness. Kokich following in her reaction almost doing nearly the same thing. Looking as if he was a deer in headlights, shocked and nearly at tears himself. Like a scolded puppy. At the sight, you faltered. 

The sight of him so devastated pulled at your heart strings, so you softed, but regardleas you couldn't allow him to stop you from hearing the answer your needed to get.

Wordlessly, you turned back to face Kaede. A silent sign for her to continue. So, with a quiet voice, she did.

"The fact that kokichi is hanging around you, that's his problem..."

Her voice was barely above a whisper as she finished, her eyes tracing your face to gauge your reaction. Upon seeing your confusion she continued.

"They use to know each other... like before you came. Back then they use to talk and stuff but then they fought and went their separate ways"

You began to feel your patience run thin. She was avoiding something, and you both knew it. You asked a question, leaving no room for minor secrets. 

"What were they fighting about?"

She pales. Her voice returning to its small trembling state like it once was before.

"They... they fought about danganronpa. Rantor stopped watching it but Kokichi continued, it turned into a huge fight so they stopped talking to each other."

She took a moment of hesitation before she continued.

"That's why he's so mad Kokichi's around you, he knows you watch it with him and he doesn't want you to be shown stuff like that..."

Her voice was a whimper by time she finished, your anger visible enough for her to nearly feel the heat herself. Your anger flared to a peak once again for a whole new reason. A sarcastic laugh left you before you spoke.

"So you're telling me, Rantaro thinks Kokichi is a bad influence and that's why he's been bothering me for weeks?"

Kaede gives a nod so small that you wouldn't have caught it if you weren't paying attention. You had to suppress a scoff as you looked at her, your face diplaying your disbelief. 

Your thoughts went nothing short of haywire. That's probably what they were arguing about in the halls. Just how many arguments have they've gotten into without you knowing? You should've known. 

You responded, your voice agitated and unsure, but steady.

"I'll... I'll deal with that later"

Despite the anger boiling under your skin, you stood strong and took a grip back on your emotions. Somewhat.

Even with your added self control, you couldnt help but let your face continue to ball up in frustration as you remembered your situation in general. Not only did you have to deal with the heart and probably a psycho killer after you, but you also had to deal with the group; which was currently as fragile as glass. 

You rubbed your eyes and let out a heavy sigh as you processed your situation. 

You... you should probably start with the closest issues first.

Trying your hardest to put the heart into the back of your mind, you stood up silently. Your moments being carefully watched by both Kaede and Kokichi.

For the first time since Kaede came in the room, you heard Kokichi speak. His voice meek and low as if he was scared to talk.

"W...Where are you going?"

You did little to physically acknowledge his speaking, opting to just respond vocally while continuing to move to the door.

"To check on everybody else"

Your words clean cut and dry, said with such finality that it seemed inevitable. Kokichi, understandably, didn't react well to this. His voice cracking as he scrambled to try and get you to stay, getting up and grabbing you in the process. 

"Please... please don't leave"

Despite his surprisingly firm grip, there was an edge of desperation in his voice. Even so you still stood your ground.

"I won't be gone for long I promise"

Even with your best efforts to soften your voice his eyes still narrowed, the same desperation peeking through again.

"That's what you said last time"

... Huh, you did said that didn't you-

He admittedly caught you off guard. Not only it was the first time he's ever held something against you that you almost forgot, but it was also the first time you couldn't immediately think of a way to wiggle your way out of it.

You stalled for a second before remembering Kaede was there and quickly regaining your bearings. You smoothed out you voice as you spoke, hoping to convince him.

"This time is different I promise, if I come back late I'll owe you one"

He still didn't look convinced in the slightest. You yielded. 

"30 minutes. Just give me 30 minutes and I'll be back alright?"

You could see the doubt in his eyes, but soon enough with silent pleading, he caved and let you go.

You offered him a small smile as you made your way further to the door. Another voice gently cut in.

"Are you sure you should go?"

Kaede mumbled, you almost didn't hear her. Even so you tried your best to sooth her worries.

"I promise ill be fine, if anything happens I swear I'll come right back"

Whether she trusted you or she felt it was pointless to try and stop you, she let you go without half the fight Kokichi gave you. A great relief to you as you walked out the door.

A tired sigh leaves you as you lean on the closed door behind you.

Exhausting...

Chapter Text

You let out another sigh as you mentally brace yourself for what you'll have to deal with soon.

The air outside your room was just as tense as the air in it, silence ringing through your empty halls. Only serving to intensify your already frayed nerves. 

It didn't suprize you that the supposed heated argument seemed to be long over; what chilled you was the the silence that seemingly followed it. You could've heard a pin drop on carpet.

With your nerves being slightly worse than they were before, you turned your head slightly. Immediately, you were met with exactly who you were looking for. 

There, seated at the kitchen bar, was Rantaro. His head sat face down in his arms, covering his face near completely. He was barely moving, the only exception being his chest rising and falling. For a moment, you took a step back.

You couldn't claim to know Rantaro's mannerisms as well as you knew everyone elses, but you didn't need to rely on your ultimate to know that he was taking a moment to calm down. Not only were his breaths being much deeper than usual, but he didn't even turn in the slightest when you came out your room.

You knew for a fact Rantaro was more attentive than you liked him to be. If he could spot you and kokichi so long ago without setting your senses off in the slightest, you knew he could at least feel your unwavering gaze. His lack of response worried you to say the least.

Being as light on your feet as you could, you made your way over to him. Reluctant to catch him in a mood worse than you saw before. A small part of you actually started so feel a bit nervous. 

Despite all the flak you give him, one thing you'll never be able to say is that he ever appeared frustrated when talking to you. In all actuality, you don't believe he's ever given you even given you a harsh tone before. It was hard for you to imagine him arguing, especially with you sitting blissfully unaware in the other room. 

You shivered. The more you thought about it, the more you fried your nerves, so you decided to lay off those thoughts until after.

It didn't take long for you to find yourself beside him, initally anticipating some sort of reaction. You were met with none at all.

Though, oddly enough, you couldn't find it in yourself to fully blame him. Recently you've only been on bad terms with him, he probably figured you'd be happier if he didn't talk to you at all. 

You knew you'd have to talk to him sooner or later, so you decided to rip the bandaid off now.

You took advantage of this small moment to try and look at him more, to try and gauge how stressed he possibly could be by now. 

You couldn't see his face, but thankfully you could tell based off posture alone. He was slouched over, in a comfortable position, but still tense. Guessing by this, you supossed the fight ended sooner than you originally thought. He's awake, so you know he's being passive enough to keep his head down to avoid another conflict with you. You wouldn't be suprized if he did this because he's tired, none of you had the smallest bit of sleep even now. After doing one more look over, you had a temporary gauge of how he was.

Passive and only a bit stressed, good so far.

You let you eyes drift to the last thing you wanted to observe, his hands. Your eyes lingered on them for a while. They were relaxed, but not stationary. You could tell he was listening out for you. Just as attentive as always. 

Before you could make a move, he caught you first, effectively startling you. He lifted his head to look at you as he spoke. The exhaustion was palpable in his voice.

"You still doing okay?"

Your voice stuck in your throat before you could automatically respond.

His question only caught you off guard more. What a strange thing to say, especially after all that's happened. 

Despite your initial startle, you took a seat, deciding to humor him for the first time in a while. Albeit a little mean.

"Better than you seem to be"

He didn't seem to mind your dry humor, letting out a small chuckle as he responded.

"Yeah yeah you are"

If you didn't know any better, you'd say it felt like old times again. But misfortune seemed to have its eye on you, so you doubt it'll ever reach that point again.

You decided it was best to talk to him about Kokichi while he was in a good mood. 

You tried your best to keep a casual tone as you spoke. 

"Well Kaede told me what happened, so I just wanted to check on you..."

For a brief second, you saw Rantaro's lighthearted smile falter. You almost felt bad, but you couldn't just avoid talking about Kokichi forever. He seemingly knew that too. You continued, your voice somber and low.

"I'm not mad or anything"

Only a half truth, but acceptable enough.

"I just... why didn't you tell me sooner?"

He looked as if you wounded him, you guess your tone hit a soft spot. Sitting up straight he fully turned his attention to you. He struggled to find the right words before seemingly deciding to go along with whatever he said.

"I didn't know how'd you react" 

He paused for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts.

"I knew you were hanging out with him for a while and I didn't want to bother you with it, so I tried to watch out for you by myself. You can see how that turned out..."

For a brief moment, he waited for your response. For the smallest notion that you'd break the new forming tension and show some understanding. But you only sat silently, forcing him to continue.

"I... I really did want to try and protect you"

To that you gave a response.

"I don't need to be protected."

Whether your tone came across as standoffish or he simply didn't want you to misconstrue him, he responded by backing down further. His voice softer than you ever heard it before. 

"I know I know... it was just hard not to try and worry about you"

He seemed to pause to try and find his words.

"After finding out you were watching Danganronpa, I wanted to stop it as soon as I could. No one should watch it"

He scoffed, his once soft demeanor becoming bitter.

"It's glorified snuff"

... With how he sounded, you couldn't tell if it was his grudge with Kokichi or danganronpa talking?

Regardless, he did technically have a point.

It's a wonder that Danganronpa is allowed to exist at all without half the trouble it should be getting. You have no clue what loop hole the danganronpa team found in legal procedures to be able to broadcast actual deaths on live TV, but you had to admit it was a feat that you didn't presume possible.

Anyhow, you responded calmly, preparing yourself to talk about the catastrophe that is danganronpa.

"You're right, it is. It's immoral and cruel, and honestly shouldn't be allowed to air..."

For a moment, you gave in. You admitted he was right, you calmed his worries, and for a moment you could see Rantaro soften again. Good, now he probably wouldn't try and fight you too much on what you were gonna say next. 

"but it still does. No one should watch it, but many, many people do. Tragedy sells and that's basically Danganronpa's entire plot."

Your tone was debatable, not exactly positive but definitely not negative. 

His face dropped, but you continued to fix that.

"It sucks, it really does... But right now there's not exactly much that can be done, we can only really watch on until something happens. Is only a matter of time, is it not?"

He still wasn't fully convinced, but you quickly changed it with a soft smile. Even so you could still see he was troubled.

"But i still wouldnt want you watching it. Especially with..."

Oh here it comes

"especially with Kokichi"

You knew it was going to come soon, but that didn't mean you wanted to address it anymore than before.

You let out a small sigh as you gave a unusually wavery response

"Kokichi...Kokichi is fine, Rantaro. Hes no harm to me, really"

It seemed as if your admission only worried him more.

The concern you once dispelled immediately returned. He quickly murrmered a response, foolishly hoping to not hear the response he knew he was going to recieve.

"How close are you two?" 

"Probably just a close as you think we are"

Your dull smile was the nail in the coffin. 

It was as if you threw his heart into the ocean and let it sink. But, regardless of how he felt (and much to your pleasure), he begrudgingly accepted your answer. You suppose you gently wore him down enough for him to just accept it. 

Suprizingly satisfied with your outcome, you rose and started to turn away, not planning for much more to be said between the two off you. But, before you could get far, he started speaking again. 

"Do... Do you mind if I ask you one more thing?"

'Yes'

"No, not at all"

He seemed to fumble with his words before finding the right ones.

"What's your ultimate by chance? It's random, but I just realized I've never known despite knowing you for so long?"

You'd be lying if you said that didn't almost put you into a cold sweat.

Why now? Why at such a random time?

It almost caught you off guard. Almost.

"Oh, I'm the ultimate therapist. Sorry for never telling you"

You lied with a straight face and, thankfully, he believed you without a hint of doubt in his face. In fact, he even gave you a small soft smile. Even so you could tell he was a bit sad.

"That fits you well"

You gave small chuckle 

"I'd hope so, it's my ultimate after all"

Honestly, a part of you wondered if you could convince the higher-ups to actually change your ultimate. Arguably, you'd say your chances were pretty decent. Not only was there not actually an ultimate therapist, but you were digging yourself very deep into your "ultimate therapist" shtick. Maybe you'll look into it later.

After discreetly shaking away your thoughts, you decided to quickly ask about the others. You voice defaulted back to as soft as it was before.

"Ah, also before I forget, do you know where Kaito and Maki are by any chance?"

You saw him make a small grimace, as if he forgot about the others and your current situation entirely. 

"He's, uh, outside with Maki. Why?"

'Good, Maki has him, she could do it better than you probably could, plus less work for you.'

You gave him a passive smile as you responded.

"I was going to go check up on him, but it seems like Maki has it handled for now"

Once again, satisfied, you began to turn away. Rantaro quickly noticed. 

"Where are you going?"

"Back to my room"

The words rolled off your tounge in such a way that they seemed inarguable. A calm statement that was inevitable. And, lucky for you, Rantaro simply accepted it. Too tired to argue against your departure, but left you one request (nearly a plea) instead.

"Alright... just- just remember what I said please?"

'Dont watch Danganronpa' 'Keep your distance from Kokichi' yeah yeah you got it whatever.

You talked while walking to you room, you back facing him.

"I promise, I will" 

Your honeyed voice leaving a sweet sound of your voice in his ears.

Seemingly content with hearing your falsely sweet voice before you left, he let you walk to your room without any further interruptions.

You face also feel as soon as you grabbed the knob of your door, the fatigue finally hitting you. 

-what a bother...-

Chapter Text

What a blessing 

With almost a concerning amount of rush, you opened the door and got in, swiftly closing it behind you.

As soon as you closed the door you were greeted with an amazingly normal sight.

On your bed still sat Kokichi, who was staring into space before you came back in. You were relieved to see he didn't look anywhere near as... dark?... as he did before. In fact, you'd say he looked rather happy to see you. Like a cat when their owner comes home, not physically jumping all over them, but attentive and happy none the less.

Kaede was still on the floor, partially curled up and now with a blanket. Usually you'd be a bit on the fence with you blanket being on the floor, but you suppose she needed some form of comfort at this point. She also seemed happy to see you, more so out of relief than genuine joy, but you'd take it.

You were honestly suprize they coexisted so peacefully while you were gone. 

For a moment, something was brought to your attention.

Kaede was here. 

While it wasn't necessary bad, you actually wanted to be with Kokichi. 

Alone...

With no interruptions or 3rd parties...

So you decided to take advantage of their attention while you had it, quickly speaking while you had the chance.

"Kaede, can you come talk to me for a sec?"

She flinched, obviously not expecting he name to be called first thing, regardless she complied.

"Ah, um, sure"

Kokichi watched woefully as you carefully walked out of your room, Kaede treading out closely behind you.

Because the living room essentially had a clear shot of whoever walked out of your room, you had to be quick before Rantaro could spot you. If he had his head up in the first place that is.

You quickly ducked in and ushered Kaede into the bathroom before Rantaro could see either of you. Thankfully, you don't believe he did. 

Once you were both situated in the bathroom, you sat in silence for a moment. You didn't exactly plan what you wanted to say ahead of time, but you're sure it'll work out fine.

Kaede tried to start.

"So what did you-"

"I think you should sort things out with Rantaro"

"WHAT?!"

You honestly couldn't even blame her for being suprized, you would be too if one of your friends said you should reconcile with your ex. Under normal circumstances you'd never say such things, but luckily it wasn't a normal circumstances. Positives would actually come from it happening as much as you hate to deal with it.

If they actually reconciled and didn't awkwardly exist together it would: one allow you to get Rantaro off your back for a bit. Two, refine the friend group a bit. And three let you not have to worry about Rantaro because Kaede would probably handle it like how Maki did with Kaito.

Technically a win for all...

Instead of throwing her under a bus, you're just laying her down.

Gently...

While it rolls... 

Better than nothing. 

Not the best reason, but enough of a point for you to use it as slack justification. Besides, you couldn't bring yourself to do such a thing it if you knew it'd hurt Kaede in any way.  

"Look look I know it might sound bad, but have to talk to him eventually. All of us are already stressed as is, another falling out is the last thing we need"

For a brief moment, you actually saw her take it into consideration, better than you originally thought it would go. 

Before you could revel in another minor victory, she spoke.

"Should I date him again?"

She was all too eager to ask you, and you were all to eager to shut it down. 

"Now I didn't say all that, I mean I wouldn't if i were you-"

"Maybe he was just going through a hard time and I didn't notice..."

For a moment your voice faltered, suprised by Kaede's sudden leniency on Rantaro. 

"Kaede you're smarter than this"

"I know but... ugh, what if it was my fault?"

After this you'd have to have a talk with Kaede about self worth. 

"I can assure you it wasn't, please don't blame yourself for something he chose to do himself"

She let out a shaky breath as she responded. You could see her eyes begin to water again.

"It's so hard not to... I just... it feels like I'm the reason it happened. Like maybe if I didn't complain or bitch so much he would've... stayed I guess"

"Don't say that Kaede, that's not true and you know it... just because Rantaro made a bad decision doesn't mean your the issue"

You saw her perk up.

"You think he made a bad decision when he broke up with me?"

You couldn't help but scoff, of course you think he made a bad decision. Even with all Kaede's flaws considered she was an amazing girlfriend, you honestly don't know how Rantaro fumbled so hard.

"Of course I do! You're smart, you're hardworking, and you're an amazing friend. Not only that but you're a ride or die girlfriend. In all honesty, I don't know how he messed up so bad..."

"R-really?"

"Yeah really, have some confidence in yourself!"

You saw her eyes widen as her face turned a light shade of red. You guess you flustered her your wave of compliments.

You softly continued.

"So don't date him, you deserve way better than him anyway! But just... talk to him- ya know? Not for the sake of him, but for the sake of you and the group."

A small trace of doubt still remained clear in her face, but you easily extinguished it.

Tenderly, you grabbed her hands, taking them into your own. 

"Just try, okay? If anything goes wrong I'll take all of the blame for it"

Your soft voice with your amiable smile shattered her resolve almost immediately. Her face and hands so warm an inferno would be jealous. She couldn't help but mumble a shy response, not trusting herself to speak loud without stuttering.

"I, uhm, if you're really sure I guess"

Your smile only served to darken her blush further. You laughed as you responded.

"Then go for it"

You swiftly helped Kaede up and out of the bathroom before she could doubt herself again; trying your best to prevent her from faltering. With little words you made your way with Kaede to the living room. 

With the living room dawning closer with each step, you carefully payed attention to your door soon coming up.

Just before you made it past your room, you doubled back and entered. Giving Kaede a thumbs with a warm smile as you closed the door.

You feel a migrane settle in your head as you let out a relieved sigh, quickly locking the door behind you.

Thank God for your charisma

Chapter Text

What a pain

Your head ached like it was spliting open as you stood in your room, leaning against your door, hoping to take a moment of respite after all you've gone through. 

Much to your displeasure, your mind still couldn't help but wander. Your ultimate practically grasping at straws trying to figure out how to resolve everything almost immediately, as if it were possible. 

With your situation, as it was now, you weren't sure it'd be fully resolved ever. Unknowingly, you relented and began to give into your brains incessant need for thought.

With Kaede in a better mind space, things shouldn't escalate, for now at least.

Usually, any arguments within the group wouldn't progress this far, with Maki and Kaede often defusing it before it could get too extreme. But with everyone being so tense and high strung, you couldn't exactly say you were suprised they didn't have a chance of stopping it this time.

Thankfully, you managed to find a temporary fix for that. You could worry about the heart situation later, for now you need to give yourself (or your ultimate you weren't quite sure) a break. Your exhaustion was starting to weigh on you, the fatigue only being matched by when you first moved here.

Now it was just you and Kokichi alone.

You got what you wanted, but you almost felt too tired to reap the rewards. It felt as if your room was spinning even with the smallest moments. You suppose your adrenaline is finally dying out

Pushing your weariness down, you lazily looked up and gave a small greeting. Your voice barely audible.

"Hey..."

Much to your displeasure, you guess your fatigue was showing more than you previously thought, as Kokichi's only response was taking your hand and leading you to your bed. Easily managing to sit you down with little resistance.

As soon as you sat down, he started to hover over you. Looking you over like you'd pass out at any given moment. You quickly dispelled it by fanning him away with your hand.

"I'm fine, I promise"

Judging by his flat reaction, Kokichi didn't buy it for a second, your response only serving to make him push you further onto the bed.

You gave even less resistance as you fell into the softer than usual surface of your plush bed, relishing in the warmth that remained from where Kokichi was once laying.

Your complaints left you as you laid comfortably basking in the sudden calmness that enveloped you. Trying to keep yourself from drifting off, you heard Kokichi begin to speak. His voice little above a mumble, almost inaudible to your tired ears. 

"You're not, I can tell..."

Your bleariness began to wear off at his words as you raised an eyebrow. While you are trying to show your emotions more authentically, you had no intention for them to be so noticeable when you did. So, you began to speak, particularly curious about the accuracy of his assumption.

With a soft sight you began speaking. Your tone nothing more than nonchalant, as you were too drained to conjure something else up.

"First of all, its just a tiny migrane, nothing to worry about. Second of all, how do you know? I could just be in a bad mood after having to deal with literally everything y'know"

He let out a lighthearted scoff at your weak argument, brushing you off as soon as you finished speaking.

"Then you would always look in pain all the time, besides I just can. Now lay down"

You were certain your eyebrows couldn't raise any higher. That was the first time you heard Kokichi speak with such confidence not shrouded in some other emotion. A lazy smile settled on your face as you began to tease him, a bit shocked by his seemingly sudden change in demeanor.

"Okay, Mr. Confident, any other commands you want me to follow?"

His eyes widened at your raillery, seemingly suprised by your playful comeback. Though not soon after he gained his senses and stuck his tounge out at you. The low light almost preventing you from seeing the light blush coating his face. 

You couldn't help but let a small laugh slip, you could tell he was getting more comfortable with you. 

You'd be lying if you said you didn't like seeing him this way.

Amidst your laughing, you felt your bed dip as Kokichi laid beside you. Judge from his light moments, you could tell he being careful, trying his best to not disturb you.

His thoughful actions only made your quaint smile grow. Cute.

For but a brief moment, it felt as if you were sitting at school with him eating again. Soft dewy grass under the two of you as the others words ebbed away at eachothers concerns. A pure sense of tranquility soothing your nerves as you lay next to him. Serenity seeping into your senses as you temporarily let go of your worries to enjoy this fleeting instant.

It didn't take long for your peaceful shared silence to be broken by Kokichi's timid call of your name. His voice hesitant, like he was testing the waters. You paid no mind to it as you gave him your full attention, he continued.

"Did... did you ever wonder about what I was going to say to you that one time?"

That... could be many times-

Your confusion must've shown since soon after he started to elaborate.

"Uhm, the time where you were wrapping my bandages and someone called you"

Admittedly, he caught you off guard with that old memory. At the time, you were so caught up in everything that you almost didn't notice that he got interrupted. You quickly whispered a response, almost embarrassed that you didn't bring such a thing up sooner.

"Uh, yeah, sometimes?"

You saw his face flush as he struggled to find his words.

You could practically hear his heart beat hammering in his chest, though you weren't sure if you could discern it from yours.

Whether it was from anxiety or excitement, you couldn't tell.

His voice shook as he hesitantly continued.

"I...I was gonna ask if- if I could be one of the people you'd accept"

His breath caught in his throat as you held yours.

"I-if you wouldn't mind having me close"

You let out a small sigh of relief, a hint of disappointment laced within. You felt as if he chickened out of something again, but you were too tired to fight him on it.

Not now.

Subtly, you slid yourself a bit closer to Kokichi as you responded with an admittedly meek answer.

"Of course, Kokichi. Why would I ever mind at all?"

Before you could say anything futher, he wrapped his arms around you, nuzzling his head between your neck and shoulder. Your breath got suck in your throat.

Your face heated akin to a furnace. You never felt someone so close before, let alone someone you liked. His skin was so warm that it felt as if was burning against you. 

He let out a small mumble, still comfortably nuzzled in your neck.

"I'm glad... I'm so glad you want me to stay so close to you"

His words mixed in your mind, it was hard for you to focus entirely with him holding you so closely, but you managed a half-baked response nonetheless.

"Yeah, I'm glad you want to be near me too..."

You had no way of knowing how much that meant to him, but judging on how he tightened his grip, it meant more than you originally thought. You couldn't help but hold your breath as his speech warmed your neck.

"Can.. Can we stay like this? Just for a bit, please?"

You honestly were in no shape to deny him, so you let him do as he pleased. Wrapped closely together, your heart finally relaxed. Finally calming down after the strenuous torment it's been put through.

Slowly, but surely, his soft content breaths lulled you to quietude. His warmth quickly putting you under the mellow spell of sleep.

.

      .

            .

                 .

After tossing and turning for a few moments, you relented and opened your dreary eyes. 

It was as if you hadn't rested at all, waking up just as tired and tense as you were before.

The light shining in your eyes wasn't doing you any favors.

You let out a small groan as you immediately ground yourself, unfortunately remembering the sobering events that happened the day before.

Between the comfort of your bed and what you'd have to face when you left it, you almost didn't get out of it at all. 

That was until you realized kokichi wasn't near you. 

You practically shot up as you realized he wasn't even in your room, a part of you almost convinced yesterday's cluster fuck of events was some cruel dream. Your pulse quickened as you rushed off your bed making a beeline towards your door, genuinely expecting the worst.

Before you could even get half way across your room, your door opened. Much to your relief, you were faced with your usually frazzled Kokichi. The stress that once weighed on you practically melted off once you saw him. You didn't hesitate to pull him into a soft hug, relishing in his warmth like you did before you woke up.

Despite his initial shock at your sudden moment, he happily reciprocated your affection, hugging you as if you could dissipate at any given moment. 

Still recovering from the mini heart attack you had prior, you let out a small murmur. 

"Where were you at?"

You were careful with your tone, making sure it stayed soft and neutral. Taking precautions to ensure the question wouldn't come out too overtly demanding. 

He answered you immediately, thankfully not flinching at your tone in the slightest.

"The bathroom. I, uh, was trying to take a shower before you woke up"

He seemed bashful with his answer, but you honestly couldn't care less. At this point your home was his, you couldn't fully bring yourself to care about what he did in it. 

Releasing yourself from the bear hug you had each other in, you softly responded.

"You still can if you want to, I don't mind"

He swiftly tried to object despite the two of you knowing it was pointless.

"No its fine really, I don't want to keep using your stuff-"

"I don't mind at all, really"

Knowing that you both could, and would, go back and forth forever, he yielded as soon as you finished speaking. 

"Are... are you sure?"

You responded with a smile, your voice almost saccharine.

"Very"

Muttering multiple thanks, he made his way back out of your room to head back to the bathroom. Once he closed the bathroom door, you made your way out of your room to the living room. You stopped just before you could see in. 

Your pulse rose once again. 

It was quiet, so you doubted you'd see any left over turmoil boiling over. Even so, anxiety pooled in your stomach, grossly covering wherever it could reach. Your skin pricked as you hyped yourself to actually look in your own living room, scared to be met with an unwanted sight.

After settling yourself with a deep breath, and a prayer asking for whatever higher being to be merciful for once, you finally peaked in the living room.

Thankfully for you, everything seemed relatively peaceful for what occurred yesterday. A little less worried, you continued to survey your surroundings.

Kaede was asleep on the couch wrapped in a spare blanket you usually kept in the closet. You're glad she found it, you'd hate for her to have to sleep in the semi-cold of your house without it. You made sure to keep quiet to not accidentally rouse her.

Maki and Kaito were no where to be seen, you wouldn't be suprized if they left while everyone was sleeping. You wouldn't blame them either.

In spite of not being able to see him at first glance, you were certain Rantaro wasn't far. You doubt he'd leave without telling you first, especially with what happened yesterday.

Taking a few steps further into the living room, you looked around for him. With that vibrant hair of his, he shouldn't exactly be hard to spot. 

It didn't take long for you to spot him in the kitchen doing God knows what. A part of you almost didn't want to even interact with him knowing it would lead to another painstaking conversation that you could honestly go without. But alas, after a second of hesitation, you bit the bullet and reluctantly made your way to your kitchen.

He'd come to talk to you inevitably, so you might as well get it over with now.

Trying to curb your returning anxiety, you tried to focus on everything except what you were going to do.

How the temperature was just cold enough for you to notice, but not cold enough for you to do anything about it. How many steps it took to cross your living room, which was more than you previously thought. How you needed to wash the dishes soon. It didn't take long for your feet to meet the cool tiled floor of your kitchen.

How you got to there sooner than you would like.

Even with your presence in the kitchen, Rantaro didn't move. You guess he didn't notice you. Your last opportunity to back out and delay the inevitable.

Unfortunately for you, that opportunity was dashed as soon as he actually noticed you lingering at the kitchen entrance. You saw him jump a little once he finally did, you'd almost laugh if you weren't so apprehensive.

Easily shaking off his initial startle, he broke the overhanging silence.

"G...Good morning"

You saw him do a small grimace before giving a nervous smile, he cringed at himself. A part of you was grateful for his small stutter, his small error serving to help relieve the anxious tension smothering you. 

He was just as nervous as you were.

You gave a small smile back.

"Morning"

To keep your anxiety at bay, you decided to busy yourself with something. Noticing the water glass in his hands, you decided to do the same thing. Surely doing the same thing as him would make him receptive to whatever you had to say later. You could also take a sip to try and buy yourself time if push came to shove...

Making your way over to the sink, not far from where he was, you grabbed a cup and made yourself a cup of water.

It had no ice, but at this point you didn't want to embarrass yourself by going back and getting some.

Thankfully, Rantaro didn't even seem to notice and started to speak.

"So, uh, do you still want one of us to stay over at your place? You know, until we figure out who left.. the thing at my house"

You resisted further choking on your room temperature water. He was getting straight to the point from the get go.

You quickly answered, forcing your voice to be as casual as possible. Hoping to elicit nothing but compliance on his end.

"Nah, I'll be fine. I was just stressed when I first said it back then... besides, I have Ko here with me, so no need to worry about me being alone"

His mood seemed to drop once you fininished.

"Ko?"

Oops.

"Kokichi, I mean"

He stalled for a moment before responding, you guess you caught him off guard again.

"Yeah, I figured. Just- stay safe, okay?"

He was definitely distressed, you could hear it in his undertones, but there wasn't much you could do to fully fix it. 

You opted to try and sympathize with him, settling for showing mutual concern.

"I will, and the same to you. You're the one that actually had the heart on you doorstep after all"

You took a sip of your water as you continued reading his expression, waiting his response. He let out a dry laugh with little humor to be found in it. 

"Yeah don't worry, I will be"

His tone was bittersweet, you continued anyway set on finishing this conversation in the way you saw satisfactory.

"And... if you don't mind, can you keep Kaede with you?"

He didn't have time to conceal his shock before you hastily continued to try and persuade him.

"I-I know it might seem like a lot, but I'm worried about if she's left alone after this. I'm sure she'll drive herself up a wall if no ones there to at least keep an eye on her-"

You gave a quick glace as you continued your worried rambling, trying to see if it was having your intended affect. Instead of shock, you were only met with soft eyes. 

Gentle endearment.

You stopped in your tracks, your voice catching in your throat with your words fading into silence. 

Even after all that has happened he still refuses to look at you with nothing but fondness.

What a weird guy.

He took your silence as a cue to speak, letting out a lighthearted laugh as he did so.

"You're always worried about everyone except yourself. Don't worry, I'll make sure to keep an eye on her. I promise"

You felt as if it'd be disingenuous to smile back, but you did regardless. You were just glad he agreed to keep an eye on Kaede, you were worried about her more than anything.

"Thank you"

Pouring out the rest of your unfinished water, you began making your way out of the kitchen. Not wanting to talk more than necessary.

He spoke to you on your way out.

"Don't forget to check up with us, I'm sure Kaede will be just as concerned about you"

You turned back and gave another empty smile.

"I won't forget, tell me when you guys get to one of your houses, alright?"

You didn't wait for him to answer as you practically darted back to your own room, finally satiated with you conversation.

You reached your room practically as quickly as you left the kitchen. You were glad to be in comfortably in your room.

Sitting on your bed, you let out a light sigh.

Everything has been sorted out for now. Now all you and to do was wait for Kokichi to return. 

Allowing yourself to fall back into your bed, you relaxed.

...how draining...