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I’m going to die because I’m too socially awkward and there’s nothing I can do about it. This thought was really the only one that Shuichi could articulate clearly over the ringing in his ears as he lay slumped against the wall in the hallway, the rest seemed to fly by him only on an abstract level.
He’d tried to tell himself that I was just paranoia when he noticed that his milk tasted suspiciously sweet, because he’d only noticed after he’d gulped down the last of it. And he was anxious about telling anyone. Kaito would be concerned and try to help him, but he’d also probably scold him for being careless, at least. More importantly, he didn’t want to bother him unless it was necessary. That it was necessary had been up for debate, up until he’d found the world spinning as he walked back to his room, but now it was too late. He couldn’t move if he wanted to.
The impact of awkwardness and anxiety hadn’t started there though. No, that was before. He’d needed to visit the restroom during breakfast, when he was about half done. This didn’t sound like a life changing decision, and it was embarrassing to consider the things people might say about it in the trial for his murder, if they figured that much out. But it was the pivotal one. He’d had options, but all of them had seemed embarrassing. 1. He could try to wait until he was done eating to go. But that risked an embarrassing accident, if he was wrong about timing or got delayed after. 2. He could take his food with him to the restroom to make sure it was safe. But that was weird and seemed paranoid, which was terrifying. The others might think he was being self centered to think of himself as in danger and he didn’t want that. And food in the restroom was also a bit gross. He didn’t have to admit he’d gone to the restroom, of course, he could just go back to his room after and only admit that part, but then he might offend everyone by not spending breakfast with them. 3. He could ask Kaito to watch his food for him, since he was the one he showed the most trust in, even seeing him alone at night. But that implied to the others that he thought they might not be trustworthy, and that would be awkward to deal with, at best. And 4. He could simply not finish his food and make himself something later, but that might imply to Kirumi that he disliked her cooking or that he didn’t trust her, and people might ask questions about that decision, which he didn’t have a good answer to. In the end, he’d just slipped out of the room and tried to return quickly, hoping that it actually was just a paranoid, nonsensical thing to consider unsafe.
Korekiyo was the only person who he was certain knew he’d left. His golden eyes seemed, somehow, to observe them all, and he’d lifted his glass of tea in acknowledgment of Shuichi’s return. He was suspicious, certainly. Often on the fringes of the group, with a knowledge set that could easily become dangerous. But could he act so brazenly? It seemed unlikely. His distinct positioning and manner of moving around a space drew attention, even though he was quite quiet. And besides, he suspected, should Korekiyo become blackened, it might well be with more theatrics, and in more complicated a way.
Shuichi tried to take stock of his body. His thoughts were running away from him, stuck on Kaede and her trust, obviously so misplaced, then dancing around to other failures. He couldn’t control them and that, itself, was a notable observation. Otherwise, he was uncoordinated, unable to walk properly, and his tongue felt thick in his mouth. His head was beginning to ache. He felt a bit nauseous, enough to wonder if vomiting would be a good idea, in case there was still whatever was making him sick in his stomach. He brought an unsteady hand up to check his pulse. He couldn’t keep an accurate count as his thoughts wandered, but it was enough to know that it was, in fact, quite fast.
I’m going to die here. I can’t fix this. Shuichi rested his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t sometimes thought about dying. It would be so much easier than living. Especially here, where he had to worry all the time about Monokuma, the motives, and living up to Kaede’s hopes and expectations. It’d be much easier to just-
“Shuichi-chan!” a high pitched, playful voice, followed by rapid, thudding footsteps shattered his fragile concentration. Kokichi.
“Shuichi-chan?” his tone dropped a bit with more concern when Shuichi didn’t answer the first time. Seeing him leaning against the wall was a bit concerning, but him not answering was far more so. Kokichi quickly rushed over to kneel in front of him.
“Hey, Shuichi-chan?” Kokichi tried to make eye contact, but Shuichi’s remained unfocused. He was, in fact, breathing though, so there was hopefully still time to remedy whatever had gone wrong.
Shuichi knew he should say something. He should tell Kokichi what he knew. Or what he suspected or remembered. But talking was just so hard. Thinking was hard. He reached out and put his hand on Kokichi’s knee, the closest part he could reach. It was response enough, or it would have to be.
The motion upset the precarious balance of him remaining upright against the wall and he pitched slightly forward. He had enough presence of mind to feel relieved when Kokichi’s arms in circled him. And then enough to feel slightly horrified when he suddenly heaved, the remains of breakfast bubbling up from his stomach and splattering all over Kokichi’s white shirt. A few spots got on the scarf as well. He couldn’t muster an apology.
“Gross,” Kokichi giggled, “That’s not really the fluid I want you to get all over me…” The playful mask was a better idea to keep on to keep panic at bay while he quickly decided what to do. He knew Shuichi obviously needed help, but he also knew that anyone but him could have been the one to cause the problem. It was possible Shuichi was just ill, or had done it to himself, but the more likely answer was someone poisoned or drugged him. And he didn’t trust anyone.
Then again, Shuichi did. As it was his life at stake, the most appropriate thing might be to get him to someone he trusted. And fortunately, he’d said he was heading for his room, so it wouldn’t be hard to find him.
“Alright,” Kokichi nodded, voice dropping to a lower register as he maintained a more serious expression. “We’re going to see Kaito.” He quickly scooted to the side so that Shuichi was lined up with the shoulder that wasn’t covered in vomit, and leaned forward to rest it against his waist. He would obviously need to be carried, and it was the best way Kokichi could think of to lift someone with a significant height advantage. He wrapped his arms around him, pulled him forward, then staggered up into a standing position.
He didn’t want anyone else to find them in this vulnerable a position, so he wasted no time in dashing to Kaito’s room. Shuichi wasn’t as heavy as he was expecting, but he still found running with so much weight to be quite the burden. He was out of breath by the time he pounded on Kaito’s door.
Kaito’s heart leapt at what sounded like downright frantic knocking. Had something happened? He’d been lying down for a nap, but he quickly scrambled out of bed, pulled his pants back on, and ran to the door, to throw it open. He looked down to see a vomit covered Kokichi, sweaty and red-faced, carrying a terrifyingly still Shuichi.
“What happened?!” Kaito gasped, stepping back as Kokichi shoved his way into the room to deposit Shuichi on the bed. “What did you do?!” It wouldn’t make sense for this to be Kokichi’s fault, if it was, why bring him here? But seeing his sidekick in danger had Kaito’s temper flaring too much to make sense.
As soon as Shuichi was out of the way and onto the mattress, Kaito seized Kokichi by the front of his shirt, glaring down at him. “Tell me everything! No lies! What’s going on?”
Kokichi gulped, eyes flying open in a flash of genuine fear before a cheerful smile took over his expression. He hadn’t expected Kaito to react so violently, though he would have made the same decision either way. And they didn’t really have time for this. He patted Kaito’s hand, a mockery of concern, “I know you’re worried, but I don’t think we should waste time on threats.” Once released, he dropped the mask a little. “I don’t know what happened. What I do know is that I found Shuichi on the floor in the hallway outside the dining hall. He hasn’t been answering me, but he’s breathing, and awake. And he threw up when he moved.”
Now that his hands were free, he tugged off his scarf and started unclasping his shirt. Getting the vomit off of him was definitely a priority, although the smell was only oddly sweet. It was an almost fruity smell, but more sugary. He couldn’t place it, but he thought it strange to be so strong.
Kaito clenched his fists, wondering what to do. He leaned over Shuichi, searching his face for some kind of clue. He didn’t mind taking charge of situations, he was a hero, but he needed someone to delegate to when the problem was figuring something out. That wasn’t his strength. As it stood, there was one other person in the room.
“Okay, Kokichi,” he knocked his fists together in determination, “What makes sense to do here? You can be my sidekick for now.”
Kokichi blinked. Sidekick? What the hell? He knew he was childish and wanted to play games all the time, but he wouldn’t have expected Kaito to be as well. Though, he supposed that was a mischaracterization of the situation, in some ways. Being a hero wasn’t playing to Kaito, even though he thought everyone knew there was no such thing.
“Um, sure,” he shrugged, “I’ll play along.” It was easier than not and it would be an easy role to play. “I think we can assume that he’s been poisoned. He already threw up, but that was after he was like this, so we know some of it is in him and can’t be thrown up. So, we need to figure out how to stop the poison.” Kokichi smiled slightly, pleased at how simple it seemed when he actually listed it out. It may or may not be possible, but the process wasn’t actually as overwhelming as it seemed.
“Great,” Kaito nodded, sitting down on the bed beside Shuichi. He slipped his hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze, “Don’t worry, Sidekick. We’ll fix this.” Losing Shuichi was an intolerable thought, so he’d decided to believe in Kokichi. He’d just have to be trustworthy, and together, they’d solve this.
Shuichi looked over at Kaito and tried for a smile. He’d felt fairly sure that he would die of this. The pain was beginning to spread and everything looked a bit fuzzy, but there were a lot of poisons that acted a lot of different ways, he was sure. So he might be able to come out the other side. And even if he’d been able to speak much, he wouldn’t argue with Kaito’s faith.
“It’s okay if you can’t,” Kaito continued, when he saw that Shuichi was responding a little, “But is there anything you can tell us that will help us save you?” Shuichi was the detective as well as the victim, and both of those roles made sense to know more about the situation.
Kaito’s voice sounded a bit faded, but Shuichi heard the question. He tried to force his thoughts to clear through the thick jelly in his head. Which bit would help most? What should he try to say? He nearly decided on a list of the people who’d been in the room when he’d left, as they were the obvious suspects, but stopped when he realized that didn’t answer the question at all. Kaito wanted to know how to save him, not how to solve his murder. Finally, an idea sparked.
“Sweet,” he croaked out, past his clumsy, now oddly dry tongue. To know what to do about the poison, figuring out what it was made sense. But he hadn’t actually tried to do that. All he knew was the flavor.
Kokichi’s eyes snapped to Shuichi as he finally shed his vomit-soaked shirt and held it in his hands. “Sweet? It tasted sweet?” he smiled when he got a slight nod, “Okay! That helps! The puke smells weird too, sweet and strong. Chemical-y.”
“Great job!” Kaito smiled, looking back and forth between them. He was glad they were making progress. “So, do we know what it might be?”
Kokichi bit his thumbnail, thinking it over. Access was the main way of narrowing it down. The warehouse and their labs were the places people could get unusual things. And not everyone’s lab had been opened yet. Maki’s seemed of concern, but he hadn’t yet been able to sneak in and figure out what was going on. Miu’s lab had chemicals, so that was suspicious as well. He didn’t remember there being any chemicals in the warehouse, but that didn’t mean there weren’t. That said, they probably needed to hurry.
“Okay,” Kokichi announced, “There are three places I can think of that could have chemicals, but only one that I know does. So, I’m going to go look there and see if I can figure out if there’s anything poisonous!” He leaned over Shuichi briefly, “Make sure you don’t die while I’m gone.” The comment lacked something of his usual bright inflection, and his brows remained furrowed in worry. Quick as a flash, he leaned down and kissed Shuichi on the cheek before running out of the room.
Kaito stared, a bit dumbfounded at the erratic behavior. There were bigger things to worry about, but as far as he could tell, all he needed to do was wait. He patted Shuichi’s arm, “He’s right about that, Sidekick. You can’t die on us. We need you here.” It was tense, only being able to sit there, but at least he didn’t have to let Shuichi out of his sight.
Shuichi would have felt more confused at the kiss if everything had felt less surreal in the first place, but he was having a hard time not just seeing Kaede behind his eyelids.
Kokichi ran, as quickly as possible, to Miu’s lab, forgetting entirely that he was shirtless until she jumped in surprise, “Damn Shota! You’re skinny! And why are you half naked? That’s the wrong half if you’re looking to surprise me with some action!” she laughed from her workbench as he burst in the room.
“Not much time, slut. I need to look at the chemicals in here. Are any missing?” he ran over to the table and started checking labels.
“Why the hell do you need to look at my chemicals?!” Miu snapped, jumping up to follow him over, “What’s going on?”
It wasn’t really in his nature to start with the truth, but he figured she probably knew more than he did. He could at least be honest about what he needed to know. “Do any of these,” he gestured at the bottles, “Taste or smell sweet?” He’d double check if she said no, in case she’d done it, but maybe they could save time.
“Well, you sure shouldn’t drink it!” Miu giggled, gesturing to a jug of blue liquid, “But antifreeze is definitely sweet!” She looked more closely and frowned, “I didn’t think I opened that yet... “
Kokichi followed her gaze. The jug had some missing. He picked it up, opened it, and took a whiff. The same smell. “What should you do if someone does drink it?” he asked, checking over the label for the same information.
“I… Uh…” Miu frowned, a bit self conscious, before bouncing back to her brash personality, “My golden brain wouldn’t waste time knowing useless stuff like that! You just don’t drink it!”
Kokichi sighed. The label only said to get medical attention. “Miu… It’s Shuichi. Someone poisoned him with this, I guess.” his voice was low and earnest. “If we don’t figure it out, he’ll die, right?”
Miu nodded, “Yeah… I’m pretty sure that can kill you…” She frowned, fidgeting. Not knowing what to do was always uncomfortable, but it was a lot more when it might mean someone’s life.
Kokichi gnawed at his thumbnail again. This was bad. They were a step closer, but who cared if it was toward a dead end? And a rather literal one at that. What did you do to fix poisoning? Usually throw up or take an antidote. Throwing up hadn’t fixed it. Was there an antidote to antifreeze? There must be. But who would know? He didn’t want to trust anyone, but probably no one could make it worse.
“Miu,” he sighed, “Will you help me?”
Miu nodded, “What can I do?” the request flipped her back to confident, “You’re lucky you’ve got this gorgeous, girl genius to help.”
“Go to Kirumi, I think she’s in the dining hall. But find her, if not. Make a request that she tell you how to fix antifreeze poisoning and give you what you need to do so,” Kokichi explained his plan. Kirumi had the most versatile skill and knowledge set, and in absence of a medical person, she seemed like the most reasonable person to ask.
Miu nodded, “I’m on it!” and started to run off to do so.
“Come to Kaito’s room when you’re done!” Kokichi yelled after her, following her out the door, then running back to Kaito’s room himself.
He burst back in, relieved to see that Shuichi had not worsened and was still lying, somewhat listlessly in the bed, but was, at least, awake and breathing. Kaito hadn’t moved from his seat as well, carefully watching over him.
“It’s antifreeze,” Kokichi explained, “From Miu’s lab. She’s going to ask Kirumi what to do about it.”
Kaito frowned, “Antifreeze? Damn. Yeah, I got no idea.” He looked down at Shuichi, “Do you know what to do about antifreeze poisoning?”
Shuichi shook his head, still disoriented and lethargic.
“If anybody knows, it’s probably Kirumi. Some of her stories have to be lies, but she really can do just about anything you ask,” Kokichi explained. He walked around Kaito’s bed and sat on Shuichi’s other side. “You can’t die of this, you know? You have to let me kill you later because I told you about my organization.”
A shadow of a smile flickered across Shuichi’s face. He was amused that, despite Kokichi saying just a few days ago that he’d kill him, it hadn’t even really crossed his mind that he might be responsible. Even before he’d started helping. Even though what he said sounded scary sometimes, Kokichi was clearly just a child.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Kaito glared over at Kokichi, even more agitated now that both of them could only be waiting. “Don’t say shit like that!”
Kokichi smirked, “Hey, you can’t be so possessive of Shuichi-chan just because you take him out every night. I can have secrets with him too!” he giggled. He hadn’t meant for Kaito to be reacting to that at all, it was between him and Shuichi, but playing around a bit would probably pass the time until Miu got there. The anxiety of waiting was a bit suffocating.
Kaito gritted his teeth at the implication, “I don’t mean that. I meant the killing thing! Knock it off!”
“I’m an evil Supreme Leader, you know?” Kokichi smiled slyly, “I’m only helping now because he’s mine to ki-” he cut off as Kaito’s fist smashed into his face, knocking him off of the bed and into the floor.
“Now is not the time for your games. Man up! You can’t be acting like this right now! You’re being my sidekick and we’re gonna save Shuichi!” Kaito half shouted the lecture, leaning over Shuichi to be able to see Kokichi in the floor beside the bed.
Shuichi was horrified, Kaito should have known not to take him so seriously, at least not about this, but he assumed he was probably too stressed to do better. He wished he could get up and check on Kokichi, but he knew that would likely be a futile effort. Instead, he grabbed the hand that Kaito had used to punch him and held it, albeit unsteadily. Hopefully that would prevent him for now, and he could talk to him later, if he survived this.
Kokichi scrambled to figure out a mask to put on to cover his hurt, but found himself too emotionally exhausted to work out anything remotely convincing and gave up. He’d miscalculated and gotten Kaito too wound up, a very good reminder of why he shouldn’t trust anyone. Even people who might actually be trying to be good people would still do things like that. If it were anyone but Shuichi, he’d have run away, if he even made it this far in helping them, but he couldn’t leave until he was sure he would be alright. Kokichi pulled himself up into a kneeling position and buried his face in the mattress, sore cheek up. He began to cry, somewhat openly, tears streaming down his face, and shoulders heaving as he sobbed.
Kaito bit his lip. He’d gotten what he wanted, Kokichi had stopped with his dangerous foolishness. But Shuichi had been upset by it, even if he couldn’t say anything, that was obvious. And, looking down at the kid, just crying on his knees, with a rising bruise on his cheek, he didn’t really feel good about it. Kokichi was tiny, he had a foot on him, and a ton more muscle. Without his shirt, he looked even smaller because Kaito could see how thin he was. Even the stress of the situation wasn’t a good enough excuse to beat up on a kid who couldn’t fight back, and even if he’d wanted to, which he apparently didn’t, Kokichi couldn’t really stand a chance.
Shuichi was glad to see some remorse on Kaito’s face as his temper cooled. Though it didn’t help Kokichi right now. He reached out his free hand and patted Kokichi’s head, the best comfort he could give in the situation.
“Please don’t die,” Kokichi looked up at him, sincere pleading in his voice, “Just please. Not you. Don’t die.”
Kaito decided he owed Kokichi an apology, but that could wait until later. “Hey, it’s alright, Kokichi. We’re not gonna let him. He’ll be fine.”
Before Kokichi could offer a rebuttal, Miu burst in the door, carrying a bottle of whiskey and a small cup. “Heya virgins! I am here to save the day! After we get him all better, you all should be kissing my boots!”
Kokichi tried to manufacture a playful response, but found himself too emotionally exhausted and upset. “Is that alcohol?” he asked with a weak smile. That didn’t make sense, did it?
“Sure is! The way to fix antifreeze poisoning is with booze! Only certain booze though,” Miu remembered Kirumi’s hurried explanation of ethanol versus other kinds, “But this one will!”
Kaito let out a bark of laughter, “That sounds fake, but hey, I trust you guys! Bring that over here!”
Miu walked over to the bed and poured some of the whiskey into a cup, “Get him up to drink,” she told Kaito, then looked back at Kokichi, “And what the hell happened to your face??”
Kaito pulled Shuichi up, and nearly started a rather guilty confession about having punched Kokichi, but was interrupted as soon as he opened his mouth.
“Oh my god, Miu, you don’t remember?” Kokichi laughed, “You rigged your lab door with an invention to punch anybody who’s smarter than you! I’m just lucky it only did when I left!”
“Don’t be a pussy, we can’t mix it with anything ‘cause you need to drink it fast,” Miu explained to Shuichi, then poured the whiskey past his lips. “The fuck kinda lie is that, shota? You’re not smarter than me!”
Shuichi thought he’d never tasted something so disgusting, but hurriedly swallowed. The fact that the poison was more pleasant than the cure sounded symbolically important, but he couldn’t be sure of what.
“Oh, I thought it was about being smarter. Maybe it was people who get more dick than you?” Kokichi giggled. It was easier to play now that he knew that something could be done. He watched Shuichi closely.
Kaito frowned, but didn’t correct his lie. If he didn’t want Miu to know that he’d hit him, he figured he probably had his reasons. And he’d already been enough of a jerk to do it. He didn’t need to out him about it too, although he was pretty sure he was the only one in the situation who should be ashamed. He held Shuichi upright and watched Miu pour more alcohol into him.
Shuichi grimaced slightly, but swallowed again.
“Nah, that little twink ass is not getting nearly as much dick as I do with my hot body!” Miu shook her head, filling the glass again, “Not too much more, Shuichi. Then you can sleep it all off.” She wondered what actually happened, but decided it probably didn’t matter that much.
Kokichi giggled, “Nope! I’m getting it from almost every guy here! Especially Shuichi-chan!” He wished Shuichi felt well enough to blush at the suggestion, “Ryoma is hung like a horse!”
Miu tipped more whiskey into Shuichi’s mouth, “Whatever, virgin. There’s no way you’re getting any of Keebo though. He’s all mine.”
“Gross! I wouldn’t want any robo-dick anyways!” Kokichi crossed his arms, “If he has one… Does he have one?”
“Like I’d tell you!” Miu rolled her eyes. "And don't be robophobic!"
After a few more cup fulls, Miu sat the bottle down beside Kaito’s bed. “There, he should be alright now. Well, drunk, but alright. You need to make sure he has plenty of water to drink and you’ll want to feed him after all this. He might be kind of blah for a few days, but you know, just keep him in bed or whatever.”
“Thanks!” Kaito grinned, “I’ll have to thank Kirumi too. And you too, new sidekick,” he looked over at Kokichi.
“Oh! That’s how it is!” Miu laughed, “You wanna fuck the shota! I didn’t think you’d be the type!”
Kaito blushed, “No, that’s not it!”
Kokichi giggled, then dramatically cried, “Don’t be ashamed of our love!” He was nervous about setting Kaito off again, but it was too hard to resist.
“Well, I won’t stand in your way,” Miu laughed, “Y’all can get it on while Shuichi rests. I’ve got some work to do in my lab!” She waved and walked out of the room.
Kaito was furiously embarrassed, but decided to ignore it for now. “Kokichi, get him some water, will you? I’ll get him laying back down.”
Kokichi nodded, going to get some from the sink. “Maybe get him in just his underwear or give him a t-shirt or something too. Those clothes don’t look too comfortable.”
Kaito nodded, “Alright, sidekick. I’m gonna undress you a bit, okay?” he didn’t wait for a response, assuming the alcohol would have made one less likely, if anything.
He unbuttoned his shirt and sat it to the side, then frowned when he saw some parallel line scars on Shuichi’s left wrist. Further up his arm, he noted some fresh cuts that looked essentially the same. He resolved to ask Shuichi about them later. He laid him back against the pillow and pulled his pants off. Another set of scars caught his eye. They were much the same, but looked deeper.
“Here’s some water!” Kokichi returned with a cup. His expression didn’t change, but he noticed the scars as well and sighed internally. Of course Shuichi had done that, he seemed exactly the type. He hadn’t thought about it though. Well, perhaps something to bond over later. He cradled Shuichi’s head, tilting it forward, and gave him a few sips of water, then sat the cup down.
Kaito came back over with one of his own t-shirts and popped it over Shuichi’s head, then helped him pull his arms through. “There, that should be more comfortable.”
Shuichi was only dimly aware of what was happening now. The alcohol alone would have made him extremely out of it, let alone in this situation. He knew only that he was now far more comfortable and probably lying down.
“Kokichi…” Kaito looked over at him, “Why did you lie?”
He laughed, “You’re gonna have to be more specific. You know, ‘cause I’m a liar.” He knew what Kaito was talking about, of course. But he didn’t really want to answer.
Kaito nodded, “Why did you lie to Miu about me punching you? I’m sorry, by the way. I lost my temper. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Kokichi blinked, he hadn’t really expected the apology. “Yeah… You prooooobably shouldn’t hit people who are being your sidekicks…. That’s kinda an enemies only deal….”
Kaito nodded again. “I’m sorry. I’ll go get you some ice for your cheek, if you want. It’s starting to look pretty bad.”
Kokichi shook his head with a bright grin, “Nah, it’s fine. I’ve had way worse, you know? It’s part of being in a secret organization! Sometimes you even get tortured!”
Kaito’s eyes widened, “That sounds scary! Maybe you should stop being in that…”
Kokichi smirked, “It’s okay, I’m tough. If you dooooo wanna make it up to me though….” he looked at Kaito, meeting his eyes, “Can I stay here with Shuichi too? I’m still kinda worried.”
It was Kaito’s turn to blink in surprise, “Oh, sure. Yeah. You two can share the bed. I’ll see if there’s a sleeping bag in the warehouse later.”
“Thanks,” Kokichi ducked his head, hiding back behind his bangs, then looked down at Shuichi, “Please get better, okay?” He knew Miu had no reason to lie and Kirumi had every reason to know, but it was so hard to trust that things would be alright.
Kaito decided to drop the question about Miu, and cautiously put an arm around Kokichi, “Hey, it’s alright. He’ll be fine. He’s strong, I believe in him. And I believe in us, and we did everything we needed to do.”
Kokichi rolled his eyes, but did lean back into Kaito. Motivational speeches were wasted on people like him, but affection was still nice.
“You even feel bony,” Kaito sighed, “You should eat more. And you’re cold, let me get you a shirt too.” He grabbed another of his t-shirts from the closet and tossed it to him, “I’ll go rinse out your shirt too.” He picked it up and took it into the bathroom.
“I guess you might have been right to trust him,” Kokichi told the now sleeping Shuichi, once he’d pulled the enormous t-shirt on, “If I was right to trust you, anyway.”