Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Shuuichi is around six or seven when he sees a boy with black hair at the playground alone. The boy had scraped his knee, frowning in pain before Shuuichi came over.

“U-um…” That gained the boy’s attention. The boy looked confused for a moment before saying, “Yes? Can’t you see I’m busy?” He glanced at his knee again, wincing as he tried to get up. “Ow! That hurts…”

“Let me help you...my big sister is nearby and she might have something.” Shuuichi extends his hand to help the other boy up, grunting with a bit of effort as he did so. 

“Um...how’d you get hurt?” Shuuichi asked as he leads the boy to where Kyoko had said she would be.

“Someone attempted to kill me! I’m a wanted criminal, nishishi~” He let out a giggle as Shuuichi gaped at him. “Buuut that’s just a lie. I just fell off the swing, it’s nothing too big.” The boy snickered again, eyeing Shuuichi. “You look like you still don’t believe me. Nishishi~ Is it because I lied to you?”

“Well...yeah. If you lie once you might do it again. But I don’t think you’re lying to me.”

“Hmm? Alrighty!” A creepy grin sent shivers down Shuuichi’s spine. Weirdo. Shuuichi eventually led the boy to Kyoko, who had been reading a novel on a bench.

“Yes, Shuuichi?” She asked, looking up from her novel with a kind expression.

“Um...he’s hurt and I was wondering if you had anything for it.” Shuuichi gripped the boy’s hand tighter. Kyoko still made him a bit nervous, even if he had moved in with her a few months earlier. He should be used to in but…The boy returned Shuuichi’s grip, getting his full attention again. Kyoko gave him a kind and patient smile.

ñI’ll see if I have anything, okay?” Kyoko hummed and began searching through her purse.

“...your name is Shuuichi?” The boy whispered in his ear.

“Oh. Yeah, it’s Shuuichi. What’s yours?” The boy let out another giggle and shook his head.

“Now that’s no fun! You gotta guess!” The black-haired boy smiled before sitting down next Kyoko when she asked him to. 

“Ow!” The boy hissed as she pressed a wet handkerchief against the scrape to start cleaning it.

“Um...my mom used to say that if it burns that means it’s working,” Shuuichi said, hoping to comfort him a bit.

“Still hurts.” The boy hummed as Kyoko deemed it clean enough before spraying disinfectant on it. “Ouch! That hurts…”

“Sorry,” Kyoko said gently. “There we go. All better.” She said as she pressed the bandage on. “You’re very brave, you know.”

“I know!” The boy said cheerfully, hopping off the bench. “Nishishi~ I would’ve died if it hadn’t been for my hero! Thanks, Shuu-chan!” The boy flashed him a smile before gripping him in a hug.

"Um...n-no problem."

“Kokichi!” A woman called. “Kokichi, where’d you go?” The boy froze and sighed, looking at both Kyoko and Shuuichi. “Mom’s calling me. So I gotta go, sorry. Thank you miss Kyoko-san!” Kokichi bowed his head to both of them and raced off, limping a bit.

“Well, do you think it’s time to go too, Shuuichi?” Kyoko asked.

“Oh, if you want...I’m getting kind of hungry,” Shuuichi said quietly. The detective smiled at him and took his hand.

“Let’s get going then.”

Chapter Text

The next week, Shuuichi was sitting at lunch a boy with familiar black hair sat at his table. “Hiya Shuu-chan! I didn’t think you went here!” Kokichi said cheerfully. 

“A-ah! Kokichi-kun…I didn’t know y-you went here either.” Shuuichi bookmarked his page and set the book down before meeting Kokichi’s gaze.

“Yeesh, Shuu-chan, reading during lunch? Do you like licking the dust in libraries too?” Kokichi cut him off, his grin growing wider. 

“A-actually-”

 “I never thought I would ever see Shuu-chan again! I’m so happy!” 

“Ah..r-really?” 

“Yeah! I knew you looked familiar and everything! I knew Shuu-chan and I’s friendship was always meant to be, nishishi~”

 “Ah, you wanna be friends?” Shuuichi asked quietly. “Sure do! U-unless…” Tears pricked at Kokichi’s eyes and he let out a loud wail. “SHUU-CHAN DOESNT WANNA BE FRIENDS! W-WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH-” 

“Hey-hey! Calm down! I-I don’t mind being friends with you!” Shuuichi grabbed Kokichi’s hand. “I’ll be your friend, just please stop crying!” 

“Alrighty!” The tears immediately evaporated and Kokichi giggled, tugging Shuuichi out of the table. “Shuu-chan’s my new friend!” Kokichi hummed. “You don’t get along with anyone either, do you? Me neither! So we’ll get along great.” Kokichi grinned at him and tugged him along.

He had a feeling he was gonna get pulled a lot in this friendship…

~

Shuuichi was indeed tugged a lot. Kokichi was eager to show him places, always pulling his hand in s ome  direction. A year after they became friends, they were at a festival that Celestia and Kyoko had taken them to and Kokichi had gotten far too excited. He had grabbed Shuuichi’s hand and dragged him in some random direction which got them  lost.  At first, it had been fun. Kokichi had bought some snacks for them to eat, they even made their wishes. (Shuuichi’s wish had been to be friends with Kokichi forever, but he doesn’t think that’s important enough to mention.)

“Hey, we passed the candy apple stand already, didn’t we?” Kokichi asked after a bit. “So…” 

“W-we’re lost,” Shuuichi croaked, trying to speak around the lump in his throat. “Celestia-san and Kyoko a-are never gonna f-find us…” He was utterly ashamed of the trembling in his voice. Kokichi looked at him worriedly and squeezed his hand. 

“We’ll find ‘em. We just gotta look around!” 

“We’ve been looking around! That’s how we got lost…” Shuuichi rubbed his eyes, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to spill.

“H-hey, no, stop crying Shuuichi…” Kokichi looked around before pulling him away from the crowd and to a patch of grass where they could sit and wait. 

“They’ll probably see us here. We’ll be okay! Worst case scenario: a staff member sees us and there’s an announcement! Best case scenario: Celestia-san and Kirigri-san find us.”

“B-but Kyoko’s gonna get mad at me…” Shuuici mumbled. Kokichi gripped his hand tighter. 

“She’ll be more worried than anything. They’re both probably just worried about us. Um..here.” Kokichi dug around in his pocket and pulled out a small package of pocket tissues. “My mom always makes me bring some around. I guess you’re lucky I have some, Shuu-chan! You got snot everywhere.”

 “S-shut up Kokichi-kun…” Shuuichi said as he cleaned his face. 

They sat like that for a bit longer, Kokichi telling Shuuichi about some weird toy he had found while digging in the garbage to pass the time when a sharp cry cut him off.

 “Shuuichi!” Kyoko’s panicked tone caught his attention. “Kyoko?” He got up just as she got to him, Celestia right behind her. “Are either of you hurt?” 

“N-no,” Shuuichi said as the lump in his throat returned. “I’m sorry!” Shuuichi wailed. He felt the dam break as he started crying, rubbing at his eyes. His grip on Kokichi’s hand didn’t loosen as he felt the other boy start shaking too. Kokichi started bawling just a moment later. 

“Shhh, darling, it’s okay,” Celestia said gently. “You’re both safe, that’s all that matters,” Kyoko said, combing her gloved fingers through his hair. “Shuu-chan was super brave!” Kokichi sniffled. 

“You’re both very brave, but please, next time  don’t  run off without me or Celestia.” She hugged Shuuichi tightly and sighed with relief. He swore he heard a tremble in her voice. 

 “I-I’m really sorry,” Kokichi mumbled. Celestia sighed and put her hand on his head. 

“It’s okay Ouma-kun. As Kyoko said, the most important part is that you’re safe.” She smiled at them before looking around. “I do think that’s enough for one night. I’ll take you home, Ouma-kun.” 

“Um okay…” Kokichi looked at Shuuichi apologetically. “S-sorry Shuu-chan…” 

“It’s okay. Let’s just have a better time next time, Kokichi-kun.” Shuuichi smiled weakly at Kokichi. When Kokichi let go of his hand he felt nervous again, his skin growing itchy before he reminded himself of Kyoko’s reassuring presence.

~

It was late when Shuuichi slid open the door to Kyoko’s room, making sure his movements were silent. He had gotten a nightmare where Kyoko had never found him and Kokichi had left him all alone… Shuuichi shook himself and worked up the courage to poke Kyoko awake. 

“Shuuichi…?” Kyoko’s voice was raspy with sleep, making Shuuichi wince with guilt. 

“Can I sleep with you tonight?” He asked quietly. 

“Why? What happened?” Kyoko’s voice remained soft, as though she were trying not to scare him. 

“N-nightmare.” 

He heard Kyoko make a noise of sympathy before she scooted over. “Yeah, climb in.” 

Shuuichi nodded quietly before laying down and closing his eyes. He fell into a dreamless sleep quickly, the nightmares not bothering him for the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

“Okay and I think...we’re done!” Kokichi pulled away from Shuuichi, giggling. “You look beautiful!” He held up a mirror with a grin. Shuuichi stared at himself, letting out a groan as he saw his hair pulled into two ponytails on the sides of his head.

“Kichi…” 

“That’s what you get for drinking all of my panta!” Kokichi whined. He pulled out a camera, Shuuichi letting out a squeal as Kokichi took a picture of him. “And now it’s with me forever. I’m gonna print it out and make a shrine to you, Shuu.” 

“Please Kokichi don’t-”

Kokichi smirked deviously, hugging the camera tightly to his chest. “The before and after pictures are gonna be amazing.” 

“Before and after…?” Shuuichi echoed. Fear pulsed in his veins as he watched Kokichi pull a clown makeup kit from his bag. “D-do you even know how to put makeup on?!” 

“Nope.” Kokichi chirped, emphasizing the P. “We’ll find out together! Don’t worry Shuu-Shuu~ I’ll make sure you feel beautiful, nishishi~” 

Shuuichi found that he indeed feels pretty in clown makeup. Only because Kokichi keeps telling him that he looks nice though. It makes him want to try on actual stuff… he’ll look into that. Eventually, he gets tired of Kokichi’s teasing and gives him a taste of his own medicine. 

Kyoko finding them both passed out on the carpet with clown makeup on was probably the most embarrassing experience of Shuuichi’s life. The lock screen on her phone will haunt him for as long as he lives. 

~

Shuuichi is twelve when Kokichi climbs a tree, falls out, and breaks his foot. He’s sobbing the whole way to the hospital, which takes longer than it needs to because Shuuichi isn’t very strong and Kokichi is pretty heavy. 

He feels awful as Kokichi hiccuped and rubbed at his eye with his hands. He should’ve tried harder to keep Kokichi out of that tree. 

“Ah, Kokichi, can I take a break, please?” Shuuichi asks. There’s a bench coming up and he feels bad for needing a break, but he’s starting to feel tired… 

“Y-yeah.” Kokichi whimpered. “D-don’t worry ‘bout me, I-I’ll be okay for a couple of minutes.” 

“We’re almost there! I’ll call Kyoko as soon as we get there.” He does have a phone, but it died halfway through their trip to the tree that Kokichi wanted to see so badly. Kokichi’s broke on his fall down. It’s an unfortunate turn of events.

He sets Kokichi down before letting out a quiet sigh of relief. He wished he was stronger… “Um, maybe we can ask for ice or something?” Shuuichi looks around, biting his lip. “You’ll be alright alone for a moment, right?” When he gets a nod from Kokichi, he leaves to go knock on the nearest door. 

A pretty boy with pale green hair answers, a frown on his face as he meets Shuuichi’s eyes. “Um. Can I help you?” The boy tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, letting out a small humming noise.

“M-my friend broke his f-foot and I was wondering if y-you hand any um..any ice,” Shuuichi mumbled. His palms feel clammy as he hides his eyes with his hat.

“Shit uh..hold on let me get my mom.” The boy turns and runs back into the house, coming back out with his mom and ice a few moments later. 

Shuuichi and Kokichi are driven to the hospital by the kid’s mom. He learns the kid has a name (it’s Amami Rantaro…even the name sounds pretty) and he gets to charge his phone and call his sister and Kokichi’s parents in the waiting room.

“So, Saihara-kun,” Amami says after a while. He and his mom offered to keep him company during the wait. “You were planning to bring Ouma-kun all the way here on your back?” 

“Yeah. It was kinda the only option we had.” 

“That’s super cool of you. You said it was that tree down by that abandoned store is right? Wow…” Amami looks up at him, his pretty green eyes making Shuuichi’s heart swell. “That’s a long way to walk. You must be super strong, huh?"

“I-I umm.” Shuuichi opens and closes his mouth, looking away from Amami and covering his eyes with his hat. “It’s nothing really…” He feels his face burn as he bows his head. God, why was he like this?

He’s very relieved when Kyoko comes in. She looks him over and sighs, relief on her face. She thanks the Amamis quickly, smiling in amusement as Amami asks Shuuichi for his phone number. The Amami's leave after that. Shuuichi misses Rantaro's presence already.

-

They’re allowed to see Kokichi eventually. Shuuichi races in and releases the breath he’s been holding, feeling his heart finally calm down after who knows how long. Kokichi is fine, he’s not crying anymore… 

Kokichi crying is one of the worst sounds Shuuichi has ever heard. He never wants to hear it again. 

Luckily, Kokichi’s on painkillers, so his smile is back as Shuuichi enters the room. “Shumai! Aww were you scared?” 

“Yeah!” Shuuichi hissed, clenching his fist at the amusement in Kokichi’s voice. “Y-you sounded awful! I was so worried…I didn't know what I was doing.” Shuuichi mumbled. “You shouldn’t have climbed that tree…” 

Kokichi’s amusement faded as soon as he saw Shuuichi’s anger. “Sorry...I should’ve listened to you.” His expression is blank, his tone completely serious as he apologizes. “Thank you for carrying me, Shuuichi.” 

“H-hey you don’t have to…” Shuuichi trails off as Kokichi meets his gaze. Something tells him Kokichi won’t stop apologizing until he accepts it. With that, he nods quietly and gives a quiet ‘thank you’. 

-

When he and Kyoko get into the car, he stares at Amami’s number for the car ride. Without thinking, he says: 

“I think I like boys.” 

Because that’s the only reason he’d get so flustered around Amami. He’s-he’s felt like this around girls at his school too...enough for him to recognize it. Is it okay for him to like both? Is it okay? Oh, he shouldn’t have blurted that. God, he really shouldn’t have.

What if Kyoko decides she doesn’t like him because of it? Where will he go? What will he do? He loved Kyoko so much, he didn’t want to lose her. 

“Yeah?” Kyoko asks. “Okay.” She looks over, a warm smile on her face. “That’s fine. I like boys too.” 

“Really?” A weight has been lifted off of his shoulders.a breath he didn’t know he was holding was released. “Um...I like girls too.”

“Me too, Shuuichi. It’s normal.” She places a hand on his hair and ruffles it affectionately. “It’s completely fine. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not.” She tapped the wheel thoughtfully. “You remember Naegi-kun?”

“Yeah.”

“I used to date him back in high school.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah.” Kyoko smiled at him again. “Alright. McDonald’s?” 

“Yeah! I’m starving!” 

He’ll never forget Kyoko teasing him about Amami while they eat. He tells her he’ll hold a grudge forever, and she laughs, telling him he’s not the type.

If she, for some reason, sees her hair ties hidden away, it wasn’t him because he’s  not the type. 

Chapter Text

When they were fourteen, Kokichi experienced the ‘worst thing in his life.’ 

“Shuuichi, this is terrible,” Kokichi said as he stared into a mirror. “Shuu-chan, I’m dying. You’re killing me.” Kokichi turned and glared at him. “Stop ignoring me, Shuuichi! I’m trying to complain!”

“Whoops.” Shuuichi hummed. He examined Shuuichi in the mirror for a moment. “They don’t even look that bad, Kokichi. You're being a baby."

“I can’t take your ice anymore, Shu! It’ll all go to waste…” 

“Good. I can finally eat it on my own.”

“I hate you, Shumai! Why do you bully me in my time of need?” Kokichi wailed, false tears pouring down his face. “I n-need support a-and y-you won’t even give me the time of day! I thought we were friends!” 

“Kokichi, they look fine. It’s just braces. Not the end of the world.” 

“Yeah, whatever! You aren’t the one with metal in your mouth!” Kokichi gave him a rueful expression, sticking his tongue out. Shuuichi returned it, a smile growing on his lips as soon as Kokichi started giggling. 

“So,” Shuuichi said, shifting through the plastic bag next to him. “I think I know what’ll make you feel better,” 

“I’m listening…” Kokichi hummed as Shuuichi brought out the purple dye. 

“Any idea how to do this?” Shuuichi asked. 

“Hell no.” Kokichi hummed as he pulled up a chair. 

“We should probably wait for Kyoko-”

“Nope! I believe in you, Shuu-chan! You won’t fuck up my hair.” Kokichi let out an amused laugh, “Probably.” 

It didn’t end up too badly. Kokichi’s hair's tips were dyed a light purple, contrasting against the plum color of his roots. Shuuichi thought he looked cute. 

He wouldn’t complain if Kokichi asked him to do it again, even though his hands were stained purple.

~

“Afternoon, Saihara-kun.” Amami smiled at him as he opened the door, waving a hand in greeting. “Ouma-kun isn’t with you?” He looked surprised as Shuuichi shook his head.

“Ah, no. I just um…” He kicked his foot at the ground, feeling his palms start to get clammy. “I wanted to hang out with  you,  Amami-kun.” 

“Really?” Amami gave him an easy smile, which made his cheeks heat up as Shuuichi shifted his hat to cover his eyes. “Cool! I have something I wanna talk to you about anyways,” Amami turned around and began making his way inside. “One of my sisters made a cake, but she put too much sugar in it, so I wouldn’t eat it.” 

“I don’t really like sweets anyway, so it’s alright.” Shuuichi hummed and sat down on Amami’s bed, crossing his legs as he got comfortable. “Um…what did you wanna talk about?” 

Amami sat down and twisted his ring, showing an uncharacteristic amount of nervousness. “I’m non-binary,” 

“Oh! Okay, alright. Thank you for telling me.” Shuuichi gave Amami a fond smile, hoping he soothed Amami’s nerves just a little…he hated seeing them so nervous. He wished he could say something to make them at least feel less worried.

 “I um...Could you, uh?” They bit his lip and hummed. “Could you uh…refer to me with different pronouns?” 

“Yeah, of course!” 

The look of relief on Amami’s face is almost heartbreaking. “They/them, from now on, please.” They sighed, looking utterly joyous as Shuuichi nodded. "I'm...I'm really happy you accept me."

“I’m glad you could trust me, Amami-san,” Shuuichi said. 

"W-wait um…” Amami pressed their lips together (he had to stop himself from staring) and hummed. “Can you...can you say a sentence? About me, or something? Using my correct pronouns,”

“Amami-san is one of my best friends; I love it whenever I talk to them. They’re really cool and nice, and I like that they always make sure other people are happy.”

“Yeah. Yeah, that feels better!” Amami smiled so wide, a smile that made Shuuichi’s heart hammer in his chest. 

"Thank you, Saihara-kun. Now, that cake may be ruined, but…” Amami ruffled Shuuichi’s hair affectionately. “Let’s go make like, mochi, or something.” 

~

“Aww, have you not asked Amami-chan out?” Kokichi glanced up from a book, looking bored as he twisted his hair around his finger. 

“What do you mean?!” Shuuichi choked. “I-I don’t like Amami-san, Kokichi.” Shuuichi felt his face burn as Kokichi let out a whinny of laughter. “They’re just-I think they’re cool and stuff,” Shuuichi scratched the back of his head nervously. “So what if I like looking at them? It’s normal to like looking at your friends!” 

“Do you wanna hold their hand?” 

“I hold your hand all the time! You’re scared of the dark!” 

“Do you wanna hold their hand more than mine?” Kokichi tilted his head thoughtfully, grinning deviously as Shuuichi’s ears started to burn.

“T-that doesn’t mean anything…” Shuuichi mumbled, glancing at the ground. 

“Yeah, thought so. You know you smile a bunch when you’re around them, right?” 

“I do that too-“

“No, like, It’s  different.  You look so happy…” Kokichi made a ‘tsk’ noise.

“I-I umm…” 

“Holy shit, you’re whipped,” Kokichi hummed, returning to his book. “How’s it feel, Shu-chan? Gonna blush and giggle like a school girl every time you see them?”

“Ah, no. I don’t like Amami-san, Kokichi.” 

“You should totally ask them out!” Kokichi said. “C’mon, Shuuichi, you should! You’re pretty, Amami-chan will accept! The two prettiest people ever, a total power couple.” Kokichi closed the book and threw it somewhere else. “Welp, time for bed. C’mon Shuuichi.” Kokichi scooted over on the futon, making the room as Shuuichi laid down next to him. 

“...Shuuichi?” 

“Yeah?”

“You should try, at least. If Amami doesn’t return anything, then um…well, I’ll be here with the ice cream and the shitty movies.” 

“You really want me to confess to them?” Shuuichi asked after a moment.

“I want you to be happy, Shu. You’ll never know unless you try,” Kokichi rolled over and faced Shuuichi. “So, don’t be a scaredy-cat, Shuuichi-chan! There’s nothing worse than not acting on requited love!” 

“I-I guess,” Kokichi’s tone was solemn. He meant this. “Alright, Kokichi. Goodnight,” 

“Love you, Shuuichi.”

“Love you too, Kokichi.” 

~

“Hey, Saihara-kun!” Amami greeted Shuuichi as he approached them in the hallway. “Uh, hey, you just missed Ouma-kun-”

“Amami-san,” Saihara glanced away from Amami’s pretty green gaze and bit his lip. “I was um...I was wondering if you…”  Take a deep breath!  Kokichi’s words echoed in his head.  Just tear the bandage off! It’ll be over before you know it. 

“I was wondering if you maybe wanna...go on a date?” He felt his voice rising in pitch and cringed, covering his face with his hands. He hoped Amami didn’t judge him too severely. 

“Oh.”

“Oh?” Shuuichi echoed softly.

“I’m sorry, Saihara-kun,” Amami’s tone was gentle as Shuuichi felt his heartbreak. “I am. I wish I felt the same, but-“

“Don’t worry about it! D-don’t um…” Shuuichi felt a lump in his throat and let out a shuttering sigh. He wasn’t about to cry  because of rejection. “Don’t worry about it, Amami-san! I’ll see you later…” He backed away and rushed off, not listening as Amami called his name. 

~

“I’m so dumb!” Shuuichi sobbed, burying his face into Kokichi’s pillow. “I should’ve known o-or something ,” 

Kokichi stroked Shuuichi’s back and handed him tissues, a patient look on his face. “It’s alright, Shuuichi,” Kokichi said quietly. “You’ll be okay.” 

“No, no, I won't be,” Shuuichi sniffled. “I’m gonna be alone forever,” 

“Nope! You got me, Shuuichi!” The plum-haired boy said. He met Shuuichi's eyes and gave a wide grin. “We’ll be together forever. But...let yourself be sad for a bit, okay? It’s no good to move on too quickly.” Kokichi let Shuuichi crawl over next to him. “Just don’t get snot on me, please.” 

“A-alright,” Shuuichi mumbled, rubbing the tears from his eyes. He let out a shuttering breath before closing his eyes. “I'm sorry, Kichi."

"It's alright! I don't mind. I'm glad I can help you at all." They stayed there for a few minutes in silence before Kokichi said, “If you want a distraction, I bought a shitty movie we can watch?” 

“Yeah, let’s watch it, please…” He saw Kokichi smile brightly and pull away. When the movie starts, Kokichi lets him rest his head on his shoulder and closes his eyes, listening to Kokichi hum softly as he fell asleep.

Before he did it, he swore he could feel Kokichi thread his fingers through his hair.

Chapter Text

“Saihara-kun!” Amami grabbed Shuuichi’s shoulder and pulled him back, sighing in relief as Shuuichi stopped and looked at them. “Ha...good, you look better,” Amami said. “Can I talk to you for a moment? Over here is fine,” 

Shuuichi nodded silently and followed them to a quieter part of the hallway. “You um...you needed something, Amami-san?” Shuuichi murmured nervously. He hadn’t exactly spoken to Amami since the... thing . He had been too embarrassed to ask if they were still friends, his mind stopping at the worst-case scenario, and focusing on that for the next hour.

“Saihara-kun,” Amami snapped their fingers and brought him back to reality. “You alright?” 

“J-just fine…” Shuuichi mumbled. “Um..what did you want to talk about?” Please don’t be the confession. Please don’t I don’t want to talk about-

“What happened the other day.”

Fuck.

“Oh.” Shuuichi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Amami was probably going to tell him they hated him and thought he was a freak. God—his palms were getting sweaty just thinking about it. He bit his lip and stared at the ground, counting the tiles on the floor. 

“Listen, you probably think I hate you or something, but I don’t.”

Shuuichi looked up and blinked dumbly. “What…?”

“We’ re—Saihara-kun we’re friends . If you think something like that is going to get me to stop being your friend, you must not have a lot of faith in me.” Amami chuckled softly before meeting his gaze. “You still want to be friends, right?”

“Wha-of course!” Shuuichi cried. “I-I’m really sorry for putting you on the spot like that though, and I shouldn’t have-“

“Shush. I think it’s flattering if anything.” Amami gave him a comforting smile. “But really, Saihara-kun, please don’t worry about it. You’re alright, though, right?”

“I’ll be fine. I’m just glad you don’t hate me.” 

“Well, we’ll be late if we stay any longer.” Amami took a step toward their classroom, waving goodbye to him. “Have a good day, Saihara-kun.” 

Shuuichi stared after them and waved back, returning their smile. He didn’t feel too bad anymore. 

~

“Shu-chan, Shu-chan!” Kokichi catches him after class, dragging him away from his shoe locker. “C’mon! It’ll rain on you if you aren’t careful!” 

“Kokichi, slow down!”

“Well, we gotta hurry . You don’t wanna get soaked, do you?” Kokichi turned his head to face him, a smile on his face. “A sick Shu-chan isn’t one I’d like to take care of, you know!” 

“Still...we can slow down a little,” Shuuichi mumbled. Lucky for him, Kokichi eased up on the running but mumbled something about blaming him if they got wet.

“So, you’re happier today!” Kokichi hummed. “What happened, Shu?” 

“Oh, um, Amami, and I talked a little today,” Shuuichi said. 

“What about?” Kokichi asked. 

“Oh, just that we’re still friends.” 

“They weren’t mean about it or anything, right? If they were, my secret organization doesn’t take prisoners!” 

“Ah, no, they weren’t.” Shuuichi smiled at the plum-haired boy. “Don’t worry about me so much, okay?” 

“Psh, I don’t worry about other people.” Kokichi stuck his tongue out at him, a gesture he returned. “I’m evil, Shuuichi! Did you not get the memo?”

“Guess not. Let's hurry, though; I don’t want to get rained on.” 

They did end up getting rained on, sure enough. Kokichi had been the one slowing them down, too eager to distract Shuuichi with easy conversation. 

They stood underneath a shop’s awning, soaked to the bone and waiting for the downpour to be over. Kokichi had made the time pass with jokes, earning laugh after laugh until Shuuichi’s stomach hurt.

He opened his eyes to see Kokichi staring at him, a blank look on his face. “Is something wrong?” 

“No, nothing.” The blank look faded as soon as it appeared, Kokichi’s warm smile back on his face. “It stopped raining,” He murmured.

“Oh, we’d better go then. Your mom will-“

“Let’s stay here for a bit.”

“Huh?” Shuuichi turned toward him with a frown.

“I know we’re drenched-“

“We’re gonna get sick,”

“Right, whatever, but let’s stay here for a bit?” Kokichi looked at the ground and twirled his hair around his finger. “I like it. It’s nice.” 

Shuuichi sighed before sitting next to the boy, pressing against him for some kind of warmth. “Fine. You’re taking the blame if we get sick, though.” 

Kokichi didn’t answer, letting a peaceful silence fall over them.

Shuuichi thought it was almost worth it when he ended up sick the next day, Kokichi keeping him company as they spent their sick day watching cheesy old romcoms Kokichi had saved for a rainy day.