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Students slowly trickle into the classroom one after another, sitting down at their desks and chatting to the people around them as they wait for the day to start. Kaito was one of the first people to arrive in the morning, coming in a little early as usual. He perks up as his sidekicks enter the room together, offering them a smile and an enthusiastic wave. Maki glares over at him with tired eyes but quickly takes her seat beside him, dropping her backpack on the floor beside her desk and resting her head on her arms. Shuichi returns the smile as he sits down on the other side of him, glancing sheepishly over at Maki as if apologizing for her behavior.
“How are my sidekicks doing this morning?” He asks, although he already expects the answers he gets every morning, a polite ‘good’ from Shuichi and nothing from Maki. Now that she’s away from the rigorous schedule of the Holy Salvation Society, she’s grown rather fond of sleeping in.
“I’m good.” Shuichi says, his voice slightly quieter than usual due to his tiredness. He takes a notebook and a pen out of his bag and starts setting up his desk for class.
Maki offers a quiet groan, not looking up from her desk.
Morning light shines in from the window, it’s a beautiful morning. Almost everyone has arrived by now, Tsmugi is helping Gonta see a button back onto his uniform, and despite it being so early Miu is already spouting her usual filth to Kiibo in the back row of desks. But there’s someone missing...
Kaito frowns and turns his attention back to the head of the class. Oh well, Kokichi not being in attendance will probably just make things calmer and more tolerable. He’s not going to start worrying about someone who’s only ever caused him and his friends trouble.
He leans back in his chair and waits for things to get started. Kizakura Sensei arrives on time and goes down the attendance list, glancing around the room when nobody responds to Kokichi’s name. If he was sick he would’ve called in and his name wouldn’t have been called. This means he didn’t inform anyone he would be absent. He bites the inside of his cheek and glance around the room, nobody chimes in to say they know where he is, but of course they don’t, Kokichi isn’t even really friends with anyone here. The closest he gets is occasionally following around and pestering Shuichi. It seems rather lonely, now that he thinks about it…
Kizakura Sensei sighs and takes a look around the room. “No one knows where Kokichi is?” A chorus of no’s echos through the room. “Hm.” He looks over at the phone on the corner of his desk. “I’ll have to call and have someone go to his dorm.”
“I can go check on him, Sensei.” Kaito chimes, and then immediately cringes at his own words.
Maki raises her head and looks up at him, her expression a combination of perplexed and irritated.
Kizakura raises his eyebrows. “Alright, Kaito, just be back as soon as you’re done.”
“Right.” Kaito nods, slowly standing.
Shuichi furrows his brow. “Kaito?”
Kaito bumps his fists together and smiles. “Hey, we’re classmates right? We should all look out for each other.” He says, and it’s true, he supposes, even if he doesn’t like Kokichi.
“Y- you’re right…” Shuichi says, though he sounds unconvinced.
Kaito hurries out of the classroom before he can change his mind, letting the door swing shut behind him. He puts his hand over his eyes and shakes his head, this was a stupid decision. He can already predict what this is going to lead to. Kaito is going to go to Kokichi’s dorm and he’s going to act all smug about being checked on, because he probably just overslept. And all because Kaito felt a little sorry about him not having any friends for a minute. But the bed has been made, and now he has to lie in it.
He heads down the hallway towards the dorm, passing a couple students who are late to class on his way. The building feels more and more empty as he walks, there are probably very few people still in their dorms at this point.
Eventually he’s standing in front of Kokichi’s door, there’s a little white board on it with a childish drawing of himself with the words “Kokichi Oma’s Lair” above it. Kaito rolls his eyes and knocks on the door. Silence. Nobody comes to the door or calls out. Kaito frowns and knocks again, this time more apprehensively. Still nothing.
“Kokichi?” Kaito calls. “If you’re still asleep you need to get up, you’re late for class.” When there’s no answer, he puts his hand on the door knob and turns it, expecting it not to give way. But it does. He slowly opens the door, stepping inside.
Kokichi’s room is a mess, as expected. It looks like he just picks up whatever he finds in the halls and brings it back here, or maybe he’s been stealing from the lost and found. There’s a collection of lost student IDs hanging on a cork board beside the door, one of them is Miu’s. Is that funny or just plain weird? He tears his eyes away, shaking his head and surveys the rest of the room. There aren’t any blankets or pillows on Kokichi’s bed, and neither is he himself. Strange. Kaito purses his lips and ventures further inside, stepping over all the clutter and looking around.
“Kokichi?” He hesitantly calls again. This whole situation makes him nervous. “He’s probably not here… maybe he left for class already and I missed him.” He mutters to himself, absentmindedly kicking an empty cereal box.
Then he notices that the door to the closet is slightly ajar. Kokichi is weird, that’s undeniable, but would he really hide from Kaito in the closet? He slowly approaches the closet door and opens it, taking a surprised step back when he sees what’s inside. There aren’t any clothes inside, instead the sheets and blankets from Kokichi’s bed have been scattered across the floor to create a sort of makeshift nest, along with a bunch of pillows scattered around. There are light purple fairy lights strung across the walls. And at the center of it all; Kokichi, sitting on the floor and looking up at Kaito with an expression that resembles… fear?
Whatever it was, it’s immediately masked with his usual irreverent smirk. “Hey there Kaito!” He says in a sing-song voice, but it feels off. It’s oddly shaky and strange. “What a coincidence seeing you here! In my dorm room!”
Whatever pity Kaito was feeling for Kokichi a few minutes ago almost completely dissipates when he sees that expression. He pushes down all the questions he has about the weird closet hideout and crosses his arms, looking down at his classmate with disdain. “Come on man, what’re you still doing in here? You’re not in class and you didn’t even call in and tell Kizakura sensei you’d be late.” Kaito gestures for Kokichi to follow him, starting to turn around. “Let’s go.”
“No thank you! I think I’ll be staying here today.” he says, casually examining his nails.
Kokichi hasn’t ever missed a day of class as far as Kaito knows, he’s always far too keen on tormenting all the others to give anyone a break. He stares down at him. If he were Shuichi, figuring out what was up would be easy, he can read all their classmates like a book. But he’s not Shuichi, and Kokichi is the hardest to read person he’s ever met. Is he sick? He doesn’t sound sick.
He crouches down and looks at him carefully.
“Hey, I said I wasn’t coming. So why don’t you go ahead and run along to your little sidekicks?” Kokichi says, frowning and avoiding making eye contact,
His eyes are puffy and red, and his skin is blotchy. There’s a couple wadded up tissues half tucked under the pillow he’s leaning against. “Kokichi…” Kaito says slowly. There’s no doubt he’d lie if asked whether he’d been crying. Kaito bites his lip. Kokichi is annoying, smug, and sometimes mean. But… He’s also a person who has his own complex feelings, whether he makes them known or not.
Kaito crawls slightly clumsily into the closet, which was clearly not made to house two people, let alone one as tall as he is. He carefully pulls the door shut behind him and sits beside Kokichi.
Kokichi looks shocked for a second before grinning. “Nee-heehee! Wow Kaito! I didn’t know you liked me so much! Closing us in a small space like this is a bit forward though, don’t you think?”
“Shut up.” Kaito says, but it lacks the usual anger that would normally accompany him saying such a thing to Kokichi. Instead it just comes out sounding tired. “So what are you doing in here, exactly?”
“Oh, can’t you tell?” Kokich giggles, but it just sounds forced. “I’m plotting! This is where I come up with aaaall my plans.
Kaito glances around skeptically. “Oh yeah? Seems more like a kids fort to me.”
He looks at Kaito blankly for a moment before smiling slyly. “Evil can take place anywhere , Kaito.” They’re both silent for a few moments until Kokichi speaks up again. “Aren’t you going to get to class? Your sidekicks must miss you.” He sounds less enthusiastic than he did just seconds ago.
Kaito shrugs, rubbing the back of his neck self consciously. “Nah, I said I’d bring you back. They can wait for a while longer. Maki Roll might prefer not having me around for that class so she can nap through it, anyway.” he attempts to sound light hearted, but the air feels thick with discomfort, it’s clear there’s something up with Kokichi, so why not just leave him alone? But still…
He doesn’t respond to Kaito’s comment, averting his eyes and picking at a loose thread protruding from one of the blankets underneath him. Kaito takes the silence as an opportunity to get a look around Kokichi’s little hideout. There are crayon drawings hanging up on the walls, most of them are of contraptions a very childish supervillain might come up with, but one of them in particular catches his eye. It’s a drawing of three familiar looking figures, one with blue hair, another with brown hair and a red uniform, and the final one with purple hair and a matching jacket. Kaito stares up at it in a mixture of confusion and amusement.
“Hey, Kokichi,” he says, pointing up at the drawing. “Is this Shuichi, Maki Roll and I?”
Kokichi looks up at the drawing in horror, apparently having forgotten it was there. He quickly contorts his face into a mischievous grin. “Oh, that? Yep! Just a drawing of the victims of my next scheme.”
Is it just Kaito or is Kokichi getting worse at lying the longer the two of them sit in this closet together? He’s not entirely sure what he’s lying about, but that statement was definitely suspicious. He decides not to question it, but he finds the corner of his lips twitching into a smile as he looks at the drawing. “I like it.” he decides, giving a thumbs up.
Kokcihi cocks his head to the side, his eyes narrowing, he seems to be waiting for Kaito to say something else. When he doesn’t, Kokichi just scoffs and looks away again.
He’s not showing any signs of being willing to go to class, and soon people are going to start wondering what happened. “Is there any way I can convince you to come back to class with me?” Kaito asks with a sigh.
Kokichi puts a finger on his chin, pretending to think it over. “Hmmm… Nope! You better get going Kaito, before you get in trouble!” he sits up and pushes the closet door open, gesturing for Kaito to leave.
Kaito frowns, but gets to his feet and steps out of the closet. Once he’s out, he turns back to Kokichi. “... It’s a nice lair, by the way.” he says.
Kokichi looks up at him, opening his mouth to say something before closing it again, seeming to think better of it. “Bye, Kaito.” he shuts the closet door.
---✦---
At lunch, Kaito sits at his usual table with his sidekicks as well as Kaede and Miu, who seem to have become friends recently. It appears Kaede is one of the few people who’s able to reel her in. Shuichi is busily working on a case while he eats, and Kaede and Maki are having a conversation about what everyone’s learning in class with the occasional lewd interjection from Miu which is always almost immediately shot down. Kaito stares down at his tray, absentmindedly poking at a bowl of curry and rice and taking a bite every once in a while.
Ever since what happened earlier Kaito can’t seem to get his mind off Kokichi, which is something he hoped he’d never have the displeasure of experiencing.
“Hey.” Maki says, getting his attention. “What’s up with you? Are you feeling okay?” she’s wearing her usual harsh expression, but there’s clear worry in her eyes.
“Hm? Yeah, no need to worry about me.” he says, pushing his tray forward a little. “I’m just not very hungry today.”
She doesn’t seem to buy it, but turns her attention back to her previous conversation. Shuichi is looking at him with concern as well, but eventually turns back to his notebook and a couple photos he has laid out.
Kaito purses his lips and stands up from the table with his tray. Maybe he should go back and check on Kokichi, he really did seem out of sorts. He starts wandering over to the counter where they’re supposed to put dirty trays and dishes, a wave of guilt washing over him as he disposes of his barely touched food.
Sighing, he turns around to see Kokichi leave come in from the kitchen holding a tray of food. He looks better than he did before, he’s gotten dressed and he looks less flustered now. Kaito smiles to himself a little. Even if they’re not friends, he’s happy to see him back to normal.
Kokichi starts heading towards a table when he bumps into an upperclassman who isn’t looking where they’re going. Their trays fall to the ground, the dishes that were balanced on top of them shattering on impact.
“Oh! I’m sorry!” The upperclassman says holding up his hands apologetically, Kaito looks him over, he’s pretty sure he’s him before, he’s the 78th Class’s lucky student. He looks like he’s going to say something more, but seems startled when he looks up from the trays at Kokichi’s face.
Kaito follows his gaze, Kokichi’s eyes are brimming with tears as he stares silently down at the mess before him. He takes a couple steps back, and then turns on his heel and sprints out of the cafeteria as fast as his legs can carry him.
“Kokichi!” Kaito calls after him, and before he can even think he’s following him down the hallway, footsteps pounding rhythmically against the floor.
Kaito loses track of him almost right away, he may have been through a lot of athletic training, but Kokichi is small and quick, and as much as it pains him to admit, he is fully capable of outpacing Kaito if he wants to.
It’s alright though, it’s not hard to guess where he’s going. Kaito jogs down the halls and up a couple flights of stairs, eventually reaching the dorms. He quickly passes by the other doors, eventually reaching Kokichi’s. He takes a deep breath before turning the knob. It’s unlocked once again. He pushes it open and walks inside, shutting it quietly behind him.
There’s muffled crying coming from the closet. Kaito approaches slowly, carefully stepping over all the odd things scattered across the floor and opening the door.
Kokichi doesn’t look up when the light from the rest of his room streams into his hideout. His legs are drawn up to his chest and he has his face buried in his arms. Kaito steps inside and shuts the door behind him so it's completely dark except for the glow of the purple lights. He sits down on the floor beside Kokichi, leaning against one of the pillows.
“Hey…” he says awkwardly, he really didn’t think this through. How is one supposed to comfort an Ultimate Supreme Leader anyway?
Kokichi doesn’t look up, continuing to cry into his arms and tremble uncontrollably. “G- go away, Kaito…” he says, his voice muffled.
Kaito sighs and shakes his head. “No, I’m not leaving.” He says firmly. “Somebody’s gotta keep you company, Kokichi.” He grimaces at the statement, he doesn’t want to make it sound like a chore, he chose to be here, after all. “I… I want to keep you company.”
Kokichi peeks out from his arms with watery eyes, and slowly puts his legs down. He still doesn’t make eye contact, wringing his hands and staring down at his lap while he cries, but it’s something.
Kaito’s eyes wander over to the wall beside him, noting that the picture of himself isn’t up anymore. He frowns. “You took down the picture.” He can’t keep the disappointment out of his voice, and he scolds himself internally.
Wiping his eyes with his sleeve, Kokichi shrugs and lets out a half stifled sob.
They’re both silent for a couple minutes, the only sound filling the small room is Kokichi’s quiet crying.
“So…” Kaito eventually speaks up. “Are you gonna tell me what’s wrong?”
Kokichi shakes his head, covering his face with his hands. There’s something about the action that just feels so… Childish. More so than the other childish things he does on a regular basis.
“Okay.” Kaito says, scooching closer to him and cautiously putting an arm around his shoulders. “You don’t have to tell me right now. I’ll just sit here with you until you’re ready to talk.”
He shakes his head again, this time seeming more urgent. “Can’t stay,” he whines, nervously pointing to the door. “Kaito, leave .”
There is definitely something weird going on. The urgency, the way he’s talking, it all just makes it more and more clear that Kokichi shouldn’t be on his own right now. “Kokichi, come on man… everything’s fine.” Kaito tousles his hair in a way he hopes is reassuring. “I don’t know what you’re so worried about, but whatever it is, I’ll help you, got it?” He says, smiling confidently.
Kokichi looks up at him as if he’s the biggest idiot in the world, but then he just seems to… give up. His face falls into an expression of defeat, he looks tired. He lets his head fall onto Kaito’s shoulder and shifts closer to him, curling up against his side and clutching a handful of the fabric of his shirt like his life depends on it.
Kaito looks down at him in surprise, this morning he never would’ve thought he’d end up here. He gently runs his fingers through Kokichi’s dark hair, trying his best to be soothing despite never really having cuddled with anyone like this before. Is that what this is… cuddling ? It sounds wrong, given who he’s with.
Kokichi’s crying soon calms down into nothing more than whimpering and hiccups, but he keeps his face buried in the crook of Kaito’s neck nonetheless.
“It’s alright…” Kaito murmurs. “I dunno what’s going on, but I’ll stick around as long as you need me.”
“Kaito…?” Kokichi asks, sniffling.
“Hm?”
“D- don’t tell anybody…” he says, sitting up and reaching behind one of the pillows.
Kaito’s brow furrows in confusion and he watches as Kokichi rummages around behind the pillow. He withdraws something small and plastic. Is that a pacifier? “Uh… Oh, okay.” Things are starting to make more sense, the slightly out of character way he’s been talking, the drawings on the walls, and now this. He still doesn’t completely understand, but it all fits together. “I won’t tell anyone.” he promises.
Kokichi points to the door. “Horsey…?” he mumbles, looking at Kaito pleadingly.
Kaito blinks, looking from Kokichi to the door, then stands up, pushing open the door and glancing around the room. “Ah,” he says to himself, spotting a brown and white spotted plush horse sitting on top of Kokichi’s dresser among the clutter. He walks over and grabs the toy before quickly returning to the closet and shutting the door behind him. He hands it to Kokichi. “There you go, buddy.” he says, patting his head.
The smaller boy hugs the horse to his chest, sighing contentedly before popping the pacifier into his mouth and looking up at Kaito like he’s waiting for something.
“Oh, do you want me to…?” he gestures down at the space on the floor beside Kokichi, who nods. “Alright.” he sits back down beside him, putting his arm over his shoulders and giving him a gentle squeeze.
There are a lot of questions Kaito would like to ask about this situation, but it doesn’t seem like Kokichi is very equipped to answer any of them right now, so that might have to wait. He’s playing absentmindedly with one of the buttons on Kaito’s jacket, his eyes heavy and half lidded. He has seemed rather overwhelmed these past few days, and more quiet in class than usual, has all that stress been leading up to this? Kaito twirls a strand of Kokichi’s hair between his fingers, silently contemplating the situation at hand.
Kokichi seems to be fighting to stay awake, every once in a while his eyes fall shut for a few seconds before opening again with a start, and he continues to preoccupy himself with the jacket buttons. Kaito watches this play out a couple times before speaking up. “You should take a nap, Kokichi. I don’t know how long you’ve been awake, but even supreme leaders need rest, you know.”
The supreme leader in question hums and curls closer so that he’s almost completely in Kaito’s lap, but then he opens his eyes and reaches into his pocket, taking out a wadded up piece of paper and handing it to him.
Kaito takes the paper, examining it curiously before carefully smoothing it out. He grins. It’s the drawing that was up on the wall before, of him and his sidekicks. He pats Kokichi’s head and carefully folds up the paper, putting it in his jacket pocket. “Thanks buddy, this is great!”
Kokichi smiles and shuts his eyes, resting his head on Kaito’s thigh. They sit like that for a long time and soon Kokichi is fast asleep. He strokes his hair and listens to his quiet breathing. Maybe he isn’t so bad, even if he can be intolerably annoying at times. Kaito’s phone vibrates in his pocket and he takes it out, careful not to jostle the boy asleep in his lap too much.
It’s a text from Maki. “Where are you? Class is starting.”
He bites his lip, he’d rather not lie to her, but if Kokichi doesn’t want anyone knowing about the pacifier, he probably doesn’t want anyone knowing about any other part of this situation either.
He thinks it over before carefully typing out his response. “Kokichi’s not feeling well, I’m gonna keep an eye on him for the rest of the day, can you let Kizakura Sensei know?” that’s technically not a lie, right?
Maki responds almost immediately. “I will, but I don’t know why you’re wasting your time on him. You’re not friends.”
Kaito set his phone aside with a sigh, looking down at Kokichi. They’re not friends, it’s true, but that might be changing. There’s more to him than he previously thought, and as bad as it feels to admit, he never really considered Kokichi’s feelings very much before today. He tucks a strand of hair behind his ear and he shifts slightly in his sleep, tightening his grip around the taller boy. Kaito smiles. Yeah... He’s not so bad.