Work Text:
There was something so peaceful about the early hours of the night. Dusk had already fallen, the sky painted a deep encompassing indigo as stars started to make their appearance. From the open window the sounds of the city could be heard; the muted sound of traffic from the road below, dull voices rising to the window as groups of people laughed and chatted together, heading off to places unknown. While he wouldn't necessarily call himself a people person, Shuichi loved the sounds of night life. It was so familiar to him, so alive . After what they had all been through, a reminder of the real world was all too welcome.
That's not to say he didn't enjoy their time in the country; he loved being at Kaito's house. He had inherited it from his late grandparents, and the sleepy little town was the perfect place for them to get away in the summer. The elderly population was happy to have some young boys to help them when they passed, and were more than happy to share any extra food they had made or vegetables they had harvested. In that old home they learnt to cook together, to lay in the grass and watch the stars while cicadas buzzed in the trees, a gentle wind blowing on them. It was always peaceful, but that was the problem. It just didn't feel as alive as his apartment in the city.
His pen drifted across the page, dutifully recording names from the file that sat open on his desk. With highschool over and his career beginning, he had gone back to that detective agency to ask for an internship. It was no trouble getting the job with his Ultimate, and they had started him off with some old solved cases to practice on. It felt almost demeaning, like they were testing to see if he was lying about his abilities. Still, it meant the work was easy and he could finish it readily enough. His eyes jumped across the page, having to go back and reread the last sentence.
Rubbing his eyes, he sat back in his chair as his eyelids slid shut. The case would be open and shut, just a simple break in that he had already solved, but he had to make notes and write down his findings. He couldn't just present his cases verbally anymore, he had to document hard proof. Vaguely he wondered if doing this would have helped him in those trials so long ago, but… putting his theories into coherent thoughts on paper was harder than he thought it'd be. He had all the proof, could see how it all connected in his head- hell, he'd solved cases that were ten times harder than the one in front of him, but as soon as he started putting it on paper he blanked. Defeated, he reached for his coffee cup, only partially surprised to find he'd already drank it. How many cups did that make now?
'Best not to think about it' he told himself with a quiet laugh, resigning himself to making another cup. If it was the only bad habit he'd picked up after everything, he was fine with that. It wasn't as bad as some of the others had fallen into, but that… wasn't something he liked to dwell on. There was nothing he could do for them now, after all- they were all coping in their own ways. He groaned as he stood, stretching out stiff limbs until he felt a little more human. Cup in hand, he emerged from the study for the first time in hours.
The apartment was dark, save for a bright light coming from the living room. Curious, he made his way over, memory reminding him to be careful of the uneven flooring. Peeking in through the doorway, he had to squint his eyes until they could adjust. The TV was on, casting the room in bright LED light. A horror movie was playing, the characters on screen crying and begging as they tried to avoid their deaths. It wasn't the kind of thing he had ever enjoyed watching, and he couldn't help the look of distaste he knew must have been on his face as he was reminded of their school life. Still, somehow, passed out on the couch in front of the screen was Kokichi, legs sprawled out and face half buried in the pillow he clutched to his chest.
Shuichi shook his head, picking his way through the mess on the floor to turn the television off. He couldn't count the number of times he'd told the smaller boy not to fall asleep with it on, but at the same time he could never get angry at him for forgetting. It seemed like such a minor thing to get upset over after everything they'd been through, especially since it was done with no malicious intent. He probably hadn't even meant to fall asleep, he had just been awake for far too long. The previous night he left immediately after dinner to meet up with the remaining D.I.C.E. members, and he hadn't returned home until Shuichi had gotten off work a few hours ago. He doubted the leader had slept or remembered to eat in the time he was gone, and it was amazing he hadn't collapsed as soon as he walked through the door.
The room was shrouded in darkness as the screen turned off, leaving just a lingering buzz of light in his eyes. He picked his way back across the floor carefully, pausing to drape a blanket over the smaller boy. It was the middle of winter and he was still just wearing his boxers and a hoodie, he was going to get sick if he didn't take care of himself. 'That's my job now, isn't it?' he couldn't help but ask himself, the corner of his mouth twitching at the thought. Though he didn't have a job, the little criminal always had enough money to cover their rent and groceries. They never asked where he got the money, and in return he just wanted to be spoiled. It kept falling on Shuichi to make sure he was taking care of himself when Kaito wasn't home though, which could be annoying on a good day. Still… he was just glad they were safe. With that thought, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear and left the room, heading for the kitchen.
He turned the light on, bathing the room in a warm, soft glow. Setting his mug on the counter, he rolled his shoulders and reached for the coffee pot. It was too light, and he looked at the empty container shamefully. He was the only one in the apartment who drank the stuff, and he knew that the pot had been full before he started working. Had he really drank that much in just the span of three hours? He could practically hear Kaito telling him again how bad it was for his body, and decided against making another pot. He'd just end up emptying it himself again. Instead, he set about making a cup of instant coffee. It would be his last one for the day, he told himself. There wouldn't be any need for more once he was finished working on cases for the night, he reminded himself.
The stovetop clicked on with a quiet hum as he prepared the kettle. A glance at the clock and he added enough water for a second cup, putting it on the burner and leaning against the counter. Letting his eyes drift shut, he could visualise each piece of his current case. The evidence floated behind his eyes, drawing lines between itself and putting itself in a neat timeline. Everything seemed so obvious, and it made him wonder how the agency had taken so long to figure it out the first time. He was about halfway through the evidence in his report, it shouldn't take much longer to finish up, as long as he could get his thoughts in order-
"MOTHER FUCKER!!! "
The accompanying thump wasn't quite as loud, but he was sure everyone in the building had probably heard the scream; he'd have to apologise to their neighbours in the morning. He really needed to fix that floorboard. With a defeated sigh, he pushed off from the counter and got a pot ready to put on the stove. He could think about the case later, right now he needed to play damage control. Stirring the pot slowly, he glanced behind himself to the doorway. Kokichi was stumbling his way into the room, almost tripping as he stepped on the edge of the blanket tossed over his shoulders. His hair was messier than normal, and he barely looked like he was awake, squinting against the gentle kitchen lighting.
"Shumai…? Where's Momo-chan?" The slurred words came as he stumbled over to the counter, letting the blanket fall to the ground as he took a seat on the stool there. Shuichi took his time answering, instead taking a clown mug from the cabinet to pour steaming milk into. Setting the now empty pot aside, he mixed up a cup of hot chocolate and set it in front of the boy. He took it thankfully, thin fingers curling around the odd shaped mug for its warmth.
"He's not home yet, it shouldn't be too much longer."
"...'S not here?" Kokichi's eyebrows furrowed at the thought, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "But my movie…?"
"I turned it off. You were sleeping pretty hard, Kichi."
"I was watching that, stupidhead!"
He smiled at the familiar insult, just shaking his head as he turned to make his cup of coffee. Behind him, he could hear the spoon scraping the bottom of the ceramic mug, a harsh sound he knew the other was making on purpose…. he was trying too hard to annoy him. Still, he knew the boy was thankful for his drink from the way he hovered over it. Learning to tell what he wanted to say from his body language was, frankly, exhausting, but it was becoming easier with time- and he didn't mask as much when he was tired.
Leaning on the counter across from him, Shuichi sipped his own drink. The boy was staring into the depths of the creamy liquid in his cup, dragging his spoon against the sides thoughtlessly. The scene was one they'd taken many times before when their partner was working late, each time accompanied by Shuichi drinking too much caffeine and "...Another bad dream, Kichi?" The question was quiet, trying not to make it feel like a confrontation.
He froze, spoon dragging to a halt as it slid from his fingers. There was so much emotion behind those purple eyes when they glanced up at him, marked with conflict. His eyes dropped back to his mug, and his words lacked the usual sarcasm he'd grown used to hearing. "I thought detectives didn't ask stupid questions."
"It's not stupid, if you're still having nightmares I want to know. There's ways to help it-"
"I don't need any shitty help!" Kokichi snapped back, gripping the cup in his hands. Shuichi backed down, instead covering one of the boy's hands with his own. It was cold, like always, and the skin felt raw from where he'd picked at it recently. The silence between them grew, and he could hear the shake in his voice when he spoke again. "He's… okay now, right? They made him better, and the sickness is gone, right Shuichi?"
Of course, that's what his dream was about.
He hadn't seen the… execution , back then, but somehow scenes of it kept invading his dreams, haunting him when he was alone. It happened more frequently than should have been normal, and he wanted him to see one of the Future Foundation's doctors about it, but Kokichi had refused. That was a level of vulnerability he wasn't ready to show the world, so they tried to manage it the best they could at home. He didn't know all the details, but he knew the dreams always ended with Kaito or himself dying, or a memory of Gonta's death. Once, it was even him reliving his final moments before being crushed.
They'd all had similar dreams for months after getting out, reliving the horrible memories they had made in that place, but they had faded with time and a return to normalcy. It had been a year and a half though, and Kokichi was still having them with the same frequency and intensity as he had the first night out of there. That first night he had woken up screaming in the dorms, banging on Kaito's door until he let him in. Kaito had, of course, texted Shuichi, and they spent the night awake together trying to reassure each other they were safe.
"You were in the hospital with us when it happened, Kichi. The doctors helped him manage it, he went through a series of medicine and recovery, and he's back in training. He's okay."
"But it could come back, couldn't it?"
"...Yeah, it could. I won't lie to you, there's a possibility it could get bad again. But the doctors are aware of his condition, and the base is monitoring his health. If it comes back, they can catch it early this time."
"No more coughing up blood?" Kokichi's voice was small, and his knuckles were turning white from the grip he had on his mug.
Shuichi gently pried his hand off, silently encouraging him to squeeze his hand instead. It was an instant death grip on his hand, but he just ran his thumb over the rough skin of his knuckles, briefly wondering if he had punched a wall again. "No more coughing up blood. The killing game is over, Kichi, we're okay. I promise."
A strangled laugh came from the smaller, and when he looked at him again he was trying to smile. When they all moved in together, he never would have imagined that the one to need the most reassurance out of them all would be the snarky liar. But, it made sense the more he thought about it. Even a liar needs something to hold onto as the truth. Though, maybe calling him a liar wasn't quite right at this point… he lied, yes, but rarely ever to them, they'd come to learn. He could lie all day long to the couple across the hall, routinely lied to their landlord, told kids that passed him outrageous tales, and still lied to their former classmates. But when it was just the three of them, he was the most truthful they'd ever seen him.
The peace of the apartment was broken by the front door rattling, opening with a faint jingle of keys that made both of them jump. "Hey guys, I'm back!"
Shuichi stood up straight, reaching over to turn the kettle back on. His eyes left Kokichi for only a second, but by the time they returned to him he'd wiped away the beginnings of tears and plastered that fake smile back on his face. Reminding him that he didn't need to hide was a battle he didn't have the energy to fight, and instead turned to his task of making a cup of tea for their beloved astronaut.
Gulping down his now cold drink, Kokichi slammed the empty mug down on the counter before hopping off his seat and sneaking over to stand flat against the wall. Shuichi shook his head, listening to the familiar creak of the floorboards in front of the door, able to picture the man's routine as he got ready to spend the rest of his night off work.
Kaito walked into the kitchen, setting a bag of take-out on the counter and wrapping the detective up in a hug. He rested his chin on the shorter's head, watching him go through the motions of making tea. "Man, you're gonna end up spoiling me, Shuichi" he teased, the warmth of his voice filling the room easily. "You don't gotta do that for me, you've got work too."
"I was already making one for myself, it's no hassle, really." He leaned back against the astronaut as he spoke, stretching up to kiss his cheek. Kaito's smile was bright, always making him feel better. Over the spaceman's shoulder, though, he could see a shape quickly moving closer, and he pushed the cup of tea further up the counter away from them.
He was shoved into the counter, Kaito's arms caging him there as the astronaut stumbled and braced himself as the air was knocked out of him. Kokichi's laugh cut through the room, and he heard Kaito groan before looking back with a scowl. "Kokichi, shit! Let go!"
The boy had jumped onto his back, arms wrapped around the tallest man's neck and trying to pull himself up that way. "Nope! It's my turn to be loved" he teased, pulling himself up to look over his shoulder. Shuichi laughed to himself, ducking out of Kaito's arms to give him room to handle the situation. Instead, he moved to start pulling out their dinner.
Kaito hooked his arms under the boy's legs, hoisting him up to relieve the pressure on his neck. Turning around, he set the boy on the counter, despite his protests. "Come on Kaito, don't be an ass!"
"Yeah, yeah, stop squirming," he grunted out, ruffling the smaller's hair as he faced him. "Is that my hoodie you little rat?"
"Oh, this tasteless thing? Hmm, maybe, buuuut it's mine now!"
The smile on Kokichi's face was large, overcompensating for how vulnerable he was just moments ago. Sitting on the counter, kicking his legs, an argument could be made that he looked completely fine. But Shuichi knew better, and debated saying something as he got out some plates.
"Oh yeah? Sounds like someone doesn't want their kiss."
"You wouldn't!"
Kaito was teasing, they all knew that, it was a game they all played sometimes, just a fun little way of teasing each other after being gone, but when he turned to walk away this time neither of them were prepared for Kokichi to grab his arm so suddenly. "Wait! I… I'm sorry, Kaito."
His voice was too quiet, too serious to be joking, and Kaito turned back to him quickly. Kokichi was clinging to his sleeve, eyes wide with his fear from earlier and bright with tears that threatened to escape. He tugged on his arm, and Kaito moved back without complaint, pulling the boy into a hug. He latched onto the astronaut automatically, hiding his face in his chest as his fingers curled in his shirt. Kaito looked over at Shuichi for help, but he already knew the answer to his question, the nod from the detective just confirming his suspicions.
"Come on, there's no reason to cry. I'm right here!" Kaito reassured him, running his fingers through the dark strands of hair. All he got was a muffled answer in reply, though he knew it was negative. "You gotta stop believing in those dreams! I'm not going anywhere, Koiki." He motioned for Shuichi to walk over, pulling him into the hug as well. "Neither of us are, got that? We're a family."
Family. That was a good word for it, one that held so much weight for all of them as none of them had grown up in a 'traditional' family. But it was one he'd never used to refer to them before, and it made the Ultimate on the counter freeze. Kokichi's head raised to look at them, not bothering to wipe away the tears that streamed down his cheeks. His voice hitched as he tried to speak, eyes darting between his partners with distrust. "We're…. we're a family?"
"Well, yeah! I mean, that's what we are, aren't we? Me, you, and Shuichi!" Kaito kissed the top of his head, and Shuichi brushed the tears from his eyes, laying his head on his shoulder. "I made you guys a promise, didn't I? That we'd make it through all this together, and I'd protect you guys. You're my family now, no way around it."
Kokichi was trying not to cry anymore, they could both tell from the way he was biting his lip, though this time they were happy tears. He'd never had a family before, not really- D.I.C.E. had given him somewhere to belong, but it had never filled the hole. For the first time he could remember, he was living somewhere warm and stable with people who genuinely loved him, and he couldn't ask for anything else.
Knocking his head against Kaito's shoulder, he grabbed Shuichi's hand and let violet eyes slip shut. Shuichi squeezed his hand, letting himself lean against Kaito as they all stood there in each other's arms. No one said anything more on the matter, knowing Kaito was right and grateful to just have each other to understand. Part of their learning to adjust was helping each other feel like they had a place in the world, and that took priority in their hearts.
Dinner could wait.