Archive of Our Own ^beta

8:29am, and he was still half way across campus from his homeroom class. Curse him and his oversleeping problem. Sure, he said he was late everyday on purpose, but obviously that was a lie. His attendance was atrocious at this point. If this was any other school, he would’ve been kicked out by now.

Stopping by the classroom door, Kokichi bent down to catch his breath. He couldn’t have his classmates knowing he had been in a rush to get there on time after all.

In the midst of catching his breath, a cough escaped his lips before he could stop it. He furrowed his brows. Weird , he thought. Sure it was weird but it wasn’t enough to raise suspicion.

Shrugging it off, Kokichi stood back up and stepped into his classroom.

None of his classmates turned to look in his direction at the sound of the door opening, all already knowing who it was. None except for one. It was subtle, subtle enough that no one really noticed it. Shuichi always snuck a quick glance towards the door everytime Kokichi walked in. Kokichi wasn’t sure if it was just his anxiety that made him check who walked in or if it was because it was Kokichi . He didn’t want to get his hopes up.

Today was no exception. Right as Kokichi walked through the door, a quick glance of gold was shot his way before it was hidden behind the detective novel he was currently reading. And like usual, Kokichi felt the familiar tug at his heart at the sight. But unlike usual, Kokichi also felt a small tickle in his throat. Suppressing the urge to cough, the supreme leader cleared his throat and headed towards his seat, not thinking anything of it.

* * *

But the weirdness didn’t just stop there. It happened again, the next time happening at lunch. They were sitting at their usual table, their friend group consisting of Shuichi, Kaito, Maki, Kaede, Rantaro, Kokichi, Miu, and Keebo. Originally their friend groups were separate- Shuichi, Kaede, Rantaro, Kaito, and Maki being one while Kokichi, Miu, and Keebo were the other- but they recently decided to merge their friend groups so Shuichi and Kokichi wouldn’t constantly be third wheeling.

Kokichi was sitting in his usual spot, sat in between Miu and Shuichi. He was still shocked he actually got to sit next to the detective, convinced Kaito and Kaede would’ve called the spots next to him. Instead Kaede was on Shuichi’s other side and Kaito was sat across from him. Rantaro was sat to Kaito’s right, across from Kaede, while Maki was on Kaito’s left, across from Kokichi, and Keebo was next to Maki, across from Miu.

“I still don’t understand how you can stand that stuff,” Maki stated coldly, eyeing the bottle of grape Panta in Kokichi’s hands. She said it coldly, but Kokichi knew his sister was just covering up her concern for his lack of proper hydration.

“If you think my precious Panta is hard to stand you should look in a mirror,” Kokichi shot back, lowering the bottle from his lips and screwing the cap back on.

Maki rolled her eyes.

“She’s right though,” Miu chimed in. “When was the last time you actually drank some fucking water?”

Kokichi opened his mouth to spew out some bullshit lie in response, before he felt a tickle in the back of his throat. Before he could stop himself, another cough was escaping his lips. This one was worse than the one from earlier that morning. He hurried to cover his mouth as Miu patted him on the back.

Once he was done coughing, he struggled to catch his breath. It was like something had planted itself in his lungs.

“Hey, little buddy, are you okay?” he heard Kaito ask from across the table, cringing as he cleared his throat.

“Ouma-kun?” Shuichi asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Kokichi just laughed in response, though it came out raspier than he wanted it to. “Sorry for concerning you, my dear subordinates, I just have this severe condition where sometimes I forget how to drink things and end up breathing them in instead. It’s genetic apparently and unfortunately there’s no cure so I’m stuck breathing in grape flavored soda for the rest of my life.” The lie came out naturally, almost as natural as breathing. And it did its job well. Miu’s hand slid off his back as she crossed her arms and huffed in annoyance. Maki rolled her eyes; Kaede forced a smile, going back to whatever conversation she had been having with Rantaro. Kaito huffed an annoyed “we’re not your subordinates” under his breath.

Shuichi, however, eyed him suspiciously, his hand lingering on his shoulder, before he sighed and his hand fell away as well.

Kokichi suddenly felt the need to cough again.

* * *

A couple months went by with the mysterious cough. He’d gotten better at hiding it. He still got the occasional concerned glance from his sister, Kaede, and of course Shuichi. But it was fine. It was just a cough.

“-and then I told Keebs about it and they thought it was a really good idea, I mean of course it was, it was one of my ideas. Wh-what do you think though?”

Kokichi snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Miu's voice. “Huh? What?”

“Were you even fucking listening to me, twinkma? Or were you too busy thinking about being pounded into the mattress by Shyhara?”

“Ew gross, no!” Kokichi scrunched up his face in mock disgust. “I was too distracted by your smelly breath that I-“ a cough escaped the supreme leader’s lips before he could finish his sentence.

“Hey twink, you okay? You’ve been coughing a lot lately. Not that I’m worried but Sherlock Homo has been.”

“I’m fucking fine, whore-chan, it’s just a little cou-“ another cough. But this time Kokichi felt like there was something stuck in his throat.

He continued coughing as Miu patted his back, before he brought his hand to his lips to conceal whatever it was coming up his throat. Something soft hit his hand as a final cough escaped his lips. He curled it up in his hand before plastering on a fake smile and turning back to Miu.

Upon seeing Miu’s concern covered features, Kokichi forced out his iconic laugh. “Did I get you?” he asked.

Miu furrowed her brows, not seeming convinced. “You’re lying again?”

Sensing her disbelief, Kokichi forced his smile to grow wider. “Of course I was lying! Or maybe that’s a lie? Anyway, it was fun talking to you, Miu, but I’ve got some important supreme leader business to attend to so talk to you later, bye!”

Miu opened her mouth to respond but before she could get any words out, Kokichi was speeding down the hallway towards the dorms.

Making it to the dorms, Kokichi ran down the hall until he made it to his dorm room. He searched through his pockets until he found his keys, before unlocking his door and pushing his way into his dorm room.

He slammed the door behind him and put his back to it, trying to catch his breath. Finally he glanced down at his hand, undoing his fist to see what he had coughed up. In his hand was a singular white flower petal.

* * *

White chrysanthemums. That’s what Kokichi had coughed up. Hanahaki disease was no secret. A disease caused by perceived unrequited love where the inflicted had flowers representing their beloved growing in their lungs. Everybody knew it existed, just nobody talked about it. Kokichi personally had never met anyone with Hanahaki, but three of his DICE members lost their mom to it, their dad not loving her.

Currently Kokichi was only coughing up the white chrysanthemums, representing truth. Kokichi had scoffed when he discovered the meaning.

Of course he was coughing up flowers representing truth for the Ultimate Detective.

* * *

Red columbines came next. They represent anxiety. Anxiety and truth. Of course , Kokichi couldn’t help but think.

Hiding the flowers was no easy task, Kokichi had to start carrying a bag around to put them in every time he coughed them up.

Miu had told them all about his “lie” so none of them believed the coughing anymore, even after it got worse. The only reactions he got anymore were rolled eyes and mutterings of “damnit, Ouma, cut that shit out”. He still got the occasional concerned glance from Kaede and suspicious glance from Maki and Shuichi, but it was fine. No one was going to find out.

Kokichi was slipping his binder into his backpack as the other students around him were rushing out of the room to get to their next class when he heard a voice next to him.

“Ouma-kun.”

Kokichi bit his lip to suppress a cough at his voice. “Hi Saihara-chan!”

“Have you, um, been feeling okay?”

Kokichi plastered on a fake smile at the question. “Just peachy! Why do you ask?”

“Well, it’s just,” Shuichi paused, rubbing the back of his neck, “you’ve been coughing a lot recently. I know Iruma-san said you told her it was a lie, but if it really were you would’ve stopped doing it by now and moved on to something else.”

Kokichi internally cursed. He never thought he’d be pissed at Shuichi for understanding him so well.

Kokichi forced out his laugh. “Wow, you sure understand me a lot, Shushu.” Putting a finger to his lips, he continued, “Maybe I was lying about the cough being a lie? Or maybe I’m lying right now?”

Shuichi huffed, before his expression softened. Kokichi coughed quickly before glancing away.

“Promise you’ll tell me if it gets worse?”

Thankfully Shuichi wasn’t that good at seeing through his lies yet. “Of course I will, Saihara-chan!”

* * *

Kokichi had no idea how long he’d been spacing out for before he was brought back to reality by a water bottle slamming down on the table in front of him.

The liar blinked a couple times before his vision focused and he locked eyes with piercing red. He tore his eyes away and glared at the water bottle in front of him. “What the hell, Maki-chan? You know I don’t drink this stuff.”

Maki rolled her eyes, sitting down in the seat across the dining hall table from him. “You need it, besides it might help with that cough.” Muttering under her breath, she added, “And you can drop the ‘chan’, you idiot.”

“The cough’s fucking fake anyway,” Miu scoffed, pushing her rice around in her bento box.

Kokichi didn’t respond, deciding to glare at the water bottle his sister had ruined his day with instead.

“Wouldn’t he have moved on from it at this point if it was a lie?” Kaede asked

“I’m literally sitting right here,” Kokichi muttered.

“Kaede has a point,” Rantaro agreed.

“I wonder why he’s beating that dead horse then,” Kaito stated.

“Again, I’m literally here,” Kokichi stated louder.

Keebo grimaced as Miu barked out a laugh. “Sorry Kokichi.”

Kokichi just rolled his eyes, turning to his right and locking eyes with Shuichi. The purple haired boy coughed softly at the sight of his golden eyes, glancing away quickly.

The blue haired boy sighed, running his hand lightly over Kokichi’s arm before leaning closer. Kokichi bit his lip to suppress the coughing fit that wanted to escape at the action.

“You promised you’d tell me if it got worse,” he mumbled softly.

Kokichi swallowed thickly, taking a deep breath and hoping Shuichi didn’t notice. “It hasn’t,” he lied.

Shuichi stared at him for a minute, before nodding and leaning away. Kokichi let out a soft breath of relief as the urge to cough faded when Shuichi turned away, looking up from the table and glancing at the others. They were all glancing between him and Shuichi, amused smiles and smirks on their faces. Miu was holding back laughter.

“What?” Kokichi asked.

The liar could’ve sworn he saw Shuichi shoot a glare in Kaito’s direction before the astronaut muttered out, “Nothing, man, don’t worry about it.”

Kokichi narrowed his eyes at the obvious lie as the others turned their attention back to their lunches. He opened his mouth to say something before he felt a hand on his right shoulder again.

“I’m sure it was nothing, Ouma-kun.”

He was lying. They were all lying. But the soft tone of his voice paired with the feeling of his hand on his shoulder again was too much.

The coughs escaped his lips before he could stop them. He slapped his hand over his mouth as he felt petals tickling up his throat.

“Ouma-kun?!”

Kokichi just shook his head at the sound of his name, abruptly standing up from his seat before bolting out of the room.

But unfortunately for him, he failed to notice the midnight blue flower petal slip between his fingers.

* * *

“God, it’s way too fucking early for this,” Kokichi groaned at the loud and insistent knocking on his door.

The supreme leader sat up in bed, having decided to skip his afternoon classes and take a nap after his little episode in the dining hall.

He pulled his covers off of him as the knocking became more frantic, getting to his feet and trudging to the door. Not even bothering to check his reflection in the mirror first, he pulled the door open. “For fuck’s sake, what? ”

“Oh thank god.”

Kokichi was suddenly wide awake at the sound of her voice. “Maki?”

“You scared the shit out of me,” Maki swore, pushing her way past the liar and forcing her way into his dorm.

“Yeah, of course you can come in, I don’t mind,” Kokichi stated sarcastically.

“Yeah whatever,” Maki huffed, turning around to face her brother with her arms crossed.

“Rotten sister,” Kokichi muttered under his breath, finally closing the door. “What do you want?”

Maki’s face softened at his question, something resembling grief in her eyes. It made Kokichi feel sick to his stomach. “How long?”

“What?”

“How. Long.” she repeated, grabbing Kokichi’s wrist. She pulled his arm up and placed her closed fist in his palm, opening it and letting something soft flutter into his hand.

Kokichi glanced down as Maki pulled her hand away. In his palm was a blue flower petal. His heart dropped at the sight.

“How long?” Maki said again, softer this time.

Kokichi cleared his throat. “I started coughing up flowers three months ago, but I’ve had the cough for about seven.”

“Seven months,” Maki scoffed. “So what? You’re just going to die in four months?”

Kokichi shrugged. “What else am I going to do?”

“Get the surgery.”

“Maki, you know I can’t do that.”

A pause. “I know.” Another pause. “Do you know what these are?” she asked, taking the petal back from him and holding it in her hands.

“I’m not good at recognizing flowers,” Kokichi scoffed, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

“They’re hydrangeas,” Maki replied.

“Why did you ask if you already knew?” Kokichi mumbled.

“In flower language they mean ‘gratitude for being understood’,” she explained, ignoring him as she held the flower petal up, “and this hydrangea in particular happens to be blue. Dark blue.”

“Where are you going with this, Maki?”

“Does Shuichi know?”

Kokichi froze. “Saihara-chan?”

Maki shrugged. “He was the first one who actually tried to understand you. It doesn’t help that this is the exact same shade as Shuichi’s hair.” She paused. “And your crush on him is a little obvious.”

Kokichi just sighed defeatedly, falling onto his back on the bed.

“So does he know?”

“What do you think?”

“Are you going to tell him?”

Kokichi hesitated, sitting up. “I don’t know.”

“I think you should,” Maki stated, sitting down on the bed next to him, face void of emotion. “I don’t want to lose my brother.”

Kokichi tore his eyes away from her, keeping his face blank. He wanted to laugh at how they coped the exact same way.

The supreme leader rested his head on her shoulder as Maki asked her next question, “What other flowers are you coughing up? Do you know?”

“White chrysanthemums and red columbines according to google.”

“Truth and anxiety,” Maki hummed. “Of course.”

Kokichi snorted. “Since when do you know flower language?” Maki’s cheeks burnt bright red at the question. “Ooooooh someone’s trying to impress Momota-chan.”

“Shut up, brat,” Maki huffed, shoving him off of her.

Kokichi giggled, falling back onto his bed. “That’s cheesy, Maki.”

Maki sighed exasperatedly. “Whatever,” she muttered, before continuing. “Alright, promise you won’t get mad.”

“Not a commitment I think I can make,” Kokichi snorted.

Maki chuckled softly. “I told Kaito.”

Kokichi’s smile fell. He sat up quickly. “You what ?”

Maki sighed heavily. “He saw the petal in my hand.”

“ Goddamnit ,” Kokichi swore, biting his thumbnail.

“Hey, it’s not that big of a deal,” the assassin stated.

 “Maki, honey, beloved sister of mine, Momota-chan cannot keep a secret to save his goddamn life ,” Kokichi exasperated. “It’s only a matter of time before Saihara-chan and everybody in the fucking country find out.”

Maki sighed. “Would it really hurt if Shuichi knew?”

“It’s not like he feels the same,” the liar mumbled. “It’d just make him feel guilty.”

Maki opened her mouth to respond but quickly closed it, biting her lip instead. She sighed softly. “Okay.”

* * *

Kokichi coughed softly into his handkerchief as he exited his last class of the day. He’d started carrying a handkerchief around to easily conceal petals, since he coughed up petals everytime he coughed now.

He lowered the handkerchief from his lips and he locked eyes with Maki and Kaito waiting outside for him. He rolled his eyes at the sight.

“So glad my captors have decided to escort me to my cell,” he drawled sarcastically.

“Shut up.” Maki rolled her eyes as Kaito handed him a water bottle.

“Here, little buddy, I got you some water.”

“Ah yes, another for the collection,” Kokichi grumbled, taking the water bottle anyway.

Kaito sighed, placing his hand on Kokichi’s back and leading him towards the dorms. “Has the cough gotten any worse?”

“No, if anything it’s actually gotten better.”

“Really?” Kaito asked, eyes lighting up.

“He’s lying, idiot,” Maki hissed.

Kokichi chuckled dryly. “Sorry.”

Kaito scowled before he chuckled as well. “Never change, Ouma.”

“Why change perfection?”

“Ouma-kun?”

The liar froze at the sound of Shuichi’s voice, feeling a flutter of petals in his throat.

“Hey Shuichi, what’s up?” Kaito’s voice greeted as they turned around to face the detective.

Shuichi ignored him, stepping closer to Kokichi. “Are you doing okay?” he asked. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in awhile, and after that incident in the dining hall a couple weeks ago,” the blue haired boy trailed off. “I’m just worried about you.”

Kokichi bit his lip to suppress the coughing fit rising in his throat. Shuichi was worried about him . The roots in his lungs dug further at the revelation. The liar attempted to plaster one of his fake smiles on his face but he didn’t feel like it was very believable. “I’m peachy, Shumai! I’ve just been very busy recently with evil supreme leader stuff so-” the coughing fit he’d been repressing escaped. He pulled out his handkerchief, covering his mouth quickly.

“Ouma-kun!?”

Kokichi felt a hand on his shoulder, turning him to face away from Shuichi.

“You need to go, Shuichi,” he heard Maki’s voice say.

“What? Why? Is he okay?” Shuichi sputtered.

“He just has a little cold, Shuichi,” Kaito’s voice said. “He’ll be okay as long as he has me and Maki-Roll.”

“Since when do you hang around him this much?” Shuichi asked.

“He’s my brother,” was all Maki said, apparently deciding she’d had enough as she roughly guided the still coughing Kokichi away from the object of his affections and towards the dorms.

Kaito stayed to say something else to Shuichi before speeding away to catch up with Maki and Kokichi.

“You guys are shit liars,” Kokichi managed to get out in between coughs.

“Save it,” Maki grumbled, rubbing his back.

“So it is Shuichi?” Kaito asked.

“Like it wasn’t obvious.”

Kokichi rolled his eyes, finally done coughing, he crumbled up the handkerchief in his hand.

“Wait, what was that?” Maki asked urgently, reaching for the handkerchief.

“Flower petals.”

“No, the red flowers you cough up aren’t this shade,” the assassin mumbled, ripping the handkerchief from Kokichi’s hand and unraveling it. She froze.

“Maki?” Kaito asked.

Maki didn’t respond, she just handed the handkerchief to Kaito and Kokichi. Kaito gasped at the sight. The checkered fabric was stained red. Red with blood. Kokichi felt his blood run cold. Coughing up blood was one of the more fatal signs. He only had about two months left to live.

“Kokichi, you need to go home.”

Kokichi chuckled dryly. “Uh, yeah, that’s where you’re taking me.”

“No, I mean home home,” Maki insisted. “Like back with DICE.”

“DICE?” Kaito questioned.

“Why?” Kokichi asked.

“ Why ?” Maki exasperated. “Kokichi, you’re dying . Do they even know?”

Kokichi averted his eyes.

Maki scoffed. “You didn’t even tell them.”

“I don’t need them worrying over me,” Kokichi insisted. “I’m a goner anyway.”

“They’re your family.”

Kokichi just bit his bottom lip, irritating the skin. “I’m not going home,” he finally said.

“So what? You’re just going to rot away in your dorm room?” Maki exasperated. “You don’t want to be surrounded by your family while you die?”

“Maki, I really don’t want to have this conversation.”

“Well why not? Do you not understand what I just said to you? You’re fucking dying!”

“Maki-Roll.”

“You don’t understand, Kaito,” the assassin snapped. “You saw what happened when Shuichi so much as expressed concern for him. They have classes together, he can’t avoid him. Not that Shuichi is easy to avoid anyway.”

“Maki-Roll, you need to calm down,” Kaito stated calmly, grabbing her by the shoulders.

Maki took a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut as a few tears escaped. She let out a soft sob. Kokichi felt his heart break at the sound. “I just got him back, I can’t lose him again.”

Kaito sighed, wrapping his arms around Maki and pulling her close to his chest before turning back to Kokichi. “Ouma, why don’t you just tell Shuichi how you feel?”

Kokichi scoffed. “And make him feel responsible for my death? Yeah right.”

“Hanahaki is emotional though right? So there’s a chance the feelings aren’t unrequited? What if he feels the same?”

Kokichi laughed bitterly. “You’re funny, Momota-chan.” He glanced back at Maki, her face now blank, and his expression softened. He stepped towards her. “I’ll tell DICE, but I’m not going home. I don’t need them worrying about me when nothing can be done about it.”

She sniffled, wiping her eyes. “You’re really just going to let yourself die?”

Kokichi sighed, glancing back down at his blood stained handkerchief. “I really wish I had another choice.”

* * *

It wasn’t just petals anymore. Whole flowers were coming up now. It was easier to recognize the columbines, chrysanthemums, and hydrangeas when they weren’t just petals. They’d almost be pretty, if they weren’t stained with blood.

It was harder to breathe now, harder to stand up, harder to walk, harder to live. He’d feel lightheaded if he stood up too fast, or stood too long. His vision would get blurry and he’d get dizzy.

He was sure it was starting to show. Kaito said he looked paler, more dead.

It was when he was laying in his dorm room with Maki that the final indication before death showed itself.

He was laying on his bed on his back, staring at the ceiling, while Maki sat next to him.

“I should tell Miu,” Kokichi muttered, “and probably Keebo.”

“You haven’t told your best friends?”

Kokichi scoffed. “I wasn’t even going to tell you, or DICE.”

“I still don’t understand that.”

“You’re really going to look at me and tell me that if you were in my position, you’d tell me, or Saihara-chan, or Momota-chan ?”

Maki didn’t respond.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” the liar hummed. “We’re a lot alike, Maki.”

Maki sighed. “Yeah, we are.” She paused. “You know, Shuichi says that a lot too.”

The liar coughed up a blue hydrangea at her comment. “He does?” he asked, throwing the bloody flower into the trash can he’d moved from his desk to his bed.

Maki nodded. “He understands you a lot, you know.”

Coughs bubbled up in the liar’s throat. He sat up quickly, covering his mouth as bloody flowers fell into his lap. Maki scooted closer to him, patting his back.

“ Goddammit , Maki, are you trying to kill me?” Kokichi swore, lowering the bunch of bloody flowers from his lips. “You know that shit triggers it so-“ he trailed off, staring at the flowers.

“Kokichi?” Maki peered over at his hands and gasped. In the supreme leader’s hands were four roses, each one a different color.

“Roses,” Kokichi mused blankly. He smiled sadly. “One more month left.”

“Red, lavender, dark pink, and salmon,” Maki mused, naming the colors of the blood stained petals.

“What do they mean?” Kokichi asked. In the later stages of Hananhaki, the flowers growing in the infected’s lungs would become overgrown with different colored roses. Unlike the other flowers, which described the object of their affections, the colors of the roses would represent how the infected felt about their beloved.

Maki smirked. “I don’t know. How do you feel about Shuichi?” Kokichi glared at her and she chuckled. She reached for the red rose. “Red, the classic, means a simple I love you .” She grabbed the deep pink rose. “Dark pink, gratitude.” The salmon rose. “Salmon, desire and excitement.” The lavender rose. “And lavender,” she paused, smiling softly as she glanced up at the liar.

“What?”

“Lavender means love at first sight .”

Kokichi averted his eyes. “Checks out,” he muttered.

Maki’s smile faded. “Are you sure you’re not going to tell him?”

“I’m sorry.”

“What if I told you he felt the same way about you?”

Kokichi let out a bitter laugh. “I’d tell you to stop lying.”

There was an uncomfortable silence between them. “Do you feel the rose thorns yet?”

Kokichi shook his head. “No.”

A beat passed, before Maki softly said, “You will.”

* * * 

The others in their class at this point assumed the cough had not been a lie. The sickness was starting to show. Kokichi was noticeably weaker and paler. The way Maki would rush to help him walk. They all had their suspicions.

“Do you think he has Hanahaki?” Tsumugi asked one morning. Kokichi, Maki, and Kaito had all not arrived yet. Being late was a common occurrence for those three now.

“Hanahaki?” Shuichi questioned. He shook his head. “No, he can’t.”

“Yeah! Ouma-san is too heartless to love anyone!” Tenko shouted.

“What? No! That’s not what I meant,” Shuichi exclaimed.

“You know, Shirogane might have a point,” Miu agreed weakly.

“You called me by my name?”

“Look, I’m panicking, okay?!” Miu exclaimed. “Kokichi may be an annoying little shit but he’s still my best friend and he’s clearly not fucking okay!”

“It’s okay, Miu, calm down,” Keebo mumbled, rubbing her back.

“Why do you think Ouma-kun has Hanahaki, Iruma-san?” Shuichi asked.

“Oh, well, um,” She stared at Shuichi wide-eyed before glancing around at everyone else in the room. Her expression hardened. “Why do I need a reason? I just know my best friend, okay?”

“Oh, I understand,” Kaede jumped in. “Ouma-kun has a crush on someone in this class and Iruma-san doesn’t want to tell us without his permission.”

“What? No,” Miu disagreed. “It’s like Ultimate Yumeno Simp over there said, Kokichi’s heartless. He doesn’t have a crush on anyone, and definitely not any of the zeros in this class.”

“Sure, Iruma-san.” Kaede nodded. “Is this nonexistent crush why you think he has Hanahaki?”

Miu hesitated, before sighing. “He’s stopped talking to him, and Kokichi would never stop talking to him, even if he was dying.”

“Wait, him?” Himiko asked.

Miu raised an eyebrow. “Are you shocked?”

“Interacting with your beloved makes the symptoms of Hanahaki worse,” Tsumugi mused, ignoring Himiko.

“But would that really stop Ouma-kun?” Shuichi questioned. “I mean, he’s very persistent.”

“It’s probably Harukawa-san,” Keebo stated. “She’s been very protective of him recently. She’s probably going out her way to keep them apart.”

Shuichi hummed, covering his mouth with his hand. Had Maki been going to lengths to keep Kokichi away from someone? Come to think of it, Shuichi hadn’t seen much of Kokichi or Maki at all since Kokichi’s coughing fit in the dining hall. Sure, Maki was adamant about Shuichi not seeing him a couple of times, but she probably did that with all their classmates. Yeah, there was no way the person Kokichi had Hanahaki for was Shuichi, as much as the realization made Shuichi’s chest hurt.

“Hey, Shuichi, what do you think?” Kaede asked.

Shuichi shook his head. “I’m not sure. I haven’t really seen much of Ouma-kun or Maki during this to really determine who she could be keeping him away from.”

He glanced back up from his lap, lowering his hand from his mouth, and was met with twelve disappointed eyes staring at him. He averted his eyes quickly, subconsciously reaching up to pull on the hat that was no longer there. “What?”

Kaede sighed. “Nothing, Shuichi.”

“Hey, why doesn’t Kokichi just tell this mystery boy how he feels?” Angie asked.

Miu snorted. “Kokichi? Talk about his feelings? He would rather die. Literally apparently,” she added softly.

“If Ouma-kun did have Hanahaki, wouldn’t he at least tell Iruma-san?” Gonta asked. “Ouma-kun and Iruma-san best friends, right?

“No, he wouldn’t,” Miu replied blankly. “Kokichi’s like that. He’d rather die alone and sad than have people fuss over him.”

“Why would he tell Harukawa and Momota then?” Ryoma asked.

“I doubt he did,” Shuichi stated. “Maki probably found out on her own and she probably told Kaito.”

“So what do we do?” Angie asked.

There was an awkward silence. Kaede opened her mouth to break it, to say something uplifting and optimistic about Kokichi’s situation, but she was cut off by the classroom door opening.

They all turned their heads towards the door to see Kaito, Maki, and Kokichi enter, Kokichi leaning on Maki. They averted their eyes at Maki and Kaito helped Kokichi to his desk. He rested his head in his arms the second he was in his seat, coughing softly

Rantaro sighed at the sight. “I don’t think there’s anything we can do.”

* * *

It wasn’t even an hour into class when it happened. The teacher had asked a question and Shuichi raised his hand to answer it. He’d gotten it wrong, a rarity for the detective. It didn’t make Kokichi adore him any less.

The liar always kind of had a thing for his voice.

Coughs were erupting from his lips before he could stop them. Maki was at his side as bloody roses and vomit fell from his lips.

His vision went blurry as a stinging pain bloomed through his lungs.

“Kokichi?!”

Miu was at his other side. He could feel her fingers carding through his hair, pulling it out of his face.

“Ouma-kun?!” Shuichi’s voice.

“Give him some space, Shuichi.” Kaito.

Just when Kokichi thought it couldn’t get worse, Shuichi uttered out a soft, “Kokichi…”

Everything went black.

* * *

When Kokichi woke up, he didn’t wake up in his bed. Well he did , but not his dorm room bed. He felt worse than ever before. His head was pounding, his throat was scratchy, his lungs were stinging, and all of his bones ached.

He groaned, glancing around at the bright orange walls.

“Welcome back,” a voice to his left stated, making him jump.

He sat up in bed slightly. Sitting at his bedside was Queen, or better known as Maiko Tamura. A DICE member, and one of his closest friends.

She pushed her pale pink bangs out of her eyes, her chin length hair ruffling slightly. “You scared the shit out of us.”

“How did I get here?” he croaked, shocking himself with how raspy his voice was.

“Maki and Iruma-san brought you here,” Maiko answered. “It was nice to finally meet your best friend, boss.”

Kokichi cringed as his headache worsened. “Where are they?”

“Iruma-san stuck around for a bit before heading back to Hope’s Peak, and Maki stepped out to talk to Jiro,” Maiko stated, nodding towards his bedroom door.

Kokichi nodded, leaning against his headboard.

“Why didn’t you tell Iruma-san?”

The liar didn’t respond, titling his head up and staring at his bedroom ceiling.

Maiko sighed. “I’m not even going to pretend to understand why you’ve handled this the way that you have. Just know that everyone at DICE loves and cares about you. You brought us together, things wouldn’t be the same here without you.”

“Where are you going with this, Maiko?” he asked, despite knowing exactly where it was going.

“I’m not going anywhere with this,” she lied, standing up and heading towards the door. “I’m just saying, you’re amazing, Kokichi.” She placed her hand on the doorknob, pausing before softly adding, “And if Saihara-kun can’t see that then maybe he’s not worth remembering.”

Kokichi didn’t respond, coughing at the mention of his name.

Maiko sighed. “I’ll tell Maki you’re awake.” She slipped through the door, leaving him alone.

* * *

Kokichi didn’t know how much time passed. He didn’t know when he fell asleep but he rose from his slumber at the sound of his door opening. He cracked his eyes open, peering at Maki as she closed the door behind her.

“Morning,” Kokichi groaned.

Maki rolled her eyes, sitting at the foot of his bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Haha,” the liar laughed weakly.

“I guess I could’ve assumed,” Maki sighed.

There was a silence between them. Kokichi couldn’t bring himself to look at her, keeping his eyes glued to the ceiling.

“What happened?”

Maki sighed. “You had an episode in class. Vomit, blood, roses, everything.”

“And they all saw?”

“They all saw.”

“Even,” a cough interrupted him, “even Saihara-chan?”

“Even Shuichi,” Maki confirmed. “He’s really worried. You should tell him.”

Kokichi groaned. “I’m not telling him, Maki.”

“Why not?” Maki groaned, covering her face with her hands.

“You know how Saihara-chan is,” Kokichi insisted. “He’ll blame himself when I die and it’ll tear him apart.”

“For fuck’s sake, Kokichi!” Maki exasperated, standing up. “He likes you back! He talks about you all the damn time to the point it’s getting annoying! He’s constantly asking me who you like or how you feel about him, and I’m so tired of pretending like I have no idea. Everyone’s tired of pretending like they have no idea, because everyone sees it except for you two! Goddamnit, Kokichi, he’s in LOVE with you! So please, for the love of god, tell him because blood or not you are my brother and I love you and I cannot lose you again!” She was crying by the end of it.

None of her usual tells were there. There was no deceit in her eyes. She was crying . Maki Harukawa does not cry. She… wasn’t lying. But there was no way she wasn’t lying. Shuichi? Liking Kokichi back? It just wasn’t possible. Shuichi was Shuichi, and Kokichi was Kokichi . He was a compulsive liar . He lied all the time, he hurt people. Why would anyone want to be around him?

Sharp pains stabbed his lungs and throat as roses and bile traveled up his throat. No, there was no way Shuichi could love him. Even if Maki wasn’t lying, maybe she just believed Shuichi liked him. Yeah that had to be it.

“He kept asking me who you had Hanahaki for,” Maki continued softly, sounding defeated. “He begged me to tell him who it was.”

“Get out,” Kokichi croaked, pushing back the vomit threatening to escape.

“Kokichi-“

“GET OUT,” he rasped, throwing himself over the edge of the bed as he puked, vomit and bloody roses falling to the purple carpet.

Maki’s eyes widened before her gaze hardened. “Fine.”

Kokichi was too busy vomiting to hear her leave.

Great, not only am I going to die, but I’m going to die on bad terms with my sister.

* * *

He didn’t know how much time passed. It was at least a couple of days, maybe a week. Staying awake took too much energy, energy he didn’t have anymore. Every breath hurt, every breath he could actually manage to take. His head hurt, his ribs hurt, his lungs hurt, his heart hurt. Because no matter how bad things had gotten, he missed Shuichi. He missed him so much. More than ever now.

His time was coming, he could feel it. His heart rate was slower now, according to Koji, who was the closest thing they had to a doctor in DICE. Everything felt like it was getting slower. He couldn’t believe that this was really it.

Tears escaped his eyes and began running down his cheeks. He didn’t want to die, he really didn’t. He was only sixteen, he had so many things left to experience. So many things left to experience with Shuichi .

Kokichi sat up quickly at the thought of the detective, emptying his stomach into the trash can Jiro had moved to his bed after Maki left for the final time.

He didn’t even hear the door opening.

“Ouma-kun?”

The liar felt more rose thorns tear up his throat at the sound of his voice. He swallowed them down, wiping the tears from his eyes as he dropped the bloody mess of a trash can.

“Saihara-chan?” he rasped, turning towards his door.

Shuichi stood in the door, worried expression covering his pretty face and still dressed in his school uniform. He must’ve come over right after school. Kokichi coughed at the thought.

“I’m sorry, is this a bad time?” Shuichi asked.

Kokichi shook his head. “It’s never a bad time when it’s you,” he croaked out, affection dripping from his words.

Shuichi nodded, rubbing the back of his neck as he averted his eyes. “I just wanted to check on you.”

“How’d you know where I was?”

“Maki gave me the address.”

Kokichi groaned, leaning back against the headboard. “Of course she did.”

“Is there a problem with me being here?”

Kokichi bit his lip, forcing a laugh. “Of course it is! How am I supposed to run my evil organization if the Ultimate Detective knows the address to our hideout?” A liar until the end.

Shuichi didn’t reply, deciding to stare at the vomit stain on the deep purple carpet instead.

“Are you just going to stand by the door or?”

That seemed to snap Shuichi out of whatever trance he was in. “S-sorry.” He reached up to tug on the brim of a hat that was no longer there before settling for brushing his hair to the side instead. He awkwardly closed the door behind him before heading towards Kokichi’s bed, sitting at the foot.

He snuck a glance at the trash can, cringing at the bloody mess before turning away. “Why don’t you tell them how you feel?”

Kokichi scoffed. “I wish people would stop telling me that. I’m not going to make him feel guilty for my death.”

Shuichi thought for a moment. “What if he feels the same?” he asked softly.

Kokichi laughed dryly. “You’re funny, Saihara-chan.”

“Shuichi,” he mumbled, almost too soft to hear.

“Huh?”

Shuichi swallowed. “If you’re going to die, then I’d like you to call me Shuichi at least once.”

Kokichi felt a sting of pain in his lungs at the thought of Shuichi’s given name on his tongue. He knew it would hurt a lot but if this was what Shuichi wanted, then it was what Shuichi would get.

“Will you mourn me, Shuichi?” he asked softly, cringing at the sharp sting of pain.

Shuichi turned away. The liar could see the soft glint of tears bubbling in his eyes. “I already am.”

Kokichi turned away as well. He couldn’t bare to look at him, knowing the pain he was feeling was his fault. It seems Kokichi couldn’t protect him after all. Kokichi’s death would hurt regardless of if Shuichi knew the truth or not.

“Why did you come today, Shuichi?” the liar asked, bringing his hand to his mouth to muffle the soft pained groan that escaped his lips from saying his name. “Was it really just to check on me?”

Shuichi chuckled softly, wiping at his eyes. Kokichi coughed. “Guess you can still see through me.” His smile faded. “I wanted to convince you.”

Kokichi raised an eyebrow. “Convince me?”

“To get the surgery,” Shuichi specified.

“No.”

“Ouma-kun, please,” the detective pleaded. “If you’re not going to tell him, then why not just get the surgery?”

“Do you even know what that would do to me?” Kokichi questioned. “I’d forget him! I-” he stopped himself. He closed his eyes, taking a deep painful breath. He slowly opened his eyes, locking eyes with Shuichi and feeling a sharp sting in his lungs. “I can’t do that to him,” he finished softly.

Shuichi’s eyes softened. “If he really cared, he’d want you to get the surgery.”

Kokichi chuckled bitterly, getting tired of the pounding of his head and stinging in his lungs that got worse with Shuichi’s presence. “And why do you care?”

“ God , because I love you, Kokichi!” Shuichi exasperated, frustratedly. His eyes widened once he realized what came out of his mouth. “Wait- shit . I didn’t mean to say that, I’m sorry.”

But Kokichi couldn’t hear him. Not over the ringing in his ears and the echoing of Shuichi saying his given name.

Kokichi was grabbing the trash can and emptying his stomach before Shuichi could get out any more apologises.

“Ouma-kun!” the detective cried, jumping towards him and rubbing his back.

I love you, Kokichi. He called him Kokichi and he said he loved him? No, Shuichi couldn’t love Kokichi. There was no way. But… what if he did?

Kokichi roughly grabbed the blue haired boy’s shoulder, threading his fingers through the fabric of the detective’s brown blazer and forcing his pounding head up to look at him. “Say it again,” he rasped.

Shuichi furrowed his brow before realization flashed across his eyes. He leaned forward, cupping Kokichi’s cheek with his hand and resting his forehead against his. The liar struggled to keep his eyes open as he made eye contact. Eye contact was something Shuichi hated, but here his gaze was firm. “I love you, Kokichi. So much. I think about you all the time. And that’s the truth.”

Staring in his eyes it was clear, he wasn’t lying. No matter how hard it was to believe, none of Shuichi’s tells were there. He was telling the truth. He actually loved Kokichi.

Kokichi coughed at the realization, pulling away from Shuichi and grabbing the trash can. He vomited as he felt Shuichi’s arms softly wrap around his middle. He choked when the feeling of something bigger came up his throat. He coughed and choked, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt Shuichi’s hand travel up to play with his hair.

The huge thing in his throat finally came up at the feeling of a pair of lips pressing against his temple. Kokichi coughed it up and spit it into the trash can. And once it was gone, relief.

The liar gasped at the feeling, finally feeling like he could breathe for the first time in months . He sat up, wiping the blood and spit from his lips as he glanced into the trash can. Sitting in it on top of piles and piles of blood and roses, was flower roots. It was over.

Kokichi giggled to himself. “Holy shit.”

“Ouma-kun, are you okay?”

Kokichi turned to the boy next to him, a bright smile on his face. “Shuichi, I love you.”

Shuichi chuckled in relief as his cheeks flushed red. “I love you too.” His smile faded. “I’m really sorry, Ouma-kun, if I had told you sooner you wouldn’t-”

“Oh, no, no no no,” Kokichi interrupted, putting a finger to the detective’s lips. “Do not apologize to me right now. This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you when I started coughing up flowers.”

Shuichi stayed silent, nodding.

Kokichi sighed, lowering his hand. “Did Maki tell you?”

“No, actually,” Shuichi chuckled. “She was the one who encouraged me to come see you, but she didn’t tell me it was me. Looking back, it’s clear she wanted to.”

“She’s probably so mad at me,” Kokichi giggled.

“She’s not,” Shuichi argued softly, tucking a strand of purple hair behind Kokichi’s ear. “She’s just going to be happy you’re okay.”

Shuichi’s golden eyes darted towards the trash can before he cringed and looked away. “So what do the roses mean?”

Kokichi scoffed.

“Come on,” Shuichi laughed. His gaze softened. “I want to know what you think of me.”

Kokichi glared at him. “Not fair.” He sighed, glancing down at his bloody mess. “The red just means I love you , the pink is gratitude, the salmon is excitement, and,” he hesitated.

Shuichi raised an eyebrow. “And? What about the purple?”

“Love at first sight,” Kokichi answered quietly.

Shuichi scoffed. “Seriously?”

“What?”

“When we first met I was still wearing my hat and I hid behind Kaede all the time.”

“Yeah, and I thought that was hot, what of it?”

Shuichi laughed. Soon Kokichi joined in before his weak lungs protested.

The detective’s smile faded. “Oh, we should probably get you to a hospital, and tell everyone that you’re okay.” He rested his hand on Kokichi’s shoulder as he wheezed. “Your evil organization is really worried about you,” he added softly.

“Yeah,” Kokichi sighed. “I’m way too stubborn.”

Shuichi scoffed. “Uh, yeah.”

Kokichi grinned, looking up at him. “Your problem now!”

Shuichi laughed, smiling fondly. “Yeah, it is.” He stood up from the bed, making sure not to step in the blood that missed the trash can, and held his hand out for Kokichi.

The liar took it, intertwining their fingers as he stood, and then proceeded to lose his balance and fall into Shuichi’s chest.

“Ouma-kun?”

“Sorry, haven’t walked in awhile,” Kokichi giggled.

Shuichi chuckled. “That’s okay,” he wrapped his arms around the liar, pulling him more upright, “this works too.”

“Hey, what happened to Kokichi?” the liar asked, resting his chin on Shuichi’s chest and looking up at him.

“Huh?”

“You went back to calling me Ouma-kun.”

“Oh,” Shuichi paused, before softly asking, “do you want me to call you Kokichi?”

“Well boyfriends should call each other by their given names.”

Shuichi’s cheeks burnt red as he chuckled softly. “I guess they should,” he hesitated, “Kokichi.”

Kokichi grinned. “Righto, Shui-“ a cough interrupted him.

“Kokichi?!” Shuichi asked frantically. “Are you okay!?”

“I’m fine,” Kokichi rasped, clearing his throat. “Must just be aftereffects. Those are probably a thing.”

“I don’t know,” Shuichi replied quietly, placing his hand over his mouth. “Hanahaki survivors are rare, it was hard to find information about it.”

“Oh, so you tried to find information on Hanahaki?”

The detective’s face flushed a color that would make a tomato jealous. “I just wanted to-“ he trailed off, sighing heavily and gripping the fabric of Kokichi’s purple Panta shirt tightly in his hands. “Let’s just get you to a hospital, okay? You want anyone else to come? Some of your members?”

“Can you call Maki?” Kokichi replied softly, resting his head against Shuichi’s chest and letting his eyes slip shut. “You can even tell her she can bring smelly Momo-chan.”

“Yeah,” Shuichi chuckled softly, pulling away from the other and reaching into his pocket to grab his phone. “I can call Maki.”

Shuichi unlocked his phone, navigating to Maki’s contact.

“Hey Shuichi,” Kokichi’s voice called as he hovered his thumb over the call button.

Shuichi turned towards him. “Yeah, Koki-“ the detective was cut off by the feeling of two lips pressed against his own.

Shuichi’s eyes widened when he realized he was kissing Kokichi. Kokichi’s eyes were squeezed shut as he desperately pushed his lips against Shuichi’s. It was like Shuichi was water and Kokichi was desperate to drown. And considering everything Kokichi had just been through, Shuichi let him drown, threading his fingers through his hair and kissing back with equal intensity despite the taste of blood lingering on the liar’s lips.

The liar was breathless as he pulled back, taking deep breaths as he pressed his forehead against Shuichi’s chest.

“Shit, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, babe, stop asking,” Kokichi laughed breathlessly. “Just call my sister.”

Shuichi nodded, petting Kokichi’s hair as he finally pressed the call button.

* * *

He was out of breath by the time he entered the hospital, scanning the group until he found her heading towards the front desk.

“Maki-Roll, Maki. Maki!” Kaito called, running after her. “Slow down.”

The receptionist glanced up at the sound of his voice. “Good after-”

“My brother was admitted today,” Maki interrupted in a cold tone of voice, slamming her hand down on the desk.

“Oh, alright.” The receptionist frowned, glancing at their computer screen. “What’s your brother’s surname?”

“Haruk- Ouma.” Maki stated. “It’s Ouma.”

The receptionist furrowed their brows. “I don’t see any relatives listed.”

“Okay? I’m his sister, I need to see him.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, I can’t just let anyone in.”

“Okay, listen here-”

“They’re not blood related,” Kaito cut in, setting a hand on Maki’s shoulder. “Maki Harukawa and Kaito Momota should be on the visitor list.”

The receptionist glanced back down at the computer screen. “Oh yes, Harukawa and Momota.” They glanced back up, smiling. “Room 307.”

“Thank you.” Kaito smiled, leading Maki away from the desk and towards the elevator.

“You didn’t have to step in, I had it,” Maki muttered.

“Oh yeah you did,” Kaito snorted.

They rode the elevator up to the third floor and made their way to room 307. Kaito rested his hand on Maki’s shoulder as they approached the door. He knocked softly.

“Come in,” a voice called. Kaito shared an amused glance with Maki at the voice. It was Shuichi’s.

Kaito grabbed the doorknob, opening it slowly as he and Maki peeked inside. They weren’t prepared for the sight that greeted them.

Laying on the hospital bed in the middle of the room was Kokichi, clad in a hospital gown and hooked up to the machines. Shuichi sat behind him on the bed, his arms wrapped around his middle as Kokichi traced patterns on his arm.

Shuichi glanced up at the door opening, his cheeks immediately heating up when he saw who it was. “Oh, hey guys.”

“Hey, sidekick,” Kaito greeted cheerfully, stepping into the room with Maki behind him.

“Now what did I fucking tell you?” the assassin tsked, closing the door behind her.

“I don’t want to fucking hear it, Maki,” Kokichi groaned.

Maki shot Shuichi a look, who smiled sheepishly in response.

“He’s your problem now,” the brunette stated.

“I know,” Shuichi chuckled.

Kaito crouched down next to the hospital bed, giving Kokichi a once over. He still looked sick and weak, but he looked more alive. He had more color to his skin than he had the last time Kaito had seen him.

“How are you feeling, little buddy?”

Kokichi just groaned.

Kaito chuckled. “Come on, it can’t be that bad. Not when you just got your dream boy.”

“Never say that ever again.” Kokichi cringed as Shuichi’s cheeks flushed red.

“What did the doctors say?” Maki asked.

“He’s still going to feel some of the effects for a couple months,” Shuichi replied. “He just coughed the roots up but he still has some of the flowers in his system. They’re not painful anymore but he’ll still need to cough them up.”

Maki nodded. “We should probably keep you at DICE headquarters until you’ve fully recovered then.”

Kokichi huffed. “Fine, Mom.”

Maki rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky I love you.”

“I can stay with you the entire time,” Shuichi offered softly. “I’m sure Hope’s Peak won’t mind.”

“Speaking of Hope’s Peak,” Kaito started, “Iruma and the rest of our class are going to want to see you.”

“Miu can stop by DICE if she wants,” Kokichi mused. He cringed. “Do you think I can get Mom-chan to clean my carpet? I don’t think any of my subordinates know how to get vomit stains out.”

Kaito chuckled. “I’m sure Tojo won’t mind.” He smiled softly at Kokichi. “I’m glad you’re okay, Kokichi.”

A soft smile grazed the liar’s lips as he sat up and pulled himself out of Shuichi’s arms. “Thanks, Kaito.”

He glanced at Maki who refused to meet his eyes. “Maki?”

Maki huffed and before he knew it he was being pulled into a tight hug. Kokichi wheezed. “My glass bones and paper skin, Maki!” Maki stifled a laugh as she loosened her grip.

“I’m so fucking glad you’re okay,” Maki whispered so only Kokichi could hear.

Kokichi grinned. “You didn’t think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?” Maki laughed softly. The liar’s grin faded into a soft smile. “Blood or not, you’re my sister and I love you.”

* * *

Kokichi groaned, stirring from his sleep. His stomach was protesting and his head was pounding. He whined to himself, pulling himself out of bed and trudging to his bathroom. He dropped himself in front of the toilet, proceeding to empty his guts. He was getting really tired of dealing with the Hanahaki aftereffects.

He coughed a few more times, spitting out the dark blue petal stuck on his tongue. He relaxed when he felt two arms wrap around his waist and soft lips press against the back of his neck.

Kokichi chuckled weakly, resting his forehead against the toilet seat. “Hey Shumai.”

“Hey,” Shuichi mumbled against his skin, moving his hair to better kiss his neck. “Sorry, am I making it worse?”

“Nah, the plant’s dead, Shumai. It doesn’t react to you anymore.”

Shuichi nodded, pressing his face into Kokichi’s shoulder, tightening his grip.

They sat in silence for a couple more minutes before Kokichi sighed shakily, reaching up to flush the toilet.

“Do you think it’s all almost gone?”

“I don’t know,” the liar replied shakily, pushing himself up on shaky legs.

Shuichi stood up as well, keeping an arm wrapped around his waist as they made their way back to Kokichi’s room.

“When’s Iruma-san visiting?” the detective asked, helping Kokichi back into bed and pulling the covers over him.

“Her and Keeboy are coming over tomorrow.” Kokichi yawned. He pulled the covers back down. “C’mere.”

Shuichi chuckled. “Fine,” he sighed with fake annoyance, sliding into bed next to Kokichi.

Kokichi wasted no time in nuzzling up to Shuichi’s chest, gripping tightly to the fabric of his tshirt.

Shuichi smiled softly at him, wrapping an arm around his waist and running his fingers through purple strands. “I love you.”

Kokichi sighed heavily. “I guess I love you too.” He peeked an eye open, smiling slyly up at him.

Shuichi chuckled, resting his chin on the top of Kokichi’s head.

He really did love him.

Maybe Hanahaki hadn’t been so bad after all.