Chapter Text
It’s hours after the nighttime announcement has played when Kaito finally exits the girl’s bathroom, peeking both ways down the hall just to make sure it’s safe to go. He feels a little bad hiding away in there—what if a girl had come in—but nowhere near as bad as he should whenever he thinks about the rampage Gonta had been on. Kaito really likes Gonta, but he likes his life even more. No way is he going down to… whatever was going on back there.
Of course, doing this means he’s long since missed the chance to train with Shuichi today. So much for keeping a daily routine. Kaito clicks his tongue as he makes his way down the hall, aiming for the dorms. It really seems like Shuichi just needs some strong support (there has to be something to him if Kaede had believed in him so strongly) but man, Kaito is a little worried about all this. He’s never taken a sidekick in such an intense situation before, and definitely not someone with such a strong enemy to fight… not that he’s doubting in his own capabilities at all; Kaito’s a hero. He’s got this. Still, not exactly the ideal situation to be doing this in…
Kaito yawns and muffles the sound by his hand as he turns a corner, but pauses, shutting his jaw with a click. It’s a distant sound, but Kaito thinks… is that screaming? After another second to listen, and another scream, Kaito takes off running in the direction of it, gritting his teeth. He already hesitated for too long and let Rantaro and Kaede die. No way can he pause for even a second here, not if someone else is in danger.
He follows his ears to Gonta’s lab, where the sound of screaming is loud enough—though muffled through the closed door—that Kaito can identify it. Kokichi. As much as Kaito is confused by the guy, he doesn’t hesitate even knowing who it is, rushing up to the door and grabbing the handle. He moves so quickly that he doesn’t even stop to process the low buzzing sound that sneaks through the wood under Kokichi’s screams, not until the’s opened the door and been faced with a swarm of insects.
“Gah—what the fuck?!” Kaito lifts a forearm to shield his eyes. He likes bugs alright, but too much is just too much. “Ouma, what’s going on?”
Kokichi, worryingly, does not respond. In fact, he doesn’t even scream. When Kaito squints through the cloud, he can make out vague shapes that he thinks might be Kokichi—curled up on the ground with his arms over his head—and Gonta, standing off to the side and interacting pleasantly with the insects. Kaito looks between them, then pulls his shirt over his nose and mouth to move towards Kokichi.
“Oi, Gonta!”
“Oh—Momota-kun!” Gonta actually sounds a bit happy to see him. “Did you come to meet Gonta’s bug friends as well?”
“Um.” Kaito drops to his knees by Kokichi, turning him over onto his side. Kokichi’s body slowly untenses, his arm falling limp to the floor. So out cold. His skin is still warm, but his face is insanely pale. Probably more of a fear knock-out than a peaceful sleep, though Kaito could have guessed that even without looking. “Sure, I’ll hang out with them—but I’d kinda prefer to do it one at a time?” He nods towards Kokichi. “Think Ouma’s the same…”
Gonta frowns, or at least Kaito thinks he does from his darkened expression. He makes his way through the bugs. It’s almost comical how the cloud of insects disperse as he approaches, like Moses parting the Red Sea. Dropping down to one knee, Gonta surveys Kokichi’s expression, and at this proximity Kaito can see the way his brow creases, the tick in his jaw.
“Gonta… understands,” Gonta says quietly. “Ouma-kun really does not like insects, does he?”
“Uhh…” Kaito glances down at Kokichi’s discontented sleeping face. Probably the most honest he’s ever been. “Dunno if this is a good measurement for that… most people enjoy things like insects in moderation.”
“In moderation…” Gonta grimaces. “Of course…”
He mutters to himself as he rises to his feet. Kaito stays by Kokichi’s side, but watches as Gonta herds the insects into their proper places, closing each container with tenderness. Whatever was happening just now, it’s sort of cool to see Gonta interacting with the bugs. Not that this is the time to be thinking it. Kaito waits for the threat of swallowing an insect—and not in the cool way—to have passed completely before he pulls his shirt back off his mouth and leans back over Kokichi.
Though thoroughly unconscious, Kokichi groans when Kaito moves his shoulder, nose wrinkling. Doesn’t look like he’s having a great dream.
“Wanna run me through what happened in here?” Kaito asks, though his eyes don’t leave Kokichi’s face. He just looks different when he’s sleeping… more vulnerable maybe? It almost feels indecent to witness, like he’s being exposed to a part of Kokichi that he has no right to be seeing. After another pause, Kaito turns his head away and looks back at Gonta. “Or… what happened earlier in general?”
Gonta stays by one of the bug containers, his head lowered. In a quiet voice he admits, “Ouma-kun did a bad thing. He lied to Gonta.” His hands tense. “Gonta thought his friends hated bugs, because Ouma-kun was just playing another trick. But…” Kaito waits through the lengthy silence, watching the way Gonta’s shoulders tremble slightly. “Gonta did a bad thing too. Ouma-kun got hurt.”
Kaito looks down. Kokichi definitely doesn’t look unhurt, but he doesn’t like hearing Gonta’s voice sound so sad and guilty.
“Okay,” Kaito says. “So you both fucked up… you can make it up to each other when he wakes up.” He leans down with that, politely averting his gaze from Kokichi’s face as he swoops to pick the guy up. It’s easy. Kokichi barely weighs anything to him. Kaito takes a moment to climb carefully to his feet, then turns to face Gonta again. “If you just sit around moping about all this, nothing will get better. Apologise to whoever you hurt tomorrow and it’ll be okay, yeah?”
“Momota-kun is… very wise, isn’t he?” Gonta looks back at Kaito, looking a bit embarrassed. “In many situations.”
“Of course I am! Heroes ought to be wise and smart and all kinds of other things!” Kaito huffs. “But this applies to you too, Gonta, as a gentleman. So practise your apologies! You’re a good guy, I’m sure everyone’ll understand.” He lifts Kokichi as if for emphasis and adds, “Even this asshole.”
Gonta smiles. “Gonta does not think Ouma-kun is… um.”
“An asshole?”
“Yes.” Gonta glances away. “Just… confusing.”
Yeah, no kidding about that. Kaito sighs. He still doesn’t really get this—why would Kokichi go to all the trouble to lie to Gonta about everyone hating bugs? Did he just want to see them suffer? Maybe Kaito’s stupid for it, but he doesn’t want to believe it could be that simple. It just seems like so much work for a prank, and one that backfired on him so epically, too. Eventually, Kaito shakes his head. No point in trying to think about all of that, not when he’s still in front of Gonta. He’ll get through to Kokichi eventually.
“He can be both,” Kaito decides. “But you might have the right idea about him, man. Who knows.” He lifts his chin. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the magic show, yeah? It’s late. Try to get some rest.”
“Right!” Gonta nods. “Gonta will see Momota-kun… but he might stay here with his friends for a while longer.” His gaze returns to the caged insects. “Um… if that is alright.”
Kaito shrugs. “Do you, buddy. Just make sure you sleep.” He turns to leave with that, pushing the door open with his leg so he won’t jostle Kokichi and making his way back down to the hall.
The school is so much more quiet at night, with not even the exisals doing work on all the greenery… it’s almost a bit eerie. Makes Kaito think someone could jump out at him at any time. Kaito tries to quicken his pace thinking about it, but he doesn’t want to walk too fast lest he wake his cargo, so it’s a bit of a challenge. Luckily, Kaito is a hero, so he’s up to anything… but you know, he’s thinking really hard about it. Thankfully the doors to the dorms are automatic.
Once inside, Kaito comes face to face with a problem as he stands in front of Kokichi’s dorm. That being… he doesn’t have a key for it. Just in case, he checks the door, but the knob barely turns under his hand. Locked, obviously. He locked his own door too, no reason why someone like Kokichi wouldn’t lock his.
So… that’s a problem. Kaito isn’t exactly keen on digging around in Kokichi’s pockets, but he doesn’t want to share a room with the guy either. Kokichi’s annoying, even if Kaito wants to get through to him anyway… and not to mention, if Kaito spent the night with him, he’d have to give up his bed. Grumbling a little under his breath, Kaito wracks his brain for solutions, only to be pulled right out of his thoughts when Kokichi shifts in his arms.
When Kaito glances down, he watches Kokichi shuffle, his expression scrunching and his forehead tucking into Kaito’s chest, pushing into his shirt like he wants to be closer. A quiet grumble escapes Kokichi’s throat—or a discontented noise at any rate, maybe more like a whine. Kaito’s heart feels funny watching it, like someone’s squeezing it. Eventually Kokichi goes still again, and Kaito realises he was holding his breath.
This is so fucking embarrassing for him. Kaito groans and turns on his heel, walking to his own room instead and shuffling Kokichi into one arm to unlock the door. Once inside, he tucks Kokichi into bed—taking off his shoes, obviously, he’s civilised—before heading to the bathroom to wash up.
Kokichi is still fast asleep by the time Kaito comes out, showered and teeth brushed, but he looks a little more peaceful now under the covers. Good. Kaito finds a little smile, completely involuntary, before realising he’s staring.
His face burns as he drops himself into an armchair and tries to get comfortable. Not his best sleep, but an astronaut and adventurer ought to be able to handle it. Kaito tucks the side of his face against the back of his chair and closes his eyes. Slowly, despite the position, unconsciousness claims him.
Kaito wakes before the morning announcement to an odd tickle in the back of his throat. He muffles a cough with the back of his hand as he slips out of the chair, groaning quietly at the ache in his back and neck and shuffling into the bathroom. There, he braces himself on the sink as the coughs keep coming. They’re the painful kind of coughs, the sort you only get during a really awful bout of flu, and they make Kaito’s eye water as he forces out each successive one. His skin feels a bit hot, too, but Kaito doesn’t pay much mind to that initially. He runs warm, just a fact of existence.
By the time Kaito is done coughing, his mouth is full of phlegm and his head is spinning. He spits into the sink and groans, head resting against the faucet, and it takes his blurry eyes a long moment to realise that what he had identified as phlegm in his mouth is actually bright pink blood.
Kaito stumbles backwards so fast he hits his head on the towel rack and lets out a groan, coughing a few more times just out of surprise. As his vision dances, Kaito hears the morning announcement go off. Day of the magic show, he should go to that. Instead of moving to get ready though, Kaito feels his knees shake, and slowly sinks to sit down on the bathroom floor. Something hurts deep in his chest, and he’s not sure if the feeling was there before, or if he dislodged something with all the coughing.
The ringing in his ears is deafening to the point that Kaito doesn’t process anything for a long moment, just staying there on the bathroom tile with his hands cupping his mouth. He can still taste the iron on his tongue. It has to be some kind of fluke, right? Maybe he coughed so hard he scratched up his throat. Maybe—maybe it’s fine. Maybe he doesn’t—
“Momota-chan?”
Kokichi’s voice drifts through the open door, and Kaito curses, scrambling to his feet so quickly he hits his head on the towel rack again and drops back down with a hiss. God damnit. While he massages the bump, wincing, Kaito manages to calm down enough to hear Kokichi’s approaching footsteps, then see his head poked through the door.
“Oh, it is you!” Kokichi, to his credit, seems perfectly recovered after yesterday, if a bit confused and ruffled from sleeping in his uniform. “I thought so when I saw the dorky jacket draped over the chair… but I wasn’t sure! Maybe you gave one to Saihara-chan as a token of your affection.”
Kaito grumbles. “The hell are you on about…? ‘Course it’s me.” As his head stops throbbing, though, it occurs to Kaito that Kokichi probably doesn’t know what happened last night after he passed out. For all he knows, Kaito just took him here to be a freak. “I mean—okay. I came by Gonta’s lab last night after the whole—bug thing, and you were there out cold. I took you back to the dorms but your door was locked and I didn’t wanna dig around in your pockets, so…”
“That’s your reason?” Kokichi smirks, then turns out his pockets. Kaito for a moment has no idea what his aim is, but that soon becomes clear when Kaito sees that, outside of a few pieces of lint, there is nothing in Kokichi’s pockets. No key, no student handbook, not even his motive video. Kaito blinks.
“You… don’t carry your key around?”
“Nope!” Kokichi pops the P. “Why would I? Creeps like Momota-chan could easily take advantage of my unconscious state and snoop inside my room if I did! In fact, I bet you already knew, and you’re just lying to make it seem like you didn’t!”
“Hey, asshole!” Kaito feels his face reddening with indignation. Kokichi had seemed so harmless while unconscious Kaito had almost forgotten how much of a bastard he is when he’s awake. “I’m not a fucking creep! I was doing you a favour last night, so you better—shit!”
He tries to stand too fast and hits his head again. At this point it’s almost funny. Kaito whines as he slides back down the wall, rubbing his thrice-bumped skull, and scoots forward on his ass to make sure it doesn’t happen a fourth time. Kokichi regards him with slightly wide eyes before looking away, cooly examining his nails.
“Well… I knew that,” Kokichi says, with a shrug. “It was just a lie about you checking my pockets… I knew you weren’t lying when you said that.”
“You’re such a dick,” Kaito complains. “Why say it if you knew it wasn’t true?”
Kokichi gives Kaito an unimpressed look. “Uh, duh? It was a lie? Why else?” He tucks his arms behind his neck with a serene smile. “But hey, looks like I owe you! So I’ll do you a favour and not tell anyone about that super awful coughing I just heard… it really sounded like you were dying or something!”
Ah, fuck. Kaito had been hoping Kokichi wouldn’t hear, but maybe he should’ve closed the door. “It’s not what you think… I just had an itch in my throat.” Slowly and carefully, Kaito climbs back to his feet. His chest gives a twinge as he moves, apparently not done with all those sharp pains, and Kaito suppresses a grimace as he leans into the sink. Kokichi stares at him with open disbelief, so Kaito insists, “I mean it. I’m not sick or anything, it just happened.”
“Uh-huh.” Kokichi raises his eyebrows. “Welp, if it’s not a big deal, I guess I might as well go and tell Saihara-chan now!” He turns to run off with that, and Kaito hisses with displeasure, reaching out to snatch his wrist. Thankfully, Kokichi must just be toying with him, because he stops right away and smiles over his shoulder. “Huuuh…? Why’d you stop me? Is it ‘cause you’re in love with me?”
“Of course not,” Kaito grumbles, sweeping his hand through his hair. “Just—fine. That can be what you do in exchange. It’s not a big deal, but I don’t want people getting worried about me over nothing, either.” He frowns. “I want you to do something else though, too.”
“Isn’t that plenty?” Kokichi huffs. “You do-gooder types are so greedy!”
“I’m not asking you to hold up the goddamn sky, just relax,” Kaito sighs. This guy is such a fucking headache, and he’s already not feeling great. “I just want to know what your deal was with the bugs yesterday. I know you don’t actually think everyone here hates them, so what’s the point in lying to Gonta?”
Kokichi’s face goes neutral at that. He looks away, as though thinking. Kaito watches. He’d been pretty expressive in sleep, but while he’s awake it’s like dealing with a completely different person. Totally unreadable, totally impossible to understand.
Maybe it makes Kaito a little stupid, but a part of him only wants to understand all the more for all of Kokichi’s elusiveness.
“I guess I’ll count that as my payback for Momota-chan giving me his bed,” Kokichi muses. “Even if it stinks just like he does.”
Kaito makes a noise of complaint. “I don’t fucking stink! Jackass!”
“Nishishi! Are you sure? Because I think you could use a shower!” Kokichi bounces out of the bedroom. “I’ll tell you what, deal with your bloody sink issue over there and I’ll tell you all about it, how does that sound?”
Opening and closing his mouth, Kaito can only look into the sink and see that indeed, he hasn’t washed out the blood. So much for convincing Kokichi it’s not a big deal… but it can’t be. Right? There’s no way something could be wrong with Kaito. He passed his physical with JAXA. Aside from some lung issues earlier on in his life… Kaito is totally healthy.
Biting his lip, Kaito runs the tap to wash out the blood. It’s probably nothing. It’s got to be.